This Week's Top Downloads [Download Roundup]

Dec 17, 2011 5:00 PM 13,501 0

• Google Currents Is a Gorgeous Magazine-Style Newsreader for iOS and Android (iOS/Android) Currents, Google's long-awaited and rumored competitor to apps like Flipboard and Zite, finally launched yesterday, offering Android and iOS users a clean, attractive layout and a fresh way to read blogs, RSS feeds, and other trending news and topics right on your smartphone or tablet for free.
• Better Explorer Brings a Windows 8-Style Explorer to Windows 7, Ribbon and All (Windows) If you like the look of Windows 8's new version of Windows Explorer, but don't want to use the developer preview, free app Better Explorer brings some of the perks to your Windows 7 desktop.
• Microsoft's Beloved Note-Taking Tool OneNote Now Available for iPad (iPad) You guys listed OneNote as one of your favorite note taking applications, and today Microsoft finally released an iPad-optimized version of the awesome tool, while adding a tabbed interface, quick note creation, and more.
• Unstuck Is Your iPad Toolkit for Curing Indecisiveness, Tiredness, Lack of Motivation, and Other Life Issues (iPad) We've all had our "stuck" moments, from the big ("What should I do with my life?") to the everyday ("I'm tired of the same old lunches"). Unstuck is a brilliant app that coaches you through challenges to a better life.
• PDroid Gives You Control Over the Personal Information Your Android Apps Can Access (Android, rooted) PDroid is a free Android utility that allows you to see and block access by apps on your Android phone to your personal data and individually identifying information. The tool shows you which apps have access to information like your phone number, your Device ID (IMEI/MEID/ESN), SIM serial number, and more, and lets you disable access without breaking the apps in question.
• Snapheal Performs Complex Photo Touch Ups and Object Removals in Two Clicks (Mac) You're probably well aware that you can use Photoshop to perform touch ups and remove objects, but that comes with the obvious disadvantage of a hefty price tag. Snapheal is a new Mac app that's designed to handle just about every kind of photo touch up you could want, but for far less money.
• FlashControl Prevents Web Sites Automatically Loading Flash Videos (Chrome) Some sites automatically play Flash videos which can be annoying, troublesome at work, and suck up bandwidth. The Chrome extension FlashControl stops Adobe Flash from loading unless you have authorized a particular site to bypass the restriction.
• Picasa Now Shares Photos on Google+, Adds More Photo Effects and Side-by-Side Picture Viewing (Web) Picasa 3.9 finally has great integration with Google+, allowing you to easily upload and share photos on the service and tag friends. Even if you don't use Google+, you might want to download the update for new editing features.
• MyUnity Fixes Annoyances in Ubuntu's Unity Interface (Ubuntu) If you're using the newest versions of Ubuntu, you probably have an annoyance or two with the Unity interface. MyUnity is a system tweaker based around changing Unity's behavior and appearance.
• iTunes Updates to Version 10.5.2, Fixes iTunes Match and Audio Glitches (Mac/Windows) Today Apple released the latest update to its popular audio and video behemoth to improve performance with their iTunes Match service and general audio glitches experienced by some users. The update is available for download right now, so just run Software Update on your Mac or Windows PC or head on over to Apple to download it from their web site directly.

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Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/zFCG-C3lcJI/this-weeks-top-downloads

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Justice elusive in Baltic states 20 years on (AP)

RIGA, Latvia ? Arturs Spigulis took on the government ? and won. But that's when his frustrations began.

The lawyer persuaded a court to make state-owned Riga Free Port accept his client's tugboat services. But the port refused to honor the ruling, preferring to use its own tugboats exclusively.

When Spigulis complained to Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis, he was told the port was acting according to law. The lawyer sent Dombrovskis a copy of the court ruling ? "and he answers again, 'We consider that the port is run properly,'" Spigulis said.

Twenty years after gaining independence from the Soviet Union, the Baltic nations of Latvia and Lithuania still struggle to operate a functioning justice system despite their enthusiastic embrace of the West and entry into the European Union.

Disputes drag on for years, cronyism is rife, judges are inundated with cases and, as the Riga port case shows, verdicts are often ignored.

Throughout the former Soviet Union ? which collapsed 20 years ago this December ? the idea of a rule of law has failed miserably, with Russia and other countries maintaining a "pocket judiciary" that caters to the powerful and wealthy.

But the Western-leaning Baltics, members of NATO and the EU since 2004, might be expected to be an exception.

