ET deals: $250 off Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro, with 256GB SSD, Haswell CPU, 3200×1800 screen

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Convertible laptops can be a great way to combine the best of two worlds in one device, allowing you to get the power and full keyboard of a traditional laptop, along with some kind of rotating touchscreen so that you can comfortably use it as a tablet too. There are a lot of different ways manufacturers have attempted to get this done — one of the first was the Dell XPS 12, with a unique display that spins vertically within its frame — but one of our favorites is definitely Lenovo’s Yoga line. That’s why we were pretty excited to find a deal today on the high end 13.3-inch Pro 2 model.
Lenovo’s Yoga line of ultrabooks takes on the idea of a multi-purpose, laptop/tablet hybrid with a display that folds into four positions — Lenovo labels these positions Laptop, Tablet, Stand, and Tent. The high-resolution display rotates a full 360 degrees, and Lenovo includes software that is custom designed for each mode as well as the ability to recognize which mode you’re in and make some recommendations. At 3.1lbs, 0.6 inches thin, and packing up to a 9-hour battery life, it’s a versatile machine that will be easy to carry around wherever you need it.

At about $1000 on sale, the Yoga 2 Pro isn’t the cheapest of convertibles out there, but you definitely get a ton of value. A standout feature is the 13.3-inch QHD+ (3200×1800) IPS display, but the 4th Generation Intel Core i5-4200U processor, 4GB RAM and 256GB SSD are also high-end specs that outclass most cheaper hybrid ultrabooks. You’re not sacrificing processing power or speed here.
As you might expect for something sized between a full laptop and a tablet, you get an array of ports in the middle of what’s typical for those form factors. It includes two full USB ports (1 USB 3.0), a 2-in-1 card reader and micro HDMI, but no VGA or optical drive. Intel Dual-Band Wireless-N 7260 and Bluetooth 4.0 are also standard.
Rounding out the feature set are some nice extras you’ll appreciate in the Yoga 2, including motion/voice control options, stereo speakers, and a backlit keyboard. All told, you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck, so check it out now while this coupon code lasts.
Buy the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro 13.3″ Core i5 3200×1800 Laptop Tablet Hybrid w/ 256GB SSD for $999. Apply coupon code USPY2P64213 in shopping cart for total $250 savings.

Saturday, February 22, 2014 - By Unknown 0

Why Netflix streaming is getting slower, and probably won’t get better any time soon By Sebastian Anthony on February 21, 2014 at 2:13 pm 40 Comments

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Over the last few months, many Netflix users in the US and around the world have noticed a steady decline in streaming video quality. For some subscribers, it’s got to the point where the video is constantly buffering and heavily pixelated. This is particularly irksome, because a high-quality video feed should be possible with just 1 or 2 megabits per second of sustained bandwidth — and almost every Netflix subscriber now has a connection that’s theoretically capable of 10Mbps or more. What’s going on? Why is your Netflix slow and low quality?
The short answer is that Netflix is a victim of its own success. The long answer is that Netflix has outgrown its allotted bandwidth, and thus Netflix traffic is now being throttled by ISPs and core network operators. To explain why Netflix is being throttled, we need to discuss a topic called peering.

Peering: The lifeblood of the internet

The internet, as you probably know, is a series of tubes. These tubes, connected together by routers, span most of the world, creating a network that interconnects billions of homes and businesses around the world. Now, you’ve probably never thought about it, but every last inch of the internet is owned by someone — usually a company that has invested a large amount of money (billions) on network infrastructure. When you visit Facebook, stream a video on Netflix, or otherwise do anything on the internet, your packets potentially traverse dozens of different networks, all owned by different companies. These companies, obviously, want payment.
The second thing to know about the internet is that there are two (primary) kinds of traffic: upstream and downstream. You, as a voracious watcher of House of Cards and funny cat videos, are predominantly downstream traffic. Netflix, Google, YouTube, etc., generally produce upstream traffic — i.e. they upload data to the internet, that then traverses the series of tubes to your house. In each case, the upstream and downstream users need to pay the gatekeepers in the middle — the core network operators; the telecommunications companies that own the backbone network of pipes that interconnect cities and countries.
As you can imagine, it’s awfully hard to make sure that everyone gets fairly paid for the traffic that crosses their network, which is why the internet is based on peering agreements. Basically, Netflix builds its network of routers and data centers, and then pays a core network to carry its traffic. Likewise, your ISP builds its network, and then uses your monthly subscription to arrange its own peering agreement with the core networks. Between core networks, as long as the traffic is fairly symmetrical, peering is usually free (they’re all in the boat together). Likewise, between various local ISPs, as long as traffic is fairly equal, peering is usually free. It’s also possible for local ISPs and upstream services (Netflix, Google) to have a free peering agreement, if Google installs a server in the ISP’s data center. As long as no one gets screwed, peering works really well. (Read: The secret world of submarine cables.)

