Tesco signs up BBC content for its free Clubcard TV streaming service, includes plenty of cooking shows

Tesco's recently launched TV streaming service, which is free to its Clubcard members, has signed up to a bundle of programs from BBC Worldwide. The UK supermarket, which supports its Clubcard TV with ads between shows, has focused on comedy, drama and (unsurprisingly) cooking programming, with TV chefs Gary Rhodes and Ken Hom both on hand to show you exactly what do with that tin of Tesco Value plum tomatoes lingering at the back of your cupboard. Two Pints of Lager, Blackpool and Stig of the Dump also join Clubcard TV's schedules selection, sharing digital shelf-space with content from Warner Bros., Endemol and Aardman studios. If you're looking to increase your diet of streaming media, the full release has all the incoming shows, and it's right after the break.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/d45e0ro7MKY/

geraldo obama trayvon martin pietrus cheney tori spelling marion barber marion barber

Greater recognition of face blindness needed, experts say

Apr. 2, 2013 ? Imagine not being able to recognise your own child at nursery or even pick out your own face from a line-up of photos. This is just how severe face blindness, or prosopagnosia, can be.

"In extreme cases, people might withdraw socially -- become depressed, leave their job, or just suffer endless embarrassment," said Bournemouth University (BU) psychologist Dr Sarah Bate.

Dr Bate leads the BU Centre for Facial Processing Disorders, which carries out research to advance understanding of the causes of prosopagnosia and develops training strategies that can help to improve face recognition skills.

The Centre is campaigning for formal recognition of face blindness, and has launched an e-petition for the issue to be discussed in parliament.

"Children with prosopagnosia can find it really difficult to make friends because all children wear school uniforms in the UK -- this takes away any external cues to recognition," said Dr Bate.

"If children with face blindness seem socially withdrawn, this is often misinterpreted as an indicator of other socio-emotional difficulties or behavioural problems because of the lack of professional awareness of prosopagnosia."

She added: "Because prosopagnosia is not a formally recognised disorder, many people are reluctant to inform their employer that they have the condition, despite it influencing their performance at work or their relations with colleagues and clients.

"Indeed, many people feel they would be discriminated against if managers became aware of their condition, and this may prevent promotion and impede other opportunities in the workplace."

Until the last decade or so, face blindness was virtually unknown, with just a handful of documented cases.

But now thousands of people have contacted Bournemouth University, the largest research centre in the UK investigating the condition.

Dr Bate estimates one in 50 people suffer from prosopagnosia to some degree -- some struggle to put a name to a face while others can't recognise people they have known their whole lives.

Those with severe forms of the condition typically cannot recognise spouses, children or other family members and some cannot even recognise their own reflections in the mirror.

Dr Bate said: "I imagine there is such low awareness of prosopagnosia because it has traditionally been thought of as a rare disorder, and only recently has it become clear that it affects many people.

"Someone said to me recently that public awareness about prosopagnosia is where Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was 20 years ago, and there's a real upwards battle to achieve sufficient recognition amongst the public and professionals."

The disorder can be acquired following neurological trauma or illness, such as a head injury or stroke, but many more people suffer from a developmental form of the condition and have lifelong difficulties in face recognition.

There may be as many as 1.5 million prosopagnosics in the UK alone, but public and professional awareness of the condition is low.

Dr Bate hopes that the Centre's campaign will lead to greater recognition of prosopagnosia.

It includes an e-petition, which needs 100,000 signatures to have the condition discussed in Parliament.

"It's going to take a while to achieve the required number of signatures, but it will get people talking about prosopagnosia and discussing the importance of proper recognition," she said.

