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Russia Rising: The Blogger Who Is Putin's Greatest Challenger (Time.com)

Well past midnight on Wednesday, Dec. 21, a few dozen Russian activists gathered outside a jail in the south of Moscow to await the release of Alexei Navalny, the blogger at the forefront of Russia's opposition movement. A snowstorm had begun that night, so only his hardcore supporters showed up at the jailhouse gate, passing around thermoses of tea and flasks of whiskey to keep warm. It was an odd mix of people, about as eclectic as Navalny's own political views, and ranged from tree-hugging liberals to hate-spouting nationalists and everything in between. Seen from a distance, they would have looked like a crew of hipsters who were, for some reason, really excited to be caught in a blizzard. But insofar as the ongoing wave of protests against the government can be said to have a vanguard, this was it. And they were waiting for the only man who has so far been able to unite them.

Navalny, 35, a lawyer by training, had been arrested during the demonstrations in Moscow on Dec. 5, when a crowd of about 7,000 people came out to protest the parliamentary elections held the previous day. The ruling United Russia party, led by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, 59, had won a majority in parliament during the vote, but claims of fraud -- a regular trope during Russian elections -- finally seemed to hit a nerve among the urban middle-class. For the first time since Putin rose to power 12 years ago, they came out by the thousands to protest in the streets, chanting Navalny's viral nickname for United Russia, "the party of crooks and thieves." From the stage, Navalny told them them that, "After these elections, the Kremlin crooks have no right to say they are in power. They are nobody!" Riot police grabbed him afterward, when he tried to lead a column of protesters in the direction of the Kremlin. He was sentenced to 15 days for disobeying orders to desist. (See "Russia's Crisis: This Winter the Bears Will Not Hibernate.")

Two days later, an official from the youth wing of United Russia called me to ask about Navalny. He seemed surprised to hear about his popularity. "I thought he was just some blogger," the official said. This might have been a fair assessment a couple of years ago, when Navalny was known only to a fairly small online community. But his status as a kind of Internet folk hero had already been cemented by November 2010, when he blew the whistle on a $4 billion embezzlement scheme at a state corporation.

The leaked documents he presented as evidence, which he posted on his blog, caused a sensation in the Russian and international press, and Navalny soon became known as Russia's top crusader against corruption. He followed that by setting up a series of websites that the changed the face of online activism. The most famous one, RosPil, allowed readers to dissect government tenders -- such as orders for a fleet of cars for a local police force or a new website for a dance company -- for signs of corruption or embezzlement. Since its founding last December, the site's volunteers have been able to find irregularities in state contracts worth a total of around $1.3 billion, according to RosPil's own tally. Many of those tenders have since been annulled.

Like most of Navalny's campaigns, RosPil stood out for its pragmatism. Instead of the polemics and pamphleteering that occupy most of Russia's old-school opposition groups, Navalny focuses on specific issues, like corruption or potholes, and invites his fans to help redress them with the crowd-sourcing power of the Internet. This has allowed him to tap a huge and unrepresented demographic, the young, tech-savvy and educated middle-class, who are not only fed up with Putin but also mistrustful of Russia's regular soapbox dissidents. "It's hard to call him a leader in the traditional sense, because the Internet society runs on a culture of networks," says Evgeniya Albats, the editor ofThe New Times, a liberal Russian weekly. "But he has an ability to unite various networks of people around concrete ideas and actions." By the beginning of this year, his blog had a daily readership in the hundreds of thousands. (See "As Russia Braces for New Protests, Anger at Suspect Election Results Persists.")

But as his celebrity grew, government scrutiny followed, especially after his anti-corruption work targeted major state interests. Police in the Kirov region, where Navalny worked as a policy adviser to the governor in 2009, opened an investigation against him last December for giving the governor bad advice on a timber deal. Investigators claimed the deal had cost the regional budget $40,000, but later declined to pursue charges, citing a lack of evidence. Another attack came in July, when a news website with links to the security services published an expose about Navalny's family. The site's reporters went to a liquor store owned by his parents in a suburb of Moscow and purchased a bottle of "Putinka" vodka after 11:00 p.m., when stores are forbidden from selling hard alcohol.

Pro-Kremlin bloggers hailed the report as proof that Navalny was himself corrupt. "This tells you something about how deep they're digging," says Konstantin Voronkov, a friend of Navalny's and the author of his official biography, The Scourge of Crooks and Thieves, which was published this year. "With all their resources, they ended up having to record some poor salesgirl in his dad's shop with a hidden camera. This is the only thing they could find on him." Even Navalny's email correspondence with family and colleagues, which was stolen and posted online in October by a hacker known as Hell, revealed nothing at all incriminating.

See "International Man of Mystery: Kim Jong Il's Russian Roots and Travels."

See "The People vs. Putin."

His main vulnerability, at least in the eyes of his detractors, is his fervent nationalism, which has alienated many in the liberal opposition. In 2007, he co-founded the National Russian Liberation Movement, known as NAROD, and published its manifesto on his blog. It calls for all law-abiding citizens to have the right to bear arms (Navalny owns several) and sets immigration policy as a priority. "Those who come into our home but do not want to respect our law and traditions must be kicked out," the manifesto says. That year he also began attending the Russian March, an annual nationalist rally that attracts thousands of right-wingers and some skinhead and neo-Nazi groups. "The only way to make the Russian March look better is to go there yourself. So I go," he wrote after helping organize the march in November.