Where net neutrality falls down

The problem with peering, though, is that it doesn’t cope very well with heavily asymmetrical connections. Netflix, which continues to grow at a very fast pace, accounted for around 30% of the United States’ peak bandwidth consumption at the end of 2013. In recent months, as Netflix rolled out 1080p streaming to all subscribers, its bandwidth usage has continued to climb. Someone (not Netflix!) has to carry all of that traffic to the end user. Exact details aren’t available, but the basic gist of it is this: Netflix has exceeded its peering agreements with America’s ISPs, and so now Netflix’s traffic is being throttled. (Read: 4K Netflix launches: Is 2014 the year that 4K finally reaches mass market?)
One such example is Verizon’s FiOS service, where Netflix says its prime-time speeds dropped by a massive 14% last month. Verizon could negotiate a bigger peering arrangement with Netflix’s upstream provider (Cogent in this case) to reduce the congestion — but in exchange it wants something from Netflix (money, most likely). Netflix, for its part, wants to put its own streaming video servers within the ISP’s own data centers, cutting out the core network — but again, while Netflix wants ISPs to peer with these servers for free, the ISPs (Verizon, Time Warner Cable, Comcast, AT&T) want money.
Until an agreement can be reached, Netflix’s video quality will decrease as the service gains more users. At the rate at which the quality of service is declining, Netflix will probably have to cough up some money sooner rather than later. After all, its subscribers don’t know (or even care) what’s going on behind the scenes — they just know that they don’t want to pay for a crappy service.
At stake, of course, is net neutrality. Netflix argues that, if ISPs become the bullying gatekeepers, it’s the beginning of the end for internet freedom. The ISPs claim that they’re just negotiating as normal. Cynics (realists?) claim that ISPs have their own vested interests in services that compete with Netflix. In reality, following last month’s court decision that ruled in favor of Verizon against the FCC’s net neutrality rules, this will probably only end one way: Netflix will have to cough up some money.

Saturday, February 22, 2014 - By Unknown 0

10 of the world's biggest unsolved mysteries

1.Voynich Manuscript

Named after the Polish-American antiquarian bookseller Wilfrid M. Voynich, who acquired it in 1912, the Voynich Manuscript is a detailed 240-page book written in a language or script that is completely unknown. Its pages are also filled with colorful drawings of strange diagrams, odd events and plants that do not seem to match any known species, adding to the intrigue of the document and the difficulty of deciphering it. The original author of the manuscript remains unknown, but carbon dating has revealed that its pages were made sometime between 1404 and 1438. It has been called "the world's most mysterious manuscript."

Theories abound about the origin and nature of the manuscript. Some believe it was meant to be a pharmacopoeia, to address topics in medieval or early modern medicine. Many of the pictures of herbs and plants hint that it many have been some kind of textbook for an alchemist. The fact that many diagrams appear to be of astronomical origin, combined with the unidentifiable biological drawings, has even led some fanciful theorists to propose that the book may have an alien origin.

One thing most theorists agree on is that the book is unlikely to be a hoax, given the amount of time, money and detail that would have been required to make it.

2.Kryptos 

Kryptos is a mysterious encrypted sculpture designed by artist Jim Sanborn which sits right outside the headquarters of the CIA in Langley, Va. It's so mysterious, in fact, that

3.Beale Ciphers 

The Beale Ciphers are a set of three ciphertexts that supposedly reveal the location of one of the grandest buried treasures in U.S. history: thousands of pounds of gold, silver and jewels. The treasure was originally obtained by a mysterious man named Thomas Jefferson Beale in 1818 while prospecting in Colorado.

Of the three ciphertexts, only the second one has been cracked. Interestingly, the U.S. Declaration of Independence turned out to be the key — a curious fact given that Beale shares his name with the author of the Declaration of Independence.

The cracked text does reveal the county where the treasure was buried: Bedford County, Va., but its exact location is likely encrypted in one of the other uncracked ciphers. To this day, treasure hunters scour the Bedford County hillsides digging (often illegally) for the loot.

4.Phaistos Disc 

The mystery of the Phaistos Disc is a story that sounds like something out of an Indiana Jones movie. Discovered by Italian archaeologist Luigi Pernier in 1908 in the Minoan palace-site of Phaistos, the disc is made of fired clay and contains mysterious symbols that may represent an unknown form of hieroglyphics. It is believed that it was designed sometime in the second millennium BC.

Some scholars believe that the hieroglyphs resemble symbols of Linear A and Linear B, scripts once used in ancient Crete. The only problem? Linear A also eludes decipherment. 

Today the disc remains one of the most famous puzzles of archaeology.

5.Shugborough inscription 

Look from afar at the 18th-century Shepherd's Monument in Staffordshire, England, and you might take it as nothing more than a sculpted re-creation of Nicolas Poussin's famous painting, “Arcadian Shepherds.” Look closer, though, and you'll notice a curious sequence of letters: DOUOSVAVVM — a code that has eluded decipherment for over 250 years.

