"Alan D. Mutter writes in his journalism blog 'Relections of a Newsosaur' that some newspapers exploit bereaved families with exorbitantly priced death notices — a distasteful and strategically inept way for them to try to make ends meet. 'I stumbled across the problem this week when I tried to buy a death notice in... the San Francisco Chronicle, which proposed charging $450 for the one-day run of a crappy-looking, 182-word death notice,' writes Mutter. But lose the death notice business, and newspapers risk losing a huge audience driver as well. The solution may be partnering with websites like Legacy.com, a site that already publishes death notices for about two-thirds of the people who die each day in the US. 'It may not be easy to figure out the terms of a broader collaboration, writes Rich Gordon on Poynter.org, 'partly because some newspaper executives are wary of Legacy and feel the company could become a competitive threat for audiences and revenue. But this is exactly the reaction many newspaper executives had to collaborating with Internet companies in other classified advertising categories. I'd hate to see newspapers make the same mistake with death notices and obituaries.'"
http://news.slashdot.org/story/10/04/18/1825206/Newspaper-Death-Notices-May-Be-a-Dying-Business
Attorneys for former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach filed a fourth amended petition Friday claiming the former coach’s firing was predetermined and done so to help the university save money.
In the filing, six Tech officials are being sued individually for damages: Tech Chancellor Kent Hance, Board of Regents members Jerry Turner and Larry Anders, Tech President Guy Bailey, Tech Athletic Director Gerald Myers and Tech Investigator Charlotte Bingham. Craig James, the father of Adam James was also named as a defendant.
One of Leach’s attorneys, Ted Liggett, said Friday that the individuals are being sued — especially Hance, Turner and Anders — because they went “beyond the scope of their job.” Liggett pointed out that it was Bailey and Myers’ responsibility to deal with the Leach situation and no one else should have been involved.
Liggett believes the filings show that Leach’s firing is derived from the contract negotiations last spring.
http://www.dailytoreador.com/news/leach-expands-lawsuit-to-include-seven-officials-1.2230069
Just a strike away from sweeping its in-state rival, Virginia fans rose to their feet Sunday at Davenport Field.
That, however, was as close as weekend perfection would come for a sellout crowd that sat stunned as a would-be win evaporated.
Twentieth-ranked Virginia Tech scored five runs in the ninth inning to mount an improbable comeback and register an 8-5 victory over the Cavaliers.
http://www2.dailyprogress.com/cdp/sports/cavalier_insider/ci_baseball/article/hokies_rally_to_stun_cavs/55084/
Oklahoma starter Jeremy Erben gave up seven runs on 10 hits and a walk in 3 1/3 innings on the mound as Texas Tech topped the Sooners 8-3.
With the loss Sunday, Oklahoma (26-10, 6-7 Big 12) falls behind Texas Tech (20-19, 8-7) in the conference standings, with the Red Raiders now in sole possession of third place.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D9F5PE6O2.html
ATLANTA -- Georgia Tech scored in all eight of their innings at the plate on the way to an 11-3 routing of Clemson Sunday. Its the 5th straight loss for the Tigers.
Kyle Parker tied the game in the top of the second with solo home run over the right field fence. It was his 14th home run of the season.
The Yellow Jackets responded by scoring four runs in the bottom half of the inning, and one run every inning for the rest of the game.
http://www.midlandsconnect.com/sports/story.aspx?id=445309
LAS VEGAS – Carrie Underwood made history at the Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday night, becoming the first woman to win entertainer of the year twice.
Underwood won the show's top honor last year. This year, she beat out Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, the Zac Brown Band, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, George Strait and Keith Urban.
Top-selling trio Lady Antebellum were the dominant winners, grabbing five trophies, including song and single record of the year for crossover hit "Need You Now," while also snapping Rascal Flatts' seven-year run as best vocal group.
"We are having a blast tonight," singer Charles Kelly told the crowd after win No. 4. "We love you all. We will never forget this night."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100419/ap_on_en_mu/us_acm_awards
ORLANDO, Fla. – Jameer Nelson scored 24 of his 32 points in the first half, and the Orlando Magic nearly blew a 22-point lead before beating the Charlotte Bobcats 98-89 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Sunday.
Rashard Lewis added 19 points, and Dwight Howard had nine blocks but was limited offensively and in foul trouble for most of the second half.
Gerald Wallace had 25 points, and Stephen Jackson played through a hyperextended left knee to finish with 18 points in the Bobcats' first playoff game in franchise history.
Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Wednesday night in Orlando.
