U.S. singer Robin Thicke holds on to UK number one

LONDON (Reuters) - American R&B singer Robin Thicke has notched up a fourth week at the top of the British pop charts with his summer hit "Blurred Lines", the compiler said on Sunday.

The Official Charts Company said Thicke sold a further 133,000 copies of the single over the last week to bring total UK sales to 718,000, the year's second biggest selling track.

The song, which features vocals by U.S. artists T.I. and Pharrell Williams, has already been a number one hit in the United States and around the world.

Second place on the weekly single chart went to American singer Jason Derulo's new release "The Other Side".

London-based rapper Dizzee Rascal was the second highest new entry at number five with "Goin' Crazy", a collaboration with British singer Robbie Williams.

On the album charts, U.S. rapper Kanye West secured the number one position with his new entry, "Yeezus". It was his first British number one album since "Graduation" in 2007.

Last week's top-selling album, "13", by heavy metal veterans Black Sabbath, fell one spot to second place.

(Reporting by Peter Griffiths; Editing by Alison Williams)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-singer-robin-thicke-holds-uk-number-one-180809196.html

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Martin Truex Jr. snaps 218-race losing streak

Martin Truex Jr. celebrates after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race on Sunday, June 23, 2013, in Sonoma, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Martin Truex Jr. celebrates after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race on Sunday, June 23, 2013, in Sonoma, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Martin Truex Jr. sprays his team after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race on Sunday, June 23, 2013, in Sonoma, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Martin Truex Jr. holds up his trophy after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race on Sunday, June 23, 2013, in Sonoma, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Juan Pablo Montoya, of Colombia, leaves his car after it ran out of gas on the finish line at the end of the NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race on Sunday, June 23, 2013, in Sonoma, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Juan Pablo Montoya, of Colombia, crawls across the finish line after running out of gas at the end of the NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race on Sunday, June 23, 2013, in Sonoma, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

SONOMA, Calif. (AP) ? The post-race party was a blur after Martin Truex Jr.'s first win in 2007. The celebratory cool-down lap, the burnouts, the drive to Victory Lane all happened so fast.

So he planned to savor every minute of his next win.

He just didn't think it would take six years.

Truex snapped a 218-race winless streak Sunday with an easy victory on the road course at Sonoma Raceway. It was only the second win of Truex's career, but it put Michael Waltrip Racing in Victory Lane for the second year in a row after Clint Bowyer won here last season.

Overwhelmed with emotion as he crossed the finish line, Truex made the celebration count.

"I was a freaking mess. It was terrible," he said. "I had to stop and start doing donuts because I couldn't think about what I was doing. I tried to key the radio once and I couldn't even talk. So I thought, 'OK, I'm going to do some donuts and wave to the fans.' But after I stopped the first time and did that, I calmed down a little bit and I just wanted to make sure I took my time coming back, because I remember at Dover it all happens way too fast. You never know when you're going to get that opportunity again."

Truex blew out his rear tires, tried to wave to every single fan he saw, and took a slow drive around the picturesque road course on his way to Victory Lane, where the MWR crew was waiting to drink from the winner's enormous wine glass.

"I told them on the radio, if they're waiting on me, too bad. I'm taking my time," he said. "You can't explain the feeling. When it's been that long and you worked so hard and you've been so close ... when you think at times, 'Man, is this ever going to happen again?' You can't explain the feeling. It's pretty surreal."

Truex worked his way to the front and used strategy to stay with the leaders. He then pulled away after the final restart and built a healthy lead of more than six seconds over Juan Pablo Montoya, who was running second until he ran out of gas on the final lap.

"I'm ecstatic. But I'm not exactly sure how that happened," said Truex, who admitted he wasn't pleased with his car following Friday's practices. "The car was just phenomenal all day long and once I was near the front and didn't have to run the car 110 percent, it just would stay with me on the long runs and I was able to drive away from everyone."

Montoya, who came into the weekend knowing if he didn't win he would at least have a huge points day, dropped all the way to 34th after having to coast to the finish. He took a shortcut to skip the final turn, drifted to the finish line and parked. He then walked back to the garage, annoyed his Chip Ganassi Racing team never told him to save fuel.

