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Zynga marches toward mobile domination - Know Your Cell

Zynga is probably still best known for its game on Facebook but the company showcased multiple new products at its Unleashed event this morning which show that it is taking steps to shake that notion. Along with building out Zynga.com, the social gaming company is going to be doubling down on mobile.

The company is already doing pretty well with its games for iOS, Android and, soon, Windows Phone, as Zynga said it had more than 22 million active mobile users. Zynga said when you add up all of its products, it's the largest mobile game maker in the world.

It has popular games like Words with Friends, Scramble with Friends, Dream Heights, the just acquired Draw Something and it will be augmenting that with multiple new products. It just introduced the Matching with Friends game is the latest and it can be downloaded here (iTunes link).

Zynga believes that its games become more fun and social when they're on as many platforms as possible and when users can interconnect - it shouldn't matter what you're playing the game on, you should be able to play with your friends across networks. To achieve that, it rolled out the Zynga with Friends network and this enables cross-platform gaming across multiple mobile operating systems and across the web and Facebook.

Zynga with Friends is the gaming company's attempt to create its own social-networking sphere based around gaming. When you're playing one of these games, you'll be able to maintain your profile, points, virtual goods and other game features on any device you have. This network is rolling out with a handful of games but we fully expect all of Zynga's games to eventually be compatible with this.

Zynga gave out some dazzling statistics about its users across all of its products and it also spoke about how it addresses those with its scalable infrastructure. Zynga gets more than 1 million interactions per second across all its products and it has developed a public-private cloud backend to keep up with demand.

It will be opening up some of those infrastructure assets to third-party developers and they will be able to focus on game design while Zynga takes care of the backend and social features. A Zynga Partners for Mobile program was also announced and it follows a similar approach for mobile game makers.

There is no word on what type of monetary cut Zynga will get from third parties. That could be particularly important on mobile because that cut may be in addition to what the app store maker gets, which is typically 30 percent. It's unclear if the economics will make sense for indie developers.

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Hispanics looking for November gains in US house

FILE - In this Oct. 11, 2011 file photo, former NASA astronaut Jose Hernandez announces his candidacy for Congress from California's 10th congressional district, in Modesto, Calif. It's looking like a big election year for Hispanics in Congress. Their House contingent _ now 25 _ is all but sure to grow by three or four because of redistricting that?s created Hispanic majority districts in California and Texas. On top of that, Hispanics could win seats in New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Florida. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 11, 2011 file photo, former NASA astronaut Jose Hernandez announces his candidacy for Congress from California's 10th congressional district, in Modesto, Calif. It's looking like a big election year for Hispanics in Congress. Their House contingent _ now 25 _ is all but sure to grow by three or four because of redistricting that?s created Hispanic majority districts in California and Texas. On top of that, Hispanics could win seats in New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Florida. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)

This undated handout photo provided by the Lujan Grisham campaign shows former New Mexico Health Secretary Michelle Lujan Grisham. It's looking like a big election year for Hispanics in Congress. Their House contingent _ now 25 _ is all but sure to grow by three or four because of redistricting that?s created Hispanic majority districts in California and Texas. On top of that, Hispanics could win seats in New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Florida. (AP photo/Courtesy of the Lujan Grisham campaign)

FILE - In this Oct. 7, 2010 file photo, Abel Maldonado speaks in Sunnyvale, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010. It's looking like a big election year for Hispanics in Congress. Their House contingent _ now 25 _ is all but sure to grow by three or four because of redistricting that?s created Hispanic majority districts in California and Texas. On top of that, Hispanics could win seats in New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Florida. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Jose Hernandez worked in farm fields with his Mexican-immigrant parents before becoming an astronaut. Iraq War veteran Julius Melendez is the third generation of his Puerto Rican family to serve in the military. And Tony Cardenas, the youngest of 11 children of immigrant farmers from Jalisco, Mexico, has served in the California Assembly and on the Los Angeles City Council.

Next year, all of them could be coming to Congress.

The 2012 election is shaping up as a big one in the House for Hispanics. There are currently 29 in the House ? including a Pacific islands delegate and Puerto Rico's resident commissioner ? according to the Congressional Research Service. That number is virtually guaranteed to increase by at least three or four seats because of once-a-decade redistricting that's created new Hispanic-majority districts in California and Texas. On top of that, Hispanics could win more seats in New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Florida.

"It's a watershed election for the Latino community," said Rep. Raul Grivalja, D-Ariz. "Our ability to influence decisions is evident and present and our ability to motivate voters is critical."

Hispanics are the fastest-growing group in the United States, increasing in population by more than 15 million between 2000 and 2010, according to U.S. Census data. They make up more than 16 percent of the U.S. population, far more than their share of roughly 5 percent of the seats in the House.

In comparison, there are 44 blacks in the House, including two delegates, according to the CRS, a record number. Blacks comprise roughly 10 percent of the House, compared to about 12 percent of the U.S. population. There are 10 Asian-Americans in the House, according to the CRS, including two delegates, roughly 2 percent of the chamber compared to roughly 5 percent of the U.S. population.

Both parties say Hispanic candidates are pivotal in this year's race for control of the House.

Democrats, who need a net gain of 25 seats to take a majority, say Hispanic candidates could make up a fifth or more of that margin. Republicans, challenging in fewer districts because of their large current majority, have recruited strong Hispanic candidates for a handful of districts seen as opportunities to snatch Democratic seats.

The competition for Hispanic votes in congressional races ? whatever the backgrounds of the candidates they're voting for ? mirrors the presidential contest. While Hispanics as a group have historically favored Democrats, Republican Mitt Romney has indicated he will compete vigorously with President Barack Obama for their support.

Democrats say maximizing Hispanic turnout is a key to electoral success. Republicans, in turn, say chipping away at Democrats' margins with the group is crucial.

Obama injected fresh energy into the competition when he announced he was easing enforcement of immigration laws for hundreds of thousands of younger illegal immigrants and offering them a chance to stay in the U.S. and work. That is expected to motivate more Hispanic voters to turn out for Democrats in November.

California is expected to be the center of Hispanic increases in Congress. Democrats are running two Hispanic candidates likely to win in the fall: Cardenas, a Los Angeles City councilman, and Juan Vargas, a state senator and son of Mexican immigrants. Republican David Valadao, a state assemblyman and son of Portuguese immigrants, is likely to win a GOP-leaning district.

In competitive seats in California, both parties are running Hispanic candidates against incumbents who are not.

Hernandez, the former astronaut, is a Democrat challenging first-term GOP Rep. Jeff Dunham in the newly drawn 10th Congressional District. As a child Hernandez helped his parents in the field and went on to study engineering in college. He makes his roots a big part of his appeal to voters, telling the story of how he watched the Apollo 17 launch on TV and his father laid out how he could become an astronaut himself.

