Apple 2013 iPad & Mac event preview

Analyzing rumors and speculation surrounding Apple's 2013 iPad & Mac event!

We're only hours away from Apple's 2013 iPad and Mac event, and just like the invitation says, there's a lot left to cover. Last year we got the improved iPad 4, all new iPad mini, redesigned iMac, and the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro. This year we're looking forward to a thinner, lighter iPad 4, Retina iPad mini 2, the all new Mac Pro, Haswell chipset-based MacBook Pro bumps, and... well, that's the real question, isn't it?

Tim Cook will come out and talk Apple Retail and Apple core values. Phil Schiller will show off new iOS and Mac hardware. Craig Federighi will demonstrate new features. Eddy Cue will take us to the iClouds. Jony Ive and Dan Riccio will show up in the videos. But what will they be talking about?

iPad 4 and Retina iPad mini 2

There's no doubt the headliners for this show, as far as the mainstream is concerned, are the new iPads. For a while now we've been hearing the iPad 4 will be getting the sleeker, slimmer design of the iPad mini, and it sure sounds like the iPad mini will be getting the Retina display that until now has been exclusive to the full-sized model. That'll leave screen size, and screen size alone as the single biggest differentiator. Do you want 7.9-inches of portability or 9.7-inches of productivity?

There are a few other lingering questions, however. Will the Apple A7 chipset run the line? And if so, will Touch ID? And if Apple has to redesign the Smart Covers for the new iPad 5 form-factor, might they take the opportunity to add features... like a keyboard?

• Complete iPad 4 and Retina iPad mini 2 preview

Apple TV

The Apple TV was last updated in the spring of 2012. It went 1080p. Unless Apple takes it to 4K this year, and announces iTunes 4K to go along with it, it's hard to see what, if anything, else Apple could have to say about everyone's favorite tiny TV box. They could update the internals to keep pace with current technology, sure, but unless and until they get the next generation box project into production, it's hard to imagine anything crazy, hardware wise, this year.

Of course the Apple TV just got updated to its version of iOS 7, but unlike the iPhone and iPad, didn't enjoy the interface refresh the rest of its device family got. If Apple had the time and talent to spare, a new look for the Apple TV software would be greatly appreciated.

• What would you like to see in a next-gen Apple TV?

New Mac Pro

The new "Not innovating any more Phil Schiller's-ass" Mac Pro is, in Apple parlance, a screamer. The new machine uses Intel Xeon E5 processors, which won't ship until the third calendar quarter of 2013. This generation of Xeon E5 is based around Intel's Ivy Bridge-EP microprocessor architecture. Apple says the new Mac Pro's floating-point performance alone is twice as fast. Faster Error Correcting Code (ECC) memory running at 1866MHz, connected through a four-channel controller, means the new Mac Pro has twice the memory bandwidth of its predecessor as well. And that's just the beginning. Really, all we're waiting for it to find out how big a loan we'll need to take out to afford the top-of-the-line model!

• A closer look at the new Mac Pro

4K Apple display

Last year Apple introduced MacBook Pros with Retina Displays, and many folks watching the Mac market have assumed that it's only a matter of time before the rest of the line has them too. That may be true, but the newly redesigned Mac Pro is going to leapfrog that by offering something that so far, no other Mac can handle - 4K video. And not just 4K video, but 4K video on three screens. Going Retina on the 27-inch Thunderbolt Display probably won't happen any time soon. But what about going 4K with an Apple logo on it?

• Never mind Retina Displays: Get ready for 4K on the new Mac Pro

Haswell MacBook Pros and Mac Minis

Apple introduced the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros just last year, so there's no redesign this time around. What there is, however, is a bump up to Intel's new Haswell chipsets. The MacBook Airs got them back in June. The iMacs got them in September. October they go MacBook Pro. And it's about time too, because the original Retina MacBook Pros redlined their Intel HD graphics chips. The new chips should more than pay off the Retina tax, and make those already fast machines positively fly.

Likewise, Mac Minis have been redesigned recently enough that the Haswell bump should more than suffice for them as well.

• What will Intel's new Haswell chipsets really mean for the Mac?

OS X Mavericks

OS X Mavericks - OS X 10.9 if you're keeping track of that sort of thing - was previewed back at WWDC 2013 and has just recently gone Gold Master (GM). We'll likely see some highlights of the same feature set shown off in June, but more importantly, we should get pricing and the general availability (GA) date. And hopefully that date will be, if not today, later this week.

• Complete OS X Mavericks preview

iWork

The iPhone and iPad versions of iWork, miracles of multitouch productivity they may be, are aching for an iOS 7 makeover. Whether Apple has the engineering and design resources to devote to that right now, what with pushing iOS 7 and Mavericks out the door is the question. New versions of the icons have been shown off on Apple.com, but it remains to be seen whether changes are more than Home page skin deep.

iWork for Mavericks is an even bigger question. Apple last updated iWork for Mac back in 1812. Wait, no, 2009. Close enough. They have added iCloud support, and they have announced iWork for iCloud. They're long past due a kick in the innovation can. Let's hope we see it today.

• Four years later, iWork apps need Apple's attention

Pro apps

back at WWDC Apple said Final Cut Pro X was being updated to support the monstrous power of the new Mac Pro. Could Aperture also get an update? Could Logic Pro X? The latter was just re-lauched a couple of months ago, so another new version isn't in the cards, but a new Final Cut Pro X version with new features would be great. Most especially, and Aperture update to bring it back up to speed with competitors like Lightroom would be enormously welcome.

More things

The iWatch is almost certainly a 2014 thing, the Apple Television a perennial pipe dream (get a 4K display and hook up an Apple TV, right?), but Apple hasn't lost their ability to surprise. Sure, if you read every rumor, you spoil the show for yourself - like reading a movie plot then complaining you were bored by the ending - but otherwise we're looking forward to an amazing amount of new products today. The new Mac Pro shocked us at WWDC. Who knows what'll shock us next?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/C0iRTAuDsvQ/story01.htm
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iPhone 5S helps Apple top Samsung in September

The 5S was the top-selling smartphone in the US last month, according to research firm Counterpoint Research.

Apple's iPhone 5S: A close look

The iPhone 5S was available for only 10 days in September, yet it still outscored Samsung's Galaxy S4 in US sales, says a new report.

Overall, Apple sold 4.8 million iPhones last month, according to Counterpoint Research data obtained by the Guardian. That number gave it a 38 percent share of the US smartphone market for September and pushed Samsung to second place after being on top since May.

The 5S snagged the No. 1 spot, followed by the Galaxy S4. The 5C has been overshadowed by its more robust cousin, yet it still managed to take home third place among the top sellers.

Samsung is still the overall leader, having sold 23.4 million smartphones since April, compared with 18.5 million for Apple. Combined, Apple and Samsung continue to reign supreme over the US smartphone market, according to Counterpoint Research. The two companies accounted for 61 percent of the 68.1 million smartphones sold in the US since April.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57608617-37/iphone-5s-helps-apple-top-samsung-in-september/?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-Apple
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'Homeland' Showrunner Alex Gansa on the Big Reveal in 'Game On'

After watching the last scene of Sunday’s Homeland, the fourth outing in its third season, many viewers may want to revisit the last few episodes. “I’m hoping that’s the general consensus,” executive producer and showrunner Alex Gansa tells The Hollywood Reporter. “This should answer some questions for people.”