"The problem in the Baltic states is that you don't have the law used in that perverse sense (as in Russia), but you have all the real post-Soviet problems of judicial independence," said Andrew Wilson, an analyst at the European Council for Foreign Relations.

Guntars Krasts, a former Latvian prime minister, filed suit against a businesswoman in December 2008 and has yet to have a first hearing in court.

"It's very simple. I just loaned money and never got it back. But for different reasons the judges postpone this case from year to year. It's so obvious that something is behind this, there's no doubt that somebody is paying (someone)," he said.

Six years ago, Elvira Serbakova filed suit against the co-owner of her apartment in Riga, Latvia's capital, to prevent her from selling half of the apartment on the open market. She has yet to receive a judgment. Since court procedures allow participants to skip hearings for medical reasons, the defendant skips every hearing.

"One time she (the defendant) even had a sore eye and couldn't come to court," said Serbakova.

People in the Baltics look poorly on the judiciary. In Latvia, only 36 percent of the population trust their courts, according to a Eurobarometer survey in November 2010, while only 22 percent of Lithuanians trust their judiciary.

"I must say that Lithuania is among those countries where trust in judiciary institutions is lowest" in the EU, said Justice Minister Remigijus Simasius.

For many plaintiffs, the biggest frustration stems from the enormous backlog of cases and overloaded judges.

Millionaire Latvian businessman Jevgenijs Gombergs has been in dozens of disputes over the years as a plaintiff, including one involving a $1 million hedge deal now in its seventh year.

"The huge problem of our legal system is that it's tremendously slow. So your case, when it's over, ends up in a different world ... in a different economic cycle."

The wait for a hearing in Latvia's Supreme Court is now two years, while in the Riga Regional Court the average judge took on about 280 new civil cases in the first half of 2011, and 400 cases for all of 2010.

In Lithuania, the average district court judge took on 488 new civil and criminal cases in 2009, and 421 in 2010.

Sandra Strence, chairman of the Riga Regional Court, said the Baltics suffer from a "distorted understanding of human rights" that grants the individual every possible leniency ? allowing people to skip hearings due to a sore finger and appeal every loss all the way to the Supreme Court.

In the West, higher court costs and lawyer fees prohibit many losers from appealing, while defendants and lawyers who are constant no-shows would be slapped with contempt of court and heavy fines.

Some critics, such as Gombergs, say that Latvian and Lithuanian judges, many of whom remain from the Soviet period, are the core problem since they prefer a convoluted system that can be manipulated for their own benefit ? such as charging "fees" for moving court dates.

In Estonia, the leadership realized early on after independence that Soviet-era judges would be a hindrance to establishing a rule of law and fired most of them ? one of the reasons why Estonia has moved ahead of its Baltic cousins in justice.

Aigars Stokenbergs, a former judge, became Latvia's justice minister in 2010 and immediately undertook a revamping of the system to get judges to work better. But a political crisis forced him to step down in October.

Sitting in his ministerial office last summer, he nodded in admiration as he flipped through a statement from Britain's Royal Court in a civil suit against Latvian businessman and politician, Aivars Lembergs.

"It was a pleasure to read this," he said. "This is what we have to bring into our court system ? a positive attitude and efficient organization."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111217/ap_on_re_eu/eu_baltics_elusive_justice

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New York state OKs sale of Ginna plant (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

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Panetta formally shuts down US war in Iraq (AP)

BAGHDAD ? After nearly nine years, 4,500 American dead and 100,000 Iraqi dead, U.S. officials formally shut down the war in Iraq ? a conflict that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said was worth the American sacrifice because it set Iraq on a path to democracy.

Panetta stepped off his military plane in Baghdad Thursday as the leader of America's war in Iraq, but departed as one of many U.S. and global officials who hope to work with the struggling nation as it tries to find its new place in the Middle East and the broader world.

Bombings and gun battles are still common. And experts are concerned about the Iraqi security force's ability to defend the nation against foreign threats.

In addition to the dead, the war left 32,000 Americans wounded and cost the U.S. more than $800 billion.

Still, Panetta said earlier this week, it "has not been in vain."

Panetta and several other U.S. diplomatic, military and defense leaders participated Thursday in a symbolic ceremony during which the flag of U.S. Forces-Iraq was officially retired, or "cased," according to Army tradition. The U.S. Forces-Iraq flag was furled around a flagpole and covered in camouflage. It will be brought back to the United States.

"You will leave with great pride ? lasting pride," Panetta told the troops. "Secure in knowing that your sacrifice has helped the Iraqi people to begin a new chapter in history."

During a stop in Afghanistan this week, Panetta described the mission as "making that country sovereign and independent and able to govern and secure itself."