"I was able to rise from the fields of California and touch the sky on the space shuttle Discovery as an astronaut," he said when he announced his campaign last October.

Democrats also have high hopes for Raul Ruiz, a medical doctor who grew up in a trailer with his Mexican farmworker parents and has received three graduate degrees from Harvard. Ruiz is running against GOP Rep. Mary Bono Mack, who has been in Congress since 1998. Democrats say the seat will be competitive this fall.

For the GOP, a prominent Hispanic candidate, Abel Maldonado, California's former lieutenant governor, is one of its best chances to pick off an incumbent. Maldonado is running against endangered Democratic Rep. Lois Capps, who has seen her district turn more conservative with redistricting. Maldonado's campaign ads highlight his background ? his parents are Mexican immigrant farmers who eventually built their own farming business ? and show him standing in a strawberry field and talking about what he learned from his father.

In one ad, as the camera pans over California farmland, Maldonado says: "It's time to teach Washington the lessons we've learned growing up."

Hispanic candidates are figuring prominently in other states where the Hispanic population has grown quickly.

In New Mexico, Michelle Lujan Grisham is favored to take the state's 1st Congressional District, after Rep. Martin Heinrich decided to run for the Senate. In Nevada, State Assembly Speaker John Oceguera is taking on GOP Rep. Joe Heck in one of the Democrats' top targeted races. If she wins a crowded primary for Arizona's new 9th Congressional District, Leah Campos Schandlbauer, a former CIA agent, could give Republicans a prominent Hispanic on the ballot in what's likely to be a fiercely contested race.

In Florida, which has an August primary, Democrats have two Hispanic candidates ? businesswoman Gloria Romero Roses, who was born in Colombia, and lawyer Joe Garcia, a Cuban-American ? in the race to take on Republican Rep. David Rivera, a Cuban-American whom Democrats see as vulnerable. Republicans have two prominent Puerto Rican candidates vying to take on former Rep. Alan Grayson in Florida's Orlando-area 9th Congressional District: John "Q'' Quinones, a county commissioner and former state representative, and Melendez, the Iraq War veteran and a member of the local school board. Both are appealing to the district's sizable Hispanic population.

There has been one big disappointment for Hispanic growth in the House in 2012: Texas. It was poised to have the most new Hispanic members, with the state adding four new seats in 2012 thanks to large Hispanic growth. But at most two of the new seats will be represented by Hispanic lawmakers. The state is also losing two long-time Hispanic lawmakers, Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, who is retiring, and Rep. Silvestre Reyes, who lost a primary to a non-Hispanic opponent, though Gonzalez is likely to be replaced by Joaquin Castro, a state lawmaker, Harvard Law graduate and second-generation Mexican-American.

Gonzalez, the chairman of the House Hispanic Caucus, said he still believes Hispanic influence is on the rise in the House, and he noted more Hispanic candidates running in competitive districts in 2012.

"Our power will only increase as time goes on," said Gonzalez. "Because of demographics, as goes the future of the Latino family, so goes the future of the United States."

Associated Press

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BCS gets boot in favor of 4-team playoff

From left, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany, BCS executive director Bill Hancock and SEC Commissioner Mike Slive smile during an interview after a BCS presidential oversight committee meeting and media availability, Tuesday, June 26, 2012, in Washington. A committee of university presidents on Tuesday approved the BCS commissioners' plan for a four-team playoff to start in the 2014 season. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

From left, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany, BCS executive director Bill Hancock and SEC Commissioner Mike Slive smile during an interview after a BCS presidential oversight committee meeting and media availability, Tuesday, June 26, 2012, in Washington. A committee of university presidents on Tuesday approved the BCS commissioners' plan for a four-team playoff to start in the 2014 season. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

FILE - In this Jan. 9, 2012, file photo, the Coaches' Trophy is displayed before the BCS National Championship game between the LSU and Alabama in New Orleans. College football will finally have a playoff. Come 2014, the BCS is dead. A committee of university presidents on Tuesday, June 26, 2012, approved the BCS commissioners' plan for a four-team playoff to start in the 2014 season. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

Virginia Tech President Charles Steger, third from left, smiles as he and others arrive for a media availability after a BCS presidential oversight committee meeting, Tuesday, June 26, 2012, in Washington. A committee of university presidents on Tuesday approved the BCS commissioners' plan for a four-team playoff to start in the 2014 season. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Bill Hancock, BCS executive director, smiles during an interview after a BCS presidential oversight committee meeting and media availability, Tuesday, June 26, 2012, in Washington. The committee announced a new post-season format for a four-team playoff for the major college football national championship. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany speaks during a media availability after a BCS presidential oversight committee meeting, Tuesday, June 26, 2012, in Washington. A committee of university presidents on Tuesday approved the BCS commissioners' plan for a four-team playoff to start in the 2014 season. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The best way to determine a major college football champion seemed so obvious to so many for so long. Just have a playoff.

Now the people in charge of making that decision are on board, too.

Come 2014, the BCS is out. Playoffs are in.

A committee of university presidents approved a plan Tuesday for a four-team playoff put forward by commissioners of the top football conferences.

For years, the decision-makers had balked at any type of playoff because they said it would diminish the importance of the regular season. If only two teams had a chance to win a championship in the postseason, even one loss could be too many. That made for some high stakes regular-season matchups. As recently as 2008, Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive proposed the type of plan adopted Tuesday, and it was quickly shot down.

Four years later, minds changed.

"It's a great day for college football," BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock said. "As soon as the commissioners realized they could do this and protect the regular season, the light went on for everybody."

The move completes a six-month process for the commissioners, who have been working on a new way to determine a major college football champ after years of griping from fans. The latest configuration is certain to make even more money for the schools than the old system ? and it still won't satisfy everyone. Some will think it's too small and, yes, there are some who liked things just the way they are.

"There were differences of views," Virginia Tech President Charles Steger said. "I think it would be a serious mistake to assume it was a rubber stamp."

Nebraska Chancellor Harvey Perlman was the most notable holdout. He had said that he preferred the status quo or a tweak of the Bowl Championship Series. Perlman said the playoff still wouldn't be his first choice, but he was not going to stand in the way of progress. After the commissioners presented their proposal to the presidents, it took the CEOs about an hour and a half to come to a decision.

"This is the package that was put forth and we will strongly support it," Perlman said.

Instead of simply matching the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 teams in a title game after the regular season, the way the BCS has done since 1998, the new format will create a pair of national semifinals.

