Mandela spends second night in hospital

By Shafiek Tassiem

SOWETO, South Africa (Reuters) - Former South African President Nelson Mandela has made steady progress and is "in good spirits" after spending a second night in hospital under treatment for a lung infection, the country's government said on Friday.

The news came as a relief to South Africans who were anxiously praying and waiting for an update on the health of the 94-year-old anti-apartheid legend, who was undergoing his third hospital treatment in four months.

"The Presidency wishes to advise that former President Nelson Mandela is in good spirits and enjoyed a full breakfast this morning," President Jacob Zuma's office said in a statement.

"The doctors report that he is making steady progress. He remains under treatment and observation in hospital," the statement added.

Zuma's government had said previously Mandela was responding well to treatment after he was admitted to hospital before midnight on Wednesday. Zuma had sought to reassure the nation about his health.

Global leaders sent best wishes for the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and in churches across South Africa, Christians included him in their prayers on Good Friday.

"I hope this time God will have mercy on him to give him the strength and courage to continue to be an icon for our country," Father Benedict Mahlangu said at the Regina Mundi Catholic Church as it held services in the Soweto township outside Johannesburg where Mandela once lived.

Mandela became South Africa's first black president after winning the country's first all-race election in 1994.

A former lawyer, he is revered at home and abroad for leading the struggle against white minority rule - including spending 27 years in prison on Robben Island - and then promoting the cause of racial reconciliation.

(Additional reporting by Pascal Fletcher in Johannesburg; Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Pascal Fletcher)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/south-africas-mandela-spends-second-night-hospital-092102547.html

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Bitcoin: How An Unregulated, Decentralized Virtual Currency Just Became A Billion Dollar Market

Hang around in the tech industry long enough and you or someone you know will be heard saying, "that's so crazy it just might work." Two years ago, if you'd told me that an open-source, P2P currency would soon be a thriving, billion-dollar market, I would've told you that you were on a lonely bus headed to CrazyTown, U.S.A. But today, Bitcoin officially became a crazy idea that's actually working. Today, all the Bitcoin in circulation -- some 10.9 million -- have collectively crossed the billion-dollar mark. As it is wont to do, the value of Bitcoin (and its exchange rate) has fluctuated wildly today. At one point, it hit a dollar value around $78, then pushed into the mid-nineties. As of this minute, it's hovering around $90.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/3yp-1RktKQ0/

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Americans back preparation for extreme weather and sea-level rise

Mar. 28, 2013 ? Images told the story: lower Manhattan in darkness, coastal communities washed away, cars floating in muck. Superstorm Sandy, a harbinger of future extreme weather intensified by climate change, caught the country off guard in October.

Unprepared for the flooding and high winds that ensued, the East Coast suffered more than $70 billion in property damage and more than 100 deaths.

Will Americans prepare and invest now to minimize the impact of disasters such as Sandy, or deal with storms and rising sea levels after they occur?

A new survey commissioned by the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and the Center for Ocean Solutions finds that an overwhelming majority of Americans want to prepare in order to minimize the damage likely to be caused by global warming-induced sea-level rise and storms.

A majority also wants people whose properties and businesses are located in hazard areas to foot the bill for this preparation, not the government. Eighty-two percent of the Americans surveyed said that people and organizations should prepare for the damage likely to be caused by sea-level rise and storms, rather than simply deal with the damage after it happens.

Among the most popular policy solutions identified in the survey are stronger building codes for new structures along the coast to minimize damage (favored by 62 percent) and preventing new buildings from being built near the coast (supported by 51 percent).

"People support preventive action," said survey director Jon Krosnick, a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and professor of communication, "and few people believe these preparations will harm the economy or eliminate jobs. In fact, more people believe that preparation efforts will help the economy and create jobs around the U.S., in their state and in their town than think these efforts will harm the economy and result in fewer jobs in those areas. But people want coastal homeowners and businesses that locate in high-risk areas to pay for these measures."

The challenges posed by rising sea levels and increasingly severe storms will only intensify as more Americans build along the coasts. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report released March 25 predicts that already crowded U.S. coastlines will become home to an additional 11 million people by 2020.

Survey questions were formulated to assess participants' beliefs about climate change and gather opinions about the impact of climate change, sea-level rise and storms on communities, the economy and jobs.

