Monday, December 31, 2012

NFL Week 17 Checkdown: Adrian Peterson's superhuman feat sweeter with playoff berth

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson came up 9 yards short of the best single-season rushing total in NFL history on Sunday. But his 199-yard effort on a career-high 34 carries in Minnesota's wild 37-34 home victory over the Green Bay Packers came with a much sweeter record?his team's 10-6 mark that ensured the NFC's wild-card No. 6 seed.

Peterson's 26-yard run with 24 seconds left put the Vikings in position for Blair Walsh's game-winning 29-yard field goal. Although there were still 11 more yards between the Vikings and the goal?more than enough to pass Eric Dickerson's total of 2,105?Peterson's remarkable season still had a storybook ending.

? NFL playoffs: Wild-card, divisional schedule | Early point spreads

Consider where Peterson was a year ago. On Christmas Eve 2011, against the Washington Redskins, he tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee, a grisly injury that would put the career of mere mortal backs in jeopardy. Two days later, he was put on injured reserve, the unofficial start of a long rehabilitation process that included recovery from reconstructive surgery he underwent last Dec. 30.

It's appropriate that Peterson became the seventh running back in NFL history to join the 2,000-yard rushing club (2,097 to be exact) exactly one year later. It's a testament to the relentless work ethic that got him back on the field and kept him at full strength all season long. It's just another reason why he's a special modern athlete who evokes the memories of legends past, including Jim Brown and Walter Payton.

Peterson accomplished what Brown and the late Payton never did during their illustrious time on the gridiron. Although Peterson didn't quite catch Dickerson, he trumped the best years of Barry Sanders and O.J. Simpson.

In an era where many teams have gone to backfields-by-committee and 20 touches are now considered big workloads, Peterson's hard-charging, reckless-abandon style is a refreshing respite. Even though the Packers?against whom he had rushed for 210 yards three weeks ago?knew he was going to get the ball often, they still had limited answers.

The Packers were so geared toward stopping him, it set up some of the easiest throws for Christian Ponder on a day the second-year quarterback needed to make them. One came on a 2-yard touchdown strike in the third quarter to Peterson, who also scored on a 7-yard run in the first quarter that set the tone early in a must-win game.

The reward for Peterson leading a great team effort is a third matchup with the Packers, this time in Lambeau Field. Just like Sunday and back in Week 13 in Green Bay, the Vikings won't be shy about riding Peterson again. The Packers will go back to the drawing board looking for ways to stop what's coming.

Ever since Peterson made a splash as a dynamic rookie in a Vikings timeshare with Chester Taylor in 2007, it's been fun to watch Peterson run with no regard for his safety, or that of those trying to stop him. Whether it's been defenders or damaged ligaments, it's a joy to know that there's no obstacle he hasn't been able to hurdle.

? Week 17 roundup: Giants eliminated despite routing Eagles

Peterson has made a very strong case for MVP, and at worst should take home the awards for both Offensive Player of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year.

But even Peterson's near-record season may not be enough to stop the MVP momentum of Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. Thanks to the Houston Texans' loss at Indianapolis earlier in the day, Manning and Denver clinched the top seed and home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs with a 38-3 rout of the Kansas City Chiefs. That also opened the door for Tom Brady and New England to take the No. 2 seed and the second bye after beating the Miami Dolphins, 28-0.

What that means is the Broncos (13-3) and Patriots (12-4) are on a collision course for the AFC championship, rather than a divisional-round meeting. The Broncos' victory over the Chiefs was their 11th in a row overall. Their last loss came at New England, 31-21, on Oct. 7 in Week 5. Since then, the Broncos have improved every week, with Manning getting into a groove with all his receivers and the defense developing into a dominant unit. The Patriots have made more offensive mistakes than usual of late, and know now the rematch would be in Denver and not Foxborough.

John Elway and the Broncos brought in Manning with one goal in mind: the Super Bowl. It only makes sense that they'll likely need to go through Brady to attain it. In Denver, Manning has a more complete team around him than many of his Colts teams in Indianapolis. The Broncos are the deserved heavy favorite to win the AFC.

? Steele: Inspired by Pagano, Colts could be this year's Giants

Source: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2012-12-30/nfl-checkdown-adrian-peterson-vikings-peyton-manning-broncos-afc-nfc-playoffs

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Bolivia nationalises Spanish-owned energy companies

  • Neymars father says Barcelona perfect club

    Barcelona News.Net - Saturday 29th December, 2012

    Neymar's father claimed that Barcelona would be the perfect destination for his footballer son but the Brazilian will not join the club until the 2014 FIFA World Cup, according to Spanish sports ...

  • Spains year Glory and gloom

    BBC - Friday 28th December, 2012

    2012 has been a terrible year for Spain, a country so deeply beset by economic problems that it is barely possible to switch on the television or strike up a conversation without hearing the dreaded ...

  • Restaurant Roundup Bread pudding Spanish tapas and Indian burritos

    San Francisco Business Times - Friday 28th December, 2012

    Fior d'Italia, San Francisco's 126-year-old restaurant that closed in May, had a grand reopening this week. End Component ID: 146 - Article Page: Image Gallery ...

  • Car Factories Offer Hope for Spanish Industry and Workers

    International Herald Tribune - Friday 28th December, 2012

    MADRID - Despite the economic gloom that has enshrouded it since the onset of the global financial crisis, Spain has at least one industrial bright spot: The country and its skilled, if ...

  • Spain does not need European help for now

    Times of India - Friday 28th December, 2012

    Mariano Rajoy said on Friday that Spain did not need to tap for now the European Central Bank's bond-buying programme for troubled euro zone governments but did not rule out asking for aid in ...

  • 56 of Female University Students Get Drunk in Record Time Spanish Study Suggests

    Science Daily - Friday 28th December, 2012

    -; Researchers from the HealthyFit group at the University of Vigo have studied university students' lifestyles; their analysis, which includes alcohol and illegal drug consumption habits, ...

  • P.M. Rajoy says Spain faces tough year ahead

    Denver Post - Friday 28th December, 2012

    MADRID-Spain's prime minister says the country's economy faces a tough year ahead as it grapples with recession, a deep financial crisis and 25 percent unemployment. In his end-of-year ...

  • Spains PM says does not rule out asking for European aid

    The West Australian - Friday 28th December, 2012

    Reuters ? Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy arrives at parliamentary session for the formal approbation of the budget for 2013 at Parliament in Madrid December 20, 2012. REUTERS/Juan ...

  • Spain sees very tough economy in 2013

    Yahoo!7 News - Friday 28th December, 2012

    View Photo Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy attends a parliament session on Spain's 2013 budget in Madrid on December 20, 2012. Rajoy warned Friday of a "very tough" year ...

  • Shares in Spains Bankia plummet for second day

    Tampa Bay Online - Friday 28th December, 2012

    MADRID (AP) -- Shares in bailed-out Spanish bank Bankia SA are falling for a second day, dropping more than 30 percent at one point during trading on the IBEX-35 stock ...

  • Recession batters Spain in final months of 2012

    Times of India - Friday 28th December, 2012

    unemployment and a banking crisis, Spain remains stuck in recession in the final quarter of 2012, the central bank said Friday. The eurozone's ...

  • Foreign money returns to Spain for second straight month

    The West Australian - Friday 28th December, 2012

    By Clare KaneMADRID (Reuters) - Foreign investors put more money into Spain in October than they took out, marking the second month running the country has benefited from an influx of capital.Spain ...

  • Source: http://www.barcelonanews.net/index.php/sid/211666373/scat/943ff37d8bcb6116

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    Apple Smart Watch reportedly in the works with Intel

    Latest Apple rumours have suggested that the Cupertino company has partnered with Intel to work on a new Apple Smart Watch device, tipped for an early 2013 unveiling.

