Ash, Texas rally to stun No. 15 Oregon State

SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- David Ash wasn't sure he would start the Alamo Bowl. No one will remember after the way he finished Texas' rocky season with a validating and dazzling victory.

The sophomore threw a 36-yard touchdown strike to Marquise Goodwin with 2:24 left for the last of two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, stunning No. 15 Oregon State and lifting the Longhorns to a 31-27 comeback victory Saturday night.

The Longhorns (9-4) never led before Goodwin scored his second touchdown on a deep post pattern, just a down after Texas converted a fourth-and-1 play to keep its chances alive.

"I guess in in every situation you have to be thankful," said Ash, who was pulled in a loss to TCU a month ago and wasn't immediately selected the starter for the Alamo Bowl. "I learned a lot at TCU. It was a tough situation I was in. I was just really thankful I got another opportunity to play a game I love."

With Texas down 20-10 at halftime, Longhorns coach Mack Brown said he told his players they would win.

"I told them this it wasn't going to be easy, but I told them this game was ours and we would win it," Brown said. "This one is really special."

Storm Woods ran for 118 yards and scored two touchdowns for the Beavers (9-4), who left stunned after looking as though they would wrap up their first 10-win season since 2006.

"Not to take anything away from Texas, that was a great team offensively and defensively," Wood said. "In the first half we had a great style of football. In the second half, Texas made some adjustments and I guess, they just wanted it more."

The victory was a dose of much-needed good news for Texas after coming into the game under a cloud of questions following the suspensions of backup quarterback Case McCoy and injured linebacker Jordan Hicks.

Ash, whose been pulled at times for McCoy this season, was 21 of 33 for 241 yards. Ash sputtered until the fourth quarter, when he went 9 for 11 for 146 yards. Even if there were doubts about Ash before then, Texas had no choice but to stick with him: the only backups were two redshirt freshmen who haven't taken a snap all season.

Brown announced the suspensions Friday but wouldn't reveal which players were sent home. A person with knowledge of the suspensions told The Associated Press the players were McCoy and Hicks, speaking on condition of anonymity because Texas wasn't releasing the names.

Brown addressed the suspensions during a previously schedule news conference and referred to a local TV report that police were investigating two unidentified Texas players in an alleged sexual assault at a San Antonio hotel. Police released a heavily redacted incident report that only identifies the suspects as two students, one 20 and the other 21.

Authorities are still investigating and no charges have been filed.

Brown said he would not address the suspensions further.

Oregon State quarterback Cody Vaz was 15 of 28 for 194 yards and two interceptions. The Beavers had negative 4 yards in the fourth quarter as they were muffled by the Longhorns defense that was led by Alex Okafor, who finished with 4 1/2 sacks.

"When we tried to just drop back and pass, it was difficult," Oregon State coach Mike Riley said. "That's why Cody had to just hang in there. It was very, very tough. He made some plays and some other plays didn't develop because he didn't just have time."

Although Goodwin's touchdown catch might have won the game, two spectacular Texas plays in an earlier 83-yard scoring drive handed the Longhorns momentum - and a chance.

First was wide receiver Jaxon Shipley rescuing a pass sailing behind him with a dazzling one-handed grab at midfield. Ash made up for that off-target throw six plays later, slithering out of safety Anthony Watkins' near-certain sack and flinging the ball to Johnathan Gray, who then zipped down the sideline for a 15-yard scoring play that got the Longhorns to 27-24

The Longhorns played for a national championship in 2009. What's followed has been the shakiest of Brown's 15 years at Texas: a combined 22-16 record, an overhaul of assistant coaches and stubborn instability at quarterback following seven spoiled years with Heisman Trophy finalists Colt McCoy - the suspended player's brother - and Vince Young under center.

A surge of four consecutive victories late this season put this nine-win season in reach - a benchmark that had been the ho-hum standard of the Brown era. It comes following an unexpected twist earlier this month, when school President Bill Powers went to his blog to write that Brown had his "full support" and would remain the head coach.

Powers cited an increase an "increase in media speculation" about Brown's future. It was published on his blog the same day Brown would not yet commit to Ash or Case McCoy as his starting quarterback for the Alamo Bowl.

---

Follow Paul J. Weber on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/pauljweber

Source: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FBC_T25_ALAMO_BOWL?SITE=TXCOL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

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African Union head visits Central African Republic

By
HIPPOLYTE MARBOUA
Associated Press

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) - The leader of the African Union, Benin's President Thomas Boni Yayi, has proposed a government of national unity to resolve the rebel conflict in Central African Republic.

Boni Yayi arrived here Sunday to try to find a negotiated resolution to the country's crisis. The president of the African Union met with President Francois Bozize and then made an appeal to the rebels.

"I beg my rebellious brothers, I ask them to cease hostilities, to make peace with President (Francois) Bozize and the Central African people," said Boni Yayi at a press conference in Bangui, the capital. "If you stop fighting, you are helping to consolidate peace in Africa. African people do not deserve all this suffering. The African continent needs peace and not war."

Boni Yayi said that Bozize had pledged to have an open dialogue with the rebels with the goal of establishing a government of national unity, which would include representation from the rebels and the Bozize government.

Bozize also addressed the conference and said, although he plans to stay in power until his term ends in 2016, he is not against having the rebels enter a coalition government with him.

"We'll probably be able to set up a national unity government. I apologize to the suffering Central African people," said Bozize. "It is a message of peace to my brothers of Central African Republic, "said Bozize.

The African Union's leader arrived in Bangui when many feared there would be a fight over the capital, Bangui, a city of 600,000.

According to several families in Bangui, members of the Presidential Guard have kidnapped people suspected of supporting the rebels who have seized 10 cities in the country's north over the past three weeks.

A rebel spokesman, Col. Juma Narkoyo, warned Bozize: "We warn the head of state and his family to stop abducting our parents. They have nothing to do with it. If he wants to solve its problems, he comes to meet us on the ground. We expect firm feet. " H0e said that a dozen people have already been arrested in Bangui.

On his arrival in Bangui, Yayi Boni had a private meeting for more than two hours with Bozize in the VIP lounge of Mpoko airport, which is secured by French troops.

So far Boni Yayi has no meetings scheduled with rebels or with the democratic opposition.

Boni Yayi's diplomatic effort comes as France has deployed an additional 180 troops to protect its interests.

The French reinforcements arrived Sunday from nearby Gabon, bringing the total French military force in the capital, Bangui, to nearly 600, Col. Thierry Burkhard told The Associated Press Sunday. The troops are to protect French residents in the capital, which many fear will be attacked by the rebels.

As fears mounted that the rebels would attack Bangui, Bozize imposed a curfew from 7 p.m. until 5 a.m.

Bozize earlier appealed to France for help against the rebels, but French President Francois Hollande's government said it would only protect French interests and would not prop up the Bangui government.

As the rebels have made a rapid advance across the country's north, residents in the capital now fear the insurgents could attack at any time, despite assurances by rebel leaders that they are willing to engage in dialogue instead of attacking Bangui.

On Saturday the rebels seized the city of Sibut, 185 kilometers (114 miles) from Bangui.

Sibut, a key transportation hub, fell without a shot being fired because the Central African Republic army and forces from neighboring Chad had pulled back to Damara, 75 kilometers (46 miles) from Bangui on Friday, said Minister of Territorial Administration Josie Binoua.

Neighboring African countries have agreed to send more forces to support the Bozize government.

Representatives from the 10-nation Economic Community of Central African States, or ECCAS, agreed at a meeting in Gabon Friday to send forces to CAR, but did not did not specify how many troops would be sent or how quickly the military assistance would arrive.

The ECCAS states, with more than 500 soldiers via their regional peacekeeping force in Central Africa, over the weekend warned the rebels to halt their advances.

