Liberty Newspost Dec-30-2011

Curated News Edition
- 30/12/11
http://www.LibertyNewspost.com
Proposed calendar would make it same exact day, next year

(USATODAY.com News)
schedules simpler: a permanent calendar in which each 12-month Submitted at 12/30/2011 1:23:43 AM period is exactly as the year By Elizabeth Weise, USA before, on into perpetuity. TODAY The extra days created by the Updated Earth's inconvenient 365.242-day Each year, Jan. 1 falls on a orbit around the sun would be different day of the week, and the dealt with not by adding Feb. 29 entire following year shifts for leap years, but by a leap week accordingly. Schools, sports tacked onto the calendar at the teams, businesses and banks end of December every five to six spend many hours and millions of years. dollars calculating on what day of " I t w o u l d s i m p l i f y t h i n g s the week certain dates will fall, to enormously," says Richard Conn schedule holidays and set interest Henry, the professor of applied rates. physics at Johns Hopkins who Seth Wenig, AP first proposed the idea in 2004. Kelsey Budnick and her high This past year he began to discuss school friends pose for a picture the idea further with a colleague, with a ball that was used on a Steve Hanke, a Johns Hopkins previous New Year's Eve in economics professor. Times Square in New York. The result is the Hanke-Henry It doesn't need to be that Permanent Calendar, which they complicated, say an astrophysicist proposed in December. In it, and applied economist at Johns March, June, September and Hopkins University in Baltimore. December would have 31 days, all They have a proposal to make the rest 30. Christmas would content] [unable to retrieve full-text
always fall on a Sunday. Halloween would become Oct. 30 and always fall on a Monday. Hanke, who has helped seven countries introduce new currencies, estimates the change could save "roughly $130 billion" merely by decreasing the chance of interest-calculation errors resulting from incorrectly counting the number of days in a given month. There have been multiple proposals to change the calendar since the world began to shift from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar starting in 1582. Most suffer from what Henry calls "the Sabbath problem." Many religions require people to labor for six days but keep the seventh holy. Proposed calendars that break up the seven-day cycle destroy the count, meaning people could end up working on a day they should devote to spiritual matters. "That's unacceptable to millions of [unable to retrieve full-text
believers," Henry says. "You can't skip a day because then you're off kilter." Most people actually like having birthdays, holidays and sporting events move around, says David Finkleman, an astro-dynamicist at the Center for Space Standards and Innovation in Colorado Springs. Aside from that, creating a permanent calendar is "impossible," he says. The problem is that the period it takes the Earth to rotate on its axis (a day) and around the sun (a year) changes all the time and the change isn't predictable. Even more confounding, none of the periods divides evenly into another, he says. "The Lord didn't put things together synchronously," Finkleman says. For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards content]
Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com. USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Headline/ Economy/
Candidates make their cases ahead of Iowa

(USATODAY.com News)
critical for a nation they say has lost its way. Days before the Iowa caucuses GOP candidates make their open a string of primaries and closing arguments other contests, the contenders With the Iowa caucuses just days talked after photo ops and before a w a y , t h e s e v e n l e a d i n g town-hall meetings, as they sat Republican presidential hopefuls backstage and rode in campaign discussed the 2012 campaign with buses festooned with campaign USA TODAY. Click on each of slogans. the candidates for a link to their "I want to be America's Margaret full interview. By Susan Page, T h a t c h e r , " M i n n e s o t a R e p . USA TODAY Michele Bachmann declared, Updated saying her "titanium spine" DES MOINES Vote for me. echoes the strength of the British Illustration by Jerry Mosemak, prime minister who aligned U S A T O D A Y T h e s e v e n herself with President Reagan in R e p u b l i c a n p r e s i d e n t i a l the 1980s. "I will be the next Iron candidates state their cases prior Lady." to the Jan 3. Iowa caucuses. Texas Rep. Ron Paul portrayed the contest in near-apocalyptic Illustration by Jerry Mosemak, terms: "We desperately need a USA TODAY restoration of our constitutional The seven Republican principles and limited presidential candidates state their g o v e r n m e n t . " cases prior to the Jan 3. Iowa Texas Gov. Rick Perry said he caucuses. can revitalize the nation's The seven major Republican economy. "If they are looking for presidential contenders argued in someone who's got the executive interviews with USA TODAY on governing experience in creating Wednesday and Thursday that jobs and creating an environment they alone have the boldest policy where men and women can have prescriptions, the strongest the dignity to take care of their experience and the best prospects family, there's not anybody on of defeating President Obama and that stage that even gets close to winning back the White House for what I've been a part of in the the GOP. state of Texas," he said in All described the 2012 election as Oskaloosa, Iowa.
Submitted at 12/30/2011 9:03:55 AM
In a fluid race, attacks on rivals have sharpened. Santorum called Paul's candidacy "a sideshow," saying the libertarian's isolationist positions on foreign policy make it impossible for him to win the nomination. Gingrich scoffed at Romney as "a To say the Iowa contest has been Massachusetts moderate" who has close and convoluted would be an benefited from "dishonest" attack ads aired by his backers. "It understatement. Five of the seven candidates strikes me as very unlikely that former House speaker Newt people who can't defend their Gingrich, former Massachusetts record are going to win negative g o v e r n o r M i t t R o m n e y , campaigns in the long run," he Bachmann, Paul and Perry said. Gingrich said he has the have led in statewide surveys at experience in Washington needed some point this year. A sixth, to get things done. former Pennsylvania senator Rick Romney, touting his business background, said his opponents Santorum, is on the rise. Even now, Iowa voters at have too much governmental campaign events taking place experience. "Nothing wrong with from Dubuque in the east to Sioux politics," he said. "It's just not the City in the west say they haven't b a c k g r o u n d n e e d e d t o g e t Washington thinking outside the firmly made up their minds. "We're definitely looking at the political box." Former Utah governor Jon Republican side, because we need another big change," said Robert Huntsman, who has centered his Carmody, 62, standing in the back campaign in New Hampshire, hit of Homer's Bakery and Deli in at Gingrich and Romney. "If Clinton, Iowa, for the chance to people's opinion of conservatism see Romney. He's considering is someone who will say anything or take any side of an issue to get Romney or Paul. "I'm still looking at Mitt Romney elected, then Mitt's their guy," he and Newt one of those two," said. "If people's opinion of conservatism is a grandiose, 40said his wife, Suzi, 61. year insider, then Newt is their
guy. If they want a consistent, proven leader, then I'm their person." Contributing: This story is based on interviews conducted by Catalina Camia, Jackie Kucinich, Martha Moore and Susan Page, and was written by Page. For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com. USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
[unable to retrieve full-text content]
Headline/ Top News/ Food/
Iran adept at chipping away at bigger enemies, analysts say