    Seemingly set to follow a design similar to that of the past generation iPod Nanos, the rumoured Apple Smart Watch is said to host a compact 1.5-inch OLED touchscreen display with indium tin oxide coated glass. Tipped to run the company?s iPhone and iPad packing iOS mobile operating system, the expected Apple Smart Watch release date has been rumoured to follow an unveiling in the first half of the new year.

    Whilst little is currently known about the rumoured Apple Smart Watch, an Apple branded wrist worn gadget would be expected to help reinvigorate a market currently failing to capture widespread public interest. With Sony and LG having both launched Smart Watches to little acclaim, an Apple branded product is said to be in the works in partnership with Intel, with the as yet unconfirmed device said to be capable of talking to iPhone handsets via a low-power Bluetooth connection.

    The new Apple Smart Watch rumours, which have come out of Asia, have offered little details on the mooted wrist wear from the iMac and Apple TV manufacturer, with little answered as to whether the device will be able to host its own applications or simply relay details and alerts sent from Apple handsets.

    Far from the only Apple product rumoured for a 2013 release date, recent Apple rumours have seen the Cupertino company tipped to expand all key lines in the coming 12 months with a fifth-generation iPad to launch in the same calendar year as the iPhone 5S and an iPad mini 2 with Retina display.

    Elsewhere, the long rumoured Apple iTV release date is expected for 2013 with industry analysts claiming that Apple?s first television set will touch down in October 2013 ahead of a pre-Christmas release date.

    Would you be tempted by an Apple Smart Watch and what would it need to be able to do to pike your interest? Let us know via the Trusted Reviews Twitter and Facebook feeds or through the comment boxes below.

    Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TRV/~3/pfNwSUkf5BI/apple-smart-watch-reportedly-in-the-works-with-intel

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    Best SEO tips: Six-Star Cruising on Luxury Cruise Lines ...

    There are six cruise lines that are in the luxury class: Crystal Cruise Line, Cunard Cruise Line, Radisson Seven Seas, The Yachts of Seabourn, Silversea Cruise Line, and Windstar Cruises.

    Crystal Cruise Line has received numerous awards for excellence. For the last nine years, Conde Nast Traveler has named Crystal ?Best Large-Ship Cruise Line?. Also for the last nine years, Travel + Leisure magazine has given Crystal the status of ?World?s Best Large-Ship Cruise Line?. And for service, a Travel + Leisure reader?s poll voted Crystal ?World?s Best?. Crystal Cruise Line operates only three ships: Crystal Harmony, Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity. These ships carry approximately 1,000 passengers each and Crystal Cruise Line boasts the greatest passenger space per guest of any cruise line.

    Do you recognize the ship names Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth? These great ships come from Cunard, a name long synonymous with luxury and elegance in cruises. ?With Cunard, the journey may be even more magnificent than the destination? states their promotional literature. Cunard operates just two award-winning luxury ships. The Queen Mary 2, launched in January, 2004, is known as the longest, tallest and largest ocean liner and carries 2,620 passengers. It is replacing the Queen Elizabeth 2 for transatlantic crossings but the QE2 will still be available for cruises.

    Radisson Seven Seas is a small luxury cruise line. Small here means that the ships carry a small number of passengers. Fewer than 700 fortunate passengers per cruise are pampered by attentive staff. Radisson Seven Seas has been named by Conde Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure magazines to be the ?World?s Best Small Cruise Line?. Radisson Seven Seas appeals to the sophisticated traveler.

    The Yachts of Seabourn cruise line advertises that they provide ?Ultra Luxury? by ?delivering the highest levels of personalized service to an exclusive group of guests aboard intimate, elegant ships that could visit the most enticing destinations worldwide.? Seabourn sails three identical all-suite ships that cater to only 208 passengers each. Of course, dining and service is world-class.

    Silversea Cruises is a new company, founded in 1994, for the express purpose of providing an ultra-luxury cruise experience aboard small and intimate ships with all the features of a large cruise vessel. The Silverseas ships Cloud, Wind, Shadow, and Whisper provide all-suite accommodations that between 250 square feet and over 1,300 square feet in size. Silversea vies with Radisson Seven Seas and Crystal Cruise Lines for the accolades of Conde Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure in the world?s best categories. Silversea Cruises has also has been named by Conde Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure magazines to be the ?World?s Best Small Cruise Line? many times since its inception.

    Windstar Cruises offers a totally different sailing experience. Windstar Cruises offers motor-sail-yachts instead of cruise ships. Yes, their ships actually have sails that are computer-controlled with the latest in technology. Windstar?s four ships carry just 148 to 308 passengers in staterooms or luxurious suites, giving the feel of being aboard a personal yacht. Even with such a small fleet, Windstar Cruises sail to over 47 countries around the world.

    If you?re in the market for a luxury cruise, there are a number of excellent cruise lines to chose from.

    Looking for information about cruises? Go to: [http://www.whatcruises.com]

    ?What Cruises? is published by Colin Hartness ? An excellent resource for Cruises!

    Check out more cruise articles at: [http://www.whatcruises.com/archive]

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    Source: http://amyplund517.blogspot.com/2012/12/six-star-cruising-on-luxury-cruise-lines.html

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    Source: http://kyiruf.posterous.com/best-seo-tips-six-star-cruising-on-luxury-cru

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    Source: http://ueegabyvo.posterous.com/best-seo-tips-six-star-cruising-on-luxury-cru

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    Source: http://sefolk.posterous.com/best-seo-tips-six-star-cruising-on-luxury-cru

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    Source: http://seticakebaka.posterous.com/best-seo-tips-six-star-cruising-on-luxury-cru

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    Source: http://rollerblading-underpants.blogspot.com/2012/12/best-seo-tips-six-star-cruising-on.html

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    Posted by euroeveryday

    Source: http://montgomerycountypublicschools.rappelzforum.net/147/best-seo-tips-six-star-cruising-on-luxury-cruise-lines/

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    Former NBA player Jerome Whitehead found dead

    Jerome Whitehead, who stared in college at Marquette and went on to have a 12-year NBA career, has died at age 56.

    He was found dead in his home in El Cajon, Calif;, (near San Diego) back on Dec. 20, reports the Chicago Tribune and multiple other outlets. He was discovered by his sister and apparently had been passed away for a little while, according to the report.

    An autopsy found that Whitehead had died from a gastrointestinal hemorrhage related to chronic alcohol abuse, an investigator at the examiner?s office said.

    Whitehead was a 6?10 center (and occasional forward) who was drafted in the second round of the 1978 draft by the then San Diego Clippers and went on to play for Utah, Dallas, Golden State and San Antonio. He averaged 6.5 points and 4.8 rebounds a game over the course of his career. In the 1981-82 season he averaged 13.8 points a game for the San Diego Clippers.

    Whitehead was a key part of Marquette?s 1977 national championship team.

    Source: http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/30/former-nba-player-jerome-whitehead-found-dead/

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    Chinese boat detained after fishing in Japanese waters

    Tokyo, (IANS) The Japanese Coast Guard has detained a Chinese fishing boat for allegedly fishing in the country?s exclusive economic zone without authorisation, Xinhua reported Sunday.

    The Chinese consulate general in Fukuoka said the boat, which belongs to Fujian province, was seized around 10 p.m. Saturday near Japan?s Kagoshima prefecture with its captain and eight crew members on board.

    All the crew members are Chinese nationals, the consulate general said.

    The captain, who admitted that his boat had entered Japanese waters, and two crew members have been taken for questioning.

    China has asked Japan to ensure the safety and legitimate rights of the sailors.

    Shortlink:

    Posted by admin on December 31, 2012. Filed under Business, world. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

    Source: http://nvonews.com/2012/12/31/chinese-boat-detained-after-fishing-in-japanese-waters/

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    Is This Sony?s Evolution Gearing Up For Next Gen?

