Hurricane outlook: Another busy Atlantic season

FILE - In this Aug. 30, 2012 file photo, residents evacuate their flooded neighborhood in LaPlace, La. as Hurricane Isaac staggered toward central Louisiana, its weakening winds driving storm surge into portions of the coast and the River Parishes between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Federal forecasters are predicting yet another busy hurricane season. The outlook on Thursday, May 23, 2013 calls for 13 to 20 named storms, 7 to 11 that strengthen into hurricanes and 3 to 6 that become major hurricanes. The prediction by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is more than what?s considered an average Atlantic season. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

FILE - In this Aug. 30, 2012 file photo, residents evacuate their flooded neighborhood in LaPlace, La. as Hurricane Isaac staggered toward central Louisiana, its weakening winds driving storm surge into portions of the coast and the River Parishes between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Federal forecasters are predicting yet another busy hurricane season. The outlook on Thursday, May 23, 2013 calls for 13 to 20 named storms, 7 to 11 that strengthen into hurricanes and 3 to 6 that become major hurricanes. The prediction by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is more than what?s considered an average Atlantic season. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

FILE - This Sunday, Aug. 28, 2005 file photo shows a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration infrared satellite image of Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico. There are six lists used in rotation for storms in the Atlantic. The 2013 list will be used again in 2019. Names are taken off the list and replaced to avoid confusion if a hurricane causes a lot of damage or deaths. For example, the name of Hurricane Katrina was retired after it devastated New Orleans in 2005. (AP Photo/NOAA)

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) ? Get ready for another busy hurricane season, maybe an unusually wild one, federal forecasters say.

Their prediction Thursday calls for 13 to 20 named Atlantic storms, seven to 11 that strengthen into hurricanes and three to six that become major hurricanes.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said there is a 70 percent chance that this year will be more active than an average hurricane season.

If you live in hurricane prone areas along the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico, "This is your warning," said acting NOAA administrator Kathryn Sullivan.

The season starts June 1 and lasts through November. A normal year has 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three major storms with winds over 110 mph.

Last year was the third-busiest on record with 19 named storms. Ten became hurricanes and two were major storms, including Sandy, even though it lost hurricane status when it made landfall in New Jersey.

The only storm to make it ashore in the U.S. as a hurricane was Isaac, which ended up in Louisiana at 80 mph after hitting the Caribbean and threatening the Republican convention in Tampa, Fla.

This year, all the factors that go into hurricane forecasts are pointing to an active season, or an extremely active one, said lead forecaster Gerry Bell of the Climate Prediction Center.

Those factors include: warmer than average ocean waters that provide fuel for storms, a multi-decade pattern of increased hurricane activity, the lack of an El Nino warming of the central Pacific Ocean, and an active pattern of storm systems coming off west Africa.

The Atlantic hurricane season goes through cycles of high and low activity about every 25 to 40 years based on large scale climatic patterns in the atmosphere. A high activity period started around 1995, Sullivan said.

Ocean water is about 0.8 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal, but it's not as high as it has been in other active years, Bell said.

The forecasts don't include where storms might land, if any place. Despite the formation of more hurricanes recently, the last time a major hurricane made landfall in the United States was Wilma in 2005. That seven-year stretch is the longest on record.

Changes in weather patterns, especially the jet stream, have created fronts that in recent years tended to push many of the bigger storms away, Bell said.

But just because a storm is not technically classified major with 111 mph winds or more, doesn't mean it can't do lots of damage. Sandy is evidence of that; it killed 147 people and caused $50 billion in damage.

Forecasters this summer expect to see improvements in their calculations on how much a storm will strengthen or weaken, National Weather Service Director Louis Uccellini said. That's because the National Hurricane Center will start using a new system that incorporates real-time radar from planes flying through storms into computer forecast models.

Meteorologists have had the most difficulty predicting changes in the intensity of storms.

Bell, who has been making these seasonal forecasts for 15 years, said his accuracy rate is about 70 percent. But last year, his predictions were far too low. He forecast nine to 15 named storms and four to eight hurricanes. There were 19 named storms and 10 hurricanes.

During the six-month season, forecasters name tropical storms when top winds reach 39 mph; hurricanes have maximum winds of at least 74 mph.

This year's names: Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dorian, Erin, Fernand, Gabrielle, Humberto, Ingrid, Jerry, Karen, Lorenzo, Melissa, Nestor, Olga, Pablo, Rebekah, Sebastien, Tanya, Van and Wendy.

___

Online:

NOAA: http://tinyurl.com/hurricaneforecast

FEMA preparedness: http://www.ready.gov

___

Seth Borenstein can be followed at http://twitter.com/borenbears

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2013-05-23-US-SCI-Hurricane-Forecast/id-d00543aeff604ce4b692ca6d7bc5438e

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PFT: Jets QB Smith signs with Jay-Z's Roc Nation

AP

The agent community is buzzing in the aftermath of the decision of Jets quarterback Geno Smith to hire a previously unknown agent who happens to be employed by the sports agency owned by Jay-Z.

It?s fairly obvious to the neutral observer that Smith picked Roc Nation to represent him not because of the previously unknown agent but because of the man who owns the firm.? If Jay-Z wasn?t involved in the recruitment of Smith, Jay-Z?s ownership of the firm wouldn?t be a problem.? But if Jay-Z helped persuade Smith to hire Roc Nation not only for off-field deals (which aren?t covered by the NFLPA rules) but for his football contract (which is), Jay-Z possibly ran afoul of the NFLPA?s prohibition on the use of non-certified agents in the recruitment of clients.