His involvement in the nationalist movement got him expelled in 2007 from the the left-wing Yabloko party. When the party was choosing its candidate this month for the March presidential elections, one of its board members nominated Navalny, who was in jail at the time. The idea was quickly rejected. "When he renounces his nationalist views, maybe we can consider it," Sergei Mitrokhin, the leader of the party, told me. (See "The Crisis in Russia: A Billionaire to the Rescue ... of Whom?")

But Navalny has done the opposite. He has used nationalism to tap another huge base of support in the right wing, which he has brought into a shaky alliance with the liberals.

Even when Navalny was incarcerated after the Dec. 5 protest, the two political flanks managed to work together. On Dec. 10, they organized the biggest rally ever against Putin's government, bringing about 50,000 demonstrators onto Moscow's Bolotnaya Ploshchad (Swamp Square). Oleg Kashin, a journalist, read out a message from "our leader Alexei Navalny" to the crowd. It lacked nothing in pomp. "The time has come to throw off our chains," the message read. "We are not animals or slaves." It urged the protestors to keep attending rallies in defense of their "personal dignity," with the next big demonstration scheduled for Dec. 24.

The goal of the opposition was simply to hold on to their momentum until then. But with Navalny still in jail, it quickly began to slip. Sessions of the so-called OrgKomitet (Organizing Committee) of the opposition were tiresome and frustrating affairs. "For once in your life, put your egos away!" one woman burst out -- to wild applause -- during a session on Dec. 13, when the committee spent more than an hour debating what to call itself. The problem was obvious. Career politicians were seated around the table with Soviet dissidents, tech geeks and graffiti artists. Hardcore nationalists would often show up in packs and overwhelm the meetings. Every 10 minutes or so a shouting match ensued. "Don't worry, it won't be long," Bozhena Rynska, a celebrity gossip columnist who took part in the Organizing Committee meetings, reassured me after a particularly hectic one. "Soon Navalny will be released and straighten everything out."

He did not disappoint. Outside the jail in the early hours of Dec. 21, he told the crowd of activists and reporters, who were frozen almost stiff by the time he was released, that he would consider running for president when he could be sure of an honest vote. Until then, his goal would be to attack and discredit Putin. "We have to push them until they give us what they stole, meaning politics, meaning the economy, meaning everything," Navalny said. He seemed to concede that with no viable competitors, Putin would likely win a third term as president during the March elections. "But this will not be a legal presidency," he said. (See "Putin: Four More Years.")

The next day, Navalny took over the chairmanship of the Organizing Committee and much of the bickering stopped. "Our priority is to leave here radiating the impression that we are united," he said. To Navalny's left sat the ultra-nationalist Vladimir Tor, who helped lead the Movement Against Illegal Immigration until the group was banned this year for extremism and hate speech. To his right sat the human rights activist Lev Ponomaryov and a gaggle of other liberals. Just about the only thing they had in common was a basic trust in Navalny and a desire to break Putin's hold on power. So far this seems to be enough.

On Dec. 24, the ragtag committee pulled off the biggest demonstration in Moscow since the fall of the Soviet Union. As many as 120,000 people gathered on Sakharov Avenue to call for democracy and political reform. Putin was their favorite laughing stock. Navalny was one of the heroes. "I see enough people here today to take the Kremlin," he told the crowd. "But we are a peaceful force. We won't do that just yet." Three days later, during a live interview on Echo Moskvy radio, he announced plans to create his own political party, saying he was "ready to fight for leadership positions," including the post of president.

The only question now is whether the Kremlin is ready to allow that. The chances look slim. From the start of his career as an activist, Navalny has pledged to put Putin and his circle on trial if they are ever removed from power. "He can't go back on that now," says Voronkov, his biographer. "He couldn't just give them a one-way ticket to Venezuela and call it a day. His credibility would be shattered." But Putin and his party have missed their chance to sideline Navalny while he was still just another blogger. He is now a political force, and even if he is again arrested, or worse, there is no guarantee that his influence will be diminished. "You can knock the head off of something a hundred times," says the novelist Boris Akunin, another member of the Organizing Committee. "But you can't destroy a wave that rises from the bottom. It can only rise and crest. You can't stop it." However, they can certainly try.

See TIME's 2011 Person of the Year.

See the Top 10 Everything of 2011.

View this article on Time.com

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/russia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20111229/wl_time/08599210320300

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'Hunger Games' Hopes And More: 2012 Movie Wish List

MTV Movies team has high hopes for 'The Avengers,' 'Looper' and more.
By MTV News staff


Jennifer Lawrence in "The Hunger Games"
Photo: Lionsgate

As we while away the last few days and hours of 2011, looking back upon all the great, unforgettable fare that descended upon our cineplexes this year, we can't help but get excited for what the new year will bring us.

We might not get another "Harry Potter," but there's a lot coming down the pike to fill the void: a new "Alien"-esque film in "Prometheus," the gritty and ruthless "Hunger Games," the superhero spectacle "The Avengers," and a brand new Batman, via "The Dark Knight Rises." Here's a brief rundown of what we hope delivers on the hype and makes our "Best of 2012" lists this time next year.