    In a day or so it?ll be 2013, and that?s the year we?re all expecting to see confirmation of PlayStation 4 and whatever Microsoft are working on next. Four new job postings (issued just before Christmas, in fact) suggest that Evolution, Sony?s Runcorn-based first party, are hiring for something pretty big for next generation.

    The four roles all concentrate on C++, and are focused on graphics and tech, game programming, general optimisation and online. There are few clues as to what the positions are actually aiming at in terms of games, but it?s a fairly substantial boost to the studio.

    The roles are looking for experience with GPUs and multi-processor environments. That doesn?t really mean a great deal, but the general overview is that these positions are for tools rather than a specific game ? at least that?s the impression I got from the general overviews ? ?highly accessible game systems and features? ? for example.

    Someone with more knowledge on how the PS3 works might be able to establish whether these posts are for this gen or next better than I, but I?m edging towards this being for some in-house middleware, or something similar. Of course, knowing that Evolution might be working on the next MotorStorm (or even WipEout) would be wonderful?

    Source: http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2012/12/30/is-this-sonys-evolution-gearing-up-for-next-gen/

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    Sunday, December 30, 2012

    Ontario reaches tentative deal with union representing school support staff

    Ontario?s education minister says the province has reached a tentative agreement with the union that represents school support workers.

    Laurel Broten says the template deal with the Canadian Union of Public Employees came after an additional 30 hours of discussions ? and in time to beat Monday?s midnight deadline for agreements with teachers and support staff.

    More Related to this Story

    Ms. Broten has not said if she would move to impose deals on Jan. 1, only that she has the option to do it under Bill 115.

    The legislation freezes the pay of most teachers, reduces their ability to bank sick days and limits their right to strike.

    CUPE represents about 55,000 workers, including educational assistants, early childhood educators, instructors, custodians, librarians and secretaries.

    CUPE Ontario president Fred Hahn says the union remains opposed to Bill 115 and will continue its campaign to repeal it, which includes a legal challenge.

    The union says its leaders will vote on the tentative deal Jan. 5 and if it?s approved, a ratification vote will follow in the weeks afterwards.

    Ms. Broten says the government is prepared to allow CUPE?s union locals and their school boards another 14 days past Monday?s deadline to allow time for the votes to take place.

    The union representing public elementary teachers held a series of rotating one-day strikes earlier this month that affected every public school board in the province as part of its fight against the controversial legislation.

    Ms. Broten has continued to urge the unions to use the final days of the year to keep trying to reach agreements with local school boards before the deadline.

    ?At this point, 65 ratified local agreements have been submitted. I am hopeful that those school boards, teachers and support staff who have yet to conclude and submit local agreements will do so,? Ms. Broten said in a statement Sunday.

    ?This recent agreement demonstrates that it is possible to find solutions when we remain focused on putting students first.?

    She said she?ll announce the government?s next steps on Thursday.

    Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ontario-reaches-tentative-deal-with-union-representing-school-support-staff/article6798996/?cmpid=rss1

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    No. 4 Louisville holds off Kentucky, 80-77

    LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) ? Russ Smith ranked Louisville's 80-77 victory over Kentucky on Saturday as one of the five favorites of his career.

    Makes sense, considering he played a key role in ending the No. 4 Cardinals' four-game losing streak against the rival Wildcats.

    Smith scored 21 points, including five of Louisville's final 13, along with seven rebounds to help the Cardinals hold off Kentucky in an up-and-down game.

    The effort comes nearly a year after he came off the bench to score 30 in the Cardinals' 69-62 loss to the Wildcats in Lexington, one of two defeats last season to their in-state rivals that included last season's national semifinal. Kentucky went on to win its eighth national championship.

    "This one probably ranks as one of the top five biggest wins of my life," said the junior guard, whose list includes last season's NCAA regional final, the round of 16 and Louisville's two wins that clinched the Big East Conference championship last March.

    "We know where we messed up and we know the mistakes we made, but at the end of the day it's a win. It's not a conference win but it's a great non-conference win. It's a great win for the city. We're actually more happy for our fans than for ourselves. ... I guess revenge is the word, but it feels good beating the team that knocked you out of the Final Four."

    Especially since that team, Kentucky, resides about 80 miles east and had recently owned the Battle of the Bluegrass. Louisville now has bragging rights, and Smith had help in getting them for the Cardinals.

    Sophomore forward Chane Behanan had 20 points, seven rebounds and three steals, including a steal of Archie Goodwin's pass that led to his dunk with 18 seconds remaining that sealed the victory for Louisville (12-1) before a KFC Yum! Center crowd of 22,810.

    "I feel like I could have done better," said Behanan, who had been banned from talking to the media this fall by coach Rick Pitino. "I took a lot of plays off throughout the game. I feel as though I could have gotten a lot more rebounds than I did. In a game like that you just give it your all to win it.

    "It was my third time playing them. It just feels good to win, not for me but the city too."

    Before fouling out Peyton Siva added 19 points for the Cardinals, who had to withstand several charges from Kentucky.

    The Wildcats trailed 51-34 but outscored the Cardinals 28-14 to get within 65-62 before Smith's two baskets keyed an 8-5 run that gave Louisville some breathing room.

    The Cardinals won despite four fouls by Smith and center Gorgui Dieng, who returned from a seven-game absence with a broken left wrist. The junior had six points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

    "A great win for us because we had to battle a lot of bad foul trouble," Pitino said. "We survived with good plays from Chane and Russ. The offense and defense in the first half was spectacular then we lost our defensive presence in the second half because we were worried about foul trouble."

    Goodwin scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half for Kentucky (8-4) and Ryan Harrow added 17 points.

    Poor foul shooting hurt the Wildcats' comeback. They shot just 11 of 23 (48 percent) from the line, matching their percentage from the field.

    Kentucky trailed 77-74 following a rare four-point play as Goodwin was fouled by Siva as he made a 3-pointer.

    Kentucky coach John Calipari didn't call timeout after that, and Goodwin's turnover followed.

    "Believe me, I was standing there thinking timeout and didn't call it," Calipari said. "That was the end of the game. I told them this one was on me and hopefully I'll do a better job.

    "Stuff like that happens and I take responsibility. They (Louisville) deserved to win. But I didn't give our guys the chance they deserved with the way they played down the stretch."

    Louisville also shot 48 percent from the field, but made 17 of 25 from the free throw line to win its seventh straight.

    As might be expected from bitter in-state rivals, the early minutes were physical and intense with six ties and five lead changes. There were lineup changes for both teams.

    Kentucky started 7-foot freshman Willie Cauley-Stein alongside 6-10 Nerlens Noel for the first time in an effort to establish a post presence against the Cardinals.

    The Wildcats' move might have been a pre-emptive one with Louisville expected to start the 6-11 Dieng.

    The Cardinals instead started 6-10 Zach Price but Dieng entered the game just 1:43 in and quickly made his presence felt with three rebounds, a block and a dunk that helped give Louisville a 12-10 lead.

    Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the junior soon picked up his second foul and was replaced by Montrezl Harrell, who had seven points and four rebounds.

    Louisville started 6 of 16 from the field and trailed 18-12, but went on a 13-2 run led by Behanan, who scored six points. He scored 11 points to help give the Cardinals a 36-28 lead at the half.

    Kentucky came back behind three 3-pointers each by Kyle Wiltjer (14 points) and Goodwin, who finished 8 of 15 from the field. But Louisville survived because of a defense that forced 15 turnovers leading to 19 points and the end of a frustrating losing streak for the Cardinals and their fans.

    "It finally gets the monkey off your back," Siva said. "You can stop thinking about it now and go out and play you don't have to get heckled by fans everywhere you go. For our fans this is like a national championship game. This feels good for them."

