Liberty Newsprint Nov-30-09 by Liberty Newspost

E-reader Newspaper

29/11/09 - 30/11/09

http://www.LibertyNewsprint.com

The First Draft: Talk shows help drive Palin’s popularity By David Morgan (Front Row Washington) Submitted at 11/30/2009 6:22:12 AM

If Sarah Palin were elected president of the United States, would conservative talk show hosts Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck wind up in her cabinet? That’s a toughie. But Palin already tops the list of Republican Party favorites and that fact is due in part to her popularity with Limbaugh’s and Beck’s audiences, according to a Washington Post poll. Seventeen percent of Republicans, including 23 percent of Republican women, say they would vote for Palin if their party’s 2012 state primary election or caucus were held today. She out-guns Mike Huckabee who got 10 percent of the vote, Mitt Romney at 9 percent and John McCain with only 7.

There are plenty of reasons not to see the numbers as a sign of things to come. The primaries are more than two years off. The poll happens to coincide with a major Palin publicity tour to promote her new book, “Going Rogue: An American Life.” Oh, and 40 percent of the people surveyed

they’d vote ‘Palin’ in their state primary or caucus. So would one -third of those who tune in regularly to Beck’s radio and television programs. There’s this, too. While 46 percent of Republicans overall think Palin has had a good effect on the party, the numbers jump to 80 percent for Limbaugh listeners and 70 percent among Beck’s audiences. Another toughie: which talk show host might expect to get the best job in a Palin administration? Judging by the Post’s findings, the answer could be Beck. are undecided about who they Eighteen percent of Republicans want as the next Republican tune in regularly to his program nominee. vs. 12 percent for Limbaugh. But the Post said Palin polls Click here for more Reuters particularly well with talk show political coverage audiences that include some of Photo Credits: Reuters/Rebecca the most loyal Republican voters. Cook (Palin); Reuters/Jim Bourg Forty-five percent of regular (White House) Limbaugh radio listeners say

'Twitter' top word of 2009 By Don Reisinger (Webware.com)

Twitter is at it again. This time, top spot of the world's most the term "twitter" has taken the popular English word.

ADVERTISEMENT: (BloggingStocks) Submitted at 11/30/2009 10:40:00 AM

A slightly unfortunate Twitter billboard By Chris Matyszczyk (Webware.com) Submitted at 11/29/2009 5:54:00 PM

A Twitter billboard for a TV station in Mobile, Ala., manages to marry an image of its three news anchors with the tweet: "3 accused of gang rape in Monroeville." Originally posted at Technically Incorrect

Top News/ Finance/ Tech/

E-reader Newspaper

Chelsea Clinton is engaged - for real Income trio: Neil George's 'fabulous finds' By Andrew Quinn (Front Row Washington) Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:50:16 AM

This time, it seems, it is for real. Chelsea Clinton, the only child of former President Bill Clinton and current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has announced her engagement to long-time beau Marc Mezvinsky. The pair delivered the happy news by a mass email sent out on Friday, a copy of which was provided by a spokesperson at the former president’s charitable foundation. “We’re sorry for the mass email but we wanted to wish everyone a belated Happy Thanksgiving! We also wanted to share that we are engaged! We didn’t get married this past summer despite the stories to the contrary, but we are looking toward next summer

and hope you all will be there to celebrate with us. Happy Holidays! Chelsea & Marc,” the email said. There were widespread — and as it turns out false — reports over the summer that the pair planned to get married at the resort island of Martha’s Vineyard in August. There was no further detail on what the final wedding plan might be. Despite repeated denials by Clinton staffers of impending nuptials this past summer, the rumor mill cranked into high gear when it became known that

President Barack Obama was going to vacation on Martha’s Vineyard. The rumors had the Obama family attending the wedding that didn’t happen. Now that it’s real, wonder whether the former first family will invite the current first family to the event. Clinton, 29, keeps a low profile and works at a New York-based hedge fund. Mezvinsky is an investment banker. Click here for more Reuters political coverage Photo credit: REUTERS/Chip Evans (former U.S. President Bill Clinton, daughter Chelsea and her boyfriend Marc Mezvinsky attend meeting at Clinton Global Initiative in September)

By Steven Halpern (BloggingStocks) Submitted at 11/30/2009 12:00:00 PM

Filed under: Newsletters, Stocks to Buy "A few stocks have really grabbed my attention; they have core assets that generate lots of cash, and serve their investors a good cut of the profits with regular streams of big dividends," says income specialist Neil George. In his Stocks That Pay You, the advisor reviews three income issues that he calls, "fabulous finds."

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ANF, BIDU, DE, FCX, HBC, SWY, USB ... By Eric Buscemi (BloggingStocks)

Fitch ( ANF) to reflect strong channel checks over the Black Friday weekend. The firm raised Submitted at 11/30/2009 11:20:00 AM its target on shares to $46 from Filed under: Analyst reports, $39. A n a l y s t u p g r a d e s a n d • Morgan Stanley upgraded downgrades, Abercrombie and S a f e w a y ( S W Y ) , c i t i n g Fitch (ANF), Analyst initiations, i m p r o v e m e n t s i n p r i c i n g . Deere and Co (DE) • Baird upgraded US Bancorp ( Analyst upgrades: USB) based on valuation. The firm raised its target price to $29 • FBR upgraded Abercrombie & from $25.

• HSBC Holdings ( HBC) was upgraded to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill. • Genzyme ( GENZ) was upgraded to buy from hold at Citigroup. • Deere ( DE) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo. Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and

initiations: ANF, BIDU, DE, FCX, HBC, SWY, USB ... Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ANF, BIDU, DE, FCX, HBC, SWY, USB ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments

He explains, "I'll start with a company, Compass Diversified Holdings ( CODI), that as its name implies -- holds stuff. Specifically, it holds ownership in small set of operating companies in varied but basically solid businesses. Continue reading Income trio: Neil George's 'fabulous finds' Income trio: Neil George's 'fabulous finds' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments

Location start-up SimpleGeo maps out funding By Caroline McCarthy (Webware.com) Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:39:00 AM

CNET News learns that the Series A round, which closed late last week, was led by First Round Capital and includes contributions from prominent Valley angel investors. Originally posted at The Social

World/ Tech/

E-reader Newspaper

UK to send 500 more Afghan troops By Hélène Mulholland (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk) Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:41:40 AM

Gordon Brown announces extra 500 soldiers to be deployed next month Gordon Brown announced today that Britain's total military effort in Afghanistan is to increase to over 10,000 troops. In a detailed Commons statement, the prime minister confirmed that all the conditions had been met to allow an extra 500 troops to be deployed in December – taking the force level to 9,500. But he also disclosed that when special forces were included, the "total military effort" in Afghanistan would be in excess of 10,000 troops. The statement comes a day before Barack Obama, after months of deliberation, is expected to announce that he will send up to 35,000 more US forces. The prime minister told MPs that the extra troops would be deployed to "thicken" the troops until January, at which stage they would transition to a "partnering role" with Afghan soldiers. The move is part of a wider deal

with Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, to send additional Afghan troops to Helmand in 2010 and train more recruits. The commitment from Karzai was one of the three conditions Brown had set for the additional deployment of British troops, together with pledges of additional personnel by other countries, to bear their share alongside Britain and the US. Brown told MPs that the secretary general of Nato had assured him that eight other countries had already made offers of additional troops and "other countries are likely to follow". The remaining condition – equipment requirements for the reinforcements – had also been met, he said. He stressed that no timetable was being set for scaling back the UK force; this would happen only when Afghans were able to provide their own security. He told MPs that the "military surge" would be complemented by a "political surge" with more Afghan police, a police reform plan and more effective and accountable local administration in Afghanistan. The government would be "failing in our duty" if it did not work with coalition partners to

counter the threat posed by the Taliban and al-Qaida, and help ensure a "safer Britain". "For a safer Britain, we need a safer Afghanistan", Brown said. The prime minister issued the statement after chairing a meeting of the national security, international relations and development committee in London today to assess the three conditions. He said over the weekend that an international conference would be held in London on 28 January to secure agreements from Karzai for the training of 50,000 new troops, a beefed-up police force and action to tackle corruption. The conference is designed to prepare the way for the gradual handover of provinces to Afghan control – at least five by the end of next year – which could lead to British forces being brought home. The prime minister will hold a final video conference with the US president before Obama delivers his address at the West Point military academy. Earlier today the defence secretary, Bob Ainsworth, confirmed the necessary equipment was in place. The chief of defence staff, Sir Jock Stirrup, who accompanied

Ainsworth as he met soldiers from the First Battalion of the Duke of Lancaster Regiment at the training facility, said: "The force level increase of 500 represents between 10 and 15% increase in terms of the boots on the ground patrolling in Helmand. "In terms of the equipment increase, since August this year it has risen between 33% and almost 100%, so the level of equipment has gone up far more than the level of forces will be going up." Ainsworth said he hoped Obama would announce a "significant increase" in troop numbers, saying: "It will give them [the troops] the kind of density they need to really take on the insurgents at the kind of speed that we want them to in order to make progress, and to bring on the Afghan national army themselves. "Because the whole idea is not that we take over in any permanent way the security of Afghanistan, but that we grow the capability of the Afghan national army and the police force so that they can protect their own country and to do that in as short a timescale as is reasonably possible."

Latest Firefox beta offers file-handling feature By Stephen Shankland (Webware.com)

The File interface, a draft standard, is designed to give browsers better uploads. Firefox

3.6 beta 4 supports the technology. Originally posted at Deep Tech

One of the main themes of Obama's statement is expected to be the Anglo-US frustration at Pakistan's failure to capture Osama bin Laden and his alQaida deputy Ayman alZawahiri. Britain has been encouraged by the actions of the Pakistan army in confronting al-Qaida and the Taliban in South Waziristan, where Islamabad has sent 30,000 troops, and in the North West Frontier province. But officials believe more needs to be done to confront Pakistani state agencies such as the InterServices Intelligence (ISI) agency. The ISI encouraged the Taliban and Kashmiri extremist groups in the 1990s. • Military • Afghanistan • Pakistan • Al-Qaida • Osama bin Laden • Foreign policy • Gordon Brown • Bob Ainsworth • Defence policy Hélène Mulholland guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds

World/ Gadgets/ Tech/

E-reader Newspaper

US police held siege at empty house By Sam Jones (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk) Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:17:56 AM

Officers had thought suspect in shooting of four police at cafe was lying dead inside residence they surrounded Detectives surrounding a house in Seattle where they believed the wounded killer of four police was hiding have gone inside to find it empty. The four officers were shot dead yesterday in a suburban US coffee shop. Police had earlier said they thought Maurice Clemmons, 37, was dead inside the house from gunshot wounds. Teams searching for Clemmons, a convicted criminal, swooped on the house early this morning and negotiators spent hours trying to persuade him to give himself up. Witnesses heard explosions, shots and glass breaking as police urged Clemmons to come out. A police robot was deployed to flush him out. When officers finally went in, he wasn't there. Ed Troyer, a spokesman for the Pierce county sheriff, said police

did not know where Clemmons was and he may still be somewhere in the neighbourhood. "If he didn't get a ride out of there, he could still be in the area," Troyer said. Earlier, Troyer had said: "We have determined that in fact he has been shot. He may be deceased from his gunshot wound." Troyer said his officers had spoken to witnesses at the cafe in Parkland, south of Seattle, who confirmed Clemmons was hit in an exchange of fire with one of his four victims. "We don't know if he's still alive," he told CBS. "If he isn't, it's because he succumbed to the wound he received yesterday when he was in the struggle with the police officer that managed to get a shot fired at him before he was killed." The officers – three men and a woman, all from the local police force in Lakewood, Washington state – had been preparing paperwork for their morning duties and working on laptops at the Forza cafe when they were attacked.

Police negotiators tried to persuade Clemmons to come out of the house, which is about 30 miles from the original crime scene. Using a loudspeaker, one negotiator said: "Mr Clemmons, I'd like to get you out of there safely. I can tell you this, we are not going away." Several loud bangs were heard before the negotiator resumed speaking. He added: "This is one of the toughest decisions you'll make in your life, but you need to man up." It has emerged that Clemmons had a long prison sentence commuted by the former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. Clemmons has an extensive criminal record and was recently charged for third-degree assault on a police officer and seconddegree rape of a child. In 1989 Clemmons, then 17, was convicted for aggravated robbery. He was paroled in 2000 after Huckabee, then governor of Arkansas and now a Fox News presenter, commuted his 95-year prison sentence. Huckabee, who was criticised

during his run for the presidential nomination in 2008 for the number of clemencies he granted, cited Clemmons's age at the time of the sentence. After his release Clemmons broke his parole and was returned to prison in July 2001. He was released on 18 March 2004, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper. The four dead officers have been named as Mark Renninger, 39; Ronald Owens, 37; Tina Griswold, 40; and Greg Richards, 42. Ed Troyer said the attack was clearly targeted at the officers and was not a robbery that had gone wrong. "This was more of an execution," he said. "Walk in with the specific mindset to shoot police officers." • United States Sam Jones guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds

The browser battles go on and on (CNET News.com) Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:32:00 AM

Report offensive content: If you believe this comment is offensive or violates the CNET's Site Terms of Use, you can report it below (this will not automatically remove the comment). Once reported, our staff will be notified and the comment will be reviewed. Select type of offense: Offensive: Sexually explicit or offensive language Spam: Advertisements or commercial links Disruptive posting: Flaming or offending other users Illegal activities: Promote cracked software, or other illegal content Comments(optional): Report Cancel This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

INFLU: The Flu Collector™ [Health] By John Herrman (Gizmodo)

The INFLU is like any of the others masks the paranoid public is wearing to combat H1N1, Swine flu: do you have it yet? except that it's not for total No? Well why not? You need to pussies: get yourself an INFLU mask, Plan your sickness, develop stat. antibodies for the flu and strengthen your immune system Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:11:49 AM

the natural way. The INFLU flu collector mask increases the prospect of getting the Swine flu (H1N1) as well as the regular seasonal flu with several hundred percent. Your planned immunity comes

by way of a battery-powered fan, which "increases the intake of viruses in ambient air through the respiratory system." There is no flaw with this: the plan, or the joke. [ INFLU via Nerdcore via Neatorama]

World/ Gadgets/ Tech/

E-reader Newspaper

Adonis pushes for cheaper, faster east coast railway service By Dan Milmo (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)

acceptable to have trains running on the line half-full. I want to see rail become more competitive with both aviation and motoring. Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:07:02 AM Our stewardship of the east coast Thousands of seats are left main line is an opportunity to do unsold every day on one of that," he said. Britain's flagship routes Adonis has ordered a review of The government is considering ticket prices and expects to slash cutting rail fares between London fares as well as simplifying the and Edinburgh after discovering swath of ticket types on offer. that thousands of seats are left "There is an issue about the level unsold every day on one of of fares and the simplicity of the Britain's flagship routes. fares structure. The company will The transport secretary, Lord be looking at fare levels and Adonis, is also exploring cutting whether the structure can be the journey time to less than four simplified to make rail travel hours between the capital cities more attractive," he said. on the state-owned East Coast The Department for Transport service after warning that running (DfT) has been impressed by the half-empty trains on the line is streamlined fares offered by "not acceptable". Thousands of Grand Central, which operates seats are left unsold each day, between London and York. with first-class carriages on East Dented by the recession, East Coast trains less than a third full Coast is suffering a bookings on average, while standard-class drought during late mornings and carriages are less than two-thirds afternoons amid cut-throat full. competition from airlines. "I simply don't think it is For example, a standard-class

return fare between London and Edinburgh next weekend is £163.55 on East Coast but easyJet offers the same trip for £95.98. The DfT could make a start on fare cuts by unwinding fare increases planned for the new year that were proposed by National Express, which pulled out of operating the east coast line last month. The cuts have been accepted by the East Coast management. The transport secretary has made the elimination of domestic air travel an explicit target of his high-speed rail policy, which hopes to see short-haul flights replaced by a new 250mph highspeed rail network. However, the ultra-fast service is not expected to launch until 2020 at the earliest and in the meantime, any low-carbon competition with airlines must be provided by conventional rail. In an interview with the Guardian, Adonis said East Coast

could launch a faster peak-time service between London and Edinburgh in the mornings and evenings, reducing the four and a half hour journey by cutting the number of stops. "A service for business travellers which is under four hours long could make the east coast line more competitive with the plane," said Adonis. East Coast is also considering offering free meals to first-class passengers following the success of a similar service on the west coast line run by Virgin Trains. • Rail transport • Transport policy • Travel & leisure • Transport • Rail travel • Privatisation Dan Milmo guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds

Suing For Patent Infringement No Replacement For Actually Building A Real Business By Mike Masnick (Techdirt) Submitted at 11/30/2009 3:57:00 AM

TiVo has been spending a lot of effort suing others for patent infringement, but apparently not very much on actually improving their own services and giving customers a reason to buy them over the competition. So while it may be winning some of its patent lawsuits, it hasn't helped much for the business, which is rapidly bleeding customers and losing marketshare. TiVo basically created this market and owned it for years -- but then got complacent. Now, since it can't compete, it's gone to a litigation strategy. Perhaps it should have focused more on providing value and competing rather than suing. Permalink| Comments| Email This Story

LG's pico projector-packing WinMo eXpo outed for AT&T By Laura June (Engadget)

touchscreen, a 5 megapixel camera, a microSD slot, and of Submitted at 11/30/2009 11:39:00 AM course that removable Texas Hey -- what's that? Oh right, it's Instruments projector. The justthe LG eXpo, the slider with a announced handset bears quite a pico projector jammed inside. s t r o n g r e s e m b l a n c e t o t h e Among other things, the full Monaco we heard about way QWERTY slider's packing a back in May -- though from the 1 G H z C P U , a 3 . 2 - i n c h looks of it, its lost all of the

The eXpo runs Windows Mobile 6.5, and it will hit AT&T on December 7th for $199 after a mail in rebate with a two year contract -- plus an additional $179 should you choose to opt in on that projector. brassiness we were so fond of. Continue reading LG's pico projector-packing WinMo eXpo

outed for AT&T LG's pico projector-packing WinMo eXpo outed for AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| | Email this| Comments

World/ Gadgets/ Politics/

E-reader Newspaper

Ian Tomlinson's family claim senior officer misled G20 death inquiry By Paul Lewis (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)

prosecute the officer for manslaughter. The IPCCtoday confirmed it had received a new complaint from Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:03:01 AM Tomlinson's family, who believe Relatives say Met officer's claim possible attempts to cover up that newspaper seller fell to the police involvement in the death g r o u n d b e f o r e a n y p o l i c e have not yet been investigated. i n v o l v e m e n t w a s n e v e r The complaint alleges that a scrutinised senior Met officer "misled" The family of Ian Tomlinson, investigators by suggesting the man who died at the G20 Tomlinson, 47, fell to the ground protests, todayannounced they minutes before the police attack have uncovered evidence that a – which was captured on video – senior Scotland Yard officer tried took place. The senior officer's to mislead investigators over the claim, which had an impact on death. the investigation, does not appear Tomlinson, a newspaper seller, to have been supported by any collapsed and died during the evidence. protests in April, moments after a His intervention has been Metropolitan police officer struck interpreted by Tomlinson's him with a baton and pushed him family as a failed attempt to to the ground. direct investigators away from A n i n v e s t i g a t i o n b y t h e the conclusion that the Met Independent Police Complaints officer was involved in the paper Commission (IPCC) has been seller's death. completed and a file passed to the "We feel that there has been a Crown Prosecution Service, cover-up from the start," said which is considering whether to Paul King, Ian Tomlinson's son.

"The first statement from the police was that they were trying to save Ian's life while protesters were throwing missiles at them. Then the police liaison officer told us Ian died of natural causes. "After the video came out, the City of London Police investigator told us that it may have been a protester in disguise who assaulted Ian. Now it has come to light that a senior officer in the Metropolitan police has given the investigation misleading information. We are asking the IPCC for a full report on what looks like a cover-up." In addition to the now completed criminal investigation into Tomlinson's death, the IPCC is also conducting an inquiry into complaints City of London police and the Met deliberately misled the public over the death. The latest complaint could broaden the scope of that inquiry, which has mainly focused on City of London police, which investigated the death for six

days. The IPCC took over the investigation only after the Guardian released a video showing the attack. An IPCC spokesperson said: "We have received a complaint today." The Tomlinson family have become more vocal about their concerns about a suspected cover -up in recent weeks. Today , they will speak at a vigil in Tomlinson's memory. It will be held at 6pm near the Bank of England, close to the spot where he was attacked on his way home from work. • Ian Tomlinson • G20 • Police • Protest • Activism Paul Lewis guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds

Black Friday Becomes Cyber Monday (Little Green Footballs) Submitted at 11/29/2009 2:56:03 PM

If the urge to shop hasn’t been beaten out of you by the Black Friday stampedes, Amazon is still offering incredible discounts on popular items for their Cyber Monday Deals. Check out the Cyber Monday Electronics page in particular for discounts of up to 70% (or more) on the latest gadgetry. (Note: if you click through to Amazon from one of our links, LGF gets a small percentage in referral fees on all qualifying revenue.) UPDATE at 11/29/09 5:55:10 pm: And don’t miss these great deals on Swiss Army Knives.

A Stoplight for the Progress Bar Generation [Image Cache] By John Herrman (Gizmodo) Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:26:51 AM

Progress bars aren't always accurate, but at least they're there, giving us hope, curing our angst, and mostly, diverting our attention from the fact that whatever it is, it isn't done. And

soon, they will invade the meatspace. We already crane our necks to see the perpendicular streets' lights cycles through, so the Eko stoplight concept, intended to let drivers know if it's ok to shut off your car to save gas at a light, But it would set a precedent, a won't really change a whole lot.

standard, and a model for everything else: I want progress bars on my toaster, my pizza deliveries, my teapots, my dryer. No, scratch that: I need them. And if you think about it, our innate desire to see the bar creep forward (or around, as it were) runs deeper than our slow

entanglement with computers. I mean, what is a line if not a progress bar made of people? What about a sliced loaf of bread? A growing child? And oh god, clocks. This is too much for a Monday. [ Yanko via Ubergizmo]

World/ Finance/ Tech News/

E-reader Newspaper

Scottish bill threatens pregnant seals | Nine (and then some) Terry Nutkins retail stocks to watch this holiday season By Terry Nutkins (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)

kill them simply because they are behaving naturally. We must share and manage the seas in a responsible way to create a Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:39:09 AM sustainable relationship for A new marine bill allows for the humans as well as marine life. shooting of seals during breeding A new Scottish marine bill is season. This callous policy would being produced – shockingly, the damage Scotland's reputation new law may allow seals to be I have spent all my life living shot during their breeding close to the sea. I am extremely s e a s o n s . W h e n a h e a v i l y lucky to be able to see seals and pregnant seal is killed, her many other marine mammals on u n b o r n p u p w i l l a l s o d i e . a regular basis. Dependent pups may take days or Seals are fascinating creatures – even weeks to starve to death if beautiful and intelligent. Here in they lose their mother to a bullet. the UK we are privileged to have This would be a truly inhumane i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y i m p o r t a n t and callous way to treat any populations of both grey and animal. I have written to the harbour seals. About 90% of S c o t t i s h p a r l i a m e n t ' s these seals are in Scottish waters, environment and rural affairs so their fate is determined by committee asking it to amend the laws made by their guardians, the current draft bill. Scottish parliament and Scottish I personally do not believe that government. Yet many people the law should allow any seals to are unaware that thousands of be killed. Opinion polls have seals are shot every year around shown that most people have the our coast. They are shot by fish same view. However, if any seals farmers, commercial fishermen are to be killed this must only and anglers. Their crime for their ever be done as a very last resort death sentence? They eat fish. and in the most humane manner. The seas are the natural home of It can never be acceptable to marine animals such as seals. allow these animals to be killed What we human beings have to during their breeding seasons. remember is that the seas belong They must be protected at this to them. We don't have the right time, like many other mammals. to enter their world and brutally This is a crucial week for the

fate of our seals. For the sake of Scotland's reputation as a forward-thinking compassionate country, I hope that the politicians take the ethical choice and prevent baby seals from being orphaned and left to starve to death on our beaches. I agree with what Gandhi said: that the greatness of a nation, and its moral progress, can be measured by the way its animals are treated. Surely these magnificent animals deserve to be treated with compassion and respect. Please help Advocates for Animals's campaign to protect seals at www.onekind.org.uk. The planet has never been more threatened by a self-destructive species known as humankind. If we do not learn now how to live in harmony with all the creatures on it, we will lose them forever. • Marine life • Scotland • Animals • Animal welfare • Scottish politics • Fishing Terry Nutkins guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds

By Tom Johansmeyer (BloggingStocks) Submitted at 11/30/2009 11:00:00 AM

Filed under: Apple Inc (AAPL), eBay (EBAY), Wal-Mart (WMT), Amazon.com (AMZN), Sony Corp ADR (SNE), Best Buy (BBY), Costco Wholesale (COST), Abercrombie and Fitch (ANF) The next month is the one that matters most to the retail sector. It will dominate the conversation when Q4 and full-year financials are reported. A strong Black Friday brought with it concerns that momentum will fade, but opportunity is not dispensed equally. Some retailers will come through the season better than others, and industry experts have already chosen their favorites. Michael Dart, senior partner at Kurt Salmon Associates, says, "We are seeing a paradigm shift

in the way consumer interprets value and what they are looking for." The winners will do more than pitch deep discounts to convince consumers to part with their hard-earned cash. Continue reading Nine (and then some) retail stocks to watch this holiday season Nine (and then some) retail stocks to watch this holiday season originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments

What To Get That Special, Special Ops Someone By Noah Shachtman (Wired Top Stories) Submitted at 11/30/2009 6:14:00 AM

Like all good Americans, the commandos of U.S. Special Operations Command are

looking to spend themselves silly this holiday season. Here’s a sample of what’s on their shopping list, courtesy of the government’s Federal Business Opportunities website.

World/ Finance/ Tech News/ Tech Blog/

E-reader Newspaper

Vultures should be allowed role as 'nature's waste managers', say Spanish researchers By Giles Tremlett (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk) Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:45:59 AM

Mad cow regulations deprived vultures of carcasses to feed off, reversing revival of European populations, say researchers Europe's carrion-guzzling vultures should be allowed to return to their old jobs as nature's waste managers, according to scientists who say the birds are suffering as they increasingly depend on being fed by people. Stringent regulations brought in because of mad cow disease in 2002 meant the carcasses of dead cows, as well as sheep, goats and other livestock, could not be left in the open. Carrion was crucial part of the vultures' diet, but the birds now do much of their feeding at managed carrion centres set up by authorities. The change means a gradual, decades-old revival of vulture populations around Europe is grinding to a halt. Vultures fed by humans find it harder to reproduce and farmers complain some have taken to attacking live

animals. "The effects of this policy include a halt in population growth, a decrease in breeding success, and an apparent increase in mortality of young age classes," a group of Spanish researchers said in a letter to Science magazine. Population growth has flattened out over the past decade after two decades in which vultures, which had been systematically poisoned by farmers, had flourished. The number of griffin vultures in Spain, for example, increased from 3,500 pairs to 18,000 between 1979 and 1999. Last year 20,000 pairs were counted but there is evidence that populations have begun to decline rapidly. One observatory near Segovia, central Spain, reported a 40% drop over five years. Another observatory in La Rioja, northern Spain, reported an 80% drop, and says local vultures have stopped reproducing completely. Spain, which is home to 90% of Europe's griffin, cinereous and bearded vultures, has asked the European Union to relax the ban

on leaving dead livestock where they fall. "For centuries there was no problem in leaving carcasses out," said Juan Antonio Gil, of Spain's Bearded Vulture Foundation. "The vultures cleaned them up." "Now carcasses have to be collected and disposed of centrally, with all that means in terms of costs and the energy used," he said. Rather than spend money on tractors, trucks and diesel fuel, he said, the task could be done for free by vultures. "The most efficient and ecologically friendly way to dispose of carcasses it to let the vultures do the job," he said. • Wildlife • Conservation • Animals • Spain • Animal behaviour

DaveLand. http://dw.posterous.com/how-tofind-all-my-writing Dig we must!

"cheesecake"

Giles Tremlett guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds

How to find all my stuff (Scripting News) Submitted at 11/29/2009 12:15:35 PM

Things are transitioning in

Vistaprint (VPRT) reaffirms Q2 guidance By Brent Archer (BloggingStocks) Submitted at 11/30/2009 12:40:00 PM

Filed under: Major movement, Forecasts, Good news, Options, Technical Analysis Vistaprint ( VPRT- option chain) shares are rising today after the company announced this morning despite terminating a membership program that it still expects Q2 adjusted EPS of 55 to 60 cents on revenue of $167 to $175 million, roughly in line with analysts' forecasts of 59 cents and $175.05 million, respectively. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look

at a bullish hedged trade on VPRT. VPRT opened this morning at $55.15. So far today the stock has hit a low of $54.87 and a high of $56.00. As of 11:55, VPRT is trading at $55.88 up $2.78 (5.2%). The chart for VPRT looks neutral and S&P gives VPRT a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking. Continue reading Vistaprint (VPRT) reaffirms Q2 guidance Vistaprint (VPRT) reaffirms Q2 guidance originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments

Five Commuter iPhone Apps You've Gotta Try By Jason Kambitsis (Wired Top Stories) Submitted at 11/29/2009 9:00:00 PM

The ubiquitous iPhone has more than 100,000 apps that can do everything from tell you the weather in Nome, Alaska to give you headlines from The New York Times to order you a

burrito from Chipotle. Transit types are getting wise to the power of smartphones and offering a growing number of apps that can enhance your commute whether you’re on two wheels, four wheels or public transit.

