Stock futures climb as earnings roll in; claims data on tap

By Chuck Mikolajczak

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures advanced on Thursday, as investors dealt with a raft of earnings, including those of 3M Co, along with data on the labor market.

Dow component ExxonMobil Corp , the largest U.S. company by market capitalization reports its results Thursday, a day after the company boosted its quarterly dividend.

Fellow Dow component 3M Co reported a slight rise in profit on modest growth in sales of its wide array of products, but shares fell 4.1 percent to $103.50 in premarket trading.

Qualcomm Inc lost 5.8 percent to $62.20 before the opening bell after the mobile chipmaker forecast earnings below expectations late Wednesday.

"The focus remains on the fact that companies continue to mostly beat expectations for earnings but also, many are disappointing on the forecast," said Rick Meckler, president of investment firm LibertyView Capital Management in Jersey City, New Jersey.

"So it is leaving investors with mixed feelings with no real reason to sell off stocks but not enough of a reason to really drive it materially higher - that pattern is likely to continue for a while."

Companies expected to post earnings after the close include Amazon.com Inc and Starbucks .

Data on the labor market is due at 8:30 a.m. EDT with the release of weekly initial jobless claims data. Economists in a Reuters survey forecast a total of 351,000 new filings compared with 352,000 in the prior week.

Verizon Communications Inc will be in focus after sources told Reuters it has hired advisers to prepare a possible $100 billion cash and stock bid to take full control of Verizon Wireless from joint venture partner, Vodafone Group Plc . Verizon shares edged up 0.4 percent to $52 in light premarket trade.

S&P 500 futures rose 6.4 points and were above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration of the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures added 46 points and Nasdaq 100 futures gained 13.25 points.

PulteGroup Inc , the No. 2 U.S. homebuilder, returned to a quarterly profit after reporting a loss a year earlier, as it benefited from low mortgage rates. Shares fell 2.5 percent to $19.20 in premarket trade.

Akamai Technologies Inc surged 19.4 percent to $43.08 in premarket trading after the internet content delivery company forecast second-quarter results above analysts' expectations late on Wednesday.

Earnings season has been largely positive, with 68.4 percent of S&P 500 companies that have reported results so far beating expectations, according to Thomson Reuters data through Tuesday morning. Since 1994, 63 percent have surpassed estimates on average, while the beat rate is 67 percent for the past four quarters.

Analysts see earnings growth of 3.1 percent this quarter, up from expectations of 1.5 percent at the start of the month.

European shares edged up on Thursday, with the benchmark FTSEurofirst 300 index rising for a fifth straight session, helped by gains in car maker Volkswagen and telecoms group Vodafone <.eu/>

Asian shares rose, with recovering commodities and views that a run of weak global economic data will encourage major central banks to keep or deepen their monetary stimulus improving risk sentiment.

(Editing by Bernadette Baum)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stock-index-futures-signal-slightly-higher-open-081750934--finance.html

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Samsung Galaxy S4 available at U.S. Cellular April 26 online, April 30 in stores

16GB models in both White Frost and Black Mist will be available for $199 for eligible customers

Folks looking to pick up a Samsung Galaxy S4 on U.S. Cellular can now start counting down with everyone else. The device will be available Friday April 26 for people purchasing online, and in stores on the shelves Tuesday, April 30. Both the White Frost and Black Mist version in 16GB will be available, and at the cash register, you'll need to part with $199 if you're eligible for an upgrade price.

U.S. Cellular tells us that phones preordered online will start shipping April 26 as well, and include the promotional S View flip cover as part of the preorder promotion. 

The Galaxy S4 looks like an incredible phone (see our review) and will surely be a crowd pleaser. It's great that U.S. Cellular can offer their customers access to this one in the same time frame as the bigger carriers. If you're interested, the order page will go live tomorrow right here. 

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/bFo5FP-pnzM/story01.htm

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Dancing With the Stars Results: Who Got 86'd in Week 6?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/dancing-with-the-stars-results-who-got-86-d-in-week-6/

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Lawmakers grill FBI on Boston bombing investigation

By Susan Cornwell and Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers grilled top security officials on Tuesday about the handling of the Boston Marathon bombing investigation and why one of the suspects flagged as a possible Islamist radical was not tracked more closely.

FBI officials briefed members of Congress behind closed doors in Washington about the investigation into the April 15 blasts that killed three people and injured 264 others.

Authorities say the ethnic Chechen brothers, who immigrated to the United States a decade ago from the predominantly Muslim region of Dagestan in Russia's Caucasus, detonated two bombs made from pressure cookers near the finish line of the iconic foot race.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was killed in a shootout with police and his younger brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, lies wounded in a Boston hospital charged with using weapons of mass destruction.

Investigators have focused on a trip to Dagestan last year by Tamerlan Tsarnaev and whether he became involved with or was influenced by Chechen separatists or Islamist extremists there.

Russian authorities flagged him as a possible Islamist extremist in 2011. The FBI interviewed him in Massachusetts but found no serious reason for alarm. Some lawmakers have questioned if more could have been done at the time.

Senators said after a briefing by FBI Deputy Director Sean Joyce and other officials that there may have been a breakdown in communication that kept authorities from tracking his apparent radicalization.

Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, the ranking Republican on the Senate intelligence committee, said the briefing raised questions about the flow of information among law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

"I think there has been some stonewalls, and some stovepipes reconstructed, that were probably unintentional, but we've got to review that issue again, and make sure there is the free flow of information," he said.

"I can't say the FBI dropped the ball. I don't see anybody yet that dropped the ball," he said. "That may develop."

The senators said there was tough questioning during the briefing.

"We had a full discussion back and forth over the process that's followed, and we need to keep at that, and we need to see if there are any loopholes in it, and that we fix those loopholes," said Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, who chairs the committee.

Lawmakers said they were unable to confirm an NBC report that the Tsarnaev brothers had been motivated by the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq or speculation that they had used fireworks to provide the explosives used in their bombs.

SUSPECT'S WIFE COOPERATING

The wife of the dead bombing suspect is assisting authorities and in absolute shock that her husband and brother-in-law were accused of the deadly blasts, her lawyer said.