(USATODAY.com News)
the Study of War. This week, Iran threatened to seal the Strait of Hormuz a choke By Jim Michaels, USA TODAY point for much of the world's Updated seaborne oil shipments if the Iran's latest threat to seal off the United States toughens sanctions Strait of Hormuz is probably a over charges Iran is developing bluff, but its ability to slowly nuclear weapons. escalate tensions in the Persian Iran has made the threat before. Gulf with small attacks on National security analysts say any commercial shipping or other effort to seal the strait would also incidents is a genuine danger, hurt Iran, which uses the narrow military analysts say. passageway to export its own oil. AFP/Getty Images "They use the strait as much as A showdown between Iran and anyone else," Rue said. the United States over Tehran's In theory, the narrow passageway threats to close the strategic Strait would seem vulnerable. The Strait o f H o r m u z t o o i l t a n k e r s of Hormuz is 34 miles wide at its continues. narrowest point. Ships are "If they are going to do something supposed to use two shipping to us, it makes a lot more sense to lanes that are each 2 miles wide raise the level of tension without while moving through the strait. getting into a fight," said Anthony In 2009, about 17% of all oil Cordesman, a national security traded worldwide went through analyst at the Center for Strategic the strait, according to the Energy and International Studies. Department. Iran has been steadily increasing Any effort to mine the waters in its capability to fight "asymmetric the passageway or attack ships warfare," which favors using t r a n s i t i n g t h e s t r a i t w o u l d small raids and hit-and-run tactics p r o b a b l y p r o v o k e a d i r e c t to help even the odds when a confrontation with the U.S. weaker foe is fighting a larger Navy's 5th Fleet. "That could be rival. seen as an act of war," Rue said. Iran's Revolutionary Guards, for U.S. officials said they would not example, operate a fleet of small allow Iran to block the vital armed boats capable of swarming waterway. "Any attempt to close around large conventional ships, the Strait of Hormuz will not be said Jonathan Rue, a senior tolerated," Pentagon spokesman research analyst at the Institute for George Little said this week.
Submitted at 12/30/2011 6:35:34 AM
"This is an economic lifeline for countries in the Gulf region, to include Iran." The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet has a robust presence in the region. A U.S. carrier strike group, which includes guided-missile cruisers, operates within the 5th Fleet area, which includes the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. An amphibious ready group, which includes a contingent of Marines, is also in the area, according to the 5th Fleet. "The U.S. Navy is always ready to counter malevolent actions to ensure freedom of navigation," Navy Lt. Rebecca Rebarich, a U.S. 5th Fleet spokeswoman, said in an e-mail. National security analysts say the rhetoric from Iran to close the strait masks the more likely threat: a slow escalation of tensions that would increase pressure on the United States without a direct confrontation. It's happened before. In 1987, the United States began escorting tankers through the region after Iranian attacks on Kuwaiti tankers during the Iran-Iraq War threatened the supply of oil and pushed up insurance costs for tankers. Iran has mines, some submarines and small boats as well as shore-
based missiles, all of which can be used for small attacks to disrupt shipments or threaten supplies. "They don't have to win," Cordesman said. "Asymmetric warfare is as much politics and economics as it is military." For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com. USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Reports Describe Deadly Shootout in Restive Region of China - New York Times
(china - Google News)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 10:46:37 AM
AFP Reports Describe Deadly Shootout in Restive Region of China New York Times Parts of Xinjiang, particularly in its southern reaches, experience regular waves of protest against what many members of the region's ethnic minorities say is oppressive rule by the ethnic Han, the dominant group in most of China.... China, Uighurs offer different account of deadly shooting CNN At least 8 dead in ethnic fighting in western China Los Angeles Times Seven 'terrorists' shot dead in China Telegraph.co.uk Reuters- AFP all 293 news articles
Lighter Spinach-andArtichoke Dip

(Cooking Light: Editor's Picks)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 3:00:00 AM
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Our crowd-pleasing appetizer is rich and creamy without excess fat and calories. Learn how we made over this alltime favorite.
Top News/
Top 10 Political Gaffes of 2011

(Christianpost.com > Politics)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 10:59:48 AM
1. Rick Perry: What's the third one there? ... Oops. The Texas Governor was already declining in the polls after several poor debate performances. Perry has never quite recovered, though, from his gaffe in the Nov. 9 Republican presidential debate in Michigan. I will tell ya, there's three agencies of government when I get there that are gone Commerce, Education, and the uh, what's the third one there, let's see? After trying a second time to remember, he was left with nothing else to say but, I can't. Oops. Perry would later follow up with several more oops moments throughout the campaign as he forgot how many judges sit on the Supreme Court, got the voting age and election date wrong, and referred to solar power company Solyndra as a country. Like us on Facebook 2. Herman Cain: Got all this stuff twirling around in my head. The former CEO of Godfather's Pizza was already known, by his own admission, as a lightweight on foreign policy. This was further confirmed when he could not remember his own position on Libya during a Nov. 14 interview with Wisconsin's Journal Sentinel. OK, Libya, President Obama, supported the uprising, correct? ...
I just wanted to make sure we're talking about the same thing before I said 'yes, I agree,' or 'no, I didn't agree.' I do not agree with the way he handled it for the following reason, um? Nope, that's a different one. After a long pause and shifting uncomfortably in his chair, Cain continued, I got to go back and see, I got all this stuff twirling around in my head. 3. AARP: We are 50 million seniors who earned our benefits ... As the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, or supercommittee, was working hard to fashion a bipartisan agreement that would put the nation on a path toward fiscal stability, the AARP decided to enter the fray with a TV ad that would help ensure the supercommittee's failure. So Washington, before you even think about cutting my Medicare and Social Security benefits, here's a number you should remember 50 million. We are 50 million seniors who earned our benefits, and you will be hearing from us today, and on election day, the ad stated. So much for everyone putting skin in the game as a way out of Washington's budget mess. Cut whatever you need to, as long as it doesn't affect us, was the message AARP sent to the supercommittee. There were some fairly strong reactions to AARP's
approach. Since hollowing out the rest of the budget to pay for expanding entitlements would result in more uninsured, undereducated and unemployed Americans, AARP has taken an approach which can only and honestly be described as generational warfare. By its actions AARP has put at risk the strong inter-generational support for Social Security and Medicare, said former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.), cochairman of The Concord Coalitions Board of Directors. Former Sen. Alan Simpson (RWyo.), who co-chaired President Obama's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, said at a supercommittee hearing, That is the most disgusting ad I've ever seen. That is a really ugly thing, but let me tell you about the AARP, let's remember what they will be when they do nothing. Let me tell you what will happen with their view of the world, which is to do nothing to restore the solvency of Social Security. In the year 2036, you're going to waddle up to the window and get a check for 23 percent less and then I hope that they will remember the AARP. I certainly will and a lot of young people will too. 4. Paul Krugman: Violent acts are what happens when you create a climate of hate. Just two hours after Jared Loughner shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Gabby Giffords, New
York Times columnist and Princeton economist Paul Krugman wrote a blog post blaming Republicans, Sarah Palin and the Tea Party Movement for inspiring Loughner's actions. You know that Republicans will yell about the evils of partisanship whenever anyone tries to make a connection between the rhetoric of Beck, Limbaugh, etc. and the violence I fear were going to see in the months and years ahead. But violent acts are what happen when you create a climate of hate, Krugman wrote. Krugman could have easily avoided this gaffe if he had waited on the evidence before passing judgment. Loughner's political ideology, it turned out, only made sense in his own head, and had no relationship to conservative politics. Also, his hatred for Giffords predated the rise of the Tea Party and Palin's national prominence. In the aftermath of the Giffords shooting, politicians from both parties called for greater civility in political debates. Apparently, Krugman did not get the memo. In March, he penned an op-ed in which he said Republicans are stupid and not into rationality because they disagreed with him on health care reform. 5. Joe Biden: I wish Republicans knew what it felt like [to be raped]. In October, Vice President Biden was giving speeches aimed at convincing Republicans to pass
the president's jobs bill. In an attempt to counter Republican arguments that the bill used permanent tax increases to pay for temporary spending increases, he said, It's not temporary when that 911 call comes in and the woman is being raped and the cop shows up in time to prevent the rape. I wish [Republican members of Congress] had some notion of what it's like to be on the other side of a gun, or a 200 pound man standing over you telling you to submit. 6. Franklin Graham: I dont know why he cant produce that? In a taped interview for ABC's This Week that ran on Easter Sunday, evangelist Graham was asked about Donald Trump's claims that President Obama was not born in the United States. He could solve this whole birth certificate issue pretty quickly. ... I dont know why he cant produce that (birth certificate), said Graham. I dont know, but its an issue that looks like he could answer pretty quickly. The Obama campaign in 2008 and the State of Hawaii had already shown copies of Obama's birth certificate. Because of the controversy, many media outlets had investigated the issue by the time Graham made his comments, and found Obama's birth certificate to be legitimate. In an interview with Christianity Today following Graham's remarks, he TOP page 12
Top News/
Road to the Nomination -- Republican Presidential Primary Guide - Fox News