"We've got tools to prevent things like that from happening," Montoya said.

"I don't know if all the fuel didn't go," Montoya said. "This is what we've been doing all year. We all work together and we're all trying to do the best we can. Half the reason we're 20-something in points ? we're not 20-something in points because we're not running fast. We're 20-something in points because we had a lot of mechanical problems and days like this we throw them away."

Crew chief Chris Heroy was perplexed about the shortage.

"We don't know what happened ? we were on the same strategy as (Truex)," Heroy said through a team spokeswoman. "We're going to go back to the shop and figure it out."

Montoya got little sympathy from Kyle Busch, who was spun by Montoya early in the race when Montoya drove too deep into a corner and wheel-hopped over a curb.

"Awww. My heart melts for @jpmontoya who ran out of gas," Busch tweeted moments after the race.

Jeff Gordon finished second a week after he was wrecked six laps into the race at Michigan, but felt like he might have had a chance to win if he had not already committed to pit seconds before a caution came out early in the race.

"I mean, I really do think we had a shot winning this race. We had a tremendous car," Gordon said. "I knew we were screwed. There was nothing I could do; I was hard on the brakes, fully committed. I couldn't turn away from it, I just knew we had to eat it and go on, and that's what we did."

Carl Edwards was third, followed by Kurt Busch, who climbed back from a pair of speeding penalties.

"Yeah, we were fast, even on pit road. Twice," Busch laughed. "I messed-up, flat-out. I didn't hit my tachometer right and I was speeding both times. It was one of those where I'm like, how does that happen? I just put myself in a position that was poor trying to get too much on pit road."

Bowyer wound up fifth in a strong day for the MWR Toyotas.

Kasey Kahne was sixth and followed by Marcos Ambrose, who was extremely disappointed he didn't win a race in which he was heavily favored.

"It's OK. We got a top-10 out of it," Ambrose said. "I wanted to win. Of course I wanted to win, but that's the way it goes."

Greg Biffle was eighth and followed by Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick in the top 10.

The race got off to an inauspicious start before it even began with a pit road accident, a mechanical issue for Jacques Villeneuve and an oil line failure for Bobby Labonte.

The accident occurred as the cars were headed onto the track and David Reutimann stopped his car on pit road. Alex Kennedy stopped behind Reutimann, and Paulie Harraka slammed into the back of Kennedy.

The damage wasn't significant enough to prevent Harraka from making his Sprint Cup Series debut. But it was a short-lived race for the first driver to advance from NASCAR's diversity program into a Cup race ? Harraka spun and crashed his car six laps later.

Meanwhile, a parts failure caused Labonte to dump oil all over pit road before the race and he was forced to take his car to the garage for a quick repair. Labonte made it onto the track for the green flag, but his engine failed on the first lap.

"It blew up, dude," Labonte said on his radio. "Something in the bottom engine because it had no oil pressure."

Villeneuve had an issue shifting his gears and had to stay on pit road for a quick repair before trying to catch up to the field at the start of the race. He made it, but the problem wasn't completely corrected and he was back on pit road after 19 laps for more repairs.

Busch had back-to-back speeding penalties in yet another race that slipped away. He led 15 laps, lost the lead to former teammate Brad Keselowski, then was flagged for speeding when he went in for a scheduled pit stop. He had to return to pit road for a stop-and-go penalty and was flagged for speeding again.

It dropped Busch to 38th in the running order, from where he had to climb back to steal his strong finish.

His brother also had his share of problems. Kyle Busch was spun early in the race by Montoya to lose a ton of track position, then gave up everything he made up when he was caught speeding on pit road. He also spun at least two more times during the race.

Danica Patrick, thought to be a contender based on her strong runs in Nationwide Series road races, struggled all weekend to find speed and was done in by a flat rear tire just past the halfway point. The tire issue caused her to spin into a barrier and make multiple pit stops for repairs.