One of Smith?s advisers, former West Virginia and NFL defensive lineman John Thornton, essentially admitted that Smith picked Jay-Z, not the agent, and that Jay-Z was directly involved in persuading Smith to hire Roc Nation.?It really all came down to who he was most comfortable with,? Thornton told CBSSports.com.? ?I was in those meetings and Jay-Z connected with him on many levels.?

(Thornton says, via Twitter, that he was misquoted by CBS.)

Jay-Z connected with Geno Smith, not the previously unknown agent Jay-Z has hired to work for Roc Nation.? And so the facts at a minimum suggest that Jay-Z recruited Geno Smith to sign with the agent, which if true would be a violation of NFLPA rules.

The most important question is whether the NFLPA will do anything about it.? The union has not responded to a request for comment sent via email on Wednesday afternoon.? Previously, the union allowed Jay-Z to be involved in the recruitment of Giants receiver Victor Cruz by CAA, based on Jay-Z?s pre-existing friendship with Cruz.

While plenty of agents are looking at this as a way for the NFLPA to knock Jay-Z down a few pegs as he encroaches on their turf, others simply want guidance as to what is and isn?t allowed.? If Jay-Z was indeed involved in recruiting Smith, a potentially gaping loophole in the rules has been created, which could prompt other agents to partner with non-agent celebrities who then would help attract clients.

Essentially, the now-defunct ?runner? industry would be resurrected, with artists, actors, and entertainers replacing the anonymous figures who previously operated in the shadows.? Maybe that?s a better alternative.? For now, other agents want to know whether that alternative will be acknowledged as valid.

UPDATE 11:32 a.m. ET:? As noted above, Thornton claims that he was misquoted by CBS.? Via Twitter, Thornton says that Jay-Z did not attend meetings with Smith, and that he was in London.? That said, Smith posted on Instagram last week a photo with Jay-Z.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/05/22/geno-smith-signs-with-jay-zs-firm/related/

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Bears LB Urlacher announces his retirement

CHICAGO (AP) ? Brian Urlacher wasn't sure how dominant he could be any longer, so he's calling it a career after 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears.

And what a career it was:

?Eight Pro Bowl seasons;

?Defensive Player of the Year in 2005

?A trip to the Super Bowl as 2006 NFC champion.

And now, it's over. The eight-time Pro Bowler announced his retirement through social media accounts Wednesday.

"After spending a lot of time this spring thinking about my NFL future, I have made a decision to retire," Urlacher said in a statement. "Although I could continue playing, I'm not sure I would bring a level of performance or passion that's up to my standards. When considering this, along with the fact that I could retire after a 13-year career wearing only one jersey for such a storied franchise, my decision became pretty clear.

"I want to thank all of the people in my life that have helped me along the way. I will miss my teammates, my coaches and the great Bears fans. I'm proud to say that I gave all of you everything I had every time I took the field. I will miss this great game, but I leave it with no regrets."

Urlacher was the face of the Bears, and he ranks among the best middle linebackers to suit up for a franchise with an impressive list that includes Hall of Famers Bill George, Dick Butkus and Mike Singletary.

"Great player... Great teammate... Awesome person!!!!" receiver Earl Bennett wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.

In March, Urlacher and the Bears were unable to reach a contract agreement and he became a free agent.

He started 180 games from 2000-2012, and made a team-record 1,779 tackles. He has 41 1/2, 22 interceptions, 16 fumble recoveries and 11 forced fumbles.

Last year, he was slowed by a knee problem and then missed the final four games with a hamstring injury.

Urlacher had posted pictures on Twitter indicating he was working his way back into shape before the split with the Bears. But when they announced he would not be back, it was hardly a surprise.

Urlacher told the team's flagship radio station at the time that he was not shocked and the offer he received was "more like an ultimatum" in which they were telling him, "Sign this contract or we are going to move on."

The split with Urlacher was just one of many moves in a busy offseason for the Bears.

They fired coach Lovie Smith after a second straight late collapse left them out of the playoffs for the fifth time in six years, even though they did finish with 10 wins.

They replaced him with the offensive-minded Marc Trestman, hoping he could get the most out of quarterback Jay Cutler, and revamped their offensive line.

On defense, the only starting linebacker returning is Lance Briggs. Veteran free agent acquisition D.J. Williams and second-round draft pick Jon Bostic are expected to compete for the middle linebacker job with Urlacher gone.

A safety with lightning speed when he was drafted out of New Mexico, the 6-foot-4 Urlacher initially lined up at strong side linebacker for the Bears, but lost the job to Roosevelt Colvin. He made the switch to middle linebacker during his first season when Barry Minter was injured, and went on to become the 2000 Defensive Rookie of the Year, the start of a long run that saw him anchor a defense that consistently ranked among the league's best.

But he clearly wasn't his old self last year. The speed and quickness that allowed him to wreak havoc for years simply wasn't there.

Urlacher sprained his medial collateral ligament and partially sprained the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the 2011 regular-season finale against Minnesota, He hasn't been the same since then.

He barely participated in training camp, had an arthroscopic procedure in mid-August to relieve the swelling, and spent most of the season trying to regain his old form.

Then, he came up lame in coverage on the second-to-last snap of the Bears' overtime loss to Seattle in early December, an injury that ended his season and, ultimately, his career.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bears-lb-urlacher-announces-retirement-163212931.html

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Kids, teachers from devastated school reunite

Mourners leave a funeral service for Antonia Calendaria, 9, a student at Towers Plaza Elementary school who was killed by Monday's tornado Thursday, May 23, 2013, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Mourners leave a funeral service for Antonia Calendaria, 9, a student at Towers Plaza Elementary school who was killed by Monday's tornado Thursday, May 23, 2013, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Monty Montgomery walks among rubble as he prepares to clean up a friend's tornado-ravaged home Thursday, May 23, 2013, in Moore, Okla. Cleanup continues three days after a huge tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburb, flattening a wide swath of homes and businesses. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

A stuffed pink unicorn is tangled amid the wreckage of Plaza Towers Elementary, where seven children were killed earlier in the week when a tornado hit Moore, Okla., Thursday, May 23, 2013. The huge tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburb Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods and destroying the elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds up to 200 mph. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

MOORE, Okla. (AP) ? Students from a suburban Oklahoma City elementary school destroyed by this week's tornado reunited with their teachers Thursday and collected whatever could be salvaged from the ruins.