For those who’ve yet to see “Game On,” spoilers ahead.

Carrie (Claire Danes) finally made her way out of her forced institutionalization – and though circumstances seemed to be pushing her towards turning her back on the CIA, the last scene of the episode reveals that she and Saul (Mandy Patinkin) have actually been working together all along. Carrie and her mentor choreographed her second turn being thrown under the bus by her employers in an attempt to bring down the terrorist network involved in the bombing.

Q&A: Damian Lewis Talks Brody's 'Homeland' Return, Rock Bottom and TV Fatherhood

Gansa, who chatted with THR about the big twist, explains that the unseen wheels were set in motion as soon as the second season faded to black, where Homeland is shifting its attention now and how Brody (Damian Lewis) will fit in down the road.

How long have Saul and Carrie been in cahoots?
We started the year by talking about what had happened at the end of season two. Carrie and Saul are together, standing there with all of the bodies around them. Clearly, they are culpable for what happened -- Saul and Carrie together. As intelligence officers, the first thing that they would try to do is to turn this tragedy into something positive. That’s what they went to work on the day after the bombing. How were they going to catch the guys responsible for this? A plan was hatched quite quickly in the aftermath of the attack on the CIA.

Does this mean the CIA fallout will play a lesser role now?
We view season three in three movements -- each being four episodes -- with this being the end of the first movement. It was a long con that they played in order to draw out this Iranian intelligence officer, Majid Javadi [Shaun Toub].

The cast and producers were very candid about a lot of early season three plot points during in the summer. Was that intended to play up the red herring?
We were also playing a bit of a con here from the story room. That said, one of the thing we’ve learned from our CIA consultants is that the most successful intelligence operations are 95 percent true – and the 95 percent that’s true, in this case, is that Saul and Carrie were culpable and that, largely, the CIA as an organization would look for a scapegoat to lay the blame on.  Saul and Carrie were playing on that natural, institutional inclination to find a scapegoat. They used that, but when you go back to the first three episodes, you can see the toll that it’s taking on both of them. The con also has its consequences.

PHOTOS: 'Homeland': Portraits of the Emmy-Winning Cast and Creators

Like that moment between Carrie and Saul in the hospital at the end of the second episode.
It comes down to the line towards the end of this episode when she says, “You really should have gotten me out of the hospital.” That was one step too far. That was the part of her role-playing that hit too close. Although they are in this ruse together, it’s painful for Carrie to admit that she’s to blame for what happened and to think that because she was on her meds, she missed stopping the attack. All of that is true and playing through her head.

What does the next movement focus on?  
They are now in the process of luring him out into the open and landing this guy. That’s the substance of the second movement.

How will Brody figure into all of this?  
I will say that Brody becomes a principal player in the architecture of the last sweep of episodes. His predicament down in Caracas and his separation from Carrie and Saul is really tantamount as we move into the next two movements of the season.

Did you have any reservations about having an episode (“Tower of David”) that was almost exclusively from Brody’s point of view?
It was really a function of how much story was to be told there. Just anecdotally, some people felt we were with him too much and others felt we were with him too little. It felt right to us to establish his predicament and to parallel his plight with Carrie’s. These are two people in some very desperate circumstances. The show has paralleled their stories before and some of the most successful episodes that we have done have drawn comparisons between their predicaments.

Stylistically, the episode was very different from the rest of the series.
I sort of leave it to the audience to tell us if we were successful or not, but it’s fun for us to mix up the show a little bit and not tell the same story over and over again -- to take a risk here and there. We also teased the audience by not having Brody in the first two episodes, so we have them a healthy dose of him in number three.

Q&A: 'Homeland' EP Alex Gansa Talks Season 3, Benghazi and Demedicating Carrie -- Again

The Brody family storyline has really been dominated by Dana (Morgan Saylor) this season. When did you decide you’d focus so much on her?
Because Brody was not on screen and not part of the story in those first couple of episodes, we really wanted to tell the aftermath of the bombing in a more personal way. The relationship between Dana and her father is very strong. It’s stronger than his relationship with Jessica [Morena Baccarin] and certainly stronger than his relationship with Chris [Jackson Pace]. Going back to the first season… the first time that Brody came back from captivity, he gives his wife a hug -- but it’s kind of a tentative one. The first time we see him open up, it’s in response to his daughter. That led to the end of season one, when she talks him off the ledge when he’s about to explode that vest inside the bunker with the vice president. Her role grew through season two, and she just felt like the logical person. For the weight of what her dad did, it just landed on her in a more profound way.

How much does the story stick with Dana moving forward?
You’ll see in the next four episodes, and certainly the last four, that she doesn’t play as big of a role. She’s not physically on screen a lot, but her presence is there in a profound way for Brody and for Carrie.
 
How was all the secret-keeping for you personally?
We’ve taken a degree of pleasure in it. I was an amateur magician when I was a kid, and for me, the best tricks were the ones where the magician convinces the audience that he’s made a mistake – only to prove at the end that he’s been ahead of them all along. We’ve been leaning into that idea a little bit, and hopefully it will have paid off in episode four.

Email: Michael.OConnell@THR.com; Twitter: @MikeyLikesTV

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thr/news/~3/MFWwXqOzP7E/homeland-showrunner-alex-gansa-big-649562
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The gay couples in N.J. who finally got to say 'I do'

NEWARK, N.J.—Right after the stroke of midnight Monday, seven same-sex couples said “I do” in the marble rotunda of Newark’s City Hall as New Jersey became the 14th state in the union to allow gay marriage.

Senator-elect Cory Booker presided over the weddings, enthusiastically telling each couple, “you may kiss your spouse,” after warning that marriage should not be entered into lightly. The new spouses included a bus driver, two social workers, a municipal court data processor and the retired dean of students at Rutgers University.

“Today is a victory for love,” Booker said, before the newlywed couples chowed down on cake and sipped champagne as dozens of news cameras and reporters watched from behind a roped-off area. The state’s Supreme Court rejected a request from Chris Christie’s administration last week to delay the weddings until it makes a final decision on whether gay marriage is legal in the state. The court said the state’s argument against gay marriage is unlikely to win out, and that the state has no reason to deny gay couples the right to marry.

James Credle, 68, and Pierre Dufresne, 56, were among those wed early Monday morning. The couple first met in 1987 at a gay rights march on Washington, but didn’t get together until 2006. “It was complicated,” Dufresne joked. Credle, who’s originally from North Carolina, wore a gold, floor-length traditional gown from Ghana, while Dufresne wore a simple black suit for the ceremony.

Credle was married before, to a man in the Netherlands who later passed away. After his husband died, he rekindled his romance with Dufresne, who is Canadian. The two spent their entire courtship long-distance.