"It was a long day, a long weekend," Patrick said. "We just couldn't get the car to the point where I was comfortable with it. We just couldn't get much to go our way this weekend. Having the cut tire and going into the tire barrier was just sort of salt in the wound."

Pole-sitter Jamie McMurray never even led a lap under green as he was passed at the start by Ambrose, and his race took a big hit when he later ran off course with a tire problem and lost a lap.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-06-23-NASCAR-Sonoma/id-8cb8565d8c9d4e0dbb1ace6f5c068456

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AOL Launches Its Own News Reader

With Google Reader's demise looming, a host of media companies have jumped to fill the impending void. The latest? Good ol' AOL.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/T_Dez2pCywU/

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Obama to lay out climate change plan in Tuesday speech (reuters)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/314549673?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Mobile Advertising Ecosystem Explained - Business Insider

We are in the post-PC era, and soon billions of consumers will be carrying around Internet-connected mobile devices for up to 16 hours a day.?Mobile audiences have exploded as a result.

Mobile advertising should be a bonanza, similar to online advertising a decade ago. However, it has been a bit slow off the ground, and its growth trajectory is not clear cut.

In a recent report from?BI?Intelligence?on the mobile advertising ecosystem, we?explain the complexities and fractures, and examine the central and dynamic roles played by mobile ad networks, demand side platforms, mobile ad exchanges, real-time bidding, agencies, brands, and new companies hoping to upend the traditional banner ad.

Access The Full Report And Data By Signing Up For A Free Trial Today >>

Here's the dynamics surrounding the mobile advertising ecosystem:

• Mobile advertising is relatively tiny:?U.S. mobile ad revenue was $1.2 billion last year, a tiny fraction of overall U.S. ad spend.?And most "mobile ads" were simply search and display ads viewed on mobile.??According to BI Intelligence estimates, mobile advertising is on track to hit $3.2 billion this year.?
• Why??Mobile CPMS are low, and ads are oftentimes intrusive.?Ad spending has therefore not caught up with time spent on mobile.?These will remain significant challenges to mobile ads.
• Also, the mobile ad ecosystem is very complex:?The mobile ad ecosystem is not as strictly delineated as the desktop ecosystem.?In mobile advertising, the rules of the road change with different combinations of device, wireless operator, and operating system.
• And there are few shared protocols or standards: Mobile lacks the technical consensus that enables ad targeting, delivery, and measurement to work fairly seamlessly across the desktop world.?As the mobile ad industry matures it will likely become more streamlined and simple, but for now there are innumerable actors interacting with one another and attempting to find a niche.
• The display ad category presents a dynamic and complicated future:?Google?dominated the paid search category, which accounted for?62 percent of mobile global ad spend last year. But, mobile ad networks, demand side platforms, mobile ad exchanges are all part of a dynamic ecosystem that is constantly evolving and trying to grow non-search mobile related advertising. New companies are also testing out and finding some success with mobile native ad formats.?

In full, the?report:

To access BI Intelligence's full reports on The Mobile Advertising Ecosystem, sign up for a free trial subscription here.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/mobile-advertising-ecosystem-explained-2013-6

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A Private Jet Catalog That Actually Flies: This Is How You Sell Luxury

When you're dealing with clients who will potentially be spending millions of dollars on your product, it doesn't hurt to splurge a little on your promotional items. After all, you've got to spend money to make money, so the brochure for Embraer's new Lineage 1000 private jet was designed to fly just like the aircraft itself?or float, at least.

The brochure, which looks more like a lavish coffee table book, features a magnet embedded in its back cover that repels it a few inches above an included electromagnetic base. Sent to just a select few of Embraer's more lucrative clients, the brochure's cover also features a 3D relief of the jet, to help further sell the aircraft and the idea that the company will go above and beyond for its customers. [YouTube via Taxi]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/a-private-jet-catalog-that-actually-flies-this-is-how-513992317

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Analysis: Why bankrupt W.R. Grace is thriving

By Ernest Scheyder and Nick Brown

COLUMBIA, Md./NEW YORK (Reuters) - A company stuck in bankruptcy for 12 years may not seem like much of a catch, but investors have fallen in love with U.S. specialty chemical manufacturer W.R. Grace & Co and its surging sales to the energy sector.