Some children carried thank-you cards. A first-grader was eager to see her favorite gym teacher and for a chance to say goodbye for the school year.

It was one of many difficult goodbyes for the city of Moore. Family and friends attended the funeral of a 9-year-old girl who died at Plaza Towers Elementary School ? the first since Monday's storm, which killed 24 people.

Students who survived the storm's onslaught at the school and those whose parents had pulled them out of class just before it hit gathered with their teachers at another Moore school that wasn't damaged. Seven children died at Plaza Towers.

Authorities kept journalists at a distance, but Cheryle Dixon, a grandmother of first-grader Crisily Dixon, talked to a reporter about how hard it was for the little girl.

"A lot of tears, a lot of worry about her gym teacher, a lot of worry about a lot of the teachers that she knew, so she just can't believe it," Dixon said.

The father of 7-year-old Crisily had picked her up an hour before the tornado struck when he learned the severity of the approaching storm ? a top-of-the-scale EF5 that was on the ground for 40 minutes, according to the National Severe Storm Lab in Norman.

The police and the mayor's office in Oklahoma City both estimate that around 12,000 homes were damaged and destroyed by the storm in the city and to the south in Moore.

After the disaster, when Crisily saw pictures on the news of a car in the hallway that leads to her classroom, "her little face, she just turned pale," Dixon said.

At the same time, Dixon said her granddaughter was looking ahead to second grade in the fall and was hoping a book she needed was fished out of the school's ruins.

"She said, 'What about my book, what about my book? I'm supposed to have it for next year,'" the grandmother said, her eyes filling with tears. "She said, 'I'm supposed to take it to second grade. It was in my desk.' "

Moore Schools Superintendent Susan Pierce said Plaza Towers and Briarwood Elementary schools will be rebuilt. Briarwood was heavily damaged but no one was killed there.

"And we will reopen and we will have school in August," she said.

Also headed to Thursday's reunion of classmates and students was Carly Ramirez, who held her 4-year-old daughter, Kamrin, in her arms. The small, ponytailed brunette shyly buried her face in her mother's neck, tightly holding two thank-you cards she planned to give her teachers.

In each envelope were two notes: One from Kamrin and one from her mother.

Kamrin also was not at Plaza Towers when the storm hit, having already left her morning preschool class. She rode out the storm in a shelter at her grandfather's home.

The main reason they came, though, Ramirez said was so that Kamrin could see with her own eyes that all her teachers had emerged from the school alive.

"She's asked about her teacher and her book buddy, which is a fifth-grader that goes to the library with her on Wednesdays," Ramirez said.

Gov. Mary Fallin said that as the removal of mountains of debris begins "we are also in a stage of healing." A public memorial service would be held Sunday night at a church, she said.

At Thursday's funeral service, relatives and friends gathered in a chapel in Oklahoma City to remember 9-year-old Antonia Candelaria. Mournful country music played in the chapel, which was adorned with flowers and photos of the smiling girl.

An obituary posted on the funeral home's website said the girl loved to sing ? she knew the words to most of the songs on the country radio station her family frequently had on and she would sing along, bringing joy to the house.

The family's remembrance also talked of the "gentle and loving spirit" of a girl whose nickname was "ladybug."

The third-grader recently auditioned to sing in a talent show that would have been held Thursday.

"Tonie always danced, not walked, to the beat of her own drum," the family wrote in her obit. "And she banged her drum very well. She would bang that drum so loud that others could not help but to start dancing to her beat as well."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-05-23-Oklahoma%20Tornado/id-3614069d729547b49af8ed6a0b9f62b7

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Apple named world's most valuable brand for third year running

Apple continues its streak as the most valuable brand in the world, outperforming Google, IBM, McDonald?s, and Coca-Cola, with Google surpassing IBM to become the second most valuable brand. The BrandZ report, which names the 100 most valuable companies in the world across several categories, says that Apple?s brand value increased 1% as the entire technology sector remained declined slightly from last year, lacking a surge of growth from both Apple and Facebook.

Without the surge in Apple and Facebook brand value that helped drive category growth, Technology declined 1 percent in the BrandZ? 2013 ranking, after five years averaging 8 percent annual category growth.

Other notable placements include Microsoft, which fell from number 5 to number 7, and Yahoo, three years absent from the list, returned at 92. Samsung, Apple?s chief mobile hardware rival, which jumped from 55 to 30, experiencing a surge in growth. Apple remains at the top, however, well ahead of the rest of the list, in both technology and overall. Their growth may have slowed over the last year, but if the exciting new products on their way later this year make a splash, there?s little doubt that Apple will remain on top for a long time to come.

Source: Millward Brown

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/oEWZ7Im_3QI/story01.htm

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Megan Futrell, 29-Year-Old Mother, Dies With Infant, Case, During Oklahoma Tornado

Megan Futrell, a 29-year-old mother of two, died in Monday's tornado with her 4-month-old child, Case, according to a statement emailed to The Huffington Post by the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Futrell and her baby were killed when the roof collapsed on a 7-Eleven, where the two were sheltered in a walk-in cooler, the Oklahoman reports. Just minutes before, Futrell had grabbed Case from a babysitter and run inside the store to wait out the tornado. She realized she couldn't outrun the storm in her car, the paper notes.

