For Florida Voters, Oil Spill's Hurt Still Stings

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Before black, gooey and stinky crude oil from the BP rig explosion in the western Gulf of Mexico washed up on beaches last year, state residents seemed mildly concerned about expanding drilling for natural gas or oil in federal waters.

At that time, their biggest worries were the effect that drilling might have on the flight training missions of the bases in the Panhandle. Most residents could not have fathomed an oil spill of the magnitude of the Deepwater Horizon disaster of April 20, 2010.

They could not have imagined the economic and environmental impacts of the spill on Perdido Key and Pensacola Beach. Harder to envision would have been that the economic pain would spread east and south along the coastline after the world viewed the blackened beaches and decided all of Florida was ruined.

As residents weigh the merits of the presidential candidates, offshore drilling seems to be of greater concern to voters directly affected by the oil spill than it was before the spill.

But, with a sour economy, President Barack Obama plus the Republican candidates say they are willing to open up federal waters off of Florida and elsewhere to drilling in an effort to generate jobs and further the move toward independence from foreign oil.

On Dec. 14, the Obama administration allowed the oil and gas lease sale of more than 21 million acres of the gulf. That's on the heels of a five-year-plan announced in November to expand oil and gas exploration in the gulf.

"My impression is that the Republican candidates are all for drilling everywhere that's possible," said Enid Sisskin of Gulf Breeze, Fla., director of Gulf Coast Environmental Defense. "And President Obama has allowed for an extraordinary number of lease sales. After a brief drilling moratorium, it seems it's full steam ahead. This saddens me."

She does not think that drilling will "be on the radar screen of most voters at all."

"For the most part, people have moved on," she said. "If they don't see oil on the sand and dead fish floating in the water, most people think it's all over, done and not a problem. I don't think a lot of people will base their political decisions on the offshore drilling."

But for residents like Mike Pinzone, drilling is a big deal.

Pinzone, 49, owner of Papa's Pizza and operator of the Pensacola Beach Gulf Pier, said the BP spill soured his trust in the oil industry in which he used to work. He only recouped $160,000 from the $300,000 claim he filed with BP for lost revenue .

He doesn't want to expand drilling for the sake of creating oil field jobs over tourism and military jobs.

"Drilling will weigh in my decision when I vote," he said. "We can't afford to allow these greedy, selfish oil companies to come and destroy what we have left."

W. A. "Buck" Lee, executive director of the Santa Rosa Island Authority, was on the front lines of the oil spill on Pensacola Beach. He was not opposed to drilling in federal waters before the BP disaster. Now, he's changed his mind.

"I don't want other residents in Northwest Florida to have to go through what we went through in 2010," Lee said.

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Copyright 2011 Gannett Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

Source: http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=113795&rss=true

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Cyclone Thane strikes India?s Tamil Nadu as storm surge feared

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.nationalpost.com/Cyclone+Thane+strikes+India+Tamil+Nadu+storm+surge+feared/5925778/story.html

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Russia scolds United States for human rights abuse (Reuters)

MOSCOW (Reuters) ? Russia sought to undermine the authority of the United States as a global judge of human rights on Wednesday with Moscow's first report to detail allegations of torture, phone tapping and abuse by the U.S. government.

Criticizing the United States for double standards, Russia said President Barack Obama had failed to shut the military prison at Guantanamo Bay and accused the White House of sheltering officials and CIA operatives from prosecution.

The Foreign Ministry's report "On the situation with human rights in a host of world states," follows China's example in highlighting U.S. failings in an attempt to counter U.S. State Department criticism of domestic human rights abuses.

"The situation in the United States is far from the ideals proclaimed by Washington," Russia's foreign ministry said in a 63-page report posted on its www.mid.ru Web site. "The main unresolved problem is the odious prison in Guantanamo Bay."

"The White House and the Justice Department shelter from prosecution CIA operatives and highly placed officials who are responsible for mass and flagrant breaches of human rights," it said.

Every year since 1976, the U.S. Department of State has published a detailed report on the state of human rights in the world, often with scathing analyses of abuses in China and Russia.

Washington scolded Russia for "governmental and societal human rights problems and abuses during the year" in its report published in April.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton angered Prime Minister Vladimir Putin this month by suggesting that Russia's parliamentary elections were neither free nor fair.

Russia's counter-report is unlikely to harm ties with its former Cold War foe, though Obama's attempt to forge more friendly ties with the Kremlin has cooled since Vladimir Putin said in September he planned to run in the March presidential election.

"These kinds of human rights reports can be a useful mechanism," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.

"We certainly don't regard it as interference in our internal affairs when foreign governments, individuals or organizations comment on or criticize U.S. human rights practices."

Russia also criticized European Union countries for the treatment of religious minorities and Britain in particular for breaching human rights in the wake of August's riots.

The report focused on the United States and European countries, mentioning China only once and then in passing.

(Additional reporting by Andrew Quinn; Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Matthew Jones)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/russia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111228/wl_nm/us_russia_usa_rights

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3 Sears stores in California slated for closure

LOS ANGELES ? Three Sears stores in California are slated for closure as part of a move by the parent company to raise cash following a disastrous holiday season.

Illinois-based Sears Holdings Corp. said Thursday that two Sears stores in San Diego and one in the Los Angeles suburb of El Monte will be closed at a yet-to-be announced date.

The company posted a list 41 Sears and 38 Kmart stores targeted for closure on its website Thursday, the first wave of up to 120 stores nationwide that the company plans to shut down.

Sears Holdings declared Tuesday that it would no longer prop up "marginally performing" locations. The company pledged to refocus its efforts on stores that make money.

The projected closings represent only about 3 percent of Sears Holdings' U.S. stores.

The Associated Press

Source: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/dec/29/3-sears-stores-in-california-slated-for-closure/

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Louisville mayor says more details are needed before finalizing proposed hospital merger

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer is certain on two things concerning a proposed merger of three different hospital systems in his city: first, University Hospital is a public identity and second, more details need to come out before he believes Gov. Steve Beshear will approve the merger.

University Hospital, which is run by the University of Louisville, Jewish St. Mary?s Healthcare and Catholic Health Initiatives are proposing a statewide merger of their hospitals but have seen significant criticism when it comes to including University Hospital.

That?s because that hospital is the place where many of the urban city?s indigent go for care. And also because Catholic Health Initiatives would be the controlling partner in the merger, leading many to question the use of religious directives for beginning and end of life decisions.

Fischer told Pure Politics he believes in the merger, but the public needs more details.

?But the public can?t just get a ?trust us it?ll be OK,? Fischer said. ?It needs to be here?s the $200 million dollars we?re getting and here?s how it needs to be spent??

Fischer also said the issue of ending certain procedures at University Hospital because of Catholic directives isn?t a big deal because not all hospitals provide all surgeries anyway.

Beshear will ultimately decide on whether or not to approve the merger, which would affect hospitals in Louisville and Lexington.

Fischer also touched on issues regarding the renewal of a franchise agreement with Insight Communications, the parent company of cn|2 and the future of Occupy Louisville?s tent city in downtown Louisville.

