'Avengers 2' Confirmed For May 1, 2015

Disney confirms that Joss Whedon's superhero sequel will debut in May 2015, as previously reported by MTV News.
By Josh Wigler, with additional reporting by Kara Warner

Jeremy Renner, Chris Evans, and Scarlett Johansson in "The Avengers"
Photo: Marvel

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1691900/avengers-2-may-2015.jhtml

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Full-time officials and more crews

Replacement officials take the field at the start of an NFL football preseason game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Tennessee Titans, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Replacement officials take the field at the start of an NFL football preseason game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Tennessee Titans, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Replacement officials work the sidelines during the first half of an NFL preseason football game between the Carolina Panthers and the Houston Texans in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Less than three weeks before the season kicks off, the NFL and the NFL Referees Association are no closer to an agreement to end the lockout of the officials.

As replacement officials work preseason games ? and generally get criticized for their performances ? the league and officials Thursday disputed such issues as full-time employees and adding officiating crews.

On Sept. 5, the Cowboys visit the Giants to open the season. Not since 2001 has the NFL played games that count in the standings with replacement officials, and that was for one week. This lockout began June 3.

The NFL is offering to add three full officiating crews, increasing the total number of officials to 140. League spokesman Greg Aiello said "this would reduce stress on the officials by allowing each official to work fewer games, would reduce travel, would allow us to do more intensive training, integrate younger officials more effectively, increase diversity, and improve quality of officiating."

"The union flatly opposes this proposal ..." Aiello added.

But the NFLRA insists the compensation being offered with such an increase would reduce their pay.

"The increase in the number of officials was first proposed by the NFL to the NFLRA by letter dated July 19, 2012 and had never been mentioned in the preceding 10 months of negotiations," the NFLRA said in a statement. "It is clear that this proposal is a negotiating tactic to attempt to divert attention from the real issues."

Another key issue, one Aiello noted will improve the quality of officiating long term, is hiring full-time officials. The league is proposing having seven officials ? one per position of referee, umpire, line judge, side judge, back judge, field judge, head linesman ? who would train, scout, handle communications, safety issues and rules interpretations year-round. Now, all NFL game officials are part-time employees, with outside jobs ranging from lawyer to teacher to business owner.

"The NFLRA is not opposed to full time officials if they are fairly compensated," the union said Thursday. "While the NFL has never made any compensation proposal, comparable positions in other professional sports at the 20-year level earn approximately $350,000 to $400,000 and are provided health insurance, a pension, time off with pay and numerous other benefits."

The union also disputes the value of the league's current salary offer, which it says would not be a 5 percent to 11 percent increase.

Instead, the officials said the proposal "includes aggregate game fee compensation increases of 2.82 percent per year, not the rates publicly claimed by the league. In fact, the NFL's proposal does not contain any salary schedule. Rather it contains aggregate game fees for all officials to be paid per a schedule to be developed by the NFLRA."

Aiello countered that officials would receive continuing increases in every category of pay, from game fees to travel and meeting fees, and, depending on how the NFLRA decided to allocate the salary pool, individual officials could expect annual increases of between 5 and 11 percent.

Finally, there is a stalemate over the officials' pension plan, which the union said the league plans to freeze and ultimately terminate. The NFLRA offered to "grandfather" the current defined benefit plan only for current officials.

The league is offering a 401(k) plan in which it said its last proposal would provide annual contributions averaging about $20,000.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-08-17-NFL-Officials/id-b38f6b57a4a54209866a20d2964dcbd2

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Calm returns to French city after riots

AMIENS, France (AP) ? Tensions appear to have subsided in a northern French city after police fanned out overnight to prevent a repeat of riots that left a pre-school in ashes and revived concerns about security in France's housing projects.

Residents of housing projects in Amiens' northern district said Wednesday that they remain alert for fresh skirmishes, because relations between police and youth in the neighborhood have long been strained.

More than 200 riot police were stationed in the area Tuesday night and Wednesday morning after around 100 young people rampaged through the district Monday night, firing buckshot at police, torching a pre-school and gym and pulling drivers from cars. Some 17 officers were injured.

The administration for the Somme region said no damage or violence were reported Tuesday night, but said it will maintain the heightened police presence Wednesday night and perhaps longer.

A standoff between police and people attending a memorial for a young man who died in a motorcycle accident may have triggered the rioting. Officials underlined that police were not involved in the death.

Salah Boucebsi, who lives in the area hit by Monday's violence, said the lack of prospects for youth might have driven the rioting: "There is no work, 65 percent of them don't have anything."

Mutual suspicion has long marred relations between police and idle youth in France's poor urban and suburban housing projects. Widespread unemployment and societal discrimination against youth with immigrant roots was in part behind nationwide riots in 2005, which erupted after two teenage boys died fleeing police near Paris.