Both died of blunt force trauma, according to the Chief Medical Examiner's statement. Futrell is survived by her 8-year-old son, Kanon, and her husband, Cody, the newspaper reports.

Case Futrell was one of two infants who died in the twister, according to the Chief Medical Examiner's statement. The other, Sydnee Vargyas, was 7 months old. Another eight children also died in Monday's tornado, according to the statement.

Of the 24 confirmed fatalities of Monday's tornado, all but one have been positively identified, but some victims have not yet had their next of kin notified. (Click here to see the names that have been released.)

For continuing updates on the tornado's aftermath, visit HuffPost Green's Live Blog. Click here to find out how to help victims of the tornado.

A photo of Megan Futrell, from her Facebook page:

Related on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/22/megan-futrell-infant-baby-died-oklahoma-tornado_n_3320390.html

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Losing the school choice lottery and what it means for one family

yes Jeff Murray / May?21,?2013

Yesterday, I spent all day hitting the Refresh button on my email account. Probably 653 times. Why? Because the one school that we wanted for our children for next year was to announce its lottery results to those lucky few who would be chosen. 12 or 13 slots for sixth grade, out of an application pool of several hundred (wish I knew exactly how many).

On click number 653 we got the news at last: Our numbers didn?t hit.

***

My parents practiced school choice the old-fashioned way in the late 1970?s ? they moved from the east side of Columbus to the boonies. This was their only option. With a one-income family and four children, private school was not in the cards. My father drove 30 miles one way to work (even farther later in his career) with no complaints.

Why not stay in Columbus City Schools? Desegregation. I?m not proud of this fact and the mindset that it evokes, but they were not the only ones in our neighborhood ? let alone the city ? who did not want their children bussed across town for a school they felt inferior to the one they had. In fact, we had five other family/friends move from our street alone into the same tiny burg in the country the same summer. Did we miss out on some opportunities moving from a big city district to the country? You bet. But all of us did OK in our new environment and our lives and careers are still on track nearly 40 years later.

Fast forward to 2013: my family and I live in the city of Columbus in an old house on a quiet street near everything we love ? libraries, parks (river, bikepath, etc.), stores, activities, and even the road out of town for when wandering sounds good. Our commute to work is 15 minutes on a bad day.

This neighborhood has been the same for a very long time, but much has changed around it and much within the mindset of its residents, especially in terms of education that is on the minds of the many young families who choose to live here. And it is a choice that they make for the most part. Incomes here are all over the board and can usually be determined by where you live in relation to the major crossroads. To say you live in this part of town conveys nothing but a relative geography until folks probe deeper and then they figure out more about you by whether you live northwest or southeast of High and Broadway. And so you can choose to be in the same area whether you have a middling amount of money or a large amount of money. House, apartment, duplex, condo ? we have it. This is a place you go when you have some means (either a little or a lot).

What we don?t have is a district school that I want to send my daughters to. This is no different than my parents felt ? for a very different reason ? but the landscape of choice has changed. In fact, that landscape includes an opt-in to the Columbus district, which many vocal parents are choosing and advocating for among their friends and acquaintances. They reason that if more motivated parents choose to be here, the neighborhood school and all its students will benefit. And, honestly, if there is a good Columbus elementary school to be had (i.e. ? rigorous, focused on student success, geared toward the future, and not sparing with high-value homework) it?s probably here. In fact, our area is one of the few with no voucher-eligible schools in Columbus. But we investigated and found it academically wanting and so it was out. NOTE: I am not the first Fordham father to talk about this. Check out Mike Petrilli?s excellent book for his much more detailed story.

So was the district lottery, despite the fact that many families we knew sent their children (often multiple children) to the alternative school several blocks away. If you can get in. But it too seemed to be less than an ideal fit for our girls and the lottery process was reported to be Byzantine and often fruitless, although it still lurks in the back of our minds.

No charter schools in our neighborhood, so we would be forced to bus them or drive them a long way to reach one of the few good charter elementaries. So that was not practical either.

And as we have always done, we were looking at the big picture ? middle school, high school, college readiness. Even if we had been tireless advocates for our children in the neighborhood public elementary (pushing for more rigor, nagging for more attention from teachers, and supplementing the classroom work with outside opportunities), there was nothing available to us in the district even remotely worthwhile to us after fifth grade.

And since neither of us have the skill to homeschool, we have gone the private school route. That has been our reality since the girls were three years old ? private daycare, private preschool, private Montessori school, and now a private K-8 school, with summer camps each year from various private sources. Out of our own middle-income pockets. Not the elite Academies or all-girls schools you might have heard of, but a white-bread (in all senses of the term, unfortunately) middle-of-the-road institution that really would rather be doing Mass than math. But they soldier on with academics, pleased to adopt and align to the Common Core early but lax on homework, indifferent to long-term project-based learning, and weak in areas where there's no such thing as a common core standard.

The girls have done great ? worked hard, learned the value of a good education, and produced at or above our expectations regularly. And they even know how to have fun when the work is finished. They are fantastic and on the right path, sometimes despite the teachers in the schools they?ve attended.

So, what was yesterday about? Those 653 clicks?

The holy grail.

***

We have had our eye on the local STEM school for high school (talk about the long game) for the last couple of years, only to have them announce that they are expanding to middle school just in time for our kids to start sixth grade. Wow. But maybe it?s not as good as we thought it was.

Open house. Amazing. Even better than we imagined.

Application. Easy and interesting. I didn?t realize my eleven-year-olds had already figured out their five-year visions.

The waiting. Hard, but not too long.

