Venezuela's Chavez in delicate state after surgery

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is in delicate condition after his latest surgery for cancer, the government said on Wednesday in a somber assessment that may indicate an end to his 14-year leadership of the South American OPEC nation.

Looking grave-faced in an address to the nation the day after Chavez's six-hour operation in Cuba, Vice President Nicolas Maduro urged Venezuelans to unite in prayer for the 58-year-old president and keep faith he would return soon.

"Yesterday's operation was complex, difficult and delicate, so the post-operation process will also be a complex and tough process," Maduro said, flanked by ministers who flew in to Caracas overnight after accompanying Chavez in Cuba.

Maduro spoke of "difficult" times ahead.

Chavez's downturn opens gaping uncertainty about the future of his self-styled socialist revolution in a nation of 29 million people with the world's largest oil reserves.

A frequent critic of the United States, Chavez has spearheaded a resurgence of the left in Latin America, galvanized a global "anti-imperialist" alliance from Iran to Belarus and led a decade-long push by developing nations for greater control over natural resources.

A close ally, Ecuador's President Rafael Correa, told reporters in Quito that Chavez was doing all right. "He is fine, even though the surgery was complex," Correa said.

At home, he has won cult-like status among the poor with his charisma and oil-financed largesse from health clinics to free homes. But he has alienated business with frequent nationalizations and angered many Venezuelans by putting ideological crusades over basic services.

Maduro, whom Chavez has named as a preferred successor should he be incapacitated, offered no medical details but urged Venezuelans to stay hopeful.

PRAYERS, REALITY

Supporters have been holding prayer vigils, while opponents also sent Chavez best wishes for a successful recovery.

"We continue praying for this post-operation phase, where he must continue overcoming difficulties. May God give him strength," said priest Walter Nabea.

In a plaza near the center of Caracas, neighbors came to write well wishes for Chavez on a white cloth. But government officials appeared to be cautiously preparing the president's supporters for the worst.

Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said in a statement that Venezuelans should view Chavez's situation like that of an ill relative and have faith that he will return.

"If he doesn't, our people should be ready to understand him. It would be irresponsible to hide the delicate nature of the moment we are currently living," he wrote.

State TV showed hours of footage of government officials pledging loyalty to Chavez, homages to the president and rank-and-file supporters gushing with admiration.

"He is a second Jesus Christ," one woman beamed.

The stakes also are enormous for allies around Latin America and the Caribbean who rely on generous oil subsidies and other aid from Chavez. President Raul Castro's communist government in Cuba is particularly vulnerable because of its dependence on more than 100,000 barrels of oil per day from Venezuela.

Wall Street investors also are watching closely in the hopes that Chavez's intransigent socialism will give way to a more market-friendly administration.

Venezuela's global bonds, which usually rise on bad news about Chavez's health, saw a muted reaction on Wednesday.

The operation was Chavez's fourth in Havana since mid-2011 for a recurring cancer in the pelvic region.

Opposition leaders have criticized the government for lack of transparency, pointing out that other Latin American leaders provided detailed reports of both diagnoses and treatments.

The president is due to start a new, six-year term on January 10 after his October re-election.

REGIONAL ELECTIONS LOOM

The Chavez health saga has eclipsed the buildup to regional elections on Sunday that will be an important test of political forces in Venezuela at such a pivotal moment.

Of most interest in the 23 state elections is opposition leader Henrique Capriles' bid to retain the Miranda governorship against a challenge from former Vice President Elias Jaua.

Polls have been mixed with one showing Capriles way ahead and another giving Jaua a 5 percentage point lead.

Capriles must win if he is to retain credibility and be the opposition's presidential candidate-in-waiting should Chavez's cancer force a new election. Even though it may be premature, many Venezuelans already are asking themselves what a Capriles versus Maduro presidential election would be like.

Capriles, who favors a Brazilian-style government promoting open markets with firm welfare safeguards, won 44 percent in the election, a record 6.5 million votes for the opposition.

Although past polls have shown Capriles more popular than all of Chavez's allies, that would not necessarily be the case against a Maduro candidacy imbued with Chavez's personal blessing and with the power of the Socialist Party behind him.

"Capriles is probably the only potential opposition candidate with sufficient national presence, name recognition and organization to defeat a sympathy-buoyed Nicolas Maduro in a short campaign," Credit Suisse said in a research note.

(Additional reporting by Marianna Parraga, Eyanir Chinea, Mario Naranjo and Efrain Otero; Editing by Bill Trott and Cynthia Osterman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/venezuelans-crave-clarity-chavezs-post-op-condition-143442305.html

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Facebook Changes Privacy Settings - Business Insider

Facebook has changed its privacy settings once again.

