Microsoft boosts SkyDrive with six month Office 365 University test drive, ad campaign

Office 365 University is already pretty cheap, but to get you hooked on the software while also promoting SkyDrive's collaboration tools, Microsoft's giving up to six months worth of free access to US college attendees. It's promoting the grab using Parks & Recreation's Aubrey Plaza, who shows a trio of students in one YouTube video (after the break) how they can work together using the Office 365 / SkyDrive combo while staying in their own "creepy dorm" and "unicorn stable" instead of bugging her. Takers will get an extra 20GB of SkyDrive storage and three months of access to the suite, which can be extended to six by sharing the offer on Facebook. If Microsoft decides to include Aubrey and her pithy putdowns in place of Clippy, we'd actually be okay with that, too.

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Source: Microsoft

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/11/microsoft-boosts-skydrive-with-three-month-office-365-university/

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Global leaders, celebrities honor Chavez at funeral

CARACAS (Reuters) - From Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to U.S. Oscar-winner Sean Penn, an eclectic mix of mourners bid farewell on Friday to Venezuela's Hugo Chavez at the funeral for the charismatic but divisive leader who changed the face of South American politics.

Chavez died this week at age 58 after a two-year battle with cancer, devastating millions of mostly poor supporters who hailed him for plowing the country's vast oil wealth into social projects, but giving hope to foes who decried him as a dictator.

A frequent visitor to Caracas and fellow "anti-imperialist," Ahmadinejad received a standing ovation as he took his place in a guard of honor by Chavez's coffin, then broke protocol to touch the casket and clench his fist in a revolutionary salute.

"Commander, here you are undefeated, pure, living for all time," Chavez's preferred successor, acting President Nicolas Maduro, said over the casket, his voice cracking with emotion.

"Your soul and spirit are so powerful that your body could not hold them, and now they are traveling this universe, growing with blessings and love."

The mourners chanted: "Chavez lives! The fight continues!"

Maduro, who was due to be sworn in as caretaker president on Friday, laid a replica of the sword of 19th century independence leader Simon Bolivar on top of the coffin, which was draped in the country's red, yellow and blue flag.

A singer in a cowboy hat serenaded the mourners with folk music from Chavez's birthplace in Venezuela's "llanos" plains.

The late president's body was to be embalmed and shown "for eternity" - similar to how Communist leaders Lenin, Stalin and Mao were treated after their deaths.

His remains will lie in state for an extra seven days to accommodate the millions of Venezuelans who still want to pay their last respects to a man who will be remembered as one of the world's most colorful and controversial populist leaders.

Huge crowds of "Chavistas" gathered from before dawn for the ceremony at a military academy where his body was lying in state. Many were dressed in the red of the ruling Socialist Party, carrying his picture and waving Venezuelan flags.

"SO MUCH PAIN"

"There are no words for so much pain," said 30-year-old Kimberly Garcia, sobbing uncontrollably. "Comandante, you are our sky, our sun, our life. Thanks to you, we have a homeland."

Some fans waited for more than 26 hours to view Chavez's coffin. More than 2 million people have filed past the casket since Wednesday, many in tears, some saluting, and others crossing themselves.

In Caracas were most of Chavez's highest-profile Latin American friends, such as Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa and Brazil's former leader, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Underscoring Chavez's talent for uniting a mix of perhaps unlikely allies, the center-right presidents of Chile and Colombia attended, as well as Western idealists like actor Penn and U.S. civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, who read a prayer.

As the funeral took place, indigenous priests in Bolivia, a close leftist ally, made offerings to 'mother earth' in Chavez's honor.

"He was invincible. He left victorious and no one can take that away. It is fixed in history," Cuban President Raul Castro said, referring to Chavez's four presidential election wins, among a string of other ballot victories in his 14-year rule.

The Castro's were very close Chavez allies. Chavez regarded Fidel Castro as a mentor and father figure, and his country's oil and investments helped keep the island nation's economy afloat.

Renowned conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who heads Venezuela's Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, led musicians at the funeral playing classical numbers and the national anthem.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Ahmadinejad were among the more controversial figures present. Ahmadinejad has caused a storm back home for saying Chavez would be resurrected alongside Jesus Christ and a "hidden" imam who Shi'ite Muslims believe will rise up to bring world peace.

