Microsoft's latest Windows 8 themes include cute kittens and Watch_Dogs

It's been a few months since we have looked into what new Windows 8 themes Microsoft has uploaded on its official website, but the company has been quite busy adding to its theme library. Some of the latest additions include some great images of the natural world, and one that's definitely from a world that's made by people.

For many people, their summer vacations are coming to an end, but Microsoft now has a new Beaches theme, made exclusively for Windows 8 and RT, that contains nine images of breathtaking beach locations from around the world. They should remind you to take that next vacation when you get a chance. The Beaches theme supports the Panoramic feature in Windows 8 where the images can stretch across two monitors.

The new Sky theme includes 18 images of different views of what's "up there" at various locations, times of day and in certain situations, including a lighting storm over Gladstone in Queensland, Australia. The Sky theme is labeled as "dynamic" which means that people who download and install it can also receive new images automatically via an RSS feed.

Who doesn't like cute, furry kittens when they are asleep? If you are not a cat person, you might want to stay away from the new Sleepy Kittens theme that puts 13 photos of the cutest, cuddliest furballs you have ever seen as part of your Windows 8 experience.

Finally, one of the most anticipated games of 2013 is Watch_Dogs, the open world action experience from Ubisoft with a lot of hacking and cyber crime to go along with the gun play. Microsoft has a Windows 8 Watch_Dogs theme to download featuring 11 screenshots from the game that will appear on both the Xbox 360 and Xbox One game consoles (among other platforms) this fall.

Source: Microsoft | Images via Microsoft and Ubisoft

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/neowin-all/~3/PPiRAnbjJc4/microsofts-latest-windows-8-themes-include-cute-kittens-and-watch_dogs

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The Most Terrifying Anti Drunk Driving Stunt You'll Ever See

Sometimes the best way to drive a point home is pure, abject terror. And that's the approach Leo Burnett London used in this ad that shows a rather extreme way to discourage drinking and driving.

Unsuspecting bathroom patrons at a British pub were shocked to see the face of a woman come smashing through the mirror?complete with blood?as if she'd just gone through the windshield of a car on the other side of the wall. In reality it was just a mannequin, and the victims of this PSA were most likely actors, but the effect is no less unsettling. To the point where I'm pretty sure I'd never leave my house again had I experienced this. Mission accomplished. [Creativity Online via Taxi]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/the-most-terrifying-anti-drunk-driving-stunt-youll-eve-511868297

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Floods in central Europe continue to create havoc

BERLIN (AP) ? More than 80,000 emergency personnel including firefighters and soldiers were on duty Saturday, working aggressively to contain the most dramatic floods in Germany in a decade. Thousands of residents were still unable to return to their homes, and bridges and streets were impassable in many regions of eastern and southern Germany.

Twenty people reportedly have already died in the floods across central Europe after several days of heavy rains.

German news agency dpa said people in Magdeburg in Saxony-Anhalt were anxiously waiting downstream as the crest of the Elbe river approached Saturday, while residents further upstream were starting to clean up the debris that was left along the river.

In Magdeburg, authorities evacuated a nursing home and turned off electricity in several parts of the city. Where the Saale river meets the Elbe, about 3,000 people had to leave their homes.

High water levels were also reported in Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, while thousands of people in Austria were busy shoveling away mud left by the receding floodwaters of the Danube.

In Hungary, around 2,000 residents of the town of Gyorujfalu northwest of the capital of Budapest were evacuated because authorities were afraid the levees wouldn't withstand the pressure of the Danube's waters. Another 980 residents had to leave their homes along the river out of precaution.

The rising waters of the Danube, Europe's biggest river, were expected to reach Budapest on Monday. The water levels were already at 28.2 feet (8.60 meters) on Saturday and expected to rise to 29.4 feet (8.95 meters) at the peak of the flood ? inching close up to the top of the river's flood fences, which are 30.5 feet (9.30 meters) tall.