Word on the street: everyone we know is applying. Probably lots of folks we don?t know.

Uh oh.

Yesterday? Depression.

***

Our only Plan B is to return to our middle-of-the-road private school, downtrodden and with even lower expectations than before. (You know how it is: as soon as you decide that you want to trade in your old car, you suddenly see its flaws even more starkly.) We can apply to the STEM school ? the only one of its kind for 20 miles ? again next year for seventh grade. And again the following year for eighth grade. And again the following year for ninth grade, as we had originally planned.

We figured we had the school choice thing in Columbus locked up: we lived where we wanted, paid for the best school we could afford, and then supplemented to the best of our ability. We didn?t even begrudge our property taxes continuing to go to Columbus City Schools. The American way, right?

Our kids are our priority and we know where we want them to go: to college and beyond. They can be anything they want with the right foundation, and it?s our job to give them the best foundation possible. That?s why yesterday?s lottery loss stings so much. We know we?d found it. And we can?t get in.

What happens when you don?t have means, when you don?t have knowledge of the system, when you have other priorities weighing on your family, when all of your ?choices? are bad?

Category: Charters & Choice

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Source: http://www.edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/ohio-gadfly-daily/2013/losing-the-school-choice-lottery-and-what-it-means.html

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LG's 5-inch HD Oxide mobile display has a 1mm-slim bezel, we go eyes-on at SID

LG's flexible OLED display is just one of the company's many panels on show here at SID. Our next stop in the booth tour is a 5-inch HD prototype, which uses TFT Oxide technology for low power consumption and a super-slim profile. Like the 5-inch flexible panel, this guy sports a 1mm bezel, and a rep told us it utilizes IPS technology to offer wide viewing angles. The model you see here is rated at 250 nits, though LG expects a significantly higher brightness count by the time the panel makes it to market. As for when that will happen, "ASAP" is the only answer we received. Hit up our photo gallery below for a closer look.

Gallery: LG 5-inch HD Oxide mobile display eyes-on

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

Filed under: Cellphones, Displays, LG

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/22/lg-hd-oxide-display-eyes-on/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Government plans policy sweeteners for insurance industry

By Chris Vellacott

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain plans to boost the insurance industry with policy sweeteners such as tax breaks, hoping to nurture it as a source of investment and an engine of economic growth.

Treasury minister Greg Clark said the government would extend to the insurance industry a series of measures announced earlier this year to boost asset managers.

"The government recognises that the insurance industry is a key asset for this country and is determined to maintain and sharpen the sector's competitive edge," Clark told a conference run by specialist publisher Insurance Day.

In his budget speech in March, chancellor George Osborne had unveiled plans to scrap a tax on UK-domiciled funds and a levy on trades in small company shares in order to lure mutual fund assets from rival financial centres such as Dublin and Luxembourg.

Clark on Tuesday said the government will be "embarking on similar work for the insurance sector."

He noted that the global financial crisis had made banking a higher priority among policymakers than insurance, despite the fact that London is a key international hub for the industry and home to the Lloyds of London market.

According to the Association of British Insurers, the industry contributes 10.4 billion pounds in taxes to the UK, employs 290,000 people and manages investments worth more than a quarter of the British economy.

As banking has floundered since the 2008-2009 crisis, the insurance sector has thrived with Aon Corp, the world's biggest insurance broker, recently opting to relocate its headquarters to London from Chicago.

The government is also eyeing large insurers and pension fund managers as a key source of finance for its plans to overhaul Britain's crumbling infrastructure at a time when Treasury coffers are short of funds.

(Editing by David Holmes)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/government-plans-policy-sweeteners-insurance-industry-161209199.html

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Flickr Shows Signs of Life With Slick Web Redesign, Killer Android App

Flickr wants to remind you that it’s a photo site. “Everything that we’ve done in this new redesign has been about putting the photo front and center,” says Flickr VP Brett Wayn. For a photo site, Flickr looks like it ...

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/05/flickr-update-android/

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PSA: Your Skype Messages Aren't as Private as You Think They Are

Most people think of Skype as a secure means of communication, with messages kindly delivered using end-to-end encryption. But a new report by Ars Technica suggests that's far from the case?and Microsoft is often dipping into your communications.

Having teamed up with security researcher Ashkan Soltani, Ars sent fresh web links across Skype, and found that half of them were accessed by a machine with an IP address belonging to Microsoft as they traversed the internet. That means that Skype messages are sent across the web in such a way that allows Microsoft to study plaintext within them, and clearly its a technique it uses regularly. Matt Green, a professor specializing in encryption at Johns Hopkins University, told Ars:

"The problem right now is that there's a mismatch between the privacy people expect and what Microsoft is actually delivering. Even if Microsoft is only scanning links for 'good' purposes, say detecting malicious URLs, this indicates that they can intercept some of your text messages. And that means they could potentially intercept a lot more of them."

It's not clear how the text is scrutinized by Microsoft: whole messages could be being scanned on Microsoft servers, end-user Skype installs could send snippets to be checked, or something else entirely could be happening. What is clear, though, is that the ability to extract content is very, very real.

Perhaps it shouldn't come as a massive surprise that Microsoft wants to keep tabs on what's being sent using its Skype service?it has a duty to make sure its services aren't being abused, after all. But it's important for end users to be aware that their communications aren't as private as they perhaps thought. Now you do. [Ars Technica]

Image by RoccoAlpha under Creative Commons license

Source: http://gizmodo.com/psa-your-skype-messages-arent-as-private-as-you-think-509012101

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Anchorman 2 Trailer: The Legend Continues!

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White House says more farm subsidy cuts needed

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The White House says it would like to see more cuts to agriculture subsidies in a massive farm bill moving through the Senate this week.

