Iran proposes new nuclear talks with world powers (AP)

TEHRAN, Iran ? Iran has proposed a new round of talks about its controversial nuclear program with the six world powers, the country's top nuclear negotiator said Saturday.

Saeed Jalili said he has formally called on the six powers ? the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany ? to return to the negotiating table with Iran.

The invitation comes in the wake of new sanctions recently imposed by the West over Tehran's uranium enrichment program, which is a potential pathway to making nuclear arms.

The last round of negotiations between Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany in January in Istanbul, Turkey, ended in failure.

The U.S. and some of its allies accuse Iran of using its civilian nuclear program as a cover to develop atomic weapons. Iran has denied the charge, saying the program is for peaceful purposes only and is geared toward generating electricity and producing medical radioisotopes to treat cancer patients.

"We formally declared to them (the intent) to return to the path of dialogue for cooperation," Jalili told Iranian diplomats in Tehran, according to the official IRNA news agency. Jalili did not say when or through what channel he issued the invitation.

However, Iran's ambassador to Germany, Ali Reza Sheikh Attar, said earlier Saturday that Jalili was to send a letter soon to EU's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to arrange a new round of talks.

There was no immediate comment from Brussels on Jalili's reported offer.

But it is the latest signal from Tehran that the country appears to be feeling the toll of international sanctions.

The U.N. has imposed four rounds of sanctions on Tehran over the nuclear enrichment, and separately, the U.S. and the European Union have imposed their own tough economic and financial sanctions. Washington's measures target exports of gasoline and other refined petroleum products to Iran and have banned U.S. banks from doing business with foreign banks that provide services to Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

Last month, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad acknowledged that the current penalties were impeding Iran's financial institutions, saying, "our banks cannot make international transactions anymore."

And earlier in December, Iran reinstated an offer for U.N. nuclear agency officials to visit Tehran, though it did not say whether the International Atomic Energy Agency would be able to focus on suspicions that Iran is secretly working on nuclear arms ? a key condition set by the agency.

The U.S. and Israel have not ruled out a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities if Tehran doesn't stop its nuclear program.

But Jalili warned Tehran would make any aggressor regret a decision to attack Iran.

"We will give a response that will make the aggressor regret any threat against the Islamic Republic of Iran," Jalili said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111231/ap_on_re_us/iran_nuclear

music awards giants eagles bcs rankings week 13 bcs rankings week 13 philadelphia marathon rhodes scholar cranberry sauce recipe

Book Review : Drive and Curiosity: What Fuels the Passion for Science by Istvan Hargittai

Please alert Science News to any inappropriate posts by clicking the REPORT SPAM link within the post. Comments will be reviewed before posting.

Registered readers are invited to post a comment. To encourage fruitful discussion, please keep your comments relevant, brief and courteous. Offensive, irrelevant, nonsensical and commercial posts will not be published. (All links will be removed from comments.)

You must register with Science News to add a comment. To log-in click here. To register as a new user, follow this link.

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/337222/title/Book_Review__Drive_and_Curiosity_What_Fuels_the_Passion_for_Science_by_Istvan__Hargittai_

broncos giants vs jets ny giants tony romo 49ers chargers ny jets

Video: US won?t tolerate Iran disruption

>>> there is a new threat tonight from iran to block a critical supply route for oil. the strait of hormuz linking the persian gulf to the world sea-lan sea-lanes. tonight the u.s. navy is warning iran don't try it. more on this from our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell in the washington bureau. andrea.

>> iran has made these threats before, but the pentagon issued that stern rebuttal because some worried this time it could be more than just bluser. they're staging military exercises near the strait possibly in response to a recent senate amendment imposing the toughest sanctions ever on iran 's banking system and oil trade. the obama administration opposed that senate voting wanting to phase in more targeted sanctions because the strait of hormuz is the key passageway for one-sixth of the oil. the crisis could add $25 a barrel at least to oil prices , hitting the world's economy and, of course, stalling the american recovery right here just as its recovering. another big concern is also that these new sanctions will hurt a key u.s. ally, japan, which relies heavily on iranian oil. the senate voted unanimously, 100 votes in favor. now the president is boxed in. if he tries to get around the sanctions, he's accused of being soft on iran and if he doesn't he risks higher oil prices and stalling the economic recovery at home in an election year.

>> andrea, while we have you here news out of syria. arab league are witnessing the uprising and the government crackdown first hand. what are they finding?

>> it's very troubling so far to u.s. officials because the arab league monitors have been on the ground for two days and they have not pushed back against restrictions that the regime has imposed on their inspections, and neez are the first outside monitors that syria has permitted in. they have blocked their access to key areas where atroscities are reported. the u.s. is withholding any formal criticism because they hope this mission can succeed. in these two days the monitors have not gotten in and activists are reporting six more killings and opposition leaders are calling this arab league effort a farce. lester.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/45809882/

statue of liberty gold rush alaska gold rush alaska the addams family blue bloods temple grandin texas rangers

Apple launches new iTunes Match information page

Apple has created a new section on their website to give a better breakdown into how the new iTunes Match service works.

With iTunes in the Cloud, the music you buy from the iTunes Store automatically appears on all your devices.1 And for music you haven?t purchased from iTunes, iTunes Match is the perfect solution. iTunes Match is built right into iTunes on your computer and the Music app on your iOS devices.2 It lets you store your entire collection in iCloud, even music you?ve imported from CDs or purchased somewhere other than iTunes. When it?s in iCloud, it?s available on all your devices. So you can enjoy all your music anywhere, anytime ? on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, PC, or Apple TV.

Ally has already put together a great How To on getting started with iTunes Match, but in case we missed anything, it?s good to know that Apple has something setup that TiPb readers can fall back on. Check it out via the link below.

Source: Apple

Leave a Reply

Note: Comments must be civil, respectful, and on-topic. If a comment does not add to the conversation, if it contains spam advertising, or inappropriate language or content, it will be removed. Comments containing links may be held for moderation. Relax, enjoy, and share in the discussion.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/siylzCcg3W0/story01.htm

traffic report opensky dia frampton dia frampton zook john elway john elway

Adrienne Maloof On Troubled Housewives Co-star Kim Richards: ?I Wish Her The Best!?

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills? Kim Richards may have checked into rehab after a dramatic season of eyebrow-raising behavior, but her co-stars, including the tough-as-nails Adrienne Maloof, have the troubled blonde?s back. ?I love Kim, and I think [rehab] is a step in a positive direction,? Adrienne told In Touch at the Lord & Taylor launch of her new shoe collection, Adrienne Maloof by Charles Jourdan, in New York. ?She?s a funny, lovely, beautiful girl, and I wish her the best!?

While a number of her on-screen pals are facing hardships (in addition to Kim?s stint in rehab, Taylor Armstrong recently lost her estranged husband, Russell, to suicide), happily married mogul Adrienne is on a personal and professional high, having just released her sexy footwear line. ?I?ve always been passionate about shoes. It?s something that came naturally to me,? she explained. ?It is any woman?s dream come true to be able to collaborate on a shoe collection.? To check out Adrienne?s collection, visit Lord & Taylor or adriennemaloof.com.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTouchWeekly/~3/L-pCR2YvsfY/adrienne_maloof.php

rutgers risky business weather nj weather nj nyc weather nyc weather philadelphia weather

JasMollica: I unlocked the Sunday Night Football: Bears at Packers sticker on @GetGlue! http://t.co/SZp2q9Gy

• Passer la navigation
• Twitter sur votre mobile ? Cliquez ici m.twitter.com!
• Passer cette ?tape
• Connexion

• Connexion
• Rejoignez Twitter !