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/no-4-louisville-holds-off-kentucky-80-77-235044422--spt.html

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    Gary Council votes to cut 15 EMS jobs; merges EMS into fire department

    Updated: December 29, 2012 11:20AM

    GARY ? The City Council kept emergency medical personnel within the fire department, but at a cost of 15 EMS workers? jobs.

    The council voted 6-2, with At-Large Councilmen Ron Brewer and Roy Pratt casting the dissenting votes, to accept a salary budget that merges the EMS and fire departments at special Friday evening meeting. The merger reduces the Fire Department to 255 personnel from 270 and creates 36 new Firefighter-EMT positions at a salary of $41,250 per year, a $2,000 increase over the standard firefighter position.

    The new positions require both EMT and Firefighter One or Two certification as part of the requirement for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response federal grant that allowed the department to rehire 35 firefighters laid off because of city budget cuts in 2011, Fire Chief Teresa Everett told the council. While many of the EMS workers have basic firefighter training, they don?t have the other levels.

    Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson, who encouraged the council to accept the merger, defied anyone to say the city was choosing firefighters over EMS, a criticism many EMS workers had leveled recently.

    ?This is a difficult choice of losing all our EMS workers and 35 firefighters,? she said, referring to the council?s decision at one of its October meetings to accept all but the salary portion of the Fire Department?s budget and revert it to the 2012 budget. The council at the time disapproved of some of the promoted positions in the 2013 budget.

    ?I understand why you reverted. No one ever contemplated that we?d lose EMS,? she said.

    Brewer said the whole thing could?ve been avoided if the council had received more information.

    ?If we?d heard more about the merger in October, and then the EMS hearing about cross-training opportunities four days before firing them? My vote will be ?No,?? he said.

    EMS employee Kevin Smith told the council it could still save the 15 workers by changing their status back to civil service, or sworn-in status. Doing so would not change pension status with the state ? the state allows only public safety workers who?re sworn in before their 36th birthday to receive pension benefits ? but would give them protection without jeopardizing the SAFER grant.

    ?In my 27 years as a paramedic, this is one of my most darkest years,? Smith said. ?I see 15 people who?ve served this city 15, 20, 32 years being let go.?

    The mayor said there would be positions within the Building and General Services Department to which the city would give the 15 priority. The new positions wouldn?t affect their retirement because they would still be employed by the city.

    Source: http://posttrib.suntimes.com/17263766-418/gary-council-votes-to-cut-15-ems-jobs-merges-ems-into-fire-department.html

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    Professor Romney? Predicting the 2012 Republican Nominee's Future (Atlantic Politics Channel)

    Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

    Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/273592742?client_source=feed&format=rss

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    Ma praises charity work in Africa

  • The China Post - Saturday 29th December, 2012

    TAIPEI, Taiwan -- President Ma Ying-jeou yesterday praised a Buddhist organization for its charity work in Africa, adding that Taiwan has become an exporter of goodwill and ...

  • Manufacturing sector wont see growth until Q2 TIER

    The China Post - Saturday 29th December, 2012

    TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taiwan's manufacturing sector has seen lackluster growth for nine consecutive months, according to data released yesterday by the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research ...

  • Govt to offer mainland tourists re-entry permits for cruises

    The China Post - Saturday 29th December, 2012

    TAIPEI--Taipei will offer Chinese tourists double-entry permits to encourage them to take cruises in and out of Taiwan, Hsieh Li-kung, the chief of the National Immigration Agency, said ...

  • Local bourse expected to perform better in 2013 TWSE chairman

    The China Post - Saturday 29th December, 2012

    TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taiwan Stock Exchange Corp. (TWSE, ?????) Chairman Schive Chi said yesterday that he expects the stock market to perform better in the coming year, citing improvements in ...

  • Interior Ministry says political parties on the rise in country

    The China Post - Saturday 29th December, 2012

    TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The Ministry of Interior (MOI, ???) yesterday announced that there are a total of 224 registered political parties in Taiwan, up by 15 from last ...

  • Alliance threatens to paralyze MRT on New Years Eve

    The China Post - Saturday 29th December, 2012

    TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The National Alliance for Workers of Closed Plants yesterday threatened to paralyze the operation of the mass rapid transit systems in Taipei during the New Year's Eve if the ...

  • Travel fair in 2013 to pitch Chinese New Year deals

    The China Post - Saturday 29th December, 2012

    TAIPEI--A travel fair targeting Taiwanese who plan to travel during the Lunar New Year holiday will open on Jan. 4, with more than 130 exhibitors scheduled to participate, the show's organizer ...

  • Lin scores 21 but Rockets 5-game win streak ended

    The China Post - Saturday 29th December, 2012

    TAIPEI--The Houston Rockets' five-game winning streak was ended by the Spurs in San Antonio on Friday, the third straight time Houston has lost to its Texas rival this ...

  • Sports Affairs Council to end as part of govt restructuring

    The China Post - Saturday 29th December, 2012

    TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The Sports Affairs Council (SAC) under the Executive Yuan will come to an end in 2013 after 15 years of existence, and will be reborn as the Sports Agency under the Ministry of ...

  • US visa exemption and energy price hikes among 2012s top news events

    The China Post - Saturday 29th December, 2012

    TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Radio Taiwan International (RTI) listeners recently ranked the United States Visa Waiver Program (VWP) as the top Taiwan news story of ...

  • Something for everyone when ushering in New Year

    The China Post - Saturday 29th December, 2012

    In Taipei, revelers can attend a city-sponsored countdown party that will feature performances by pop diva Chang Hui-mei, singer and TV host Harlem Yu and Aaron Kwok from Hong Kong. The highlight, ...

  • 101 fireworks to be theatrical designer

    The China Post - Saturday 29th December, 2012

    TAIPEI--Taipei 101 Tower, one of tallest skyscrapers in the world, will stage a theatrical New Year fireworks show to celebrate the arrival of 2013, the pyrotechnic design company Groupe F promised ...

  • Source: http://www.taipeinews.net/index.php/sid/211657910/scat/0dd057261bcc461b

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    NAMI-NAMI: a food blog: Shrimp salad on rye appetizers

    Krevetisalat rukkileivaviiludel / Shrimp salad on rye bread

    Christmas and New Year, although just a scant week apart,?seem to be different seasons altogether for our little family here in Estonia. Throughout December and until Christmas, we eat black pudding and sauerkraut and pork roasts - the traditional Christmas fare - a lot. We'll start eating Christmassy food early, weeks before Christmas. You see, you need to identify the best brand of black pudding (aka blood sausages) at the market each year, so you start sampling in mid-November already. Sauerkraut, on the other hand, is the seasonal vegetable at this time of the year, so we eat a lot of that as well. When the Christmas comes, we still eat the traditional Christmas fare and enjoy it.

    And then, suddenly, I've had enough. For the New Year's Eve I want to hear nothing about the heavy winter stuff, and am serving various elegant and light canap?s instead (and even if there is some black pudding on the table, it's hidden in puff pastry pinwheels or black pudding profiteroles).

    Here's a little and light and elegant canap? I'm planning to serve this time*. Not so dissimilar to Toast Skagen or this Swedish shrimp salad, but being served on small crisp dark rye bread slices, it's a a great and festive mouthful. Oh, and once we are talking about rye bread appetizers - these?smoked salmon mousse?canap?s are wonderful, too!