Charlotte swarmed and slapped Howard on every opportunity near the rim to frustrate the Magic's All-Star center. Howard had five points and seven rebounds, and was 1 for 6 on free throws.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100419/ap_on_sp_bk_ga_su/bkn_bobcats_magic
PHILADELPHIA – He usually hears cheers from Flyers fans after another fight has riled them up.
Buried under a pile of his teammates with nothing to see but a blur orange jerseys, Daniel Carcillo never heard noise like what vibrated throughout the arena. Carcillo, a fighter with squatters rights on the penalty box, morphed from puncher to postseason star with the biggest goal of his career.
Carcillo scored 3:35 into overtime to give the Philadelphia Flyers a 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday night and a 2-1 advantage in the Eastern Conference series.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100419/ap_on_sp_ho_ga_su/hkn_devils_flyers
Reliable electronic health systems and high levels of health IT adoption could play a key role in ensuring the success of future quality improvement initiatives, according to the 2009 National Healthcare Quality Report from HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Modern Healthcare reports (McKinney, Modern Healthcare, 4/14).
Overall Findings
The congressionally mandated analysis tracked the U.S. health care system's performance on more than 200 quality measures in 2007 (Preidt, HealthDay, 4/13).
Although researchers found that overall health care quality improved by 2.3%, they also found that rates for certain infections worsened across the previous year (McKinney, Modern Healthcare, 4/13).
http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2010/4/15/ahrq-report-health-it-adoption-could-lead-to-gains-in-care-quality.aspx
Benjamin Franklin stated "In this world, nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes." To coin off that adage, health care attorney Nathan Kottcamp founded National Healthcare Decisions Day in 2008, celebrated on April 16. The purpose: to provide clear and concise information on health care decision making and to encourage people to plan for end-of-life decisions. NHDD is supported by over 60 organizations, including the American Bar Association, the American Medical Association, and the American Association of Retired Persons.
In all 50 states, people are guaranteed the right to plan for a health care crisis (i.e. living will or advance directive) per 1991 federal law. However, data suggests: 95 percent of Americans say they have heard of advance-care planning - 71 percent say they have thought about it but only 29 percent say they have planned for a health care crisis.
http://www.theledger.com/article/20100416/EDIT02/100419767?Title=Make-Health-Care-Decisions
EXPERTS are monitoring the threat to human health posed by the volcanic ash in Irish air space -- but insisted yesterday there was no significant risk, writes Colin Gleeson.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) said there was no danger to people on the ground because the plume was "currently at high altitude" and it was not expected to come to ground in Ireland "in the near future".
The ash is from a volcano on the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in southern Iceland, which began to erupt just after midnight yesterday.
A HSE spokeswoman said that even if the plume did drop towards the ground, the concentrations of particles at ground level were so small that they were not likely to cause significant effects on health.
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/ash-does-not-pose-health-risk-insist-experts-2140387.html
A controversy that is threatening to undermine public faith in the management of cricket – India’s national passion – deepened on Thursday as government authorities raided the headquarters of the Indian Premier League.
Tax officials raided the Mumbai offices of the IPL, the country’s multibillion-dollar cricket tournament, in a move that follows a dispute between one of the sport’s top officials and India’s deputy foreign minister.
The head of the IPL, Lalit Modi, has accused the minister, Shashi Tharoor, of trying to interfere in the recent auction of a team franchise that was won by a consortium involving a woman, who domestic media have claimed is Mr Tharoor’s girlfriend.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ff195582-491c-11df-8e4f-00144feab49a.html
JD Sports Fashion is looking for a boost to its sales from soccer’s World Cup this summer, having prepared ranges which focus on countries playing in the finals.
But chairman Peter Cowgill says that, unlike its competitors, the company would not be significantly harmed if England make an early exit.
“It’s always bad if England exit early because you lose the feelgood factor,” he said. “But unlike the others I would like to think we have been a little bit more subtle about this and are not going to get caught out.
“After all, we are now a sport- and athletically-inclined leisurewear retailer rather than a straight sportswear retailer.”
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/business/s/1215261_golden_future_in_store_for_jd_sports
The actress and owner of IPL team Kings XI Punjab, Preity Zinta, has denied rumours that she and cricketer Brett Lee are more than just good friends.
Heylooooo! Sher Lock Holmes texted me that Preity Zinta’s visit to Haridwar and her victory havan have borne fruit. Her IPL team Kings XI Punjab has begun to win matches and beat the finest teams in the tournament… But even she realises that it’s a little late in the day for that!