“I really never thought I would do it because I wanted to wait for all 50 states to have [same-sex marriage],” Credle said of the wedding. But he changed his mind when he heard about the state Supreme Court’s ruling allowing marriages to take place last week. Credle, who lives in Newark, is a retired dean of students at Rutgers. Dufresne is a computer graphics artist.

The Rev. Donald Ransom, an assistant pastor at Unity Fellowship Church and Credle’s friend of 40 years, served as witness. The pair gave each other an Eskimo kiss after Booker declared them married in the state of New Jersey.

Orville Bell, an educator, said he met his new spouse Joseph Panessidi, a retired advertising executive, at a gay bar 15 years ago. Both are activists for gay rights in the community, and friends of Booker’s.  The pair, both 65, entered into a civil union four years ago. “We’re now really happy to be able to change that to marriage,” Panessidi said. “It’s clear now—you can’t misunderstand what our relationship is. It can’t be denied or refuted by anyone.”

Jenelle Torres, 42, said she’s been with her new wife Lydia Torres, a UPS driver, for seven years, when the pair met at Unity Fellowship Church. “It was monumental,” Torres said of the ceremony. “It’s humbling.” She wore a gold floor-length gown, while her wife wore a suit and bow tie.

Lynne Womble, 49, met her wife Debra Summers, 47, when they were set up on a blind date three years ago. “I knew I wanted to get married,” Womble, an administrative assistant, said. Summers proposed when the two went on a weekend trip.

It remains to be seen how many same-sex couples will take advantage of the New Jersey Supreme Court’s ruling and get married in the coming weeks. Unlike Newark, some towns have not yet begun issuing licenses. David Levy, a rabbi at Temple Shalom in Succasunna, said his congregation includes same-sex couples who have married in Canada or New York already, but who now no longer have to worry about their home state recognizing their unions. “What’s great is their marriages will be recognized, God willing, here,” Levy said.

Tracy Sprowls, a pastor at First Unitarian in Plainfield, said Unitarian churches would be performing same-sex marriages all day Monday.

• Family & Relationships
• Cory Booker
• gay marriage
• Pierre Dufresne

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/the-gay-couples-in-n-j--who-finally-got-to-say--i-do--114133337.html
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Prince George's Royal Christening: New Details on the Guest List, Gifts, and More!

Let the countdown begin! In less than two days, Prince William and Kate Middleton will present their firstborn child, 3-month-old Prince George, to be christened in a private ceremony at St. James's Palace in London. Plans and preparations for the Oct. 23 event have been under way for some time now -- and Us Weekly has new details on the who, what, where, when, and why.

PHOTOS: Prince George's first days

As previously reported, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge chose the Chapel Royal for George's christening in part because of the intimacy it offers. It's also where the body of Prince William's late mother, Princess Diana, was kept for some time before her funeral in 1997.

"It's a special place for William," a source shares with Us. "Having the service there is his way of involving his mother, who he so wishes could be here for all of this."

PHOTOS: Princess Diana's pregnancy with Prince William

No one else could ever take her place, of course, but other loved ones can and will be in attendance. Kensington Palace won't release a guest list until the day of the event, but "close members of both families" are expected -- including, of course, George's great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, his grandfather Prince Charles, his uncle Prince Harry, and his maternal grandparents Carole and Michael Middleton, along with the Duchess' siblings, Pippa and James.

PHOTOS: Royal family tree

A source tells Us that the midwives who helped deliver the royal baby have also been invited. All told, the guest list includes fewer than 50 people.

The ceremony is expected to go on for 45 minutes, though the christening itself -- conducted by Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby -- will take only 25 minutes, with prayers and hymns sung by a choir. "They have to follow a pretty tight schedule," a source tells Us, "so if George is crying, the show must go on, as they say."

PHOTOS: Kate Middleton's pregnancy style

Afterward, family and friends will gather at Clarence House for a reception hosted by Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. There, George's parents will present the top tier of their wedding cake, which they saved from their April 2011 nuptials. "It will just be a small champagne reception," a source tells Us.

PHOTOS: The royal family baby album

For those not among the royal family's inner circle, portraits will be released on Thursday, Oct. 24. And well-wishers are encouraged to donate to charity in lieu of sending gifts.

"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are incredibly grateful for the support and goodwill being expressed at this happy time. Their Royal Highnesses are grateful, too, for the many gifts they have already received," the palace says.

PHOTOS: The Duke and Duchess as kids

"To harness this extraordinary generosity of spirit, they suggest people might at this time look to support those more in need; perhaps a children's charity local to them," the palace continues. "Alternatively, you could look to support Imperial College Healthcare Charity, which is the charity of the hospital where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's baby was born."

Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/prince-georges-royal-christening-new-details-on-the-guest-list-gifts-and-more-20132110
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Cooler Temps, Rain Help Ease Australian Wildfires

SYDNEY (AP) — Firefighters battling dozens of wildfires in Australia's most populous state merged two of the most worrying blazes on Tuesday to try to reduce the threat of a more unpredictable inferno taking hold.

There had been fears that three of the fires near the Blue Mountains west of Sydney would join to create a massive, erratic wall of fire that would be difficult to control. So firefighters struck first, combining two of the fires into one that is easier to manage and contain.

Cooler temperatures, calmer winds and a light drizzle were giving thousands of firefighters a reprieve in fighting the blazes Tuesday.

The fires have killed one man, destroyed 208 homes and damaged another 122 in New South Wales state since last week, the Rural Fire Service said.

The number of fires burning dropped from more than 100 last week to 60 on Tuesday, with 15 still out of control, Fire Service spokesman Joel Kursawe said. Fires that had previously been ranked the highest danger were all downgraded by the fire service.

Still, officials said the threat had not completely evaporated, as the weather was expected to heat back up on Wednesday.

"We cannot afford for complacency or a lull, as welcome as any relief in weather conditions are," Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said.

Source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=239476309&ft=1&f=
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BBM for iPhone finally, actually launching today... kinda!

BlackBerry has announced that BlackBerry Messanger for iPhone is coming today, but you may still have to wait a bit before you get to use it. While the app will launch in the App Store today, BlackBerry is implementing a waiting system similar to Mailbox. BlackBerry detailed the process of signing up for BBM for iPhone in a post on their Inside BlackBerry blog:

BBM Roll Out Details:

1. Download BBM – the easiest way is to visit BBM.com from your Android or iPhone browser
2. Once you install the app, open it, and enter your email address to hold your spot in line
3. We will email you as soon as you reach the front of the line and can start using BBM

BBM.com isn't currently live, mind you. Right now it shows a bizarre series of emoticons that makes us want to punch our screens. But it should be live at some point soon-ish. We hope. Maybe. Sigh.

If you previously signed up at BBM.com, BlackBerry says that you can start using BBM without waiting. However, BlackBerry wants to get as many people using BBM as they can as soon as possible, so users who didn't sign up in advance shouldn't have to wait too long.

(Unless you're in Africa, in which case Samsung has arranged for 3 days of exclusivity. No, that's not a typo.)

BBM for iOS was originally announced in May, but was delayed following the leak of the Android app. While you wait to finally use BBM on your iPhone, check out our hands-on impressions of the app.