The BCS has been a constant target for criticism. Lawmakers have railed against it. A political action committee was formed dedicated to its destruction. The Justice Department looked into whether it broke antitrust laws. Even President Obama said he wanted a playoff.

Now it's a reality.

No. 1 will play No. 4, and No. 2 will play No. 3 on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. The sites of those games will rotate among six bowls. The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., is guaranteed a spot, and the to-be-determined site of the newly formed bowl created by the SEC and Big 12 is likely to be another, Slive said.

The other current BCS bowls ? the Orange, Sugar and Fiesta ? are not yet guaranteed spots in the rotation, but will get first crack at bidding for them. The Cotton Bowl, played at the $1.1 billion Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, has long wanted to be part of the BCS and will no doubt push to be a part of the rotation, possibly as host to the Big 12-SEC game.

The winners of the semis will advance to the championship on the first Monday in January that is six or more days after the last semifinal. The first "Championship Monday" is set for Jan. 12, 2015.

The site of the title game will move around the way the Super Bowl does, with cities bidding for the right to host.

The teams will be selected by a committee, similar to the way the NCAA basketball tournament field is set. The men's tournament has 68 teams, and 37 at-large bids.

The football committee will have a much tougher task, trying to whittle the field down to four. This season, 125 schools will play at the highest level of college football.

Among the factors the committee will consider is won-loss record, strength of schedule, head-to-head results and whether a team is a conference champion. The selection committee will also play a part in creating matchups for games at the four sites that do not hold a semifinal in a given year.

"I think it's tremendous progress," said Washington State coach Mike Leach, a playoff proponent. "Five years ago there wasn't even dialogue about a playoff. Instead of diving in the water, they dipped their toes in. I think it's' going to be ridiculously exciting and it's going to generate a bunch of money. I wish they dived in."

Leach predicted that the playoff field would eventually grow.

Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez, on the other hand, was happy to keep it small, and wants it to stay that way.

"I may be in the minority. I think we had a pretty good thing going," he said. "If it stays at four I think it will be fine. Think it will be pretty exciting."

No one has put a hard number on it yet, but this new format figures to more than double the TV revenue of the current BCS and Rose Bowl contracts. Those pay out about $155 million annually.

The commissioners want to lock in this format for 12 years with a television partner. The current BCS deal with ESPN runs through the 2013 season. The new format will be presented to potential TV partners in the fall, starting with ESPN.

There are still some details to work out, such as who will be on the committee and how exactly the money will be distributed among the conferences. But everybody in charge is on board.

While lower divisions of college football already have a playoff, the highest level has for decades used bowls and polls to determine its champion. Those days are coming to an end.

"A milestone that's good for college football," Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford called it.

And a long time coming.

___

Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphdrussoAP

Associated Press

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Mohamed Morsi declared winner in Egyptian elections (Americablog)

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Egypt's Morsi: Bloodshed will not be in vain

Egypt has elected a conservative president who has said he wants to impose Islamic law. How he will change the country remains unclear. NBC's Richard Engel reports.

By NBC News and msnbc.com news services

Updated at 4:05 p.m. ET: CAIRO -? Mohammed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood-backed candidate, was declared Egypt?s first Islamist president on Sunday with 51.7 percent of last weekend's run-off vote, defeating Ahmed Shafiq, who had been tapped as prime minister by former President Hosni Mubarak.

In an address to Egyptians late Sunday night, Morsi reiterated his platform of unifying all Egyptians. Of those who died while protesting more than a year ago, he said, "Their blood will not go in vain."

Morsi becomes Egypt?s fifth president, following Mubarak, who was president for nearly 30 years before mass protests across the country forced him to resign in February 2011.

The announcement by the state election committee Sunday touched off a jubilant celebration in Cairo's Tahrir Square, where tens of thousands of Brotherhood supporters had gathered in 97-degree heat. The crowd waved national flags and chanted "Allahu Akbar!" or "God is great!"

---

Morsi?will be sworn in on July 1, according to the election timetable.

His victory followed?speculation about backroom deals and suspected interference by the ruling military council in determining the outcome in favor of Shafiq, Mubarak?s prime minister.

In his speech Sunday night, Morsi said that contrary to popular belief, he was grateful to the police, whom he called his "brothers and children." He said he would rely on them to maintain "security from the inside."

Daniel Berehulak / Getty Images

Supporters of Mohammed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate, protest against Egypt's military rulers in Tahrir Square on Saturday.

Morsi, who received an engineering degree from the University of Southern California in the early 1980s according to media reports, was a last-minute candidate, chosen to represent the Brotherhood after their preferred choice was disqualified.

On the campaign trail, he promised to institute Islamic law. One of his supporters, cleric Safwat el-Hegazy, issued a direct challenge to Israel, calling for a Muslim super-state across the Middle East with Jerusalem as its capital.

Morsi, 60, distanced himself from the cleric?s comments, but they trailed him on the campaign despite his assertion that he will respect international treaties, including the 1979 peace accord, on which much U.S. aid depends. He said he will not, however, meet with Israeli officials, according to the BBC.

He has also pledged to form an inclusive government to appeal to the many Egyptians, including a large Christian minority worried about potential religious rule. He has repeated that he would maintain his independence from the Brotherhood and not turn Egypt into a theocracy.

Morsi won the first round ballot in May with less than a quarter of the vote.

NBC Foreign Correspondent Ayman Mohyeldin reports from Tahrir Square.

There were some isolated scuffles in parts of Cairo between rival groups on Sunday. Several hundred Shafiq supporters in the middle-class suburb of Nasr City chanted "Save Egypt! The Brotherhood will destroy it!'' while soldiers tried to keep traffic moving.

The military council will retain control of the biggest army in the Middle East, whose closest ally is the United States.?

Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who heads the military council that has ruled Egypt for more than 16 months, congratulated the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate after his presidential election win was confirmed, state television reported.?The report, made in a brief headline, did not give further details.

Morsi "will likely face foot-dragging and perhaps outright attempts to undermine his initiatives from key institutions," Elijah Zarwan, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said in Cairo. "Faced with such resistance, frustration may tempt him fall into the trap of attempting to throw his new weight around. This would be a mistake. His challenge is to lead a bitterly divided, fearful, and angry population toward a peaceful democratic outcome, without becoming a reviled scapegoat for continued military rule."

Egyptians fill Cairo's Tahrir Square in anticipation of a new government being announced. NBC's Richard Engel reports.

Egypt's ruling armed forces were on alert on Sunday as fears of violence mounted in the final hours before the state election committee named the winner.

Sunday's result -- 500 days after the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak -- is historic for the Middle East, but will not end power struggles between the army, Islamists and others over Egypt's future.

