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With each passing moment this off-season, the itch to watch Philadelphia 76ers basketball has been there. That may be a crazy sentence to read for a lot of Philadelphia sports fans, but it's the truth. With the Phillies mired in a difficult season and the Flyers coming up short in the second round against New Jersey in the playoffs, and an Eagles season still a bit off in the distance, the focus over the coming weeks will turn to the Philadelphia 76ers. Yes, the same 76ers that have had little chance to win anything since Allen Iverson was here have been brought back to relevancy, mostly due in part to the work of coach Doug Collins.

Now, the Sixers are faced with an interesting situation: how will they re-organize the front office? I think the choice has become clear over recent weeks. The Sixers, by all accounts, are trying to find the nicest way for Rod Thorn to have the door hit him on the way out, which can be tough for someone with the pride of Thorn to take. However, when Ed Snider sold the 76ers to Adam Aron, Josh Harris, and the rest of the new ownership group, Thorn was fortunate enough to keep his title as president and general manager. In their first season as Sixers owners, Aron and Harris were able to reinvigorate a fanbase that has been non-existent for the past decade or so. Yes, there were some exciting times in the middle part of the 2000s, particularly the day the team acquired Chris Webber, but we all know how that one panned out. Iverson moved on, and the team was left in shambles. They hired a coach in Eddie Jordan who had no business being near an NBA basketball court, and everyone was about ready to give up on this franchise.

That leaves us with this. Doug Collins has brought the 76ers to the playoffs for the past two seasons, and while the team does not appear ready to compete with the Miami Heat, they can be a force in the Eastern Conference for years to come with the right tinkering here and there. Hey, they even pushed the Boston Celtics to 7 games in the Eastern Conference Semis before being eliminated. Yes, the Chicago Bulls were the Sixers' first round victim, and yes, they were without the services of Derrick Rose for the last five games of the series, but the Celtics are getting older, and the 76ers appear ready to hit their stride, alongside the Indiana Pacers. It wouldn't shock anybody if the top four teams in the East next year were Miami, Chicago, Indiana, and Philadelphia, in some sort of order.

What the Sixers need now is a clear vision of how to move forward. They appear to be moving towards something, although nobody seems to know what it is, besides the rumors and reports we have heard.

Here is what we do know. Danny Ferry has interviewed with the 76ers and may become the team's general manager. Ferry was last a general manager with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and may be best known now for not being able to get LeBron James a championship, but that's not entirely Ferry's fault. He has made some good moves. Harris and Aron believe deeply in Collins, and trust him on a lot of subjects. Collins is still the team's coach, but wants more power, according to sources. So, where do the 76ers proceed from here?

They should give Collins the power he wants. He seems to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the game, and that will likely be on display when he broadcasts for the 2012 Olympics. It's always evident when he is in his happy place, which is the post-game press conference, breaking down the game for everyone in a fresh and new way each and every night out. Getting back into coaching has allowed him to see the game he has seen in the past with Chicago, Washington, and Detroit. People have also said that Collins seems to wear out his welcome quickly, and leaves a mess behind after players turn on him. I truly believe that's why Collins needs to be in control of both the team on the court and the team off the court. It may be rare, but Collins can do it. Ferry can be hired as general manager, but Collins will have plenty of say. That's the way it should be. Collins has earned my trust and respect, and he deserves a chance to lead the team that drafted him all the way back to the top of the mountain.

It may not be popular to some fans, but it really seems like the right thing to do. In the next few days, we should know more about where the 76ers are going with their future. Right now, at best guess, it appears Collins will be the head coach, Ferry will be the GM, and Thorn will be the president. After this season, Collins may move to the president position and the team may look for a new head man, who very likely could be Michael Curry, the team's defensive guru and current associate head coach. Plenty of rumors are out there, but Sixers fans just want some answers.

It's very hard to see from here where this team is going right now, but Collins needs some more power. After all, he's earned it. He brought the team back to the spotlight in Philadelphia, and with one of the biggest off-seasons in franchise history ahead, he will have plenty of input on what moves the team will make.