The survey also gauged public support for specific coastal adaptation strategies and how to pay for them. "People are least supportive of policies that try to hold back Mother Nature," Krosnick said. "They think it makes more sense to recognize risk and reduce exposure."

Among the survey's respondents, 48 percent favor sand dune restoration and 33 percent favor efforts to maintain beaches with sand replenishment, while 37 percent support relocating structures away from the coast and 33 percent support constructing sea walls.

Eighty-two percent of the survey's respondents believe that Earth's temperature has been rising over the last 100 years. However, even a majority of those who doubt the existence of climate change favor adaptation measures (60 percent).

"The question is, how does public support for preparation translate to action?" asked Meg Caldwell, executive director of the Center for Ocean Solutions. "Our impulse is to try to move quickly to put communities back together the way they were after devastation. But that impulse often leads to doubling down on high-risk investments, such as rebuilding in areas likely to experience severe impacts. To move toward long-term resiliency for coastal communities, we need to seize opportunities to apply new thinking, new standards and long-term solutions."

Krosnick presented the survey results this morning at a policy briefing hosted by the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

The survey was conducted via the Internet with a nationally representative probability sample of 1,174 American adults, 18 and older, conducted by GfK Custom Research March 3-18, 2013. The survey was administrated in both English and Spanish. The survey has a margin of error of +/-4.9 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/vifyDohQlys/130329090624.htm

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Heat's winning streak ends at 27 in Chicago

CHICAGO (AP) ? The streak is over. The big prize is still out there.

That's what mattered most to LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

The Heat's bid for NBA history ended Wednesday night when their 27-game winning streak was snapped by the Chicago Bulls 101-97, setting off a raucous celebration inside United Center. Miami finished six shy of the 33-game record held by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers.

With 11 games remaining, there's no time for Miami to take another shot at the record. A big run in the postseason would seem to be a sure bet.

After all, that's what it's about for the Heat. It's been that way ever since James and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade in Miami in the summer of 2010.

They delivered last season, capturing a championship, and are eyeing a repeat.

The record? It would have been a bonus.

What stood out about the streak?

"I just think the way we compete," James said. "How we are on and off the floor. ... Ultimately, we want to win the NBA championship."

The streak that began on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 3, came to an end despite his best efforts.

James tried to spur yet another comeback in the final minutes, getting mad after a rough foul. But the reigning MVP could never get the defending champions even, much less ahead, down the stretch.

Luol Deng scored 28 points, Carlos Boozer added 21 points and 17 rebounds, and the Bulls brought the Heat's run to a screeching halt.

Miami's superstar did all he could to keep it going, scoring 32 points and even collecting a flagrant foul during a physical final few minutes.

"We haven't had a chance to really have a moment to know what we just did," James said. "We had a moment, just very fortunate, very humbling and blessed to be part of this team and be part of a streak like that."

The Heat hadn't lost since the Pacers beat them in Indianapolis on Feb. 1. But after grinding out some close wins lately, including a rally from 27 down in Cleveland, no one counted them out until the final buzzer.

For the better part of two months, they were the NBA's comeback kings. They erased seven double-digit deficits during the streak. They found themselves trailing in the fourth quarter 11 times, and won them all.

Not Wednesday.

"We understand, probably more so later on in our careers, the significance of that. And then that was it," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We took that moment to acknowledge it, to acknowledge each other, that experience, but it was never about the streak. We have a bigger goal, but also right now, it's about 'Are we getting better?'"

They walked off the floor stoically, not exchanging handshakes or pleasantries with the Bulls. James slapped high-fives with a couple teammates and coaches, then glared at a fan who touched his head as he walked toward the tunnel leading to the visitors' locker room.

James was frustrated on the court at times, and showed more of the same in the locker room afterward with regard to how he's officiated.

He cited two instances from Wednesday ? a play in which Kirk Hinrich took him down with two hands in the first quarter, and Taj Gibson appearing to hit him around his neck with about 4 minutes remaining ? where he thought the contact was excessive. Referees reviewed the Gibson hit, but did not award a flagrant foul. So, seconds later, James tried to barrel through Carlos Boozer on a screen, and got called for a Flagrant 1 himself.

"Those are not basketball plays and it's been happening all year," James said. "I've been able to keep my cool and try to tell Spo, 'Let's not worry about it too much,' but it is getting to me a little bit."