And while it sounds like for the most part the changes are for the better, there's one tweak that's going to upset tens of millions of users.

Let's tackle the annoying thing first.

Facebook is stripping users of the ability to hide themselves from its search engine, Nick Bilton at Bits reports.

Product director Sam Lessin says only "a single-digit percentage of users" ever hid themselves from Facebook's search engine, so, to him it's no big whoop.

But, Bilton points out that Facebook has a billion users, so even 1% is still tens of millions of users.

And down the road, this could prove to be quite terrible for users. CEO Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook is planning to do more with search. Facebook already has one billion queries on a daily basis and it's basically doing that without trying. Zuckerberg believes Facebook is "uniquely positioned" to do something with search.

If that happens, and you can't opt out of being in Facebook's search engine it could be very intrusive. Even today, for some people, like say, psychiatrists who don't want their patients to find them, not being able to opt out of search is treacherous. Sometimes, you really can't have people finding you on Facebook.

As for the other changes, they're actually improvements, says Bilton. There is a new icon in the top of the Facebook banner that gives users access to quicker privacy settings. From there you can block people and see what's shared or not shared.

Here's a screenshot of what it looks like:

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-changes-privacy-settings-2012-12

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93% The Sessions

All Critics (150) | Top Critics (39) | Fresh (140) | Rotten (10)

Achieves its sunny disposition by pulling punches.

A funny, tender and mostly unsentimentalized movie about physical and emotional triumph.

Forced to do all his acting with his face, Hawkes displays the kind of camera-arresting capability that has earned others Oscar nominations.

This is a crowd-pleaser of the finest sort.

Using only his tilted head, his eyes, nose, and mouth and that quizzical voice, Hawkes brings O'Brien to life.

The laughs are always gentle, which is descriptive of the film as a whole, as it strives to reconnect cinematic sex with shared humanity.

Vera is something of a missed opportunity here.

A movie about sex that shows a whole lot of sex, but isn't sex-obsessed. The Sessions grabs you in the heart rather than the loins.

An inspiring tale that celebrates the human spirit, underscores the value of connections, and laughs at the beautifully embarrassing urges that make us what we are.

Deeply moving. The Oscar-worthy (John) Hawkes invests his character with a sense of grace and humor that nullifies any potential pity. This is a great movie for adults and even for older adolescents.

It is rare to watch a movie where sex is treated with maturity, religion is treated with respect and characters are so heart-warmingly written and portrayed.

Raw, unrestrained and sympathetic without giving in to melodrama, 'The Sessions' is about a man facing a physical challenge who decides he wants to become intimate with a woman.

An intelligent, funny, insightful film that offers a frank examination of sex. It's not prurient or titillating, just truthful.

A remarkable actor, John Hawkes, gives a remarkable performance as a remarkable character.

Surprisingly funny and touching.

Presents the sensitive O'Brien as a brave, funny, unselfish and unlikely romantic-fantasy dream hero for disappointed, weary or jaded older female moviegoers.

The uplifting struggle for living a life of dignity for paralyzed from the neck down polio victim Mark O'Brien.

The sex scenes are frank and explicit, but never cheap and exploitative. (Yes, they get naked. Grow up.) The nudity isn't airbrushed pin-up perfection, but raw and real - and all the more lovely and moving because of it.

Taking the good with the bad, this isn't a terrible movie, though it is being rather overhyped. I found myself laughing a lot and enjoying the transformations the actors go through, but an unengaging story only serves to drag it down.

A film, inspired by the life of the late poet-journalist Mark O'Brien, that celebrates the relationship between physical and emotional intimacy.

Not just another weepy drama of overcoming odds, a My Left Foot with a different appendage. The Sessions is often brazenly funny, not from shocking dialogue but characters reacting the way people do, especially with such a flustering subject as sex.

an unusually frank and frequently humorous meditation on the transformative power of connection

Take away the nudity and the frank sex talk and you'd pretty much be left with a high-minded TV movie -- with unusually good actors.

Hunt's tangible disregard for false modesty does justice to the misunderstood surrogacy profession, while Hawkes' committed yet matter-of-fact portrayal of O'Brien masterfully avoids theatricality or sappy heartstring tugging.

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

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Livewire Digital Powers Fallen Heroes Memorial Kiosk at Prospect Hill Cemetery

Livewire Digital is pleased to announce the deployment of its eConcierge? kiosk and digital signage software for the Historic Prospect Hill Cemetery Heritage Foundation. The interactive digital sign was unveiled during a Veteran's Day weekend ceremony, and features photos and information of over 6,600 soldiers lost in Iraq and Afghanistan.