By Chris Stirewalt (Top Stories Google News)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:40:12 AM
AP Dec. 29, 2011: Ron Paul signs a flag for a supporter as he campaigns in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The candidates have debated more than a dozen times. There have been hundreds of polls taken and no fewer than four frontrunners. But now, it's time for the voters to have their say. Republicans will start picking a presidential nominee with the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses. The final contest is scheduled for June 26 in Utah, and the Republican National Convention is set to begin on Aug. 27 in Tampa. What happens in between is still anyone's guess. In a party with a history of orderly nominations and inevitable nominees, this election cycle has been something altogether different. The drama starts in Iowa, where caucus-goers will gather in school gymnasiums, fire halls and community centers to stand up for the candidate of their choice. In this two-hour process, participants get to hear speeches from candidates' supporters, mull their options and form coalitions before time runs out.
Iowa matters so much this year because the biggest unanswered question for Republicans is who will be the standard bearer for the conservative wing of the party. Moderate Republicans have mostly coalesced around former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, but the remainder of the party has been divided over who should carry their banner. And Iowa, home to a famously conservative electorate, will provide the first test of strength. But with the right divided, there may not be a clear winner in Iowa, or Romney may be able to carry his share of the vote, about a quarter in most polls, on to a win in a divided field. Several candidates have placed heavy emphasis on Iowa. Texas Rep. Ron Paul is counting on a strong showing in Iowa to answer doubts about his electability and encourage supporters in other states. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann are both "all in" on Iowa, hoping that a surprise showing there will vault them forward. Texas Gov. Rick Perry is hoping that a credible showing in Iowa will start to build some momentum for his campaign. But the big test is for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who zoomed to the top of the
Democrats, which poses a risk for Romney in New Hampshire. With no Democratic contest this year and an open primary system in which voters may cast their ballots in either party's contest, Huntsman may cause trouble for Romney. Race watchers will also be paying attention to the secondand third-place finishers for signs of momentum coming out of Iowa. Expectations are low for Gingrich, Perry and the rest of the right, but their showings will polls nationally and in Iowa after O n e w e e k l a t e r , i t ' s N e w speak volumes about their appeal the demise of former frontrunner Hampshire's turn, as the Granite to voters. H e r m a n C a i n ' s c a m p a i g n . State hosts the first primary As soon as the ballots are Gingrich watched his support election in the nation. counted in New Hampshire, the erode in the final weeks of the That contest is less about the action shifts immediately to South year and needs a good showing in conservative struggle and more of Carolina, which has proved the Iowa to prove that he was not a a t e s t f o r R o m n e y a m o n g crucial test in many Republican flash in the pan. m o d e r a t e s . R o m n e y , w h o nominating contests. It's a Gingrich's biggest weakness in governed a neighboring state and conservative, southern state in a I o w a c o u l d b e a l a c k o f has a vacation home in New party dominated by conservative, o r g a n i z a t i o n . W h i l e P a u l , Hampshire, has been heavily southern voters. South Carolina Santorum, Bachmann and Perry favored to win the state since the Republicans have picked their can be assured that there will be start of the cycle. But former Utah party's eventual nominee in every supporters at nearly every caucus Gov. Jon Huntsman has made the presidential election since 1980. location to help rally others and state his top priority. Huntsman, On Jan. 16, Fox News, The Wall s h o w s t r e n g t h , G i n g r i c h ' s a l s o a m o d e r a t e a n d , l i k e Street Journal and the South campaign, which suffered a total Romney, a member of the Church Carolina Republican Party will meltdown in the spring, has been of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day host the remaining contenders in a s c r a m b l i n g t o m u s t e r a n Saints, has tapped his family's crucial debate in Myrtle Beach, organization. fortune to make a stand in New S.C., just five days before voters A poor showing in Iowa for any Hampshire despite a lackluster go to the polls. of the conservative candidates showing in national polls. While Romney may surprise in could mean the end of their Huntsman, who served President presidential bid, particularly for Obama as ambassador to China, is ROAD page 11 Bachmann and Santorum. a favorite of many moderate
Top News/
Seventeen dead as Syrians stage mass protests - Reuters

(Top Stories - Google News)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:36:44 AM
Douma, where troops tear-gassed the chanting crowds. Five people were shot dead in the By Erika Solomon and Mariam city of Hama and five in the city Karouny of Deraa in the south as crowds BEIRUT| Fri Dec 30, 2011 braved army and police. 12:38pm EST "We are determined to show them (Reuters) - Syrian security forces (the monitors) we exist. Whether opened fire at protesters on or not there's bloodshed is not Friday, killing at least 12, as important," an activist named Abu hundreds of thousands filled the Khaled said by telephone from the s t r e e t s o f r e s t i v e c i t i e s t o northern city of Idlib, one of the d e m o n s t r a t e a g a i n s t t h e epicenters of nine months of government of President Bashar al unrest. -Assad, opposition activists said. Most foreign media are banned Five members of the security from Syria and witness reports are forces were also killed in a hard to verify. shooting in the city of Homs, the An opposition supporter named British-based Syrian Observatory Manhal said thousands had tried for Human Rights said. to reach the main square to start a Assad, 46, has signed up to an sit-in, but failed "because the Arab League plan for a verifiable security forces are firing a lot of withdrawal of his heavy weaponry tear gas and a few rounds of live and army from cities, where more fire." than 5,000 people have been "People hoped the presence of killed since March - many shot monitors will prevent fierce during peaceful anti-government attacks. I believe we have partial protests but also many killed in protection, I don't think they rebel attacks and local defense would use live fire on us in front actions. of the monitors." But the presence of Arab League The Observatory reported the monitors in hotspots across Syria deaths in Hama and Deraa. It said since Monday has, if anything, security forces had shot dead two energized the protesters. people and wounded 37 in Idlib Demonstrators determined to province. At least two dozen were s h o w t h e s t r e n g t h o f t h e i r also injured in the Damascus movement to the monitors on suburb of Douma, activists said. Friday threw rocks at security VIDEO forces in the Damascus suburb of Amateur video from Idlib
showed monitors in white baseball caps and yellow safety vests wading through a sea of protesters. Some rushed at the observers, trying to shout a few words over the thousands chanting "The people want to liberate the country!." Protesters flooded the alleyways and streets of many protest centers, clapping and shouting "Peaceful, Peaceful" and "The people want you executed, Bashar!." Some held up banners with the names of those shot dead in protests: "We will not forget your spilled blood," they read. In parts of Hama, videos showed protesters fleeing the main streets as heavy gunfire erupted in the background. In one such segment, a few men rushed back, ducking in the crackle of gunfire, to carry away a man who had fallen limp in the street. In the Damascus suburb of Douma, protesters bore away a man whose leg had been shredded by what they said were "nail bombs." Activists in Idlib said the army had concealed its tanks in buildings on the outskirts or in dugouts. WITHDRAWAL OF FORCES The Arab League mission has met with strong skepticism from
the outset - over its makeup, its small numbers, its reliance on Syrian government logistics, and an initial assessment by its Sudanese chief that the situation was "reassuring." That comment was met with disbelief in the West on Wednesday but on Friday Syria's ally Russia accepted the judgment. "Judging by the public statements made by the chief of the mission (Sudanese general Mohammed) al -Dabi, who in the first of his visits went to the city of Homs ... the situation seems to be reassuring," Russia's Foreign Ministry said on its website. However on Friday al-Dabi, whom some link to war crimes in Darfur in the 1990s, said the reports of his comments were "unfounded and not true," a mission statement said. It said all future statements would be in writing. Activist video from Homs over the months has depicted a trail of death and destruction sown by the military. "Unfortunately, reports show that the violence has continued in Syria over the past few days," said Britain's Foreign Office minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Alistair Burt. "I urge the Syrian government to meet fully its obligations to the
Arab League, including immediately ending the repression and withdrawing security forces from cities." In Brussels, a spokesperson for European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the EU "urges Syria to comply with the action plan of the Arab league in all its components" including "an immediate end of violence, the release of political prisoners (and) pulling the military out of cities." PARTNER FOR PEACE? The monitoring teams have encountered a range of problems, from hostility when they turn up under army escort to random gunfire, shouting mobs and communications breakdowns. An Arab League member from a Gulf State played down expectations for the mission, which has no peacekeeping mandate. Even if its report turned out to be negative, it would not "act as a bridge to foreign intervention" but simply indicate that "the Syrian government has not implemented the Arab initiative," the delegate told Reuters. The commander of the antigovernment Free Syrian Army told Reuters its fighters had been ordered to stop offensive SEVENTEEN page 12
Top News/
Rick Santorum: Candidate Profile