Are you looking forward to finally using BBM on your iPhone, are you annoyed that you'll need to wait, or... what's BBM?

Source: Inside BlackBerry, via CrackBerry

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/7Gbwx6YOJE0/story01.htm
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Leaders look at more state aid for Minnesota Orchestra (Star Tribune)

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First Listen: Death Cab For Cutie, 'Transatlanticism (10th Anniversary Edition)'

Death Cab for Cutie's Transatlanticism (10th Anniversary Edition) comes out Oct. 29.

Courtesy of the artist

Death Cab for Cutie's Transatlanticism (10th Anniversary Edition) comes out Oct. 29.

Courtesy of the artist

Life hands us many milestones as we wend our way from cradle to grave. From first teeth to first kisses to first loves and losses, we mark off our crucial firsts as transformative events; we're no longer babies, or children, or teenagers, or dependent on others to get by. One of those milestones, for those of us who so often set our lives to music, is the first time we get to mutter, "That came out 10 years ago? God, I am so old."

Death Cab for Cutie's Transatlanticism played in the background of countless decade-old milestones around the world, especially the ones involving first kisses and so forth, and it's no wonder. The album, and its epic title song in particular, played on an endless loop across popular culture — on movie soundtracks and in dramatic moments from such TV shows as Six Feet Under. The way singer Ben Gibbard channeled youthful confusion, vulnerability and sweetness mirrored universal fumbling feelings of growing up and facing down the complexities of love, heartbreak, long-distance yearning and budding nostalgia. From the first line of its first song ("So this is the new year / and I don't feel any different"), Transatlanticism swims in uncertainty, as if its narrator isn't even quite sure how feelings work yet.

For all its ubiquity and imitators, Transatlanticism holds up as an exquisitely produced, largely flawless record in which every song is bound to serve as someone's favorite. As such, though new would-be fans are born every day, most of its target audience already owns the thing, right? Enter this reissue, out Oct. 29, in which the original album is packaged alongside an identically sequenced but otherwise revelatory set of demo versions.

For those who've immersed themselves in Transatlanticism's studio version over the course of the last 10 years, these demos form fascinating sketches of a great album in progress. Some, like "The New Year" and "We Looked Like Giants," are overwhelmed by a ticky-tack drum machine. The title song, which in its final form blooms into a wondrous slow-motion cataclysm over the course of nearly eight minutes, here peters out in six, with the album's most important line — "I need you so much closer" — rendered flat, repetitive and uneventful. "The Sound of Settling," so zippy on the record, is slowed to a crawl. It's fascinating to take these songs apart in an effort to determine which ideas and production decisions had already formed, just as it is to hear the occasional song ("Passenger Seat," for example) that got left almost entirely as is.

It's a little strange to consider Transatlanticism as a kernel of nostalgia; after all, its cultural impact hasn't really receded into the past. Death Cab for Cutie has made terrific records both before and since, even as Gibbard and producer/multi-instrumentalist Chris Walla dabble in solo projects. Heck, for many, the album has been sitting in iTunes the whole time. But that 10th anniversary and this stack of demos make this a fine time to check in with how cleanly and effortlessly Transatlanticism has aged. We should all be so lucky.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/10/20/236397034/first-listen-death-cab-for-cutie-transatlanticism-tenth-anniversary-edition?ft=1&f=10001
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AP PHOTOS: Indigenous Fashion Show In Bolivia

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — In dazzling embroidered shawls, wide skirts and black bowler hats, Aymara models strutted their stuff on the catwalk in Bolivia's capital in a fashion show designed to promote Andean style and beauty.

The indigenous women wore the classic, multilayered Andean skirt, called the pollera, traditional gold and silver jewelry, and delicate, brightly embroidered blouses. Friday night's fashion show in La Paz also revived the corset and the traditional petticoat of indigenous Andean women, who are commonly called cholitas in Bolivian slang.

"Our modeling isn't what is common; our culture is different and respecting it, we want to show that the cholita can by sexy, beautiful and elegant," said designer Rosario Aguilar of Promociones Rosario, which organized the fashion show with 25 Aymara models.

The event, called the Chola Pacena Our Tradition in the 21st Century Fashion Show, is part of an effort to start an Andean modeling school.

"The models that we are showing now are lighter, less thick and let the woman in a pollera be ready for daily tasks," Aguilar said.

La Paz has declared the Cholita Pacena to be part of its cultural patrimony.

Source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=239092867&ft=1&f=
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Google's third-quarter beats as ad volume grows, stock flirts $1,000 level

By Alexei Oreskovic

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc's quarterly results beat Wall Street's expectations as the Internet search giant expanded its mobile and overseas businesses while keeping ad-rate declines in check, sending its shares to a record high.

The market reaction put Google's stock within striking distance of $1,000, following what analysts said was a strong, but not spectacular quarter.

Shares of the world's No.1 Internet search engine jumped 8 percent to $959.65 in after-hours trading on Thursday, after it reported a 23 percent rise in revenue from its Internet business, excluding fees paid to partners, of $10.8 billion (6.6 billion pounds) in the third quarter.

"Expectations going into earnings were a little muted," said Needham & Co analyst Kerry Rice. "They did what they needed to do to impress investors."

Google's business, like rivals Facebook Inc and Yahoo Inc, has come under pressure as more consumers access its online services on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, where advertising rates are lower than on PCs.

The average cost-per-click - the price that marketers pay Google when consumers click on their ads - decreased 8 percent during the third quarter, deepening the 6 percent price erosion that Google experienced in the second quarter.

But the total amount of paid clicks increased 26 percent year-on-year during the three months ended September 30, the highest rate of growth in one year.

"That's the key story, their ad volume growth is outpacing the decline in cost-per-clicks," said JMP Securities analyst Ronald Josey.

Roughly 40 percent of the traffic to YouTube, the Google-owned video website, now occurs on mobile devices, Google Chief Executive Larry Page said on Thursday. Two years ago, only 6 percent of YouTube's traffic occurred on mobile devices.

"Google's done a good job of being in the right place in mobile as it grows, and being able to monetize that," said Rice.

He also pointed to Google's 28 percent revenue growth outside of the U.S. and Britain as further signs of Google's strength.

Google's results offered a sharp contrast to online rival Yahoo Inc, which reported a slight dip in quarterly revenue on Tuesday and lowered its financial outlook.

NO MORE ANALYST CALLS FOR PAGE

On Thursday, co-founder and CEO Page told analysts he will no longer be joining the company's quarterly earnings conference calls on a regular basis.

"I know you all would love to have me on, but you're also depending on me to ruthlessly prioritize my time for the benefit of the business," Page said, without providing further explanation for the change.

Page, who with Sergey Brin conceived of what is today the world's most-used Internet search engine, is not known for assiduously courting Wall Street investors. And this year, Page revealed that his vocal cords are partially paralyzed as the result of a rare medical condition.

Needham & Co's Rice said he did not expect Page to be any less involved in running the company, noting that Amazon.com Inc's CEO Jeff Bezos does not participate in the quarterly earnings calls.