Sure, Collins could run this team into the ground. He could also help lead them to a title. Either way, Doug Collins will play an integral part in this team's future.

Sources: Yahoo! Sports/Adrian Wojnarowski, CSNPhilly.com

Continued here:
Philadelphia 76ers Must Give Doug Collins Control: Fan's View

CAIRO Egypt's media are demonizing the Muslim Brotherhood as the state's worst enemy, claiming the fundamentalist group plans to plunge the country into chaos if its candidate does not emerge as the winner from the presidential runoff.

Results of the weekend election were set to be announced Thursday, but officials postponed the declaration, setting off a wave of charges of manipulation aimed at all sides, including the ruling military.

The Brotherhood escalated its fight with the military, calling for a mass protest Friday to denounce what it called a power grab by the generals. Three major Islamist groups said Thursday they would join the protest in Tahrir Square, birthplace of the uprising that forced Hosni Mubarak out of office last year.

Thousands of protesters, mostly Islamists, gathered in Tahrir Thursday for the third successive day.

Protesters demanded the reinstatement of the Islamist-dominated parliament dissolved by a court ruling last week. They also called on the military to rescind a "constitutional declaration" granting the generals sweeping powers and stripping the next president of much of his authority.

International condemnation of the generals who took over from Mubarak also intensified. Human Rights Watch complained that recent moves by the military suggested that there would not be a "meaningful" handover of power to civilian rule by July 1 as promised and created conditions "ripe" for more human rights abuses.

The statement echoed criticism by former President Jimmy Carter, a frequent visitor to Egypt who repeatedly met with its ruling generals, and Amnesty International.

The military has over the past week given itself the role of legislator, the right to arrest civilians and control over drafting a new constitution. It has also taken several steps to shield the military from civilian oversight.

The sense of political uncertainty engulfing the country following last weekend's presidential runoff is heightened by the failure of Egypt's election commission to announce a winner. Both candidates Mubarak's last prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq, and Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood have claimed victory.

"I have faith in the judges of Egypt, but too much delay will raise question marks," Saad el-Katatni, a senior Brotherhood leader and speaker of the dissolved legislature, told Al-Jazeera in an interview. "The result is already known and it is Mohammed Morsi."

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Media demonize Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood as presidential election hangs in balance

PCWorld Rating

Pros

Cons

Bottom Line

This comprehensive multimedia playback suite comes with full 3D capabilities but suffers from some small oversights.

Images (click to enlarge)

CyberLink Media Suite 10 Ultra is the latest flagship version of CyberLink's all-in-one multimedia editing, playback, and file-conversion suite. The components consist of the biggest names in the company's rather impressive portfolio: PowerDVD 12, a software multimedia player; PowerDirector 10, a video editing and production application; MediaShow 6, a photo organizer, editor, and social media interface; PowerBackup 2.6 for safeguarding your important files; and MediaEspresso 6.5 for transcoding video, photos, and audio. The suite ($130 for new users and a $70 upgrade for previous users, prices as of June 21, 2012) also includes PowerProducer 5.5 for outputting video to disc, as well as a competent wave editor and several modules for handling mundane optical-disc chores.

Media Suite 10's new central launch application is far slicker than those of previous versions. The look is reminiscent of Microsoft's Metro interface, which suggests that CyberLink will be all over Windows 8. You can access Media Suite 10's modules via a list of the tasks they perform, or by their names if you prefer. In general, the suite's modules are easy to use, though not so easy to learn. CyberLink loves tiny icons, and curious interface choices appear throughout; however, compared with its two main competitors in the suite game--Nero and Roxio--Media Suite 10 is a breeze to navigate.

Although Media Suite 10 has many new features, the most salient is its suitewide support for 3D video and photos. If youve been keeping track of the component programs, though, that probably isnt news to you; PowerDVD 12, for instance, acquired 3D capabilities a while ago.