One of the longest bankruptcies in U.S. history, Grace filed for Chapter 11 protection in 2001 after an asbestos leak at one of its mines led to thousands of lawsuits against the company.

Through bankruptcy, Grace was able to pause debt repayments, survive two recessions and take advantage of a U.S. shale energy revolution that is fueling demand for its fine-powder catalysts, which help refiners process crude oil into gasoline, heating oil and other products.

The company's stock has more than tripled in the past three years and counts 46 hedge funds among investors as of March 31.

"Bankruptcy has been a great place to hide out," said Scott Baena, an attorney who helped negotiate the settlements on behalf of property damage claimants. "It has for all intents and purposes been business as usual."

Grace closed its mine in Libby, Montana, in 1990 after discovering the process it used to extract vermiculite - a mineral used in commercial insulation - caused the release of asbestos. More than 400 residents died from asbestos exposure.

Early in the case, plaintiffs claimed Grace's personal injury liability topped $7 billion, 14 times what the company had estimated, said Peter Lockwood, a lawyer for a committee of Grace's personal injury claimants.

Had the matter gone to trial and the plaintiffs prevailed, it may have crippled Grace.

Instead, Grace settled for about $4 billion and agreed to set up trusts for the victims, and took similar measures with its property damage claimants.

Grace's bankruptcy was akin to hitting "pause" on its liabilities while it figured out the most efficient way to address them. Most companies struggle to make money while in Chapter 11, but Grace continued to thrive. It is erecting a $20 million building on campus for executive offices, funding the project through cash flow.

Creditors of most bankrupt companies would object to such expenses because they could eat into recoveries. Grace's creditors and shareholders have let it slide.

"As long the company is not in danger of being unable to pay the money it's going to owe, creditors take a more relaxed attitude," said Lockwood.

RIDING ENERGY WAVE

Technically, there is no court-set limit on how long a company can remain in bankruptcy. However, the process is designed to help craft a plan to repay creditors, and courts look down on companies that do not make a good-faith effort to restructure. In such cases, courts usually allow creditors to present their own plans for how to restructure the company.

Executives at Grace have said for years that an exit from bankruptcy is just around the corner, only to have dates come and go. Now, with a court hearing on Monday and rulings not expected until the fall, an exit may not come until 2014.

"Obviously, we're all eager to come out of bankruptcy," Chief Financial Officer Hudson La Force said in an interview at Grace's Columbia, Maryland, headquarters. "There are a few steps that need to happen first."

Leaving bankruptcy protection will allow creditors to be paid, asbestos liabilities to be met, and give the company access to debt markets and let it dispense cash to shareholders, Grace said.

Grace tailor-makes catalysts for Tesoro Corp , Citgo Petroleum Corp and other refinery customers to match the chemical makeup of the shale oil that will be refined, a step for which the company charges a premium.

Sales of the product constitute roughly 32 percent of Grace's 2012 pretax profit, and the company earned $94.1 million last year, up 20 percent from 2001 when it entered bankruptcy.

"Whether we're out of bankruptcy one day or another, the reality is that it's not affecting our earnings. It's not affecting our cash flow," La Force said.

Surging catalyst sales have boosted Grace's stock price to $82.69 as of Friday's close. That is vastly higher than the $1.52 per share when the company filed for bankruptcy on April 2, 2001.

Yet the stock is widely overvalued and should be trading at an intrinsic value of $56.37, based on expected growth rates over the next decade, according to Thomson Reuters StarMine.

That "might not be taking into account the full scope of Grace's performance and some of the intangibles around management effectiveness and management credibility," said Mark Sutherland, Grace's director of investor relations.

RESTRUCTURING PLAN

As part of its bankruptcy, Grace filed a restructuring plan that will channel all current and future injury and property damage claims to trusts, pushing the liability off books.

Grace will receive help in funding the trusts from third parties, including Sealed Air Corp , that shared in the alleged asbestos liability.