Google executives also provided few details on the recently-launched MotoX smartphone, the flagship device within Google's Motorola mobile phone business.

Operating losses at Motorola were $248 million during the third quarter, compared to a loss of $192 million in the third quarter of 2012.

Google's consolidated business earned $2.97 billion, or $8.75 per share in the three months ended September 30, compared to $2.18 billion, or $6.53 per share, last year.

Excluding certain items, Google said it earned $10.74 per share, compared to the $10.34 that analysts were expecting, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Consolidated revenue of $14.89 billion compared with the $14.79 billion average analyst estimate.

(Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic; Editing by Bernard Orr)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/google-stock-set-time-high-revenue-soars-124455762--sector.html
Category: elizabeth smart   freedom tower   khan academy   Joanna Krupa   heidi klum  

'Glee' To End Next Season

The hit show airs on Fox, and co-creator Ryan Murphy announced that the sixth season will be the last for the show.

Copyright © 2013 NPR. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Most of the time, Fox's hit show "Glee" offers a sunny vision of high school. It's a musical, after all.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

But last week's episode hit a somber note.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "GLEE")

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: (Singing) 525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear...

MONTAGNE: The characters pay tribute to Finn Hudson, who was played by the late actor Corey Monteith. He died of a drug overdose in July.

GREENE: The episode gave fans a chance to grieve; 7.4 million viewers tuned in, a huge spike from the previous week. Despite the ratings surge, though, "Glee"'s creators have announced next season will be the last.

MONTAGNE: So the big closing number for the show's finale might be "Hello Goodbye"?

GREENE: Or I'd say "Don't Stop Believing." What do you think? Send us your thoughts on Twitter, #NPRGlee.

MONTAGNE: And you can follow us on Twitter @MorningEdition, @MontagneNPR, @NPRGreene, and @NPRInskeep.

Copyright © 2013 NPR. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to NPR. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/10/18/236762678/glee-to-end-next-season?ft=1&f=3
Category: Prisoners   dancing with the stars   michael beasley   auburn football   indicted  

'Glee' To End Next Season

The hit show airs on Fox, and co-creator Ryan Murphy announced that the sixth season will be the last for the show.

Copyright © 2013 NPR. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Most of the time, Fox's hit show "Glee" offers a sunny vision of high school. It's a musical, after all.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

But last week's episode hit a somber note.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "GLEE")

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: (Singing) 525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear...

MONTAGNE: The characters pay tribute to Finn Hudson, who was played by the late actor Corey Monteith. He died of a drug overdose in July.

GREENE: The episode gave fans a chance to grieve; 7.4 million viewers tuned in, a huge spike from the previous week. Despite the ratings surge, though, "Glee"'s creators have announced next season will be the last.

MONTAGNE: So the big closing number for the show's finale might be "Hello Goodbye"?

GREENE: Or I'd say "Don't Stop Believing." What do you think? Send us your thoughts on Twitter, #NPRGlee.

MONTAGNE: And you can follow us on Twitter @MorningEdition, @MontagneNPR, @NPRGreene, and @NPRInskeep.

Copyright © 2013 NPR. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to NPR. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/10/18/236762678/glee-to-end-next-season?ft=1&f=3
Category: Prisoners   dancing with the stars   michael beasley   auburn football   indicted  

Elections in jeopardy as Bangladesh parties head for showdown

By Shyamantha Asokan and Serajul Quadir

DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh's two main parties are hurtling towards a showdown this week that could delay or even derail elections due by January in a country with a history of ferocious political violence and military intervention.

The mounting tension is a fresh threat to Bangladesh's $22 billion garment export industry, the economic lifeblood of the poor country of 160 million, which has already been rocked by a string of deadly factory accidents over the past year.

The ruling Awami League (AL) in 2011 scrapped a "caretaker government" system - whereby neutral leaders take over three months before elections and oversee polls - and is now refusing to step down by October 24, as would have ordinarily happened.

The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) says that, unless the government relinquishes power, its supporters will whip up nationwide strikes that are likely to be bloody. It is also threatening to boycott the elections.

"There will be a total deadlock," Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the BNP's acting secretary-general, told Reuters. "When the government does not listen to our demands, what is the alternative?"

The deadlock raises the specter of aborted polls in 2007, when a League boycott and clashes between rival party supporters led a military-backed government to take over for two years.

Even if the polls go ahead, the opposition might reject the results, which could spark more strikes and force a second election within months, as happened in 1996.

"COME ARMED"

Last week, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sought to defuse the crisis, offering the formation of an all-party government to see through the elections.

While the BNP is likely to snub her proposal, Alamgir held out the prospect of a negotiated end to the impasse. Still, the BNP has vowed to press ahead with a rally in Dhaka this Friday, for which one party leader has exhorted supporters to come "prepared with arms".

The League plans to hold a competing rally on the same day, raising the risk of more bloodshed, said Mirza Hassan, a political scientist at BRAC University.

"This is a very combative move," said Hassan, whose university is part of Bangladesh's BRAC group, one of the world's largest development organizations. "They're all asking their party people to be out on the street."

Already security forces have killed at least 150 people and more than 2,000 have been injured during strikes and other protests this year, according to Human Rights Watch. Police have banned all gatherings in the capital in the run-up to Friday.

RETAILERS WARY

Factory bosses say that some Western retailers that source apparel from the world's second-largest clothing exporter after China have put orders on hold to see how the standoff unfolds.

"Some of the buyers are taking a back seat because they are waiting to see if there is unrest. If there are problems at the end of October, then maybe they will place orders elsewhere," said Kutubuddin Ahmed, chairman of the Envoy Group, which exports $200 million worth of garments a year.

Bangladesh's loss could benefit rival exporters Vietnam and Cambodia, even though they are more costly, Ahmed added.

Garment orders placed at an annual trade fair in Dhaka this month fell by 5 percent from last October, before a factory blaze and the collapse of Rana Plaza, a building that housed garment workshops, which together killed more than 1,200 people.

"The orders fell mainly due to a bad image after the Rana Plaza disaster, as well as the political uncertainty ahead," said S.M. Mannan, a vice president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

BOOTING OUT THE INCUMBENT

The caretaker system was started in the mid-1990s to ensure fair polls in a country where power has long changed hands between the two dynastic and mutually distrustful parties. Senior League members say they scrapped the arrangement partly because of disputes over whether caretaker government members themselves were unbiased.

"It's time that we go to the normal democratic practices that are used in all other countries," said H.T. Imam, an adviser to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

But the League's critics say it wants to stay in power to massage the outcome of an election it is in danger of losing.

The League lost five mayoral elections over the summer, and - according to a July opinion poll conducted by Sydney-based pollster AC Nielsen and U.S.-based consultancy Democracy International - it enjoys the support of just 32 percent of the electorate, 11 percentage points behind the BNP.

The ruling party has been tainted by a series of corruption scandals, the most high-profile of which led the World Bank to cancel a $1.2 billion loan for an ambitious bridge project. Ditching the pre-poll caretaker system has also been unpopular.

