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Good day for jobs, sad for panda lovers By Deborah Charles (Front Row Washington) Submitted at 12/4/2009 8:01:59 AM
For all those who woke up to the sad news that Washington’s loveable giant panda cub would be heading back to China, here’s a bright spot for your Friday: Job cuts in November were much lower than had been expected and the unemployment rate unexpectedly dropped to 10 percent from 10.2 percent. The stronger-than-expected numbers helped boost the U.S. dollar and global stock prices on hopes for a strong economic recovery. The jobs figures came one day after President Barack Obama held a jobs summit at the White House and asked the corporate sector to help the administration
ADVERTISEMENT: (BloggingStocks) Submitted at 12/4/2009 4:20:00 PM
with its job-creation efforts. Now on to the sad news. Tai Shan, the first surviving giant panda cub born at Smithsonian’s National Zoo, will be packing his bags soon. He will return to China early next year as promised in an agreement between the zoo and the Chinese government. Tai Shan’s parents are on loan to the United States but the deal called for any offspring to be sent to China. The Chinese granted an extension to the National Zoo but
it will soon expire, the zoo said in a statement. As a panda cub, Tai Shan became an instant celebrity in Washington. Nicknamed “butter stick” because of his size when he was born in 2005, Tai Shan drew millions of visitors and his image was plastered on souvenirs, stamps and toys. Those who couldn’t make it to the zoo were able to keep tabs on the playful panda through a panda-cam. Check it out! For more political news, click here. Photo credit: Reuters/Robert Galbraith (an employment center in San Francisco), Reuters/Meghan MurphySmithsonian National Zoo handout (Tai Shan snacks on bamboo in 2008 photo)
http://www.LibertyNewsprint.com
Take-Two is yet another victim of video game malaise By Steven Mallas (BloggingStocks) Submitted at 12/4/2009 3:40:00 PM
Filed under: Electronic Arts (ERTS), Activision Inc (ATVI), Technology, Nintendo (NTDOY) Does it seem to you like the entire video game trade is unwinding like a venomous snake, ready to plunge its fearful fangs into any individual foolish enough to invest in the sector? I've already written about my unfortunate timing related to GameStop ( GME), and I've covered the bad news surrounding console giant Nintendo ( NTDOY). What's next in the stream of negative headlines? How about Take-Two Interactive ( TTWO)? That stock was down 30% in afternoon trading at the time of this writing. 30%! According to The Wall Street Journal(subscription required), management issued
some poor guidance that has shaken the confidence of market players. Add to that the general state of the retail environment, and you've got yourself a decidedly awful combination. Continue reading Take-Two is yet another victim of video game malaise Take-Two is yet another victim of video game malaise originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
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Student lightbulb for Obama: use stimulants to stimulate economy By Tabassum Zakaria (Front Row Washington) Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:15:40 PM
A student in Pennsylvania offered President Barack Obama a way to boost the economy that probably hasn’t been on the table at the White House. “Mr. Obama, I really appreciate how you’re trying to stimulate the economy to help this country out,” the second-year student began in addressing the president on his visit to Allentown. Then he noted that in college he had been studying “some criminology…” (Remember those student eureka moments in solving the world’s problems?) And here comes the thesis: “I
you’re supposed to do in college is question conventional wisdom,” Obama said. “And so you’re doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing — which is thinking in new ways about things.” Not bad. Showed some presidential skills probably learned as a parent answering unexpected questions from children. was wondering if, maybe if you Let us know about any novel checked out some of the statistics ideas to bolster the economy… about legalizing prostitution, Click here for more Reuters gambling, drugs and nonviolent political coverage crime in order to stimulate some Photo credit: Reuters/Jim Young (Obama holds girl after speech at of the economy?” Hmmmm … So how is a P e n n s y l v a n i a c o l l e g e ) , Reuters/Michael Dalder (light president to respond? “I think, first of all, part of what bulb)
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Aluminum + Ice = Rocket Fuel [Rocketfuel] By Brian Barrett (Gizmodo) Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:40:00 PM
I don't know about you, but my first reaction to the title of this video was to head straight for my freezer and some Reynolds Wrap. Unfortunately, it's a little more complicated than that. A team of scientists from Purdue, Penn State, NASA, and the Air Force have collaborated
on the ALICE (ALuminum-ICE) Project, which makes rocket propellant out of a frozen mixture of water and nanoscale aluminum powder. The ultimate goal is for the more environmentallyfriendly fuel to be used on longdistance space missions, but for now it's excellent for videos of rockets taking off (starting at 4:00). [ Purdue University via MAKE]
Earnings roundup: Cost Plus, Diamond Foods, Marvell Tech, Toll Brothers By Trey Thoelcke (BloggingStocks)
net loss of $24.0 million, or $1.09 per share, last year. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Submitted at 12/4/2009 4:20:00 PM Reuters had expected a loss of Filed under: Earnings reports, $1.10 per share. Cost Plus also Toll Brothers (TOL), Marvell said net sales for the quarter Technology Group (MRVL) totaled $181.9 million, a 10.4% C o s t P l u s I n c . ( C P W M ) decrease from the year-ago reported Thursday that its net period. Same store sales for the loss from continuing operations quarter decreased 9.1% due in reported a record profit of$0.88 for the third quarter of fiscal part to lower furniture sales and a per share for the first quarter of 2009 came to $22.3 million, relatively flat customer count. fiscal 2010. That was 38% higher or$1.01 per share, compared to a Diamond Foods Inc. ( DMND)
than a year ago and topped the analysts' consensus forecast of $0.81 per share. Net sales for the quarter came to $180.6 million, 8% lower than in the prior year, due in part to a late walnut crop harvest. Diamond's forecast for the fiscal year are EPS of $1.72 to $1.82 and revenue of $585 million to $605 million, which is in line with analysts' expectations. Continue reading Earnings
roundup: Cost Plus, Diamond Foods, Marvell Tech, Toll Brothers Earnings roundup: Cost Plus, Diamond Foods, Marvell Tech, Toll Brothers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments
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Success at fat-fighting Lincoln University hinges on BMI test By Ed Pilkington (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)
must all take a test to check their weight status. Those whose results classify them as being obese will only be allowed to Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:47:12 PM graduate if they take a fitness O l d e s t A f r i c a n - A m e r i c a n class designed to teach them college in US to force obese healthy living. students on fitness course before The policy was introduced, with they can graduate the approval of the college's It's lunchtime in the canteen at entire 105-strong faculty, in Lincoln University, the oldest 2005. But it is now coming to a African-American college in head as the first students who America. A small number of its entered the university under the 2,000 students are gathered scheme approach graduation. around a salad bar contemplating Under the policy, all students the healthy option. A much larger must be tested for their Body crowd has convened around a M a s s I n d e x , o r B M I , a KFC franchise next door selling recognised indication of a "large popcorn chicken", double person's health status based on crunch sandwiches and hot their height and weight. If a wings. student has a BMI of more than An adjacent counter called the 30 – one widely used definition Grill is doing the busiest trade of o f o b e s i t y – a n d a w a i s t all, the smell of hot oil wafting measurement of more than 35 up from its menu of fried inches for women and 40 inches mozzarella sticks, quarter- for men, they are obliged to take pounders, hot dogs and Jamaican a one-term Fitness for Life class. beef patties. It also serves The course includes walking, "veggie sandwiches", though cycling, aerobics and lessons in nobody seems to want those. healthy diet. Students who fail to The queues gathered in front of take it will not graduate, no t h e f a s t f o o d o u t l e t s a r e matter how good their academic p a r a d o x i c a l , g i v e n t h e performance has been. controversy that has erupted in Media outlets learned of the Lincoln University this week. policy this week, resulting in a The college is the first in the US storm of outrage. Salon called it to take a coercive stance in the "discriminatory bullshit". Tiana battle against America's obesity Lawson, one of the Lincoln epidemic. students coming up to graduation It has told its students that they who could potentially fail next
year unless she conforms to the course, wrote an article in the student newspaper, the Lincolnian, saying: "I didn't come to Lincoln to be told that my weight is not in an acceptable range. I came here to get an education." Jim DeBoy, the head of the university's health, physical education and recreation department, which devised the new policy, has been forced to defend the scheme, which he insists is all about students' wellbeing. Lincoln was founded before the civil war to educate black students shunned by all other academic institutions. Its alumni include the first black supreme court judge, Thurgood Marshall, the first president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, and the singer Gil Scott-Heron. DeBoy believes the university has a responsibility to face the crisis of obesity, which is disproportionately affecting African-Americans. "Is the policy radical? Yes it is," DeBoy said. "But where others have their heads in the sand, we are determined to do something about it. "Obesity leads to heart problems, joint disease, diabetes — it is unconscionable to me that we ignore the crisis." Some students have expressed
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their support for the policy. Kendra Foster, who is in her final year of a medical science degree, had a BMI over 30, was made to take the course, and said she found it helpful. "It's given me the idea of a healthier lifestyle – I don't eat at the Grill so much and I avoid fried foods and sodas." Experts in the obesity epidemic also support the intention behind the scheme. Shiriki Kumanyika, an epidemiologist at the University of Pennsylvania, said that obesity among AfricanAmericans, especially women, was extremely serious. Among adults, the prevalence is more than 50% for black women compared with 30% for white women. "It's wonderful that Lincoln is concerned about this," Kumanyika said. But she added that she doubted singling out obese students would be the best way of tackling the problem. "The solutions need to apply to everyone, as everybody is at risk." Other students have grown increasingly incensed by what they perceive as discrimination against them. Tiffany Humphrey was made to take the class and deeply resents it. "I pay over $20,000 a year to come to Lincoln, so for them to tell me I have to take this one class, I don't think it's right at all.
If they want us to lose weight, expand the gym, don't tell us we won't graduate." Carla Bynum also had a BMI of more than 30. Privately, she and her friends who took the course would call it the "fat people class". "I was very upset when they told me I had 'tested' into the class. I think the policy should be scrapped — it's just too much to tell people they won't graduate unless they do what they're told." After every Fitness for Life lesson, Bynum said, she would go straight to the canteen to eat fried chicken at the Grill. Which raises one of the less noted paradoxes about the university's approach. Despite having introduced its controversial policy, it still allows KFC and the Grill to operate inside the campus, serving up double crunch sandwiches and fried mozzarella sticks to all-too-appreciative students. • United States • Obesity • Health Ed Pilkington guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds
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UK should open borders to climate refugees, says Bangladeshi minister By James Randerson, Harriet Grant, John Vidal (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)
the world," he said. He called on the UN to redefine international law to give climate refugees the same protection as people fleeing political Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:51:35 PM repression. "The convention on Europe and US should also be refugees could be revised to responsible for millions who will protect people. It's been through be displaced by climate change, other revisions, so this should be says Abul Maal Abdul Muhith possible," he said. Up to 20 million Bangladeshis Tens of thousands of people in may be forced to leave the Bangladesh and other low-lying country in the next 40 years areas of Asia are leaving their because of climate change, one of communities as their homes and t h e c o u n t r y ' s m o s t s e n i o r land become inundated. But this politicians has said. Abul Maal is the first time that a senior Abdul Muhith, Bangladesh's politician from a developing finance minister, called on country has openly proposed that B r i t a i n a n d o t h e r w e a l t h y those countries considered countries to accept millions of responsible for climate change displaced people. should take physical In a clear signal to the US and responsibility for the refugees Europe that developing countries created. are not prepared to accept a weak Bangladesh, India, and many deal at next week's Copenhagen small island states such as the climate summit, Abdul Muhith Maldives face having to relocate said Bangladesh wanted hosts for large populations over the next managed migration as people 50 years as sea levels rise up to began to abandon flooded and one metre. This would have storm-damaged coastal areas. profound effects on the 1.5 "Twenty million people could be billion people who presently live displaced [in Bangladesh] by the i n c o a s t a l a r e a s . T h e middle of the century," Abdul Intergovernmental Panel on Muhith told the Guardian. "We Climate Change (IPCC), the are asking all our development scientific body that assesses the partners to honour the natural impact of climate change, has right of persons to migrate. We said there could be 200 million can't accommodate all these climate change migrants by 2050. people – this is already the There is mounting evidence in densest [populated] country in India and Bangladesh and other
low-lying countries that sea levels are rising faster than the global average of 1.2mm a year. Islands and coastal communities in the Ganges delta and the Bay of Bengal have recorded rises of up to 5mm a year. In Bangladesh hundreds of coastal villagers are forced to drink salty water as tides continue to rise and the sea intrudes on fresh water aquifers. Abdul Muhith said managed migration could be positive for Bangladesh and the west: "We can help in the sense of giving the migrants some training, making them fit for existence in some other country. Managed migration is always better – we can then send people who can attune to life more easily." But he added, in another warning before Copenhagen where money will be a critical issue, that current levels of aid were inadequate. "Total aid in Bangladesh today is less than 2% of GDP. It is almost the same in China and in India. So we, the most populated, least developed country, gets peanuts. This inequity is terribly intolerable." Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the IPCC, said the Bangladeshi migration proposal should be taken seriously. "This is clearly a warning signal from Bangladesh and similar countries to the developed countries. And I think it has to be taken very seriously.
If you accept that those countries that have really not been responsible for causing the problem, and have a legitimate basis for help from the developed countries, then one form of help would certainly be facilitation of immigration from these countries to the developed world," he said. "If you had 30 or 40 million migrating to other parts of the world, that's a sizable problem for which we have to prepare. And if it requires changes to immigration laws and facilitating people settling down and working in the developed countries, then I suppose this will require legislative action in the developed world," he said. Douglas Alexander, the international development secretary, said: "As the largest international donor to Bangladesh, Britain has been urging the international community to provide extra money for climate change adaptation." But Jean-Francois Durieux, who is in charge of climate migration at the UN refugee agency, cautioned against reworking the UN convention on refugees. "The risk of mass migration needs to be managed. It's absolutely legitimate for Bangladesh and the Maldives to make a lot of noise about the very real risk of climate
migration – they hope it will make us come to their rescue. But reopening the 1951 convention would certainly result in a tightening of its protections." He said there was a danger of a backlash in rich countries. "The climate in Europe, North America and Australia is not conducive to a relaxed debate about increasing migration. There is a worry doors will shut if we start that discussion," he said. There is extreme sensitivity about adapting the UN convention on refugees. A UNHCR report in August warned: "In the current political environment, it could result in a lowering of protection standards for refugees and even undermine the international refugee protection regime altogether." • Climate change • Bangladesh • Refugees • Flooding • Copenhagen climate change conference 2009 James Randerson Harriet Grant John Vidal guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds
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Gordon Brown attacks 'flat-earth' climate change sceptics By Damian Carrington, Suzanne Goldenberg, Alok Jha, Andrew Sparrow (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)
to condemn the sceptics. "With only days to go before Copenhagen we mustn't be distracted by the behind-thetimes, anti-science, flat-earth climate sceptics," Brown told the Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:19:27 PM Guardian. "We know the science. 'Dangerous, deceitful' attempts to We know what we must do. We derail Copenhagen summit must now act and close the 5bncondemned tonne gap. That will seal the Gordon Brown tonight led a deal." chorus of condemnation against According to the government "flat-earth" climate change adviser Sir Nicholas Stern, 10bn sceptics who have tried to derail t o n n e s o f g r e e n h o u s e g a s the Copenhagen summit by emissions must be taken out of casting doubt on the evidence for the atmosphere by 2020. So far global warming. agreement is in place for only Sceptics in the UK and the US half of that amount. have moved to capitalise on a Ed Miliband gave his most series of hacked emails from damning assessment of the climate change scientists at the sceptics yet, describing them as University of East Anglia, "dangerous and deceitful". claiming they show attempts to He said: "The approach of the hide information that does not climate saboteurs is to misuse support the case for human data and mislead people. The a c t i v i t y c a u s i n g r i s i n g sceptics are playing politics with temperatures. science in a dangerous and On the eve of the Copenhagen deceitful manner. There is no s u m m i t , S a u d i A r a b i a a n d easy way out of tackling climate Republican members of the US change despite what they would Congress have used the emails to have us believe. The evidence is claim the need for urgent action clear and the time we have to act to cut carbon emissions has been is short. To abandon this process undermined. now would lead to misery and But tonight the prime minister, catastrophe for millions." his environment secretary, Ed Markey warned against allowing Miliband, and Ed Markey, the America's political agenda to be man who co-authored the US hijacked by the email affair. "We climate change bill, joined forces can no longer allow our climate
and energy policy to be hijacked by the government of Saudi Arabia, ExxonMobil, and the defenders of the fossil fuel status quo," he said. Even if an investigation into the university emails were to show evidence of wrongdoing, scientists and politicians say there is an overwhelming body of evidence that humans are causing climate change. However, the hacking affair is putting new obstacles in the way of getting a bill past Congress – seen as a crucial precondition for a binding climate change treaty. The summit, which begins on Monday, aims to seal a global deal to control greenhouse gas emissions, but all of the significant issues remain to be resolved. There is still no agreement between developing nations and the richer countries over the carbon cuts required and the funding which must be given to poorer countries to help them cope with global warming. China and India, whose economies are growing rapidly, must still agree a deal on curbing their emissions while being able to lift billions of people out of poverty. The concern for some of those attempting to drive through a global deal is that the sceptics will delay critical decisions by
casting doubt over the science at a time when momentum has been gathering towards a historic agreement. "The sceptics have clearly seized upon this as an incident that they can use to their own ends in trying to disrupt the Copenhagen agreements," said Bob Watson, Defra chief scientist and former head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. "If this slows down an international agreement to significantly reduce greenhouse gases, it will mean we're committed to an even larger temperature change … with adverse consequences on agriculture, water, human security, human health and biodiversity." Nick Clegg, the Lib Dem leader, said it would be disastrous for the planet if sceptics were able to undermine support for a climate change deal. "Ideological dinosaurs, whether in Saudi Arabia or in the Conservative party, who deny climate change must not be allowed to hide behind some leaked correspondence to support their outdated theories," Clegg said. A number of prominent Conservatives, including former chancellor Lord Lawson and former Cameron frontbencher David Davis, have pounced on the email furore. But tonight the
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shadow climate change secretary, Greg Clark, made clear the party line remains that climate change is a serious man-made threat. "Research into climate change has involved thousands of different scientists, pursuing many separate lines of independent inquiry over many years. The case for a global deal is still strong and in many aspects, such as the daily destruction of the Earth's rainforests, desperately urgent," he said. Additional reporting by Alok Jha and Andrew Sparrow • Climate change scepticism • Climate change • Copenhagen climate change conference 2009 • Gordon Brown • Climate change • Hacked climate science emails • Hacking • University of East Anglia • Ed Miliband Damian Carrington Suzanne Goldenberg Alok Jha Andrew Sparrow guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds
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Migration is the only escape from rising tides of climate change in Bangladesh By John Vidal (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)
the villagers will have no option but to migrate. Most will go to the slums of Chittagong, 20 miles away, or to the capital Dhaka. Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:45:01 PM Five hundred miles away in Some 60% of Bangladesh is at India, on the other side of the r i s k o f r i s i n g s e a l e v e l s , Bay of Bengal, researchers in the c o n t a m i n a t i n g f i s h s t o c k , oceanography department at the farmland and drinking water with U n i v e r s i t y o f J a d a v p u r i n salt Kolkata say dozens of islands in At an impromptu meeting in the Indian Sunderban region are Moura village on the south- b e i n g r e g u l a r l y f l o o d e d , eastern coast of Bangladesh last t h r e a t e n i n g t h o u s a n d s . week, 30 families said that their Unexpectedly fast sea level rises only hope of survival was to and storms are forcing the Indian become climate refugees. government to consider "The tides come into the village evacuating nearly 70,000 people every two weeks. Twenty years in the next five years. ago the sea was far away. Now These are people which it's a few yards and we fear that developing countries have been our children will die. We have s a y i n g p r i v a t e l y t h a t r i c h lost our farmland and more than countries must take responsibility 50 people have already lost their f o r . N o w , a h e a d o f t h e homes to the rising sea. The Copenhagen climate change drinking water is salty and there summit, Bangladeshi finance are no fish in the river. We all minister Abul Maal Abdul want to leave but where? We Muhith has raised the stakes by have no money, " said Hayaun stating the point publicly. "We Nesa Khatong. are asking our development At the rate that this stretch of the partners to honour the natural B a n g l a d e s h c o a s t i s b e i n g right of persons to migrate. We submerged there is little or no can't accommodate all these chance of Moura or many other people." nearby villages being habitable in Rich nations could help by five years. Unless the local providing cash to relocate government finds increasingly refugees in their own countries, scarce land to evacuate them to, or by accepting them as refugees.
Wealthy countries are terrified by the thought of climate refugees being given legal access. Worldwide, nearly 10m people from Africa, south Asia and elsewhere are thought to have migrated or been displaced by environmental degradation, weather-related disasters and desertification in the last 20 years. The UN expects a further 150m people will have to move in the next 50 years. Climate change cannot be unequivocally linked to individual weather events and specific mass migrations. But experts, including the UN's climate change science body and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change say warming is increasing the number and severity of humanitarian disasters. The International Red Cross estimates there are now more than 400 weather-related disasters a year and almost 90m people need immediate assistance. This figure could be as high as 350m by 2050. The majority of people displaced by more severe climates will be the extreme poor, whose meagre resources will mean moving within borders, often only short distances from home. But the UN says 28 countries are
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now at extreme risk from climate change, of which 22 are in Africa. Eleven countries have more than 10% of their land within 5m of mean sea level and a similar number have all of their territory below 5m. Five would be entirely threatened by just a 1m rise in sea level. Because most borders between both African and Asian countries are relatively porous, there is a distinct possibility that tens of thousands of people will try to migrate between countries. Bangladesh, which is expecting its 165m population to increase by nearly 100m in the next 60 years, is the most vulnerable large country, with 60% of its land less than 5m above sea level. • Climate change • Flooding • Copenhagen climate change conference 2009 • Refugees • Bangladesh John Vidal guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds
Enron coming to Broadway. . . and then Hollywood? By Zac Bissonnette (BloggingStocks) Submitted at 12/4/2009 3:20:00 PM
Filed under: Comic Relief Twenty-eight-year old playwright Lucy Prebble's dramatic adaptation of the Enron saga has been a small-theater hit in London since July, and will begin a run on the West End next month. After that, a team of New York theater producers are looking to bring the musical to Broadway. And Columbia has picked up the movie rights. Continue reading Enron coming to Broadway. . . and then Hollywood? Enron coming to Broadway. . . and then Hollywood? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
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Laboratories' outer limits | Mike Hulme By Mike Hulme (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)
ideology of nature and my personal values. The relationship between climate science, political and ethical Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:00:00 PM judgments and advocacy has In the furore over our leaked been a turbulent one ever since emails, remember the climate m a n - m a d e c l i m a t e c h a n g e debate is not decided just by became a public policy issue. The scientists intense political posturing over In 1997, in the lead-up to Kyoto, the last two weeks surrounding I helped organise a statement by the theft from the climatic European climate scientists. We research unit at the University of proclaimed "our belief that East Anglia of emails between a nations should agree to few of the world's more substantial control in the growth prominent climate scientists has of emissions", endorsing the then f u r t h e r d e m o n s t r a t e d t h i s EU position of a 15% cut by t u r b u l e n c e . 2010. What we didn't do was Science offers unique insights explain the personal values and into how the physical world ethical judgments we each made w o r k s a n d t h e p o t e n t i a l in reaching this conclusion. By consequences of different policy signing it "European climate choices. But scientific inquiry is scientists", the impression could n o s u b s t i t u t e f o r p o l i t i c a l easily be gained that our belief argument. It can't tell us what was a non-negotiable conclusion values we should hold (although of our scientific work. it might help us understand why A s w e p r e p a r e f o r t h e we hold them). Neither is science Copenhagen summit, I am rather ever "done" or "complete". All critical of my naivety 12 years scientific predictions about future ago. I would still like a world in physical states – whether climate which greenhouse gas emissions or one's own body – carry an were falling, but it is important irreducible level of uncertainty. when making this argument in And these uncertainties may public to identify the various sometimes remain annoyingly lines of reasoning I use to reach large. this position: scientific evidence, A good example of my political philosophy, my misunderstanding the relationship
between scientific evidence and political action occurred at the Camp for Climate Action at Heathrow in 2007. The protesters claimed they were "armed only with peer-reviewed science". They were in fact armed with much more: a powerful vision of a future Britain, a strong belief in the value of natural ecosystems, compelling ethical principles about the rights of the poor. None of this armoury was to be found in the peer-reviewed science they quoted. They didn't help their cause by hiding behind science. There are several dangers of importing arguments about politics into arguments about science and, conversely, of using phrases such as "as demanded by the science". It hinders the easy working of some of the norms and practices of science that make it such a powerful way of understanding the physical world. And it emasculates public debate. Producing the "trump card" of science to settle debate is not healthy for a democracy. It also feeds the scepticism of members of the public who distrust "big science" or "big government". We owe it to our fellow citizens to listen and understand the reasons for their scepticism over man-made
climate change. It is not all irrational fundamentalism. For too long we have conducted our arguments over different political visions of the future, forms of governance and ethical priorities using the science of climate change as a proxy. We need to free science to be what it is at best: an open, critical and non-partisan form of systematic inquiry into the physical world, open to the concerns, perspectives and insights of science's most important stakeholder – the public. The quality of both political debate and scientific practice will benefit as a consequence, and the events of the last two weeks need not happen again. • Kyoto protocol • Copenhagen climate change conference 2009 • Climate change • Climate change scepticism • Climate Camp Mike Hulme guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds
Viewers to explore 360 degrees of MTV Woodies By Harrison Hoffman (Webware.com) Submitted at 12/4/2009 6:57:09 AM
On Friday night, MTV will be showing its 2009 Woodie Awards online, utilizing a new spherical-video platform
developed by Calgary, Albertabased Immersive Media. Originally posted at The Web Services Report
Is $20,000 K9 Storm Armor Enough to Protect Your Pup From Another Michael Vick Joke? [Military] By Mark Wilson (Gizmodo) Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:50:00 PM
I have admittedly mixed emotions about sending dogs into combat on our behalf, but as long as we're sending man's best friend into dangerous situations, we might as well give him badass armor. The K9 Storm Intruder, arriving in 2010, is a dog-fitted flak jacket, protecting a pooch's vital organs (other than the brain) while offering a means for handlers to track their animals. The vests are fitted with a wireless camera and speaker system, allowing you to see what the dog sees and maybe even command him appropriately, remotely. And yes, $20,000 is a lot of money, but a military dog is a $50,000 investment. And dogs are worth it because they are far, far cuter than people. [ K9 Storm via CNN Money via Popsci via New Launches]
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UK sent large force to Iraq raise standing with US, Chilcot inquiry hears
Bangladesh's climate migration trail: 'Our village is still underwater'
By Matthew Taylor (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)
city of 15 million people. Because of the cost of living, even the children, who were at school before the cyclone came, Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:04:23 PM have to work. Haran Mondols has been forced Every morning 11-year-old Ruhi to move his extended family to walks an hour into the centre of Dhaka to look for work after Dhaka. He misses school. "I have cyclone Aila drowned his village to work all day in the sun so I "The first two or three days it don't feel good. My father said I was crazy. We don't have cars in should do this work and when our village, so when I saw a car I everything is okay back in the had to jump this way and that. village I can go back and study. I And my head is full of a terrible would like to go back, to school. buzzing sound." I want to be a teacher and have Haran Mondols, 53, was forced my own school." to move his extended family of The family are desperate to 17 to Dhaka to look for work, return to their village, but like after cyclone Aila drowned their much of the area hit by Aila, it is village in southern Bangladesh in still underwater. Haran's brother May. Kenna says the area is being Haran used to be a wealthy man abandoned. "It's not just us that is with five houses for his clan - all leaving, many people have left are now gone. Now they live in a our village. It's just water there group of huts on the perimeter of now. Even the earth our houses the international airport. stood on has been washed away." He clutches his head in despair • Climate change as he talks about their situation: • Bangladesh "The things we lost we couldn't • Refugees make again even if we tried for • Flooding 50 years. All I can think about is • Copenhagen climate change what we will do, what will conference 2009 happen to our children. I can't eat, I can't sleep because of Harriet Grant thinking about all of this." guardian.co.uk© Guardian News Back in the village Haran's & Media Limited 2009 | Use of family were craft workers, this content is subject to our weaving baskets. Now they shine Terms & Conditions| More Feeds shoes on the streets of Dhaka, a
He said initially the focus was on getting Saddam Hussein to give up his weapons of mass destruction rather than "regime Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:57:29 PM change" in Baghdad. "The intent Former deputy chief of the I was picking up from HMG Ltd defence staff says major military not the Americans, HMG Ltd role meant Britain was able to was WMD," he said. show it was a 'serious player' However, he said that it quickly Britain committed a large land became clear that if it came to force to the invasion of Iraq in an military action, Britain would attempt to buy influence with the want to play a major part in the United States, the official inquiry operation. "There was a growing into the war has been told. feeling that if all the legal things Lieutenant General Sir Anthony are in place there is more interest Pigott, who was deputy chief of in a defined role ... if there wasn't the defence staff responsible for anything meaty, it was a long commitments, said that by taking way to go to do nothing, you on a major military role the UK know, meaty." was able to show the Americans Pigott said that being prepared to that it was a "serious player". commit a significant force to the After Tony Blair's meeting with operation would "enhance no George Bush at the president's end" Britain's standing with the Texas ranch in April 2002, Pigott US military. "You buy that on said he set up a small team to your contribution and your look at the options for military willingness to put not just boots action against Iraq. on the ground [but] people in
danger," he said. US military chiefs welcomed Britain's offer "with a sense of relief they wanted to build a coalition; multinational was good", said Pigott. However, Lord Boyce, then chief of the defence staff, has made clear that Britain had little influence over US policy, particularly about what to do after the invasion. "I was always extremely concerned about the anorexic nature of the American contribution" after the invasion, he told the inquiry on Thursday. • Iraq war inquiry • Military • Politics and Iraq • Iraq Matthew Taylor guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds
Hardware for Gmail: The 'Gboard' keyboard By Josh Lowensohn (Webware.com) Submitted at 12/3/2009 9:01:00 PM
Gmail's got desktop hardware
now, though not from Google. Originally posted at Web The Gboard is a new Gmail- Crawler centric keyboard with colored shortcut keys that let you zip around your in-box.
By Harriet Grant (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)
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Closing Bell: Great jobs data, J.M. Smucker: Back up dud of a market (AAPL, DD, the truck SWHC, TTWO, BAC) By Joseph Lazzaro (BloggingStocks) By Jon Ogg (BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 12/4/2009 3:00:00 PM
Submitted at 12/4/2009 4:00:00 PM
Filed under: Apple Inc (AAPL), Bank of America (BAC), duPont(E.I.)deNemours (DD) Today's big shock came in the figures on unemployment as the rate posted a surprising drop to 10.0% from 10.2%. The second was in non-farm payrolls, which posted a decline of only 11,000 jobs rather than the 100,000 expected. Factory orders posted yet another gain as well. Yet the dollar strength caused a reversal of the immediate gains and the markets backed off of the early gap-up levels earlier in the day. Shares were mostly higher at the end of the day but the feeling was one of disappointment that more buying was not out there after the great jobs news. Here were the unofficial closing
bell levels: Top 10 Analyst Calls Top Day Trader Stocks Continue reading Closing Bell: Great jobs data, dud of a market (AAPL, DD, SWHC, TTWO, BAC) Closing Bell: Great jobs data, dud of a market (AAPL, DD, SWHC, TTWO, BAC) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments
Filed under: Stocks to Buy As noted earlier, The J.M. Smucker Company's ( SJM) low-profile status on Wall Street in no manner takes away from its solid business model, which is one reason I'm reiterating my buy rating for the company's shares, first recommended on May 29, 2009 at a price of $40.26. If you bought SJM in May, you're up an impressive 47%. J.M. Smucker's positives include diverse revenue streams in it spreads/foods businesses, and a star, national coffee brand (Folgers). Cost containment remains good. A tie-in with WalMart ( WMT) adds to the positive mix, and there's ample room to increase international sales, which accounted for only 11% of revenue in FY2009. The First Call FY2010/FY2011 EPS estimates for SJM are $4.08 to
Video: Verizon Droid calls iPhone ‘digitally clueless’ in latest ad By Nicholas Deleon (CrunchGear) Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:01:20 PM
The word “droid” is short for “android.” When you think of androids you think of robots. “Robot” is a Czech word that $4.31. means “drudgery.” “Drudgery” is Continue reading J.M. Smucker: defined as “dull, irksome, and Back up the truck fatiguing work.” And let me tell J.M. Smucker: Back up the truck you: it is dull, irksome, and originally appeared on fatiguing to sit through this latest BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Dec Verizon Droid commercial. 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments
Recession or expansion, U.S. productivity continues to soar By Joseph Lazzaro (BloggingStocks)
economy -- and it's one that has an upside and, unfortunately a downside (at least short-term): Submitted at 12/4/2009 4:40:00 PM productivity. F i l e d u n d e r : E m p l o y e e s , Worker productivity continues Economic data Lost amid the to increase at an astounding rate: shuffle of recent economic data it increased an enormous 8.1% in p o i n t s t h i s w e e k w a s o n e Q3, the U.S. Labor Department productivity is up about 4% in enduring trend in the U.S. a n n o u n c e d . W h a t ' s m o r e , the past 12 months. The same
report indicated that unit labor costs fell 2.5% in Q3 and declined 2.9% in the past year. Continue reading Recession or expansion, U.S. productivity continues to soar Recession or expansion, U.S. productivity continues to soar originally appeared on
BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments
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Review: Gunnar ‘MLG Legend’ Glasses By David Diaz (CrunchGear) Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:56:01 PM
Short Version: Gunnar’s“MLG Legend” glasses are a good choice for gamers and workers alike who suffer from eye problems created from staring at a screen for long periods of time. While the thought of wearing specialty glasses with amber lenses in front of a computer or TV screen may seem pretentious to some, the benefits of these glasses outweigh the possibility of any social backlash. The price point of $99.00 is reasonable, and the durability of these glasses is remarkable given their lightweight design. Features • Oleophobic coating resists smudging and fingerprints • Enhances contrast for sharper images • i-AMP technology lenses designed to reduce eye strain I thought was no apparent reason, and whenever these symptoms • MSRP of $99.00 occurred I would have short but very painful headaches. At first I Pros • Reduced eye strain and fatigue thought that my vision was just • Lightweight, durable and starting to deteriorate and that all I needed was to finally get some sturdy design • Stylish aviator lens and clean prescription glasses. It seemed odd though, that my problems chrome frame would come and go, rather than being constant. Then I came Cons across an ad on a gaming website • Glasses sit high on the face for these special glasses which were constructed for those with Review A few months ago I started problems like mine. Turns out having vision problems. My eyes staring at a computer screen for 8 would get tired, my long distance hours a day and then going home vision would get blurry for what and playing video games for
another few is really bad for your eyes. Who would have thought? I reached out to Gunnar, the maker of these glasses and they sent me their special MLG edition eye-ware since I am a self -professed gamer. This pair, other than its appearance, is no different from Gunnar’s other line of products. The chrome frame, light amber lens, and aviator style give them a pretty sleek look. The glasses are also very light which makes wearing them comfortable. They have the Major League Gaming logo right by the lens, as they are a preferred partner of the
competitive gaming league. These glasses do however seem to sit higher up on the face than normal (sun)glasses. This is slightly annoying as I think they look a bit awkward because of this, but who knows, maybe I just have a oddly shaped face. This minor problem notwithstanding, after about a week of wearing these, my problems went away. No more headaches, and no more blurry vision. I was hooked. These glasses are great for those who stare at a computer screen for hours a day, but even better for those who game heavily. Through independent research, it
was found that many gamers go up to three entire minutes without blinking, and the blink rate of an individual can go down to nearly twenty percent of normal blinking whilst playing video games. Try going three minutes right now without blinking, and then do that consistently for hours on end, daily. It’s obviously not something you want to have happen as it compromises eye integrity. I was worried about wearing these with my headset as I didn’t want the headset to push the REVIEW: page 14
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10 Of The Best Spaces For Kicking Back and Relaxing [Tgif] By Sean Fallon (Gizmodo) Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:00:00 PM
We've been focusing on gadget gift guides lately, so I thought I would mix up the lists a bit for TGIF and focus on architecture. Here are some of the best places to just kick back and relax. This stunning home is embedded in a hill in Vals, Switzerland, but it still has some amazing views. Seriously, you could just grab a chair, a beer and look at it all day. Hit the link to see what I mean. [ Iwann Bann via Link] If there ever was a house that lived up to the name "Universe," this space in Roca Blanca, Mexico would do it. The design is based on the Jantar Mantar Astronomical Observatory, which was built in Jaipur, in 1724. The home has 360 degree open air views of the ocean with swimming pools and hammocks. In short, everything you could ever want in a place to relax. [ Link] If you had a treehouse when you were a kid, you probably considered it as your own private sanctuary. Imagine what it would be like to have a treehouse that is 11 stories tall, with dozens of rooms for you to run away and hide in. [ Link] Spending a few nights in a hotel
is a great way to escape from our miserable lives, but the Winvian in Connecticut is more exciting than most. It features themed rooms that would be so much fun you would have little reason to go out during the day. There are golf rooms with putting greens, a treehouse cottage, a music room with playable architecture and even a helicopter room with an actual Coast Guard chopper inside. [ Winvian] As much as I can't stand the
Cowboys, I have to admit that their ridiculously over-the-top stadium is probably the best place to watch a game on the face of the Earth. Super field-level luxury boxes, a mind blowing assortment of concessions and a HDTV that measures 159 feet across. If you were Joey Fatone's brother, you would have even had the privilege of playing Gears of War 2 on that gigantic screen. Of course, that would mean you would actually have to
happen to be staying at the Leoben Justice Centre in Austria. Seriously, take a look at the pics in the following link. It looks more like a resort than a correctional facility. [ Damn Cool Pics and Link] Electronic House's Home of the Year for 2009 is short on taste, but high on gadgets. If you were hanging out here, you would be treated to beautiful views, the latest in home automation, racing simulators and an absurd amount of home theater equipment. [ Electronic House via Link] This list contains some extreme homes, but Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich's yacht takes excess to the high seas with a price tag rumored to have cost in the billions. While on board, you would be treated to every kind of endure the shame of being related luxury imaginable—and you wouldn't have to worry about to Joey Fatone. There should be a crime against intrusion because the yacht is spending $2 billion dollars on a fitted with a missile defense private home, but I'm sure you system and anti-paparazzi laser could have a lot of fun hanging shield. out in Mukesh Ambani's pad. What if one of the best places to Needless to say, this 22-story kick back and relax was your monstrosity has every kind of office at work? Google has taken entertainment and relaxation that approach with the design of facility you could imagine...and their Swiss headquarters. It features cozy seating, pool tables, then some. [ Link] Prison may not be the most foosball and a top notch lounge. [ desirable place to be, unless you Link]
Google acquires EtherPad online collaboration tool By Stephen Shankland (Webware.com)
The Net colossus is bolstering the Google Wave project by acquiring AppJet, a smaller rival
with an online collaboration service. EtherPad will shut down in March.