The generals, who oversaw Mubarak's departure, have repeatedly said, both to Egyptians and to their close U.S. ally, that they will return to barracks and hand over to civilian rule. But they present themselves as guardians of Egypt's security and long-term interests and moved to block the Islamists from taking more than a share of power.

The military has held power in Egypt for nearly 60 years since the revolution to overthrow a dynasty.

Iran's Foreign Ministry congratulated Egyptians on Sunday for Morsi's victory, saying Egypt was in the final stages of an "Islamic Awakening."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu?s office released a statement saying he "appreciates the democratic process in Egypt and respects its outcome."

"Israel expects continue cooperation with the Egyptian administration on the basis of the peace accord between the two countries, which is in the interest of the two peoples and contributes to regional stability,'' the statement said.

NBC's Andrea Mitchell examines the obstacles ahead for President-elect Mohammed Morsi of Egypt.

The son of a peasant farmer, Morsi has spoken of a simple childhood in a village in the Nile Delta province of Sharqia, recalling how his mother taught him prayer and the Koran. He obtained his doctorate from the University of Southern California in 1982 after studying at Cairo University.?

Following his studies in the United States, he returned to Egypt in 1985. Two of his five children hold U.S. citizenship.?

Charlene Gubash, NBC News producer in Cairo, msnbc.com's Isolde Raftery, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

More world news from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Follow us on Twitter: @msnbc_world

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V-MODA VAMP Headphone Amplifier (150mW x 2), DAC, Battery Pack for iPhone 4/4S

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YSL Brand Overhaul To Increase Value Of Vintage Pieces

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Global economic outlook darkens as Europe, China sink

LONDON (Reuters) - The downturn in the euro zone's private sector is becoming entrenched and Chinese factories are finding the going increasingly tough, business surveys showed on Thursday, painting a darker outlook for the world economy.

June was the fifth consecutive month that activity across the euro zone has declined, dragging down heavyweights Germany and France and putting pressure on the European Central Bank to take further action to support the economy.

"We are at the point where the economy is increasingly losing traction and it's hard at this stage to see what will give us a lift. The ECB will do more, that will probably involve a rate cut - which is symbolic - but is action," said Peter Dixon at Commerzbank.

With economic recovery showing increased fragility in the United States, the Federal Reserve delivered another round of monetary stimulus on Wednesday and said it was ready to do even more to help if the situation in Europe deteriorated.

Data due later from the United States is expected to show manufacturing growth in the world's largest economy slowed this month but that there was a slight fall in new claims for unemployment benefits.

The euro zone's private sector contracted at its fastest pace since June 2009, when the bloc was mired in a deep recession, according to Markit's Flash Composite Purchasing Managers' Index for June.

A combination of the services and manufacturing sectors which is seen as a guide to growth, the PMI fell to 46.0, slightly better than the fall to 45.5 predicted by economists in a Reuters Poll.

But the index has been below the 50 mark that divides growth from contraction in all but one of the last 10 months. The euro fell after the data and European stocks traded lower.

Analysts struggled to find much hope in the numbers.

"The only remotely positive spin that can be put on the dismal euro zone (PMI) is that there was no further deepening in the overall rate of contraction. Hardly a cause for celebration," said Howard Archer at IHS Global Insight.

The data pointed towards a second quarter contraction of around 0.6 percent, Markit said.

Having held steady at the start of the year, the bloc's economy will contract 0.2 percent in the current quarter and narrowly escape recession by stagnating again in the next, according to economists polled by Reuters last week.

Earlier data from Germany, Europe's largest economy, showed its manufacturing sector contracted at its fastest pace since June 2009, while its service sector barely expanded, posting its lowest reading in seven months.

In neighboring France activity declined in both sectors, albeit it at a more moderate pace than last month.

"For the time being, and if we cannot sort out the financial crisis, the euro zone is likely to remain in recession," said Dominique Barbet at BNP Paribas.

While the euro zone has not actually met the technical definition of recession by putting in two consecutive quarters of contraction, many consider growth is so poor that it might as well have.

The danger of Greece crashing out of the euro zone eased after pro-bailout parties won weekend elections, but risks are mounting that Spain, the euro zone's fourth-largest economy, will need a full-blown international rescue.

The two-and-a-half year old crisis has hobbled the global economy, and world leaders meeting in Mexico piled pressure on the euro zone to move towards a fiscal and banking union to fix the crisis that now threatens to engulf Spain.

CHINA CRACKS

China's factory sector shrank for an eighth straight month in June as export orders sentiment hit its weakest level since early 2009, indicating the country's economic trough may extend well into the third quarter.

The HSBC Flash Purchasing Managers Index, the earliest monthly indicator of China's industrial activity, fell to a seven-month low of 48.1 in June from 48.4 in May.

It marked the eighth consecutive month that the HSBC PMI has been below 50, matching a similar streak during the much deeper slowdown during the global financial crisis of 2008/2009.

Economic growth in the world's most populous nation is widely expected to have slid for the sixth straight quarter in April through June as the country feels the impact of the euro area debt crisis and property controls weigh on domestic demand.

Connie Tse, an economist at Forecast Ltd in Singapore, said she sees an "increasing chance" that second-quarter annual growth will edge close to 7 percent, which would be the weakest pace of expansion since early 2009 but way ahead of its European counterparts.

As recently as May, a Reuters poll had a median forecast of 7.9 percent for the second quarter.

"Conditions of China's manufacturing sector, especially the small and medium sized factories, continued to slip. We see little probability of this series moving back into the expansion zone in the next two months," said Yao Wei at Societe Generale.

(Additional reporting by Lucy Hornby in Beijing. Editing by Jeremy Gaunt.)

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ASUS Zenbook Prime UX31A alights its Ivy Bridge at Amazon: $1,149 for Core i5 edition

True to its pledge, ASUS has hauled the backlit keys and 1920 x 1080 IPS displays of the Zenbook Prime UX31A stateside, where it just made the Amazon scene in Core i7 and i5 Ivy Bridge flavors. The 13.3-inch Ultrabooks also have 4GB RAM, Intel HD 4000 Graphics and 128GB or 256GB solid state drives, depending on the model, and weigh in at a stark 2.86 pounds. The priciest Core i7 configuration with a 256GB SSD will run $1,599, and the lower-end Core i5, 128GB SSD version is $1,149. Some models are out of stock already, so if want to shell out, check the source for the product page.

ASUS Zenbook Prime UX31A alights its Ivy Bridge at Amazon: $1,149 for Core i5 edition originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 04:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BW4WLA: Please keep the calls coming... Gov. Brown is letting oil companies and other big companies use tax loop holes... http://t.co/3oYRxnQi

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Spain?s Struggling Telefonica Sells Half its China Unicom Stake

Spain-based telco Telefonica (MCE:TEF; NYSE:TEF) has been struggling in line with the bailed-out Spanish economy of late, and has announced that it will sell half of its valuable stake in China Unicom (NYSE:CHU; HKG:0762) in order to slash its debts.