"ECCAS forces are on high alert, and the city of Damara is the limit not to cross," said Antonio Di Garcia, the ECCAS representative in Bangui. He urged the government forces and the rebels to hold to their current positions and to begin dialogue.????????????

?The ongoing instability prompted the United States to evacuate about 40 people, including the U.S. ambassador, from Bangui on an U.S. Air Force plane bound for Kenya, said U.S. officials who insisted on anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the operation.

The United States has special forces troops in the country who are assisting in the hunt for Joseph Kony, the fugitive rebel leader of another rebel group known as the Lord's Resistance Army. The U.S. special forces remain in the country, the U.S. military's Africa Command said from its headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany.

The evacuation of the U.S. diplomats came after criticism of how the U.S. handled diplomatic security before and during the attack on its consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11. The ambassador and three other Americans were killed in that attack.

French diplomats have remained in Bangui despite a violent demonstration outside its embassy last week. Dozens of protesters, angry at France's lack of help against rebel forces, threw rocks at the French Embassy in Bangui and stole a French flag.

This landlocked nation of 4.4 million people has suffered decades of army revolts, coups and rebellions since gaining independence in 1960 and remains one of the poorest countries in the world. The current president himself came to power nearly a decade ago in the wake of a rebellion in this resource-rich yet deeply poor country.

Bozize's government earlier reached out to longtime ally Chad, which pledged to send 2,000 troops to bolster Central African Republic's own forces.

The rebels behind the most recent instability signed a 2007 peace accord allowing them to join the regular army, but insurgent leaders say the deal wasn't fully implemented.

The rebels say they are fighting because of their "thirst for justice, for peace, for security and for economic development of the people of Central African Republic." The rebels also are demanding that the government make payments to ex-combatants.

Despite Central African Republic's wealth of gold, diamonds, timber and uranium, the government remains perpetually cash-strapped.

The United Nations Security Council condemned the violence and reiterated its demand that the armed groups "immediately cease hostilities, withdraw from captured cities and cease any further advance towards the city of Bangui."

___

Associated Press Writer Greg Keller contributed to this piece from Paris.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.wistv.com/story/20468282/more-french-troops-go-to-central-african-republic

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India rape victim's body cremated in New Delhi

An Indian participates in a candle-lit vigil to mourn the death of a gang rape victim in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. Indian police charged six men with murder on Saturday, adding to accusations that they beat and gang-raped the woman on a New Delhi bus nearly two weeks ago in a case that shocked the country. The murder charges were laid after the woman died earlier Saturday in a Singapore hospital where she has been flown for treatment. (AP Photo/ Dar Yasin)

An Indian participates in a candle-lit vigil to mourn the death of a gang rape victim in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. Indian police charged six men with murder on Saturday, adding to accusations that they beat and gang-raped the woman on a New Delhi bus nearly two weeks ago in a case that shocked the country. The murder charges were laid after the woman died earlier Saturday in a Singapore hospital where she has been flown for treatment. (AP Photo/ Dar Yasin)

A young Indian girl leads a protest march while holding torches as they mourn the death of a gang rape victim in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. Indian police charged six men with murder on Saturday, adding to accusations that they beat and gang-raped the woman on a New Delhi bus nearly two weeks ago in a case that shocked the country. The murder charges were laid after the woman died earlier Saturday in a Singapore hospital where she has been flown for treatment.(AP Photo/ Dar Yasin)

Indian men and women lie down on the ground mimicking dead bodies as they mourn the death of a gang rape victim in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. Shocked Indians on Saturday were mourning the death of the woman who was gang-raped and beaten on a bus in New Delhi nearly two weeks ago in an ordeal that galvanized people to demand greater protection for women from sexual violence. (AP Photo/ Saurabh Das)

Indians participate in a candle lit vigil to mourn the death of a gang rape victim in New Delhi, India , Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. Indian police charged six men with murder on Saturday, adding to accusations that they beat and gang-raped the woman on a New Delhi bus nearly two weeks ago in a case that shocked the country. The murder charges were laid after the woman died earlier Saturday in a Singapore hospital where she has been flown for treatment. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Indians participate in a candle lit vigil as they mourn the death of a gang rape victim in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. Indian police charged six men with murder on Saturday, adding to accusations that they beat and gang-raped the woman on a New Delhi bus nearly two weeks ago in a case that shocked the country. The murder charges were laid after the woman died earlier Saturday in a Singapore hospital where she has been flown for treatment. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

NEW DELHI (AP) ? A young woman who died after being gang-raped and beaten on a bus in India's capital was cremated Sunday amid an outpouring of anger and grief by millions across the country demanding greater protection for women from sexual violence.

The cremation took place during a private ceremony in New Delhi soon after the woman's body arrived in the capital on a special Air India flight from Singapore, where she died at a hospital Saturday after being sent for medical treatment.

The tragedy has forced India to confront the reality that sexually assaulted women are often blamed for the crime, forcing them to keep quiet and discouraging them from going to authorities for fear of exposing their families to ridicule. Police often refuse to accept complaints from rape victims, and the rare prosecutions that reach courts can drag on for years.

Security was tight, with no access to the public or media at the crematorium.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, head of the ruling Congress party, were at the airport to receive the body and meet family members of the victim who were on the flight.

Hours after the victim died early Saturday, Indian police charged six men who had been arrested in connection with the attack with murder, adding to accusations that they beat and gang-raped the woman on a New Delhi bus on Dec. 16.

New Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said the six suspects face the death penalty if convicted, in a case that has triggered protests across India and raised questions about lax attitudes by police toward sexual crimes.

After 10 days at a hospital in New Delhi, the victim, who has not been identified, was taken Thursday to Singapore's Mount Elizabeth hospital, which specializes in multi-organ transplants, but her condition worsened, with her vital signs deteriorating.

Following her death, thousands of Indians lit candles, held prayer meetings and marched through various cities and towns, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata, on Saturday night to express their grief and demand stronger protection for women and the death penalty for rape, which is now punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment.

But even as thousands mourned the rape victim's death and in a sign of how pervasive such crimes are, police in West Bengal state were investigating another suspected gang-rape and death.

In the latest case, the family of a woman said she and her husband were attacked by six men as they returned home after working at a brick factory.

They dragged the woman into a nearby farm after pouring acid into her husband's mouth, the family said.

The woman was found dead with multiple injuries, said police officer Bhaskar Mukherjee, adding he was waiting for an autopsy report.

No charges have been laid. Another police officer, Sugata Sen, said four men had been detained for questioning.

The alleged attack is similar to the Dec. 16 case, where the woman and a male friend, who also has not been identified, were on a bus after watching a film when they were attacked by six men who raped her. The men beat the couple and inserted an iron rod into the woman's body, resulting in severe organ damage. Both were then stripped and thrown off the bus, according to police.

Dozens of protesters tried to break through a police cordon Sunday and march to the parliament building in the Indian capital, but were pushed back. The protesters, belonging to the student wing of main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, shouted anti-government slogans as they marched.

Hundreds of policemen have sealed off the high-security area, where the seat of India's government is located, in anticipation of more protests. The area is home to parliament, the president's palace, the prime minister's office and several ministries.

Gandhi assured the protesters in a statement that the rape victim's death "deepens our determination to battle the pervasive, the shameful social attitudes and mindset that allow men to rape and molest women and girls with such an impunity."

Attitudes by Indians toward rape are so entrenched that even politicians and opinion makers have often suggested that women should not go out at night or wear clothes that might be seen as provocative.

Meanwhile, a United Nations statement said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "offers his sincerest condolences" to the victim's family and "utterly condemns this brutal crime."

"Violence against women must never be accepted, never excused, never tolerated," the statement said. "Every girl and woman has the right to be respected, valued and protected."

