PayPal's chief information security officer says passwords' days are numbered

Recently speaking at the Interop IT conference, PayPal's chief information security officer, Michael Barrett, stated that passwords and PINs were operating on borrowed time. Barrett hopes to replace online security keys with a setup that's a blend of software and hardware-based identification. He also serves as president of the Fast Identity Online Alliance (FIDO) -- the organization's focus is to combine an effective mix of software (passwords and plugins) and hardware (USB drives and fingerprint scanners) for user authentication.

PayPal's technology boss didn't allude to his company adopting these new types of security systems for its customers anytime soon. Instead he announced that FIDO-enabled devices will be hitting the market sometime this year. Progress, yes, but until this hardware becomes more widely available, it's likely that you'll be spending more time getting acquainted with two-step logins.

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'Sesame Street' gets new Hispanic character

NEW YORK (AP) ? As a child in Puerto Rico, Ismael Cruz was delighted by the colorful characters in "Sesame Street," who not only entertained and educated him, but helped him learn "ingl?s." He could not have imagined that two decades later he would be playing with them in front of the cameras.

Cruz is the newest Hispanic addition to popular children series' cast, playing Armando, or "Mando."

"'Sesame Street' is a magical place. It doesn't matter if you are working there or just visiting, or if you're watching on TV, that magic is always there," Cruz, 26, told The Associated Press. "I grew up watching the show, and for me it was a place that really existed and to which as a child I aspired to go, a place so diverse that I could see myself in the faces of the people that were there. Being on the set now is that, but with cameras."

Cruz's character is a Hispanic writer from Brooklyn who writes everything from short stories to essays and movie scripts. He also loves technology and social media.

The addition expands a cast of Hispanic characters that includes Maria (Sonia Manzano) and Luis (Emilio Delgado), who debuted on "Sesame Street" in 1971 as human characters, as well as Rosita, the charming turquoise monster who joined in 1993 with Mexican puppeteer Carmen Osbahr, who also voices Ovejita.

The show wants to reflect the population changes in the U.S., where Hispanics are the fastest growing minority. It also features African-American, Asian and American Indian characters.

"It's a show that's always cutting edge, that is always aware of what's going on with the population, so by including a character that is young, with new perspectives, Latino, and that bring that new generation, it is carrying on with that message," Cruz said.

Cruz grew up poor in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico, and his mother tuned in to "Sesame Street" so his son would learn English. Cruz studied music and dreamed of being an actor, eventually attending New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Before "Sesame Street," he appeared on "The Good Wife" and in films "In The Blood," ''White Alligator" and "Chaser."

The casting call for a new Hispanic character on "Sesame Street" attracted hundreds of bilingual actors last August.

"I hadn't seen it, (but) many people who knew me and read the description of what they were looking for sent me messages through Facebook, email and phone telling me, 'You have to do this audition, this is perfect for you.' And that's how I began this process," he said.

"Mando" will make his debut on the 44th season of "Sesame Street," which starts airing on September 16. Carol-Lynn Parente, executive producer of "Sesame Street," said she and her team knew immediately that Ismael was the perfect addition.

"He has a passion for creative expression and a warmth that comes right through the camera," Parente said in a statement.

___

Online:

www.sesamestreet.org

___

Follow Claudia Torrens on Twitter at //www.twitter.com/ClaudiaTorrens

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sesame-street-gets-hispanic-character-205326630.html

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C$ weakens after softer-than-expected jobs data

By Andrea Hopkins

TORONTO (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar dropped to its lowest against the U.S. dollar in almost two weeks after Canadian employment data showed fewer jobs gains than expected in April, erasing a week of strong gains by the currency.

The Canadian economy added 12,500 jobs last month, clawing back some of the 54,500 jobs lost in March, but the unemployment rate stayed at 7.2 percent, Statistics Canada reported. A Reuters survey of economists had forecast 15,000 new jobs.

"The report on balance was probably slightly softer than expected, so it's not a big surprise that we saw a bit of a sell-off (of the Canadian dollar), but it does not change our bigger view of the Canadian economy and what the Bank of Canada is going to do," said Robert Kavcic, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets.

"This is pretty consistent with an economy that has been growing below potential, and we're not looking for any move from the Bank of Canada until the second half of 2014, so this wouldn't change any of that."

The employment data - which showed strength in full-time job gains but losses in the private sector - sent the Canadian dollar tumbling lower, reversing what had been a steady appreciation against its U.S. counterpart in May.

At 9:43 a.m. (1343 GMT), the Canadian dollar traded at C$1.0127, or 98.75 U.S. cents, well off Thursday's North American session close at C$1.0075, or 99.26 U.S. cents. It briefly sank as low as C$1.0139, or 98.63 U.S. cents, its weakest level since April 29, before inching back.