"She cries a lot," attorney Amato DeLuca said of Katherine Russell, 24, an American-born convert to Islam who married Tamerlan Tsarnaev in June 2010. "She can't go anywhere. She can't work."

People interviewed by Reuters described Tamerlan Tsarnaev as proud but angry, never quite achieving his own idea of the American dream, and instead finding solace in a radical form of Islam adopted by fighters in his homeland.

The sisters of the bombing suspects said they too did not know what had happened to their brothers.

Ailina Tsarnaev, who lives in West New York, New Jersey, and her sister Bella issued a statement through their attorneys expressing their sadness over "such a callous act."

"As a family we are absolutely devastated by the sense of loss and sorrow this has caused," they said. "We don't have any answers but we look forward to a thorough investigation and hope to learn more."

But relatives interviewed in Russia said they did not believe the brothers carried out the bombings. "No one is accusing them of anything here," Said Tsarnaev, a local photojournalist, told Reuters.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's condition improved to "fair" from "serious" on Tuesday as he recovered from gunshot wounds at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where in an impromptu hearing on Monday he was charged with two crimes that could result in the death penalty if he were convicted.

Since recovering enough to communicate by nodding his head and writing, the younger Tsarnaev has told authorities he and his brother acted alone, learned to build the bombs over the Internet and were motivated by a desire to defend Islam because of "the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," NBC News reported.

NBC cited an unnamed U.S. counterterrorism source who has received multiple briefings on the investigation. Reuters could not confirm the information.

Tsarnaev was captured on Friday night following a massive, daylong manhunt that shut down greater Boston.

Police say the Tsarnaev brothers also killed a university police officer on Thursday night and wounded a transit police officer on Friday morning.

The family of 8-year-old Martin Richard, the youngest person to die in the attacks, privately buried their son on Tuesday.

"This has been the most difficult week of our lives and we appreciate that our friends and family have given us space to grieve and heal," parents Denise and Bill Richard said in a statement. "We laid our son Martin to rest, and he is now at peace."

(Additional reporting by Scott Malone in Boston, Svea Herbst-Bayliss in Providence, Rhode Island, Richard Cowan in Washington and David Jones in New Jersey; Writing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Daniel Trotta; Editing by Eric Beech and Lisa Shumaker)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-lawmakers-grill-fbi-boston-bombing-investigation-011321908.html

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Rescue me: New study finds animals do recover from neglect

Apr. 23, 2013 ? Animal sanctuaries can play an important role in rehabilitating goats and other animals that have suffered from neglect, according to scientists at Queen Mary, University of London.

In this first scientific study of rescued animals, the researchers examined moods in 18 goats, nine of which had endured poor welfare, such as inappropriate diet, and lack of space or shelter before arriving at a sanctuary. They created a spatial awareness test, which involved giving the animals an opportunity to look for food, to understand the link between poor welfare and the goats' mental health, by comparing the behaviour of the mistreated goats with that of the goats that had been generally well treated.

The scientists observed whether some goats were faster to explore specific areas that resulted in the reward of food and others that did not. They assessed how the goats judged previously unknown locations, described as ambiguous because they were situated between spaces known to contain food and areas without food.

"Mood can have a huge influence on how the brain processes information. In humans, for example, it's well known that people in positive moods have an optimistic outlook on life, which means they are more resilient to stress. In the same way, measures of optimism and pessimism can provide indicators for an understanding of animal welfare," explains co-author Dr Elodie Briefer from Queen Mary's School of Biological and Chemical Sciences.

It was thought that the goats from the poor welfare group would be more 'pessimistic' and slower than the well-treated goats to explore ambiguous locations for food, where the promise of reward was not guaranteed. However, a surprising result of the study was that female goats that had been mistreated in the past were more optimistic than the other well-treated female goats.

Dr Briefer adds: "In this case, we found that female goats that had been previously neglected were the most optimistic of all the tested animals. They were more optimistic than well-treated females, but also the poorly treated males. This suggests that females may be better at recovering from neglect when released from stress, and might have implications for animal sanctuaries in how they tailor the care they provide for the different sexes."

Dr Alan McElligott, also from Queen Mary's School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, said: "The study shows that animal rescue centres, such as Buttercups Sanctuary for Goats, where we collected our data, can provide a vital role in reversing long-term neglect once the animals receive excellent care."

The study was published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science April 23, 2013.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/fKOXdjptgg0/130423091115.htm

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Jeff Bauman Gives Present to Fellow Boston Bombing Victim

Apr 24, 2013 6:27pm

(Credit: Courtesy Celeste & Sydney Recovery Fund)

Sydney Corcoran, who was injured during the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, was still recovering at Boston Medical Center on Tuesday for her 18th birthday.

So fellow bombing?victim?Jeff Bauman stopped by to give her a present.

Bauman is the man in the wheel chair?pictured?in the now famous Associated Press photo taken shortly after the bombing.

Bauman, 27, lost both legs in the attack, and Corcoran is recovering from a severed femoral artery in a hospital.

Corcoran, a Lowell High School senior, was at the marathon with her parents when the bomb exploded. Her mother?s legs were badly damaged in the blast and had to be amputated below the knee, her cousin Alyssa Carter told ABCNews.com. Corcoran?s artery wound would have been fatal if strangers didn?t rush to stop the bleeding.

READ MORE:?Boston Bombing Amputee No Longer Fears ?Horrible Shin Splints?

SHOWS: Good Morning America

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/04/24/jeff-bauman-gives-present-to-fellow-boston-bombing-victim/

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Kim Kardashian Pregnancy: SO Painful!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/kim-kardashian-pregnancy-so-painful/

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Israel praises Azerbaijan's stand in Iran crisis

JERUSALEM (AP) ? Israel's president has praised Azerbaijan for playing a key role in countering Iran's influence in the Middle East.

Shimon Peres says Azerbaijian, which shares a border with Iran, has taken a "clear stand" against war and terrorism.

Peres says Azerbaijan's "unique geographic location" makes it a "key country" in the region.

Peres spoke Monday during a meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov. It's the first visit by an Azerbaijani foreign minister to Israel.