Originally posted at Deep Tech
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Meet the adidas Jabulani, the ball that will be used at the 2010 World Cup By Nicholas Deleon (CrunchGear) Submitted at 12/4/2009 9:30:59 AM
Happening right now(well, when this first appears on the front page) is the draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It’s a big deal, and will lead to endless debate on call-in radio shows all over the world: what’s the real group of death? Does [our country] have a chance? Can anyone beat Brazil or Spain? And so on. But the World Cup is pretty useless without, you know, the ball. So, presenting the adidas Jabulani, the ball that will be used during the tournament. There’s a lot going on in that ball, believe me. I spoke to a few people at adidas earlier this week, and they gave me a bit of a rundown on the technology of the ball, technology that should ensure that the Jabulani is the most accurate ball ever used. But first, the name: Jabulani? As you know, the World Cup will be held in South Africa, and Jabulani is a Zulu (one of the 11 official languages there) word meaning “to celebrate.” Makes sense: the World Cup is right up there with the Olympics in terms
about developing these balls, and it turns out that there’s a lot of player input. Chelsea and Czech Republic goalkeeper Peter Cech, Chelsea and Germany’s Michael Ballack, Chelsea and England’s Frank Lampard, and Real Madrid and Brazil’s Kaká all gave adidas their opinions on the ball as it was being developed. Adidas also worked with AC Milan, Bayern Munich, the Orlando Pirates (man, who ever thought you’d see AC Milan and the Orlando Pirates in the same sentence?), and Ajax Cape Town for further input. In other words, it’s not just adidas’ engineers sitting in front of a computer screen all day developing the ball. of world coming together-ness. it’s only been in development increase the power behind the Needless to say, adidas put a lot of work into this ball to make (I’d argue that the World Cup is from the day after the 2006 ball. far more important to the average World Cup ended! More power = more goals. sure that it’s the best one ever guy than the Olympics. Really, Adidas has managed to increase That’s what we want to see. seen. (Incidentally, the Jabulani how many people pay close the ball’s striking surface by as Grip’n'Groove also gives the ball doesn’t share too much in attention to all the obscure sports much as 70 percent by reducing a slight “dimpled” surface, called common with the ball used at last at an Olympics? Whereas the the number of 3D panels from 14 Aero Grooves, which should help year’s European Championships, the Europass.) Here’s hoping W o r l d C u p c o m m a n d s t h e (from the 2006 World Cup) to improve the ball’s accuracy. everyman’s undivided attention.) eight. Less panels reduces the You can almost picutre Spain’s Team USA can lift the trophy. Moving on, why should you, the number of seams on the ball, and, Xavi picking his corner during a Failing that, I’ll settle for a Spain CrunchGear readers, care about a coupled with another adidas- free-kick, then flighting the ball victory. ball? I don’t know, because it’s developed technology called over the hapless wall. pretty damn advanced? I mean, Grip’n'Groove, should also I asked adidas how they go
Google adds streaming news to Google Finance By Tom Krazit (Webware.com)
Google is betting that real-time news (or something closely resembling it) will attract more
financially oriented visitors to its Google Finance pages. Originally posted at Relevant
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7 Favorite Ways to Say Goodbye (For Now) [Danny Allen] By Danny Allen (Gizmodo) Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:35:00 PM
It's been an amazing ride on the Gizmodo train, but this is my stop; my last daily post. I'll be swinging by for some cool features we've got planned…but for now, I leave you with 7 of my favorite posts… From hilarious TV scams to amateur space photography, to personally overdosing on caffeine in the name of pseudoscience, the early morning shift has let me cover stuff you just don't see anywhere else but Giz. But it's time to spread the freelance wings. Thanks for taking the ride with me…and spotting my typos ;) See you guys soon, Danny Caffeine Snack Test: Who Needs Coffee When You've Got Cookies and Gum? I'm lightheaded and twitchy. This was never going to end well. The mission: Test if caffeineinfused munchies like cookies, mints, chewing-gum, and lollipops pack the same punch as energy drinks and coffee. (Hint: Most do). More » Waking Up On Mars: Australia's Bizarre Dust Storm I woke up Wednesday (Tuesday
Student Kills Intruder with Samurai Sword After PlayStation, Laptops Stolen Holy crap. Detectives are still interviewing a Johns Hopkins University student who fatally lacerated the upper body of a man breaking into his off-campus residence overnight. The suspect U.S. time), to a scene from Total also suffered a nearly-severed R e c a l l . S y d n e y h a d b e e n hand, and was pronounced dead blanketed by an apocalyptic at the scene. More » glowing red dust storm. Red How Will Technology Affect the from iron-oxide: rust. And if I Future of Sex? Clones, Virtuality couldn't breathe, my tech gear and Polyamorism wouldn't like this either. More » Are the rapid advancements in Netbooks: What You Need to technology and science, in Know About the Next 6 Months a r t i f i c i a l - i n t e l l i g e n c e a n d A bunch of great netbook genetics, leading us to a moment upgrades are on the way in i n t i m e - a t e c h n o l o g i c a l 2010—next-gen Intel CPUs in singularity-where ultra-intelligent January; smooth HD video—but machines improve on their own t o s p a r e y o u t h e b r a i n designs, while we humans are hemorrhage of keeping track, free to edit our own evolution? we've laid it all out. Here's what More » Cops Bust Guy Selling Oven you need to know. More » MIT Students Explain How to Door Disguised as HDTV Wow, good try. San Leandro, Photograph Space for $150 California police stopped a man On September 2nd 2009, Justin Lee and Oliver Yeh successfully after reports he tried to sell an took these images of Earth's HDTV at a Wal-Mart parking lot. curvature and the blackness of However! It turned out to be a space using only a weather plastic-wrapped glass oven door b a l l o o n a n d o f f - t h e - s h e l f with Sony and Best Buy stickers. components-without complicated More » hacks. Total cost: $148. Here's how they did it. More »
Apple In 'Advanced' Acquisition Talks With Lala [Apple] By CNET (Gizmodo) Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:38:09 PM
Apple is close to acquiring digital-music service Lala, according to two sources with knowledge of the discussions. Talks are very advanced, said the sources Friday. One of the sources said that the sides have already agreed on terms and have only to sign a final agreement. Steve Dowling, Apple's spokesman, said the company doesn't comment on rumors and speculation. A representative from Lala was not immediately available. An acquisition of Lala, a streaming-music site that has gone through multiple iterations including one as a CD-swapping service, would be the third acquisition deal of a digitalmusic site in recent months. MySpace acquired iLike in August and Imeem last month. Exactly what Apple intends to do with Lala remains unclear, but it would appear that Apple
Motorola Headphones Offer Rich Aesthetics, Poor Sound By Steven Leckart (Wired Top Stories)
From a distance, Motorola's S305 Bluetooth headphones seem
fit for a king (or queen), but close up they pump out sound as lucid
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as a David Lynch storyline.
intends to offer some kind of streaming service to iTunes users. Right now, Apple is the largest music store online or offline and Apple has made more money than any other music service by selling music downloads. But the public has shown an appetite for free music and many people have clamored for a better way to store music. Right now, most music libraries can be found on an owner's computer hard drive, which can malfunction. Lala enables users to store songs on the company's servers and access them from Web-enabled devices. This story originally appeared on CNET
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REVIEW: continued from page 10
frames into the side of my head, which would obviously cause at the very least, slight pain. However, the slim chrome frames are perfect for those like me who game with a headset. My Astro A40’s fit perfectly over my Gunnars with no discomfort whatsoever. The proprietary technology used in these glasses works by bending light from screens before it hits your eyes, letting your eye muscles relax: thus reducing strain. Given the amber lens tinting, colors are distorted to a small degree. You won’t see true colors, but this is because the Gunnars screen out the harmful portions of the light spectrum (Gunnar VP of Marketing Mark McNabb told me that they have clear lenses as well for those who do graphic design). There is also what i like to call a “magnifying effect” when wearing these glasses. I play my video games on a 22 1080p LCD tv, and when playing, the screen seemed a few inches larger. Again, this is due to the filtering properties of the
glasses. To be honest, given the screens that I stare at all day, this is a welcome side effect. The images you look at are also much sharper than without them. This, other than not having blurry vision and headaches is their biggest attribute. Playing Assassin’s Creed 2 while wearing these glasses was quite a treat. As with all glasses, smudging and fingerprints are always bothersome. The oleophobic coating on the lenses help to mitigate these nuisances. I’d say that within a week of intensive wear, I only have to wipe off the lenses about 2-3 times. The durability of these glasses is what surprised me the most. When I’m not wearing the Gunnars, they are usually perched upon my hat. More than once they have dropped the six feet from my hat to the ground and have withstood the barrage. I did a drop test here at the TechCrunch Headquarters from above my head onto the ground, adding another two feet, and they
once again withstood the fall. The glasses come with a padded plastic case in order to ensure that they do not get dirty or broken when not being worn. These glasses are designed for those with 20/20 or corrective vision (including those with contacts). However, if you do not have perfect vision, Gunnars can be made to work for you. Simply talk to your optometrist and have your Gunnars specified to your vision specifications. Many pro gamers use these glasses and swear by them. I wore them, and while they won’t make me go pro by simply wearing them, they sure did make the experience more enjoyable. The glasses cost $99 and given the improvements they’ve made for me, I would recommend giving them a try. Product Page: Gunnar Optiks MLG Legend Glasses
FTC moseys into Intel / NVIDIA dispute By Donald Melanson (Engadget)
light and none of the parties involved are saying much on the record, some "people familiar Submitted at 12/4/2009 4:22:00 PM with the matter" say that the FTC The dispute between Intel and is trying to determine if a lawsuit NVIDIA has already reached filed by Intel earlier this year is legendary proportions, and it nothing more than an effort to looks like now even the FTC is disrupt NVIDIA's business. Of getting involved as a result of its course, things could well expand longstanding investigation into from there, considering what the Intel regarding another matter. FTC has waded into. While Intel just settled the FTC moseys into Intel / antitrust fight with AMD that NVIDIA dispute originally o r i g i n a l l y k i c k - s t a r t e d t h e appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 investigation last month, the FTC Dec 2009 16:22:00 EST. Please is now reportedly talking to see our terms for use of feeds. NVIDIA to see if its numerous P e r m a l i n k C N E T N e w s | complaints against the chipmaker B l o o m b e r g | E m a i l t h i s | actually hold water. While C o m m e n t s complete details are exectedly
The Engadget Podcast, live at 2:45PM EST! By Nilay Patel (Engadget) Submitted at 12/4/2009 2:21:00 PM
We've got a couple special guests joining us live on the Engadget Podcast today: Michael Gartenberg and Chris Ziegler will
be on hand to talk about Nokia's present and future products and strategy. On top of that, we've got a ton of tablet talk coming at you -- everything from the CrunchPad to the next-generation of magazines. It's going to be a
wild one -- we'll be live around
2:45PM EST, but the chat below is open now, so settle on in! Continue reading The Engadget Podcast, live at 2:45PM EST! The Engadget Podcast, live at 2:45PM EST! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04
Dec 2009 14:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| | Email this| Comments
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Core Values: What's next for NVIDIA? By Anand Shimpi (Engadget)
TSMC weren't having such a terrible time making 40nm chips I'd say that AMD would be Core Values is our new monthly gobbling up marketshare like a column from Anand Shimpi, fat kid. By the time NVIDIA gets Editor-in-chief of AnandTech. its entire stack of DX11 hardware With over a decade of experience out the gate, AMD will be a poring over the latest in chip quarter away from putting out developments, he's here to newly refreshed GPUs. explain how things work and Things aren't much better on the why our tech is the way it is. chipset side either -- for all I remember the day AMD intents and purposes, the future announced it was going to of NVIDIA's chipset business in acquire ATI. NVIDIA told me the PC space is dead. Not only that its only competitor just threw has NVIDIA recently announced in the towel. What a difference a that it won't be pursuing any few years can make. chipsets for Intel's Core i3, i5. or The last time NVIDIA was this i7 processors until its various late to a major DirectX transition legal disputes with Intel are was seven years ago, and the resolved, It doesn't really make company just quietly confirmed sense to be a third-party chipset we won't see its next-generation vendor anymore. Both AMD and GPU, Fermi, until Q1 2010. If Intel are more than capable of AMD's manufacturing partner doing chipsets in-house, and the Submitted at 12/4/2009 3:00:00 PM
only form of differentiation comes from the integrated graphics core -- so why not just sell cheap discrete GPUs for OEMs to use alongside Intel chipsets instead? Even Ion is going to be short
lived. NVIDIA's planning to mold an updated graphics chip into an updated chipset for the next-gen Atom processor, but Pine Trail brings the memory controller and graphics onto the CPU and leaves NVIDIA out in
the cold once again. Let's see, no competitive GPUs, no future chipset business. This isn't looking good so far -- but the one thing I've learned from writing about these companies for the past 12 years is that the future's never as it seems. Chances are, NVIDIA's going to look a lot different in the future because of two things: Tesla and Tegra. Continue reading Core Values: What's next for NVIDIA? Core Values: What's next for NVIDIA? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| | Email this| Comments
Hell freezes over, the FCC admits that CableCARD is a failure By Ben Drawbaugh (Engadget) Submitted at 12/4/2009 3:52:00 PM
Well we have to say we never saw this coming, but have dreamed of it for years, but it appears that the FCC is actually listening to the CEA and is asking for comments on how to replace CableCARD with something that would actually make the network open. For those just catching up, Congress mandated that cable had to be
o p e n w i t h t h e Telecommunications Act of 1996 -- yeah that long -- and 3rd party CableCARD devices first became available in 2004 and five years later there are only 14 3rd party certified devices and 443k 3rd party devices in service. The fact that CableCARDs just don't work is no surprise to anyone who has tried to use one -- ok we're exaggerating here, but we've had our fair share installed and every one makes for a funny story. Now obviously admitting you
have a problem is the first step, but it also means we are years away from a solution. But since they asked, here's ours. Instead of
silly cards and middleware, just specify a two way communications protocol and embed signed certificates that
CableLabs will control the distribution of in the box for authentication and encryption. It really doesn't have to be any harder than that. Hell freezes over, the FCC admits that CableCARD is a failure originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Ars Technica| Email this| Comments
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This will be the first FIFA World Cup of the Twitter era By Nicholas Deleon (CrunchGear)
this will be the first FIFA World Cup of the Twitter era. Brace yourselves. Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:00:34 PM I watched the draw live while Poor North Korea (politics aside, s i m u l t a n e o u s l y m o n i t o r i n g of course). It finds itself in the Twitter. You’re right: I have “group of death” in the 2010 nothing better to do with my FIFA World Cup, alongside time. Here’s a few choice tweets: B r a z i l , C ô t e d ’ I v o i r e , a n d • By the way, England, Algeria, Portugal. With all due respect to Slovenia and USA is its own the team, there’s no way it’s group of death. A death of going to get past the likes of Luís exciting football! F a b i a n o a n d K a k á , D i d i e r • France, of course, gets punished Drogba and Yaya Touré, and for the handball vs Ireland by Cristiano Ronaldo and, well… being placed in the South Africa let’s just count Cristiano twice. group. #worldcupdraw Twitter agrees: “Groups of death • Los españoles creen que Chile aren’t always deadly groups. But e s u n a s e l e c c i ó n f á c i l … North Korea are completely dead pobresitos. (The Spanish think already. #worldcupdraw.” Yes, that Chile is an easy team… poor
things.) • HEXA CAMPEÃO EM 2010: BRASIL ! (Six-time champions in 2010: Brazil!) • Mesmo! Brasil ou Portugal? Digamos que com tantos
brasileiros a jogar na selecção portuguesa vai ser um jogo Brasil vs Brasil B (I agree! Brazil or Portugal? They say that so many Brazilians play for the Portuguese team that it’ll be a
game of Brazil vs Brazil B.) (Note: I legit lol’d at that one.) • Team USA drew those Limey bastards from England In the FIFA World cup draw today! • Fuck yeah America! We gonna kick us some Algeria and Slovenia ass! Soccer! USA! USA! USA! USA! Yes, the “USA! USA!” chant is somehow just as obnoxious on Twitter as it is in the stands of an actual match. I fully expect Twitter to shine during the tournament. Marca
FCC: Whoops, CableCARD Was a Total Disaster [CableCard] By Brian Barrett (Gizmodo) Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:44:44 PM
Yesterday the FCC admitted that CableCARD—a system originally designed to open up the market for video content—is a failure. Here's what they're doing to fix it. The regulator is seeking comments "on how to encourage innovation," which basically means how to move past the total failure of the CableCARD system and on to something that will democratize how and where you can access cable video streams. If
you're never heard about the CableCARD system, it's effectively the only thing keeping you from using your Xbox 360 as a DVR. A potential change could open up cable signals to all devices, including your TiVo and Xbox 360. And until very recently, you couldn't even get your Windows PC to be a DVR unless you bought it OEM from HP or Dell or someone, where they would install the CableCARD for you at the time of purchase. Quite opposite from the way people pictured CableCARDs would
work—and how it will work shortly. Just how bad is it? Ars Technica points out that in the FCC report, a grand total of fourteen non-
leased set top boxes were available in the US at retail in 2008. That means that nearly every set-top box in the US is leased by a cable company,
allowing them virtually unlimited pricing control and no incentive to innovate. Compare that to the 879 devices for sale in the truly competitive mobile industry, and you can see just how throttled the market is by the cable industry. There's no telling what exactly is going to happen here, but at the very least it's good to see the FCC continuing their push for openness and sanity. We've waited long enough for something that's really not too much to ask. [ ars technica]
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Motorola prepping 'La Jolla' low-end Android clamshell?
DNS security and performance considerations, and ISP alternatives
By Paul Miller (Engadget)
By Topher Kessler (Webware.com)
Submitted at 12/4/2009 3:28:00 PM
It's a source code-palooza these days! Fresh off that huge HTC code name find, someone's dug into the Motorola CLIQ's source code and found references to a new Motorola device dubbed "La Jolla." Meaning "The Jewel" in Spanish, La Jolla apparently means "low-end Android clamshell" in Motorola-ese, with mention of a WQVGA screen, 528MHz processor and what seems to be a QWERTY keyboard. (What such a phone might look like is pictured above.
Thanks, LG). In fact, a QWERTY Android clamshell (the clamshell bit was extrapolated from the display driver by the folks at AndroidandMe, but sounds
reasonable) seems to be the perfect cure for the recent rash of QWERTY featurephones we've been seeing lately, perfect for the SMS / email junky that doesn't want to bother with high-
powered apps or a big price tag or the resistive touchscreen-only typing of the HTC Tattoo. Now, if only could find some device source code that could solve our trigger shyness brought on by this steady stream of Android handsets -- not that we're complaining. Motorola prepping 'La Jolla' low -end Android clamshell? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Phone Arena| AndroidandMe| Email this| Comments
Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:14:00 AM
DNS servers resolve web address names to IP addresses that your computer can use, but problems with these servers may result in performance issues. Originally posted at MacFixIt
Stocking Stuffer: Kensington Video Chat Light for Netbooks By Doug Aamoth (CrunchGear) Submitted at 12/4/2009 11:00:00 AM
Kensington’s $15 “Video Chat Light for Netbooks” can provide some much-needed illumination to your video chats. It’s powered by a single USB Port and features a flexible gooseneck
that’s sturdy yet pliable. There are eight LED lights inside the lamp and you can set the level at OFF, ON/4 (half the LEDs illuminated), and ON/8 (all LEDs illuminated). The light output isn’t terribly bright but it casts a nice glow nonetheless. You won’t use this thing for making professional-
looking feature films but it’s great to use at night or in a
poorly-lit room. It can also pull first is with no light, followed by double duty as a keyboard light. ON/4, then ON/8. Here’s a before-and-after taken No light. during the day with all the lights Half light (ON/4). off – there’s a window that gets Full light (ON/8). partial sunlight over my left So there you have it. Available shoulder, for your reference. now for$15 from Kensington. JK, all the way. That’s the Enzyte Guy. He smiles a lot. Here are the actual photos. The
When Pissed-Off Customers and Automated Tag Clouds Collide [The Internet] By John Herrman (Gizmodo) Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:26:31 PM
Tag clouds provide a quick
visual summary of the most popular subjects on a particular website. Newegg's "Shopping EggXperience" forum gives
customers a place to talk about
their issues with the site. They make an excellent couple. [ Reddit]
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Apple adds 3.33GHz Xeon, 2TB hard drive options to Mac Pro By Donald Melanson (Engadget)
Submitted at 12/4/2009 9:23:00 AM
Wonder what the French really
By Greg Kumparak (CrunchGear)
While Verizon might not be shoving the HTC Droid Eris down our throats the same way they are with its Motorola-made sibling, the Droid, the Eris is still one slick little piece of mobile kit. What it lacks in form factor (that is, a physical keyboard), it makes up with its drop-deadgorgeous Sense UI. The only real the 8-core rigs still top out at just 2.93Ghz. Apple adds 3.33GHz Xeon, 2TB hard drive options to Mac Pro originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink SlashGear| Apple| Email this| Comments
Feds Probe Verizon's Early Termination Fees, Accidental Data Charges By Ryan Singel (Wired Top Stories) Submitted at 12/4/2009 10:54:00 AM
shortcoming, as I see it, is that it's still stuck on Android v1.5 while the Droid is touting around 2.0.
The feds want to know why Verizon Wireless doubled its fees for smartphone users who cancel their contracts and if the company is gouging customers who accidentally access the net from their phone. It's yet another move from an newly activist FCC.
CNET News Daily Podcast: Vevo: The MTV of new media? Apple hit with iPhone digital camera patent lawsuit
(CNET News.com) Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:41:00 PM
Report offensive content: If you believe this comment is By Nicholas Deleon offensive or violates the CNET's (CrunchGear) Site Terms of Use, you can report Submitted at 12/4/2009 10:30:29 AM it below (this will not automatically remove the Looks like Apple's lawyers will comment). Once reported, our think? The search giant offers a be extra busy in the coming days. native-language view of the Web Some entity by the name of St. staff will be notified and the through translated search results. C l a i r I n t e l l e c t u a l P r o p e r t y comment will be reviewed. Select type of offense: Also new: a dictionary service. Consultants has filed suit against Offensive: Sexually explicit or Originally posted at Deep Tech the house that Jobs built, alleging that the iPhone infringes upon several of its patents.
Google edges toward Rosetta Stone status By Stephen Shankland (Webware.com)
Verizon announces software update for Droid Eris coming in 2010 Submitted at 12/4/2009 10:16:24 AM
Submitted at 12/4/2009 2:41:00 PM
We know it can be tough scraping by with a measly 2.93GHz Xeon processor and 1TB hard drives in your Mac Pro, so you'll no doubt be pleased to know that Apple has finally seen fit to add a bit of extra horsepower to its humble little desktop. That includes a new option for a speedy 3.33GHz Xeon processor, which will add a hefty $1,200 to the base price, and a new a 2TB SATA 3Gb/s 7,200rpm hard drive option (also now available on Apple's Xserve server), which is a comparative bargain at just $350 -- though you can, of course, add four of them. Unfortunately, anyone that's thinking about doubling up on those 3.33GHz Xeon processors is still out of luck, as
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Nook early adopters promised a December 9th shipment, $10 online gift certificate By Ross Miller (Engadget)
ordered early are receiving a happy note from the company right now with a not-quite-firm We already made it clear that the statement that "we expect to have January 15th Nook date applies it to you by December 9th" with only to new orders, and while f r e e , u p g r a d e d o v e r n i g h t Barnes & Noble's retail outlets shipping. Another bonus? A $10 may not be getting any love online gift certificate. Warm (read: no units will be in stock feelings for the holiday shoppers for sale, as confirmed today), who thought ahead, and as for many of the faithful who pre- everyone else, at least rain checks Submitted at 12/4/2009 3:52:00 PM
save you money on gift wrapping.
[Thanks, Mona!] Nook early adopters promised a December 9th shipment, $10 online gift certificate originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| | Email this| Comments
Google acquires EtherPad online collaboration tool (CNET News.com) Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:03:00 PM
Google, probably the most prominent advocate of moving traditional productivity software such as word processors online, acquired a small company called AppJet whose EtherPad service fits into that agenda. AppJet announced the Google acquisition Friday. "The EtherPad team will continue its work on real-time collaboration by joining the Google Wave team," the site said. AppJet offered free and premium versions of its service, which could import Microsoft Word documents, Web pages, PDFs, and plain text files, and let groups of people edit them collectively on what it called pad. A "time-slider" feature let people
look back at earlier incarnations of a pad. Google Wave has similarities. It's a sort of hybrid between instant messaging, wikis, and email. Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt sees Google Wave as the future of collaboration, in particular given its intrinsically networked nature and its realtime view of what collaborating people are up to. That real-time collaboration is a thorny problem. It can be difficult to permit multiple people permission to edit the same document at the same time while ensuring one person's changes don't interfere with another's work. And showing simultaneous work complicates a service's user interface, too. Google Docs--the online word processor, spreadsheet, and
presentation services--also offers some simultaneous editing abilities. AppJet dings it in its EtherPad FAQ. "With Google Docs it takes about 5 to 15 seconds for a change to make its way from your keyboard to other people's screens," the site said. "Imagine if whiteboards or telephones had this kind of delay!" Google Wave and Google Docs are perhaps the closest rivals to AppJet, but in the big picture, the rivalry is between cloud computing and the way most people use productivity software today, on their PCs. Notably, though, Microsoft is working on an online version of its dominant Office suite. Current EtherPad users should brace themselves for the end of the service: "If you are a user of
the Free Edition or Professional Edition, you can continue to use and edit your existing pads until March 31, 2010. No new free public pads may be created. Your pads will no longer be accessible after March 31, 2010, at which time your pads and any associated personally identifiable information will be deleted," AppJet said. That left one user, JavaScript programmer and jQuery project creator, John Resig, unhappy. "Super-lame that Etherpad is shutting down. We used it all the time for jQuery planning," Resig said in a tweet on Friday. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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Woman Filming Parts Of Sister's Birthday Party At Theater, Charged With Felony Movie Copying By Mike Masnick (Techdirt) Submitted at 12/4/2009 7:48:00 AM
Over the last couple of years, the movie industry has pushed hard for stricter and stricter laws for anyone caught "filming" a movie in the theater. Of course, these days, with more and more people having portable video cameras either in their mobile phones or other devices, the likelihood of these sorts of laws being abused or misused only grows over time. Take, for example, the case of 22 -year-old Samantha Tumpach, from Chicago, who took her sister out for a surprise birthday party at a movie theater recently. While there, she used her new camera to tape parts of the event, including her, along with friends and family, singing happy birthday to her sister. But, in the course of all this, she also caught two small segments of the film itself, less than four minutes, total -- hardly a representative case of "pirate" or "camcording" activity. Still, the theater pressed charges, and Samantha was arrested and spent two nights in jail-- and may now face three years in jail as a felon. Good thing Hollywood got those laws, so they can get young women celebrating their friends and families' birthdays put in jail. Permalink| Comments| Email This Story
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Mashable’s Social Media Guide for Small Businesses By Matt Silverman (Mashable!)
beyond, here are the resources you’ll need to get started. - Social Media 101: How to Submitted at 12/4/2009 11:03:53 AM Avoid Alienating Your Over the past year, Mashable has C u s t o m e r s written extensively on the value - W h y S h o u l d T r a d i t i o n a l o f s o c i a l m e d i a t o s m a l l Businesses Care about Social businesses. We have also Media? contributed regularly on this - 10 of the Best Social Media topic to the American Express Tools for Entrepreneurs Open Forum. - Putting Social Media in Real From the fundamentals of Life Context for SMBs T w i t t e r b r a n d i n g , t o t h e - Why Your Business Needs to importance of blogging, to Be on Facebook getting work done with some - Making Social Media a Tool, g r e a t o n l i n e t o o l s , s m a l l Not a Distraction businesses face many challenges - How to Use Twitter Hashtags when trying to understand how to for Business use social media. However, - 5 Mistakes to Never Make on taking the time to learn how to Twitter l e v e r a g e s o c i a l m e d i a a n d - How SMBs Can Capitalize on technology to benefit your the Twitter Woes of the Fortune business will pay big dividends 100 in the long run. - 5 Small Businesses Whether you’re just signing up, Successfully Using Social Media or primed for some advanced - How to Build Your Company’s social marketing, the posts below Profile on LinkedIn have all the tips, tricks, and - 3 Great Social Media Policies to wisdom you’ll need to take your Steal From brand to the next level. Social - 5 Secrets From Social Media Media 101 Insiders Start here for the basics on how - Social Media: What’s Next and why your business should be Blogging implementing a social media Blogging is an essential way for campaign. businesses to keep their Sign up, stay on message, and c u s t o m e r s i n f o r m e d a n d utilize some leading sites and interested in new products. apps that can give your business W h e n c o n n e c t e d t o s o c i a l a social edge. networks, business blogs can These posts have real-world have a powerful reach. advice and examples of how There are a host of great online businesses have succeeded on tools and tricks you can use to social networks. From Facebook get your business blog up and to Twitter to LinkedIn and running for maximum buzz.
These posts cover all the best practices and how to avoid the most common mistakes. - How to Set Up Your Small Business Blog - 5 Winning Post Ideas for Your Small Business - 6 Tips for Customizing Your Small Business Blog - 5 Rules for Better Web Writing - 5 Blogging Executives and What They Can Teach Us - How to Get Free Press by Becoming a Source - Sage Social Media and Blogging Advice for SMBs From the Experts - The Small Business Guide to Wikis - Top 5 Business Blogging Mistakes and How to Avoid Them Video Online video is booming, and it offers great opportunities for customers to discuss and share your brand. A video that “goes viral” can put your product into the feeds and inboxes of thousands of potential customers and make your brand known to a much wider base. Paid advertising on social video sites like YouTube can also be extremely lucrative. Check out these posts for tips on how to get
the most from a video marketing campaign. - How to Use Online Video to Establish Credibility - 5 Important Web Video Lessons for Small Business Owners - Live Video and Business: Some Best Practices - YouTube: An Unlikely Small Biz Marketing Platform - 4 Tips for Marketing Your Business on YouTube - Video Advertising: Not Just for Big Business Mobile Mobile devices keep you and your employees connected to your business. The proliferation of smartphones also means that your customers will be interacting with your brand in new ways. It’s important to keep in touch with mobile business trends. Which devices and platforms will your customers be using to search for and connect with you? These posts have the lowdown on mobile web, productivity on the go, and tips for choosing the right devices for your business. - Optimizing Your Business Website for Mobile Visitors - Mobile Productivity Tools for the Small Business - iPhone App Economics 101 - Beyond Yelp: Location-Based Opportunities for Vendors - How to Choose a Smartphone For Your Small Business - Which is Better for Business: BlackBerry or iPhone Productivity No matter the type of business,
improving productivity is always at the top of the to-do list. Social media and Web collaboration tools can really speed up your workflow. However, there are many choices and many pitfalls. Choosing the right applications and keeping your employees connected is key. These posts will show you how to get things done quicker and smarter on the Web. - 3 Fresh Ideas for Working Smarter - Collaborate Online: 3 Toolsets That Get Stuff Done - 3 Steps for Staying Focused and On Task - Content Management Systems for Small Businesses: An Overview - How to Stay Organized With Google Calendar - What Microsoft Office’s Move to the Web Means for You - Intranet and Collaboration Solutions for Small Businesses - Six Web Tools for Better Time Management - Supercharge Your Customer Communications and Save Money With Web-Based VoIP - Never Miss an Important Phone Call Again with Google Voice - 6 Adobe AIR Apps for Small Business - Google Wave: What Small Businesses Should Know - Tools for Collaboratively Building Presentations PR and Marketing MASHABLE’S page 21
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MASHABLE’S continued from page 20
Perhaps the biggest draw of social media for small businesses is the ability to create farreaching and relatively inexpensive marketing campaigns. But there’s a lot more to it than simply tweeting updates from the water cooler, or linking to your newest blog post. Ensure maximum return on social media investment by engaging your customers across multiple platforms. These posts will show you how. - 10 Small Business Social Media Marketing Tips - 5 Advanced Social Media Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses - 5 Tips for Managing Social Media Marketing Expectations - How to Be Your Own PR Person - Email Marketing Lives: 3 Services for Sending a Great Newsletter - 9 Surefire Ways to Get Blogs to Cover Your Business - Real-Time and Hyperlocal: Advertising Trends Every Business Should Know About - Tweetable Eats: What Street Vendors Can Teach Businesses About Twitter - Why You Should Talk About
Everything But Your Business Online - Going Global: How to Sell a Worldwide Audience Online - Before You Go Online: Talk to Your Customers Offline - 6 Tips on Rebranding Using Social Media - What is a Community Manager and Should I Hire One? - 3 Qualities to Look for When Hiring a Community Manager Numbers and Stats Enough theory and hypotheticals – get to the data already! If you’re looking for some cold, hard stats to explain what’s going on with the business of social media, read on. From venture capital to tracking your social investments, here are some important posts on how businesses are cashing in on social media, and how social networks are changing the online marketplace. - By the Numbers: Social Media and Small Business - Social Media’s Impact on SEO - Venture Capital Today: Key Numbers to Remember - Using Social Media to Research Venture Capital - Is Peer-to-Peer Lending Better Than the Bank?
Google Public DNS (Little Green Footballs) Submitted at 12/3/2009 3:30:16 PM
Here’s a very cool new service from Google, that can significantly speed up web
browsing: Google Public DNS. I followed the instructions on this page for setting up Google Public DNS on my Mac; it worked without a hitch, and it definitely does improve the speed
- How to Track Your Twitter ROI Strategy and Management So you’ve got your social media plan in place and you’re starting to see some benefits for your business. Great! Now, how do you keep up and keep track? There are many tools that can help you streamline your social media efforts to ensure you’re always moving in the right direction. Here are some advanced strategies on how to manage your social media presence, hire Websavvy employees, and stay on top of this fast-moving field. - 5 Things Small Businesses Can Learn From Big Business Social Media Campaigns - How to Choose a News Reader for Keeping Tabs on Your Industry - The “Iterate Fast and Release Often” Philosophy of Entrepreneurship - Cutting Through the Resume Pile: Recruiting Tools for Small Businesses - How to Use Social Media to Find Star Employees - Online Hiring: LinkedIn and Beyond - How to Research Potential Hires Online
- How to Train New Employees in Social Media - How to Manage Customer Feedback - Clickstreams: What They Are and Why You Should Track Them - 5 Payment Platforms to Consider for Your Business How to Manage Telecommuting Employees - 5 Ways to Use Social Media for Customer Service Your Small Business Ideas We hope you’ve found some strategies you can incorporate into your small business plan. What other tools and tricks do you use to maximize the reach of your social media presence? Share some ideas in the comments below. Images courtesy of iStockphoto, iqoncept, Yuri_Arcurs, FranckBoston, Lefthome, Pertusinas, jgroup, Talaj, studiovision Reviews: LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, iStockphoto Tags: business, Guide, List, Lists, small business, social media
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Wait, I Thought Piracy Had Killed Any Chance Of Zombieland 2? By Mike Masnick (Techdirt) Submitted at 12/4/2009 9:00:00 AM
Last month, we wrote about Zombieland director Rhett Reese, complaining on Twitter that the fact that his movie was a top unauthorized download would make it that much more unlikely that there would ever be a sequel. Others picked up that claim and ran with it, as if this was proof that piracy was harming the movie business. The whole thing seemed curious to us, since the movie has been quite successful at the box office, and has made a ton of money. Given that, who cares how much it's pirated. If it can make a bunch of money, of course it's ripe for a sequel. And, guess what? Despite all the doom and gloom about how Sony would never make a sequel, Variety is reporting (you guessed it!) that Sony is about to ink a sequel for Zombieland, which will be done in 3D. Shocking. Even though the movie was pirated so much, the studio still wants to make a sequel? Could it be that there really are some people who recognize that how much a movie is pirated doesn't really matter if the movie can still make a ton of cash? of page loads across the board. And if you’re as geeky as I am, Permalink| Comments| Email Give it a try. (But be sure to save check out the security benefits of This Story your original DNS settings first, using Google Public DNS. just in case.) UPDATE at 12/3/09 3:49:56 pm:
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In mobile, do developers or consumers matter most? (CNET News.com)
Fundamentally, though, mobile is a platform play, a game that is largely won by securing the The mobile-computing world is hearts and minds of developers, increasingly a two-horse race and for them, the expectation bar between Google and Apple, with is now set pretty high, owing to Apple clearly in the lead but the success of iPhone across so Google Android making up many domains.... ground quickly. Microsoft and If you're Google (or Microsoft or Symbian are also still in the Symbian), then, who do you game, but the ultimate winner t a r g e t ? D e v e l o p e r s o r will be the one that best appeals c o n s u m e r s ? to consumers or developers. It's a real question, as while both Or both. parties' interests ultimately Sexy? Yes. But what about the c o n v e r g e ( c o n s u m e r s w a n t developers? developers to make great This struck home while reading applications so that those same Mark Sigal's analysis of the c o n s u m e r s c a n p a y t h e " i n e v i t a b i l i t y " o f G o o g l e developers lots of money), the A n d r o i d . O n h i s w a y t o short-term interests of consumers d i s m a n t l i n g t h e i d e a t h a t (sexy product) and developers Google's victory is assured, Sigal ( e a s e a n d r i c h n e s s o f s t u m b l e s i n t o a p p a r e n t l y development platform) don't d i v e r g e n t i n t e r e s t g r o u p s : necessarily go together. [U]nlike the PC, where "good Motorola RAZR? Sexy product, enough" was the bar required to lame development platform. seize the market,...for most Windows Mobile? Arguably a consumers, their mobile device s o l i d development of choice is a lifestyle decision, a platform...with almost zero sex personal, ever-present extension appeal for consumers. of themselves that is resident in a This is why John Carroll is way that never existed before probably right to argue that with the PC--a value proposition Microsoft should reinvigorate its that Apple has completely run mobile strategy with an emphasis with on iPhone(and iPod before on .Net as a powerful way for that). developers to write powerful Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:39:07 PM
helped Microsoft surpass Apple in a recent consumer survey focused on product innovation. But not in mobile, or even in computers. Apple understands how to create wicked cool products that consumers want, which is why its Mac sales are projected to grow by 26 percent mobile applications, it's not going in 2010, right through the to be enough. Microsoft can port recession, and why its iPhone all the business applications it continues to thrive. wants for Windows Mobile. It But Apple's Achilles heel could well be developers, which are won't matter. Consumers don't buy business reportedly tiring of Apple's applications. Not until after apparently arbitrary application they've chosen a phone that approval and updating process. If meets their personal needs, first. Google can continue to help Yes, enterprises do try to dictate handset manufacturers to achieve corporate standards with the "Wow factor," while Blackberrys and dull Dell PCs simultaneously creating a more heading the list. But in the fast- o p e n , r o b u s t d e v e l o p m e n t changing mobile market, you platform, it just might be able to can't hope that consumers will be beat Apple at the game it started. forced to use your software. You In other words, the winning mobile vendor will be the one want them to want to do so. This is why I believe Google has that marries sex appeal for a good chance of taking a serious consumers with platform appeal bite out of Apple, and Symbian for developers. Google is on and Microsoft do not. Symbian is course to deliver, but it probably too difficult an application needs to win big with consumers development platform, as Gartner before it makes waves with developers. notes, and Microsoft...is boring. Not that it needs to be. XBox This content has passed through certainly isn't, and actually fivefilters.org.
To Deflect an Asteroid, Try a Lasso, Not a Nuke By Betsy Mason (Wired Top Stories)
An engineer has floated a new idea for stopping an Earth-bound asteroid. Instead of deflecting it
with a collision or nuking it, we could tie a giant weight to it with a giant rope.
Google Makes an Acquisition to Help Build Google Wave By Ben Parr (Mashable!) Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:28:17 PM
Google’s been on an acquisition spree recently. In the last few months alone, it’s acquired ReCaptcha(for scanning books), AdMob(for mobile advertising), On2 Technologies(for video compression) and Teracent(for targeted display ads). Now you can add a fifth acquisition to that list. Google has just acquired AppJet, the creators of the real-time collaboration word processor EtherPad. In AppJet’s announcement, the company revealed that its product and its staff will become part of the Google Wave team. The actual EtherPad service will stay up for another four months, until the end of March 2010. After that, it will shut down, as the team will focus on Google Wave. We’ll have more details and thoughts on this acquisition soon. Reviews: EtherPad, Google, Google Wave Tags: etherpad, Google, Google Wave
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'Green' gas and diesel get boost in biofuel grants
TUAW First Look: Hippo High Jump
(CNET News.com)
By Erica Sadun (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))
Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:33:00 PM
When it comes to the U.S. biofuels strategy, it's no longer just about ethanol. The Department of Energy and Department of Agriculture announced on Friday that $564 million in stimulus act funding would be used toward constructing biorefineries to make liquid fuels from plants. Out of the 19 projects receiving funding, nearly half focus on the development of "drop-in" replacements for gasoline, diesel, or jet fuel. The rest focus on technologies for making ethanol or chemicals from sources other than corn. (Click this PDF for a full list of recipient projects). Green crude from algae(Credit: Sapphire Energy) In one example, San Diegobased Sapphire Energy, which counts Bill Gates as an investor, received a $54.5 million loan guarantee to build a pilot facility to convert algae into "green crude" that can replace jet fuel and diesel. These fuels are the chemical equivalents of petroleum-based
agricultural residue and wood. Algenol Biofuels received almost $59 million in total to produce ethanol from seawater algae and carbon dioxide in Freeport, Texas. Cellulosicethanol company ZeaChem, meanwhile, received $25 million from the Energy Department to gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel so supplement a planned project to they can fit into the existing make ethanol from poplar trees in distribution fuels infrastructure, Oregon using a microbe that backers say. breaks down wood. And waste-to The Energy Department-funded -fuel companies BlueFire Ethanol projects, which will be matched and Enerkem received grants for with private money for a total of their gasification-based systems $1.3 billion, are meant to test a for converting municipal solid number of biofuels techniques at waste into ethanol. demonstration scale. Chemical In a statement, Energy Secretary and energy company UOP, for Steven Chu said advanced example, received a total of biofuels are a key part of the $ 3 1 . 7 m i l l i o n t o m a k e a country's goal to create a cleaner, renewable diesel and jet fuel more sustainable transportation from wood wastes by treating system and generate jobs. biofeedstocks with hydrogen In a statement, the during its process. Biotechnology Industry Different methods to produce O r g a n i z a t i o n s a i d t h e ethanol will also be tested government funding will help through the Energy Department innovative companies attract program. In the 2007 Energy Act, capital from private sources to the federal government set an commercialize their technology. aggressive goal for production of This content has passed through advanced biofuels made from fivefilters.org. plants other than corn, such as
through burning hoops to a bucket of water below. I'll admit I have the attention span of a gnat with ADHD, but the game did Submitted at 12/4/2009 2:00:00 PM not really keep my attention. Filed under: App Review The art on the other hand There are beautiful games on definitely did. The video above App Store and there are fun does not do justice to the games on App Store, and there beautiful look of the game. The are some games that are cool just artistry both retains the original because of the story that goes hand-drawn "let's whip up a along with them. Hippo High game" style while pushing it Jump [ iTunes link] falls into the forward into gorgeous design. categories of strikingly beautiful, The layered three-d effects while somewhat fun, and great back "climbing" the ladder as a story. The story goes like this. prelude to the dive took my Keith Shepherd and Natalia breath away. L u c k y a n o v a a t t e n d e d t h e So, in the end, it's a bit hard to 360iDev conference a few weeks rate the game. I found the actual back and joined in in the iPhone g a m e p l a y a b i t m e h . M y game jam. The jam offered an all coordination skills are weak at -night coding marathon, where best and this is not the kind of "people teamed up and had to fine motion control I generally build a fully working game in 1 enjoy. At the same time, I night. We built the first version absolutely adored the visual of Hippo High Dive from 8pm to d e s i g n . I f y o u ' r e a g a m e around 6am the next day." You developer, consider hiring that can see a video of the early artist. prototype here. TUAW TUAW First Look: After polishing the game up with Hippo High Jump originally the help of their artist pal, Kiril, appeared on The Unofficial the pair submitted Hippo High Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, Dive to App Store where it just 04 Dec 2009 14:00:00 EST. recently went live. Please see our terms for use of Costing just a dollar, Hippo feeds. High Dive does not offer a huge Read| Permalink| Email this| amount of play flexibility. You Comments Set, the Star Wars Force Trainer, basically jump your hippo off a BuckyBalls Rare Earth Magnets diving board and navigate her and the E-Flite Blade mSR RC Helicopter.
Wish List: 5 Toys That Bring Out Your Inner Geek By Wired.com Video Department (Wired Top Stories) Submitted at 12/4/2009 10:00:00 AM
Our elf shows off some gizmos that promise to let your inner geek play with your inner child -such gems as The Dangerous Book for Boys Classic Chemistry
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More Creative Fiction In Warner Music Royalty Statements By Mike Masnick (Techdirt)
unrecouped to Warner Brothers to the tune of$174,073.84 Now...our balance is up to With Tim Quirk's story about his $174,717.56! fictional royalty statements from Talk about"pushing forward Warner Music, more people are back!". beginning to talk about these How is this possible? kinds of things. Bob Lefsetz Good question! Now, to be fair, points to another report of a Bach still says that he was happy r o y a l t y s t a t e m e n t o f a n with his major record deal, in unrecouped artist (and former noting that it was effectively an major label exec), David Bach, "unsecured loan" in that he who notes with some surprise doesn't lose his house if it never that on his last royalty statement gets recouped. He conveniently from Warner Music, the amount leaves out the clear explanation the band owed had gone up. In that the label is still making other words, the royalties that the money based on the wholesale band had accrued had somehow price of the album, which is decreased: In May of 2007, I many times over what royalties wrote a post about the wacky are due to recoup the advance. world of record company royalty He also leaves out the fact that recoupment. while it was an "unsecured loan," This week (Nov.-2009) - I it also involved him giving up r e c e i v e d a n o t h e r r o y a l t y basically all rights to the music statement. created under that deal forever Wow!...we've gone backwards! (or, as the industry prefers, I n M a y 2 0 0 7 , w e w e r e forever minus a day). Not sure Submitted at 12/4/2009 11:11:00 AM
that's really that great a deal. With a real loan, you don't also give up the lender something to keep forever. That's not a loan, it's a transaction. Still, the bigger issue is this idea that the amount that still needs to be recouped has gone backwards over time. It again raises serious questions about how Warner Music accounts for what it owes bands, whether they're recouped or unrecouped. I recognize that accounting may be a boring topic, but it's an important one that Warner has contractual obligations to keep accurate. And... plenty of other businesses with similar challenges seem to be able to keep track of what royalties are owed to whom. Why can't Warner Music keep it straight? Permalink| Comments| Email This Story
Toyota Tiptoes Into Plug-Ins By Chuck Squatriglia (Wired Top Stories) Submitted at 12/4/2009 7:16:00 AM
LOS ANGELES — EV enthusiasts have been adding extension cords to Prius hybrids for a couple of years now, and
Toyota is finally getting in on the act with a plug-in version of the wildly popular hybrid that hits the road later this month.