The sale of 1.07 billion China Unicom shares for HK$11 billion ($1.4 billion) will bring down Telefonica?s stake in Unicom ? which has China?s second-largest 3G user-base ? to 5 percent. The transaction should be completed by the end of July, and comes with a promise that the Spanish firm will not sell any more of its stake in the next 12 months. Unicom?s state-owned parent China United Network Communications Group will buy the whole of the stake back at 22 percent less than it?s valued on Telefonica?s books.

Unicom shares climbed 6.6 percent on news of the transaction yesterday, while Telefonica plunged 4.23 percent on the NYSE. China Unicom already owns 1.37 percent of Telefonica SA.

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Bidcycle Launches Unique Shopping Website to Boost Nonprofit Fundraising

An innovative new website, bidcycle.com, is preparing to launch an online auction business with a unique twist--it will allow consumers to choose the nonprofits that they support. Today, the company spotlights eight national organizations that have joined its fundraising network.

Erie, Pennsylvania (PRWEB) June 20, 2012

Online auctions, great deals, new shopping platforms, and giving to those in need are not often mentioned in the same breath. bidcycle.com, a new fundraising website, will change all that when it launches in July.

Featuring the taglines, Bid for Your Cause and The Fastest Auction on the Planet, bidcycle is being created to reinvent the online auction model, which typically uses timers that result in hours (or days) with few or no bids being placed, only to see activity increase dramatically in the final seconds of an auction. The bidcycle platform, in contrast, will offer a limited number of bids in each auction. When the final bid is placed, the auction ?cycles? and the winner is declared.

?We will announce more details when we unveil the site, and consumers will learn that bidcycle represents an entirely new approach to shopping that will be fun, entertaining and rewarding,? states Jeff Parnell, the company?s CEO and an executive with more than 15 years of e-commerce experience. ?Our original founder set out to create an entirely new business model, and we?ve worked hard to build on this objective. Auction winners will save 60 ? 90% off retail prices, and our bidding experience will be truly unique.?

Another key business philosophy is the company?s passion to fund the nonprofit sector. ?Our team feels strongly that nonprofits need and deserve our support, and we incorporate this into our mission by empowering consumers to choose their favorite participating nonprofit each time they bid. Over the past several weeks, we have begun to establish partnerships with a select group of nonprofits that will enable this process to take place.?

One ?bidcycle Beneficiary? (as the company refers to its nonprofit partners) is Rebuild Hope, which helps families of seriously disabled Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. The organization believes that the new partnership will enable its team to assist an even greater number of veterans, caregivers and children. Rebuild Hope?s Founder and President Dana Hendrickson also appreciates bidcycle?s uniqueness, pointing out that "both organizations employ one-of-a-kind service models, leveraging the reach and power of the Web."

Military challenges in the Middle East were also a driver behind USA Cares? decision to align with bidcycle. ?For 10 years now, our nation's military has been involved in (Middle East) missions that have protected us all. Through bidcycle, Americans can easily assist the military and have fun while they do it," shares Loni White, USA Cares Director of Communications.

Honor and Remember is another patriotic organization that has forged an early partnership with bidcycle. The nonprofit pays tribute to the sacrifices paid by our fallen military heroes, through the creation and adoption of a nationally recognized flag of remembrance. Founder George Lutz, who lost a son in the Iraq war, learned through relationships with other families of fallen service members that it was critical to ensure that their sacrifices would be remembered, and he appreciates a new platform to further this process. ?I am pleased to be part of the bidcycle network and look forward to sharing our message in an exciting new venue," he states.

A very different type of nonprofit, Herd Racing Foundation, relies on its unique platform?professional powerboat racing?to provide strong messages of encouragement to the less fortunate. Dana Tomes, who pilots Herd Racing?s boats (named because of the team?s affiliation with the Marshall University Thundering Herd), is also one of the Foundation?s leaders, and his group makes it a point to visit every community in which he races. He looks forward to his bidcycle partnership and the opportunity to reach more of those in need. ?We bring a fun, upbeat message of faith and family, and consider our ministry to be a real privilege.?

The Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation?an innovative group that has received national recognition for its pioneering work to combat one of the world?s most significant medical challenges?is another new Beneficiary and is dedicated to accelerated testing and development of its Kanzius Noninvasive Radiowave Cancer Treatment. Their treatment serves as an alternative to radiation and chemotherapy, which often bring undesirable side effects, and the group?s passion for its work stems from the impact of cancer on our society, a point well stated by Kanzius? Executive Director, Mark Neidig, Sr. ?There?s not a person who hasn?t been affected by cancer, so we are excited to partner with bidcycle to help fund the research of the world?s most promising cancer treatment,? he shares.

From its initial stages, bidcycle?s founding team has believed strongly that the sluggish U.S. economy makes the company?s no-cost fundraising platform even more attractive for many nonprofits, a thought that is shared by VeteransPlus, a Veteran-founded nonprofit whose goal is to provide comprehensive education and understanding of personal financial issues to veterans. ?Now more than ever, we seek meaningful partnerships and bidcycle brings innovation to the idea of supporting each other,? states John Pickens, the organization?s Executive Director.

Parnell is quick to point out that the opportunity to work with a variety of organizations that drive positive change is the most rewarding part of his role. ?Each Beneficiary that we?ve selected is a first class organization which impacts communities across America, and I feel privileged to build these relationships. We carefully review each nonprofit that we consider, and will showcase each organization?s unique mission. Our goal is to become a true fundraising partner, and because the consumer can benefit by participating in our auctions, we view this as win-win.?

The Yellow Ribbon Registry Network, which provides military heroes with a place to seek assistance and locate assistance from nonprofits who are positioned to meet these needs, was one organization that recognized bidcyle?s intentions very quickly. ?We are careful to align ourselves with quality programs and we feel it starts with the people behind the program. That component makes this a worthy partnership,? according to Christopher Fitzpatrick, Yellow Ribbon?s Program Director.

Freedom Is Not Free assists wounded service members and their families, as well as families of the fallen, and is another organization that appreciates bidcycle?s passion. John Winslow, the group?s Executive Director, sums it up nicely when he says, ?Their desire is to give back to nonprofit organizations that support our communities. By tying philanthropy into their business model, bidcycle has created an opportunity to deepen the impact of charities working on some of our country's most critical social issues."