I unlocked the Sunday Night Football: Bears at Packers sticker on @GetGlue! bit.ly/uzXmA4 Il y a 29 minutes via GetGlue.com

JasMollica

Jason Mollica

Pied de page

• ? 2011 Twitter
• ? propos de nous
• Contact
• Blog
• Statut
• Ressources
• API
• Entreprises
• Aide
• Offres d'emploi
• Conditions
• Confidentialit?

Source: http://twitter.com/JasMollica/statuses/151134096939159553

merce cunningham saints tim hightower tim hightower waldorf school waldorf school world series game 4

Sudan army kills leader of main Darfur rebel group (AP)

KHARTOUM, Sudan ? The Sudanese army said it killed the leader of the main Darfur rebel group in fighting Sunday and touted his death as a key victory.

The army said Khalil Ibrahim, who led the Darfur-based Justice and Equality Movement, or JEM, was killed during a military offensive in North Kordofan state to retaliate for a deadly rebel attack there on Saturday. JEM is the most organized and effective military force in Darfur, the western region torn by conflict since 2003. JEM did not join a peace deal signed last year between other Darfur rebel groups and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir's government in Khartoum.

JEM representatives could not immediately be reached for comment. But if Ibrahim's death is confirmed, it would be a serious blow to JEM, which has on several occasions threatened to bring down al-Bashir's regime in Khartoum by advancing toward the capital.

Darfur has been in turmoil since 2003, when ethnic African rebels accusing the Arab-dominated Sudanese government of discrimination took up arms against it. The Khartoum government is accused of retaliating by unleashing Arab militias on civilians ? a charge the government denies. The conflict has tapered off since 2009, but the U.N. estimates 300,000 people died and 2.7 million have been displaced. The International Criminal Court in the Hague has issued an international arrest warrant for al-Bashir for his alleged role in crimes against humanity in Darfur.

An army statement carried by Sudan's official SUNA news agency said Ibrahim and several associates were killed in Wad Banda, about 440 miles (700 kilometers) west of Khartoum in the North Kordofan region, which borders Darfur.

"The army cut all paths for the group as it was retreating and trying to cross into South Sudan to reorganize it forces," said Sudanese army spokesman Col. Sawarmy Khaled. "Our gallant armed forces were able to kill rebel Khalil Ibrahim along with some of his associates."

South Sudan seceded from the north in July to become the world's newest nation.

Fighting in Wad Banda had flared up in the past few days. On Saturday, the Sudanese army said Darfur rebels attacked three locations in neighboring North Kordofan, killing an unspecified number of civilians.

JEM has not claimed responsibility for the attack. However, in a dramatic push in 2008, hundreds of JEM fighters drove through the remote western region and attacked Khartoum's western outskirts. More recently, JEM spread its armed presence from Darfur into North Kordofan.

Ibrahim is believed to have recently returned to Sudan after years in exile in neighboring Libya, where he enjoyed the patronage of Moammar Gadhafi before he was ousted and killed in October at the hands of revolutionary fighters.

Ibrahim once served in al-Bashir's government before joining the rebellion. He refused to join a peace agreement signed in Qatar and backed by the African Union that was meant to provide a basis for a cease-fire, power sharing, equal distribution of wealth and compensation for displaced people.

"He completely refused to come to the negotiating table, he never joined the peace talks," Ismail el-Haj Musa, Sudanese deputy speaker of the council of states, told the pan-Arab Al-Jazeera TV on Sunday. "He committed acts against the state."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111225/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_sudan

grady sizemore grady sizemore samhain great pumpkin charlie brown the strangers all hallows eve all saints day

Paul Loeb: If You Care About Keystone and Climate Change, Occupy Exxon

It seemed like the afterthought in the payroll tax cut extension fight, a small consolation prize to the Republicans on what should have been the easiest of bi-partisan votes. But the two-month clock is now ticking on whether Obama will approve the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada's environmentally disastrous tar sands. If we want him to make the right decision and deny the permit, maybe it's time to Occupy Exxon, with creative protests at local Exxon/Mobil stations. Of course we need to keep pressuring Obama. The bill's deadline precludes anything close to the kind of comprehensive environmental review that he called for after rallies and civil disobedience at the White House led him to delay approval for a year. But why not also go after the oil companies whose influence led the Republicans to hold the rest of the unemployment and payroll tax bill hostage to the fast-track requirement. Exxon/Mobil has long been the dirtiest of the dirty among these companies. This makes them a logical target.

In a week heralding news of melting Arctic methane beds, and a year of record global temperatures and billion-dollar weather-related disasters, demanding Keystone's approval is a stunning exercise in denial. But that's the deal that passed. So our challenge is not only to get Obama to reject the pipeline. We also want to make this raw power grab backfire on those who insisted on it by turning at least part of the national conversation back onto oil company greed. The more we do this, the more political room we create for Obama both to block the pipeline and to act more forcefully on climate change in general. So just as Occupy Wall Street has got us talking about predatory banks, Occupying Exxon would get Americans thinking about destructive fossil fuel interests--whether they're fighting for the pipeline, convincing the Republicans to block proposed cut-backs to their massive tax subsidies, or paying nothing in federal income taxes, as Exxon did as recently as 2009. Targeting Exxon links an issue most Americans may have barely heard of with a company known as an embodiment of greed. It also links Exxon's lobbying for the pipeline with their long-time backing of climate change denial. Using strategies, scientists, and PR firms borrowed from the tobacco industry, Exxon contributed $16 million between 1998 and 2005 to groups denying human-caused climate change and spent over $55 million to lobbying, at a time when even BP and Shell were beginning to acknowledge the reality. Exxon's claimed they've now cut this funding, but continue to back institutes and support politicians who promote denial.

The pipeline matters, because building it invites the acceleration of tar sands extraction. And the process leaves the resulting fuel contributing as much as three times the greenhouse emissions per energy unit as conventional oil. Given the massive size of these deposits, their full exploitation, say NASA's leading climate scientist, James Hansen, would create "game over for the planet." For this reason, twenty of Hansen's most respected climate scientist peers sent a letter to Obama opposing the pipeline, as did Desmond Tutu, eight other Nobel Peace Prize winners, and every major American environmental group, including the most conservative ones.

Given Obama's two month decision window, we need to keep pressure on the White House, from calling and writing, to public rallies, perhaps even at Obama campaign offices. The chances of Obama's again rising to the occasion are far greater if there's continued public outcry about the pipeline. But one powerful way to create this is to tie the proposal and the politicians who've backed it to the greed-driven agenda of the oil companies. I'd suggest we invite the Occupy Movement, environmental groups, and anyone appalled at our pay-to-play politics to show up at local Exxon/Mobil stations in whatever nonviolent and creative ways they can, whether through picketing, vigils, guerrilla theater, or civil disobedience. Other oil companies are also involved in the tar sands, like BP, Chevron, Shell and Conoco. Brand-name gas stations sometimes sell fuel from ostensible competitors. But Exxon remains the most powerful symbol, because of all they've done and are continuing to do in promoting blanket denial.

As always, the Republicans claim this is a jobs issue. Yet a credible Cornell study points out that the pipeline could actually cost American jobs, and even if the pipeline backers are right, we're talking only 5,000-6,000 temporary positions for two years. That doesn't count the climate change risks or the potential for the pipeline to break and pollute the massive Ogallala aquifer that sustains America's agricultural heartland. The latter possibility impelled Nebraska's Republican governor to speak out against the pipeline, in the wake of major citizen outcry and a 42,000-gallon leak this past July that spilled into the Yellowstone River from Exxon's Silvertip Pipeline. So any economic benefit would go largely to the project's promoters.