Submitted at 12/30/2011 8:11:47 AM
here president and admonishes President Obama for his so-called weak policy. He promises to ensure that Iran never gets nuclear (Photo: REUTERS/Rick weapons and vows close Wilking) Republican presidential allegiance to Israel. Unlike candidate Rick Santorum waits to Obama, Santorum says he will not be introduced to supporters at a meet with the heads of any campaign stop at the Button terrorist state and wants to factory restaurant in Muscatine, eliminate the post of ambassador Iowa December 29, 2011. to Syria. Like us on Facebook According to a new CNN/Time This is in stark contrast to Ron M a g a z i n e p o l l , f o r m e r Paul, a libertarian, who takes a Massachusetts Governor Mitt m o r e d o v i s h a p p r o a c h t o Romney is currently looking at 25 international affairs. Santorum percent support from likely spent time in Iowa this week and R e p u b l i c a n p r i m a r y v o t e r s ; criticized his opponents foreign directly behind him is Texas policy, calling some of Pauls congressman Ron Paul with 22 plans craziness. percent. Santorum has moved into Lets get serious about what third place with 16 percent. His message Iowa is going to send to rise in the polls may come as a t h e c o u n t r y . W e w a n t a surprise to some political pundits r e s p o n s i b l e c o n s e r v a t i v e , w h o w r o t e o f f t h e f o r m e r Santorum said, according to the Pennsylvania senator and strict Marion Patch. Where you can be social conservative early on in his a dictator is the scary stuff he campaign. (Paul) is for. Santorums rise in the polls may Santorum also opposed Obamas be the result of a faltering Ron w i t h d r a w a l p l a n f r o m Paul. At the same time, Santorum Afghanistan. He claims that h a s t h e s t a u n c h s o c i a l Obama is trying to win political conservative policy that many points by leaving and warns that Iowan voters are looking for. the Taliban has a good chance of With this new rise, The Christian re-inhabiting the region. Post took a closer look at the Also, while he has lofty plans to potential policies of a Santorum scale back trillions of dollars of presidency. government spending, the Foreign Policy Issues Department of Defense would not Santorum has promised a more be on the chopping block under a hawkish foreign policy. On his h y p o t h e t i c a l S a n t o r u m website, he lists strong demands administration. According to that would be made of Iran if he Foreign Policy Magazine, he said
Obamas defense cuts are a sign that the president is trying to intentionally degrade our military. Economic Issues In an economic plan titled Made in America, Santorum preaches American exceptionalism and vows to empower the economy by cutting taxes, limiting the size of the government, and passing a balanced budget amendment. Ten things under the Made in America plan that Santorum promises to do if elected: 1. Cut and simplify personal income taxes by cutting the number of tax rates to just two 10 percent and 28 percent, returning to the Reagan era progrowth top tax rate 2. Simplify the tax code and reduce middle income taxes by eliminating the alternative minimum tax 3. Simplify the tax code, encourage savings and investment, and reduce taxes by eliminating the death tax 4. Lower the capital gains and dividend tax rates to 12 percent to spur economic growth and investment 5. Reduce taxes for families by tripling the personal deduction for each child 6. Reduce and simplify taxes for families by eliminating marriage tax penalties throughout the federal tax code 7. Retain deductions for charitable giving, home mortgage interest, health care, retirement
savings and children 8. Cut the corporate income tax rate in half to make our businesses competitive around the world, from 35 percent to 17.5 percent 9. Eliminate the corporate income tax for manufacturers from 35 percent to 0 percent which will spur middle income job creation in the United States and will create a job multiplier effect for workers 10. Spur innovation in America by increasing the research & development tax credit from 14 percent to 20 percent and make it permanent Social Issues Abortion Santorum, like most GOP candidates, opposes abortion. However, while many of his Republican colleagues leave the door for abortion open in the case of rape, incest, and the mothers health, Santorum believes it should be illegal under all circumstances. "I believe that any doctor who performs an abortion should be criminally charged for doing so," he told NBC in June. "I've never supported criminalization of abortion for mothers, but I do for people who perform them." He also advocates for a constitutional amendment defining a fetus as a child, thus making abortion equivalent to murder. Gay Marriage While all GOP hopefuls are against legalizing gay marriage, Santorum is perhaps the most adamant in his
opposition. He does not believe states have the right to legalize gay marriage and he supports a constitutional amendment that would prevent states from doing so. "We can't say, 'The 10th Amendment, they (states) can do what they want,'" he said in Iowa last month. "This is too important for that. There's a basic and central value. The family is the bedrock of our society. Unless we protect it with the institution of marriage, our country will fall." Santorum, however, goes further and believes that the federal government should outlaw homosexual activity. In 2003, he compared gay sex to bestiality and pedophilia and urged the government to outlaw it. When the Supreme Court struck down sodomy laws, Santorum argued, according to The Associated Press: "If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual [homosexual] sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. Whether it's polygamy, whether it's adultery, whether it's sodomy, all of those things are antithetical to a healthy, stable, traditional family." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is RICK page 9
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What Does Christian Libertarianism Look Like?

Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:19:19 PM
where God lays down a specific role that the government is divinely ordained to play which is to reward those who are right and (Photo: Reuters / Sean Gardner) punish those who are evil. U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) Libertarians are not being speaks during the Republican consistent in applying the Bible to Leadership Conference in New their thought process, Land Orleans, Louisiana June 17, 2011. contended The government not only has a But what if a person believes right, he said, but is called upon both sides of the argument? by God to regulate societal Enter the Christian libertarian. morality. A C h r i s t i a n l i b e r t a r i a n i s Slavery was outlawed by the generally aligned with the core government. Is that not a moral m o r a l b e l i e f s o f C h r i s t i a n issue? There are laws against conservatives but emphasizes free rape, murder, theft all of these will to the extent that they are a r e m o r a l i s s u e s t h a t t h e considered socially liberal. government has and must However, there are many regulate. Christians, on both sides of the The evangelical leader argues political aisle, who have taken that libertarians compartmentalize aim at the Christian libertarian, their faith when their Christian saying that they do not practice faith must be first and foremost in true Christianity with their every aspect of their life even in political philosophy. politics and government. The Biblical Case Against Many Christian libertarians, for Christian Libertarianism instance, argue that sin that is Like us on Facebook victimless such as drug use Dr. Richard Land, president of should not be made illegal the Ethics & Religious Liberty because users knowingly chose to Commission of the Southern use the substance on their own Baptist Convention and executive accord, and by exercising their editor of The Christian Post, said free will poorly, they will also that of course libertarians can be have to suffer the consequences. Christians but so can racists. Conservative Christians, If you are a Christian and a however, do not see any sin as libertarian, you would have to victimless and argue that basically ignore all of Romans 13 Christianity by its very nature
affirms the idea of corporate solidarity. Therefore, every action, or lack of, has a ripple effect on society, which impacts the lives of others. According to the Christian Right, libertarians put too much emphasis on individual liberties and not enough on the consequences those liberties could have on society. The Biblical Case For Christian Libertarianism Doug Bandow, senior fellow at the Cato Institute, told The Christian Post that he disputes the idea that there is no such thing as Christian libertarianism. The greatest commandment is to love God and the next greatest is to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Nothing in Scripture suggests that we have to have a political institution to make that happen. There is no inconsistency with a political libertarian philosophy and the Christian religion, Bandow argued. While he agrees that religious thought should not be and cannot be banned from the public square as everyone has a set of moral values and these values inevitably shape our society, he also believes that mixing the two institutions of church and state is dangerous. In one way or another, according to Bandow, Christian conservatives and Christian liberals have mixed
the two institutions and as a result both have been corrupted. Christian libertarians argue that their stance emphasizes free will, which is an important aspect of the Bible, in all areas of political policy even in those that they may personally and morally disagree with. Theodore Beale, columnist at World Net Daily and reportedly a Southern Baptist, argues in favor of libertarian thought and its consistency with Christianity: Libertarianism is not inherently godless. In fact, it is the only political philosophy that is truly in accordance with Christianity, argued Beale. The Christian religion posits an all-powerful God who nevertheless permits humanity to turn its back on Him. This shows an extreme respect for free will and for the very sort of individual choice that is banned by Democrats and Republicans alike as they attempt to enforce their will upon the people through the power of government. Many Christian libertarians go on to dispute the argument that the federal ban on murder and theft has anything to do with morality. Christian libertarian scholars often state that while murder and theft are indeed issues of morality, they are also issues of individual liberties which is the real reason why the government has the right
to ban them. On the flip side, adultery and drinking can be considered issues of morality within the Christian Church, but because they do not infringe upon the individual liberties of others, they cannot practically be banned. After all, many Christian libertarians argue, the government went down that road with prohibition and that law turned out to be the ultimate failure. So while some extreme aspects of libertarianism might argue for a more anarchist society, Christian libertarians generally recognize the need for limits. The basic principle of libertarianism is not anarchic. There are real limits, said Beale. My free will ends where yours begins. Neither the community nor I have any claim whatsoever on your property or your life. And a libertarian legal system would be structured around that principle. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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Empowering American Families