World/ Finance/ Tech News/

E-reader Newspaper

Barack Obama's road to Copenhagen Can the Tiger Woods ends in Oslo for most of the US situation impact Nike? media | Suzanne Goldenberg By Mark Fightmaster (BloggingStocks)

By Suzanne Goldenberg (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)

was also welcomed - although the timing means the president will not join other world leaders in actually sealing a climate change agreement at the end of Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:11:53 AM the two-week meeting. US press pack will have to make Even so, the White House was do with reporting from Norway, so pleased by the positive as Danish capital runs out of response to the announcement room that it even interrupted the Only the other day Barack Thanksgiving holiday weekend Obama was being applauded for to point reporters to press breaking the deadlock at the reaction. Copenhagen climate change "On climate change, the president summit. The White House d e m o n s t r a t e d A m e r i c a ' s confirmed last week that Obama commitment to global action, would commit to reducing while at the same time convinced A m e r i c a ' s g r e e n h o u s e g a s key countries like China and emissions, and would drop in on India to pledge to take mitigation the meeting on his way to Oslo actions to reduce their carbon where he is to receive the Nobel emissions. This progress is a peace prize. result of the president's recent There was relief around the trip to Asia, and his policy of globe. America's failure to set a global engagement," the release target for reducing emissions had said on Saturday. been seen as the greatest single But all that praise is still not obstacle to reaching a strong enough to guarantee an actual p o l i t i c a l a g r e e m e n t a t hotel room in Copenhagen, the Copenhagen. Obama's stopover White House learned to its in Copenhagen on December 9 chagrin.

The White House travel office said today it could only provide accommodation in Copenhagen for the dozen or so reporters who will be in the presidential press pool. The White House charter flight, carrying the rest of the reporters, will only stop in Oslo for the Nobel ceremony. Everything else was booked up long ago. The US government delegation alone is reported to include some 600 officials. "It's not that we don't want people to be there," a travel office spokeswoman said, "but we've heard that the closest hotel rooms are in Oslo." • Climate change • Nobel peace prize • Barack Obama • United States

Submitted at 11/30/2009 12:20:00 PM

Filed under: Columns, NIKE, Inc'B' (NKE), Business of sports Okay, so everyone is weighing on the Tiger Woods incident over the holiday weekend. As a "business of sports blogger," it's my turn to toss in my two cents. First things first, whatever you think happened early on Friday morning, Tiger has asked for privacy and respect, so I will not participate in the rumormongering taking place across the Internet. What is interesting is that people are forgetting to look at what this could do for his biggest sponsor, Nike ( NKE). Now, I am not saying that any stock trouble that Nike may experience is the fault of the little incident between (or

Barnes & Noble Delays Nook Shipments To Stores

Suzanne Goldenberg guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds

By Alexandria Sage (Wired Top Stories) Submitted at 11/30/2009 5:37:00 AM

Buying a Notebook? Here's What You Need to Know By Christopher Null (Wired Top Stories) Submitted at 11/29/2009 9:00:00 PM

Shelling out cash for the right notebook involves a maze of choices that can be confusing. No need to drop tons of cash —

plenty of great options exist to fit your needs and budget. Wired gives you the tools to make the notebook purchase that's right for

involving) Tiger and Mrs. Tiger, but the company will be performing a bit of damage control, just as Tiger and crew have. Continue reading Can the Tiger Woods situation impact Nike? Can the Tiger Woods situation impact Nike? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments

you.

Barnes & Noble says it will delay shipments of its newly launched Nook electronic reader to stores as the company strives to deliver preordered devices to consumers before the holidays.

Finance/ Gadgets/ Tech News/

Put players target AIG after ILFC bid rumors, price-target cut By Elizabeth Harrow (BloggingStocks) Submitted at 11/30/2009 11:40:00 AM

E-reader Newspaper

Great moments in Twitter: Former UFC star War Machine freaks out at porn party, then taunts the cops via Twitter By Nicholas Deleon (CrunchGear) Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:30:51 AM

You know what’s not smart? Tweeting about being on the lam. Who would do such a thing? If you guessed former UFC fighter turned porn star War Machine you’d be correct. AIG set a deadline of Dec. 3 for War Machine (real name Jon bids on the unit, in hopes of Koppenhaver) starred in a season making a decision by Dec. 15. of The Ultimate Fighter in 2007, Continue reading Put players then went on to have a pretty target AIG after ILFC bid successful professional career of rumors, price-target cut 10 wins and three losses in 13 Put players target AIG after fights. After being kicked out of ILFC bid rumors, price-target cut t h e U F C f o r m a k i n g o r i g i n a l l y a p p e a r e d o n controversial comments (and BloggingStocks on Mon, 30 Nov refusing a proposed fight), he 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see b o u n c e d a r o u n d v a r i o u s our terms for use of feeds. independent mixed martial arts Permalink| Email this| Comments promotions. All of that ended a few weeks ago when he signed on with a pornographic film talent agency. He shot a few scenes (I’m sure you can find them if you look around), and everything seemed to be going well for War By Curtis Silver (Wired Top out to inadvertently ruin the M a c h i n e . B u t , b e i n g W a r Stories) cartoons, video games & toys Machine (read: sorta crazy), you that I grew up with by creating knew it wasn’t going to last. Submitted at 11/30/2009 6:47:00 AM and releasing terrible films. Stop. It didn’t. War Machine attended This is an open letter to Just stop it already. the birthday part of a famous Hollywood movie producers, porn lady at the weekend in Los studios, directors and anyone else Angeles. It went well for a little while, but then he, I don’t know, Filed under: Analyst reports, Deals, Rumors, Private equity, Amer Intl Group (AIG), Options A Financial Times report indicates that American International Group ( AIG) could soon receive an offer on its aircraft leasing unit, known as International Lease Finance Corp. (ILFC). The newspaper claims that a consortium of private equity investors, led by current ILFC CEO Steven Udvar -Hazy, "is close to making a bid for about half of the aviationleasing business." The consortium reportedly includes Onex, Greenbriar and Canada Pension Plan. An offer could be made as early as this week, according to FT's sources.

Hey Hollywood! Stop Ruining Our Childhood Memories!

lost his mind. Here’s an account from the Wrestling Observer: I attended a Bday party for a well known porn chick last night in LA and former UFC fighter and now male porn star War Machine showed up. He was invited and was being normal and cool…Something happened with him and another porn chick (believed to be a girl he’s dating) and all hell broke loose…He snapped (roid rage) and broke one guys’ nose, knocked out another guys’ tooth, and knocked out another guy who had to be taken to the hospital. ..Police and paramedics were called…War

Machine was able to get away before the cops arrived…He has since been taken off of his agents’ site and needless to say his career in porn may be no more. All well and good—and hilarious—but not necessarily relevant to us here. Until War Machine decided to tweet about his night. Fuck…last night was NOT good…lil’ misunderstanding and then WM was back in effect and the bodies hit the floor. I’m fucked…Pretty sure my porn days are over. Prolly be going to jail too…when they find me…haha Can I just say how amazing the phrase “WM was back in effect” is? Yes, I think I can. It’s interesting to note that the most salacious tweet, the one taunting the police to find him, has since been deleted. And then there’s this tweet: I love wasting money on bail…lol Let this be a lesson to y’all: if you freak out at a party, and knock people out left and right, and fully expect to be questioned by the police over your involvement, don’t tweet something like, “I dare you to find me, copper!”

Gadgets/

E-reader Newspaper

Review: The $1200 URC MX-5000 remote By Matt Burns (CrunchGear) Submitted at 11/30/2009 7:32:37 AM

So this is how the other half lives, huh? It must be nice to have a house full of $1200 remotes customized with user profiles and home automation controls. Yes, this remote costs $1200 and that doesn’t include installation and yes, you need it to be installed professionally. This isn’t a Harmony remote that can be set up in 10 minutes. But once it’s installed, holy cow, it’s effen amazing. I would call it the perfect remote, but I had two demo units die on me. Features: • Haptic feedback touchscreen • IR, RF, and Wi-Fi controls • Windows Media Center compatible • Rechargeable battery • MSRP of $1,199.99 Pros: • Amazing build quality • No limits on customization • Touchscreen is perfect in size and function Cons: • It’s $1,200 • Most people cannot program it • I had two units stop working on me Review: The first thing you’ll notice about the MX-3000 is the build quality. It feels like a million bucks. The buttons are smooth and hard with just the right

amount of pressure needed to press them down. The screen is bright, sharp and very high-res. Even the charger screams highend. It’s easily the best-feeling remote I have ever used. But then I tried to set it up. The company offered to pre-program the remote before they sent it to me, but that insulted my inner nerd. I thought, “How hard could it be?” Well, after watching four

online instructional videos from URC and spending about eight hours, I finally got the remote to communicate with my devices. But after that first, huge learning curve, I feel like I can do almost everything with the remote. I’m sure there are some super-macros that I don’t know about, but I managed to program the remote to control three AV systems (one via RF). I feel like all the

CrunchGear writers could program the remote, along with a few of my nerdy friends. However, there is no way that the average Best Buy shopper could. Maybe the average MicroCenter customer. The issue is that the setup program isn’t meant for the general public or the DIY crowd. It involves using IF THEN statements for macros and

manually adding devices’ RF profiles. However, this type of programming allows installers complete control over how the remote controls each system. Anything is possible and installers are not tied down to a wizard. Everything is customizable. You use pre-programmed themes or REVIEW: page 14

Gadgets/

E-reader Newspaper

LG Expo: It's Got a Pico Projector Bolted to the Back, Of Course [Smartphones] By matt buchanan (Gizmodo)

needs while on the go. Available exclusively for AT&T customers, the handset will be compatible Sure, the LG Expo is the first with AT&T's High Speed Packet 1GHz phone in the US, but what A c c e s s ( H S P A ) 7 . 2 M b p s really matters is that it has an technology, which provides a optional pico projector you can considerable speed boost to the slap onto the back with an 8-foot nation's fastest 3G network. projection distance. The LG eXpo is the first device The projector adds another 1.8 in North America to support an ounces, and as you can see, a bit o p t i o n a l i n t e g r a t e d p i c o of an ass to it. Besides the 1GHz p r o j e c t o r . T h e L G M o b i l e goodness, the slider's running Projector snaps onto the back of Windows Mobile 6.5, has a 3.2- the device and allows users to inch touchscreen and a 5MP share presentations, slideshows camera for $200 on contract. and even online videos straight Specifically a "minimum $69.99 f r o m t h e i r m o b i l e p h o n e . plan." The projector add-on's Weighing only 1.8 ounces and $180, though it'll follow the small enough to fit into the palm phone's Dec. 7 drop date by a of your hand, the LG mobile few weeks. projector provides users with AT&T AND LG MOBILE powerful new technology in a PHONES ANNOUNCE THE compact design, featuring a FIRST 1GHZ SMARTPHONE projection distance as far as eight IN THE UNITED STATES, feet THE LG EXPO "LG eXpo adds to our growing 7.2 HSPA-capable Smartphone portfolio of smartphones that from AT&T and LG Mobile operate on the latest upgrade to Phones Packs a Powerful Punch, o u r 3 G n e t w o r k a n d o f f e r F e a t u r e s O p t i o n a l M o b i l e customers a great choice," said Projector Michael Woodward, vice DALLAS, November 30, 2009 - p r e s i d e n t , M o b i l e P h o n e AT&T* and LG Electronics Portfolio, AT&T Mobility and MobileComm U.S.A., Inc., today Consumer Markets. "As we move announced the LG eXpo will be to HSPA 7.2 technology, it is available online beginning crucial to provide our customers December 7. Featuring the first 1 innovative and future-proof GHz processor in the United smartphones." States, the LG eXpo allows With the upgrade to HSPA 7.2 business professionals to meet technology, AT&T continues its their demanding data sharing investments to deliver the Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:09:40 AM

nation's fastest 3G network. AT&T plans to deploy HSPA 7.2 initially in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami by the end of the year. The company plans to deploy HSPA 7.2 in 25 of the nation's 30

largest markets by the end of 2010, and to reach about 90 percent of its existing 3G network footprint with HSPA 7.2 by the end of 2011. LG eXpo also eliminates the need for pin codes and passwords

with the exclusive "Smart Sensor" fingerprint recognition from AuthenTec, which delivers a new level of added smart and personal security unlike any other mobile phone in the market. AT&T is the first to offer U.S. subscribers a smartphone that leverages the features and functions of a smart sensor. The Smart Sensor complements the touchscreen user interface of the eXpo by also providing precise cursor control for text editing, 4way menu navigation, and AuthenTec's unique turbo-scroll feature for rapid browsing of long emails, contact lists or websites. The LG eXpo is loaded with Windows Mobile速 6.5 Professional to help power users stay more connected with email, calendar and Microsoft速 Office Mobile. The phone's projection feature allows users to display Web pages, documents, photos and videos on the go. "LG eXpo is the perfect balance of mobile innovation and design" said Ehtisham Rabbani, vice president of product strategy and marketing for LG Mobile Phones. "Enabling users to meet their professional and personal computing needs from the palm of their hands, LG eXpo makes on-the-go communication an effortless luxury." EXPO: page 15

Gadgets/

E-reader Newspaper

Presenting a collection of Cyber Monday deals for your perusal By Doug Aamoth (CrunchGear) Submitted at 11/30/2009 6:55:00 AM

Today is Cyber Monday. It’s like Black Friday but with more indoorsiness. And while Black Friday is more of a brick-andmortar, you’re-there-in-person type of thing, Cyber Monday is all online and there are far too many stores and deals to completely cover. Here’s a head start on some of the better deals from the bigger sites, though. You’ll find pretty good deals at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and Dell. Newegg, Office Depot, Office Max, and Staples have a few gems as well. Apple’s got a few discounts but only on accessories. Buy.com’s list is pitiful, as is Radio Shack’s. Target’s not offering a whole lot of electronics deals for some reason but there’s some decent pricing on other stuff. Amazon.com • 8GB iPod touch for $158 ( link) • Creative Vado HD camcorder for $89.99 ( link) • Garmin nuvi 260w GPS for $114.99 ( link) • Nintendo Wii plus $20 Amazon.com Gift Card for $199.99 ( link) • Full list of deals here… BestBuy.com • 19-inch 720p LCD TV for

$159.99 ( link) • Garmin nuvi 205w GPS for $104.99 ( link) • 15.6-inch Acer Aspire Laptop with 4GB of RAM for $399.99 ( link) • EA Wii games for $20 off ( link) • Full list of deals here…

7 laptop + extras for $368 ( link) • Sony Bravia 32-inch HDTV for $398 ( link) • 8GB iPod nano + accessory kit for $145 ( link) • Full list of deals here…

Dell.com • ST2410 Full HD 24-inch LCD monitor for $184 ( link) Walmart.com • 1.5TB Western Digital 3.5-inch • Nintendo Wii Bundle (system, hard drive for $99.99 ( link) e x t r a c o n t r o l l e r s , g a m e , • Inspiron Zino HD desktop accessory) for $249 ( link) starting at $299 ( link) • eMachines 15.6-inch Windows • TomTom One 130 GPS for

$79.99 ( link) • Full list of deals here… Newegg.com • Intel Core i5 desktop with 4GB of RAM for $649.99 ( link) • ASUS 18.5-inch LCD monitor for $79.99 ( link) • Garmin nuvi 205 GPS for $89.99 ( link) • Full list of deals here… OfficeMax.com • eMachines 18.5-inch LCD monitor for $69.99 ( link)

• Buy one, get one free on all ink and toner ( link) • Samsung 23-inch TV/Monitor for $249.99 ( link) • Full list of deals here… OfficeDepot.com • Toshiba T135-S1310 13.3-inch ULV notebook with 9-hour battery for $599.99 ( link) • Ativa 21.5-inch LCD monitor for $139.99 ( link) • Full list of deals here… PRESENTING page 19

Gadgets/ Politics/

E-reader Newspaper

REVIEW: continued from page 11

make your own in Photoshop. It’s totally up to the installer to create a pleasant user experience. I’m personally happy with how my UI turned out. I found that backgrounds for the BlackBerry Storm are the perfect resolution, and this one looks great with the brushed look of the remote. My setup allows me to control three different AV systems in my house – not that I really need that ability. I added a dedicated TiVo button to one of the default layouts and it works great. The remote also features a Wi-Fi chipset, which enables simple RSS feeds like sports scores, news, and weather to be displayed on the remote. And it can easily control a Windows Media Center PC. The info screens are nifty, but almost a novelty. However, the Windows Media Center control is the coolest function of the remote. All you need to do is tell the remote the Windows Media Center computer’s IP address in the PC programming software

and it works. The remote’s touchscreen displays common functions and the navigational pad controls the on-screen GUI. It works flawlessly and is the easiest way to control Windows Media Center with a remote that I have ever used. But not everyone has the ability to hook up a Media Center PC to their TV. The remote can still access a PC’s music library and provide two-way communication. This means that as long as the PC is hooked up to an audio receiver, the remote can control and play back music and even display album art. I would love to slap a large, “highly-recommended” sticker on the remote but I can’t because of the issues I had with the first two demo units. The first one just stopped working about two weeks after I got it and the other one stopped waking up when I picked up the remote. After disabling the motion sensor in the second demo unit, it worked fine for a while but eventually it started to freeze daily, which was

resolved only by pulling the battery. But most of the review samples we get are first-run units so bugs can be expected. The third remote seems to be fine. The only real downside to the remote besides the price is that most people will probably need a pro to install it. If URC can come up with a complete, but also easy to use wizard, there is a market for such a remote – even at the high price. It’s the complete package: candy bar form factor, totally customizable, Wi-Fi- and RF-enabled, and it feels amazing. There is a huge difference in quality and ability between this remote and the$400 Harmony 900, but unless you have cash to burn or a complicated A/V setup, By Serkan Toto (CrunchGear) there really isn’t any reason to Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:01:06 AM spend the extra cash. Unless you want the best remote on the A pico projector with Windows planet, that is. CE OS 5.0 on board? Yes, there Product Page are devices like that. Japan-based Lancerlink announced[JP] one of these today, the MPJ-104WCE. What you get is basically an LCOS (3M) projector with a mini computer built into it (the Windows CE is an English version). The projector produces 10-30 inch pictures with 640×480 Sunday. The radio host was picked by 26 percent of those r e s o l u t i o n a n d 1 0 l u m e n s who responded, followed by Fox brightness. There are also two News Channel’s Glenn Beck at 0.5W speakers built into the 11 percent. Actual politicians — b o d y . B u t s i z e d a t j u s t former Vice President Dick 138.5×58.5×25mm, the device C h e n e y a n d f o r m e r v i c e also sports a Samsung ARM 9 presidential candidate Sarah processor at 400MHz, 64MB of

Windows CE-powered mini projector

The Most Influential Conservative (Little Green Footballs)

Limbaugh is most influential conservative. NEW YORK – By a wide T h e m o s t “ i n f l u e n t i a l ” margin, Americans consider conservative in America is a race Rush Limbaugh the nation’s -baiting creationist who mocks most influential conservative H1N1 victims, falls for obvious voice. hoaxes, wants environmentalists Those are the results of a poll to kill themselves, and panders to conducted by “60 Minutes” and the Birther movement: Poll: Vanity Fair magazine and issued Submitted at 11/29/2009 6:12:21 PM

Palin — were the choice of 10 percent each.

internal memory (up to 4GB with an SD card), a USB port, an SD card interface and native support for MS Powerpoint, Excel and Word files. It’s also possible to view PDFs directly from the projector. Video formats supported are WMV/MPEG-4, music can be played as MP3/WMA/WAV files and pictures can be viewed as JPEGs or BMPs. Lancerlink says the battery will work for 120 minutes continuously. The MPJ-104WCE will go on sale in Japan from the middle of next month for $580. If you’re interested but live outside this country, you might want to contact the Japan Trend Shop or Geek Stuff 4 U if they can buy one for you.

Gadgets/

E-reader Newspaper

EXPO: continued from page 12

The CrunchPad disappears in a puff of vapor By Nilay Patel (Engadget)

it's not exactly clear: according to Mike, the CrunchPad was ready to be launched on November 20, Michael Arrington's CrunchPad but on November 17 Fusion has never had a particularly firm G a r a g e d e c i d e d t o c u t basis in reality, and although TechCrunch out of the deal and we'd been promised that the sell it directly. Oh, it's a sad tale, inexpensive browser-based tablet especially since Arrington claims would be launching soon, the a wide variety of industry sky's come crashing down: Mike heavyweights were lined up to says Fusion Garage, the company support his tablet -- including he hired to build the CrunchPad, development assistance from has reneged on their deal, and Intel complete with sweetheart that he's about to file "multiple pricing on Atom CPUs, a "major lawsuits." What happened? Well, multi-billion dollar retailer" who Submitted at 11/30/2009 11:46:00 AM

offered to sell it at "zero margin," and even venture capital firms "waiting to invest in the company." Making matters worse, Mike's no longer buds with Fusion Garage CEO Chandra Rathakrishnan, who he thought he'd be friends with "for the rest of our lives." Tear. Now, we're not sure we've heard the last of the CrunchPad -- if anything, Michael Arrington is irrepressible -- but we can't say we're surprised the first chapter has ended in such fantastic

fashion. We're assuming several major Hollywood studios are already lining up to buy the rights, and we've heard unconfirmed reports that George Clooney has signed on to star for free because he believes in the project so deeply. The CrunchPad disappears in a puff of vapor originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| TechCrunch| Email this| Comments

Boasting a 3.2-inch external touchscreen with 16M color, LG eXpo features a sophisticated slider design with a full size QWERTY keypad. For the dynamic multi-tasker, LG eXpo provides users with powerful functionality that supports an RSS Viewer, Podcast and aGPS. In addition to a crystal clear 5.0 megapixel camera with built-in auto flash, LG eXpo can support up to a 16GB removable microSD memory card for premium music and photo storage. Beginning December 7, LG eXpo will be available to enterprise customers and for purchase online at www.att.com/lgexpo for $199.99 after mail-in rebate. Pay $299.99 and after mail-in rebate receive a $100 AT&T Promotion Card. Two year agreement on a minimum $69.99 plan required. The LG Mobile Projector will be available in the coming weeks for $179.99. For the complete array of AT&T offerings, visit www.att.com. For more information and detailed disclaimer information, please review this announcement in the AT&T newsroom at http://www.att.com/newsroom.

Gadgets/

E-reader Newspaper

The CrunchPad Is Dead [Greed] By Adam Frucci (Gizmodo)

device directly through Fusion Garage, without our involvement. Err, what? This is the equivalent Michael Arrington's ambitious of Foxconn, who build the project to create a super-simple iPhone, notifiying Apple a couple web tablet is dead, drowned in a of days before launch that they'd bathtub half-full of greed and be moving ahead and selling the selfishness. This isn't a happy iPhone directly without any story. involvement from Apple. It wasn't because of high costs, Chandra also forwarded an a s p r e v i o u s l y r u m o r e d . internal email from one of his E s s e n t i a l l y , A r r i n g t o n g o t shareholders. My favorite part of screwed. Badly. the email: "We still acknowledge But the email went on. Bizarrely, that Arrington and TechCrunch we were being notified that we b r i n g s o m e v a l u e t o y o u r were no longer involved with the business endeavor…If he agrees project. Our project. Chandra to our terms, we would have said that based on pressure from Arrington assume the role of his shareholders he had decided visionary/evangelist/marketing to move forward and sell the head and Fusion Garage would Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:22:29 AM

acquire the rights to use the Crunchpad brand and name. Personally, I don't think the name is all that important but you seem to be somewhat attached to the name." And with that, the entire project self destructed. Be sure to read the entire story over at TechCrunch. The whole situation is lousy, and FusionGarage certainly doesn't come out looking all that smart in it. I can't imagine anyone wanting to work with them again after this, but I guess we'll have to wait and hear what their side of the story is. [ TechCrunch]

PSPgo dips to £149 in the UK, have cooler heads prevailed? By Paul Miller (Engadget)

around these parts. There's no way to tell how many more Submitted at 11/30/2009 12:09:00 PM months of dour faces and crossed While we might think of the arms pointed in the general $250 PSPgo pricetag in the States direction of Sony Computer as a criminal act on the part of an Entertainment America it'll take out-of-touch and-yet-malicious t o g e t t h a t p r i c e d o w n t o multinational corporation, we can s o m e t h i n g m o r e r e a l i s t i c o n l y i m a g i n e h o w o u r Stateside, at which point we can unfortunate counterparts in the start this whole UK / US price UK felt, staring down a £225 list disparity drama all over again. price (about $371 US). Luckily, PSPgo dips to £149 in the UK, that quickly dropped to £200 have cooler heads prevailed? after a week of sales, and now the originally appeared on Engadget console can be had for as low as on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:09:00 £149 at UK entertainment retailer EST. Please see our terms for HMV. That converts rather tidily u s e o f f e e d s . P e r m a l i n k | t o $ 2 4 5 U S , w h i c h i s GamesIndustry.biz| Email this| unfortunately about as far as the Comments console has been discounted

Gadgets/

E-reader Newspaper

Buffalo SuperSpeed USB 3.0 external hard drive reviewed, fast Rocketfish WirelessHD Adapter snips an HDMI cord for $600 By Darren Murph (Engadget)

$1,000 Wireless HDTV Link and Sony pricing its DMX-WL1 for the everyman. Today, Best Buy's When Belkin killed its FlyWire, own Rocketfish has introduced it also put a serious hurtin' on the its WirelessHD Adapter, a twohopes of wireless HDTV ever piece set that enables a single truly taking off in the near term. HDMI device to be connected to G r a n t e d , t h e d e v i c e w a s an HDMI-enabled HDTV sans horrifically overpriced, but it was cabling. You simply plug your easily the most well-known source into one box and your product in the fledgling sector. HDTV into another; so long as Now, however, it seems that a the two are within 33 feet of one few other players are sneaking another, 1080p content can be into the limelight, with Philips slung without wires. It's up for recently introducing its sub- order right now at $599.99, Submitted at 11/30/2009 10:32:00 AM

which -- amazingly enough -- is actually more expensive than that 30-foot Monster HDMI cable you were secretly eying. Gallery: Rocketfish WirelessHD Adapter snips an HDMI cord for $600 Rocketfish WirelessHD Adapter snips an HDMI cord for $600 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Hot Hardware| Best Buy| Email this| Comments

By Joseph L. Flatley (Engadget)

better than any of the enclosures that are sold without a drive" that the reviewer has tested. The only Submitted at 11/30/2009 10:04:00 AM sticking point? The price seems a Was anybody else surprised to little steep -- and since USB 3.0 see that Buffalo (fine purveyors will soon be ubiquitous anyways, of USB hardware, including perhaps you want to hold out a kitschy dice speakers, and teeny, minute before investing. But if tiny thumb drives) was able to the latest and greatest is your start pushing USB 3.0 hardware bag, this ain't a bad place to start. out the door so quickly? The fine Hit the source link for the full citizens of TweakTown definitely story. were -- and now they've gone and Buffalo SuperSpeed USB 3.0 given HD-HXU3 external hard external hard drive reviewed, fast drive a thorough going over. The originally appeared on Engadget v e r d i c t ? T h e y ' v e l i k e n e d on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:04:00 performance to that of an internal EST. Please see our terms for drive -- not disappointing in the u s e o f f e e d s . P e r m a l i n k | least. Physically, this guy is T w e a k T o w n | E m a i l t h i s | constructed "very well, much C o m m e n t s

Gadgets/ Tech News/

E-reader Newspaper

ASUS shows off Congo / Ion-based Eee PC 1201T netbook By Darren Murph (Engadget) Submitted at 11/30/2009 12:37:00 PM

Good riddance: 2,500 cheaters banned from Modern Warfare 2 By Nicholas Deleon (CrunchGear)

has slapped the taste out of the mouth of 2,500 miscreants caught using some of those Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:30:24 AM Modern Warfare 2 exploits. What is the allure of cheating in I’d pretend to care, but that video games online? Who takes would be half-hearted at best. team deathmatches so seriously And wasn’t Infinity Ward’s peer that he needs unlimited ammo, no -to-peer model supposed to cut clipping, infinite life, and other down on cheating? assorted nonsense? It’s stupid, And while I began this a few and if you try to cheat online you words ago wondering why deserve to be banned. So forgive people cheat, well, the answer is me for not giving a damn about irrelevant; people cheat online. It the 2,500 people that were just happens. In fact, I ran into some banned from non-dedicated cheaters in Team Fortress 2 at the servers for cheating in Modern weekend. Know what I did? Warfare 2. Changed servers. Problem The news broke on Twitter, as it s o l v e d . often does these days, that Steam

ASUS' Eee PC 1201HA just went on sale here in the States earlier today, but already it seems that the debatable father of netbooks is looking to one-up its own with the 1201T. Shown off recently at an event overseas, this 12.1-inch netbook gets powered by AMD's Congo platform and NVIDIA's heralded Ion graphics unit, a tandem that should lead to a fairly nimble and multimediafriendly machine. The 1.6GHz

looks pretty much like every other Eee PC announced within the past six months. Mum's the word on price and availability, but we're guessing both of those will clear themselves up in short order. ASUS shows off Congo / Ionbased Eee PC 1201T netbook originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for MV40 CPU was at the helm, u s e o f f e e d s . P e r m a l i n k followed along by 2GB of DDR2 Notebook Italia| 52Hardware| RAM, a 250GB hard drive, 6-cell Email this| Comments battery and an enclosure that

The End Of The CrunchPad By Michael Arrington (CrunchGear) Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:02:08 AM

It was so close I could taste it. Two weeks ago we were ready to publicly launch the CrunchPad. The device was stable enough for a demo. It went hours without crashing. We could even let people play with the device themselves – the user interface was intuitive enough that people “got it” without any instructions. And the look of pure joy on the

handful of outsiders who had used it made the nearly 1.5 year effort completely worth it. Our plan was to debut the CrunchPad on stage at the Real-Time Crunchup event on November 20, a little over a week ago. We even hoped to have devices

Large Hadron Collider Sets World Record By Betsy Mason (Wired Top Stories)

The Large Hadron Collider sets a world record by accelerating

protons to 1.18 TeV, surpassing the previous record of 0.98 TeV

held by Fermilab's Tevatron.

hacked together with Google Chrome OS and Windows 7 to show people that you could hack this thing to run just about anything you want. We’d put 1,000 of the devices on pre-sale and take orders immediately. Larger scale production would begin early in 2010. And then the entire project self destructed over nothing more than greed, jealousy and miscommunication.