The bill would cost almost $100 billion a year over five years and would set policy for farm programs and food aid. The legislation would cut about $2.4 billion annually from overall farm spending and would eliminate a controversial subsidy that is paid to farmers whether they farm or not. But it would still expand federally subsidized crop insurance and raise subsidies for rice and peanut farmers.

The Obama administration said Monday that it supports the legislation but would like to see more savings in the crop insurance and farm subsidy programs.

The Senate began debating the bill Monday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-says-more-farm-subsidy-cuts-needed-214251928.html

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Dog Awakens to Adele, Sings Along

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It's (Mostly) Official: Yahoo Buying Tumblr Youth Serum for $1.1B

Cash! The WSJ says "the Yahoo board has approved a deal" to make this happen, and it's hard to imagine Tumblr turning this down. One of the most unpopular companies in the world will soon own one of the most popular in history, and we'll all find out if you really can buy cool.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/xJOUYERRrjM/its-mostly-official-yahoo-buying-tumblr-for-1-1-bill-508716117

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Scandals Galore, Sensory Deprivation, and Bitter Beer Backlash

?President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference on Thursday, answering questions on the IRS Justice Department invesigation.

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images

?Scandal Jujitsu: How is Obama coping with multiple scandals? By playing them off against one another,? by William Saletan. It?s been a bad week for the White House, with scandals over the 2012 Benghazi attacks, IRS targeting of conservative groups, and Justice Department monitoring of AP reporters? phone records all making national headlines. Saletan criticizes the administration?s tactic of justifying the AP phone record surveillance by tying it to Republican?s concern about Benghazi-like security breaches. He writes that it?s a cynical move and a failure in messaging that won?t make any of these headaches go away.

?The White House Field Guide to Scandal: How the trio of Obama scandals could save immigration reform and the welfare state,? by David Weigel. Weigel assesses the potential damage from the various scandals and concludes that just as the Iran-Contra scandal didn?t sink Reagan?s presidency, Obama will survive the current situation, possibly even with new Republican cooperation on issues such as immigration reform.

???La Carte Won?t Fix Cable: Unbundling cable will actually raise prices and reduce choices for most customers,? by Matthew Yglesias. Sen. John McCain introduced a bill last week requiring cable television companies to offer their subscribers channels on an ? la carte basis, but Yglesias argues that this would be a bad deal for consumers. He explains that the low level of competition in the cable TV industry means that simply requiring lower rates would make more sense and be more beneficial to subscribers than the McCain proposal.

?Against Hoppy Beer: The craft beer industry?s love affair with hops is alienating people who don?t like bitter brews,? by Adrienne So. While utilization of hops in more than token amounts has been a huge selling point for craft brewers in the United States, So argues that beer makers have lately gotten carried away with overly hoppy products. She contends that the resultant bitterness of these beers is unappealing to many and a ?pointless gimmick? which overshadows a good beer?s other wonderful characteristics.?

?I Boldly Went Where Every Star Trek Movie and TV Show Has Gone Before: Now I can tell you exactly why this franchise is great,? by Matthew Yglesias. Yglesias undertook the astronomical task of watching every Star Trek movie and television episode?ever?and lived to write about it. In his epic article, he explains how the long-running series keeps alive the ?spirit of midcentury optimism,? celebrating American values of ?peace, progress, and tolerance.?

?Embracing the Void: The profound, ecstatic state of nothingness I achieved while floating naked in a sensory deprivation tank,? by Seth Stevenson.?Stevenson explores the trippy world of sensory deprivation, achieved while enclosed in a pitch-dark tank full of salt water. ?For the first time in my waking life,? he writes, ?I had zero thoughts. It was a mental quietude I?d never known existed.?

?Far From the Tree: Why Vermont wants you to use wine descriptors to talk about maple syrup,? by Warren Cornwall. The ?terroir movement? which has consumers paying top dollar for coffee or wine from a single specific location has now spread to the world of maple syrup. Cornwall reports on maple syrup producers? efforts to target a more gourmet-minded clientele and explains why different maple syrups can taste so different from one another.? ?

?Escape Plans: Why do we need a space program? Because Earth isn?t going to be a safe place in the long term,? by Annalee Newitz. Touching on the themes of her new book, Scatter, Adapt and Remember: How Humans Will Survive a Mass Extinction, Newitz writes about the great importance of space exploration and technological innovation in light of Earth?s future inhabitability. She explains that while mega-cities on other planets may be a long way off, projects like deflecting deadly asteroids and devising alternatives to rocket-travel are within our reach.??

?How to Beat GeoGuessr, the Insanely Addictive Google Maps Guessing Game: Tips and tricks from a National Geographic cartographer,? by Will Oremus. If you haven?t already played GeoGuessr, a new online game in which users guess the global location of randomly selected Google Street Views, beware?because it?s extremely addictive. Oremus plays a round with Rosemary Wardley, senior GIS cartographer at National Geographic Maps, and shares some tips for how to play like a pro.
?

?The?Gatsby?Test: I?ve never read?The Great Gatsby. But can I write a convincing high school essay about the novel after watching the film?? by J. Bryan Lowder. The otherwise well-read Lowder tests his ability to write a high school English essay about F. Scott Fitzgerald?s The Great Gatsby based only on Baz Lurman?s new film. His subpar results lead him to advise, ?Read the real deal, and don?t let some Hollywood director?s carnivalesque, hip-hop-infused, champagne-soaked siren call lead you astray.?

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=8959a7a172ab633ce5818ebd0634182c

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Picking The Best Computer Speakers For you personally ...