    * And yes, of course we are hosting a big New Year's Eve bash this year as well. The logistics of getting three kids to a party at a friends' house is too much to bear just now, so we are being lazy and staying at home, asking dear friends to come over instead :))

    Shrimp salad on rye bread
    (Krevetisalat rukkileivaviiludel)
    Makes about 16

    ? Krevetisalat rukkileivaviiludel / Shrimp salad on rye bread

    250 grams cooked and peeled shrimps
    2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion
    1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
    100 g good-quality mayonnaise
    sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
    lemon juice, to taste

    To serve:
    8 slices of dark rye bread

    If using frozen shrimps, defrost them and drain thoroughly (I prefer those in brine, which are more expensive but easier to use). If you wish, chop them coarsely. Mix with onion and dill, then add the mayonnaise. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
    Toast the rye bread slices, then cut into triangles or squares or small rounds. Spoon shrimp salad on top.
    Garnish with some dill and serve.

    Source: http://nami-nami.blogspot.com/2012/12/shrimp-salad-on-rye-appetizers.html

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    Saturday, December 29, 2012

    'Parental Guidance' Movie Review: Great Family Entertainment ...

    You'll be forgiven if you think "Parental Guidance," a comedy starring Billy Crystal, Bette Midler and Marisa Tomei seems to follow a standard formula of old vs. new. The producers of the film aren't apologetic about it. They even promote the movie as Old School vs. New School in parenting.

    As the movie starts, Crystal's character, Artie Decker, a baseball announcer, is having career problems. The last thing Artie wants to do is spend time with his grandchildren. But his wife, Diane, portrayed by Bette Midler, wants a chance to no longer be her grandkids' second favorite grandmother.

    When the grandparents arrive in the Atlanta suburb that is home to their grandchildren, the differences in parental philosophies becomes very clear. They have arrived in a place where children never hear the word "no," but instead are taught to consider the consequences of their actions, as their daughter, Alice Simmons, played by Tomei, instructs them in the care of their grandchildren. Games of baseball don't follow the old rules of "three strikes and you're out." Instead, everybody gets to hit, everybody gets on base and all games end in a tie. Even their daughter's leaves the technophobe grandparents like fish out of water.

    The movie progresses as Artie and Diane ignore these "new school" rules and follow their "old school ways," letting their grandchildren's lives get out of control. But, like most family-friendly movies, by the end of the babysitting gig the grandchildren have learned valuable lessons ? as have their parents and grandparents.

    The movie mostly redeems itself after following pretty standard plot points. Part of what makes this movie work is the portrayal of the Simmons' children by Bailey Madison, Joshua Rush and Kyle Harrison Breitkopf. They seem like real kids and not some screenwriter's odd notion of children, or mere caricatures.

    I would recommend this movie to families looking for a film everyone can enjoy without worrying about bad language or violence (except for that baseball bat scene shown in all the trailers). The long winter break from school makes this a great break from everyone feeling cooped up at home, especially on foggy, rainy days like Christmas Day.

    Location Shooting in Alpharetta, Johns Creek and Roswell

    It's not too hard during this movie to spot Atlanta ? not to mention Alpharetta and Johns Creek ? shooting locations. Large portions of the movie were filmed in Alpharetta and other parts of North Fulton. Scenes at Artie and Diane's California home were shot at a Pebble Trail residence. Artie worked out of a California baseball stadium, ?Chukchansi Park," with the Gwinnett Braves' Coolray Field standing in for the location.

    Independence High at Milton Center (Old Milton High School) served as the exterior of a speech school, music conservatory and an anchor school. And its interior offered up a speech school classroom. Even a park bench outside the school was used. A baseball field at Ocee Park was used in several scenes, and nothing was done to disguise this. Even a MARTA train was used as the grandparents and grandchildren made their way down to Perimeter Mall.

    And when Tomei and Tom Everett Scott's characters went to Hilton Head Resort for the business trip out of town, they really never left North Fulton. Instead, the Country Club of Roswell doubled as the Hilton Head Island resort.

    "Parental Guidance" is playing at the Beechwood Cinemas 11 and Carmike Cinema 12. It's rated PG and runs 105 minutes.

    You might also be interested in reading:

    Movie Reviews: 'Django Unchained' Scores Big with Critics

    Movie Reviews: 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'

    'Playing For Keeps' Reviews: Movie Lacks Key Elements

    'Rise of the Guardians' Movie Reviews: Complex at Times for Younger Kids

    Source: http://oconee.patch.com/articles/parental-guidance-movie-reviews

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    Black-Eyed Pea Soup ? good luck food for the New Year

    All around the world people eat certain foods on New Years that they believe will bring them good luck for the new year. I grew up in the Deep South and we believed that certain food was black-eyed peas. The peas look like little coins when cooked, so they are thought to symbolize wealth. They also swell when cooked, another sign of prosperity.

    I alternate between serving black-eyed pea soup and southern caviar for New Years. Today I?ve chosen black-eyed pea soup because a little cold front has dipped its way south and there?s a bit of a chill in Florida. This soup is fantastic with southern style cornbread (meaning not the sweet cornbread), crusty bread, or an old appetizer favorite of ours - sausage cheese balls. Sausage cheese balls have been around for a long time, are very easy to make, and men go crazy for them. Make a lot because they go fast. My friend Lynn at Happier than a Pig in Mud?s recipe is very similar to mine and here?s a link to her recipe. To serve the soup to a crowd, I use coffee mugs in lieu of bowls and pass the sausage cheese balls separately.

    Southern ?caviar,? also known as Texas or Longhorn caviar, is made using black-eyed peas rather than fish eggs. It?s a spicy, very colorful salad with black-eyed peas, tomatoes, hot peppers, and southwestern spices that can be used as a dip with chips. If you are a frequent reader, you might remember my recipe, link here.


    We rarely go out to a restaurant for New Year Eve and chose to either entertain at home or go to a friend?s house nearby. This year we?ll join friends at our condo?s pool house late in the evening for a little get-together, drink some champagne, and watch the fireworks in downtown from our view across the Caloosahatchee River. Everyone brings something to share and I?m planning on taking a big bowl of my southern caviar, or if it?s cool, this black-eyed pea soup.

    What are your plans for New Years Eve? Do you go out? Or do you entertain at home? Or do you do what we?ve done occasionally, which is to share a bottle of champagne and ring in the New Year at home all by ourselves.

    Black-Eyed Pea Soup
    From My Carolina Kitchen ? serves 6

    12 oz package black-eyed peas
    1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
    1 large onion, finely chopped
    1 cup celery, finely chopped
    2 peeled carrots, finely chopped
    2 cloves garlic, chopped
    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
    1 teaspoon dried thyme or herbs de Provence
    1 tablespoon tomato paste
    8 oz tomato sauce
    2 bay leaves
    7 cups water, or low sodium, low fat beef broth and water mixture*
    Worcestershire sauce, optional
    Sour cream for garnish
    Optional other garnishes include chopped green scallions, small chunks of saut?ed ham, chopped cilantro, seeded & chopped jalapeno peppers

    Soak peas overnight in a large stock pot with plenty of water to cover. Drain, rinse, and put back into the stock pot with the beef broth, tomato sauce, and bay leaves and bring to a boil.

    While the peas are coming to a boil, saut? the vegetables in 1 tablespoon of olive in a non-stick skillet until softened and beginning to caramelize. Stir frequently. When browned, sprinkle with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper and add the dried herbs and stir. Then add the tablespoon of tomato paste, stir to incorporate it into the vegetables, and let it brown a moment or two, then add the saut?ed vegetables to the peas.

    When peas come to a boil, simmer, partially covered, until peas are tender, about 40 to 50 minutes. Add more liquid if necessary. Before serving, taste for salt, add if necessary, and discard bay leaves. If you want a touch more flavor, add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Garnish as desired.

    *For a less ?soupy? soup, use 6 cups of liquid and add more liquid if needed.

    This will be shared with Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farms, Miz Helen?s Country Kitchen Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friday at Simple Recipes, Foodtastic Friday at Not Your Ordinary Recipes, Seasonal Sunday at the Tablescaper, and On the Menu Monday at Stone Gable.