The United States did not send senior officials to honor Chavez, who famously derided George W. Bush as "the devil" and championed international pariahs like Ahmadinejad, Libya's late Muammar Gaddafi and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Former U.S. Representative William Delahunt and U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks were attending, amid speculation of a possible post-Chavez rapprochement between ideological foes.

ELECTION LOOMS

A government source said Chavez slipped into a coma on Monday before dying the following day of respiratory failure. The cancer had spread to his lungs, the source added.

Chavez never said what type of cancer he was suffering, and for privacy, chose to be mainly treated in Cuba.

His death paved the way for a new election in the OPEC nation that boasts the world's biggest oil reserves. But it is unclear when the vote will be held.

At the gates of the academy, activists handed out photos of Chavez along with printed quotes of his call for supporters to vote for Maduro should anything happen to him.

The constitution stipulates that an election must be called within 30 days, but politicians say the electoral authorities may not be ready and there has been talk of a possible delay. Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said the election date may be announced in the coming hours.

Maduro, 50, a former bus driver who became foreign minister and then vice president, looks certain to face opposition leader Henrique Capriles, 40, the centrist governor of Miranda state who lost to Chavez in October's election.

The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that Maduro would not have to step down to campaign. Capriles called the decision a "constitutional fraud."

Opposition sources say the 30 or so political groupings making up the Democratic Unity coalition have again agreed to back Capriles, whose 44 percent vote share in 2012 was the best performance by any candidate against Chavez.

Contrasting with the outpouring of grief at the funeral, senior opposition figure Leopoldo Lopez cautioned that the post-Chavez era would not automatically bring a brighter future.

"The uncertainty goes on, as does the gross meddling by Cuba and the flagrant violation of the constitution. Our people continue to be overwhelmed by insecurity, inflation and food shortages," he said.

Two recent opinion polls gave Maduro a strong lead over Capriles, and Western investors and foreign diplomats are factoring in a probable win for Maduro and a continuation of "Chavista" policies, at least in the short term.

The latest survey, by respected local pollster Datanalisis, gave Maduro 46.4 percent versus 34.3 percent for Capriles. It was carried out on in mid-February, before Chavez's death.

(Additional reporting by Andrew Cawthorne, Deisy Buitrago, Marianna Parraga, Pablo Garibian, Simon Gardner and Girish Gupta in Caracas, Rosa Tania Vald?s in Havana and Carlos Quiroga in La Paz; editing by Jackie Frank)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/venezuelas-chavez-embalmed-public-view-022616369.html

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Venezuela's Chavez to be embalmed for public view

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's Hugo Chavez will be embalmed and put on display "for eternity" at a military museum after a state funeral and an extended period of lying in state, acting President Nicolas Maduro said on Thursday.

Huge crowds are still waiting to pay their respects to Chavez after his death this week, and Maduro said the move - reminiscent of the treatment of Communist leaders Lenin, Stalin and Mao after their deaths - would help keep the late president's self-declared socialist revolution alive.

"It has been decided that the body of the comandante will be embalmed so that it remains eternally on view for the people at the museum," Maduro told state TV.

Chavez, a former paratrooper, died on Tuesday aged 58 after a two-year battle with cancer. He was president for 14 years and is now lying in state at a military academy where the government says more than 2 million supporters have viewed it since Wednesday.

Maduro said Chavez's official funeral would go ahead on Friday, attended by about 30 leaders from around the world and that his body would then lie in state for a further seven days.

Huge lines snaked around the academy on Thursday as tens of thousands of Venezuelans shuffled forward to salute, raise clenched fists or make the sign of the cross over Chavez's casket.

From soldiers in fatigues to officers in ceremonial dress, to residents of the slums where Chavez was most loved, those in line vowed to defend his legacy and back Maduro, his preferred heir, in a new election.

"I arrived in the early hours to see Chavez. He is my personal idol," said Henry Acosta, 56.

A sobbing Berta Colmenares, 77, said "Chavistas" must throw their weight behind Maduro to carry on the revolution.

"I will vote for Maduro, who else? He is the one who Chavez chose and we have to follow his wish."