Ban urged the Indian government to take steps to deter such crimes and bring perpetrators to justice, and to "strengthen critical services for rape victims," it said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-30-India-Gang%20Rape/id-98f6018b302748549b26e88641018ced

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Local roundup: Cabrillo baseball team snaps 21-game losing streak

Tony Austin hit a double and a triple, drove in four runs and scored once as Cabrillo College's baseball team ended a 21-game losing streak with a 7-3 Coast Conference win over visiting Mission on Thursday.

Pitcher James Smith scattered 10 hits in his complete-game outing. He allowed two earned runs while striking out two batters and walking one.

Cabrillo finished with 13 hits. Jordan Scott was 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Garrek Kersten had a double, two hits and scored twice, Michael Gerlach had two RBIs and Marshall Garcia scored twice.

It was the Seahawks' first win since a 9-5 decision over Hartnell on March 9.

The Seahawks [5-30 overall, 2-22 Coast Conference] are in last place in the Pacific Division. Mission [5-28, 3-21] is last in the Golden Gate Division.

Cabrillo closes the season at home Friday against Hartnell at 2 p.m.

HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL

Sam Thorne hit a solo home run and a double and finished with two RBIs as Monte Vista Christian beat host Seaside 12-9 in a windy Monterey Bay League game.

Andy Muller [4-2 overall, 3-0 MBL] went four innings for the win. Teammate Greg Burns picked up his second save this season.

Adam Daich was 3-for-4 with a double and Burns added three hits.

MVC improves to 14-7, 9-2. Seaside falls to 9-12-1, 5-6.

San Lorenzo Valley outlasted Santa Cruz

3-2 in a 11-inning battle between two Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League teams.

The Cougars' Rick Alves led off the bottom of the 11th with a double, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt, and later scored the game-winning run on a sacrifice fly by Zach Settles.

Tyler Gilbert picked up the win in relief, pitching four hitless innings. Zach Settles started, going seven innings and allowing one earned run. Collin Ferguson started for the Cardinals and allowed two earned runs over seven innings.

SLV [9-8, 3-5 SCCAL] plays today at home against Harbor at 4 p.m. Santa Cruz [10-11, 5-3] plays at Scotts Valley at 4 p.m.

Watsonville narrowly lost 4-3 to MBL co-leader Monterey in 10 innings.

Nolan Rackley pitched the final two innings for Watsonville [1-9 MBL]. He allowed one earned run and took the loss, while striking out five batters.

Paul Lecce hit 2-for-4 with a double for the Toreadores, who improve to 9-2 in league and currently sit atop the MBL standings with MVC.

Michael Smith pitched eight innings, and hit a home run for the Wildcatz, who play at MVC at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL

Kelly Linkletter went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, two doubles and a run scored as Santa Cruz beat host St. Francis 14-0 in SCCAL play.

Samantha Rogers picked up the win for the Cardinals [1-4 SCCAL], giving up one hit without walking any batters in five innings.

Laura Pezzini had the only hit for the Sharks [1-6 SCCAL].

Alyssa Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored for Santa Cruz, and Jade Lowery added two RBIs and scored three runs. Audrey Smith went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run for the Cardinals, who host Harbor at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Breana Kostreba went 2-for-3 with a home run, an RBI and two runs scored to help visiting Aptos hand Soquel its first loss in SCCAL play 5-2.

Pitcher Angela Martin picked up the win for the Mariners [6-1 SCCAL] giving up one earned run and walking no batters over seven innings.

Sydney Hall and Katelyn Robb each went 2-for-3 for the Knights [7-1 SCCAL].

Jackie Antuna went 1-for-3 with an RBI for the Mariners, who play next at Valley Christian at 4 p.m. Saturday in a nonleague game.

Jillian Balli pitched a full game with six strikeouts and giving up two walks, but Watsonville came up short against visiting Monterey 2-1 in an MBL game.

Teresa Medrano went 1-for-3 with an RBI triple for Watsonville while teammate Felicia Balli added a double of her own. Alekxis Mondragon added 2-for-3 hitting for the Wildcatz, who host Seaside at 4 p.m. Monday.

GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD

Aptos ran away with the victory in its SCCAL meet against Scotts Valley 98-40.

The Mariners [6-0] had a pair of multi-event winners: Marissa Ferrante won the 1,600-meter race [5 minutes, 7.40 seconds] and the 3,200 [11:44], and Jessica Mattos won the discus with a toss of 92 feet, 5 inches and the shot put [28-3].

Soquel and visiting Santa Cruz picked up wins in an SCCAL tri-meet.

The Cardinals beat SLV 88-39 and St. Francis 112-2, and Soquel beat Harbor 83-35.

Elle Sanders won the 1,600 [5:23] and the 800 [2:24.67] and teammate Emily Hightower won the 100 hurdles [17.32] and the 300 hurdles [49.85].

Bonny Rivers of Harbor won the 200 [26.51] and the long jump [18-6?].

BOYS TRACK AND FIELD

Aptos and visiting Scotts Valley tied 68-68 in the teams' SCCAL regular-season finale.

Mitch Moriarty and Sean Goetzel both won two events for the Mariners. Moriarty won the 1,600 [15.44] and the 800 [2:02.66].

Goetzel won the 110 hurdles [15.44] and the 300 hurdles [41.47].

Scotts Valley's Alex Weitzel won both the triple jump [41-3?] and the pole vault [12-6].

Santa Cruz dominated in a quad-meet with St. Francis, SLV, Soquel and Harbor.

The Cardinals beat SLV 79-56 and St. Francis 110-18 while Soquel tied with Harbor 61-61.

Taylor Kientzel, a Cardinal senior, won the long jump [22-2?] and the triple jump [42-2?]. Teammate Daoud Anthony won the 100 [11.31] and the 200 [11.31], and Caleb Rabadan won the 110 hurdles [16.03] and the 300 hurdles [41.40].

SLV's Allan Hetke won the 1,600 [4:32.72] and the 800 [2:02.70].

WOMEN'S SOCCER

Priscilla Meza, a former Watsonville High and Cabrillo College player, is trying out for the Mexican national team this week at Centro de Alto Rendimiento in Mexico City.

A 5-foot-9 midfielder and defender, Meza tried out for representatives from Mexico two months ago in San Jose and was extended an invitation to tryouts on April 21.

Things are going well for Meza, her personal coach Hillel Rom said Thursday, noting Meza will travel with the team for a short tour of Japan next week. Meza will return to Watsonville on May 12.

"I think she's got a better shot at making this team than she did the last one," said Rom, referring to Meza's tryout with FC Gold Pride last year. "She's tall, taller than most girls in Mexico, she's strong, has a great shot and is a year older."

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

St. Francis High senior Jacob Miller, a standout running back and linebacker who was named to the 2009 Sentinel All-County team, has committed to play at University of Redlands next season. Redlands is an NCAA Division III program.

Source: http://www.manchesterjournal.com/ci_14989698?source=rss_viewed

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China requires Internet users to register names

A man uses a computer at an internet cafe in central Beijing, China, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. China's new communist leaders are increasing already tight controls on Internet use and electronic publishing following a spate of embarrassing online reports about official abuses. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan)

A man uses a computer at an internet cafe in central Beijing, China, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. China's new communist leaders are increasing already tight controls on Internet use and electronic publishing following a spate of embarrassing online reports about official abuses. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan)

A man uses a computer at an internet cafe in central Beijing, China, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. China's new communist leaders are increasing already tight controls on Internet use and electronic publishing following a spate of embarrassing online reports about official abuses. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan)

BEIJING (AP) ? China's government tightened Internet controls Friday with approval of a law that requires users to register their names after a flood of online complaints about official abuses rattled Communist Party leaders.

Authorities say the law will strengthen protections for personal information. But it also is likely to curtail the Internet's status as a forum to complain about the government or publicize corruption.

"Their intention is very clear: It is to take back that bit of space for public opinion, that freedom of speech hundreds of millions of Chinese Internet users have strived for," said Murong Xuecun, a prominent Chinese writer.

