Google's Waze acquisition catches FTC's investigative eyes

Google officially acquired the crowd-sourced mapping and traffic app Waze earlier this month, but the $1.1 billion deal is hitting a last-minute jam. The search giant has confirmed with Reuters that the Federal Trade Commission recently opened an antitrust investigation into the purchase, even though Waze will mostly operate independently. According to the New York Post, Google didn't file a review with the FTC because Waze makes less than $70 million annually, which is below the bar for an "automatic review." Reuters notes that the FTC can put a magnifying glass to any closed deals at its discretion, namely to ensure there was no prior intent simply to stifle competition. These latest happenings might make for a temporary roadblock between the integration of certain data from Waze and Google, notes the Post -- assuming the deal indeed gets an okay from The Man. Either way, we'd imagine concessions will be made if needed, as Google's no stranger to these types of proceedings.

Filed under: GPS, Transportation, Software

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Source: Reuters, New York Post

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/VUW5-d13gZ8/

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States fight discrimination toward gay foster kids | The Salt Lake ...

Quincy Wright, right, is hugged by a friend during a breaking the silence gathering at True Colors in Hartford, Conn., Friday, April 19, 2013. True Colors, a non-profit organization working to help the needs of sexual and gender minority youth, has a mentoring program for more than 75 gay foster youth. Advocates in a handful of states including Florida, California, Connecticut and Massachusetts are starting a national dialogue to take steps to make sure gay foster youth are treated equally by foster parents, caseworkers and fellow foster kids. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Miami ? Sixto Cancel says his ultra-religious foster family frequently talked about their disdain for his homosexuality at the dinner table, trashed his room and called him homophobic slurs. While he was still a teenager, he says, they kicked him out of their Connecticut home after he had lived there for nearly a decade.

"I?ve had foster homes who completely said you can?t live here if you?re gay," said Cancel, a 21-year-old student at Virginia Commonwealth University who bounced between half a dozen foster homes while in care. "For a long time I had that self-hatred and uncomfortableness with who I am."

Discrimination against gay and lesbian youths in foster care is prevalent enough around the country that federal health officials sent a letter in 2011 encouraging states to develop training for caseworkers and foster parents on the issue. Advocates in a handful of states including Florida, California, Connecticut, Illinois and Massachusetts have increased efforts to train caseworkers, recruit foster parents and assign mentors. Officials don?t want to force youths to disclose their sexuality, but must try to create environments where they feel safe to come out when ready. Without such support, the federal government memo says, gay and lesbian youths who leave the foster care system can wind up homeless

"I?ve had conversations with many youth in the system who will not come out because they saw how staff treated their friends in the system after they came out," said Kamora Herrington, mentoring program director of True Colors, an organization that helps gay foster youths in Connecticut.

Last year, a lesbian girl who Herrington worked with was kicked out of a Connecticut foster home after the family?s grandmother, who was very opposed to homosexuality, moved in. Herrington said the last time she heard from the girl, she was hitch-hiking across the country.

The nonprofit True Colors has a mentoring program for more than 75 young people, as well as a policy program that works closely with Connecticut child welfare workers. DCF also has a program liaison in every office where caseworkers can get referral services if they are working with a gay child or need help educating a foster family.

In California, the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center received a $13.3 million, five-year grant from the federal government to ultimately find permanent homes for gay foster youths. The center has already trained about 500 child welfare workers on gay and transgender issues this year and is creating a curriculum that can be duplicated nationally. The second part of the program links the youth with services from family counseling to education assistance, and makes sure each service is sensitive to their sexual orientation.

Massachusetts was one of the first states to open a co-ed group home for gay foster teens after child welfare officials said they were seeing too many of the young people living on the streets. Roughly 100 foster youths have lived in the home which is run by gay and straight staffers. Child welfare officials there also recently started mentoring program along with life skills classes that teach things like cooking and budgeting.

But officials in Massachusetts, Illinois and many states say recruiting foster parents and mentors is one of the biggest challenges.

"What is typical across the country is also typical here, in that LGBT couples are more interested in adoption than becoming foster families so we have a dearth in interest in foster families," Colby Swettberg executive director of Adoption & Foster Care Mentoring, which contracts with the Massachusetts child welfare system.

story continues below

Finding adoptive homes for gay youths in foster care is part of a national push for all children in the system, but advocates say many are still left out.

"Many of our kids have been told they?re not family appropriate: ?We?re not even going to look for a family for you. We?re going to look for a group home,?" said Robin McHaelen, executive director of True Colors.

Illinois child welfare officials began hiring 29 new recruiters this year. Part of their job will be finding foster families and mentors for young gay people. The department estimates that about 450 gay youths come into the system each year.