Israel believes Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon, a charge Tehran denies. Israel and the U.S. have hinted at military action if diplomacy fails to stop Iran's controversial nuclear program.

Israel's ties with Azerbaijan have grown since its once-strong strategic relationship with nearby Turkey deteriorated.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israel-praises-azerbaijans-stand-iran-crisis-104002142.html

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France Legalizes Gay Marriage (Voice Of America)

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CSN: Why are Nationals so inconsistent this year?

Associated Press

Ian Desmond has committed seven of the Nationals' 18 errors this season.

If you're searching for one word to describe the Nationals during the first three weeks of this season, "inconsistent" is probably the best choice.

One night, they look very much like the best team in baseball and certainly worthy of the preseason hype they received. The next, they look completely out of sync, unable to play clean ball and dropping games to lesser pitchers and opponents with far more frequency than you'd expect for a club with this much talent.

And yet the end result remains mildly positive: a 10-8 record good enough for second place in the NL East at the moment. Nobody wins a pennant in April. All you really need to do is stay in the thick of things and not dig yourself into a big hole.

So the Nationals are by no means a failure at this early stage of the season. They are, perhaps, a disappointment. And if you're wondering why that is, here are some possible reasons...

SLOPPY DEFENSE
What was touted as one of the best defensive teams in baseball has been anything but so far. The Nationals have been charged with an MLB-high 18 errors in 18 games, a staggering total for a club that should be winning games with its gloves, not losing them.

We've examined Ryan Zimmerman's throwing issue enough, so no need to rehash that. But what to make of Ian Desmond's struggles so far? The All-Star shortstop, a Gold Glove finalist one year ago, has already committed seven errors, most in the majors.

In the process, Desmond is conjuring up some bad memories of his rookie season in 2010, when he was charged with a league-high 34 errors. He worked hard to fix that problem and reconstruct his image as a defensive liability. There's still time for him to get this straightened out this year, but the sloppy manner in which he's navigated his position ? not to mention many of his teammates ? to date is troublesome.

STARTERS NOT THROWING ENOUGH INNINGS
Though their overall numbers (including a 3.70 ERA) aren't bad, the Nationals' five starting pitchers collectively haven't held up their end of the bargain. How so? By not going deep enough into games to help take pressure off the bullpen.

Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Dan Haren and Ross Detwiler are averaging only 5.8 innings per start, a rate that ranks 17th in the majors. Not the kind of standing expected of this elite group of hurlers.

Now, some of this is attributable to Davey Johnson holding everyone back early on, especially during the first turn through the rotation. But more recently, these pitchers haven't given their manager reason to let them go deeper, because they're racking up huge pitch counts in the early innings.

Strasburg needed 114 pitches to complete 5 1/3 innings in Cincinnati. Gonzalez has failed to reach the sixth inning in three of his four starts despite throwing more than 90 pitches in each of them. Haren is averaging 20.4 pitches per inning. Even Zimmermann, who last week completed nine innings for the first time in his career, was knocked out yesterday after only five innings having thrown 96 pitches.

It's time for these guys to start displaying some efficiency.

RELIEVERS STILL DEVELOPING ROLES
This was supposed to be the deepest bullpen in baseball, and perhaps the last thing Johnson had to worry about. Well, three weeks in, the Nationals relief corps owns a collective 5.04 ERA, 26th out of 30 teams.

Not one member of the bullpen boasts an ERA lower than 4.15. Four of the seven are surrendering more than one hit per inning. Collectively, they're issuing 3.4 walks per nine innings.

What's going on here? Well, one possible explanation is that everyone's roles are still being sorted out. By the end of last season, there was never a doubt how the relievers would be used. Sean Burnett pitched the seventh. Tyler Clippard pitched the eighth. Drew Storen pitched the ninth. Ryan Mattheus pitched the sixth or seventh, depending on the situation. Craig Stammen and Tom Gorzelanny were the long men. Michael Gonzalez was the situational lefty.

The roles haven't been nearly as defined so far this year. Rafael Soriano, obviously, is the closer. But Storen and Clippard have been sharing eighth-inning responsibilities. Mattheus and Henry Rodriguez have been used in a variety of spots. Stammen and Zach Duke remain the long men.

These things can take some time. It's great to open a season with all the roles defined, but often it takes a month or two for this to sort itself out. Until it does, the Nationals can only hope each member of the pen begins to perform to a higher standard.

BENCH NOT PRODUCING
Not that everyone in the lineup is producing at full capacity, but the Nationals' bench has struggled in particular. Steve Lombardozzi has done well, especially playing at second base while Danny Espinosa was nursing a bruised hand. And Kurt Suzuki has been fantastic since taking over behind the plate for the injured Wilson Ramos.

But Chad Tracy (3-for-21), Tyler Moore (3-for-19, nine strikeouts) and Roger Bernadina (0-for-15) have been abysmal. Perhaps the lack of playing time has hurt, though each got a chance to start multiple games last week due to injuries, and that didn't seem to help much.

With the starting pitchers getting pulled as early as they have, the Nationals have needed to use pinch-hitters with great frequency. So far, they're hitting just .136 (3-for-22), 14th out of 15 teams in the NL.

Source: http://www.natsinsider.com/2013/04/why-have-nats-been-so-inconsistent.html

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Rivers act as 'horizontal cooling towers' for power plants, study finds

Apr. 22, 2013 ? Running two computer models in tandem, scientists from the University of New Hampshire have detailed for the first time how thermoelectric power plants interact with climate, hydrology, and aquatic ecosystems throughout the northeastern U.S. and show how rivers serve as "horizontal cooling towers" that provide an important ecosystem service to the regional electricity sector -- but at a cost to the environment.

The analysis, done in collaboration with colleagues from the City College of New York (CCNY) and published online in the current journal Environmental Research Letters, highlights the interactions among electricity production, cooling technologies, hydrologic conditions, aquatic impacts and ecosystem services, and can be used to assess the full costs and tradeoffs of electricity production at regional scales and under changing climate conditions.

Lead authors of the study are Robert Stewart of the UNH Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space (EOS) and Wilfred Wollheim of the department of natural resources and environment and EOS.