The rules approved by China's national legislature highlight the chronic tension between the ruling Communist Party's desire to reap technology's benefits and its insistence on controlling information.

Beijing encourages Web use for business and education but tries to block material deemed subversive or obscene. It has steadily stepped up censorship, especially after social media played a role in protests that brought down governments in Egypt and Tunisia.

The latest measure requires users to provide their real names and other identifying information when they register with access providers or post information publicly.

"This is needed for the healthy development of the Internet," said Li Fei, deputy director of the legislature's Legal Work Committee, at a news conference.

Li rejected complaints that the public will be deprived of a forum that has been used to expose misconduct.

"The country's constitution protects citizens' rights in supervising and criticizing the state and government officials' behavior," Li said.

The measure comes amid reports that Beijing might be disrupting use of software that allows Web surfers to see sites abroad that are blocked by its extensive filters.

At the same time, regulators have proposed rules that would bar foreign companies from distributing books, news, music and other material online in China.

The government has given no indication how it will deal with the technical challenge of registering the more than 500 million Chinese who use the Internet.

Microblog operators, two of which say they have more than 300 million users each, were ordered last year to confirm the identities of users but acknowledge they have yet to complete that task.

The main ruling party newspaper, People's Daily, has called weeks for tighter Internet controls, saying rumors spread online have harmed the public.

The secretive ruling party is uneasy about the public's eagerness to discuss politics and sensitive issues online despite threats of punishment.

In March, authorities scrambled to squelch online rumors about a possible coup amid a political crisis that led to the downfall of a prominent party figure, Bo Xilai, ahead of the party's fall leadership transition. A dozen websites were closed and six people detained.

This week, 70 prominent Chinese scholars and lawyers circulated an online petition this week appealing for free speech, independent courts and for the ruling party to encourage private enterprise.

Communist leaders who see the Internet as a promising source of economic growth were slow to enforce the same level of control they impose on movies, books and other media, apparently for fear of hurting e-commerce and other fledgling online businesses.

Until recently, Web surfers could post anonymous comments online or on microblogs.

That gave ordinary Chinese a unique opportunity to express themselves to a public audience in a society where newspapers, television and other media all are state-controlled. Some of the most popular microbloggers have millions of readers.

It also made the Internet a clearinghouse for accusations of official misconduct.

A local party official in China's southwest was fired in November after scenes from a videotape of him having sex with a young woman spread quickly on websites.

Web surfers can circumvent filters by using virtual private networks ? encryption software that is used by companies for financial data and other sensitive information. But VPN users say disruptions began in 2011 and are increasing, suggesting regulators are trying to block encrypted traffic.

___

AP researcher Flora Ji contributed.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-12-28-China-Internet%20Controls/id-87e426b0e8bb42e7955bf609c9235e3a

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OCZ Vector Series VTR1-25SAT3-256G

When OCZ acquired solid-state drive (SSD) controller developer Indilinx, the acquisition was hailed as a positive development for both companies. OCZ is a well-known SSD company with a number of strong products under its belt, while Indilinx built the Barefoot class of controllers that popularized SSDs in 2009 and 2010. The new OCZ Vector Series VTR1-25SAT3-256G is one of the first SSDs to feature the post-acquisition Indilinx Barefoot 3 controller, and it's debuting as OCZ faces stiff challenges from companies like Samsung and Corsair.

OCZ bills the Vector family as the "most extensively and comprehensively tested consumer SSD to date" and claims that the drive controller went through a lengthy validation period, was beta-tested in the field, and that the drive's firmware has been rigorously evaluated. This last is a tacit reference to the problems OCZ had with its Vertex 3 family, which used the SandForce SF2100 drive controller. Early Vertex 3 drives suffered firmware bugs that could cause total data loss. While the issue affected multiple manufacturers, OCZ was one of the first companies to ship the SF-2100; its reputation suffered as a result. With the Vector, the company is taking no chances.

The OCZ Vector drives are available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB capacities; the 256GB model reviewed here is the VTR1-25SAT3-256G. It's a 2.5-inch drive that supports SATA III (sometimes referred to as SATA 6G) ,and it ships with an activation code for a copy of Acronis True Image disk cloning software. OCZ doesn't include a CD, but the software can be downloaded from the company's website.

The 256GB OCZ Vector's performance stands up to the highest-performing competitors on the market. In the AS-SSD benchmark test, the Vector's sequential read rate hit 509MBps, compared with 491MBps for the 512GB Vertex 4 and 429MBps for the 480GB Vertex 3. It's even slightly faster than the recently launched 256GB Plextor PX-256MP, which turned a score of 504MBps.

In AS-SSD's 64-thread 4K read/write test, the 256GB OCZ Vector was a hair slower than the Plextor 256GB M5 Pro. The Plextor unit led, at 362MBps read and 310MBps write, with the Vector nipping at its heels with scores of 358MBps and 304MBps respectively. This is substantially faster than the older Vertex drives; the Vertex 3 hits 276MBps read and 218 MBps write, while the Vertex 4 is at 257MBps and 149MBps. In the past, higher capacity SSDs tended to be faster than smaller units; the Vector's performance suggests this may change with OCZ's latest Barefoot 3 controller.

In PCMark 7, which is designed to reflect real-world performance scenarios, the OCZ Vector, OCZ Vertex 4, and Plextor PX-256MP essentially tie, with scores of 5419, 5430, and 5458. That's a gap of less than 1% between each, which is well within the margin of error. What's notable, in this case, is that the two smaller drive deliver all the performance of the 512GB Vertex 4, without the associated cost of buying this large an SSD.

Random read/write performance is another major strength of the OCZ Vector. In SiSoft Sandra 2012, the Vector's random read/write speeds are 531MBps and 509MBps. The drive's overall performance beats out even the Plextor PX-256MP, which hits 520MBps read, 532MBps write. It's far ahead of the Vertex 3 (427MBps read / 218 MBps write) and Vertex 4 (516MBps read / 149Mbps write).

The drive's price is its only potential weak point. At $269, the VTR1-25SAT3-256G is significantly more expensive than other 256GB drives on the market. The 256GB Plextor PX-256MP has fallen to $219, making it a rather excellent buy. This price premium is unlikely to hold for long; there are too many attractive drives below the $1 per GB mark to give OCZ much room to maneuver.

Once the price comes down a bit, the OCZ Vector could be one of the most popular drives of 2013. The new controller is a significant improvement over the older Vertex 3 and Vertex 4 series. Keep an eye on it until that happens.

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the OCZ Vector Series VTR1-25SAT3-256G with several other hard drives side by side.

More hard drive reviews:
??? Apricorn Velocity Solo X2
??? OCZ Vector Series VTR1-25SAT3-256G
??? Western Digital My Book (4TB)
??? Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive for Mac (3TB)
??? Seagate Backup Plus Portable Drive for Mac (1TB)
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/E4it_srzyfo/0,2817,2413648,00.asp

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Google+ Pages gain interaction with those beyond their circles, will get analytics soon

Many running Google+ Pages for their companies have likely been frustrated by the lack of interaction with some of their fans -- if visitors haven't already put the brand in a circle, they've been off-limits regardless of their interest. A quiet change may have just opened the floodgates. Pages can now share, comment on and +1 posts from those who weren't already followers. Google hasn't made the change official, but it is promising a feature that's ultimately complementary: Pages should get their own analytics for demographics and social activity in the "coming weeks," giving owners an idea as to who they're attracting. While we hope that the loosened restrictions don't lead to unwanted conversations in our feeds, they're undoubtedly valuable to companies that just want to share good news or offer a helping hand.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Source: Talking Moose Media (Google+), Google+ for Business

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/XW1HiGaYzZk/

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NHL makes new offer; lockout enters critical stage

FILE -In this Sept. 25, 2012 file photo, an empty locker room is shown during the NHL labor lockout at the First Niagara Center, home of the Buffalo Sabres hockey team, in Buffalo, N.Y. The NHL lockout that's already wiped out the first three months of the season is taking its toll on Buffalo businesses. And it's no different in many of the NHL's 29 other markets. (AP Photo/David Duprey, File)

FILE -In this Sept. 25, 2012 file photo, an empty locker room is shown during the NHL labor lockout at the First Niagara Center, home of the Buffalo Sabres hockey team, in Buffalo, N.Y. The NHL lockout that's already wiped out the first three months of the season is taking its toll on Buffalo businesses. And it's no different in many of the NHL's 29 other markets. (AP Photo/David Duprey, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2012 file photo, a nearly empty hockey stick rack in the locker room of the Buffalo Sabres hockey team is shown during the NHL labor lockout in Buffalo, N.Y. The NHL lockout that's already wiped out the first three months of the season is taking its toll on Buffalo businesses. And it's no different in many of the NHL's 29 other markets. (AP Photo/David Duprey, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? The NHL made a new offer to the players' association, hoping to spark talks toward ending the long lockout and saving the hockey season.