Efforts in Florida include a regional task force on gay foster youths started by the Village Counseling Center in the northern part of the state and increased training for Department of Children and Families caseworkers in a 20-county region that includes Jacksonville and Daytona Beach.

David Abramowitz, a regional director for the Florida Department of Children and Families, sent a memo to staff in December saying he?s also heard stories that gay youths facing discrimination in foster care. Abramowitz said he mentors a young man "who tells me horror stories of how he was treated" while living with a foster family that forced him to shave his head and tried to turn him straight. Abramowitz said he?s also encountered difficulties trying to help gay youths in foster care in his region because many aren?t disclosing.

After being kicked out of one foster home, Cancel went to live in another, but when his foster mother found out he was gay, she said she didn?t want him living there because it conflicted with her religious beliefs. A few days later, she relented, explaining she hadn?t changed her mind on the issue, but he could still live in the home as long as his sexuality wasn?t discussed.

For Cancel, who was about to graduate, it was a condition he accepted, but he said he realizes it?s an unfair burden placed on many other foster youths.

"It?s not OK for some people to live in a home where they know they?re not welcome and they?re not part of the family because of that specific aspect," he said.

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/56497856-68/foster-gay-youths-family.html.csp

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Attacks kill NATO service member, 2 Afghan police

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? Taliban militants attacked local security checkpoints in a provincial capital in northern Afghanistan, killing two policemen in a fight that also left 18 insurgents dead, Afghan officials said Saturday.

NATO said a coalition service member also died in a militant attack in the south on Saturday, but did not provide further details.

The violence follows NATO's formal handover of security in the entirety of Afghanistan to Kabul's forces ? a transition that comes at a time with violence levels matching their worst in nearly 12 years of war.

In northern Afghanistan, Kunduz provincial police spokesman Sayed Sarwar Hussaini said Saturday that the Taliban attacked multiple checkpoints at about noon Friday in the provincial capital of the same name, killing one member of the Afghan local police, a community-based force, and wounding two.

The Taliban then moved outside the city where a gun battle with Afghan security forces lasted until about midnight, Hussaini said.

Eighteen Taliban fighters and another local policeman were killed in the battle, and another 11 militants were wounded, he said. Hussaini posted on his Facebook page a picture of 11 bodies lined up inside the provincial police compound in Kunduz that he said were those of Taliban militants his troops recovered from the scene of the fight.

The Interior Ministry said the battle outside of the city involved Afghan National Police, and that it was conducted independently "without the involvement of any foreigners."

As Afghan forces have become more involved in security operations they have seen a sharp rise in deaths, while casualties among the U.S.-led military coalition have been reducing as the international forces pull back to let the Afghans take the lead.

According to an Associated Press count, 807 Afghan security force members ? including soldiers and police ? and 365 civilians have been killed so far this year through the end of May. A total of 63 coalition troops were also killed in that span.

Last year through the end of May, Afghan security forces lost 365 soldiers and police and 338 civilians were killed. Coalition forces lost 177 troops during that time.

_____

Rahim Faiez contributed to this story.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/attacks-kill-nato-member-2-afghan-police-122229292.html

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91% Frances Ha

All Critics (100) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (91) | Rotten (9)

It's a tribute to Gerwig's performance, somehow both clumsy and elegant, that she wins us over despite ourselves, that we come to appreciate her aimlessness in a goal-oriented society ...

This is an odd film (creepier than it knows), and even if you feel the atmospheric company of Dunham-ism, with a little of Whit Stillman, Henry Jaglom, and Woody Allen, the core influence on Noah Baumbach's film is fifty years older or more.

Baumbach usually builds his films around difficult protagonists, but Frances is entirely endearing, at once silly and deep, hopeless and promising.

The dialogue and editing are zippy and generally charming, combining with the tart observations of 20-something culture to create a nice frisson.

A black-and-white salute to the French New Wave (the score is borrowed from Georges Delerue, composer of many a Truffaut and Godard film) that manages to be very much of this moment ...

The movie's a love letter to an actress and her character, but by the end you may feel like an intervention is more in order.

As long as you remember to laugh, Frances Ha is a tolerable experience. Forget the "ha ha" and Frances Ha is beyond unbearable. I found this an odd and often frustrating truth, but it's what makes Noah Baumbach's new movie a success.

Gerwig keeps you on side and rooting for Frances to get her act together in what becomes an affectionate salute to messy lives, an endearing underachiever and a New York state of mind.

Don't be fooled by Frances with all her feigned insecurity and branding of herself as "undateable" and predicting she'll be a lonely spinster. She's a psychopath.

Gerwig's deft screwball timing turns every disaster into a grace note. This may be a comedy of awkwardness, but rather than curl, your toes will tap.