That, he said, is "a tribute to everybody ? everybody who fought in that war, everybody who spilled blood in that war, everybody who was dedicated to making sure we could achieve that mission."

Iraqi citizens offered a more pessimistic assessment. "The Americans are leaving behind them a destroyed country," said Mariam Khazim of Sadr City. "The Americans did not leave modern schools or big factories behind them. Instead, they left thousands of widows and orphans."

The Iraq Body Count website says more than 100,000 Iraqis have been killed since the U.S. invasion in 2003.

A member of the political coalition loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr saw another message in the U.S. withdrawal. "The American ceremony represents the failure of the U.S. occupation of Iraq due to the great resistance of the Iraqi people," said Sadrist lawmaker Amir al-Kinani.

Panetta echoed President Barack Obama's promise that the U.S. plans to keep a robust diplomatic presence in Iraq, foster a deep and lasting relationship with the nation and maintain a strong military force in the region.

As of Thursday, there were two U.S. bases and about 4,000 U.S. troops in Iraq ? a dramatic drop from the roughly 500 military installations and as many as 170,000 troops during the surge ordered by President George W. Bush in 2007, when violence and raging sectarianism gripped the country. All U.S. troops are slated to be out of Iraq by the end of the year, but officials are likely to meet that goal a bit before then.

The total U.S. departure is a bit earlier than initially planned, and military leaders worry that it is a bit premature for the still maturing Iraqi security forces, who face continuing struggles to develop the logistics, air operations, surveillance and intelligence sharing capabilities they will need in what has long been a difficult neighborhood.

U.S. officials were unable to reach an agreement with the Iraqis on legal issues and troop immunity that would have allowed a small training and counterterrorism force to remain. U.S. defense officials said they expect there will be no movement on that issue until sometime next year.

Still, despite Obama's earlier contention that all American troops would be home for Christmas, at least 4,000 forces will remain in Kuwait for some months. The troops will be able to help finalize the move out of Iraq, but could also be used as a quick reaction force if needed.

Obama met in Washington with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki earlier this week, vowing to remain committed to Iraq as the two countries struggle to define their new relationship. Ending the war was an early goal of the Obama administration, and Thursday's ceremony will allow the president to fulfill a crucial campaign promise during a politically opportune time. The 2012 presidential race is roiling and Republicans are in a ferocious battle to determine who will face off against Obama in the election.

Panetta acknowledged the difficulties for Iraq in the coming years, as the country tries to find its footing.

"They're going face challenges in the future," Panetta said Wednesday during a visit with troops in Afghanistan. "They'll face challenges from terrorism, they'll face challenges from those that would want to divide their country. They'll face challenges from just the test of democracy, a new democracy and trying to make it work. But the fact is, we have given them the opportunity to be able to succeed."

The ceremony at Baghdad International Airport also featured remarks from Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Lloyd Austin, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

Austin is leading the massive logistical challenge of shuttering hundreds of bases and combat outposts, and methodically moving more than 50,000 U.S. troops and their equipment out of Iraq over the last year ? while still conducting training, security assistance and counterterrorism battles.

The war "tested our military's strength and our ability to adapt and evolve," he said, noting the development of the new counterinsurgency doctrine.

Over the coming days, the final few thousand U.S. troops will leave Iraq in orderly caravans and tightly scheduled flights ? a marked contrast to the shock and awe that rocked the country on March 20, 2003, as the U.S. invasion began.

Saddam Hussein has been ousted, the reports of weapons of mass destruction largely laid to rest. And the future of a nascent democracy awaits.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111215/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

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FACT SHEET: Toyota Prius v (AP)

2012 Toyota Prius v Five

BASE PRICE: $26,400 for Two model; $27,165 for Three model, $29,990 for Five model.

PRICE AS TESTED: $36,692.

TYPE: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive, five-passenger, mid-size wagon.

ENGINE: 1.8 liter, double overhead cam, Atkinson cycle, inline four-cylinder engine mated to 60-kilowatt, AC electric motor and nickel metal hydride battery pack.

MILEAGE: 44 mpg (city), 40 mpg (highway).

TOP SPEED: 103 mph.

LENGTH: 181.7 inches.

WHEELBASE: 109.4 inches.

CURB WEIGHT: 3,274 pounds.

BUILT AT: Japan.

OPTIONS: Advanced technology package (includes navigation system with 7-inch touch screen and backup camera, NavTraffic, NavWeather, voice recognition, dynamic radar cruise control, pre-collision system, panoramic moonroof) $5,580; carpeted floor and trunk mats $225; emergency kit $70; wheel locks $67.