About Pure Politics

Pure Politics with Ryan Alessi airs Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. ET and again at 11:30 p.m. ET in all of Insight's Kentucky markets, as well as in Frankfort on the Frankfort Plant Board's channel 77 at 7 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. The program features political analysis and news, as well as interviews with officials, candidates and policy makers and political observers.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Cn2Politics/~3/yBqCrMz9ZFo/louisville-mayor-says-more-details-are-needed-before-finalizing-proposed-hospital-merger

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Romney, Perry slap at Paul on Iran (AP)

MUSCATINE, Iowa ? Mitt Romney and Rick Perry on Wednesday assailed Republican presidential rival Ron Paul for saying the U.S. has no business bombing Iran to keep it from acquiring a nuclear weapon, drawing a sharp contrast with their rising rival as he returned to Iowa to campaign before the lead-off caucuses.

"One of the people running for president thinks it's okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon," Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, said in this eastern Iowa city in response to a question from the audience. "I don't."

It was the first time Romney has challenged Paul directly since the Texas congressman jumped in polls. Neither Romney nor Perry, the Texas governor, named Paul, but the target was clear.

"You don't have to vote for a candidate who will allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Because America will be next," Perry said in Urbandale, reiterating a line of argument from a day earlier.

"I'm here to say: You have a choice," Perry added.

As if in rebuttal, Paul's campaign launched a new television ad describing him as "principled, incorruptible, guided by faith and principle" and the man to restore the economy. "Politicians who supported bailouts and mandates, serial hypocrites and flip floppers can't clean up the mess," it says as photos of Newt Gingrich and Romney appear on screen.

The stepped-up criticism of Paul, the libertarian-leaning Republican, comes as surveys show he's in contention to win Tuesday's caucuses.

In recent days, conservative opponents including Perry and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann have increased their criticism of Paul on social issues, foreign affairs and inflammatory comments in his decades-old newsletter. By tearing him down, they hope voters will give their campaigns another, closer look after a season marked by candidates who have risen quickly in public standing only to fall back down.

Gingrich, whose slide in surveys over the past week has come as Paul has risen, said Tuesday he couldn't vote for Paul if he were to become the GOP nominee and called his views "totally outside the mainstream of every decent American" during an interview with CNN.

Gingrich, the former House speaker, began Wednesday, the second day of his Iowa bus tour with a speech to about 200 people in the atrium of the Southbridge Mall in Mason City. He plugged his support for supply-side economics favored by President Ronald Reagan.

Gingrich said the primary is giving voters a "choice between a populist supply side approach ... and a much more timid Washington-centered approach that will not create jobs."

Bachmann, who was on the 86th stop of her tour of Iowa's 99 counties, criticized both of her rivals from Texas. She accused Perry of spending "27 years as a political insider." He was a Texas legislator and agriculture commissioner before becoming governor in 2001.

Bachmann said Paul would be "dangerous as president" because of his hands-off views on national security.

Paul, for his part, was meeting with supporters near Des Moines, his first visit to the state since before the campaigns went dark for the Christmas holiday. He planned a series of events over the next two days as he looked to take advantage of a burst of momentum.

A conservative, Paul commands strong allegiance from his supporters but appears to have little potential to expand his appeal and emerge as a serious challenger for the nomination. Yet he could complicate other candidates' pathway to the nomination.

His opponents were spreading out across the state to woo potential caucus-goers, many of whom are still undecided amid a flood of television and radio ads.

In Independence, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum mingled with 25 people at a diner and touted his plan to give a tax break to businesses that bring their operations back to the United States.

He told diners: "Things are going great, we've got momentum." He began airing a new radio ad Wednesday that promotes his hardline opposition to abortion and describes him as a "father of seven, a home-schooler and a devoted husband for 21 years."

Romney kicked off a three-day bus tour in the eastern edge of the state, in Muscatine, and shook hands with an overflow crowd at Elly's Tea and Coffee House. The line to get in stretched into the street.

Beginning the day, Romney told Fox News Channel that he was only joking Monday when he criticized Gingrich's failure to earn a spot on the Virginia ballot as something out of the sitcom "I Love Lucy."

"I hope the speaker understands that was humor, and I'm happy to tell my humorous anecdote to him face to face," Romney said.

Gingrich on Tuesday challenged Romney to make the "I Love Lucy" comparison to Gingrich's face.

Perry, looking to recapture the enthusiasm that greeted his entry into the race in August, railed against Washington and Wall Street insiders as he met with conservatives for breakfast near Des Moines.

"Why should you settle for less than an authentic conservative who will fight for your views and your values without apologies?" he asked, delivering the core rationale for his candidacy.

The packed crowd of conservatives in Urbandale applauded as he pledged to champion a constitutional amendment to balance the federal budget, secure the border within a year and crack down on illegal immigration. He also said he would bring his faith with him into the Oval Office, a nod to the Christian conservatives who have strong sway in the nominating process.

___

Elliott reported from Urbandale. Associated Press writers Mike Glover in Independence, Brian Bakst in Creston, Shannon McCaffrey in Mason City and Charles Babington in Des Moines contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111228/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign

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Video of the day: flying rhinos in South Africa

Flying Rhinos from Green Renaissance on Vimeo.

Flying rhinos aren't something you see everyday--not even in South Africa, where 19 of these endangered rhinos have recently been moved from the Eastern Cape to a conservation location in the province of Limpopo. Still relatively new, an airlift capture technique was used to transport black rhinos out of inaccessible or difficult locations. Suspending a sleeping rhino by the ankles through the air and to waiting vehicles is undoubtedly a difficult task, but conservation managers, wildlife veterinarians, capture teams from WWF, SANParks, Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency, and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife all worked in cooperation with each other to ensure the success of this translocation mission.

All in all, these rhinos were moved 932 miles across the country. With an average commute of just 10 minutes or so by helicopter, one of the advantages of flying the black rhinos in this specific manner is that they don't need to be drugged for an extended period of time. The WWF Black Rhino Range Expansion Project has created seven significant black rhino populations over the last eight years--nearly 120 black rhinos have been translocated due to these admirable efforts.

Filed under: Activism, Africa, South Africa, Video, Ecotourism, News

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/gadling/~3/Ve-5jUVDvN4/

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Fat May Put Hypothalamus On Fritz

60-Second Health | Health

Obesity and high-fat diets might alter brain function, changing in particular the hypothalamus and hunger. Katherine Harmon reports.

December 27, 2011

More 60-Second Health

Subscribe via iTunes

More than a third of adults in the U.S. are obese. And many of those already overweight continue to put on even more pounds. Now researchers have a clue why.

Two new studies in the Journal of Clinical Investigation suggest how obesity and high-fat diets might actually alter the way the brain works, changing in particular the hypothalamus. This almond-sized area of the brain helps regulate hunger and thirst, as well as sleep and body temperature. So if it?s out of whack, people can feel hungry even when they've consumed plenty.

One study found that in the brains of both obese humans and obese rats, neurons around the hypothalamus were damaged by inflammation. High-fat diets have been known to promote inflammation throughout the body, but that usually takes weeks or months to appear. Changes in the brain, however, can happen fast?even within 24 hours. [Joshua Thaler et al, Obesity is associated with hypothalamus injury in rodents and humans]

The second study found that mice on a fatty diet were slow to replace old neurons in the hypothalamus, which could also hamper its function. [David McNay et al, Remodeling of the arcuate nucleus energy-balance circuit is inhibited in obese mice]

So you might consider starting 2012 by watching the ball drop?and dropping the cheese ball.

?Katherine Harmon

[The above text is a transcript of this podcast]
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Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=479fbb38c9a4962b4f9c8d46e7cebe28

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Rene?s most-used iPhone and iPad apps of 2011

My most-used apps of 2011 are probably the built in iPhone and iPad Safari browser, Mail client, and anything and everything Siri can now easily and instantly manage for me like Reminders, Calendars, Alarms, etc. But that’s mundane, boring, and way too Spock for a list like this....