The currency had climbed to its strongest level in nearly three months on Thursday, closing in on parity with the U.S. dollar after gaining some 2-1/2 cents since late April.

Over the longer term, the Canadian dollar is expected to weaken against the greenback in the year ahead, according to a Reuters poll published on Wednesday. Forecasters cited concern about the economy's slow rate of growth compared with that of the United States.

In global news, the yen made a decisive break through 100 to the dollar to hit a 4-1/2 year low on Friday, triggering a rise in safe-haven bond yields and supporting gains in European and Japanese shares which hit new five-year highs.

U.S. Treasury 10-year note yield hit a one-month peak of 1.85 percent as the dollar gained on the yen, while stock index futures signaled that Wall Street was set to resume its recent record-breaking rise. <.n/>

Prices for Canadian government bonds were mostly lower. The two-year bond was down 3 Canadian cents to yield 0.990 percent, while the benchmark 10-year bond lost 38 Canadian cents to yield 1.843 percent.

(Editing by Grant McCool)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/c-weakens-softer-expected-jobs-data-135748226.html

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Fundraising from HHS secretary draws scrutiny

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A fundraising push by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is drawing criticism from a key Senate Republican who questions whether she has a conflict of interest.

HHS spokesman Jason Young confirms that Sebelius in recent weeks has asked various charitable foundations, businesses executives, churches and doctors to donate money to nonprofit organizations, such as Enroll America, that are helping to implement President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

Young said there is a special section within the Public Health Services Act that allows the HHS secretary to solicit financial support for nonprofit organizations conducting public health work. He said most of the solicitations have occurred through telephone calls, but in some speeches as well.

"For the last several months, the secretary has been working with a full range of stakeholders who share in the mission of getting Americans the help they need and deserve," Young said. "We have always worked with outside groups and the efforts now ramping up are just one more part of that work."

The fundraising pitches were first reported by the Washington Post. Young said Sebelius made no fundraising request of entities regulated by HSS, such as drug companies, hospitals or insurers.

Some lawmakers and advocacy groups have voiced concerns in recent weeks that many consumers will have a hard time navigating the health coverage options available to them next year as a mix of government programs and tax credits for private insurance kicks in.

The administration has recently announced it would be directing $200 million to states, private groups and local health centers so that they can hire workers who can help consumers pick the insurance plan best for them. The fundraising pitches appear to be another step along those lines. Beginning Oct. 1, people can start signing up for coverage through new state and federal health exchanges.

But Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said that soliciting money from health care executives is absurd.

"Moving forward, I will be seeking more information from the administration about these actions to help better understand whether there are conflicts of interest and if it violated federal law," Hatch said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fundraising-hhs-secretary-draws-scrutiny-231700046.html

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Cop reunites with man he saved on Golden Gate Bridge

Click image to see more photos. (Photo courtesy maryannerussell.com)

On March 11 2005, Kevin Berthia wanted to take his life. He had climbed over the railing of the Golden Gate Bridge and was prepared to take a fatal jump into the San Francisco Bay when he heard a voice calling out to him from above.

It wasn?t the voice of a spiritual presence, but rather that of California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer Kevin Briggs. The two talked for 60 life-changing minutes before Berthia decided to climb back up the bridge and give life another chance.

Eight years later, the pair reunited as part of an emotional ceremony honoring Briggs and other members of the CHP whose job is to verbally persuade suicidal men and women from jumping off that bridge.

?It was phenomenal,? Berthia, 30, told Yahoo News about his reunion with Briggs at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention public service ceremony.

?I didn?t know what I was going to feel, or how I was going to react,? he said. ?But when I first saw him, he walked up me and I just shook his hand. It felt like I had known this man my whole life. The nerves weren?t there. It was just two old friends being reunited.?

In the eight years since their first meeting, Berthia has dramatically turned his life around. He still resides in the Bay Area, home to his darkest of memories, but he has now built a new life for himself, with a successful marriage and two children. He says the time Briggs spent just listening to him forged a connection that helped put him on a path of mental recovery.

?That?s what I tell people,? Briggs told Yahoo News when asked about that fateful discussion with Berthia back in 2005. ?You have to seek some help. [And then] you?re getting better. And you can have a life now.?

Over the years, it didn?t seem likely the two men would ever see each other in person again. But in December 2012, Briggs took part in a Yahoo documentary video that chronicled his work on the suicide prevention beat. The story centered on Berthia?s incident while retaining his anonymity. But the footage included an emotionally striking photo of Berthia with his back to the camera and head hung low against the bridge while Briggs attempted to console him.