A Successful "Avengers" Assembly
I have a lot of high hopes for movies in 2012. I need "Prometheus" to be as awesome as it appears to be, and Christopher Nolan has to send Batman off in style, but perhaps my biggest concern comes in the form of "The Avengers." Bringing Earth's Mightiest Heroes together under one cinematic roof is a lofty idea, and one that could easily explode in Marvel's face. A successful "Avengers" would mean ambitious, world-building films that extend across multiple franchises can exist. An "Avengers" that fails both critically and commercially is nothing short of a gut shot for comics on the big screen. Too much effort and passion, both from filmmakers and fans, has been put into "The Avengers" over the past few years. Marvel absolutely has to get it right ... and I've got all my fingers, toes and what-have-you's crossed that they will. - Josh Wigler

Taylor Kitsch Solidifies His Movie-Star Status
Fans of the dearly departed drama "Friday Night Lights" know Taylor Kitsch as big Tim Riggins, the football-playing, bad-boy-with-a-big-heart from Dillon, Texas. But if you've never spent four quarters with the state champion Panthers, you may not be well-acquainted with Kitsch's sizeable acting chops (and even bigger biceps). After all, his big-screen turns ("X-Men Origins: Wolverine," "The Bang Bang Club") haven't left such an indelible mark as his TV alter ego. But that could (and should) all change in 2012, as the 30-year-old headlines two big-budget popcorn flicks: Disney's "John Carter" and the boardgame-cum-potential-blockbuster "Battleship." Here's hoping clear eyes and full hearts really can't lose. - Amy Wilkinson

"The Hunger Games" Takes Out "Twilight"
The end of the "Twilight" film franchise is bittersweet. We'll miss our favorite vampires and werewolves, but 2012 marks the arrival of a new franchise that deserves just as much attention and adoration as Stephenie Meyer's fangtastic fantasyland. "The Hunger Games" is not "Twilight" and shouldn't ever be compared as such, but it deserves that blockbuster status. This is a story about survival, self-reliance and discovery, with a female protagonist who is strong, resilient, independent, intelligent and real. In short, Suzanne Collins' creation has everything modern youth-targeted fiction lacks. I pray to the movie powers for Gary Ross' big-screen adaptation to be the biggest success story of the year and that the fan fervor for the "Games" doubles that of "Twilight." - Kara Warner

Luck For "Looper"
Looking ahead to 2012, it's impossible to not stop in awe when considering the sheer number of blockbusters I can't wait to see. This is "stars aligning" material. We're talking Batman, Bilbo and Bond, but if I have my way, people will turn out in droves to see a movie they probably haven't heard of yet: Rian Johnson's "Looper." A sci-fi/crime movie hybrid, "Looper" takes place in the near future where mobsters send their enemies back in time where waiting hitmen finish the job. In the film, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis play the younger and older versions of the same character, and if that and the story don't completely sell it, I'm afraid you're lost, my friend. Test screenings left critics raving, and Johnson has made consistently interesting work since his indie debut "Brick." If there is any justice at the movies, people will see "Looper." - Kevin Sullivan

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1676625/2012-hunger-games-avengers-movies-wish-list.jhtml

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Great apes make sophisticated decisions

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas and bonobos make more sophisticated decisions than was previously thought. Great apes weigh their chances of success, based on what they know and the likelihood to succeed when guessing, according to a study of MPI researcher Daniel Haun, published on December 21 in the online journal PLoS ONE. The findings may provide insight into human decision-making as well.

The authors of the study, led by Daniel Haun of the Max Planck Institutes for Psycholinguistics (Nijmegen) and Evolutionary Anthropology (Leipzig), investigated the behaviour of all four non-human great ape species. The apes were presented with two banana pieces: a smaller one, which was always reliably in the same place, and a larger one, which was hidden under one of multiple cups, and therefore the riskier choice.

The researchers found that the apes' choices were regulated by their uncertainty and the probability of success for the risky choice, suggesting sophisticated decision-making. Apes chose the small piece more often when they where uncertain where the large piece was hidden. The lower their chances to guess correctly, the more often they chose the small piece.

Risky choices

The researchers also found that the apes went for the larger piece ? and risked getting nothing at all ? no less than 50% of the time. This risky decision-making increased to nearly 100% when the size difference between the two banana pieces was largest. While all four species demonstrated sophisticated decision making strategies, chimpanzees and orangutans were overall more likely to make risky choices relative to gorillas and bonobos. The precise reason for this discrepancy remains unknown.

Haun concludes: "Our study adds to the growing evidence that the mental life of the other great apes is much more sophisticated than is often assumed."

###

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft: http://www.mpg.de

Thanks to Max-Planck-Gesellschaft for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116343/Great_apes_make_sophisticated_decisions

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Former Microsoft Exec Scopes Windows Phone's Failure


Microsoft's Windows Phone OS hasn't made much of a splash in 2011. Although it's gotten relentlessly positive reviews and has phones available on all four major carriers, it managed to achieve just 1.5 percent market share in the third quarter of 2011, according to Gartner.

That's led to considerable hand-wringing among tech analysts, who are trying to figure out why a product that is pretty good, backed by a very powerful company, simply won't sell. In steps Charlie Kindel, a 21-year veteran of Microsoft who was Windows Phone's chief developer evangelist for the first year of its life.

In a blog post, Kindel said Windows Phone has failed because Microsoft has alienated both phone makers and wireless carriers, two groups that Google has done a good job courting with its Android OS. With its tight hardware spec and rigid upgrade policy, Microsoft is limiting carriers' and manufacturers' freedom.

"Thus both of those sides of the market are?reluctant. Especially the carriers, but also the device manufacturers. Remember that end users just do what they are told (by advertising and RSPs [salespeople]). Carriers own the marketing money and spend billions a year," he wrote.

The carriers and manufacturers will make and sell Windows phones, possibly because they're afraid of becoming too beholden to Google and Apple, but it seems they don't relish the devices or the platform much.

