Obama to nominate Tom Wheeler as FCC chairman

By Alina Selyukh and Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will nominate venture capitalist and former wireless and cable lobbyist Tom Wheeler on Wednesday to head the Federal Communications Commission, according to a White House official.

After decades in and around Washington telecom circles, Wheeler would take the reins of the FCC as the industry prepares for a major reshuffling of ownership of radio airwaves and as the agency tries to catch up to rapidly changing technology.

He has the rare support of both industry groups and a number of consumer advocates.

Wheeler has served as an informal adviser to Obama in recent years and has been a big fundraiser for his political campaigns. He went into the venture investing business after years at the helm of the National Cable Television Association and then the wireless industry group CTIA.

Wheeler did not respond to a request for comment. He will succeed current FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, who plans to leave for the Aspen Institute think tank in coming weeks.

"Tom Wheeler is an experienced leader in the communications technology field who shares the president's commitment to protecting consumers, promoting innovation, enhancing competition and encouraging investment," the White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said on Tuesday in disclosing Wheeler's nomination.

Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, a Democrat, will take over as acting chairwoman until the Senate confirms the nomination, the official said. She will preside over a commission that includes one other Democrat and one Republican because Obama has yet to fill another open Republican seat on the usually five-member commission.

Wheeler's lobbying past has concerned some public interest groups as well as Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, a Democrat who wanted his former staffer and now junior FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel to get the post.

'FAVORS THE LITTLE GUY'

But overall, consumer advocates have embraced Wheeler's candidacy, noting that he joined both trade groups while the industries they represented were young and competing against established technologies.

"He's interested in competition and promoting new technologies," said Andrew Schwartzman, a prominent Washington public interest advocate, who said Wheeler understands the need to challenge market leaders. "His mind-set is of somebody who favors the little guy."

Schwartzman was one of several consumer advocates who earlier this month backed Wheeler in a letter to Obama.

A notable co-signer was Susan Crawford, a telecommunications policy expert who had been a favorite of consumer groups to lead the FCC. Crawford posted a tweet on Tuesday that described Wheeler as "a good man" with "experience and gravitas."

At the same time, many in the telecommunications industry have touted Wheeler's private-sector experience, noting that he founded and invested in many tech-based companies and expressing hope that his lobbying experience will make him more sympathetic to letting markets, not the government, set the industry's pace.

In a 2011 blog, Wheeler hinted that he favored a controversial and ultimately shelved merger deal between AT&T and T-Mobile, sparking speculation that he may be open to more consolidation in the wireless industry.

However, the blog post also suggested the FCC would have been able to levy heavier regulation over the newly merged company because of monopoly concerns.

On Tuesday, few industry groups or companies commented on Wheeler's upcoming nomination before it was formally announced.

The National Association of Broadcasters, whose relationship with the FCC has cooled as Genachowski shifted the agency's focus to expanding broadband access, simply said Wheeler had "the experience and temperament to serve the agency with distinction.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Alina Selyukh; Editing by Sandra Maler, Carol Bishopric and Eric Beech)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-nominate-tom-wheeler-fcc-chair-official-201739145.html

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50 World's Best Restaurants For 2013 - Business Insider

A new ranking of the world's 50 best restaurants was unveiled today in London, and a new restaurant took the top spot for the first time in several years.

Organized by Restaurant?magazine and co-sponsored by Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, the World's 50 Best list is based on the votes of more than 900 international leaders in the restaurant industry.

There were a few newcomers this year, including Melbourne's Attica, which made its first ever appearance at the number 21 spot.

We rounded up the top 25, but you can view the full list here (or click here for their complete methodology).

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/50-worlds-best-restaurants-for-2013-2013-4

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TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2013 Begins Now: View The Live Stream Here!