Chavez was dressed in an army uniform and a signature red beret like the one he wore in a 1992 speech to the nation that launched his political career after he led a failed coup.

People were given just a few seconds to glance at his body inside the relatively simple wooden coffin, which has a glass top and was draped in flowers and a Venezuelan flag.

One government source told Reuters that Chavez slipped into a coma on Monday and died the next day of respiratory failure after a rapid deterioration from the weekend, when he had held a five-hour meeting with ministers at his bedside.

The cancer had spread to his lungs, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

MADURO VERSUS CAPRILES VOTE LOOMS

There is uncertainty over exactly when a presidential vote will be held in the South American OPEC country, which has the world's largest oil reserves and 29 million residents.

The constitution stipulates a poll must be called within 30 days, but politicians say election authorities may not be ready in time and there is talk of a possible delay. Chavez ruled for 14 years and won four presidential elections.

Maduro, 50, a former union leader who ended his education at high school before plunging into politics, looks certain to face opposition leader Henrique Capriles, 40, the centrist governor of Miranda state who lost to Chavez in last year's election.

Maduro will be sworn-in on Friday as caretaker president, National Assembly head Diosdado Cabello told state TV.

Members of the opposition have kept a low profile and offered condolences during the enormous show of support for Chavez, one of Latin America's most popular leaders.

But some expressed relief at the demise of a man they saw as a dictator who trampled on opponents and ruined their economy.

"I wanted his mandate to end. Power made him lose perspective," said Israel Nogales, 43, a university administrator walking in a Caracas park.

"He polarized the country and families like mine. ... He is going to be treated like a martyr and that is wrong."

On Wednesday, opposition sources told Reuters they have again agreed to back Capriles, whose 44-percent vote share in 2012 was the best performance by any candidate against Chavez.

One recent opinion poll gave Maduro a strong lead, and both international markets and foreign diplomats are factoring in a probable win for him and a continuation of "Chavista" policies, at least in the short term.

The tall and hefty Maduro, who lacks Chavez's man-of-the-people charisma, served as his foreign minister for six years before being named vice president in late 2012.

He has pledged to adhere to Chavez's brand of ferociously nationalist politics and controversial economic policies that included regular seizures of private businesses as well as wildly popular social welfare programs.

Some analysts believe Maduro might eventually try to ease tensions with Western investors and the United States. But just hours before Chavez's death, Maduro was accusing "imperialist" enemies of infecting the president with cancer and he expelled two American diplomats for alleged conspiracies.

Maduro is expected to continue bashing Washington, at least until the election. He may have to step down from his role as caretaker president to launch his candidacy and one official source told Reuters that Chavez's son-in-law, Science Minister Jorge Arreaza, might step into that role.

Capriles, an athletic career politician and lawyer from a wealthy family, wants Venezuela to follow Brazil's softer center-left model.

Venezuela's heavily traded global bonds, which gained before Chavez's death, were down for a second straight day on Thursday as investors realized his economic model of government control could persist for years. Yields for the 2027 bond spiked to nearly 9.5 percent as prices continued to fall.

State media have been airing old Chavez speeches and songs over and over in lengthy tributes.

Foreign Minister Elias Jaua urged private Venezuelan media outlets to let "Chavistas" mourn and refrain from provoking opponents to hold rallies against the government.

Authorities blame TV channels aligned with the opposition for helping incite a 2002 coup that briefly toppled Chavez.

At the wake, Venezuelans strained for a glimpse of Chavez, many welling up in tears as they reached his casket.

"I told him 'don't worry, Nicolas Maduro will be the new president as you asked'," said nurse Maria Fernandez, 51, after filing past the coffin.

(Additional reporting by Simon Gardner, Marianna Parraga and Daniel Wallis in Caracas, Rosa Tania Valdes in Havana, Helen Popper in Buenos Aires, and Daniel Bases in New York; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne, Kieran Murray and David Brunnstrom)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/venezuelas-chavez-embalmed-public-view-022616369.html

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Kids App Maker Toca Boca Expands With Zinc Roe Acquisition, Sets Up Studio In Toronto

Kids app maker?Toca Boca, which operates like a startup out of the 200-year-old Swedish publishing company?Bonnier, is making good on its earlier promise that it will soon begin to expand its product portfolio through acquisitions. Toca Boca is today announcing an all-cash deal with Toronto-based studio zinc Roe?that includes its line of children's apps.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/TXtCkym8bCQ/

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Garcetti, Greuel in command in LA mayoral contest

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Two City Hall veterans took command Tuesday in the contest to replace outgoing Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, setting up a likely runoff to determine who will lead a city troubled by double-digit unemployment and a looming budget gap.