York, PA (PRWEB) December 11, 2012

In a Veteran's Day weekend ceremony at Prospect Hill Cemetery, a new digital Fallen Heroes memorial was unveiled to the public. The 46" touchscreen-based digital sign honors the more than 6,600 soldiers killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars by rotating through pictures submitted by families of the deceased. The pictures range from birthday celebrations, to holiday get-togethers, and to ski trips, allowing visitors to view the more personal side of these heroes.

The project was the result of a promise Historic Prospect Hill Cemetery Heritage Foundation President Jack Sommer made to local families in 2010 when the cemetery retired a temporary memorial of over 4,400 flags representing the soldiers lost in Iraq. Encased in black granite, the interactive digital sign represents a "more fitting, permanent memorial" according to Sommer. The cemetery worked with local businesses for two years to make the vision a reality.

Livewire Digital, a Patriot Sponsor, provided the technology behind the memorial. Its eConcierge digital signage and content management system powers the display's rotation of photos. At the touch of a finger on the screen, visitors may search for soldiers by name, state, branch of service, and date of death. An additional touch on the search results yields more photos and information about each soldier.

Livewire's CEO, David McCracken comments "Livewire Digital is proud to be a sponsor of the memorial. These men and women have made the ultimate sacrifice for all Americans, and this is just one small way to pay tribute to them."

The digital sign utilizes a hi-bright LCD screen which allows it to be easily seen during daylight hours. "It's really unique," says Sommer. "We have the ability to show the photos of every U.S. service person who (gave) their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan." York-based Gamlet, Inc. donated the metal fixtures and expertise in securing the LCD to the granite.

Gold Star families of fallen soldiers may send pictures to fallenheroes (at) prospecthill (dot) org for inclusion in the digital signage display.

About Livewire Digital

Livewire is the Power to Connect, creating software solutions for kiosks, digital signage, and mobile applications, all managed from our eConcierge? Content Management System. Our many turnkey solutions increase revenue and productivity for our customers, while lowering overhead and providing seamless integration. Livewire provides cutting-edge software, hardware consulting, and system integration, bringing the necessary puzzle pieces together to increase customer engagement and a better end-user experience.

Simply put, we build software that elevates your experience and exceeds your expectations.

Linda Gilbert
Livewire Digital
717-718-1241
Email Information

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/livewire-digital-powers-fallen-heroes-memorial-kiosk-prospect-164621290.html

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Hugo Chavez Says His Cancer Is Back & He's Going to Cuba for ...

In this photo released by Miraflores Press Office, Venezuela?s President Hugo Chavez , right, kisses a crucifix beside the President of the national Assembly Diosdado Cabello during a televised speech form his office at Miraflores Presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2012. Chavez announced that his cancer has returned and that he will undergo another surgery in Cuba. Chavez, who won re-election on Oct. 7, also said for the first time that if his health were to worsen, his successor would be Vice President Nicolas Maduro. (AP)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) ? Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is heading back to Cuba on Sunday for more surgery for cancer, announcing on television that the illness has returned after two previous operations, chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

Chavez acknowledged the seriousness of his situation in an address Saturday night, saying for the first time that if he suffers complications Vice President Nicolas Maduro should take his place as Venezuela?s leader and continue his socialist movement.

?There are risks. Who can deny it?? Chavez said, seated at the presidential palace beside Maduro and other aides.

?In any circumstance, we should guarantee the advance of the Bolivarian Revolution,? Chavez said.

Outside medical experts said that based on Chavez?s account of his condition, he is facing a very difficult fight against an aggressive type of cancer.

The president, who just returned from Cuba early Friday, said tests had found a return of ?some malignant cells? in the same area where tumors were previously removed.

Chavez, who has yet to be sworn in for his new term after winning re-election on Oct. 7, said he would return to Havana on Sunday and would undergo the operation in the coming days.

Chavez?s quick trip home appeared aimed at sending a clear directive to his inner circle that Maduro is his chosen successor. He called for his allies to pull together, saying: ?Unity, unity, unity.?

Chavez said his doctors had recommended he have the surgery right away, but that he had told them he wanted to return to Venezuela first.

?I want to go there. I need to go to Venezuela,? Chavez recalled telling his doctors. ?And what I came for was this,? he said, seated below a portrait of independence hero Simon Bolivar, the inspiration of his Bolivarian Revolution movement.