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Friday the league presented its proposal Thursday and was waiting for a response. The sides haven't met in person since a second round of talks with a federal mediator broke down Dec. 13.

The lockout has reached its 104th day, and the NHL said it doesn't want a season of less than 48 games. That means a deal would need to be reached mid-January.

"We delivered to the union a new, comprehensive proposal for a successor CBA," Daly said in a statement Friday. "We are not prepared to discuss the details of our proposal at this time. We are hopeful that once the union's staff and negotiating committee have had an opportunity to thoroughly review and consider our new proposal, they will share it with the players. We want to be back on the ice as soon as possible."

A person familiar with key points of the offer told The Associated Press that the league proposed raising the limit of individual free-agent contracts to six years from five ? seven years if a team re-signs its own player; raising the salary variance from one year to another to 10 percent, up from 5 percent; and one compliance buyout for the 2013-14 season that wouldn't count toward a team's salary cap but would be included in the overall players' share of income.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the new offer were not being discussed publicly.

The NHL maintained the deferred payment amount of $300 million it offered in its previous proposal, an increase from an earlier offer of $211 million. The initial $300 million offer was pulled off the table after negotiations broke off earlier this month.

The latest proposal is for 10 years, running through the 2021-22 season, with both sides having the right to opt out after eight years.

A conference call with the players' association's negotiating committee and its executive board was scheduled for Friday afternoon and was expected to last several hours.

The lockout has reached a critical stage, threatening to shut down a season for the second time in eight years. All games through Jan. 14, plus the Winter Classic and the All-Star game already have been called off. The next round of cuts could claim the entire schedule.

The NHL is the only North American professional sports league to cancel a season because of a labor dispute, losing the 2004-05 campaign to a lockout. A 48-game season was played in 1995 after a lockout stretched into January.

It is still possible this dispute could eventually be settled in the courts if the sides can't reach a deal on their own.

The NHL filed a class-action suit this month in U.S. District Court in New York in an effort to show its lockout is legal. In a separate move, the league filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board, contending bad-faith bargaining by the union.

Those moves were made because the players' association took steps toward potentially filing a "disclaimer of interest," which would dissolve the union and make it a trade association. That would allow players to file antitrust lawsuits against the NHL.

Union members voted overwhelmingly to give their board the power to file the disclaimer by Jan. 2. If that deadline passes, another authorization vote could be held to approve a later filing.

Negotiations between the NHL and the union have been at a standstill since talks ended Dec. 6. One week later, the sides convened again with federal mediators in New Jersey, but still couldn't make progress.

The sides have been unable to reach agreement on the length of the new deal, the length of individual player contracts, and the variance in salary from year to year. The NHL is looking for an even split of revenues with players.

The NHL pulled all previous offers off the table after the union didn't agree to terms on its last proposal without negotiation.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-12-28-HKN-NHL-Labor/id-e84230480116404e9502bc33896d3b20

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Nervous retailers hope for post-Christmas rush

11 hrs.

Patrick Rizzo and Allison Linn, NBC News

The biggest holiday of the season is over, but retailers are hoping that you aren?t done with your holiday shopping quite yet.

?The next few days are critical for retailers. They?ve got some catching up to do,? said Marshal Cohen, retail industry analyst with NPD Group.

On Wednesday, big chains including Macy's were already pushing their post-Christmas bargains, while major discounters?including Wal-Mart were encouraging shoppers to redeem their gift cards right away. But the fallout from a big Christmas storm could hurt their efforts if shoppers decide they prefer a cozy rest of the week at home instead.

Retailers had started off the all-important holiday shopping season in a much cheerier mood, as Black Friday shoppers appeared to gobble down turkey and rush to the stores ? and their computers ? in search of holiday gifts and bargains.

But then, a combination of factors including Superstorm?Sandy and the political upheaval over the fiscal cliff appeared to dim shoppers? moods. Experts also?said the stronger start to the season may have been a sign that people finished up early and had fewer last-minute shopping trips to make.

?The early start certainly looked like it meant that the consumer was in full spirits,? Cohen said. ?But in reality just because they had a front-loaded holiday didn?t mean there was going to be that much more spending to come.?

It's too early to paint a complete picture of how retailers fared so far in the most crucial season of the year. But early indications have some fretting that the year will end up being weaker than many had initially hoped.

Holiday-related sales rose 0.7 percent from Oct. 28 through Dec. 24, as compared to last year, according to data from Mastercard Advisors SpendingPulse. That was the lowest growth rate for that period?since 2008, at the depths of the recession. The same?survey showed a 2 percent increase in 2011.

The SpendingPulse data is based on estimates of payments made through the MasterCard network as well as by cash and check. It tracks holiday-related purchases including apparel, electronics and jewelry.

Research firm ShopperTrak, which compiles sales estimates based on foot traffic, said last week that it expects holiday sales to increase by 2.5 percent. That?s down from?its previous estimate that sales would increase by 3.3 percent.

But other researchers have not changed their initial forecasts for the season.

On Wednesday, the International Council of Shopping Centers, which produces an index of chain store sales along with Goldman Sachs, said it was holding to its estimate that holiday sales at chain stores would rise 3 percent this year.

?The ICSC?s chief economist, Michael Niemira, said in a note that sales in the last week of December could benefit from a calendar shift that put Christmas Eve on Monday this year.

A National Retail Federation spokeswoman said in an e-mail Wednesday that it also was sticking with its forecast that holiday sales would grow 4.1 percent to $586.1 billion.

Experts caution that it?s hard to say just yet what the final data will show, especially once post-holiday bargains are factored in.

?There?s no question that we saw a lot of (the) momentum slow down. How much did it slow down? We don?t really know yet,? Cohen said.

Holiday sales are considered crucial to retailers, and some can expect to make as much as half their profits, and 30 percent of their sales, during the two-month period.

The fiscal cliff, Superstorm?Sandy and other external factors are partly to blame for souring shoppers? moods toward the end of the season. But experts say shoppers have in recent years also become more savvy about sussing out bargains.

They?ve also become more bargain-conscious. C. Britt Beemer, retail analyst with America?s Research Group, said in a research note that major discounters appeared to fare best in keeping their customers.

?Consumers were very frugal this year, as we said all along,? Beemer said in the note.

The increasing shift to online shopping also may not be helping retailers pick up any extra sales. That?s because when a person shops online, they tend to seek out the best bargain and then buy that item. An in-store shopper may be more tempted to walk the other aisles, pick up a few things for themselves or do some other impulse shopping they hadn?t planned on.

?The consumer didn?t spend a lot of time this year buying those extra gifts. They didn?t spend a lot of time spending on themselves instead of others,? Cohen said.

Information from Reuters was included in this report.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economywatch/nervous-retailers-hope-post-christmas-rush-1C7659314

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Video Games That Converted Me From Casual Gamer To Hardcore ...