About bidcycle, LLC: Based in Erie, Pennsylvania, bidcycle was created to combine online auctions and empowered fundraising. With a unique platform that will change the way consumers bid, win, and enjoy significant savings on great products and services, bidcycle will also allow its participants to choose their favorite nonprofit each time they purchase bids.

Contact: Jeff Parnell, CEO

E-malil: JParnell(at)bidcycle(dot)com

Phone: 814.440.5731

Jeff Parnell
bidcycle, LLC.
814-440-5731
Email Information

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A.R.O. Reveals Saga, An ?Ambient Companion? That Watches What You Do To Make Personal Recommendations

We've just been given a first look at Saga, a new mobile companion emerging from Seattle startup?A.R.O. You can think of Saga as Siri's little sister, perhaps. Instead of asking it questions or giving the app simple tasks (what's the weather, add meeting calendar, e.g.), Saga is there, quietly tracking your behavior, your location and learning about your preferences, in order to make smarter recommendations about what you should do next. It's the next evolution of those "ambient location" apps which were all the rage at this year's SXSW, perhaps.

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Intense shelling of southern Syrian city kills 17

Syrian boys wearing face paint in the colors of the revolutionary flag attend an anti-Bashar Assad protest after Friday prayers on the outskirts of Idlib, Syria, Friday, June 8, 2012. (AP Photo)

Syrian boys wearing face paint in the colors of the revolutionary flag attend an anti-Bashar Assad protest after Friday prayers on the outskirts of Idlib, Syria, Friday, June 8, 2012. (AP Photo)

Free Syrian Army members train with their weapons on the outskirts of Idlib, Syria, Thursday, June 7, 2012. (AP Photo)

Syrian men look from a window at an anti-Bashar Assad protest after Friday prayers on the outskirts of Idlib, Syria, Friday, June 8, 2012. (AP Photo)

A Syrian man chants slogans during an anti-Bashar Assad protest after Friday prayers on the outskirts of Idlib, Syria, Friday, June 8, 2012. (AP Photo)

Syrians wave revolutionary flags as they attend an anti-Bashar Assad protest after Friday prayers on the outskirts of Idlib, Syria, Friday, June 8, 2012. (AP Photo)

BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian troops shelled the southern city of Daraa early on Saturday, killing at least 17 people, activists said. And in Damascus, residents spoke about a night of shooting and explosions in the worst violence Syria's capital has seen since the uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime began 15 months ago.

The nearly 12 hours of fighting in Damascus suggested a new boldness among armed rebels, who previously kept a low profile in the capital. It also showed a willingness by the regime to unleash in the capital the sort of elevated force against restive neighborhoods it has used to crush opponents elsewhere.

For the first time in the uprising, witnesses said, regime tanks opened fire in the city's streets, with shells slamming into residential buildings.

The latest escalations in different parts of Syria are another blow to international envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan, which aims to end the country's bloodletting. Annan brokered a cease-fire that went into effect on April 12 but has since been violated nearly every day since and never properly took hold.

The U.N. said several weeks ago that at least 9,000 people have been killed since the crisis began in March last year while Syrian activists say the violence has claimed the lives of more than 13,000 people.

The Damascus violence was a dramatic shift, since the capital has been relatively quiet compared with other Syrian cities throughout the uprising. Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo, the country's largest, are under the firm grip of Assad's security forces.

"Yesterday was a turning point in the conflict," said Maath al-Shami, an opposition activist in the capital. "There were clashes in Damascus that lasted hours. The battle is in Damascus now."

Blasts shook the neighborhoods of Qaboun and Barzeh until about 1:30 a.m. on Saturday.

"We spent a night of fear," one resident said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. The resident said the shooting and explosions in the capital "were the worst so far."

As tanks fired shells, troops clashed with rebels in the two neighborhoods, al-Shami said via Skype. He said at least four people were killed.

The battles in the two neighborhoods began during the day Friday, when troops opened fire on anti-Assad protest marches, witnesses said. Also Friday, troops clashed with rebels from the Free Syrian Army in Damascus' Kfar Souseh district in fierce fighting sparked when the armed fighters attacked a military checkpoint in the area.

The FSA, which groups defectors from the Syrian military with protesters who have taken up weapons, had made an unusually public appearance Thursday night in Kfar Souseh, overtly joining a large opposition rally. The bolder moves were a strong sign the ragtag group is pushing to take its fight to the regime's base of power.

To the south, in Daraa, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 17 people were killed in the shelling, while the Local Coordination Committees said 19 civilians lost their lives. Both groups said dozens of people were also wounded in the shelling early Saturday.

Daraa is the city where the uprising against Assad's regime first erupted in March 2011. A Daraa-based activist, Adel al-Omari, said the shelling of the city's Mahata area began randomly and lasted until after midnight.

"People were taken by surprise while in their homes," said al-Omari, adding that regime targeted the neighborhood with mortars.

The LCC said that the dead included a father and his two children of the Abazeid family whose home was destroyed by the shelling. The group added that five of the dead were members of the Daloua family.

The LCC and the Observatory also reported shelling and clashes in the central city of Homs, one of the main battlegrounds of the uprising. Both groups said troops stormed Homs' posh neighborhood of Ghouta and the Observatory said security forces are conducting raids and searching for wanted people in the area.

In Turkey, Syria's main opposition council was scheduled later Saturday to elect a new leader, nearly three weeks after the resignation of its Paris-based president who earlier offered to step down over mounting criticism of his leadership. The executive committee of the Syrian National Council had asked Burhan Ghalioun to pursue his duties until a new president is elected.

SNC spokeswoman Basma Kodmani told Associated Press Television that the front-runner to replace Ghalioun would likely be Abdulbaset Sieda, a member of Syria's minority Kurd community.

The SNC has been plagued by infighting and divisions since its inception in September, complicating Western efforts to bolster the opposition. Ghalioun's resignation last month came just days after he was re-elected for another three months in a controversial vote in Rome.

On Friday, U.N. observers entered a farming helmet in the central province of Hama where activists said nearly 80 people were massacred on Wednesday. A U.N. spokeswoman said the observers could smell the stench of burned corpses and saw body parts scattered around the deserted village of Mazraat al-Qubair.

The observers were blocked by government troops and residents, and coming under small arms fire when they tried to enter the area on Thursday.

The scene held evidence of a "horrific crime," said U.N. spokeswoman Sausan Ghosheh.

The U.N. team was the first independent group to arrive in Mazraat al-Qubair, a village of about 160 people. Opposition activists and Syrian government officials blamed each other for the killings and differed about the number of dead.

Activists said that up to 78 people, including women and children, were shot, hacked and burned to death, saying pro-government militiamen known as "shabiha" were responsible. A government statement on the state-run news agency SANA said "an armed terrorist group" killed nine women and children before Hama authorities were called and killed the attackers.