This jibes somewhat with our secret-shopper experiences last summer, where we found wireless carrier salespeople unenthusiastic about Windows Phone, and Windows Phones often turned off or relegated to the back of the store.

Apple also locks out manufacturers and alienates carriers, but it's taken over most of the roles they play, Kindel says. Apple has its own stores, its own ad campaigns, and its own tech support, reducing the carriers to dumb pipes that collect money. Microsoft hasn't gone nearly that far.

Kindel's blog post has attracted top-tier tech talent on its comment thread, and the major criticism (other than random anti-Microsoft blathering) seems to be that he's underplaying the role of software developers and apps.

"Android and iOS are 'safe' because that's where the apps are. Anything else? Not safe. Every conversation, every ad, and every Techcrunch post, er, Verge post, will remind them of where the apps are," blogger Robert Scoble said in response.

"I agree with you that the relatively weak app ecosystem in WP7 also plays an important part. I do not believe it is the most important reason," Kindel responded.

On Microsoft's part, the company has said it's making a major new push with Nokia; at the launch of the Nokia 710 with T-Mobile, T-Mobile senior vice president Andrew Sherrard said the carrier would make that phone a "hero device." But we've been hearing mixed things about the success of the Nokia 800 Windows phone in the first six countries it's appeared in, with Reuters most recently saying it's a bomb.

"Analysts said there was nothing particularly wrong with the sleek-looking handsets, other than a software glitch on some models affecting battery life, but consumers were just not biting," the Reuters report said.?

We'll have to see if the tight arrangement with Nokia will lead to greater success in 2012.

For the top stories in tech, follow us on Twitter at @PCMag.

Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2398070,00.asp?kc=PCRSS05039TX1K0000762

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বৃহস্পতিবার, ২৯ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১১

Pitino: Plans to quit when contract ends in 2017 (AP)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. ? Rick Pitino said Tuesday that he won't coach past the 2016-2017 season when his current contract ends at Louisville.

"When you're 59, you're realistic that you don't have a whole lot of years left," Pitino said at a news conference before the No. 4 Cardinals play Georgetown on Wednesday. "My contract's going to run out in 2017. I'm not coaching any more after that."

The former Providence and Kentucky coach has guided the Cardinals to a 12-0 record so far this season.

Louisville's Athletic Association granted Pitino, the only men's coach to lead three different programs to the Final Four, a four-year contract extension in August. He'll make $3 million in base salary until the end of the 2013 season, followed by $3.9 million a year.

Pitino didn't use the word 'retire,' but has said in the past that Louisville would be his last coaching stop. He's 253-96 in his 11th season at Louisville, which reached the Final Four in 2005.

The Cardinals will host the Hoyas in their Big East Conference opener before traveling to face rival and No. 3 Kentucky on Saturday.

Pitino said Louisville hasn't started preparing for Kentucky.

"One thing I've learned to do with my age, I really don't look ahead," said Pitino, who went 219-50 in eight seasons at Kentucky and won the 1996 national championship. "For years, I've been preaching the precious present and having to always subscribe to it."

Senior guard Chris Smith echoed his coach.

"We haven't talked about Kentucky one time yet, and we're going to keep it like that until we come out with a W tomorrow," he said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111227/ap_on_sp_co_ne/bkc_louisville_pitino

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Chile daily must pay readers for exploding churros

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) ? Chile's Supreme Court has ordered a newspaper to pay $125,000 to 13 people who suffered burns while trying out a published recipe for churros, a popular Latin American snack of dough fried in hot oil.

The publisher of La Tercera must pay individual damages to 11 women and two men ranging from as little as $279 to $48,000 for one woman whose burns were particularly severe.

The high court's ruling was announced Monday, seven years after the readers burned themselves while trying out the recipe.

Judges determined that the newspaper failed to fully test it before publication, and that if readers followed the recipe exactly, the churros had a good chance of exploding once the oil reached the suggested temperature. Grupo Copesa, which publishes the paper, said it will abide by the ruling.

Days after the recipe was published in the paper's "Woman" magazine in 2004, hospitals around the country began treating women for burns suffered when the dough boiling in oil suddenly shot out of kitchen pots.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2011-12-26-LT-Chile-Churro-Accidents/id-7d19a49676bd4aab8eede96c07117058

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Oops! Home invader shot by accomplice, police say

One suspect is in the hospital and police officers in Melbourne say they're looking for two others who broke into a home over the weekend.

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Three people broke into a Colbert Circle home Saturday night, investigators said.

Officers found one man, identified as Nathaniel Clay, collapsed in the back yard of the home. They think someone inside struck Clay with a baseball bat before one of his accomplices accidentally shot him.

The shooter was aiming for the homeowner but shot Clay, according to detectives.

Story: Whiz-bang! Man accidentally shoots self while peeing

Clay is recovering at Holmes Regional Medical Center under police guard. He faces burglary charges.

Officers said the other two suspects are still on the run.

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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45791553/ns/us_news-weird_news/

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China, Japan unveil currency pact

Forex News and Commentary

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NBA season finally set to tip off on Christmas (AP)

Finally, the conversation changes.

It's time for the NBA to ditch the dollars and nonsense of the lockout for the alleys and oops in Lob City, the new nickname for the suddenly exciting Los Angeles Clippers.

For months, all the talk was about lockouts, salary caps and mediation. Now there are games that count as a new season begins Christmas Day.

For all practical purposes, Clippers fans have been locked out of competitive basketball for the better part of three decades. Now they get entertainment of the highest order ? watching Blake Griffin throw down lob passes from Chris Paul.