"If the issue does get discussed by government, it's possible that we can use our research to advise about the need for professional awareness of the condition, and work with appropriate committees to provide information that can be distributed via the NHS and educational and occupational pathways."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Bournemouth University.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/kHmx-RSk_D8/130402091138.htm

etch a sketch the host hoodie hoosiers temperance world bank kim kardashian flour bomb

APNewsBreak: Texas Tech, Tubby Smith agree on deal

Minnesota coach Tubby Smith reacts to a foul call during the second half of a third-round game against Florida in the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 24, 2013, in Austin, Texas. Florida defeated Minnesota 78-64. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Minnesota coach Tubby Smith reacts to a foul call during the second half of a third-round game against Florida in the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 24, 2013, in Austin, Texas. Florida defeated Minnesota 78-64. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

FILE - In this March 24, 2013 file photo, Minnesota head coach Tubby Smith yells to his players during the first half of a third-round game of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Florida, in Austin, Texas. Minnesota has fired Smith one day after the Golden Gophers lost to Florida in the NCAA tournament. A person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press that Smith was fired on Monday, March 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Tubby Smith is coming to Texas Tech to try to turn around another wayward program.

Smith agreed to terms Monday with Texas Tech to be its next coach, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because an official announcement has not been made.

He will take over for interim coach Chris Walker, who went 11-20 this season and 3-15 in Big 12 play. The program is still reeling from Billy Gillispie's volatile one-year tenure, which ended when he resigned in September.

Smith was fired by Minnesota last week after six seasons. He led them to three NCAA tournaments and this year delivered the program's first tourney win ? over sixth-seeded UCLA ? since 1997. He went 124-81 (.610), winning 20 games five times. But he never finished higher than sixth in the Big Ten, going just 46-62 in conference play, prompting Minnesota athletic director Norwood Teague to oust him.

He becomes the fourth person to lead Texas Tech in as many seasons.

Texas Tech fans had pinned their basketball hopes on Gillispie after he'd turned around two other flagging programs in the state ? UTEP and Texas A&M ? and they hoped he would do the same for the Red Raiders. But he more resembled the guy who was fired at Kentucky, a hard-driving coach who had a difficult time connecting with the players he inherited. Several complained to the administration about how Gillispie treated them, there were some secondary NCAA violations for exceeding practice times and it all led to the Red Raiders finishing 8-23 and winning just one Big 12 game in 2011-12 ? the program's worst season since 1990-91.

Gillispie stepped down in September, citing health reasons. Walker, an assistant at several schools for 17 years, led Texas Tech to an improved season but the Houston native's lack of experience as a head coach likely worked against him.

Smith won a national title and five Southeastern Conference championships with Kentucky before the demanding Wildcat faithful pushed him to leave for Minnesota in 2007. Smith, who was replaced at Kentucky by Gillispie, has also taken Tulsa and Georgia to the round of 16, establishing a reputation as a program builder who could succeed in places that haven't historically been on the college basketball map.

Now he'll try to do it one more time at Texas Tech.

___

AP Sports Writer Betsy Blaney in Lubbock, Texas, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-01-BKC-Texas-Tech-Tubby-Smith/id-304f8c4ed962479c8fb4c977cfe88390

Evasi0n NFL.com Superdome Iron Man 3 Trailer Super Bowl 2013 Ray Rice sodastream

Windows Phone sees big gains at the expense of BlackBerry and Symbian

Alright, so Microsoft is in no danger of toppling iOS or Android anytime soon. But the analytics firm Kantar has seen significant growth for Windows Phone, largely at the expense of BlackBerry. In practically every major market WP8 has started to chip away at its competitors, growing from 6.2 percent to 6.7 percent share in the UK in just one month. Twelve months ago it was at only three percent in the country. The most dramatic ascent has taken place in Italy where it accounted for just 5.4 percent of handsets sold in February of 2012, and now makes up 13.1 percent of sales. Even in the US Windows Phone is seeing steady, if hardly eye-popping growth.

Symbian and BlackBerry are obviously the biggest losers. In Mexico, both platforms have seen double digit drops in their share of sales over the last year. While in the UK, the company formerly known as RIM has gone from a seemingly secure third place with 16.8 percent of the market to a quickly fading fourth with 5.1 percent is just 12 months. Meanwhile, Apple is sitting pretty with hardly a change to its position and Android continues its juggernaut-like assault on all markets. To see the complete global figures check out the images after the break.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Comments

Via: WMPoweruser

Source: Kantar 1, 2

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/01/windows-phone-sees-big-gain/

Oscar Winners 2013 quentin tarantino jessica chastain jessica chastain oscars jane fonda halle berry

The best and worst of April Fool's Day on the Internet

Internet

Rosa Golijan and Nidhi Subbaraman TODAY

3 hours ago

A wise man once called April Fools' Day "the worst day of the Internet of the year," and odds are that you'll feel the same at some point on Monday. It's April 1, the day when "don't trust anyone" isn't just a casual motto ? one of very few mantras that'll help you retain your sanity.

