PSA: SimCity now available, go realize your city-building dreams

Who wants to build a beta city? The final version of EA's long-awaited followup to its city-building classic goes live today in North America for all of you aspiring mayors out there -- well, those of you with a PC at least (the Mac version is still forthcoming). You can download or pick up a physical copy through EA's Origin site right now, to finally get your Robert Moses on (though maybe watch where you stick those highways).

Filed under: Gaming

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Source: Twitter, Origin

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/05/simcity/

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Kellie Pickler drummer among injured in Ky. crash

Emergency personnel work at the scene of a multi-vehicle wreck on Interstate 65 near the 82 mile marker, Saturday, March 2, 2013 north of Sonora, Ky. Kentucky State Police say six people are dead in two crashes that happened near the same location in central Kentucky on Interstate 65. (AP Photo/The News Enterprise, Neal Cardin)

Emergency personnel work at the scene of a multi-vehicle wreck on Interstate 65 near the 82 mile marker, Saturday, March 2, 2013 north of Sonora, Ky. Kentucky State Police say six people are dead in two crashes that happened near the same location in central Kentucky on Interstate 65. (AP Photo/The News Enterprise, Neal Cardin)

A burned vehicle involved in a fatal wreck sits on a rollback ready to be moved from the scene in the northbound lanes of Interstate 65 around the 82-mile marker Saturday, March 2, 2013, near Sonora, Ky. Kentucky State Police say six people are dead in two crashes that happened near the same location in central Kentucky on Interstate 65. (AP Photo/The News Enterprise, Jill Pickett)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) ? The drummer for country music star Kellie Pickler was in serious condition Sunday as one of five people hospitalized in two crashes that happened within minutes at the same spot on Interstate 65 in central Kentucky and killed six.

Pickler's manager, Larry Fitzgerald, said 36-year-old Gregg Lohman of Goodlettsville, Tenn., suffered serious injuries in the wreck Saturday. He remained in serious condition Sunday at University of Louisville Hospital.

Kentucky State Police Master Trooper Norm Chaffins said Lohman, who also works as a music instructor at Tennessee State University, had head and neck injuries after a four-vehicle wreck in the southbound lanes. It happened about 15 minutes after a fiery crash involving a tractor-trailer and an SUV on the northbound side of the highway.

On her Facebook page, Pickler said Lohman wasn't just a drummer, "he is family."

"I believe in the miracles and the power of prayer, so it would mean the world to me, my band and Gregg's family if you would please keep him in your prayers," Pickler wrote. "Thank y'all so much."

Six people from rural Wisconsin were killed when the tractor-trailer rear-ended their Ford Expedition at about 11:13 a.m. EST Saturday in the northbound lanes near Glendale, Ky.

Killed were 62-year-old driver James Gollnow and his wife, 62-year-old Barbara Gollnow; 92-year-old friend Marion Champnise; 18-year-old Sarina Gollnow, relationship unknown; and foster children 10-year-old Gabriel Zumig and 8-year-old Soledad Smith.

Two other foster children survived and were taken to area hospitals. Police identified them as Hope Hoth, 15, who was transported to a hospital in Lexington with burns and a broken spine; and Aidian Ejnik, 12, who was taken to Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville with cuts to the back of his head.

Barb Gollnow of Shawano, Wis., the sister-in-law of those killed, called the collision "a horrible tragedy," but said details about her family's trip that led them through the Bluegrass State would have to come from the surviving children in the family. The children did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press left through Gollnow.

State Police said the family was returning to Wisconsin from a vacation to Orlando, Fla.

Chaffins said the tractor-trailer was following too closely to the SUV to stop before the collision. The Expedition was "totally engulfed in flames. It was totally destroyed by the fire," he said, adding, "It's just a charred mess." Distracted driving is among the causes being investigated.

"That's one of the points we're looking into," Chaffins said. "We haven't pinpointed the exact cause."

Chaffins said despite snow flurries, weather was not a factor in Saturday's crashes. The driver was identified as 47-year-old Ibrahim Fetic of Troy, Mich. Police were looking at his driving logs and collected a blood sample.

The National Transportation Safety Board has consulted with law enforcement and doesn't currently plan to open an investigation, spokesman Peter Knudson said.

The two crashes shut down the busy stretch of highway for about five hours.

Chaffins said police were investigating whether rubbernecking was the cause of the wrecks in the southbound lanes.

In that wreck, the Freightliner driven by 58-year-old Mark Bowser from Lewisburg, Ohio, struck Lohman's vehicle, then hit a 2005 Saturn SUV driven by 53-year-old Victor Martinka of Glenview, Ill.

Chaffins said Martinka's vehicle then struck a 2012 Chevrolet SUV driven by Stephanie Yates, 55, of Louisville. Chaffins said none of the other drivers were hospitalized.

The wreck on Saturday happened just north of where a tractor-trailer crossed the median and struck a van carrying 11 people in 2010. In the wake of that crash, the NTSB called for a ban on talking on cellphones or texting by long-distance truckers.

___

Karnowski reported from Minneapolis, Minn.