The 2011-12 season, shortened to 66 games, debuts Sunday when five marquee games will be played from morning deep into the night. This marks a first step for the league as it looks to bury a damaging offseason marred by a five-month labor dispute and several stars trying to force their way out of town.

The day begins with Boston and New York and then goes to an NBA Finals rematch with Miami at Dallas. Next up is Chicago at the Lakers, followed by the small-market special ? Orlando at Oklahoma City ? before CP3 makes his regular-season debut as a Clipper at Golden State in the nightcap.

"The lockout was hectic for everybody," Timberwolves forward Michael Beasley said. "We were bored! Now we feel like we've got a purpose in life. We can do what we do best."

It's time.

It's time for Derek Fisher to be seen in Lakers gold, not Brooks Brothers gray.

It's time for postgame news conferences with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, not post-meeting sessions with David Stern and Adam Silver.

It's time for Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks to defend their title on the court, not for Jeffrey Kessler and the players' union to defend their decision to disband in the courts.

"I don't even want to talk about the lockout any more, man!" Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant said. "It was just so frustrating to go through that and everything that went on, us meeting and not meeting and not coming to an agreement and fans getting upset with us. It was tough. But I'm glad we got through it."

It didn't look so good for a while. Once the dispute was finally settled, a whole new drama broke out with Paul and Dwight Howard looking for trades out of New Orleans and Orlando.

Howard eventually softened his stance, but his future is still the focus in Orlando.

"I don't think our situation is going to go away," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "But I think it'll be a lot more focused on the games than there has been (focus) on the lockout."

The Lakers thought they had a deal for Paul, but Stern, acting as the owner of the Hornets, nixed that, and another crisis was born. The Clippers swooped in at the end, seizing some of the spotlight from Kobe and the Lakers for the first time since, well, ever.

"Hey, that's got to be driving Kobe," Lakers Hall of Famer Magic Johnson said. "That should drive (Pau) Gasol and (Andrew) Bynum and those guys and Derek Fisher to say, `Hey, no way I'm going to let them take over Los Angeles.'"

The two teams met twice in the preseason, and the rivalry quickly escalated. Bryant injured his wrist on a hard foul in the first game and Lakers agitator Matt Barnes shoved Griffin to the court in the second game.

That wasn't the only miniseries infused with more intensity and energy than any exhibition game in recent years.

The Timberwolves were buoyant after finishing their second game against the Bucks with a 12-0 run to finish the preseason 2-0. James and Quentin Richardson were seen trading shoulder blocks all the way down the floor in Miami's preseason finale against Orlando.

"That's our sanctuary. When we get out between the lines and we're playing, that's all that matters," Richardson said. "And that's definitely our escape from anything going on, or anything negative or anything like that."

The melodrama surrounding Paul's request to be traded from New Orleans could have ripple effects throughout the Western Conference. The Lakers have been grousing since losing out on Paul and sending Lamar Odom to Dallas, but they weren't the only team hurt by that decision.

The Rockets had agreed to send Kevin Martin and Luis Scola to the Hornets as part of a three-team deal that would have landed them Gasol. Instead, they had to abandon any designs on signing Nene, go with Sam Dalembert in the middle and do some serious damage control with Scola and Martin.

While all the drama was unfolding, the Thunder have been playing the role of the young, hungry contender, ferociously working while no one was watching and preparing to throw nothing but haymakers as soon as the bell rings.

The Heat are back for another run at the title. James, Wade and Chris Bosh had the whole league against them after a presumptuous welcome ceremony on South Beach. But the spotlight hasn't been quite as bright while everyone has been looking toward the Clippers and Magic, where Howard's wishes seem to change by the day.

"It's good to see other guys around the league get that attention," Wade said. "I think they got enough of us last year. It's good to see other teams, other franchises, get that spotlight for a while. Hope they enjoy it."

The fan hunger is there as well. The Clippers sold out their game against the Lakers, and the first in that series was the most viewed preseason game in NBATV history.

The Timberwolves had 15,000 people attend their home preseason game against the Bucks, and another 2,500 turned out for a free practice on a Monday afternoon just to get a glimpse of Ricky Rubio.

More than 10,000 fans watched a free practice with the New York Knicks, and the Thunder's rabid fan base packed the arena for Durant's return to the court.

"We had to sacrifice a little bit of time and there were some harsh words thrown our way, but at the end of the day, everybody got what they wanted, which was basketball," Durant said. "That's what we worked hard for, is to play the game of basketball. We had to work the business part out and now we're just back to basketball."

Let the games begin.

___

AP Sports Writers Tim Reynolds in Miami, Anne M. Peterson in Portland, Ore., Kyle Hightower in Orlando, Fla., and freelance writer Murray Evans in Oklahoma City contributed to this story.

___

Follow Jon Krawczynski on Twitter: http:http://www.twitter.com/APkrawczynski.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111224/ap_on_sp_bk_ne/bkn_nba_begins

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সোমবার, ২৬ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১১

Obama marks Christmas with gifts, carols, church

HONOLULU (AP) ? President Barack Obama blended his roles as a father and commander-in-chief this Christmas, exchanging presents and singing carols with his family, then greeting U.S. service members stationed at a Marine base in Hawaii.

The president and his family woke up early Sunday to open gifts, the White House said, then had breakfast and sang Christmas carols at the multimillion-dollar house they rent in Kailua Beach, near Honolulu.