Gadgets/ Tech/ Tech News/

E-reader Newspaper

PRESENTING continued from page 13

Staples.com • Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 for $29.99 ( link) • Acer 21.5-inch LCD monitor for $109.99 ( link) • Full list of deals here… Apple.com • Monster Beats headphones for $269.95 ( link) • MoGo Talk for iPhone for $116.95 ( link) • Eye-Fi 2GB Geo SD Card for $53.95 ( link) • Full list of deals here…

• TomTom One 130 GPS for $82.49 ( link) • Full list of deals here… RadioShack.com • TomTom XL 330-S GPS for $99.99 ( link) • Full list of deals here…

By Danny Allen (Gizmodo)

Target.com • Full list of deals here…

Buy.com

Mininova Deletes Most Torrents Under Court Threat By Mike Masnick (Techdirt)

4iThumbs: iPhone Gets Another Physical Keyboard Idea [IPhone] Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:03:02 AM

MSI Wind U230 gets handled on video, SIM slot found hiding underneath By Darren Murph (Engadget) Submitted at 11/30/2009 11:01:00 AM

MSI's latest (and arguably greatest) 12.1-inch netbook just popped official earlier this month, and already it's making the rounds at various shows. The crew over at NetbookNews managed to get their hands around one for just under three minutes, and during that brief window of time they were able to confirm that an AMD Athlon Neo X2 chip was within. Also on tap was a 500GB hard drive and a previously unannounced SIM

filtering solutions proved to not do a very good job, the site has decided to remove all torrents Back in August, we noted that a other than those specifically Dutch court, at the urging of anti- approved by the site. End result? piracy group BREIN (which has The entertainment industry may a history of questionable tactics), have wac'd another mole, as had ordered Mininova to remove Mininova users simply scatter to all infringing links from its other providers. But the industry index. Even though the court hasn't done anything to get admitted that Mininova itself was people more interested in buying. not infringing, it was told to How many more moles get wac'd remove any torrents that linked to before anyone figures this out? infringing material. Since there's Permalink| Comments| Email By Spencer Reiss (Wired Top simply no way to know whether This Story Stories) the torrents link to infringing material, and tests of some Submitted at 11/29/2009 9:00:00 PM Submitted at 11/30/2009 1:46:00 AM

Still wish the iPhone had physical letter keys like Blackberries or WinMo phones? First there was that butt-ugly iTwinge keyboard holster, now there's 4iThumbs: a clear plastic overlay with nubs located over the on screen keyboard. On the upside, the stick-on card slot, though the €440 ($661) price tag seems a bit steep for "a screen covers only cost $15 netbook." Check the walk-around (portrait), $17 (landscape), or $20 for both. Problem is, you're just after the break. Continue reading MSI Wind supposed to peel them off and U230 gets handled on video, SIM stick 'em on the back when you want to continue using the slot found hiding underneath MSI Wind U230 gets handled on iPhone's touchscreen. That's not video, SIM slot found hiding only a pain in the ass, but I'm underneath originally appeared sure the adhesive won't last too on Engadget on Mon, 30 Nov long, either. Lame. 2009 11:01:00 EST. Please see Maybe 4iThumbs might interest our terms for use of feeds. those who type novel-length Permalink| NetbookNews| Email emails and texts, or those who really suck at the touchscreen this| Comments keyboard. What do you think? [ 4iThumbs via Engadget]

Climate Change Is Inevitable — It's Time to Adapt Wired contributing editor says, technological change is also Spencer Reiss hits us with the accelerating, and we can still bad news about climate change: come out OK. "We're toast." But luckily, he

Gadgets/

E-reader Newspaper

Monopoly: Nintendo Edition By Doug Aamoth (CrunchGear)

Nintendo’s most recognizable face – can be found in the place of Boardwalk, the standard Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:00:00 AM game’s most expensive property. In your face, parents all over the Other features include Nintendoworld. After pleading with your themed player tokens, a special children to quit rotting their 60-minute speed play mode, brains with non-stop video game power-ups and invincibility playing, your suggestion of instead of houses and hotels, and playing a board game instead has a slew of other enhancements and backfired on you with the changes that ought to help bridge Nintendo edition of Monopoly. the gap between Nintendo fans By Sean Fallon (Gizmodo) Longtime Monopoly fans will and Monopoly nuts. Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:40:00 AM find the traditional streets Available for $34.99 at r e p l a c e d w i t h N i n t e n d o ThinkGeek. if you were Tiger Woods, the characters. Mario – easily Car Cam Dually would have captured you slamming into a tree and your wife smashing the windows with a golf club, while simultaneously recording how

Car Cam Dually Records The Wreck Outside and Your Screaming Face Inside [Cars] you managed to injure your face. Of course, it would have also proven whether or not your wife was using the golf club on your face before the incident. The point is that, unlike most vehicle accident cameras, the Car Cam Dually offers a more complete picture of how an accident went

down, making it easier to prove who was at fault and what kind of injuries were sustained. To that end, the device also keeps track of your GPS location and the g-force of the impact. [ Spy Gadgets via TRFJ via DVICE]

Gadgets/ Tech/ TV/

E-reader Newspaper

Ndrive brings a low cost nav solution to the iPhone By Mel Martin (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))

Nikon Coolpix S70 Disappoints, Despite OLED Touchscreen [Cameras] By Mark Wilson (Gizmodo) Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:20:00 AM

Nikon's Coolpix S70 promised to be a point and shoot built with a love reserved for high end smartphones—very thin, and packing a 3.5-inch OLED multitouch screen. Alas, Nikon forgot about one, tiny detail, the photography itself. According to Photography

Blog's early review, the $300ish S70's somewhat low resolution OLED wasn't found to be much better than an LCD for viewing images, especially in direct sunlight when it's still not bright enough. As for the photos themselves, they were only of "average quality," with a particularly noisy ISO even at conservative settings. Too bad. [ Photography Blog via Engadget]

on. That's going to be fixed too. I thought the GUI was actually quite nice. Zooming is and out is Submitted at 11/30/2009 12:00:00 PM done by pinching and squeezing, Filed under: iPhone, App but if you zoom out too much Review Gee, I thought we had you won't see many details. seen all the nav apps, but new The app was quick to get a GPS ones keep popping up. NDrive, a fix, but I found turn instructions new U.S. $32.99 app[iTunes came just a bit late. It needs to link] is actually pretty good for anticipate the upcoming turn in the money, and has a reasonably enough time that I can get in the complete feature set. I don't put it correct lane. in the class of the TomTom, Bottom line: A pretty good app Navigon or Magellan apps, but for a reasonable price. If you are they cost twice as much. on the fence about a GPS app, Here's what you get for your 32 and want to get something for bucks plus change: holiday travel but don't want to sink $80 or more into some of the • The maps are built into the app. worse than some of the more other offerings, NDrive is a No cell connection needed expensive apps, as I think most pretty good app. With the update • Auto day/night switching are drawing on the same sources. scheduled for a couple of weeks • Alarms for speeding I found it to be reasonably out, the app will get even better. • Portrait, landscape mode complete. An added feature is Gallery: Ndrive navigation app • Alphabetical or QWERTY some limited 3D landmarks in screens keyboard option TUAW Ndrive brings a low cost the larger cities. • P O I s w i t h f a v o r i t e s , The app has a strange syntax nav solution to the iPhone descriptions, phone and website when announcing a turn, saying originally appeared on The links something like "in miles .3 turn U n o f f i c i a l A p p l e W e b l o g right." The developer says that (TUAW) on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 T h e a p p f e a t u r e s v o i c e will be fixed in a couple of 12:00:00 EST. Please see our instructions, but no text-to- weeks. terms for use of feeds. speech until a Mid-December IPod support is weak with no Read| Read| Permalink| Email update. While driving around control of the music, it just keeps this| Comments town it worked pretty well. The playing what you are already had POI database was not better or

Saturday Night Live Repeat w/ Gerard Butler & Shakira Scores A 3.6 Household Rating By Bill Gorman (TVbytheNumbers) Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:01:57 AM

An encore telecast of Saturday Night Live, hosted by Gerard Butler and featuring musical guest Shakira scored a 3.6

household rating /9 share in metered-market households on Saturday, November 28. This content has passed through

fivefilters.org.

Tech/ Politics/ Entertainment/

E-reader Newspaper

Pedal-powered Christmas tree lights Copenhagen (CNET News.com) Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:30:00 AM

When you're the host city for international climate change negotiations, using energyefficient LED lights on the Christmas tree apparently isn't enough. The traditional Christmas tree in Copenhagen's City Hall Square will be powered by people, rather than a distant power plant. The square has been equipped with 15 bicycles which, when pedaled, light up the 700 LED bulbs on the tree. Staying fit and lighting the night in Copenhagen.(Credit: Denmark tourism bureau) The 17-meter-high tree went up on Sunday during an opening ceremony in which Saint Nicholas climbed a fire truck ladder to the top of the tree and lit fireworks. Even during the ceremony, the lights were being powered by the bicycles, according to a representative from the city of Copenhagen. Children, a mayor, and international VIPs joined in the pedaling during the opening

ceremony, he added. The carbon-light approach to lighting the traditional Christmas tree is one of the attractions being organized for COP15, the latest round of international climate change talks, which start next week. The purpose of these meetings is to establish treaties to limit the amount of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere.

Reuters has a list of the commitments under discussion during the negotiation, which include a goal of limiting global warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels, a "threshold that many scientists see as a threshold for dangerous climate change." Expectations that there would be

a major breakthrough in Copenhagen have been low in part because the U.S. Congress has not been able to pass an energy and climate bill that would limit greenhouse gas emissions. But the past two weeks have seen a number of political twists, summarized here at the New York Times. All the political jockeying, though, could have a real impact on green technology and innovation. For the most part, green-tech entrepreneurs and investors are not betting on having a hefty price attached to carbon in the immediate future. Rather any climate regulations serve mainly as a signal that the economic system will find a way to create a financial incentive for technologies that reduce emissions. Another important topic for discussion in Copenhagen is how green technologies will be transferred to poor countries, writes Earth2Tech. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Kate Walsh and Jeremy Piven Plow into 'Waska' (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 11/29/2009 11:30:00 PM

Kate Walsh and Jeremy Piven will co-star in 'Waska,' according to The Hollywood Reporter. The "Entourage" star and "Private Practice" actress will share the screen with Mira Sorvino, Thomas Dekker, Lynn Collins, Elizabeth McGovern, and Joseph Morgan. Based on the novel "Angels Crest" by Leslie Schwartz, 'Waska' is about a young father (Dekker) who loses his three-year -old son. This devastating event affects the whole community, putting it in a state of disarray during Waska, the first snowfall of the season, reports Variety. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Piven plays the prosecutor who goes after the father. 'Waska' is filming in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Swiss Vote to Ban Minarets (Little Green Footballs) Submitted at 11/29/2009 10:23:19 AM

Switzerland, the country that let everyone else in Europe do their fighting for them in World War II and turned Jews over to the Nazis to save their own skins, has

now banned minarets. Swiss voters have supported a referendum proposal to ban the building of minarets, official results show. More than 57% of voters and 22 out of 26 cantons - or provinces voted in favour of the ban.

The proposal had been put forward by the Swiss People’s Party, (SVP), the largest party in parliament, which says minarets are a sign of Islamisation. The government opposed the ban, saying it would harm Switzerland’s image, particularly

in the Muslim world. The BBC’s Imogen Foulkes, in Bern, says the surprise result is very bad news for the Swiss government which also fears unrest among the Muslim community. Our correspondent says voters

worried about rising immigration - and with it the rise of Islam have ignored the government’s advice.

Tech/ Entertainment/

E-reader Newspaper

Cyber Monday Deals: 5 of the Best So Far By Christina Warren (Mashable!) Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:03:25 AM

Missed out on the Black Friday discounts? Never fear, Cyber Monday is here! Even though more and more online retailers are starting to get in on the Black Friday sales bonanza, the tradition of Cyber Monday — where we shop online from work and save big — continues to flourish. We scoured through the deals and collected five can’t-miss favorites for this savings happy work day. From Blu-ray players to Netbooks and designer-jeans to HDTVs, there are deals to be had across the board. LG-BD270 Blu-ray Player $98— Newegg.com has the LGBD270 BLu-ray player for just $98. This player doesn’t do BDLive or playback Netflix content like some of its more expensive siblings, but it’s one of the best under $100 Blu-ray players

we’ve seen. Samsung 32 HDTV $400— Amazon.com has the Samsung LN3A450 720p HDTV for just $400. With free shipping, this is a great bargain. The TV has 3 HDMI inputs and great picture quality. If you need an HDTV with a built-in tuner, check out the Samsung LN32B460, it’s the 2009 model of this TV but with a built-in tuner. It’s $484.99. $250 Asus Eee PC— Best Buy has the Asus Eee 1005HAB Netbook for just $249.99. With free shipping, that’s one of the best deals going. The 10.1 LED backlit netbook has pretty standard specs, 1 GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, but this

netbook includes Wireless-N and comes with Windows XP Home SP 3. Acer Aspire One Netbook $279.99— If the Asus doesn’t strike your fancy, Buy.com has an Acer Aspire One Ultra Thin for $279.99. The specs are practically identical to the Asus, although Acer tends to be a bit more accessible if you want to do any kind of upgrades in the future. Major Clothing Sales— If you’re into being geek chic (or just want to buy gifts for your significant other), be sure to check the 30% off sales at both Armani Exchange and Lucky Brand Jeans. Lucky offers 30% off the entire site today, with free shipping! A|X has 30% off all order over $150 and free shipping. What are your favorite Cyber Monday deals so far? Reviews: Blu Tags: cyber monday, sales

New Pics: Stars Cha-Cha for Charity (ETonline - Breaking News)

Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. The crowd enjoyed encore Submitted at 11/30/2009 3:01:00 AM performances of memorable On Sunday night, dancers, routines from past seasons of judges, and hosts from "DWTS" "DWTS," plus the Ballas Hough and "So You Think You Can Band rocked out. 'Step Up' star Dance," along with A-listers like Jenna Dewan popped and locked Katie Holmes, attended a benefit to the beat. Founded in 2009 by for Dizzy Feet Foundation at the "SYTYCD"'s Nigel Lythgoe and

director Adam Shankman, along with "DWTS"' Carrie Ann Inaba and actress Katie Holmes, Dizzy Feet Foundation helps underprivileged aspiring dancers pursue their dreams of studying the art form.

Location start-up SimpleGeo maps out funding (CNET News.com) Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:39:00 AM

Venture firm First Round Capital has led the Series A funding round for start-up SimpleGeo, a buzzed-about new company that has built a product for easy integration of "location" features into Web and mobile apps, according to multiple sources familiar with the deal. Also contributing to the round, sources say, are Redpoint Ventures, Freestyle Capital, and many of the usual suspects from Silicon Valley's merry band of angel investors: among them are Ron Conway, Digg founder Kevin Rose, ex-Googler Chris Sacca, ubiquitous personality Gary Vaynerchuk, and Delicious founder Joshua Schachter. One detail we weren't able to nail down was exactly how much money was raised, but one source says it's a "small" amount, probably in the low seven figures. SimpleGeo co-founder Matt Galligan declined to comment, but when we spoke to him earlier this month about SimpleGeo's

official launch, he had said that the company was working on closing a round. Some background on SimpleGeo: The company, based in Boulder, Colo., and cofounded by Galligan and former Digg engineer Joe Stump, originally planned to make location-aware augmented reality games. When they found out how difficult it was to make each game from scratch, they refocused the company on making a set of location-aware features for clients. They sell that in three versions ranging from free to $2,499/month. Meanwhile, the location-aware market continues to heat up, with game-like services Foursquare and Gowalla poking into the mainstream, as well as the first appearance of Twitter's geolocation feature in the latest version of iPhone client Tweetie. Once Twitter members turn that on, their messages can be tagged with the exact location from which they were broadcast. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Tech/ Entertainment/

E-reader Newspaper

Road Tested: Novatel Wireless MiFi Latest Firefox beta 2200 from Sprint offers file-handling feature By Steven Sande (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))

Business Analysis classes (this capability disappeared a while ago). The USB dongle also made it possible for me to download Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:00:00 AM drivers and look up Filed under: Hardware, troubleshooting information Peripherals, Reviews, Road when working with consulting Tested Back in August of this clients who were having network year, my local TUAW blogging issues. buddy Erica Sadun posted some Wireless 595U USB broadband Read along as I take you on a information about the Verizon modem for the past two years, quick review of Sprint's version MiFi portable broadband router. and I frankly couldn't do my of the MiFi, and whether or not The MiFi device, created by business without it. I travel a lot, you might want to consider it for Novatel Wireless, is a tiny Wi-Fi and I don't trust public Wi-Fi a Christmas present. router with a built-in EVDO 3G services. The Sprint Mobile Continue reading Road Tested: modem. Essentially, what this Broadband service and USB Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 means is that anywhere you go dongle have made it possible for from Sprint with the device, you become a me to work at fairly fast speeds TUAW Road Tested: Novatel Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 4 other in airports and have kept me from Wireless MiFi 2200 from Sprint users. Erica found that the s p e n d i n g m o n e y o n t h e originally appeared on The Verizon version of this box is ridiculously-priced Wi-Fi service U n o f f i c i a l A p p l e W e b l o g quite useful, but is dependent on that more upscale hotels charge (TUAW) on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 both the 3G signal quality and US$10 - 15 dollars a day for. I 09:00:00 EST. Please see our the user's desire to pay extra for was even able, with an earlier terms for use of feeds. broadband. version of Sprint's SmartView Read| Permalink| Email this| For me, the decision to get the software, to share my connection Comments Sprint version of this product was with students in some of my a no-brainer. I have used a Sierra

(CNET News.com)

use beta testing periods to shake down their code, Mozilla isn't afraid to add new features as it Mozilla, determined to release goes. That can mean new ideas Firefox 3.6 before year's end, is arrive sooner, of course, but it also determined to squeeze as also can delay the completion many features as possible into the date of the new version. What new browser. was to have been a quick Firefox The latest example: support for 3.1 release was pushed back the File interface that adds more months as new features were sophistication to uploading and added and the version ultimately some other chores. was renamed Firefox 3.5. Support for the feature is one of For those who want to dig into the 133 changes that arrived in the File interface, Mozilla offers Firefox 3.6 beta 4, which the a Web developer guide to using M o z i l l a p r o j e c t r e l e a s e d it. Thursday. The beta-testing periods aren't The File API (application just important for debugging programming interface), a draft Firefox itself. New versions often standard at the World Wide Web don't work with older add-ons consortium, lets browsers handle that people install to customize files better. Among its abilities the browser, so beta testing gives are uploading multiple files at some time for programmers to o n c e , s h o w i n g t h u m b n a i l update those add-ons. Mike previews of images that have Belzner, Mozilla's director of b e e n s e l e c t e d f o r u p l o a d , Firefox, said 70 percent of addbreaking a long video upload up ons are now compatible with into chunks to protect against Firefox 3.6. network interruption problems, This content has passed through (ETonline - Breaking News) is engaged. former Rep. Marjorie Margolies, and integrating with drag-and- fivefilters.org. Chelsea is set to wed her in Washington D.C. and the two drop Web applications. Submitted at 11/30/2009 7:35:00 AM l o n g t i m e b o y f r i e n d M a r c became close friends when they While many software projects Former President Bill Clinton M e z v i n s k y , E T c o n f i r m s . b o t h a t t e n d e d S t a n f o r d and Secretary of State Hillary Chelsea, 29, met Marc, son to U n i v e r s i t y . Clinton's only daughter, Chelsea, former Rep. Ed Mezvinsky and

Chelsea Clinton Gets Engaged

Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:32:00 AM

Tech/ Entertainment/

E-reader Newspaper

Facebook and MTV to Host Avatar Webcast Featuring James Cameron By Christina Warren (Mashable!)

official Avatar Facebook Page. Although having fans send in questions — whether it’s through Submitted at 11/30/2009 7:56:53 AM YouTube or Facebook or One of the most anticipated something else — isn’t exactly films of the year is James new, we rarely see such high Cameron’s “Avatar.” Last week, profile films (and especially we wrote about the film’s directors of high profile films) interactive trailer(awesome) and interacting with social media and now that the release date is just a social media (see“This Is It” taking part in live webcasts. The few weeks away, Fox has really a n d “ N e w M o o n ” ) , t h e webcast will last 30 minutes and started to amp up the publicity MTV/Facebook webcast is going portions of it will then become campaign, including new social to be a little bit different. part of an upcoming MTV media outreach. D i r e c t o r J a m e s C a m e r o n , “Behind the Scenes” special that Variety reports that Fox is producer Jon Landau, and stars airs on December 16. Avatar teaming up with MTV.com and Z o e S a l d a n a a n d S a m comes to theaters worldwide on Facebook to bring a live webcast Worthington will be interviewed December 18, 2009. roundtable of the film to fans on by MTV News’ managing editor What do you think of how movie Thursday, December 3 and 3 PM Josh Horowitz about the film and marketing is adapting to the age ET. the experience making the nearly of social media? Reviews: Although live webcasts are $ 5 0 0 m i l l i o n s c i - f i e p i c . Facebook, YouTube b e c o m i n g a n i n c r e a s i n g l y H o w e v e r , f a n s c a n s t a r t Tags: avatar, facebook, Movies, common way for movie studios submitting their own questions to mtv.com to promote themselves using the cast and crew now via the

Video: It’s a Hollywood Jolly Christmas Parade (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 11/30/2009 4:45:00 AM

Soap opera star Susan Lucci ushered in the holiday season as Grand Marshal of "The 2009 Hollywood Christmas Parade." The jolly stars, joined by Santa Claus, traveled down the famed Hollywood Boulevard, waving to fans on either side of the street.

Lucci told ET, "This is such an incredible welcome gesture from the City of Los Angeles to me, but also to 'All My Children' because we're moving here very shortly, right after the New Year." She said that the show's relocation will allow the plots to be "more expansive in our storytelling." "The Inside Dish"'s Ross

Mathews admitted, "I am a holly jolly mess...and I'm all about the holidays." He divulged how he wanted to ride down the parade route: "I have a dream that it's some sort of old convertible because...in my weird dream I was also wearing a long, chiffon scarf, but that's not going to happen."

Ommwriter, an extra helping of zen for writers By Brett Terpstra (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)) Submitted at 11/30/2009 11:00:00 AM

Filed under: Software, Productivity As part of our Back to School series last year, I covered some of my favorite writing tools. Many of the writing applications I've mentioned there and elsewhere have full-screen, distraction-free editing modes, ala WriteRoom, which gets plenty of mention here at TUAW. The full-screen editing feature now seems to be a standard, and most apps that offer the option do a fine job of implementing it. Therefore, if one was to write an app along the lines of WriteRoom, it would have to do something out of the ordinary to get any traction. Ommwriter, a new single-purpose writing app, does just that. The whole idea behind Ommwriter is to provide a zenlike atmosphere, not just a blank screen. While conforming well to standard text controls in OS X, it creates an interface that's quite pleasing to the eye. The ears are not left wanting, though, and the app provides a choice of several background soundscapes to help

block out distractions. You only have 3 fonts to choose from, and they cannot be intermingled. There's no access to the menubar, just a series of rather elegant controls to the side of the resizable writing area. The background is gray, with optional faded landscape scenery. It's quite pretty, and is quite conducive to concentration ... and writing, of course. Continue reading Ommwriter, an extra helping of zen for writers TUAW Ommwriter, an extra helping of zen for writers originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

Tech/

E-reader Newspaper

Tweetie 2.1 for iPhone ships with lists, retweet and geolocation support

Italian Prosecutors Assume Google Execs Read All YouTube Comments; Demands Jailtime Over Video

By Michael Rose (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))

By Mike Masnick (Techdirt)

Submitted at 11/30/2009 12:00:00 AM

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, App Review One of the top Twitter clients for iPhone has been refreshed: Tweetie 2.1 is now available in the App Store [ iTunes link]. Our friend Christina previewed the new features in 2.1 for Mashable last week, and the updated version delivers with support for Twitter lists, the Retweet capability, spam reporting, and geotagging of tweets (opt-in and optional, so don't worry that Tweetie is going to supercharge your stalkers without telling you). The full list of changes and features is on the app's iTunes page, and it's impressive. Among the many improvements

and tweaks is a crucial bug fix for an issue that had caused many 2.0 users (myself included) to gnash our teeth in frustration: the older version had a lot of problems saving state, causing old updates to appear again and,

in the worst-case situation, old tweets to be sent repeatedly. It was aggravating, and it kept me from using Tweetie 2 as my fulltime iPhone Twitter client -- but now it's gone. Tweetie 2 is US$2.99, whether or not you own a copy of Tweetie 1 (it's considered a whole new app). If you're a busy Twitter user on your iPhone or iPod touch, you really ought to give it a try. [via MacNN] TUAW Tweetie 2.1 for iPhone ships with lists, retweet and geolocation support originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

violations and deserve jailtime. In pressing the case forward, prosecutors are claiming that We've been absolutely stunned Google must have known about b y t h e I t a l i a n a t t e m p t t o the nature of the video because prosecute Google execs over a there were comments on the YouTube video. If you don't YouTube video expressing recall the story, apparently some disgust over the video. It's as if schoolboys taunted a disabled they believe that Google execs boy by throwing a tissue box at read all the comments posted to him. They filmed the entire YouTube and use those to pick ordeal and posted it to YouTube. and choose which videos should Because of the video, the kids in stay up and which should be the video were actually held taken down. liable for the taunting. It actually In the meantime, I'm still helped bring those kids to justice. w o n d e r i n g w h y I t a l i a n Meanwhile, Google took down prosecutors are not trying to push the video as soon as they were the tissue manufacturer in jail as alerted to it by the authorities well, as I would argue that those (within a couple hours of finding who made the package of tissues out about it). But Italian thrown at the boy are at least as, prosecutors insist not only that if not more, responsible for the Google should have blocked the actions of those kids as Google. video entirely, but the fact that Permalink| Comments| Email they left it up means that its This Story execs are guilty of criminal Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:10:00 AM

TweetDeck Gets Lists, Retweets, Location, and More By Adam Ostrow (Mashable!)

Twitter client on the desktop. Today, TweetDeck has answered big time, introducing support for In the past few weeks, we’ve all of these features and more. seen lots of Twitter applications TweetDeck has the full details push out upgrades in an effort to on their blog, but here’s the keep pace with Twitter’s newest overview: capabilities, like native retweets, TweetDeck’s Groups are going geolocation, and Twitter Lists. to turn into Twitter Lists. You new and old retweet style. From Noticeably absent from the can export your current Groups their post: “Each time you onslaught has been TweetDeck, into Lists. retweet you can choose to which is still the most popular TweetDeck supports both the Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:33:09 AM

“Retweet now” using the newstyle, or “Edit then Retweet” which will give you an old-style retweet.” TweetDeck’s LinkedIn integration is live. TweetDeck’s integrated geolocation. From their post: “geo-coded tweets are identified by a red pin at the bottom of the tweet. Clicking on this pin will reveal an inline map showing the

location that the tweet was sent from.” TweetDeck demos the new features in the video below: We’ll have more on the TweetDeck upgrades in a bit, but for now, download the latest and let us know what you think in the comments. Reviews: TweetDeck, Twitter Tags: tweetdeck, twitter

Tech/

E-reader Newspaper

Apple taking their Maps app to 'the next level' By John Burke (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)) Submitted at 11/30/2009 10:00:00 AM

Filed under: Apple, iPhone Apple is looking for yet another engineer to help make the iPhone even better. A new job listing found on Apple's website was posted looking for a full-time software engineer to be a part of the Maps application team. The position description explains that Apple wants to take their Maps application to "the next level" and states that they've "only just started." From the listing: We want to take Maps to the next level, rethink how users use Maps and change the way people find things. We want to do this in a

seamless, highly interactive and enjoyable way. We've only just started. It's pretty clear that Apple is feeling the heat from the increasing number of GPS and augmented reality applications available from third-party developers and even the

advancements that Google has made on their Android platform. This job application definitely shows that Apple is certainly not resting and that work is continuing on the iPhone OS and the applications it offers. While this listing is far more specific than usual, it could be a sign of great things to come. [via Macrumors] TUAW Apple taking their Maps app to 'the next level' originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

UK Pub Owner Fined Due To Unauthorized Downloads On Free Pub WiFi? By Mike Masnick (Techdirt)

permission to publicize the case. Yet, if it was a lawsuit, you would think that there would be A bunch of folks have sent in the some court records detailing this. story of a nameless pub owner in It appears that the laws regarding the UK who has supposedly been safe harbors for copyright fined ÂŁ8,000 in a lawsuit brought infringement are not nearly as by a copyright holder over clear as they are in the US. unauthorized downloads that Under the DMCA it seems that were done over free WiFi that the any hotspot owner would have pub offered. Of course, there is a safe harbor protections against lot of missing information here, such a lawsuit, and it seems odd so I'm not quite sure how much that a court would fine the pub to believe of this story without owner when it was clearly a user further evidence. The name of of the access point that did the the pub is not given. The file sharing. information was provided by a Permalink| Comments| Email WiFi hotspot provider, The This Story Cloud, which claims that the specific pub owner has not given Submitted at 11/30/2009 6:00:00 AM

Rumor: 6-core Intel Core i9 CPU on the way to a Mac Pro near you By Steven Sande (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))

cites a Polish website, PCLab, as showing test results of the CPU at about 50% faster than the corresponding quad-core Xeon Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:00:00 AM processor. Intel's new 6-core Filed under: Hardware, Rumors, CPU features 32 nm engraving, Mac Pro Hardmac has provided which results in less power t h e M a c u n i v e r s e w i t h a n consumption in idle (50% less) interesting rumor -- that a future and fully-loaded (10% less) to remove the data. Mac Pro, expected in early 2010, modes. PCLab had posted a Many Mac pundits have been will sport dual Intel Xeon Core i9 detailed review of the new CPU, wondering what Apple would do " Gulftown" CPUs. The website but pulled it when asked by Intel

to differentiate the new iMac Core i7 and the Mac Pro models. The six-core CPU would give the engineers in Cupertino a growth path that results in a top-of-theline 12-core Mac Pro that incidentally uses less power. Of course, applications will need to be properly coded to take advantage of the multiple cores, something that many Mac developers are already doing.

[via Hardmac] TUAW Rumor: 6-core Intel Core i9 CPU on the way to a Mac Pro near you originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

Tech/

E-reader Newspaper

Talkcast tonight: Black Friday + Cyber Monday with WalletPop and Dealnews By Michael Rose (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)) Submitted at 11/29/2009 8:45:00 PM

Filed under: TUAW Business, Podcasts, Deals It's been a quiet few days, but we're back live tonight at 10pm ET with two special guests: Beth Gladstone from our sister site WalletPop, and Dan de Grandpre from Dealnews. We'll be talking about the weekend's shopping, the upcoming deals for Cyber Monday, and the outlook for Mac & iPhone goodies for the rest of the holiday season. Do join us. To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client,

the embedded Facebook app, or the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the"TalkShoe Web" button on our profile page at 10 pm Sunday. To call in on

regular phone or VoIP lines (take advantange of your free cellphone weekend minutes if you like): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 - during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *-8.