Throughout the life of a gamer, there are certain games that make us cross over from the realm of casual gaming to being a hardcore gamer. If you look back at your gaming life, you can probably remember what the first games were that you kept coming back to. Those were the games that you did not just pop in to play casually. Instead, these games kept you coming back for hours. After hundreds of hours, you moved onto the next game, and before you knew it, you were hooked to the world of video games.

When I look back, there are a few games that stand out to me as the first games that really brought me in and made me a gamer. Some of them are really old, and came about when I was around 5 or 6 years old. Other ones happened later in life. Some of them are games you might expect, as they are the ones that many people get hooked on, and some are a little on the odd side, but one way or another, these are the first games I got hooked on, and the ones that made me the addicted gamer that I am today.
Snake Rattle ?N Roll

This is a pretty obscure NES game, but it is the first one I really remember coming back to over and over. It?s brutally hard (I own a copy today, and I still struggle with it), but when you figure out how to beat a level, it was so satisfying. One of my first memories of a video game was Snake Rattle ?N Roll. I remember playing it with the help of my mother, and I remember playing it on my own. I loved Mario too, but Snake Rattle N? Roll is the game that I could not stop coming back to time after time.
Age Of Empires II

This was my first experience with a competitive game on the PC. I came home from junior high school every day and played this game against other people online. It might not be the deepest RTS ever made, but it was so much fun, and it had a very robust online system that worked surprisingly well for the time.

It was more than a battle of building lots of units; there was a ?rocks, paper, scissors? element of building the right units to counter your opponents. While most people were playing Starcraft, I was hooked on Age Of Empires II.
SOCOM II: US Navy Seals

SOCOM II was the first console shooter I ever really got into. I remember running out to the store to get the broadband adapter for my Playstation 2 and going online and shooting it out in some third person action. I remember many days being half asleep in high school from being up far too late playing this game. I hooked up with a clan, and we spent countless hours playing.

That was my first experience with forming a clan with strangers and those people became more than my teammates; I was as close with them as I was with real life friends. I was never a fan of Halo, and while everyone else I knew was hooked on it, I was on my PS2 playing SOCOM II.
Battlefield 2

I stayed on SOCOM for long after it was released, but then, a cyber cafe opened in my town. I did not have a gaming PC, and I was content to be a console gamer. A few of my friends and myself decided to go and check out the place. The owner was all about Battlefield 2, and we decided to check it out. I never played SOCOM again. I was hooked on the depth of Battlefield 2, and I went out and purchased my own gaming PC to play it. We still went to the cyber cafe at least once a week to play in the same room. Sadly, it went out of business, and were forced to play online, but it was still awesome.
Call of Duty 4

The final evolution for me as a gamer is Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare. The day this game hit the Xbox 360 everyone I knew ran out and purchased it, and we?ve been playing Call of Duty ever since (except World at War ? I hate that game). As you?ve probably seen in my other articles, I collect classic games, and I play most major releases on modern systems, and plenty of random obscure games. I even dabble in MMOs and have some level 90s in World of Warcraft. That being said I always come back to Call of Duty, and it is a game that has gone a long way in defining me as a gamer today.
Your Turn

Now, I turn to you, our loyal readers. I want to know is what games turned you into the gamer you are today? Which games do you remember becoming hooked on? Hit the comments section below and let us know!

article

Source: http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/21820

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Leading Live Streaming Service Provider - Work On the Internet

Smart Stream is a Company to get extra mileage in promoting their messages products & services across the globe. Webcasting is the live broadcasting of video and audio via the Internet or Intranet. The advantage of a webcast is that it can also be watched o listened to later online by anyone who missed the live broadcast Company. Webcast makes a distinction between three types of webcasts: video webcast, audio webcast or a conference call webcast. Our services consist of an event webcast, a webcast subscription, a company network webcast, video production and webcast consultancy. A webcast is often combined with additional features such as Live streaming service provider, Live streaming services, Live streaming solutions, Webcasting companies, Webcasting service provider, Webcasting services, Streaming reseller, Video streaming company, Webcasting India etc.

We present to our esteemed clients, efficient Live Streaming Services. In India, 3G has been launched, which makes live streaming easier to reach, in urban and rural areas. Internet is a prerequisite to make these services available to the customers. Our company has implemented various projects and has expertise in offering cost effective solutions to provide the services. Owing to the superior Live Streaming Services, videos can be viewed anywhere at any place.

A webcast is a media file distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand. Essentially, webcasting is ?broadcasting? over the Internet. A webcast uses streaming media technology to take a single content source and distribute it to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. The generally accepted use of the term webcast is the "transmission of linear audio or video content over the Internet".

Live streaming Service providers offer these services ensure a widest range of broadcast-quality audio-visual production services for message delivery over public Internet. Now every kind of news is also available through mobile streaming. The picture quality available on these mediums is determined by the available bandwidth and computer processor speed.
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Nowadays Audio, Video streaming is available in various formats specially Audio and video. Being an audience, one can enjoy their favorite audio and video with the help of video streaming. Watching your favorite movies irrespective of the place and location is no way a big task now. In the domain of digital media, user generated contents play a very important role in creating audience engagement. Live streaming has now become very crucial in the entertainment domain.

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Source: http://www.workoninternet.com/business/home-business-small-business/business-starting-out/221936-leading-live-streaming-service-provider-in-the-world-of-digital-media.html

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Modest discounts, fiscal cliff deter last-minute shoppers

NEW YORK/WESTBURY, New York (Reuters) - Retailers may not see a sales surge this weekend as ho-hum discounts and fears about imminent tax hikes and cuts in government spending give Americans fewer reasons to open their wallets in the last few days before Christmas.

The acrimonious debate in Washington over how to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff" is one of a number of concerns weighing on shoppers, experts said, as consumers head to malls on the last Saturday ahead of the holiday - typically one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

"I don't think we're going to get a great pickup in the last few days here," said Ron Friedman, retail practice leader at consulting firm Marcum LLP, explaining how the uncertainty related to the "cliff" was weighing on American minds.

Some shoppers agreed.

"That whole fiscal cliff thing is a bit nerve-wracking, and we're trying to save a bit of money for some (home construction) projects next year," Emma Carrington, 43, said while shopping at the Westfield Old Orchard Mall in Skokie, Illinois.

The mother of three, who was at a Barnes & Noble store on Saturday to buy her husband a Nook e-reader, said she was spending less than last year.

Many others are also being cautious.

"We just try to stay on a budget. We're not going crazy," said Tom Chowinski, a market researcher at Nielsen, who was shopping with his wife for their four adult children on Saturday morning at a Wal-Mart store in Westbury, New York.

U.S. consumer sentiment plummeted in December as Americans were unnerved by ongoing negotiations. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's final reading on the overall index on consumer sentiment tumbled to 72.9 from 82.7 in November, worse than forecasts for 74.7. It was the lowest level since July.

"Whenever you introduce anxiety, it will have an impact on shoppers' spending," especially those who shop on credit, said Kevin Regan, senior manager director at FTI Consulting.

Some, like New Yorker Linda Hampton, shopping at a Best Buy store, hope lawmakers will somehow avert the "cliff."

"It would be a disaster. Our taxes will go up. But I think our president will step in," Hampton said.

Talks to avoid the fiscal cliff stalled on Thursday when Republican lawmakers rejected House Speaker John Boehner's proposal aimed at winning concessions from President Barack Obama.

HO-HUM CHRISTMAS?

"What could have been a merry Christmas is going to turn to a ho-hum Christmas, and we can thank our, you know, politicians for getting in the middle of it all," NPD analyst Marshal Cohen said. "This great unknown puts a big damper on the consumer feeling confident to go out and spend more."

Malls from New York to Illinois to California had modest crowds on Saturday, but experts said shoppers could simply be procrastinating. Unlike the past couple of years, when Christmas fell on a weekend, the holiday falls on a Tuesday this year, giving last-minute shoppers more breathing room.