For most Americans, I suspect Keystone feels like an obscure minor issue worth the tangible gain of extending unemployment benefits and the payroll tax cut. I doubt they're highly invested on either side. But we know that the groups that lobbied for the Pipeline will go all out this round, so staying silent or confining ourselves to virtual lobbying is a bad option. But if we make Exxon and the oil companies the sleazy face of the fight, we can change the political context. Occupy Exxon protests would invite people to undertake flexible and creative approaches to the issue in their own backyards. They'd highlight the oil companies as the heart of the issue, so if Obama allows the pipeline he'll be seen as supporting them, and if he blocks it he can justly frame it as challenging corporate greed. Exxon's long undermined the habitability of the planet, from their day-to-day operations to their long-term political role. Targeting them just might make their latest destructive power grab finally backfire.

Paul Loeb is author of Soul of a Citizen, with 130,000 copies in print including a newly updated second edition now being used in hundreds of schools to promote civic engagement. He's also the author of The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen's Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear, named the #3 political book of 2004 by the History Channel and the American Book Association. See www.paulloeb.org To receive Paul's articles directly www.paulloeb.org/subscribe.html You can sign up here for his Huffington Post pieces.

?

?

?

Follow Paul Loeb on Twitter: www.twitter.com/paulloeb

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-loeb/if-you-care-about-keyston_b_1170119.html

mike leach billy graham scion fr s elf on a shelf elf on a shelf carrier iq carrier iq

Apple iPhone 4 32GB (Never Locked) GSM Smartphone Price Dropped to $919.99

Apple iPhone 4 32GB (Never Locked) GSM Smartphone

?

iPhone 4 has two cameras: One on the front, which focuses on you. And one on the back, which focuses on everything else. FaceTime lets you switch back and forth between them at any time during a video call. All you have to do is tap a button.The Retina display on iPhone 4 is the sharpest, most vibrant, highest-resolution phone screen ever, with four times the pixel count of previous iPhone models. In fact, the pixel density is so high that the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels. Which makes text amazingly crisp and images stunningly sharp.iPhone 4 introduces a whole new way of multitasking. Now you can run your favorite third-party apps ? and switch between them instantly ? without slowing down the performance of the foreground app or draining the battery unnecessarily.1 This smarter approach to multitasking is available only on iPhone.Shoot your own movies in high definition. Capture impressive video even in low-light settings, thanks to the advanced backside illumination sensor and built-in LED light. Then edit and create your own mini-masterpiece right on iPhone 4 using the new iMovie app ? with Apple-designed themes, titles, and transitions.Take beautiful, detailed photos with the new 5-megapixel camera with built-in LED flash. The advanced backside illumination sensor captures great pictures even in low light. And the new front-facing camera makes it easy to take self-portraits.

Source: http://www.cellhut.com/productdetails.asp?productid=30479

black friday deals molokai molokai ashton kutcher twitter sandusky barbados raiders chargers

Economic inequality an issue for 2012 campaign (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Fighting to win over unhappy American voters, President Barack Obama and his Republican challengers are seizing on one of the most potent issues this election season: the struggling middle class and the widening gap between rich and poor.

Highlighted by the Occupy movement and fanned by record profits on Wall Street at a time of stubborn unemployment, economic inequality is now taking center stage in the 2012 presidential campaign, emphasized by Obama and offering opportunities and risks for him and his GOP opponents as both sides battle for the allegiance of the angst-ridden electorate.

For Obama, who calls boosting middle-class opportunity "the defining issue of our time," the question is whether he can bring voters along ? while parrying GOP accusations of class warfare ? even though he's failed to solve the country's economic woes during his first term in office.

For Republicans, Obama's potential vulnerability gives them an opening, but they also must battle perceptions that their policies favor the wealthy at a time when voters support Obama's call to raise taxes on the very rich. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has already made clear he'll resist Obama's attempts to capitalize on the issue, adopting the language of Occupy Wall Street in an interview with the Washington Post this month where he called the president "a member of the 1 percent."

For both sides, the question is how to find political advantage in light of a weak economy with unemployment above 8 percent. Since Obama is expected to run for re-election with higher unemployment than any recent president even if the economy continues to show signs of improvement, he must aim to set the terms of the debate in a way that helps him and hurts the GOP ? while Republicans will be working just as hard to deny him any advantage.

The president won a year-end victory Friday with the passage of a two-month extension of a payroll tax cut that had bipartisan support in the Senate.

The measure will keep in place a 2 percentage point cut in the Social Security payroll tax ? worth about $20 a week for a typical worker making $50,000 a year ? and prevent almost 2 million unemployed people from losing jobless benefits averaging $300 a week.

House Republicans had unsuccessfully attempted to push for further negotiations toward a yearlong extension, which allowed Obama to argue for the two-month extension of the tax cuts and prevention of a pending tax increase. The two sides resume discussions on the payroll tax cut early next year.

Obama's campaign pressed its economic argument Friday in an op-ed by Vice President Joe Biden in The Des Moines Register where Biden, taking direct aim at Romney, wrote that the former Massachusetts governor "would actually double down on the policies that caused the greatest economic calamity since the Great Depression and accelerated a decades-long assault on the middle class."

Romney, campaigning in New Hampshire, quickly countered that it's Obama who is hurting the country and expressed astonishment that Biden would have the "chutzpah ... the delusion" to write such a piece. "This president and his policies have made it harder on the American people and on the middle class," Romney said.

It was a preview of an argument certain to carry through the 2012 race, as the Obama campaign, viewing Romney as the likely GOP nominee even before any votes have been cast, works vigorously to define him early on, and Romney does everything he can to resist.

And the dispute taps into a striking reality. After-tax income grew by 275 percent between 1979 and 2007 for the top 1 percent of the population, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found in a report this fall. But for the 20 percent of the population making the least money, income growth over the same period was only 18 percent.

Obama "is viewed as more likely to help the middle class than is the GOP, so he can capitalize on this by playing on concerns about inequality and contrasting his positions and the GOP's on issues like tax cuts for the wealthy," John Sides, political science professor at George Washington University, said by email. "However," Sides added, "it's an open question whether that strategy would enable him to overcome a weak economy and win."

Aides say Obama has long been concerned with economic inequality given his background in community organizing. But he brought the issue into much sharper focus in a speech in Osawatomie, Kan., earlier this month, where he reprised a populist message delivered in the same town by Theodore Roosevelt decades ago, and decried a growing inequality between chief executives and their workers.

"This kind of inequality ? a level that we haven't seen since the Great Depression ? hurts us all," Obama said at the time.

"This kind of gaping inequality gives lie to the promise that's at the very heart of America: that this is a place where you can make it if you try."

The issue has become a rallying cry of the Occupy Wall Street movement that's swept the country, with activists proclaiming "We are the 99 percent" ? as opposed to the "1 percent" at the top. And Obama advisers have identified this sense of inequality as the strongest current running through politics, one that they will be focusing on through Election Day.

But some polling suggests a note of caution for Obama in pressing the inequality argument. Gallup found this month that a majority of Americans don't view the country as divided into haves and have-nots. The polling also found that more people thought it was important for the government to focus on growing and expanding the economy, (82 percent) and increasing equality of opportunity (70 percent) than on reducing the income and wealth gap between the rich and poor (46 percent).

"The middle class certainly believes that it's in trouble and rightly so, because it is," said Bill Galston, a former Clinton administration domestic policy adviser now at the Brookings Institution. "But they are yet to be convinced that going after the rich will go to the heart of the problems that now afflict them."

That may suggest an opening for some GOP attacks against Obama. Romney charged in a speech in New Hampshire this month that Obama is pursuing an "entitlement society," versus the "opportunity society" that the former Massachusetts governor said he wants to offer the country. Newt Gingrich, Romney and other Republicans also regularly accuse Obama of "class warfare."

Obama senior adviser David Axelrod called such criticism the "Republican cartoon" of Obama's argument.