Bartender, gimme a beer from outer space (CNET News.com)
I know you'll be wondering how to get your fingers around Space Barley's neck. It seems you will I s a l l t h i s s p a c e t r a v e l have to trust your good fortune worthwhile? Will it really and your, um, trust fund. There's contribute to our civilization or a lottery. The 250 winners will our touchingly naive way of life? enjoy a six-pack. Just one. The Will it even lift our spirits? approximate price of being able I cannot be sure about the first to drink in a little space is $115. two, as I feel these might be Which works out to about $19 permanently floating somewhere for each 330 milliliter of celestial out there. But I have some space- flavor. sourced spirit lifting to share. You will be relieved to learn that Japan's Sapporo Breweries, the this project is not for profit. entity that brings you those large Instead, all the proceeds will go silver tins of beer to complement to an educational science charity your rainbow roll, announced this for Japanese children. week that it is launching space You will be even more relieved beer. that the noble forces of science According to Reuters, Sapporo are finally being put to this most "Space Barley", with its cute elemental of human uses. Indeed, outer-space sparkling starred if Space Barley reveals itself to label, has been created using have a taste somewhat superior to barley grown on the International Coors and Budweiser (which I Space Station. know is terribly tough to I am not sure what revolutionary imagine), perhaps we might soon taste values barley grown in the see an increase in space beer black beyond brings to a beer, production. but I'm concerned that it can't It is surely many a human possibly be as fine as the being's dream: the Unidentified Redhook ESB that got me Flying Brewery. through another abject Golden This content has passed through State Warriors performance fivefilters.org. Thursday evening at Oracle's most depressing arena. Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:26:00 PM
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Two apps to help you find a parking Apple Close to Acquiring Streaming Music Service spot Lala [RUMOR] By Mike Schramm (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))
Submitted at 12/4/2009 9:00:00 AM
Filed under: iPhone, App Store A while back in Chicago, a friend and I tried working on a Google maps API site that was sort of a crowd-sourced parking guide -we'd set up a Google map that could be marked up with where the best free parking was, and then we'd turn it loose on the Internet to get filled in with information. Unfortunately, our project never got off the ground, but the New York Times covers two different iPhone applications designed to do the same thing: help you find some of that sweet, sweet city parking. PrimoSpot Parking is designed to help you find spots in New York City or Boston -- you punch in your location and parking spots, garages, or bike racks will pop up on the screen with markers according to when they open up. You can also locate good spots
while moving with a "driving mode," and there's a feature that will mark your own spot once you find a place. SpotSwitch is a little more complicated -- the idea is that when you leave your spot, you put a mark on the map, so that others can fill it in, and then when you're looking for your next spot, others will return the favor. This is a much more cloud
-style type of application, and it depends on a lot of users, which the app may not actually have at any given time. PrimoSpot seems a little more concrete (apparently they hired college kids to fill in the database, though it's only in those two cities). But if you feel like you're constantly looking for parking, either app may end up helping you (and it's good to see that some folks with a little more tenacity than my friend and I are ready to tackle this problem). PrimoSpot Parking [ iTunes Link] is $1.99, SpotSwitch [ iTunes Link] is free. TUAW Two apps to help you find a parking spot originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
Recent stories (Scripting News) Submitted at 12/4/2009 8:55:28 AM
As usual, check out protoblogger.com for a list of all the stories I write on the various sites I write for.
Here's a subset, the ones I don't think you should miss. 1. I'm sorry but we need government. 2. Ideas for a BitTorrent namespace. 3. What does the J-school of the
Future look like? 4. Consumer Reports rates cell phone service in the US. 5. We need: A programmable Twitter client.
By Barb Dybwad (Mashable!) Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:49:24 PM
This is still officially in rumor status at this point, but reportedly two independent sources told CNet that Apple is close to acquiring Lala, a streaming digital music service and storefront. The insiders say the deal is very close to being done, with terms already agreed upon and only pending a final sign-off. One of Lala’s unique features is the ability to upload songs from your music collection to their company cloud, providing not only a convenient backup source but also access to your library from mobile devices. You can also buy streaming-only Web albums rather cheaply, another relatively unique offering in the crowded online music space. Assuming this deal becomes reality, signs point to Apple looking at providing some sort of streaming service to users, perhaps with a cloud storage component for music collections. Plus, with the music subscription space heating up once again thanks to the recent MOG AllAccess launch and (hopefully) impending Spotify U.S. launch, perhaps Apple is eying an
additional music model to expand the reach of its iTunes business. Although iTunes is currently the largest music store and a huge money-maker from digital download sales, the landscape of music online is certainly shifting — MySpace’s recent acquisitions of iLike and imeem, along with Google’s deal to provide streaming music in search results, point to a shift in how users expect to access music on the Web. It would make sense that Apple wants to get in on that trend. Some incorporation of streaming functionality courtesy of Lala’s technology would make sense given the current climate. What do you think Apple will do with Lala if the acquisition goes through? Tags: apple, Google, ilike, imeem, Lala, music, myspace, online music, streaming
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Inside view of the iPhone Tech Talks An iPhone orchestra -from Daniel Jalkut something you don't hear every day By TUAW Blogger (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))
Submitted at 12/4/2009 3:00:00 PM
Filed under: Apple Corporate, Developer, iPhone The following is a guest post from developer Daniel Jalkut of Red Sweater. Daniel recently attended an Apple iPhone Tech Talk, and came away inspired. He's also been gracious enough to share his experience on TUAW. Apple's Technology Evangelists have spent the last 3 months touring the USA, Europe and Asia with advice on how to best take advantage of the iPhone's technologies. According to Daniel, it's a fantastic event. -Ed. Apple's iPhone tech talks are incredible. The format consists of instructional presentations akin to what developers would find at the World Wide Developers
Conference(WWDC). But while WWDC lasts an entire week, tech talks are limited to a single day of sessions which Apple takes on the road, presenting in hotel conference rooms around the world. On December 1, I attended the New York City tech talk, at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. The event attracted developers from all over the northeast of the United States (and beyond), because the number of cities Apple takes the
tour to is pretty limited. Many folks traveling to New York City end up paying quite a bit for travel and lodging expenses, but that is greatly offset by another impressive aspect of the talks: they are completely free. Developers have to sign up early and then hope for acceptance, but if you're admitted, the entire thing is paid for including lunch, snacks and a wine reception at the end of the day. Very classy, Apple. Continue reading Inside view of the iPhone Tech Talks from Daniel Jalkut TUAW Inside view of the iPhone Tech Talks from Daniel Jalkut originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
Submitted at 12/4/2009 3:39:00 PM
First off, I want to apologize for posting this commercial, because once you see it, you won't forget it. And I don't mean in a good
way. It's from Science World in Canada, and it shows grandmothers in a way you never, ever want to see a grandmother. Enjoy! [via Adfreak]
Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:00:00 PM
Filed under: Multimedia, Odds and ends, iPhone, Music The department of Computing and Engineering and the School of Music at the University of Michigan have teamed up to offer an interesting course as part of their music program. Students are learning to make music using an iPhone or iPod touch. The generated tones can be altered by moving the phone using the built in motion sensor or the compass feature of the iPhone 3GS. By combining different instruments, an entire orchestra can be created. I doubt people are leaving the auditorium humming the tunes, but it's yet another example of the extensibility that the App Store provides, and how it seems to give birth to all sorts of creative endeavors. Here's a link to a video about the use of the iPhone in music, and F i l e d u n d e r : V i d e o , another to a concert featuring the C o m m e r c i a l s , R e a l i t y - F r e e iPhone orchestra. The University P e r m a l i n k | E m a i l t h i s | | of Michigan class is doing another concert on December Comments
And now, a commercial you won't forget (no matter how hard you try) By Bob Sassone (TV Squad)
By Mel Martin (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))
9th, so there is still time for you to get tickets if you're in the area. The iPhone has had a rather large impact in music. For example, many professional piano tuners are using an iPhone app[ iTunes link] that competes very well against dedicated hardware, while others have found ways to remotely play their piano using their iPhone or iPod touch. Also, many hobbyists and musicians alike who wish to synthesize music while on the go have a wide assortment of apps to choose from. [Via Wired Online] TUAW An iPhone orchestra -something you don't hear every day originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
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Awesome Visualization of Social Media Usage Around the Globe [Infographic]
China Unicom's dismal iPhone sales
By Adam Ostrow (Mashable!)
Submitted at 12/4/2009 11:00:00 AM
Submitted at 12/4/2009 10:33:02 AM
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple Corporate, Retail, Apple Financial, iPhone Two weeks into official iPhone sales, China Unicom has sold only 5 units* through the online retailer Taobao.com according to PCWorld. China Unicom sells iPhones through its own site, but doesn't share sales figures. Still, PCWorld reports, Taobao.com is the country's largest e-commerce site, and has a large iPhone section. What could account for the poor performance? The Golden Shield Project for one, which (among other things) prevents the sale of iPhones with Wi-Fi enabled. iPhones purchased outside of China do have Wi-Fi, of course. Another factor could be China's bustling black market. Despite the recent official release, the iPhone has been available in China for quite some time now. AppleInsider estimates that nearly 2 million iPhones are already circulating China, most of them jailbroken. Cost is another factor. For example, a contract-free 32GB iPhone 3GS costs 6,999 yuan (approximately US$1,024 as of
Want to know how many people are microblogging in Australia? Or uploading photos online in Brazil? Or writing blogs in the Netherlands? There’s a map for that — literally. TrendStream, who publishes the Global Web Index, has created a fantastic visualization that shows the penetration of different social technologies in major markets around the globe. The research is based on interviews with 32,000 Internet users in 16 countries. A few of the findings they report: “The massive impact of China: The vast Internet population coupled with hugely socially active set of web users, makes for a massive volume of content creators. However due to the inward looking nature of Chinas internet economy combined with the language mean that this volume of content does not impact the broader Internet Low engagement in Japan: We also associate Japan with
technology innovation, and actual while you might not think it, the low engagement is indicative of progress. Why? Our map shows PC activity and we know from this research that a huge number of Japanese users are bypassing PC altogether and using mobile devices to access social platforms and create and share content. Just over 34% of social network users only accessed through mobile in the month of the research, this is compared to 3% in the UK, a
staggering indication of where the future is heading. The low level of microblog engagement: Despite the Twitter hype, microblogging is still not a mass social activity and nowhere near the size and scale of blogging.” Here’s the full map for your viewing pleasure (you’ll want to blow it up to full screen): Reviews: Twitter Tags: social media
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By Dave Caolo (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))
this writing) in China, compared to about US$800 in Hong Kong. The news isn't all gloom-anddoom, however. AppleInsider reports that those who do purchase iPhones legitimately are flocking to the App Store. Still, the problem of getting more official iPhones into the hands of Chinese customers remains. *As of Dec. 3rd, 2009. TUAW China Unicom's dismal iPhone sales originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
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5 ways to save money on iPhone apps
MySpace and Facebook Sitting in a Tree?
By Chris Rawson (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))
By Adam Ostrow (Mashable!) Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:46:10 PM
It’s been rumored that archenemies MySpace and Facebook have turned friendly in Filed under: Deals, iPhone, App recent months, discussing the Store, iPod touch With over possibility that MySpace users 100,000 iPhone applications in might actually be able to sign the App Store, finding the right into the social network using app can sometimes be a Facebook Connect. bewildering experience. Apple's Now, a more detailed report getting better at refining the from the blog Inside Facebook interface -- it's certainly easier to says that this will become reality find what you're looking for now “in the first part of 2010.” than when the App Store first According to their sources, launched -- but if you're on a limited budget or just love a good temporarily available for free; and how they can save you MySpace is thinking along the same lines as Yahoo, who earlier bargain, the App Store doesn't almost every other paid app I've buckets of cash. this week announced major give you the tools you need if downloaded at a significant Share you're waiting for that $9.99 app discount from the nominal, full Continue reading 5 ways to save Facebook integration across many of its services. That to go on sale for $4.99. price. money on iPhone apps F o r t u n a t e l y , t h e r e a r e I've saved somewhere in the TUAW 5 ways to save money thinking could essentially be alternatives to the App Store's neighborhood of $100 on apps o n i P h o n e a p p s o r i g i n a l l y summarized with the old proverb: built-in search engine that do let for my iPhone, and I got the appeared on The Unofficial If you can’t beat them, join them. you know when iPhone apps go opportunity to try out apps I Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, For MySpace’s purposes, that on sale, and they can save you might have ignored otherwise. 04 Dec 2009 01:00:00 EST. hypothetically would mean users tons of money. As of right now I It's all thanks to two websites and Please see our terms for use of accessing the site with their Facebook credentials, and then have 74 third-party apps installed three iPhone apps that monitor feeds. on my iPhone, and out of those, App Store prices and let you P e r m a l i n k | E m a i l t h i s | sharing back the increasing amount of exclusive 34 of them are paid apps. Out of know when apps go on sale. C o m m e n t s entertainment type content that those 34 paid apps, I snagged 17 Read on to find out what they are of them when they were Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:00:00 AM
the site has been acquiring to their Facebook friends. In turn, MySpace gets more traffic that it can sell to advertisers, but ultimately cedes the race to be the Web’s social identity provider. That space is seemingly a war that will be waged between Facebook and Google. The latter just launched integration with Twitter earlier this week, that allows users to sign into Google Friend Connect — its Facebook Connect rival — with Twitter. Maybe social identity ultimately won’t be that complicated after all. Reviews: Facebook, Google, MySpace, Twitter, Yahoo!, google friend connect Tags: facebook, facebook connect, Google, myspace, social networking
Jersey Shore: Series Premiere - open thread By Bob Sassone (TV Squad)
Is it insulting to Italians? To people who live in New Jersey? Submitted at 12/4/2009 2:36:00 PM To anyone with good taste? I Joel already posted about the think I'm more offended that we controversy surrounding the new have yet another lame show MTV reality show Jersey Shore. about young people living in a
house (though the use of the word "Guido" is bizarre to me I'm from a huge Italian family and I've never heard anyone use that term - and equating being Italian with tanning and the use
of hair gel). It premiered last night. What did you think? Here's the episode if you missed it. Jersey Shore- MTV Shows Filed under: Other Reality
Shows, Watercooler Talk Permalink| Email this| | Comments
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Palin's Birther Boo-Boo (Little Green Footballs)
a right to ask… which they have repeatedly. But at no point – not during the campaign, and not Oopsie! during recent interviews – have I Sarah Palin’s trying to distance asked the president to produce h e r s e l f f r o m h e r B i r t h e r - his birth certificate or suggested pandering remarks now, like any that he was not born in the important. For quite some time, newness. Since then, both weasely politician does when United States. the courts seemed to insist that examiners and the courts seem called on an outrageous remark: - Sarah Palin obviousness could only be willing to put a bit more common Sarah Palin: Stupid Conspiracies So the lesson Palin takes from proven through prior art. But s e n s e i n t o d e t e r m i n i n g | Facebook. this is: “They do it to me, so I something can be both obvious obviousness, and that's absolutely Voters have every right to ask have a perfect right to do it to and new. In fact, the patent law a good thing. candidates for information if they them!” has been clear that patents are Of course, some of you might so choose. I’ve pointed out that it How presidential is that? supposed to be for things that are feel that having a patent on a was seemingly fair game during Meanwhile, take a look through both new and non-obvious to spamming technique is a good the 2008 election for many on the the 1300+ comments for her those skilled in the art, but the thing, since it could be used to left to badger my doctor and Facebook post and you’ll realize question of obviousness was prevent others from spamming, lawyer for proof that Trig is in why she’s pandering to Birthers rarely discussed, as everyone just but that didn't seem to be fact my child. Conspiracy- — there are hordes of them in her focused on the "newness." That's happening anyway, so let's just minded reporters and voters had fanbase. finally been changing, in large be happy that a bad patent has part due to the Supreme Court's been rejected. KSR ruling that reminded people Permalink| Comments| Email that obviousness is important, This Story and that it's separate from
Spamming Patent Tossed Out As Obvious By Mike Masnick (Techdirt) Submitted at 12/4/2009 6:35:26 AM
Slashdot points us to the news that a patent ( 6,631,400-- which appears to be incorrectly titled "Statement regarding federally sponsored research or development.") on managing spamming efforts has been tossed out as obvious by the federal circuit, following a similar ruling at the lower level. What's most interesting here is that while some of the steps were thrown out due to prior art, the final step was tossed out due to "common sense." This is
Submitted at 12/4/2009 11:08:40 AM
Mac Pro gets a speed bump, Xserve has new storage options By Steven Sande (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))
powerful Mac with the highest level of expandability. This morning, Apple quietly announced a speed bump for the Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:00:00 PM Mac Pro, as well as new storage Filed under: Hardware, Xserve, options for both the Mac Pro and A p p l e , M a c P r o A f t e r t h e the Xserve. For the quad-core introduction of the new 27" Intel Mac Pro (but not the eight-core Core i7 iMac in October, a lot of model), you can now order a 3.33 us in the Mac world were puzzled GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon by the lack of a new higher-end "Nehalem" processor. This is an Mac Pro. After all, the Mac Pro amazing CPU, with 8 MB of has traditionally been the most fully shared L3 cache, Hyper-
Now that prices have come down a bit on 2 TB hard drives, Apple has made them a configure -to-order option for Mac Pro and Xserve systems. Using highperformance 7200 RPM SATA drives with 32 MB of cache and a potential throughput of 3 Gb/s, the Mac Pro can now have a total T h r e a d i n g t e c h n o l o g y , a n storage capacity of 8 TB, while integrated memory controller, the Xserve can max out at 6 TB and Turbo Boost for short bursts of storage. of speed up to 3.6 GHz. The new options are available
immediately from the online Apple Store. TUAW Mac Pro gets a speed bump, Xserve has new storage options originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
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Stephen Colbert makes Canada jokes, speedskater Is Google Banning AdSense On Sites calls him a jerk
It Thinks Have Infringing Content?
By Bob Sassone (TV Squad)
By Mike Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 12/4/2009 4:29:00 PM
website -- is automatically covered by copyright. What I'm guessing Google meant(even Thomas O'Toole points us to yet though it got it wrong) was that it another issue with Google thought the site contained customer service, where an infringing or unauthorized author who holds the copyright copyrighted content -- though, if on his own books published them that's the case, that's what it online but was denied the ability should have said. to put AdSense on the site, after And, once again highlighting Google told him it had found "it G o o g l e ' s c o m m u n i c a t i o n contains copyrighted material." problem, the rejection came from Of course, this makes no sense. a n e m a i l a d d r e s s c a l l e d Nearly every website "contains "noreply," making it difficult for copyrighted material," because the author to get clarification. He any new creative content placed d i d e v e n t u a l l y g e t G o o g l e in a fixed form -- such as a t o " r e s o l v e " t h e i s s u e , b u t Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:06:36 PM
The Colbert Report Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c On Google's overall policy on the Notice/Dead to Me - Canadian matter is not explained at all. As you've probably heard, Iceholes www.colbertnation.com Does Google have an official Stephen Colbert is sponsoring the [via PopWatch] policy where its AdSense team U.S. Olympic speedskating team. [Watch clips and episodes of The tries to determine if content on a He raised around $300,000 for it. Colbert Report and other shows website is infringing? If so, do But that's not good enough for at at SlashControl.] they have an official dispute least one of the players, Shani Filed under: Other Comedy process? Does the AdSense team Davis. At a press conference Shows, Late Night, Video, take into account fair use? yesterday, he called Colbert a Reality-Free Google has, generally speaking, jerk for making jokes about Permalink| Email this| | been very good on issues of Canada in an episode of The C o m m e n t s copyright and fair use, but this Colbert Report last month. Here's particular policy seems rather the segment. You be the judge. strange. Dr. Drew on Tiger Permalink| Comments| Email This Story Woods: Sex Addiction
Should We Add Bandwidth Hogs To The Myth List With That Impending Exaflood? By Mike Masnick (Techdirt) Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:03:00 PM
While telco lobbyists (or paid "think tank" commenters) have a long history of pushing the totally bogus concept of an "exaflood" of traffic that will take down the internet, more recently they've been pushing this idea of "bandwidth hogs." That is, they say that even if there isn't really a big threat to
backbone bandwidth (which they had claimed originally) there is still a problem with "bandwidth hogs" at the last mile, using up way too much bandwidth. And, for that reason, they insist that ISPs should be able to cap and meter broadband, to make sure that the "low level users" aren't subsidizing the "bandwidth hogs." There are two big problems with this claim. First... in none of the experiments with
metered billing have the "low level users" received a discount. Instead, they've kept paying the same amount, and it's just that the ISPs have tried to jack up the rates on higher bandwidth users. But, an even bigger problem may be that the very idea of "bandwidth hogs" may be a myth(found via Slashdot). Benoit Felten is smashing that myth, in noting that there are certainly some folks who use
more bandwidth than others, but contrary to claims from ISPs, he hasn't seen any evidence that they're causing any harm or congestion on the network. So he's presented a challenge to telcos to send over data that he can analyze to prove him wrong. Permalink| Comments| Email This Story
Might Be a Part of His Problem (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 12/4/2009 8:24:00 AM
ET has the latest... Dr. Drew Pinsky, of the hugely popular VH1 show "Sex Rehab," tells ET that Tiger Woods could very well be a sex addict himself. "It's safe to say that sex addiction might be a part of his problem," the TV doctor says, but also adding that with sex addiction there's usually childhood trauma which he has not seen any evidence of with Tiger. Pinsky says he was shocked when he read the headlines.
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How To Respond To Criticism By Mike Masnick (Techdirt)
product manager, one D. Head, discussing how to save money Submitted at 12/4/2009 10:10:00 AM and squeeze more money out of Chris Anderson points us to a customers... leading to his great example of ways to respond eventual firing and the engineers to criticism. It involves the adding back in some of the company Microchip, which missing features and explaining received a scathing video review why it actually made a lot more of its PICKit 3 offering that the sense to change some of the other reviewer felt was worse in pretty f e a t u r e s : I t ' s f u n n y , s e l f much every way than the product d e p r e c a t i n g , c l e a r l y it was replacing. As the video acknowledges the criticisms and goes on and the reviewer, Dave, either explains how the company gets angrier, he posits that some is going to fix them or why those "dickhead MBA" took over the decisions were made in the management of this offering, and process. Even if you don't know decided to kill off good features anything about the company or and save money by skimping on these products, there are a lot of other things: Now, there are lots t h i n g s t h a t a n y o n e i n a n y of ways to respond to such business can learn about the way criticism, but none might be as Microchip handled this. clever as what Microchip actually Permalink| Comments| Email did. Which was create its own This Story video, showing the product planning meeting with the new
WARNING: New Facebook Chat Phishing Scam in Progress By Barb Dybwad (Mashable!) Submitted at 12/4/2009 10:06:18 AM
Be on the lookout for a current spate of phishing tactics spreading on Facebook via the chat feature. The attack employs similar methods to those used by past scams, using hijacked user accounts to send chat messages with a generic message and a link to a familiar-looking Facebook phishing page. Of course, if you actually click the link and enter your details on the fake Facebook login page, the hackers steal your e-mail and password and direct you on to the real Facebook. Once your account has been compromised, hackers use it to perpetuate the scam by spamming your friends in chat. Automated bots handle the heavy lifting of pestering your contacts. At least one of the messages comes in the format “ROFL this you?!” with a phishing link, but
this particular vulnerability may take other forms, so be sure to use caution when receiving any remotely suspicious chat messages from your Facebook contacts. Facebook typically aggressively pursues phishing scams like this one, so hopefully it won’t be plaguing users for too much longer. Until then, please use caution when using chat. Have you spotted any variants of this scam? Reviews: Facebook Tags: facebook, facebook chat, facebook phishing, hackers, phishing, scams
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Whoopi Goldberg says she's "bored" with the Tiger Woods story By Bob Sassone (TV Squad) Submitted at 12/4/2009 3:00:00 PM
I often find Barbara Walters to ramble a little too much on The View, but she was absolutely right in what she said to Whoopi Goldberg the other day. Whoopi faked walking off the show because the panel was talking about the Tiger Woods controversy, saying she was "bored" with it (followed of course by clapping from the audience) and that what happened with Woods "doesn't put food on my table." Walters had an answer for that. Whoopi, it's called "Hot Topics" for a reason. Filed under: Daytime, Video, Celebrities, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments
Men of a Certain Age -- An early look By Allison Waldman (TV Squad) Submitted at 12/4/2009 2:02:00 PM
If you ever watched Everybody Loves Raymond-- or currently watch the reruns -- you might
wonder what would Raymond become after a while. What would happen if he didn't have Deborah yelling at him and his family keeping him from being a self-indulgent slob who only thought of himself. Men of a
Certain Age shows you the dark
side of Raymond, only here Ray Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, Romano is called Joe. Joe and his Early Looks, Reality-Free college buddies, Owen and Terry, Permalink| Email this| | are on the wrong side of 40 and C o m m e n t s they know it. Continue reading Men of a Certain Age -- An early look
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YouTube Launches Video Sarah Palin: Obama's Nirth Certifikit Targeting: Your Ad on JK 'A Fair Question' Wedding Dance (Little Green Footballs)
Submitted at 12/3/2009 9:33:07 PM
By Adam Ostrow (Mashable!) The circle of stupid is now unbroken, as Sarah Palin announces on right wing talker If you’ve ever wanted to place Rusty Humphries’s show that she an ad on a Susan Boyle thinks it’s “fair” to question performance, the JK Wedding Barack Obama’s citizenship: Dance or, more recently, the Palin: Obama birth certificate ‘a dancing doctors in pink gloves, fair question’. now you can. YouTube has just launched a check it out by simply going to Yes, that’s right. Sarah Palin is new tool that gives advertisers google.com/videotargeting and blowing the Birther dog whistle. serious control over where their logging in with my Google Y o u ’ l l n e v e r s e e a b e t t e r demonstration of political ads appear — all the way down account. to selecting individual videos. This marks yet another step in cynicism mixed with blinding In addition, the video-sharing Google’s efforts to monetize stupidity. site says that the new targeting YouTube, of which there have [Video] options can suggest videos based been many in the past year. The Humphries: Sarah Palin here on on “keywords (like politics or new options seem like a great the Rusty Humphries Show. One fashion), viewer demographics addition that will create more of the questions Jason asks is (like age and gender), interest- e f f i c i e n c y — a n d p e r h a p s would you make the birth b a s e d c a t e g o r i e s o r s o m e revenue — in the YouTube certificate an issue if you ran? combination of the three.” ecosystem. Reviews: Google, Palin: I think the public rightly is YouTube says that the features YouTube are currently beta and “intended Tags: advertising, video, for advertisers who work closely y o u t u b e with sales representatives at YouTube,” but I was able to Submitted at 12/4/2009 11:52:09 AM
still making it an issue. I don’t have a problem with that. I don’t know if I would have to bothered to make it an issue because I think there are enough members of the electorate that still want answers.
Humphries: Do you think it’s a fair question to be looking at? Palin: I think it’s a fair question just like I think past associations and past voting records. All of that is fair game. You know, I’ve got to tell you too, I think our campaign, the McCain-Palin campaign didn’t do a good enough job in that area. We didn’t call out Obama and some of his associates on their records and what their beliefs were, and perhaps what their future plans were, and I don’t think that was fair to voters to not have done our job as candidates and a campaign to bring to light a lot of things that now we’re seeing manifest in the administration. Anyone still wondering why I want nothing to do with the right wing?
DIY $5 IKEA Laptop Lap Desk [DIY] By Whitson Gordon (Lifehacker)
nifty and cheap DIY project will keep it conveniently elevated above your lap. Submitted at 12/4/2009 11:30:00 AM This project, sent in by a reader We've featured a lot of DIY over at weblog IKEA hacker, laptop stands here on Lifehacker, only required a$5 dish rack from but if you prefer to kick back on IKEA and a minimal bit of elbow the couch with your laptop g r e a s e . ( T h e a u t h o r i s n ' t modified it into a little table with without burning your legs, this e x t r e m e l y c l e a r b e y o n d " I
about 12 bolts and some sawing and drilling," but from the picture it looks simple enough.) It's pretty useful for keeping the heat and weight of a laptop elevated and off your body when you're lying down—whether you're on your bed, your sofa, or the floor. It's adjustable, so you can make
sure your computer's at the perfect angle—or, when you're not using the stand, you can fold the it up and store it in a tight space. Laptop stand for working in bed[ikea hacker via Lifehacker Australia]
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Rush Limbaugh: Health Care is a Leftist Plot to Kill Off the Elderly (Little Green Footballs)
they are, are leftists, Marxists, socialists. What’s the first thing Mao Tse Rush Limbaugh’s latest bizarre Tung did? What was the cultural hate-mongering conspiracy revolution? He took out the theory, one-upping Sarah Palin’s educated people. He took out “death panels:” the “left” is using people who had a cultural, health care reform as cover, to historical memory of China’s kill off the elderly just like Stalin past. He took out, the equivalent and Mao did.[Video] would be, he killed, and Stalin Who are we targeting in health did the same, took out the people care? Old people. Rationing the who remembered how things care of old people. Shutting work. down nursing homes. Why focus Of course, he winds up with the on the elderly? … standard deniability clause, after And then it hit me. And don’t directly comparing Obama’s doubt me on this. Leftists, health care plans to Mao’s Marxists, socialists, wherever cultural revolution: Submitted at 12/3/2009 5:29:11 PM
Are you comparing Obama to those peo … uh, no. Not in terms of genocide. But they’re not invited to the summit. Where would anyone get the idea he’s comparing Obama to Stalin and Mao? It’s a headscratcher, all right. I expect the Limbaugh apologists to say he’s just joking; that seems to be the standard excuse for any hateful, deranged thing Limbaugh says. But I always thought humor was supposed to be, you know … funny? (Hat tip: KT.)
Media Browser Is a MustHave Windows Media Center Add-On [Downloads] By Lisa Hoover (Lifehacker)
TV, and Music choices. Although there are plenty of other Media Center plugins to Windows only: If you use choose from, and a couple of W i n d o w s M e d i a C e n t e r t o weeks back we highlighted the manage your movies, TV shows, similar My Movies 3, but this and music, then you need to grab one gets high marks for the way (Little Green Footballs) Read the whole thing. subject at DeSmogBlog by Media Browser, an open-source it aggregates a wide range of And they are absolutely right. Elizabeth May, who read every p l u g - i n t h a t d i s p l a y s y o u r recorded or ripped media and Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:50:43 PM Despite efforts by the climate single email in the package of downloaded media and all its presents it with just enough eyeNew Scientist has an excellent c h a n g e d e n i a l i n d u s t r y t o stolen emails, and came to the associated metadata and artwork candy to make it pretty without being cluttered. It's also open article titled: Why there’s no sign promote this as the definitive same conclusion I did: Elizabeth in one slick layout. of a climate conspiracy in hacked proof that global warming is a May: An Informed Look at the After installing the free, open- source, and with its low price of source Media Browser plug-in, it free, very easy on the wallet. emails. “hoax” by evil scientists trying to East Anglia Emails. The leaking of emails and other get rich and dominate the world, I didn’t quite have the patience only takes a few minutes to zip Media Browser only works on documents from the Climate the fact is that there is nothing in of Elizabeth May, but I read a through the one-time setup Windows Vista and Windows 7. Research Unit (CRU) at the the emails that even comes close very large selection of the emails, wizard and choose which media What kinds of plug-ins improve University of East Anglia, UK, to this exaggerated, hysterical and could not agree more. you'd like the tool to aggregate your Windows Media Center has led to a media and political claim. It’s a phony scandal, based There’s absolutely no evidence of for you. Then fire up Windows experience? Kick around your storm. The affair is being on stolen and cherry-picked fraud, cover-ups, or conspiracies. Media Center, and the Media ideas in the comments. Media Browser option will be listed B r o w s e r [ v i a M e d i a S m a r t portrayed as a scandal that emails, and pumped up like a None. Zip. Nada. Zilch. among the Center's native Movie, S e r v e r ] undermines the science behind M a c y ’ s c l o w n b a l l o o n b y climate change. It is no such d i s h o n e s t p e o p l e . thing, and here’s why. Here’s another post on the
There's No Conspiracy in the 'Climategate' Emails
Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:30:00 PM
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FreeMyPDF Liberates Your PDF File from Printing and Other Restrictions [PDFs] By Jason Fitzpatrick (Lifehacker)
Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller's Rally: 'Islam Is of the Devil' (Little Green Footballs) Submitted at 12/3/2009 8:21:15 PM
Here we see a rally in Columbus Ohio, starring “anti-jihad” bloggers Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller, ostensibly supporting Rifqa Bary (the teenage girl they’re cynically using to promote their anti-
Muslim agenda), at which many of the demonstrators were wearing T-shirts labeled: “ISLAM IS OF THE DEVIL.” These are the seriously insane and hate-filled people Spencer and Geller hang out with. Notice in the second photo with Spencer: a fake “Secret Service” guy with phony earpiece, and a
Sarah Palin lookalike in the background. UPDATE at 12/3/09 8:30:07 pm: The “ISLAM IS OF THE DEVIL” signs are the work of this fundamentalist church.
that off and bring it to the meeting?" "You locked it down with a password. I can't print it." Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:00:00 PM "Oh really? Huh. I dunno what You've got a PDF file on your the password is." hands that you really need to FreeMyPDF helps you deal with print, copy, or otherwise edit but situations like that. Upload the it's locked down like Fort Knox. f i l e t o F r e e M y P D F a n d You're out of luck, unless you passwords and restrictions are use a service like FreeMyPDF. stripped from the file before it is A few years ago, I would have returned to you. It should be killed for a simple service like noted however that the process FreeMyPDF. Countless times only works for files you are able people within my company to view—files which you need a would send me PDF files that password to even view can't be had all sorts of unnecessary unprotected by FreeMyPDF. protections which frequently Have a tool for solving your made it impossible for me to PDF-related headaches? Let's work with them the way they hear about it in the comments. requested: "Hey can you print FreeMyPDF[via MakeUseOf]
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Keep Flash Videos in Full Screen on Dual Monitors [Annoyances]
HTV: 'Friends' Courteney Cox & Jennifer Aniston Stick Together
By Whitson Gordon (Lifehacker)
(ETonline - Breaking News)
Submitted at 12/4/2009 10:30:00 AM
Flash videos, like those on Hulu or YouTube, don't stay full screen if you click outside the video—say, if you're doing work on a second monitor. Kind of annoying, right? A quick system file swap, however, fixes this problem easily. Photo by Steve Lacey. Many dual monitor enthusiasts love to watch movies or television shows on their second monitor, but if those are webbased videos, Flash has to rain on our parade. Sure you can make the Hulu video go full screen on
your second monitor, but as soon as you try to work on your other monitor, Flash will lose its fullscreen view. Thankfully, blogger/browser patcher d.i.z. has made a one byte change to the Flash plug-in that will keep
videos running full screen, even if you click outside them—and he's made it available for download. All you need to do is grab d.i.z.'s modified npswf32.dll file and replace the one located in
C:\Windows\system32\Macrome d \ F l a s h \ o r C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Macro med\Flash\ folder on Windows 7 64-bit (though we recommend you backup the original file just in case). After a restart of your browser, all your Flash videos should exhibit the new behavior (i.e., you should be able to multitask without losing full-screen playback). You can still exit full screen mode by hitting the escape key or using the Flash player's full screen button, of course. Watch fullscreen flash while working on another screen[via MakeUseOf]
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Submitted at 12/4/2009 7:21:00 AM
HTV spots Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston out and about in Hollywood! The duo is seen leaving the Sunset Towers Hotel as an excited fan shouts, "We love you Jennifer! We love you!" The two are quickly whisked away from the valet in a waiting black SUV. Jennifer arrived back in L.A. just days ago, where paps snapped her wearing a funky fedora and cool shades. Meanwhile, it was recently announced that Courteney has a hot new co-star on 'Cougar Town' with former ET on MTV host Ryan Devlin.
Performous Is Like Rock Band for Your Linux PC [Downloads] By Lisa Hoover (Lifehacker) Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:30:00 PM
Linux only (for now): If you love karaoke or really get into music-based games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, then you'll love Performous. It's an open-source band game that's perfect for your next party or gettogether. Performous is a free computerbased game for one or more players. Players compete against
each other to see who can score the most points with the game system as your judge. It's got a practice mode so you can secretly get a head start on your friends before you get together to play, and auto-detects and works with Rock Band or Guitar Hero instruments you hook up. Performous is more than just a game, though. It's also a teaching tool you can use anytime to help improve your singing voice. It accurately detects your pitch
even in noisy surroundings so you know when you're hitting the right notes and displays musical notes onscreen to help keep you
on track. You can pick up several free songs from the web site, or you can add your own MP3s, along
with song text and video files. So go snag the game, add some music, and get your groove on this weekend (without ponying up for a gaming console or a new game). Performous is a free, open -source download, currently Linux only. The download page points out that Windows and Mac versions are in the works, so keep your fingers crossed. Performous
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The Digital Snowflake Desktop [Featured Desktop] By The How-To Geek (Lifehacker) Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:00:00 PM
Reader TeknoFTW's desktop uses the LiteStep alternate desktop shell environment to turn his Windows PC into an attractive, minimalist setup. The desktop is a combination of nothing more than: • Litestep- using the zero by jive Nice job, TeknoFTW! This desktop not your style? theme. • Digital Snowflake wallpaper Why waste time complaining? Instead, get started creating your by InterfaceLIFT
own killer desktop with the easyinstall Rainmeter 1.1 package and show the world what you can do. If you get stuck and need some help, join up with the
Lifehacker Desktop Customization Google Group to collaborate on new ideas for desktop configurations. Once you've created your own beautifully tweaked (and hopefully productive) desktop, post it over in the Lifehacker Desktop Show and Tell Flickr Group complete with a description of the programs and tweaks you used (and preferably links as well!), and we just might feature it here. Digital Snowflake Desktop[Flickr]
Force Apps to Always Open Maximized [UltraNewb] By The How-To Geek (Lifehacker) Submitted at 12/4/2009 11:00:00 AM
It's annoying having to maximize an application's window over and over again when you open it—especially when you know you always want it maximized. This oldie-butgoody shortcut trick will cure what ails you.
To fix it all you need to do is right-click on the application shortcut and select Properties. Under the Shortcut tab change the Run dropdown to Maximized. That's it! Now any time you open that application it will be full screen. Make Apps Always Open Maximized[How-To Geek] E v e r y p o s t c a r r y i n g o u r less experienced readers (i.e., the UltraNewb tag covers very basic newbs) into the wonderful world topics in an attempt to initiate our
of techno-goodness. These are the posts you can email to your friends or parents to explain the really simple things. If you're thinking: "I've known how to do this for *years*," that's even better! Share your experience with the UltraNewbs out there and/or advance the subject, and make this post an even better resource for our newbs!
Here's take #510 from last night's 30 Rock By Bob Sassone (TV Squad) Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:00:00 PM
One of the funnier moments from last night's 30 Rock was Pete trying to help Liz create an opening for Dealbreakers. We see her trying to look sexy, trying to look sassy, and trying to wave like a normal human being. Also note what happens when she (along with Kenneth and Jack) gets it front of the HD cameras. (I love that the director on the board is "Alan Smithee" - even Pete doesn't want to take credit for this disaster.) [Watch clips and episodes of 30 Rock and other shows at SlashControl.] Filed under: Video, 30 Rock, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments
Julia Roberts Named as New Ambassadress of Lancome (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 12/4/2009 8:12:00 AM
Oscar-winning actress and mom of three Julia Roberts has been
named the new "ambassadress" for Lancome cosmetics. Lancome International president Youcef Nabi said in a statement Friday: "By her remarkable
personality and career, Julia Roberts is an emblematic woman of her time. Her exceptional talent, her radiance and her strong commitments, perfectly
echo Lancome's values. We are convinced she will embody the brand in the most sublime way possible." Roberts traveled to India and
Italy recently to film the upcoming film 'Eat, Pray, Love' based on the bestselling book by Elizabeth Gilbert.
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Social Shopping: Putting the Emotion Back in E-Commerce By Guest Author (ReadWriteWeb)
filtered social search." In social shopping, you see recommendations and reviews Submitted at 12/4/2009 11:00:00 AM that your friends have shared. What are you going to buy this You see items that your friends holiday season? Gift cards aren't have purchased or brands that very personal, but friends' your friends have shopped with. recommendations can be. This matters a lot when you're Richard MacManus recently shopping for a digital camera and covered the trends in e-commerce are stuck deciding between three over the past decade. He noted different models. Of course, the that Amazon and eBay have last 10 years' worth of people's dominated the online retail purchasing histories and written market with their model of using reviews on Amazon may help implicit user data to generate you narrow your choice - if you recommendations for others. can filter out the noise. But those Although this model will surely reviewers are entirely anonymous remain a centerpiece of the to you, even though they may use online retail experience, it may a real name and have a rating soon face competition as "social history with the site. shopping" takes off. The decision you are making, as Sponsor with most decisions, will carry This guest post was written by consequences going forward, Brynn Evans. which is a part of the reason why What is social shopping? This is collective intelligence can't similar to the question of "What provide the necessary emotional i s s o c i a l s e a r c h , " w h i c h I "spark" in quite the way that a a d d r e s s e d p r e v i o u s l y b y personal recommendation can. describing the three flavors of Patricia Mejia, a commenter on social search: what they are, why Richard's e-commerce trends they're relevant and how they post, explained why she wants will help you search better. The this in shopping: "I want to be Amazon and eBay model of i n s p i r e d , i n t r i g u e d a n d online retail tapped into what I entertained when I shop online." refer to as "collective social Algorithms don't provide that search." Social shopping, on the emotion. But a recommendation other hand, is more like "friend- from a friend just might.
Plus, users increasingly expect this, and the larger and more connected our networks become, the more powerful this social shopping model will be. What are the social shopping services that do this best today? (Hint: not Amazon.) Sites like ProductWiki are devoted to product comparisons, but their user base is most likely not your peer network. ThisNext and Kaboodle lie closer to the intersection of social media and e -commerce. They are predominantly social networks dedicated to sharing products and personal reviews. Kaboodle's user profile for " aplyler" closely resembles other social networking sites, and the site provides functionality for creating product lists, commenting on items and, of course, adding friends. On ThisNext, users' recommendations are featured front and center on their profiles.
Here, " rjax" has been promoted to "Expert Maven" because of her extensive collection of recommended items. Unfortunately, the collection's range is so vast that you probably wouldn't care about the Christmas ornaments if you liked her review of the Macbook art decal. Thus, the limitation with sites like ThisNext and Kaboodle is that you, your friends and the products you're going to buy all exist on those sites. In other words, the sites are social shopping silos. RunToShop, on the other hand, brings a distributed social networking model to social shopping. A small Finnish startup, RunToShop aims to bring social recommendations to you wherever you may be, and from the friends in your network who you trust. This means that if you're shopping for golf clubs on Smart Golf, recommendations will be embedded on the site through the RunToShop widget. Currently, all user reviews are shown, but in the next release, recommendations from friends will be prioritized. (You can pull in your friends with Facebook Connect.)