If you've got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac, you can connect via the free Gizmo or X-Lite SIP clients; basic instructions are here. Talk with you then! TUAW Talkcast tonight: Black Friday + Cyber Monday with WalletPop and Dealnews originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

Brace Yourselves, Maemo Fans: Nokia Plans Only One Linux Device for 2010 By Stan Schroeder (Mashable!) Submitted at 11/30/2009 4:44:29 AM

According to Reuters, not only is Nokia not abandoning Symbian as its smartphone platform of choice, but the Finnish mobile giant plans only one (1!) Linuxbased device for the entire next year. Nokia refused to officially confirm this information, which comes from a “source with direct

knowledge of Nokia’s product roadmap,” saying that they “remain firmly committed to Symbian as our smartphone platform of choice.” Personally, I’m not sure whether this is good or bad news. I’ve had the chance to try out the only Maemo-based device currently on offer, the Nokia N900, and it left me disappointed. Not in the terms of what it can do, mind you, as it’s packing some powerful hardware; but the UI

and the touchscreen responsiveness if you try to use your fingers (there’s a stylus included, too) need to undergo a lot of improving to be anywhere

near the iPhone-levels of usability and fluidity. On the other hand, Symbian as a smartphone platform feels old and unable to compete with the iPhone OS, Android and Palm’s webOS, and Nokia can definitely benefit from starting over with a new OS. Let’s just hope that one Linux-based device that gets released in 2010 will be a game changer. Reviews: Android, linux Tags: Linux, Maemo, Nokia

Well, here we go again. Reports are coming out of India about new draconian copyright law changes that were apparently decided on between the government and the recording industry with little to no input from everyone else the new laws would impact. Among the concerns? The new law would significantly strip fair use (fair dealing in India) rights, to the extent that they are effectively useless. This seems to happen over and over again in different countries. The recording industry and copyright maximalists of course will all claim that it's in an effort to "harmonize" the rules between countries, but harmonization is a codeword for a big game of leapfrog, whereby the industry pushes for more draconian laws in one country, and then demands that other countries need to "harmonize." Of course, somewhere along the way, they also convince one or more of those countries to make their "harmonized" law even more draconian than others, and suddenly everyone else has to "harmonize" again, leaving open the opportunity to ratchet the laws up even more. Permalink| Comments| Email This Story

Tech/ Entertainment/

E-reader Newspaper

Amazon Shares its Top Social Media Is Like the Cyber Monday Deals on Internet’s Vodka and Twitter Red Bull [STATS] By Jennifer Van Grove (Mashable!)

Audio: 911 Call Made By Tiger Woods' Neighbor (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 11/30/2009 5:00:00 AM

By Adam Ostrow (Mashable!)

ET has obtained audio of the 911 call made by a neighbor of Tiger Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:45:24 AM Woods following the pro golfer's People lose their inhibitions Friday morning car crash. Click behind the anonymity of the Amazon killed their brick and HERE to listen. Internet? No way! While this mortar competition when it came "I have someone down in front of will come as a shock to no one to Black Friday Twitter buzz, and my house," the unidentified that’s spent much time on social when all was said and done they neighbor tells the dispatcher. "I media sites and blogs, new stats were also the most visited came out here just to see what website on Black Friday as well. Monday Deal Alerts in addition published today by eMarketer new people. was going on. ... I see him, and The deals, however, are just to their ongoing Lightning Deals. demonstrate just how much of an Interestingly, social media seems he's laying down." getting started as today kicks off So far deals include Call of Duty impact that the Web is having on to have more of an impact on The acclaimed golfer had just A m a z o n ’ s C y b e r M o n d a y 4: Modern Warfare for $29.99, people speaking their mind. men’s inhibitions than women’s. pulled out of his driveway in his discount extravaganza. So, while an Archos Tablet for $199.99, According to the research, As you can see in the chart from Cadillac SUV when his car you can poke around their and The Office: Season Four for originally conducted by by Euro eMarketer, men appear to do struck a fire hydrant, leaving the w e b s i t e a n d f i n d d e e p l y $19.49. Definitely keep your RSCG Worldwide, about 31% of more with the anonymity that front of his vehicle stuck in a discounted products, we think eyes on this hot Twitter account adults feel empowered to do social media and the Web tree. Windermere police chief something they’ve been wanting provide: you’ll be best served by paying today. Daniel Saylor told the Associated extra close attention to Thanks to Steve Eisenberg to do thanks to social media, How as the Internet changed Press that Woods' wife told their@AmazonDeals Twitter [@northlight] for the heads up. If while 20% have used the medium your behaviors and inhibitions? officers that she heard the account. you have any tips on Twitter to lash out at companies and Share your own experience in the accident from inside their house Savvy Twitter users have accounts to follow today, we’d brands they feel wronged by. comments. and broke the back window of noticed that as of early this love for you to share them in the The Internet is also a big help [img via markhillary on flickr] the vehicle with a golf club. when it comes to trying to meet Tags: social media morning AmazonDeals, which is comments. Reviews: Twitter officially managed by the online Tags: amazon, cyber monday retailer, started posting Cyber Submitted at 11/30/2009 7:16:22 AM

Kindle Breaks Sales Record in November By Stan Schroeder (Mashable!) Submitted at 11/30/2009 5:35:19 AM

Even though November is not over yet – today is Cyber Monday, typically a great day for gadget sales – Amazon has announced that it was the best

sales month ever for Kindle. We can’t say how much of this can be attributed to the recent international launch of Kindle, but it definitely helped – along with the price cuts. Despite the competition, Kindle is certainly doing great, being the most number one bestselling product wished for, the most gifted, and

across all product categories on Amazon. “Kindle is a great gift for anyone who loves to read and it’s flying off the shelves faster than any other product Amazon sells,” said Ian Freed, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. “We’re seeing lots of people buying from one to

a handful of Kindles as gifts for friends or family, as well as many businesses and other organizations buying Kindles in large quantities for their employees or customers.” Tags: amazon, Kindle

Tech/ Tech Tips/ Entertainment/

E-reader Newspaper

Avoid Rushing into Home Ownership for Tax Credits [Housing] By Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker) Submitted at 11/30/2009 5:40:00 AM

An $8,000 tax credit for firsttime home buyers has been extended to cover contracts signed by April 30, 2010. A real estate professor writes that those seemingly free dollars might not (CNET News.com) early hours of Monday morning, s a v e y o u a n y a c t u a l c a s h , both the clockwise and the h o w e v e r . Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:29:08 AM a n t i c l o c k w i s e b e a m s w e r e Photo by omniNate. S c r e e n s s h o w t h e L H C accelerated to 1.18 TeV, giving Joseph Gyourko, chairman of c i r c u l a t i n g t w o b e a m s t h e p r o t o n s a s p e e d o f the real estate department at the simultaneously for the first time approximately 0.9997 times the University of Pennsylvania's on November 23.(Credit: CERN) speed of light. Wharton School, runs the The recently restarted Large The previous record for beam numbers on five myths of home Hadron Collider has become the intensity was 0.98 TeV, held by o w n e r s h i p , i n c l u d i n g t h e world's most powerful particle the Tevatron at the Fermi standard "buying is always better accelerator, after setting a new National Accelerator Laboratory than renting" argument that we've record for beam intensity. near Chicago since 2001... previously posted about(and Scientists working at the particle Read more of " LHC sets world considered as a calculator). collider successfully accelerated record for particle acceleration" About the tax credit that's a beam of protons up to 1.18 tera at ZDNet UK. regularly in the headlines, -electron-volts (TeV) late on This content has passed through Gyourko suggests the savings S u n d a y n i g h t , b e a t i n g t h e fivefilters.org. may vanish quickly if you're previous record of 0.98 TeV, buying in an area with a CERN has announced. In the moderately competitive market: Just because you got an $8,000 tax credit toward the purchase of a home doesn't mean that you actually saved $8,000. In areas

CERN's collider sets proton speed record

where there is strong demand for housing and the supply of new housing is limited â&#x20AC;&#x201D; including the Washington metro region â&#x20AC;&#x201D; tax credits may result in the bidding up of home prices. In other words, the program has probably led to higher prices in these areas than we would be seeing without it. This means that some of the benefit of the tax credit is being passed on from homebuyers to home sellers.

Has the new buyer credit made you think twice about buying a home? Do you still consider home ownership a solid, if not exactly profitable, investment? Trade your takes in the comments. 5 myths about homeownership[WashingtonPost. com via I Will Teach You to be Rich]

Tiger Woods' Alleged Mistress Denies Reports of an Affair (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:01:00 AM

HTV cameras caught up with Rachel Uchitel as she arrived at

LAX airport over the weekend meeting with attorney Gloria Allred. Uchitel is refuting claims that she had an affair with Tiger Woods after the National

Enquirer labeled her the other woman. "I did not have an affair with Tiger Woods," she told Us magazine, adding, "I met him

twice and have not heard from him since." The acclaimed golfer was involved in a one-car accident on Friday morning. Woods had just

pulled out of his driveway in his Cadillac SUV when his car struck a fire hydrant, leaving the front of his vehicle stuck in a tree.

Politics/

E-reader Newspaper

Huckabee Granted Clemency to Suspected Cop Killer (Little Green Footballs) Submitted at 11/29/2009 6:41:29 PM

Mike Huckabee is in big political trouble tonight, as the story breaks that he granted clemency to the man suspected of murdering four police officers. Maurice Clemmons, the 37-yearold Tacoma man being sought for questioning in the killing of four Lakewood police officers this morning, has a long criminal record punctuated by violence, erratic behavior and concerns about his mental health. Nine years ago, then-Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee granted clemency to Clemmons, commuting his lengthy prison sentence over the protestations of prosecutors. “This is the day I’ve been dreading for a long time,” Larry Jegley, prosecuting attorney for Arkansas’ Pulaski County said Sunday night when informed that Clemmons was being sought in connection to the killings. Read the article linked above; this guy is seriously, obviously deranged. You have to wonder why Huckabee would grant clemency to someone like this, despite strenuous objections from prosecutors. One possibility: Huckabee is a fanatical fundamentalist. Was it because Clemmons pretended to “get religion” in order for his sentence to be reduced? UPDATE at 11/29/09 8:38:26 pm:

Huckabee is blaming it on “ the criminal justice system,” and taking no responsibility for granting the suspected killer clemency. “The senseless and savage execution of police officers in Washington State has saddened the nation, and early reports indicate that a person of interest is a repeat offender who once lived in Arkansas and was wanted on outstanding warrants here and Washington State. The murder of any individual is a profound tragedy, but the murder of a police officer is the worst of all murders in that it is an assault on every citizen and the laws we live within. Should he be found to be responsible for this horrible tragedy, it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington State. He was recommended for and received a commutation of his original sentence from 1990. This commutation making him parole eligible and was paroled by the parole board once they determined he met the conditions at that time. He was arrested later for parole violation and taken back to prison to serve his full term, but prosecutors dropped the charges that would have held him. It appears that he has continued to have a string of criminal and psychotic behavior but was not kept incarcerated by either state. This is a horrible and

tragic event and if found and convicted the offender should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Our thoughts and prayers are and should be with the families of those honorable, brave, and heroic police officers.” UPDATE at 11/29/09 8:46:27 pm: This is not the first case in which Huckabee granted clemency to a criminal who went right back to a life of crime; in 1996 he granted clemency to serial rapist Wayne Dumond: Dumond case revisited. In an effort to stem the political fallout, Huckabee and his staff agreed to meet for the first time with Dumond&##x2019;s victim, Ashley Stevens, her family, and Fletcher Long, the prosecuting attorney who sent Dumond to prison. In interviews, both Walter &##x201C;Stevie&##x201D; Stevens, Ashley&##x2019;s father, and Long both said they came away frustrated that Huckabee knew so few specifics about the case. &##x201C;He [Huckabee] kept insisting that there was DNA evidence that has since exonerated Dumond, when that very much wasn&##x2019;t the case,&##x201D; recalled Long. &##x201C;No matter that that wasn&##x2019;t true &##x2026; we couldn&##x2019;t seem to say or do anything to disabuse him of that notion.&##x201D; In fact, there had never been any

DNA testing in the Ashley Stevens case. The state official who advised Huckabee on the Dumond case confirmed that the governor knew very little about Ashley Stevens&##x2019; case: &##x201C;I don&##x2019;t believe that he had access to, or read, the law enforcement records or parole commission&##x2019;s files &##x2014; even by then,&##x201D; the official said. &##x201C;He already seemed to have made up his mind, and his knowledge of the case appeared to be limited to a large degree as to what people had told him, what Jay Cole had told him, and what he had read in the New York Post.&##x201D; Jay Cole, like Huckabee, is a Baptist minister, pastor for the Mission Fellowship Bible Church in Fayetteville and a close friend of the governor and his wife. On the ultra-conservative radio program he hosts, Cole has championed the cause of Wayne Dumond for more than a decade. Cole has repeatedly claimed that Dumond&##x2019;s various travails are the result of Ashley Stevens&##x2019; distant relationship to Bill Clinton. The governor was also apparently relying on information he got from Steve Dunleavy, first as a correspondent for the tabloid television show &##x201C;A Current Affair&##x201D; and later as a columnist for the New

York Post. Much of what Dunleavy has written about the Dumond saga has been either unverified or is demonstrably untrue. Dunleavy has all but accused Ashley Stevens of having fabricated her rape, derisively referring to her in one column as a &##x201C;socalled victim,&##x201D; and brusquely asserting in another, &##x201C;That rape never happened.&##x201D; The columnist wrote that D u m o n d w a s a &##x201C;Vietnam veteran with no record&##x201D; when in fact he did have a criminal record. He claimed there existed DNA evidence by &##x201C;one of the most respected DNA experts in the country&##x201D; to exonerate Dumond, even though there was no such evidence. He wrote that Bill Clinton had personally intervened to keep Dumond in prison, even though Clinton had recused himself in 1990 from any involvement in the case because of his distant relationship with Stevens. &##x201C;The problem with the governor is that he listens to Jay Cole and reads Steve Dunleavy and believes them … without doing other substantative work,&##x201D; the state official said.

Politics/ TV/ Entertainment/ Popular News/

E-reader Newspaper

Did Climate Scientists Destroy Data? A: No. (Little Green Footballs) Submitted at 11/29/2009 10:58:46 AM

The latest recycled claim from the climate denialists: Climate change data dumped. SCIENTISTS at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have admitted throwing away much of the raw temperature data on which their predictions of global warming are based. It means that other academics are not able to check basic calculations said to show a longterm rise in temperature over the past 150 years. The UEA’s Climatic Research Unit (CRU) was forced to reveal the loss following requests for the data under Freedom of Information legislation. The data were gathered from weather stations around the world and then adjusted to take account of variables in the way they were collected. The revised figures were kept, but the originals — stored on paper and magnetic tape — were dumped to save space when the CRU moved to a new building.

The admission follows the leaking of a thousand private emails sent and received by Professor Phil Jones, the CRU’s director. In them he discusses thwarting climate sceptics seeking access to such data. In a statement on its website, the CRU said: “We do not hold the original raw data but only the value-added (quality controlled and homogenised) data.” Just one little problem with this latest tempest in a teapot — no data was destroyed. And the article at The Times, oddly enough, just happens to leave out that part of Phil Jones’ explanation. According to CRU’s Web site, “Data storage availability in the 1980s meant that we were not able to keep the multiple sources for some sites, only the station series after adjustment for homogeneity issues. We, therefore, do not hold the original raw data but only the valueadded (i.e. quality controlled and homogenized) data.” Phil Jones, director of the Climatic Research Unit, said that

the vast majority of the station data was not altered at all, and the small amount that was changed was adjusted for consistency. The research unit has deleted less than 5 percent of its original station data from its database because the stations had several discontinuities or were affected by urbanization trends, Jones said. “When you’re looking at climate data, you don’t want stations that are showing urban warming trends,” Jones said, “so we’ve taken them out.” Most of the stations for which data was removed are located in areas where there were already dense monitoring networks, he added. “We rarely removed a station in a data-sparse region of the world.” Refuting CEI’s claims of datadestruction, Jones said, “We haven’t destroyed anything. The data is still there — you can still get these stations from the [NOAA] National Climatic Data Center.” By the way, here’s some information on the group

spreading the “destroyed data” claim: Competitive Enterprise Institute. CEI is a think tank funded by donations from individuals, foundations and corporations. CEI does not accept government funding. Past and present funders include the Scaife Foundations, Exxon Mobil, the Ford Motor Company Fund, Pfizer, and the Earhart Foundation[5][6]. … CEI is also active in the legal aspects of antitrust and government regulation. As part of its “Control Abuse of Power” (CAP) project, CEI launched lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the 1998 tobacco Master Settlement Agreement and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), respectively. Again, the connection to energy industries and big tobacco. Almost every one of the main anti-AGW front groups is connected to either big energy or big tobacco, and often both.

Eat Yogurt For Safety [Danger] By Hamilton Nolan (Gawker) Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:05:05 AM

" Bagel-related injuries are exceeded only by chicken, potato, apple and onion injuries." Knowledge is power.

German tourist arrested in Disney fake bomb threat (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News) Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:05:22 AM

rlmillerlv buzzed up: Somali pirates hijack oil tanker headed for U.S. (AP) 13 seconds ago 2009-1130T09:45:01-08:00 This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Sneak Peek: Watch three minutes of tonight's House By Jane Boursaw (TV Squad)

Wing star Josh Malina, has a physical meltdown, and Wilson has to figure out what's going on. Ooh, the tables are turned in Earlier this year, executive tonight's House, and Wilson is producer Katie Jacobs said, "We the one with the medical mystery have this upcoming episode on his hands. On a hunting trip, where House is to Wilson as his buddy, played by The West Wilson is usually to House. Like Submitted at 11/30/2009 10:01:00 AM

he'll be in the middle of something and House will drop by, or he'll go see House in the middle of a differential diagnosis meeting, and we'll never even know what they were working on. I'm excited about it." And, of course, I always love the

episodes where Hugh Laurie gets to display his musical talents, even if it IS in a House-centric way. In fact, I'm loving House this season. How about you? Join in our spirited discussion on whether House and Cuddy should get together. Here's a

three-minute clip of tonight's episode, which airs at 8 PM on Fox. Filed under: OpEd, House, Video, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments

Tech Tips/ Popular News/

E-reader Newspaper

Avoid Airline Charges by Checking Luggage Limits Before You Travel [Travel] By Jason Fitzpatrick (Lifehacker) Submitted at 11/30/2009 6:30:00 AM

Nobody wants to get hit with a massive over-limit luggage charge when they're already stressed and rushing to catch their flight. Hit up Luggage Limits before you travel to avoid any check-in counter surprises. We don't know if you've visited the web site of a major airline lately and attempted to decode their baggage policies but a significant number of the airlines have baggage policies that are not only buried deeply in their

sites but written in a less than clear fashion. Luggage Limits catalogs the baggage policies of over 90 airlines. Plug in what airline you are traveling with, your departure

and arrival airports, and the class of your ticket—no surprise that first class has a higher luggage limit—and Luggage Limits spits out a comprehensive breakdown of cost of checking bags, the size

limits for both standard and overweight/oversize baggage—and the associated fees—and the size and weight allowance for your carry-on and personal items. Reading the information on Luggage Limits for Northwest Airlines was much clearer than reading it on the Northwest web site, that's for sure. Luggage Limits is a free service and requires no registration or personal information. Have a helpful travel site to share? Let's hear about it in the comments. Thanks Bill! Luggage Limits

House panel sets hearing on White House dinner breach (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News) Submitted at 11/30/2009 7:41:34 AM

rlmillerlv buzzed up: Somali pirates hijack oil tanker headed for U.S. (AP) 14 seconds ago 2009-1130T09:45:01-08:00 This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

How to Calculate How Many People Your Home Can Successfully Host [Entertaining] By Sarah Rae Trover (Lifehacker)

straightforward method for inviting the right amount of people to your party. His easy Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:30:00 AM equation takes your home's space Many of us will be throwing into account and a few simple holiday parties in the weeks rules for getting your numbers ahead, but for those who aren't right. regularly party throwers, it can be Divide the square footage of difficult to know how big of an y o u r h o m e b y f i v e ( t h e invite list your place can handle. approximate number of feet each This simple formula can help. guest needs in personal space). Photo by dpstyles™. That number equals how many Clinton Kelly of TV's What Not people can fit comfortably in T o W e a r s u g g e s t s a your home. Then, assume that 80

percent of your invitees will accept the invitation, but that five of those people won't end up coming. For example, if you've

in the first place, and one will claim to be violently ill the day of the party. Hit up the full post for more holiday entertaining advice from Kelly. If you're an old hand at throwing parties, give us your tips for getting it right in the comments. 10 Holiday got 100 square feet of space in Entertaining Tips from Clinton your home, you can fit 20 guests. Kelly[The Learning Channel] But really, you can invite 25 because just 16 will plan to come

Tech Tips/

E-reader Newspaper

Hardware Chart Lists Chrome OS-Compatible Coffee Temporarily Assigns Gear [Chrome Os] Primary, Secondary Apps for Files [Downloads] By Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker)

words, you can set up your standard Windows image viewer to open up JPG files when you Windows: Want to open certain double-click, but have Photoshop files with the portable apps on open them when you hold down your thumb drive when it's Alt and double-click. plugged in, but revert to default There's a lot more to the app when it's not? Wish you could then that, if you want to dig into have a "secondary" app for its settings and menus. But at its particular documents? Coffee heart, it's a really handy program makes those options possible. for both desktop users that often Coffee is a very small portable split documents between two app that itself can run from a apps, and portable app users who thumb drive. When it's running, plug into a lot of different you can assign any app on your computers. thumb drive (or elsewhere on Coffee is a very handy addition your system) to any file you to any portable app suite, and it's double-click, and Coffee will ask made by the makers of one of our you to do so. Hold down Alt and readers' five favorite suites. It's a double-click a file, and you'll free download for Windows assign a "secondary" application systems only. Coffee[Lupo Pen to that document type. In other Suite via FreewareGenius.com] Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:00:00 AM

Sneak Preview Improves Multi-Guest Scheduling in Google Calendar [Google Calendar] By Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker) Submitted at 11/30/2009 7:00:00 AM

If you've recently created an event in Google Calendar, you may have been asked to take part in a "Sneak Preview" of a new By Adam Pash (Lifehacker) developers who've played canary event interface. You probably -in-the-coalmine. Currently most should, as it could save you from Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:00:00 AM of the hardware in the list is of reading lots of clarifying emails. Eager to play with Google's just- the netbook variety, but it's a Basically, the new interface released Chrome OS but don't good place to get started if you're grabs the public calendars, or want to waste your time if your an early adopter but you don't private calendars shared with hardware isn't supported? This want to waste your time if your you, of any people you're inviting simple chart from Google helps hardware's not going to play nice. and mashes them together in a you figure out whether or not Remember that Chrome OS is mini-calendar under your event your equipment can work with still extremely young and still interface. You'll see everyone's current Chrome OS builds. rough around the edges, so schedule for the day or time span Populated by developers who've unless, as Google puts it, you you're creating an event for, and played with Chrome OS and " a r e n ' t a f r a i d t o t a k e a can move your event around gotten it up and running on their screwdriver to [your] computer," physically in between everyone's systems, the chart specifies how you'll probably want to wait for appointments. It adds a nice (and if) features like Wi-Fi, Chrome OS to mature a little. Outlook-like capability to GCal, trackpads, and suspend/resume D e v e l o p e r H a r d w a r e [ T h e though for events with invitees work on each system. You can C h r o m i u m P r o j e c t s v i a w h o a r e n ' t t h a t i n t o w e b calendars or public sharing, also read about any caveats or D o w n l o a d S q u a d ] contact-and-ask services like other comments from the When Is Good, Doodle, and TimeBridge will continue to be useful. Google Calendar Sneak Preview[Google Operating System]

Tech Tips/ Tech News/

E-reader Newspaper

Mullenweg Speaks Out on Twitter, WordPress and the Question of Competition By Jolie O'Dell (ReadWriteWeb)

Translate Any Web Text on the Fly with a Bookmarklet [Bookmarklet] By Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker)

need this bookmarklet. For those of us looking for quick Submitted at 11/30/2009 6:00:00 AM translation of any web page out Google has recently offered there, the bookmarklet linked at t r a n s l a t i o n o f w e b p a g e s the Google Operating System generated from JavaScriptâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;like post is a nice and easy fix. search results and While this bookmarklet can w e b a p p s â&#x20AC;&#x201D; t h r o u g h i t s o w n work with any kind of text on a t o o l b a r s . W a n t t o q u i c k l y page and automatically detect the translate text without the toolbar? language, it doesn't automatically The Google Operating System convert to a default English blog has a bookmarklet to try out. language. For that, you should If you're already using the c h e c k o u t t h e T o E n g l i s h Google toolbar on your browser, bookmarklet that's won its way or mostly browse sites that use into our hearts (and bookmarklets G o o g l e ' s o w n p e r s i s t e n t folder). Google Translation translation toolbar, you won't Bar[Google Operating System]

service. Should comScore and other domain statistics analyses be Submitted at 11/29/2009 4:35:04 PM thrown out of these After recent comScore data conversations? 'I would say they showed Twitter stats leveling off probably are precise but not as WordPress traffic continued to signal the supposed "death of accurate," wrote Mullenweg. grow, some bloggers framed the blogging" trend is coming to an "For WordPress.com, they don't r e s u l t s a s a n e i t h e r / o r end? Mullenweg certainly doesn't count the custom domains or proposition; if one platforms think so. RSS readers; and for Twitter they wins, the other loses. He notes that because the don't count API usage or desktop W o r d P r e s s f o u n d e r M a t t q u e s t i o n i s m o r e o n e o f clients." Mullenweg has weighed in on the cooperation than competition, the Ultimately, comScore data are s u b j e c t , s t a t i n g t h a t t h e folks at WordPress are actually one way to compare site traffic, interaction b e t w e e n t r y i n g t o c r e a t e m o r e but in the age of APIs, they're microblogging and what he's opportunities for overlap between hardly useful for tracking the calling "megablogging" is hardly various platforms. "Features like actual number of active users for a zero-sum game. "It's not really WP.me, post by email, Twitter a particular service. a 'versus,' it's an 'and'," he wrote. publicize, RSS Cloud, P2, email So, we're curious to know, do Sponsor subscriptions, and more stuff in you blog, tweet, or both? And are "One of the many uses of Twitter the cooker is trying to tie these y o u m o r e l i k e l y t o u s e is to link to and promote your things together more because Twitter.com or a mobile or blog posts (and other people's people who do one are highly desktop application? Let us blog posts,)" he continued. "As likely to do another," he said. know, and give us your feedback we grow, so do they, and vice Moreover, many readers would in the comments. versa." question the validity of data for Do you post to a blog, Twitter, Here's a chart showing data Twitter.com, since the website is, both, or neither?( survey) similar to comScore's: How do you use Twitter's for many users, a secondary or As you can see, Twitter.com's even tertiary method of accessing service?( survey) growth rate for unique site the service. Between mobile and Discuss visitors is slowing, while d e s k t o p a p p s , s t a t s f o r WordPress.com's site stats Twitter.com really don't reflect continue to grow. Does this how many people are using the

Tech News/

E-reader Newspaper

Top 10 Mobile Web Products of 2009 By Sarah Perez (ReadWriteWeb)

friends, events, and communication streams. For those who don't spend their Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:34:55 AM days behind a computer screen, As part of our annual tradition, the new app also made Facebook this week Read Write Web will a more useful service, allowing present you with our "best of" you to quickly browse and posts for 2009, a series of articles upload photos or videos (the that will examine the top web latter if you have the iPhone products in categories that range 3GS). Finally, the simplified from consumer web apps to RSS layout, which displays just 9 a n d s y n d i c a t i o n p l a t f o r m s . buttons in a grid-like pattern is a Today, we're kicking off the testament to good user design, series with a look at the top boiling down the complexity of mobile web products of the past Facebook to one easy-to-use year. This is a subjective list of interface that even the newest of editorially selected products, but mobile users can understand. one which includes some of the If any application deserves an biggest names in mobile web "app of the year" award, it's applications for 2009. Facebook 3.0 for iPhone. Sponsor Tweetie 2 (iPhone) Facebook 3.0 (iPhone) Another popular application for Although Facebook is an the iPhone was this year's application available on many r e v i s i o n t o t h e T w e e t i e different mobile platforms, none application. This "update" was can hold a candle to the iPhone actually a complete reworking of version, updated this summer to the app which introduced so version 3.0. The latest mobile many new features that the version of this must-have social d e v e l o p e r , L o r e n B r i c h t e r , networking application was so decided to release it as an entirely good, some even proclaimed that separate application which costs it was more useful and more the same as the original. This usable than the Facebook website decision, in turn, led to a vicious itself. backlash of complaints as Designed by engineer Joe Hewitt Tweetie users whined that they ( who later controversially now had to "pay twice" for the declared he quit developing it application. The claims for the a n d a l l o t h e r i P h o n e most part were just ridiculous applications), Facebook 3.0 for the $2.99 price point was hardly the iPhone didn't just deliver a a burden and no one was "paying new way to socialize while on the twice" - you were buying a brand go, but essentially became a -new application. However, the portable "little black book" debate highlighted some of the keeping you connected to your issues Apple has with upgrade

app, no matter which screen you're viewing. An updated version just launched today, now takes this application to a whole new level with its brand-new plugin architecture. Thanks to this feature, third-party developers can now extend Twidroid with their own services. This changes the application from being just another Twitter client pricing- that is, "no paid updates" representing one company's point are permitted. That left Brichter of view as to what features it with no other choice to recoup on should offer to being an app his investment of time and that's completely customizable energy that went into the building and tailored precisely to an end of Tweetie 2.0 but by charging user's needs. In fact, it was this last minute year-end update again for the new version. In the end, after the outcry died forced us to add Twidroid to the down, most everyone just forked list - apps that support plugins over the piddling amount to get may very well be the next big the new app which introduced thing for mobile. Foursquare features like video tweets, offline (Cross-platform) mode, geolocation, and more. Last year, we thought the mobile And nearly all are happier for social network to beat was d o i n g s o , t o o . T w i d r o i d Brightkite. While we still like that service, there's no doubt that (Android) It's hard to not favor the iPhone Foursquare is this year's locationin this list given the 100,000 apps based breakout hit. At the now available for the platform, beginning of 2009, the service but Android apps deserve a was limited to only a handful of mention too. Among the apps cities, but lately, that list has been installed first by new owners of expanding quickly to include a A n d r o i d s m a r t p h o n e s i s number of new cities worldwide. Twidroid, the popular Android Essentially, this geolocationTwitter client. This mobile based service turns mobile social application has improved over networking into a game. You time and now offers a clean and "check in" as you arrive at new easy-to-use interface where the places in return for points, prizes, most frequently used features b a d g e s , a n d t h e h o n o r o f (@Mentions, Direct Messages, becoming the "mayor" of a place etc.) are accessible via buttons if you're the one with the most available at the bottom of the check-ins there. Additionally,