Obama made two trips on Christmas to nearby Marine Corps Base Hawaii, first to attend church services at the base chapel. The president dressed casually in dark khaki pants and a short-sleeve blue shirt, and his wife and daughters donned sundresses for Christmas services on a bright, breezy day on the island of Oahu.

After spending a few hours at their rental home, the president and Michelle Obama returned to the base to visit with several hundred service members and their families, as they have done in past years.

The Obamas posed for posed for photos, signed autographs and stopped to chat with the military families gathered in the dining hall, where roast beef, salad and apple pie were on the Christmas Day menu.

Eight-month-old Cooper Wall Wagner, son of Capt. Greg Wagner, got up close and personal with the president, grabbing his face, then sticking his fingers in Obama's mouth.

An amused Obama said he thought the baby just liked his "big nose" ? a comment that drew laughter from several of the Marines.

Many of the service members stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii have deployed to Afghanistan, as well as Iraq, where the last American troops were withdrawn earlier this month.

Back in the Washington area, Vice President Joe Biden and wife Jill Biden spent Christmas visiting wounded service members and their families at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Obama also called 10 service members stationed around the world ? two from each branch of the military ? on Christmas Eve. The White House said he thanked them for their service and the sacrifice of being away from their families at the holidays.

The Obamas were wrapping up their Christmas festivities with dinner at the rental home with friends and family. Among those joining the first family in Hawaii are the president's sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, who lives on Oahu, and several friends Obama has known since high school.

The president has kept a low profile since arriving in Hawaii on Friday evening to start a vacation delayed by the stalemate in Washington over extending payroll tax cuts. He has no public events planned, and his only outings are expected to be to the golf course or to take his daughters for shave ice, a Hawaiian snow cone.

The Obamas are expected to return to Washington shortly after New Year's Day.

___

Associated Press writer Jaymes Song in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, contributed to this report.

Source: http://feeds.chron.com/~r/houstonchronicle/topheadlines/~3/SLUyA4EYdEE/Obama-marks-Christmas-with-gifts-carols-church-2424723.php

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Nigerians fear more church attacks after 39 killed (AP)

MADALLA, Nigeria ? At a Nigerian Catholic church where a terror attack killed 35 people on Christmas, women tried to clean the sanctuary ahead of Mass on Monday while one man wept uncontrollably amid the debris.

Outside St. Theresa Catholic Church, crowds gathered among the burned-out cars in the dirt parking lot, angry over the attack claimed by a radical Muslim sect and fearful that the group will target more churches.

Rev. Father Christopher Jataudarde told The Associated Press that Sunday's blast happened as church officials gave parishioners white powder as part of a tradition celebrating the birth of Christ.

Some already had left the church at the time of the bombing, causing the massive casualties. In the chaos after the bombing, Jataudarde said one mortally wounded man, cradling his shredded stomach, begged him for religious atonement.

"Father, pray for me, I will not survive," the man said, according to the priest.

At least 52 people were wounded in the attack, said Slaku Luguard, a coordinator with Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency. Victims filled the cement floors of a nearby government hospital, some crying in pools of their own blood.

On Christmas, attacks by the radical Muslim sect left 39 dead across Africa's most populous nation. A bomb also exploded amid gunfire in the central Nigeria city of Jos and a suicide car bomber attacked the military in the nation's northeast.

After the bombings, a Boko Haram spokesman using the nom de guerre Abul-Qaqa claimed responsibility for the attacks in an interview with The Daily Trust, the newspaper of record across Nigeria's Muslim north. The sect has used the newspaper in the past to communicate with public.

"There will never be peace until our demands are met," the newspaper quoted the spokesman as saying. "We want all our brothers who have been incarcerated to be released; we want full implementation of the Sharia system and we want democracy and the constitution to be suspended."

Boko Haram has carried out increasingly sophisticated and bloody attacks in its campaign to implement strict Shariah law across Nigeria, a multiethnic nation of more than 160 million people. The group, whose name means "Western education is sacrilege" in the local Hausa language, is responsible for at least 504 killings this year alone, according to an Associated Press count.

This Christmas attack comes a year after a series of Christmas Eve bombings in Jos claimed by the militants left at least 32 dead and 74 wounded. The group also claimed responsibility for the Aug. 26 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Nigeria's capital Abuja that killed 24 people and wounded 116 others.

While initially targeting enemies via hit-and-run assassinations from the back of motorbikes after the 2009 riot, violence by Boko Haram now has a new sophistication and apparent planning that includes high-profile attacks with greater casualties.

That has fueled speculation about the group's ties as it has splintered into at least three different factions, diplomats and security sources say. They say the more extreme wing of the sect maintains contact with terror groups in North Africa and Somalia.

Targeting Boko Haram has remained difficult, as sect members are scattered throughout northern Nigeria and the nearby countries of Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

Analysts say political considerations also likely play a part in the country's thus-far muted response: President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian from the south, may be hesitant to use force in the nation's predominantly Muslim north.

Speaking late Sunday at a prayer service, Jonathan described the bombing as an "ugly incident."

"There is no reason for these kind of dastardly acts," the president said in a ceremony aired by the state-run Nigerian Television Authority. "It's one of the burdens as a nation we have to carry. We believe it will not last forever."

___

Jon Gambrell reported from Lagos, Nigeria and can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111226/ap_on_re_af/af_nigeria_violence

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Baltimore, MD 2012 Ford F-250 New Truck Washington DC Glen Burnie, MD Bob Bell Ford/ Hyundai/ Kia

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রবিবার, ২৫ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১১

Anglican archbishop: Bonds, trust broken in UK (AP)

LONDON ? The summer riots in Britain and the financial crisis have broken bonds and abused trust in British society, the Archbishop of Canterbury said in his Christmas Day sermon.