RunToShop also integrates with Facebook. So, if Facebook is where you spend most of your time, you can browse product offerings and friends' recommendations directly through the RunToShop Facebook app. Finally, its distributed social networking platform allows your product reviews to percolate out to other sites where those products exist. If your long-lost sister, for example, discovers one of these products through LinkedIn, she can view your recommendation right there. Based on most of the services I've seen to date, including RunToShop, the implementation and user experience around social shopping still has a long way to go. In the meantime, keep this in mind the next time you're shopping for the right social shopping service: will it provide the emotional spark you need? Guest author: Brynn Evans is digital anthropologist, design researcher and author who studies social interaction design and social search. Discuss
Perv Dogs Support Nude Angel, From PETA [Advertising] By Hamilton Nolan (Gawker) Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:34:16 PM
Catholic lady Joanna Krupa's pose in this new PETA ad (click to enlarge) has the Catholic
League's Crazy Bill Donohue
upset, but you know who looks like they really like it? The dogs, and that's the point. [ Adfreak]
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FedEx Joins the Internet of Things With SenseAware By Richard MacManus (ReadWriteWeb) Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:40:37 PM
International courier giant Fedex has just released a new tracking device and web service for packages. Called SenseAware, it keeps tabs on the temperature, location and other vital signs of a package - including when it's opened and whether it was tampered with along the way. Fedex is running a trial period of about a year with 50 health care and life science companies, for tracking delivery of surgery kits, medical equipment - and even live organs. We spoke with FedEx head of innovation, Mark Hamm, about SenseAware and how Fedex is tapping into the emerging trend called Internet of Things. Sponsor We've covered Internet of Things extensively on ReadWriteWeb over the past year. It's when everyday objects become connected to the Internet,
usually via RFID tags and/or sensors. In the case of Fedex's SenseAware, it is powered by multiple sensors including light, motion, temperature. Fedex's Mark Hamm described the SenseAware device as a "quad-band world phone." As well as the device, there is a browser-based collaboration platform allowing businesses to actively track the progress of a package. Users can set up triggers, alerts and notices - for example using geo sensors to alert others when a package arrives at a destination. Users can set these triggers and decide who they go to. Essentially, the SenseAware events trigger business processes for the users. For the web service, businesses pay a single monthly fee of $120 - for that they get the devices and the browser-based web service. Hamm noted that Fedex worked with the FAA to get permission to use the product on their freight planes; the only such device to have permission from the FAA,
where things like security and knowing the vital signs of a package are very important. Also Hamm highlighted that these companies can collaborate on the sensor data, with precise data and records of delivery. The trial with the life sciences he told us. Fedex assembled companies is designed to help components for SenseAware Fedex make the "last 20%" of the from a collection of partners, product more efficient. After u s i n g F e d e x ' s d e s i g n about a year of this trial, Fedex s p e c i f i c a t i o n s . R e a l - T i m e will then launch the product Decisions Based on Sensor Data globally, as a generally available Hamm said that SenseAware platform. Hamm expects it will will enable companies to make be used by any company or real-time decisions much more o r g a n i z a t i o n d e a l i n g w i t h e a s i l y . F o r e x a m p l e i s a perishable goods, high value perishable goods package sets off g o o d s - s u c h a s j e w e l e r y , on a 2 day journey, but the sensor dangerous goods, expensive data shows that the shelf life equipment, and goods that are suddenly decreases - then the high value because they're unique package can be instantly diverted (art work, music tapes, etc.). to another location, where the Hamm told us that he expects product can still be used rather this type of sensor product to be than becoming useless if it sticks "mainstreaming over time as to original delivery schedule. people become used to The initial trial period targets life interacting with shipments." science and medical companies Discuss (for example biotech firms),
Kellie Pickler Unveils New Look at Dolly Parton Wardrobe Tour (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 12/4/2009 10:11:00 AM
Ever wanted to peek in Dolly Parton's wardrobe? ET's special correspondent -- a newly brunette Kellie Pickler -- takes you there! "This is all my junk," Dolly jokes, showing off her expansive and glittery array of stage costumes. Many of the garments are weighted down with handsewn adornments, cinched tightly at the waist to accommodate Dolly's figure. Asked how she stays so thin, she wryly replies, "I usually stay in shape carrying these dresses in and out of the car." The country music icon not only keeps all her clothes, but the memories as well. "This big old red dress," she points out, "I wore on the Carol Burnett show."
Katherine Heigl's Organization Airlifts Dozens of Dogs (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:24:00 PM
Twenty-five Chihuahuas who would have been put to sleep were flown to new lives in the
Northeast, thanks to Katherine Heigl's animal organization. According to People magazine, Heigl and her mother’s Jason Debus Heigl Foundation donated $25,000 in order to facilitate
transportation of the pooches from Los Angeles to Boston on an American Airlines flight. People reports that the dogs, who were transferred from Kinder Rescue in Los Angeles,
have ended up in New Hampshire in the care of the Humane Society for Greater Nashua and Salem Animal Rescue League of N.H., and will be made available for adoption
soon, some as early as Saturday morning.
Tech News/ Entertainment/
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The Real Reason Why Wolfram Alpha Shut Down Its Mobile Site
Can Social Networking Find 10 Red Balloons?
By Frederic Lardinois (ReadWriteWeb)
By Frederic Lardinois (ReadWriteWeb)
good mobile experience through the website and those users who need a mobile experience can Submitted at 12/4/2009 9:09:09 AM always get the mobile app. Until Yesterday, Wolfram Research now, though, the mobile landing shut down the iPhone-optimized page offered a happy medium version of Wolfram Alpha, the between the regular desktop company's "computational website and the mobile app. knowledge engine." Many Currently, the team wants to pundits speculated that Wolfram entering their queries into the f o c u s o n e n h a n c i n g t h e decided to shutter the mobile site s e a r c h b o x o n t h e d e f a u l t experience on the default website in order to drive more users to Wolfram Alpha website. Porter and the mobile app; Wolfram is the company's $50 iPhone app. argues that nothing of substance also thinking about mobile apps Earlier this morning, we got a was actually removed. Why Did for Android and BlackBerry. chance to talk to Schoeller Porter, W o l f r a m K i l l t h e M o b i l e Why Not Just Keep the Mobile Wolfram's product manager for L a n d i n g P a g e ? Site Up? the iPhone app. According to In our conversation, Schoeller One could argue, however, that Schoeller, the reason for killing Porter pointed out that this it really wouldn't have cost the mobile site was simple: not landing page was only meant to Wolfram a lot of money or be a test, and traffic to the site manpower to keep the mobile enough people were using it. had decreased to the point where landing page up for the time Sponsor It is important to remember that the company simply decided to being. The company also didn't while Wolfram offered an iPhone pull the plug. help itself by killing the mobile optimized landing page, the It's not surprising that Porter site without any explanation on actual results pages were always would defend Wolfram's decision its blog. The fact that the mobile identical to those of the regular to shut down the mobile site as a site now features a big add for web version. All Wolfram did traffic issue, and not as a ploy to the iPhone app only helped to was shut down this landing page. sell more of the company's pricey fuel the speculation about According to Porter, users can mobile app. According to Porter, Wolfram's intentions. Discuss still get the same result pages by users can still choose to get a
Maya Rudolph Baby News! (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 12/4/2009 11:02:00 AM
Former "Saturday Night Live" star Maya Rudolph has reportedly welcomed baby No. 2! People.com reports that the star
and her director beau Paul Thomas Anderson welcomed daughter Lucille on November 6 in Los Angeles. Baby Lucille joins the couple's four-year-old daughter Pearl, who was born in October 2005.
According to the mag, the couple again opted to not learn the sex of the baby during pregnancy, Maya having once told David Letterman in part, "It was nice to have something to look forward to."
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Submitted at 12/4/2009 10:45:26 AM
Tomorrow morning, teams from all across the United States will try to find 10 red balloons. The federal Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) plans to moor 10 red weather balloons at 10 fixed locations in the continental United States, and whoever sends in the GPS coordinates of all the balloons first will win $40,000. With this event - called the DARPA Network ChallengeDARPA wants to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Arpanet- the predecessor of today's Internet. DARPA wants to test how the Internet, crowdsourcing and social networking can help to solve "broad-scope, time-critical problems." Read on to see how you can participate in this event. Sponsor Teams from all over the United States have registered for this event - although anybody can participate. Entries will be accepted until 12 p.m. ET on Dec. 14. The balloons will be on display during daylight hours from 10 a.m. ET until 4 p.m. local time. Strategies Some teams have developed iPhone apps ( iTunes link), while others are going to scour Twitter
for clues. Some teams are also taking a more traditional approach and plan to simply drive around hoping to spot the balloons - and hoping their team will be large enough to find them. Click here for a list of teams; most of them are still more than happy to accept new volunteers. Even if you don't belong to a group, you can still send out a tweet with the GPS coordinates if you happen to come across a balloon by coincidence. The teams will surely be grateful for this information as well. DARPA is financing this challenge because it hopes that this event, just like earlier DARPA challenges, will foster fresh thinking and encourage technologists to discover "new, collaborative ways to approach problems that were not dreamt of 40 years ago." Discuss
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Etherpad Goes to Google - Just Another Silicon Valley Soap Opera
Mint.com: Are You Really Unemployed?
By Marshall Kirkpatrick (ReadWriteWeb)
By Alex Williams (ReadWriteWeb)
• Leave Google, create startup • Use your Google resume to get Innovative real-time document high profile Silicon Valley collaboration software company backing AppJet, makers of Etherpad, has • Build something cool, win been acquired by Google. some fans TechCrunch broke the news and • Sell to Google AppJet promptly confirmed it. • Tell Silicon Valley insider AppJet was started by express about sale Googlers, got a YCombinator • Kill product, break a few investment (you know, that firm hearts, get absorbed again by that invests in anonymous college Google but with millions of kids from around the country) dollars in your pocket and will now close down its own • Work on less interesting product to work on Google Google product... Wave. • Repeat, if you can get away What a cynical bore. Here's the with it. new formula, meant only to tease users with innovation and See also: AppJet's EtherPad: The ultimately enrich a select few Demo That Ate the Company Valley darlings: Some people don't go right back Sponsor to Google, they go to Facebook or Twitter. You thought • Be a smart computer scientist FeedBurner had a lot of • Get a job at Google Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:56:52 PM
potential? It's an ad network now, its founders have nice houses and work on other things or in other places. FriendFeed was cool, founded by exGooglers who are now at Facebook and say that FriendFeed is actually too sophisticated for the users of their new Sugar Daddy's software. Check out the Etherpad company blog post about the deal. They didn't even pretend to be sorry about closing the service. They didn't thank any community of users for help along the way. They just said the deal is done, here's what's happening to the money you paid, now get out. Maybe Google Wave will change the world, maybe it won't. It's hard for a person who loves startups and innovation not to feel a little toyed with by this kind of drama though. Discuss
Eva Longoria Parker, Hilary Swank, Halle Berry Turn Heads at Women in Entertainment Breakfast (ETonline - Breaking News)
and Halle Berry, attended The Hollywood Reporter's Annual Women in Entertainment A bevy of Hollywood beauties, Breakfast in Beverly Hills, CA including Eva Longoria Parker, on Friday. and Oscar winners Hilary Swank Take a look through ET's gallery Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:14:00 PM
of the lovely ladies who dazzled on the red carpet at today's event. And check back here on ETonline for video from the starstudded morning!
Submitted at 12/4/2009 10:27:11 AM
The federal government reported today that the unemployment rate fell to 10% for the first time since the recession started last year. But are the numbers accurate? Mint.com is not so sure. The company is giving its own take on what it really means to be unemployed with an amusing video they are calling " The Unemployment Game." Sponsor We are curious why Mint.com would take on unemployment as an issue. But take a look at Mint.com and you see the company is clearly trying to take economic trends and provide their own spin on what the numbers mean. For companies in our space, the unemployment issue hits home. Thousands of people have been let go from their jobs. Jobs are hard to come by. So this is a perspective that has some resonance. Free budget software- Mint.com Mint.com makes the point that we need to take a closer look at
unemployment figures. The government tells us that the recession is over and the economic stimulus is working. But we still have to be thinking about how the Fed reports its numbers. Mint.com says that if you count everyone, the unemployment rate should be 17.2%. The video is amusing. It's a smart approach that gives a different perspective on the economy. We cover a lot of enterprise issues but the perspectives we see from companies often focuses exclusively on their products and other narrowly focused issues. Mint.com takes a different approach. They are a personal finance service, but the issues they cover affect anyone who works in the business world. Discuss
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MySQL Usage Expected To Drop Following Oracle Acquisition By Alex Williams (ReadWriteWeb) Submitted at 12/4/2009 11:19:35 AM
Open-source users will be a bit less inclined to use MySQL following Oracle's acquisition of Sun Microsystems. The news comes from a report by the 451 Group, which surveyed people in the opensource community about the issues surrounding the acquisition. Sponsor The 451 Group surveyed 347 people. Of those, 82.1% now use MYSQL. By 2011, 78.7% of respondents expect to use
MySQL. The total will decline to 72.3% by 2014. The Oracle acquisition has a part to play in that decline. 15% of open-source users and 14.4 % of current MySQL users said they would be less likely to use MySQL if it is acquired by Oracle. The news is not all that dire. The majority - 57.9% of all users and 63.9% of MySQL users indicated that they would continue to use MySQL where appropriate. On the flip side, Oracle Database usage is expected to rise from
19.3% today to 19.6% in 2011 and 21.6% in 2014. About 32% of respondents said they would prefer that MySQL be turned over to a foundation. But only 4 percent said that they would want Oracle to sell MySQL to another software company. But there may be more trouble ahead. European authorities have particular concern about the future of MySQL under Oracle ownership and have it under review. More about the report is available on the 451 Group's web site. Discuss
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No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise footage is light on gameplay, heavy on badassery By David Hinkle (Joystiq) Submitted at 12/4/2009 2:30:00 PM
Japanese publisher Marvelous just uploaded a quite lengthy and quite new trailer for the Xbox 360 and PS3 port of No More Heroes. It's all in Japanese, but it speaks the universal languages of crazy bosses and near-nakedbabe quite well. Aside from that, it also shows how much better the game looks compared to its Wii counterpart - all of those Ps really make a difference. Be sure to check out
the last few seconds of the trailer, which show us the Japanese version of the game just may not be censored after all. The original censored Wii game certainly didn't have that much blood in it! No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise footage is light on gameplay, heavy on badassery originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
Apple Delivers Minor Updates Mac Pro and Xserve By Darrell Etherington (TheAppleBlog)
The Mac Pro got a new option in the processor customization department, a 3.33GHz quadSubmitted at 12/4/2009 8:18:20 AM core Intel Xeon processor for an Apple sometimes provides additional $1,200. As of yet, updates to its products stealthily, there’s no option to double up the in the dead of night, if said 3.33GHz version of the quadupdates don’t merit a dedicated core to create a more powerful 8press event. That happened core machine on the more yesterday to both the Mac Pro expensive configuration of the desktop computer and the Xserve Mac Pro. rack-mountable server. Both are You can also now outfit your minor updates, but will be of Mac Pro with 2TB hard drives, out. That means the official total great interest to those looking to instead of the 1TB option at capacity of the Mac Pro, as configured in the Apple Store, is buy either type of machine. which capacity previously maxed
now 8TB, which is nothing to sneeze at. Each 2TB drive will set you back $550. The only reason to hesitate if you’re thinking about picking up a Mac Pro is that the last time they were updated was back in March 2009. Chances are another major upgrade isn’t too far around the corner, possibly involving Intel’s forthcoming i9 processor, so if you can wait, you probably should. The configuration options for the Xserve were also updated,
allowing for use of the same 2TB drives that are now available to the Mac Pros. That means max capacity for the Xserve is now 6TB. RAM options also got upgraded, with 4GB modules now available, so that the max configurable memory is now 24GB on the quad-core Xserve, and 48GB on the 8-core.
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Last.fm: 12 Ways to Scrobble By Andrew Bednarz (TheAppleBlog)
them, then sync your device and expect the songs previously listened to on the device to then Submitted at 12/4/2009 9:49:33 AM scrobble too. ScrobblePod is the “Audio Scrobbling,” as defined o n l y t o o l I ’ v e t r i e d t h a t by Last.fm, is the act of successfully handles this. submitting to a central database So, without further ado, here are the details of what songs you’ve 12 ways to scrobble your music been listening to (what album, by listening habits to Last.fm. The who and when you listened). Official Client Scrobbling to Last.fm is the main Fully featured, the official client reason I use the service these focuses on the Internet radio part days, especially since it made the of Last.fm, but does scrobble internet radio part of it a paid songs played through iTunes as subscription only service for well as picking up what you have Australia. I think that being able listened to on your iPod. If you to easily track and visualise my often use Last.fm for Internet listening history and share that radio, this make the most sense. with friends is a great example of It will attempt to scrobble iPod the social internet revolution. tracks played. This official client There are a number of ways to is free. have your music scrobbled to Standalone Players Last.fm from your Mac. Which The following apps are one you chose depends on which standalone players, they do not fits into your music workflow the control iTunes and iTunes does best. not need to be running. They can, First, a few words regarding however, access your existing iPod scrobbling. While many of iTunes library. SweetFM the clients will scrobble what SweetFM is a full Last.fm client y o u ’ v e p l a y e d o n y o u r which can stream radio as well as iPod/iPhone (once you’ve synced scrobble what iTunes is playing. your device), Last.fm does not However, you can’t control accept scrobbles with a date-time iTunes with it. iPod scrobbling is in the past if more recent tracks not supported. SweetFM is an have already been scrobbled. open-sourced project. This means it’s generally not Deck possible to listen to tracks on The Deck is a standalone full your device, listen to tracks on album player that lets you queue your computer and scrobble up complete albums and play
not in Australia or the U.S.). iPod scrobbling is not supported. iTunes Controllers These applications serve primarily as remote controllers for iTunes, offering alternative ways to play your music, while offering scrobbling functionality as an added bonus. Synergy Synergy presents buttons in the menubar to let you always control iTunes and will scrobble them in the order you want. The them too. iPod scrobbling is not tracks it plays will then be supported. Synergy costs 5 scrobbled. iPod scrobbling is not Euros, but a free trial is available. supported. Deck costs $20, with a CoverSutra trial version available that will CoverSutra is an iTunes HUD randomly pause playing. based controller that can scrobble Songbird for you. iPod scrobbling is not Songbird is a full, open-source supported. It costs $20 with a iTunes replacement that contains free trial available. a downloadable Last.fm module CoverStream (this will be downloaded for you Another iTunes helper app, this w h e n y o u f i r s t s t a r t t h e gives you the ‘Cover Flow’ view application). This module will as a popup HUD window while scrobble as well as enable the scrobbling to Last.fm. iPod Internet radio functionality of scrobbling is not supported. Last.fm. For a complete review CoverStream costs 15 Euros, and of Songbird see TheAppleBlog’s a free trial is available. c o m p r e h e n s i v e r e v i e w . Bowtie Surprisingly, iPod scrobbling is Bowtie is a slim remote that not supported. offers many visual themes and Spotify utilizes lots of keyboard Spotify is a cloud-based music shortcuts, while also scrobbling service, where you make your to Last.fm. iPod scrobbling is not music available to yourself supported. Bowtie is free. anywhere you are. It requires an iTunes Scrobblers online account, which might not These applications do just one be available in your country (its thing, they sit in the background,
Dollar rallies and gold plummets after US jobs report (Financial Times - US homepage)
Dollar rallies and gold plummets after US jobs report By Jamie Chisholm, Global
Markets Commentator Published: December 4 2009 07:11 | Last updated: December 4
2009 19:42 This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
scrobble whats playing in iTunes and nothing else. iScrobbler A nice dedicated scrobbler thats small and fast. iPod scrobbling can be turned on and off, and you can specify a specific playlist to use too. It attempts to solve the iPod sync issue by giving an option (enabled by default) to queue submissions if an iPod is mounted, but this just doesn’t work for me. iScrobbler is free. Audioscrobbler Audioscrobbler is a fork of the official Last.fm client, released by an ex Last.fm employee. This contains just the iTunes scrobbling parts of the official client. It does not yet handle iPods at all. Audioscrobbler is free. ScrobblePod ScrobblePod is my scrobbler of choice. It has a tiny memory and CPU footprint and stays out of the way. Most importantly it only ever scrobbles after my iPhone has finished syncing with iTunes. This means it cleanly handles all combinations of listening on the device or computer in any order. ScrobblePod is free. Which scrobbler is your favorite?
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Music in the Cloud: Heavenly or Pipe Dream? By Dave Greenbaum (TheAppleBlog)
why not stream it? Great idea, but not the way Kevin suggests it. Submitted at 12/4/2009 9:03:08 AM For one, we’ve already been Source: Flickr user erin MC down this road of keeping your hammer collection in the cloud. Before Let’s face it, remembering to clouds meant anything but rain, sync just stinks. W i t h MP3.com came up with a similar MobileMe, Apple introduced idea. In January 2000, it “over-the-air” syncing, allowing introduced a service that let you your contacts and emails to s t r e a m y o u r e n t i r e m u s i c appear on your phone and collection via its website. You computer automatically without simply proved you owned a intervention. Small amounts of p a r t i c u l a r C D a n d t h e n i t data make it easy. However, if unlocked the album from its you want music, that’s a whole digital locker and allowed you to different story. listen to it. Unfortunately, the Currently, you need to manually record industry didn’t like this hook up your iPhone or iPod to service since they thought it your Mac in order to sync, and r e p r e s e n t e d u n a u t h o r i z e d most music collections exceed duplication and distribution. It’s the size of the average music been a decade and the music player. Kevin Tofel over at industry has accepted that digital GigaOm Pro proposes the idea( music is a fact of life. The case subscription required) of moving might have gone differently all your music to the “cloud” and today. MP3.com minimized the then streaming your music to need to actually move the data your player. This way, your around and was ahead of its time. e n t i r e m u s i c c o l l e c t i o n i s A big problem with using the a v a i l a b l e o v e r a n I n t e r n e t cloud to sync your music is the connection. Kevin mentions that sheer size of data. A few songs ZumoDrive already offers the are great, but whether you use ability to play music synced to DropBox or ZumoDrive, a large the cloud, so why not extend that M P 3 c o l l e c t i o n w o u l d b e to other services? If you can prohibitively expensive to keep purchase music via your iPhone, in the cloud, and take forever to
upload over a consumer-grade broadband connection. Additionally, while the cloud can be convenient, it can also go up in smoke at the drop of a hat. Just ask anyone with a T-Mobile Sidekick. A song collection represents hundreds of hours of ripping or thousands of dollars in online purchases. It would be risky to keep solely in the cloud. While you would still have the music on your computer, keep in mind that “syncing” is not “backing up,” because when syncing goes haywire, it has the ability to erase data from your computer. SugarSync recently did that to me, and man it stung!
An Alternative Personally, I prefer to use Pandora and Last.fm to bring my music with me. With their ability to customize stations, I’m able to hear songs I already own as well as discover new artists. While it’s not identical to my music collection, it provides a majority of the same songs and same artists. If you want your exact music collection accessible anywhere, software already exists to do that. Simplify Media allows you to stream your iTunes collection to another computer or to your iPhone and it even works on slower Internet connections. This keeps the data on your
Street Chic: Paris By ELLE.com (ELLE News Blog) Submitted at 12/4/2009 4:00:00 AM
Studded booties electrify a fall
palette. Photo: Anne Ziegler Think you are Street Chic? Email us your photo and you could appear in ELLE.com's Street
Follow ELLE on Twitter. Become our Facebook fan! Chic Daily.
computer and hopefully safely backed up. Backups are really the key, though. As so many of us move to online backup services such as Mozy, Carbonite, and Backblaze, why couldn’t they extend their services like Kevin suggests and allow streaming of your backed up music collection? A good online backup should be an exact duplicate of your music collection. Carbonite already provides instant remote access to your online files and I’m sure Mozy and Backblaze will be sure to follow. Bandwidth, of course, is an issue, but I’d gladly pay a few extra bucks a month to have my MP3 collection backed up and accessible to me anytime anywhere via a web browser or my iPhone. That should be a good value add for these companies and earn them a bit of extra revenue. Good idea Kevin, though I disagree with the implementation. Too bad that MP3.com was a decade ahead of its time. It should take the Newton team out for a beer and talk about what that’s like!
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Upon Further Review: Microsoft’s Document Connection Tool By Mark Crump (TheAppleBlog) Submitted at 12/4/2009 11:30:48 AM
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I used to use my Mac at my day job. However, a combination of not-so-subtle hints from our Information Security folks as well as the general pain in the posterior of managing a SharePoint site on the Mac forced me back to a PC. Frankly, for what I do, my little Dell ultraportable is just fine. A project recently hit my desk, though, where using the Mac became the best choice for me. We’re shuttering a data center and moving about 300 servers to new locations. It became my task to update all of our documentation to reflect the servers new homes. After poking around with some lack-luster search tools in SharePoint and a conference with our admins, I learned there wasn’t an automated way to feed a list of servers into SharePoint’s search engine and have it spit out a list of documents each server is in. With SP2 for Office 2008, Microsoft introduced a new Document Connection tool, which allows Office 2008 to connect to SharePoint sites very easily. Figuring this tool might be beneficial to my chore, I fired it up.
name and open it in Word. Oh, wait, I do: the newly-released Document Connection tool. It worked perfectly. Since I had the list of document titles, it was amazingly easy to find the document I needed and edit it. While the tool made my life easier, there are a few things I’d like to see in future releases. All of our documents need to be Unfortunately, I quickly learned approved before people can see that I can’t actually search the them. There was no way to contents of documents on the approve the changes via the tool; site; I can only search on the I still had to go to the web name of the document. No interface to do this. It wasn’t the worries. Part of our “in case of end of the world, since the emergency” recovery plan is the approval process actually works entire site is exported to a share well on non-IE browsers. The real hassle, though, was on our file server. assigning the metatags we use. This was a great task for Automator. I quickly created a Each document needs to have little search tool that would copy two tags assigned to it that “file” the selected text (server name) to the document in their correct bins a Text Edit document, and then — these are what the product is append to that document the and what market it belongs to. names of all the documents that These are assigned from a precontained that server. A little find defined list, and when you go to -and-replacing to clean up the the SharePoint site, there are document, I soon had a nice pulldowns you can choose the Excel sheet with the list of product and market groups. The documents I needed to edit. pulldowns to assign a newlyFinding the actual documents uploaded document its proper through SharePoint’s web portal tagging do not work on non-IE would be a hassle, though. I browsers, so it’d be nice to have could find them on the master a way I could assign those via the list, or depending on how they tool as well. are tagged, but it sure would be What has your experience been nice if I had a tool where I could with Microsoft’s Document quickly type in the document Connection tool?
“Late Show with David Letterman” Posts First November Sweep Win Over “Tonight Show” in Viewers and Adults 25-54 By Bill Gorman (TVbytheNumbers) Submitted at 12/4/2009 10:27:37 AM
via press release; CBS LATE NIGHT SWEEPS NOVEMBER! “Late Show with David Letterman” Posts First November Sweep Win Over “Tonight Show” in Viewers and Adults 2554 and Best Competitive Position in Adults 18-49 Since 1994 and Largest Margin of Victory in Viewers Ever During November Sweep “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” Notches Largest Margin of Victory in Viewers for a November Sweep CBS late night swept the competition during November, with LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN posting its first November sweep win in viewers, households, adults 25-54 and best competitive position in adults 1849 in 15 years and THE LATE LATE SHOW with CRAIG FERGUSON notching its largest margin of victory in viewers in a November sweep, according to Nielsen live plus same day ratings. In the November 2009 sweep, LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN beat “The Tonight Show” by +71% in households (2.9/08 vs. 1.7/04), +74% in viewers (4.08m vs. 2.35m), +30% in adults 25-54
(1.3/05 vs. 1.0/04) and tied in adults 18-49 (1.0/04, each). This is LATE SHOW’s first November sweep win over “The Tonight Show” in households, viewers and adults 25-54 since 1994. It is also the largest margin of victory for LATE SHOW over “The Tonight Show” ever in a November sweep in both households and viewers. This is the best competitive position for LATE SHOW against “The Tonight Show” in adults 18-49 (tie) in a November sweep since 1994. In November 2009, THE LATE LATE SHOW with CRAIG FERGUSON beat “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” by +40% in households (1.4/05 vs. 1.0/04), +47% in viewers (1.89m vs. 1.29m), +17% in adults 25-54 (0.7/04 vs. 0.6/03) and tied in adults 18-49 (0.6/03, each). This is THE LATE LATE SHOW’s first win over “Late Night” with any host for either program in both households and adults 25-54 and largest margin of victory in viewers in a November sweep. This is the best competitive position for THE LATE LATE SHOW against “Late Night” with any host for either program in adults 18-49 (tie) in a November sweep. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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Conan Ties “Late Show” For November Sweep in 18-49 Rating, Wins Decisively In 18-34 By Robert Seidman (TVbytheNumbers) Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:48:33 PM
via press release: CONAN TIES ‘LATE SHOW’ FOR THE NOVEMBER SWEEP IN 18-49 RATING, WINS DECISIVELY IN 18-34 UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – December 4, 2009 – NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” averaged a 1.0 rating, 4 share in adults 18-49 and 2.4 million viewers overall for the week of November 23-27. For the November sweep, “Tonight” also delivered a 1.0/4 in 18-49 and 2.4 million viewers overall, tying for #1 among the broadcast networks with CBS’s “Late Show with David Letterman” in adult 18-49 rating and outdelivering the ABC combination of “Nightline” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” In adults 18-34, Conan defeated Letterman and the ABC team of “Nightline” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live” for the sweep, posting a 0.9 rating in 18-34 versus “Late Show’s” 0.6, “Nightline’s” 0.7 and “Kimmel’s” 0.4. At 12:35 a.m. ET, “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” tied CBS’s “Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” in adult 18-49 rating for the week and the sweep and delivered bigger viewer totals than both “Late Late Show” and “Kimmel” in adults, men and
women 18-34. The median age of Conan’s audience during the sweep was 46.4, nearly 10 years younger than Letterman’s 56.3 and “Nightline’s” 56.3. Conan’s audience was even younger than it was during the same period last year at 12:35 a.m. ET (47.7). At 12:35 a.m. in November, the median age of Jimmy Fallon’s audience (44.7) was seven years younger than both Ferguson’s (52.1) and Kimmel’s (51.8).
Research for the week of November 23-27. Ratings reflect “live plus same day” data unless otherwise noted. Season-to-date and sweep figures are averages of “live plus seven day” data except for the two most recent weeks, which are “live plus same day.”) ADULTS 18-49 11:35 p.m. ET NBC “Tonight,” 1.0 rating, 4 share* CBS “Late Show,” 1.1/5* ABC “Nightline,” 1.1/4* 12:05 a.m. ET ABC “Kimmel,” 0.5/3* 12:35 a.m. ET NBC “Late Night,” 0.6/3* CBS “Late Late Show,” 0.6/4* 1:35 a.m. ET NBC “Last Call,” 0.3/2* TOTAL VIEWERS 11:35 p.m. ET NBC “Tonight,” 2.4 million viewers* CBS “Late Show,” 4.3 million viewers* For the sweep at 1:35 a.m. ET, adults 18-34, Conan’s 646,000 ABC “Nightline,” 4.6 million “Last Call with Carson Daly” topped Letterman’s 439,000. At viewers* (0.3 rating in 18-49, 0.3 in 18-34) 12:35 a.m. ET, Jimmy Fallon’s 12:05 a.m. ET finished within a tenth of a rating 752,000 adults 18-49 for the ABC “Kimmel,” 1.8 million point of CBS’s Ferguson and s w e e p t r a i l e d F e r g u s o n ’ s viewers* ABC’s Kimmel (0.4) in the 7 8 5 , 0 0 0 ; i n t o t a l v i e w e r s , 12:35 a.m. ET valuable adult 18-34 demo. Jimmy’s 1.321 million finished NBC “Late Night,” 1.3 million For the November sweep, behind Ferguson’s 1.921 million; viewers* Conan’s average 1.296 million and in adults 18-34, Jimmy’s CBS “Late Late Show,” 1.9 adults 18-49 trailed the 1.310 of 391,000 out-delivered Ferguson’s million viewers* 1:35 a.m. ET Letterman; in total viewers, 273,000. NBC “Last Call,” 0.7 million Conan’s audience of 2.392 WEEKLY AVERAGES million persons finished behind (According to in-home viewing CONAN page 46 Letterman’s 4.117 million; and in figures from Nielsen Media
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CONAN continued from page 45
viewers* *NBC Friday telecasts and ABC and CBS Thursday and Friday telecasts are excluded from these averages due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Wednesday’s “Nightline” is also excluded. NOVEMBER SWEEP ADULTS 18-49 11:35 p.m. ET NBC “Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien,” 1.0/4 CBS “Late Show,” 1.0/4 ABC “Nightline,” 1.0/4 12:05 a.m. ET ABC “Kimmel,” 0.6/3 12:35 a.m. ET NBC “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” 0.6/3 CBS “Late Late Show,” 0.6/3 1:35 a.m. ET NBC “Last Call,” 0.3/2 TOTAL VIEWERS 11:35 p.m. ET NBC “Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien,” 2.4 million viewers CBS “Late Show,” 4.1 million viewers ABC “Nightline,” 4.1 million viewers 12:05 a.m. ET ABC “Kimmel,” 1.8 million viewers 12:35 a.m. ET NBC “Late Night with Jimmy
Fallon,” 1.3 million viewers CBS “Late Late Show,” 1.9 million viewers 1:35 a.m. ET NBC “Last Call,” 0.8 million viewers SEASON TO DATE ADULTS 18-49 11:35 p.m. ET NBC “Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien,” 1.0/4 CBS “Late Show,” 1.0/4 ABC “Nightline,” 1.0/4 12:05 a.m. ET ABC “Kimmel,” 0.5/3 12:35 a.m. ET NBC “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” 0.6/3 CBS “Late Late Show,” 0.6/4 1:35 a.m. ET NBC “Last Call,” 0.3/2 TOTAL VIEWERS 11:35 p.m. ET NBC “Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien,” 2.5 million viewers CBS “Late Show,” 4.3 million viewers ABC “Nightline,” 4.0 million viewers 12:05 a.m. ET ABC “Kimmel,” 1.7 million viewers 12:35 a.m. ET NBC “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” 1.4 million viewers CBS
“Late Late Show,” 1.9 million viewers 1:35 a.m. ET NBC “Last Call,” 0.8 million viewers SELECTED CABLE RESULTS, WEEK OF NOVEMBER 23-27 NATIONAL ADULT 18-49 RATING Comedy Central, 11 p.m. ET, “The Daily Show,” 0.5 Comedy Central, 11:30 p.m. ET, “The Colbert Report,” 0.4 Adult Swim, 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. ET, 0.8 Adult Swim, 12:301:30 a.m. ET, 0.5 Each adult 18-49 rating point equals 1.32 million viewers TOTAL VIEWERS Comedy Central, 11 p.m. ET, “The Daily Show,” 1.0 million Comedy Central, 11:30 p.m. ET, “The Colbert Report,” 0.7 million Adult Swim, 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. ET, 1.9 million Adult Swim, 12:30-1:30 a.m. ET, 1.1 million This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
The TV Squad Podcast: Surprising shows, decade-end lists, and the Commenter of the Week! By Joel Keller (TV Squad) Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:25:00 PM
It's our first four-way panel this week, as Jason Hughes, Kona Gallagher and Allison Waldman join me to talk about some of the goings on in TV this week: • We talk about the shows that have surprised us so far this season, including The Middle and White Collar, • It's the end of the '00s as we know it, and we feel fine: we talk about the inevitable end-ofdecade lists that will drip out this month (including ours!) and what we expect to see on them, • A new feature: Our Commenter of the Week! Knowing our commenters, you can be pretty sure we didn't pick one that said how much they loved us. • Our picks for the week -including the last episode of Monk-- and much more. Run time is 1:01:38 You can listen to the podcast below, or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS
podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments or drop us a line at tvsquadpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com. As usual, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick. Though I had so much fun adding the George Takei ID to the mix, I added another small surprise at the top of this 'cast, a call-back to an interview I did a few years ago. Hope you enjoy it. Filed under: Site Announcements, Podcasts, Reality-Free, TV Squad Podcast Permalink| Email this| | Comments
Berlusconi accused by Mafia hitman (Financial Times - US homepage) Submitted at 12/4/2009 7:10:19 AM
Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s centre-
right prime minister, has been named in court by a convicted killer as having links to Sicily’s Cosa Nostra Mafia in the midst of a bombing campaign carried
out by the mob in the early 1990s. Gaspare Spatuzza, a Sicilian mobster who is cooperating with anti-Mafia prosecutors, made the
allegations against Mr Berlusconi while testifying in a high-security Turin court where Marcello Dell’Utri, a senator and close associate of the prime minister,
was appealing against a nine-year jail sentence imposed for Mafia association. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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Official announcement from ABC on FlashForward and V returning in Gawker.TV: The Five March Best Videos Ever of the Day [Clipjob] By Robert Seidman (TVbytheNumbers)
(tied with ABC’s “V”). Additionally, “FlashForward” is drastically improving its time Submitted at 12/4/2009 10:34:50 AM period year to year for ABC, “FLASHFORWARD” AND “V” growing the hour by 1.7 million T O R E T U R N W I T H A L L - viewers (11.1 million vs. 9.4 O R I G I N A L E P I S O D E S I N million) and by 23% in Adults 18 MARCH 2010 -49 over the same point last “ F l a s h F o r w a r d ” R e t u r n s season. Thursday, March 4, and “V” on “FlashForward” stars Joseph Tuesday, March 30 Fiennes as Mark Benford, John “FlashForward” and “V” will Cho as Demetri Noh, Jack return to the ABC schedule in Davenport as Lloyd Simcoe, March 2010, allowing for both Zachary Knighton as Bryce shows to air uninterrupted Varley, Peyton List as Nicole through the end of the season. Kirby, Dominic Monaghan as After last night’s episode, Simon, Brían F. O’Byrne as “FlashForward” will return on Aaron Stark, Courtney B. Vance Thursday, March 4, 2010 (8:00- as Stanford Wedeck, Sonya 9:00 p.m., ET), and “V” on Walger as Olivia Benford and Tuesday, March 30, 2010 (10:00- Christine Woods as Janis Hawk. 11:00 p.m., ET), moving to its David S. Goyer, Brannon Braga new timeslot following “Lost.” a n d J e s s i k a B o r s i c z k y a r e From 8:00-9:00 p.m. on e x e c u t i v e p r o d u c e r s . T h u r s d a y , A B C f r e s h m a n “FlashForward” is from ABC “FlashForward” is a dominant Studios. No. 1 in the hour with Adults 18- Television’s number one new 34 and also among hard-to-reach drama this season in the key Men 18-34. “FlashForward” Adult 18-49 sales demographic, stands as TV’s No. 1 new drama “V” delivered substantial year-tothis season among Adults 18-34 year improvement in Tuesday’s
highly-competitive 8:00 p.m. hour, boosting ABC by 48% in the time period during its November Sweep run (4.3/11 vs. 2.9/7). Opposite established competition, including CBS’ time -slot veteran “NCIS” and NBC’s “Biggest Loser,” “V” finished No. 1 in its hour among Adults 18-34 and key Men (M1834/M18-49). “V” stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker. “V” is produced by The Scott Peters Company and HDFilms in association with Warner Bros Television. Scott Rosenbaum, Scott Peters, Steve Pearlman, and Jace Hall are executive producers. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Pay curb risks (Financial Times - US homepage) Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:02:43 PM
Pay curb risks
Francesco Guerrera in New York and Megan Murphy in London Published: December 4 2009 20:16 | Last updated: December 4
2009 21:02 This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
By Whitney Jefferson (Gawker)
Quentin Tarantino Right at Home in Nonsensical Japanese Commercial Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:00:00 PM It's really hard to tell what Today at Gawker.TV, we visit product Quentin Tarantino is t h e J e r s e y S h o r e , Q u e n t i n even advertising here. And the T a r a n t i n o ' s n e w b i z a r r e language barrier doesn't make it commercial, car wash revenge, a any easier. It just involves the terrible spoof on Judd Apatow director, a talking dog, and a movies, and Obama responds to a samurai suit. call to legalize everything bad for Judd Apatow Parody Rips Hole America. in Space-Time-Comedy Young Ragamuffin Asks Obama C o n t i n u u m t o L e g a l i z e D r u g s a n d This movie is an insult to the Prostitution mouth-breathers who enjoyed In a town hall meeting today, a Epic Movie. The trailer for The student asked Obama if 40 Year Old Virgin Who legalizing drugs, prostitution, and Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and other awesome things would Felt Superbad About It, is worse stimulate the economy. Obama, than you can possibly imagine. ever the square, totally shot him (NSFW) down. Dammit. Out of Control Carwash Hose Fist-Pumping Jersey Video Re- Seeks Revenge Affirms New Jersey is Full of The carwash hoseJackasses underappreciated, taken for Jersey doesn't have self-service granted. Well not anymore. gas stations. So people from New Today is the day the hose stands Jersey don't pump their gas, they up and fights for respect, equal pump their fists. This video rights-freedom. And hilariously makes that fact abundantly clear. drenches two guys in the process.