Also, many retailers were still offering free shipping and promising to deliver items by Christmas Eve.

"The traffic you see out and about may not necessarily give you the full picture," said Ramesh Swamy, an analyst at Deloitte.

Shoshana Pucci, senior marketing manager at Glendale Galleria in Southern California, said she expected these shoppers to even make multiple visits rather than do all their last-minute shopping in one go on Saturday.

The holiday quarter can account for about 30 percent of annual sales and half of profit for many chains.

More than 60 percent of U.S. consumers have already finished more than three-quarters of their holiday shopping, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Thursday. This means retailers will have to bait shoppers with big discounts to get them to open their wallets in the last lap of the holiday race.

While Cohen and Friedman expected retailers to pull out all the stops this weekend to woo last-minute shoppers, some others expected discounts to be less aggressive since retailers did a better job of managing inventory this year.

"Customers will not be finding deals as good as last year," said Scott Tuhy, a vice president at Moody's. "I haven't seen 60-70 percent off sales as much."

While Barnes & Noble offered 25 percent off on any one item except Nook products, Ann Inc's Loft chain offered 50 percent off on everything except new arrivals. Gap offered 40 percent off on all denims, while Victoria's Secret advertised $5 lacie panties and $10 off some yoga wear.

Stores of Macy's and Nordstrom were some of the busiest at Roosevelt Field mall in Garden City, on New York's Long Island, but crowds were moderate at the J.C. Penney store.

This week, research firm ShopperTrak lowered its sales forecast for November and December and now expects sales to be up 2.5 percent, rather than up 3.3 percent.

Many retailers reported record traffic on Thanksgiving Day and the subsequent weekend, but several, including Macy's Inc and Saks Inc, lost a lot of business in early November because of Superstorm Sandy.

Sales for the November-December holiday season look set to rise 4.1 percent to $586.1 billion this year after a 5.6 percent increase in 2011, according to the National Retail Federation.

"Retailers are going to be pretty challenged this year in trying to get beyond all this," Cohen said, referring to a string of events this holiday season that have weighed on U.S. shoppers including the hurricane, gridlock in Washington and the December 14 shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut.

NRF sees 2013 retail sales rising about 2 to 2.5 percent if the fiscal cliff is averted. If not, sales would be essentially flat for the year, the trade group estimated in a study with Macroeconomic Advisers.

(Reporting by Dhanya Skariachan, Phil Wahba and P.J. Huffstutter; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Nick Zieminski)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fiscal-cliff-spooks-u-shoppers-last-lap-holiday-060922915--finance.html

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CT scans boost breast cancer risk

Common imaging tests can lead to cancer

If there?s anything more striking than the rise in breast cancer rates, it?s the rise in breast cancer rates among YOUNG patients.

These aren?t tumors caught early by the wonders of modern medicine. Many of them are actually CAUSED by the radiation of new technologies ? especially CT scans.

A single CT scan packs up to 150 times the radioactive punch of a chest X-ray ? and when it?s delivered to the chest of a young lady, it can kick off the tumor-making process even in her teenage years.

As a result, girls and young women who have two or more CT scans before the age of 23 have double the breast cancer risk over the next 10 years, according to a new study.

That means an 11-year-old who gets zapped twice could find herself battling the disease by the time she?s old enough to drink.

Happy birthday ? here?s your cancer!

Once upon a time, this study would barely be relevant. Who could possibly be getting multiple CT scans before the age of 23 anyway?

Well, these days getting slammed with CT radiation is like training wheels and braces. It?s practically a childhood ritual ? and some kids are being hit two, three, four times, or more, especially in the ER.

One new study finds a 34 percent increase in pediatric CT scans between 2001 and 2009.

Already, it?s estimated that CT scans may be responsible for 29,000 new cancers every year ? and you can bet that as more people are zapped at every age, those numbers will keep rising.

You can?t do anything about the statistics, but you can protect your family. Make sure any time you, your kids or your grandkids are zapped there?s a real reason for it.

And if you, or a loved one, are already suffering from cancer our friends and affiliates at Agora Health Books have the details on an all-natural blacklisted cancer treatment that could save your life. Click here to learn how to get all the details on this incredible two-ingredient cancer-fighting breakthrough.

Source: http://douglassreport.com/2012/12/19/common-imaging-tests-can-lead-to-cancer/

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Watch a flying reverse triangle choke (VIDEO)

Canadian fighter Wolfgang Janssen doesn't have a nickname. Perhaps he doesn't have because his name is Wolfgang Janssen, and a nickname is not necessary. Perhaps it's because he can do stuff like this, and now will be known as the guy who won by a flying reverse triangle.

Janssen is an undefeated featherweight with all three wins by submission.

Thanks, MMA Fighting.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/watch-flying-reverse-triangle-choke-video-160653106--mma.html

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Shot away from its companion, giant star makes waves: Spitzer captures infrared portrait

Dec. 18, 2012 ? Like a ship plowing through still waters, the giant star Zeta Ophiuchi is speeding through space, making waves in the dust ahead. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has captured a dramatic, infrared portrait of these glowing waves, also known as a bow shock.

Astronomers theorize that this star was once sitting pretty next to a companion star even heftier than itself. But when that star died in a fiery explosion, Zeta Ophiuchi was kicked away and sent flying. Zeta Ophiuchi, which is 20 times more massive and 80,000 times brighter than our sun, is racing along at about 54,000 mph (24 kilometers per second).

In this view, infrared light that we can't see with our eyes has been assigned visible colors. Zeta Ophiuchi appears as the bright blue star at center. As it charges through the dust, which appears green, fierce stellar winds push the material into waves. Where the waves are the most compressed, and the warmest, they appear red. This bow shock is analogous to the ripples that precede the bow of a ship as it moves through the water, or the pileup of air ahead of a supersonic airplane that results in a sonic boom.

NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, released a similar picture of the same object in 2011. WISE sees infrared light as does Spitzer, but WISE was an all-sky survey designed to take snapshots of the entire sky. Spitzer, by contrast, observes less of the sky, but in more detail. The WISE image can be seen at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2011-026 .

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Data are archived at the Infrared Science Archive housed at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at Caltech. Caltech manages JPL for NASA. For more information about Spitzer, visit: http://spitzer.caltech.edu and http://www.nasa.gov/spitzer .

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/LbbXgtsUlK8/121218153330.htm

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NFL Playoff Scenarios, Week 16: Bengals-Steelers a monster in AFC

Andy Dalton and Ben Roethlisberger will meet with a likely playoff berth on the line this week. (Frank Victores-US PRESSWIRE)

The AFC playoff race, thanks to the Jets dropping from sight with a putrid loss Monday night in Tennessee, has some clarity. Miami still has an extreme long-shot chance to sneak into the field, but we?re really down to seven teams for six slots ? with four (Houston, Denver, New England and Baltimore) already making playoff plans.

If the Colts can sidestep a letdown in Kansas City this week, most of the mystery in the AFC revolves around the North division. Will Pittsburgh or Cincinnati grab the final wild-card spot? Can Baltimore hold on to first place?

We may know those answers as soon as Sunday, if Cincinnati and Baltimore win.

As for the NFC ? bedlam.

Three berths have been claimed there, by Atlanta, San Francisco and Green Bay, but nary a team knows which seed it will be come playoff time, and nine teams still have a shot at that final trio of spots.

Which teams have the best shots at joining the postseason party? This week?s playoff picture picks through everything that?s up for grabs:

* means team has clinched a playoff spot.