Click image to see more photos. (John Storey/San Francisco Chronicle)

The outpouring of positive responses to the video provided a catalyst for the reunion.

?It?s actually taken off past what I thought it would ever do,? Briggs said of the video. ?I tried to read all the comments. I?ve been contacted to get my life rights for a movie and several police departments have called asking me to speak about what we do here. It?s all been very humbling, to be honest.?

After an initial meeting between Briggs and Berthia?s mother, the two men and their families met privately in a small room before the ceremony began.

?I wanted to meet him again,? Briggs said, acknowledging that it was ?very unusual? for him to have contact with any of the hundreds of men and women he?s talked down from the bridge over the years. ?I just said, ?It?s great to see you.? He said, ?My Mom is your No. 1 fan.? It was really neat.?

Things truly came full circle when the two men took the stage and Berthia introduced Briggs to the audience.

?People understood and could respect our connection,? Berthia said. ?It was more than just a CHP officer and a man who was trying to commit suicide.?

Much of the attention was understandably given to Berthia and his courage in agreeing to speak publicly about his personal experience. But after his introduction, it was Briggs who found himself overcome with emotion and needing to lean on the young man whose life he had helped save.

?I didn?t realize how I was going to feel on the stage when I got up there,? Briggs said. ?I wanted Kevin to stay up on there on the stage with me the whole time.?

Briggs added, ?He said that I literally saved his life. I said that he did it himself. He had the courage. It?s his call. It?s his choosing. People were just coming up to us with tears in their eyes. One of the psychiatrists even hugged me. And that?s when it just hit me.?

After the awards ceremony, Briggs and Berthia said they made plans to stay in touch. In fact, Berthia and his family plan to attend a Christmas party with Briggs later this year.

?Now that I have his number, I don?t see us never not being friends,? Berthia said. ?We are of such a different age but it never feels like that. I?ve shared things with Officer Briggs in those 60 minutes that no one else in the world knows. It?s a special bond there.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/years-later-cop-reunites-suicidal-man-saved-golden-171522199.html

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NRA blasted for 'ex-girlfriend? target at convention

'Alexa,' the target formerly known as 'The Ex.' (ZombieIndustries.com)

Glenn Beck's speech comparing New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to Hitler wasn't the only controversy to emerge from the National Rifle Association convention in Houston held May 3-5.

Anti-violence groups are criticizing the NRA for allowing a vendor at its annual conference display "The Ex," a scantily-clad, blood-splattered female shooting-range target.

According to Zombie Industries, the company that produces the $89.95 Tactical Bleeding Zombies, the targets are "life-sized, three-dimensional tactical mannequins that 'bleed' when you shoot them."

?This is outrageous and dangerous,? Laura Cutilletta, a senior staff attorney at the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, told the New York Daily News. ?Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women in the United States. This reprehensible product stokes the fire of relationship violence which already claims far too many of our mothers, daughters and sisters."

(ZombieIndustries.com)

Zombie Industries?which also produces "Nazi" and "Terrorist" zombie targets?said Tuesday it would change the name of "The Ex" training dummy to "Alexa."

?The intention of the company was never to discriminate against women or promote violence against women,? Roger Davis, Zombie Industries marketing director, told the paper.

More than 86,000 attended the three-day NRA convention.

In a keynote address on Saturday, Beck blasted Bloomberg's anti-gun efforts, showing attendees an image of the mayor giving a Hitler-esqe salute.

The Anti-Defamation League condemned the shock jock's presentation.

?While he doesn?t say it, it seems Glenn Beck is implying through an image of Mayor Bloomberg in an apparent Hitlerian salute is that the mayor?s policies on gun ownership and other issues are turning New York city into a Nazi-like state," Abraham Foxman, a Holocaust survivor and national director of the Anti-Defamation League, told ABC News. "That suggestion is outrageous, insensitive and deeply offensive on so many levels.?

The National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) also blasted Beck:

Glenn Beck's use of disgusting imagery, showing a leading Jewish American as a Nazi, at the National Rifle Association's convention was deeply offensive. The NRA and Republican leaders must stand with the ADL and B'nai B'rith in condemning Glenn Beck?especially those who selected him to give the NRA's keynote address. This isn't only about what Beck said, but the disturbing fact that his stunt was embraced with applause and cheers by attendees at the NRA's national convention. The NRA's crowd is the Republican base and all Americans must take note.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/nra-ex-girlfriend-zombie-target-173325873.html

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The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Part of the Party (NSFW)

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why you don't smoke catnip? unless, of course, you wish to be eaten by an army of demonic felines.

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