A refreshing amount of buoyancy to dance and charm its way through Quarter-Life Crisis territory. One of the best performances of Greta Gerwig's career to date

Frances Ha is a sympathetic but not uncritical depiction of a girl's gradual evolution into a woman; one that never condescends by forcing her to abandon all her quirks and impish qualities in the final act... An absolute delight, this is.

Indie darling Gerwig has a great deal to do with the picture's success: she's disarmingly likable...

There's a level of audacity beneath the lightweight whimsy in this unassuming low-budget comedy.

"Frances Ha makes a star out of Gerwig, and she's the kind of star we need: a goofy one we can feel tender about but never underestimate."

'I can't account for my own bruises,' Frances says, as if she were a clumsy kid with an adult's vocabulary. Does the remark refer to more than the abrasions on her skin?

A celebration of cinema, New York City and the distinctive charms of actress Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha was co-written by Gerwig and its director, Noah Baumbach, and it's the best film either has made.

There's a thin line between comedy and tragedy, and Greta Gerwig walks it remarkably well.

There's depth and realism in the way Frances Ha shows aspiration versus reality.

Gerwig, beyond a doubt, is immeasurably appealing, and Frances Ha is tailor-made to showcase her gifts better than anything she's ever been in.

...if you hold your nose and simply wallow through the stench of self-aggrandizement, you'll be rewarded with an experience that will actually tug on your emotions.

Frances Ha provides a sharp, fleet, and very funny look at female friendship and the acceptance of adult responsibilities.

This is very minimalist storytelling much of which feels improvised in front of the camera. The film is more of a character situation than a character story.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/frances_ha_2013/

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Investing In Alcatel-Lucent Is Still Illogical - Seeking Alpha

Businesses usually invest in telecommunication solutions. The question though, is this - do most of them choose Alcatel-Lucent's (NYSE: ALU) offerings? The answer is no. For years, the company has been failing to make an impact. This is why you'd only react in one way when someone tells you to invest in the not-so-impressive firm - you'd end up thinking that you've just heard a joke. If you're really smart, then you should know better than to make assumptions and you appreciate the need to pay attention to the most important details. If you'd like to find out why Alcatel-Lucent is still associated with bad investment choices, then just read on.

The State of the Game

It's best to answer one important question right away - how's the company doing so far? Well, it's safe to say that the telecom-equipment manufacturer is in danger. Its 2012 Price-Earnings Ratio, for example, was -8.50. This just means that the corporation lost money throughout the previous year. Since you're finally approaching the topic of Alcatel-Lucent's value with an open mind, you'd begin to wonder whether its competitors managed to achieve much better P/E Ratios in the previous months. Truth be told, Nokia (NYSE: NOK) - which is another company that's finding it difficult to stay relevant - had a much worse 2012.

When compared to the industry P/E average of 8.09, the two firms' ratios become much more troubling. What makes Nokia a tempting pick for investors though, is that it finally managed to capture the attention of consumers worldwide. In particular, it isn't just about IT hardware, but it has a stronger mobile-phone arm. What's even more interesting is that the corporation is currently the leader among those that churn out Windows-fueled devices - HTC is its only real competitor so far. Alcatel-Lucent on the other hand, has no other choice but to stick to telecom products that are catered towards businesses instead of individuals.

A Myriad of Dilemmas

What's wrong with being limited to offering business-oriented products? Simply put, it forces the telecommunications company to go head to head with the likes of Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) and Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC). While this might only seem normal, you'd have to keep in mind that the latter two boast dominance - having 12-month revenues ($47 billion and $34 billion, respectively) that eclipse that of Alcatel-Lucent's, which is only a little less than $18 billion. After becoming aware of these dilemmas, you'd most likely ponder upon another relevant question - is the company's decline solely due to the challenge of competition?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. The corporation always had to deal with concerns that stem from within. The first few months after Alcatel and Lucent's merger was already filled with problems, since the resulting firm's many branches throughout the world engaged in needless competition (or simply put, quarrels with one another). Aside from this, it seems that the global telecommunications company is being held down by internal politics and a lack of direction, as pointed out by some of its employees. With these in mind, you'd surely begin to believe that Alcatel-Lucent is far beyond repair. Well, the firm's new CEO, Michael Combs, would say otherwise.

All about the Solution

He believes that fixing the firm isn't impossible - all that needs to be done is to roll out a two-part plan, which is mainly about cost-cutting and asset sales. While it's obvious that many investors suddenly showed signs of enthusiasm after learning of the CEO's objectives (which would supposedly translate to a little less than $3 billion in freed-up funds before 2015 ends), those who've been following the corporation for quite some time remained uncertain on whether survival and profitability are both on the horizon. The reason for their skepticism is that Alcatel-Lucent's previous chief executive carried out a similar cost-cutting program.