Ghosheh, the U.N. observers spokeswoman, said the residents' accounts of the mass killing were "conflicting," and that they needed to cross check the names of the missing and dead with those supplied by nearby villagers. Mazraat al-Qubair itself was "empty of the local inhabitants," she said.

___

Associated Press writer Selcan Hacaoglu contributed to this report from Ankara, Turkey.

Associated Press

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Democrats want Republicans to work harder for the money (Washington Bureau)

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As army grows, a unit highlights the challenges

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Please Stop With The Dancing, Microsoft

Look, I get it, Microsoft. You want to show people you know how to have fun, that even Microsoft can smile once in a while. But seriously, stop with the dancing routines. Your target audience doesn't dance. We, at best, sway with the music, but never dance. As GeekWire points out, the latest nightmare happened earlier this week at the Norwegian Developers Conference where several dancers took the stage and performed to a song with such classy lines as ?The words MICRO and SOFT don?t apply to my PENIS! (or vagina)? and "We are here to party and coding is our drug!" Laughter can be heard throughout the video as the attendees stand nearly motionless, likely in shock as if they were witnessing a train wreck in slow motion. This comes the week after Usher took the stage during Microsoft's E3 keynote for a nearly equally embarrassing show.

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Craters serve as a Martian chronicle

ESA

This natural-color view of the Danielson and Kalocsa craters and their surroundings in the Arabia Terra region was captured by the High-Resolution Stereo Camera on the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter on June 19, 2011.

By Alan Boyle

In honor of science-fiction legend Ray Bradbury's passing, here's a totally non-fictional Martian chronicle: a picture of two craters on the Red Planet that record how the climate has changed over the course of billions of years.

The photo, sent back by the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter and released today, focuses on the Kalocsa and Danielson craters in Mars' Arabia Terra region. Danielson is the larger crater, measuring roughly 38 miles (60 kilometers) across. Kalocsa is smaller (20 miles, or 33 kilometers across) and about a half-mile (1 kilometer) shallower.

---

The most noticeable features on Danielson's crater floor are the dark, eroded layers of sediments and streamlined hills known as yardangs. In today's photo advisory, ESA's science team explains that the sediments appear to have been cemented by water, possibly from an ancient deep groundwater reservoir, and then were eroded by the wind.

The orientation of the yardangs suggests that strong north-northeasterly winds initially deposited the sediments, and eroded them during a later, drier period of Martian history. Danielson's layers may chronicle fluctuations in the climate of Mars, triggered by changes in the planet's axis of rotation.

In contrast, Kalocsa's crater floor is smooth, with no layered sediments. This may be because the crater is too shallow to have reached the groundwater reservoir, or because the crater was blasted into the Martian surface after the water in the reservoir was lost.

One of Bradbury's best-known books, "The Martian Chronicles," spins tales about the disappearance of an ancient Red Planet civilization. The disappearance of the Red Planet's ancient water is a story worthy of the Ray Bradbury treatment, and fresh chapters of that story are sure to be written after NASA's Mars Science Laboratory lands in Gale Crater in August.

Someday, a crater on Mars may well bear Bradbury's name?? but Mars Society President Robert Zubrin had something even grander in mind when he issued a tribute to the author:

"I was saddened today to hear of the death of Ray Bradbury.? I first read Bradbury's 'The Martian Chronicles'?when I was in elementary school.? He was one of those who inspired me, and I'm sure millions of others, with the vision of a new world.? While science has since shown nearly all the details of Bradbury's Lowellian Mars to have little relationship to reality, still,?I think on a deeper level he was fundamentally right.? The human future need not be limited to the Earth.? It is from imagination that reality springs.? There are no crystalline cities on Mars, yet, but there will be someday.? Perhaps one of the first should be named after Ray."

I'm certain that "Bradbury" will be a future destination on Mars, whether it's Bradbury Crater or Bradbury City. What do you think? Feel free to leave your tributes as comments below.

More about Ray Bradbury and Mars:

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Alan Boyle is msnbc.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the?Cosmic Log page?to your Google+ presence. You can also check out?"The Case for Pluto,"?my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

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B.C. golf cart crash kills man, injures another

CALGARY - An Edmonton man is dead and another man is injured after their golf cart flew off an enbankment and crashed at a prestigious course near Vernon, B.C., RCMP said Friday.

Glenn Thordarson, 51, died after the cart he was in somehow went off a paved path at Predator Ridge Resort, onto a retaining wall and down a drop of about three metres to a roadway below, Vernon RCMP spokesman Gord Molendyk said.

The 44-year-old Calgary man in the cart with him did not suffer serious injuries and was on his way home Friday.

Molendyk said the two were on a company golf retreat when the crash happened about 7 p.m. Thursday.

Police are still trying to determine who was driving the cart at the time and what led to the death at the links just south of Vernon.

Molendyk said several witnesses saw the crash.

RCMP said a mechanical inspection of the cart is planned and toxicology tests will be done.

They also will be looking into whether medical conditions played a role.

Initial indications are the cart was on a paved path just prior to the deadly crash.

?It made a turn and went on a retaining wall and went down 20 feet to a road below,? Molendyk said.

?The cart fell on them. We are trying to piece together what happened.

?I?m not aware of this type of tragic an accident at a golf course.?

The resort issued a statement saying information is limited and questions should be fielded by RCMP.

?The entire staff and organization of Predator Ridge Resort is saddened by this loss and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the deceased,? the statement said.

nadia.moharib@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @SUNNadiaMoharib

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Laser mapping identifies lost city in Honduras

Underneath the thick, virgin rainforest cover in the Mosquitia region of Honduras, archaeologists have discovered ruins they think may be the lost city of Ciudad Blanca. Legends say the "White City" is full of gold, which is why conquistador Hernando Cortes was among the first Ciudad Blanca seekers in the 1500s.

But the method the modern researchers used was a little different from previous explorers' techniques. The modern-day researchers flew over the area in a small plane and shot billions of laser pulses at the ground, creating a 3-D digital map of the topology underneath the trees.

This is one of the first times this technique, called light detection and ranging (LiDAR), has been used to map ancient ruins. Beyond archaeology, LiDAR researchers at the National Science Foundation are looking to develop the technology for mapping disasters using drones, for military spying and for tracking erosion under rivers and shallow parts of the ocean.?

LiDAR for archaeology
Before LiDAR improved enough for their work, archaeologists discovered ruins the old-fashioned way ? by hacking through forests using machetes. LiDAR is faster and cheaper.