Thermoelectric power plants boil water to create steam that in turn drives turbines to produce electricity. They provide 90 percent of the electricity consumed nationwide and an even a greater percentage in the Northeast -- a region with a high density of power plants.

Cooling the waste heat generated during the process requires that prodigious volumes of water be withdrawn and makes the thermoelectric sector the largest user of freshwater in the U.S. -- withdrawing more than the entire, combined agricultural sector. Water withdrawals are either evaporated in cooling towers or returned to the river at elevated temperatures. Rivers can help mitigate these added heat loads through the ecosystem services of conveyance, dilution, and attenuation -- essentially acting as horizontal cooling towers as water flows downstream.

Says Stewart, a research scientist in the EOS Earth Systems Research Center, "Our modeling shows that, of the waste heat produced during the production of electricity, roughly half is directed to vertical, evaporative cooling towers while the other half is transferred to rivers."

The study also shows that, of the waste heat transferred to rivers, only slightly more than 11 percent wafts into the atmosphere with the rest delivered to coastal waters and the ocean.

"We were surprised to find that relatively little of the heat to rivers is exchanged back to the atmosphere," notes Wollheim, an assistant professor and co-director of the Water Systems Analysis Group at EOS. Wollheim adds, "Reliance on riverine ecosystem services to dispense waste heat alters temperature regimes, which impacts fish habitat and other aquatic ecosystem services."

The researchers quantified the various dynamics using a spatially distributed hydrology and water temperature model developed at UNH known as the Framework for Aquatic Modeling in the Earth System, or FrAMES model, coupled with the Thermoelectric Power and Thermal Pollution Model developed by collaborators at CCNY.

The combined models showed that there are roughly 4,700 river miles in the region potentially impacted by power plants. The study found that, in general, the impact to river temperatures, and thus fish habitat, is "considerable" and disruptions in river flow "minimal," in part because so many of the region's power plants are located well down river near coastal areas.

But the study also noted that in the face of changing climate and increasing energy demand, "it is essential to assess the capacity and associated environmental trade-offs of heat regulating ecosystem services that support the electricity sector."

Indeed, last summer a reactor at the Millstone nuclear power plant in Waterford, Conn. was shut down because the water in Long Island Sound was too warm to cool it -- something utterly unanticipated when the plant was designed in the 1960s. And in July 2012, a nuclear plant in Illinois had to obtain special permission to continue operations because its cooling water pond reached 102 degrees in the wake of low rainfall and high air temperatures.

By means of the study, notes Wollheim, "We can better understand the unintended consequences to other ecosystem services as we rely on rivers to support generation of electricity. Integrative, regional approaches will be needed to help plan as society adapts to changing climate and hydrology while demand for power continues to increase."

The work was funded by the National Science Foundation through the Earth System Modeling Program and NSF's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program, and by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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Journal Reference:

1. Robert J Stewart, Wilfred M Wollheim, Ariel Miara, Charles J V?r?smarty, Balazs Fekete, Richard B Lammers, Bernice Rosenzweig. Horizontal cooling towers: riverine ecosystem services and the fate of thermoelectric heat in the contemporary Northeast US. Environmental Research Letters, 2013; 8 (2): 025010 DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/8/2/025010

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/yX06QRhT2mY/130422123044.htm

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Good Weekend Weather Continues

We?ll have another fine weather day to close the weekend. Highs should reach in the low 70?s with less wind to contend with:

?

?

Its going to be dry today and Monday. Monday?s highs will reach to around 80 degrees as the south winds pick up again 20-25mph.

?

ANOTHER COLD WAVE HITS

We really can?t get the warm season started around here. Of course, in north Texas we should never be in a hurry for the heat to set back in. Some very cold air is just over the?Canadian border and its headed this way:

This cold front will arrive Tuesday morning. Temperatures that morning will be in the low 60?s; by afternoon we?ll have temperatures in the 50?s. We are expecting some rain with this front but it?ll be a minor amounts of precipitation. Mostly it?ll be just cloudy, windy and cold with showers.

As we get closer and closer to Memorial day (36 days and counting) these rounds of cold weather linger less and less. Highs by next weekend should be right back to the upper 70?s to around 80.

Source: http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2013/04/20/good-weekend-weather-continues/

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The Crazy Accurate Thermal Images That Saw Dzokhar Tsarnaev Through a Boat Tarp

There was no small amount of technology that went into the capture of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzokhar Tsarnaev, but perhaps none was more impressive than the helicopter-mounted, forward-looking infrared camera that confirmed once and for all that there was someone hiding in a boat in Watertown, Massachusetts. And that he was almost certainly Dzokhar Tsarnaev. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Bmtvg10-tNM/the-crazy-accurate-thermal-images-that-saw-dzokhar-tsarnaev-through-a-boat-tarp

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Benson Henderson defends belt, then proposes to girlfriend at UFC on FX 7

UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson won a very close decision over Gilbert Melendez at UFC on Fox 7. With the win, he held onto his gold championship belt, but right after the decision was read, another piece of jewelry was on his mind.

With the crowd in San Jose booing, Henderson's girlfriend, Maria Magana, was led into the Octagon. Henderson told UFC commentator Joe Rogan, "I gotta see about a girl real quick." He motioned to one of his cornermen, who pulled a small jewelry box out of his pocket and handed it to Henderson. The champ then dropped to one knee and popped the question.

"I love you. I'm not perfect. I never have been, but you make me happier every single day than any man has a right to be. I love you. Will you marry me?"

[Related: Benson Henderson's controversial win caps off thrilling night]

Magana answered yes, even as the crowd continued to boo. The post-fight proposal had to be approved by several parties including UFC president Dana White and Magana's father.

The happy couple posed for a picture right after the fight.

The night could have very easily been much less joyful for the couple, as Henderson's win was razor-close. Melendez, the Strikeforce champion who was making his UFC debut, started strong. He neutralized Henderson by landing several kicks.

But as the fight wore on into the fourth and fifth rounds, the momentum turned towards Henderson. He finished with impressive flurries late in the third round, and was able to land enough kicks on Melendez that a welt appeared on his leg. Melendez slowed down, but neither fighter was able to consistently apply offense.