There, there. It'll be ok. We're here to hold your hand through this terrible day by keeping track of some of the best and worst April Fools' Day jokes on the Internet.

YouTube was actually a contest to find the best video on the Internet

"I encourage everybody to watch as many videos as possible before YouTube deletes everything tonight," Antoine Dodson (of "Bed Intruder" song fame) in a video announcing that YouTube is closing down in order to go through all the videos submitted in the last eight or so years to select the best video on the Internet.

Don't worry though! It's not a popularity contest, folks! "Gangnam Style has the same chance of winning as a video with 40 views of a man feeding bread to a duck" Salar Kamangar, CEO of YouTube, explains.

The nominees for "best video" will be announced starting at 9 a.m. PT on April 1. "This announcement will resume for 12 hours every day for the next two years," we're told in a blog post by YouTube's competition director, Tim Liston.

Meet Gmail Blue: It's like the old thing ... just more blue
"In trying to bring email into the 21st century, we were faced with the challenge," Google project manager Richard Pargo explains in a video, "how do we completely redesign and recreate something while keeping it exactly the same? The answer is Gmail Blue."

We have a difficult time believing that the Gmail team wasn't trying to kick Microsoft a bit over it's upcoming project, codenamed Windows Blue.

Google "Nose" all
How do wet dogs smell? How about victory? And what do ghosts smell like, for that matter? Google Nose, a new Google Search feature, can help you find out. Thanks to over 15 million "scentibytes," you can get a whiff of all the things you want ? or even identify scents with "Android Ambient Odor Detection."

Yo-ho-ho-ho, a treasure hunter's life for me!
While on a deep-water dive intended to help expand the underwater Street View collection, the Google Maps team discovered a treasure map belonging to the infamous pirate William "Captain" Kidd. The team has scanned the map and added a "Treasure Mode" to Google Maps, encouraging everyone to work together in order to decipher the map's encrypted symbols.

Google

;)
"We will plumb the emotional depths of everyone in the photo, then summarize their feelings with a beautifully crafted, emotion icon," Erik Murphy-Chutorian, a member of the Google+ Photos team, wrote in a post announcing the new "Your Photos +Emotion" feature.

Clicking a little button on photos uploaded to Google+ will prompt the service to add the appropriate emoticon to the image. Amusingly enough, the algorithm driving this feature seems to recognize cats, dogs, and even glasses correctly (even if it doesn't always get the mood right).

You think that's nuts? Wait until you hear about the next joke...
Zozi, a website which helps you find and purchase experiences, is offering wingsuit lessons guided by flying squirrels. Just be sure to mind all the warnings: "Experience may contain nuts. Epi-pen highly recommended. Keep arms, legs and tail inside vehicle at all times. Squirrel's cheerful mood cannot be guaranteed. Please don't mention chipmunks."

Srry, vwls cst t mch nw
Unless you fork over some cash, your tweets will no longer contain vowels, Twitter tells announced on Monday. "Everyone can use our basic service, Twttr, but you only get consonants," the company's director of product wrote in a blog post. "For five dollars a month, you can use our premium 'Twitter' service which also includes vowels." For what it's worth: Y is always free, even though it is considered a vowel by some.

"Also, the vowels in URLs will be also be free for everyone, forever," Twitter's announcement clarifies.

You can use twttr.com preview how your vowel-less tweets will look.

ThinkGeek

I always thought Bane's voice is soothing...
Walkie talkies that make you sound like Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises," a depressing car decal set for Batman (showing two gravestones and a ? well, Batman), an entry-level Play-Doh 3-D printer, an "Eye of Sauron" desk lamp, and more.

As usual, ThinkGeek's April Fools' Day selection makes us wonder which products the site will decide to actually offer in the future.