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ABC’s Kimmel Posts Most-Watched Break-In at Blago's Lawyer's Office; Wiretap Week in 9 Months/Tops NBC’s Evidence Stolen [Plumbers] Fallon by 34% in Nov. Sweep By John Cook (Gawker)
How very Nixonian! Blagojevich has called himself " • On Tuesday(11/24/09), the the anti-Nixon"; we can't really night of ABC’s “Dancing with T h e C h i c a g o T r i b u n e i s figure out at this early stage Submitted at 12/4/2009 11:23:37 AM the Stars” finale and featuring r e p o r t i n g t h a t c o m p u t e r whether this break-in cements or via press release: guests Charlize Theron, Donny equipment containing audio files undermines that characterization. Fringe Ratings Report: ABC Osmond, Ron Artest and Regis of wiretapped conversations has Since the material stolen is Late-Night Programming Week 9 months– since w/o 3/2/09. Philbin, “ JKL” generated its been stolen from the office Rod reportedly discovery evidence, of November 23, 2009 and 2009 • For the 2nd straight week, most-watched telecast(2.17 Blagojevich's defense attorney. and therefore just copies of what November Sweep the prosecution has, our ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” million) on any night in more From the Trib: A B C ’ s “ J i m m y K i m m e l ” outdrew NBC’s “Late Night with than 6 months– since 5/19/09. On Chicago police are investigating completely uninformed gut is Attracts its Biggest Audience in Jimmy Fallon” by a best-ever that evening, “Kimmel” drew a burglary at the law offices of telling us that this was staged in Nearly 9 Months 39% in Total Viewers(1.85 68% more overall viewers than the attorneys for former Gov. order to give Blagojevich cover And for the 2nd Straight Week million vs. 1.33 million), topping NBC’s “Fallon”(1.29 million) Rod Blagojevich, sources said, to start leaking extended portions Tops NBC’s “Fallon” by a Best- the NBC late night program in a n d 1 7 % m o r e t h a n C B S ’ a n d a r e t r y i n g t o r e c o v e r o f t h e i n c r i m i n a t i n g Ever 39% viewers for the 10th week “ F e r g u s o n ” ( 1 . 8 6 m i l l i o n ) . computers containing discovery wiretaps—something he has During the 2009 November running during the 2009-10 TV e v i d e n c e i n t h e s w e e p i n g repeatedly said he looks forward Sweep, “Kimmel” Outdraws season. Season to date, “JKL” is Source: The Nielsen Company, c o r r u p t i o n c a s e . to doing. Either that or he “Fallon” attracting 25% more overall Live + Same Day Program Someone broke into the offices dumped all his mob-related files By 34% in Total Viewers and v i e w e r s t h a n N B C ’ s Ratings for week of 11/23/09, of laywers Sam Adam and his on his lawyer for safekeeping. Of Ties CBS’ “Ferguson” in Adults “Fallon”(1.72 million vs. 1.38 with Thursday (11/26) and son, Sam Adam Jr., in the 6100 course, it could just be a random 18-49 F r i d a y ( 1 1 / 2 7 ) c o d e d a s block of South Ellis Avenue, break-in, just like everyone million). On Tuesday, “JKL” Registers its “ s p e c i a l s ” d u e t o t h e sources said, and stole computer thought Watergate was at first. Most-Watched Telecast on Any T h a n k s g i v i n g h o l i d a y a n d equipment. At least one of those But for some reason, we're Night • During the just-completed e x c l u d e d f r o m t h e w e e k l y computers carried copies of disinclined to give Blagojevich In Over 6 Months, Topping 2009 November Sweep, ABC’s a v e r a g e s . S e a s o n - t o - d a t e secretly made tape recordings in the benefit of the doubt. “Fallon” by 68% and “Ferguson” “ J i m m y K i m m e l L i v e ” averages based on Most Current the case, sources said. by 17% outdelivered NBC’s “Fallon” by Ratings. 2009-10 TV Season Weekly National Ratings: 34% in Total Viewers(1.77 ( 9 / 2 1 – 1 1 / 2 7 / 0 9 ) . 2 0 0 9 Hitting a season high during the million vs. 1.32 million) and tied November Sweep = 10/29week of November 23, 2009, CBS’ “Ferguson” in Adult 18-49 11/25/09. ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” rating(0.6). This content has passed through attracted its largest overall fivefilters.org. audience(1.85 million) in nearly
By Robert Seidman (TVbytheNumbers)
Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:49:27 PM
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Update: NBC Coverage of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Averages 22.3 Million Viewers
The Count: At Least Nets Aren’t 0-82
By Robert Seidman (TVbytheNumbers)
Other teams that started their seasons as badly as the 0-18 New Jersey Nets have this year turned out to be not quite as bad as their winless starts suggest. However, they were truly terrible. Associated Press Nets fans react appropriately to 0-18. After starting out 0-17, the 1999 Los Angeles Clippers finished 933, including three losing streaks of five games or longer. And the 1988-1989 Miami Heat went 1550 after starting 0-17, with later losing skids of 5, 6, 7, 7 and 10 games. Legendary losers in other sports showed brief signs of hope. The 1943-44 New York Rangers started 0-14-1, then won four of five games, but didn’t win a single one of their final 21 games. And in 1977 Tampa Bay, coming off an 0-14 season, started 0-12 before winning their last two games — against opponents whose coaches were fired after the season. The Baltimore Orioles started 1988 by losing their first 21 games. They went on to lose another 86, more than the other six teams in the AL East lost all season. But at least they won at least 10 games
November 26 9 a.m.-noon coverage of the 83rd annual “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:32:59 PM Parade” has marched to the UPDATE: NBC’S COVERAGE event’s biggest average audience O F T H E 8 3 R D A N N U A L in eight years and biggest adult ‘MACY’S THANKSGIVING 18-49 rating in five years, DAY PARADE’ DELIVERS according to “live plus same day” T H E E V E N T ’ S B I G G E S T viewing figures from Nielsen AVERAGE VIEWERSHIP IN Media Research. EIGHT YEARS During an average minute, the AN AVERAGE 22.3 MILLION telecast delivered a 6.5 rating, 27 VIEWERS WATCHED THE share in adults 18-49, highest for TELECAST, HIGHEST ‘LIVE the parade since 2004, and 22.3 PLUS SAME DAY’ RESULT million viewers overall, biggest FOR THE EVENT SINCE 2001; since 2001. Versus the 2008 IN 18-49, IT’S A FIVE-YEAR telecast, this year’s coverage, HIGH which was hosted by Meredith THE PARADE I S Vieira, Matt Lauer and Al Roker TELEVISION’S # 1 of NBC’s “Today,” is up 7 E N T E R T A I N M E N T percent in 18-49 and 3 percent in TELECAST OF THE WEEK IN average audience. ADULTS 18-49 AND TOTAL The 6.5 rating in 18-49 and 22.3 VIEWERS, AHEAD OF SUCH million total viewers makes PRIMETIME FARE AS THE NBC’s coverage of the “Macy’s ‘ D A N C I N G W I T H T H E Thanksgiving Day Parade” the STARS’ FINALE, ‘NCIS’ AND #1 entertainment telecast for the ‘DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES’ week of November 23-29 in both UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – categories (excludes sports), December 4, 2009 – NBC’s ahead of such original primetime
entertainment programming as ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” finale and “Desperate Housewives,” CBS’s “Two and a Half Men,” “CSI: Miami” and “NCIS” and Fox’s “Glee,” “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy.” NBC Research estimates that 43.3 million viewers watched all or some of NBC’s “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” coverage. From noon-2 p.m. ET that day, NBC’s coverage of “The National Dog Show Presented by Purina” averaged a 2.2/9 in adults 18-49 and 7.7 million viewers overall. NBC Research estimates 17.5 million viewers watched all or some of the telecast. The annual dog show, hosted by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia, is one of the oldest and most prestigious sporting events in North America. NBC’s coverage was hosted by John O’Hurley and featured the commentary of expert analyst David Frei. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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(WSJ.com: The Daily Fix) Submitted at 12/3/2009 2:30:22 PM
in each of May, June, July and August — finishing 14-15 in August. So the Nets aren’t as bad as 018, but aren’t as good as nearly every other team in the NBA. How could that be nearly every team instead of every last one? The Timberwolves have two wins but a worse point differential and power rating than New Jersey. At Basketball Prospectus, Kevin Pelton points to some reasons for optimism. For instance, the Nets have lost several close games, including falling victim to two buzzer-beaters. They’ve lost key players to injury. And their shooting is far worse than projected — with the biggest negative gap of any team in the league. Such factors will regress to the norm, as will the Nets. Plus, they have two games against the Knicks and one against the Timberwolves this month.
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The Sick Orders of the World's Most Source: Chone Figgins Heinous Boss [Scandal] nearing deal with Seattle Mariners By Ryan Tate (Gawker)
perform oral sodomy; (b) in or about the beginning of March 2006, Mr. Jiang committed The FBI is investigating possible assault and battery, as well as insider trading at hedge fund false imprisonment upon Mr. SAC Capital, but the most Tong by restraining him with outrageous thing to emerge from ropes and forcibly introducing the case are allegations of how a certain foreign objects into Mr. perverse SAC manager tried to Tong's rectum; and (c) in or literally turn a trader into his about mid-March 2006, Mr. literal bitch. Jiang again restrained Mr. Tong Allegations from the trader, with ropes and forcibly urinated Andrew Tong(pictured), were into his mouth. recently unsealed; they may help Jiang allegedly thought a " soft shed light for the FBI's feminine touch" made for better investigation, since Tong testified traders. Even by the dog eat dog to manipulative trading amid a other ways: standards of Wall Street, this is a sexual harassment case. Sex As part of his "training program, sadistic obsession with power allegations from the papers are M r . J i a n g s e t a b o u t t o and domination . And a way more sensational than any trading systematically bully and control t w i s t e d o n e a t t h a t ; t h e " scandal; Tong's most extreme Mr. Tong through obscene sexual Swinging Dick" is supposed to be allegations, honed in on by u l t i m a t u m s a n d p h y s i c a l a metaphor in the financial world, Business Insider, say he was brutality. By way of example, the not something you actually forced by his boss Ping Jiang to following tortious and criminal brandish, in the workplace. perform oral sex (in once case as acts were perpetrated by Mr. Court papers, via Reuters via a condition of being allowed to Jiang against Mr. Tong at SAC's Business Insider: trade); made to take female very own offices: (a) in or about hormones and dress in feminine the beginning of February 2006, attire; and violated in various Mr. Jiang forced Mr. Tong to Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:06:26 PM
By Jayson Stark (ESPN.com)
at third base. The Mariners offered Beltre arbitration, but know Beltre is seeking a longThe Seattle Mariners could have term deal elsewhere and don't a new third baseman by the end expect him to accept it. of the day. A fascinating, but still Seattle appears close to a deal unanswered, question is how the with free agent Chone Figgins, a Mariners would fit Figgins and source familiar with the team's Ichiro Suzuki in their lineup. thinking confirmed to ESPN.com Figgins has batted leadoff for the Friday. Angels in all but two games over However, the source denied a the last two seasons, and was FoxSports.com report that the second only to Derek Jeter in oncontract would be for four years base percentage (.395) among and $36 million, saying that AL leadoff hitters. But Ichiro has financial terms were still being been a fixture in the leadoff hole negotiated. in Seattle for the last nine years, There were also indications aside from 13 games in the No. 3 Friday that, while all signs point slot in 2002 and 2004. toward Figgins landing in Seattle, Jayson Stark is a senior baseball his old team, the Los Angeles writer for ESPN.com. Angels, wasn't completely out of This content has passed through the running. fivefilters.org. Seattle has aggressively pursued Figgins to replace Adrian Beltre Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:05:17 PM
Guild Wars 2 trailer introduces us to the game's races By Griffin McElroy (Joystiq)
race. Looks like all the MMORPG archetypes are covered! Fine, there's a bit more Let's see, there's the human race, lore contained within the above the nomadic warrior race, the trailer for Guild Wars 2, which mystical forest people race, the explains all the motivations and big ugly race, and the miniature backstories for each of the game's Submitted at 12/4/2009 4:00:00 PM
five races. Still, who cares about that stuff? Where's all the loot? For a comprehensive breakdown of the trailer's plot elements, and some speculation on how the story of the sequel will unfold, we suggest checking out our
sister site, Massively. This kind of thing is right in their wheelhouse. Guild Wars 2 trailer introduces us to the game's races originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please
see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
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Should We Be Worried That We Hardly Notice Conservative Facebook Hate Anymore? [Crazies] By Pareene (Gawker) Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:41:01 PM
"Republican Facebook Racism" is such old hat these days, that we barely noticed the crazy Tennessee mayor dude. And that is itself kind of a problem! Look how many fans this wonderful bigot has! Remember, please, that an actual elected official, and an adult, wrote this: "Ok, so, this is total crap, we sit the kids down to watch ‘The Charlie Brown Christmas Special' and our muslim president is there, what a load…..try to convince me that wasn't done on purpose. Ask the man if he believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and he will give you a 10 minute disertation (sic) about it….w…hen the answer should
simply be ‘yes'…." [...] In Wiseman's extensive thread that attacked the president, his supporters and Muslims, he stated "…you obama people need to move to a muslim country…oh wait, that's America….pitiful."
is a Muslim who intentionally preempted A Charlie Brown Christmas. And this man is the mayor of a town with a population of almost 10,000 people. And he has 1,600 Facebook friends. And according to more than 2,000 voters in an internet poll, this man "speaks for a lot of Americans who are frustrated with the President." (Why is that even a poll option, Memphis Commercial Appeal?) This is eliminationist rhetoric. These are 2,000 people who believe that Barack Obama is a It is the fact that we are basically threat to this nation. Plus there completely inured to actually are Sarah Palin's Facebook fans. legitimately dangerous rhetoric So, yeah, this shit is funny. But with the mainstream GOP more like this that is worrying. Like, this man believes that it is than willing to rile up the nuts if self-evident that our nation's first it means a little fundraising cash black President, who was born in and a higher media profile, lord America and who is a Christina, knows where this ends.
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Acting GM chief launches major reshuffle (Financial Times - US homepage) Submitted at 12/4/2009 10:49:57 AM
General Motors has shaken up its management team just three days after Fritz Henderson was sacked as chief executive. Ed Whitacre, GM’s chairman and acting CEO, put his stamp further on the majority US government-owned carmaker by announcing a new management line-up. Nick Reilly, head of GM’s international operations, was sent to Europe to finish the contentious restructuring of Opel and Vauxhall that has taken nearly a year, and 77-year-old industry legend Bob Lutz has moved into an advisory role. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker steps onto US soil May 25 By Randy Nelson (Joystiq)
fittingly) at US retail three days earlier on May 25. Although Kojima Productions is We found out yesterday that the at work on a localized English PSP sequel to Metal Gear Solid 3 language Peace Walker demo, will hit shelves in the UK on the Japanese demo, released May 28 -- following a March 18 during Tokyo Game Show '09 debut in japan -- and today (and later improved for release Konami in hopes of confirming a Konami has announced that on PSN Japan) is pretty easy to digital release of the game for the Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker pick up on -- and definitely worth same week the physical copies will arrive (via cardboard box, p l a y i n g . W e ' v e c o n t a c t e d Submitted at 12/4/2009 3:21:00 PM
hit shelves, and maybe -- just maybe -- we'll get la-li-lu-lelucky and score a special /
limited edition for the States. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker steps onto US soil May 25 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments
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Google CEO: Secrets Are for Filthy People [Googleplex]
US jobs data ‘most hopeful sign yet’
By Ryan Tate (Gawker)
(Financial Times - US homepage)
Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:48:44 PM
Eric Schmidt suggests you alter your scandalous behavior before you complain about his company invading your privacy. That's what the Google CEO told Maria Bartiromo during CNBC's big Google special last night, an extraordinary pronouncement for such a secretive guy. The generous explanation for Schmidt's statement is that he's revolutionized his thinking since 2005, when he blacklisted CNET for publishing info about him gleaned from Google searches, including salary, neighborhood, hobbies and political donations. In that case, the married CEO must not mind all the coverage of his various reputed girlfriends;
it's odd he doesn't clarify what's going on with the widelyrumored extramarital dalliances, though. Schmidt's philosophy is clear with Bartiromo in the clip below: "If you have something that you don't want anyone to know,
maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place." The philosophy that secrets are useful mainly to indecent people is awfully convenient for Schmidt as the CEO of a company whose value proposition revolves around info-hoarding.
Convenient, that is, as long as people are smart enough not to apply the "secrets suck" philosophy to their Google passwords , credit card numbers and various other secrets they need to put money in Google's pockets. It's enough to make one pine for the more innocent Google bursting forth in the c. 1999 group picture at the top of this post, also gleaned from CNBC's special. The hair might have been sillier — dig co-founder Sergey Brin and VP Marissa Mayers' cuts, top center — but no one was yet audacious enough to argue against the very idea of a secret.
Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:37:58 PM
The US jobless rate fell back to 10 per cent in November as the economy shed the fewest jobs since the recession started two years ago, in a striking improvement that suggests the labour market is beginning to heal. Official figures showed that employers cut 11,000 jobs last month, far below the 125,000 job losses Wall Street analysts were expecting, while the unemployment rate declined from a 26-year high of 10.2 per cent. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Professor Layton and the Devil's Flute plays successfully in Japan By JC Fletcher (Joystiq)
adventure series sold 306,000 copies in its first week at retail. The rest of the weekly [ G A M E W a t c h ] J a p a n ' s bestsellers list is almost entirely infatuation with quaint, puzzle- dominated by Wii and DS games, filled villages has yet to wane. like Tomodachi Collection, Wii The second Professor Layton Fit Plus and another debut, trilogy has started off on a Momotaro Dentetsu 2010!, the positive note, with Professor latest Wii release of Hudson's number 7 with 20,000 copies Layton and the Devil's Flute Japan-only, train-themed board sold. (The soccer sim's life-totopping the Media Create sales game series. The sole exception: date sales of 312,000 isn't that far charts. The latest in Level-5's Winning Eleven 2010, charting at Submitted at 12/4/2009 3:00:00 PM
off from Layton's first week!) Additionally, Cave's region-free Xbox 360 shmup Mushihime-
sama Futari just missed the top ten. [Via Kotaku] Professor Layton and the Devil's Flute plays successfully in Japan originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
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NBC Universal's Version of the Payday Loan Scam for Freelancers [Rip-offs]
MediaDailyNews: Sun Shines On Mindshare
By John Cook (Gawker)
(MediaPost | Media News)
Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:13:17 PM
Yesterday we told you about Time Inc.'s freelancer scam—the company will pay you quickly, but it'll cost you up to 4%. Today, another tipster has clued us in to NBC Universal's version, which is even worse. Time Inc.'s PayMeNow program offers its freelancers the option of taking a discount to be paid in a timely fashion, as opposed to waiting like a sucker for all of the money the company owes them. Our tipster told us that the company's baseline timelag for payments is roughly a month, but it offers a graduated discounted payment plan starting at 25 days
for .5% off up to 3 days for 4% off (another Time Inc. freelancer says it actually usually takes 60 or so days to get paid if you don't grease the wheels, which sounds more likely to us). But Time Inc.'s plan is positively
for a 2.5% discount. "It's just outrageous," the tipster wrote. "Since the internet pays so little for most articles in any case, it's like, do I get my $150 for an article now or when I've forgotten that I even wrote it?" Some commenters have pointed out that these discount schemes are common for invoicing in the business world. Which makes sense if you're a supplier who's willing to take a hit to get paid faster for a shipment of widgets. generous compared to NBC But it's a little bit different when U n i v e r s a l ' s . A n i V i l l a g e you're talking about people's freelancer sent us this contract, salaries. Here's the NBCU which provides two options: contract. NBCU will sit on your invoice [Photo via Flickr by Brent for 75 days and pay you what Moore.] they owe, or pay you in 15 days
Submitted at 12/4/2009 9:09:07 AM
Mindshare, one of WPP's agencies, was named media agency of record in the U. S. for The Sun Products Corp.; its brands include all and Wisk detergents. The assignment includes strategic media planning and investment responsibilities for both traditional and digital media. Creative advertising for Sun Products brands provided by Merkley + Partners and Lowe New York are not impacted by this appointment. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Joystiq Podcast 119 - Simply2Chaotic edition By Justin McElroy (Joystiq) Submitted at 12/4/2009 3:15:00 PM
Filed under: Podcasts The video game release schedule may be winding down, but we're most certainly not, with all the Saboteur, Assassin's Creed 2 and Bayonetta impressions that you crave. Oh, and there's a Blueberry Muffin Tops contest you have to get involved in. Also, we're in debt to Christopher Schons who made the above totally radical, Dragon Age-inspired artwork. You
should go to his site right now and pay him to do things. Here's a bigger version, suitable for framing. Get the podcast: [ iTunes] Subscribe to the Joystiq Podcast in iTunes [ Zune] Subscribe to the Joystiq Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace [ RSS] Add the Joystiq Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [ MP3] Download the MP3 directly Hosts: Christopher Grant (@chrisgrant), Justin McElroy
(@justinmcelroy) and Ludwig Kietzmann (@LudwigK) Music:" Gravity (Don't Let Me Go)" by Jon Black, "Red Eye" by Ben Kweller
For fans: Joystiq Podcast Facebook group The Do It Line!: 1-(877)JOYSTIQ See all of this week's links(and
what games we played) after the jump. Continue reading Joystiq Podcast 119 - Simply2Chaotic edition Joystiq Podcast 119 Simply2Chaotic edition originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
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Sports/
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2010 World Cup Draw Diary (WSJ.com: The Daily Fix) Submitted at 12/3/2009 3:46:27 PM
Associated Press The Journal provides minute-byminute analysis of the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament draw from Cape Town, South Africa. Journal staffers Matthew Futterman (in Cape Town) and Dave Kansas (in Chicago) offer commentary on the 32-team draw and the ESPN2 telecast, while other Journal reporters and editors offer insight and local color from across six continents. Feel free to email Matthew, Dave or any staffer involved with questions or comments during the draw show. 6:51 pm | Cape Town | by Matthew Futterman The runup to any World Cup is more slog than sprint. The twoyear qualifying process is an exhausting, tension-filled exercise in patience, where the alternatives are survival or misery, with the 32-team tournament seeming more like an amorphous ideal than an actuality. And then the final draw arrives, in this case today in Cape Town. In a matter of a couple hours it all becomes real. Opponents, locations and schedules emerge. All at once, the sport of it all takes center stage, the specific preparation for play within the eight groups of four in the initial round-robin phase can start. All eyes are on the national team of host South Africa, ranked 86th
in the world but afforded the courtesy of being in the pot with the seven top teams in the world. That means South Africa will face no better than the eighthbest team, as will any of the other countries in its group. Yet drawing South Africa could be fool's gold, since the host almost always advances, and any international match on the road, much less a World Cup game, is a serious challenge. France, excluded from the top pot because of its poor play recently, lurks as a sleeping giant. So long as it does not land with South Africa, its group will be a "group of death," a quadrennial tradition for the World Cup. Same goes for Portugal. Who will draw the mighty Brazilians, the European
champ Spain, or the mysterious Argentinians, led by coach Diego Maradona? Can the U.S. get a break? Say, Slovenia and Chile instead of France and Ghana? All the answers will come today, and then South Africa 2010 will become real. 9:46 am | Abuja | by Will Connors Football fans in Nigeria are hesitant to throw their weight behind the national team. The Super Eagles' performance in past World Cups provides a good metaphor for the current status of the country itself: huge potential, great expectations, lackluster results. Nigeria is Africa's most populous nation and its biggest oil producer but is still largely mired in poverty and beset by corruption. The national
team roster, from starters to bench warmers, is filled with stars who shine on Europeans clubs but consistently underwhelm during national team matches. Though it has captured the African Cup of Nations twice, the country has never even reached the quarterfinals of a World Cup. So people like taxi driver Yahaya Jalo save their enthusiasm for Premier League teams. "I will watch the Super Eagles, but I'd rather see Arsenal play," Yahaya said. Arsenal plays the game well and they win often, according to Yahaya, not like the Nigerian team. The Super Eagles are sloppy, he said, though he used slightly more colorful language. 10:18 am | Amsterdam | by
Maarten Kolsloot The Dutch are famous for showing their support, wearing everything from orange clogs to miniature windmills to display their team pride. Today, levels of enthusiasm are mediocre, at best. The draw is mostly ignored while shoppers continue their final shopping spree before the Dutch Sinterklaas holiday, celebrated Saturday. The color orange is nowhere to be found in the streets of Amsterdam. Grey skies and rain drops are plentiful, though. The draw is even ignored by the biggest fan club of the Dutch national team, called "supportersclub Oranje," or 2010 page 55
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Orange Fan Club, which has over 60,000 members. Theo Pouw, a spokesperson for the fan club, explained why his club won't keep a close eye on the draw: "There are no goals scored, so we don't watch it. When the action starts next summer, we will be there." 11:44 am | Berlin | by Marcus Walker In Berlin's grungy FC Magnet sports bar, where cool cats who like FuÃball hang out, Andreas the barman is confident Germany will get a lucky draw and stumble through to the final game despite playing terrible soccer. As always. "We will draw easy opponents: North Korea, Algeria and Greece,' he says. "And you will go out on penalties, as always," Andreas tells your English correspondent. 11:44 am | London | by Jonathan Clegg The English public has endured a rocky relationship with the national team in recent years, as a group of players hailed as a âgolden generationâ consistently failed to replicate their performances at club level on the international stage. Fans famously turned on the team during Englandâs ill-fated Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, but a near flawless march to South Africa has inspired a healing process between the Three Lions and their followers. Now optimism is back in fashion. In London, pubs are beinning to fill as the working week winds down and the
general consensus is that England should fear no one. âIf everyoneâs fit â particularly Rooney â we can get to the final,â says Luke Smith, a member of the England Football Associationâs supporters club. His faith in the current squad stems from the man at the top. Fabio Capelloâs gruff demeanor and reputation as a disciplinarian have endeared him to England supporters, who believe previous managers indulged the squadâs leading players. âIf you look at the current squad, itâs basically the same as it has been for the last few years â Capelloâs the only variable,â says Mr. Smith. Improved discipline could be key. England was eliminated from both the 1998 and 2006 tournaments after David Beckham and Wayne Rooney received red cards in decisive matches. 11:50 am | Cape Town | by Matthew Futterman Inside the draw hall at the Cape Town International Convention Center, this feels like part Oscars, part American Idol, part March Madness. Maybe the NCAA selection committee will take a cue from this, go to a ping-pong style drawing and avoid much of the criticism it gets. Would that be such a bad thing? 11:52 am | Abuja | by Will Connors While average Nigerians remain largely uninterested in their national team's place in the draw
(a popular string of sports bars in the capital is currently empty just minutes before it starts), the Nigerian press has been more engaged. Over-engaged, even. Though Nigeria barely qualified for the World Cup, the hosts of a local sports talk show were wondering this morning how the Super Eagles would fare in the semifinals. 12:04 pm | Sydney | by Enda Curran It's 4 a.m. here and the blearyeyed revelers are gathering at big screens here at Star City Casino to watch the draw. Fans want to avoid the so-called Group of Death, but a draw against old enemy England or Greece would prove very popular for the Socceroos. A poll here this week found 40% favor drawing England! 12:05 pm | Cape Town | by Matthew Futterman When did every sporting event, even the schedule setting of a sporting event, ultimately turn into an off-shoot of the Olympic opening ceremonies, with native dancers from the home country? 12:08 pm | Cape Town | by Matthew Futterman Nothing silences a room like words from Mandela, even when he is stating the obvious: "Soccer has a deep meaning for the African people." 12:12 pm | Cape Town | by Matthew Futterman Last time FIFA President Sepp Blatter and South African President Jacob Zuma were together in a setting like this,
Zuma juggled a soccer ball on the floor of Parliament. Zuma used to play in his younger days. It's noteworthy that in his first comments he says essentially, we are on time. This is Africa trying to prove itself to the world. 12:12 pm | New York | by Darren Everson Landon Donovan, the U.S. star, is watching the draw at the ESPN Zone restaurant in Times Square, which is pretty empty -- except for the score of reporters and photographers surrounding him. Mr. Donovan just gave a sketch of what he'd consider a good group. "A good group would be avoiding the Brazils, the Spains, even a team like Argentina that's been struggling," he says. "France is always tricky. Portugal too." Is there anyone left? 12:14 pm | Cape Town | by Matthew Futterman That World Cup trophy is smaller than almost every other trophy in the world -- think of the Stanley Cup, after all. Ironically, it means so much more. 12:21 pm | London | by Jonathan Clegg What World Cup? In O'Neill's Irish pub on the edge of London's Covent Garden market, the six TV screens are showing highlights from today's cricket match between India and Sri Lanka. The World Cup draw will not be shown. "I hope France get hammered," says Phil Dodd. Plenty of bitter on tap at the Irish pub. 12:24 pm | Cape Town | by
Matthew Futterman The only country to get applause as the roster of teams is read is Brazil -- as if they need it. They're the only team to have qualified for all the tournaments. But do we really need this history lesson? Can't we just get to the teams and the matchups? 12:24 pm | New York | by Darren Everson A French reporter just frightened Landon Donovan. He asked how he felt about playing France. "We got France?" Mr. Donovan said. He calmed down when he realized it was just a hypothetical. "Sure, we'd love to play France," he said. "Actually, we've never played them in our history." 12:30 pm | Abuja | by Will Connors So far the only Nigerians that are vocally supporting the Super Eagles are, not surprisingly, officials from the Nigerian Football Federation. A mid-level official from the NFF said that Nigerians are eager to back their team; they just need them to start playing better. "We're waiting and hoping," the official said. "By the grace of God we'll have a good draw." 12:34 pm | Cape Town | by Matthew Futterman Ah, Charlize has arrived, which means that the ping pong ball will soon emerge, thankfully. This is dragging. 12:36 pm | New York | by 2010 page 56
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Darren Everson The scuttlebutt around the room is that -- contrary to what Donovan said about wanting to avoid teams like Spain -- the U.S. is better off playing high-skill teams of that sort. In such situations, the U.S. sits back and waits to counter, as it effectively did at the Confederations Cup. Where it's gotten into trouble is when it's supposedly the better team. Mr. Donovan agrees with that logic. "When we've had to dictate the pace, we've struggled," he says. 12:42 pm | Amsterdam | by Maarten Kolsloot The atmosphere is tense at Tara's pub in downtown Amsterdam. To put it more precisely: Most of the people are eating dinner, completely ignoring the large TV sets displaying British World Cup veteran and BBC commentator Gary Lineker saying -- well, uh, exactly nothing at all. 12:44 pm | Buenos Aires | by Shane Romig "The two teams with the best chances in the World Cup are Argentina and France," says Thierry Bousquet. He should know, being a Franco-Argentine living here. "They're favorites, and they have two clear advantages: as well as scoring with their feet, they also know how to score great goals with their hands!" 12:45 pm | Chicago | by Dave Kansas Crowds gathering in Chicago to
see the draw. Great deal of consternation at the long windup. "Even the NCAA's move quicker than this." Also, it seems odd that we are getting very little of the FIFA program on ESPN. I think Charlize Theron is preferred to Alexi Lalas. 12:48 pm | Amsterdam | by Maarten Kolsloot Eddy (Dutch) and Gary (British) are not to be bothered. Their eyes fixed on the TV set high up the wooden panelled walls, they are the only ones engaged in predraw analysis. Teams to watch (and avoid) according to these middle-aged men? Ghana, Ivory Coast, France, and -- of course -the Dutch's nemesis during the 2006 World Cup, Portugal. 12:50 pm | Cape Town | by Matthew Futterman The underlying theme, the reason this is basically a long commercial for South Africa here is that FIFA and the South African organizing committee need more people to start buying tickets. The problem is that a lot of South Africans don't have the extra money to spend on the tickets that aren't being set aside at reduced prices. It's not a major problem yet, but will be if sales don't improve after the draw. 12:50 pm | Buenos Aires | by Matthew Cowley After a rocky few months for the Argentine national team, supporters are hoping to get a lucky break from today's draw. The national team scraped into
the World Cup after a poor performance in qualification, culminating in widespread criticism of coach Maradona, his tactics and team selection. The superstar himself isn't at the draw because he's banned from all football-related events for two months for an insult-laden tirade against the press after that final qualifying match, and is watching in Buenos Aires. Despite fielding strong teams in the last two World Cup finals, the team has underperformed, so expectations at this point are pretty low. "The team is not nearly as good as the world's top teams and Maradona is pathetic," says Gustavo Tinetti, 55, an artist in Buenos Aires. 12:51 pm | Chicago | by Dave Kansas Ooh, just a tease of Charlize there. And then back to Lalas. Oh well. While waiting, much pondering about the so-called Group of Death. Most see it as a top seed like Brazil or Spain combined with France or Portugal, Ivory Coast and the U.S. For me, the U.S. is probably not hugely feared. So, my Group of Death would be: Spain, Portugal, Ivory Coast and Australia. We shall see soon enough. I hope. Also ... at least the NCAA selection show doesn't have a song-and-dance portion. Oof. (I can only hope they're not watching.) 12:56 pm | Buenos Aires | by Matthew Cowley Eldardo, on Twitter, nails the
drawn-out presentation along with Maradona's team selection. "The opening video was a tortoise which is faster than (Gabriel) Heinze," Eldardo says, of the Argentine defender who plays for Marseille. "Gabi Milito is the right number six for the World Cup, get with it Diego!" Eldardo fears the US, Nigeria and Portugal, and would like a group with New Zealand, Algeria and Greece. 12:59 pm | Cape Town | by Matthew Futterman Australia represents part of the Asian confederation, rather than Oceania, because the Australians didn't feel like they would improve as a soccer nation if they only played against the small countries of Oceania. 1:01 pm | Santiago | by Carolina Pica As Chileans are gearing up for a four-day holiday weekend, many are sneaking out of the office to take a late lunch in front of a TV set. Chileans hoping the team will end up in the same group as South Africa, avoiding some of the top seeded European teams. âIt really doesnât matter, Chile has to show the world what itâs made of,â said one fan at a local eatery. 1:01 pm | Chicago | by Dave Kansas Okay, here we go....explanation of the 'pots' and the seeding. A reference to the top seeds, and an explanation about the eight groups will form up. 1:03 pm | Amsterdam | by
Maarten Kolsloot British Gary does have some encouraging news; he'll support the Dutch, once England is eliminated. That will be rather sooner than later. Let's get Gary some orange clogs. 1:03 pm | Amsterdam | by Maarten Kolsloot Desperate for some money? Brazil and Spain are the frontrunners, according to most betting sites - compared at the Web site Oddsmaker.com. The odds for these super powers to take it all, according to most brokers? 9-2. The author's pick? Nigeria, with odds ranging between 80-1 and 100-1. 1:04 pm | Cape Town | by Matthew Futterman That was not "Boo" for Matthew Booth. That was "BOOOTH," sort of like Yankee fans old cheer for Lou Piniella. Is this humiliating for Beckham to be a figurehead? 1:06 pm | Chicago | by Dave Kansas Oh, we've got celebs. Mandela has spoken. Now we have a Rugby Captain from SA and Ethiopian running great Haile Gebreselassie. And now some singer, I think, a male and female SA soccer player. And, of course, David Beckham. All the pretty faces are now in place, each overseeing a group. 1:07 pm | New York | by Darren Everson No change in Donovan's expression when David Beckham 2010 page 57
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appeared on-screen ... although he's getting bored with the drawn -out draw. "Let's go!" he said. 1:08 pm | Buenos Aires | by Matthew Cowley "The World Cup starts today," says Argentina Team Manager Carlos Bilardo on TV from the event in South Africa. "Seeing the faces of the trainers from the other countries, you can tell whether a team is ready to go far, to fight for the title, or ready to exit in the first round." 1:08 pm | Chicago | by Dave Kansas So, top seeds are in order (A-H): South Africa, Argentina, England, Germany, Holland, Italy, Brazil, Spain. Get your brackets ready. 1:09 pm | Cape Town | by Matthew Futterman Opening game against South Africa goes to Mexico. Brilliant luck on paper for the Mexicans, who were in such trouble over the summer. Almost looked like they wouldn't make it. 1:10 pm | Buenos Aires | by Shane Romig "Just hope that Argentina avoids France," says Mauro Puente, an online marketing executive. "Would like to see Argentina meet Portugal. That would be a great game with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo." 1:11 pm | Chicago | by Dave Kansas USA draws into England's group. Good for USA, since England may be the weakest of the seeded teams (other than
South Africa). Mexico has been drawn into SA's group. 1:11 pm | Cape Town | by Matthew Futterman A great first match for the U.S. against England. That's a matchup that ESPN will have to love. Potentially Beckham, if he makes the team, against the U.S. and Landon Donovan. England is as strong as anyone. That's not great luck for the U.S. 1:13 pm | Amsterdam | by Maarten Kolsloot Beckham playing most of his MLS teammates. Interesting draw. Dutch coming up. Tense. 1:14 pm | Chicago | by Dave Kansas Also, South Korea has joined Argentina's group, Australia is in Germany's group and Japan has drawn into The Netherlands group. 1:14 pm | Cape Town | by Matthew Futterman This second pot with the U.S. is probably the weakest group of teams. On paper many of these look like mismatches, such as Brazil-North Korea, or Italy-New Zealand. 1:15 pm | Sydney | by Elisabeth Behrmann Australia is drawn to play Germany in Group D. Aussie Socceroo fan, at the top of his voice: "Oh no, they're so damn efficient!" 1:16 pm | Chicago | by Dave Kansas After two rounds: A: South Africa Mexico
B: Argentina South Korea C: England USA D: Germany Australia E: Netherlands Japan F: Italy New Zealand G: Brazil N Korea H: Spain Honduras 1:16 pm | New York | by Darren Everson Speaking of David Beckham! Donovan laughs and slaps his knee as it's announced that the U.S. is not only in England's group, but will play England and Beckham -- Donovan's MLS teammate, whom he not always has had a great relationship with - in the first game. "It never ends, does it?" a bystander said to Donovan, who laughed again. 1:17 pm | Amsterdam | by Maarten Kolsloot Japan it is. Not much history against these guys. Shinji Ono used to be a star player with Feyenoord Rotterdam. Unknown team. 1:18 pm | Cape Town | by Matthew Futterman G is suddenly looking like an
extremely difficult group with Brazil and the Ivory Coast, which features Didier Drogba and is very dangerous. The U.S. gets a break by drawing Algeria into its group with England. That's a winnable game. 1:18 pm | Buenos Aires | by Shane Romig Despite the baggage which has accompanied the South Koreans since allegations of favoritism in the 2002 World Cup, Argentines are thrilled at being drawn against them and avoiding the U.S. and Mexico. Or maybe not. "It should be easy with South Korea, but the team is playing so bad that we have to be scared of everyone," says Brian Reed, 24, a search engine marketing manager. Mauro Puente's not worried about drawing Nigeria. "We always beat them in the World Cup." 1:19 pm | London | by Jonathan Clegg In London's Freemason's Arms pub, where England's Football Association was first established in 1863, fans are apprehensive about a meeting with the U.S. "It's not ideal. The U.S. are pretty strong and you can never really trust England in those games," says Ben Tobias. Algeria is a less intimidating opponent. "That's good. We'll thrash them but they'll be well up for playing America," he says. 1:20 pm | Sydney | by Enda Curran Oh no! Socceroos fans reax to drawing Ghana: "We may as well not go!" say distraught fans in
Sydney! 1:20 pm | Cape Town | by Matthew Futterman Group A is looking very weak. Uruguay was the last team to qualify and is the weakest team from South America, and South Africa is the weakest in the tournament. How lucky is Mexico? 1:21 pm | Amsterdam | by Maarten Kolsloot Ghana might get itself a spot in round 2: good draw for them, even with a fourth strong country. 1:21 pm | Santiago | by Anthony Esposito Chileans fan are clapping, standing on their chairs at a restaurant waiting for the draw. As Ivory Coast is announced, fans are yelling at the television screen. Worry takes over their faces as Algeria called. Even more disappointment as Uruguayâs name is called. Yelling and nervous gigles growing. Booing as Cameronâs name is called. More catcalls as Paraguay named. FINALLY Chileâs name is pulled out. 1:22 pm | New York | by Darren Everson Donovan says he's happy with the draw -- and the coming media onslaught about facing Beckham. "I'm excited," he says. "Hopefully we'll both be there. It's a while from now. We talked about seeing each other there, but not about the possibility of facing 2010 page 58
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each other. It'll be fun. "This is, like, the most exciting thing I've seen on TV in years," he says. 1:22 pm | Chicago | by Dave Kansas Third round adds: A Uruguay B Nigeria C Algeria (USA group) D Ghana E Cameroon F Paraguay G Ivory Coast H Chile Defending champs Italy (group f) looking good. Group g looking tough with Brazil and Ivory Coast. 1:22 pm | Cape Town | by Matthew Futterman Just what Group A needed -France. That balances things out, assuming France rights its ship. 1:23 pm | Chicago | by Dave Kansas Pot 4: the Euro group opens with France playing in South Africa's group. Good for France. Like being seeded, given South Africa's ranking. Greece into group B. 1:23 pm | Amsterdam | by Maarten Kolsloot Disbelief in Amsterdam. Cameroon. Considered to be strong after many years of
apparent weakness. Eto'o their star player. Spain walks over. European champs can speak Spanish to their counterparts from Chile and Honduras; football-wise however, these countries don't understand their Spanish brothers at all. 1:24 pm | Santiago | by Carolina Pica âSo far, so good,â says a fan about the group with Spain and Honduras, âbut we have to wait and see if we get Portugal because thatâs going to be difficult.â 1:24 pm | Berlin | by Marcus Walker "The Germans got really lucky, as always," says Berlin taxi driver Metin, after Germany draws Australia, Uruguay and Ghana. Metin's not really interested in the World Cup this time though, because his and much of Berlin's team -- Turkey - didn't qualify. "It's gonna be boring without Turkey," he says. "On the other hand, the streets here in Berlin will be calmer." 1:24 pm | Chicago | by Dave Kansas Break for the U.S. as they draw Slovenia. Still Slovenia, beat Russia to get in. No slouches. In Group D Serbia joins Germany. 1:25 pm | Madrid | by Carlos Perea Despite Spainâs success in the UEFA Championship in 2008, some fans are pessimistic for the South Africa World Cup. âI think we wonât win (the World Cup).