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/zJpADLw-MWw/story01.htm

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College Basketball Schedule

All Times EST
Monday, Dec. 26

No games scheduled

Providence at St. John's, 7 p.m.

Winthrop at Georgia, 7 p.m.

Md.-Eastern Shore at Virginia, 7 p.m.

Belhaven at Southern Miss., 8 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Notre Dame, 7 p.m.

Minnesota at Illinois, 7:30 p.m.

Texas Southern at Saint Louis, 8 p.m.

Eureka at W. Illinois, 8:30 p.m.

Wisconsin at Nebraska, 9 p.m.

New Orleans at North Texas, 8 p.m.

CS Bakersfield at Texas Tech, 8 p.m.

Vanguard at Loyola Marymount, 10 p.m.

American U. at Mount St. Mary's, 4 p.m.

Loyola (Md.) at Bucknell, 7 p.m.

Quinnipiac at Colgate, 7 p.m.

Bowling Green at Duquesne, 7 p.m.

UAB at George Washington, 7 p.m.

Monmouth (NJ) at Lafayette, 7 p.m.

Columbia at Marist, 7 p.m.

Fairleigh Dickinson at NJIT, 7 p.m.

UMBC at Niagara, 7 p.m.

Morgan St. at Saint Joseph's, 7 p.m.

Lehigh at St. Peter's, 7 p.m.

Cornell at Stony Brook, 7 p.m.

Seton Hall at Syracuse, 7 p.m.

Buffalo at Temple, 7 p.m.

Villanova at West Virginia, 7 p.m.

Binghamton at Canisius, 7:30 p.m.

Fairfield at Drexel, 7:30 p.m.

UNC Asheville at W. Carolina, 6 p.m.

Siena at FAU, 7 p.m.

CCSU at Florida A&M, 7 p.m.

Georgetown at Louisville, 7 p.m.

Army at Presbyterian, 7 p.m.

Liberty at Richmond, 7 p.m.

Wofford at South Carolina, 7 p.m.

Erskine at Charleston Southern, 7:30 p.m.

Albany (NY) at Maryland, 8 p.m.

Lamar at Kentucky, 8:30 p.m.

UConn at South Florida, 9 p.m.

Northwestern at Ohio St., 5:30 p.m.

Indiana at Michigan St., 7:30 p.m.

Wichita St. at Bradley, 8 p.m.

Missouri St. at Creighton, 8 p.m.

Oakland at N. Dakota St., 8 p.m.

IPFW at S. Dakota St., 8 p.m.

S. Utah at South Dakota, 8 p.m.

Cleveland St. at Toledo, 8 p.m.

Indiana St. at Drake, 8:05 p.m.

Oral Roberts at UMKC, 8:05 p.m.

Morehead St. at SE Missouri, 8:30 p.m.

Purdue at Iowa, 9:30 p.m.

NC A&T at Houston, 3 p.m.

Oklahoma St. vs. SMU at American Airlines Center, Dallas, 6:30 p.m.

Charlotte at Arkansas, 8 p.m.

Texas A&M-CC at Rice, 8 p.m.

Samford at Sam Houston St., 8 p.m.

UC Riverside at UTSA, 8 p.m.

Huston-Tillotson at Texas St., 8:30 p.m.

Mississippi St. vs. Baylor at American Airlines Center, Dallas, 9 p.m.

Mercer at Tulsa, 9:30 p.m.

New Orleans at Colorado, 9 p.m.

Portland at Gonzaga, 9 p.m.

Portland St. at Montana, 9 p.m.

E. Washington at Montana St., 9 p.m.

New Mexico at New Mexico St., 9 p.m.

Cedarville at Nevada, 10 p.m.

Cent. Arkansas at UNLV, 10 p.m.

Ark.-Pine Bluff vs. Jacksonville St., 6:30 p.m.

Colorado St. at UTEP, 9 p.m.

Brown at St. Francis (NY), 2 p.m.

American U. at Mount St. Mary's, 4 p.m.

Harvard at Boston College, 7 p.m.

Iona at Hofstra, 7 p.m.

Boston U. at La Salle, 7 p.m.

Sacred Heart at New Hampshire, 7 p.m.

Florida at Rutgers, 7 p.m.

Georgia Tech at Fordham, 8 p.m.

Loyola NO at Southern U., 5 p.m.

Spring Hill at Louisiana Tech, 6 p.m.

Penn at Davidson, 7 p.m.

Austin Peay at E. Kentucky, 7 p.m.

NC Central at East Carolina, 7 p.m.

Grambling St. at LSU, 7 p.m.

Robert Morris at Memphis, 7 p.m.

Campbell at NC State, 7 p.m.

Elon at North Carolina, 7 p.m.

The Citadel at Tennessee, 7 p.m.

Yale at Wake Forest, 7 p.m.

Maine at Florida Gulf Coast, 7:05 p.m.

Marshall at Belmont, 8 p.m.

FIU at Middle Tennessee, 8 p.m.

Alcorn St. at Southern Miss., 8 p.m.

W. Kentucky at Louisiana-Monroe, 8:30 p.m.

UT-Martin at Tennessee St., 8:30 p.m.

Jacksonville at Alabama, 9 p.m.

VCU at Akron, 7 p.m.

Green Bay at Butler, 7 p.m.

William & Mary at Miami (Ohio), 7 p.m.

Penn St. at Michigan, 7:30 p.m.

S. Illinois at Evansville, 8 p.m.

Detroit at Ill.-Chicago, 8 p.m.

Howard at Kansas, 8 p.m.

Wright St. at Loyola of Chicago, 8 p.m.

Tennessee Tech at SIU-Edwardsville, 8 p.m.

N. Iowa at Illinois St., 8:05 p.m.

Milwaukee at Valparaiso, 8:05 p.m.

Oklahoma at Cincinnati, 9 p.m.

Vanderbilt at Marquette, 9 p.m.

UALR at North Texas, 8 p.m.

Arkansas Tech at Texas A&M, 8 p.m.

Texas-Arlington at Texas-Pan American, 8 p.m.

Kent St. at Arkansas St., 8:35 p.m.

Sacramento St. at N. Arizona, 8:35 p.m.

Southern Cal at California, 9 p.m.

Troy at Denver, 9 p.m.

Coppin St. vs. San Jose St. at Key Arena, Seattle, 9 p.m.

Oregon St. at Washington, 9 p.m.

Oregon at Washington St., 9 p.m.

Idaho St. at Weber St., 9 p.m.

Hope International at Cal Poly, 10 p.m.

San Francisco at Pepperdine, 10 p.m.

UC Irvine at CS Northridge, 10:05 p.m.

UC Davis at Cal St.-Fullerton, 10:05 p.m.

Fresno St. at Pacific, 10:30 p.m.

BYU at Saint Mary's (Cal), 11 p.m.

UCLA at Stanford, 11 p.m.

Nebraska-Omaha at Seattle, 11:15 p.m.

SC State at Hawaii, 1 a.m.

Wagner vs. Air Force, 9 p.m.

E. Michigan at Santa Clara, 11:15 p.m.

Third Place, 7 p.m.

Championship, 9 p.m.

Utah Valley vs. Hampton, 4:30 p.m.

Longwood at Chattanooga, 7 p.m.