    Meakin and I wish you and your family a very happy and healthy 2013. ?

    See you next year.?


    Source: http://mycarolinakitchen.blogspot.com/2012/12/black-eyed-pea-soup-good-luck-food-for.html

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    Australia thrash Sri Lanka to claim series ? Cricket News Roundup ...

    Australia thrash Sri Lanka to claim series ? Cricket News Roundup ? December 28, 2012 - Part 1

    Australia thrashed Sri Lankan by an innings and 201 runs to claim victory in the second Test, and take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

    Resuming the third day on 440 for 8, the Aussies stretched the lead past 300 courtesy Mitchell Johnson, who remained unbeaten on 92.

    Johnson then started the damage with the ball by claiming the wicket of Tillakaratne Dilshan in the first over. Jackson Bird, the debutant, again left a striking impression by taking out Lankan old hands in Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera before a wicket each for Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon allowed the hosts to bowl out the Lankans on 103. Johnson was named Player of the Match for his all-round contributions.

    Sri Lankan veteran batsman, Kumar Sangakkara, has been ruled out for the remainder of the Australian tour after injuring his index finger during the defeat in Melbourne.

    Sangakkara was hit by a ferocious bouncer by Mitchell Johnson on day 3, forcing him to leave the field. Scans revealed that the player has suffered a fracture in his left hand, which will keep him out of competitive action for at least six weeks.

    The left-hander had to keep gloves during the match after Test keeper, Prasanna Jayawardene, failed to recover from a hairline fracture he sustained on day 1. The Lankans are also waiting on injury news of fast bowler, Nuwan Kulasekara, who missed the clash after sustaining a rib fracture in the opening Test at Hobart. Chanaka Welegedara has already been ruled out of the upcoming final game due to a hamstring tear.

    New Zealand have rested fast bowler Doug Bracewell from the ODI clashes against South Africa in a bid to manage his workload.

    Bracewell played in the recent T20I series against the Proteas, and is a part of the upcoming Test series, which starts on January 2. Given his extended workload, the management has decided to give him a break from the ODI clashes, which follow the longer version bouts.

    "He has a big role to play in the Test series against South Africa and will benefit from the opportunity to freshen up ahead of the home series [in February-March] against England," said Head Coach, Mike Hesson.?

    Source: http://blogs.bettor.com/Australia-thrash-Sri-Lanka-to-claim-series-Cricket-News-Roundup-December-28,-2012-Part-1-a211580

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    WEB STREAMING | DaniWeb

    How to develop web streaming in php?

    Authored by happygeek in the Web Development forum, this related news story currently has 4 replies, was last posted to 4 weeks ago by seomasterx and has been tagged with the following keywords: web, browser, news, google, chrome, microsoft, internet, ie, client, stats, analysis, market. It begins, ?Over the last couple of days the online media seems to have gone crazy for ...?

    firdousahmad

    Junior Poster in Training

    73 posts since May 2012

    Reputation Points: -1

    Solved Threads: 3

    Skill Endorsements: 0

    ?

    Hi,

    You mean video and audio streaming?

    You will need to have an ffmpeg, mp4 box, flvtool2,mencoder and mplayer, ffmpeg-php capable server. You can also look into red5 media server as an option.

    Additional items you would need is a reliable flash player like the ones offered by jwplayer and flowmotion.

    If you have a limited bandwidth on your hosting account, make sure to have your video metadata injected with flvtool2 (flv files only), for the h264 and mp4 you can move the moov atom in the front of the video, by using mp4box. These tools will allow you to pseudo-stream your contents without translating all the media file size into bandwidth consumptions.

    Lastly, you will need to know all of the basics of ffmpeg-php and the basics ffmpeg encoding commands.

    veedeoo

    Practically a Master Poster

    616 posts since Oct 2011

    Reputation Points: 232

    Solved Threads: 100

    Skill Endorsements: 8

    ?

    firdousahmad

    Junior Poster in Training

    73 posts since May 2012

    Reputation Points: -1

    Solved Threads: 3

    Skill Endorsements: 0

    ?

    You will need to look for a reliable hosting company. This is the hosting company I used for developing video streaming applications.

    I think they also have a ready to install FREE video streaming applications e.g. phpmotion, clic bucket, vidiscript and many others.

    MORE INFO. NOT RELATED TO YOUR QUESTION
    I was one of the developer of the vidiscript open-source version 1.0 to version 1.3, but that is the old version we wrote that is still being distributed by most ffmpeg hosting companies. I was able to released all the bug fixes two years ago 2010 and then it was followed by major fix for php 5.3+ in my last year release.

    I wrote version 3.7 of the open source, but got really busy at my schooling, and then I have to trashed bin all of the 3.7 version because I want to write it as a video content management using my own mvc framework with an option of smarty, twig and tinybutstrong template engines. I am still on track for my projected release date by mid 2013. This will be called veedeoo scripts which is an open source.

    veedeoo

    Practically a Master Poster

    616 posts since Oct 2011

    Reputation Points: 232

    Solved Threads: 100

    Skill Endorsements: 8

    ?

    Source: http://www.daniweb.com/web-development/php/threads/444164/web-streaming

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    National Rifle Association vows to fight arms trade treaty at U.N.

    UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The leading U.S. pro-gun group, the National Rifle Association, has vowed to fight a draft international treaty to regulate the $70 billion global arms trade and dismissed suggestions that a recent U.S. school shooting bolstered the case for such a pact.

    The U.N. General Assembly voted on Monday to restart negotiations in mid-March on the first international treaty to regulate conventional arms trade after a drafting conference in July collapsed because the U.S. and other nations wanted more time. Washington supported Monday's U.N. vote.

    U.S. President Barack Obama has come under intense pressure to tighten domestic gun control laws after the December 14 shooting massacre of 20 children and six educators at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. His administration has since reiterated its support for a global arms treaty that does not curtail U.S. citizens' rights to own weapons.

    Arms control campaigners say one person every minute dies as a result of armed violence and a convention is needed to prevent illicitly traded guns from pouring into conflict zones and fueling wars and atrocities.

    In an interview with Reuters, NRA President David Keene said the Newtown massacre has not changed the powerful U.S. gun lobby's position on the treaty. He also made clear that the Obama administration would have a fight on its hands if it brought the treaty to the U.S. Senate for ratification.

    "We're as opposed to it today as we were when it first appeared," he said on Thursday. "We do not see anything in terms of the language and the preamble as being any kind of guarantee of the American people's rights under the Second Amendment."

    The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the right to bear arms. Keene said the pact could require the U.S. government to enact legislation to implement it, which the NRA fears could lead to tighter restrictions on gun ownership.

    He added that such a treaty was unlikely to win the two-thirds majority in the U.S. Senate necessary for approval.

    "This treaty is as problematic today in terms of ratification in the Senate as it was six months ago or a year ago," Keene said. Earlier this year a majority of senators wrote to Obama urging him to oppose the treaty.

    U.N. delegates and gun-control activists say the July treaty negotiations fell apart largely because Obama, fearing attacks from Republican rival Mitt Romney before the November 6 election if his administration was seen as supporting the pact, sought to kick the issue past the U.S. vote.

    U.S. officials have denied those allegation.

    The NRA claimed credit for the July failure, calling it at the time "a big victory for American gun owners."

    NRA IS 'TELLING LIES'

    The main reason the arms trade talks are taking place at all is that the United States - the world's biggest arms trader, which accounts for more than 40 percent of global transfers in conventional arms - reversed U.S. policy on the issue after Obama was first elected and decided in 2009 to support a treaty.

    Supporters of the treaty accuse the NRA of deceiving the American public about the pact, which they say will have no impact on U.S. domestic gun ownership and would apply only to exports. Last week, Amnesty International launched a campaign to counter what it said were NRA distortions about the treaty.