(The Front Page)
economic freedom part comes from lowered and simplified tax rates, particularly on investment Our most powerful social asset is and manufacturing. One of those the one we arent supposed to curiously underplayed ideas is cultivate. what amounts to a flat income tax 12/30/2011 with only two rates, 10% and Presidential candidate Rick 28%. Santorum is enjoying a bit of a Unlike some other tax reform surge in Iowa. Hes put a huge proposals, Santorums keeps amount of work into the state, and plenty of deduction incentives, c o u l d n o t p o s s i b l y m a k e a compromising economic freedom comparable effort in any other. in the service of a very specific Hes big in his home state of g o a l : s u p p o r t i n g A m e r i c a n Pennsylvania, but their primary families. He offers tripled wont be held until April 24. Hes deductions for children, and facing pretty long odds against eliminates marriage tax penalties. surviving in the race until then. He would keep the deductions for On the eve of what could, charity, home mortgage interest, therefore, be either his big break health care, and retirement or his swan song, Jim Pethokoukis savings, all of which are of keen of the American Enterprise interest to families. I n s t i t u t e t o o k a l o o k a t Our media and political culture is Santorums detailed campaign rather hostile to the notion of platform. As with the other GOP deliberately supporting families candidates, he doesnt talk about through government policy. This it enough when he has the is partly a result of the enormous attention of a national audience energy deployed in the quest to re its curious how they treat so -define marriage an effort m a n y p o w e r f u l , i n t r i g u i n g premised on the notion that there proposals as footnotes. is absolutely nothing special about Santorum is better than average the union of one man and one at tying the many elements (31, to woman. Policies deliberately be exact) of his platform into a designed to cultivate traditional unified theme, reflected in its title: families are unhelpful to this Made in America: Empowering effort, so they draw accusations of American Families, Building bigotry, theocracy, or at least E c o n o m i c F r e e d o m . T h e hopelessly out-of-touch nostalgia.
Submitted at 12/30/2011 2:01:00 AM
The defense of marriage and the family is dismissed as the province of unthinking religious zealots. However, there are eminently practical reasons to support and nurture the traditional family, which have nothing to do with religion. For starters, there is the simple need to maintain population growth, which requires a large number of families to raise three or more children. It does not denigrate other family models to point out the simple truth that traditional families are particularly, perhaps uniquely, suited to this task. Remember, were talking about societal trends over a huge population, not asking whether a particular well-heeled single parent or same-sex couple could successfully raise three or four children. Stable families are incredibly powerful social assets. They offer sound environments for growing children, provide adults with a way out of poverty, and naturally cultivate good citizenship. Comparing virtually any index of social dysfunction between intact and broken families is eyeopening, if not horrifying. Illegitimacy is often cited as a far more important indicator of economic and criminal difficulty than race or geography; it is the
variable that changes most dramatically between American populations, to the sorrow of those who suffer from high rates of illegitimacy. The strength of a family helps to build the independent character vital to a nation of free, and therefore responsible, men and women. We did not appreciate the social importance of family honor until it became a scarce resource. Families build wealth by passing both tangible and intellectual assets forward through generations, and by forming bonds with one another. Wealth grows from transactions, a term that means far more than plunking down cash in exchange for merchandise. The connections and cooperative alliances that grow between families united by marriage are transactions, too. Its great to have a father-in-law who can help you get a job, or a sister-in-law who help paint your house, isnt it? Weve become so focused on centralized planning and huge national agendas that weve forgotten just how valuable such connections are. Our massive government and complex tax system are structured to favor all sorts of things the elites have decided are assets to society, or penalize what they
consider poisonous. Why shouldnt we explicitly encourage and support intact families, perhaps the most powerful asset in our inventory? We would want to encourage both their formation through marriage, and their endurance through healthy numbers of children. Far from being a peculiar obsession of religious traditionalists, it seems like an act of irrational prejudice not to weight the benefits of the family logically, and recognize they are far superior to many things the government compels us to spend titanic amounts of money subsidizing. Its fair enough to prefer dismantling the machinery of subsidies, penalties, deductions, and incentives shaping our lives entirely. But if were going to keep that machinery intact to some degree, and the government will go on making investments, why shouldnt it make the investment with one of the highest rates of return? This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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Gingrich Endorsed By Art Laffer, Michael Reagan; Pivots to Economic Message

(The Front Page)
Alleged Chinese smuggling kingpin Lai Changxing 'confesses' - BBC News

Submitted at 12/30/2011 10:17:33 AM
countrys ailing economy. Laffer, who gave Herman Cain Submitted at 12/30/2011 2:30:00 AM advice on the economy, said that After a barrage of negative h e v o l u n t e e r e d t o e n d o r s e attacks lowered his poll numbers, Gingrich because Gingrich has Newt Gingrich, who still has a done it before. chance to win the Iowa caucus Laffer added that when he voted even as his campaign reminds for Bill Clinton he was also, in reporters that a fourth place finish essence, voting for then-Speaker would suffice because South Gingrich. Carolina is Gingrichs must win Newt Gingrich is far and away state, pivoted his message to focus the best person to bring this more squarely on how his past country back to prosperity, w o u l d b e p r o l o g u e o n t h e Laffer said. economy. Earlier, Laffer, in a statement, My basic message for the next said, Like Ronald Reagans tax six days is simple: if you want cuts and pro-growth policies, jobs and economic growth, I N e w t s l o w i n d i v i d u a l a n d know how to do it, Gingrich said corporate tax rates, deregulation at campaign events across Iowa and strong dollar monetary yesterday. policies will create a boom of new Gingrich also snagged two key investment and economic growth endorsements to help him make leading to the creation of tens of the case that he has the experience millions of new jobs over the next to fix the economy with pro- decade. growth policies, and that he was Laffer also said that Newts not an amateur in a time of record of helping Ronald Reagan economic crisis. pass the Kemp-Roth tax cuts and Art Laffer, referred to as the enacting the largest capital gains g o d f a t h e r o f s u p p l y s i d e tax cut in history as Speaker of economics, endorsed Gingrich the House shows he can get this and said that Gingrich was the plan passed and put it into best surgeon to operate on the action.
Michael Reagan also endorsed Gingrich by describing Gingrich as a man who fought in Congress for my fathers programs. Reagan, to Newsmax, said that though millions of dollars have been spent in negative ads against him, voters should remember that Newt became a leading ally of my father by helping Congress push through massive tax cuts and working to secure a military buildup that helped defeat the Soviet Union. Reagan also said under Gingrichs leadership, Congress also limited the welfare state and, as a leader in the Reagan Revolution, Gingrich, according to Reagan, helped keep my fathers legacy alive. The Gingrich campaign noted that his Jobs and Growth bus tour throughout Iowa is intended to draw a clear contrast with Romney about Romneys timid response to Barack Obama on the economy and lack of a bold plan of his own for jobs and growth. In a CNN poll released on Wednesday, which may have been methodologically faulty because it only surveyed
Republicans (Independents and Democrats can also caucus), Gingrich was in fourth behind Messrs. Romney, Paul, and Santorum. A Rasmussen poll released yesterday had the same standings. Meanwhile, an American Research Group poll released yesterday showed Romney in the lead with Gingrich and Paul statistically tied for second place. In the waning moments before Iowans go to caucus, Gingrich is hoping that his focus on the economy can boost his campaign much like his focus on American exceptionalism did earlier. Tony Lee edits The Chase 2012 section and writes on politics and culture for HUMAN EVENTS. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. E-mail: ALEE (at) EaglePub.com This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
BBC News Alleged Chinese smuggling kingpin Lai Changxing 'confesses' BBC News The alleged head of a multibillion dollar smuggling ring in south-east China has confessed and now faces trial, Chinese state media say. Lai Changxing is accused of bribing officials and smuggling goods including cars, cigarettes and oil in one of... China says its most wanted man admits crimes Reuters Ex-fugitive confesses in China's biggest corruption case, which exposed graft... Washington Post Suspect confesses to biggest China corruption case Boston.com AFP all 196 news articles
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ROAD
South Carolina, and certainly is expected to improve on his fourth -place finish there in 2008, this year's Palmetto State primary is all about sorting out the battle among the conservative contenders. It would be hard for Perry, an evangelical and governor of a Southern state, or Gingrich, who hails from neighboring Georgia, to make the case for their continued candidacy if South Carolinians give them the cold shoulder. If Paul, Bachmann or Santorum have performed well in Iowa, they would need a win, or second-place finish behind Romney, to make it stick. But after South Carolina, the biggest, most difficult test yet for the GOP contenders will still lie 10 days ahead: The Florida primary on Jan. 31. Florida is a big state with a tremendously diverse population, from rural conservatives in the Panhandle to urban moderates in Miami. Candidates not only have to have the resources to compete in five major media markets, but also the retail political skills to connect with crucial voter blocs,
like residents of the large retirement communities and the Cuban-American community in South Florida. If Romney hopes to put the nomination away without a protracted fight, Florida is his best chance to do it. He's well funded, well organized and has been paying close attention to the state since his last run for the White House. Florida is also the place, though, where his rival for a longer battle could finally emerge. A win by one of the conservative contenders would be an earthquake in the party, but perhaps more important is what a poor showing in Florida would mean. With so many delegates to the national convention, Florida could be the end of the road for several aspirants. Whatever happens, the race will be reset after Florida. There is almost a month until the next primaries, the Feb. 28 contests in Michigan and Arizona. In between there will be a smattering of caucuses and conventions, but it will be a chance for the remaining contenders to raise
money and set their sights on the national battle ahead. If the battle is still raging when the voting begins again, the next big test will be on March 6, when Republicans in 10 states will go to the polls. That contest includes several low-delegate states, like Romney's home state of Massachusetts, but big prizes like Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia. Delegate-rich Virginia is a swing state led by a popular conservative Republican governor, Bob McDonnell. It, like Florida, is large, diverse, expensive to campaign in and electorally important in the general election. Several candidates did not qualify for the Old Dominion's steep requirements for appearing on the commonwealth's primary ballot, leaving open a lane for Romney to win in a big, southern state. That day, a remnant of what was once known as Super Tuesday, is also crucial because it is the last chance for candidates to score big one-day wins. Republicans have arranged their primary calendar
this cycle to be more drawn out and provide drama in the same way that the Democratic clashes of 2008 did. Almost every week until the end of June will see one, two or three states voting. There are big, multi-state primaries set for April 3, including the great delegate prize, Texas, April 24 and June 5, but there are few opportunities for candidates in a pitched battle to deliver knockout blows. While Romney is betting that he has the resources to go the distance, the drawn-out calendar offers hope to others who believe they can unite the right. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Maya sacks 4 more ministers, 12 in 2 months Hindustan Times