___

Follow Associated Press reporter Brett Barrouquere on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BBarrouquereAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-03-03-Kentucky%20Crashes/id-2363873f2dd249828c9b9d0ee2a195b6

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?Modest? BlackBerry Z10 sales, upcoming Galaxy S IV launch could hurt BlackBerry

BlackBerry

A string of upbeat reports has sent BlackBerry?s (BBRY) stock climbing in recent months, but the end is nigh according to one industry watcher.?Canaccord Genuity analyst T. Michael Walkley again tried to chase clients away from BlackBerry shares on Monday, suggesting that ?modest? BlackBerry Z10 sales and big competition from the likes of Samsung?s (005930) Galaxy S IV could spell doom for BlackBerry?s stock in the coming quarters.

[More from BGR: The Boy Genius Report: Sonos? PLAYBAR takes over the living room]

?Our global surveys post the recent BlackBerry Z10 launch indicated mixed initial sales with limited initial supply cited as the reason for early post-launch stock-outs at some carrier stores during the first week of launch,? Walkley wrote in a note to investors on Monday. ?Our follow up surveys have indicated steady but modest sales levels for the Z10.?

[More from BGR: Galaxy S IV specs reportedly confirmed in new benchmarks]

He continued, ?With new BB10 smartphones launching in the U.S. only in mid-March or later at subsidized prices no better than competing high-end Apple/Samsung smartphones combined with our expectations for the Galaxy S IV to launch at a similar time frame in the US market, we anticipate BlackBerry will struggle to reclaim high-end smartphone market share.?

Following his most recent round of checks, Walkley admits that his last BlackBerry Z10 sales estimate was likely too low. His new checks suggest BlackBerry likely sold 800,000 Z10 handsets into channels last quarter, up from his earlier estimate of just 300,000 units.

The positive change will shave $0.12 off of BlackBerry?s estimated full-year loss per share, which the analyst adjusted to $(1.06) from $(1.18), but Walkley?s fiscal 2014 and 2015 estimates remain unchanged. ?BlackBerry will struggle to drive enough BB10 demand to return the company to sustained profitability,? he wrote.

Walkley reiterated his Sell rating on BlackBerry shares with a $9 price target.

This article was originally published on BGR.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/modest-blackberry-z10-sales-upcoming-galaxy-iv-launch-154535856.html

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AR-15 assault rifle stolen from San Francisco cop car

By Daniel Arkin, Staff Writer, NBC News

Police officers in San Francisco are scouring the city for a semi-automatic assault rifle stolen from a police vehicle over the weekend, authorities said.

Unidentified suspects smashed one of the unmarked?car's windows and stole an AR-15 rifle?while officers worked nearby, Officer Albie Esparza told NBC News.

The high-powered weapon is distributed to trained police officers so that it is at hand for rapid deployment during high-risk events, Esparza said.

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"No resource is being spared to recover this weapon," Esparza said.

Police do not know how the suspects determined the unmarked vehicle belonged to the police department.

The AR-15 assault rifle was the weapon used in last year's movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/04/17181482-assault-rifle-stolen-from-san-francisco-cop-car?lite

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India's 'human safaris' banned, as fight for tribal rights goes on

India finally halted the practice of allowing tourists to ogle the native tribes of a secluded Island in the Andaman Islands. But with a growing tourism industry there, the battle might not be over.?

By Shaikh Azizur Rahman,?Correspondent / March 2, 2013

India?s Andaman Islands, situated in the Bay of Bengal, are surrounded by crystal waters and a sparsely populated coastline, and are home to lush forests ? the perfect tourist destination. But recent scandals on the island have concerned international activists.

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Each year, thousands of tourists pay tour operators on the archipelago to catch a glimpse of the native semi-naked and naked Jarawa tribesmen and women - the main attraction for most tourists, despite several laws (beginning in 1956) banning tourists from coming too close to the protected tribe.

Then, last year, a tourist video of tourists ordering semi-naked women to dance went viral on the Internet, spurring national and international condemnation ? and a new interim law, which was actually enforced on the island, starting last month.

It appeared to be a win for both activists and the tribe. But with a growing tourism industry the mainstay of the archipelago, the battle might not be over. India?s Supreme Court asked the island?s authorities to decide this month whether the small tribe, which is believed to be descendants of the first people to move from Africa to Asia, should be forcibly assimilated in the mainstream society or remain in isolation.

Activists argue that forced assimilation is an infringement of the tribe?s rights, and is unnecessary.

The decision whether the Jarawa will join mainstream society should not rest with the Islands' authorities, says Sophie Grig, of the UK-based indigenous rights advocacy group Survival International.

?It must be up to the Jarawa to decide how they want to live their lives ? it is not a question of isolation or mainstreaming, but of the Jarawa making their own choices about their lives and their future,? says Ms. Grig.

For centuries, the Andaman Islands were hardly visited by anyone other than the prisoners sent to serve their time there, and the guards who ran the prison. It has only been since the 1990s that mainland Indian tourists started flooding the Islands, which are now home to some 380,000 people.