Last yearâs victory was luck. Spain always cracks under pressure. We are Don Quixotes after all,â said Gregorio Tejedor, a Madrid taxi driver that listened to a radio broadcast of the draw. 1:26 pm | Amsterdam | by Maarten Kolsloot Japan facts: participated in the 1936 Olympic Games in Hitler Germany. Their J-league used to be the last resort for European players on their way out. Hosted 2002 World Cup. However, there co-hosts, the South Koreans, took center stage with a strong performance. 1:26 pm | Cape Town | by Matthew Futterman This is about as good as the US could have hoped for. Slovenia is playing in its first World Cup. Algeria barely qualified in a final game against Egypt. And a game on neutral ground against England. They'll take it. There's a viable route to the second round for Team USA. 1:27 pm | Chicago | by Dave Kansas Denmark joins Group E, neighbors practically to group leader The Netherlands. Slovakia into Group F. Italy does not have a scary group. Group G gets Portugal. Brazil, Ivory Coast - this looks like the group of death this year at first blush. Group H adds Switzerland. Spain looks good there. 1:27 pm | Cape Town | by Matthew Futterman Group G officially becomes the Group of Death, with Brazil and
Portugal and the Ivory Coast vying for two spots. Thatâs a brutal test for any of those teams. 1:28 pm | Amsterdam | by Maarten Kolsloot Danish, a tough team. Nicklas Bendtner is their main striker from Arsenal, North London. Poor North Korea. Draw the toughest group. Brazil, Ivory Coast and Portugal will face a very tough battle. 1:28 pm | Chicago | by Dave Kansas A South Africa Mexico Uruguay France B Argentina South Korea Nigeria Greece C England USA Algeria Slovenia D Germany Ghana Australia Serbia 1:29 pm | New York | by Darren Everson Donovan nods and smiles as Algeria and Slovenia are placed in the U.S.'s group. He is trying to be diplomatic. But there's no question that he's relieved, and that the U.S. got a good draw. "It appears that way," he says. "I don't know much about Algeria or Slovenia. England obviously is
the marquee game. "No matter what happens, though, you've still got to play the games. It doesn't matter if you don't perform." 1:29 pm | Chicago | by Dave Kansas E The Netherlands Japan Cameroon Denmark F Italy New Zealand Paraguay Slovakia G Brazil Ivory Coast North Korea Portugal H Spain Honduras Chile Switzerland 1:30 pm | Santiago | by Anthony Esposito Chileans fans wildly clapping Switzerland. Fans begin shuffling out of a sports bar heading back to work predict that Chile could be second in its group, beating the Swiss and Honduras to move on the next round. 1:31 pm | Amsterdam | by Maarten Kolsloot Results for the Dutch, not too bad. Denmark, Japan and Cameroon are resilient and that may well be it. Strikers of Cameroon and Denmark will be 2010 page 59
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dangerous for the Dutch defense, plagued by weakness over the last couple of years. Japan, well, what do we need to say? 1:32 pm | Sydney | by Elisabeth Behrmann Socceroo fan commenting on the draw: "Playing against Germany is not good news. We have too much trouble scoring." 1:33 pm | Buenos Aires | by Matthew Cowley Uruguay's hopes soared after it was drawn with South Africa, the weakest of the seeded teams. But immediately brought down to earth by the addition of Mexico and France -- making an early bid for the "Group of Death" title. "The panorama has changed," says the Observa sports web site. "Now the sky blues (Uruguay) will have to win two hard matches. France and Mexico are the two toughest rivals." Uruguay's first match will be against France on June 11; in 2002, the two teams also met in the first round and drew 0-0. 1:34 pm | Amsterdam | by Maarten Kolsloot Cameroon holds record for the African continent: playing in 6th FIFA World Cup. 1:35 pm | Sydney | by Elisabeth Behrmann Nick from Sydney: "Ghana is one of the better teams in Africa, while Germany is a European powerhouse. And Serbia is a very good European side so it's going to be tough to get out of the group." 1:37 pm | Sao Paulo | by Rogerio Jelmayer
Brazilian fans see their group as one of the most difficult. âItâs a tough group, considering that the Ivory Coast has good players such as Drogba, one of the best currently in the field. Portugal has Cristiano Ronaldo, a superstar,â said Fernando Antunes, a 27-year-old Brazilian fan, after watching the World Cup draw in a coffee shop in Sao Paulo. 1:38 pm | Madrid | by Carlos Lopez Perea âIt looks good. We canât complain about the drawâs results. The most complex part will be the next round," says David Villa, Spainâs national team striker in an interview on Spanish TV channel Cuatro. 1:38 pm | New York | by Darren Everson Now here's a shocker: People here actually are interested in the draw. "It's a good draw," said one patron at the ESPN Zone about the U.S.'s group. "They'll advance. They'll lose to England, but they'll do enough in the next two to get through." 1:39 pm | Chicago | by Dave Kansas So, weâve got our groups and a chance to catch our breath. First, a refresher on the tourney basics. All the teams in each group face one another and the top two teams from each group advance to the round of 16. At that point, itâs a knock-out tournament. So, letâs look at the USA Group. Drawing England will make for
huge viewership and some in England feared the U.S., but the U.S. will have its hands full with England. The rest of the group, Algeria and Slovenia, looks workable. The USA has a decent chance of advancing â- they dodged some huge obstacles (France, Portugal) and drew a weakish seed. I bet the USA camp will be in decent spirits. 1:43 pm | Amsterdam | by Anna Marij van der Meulen Dutch assistant coach Frank de Boer, a former national-team player, said: "Japan is definitely not in the pocket yet, but it is a fact that they have a hard time hitting the goal." Cameroon has a lot of physically strong players who are very passionate players. he added. "I assume we will get through this round," he said. 1:44 pm | Madrid | by Carlos Lopez Perea Today Spain leads the FIFA World Ranking ahead of Brazil and the Netherlands. After years of sub-par showings in the World Cup championship, Spanish fans are convinced that their national team is one of the favorites and can compete with the worldâs best. âWeâll make it to the semifinals. Spain has the best playing style. The only ones that could beat us are the Brazilians, the Germans, the Argentines or maybe an African teamâ, says Paco Redondo, a security guard in Madrid. 1:45 pm | Buenos Aires | by Matthew Cowley "Well, we've got six months to
suffer!!!," says Uruguay fan Xgonpich on the Futbol.com.uy web site. The team just drew France and Mexico, as well as hosts South Africa, which could be one of the toughest groups. "Never mind, up the sky blues!! We'll beat France with a goal from handball..." 1:45 pm 1:45 pm | Abuja | by Will Connors Africa's best chance at advancing deep into the tournament, according to most analysts, is Ivory Coast. That task just became much more daunting; the Elephants have been drawn into the Group of Death. 1:46 pm | Chicago | by Dave Kansas Every World Cup draw has two things: A declaration of the Group of Death and a round of conspiracy thinking. In terms of the Group of Death, it appears to be Group G. Brazil and Portugal are very strong, but many believe Ivory Coast is a threat for the first African World Cup title. Toss in a solid and unpredictable North Korea team and this is a VERY tough group. Other contenders for the title include E, with The Netherlands, Denmark, Cameroon and Japan. None of these four is weak, though none of these four is as strong as Brazil. England's writers will hyperventilate about Group C -- their group -- but itâs not that remarkable. Conspiracies are tougher to suss out, though the South Africa (host) group looks particularly
weak. France seems to have gotten a shadow seed, Uruguay sneaked into the tournament and Mexico has funked itâs way to the tournament once again. Given the outcry over Thierry Henryâs handball, France has gotten into a pretty decent position. 1:46 pm | Buenos Aires | by Shane Romig Argentines are celebrating a relatively easy draw and are relieved to have avoided France or another top team during the first round. They will face South Korea, Nigeria and Greece. Search engine marketing manager, Brian Reed, has changed his tune. Before the draw he said Argentina is playing so poorly that they have to be scared of everyone. Now he says: "Argentina is already in the Finals!" Online campaign manager Julian Vazquez is more guarded. "The group is acceptable." 1:49 pm | Santiago | by Carolina Pica Pablo Contreras, who plays defense at University of Chile and the national team, told local Radio Cooperativa that heâs happy with the group. âWeâve played with Spain before, but they are one of the favorites to win this Cup.â He adds that all these rivals are tough and merit respect âbut Chileâs come a long way.â 1:50 pm | Sao Paulo | by Rogerio Jelmayer Former Brazilian national team 2010 page 60
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player Walter Casagrande said he considers the Ivory Coast as Brazilâs biggest first-round challenge. âFor me, the Ivory Coast has the best players of any team Brazil plays in the first round,â Casagrande said during a discussion on Brazilâs Globo TV network. 1:52 pm | Chicago | by Dave Kansas Some people are saying South Africa is in a Group of Death. Thatâs probably true from their perspective. But given their ranking of 86, any draw wouldâve looked deathly to them. Germanyâs draw of Ghana, Serbia and Australia in Group D is also drawing attention. Serbia is a darkhorse, very talented. Ghana played well at the last World Cup and Australia has steadily become more competitive. If thereâs such a thing as a Group of Near Death, this might be it. Among the easier groups, the Italians must be smiling. The defending champions face New Zealand, Paraguay and Slovakia. They should cruise into the knock-out stages and itâs a mug's game for the second spot here, though most will favor Slovakia. Spain also isnât wincing. Honduras, Chile and Switzerland all have spotty World Cup track records and none of them is considered a real threat to advance very far. Argentina also isnât in a bad spot, even if Diego Maradona, their coach, is well disliked by FIFA. They face South Korea,
Nigeria and Greece. 1:52 pm | New York | by Carl Bialik Like they did in 2002, when they advanced to the quarterfinals, the Americans have a favorable World Cup draw. However, it was only the second-easiest group. The U.S., ranked No. 14 in the world by FIFA, landed in a group with No. 9 England, No. 28 Algeria and No. 33 Slovenia. Algeria is the second-weakest team to rank third in a group. The weakest group is Italy's, in which no country beside the defending champs rank higher than Algeria. The strongest? Probably Group G, with Brazil, Portugal and the Ivory Coast. However, that powerful trio should all coast against No. 84 North Korea. Spain won't have any easy matches in a group with No. 17 Chile, No. 18 Switzerland and No. 38 Honduras. Nate Silver's rankings for ESPN mostly agrees on the toughest and easiest group. The biggest deviation is in Group C, where Silver's ratings show Greece and Nigeria overrated and give Argentina by far the easiest ride to the second round. 1:53 pm | New York | by Darren Everson One potential downside to the U.S.'s otherwise encouraging draw: the fact that the opener (against England) is a toughie. The U.S.'s fate in recent World Cup appearances has been dictated by its play in the opener. In 2006, after the U.S. opened with a disastrous 3-0 loss to the
Czech Republic, it didn't advance -- even though it could've by beating Ghana in its group finale. In 2002, the U.S.'s stunning upset over Portugal in the opener was the key to their advancing, as the Americans ultimately needed only one more point to do so. "There's a mental barrier if you lose that first game," Donovan says. "The first game means something to everybody, but teams can play you differently in the next two games depending on their situation, just to get a point. Getting off to a good start is crucial." 1:54 pm | Sydney | by Elisabeth Behrmann Craig Foster, a former Socceroo, says: "Ghana are strong. We prefer teams who play more direct but not teams that play good, technical combination football." Pim Verbeek, Socceroo coach: "It could be have been better, could have been worse...We have time now to prepare ourselves." 1:54 pm | New York | by Darren Everson All of that said, Algeria is ranked 28th in the world and Slovenia is 33rd. For the U.S., this is a good day. 1:55 pm | Chicago | by Dave Kansas Predictions: So, who will emerge from Group play: Hereâs my guess: A: France and Mexico. B: Argentina and Nigeria. C: England and Slovenia. D: Germany and Serbia.
E: The Netherlands and Cameroon. F: Italy and Paraguay. G: Brazil and Ivory Coast. H: Spain and Switzerland. I like Spain to win it all. 1:57 pm | Santiago | by Anthony Esposito Looking at how the groups played out, âChile caught a break,â a fan on a busy Santiago street said. Some other fans felt that since Chile is playing Spain third, thereâs a good chance the European team, the toughest in the group, will use reserve players for the game, giving the Chileans a better chance against one of the tournamentâs favorites. 1:59 pm | Rome | by Liam Moloney Stefano Tamburrini was doing Christmas shopping near the Spanish Steps when he offered this opinion of Italy's draw: "We couldn't have had it better. The teams are easy to beat, especially New Zealand. Paraguay might be a bit harder, as it finished well among Latin American soccer teams -- but again that was mainly due to others teams, such as the Argentine one, playing awful. I expect Italy to come on top of the group. I can say I am happy that we are playing soccer against New Zealand and not rugby." 2:03 pm | Wellington | by Simon Louisson New Zealander Adam Bennett hardly sounded cocky sitting in the Shed 5 restaurant before the
draw. "New Zealand has never been so popular," he said. "Every one wants to be with in with us," he said of the lowly No. 77-ranked team. But one caller on the talk radio program "Radio Sport" sounded happier after the fact: "New Zealand has one of the best draws it could possibly have,'" said Peter, adding that Group F, with Italy Paraguay and Slovakia were all structured and physical teams. "New Zealand has always had a problem against teams that have pace and speed and are very flexible attacking-wise. But all of those teams, particularly Italy and Slovakia, mean that we have a really good chance of getting tight, and playing that physical game and having a shot at these guys, whereas if we were playing Brazil, or the the Netherlands or Spain we would have found it much, much tougher." 2:03 pm | Sao Paulo | by Rogerio Jelmayer In an interview with Brazilâs TV Globo network, national team coach Dunga said: âBrazil respects all rivals and we are prepared to face all of them. Portugal is always a major rival. Ivory Coast could be tough because it has Drogba, a big star.â 2:04 pm | Buenos Aires | by Matthew Cowley âItâs not the Group of Death but it isnât an easy group,â says Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez on 2010 page 61
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TV. The South American team has been drawn with France and Mexico, and all three struggled to secure their spot in the World Cup. Even South Africa, the weakest of the seeded teams, has the advantage of being the home team, Tabarez says. âWe didnât get much luck, but well, weâve got to deal with it," he says. Uruguay has at least played against all three teams in the past, so there aren't any unknowns. The team traveled to France in November 2008, and drew 0-0. 2:06 pm | London | by Jonathan Clegg Darkness has descended in London, but everyone agrees that the outlook is bright for England. "Pretty much the perfect draw," says Neil Wilson. Fabio Capello's side will be expected to brush aside Algeria and Slovenia, leaving the opening game against the U.S. as the key matchup. "It helps that we're playing them in the first game," Mr. Wilson adds. "England will know that if they win that, they should go through as group winners. So we won't overlook them and if England are 100% focused, they'll win easily." Should England advance as group winners, a last-16 match against Australia, Serbia or Ghana beckons, before a possible quarter-final against France. "We should reach the semis at least," says Tom Fletcher. As usual, England expects... 2:10 pm | Buenos Aires | by Shane Romig
English fund manager Piers Neal gloats over his countryâs draw against Slovenia, Algeria and the U.S. âWeâre looking forward to sticking it to the Yanks! The Argentines have the easiest group, but they could easily screw it up under Maradonaâs leadership â- I hope,â he says. The rivalry between Argentina and Britain runs deep; the English will never be able to forget Diego Maradonaâs handball that sent them packing from the 1986 World Cup, but Argentines are smarting from the Michael Owen's (valid) goal in Sapporo in 2002 which knocked them out in the first round. 2:11 pm | Santiago | by Carolina Pica Harold Mayne-Nicholls, the president of Chileâs National Soccer Association, said one of the assistant coaches to Marcelo Bielsa commented the group composed of Spain, Honduras, Chile and Switzerland was neither easy nor difficult. âWeâve played against all of them and lost against all, so weâll have to review those defeats to see if we can draw any conclusions before the cup,â Mayne-Nicholls said. He told TVN state-run television that President Michelle Bachelet called him after the groups were chosen to wish the team luck. 2:12 pm | Paris | by Sebastian Moffett France was drawn in possibly the easiest group of the tournament â with host South Africa, along with Uruguay and
Mexico. A couple weeks ago, they scraped through their final qualifying match â a two-leg match against Ireland. In the second leg in Paris, France looked ready for the taking, and an increasingly desperate Thierry Henry ended up handling the ball to assist a goal. This foul was clearly visible on TV replays, but missed by the referee. âFrance were lucky in the qualifying games, and theyâve been luckier again,â former coach Guy Roux told French TV. 2:15 pm | Mexico City | by David Luhnow Mexicans at outdoor cafes watched the draw live on TV. Some let out cheers when the country drew host South Africa. âTheyâll be tough at home, but playing in the opening game is fun. This is why we watch soccer. I canât wait,â said Manuel Zamora, a 27-year-old accountant. The enthusiasm started to die down after a few minutes, however, when Mexico drew proceeded to draw France and Uruguay, both traditional football powers with World Cup trophies under their belts. âI am starting to realize this is a tough group,â said Leticia Navarro, a 45-year-old secretary. 2:16 pm | London | by Jonathan Clegg There's sympathy for Ivory Coast in London, perhaps due to the Chelsea connections of Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou. Arguably Africa's strongest side in each of
the past two World Cups, it faces Brazil and Portugal four years after drawing Argentina and the Netherlands. 2:17 pm | London | by Javier Espinoza Can Africa win the World Cup? Africans in the U.K. certainly hope so. Long-standing communities of Cameroonians and Ghanaians (from Newcastle to London) were not entirely happy with their groups but they still remain hopeful of a World Cup final between an African country and the likes of Brazil or Spain. "This is the strongest Africanteam assembly at a World Cup. I can definitely see some African nations reaching at least the semifinal," said Dennis Tawiah, from Ghana and who has been living in the U.K. for the past 25 years. Things won't be easy for African nations though. Ghana is playing against Australia. Both nations have played three friendly matches in the run-up to the World Cup and Ghana hasnât managed to win any of them. Cameroon doesn't have things easier either. It will have to play against Denmark and Holland -both very strong teams -- and Japan (which has been playing an increasingly refined football). Africans can only dream. "I'm not too sure we can win, but we never know. Football is changing every single time. If a country like Ivory Coast manages to reach the second round, then the chances are high for an African
final," said Cameroonian Albert Dipita from his home in Newcastle. 2:17 pm | Mexico City | by David Luhnow Mexican players' initial reaction on television here: Andres Guardado says, âSouth Africa will play tough. Anytime you draw the host, they are going to play better at home than they might otherwise play.â Giovani Dos Santos adds, âOn paper, South Africa is the easiest top seed to draw. But since they are playing at home, they are going to be super motivated. And that counts for a lot.â 2:20 pm | Wellington | by Simon Louisson New Zealand's All Whites coach Ricki Herbert, who was prevented from traveling to South Africa for the draw by his club the Wellington Phoenix, which played on Friday night, told Radio Sport he was satisfied with the draw. "We're pleased. You always go into it a little bit tentative about who you might get. Italy's obviously a huge one, but great to get, but the other we've got to back ourselves." 2:20 pm | Paris | by Sebasitan Moffett Despite relief at Franceâs easy draw, former French international player Jean-Pierre Papin, said âItâs going to be tough against the host team â- theyâll be full of fight.â Guy Roux warned that France needed to make a â40% 2010 page 63
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College Football’s Two Best Teams Meet a Month Early (WSJ.com: The Daily Fix)
opportunity for Florida quarterback Tim Tebow to secure a spot among the greatest and Part of what fans love so much most influential college athletes about college football is how of all time. In the Orlando much all the games matter — to Sentinel, Jeremy Fowler breaks fans and alumni and everyone down the much-anticipated else with a stake in the myriad match-up between Alabama rivalries that define college receiver Julio Jones and Florida sports. But with all due respect to cornerback Joe Haden, two the quaintly named rivalry game players regarded as the best in the of your choice — The Walnut n a t i o n a t t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e Bucket or Ye Olde Rusty Cup or p o s i t i o n s . whatever floats your pigskin boat Of course, the consensus has — some college-football games long been that Florida and m a t t e r m o r e t h a n o t h e r s . Alabama are two of the best three Saturday’s hugely hyped SEC teams in the country (undefeated championship game, which pits Texas, the other one, has a much No. 1 Florida against second- easier conference-title game ranked Alabama, is one such against Nebraska on Saturday). game. Getty Images Last year But three months ago, who Tim Tebow and Florida dealt would have thought we’d be Alabama its first loss in the SEC talking about Oregon? The title game. Ducks, who started the season “When the SEC split into two with an embarrassing loss/brawl divisions in 1992, this is exactly combo against Boise State ( this what the league hoped would Fix should refresh your memory), happen, if anyone had the moxie came together in the weeks that to think this big,” ESPN’s Ivan followed and edged Oregon Maisel writes. “For all the State, 37-33, on Thursday night league’s bluster about playing the to claim a Pac-10 Championship best football in the nation, this and lock up their first Rose Bowl game is evidence to bolster the b e r t h s i n c e 1 9 9 5 . I n t h e argument. In the 18 seasons of O r e g o n i a n , J o h n C a n z a n o FBS conference championship e x h o r t s O r e g o n t o c a p i t s games, this is the first time the improbable turnaround with a national No. 1 and No. 2 will Rose Bowl win. meet.” At CBS Sports, Dennis The 5-7 University of Kansas Dodd writes that the SEC title Jayhawks won’t be going to a game is an aptly dramatic next b o w l t h i s y e a r a n d M a r k chapter in what has been a wild M a n g i n o , t h e c o a c h w h o season for Florida. engineered the program’s In USA Today, Steve Wieberg turnaround in recent years, won’t describes the game as yet another be returning to the sidelines in Submitted at 12/4/2009 9:53:41 AM
Lawrence next year. Under pressure and amid allegations of general loutishness and bullying that transcends the usual toughguy-football-coach expectations, Mangino resigned on Thursday. In the Kansas City Star, Martin Manley casts a skeptical eye on both the proceedings and the general media discussion thereof.* * * While this promises to be a big football weekend for Americans, the rest of the world’s biggest football day of the season is Friday, thanks to the muchanticipated draw for the 2010 World Cup. “Here is where we can put our American sports provincialism into some kind of scale,” Dan Shanoff writes in The Sporting News. “Millions and millions of people care about college football. Or college basketball. Or the NFL. Billions and billions of people care about the World Cup.” South Africa will host the 2010 World Cup in what promises to be a huge moment for the stillstratified, soccer-mad nation. “Artificial divides drawn between South Africans are ugly leftovers from apartheid, rarely discussed in the country today,” Simon Kuper writes in the
Financial Times. “Yet they continue to influence national life. Each ethnic group still lives largely separated from the others. Each group therefore has its own particular experience of life, and its own relationship with football — the only sport that South Africans of all colours follow.” In the Daily Telegraph, Jason Burt examines the considerable cost South Africa took on in hosting the event. Both pieces are eminently worth reading and thinking about before the whole freaking world settles in for some serious soccer speculatin’. (The Fix will, of course, provide top-to-bottom coverage of the World Cup Draw here.)* * * When the Atlanta Falcons host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, the return of Michael Vick to the city where he made and lost his football fortune will be a big story. While Vick will likely play only a handful of snaps as a change-of-pace quarterback for Philly, Atlanta’s Roddy White — who drew some negative attention for flashing a “Free Mike Vick” T-shirt on the field back in 2007 — will be a vital contributor for the Falcons. White has blossomed into a star with Atlanta since signing a lucrative — but restrictive and ethically fraught — contract with Atlanta couple of years ago that required him to ditch much of his entourage. “The stipulation didn’t go in writing, but an understanding had to be reached,” Yahoo’s Jason
Cole writes. “For a club still dealing with the aftermath of the Vick fiasco, there was something that had to be established before White was going to get $18 million guaranteed. Ultimately, White had to put some distance between himself and his childhood buddies from South Carolina.”* * * Your Fixer isn’t an ardent hockey fan, and his TV-sports dance card is pretty full as it is. But I keep meaning to get more into college hockey, which is full of bizarrely intense rivalries and random upstart programs and too -unique-for-the-pros stars — everything I like about college basketball, only more so and colder. Among those ultraintense rivalries, the long-running battle between Boston College and Boston University ranks as perhaps the bitterest, and sweetest. “People talk about Michigan and Ohio State in football, but imagine if they were located right next to each other, and their players all knew each other growing up, and they played not once but three or four times a year,” Boston University radio announcer Bernie Corbett says of the rivalry. That’s a lot to imagine, so I’ll just recommend reading Neal E. Boudette’s excellent feature on the rivalry from the Journal.* * * Friday marks the 100th anniversary of the NHL’s COLLEGE page 68
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improvementâ to progress in the competition. This kind of worrying like this is all a come-down for French football. The national team won the World Cup for the first time in 1998 and were runners-up in 2006. In between, they won the European Championship in 2000. And they did it with flair. The French won thanks to some the fastest or most skilful players in history. Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry become national heroes. This time they needed a dodgy refereeing decision to help them. Ãric Bresson, the Minister for Immigration, Integration and National Identity summed up the national mood: âThe French want their team to win with a game of quality â- the famous âjeu à la française,ââ he told magazine Le Point. âThereâs an inability among the French to consider victory as a value in itself.â 2:28 pm | Rome | by Liam Moloney Luigi Di Biagio, a former player for Milan's Inter and Rome's Lazio soccer teams as well as a former Italy team player, said in a TV interview: Italy "can be satisfied with its group with New Zealand being the ugly duckling, but let's not count our chickens before they hatch and let's see how the matches go. All in all, the Italian coaches can't complain from the draw, including coach Fabio Capello's England team." 2:30 pm | Buenos Aires | by Matthew Cowley
âItâs very even,â says Uruguayan lawyer Leo Brum, of his countryâs draw in Group A. France may not be what it used to be, but itâs a tough team to beat and Mexico has always been strong, he says, adding âI donât know much about South Africa, but being the local team, there will be extra pressure.â 2:32 pm | Buenos Aires | by Shane Romig "It's a very good draw. We'll definitely get through," says Argentine taxi driver Pedro Figueredo. "If we don't, then we should get rid of all of them (the Argentine team). Maradona was good as a player, but doesn't have any idea how to coach. They don't have a style of play. The qualifiers were a disaster." 2:33 pm | Paris | by Sebastian Moffett Thierry Henry has a hard World Cup ahead of him. He was a brilliant player, and a symbol of French footballâs golden age, having played in the 1998 World Cup victory, the 2000 European Championship and the 2006 final that his team lost to Italy. Now heâs 32, has lost some of his speed, and his handball against Ireland embarrassed the nation. Heâs also not much of a team captain -- France often look listless under him. Rumors wonât die down that he doesnât like national coach Raymond Domenech, who is unpopular with the French public. Robert Pires â Henryâs former teammate at Arsenal and the national team â just did a phone
interview on TV saying, yes, âRaymond Domenech has had huge luckâ with todayâs draw. So as well as not being very good these days, France now has the burden of good luck⦠2:35 pm | London | by Jonathan Clegg Shock prediction: Germany to fall in the group stage. Australia, Serbia and Ghana should be well-equipped to handle their physical strength, and Germany lacks creativity around the penalty area. They could struggle. Elsewhere, Spain now looks a little vulnerable. Although the European champions are near certainities to advance as group winners, they face the runners-up from the Brazil-Portugal-Ivory Coast battle royale in the last 16. A clash of the Iberian pensinsula rivals in the first knockout round looms. Although I'm usually skeptical about England's chances, it's hard to find fault with its draw and I could see Fabio Capello's side going deep into the competition. There are other teams with better players (eg. France, Argentina) but in Mr. Capello, England has a coach who will get the best from his squad. Raymond Domenech and Diego Maradona? Not so much. 2:41 pm | London | by Jonathan Clegg Interesting to read the comments of Ãric Bresson in Sebastian Moffet's post from 2:20 p.m. ET. "The French want their team to win with a game of
quality â- thereâs an inability among the French to consider victory as a value in itself." Didn't look that way to Irish fans... 2:53 pm | Buenos Aires | by Matthew Cowley The French could be in for a surprise if they think they've got an easy ticket through to the second round. They scraped into the World Cup in extra time after a bit of cheating by Thierry Henry, following an embarrassingly poor qualifying campaign. They know relatively little about the other teams in the group; admittedly, they've beaten Mexico three times out of three, but both matches against Uruguay (the first during World Cup 2002) were goalless draws. France beat South Africa 3-0 on their way to their victory in the 1998 World Cup, but the two teams most recently played in 2000 in another goalless draw. In 1998, home advantage worked to France's advantage; in 2010, it could work against them. 3:01 pm | Paris | by Sebastian Moffett Jonathan Clegg points out that the French didn't look that disappointed after the FranceIreland game. I think thatâs because the people in the stadium â like the ref â mostly didn't see the handball. Later in Paris, the only people celebrating in the Champs Elysees were Algerians, because theyâd just qualified instead of Egypt. I asked a few people the next day whether they were
proud of their victory, and they all shook their heads and made disgusted noises. Itâs the nature of French pride. They donât think theyâre the kind of people who should need to resort to dirty tricks. âLa gloireâ only really comes from a victory had with aplomb. I think there could be a drop in French interest in the World Cup as a result, as most people here only really liked soccer when their national team was shining. 4:09 pm | Cape Town Some South African officials were struggling to stay upbeat about the country's tough World Cup draw, which includes France and Mexico. "I'm a very patriotic South African, but it would be a miracle if we make it through" to the next round, says Lassy Chiwayo, mayor of Mbombela muncipality. "If we make it through," the 40year old politician adds quickly, "we can go to the semis." NDavhe Ramakuela, director of the Polokwane muncipality, believes South Africa will play better against stiff competition. "They aren't as inspired when there isn't a big threat of losing," he says of the home team. "I see them going into the second round. "
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Police audio report: Tiger Woods shoeless, snoring after crash By ESPN.com news services (ESPN.com)
window, she said she could see the tail lights of a black vehicle. She awoke her brother and asked Submitted at 12/4/2009 10:02:29 AM him to go outside. I n t e r v i e w s W i t h T i g e r ' s Adams saw Woods, unconscious Neighbors Released Interviews and snoring, in the street on the With Tiger's Neighbors Released passenger side of the SUV. A Tiger Woods was found shoeless golf cart was next to the vehicle, and snoring in the street when with two golf clubs in it. Woods' neighbors came upon him in the wife, wearing a black jogging moments after Woods crashed his suit, begged Adams for help, S U V o u t s i d e h i s F l o r i d a according to the report. m a n s i o n , a c c o r d i n g t o a n "She said, 'Can you please help interview the Florida Highway me? Can you please help me?' " Patrol recorded at the scene. Adams said, the Sentinel Interviews with Woods' reported. neighbor Jarius Adams and "I said 'OK.' I immediately just Adams' sister, Kimberly Harris, ran back to the house, got the were part of the audio version of phone, called 911, ran back out the police report, obtained the house again to go back out Thursday and reported by the there to see if she needed any O r l a n d o S e n t i n e l a n d T h e assistance," he said. Associated Press. The AP reported Thursday that Woods suffered minor injuries Harris told the FHP that Woods' when he drove his Cadillac mother, Kultida, and mother-inEscalade out of the driveway and law, Barbro Holmberg, were at crashed into a fire hydrant and the scene. The Associated Press tree last Friday. He was not could not independently confirm wearing a seat belt. whether the two women were By the time authorities arrived, present. Tiger Woods was on the ground "Did they ever talk to anybody at outside the SUV. His wife, Elin the scene that showed up, any Nordegren, told them she used a emergency workers or anything?" golf club to break open the rear a trooper asked Harris. windows and free him. "The cops came, the Windermere According to the Sentinel's cops came first, then the security report, Harris told the FHP she guards came," Harris said. "And was in a bedroom when she then it appears Mr. Woods' mom, heard what she described as a and Tiger's wife's mom came out "knocking sound." Through a after the fact. I don't know if they
heard the commotion, I don't [know] if she, his wife, left and came back. But they walked across the grass and were outside as well." According to the AP, a voice that strongly resembles that of Woods' mother is heard in the background during the 911 call saying loudly, "What happened?" Barbro Holmberg, mother of Elin Nordegren, also was reportedly at the scene, but a spokeswoman for Holmberg didn't know if she was in Florida when the accident happened. The report in the Sentinel is the latest in a daily stream of Woods news. Police closed their crash investigation by citing Woods for careless driving and fining him $164. He caused an estimated $3,200 in property damage, according to police, and another $8,000 in damage to his car. On Wednesday, US Weekly magazine released parts of a cover story alleging that Woods had a 31-month affair with Jaimee Grubbs, a Los Angeles woman the magazine said has more than 300 text messages from Woods. The US Weekly Web site posted a voice mail that Grubbs said is Woods calling her last week and asking to change the ID on her phone so that his wife wouldn't recognize it. Woods subsequently released a statement on his Web site on
Wednesday that said, in part: "I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone." Rachel Uchitel, a New York nightclub hostess who has denied having an affair with Woods, had scheduled a Thursday news conference with her attorney in Los Angeles. But attorney Gloria Allred canceled that appearance Thursday morning, citing unforeseen circumstances. Allred earlier had planned to make a statement about Uchitel's relationship with Woods. Uchitel denied having an affair with Woods when contacted by AP. Woods is skipping this week's Chevron World Challenge golf tournament in Thousand Oaks, Calif. He is the host of the event, which benefits his foundation. Information from The Associated Press is included in this report. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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Bottega Veneta Announces New Fragrance Collection By ELLE.com (ELLE News Blog) Submitted at 12/4/2009 11:45:00 AM
Coty Prestige just added another high-profile name to its designer fragrance portfolio (think Chloé, Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang, etc.). Today, Bottega Veneta announced its partnership with the powerhouse perfumery. “The opportunity to create the first Bottega Veneta fragrance is an exciting challenge,” says creative director Tomas Maier, in a company press release. “I’ve always loved fragrance and have very definite ideas about what I want to do.” Wonder what it takes to craft—and sniff out—a winning eau? Click here to get schooled. —Emily Hebert Bottega Veneta fall 2009 show. Photo: Imaxtree Follow ELLE on Twitter
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New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has a sprained PCL By Associated Press (ESPN.com)
Sanchez extra time to heal. "It's almost like a mini-bye," Ryan said. Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:23:23 PM Sanchez was injured when he Jets Back To .500 Jets Back To dived headfirst on an 8-yard run .500 early in the third quarter. He was FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Jets examined by trainers for several quarterback Mark Sanchez might minutes on the sideline and be able to play in New York's replaced by Kellen Clemens next game after spraining the before he made his way with a posterior cruciate ligament in his slight limp to the locker room. right knee. Sanchez was already nursing a Coach Rex Ryan says an MRI sore left knee after he was hurt in exam Friday revealed the severity a 17-6 win over Carolina last of the injury, suffered in the 19- weekend. Concerned about 13 win Thursday night against Sanchez's sliding abilities, Ryan Buffalo in Toronto. brought in Yankees manager Joe "I feel good that it sounds like Girardi for a tutorial Tuesday. he's going to be healthy," Ryan Despite that session, Sanchez said. "I think that is the best news went headfirst instead of feetfirst we could've hoped for." on the play he was injured, and Ryan said Sanchez will initially defended his actions after the wear a brace to stabilize the knee, game. and is optimistic the rookie could "In the heat of the moment, I be ready to go against the don't know how else to explain it, Buccaneers at Tampa Bay on I was really trying to get a first Dec. 13. down and advance the chains," "We'll see how he is during the Sanchez said. "That's just the week," Ryan said, "but it was way I play." encouraging news." Ryan was angry and frustrated AFC East blog by Sanchez's decision, calling ESPN.com's Tim Graham writes him a "knucklehead" after the about all things AFC East in his game. The coach said he hadn't division blog. spoken to Sanchez on Friday, but • Blog network: NFL Nation didn't back down from his initial B e c a u s e t h e J e t s p l a y e d comments. Thursday, they have 10 days "Everything I mentioned is for before their next game -- giving the safety of him," Ryan said. "I
want him to be around a long time. I think my comments and all that, it's because I care about him. I care about our football team, I care about him and I want him to be healthy. It's been proven that some tough guys, when you don't slide and you're a quarterback, you get hurt." Ryan mentioned the late Steve McNair, whose gritty approach left him often injured, and said there are plenty of other examples of players suffering concussions and other injuries. "If you polled 32 quarterbacks, you may get 30 of them who said, 'Go for it,' or 31 of them," Ryan said. "But, he's my quarterback. He's our quarterback, and I want him to slide." Ryan said Sanchez's sliding problems have been an issue since training camp, and the coaches have since been urging the quarterback to slide instead of dive. Ryan realizes Sanchez's instinct is to go headfirst. "Obviously, that's what he's more comfortable doing, but in the long run, he's going to stay healthier longer by sliding," Ryan said. "That's all I'm trying to do, is get his instincts to, 'OK, I need to slide.' If that means a public bashing by me, if you will, this is like one of my sons here. That's
how you approach it." Sanchez was 7 of 15 for 104 yards and a touchdown pass against Buffalo before leaving. Ryan said he actually didn't realize Sanchez was out of the game until he looked up and saw Clemens under center. "I don't know if I was over there with the defense or what, must've been," he said, "but I came back and was like, 'Where's Sanchez?" Clemens finished the game and was 1 of 2 for 14 yards. In his fourth season, he has actually started fewer games than Sanchez. Clemens started eight games in 2007, but got into just two games last season with Brett Favre here, and then lost the position battle to Sanchez this summer. He should get the bulk of the first-team snaps, at least early on, in practice next week. "That'll be huge," he said. "Having a chance to throw to some of these guys and just get some reps in our offense where you can really sit back and evaluate it will be huge going into next game, if I'm playing in the next game. We'll see how things go." Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Rock Band Weekly: Slipknot, Simon & Garfunkel, Lights Resolve By Ben Gilbert (Joystiq) Submitted at 12/4/2009 2:00:00 PM
Harmonix and MTV Games are dropping a couple of classic Simon & Garfunkel tracks alongside the first Slipknot track pack this coming week as DLC, appealing to that very specific crossover niche of people who like 30-year-old folk music yet like to go blackout partying on the weekends. Take out your terrifying masks and acoustic guitars, folks. It's going to be a weird one. Check out all the tracks for the upcoming week after the break. Select a platform below to view complete DLC listing: Continue reading Rock Band Weekly: Slipknot, Simon & Garfunkel, Lights Resolve Rock Band Weekly: Slipknot, Simon & Garfunkel, Lights Resolve originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments
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2010 FIFA World Cup: United States draws England in first game By Associated Press (ESPN.com)
known to England because they play in the Premier League, including goalkeeper Tim Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:26:27 PM Howard (Everton), midfielder CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- C l i n t D e m p s e y ( F u l h a m ) , The United States will face defenders Jonathan Spector England at the World Cup for the (West Ham) and Jay DeMerit first time since a famous upset 60 (Watford) and forward Jozy years ago, then play Slovenia and Altidore (Hull). U.S. captain Algeria in the first round of next Carlos Bocanegra played for year's tournament. Fulham. The U.S. opens against England "It will be like a Premier League in Rustenburg on June 12, the game," Fulham manager Roy teams' first World Cup matchup Hodgson said. "The USA is like a since the Americans' 1-0 victory team you meet every week. It's at the 1950 tournament in Brazil. better than meeting North Korea U.S. Group Play Schedule and a style of play you're not The schedule for the United used to." States' opening round games in The game could feature a the 2010 FIFA World Cup in matchup of Los Angeles Galaxy South Africa: teammates Landon Donovan The United States then meets playing for the U.S. against Slovenia at Johannesburg's Ellis E n g l a n d m i d f i e l d e r D a v i d Park on June 18 and completes Beckham. Donovan shrugged his the first round on June 23 against shoulders when the U.S. was Algeria in Pretoria. The U.S. has picked to play England. "It never never played either nation. ends," he said -- apparent "This is the best draw we've ever reference to his connection to the had in any World Cup," said English star. f o r m e r U . S . f o r w a r d E r i c "This is going to be awesome," Wynalda, now an analyst for the Donovan said. "I can't wait. This F o x S o c c e r C h a n n e l . " N o is going to be great." disrespect to England, but this is The U.S. has beaten England an ideal group for us." twice and lost seven times in nine Several U.S. players are well meetings. The other victory was
2-0 in a 1993 exhibition at Foxborough, Mass. In the most recent matchups, England won 21 at Chicago's Solider Field in 2005 and 2-0 at Wembley last year. 2010 FIFA World Cup Draw The only official match between the teams was at the 1950 World Cup. "I think it will be not an easy game," England coach Fabio Capello said. "It's good. USA plays good and the Premier League is the best championship in the world. If you are playing in England, you are a really good player. Like basketball, if you are a European playing in the NBA, you are a good player." Mexico was drawn Friday to meet South Africa in the tournament opener on June 11 in Johannesburg at Soccer City, which also is where the final will be played July 11. El Tri then plays France, which qualified with the help of Thierry Henry's hand ball against Ireland, and Uruguay in Group A. Brazil, a five-time champion, wound up in the toughest group and will face two nations in the top 16 of the world rankings: Portugal, which is led by
Cristiano Ronaldo, the reigning world player of the year; and Ivory Coast, which has Chelsea's Didier Drogba, who is tied for the Premier League scoring lead with 11 goals. European champion Spain, which has never won the World Cup, will be a heavy favorite to make it through to the knockout phase. Germany has won the title three times, but drew a challenging group. Defending champion Italy, trying to match Brazil's record of five titles, should be confident of reaching the next stage. The Netherlands, which won all its qualifying games, should be favored to make it through to the second round. Argentina is in among the more difficult groups and pressure will be on coach Diego Maradona, whose team struggled throughout qualifying to get the best out of talented stars such as Lionel Messi and Carlos Tevez. Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Fashionair + the British Fashion Awards By ELLE.com (ELLE News Blog) Submitted at 12/3/2009 3:43:26 PM
Fashion reporting is changing every minute and on the forefront of those changes is Fashionair. The site, started by entertainment mogul Simon Fuller, brings highquality fashion video footage to the web, changing the way fashion is viewed over the internet. During this year's British Fashion Awards, Fashionair will be creating video spots to accompany awards like British Collection of the Year, Designer of the Year, Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator and Outstanding Achievement in Fashion Design. Filming some of the most influential people in the business for the spots, this move is beyond just creative' it is a sign of acceptance of the burgeoning prominence that websites are earning as mediums of fashion. Can't wait to see what happens at the awards, which are going to be held on December 9. —Rebecca Suhrawardi Austin Follow ELLE on Twitter. Become our Facebook fan!
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The Count: U.S. Soccer’s Tough Draws (WSJ.com: The Daily Fix)
just 24 teams qualified for the World Cup — I compared groups by the strength of their thirdI f t h e W o r l d C u p d r a w highest-ranked teams. I also tomorrow ends with the U.S. in a looked at the mean and median devilishly tough group including, ranking of teams. These are say, Brazil, Cameroon and imperfect measures because F r a n c e , i t ’ d o n l y b e t h e teams probably aren’t evenly continuation of a historical trend. spaced in the rankings. There In the last four World Cups, the may be a much bigger gap U.S. has been placed in the between the No. 1 and 5 teams toughest or second toughest first- than between No. 30 and 34. round group three times. In nine Also, FIFA rankings have often g a m e s a g a i n s t s u c h s t i f f been lightly regarded, such as competition in 1994, 1998, 2002 when they placed the U.S. at fifth and 2006, the U.S. managed to in the world before the 2006 win just one match while being World Cup. However, for recent outscored by a combined total of World Cups the FIFA rankings 14 goals to six. The only time the are all we have. U.S. got a relatively easy draw, In 1994, the U.S. ranked No. 23 in 2002, the Americans won in the world, and was placed in a three matches and advanced to group with No. 8 Switzerland, the quarterfinals. Getty Images No. 10 Romania and No. 18 Bruno Alves and his Portugal Colombia. Colombia was the teammates advanced to the second best No. 3 team in any World Cup, where they could group, and the U.S. group’s make one group very tough. median ranking was tied for I compared group toughness for second best, while the mean the last four World Cups three ranking placed third, out of six ways, all relying on FIFA groups. Such a tough grouping rankings. Since only two teams was surprising because the U.S. from each group have advanced was the host, guaranteeing it to the second round since 1998 wouldn’t be placed in a group — and only some third-place with one of the top seeds. teams advanced in 1994, when Things only got tougher four Submitted at 12/3/2009 2:27:06 PM
years later in France. The U.S., then ranked 11th, was in a group with No. 2 Germany, No. 8 Yugoslavia and No. 42 Iran. That year the U.S. had the highest ranking of a third-best team in a group in any of the last four World Cups. The group’s median ranking of 9.5 was also the best that year, and the second best over the last four World Cups. The best? The U.S.’s group three years ago in Germany, when the Americans were placed with No. 2 Czech Republic, No. 13 Italy and No. 48 Ghana. Only in 2002, when No. 13 U.S. was placed in a draw with No. 5 Portugal, No. 38 Poland and No. 40 South Korea, did the Americans get a comparatively easy draw. Poland had the worst ranking of any No.3 team in the past four World Cups. The difference between 2002 and 2006 draws shows how much
potential there is for inequity in the process, because the hosts get seeds and because most teams are unseeded (and also because the draw happens months before the competition, allowing for some shifting of rankings in the mean time). In 1998, the U.S. was the third-highest ranked team in its group, at No. 11, while No. 18 France, the host nation, advanced easily from its group in which it was the highest ranked team. This year, for the first time, an ESPN ranking concocted by sports and politics analyst Nate Silver provides a counterpoint to the FIFA rankings. According to FIFA, the toughest possible group would include No. 1 Spain, No. 5 Portugal, No. 11 Cameroon and No. 14 U.S. The easiest possible group: No. 30 Paraguay, No. 34 Slovakia, No. 84 North Korea and No. 86 South Africa. According to Silver, the worst possible Group of Death would be No. 1 Brazil, No. 7 Portugal, No. 9 Ivory Coast and No. 16 U.S. And the easiest? The same four as FIFA would produce, but with different rankings: No. 18 Paraguay, No. 50 Slovakia and No. 65 South Africa and No. 92 North Korea.