The Hackathon has come and gone, and it’s time for the main event. TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2013 begins now. If you’ve been a fan of Disrupt in the past, you’re in for a huge treat this beautiful April morning. We’ll be live streaming the entire event from start to finish, with today’s live stream starting at 8:45am ET and ending around 6pm each night. In the morning, we’ll be enjoying fireside chats with the likes of Andreessen Horowitz’s Chris Dixon and Benchmark’s Bill Gurley, along with panels like “Content Makes A Comeback”. Better yet, Jonah Perreti from BuzzFeed will be giving the keynote for the day. In the afternoon, Battlefield begins. For those of you who are Disrupt virgins, the Startup Battlefield is the shining star of TechCrunch Disrupt. Thirty-five companies from all over the world are handpicked by TechCrunch staff to launch their products and companies on our stage, direct to the world. They’ll have six minutes to present, followed by six minutes of Q&A with tech star judges like Tracy Chou (Pinterest), John Frankel (ff Venture) and Sam Yagan (okCupid). We invite you to follow along on the live stream and tweet with us at #TCdisrupt. Here’s the full agenda for the day: 9:00am -9:05am Opening Remarks by TechCrunch 9:05am ? 9:25am Fireside Chat with Chris Dixon (Andreessen Horowitz) 9:25am ? 9:50am Fireside Chat with Bill Gurley (Benchmark) 9:50am ? 10:10am In Conversation with Chamath Palihapitya (Social+Capital Partnership) 10:10am ? 10:35am Keynote: Everyone Is Literally Crazy, by Jonah Peretti (BuzzFeed) 10:35am ? 10:55am TBA 10:55am ? 11:05am Special Product Announcement 11:05am ? 11:20am BREAK 11:20am ? 11:45am In Conversation with Kevin Ryan (Gilt Groupe) and Dwight Merriman (10gen) 11:45am ? 12:10pm Panel: Content Makes a Comeback 12:10pm ? 12:30pm Fireside Chat with John Borthwick 12:30pm ? 2:00pm LUNCH 2:00pm ? 2:25pm Founders Stories with Mike McCue (Flipboard) Startup Battlefield with Jason Kincaid 2:25pm ? 2:30pm How the Startup Battlefield Works 2:30pm ? 3:30pm Session One ? New Networks Judges: Ime Archibong (Facebook), David Pakman (Venrock), Yossi Vardi (angel investor) 3:30pm ? 3:45pm BREAK 3:45pm ? 4:45pm Session Two ? Online for Offline Judges: Niko Bonatsos (General Catalyst), Tracy Chou (Pinterest), Matt Mazzeo (Lowercase Capital), Ron Palmeri (Mark II Ventures) 4:45pm ? 5:00pm BREAK 5:00pm ? 6:00pm Session Three ? Get Things Done Judges: John Frankel (ff Venture Capital), Hilary Mason (bit.ly), Megan Quinn (Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers),

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/nNzeW6Gedfo/

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PHOTOS: Politics, press and stars mix at dinner

LONDON, April 26 (Reuters) - Arsenal will keep with tradition and form a guard of honour for new Premier League champions Manchester United when the sides meet at The Emirates on Sunday. "That is part of the tradition of English football and I want that, of course, to be respected," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told a news conference on Friday. "I'm French, I work in England and the English tradition should be respected. When you work somewhere abroad you have to respect the culture of the country," he added. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/photos-politics-press-stars-mix-dinner-035833191.html

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The 12 Cellphones That Changed Our World Forever

Thousands of phones have come and gone, but the number of handsets that could be called truly groundbreaking is surprisingly small. Here they are.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/8T03Te_Jq7s/

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NKorea criticizes SKorea prez's 'swish of skirt'

FILE - In this Friday, March 8, 2013 file photo, South Korean President Park Geun-hye salutes during a joint commission ceremony of 5,780 new officers of Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines at the Gyeryong military headquarters in Gyeryong, south of Seoul, South Korea. The body that controls North Korea's military is dismissing the South Korea's new president with a sexist comment about the "venomous swish" of her skirt. An unidentified spokesman for the National Defense Commission's armed forces ministry also repeated North Korean vows from recent days of a "merciless retaliation" over ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills. The statement Wednesday, March 13, reiterates another North Korean promise to no longer abide by the armistice that ended the Korean War. (AP Photo/Yonhap, Ahn Jung-won, File) KOREA OUT

FILE - In this Friday, March 8, 2013 file photo, South Korean President Park Geun-hye salutes during a joint commission ceremony of 5,780 new officers of Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines at the Gyeryong military headquarters in Gyeryong, south of Seoul, South Korea. The body that controls North Korea's military is dismissing the South Korea's new president with a sexist comment about the "venomous swish" of her skirt. An unidentified spokesman for the National Defense Commission's armed forces ministry also repeated North Korean vows from recent days of a "merciless retaliation" over ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills. The statement Wednesday, March 13, reiterates another North Korean promise to no longer abide by the armistice that ended the Korean War. (AP Photo/Yonhap, Ahn Jung-won, File) KOREA OUT

In this March 11, 2013 photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and distributed March 12, 2013 by the Korea News Service, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, third left, looks at South's western border island of Baengnyeong during his visit to the Wolnae Islet Defense Detachment, North Korea. North Korea's young leader urged front-line troops to be on "maximum alert" for a potential war as a state-run newspaper said Pyongyang had carried out a threat to cancel the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War. (AP Photo/KCNA via KNS) JAPAN OUT UNTIL 14 DAYS AFTER THE DAY OF TRANSMISSION