James Madison vs. Rhode Island, 9:30 p.m.

Stetson at UCF, 7 p.m.

Northeastern at Vermont, 4:30 p.m.

Manhattan at Binghamton, 7 p.m.

Lafayette at Columbia, 7 p.m.

Temple at Delaware, 7 p.m.

NJIT at LIU, 7 p.m.

Mercer at Navy, 7 p.m.

Sacred Heart at New Hampshire, 7 p.m.

St. Bonaventure at Niagara, 7 p.m.

Rider at Stony Brook, 7 p.m.

CCSU at UMass, 7 p.m.

West Virginia at Seton Hall, 9 p.m.

Delaware St. at Georgia, 2 p.m.

UNC Greensboro at Richmond, 4 p.m.

Reinhardt at Alabama St., 7 p.m.

Georgia Southern at Auburn, 7 p.m.

George Mason at Coll. of Charleston, 7 p.m.

W. Michigan at Duke, 7 p.m.

Princeton at Florida St., 7 p.m.

Appalachian St. at Miami, 7 p.m.

Palm Beach Atlantic at North Florida, 7 p.m.

Missouri at Old Dominion, 7 p.m.

Furman at UNC Wilmington, 7 p.m.

Towson at Virginia, 7 p.m.

Montreat at Campbell, 7:30 p.m.

Mississippi at Dayton, 7 p.m.

W. Illinois at IUPUI, 7 p.m.

Kennesaw St. at Ohio, 7 p.m.

Murray St. at E. Illinois, 8 p.m.

IPFW at N. Dakota St., 8 p.m.

Oakland at S. Dakota St., 8 p.m.

Oral Roberts at South Dakota, 8 p.m.

S. Utah at UMKC, 8:05 p.m.

Texas Southern at Arkansas, 8 p.m.

Texas-Tyler at Stephen F. Austin, 8 p.m.

Texas St. at Houston, 9 p.m.

SE Louisiana at Texas Tech, 9 p.m.

E. Washington at Montana, 3 p.m.

Nebraska-Omaha vs. Coppin St. at Key Arena, Seattle, 9 p.m.

Portland St. at Montana St., 9 p.m.

Pomona-Pitzer at CS Bakersfield, 10 p.m.

Redlands at San Diego St., 10 p.m.

San Jose St. at Seattle, 11:15 p.m.

Third Place, 9 p.m.

Championship, 11:15 p.m.

Third Place, 4:30 p.m.

Championship, 7 p.m.

Third Place, 7 p.m.

Championship, 9:30 p.m.

St. Francis (Pa.) at Drexel, Noon

Boston U. at Quinnipiac, Noon

St. John's vs. UConn at the XL Center, Hartford, Conn., Noon

Lehigh at Bryant, 1 p.m.

Colgate at New Hampshire, 1 p.m.

St. Francis (NY) at Army, 2 p.m.

Cornell at Bucknell, 2 p.m.

Holy Cross at Dartmouth, 2 p.m.

Providence at Georgetown, 2 p.m.

Hartford at La Salle, 2 p.m.

Delaware St. at George Washington, 3 p.m.

Albany (NY) at Mount St. Mary's, 3:30 p.m.

Houston Baptist at Duquesne, 4 p.m.

Saint Joseph's at Harvard, 4 p.m.

Louisville at Kentucky, Noon

Austin Peay at Morehead St., Noon

SC-Upstate at South Carolina, Noon

Virginia-Wise at East Carolina, 1 p.m.

Presbyterian at VMI, 1 p.m.

Tennessee St. at E. Kentucky, 2 p.m.

Yale at Florida, 2 p.m.

Charleston Southern at Liberty, 2 p.m.

Samford at Maryland, 2 p.m.

Southern Miss. at McNeese St., 2 p.m.

Utah St. at Mississippi St., 2 p.m.

W. Carolina at NC State, 2 p.m.

Gardner-Webb at Radford, 2 p.m.

FIU at W. Kentucky, 2 p.m.

Alabama A&M at UAB, 3 p.m.

South Alabama at Middle Tennessee, 3:30 p.m.

UNC Asheville at Winthrop, 4 p.m.

Arkansas St. at Louisiana-Monroe, 5 p.m.

Tennessee Tech at UT-Martin, 5 p.m.

FAU at Louisiana-Lafayette, 5:15 p.m.

Coastal Carolina at High Point, 7 p.m.

Charlotte at Memphis, 9 p.m.

MVSU at Iowa St., 1 p.m.

Iowa at Wisconsin, 1 p.m.

Bradley at Indiana St., 1:05 p.m.

Chicago St. at Ball St., 2 p.m.

Milwaukee at Butler, 2 p.m.

Youngstown St. at Cleveland St., 2 p.m.

Wright St. at Ill.-Chicago, 2 p.m.

Howard at Kansas St., 2 p.m.

Detroit at Loyola of Chicago, 2 p.m.

Michigan St. at Nebraska, 3 p.m.

Drake at Missouri St., 3:05 p.m.

North Dakota at Kansas, 4 p.m.

Illinois at Purdue, 4 p.m.

Jacksonville St. at SIU-Edwardsville, 4:30 p.m.

Green Bay at Valparaiso, 5:05 p.m.

Ohio St. at Indiana, 6 p.m.

Indiana at Ohio St., 6 p.m.

Creighton at Wichita St., 6 p.m.

Gonzaga at Xavier, 8 p.m.

Virginia Tech at Oklahoma St., Noon

Lyon at Lamar, 2 p.m.

Louisiana Tech at SMU, 2 p.m.

Rice at Texas, 2 p.m.

Tulane at Texas-Pan American, 2 p.m.

Northwestern St. at Oklahoma, 3 p.m.

Troy at North Texas, 4 p.m.

Tulsa at TCU, 7 p.m.

Idaho at Boise St., 2 p.m.

Ark.-Pine Bluff at New Mexico St., 2 p.m.

UCLA at California, 4 p.m.

Arizona St. at Arizona, 5:30 p.m.

San Diego at BYU, 6 p.m.

Utah at Colorado, 6 p.m.

UALR at Denver, 6 p.m.

Saint Louis at New Mexico, 6 p.m.

Saint Mary's (Cal) at Pepperdine, 6 p.m.

Oregon St. at Washington St., 6 p.m.

Sacramento St. at Weber St., 6 p.m.

Southern Cal at Stanford, 6:30 p.m.

UNLV at Hawaii, 8 p.m.

Loyola Marymount at San Francisco, 8 p.m.

N. Arizona at N. Colorado, 9:35 p.m.

Oregon at Washington, 10 p.m.

Canisius at Fairfield, 1 p.m.

Norfolk St. at Navy, 4 p.m.

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.

Rutgers at South Florida, Noon

Princeton at Florida A&M, 3 p.m.

Monmouth (NJ) at North Carolina, 3 p.m.

ETSU at Clemson, 4 p.m.

Akron at Marshall, 4 p.m.

Penn at Duke, 5 p.m.

Villanova at Marquette, 1 p.m.

Illinois St. at S. Illinois, 3 p.m.

Minnesota at Michigan, 4 p.m.

Syracuse at DePaul, 5 p.m.

Penn St. at Northwestern, 7 p.m.

Evansville at N. Iowa, 9 p.m.

Bowling Green at UTSA, 3 p.m.

Source: http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/24-sports-news/article686030.ece

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Ron Paul on Possible Donald Trump Run: Not Happening!

GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul appeared on Fox News Friday and was asked about a possible third-party Donald Trump run, now that he's become an independent.

Paul is not concerned.

“To each his own, he may do it. I doubt he’ll do it," he said. "If he really wanted to be president, why walk away? Why is he concerned he couldn’t do it as a Republican?”

Ron Paul on Fox News With Neil Cavuto

“I have no idea what he is going to do,” Paul said.

“I don’t think he will be calling me for advice. I don’t think he will ask for an appointment to come see me to get advice or an endorsement. I’m not expecting that.”

Your World host Neil Cavuto asked the Republican hopeful why he never "kissed Trump’s ring" like many of the other candidates had over the past year. His reply:

“I didn’t think it was necessary or appropriate ... How could he endorse what I’m doing? My positions are pretty much opposite of what he talks about."

"He doesn’t believe in free market. He likes the Federal Reserve. He is not a free trader. He likes tariffs. So there is not a lot we have in common.”

That about sums it up from Paul's perspective.

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/12/ron-paul-on-possible-donald-trump-run-not-happening/

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Man stabbed to death during post-Christmas rush in London

By Agence France-Presse
Monday, December 26, 2011

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A man was stabbed to death on London?s Oxford Street on Monday as bargain hunters crowded into the post-Christmas sales on one of Britain?s busiest shopping thoroughfares, police said.

Police made a number arrests after the man, believed to be in his late teens or early 20s, was killed near Bond Street underground station.

A helicopter ambulance was sent to the incident but the man was pronounced dead at the scene, the Metropolitan Police said.

Tens of thousands of people defied a strike by London Underground train drivers to flock to the Boxing Day sales in the capital, with the department stores on Oxford Street a major attraction for many.

Scotland Yard said: ?Police were called at approx 1345hrs on Monday, 26 December to reports of a male stabbed in Oxford Street, nr the junction with Stratford Place, W1.

?The male, believed late teens/early 20s, has been pronounced dead at the scene. A number of arrests have been made. Enquiries continue.?

The Yard said Oxford Street had been closed around the scene of the killing.

Agence France-Presse

AFP journalists cover wars, conflicts, politics, science, health, the environment, technology, fashion, entertainment, the offbeat, sports and a whole lot more in text, photographs, video, graphics and online.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRawStory/~3/0DRvqenFJno/

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Study on the Rural Finance Service in Zaozhuang City | Economics ...

?Abstract? The construction of socialistic new country, is significant strategic decision which was made in the outline of China?s the Eleventh Five-Year Plan. In recent years, from the strategic altitude, the Central Party Committee has made a series of important deployment for the rural work, which has obtained positive result. As the finance took the core of the modern economy , the development of the economy in any nation and society cannot live without the substantial support of the financial. Therefore, investigating the rural finance service actuality, resolving the matters concerned to the insufficient financial support for the Agriculture, Ruralareas and Peasantry , which has great significance to the development of the farmer, the agriculture and the rural economy. Especially for ZaoZhuang which is underdeveloped area in the economy, the rural finance is major origin of the fund support for the rural economy.Gotted affected and restricted by lots of factors, The related data material indicates that the rural finance of ZaoZhuang still is the weakest link in the entire financial system, the service level does not fit for the need of the socialism new rural reconstruction. So, studing the problem of the rural finance service in Zaozhuang, studing how does the research banking industry enlarge to the rural finance development fund investment and the support, meets the service innovation of the rural finance, enhances the service quality of the rural finance, satisfies the need for the develop of the rural economy, which is a current urgent need solution important topic, which has important practical significance to solve the difficulties existing in the rural finance service of ZaoZhuang, expand the fund investment to the country, support the whole city rural development of the country.Along with the reform of financial system constant deepening, for adapting the competitive request of the market economy ,bank industry of Zaozhuang has carried on the large scale deepened adjustment from the organization layout, the service variety, the management and operation idea and other aspects. But this kind of adjustment has actually brought more disadvantageous influences to the rural finance service, displayed in: the shrinkage of the rural finance service points presented the tendency gradually, the outflow question of the rural finance service fund was day by day serious, the tendency competition of the rural finance service was not full, the supplies ability of the rural finance service obvious attenuated. The appearance of above phenomenon, has seriously affected the quality and the level of the rural finance service. This article uses the investigation and the real diagnosis analysis method, from geography factor, market factor, system factor, policy factor and so on to search the reason, and in allusion to these restriction factors, from the own development of agricultural industry, the organization system consummation of the rural finance service, the policy support to the rural finance, the servo system construction of the rural finance service and the extense of innovation ,to explores and optimizes the way and the procedure of Zaozhuang rural finance service.This article was divided to five parts: The first part of introduction, which introduced the background and the writing goal of the paper, have analyzed the present research situation in domestic and foreign regarding the rural finance service question , introduced the research way and the frame construction of the paper briefly; The second part has introduced the basic situation of Zaozhuang rural financial service, described the organization system and the service survey of Zaozhuang Banking industry financial organ , has analyzed the existence condition of the rural finance service; The third part of paper from four directions: change of the rural finance organization points layout, outflow of the service fund, attenuation of the supplies ability, competition of the service , carry on the analysis how to improve the rural finance service; the fourth part from geography factor, market factor, system factor, policy factor has carried on the reason analysis. The fifth part, the author carried on the analysis about the solution of the question existing in the rural finance service, described from speeding up the industrialization adjustment of the agricultural, enlarging policy support to the rural finance, consummating the organization system of the rural finance service, enlarging the credit investment to the country, speeding up the service servo system construction of to the rural finance, extending the innovation of the rural finance service and so on, in order to realize the improvement of the rural finance service and the powerful support of the rural finance to the construction of the socialism new rural.

Title: Study on the Rural Finance Service in Zaozhuang City
Category: Finance economics
Filename: Study on the Rural Finance Service in Zaozhuang City.pdf
Pages: 130
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Source: http://www.economics-papers.com/study-on-the-rural-finance-service-in-zaozhuang-city.html

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theblaze: GOP Senator: Tea Party Challenges ?Killed Off? Chances for Republican Majority in Senate http://t.co/mJRyB5Rr via @theblaze

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GOP Senator: Tea Party Challenges ?Killed Off? Chances for Republican Majority in Senate tblz.us/89VKF via @theblaze Il y a environ 3 heures via HootSuite Retweeted by 9 people

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JXD releases S7100 Android-based gaming tablet, manages to steal from everyone

If you're going to steal, steal from the best. JXD has just released its S7100, a fairly conspicuous 7-inch Android-powered gaming tablet marketed towards playing old-school arcade games. The device features a D-pad, face buttons, an 800 x 480 capacitive touchsceen, ARM Cortex A9 CPU, Mali 400 GPU, 512MB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, 0.3 megapixel front camera, 2.0 megapixel rear camera and HDMI-out. A video trailer shows the unit playing a variety of touchscreen games and classic ROMs including Metal Slug, Mario Kart 64, Angry Birds, Plants Vs. Zombies and Fruit Ninja HD. Not to be undone, the device also features the actual PlayStation button icons on its own buttons (sound familiar?), while the marketing website for the device sports icons from Apple, Google, Microsoft and others. If you're thus far undeterred, there's a must-watch promotional vid hosted just after the break -- nothing justifies a $140 price tag like Bieber, right?