AFC

?No. 1 seed: Houston Texans (12-2)* ? vs. Vikings (8-6), at Colts (9-5)

The Texans clinched the AFC South last week and can wrap up the conference?s No. 1 seed by winning either of their final two games. Losses by both the Broncos and Patriots would get the job done, too. Houston can only fall out of first-round bye position if it finishes 0-2 and both the Broncos and Patriots finish 2-0. Likelihood of making the playoffs (out of 10): 10

No. 2 seed: Denver Broncos (11-3)* ? vs. Browns (5-9), vs. Chiefs (2-12)

The Broncos overtook the Patriots in the first-round bye race, thanks to San Francisco?s win over New England. A Broncos win coupled with a Patriots loss or tie would give Denver a week off to open the playoffs (a Denver tie plus New England loss would do the job as well). Denver lost to Houston earlier this season, so the Broncos must finish one game up on the Texans to claim the AFC?s top seed. Likelihood of making the playoffs (out of 10): 10

No. 3 seed: New England Patriots (10-4)* ? at Jaguars (2-12), vs. Dolphins (6-8)

The Patriots will not know their final playoff seeding until Week 17. As the AFC East division champs, they?re guaranteed to be somewhere between No. 1 and No. 4. But because New England beat Denver and Houston but lost to Baltimore this season, there remains a lot of wiggle room. Likelihood of making the playoffs (out of 10): 10

?No. 4 seed: Baltimore Ravens (9-5)* ?vs. Giants (8-6), at Bengals (8-6)

Last week, Baltimore became the fourth AFC team to claim a playoff berth, despite a loss. The Ravens can clinch the AFC North in Week 16 with a win (or with a tie and Cincinnati loss/tie), but a loss could leave them needing a victory next Sunday to fend off the Bengals and Steelers. Likelihood of making the playoffs (out of 10): 10

No. 5 seed: Indianapolis Colts (9-5) ? at Chiefs (2-12), vs. Texans (12-2)

The Colts blew their chance at an AFC South championship by losing in Houston last week, so the focus now is on getting into the playoffs. A win or tie against the 2-12 Chiefs would get the job done (as would losses or ties from both Pittsburgh and New York). Getting that victory also would lock the Colts into the No. 5 seed ? Indianapolis has the tiebreaker edge over Cincinnati. Likelihood of making the playoffs (out of 10): 9.5

No. 6 seed: Cincinnati Bengals (8-6) ? at Steelers (7-7), vs. Ravens (9-5)

The Bengals can punch their postseason ticket in Week 16 if they win. Cincinnati also could still swipe the AFC North with a 2-0 finish and 0-2 finish from Baltimore, both of which would require a Week 17 Bengals win over the Ravens. A loss in Pittsburgh would be a devastating blow for the Bengals ? they would need a win over Baltimore and a Cleveland upset of Pittsburgh. Likelihood of making the playoffs (out of 10): 6

Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7) ? vs. Bengals (8-6), vs. Browns (5-9)

The Steelers? situation is simple: win out and they?re in ? and in as division champs if they, the Bengals and Ravens all finish at 9-7. The Steelers would be eliminated with a Week 16 loss; they could finish 1-1 with a Week 17 loss and sneak in at 8-8, but only if the Bengals also lose in Week 17. Likelihood of making the playoffs (out of 10): 6

Still alive: Dolphins (6-8)

Eliminated: Jets (6-8), Browns (5-9), Chargers (5-9), Bills (5-9), Titans (5-9), Raiders (4-10), Jaguars (2-12), Chiefs (2-12)

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NFC

No. 1 seed: Atlanta Falcons (12-2)* ? at Lions (4-10), vs. Buccaneers (6-8)

One Falcons win or losses by both San Francisco and Green Bay would secure the NFC?s No. 1 seed for Atlanta. A Packers loss would lock up a first-round bye for the Falcons, regardless of their outcome in Detroit ? and there is no scenario that would prevent Atlanta from heading to Week 17 in control of its destiny. Likelihood of making the playoffs (out of 10): 10

No. 2 seed: San Francisco 49ers (10-3-1)* ? at Seahawks (9-5), vs. Cardinals (5-9)

The 49ers have a playoff berth in their back pockets now, but they could go one step further and claim the NFC West by knocking off (or tying) Seattle. A win plus a Green Bay loss or tie would pen the 49ers into a first-round bye. Likelihood of making the playoffs (out of 10): 10

No. 3 seed: Green Bay Packers (10-4)* ? vs. Titans (4-9), at Vikings (8-6)

The NFC North race is over, so the Packers can now focus their attention on a first-round bye. They?ll need a loss by San Francisco or two losses by Atlanta to have a chance though. A Green Bay win over Tennessee would lock the NFC East champion into the No. 4 seed ? if the Packers finished 10-6, either the Redskins or Giants could leapfrog them for the No. 3 spot. Likelihood of making the playoffs (out of 10): 10

No. 4 seed: Washington Redskins (8-6) ? at Eagles (4-10), vs. Cowboys (8-6)

Washington can clinch a playoff spot with losses by the Giants, Vikings and Bears. Save that, the Redskins will have to wait until Week 17 to get the job done. They cannot be eliminated from playoff contention this week, so their game with Dallas in Week 17 will loom enormous, no matter how the Redskins? trip to Philadelphia goes. Likelihood of making the playoffs (out of 10): 7

No. 5 seed: Seattle Seahawks (9-5) ? vs. 49ers (10-3-1), vs. Rams (6-7-1)

Seattle would join the playoff party officially by beating San Francisco, which also would keep the NFC West undecided heading into Week 17. The Seahawks could clinch a berth with a loss too, but that path would require losses from Washington, Minnesota and Chicago. There are a bunch of Week 16 scenarios in which Seattle could tie San Francisco and clinch, but we?ll worry about those if another NFC West deadlock occurs. Likelihood of making the playoffs (out of 10): 7.5

No. 6 seed: Minnesota Vikings (8-6) ? at Texans (12-2), vs. Packers (10-4)

Minnesota cannot clinch a wild-card spot in Week 16 ? and, because of the NFL?s tiebreaker rules, can only stay in this sixth position heading to Week 17 with either: a) a win plus losses by two of the NFC East teams in contention (Washington, Dallas, New York); or b) a loss plus matching losses from all three NFC East teams and the Bears. Likelihood of making the playoffs (out of 10): 4

Chicago Bears (8-6) ? at Cardinals (5-9), at Lions (4-10)

Like the Vikings, Chicago cannot clinch a playoff spot in Week 16. In fact, the Bears? only shot at controlling their destiny in Week 17 is if they beat Arizona and the Vikings plus either the Giants or Redskins lose. The Bears could be eliminated from the race with a loss plus: a) a Minnesota win; b) wins by the Giants and Redskins. Likelihood of making the playoffs (out of 10): 4.5

Dallas Cowboys (8-6) ? vs. Saints (6-8), at Redskins (8-6)

The Cowboys are the lone NFC East team still alive that cannot clinch a spot in Week 16. But ? if Dallas wins its last two, it would win the division. The Cowboys also cannot be eliminated this weekend so they could drop Sunday?s game to New Orleans and take a slim shot to Week 17. Likelihood of making the playoffs (out of 10): 5.5

New York Giants (8-6) ? at Ravens (9-5), vs. Eagles (4-10)

The Giants have the most wildly fluctuating situation of the NFC East teams. They can clinch a playoff berth Sunday with a win plus losses by the Redskins, Cowboys, Vikings and Bears. But they also could be eliminated if they lose and the Redskins, Cowboys and Seahawks all win (Seattle could tie and bounce New York in that scenario as well). The defending champions, despite being in third place in the NFC East and ninth in the conference, are in if they finish 10-6. Likelihood of making the playoffs (out of 10): 5

Still alive: Rams (6-7-1), Saints (6-8),

Eliminated: Buccaneers (6-8), Panthers (5-9), Cardinals (5-9), Lions (4-10), Eagles (4-10)

Source: http://nfl.si.com/2012/12/18/nfl-playoff-scenarios-week-16-bengals-steelers-battle-a-monster-in-afc-race/

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