Though the identity of the code carver remains a mystery, some have speculated that the code could be a clue left behind by the Knights Templar about the whereabouts of the Holy Grail.

Many of the world's greatest minds have tried to crack the code and failed, including Charles Dickens and Charles Darwin.

6.Tamam Shud case 

Considered to be one of Australia's most profound mysteries, the Tamam Shud Case revolves around an unidentified man found dead in December 1948 on Somerton beach in Adelaide, Australia. Aside from the fact that the man could never be identified, the mystery deepened after a tiny piece of paper with the words "Tamam Shud" was found in a hidden pocket sewn within the dead man's trousers. (It is also referred to as "Taman Shud.")

The phrase translates as "ended" or "finished" and is a phrase used on the last page of a collection of poems called “The Rubaiyat” of Omar Khayyam. Adding to the mystery, a copy of Khayyam's collection was later found that contained a scribbled code in it believed to have been left by the dead man himself.

Due to the content of the Khayyam poem, many have come to believe that the message may represent a suicide note of sorts, but it remains uncracked, as does the case.

7.The Wow! Signal 

One summer night in 1977, Jerry Ehman, a volunteer for SETI, or the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, may have become the first man ever to receive an intentional message from an alien world. Ehman was scanning radio waves from deep space, hoping to randomly come across a signal that bore the hallmarks of one that might be sent by intelligent aliens, when he saw his measurements spike.

The signal lasted for 72 seconds, the longest period of time it could possibly be measured by the array that Ehman was using. It was loud and appeared to have been transmitted from a place no human has gone before: in the constellation Sagittarius near a star called Tau Sagittarii, 120 light-years away.

Ehman wrote the words "Wow!" on the original printout of the signal, thus its title as the "Wow! Signal."

All attempts to locate the signal again have failed, leading to much controversy and mystery about its origins and its meaning.

 

8.The Zodiac letters 

The Zodiac letters are a series of four encrypted messages believed to have been written by the famous Zodiac Killer, a serial killer who terrorized residents of the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The letters were likely written as a way to taunt journalists and police, and though one of the messages has been deciphered, the three others remain uncracked.

The identity of the Zodiac Killer also remains a mystery, though no Zodiac murders have been identified since 1970.

 

9.Georgia Guidestones 

The Georgia Guidestones, sometimes referred to as the "American Stonehenge," is a granite monument erected in Elbert County, Ga., in 1979. The stones are engraved in eight languages — English, Spanish, Swahili, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese and Russian — each relaying 10 "new" commandments for "an Age of Reason." The stones also line up with certain astronomical features.

Though the monument contains no encrypted messages, its purpose and origin remain shrouded in mystery. They were commissioned by a man who has yet to be properly identified, who went by the pseudonym of R.C. Christian.

Of the 10 commandments, the first one is perhaps the most controversial: "Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature." Many have taken it to be a license to cull the human population down to the specified number, and critics of the stones have called for them to be destroyed. Some conspiracy theorists even believe they may have been designed by a "Luciferian secret society" calling for a new world order.

10.Rongorongo 

Rongorongo is a system of mysterious glyphs discovered written on various artifacts on Easter Island. Many believe they represent a lost system of writing or proto-writing and could be one of just three or four independent inventions of writing in human history.

The glyphs remain undecipherable, and their true messages — which some believe could offer hints about the perplexing collapse of the statue-building Easter Island civilization — may be lost forever.

Saturday, February 22, 2014 - By Unknown 0

Top 100 Most Dangerous Cities in the U.S.

Our research reveals the 100 most dangerous cities in America with 25,000 or more people, based on the number of violent crimes per 1,000 residents. Violent crimes include murder, forcible rape, armed robbery, and aggravated assault. Data used for this research are 1) the number of violent crimes reported to the FBI to have occurred in each city, and 2) the population of each city..

 