The two parties differ little in terms of policy, analysts say, with voters simply booting out the incumbent with every poll in the hope that change will bring improvement.

WAR CRIMES FLASHPOINT

Another flashpoint between the rivals is a tribunal set up in 2010 to try those accused of human rights abuses during Bangladesh's war of independence from Pakistan in 1971.

The tribunal has so far convicted eight leaders of the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, the main Islamic party, sentencing six to death. Another court ruled in August that Jamaat-e-Islami was illegal, barring it from contesting in elections.

Both opposition parties have denounced the tribunal as a charade to eliminate the government's enemies, and more than 100 people have been killed in protests this year following war crime verdicts.

If the BNP remains committed to its boycott, international election observers might refuse to monitor and sign off on the polls, as they did after the League backed out in 2007.

"The same scenario risks being repeated now," said BRAC University's Hassan, referring to the scuppered election of 2007, though he added that the army may be reluctant to step in again after a difficult and unpopular two years in charge.

"If the AL goes to these polls unilaterally, there will be violence and then what will the army do?" he said. "One scenario is that they are forced to come in."

(Editing by John Chalmers and Ron Popeski)

• Politics & Government
• Elections
• Bangladesh
• Bangladesh Nationalist Party
• Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/elections-jeopardy-bangladesh-parties-head-showdown-102713868.html
Category: elizabeth olsen   engadget   detroit lions   beyonce   Kensington Palace  

UFC 166 undercard live blog: Marquardt vs. Lombard, more

Nate Marquardt will square off against Hector Lombard on the UFC 166 undercard. - Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

This is the UFC 166 undercard live blog for the UFC 166 event at the Toyota Center in Houston.

There will be eight fights on the UFC 166 undercard. Tim Boetsch vs. C.B. Dollaway, Nate Marquardt vs. Hector Lombard, Sarah Kaufman vs. Jessica Eye, George Sotiropoulos vs. KJ Noons, TJ Waldburger vs. Adlan Amagov, Tony Ferguson vs. Mike Rio, Jeremy Larsen vs. Andre Fili, and Dustin Pague vs. Kyoji Horiguchi will be featured on the prelims.

Check out the UFC 166 undercard below.

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Dustin Pague vs. Kyoji Horiguchi
Round 1: Alright folks, Herb Dean is our referee. Let's start this card off right. Horiguchi circles, feints then connects on a leg kick. Pague ties up and takes Horiguchi's back during a scramble. Horiguchi stands. Pague like a backpack, slithers in an arm hunting for a rear-naked. Horiguchi pries Pague's arm away from his neck. Pague is relentless. Horiguchi unlocks Pague's legs and twists free. Horiguchi dives low for a single against the fence. Pague defends and releases to the center of the cage. Pague nearly connects on a big knee. Pague secures a trip takedown and pounds away. Horiguchi wrestles free and ends the round on top. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Horiguchi.

Round 2: Horiguchi connects on a huge shot right out of the gate! Pague is floored. Horiguchi pounces and unloads a flurry. Somehow Pague survives, and after a brief scramble, climbs back to his feet. Wow, what a start. Horiguchi closes the distance and muscles Pague back to the mat, landing in half guard. Horiguchi staying busy with short elbows and punches. Pague recovers his guard. Horiguchi stands then dives back inside with a big shot. Horiguchi unleashes another salvo. Dean is taking a close look. Horiguchi stands and blitzes Pague. This one is over.

Kyoji Horiguchi def. Dustin Pague via TKO (punches) at 3:51 of round 2.

Jeremy Larsen vs. Andre Fili
Round 1: Fili missed weight by 2.5 pounds on Friday. We're off. Big exchange early. Fili catches Larsen's chin with a huge three-punch combination. Larsen drops for a double. Fili defends, but winds up pressed against the fence. Fili unloads a few knees then tosses Larsen to the mat. Larsen stands but he's eating a slew of punches. Larsen changes levels and clasps his hands for a double. Fili defends and releases. Larsen is a bloodied mess. huge cut across his forehead. The referee stops the fight to have the doctor check on it. We're back. Fili goes right back to work. Huge uppercut cracks Larsen. Larsen catches a kick and throws Fili to the canvas, landing in top position. Larsen working from full guard. Fili throws his legs up for a triangle. Nothing going. Fili scrambles out and stands. Larsen's face is coated in blood. Fili lands a low kick. Right hand stumbles Larsen. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Fili.

Round 2: Larsen is cleaned up but that's an ax wound on his face. It's only a matter of time. Fili catches him with a big right. Head kick misses from Fili. Larsen eats a left. Fili cracks Larsen with another right. Whoa, that one put him on wobbly legs. Fili sees it and swarms. Follow up shot drops Larsen, and one more seals the deal. Impressive UFC debut for Fili.

Andre Fili def. Jeremy Larsen via TKO (punches) at 0:53 of round 2.

Tony Ferguson vs. Mike Rio
Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

TJ Waldburger vs. Adlan Amagov
Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

George Sotiropoulos vs. KJ Noons
Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Sarah Kaufman vs. Jessica Eye
Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Nate Marquardt vs. Hector Lombard
Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Tim Boetsch vs. C.B. Dollaway
Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2013/10/19/4852706/ufc-166-undercard-live-blog-marquardt-vs-lombard-more
Tags: Geno Smith   Why Did The Government Shut Down   Johnny Galecki   Miley Cyrus Vmas 2013 Youtube   leah remini  

Climate Watcher Says He's Done With Flying

Meteorologist Eric Holthaus has made his career monitoring the Earth's climate, and he's alarmed at what he sees. After reading a new, bleak international report on climate change, Holthaus has decided one important way to reduce his carbon footprint is to give up airplane travel for good.

Source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=238548244&ft=1&f=1003
Tags: glee   New 100 Dollar Bill   Cnn.com   NSYNC VMA 2013   Flossie  

Box Office: 'Gravity' No. 1 Again With $31 Million; 'Fifth Estate' Flops With $1.7 Million

Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity and Paul Greengrass' adult drama Captain Phillips served up a one-two punch at the North American box office as they stayed at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, to beat a host of newcomers.

Gravity fell only 28 percent in its third weekend to $31 million, pushing its domestic total to $170.6 million and worldwide total to $284.8 million. Starring Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips likewise impressed. The Sony pic dropped 33 percent to $17.3 million for a 10-day domestic total of $53.3 million.

Overseas, Warner Bros.' Gravity also placed No. 1 for the third consecutive weekend, taking in $33.5 million from 51 markets and crossing the $100 million market for a foreign cume of $114.2 million.

Captain Phillips opened to a promising $9.1 million in 11 international markets, including a No. 1 finish in the U.K. with $5.6 million and ahead of other adult dramas including Argo and The Social Network.

STORY: CinemaScore in Retreat as Studios Turn to PostTrak 

Heading into the weekend, many box office observers believed Sony and MGM's Carrie had a shot at crossing $20 million in its North American opening, but the remake topped out at $17 million to come in No. 3. The pic was fueled by females (54 percent) and moviegoers under the age of 25 (56 percent).