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FitFlop Craze: These Boots Were Made For Walking By ELLE.com (ELLE News Blog) Submitted at 12/4/2009 9:15:00 AM
Wearing leg-toning, tushfirming footwear was never so fashionable—or popular: Anna Sui’s Shakoha boot, a limitededition design for FitFlop, made its debut last month and sold like hotcakes. Shopintuition.com, who started carrying the boot on November 20, is already sold out but net-a-porter.com still has pairs available in size 11 (brown), so gals with larger tootsies should stake their claims now! For everyone else, FitFlop has their Mukluk boot; wear them folded up or folded down, depending on your mood. Not on board the high-tech walking shoe craze yet? Check out ELLE’s in-depth investigation of the science behind the trend. —Emily Hebert Photo: left: FitFlop Mukluk boot, courtesy of FitFlop; right: Shakoha by Anna Sui for FitFlop boot, courtesy of net-aporter.com Follow ELLE on Twitter
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March 13 is likely date for Manny PacquiaoFloyd Mayweather Jr. fight, Pacquiao adviser says
COLLEGE continued from page 62
Montreal Canadiens, capping a century in which Les Habs hoisted an astounding 24 Stanley Cups. In the Montreal Gazette, By ESPN.com news services problem," Koncz said. "The Pacquiao is "very comfortable" for more than seven weeks." (ESPN.com) requests of Manny were so with the date. If the fight is agreed upon, there legendary hockey scribe Red realistic that Arum doesn't feel Pacquiao is running for a likely would be a Jan. 11 news Fisher — who has covered the Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:50:04 PM it's a problem and it's pretty much congressional seat in May 2010 conference in New York to Canadiens for 55 years — offers Pacquiao-Mayweather Likely a done deal." e l e c t i o n s a n d o f f i c i a l announce it. The bout could be a lovingly textured remembrance F o r M a r c h 1 3 P a c q u i a o - Pacquiao campaigning won't start before the richest ever, assuming pay- of his time with the team.* * * Mayweather Likely For March Mayweather April. per-view projections are accurate. Jamal Lewis won a Super Bowl 13 VIDEO PLAYLIST He said the contract still needs If the bout goes ahead, it will R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f t h e and rushed for 1,364 yards as a • Pacquiao-Mayweather Likely "fine tuning," declining to match two men regarded as the Superdome in New Orleans and rookie with the Baltimore Ravens F o r M a r c h 1 3 P a c q u i a o - elaborate. best pound-for-pound fighters. the new Cowboys Stadium in in 2000, and enjoyed a very Mayweather Likely For March "We all believe that it will be Boxing fans have been looking Dallas have expressed interest in successful NFL career over the 13 done," Koncz said. forward to a superfight between hosting the fight, as has the rest of the decade. He had • Mega Fight On Tap? Mega In an interview with GMA Pacquiao and the undefeated MGM Grand hotel-casino in Las announced earlier this season that Fight On Tap? television, Pacquiao said, "March Mayweather after the Filipino Vegas, where the fighters have i t w o u l d b e h i s l a s t N F L 13 is OK." champion defeated Miguel Cotto had their biggest fights. There is campaign, but the season is MANILA, Philippines -- Manny "The difference between Floyd last month. also a proposal for a 30,000-seat ending five games earlier than Pacquiao likely will fight Floyd and others I have fought is that The March 13 date comes four temporary stadium on the Las he’d hoped, and in a different Mayweather Jr. on March 13 Floyd makes a lot of trash talk months after the Cotto fight -- a Vegas Strip across from the way than he imagined. Still struggling with headaches and after agreeing to a proposal from that should not be imitated by shorter period of time than the six Wynn resort. promoter Bob Arum on Friday. young people," he said. months after Pacquiao defeated Oddsmakers are already taking vision problems after suffering a Arum presented "what he Arum could not be reached for Ricky Hatton. But Koncz said it bets on the fight, with most recent concussion, and in the thought was the best proposal he comment. will be enough time for Pacquiao making Mayweather a slight wake of a Wednesday MRI that showed brain abnormalities, can bring" during a two-hour If the deal is completed, the bout to get back in shape. favorite. breakfast meeting with Pacquiao would be contested at 147 "Nobody knows his body better I n f o r m a t i o n f r o m T h e Lewis is being shut down for the in Manila, said Michael Koncz, pounds for the welterweight title, than Manny," he said. "If Manny Associated Press was used in this season, and almost certainly for his career. In the Cleveland Plain an adviser of the Philippine a source told ESPN.com's Dan feels that that's plenty of time to report. boxing idol. Rafael. rest and recover, then you know, This content has passed through Dealer, Tony Grossi hears from the running back’s disappointed "Manny has some additional Koncz, who is in charge of he has to do what he feels is fivefilters.org. requirements, requests, which Pacquiao's boxing promotion right." COLLEGE page 69 A r u m d i d n ' t t h i n k w a s a c o m p a n y i n N e v a d a , s a i d He said Pacquiao "cannot train
Locks Changed on N.J. House That Escaped Foreclosure (FOXNews.com) Submitted at 12/4/2009 6:54:58 AM
TRENTON, N.J. A New Jersey woman returned home from Thanksgiving with family to find the locks changed days after she
avoided foreclosure. Bank of America says it made a mistake. Nina Morra was locked out of her fully furnished Trenton home for three days by an inspector hired by the bank.
The 57-year-old was away when the inspector showed up on Nov. 22. Bank of America spokeswoman Jumana Bauwens says the inspector changed the locks because he thought the dwelling was vacant.
Morra had received a letter from Morra became delinquent on her the bank days earlier saying she mortgage when she suffered a had been accepted into a new stroke in January. payment program. This content has passed through The bank spokeswoman says she fivefilters.org. thinks the lockout occurred because the timing was so close.
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teammates. Of course, from just about any perspective, Lewis is doing the right thing. But even as the NFL appears to be belatedly waking up to its epidemic of brain trauma, Alan Schwarz reports in the New York Times that it may take a while for the NFL’s laudable (if lamentably overdue) new official stance on concussions to find purchase in the mentalities of the high-school and college players who emulate NFL stars.
– Tip of the Fix cap to reader Don Hartline and fellow Fixer Garey Ris. Found a good column from the world of sports? Don’t keep it to yourself — write to us at dailyfix@wsj.com and we’ll consider your find for inclusion in the Daily Fix. You can email David at droth11@gmail.com.
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It's About Time: Power Plug Wall Sockets WIth USB Ports Built In By John Mahoney (Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now) Submitted at 12/4/2009 11:00:00 AM
USB is as close as we're probably going to get to a universal gadget-charger standard. But to charge something without occupying a
precious free port on your computer, you need a power brick adapter. Not with these $10
wall sockets from True Power. These will fit with the wiring already in your home, giving you two powered USB ports (or "holes" as Prickly Pete would say) for each wall socket. They're available next year. [ Fast Mac via Gizmodo, CrunchGear]
EA: Pandemic's California location 'significant' in decision to close studio By Xav de Matos (Joystiq) Submitted at 12/4/2009 4:30:00 PM
EA CEO John Riccitiello claims there were multiple factors in the decision to shutter Pandemic Studios, but one of the most significant was the studio's California base of operations. In an interview with Kotaku, Riccitiello blamed a combination of regulatory changes that affect technology and entertainment companies in California, as well as the tax incentives offered in other countries as major factors in the company's decision. "For good or for bad, we are taking down headcount in California because it is really expensive," Riccitiello said. Another factor in the decision is
the rapid growth of digitally delivered titles and browserbased games, leading Riccitiello to believe that the industry is quickly moving away from a focus on "packaged" software. "In a world that used to be all PC, then used to be all console, now
it's neither." Riccitiello's comments echo those of Square Enix boss Yoichi Wada, who recently advised publishers to prepare for the "exponential growth" of digital delivery and server-based games following the announcement the studio would
restructure its Eidos London offices, resulting in layoffs. Pandemic Studios' closure comes at an interesting time, as the announcement was made just weeks before the studio's final title: The Saboteur. However, Riccitiello reiterated that the company's brand and franchises will live on. EA: Pandemic's California location 'significant' in decision to close studio originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
Miami Art Basel Kicks Off By ELLE.com (ELLE News Blog) Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:08:22 PM
The annual Miami Art Basel extravaganza is up to its usual tricks. Art on the beach, extravagant parties and many fashion savants —some of the outfits are as good as the paintings. Our first stop was the NADA fair (New Art Dealers MIAMI page 70
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Alliance), where emerging artists and dealers convene. We were entranced by Chris Duncan’s colorful, abstract, spiral paintings on display at San Francisco’s Baer Ridgeway Exhibitions b o o t h ( http://www.baerridgway.com/). The Brooklyn based gallery Klaus von Nichtssagend's booth ( http://www.klausgallery.com/) (the gallery is owned and directed by Rob Hult, Ingrid Bromberg Kennedy, and Sam Wilson) also stood out as evidence that newcomers can be as or more exciting than the established players. Their artist (a handsome one, we might add) David Scanavino, a graduate of the Yale MFA program, adhered to the wall seven editions of the Financial Times, reduced back to
pulp and re-pressed into paper. The textured, pale pink sheets were aesthetically lovely, with a hint of 70s minimalism, and made one think about the passing of time and the relevance of this soon to be antiquated form of media. As we all know, no trip to Art Basel Miami is complete without some serious shin-digging. Last night's big event was the last stop of Lance Armstrong’s and Nike's gallery exhibit to raise money for Armstrong's Livestrong Global Cancer Campaign, called Stages. The show of original work (all for sale) by heavy hitters like Ed Ruscha, Catherine Opie and Richard Prince started in Paris and traveled through NYC's Deitch Galleries before their grand Miami Beach finale. After
a few cocktails we hoped over to South Beach’s Gansevoort Hotel for the Museo Del Bario’s fiesta. On the agenda for this weekend are the main fair Art Basel, Creative Time’s Ocean Front installation, the Wynwood districts’ museums and various other fairs. Let the games begin…. —Kate Greenberg and Hilary Schaffner David Scanavino at Klaus Gallery’s booth Creative Time’s “The Oceanfront” Photos: (first three) Hilary Schaffner; (fourth) Jorge Rivas
Submitted at 12/4/2009 8:24:11 AM
There were days in NYC that friends and I would lament that there wasn't a Target in Manhattan. A cute store full of affordable and stylish finds that always made you feel as though you were shopping chic and not cheap. Now, with their pop-up shop, Target To Go, about to hit the corner of Gansevoort and Washington streets, and the Rodarte collection officially making its way to the shelves, this UK transplant's eyes are
turning green with envy at my New York City compatriots. Target To Go won't operate like a normal store in that there will not be shelves of products to
(BBC News | Americas | World Edition)
frenetic diplomatic activity and the "reset" of relations between the two sides it was always going Submitted at 12/4/2009 7:09:04 AM to be difficult for a replacement The US and Russia say they arms control treaty to come into want a new nuclear arms treaty to force before Friday's deadline. enter force at soon as possible, Kremlin sources appear after failing to agree a successor optimistic that something can be to the Start I pact. agreed while President Obama is The nations uphold the "spirit" in Europe next week to receive of the 1991 Cold War-era treaty his Nobel Peace Prize. despite its end, the US and But the details of the new, Russian presidents said in a joint complex agreement have not statement. been finalised. It will also need to Talks on a new accord are be ratified in both parliaments, expected to continue after the and that could take months, our treaty expires. at midnight on correspondent says. Friday. Under the joint understanding Russia's foreign ministry said signed in July, deployed nuclear "intense efforts" were ongoing on warheads will be cut to below a new treaty. 1,700 on each side within seven US President Barack Obama and years of a new treaty - a huge cut his Russian counterpart, Dmitry on Soviet-era levels. peruse, but instead, customers Medvedev, agreed in July that a In a joint statement, the US and will order what they want from new treaty should bring deep cuts Russian presidents said on Friday: "We express our the cashier and then the item will in nuclear warheads. be brought out for you. And Washington has indicated it commitment, as a matter of lucky for those who plan to shop would like an interim agreement principle, to continue to work there, because pieces of the to come into force until a new together in the spirit of the Start treaty following its expiration, as Rodarte collection will be in treaty is negotiated. The Start I agreement was well as our firm intention to stock to snag for the holidays. But definitely go for signed by Mikhail Gorbachev ensure that a new treaty on the sequined rib-cage dress and and George Bush senior in the strategic arms enter into force at the bow belt, which comes in final days of the Soviet Union. It the earliest possible date." prints like yellow and gray led to deep cuts in nuclear Print Sponsor This content has passed through leopard, along with basic black. arsenals on both sides. The BBC's Tom Esslemont, in fivefilters.org. —Rebecca Suhrawardi Austin Moscow, says that in spite of Follow ELLE on Twitter. Become our Facebook fan!
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US-Russia to work on nuclear pact
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Police search for man linked to 4 Wis. slayings (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News)
considered armed and dangerous and could be a long way from Madison by now. MADISON, Wis. – Police "At this point in time we don't investigating the fatal shootings know where this guy has gone," of a mother and her young DeSpain said. daughter in Madison and the Police were called to a duplex on slayings of another woman and Madison's southwest side around young girl found dead in a 6 p.m. Thursday and discovered nearby suburb were searching the mother and daughter shot Friday for the girls' father, whom inside a vehicle in the garage. they identified as a "person of Around 8:30 p.m., Madison interest" in all four deaths. police asked officers in nearby Police were looking for Tyrone Middleton to locate a vehicle that Adair, 38. Court records show eventually was found in a Adair had paternity cases with parking lot with the bodies of a two women and a criminal record woman and a girl in the trunk, in Dane County, including Middleton Police Lt. Noel convictions for battery and bail Kakuske said. jumping. The woman had suffered a head Officers found all four victims injury, but investigators couldn't Thursday evening. Adair had a tell if it was a gunshot wound, relationship with both women Kakuske said. It was unclear how and the girls were his daughters, the girl, whom he said may have Madison Police spokesman Joel been 2 or 3 years old, died. DeSpain said. Autopsies were being performed "We believe these (slayings) are Friday. somewhat domestic in nature," Investigators believe they may DeSpain said. "We're still putting have been killed elsewhere and this all together." the car abandoned in Middleton. DeSpain said Adair's photograph It wasn't immediately clear how has been distributed to police Madison police became aware of across the country. Adair has the vehicle. f a m i l y i n M a d i s o n , a n d "It's possible it was just a random investigators were working location to leave the vehicle," Friday to contact them and other Kakuske said. acquaintances, DeSpain said. He The victims' names and ages cautioned that Adair should be haven't been released. Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:01:57 PM
Court records, however, indicate Adair was involved in paternity cases with a woman in Middleton and a woman who lives in the same block as the Madison double slaying. In 2008, court records show that Adair and Tracy Graser of Middleton reached a court settlement acknowledging that Adair was the father of a child named Deja Adair, who was born on Christmas Day 2007. A family court commissioner ordered Graser and Adair to share custody of the child because they were living together in Middleton at the time. Graser's ranch-style home in the Town of Middleton was encircled with police tape Friday morning. Sheriff's deputies came and went from the house. All the blinds were drawn. A child's plastic playhouse sat in the backyard. A next-door neighbor declined to comment. No one else nearby on the street answered his or her door Friday morning. A voice mail message left on Graser's phone was not immediately returned. In the other paternity case, Dane County Circuit Court Commissioner Mary Beth Keppel ruled in March 2008 that Adair was the father of a child named Neveah Weigel-Adair. The
child's mother, Amber Weigel, had petitioned the court for a paternity judgment against him. Keppel ordered the two to share custody and for Adair to pay Weigel child support and birth expenses. Weigel complained in court records that in March 2009, Adair stopped seeing the child and changed his phone number. In April, "he raised the possibility of me having sole custody," Weigel wrote in court documents. In June, he again told her he did not plan to "exercise his visitation rights." Adair did not show up for a court hearing in August where he was again ordered to pay child support plus extra money for falling behind. On Friday morning, police tape still surrounded the Madison duplex, whose address matched the one for Weigel in court records. Christmas lights decorated the front porch and Halloween decorations hung on the door. The blinds were drawn. A Dane County Sheriff's crime scene vehicle was parked in front of the home. Neighbor Crystal Hutson, 29, said the area is normally "pretty quiet," other than a rash of burglaries a few years ago. Hutson, who didn't know the
victims, said she saw nothing unusual Thursday. Hutson said she locked her doors when she heard about the deaths. "It's really sad and really unfortunate and happening so close to home," she said. Court documents also show that a woman sought a restraining order in 2006 against Adair after she said he stalked and threatened her for months. The woman said Adair slashed her tires, broke into her apartment, destroyed her computer, phone and television, and repeatedly made threatening phone calls to her. "Don't forget I know where you live," he told her in one call, according to court documents. Dane County Circuit Judge James Martin granted the restraining order, prohibiting Adair from contacting the woman or possessing a firearm until 2010. At one point, she said she left her apartment because she was scared of him and went to live with friends. ___ Associated Press writers Scott Bauer and Ryan J. Foley contributed to this report. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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Clinton lauds Nato Afghan pledge (BBC News | Americas | World Edition)
despite the challenges, and of unity behind the mission. "In addition to the clear pledges Submitted at 12/4/2009 10:07:35 AM already tabled, we have heard Please turn on JavaScript. Media indications... that other allies and requires JavaScript to play. partners will probably be in a Hillary Clinton: "This is a position to announce crucial test for Nato" contributions in the coming US Secretary of State Hillary weeks and months," Mr Clinton has welcomed a pledge Rasmussen said. by Nato allies to send at least "Isaf [International Security 7,000 extra troops to support the Assistance Force] will have at US surge in Afghanistan. least 37,000 more soldiers in She said beating the Taliban 2010 than it did this year. That is insurgency there was a "crucial solidarity in action." test" for Nato. Warning for Kabul She spoke in Brussels after talks But many Nato governments with Nato foreign ministers and face publics even more sceptical other partners with forces in about the mission than those of Afghanistan. the US and Britain. Nato's top official, Anders Fogh Even if more public Rasmussen, said at least 25 announcements are forthcoming, countries had promised more heartened by their positive additional forces was "urgent, but very clearly, this is not a turning these into firm pledges of their presence will not be withdrawal of the United States the right troops at the right time forces in 2010, providing at least response. "This is a crucial test for NATO, indefinite". in Afghanistan in 2011. 7,000 more troops. and for the right missions may He suggested there would be which has been the greatest and However, she stressed that the "It is a decision to turn over to take longer, our correspondent "more [troops] to come" over and most successful military alliance US would continue to provide t h e A f g h a n s s o m e o f t h e adds. civilian assistance to Afghanistan responsibility when they are above that number once other in history," she said. Mr Rasmussen said several nations had reached decisions on "It is crucial that we remain firm long after the military mission r e a d y t o a c c e p t t h a t countries had pledged additional in our resolve and see this ended, saying the US and its responsibility, and in no manner, funds for development assistance deployments. a l l i e s h a d a n " e n d u r i n g shape and form is the [United] as part of the mission's new The US has called on allies mission through." She also acknowledged the commitment" to the region. States leaving Afghanistan in approach in providing basic among the 43 nations with troops S p e a k i n g t o t h e B B C i n 2011." in Afghanistan to send about sacrifices made by Nato allies "in services to benefit the local lives and treasure", as they W a s h i n g t o n , U S N a t i o n a l Please turn on JavaScript. Media people in Afghanistan. 10,000 extra soldiers. Some major countries are promised military forces and Security Adviser Gen James requires JavaScript to play. But he warned that Kabul had to holding back, however. France civilian resources to back the Jones echoed that message, Rasmussen: 'We can succeed' play its part in the reconstruction saying the US did not intend to Earlier, Mr Rasmussen told process. and Germany, for instance, have new US Afghan strategy. not yet committed themselves to Earlier this week, US President withdraw fully from Afghanistan delegates at Nato HQ that the Meanwhile more than 1,000 Barack Obama announced he was in 2011 - the date set by Mr coming year would "see a new Nato soldiers, most of them from sending extra troops. sending an additional 30,000 Obama for troops to start pulling momentum in this mission". 'Lives and treasure' the US, as well as Afghan troops, The BBC's Nick Childs, in launched a major offensive in Mrs Clinton welcomed what she troops to help battle the Taliban out - and leave Afghans to their fate. Brussels, says the main thrust of southern Afghanistan on Friday. described as a "significant insurgency. commitment" by Nato allies, Speaking earlier in the day Mrs He said: "It's very important that Mr Rasmussen's speech was to CLINTON page 73 s a y i n g s h e w a s e x t r e m e l y Clinton had said the need for people in Afghanistan hear this insist on a message of solidarity,
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The undefeated Saints lift spirits in New Orleans (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News) Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:46:01 PM
NEW ORLEANS – They ain't the Ain'ts anymore. And ain't that grand for New Orleans. Football's once-hapless New Orleans Saints are on a roll at 110, lifting spirits in this hurricanebattered city four miserable, down-in-the-dumps years after Katrina. In fact, folks in the Big Easy are feeling so good about their team's chances that they are actually canceling or rearranging Mardi Gras events to keep Super Bowl Sunday clear. "The whole city is floating right now. We're all on a cloud. Cloud nine," said 68-year-old Lynn Compter, standing next to his mustard-yellow 1939 Chevrolet, which was decked out in fleurs de lis with the Saints' record in magnetic numbers on its doors. "The day after a win is like a steroid shot." Football is a passion that goes beyond words in Louisiana, where Y.A. Tittle, Billy Cannon, Eddie Robinson and the Manning family are legends. But Saints fever goes deeper than that. With their come-from-behind wins and gritty play, the Saints have become symbols of hard work, toughness and camaraderie in a city that has seen all too much despair and backbiting.
"This team doesn't give up, even when they're behind. This team has been in every game," said Lamar Callaway, a 69-year-old retired bridge inspector who lives in Lakeview, a New Orleans neighborhood badly flooded by Katrina. Plus, he said, the Saints offer a "break from the doldrums of rebuilding." The Saints were long one of the worst teams in the NFL, playing so badly that they became known as the "Ain'ts." Since they started in 1967, they have never reached the Super Bowl, and they did not even have a winning season until 1987, the year Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass at the Superdome in September. Since Katrina, the Saints have been a bright light amid the dreariness. The Superdome, where tens of thousands of people were trapped in the days after the storm, was repaired quickly and became a symbol of rebirth in 2006. Then, the Black and Gold did the unprecedented: They went to the conference championship in 2007. This season, the team has taken it to a whole new level. Everywhere, people are highfiving and chanting, "Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?!" Huge midnight crowds welcome the undefeated team at the airport after road games.
"I've collected every sports page with their win on it this year. I'm keeping them all. I've got my Saints flag in the window. I'm loving it," said Annette Corneiago. Even Mardi Gras is making way. One parade was canceled because it was set to roll on Feb. 7, the day the Super Bowl will be played in Miami. Another parade will be moved to the following Tuesday if the Saints make it to the big game. When Katrina struck in August 2005, about 80 percent of the city flooded. The population is still only 350,000, compared with the pre-storm level of 454,000, and some neighborhoods are still in ruins. "We expect corruption, we expect mediocrity, we expect potholes," said Sidney Arroyo, a local political consultant. " The Saints are showing us that just because it hasn't happened before doesn't mean it can't happen now. Anything's possible. It's bliss." The No. 1 bliss maker is No. 9 Drew Brees, the quarterback with the rocket arm. He is himself a symbol of renewal. Brees got a second chance after suffering a serious injury while playing for the San Diego Chargers. After arriving in New Orleans in 2006, he and his wife restored an old hurricane-
damaged house in the Uptown neighborhood, and his "Rebuilding Dreams" campaign raised more than $2 million for playgrounds, athletic fields and schools. He said he believes it was more than coincidence that he ended up in New Orleans. "Everything happens for a reason, you know? Seriously. It's a calling," Brees said. For long-suffering Saints fans, he looks a lot like a savior. "If Jesus was on one side of the street and Drew Brees on the other, walking down Magazine Street today, I think more people would mob Drew Brees," Angela Pate, a saleswoman at Storyville, a T-shirt shop, said with a laugh. In suburban Metairie, where the Saints practice, Pam Randazza runs the Black and Gold Sports Shop, which specializes in all things Saints. She said the Saints spirit has replaced the sorrow of Katrina. "We're past being, `Poor us,'" she said. "We're now the strong city and the strong team." ___ Associated Press writers Brett Martel and Stacey Plaisance contributed to this report. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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A US military spokesman said Operation Cobra's Anger in the northern part of Helmand province was aimed at cutting off insurgent supply and communication lines. Print Sponsor This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Web Site Aims to Uncover Fakers in Fatigues (FOXNews.com) Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:14:01 AM
Military impostors, beware: A Web site has been launched to root out fraudulent veterans and fakers in fatigues. ReportStolenValor.org aims to expose people who fabricate or embellish military accomplishments by making it easier to report suspected Stolen Valor Act offenders to federal authorities and local media outlets. AMVETS, an organization representing more than 250,000 veterans, unveiled the site Friday. “As a veteran myself, it’s deeply offensive when someone claims to have served in uniform when they have not,” said Jay Agg, WEB page 77
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US unemployment rate eases to 10% (BBC News | Americas | World Edition)
Analysts had expected orders to remain unchanged. The good data pushed shares Submitted at 12/4/2009 10:18:54 AM higher, with the Dow Jones index The US unemployment rate fell up 122 points, or 1.2%, at 10,488 in November to 10% from 10.2% in early trading. in October, Labor Department 'Much-needed progress' figures show. Payrolls have fallen every month Employers in November cut the for almost two years, but this lowest number of jobs since the year, the pace of decline has recession began in December slowed sharply. 2007. Revised figures for October also In all, 11,000 jobs went over the showed an improving trend. month. That was far fewer than Originally, official estimates said the 130,000 expected by most 190,000 jobs were lost, that was analysts. revised down to 111,000. President Barack Obama said the The White House spokesman, figures were "good news", but Robert Gibbs, said the sharp warned that there were "more slowdown in job losses showed bumps in the road to economic "much-needed progress", but recovery". added that the Obama "There is a lot more to do before administration was still looking we can celebrate... good trends at providing help to the labour don't pay the rent," he said. market. For an economy the size of the More than 15 million Americans US, the change was so small that are out of work, twice the the Labor Department described number at the start of the employment as "essentially recession. Mr Gibbs said they unchanged". were looking at the prospects for In further good news for the US using remaining financial baileconomy, factory orders rose by o u t f u n d s t o h e l p c r e a t e 0.6% in October, Commerce e m p l o y m e n t . Department figures showed. Four sectors added jobs in
November, the Labor Department figures showed: professional and business services, education and health, temporary help employment and the government itself. Suffering sectors Although the unemployment rate has risen for almost two years solid, the rate of increase has been dropping throughout the year. However, there are still some sectors that are seeing substantial job losses. Construction is still suffering, with 27,000 jobs lost over the month. Manufacturing is another area badly hit. It saw payrolls shrink by 41,000 between October and November. There was a mixed reaction to the better-than-expected figures. Some saw it as simply a rogue month. "Today's US employment report for the month of November was surprisingly good, but we believe it is a blip," said Jason Schenker, president of Prestige Economics. "The worst is not behind us - at least not for the job market." Peter Morici, professor at the
Smith School of Business at University of Maryland, said the fall in the unemployment rate was more to do with people leaving the workforce in frustration than people actually finding work. He added that, considering the level of government stimulus, more jobs should have been created. But others, although taken by surprise, thought the figure might signal a turning point. "These numbers are almost too good to be true. Having said that, they are consistent with the weekly decline in initial unemployment claims," said Tom Sowanick, chief investment officer of the Omnivest Group. "There's a 193,000 net improvement in jobs for the month. Average weekly hours worked [are] also up which is good for consumption spending. These are eye-popping numbers." Print Sponsor This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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Va. Tech Report Reveals New Fumbles During Shootings (FOXNews.com) Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:20:16 AM
ROANOKE, Va. Some Virginia Tech officials warned their own families and the president's office was locked down well before a campus-wide alert was issued in the 2007 killings of 32 people, according to a revised state report that details new fumbles in the response to the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. One student survived several hours after being shot without anyone notifying her family until she had died, said the updated report, released Friday. At least two officials with a crisis response team called their family members after the first shootings at a dorm and about 90 minutes before the all-campus alert was issued at 9:26 a.m.. The president's office was locked down at 8:52 a.m. and two academic buildings were also shut down before the general alert. Click here to see the records. The revisions, made partly in
response to requests from victims' families, also added details about troubling behavior by Seung-Hui Cho and includes information from his mentalhealth records. Cho killed 32 people and injured several others before killing himself on April 16, 2007, in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said the findings that some school officials called their own family members about the initial shootings in a dorm before an allcampus warning was issued were "inexcusable." "There is almost never a reason not to provide immediate notification," Kaine told the Associated Press Friday. "If university officials thought it was important enough to notify their own families, they should have let everyone know." While new details were added and other portions were corrected or clarified, the original report's c o n c l u s i o n s a n d recommendations weren't revised.
The first document was critical of communications failures, privacy laws and other factors, and issued suggestions on improving campus emergency procedures and notification systems, mental health regulations, and gun purchase reporting requirements. Kaine agreed to the revision to correct factual errors and reflect new information that emerged after the panel he appointed to investigate the slayings completed its first document in August 2007. Victims' parents had pressed for corrections, and wanted university officials and others to be held more accountable for their roles. Virginia Tech spokesman Mark Owczarski said in a statement Friday that "none of the new information merited changes to any of the recommendations in the original report." The amended report found that Virginia Tech had two different emergency-alert policies in effect when the shootings took place, and that led to a delay in issuing a university-wide alert until
nearly two hours after Cho killed his first two victims in a dormitory. Kaine said he is considering whether legislation requiring immediate notification procedures might be submitted to the General Assembly before he leaves office Jan. 16. Emily Hilscher, one of the two dorm victims, survived for three hours after she was shot, according to the amended report. But no Virginia Tech officials, police or hospital representatives notified her parents about her injuries or whereabouts until after she died. The report also adds more information, including Cho's records from the Cook Counseling Center, which were made public earlier this year. It also concludes that university officials and police failed to look into signs about Cho's mental state, including "a long list of frightening writings and aberrant behaviors." This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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Teen accused of killing bro was pulled from school (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News)
situation." Andrew Conley was scheduled to be arraigned later Friday on an RISING SUN, Ind. – The adult charge of murder in his parents of a teenager accused of brother's death. His attorney, strangling his 10-year-old brother Gary Sorge of Lawrenceburg, to satisfy a craving to kill pulled declined to comment about the the teen out of high school two c a s e t h r o u g h h i s o f f i c e weeks before the killing, a school r e c e p t i o n i s t . district official said Friday. According to prosecutors, A n d r e w C o n l e y ' s p a r e n t s Andrew Conley showed no withdrew him from Rising Sun remorse when he described to High School on Nov. 16 — 12 investigators how he choked his days before prosecutors said he younger brother, saying he strangled his brother Conner, said strangled the boy to satisfy a Stephen Patz, the superintendent craving like a hungry person of Rising Sun-Ohio County eating a hamburger. Community Schools. He told police his brother's last Patz declined to state the reasons words were "Andrew, stop," for the withdrawal, but said both according to a probable cause Conley brothers were good affidavit. Conley said he dumped students. the body near a park in the Ohio "Andrew was a good student, he River community of about 2,500 had friends, he didn't have residents, 90 miles southeast of discipline problems. And the Indianapolis. same thing for Conner," he said. Dearborn-Ohio County "I think that's what makes it Prosecutor Aaron Negangard said difficult for the community, the Thursday that the nature of the staff, the students, everyone, to crime shows that "sometimes try and come to grips with the people are just evil." Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:36:07 PM
"This is an evil child," he said. Investigators said after he killed his brother, Andrew Conley dragged his body to his car and drove to see his girlfriend, Alexis Murafski. She told investigators Conley gave her a sweetheart ring and "seemed happy, more happy than she had seen him in a while," according to the affidavit. Murafski's 19-year-old brother, Drew, said Friday that his sister threw the ring into a pond behind their house after she found out about the killing. "She had been behind him, but when she found out what happened, she said she couldn't keep the ring," Murafski said. A white cross stood Friday at the site in the park near where the body was found with the messages "In loving memory of" and "classmates of Conner 2009." Patz said school counselors as well as several ministers are on call at the district's schools to help grieving students, teachers and staff.
Pastor Jim Jenkins of the 75member First Baptist Church of Rising Sun is among the clergy helping counsel students and staff at the two schools, whom he said have been "greatly affected" by the killing. "You've got a class of 20 children and all of a sudden one of them is not there and they've been murdered and their face is all over TV and the story is all over the radio. So that's had an impact, more on those in that classroom but also on others," Jenkins said. The slaying comes weeks after Missouri investigators say a 15year-old girl, Alyssa Bustamante, told them she strangled, stabbed and cut a 9-year-old neighbor's throat because she wanted to know what it was like to kill someone. A not guilty plea has been entered on her behalf for charges related to the slaying. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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AMVET’s national communication director. “It’s just fundamentally wrong and an affront to all veterans.” The Web site also features a link to the Military Times Hall of Valor, a comprehensive database of more than 26,000 military awards for valor searchable by service member, award and conflict. The Stolen Valor Act, signed into law by President George W. Bush in December 2006, amended the provisions of previous laws concerning unauthorized usage, manufacture or sale of military decorations and medals. A violation of the law is a federal misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison and a $150,000 fine. “What we’re doing is creating awareness of this crime,” Agg said. “We think it’ll be a very good deterrent for those contemplating stealing the valor of others.” Aside from violating federal law, Agg said, the “real harm” when
someone impersonates a veteran is the lasting effect on how the public views former and current service members. “It creates a shadow of doubt, it casts suspicion on them,” he said. “It automatically puts members of the public on high alert for stolen valor, so every veteran is looked at more critically when they go out in public.” Impersonators could also rob genuine veterans of sought-after speaking engagements and cost American taxpayers large amounts of money if the individual seeks assistance from federal programs. “When the phonies are given speaking engagements, those are opportunities that could be going to a real veteran who earned those awards,” Agg said. “In some cases, they’re trying to defraud the [U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs] and the government out of benefits that should be going to other veterans.” The new Web site also provides
links to reports of six individuals accused of falsifying, embellishing or altogether fabricating their military histories, including Richard Glen Strandlof, the first person to be charged in Colorado under the Stolen Valor Act. Strandlof, 32, will reportedly be released to a halfway house pending an upcoming trial on charges that he made bogus claims about being a decorated veteran. Strandlof pleaded not guilty last month, the Denver Post reported. He will remain in federal custody until Dec. 15, when a bed is expected to become available at a local halfway house. FBI Special Agent Darrell Foxworth, a spokesman for the agency’s San Diego office, told FoxNews.com that federal officials are aware of allegations pertaining to another impostor who posed as a two-star Marine general at a Veterans of Foreign Wars celebration last month in Ramona, Calif.
Foxworth declined to confirm or deny an investigation into the alleged impostor, David Weber, who offered no explanation to the Marine Corps Times as to why he misrepresented himself as a retired general officer. “I, mentally, was in bad shape,” Weber told the paper. Agg said he hopes the new Web site gives potential poseurs some pause when considering the “extraordinarily distasteful” act of faking a military background. “It really puts them on notice that major veteran groups are aware of this problem and are doing something about it,” he said. “It’s an issue of great interest, not just to the military community, but to the public at large." This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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Woods 'snoring' after car crash (BBC News | Americas | World Edition) Submitted at 12/4/2009 3:22:57 AM
A neighbour of Tiger Woods has said he found the golf star lying in the street "snoring" after a car crash last week. Woods's wife, Elin Nordegren, was with the golfer and there was "definitely" no sign he had been drinking, Jarius Adams told Florida police. The golfer was found bleeding and semi-conscious after his car hit a tree and fire hydrant outside his home. The statements were made in recorded interviews released by police and broadcast by CNN. Mr Adams told police Woods had been lying on the ground on the passenger side of the car WOODS page 78
Govt: Some $600M to go to energy plants (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News)
with private companies to create 19 biorefinery projects in 15 states. The government's $564 TOLEDO, Ohio – The federal million share will come from government is speeding up plans stimulus funds and will be to produce more renewable fuels, combined with $700 million in announcing Friday it will spend private investments. nearly $600 million to help build The ideas range from scooping plants that turn wood chips, up algae from ponds in New cornstalks and algae into fuel. Mexico and converting it to jet The government will team up fuel to using wood waste from a Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:48:44 PM
wall panel company in Michigan to make ethanol. In announcing the undertaking, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said President Barack Obama told his administration to speed up the timetable for creating renewable fuel projects and jobs. Vilsack said he sees a time when these type of plants are found all
over rural America. Most would be small operations unlike large oil refineries. "It is really about bringing a sense of new prosperity to rural communities," Vilsack said. "This is going to make a big difference for America." Most of the plants will use new technology and operate as demonstration or test factories.