The TV your dog deserves
Sony announced "the Animalia line of technology products specially designed and created for pets" on Monday. "The introductory line-up includes Sony-branded products targeted at owners with dogs, cats and hamsters, with additional devices and networked services slated for release later this year," a press release by the electronics maker explains.

There's the Sony K9 4K TV, a television specially made for dogs, cat-friendly headphones, in-cage speakers ofr your little critters, and so on. "Sony is known for making products that enrich our lives, and the Animalia line was developed for domesticated animals who also naturally seek visual, music and emotional experiences,"Tom Barret, lead engineer for the Animalia line, is quoted as saying.

I can see my house through the bottom of the plane!
"I'm thrilled to announce that Virgin has created another world-first with the introduction of the technology required to produce the world?s first glass-bottomed plane," Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, announced in a blog post on Monday. "This technological innovation coincides with the start of Virgin Atlantic Airways? first ever domestic service to Scotland."

Glass-bottom boat operators around the world likely rolled their eyes as they saw the announcement.

Delta

Perhaps equally astonishing, Delta has found a way to make middle seats in airplanes just a tad more comfy. Their solution? Double-decker armrests.

Coming to America

The Pirate Bay, a popular site providing links to torrent files, has announced that it's moving its servers to U.S. soil. "We have worked closely with the awesome American government to establish a strong military graded server park that will endure any nuclear attacks that Kim Jong Un and his evil allies will send at us,"a blog post about the move reads.

Netflix finally gets you
You Netflix subscribers are probably used to the video streaming service giving you personalized movie suggestions under made-up categories like: "romantic dramas featuring a strong female lead." But today, those suggestions seem to be extra-bizarre. "Movies starring fruits, vegetables and fungi" ...? This Reddit thread captures that madness.

Windows Phone Almost-a-gram
Finally!The long-awaited Instagram app appeared in the Windows Phone store today. "...your #2Instawithlove prayer has been answered!" the caption, addressed to Kelvin-filter-less Windows Phone owners reads. It promises "100% free custom designed filters and borders" and "Linear and Radial Tilt-Shift blur effects for extra depth of field." But it turns out Microsoft is only teasing.

A phone the size of a bed
An alarming number of people sleep right next to their smartphone, so it was only a matter of time before someone finally made a device that you can sleep on.KDDI's zzzPhonebed is a person-sized device with the "highest resolution." After you wake up with its full-body vibration alarm, get your early morning workout by doing a running-scroll through your Twitter feed.

IKEA's foldable lawnmower
Just when you thought there was nothing else IKEA could break down and stack into a flatpack box, the furniture store goes and shows off a foldable lawnmower. It's "perfect for saving space in small gardens!" IKEA UK insists. But you can see for yourself ? here, meet GR?SSAX.

IKEA

Updating throughout the day...

Want more tech news or interesting links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on Twitter, subscribing to her Facebook posts, or circling her on Google+.

Aaand you can find Nidhi Subbaraman on Twitter or Google+.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2a361345/l/0L0Stoday0N0Ctech0Cbest0Eworst0Eapril0Efools0Eday0Einternet0E1C9157762/story01.htm

2013 Oscar Nominations ABC Family social security social security paulina gretzky paulina gretzky david bowie

Post-ER care for chest pain reduces risk of heart attack, death

Mar. 27, 2013 ? Follow-up care after an emergency room visit for chest pain significantly reduced the risk of heart attack or death among high risk patients. Chest pain is the most common reason patients go to the ER. However, one in four chest pain patients didn't seek follow-up care within a month, as recommended.

Seeing a doctor within a month of an emergency room visit for chest pain significantly reduced the risk of heart attack or death among high risk patients, according to research published the American Heart Association journal Circulation.

Chest pain is the most common reason people go to the emergency room in developed countries and accounts for more than 5 million ER visits each year in the United States.

The study is the first to demonstrate the importance of follow-up care for chest pain patients after leaving the ER, researchers said. High risk patients in this study were those with previously diagnosed heart disease or diabetes.

"Being discharged from the emergency department is reassuring for patients, but it is critical that they follow up with their doctor to reduce their risks of future heart attacks or premature death," said Dennis T. Ko, M.D., M.Sc., senior author and scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Cardiologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. "Patients need to advocate for themselves and physicians need to be more diligent about arranging follow-up care."