Click on any city name below to get a report

rank	city
100	Knoxville, TN
99	Dayton, OH
98	Cincinnati, OH
97	Sumter, SC
96	Tulsa, OK
95	Springfield, MO
94	Minneapolis, MN
93	Danville, IL
92	Monroe, LA
91	Houston, TX
90	Lauderdale Lakes, FL
89	Canton, OH
88	Merced, CA
87	Gadsden, AL
86	Lawrence, MA
85	Antioch, CA
84	Youngstown, OH
83	Pompano Beach, FL
82	Miami Beach, FL
81	Orlando, FL
80	Beaumont, TX
79	Poughkeepsie, NY
78	Springfield, MA
77	Albany, GA
76	San Bernardino, CA
75	Paterson, NJ
74	Texarkana, TX
73	Farmington, NM
72	Fall River, MA
71	Odessa, TX
70	New Bedford, MA
69	Richmond, CA
68	Atascadero, CA
67	Weslaco, TX
66	Carbondale, IL
65	Baton Rouge, LA
64	Fort Pierce, FL
63	Brockton, MA
62	Daytona Beach, FL
61	East Palo Alto, CA
60	Philadelphia, PA
59	Newark, NJ
58	Miami, FL
57	Fort Myers, FL
56	Council Bluffs, IA
55	Indianapolis, IN
54	East Point, GA
53	Salisbury, MD
52	Lima, OH
51	Bridgeport, CT
50	Nashville, TN
49	Niagara Falls, NY
48	Desert Hot Springs, CA
47	Compton, CA
46	Washington, DC
45	Kansas City, MO
44	Bridgeton, NJ
43	Pine Bluff, AR
42	Lake Worth, FL
41	Rocky Mount, NC
40	Buffalo, NY
39	Milwaukee, WI
38	Texarkana, AR
37	Riviera Beach, FL
36	Hartford, CT
35	New London, CT
34	Little Rock, AR
33	York, PA
32	Harvey, IL
31	Cleveland, OH
30	Rockford, IL
29	Baltimore, MD
28	Atlanta, GA
27	Spartanburg, SC
26	New Haven, CT
25	Harrisburg, PA
24	Trenton, NJ
23	Muskogee, OK
22	Jackson, TN
21	Inkster, MI
20	Birmingham, AL
19	Stockton, CA
18	Homestead, FL
17	Myrtle Beach, SC
16	Alexandria, LA
15	Wilmington, DE
14	Memphis, TN
13	Atlantic City, NJ
12	St. Louis, MO
11	Chelsea, MA
10	Newburgh, NY
9	Oakland, CA
8	Chester, PA
7	Bessemer, AL
6	Detroit, MI
5	Saginaw, MI
4	West Memphis, AR
3	Camden, NJ
2	Flint, MI
1	East St. Louis, IL

Saturday, February 22, 2014 - By Unknown 0

Obama's ambitious trade agenda hits Asian resistance

By Linda Sieg and Rachel Armstrong

Related Stories

• Japan eyes Pacific trade pact concessions as talks with U.S. begin Reuters
• Biden acknowledges U.S. Democratic concerns on trade agenda Reuters
• White House insists still pushing Asia trade pact AFP
• Japan, U.S. remain far apart on TPP trade talks: Amari Reuters
• US Congress is barrier to huge Atlantic, Pacific trade deals AFP

TOKYO/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - America's ambitious trade agenda is running into fierce resistance in Asia, but negotiators say a draft Pacific free-trade deal that papers over some differences may be ready by the time U.S. President Barack Obama visits the region in April.

A central element of Obama's strategic shift towards Asia, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) could accelerate global economic growth, boost U.S. exports and level the playing field between emerging and rich nations in one of the world's biggest trade pacts, covering about one-third of global trade.

The White House had hoped to complete the deal, which aims to cut tariffs and set common standards on other issues, last year. But that didn't happen and negotiators fly into Singapore on Saturday for three days of talks on the 12-country pact.

Significant challenges remain, including U.S. frustrations over Japanese protection of sensitive agricultural products, such as rice, and U.S. automakers' fears of increased competition from Japan.

At the start of U.S.-Japan working-level talks this week, a Japanese cabinet minister said Tokyo could make concessions on tariffs on some sensitive farm products, but negotiators said big gaps remained between the two sides.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who took office 14 months ago pledging to revive the world's third-largest economy, has made the trade pact a key part of a growth strategy known as the "Third Arrow" of his "Abenomics" recipe. The other two "Arrows" are hyper-easy monetary policy and fiscal spending.

"Abe has told international society he would go ahead with TPP so he has to make progress," said a Japanese official familiar with the matter. "It is not so easy to accept failure."

While the United States and Japan agree on many issues, they remain at odds over politically sensitive sectors for both countries. Washington has been pressing Tokyo to scrap all tariffs in the five categories of rice, beef and pork, dairy products, wheat and sugar. These include 586 product lines.

Japan wants the United States to set a timeline for scrapping tariffs of 2.5 percent on imports of passenger cars and 25 percent on light trucks.

"The negotiations present extremely high hurdles for Japan, and considerable gaps remain between Japan and the U.S," Economy minister Akira Amari, in charge of Japan's delegation, told reporters on Friday before flying to Singapore. But he said Abe had told him to do his best to reach a deal.

An agreement between the United States and Japan would set the tone for the other countries engaged in the TPP: Australia, Brunei, Chile, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.
"LITMUS TEST"
The stakes are high for Obama as well. Internationally, he needs to make good on TPP as a key element of his promised "rebalance" of economic and security policy to Asia at a time when many in the region question his commitment to the region.
His planned visit to Asia in April is seen by some experts and negotiators as a target for a preliminary draft deal for TPP that would send a signal Washington wants to add economic substance to a pivot strategy otherwise largely about shifting some military forces to Asia to counter a rising China.
"If the TPP is not realized, it will deal a major blow to the U.S. rebalancing strategy," said Bonnie Glaser, senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a consultant for the U.S. government on East Asia.
"A lot of countries are seeing this as a litmus test."