Chavez named Maduro, his longtime foreign minister, as his choice for vice president three days after winning re-election. Maduro, a burly former bus driver, has shown unflagging loyalty and become a leading spokesman for Venezuela?s socialist leader in recent years.

The vice president?s expression was solemn as Chavez said that Maduro should become president if any complication were to prevent him from finishing his current term, which concludes in early January. Chavez said that if new elections are held, his movement?s candidate should be Maduro.

?In that scenario, which under the constitution would require presidential elections to be held again, you all elect Nicolas Maduro as president,? Chavez said. ?I ask that of you from my heart.?

Chavez held a small blue copy of the constitution in his hands and waved it. The Venezuelan constitution says that if a president-elect dies before taking office, a new election should be held within 30 days and that in the meantime the president of the National Assembly is to be in charge of the government.

While he spoke, Chavez was flanked by both Maduro and National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello.

Chavez is scheduled to be sworn in for a new six-year term Jan. 10, and he called his relapse a ?new battle.?

This will be his third operation to remove cancerous tissue in about a year and a half.

The 58-year-old president first underwent surgery for an unspecified type of pelvic cancer in Cuba in June 2011, after an operation for a pelvic abscess earlier in the month found the cancer. He had another cancer surgery last February after a tumor appeared in the same area. He has also undergone chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Chavez said tests immediately after his re-election win had shown no sign of cancer. But he said he had swelling and pain, which he thought was due to ?the effort of the campaign and the radiation therapy treatment.?

?It?s a very sensitive area, so we started to pay a lot of attention to that,? he said, adding that he had reduced his public appearances.

Chavez made his most recent trip to Cuba on the night of Nov. 27, saying he would receive hyperbaric oxygen treatment. Such treatment is regularly used to help heal tissues damaged by radiation treatment.

Chavez said that while he was in Cuba tests detected the recurrence of cancer.

He arrived back in Caracas on Friday after 10 days of medical treatment, but until Saturday night had not referred to his health. His unexplained decision to skip a summit of regional leaders in Brazil on Friday had raised suspicions among many Venezuelans that his health had taken a turn for the worse.

?I hope to give you all good news in the coming days,? said Chavez, who held up a crucifix and kissed it. ?With the grace of God, we?ll come out victorious.?

Dr. Carlos Castro, scientific director of the League Against Cancer in neighboring Colombia, told The Associated Press that he expects the operation will likely be followed by more chemotherapy.

?It?s behaving like a sarcoma, and sarcoma doesn?t forgive,? Castro said, adding that he wouldn?t be surprised if the cancer had also spread to the lungs or other areas.

?We knew this was going to happen,? he said. ?This isn?t good.?

Throughout his treatment, Chavez has kept secret various details about his illness, including the precise location of the tumors and the type of cancer. He has said he travels to Cuba for treatment because his cancer was diagnosed by doctors there.

Dr. Michael Pishvaian, an oncologist at Georgetown University?s Lombardi Cancer Center in Washington, said in a phone interview that he wasn?t surprised by the news.

?I think this is recurrent cancer that at this point is almost certainly not going to go away,? Pishvaian said. ?It?s unlikely that what he?s going through now is curable.?

He speculated that given what Chavez has said about his cancer, it is most likely a soft-tissue sarcoma. He said those in the pelvis area have a likelihood of recurring of 50 percent to 70 percent, even with the best treatment.

Source: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/hugo-chavez-says-his-cancer-is-back-hes-going-to-cuba-for-more-surgery-and-names-his-desired-successor-just-in-case/

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Ex-Fla. Gov. Crist tweets he's joining Democrats

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) ? Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who was elected as the state's chief executive as a Republican and then ran for the U.S. Senate as an independent, announced on Twitter on Friday night that he's switching to the Democratic Party.

Crist sent out a Tweet that said, "Proud and honored to join the Democratic Party in the home of President (at)Barack Obama!"

The Tweet included a photo of a smiling Crist and an unidentified woman as he held up a Florida voter registration application. The Tampa Bay Times reports that Crist signed the papers changing his affiliation from independent to Democrat at a Christmas reception at The White House.

A message left for Crist wasn't immediately returned Friday night.

Crist was elected Florida governor in 2006 while in the GOP. As he moved to run for the U.S. Senate in 2010, he faced a tough primary challenge from the right and bolted the GOP to run as an independent. He lost a three-way Senate contest in 2010 to Republican Marco Rubio.