Foursquare users can leave tips for others arriving to that locale so when they check in, they can see recommendations - like the best entree at the restaurant or where the nearest Starbucks is to that hotel, for example. Some may claim that Foursquare's influence is still limited to the early adopter tech set for now and hasn't really become a mainstream hit just yet. Maybe that's true to a point, but considering the service just got a shout-out on The Simpsons not too long ago, we think Foursquare's days of being an "undiscovered gem" are limited. Google Voice (Blackberry, Android) Perhaps most notable for prompting an FCC investigation into Apple's secretive app approval process, Google Voice is one of the year's best mobile applications even if it's not available on the iPhone. According to Google, Apple rejected the app from the iTunes Store because it duplicated the iPhone's core functionality. Meanwhile, Apple claimed they were "still reviewing" the application because it alters the iPhone's functionality and user interface. The general consensus is that Apple isn't exactly being forthcoming here. A slew of other applications already available in the App Store "duplicate" the iPhone's functionality in some way, TOP page 37

E-reader Newspaper

TOP continued from page 36

making Apple's rejection more suspicious. As of now, Google Voice is still not available in the App Store. However, Blackberry and Android users are able to take advantage of this innovative mobile app which lets you set where your phone numbers should ring to while also aggregating your voicemail from all your different lines. Those messages are then transcribed and emailed and/or SMS'd to you. Via the mobile application, your outgoing calls appear to be coming from your Google Voice number and not the number assigned to your handheld. This mobile app is so popular that it alone has caused some highprofile users to make the switch from the iPhone to Android. Spotify (Cross-Platform) Sadly not available in the U.S. as of yet, Spotify deserves a mention for its notable achievements overseas. A complement to the desktop-based music streaming service, Spotify's mobile application lets users access their accounts, make playlists, and listen to music when offline. Given how heavily this service competes with iTunes, many feared that Apple would reject Spotify as they did with Google Voice (see above). However, the FCC investigation must have made Apple nervous because Spotify for iPhone was readily approved for inclusion in the App Store. Expected to launch stateside

sometime in 2010, Spotify represents the next revolution in mobile music. Instead of purchasing and owning individual tracks, this subscription-based service lets you stream music to your mobile device. And unlike similar mobile music apps, Spotify lets you pick exact songs from a catalog of millions which instantly sync to your mobile device. It even works without an internet connection. Spotify goes where iTunes has not and makes music more of a web-based experience than something requiring disk space on physical hard drives. In other words, Spotify represents the future of mobile music and a threat which Apple will soon need to address. Google Maps Navigation (Android) Can we say GPS killer? That was the feeling when Google announced their new product, Google Maps Navigation which mimics the functionality of GPS devices like those from Garmin and TomTom. On launch day, stocks at those companies tumbled to unprecedented lows despite the fact that the mobile application was only available for Android 2.0 devices at that tim. It just goes to show that when Google enters a particular market, companies take notice. Not only does this mobile app deliver all the best features of Google Maps including satellite and street views, it also includes mobile-appropriate features like traffic views, voice search, and

turn-by-turn navigation, the latter recently launching on Android 1.6 devices (and up), too. BNO (iPhone) Who says you have to abandon the real-time web just because you're going mobile? BNO, short for "breaking news online" is an iPhone application that complements the 24/7 news service available via Twitter, iPhone, email, and as a news wire. With BNO News(iTunes link) for the iPhone, the app taps into the iPhone's push notification functionality to deliver real-time news alerts that pop up on your device without using up your text messages. This app may be for serious news junkies only, but these days, isn't that everyone? BNO also uses a unique pricing structure which we're surprised we don't see more of: in addition to the purchase price of $1.99, the app also requires a monthly subscription fee of $0.99. Layar (iPhone, Android) Mobile application Layar may have gotten more media exposure than its functionality deserves, but this app represents the next big step for mobile: augmented reality. By displaying data layers on top of your phone's camera viewer, Layar literally "augments" reality with additional information about what you're viewing. Information like restaurant reviews or real estate listings, for example. Earlier this year, we called Layar the most exciting of the AR apps because of its nature as a

platform. That means third-party developers can build their own "layers" for the app using the company's provided API. While the application doesn't always deliver the experiences it promises, that hasn't stopped cofounder Maarten Lens-Fitzgerald from proclaiming that AR apps will be second only to voice on mobile phones in the coming years. He may be right...eventually, but that time hasn't come just yet. For now, Layar just gives us a glimpse of what's possible and for that, we're grateful, excited, and highly anticipating what AR may bring in 2010. Your Favorite Mobile Game (Cross-Platform) Although not an app itself, we have to add "mobile games" as a general category to this "best of" list. To not do so would be to ignore one of the biggest mobile trends of the past year: mobile devices becoming "real" gaming platforms. While most mobile gaming development advances have taken place on the iPhone, these days more people than ever are using their mobile phones for games instead of portable gaming handhelds like the PSP. These games include everything from quick time-wasters to internetconnected multi-player challenges to in-depth "story" games that previously only existed on PCs and game consoles. While your favorite mobile game will no doubt differ from your friend's, there's no doubt that practically every single

mobile device owner has at least one game installed if not more. What About Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Symbian, etc.? You'll notice this list is a bit biased towards certain mobile platforms over others. That's not because there aren't other worthwhile apps out there, but when you're comparing apples to apples (for example, Facebook for Blackberry vs. Facebook for iPhone), there's a clear winner in terms of user interface, design, and feature set. In fact, two Blackberry users here at RWW noted this same problem when we rounded up our personal favorite apps last week. Jolie exclaimed Blackberry users have "few options and fewer favorites," while Alex wrote "the experience is just awful." That being said, we can at least rejoice in the fact that today, every mobile platform at least has an App Store filled with apps to choose from - even if they're not all that great. Your Favorite Apps As mentioned above, this list is subjective and editorially selected to highlight the most notable applications of the year. However, we recently collated your responses to our question about favorite mobile apps, too. If your favorite didn't make the list above, it may have made the one below. According to your comments, the top 20 favorite apps of RWW readers are as follows: TOP page 38

Tech News/ Entertainment/

E-reader Newspaper

Twidroid 3.0 Launches with Plugin Support By Sarah Perez (ReadWriteWeb)

• View large avatar in profile • Saved searches sync with twitter Submitted at 11/30/2009 7:10:31 AM • Marker for tweets annotated Originally set to launch in "early with geo information December," Twidroid surprised • Report spam us by launching the next version • Remember timeline position of the popular Android Twitter setting (default: on) client here on the last day of • Jump to top in timeline button November instead. Twidroid 3.0, • Autocomplete usernames for which is now available in the timeline and replies Android Marketplace, is a major • Bring up tweet box directly by u p d a t e f o r t h i s m o b i l e typing @ application, introducing new • DM list now with avatars features like geolocation, in-app • F r i e n d s / F o l l o w e r s n o w i m a g e p r e v i e w s , t h r e a d e d available in free version and conversations, and, most notably moved to profile view an extensible plugin platform. Sponsor The update also includes a fix According to the release notes, for HTC Hero image upload t h e u p d a t e d T w i d r o i d a p p problems, which users of that includes the following new handheld will undoubtedly features: appreciate. • Threaded conversations As you can see from the list • In-app image previews for above, the new Twidroid is now twitpic, yfrog, twitgoo, phodroid, a worthy competitor to its iPhone posterous and twitter profile rivals, especially Tweetie 2.0, images which also introduced similar • In-app link previews features like threaded • Twidroid plugins 1.0 + conversation and geolocation example on our website only months ago. In fact, • A c t i o n m e n u d e s i g n Twidroid may have just onestreamlined with icons upped its competitors as it is now • Share option for single tweet one of the first mobile

applications to introduce a plugin platform. Twidroid Does Plugins Twitter client plugins are just now started to be heavily discussed, thanks to a post by web guru Dave Winer which argued for the need of a programmable Twitter client. Loic Le Meur, maker of the Seesmic application, then followed up by expanding upon his vision for Seesmic's development platform. Having just announced his move from Adobe AIR to Windows for the continued development of the PC -based Seesmic Desktop application, Le Meur writes that the app is now ready to become a programmable client. When launched, the desktop version of Seesmic will allow third-party developers to build features or services that can be integrated into Seesmic's core application. Similarly, Twidroid's plugin platform offers the same type of promise, albeit on the mobile platform. Thanks to this new functionality, third-party developers can extend Twidroid with features like URL shortener

integrations or additional sharing features, notes the website. To kick off the launch, the company has introduced a sample plugin for Google Maps integration which shows a Twitterer's current location on a map and allows them to update or annotate that location as well. Adding a plugin architecture is a major achievement among Twitter client applications - and certainly among the mobile set as it will allow the apps to become highly customizable and personalized creations unique to each and every user's needs. The only problem with plugins is that those you add in one client may not be available in another. That is, plugins added to the upcoming version of Seesmic won't necessarily be available in Twidroid and vice versa. This points to a need for Twitter itself to become the extensible platform and not each individual app. However, in the meantime, regular users of Twidroid will certainly enjoy this added functionality as they begin to customize the app to their liking. Discuss

TOP continued from page 37

• • • • • •

Facebook Tweetie Google Maps Foursquare Evernote Shazam

• • • • • •

Google Mobile Echofon Gmail Mobile Pandora TweetDeck Twitterrific

• • • • • •

Dropbox Kindle Spotify Yelp Beejive IM Flickr

• Opera Mini • Qik Do you agree or disagree with our list? Let us know why or why not in the comments. Discuss

Tim Allen: 'Crazy on the Outside,' and Inside as Well? (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 11/30/2009 4:52:00 AM

Tim Allen steps behind the camera for the first time to direct and star in the hilarious comedy 'Crazy on the Outside,' in theaters January 8, and the new dad is about to embark on a multi-city comedy tour to introduce the film to audiences – and his first stop left our own Mary Hart in stitches! "You'll laugh from top to bottom; you haven't seen that in a movie for a long time," says Tim about the romp which co-stars Sigourney Weaver, Ray Liotta, Kelsey Grammer, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Julie Bowen and J.K. Simmons. "It's been a passion for me for two years. It's just a big comedy. It's not like 'The Passion of the Christ' or anything like that." The film follows Tim's character who, just released from jail, finds that reuniting with his crazy family may prove even tougher to survive than a three-year stint behind bars.

Tech News/ Popular News/

E-reader Newspaper

Amazon Wins for Most Visited Site on Black Friday By Jolie O'Dell (ReadWriteWeb)

websites fare on Black Friday overall? As you can see in the graph Submitted at 11/29/2009 7:10:13 PM h u g e m a r g i n - b e t w e e n below, Amazon and Walmart As we reported Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Day and Black each performed admirably. Day, web searches and traffic for Friday. Overnight, their traffic What's more, most sites saw a online retailers during the s k y r o c k e t e d 1 1 0 p e r c e n t . marginal increase in traffic over holidays were significantly down Traditionally, Apple's online last year's Black Friday traffic as compared to previous years, deals for this red-letter day in as you'll recall, the global according to research from commerce were modest at best. economy had recently tanked. Do Experian Hitwise. However, this year, rumors of we see this as a sign of tentative However, this Black Friday substantial discounts were leaked optimism about the economy, at showed a 4 percent increase in online and spread like wildfire. least on the part of American site visits versus Thanksgiving The lesson: If you want to see a consumers? Day traffic - a stat that usually ridiculous upswing in traffic on a Finally, who got the most falls between those two days. The major American retail date, downstream traffic from Black retail site that got the lion's share maintain relative stinginess and Friday websites? That would be o f t r a f f i c t h i s y e a r w a s secrecy, then "leak" good tidings our friends at Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon.com, which netted 13.55 of great joy just before the big and Target - the latter of which percent of the traffic seen by the day. more than doubled its top 500 retail websites. Read on Other sites that saw a significant downstream traffic from last for a few surprising stats that traffic increase in this 48-hour year: might signal changes in the U.S. period include Staples (47 Details for Cyber Monday economy - and changes in how percent), Dell (40 percent) and traditionally the online retailer's U.S. consumers will be doing Amazon (9 percent). biggest day during the holiday their holiday shopping. So, Apple, Staples and Dell take season - will be available shortly. Sponsor the cake for getting the greatest Discuss Interestingly, Apple's website traffic spikes overnight; how did saw the largest increase - by a

US goes after Fla. lawyer's RI, NY properties (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News) Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:21:25 AM

rlmillerlv buzzed up: Somali pirates hijack oil tanker headed

for U.S. (AP) 14 seconds ago 2009-1130T09:45:01-08:00 This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

See Twitter Trends Around Your Neighborhood with GeoMeme By Jolie O'Dell (ReadWriteWeb) Submitted at 11/29/2009 5:45:51 PM

In a recent post on Twitter's new geolocation feature and the kinds of apps it would allow developers to create, we received a comment from Bob Hitching telling us to check out GeoMeme. GeoMeme is Hitching's side project, a real-time web app and also a location-aware mobile web app for iPhone and Android phones. It allows users to see and compare trends in specific locations; for example, you could see the most tweeted-about musicians performing at an award show or the most-tweeted political buzzwords in a given state or town. Sponsor Here's how it works: Users choose a location on the map (powered by Google Maps), and they select from the list of current trending Twitter topics or type in two search terms to compare. GeoMeme then measures and compares the number of matching tweets within the stated geographical area based on public data from a number of geotagged tweets from mobile Twitter apps. For example, on this Sunday

evening, we can see that the Vikings are beating the Bears... in Twitter mentions in Minneapolis, at least: The app might also be interesting for brands. We can see here that legendary local burger chain In N Out wins over Carl's Jr. in Twitter mentions in Los Angeles: We can also use the app to check the pulse of holiday revelers in New York City: It would be even cooler to see a sentiment-measuring feature; i.e., I'd like to compare tweets of the terms "liberal" and "conservative" in Virginia, then see what percent of those tweets were negative or favorable. Not all mentions of a given term are going to be good ones, after all. Take GeoMeme for a test drive in your town to see what your neighbors are tweeting about, and let us know your thoughts in the comments! Do you think that with more development, GeoMeme could be a useful tool? Discuss

Tech News/ Sports/ Economy/

The Ultimate Gift for the iPhone Developer in Your Life: Notepods By Jolie O'Dell (ReadWriteWeb) Submitted at 11/29/2009 8:30:06 PM

We've discovered an adorable yet highly useful little product that could significantly ease some pain and lead to greater levels of productivity for smartphone developers. It's ridiculously simple as a concept, yet it allows for more creativity, freedom, and portability than any other tool we've seen for mobile developers, hands down. The product of a design shop and a web development lab, both based in Australia, these nifty and inexpensive toys have been popping up in offices all over Silicon Valley. Read on to learn

will take between 7 and 12 business days, unless you're lucky enough to live in Australia the secret behind your favorite or New Zealand. mobile dev's favorite Christmas As we all know, the best ideas often hit you at inappropriate or present. inconvenient times. As Inventive Sponsor Labs posted, "It's incredibly fun It's made of paper. Y e s , t h e N o t e p o d i s t h e to come up with an idea in the Moleskine of the digerati, an pub over a few beers;" however, ingenious little sketchpad shaped how fun is it to decipher those like an iPhone. The front of each indecipherable, scrawled-on and sheet features "52mm by 77mm soggy cocktail napkins the next of blank space floating in morning? Keep one in your bag, darkness," and the back of each one on the nightstand - wherever piece is a blank grid of graph inspiration strikes. It might be paper, perfect, as the site says, made of paper, but we think "perfect for notes or jotting down smartphone developers will find the phone number of a hot geek." it a fun and simple productivity Notepods each contain 100 tool. Discuss pages, and you can snag a 3-pack for around $18USD. Shipping

E-reader Newspaper

Ravens survive injuryplagued Steelers in OT By Associated Press (ESPN.com)

and one interception. Dixon had thrown just one pass in his NFL career coming into the game. Submitted at 11/30/2009 4:37:29 AM • Joe Flacco finished 23 for 35 Fast Facts with 289 yards and one TD. • Billy Cundiff's 29-yard field • The Steelers have lost three goal with 6:42 left in overtime straight for the first time since ended the Steelers' streak of 12 2006. Four of their five losses straight wins in night games. this season were when they had Cundiff missed a 56-yarder that leads in the fourth quarter and would have won the game in their last two losses came in regulation. overtime on the road. • Paul Kruger's first career • Bloggers' reactions interception set up the game- -- ESPN Stats & Information winning score. This content has passed through • In his first NFL start, Dennis fivefilters.org. Dixon finished 12 for 26 with 145 yards, one TD, a rushing TD

Amazon Announces Record Sales For Kindle While B&N Misses Deadline By Frederic Lardinois (ReadWriteWeb) Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:10:45 AM

Amazon just announced that November was its best month ever for Kindle sales. This excludes sales from today's socalled Cyber Monday. According to Amazon, the $259 Kindle is the "most wished for, the most gifted, and the #1 bestselling product across all product

Stocks mixed as Dubai fears recede (Financial Times - US homepage) Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:07:00 AM

Stocks mixed as Dubai fears recede ByJamie Chisholm, Global categories on Amazon." Barnes prediction could come true. In a Markets Commentator & Noble is also seeing strong season, many pundits assumed thinly veiled swipe at the fact that Published: November 30 2009 demand for it's new nook e- t h a t e - r e a d e r s w o u l d b e B&N isn't able to fulfill demand, 07:13 | Last updated: November reader, but is unable to fulfill extremely popular gifts this year. Amazon's Ian Freed also notes 30 2009 17:07 current orders before Christmas. Counterpoint: 7 reasons why e- that a lot of people are buying This content has passed through The company has also delayed book readers make lousy gifts numerous Kindles at once. fivefilters.org. shipments to its stores until this year Judging from Amazon's We haven't heard any numbers December 7. press release and the fact that the from Sony yet, but chances are Sponsor B&N nook is already virtually that the Sony Reader Pocket and Neither Amazon nor Barnes & sold out for the holidays (current Touch editions are also doing Noble have announced any exact orders will ship January 11), it quite well. Discuss numbers for their e-reader sales. d e f i n i t e l y l o o k s l i k e t h i s At the beginning of the holiday

Apple/

E-reader Newspaper

Apple’s New Map Team Job: What It Really Means By Liam Cassidy (TheAppleBlog) Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:00:31 AM

Apple has posted details on a new full-time position at its Cupertino headquarters for an iPhone Software Engineer who will join its newly created Maps team. On the job description web page, Apple says it wants to “…take Maps to the next level,” and “…rethink how users use Maps and change the way people find things.” The current Mapping technology in the iPhone relies heavily on Google Maps, but some techpundits think that’s a relationship Apple is keen to see come to an end. After all, Apple and Google aren’t exactly on great terms any more. In fact, Apple’s relationship with former bestbuddy Google has been demonstrably deteriorating over the last 12 months. So, on the surface at least, it seems Apple is distancing itself further from the search giant both with the creation of its own in-house Mapping team and, back in October, the acquisition of PlaceBase, a rival mapping service to Google Maps. A little more from the job description highlights how Apple wants to implement creative new

functionality in Maps as well as its desire to include its partners in the process. The iPhone has revolutionized the mobile industry and has changed people’s lives and we want to continue to do so. We want to take Maps to the next level, rethink how users use Maps and change the way people find things. We want to do this in a seamless, highly interactive and enjoyable way. We’ve only just started. As an engineer on the Maps team, your responsibilities will range from implementing lowlevel client/server code to implementing high-level user interfaces. You’ll be responsible for implementing new and innovative features, fixing problems and enhancing the performance of Maps. You will work closely with the other engineers on the Maps team, other iPhone and iPod touch teams as well our partners in other companies. So how might PlaceBase and a new in-house Maps team change how users use Maps on the iPhone? PlaceBase offers far richer aggregation and visualization of geo-specific datasets than is currently available on Google Maps. For example, imagine

systems doesn’t exactly foster amity between the two companies, either. I suspect Apple wants to bring PlaceBase data visualisation to its already-exemplary Maps application. Yes, it uses Google Maps, but it works. And as it says in the job posting, Apple thinks it’s “…the best mapping program on any mobile platform.” If it ain’t broke, don’t you’re planning on buying a fix it, right? house and have a property Let’s return to the example from already in mind. Like Google above; imagine you’ve viewed Maps, PlaceBase can show you the property but you’re not the usual aerial views you’re impressed. Back in the car your accustomed to seeing but can real estate agent tells you he has also display other valuable data, another place in mind he thinks too, such as local crime reports you’ll like. So you reach for your over the last five years, or the iPhone and fire-up Maps. You do demographic distribution of the a quick search on the new neighbourhood, or perhaps the address and, using a filter you latest performance scores of local customized earlier, you see the schools. What’s more, the neighbourhood overlaid with datasets can be customized. color-coded blobs indicating Some have interpreted the crime rates in that area. You PlaceBase acquisition — and this switch to another filter; now job posting — as evidence that you’re looking at the average Apple is taking definitive steps to home-insurance costs for the distance itself from Google. It area, and they’re all way too sounds plausible; Google’s orange and red for your liking. Android OS for mobile phones There’s no reason this sort of definitely treads on Apple’s toes, M a p “ f i l t e r i n g ” c a n ’ t b e and that whole Voicegate fiasco monetized, either. The Maps isn’t over yet. Google’s forays application itself could ship with into web browsers and operating some basic “fun” filters but offer specialized plug-ins via the

iTunes store. Third-party developers would jump at the chance to exploit rich data visualization by plugging-in to a native API, freeing them from the expense and difficulty of building similar functionality from scratch. While this job posting is specifically for an iPhone developer, there’s no reason to suspect the lessons learned here in the coming months won’t influence other geo-aware software from Apple; iPhoto and iMovie spring to mind, but OS X itself also exploits some (basic) geo-awareness when selecting the appropriate time zone in the Date & Time preference panel. As social networking services get more geo-savvy (Twitter, Brightkite and FourSquare are obvious examples, but Facebook can’t be far behind) and as mobile devices and laptops start packing-in GPS chips asstandard, it makes sense for Apple to offer a world-class geoaware range of products that exploit our desire to not only locate ourselves but also discover meaningful, customizable data about our surroundings. That, to me, is the most likely “next level” of Map usage Apple is talking about.

Apple/ TV/

E-reader Newspaper

Apple’s Cyber Monday Deals: Bummer By Darrell Etherington (TheAppleBlog)

By Bill Gorman (TVbytheNumbers)

Submitted at 11/30/2009 6:43:26 AM

Black Friday was nice, and I actually picked up a pretty good deal on a new Canon DSLR despite the fact that I live in Canada and we don’t traditionally observe the day. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to Cyber Monday, which is like Black Friday, but aimed at tech geeks and online shoppers. Maybe Apple would beat its own less than impressive Friday discounts. The day is upon us, and if you’ve been to Apple’s homepage, like I have, you’re no doubt already disappointed. The sales today limit themselves to accessories only, and even those aren’t that impressive. There’s nothing even close to a real, deep discount. The good news is that everything in the Apple store ships free between now and December 23, including all small ticket items. Apple’s Deals As for the deals themselves, hardly any seem to have wideappeal. Here’s a quick rundown: • Monster Beats by Dr. Dre– Regular $299.95, on sale for $269.95. Not a bad price, and the new white ones are pretty slick. • mophie Juice Pack Air (Red)– Regular $79,95, on sale for $71.95. It’s only the red version,

Nightline Bests “Letterman” And “Tonight Show” For Third Consecutive Week Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:08:10 AM

but if you’d like a bit of a discount on the black one, Amazon has it on sale for $3 off. • L.A.M.B. Bags– Tote was $399.95, is now $359.95. Ultraviolet 13-inch sleeve was $199.95, is now $179.95. Ultraviolet Gadget Bag was $99.95, is now $89.95. Considering these are basically uglier versions of incase products, designed by Gwen Stefani and marked up, I’d take a pass. Especially on the “Gadget Bag,” which won’t fit any actual computing device and seems to be a glorified pencil case. • Vestax Spin DJ– Regular $249.95, on sale for $224.95. • Eye-Fi 2GB Geo SD Card– Regular $59.95, on sale for $53.95. This is the one thing I’d consider buying, since Eye-Fi Geo is an exclusive Apple store product and it would go great with my new Canon. Not a great discount, but better than nothing. • LaCie Starck 500GB USB Drive– Regular $139.95, on sale for $125.95. • MoGo Talk for iPhoneRegular $129.95, on sale for $116.95.

via press release:“NIGHTLINE” IS #1 AMONG ADULTS 18-49 & TOTAL VIEWERS – BESTS “LETTERMAN” AND “TONIGHT SHOW” FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE WEEK NIGHTLINE” GROWS +7% AMONG TOTAL VIEWERS YEAR TO YEAR WHILE “TONIGHT SHOW” DECLINES -50% Better Deals Elsewhere If you want to do some real ABC News “Nightline” was #1 Apple shopping this Cyber among Adults 18-49 and Total Monday, take a look elsewhere. V i e w e r s f o r t h e w e e k o f 2009 Mac Mall, for example, has some N o v e m b e r 1 6 , pretty great discounts on actual o u t p e r f o r m i n g N B C ’ s “ T h e Apple computers, including 25 T o n i g h t S h o w w i t h C o n a n percent off the more expensive O’Brien” and CBS’ “Late Show MacBook Air model, and 10 w i t h D a v i d L e t t e r m a n , ” percent off current generation according to Nielsen Media Research. This is the third week iPod touch models. My favorite Apple-related Cyber in a row “Nightline” placed first Monday deal? Dell’s offering the among Total Viewers and A18Mini 10v netbook for $279, after 49. It also marks the twenty$119 in instant savings. That’s s e c o n d c o n s e c u t i v e w e e k not much to spend for what “Nightline” beat “The Tonight r e m a i n s p r o b a b l y t h e b e s t Show” among Total Viewers. hackintoshable netbook out there, This is the first time “Nightline” even despite Apple’s latest has beaten “The Tonight Show” attempt foil at-home modders by among Total Viewers for twentyremoving Atom support in Snow two consecutive weeks since at least the 1991/92 season, which Leopard. is as far as records date. Additionally, “Nightline” tied “Letterman” in the A 25-54 rating (1.3). • Hello Kitty Air Jacket for iPhone 3GS– Regular $39.95, on sale for $35.95. The four-dollar discount was enough justification for me to pick this up as a gag gift for my girlfriend, so something good came out of this cyber monday.