Two New Zealand officials with knowledge of negotiations say an in-principle deal might be unveiled during Obama's April visit but that it would paper over significant differences, leaving those to later.

New Zealand's negotiators, one official said, are adopting a "more realistic" view of the TPP process after Obama faced resistance within his Democratic Party on a proposal to give the White House power to fast-track trade deals - so-called Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) - which would deny U.S. lawmakers the opportunity to amend the pact.

"The worry among the other countries is: 'What if everything we've negotiated on is pointless and we have to re-negotiate it to get it past Congress'?" said Deborah Elms, who has regular talks with TPP negotiators as head of the Temasek Foundation Centre for Trade and Negotiations, a Singapore think tank.

Others said such concerns were overdone. Former White House international economic adviser Matthew Goodman said talk of countries unwilling to seal a deal because Obama lacks fast-track approval was "more of a negotiating tactic" and once a pact was agreed, getting it through Congress would get easier.

Illustrating the challenges, some countries such as Malaysia have little chance of securing a deal due to intense domestic opposition and could ultimately drop out of the pact.

Malaysia's government has faced a debilitating backlash over the TPP both from the political opposition and from powerful traditionalists within the ruling party.

Malaysian Trade Minister Mustapa Mohamed listed at least seven areas where negotiators still have significant concerns, including intellectual property, state-owned enterprises, labor union rights and the environment.

"It's just a matter of time that these issues will have to be dealt with. The issue is when," he said on Thursday. "In a way if you are not part of this, we may miss the boat."

Even if negotiators reach a draft agreement, passage of TPP for many countries could drag on for more than a year. But the pact is at a pivotal juncture.

"I don't know if we are ever going to do this deal or not and if we are going to do it, whether the essential political bits will come together in the next few days, but it has the smell of reaching a moment of truth," said New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser.

Some experts worry that a lack of U.S. will to clinch the deal would give China - which is not part of the TPP talks - a chance to fill the vacuum. "The U.S., in particular, we don't think has been as engaged as it might have been," said Bryan Clark, director of trade and international affairs at the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

China is consolidating its position as the largest trade partner with most Asian countries and its direct investments in the region are surging, albeit from a lower base than Europe, Japan and the United States.

(Additional reporting by Krista Hughes and David Brunnstrom in Washington, Gyles Beckford in Wellington, Matt Siegel in Sydney, and Stuart Grudgings in Kuala Lumpur; Writing by Jason Szep; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Friday, February 21, 2014 - By Unknown 0

Coca-Cola moves toward bottling deals in Chicago, Central Florida

BOCA RATON, Florida (Reuters) - Coca-Cola Co on Friday announced deals to sell bottling operations in Greater Chicago and Central Florida, as it slowly undoes its 2010 purchase of its North American bottler.

The world's biggest soda maker said it had signed two letters of intent with independent bottlers but did not disclose the financial terms. For the deals to take effect, the parties must reach definitive agreements this year.

Coke was expected to announce refranchising news ahead of Chief Executive Officer Muhtar Kent's presentation on Friday at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York conference in Boca Raton, Florida.

Several years ago, Coke and arch rival PepsiCo bought their North American bottlers to streamline decision-making and cut costs.
 

While the two companies have traditionally moved together on major changes, they are currently out of step. Coke has been open about its plan to ultimately franchise its North American bottler, while PepsiCo has not.

In April, Coca-Cola said it had signed letters of intent with five other U.S. bottlers.

Friday, February 21, 2014 - By Unknown 0

Sex After Divorce Can Be Best Sex Yet

 
Divorce News

Now don't go ditching a stable and satisfying marriage after being seduced into this article by the headline, even if things have become a bit stale. Stale can be revived. Incompatibility cannot. While healing from the harshness of divorce, here's some hopeful news:

While researching my new book, Sex After...Women Share How Intimacy Changes As Life Changes, a compilation of 150 interviews with women ages 20 through 90, I heard lots of breathy accounts from divorcees having the best sex of their lives.
"A pervasive myth is that quality of sex declines with age," said Dr. Melanie Davis, a certified sexuality educator and co-founder of the New Jersey Center for Sexual Wellness. "Studies have shown that many older adults are finding their sexual experiences to be even more sensual and satisfying than when they were younger."
Lucille is a California girl in her mid-fifties with a full-body tan and who works in the hospitality industry. She left a sexless marriage to a drug-abusing husband and is now living with a former NBA basketball player. With a boost from hormone therapy, she talks of "fantastic" post-menopausal sex, and discovering deep emotional fulfillment with her lanky boyfriend Johnny, who is ten years younger.