Grace had promised shareholders it would use $1 billion after bankruptcy for either buybacks or a dividend. Yet roughly $490 million will have to be used immediately to redeem stock warrants held by one of the asbestos trusts, limiting payouts to stockholders.

Still, with $453.6 million in annual cash flows and no debt, shareholders stand to reap rewards, said Chris Shaw, an analyst with Monness, Crespi, Hardt & Co who tracks Grace.

"That's always been a positive about Grace: they're a strong cash generator," he said. "They want to reward the shareholders who have stuck with them through the whole bankruptcy process."

Grace's bankruptcy could stretch at least into next year as creditor objections to its exit plan wind through the courts.

In oral arguments at the U.S. Court of Appeals in Philadelphia on Monday, a bank lending group led by JPMorgan Chase & Co will claim the plan does not pay its members enough interest, while a South Carolina hospital will argue that its pending property damage claim would not be fairly adjudicated under the plan. Other objectors include the state of Montana, the Canadian government and Garlock Sealing Technologies Inc.

If the court rejects the appeals, Grace could take another two to three months to exit bankruptcy, in part because it still needs to secure a bankruptcy exit loan, La Force said.

That does not take into account possible appeals at the U.S. Supreme Court, which could further delay its exit from bankruptcy.

Doug Roll, mayor of Libby, Montana, said his town has been "trying to get beyond" the asbestos-related problems.

"As far as we're concerned, Grace is gone," Roll said. "And good riddance."

(Editing by Tiffany Wu and Matthew Lewis)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-why-bankrupt-w-r-grace-thriving-122316867.html

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Canadian Astronomers Battle Funding Cuts and Perceptions

MONTREAL, Quebec ? Flashing a picture of the star HR 8799 and its four alien planets on a big screen, astronomer Andrew Cumming smiled. "This is the most amazing picture in exoplanet science!" he exclaimed.

Cumming described how astronomers tracked minute variations in the system to study these alien worlds: "Over four years, we started to see one planet moving in its orbit," he told delegates of the Canadian Science Writers' Association during a talk at McGill University here June 7.

Cumming is a theoretical astrophysicist at the university who focuses on compact objects, particularly super-dense neutron stars, as well as exoplanets. These days, though, his attention is somewhat distracted. There are changes afoot in Canadian astronomy funding.

Last year, at least one of the Canadian Space Agency's astronomy programs came close to the chopping block amid government cost-cutting, he said. Even today, many researchers are nervous. [Photo Tour: Canadian Space Agency Headquarters]

"One always wants more invested in the field you're working in," Cumming told SPACE.com, echoing concerns of several astronomers at the conference.

Research vs. business

Canadian astronomy receives funding principally from three government departments: the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and the National Research Council (not to be confused with the U.S. entity of the same name.)

Money is tight these days in the Canadian government, however. Officials with the ruling Conservative party have said they are conscious of the federal budget deficit and must make cuts. Critics, however, argue that fundamental research is coming under attack.

In May, Tory officials said they would change the NRC's mandate to "invest in large-scale research projects that are directed by and for Canadian business."

In response, the Canadian Association of University Teachers called the change "short-sighted, misguided and unbalanced" because it would jeopardize the resources of universities that rely on NRC labs to perform research. Other researchers cried foul in the media.

Meanwhile, the CSA's budget for space exploration, which includes astronomy, will fall in coming years, according to the latest figures released by the agency in mid-2012.

From $148.2 million ($151 million in Canadian dollars) in 2011-12, funds will decrease 40 percent to $91.2 million ($93 million CDN) in 2014-15.

One initiative called the "space science enhancement program" (SSEP) was nearly canceled last year, Cumming said. The CSA website now has a notice saying it is suspended. (Agency officials did not respond to requests for comment.)

The top goal of SSEP was, according to the CSA website, "to maximize the scientific return to Canada by providing funding to space science projects and activities in the areas of initial instrument studies, data analysis and other space science-related academic studies."

Cumming added that with the James Webb Space Telescope taking $143.6 million ($146 million CDN) from Canadian space funds over 10 years, he worried the slices of research left would starve to death. The over-budget successor telescope to Hubble is expected to launch in 2018, costing more than $8 billion, most of which is coming from NASA.