In the last 5 years, computer systems completely changed how a world functions, day-to-day lives and also carries out company. Back in the day that just significant organizations as well as places of work has computers as a method of increasing the work they do stream. These days laptops are getting to be standard in most houses in the united states, European countries as well as the Se. Pcs are actually utilized to mail emails, check out along with listen to what is the news, look and in some cases work. Earlier pcs are not considerably regarding media devices however today lots of people make use of pcs to see shows, pay attention and create music along with forms of mass media. Which means they support superior audio as well as online video media greeting cards. The usage of pcs because media gateways has produced another business throughout personal computer equipment for instance sound system along with encompasses sound systemsbest budget?computer speakers, at this point are available in many shapes and sizes.
Quite a few major computer suppliers such as Dell, Compaq, Horse power in addition to Acer many pack top quality speakers using their computer system products. Dell offers audio speakers a part of a number of Processors and there is therefore you don?t need to obtain additional speakers. Other producers have got displays who have top quality loudspeakers in-built directly into all of them as is also normal with Compaq monitors some of which consist of Harman Kardon loudspeakers. Harman Kardon is usually a highly regarded name in your home theatre business. When discussing the issue which computer system loudspeakers work best, we?ve got to check out what they?re likely to be useful for. For most of us, computers usually are regarding browsing the Internet, examining good news in addition to doing gentle inputting not forgetting sending as well as having e mail. People who find themselves with this type will never need sophisticated sound system set up on his or her desktops. Nowadays, lots of people younger than 50 use computers to look at motion pictures, flow new music and online video media also to generate media purposes. Teens are associated with this. Therefore you will find the should make investments much more high-tech audio speakers.
There are several firms that help make?best bluetooth headphones for running. These are also the same h firms which are big names in terms of buyer amusement technological know-how for example new music devices and multichannel surround sound home entertainment programs. Organizations such as The, JVC, Bose, Maxell, Akai, AIWA, Peak, and also Check out the are typical seriously working in the creation of computer sound system. Several are usually low grade returning with a power cable television being coupled to the walls and also a appear interface to get plugged into the PC as well as notebook computer. Other people are a bit more sophisticated and may include an extra guitar amp in addition to tuner. Manufacturers like Inventive Laboratories happen to be producing home cinema items for desktops for quite a while and are a respected identify in this field. Audio speakers familiar with appear in the conventional set of two however, computer speaker makes usually are including home theater ability in home computer audio systems. Even now opt for extended tricky to observe pc speaker systems coming which has a mid-range sub-woofer which has a movie-quality bass and also a number of additional smaller audio speakers for multichannel surround sound efficiency. Good music should accompany you whenever you are running.

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Source: http://matthewbult.fav.cc/picking-the-best-computer-speakers-for-you-personally/

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24-hour curfew in Nigeria city in military push

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) ? Nigeria's military has declared a 24-hour curfew in several neighborhoods of a northeastern city as its campaign against Islamic extremists in the region continues.

A statement Saturday on behalf of Lt. Col. Sagir Musa named 11 areas of Maiduguri were people must remain inside their homes until further notice. Musa said it was part of the military's push since President Goodluck Jonathan issued an emergency decree Tuesday allowing soldiers to arrest people at will and take over buildings suspected to house extremists in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, is the spiritual home of the extremist network known as Boko Haram. Bombings and gunfire have remained common there despite a heavy police and military presence. Soldiers are stopping trucks from entering the city.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/24-hour-curfew-nigeria-city-military-push-143936817.html

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Hangout Fest 2013: Find Out When Your Favorite Bands Will Play!

Find out the who, what, when and where of this summer's hottest music festival.
By MTV Staff

Kings of Leon's Caleb Followill
Photo: Foto24/Gallo Images/Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1707525/hangout-fest-2013-schedule.jhtml

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Happy Friday

Happy Friday

Kim Kardashian’s Feet Swells Up?[The Frisky] Miley Cyrus Announces First Single?[HollyWire] Britney Spears Working on a Baby Girl??[Right Celebrity] Rihanna Suing Topshop?[The Celebrity Cafe] Justin Bartha Waxed Hair Off Special Body Part?[The Blemish] Steve Carell Returns to ‘The Office’?[The Huffington Post] Emma Watson Loves Sports Bras?[Girls Talkin Smack] Bill Hader Leaving SNL?[Tonic Gossip] Jennifer Love ...

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Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/05/happy-friday-31/

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Google Glass worries lawmakers, casino operators

New wearable computers are drawing concerns from some about policy and privacy issues. Others say such worries stem primarily from a fear of change. Discussions continue about the appropriate place for such technology in varied social situations.

By Alexei Oreskovic,?Reuters / May 18, 2013

Google Glass team member Salil Pandit wears Google Glasses at a booth at Google I/O 2013 in San Francisco, Wednesday.

AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

Enlarge

Google?staged four discussions expounding on the finer points of its "Glass" wearable computer during this week's developer conference. Missing from the agenda, however, was a session on etiquette when using the recording-capable gadget, which some attendees faithfully wore everywhere - including to the crowded bathrooms.

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Google Glass, a cross between a mobile computer and eyeglasses that can both record video and surf the Internet, is now available to a select few but is already among the year's most buzz-worthy new gadgets. The device has geeks all aflutter but is unnerving everyone from lawmakers to casino operators worried about the potential for hitherto unimagined privacy and policy violations.

"I had a friend and we're sitting at dinner and about 30 minutes into it she said, 'You know those things freak me out,'" said Allen Firstenberg, a technology consultant at the Google?developers conference. He has been wearing Glass for about a week but offered to take them off for the comfort of his dinner companion.

On another occasion, Firstenberg admitted to walking into a bathroom wearing his Glass without realizing it.

"Most of the day I totally forget it's there," he said.