Researchers analyzed data on 56,767 adults (average age 66, 53 percent men) in Ontario, Canada, who were diagnosed with chest pain in an emergency room between April 2004 and March 2010; had been previously diagnosed with heart disease or diabetes; and didn't require additional hospitalization or die within a month. They tracked data for a median 3.7 years and accounted for differences in key patient characteristics such as age, gender, health status and location.

Among the findings:

• Only 17 percent of high risk chest pain patients seen in the emergency room were evaluated by cardiologists within a month; 58 percent saw a primary care physicians alone, and 25 percent had no physician follow-up within a month.
• Patients who followed up with a cardiologist within 30 days were 21 percent less likely to have a heart attack or die within one year, compared with patients who failed to seek additional care within that time.
• Patients seen by a primary care physician were 7 percent less likely to have a heart attack or die compared to those patients who sought no follow up care.
• Patients treated by cardiologists received more testing, procedures and medication within 100 days of their ER discharge and had the best health outcomes.
• Patients seen by their cardiologist were 15 percent less likely to have a heart attack or die within the first year, compared to patients who received follow up care from their primary care physician.

Patients who didn't seek follow-up care within a month received the lowest rate of care and had the worst health outcomes -- demonstrating the need to improve follow-up with high risk chest pain patients after they're discharged from the emergency room, Ko said.

The study notes that there are several reasons patients did not receive additional physician follow-up including: patients believing they didn't need additional care and the lack of a coordinated referral system from the emergency department to physicians who can provide follow-up care.

While there is no cost for seeing a physician at follow-up in the Canadian health care system, the barriers for follow up care could include expense in other countries.

"As physicians, we are often so focused on knowing which drug to prescribe or which test to order that we overlook the fact that many patients fail to get follow-up care to begin with," Ko said. "We need systems of care that better identify these patients who are at increased risk because getting that follow-up can significantly reduce their risks of heart attack or premature death."

Because the study focused on high risk patients, the results may not apply to all who have chest pain. Researchers recommend further study that will also investigate economic factors.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Heart Association.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. A. Czarnecki, A. Chong, D. S. Lee, M. J. Schull, J. V. Tu, C. Lau, M. E. Farkouh, D. T. Ko. Association Between Physician Follow-Up and Outcomes of Care After Chest Pain Assessment in High-Risk Patients. Circulation, 2013; 127 (13): 1386 DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.112.000737

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/C1E82CtTFK0/130401161231.htm

janelle monae MBTA national signing day Solomon Islands Mary Leakey Side Effects bob marley

Riding in style: The evolution of the popemobile

Alessandro Di Meo / EPA

Images of the automobiles that have transported popes over the years.

By Elizabeth Chuck, Staff Writer, NBC News

Comes outfitted in protective bullet-proof glass. Draws a crowd wherever it goes. A driver is included; gold trim is optional.

Popemobiles also include such amenities as a handrail to let the pope easily stand and wave while in motion, a built-in stereo and arctic-cool air conditioning.

Eight popes have had their own set of holy wheels since Pope Pius XI got a stretch 460 Nurburg edition Mercedes-Benz in 1930, but the eighth, Pope Francis -- known for?taking the bus to work?before he was named pope -- may not want all the frills and custom built-ins that popemobiles offer.?

By retiring, Benedict XVI has passed along a white armored Mercedes SUV, which has a white leather interior with gold trim and a white leather turret that can be raised by hydraulic lift high enough for crowds to see the pope, if he wants to sit. (For longer trips around Italy, Benedict enjoyed his own helicopter.) Bullet-proof?Plexiglas?that's strong enough to withstand explosions surrounds the turret on three sides. There's an emergency oxygen supply built in, according to?The Telegraph.?

---

"The pope must feel comfortable. People must be able to see him. People have traveled very far; they want to be able to get a good look at him," said Christoph Horn, Director of Global Communications of Mercedes-Benz, from Stuttgart, Germany. "This is about creating a comfortable and safe environment for the pope to travel in and be seen in.?