Never mind, Holmes says, she’s a sport and doesn’t take victories to her head and loses to her heart. So true! She’s been tweeting that she loves the wins and is really kicked about the way her boys are performing. She’s even tweeted that she’s slept with a grin on her face. That’s sweet!
http://www.hindustantimes.com/pg3/Preity-s-a-sport/531596/H1-Article1-531163.aspx
MANITOBA'S newest sports facility marked its grand opening Thursday by honouring the province's oldest active athlete.
At the grand opening of Sport Manitoba's new Sport for Life Centre, Premier Greg Selinger awarded the Order of the Buffalo Hunt to Jaring Timmerman.
Timmerman is the 100-year-old swimmer who broke several world records over the last year. He now holds records for 50- and 100-metre backstroke and freestyle categories in his age group.
Also on hand were Eric Robinson, Manitoba's minister responsible for sport, Paul Robson, chairman of Sport Manitoba's board of directors, Olympic champion Jennifer Botterill and Sport Manitoba president and CEO Jeff Hnatiuk.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/multi-use-sport-centre-opens-doors-91013874.html
Keith Richards says he is like Mozart. Damien Hirst makes the comparison with Picasso or Van Gogh, while Steve Davis simply describes him as "the best genius any sport has ever had".
The man himself winces at such descriptions.
"A genius? Cor, I don't know about that," says Ronnie O'Sullivan. "I've been semi-successful. I've done all right but I'm not the player I was. Who do I think will win the world championship? John Higgins. Have I been good for snooker? I don't know."
Such self-deprecation has long been an O'Sullivan trademark.
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/the-best-genius-any-sport-has-ever-had-20100416-sjw7.html
The Premier League is to mount a challenge to the decision by regulator Ofcom to make Sky sell sports channels to its competitors at a discount.
Ofcom told Sky it must cut the price it charges rival cable, terrestrial and internet broadcasters to show its premium sports channels.
The broadcaster will have to sell Sky Sports 1 and 2 for up to 23% less than the current wholesale price.
Premier League boss Richard Scudamore said the league had "no other option".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8623114.stm
SHATTERING ASSUMPTIONS: New study finds that young adults generally care as much about online privacy as older Americans, despite all their raunchy postings.
THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT: Researchers say young adults are sometimes encouraged by sites to reveal personal information to participate in social networks, even though they may prefer not to.
WHAT THIS MEANS: Lawmakers and educators shouldn't assume that young adults aren't looking for privacy protections.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100415/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_young_adults_privacy_summary_box;_ylt=Aq6w4WdrOD9_hUZoZqbe2NIjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTNjN2t1dm1pBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNDE1L3VzX3RlY195b3VuZ19hZHVsdHNfcHJpdmFjeV9zdW1tYXJ5X2JveARwb3MDOARzZWMDeW5fYXJ0aWNsZV9zdW1tYXJ5X2xpc3QEc2xrA3N1bW1hcnlib3hzdA--
Opera made an unexpected appearance at the App Store this week. Submitting its Mini browser to Apple for approval seemed like a long shot, yet here it is. Opera certainly feels faster on its feet than Safari when it comes to loading pages. It also has a few features you won't find on the iPhone's built-in browser. Zoom control, however, just isn't the same.
Opera Mini, an application from Opera Software, is available for free at the App Store.
Opera Software can be quite the prima donna when it wants to, and apparently it knows how to use that attitude to get the results it wants. This company was a main player in the recent effort to require Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) to offer a full menu of Web browsers each time Windows is installed in Europe. Not only must Windows ask the user which browser he or she wants to set as default (Internet Explorer or one of several rivals, including Opera), but the options must be listed in random order. Enough people picked Opera that the company considered the effort a success.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Opera-on-iPhone-Prestissimo-but-Just-a-Little-Flat-69762.html
Twitter can be a useful tool for job searching, and not only for networking. It also provides candidates with a vehicle for demonstrating their skills and displaying their personalities. "People get hired for who they are, not just what they do. Your digital footprint is your resume," said Susan Whitcomb, president of the Career Coach Academy.
The constant drumbeat of bad economic news didn't stop Jennifer Cloud from pursuing a job in her chosen field of interactive marketing . Armed with a degree in communications and a desire to learn new technologies, she started using Twitter.
"I was wondering if the resumes I was blindly submitting online were launched into a vortex," Cloud said. "With Twitter you meet people at all levels of management and get an opportunity to present yourself as a person rather than a piece of paper."
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Tweet-Your-Way-Into-a-Job-69774.html