We've reviewed PowerDVD 12 and PowerDirector 10 individually, so be sure to see those reviews for a more detailed look. In short, PowerDVD 12 plays back every major type of video and video disc, up to and including 3D Blu-ray, and it has a ton of advanced playback enhancements. It's also a competent photo and music organizer. PowerDirector 10 is an excellent consumer-level video editor with multiple video tracks, effects, automatic formatting, full hardware-acceleration support, and lots of editing tools. PowerProducer 5.5, the companion program to PowerDirector, serves to burn PowerDirector 10's output to disc. Both programs fully support AVCHD, Blu-ray, and 3D.

Excerpt from:
CyberLink Media Suite 10 Ultra Review: Efficient Design, Complete Multimedia Editing

70 megawatts dropped through load control

TORONTO, June 22, 2012 /CNW/ - Electricity loads in Toronto were steadily climbing on Tuesday, until Toronto Hydro activated approximately 67,000 residential air conditioner control switches, and industrial/commercial buildings participating in the "DR 3" program began to curtail electricity consumption. At 2:00 PM on Tuesday, June 19th, the city's electricity usage peaked at 4,602 megawatts (MW). At that point, as directed by the IESO, Toronto Hydro triggered its peaksaver and DR3 programs, dropping the peak by more than 70 MW through the remainder of the afternoon. Toronto Hydro estimates that at least 50 MW of the drop was related to the "cycling" of residential air conditioners in neighbourhoods across Toronto.

The 70 MW total is the equivalent of taking approximately 21,000 homes off the grid, or the cities of Kenora and Orillia combined. One megawatt is equal to one million watts.

Currently, there are about 67,000 customers who have signed on for peaksaver. These 'peaksavers' generally don't notice and often forget that they're part of this city-wide effort to curtail usage in high demand times. It works remotely - Toronto Hydro sends a signal to the switch installed adjacent to a central air conditioner, slowing down the cycle. Because the fan continues to run, most don't notice a difference in temperature inside the home. But the results speak for themselves.

Businesses stepped up too. The DR3 (DEMAND RESPONSE CONTRACTUAL DR3) program is a "saveONenergy program" designed to offset electricity usage or shed electricity load when needed. Generally, customers signed up for the program help by turning off lights or motors, shifting production to other periods, ordrawing electricity supply from an onsite generator.

Toronto Hydro is still encouraging customers to conserve where they can, especially during peak times (11 am to 5pm).

FACTS

About Toronto Hydro The principal business of the Corporation and its subsidiaries is the distribution of electricity by Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited. Toronto Hydro-Electric System owns and operates an electricity distribution system, which delivers electricity to approximately 709,000 customers located in the City of Toronto. It is the largest municipal electricity distribution company in Canada and distributes approximately 18% of the electricity consumed in the Province of Ontario.

The information in these materials is based on information currently available to Toronto Hydro Corporation and its affiliates (together hereinafter referred to as "Toronto Hydro"), and is provided for information purposes only.

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Electricity peak demand control program results in significant load reduction in Toronto

The social network's settlement terms -- for a class-action law suit over using people's profile photos and other info in ads -- includes more control for users, Reuters reports.

If a judge approves Facebook's settlement of a class-action lawsuit regarding "sponsored stories," the social network will give users more control over the advertising tool, which features users' profile photos and other information in ads for businesses and products the users have "Liked."

Reuters reported today that the settlement agreement includes giving users the ability to determine what, if any, user information can be featured in ads, and adding new language to Facebook's guidelines informing users of sponsored ads, according to court documents filed Wednesday. TechCrunch reported that user opt-outs will apparently apply on a story-by-story basis and that users can't opt out of all sponsored stories in one fell swoop. Facebook agreed to keep the changes in place for at least two years.

While an economist hired by the suit's plaintiffs said the value of the changes is about $103 million for Facebook members, the company will pay just about $20 million to take care of attorney fees and pay organizations that are devoted to educating people about using social networking safely.

The case's plaintiffs -- who aimed to represent more than 100 million potential class members -- claimed the social network violated users' right to privacy by publicizing their "Likes" in advertisements without asking them or compensating them.

This may put a kink in Facebook's advertising plans, as sponsored stories was a potential answer to Facebook's money-making woes. Facebook officials said in court documents that the value of a sponsored story ad was at least twice and up to three times that of a standard ad.

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Facebook to give users more control over controversial ads