“Nightline” continues to experience growth. Compared to the same week last year, the program increased + 7% among Total Viewers as “Tonight” in comparison declined -50%. Season to date, “Nightline” is up +2% among Total Viewers while “The Tonight Show,” in comparison has declined -49%. ABC News’ “Nightline” is anchored by Cynthia McFadden, Terry Moran and Martin Bashir. John Donvan and Vicki Mabrey are correspondents. James Goldston is the executive producer. The program airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m., ET on the ABC Television Network. (Week of November 16, 2009) TOTAL VIEWERS A2554(000)/ Rtg A18-49(000)/ Rtg ABC “Nightline” 4,150,000 1,620,000/ 1.3 1,350,000/ 1.0 C B S “ L a t e Show” 3,980,000 1,640,0 00/ 1.3 1,300,000/ 1.0 N B C “Tonight” 2,330,000 1,3 10,000/ 1.1 1,260,000/ 1.0 Source: NTI – - A25-54, Adults 18-49 & Total Viewers – Wks. of 11/16/09, 11/9/09 & 11/17/08 Live +SD. STD: Live +7 (where available) & Live +SD for 9/21/09-11/22/09 & 9/22/0811/23/08. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Apple/ TV/

E-reader Newspaper

Rumor Has It: Apple Using Bully Tactics on Flash Memory Suppliers By Darrell Etherington (TheAppleBlog) Submitted at 11/30/2009 7:05:50 AM

It can sometimes be easy to forget that Apple’s primary purpose as a company is to make money, not to continually wow the industry and the public with fresh designs and technical innovation, which is all actually just a means to the end of profitability. Occasionally, though, we are reminded of this fact by things like a new report in The Korea Times about Apple’s use of bully tactics with flash memory makers. According to the newspaper, complaints are mounting among NAND flash producers that Apple is using its position as one of the biggest buyers on the block to artificially drive down prices with ethically questionable business practices. And suppliers can’t do anything about it, since that would mean risking a very lucrative arrangement. Apple’s apparent plan is shrewd from a business perspective, but ethically questionable, though not, apparently, illegal or in violation of any industry

regulations. A senior industry official, who wished to remain anonymous, described the process as follows: Apple has asked Korean semiconductor makers to produce a certain amount of chips for its digital products, only to actually purchase a smaller volume eventually. The company doesn’t make immediate purchases, but waits until chip prices to fall to the level the company has internally targeted. Samsung and Hynix are the major Korean players in the

the tactics to be a short term strategy aimed at temporarily reducing the costs of high capacity NAND flash chips. The lowered price would allow them to build iPhones with much higher capacities quickly and cheaply, which some see as a good strategy for staying ahead of competition by Android and others. Apple could also be preparing for a time when it isn’t in a position to command the prices from suppliers it currently does. For a long time, it was one of the few companies that actually built significant storage into its NAND flash game. Both refused cellphone handset, but many to officially comment regarding o t h e r c o m p a n i e s a r e n o w the supposed bully tactics, as did following suit. Apple’s share will Apple’s Korean office. An dwindle, percentage-wise, even if unidentified industry source its user base continues to grow claims that the practice is worldwide. This could be an common knowledge among all anticipatory attempt to lay hands on as much hardware as possible, involved, though. No one believes the practices are as cheaply as possible, before the tenable in the long term, since i n d u s t r y b e c o m e s m o r e t h e y e r o d e g o o d - f a i t h competitive and demand far relationships with key suppliers, outpaces supply. who might conceivably refuse to play along if Apple continues to press too hard for too long. Rather, industry watchers believe

Review: The Simpsons - Rednecks and Broomsticks By Jason Hughes (TV Squad) Submitted at 11/30/2009 11:16:00 AM

(S21E07) Poor Wiccans, they're so misunderstood. And the three girls representing them weren't really representing Wicca so much as they were representing wayward teens looking for something to latch onto. That, and they probably think their own perceptions of Wicca make it out to be pretty "kewl." Struggling for something to latch onto in a world that doesn't seem to understand you not only describes virtually every teenager in existence, but Lisa Simpson as well. A sweet intellect in a family of average to well-below-average intellects, Lisa has never fit in at home or at school. So, as long as she can be fairly certain that there's no actual witchcraft going on -- because that would be too scary -- she's in. Continue reading Review: The Simpsons - Rednecks and Broomsticks Filed under: The Simpsons, Animation, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments

Apple/ TV/ Sports/

E-reader Newspaper

Mystery iPhone Rides BART By Charles Jade (TheAppleBlog) Submitted at 11/30/2009 7:15:42 AM

A chain of evidence shows what may be an as-yet-unreleased iPhone being used outside Apple’s industrial design lab, MacRumors is reporting, but in this case unreleased may not mean new. Source: Ars Technica Whoever has this device in his or her possession apparently rides BART, the light-rail system serving San Francisco and the Bay Area. That’s known because he or she also uses iBART, a transit information app for the iPhone, and by using iBART an internal device identifier was recorded. The identifier “iPhone3,1 was reported to Pinch Media, an analytics firm used by developers, and that’s how it ultimately became public. The thing is, this isn’t the first time that’s happened. In August, another developer revealed evidence of an “iProd0,1 in the then-iPhone OS

3.1 beta to Ars Technica. That product has been speculated to be the rumored tablet, but as the preference list above shows, there is an “iPhone3,1 device listed, too. For reference, “iPhone1,1 was the original iPhone, “iPhone1,2 the iPhone 3G, and “iPhone2,1 turned out to be the iPhone 3GS released in

June. However, that internal device identifier was first reported in January by none other than Pinch Media. While it’s true the numbering scheme for the first digit could represent generational changes in hardware, it does seem curious that a prototype for the next generation would be “in the

wild” just five months after the release of the current model. Further, the “iPhone3,1 identifier has been seen in the OS as far back as March, just three months after the iPhone 3GS identifier appeared, and three months before the iPhone 3GS was launched. It seems very unlikely that Apple was developing two generations of iPhone in tandem. It’s more likely the “iPhone3,1 identifier doesn’t represent the next generation of iPhone at all. Mobile phone customers in the U.S., be they iPhone users or Verizon customers, have been impatiently waiting for the day the exclusivity agreement with AT&T mercifully ends. Rather than having the fourth-generation iPhone finished today, it seems plausible that another iPhone 3GS, one that runs on Verizon’s network, is nearing production. Just last month, the CEO of Verizon said the decision for such a device “is exclusively in Apple’s court.” Perhaps it’s on the BART, too.

Serena Fined, Put on Probation for Tirade By FanHouse Newswire (FanHouse) Submitted at 11/30/2009 10:34:00 AM

by FanHouse Newswire Serena Williams was fined a record $82,500 for her U.S. Open tirade and could be suspended from that tournament if she has another "major offense" at any Grand Slam in the next two years. Serena Fined, Put on Probation for Tirade originally appeared on Fanhouse Tennis on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:34:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Linking Blogs| Comments

Sundays With Seth: The best little dry cleaners in Virginia By Jason Hughes (TV Squad)

animated shows, particularly when the actor who plays the actual character jumps in to do Hey look, Scrubs is back early! their own voice, as Faison did Oh wait, never mind. That's just here. Donald Faison on American Dad. Plus, it was an interaction with How could I have possibly gotten Roger. Ah, Roger. Let's talk those two things mixed up? I about what has to be the single don't know why, but I still get a greatest presence of all three Seth kick out of guest appearances on MacFarlane shows. I probably Submitted at 11/30/2009 11:44:00 AM

integral to the plots of AD. But, he's always a huge part of the laughs. As soon as he waddles into a room, you just wait for the zingers or the costume or the antics that will send you off your rocker. His turn this week as a "madame" was sheer brilliance. don't mention him enough, Continue reading Sundays With because sometimes he's not as Seth: The best little dry cleaners

in Virginia Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments

TV/

E-reader Newspaper

Syfy Finds Haven; Orders Drama Series Based On Novella The Colorado Kid by Stephen King By Bill Gorman (TVbytheNumbers) Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:21:42 AM

via press release: SYFY FINDS “HAVEN” Syfy Orders Drama Series Based On Novella The Colorado Kid by Stephen King E1 Entertainment to produce and distribute worldwide First Series to Partner Globally With All Syfy International Pay Channels New York, New York – November 30, 2009 – Syfy has ordered 13 episodes of the supernatural drama series Haven, based on the novella“The Colorado Kid,” from renowned author Stephen King. Haven from E1 Entertainment will be the first property to be produced for Syfy Pay channels around the globe (excluding Canada and Scandinavia). The announcement was made today by Mark Stern, Executive Vice President, Original Content for Syfy and Co -Head, Original Content for Universal Cable productions, and E1 Entertainment’s John Morayniss, CEO of E1’s Television Group. Production is expected to begin in early 2010, for an anticipated air in 2010. International distribution is handled by E1 Entertainment.

“ Haven is the quintessential Stephen King town, full of complex, yet identifiable, characters and compelling supernatural situations. Sam and Jim wrote a great pilot, and we can’t wait to see Scott, Lloyd, and Shawn join them in bringing this town to life as a series. We also couldn’t be more excited to partner with our international Syfy channels and be in business with E1 who will definitely deliver the high-quality production value we expect,” Stern said in making the announcement. “E1 has successfully orchestrated the first Syfy global partnership with Syfy in the U.S. and their international pay channels and we couldn’t be more pleased,” added John Morayniss. “What a combination: the Syfy brand, the pedigree of Stephen King and the global presence and reach of E1. With those ingredients, I predict a worldwide ratings hit for Haven. Syfy audiences and television viewers around the world will be enthralled with this exciting new series.” Syfy President Dave Howe commented, “”This is the first series to capitalize on the global power of the Syfy brand. This and more series like this in the future will be a potential game

changer for Syfy’ s business, enabling us to commission and produce more and more high production value original content that can live on Syfy’s growing network of channels around the globe.” Roma Khanna, President Universal Networks International added, “ Haven, based on the novella The Colorado Kid by Stephen King, is the first major content partnership driven by our global Syfy business and is the first step in our plan to invest in more top quality content for Syfy Universal and our newly revitalized global channel portfolio. This world class project illustrates our commitment to deliver more high profile, first-run content which provides compelling entertainment for our viewers around the world.” Deep in the heart of Maine, Haven is a town where people with supernatural abilities have migrated for generations because it mutes their powers, allowing them to lead normal lives. At least, until recently. When hotshot FBI agent Audrey Parker is called to Haven to solve the murder of a local ex-con, she catches the killer but uncovers a much deeper mystery about this town. Each week, as the town-

peoples’ dormant powers begin to express themselves, Audrey will try to keep these supernatural forces at bay while unraveling the many mysteries of Haven – including one surrounding her own surprising past in this extraordinary place. The impressive creative team behind Haven includes Scott Shepherd ( Tru Calling, The Dead Zone) serving as showrunner and is joined by his partners Executive Producers Lloyd Segan and Shawn Piller ( The Dead Zone, Wildfire, Greek) and E1 Entertainment’s John Morayniss ( Hung, The Bridge) and Noreen Halpern ( Hung, Copper). The pilot is written by Sam Ernst ( Shrek the Third, The Dead Zone) and Jim Dunn ( Shrek the Third, The Dead Zone) who will also serve as executive producers on the series. Adam Fratto will serve as co-executive producer. About E1 Entertainment E1 Entertainment (AIM: ETO) is a leading independent entertainment content owner that acquires film, television and music rights and exploits these rights in all media in more than 190 countries. The company currently operates in Canada, the U.S., the UK, Holland and Belgium through its four primary

businesses units: E1 Television, E1 Films, E1 Music and E1 Distribution. These businesses collectively represent E1’s extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production/distribution, Kids content, Licensing and Distribution. E1’s content library includes more than 3,700 feature films, 2,700 hours of original television programming and 15,000 music tracks. About Syfy Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site ( www. Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business ( Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in 95 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. ( Syfy. Imagine greater.) This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

TV/

E-reader Newspaper

TV Ratings Sunday: Of Course Football Wins; Fox Animation Bounces Back; ABC Slumps By Bill Gorman (TVbytheNumbers) Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:56:47 AM

Due to the nature of live sports programming the ratings for NBC (Sunday Night Football) and Fox (NFL overrun) are approximate and subject to significant revisions in the final numbers. See below for more information on these Fast Affiliate Ratings. Of course Sunday Night Football brought NBC the overall ratings win, while Fox’s animation line up bounced back from last week’s pummeling against the American Music Awards, and most of ABC’s line up fell, maybe with a post-awards hangover. Fox’s entire line up bounced back from last week’s fall, The Simpsons was up 27% to a 4.2 adults 18-49 rating, The Cleveland Show was up 6% to a 3.5 rating, Family Guy was up 13% to a 4.4 rating, and American Dad was up 18% to a 3.3 rating. Most of ABC’s line up went the other direction. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was down 19% (vs. 11/15) to a 3.0 rating, tieing its lowest rating of the season. Desperate Housewives was down 14% (vs. 11/15) to a 4.3 rating, its lowest of the season. Brothers & Sisters was down 6% (vs. 11/15) to a 3.0

rating. America’s Funniest Home Videos bucked the trend rising to a 2.1 rating vs. a 1.8 rating last week (which was a 30 minute show) On CBS, Amazing Race was down 8% to a 3.4 rating, while the movie A Dog Named Christmas scored a 2.1 rating, better that the usual dogs in that timeslot named Cold Case and Three Rivers.

I am still awaiting better numbers for comparison on the Sunday Night Football game, but will add them to the post when I get them. You can see TV ratings from other recent Overnight ratings reports here. Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2009 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.

Definitions: Fast Affiliate Ratings: These first national ratings, including demographics, are available at approximately 11 AM (ET) the day after telecast, and are released to subscribing customers daily. These data, from the National People Meter sample, are strictly time-period information, based on the normal broadcast network feed, and

include all programming on the affiliated stations, sometimes including network programming, sometimes not. The figures may include stations that did not air the entire network feed, as well as local news breaks or cutaways for local coverage or other programming. Fast Affiliate RATINGS page 47

TV/ Popular News/

E-reader Newspaper

RATINGS continued from page 46

programs and are likely to differ significantly from the final results, because the data reflect normal broadcast feed patterns. For example, with a World Series game, Fast Affiliate Ratings would include whatever aired from 8-11PM on affiliates in the Pacific Time Zone, following the live football game, but not game coverage that begins at 5PM PT. The same would be true of Presidential debates as well as live award shows and breaking news reports. Rating: Estimated percentage of the universe of TV households (or other specified group) tuned to a program in the average minute. Ratings are expressed as a percent. Share (of Audience): The percent of households (or

persons) using television who are tuned to a specific program, station or network in a specific area at a specific time. (See also, Rating, which represents tuning or viewing as a percent of the entire population being measured.) Time Shifted Viewing– Program ratings for national sources are produced in three streams of data – Live, Live+Same Day(Live+SD) and Live+7 Day. Time shifted figures account for incremental viewing that takes place with DVRs which are currently in approximately 24.4% of all U.S. TV households. Live+Same Day(Live+SD) include viewing during the same broadcast day as the original telecast, with a cut-off of 3:00AM local time when meters

transmit daily viewing to Nielsen for processing. Live+7 Day ratings include incremental viewing that takes place during the 7 days following a telecast. For more information see Numbers 101 and Numbers 102.• In metered-market households, football ruled the night, with NBC’s 8-11 p.m. average 12.8/21 in the metered markets establishing a 19% margin of victory over CBS’s second-place 10.8/17. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Chelsea Clinton gets engaged (BBC News | Americas | World Edition) Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:25:17 AM

Chelsea Clinton, daughter of exUS President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is engaged to marry her long-term boyfriend. She is marrying Marc Mezvinsky, a banker at Goldman Sachs, with whom she became friends as a teenager. A spokesman for former President Clinton confirmed that the couple got engaged over last week's Thanksgiving holiday. Ms Clinton, 29, is attending Columbia University's School of

Public Health. The engagement was announced in an e-mail to friends. Mr Mezvinsky's parents are Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky and Ed Mezvinsky, both of whom served in Congress. They are described as old friends of the Clintons. Ed Mezvinsky served a prison term for bank and wire fraud after he pleaded guilty to charges in 2002. He was released last year. Print Sponsor This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

What's On Tonight: House, Good Eats, One Tree Hill, Rita Rocks By Bob Sassone (TV Squad)

• FOX has a new House at 8, then a new Lie To Me. Submitted at 11/30/2009 12:14:00 PM • The CW has two new episodes of One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl. • At 7, Nickelodeon has two new • TLC has two new episodes of episodes of BrainSurge. Little People, Big World, then a • At 8, ABC has How The new Cake Boss. Grinch Stole Christmas, then • Food Network has a new Shrek The Halls and a new Find Christmas edition of Good Eats My Family. at 8, followed by Wintertime • NBC has a new Heroes at 8, Treats Unwrapped. followed by new episodes of • Also at 8: TCM has The Lady Trauma and The Jay Leno Show. From Shanghai, then Treasure of

• At 9, USA has a new Monday Night RAW. • At 10, Lifetime has two new episodes of Rita Rocks. • Bravo has a new Million Dollar Listing at 10. • History Channel has two new episodes of Pawn Stars at 10. the Sierra Madre. Check your local TV listings for • At 8:30, ESPN has Monday more. Night Football, the Patriots vs. After the jump, the late night the Saints. talk shows.

Continue reading What's On Tonight: House, Good Eats, One Tree Hill, Rita Rocks Filed under: Late Night, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments

TV/ Economy/

E-reader Newspaper

Susan Boyle's CD Jim Gaffigan's debuts at number one in Christmas ads for eBay UK are working By Allison Waldman (TV Squad)

By Allison Waldman (TV Squad)

Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:03:00 AM

Submitted at 11/30/2009 11:02:00 AM

Wen rails at ‘unfair’ renminbi pressure (Financial Times - US homepage) Submitted at 11/30/2009 12:58:10 AM

China’s premier Wen Jiabao on Monday lashed out at the growing number of countries Somewhere tonight American In TV Squad's continued efforts pressuring Beijing to strengthen Idol judge Simon Cowell is to share the best and worst of TV its currency, making it clear that grinning. You can just imagine it, commercials with you, here's one European officials made little can't you? That smile that he that's currently airing that's just headway in their efforts over the wore on Britain's Got Talent terrific. Jim Gaffigan for eBay. past two days to persuade the when he heard Susan Boyle sing Think harder. That's his advice country to allow the renminbi to "I Dreamed A Dream" from Les for people who are trying to appreciate. Miserables, remember? Simon figure out what to buy him for Speaking at the conclusion of an was smart enough to take that only the top of the chart, it's also Christmas. EU-China summit in the eastern talented lady and make her a star. the fastest selling album this Gaffigan is hilarious with that playing with dolls. Chinese city of Nanjing, Mr Wen Oh yes, she had the talent, but year. It's even the most albums dry sense of humor and the Oops, that last one was a said: “Some countries on the one Simon had the wherewithal. And sold in the first week of a release furrowed brow. How much you personal one of mine. hand want the renminbi to today it's paid off with the news for a British debut. want to bet he's been there when Continue reading Jim Gaffigan's appreciate, but on the other hand that Susan Boyle's debut CD is Continue reading Susan Boyle's it comes to getting crappy gifts. Christmas ads for eBay are e n g a g e i n b r a z e n t r a d e number one on the UK charts. CD debuts at number one in UK You know, like a coffee mug that working protectionism against China. This The record keepers across the Filed under: OpEd, Music and looks like it must have been reFiled under: OpEd, Video, is unfair. Their measures are a p o n d , t h e O f f i c i a l C h a r t s Variety, Celebrities, Awards, gifted from an office birthday Commercials, Celebrities, Reality r e s t r i c t i o n o n C h i n a ’ s C o m p a n y , a n n o u n c e d t h a t Reality-Free party. Or the jewelry box that's -Free development.” Boyle's CD, also called I P e r m a l i n k | E m a i l t h i s | | too ugly to be put on your P e r m a l i n k | E m a i l t h i s | | This content has passed through Dreamed A Dream, sold 410,000 C o m m e n t s dresser. Or a Chatty Cathy doll Comments fivefilters.org. copies since its release on you received when your parents November 23. That means it's not knew you weren't interested in

The Mentalist enlists a new boss By Allison Waldman (TV Squad) Submitted at 11/30/2009 10:34:00 AM

There's a new Jane joining The Mentalist, a Jane of the female variety. Aunjanue Ellis will be the new CBI head on CBS's The Mentalist, attempting to reign in

the unconventional -- yet highly productive -- antics of Patrick Jane. Ellis will be a new character -still unnamed -- who is assuming the leadership position left vacant when Virgil Minelli resigned. Minelli was played by Gregory resume the role of disgraced Itzin, who is returning to 24 to

former president Charles Logan. Minelli's exit has already been set up on the show; he announced his resignation following the Red John instigated bloodbath in the CBI offices that resulted in Bosco's death and two other agents. In the last episode, Minelli assumed responsibility

for the deaths and the breach in security. Continue reading The Mentalist enlists a new boss Filed under: OpEd, Casting, Reality-Free, The Mentalist Permalink| Email this| | Comments

Entertainment/

E-reader Newspaper

Thanksgiving Horror Stories: The Results Are In [Thanksgiving Of Horrors] By Brian Moylan (Gawker) Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:46:12 AM

Thanks to all of our lovely, scarred, dysfunctional, boozy, bad-cooking readers, we were more full of Thanksgiving Horror Stories than a Macy's parade balloon is full of helium. We selected the best (or is it worst?) and crowned a winner. If you want to see all the stories, visit the comments section of the original post. All of the stories tend to fall into certain genres—cooking nightmares, drunken exploits, family drama, death, illness, and general destruction—so we've picked out some of our favorites so that you don't have to read all 500 or so horror stories like some of us had to. Here are our runners up. The titles are ours, but these stories are all yours: • Most Inspirational: Babygay's Escape to the Big City by BettyCrocker. • • Grossest Cooking Mishap: One Seriously Nasty Salad by MomOf3WildKids. • • Saddest Passing: Mom's Dream House of Death by Saelmar. • • Most Delinquent Family Member: Stripper Sister-In-Law on the Run from the Law by Lysergic Asset. •

goes to DrunkenExpatWriter, for his two-fold tale of his family behaving badly. The full story is reprinted below for everyone to enjoy and so that we can all laugh at his pain to make our pain a little bit more bearable. Here's the winning tale: Ok. I have two stories for you. Roughly 13 years ago my family got together at my parent's house for Thanksgiving. My step mom and her brother have always had a "tumultuous" relationship. After dinner they got into an argument over who loved their long dead mother more. Shit was thrown around, plates broken, the usual. My dad tried to calm them down to no avail. So, he decided he had to distract them. He'd just gotten a Dodge conversion van, so he went out and fired it up and started ramming it at the cars of all our relatives - totaling roughly 10 cars until my step mom and uncle noticed and stopped • Cooking Experiment Gone • Me Something to Put on Gawker fighting with each other in order Wild: The Proof Is in the Pesto • B e s t D r i n k i n g C o n t e s t : by TheExperience. to yell at him. by ThatGirlInNewYork. Grandma and Grandpa Go Shot • Now, second story. The next • for Shot by Meredith.Terry. • The PETA Award for Animal year, my dad decided that having • Best Bad Turkey • Cruelty: Gobble on This by people over to the house for Disposal/Funniest Punchline: • The Scariest Night Out on the Kimrod. Thanksgiving was a bad idea. So B i r d o n t h e L a w n b y Town: A Real Life Episode of • he booked us all into this super RollsRoyceRevenge. Cheaters by WickedlySane. • The Overly Dramatic Oscar: fancy restaurant and paid to put • • My Mother the Drag Queen by all the relatives in a swank hotel • Stupidest Family Fight: Patch • Most Destructive: Burning RabbityThings. next door - on the assumption Adams Rules by Allyzay. Down the House by Willow150. that people would be more well • • And the Ultimate Award for behaved in public. • Worst Plumbing Accident: Shit • Self-Referential Award for Thanksgiving Horror and the $50 THANKSGIVING page 51 Hits the Fan by Scairborn. Excellence: Thanks for Giving prize for a bottle of Wild Turkey

Entertainment/ Fashion/

E-reader Newspaper

Climate Email Scandal: Scientists Engaged in a Conspiracy of Science [Global Warming] By Pareene (Gawker)

for the fact that tree rings don't reflect modern warming trends that are well-documented by Climate change is real and man- actual thermometers. made. Period, end of story. But The other email that is terribly recently, some emails have scandalous is even better. As leaked that conclusively prove George Monbiot explains: that climate scientists... are really One of the most damaging pissed off that a well-funded emails was sent by the head of industry exists that subverts and the climatic research unit, Phil denies their work. Jones. He wrote "I can't see A "hacker" obtained a bunch of either of these papers being in the emails from climate scientists at next [Intergovernmental Panel on the University of East Anglia and Climate Change] report. Kevin posted them to some website, and a n d I w i l l k e e p t h e m o u t for some reason Matt Drudge and somehow - even if we have to the right-wing media have redefine what the peer-review decided that these emails are literature is!" proof of a massive conspiracy to One of these papers which was make up global warming, for fun. published in the journal Climate The emails are mostly scientists Research turned out to be so complaining about political badly flawed that the scandal pressures and people they dislike resulted in the resignation of the and things that make their editor-in-chief. job—and their job is attempting So the scandal is that a t o r e c o n s t r u c t c l i m a t e s o f researcher thought a paper was hundreds or millions of years ago flawed and said he would do based on fucking ice floes and anything to keep it from being tree rings—harder. published, not because it said There are precisely two emails something dangerous that he is that even sound scandalous: one trying to keep hidden, but in which a scientist refers to because he thought it was bad borrowing another scientist's science. And then it turned out to "trick"—which skeptics interpret be bad science. as falsifying data and which Ahem: actual legitimate scientists say Half of the journal's editorial means "a clever way of doing board, including editor-in-chief s o m e t h i n g " — t o " h i d e t h e Hans von Storch, resigned from decline," which is a poor way of the journal's editorial board saying he is attempting to correct because they felt that publication Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:28:04 AM

a song about global warming! The Post's resident sex goddess and outrage factory reports from the front lines of the Obama/Soros/Polar Bear Indoctrination Campaign: My daughter came home from school recently with a spring in her step and a song on her lips. With no foreshadowing — or time to call an exorcist — out came this chilling refrain: "...You can hear the warning — GLOBAL WARMING... " By the time her father and I removed our jaws from the floor, of the paper in question represented a breakdown in the we had learned that: p e e r - r e v i e w p r o c e s s . T h e A) All the kids had been coerced publisher had refused to allow into singing this catchy ditty, von Storch to publish an editorial which we called "The Warming on the topic, but later the Song," at a concert for parents. president of the journal's parent B) Further song lyrics scolded company stated that the paper's selfish adults (that would be us) major findings could not "be for polluting our planet and concluded convincingly from the causing a warming scourge that evidence provided in the paper. would, in no short order, kill all [Climate Research] should have the polar bears and threaten the requested appropriate revisions birds and bees. of the manuscript prior to C) There was no deprogramming session on the menu. And no publication." So. The scandal, again, for those arguing allowed. keeping score at home, is that Well, we're sorry you weren't academics are bitching to each allowed to "argue" with a school other about papers they think are assembly, Andrea. That must've bad, written by people they been hard for you! Also we're dislike, that are being published sorry that someone is scolding grown-ups for polluting the in journals they dislike. Also the scandal is that someone planet, but, you know, it really made Andrea Peyser's child sing can't be argued that that is anyone else's fault.

Street Chic: Paris By ELLE.com (ELLE News Blog) Submitted at 11/30/2009 4:00:00 AM

Flat sandals put a casual spin on a sophisticated ensemble. Photo: Anne Ziegler Think you are Street Chic? Email us your photo and you could appear in ELLE.com's Street Chic Daily. Follow ELLE on Twitter. Become our Facebook fan!

Entertainment/ Economy/

E-reader Newspaper

Palin Not Actually Taking Tacky Bus on Tacky Book Tour [Buses]

New York Fed to expand reverse repo tests

By Pareene (Gawker)

weekend and the Pasco-Richland area was where Palin wanted to be. This is another wonderful example of Sarah Palin creating her own fucking mess for herself through her incredible contempt for her followers, her own stupidity, and her staff's astounding ineptitude. Because using a plane to conduct a book tour is a standard practice. But pretending that you are taking a bus and driving all night—because you want to appear salt-of-the-earth—while you are actually flying and staying in hotels is insane. Sarah Palin is just baiting Andrew Sullivan, now. [Pic: Reuters]

(Financial Times - US homepage)

choice. Feel free to continue to add stories to the official compendium of misery in the original post, and in the comments, tells us what a crappy job we did picking the winner and provide links to your favorite tales (you can get a permalink to the comments by clicking on the date below the commenter's name). And while we're glad that we

didn't have to live through any of these tales of terror, we would like to thank you all for the memories. Christmas is going to be a doozy!

Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:45:18 AM

Amazing investigative reporting by the great Joe McGinniss: Sarah Palin says she is conducting her book tour from a bus, but she is actually just hopping on a rented Gulfstream to get from suburban shithole mall to suburban shithole mall. And, even better, she is forcing her staff to make the hellish trek on the bus, as she flies in comfort. Palin has been emerging from the bus at tour stops, and giving interviews from the bus, and pretending to post to Facebook from the bus, but that is all a lie, because she physically cannot stop lying, ever. The bottom line is that the plane's goings and comings track

Palin's tour perfectly: from Grand Rapids to Washington, Pa. and then to Rochester, N.Y., Roanoke, Va., Fayetteville, N.C., Birmingham, Ala., and Jacksonville and Orlando. On November 25, the plane carried Palin, her parents, her two

youngest children and her Aunt Katie to Pasco, Washington, for Thanksgiving. And there it sat, at Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco, for four full days, which is a lot of inactivity for a plane that rents for more than $4,000 an hour. But it was Thanksgiving

knife and tried to stab her brother to death. He took me, my dad and my brother to literally hurl her off of him. In a matter of minutes the cops arrived (small New Jersey town.) While my step mom and my uncle were trying to tell the cops they didn't want to press charges against each other, my dad walked up to one of the cop cars, unzipped and pissed on the cop car's tires.

Flash forward two hours later to me, my then-wife and various cousins pooling our money to bail all three of them out of jail. Congratulations go to DrunkenExpatWriter for giving us reason to believe our family isn't so bad. You can either pick up your booze at Gawker HQ (the lawyers say mailing it's dicey) or email Gabriel to tell him where to send a $50 check to spend on the libation of your

Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:03:25 AM

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York announced on Monday, that it is expanding its testing of a key operational tool, designed to drain liquidity from the financial system – known as “reverse repos”. In a reverse repo – reverse repurchase agreement – the Fed sells assets such as Treasury securities to dealers for cash, with an agreement to buy them back later at a slightly higher price. In the process, bank reserves are drained from the financial system. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

THANKSGIVING continued from page 49

Everything went well during the meal, until the check arrived. The waiter then put the check near my uncle rather than my step mom (who insists on handling all the financial shit for her and my dad.) Her brother then said "See, you can talk about liberation all you want, but classy people know a man is supposed to pay." My step mom then upended the table and grabbed the carving

Entertainment/ Sports/ Economy/

E-reader Newspaper

AOL's Big Plan: Robot Traffic Whoring [The Internet] By Hamilton Nolan (Gawker) Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:02:01 AM

The internet needs more hot search keyword-driven advertorial "content" about as much as the internet needs AOL. So, welcome to the "linchpin" of AOL's growth strategy: Hot search keyword-driven advertorial "content" crap! AOL's dynamic vision of the future: Flood the web with content designed to pop up high in Google search results, with editorial ideas generated by an algorithm based on what stupid people are looking for, on the internet. In our business we call this "stealing post ideas from Google Trends." Getcher Tiger Woods Mistress Pictures here! Tell us, WSJ, how will AOL improve the life of me, an average Park Slope Parent? AOL says its new system determined that the most popular topic on the Web last Tuesday was "crib recalls," following news of a massive recall by Stork

Notre Dame Fighting Irish players to vote on bowl game By ESPN.com news services (ESPN.com) Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:44:45 AM

Latest On Charlie Weis Latest On Charlie Weis VIDEO PLAYLIST • Latest On Charlie Weis Latest On Charlie Weis • Notre Dame: Good Fit Or Bad Fit? Notre Dame: Good Fit Or Bad Fit? • Weis Headed To The NFL? Weis Headed To The NFL? Craft Manufacturing of Canada. AOL had only one story on its sites on the recall. But, if the new system had been live, editors would have geared up to supply stories on the subject from a number of angles, the company says. So not only is AOL basing its entire dismal future on the most base sort of styrofoam trafficwhoring; it's not even whoring in

a new way. Demand Media, for one, has long been doing the exact same thing, with an algorithm-plus-sweatshop editorial production line that makes Gawker Media look like Aristotle's School of Taking Your Sweet Time Thinking About Things. Ah well. Neither useless crap on the internet nor AOL sucking is anything new.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame players have scheduled a players meeting for Monday while awaiting word on the fate of coach Charlie Weis. The meeting, set for midafternoon, will include a vote on whether the players want to play in a bowl game after a 6-6 season. Athletic director Jack Swarbrick has said he will consider the players' wishes in deciding on a bowl trip. Notre Dame (6-6) finished its regular season with its fourth

Iran plans to build 10 enrichment plants (Financial Times - US homepage) Submitted at 11/29/2009 1:38:30 PM

Iran said on Sunday it was dramatically expanding its

nuclear programme, in a move that raises the stakes in the international dispute over the programme and could inflame tensions in the Middle East. Tehran’s announcement of plans

to build 10 new uranium enrichment plants is likely to exacerbate concerns that it could use its nuclear infrastructure for weapons purposes and comes after Iran was censured at the

United Nations nuclear watchdog last week. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

straight loss, 45-38 at Stanford on Saturday night. Weis was not in his office early Monday, though there were no announcements about whether he will return for a sixth season. Swarbrick has said he will make that decision within the next few days. Weis, who has six years left on his contract, has a 35-27 record in five years as Notre Dame's coach. His .565 winning percentage is worse than the .583 marks that got his two predecessors, Tyrone Willingham and Bob Davie, fired. Weis has told people in South Bend that he already has heard from roughly six NFL teams about becoming their offensive coordinator next season, sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Entertainment/ Popular News/

E-reader Newspaper

Media Relations Guru Jim Sinkinson Hates Free Speech [Flackery] By Hamilton Nolan (Gawker) Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:34:39 AM

We feel it is important for PR professionals to be aware—for the record—that the owner of the PR-centric media guide Bulldog Reporter is an odious free speech -hater and enemy of journalism. In case you missed the NYT story this weekend (read it!), allow us to highlight these facts for you: Jim Sinkinson, the publisher of Infocom Group and owner of Bulldog Reporter, which many of you PR people subscribe to in an effort to more effectively influence journalists, is currently leading a campaign

to put The Berkeley Daily Planet, a liberal weekly, out of business, because he doesn't like the fact that they publish "letters and other commentary pieces critical of Israel."

