Looking for an apartment is horrible. But technology can help. If you’re smart, you can cut through the junk and beat the competition en route to a sweet pad. If you’re planning to rent in a city, your search is bound to go through good old Craigslist—especially now that its listings no longer appear on Padmapper. Here’s how to navigate the chaos. More »
Social media are terrific innovations that add great value to our lives. But they also serve as a daily diary of our thoughts and connections with each other. We tend to think of them as virtual, but they are very real.
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TOKYO — Japan’s Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a whistleblower for the first time in a case that highlights the harsh treatment outspoken employees have endured in a nation that zealously values loyalty and conformity.
Despite being a good salesman with experience in the United States, Masaharu Hamada, 51, was demoted at Olympus Corp., forced to take rudimentary tests and ignored by colleagues, in what he alleged was reprisal for raising the issue of supplier complaints.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico woman was arrested and spent a night in jail for not returning the book “Twilight” and two-DVD set “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” back to the library on time.
The Albuquerque Journal reports (http://bit.ly/MY6rJW ) Lori Teel was arrested and handcuffed at her Portales home in front of her five small children earlier this month for the $36 worth of library materials not returned since 2010.
Her attorney says arrest warrants were mailed last year to an address at which Teel hadn’t lived since childhood, but Teal was arrested by officers investigating a disturbance.
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NEW YORK — A former Citigroup vice president has been sentenced in New York City to eight years in prison for embezzling more than $22 million.
Gary Foster received the term Friday in federal court in Brooklyn.
It’s hot, you guys. Really hot. And what’s the perfect cure for summer heat? ICE CREAM!
We could all use a nice, refreshing cone or dish of ice cream right about now, but it’s not always within reach. However, you CAN whet your appetite with these 41 tantalizing photos. You know you want one. Flip through and try not to drool (too much).
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SPECIAL FROM Next Avenue
Sam and Chloe have lots of friends and an active social life, and on the outside appear happy and comfortable with each other. They told me that they like to spend their free time dining out with other couples and attending charity events.
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Kim Kardashian makes a pretty impression whether she’s sporting a leopard-print mini dress … or a pair of sweatpants.
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* European media see Merkel beaten by France, Italy Spain
* Even German newspapers say Merkel caved in
* Spectacular German retreat follows small concessions recently
By Erik Kirschbaum and John Irish
BERLIN/PARIS, June 30 (Reuters) – Angela Merkel was portrayed across Europe as the big loser of a euro zone showdown in Brussels after the German chancellor was forced to accept the crisis-fighting measures championed by countries struggling with their debts.
Newspapers in Spain, Italy and France on Saturday toasted the triumph of their leaders – Mario Monti, Mariano Rajoy and Francois Hollande – in pushing Merkel into a U-turn that would long have been unthinkable.
Even German newspapers said Merkel had been made to accept demands for the euro zone rescue fund to be able to inject aid directly into stricken banks from next year and intervene on bond markets to support troubled member states.
“There’s no doubt about it – the chancellor was blindsided at the euro summit,” wrote influential columnist Nikolaus Blome of Bild, a daily with 12 million readers.
The summit ended on Friday with agreement on new steps to try to prevent a catastrophic breakup of the single currency.
Popular at home for insisting on austerity measures and tough conditions for those indebted euro zone states getting help, Merkel was quick to put a positive spin on the summit, telling reporters: “We had an interest in finding solutions.”
There was no sign that the summit had damaged her reputation on Friday as both houses of parliament voted to back the euro zone’s permanent bailout scheme. And Merkel does not face any particular political challenge at the moment.
But the concessions of “Frau Nein” were far bigger than earlier compromises in the name of saving the euro.
“Merkel caves in – money for ailing banks,” read the headline on Germany’s left-leaning Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
Bild wrote: “Italy and Spain got what they wanted: It’ll be easier to borrow excessively again… It was the first time in more than two crisis years that euro states didn’t follow Germany’s orders.”
Footballing comparisons have been widespread after Italy knocked Germany out of the Euro 2012 tournament in a shock 2-1 victory on Thursday.
“This time it was worse, the defeat was about the euro,” said respected Deutschlandfunk radio.