That didn't matter to Henderson after the bout.

"There's a lot of bigger things than fighting, and I had to take care of one of those things tonight," Henderson told Rogan after the successful fight and proposal.

Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
? Images from the manhunt, capture of Boston bombing suspect
? Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel is ready for his encore
? Ball Don't Lie Power Rankings: First-round NBA playoff matchups
? David Ortiz punctuates Red Sox pregame with strong statement

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/benson-henderson-defends-belt-then-proposes-girlfriend-ufc-023837351--mma.html

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Southern California fire forces evacuation of 200 homes

MONROVIA, Calif. (AP) ? Firefighters are gaining the upper hand on a brush fire that erupted in the San Gabriel Mountain foothills east of Los Angeles.

Authorities are lifting evacuation orders for residents of some 200 homes who were forced to flee after the fire broke out in Monrovia Saturday.

City officials say the blaze was sparked by equipment used by a gardener working the backyard. Flames spread to the hillside behind the residence, scorching about 175 acres.

The fire is 50 percent contained.

The city's fire chief said dry, thick brush on steep terrain made the fire difficult to contain. However, the lack of evening wind is helping firefighters get a handle on the blaze.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/southern-ca-fire-forces-evacuation-200-homes-030333277.html

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Biden says response to tragedies 'incredible' (The Arizona Republic)

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Midwestern river cities brace for floodwaters

ST. LOUIS (AP) ? Communities along the Mississippi River and other rain-engorged waterways are waging feverish bids to hold back floodwaters that may soon approach record levels.

After days of torrential rains, Midwesterners find themselves watching rivers and tributaries rise ? a sharp contrast to the region's drought that months earlier had sucked the Mississippi so dry that barge traffic was threatened.

Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin all had flooding, as dozens of Midwestern rivers were well over their banks after rains that began Wednesday dumped up to 6 inches of new water on already saturated soil.

The trouble appeared to be especially pronounced in Quincy, Ill., where the Mississippi rose a "pretty amazing" nearly 10 feet in 36 hours, National Weather Service hydrologist Mark Fuchs said. One of two bridges there was shut down Friday, and the sewage plant was threatened.

"It's just been skyrocketing," Fuchs added of the Mississippi's swift rise. Downriver from Quincy, a bridge at Louisiana, Mo., was to close at noon Saturday.

Smaller rivers in Illinois seemed to be causing the worst of the flooding. In suburban Chicago, which got up to 7 inches of rain in a 24-hour period ending Thursday, record levels of water were moving through the Des Plaines River past heavily populated western suburbs and into the Illinois River to the south.

As many as 1,500 residents of the northern Illinois city of Marseilles were evacuated Thursday night when fears of a levee breach were heightened as seven barges broke free from a towing vessel and came to rest against a dam on the Illinois River. In the central Illinois town of London Mills, the Spoon River topped a levee and forced the evacuations of half of the 500 residents.

In central Indiana, the National Weather Service said the Wabash River in Tippecanoe County could crest Saturday at 25.5 feet ? its highest level in more than a half-century.

Mississippi River flooding wasn't as pronounced. Its water level varies greatly but is typically highest in the spring, so minor flooding is not uncommon. "Flood stage" is a somewhat arbitrary term that the weather service defines as the point when "water surface level begins to create a hazard to lives, property or commerce."

When river levels exceed flood stage by several feet, serious problems can occur. Forecasters now expect it to climb up to 12 feet above flood stage at some spots in Missouri and Illinois.

After the devastating Mississippi River floods of 1993, the government bought out thousands of homes, tore them down and banned development there. New and larger levees have been built, and flood walls reinforced.

Yet communities like Missouri's quaint Clarksville remain at the river's mercy. The community of 442 has no flood wall or levee ? a barrier that was opted against because of the cost and the fact residents like the river view. In 2008, the town bought a flood-protection system that allows for a makeshift levee to be built, but the waters have risen too quickly to install it this time. Volunteers scrambled Friday to use gravel, plastic overlay and sandbags to protect the business district and are layering sandbags around threatened homes.

Also unprotected is Grafton, Ill., a tourist town northeast of St. Louis that sits at the convergence of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. The main thoroughfare leading into town ? the Great River Road ? was expected to be closed off by midday Saturday, and riverside merchants were clearing out merchandise. Among them was Laurie Wild, who with help of volunteers tried to save her artisan shop's wares.

"It's a mess," said the 51-year-old St. Louis transplant. "We knew what we were getting into when we moved here. It's a beautiful town, and we'll be here after."

The Army Corps of Engineers said Friday most of the locks and dams from the Quad Cities to near St. Louis were closed due to the flood, effectively halting barge and other traffic on that part of the Mississippi. Four Illinois River locks were also shut down.

Also Friday, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency and activated the Missouri National Guard to aid flood-fighting efforts.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/midwestern-river-cities-brace-floodwaters-073507838.html

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?If Your Fidelity to Perfectionism is Too High, You Never Do Anything?

In order to be successful, it's important to not just get things done, but to get the done well. The desire to be perfect in what you do can help you out immensely?provided that you do things and finish them.

This animated radio interview with the late David Foster Wallace stresses how perfectionism can get in your way if you lose sight of that. The relevant stuff is right at the beginning, stick around if you want some insight into the acclaimed author's life.

David Foster Wallace on Ambition | The World's Best Ever

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/MHvanNUGY0I/if-your-fidelity-to-perfectionism-is-too-high-you-nev-476451037

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Video: UBS Chairman: We're Seeing a Hands-Off Period in the Mark...

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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/cnbc/51587121/

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Will the GOP Commit Suicide by Amnesty?

During President Eisenhower?s first term, 60 years ago, the?United States faced an invasion across its southern border.

Illegal aliens had been coming since World War II. But,?suddenly, the number was over 1 million. Crime was rising in Texas.?The illegals were taking the jobs of U.S. farm workers.

Under Gen. Joseph May Swing, the Immigration and?Naturalization Service launched ?Operation Wetback? and began rounding?up and deporting Mexican border-crossers by ship and bus. By the end?of Ike?s second term, illegal entries had fallen by 90 percent.