My sex life with Johnny was quite good from the start. But it's even gotten better -- my fifties have turned out to be really hot. Two years ago, I started using a testosterone cream, which I take along with progesterone. This has been fantastic for my post-menopausal libido.The older-woman-younger-man thing, we don't really talk about that. We are very well matched, emotionally and physically. Intimacy is so much more important than most people want to admit. When I didn't have it, I buried myself in my work. And, I think most people who don't have it make excuses like, "Oh, I'm too busy to think about sex." Sure, there are people who are just asexual, but for most of us, my God, we truly need sex to feel alive!

The choice to shuck a bad marriage at midlife and beyond is being made more often, and with less trepidation. Women now occupy more than half of the management and professional positions in the U.S. work force, and can increasingly fend for themselves financially. Renee, who grew up in a working-class family in which her housewife mom felt stuck in a bad marriage, put herself through medical school and is now a successful physician.
"I never wanted to be dependent on a man," Renee, 55, told me. I met her at a party and knew she belonged in Sex After... when she introduced me to the person she was dating after divorce -- her pool man! Here is a segment from our interview:

My husband retired at the age of fifty-three, then did nothing for the rest of our marriage. I waited for years after his retirement for him to get a hobby, to go back to school, to volunteer, to do something. It didn't happen; he just drank more and more.I had no desire for sex; it actually got to the point where he was repulsive to me. Finally, I pulled the plug when I realized this saying was true: "I'd rather be alone without you than lonely with you." The kids stayed with me most of the time.
For years after the divorce I had no desire to be intimate with a man. What turned my heart was when I found someone very nice and very attractive. And when he kissed me, something that I believed was dead inside of me totally came alive. I never thought I would feel this way again. And it was the pool guy -- a grown woman's fantasy!
Two years later are still together. I have become obsessed with sex. I am totally comfortable with my new guy and totally turned on by him. I never had this with my husband! I'm not robbing the cradle either -- this isn't a young pool boy. He is a man who is only a few years younger than me.
Initially he was like living out that fantasy, screwing my pool man. I thought the fantasy would go away but then the relationship kept lasting. Many women friends are staying in their marriages because of money. I didn't have to. When my mother was unhappy in her marriage and I urged her to leave she said, "I can't." She didn't have a profession. She couldn't sustain herself without a husband. From my teenage years, I always vowed if I was in a relationship it would be because I wanted to, not because I had to.

Ingrid is a 42-year woman who has also been awakened sexually after a 20-year "humiliating" marriage. But unlike Renee, the loss of her husband's income left her in a hole, as he has withdrawn payment of any household expenses. She is working overtime to support their young son, who is in her sole custody, and to pay off six-figure attorney bills. Solace has come in the form of a fawning new lover who also happens to be her son's Cub Scout leader.
Here is a swatch of our interview:

My ex-husband was volatile and completely degrading of everything I am. During the early years of our marriage we were very sexy, but the passion died quickly. I never had an orgasm with my husband. I don't think he ever knew this because I faked it.When this new man came into my life, I was ready to be laid, quite frankly. It had been six years since I had sex! Oh God, it feels so great, having sex back in my life, skin against skin, the heavy breathing, the feel of a man.
I've been seeing him for a few months now and he is very bold in the bedroom. He loves to watch a woman touch herself, so he started buying me toys I never owned, like a vibrator. The sex is fantastic yet the chemistry is far more than physical. We have this great emotional energy between us.
So I am going a little wild as I escape a hurtful marriage. I would recommend this to any woman going through a bad divorce.

I'll leave you with a theme I found to be recurrent in all of my interviews, from recent college graduates to grandmothers: A woman's sexuality is of central importance to her until the day she dies, and that day is getting farther and farther away. With medical inroads and improved fitness regimens, women in their late 80s and early 90s are the fastest growing segment of the aging population. So there is lots of time ahead for second-chance love and carnal pleasures.
"I could easily live another 35 years and I refuse to live without good sex and real love," said Monica, 55, a real estate agent who divorced after 16 "miserable" years of marriage.
"I will never again sacrifice myself on a spiritual and psychological level to a man, like I did with my control-freak husband," she added. "I am attractive and smart, and I will find love again. Though I won't settle until I am swept off my feet. Not just sexually, but by the whole package -- mentally and soulfully."
Iris Krasnow's new book Sex After...Women Share How Intimacy Changes As Life Changes was recently released by Gotham Books. Connect with her at

Friday, February 21, 2014 - By Unknown 0

Deal signed to end Ukraine crisis By Phil Black. Nick Paton Walsh and Michael Pearson, CNN February 21, 2014 -- Updated 1631 GMT (0031 HKT)

re you in Ukraine? Send us your photos and experiences but please stay safe.
Kiev, Ukraine (CNN) -- Ukraine's President and opposition leaders agreed Friday to a deal meant to end the country's political crisis and bloody fighting that has left parts of Kiev a war zone.

President Viktor Yanukovych, opposition leaders and representatives of the European Union signed the deal Friday afternoon after a night of difficult negotiations that stretched well into the day.

"Good compromise for Ukraine. Gives peace a chance. Opens the way to reform and to Europe," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said via Twitter before the signing was completed.