(Nation - Google News)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:22:12 PM
Zee News Maya sacks 4 more ministers, 12 in 2 months Hindustan Times UP chief minister Mayawati continued her cleansing drive by dismissing four more ministers on Friday and denying them the BSP ticket for contesting assembly elections, scheduled to be held in February. All are facing corruption charges.... Mayawati sacks four more ministers; no BSP ticket to them Economic Times Maya sacks 4 more ministers ahead of UP polls IBNLive.com With eye on UP polls, Mayawati intensifies clean-up drive India Today indiablooms- Parda Phash all 25 news articles
China reports suspected human bird flu case - Reuters

Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:45:42 AM
CBC.ca China reports suspected human
bird flu case Reuters HONG KONG (Reuters) - China has reported a suspected human case of the H5N1 virus, or bird
flu, in a southern city bordering December 21 and... Hong Kong, officials said on Deadly bird flu suspected in Friday. The patient, a 39-year-old h o s p i t a l i z e d C h i n e s e m a n man living in Shenzhen, msnbc.com d e v e l o p e d s y m p t o m s o n all 112 news articles
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TOP
repeated his suggestion that Obama should show his birth certificate. How come he doesn't come out at a news conference and hold up his birth certificate? I don't know, Graham said. Of course, now that Graham has twice suggested that Obama needs to confirm his place of birth, Obama would need to, once again, prove to everyone that he was born in Hawaii. He did so in a press conference the day after Christianity Today's interview. 7. Michele Bachmann: You're the state where the shot was heard around the world ... In March, before becoming a presidential candidate, Congresswoman Bachmann spoke to a Tea Party group in New Hampshire. She told the crowd, Youre the state where the shot was heard around the world in Lexington and Concord. The battles of Lexington and Concord were fought in Massachusetts, not New Hampshire. While Bachmann was
likely not the first to confuse Concord, N.H., with Concord, Mass., the fact that she was at a Tea Party event, which takes its name from the Boston Tea Party that preceded the Revolutionary War, makes the gaffe more top 10 worthy. 8. Presidents Obama, Sarkozy: He's a liar. At the G20 summit in November, President Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy were having a conversation about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Unaware to both men, the mic in front of them was live and picked up the conversation. I cannot bear Netanyahu, he's a liar, Sarkozy told Obama. You're fed up with him, but I have to deal with him even more often than you," Obama replied. The episode can only serve to worsen an already rocky relationship between Obama and Netanyahu. It also gives Republicans more ammunition in their efforts to portray Obama as anti- Israel.
9. Democrats: Republicans voted to end Medicare. Democrats claimed, on multiple occasions, that Republicans voted to end Medicare because they voted for Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) plan to change Medicare into a premium support plan to keep it financially viable. One Democratic organization ran an ad showing an elderly woman in a wheelchair getting pushed off a cliff as America the Beautiful played in the background. Is America beautiful without Medicare? the ad asks. Paul Krugman said on CNN (yes, the same Paul Krugman from #4), that the Republican plan would kill people, no question. Fact checking organizations Politifact and FactCheck both called out the Democrats on the bogus claim. Politifact even gave it the Lie of the Year award and FactCheck lists it as one of The Whoppers of 2011. 10. Jim Sensenbrenner: She has a large posterior... Rep. Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) was
overheard last week in a lounge at Reagan National Airport saying that First Lady Michelle Obama lectures us on eating right while she has a large posterior herself. The congressman, who is overweight, was referring to Ms. Obama's campaign to fight the problem of childhood obesity. In a statement the next day, Sensenbrenner said, I regret my inappropriate comment and I have sent a personal note to the first lady apologizing. C o n t a c t : napp.nazworth@christianpost.co m This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
500000 to ring in New Year in Melbourne Ninemsn

Submitted at 12/30/2011 9:44:31 AM
BigPond News 500000 to ring in New Year in Melbourne Ninemsn About 600 police officers will patrol Melbourne's CBD on New Year's Eve to ensure festivities are not disrupted by anti-social behaviour. Organisers expect 500000 people to gather in the city for the New Year's Eve celebrations, including a spectacular... Countdown to a city spectacular Herald Sun Don't let your New Year's Eve gold be spoiled by blue The Age Melbourne's NYE fireworks exempt from fire ban ABC Online Sky News Australia all 11 news articles
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operations pending a meeting with Arab League delegates. "All operations against the regime are to be stopped except in a situation of self defense," Colonel Riad al-Asaad said. "We have tried to communicate with them and we requested a meeting with the team. So far there hasn't been any success." Just how widely the Turkey-
based commander's order will be heeded by anti-government gunmen inside Syria is in question. A video shot by rebels this week showed the ambush of a convoy of army buses in which, activists said, four soldiers were killed. The FSA, formed by thousands of defectors from Assad's army and financed by expatriate
Syrians, has taken the offensive in the past three months, taking the fight to the state rather than simply trying to defend opposition strongholds. Its decisions are potentially crucial to any peace plan. Syria says it is fighting Islamist militants steered from abroad who have killed more than 2,000 of its troops. Activists do not dispute a
significant toll among the security forces. (Additional reporting by Thomas Grove in Moscow, Ayman Samir and Yasmine Saleh in Cairo, Justyna Pawlak in Brussels and Stephen Addison in London; Writing by Douglas Hamilton; Editing by Kevin Liffey) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is
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Fast Company's 2011 China Project: An Introduction

Jeff Chu (Fast Company)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:32:17 AM
At the beginning of 2011, Fast Company set out to spend a year in China, documenting the transition, transformation, and innovation in that country. Our reporters spent time with people from many sectors of Chinese life --a nouveau-riche tycoon, high school students, up-and-coming twentysomething techie types, merchants and traders, immigrants from the Middle East, prostitutes, assembly-line factory workers who make New Balance sneakers. And what our team emerged with was a picture of China that is far more complex than we expected, a portrait of a nation that is complicated and searching collectively for its future. Sometimes China is portrayed as the new superpower, this Asian economic titan that will inevitably sweep past America. It's immense and increasingly influential--and its elites are determined to keep building their nation. Our story on top-tier Chinese students, a group of whom we followed for most of their final year of high school, illustrated the lengths to which they will go for achievement and success, but also the lack of creativity in the Chinese education system. It's true that China poses a level
of competition that America hasn't had in years. But it's also still very poor and governed by a Communist regime that at times struggles to adapt to the reality of the marketplace and of its citizens' wants and needs. Mark Leong's photo essay of the Shenzhen shoefactory workers takes us into a village where some residents save their relatively meager incomes for the fines incurred for breaking China's one-child policy. China is also a nation where the tech sector doesn't value innovation so much as adaptation of ideas and products from
abroad; hence the Facebooks of China, including Renren and Kaixin001, as well as knockoffs of American websites, including Baidu (China's Google) and Youku (China's YouTube). Steven White, a professor of management at Tsinghua University at Beijing, says that, on a visit to Baidu, he was struck at how factory-like the atmosphere was. "Are they doing anything we would call innovative?" he says. "No, they're just cheaper." Some aspects of life in modern China remind us that it's a country much in transition, where the
rules and mores are in constant flux. Which opens the doors for opportunists like the tycoon Chen Guangbiao, who purportedly made his fortune in recycling construction materials. Beijingbased Fast Company contributing writer April Rabkin, who wrote the profile of Chen, calls this piece "the funniest story I've ever worked on." Why? "Once, out of the blue on a train, he offered to make me his mistress," Rabkin says. "That position comes with a house and a car. That would be his responsibility, he added solemnly."
Taken together, the stories in our China Project form a picture of a nation that is much like the traditional landscape paintings that have been celebrated there for centuries--there are valleys, and there are peaks, most likely shrouded in cloud. There is beauty, and there's also white space, waiting to be filled in. All of it is beguiling. All of it invites us to take a closer look. Fast Company's China Project 2011 [Image: Flickr user Stuck in Customs]
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Video: The Blue Collar Intellectual