The Bulls, meanwhile, whooped and slapped hands with anyone they could reach after clinching a playoff berth.

"It's a five-second moment of reflection before we move on to the rest of the season," Wade said. "In here, it didn't feel like we were on this amazing streak."

What a run it was, though.

It will go down as the second-longest winning streak in the history of American major pro sports. And some of those Lakers believed their time would pass as Miami's streak rolled along, with Jerry West among those saying that he believed the reigning champions had a real shot at pulling it off.

The streak began in Toronto, a day when Heat players were mildly annoyed about having to miss the NFL title game. When San Francisco and Baltimore were to be playing, the Heat were to be flying home for a game the following night.

So team officials team changed course, as a surprise.

Miami beat the Raptors that afternoon, then stayed in the city several more hours to watch the Super Bowl together, an event highlighted by Shane Battier giving an unplanned speech about appreciating little moments as a team.

For whatever reason, the Heat were unbeatable for nearly the next two months.

And they won games in a number of different ways.

They blew out good teams like the Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Bulls, then inexplicably struggled with lottery-bound Cleveland, Detroit, Sacramento, Charlotte and Orlando. They rallied from 13 points down in the final 8 minutes to beat Boston, from a 27-point, third-quarter hole at Cleveland, and from 11-point deficits against Detroit and Charlotte ? all those coming in a seven-day span, no less.

"There are several teams that can do it," Pistons guard Jose Calderon said, when asked what it would take for someone to beat Miami. "It's difficult to maintain this concentration every day. It will likely take everyone to have a bad day."

Even when those bad days happened, the Heat found ways to win.

A layup by James with 3.2 seconds left against Orlando. Double-overtime against Sacramento. Huge comebacks. Whatever it took.

There were times when even the Heat themselves didn't know how long the streak was. Because it was interrupted by the All-Star break, Spoelstra was surprised when a staff member said something about Miami having won nine in a row. When it was at 24 games, Wade made a reference to "23, 24, whatever it is."

They insisted they did not care about it, whatever the number was.

Heat President Pat Riley played for the Lakers team that won 33 in a row, and remained silent throughout Miami's streak, mainly because he rarely gives interviews these days but more so because the official team stance was that it simply did not matter. This season is championship-or-bust for Miami, where nothing else other than raising yet another Larry O'Brien Trophy will satisfy.

Still, the streak will go down as the story of the regular season.

"It was more important to everybody else than it was to us," Chris Bosh said. "We never cared too much about talking about it. It wasn't a subject of conversation until (others mentioned it)."

When it started, Miami was 5? games behind San Antonio for the overall NBA lead, only a half-game ahead of New York in the Eastern Conference race, held just a four-game edge over Atlanta in the Southeast Division and were the league's ninth-best road team in terms of winning percentage.

Funny what two months or so without losing can do.

The Heat now sit atop the overall NBA standings, having gained 12 games over New York in the East entering Wednesday, put away the Hawks for good several weeks ago and become, by far, the league's best road team. And with the streak over, all that's left is getting ready for the postseason.

"When you look at what they've done, to be the defending world champions and to have a winning streak like that knowing that everyone's chasing you, credit them," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "I think you can learn from them."

The Heat trailed by as many as 13 in the first half, took the lead while outscoring Chicago 22-14 in the third quarter and were within two early in the fourth after a basket by Wade.

That's when Deng answered with a 3-pointer from the wing and Kirk Hinrich brought the crowd to its feet with a floater. Then, after a layup by James, Deng nailed a 3 to make it 83-75 with just over six minutes left.

It got testy after that. James did all he could to keep the streak going, taking enough hard hits that even his headband was dislodged, and finished with seven rebounds.

Bosh scored 21. Wade added 18 points after a sore right knee sidelined him for victories over Charlotte and Orlando, but the Heat fell to a team that continues to give them fits even though Derrick Rose has been sidelined all year.

Deng came up big, burying four 3-pointers. He also had seven rebounds and five assists.

Boozer was a force inside. Jimmy Butler provided a spark with 17 points and the Bulls stopped Miami even though they were missing Joakim Noah (right foot), Marco Belinelli (abdominal strain) and Richard Hamilton (lower back).