The pre-mobile
Popes didn't have to wait for the invention of automobiles to be mobile. For centuries, popes traveled by throne when going out on local outings. The popes were carried by 12 bearers (representing the 12 disciples of the church) as they moved through crowds, Ronald Rychlak, a University of Mississippi law school professor who has written numerous books on religion,?said.

Daimler

The first car used by a pope.

All that changed when Pope Pius XI got his Benz. The limousine was a gift from the car company, which would provide vehicles for many popes after that.

"Usually more than one vehicle was provided, especially for the popes in the 1930s," Horn said. "They were traveling a lot, so many popemobiles were built for them."

Back then, popes traveled in limousines with open tops, he said. Over the years, more than 12 different models of cars and trucks would be provided for popes. Pope John XXIII ushered in a new era of pope cars in 1960 with a Mercedes 300D Landaulet, which had a throne that rose high in the back, The New York Times reported. His successor switched to a 1964 Lincoln model before he went back to the preferred Mercedes brand a year later.

But don't call it 'popemobile'
When popes travel abroad for state visits, it's not always possible for the vehicles they use at home to make the journey with them. Instead, customized cars are prepared ahead of the visit, submitted for Vatican approval from the country he will visit.

"The primary level of security is assigned to the host nation,"?Rychlak said. "If they want to have something like a popemobile for a major parade, let's say they're doing Mass at Yankee stadium or something like that, they would have to make arrangements to ship something over, or that's the kind of situation where there may be a gift made to the pope" by a major car company.

That was how the car that officially became known for the first time as the "popemobile" came into existence: Pope John Paul II had visited Ireland in 1979, and a boxy yellow Ford Transit van awaited him as his chariot. Last November, The Telegraph reported an Irish businessman had acquired the van from the Dublin Wax Museum, where it had been since the papal visit, and was transforming it into a party bus.

Many other popemobiles have stayed in the countries they were used in. In 2008, Newsweek got a peek at the popemobile Benedict used for his U.S. tour, describing it as "by far the fanciest and sleekest papal car ever built ... The papal handlers can shift their passenger from zero to 60 in less than eight seconds, but the drivers probably won't exceed 10 mph along the parade routes."

In 2002, John Paul II asked the media to stop using the term "popemobile," insisting it sounded "undignified."

A clear need for better security
John Paul II survived an assassination attempt in 1981 while in St. Peter's Square. A Turkish man was later convicted of firing the shots, which punctured the pope's car and struck him four times. John Paul II survived, but it was clear his wide-open truck wouldn't suffice to protect him. From then on, bulletproof glass has encased popemobiles, although popes have occasionally ridden around without covering for brief periods.

Arturo Mari / AP

A 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square.

Since adding bulletproof glass, popemobiles have added other necessary features, including ultra-powerful air conditioning to cool down the glass dome that popes sit in, reports The Telegraph.

Other protection measures include heavy-metal reinforcement on the bottom of the vehicle as well as the other sides, and the driver is always a trusted longtime Vatican employee. There's no partition between the pope and his driver; a microphone enables him to broadcast messages to crowds through speakers outside the popemobile.

The current weighs five tons and was just presented to Benedict last December by Mercedes-Benz.

"We work with the members of the Vatican and with the people in charge of the garages of the Vatican," Horn said. "These are all individual vehicles that are built to specifications."

The new pope's desire to get up close and personal with his faithful has presented challenges for his security detail.

"The pope's going to want to be up close hugging and touching and meeting people and that's going to be a tremendous concern for his security people,"?Rychlak said. "His security forces have taken him aside, or probably already have, and are going to say, 'Holy Father, you're putting us in a horrible situation if you don't go along with these things.'"

They're used to having to say that, though: Benedict didn't always like the feeling of a "shield between him and the people,"?Rychlak said. Most popemobiles are designed so the glass can be lowered, though.

This story was originally published on Sun Mar 31, 2013 4:36 AM EDT

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/2a2d2254/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C310C175184590Eriding0Ein0Estyle0Ethe0Eevolution0Eof0Ethe0Epopemobile0Dlite/story01.htm

mike brown bcs rankings When Is Veterans Day 2012 brooke burke Alexa Vega Bram Stoker books Paula Broadwell Photos