Archbishop Rowan Williams appealed to those congregated at Canterbury Cathedral on Sunday to learn lessons about "mutual obligation" from the events of the past year.

Citing the four days of U.K. riots and the current European debt crisis, the Archbishop said "the most pressing question" now facing Britain is "who and where we are as a society."

"Bonds have been broken, trust abused and lost," he said. "Whether it is an urban rioter mindlessly burning down a small shop that serves his community, or a speculator turning his back on the question of who bears the ultimate cost for his acquisitive adventures in the virtual reality of today's financial world, the picture is of atoms spinning apart in the dark."

Williams, leader of the world's Anglicans, also quoted from the Book of Common Prayer in his sermon to say that if offenses are against one's neighbors, one should be ready to make restitution.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111225/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_anglicans

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Giles County community reacts to Virginia Tech kicker's arrest

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Source: http://www2.wsls.com/news/2011/dec/22/giles-co-community-reacts-vt-kicker-cody-journells-ar-1563083/

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Golf-LPGA founding member Danoff dies aged 88

WASHINGTON | Sat Dec 24, 2011 3:23am IST

WASHINGTON Dec 23 (Reuters) - Bettye Danoff, one of the 13 founders of the Ladies Professional Golf Association, has died in Texas at age 88, the association said in statement Friday.

Danoff, known by her fellow golf pros as "Mighty Mite" because she was a petite woman, weighing about 100 pounds (45 kilograms) and only five-foot-two (1.57 mertres), died on Thursday, the LPGA said.

A trailblazer for the sport, Danoff brought her children with her to tournaments and became the first grandmother on the tour.

"Bettye really did make a difference, in the world of golf and all of us are living proof," LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan said in a statement posted on the association website.

"Because of her courage, and the vision/belief of many others that followed our Founders, we all get to participate in a fantastic business and game."

The Dallas native got her start in golf at age six after her parents opened a driving range and nine-hole course.

She won four consecutive Dallas Women's Golf Association Championships from 1945 to 1948. And in 1947, Danoff defeated Babe Zaharias in the Texas Women's Open, ending Babe's 17-tournament winning streak. Danoff turned pro in 1949.

Danoff would often bring her three daughters, Kaye, Janie and Debbie, with her when she competed. There was no childcare for LPGA players on the road at that time.

"I remember traveling for five consecutive tournaments with her while she played," said Debbie Bell, Danoff's youngest daughter.

"She was often frustrated because she had to find friends and people to help watch us while she competed."

In 1961, Danoff's husband, Dr. Clyde Walter Danoff, died suddenly. After that and until the mid-1970's she played only in tournaments in Texas and Oklahoma and taught golf.

In 1962, Danoff made her first hole-in-one at a tournament in Austin.

Her award - a case of beer.

Reporting by Karin Matz; Editing by David Bailey and Jerry Norton To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com

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Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/INgolf/~3/_WONNA4Nzao/golf-lpga-danoff-idINN1E7BM0AY20111223

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Romney machine rights ship after Gingrich bump (reuters)

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শনিবার, ২৪ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১১

Students Help School Janitor After Cancer Diagnosis, Job Loss

Andy Barela gets hugs from Niwot students (credit: CBS)

Andy Barela gets hugs from Niwot students (credit: CBS)

NIWOT, Colo. (CBS4) ? He was diagnosed with cancer, lost his job, and couldn?t afford a family Christmas. Then a group of students he didn?t know came to the rescue.

It would be pretty easy to miss Andy Barela in the halls of Niwot High School. He was an after hours janitor and loved it.

?It?s a family-type school and they?ve been there for me,? Barela said.


But in March, his world crashed. Barela was diagnosed with colon cancer. He lost his job and the insurance that came with it because he had to go through treatment.

?I?ve got friends, family; they?re there. They tell me, ?Keep it going, Andy.? And I do. I won?t let it take me down,? Barela said.

Mentally, Barela was set, but money was a different story. He was $15,000 in debt and 5 months behind on his rent.

?I had to tell my kids, ?This is going to be a Christmas we?re not going to have,? he said.

Barela never knew a lot of the students at school, but that doesn?t mean they don?t care.

?I started listening and I was like, ?Is somebody outside?? ?

It was carolers ? a group spearheaded by Niwot students like Katelin Soocee. And they came bearing gifts ? $6,000 from donations. The story even made the local paper, the Longmont Times-Call.

?It was killer; it started making me shake ? like, ?Wow.? ?

?I definitely wanted to help. I didn?t want it to be a bad Christmas,? Soocee said. ?He helped out our school and made our experience better. I knew I had to help out.?

It just may have help save Barela?s home, health, and his family?s Christmas.

?Wow, that girl. I know her but I really never talked to her, and she did this,? Barela said.

Barela?s doctors tell him he will likely beat his cancer.

Niwot High School says Barella can return to his job whenever he feels ready.

Andy Barela Fund

Donations for Andy Barela and his family can be sent to or dropped off at Niwot High School, 8989 Niwot Road, attention of Debbie Hauck. Checks can be made out to Andy Barela. All proceeds will go directly to the family.