"We think that [Daily Planet editor Becky] O'Malley is addicted to anti-Israel expression just as an alcoholic is to drinking," Jim Sinkinson, who has led the campaign to

discourage advertisers, wrote in an e-mail message... "If she wants to serve and please the East Bay Jewish community, she would be safer avoiding the subject entirely." Please, take a moment to reflect on the unapologetically gangster philosophy behind that quote. Reflect, also, on the fact that Sinkinson objects to the paper publishing submitted items that are not even part of the paper's own editorial output. In other words, this "media relations" mogul objects to free speech, and is an asshole of the first order. [Pic: Flickr]

founder Mike Arrington. "The entire project self destructed over nothing more than greed, Last month, Popular Mechanics j e a l o u s y a n d named TechCrunch's CrunchPad m i s c o m m u n i c a t i o n . . . I ' m 'Product of the Year." The e n r a g e d , e m b a r r a s s e d , a n d unreleased tablet computer was, j u s t … s a d . " of course, promptly beset by It seems Arrington's supplier on delays, infighting and a legal the project, Fusion Garage, dispute. Now it's been aborted by decided to cut TechCrunch out of says "multiple lawsuits" are a its parent. t h e p r o j e c t , s a v e f o r a n near-certainty. There's a lesson " The CrunchPad is now in the "evangelism" role, and just sell here for all the media companies DeadPool," writes TechCrunch the tablet itself. Arrington now Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:02:16 AM

Driver Responsible for Deadly Crash Dies in Hospital (FOXNews.com) Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:50:20 AM

NOVATO, Calif. The driver of a car that ran a red light in Sonoma County and crashed into a minivan, killing a family of four, has died. The California Highway Patrol says 19-year-old Steven Culbertson of Lakeport died Sunday after he was taken off life support at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. CHP spokesman Jonathan Sloat says Culbertson hit a car that was stopped at the intersection of Highway 37 and Lakeville Highway on Saturday night. He then crashed into the minivan carrying Johnathan Maloney, his wife Susan and their young children, five-year-old Grace and eight-year-old Aiden. Family friends say they were looking to jump onto the tablet returning home from a vacation computing bandwagon: When on Maui to have a belated you yourself know nothing about Thanksgiving Day dinner with tech manufacturing, you will tend Johnathan Maloney's 19-year-old to get pushed into the backseat on daughter. any tech manufacturing project. Authorities say drugs and Also: Never accept an award alcohol don't appear to be a factor in the crash. from Popular Mechanics. This content has passed through (Image via) fivefilters.org.

The Sad, Premature Death of the TechCrunch Tablet [Disasters] By Ryan Tate (Gawker)

Sports/

E-reader Newspaper

Making Sense of the Tiger Woods Firestorm (WSJ.com: The Daily Fix)

fans find themselves compelled to have an opinion. At Yahoo, Dan Wetzel defends Woods’ Here’s a factual statement: Tiger right to remain silent on the Woods got in a car accident in accident. “All the public-relations t h e e a r l y h o u r s o f F r i d a y spin doctors are clamoring that morning, steering his Cadillac he needs to address this, but what Escalade into a fire hydrant, then good will that do?” Wetzel driving it into a tree. He wasn’t wonders. “Its not golf related. seriously injured, and — true to Hes a golfer, not a moralterse Tiger form — is studiously crusading politician.” avoiding saying anything about At CBS Sports, Steve Elling the accident besides that it was argues that Woods should tell his his fault. Gripping stuff, right? story. “Here’s a thought: Turn on And yet, because it was Tiger t h e l i g h t s a n d m a k e t h e Woods making that awkward and cockroaches scatter,” Elling implausible 120-degree turn out writes. “If it’s a simple traffic of his driveway — and because a boo-boo, explain it. It was as supermarket tabloid reported a though the Woods camp was p o s s i b l y r e l a t e d b u t saying, go ahead, assume the unsubstanitated rumor about worst. Because at this point, the Woods last week — it’s news. worst is about all we have to Associated Press Tiger Woods mull.” and his wife, Elin Nordegren, in True enough, if you choose to a file photo from a time when mull over this particular story. t h e y s t i l l c o u l d n ’ t w a l k For your Fixer’s part, I’d anonymously down the street but recommend leaving this one to news helicopters didn’t regularly T M Z a n d r e a d i n g L a r r y circle their home. Dorman’s piece in the New York In the Journal, Jason Gay gets Times about Ken Green, a right to the goofy absurdity of the supremely star-crossed golfer whole thing. “Have you ever seen who lost his lower right leg in a a golf tournament?” Gay writes much more serious car accident sarcastically. “Sometimes those back in June and is intent on g u y s w e a r p l e a t e d p a n t s . making yet another comeback on Sometimes they wear flat-front the PGA Champions Tour.* * * pants. It’s a miracle more of them There were some exciting NFL aren’t in prison. With the Tiger games played on Sunday, but for Woods imbroglio, we’ve all the most part things went more or stepped grimly into golf’s l e s s a s e x p e c t e d — J a k e aberrant underworld.” Delhomme threw a bunch of No, not really. And yet this has interceptions, Peyton Manning somehow become a story on l e d a b i g f o u r t h - q u a r t e r which sportswriters and sports comeback for the still-undefeated Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:04:53 AM

Titans’ 20-17 great escape against Arizona on Sunday is further proof that there is something special about this team. Game by game and win by win, the Titans are thumbing their noses at conventional wisdom.” Colts, the Vikings looked great More to the point, Vince Young and the Browns looked terrible. is thumbing his nose — or But there was one note of making some sort of gesture, at surprising drama struck Sunday least — at the football pundits when Vince Young led the who had pronounced him a bust Tennessee Titans to a wild as this season opened. In the New c o m e b a c k w i n a g a i n s t t h e York Times, Karen Crouse charts Arizona Cardinals. The Titans Young’s professional rebirth and went 99 yards in two minutes and reveals a surprising source of 37 seconds, converted three strength for the fourth-year fourth downs and sealed the win quarterback — his friendship when Young connected with with Kobe Bryant.* * * rookie receiver Kenny Britt on The New Jersey Nets tied an fourth-and-goal as time expired. NBA record for consecutive After losing their first six games losses to start a season Sunday this season, the Titans have now night, losing to the Lakers, 10687, to fall to 0-17. It wasn’t a won five straight. “There’s something about the surprising outcome. Neither was Titans that speaks to exactly why it terribly shocking that longtime the NFL is so popular. There’s Nets head coach Lawrence Frank always time for a miracle,” wasn’t around to absorb the loss. Sports Illustrated’s Peter King The team fired him over the w r i t e s . “ W h e n t h i s m o n t h weekend, after the Nets’ Friday dawned, Tennessee was basically loss at Sacramento. Frank’s playing out the string. Thirty dismissal — like so much about days later, we’re asking this the Nets’ present, purgatorial crazy question: If the Titans can existence — seemed kind of shock the world in Indianapolis unjust. Sunday, they’re 6-6, and they’d “Frank was a decent enough have three of the last four at coach, certainly still developing, home to make a legit playoff and no one can offer reasons for his dismissal beyond ‘the record run.” In The Tennessean, David looks like crap’ and ‘players tune Climer echoes King’s enthusiasm them out.’ For a team basically with a Nashville accent. “Seeing writing off this season, that is believing,” Climer writes. “The attitude shows a remarkable level

of urgency — and, you might even say, hypocrisy,” Bethlehem Shoals writes at The Sporting News. “It’s a shame that the Nets think we’re dumb enough to think firing Frank saves the team (this isn’t New Orleans) but not capable of seeing that this season is basically an exercise in moneysaving and, hopefully, lottery position.” In the Newark Star-Ledger, Dave D’Alessandro wonders why anyone would want the Nets gig — not because of the struggling young roster, but because of the surpassingly dysfunctional organization above it.* * * Mike Penner of the Los Angeles Times was a sportswriter like many others — spending a lot of time on the road covering various beats, hitting deadlines, cracking the odd in-print joke to enliven a mostly meaningless mid-season game story. But Penner was different from other sportswriters in one very dramatic way. In an emotional 2007 column, Penner announced that he was a transsexual, and began living as a woman. He returned to the Times under the name Christine Daniels, but later reverted to his familiar byline. On Friday, Penner died at the age of 52; suicide is suspected to be the cause of death. Penner receives brief, heartfelt appreciations from Ross Newhan in the Los Angeles Times and from Mark Whicker in the MAKING page 58

Sports/

E-reader Newspaper

Report: Florida police seek search warrant from hospital on Tiger Woods' treatment By ESPN.com news services (ESPN.com) Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:37:27 AM

Tiger Woods Monday Morning Update Tiger Woods Monday Morning Update VIDEO PLAYLIST • Tiger Woods Monday Morning Update Tiger Woods Monday Morning Update • Tiger Mum On Accident Tiger Mum On Accident • Tiger's 911 Call From Neighbor Released Tiger's 911 Call From Neighbor Released • Tiger Issues Statement, Cancels Meeting Tiger Issues Statement, Cancels Meeting The Florida Highway Patrol is seeking a search warrant for hospital records that would document the treatment Tiger Woods received after an auto accident early Friday morning, TMZ.com has reported, citing unnamed sources. The Florida state police, according to the Web site's report, want to determine if the injuries Woods sustained resembled those from an auto accident or domestic violence. The state police think they can show probable cause of a crime during the events that unfolded Friday, the report said, and the crash remains under investigation. Mike and Mike in the Morning

Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic discuss the latest news on Tiger Woods as, according to TMZ, the FHP is seeking permission to obtain medical records to determine if the wounds Woods sustained are consistent with a car accident or domestic violence. More Podcasts » When contacted by ESPN, FHP spokeswoman Kim Miller said the FHP has made no such statements to anyone regarding warrants. Woods broke his public silence on the incident Sunday on his Web site and took the blame for an "embarrassing" car crash that gave him cuts, bruises -- and public scrutiny like never before. His statement failed to clear up any questions about the middleof-the-night accident outside his Isleworth estate in which his wife told police she used a golf club to smash the back windows of the Cadillac SUV to help him out. "This situation is my fault, and it's obviously embarrassing to my family and me," Woods said on his Web site. "I'm human and I'm not perfect. I will certainly make sure this doesn't happen again." The statement was posted around 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, about an hour after Woods' attorney told the Florida Highway Patrol that for the third straight day golf's No. 1 player would be unavailable to talk to

troopers. This time, the meeting was not rescheduled. Woods said the crash was a private matter, and he intended to keep it that way. His attorney, Mark NeJame, said neither he nor Woods will make comments to anybody -- including the authorities. "Although I understand there is curiosity, the many false, unfounded and malicious rumors that are currently circulating about my family and me are irresponsible," Woods said. "The only person responsible for the accident is me. My wife, Elin, acted courageously when she saw I was hurt and in trouble. She was the first person to help me. Any other assertion is absolutely false." John Daly, speaking from Australia, where he will play in the Australian Open starting Thursday, said he doesn't want to know the reasons behind Woods' crash. He just wants Woods healthy and back on the tour. Woods' Statement On Crash "As you all know, I had a singlecar accident earlier this week, and sustained some injuries. I have some cuts, bruising and right now I'm pretty sore. This situation is my fault, and it's obviously embarrassing to my family and me. I'm human and I'm not perfect. I will certainly make sure this doesn't happen

again. This is a private matter and I want to keep it that way. Although I understand there is curiosity, the many false, unfounded and malicious rumors that are currently circulating about my family and me are irresponsible. The only person responsible for the accident is me. My wife, Elin, acted courageously when she saw I was hurt and in trouble. She was the first person to help me. Any other assertion is absolutely false. This incident has been stressful and very difficult for Elin, our family and me. I appreciate all the concern and well wishes that we have received. But, I would also ask for some understanding that my family and I deserve some privacy no matter how intrusive some people can be. -- Source: tigerwoods.com "I don't really care what happened between Tiger and ... whatever happened. I'm just glad he's OK," Daly said. "We need him, probably more than anybody on the tour, to keep things going, the way the economy is." Daly, a dual major winner who has had his share of off-thecourse troubles, said Monday he doesn't share the public fascination with the facts behind Woods' accident. "Tiger's the biggest asset the

tour's had in a long, long time," Daly said. "Whatever happened, as long as he's OK that's all that matters. Golf needs him badly ... no doubt." Woods is scheduled to compete at his Chevron World Challenge, which starts Thursday in Thousand Oaks, Calif., although his tournament director did not know Woods' status for the tournament -- whether he would play or even attend. Woods also was scheduled to hold a pre-tournament news conference Tuesday. The 911 caller was interviewed by police Saturday, and investigators might speak with other people who were at the scene as well. The FHP released the 911 call from an unidentified neighbor on Sunday. "I have a neighbor, he hit the tree. And we came out here just to see what was going on. I see him and he's laying down," the neighbor told dispatchers without ever identifying the victim as Woods. Asked if the victim was unconscious, the neighbor replied, "Yes." Part of the call was inaudible because of a bad connection. At one point, the voice of a woman is heard yelling, "What happened!" REPORT: page 56

Sports/

E-reader Newspaper

New Jersey Nets fire coach Lawrence Frank By Marc Stein (ESPN.com) Submitted at 11/30/2009 7:03:37 AM

Nets Fire Frank After 0-16 Start Nets Fire Frank After 0-16 Start The winless New Jersey Nets have fired coach Lawrence Frank with immediate effect. The Nets announced the move Sunday shortly after ESPN.com's report that Frank would not coach the Nets in Sunday night's road game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite playing hard for assistant coach Tom Barrise, the Nets matched the worst start to an NBA season with their 17th straight loss as the Lakers overwhelmed New Jersey 10687. The Nets' announcement said that Frank's permanent replacement has not yet been chosen. Sources with knowledge of New Jersey's thinking told ESPN.com that the Nets wanted to delay the widely anticipated coaching change until after the team returned from its four-game West Coast trip. Yet it appears that Nets management determined that it had to make the move before facing the Lakers after reports became more widespread that Frank's dismissal was imminent. The Bergen (N.J.) Record and Yahoo! Sports reported Sunday that Frank's firing was expected as early as Monday no matter the

outcome Sunday against the Lakers. After New Jersey's first loss of the week Tuesday in Denver, ESPN.com quoted a source close to the situation as saying that Frank could not survive a winless trip. "I want to thank Lawrence for more than a decade of service to the Nets, first as an assistant coach and then as the head coach for the past six and a half seasons," Nets president Rod Thorn said in a statement. "Lawrence always approached every day with a passion for his craft that was infectious, and his dedication to the game as well as his work ethic are to be both admired and appreciated. I wish he and his family only the best of good fortune in the future." Nets assistant coach John Loyer and general manager Kiki Vandeweghe are considered the internal co-favorites to succeed Frank for the rest of the season, although neither has ever been an NBA head coach. It's believed that the Nets will settle on Frank's replacement in time for Tuesday's scheduled practice after organization meetings to assess all of their options. A source close to Frank told ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan earlier Sunday that Frank has known for a week his departure was imminent, with the only question being where and when it would happen. According to The Associated

Press, players were shocked when Frank showed up at the team's morning team meeting in Los Angeles not wearing his Nets gear. "It's tough, because he was the hardest worker on the team," center Brook Lopez said. "He's so passionate about what he does. It was a rough situation, and he did a great job of not using our injuries as an excuse. He came in every night and had us prepared." Frank, who set an NBA coaching record by winning his first 13 games as Byron Scott's replacement in the 2003-04 season, is in the final year of a contract that pays him $4 million this season. He is the second NBA coach to be fired this season after Scott's dismissal by New Orleans earlier this month. Speculation has been mounting all week in New Jersey that Vandeweghe would be asked to replace Frank, largely as a costsaving measure given the relative inexperience and anonymity of the coaches on Frank's staff. Frank's record as Nets coach is 225-241. Injuries have plagued the team throughout its 0-17 start, which includes four losses by three points or fewer, but New Jersey's effort and energy have noticeably deteriorated since a home loss to New York on Nov. 21, amid increasingly strong signals that Frank would soon be dismissed.

The Nets entered Sunday's play averaging an NBA-low 85.6 points and shooting a leagueworst 40.3 percent from the field. Eleven of their losses have come by double digits, including all four games of this Western road trip. With the loss to the Lakers, New Jersey joined the 1988-89 Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers during the lockoutshortened 1999 season as the only teams to start 0-17. Another source close to the situation told ESPN.com on Tuesday: "The team hasn't lost interest in each other, which is a good sign, but I don't know how much more interest they have in [Frank's message]." New Jersey's streak had reached 16 with Friday night's 109-96 defeat to Sacramento, which matched the franchise's longest losing streak. The Nets have dropped 17 straight road games dating to March 18, when they routed the Knicks by 26 points. New Jersey has also lost 28 of 36 all-time road games against Los Angeles. Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. Information from STATS LLC was used in this report. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

REPORT: continued from page 55

"We're just trying to get the police here right now," the neighbor says to the woman. "We don't know what happened. We're figuring that out right now. I'm on the phone with the police right now." According to the FHP accident report, Woods had just pulled out of his driveway when he struck a fire hydrant and then a tree. Woods said he had cuts, bruising and "right now I'm a little sore." The accident came two days after the National Enquirer published a story alleging that Woods had been seeing a New York nightclub hostess, and that they recently were together in Melbourne, where Woods competed in the Australian Masters. The woman, Rachel Uchitel, denied having an affair with Woods when contacted by The Associated Press. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Sports/ Popular News/

E-reader Newspaper

Serena Williams fined, put on probation for U.S. Open tirade By Associated Press (ESPN.com)

highest fine for a Grand Slam offense -- about $48,000 Jeff Tarango was docked in the Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:39:58 AM 1990s. Serena Williams was fined a Williams lashed out at a record $82,500 for her U.S. Open lineswoman after a foot-fault call tirade and could be suspended at the end of her semifinal loss to from that tournament if she has eventual champion Kim Clijsters another "major offense" at any at the U.S. Open in September. Grand Slam in the next two Williams earned $350,000 by years. reaching the semifinals, part of Grand Slam administrator Bill her more than $6.5 million in Babcock's ruling was released prize money in 2009, a singleMonday, and he said Williams season record for women's tennis. faces a "probationary period" at Her career prize money tops $28 tennis' four major championships million. in 2010 and 2011. If she has The American is an 11-time another "major offense" at a Grand Slam singles champion Grand Slam tournament in that and ended the 2009 season at No. time, the fine would increase to 1 in the WTA rankings. $175,000 and she would be Williams' profanity-laced, finger barred from the following U.S. - p o i n t i n g o u t b u r s t d r e w a Open. $10,000 fine from the U.S. "But if she does not have another Tennis Association in September offense in the next two years, the -- the maximum onsite penalty a suspension is lifted," Babcock tennis player can face. But said in a telephone interview because it happened at a Grand from London. Slam tournament, Babcock was He said Williams is handing charged with investigating over $82,500 right now, already whether further punishment was nearly double the previous merited.

He concluded that Williams violated the "major offense" rule for "aggravated behavior." The Grand Slam committee -- with one representative from each of the sport's four major championships -- approved his decision Saturday. Babcock said Williams has been informed of the ruling. She has been in Barbados for an exhibition tournament, and her agent did not immediately reply to a request for comment Monday. The USTA said it would comment later Monday. Babcock said a "major offense" under Grand Slam rules is "any conduct that is determined to be the 'major offense' of 'aggravated behavior' or 'conduct detrimental to the game.' " There is no specific definition of what sort of actions constitute a "major offense." He said the highest possible fine that Williams could face -$175,000, if she violates her Grand Slam probation -- was chosen because it is the

difference in winnings between reaching the quarterfinals and semifinals at the U.S. Open. The $10,000 Williams already was docked by the USTA will be counted toward that total; that's why she is paying half of $165,000 now. During the Sept. 12 match at Flushing Meadows, the foot fault -- a call rarely, if ever, made at that stage of such a significant match -- resulted in a doublefault for Williams, moving Clijsters one point from victory. Williams paused, retrieved a ball to serve again and then stopped. She stepped toward the official, screaming, cursing and shaking the ball at her. Williams was penalized a point for that display; because it happened to come on match point, it ended the semifinal with Clijsters ahead 64, 7-5. Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Pa. Family Mourns Fatally Shot Washington Officer (FOXNews.com) Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:02:54 AM

ALLENTOWN, Pa. A Pennsylvania family is mourning the death of a police officer who was killed in an ambush at a coffee house in Washington state. A brother of 39-year-old Sgt. Mark Renninger, who grew up in Bethlehem, says in a statement to WFMZ-TV in Allentown that Renninger was "a professional, dedicated police officer who made the ultimate sacrifice." Matt Renninger also tells the station his brother was "a loving and devoted father, husband and family member." Authorities say Renninger and three other Lakewood, Wash., police officers were shot to death Sunday at a coffee shop in nearby Parkland. Renninger's former mother-inlaw, Jan Giacolino, tells the Express-Times of Easton that his military service brought him to Washington. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Nadal Ensnared in Tennis' Silly Season By Greg Couch (FanHouse)

conclude from his performance at the ATP Tour finals? In three matches, he didn't win a by Greg Couch set. Maybe he's finished as a Filed under: WTA, ATP Rafael dominant player? Nadal is weak. His mind is mush. Well, there is one other He can't run. What else can we possibility. The tournament was a Submitted at 11/29/2009 10:52:00 PM

disaster.

Great, new sold-out indoor facility. Great to have just the select top players together. But the tournament was not a gathering of the best as much as a sign of a serious problem on tour, one that is costing Nadal.

Nadal Ensnared in Tennis' Silly Season originally appeared on Fanhouse Tennis on Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Linking Blogs| Comments

Sports/

E-reader Newspaper

MAKING continued from page 54

Orange County Register. Rick Reilly also wrote a fine piece in Sports Illustrated in 2007 about his old friend. “He dreamed of the day he could shave his legs,” Reilly wrote. “He’d walk past the women’s room and cry. He’d comb through his columns, trying to get all the ‘cutes’ and ‘lovelies’ and softness out of them, paranoid about giving himself away.” Penner’s conflicted identity — and transition from Mike Penner to Christine Daniels and then back to Mike Penner — makes memorializing him a tricky endeavor. “The life story of Mike Penner and Christine Daniels

hinges on that divide between the public and the private, the professional and the personal,” the Washington City Paper’s Amanda Hess writes. “Its technically correct to refer to Penner as ‘Mike,’ but that treatment fails to recognize Penners inner life.”* * * Henry White was a young athlete in excellent physical condition as he headed into his first season with Grambling State’s basketball team. The story of how White came to die — of heat exhaustion that led to liver and kidney failure — before ever playing a game with the Tigers is too complicated to neatly

encapsulate here, but as ESPN’s Mark Fainaru-Wada tells it, it involves shameful incompetence at several levels. You won’t read a more frustrating or saddening sports story today than this one. — Tip of the Fix cap to 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.

Steelers at Odds Following OT Loss By Thomas George (FanHouse) Submitted at 11/30/2009 2:13:00 AM

by Thomas George Filed under: Ravens, Steelers, NFL Coaching BALTIMORE -He lost a game 20-17 in overtime Sunday night here to the Baltimore Ravens, and then Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin lost it in his postgame comments, drilling this thought home to all: "We will unleash hell here in December because we have to. We won't go into a shell. We'll go into attack mode, because that's what is required.'' Tomlin might have lost his team's best effort, its best focus

before kickoff. He has some mending to do in his locker room. He is a superior communicator who had better have a little chat across the board

with his players. This is not a united, cohesive Steelers bunch right now. Tomlin let a situation -quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's prior concussion issues that kept him out of this game and forced second-year quarterback Dennis Dixon to make his first pro start - linger and fester to his team's detriment. The players said they learned Saturday afternoon that Roethlisberger would not play. Steelers at Odds Following OT Loss originally appeared on Fanhouse NFL Blog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Linking Blogs| Comments

Frankly Speaking, Frank Takes the Fall By Lisa Olson (FanHouse) Submitted at 11/30/2009 2:15:00 AM

by Lisa Olson Filed under: NBA Lawrence Frank ended his head coaching career with the New Jersey Nets in pretty much the opposite way he began it. The streak had been turned completely on its head - a 0-16 wretched beginning to this season obliterated the 13-0 winning jolt that ushered in his first month as head coach nearly six years ago. But most everything else about him remained the same: Frank was still the rumpled basketball geek (his description) more concerned with making the game about the players, rather than floating stories that revolved around the guy with the clipboard. When the Nets"relieved" Frank of his duties early Sunday morning -the term "fired," while technically true, seems harsh, considering some would consider Frank blessed to be freed from a team scuffling at the ownership

level on down -- he accepted the news with self-effacing grace. More Coverage: Lawrence Frank Fired by Nets Frankly Speaking, Frank Takes the Fall originally appeared on Fanhouse - Lisa Olson on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Linking Blogs| Comments

Sports/ Economy/

E-reader Newspaper

Derek Jeter Named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year

Lowly T'Wolves Put Bite Into Nuggets

Dubai rejects guarantee for Dubai World

By Chris Tomasson (FanHouse)

(Financial Times - US homepage)

By Tom Fornelli (FanHouse)

Submitted at 11/30/2009 1:05:00 AM

Submitted at 11/30/2009 5:50:20 AM

Submitted at 11/30/2009 11:21:00 AM

by Chris Tomasson Filed under: Nuggets, Timberwolves DENVER -George Karl said he wasn't going to overreact to the loss. Then he overreacted. But that's quite understandable. Two weeks earlier, the Denver Nuggets had walloped the Los Angeles Lakers at home, and point guard Chauncey Billups was saying his Nuggets are definitely an elite team. Sunday night, though, they looked more asleep than elite. The Nuggets (12-5), who had won 17 straight regular-season games at the Pepsi Center, were stunned 106-100 by Minnesota (2 -15), which had lost 15 straight. It's got to be one of the biggest regular-season upsets in recent NBA history.

The government of Dubai on Monday said it would not guarantee the debt of Dubai World as it sought to clarify comments made last week by the state-owned entity that sent shockwaves through global markets. In its first public comments since the crisis erupted over the liabilities of its public companies, Dubaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s department of finance on Monday outlined its policy towards the outstanding loans, which total $59bn. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

by Tom Fornelli Filed under: Yankees, AL East, MLB Awards It's been a pretty incredible year for New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter. He just won his fifth World Series with the team earlier this month after having one of the best offensive seasons of his career, and also got his fourth Silver Slugger award and fourth Gold Glove to go along with it. He also passed Lou Gehrig as the Yankees all-time leader in hits, which considering the history of the Yankees, is quite an achievement. Now he has some more hardware to add to the trophy case as it was announced on

Monday that Jeter has been named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year. Derek Jeter Named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year originally appeared on Fanhouse MLB Blog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Linking Blogs| Comments

Lowly T'Wolves Put Bite Into Nuggets originally appeared on Fanhouse NBA Blog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Linking Blogs| Comments

Danica Patrick Confirms Multi-Year Deal With IndyCar Series By Holly Cain (FanHouse)

Danica Patrick, announced Monday that she has signed a multi-year deal to remain in the by Holly Cain IZOD IndyCar Series driving for Filed under: IRL After months Michael Andretti and longtime of speculation, open-wheel sponsor GoDaddy.com. racing's most-talked about driver, Patrick and Andretti unveiled Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:48:00 AM

her No. 7 Go Daddy.com car on

Monday's Good Morning America, saying only that it was a "multiyear" contract. It is believed to be at least three years. Danica Patrick Confirms MultiYear Deal With IndyCar Series originally appeared on Fanhouse

Motorsports Blog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:48:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Linking Blogs| Comments

Fashion/

E-reader Newspaper

L.K. Bennett Opens Its Flagship By ELLE.com (ELLE News Blog) Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:13:03 AM

L.K. Bennett fêted the opening of its flagship store on King's Road last week and its contents were surprisingly exciting. Not exciting in the Nicolas Ghesquière kind of way, but in the way where you discover a shop where you can get a good product, made with decentquality materials, with a bit of style at a price you can handle. The brand is positioning itself as such and though it may not be particularly fashion-forward, there are certainly purchaseworthy items to be found. For

example, a wool cashmere coat in a stylish yet wearable shape retails for under 300 pounds and a pair of leather riding boots in soft, tan leather retails for just under the same. A pair of satin flats with a elaborate crystal

embellishment retails for under 150 pounds. While some of the styles skew a bit older, the brand tries to offer a little something for all. And with shoe designer of the moment, Michael Lewis, (best known for

his work with Vuitton, Burberry and Gucci) designing some of the footwear, there is a chic edge to their collection. Plus, Robert Bensoussan, the business mind who made Jimmy Choo the thriving name it is today, is behind the L.K. Bennett brand. So, there is a lot happening that should be interesting to watch as the seasons progress. Give it a chance, and you might just find something that will surprise you. —Rebecca Suhrawardi Austin Follow ELLE on Twitter. Become our Facebook fan!