"It says we have a good team," Gibson said. "It's all about what we think in the locker room. A lot of people kind of write us off every other day, but we just stick to our principles and do what we have to do."

For the Heat, luck simply ran out after recent wins in which they rallied after trailing Boston by 17, Cleveland by 27, and Detroit and Charlotte by 11 each. They were also tied with Orlando late in the third quarter before pulling away, and when Battier nailed a 3 with 4:30 left in the third, it looked like they just might pull this one out, too.

They were leading 59-58 after that shot, and they were up by two before Boozer converted a three-point play off a neat bounce pass from Gibson in the closing seconds to send Chicago into the fourth quarter with a 69-68 lead.

But they came up short down the stretch, fans chanting "End of streak! End of streak!" in the closing minute.

"We were much more competitive in the second half. It became make or miss in the fourth quarter, and we couldn't get the necessary stops we needed to," Spoelstra said. "In the last handful of games, those shots were going down and maybe that masked a few things going down the stretch."

There was a rumor that Rose would make his long-awaited return from a knee injury after rapper Waka Flocka Flame posted on Twitter, "Word is D.Rose back." The two are fans of each other, but the superstar point guard squashed it at the morning shootaround, with two words ? "Not tonight."

Rose actually sounded more like someone who will sit out the entire season, saying his recovery is "in God's hands." He hasn't played since he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in last year's playoff opener against Philadelphia, sending the top-seeded Bulls to a first-round exit, and his comeback has become an ongoing soap opera.

The Bulls were the biggest threat to Miami in the Eastern Conference the past two years, but without their superstar, they're just part of the pack.

Even so, no one has given the Heat more trouble since James and Bosh united with Wade in 2010. They had split 14 games leading up to this one, with Chicago winning at Miami in early January and the Heat returning the favor at the United Center last month.

"All in all, it's been a great one," Bosh said. "We still have a lot of work to do. The streak wasn't important to us. What's important to us is winning the title. That's what we work on. That's what we're here for."

NOTES: Miami had won 13 straight on the road and fell one shy of the club record. ... Thibodeau said Noah was improving but wasn't ready to return. ... Tom Boerwinkle, the former Bulls center who had a franchise-record 37 rebounds in a 1970 game against the Phoenix Suns, died Tuesday. He was 67. Boerwinkle played 10 seasons with the Bulls from 1968-69 to 1977-78 and also worked as an analyst on the team's radio broadcasts from 1991-94.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/heats-winning-streak-ends-27-chicago-025709118--spt.html

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Relationships Gone Wild! Joe Francis & Long ... - Radar Online

Joe Francis and Abbey Wilson, are next up to sit on Dr. Jenn Berman?s couch and risk the Couples Therapy curse, RadarOnline.com is exclusively reporting.

The controversial Girls Gone Wild founder and his long suffering girlfriend have already started filming season three of the hit reality show, following hot on the heels of last season?s therapy seekers Courtney Stodden and Doug Hutchison, Nik Richie? and Shayne Lamas, JoJo and Tiny,? Alex McCord and Simon van Kempen and? Todd ?Too Short? Shaw and Monica Payne.

PHOTOS: The Costliest Celebrity Divorces

Francis and Wilson ? who have had a highly charged on-off-on relationship since they started dating after the model appeared in Girls Gone Wild 2009 ? will be joined on the show by rapper Chingy,? Flavor Flav and their respective partners.

Here?s hoping they fare better than the past stars! As RadarOnline.com previously reported, all five couples who participated in the first season have since split!

EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Shayne Lamas Richie Looks Amazing: Just Seven Weeks After Giving Birth

Bachelor Pad alums Vienna Girardi and Kasey Kahl had moved in together and were hoping to marry before they went into therapy, but now they are not even speaking.

Other blossoming romances suffered similar fates, with Jersey Shore?s Angelina Pivarnick discovering that her bad boy lover Chris Nirschel was a ?liar and a cheater,? she claimed. ?He?s a manipulative womanizer, and the show?s doctors couldn?t change that.?

PHOTOS: Cutest Celebrity Kids

And, rapper DMX and wife Tashera Simmon, Linda Hogan and boy toy Charlie Hill, and Amazing Race champ Reichen Lehmkuhl and boyfriend Rodiney Santiag all split too!