"In some ways the race will be different depending on who the nominee is but in some ways the same because they largely subscribe to the same economic theory" of cutting taxes for the wealthy and paring back regulations, said Axelrod. He added that Obama's speech in Osawatomie, Kan., "was a very, very good statement of his values and vision and will help frame much of what comes in the next year."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111224/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_economic_inequality

gunner kiel baby lisa baby lisa paranormal activity wvu football meteor shower tonight district 9

allezlesbleusca: RT @chatfootball: http://t.co/Ck4zrTRN Class 2012: Kent prep (USA) Linebacker/Tight End Pierre-Luc Caron undecided between CIS or NCAA ( ...

• Passer la navigation
• Twitter sur votre mobile ? Cliquez ici m.twitter.com!
• Passer cette ?tape
• Connexion

• Connexion
• Rejoignez Twitter !

canadafootballchat.com/news/recruitin? Class 2012: Kent prep (USA) Linebacker/Tight End Pierre-Luc Caron undecided between CIS or NCAA (VIDEO) Il y a environ 10 heures via web Retweeted by 1 person

chatfootball

Canada Football Chat

Pied de page

• ? 2011 Twitter
• ? propos de nous
• Contact
• Blog
• Statut
• Ressources
• API
• Entreprises
• Aide
• Offres d'emploi
• Conditions
• Confidentialit?

Source: http://twitter.com/allezlesbleusca/statuses/150282247570853888

richard stallman williston north dakota williston north dakota kody brown transylvania terrell owens terrell owens

The Large Hadron Collider Has Been Recreated In Lego

[unable to retrieve full-text content]An anonymous reader writes "The Large Hadron Collider has many fans, and one of its biggest is Sasha Mehlhase, a physicist from the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen. Mehlhase has decided to help promote the LHC to students by taking the time to recreate a 1:50 scale model of it using Lego bricks. In total he spent 81 hours creating it, which was split between 48 hours of designing the model on his laptop, and a further 33 hours putting it together."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/j6b-9x0e86Q/the-large-hadron-collider-has-been-recreated-in-lego

coach outlet apostasy canon powershot elph 300 hs christmas lights canon eos rebel t3 christmas photo cards ar 15

Live: Obama to Talk About Payroll Tax Before Flying to Hawaii (The Atlantic Wire)

President Obama will speak at approximately 12:15 p.m to address the pay roll tax cut extension, and less than an hour later he's scheduled to board a plane to Honolulu, Hawaii, for his holiday vacation. On Thursday Obama said he would sign the payroll tax cut extension as soon as it found its way to his desk. House Republicans finally passed the payroll tax cut extension this morning, and this afternoon's speech is probably going to be the formalities and confirmation that he's signed the extension into effect. But the bigger news in the Twitter-verse seems to be that the speech isn't going to be too long or drawn out as the President has a 1:05 p.m. flight to Hawaii to catch and a vacation to start.

Related: Obama Repeats Proposal But Offers Assurance at AIPAC

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/atlantic/20111223/pl_atlantic/liveobamatalkaboutpayrolltaxflyinghawaii46615

recursion amy schumer amy schumer ascii art ascii art andrew mason once in a blue moon

Congo forces kill 24 since vote results: HRW (Reuters)

KINSHASA (Reuters) ? Democratic Republic of Congo security forces have killed 24 people since President Joseph Kabila won a disputed presidential election, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday.

The rights group said all but four of the victims were killed in the capital Kinshasa, where main opposition rival Etienne Tshisekedi is popular. It said there was evidence security forces had tried to hide the killings.

Among the victims, a 21-year-old woman was shot dead and her 8-year-old niece shot in the throat on the day of the election results, as police fired on crowds of opposition supporters in the capital according to HRW, which said its information came from fieldwork, local human rights activists and witnesses.

Security forces appear to have tried to hide the killings by quickly removing corpses, the report said, while sections of the military, including the presidential guard, are accused of detaining people in military camps in the capital.

"These bloody tactics further undermine the electoral process and leave the impression that the government will do whatever it takes to stay in power," HRW's senior Africa researcher Anneke Van Woudenberg said in the statement.

A government official was not available to comment.

Congo's opposition has rejected Kabila's victory in the November 28 poll over allegations of fraud, triggering some street protests. The election process has also drawn wide criticism from international and local observers for irregularities.

The election commission issued the results on December 9, giving Kabila 49 percent of the votes cast to Tshisekedi's 32 percent.

These latest death figures follow an earlier report by HRW saying that 18 people had been killed by security forces in the run up to the polls, claims strongly disputed by the government, which launched an inquiry but said there was a lack of evidence.

Security has been visibly tight since polling day, particularly in key opposition areas including the Kasai provinces and Kinshasa, where heavily armed police and military have been on patrol since the beginning of the month.

On Tuesday heavily equipped riot officers forcibly removed around 40 female protesters who had been staging a sit-in outside the US embassy in Kinshasa, a Reuters witness said.

Congo is still recovering from a 1998-2003 war that killed more than five million people, but a flawed election process and the opposition's refusal to acknowledge the results have led to fears of a protracted political crisis.

There are fears that plans by Tshisekedi to hold his own swearing in ceremony on Friday could spark further clashes.

(Editing by Richard Valdmanis)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111222/wl_nm/us_congo_killings_report

amazon promotional code artificial christmas trees bean bag chairs android tablet arthur christmas asus transformer nebraska football

PFT: Barkley taking big risk by delaying NFL move

Getty Images

Still nine games back with 43 to go, I need a minor miracle to catch Rosenthal.? But I?m not going to start pulling out Hail Mary-type maneuvers by doing something like Picking the Chiefs to beat the Packers.

I mean, that would be kooky.

Rosenthal and I emerged from that crazy, upside-down Week 15 at 9-7 each.? For the year, he?s 151-73.? I?m 142-82.

Texans at Colts

Florio?s take:? Not long ago, it was presumed that the Colts would beat the Texans.? That was before the Colts lost Peyton Manning ? and before the Texans found their defense.? The ongoing absence of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips makes this one less of a sure thing for Houston, but the Colts surely won?t be looking to risk losing the Andrew Luck pick.

Florio?s pick:? Texans 28, Colts 13.

Rosenthal?s take: The Texans were reminded last week that their margin for error isn?t huge with T.J. Yates at quarterback. But that won?t be a problem this week. Houston?s defense will want to make amends after getting manhandled against Carolina. Expect 35 rushing attempts by the Texans.

Rosenthal?s pick: Texans 26, Colts 10.

Browns at Ravens

Florio?s take:? The Browns are one of the few inferior teams the Ravens managed to beat on the road.? This time, the Browns come to Baltimore, where the team that used to play in Cleveland has lost once in the last two seasons.? With the division title only two wins away, the Ravens won?t be blowing their chance to play a postseason game at home for the first time in the John Harbaugh/Joe Flacco tenure.

Florio?s pick:? Ravens 31, Browns 17.

Rosenthal?s take: Seneca Wallace looked like a slight upgrade from Colt McCoy.? Peyton Hillis is slightly healthier and more effective than he was earlier in the season.? So I?ll predict the Browns will make this slightly more interesting than the last time these two teams played.

Rosenthal?s pick: Ravens 27, Browns 17.

Broncos at Bills

Florio?s take:? Tebowmania takes Buffalo, where the Bills have seen a 4-1 start disintegrate, via seven straight losses.? With a trip to New England looming, this one gives the Bills their last, best shot at winning another game.? Though a playoff berth seems inevitable for the Broncos, it?ll have to wait until Week 17.

Florio?s pick:? Bills 24, Broncos 20.

Rosenthal?s take: Timing is everything. If the Bills started the season at 0-7, losing by an average of 18 points per week, Chan Gailey would be on the hot seat. But the Bills started fast before the bottom fell out, so no one has noticed that Buffalo is arguably the worst team in football at the moment.

Rosenthal?s pick: Broncos 23, Bills 16.