The Great Fashion Designers Launches By ELLE.com (ELLE News Blog)

Choosing only 50 designers was a challenge for both authors so while there are no big surprises Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:21:30 AM as to who did made the list, the The London College of Fashion better question is, who didn't hosted a book launch last week make the list. "I still feel a bad for the publication of Brenda about not including Hussein Polan and Roger Tredre's The Chalayan because I'm a big Great Fashion Designers. The admirer of his work," said b o o k n a r r o w s d o w n t h e 5 0 Tredre, "Perhaps Jil Sander g r e a t e s t f a s h i o n d e s i g n e r s should also have squeezed in. through the ages and names like But I'm still sure we were right to of the designers, their work and Charles Frederick Worth, Elsa exclude Viktor & Rolf, fun as their methodologies, each chapter Schiaparelli, Calvin Klein and they are." giving a glimpse into how they Martin Margiela all grace the list. The book is a historical account

came to be. So who does Tredre predict is the next all-time great? "There are so many designers with potential," he said, "But Alber Elbaz would be at the top of my list of designers with the potential to become all-time greats." —Rebecca Suhrawardi Austin Follow ELLE on Twitter. Become our Facebook fan!

Design Real at the Serpentine By ELLE.com (ELLE News Blog) Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:24:34 AM

The exhibition "Design Real" opened last Thursday at the Serpentine and it is safe to say that the gallery's first-ever contemporary design show was a hit. The thought put into choosing the everyday objects of high design is a testament to the curatorial work of Konstantin Grcic, who worked in collaboration with Alex Rich and Jürg Lehni. It was a cool evening and guests lingered and socialized outside where they enjoyed cocktails, while inside the gallery was DESIGN page 61

Fashion/ Popular News/

E-reader Newspaper

DESIGN continued from page 60

abuzz with people appreciating objects they never thought they would, or objects they have always loved. Everything from sleek megaphones to superergonomic baby carriers was displayed to be looked at from a different perspective. With all the thought put into everyday design these days, it is easy to take for granted the sharpness of the

objects around us, and "Design Real" reminds you that it is anything but arbitrary. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Rebecca Suhrawardi Austin Follow ELLE on Twitter. Become our Facebook fan!

Fla. Cops: Not Seeking Search Warrant in Woods Case (FOXNews.com)

accident or domestic violence. Click for photos of the car crash "We are seeking all information The Florida Highway Patrol says r e l e v a n t t o t h e o n g o i n g it is not seeking a search warrant investigation into the car crash," in the Tiger Woods car crash said Welch. case. "We would seek medical This statement contradicts what information as it might relate to celebrity Web site TMZ earlier the cause of the crash." reported. The Web site claims TMZ is also reporting that authorities in Florida are trying to authorities are trying to get obtain a search warrant to enable a c c e s s t o v i d e o f r o m t h e By ELLE.com (ELLE News just wanted to find the perfect many bells and whistles, just them to seize medical records surveillance cameras outside the Blog) men's white shirt, and in her good garments at a good price from the hospital that treated family home. Tiger Woods, TMZ reported. search ended up designing a full with great style. TMZ learned that Woods' home Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:46:49 AM AUDIO: Woods 911 Tape is fully loaded with security menswear line replete with You can check out their pop-up It's rare to find a menswear line footwear, ties, gloves, trousers, shop at Unit 15, Princes Arcade Released. cameras. The Web site reported that is both classic and stylish, and anything else a guy may through the 23rd of December, or "We don't need a warrant to get that at least one of the cameras where you can get a well-fitted need. It's all about being well- check out www.hentschman.com. records, that is incorrect," said shows Woods' exit from the Florida Highway Patrol Chief of house. shirt and a burgundy velvet hat. fitted and affordable for the â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Rebecca Suhrawardi Austin Public Affairs Capt. Mark Welch. Sources told TMZ that Woods' That's why Hentsch Man is such Hentsch man, walking in and Follow ELLE on Twitter. TMZ reported that authorities wife, Elin Nordegren, told a great find. k n o w i n g w h a t ' s g o o d , a n d Become our Facebook fan! were seeking Woods' medical Florida troopers that she drove The designer, Alexia Hentsch, walking out with it. Not too records to determine whether his FLA. page 63 injuries are consistent with a car Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:05:21 AM

Hentsch Man's Affordably Stylish Finds

Popular News/

E-reader Newspaper

Police: Suspect in deaths of officers not in house (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News)

area," Troyer said. Seattle police spokesman Jeff Kappel said there was evidence SEATTLE â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A heavily armed Clemmons at one point was on SWAT team stormed a Seattle the property, but officers could h o m e M o n d a y w h e r e t h e y not determine whether he was in thought they had cornered the the house itself. Kappel would suspect in the slaying of four not describe what the evidence police officers at a coffee shop, was, but said it was a "good tip" only to find out that he was not in that led them to the home. the house and still on the loose. Meanwhile, University of The discovery added new Washington officials alerted urgency to the manhunt for students by e-mail and text Maurice Clemmons as police messages to an unconfirmed canvassed the neighborhood with report that Clemmons might have search dogs and hundreds of gotten off a bus on or near the officers were deployed around campus about 3 miles north of Seattle for any sign of the the residence, university police suspect. Authorities put up a Cmdr. Jerome Solomon said. $125,000 reward for information Police were checking the area, he leading to his arrest. said. Police had been positioned At one point, what sounded like overnight at a Seattle home gunshots rang through the where they thought Clemmons neighborhood, but Kappel said was holed up and spent hours no shots were fired. trying to communicate with him, Troyer said warrants for firstusing loudspeakers, explosions degree murder have been issued and even a robot sent into the against Clemmons in the killings house. But when the SWAT team of the officers from the Tacoma went inside, he was nowhere to suburb of Lakewood who were be found. gunned down in a coffee shop on P i e r c e C o u n t y s h e r i f f ' s Sunday morning at the start of spokesman Ed Troyer said the their shifts. location of Clemmons was not Clemmons has a long criminal known, and it's possible he still history, including a long prison could be in the neighborhood. sentence commuted by former Troyer also said people who Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee k n o w C l e m m o n s t o l d nearly a decade ago, and a recent investigators he had been shot in arrest for allegedly assaulting a the torso in his bloody struggle police officer in Washington. with the officers. Authorities allege he killed Sgt. "If he didn't get a ride out of Mark Renninger, 39, and officers there, he could still be in the R o n a l d O w e n s , 3 7 , T i n a Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:08:35 AM

Griswold, 40, and Greg Richards, 42, as they worked on their laptop computers at the beginning of their shifts. Clemmons is believed to have been in the area of the coffee shop around the time of the shooting, but Troyer declined to say what evidence might link him to the shooting. Investigators say they know of no reason four gunning down the officers, but court documents indicate Clemmons is delusional and mentally unstable. "We're going to be surprised if there is a motive worth mentioning," said Troyer, who sketched out a scene of controlled and deliberate carnage that spared the employees and other customers at the coffee shop in suburban Parkland, about 35 miles south of Seattle. "He was very versed with the weapon," Troyer said. "This wasn't something where the windows were shot up and there bullets sprayed around the place. The bullets hit their targets." Officer Richards' sister-in-law, Melanie Burwell, called the shooting "senseless." "He didn't have a mean bone in his body," she said. "If there were more people in the world like Greg, things like this wouldn't happen. Clemmons has an extensive violent criminal history from Arkansas. He was also recently charged in Washington state with assaulting a police officer, and

second-degree rape of a child. Using a bail bondsman, he posted $150,000 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; only $15,000 of his own money â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and was released from jail last week. Documents related to the pending charges in Washington state indicate a volatile personality. In one instance, he is accused of punching a sheriff's deputy in the face, The Seattle Times reported. In another, he is accused of gathering his wife and young relatives and forcing them to undress, according to a Pierce County sheriff's report. "The whole time Clemmons kept saying things like trust him, the world is going to end soon, and that he was Jesus," the report said. Troyer said investigators believe two of the officers were killed while sitting in the shop, and a third was shot dead after standing up. The fourth apparently "gave up a good fight." "We believe there was a struggle, a commotion, a fight ... that he fought the guy all the way out the door," Troyer said. In 1989, Clemmons, then 17, was convicted in Little Rock for aggravated robbery. He was paroled in 2000 after Huckabee commuted a 95-year prison sentence. Huckabee, who was criticized during his run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 for granting many clemencies and commutations, cited Clemmons' youth. Clemmons

later violated his parole, was returned to prison and released in 2004. On Sunday, Huckabee issued this statement on his Web site: "Should he be found to be responsible for this horrible tragedy, it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington state." It was the second deadly ambush of police in the Seattle area in recent weeks, but the two cases aren't related. Authorities say a man killed a Seattle police officer on Halloween night and also firebombed four police vehicles in October as part of a "one-man war" against law enforcement. Christopher Monfort, 41, was arrested after being wounded in a firefight with police days after the Seattle shooting. The officers killed Sunday had received no threats, Troyer said. "We won't know if it's a copycat effect or what it was until we get the case solved," he said. ___ Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Gene Johnson in Seattle, Rachel La Corte in Tacoma, George Tibbits in Seattle, Jill Zeman Bleed in Little Rock, Ark., and photographers Elaine Thompson in Seattle and Ted S. Warren in Parkland. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

E-reader Newspaper

FLA. continued from page 61

around in a golf cart looking for Woods. She allegedly told troopers that's how she discovered the accident and then used a golf club to break open the car's window. That's a very different story from what she first told police shortly after the accident — she never mentioned a golf cart. Nordegren previously told police she walked out of her house, saw the crash and then went back inside to get a golf club and returned to the vehicle, according to TMZ. TMZ recently obtained a photograph from the scene that shows a golf cart in the foreground. Although alcohol does not appear to be involved, Woods was in and out of consciousness and TMZ reported that he told a friend he was taking prescription medicine for pain, which could be evidence of DUI. This, too, could constitute probable cause to obtain a warrant, TMZ reported. TMZ had previously reported that Woods had told a friend that his wife had attacked him after confronting him with reported allegations he had cheated on her, TMZ reported. Despite presenting his side of the car-crash story and asking that it remain "a private matter," Tiger Woods may still not be in the clear. Troopers arriving at his Isleworth home requesting an interview were turned down for a

third straight day, but the Florida Highway Patrol said it will continue to investigate. Yet the tabloid-fueled rumors now swirling around one of the world's richest and mostrecognizable athletes could turn out to be more troublesome still. About an hour before the troopers arrived Sunday afternoon, Woods released a statement on his Web site taking responsibility for — but providing few details about — the middle-of-the-night accident that left him dazed, bruised and bloodied. "This is a private matter and I want to keep it that way," Woods said. "Although I understand there is curiosity, the many false, unfounded and malicious rumors that are currently circulating about my family and me are irresponsible. ... "I appreciate all the concern and well wishes that we have received," the statement concluded. "But, I would also ask for some understanding that my family and I deserve some privacy no matter how intrusive some people can be." SLIDESHOW: Tiger Woods Yet several public-relations experts believed there was little chance of that request being honored. "The goal of putting out a statement, or having a press conference, is to make sure questions are answered so you're not continuing to have questions

that are crisis-related," said Mike Paul, whose firm, MGP & Associates, frequently works with athletes. "There are still over a dozen questions we have regarding his reputation because the statement is not enough." The world's No. 1 golfer remained hunkered down at home in an exclusive gated community outside Orlando. He was scheduled to compete at the Chevron World Challenge, which starts Thursday in Thousand Oaks, Calif. The tournament director, however, did not know whether Woods would play or even attend. When troopers arrived at Woods' home Sunday, his attorney, Mark NeJame, gave them Woods' driver's license, registration and insurance, as required by law for such accidents. This time, the meeting was not rescheduled. But patrol spokeswoman Sgt. Kim Montes said investigators spoke with the neighbor who made the 911 call on Saturday and might seek out others who were at the scene as well. "If we have somebody who we feel is pertinent to the investigation, then we will interview them," she said. In the 911 call released by the FHP on Sunday, the unidentified neighbor told the dispatcher, "I have a neighbor, he hit the tree. And we came out here just to see what was going on. I see him and he's laying down." The caller did not identify the

neighbor as Woods. When asked if the victim was unconscious, the neighbor replied, "Yes," Parts of the call were inaudible because of a bad connection. At one point, the voice of a woman is heard yelling, "What happened?" Yet even the release of the 911 tape and Woods' statement failed to answer that question and several other. — Where he was going at that time of the night? — How did he lose control of his SUV at such a speed that the air bags didn't deploy? — Why were both rear windows of the Cadillac Escalade smashed? — If it was a careless mistake, why not speak to state troopers trying to wrap the investigation? Montes said authorities towed the Cadillac SUV that Woods was driving and have already documented the damage to the vehicle and the point of impact. According to the FHP accident report, Woods had just pulled out of his driveway when he struck a fire hydrant and then a tree. His wife told Windermere police she used a golf club to smash the back windows to help him out. "The only person responsible for the accident is me. My wife, Elin, acted courageously when she saw I was hurt and in trouble. She was the first person to help me. Any other assertion is absolutely false," Woods said. The reference in his statement to

"false, unfounded and malicious rumors" may have involved a story published last week in the National Enquirer alleging that Woods had been seeing a New York nightclub hostess, and that they recently were together in Melbourne, where Woods competed in the Australian Masters. The woman, Rachel Uchitel, denied having an affair with Woods when contacted by The Associated Press. On Sunday, she flew to Los Angeles and was met by high-profile attorney Gloria Allred at the airport. Uchitel didn't speak to reporters except to ask that she be left alone. Allred, however, confirmed to the AP that she would be representing Uchitel. "We plan to meet and then we'll decide on the next step, which we do not plan to announce to the press," the attorney said in an email. Click here for more from TMZ.com. Click for more on this story from MyFoxOrlando.com The Associated Press contributed to this report. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Popular News/

E-reader Newspaper

Woods speaks up, says crash is 'private matter' (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News)

about my family and me are irresponsible. ... "I appreciate all the concern and WINDERMERE, Fla. – Despite w e l l w i s h e s t h a t w e h a v e presenting his side of the car- r e c e i v e d , " t h e s t a t e m e n t crash story and asking that it concluded. "But, I would also ask remain "a private matter," Tiger for some understanding that my Woods may still not be in the family and I deserve some clear. privacy no matter how intrusive T r o o p e r s a r r i v i n g a t h i s some people can be." Isleworth home requesting an Yet several public-relations interview were turned down for a experts believed there was little third straight day, but the Florida chance of that request being Highway Patrol said it will honored. continue to investigate. Yet the "The goal of putting out a tabloid-fueled rumors now statement, or having a press swirling around one of the conference, is to make sure w o r l d ' s r i c h e s t a n d m o s t - questions are answered so you're recognizable athletes could turn not continuing to have questions out to be more troublesome still. that are crisis-related," said Mike About an hour before the Paul, whose firm, MGP & t r o o p e r s a r r i v e d S u n d a y Associates, frequently works afternoon, Woods released a with athletes. "There are still statement on his Web site taking over a dozen questions we have r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r — b u t regarding his reputation because providing few details about — the statement is not enough." the middle-of-the-night accident The world's No. 1 golfer that left him dazed, bruised and remained hunkered down at bloodied. home in an exclusive gated "This is a private matter and I community outside Orlando. He want to keep it that way," Woods was scheduled to compete at the said. "Although I understand Chevron World Challenge, which there is curiosity, the many false, starts Thursday in Thousand unfounded and malicious rumors Oaks, Calif. The tournament that are currently circulating director, however, did not know Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:20:32 AM

whether Woods would play or even attend. When troopers arrived at Woods' home Sunday, his attorney, Mark NeJame, gave them Woods' driver's license, registration and insurance, as required by law for such accidents. This time, the meeting was not rescheduled. But patrol spokeswoman Sgt. Kim Montes said investigators spoke with the neighbor who made the 911 call on Saturday and might seek out others who were at the scene as well. "If we have somebody who we feel is pertinent to the investigation, then we will interview them," she said. In the 911 call released by the FHP on Sunday, the unidentified neighbor told the dispatcher, "I have a neighbor, he hit the tree. And we came out here just to see what was going on. I see him and he's laying down." The caller did not identify the neighbor as Woods. When asked if the victim was unconscious, the neighbor replied, "Yes," Parts of the call were inaudible because of a bad connection. At one point, the voice of a woman is heard yelling, "What happened?"

Yet even the release of the 911 tape and Woods' statement failed to answer that question and several other. • Where he was going at that time of the night? • How did he lose control of his SUV at such a speed that the air bags didn't deploy? • Why were both rear windows of the Cadillac Escalade smashed? • If it was a careless mistake, why not speak to state troopers trying to wrap the investigation? Montes said authorities towed the Cadillac SUV that Woods was driving and have already documented the damage to the vehicle and the point of impact. According to the FHP accident report, Woods had just pulled out of his driveway when he struck a fire hydrant and then a tree. His wife told Windermere police she used a golf club to smash the back windows to help him out. "The only person responsible for the accident is me. My wife, Elin, acted courageously when she saw I was hurt and in trouble. She was the first person to help me. Any other assertion is absolutely false," Woods said. The reference in his statement to "false, unfounded and malicious

rumors" may have involved a story published last week in the National Enquirer alleging that Woods had been seeing a New York nightclub hostess, and that they recently were together in Melbourne, where Woods competed in the Australian Masters. The woman, Rachel Uchitel, denied having an affair with Woods when contacted by The Associated Press. On Sunday, she flew to Los Angeles and was met by high-profile attorney Gloria Allred at the airport. Uchitel didn't speak to reporters except to ask that she be left alone. Allred, however, confirmed to the AP that she would be representing Uchitel. "We plan to meet and then we'll decide on the next step, which we do not plan to announce to the press," the attorney said in an email. ___ AP Golf Writer Doug Ferguson in Jacksonville, and Associated Press writers Linda Deutsch in Los Angeles, and Sarah Larimer in Miami contributed to this report. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Popular News/

E-reader Newspaper

Seattle Police: Cop-Killing Suspect on The Loose (FOXNews.com) Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:38:34 AM

Police in Washington state say the suspect in the killings of four police officers in a Seattle-area coffee shop is not inside the house that they've surrounded since early Monday morning. Negotiators spent the night trying to communicate with 37year-old Maurice Clemmons, but discovered after a search of the Seattle house and that the suspect was not inside. Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said the location of Clemmons is not known, and it's possible he may still be in the neighborhood staked out overnight by Seattle police. Troyer also says people who know Clemmons told investigators that he had been shot in the torso. The University of Washington police have alerted students to an unconfirmed report that the suspect in the Lakewood police shootings may have been sighted on or near the campus in Seattle. Cmdr. Jerome Solomon says someone reported that Maurice Clemmons was seen getting off a bus about 7 a.m. Monday near the university's hospital. He says police are checking the area. Students have been alerted by email and text messages. Troyer said warrants for firstdegree murder have been issued against Clemmons. A $125,000

reward has been offered for information leading to the suspect's arrest, Troyer said, according to a Twitter post on The Seattle Times' Web site. The neighborhood is still locked down. Negotiators had been trying to communicate with Clemmons using loudspeakers, explosions and even a robot to try to prod him from hiding. At one point, gunshots rang through the neighborhood, about 30 miles from the original crime scene. "We have determined that in fact he has been shot," said Troyer. "He may be deceased from his gunshot wound." Troyer said Clemmons was shot by one of the murdered police officers, according to The Seattle Times. Police said they knew the suspect was injured because they have detained other people who reportedly assisted Clemmons after the shootings, The Seattle Times reported. Troyer would not comment on the number of people they have detained. Clemmons has a long criminal history, including a long prison sentence commuted by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee nearly a decade ago and a recent arrest for allegedly assaulting a police officer in Washington. Huckabee issued a statement: "Should he be found to be responsible for this horrible

tragedy, it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington State." "This is a horrible and tragic event and if found and convicted the offender should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law." Clemmons allegedly went to a coffee house on Sunday morning and opened fire on the Lakewood officers, killing Sgt. Mark Renninger, 39, Ronald Owens, 37, Tina Griswold, 40, and Greg Richards, 42, as they caught up on paperwork at the beginning of their shifts. He fled but authorities believe he might have been wounded by one of his victims. "We don't know if he's still alive. If he isn't, it's because he succumbed to the wound he received yesterday when he was in the struggle with the police officer that managed to get a shot fired at him before he was killed," Troyer said on CBS television. Police surrounded the house late Sunday, and a negotiator used a loudspeaker early Monday to call him out by name, saying: "Mr. Clemmons, I'd like to get you out of there safely. I can tell you this, we are not going away." Any response from inside the house was inaudible from the vantage of a photographer for The Associated Press. But shortly thereafter, police began using

sirens outside the house, and there were several loud bangs before the negotiator resumed speaking. By 3 a.m., the loudspeakers and explosions had fallen silent. Seattle Police spokesman Jeff Kappel said Clemmons has never responded. It's not clear whose house it is. Clemmons is believed to have been in the area of the coffee shop around the time of the shooting, but Troyer declined to say what evidence might link him to the shooting. Investigators say they know of no reason that Clemmons or anyone else might have had to open fire on the four as they sat working on their laptops Sunday. Court documents indicate that Clemmons is delusional and mentally unstable. "We're going to be surprised if there is a motive worth mentioning," said Troyer, who sketched out a scene of controlled and deliberate carnage that spared the employees and other customers at the coffee shop in suburban Parkland, about 35 miles south of Seattle. Click for more from Q13FOX.com. Click for more from The Seattle Times. The Associated Press contributed to this report. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Demjanjuk tried for Nazi crimes (BBC News | Americas | World Edition) Submitted at 11/30/2009 7:17:11 AM

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. John Demjanjuk was brought into the afternoon session of his trial on a stretcher John Demjanjuk, accused of helping to murder nearly 28,000 Jews at a Nazi death camp, has gone on trial in the German city of Munich. Mr Demjanjuk, who is 89 and was deported from the US in May, entered the courtroom in a wheelchair. His eyes were closed but he seemed conscious. He denies being a camp guard at Sobibor, in Nazi-occupied Poland. The trial is expected to last until May and, if found guilty, Mr Demjanjuk could be sentenced to 15 years in jail. The trial's first session was delayed for over an hour, as large numbers of people tried to gain DEMJANJUK page 66

E-reader Newspaper

DEMJANJUK continued from page 65

access. 'Hollywood, not Sobibor' Organisers were overwhelmed by the crowds of people trying to get in, including journalists and relatives of Holocaust survivors. His lawyer immediately went on the offensive - accusing German judges of double standards. "How can John Demjanjuk, a Ukrainian prisoner of war, be found guilty," he asked, "when several German SS officers, who served in the death camps, have been previously acquitted." Facing Thomas Blatt, an 82-year -old survivor of Sobibor, the defence lawyer said he and John Demjanjuk were both victims. Thomas Blatt, a Sobibor survivor, told journalists on his way into court that he was not looking for revenge. "I'm here to tell the way it was years ago, I don't know Demjanjuk in person," he said. The accused arrived in an ambulance, which witnesses say struggled to get past the crowds at the entrance. Ukraine-born Mr Demjanjuk was wheeled into the courtroom, in a reclined position and looking

pale. But a doctor who examined him two hours before the trial said his vital signs were stable, the Associated Press news agency said. Efraim Zuroff, director of the Nazi-hunting Simon Wiesenthal Center's Israel Office, said: "Demjanjuk put on a great act. He should have gone to Hollywood, not Sobibor." 'Moral double standard' Defence lawyers say he will not speak at all during the trial, and will neither confirm nor deny that he was at Sobibor. Defence lawyer Ulrich Busch said the case should never have gone to trial, citing cases in which Germans assigned to Sobibor had been acquitted. "How can you say that those who gave the orders were innocent... and the one who received the orders is guilty?" Mr Busch told the court. "There is a moral and legal double standard being applied today." John Demjanjuk, a retired car worker in the US state of Ohio, stands accused of having helped the Nazi death factory to

function. Prosecutors say that, as a camp guard at Sobibor, he pushed thousands of Jewish men, women and children to their death in the gas chambers. 'Hell on earth' Mr Demjanjuk was captured by the Nazis while fighting in the Soviet army. He denies even being at Sobibor. But prosecutors say statements from a now-dead Ukrainian place Mr Demjanjuk at that death camp. The statements - which the defence says are inconsistent say Mr Demjanjuk "participated in the mass killing of Jews". Over 60 years after the end of World War II, this may be Germany's last big war crimes trial. But the BBC's Oana Lungescu in Munich says that, as the first to focus on a low-ranking foreigner rather than a senior Nazi commander, it breaks new legal ground. As Mr Demjanjuk is in poor health, doctors have asked that hearings should be limited to two 90-minute sessions per day.

There are no living witnesses in this case, but over 30 people listed as joint plaintiffs are expected to testify about what happened at Sobibor, described by investigators as hell on earth. Two are camp survivors, others lost relatives or their entire families among the 250,000 people murdered there. This is the second time John Demjanjuk has appeared in court. Two decades ago, he was sentenced to death in Israel, convicted of being Ivan the Terrible, a notoriously sadistic guard at the Treblinka death camp. But that ruling was overturned after new evidence showed that another Ukrainian was probably responsible. Print Sponsor This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Popular News/

E-reader Newspaper

Honduras poll winner urges unity (BBC News | Americas | World Edition) Submitted at 11/30/2009 8:00:31 AM

The winner of Sunday's presidential election in Honduras, Porfirio Lobo, has appealed for national unity to end months of political crisis. Mr Lobo, an opponent of ousted leader Manuel Zelaya, won some 56% of the vote, with turnout put at over 60%. The poll was held five months after Mr Zelaya was forced out at gunpoint, with an interim government taking over. The US has indicated it will accept the result but many Latin American nations say the election is not legitimate. Leaders from Latin America, Spain and Portugal discussed their reaction to the vote at a Ibero-American summit in Estoril on Monday. "There are still many nations, especially in Central America, in vulnerable political situations. Brazil therefore must not recognise nor rethink the Honduran question," Brazilian

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said. Regional power Brazil is among those nations that have said they will not recognise any government installed after the election, arguing that to do so would legitimise the coup which ousted an elected president, and thus set a dangerous precedent. President Lula has also made it clear that Mr Zelaya will remain in its embassy in the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa - where he has been living since he secretly returned to the country in September - until the government gave assurances for his safety. The US, meanwhile, has indicated it will accept the election results. "Significant work remains to be done to restore democratic and constitutional order in Honduras, but today the Honduran people took a necessary and important step forward," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said in a statement as the results were coming in. 'Inflated figures' Mr Lobo comes from the centre-

right opposition National Party, and was defeated by Mr Zelaya in the last presidential election in 2005. "I am announcing a government of national unity, of reconciliation. There's no more time for divisions," Mr Lobo said. Mr Zelaya said the authorities had inflated turnout figures to try to give the election legitimacy. "He is going to be a very weak leader without recognition from the people and most countries," Mr Zelaya told Reuters. The BBC's Stephen Gibbs in Tegucigalpa says the interim government will see the outcome - a clear winner and strong turnout - as strengthening their position that a refusal to accept the result goes against the will of the Honduran people. Congress is due to vote on Mr Zelaya's reinstatement on 2 December. His term ends on 27 January. Mr Zelaya was forced into exile on 28 June after trying to hold a vote on whether a constituent assembly should be set up to look

at rewriting the constitution. His critics said the vote, which was ruled illegal by the Supreme Court, aimed to remove the current one-term limit on serving as president and pave the way for his possible re-election. Mr Zelaya has repeatedly denied this and pointed out that it would have been impossible to change the constitution before his term in office was up. Are you in Honduras? Did you vote? What is your reaction to this news? Send your comments using the post form below. A selection of your comments may be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below. The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Print Sponsor This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Popular News/

E-reader Newspaper

US police killer suspect at large (BBC News | Americas | World Edition) Submitted at 11/30/2009 9:39:07 AM

Police say a suspect in the killings of four officers in Washington State was not in a house which they had laid siege to for several hours. Officers had surrounded the premises in Seattle and called on Maurice Clemmons to come out. Shots and explosions were heard at the house, before police confirmed that Mr Clemmons was not there. Earlier, detectives said the killer had himself been shot during the attack in a cafe on Sunday and may be dead. Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said warrants for first-degree murder had been issued against Mr Clemmons, 37, and the search for him was continuing. He said people who knew Mr Clemmons had told police he had been shot in the torso. "If he didn't get a ride out of there, he could still be in the area," Mr Troyer said. The Seattle Times reported that police were searching the University of Washington campus following a reported

sighting of Mr Clemmons. The four police officers - Sgt Mark Renninger and officers Ronald Owens, Tina Griswold and Greg Richards - were shot dead at the cafe in Parkland, 40 miles (65km) south of Seattle on Sunday morning. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Ed Troyer, Pierce County Sheriff's department: "We did find a tracking device that was cut off his ankle"

The killer fled but on Monday authorities said he had been wounded by one of his victims. "We don't know if he's still alive," Mr Troyer told CBS television. "If he isn't, it's because he succumbed to the wound he received yesterday when he was in the struggle with the police officer that managed to get a shot fired at him before he was killed." Acting on a tip-off, officers

sealed off part of the Leschi area of Seattle, while armed Swat team members ringed the property. Local residents were told to stay in their homes with their doors locked. Police shone strong lights on the house and a negotiator called out to Mr Clemmons. As the siege continued through the night, witnesses heard loud bangs, breaking glass, explosions and shots.

But it was later revealed that Mr Clemmons was not in the house. US media said Mr Clemmons has a long criminal history including a recent arrest for allegedly assaulting a police officer in Washington state. Investigators said the four officers had been working on their laptops when the attack happened. Mr Troyer said police would be "surprised if there is a motive worth mentioning" but that the gunman had been "well versed" with the weapon used in the attack. No-one else in the cafe was injured. Are you in the area? Send us your comments using the form below. A selection of your comments may be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below. The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Print Sponsor This content has passed through fivefilters.org.