(The Front Page)
Coming Up on 'This Week': Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann - ABC News
(Top Stories - Google News)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:11:13 PM
idea theyre really just communicating their apartness Submitted at 12/30/2011 2:01:00 AM from the rest of society. And the alternative headline to That, and they have awesome this piece is, Why Cornel West Karl Marx hair (Ahem, Cornel Doesnt Even Understand What West). Comes Out of His Own Mouth. I take it that youre familiar with But, you see, for Professor West Flynns work by now. Hes been a and the self-appointed modern- part of the HUMAN EVENTS day intellectuals, conveying family for sometime now. In part knowledge to audiences that is one of our video interview with both applicable and useful is him, Flynn breaks down what never the goal. exactly is a blue collar Its all about multi-syllabic intellectual and how theyve w o r d s , c i r c u i t o u s s e n t e n c e richly added to the American structures, and tweed jackets. In experience. other words, we have an army of For instance, Milton Friedman insecure professors on college was such a great economist campuses across America who are because he actually worked in the trying to prove to us little people e c o n o m y . W h e t h e r i t w a s just how big their brains are, scooping ice cream as a boy, dammit! selling fireworks on the side of In his new book Blue Collar the road, or waiting tables while I n t e l l e c t u a l s : W h e n t h e attending Rutgers University, Enlightened and the Everyman F r i e d m a n u n d e r s t o o d t h e Elevated America, Daniel J. Flynn synergistic relationship between succinctly describes the aloofness people and the economy. of contemporary academicians. It wasnt abstract. Todays intellectuals often speak You cant afford to have bad in a jargon that they dont even i d e a s w h e n t h e r e a r e u n d e r s t a n d ; t h e y s p e a k a t repercussions, observes Flynn. conferences that nobody attends; Now contrast Friedmans they write books that nobody workingman upbringing to that of reads. Its as though they are not the iconic liberal economist John communicating any substantive Maynard Keyness privileged
background, and its no wonder why Keynesian-based policies fail no matter the country (lost decade Japan) or U.S. president implemented them (Hows that shrinking labor force going for you, Barack?). Keynes himself had no clue how life operated in the real world. Ill let Flynn explain: Mr. Mattera is the editor-at-large of HUMAN EVENTS and the author of the New York Times bestseller Obama Zombies: How the Liberal Machine Brainwashed My Generation(Simon & Schuster). He also hosts The Jason Mattera Show on News Talk Radio 77WABC. Previously, he was the Spokesman for Young America's Foundation and a TV correspondent for Michelle Malkin. Follow Jason on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
The GOP presidential candidates make their final push in Iowa, with just days before voters caucus on Jan. 3. Two candidates who have squared off repeatedly on the campaign trail, Rep. Ron Paul and Rep. Michele Bachmann, come to "This Week" this Sunday. Will Ron Paul's ground game and fervent supporters be the key to pulling off a victory in Iowa? Can he withstand the furious lastminute attacks from opponents like Bachmann who say he would be a "dangerous" president? As time runs out for Bachmann to salvage her presidential hopes, can she survive a high-profile defection from her campaign team? And can she persuade social conservatives to keep her campaign alive, or will Iowa be her last stand? Paul, who is a Texas congressman, and Bachmann, a Minnesota congresswoman, speak to senior White House correspondent Jake Tapper, Sunday on "This Week." Mitt Romney has moved to the front of the pack in the latest Iowa polls, former front-runner Newt Gingrich tumbled 20 points in 20 days, and Rick Santorum had made a late surge. Can Romney
finally win over undecided voters and take a commanding lead for the GOP nomination? Who will make it out of Iowa with a ticket to compete in New Hampshire and beyond? Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad comes to "This Week" for his take on the competing candidates before Iowa's votes are cast next week. Plus, ABC News' senior political correspondent Jonathan Karl and Radio Iowa's O. Kay Henderson report from Des Moines on how the campaigns are wooing GOP voters on the ground in the final days. In Washington, the "This Week" political roundtable breaks down all the latest campaign politics in this unpredictable race, with ABC News political analyst Matthew Dowd, Neera Tanden of the Center for American Progress, Washington Examiner chief political correspondent and Fox News contributor Byron York, and former Iowa Republican Party political director Craig Robinson, founder and editor-in-chief of The Iowa Republican. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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15
The Envy Effect, Part Two: How Friendly Competition Spurs Innovation
Don Peppers (Fast Company)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:43:43 AM
itself. Scientists think that human beings probably evolved to feel Think all the banter on Twitter envy because those who most and in blog comments is for carefully observed the traits and naught? Here's how social envy actions of other, more successful and the competition of ideas it people were able to to imitate generates will lead to faster them and thus to be more innovation. successful themselves. Jason Fidler has posted a very So if the e-social revolution does, interesting rebuttal to my recent in fact, allow people to make blog post on the envy effect. I faster and more detailed originally argued that the e-social comparisons of their own revolution will likely lead to more thoughts and perspectives with competition among people, those of others (just like Fidlers because increasing transparency take on my original post), then makes it easier to compare social envy and the competition of attributes. ideas that it generates will lead to Fidler suggests my argument is faster innovation. flawed because competition for Moreover, he says, the economic it. You cant take it back. As one The back-and-forth between my A more envious species will be a pay (and other things in the comparisons required by the SEC blogger famously said, Dude, initial post and the responses, more innovative species, because economic world) is based on led to actual improvements in you cant take something off the along with the associated tweets success will be copied and a c t u a l t r a n s p a r e n c y , w h i l e CEO pay, while it is safe to internet. Thats like trying to take and other status updates, is imitated faster, and good ideas competition for social media assume that few have truly better pee out of a swimming pool. nothing more than a competition will be more quickly improved. dominance is based on selective personal lives because of their But as to whether the competitive of ideas as we collectively wrestle For more leadership coverage, transparency. In other words, we activity on social networks. urge is or is not stimulated by to the ground a somewhat tricky f o l l o w u s o n T w i t t e r a n d are transparent in social media I definitely agree that we can social media, I stand my ground. analogy between the economic L i n k e d I n . only to the point we permit usually choose what things we If social media didnt stimulate domain and the social domain. [Image provided by ShutterStock] ourselves to be, choosing either to disclose to others in social media. the competitive juices, then what On the other hand, Fidlers disclose or not to disclose Of course, once weve made the could possibly have motivated a thoughtful perspective highlights different personal attributes. choice, its not possible to reverse rebuttal? something very useful about envy
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Top News/ World News/
The Spinning Computer Disk Grinds To A Halt

Kit Eaton (Fast Company)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:38:50 PM
As 2011 winds to a close and 2012 begins, we do a little bit of Fast Company drumbeating. We predict a lot of stuff around here. Sometimes we're wrong some. But we also nailed a few things this year. Take the death of the spinning computer disk... Before this year even started we guessed Apple might make a play to reduce its use of hard drives and CD/DVD drives...and then in July we added to the story because the kind folks at Cupertino concurred and released a new Mac Mini with no slot for those silvery palm-sized things called DVDs (the things your kids will say "what are those?" to, soon enough). As it had done in so many equally subtle but clever moves before, the computer maker was making a statement--
roughly "there's no need for this antiquated tech." But we suspected the bigger plan would also involve the spinning platters of a hard disk--something that the MacBook Air has always shunned in favor of drop-proof, faster, more reliable solid state drives. Something curious has happened: The MacBook Air has become
one of the hottest-selling machines ever from Apple. And it's inspired a slew of copycats (and by copy we really mean copy...) from envious PC-making rivals. They're called Ultrabooks, and they're being championed by Intel. To a machine they're sleek, slim, portable, powerful-everything a netbook is not--and
they're borrowing design cues from the Air wherever the makers legal team sees a possibility. This borrowing extends right down to the lack of--yup, you guessed it-DVD drives and hard drives. With big rumors the Air lineup is about to get a refresh soon, including a 15-inch Air-style machine with slim metal chassis
and a deficit in spinning drives-ready to shake up the core of the laptop selling business--2012 looks like it'll be the watershed year for hard drives and DVD drives. Acer, champion of netbooks and one of the biggestselling PC names, is already rumored to be pre-copying this idea, and is said to have a 15-inch Ultrabook for $699 on the way (among its big onslaught on the Ultrabook market). All this may get an unexpected boost from the great hard-drive floods of 2011 in Thailand. That sound you hear? It's the whirring death knell of the disk. [Image: Flickr user Speculum Mundi] Chat about this news with Kit Eaton on Twitter and Fast Company too.
SES volunteer killed by fire truck - ABC Online