Buccaneers at Panthers

Florio?s take:? The Panthers have gotten better on the fly.? The Bucs have fallen apart, with eight straight losses.? Though anything can happen when teams from the same division square off, the Bucs haven?t made much of anything happen this year.? The Panthers won?t need to annex Puerto Rico or any other U.S. territories to win this one on Saturday.

Florio?s pick:? Panthers 34, Buccaneers 23.

Rosenthal?s take: The Bucs also have an argument for the worst team of the second half.? They?ve lost eight straight, with the last three by 21 points per game. Tampa is no longer even the up-and-coming ?Youngry? team in the division with the cool franchise quarterback; that?s now Carolina.

Rosenthal?s pick: Panthers 36, Buccaneers 23.

Cardinals at Bengals

Florio?s take:? One of the best games of the weekend will unfold before another way-less-than-capacity crowd in Cincinnati.? The Cardinals have won six of seven, and the Bengals still find themselves in the thick of things in the AFC wild-card chase.? But the Bengals have lost some of their punch in recent weeks, barely beating a pair of bad teams and losing four games to playoff contenders.? The Cardinals may not make it to the postseason, but it won?t be because they failed to handle their business.

Florio?s pick:? Cardinals 20, Bengals 17.

Rosenthal?s take: A legitimate quarterback controversy between Kevin Kolb and John Skelton is a surprising development. Arizona winning six of seven games in insane final possession fashion is even more surprising. The streak of luck ends against a Bengals team that was the surprise of the early season.

Rosenthal?s pick: Bengals 28, Cardinals 24.

Raiders at Chiefs

Florio?s take:? Chiefs players want to win for interim coach Romeo Crennel.? If they?d wanted to win as badly for former head coach Todd Haley, Crennel wouldn?t have the job he currently holds.? Kyle Orton and company keep making an unlikely push to the playoffs, as the Raiders continue to wonder how good they could have been if Darren McFadden hadn?t injured his foot the last time they played the team from Kansas City.

Florio?s pick:? Chiefs 24, Raiders 17.

Rosenthal?s take: Suddenly this game means a great deal. Both teams are trying to stay alive in the AFC West race. Romeo Crennel is trying to win a job. Hue Jackson is trying to justify his trade for Carson Palmer. Unfortunately, I fear that all the drama in the AFC West race will be over after this week.

Rosenthal?s pick: Chiefs 30, Raiders 20.

Dolphins at Patriots

Florio?s take:? Yes, the Dolphins aren?t as bad as they were when they lost seven straight games.? Yes, the Dolphins played the Patriots tough in Week One.? But the Patriots are two home wins away from the No. 1 seed for the second straight year.? Defensive warts and all, the Pats won?t be choking ? at least until they host the Jets or the Ravens in January.

Florio?s pick:? Patriots 35, Dolphins 23.

Rosenthal?s take: The Dolphins are 5-2 in their last seven games. The defense that got strafed in Week One by Tom Brady has improved greatly. Karlos Dansby, Kevin Burnett, and Vontae Davis are all playing much better for Miami. This is a dangerous game for the Patriots as they try to lock up the No. 1 seed.

Rosenthal?s pick: Patriots 26, Dolphins 24.

Giants at Jets

Florio?s take:? I?ve said for days that, if there were a way for both teams to lose this one, that?s what would happen.? (Maybe that means a tie is coming.)? The Giants have the better team on paper, but on paper the Giants shouldn?t have lost five of six games.? Recent trends have the Jets pulling things together and getting to the playoffs and the Giants completing a slide out of postseason contention.? Though all reason and common sense points to a Giants win, neither team?s performance this year has meshed with reason and common sense.

Florio?s pick:? Jets 17, Giants 14.

Rosenthal?s take: The Giants don?t have much if they don?t have a pass rush. And they don?t have much of a pass rush right now. At least the Jets have one reliable strength: Their pass defense. That should be enough to stop a Giants team that relies too much on Eli Manning.

Rosenthal?s pick: Jets 22, Giants 17.

Rams at Steelers

Florio?s take:? Against any other team, the question of whether the Steelers would use Ben Roethlisberger or Charlie Batch at quarterback would matter.? But these are the Rams.? The 2-12 Rams.? The hopelessly hapless Rams.? The Steelers would be likely to win this one even with one of the St. Louis backup quarterbacks taking the snaps for the home team.

Florio?s pick:? Steelers 20, Rams 3.

Rosenthal?s take: Charlie Batch is 37 years old. He was once teammates with Barry Sanders. At some point, the Steelers are going to roll him out there, and he just won?t be able to play the position anymore. Batch looked rough in his brief appearance two weeks ago. On the plus side: The Rams look rough every week.

Rosenthal?s pick: Steelers 16, Rams 6.

Jaguars at Titans

Florio?s take:? Though the Titans lost to the winless Colts last week, the Jaguars have been looking even worse in recent weeks, notwithstanding the contributions of Maurice Jones-Drew.? So with Matt Hasselbeck, Jake Locker, or even Vince Young at quarterback, the Titans should be able to take care of business ? despite the fact that the Jaguars pulled off the win the last time around.

Florio?s pick:? Titans 27, Jaguars 14.

Rosenthal?s take: Analysts have crushed Blaine Gabbert for his weak pocket presence all year. So interim coach Mel Tucker overcompensated by calling Gabbert ?courageous? and ?super-tough? this week. The Jaguars might be better off with a coach that recognizes Gabbert?s faults and tries to improve upon them.

Rosenthal?s pick: Titans 27, Jaguars 17.

Vikings at Redskins

Florio?s take:? Last year, the Vikings played their butts off against the Redskins in D.C., hopeful of helping Leslie Frazier lose the ?interim? tag.? This year, most Vikings don?t seem to care about Frazier or anyone else.? On a weekly basis, it shows.? It?s likely to show again on Saturday.

Florio?s pick:? Redskins 23, Vikings 10.

Rosenthal?s take: The Vikings feel like a 3-13 team, but their last win is more likely to come next week against the Bears. The Redskins feel exactly like a 6-10 type of team. They will hit their magic number on Sunday. This ?analysis? made more sense in my head.

Rosenthal?s pick: Redskins 26, Vikings 17.

Chargers at Lions

Florio?s take:? Norv Turner?s team has launched another impressive late-season run.? But the Lions have rediscovered their explosiveness on offense.? It?s time for Detroit to nail down its first playoff berth in more than a decade ? and to do so not by the skin of their teeth but by flexing some Motown muscle.

Florio?s pick:? Lions 35, Chargers 17.

Rosenthal?s take: Both quarterbacks in this game are playing very well.? Matthew Stafford saves his best stuff for the fourth quarter, while Philip Rivers has simply been on fire for three weeks. The Lions are 4-5 since beating the Bears on Monday Night Football. I?m not convinced they can beat good teams. The Chargers finally are a good team.

Rosenthal?s pick: Chargers 33, Lions 30.

Eagles at Cowboys

Florio?s take:? Jerry Jones fears the Eagles.? And for good reason.? Philly has found its groove, perhaps too late.? But not late enough for the Dream Team to complete a sweep of America?s Team.

Florio?s pick:? Eagles 33, Cowboys 27.

Rosenthal?s take: I predicted the Eagles would miss the playoffs at the beginning of the year. Despite a 6-8 record, they are somehow still alive and look like the best team in the division. I?m trying not to fall for it. It?s all part of an elaborate plan for Andy Reid to torture Eagles fans in the most painful way possible.

Rosenthal?s pick: Cowboys 30, Eagles 27.

49ers at Seahawks

Florio?s take:? The Jim Harbaugh-Pete Carroll rivalry is renewed, weeks after we?d all forgotten about it.? But even if the Seahawks can?t get the help they need to make it to the playoffs, they can throw a wrench into the Niners? plans for an easier path to Indy by killing Harbaugh?s shot at a bye.

Florio?s pick:? Seahawks 23, 49ers 17.