Source: http://denver.cbslocal.com/2011/12/24/students-help-school-janitor-after-cancer-diagnosis-job-loss/

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First ever direct measurement of Earth's rotation

ScienceDaily (Dec. 22, 2011) ? A group with researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are the first to plot changes in Earth's axis through laboratory measurements. To do this, they constructed the world's most stable ring laser in an underground lab and used it to determine changes in Earth's rotation. Previously, scientists were only able to track shifts in the polar axis indirectly by monitoring fixed objects in space. Capturing the tilt of Earth's axis and its rotational velocity is crucial for precise positional information on Earth -- and thus for the accurate functioning of modern navigation systems, for instance.

The scientists' work has been recognized an Exceptional Research Spotlight by the American Physical Society.

Planet Earth wobbles. Like a spinning top touched in mid-spin, its rotational axis fluctuates in relation to space. This is partly caused by gravitation from the sun and the moon. At the same time, Earth's rotational axis constantly changes relative to Earth's surface. On the one hand, this is caused by variation in atmospheric pressure, ocean loading and wind. These elements combine in an effect known as the Chandler wobble to create polar motion. Named after the scientist who discovered it, this phenomenon has a period of around 435 days. On the other hand, an event known as the "annual wobble" causes the rotational axis to move over a period of a year. This is due to Earth's elliptical orbit around the sun. These two effects cause Earth's axis to migrate irregularly along a circular path with a radius of up to six meters.

Capturing these movements is crucial to create a reliable coordinate system that can feed navigation systems or project trajectory paths in space travel. "Locating a point to the exact centimeter for global positioning is an extremely dynamic process -- after all, at our latitude, we are moving at around 350 meters to the east per second," explains Prof. Karl Ulrich Schreiber who directed the project in TUM's Research Section Satellite Geodesy. The orientation of Earth's axis relative to space and its rotational velocity are currently established in a complicated process that involves 30 radio telescopes around the globe. Every Monday and Thursday, eight to twelve of these telescopes alternately measure the direction between Earth and specific quasars. Scientists assume that these galaxy nuclei never change their position and can therefore be used as reference points. The geodetic observatory Wettzell, which is run by TUM and Germany's Federal Agency for Cartography (BKG), is also part of this process.

In the mid-1990s, scientists of TUM and BKG joined forces with researchers at New Zealand's University of Canterbury to develop a simpler method that would be capable of continuously tracking the Chandler wobble and annual wobble. "We also wanted to develop an alternative that would enable us to eliminate any systematic errors," continues Schreiber. "After all, there was always a possibility that the reference points in space were not actually stationary." The scientists had the idea of building a ring laser similar to ones used in aircraft guidance systems -- only millions of times more exact. "At the time, we were almost laughed off. Hardly anyone thought that our project was feasible," says Schreiber.

Yet at the end of the 1990s, work on the world's most stable ring laser got underway at the Wettzell observatory. The installation comprises two counter-rotating laser beams that travel around a square path with mirrors in the corners, which form a closed beam path (hence the name ring laser). When the assembly rotates, the co-rotating light has farther to travel than the counter-rotating light. The beams adjust their wavelengths, causing the optical frequency to change. The scientists can use this difference to calculate the rotational velocity the instrumentation experiences. In Wettzell, it is Earth that rotates, not the ring laser. To ensure that only Earth's rotation influences the laser beams, the four-by-four-meter assembly is anchored in a solid concrete pillar, which extends six meters down into the solid rock of Earth's crust.

Earth's rotation affects light in different ways, depending on the laser's location. "If we were at one of the poles, the Earth and the laser's rotational axes would be in complete synch and their rotational velocity would map 1:1," details Schreiber. "At the equator, however, the light beam wouldn't even notice that the Earth is turning." The scientists therefore have to factor in the position of the Wettzell laser at the 49th degree of latitude. Any change in Earth's rotational axis is reflected in the indicators for rotational velocity. The light's behavior therefore reveals shifts in Earth's axis.

"The principle is simple," adds Schreiber. "The biggest challenge was ensuring that the laser remains stable enough for us to measure the weak geophysical signal without interference -- especially over a period of several months." In other words, the scientists had to eliminate any changes in frequency that do not come from Earth's rotation. These include environmental factors such as atmospheric pressure and temperature. They relied predominantly on a ceramic glass plate and a pressurized cabin to achieve this. The researchers mounted the ring laser on a nine-ton Zerodur base plate, also using Zerodur for the supporting beams. They chose Zerodur as it is extremely resistant to changes in temperature. The installation is housed in a pressurized cabin, which registers changes in atmospheric pressure and temperature (12 degrees) and automatically compensates for these. The scientists sunk the lab five meters below ground level to keep these kinds of ambient influences to a minimum. It is insulated from above with layers of Styrodur and clay, and topped by a four-meter high mound of Earth. Scientists have to pass through a twenty-meter tunnel with five cold storage doors and a lock to get to the laser.

Under these conditions, the researchers have succeeded in corroborating the Chandler and annual wobble measurements based on the data captured by radio telescopes. They now aim to make the apparatus more accurate, enabling them to determine changes in Earth's rotational axis over a single day. The scientists also plan to make the ring laser capable of continuous operation so that it can run for a period of years without any deviations. "In simple terms," concludes Schreiber, "in future, we want to be able to just pop down into the basement and find out how fast the Earth is accurately turning right now."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Technische Universitaet Muenchen.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. K. Schreiber, T. Kl?gel, J.-P. Wells, R. Hurst, A. Gebauer. How to Detect the Chandler and the Annual Wobble of the Earth with a Large Ring Laser Gyroscope. Physical Review Letters, 2011; 107 (17) DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.173904

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://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111222103114.htm

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