Hasta La Gadget!

The "tech surge" that President Obama promised to fix the very broken HealthCare.gov portal just got a lot more tech-savvy. According to Bloomberg, companies like Google, Oracle and Red Hat are now swooping in to lead the recovery effort. But is it enough?

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Earlier this week LG announced its much awaited smartphone with a curved display, called LG G Flex. Prior to the announcement, the device had been seen in a number of leaks. LG announced this smartphone a few days after Samsung came out with its very own curved device, the Galaxy Round. It appears that LG intends to launch its device with much fanfare, local reports coming in from Korean media claim that a launch event has been scheduled on November 5th and that invites have already been sent out.

LG is yet to reveal the release plans for G Flex, as per reports, the smartphone will first go on sale in the local market by mid-November. Hopefully, at the event, LG will detail in how many markets it intends to release the G Flex and for what price. Samsung’s Galaxy Round is rumored to be a prototype of sorts, it is believed that the Round will be released in extremely limited quantity even in South Korea, but Samsung hasn’t confirmed this as yet. The LG G Flex has a 6 inch 720p curved display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quadcore processor with 2GB RAM, 32GB onboard storage, 13MP rear camera, LTE-A, 3,500mAh battery and Android 4.2.2. It also has “self-healing powers,” basically a special film at the back that will be able to heal scratches within minutes.

LG G Flex Launch Event Is On November 5th original content from Ubergizmo.

GENEVA, Oct 31 (Reuters) – Slavery is still being practised in Mauritania, even though the West African country made it a crime against humanity last year, a U.N. human rights watchdog said on Thursday.

Despite becoming the last country worldwide to abolish slavery, in 1981, Mauritania has the highest prevalence worldwide of slavery per head of population, according to the Global Slavery Index 2013.

Some 151,000 people, almost 4 percent of its population, are thought to be slaves, according to the index by the anti-slavery charity Walk Free Foundation. Estimates by other groups put it at up to 20 percent.

“Mauritania is one of those few countries in which slavery still exists, in which slavery is still practised. The government seems to deny it, at the same time there is an Anti-Slavery Act,” Cornelis Flinterman, a Dutch member on U.N. Human Rights Committee told a news briefing.

“But it’s very difficult for those who are held as slaves to bring complaints. Criminal cases do not seem to take place.”

The most common is chattel slavery, meaning that slave status is passed down through generations, the slavery index said.

The U.N. committee of 18 independent experts works to uphold compliance with an international treaty on civil and political rights that bans slavery, servitude and forced labour. Mauritania is among 167 states to have ratified the pact.

It called on Mauritania, which straddles black and Arab Africa, to guarantee the legislation was applied effectively and to give victims sufficient recourse. Slavery was made a crime in Mauritania in 2007 and a crime against humanity in 2012.

Mohamed Abdallahi Ould Khattra, Mauritania’s human rights commissioner, who led his country’s delegation to the meeting reviewing the Islamic republic’s rights record, said slavery was prohibited, considered as a crime against humanity and vigorously punished.

The U.N. experts also voiced concern at torture, racial discrimination and the country’s constitution, which says that Islamic law takes precedence over other laws.

“We were very pleased that Mauritania has enacted a moratorium on the death penalty, but still the death penalty is on the books for such crimes as homosexuality and apostasy,” Flinterman said.

The death penalty was also given for adultery, in violation of the international treaty, he said.

Mauritania’s record was reviewed along with those of four other countries – Bolivia, Djibouti, Mozambique and Uruguay – at the committee’s 3-week session. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Alison Williams)

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More on Mauritania

If you’re still looking for some last-minute Halloween costume inspiration, look no further than Crusoe the Celebrity Dachshund.

Crusoe — who was named after Robinson Crusoe “for his exceptional sense of adventure,” according to his Facebook page — has achieved Internet stardom by showing off his wacky and creative homemade costumes on his award-winning blog. So it’s no surprise that he pulled out all the stops on Halloween.

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More on Dogs

Moments ago Google finally announced the Nexus 5, after months and months of endless rumors. The smartphone is now official, almost every recent rumor we heard about the device and its specifications has turned out to be true. Apart from announcing the device, Google has also announced official Nexus 5 accessories. There are bumper cases and a new Quick Cover case, however the new accessories are listed as “coming soon,” so it can’t be said for sure exactly when they’ll become available for purchase.

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Official Nexus 5 Accessories Include Bumper And Quick Cover Case original content from Ubergizmo.