Crist spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte that nominated President Barack Obama for a second term. Crist, 56, is also viewed as a potential Democratic challenger to Republican Gov. Rick Scott in 2014.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-07-Crist-Democratic%20Party/id-71814a08eaa943fa8b68b874a00c54de

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Apple to return some Mac production to U.S. in 2013

SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Apple Inc plans to move some production of Macintosh computers to the United States from China next year, Chief Executive Tim Cook said in remarks published on Thursday, in what could be a important test of the nascent comeback in U.S. electronics manufacturing.

Apple makes the majority of its products, from Macs to the iPhone and iPad, in China, the world's factory floor for electronics. But like other U.S. corporations, it has come under fire for relying on low-cost Asian labor and contributing to the decline of the U.S. manufacturing sector.

Cook did not say which Macintosh products will be produced in the United States. But the effort is expected to go well beyond simple final assembly of devices, with Apple and unnamed partners building most or all of the components in the United States as well.

The company will spend more than $100 million on the U.S. manufacturing initiative, Cook said in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek published on Thursday.

"This doesn't mean that Apple will do it ourselves, but we'll be working with people and we'll be investing our money," Cook said.

He told NBC's "Rock Center" program, in an interview to be aired later Thursday, that only one of the existing Mac product lines would be manufactured exclusively in the United States.

Apple declined to comment beyond the interview.

Cross Research analyst Shannon Cross said it made sense for Apple to bring some manufacturing back to the United States, because some components were already being produced here.

Also, while cheaper labor costs have been a key factor in encouraging U.S. manufacturers to move production to China, wages and other costs have risen sharply - particularly in the main coastal manufacturing centers. Labor costs, moreover, account for only a tiny portion of overall expenses: the research firm iSuppy says the total cost, including labor, for final manufacturing of an iPhone 5 is just $8.

Experts estimate that the total base cost of all components that go into the gadget, or bill of materials, comes to around $200.

Cross pointed to other potential benefits of U.S. manufacturing, including mitigating the risk of intellectual property theft.

Cook has said in the past that he would like to see more of the company's products assembled back home, but declining U.S. manufacturing expertise made that difficult. Apple makes applications processors for the iPad and iPhone via Samsung Electronics in Austin, Texas, and sources glass for the same devices from a Corning facility in Kentucky.

IHS iSuppli, a research firm that tracks supply chains, said the company now outsources production of notebook personal computers to Taiwan's Quanta Inc and Foxconn, which also makes the iPhone and iPad, and Pegatron Corp. Foxconn and Quanta have U.S. facilities.

"Apple's move appears to be a symbolic effort to help improve its public image, which has been battered in recent years by reports of labor issues at its contract manufacturing partners in Asia," Craig Stice, senior principal analyst for computer systems at His. "However, given Apple's high profile in the market, the company's 'insourcing' initiative could compel other companies to follow suit and transfer production to the United States over the next few years."

Apple's stock rose 1.6 percent on Thursday, a tepid bounceback from Wednesday's 6.4 percent dive that was its biggest single-day loss in almost four years.

MAKING STRIDES

Analysts say the stock, which has fallen steadily since September, has come under pressure from investors worried about the rapidly intensifying competition from Google Inc's Android products.

Samsung, in particular, has emerged as a formidable competitor, chipping away at Apple's dominance in the tablet market and leading the smartphone pack in China, where the U.S. company's smartphone market ranking fell to No. 6 in the third quarter from No. 4 in the previous three months, research outfit IDC estimates.

Samsung's stock has climbed 8 percent since the end of September.

Apple's domestic manufacturing effort will likely buy the brand some goodwill at home, where the debate about off-shoring has heated up as the economy sputters along. It has also come under fire for dismal working conditions at Foxconn, and critics have accused Apple of promoting inhumane hours and helping create a high-stress environment for migrant workers.

Beyond the marketing boost, some analysts said Apple could blaze a trail should it prove that American manufacturing of electronics can be profitable.

"It seems to me like a nice time for Apple to do something," Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi said. "If it can be a profitable business, and others follow, then Apple has shown the way."

Earlier this year, Google made waves when it announced that it would build its Nexus Q home entertainment streaming device - deemed by many analysts to be an experimental product - right in the heart of Silicon Valley. Google said it hoped to speed up innovation on the device and improve time-to-market.

And Lenovo Group Ltd - China's largest PC maker - this year said it will move a limited amount of computer manufacturing to North Carolina, to be closer to the market.

"Lenovo's announcement appears to have flown under the radar," said Jeffrey Wu, senior analyst for OEM research at IHS.

"Apple is a company that is always in the spotlight, and the company's image sets the standard in the PC world. If Apple is doing it, will others follow?"

(Editing by Maureen Bavdek and Richard Chang)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apple-return-mac-production-u-2013-004014847--sector.html

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