In Slovakia, the Danube was still on the rise in the towns of Sturovo and Komarno near the Hungarian border. The situation in Komarno was especially critical as several protective barriers started leaking and volunteers had arrived to reinforce them with sandbags.

In the Czech Republic, the waters were dropping further and clean-up work was under way. However, anti-flood measures were to remain in place as heavy rains and thunderstorms were forecast for the weekend.

__________

Pablo Gorondi contributed reporting from Budapest, Hungary and Karel Janicek from Prague, Czech Republic.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/floods-central-europe-continue-create-havoc-093646118.html

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Bowers & Wilkins 805 Maserati Edition looks like the inside of a really nice car

You know what your life is missing? A speaker that looks like the inside of a high-end luxury car. Thankfully, Zeppelin-maker Bowers & Wilkins has just the thing for you. The 805 Maserati Edition is the result of a partnership with the Italian automaker, building on the 805 Diamond speakers with the addition of black leather, bird's eye maple and the car company's trident logo. The speaker hits audio stores come fall, and later this year, it'll be joined by what we assume will be equally extravagant P5 Maserati Edition headphones.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/F2IAiD3Zmno/

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Lance Armstrong Killed the Livestrong Bracelet

After nearly a decade of partnership that was as big on sales of iconic bracelets and athletic gear as it was a major symbol of cancer awareness, Nike has cut ties with Lance Armstrong's Livestrong Foundation.

RELATED: Lance Armstrong Quits Livestrong to Save It

We already knew that Armstrong had let down his awareness group ? he told the Livestrong staff he was "sorry" ahead of a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this year ? but the cancer foundation came to be something else entirely: an engine of profit. And even as its founder faced more and more allegations of doping, sales held strong, according to the latest available financial information leading up to Armstrong's coming-clean on steroids. But then he fessed-up, Livestrong apparel hit the bargain bin, and now Nike will stop making those rubber yellow wristbands.

RELATED: Nike Ends Its Sponsorship of Lance Armstrong

Nike started producing the Livestrong bracelets in May 2004 ? an instant symbol of cancer-patient support, as Armstrong went for his sixth Tour de France win, and doping allegations began to heat up ? and went on to sell 80 million of them. The global athletic powerhouse soon expanded the Livestrong brand to yellow exercise gear and much, much more. But today that all came to a crashing halt as the two brands announced their separation. Nike will no longer sell any Livestrong stuff after the 2013 holiday season. Nike, of course,?cut its official partnership with Lance Armstrong in October 2012 after he was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles. Shortly thereafter, Armstrong resigned as the head of Livestrong to save the Foundation from any potential fallout from the doping scandal. But now it appears, after a confession, his damaged image has hurt the foundation even more than he could in person ? its product is damage goods.

RELATED: How Far Will Lance Armstrong's Apology Tour Really Go?

With Nike's support, Livestrong raised over $500 million for cancer research since the partnership began, with a huge amount of proceeds going to a good cause. "We will continue to support the Livestrong Foundation by funding them directly as they continue their work serving and improving outcomes for people facing cancer," Nike said in their statement today. "This news will prompt some to jump to negative conclusions about the foundation's future," reads Livestrong's statement. "We see things quite differently. We expected and planned for changes like this and are therefore in a good position to adjust swiftly and move forward with our patient-focused work."

RELATED: Lance Armstrong, The 'Steroid Era,' and Public Art

The financial standing for the Livestrong Foundation is sound, judging by the information available to us. Charity Navigator gives Livestrong a strong four-star review. And if ESPN's Darren Rovell is right, business for Livestrong branded apparel was booming last year:?

Just last year, sources say Nike did about $150 million in sales of Livestrong-branded products, which was the most it ever sold. But industry insiders told ESPN.com that Nike, as well as Dick's Sporting Goods, which sold the most product at retail, were ready to give up the business.

But things apparently took a turn after the Oprah interview in January, when Armstrong admitted using testosterone and EPO and to performing blood transfusions during his cycling career. That's when Dick's Sporting Goods decided to get out of the Livestrong business, because they couldn't sell anything. Livestrong-branded apparel was put on clearance, per Bloomberg:?