The Amiens rioting ? the first such project violence under President Francois Hollande ? prompted questions over how the new Socialist government will handle urban violence and whether it will have more success in solving the root of the problem than tough-talking Nicolas Sarkozy's conservatives. There were no arrests in the rioting in Amiens, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of Paris.

Amiens residents Claudine and Didier Ella said the only solution is for police to steer clear of their neighborhood, because police presence itself inflames tensions.

___

Angela Charlton in Paris and Milos Krivokapic in Amiens contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/calm-returns-french-city-riots-110348716.html

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Broncos' D.J. Williams on trial for DUI charge

DENVER (AP) ? Denver Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams stands trial Wednesday on allegations of driving under the influence, which could sideline him for several games if he is convicted.

His case in Denver District Court is the result of an arrest around 3 a.m. on Nov. 12, 2010, when police stopped Williams for driving without headlights, then cited him for DUI and took him to a detox facility.

The Broncos stripped the weakside linebacker of his captain's title shortly after the arrest. Then last spring, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Williams six games over a failed offseason drug test. He sued to have that suspension overturned, but the case was thrown out. A conviction in the drunken-driving case could result in an even longer suspension.

Williams' trial on driving under the influence and traffic charges was delayed several times, including last fall after he suffered a dislocated right elbow during a game. In May, just as opening statements were about to begin, his lawyer, Harvey Steinberg, won a mistrial after objecting to how jurors were selected.

Steinberg said he was only able to excuse two jurors instead of the three he was entitled to during jury selection. Judge Andre L. Rudolph granted the request and scheduled another trial on the misdemeanor charges for Wednesday.

Because of his pending suspension, Williams hasn't practiced with the starters at training camp, so the team can prepare his replacement at weakside linebacker, which looks to be Wesley Woodyard.

Williams didn't do any contact work at camp until Monday when he worked with the second stringers after free agent linebacker Keith Brooking left practice with a pulled hamstring.

Williams led the Broncos in tackles the past three seasons and five times overall in his eight years since joining the NFL as Denver's top draft pick in 2004 out of the University of Miami.

Although he has made other off-the-field news ? he tweeted a photo of his new digital playbook this summer and was mentioned in the University of Miami scandal involving improper payments from a booster ? Williams is highly thought of by Broncos coaches because of his technically sound play.

He is still listed as the starter at weakside linebacker on the Broncos' depth chart, even though hasn't practiced with the first team at all.

Williams is scheduled to be reinstated for the Broncos' Oct. 28 game against the New Orleans Saints, although Goodell could punish him further with or without a conviction in his latest court case.

___

AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-08-15-FBN-Broncos-Williams-Trial/id-673ebf1f02f1413c8e652a1814e1dd35

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Robot to be large enough to walk over cars

22 hrs.

InnovationNewsDaily Staff

Wait until you see the view from this driver's seat.?

Researchers have begun building a drivable robot named Stompy that will have six legs and will be large enough to walk over cars. Moreover, they want to make it possible for robotics hobbyists to make one for themselves.

Besides the "wow" factor, the creation of Stompy is meant to make it technically possible and affordable for groups of non-experts to build giant robots,?according to Stompy's Kickstarter page. Its designers say they will hand out their diagrams.?

"The bigger goal is to encourage others to start building things on this scale and to enable people to build robots like this," said James Whong, one of Stompy's lead engineers. Whong is also a professional robotics researcher, although Stompy is not a project of his company or of any of his colleagues'.?

As the first of Stompy's legs is being welded together, Whong and his team are in the process of raising $65,000 for the steel and electronics that would finish the project. Those who donate $300 or more will get to ride in Stompy when it's finished, estimated to be next May, the team says. As of this writing, Stompy's builders were $3,005 from their goal.

When finished, Stompy will weigh two tons and will have a chassis with two seats, for a driver and a friend. It will run on a 135-horsepower engine that powers hydraulic legs that work much the same way forklifts or backhoes do.?

The machine monster is designed to be 10 to 100 times cheaper to build than comparable professional?robots, and its creators have promised that once they have their first design up and running, they'll release their diagrams, class lectures, computer codes and other materials for free.?Stompy's lead engineers are all Boston-area roboticists who have worked on projects such as robotic arms or U.S.?military-commissioned all-terrain bots. They unveiled their plans in the spring, when they started an adult-education class in Somerville, Mass., on the topic of building large robots.?

So far, the class has created the designs for low-cost, computer-controlled legs; a computer program to test Stompy virtually; and a full-size version of Stompy's engine. Team members started work on assembling and welding a full-size leg Aug. 12. [10 Animal-Inspired Robots]

The class's latest blog post shows one small way they're making Stompy and Stompy-like robots easier for non-experts to assemble. The metal pieces of one of the robot's thighs have tabs to hold the pieces together before welding.?

"Having the tabs makes assembly roughly a bajillion (technical term) times easier," M@ Dunlap, one of the students, wrote. "It's like assembling something from Ikea."?