    "The NRA is telling lies about the arms treaty to try to block U.S. government support," Michelle Ringuette of Amnesty International USA said about the campaign. "The NRA's leadership must stop interfering in U.S. foreign policy on behalf of the arms industry."

    Jeff Abramson of Control Arms said that as March approaches, "the NRA is going to be challenged in ways it never has before and that can affect the way things go" with the U.S. government.

    The draft treaty under discussion specifically excludes arms-related "matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any State."

    Among its key provisions is a requirement that governments make compliance with human rights norms a condition for foreign arms sales. It would also have states ban arms transfers when there is reason to believe weapons or ammunition might be diverted to problematic recipients or end up on illicit markets.

    Keene said the biggest problem with the treaty is that it regulates civilian arms, not just military weapons.

    According to the Small Arms Survey, roughly 650 million of the 875 million weapons in the world are in the hands of civilians. That, arms control advocates say, is why any arms trade treaty must regulate both military and civilian weapons.

    Keene said the NRA would actively participate in the fight against the arms trade treaty in the run-up to the March negotiations. "We will be involved," he warned, adding that it was not clear if the NRA would address U.N. delegates directly as the group did in July.

    The NRA has successfully lobbied members of Congress to stop major new gun restrictions in the United States since the 1994 assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004. It also gives financial backing to pro-gun candidates.

    EXPLOSIVE ISSUE

    European and other U.N. delegates who support the arms trade treaty told Reuters on condition of anonymity they hoped Newtown would boost support for the convention in the United States, where gun control is an explosive political issue.

    "Newtown has opened the debate within the United States on weapons controls in ways that it has not been opened in the past," Abramson said, adding that "the conversation within the U.S. will give the (Obama) administration more leeway."

    Keene rejected the idea of bringing the Newtown tragedy into the discussion of an arms trade treaty.

    "I find it interesting that some of the folks that advocate the treaty say it would have no impact whatever within the United States but that it needs to be passed to prevent another occurrence of a school shooting such as took place in Newtown," he said. "Both of those positions can't be correct."

    Obama administration officials have tried to explain to U.S. opponents of the arms trade pact that the treaty under discussion would not affect domestic gun sales and ownership.

    "Our objectives for the ATT (arms trade treaty) have not changed," a U.S. official told Reuters. "We seek a treaty that fights illicit arms trafficking and proliferation, protects the sovereign right of states to conduct legitimate arms trade, and meets the concerns that we have articulated throughout."

    "In particular, we will not accept any treaty that infringes on the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens to bear arms," the official added.

    Supporters of the treaty also worry that major arms producers like Russia, China, Iran, India, Pakistan and others could seek to render the treaty toothless by including loopholes and making key provisions voluntary, rather than mandatory.

    The United States, like all other U.N. member states, can effectively veto the treaty since the negotiations will be conducted on the basis of consensus. That means the treaty must receive unanimous support in order to be approved in March.

    But if it fails in March, U.N. delegations can put it to a vote in the 193-nation General Assembly, where diplomats say it would likely secure the required two-thirds majority.

    (Editing by Todd Eastham)

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/national-rifle-association-vows-fight-arms-trade-treaty-061206196.html

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    U.S. shuts embassy in Central African Republic

    WASHINGTON (AP) ? The State Department has closed its embassy in the Central African Republic and ordered the ambassador and his diplomatic team to leave the country as rebels there continue to advance and violence escalates, U.S. officials said Thursday.

    A Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale, said that at the State Department's request, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta had directed U.S. Africa Command to evacuate U.S. citizens and designated foreign nationals from the U.S. Embassy in Bangui "to safe havens in the region."

    State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said the U.S. Embassy had temporarily suspended operations, but not diplomatic relations with the country.

    "This decision is solely due to concerns about the security of our personnel and has no relation to our continuing and long-standing diplomatic relations" with the Central African Republic, Ventrell said in a statement.

    Shortly after announcing the evacuation Thursday, the State Department warned U.S. citizens against travel to the Central African Republic, saying it could not "provide protection or routine consular services to U.S. citizens" and urging Americans who have decided to stay to "review their personal security situation and seriously consider departing" on commercial flights. Four days earlier, the State Department had issued a warning recommending against travel to the country and authorizing its non-emergency personnel in Bangui to leave.

    U.S. officials said about 40 people were evacuated on an U.S. Air Force plane bound for Kenya. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the details of the operation.

    The departure of Ambassador Laurence Wohlers and his staff comes as the president of the Central African Republic on Thursday urgently called on France and other foreign powers to help his government fend off rebels who are quickly seizing territory and approaching this capital city, but French officials declined to offer any military assistance.

    Rebels have seized at least 10 towns across the sparsely populated north, and residents in the capital of 600,000 people fear insurgents could attack at any time.

    The developments suggest the Central African Republic could be on the brink of another violent change in government, something not new to the impoverished country. The current president, Francois Bozize, himself came to power nearly a decade ago in the wake of a rebellion.

    Speaking to crowds in Bangui, Bozize pleaded with foreign powers to do what they could. He pointed in particular to France, Central African Republic's former colonial ruler.

    About 200 French soldiers are already in the country, providing technical support and helping to train the local army, according to the French defense ministry.

    French President Francois Hollande said Thursday that France wants to protect its interests in Central African Republic and not Bozize's government. Paris is encouraging peace talks between the government and the rebels.

    President Barack Obama late last year sent about 100 U.S. special operations forces to the region ? including Central African Republic ? to assist in the hunt for Joseph Kony, the fugitive rebel leader of the notorious Lord's Resistance Army. Forces have been hunting the elusive warlord in Central African Republic, South Sudan and Congo.

    ___

    Associated Press writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.

    ___

    Online:

    http://bangui.usembassy.gov/service.html

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-shuts-embassy-central-african-republic-023509212--politics.html

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    India rape victim in Singapore; PM pledges action

    NEW DELHI (AP) ? Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged Thursday to take action to protect the nation's women while the young victim of a gang rape on a New Delhi bus was flown to Singapore for treatment of severe internal injuries.

    The Dec. 16 rape and brutal beating of the 23-year-old student triggered widespread protests, including a march on Thursday, demanding a government crackdown on the daily harassment Indian women face, ranging from groping to severe violence. Some protesters have called for the death penalty or castration for rapists, who under current laws face a maximum punishment of life in prison.

    Rape victims rarely press charges because of social stigma and fear they will be accused of inviting the attack. Many women say they structure their lives around protecting themselves and their daughters from attack.

    Singh's government set up two committees in response to the protests. One, looking into speeding up sexual assault trials, has already received 6,100 email suggestions. The second will examine what lapses might have contributed to the rape ? which took place on a moving bus that passed through police checkpoints ? and suggest measures to improve women's safety.

    "Let me state categorically that the issue of safety and security of women is of the highest concern to our government," Singh said at a development meeting. He urged officials in India's states to pay special attention to the problem.

    "There can be no meaningful development without the active participation of half the population, and this participation simply cannot take place if their security and safety is not assured," he said.

    The rape victim arrived in Singapore on an air ambulance Thursday and was admitted to the intensive care unit of the Mount Elizabeth hospital, renowned for multi-organ transplant facilities.

    On Thursday night she remained in "extremely critical condition" as a team of specialists worked to stabilize her, Dr. Kelvin Loh, the hospital's chief executive officer, said in a statement. Before arriving in Singapore, she had already undergone three abdominal surgeries and suffered cardiac arrest, he said.

    India's Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said in a statement that the government, which is funding and overseeing the victim's treatment, had decided to send her abroad on the recommendation of her doctors.

    "Despite the best efforts of our doctors, the victim continues to be critical and her fluctuating health remains a big cause of concern to all of us," he said.