Funding fundamental science

Ren? Doyon, a University of Montreal researcher who is principal investigator of a near-infrared spectrograph instrument on James Webb, said he sees the telescope as a worthy investment for Canada.

Among the many scientific discoveries it should enable, astronomers are hoping it reveals the atmospheres of alien planets. By contributing 5 percent of the total cost of the observatory, Canada gains an according amount of telescope time for its participating astronomers. "It will open up new capabilities," Doyon said.

"We don't have examples of commercialized technology that come out of [astronomy]," Doyon added, "but to answer these big questions ? where are we coming from, is there life outside of the solar system ? involves pushing technology to its limit."

Although astronomy may not lead to direct technological spinoffs, McGill astronomer Vicky Kaspi (who co-authored a paper concerning an "anti-glitch" magnetar star published last month in the journal Nature) said she has seen applications in her lifetime from fundamental astronomy research.

"A lot of X-ray astronomy does beautiful images of supernova remnants and pulsar nebula," Kaspi said. "One of my Ph.D. students is in medical imaging, and [is] bringing the tools that she learned in manipulating X-ray images ... to bear on imaging tumors or different parts of the body."

"When you take a challenge, as a technological challenge, there are very interesting ways that it can be used that you wouldn't expect," Kaspi added. "A hundred years ago, if you wanted to improve the lighting in your house, would you spend money developing better candles, or would you want to put money into crazy electricity research? At the time it seemed pretty wacky, but in hindsight, it would have been the better bet."

Follow Elizabeth Howell @howellspace, or SPACE.com @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and Google+. Original article on SPACE.com.

Copyright 2013 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/canadian-astronomers-battle-funding-cuts-perceptions-140739462.html

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Police chief takes criminals to task on Facebook

Social media

Kantele Franko The Associated Press

2 hours ago

Tony Dejak / AP

Brimfield Police Chief David Oliver uses the reach of his department?s increasingly followed Facebook page to interact with residents and take to task criminals and other ne?er-do-wells, his preferred term is ?mopes?, for the stupid, the silly and the outright unlawful in messages that mix humor and blunt opinion.

If you're up to no good in this pocket of northeast Ohio, especially in a witless way, you're risking not only jail time or a fine but a swifter repercussion with a much larger audience: You're in for a social media scolding from police Chief David Oliver and some of his small department's 49,000 Facebook fans.

And Oliver does not mince words.

In postings interspersed with community messages and rants, the Brimfield Township chief takes to task criminals and other ne'er-do-wells ? his preferred term is "mopes," appropriated from police TV shows and an old colleague who used it ? for the stupid, the lazy and the outright unlawful. Even an ill-considered parking choice can spur a Facebook flogging.

"If you use a handicapped space and you jump out of the vehicle, all healthy-like, as if someone is dangling free cheeseburgers on a stick, expect people to stare at you and get angry," Oliver wrote last year. "You are milking the system and it aggravates those of us who play by the rules. Ignoring us does not make you invisible. We see you, loser."

His humor, sarcasm and blunt opinion fueled a tenfold increase in the Facebook page's likes in the past year, bringing the total to more than four times the 10,300 residents the department serves. It's among the most-liked local law enforcement pages in the country, trailing only New York, Boston and Philadelphia police, according to the International Association of Chiefs of Police Center for Social Media.

Not bad for a guy who initially hoped maybe 500 locals would pay attention when he noticed other businesses' pages and decided to start his own three years ago.

Facebook posting, May 16, 2013: "I call criminals mopes. I do not comment on them being ugly, smelly or otherwise beauty impaired ... even though some are. I do not comment on their education, social status, color, sex, origin or who they marry. I care about crime and character. If you come to Brimfield and commit a crime we are all going to talk about it. The easiest way to not be called a criminal is to not be one. It is not calculus."

The chief loves justice, Westerns and dogs. John Wayne and Abraham Lincoln peer out from frames on the gray walls of Oliver's office, where the 45-year-old chats with anyone who stops by.