Directed by Kimberly Pierce, Carrie stars Chloe Grace Moretz in the title role opposite Julianne Moore. MGM and Sony's Screen Gems spent under $30 million to produce the horror pic, which received a B- CinemaScore and opens more than three decades after Brian De Palma's original Carrie opened in theaters.

Sony's three films -- Captain Phillips, Carrie and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 -- claimed spots No. 2 through No. 4 on the box office chart, with Cloudy 2's total domestic gross now at $93.1 million.

"It's not a bad place to be," said Sony president of worldwide distribution Rory Bruer. "In regards to Carrie, it opened within our expectations, although maybe on the lower end. Overall, the picture was made very reasonably and it will be success for us."

Coming in No. 5 was newcomer Escape Plan, the action pic hoping to capitalize on the teaming of Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. But hopes were dashed as the movie only took in $9.8 million, marking another blow for Schwarzenegger's campaign to resurrect his acting career.

Summit Entertainment and Emmett/Furla films partnered on Escape Plan, which cost north of $70 million before tax rebates. The pic, formerly titled The Tomb, received a B+ CinemaScore and was fueled by males (55 percent).

Escape Plan is doing marginally better overseas, where it has now earned $14.1 million from 34 territories. It opened No. 2 in Russia over the weekend with $3 million.

THR COVER: The Confessions of Benedict Cumberbatch 

Bill Condon's adult thriller The Fifth Estate fared even worse in its North American launch, grossing an abysmal $1.7 million from 1,769 theaters to place No. 8. The movie -- marking the worst debut of 2013 so far for a movie opening in more than 1,500 theaters -- received a B CinemaScore, mirroring mixed reviews.

From DreamWorks and Participant Media, the $26 million film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange, the controversial founder of WikiLeaks. Insiders close to the project concede that Americans appear to have little interest in WikiLeaks or its founder. However, Fifth Estate is likewise struggling overseas, where it has only taken in $1.6 million so far.

In North America, Fifth Estate was even edged out by Nicole Holofcener's dramedy Enough Said, starring the late James Gandolfini opposite Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, which appeared back on the top 10 chart as it upped its theater count to 757 locations, grossing $1.8 million for a total $10.8 million.

Gravity's stellar box office run continues to impress box office observers. It remains a huge draw in 3D and in Imax, which has now delivered a total $38 million in total ticket sales. Over the weekend, Imax grosses clocked in at $7.4 million, the second best showing for a film in its third weekend after Avatar.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thr/film/~3/kTepdKpxytk/story01.htm
Category: Kendrick Lamar   national coffee day   Prisoners   Léon Foucault   jets  

A Graduate Student's Odyssey From Gaza To Indianapolis

Palestinian travelers wait to cross into Egypt at the Rafah crossing terminal in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 8.

Said Khatib/AFP/Getty Images

To get a small sense of Fida'a Abuassi's odyssey, start on June 28, days before the Egyptian coup. She had just returned to the Gaza Strip via Cairo after spending last year in New York on the U.S. government-sponsored Fulbright student program.

"I came back to Gaza, and then they declared that they will close the border until further notice," she says.

There are only two legal ways in and out of the Gaza Strip. Egypt runs one, and has sharply restricted crossings after the military takeover in July, citing security. Israel tightly controls the other. Abuassi's first challenge was getting permission from Israel to go to an interview for a student visa at the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem.

"I thought it was really, really impossible," she says. "Because when I got my first visa, I was denied the access to go to my appointment twice by Israel."

This year she got lucky: a permit to enter Israel for a day, and a quick interview at the U.S. consulate that left plenty of time for sightseeing in Jerusalem.

"Being there was just like amazing," she recalls. "I was taking pictures of every single corner. I was a flying bird, just like going everywhere."

That was mid-July. Abuassi finally got a visa 10 days before her master's program started in August at the University of Indianapolis. Now she just needed to get to an airport. The Egyptian border was jammed with thousands of travelers stuck in Gaza. She applied again to Israel, but after several weeks, she was denied permission to use that crossing. She said she felt helpless.

Fida'a Abuassi activates her cell phone at a shop in Chicago.

Courtesy of Fida'a Abuassi

Fida'a Abuassi activates her cell phone at a shop in Chicago.

Courtesy of Fida'a Abuassi

"I feel like my life is all about permits, all about endless papers, all about borders, all about complications," she says. "And I have to give reasons, why I would travel. But I've been out of Gaza and I know what it's like to be free."

The date she was due to enter the U.S. had been extended once and was now about to expire. On Monday, Oct. 7, she decided to try to leave through Egypt.

She went to the border, but it was closed that day. She said she'd try again the next day — if it was open.

"Once I get to the U.S., I'll just explain why I was late," she said.

The next day, Abuassi snagged a spot in line.

"I was lucky today, they called my name," she said. "But I'm on the last bus."

She spent that day in a parking lot, and the next day, too. On Thursday, no students were allowed to cross, only pilgrims traveling to Mecca. The border is always closed Friday. Finally, last Saturday, Abuassi was on the first bus.

By nightfall she was camped at the Cairo airport. Eight hours of waiting, a flight to Turkey, then Chicago. Entering the U.S. went more smoothly than any other junction in her journey. This story tells only some of the twists and turns.

"It wasn't an easy task," she says. "It was really, really, a long, long, long journey; a long struggle. I hope it's over."

When asked if she'll go home next summer, she replies: "No, no no."

Abuassi's first class is Wednesday night, a seminar on international terrorism. The crossing between Gaza and Egypt is closed all this week for the Muslim holiday of Eid.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/10/16/235227225/a-graduate-students-odyssey-from-gaza-to-indianapolis?ft=1&f=1009
Tags: liberace   Mayweather vs Canelo results   Pga Leaderboard   Sean Sasser   Lee Westwood  

Will health insurance expansion cut ER use? U-M study in teens & young adults may help predict

Public release date: 17-Oct-2013
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Contact: Kara Gavin
kegavin@umich.edu
734-764-2220
University of Michigan Health System

Outpatient visits rose, ER visits remained same after CHIP insurance expansion -- while ER visits rose in a comparison group of young adults with less insurance coverage

ANN ARBOR, Mich. As the nation's health care system prepares for uninsured Americans to gain health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act, a question hangs over crowded hospital emergency departments: Will the newly insured make fewer ER visits than they do today?

According to the results of a new University of Michigan Medical School study in teens and young adults, the answer likely reflects a balance of ER care versus clinic visits. While the number of ER visits will likely stay about the same, clinic visits will likely go up.

The results, from the first national study of its kind, are published in Academic Emergency Medicine by a team led by U-M emergency physician Adrianne Haggins, M.D., M.S. The work was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program at U-M, and used data from the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The researchers looked at patterns of emergency and non-emergency outpatient visits made by adolescents between the ages of 11 and 18 in the years before and after a major expansion of public health insurance coverage for this group. They were especially interested in ER care, given that it is unclear how the demand for both types of ambulatory care will change nationally when insurance is provided.

The results show the impact of CHIP, or Children's Health Insurance Program, a federal/state program signed into law in 1997 that made it possible for near-poor children to receive state-sponsored insurance. More than 7 million children now have CHIP insurance, and it remains an option under the Affordable Care Act.