    Her family was also being sent to Singapore to be with her during her treatment, which could last weeks, he said.

    Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters demanding safer public transportation for women and the resignation of Delhi's police commissioner tried to march to the major India Gate traffic circle in central Delhi before being stopped by police in riot gear manning barricades. Protesters carried signs reading, "Immediately end rape culture in India" and "Zero tolerance of violence against women."

    Protests have shut down the center of the capital for days since the rape. Police quashed some of the demonstrations with tear gas, water cannons and baton charges.

    One police officer died Tuesday after collapsing during a weekend protest. Police said an autopsy showed the officer had a heart attack that could have been caused by injuries suffered during violence at the protest. An Associated Press journalist at the scene said the officer was running toward the protesters with a group of police when he collapsed on the ground and began frothing at the mouth and shaking. Two protesters rushed to the officer to try to help him. Police charged eight people with murder in the death of the policeman.

    Police said the rape victim was traveling on the evening of Dec. 16 with a male friend on a bus when they were attacked by six men who gang-raped her and beat the couple with iron rods before stripping them and dumping them on a road. All six suspects in the case have been arrested, police said.

    Also Thursday, Ratanjit Singh, a junior minister in the home ministry, said the government would create a database of convicted rapists and publish it, along with their photos, on the ministry website to shame them, according to the Press Trust of India.

    ___

    Associated Press reporter Heather Tan contributed reporting from Singapore and Saurabh Das contributed from New Delhi.

    ___

    Follow Ravi Nessman at twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ravinessman

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/india-rape-victim-singapore-pm-pledges-action-114553062.html

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    Friday, December 28, 2012

    Strange behavior: New study exposes living cells to synthetic protein

    Dec. 27, 2012 ? One approach to understanding components in living organisms is to attempt to create them artificially, using principles of chemistry, engineering and genetics. A suite of powerful techniques -- collectively referred to as synthetic biology -- have been used to produce self-replicating molecules, artificial pathways in living systems and organisms bearing synthetic genomes.

    In a new twist, John Chaput, a researcher at Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute and colleagues at the Department of Pharmacology, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ have fabricated an artificial protein in the laboratory and examined the surprising ways living cells respond to it.

    "If you take a protein that was created in a test tube and put it inside a cell, does it still function," Chaput asks. "Does the cell recognize it? Does the cell just chew it up and spit it out?" This unexplored area represents a new domain for synthetic biology and may ultimately lead to the development of novel therapeutic agents.

    The research results, reported in the advanced online edition of the journal ACS Chemical Biology, describe a peculiar set of adaptations exhibited by Escherichia coli bacterial cells exposed to a synthetic protein, dubbed DX. Inside the cell, DX proteins bind with molecules of ATP, the energy source required by all biological entities.

    "ATP is the energy currency of life," Chaput says. The phosphodiester bonds of ATP contain the energy necessary to drive reactions in living systems, giving up their stored energy when these bonds are chemically cleaved. The depletion of available intracellular ATP by DX binding disrupts normal metabolic activity in the cells, preventing them from dividing, (though they continue to grow).

    After exposure to DX, the normally spherical E. coli bacteria develop into elongated filaments. Within the filamentous bacteria, dense intracellular lipid structures act to partition the cell at regular intervals along its length. These unusual structures, which the authors call endoliposomes, are an unprecedented phenomenon in such cells.

    "Somewhere along the line of this filamentation, other processes begin to happen that we haven't fully understood at the genetic level, but we can see the results phenotypically," Chaput says. "These dense lipid structures are forming at very regular regions along the filamented cell and it looks like it could be a defense mechanism, allowing the cell to compartmentalize itself." This peculiar adaptation has never been observed in bacterial cells and appears unique for a single-celled organism.

    Producing a synthetic protein like DX, which can mimic the elaborate folding characteristics of naturally occurring proteins and bind with a key metabolite like ATP is no easy task. As Chaput explains, a clever strategy known as mRNA display was used to produce, fine-tune and amplify synthetic proteins capable of binding ATP with high affinity and specificity, much as a naturally occurring ATP-binding protein would.

    First, large libraries of random sequence peptides are formed from the four nucleic acids making up DNA, with each strand measuring around 80 nucleotides in length. These sequences are then transcribed into RNA with the help of an enzyme -- RNA polymerase. If a natural ribosome is then introduced, it attaches to the strand and reads the random sequence RNA as though it was a naturally-occurring RNA, generating a synthetic protein as it migrates along the strand. In this way, synthetic proteins based on random RNA sequences can be generated.

    Exposing the batch of synthetic proteins to the target molecule and extracting those that bind can then select for ATP-binding proteins. But as Chaput explains, there's a problem: "The big question is how do you recover that genetic information? You can't reverse transcribe a protein back into DNA. You can't PCR amplify a protein. So we have to do all these molecular biology tricks."

    The main trick involves an earlier step in the process. A molecular linker is chemically attached to the RNA templates, such that each RNA strand forms a bond with its newly translated protein. The mRNA-protein hybrids are exposed to selection targets (like ATP) over consecutive rounds of increasing stringency. After each round of selection, those library members that remain bound to the target are reverse-transcribed into cDNA (using their conveniently attached RNA messages), and then PCR amplified.

    In the current study, E. coli cells exposed to DX transitioned into a filamentous form, which can occur naturally when such cells are subject to conditions of stress. The cells display low metabolic activity and limited cell division, presumably owing to their ATP-starved condition.

    The study also examined the ability of E. coli to recover following DX exposure. The cells were found to enter a quiescent state known as viable but non-culturable (VBNC), meaning that they survived ATP sequestration and returned to their non-filamentous state after 48 hours, but lost their reproductive capacity. Further, this condition was difficult to reverse and seems to involve a fundamental reprogramming of the cell.

    In an additional response to DX, the filamentous cells form previously undocumented structures, which the authors refer to as endoliposomes. These dense lipid concentrations, spanning the full width of the filamented E. coli, segment the cells into distinct compartments, giving the cells a stringbean-like appearance under the microscope.

    The authors speculate that this adaptation may be an effort to maintain homeostasis in regions of the filamentous cell, which have essentially been walled off from the intrusion of ATP-depleting DX. They liken endoliposomes to the series of water-tight compartments found in submarines which are used to isolate damaged sections of the ship and speculate that DX-exposed cells are partitioning their genetic information into regions where it can be safely quarantined. Such self-compartmentalization is known to occur in some eukaryotic cells, but has not been previously observed in prokaryotes like E. coli.

    The research indicates that there is still a great deal to learn about bacterial behavior and the repertoire of responses available when such cells encounter novel situations, such as an unfamiliar, synthetic protein. The study also notes that many infectious agents rely on a dormant state, (similar to the VBNC condition observed in the DX-exposed E. coli), to elude detection by antibiotics. A better understanding of the mechanisms driving this behavior could provide a new approach to targeting such pathogens.

    The relative safety of E. coli as a model organism for study may provide a fruitful tool for more in-depth investigation of VBNC states in pathogenic organisms. Further, given ATP's central importance for living organisms, its suppression may provide another avenue for combating disease. One example would be an engineered bacteriophage capable of delivering DX genes to pathogenic organisms.

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    Story Source:

    The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Arizona State University. The original article was written by Richard Harth.

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


    Journal Reference:

    1. Shaleen B. Korch, Joshua M. Stomel, Megan A. Le?n, Matt A. Hamada, Christine R. Stevenson, Brent W. Simpson, Sunil K. Gujulla, John C. Chaput. ATP Sequestration by a Synthetic ATP-Binding Protein Leads to Novel Phenotypic Changes inEscherichia coli. ACS Chemical Biology, 2012; : 121203123002005 DOI: 10.1021/cb3004786

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

    Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

    Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/HOgFMtBFq6s/121227143001.htm

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