"The creativity and the genius that is Los Angeles, we will bring back. And that's what I'm going to do as the next mayor of Los Angeles," promised city Councilman Eric Garcetti, 42, a Democrat who led the field with 34 percent of the vote.

With mail-in ballots and about 40 percent of precincts reporting, no candidate was in position to clear the majority needed to win outright. The top two finishers will go to a May 21 runoff, and Garcetti was followed closely by city Controller Wendy Greuel, 51, another Democrat who notched 29 percent of the vote.

Democratic Councilwoman Jan Perry was parked in third place, with 17 percent.

The election capped a lackluster primary campaign that was snubbed by most of the city's 1.8 million voters. Turnout was scant.

The next mayor of the nation's second largest city inherits a raft of problems: Crime is relatively low but City Hall is nearly broke, the airport is an embarrassment, freeways remain clogged and potholes, cracked sidewalks and untended trees infest many neighborhoods. Rising pension and health care costs for workers threaten dollars needed for libraries, street repairs and other services.

"The city's ability to provide services that improve the quality of life of city residents has diminished," city Administrative Officer Miguel Santana wrote in a report last month.

The five leading candidates in the nonpartisan contest made last-minute appeals during stops around the city, while unionized workers and other campaign volunteers tried to get voters to shake off indifference and go to the polls.

"I need you to vote, and then go encourage your friends and family to vote, too," Greuel told supporters in an email Tuesday. She hopes to become the city's first woman mayor.

The sluggish turnout presented a possible opening for Perry, 57, or former prosecutor Kevin James, 49, a Republican, to slip into the two-person runoff. But James also lagged off the pace in the heavily Democratic city, with 14 percent of the vote, according to preliminary returns.

Los Angeles County Democratic Chair Eric Bauman attributed the light turnout to voter fatigue after the 2012 presidential race, along with a campaign that failed to produce a star candidate.

Angelenos are known to give local politics a collective shrug, and turnout failed to reach 30 percent in Villaraigosa's hotly contested primary in 2005, when he was trying to become the first Hispanic mayor in more than a century. He was re-elected in 2009 with a meager 152,000 votes, in a city of nearly 4 million people.

"I honestly think voters are worn out," Bauman said. "There isn't anything that is driving up turnout."

The city appears headed for another first at City Hall. Greuel would become the first woman mayor, and Garcetti could become the first Jew elected to the post (but not the first to hold it in a temporary capacity). The two candidates also have roots in the city's San Fernando Valley.

The leading candidates dueled mostly over pocketbook issues and City Hall insider politics ? a looming deficit, 10.2 percent unemployment, the grip of municipal unions.

"The campaign itself hasn't really gotten people's blood going," said longtime Democratic strategist Garry South. "It's been small-bore stuff for the most part, and the average voter is saying, 'What's this got to do with me?'"

The Los Angeles mayor presides over a budget that exceeds $7 billion, but it is a comparatively weak office hemmed in by a powerful City Council. Unlike other big cities such as New York, the Los Angeles mayor cannot directly appoint the head of schools or police.

Voters also were picking a city attorney, city controller and about half the 15 members of the City Council, and deciding whether to increase the city's sales tax a half-cent to 9.5 percent.

Though Garcetti often plays up his Hispanic roots, he has a far different history than the charismatic Villaraigosa, who grew up on the rough streets east of downtown and once sported a "Born to Raise Hell" tattoo. Garcetti is the son of a former district attorney, an Ivy Leaguer and Rhodes Scholar from the Valley's tony Encino enclave.

"Our work isn't over" Garcetti said in a fundraising appeal sent out after the polls closed. "We need to keep our foot on the gas."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/garcetti-greuel-command-la-mayoral-contest-090555575.html

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