Rosenthal?s take: This is a dangerous game for the 49ers on a short week. Seattle?s defense continues to improve, while Tarvaris Jackson is playing his football of the season. (Without both his starting wideouts.) Both teams play a style designed to keep the game close. That favors the home team.

Rosenthal?s pick: Seahawks 17, 49ers 13.

Bears at Packers

Florio?s take:? Not long ago, this looked like it could be one of the best games of the year.? Now, it?ll mainly be an opportunity for the Packers to get the bad taste out of their mouths that came from losing to the Chiefs.

Florio?s pick:? Packers 35, Bears 13.

Rosenthal?s take: Josh McCown was coaching high school football four weeks ago. On Christmas night, he?ll show that he?s better than Caleb Hanie, and that it doesn?t really make a difference. The Packers have solved bigger injury problems than a few missing tackles.

Rosenthal?s pick: Packers 31, Bears 14.

Falcons at Saints

Florio?s take:? The Falcons beat the Saints in New Orleans last year.? Somehow.? This year, the Saints are unstoppable in the Superdome, thanks to a record-smashing season from Drew Brees.? But the Falcons have the firepower to keep it interesting.? Get your popcorn ready.? And your abacus.

Florio?s pick:? Saints 45, Falcons 38.

Rosenthal?s take: Exactly three points decided the last four games in this series. Atlanta will do enough to remind everyone the Saints? defense really hasn?t improved much. But the Falcons won?t do enough to hand New Orleans their first home loss of the year.

Rosenthal?s pick: Saints 34, Falcons 31.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/12/22/barkley-takes-a-big-risk-by-sticking-around/related/

bcs championship heath bell tiger woods greg oden eddie long ncaa bowl schedule ncaa bowl schedule

Cam Newton?s Trick Play Was My Second-Favorite Moment of the Season [NFL Roundtable] (Deadspin)

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

Source: http://wik.io/info/US/305786432

issue 2 ohio issue 2 ohio election results 2011 election results 2011 board of elections board of elections senate bill 5

Syria nearer to sign Arab plan, crackdown continues (Reuters)

AMMAN (Reuters) ? Gulf officials expressed hope Sunday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would finally sign an Arab League peace aimed at ending a crackdown on protests and averting civil war.

After six weeks of Syrian stalling, Qatar said it had information Assad would sign the plan, which calls for withdrawing the army from towns that have turned against him, freeing thousands of political prisoners, starting dialogue with the opposition and letting monitors into the country.

"We have information that indicates that he will sign the initiative. If this is true or not true we'll see," Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani told journalists on the sidelines of a meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh, in remarks carried by al-Arabiya Television.

Omani Foreign Minister Youssef bin Alawi bin Abdullah said: "We are optimistic that Syria will join the Arab League in signing the protocol, which is ready now, within 24 hours."

"That is what we hope for. If not, the Arab League foreign ministers will meet Wednesday to consider measures that might be taken in the future," he said in Riyadh.

The Arab League has suspended Syria's membership and announced sanctions over Assad's refusal so far to sign up to its peace plan.

Arab ministers are set to meet later this week and could decide to submit their plan to the U.N. Security Council, making it a potential basis for wider international action.

Armed resistance has emerged in the last two months, alongside a peaceful protest movement that began in March inspired by uprisings across the Arab world.

Loyalist forces, including a pro-Assad militia, have reportedly taken scores of casualties from insurgents in the last few weeks, especially in the northwestern province of Idlib near Turkey and in the central region of Homs.

Sectarian killings have occurred in Homs, a city of one million people, 140 km (88 miles) north of Damascus, between members of Assad's Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, and Sunnis, who are the majority in Syria.

Assad, 46, has ruled Syria since inheriting power from his late father in 2000. He says his forces are fighting insurgents backed by foreign powers and that his critics are serving a conspiracy to sow sectarian strife in the country of 21 million at the heart of the Arab Middle East.

He told an Iraqi delegation Saturday that it was in Syria's interest "for the world to know what is going on away from misinformation and the turning of facts on their head, which aims to foil any prospect of a solution."

REPORTED KILLINGS, DEFECTIONS

Events on the ground in Syria are difficult to verify as the government does not allow most independent journalists.

Troops shot dead six civilians and one conscript Sunday in raids in Homs and Idlib, according to activist groups. A campain of arrests and house-to-house raids expanded in Damascus suburbs and in towns to the south of the capital, during which 10 people were killed last week and hundreds were arrested.

The official state news agency said a vehicle being used by what it described as terrorists to transport explosives blew up in Homs Saturday, killing two militants.

In Palmyra, home to famed Roman-era ruins in the desert southeast of Homs, several security personnel defected after six protesters were injured in firing by security forces on a demonstration in the town, activist groups said.

They said a group of soldiers also defected from guard posts at the notorious Palmyra Prison, where hundreds of Assad's father's opponents were killed in the 1980s.

Fighting erupted between deserters and a garrison stationed near the jail. Armoured vehicles fired heavy machineguns at residential neighborhoods, activists said.

"The people are responding by shouting 'God is greater' from their homes," a resident of the town, who gave his name as Mohammad and works in the now-moribund tourism industry, told Reuters by phone.

The United Nations says Assad's crackdown on protests inspired by uprisings across the Arab world this year has killed more than 5,000 people. Authorities blame armed gangs for the violence and say 1,100 soldiers and police have been killed.

An Arab ministerial committee on Syria has recommended Arab foreign ministers, who will meet in Egypt Wednesday, discuss asking the U.N. Security Council to adopt their peace plan.

Long-time Syrian ally and arms supplier Russia took a step closer to the Western position Thursday when it presented a surprise draft resolution at the United Nations which stepped up its criticism of the bloodshed in Syria.

The opposition Syrian National Council met in Tunisia on Saturday, the first anniversary of the self-immolation of Tunisian vegetable seller Mohamed Bouazizi, the incident that set off the wave of revolts around the Arab world.

(Additional reporting by Amena Bakr in Riyadh and Erika Solomon in Beirut)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111218/wl_nm/us_syria

richard hamilton yu darvish paris jackson paris jackson howard stern americas got talent china aircraft carrier barbara walters most fascinating person 2011

Moody's cuts Belgium ratings by 2 notches (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Moody's on Friday cut Belgium's credit rating by two notches, saying the euro zone debt crisis increases funding risks for countries with high public debt burdens.

Concerns about Belgium's economic growth prospects and its banking system, particularly with contingent liabilities stemming from the Dexia group bailout, also contributed to the decision, Moody's said.

"The fragility of the sovereign debt markets (in the euro zone) is increasingly entrenched and unlikely to be reversed in the near future," Moody's said in a statement.

"It translates into heightened potential for funding stress for euro area countries with high public debt burdens and refinancing needs like Belgium," it added.

Belgium's government declined to comment on Moody's decision.

The ratings agency lowered Belgium's local- and foreign-currency government bond ratings to Aa3 from Aa1. The new rating has a negative outlook, which means another downgrade is possible in a couple of years.

The negative outlook reflects ongoing concerns about Belgium's government finances and economic growth prospects in the euro zone due to the debt crisis, Moody's sovereign credit analyst Alexander Kockerbeck told Reuters in an interview.

Belgium on December 5 formed a new six-party coalition government after a caretaker administration approved a budget with austerity measures at the end of November. The budget agreement came just hours after Standard & Poor's cut the country's rating to AA from AA-plus.

The new government must satisfy demands of the Dutch-speaking Flemish majority for devolution of further powers to Belgium's regions, and may have to redraw a budget that economists say is based on too optimistic a growth forecast.

"The recent experience in Belgium is that the political bargaining process can be very challenging and it could be that the new government may need to agree on additional measures," said Kockerbeck.