A cheer went up from the crowd in Kiev's Independence Square when the agreement was announced. Protesters waved Ukrainian flags under clear skies free of the choking smoke from burning barricades that has characterized recent days.

But it remained to be seen if the deal would be enough to overcome the nation's deep divisions and mistrust on both sides inflamed by the recent violence.

Protesters: 100 dead in Ukraine

Gunfire heard in Kiev, protesters fall

'I am a Ukrainian'

Will the Ukraine truce last?

Ukraine's parliament moved quickly to fulfill the first requirement of the agreement -- passing a law to roll back the country's constitution to an earlier version that limits the President's powers.

The deal calls for further constitutional reform to be completed by September, according to a draft posted on the German Foreign Office's website.

It also requires presidential elections "as soon as the new Constitution is adopted but no later than December 2014."

And protesters are to withdraw from streets and public buildings they've occupied during the crisis and turn in illegal weapons, according to the deal.

Security forces are to "step back from confrontational posture" and use force only to protect public buildings, the agreement says.

A joint investigation into the recent violence will follow. Authorities, opposition representatives and the European Council will be included, according to the deal.

Reaction to the signing from opposition leaders wasn't immediately available.

Earlier, opposition leader and former boxer Vitali Klitschko said protesters must keep the pressure on the government.

"We must do everything to stop the confrontation, and the people who gave illegal orders will be brought to justice," he said.

While developments appeared encouraging, an earlier fragile truce crumbled just a day before amid renewed fighting. Geoffrey Pyatt, U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, called the result Thursday "the most tragic day in the history of Ukraine."

The crisis began in November with anger about Yanukovych's decision to scrap a European Union-oriented trade deal and turn toward Russia.

It escalated this week with fierce fighting that the government says has claimed 77 lives and drew swift rebuke from the West. Protesters put the death toll at about 128.

Photos: Unrest in Ukraine

New round of violence erupts in Kiev

Protests are ongoing despite truce

The country has long been divided between historic allegiances to Russia in the east and Europe in the west.

But the disagreement quickly escalated into anger about Yanukovych's rule, including a sweeping, if short-lived, anti-protest law enacted in January.

Russia, which has offered to lend money to cash-strapped Ukraine in a deal worth billions of dollars and lower its gas prices, has put pressure on Yanukovych to crack down on demonstrators.

Western leaders, who have offered Ukraine a more long-term aid package requiring economic modernization, have urged the President to show restraint, allow the opposition more access to government and let the democratic process work out amid deep political differences.

The crisis boiled over Tuesday when security forces waded into the crowd with water cannons, stun grenades, nightsticks and armored personnel carriers. That fighting brought swift condemnation from Western leaders, who accused Ukrainian leaders of a bloody crackdown.

Ukrainian officials, however, blamed protesters for attacking police, invading government buildings and looting hundreds of guns and tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Government officials declared a truce Wednesday, but that cease-fire failed early the next day when fighting broke out again. In Thursday's round of fighting, some protesters appeared to be armed. Men in what appeared to be government uniforms seemed to fight back with automatic weapons and at least one sniper rifle.

In one incident captured by a CNN camera crew, gunfire felled a protest medic trying to treat a man lying on the ground.

One doctor treating protesters said several people had died of targeted wounds that she said appeared to be from sniper shots.

CNN was not able to immediately confirm the claims.

The government acknowledged Thursday that its forces had used firearms, saying it had done so to protect unarmed police officers who were in danger.

The European Union and United States responded to this week's violence with sanctions against Ukrainians deemed responsible for the violence.

Explainer: What and who are behind Ukraine's political crisis?

iReport: Protester describes bloodied people being rushed to medics

U.S. talks tough, but options limited in Ukraine

Friday, February 21, 2014 - By Unknown 0

Syria crisis: Last UN try to break Geneva deadlock

 
At least 5,000 people are thought to have died since the first round of Geneva talks started on 22 January

The UN special envoy for Syria will try to break the stalemate between the Syrian government and the opposition at a final session of talks in Geneva.

Lakhdar Brahimi will mediate a last face-to-face meeting with both sides on Saturday morning.
Negotiations reached an impasse as the two delegations traded accusations, with Syrian officials calling the rebels' demands "unrealistic".
The conflict in Syria has claimed more than 100,000 lives since March 2011.
Some 9.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes.
'Unblock the situation' The final talks are due to begin at 11:00 (10:00 GMT).
Mr Brahimi earlier said US and Russian officials had assured him they would try to "unblock the situation".

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

Two weeks ago they were at least airing opposing views across a table, and discussing concrete steps like possible ceasefires and prisoner exchanges. Now they can't even agree on an agenda ”

Bridget Kendall Diplomatic correspondent, BBC News

• Syrian peace talks pedal backwards

The best outcome the UN can hope for is a commitment to come back to Geneva for further negotiations, the BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva reports.