DESTINATION CHARGE: $760.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/environment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111214/ap_on_re_us/us_behind_the_wheel_toyota_prius_v_box

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Working Moms Happier, Healthier Than Stay-at-Home Peers: Study (HealthDay)

TUESDAY, Dec. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Working mothers have better health and fewer symptoms of depression than stay-at-home moms, a new study indicates.

The researchers also found that mothers with part-time jobs can balance work and nurturing their children better than those with full-time jobs.

For the study, published in the December issue of the Journal of Family Psychology, researchers analyzed data collected from over 1,300 mothers in the United States who were interviewed shortly after their child's birth and underwent further interviews and observation over more than 10 years of follow-up.

The women were enrolled in the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development.

Mothers who worked either full-time or part-time reported better overall health and fewer symptoms of depression than stay-at-home moms, according to the researchers at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Mothers with part-time jobs were just as involved in their child's school as stay-at-home moms, and more involved than mothers with full-time jobs, the investigators found. The study authors also noted that mothers with part-time jobs appeared more sensitive with their preschool children and provided more learning opportunities for toddlers than stay-at-home moms and mothers with full-time jobs.

The researchers pointed out that cost-conscious employers often hire part-time workers because they typically don't receive the same amount of benefits, such as health insurance, training and career advancement.

"Since part-time work seems to contribute to the strength and well-being of families, it would be beneficial to employers if they provide fringe benefits, at least proportionally, to part-time employees as well as offer them career ladders through training and promotion," study co-author Marion O'Brien, a professor of human development and family studies, said in a news release from the American Psychological Association.

More information

The American Academy of Pediatrics has more about working mothers.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/diseases/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20111214/hl_hsn/workingmomshappierhealthierthanstayathomepeersstudy

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IE 6 deep-sixed in Microsoft browser overhaul

Microsoft

By Suzanne Choney

You may be waiting for the ball to drop for 2012, but Microsoft has another countdown underway that the company deems more urgent: Getting rid of Internet Explorer 6, a decade-old version of the Web browser that seems to have more security holes than Swiss cheese but is still in use by some.

"10 years ago a browser was born. Its name was Internet Explorer 6. Now that we?re in 2011, in an era of modern Web standards, it?s time to say goodbye," the company says on its IE 6 countdown site.?

More than 8 percent of the world still uses IE 6 (in the U.S., it's less than 1 percent), and the company would like to see global usage down to less than 1 percent worldwide. And soon.

(Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal.)

To help expedite the farewell (or rather, the execution) of its ancient Web browser, Microsoft says next month it will start to upgrade Windows customers automatically?to the latest version of IE available for their computer.

"This is an important step in helping to move the Web forward," wrote Ryan Gavin, Microsoft's general manager of Internet Explorer business and marketing, on a company blog. "We will start in January for customers in Australia and Brazil who have turned on automatic updating via Windows Update. Similar to our release of IE 9 earlier this year, we will take a measured approach, scaling up over time."

And, he wrote:

For consumers, the safety benefits are one of the key reasons that the industry has been moving towards automatic updates as the norm. This is increasingly important since the biggest online threat these days is socially engineered malware, which typically targets outdated software like Web browsers. The latest Microsoft Security Intelligence Report, which is based on data from over 600 million systems in over 100 countries, is good reading to give you a sense of risks that stem from outdated software.

But what if you don't want to update your version of Internet Explorer? Under a section of the post called "Respecting Customer Choice and Control," Gavin says that IE 8 and IE 9 Automatic Update Blocker toolkits "prevent automatic upgrades of IE for Windows customers who do not want them. Of course, we firmly believe that IE 9 is the most compelling browser for business customers, and we want them to make the decision to upgrade at their convenience."

Customers "who have declined previous installations of IE 8 or IE 9 through Windows Update will not be automatically updated," he wrote. "Customers have the ability to uninstall updates and continue to receive support for the version of IE that came with their copy of Windows. And similar to organizations, consumers can block the update all together and upgrade on their own. Finally, future versions of IE will provide an option in the product for consumers to opt out of automatic upgrading."

But say good-bye to IE 6 if you have it. And some of you may already be saying good-bye to IE in general. Google's Chrome appears to be gaining more of a foothold among users, as IE's market share continues to drop.

Related stories:

Check out Technolog, Gadgetbox, Digital Life and In-Game on?Facebook,?and on Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.

Source: http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/15/9471072-ie-6-deep-sixed-in-microsoft-browser-overhaul

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