"It is challenging certainly for the government to come up with additional measures given the downward revisions of economic growth that we experienced in the euro zone as a whole," he added.

Earlier on Friday, rival Fitch Ratings placed Belgium's AA-plus rating on credit watch negative, signaling a downgrade is possible within three months.

Standard & Poor's, which rates the country at AA, also has the rating on watch negative as part of a broader review of 15 euro zone countries.

On Thursday Moody's cut the rating on Dexia's French division Dexia Credit Local to Baa1 from A3, citing concerns about the comprehensiveness of the funding guarantee scheme provided to the unit. It threatened the division with more cuts.

In October, Belgium, France and Luxembourg agreed to guarantee the bond funding raised by the division for the next 10 years, up to 90 billion euros ($116.6 billion).

(Additional reporting by Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels; Editing by Dan Grebler and Andrew Hay)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111216/bs_nm/us_belgium_ratings_moodys

garmin nuvi 1450 amzn tommy john surgery colorado weather alcohol poisoning alcohol poisoning mark ingram

BlackBerry delay darkens RIM's future (Reuters)

TORONTO (Reuters) ? A months-long delay in Research in Motion's new BlackBerrys and a dreary quarterly report sent RIM shares tumbling again on Friday and pushed some analysts to sound the death knell for the mobile device that once defined the industry.

RIM's announcement late Thursday that it expected to launch smartphones powered by its new QNX operating system months after initially expected revived calls for the ouster of RIM's co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie.

The delay, combined with a dismal performance outlook issued along with the quarterly results, sparked renewed chatter about the break-up of the Canadian tech giant, which has floundered as nimbler competitors claw away at its market share.

"RIM confirmed the BlackBerry 10 smartphones will be delayed until the latter part of calendar 2012. This could be game over for the BlackBerry franchise," analysts at Canadian brokerage National Bank Financial wrote in a note to clients. BlackBerry 10 is the name the company has given to the QNX phones, which RIM had initially expected to deliver in the first quarter.

On Friday, the delay spurred several brokerage firms to cut their price targets and ratings on RIM shares and sent the Waterloo, Ontario-based company's shares tumbling more than 12 percent on Friday.

"We see a high risk that this is too late to turn around RIM's position and believe the risk of further delays is meaningful," Nomura analyst Stuart Jeffrey said in a research note. "Even in the best case, however, it seems unlikely RIM will have large volumes of its BB10 devices on sale within 15 months."

RIM has been counting on the new QNX operating system to make up ground lost to Apple Inc's iPhone and iPad and the slew of devices that use Google Inc's Android software. The delay portends another long year of transition for RIM, allowing rivals to make further in-roads into RIM's market share.

RIM on Thursday also provided a gloomy outlook for earning as sales of an interim line of legacy BlackBerry 7 smartphones lag during the crucial holiday season. Even if shipments hit the high-end of RIM's expectations during Christmas, the company will still post the first annual decline in its history.

The constant stream of bad news from RIM over the last year has driven its shares to their lowest since early 2004, and it has led to analyst and investor demands for Balsillie and Lazaridis to step down.

"RIM reminds me of a beloved grandparent. You love them, but they are very outdated and sooner or later they will be gone," said independent analyst Jeff Kagan in an email.

"Either the existing CEOs must update their thinking or bring in a new CEO to lead the company out of the darkness and back into the sunshine before it is too late."

PRICE TARGET CUTS

Canaccord Genuity cut its price target on RIM's U.S.-listed shares to $15 from $18, citing the delay in the launch of BlackBerry 10 and the company's plans to spend more on sales and marketing to help sustain interim sales.

Barclays shared similar concerns about the company's projected investments in marketing and loyalty programs to regain "mind" share.

"Benefits of the investments are not guaranteed but are likely to keep RIM's operating margins at sustainably lower levels through 2012 and 2013," Barclays said.

Barclay's cut it price target on RIM's U.S.-listed shares to $14 from $16; Citigroup reduced it price target to $12 from $15, and National Bank Financial dropped its price target to $8 from $10.

Research in Motion shares, which have lost almost half their value in the last three months, fell 11.2 percent to $13.44 Friday afternoon on the Nasdaq. The Toronto-listed shares fell 12.1 percent to C$13.89.

(Reporting By Euan Rocha in Toronto and Ashutosh Pandey in Bangalore; Editing by Frank McGurty)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111217/wr_nm/us_rim

ryan torain world series game 3 sign language alphabet texas tech texas tech notre dame football wisconsin badgers football

FACT CHECK: GOP candidates get Obama policy wrong

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Republican presidential candidates have claimed that the Obama administration is cleansing government files of references to radical Islam, an assertion so juicy that politicians keep repeating it ? even though it's a wild exaggeration.

The latest to run with the story is former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who told a crowd in Des Moines that the president "actually ordered all references to Islam and Muslim sanitized out of our national security documents."

And over the weekend, Newt Gingrich told a veterans' forum in Des Moines that the administration has "issued instructions, for example, that in developing training papers on terrorism that no mention should be made of radical Islam."

Rep. Michele Bachmann paved the way on Oct. 28, when she told 75 Republican faithful in Iowa that "Obama is allowing terror suspect groups to write the FBI's terror training manual."

So where is this coming from? Last September, the online publication Wired.com broke a story that an FBI analyst had given a lecture to bureau trainees that was critical of Islam. The publication followed up, disclosing that the same analyst had given a similar lecture to an FBI-sponsored event in New York City. The FBI immediately ordered a comprehensive review of all the materials it uses to train its agents.

It would be hard to overstate the importance the FBI attaches to assistance from the Muslim community in the bureau's terrorism investigations in the United States ? a point that FBI Director Robert Mueller drove home in an appearance Wednesday at the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"We have met with various representatives of the Muslim community" in the aftermath of the inappropriate FBI training to convey just how seriously the bureau takes the matter, said Mueller.

In an effort to ensure that all of its training materials are appropriate, Mueller said, the bureau assembled a five-member panel of experts on Islam ? two people from inside the FBI and three outside scholars ? from Yale, Princeton and Johns Hopkins University.

The review found a very small percentage of material that was either inappropriate or inaccurate or both, and the bureau immediately got rid of it, said a bureau official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to be able to discuss the internal handling of the issue.

"I believe our relationship with the Muslim community is very good," said Mueller. The director told Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., that "we are addressing" the problem and that "it's an anomaly."

A few snippets of the former FBI analyst's assertions reflect the kind of information the bureau regards as inappropriate.

The materials for the FBI analyst's instructional presentation said that mainstream American Muslims are likely to be terrorist sympathizers, that the Prophet Mohammed was a cult leader and that the Islamic practice of giving charity is no more than a funding mechanism for combat.

A video of the New York City lecture included a reference to "an Islamic motivation" for violent acts of terrorism. The analyst no longer teaches training classes.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-12-15-Republicans-FBI-Fact%20Check/id-02fede6a4f174b21a8055db3df2658a2

jeff probst lakers news rachel crow rachel crow steelers browns albert pujols pau gasol

'M:I 4' gives Bond a run for his money

Paramount Pictures

Tom Cruise is on a "Mission."

By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper

The last James Bond movie, "Quantum of Solace," came out in 2008. But while fans of action-packed spy thrillers wait for 007 to return in 2012's "Skyfall," they can fill the gap nicely?with "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol."

Finally, the "Mission: Impossible" series is back on track, and this latest installment is packed with exotic scenery, fancy cars, crazy gadgets, beautiful women and handsome men. And except for an overlong prison-escape sequence at the very start, once the fuse starts burning on this one, it never slows down.?