Eisenhower, who had tapped his nuclear hole card twice?first, to force the Chinese to agree to a truce in Korea, then to halt?their shelling of the offshore islands in 1958?was a no-nonsense?president.

Measured by population and gross national product,?Eisenhower?s America was but half the size of today?s America. Yet, in?the 1950s, we were in many ways a stronger and more self-confident?country.

We had universal military service, and few complained. As for?the deportation of the Mexicans, they had broken in, they did not?belong here, and they were going back. End of discussion.

Contrast the rigorous response of Ike?s America to an invasion?across our southern border to the hand-wringing moral paralysis of our?political elite in dealing with 11-12 million illegal aliens in our?midst.

We are to stop using terms like illegal aliens, we are told.?For it shows insensitivity. And compassion commands that we bring?these folks ?out of the shadows? and ?put them on a path to?citizenship.?

One understands Democrats? motives in pushing this amnesty.?Perhaps nine of 10 illegals are from Third World countries, and folks?of Asian, African and Hispanic descent voted 4-to-1 Democratic in?2012.

Sen. Chuck Schumer and Democrats are writing an immigration?bill that will create millions of new citizens who will vote to bury?the Party of Ronald Reagan forever.

But why are Republicans collaborating in erecting the?scaffolding on which their party is to be hanged?

A year ago, the GOP platform declared, ?We oppose amnesty?because it would have the effect of encouraging illegal immigration?and would give an unfair advantage to those who have broken our laws.?

What has changed since then?

Yet, today, with Cuban-American Sen. Marco Rubio providing?cover?a ?very positive force,? purrs President Obama?Republicans?are about to trash their platform and vote an amnesty for 11-12?million illegals. Why?

One reason is the fear, bordering on panic, since Mitt Romney?lost the Hispanic vote 71 to 27. Republicans attribute their?unpopularity among Latinos to their opposition to amnesty, rather than?their commitment to peel back the social programs on which minorities?heavily depend.

Another force for amnesty is corporate America. Thousands of?businesses have hired illegals in violation of U.S. law. Amnesty for?their illegal workers means, de facto, amnesty for them.

Moreover, U.S. corporations and agribusiness also want the?right to import foreign workers. And under this new immigration bill,?H1-B visas for highly skilled engineers and computer programmers will?double to 110,000 a year, and the cap can rise to 180,000. Visas for?H-2A agricultural workers will go to 337,000 over three years.

Silicon Valley is not interested in middle-aged Americans who?lost jobs in defense industries. They want young foreign students with?newly minted advanced degrees, who will work for less.

Thus, with 14 percent of our U.S. labor force?more than 21?million Americans?unemployed, working part-time but seeking?full-time work or having stopped looking, Congress is going to vote an?amnesty for 12 million illegals and bring in a million new immigrants?a year?and hand them green cards.

What happened to putting our own country and people first?

Moreover, under the new law, unlimited visas will be issued?for spouses, children and parents of permanent residents and citizens.

With all these workers and dependents pouring in, the downward?pressure on U.S. wages, stagnant since Gerald Ford was president, will?intensify. And the steady rise in the scores of millions of?beneficiaries of social welfare programs will continue.

What do Republicans get in return for capitulating and?embracing amnesty? The Democrats solemnly promise to secure the border?this time.

In short, the administration will do its duty and protect the?states from another invasion, if the Republican Party will abandon its?principled opposition to amnesty. The Republicans will be faithless to?those who voted for them on a pledge not to support amnesty, if only?Obama will promise a good-faith effort to do his constitutional duty.

Prediction: Once word goes out that the illegals will no?longer be sent back, there will commence a new stampede to the border.

And once the new law is on the books, Democrats will move to truncate?the time for the former illegals to become U.S. citizens.

And Republicans who resist will be accused of being?anti-Hispanic, and will then do what comes naturally?capitulate?again.

Source: http://www.theamericanconservative.com/will-the-gop-commit-suicide-by-amnesty/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=will-the-gop-commit-suicide-by-amnesty

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Twitter UK's #Flock cuckoo clock shares time and tweets alike (video)

The concept of a Twitter-aware cuckoo clock has certainly been done -- just not by Twitter itself, until now. Twitter UK has teamed up with Berg to produce #Flock, a smarter-than-average clock that both marks time and pops out a bird whenever there are new followers, replies and retweets. It's comparatively simple underneath the wood, as a Berg Cloud developer kit links an arm mechanism to the owner's Twitter account. The trick will be owning one in the first place. As much as we'd like Twitter to sell #Flock on a general basis, the company is giving away its hand-built creation only to companies and people that "push the creative boundaries," which will mostly involve advertisers rather than any of us common folk.

Filed under: Household, Internet

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Via: The Verge

Source: Twitter Ads UK (Twitter)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/19/twitter-uk-flock-cuckoo-clock-tells-us-about-time-and-tweets/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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The Engadget Podcast is live today at 3:30PM ET

Peter's back! Brian's back! And Tim -- well, Tim never left, really. Join the gang for another good, old fashioned conversation about the week in tech, just after the break.

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/18/engadget-podcast/

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Royal Caribbean reveals groundbreaking Quantum class ships ...

Building on a legacy of more than 40 years of innovation and creative design, Royal Caribbean International today unveiled first details of the next generation of cruise holidays ? Quantum cruising.

The Quantum class of ships will take a dramatic leap forwards, introducing more game-changing ?firsts at sea? such as a skydiving experience, a thrilling adventure that transports guests more than 300 feet in the air on a breathtaking journey; cutting-edge transformative venues including the largest indoor sports and entertainment complex at sea with bumper cars, roller skating and more; and the cruise line?s largest and most advanced accommodation ever.

These new, larger staterooms enable innovation in design, storage and comfort including the industry?s first virtual balconies - every stateroom on Quantum of the Seas will have a view. The much anticipated details were unveiled by stage, television and film star, Kristin Chenoweth ? Godmother of Quantum of the Seas ? at an exclusive event in New York City this morning.