Continue reading JXD releases S7100 Android-based gaming tablet, manages to steal from everyone

JXD releases S7100 Android-based gaming tablet, manages to steal from everyone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 00:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/Y6I_JTIzsEo/

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Kim Jong Il's heir meets with SKorean delegation (AP)

PYONGYANG, North Korea ? North Korea's next leader burnished his diplomatic skills, welcoming a private South Korean mourning delegation as state media called Kim Jong Un a "sagacious" leader and revealed a new title that gives him authority over political matters.

Kim Jong Un has rapidly gained prominence since the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, on Dec. 17, and his brief meeting with a group led by a former South Korean first lady and a prominent business leader shows Seoul that he is assured in his new role.

State media have showered Kim with new titles. On Saturday, the North referred to him as "supreme leader" of the 1.2 million-strong armed forces and said the military's top leaders had pledged their loyalty to him. On Monday, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper described him as head of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party ? a post that appears to make him the top official in the ruling party.

Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency also called Kim Jong Un a "sagacious leader" and "dear" comrade while reporting that he paid respects Monday to his father, whose body is lying in state at Kumsusan Memorial Palace. State media have already dubbed him as a "great successor" and an "outstanding leader."

It was the fourth time the North's media reported that the younger Kim had visited the memorial palace since his father's death, according to Seoul's Unification Ministry.

Also on Monday, a South Korean delegation stood in a line on a red carpet and bowed silently during their visit to the Kumsusan palace, where Kim's bier is surrounded by flowers and flanked by an honor guard.

Kim Jong Un gave the South Koreans his thanks after they expressed condolences and sympathy, KCNA said. Seoul's Unification Ministry confirmed the meeting in a statement but didn't elaborate.

The lead delegates were the widow of former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, who engineered a "sunshine" engagement policy with the North and held a landmark summit with Kim Jong Il in 2000, and Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun, whose late husband had ties to the North.

Their meeting with Kim Jong Un could be intended to push South Korea to pursue previously agreed upon cooperative projects that would give North Korea much-needed hard currency, said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at Seoul-based University of North Korean Studies.

Footage from AP Television News in North Korea earlier showed the South Koreans being greeted by North Korean officials during a stop at a factory park in the North Korean border town of Kaesong. North Korea sent delegations to Seoul when the women's husbands died.

Monday's meeting appeared to be Kim Jong Un's first reported meeting with South Koreans since his father's death.

The Kim family has extended its control over the country of 24 million people to a third generation with Kim Jong Un, who is in his late 20s and was revealed last year as his father's choice among three sons for successor.

Kim Jong Il, who ruled North Korea for 17 years, wielded power as head of three main state organs: the Workers' Party, the Korean People's Army and the National Defense Commission. His father, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, remains the nation's "eternal president" long after his 1994 death.

Kim Jong Un was named a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party last year, but was expected to ascend to new military and political posts while being groomed to become the next leader.

Monday's reference to his new title was in a commentary in the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the mouthpiece of the Workers' Party, urging soldiers to dedicate their lives "to protect the party's Central Committee headed by respected Comrade Kim Jong Un." Rodong Sinmun has also called on the people to become "eternal revolutionary comrades" with Kim Jong Un, "the sun of the 21st century."

The language echoed slogans used for years to rally support for Kim Jong Il, and made clear that the son is quickly moving toward leadership of the Workers' Party, one of the country's highest positions, in addition to the military.

North Korea refers to Kim Il Sung as the "sun" of the nation, and his birthday is celebrated as the "Day of the Sun." State media have sought to emphasize Kim Jong Un's role in carrying out the Kim family legacy throughout his succession movement.

His titles are slight variations of those held by his father, but appear to carry the same weight. It was unclear whether the nation's constitution had been changed to reflect the transfer of leadership as when Kim Jong Il took power after his father's death.

Mourning continued, meanwhile, despite frigid winter weather, in the final days before Kim Jong Il's funeral, which is set to take place Wednesday, and a memorial Thursday.

People continued lining up Monday in central Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square, where a massive portrait that usually features Kim Il Sung has been replaced by one of Kim Jong Il, to bow before his smiling image and to lay funeral flowers. Heated buses stood by to give mourners a respite from the cold, and hot tea and water were distributed from beverage kiosks.

___

Associated Press writers Foster Klug, Hyung-jin Kim and Jiyoung Won in Seoul, South Korea, and AP Korea bureau chief Jean H. Lee contributed to this report. Follow AP's Korea coverage at twitter.com/newsjean and twitter.com/APKlug.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111227/ap_on_re_as/as_kim_jong_il

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Ryan Church

From BR Bullpen

Ryan Matthew Church

BR page

BR Minors page

[edit] Biographical Information

Ryan Church hit two home runs on Easter Sunday in 2006.

Church was originally drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 14th round of the 2000 amateur draft out of the University of Nevada, Reno. After four season in the Indians system, he was sent to the Montreal Expos along with Maicer Izturis in return for lefty Scott Stewart after the 2003 season. He had alsway hit well in the Indians system: with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in 2000, he hit .298 with 16 doubles and 10 homers in 73 games. In 2001 for Columbus and Kinston, he hit .278 with 30 doubles and 22 homers in 125 games. In 2002, for Kinston and AA Akron, he hit .307 in 124 games, with 29 doubles and 22 homers. In 2003, he hit .261 in 99 games for Akron, with 17 doubles and 13 homers. Moving to the Expos' organization he had another big year in his first season at the AAA level for the Edmonton Trappers. In 98 games, he hit .343, with 29 doubles, 8 triples and 17 homers, with 74 runs scored and 78 RBI before earning his first call-up to "the Show".

Ryan was one of the last players to make his major league debut for the Expos, late in the 2004 season. In spite of going 3 for 4 in his first start in left field on August 22nd, he only hit .175 in 30 games that first year. The Expos became the Washington Nationals the following year and Church played regularly for them over their first three seasons in D.C., with batting averages of .287, .276 and .272. His home run total improved from 1 to 9 to 10 to 15 over his first 4 seasons. In 2008, he was traded to the New York Mets along with catcher Brian Schneider for Lastings Milledge. He was having his best season that year as the Mets' regular right fielder, hitting .307 with 10 homers and 37 RBI in 57 games, when he had to go on the disabled list with a concussion in early July. He came back in late August, but finished at .276 with 12 homers in 90 games.

Church was back with the Mets in 2009 and having another good season when he was traded to the Atlanta Braves for Jeff Francoeur on July 10th; he was hitting .280 in 67 games at the time of the trade, then went .260 for the Braves. He signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2010, where he was a teammate of Lastings Milledge, the player he had been traded for two years earlier, but he hit only .182 in 69 games as a pinch-hitter and back-up outfielder. At the trading deadline, the struggling Pirates sent him to the Arizona Diamondbacks, along with a couple of other unproductive veterans - Bobby Crosby and D.J. Carrasco - in return for C Chris Snyder and Pedro Ciriaco. None of the players involved in the deal did much afterwards. Church for his part hit .265 in only 49 at-bats the rest of the year. He became a free agent again after the season but failed to find another team.

[edit] Notable Achievements?

[edit] Related Sites

Source: http://www.baseball-reference.com/bpv/index.php?title=Ryan_Church&diff=1700084102&oldid=prev

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Best Holiday Tech Gift: We Have a Winner! [CONTEST] (Mashable)

Last week, we asked our readers to share the story behind their favorite tech-related holiday gift. The best story wins an Xbox Kinect Bundle (pictured below) courtesy of Target, and a pack of games from Activision, featuring DJ Hero, DJ Hero 2 Party Bundle (2 turntables + microphone), Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock (with 2 Xbox 360 wireless Guitars), Cabela?s Big Game Hunter (with Top Shot Elite), and Rapala for Kinect.