It's been gaining ground since 2009, when a U.S. archaeology team working on Maya ruins first used the technology to peer beneath 80 square miles (207 square kilometers) of forest canopy in Belize. After four days of laser scanning, team members discovered buildings and agricultural fields they hadn't found in 25 years of study. The team was supported by the then-new National Science Foundation organization for LiDAR science, the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping. [10 Modern Tools for Indiana Jones]

Airborne LiDAR works by sending more than 100,000 short laser pulses to the ground every second while a plane flies over the area of interest. The laser light hits the ground, then returns to the aircraft. The time it takes for the light to make the back-and-forth trip tells researchers the altitude of points on the ground.?

The technology is able to detect height differences of less than 4 inches (10 centimeters) and maps to GPS coordinates within 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters). "It's within a step, in many cases," said Bill Carter, University of Houston engineer who develops LiDAR systems for the National Science Foundation.

The Belize archaeology work and the new Honduras findings both used the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping's LiDAR system. There was one major difference between the two projects, however. At the Belize site, researchers thought it was likely there would be new ruins there. They used the LiDAR to scan regions surrounding structures they had already uncovered. On the other hand, in the new study in Honduras, researchers were running on just a hunch ? and plenty of private funding.?

LiDAR in Honduras
Cinematographer Steven Elkins has been fascinated with the Ciudad Blanca stories for more than a decade. He previously analyzed satellite imagery of the Mosquitia forest, looking for signs of the city. As LiDAR improved, he gathered private investors to pay for the National Science Foundation's laser mapping center to analyze three areas he thought were especially promising. Elkins had originally approached the Honduran government with his idea, but government officials said they knew the forest well and there wasn't anything there, Carter said.

?

Over several days, National Science Foundation engineers flew over about 60 square miles (160 square kilometers) of forest for Elkins in their dual-engine Cessna planes. At the end of every day, they sent the data to Carter, who was working out of West Virginia. Carter found the first signs of what appeared to be human-made structures within five minutes of analyzing the data, he said. [Archaeology's Tech Revolution Since Indiana Jones]

"I'm the only person right now on the planet that knows that there's these ruins," Carter recalled thinking when he saw what he said were straight lines and right angles that don't normally appear in nature. "My wife walked in and looked over my shoulder and she was the second person to know."?

Carter sent his analysis back to the archaeologists in Honduras, who agreed the structures were man-made. Now, Elkins, along with a team of Honduran scientists, will visit the structures in person and determine what they are and how old they are. The LiDAR coordinates will help them pinpoint exactly where to look in the thick jungle.?

LiDAR for biology, disasters and the military
Carter said he found his involvement in discovering the Honduras ruins exciting, but the National Science Foundation's LiDAR center is looking to do much more with the technology.?

So far, center researchers have used LiDAR to map to the ground to assess flooding risk and to find new fault lines in California. They've pinged Floridian citrus groves with lasers to check on the trees' health. Healthy tree leaves reflect a different quality of light back to LiDAR sensors than do sick trees, Carter explained.

1. More science news from msnbc.com

   1. 'Vampire' skeletons dug up in Bulgaria

      Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Bulgarian archaeologists are showing off two centuries-old skeletons that they say were pinned down in their graves with iron rods to keep them from turning into vampires.

   2. Shakespeare's pre-Globe theater unearthed
   3. What a catch: Giant bull shark wows researchers
   4. Bizarre quantum physics plays role in life

The science agency also recently developed a laser that uses green light, which is able to map features underneath shallow water. Biologists want to use this technology to investigate fish spawning grounds, Carter said, while land managers may use a water-LiDAR to keep an eye on erosion.?

In the future, the center hopes to develop smaller, lighter, less expensive LiDAR that is able to ride in unmanned robotic aircraft. The drones could spy for the military, go on a tough Arctic mapping expedition or assess conditions after disasters, such as earthquakes or hurricanes.?

"As we look in the future, we see the ability to use these types of systems to map the entire Earth," Carter told InnovationNewsDaily. "Certainly all the land areas and shallow coasts."

You can follow InnovationNewsDaily staff writer Francie Diep on Twitter @franciediep. Follow InnovationNewsDaily on Twitter @News_Innovation, or on Facebook.

? 2012 InnovationNewsDaily.com. All rights reserved. More from InnovationNewsDaily.com.

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Stocks boost Americans' wealth in first quarter

CHICAGO?? Americans' wealth rose in the January-March quarter, boosted mainly by the best quarterly gain in stock prices since 1998 and partly by the first rise in home values since 2006.

Household net worth rose 4.7 percent to $62.9 trillion last quarter, according to a Federal Reserve report released Thursday. The main reason was a 12 percent jump in the Standard & Poor's 500 index, which padded the portfolios of Americans who own stocks.

Home values increased 2.3 percent.

But since March ended, the progress Americans have made to recover the wealth they lost in the Great Recession has hit another bump. Stocks sank 6 percent in May amid rising fears about Europe's debt crisis and a weakening U.S. economy. And there's scant evidence of a sustained housing market recovery despite the uptick in home values.

Household wealth, or net worth, reflects the value of assets like homes, bank accounts and stocks, minus debts like mortgages and credit cards. It bottomed during the recession at roughly $49 trillion in the first quarter of 2009. It's still about 5 percent below its pre-recession peak of $66 trillion.

The Fed report also found that:

• Americans' borrowing rose at an annual rate of 5.8 percent. It was the first time consumers have boosted their borrowing by at least 5 percent in two straight quarters since mid-2008, just before the financial crisis.
• Household debt, which has been declining for four years, dipped 0.4 percent last quarter. Americans have been steadily shrinking their debt loads.
• Home mortgage debt, which has been declining since 2008, fell an additional 2.9 percent. But the drop can be deceiving. Mortgage debt is falling mainly because many Americans have defaulted on payments and lost homes to foreclosure ? not just because people are paying off loans.

The overall gain in Americans' net worth was driven by the biggest quarterly rise in the S&P 500 in 14 years. But the stock index has since shed about half that increase.

The surge in stocks didn't help as many Americans as it would have in the past. The percentage of U.S. households that own individual stocks or stock mutual funds declined to 46 percent last year, down from 59 percent in 2001, according to the Investment Company Institute.

For most American households, home equity, not stocks, represents their main source of wealth.

"It's a mixed outlook for the typical household," says Scott Hoyt, senior director of consumer economics at Moody's Analytics.

Consumers are more affected, Hoyt said, by other factors: a job market that's improving only fitfully, declining gasoline prices and generally stagnant home values.

Though the S&P 500 remains 15 percent below its October 2007 peak, employees who have stayed invested in 401(k) plans and continued to contribute have benefited. About 94 percent of them now have more money in those accounts than before the market top 4? years ago, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute in Washington.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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