?This new generation of ships gave us an opportunity to make another leap in vessel design.? Innovation has always been part of our DNA and we have taken advantage of all that creativity to design Quantum cruising,? stated Richard D. Fain, chairman & CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.? ?The unique features on Quantum of the Seas will boggle our guests? minds, but the real strength of the design is how our people have integrated all these diverse components to create a comfortable and exciting experience.?

Having led the cruise and leisure industry by introducing incredible signature offerings such as the first Rock Climbing Wall, ice-skating rink, FlowRider surf simulator, Central Park and AquaTheater at sea, Royal Caribbean International will advance the onboard experience even further by delivering a groundbreaking lineup of ?firsts at sea? on Quantum-class ships.? New features exclusive to Royal Caribbean International include:

?? ? ? RipCord by iFly, the first skydiving experience at sea which allows everyone from first-time flyers to seasoned skydivers to enjoy the sheer thrill and exhilaration of skydiving in a safe, controlled, and simulated environment

?? ? ? North Star, an engineering marvel, takes guests to new heights ? literally ? with a jewel-shaped, glass capsule, transporting them on a spectacular journey more than 300 feet above the ocean and over the sides of the ship to deliver awe-inspiring 360-degree views.

?We are excited to be introducing major advancements in ship design and offerings on Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas,? said Adam Goldstein, president & CEO, Royal Caribbean International.? ?The innovative spirit of our brand is alive and well, and with Quantum class, we will deliver more unexpected activities in the most extraordinary spaces. Our guests should prepare to be wowed.?

With Quantum class, Royal Caribbean International marries new innovations with significant architectural design elements to introduce spectacular spaces.? On Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas guests will find endless possibilities with three new signature venues.

?? ? ? A revolutionary concept, Two70? is a multi-level great room that is sure to become one of the most iconic venues onboard Quantum class ships. The space is aptly named for its magnificent 270-degree panoramic sea views through vast, floor-to-ceiling glass walls spanning almost three decks at the stern of the ship.? Two70? seamlessly fuses entertainment and technology to create a transformative journey from day to night.? The perfect setting to connect with the sea during the day, Two70? provides a modern and comfortable living room space for guests to sit back and relax.? As the sun sets and the lights go down, the dazzling space gradually reveals its evening persona, delighting guests with spectacular, mysterious and unexpected entertainment at night.? Unparalleled technology means every show at Two70? is multidimensional and immerses the audience through a combination of live performers, including aerialists, as well as breathtaking video and digital scenery

?? ? ? The largest indoor active space at sea, SeaPlex is a distinctive and flexible sporting and entertainment venue with thrilling new features that will inspire guests of all ages to connect with their playful sides.? Delivering more first-at-sea experiences, guests can enjoy a circus school with flying trapeze, or play basketball on a full-size basketball court.? By night, the first-ever bumper car and roller skating offerings deliver fun and excitement.? Or, guests can dance to music orchestrated from a floating DJ booth which hovers above the activity below

?? ? ? A performance hall and the hottest live music venue on Quantum class, Music Hall is the place for guests to enjoy intimate and exclusive access to live performances, DJs, theme night parties, billiards and more.? Rebellious and edgy, Music Hall?s two-story design is inspired by the spirit of rock and roll.

With guest comfort and convenience in mind, Royal Caribbean International debuts the most spacious and luxurious accommodations ever, introducing rooms that on average are nine percent larger than those of the cruise line?s Oasis class ships.? Sophisticated design, layouts and finishes create a home away from home.? Boasting Royal Caribbean International?s new smart design concept, each stateroom features contemporary designs with easy-to-use customisable layouts and intuitive larger storage solutions.

?? ? ? Now every room on Quantum of the Seas has a view, with the exciting introduction of Virtual Balcony staterooms. This design concept brings virtual balconies to interior staterooms offering expansive real-time views of the ocean and exciting destinations

?? ? ? For multi-generational families, Family-Connected staterooms deliver more flexibility, using three different stateroom categories which connect to form a special layout that provides separate bedrooms and bathrooms for all.? These rooms allow families and groups of friends traveling together to enjoy the best of both worlds when it comes to together and alone time

?? ? ? With Quantum of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International introduces the largest variety of stateroom categories, including new Studio staterooms, some with balconies for single travellers, three Junior Suite categories and larger Loft Suites

The adults-only Solarium, along with an outdoor pool, a new indoor pool with operable roof and a H2O Zone kids? aqua park, will be featured on the top deck.? Signature Royal Caribbean International venues and experiences popular with families such as the Rock Climbing Wall; FlowRider surf simulator; the award-winning Adventure Ocean children?s programme; the Royal Babies and Tots Nursery; and the DreamWorks entertainment and events featuring the characters from animated movies: Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar; will all be back on Quantum class.

Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas also will make a quantum leap forward in culinary offerings providing the most flexible dining options and more speciality restaurants than ever before. Additional details about dining, entertainment and other unexpected features and activities on Quantum of the Seas will be unveiled in the coming months.

Quantum class will debut in autumn 2014 with Quantum of the Seas, followed by sister-ship Anthem of the Seas in spring 2015.? Quantum ships span 18 decks, encompass 167,800 gross registered tons, carry 4,180 guests at double occupancy and feature 2,090 staterooms.

Quantum of the Seas will sail out of the New York Harbour from the homeport of Cape Liberty on 7- to 12-night itineraries during the winter 2014/15 season.? Bookings will be available to Crown & Anchor Society loyalty program members on 27 May 2013 before opening to the general public on 4 June 2013. More information on Quantum of the Seas is available at www.RoyalCaribbean.com/Quantum.?

Royal Caribbean International is an award-winning global cruise brand with a 40-year legacy of innovation and introducing industry firsts never-before-seen at sea.? The cruise line features an expansive and unmatched array of features and amenities only found on Royal Caribbean including, jaw-dropping, Broadway-style entertainment and industry-acclaimed programming that appeals to families and adventurous holidaymakers alike.

Royal Caribbean International sails 21 of the world?s most innovative cruise ships to the most popular destinations in the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska, South America, the Far East, and Australia and New Zealand and is world renowned for its friendly and engaging Gold Anchor Service, delivered by every staff and crew member.