In the 1970s the government of the Andamans began the construction of a 230 mile-long road to connect Port Blair, the largest town, and capital of the territory, with Middle Andaman and North Andaman Islands to supply essential provisions and medical facilities to the settlers in far-flung areas. Activists warned then that the road, which cut through thick forests inhabited by the Jarawa, could have devastating consequences for the isolated tribe, not accustomed to outsiders and susceptible to disease.

When the Andaman Trunk Road was finally opened in 1998, the tribe?s men shot arrows at the passing vehicles and even killed some settlers, showing anger at the intrusion.

However, as the hostility to outsiders, especially among younger Jarawas, has begun to wane in recent years with more exposure to visitors via the road, tour operators also grew bolder about offering more interactions to clients, putting the tribe at risk. Various rules were placed on the frequency and number of vehicles permitted on the road at a time. Still, in 2002, after pressure from activist groups such as Survival International, India?s Supreme Court ordered the road be closed to tourists.

But Andaman authorities did not enforce the court order to close the road, as it saw the road as a lifeline for settlers.

"I think the real reason they haven't done it [before],? says Grig, is because ?it's not popular with the settlers on the Andamans, and the tribes are a small population with no power or influence. The administration claims that the road is a lifeline but it's only a lifeline because they haven't put an alternative route in place."

Last month, amid fallout from the viral video of the tribeswomen dancing, Survival International wrote to the Supreme Court urging "immediate action" to have Andaman authorities enforce the past orders. Two weeks later, the court ruled that the "disgraceful" Jarawa tourism must be halted immediately. This time, the Andaman authorities closed the road to all tourist vehicles last month.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/zWf1etf63Ng/India-s-human-safaris-banned-as-fight-for-tribal-rights-goes-on

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Big Ticket: Heat, Light and Height, Sold at $8.15 Million - NYTimes ...

A sun-glazed floor-through penthouse with a modernist mind-set in a Costas Kondylis-designed condominium tower at 279 Central Park West sold for $8.15 million and was the most expensive sale of the week, according to city records.

The apartment, PH21A, is on the top layer of five floors of terraced apartments designated as penthouses at the 1988 luxury building, at 88th Street, one of the rare condominiums on the avenue. Housing 36 units, it is distinguished by a limestone base and bold picture windows, and is described in the original listing as ?a fortress of security and style.?

The prevailing aesthetic of the penthouse, which has three bedrooms plus a maid?s room (or home office) and three and a half baths, is sun-worshipers? and plant-lovers? nirvana. Light pours in so powerfully from all four sides that the amenities include an automated irrigation system on the wraparound terrace and a sun-shield system to protect furniture and artwork.

The residence is reached from a private elevator landing that opens onto a gallery leading to the corner living room, which has direct views of the reservoir and Central Park South. There is a formal dining room, as well as a butler?s pantry and a powder room. The kitchen has Poggenpohl cabinetry and Madura Gold granite countertops; most of the floors are herringbone teak.

The sequestered master suite has park views, a dressing room and a marble bath with two walls of windows. Each of the two bedrooms on the west wing has its own bath and city vistas.

The seller, identified as Lynx Properties Limited of Port Louis, Mauritius, had owned the unit since 2004 and was represented by Karen Kelley (then of the Corcoran Group, now with Brown Harris Stevens) in an exclusive listing with Michel Madie Real Estate. The buyers, New Yorkers who shielded their identity through a limited-liability company, EP 279CPW, were represented by Richard Pretsfelder of Leslie J. Garfield Real Estate.

The penthouse had been on the market for nearly two years at its previous asking price of $9.9 million. After two downward shifts in price, it sold for its most recent asking price; the buyer was also required to pay a 2 percent flip tax. The uptown location was simultaneously a drawback and a charm, according to Ms. Kelley, who described as ?astounding? the in-your-face views of the Central Park reservoir, which looms outside like the unit?s own private swimming pool, and more distant ones of Central Park South. ?It should have sold faster,? she said, ?but the fact that it was above 86th Street kept some potential buyers away. But once you walk inside, it?s all about the views.?

Big Ticket includes closed sales from the previous week, ending Wednesday.

Source: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/01/big-ticket-heat-light-and-height-sold-at-8-15-million/

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Groupon Stock Up 12% In After-Hours Trading Following Mason Ouster (But Has Fallen Since)

Andrew Mason's loss may just be Groupon's gain -- at least as far as its shareholders are concerned. Groupon's stock price got a rapid and marked boost in after-hours trading today in the first minutes after it was announced that longtime CEO Andrew Mason has been ousted from the company. Within the first minutes of the news, Groupon's stock had shot up more than six percent from the $4.53 per share price at which it closed the official trading day. Share prices change by the second, of course, so it's a bit of a horse race to obsessively monitor how the market responds to big news like this (to wit: Groupon's stock has since slowed down, and is now up around 3.5 percent from its closing price.) But the fact that there was a tangible initial pop shows that some investors see Mason's ousting as a positive step.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/qAxZ-4vNcz4/

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