Tom Cruise is back as spy Ethan Hunt, and when the Kremlin blows up, he and his team are disavowed by their organization and must go rogue, becoming the "ghosts' of the title. Which has no real effect on anything, because they still have devices that would make Bond's Q drool -- iPhones that can pull a suspect's face out of a crowd, magnetic vests that let the wearer float, and an amazing pair of gloves that allow Cruise to climb the outside of the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Those stomach-churning skyscraper scenes live up to their billing, and even sitting safely in a comfortable theater seat it's hard to watch Cruise swooping around at 2,700 feet without feeling queasy. But there's not a ton of time for Spider-Man antics, as there are plenty?more action scenes and exotic locales to jump around in, including an underwater shootout and a fight in a car park where the levels, and the parked cars, slide around just to make things more difficult. The film was partially shot with?IMAX cameras, and numerous scenes take?full advantage of that format.

Don't stop to question the plot too closely -- Hunt can beat up an entire Russian prison but struggles to best one gray-haired villain (Michael Nyqvist), and the team?magically happens to find all the puzzle pieces to stop a nuclear launch in the time it takes most folks to grab a shower. But enjoy the supporting cast, which includes Simon Pegg as the comic relief computer whiz, Jeremy Renner as an analyst with a guilty secret, and Paula Patton as the lone female agent, who switches between seduction and butt-kicking with aplomb.

The film is director Brad Bird's first live-action undertaking -- you may know him from "The Incredibles" and "Iron Giant" -- and it's fun to think that maybe?his animation experience helped him guide Cruise and pals as they swoop around like cartoons. J.J. Abrams of "Lost" is one of the producers, and he reunites with Josh "Sawyer" Holloway in a pivotal role.

One rumor had Cruise retiring from the franchise after this film and Renner taking over, but Moviehole reports that Cruise, Bird and Pegg are all open to returning for a fifth film.?Why not? Cruise will be 50 in July but for a guy who famously did some of his own Burj Khalifa stunts, he has the verve of a action hero half his age. Should he choose to accept it, audiences will likely be happy to follow him on another "Mission."

Related content:

Source: http://entertainment.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/12/9397053-mission-impossible-gives-bond-a-run-for-his-money

the strangers all hallows eve all saints day all saints day bernard madoff dallas cowboys ct news

Sandusky waives hearing, vows to fight charges (AP)

BELLEFONTE, Pa. ? Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky opted against forcing his accusers to make their claims of child sex abuse in a packed courtroom Tuesday but then took his case to the courthouse steps as his lawyer assailed the credibility of the alleged victims and witnesses.

"There will be no plea negotiations," defense lawyer Joseph Amendola said. "This is a fight to the death."

Waiving such a preliminary hearing is not unusual but it was unexpected in this case: Amendola repeatedly had said his client was looking forward to facing his accusers. Afterward, he called the cancellation a "tactical decision" to prevent the men from reiterating the same claims they made to the grand jury.

Lawyers for the alleged victims said some were relieved they would not have to make their claims in public before a trial, but others said they had steeled themselves to face Sandusky and were left disappointed.

"It would have been apparent from watching those boys and their demeanor that they were telling the truth," said Howard Janet, a lawyer for a boy whose mother contacted police in 1998 after her son allegedly showered with Sandusky.

Sandusky has denied the allegations, which led to the departures of longtime Penn State football coach Joe Paterno and the university president. He is charged with more than 50 counts that accuse him of sexually abusing 10 boys over the span of 12 years.

Amendola said he believed some of the young men may have trumped up their claims and that others may came forward in a bid to make money by suing Sandusky, Penn State and the charity Sandusky founded.

"We're pursuing a financial motivation," Amendola said, "Finances and money are great motivators."

Michael Boni, a lawyer representing an accuser known as Victim 1, said Amendola was "reaching into his bag of tricks."

"I can tell you that Victim No. 1 is credible. He was the first one to come forward," he said.

Sandusky told reporters as he left the courthouse that he would "stay the course, to fight for four quarters" and "wait for the opportunity to present our side."

Many defendants waive preliminary hearings, during which prosecutors must show that they have probable cause to bring the case to trial. Prosecutors in this case were expected to meet that relatively low bar, in part because the case been through a grand jury.

Senior Deputy Attorney General E. Marc Costanzo said the move "provides maximum protection to most importantly the victims in this case."

"It avoids their having to testify for a second time," Costanzo said. "They will of course testify at a trial in the case."

Costanzo also said there had been no discussions about a plea bargain.

Sandusky also will waive his next court appearance, an arraignment, that had been scheduled for Jan. 11, Amendola said. He remains under house arrest.

The accusers who were prepared to testify were split in their reactions to the hearing being canceled.

Boni said he was encouraged that the accusers "do not have to relive the horrors they experience up on the witness stand" by having to testify at the hearing and at trial.

Ben Andreozzi, a lawyer representing another accuser, read a statement from his client, who called it the most difficult time of his life.

"I can't believe they put us through this until the last second," the statement read. "I still will stand my ground, testify and speak the truth."

Ken Suggs, another attorney for one of the accusers, called Sandusky a "coward" for not facing the young men.

Witnesses have contended before the grand jury that Sandusky committed a range of sexual offenses against boys as young as 10, assaulting them in hotel swimming pools, the basement of his home in State College and in the locker room showers at Penn State, where the 67-year-old former assistant football coach once built a national reputation as a defensive mastermind.

Sandusky has told NBC and The New York Times that his relationship to the boys who said he abused them was like that of an extended family. Sandusky characterized his experiences with the children as "precious times" and said the physical aspect of the relationships "just happened that way" and didn't involve abuse.

Amendola said Sandusky was always emotional and physical ? "a loving guy, an affectionate guy" ? who never did anything illegal. The lawyer likened Sandusky's behavior to his own Italian family in which "everybody hugged and kissed each other."

Sandusky retired from Penn State in 1999, a year after the first known abuse allegation reached police when a mother told investigators Sandusky had showered with her son during a visit to the Penn State football facilities. Accusations surfaced again in 2002, when graduate assistant Mike McQueary reported another alleged incident of abuse to Paterno and other university officials.

The grand jury probe began only in 2009, after a teen complained that Sandusky, then a volunteer coach at his high school, had abused him.

Sandusky first groomed him with gifts and trips in 2006 and 2007, then sexually assaulted him more than 20 times in 2008 through early 2009, the teen told the grand jury.

Amendola on Tuesday attacked McQueary by citing an anonymously sourced newspaper report that claimed the former graduate assistant changed his story when speaking to a family friend. The defense attorney said McQueary would derail the prosecution and other accusers also would be questioned.

"McQueary was always the centerpiece of the prosecution's case," he said.

No one answered the door at Mike McQueary's home and his father, John, told The Associated Press that he wouldn't respond to Amendola's comments.

Sandusky founded The Second Mile, an organization to help struggling children, in 1977, and built it into a major charitable organization, headquartered in State College with offices in other parts of Pennsylvania.

Two university officials have been charged with perjury and failure to report suspected abuse ? athletic director Tim Curley and former university vice president Gary Schultz. Their preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday in Harrisburg.

Curley has been placed on leave and Schultz has returned to retirement in the wake of their arrests. The scandal brought down university president Graham Spanier and longtime coach Paterno, who was fired last month.

Meanwhile, officials at Juniata College said Tuesday that Sandusky insinuated himself into the school's football program last year, despite being denied an official position because he failed a background check.

Sandusky had sought a volunteer coaching position at the Division III school in May 2010, more than a year after a high school where he volunteered began investigating his contact with a student there.

Sandusky attended Juniata practices and games despite the athletic director's directives to the then-head coach that Sandusky couldn't associate with the team, a school spokesman said.

The spokesman, John Wall, said the school has since taken steps to ensure better communication between coaches and administrators.

___

Associated Press writer Genaro C. Armas in Bellefonte and Randy Pennell in Philadelphia contributed to this story.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111213/ap_on_sp_ot/us_penn_state_abuse

collegeboard kelsey grammer coco rocha coco rocha al sharpton izon heart attack grill