Sales of exercise equipment also dropped after?Lance Armstrong?admitted using performance-enhancing drugs during his career, the company said. Equipment branded Livestrong, the charity Armstrong founded, makes up more than 50 percent of its treadmill and elliptical sales. After Armstrong?s admission, demand fell and it?s now clearing inventory with price reductions and has plans replace it with another brand, the company said.

And that's how one man ? even one of the great cancer survival stories in American celebrity history ? can put olive oil in his veins for personal gain, deny the whole thing, come clean, and ruin one of the most inspiring charity-retail partnerships on the planet.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lance-armstrong-killed-livestrong-bracelet-165735338.html

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Camas' finance director is retiring after 24 years | The Columbian

By Tyler Graf
Columbian staff writer

Monday, May 27, 2013

Camas will bid farewell at the end of the month to its longest-serving employee.

Joan Durgin, the city's finance director, will retire Friday. A 24-year veteran of the city, Durgin balanced Camas' books during a period of rapid growth.

In her time with the city, the population increased from around 6,700 to nearly 20,000. During that boom, underscored by Camas' transformation from a mill town to a hub of high-tech businesses, the city's budget evolved, as departments grew and finances became more complicated.

"It's a big deal, helping a city that grows that fast," said Mayor Scott Higgins, who expressed mixed emotions about Durgin's retirement.

The city has big shoes to fill, he said.

Durgin has been one of two constants for Camas in the past couple of decades, since the city moved to an administrator-council form of government in 1989. The other was former City Administrator Lloyd Halverson -- also hired in 1989, two weeks before Durgin -- who retired as city administrator in June 2012.

Even in retirement, Halverson was assisting Camas on special projects. He came off the city's books for good at the beginning of the month.

Camas has hired Cathy Huber Nickerson, Battle Ground's finance director, to replace Durgin. She will start working for Camas July 8, the city says.

The role of finance director was never dull, said Durgin, a bona fide accounting aficionado.

She came to the city following a 10-year stint with the Washington State Auditor's Office.

"I was looking for a change," Durgin said of the transition. "The state auditor was really focused at that time on auditing federal grants, and he wasn't focused on accounting records or financial statements."

During her years with the city, budgeting challenges have arisen, Durgin acknowledged. One of the biggest came in 1997 in the form of Referendum 47, which said property taxes couldn't increase by more than the rate of inflation.

During recessions, that constrains the city's budget, Durgin said.

In recent years, there have been expensive infrastructure projects the city has undertaken. They include upgrades to the city's wastewater treatment plant, an ongoing project.

The city may have another year of tight revenue, Durgin said. But she's confident her replacement will have the skills to fill her shoes.

"I think everyone is replaceable," she said. "I think there are some bright people out there who can take over."

---

Tyler Graf: 360-735-4517; http://twitter.com/col_smallcities; tyler.graf@columbian.com.

Source: http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/may/27/camas-finance-director-is-retiring-after-24-years/

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Pa. woman using purple toilets to fight cancer

EASTON, Pa. -- A northeastern Pennsylvania woman is using purple toilets to raise money to fight cancer.

The Express-Times reports (http://bit.ly/15elgmY ) Rebecca Szabo-Silfies and her two young sons have been leaving the commodes on lawns around Upper Nazareth Township as part of the "Flush Out Cancer" effort. She chairs Saturday's American Cancer Society Relay for Life event at Nazareth Area High School.

She stakes out a home, leaves a toilet and then waits for the homeowner to find it. The person can then pay $10 to have it taken away, $20 to send it to a friend or $30 to send it to a friend and guarantee it never comes back.

The two purple toilets have made 18 stops so far, raising $400. Szabo-Silfies says she found the idea on the Internet.

Information from: The (Easton, Pa.) Express-Times, http://www.lehighvalleylive.com

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/28/3420359/pa-woman-using-purple-toilets.html

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