[More from Mashable: The Procrastinator?s Guide to Gift Giving: We?ll Get to That Later]

We received over 70 heart-warming and nostalgia-inducing stories, so choosing only one winner was very tough. Ryan Thompson, with a great story about a brand-new N64 to replace his broken Nintendo Entertainment System, has won our prize. Congrats, Ryan! Here's his full story:

[More from Mashable: Best Buy Stores Offer BoGo Deal on 32GB iPhone 4]

Thank you to all our readers who submitted stories. We loved all of them. Happy Holidays!

Read Also: Open Thread: Show Us Your Favorite Tech Gifts!

Image courtesy of Flickr, www.metaphoricalplatypus.com

This story originally published on Mashable here.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/videogames/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/mashable/20111225/tc_mashable/best_holiday_tech_gift_we_have_a_winner_contest

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Storify: See #Christmas eve in Rome, Bethlehem, Vienna. A beautiful slideshow from around the world. http://t.co/PXe8WKuZ

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See #Christmas eve in Rome, Bethlehem, Vienna. A beautiful slideshow from around the world. storify.com/globaltvnews/c? Il y a environ 19 heures via web Retweeted by 8 people

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Can I cancel Windows XP updates in progress?

---

I'm sitting at an airport between flights and for some reason I chose now to give in to my netbook nagging me to install updates. I chose "Turn off and install updates". Turns out there are 96 :P. Its been half an hour and its on update 15. I've got a few hours yet but this isn't looking good. All I've got is a blue screen telling me not to turn it off. Is there any way to cancel this?

Source: http://www.talkms.com/windows-xp/181394-can-i-cancel-windows-xp-updates-progress.html

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Baseball: Marquis signing still leaves Twins rotation lacking star power

MINNEAPOLIS _ The Twins didn't plan to add to their payroll for 2012. The plan was to reduce it.

The Twins didn't have many trade chips, if any, to deal for a quality starter to upgrade the rotation.

Under these parameters, it's no wonder the best Twins GM Terry Ryan could come up with to help the starting staff was reaching an agreement Thursday with veteran righthander Jason Marquis on a one-year, $3 million contract.

Marquis is a ground-ball-inducing machine who is coming off a broken leg to pitch in the American League for the first time. He definitely doesn't push the Twins over the top in the American League Central battle.

You now have a few moments to vent.

Lament the Twins' inability to draft and develop front-line starters.

Complain about how they botched deals for the two hard throwers they traded away, Johan Santana and Matt Garza.

Shake your head over the soured relationship between the coaching staff and Kevin Slowey that led to his trade to Colorado.

Shake a fist toward the heavens because Kyle Gibson's major league debut has been delayed a year because of Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery, and because baseball's Geek Squad had to be called in to fix Alex Wimmers' GPS so he can find home plate again.

If you get a Twins official in private, he might react the same way. The big reason the team rose from the ashes 10 years ago and began to win division titles was that Brad Radke, Eric Milton, Rick Reed and Kyle Lohse were fairly capable.

To get back to that, the Twins will rub their good luck charm and hope their returning starters stay on the mound and turn things around in 2012 after posting a 4.64 ERA last season that was 12th among starting staffs in the AL.

"We feel better about some of the things we've got here," Ryan said.

Over the past two seasons, Carl Pavano is the only Twins starter to have thrown at least 200 innings in a season. He did it in both 2010 and ?11. But he turns 36 next month. The onus is on three other pitchers.

Francisco Liriano, 28, should be motivated to perform in what will be his free-agent season. The Twins also have noticed a trend from their hard-throwing lefthander: In odd years, Liriano is 15-25 with a 5.47 ERA. In even years, he's 32-17 with a 3.22 ERA. High-tech stuff, huh? But when you've banged your head against the wall as often as the Twins have about Liriano, you grab onto anything that's encouraging.

Nick Blackburn, who turns 30 next month, had forearm problems last season and had loose particles removed from his elbow following the 2010 season. He has told the club that his arm feels great, which has to be encouraging.

There is a little more concern regarding Scott Baker, 30, who has had elbow issues the past two seasons. He was limited to 134u2154 innings last season.

When asked, Ryan said on Thursday, "Baker and Blackburn both look like they are going to be healthy." But indications are that some with the Twins will feel better about Baker once he gets through spring training and takes his spot in the rotation. It will be an important year for Baker, who will earn $6.5 million in 2012, with the team holding a $9.25 million option for 2013.

While Ryan spoke favorably of the rotation's health, he still wouldn't rule out Brian Duensing being a starter. Based on the other starters' time in the trainer's room the past couple of seasons, can you blame him?

"I don't want to eliminate Duensing from that rotation," Ryan said. "If someone doesn't come in ready to go and they are a little ouchy, then you have to consider Duensing and (Anthony) Swarzak and some of the other guys I mentioned.

"If they are all healthy, then it certainly fortifies our bullpen to some extent."

We have been fixated on Joe Mauer's and Justin Morneau's return to health in 2012. But the Twins, unable to upgrade their rotation this offseason, are crossing their fingers about their starters, too.

?

Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5659646327

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Golf: New Zealand women's open confirmed for Canterbury

Opinion Kids abandoned as parents shop

Children are being left locked in cars by Western Bay of Plenty parents completing their Christmas shopping. Fraser Cove? More

Silent Night is the song of Christmas. There's so much inside it. The melody floats and soars and lives in the Gothic nave of our imagination, stirring something in us we'd forgotten was there.

Jim Hopkins on Christmas

Are you heading out of town to celebrate Christmas this year?

photos New photos of the Rena (6 photos)

Over 280 of the 1368 shipping containers have been removed from the stricken cargo ship Rena since it ran aground on the? View

Traffic Update

Auckland

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" + direction + " " + stat.name + ": " + stat.level + "

"); $('#trafficcontent').append($div); }); // set cookie so this tab is remembered when we come back $.cookie('traffic',road.abbrev,{expires:365}); }); // if nothing is selected yet select the first tab, otherwise see if we can match the cookie if (road.abbrev == $.cookie('traffic')){ selected_li = $li; } $('#traffictabs').append($li); }); // end of closure / loop // if something was selected via cookie then click it if (selected_li) { selected_li.click(); // otherwise pick something random } else { var tabs = $('#traffictabs li') var index = Math.floor(Math.random() * (tabs.length)); $(tabs[index]).click(); $.cookie('traffic',null); } });

Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10775035&ref=rss

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Kayani skips dinner hosted by Zardari for visiting Chinese official

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Karachi News.Net
Sunday 25th December, 2011 (ANI)

Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, Generalshfaq Parvez Kayani, skipped a dinner hosted by President Asif Aliardari in the honour of visiting Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo.

General Kayani had also skipped a dinner hosted by Prime Ministerousuf Raza Gilani on December 23.

Pakistan's Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman General Khalidhameem Wynne, Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman and Naval Chief Asif Sandila were, however, present in the event, The News reports.

Bingguo had earlier called on General Kayani at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi separately. (ANI)

?

Source: http://www.karachinews.net/story/202130405

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Design your own Boeing 787 Dreamliner... but good luck affording one

Ever wanted to cruise the friendly skies on a 787 Dreamliner? Ever wanted to do precisely that on a Dreamliner of your own? Fantasies aren't always easy to achieve, but at least a new interactive portal is giving frequent fliers the ability to customize a virtual model of Boeing's new hotness. Of course, if you grow tired of tinkering in the source link, there's always our own hands-on experience to dive into.