One goal is to show private investors that renewable energy projects can turn a profit. The projects have the potential to create an entire new industry and thousands of jobs, especially in rural America where agriculture and forest waste is cheap and plentiful, said U.S. GOVT: page 80
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Veteran Gets Extra Week Before He Must Remove Flag (FOXNews.com) Submitted at 12/3/2009 11:16:27 PM
A Medal of Honor recipient in a dispute over his right to fly the American flag in his yard will have another week before D-Day -- when he'll be forced to take down the Stars and Stripes or face legal action. Ninety-year-old Col. Van T. Barfoot, a veteran of three wars, initially was given a 5 p.m. Friday deadline to dismantle his flagpole or face a legal battle over violating an order from his townhouse community association in Henrico County, Va. John K. Honey, who is part of Barfoot's pro-bono legal team, said the homeowner association's board told him Thursday that it would push the date back a week to Friday, Dec. 11, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. "There's not going to be an announcement anytime this weekend," Honey told the paper. "We can all get some breathing room." SLIDESHOW: Medal of Honor Winner Col. Van Barfoot
Barfoot, who fought in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam, was told in July that he could not put up his freestanding flagpole in his Sussex Square neighborhood — but he installed it anyway. On Tuesday, he says, he got a letter from the homeowners' association telling him the 21foot pole he erected in September violates the community's aesthetic guidelines. U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., has gotten involved in the dispute in the hopes of coming to a settlement. "We intend to get to work right away to try to come up with a solution that’s acceptable to both Col. Barfoot and to the Homeowner’s Association," Warner's office said on his blog. The American Legion also has joined Barfoot's fight. "The association underestimated the fight left in this elderly veteran, and now they have to contend with the determination and persistence of Col. Barfoot's 2.5 million friends in The American Legion," National Commander Clarence E. Hill said
in a statement. But the homeowners' association defended their position, saying the issue wasn't Barfoot's right to fly the flag. "This is not about the American flag. This is about a flagpole," the association said in a statement, insisting that Barfoot directly violated its board's July ruling. "Col. Barfoot is free to display the American flag in conformity with the neighborhood rules and restrictions. We are hopeful that Col. Barfoot will comply." Barfoot told the Times-Dispatch that he's faithfully displayed Old Glory every day since he served in the Army. "There's never been a day in my life or a place I've lived in my life that you couldn't fly the American flag," he said. Click here for Col. Barfoot's Congressional Medal of Honor Citation. Click here for more from the Richmond Times-Dispatch. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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when he reached him after the crash on 27 November. The police officer asked if Woods had been conscious and Mr Adams replied: "At that point, he was snoring." Mr Adams said Woods had cut his lip but was not bleeding much and did not appear to be badly injured. "I was holding him still at one point and I didn't get any blood on me whatsoever," he added. When asked by police if he had been close enough to detect any smell of alcohol on Woods, Mr Adams said he had been but he had not smelt anything. "No alcohol, no any other kind of drug whatsoever," he said. "None. Zero." Golf clubs Elin Nordegren was with her husband and asked for help, Mr Adams said. "At this point she was actually very quiet, kind of in shock, just sitting there. She wasn't very verbal." CNN reported that Mr Adams's sister, Kimberly Harris, had been woken by a "faint, continuous knocking sound for about 10 or 15 minutes". She asked her brother to investigate and then called the police. Ms Harris told police she had seen two golf clubs lying in a golf cart nearby but could not
recall seeing any windows broken on the car and that neither Woods nor Mrs Nordegren had mentioned a broken window. Mrs Nordegren had reportedly told police she used a golf club to break the back window of the car to rescue Woods. Woods has been charged with careless driving, a charge which carries a $164 (£98) fine and four points on his driving record. He has apologised to his family and supporters for his "transgressions" following continuing media reports about his private life. "I have not been true to my values and the behaviour my family deserves," he said in a statement. The 14-time major champion has been married for five years and the couple have two young children. Woods, who won his first major in 1997 at the age of 21, has been fiercely protective of his personal life and his clean-cut image has helped him amass a fortune through product endorsements and appearance fees, correspondents say. Print Sponsor This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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Soldier charged in 2 NY murders had Chile wake for singer dead man's car (AP) Victor Jara (Yahoo! News: U.S. News)
said the two were killed sometime Sunday or Monday. Hunter had Valbuena's car when WATERTOWN, N.Y. – A Fort he was arrested in southern Ohio D r u m m i l i t a r y p o l i c e m a n early Wednesday, and "made accused of stabbing to death two admissions that, with the intent to Army buddies at their apartment t a k e t h e l i v e s o f t h e s e fled to Ohio in a car belonging to individuals, he did commit the one victim and admitted to an murders," Jefferson County investigator that he killed them, Sheriff's Detective Scott Sterling authorities said Friday. said in a deposition. A not-guilty plea was entered on The killer left behind blood or behalf of Spc. Joshua Hunter, 20, other forensic evidence from an at his arraignment on second- injury to one or more of his degree murder charges in the fingers, Sterling said. Hunter was deaths of Waide James, 20, of found with unspecified injuries Cocoa, Fla., and Diego Valbuena, "to two of his fingers consistent 20, of Port Saint Lucie, Fla. The w i t h t h a t s u f f e r e d b y t h e three friends returned in the a s s a i l a n t , " S t e r l i n g s a i d . spring from a yearlong tour in Hunter, who was raised in Ona, Iraq with the 10th Mountain W.Va., politely answered "yes, Division, Hunter as an MP and sir" during his brief appearance the other specialists as drivers. in Jefferson County Court. He The bodies of James and was ordered held without bail Valbuena, each with multiple and was assigned a public s t a b w o u n d s , w e r e f o u n d defender. Tuesday in a duplex the three Hunter's wife, Emily Hunter, men shared near the main told The Associated Press on entrance of the northern New Thursday that he claimed he saw York military post. Authorities his best friend "blown to pieces" Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:51:23 PM
in Iraq. She and his parents said Hunter came back a changed man plagued by flashbacks, stress and sleeplessness. "All angles are going to be investigated in relation" to his military experiences, defense attorney Laurel McCarthy said. The Army is looking into Emily Hunter's comments and any other relatives' statements about Hunter's involvement in combat, Fort Drum spokesman Maj. Fred Harrell said Friday. Harrell said there were no casualties in Joshua Hunter's unit during the yearlong tour in Iraq. A combat action badge given to every soldier who engages with the enemy is not listed in Hunter's service record, Harrell said. But he noted that soldiers update their own records and "some people do not keep their records up to date." "It's not to say that he may or may not have earned" a combat commendation, Harrell said. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
(BBC News | Americas | World Edition)
sentiment towards him," she said "Remembering him is what keeps him alive and will continue to Submitted at 12/4/2009 5:04:14 AM maintain him alive forever." The remains of popular Chilean Tortured and killed singer Victor Jara are to be Victor Jara was among reburied in the capital, Santiago, thousands of people rounded up 36 years after he was killed i n t h e e a r l y d a y s o f G e n following a military coup. Pinochet's right-wing military Hundreds of people began coup, which ousted the elected paying their last respects to one l e f t i s t P r e s i d e n t S a l v a d o r of the most prominent victims of A l l e n d e . the 1973 coup that brought Gen He was taken to the Chile Augusto Pinochet to power. Stadium in Santiago where he Mr Jara's body was exhumed in was tortured and killed. His June so that a court could clarify broken body was found a few the circumstances of his death. days later. It was established that he had Authorities reopened the been shot more than 30 times. investigation into his death last Victor Jara was admired as a year, after new evidence was theatre director as well as for his presented by his family. folk songs and was a member of Earlier this year a former army the Chilean Communist Party. conscript, Jose Adolfo Paredes His widow Joan Turner, an Marquez, was charged over the English-born dancer, stood by killing. He denies responsibility her husband's coffin and greeted for Mr Jara's death. guests who included artists, More than 3,000 people were human rights activists and killed or disappeared during the government officials. period of military rule in Chile, Wilda Garate, a fan of Mr Jara, which lasted from 1973 to 1990. said the three-day wake, which is Print Sponsor due to end with a funeral on This content has passed through Saturday, was a much-deserved fivefilters.org. tribute. "This reaffirms the people's
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Police Issue Murder Arrest Warrant for Missing Calif. Teen (FOXNews.com)
results of DNA testing on some of the remains, including a severed human foot. Results HEMET, Calif. Police said could take several weeks. Friday they have issued a murder Margis said investigators believe arrest warrant for one of two Rios was shot and was dead missing Southern California when his body was placed in the teens and believe charred and firepit. They have not recovered a fragmented human remains found murder weapon and have not in his Riverside County backyard determined a motive, he said. belong to the other youth. Six people were in Campos' Police are seeking Jose Campos, home during the alleged murder 17, and arrested his stepfather or immediately after the crime, and mother, Jose and Maria said police Chief Richard Dana. Seym, late Thursday on suspicion The investigation began on Nov. of being accessories to murder, 17, when Rios' mother, Elodia said Hemet police Capt. Tony Lopez, reported him missing. Margis. Lopez last saw her son two days Police have also issued an arrest before, when he went to Campos' warrant for Felicia Sharp, 17, and house to watch a football game, a 21-year-old man named Rene authorities have said. Lopez-Fregozo, Margis said. When he didn't come home, his Authorities believe the charred mother went to Campos' house. remains found last month in a She found no one home but saw a firepit behind Campos' house are bloody sneaker in the backyard those of 17-year-old Adrian Rios, and found drag marks in the dirt. although they are awaiting the She told police the sneaker Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:08:51 AM
looked like her son's shoe, according to a search warrant affidavit filed in the case. Police also noted a number of flies clustered on a saturated area of the ground, according to the warrant first obtained by The Press-Enterprise newspaper. Sharp, who is Campos' girlfriend, was initially reported missing, but she came forward last week and told police she had been staying with her mother, who is separated from her father. Margis said detectives do not believe she was truthful during a two-hour interview last week. She has since run away, he said. Also missing is the Campos family's white Chevy Tahoe. Hemet is in a rural area about 90 miles southeast of Los Angeles. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
GOVT: continued from page 77
Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who attended the same news conference in Toledo, where a pilot plant will turn agriculture waste into diesel fuel. "We tried to pick the most promising projects," Chu said. Anything from poultry fat to tree branches and even grass clippings could be turned into fuel. "Those are the ingredients," Chu said. "You're taking waste material and creating a high value fuel." The 15 states involved are California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Texas. How long it will take for privately owned plants to begin operating isn't clear. Administration officials hope to see it happen within the next few years. Dennis Schuetzle, president of Renewable Energy Institute
International, which is operating the Toledo project, said his company hopes its first commercial plant could be operating by the end of 2012. Ohio is making a push to reshape itself into a renewable energy leader after being battered by auto and manufacturing job losses. There's a proposal for wind mills on Lake Erie off Cleveland, while Toledo is becoming a national hub for solar energy research and manufacturing. U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat from Toledo, said the new biodiesel plant, fits nicely with the area's solar industry. "The project being rolled out here, we hope, can be rolled out to the rest of the world," she said. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
requirements for television sets are expected to kick-start a national trend. As the biggest market in America, what California does today, the rest of the country tends to do tomorrow—if only because manufacturers find it too expensive to make different products for different regions. Most makers of liquid-crystal
display (LCD) sets welcome the edict. They see it as a way of increasing sales at the expense of their rivals. By contrast, manufacturers of plasma televisions have been fighting the provision tooth and claw. Plasma HDTV sets are still the best for watching sports and feature films
Tech.view: Size matters (The Economist: Daily columns) Submitted at 12/3/2009 11:29:50 PM
Tech.view Dec 4th 2009 | LOS ANGELES From Economist.com Big-screen televisions are being put on a crash diet THE energy cops in California are clamping down again. Not
content with the federal government’s voluntary Energy Star standard for home electronics, the Golden State’s energy commissioners voted unanimously on November 18th to introduce their own mandatory requirements for electricityguzzling high-definition television (HDTV) sets. From the beginning of 2011 all new
HDTVs with screens measuring up to 58 inches along a diagonal will have to use a third less electricity than today’s models. By 2013, their consumption will need to have fallen to half of present levels. The move is expected to save Californians up to $1 billion a year in electricity charges. The state’s new mandatory
TECH.VIEW: page 81
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because of their dark blacks, exceptional contrast and rapid image-tracking, but they have a reputation for being energy hogs. Old-fashioned cathode-ray-tube televisions remain the most frugal sets, using typically no more than 0.23 watts of electricity per square inch of screen area. Their latter-day LCD cousins consume 0.27 watts per square inch, and plasma sets need as much as 0.36 watts per square inch. Such differences may seem trifling, but screen areas have soared over the past decade. The old tube televisions rarely came with screens measuring more than 32 inches (giving a screen area of 490 square inches). Today’s wide-screen LCD models have screen sizes of typically 42 inches (750 square inches), while plasma panels for residential use have screens of up to 58 inches (1,440 square inches) or so. Ever since the sale of supersized HDTVs began to rocket earlier this decade, the amount of power consumed by television sets and their ancillary equipment (set-top boxes, DVD players, video-game consoles and digital-video recorders) has tripled. It now accounts for 10% of the electricity used in Californian homes, compared with 3% a
couple of decades ago. Bigger screens are not the only culprit. People keep their sets switched on far longer these days—though more often to watch films and play video games than to watch television shows. On top of that, there are now more sets around the home. Where once there was one set per household, there is now one per person. All of which adds up to a lot of juice being guzzled—nearly 9 billion kilowatt-hours annually in California—just on gawping at the goggle box. The California Energy Commission thinks that is way too much. The state prides itself on having kept its electricity consumption per person constant (at roughly 7,000 kilowatt-hours annually) for the past 30 years. That has been achieved through strict energy standards for homes and appliances. Meanwhile, the rest of America has seen its electricity consumption per capita increase over the period by 40% (to 12,000 kilowatt-hours annually). Are California’s new mandatory requirements for television sets really necessary? The current voluntary standard, Energy Star 3.0, introduced a little over a year ago, has already reduced the power consumption of television
sets by an average of 30%. The next version of the specification, Energy Star 4.0, should cut energy consumption by a further 40% when it goes into effect in May 2010. A year later, Energy Star 5.0 will require television sets to use 65% less electricity than today. Overall, California’s own mandatory requirements will be slightly more stringent than Energy Star in 2011, but considerably less so from 2012 onwards. So why is the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) of America bleating so loudly? It has issued scaremongering statements about California losing $50m in tax revenue and upwards of 4,000 jobs if plasma television sets are forced out of the market. The state’s new television rules, it claims, will limit consumer choice, lead to higher prices and stymie new technologies, like 3-D television, that makers hope to introduce over the next year or two. Your correspondent finds it puzzling that the industry lobby should show such little faith in its members’ ability to innovate. The CEA admits that plasmamakers have improved the energy efficiency of their sets by more than 40% during the past two years alone. Compared with LCD sets, reducing the energy
requirements of plasma panels still further is difficult—given the need to strip reluctant electrons off atoms of xenon or neon gas trapped in thousands of minuscule glass beads built into the screen. But such technological improvements are not beyond the wit of innovative firms like Panasonic and Samsung. No, if plasma televisions are driven out of the market, it will not be because of tougher energy standards. Their fate depends far more on whether manufacturers can make LCD sets bigger, better and cheaper. Improvements here are imminent, thanks to the development of arrays of lightemitting diodes for illuminating the liquid-crystal screen from behind instead of relying on duller fluorescent tubes at the edges. Also, the move to higher “refresh rates”—with the screen being repainted 240 times a second instead of 60 or 120 times at present—should make LCD televisions far better at handling moving objects in sporting events. Truth be told, three out of four HDTV sets currently on sale in America (over 1,000 models at the last count) already comply with the Californian requirement for 2011—and that includes a fair number of today’s plasma
televisions. Some 300 models on sale even meet the state’s tougher standard for 2013. As for the rest, your correspondent expects to see them at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next month. With the first phase of the Californian requirement being, in effect, the same as the Energy Star 4.0 specification that comes in next spring, manufacturers will have already started tooling up for the new lower-energy sets. They would have done so with or without any mandatory requirements from California. The market has spoken: in a study carried out by the CEA itself, 89% of respondents declared that the next television set they bought would be an energy-efficient one. Come the new year, your correspondent will be lining up to buy one, too. It will probably have a plasma screen. Back to top ^^ Readers' comments The Economist welcomes your views. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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This week's top stories [04 December 2009] (The Economist: News analysis)
government bonds, corporate bonds, commercial paper and other assets. They are aimed at Submitted at 12/4/2009 6:01:02 AM boosting the economic recovery Battling deflation in Japan by providing liquidity to banks. Dec 1st 2009 | TOKYO The size of the facility amounts From Economist.com Japan’s to only 2% of GDP, however, central bank takes an overdue which analysts believe is neither swipe at an old foe enough to ease the deflationary THE Bank of Japan (BoJ) must threat in Japan significantly, nor feel as if it has a bad case of déjà to weaken the yen seriously. vu. Three years after the central Masaaki Shirakawa, the governor bank thought it had ended of the BoJ, deliberately avoided deflation, it has returned. And to discussing the currency at a news fight it, the bank has had to conference after the meeting, resurrect a policy tool it tried to which frustrated those who think bury long ago—quantitative the financial authorities need to easing. If that is not bad enough, speaking plainly about the the BoJ once again has to deal dangers of deflation to jolt Japan with a government breathing o u t o f y e a r s o f e c o n o m i c hotly down its neck. stagnation. “It was the size and The BoJ’s discomfort explains t h e c o m m e n t a r y t h a t w e r e why, on Tuesday December 1st, disappointing,” said Richard it made what analysts considered Jerram, chief economist of to be a half-hearted attempt to Macquarie Securities in Japan. reflate the Japanese economy and “It was all pretty tame.” weaken the yen. What the bank Added to which, Mr Shirakawa did was better than nothing, but it d e s c r i b e d t h e m e a s u r e s a s did not go as far as some had “quantitative easing in broad hoped—nor as far as Japan terms”. But this appeared to be needs. more of a sop to government On the face of it, the BoJ’s ministers who have called for announcement that it would make such a policy, than the result of a available ¥10 trillion ($115 firm conviction on his part. Mr billion) in three-month loans Shirakawa is among those in the fixed at a 0.1% interest rate, BoJ who have been sceptical of appears generous. The loans can the merits of quantitative easing, be exchanged for a broad array of w h i c h i t u s e d d u r i n g t h e collateral such as Japanese deflationary years between 2001
and 2006. The BoJ has been cautious about using it ever since. According to GaveKal, a financial consultancy, during the global financial crisis Japan’s monetary base increased by a paltry 4.7% a year; in America, it has grown by 71%. Analysts said the BoJ’s move would have had more impact if it were accompanied by dramatic policy initiatives from the government that looked like a serious attempt to weaken the yen. But that did not happen. Instead, after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the fledgling administration of Yukio Hatoyama, the prime minister, lamented the strength of the yen and drew up some ill-defined counter-measures. These included the unveiling of a supplementary budget by the end of the week to tide Japan over for the rest of the fiscal year ending in March. But the size was not expected to be much bigger than the ¥2.7 trillion shaved off a previous budget by the new government. Its intention to find ways to increase domestic demand was similarly vague. Mr Hatoyama, who indirectly put pressure on the BoJ by announcing on Monday that he planned to meet with Mr Shirakawa, praised the bank after Tuesday’s announcement. “It has
demonstrated through its actions its determination to stem deflation and revive the economy,” he said. His meeting with Mr Shirakawa was still expected to go ahead. Whether or not his government eases up on the central bank may well depend on what happens to Japan’s financial markets. The yen was lower against the dollar and other currencies during and after the central-bank meeting. The stockmarket also benefited from hopes that the yen would fall, because of the damaging effect the currency is having on exporters. The yen may well climb higher again if the markets feel Tuesday’s efforts were not meaningful enough. However, now that the BoJ and the government have put the markets on notice that they are vigilant to the deflationary risk posed by a rising yen, they may be more inclined to use concerted action next time. Back to top ^^ Readers' comments The Economist welcomes your views. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
This week's top stories [04 December 2009] (The Economist: News analysis) Submitted at 12/4/2009 7:03:26 AM
Battling deflation in Japan Dec 1st 2009 | TOKYO From Economist.com Japan’s central bank takes an overdue swipe at an old foe THE Bank of Japan (BoJ) must feel as if it has a bad case of déjà vu. Three years after the central bank thought it had ended deflation, it has returned. And to fight it, the bank has had to resurrect a policy tool it tried to bury long ago—quantitative easing. If that is not bad enough, the BoJ once again has to deal with a government breathing hotly down its neck. The BoJ’s discomfort explains why, on Tuesday December 1st, it made what analysts considered to be a half-hearted attempt to reflate the Japanese economy and weaken the yen. What the bank did was better than nothing, but it did not go as far as some had hoped—nor as far as Japan needs. On the face of it, the BoJ’s announcement that it would make available ¥10 trillion ($115 billion) in three-month loans fixed at a 0.1% interest rate, appears generous. The loans can be exchanged for a broad array of collateral such as Japanese THIS page 84
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Unemployment in America: A glimmer (The Economist: News analysis)
statisticians also sharply revised down previously reported job losses for the months of Submitted at 12/4/2009 4:04:56 AM September and October. Unemployment in America The payroll report will leave Dec 4th 2009 | WASHINGTON, markets and policymakers happy, DC for a day at least. Most From Economist.com The forecasters had expected that unemployment rate falls slightly 100,000 jobs, or more, would in America have been lost, and most thought THE American economy has that the unemployment rate been shedding jobs for nearly would hold steady or rise. A two years, but now comes a sign private employment report for that the gloom could eventually November, which is published lift. The Bureau of Labour just before the official payroll Statistics released new data on report, showed that nearly payroll employment on Friday 170,000 workers lost their jobs. December 4th, and across the None of this means that the board the numbers came in better troubles are all over, however. than had been expected. The unemployment rate had once Some 11,000 jobs were lost in before declined in 2009, from November, the smallest total June to July, before proceeding since the recession began late in to rise for the next three months. 2007. And despite the continued A steady decline now will be j o b l o s s e s , t h e o v e r a l l hard to achieve: one estimate unemployment rate fell from suggests that the American 10.2% to 10.0%. So, too, did economy needs to add around b r o a d e r m e a s u r e s o f 150,000 jobs each month just to unemployment which include keep up with population growth. marginally attached workers and Employment growth in the those who work only part time economy remains concentrated in (for economic reasons). The total just a few sectors. There are number of hours worked ticked encouraging signs in professional u p , a s d i d e a r n i n g s . T h e and business services; a 52,000
job increase in temporary help services in this category indicates that employers may soon begin creating more permanent positions. (Although by one measure non-manufacturing businesses are losing confidence, according to an index produced by the Institute for Supply Management this week.) Education, health services, and government are the only other sources of employment growth; the manufacturing, construction, and retail sectors continued to cut jobs in November. That is particularly disappointing given that manufacturing activity has expanded for four consecutive months. More troubling still, the rate of manufacturing expansion declined in November. Increasing activity to date had largely been because of the replenishment of depleted inventories. If this brief spurt of expansion has exhausted itself without creating new jobs, then that bodes ill for recovery in other sources of demand, including consumer spending. And then there are the ugliest statistics of all. Just over 15m Americans are unemployed, an
increase of 8m from the start of the recession. Nearly 6m of those are considered long-term unemployed. Almost 40% of jobless workers have been out of work for 27 weeks or more. Bringing most of these workers back into the labour force will require strong economic growth, of the sort that is unlikely to prevail for at least the next year or so. This unexpectedly sharp decline in lost jobs is a silver lining on an extremely dark cloud. The White House convened a jobs summit this week, but President Barack Obama was forced to acknowledge that "our resources are limited". The government may find itself sitting around inactive, unable to do much about the situation in which it finds itself. Today's good news aside, it's a feeling with which American workers are very familiar. Back to top ^^ Readers' comments The Economist welcomes your views. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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government bonds, corporate bonds, commercial paper and other assets. They are aimed at boosting the economic recovery by providing liquidity to banks. The size of the facility amounts to only 2% of GDP, however, which analysts believe is neither enough to ease the deflationary threat in Japan significantly, nor to weaken the yen seriously. Masaaki Shirakawa, the governor of the BoJ, deliberately avoided discussing the currency at a news conference after the meeting, which frustrated those who think the financial authorities need to speaking plainly about the dangers of deflation to jolt Japan out of years of economic stagnation. “It was the size and the commentary that were disappointing,” said Richard Jerram, chief economist of Macquarie Securities in Japan. “It was all pretty tame.” Added to which, Mr Shirakawa described the measures as “quantitative easing in broad terms”. But this appeared to be
more of a sop to government ministers who have called for such a policy, than the result of a firm conviction on his part. Mr Shirakawa is among those in the BoJ who have been sceptical of the merits of quantitative easing, which it used during the deflationary years between 2001 and 2006. The BoJ has been cautious about using it ever since. According to GaveKal, a financial consultancy, during the global financial crisis Japan’s monetary base increased by a paltry 4.7% a year; in America, it has grown by 71%. Analysts said the BoJ’s move would have had more impact if it were accompanied by dramatic policy initiatives from the government that looked like a serious attempt to weaken the yen. But that did not happen. Instead, after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the fledgling administration of Yukio Hatoyama, the prime minister, lamented the strength of the yen and drew up some ill-defined
counter-measures. These included the unveiling of a supplementary budget by the end of the week to tide Japan over for the rest of the fiscal year ending in March. But the size was not expected to be much bigger than the ¥2.7 trillion shaved off a previous budget by the new government. Its intention to find ways to increase domestic demand was similarly vague. Mr Hatoyama, who indirectly put pressure on the BoJ by announcing on Monday that he planned to meet with Mr Shirakawa, praised the bank after Tuesday’s announcement. “It has demonstrated through its actions its determination to stem deflation and revive the economy,” he said. His meeting with Mr Shirakawa was still expected to go ahead. Whether or not his government eases up on the central bank may well depend on what happens to Japan’s financial markets. The yen was lower against the dollar and other currencies during and
after the central-bank meeting. The stockmarket also benefited from hopes that the yen would fall, because of the damaging effect the currency is having on exporters. The yen may well climb higher again if the markets feel Tuesday’s efforts were not meaningful enough. However, now that the BoJ and the government have put the markets on notice that they are vigilant to the deflationary risk posed by a rising yen, they may be more inclined to use concerted action next time. Back to top ^^ Readers' comments The Economist welcomes your views. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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TV Watch: Will NBC's 'Sports Czar For Life' Get New Wind From Comcast Deal? (MediaPost | Media News) Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:15:34 PM
He's been a bit like Tiger Woods -- pre-Thanksgiving. There's been some occasional criticism of Dick Ebersol. There were Olympic broadcasts in some temporal iteration known as "plausibly live." The much-hyped XFL was a short-lived disaster. But NBC Universal's Sports Czar For Life would just skate by, as easily as many of the figure skaters that turned the Winter Games he managed into a hit. Now, Comcast -- the would-be penny pinchers, the eat-at-T.G.I. Friday's-on-your-per-diem crew - is set to gain control of NBCU. And management looks enamored with Ebersol. It seems willing to give him unlimited rein over an ESPN-lite sports universe. Maybe nearbottomless funds to acquire league rights, hire talent, even try something like the XFL again. (Could it be worse than Comcast's UFL this fall?) Comcast CEO Brian Roberts offered praise for two NBCU executives Thursday: Jeff Zucker and Ebersol. He touted both twice on a conference call and was equally effusive. "It's fair to say that when you think of sports on a national or global scale, it's
hard not to think of NBC Sports and Dick Ebersol," Roberts said. Back when NBC signed a deal giving it Olympic rights through 2012, it was Ebersol's so-called "sunshine deal." He'd slink off into retirement after that. Now, life for the 62-year-old looks Comcastic. Hello new contract, control of Versus and the Golf Channel, and regional sports networks that print money. The chance to make Fandango a sports site -- the name fits, right? Oh, and apparently personal masseuses and securitized presidential suites. The widely read and wellrespected USA Today sports columnist Michael Hiestand appeared on a Toronto radio station last week saying he liked Ebersol -- then kept ripping him. "I have to take my hat off to Dick for self-promotion over the years," Hiestand said. "If you look at NBC in this decade what exactly have they done?" The Arena Football League was a bust, he said, and National Hockey League and Notre Dame football ratings have been lackluster. Ebersol has suggested he convinced the National Football League to bring games to NBC with "flex scheduling," which allows the network to offer more
attractive match-ups. But Heistand was skeptical. "Monday Night Football" had dud games on ABC for years. Hiestand said the "flexing" was less Ebersol's handiwork and more the NFL wanting to avoid the prime-time flops. Hiestand also went after Ebersol's dear Olympics, where the executive has had an involvement since 1972. Last summer, NBC leaders touted the Summer Games as a huge success, even a reaffirmation of broadcast TV's primacy. But Hiestand wasn't buying it. "If you take out the Michael Phelps ratings in Beijing, those were sort of so-so -- same with (the Winter Games) in '06," he said. The Toronto radio hosts wanted to move onto another subject. But Hiestand wanted to return to the Olympics. NBCU spends about as much in "production costs" on the Olympics as rights fees. And Hiestand suggested in the interview there was profligacy under Ebersol's watch.There's "so much fat in that budget," he said. Somewhat tongue-in-cheek, he said NBC brought thousands of pounds of its own coffee to Italy, despite the local cappuccino. And NBC consistently takes over top-
notch hotels for talent and staffers. Hiestand suggested NBC might have to "pack their own food and masseuses" when Comcast reviews NBC's budget for the 2012 Games in London, On Thursday, Roberts was asked by investors whether Comcast would pursue further Olympic rights. He largely demurred, saying NBCU owner General Electric would decide how aggressively to bid for the 2014 and 2016 Games. Ebersol often suggests he has more influence with the International Olympic Committee than Procter & Gamble does on Madison Avenue. So what if Comcast quietly tells NBC it wants the rights to Russia and Rio? If ESPN offers more dough, could Ebersol use those contacts to land the Games for Comcast? "Me and my dog could pick up Olympic rights if we bid a buck more than the opponents," Hiestand said. "I think personal relationships just are overrated." Nonetheless, Comcast and Brian Roberts seem to feel they have a golden retriever in Ebersol. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Media Magazine: Fast Forward (MediaPost | Media News) Submitted at 12/4/2009 8:36:49 AM
This column is labeled "Fast Forward," but all too frequently, I feel like I'm stuck on pause. That's the way I felt recently when I paid a visit to Muncie, Indiana. What's that you say, "Muncie?" Yeah, well if you don't recall, or never read the story I wrote about my first visit to the media visionaries on the campus of Ball State University in Muncie, you can find it on our magazine archives page on MediaPost.com, but let me remind you now that the school is the home to some really smart people and forwardthinking media research and experiments, especially the emerging kind. In fact, the Center for Media Design that I visited four years ago, has actually morphed into an array of "Emerging Media Initiatives," MEDIA page 86
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some of which I got to see firsthand as a fly-on-the-wall of a recent meeting in which the university was exploring "commercializing" some of its classroom and faculty projects. I just want to share with you that some pretty advanced thinking about the future of media is taking place there. People on Madison Avenue, of course, already know this, because of the university's ties to some high-profile industry research, especially its patented "observational research" techniques, which have been used by the Nielsen-funded Council for Research Excellence, and a few less publicized projects for some individual big media companies. But my recent visit was actually a double treat, because Ball State was also hosting the International Digital Media Arts Association's annual conference, where I got to sit in as an embedded reporter as some of the academic and artistic worlds' leading digital media gurus talked, and demonstrated, some remarkable advances,
including the revelation by Dale Herigstad, the chief creative officer of wpp interactive media agency Schematic, that he is close to deploying the kind of sci -fi "gesture-based interface" for the TV industry, that he developed for Steven Spielberg's cinematic adaptation of Philip K. Dick's Minority Report- you know, the one where Tom Cruise simply moves his hands in front of a computer screen to make things happen. As remarkable as that breakthrough may seem, I got to see prototypes and betas of other breakthrough media design interfaces and platforms, including one called Black Box that was developed by Herigstad's former partner, Kurt Kratchman, who left Schematic as chief strategy officer after it was sold to WPP, and began dabbling in the aeronautical air show community with something called Air Buzz Show. You can see Kratchman's handiwork on the community's Web site, asb.tv, and you can even link to a beta download of Black Box, which is
probably just as well, since I could not possible do a reasonable job of explaining it to you in this short space. Just go, download, and take it for a test drive. But the best part of my trip to Muncie wasn't all the new gizmos, it was about the rapid speed with which academic thinking about media is evolving, and that's not something that is always evident in the sometimes cloistered confines of Madison Avenue, and even some of the biggest media companies in the world. To get it, you simply have to step out of our "real" world, and step into an academic way of thinking. And in the few days I did that, I got my mind recharged, and re-opened to all sorts of new possibilities. I also got some of my most fundamental precepts about media - and even reality challenged by it. Let me just leave you with a question and an anecdote. Has anyone ever looked at you like you were a lower life form - an insect perhaps? Well, if not, I can
tell you that it is a disconcerting feeling to realize that you may be part on the wrong side of some evolutionary gap. That's the way I felt while chatting about virtual reality and augmented reality with a couple of academics, including John Fillwalk, director of the Institute of Digital Intermedia Arts at Ball State. It was like many conversations I had while in Muncie, talking about the "tradeoffs" for humankind as we move increasingly into digital and virtual world. But looking into the eyes of Fillwalk and some of the other artists and faculty there, I realized that they had already moved way beyond that philosophical discussion, and have evolved to another place, and perhaps, another time. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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Media Magazine: The Price Is Right (MediaPost | Media News) Submitted at 12/4/2009 8:36:49 AM
The Price Is Right Long Island’s newsday set its pay wall firmly in place in November, becoming one of the few local newspapers to charge for all online access to its content. MediaNews also joined the club, charging for its content in Chico, Calif. and York, Penn. The theoretical gymnastics of figuring out the right trade off between eyeballs and fees has been one hurdle. Newsday began charging $5 a week, arrived at, easily enough, to achieve exact parity with home delivery. Of course, Newsday is in a unique situation. Instead of telling you that you now have to pay to read more than a couple of lines of a story about the final vote tallies in the Nassau County election, the site flashes a message that reads, “newsday.com is now available at no charge to Newsday and Optimum Online subscribers.” And this, after all, is the point.
Parent company Cablevision has pulled the Newsday arrow from its quiver in an attempt to drive its cable service. “It’s an entirely sensible approach,” Steven Brill, cofounder of Journalism Online, tells MEDIA magazine, speaking from a room where he’s surrounded by people trying to figure just how much to charge for various types on online content. With the exception of the Cablevison wrinkle, Newsday’s plan is similar to the one Brill is betting many local newspapers will adopt. “They aren’t risking any ad revenue by stopping page views from people who are outof-market.” He contends that papers should, in fact, charge even print subscribers for online access. “What we’re advising our 1,200 affiliates to do is charge something for online, but offer deep discounts if you get the print subscription. [Newsday is] taking it farther than I would by offering it for free if you get the print subscription.” The
Journalism Online model gets a bit more complicated in that it factors freemium content into the equation, letting readers access a small number of articles in their entirety for no charge. The question of just what to charge is something of an insoluble pancake for now, but Brill says, “We promise to share, not publisher-specific but macro, information across all our sites so that they’ll know very quickly, for example, is it better to charge for a monthly subscription or an annual subscription, or a micropayment, or is there a huge difference between $4.95 a month and $6.95 a month.” Brill expects his service to launch by the start of 2010 and sees a mature paid content market, where content can be packaged, and more specific and informed conversations about what the revenue split should be can be had, as being about two years away. Ken Doctor, affiliate analyst at publishing research firm Outsell, says more than three-quarters of
readers say they would go somewhere else if a pay wall went up in front of a local news site. “It’s less the price-point initially than the hurdle of, it’s free or it’s not free. That’s what TimesSelect proved out.” For Newsday, the real question he says, though, is how they attribute the revenue. There is a real value Cablevision can place in Newsday now, as a retention tool. “The greatest opportunity for charging online,” says Doctor, “Are the smallest papers.” And he points to MediaNews’ decisions as an interesting development. The papers are fairly far from big cities and have differentiated, unduplicated content, and began charging its print subscribers a small fee for online access. “That model may work in a Chico or a York; it won’t work in a metropolitan area. There’s simply too much competition.” This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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Media Magazine: Campaign Lacks Vision (Literally) (MediaPost | Media News) Submitted at 12/4/2009 8:36:49 AM
To capitalize on fan excitement about the yet-to-be-revealed Volvo S60, the company gave them a unique way to preview the vehicle. It invited blind artist Esref Armagan to its design center in Sweden to paint what chief designer Peter Horbury calls "the next of the new Volvo." The painting would be all enthusiasts would see of the car until its official release. For the so-called "Blind Preview" campaign, the company created a mini-documentary, featured on their Facebook page and also posted on YouTube, that follows the artist through the fascinating process of his painting. Armagan first meets with Horbury, who explains why this Volvo is so special. "Volvo has been famous for its station wagons and boxy cars of the past," Horbury tells the artist. "And we changed a few years
ago to something much more dynamic." To which Armagan replies merely, "Are they going to let me drive it?" Armagan has been blind since birth and has taught himself to paint using a method that he created. He begins by running his hands all over the car (and fans get a little tease of what it looks like) and then creates a putty outline on the canvas based on this feel-up. He paints only with his fingers since "it's impossible for me to understand whether there's paint on the brush" and waits for each color to dry
completely to avoid unwanted blending. Renowned for his ability to paint perspective (something previously thought to be impossible in a blind artist) his painting of the S60 is something you just have to see for yourself. You'll have to wait until next year to see the real thing, but, let's be honest, the painting is probably more interesting anyway. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Largest Ever Milky Way Panorama Constructed from 800,000 Snapshots By Jeremy Hsu (Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now)
taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope during a five-year period. Pixel junkies can salivate at the thought of 2.5 billion pixels that help make the image Submitted at 12/4/2009 11:45:08 AM pop. A Chicago planetarium unveiled Spitzer's infrared views covered the 120-feet-long picture of our about half the entire Milky Way home galaxy this week in this particular view. For Size doesn't always matter when stargazers, that translates into an it comes to NASA's pretty area of sky as wide as a pointer pictures, but it may certainly finger and as long as the length make an impression upon visitors of arms wide open. at the Adler Planetarium in People who can't get enough of Chicago. The planetarium has galactic scenery can check out revealed a gigantic Milky Way Spitzer's earlier collaborative panorama that stretches 120 feet work with the Hubble Space long and 3 feet wide at the sides. Telescope and Chandra X-Ray The center of the picture bulges Observatory, which provides a o u t t o 6 f e e t w i d e t o three-way view of the Milky accommodate the center of the Way center. galaxy. [via SPACE.com] Scientists constructed the mosaic from 800,000 individual images
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Hearst Preps Skiff Digital Reader Service (AdWeek) (Yahoo! News Search Results for e-readers)
sell ads on e-reader versions of their magazines. “Skiff’s goal is to connect Submitted at 12/4/2009 9:37:20 AM publishers and marketers with - Lucia Moses consumers,” Skiff’s president, Marking the latest effort by print Gilbert Fuchsberg, said in a media to enter the era of e- statement. “We will accomplish readers, Hearst Corp. plans in this by delivering engaging 2010 to launch a service and r e a d i n g e x p e r i e n c e s t h a t online store that will deliver consumers will value and a newspapers and magazines on business model that respects various digital devices. publishers’ needs.” Hearst, publisher of newspapers “Skiff will offer publishers a way and magazines including the San to participate across the full value F r a n c i s c o C h r o n i c l e a n d chain, from shaping publication Cosmopolitan, has dubbed the design to selling advertising to service Skiff. The offering would m a i n t a i n i n g s u b s c r i b e r provide a way for publishers to relationships, so that they can distribute their content via a better control their destiny as egrowing number of digital reading expands,” said Kenneth r e a d i n g d e v i c e s w h i l e Bronfin, president, Hearst maintaining control of their I n t e r a c t i v e M e d i a . relationship with advertisers and Skiff is working with Sprint to subscribers. provide connectivity to dedicated Publishers have worried that Skiff e-readers. These e-readers devices like Amazon’s Kindle, would be sold in Sprint’s stores which has dominated the e-reader and on its Web site, with more industry, will end up controlling distribution channels to be added the subscriber relationship and in 2010, according to Skiff. undercut publishers’ ability to The service also said it is
working with publishers, advertisers, agencies -- which weren’t named -- as well as Nielsen and comScore to set standards for advertising on ereaders and analyze its effectiveness. Adweek is a unit of the Nielsen Co. It was unclear if Skiff would be working with a Time Inc.-led consortium of major publishers to create a digital storefront for magazines’ e-reader versions. The consortium, whose announcement is believed to be imminent, is said to include Hearst, Conde Nast and Meredith in addition to Time. See also: "E-readers: Will They Save the Publishing Industry?" "Digital Hot List 2009" "B&N's Nook to Take On Kindle" Nielsen Business Media This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
2010 World Cup to be Telecast in 3-D By Brett Zarda (Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now) Submitted at 12/4/2009 12:27:13 PM
While FIFA made the unfortunate call yesterday to pass on TV replay capability for the upcoming World Cup, there will still be new broadcast technology unveiled this summer in South Africa. According to FIFA, up to 25 games from the competition will be filmed using Sony 3-D technology. There are no specific plans for broadcasting the 3-D games live, but it remains a possibility. And a compilation of footage will be turned into a feature-length film after the World Cup.
The announcement is the highest -profile appearance yet in what's been a steady trend towards 3-D technology for sports. From the live rugby battle between England and Scotland, to the NBA all-star game we reported on last year, to the announcement from SkyTV in England that it will launch a dedicated 3-D channel, get used to wearing goofy glasses (though some versions of the tech, sadly, won't require spectacles). So let us get this right: with thousands of hooligans gathered in South Africa, FIFA might now have 3-D footage of the next Ireland/France-Thierry Henryhandball-controversy, but will only use it for its highlight reel? Brilliant.
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Americans Split on Whether Goals in Afghanistan Will Be Met (All Gallup Headlines) Submitted at 12/3/2009 8:00:00 PM
PRINCETON, NJ -- The unveiling of President Obama's new military strategy for Afghanistan has not left Americans overly confident that it will succeed -- 48% say the U.S. is certain or likely to achieve its goals in the war, while 45% say the U.S. is unlikely to do so or is certain not to achieve its aims. These results are based on a onenight reaction poll of 1,000 Americans conducted Dec. 2, the night after Obama's nationally televised address to unveil the new war strategy. The poll found Americans more likely to favor (51%) than oppose (40%) the new strategy. There are a significant number of doubters even among those who support the new war policy. Among this group, 61% believe the U.S. is likely to achieve its goals, but 35% are pessimistic. Likewise, though the majority of the new policy's opponents do not expect the U.S. to achieve its goals in Afghanistan, that is far from a unanimous position. There are modest differences in expectations for success by party, with 56% of Republicans, 47% of independents, and 45% of Democrats believing the U.S. will achieve its goals. Cost and Security Concerns
Some opponents of escalating the United States' involvement in Afghanistan are questioning the increasing costs to the U.S. of the war effort. And many Americans share this concern, at least to some degree. The poll finds 73% saying they are worried about the war's costs making it more difficult for the U.S. to address domestic problems, including 32% who are very worried. "Even if a substantial proportion of Americans doubt the United States' ability to succeed in Afghanistan or express concern about possible outcomes of the new war policy, the public generally does not second-guess
United States' ability to address domestic problems, while rankand-file Republicans are more concerned that withdrawing troops could affect U.S. security from terrorism. Even if a substantial proportion of Americans doubt the United States' ability to succeed in Afghanistan or express concern about possible outcomes of the new war policy, the public generally does not second-guess the initial decision to enter the war. The poll finds 62% saying that, looking back, sending troops to Afghanistan was the right thing to do, while 32% say it was the wrong thing. This is similar to what Gallup has found on its primary "mistake" trend question that measures support the initial decision to enter the s h o w s t h a t A m e r i c a n s for the war. war." overwhelmingly oppose a war Sign up for Gallup e-mail alerts or RSS feeds Some Democratic members of surtax, by 68% to 24%. Congress have called for a new While much of the Democratic Get Gallup news on Facebook income tax to help fund the criticism of the new Afghanistan and Twitter increased cost of U.S. military policy has centered on cost, Survey Methods o p e r a t i o n s i n A f g h a n i s t a n Republicans have expressed Results are based on telephone brought about by the decision to concern about setting a timetable interviews with 1,005 national send an additional 30,000 service for withdrawal. The poll finds adults, aged 18 and older, men and women there. However, 55% of Americans saying they conducted Dec. 2, 2009. For t h e t o p t w o D e m o c r a t s i n are concerned that withdrawing results based on the total sample Congress, Speaker of the House troops from Afghanistan would of national adults, one can say N a n c y P e l o s i a n d H o u s e make the U.S. more vulnerable to with 95% confidence that the Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, terrorist attacks, including 19% maximum margin of sampling error is Âą4 percentage points. have come out in opposition to who are very concerned. such a tax, making its passage In line with the concerns of their Interviews are conducted with highly unlikely. It would appear party leaders, rank-and-file r e s p o n d e n t s o n l a n d - l i n e Pelosi and Hoyer are in tune with Democrats are more concerned AMERICANS page 91 American public opinion; the poll about the war's costs limiting the
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telephones and cellular phones. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls. Polls conducted entirely in one day, such as this one, are subject
to additional error or bias not found in polls conducted over several days. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Robot Bartender Pours Your Drink Based on Your Tetris Skill By Jeremy Hsu (Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now) Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:16:33 PM
An engineer showcases interactive drink-mixing video games for the upcoming Roboexotica event Robots, alcohol and video games make one tantalizing combination to put on distantfuture Christmas lists. Now geek boozers are in luck: the one-man Nonpolynomial Labs has developed interactive versions of Mario and Tetris that incorporate a robotic bartender to mix up drinks during real-time play. The interactive games come courtesy of Kyle Machulis, a self -described "mild-mannered engineer" who tackles some decidedly unorthodox garage projects that have included a "Moaning Lisa" sensor-feedback mannequin and a "LifeCycle" that uses an exercise bike to drive
virtual vehicles in Second Life. He created "Adult Mario" and "Bartris" to showcase in the upcoming Roboexotica event held in Vienna, Austria, where robots display their cocktail mixing skills. "Adult Mario" looks like a typical game of Mario Bros., except with a few interactive twists. Jumping on an enemy causes players to receive a small bit of rum in their cup. Grabbing coins adds a small squirt of Coke to the mix. Reaching the endlevel flagpole triggers a shaking motion for as long as Mario slides down the pole, and adds an additional kick of rum during that time for good measure. There are also less "adult" interactive elements, such as fans blowing into players' faces when they run Mario faster through the game. Related Articles A Stricter Robot Bartender Drink-Slinging Droid Meet the Robo Wine Snob Tags Technology, Jeremy Hsu,
adult mario, alcohol, bartenders, bartris, cocktails, drinks, mario, mixers, nonpolynomial labs, roboexotica, robots, rum and coke, Tetris, VIDEO GAMES"Bartris" plays like a normal game of Tetris with falling puzzle blocks, except that brown pieces represent Coke, gray pieces represent rum, and blue pieces represent water. The robotic bartender mixes accordingly. "So you actually have the chance of making a drink that absolutely sucks," Machulis says in a video. We also like the different "Bartris" modes, which include "Booze mode" (no water pieces dropped) and "Designated Driver mode" (only water pieces drop). And if you make a drink that's too stiff or too watery for your tastes, you only have yourself to blame -- not like playing with that straitlaced SOBEaR robot. [ Nonpolynomial Labs Roboexotica via Kotaku]
Great Moments in Science: the World's Tiniest Snowman By Jeremy Hsu (Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now)
also has a platinum nose deposited by said ion beam, which probably beats a silly carrot any day. By comparison, the tiniest Submitted at 12/4/2009 10:15:16 AM snowflakes might reach a size of Physicists use their nano-skills 1 m i l l i m e t e r , o r 1 , 0 0 0 for the greater good, by creating micrometers. So building the a tiny bit of holiday cheer snowman by conventional What do tiny smiling snowmen b a c k y a r d m e a n s w a s o u t . mean for science? Not much; Instead, a system capable of these physicists just decided to n a n o - m a n i p u l a t i o n h e l p e d show off their ability to make r e s e a r c h e r s a s s e m b l e t h e really small things. snowman "by hand." Platinum This little guy measures just 10 deposition helped weld all the micrometers across, or just 1/5th parts together. the width of a human hair. This hardly represents the Scientists at the National Physics craziest science taking place on a Laboratory in the UK built the small scale. Harvard University snowman body from two tin has used programmed DNA to beads, and milled the eyes and create little gears, tubes and smile in the top bead using a GREAT page 92 focused ion beam. The snowman
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My Dangerous DIY Projects In Poster Form By Bill Gurstelle (Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now) Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:40:16 PM
As the weather turned gray this fall, I decided that my workshop needed a bit of color and excitement. What it really needed was a colorful poster or two to liven things up. Because it was such a visible part of my workspace, I really wanted a wall poster that truly reflected what I was interested in.
Now personally, I like big, edgy, and highly kinetic science; where things go whoosh, boom, or splat. But I also wanted something that reflected the DIY part of me, the part that enjoys making interesting things. Why not combine the two? So, a new product was born: Poster-Projects. People get genuinely excited about them! While the meek and mild might find them a bit edgy, the projects they describe are actually quite safe. Moreover, they work in an inspirational sense for those who
Poster Projects are a collection of big, full-color posters based on my books. The first two are ready:"How to Build a Flamethrower" and "How to Build a Potato Cannon". A couple more will be released soon. I'm open to ideas for future posters--anyone have one? Drop a comment below! [ Poster Projects] buy the posters, not to build the projects, but to have something unique and interesting on the wall.
This Week in the Future, November 30-December 4, 2009 By <a href="http://www.baarba rian.com" target="_blank"&gt ; Baarbarian </a> (Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now) Submitted at 12/4/2009 1:31:16 PM
Leave a comment to win a TWITF t-shirt! Pork grown in a lab, butterflies hatched in space, male fish going girly and a brand new rainbow trap? The future sure keeps us on our toes. (Get the details, and win the tshirt, after the jump). We don't exaggerate, people.
Check out this week's future news: • Dutch Scientists Grow Pork Meat in a Lab • Butterflies Hatch in Space for the First Time • Something in the Water is
out next? Whatever it is, you know you'll see it first here on PopSci.com. In the meantime, wanna win a tshirt? Leave a comment (any comment) to put your name in the pile; we'll randomly choose and announce our winner right here next Friday, December 11. And, if you just can't wait that long, you can buy the shirt for yourself here. Good Luck! Feminizing Male Fish Congratulations to last week's • And watch out Care Bears, winner, PopSci user "yash." there are layoffs a-brewing: Until next time. Enjoy our past Scientists Create First Ever Trap weekly illustrated roundups here. for Rainbows What is the future going to roll
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wireframe balls. Columbia University also created selfassembling nanogears for those future hordes of tiny robots. Still, the miniature snowman might put a smile on your face despite its apparent lack of scientific value. Just don't accidentally step on him, or else Jack Frost might pay a visit with his sharp icicle knives. [ National Physical Laboratory via The Register]