Sunday, 5 January 2014

Arctic cold front threatens US, midwest braces for record low temperatures

Arctic cold front threatens US, midwest braces for record low temperatures

As the western us shivered through the region's lowest temperatures in 20 years and forecasters warned that critical cold was heading eastward, officials in Chicago and other districts said schools would be closed on Monday. Icy conditions snarled travel across the Midwest and thousands of flights were canceled or delayed, days once the Northeast was beat by the primary winter storm of the season.










"The coldest temperatures in almost 20 years will spread into the northern and central U.S. nowadays behind AN arctic cold front," the National Weather Service said on Sunday. "Combined with blustering winds, these temperatures will lead to life-threatening wind chill values as low as 60 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit/minus 51 degrees Celsius)."
In weather that cold, cryopathy will set in on uncovered skin in an exceedingly matter of minutes, consultants warned.
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton ordered all public schools within the state closed on Monday to guard children from dangerously atmospheric condition.
Chicago public faculties followed suit - reversing AN earlier call - expression in an exceedingly statement on its web site that it might be dangerous for youngsters to commute to high school amid sub-zero temperatures and high winds.
The NWS said the widespread chill was a result of a relatively infrequent alignment of weather conditions, permitting the Arctic polar vortex to be displaced outstandingly so much south.
"The weather pattern across North America straight away is about up to be very favorable for the southward transport of Arctic air," said Bob Oravec, a National Weather Service specialiser.
"It's not going to be lasting," he added. "By the finish of the week the temperatures undoubtedly begin to moderate across the whole of the country."

Portugal football legend Eusebio dies

Portugal football legend Eusebio dies

-- Portugal soccer legend Eusebio, UN agency was prime scorer at the 1966 World Cup, died at the age of seventy one, his former club Benfica aforesaid Sunday. He died from a heart failure, the Lisbon aspect aforesaid on its web site. The striker, dear called the "Black Panther," was idolized throughout the Portuguese-speaking world and thought of one among the sport's greatest players. "Always eternal #Eusebio, rest in peace," Real national capital forward and current Portugal icon Cristiano Ronaldo tweeted aboard a image of each men along. Portugal's former world player of the year, Luis Figo, tweeted that Eusebio was the "king" whereas Brazil's Pele, thought-about by several to be the best football player of all time, tweeted that Eusebio was sort of a "brother" to him.







"May God receive him with open arms," aforesaid Pele.
Eusebio, whose full name was Eusebio prosecutor timberland Ferreira, vie for 3 North yank football League groups in the twilight of his career however is best well-known for his exploits in fifteen years at Benfica. Born in 1942 in Mozambique, which was then a Portuguese territory, he scored 41 goals in 64 appearances for his adopted country. Eusebio was European football player of the Year in 1965 however won international acclaim a year later at the World Cup in England, where his nine goals helped Portugal reach the semifinals.
World Cup scorer
He scored 2 goals as Portugal eliminated defensive champions Brazil in the cluster stage, then webby four times in Associate in Nursing unimaginable match comeback against North Korean Peninsula as his aspect rallied from 3-0 down to win 5-3 in one of the tournament's most famed matches.
Eusebio scored again within the semifinals against England, however the hosts won 2-1 before beating Germany within the final

Facebook, Twitter followers a multi million-dollar business

Facebook, Twitter followers a multi million-dollar business

Celebrities, businesses and even the U.S. State Department have bought bogus Facebook likes, Twitter followers or YouTube viewers from offshore "click farms," where workers tap, tap, tap the thumbs up button, view videos or retweet comments to inflate social media numbers. Since Facebook launched almost 10 years ago, users have sought to expand their social networks for financial gain, winning friends, bragging rights and professional clout. And social media companies cite the levels of engagement to tout their value.











Twitter followers available on the open market
But an Associated Press examination has found a growing global marketplace for fake clicks, which tech companies struggle to police. Online records, industry studies and interviews show companies are capitalizing on the opportunity to make millions of dollars by duping social media. Going to 'the dark side' For as little as a half cent each click, websites hawk everything from LinkedIn connections to make members appear more employable to Soundcloud plays to influence record label interest.










"Anytime there's a monetary value added to clicks, there's going to be people going to the dark side," said Mitul Gandhi, CEO of seoClarity, a Des Plaines, Ill., social media marketing firm that weeds out phony online engagements. Italian security researchers and bloggers Andrea Stroppa and Carla De Micheli estimated in 2013 that sales of fake Twitter followers have the potential to bring in $40 million to $360 million to date, and that fake Facebook activities bring in $200 million a year. APTOPIX Wall Street Twitter IPO For as little as a half cent each click, people can purchase followers. In some parts of the world, $10 can net you 1,000 Twitter followers. (Richard Drew/Associated Press) As a result, many firms, whose values are based on credibility, have entire teams doggedly pursuing the buyers and brokers of fake clicks. But each time they crack down on one, another, more creative scheme emerges. When software engineers wrote computer programs, for example, to generate lucrative fake clicks, tech giants fought back with software that screens out "bot-generated" clicks and began regularly sweeping user accounts. YouTube wiped out billions of music industry video views last December after auditors found some videos apparently had exaggerated numbers of views. Its parent-company, Google, is also constantly battling people who generate fake clicks on their ads.