P.S. - Drop us a line in comments if you find a 'Buy Now' section that takes The Centurion Card.

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Analysis: Protests far from a knockout blow for China leaders (Reuters)

HONG KONG (Reuters) ? Like battle-hardened boxers, China's Communist Party leaders are leaning back on the ropes, patiently absorbing the blows from angry village protesters who have grabbed headlines but lack a knockout punch.

Similar social upsrisings have floored leaders from North Africa and the Middle East but China's leaders, and the country itself, are made of sterner stuff.

Analysts say it would take an unlikely combination of blows for any semblance of an Arab Spring to take root in China: collapse of the economy, a breakdown of the Party system, a comprehensive loss of trust in the central government, and a cohesive anti-party movement in rural and urban areas.

Still, China has endured headlines that would make many an Arab leader tremble.

Villagers in Wukan in south China chase off local officials and barricade themselves in for a 10-day standoff. Thousands march in Haimen city less than 160 km (100 miles )away to protest against a power plant project. Workers stage a sit-in in Dongguan city to the west, demanding backpay after their paper plant closed down.

But while Arab Spring protesters have scored knockout blows this year, economic conditions appear to have China on course for a comfortable points decision.

After the wave of Arab Spring revolutions, analysts began looking for markers that might be useful for predicting the next uprising. The most common characteristics included a disproportionately large segment of the population aged under 25, stagnating GDP per capita, and widening income inequality.

China doesn't stand out in any of those categories. The one-child policy means the country is aging rapidly, and the bigger worry is potential shortages of young workers. GDP per capita is rising steadily. Income inequality, although wide, may narrow as Beijing mandates large minimum wage increases.

Some 80 million Communist Party members and millions more who have benefited from China's economic boom have little interest in spreading social unrest that would undermine those gains. Among China's vast bureaucracy, where college graduates are competing for jobs, and the People's Liberation Army, appetite for change is even lower.

"With civil servants and military, with their support, even when there is extensive discontent among the general public, the regime can still maintain its rule for quite a long period of time," said Kin-man Chan, associate professor at the department of sociology at Chinese University of Hong Kong.

SPARK WON'T START A PRAIRIE FIRE

Other factors favor the Party over the protesters, who lack central organization.

These include strong political cohesion, a system that reinforces support for the central government over local officials, a massive police force and fairly tight controls on traditional and social media.

The last time the Politburo Standing Committee was seriously split was in 1989, a divide that gave time for the democracy movement centered on Tiananmen Square to snowball. Paramount leader Deng Xiaoping eventually stepped in, Party secretary Zhao Ziyang was sacked, and the movement was crushed on June 4 that year in a bloody military crackdown that killed hundreds, perhaps thousands.

The Chinese government's fear is that, in the more distant future, those trends could gather momentum and threaten it.

"I don't think this can become a single spark that starts a prairie fire," said Ting Wai, a professor of political science at Hong Kong Baptist University, referring to Mao Zedong's famous thesis from the Chinese revolution.

"There are many incidents of social unrest like these in China, but I don't think in the near future they will join together," Ting said.

TRICKLE, NOT A FLOOD

While pressures from riots, strikes and other mass incidents could chip at the Party's grip on the country, analysts say that weakening remains manageable, a trickle rather than a flood.

Even the incident in the rebellious Guangdong province village of Wukan, where concessions to end the standoff appeared particularly favorable, only rippled the surface.

Liu Feiyue, a human rights advocate in central China's Hubei province who collects reports from protesters, said "the scope of concessions in Wukan was unusually large, especially on freeing detained villagers and a fresh village election."

"This showed unusual flexibility and reasonableness from the Guangdong government," said Liu, who runs the Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch website.

"But I don't think the Wukan model will spread nationwide easily. There's too much conservatism and fear of change, and other places tend to offer only tactical compromises and then officials return to high-pressure methods and to settling scores," Liu said in a telephone interview.

The Communist Party has years of experience handling incidents of mass unrest that have grown in number as economic reforms gathered pace in the 1990s and 2000s, bringing booming growth and rising incomes but also spawning a widening wealth gap and uneven development.

Each day, authorities grapple with nearly 250 mass incidents, the euphemism for riots and protests, somewhere across the country, based on the annual figure of more than 90,000 incidents that Chinese experts estimate occur annually.

It has also been going on for years -- in 2004 there were 78,000 incidents and Hu's predecessor Jiang Zemin had to defuse huge strikes as he and Premier Zhu Rongji overhauled lumbering state enterprises, shattered the iron rice bowl and laid off thousands of workers from once guaranteed jobs.

While incidents differ, China's approach to handling violent protest has been fairly formulaic. First, security forces quell the incident with overwhelming force and arrest the ringleaders. The authorities one rung up the ladder at the county or province often then address the source of the outrage -- closing down the polluting factory, arresting the corrupt local official, or ordering the backwages paid.

"THROW THE BUMS OUT"

There is little sign of discord in the Politburo when it comes to social stability, particularly with a leadership transition coming.

Zhou Yongkang, the Standing Committee member in charge of public security, was not speaking just for himself in a speech carried in newspapers on Thursday that urged law-and-order cadres to ensure "a harmonious and stable social setting" ahead of the Communist Party's 18th Congress in late 2012.

Social media are yoked as well. China has banned Facebook and Twitter and while Weibo, the popular microblogging site, has become a source for news to spread, tight controls -- posts are deleted or topic searches are banned -- hinder the ability to use it to organize, Chan said.

Activists who travel to areas of unrest to support or organize them are arrested. Such incidents are geographically widespread and often in remote areas.

China's central government also benefits from wide respect at the local level. Unlike the United States, where voters re-elect their local officials but want to "throw the bums out" in Washington, China's central government enjoys relative popularity in relation to local village or county leaders.

Indeed, the provincial delegation sent by provincial Party Chief and Politburo member Wang Yang to negotiate in Wukan was welcomed warmly. When a deal to end the standoff was reached, the village elders told the rest of the village to take down their banners and go home.

This respect for high leadership is perhaps reinforced by a tradition of seeking redress from on high through petitioning the emperor's officials.

Thirty years of strong economic growth have added credibility for China's Communist rulers, who enjoy a higher level of trust than their Arab counterparts, Chinese University's Chan added.

"Because of this trust, basically the stability of China can still be maintained," Chan said.

There was some risk people could be disillusioned if the government failed to address their petitions positively. "But now at this moment I don't think that China has reached what has happened in Egypt," Chan added.

Wukan was arguably closer to anything resembling an Arab-style movement that China has seen for a while. They tossed out their local leaders, installed their own rebel village leadership and manned barricades against police in open revolt for 10 days.

But even in Wukan, the contradictions were apparent, illustrating the gulf between China and turmoil abroad.

"Democracy is good for citizens, as citizens can make decisions for themselves," said Yang Semao, a village representative in Wukan, adding that calls for democracy and elections would be "better if they spread nationwide."

But he added: "China won't turn out to be as serious as the other countries, as long as the Chinese Communist Party is in control."

(Additional reporting by Chris Buckley in BEIJING, Sui-Lee Wee in WUKAN, Sisi Tang in HONG KONG and Emily Kaiser in SINGAPORE; Editing by Paul Tait)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111223/wl_nm/us_china_protests

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