Meanwhile, season two?s couples have been struggling as well ? as Radar exclusively reported, JoJo and Tiny have already parted ways and Nik Richie and Shayne Lamas are currently estranged and living apart.

Source: http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2013/03/couples-therapy-3-cast-joe-francis-chingy-flava-flav/

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These Clever Packages Can Turn Crates of Coke Into Boxes of Life-Saving Medicine

It's one thing to have life-saving medicine, but it's quite another to get it delivered to where its really needed. And what better way to make sure it gets to the furthest reaches of the world than by packing it in with a truly vital necessity like Coke. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/qr-vUUtL-9E/these-clever-packages-can-turn-crates-of-coke-into-boxes-of-life+saving-medicine

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BlackBerry Z10 (T-Mobile)

T-Mobile's version of the BlackBerry Z10 ($99.99) is very similar to the AT&T version. Read our full review of the AT&T BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry 10 OS for an in-depth look. There are a few unique considerations for those considering a BlackBerry on T-Mobile, though. Most notably, the Z10 is the first T-Mobile LTE phone that's comfortable to use in one hand. At press time, the only two handsets confirmed for T-Mobile's new LTE network are the Z10 and the Samsung Galaxy Note II, which is more of a tablet than a phone.

Here's the thing, though: That doesn't matter. Because T-Mobile's HSPA+ network is so fast, and its LTE network is so unformed, you shouldn't be making T-Mobile buying decisions based on LTE yet. Using speedtest.net on the BlackBerry Z10, I got 10-13Mbps down and around .8Mbps up. That matches the download speeds I expect to see initially on T-Mobile's 5x5 LTE network. Upload speeds will be much faster on LTE, but the HSPA+ and LTE experiences will be more similar than on any other carrier.

Since T-Mobile has so little LTE, I'm very happy to see that there's an LTE toggle under network settings. Even better, you can mix and match whichever networks you want. Want 2G only? Sure. LTE and HSPA+ but not EDGE? I have no idea why you'd do that, but go for it.

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Unfortunately, the Z10 is missing two of T-Mobile's most compelling network features: Wi-Fi calling and HD Voice. The lack of Wi-Fi calling may hurt for older T-Mobile BlackBerry owners, who've become used to the feature protecting their phone calls in rooms with no T-Mobile signal. The lack of HD Voice is just a missed opportunity. Like the AT&T Z10, the T-Mobile version is a very good voice phone. But HD Voice adds a richness to calls that could have helped set this device apart.

As expected, the T-Mobile Z10 benchmarked exactly the same as the AT&T model. I tested battery life on the HSPA+ network and got 7 hours, 33 minutes of talk time, pretty much exactly the same as I saw on the AT&T Z10. The 1800mAh battery just isn't quite enough for a day of heavy use.

T-Mobile will offer the lowest monthly cost in the U.S. for a BlackBerry Z10, but not always by much. For a Z10 with unlimited talk, text, and 2.5GB data, the carrier will charge $60 per month with no contract, and if you buy the phone for $99.99 with no contract, you'll have to pay $18 per month for 24 months to cover the subsidy. Unlimited data will cost $70 a month, plus $18 per month for 24 months. Verizon charges $60 per month for unlimited talk, text, and 2GB data, with each additional 2GB adding $10 a month. This all compares favorably to AT&T's monthly plans, where 450 talk minutes, unlimited text, and 3GB of data costs $89.99.

Everything I said about the AT&T Z10 still applies here, possibly even more so because the Z10 lacks the T-Mobile differentiators of Wi-Fi calling and HD Voice. While the Z10 is a good phone with many positive aspects, the Android, Apple, and Microsoft ecosystems are all more compelling overall. BlackBerry has a better chance with the Q10, with a hardware keyboard that's relatively rare in the industry and which really plays up BlackBerry's superior messaging prowess.

Several phones I want to recommend on T-Mobile aren't quite here yet: the BlackBerry Q10, the Samsung Galaxy S4, and the HTC One are all coming in the next few months. For now, the LG Nexus 4 is the best bet on the carrier, and at an unbelievable $49.99 right now, it's an absolute steal. While it doesn't have LTE, the Nexus 4 has excellent HSPA+ performance and the latest version of Android, which is at the moment, a much more well-developed ecosystem than BlackBerry 10.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/aK_Q6XEgInQ/0,2817,2416857,00.asp

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