Source: http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/royal-caribbean-reveals-groundbreaking-quantum-class-ships/

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Syria's Assad reduces sentences for some rebels

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) ? Syria's president on Tuesday slashed prison terms for an unspecified number of rebels convicted as "terrorists," reducing their sentences by three quarters, state media reported.

Bashar Assad also reduced the sentences of an unknown number of convicted criminals ahead of the country's independence day, according to a presidential decree.

Assad has issued several similar measures during the country's two-year crisis, including pardons for those convicted of acts against the state, usually ahead of national holidays.

The opposition has dismissed such decrees as empty gestures, saying that many political prisoners and dissidents remain in Syrian jails. Syrian authorities deny there is an uprising in the country and refer to rebels as terrorists carrying out a foreign conspiracy.

The latest decree came on the eve of the anniversary of the 1946 withdrawal of French troops from Syria, which marked the end of France's mandate of the Arab country.

The Syrian TV and state news agency said the "amnesty" is also to include those convicted of criminal acts before April 16.

The reports said convicts on death row would have their sentences reduced to life imprisonment with hard labor. Those convicted to life in prison would have their sentences reduces to 20 years.

Prisoners who suffer from incurable diseases and those who turned 70 years old on the date of the decree would be pardoned.

The measure does not include drug or arms smugglers, the reports said, adding that "fugitives who hand over their weapons within 30 to 90 days after the decree" would also be pardoned.

There were no details or specifics on the numbers of prisoners covered under the decree.

Syria's uprising began in March 2011 and has since turned into a civil war that has killed over 70,000 people, according to the U.N.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrias-assad-reduces-sentences-rebels-095247496.html

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China's struggle to measure economy clouds outlook

BEIJING (AP) ? After China reported quarterly economic growth of 7.7 percent this week ? far above anemic U.S. and European performance ? global markets reacted by falling, wiping billions of dollars off stock prices.

The reason? Growth came in under the 8 percent expected by private sector forecasters who relied on Chinese trade and other data.

The market plunge highlighted complaints about the possible inaccuracy of Beijing's official data and the intense, possibly excessive importance traders attach to a handful of Chinese economic indicators.

What matters more than a difference of a few tenths of a percentage point in growth from quarter to quarter is whether Chinese leaders are allowing the private sector to flourish by reducing the role of state industry in the economy, said Ben Simpfendorfer, managing director of Silk Road Associates, a consulting firm in Hong Kong.

"There is an obsession with these GDP numbers, and what really matters at this point is reform," said Simpfendorfer, a former Royal Bank of Scotland economist.

China is watched especially closely because it is a major market for foreign goods from iron ore to smartphones and is relatively healthy, fueling hopes Chinese demand can help offset weakness in the U.S., Europe and Japan.

Confusion about how fast China is growing can hamper foreign and private companies in industries from construction to chemicals to consumer goods as they make plans for business and investment.

Beijing's problems in keeping track of its economy stem in part from the fact that while it is surpassed only by the United States in size, China is growing and changing much faster than any rich country.

An understaffed bureaucracy inherited from the era of central planning is struggling to keep up with changes in trade, finance, manufacturing and city growth. Chinese companies have an incentive to avoid taxes or boost export rebates by misreporting sales and profits. Secrecy surrounding the collection and processing of official statistics leaves open the possibility they might be altered for political reasons.

Foreign and private companies look at government data with skepticism. Many rely on watching their own industries and markets more closely. The government still is the only source for most nationwide data, but a growing number of banks and research firms are developing their own based on surveys of companies and consumers.

"I think everyone doing business in China is skeptical of the data," said analyst Alistair Thornton of IHS Global Insight.

Thornton said three of China's most closely watched yardsticks are rife with potential problems ? exports, real estate sales and credit.

Export data have gotten the most attention lately after some analysts suggested companies might be inflating values on customs declarations. That might be intended to let them evade currency controls and move money into China. Reporting rising prices while exporting the same amount of goods might give a false impression of higher production.

The customs agency defended itself this month, saying its reports were based on goods that really were exported. However, that would not prevent exporters from submitting inflated values for them.

March exports were "substantially lower than reported numbers," which might have helped lead to the discrepancy between GDP forecasts and the government report, said RBS economists Louis Kuijs and Tiffany Qiu in a report.

Monday's unexpected decline in reported growth from 7.9 percent in the final quarter of 2012 was severe enough that economists responded by cutting their growth outlook for China this year.

JP Morgan economist Hongbin Qu scaled back his forecast from 8.2 percent to a still-healthy 7.8 percent, while Kuijs and Qiu at RBS reduced theirs from 8.4 percent to 7.8 percent.

Data showing rising bank loans and other credit, another key indicator, also might be inflated, according to Thornton. He said official figures might mistakenly count the same money two, three or more times as credit is extended from one company to another and then to a third.

Government figures on home sales also might give a false picture of the strength of the housing market because they rely on seller-reported prices without independent measurement.

Chinese economic growth figures are, like those of other countries, estimates that are often revised later.

Unlike other countries, though, China's revisions can be huge. In 2009, Beijing raised its official 2007 growth rate from an already eye-popping 11.9 percent to 13 percent. That suggested its earlier estimate failed to take account of tens of billions of dollars in economic activity.

Economists also note that even where Chinese data are reliable, they can be pumped up by investment or government spending that might do little for long-term prosperity.

Chinese leaders are trying to nurture more self-sustaining growth based on domestic consumption rather than exports and investment. That will drag down the overall growth rate in the short run.

The World Bank and other advisers have warned that to keep growth strong, Beijing needs to curb the dominance of state industry and encourage free-market competition ? a factor that isn't reflected in the headline numbers.

On Monday, China's surprise growth hiccup triggered selling in Western and Asian stock markets. The Dow ended at 14,648, a drop of 1.4 percent and the Standard & Poor's 500 slumped 1.9 percent to 1,559.

Thornton noted that last week, global stocks rose after China's report of stronger March trade, even though analysts said the data probably were inaccurate and exports weaker than they appeared.

"We all know markets are not particularly rational and overshoot or undershoot and wipe billions of dollars off market cap off indices over what we think is a misreading of various data points," he said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chinas-struggle-measure-economy-clouds-outlook-103639051--finance.html

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