Many people inside Syria may view such a commitment as meaningless after two rounds of talks achieved little, our correspondent says.
So far, the only agreement in the latest negotiations was to allow civilians to leave and aid to enter the besieged city of Homs.
Otherwise the talks, which started six days ago, have failed to narrow the gap between the government of President Bashar al-Assad and the opposition.
Syria insists on the need to fight what it calls "terrorists", while the rebel delegation stresses the need for a transitional administration to run the country until elections.

Valerie Amos: "Syrians are looking to us to do something"

Syrian officials have said there is no question of replacing President Bashar al-Assad.
Opposition spokesman Louay Safi said the government team had failed to show "any responsiveness".
Correspondents say at least 5,000 people are believed to have died since the first round of the Geneva talks began on 22 January.
US President Barack Obama said he was considering ways of putting more pressure on President Assad, though he did not expect any resolution in the short term.
Speaking in California, where he was meeting Jordan's King Abdullah, he said: "There will be some intermediate steps that we can take applying more pressure to the Assad regime and we are going to be continuing to work with all the parties concerned to try to move forward on a diplomatic solution."
Mr Obama did not disclose what steps he has under consideration.
Earlier, UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos urged the UN Security Council to act immediately to ensure more humanitarian access in Syria.
The Security Council has been deadlocked over aid deliveries in Syria, where millions have been forced to flee their homes.

Saturday, February 15, 2014 - By Unknown 0

US storm that left traffic misery hits eastern Canada

Before moving over Canada, the storm left misery in the US - including heavy snow in northern Virginia

A giant winter storm that gridlocked traffic, left flights cancelled, and knocked out power in the US East Coast has pushed into eastern Canada.

As much as 60cm (24in) was expected to fall in some areas by the end of Friday, blown about by heavy winds, from Quebec to Newfoundland.
Authorities closed a 200km (124 mile) section of the Trans-Canada Highway in Quebec.
The storm has been blamed for the deaths of more than two dozen people.
In the US, almost 450,000 people and businesses remained without power in the typically mild southern states on Friday, some for a third day, after the storm destroyed power lines and knocked down trees.
High winds

The roof of an indoor sport complex collapsed under the weight of the snow in Nyack, New York

The weather system tapered off as it crawled farther north, but was still strong enough to bring almost 30cm of snow to areas of Quebec and parts of Newfoundland on Friday, with high winds of more than 60 mph (95km/h).
Other parts of the eastern provinces and Nova Scotia saw heavy rain from the same storm.
In eastern Quebec, several motorways, including the Trans-Canada Highway from Quebec City to Riviere-du-Loup, were partially shut after the snow and high winds dangerously hindered visibility.
Canadian weather officials have issued a number of winter storm warnings as another unrelated system is expected to bring severe weather to the Atlantic Provinces again on Saturday and Sunday.
The storm struck first on Wednesday in the US South, where it covered trees and power lines with as much as an inch of ice and caused traffic jams across the region.

Thirty people were injured, five severely, in a multiple vehicle pile-up near Philadelphia

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley compared the damage to the aftermath of a hurricane.
One electric co-operative in the state lost 50 poles in the ice storm, compared to 21 in the last cyclone, officials said. Those still in the dark in the US South may wait several more days before electricity is restored.
The storm then moved up the US East Coast, dumping heavy snow from North Carolina to Boston over a 24-hour period. Parts of New York state saw as much as 27in.
Washington-area offices of the US federal government were closed on Thursday to spare workers the dangerous commute.
At least 25 deaths have been blamed on the storm.
Cancelled Valentine's Day In the US, road conditions remained treacherous in some areas on Friday. Thirty people were injured, five severely, in a multiple vehicle pile-up near Philadelphia on Friday morning.
Officials said it would take many hours to clear damaged vehicles, including lorries. The crash spawned a traffic jam stretching for five miles (8km).

Valentine's Day was not cancelled for Gilberto Lozada of Winchester, Virginia, who built this snow sculpture in a city park

Many schools remained closed in eight states from Virginia to Maine. Almost 1,700 flights were cancelled on Friday, and 6,500 a day earlier.
The foul weather also has delayed tens of thousands of deliveries of Valentine's Day flowers.
"It's a godawful thing," Mike Flood, owner of Falls Church Florist in Virginia, told the Associated Press news agency. "We're going to lose money. There's no doubt about it."
Meanwhile, a sheriff in north-eastern Georgia declared in an apparently tongue-in-cheek Facebook post that the weather had rendered the Oconee County region a "No Valentines [sic] Day Zone".
Sheriff Scott Berry declared all men in the area were exempt from having to buy chocolate or other gifts for their partners until next Tuesday.

Motorists in Albany, New York, and across the US north-east were forced to dig out their cars from the heavy snow

The snow made for a picturesque walk through New York's Central Park for a woman and her dog

Have you been affected by the winter storm? How are you coping? You can share your photos and experiences with us using this form:

Saturday, February 15, 2014 - By Unknown 0