To keep costs down, the team plans to use surplus hydraulic parts from companies that supply parts for backhoes and bulldozers, Whong told InnovationNewsDaily. Another major money-saver is the fact that everyone is donating his time to the project, instead of commanding the usual engineer salaries. "Right now, this is a labor of love and a passion-based project," Whong said.

If Stompy is funded and completed and its plans are released, people wouldn't necessarily need a background in robotics to make another Stompy, Whong said. However, "from a safety standpoint, some experience with heavy machinery is a must. These are very, very powerful actuators and can be extremely dangerous."

He's eager to see that Stompy isn't alone. "We want to see more big robots like this."

Follow InnovationNewsDaily on Twitter @News_Innovation, or on Facebook.

Copyright 2012 InnovationNewsDaily, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.futureoftech.msnbc.msn.com/technology/futureoftech/robot-stompy-be-large-enough-walk-over-cars-940004

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Ryan's Presence Injects Entitlement Programs Into The 2012 Race (CHART)

This presidential contest was supposed to be laser-focused on the economy, and the polls have borne that out -- so far. But Mitt Romney's new running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, could quickly throw a wrench in the political calculus.

Ryan's controversial proposals to shift Medicare to a voucher system and to partially privatize Social Security virtually ensures a political brawl over the future of entitlement programs, a longtime political hot potato.

While there's been little polling on entitlement programs specifically, data from surveys commissioned by POLITICO and George Washington University show a tight race between President Obama and Romney on the issue. Obama has held a small lead when it comes to who would better handle Medicare and Social Security, POLITICO noted that it's "a number that could see some movement with Ryan, the architect of Republicans' Medicare and entitlement policy, on the GOP ticket."

A major component of that prediction seems to be how heavily the issue weighs in voters' minds. CNN polling from late June and early July showed that 79 percent of registered voters ranked Social Security and Medicare "extremely" or "very important," a level that rivals other top-tier issues like the economy, unemployment and health care. Not surprisingly, concern over entitlement programs increases with age: The poll also showed that 86 percent of those 50 and older consider entitlement programs extremely or very important, versus 74 percent of those under 50 who said the same.

Democrats are ready to spend lots of time and money bringing attention to entitlements, and that may serve as a good diversion for their cause: President Obama trails Romney on who is viewed as best to handle the economy, 46.5 percent to 43.5 percent in the PollTracker Average.

"The toxic nature of the Ryan budget simply can't be overstated," pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA wrote in a memo. "In Priorities USA Action polling in 2011 and 2012, descriptions of the Ryan budget were consistently and decisively the most effective messages against Romney and Republicans -- better than dozens of others tested. Descriptions of the Ryan plan's impact on education, taxes, Medicare, job training and high-tech research consistently raise 'major doubts' about Romney in over 55 percent of likely voters. Among independent and swing voters, the concerns are even greater."

The impetus for the Ryan proposals -- reducing the federal deficit -- is also important to voters. The same proportion of voters in the CNN poll that considered entitlement programs extremely or very important -- 79 percent -- said the same on reducing the deficit, meaning the Romney campaign can leverage Ryan's presence on the ticket to appeal to those voters.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ryans-presence-injects-entitlement-programs-2012-race-chart-101400161.html

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Pest control Sacramento and Pest Management - IdeaMarketers.com

This article deals with the concept of pests and pest control. It also lists down the different steps one can take for pest management.

Pests are becoming a major problem in cities like Sacramento. Pest control Sacramento has become one of the most called for services in the city as pests are causing a nuisance in almost every other house hold. They pose an eminent threat to mankind. They spread fast and will very soon start affecting human health. They already annoy humans. You can find them in the kitchen in the form of ants and beetles, in the bedrooms in the form of roaches and in the gardens in the form of weeds. No matter in what form they are present, pests are highly unwanted and disrupt the peace of mind of human beings.

Very few people have knowledge about pests and the different kinds of methods that can be undertaken in order to get rid of them effectively. Only some people are aware of the pesticides that are found in the market and whether or not they are safe to use. All people are truly aware of is the fact that they want the pests gone as soon as possible.

Not all pests are harmful to human beings. There are some pests that are very beneficial to human beings. However, they can still be a nuisance in the house or garden. Pests like rats, cockroaches, mice, ants and flies are common in a lot of households. These pests are capable of multiplying very fast. Effective pest control measure get rid of them and make sure that there are no more left to multiply and produce another big bunch of pests in the house.

The most effective way of controlling pests is by using pest management techniques. In order to control the problem, one must first identify it. Once that is done, you must determine if the pest if a beneficial one or a harmful one. Then one must decide on how serious an action is required to be taken. Then you must decide on a non-chemical pest control method, a chemical one or a biological one. Pest Control Sacramento services also make use of chemical pesticides; however, it should be done away from human beings.

If you are looking for any unique and valuable information on Pest Control Sacramento , you will find the best information provided by the author. He is very popular between the readers due to his unique style of writing and giving valuable information on roach control sacramento

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