‘1-0 TO HOLLANDE’
In France, left-leaning daily Liberation had a front page splash showing Hollande and Merkel dressed in their national football shirts with “1-0 to Hollande” over the top. It devoted its first four pages to his summit triumph.
Liberation said it was the pressure from Hollande, Monti and Rajoy that made Merkel buckle and accept a growth plan and banking union mechanism. It applauded his negotiating prowess.
“The night the South made Merkel cave in,” was the headline over a Liberation report on the Brussels summit.
France’s right-leaning daily Le Figaro called Spain and Italy the real winners. “Just like in football, it is thanks to Italy and Spain that the dynamics of the match have changed and that Angela Merkel has been forced back against the wall.”
Italy’s leading daily, Corriere della Sera, captured the euphoric mood in Italy. A front-page cartoon “A super Mario in Brussels too” showed Monti in the triumphant clenched-fists pose of Italy striker Mario Balotelli after his second goal against Germany. The diminutive figures of an annoyed-looking Merkel and a meek-looking Hollande watch him.
“Italy is not just a great team, it’s a great country and it may be good to remember it,” the paper wrote, giving credit to Monti for making Italy a leading player in Europe again.
Left-leaning daily La Repubblica noted that after four years during which Germany had “dictated both the music and the lyrics” at euro zone summits, three of the four main countries had refused to dance to Merkel’s beat.
“Although the Chancellor retains her undisputed primacy at the heart of the Council, she was forced to listen to them.”
Spanish newspapers saw a victory too – particularly in the fact that inspectors from the European Union, International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank would not put Spain under the same scrutiny as countries bailed out earlier.
But El Mundo noted that as Spain gets support for its troubled banks: “the Men in Black… will be atop the Pyrenees watching over everything we do.”
In bailed-out Portugal, Publico newspaper mocked Merkel’s U-turn, saying: “Nein! Non! No! Yes!”.
In the northern European countries aligned with Germany in demanding tough measures for indebted countries getting help, Merkel was also identified as the loser with the softening of terms for the most indebted.
“The southern euro countries are taking the north hostage,” wrote Dutch financial daily Het Financieele Dagblad.
HMDX Audio has just announced the availability of their latest consumer electronics device – the HMDX Jam Bluetooth Wireless Speaker. This latest speaker was last seen at CEA LineShows during CE Week New York, and just what kind of performance does it offer? For starters, this sleek device is capable of delivering sweet sound quality in a tiny footprint without breaking the bank – after all, many of us are in a particularly tight spot financially, and we would do well to spend each penny wisely.
We are talking about a retail price of $39.99, where the HMDX Jam Bluetooth Wireless Speaker sports the ability to connect sans wires up to 30 feet away – and since it has a Bluetooth chipset inside, it will most definitely play nice with just about the entire gamut of Bluetooth-enabled smartphones, tablets and laptops/desktops in the market. Underneath the hood, you will find a rechargeable, lithium-ion battery that is said to offer up to four hours of wireless play.
HMDX Jam will come in half a dozen colors – some might even say, “flavors”, where they would be Strawberry, Grape, Blueberry, Blackberry, Apricot and Apple, and is available nationwide, just about virtually anywhere portable electronics are on sale – and those places include Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, and Kohl’s amongst others.
Ron Ferber, President, HMDX Audio, said, “We believe the HMDX Jam is, ‘ounce for ounce’ the sweetest sounding Bluetooth wireless speaker you can buy for the money, especially when compared with other wireless speakers that sell for double the price or more. The HMDX Jam squeezes Bluetooth audio technology into an amazingly small package that bursts with exceptional sound quality. Finally, there’s an affordable Bluetooth wireless speaker for everyone that doesn’t make you sacrifice your musical tastes.”
Its diminutive size betrays its ability to deliver sweet audio, and has been deemed to be perfect by many for just about any setting, regardless of whether it is in the kitchen or the bedroom. The tapered cylinder-shaped HMDX Jam will be presented in a distinctive clear jar, topped with a metal lid, and featuring vibrant, fruit-inspired colors.
[ HMDX Audio delivers HMDX Jam Bluetooth Wireless Speaker copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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