His Facebook messages extend that open-door policy online for conversations about road closures, charity events, lost pets and whatever else crosses his mind. Some are serious, such as salutes to slain officers and updates during school threat investigations. Others are light-hearted, like the attempt to find an escaped swine's owner with an unusual APB ? an "All-Pig Bulletin" ? or his promise to "ticket" child bicyclists with coupons for free ice cream if they wear helmets.

And, of course, there's crime. One posting berates a man accused of physically assaulting a woman and two children. In another, Oliver suggests that hiding near an occupied police K-9 vehicle wasn't a shoplifting suspect's smartest move.

Resident Mark Mosley, a daily reader, said he likes such "humorous arrest stories" best.

Tony Dejak / AP

Brimfield Police Chief David Oliver posing by his police car in Kent, Ohio. O

"It's one of those things, like you can't fix stupid," Mosley said.

His officers and others say the online character of the chief, a big, beefy guy, matches real life.

"He is definitely a very large personality. It kind of goes with his size," local fire Chief Robert Keller said.

Oliver's 15-person department handles more than 13,000 calls for service annually and deals largely with arrests for driving violations, thefts and drug crimes by out-of-towners. Arrests in those crime categories dropped last year but are trending upward again, and Oliver says it would take more time to determine whether the Facebook messages are having an impact.

Occasionally, his rants cover topics far outside his jurisdiction, among them the Boston Marathon bombings and the high-profile rape case from Steubenville in eastern Ohio. He rarely mentions names but doesn't shy from addressing specific suspects or brands of criminals.

July 31, 2012:

"Dear Father or Mother Meth Cooks,

"You have lost your mind. What in hell are you thinking when you make the decision to cook meth with your child in the house? You have violated the very basic principle of being a parent, which is the safety of your child. I am fed up with watching it and also with being concerned with the long-term effects of what you have exposed YOUR child to."

The word is out even among mopes, a few of whom have told Oliver they read his updates. During a March traffic stop with several drug-related arrests, one suspect overheard Oliver being called "Chief" and, after connecting the dots, requested not to be mentioned on the page, police said. Oliver didn't oblige.

His postings, also republished to the department's Twitter account, spur dozens or hundreds of comments from as far away as Australia or Germany. Some praise the department. Others say Oliver uses work time inappropriately for Facebook or criticize him for discussing suspects in a public forum. (His response: It's public record.)

Oliver welcomes the discussion and deletes comments only if they use profanity or refer to police in highly offensive language.

"He totally connects with our community, except the people that he arrests," said Mike Kostensky, one of the trustees who picked Oliver as chief in 2004.

Departments like Brimfield that engage readers and reply tend to see more activity on their police pages compared with those that don't, said Nancy Kolb, who runs the IACP Center for Social Media. The center tracks the popularity of law enforcement on Facebook and Twitter.

Oliver says his updates provide accountability and transparency about police work. He's also a believer that people can change.

He says that he had a "very thin" line between good and bad when he was younger and that he might have become a mope if not for grandparents who let him watch only "The Waltons," "Gunsmoke" and "The Andy Griffith Show" on TV.

He said the latter was the biggest influence on his career because he admires the respectful, plain-spoken sheriff played by Griffith.

"I just always thought, you know, that's a good way to handle things," Oliver says.

Jan. 28, 2013:

"It is the opinion of this chief, located in a small corner of a great big world, that we need to, as a society, become a little more intolerant of people who commit crimes for a living. When we start yelling about it being unacceptable ... people will take notice and the practice will shift; either by putting people in jail, funding drug treatment or behavioral changes by the criminals."

Oliver, a father of four who starts many days hugging and high-fiving elementary school students, turned his popularity into a sort of local brand, pitching mugs and T-shirts with "no mopes" logos and his other catchphrases ? such as "anywhere but here" or, in reference to a jail breakfast, "enjoy the oatmeal" ? to raise money for school security improvements. Purchases and donations have brought in more than $14,000, enough to install panic buttons connecting the five local schools to police. Cameras and intercoms are next.