A South Korean marine K-55 self-propelled howitzer fires during an exercise against possible attacks by North Korea near the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea, Wednesday, March 13, 2013. The body that controls North Korea?s military dismissed new South Korean President Park Geun-hye, the first woman to hold the office, with a sexist reference Wednesday to the ?venomous swish? of her skirt. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A South Korean marine K-55 self-propelled howitzer fires during an exercise against possible attacks by North Korea near the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea, Wednesday, March 13, 2013.The body that controls North Korea?s military dismissed new South Korean President Park Geun-hye, the first woman to hold the office, with a sexist reference Wednesday to the ?venomous swish? of her skirt. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A man walks by a map of Korean War at the Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, March 13, 2013. North Korea's first public, senior-level mention of South Korea's first female president ended up being a sexist crack. The body that controls Pyongyang's military complained Wednesday about the "venomous swish" of her skirt. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? North Korea's first public, senior-level mention of South Korea's first female president ended up being a sexist jab. The body that controls North Korea's military complained Wednesday about the "venomous swish" of her skirt.

But despite that swipe, and a continuing torrent of rhetoric from Pyongyang threatening nuclear war and other mayhem, President Park Geun-hye is sticking by her campaign vow to reach out to North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong Un, and to send the country much-needed humanitarian aid.

Public frustration with the last five years of North-South relations, which saw North Korean nuclear tests, long-range rocket launches and attacks that left dozens of South Koreans dead, is a big part of the reason Park is trying to build trust with Pyongyang, even as she and South Korea's military promise to respond forcefully to any possible attack from the North.

In recent days, North Korea has vowed "merciless" retaliation and said it will no longer abide by the armistice that ended the Korean War. Pyongyang is angry about ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills and about new U.N. sanctions, issued over the North's December long-range rocket launch, which the U.N. called a cover for a banned missile test, and its third underground nuclear explosion, conducted Feb. 12.

On Wednesday, an unidentified spokesman for the North Korean National Defense Commission's armed forces ministry repeated those threats while decrying South Korea's own recent rhetoric, including a warning from Seoul that North Korea's government will "evaporate from the face of the Earth" if it ever uses a nuclear weapon.

"This frenzy kicked up by the South Korean warmongers is in no way irrelevant with the venomous swish of skirt made by the one who again occupies" the presidential Blue House, the North Korean spokesman said in a statement. It was the first government criticism of Park to be reported by major North Korean media since her Dec. 19 election.

Park, the daughter of late South Korean dictator President Park Chung-hee, took office Feb. 25. She lived in the Blue House as a girl and, starting from age 22, served for five years as her father's first lady after a gunman claiming orders from North Korea killed her mother in a botched attack targeting Park Chung-hee.

The term "swish of skirt" is often used in Korean to describe women acting in a way seen as overly aggressive, such as housewives trying to micromanage all aspects of their children's educations.

Moon Mee-kyung, an analyst at the government-affiliated Korean Women's Development Institute in Seoul, called the North's use of the term an insult against South Korea and all women.

"We don't say a 'swish of pants' when describing men. The term disparages women as a group," she said.

North Korea, which is a strongly male-dominated society, has a history of making sexist comments about powerful women, including Park.

Before she became president, a poem carried by the government Uriminzokkiri website described Park as a "dirty prostitute" and a "yushin prostitute" who pulls up her skirts in front of the United States. Park's father proclaimed what he called a "yushin," or renewal, constitution in 1972 to prolong his dictatorship.

North Korea's Foreign Ministry in 2009 called then-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton "a funny lady" who sometimes "looks like a primary schoolgirl and sometimes a pensioner going shopping."

A North Korean state radio program called then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice "a hen strutting around in the White House, crowing arrogantly" and "a bitch running riot on the beach," South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported in 2005.

But North Korea has not limited its attacks to women. It repeatedly referred to Park's male predecessor, Lee Myung-bak, as a "rat."

Its recent bellicose rhetoric is seen by outsiders as an attempt to boost loyalty for Kim Jong Un and to win aid from Seoul and Washington. But South Korea had been poised to provide aid before the recent rise in tensions.

As president, Lee infuriated North Korea by linking aid and concessions to what turned out to be nonexistent progress on North Korea's past commitments to abandon its atomic weapons ambitions. In doing so, he reversed past liberal governments' policy of providing huge aid shipments with few strings attached.

Like Lee, Park is a member of South Korea's main conservative party, but she has promised to find a middle ground by re-engaging Pyongyang through aid shipments, reconciliation talks and the resumption of some large-scale economic initiatives as progress occurs on the nuclear issue. Park has also held out the possibility of a summit with Kim Jong Un.

Park's point man on North Korea, Unification Minister Yoo Kil Jae, said this week that regardless of the political situation, South Korea intends to eventually send humanitarian aid shipments for infants and other vulnerable people in North Korea.