Many believe wearable computers represent the next big shift in technology, just as smartphones evolved from personal computers. Apple and Samsung are said to be working on other forms of wearable technology.

The test version of Glass looks like a clear pair of eyeglasses with a hefty slab along the right side. Since it began shipping to a couple thousand carefully selected early adopters who paid about $1,500 for the device, it has inspired a bit of ridicule - from a parody on "Saturday Night Live" to a popular blog poking fun at its users.

Other industry experts take a more serious tack, pointing out the potential for misuse because Glass can record video far less conspicuously than a handheld device.

Glass also has won many fans. Google?and some early users maintain that privacy fears are overblown. As with traditional video cameras, a tiny light blinks on to let people know when it is recording.

Several Glass wearers at the developers conference said they whip the device off in inappropriate situations, such as in gym locker rooms or work meetings. Michael Evans, a Web developer from Washington, D.C., attending the Google?conference, said he removed his Glass when he went to the movies, even though the device would be ill-suited for recording a feature-length film.

"I just figured I don't want to be the first guy kicked out of the movies," he said.?

No glass allowed?

A stamp-sized electronic screen mounted on the left side of a pair of eyeglass frames, Glass can record video, access email, provide turn-by-turn driving directions and retrieve info from the Web by connecting wirelessly to a user's cell phone.

Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt dismissed concerns about the brave new world of wearable computers during a talk at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government in April.

"Criticisms are inevitably from people who are afraid of change or who have not figured out that there will be an adaptation of society to it," he said.

Schmidt acknowledged that there are certain places where Glass will not be appropriate but that he believed new rules of social etiquette will coalesce over time. Firstenberg said it will take time for all sides to get comfortable with the new technology.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/Yh53oGYZR4g/Google-Glass-worries-lawmakers-casino-operators

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Government launches investigation into two Serco, G4S contracts

By Christine Murray

LONDON (Reuters) - The government said on Friday it had hired a team of auditors to investigate whether it was overcharged on two contracts with outsourcing firms Serco and G4S.

The Ministry of Justice said auditors from professional services firm PWC would examine two contracts signed in 2005 which together cost the department 107 million pounds in 2012/13 for electronic tagging and monitoring of offenders released from prison.

"I take this issue very seriously and my priority is to ensure that taxpayers' money is spent appropriately and delivers value for money," Justice Minister Chris Grayling said, adding the auditors would report their findings within six weeks.

An MOJ spokeswoman said the issue concerned the number of people tagged and the duration of the monitoring period.

Both G4S and Serco had their original contracts extended and are currently bidding on the new electronic tagging deals with the MOJ expected later this year.

The companies said that they were cooperating with the Ministry. G4S added that it had cut the cost of the service by 13 percent since it first won the contract in 2005.

Contracts for electronic tags - which monitor whether offenders are adhering to curfews and are a cheaper alternative to keeping someone in prison - are part of a government drive to save money by tendering services to private companies to run.

The MOJ is one of the most active in this process, asking private firms to bid to run prisoner escort, private prisons and more recently probation services.

Analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald calculate that the total value of MOJ new services contracts jumped tenfold from 8 million in 2008 to 79 million in 2012, based on data from 8 months of each year.

G4S Chief Executive Nick Buckles said in a call with analysts earlier this month that he had learned there would be "a couple" of new private prisons built under the controversial Private Finance Initiative, which funds public infrastructure with private capital, coming out next year.

Buckles also said that G4S, which made a 70 million pound loss on its security contract at the London 2012 Olympics after failing to provide enough guards, was getting a lower profit margin on the extension of its current tagging deal.

He added that lower prisoner numbers in its private prisons were dragging down group margins.

(Additional reporting by Neil Maidment; Editing by Sophie Walker)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/government-launches-investigation-two-serco-g4s-contracts-011430461.html

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The Daily Roundup for 05.16.2013

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/16/the-daily-roundup-for-05-16-2013/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Egypt police close Gaza border to protest kidnap

May 15 (Reuters) - Post positions for the 138th running of the Preakness Stakes, to be run at Pimlico on Saturday (Post Position, Horse, Jockey, Trainer, Odds) 1. Orb, Joel Rosario, Shug McGaughey, even 2. Goldencents, Kevin Krigger, Doug O'Neill, 8-1 3. Titletown Five, Julien Leparoux, D. Wayne Lukas, 30-1 4. Departing, Brian Hernandez, Al Stall, 6-1 5. Mylute, Rosie Napravnik, Tom Amoss, 5-1 6. Oxbow, Gary Stevens, D. Wayne Lukas, 15-1 7. Will Take Charge, Mike Smith, D. Wayne Lukas, 12-1 8. Govenor Charlie, Martin Garcia, Bob Baffert, 12-1 9. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-police-close-gaza-border-protest-kidnap-094451774.html

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Lego Mindstorms EV3 intros three new models, ready for summer tour (video)

When Lego introduced the Mindstorms EV3 earlier this year, it bundled building instructions for five "hero" models, several of which can be seen in our CES hands-on. But that complex kit of sensors, modules and bricks lends itself to endless possibilities, and Lego community members have come up with 12 more designs, three of which were unveiled today. These include a dinosaur, a guitar and a whack-a-mole-style arcade game.

From our brief hands-on, all three models seem worthy additions to the original lineup. We enjoyed the sauntering steps of the mini triceratops and the way it snaps and backs off from obstacles, the fun bloops and bleeps of the guitar, and delighted in the sheer satisfaction of bopping a popped "mole." The latter two, particularly, are decidedly whimsical implementations compared to the usual ambling robot -- and we can't wait for Lego reveal the rest of the bonus models later this year.

Filed under: Robots

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/16/lego-mindstorms-ev3-new-models/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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