"How could you not love that guy?" said Tammy Ralston, the graphic designer at Young's Screenprinting and Embroidery in Cuyahoga Falls, which came up with the "mopes" gear and receives orders from across the country.

Oliver's supporters include retiree Dennis Kerr of Sherwood, Ark., who bought a T-shirt for his wife while visiting family in nearby Stow.

"The guy really has a load of common sense, and I appreciated him, so we started following him," Kerr said.

Kerr hopes to meet Oliver and said he considered planning his next Ohio visit to coincide with Brimfield's parade. Oliver is turning the September event into a walk honoring military veterans and has invited all his Facebook fans.

Everyone, that is, except the mopes.

Follow Kantele Franko on Twitter.

? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2d6a55c1/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Ctechnology0Cpolice0Echief0Etakes0Ecriminals0Etask0Efacebook0E6C10A353442/story01.htm

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Indonesian parliament could pave way Monday for fuel price hikes

By Kanupriya Kapoor and Jonathan Thatcher

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's parliament could pass measures on Monday paving the way for a 33 percent rise in the country's fuel prices to reduce a government subsidy bill that has cast a shadow over Southeast Asia's biggest economy.

If passed, the measures could also restore some confidence in the struggling rupiah after the central bank scrambled last week to prop up the currency as it was caught in an emerging market selloff. Jakarta shares and the rupiah were steady in early trading.

Raising fuel prices has been seen as a key test of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's commitment to economic reform in the final 1-1/2 years of his term as prospects for continued rapid economic growth have started to soften.

Student and labor union groups have promised to protest across the country against the proposed increase. But by early morning, and after torrential rain, there was little sign of protesters gathering outside parliament.

About 20,000 security officials had been placed on alert in case of mass protests, media reports quoted police officials as saying. Protests have marked previous attempts to raise fuel prices.

Maintaining the subsidy has undermined the government's reputation in financial markets for fiscal discipline and also contributed to a deepening current account deficit. Still the rate rises, and a fuel price increase, would on the other hand raise the cost of living for Indonesians, a sensitive issue ahead of presidential and general elections next year.

On Saturday, about 70 percent of members of the parliamentary budget committee backed 2013 budget revisions. If these are passed by a full session of parliament on Monday, they will pave the way for the fuel price rise.

The measures include some 9 trillion rupiah ($910 million) in compensation for the poor to protect them from the initial impact of a planned average fuel price increase of 33 percent.

Yudhoyono has insisted parliament make that money available before he cuts fuel subsidies, which last year cost the former OPEC member some $20 billion. The finance ministry has said the price rises could save the state about $4 billion if they are implemented this month.

"I believe the fuel price increase will be next week," the Kompas daily website quoted National Planning Minister Armida Alisjahbana as saying on Saturday.

Rumors late last week that Jakarta was about to raise fuel prices helped lift the rupiah off its lowest level against the dollar in almost four years as the currency came under fire from investors cutting their emerging market exposure over uncertainty in the future of U.S. monetary policy.

The pressure on the rupiah and concerns of the inflationary impact of costlier fuel, prompted surprise increases in two of the central bank's key interest rates last week.

The finance ministry has warned that growing demand for subsidized fuel, unless prices rise, could exceed 3 percent of GDP. The initial budget had put the deficit at just 1.6 percent.

Pointing to concerns over stalling reform momentum, ratings agency Standard & Poor's early last month downgraded its outlook for Indonesia's sovereign credit to stable from positive.

The move was especially galling for the Indonesian government because at the same time S&P upgraded its rating for the neighboring Philippines.

While Indonesia's technocrats have been shouting for fuel prices to rise, the issue has become largely hostage to politics ahead of next year's elections.

Of the three parties to oppose the measure in Saturday's budget committee meeting, one was ruling coalition member PKS, the country's biggest Muslim party.

Analysts say the PKS is hoping to use the issue to divert attention from allegations that senior party members were involved in a beef import scam and sexual impropriety, charges which threaten to wreck its election hopes next year. ($1=9,882 rupiah)

(Editing by Neil Fullick)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/indonesian-parliament-could-pave-way-monday-fuel-price-031331963.html

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