Yoo said South Korea won't accept North Korea's nuclear development or any provocations and called for a dialogue between the countries to improve strained ties.

The Unification Ministry said Wednesday that South Korea has yet to discuss when to start making shipments, what aid items might be sent and how much it will send.

Park's North Korea policy is of keen interest not only on the Korean Peninsula but also among officials in Washington, Beijing and Tokyo. Analysts believe her course will set the initial tone for new North Korea policy in those capitals.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-13-Koreas-Tension/id-e001a9a5059047a3b790bc004df3835f

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iMore Editors' Choice: Temple Run, Actions, HealthyOut, and more

Every week, the editors and writers at iMore carefully select some of our favorite, most useful, most extraordinary apps, accessories, gadgets, and websites. This week's selections include a fun game, an app that lets you control you Mac with actions, a TV app for those in the UK, an app to help you make healthy choices when eating out, and a fun music app.

Actions - Joseph Keller

I love keyboard hotkeys. I always use keyboard shortcuts to complete tasks whenever I can. Using Alfred on my Mac, I?ve set up several hotkeys to open applications. Actions is an app that takes the principle of keyboard shortcuts to the next level: one button. Connecting to a Mac or Windows PC via the free Actions Server, Actions allows you to press one button to complete an action within an app. For instance, in Tweetbot for Mac, to view a conversation based on the highlighted tweet, I would press Shift-Command-C. With Actions, I simply tap the ?View Conversation? button, and I?m done. Actions comes with several presets already installed for a number of Mac applications, but you can create custom actions as well. Actions is a great app, and available on the App Store for $3.99.

• $3.99 - Download Now

TVCatchup - Chris Oldroyd

This week I have selected an app for UK readers which allows you to stream all of the free to air channels on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. TVCatchup is a free app and all you need to do load it up, it will check your location and then deliver a list of channels available to you. Because it uses location services, it will not work outside of the UK.

Once you have it setup, you will then see a long list of channels that are available to watch and that includes all of the BBC TV free to air channels as well as ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. There is a huge list of channels and if you are in the UK it is a great app to have on your iPhone to catch a bit of news or stream a football match when you are out and about . The channels can be streamed over WiFi and over the 3G network although you do have to toggle the option for 3G to on in the settings.

If you want to watch free to air TV when you are out and about, the TVCatchup app has you covered and it?s free. Be prepared for a few seconds of adverts before each channel?s stream starts; it?s not too bad though!

• Free - Download Now

Temple Run: Oz - Ally Kazmucha

If you're a fan of Temple Run, the delightfully fun game where you jump, slide, dodge, and avoid obstacles, you'll definitely enjoy Temple Run: Oz. I've been waiting for The Great and Powerful Oz to come out in theaters and this game has kept my attention for the time being until I can get to the theatre. Heck, I'll probably keep playing it after.

Just like the traditional Temple Run game, there's not much to learn and it's one of those pick up and play games that many people search for. Complete with flying baboons, flowers that attack, hot air balloons, and more, Temple Run: Oz is a must-have for any Temple Run or Wizard of Oz fan.

Oh, it's also a universal download for iPhone and iPad, bonus!

• $0.99 - Download Now

Ambify - Rene Ritchie

My family gave me a Phillip's Hue starter pack for Christmas that included the base station and 3 bulbs. I've bout a bunch more bulbs since then. And every day, when I take out my iPhone or iPad, tap on the Hue app, and set my kitchen, living room, or hallway to Tatooine sunset, Arakis dawn, Abyss tranquility, or some other custom combo, I delight a little.

Ambify takes that to the next level. Instead of set-in-and-forget-it, Ambify samples your music and dynamically changes your Hue lighting's color and intensity. It makes your walls dance. It makes your room party.

It's not perfect. Hue's not perfect. But it's another one of those little glimpses at the future, at homes one day controlled entirely by our whims, at our convenience. And I love it.

If you have a set of Hue lights, check out Ambify.

• $2.99 - Download now

HealthyOut - Leanna Lofte

I gave birth to a baby 7 weeks ago and now it's time for me to get serious about losing the weight I lost which means that in addition to fitness, I need to watch what I eat. We don't eat out often, but when we do, I want to make a healthy choice, so I turn to HealthyOut for iPhone. Not only does it list good restaurants, but also actual dishes. With each dish, HealthyOut includes a photo, description, and nutritional information. Since I can't always cook a healthy home at home, I love that HealthyOut gives me some other acceptable options away from home.

• Free - Download now

Your choice?

Now that we've chosen our favorites for the week, we want to hear yours! Did you pick up a killer app, accessory, or game this week? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/DmGpTWiQneE/story01.htm

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