By comparing the national trends in adolescents' ER and outpatient visit numbers with those for young adults (ages 19-29) in the 1992-1996 pre-CHIP era, versus post-CHIP years 1999-2009, the team could gauge the impact of CHIP as a national source of new insurance coverage. Most states didn't allow such young adults to enroll in CHIP, making them a good comparison group in the pre-ACA era.

The researchers found:

• Outpatient visits rose significantly among adolescents after CHIP went into effect, while young adults' outpatient visits were flat.
  
• ER visits by adolescents stayed flat after CHIP went into effect, while ER visits by young adults rose.
  
• The ratio of outpatient-to-ER visits rose among adolescents, but fell among young adults. A ratio such as this, which shows the balance between the types of care settings, could be useful for assessing the impact of insurance reforms.

"Looking at both emergency department visits and outpatient visits together is important," says Haggins, a clinical lecturer in the U-M Department of Emergency Medicine. "When we're thinking about access to health care and insurance reform, insurers and hospitals can not solely focus on limiting the number of emergency visits we have to make sure there's adequate access to alternative outpatient care."

The new results, she says, suggest that CHIP did just that, making it easier for pre-teens and teens to get outpatient care while still keeping emergency care available. The study did not look at the appropriateness of the emergency visits.

Haggins also notes that the findings emphasize the importance of ensuring adequate outpatient capacity in the months and years after an insurance expansion. "If a newly insured patient has a hard time finding a provider who would accept their insurance, or getting appointments with the ones who will, there is a real possibility that we will continue to see them go to the emergency department."

More understanding is needed about the factors that prompt patients to choose emergency care rather than outpatient appointments such as convenience, expectations for care, demand for diagnostic tests, and habit, she says.

Confronting the force of habit may be a big factor in encouraging appropriate emergency room use by newly insured patients, she notes. "Accessing the ER is a cultural learned behavior partly because the public knows that the ER is always open if they have difficulty accessing care," she says. "We have to offer them alternatives once they are there, and better understand what factors drive them there. We need to coordinate with other ambulatory settings to help patients find providers and be aware of alternative settings to change patterns of healthcare seeking."

And, if the goal of reducing emergency visits is a priority, she says, then emergency providers and outpatient providers must work together to coordinate a patient's care after an emergency visit, including access to specialists when needed.

If we want to maintain ER access, we need to be creative in developing alternative ways for patients to get timely outpatient care. That helps us preserve access for patients who really need emergency care," says Haggins.

###

The data for the study came from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) and the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS).

In addition to Haggins, the study was performed by Stephen Patrick, MD, MPH, MS, Sonya Demonner, MPH, and Matthew M. Davis, MD, MAPP. Haggins and Davis are members of the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.

Reference: Academic Emergency Medicine, doi: 10.1111/acem.12236

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 17-Oct-2013
[


| E-mail



| Share

]

Contact: Kara Gavin
kegavin@umich.edu
734-764-2220
University of Michigan Health System

Outpatient visits rose, ER visits remained same after CHIP insurance expansion -- while ER visits rose in a comparison group of young adults with less insurance coverage

ANN ARBOR, Mich. As the nation's health care system prepares for uninsured Americans to gain health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act, a question hangs over crowded hospital emergency departments: Will the newly insured make fewer ER visits than they do today?

According to the results of a new University of Michigan Medical School study in teens and young adults, the answer likely reflects a balance of ER care versus clinic visits. While the number of ER visits will likely stay about the same, clinic visits will likely go up.

The results, from the first national study of its kind, are published in Academic Emergency Medicine by a team led by U-M emergency physician Adrianne Haggins, M.D., M.S. The work was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program at U-M, and used data from the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The researchers looked at patterns of emergency and non-emergency outpatient visits made by adolescents between the ages of 11 and 18 in the years before and after a major expansion of public health insurance coverage for this group. They were especially interested in ER care, given that it is unclear how the demand for both types of ambulatory care will change nationally when insurance is provided.

The results show the impact of CHIP, or Children's Health Insurance Program, a federal/state program signed into law in 1997 that made it possible for near-poor children to receive state-sponsored insurance. More than 7 million children now have CHIP insurance, and it remains an option under the Affordable Care Act.

By comparing the national trends in adolescents' ER and outpatient visit numbers with those for young adults (ages 19-29) in the 1992-1996 pre-CHIP era, versus post-CHIP years 1999-2009, the team could gauge the impact of CHIP as a national source of new insurance coverage. Most states didn't allow such young adults to enroll in CHIP, making them a good comparison group in the pre-ACA era.

The researchers found:

• Outpatient visits rose significantly among adolescents after CHIP went into effect, while young adults' outpatient visits were flat.
  
• ER visits by adolescents stayed flat after CHIP went into effect, while ER visits by young adults rose.
  
• The ratio of outpatient-to-ER visits rose among adolescents, but fell among young adults. A ratio such as this, which shows the balance between the types of care settings, could be useful for assessing the impact of insurance reforms.

"Looking at both emergency department visits and outpatient visits together is important," says Haggins, a clinical lecturer in the U-M Department of Emergency Medicine. "When we're thinking about access to health care and insurance reform, insurers and hospitals can not solely focus on limiting the number of emergency visits we have to make sure there's adequate access to alternative outpatient care."

The new results, she says, suggest that CHIP did just that, making it easier for pre-teens and teens to get outpatient care while still keeping emergency care available. The study did not look at the appropriateness of the emergency visits.

Haggins also notes that the findings emphasize the importance of ensuring adequate outpatient capacity in the months and years after an insurance expansion. "If a newly insured patient has a hard time finding a provider who would accept their insurance, or getting appointments with the ones who will, there is a real possibility that we will continue to see them go to the emergency department."

More understanding is needed about the factors that prompt patients to choose emergency care rather than outpatient appointments such as convenience, expectations for care, demand for diagnostic tests, and habit, she says.

Confronting the force of habit may be a big factor in encouraging appropriate emergency room use by newly insured patients, she notes. "Accessing the ER is a cultural learned behavior partly because the public knows that the ER is always open if they have difficulty accessing care," she says. "We have to offer them alternatives once they are there, and better understand what factors drive them there. We need to coordinate with other ambulatory settings to help patients find providers and be aware of alternative settings to change patterns of healthcare seeking."

And, if the goal of reducing emergency visits is a priority, she says, then emergency providers and outpatient providers must work together to coordinate a patient's care after an emergency visit, including access to specialists when needed.

If we want to maintain ER access, we need to be creative in developing alternative ways for patients to get timely outpatient care. That helps us preserve access for patients who really need emergency care," says Haggins.

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The data for the study came from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) and the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS).

In addition to Haggins, the study was performed by Stephen Patrick, MD, MPH, MS, Sonya Demonner, MPH, and Matthew M. Davis, MD, MAPP. Haggins and Davis are members of the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.

Reference: Academic Emergency Medicine, doi: 10.1111/acem.12236

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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/uomh-whi101713.php
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