10 most spectacular social media failures in 2013
And Facebook, whose most recent quarterly report estimated as many as 14.1 million of its 1.18 billion active users are fraudulent accounts, does frequent purges. That's particularly important for a company that was built on the principle that users are real people. Twitter's Jim Prosser said there's no upside. "In the end, their accounts are suspended, they're out the money and they lose the followers," he said. LinkedIn spokesman Doug Madey said buying connections "dilutes the member experience," violates their user agreement and can also prompt account closures. Google and YouTube "take action against bad actors that seek to game our systems," said spokeswoman Andrea Faville.

Syrian rebels want foreign fighters gone

Syrian rebels want foreign fighters gone

-- The opposition Free Syrian Army is popping against foreign fighters in Syria's warfare, impressive some two hundred outsiders with ties to al-Qa'ida teams. The FSA had given members of the al-Qaeda-backed Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, twenty four hours to surrender and leave the country, before impressive around two hundred of them, spokesperson Loauy Mokdad told CNN. "Now, we have a tendency to repeat that we do not need any foreign fighters in Syrian Arab Republic," Mokdad aforementioned, equalisation the ISIS fighters with the Syrian regime. "We don't need any terrorist teams in Syrian Arab Republic. we'll not allow them to create bases in Syria." The move comes as infighting between the Free Syrian Army and Mohammedan teams have vulnerable to tip the balance among rebel forces toward militant teams and off from a lot of profane brigades. The FSA gave the ISIS Associate in Nursing demand and defendant the cluster of killing FSA officers and committing crimes against civilians. "After six months trying to hijack our revolution and once they controlled some liberated areas and once they begin to force our folks to act like Moslem state, we have a tendency to gave such a lot of warnings to them, that is one thing not acceptable for USA," Mokdad aforementioned. In a sign of the escalating tensions, two Syrian human rights watchdogs claim that Islamic fighters with ISIS executed 30 people in the northern Syrian province of Idlib Saturday. The native Coordination Committees of Syrian Arab Republic, a network of opposition activists, aforementioned that the thirty victims were "field executed" once being kidnaped at checkpoints within the province. The victims enclosed civilians and fighters from rival factions, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights aforementioned. ISIS forces have increasingly acquire conflict with FSA fighters and other hard-line anti-Assad factions while attempting to enforce their strict sort of Islamic Islamic law on areas coming under their control across northern Syria. ISIS on Saturday issued its own ultimatum Saturday, giving the FSA twenty four hours to free their prisoners, or they're going to leave their joint posts with the FSA in Alep.

Schumacher's condition critical but stable - agent

Schumacher's condition critical but stable - agent


PARIS (Reuters) - Michael Schumacher's condition remains vital however stable on Sat, the German's agent same nearly every week when the seven-times Formula One champion suffered brain injuries during a sport accident within the French Alps resort of Meribel. "Michael's condition remains vital however stable. we might prefer to clearly stress that any data relating to Michael's health not returning from the doctors treating him or from his management should be treated as invalid and pure speculation," Schumacher's agent, river Kehm, same during a statement. Kehm additional that Schumacher's "helmet camera was voluntarily given to the investigation authorities by the family".









Kehm created the comments when former Formula One driver Philippe Streiff, a lover of Schumacher's, told Sky TV he had been told by physician and friend, Gerard Saillant, United Nations agency is at the metropolis hospital, that the German's life was "out of danger". The retired motor sport nice slammed his head on a rock whereas sport off-piste on Sunday morning. He has been in associate iatrogenic coma for 6 days since being transferred to a metropolis hospital, wherever he has undergone 2 operations. Schumacher, United Nations agency turned forty five on Friday, is that the most triple-crown Formula One driver of all time with a record ninety one race victories. (Reporting by Julien Pretot and Leigh Thomas, written material by Pritha Sarkar)

Saturday, 4 January 2014

Mark Zuckerberg is America's biggest philanthropist

Mark Zuckerberg is America's biggest philanthropist


New york.Mark Zuckerberg,the founder and chief executive of Facebook,was the US's biggest charity donor in 2013,according to the list of publicity available donations.Zuckerberg,29 and his wife Priscilla Chan gave $990m ({598m) to the Silicon Vally Community foundation,the California charity,in December.









The donation, made up of 18m Facebook shares,made up almost a third of the $3.4bn that America's wealthiest philanthropists-those who gave more than $100m donated in 2013,according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy.In total,15 Americans donated more than $100m last year,a rebound in charitable giving after 11 donated the amount the year before.The research those who gave anonymously.

Friday, 3 January 2014

Mike Duggan Takes Bankrupt Detroit's Oath Of Office

Mike Duggan Takes Bankrupt Detroit's Oath Of Office


Detroit's 75th mayor was sworn into office on wednesday,and despite the New Year's Day holiday and his limited powers in an insolvent city whose finance are controlled by the state appointed emergency manager -he is starting work immediately.Mike Duggan, who beat the odds by wining the primary by write in vote,said he's thrilled to be in this position.Mike Duggan,the cheif of Detroit Medical Center,is first white mayor in majority black city since 1974.















The former Detroit Medical Center chief has attended a meeting of new mayors hosted by the White House,put together his on administration add lobbied with emergency manager Kevyn Orr for greater role in the city's immediate.With outgoing mayor Dave Bing at his side,Duggan praised his predecessor,calling him one of his heroes.