At present, the company's per-share price is up by roughly 3.00%. As you've discovered, this might not last at all - especially since it's merely been fueled by Michael Combs' announcement. In the simplest sense, if investors fail to see any concrete results in the coming months, then rest assured that the firm's stocks would drop once more. You'd also have to keep in mind that Alcatel-Lucent is linked with innovation (as brought forth by its well-known R&D divisions). When investors realize that "asset sales" translates to limited technologies and fewer breakthroughs, then they'd end up worried and they might begin to sell.

Truly Sane Suggestion

As you've realized so far, Alcatel-Lucent is a problem-filled company that's currently undergoing changes. As you've also discovered, some investors are beginning to believe that the firm might just be able to turn things around, despite having been synonymous with disappointment for quite some time. You shouldn't hastily interpret others' eagerness as a telltale sign of a good investment though. Instead you have to think whether there are much better choices. Overall, given that Cisco and Ericsson have affordable stock prices despite being industry leaders, it's clear that adding Alcatel-Lucent to your portfolio is an unnecessary leap of faith.

Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. (More...)

Source: http://seekingalpha.com/article/1515792-investing-in-alcatel-lucent-is-still-illogical?source=feed

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Thousands rally for 'legitimate' Mursi in Cairo

By Tom Perry and Alastair Macdonald

CAIRO (Reuters) - Thousands of Islamist supporters of Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi gathered in Cairo after Friday prayers to show support for the elected head of state ahead of protests his opponents hope can force him from office.

Crowds converged on a mosque in the suburb of Nasser City, many waving the national flag, some carrying pictures of the bearded president, in what is intended to demonstrate the Islamists' strength of numbers ahead of opposition rallies set for June 30, the first anniversary of Mursi's inauguration.

"Yes to respecting the will of the people!" read banners.

"There are people seeking a coup against the lawful order," said demonstrator Gaber Nader, 22, his head protected from the burning early afternoon sun by a green banner from Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood, the movement whose organizational strength won it successive elections since the fall of Hosni Mubarak.

"Dr. Mursi won in free and fair elections like in any state in the world," Nader said, shrugging off concerns among the less well organized opposition that the Brotherhood is aiming for a monopoly of power and to install Islamic rule and social order.

"The secular parties are eating the democracy that God gave them," he added. "The secularists are not respecting democracy."

Secular groups say they have gathered some 13 million signatures - almost equal to the number of votes that elected Mursi a year ago - on a petition calling on him to step down.

They plan mass rallies across Egypt on June 30 and have attracted support from many Egyptians less politically motivated but exasperated by economic stagnation under Mursi and the Islamist-led legislature.

Reflecting a sense their electoral success is under siege from unelected institutions and vested interests rooted in the Mubarak-era, when their party was banned, some in Friday's crowd - mostly men, with a few women, heavily veiled - chanted for "A purge of the judiciary!" and "A purge of the media!"

There was no trouble evident around the crowd of well over 10,000 in Cairo, but state newspaper al-Ahram carried a report on its website from the second city of Alexandria saying there had been some violence between pro- and anti-Mursi factions.

OPPOSITION FRUSTRATION

Opposition groups range from the young liberals who first took to Tahrir Square in January 2011 to challenge Mubarak, to conservatives yearning for the stability of army rule. Many in Egypt's 10-percent Christian minority also fear the Islamists.

Mohamed ElBaradei, the former top U.N. diplomat who is a leader of the opposition "Rebel!" campaign, told Al-Hayat newspaper that economic problems, including power cuts as summer heat takes hold, were fuelling support for a movement which he said hoped to end the "total polarization in Egypt".

ElBaradei said a united opposition push could bring an early presidential election that would unseat Mursi, though he himself would not run: "The division of the opposition put Mursi in power and I believe it has realized this mistake," he said.

Tensions between Mursi's supporters and opponents spilled over into violence outside Cairo this week. Around 100 people have been injured in scattered skirmishes triggered by Mursi's decision to appoint more Islamists as provincial governors.

Rhetoric has grown more toxic in recent days: one Islamist cleric referred to Mursi's opponents as "infidels" during a rally attended by the president last week. The opposition are billing it as Mursi's last days in office, hoping for a repeat of the uprising that toppled Mubarak two and half years ago.

But Egypt's biggest Salafi Islamist force, the Nour Party, is not taking part. It warns of "an imminent collision" between Egyptians and called on both sides to give ground - Mursi by appointing a cabinet for national unity and the opposition by switching its focus to elections from street protests.

(Additional reporting by Shadia Nasralla, writing by Alastair Macdonald)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/thousands-rally-legitimate-mursi-cairo-121751014.html

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Samsung Book 9 Plus Is the Latest Dope Ultrabook

At its event in London, Samsung announced two new to add to its lineup: The Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus and the Samsung Ativ Book 9 Lite.

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Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/v4wK3zMFhL8/samsung-book-9-plus-is-latest-dope-ultrabook-520332581

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