Submitted at 12/30/2011 9:16:36 AM
BigPond News SES volunteer killed by fire truck
ABC Online By Iain Gustafson and Francis Tapim A man who helped residents escape last year's flood disaster at Theodore in Central
Queensland has been killed in a tragic accident at the town's fire station. The ABC understands the 28-year-old mechanic was called...
Rescue worker killed in central Queensland NEWS.com.au SES volunteer dies after fire truck rolls over him at Theodore Courier Mail
Death at Theodore fire station Rockhampton Morning Bulletin all 15 news articles
Business/
17
THE MORALS OF MARK HURD: How To Have Sex With A Subordinate Without Getting Canned
Henry Blodget (Business Insider)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:12:00 PM
Now the the sexual-harassment letter that led to Mark Hurd's ouster as the CEO of HP has finally been released, we likely know all we're ever going to know about the affair. As I discussed earlier, the letter helps make clear why the HP board fired Mark Hurd, and why they really had no choice but to do so. The letter, and the investigation that followed, suggest that Hurd used HP's money and resources to effectively set up intimate dates for him with Fisher around the world, encounters during which Fisher maintains he kept trying to persuade her to have sex with him. And when the truth about these encounters came out, via expense reports, computer forensics, and interviews, the HP board concluded that, in addition to using HP's resources inappropriately, Hurd had initially lied to them about the affair. So they canned him. Of course, some people still view Jodie Fisher as a washed-up golddigger who played along with (or
even actively encouraged) Hurd's intimacy, and then fabricated the sexual advances in hindsight to extort money from him. But no one's denying all those drinks and dinners and hotel-room visits and other intimate encounters. And it's likely that no one but Hurd and Fisher will ever know the precise truth of what went on in those hotel rooms. So it's worth nailing down the morals of the story, if only as a cautionary tale for all those who, deliberately or accidentally, mix sexually charged intimacy (or just plain sex) with business. THE MORALS OF THE MARK HURD STORY Assume that any time you have an intimate dinner or drinks or hotel-room visits or other one-onone encounters with a subordinate of the opposite sex--or, if one of you is homosexual, a subordinate of the same sex--that the encounter may later be cited as sexual harassment. Ergo, don't have intimate dinners or drinks or hotel-room visits or other one-on-one encounters with a subordinate of the opposite sex unless there is a crystal-clear business reason for doing so. If you go ahead and have
intimate dinners or drinks or hotel -room visits, et al, with a subordinate, look yourself in the mirror afterwards and be honest about what you're really doing. If what you're really doing is trying to seduce the subordinate-or merely hoping that such encounters will lead to mutualseduction--then have a come-toJesus meeting with yourself. Ask yourself: Am I willing to get myself accused of sexual harassment and lose my job over this? If the answer is "yes," damn the torpedoes: Order up a big bottle of wine and drink the night away. ( But, whatever you do, don't expense it.) If the answer is "no," ask yourself whether you can stop having these intimate encounters. If the answer is "yes, I can stop," stop, and hope you haven't already screwed yourself over. If the answer is "no, I can't stop" proceed to Plan B. PLAN B: Tell the subordinate that you can no longer work closely with him/her because of feelings you have developed for him/her (Goofy and awkward? Yes. But the truth. And in a professional
situation, people deserve the truth.) Tell the subordinate that you will work with Human Resources to resolve the professional situation--and actually do this, with a written record, immediately. Once the professional situation is resolved, ask the former subordinate out on a personal date (or whatever it is you would do to advance the relationship) Never expense anything that you and the former subordinate did together--meals, drinks, hotels, etc. Take extra care to make certain that your business expenses, travel records, and communications are accurate and aren't used to hide your relationship Hope that the former subordinate doesn't eventually get pissed off at you and accuse you of sexual harassment retroactively...but also rest assured that, if that happens, you've done everything you can to protect yourself from this while still proceeding with the relationship. Never lie about the relationship to your bosses or human resources.
Never use company resources to facilitate the relationship. (If you're headed to Shanghai for a night and Shanghai's just so romantic you can't stand to be alone, fly your former subordinate over yourself. And make sure that you or he/she makes their own plane and hotel reservations, not your assistant.) Assume that every detail of the relationship will eventually be investigated. Got that? That's how to have an intimate relationship with a subordinate that begins in the workplace while also giving yourself the best odds of keeping your reputation and job (if not marriage). If Mark Hurd had just come clean about his inappropriate-and-HPfunded relationship with Fisher, a source close to the HP board told me yesterday, he'd probably still be CEO of HP today. It was his initial downplaying of the relationship, and the apparent attempt to hide it, that cost him his job. You have been warned! SEE ALSO: Well, There's No Longer Any Mystery Why HP MORALS page 18
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Business/ Technology/
Terrell Owens Is Mulling Some Unbelievable A Return To Football, Statistics About The GE But Not In The NFL Engine On The Boeing 777
Cork Gaines (Business Insider) Travis Okulski (Business Insider)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:06:00 PM
While we always knew that the Boeing 777 was a mammoth achievement in aviation, a few incredible facts have been popping up today about its huge GE-90 engines that we wanted to share ( Bangalore Aviation/ The Atlantic via@bill_gross): All of the engines on the Titanic delivered around 46,000 horsepower combined. Just one of the GE units on the 777 puts out over 111,000 horsepower. For a modern comparison, that is equivalent to the power of 1,110 of the Mazda2 we recently tested. The engines are so large that
they are almost the same diameter as the fuselage of the Boeing 737. During takeoff, the engines are gulping about 2 MILLION cubic feet of air per minute. To put that into perspective, the Bugatti Veyron, one of the fastest cars in the world, takes in 45,000 cubic feet of air per minute at full speed. According to Top Gear's speed test, that is how much air a human breathes in four days. Each engine costs $24 million. For the price of one engine you could get this beautiful Swiss home and two engines would get you three 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossas, the most expensive car ever sold at auction. The next time you are on one of
these flying powerhouses, just keep in mind what it takes to get it in the air. Now take a look at the top airlines in New York > Please follow Getting There on Twitter and Facebook. Join the conversation about this story See Also: There Are Only 8 Pilots In The World That Are Qualified To Fly To This Airport This Is The Letter That Got Mark Hurd Fired As CEO Of HP Google Recruiter Reveals The Biggest Mistake Job Candidates Make
since 2003. Owens has been open about his Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:10:21 PM financial troubles recently and it Earlier this week, Terrell Owens may be difficult for him to turn made a plea on Twitter to play for down a payday. And while he is the 49ers. But while the 49ers still hoping for a return to the have not made an offer, T.O. does NFL, not a single team showed up have an offer to play football, just to his workout in October. not in the NFL. Please follow Sports Page on According to Mike Florio of Twitter and Facebook. ProFootballTalk.com, Owens is Join the conversation about this said to be considering an offer story from the Allen (TX) Wranglers of See Also: the Indoor Football League... The Tim Tebow Experiment Is Per a source with knowledge of Quietly Dangling By A Thread t h e s i t u a t i o n , O w e n s i s These 15 NFL Players Had c o n s i d e r i n g a n o f f e r t h a t , Terrible Seasons That Absolutely according to the Wranglers No One Saw Coming website, would pay him in the WATCH: The Hip-Hop Song range of $250,000 to $500,000 for About Tim Tebow You Haven't one season of football lite. Been Waiting For Has Finally The best we can tell, the IFL is Arrived like the Arena Football League, and has been around in some form
MORALS
Fired Mark Hurd Please follow Business Insider on Twitter and Facebook. Join the conversation about this story See Also: If You Are One Of The 400,000 Women With PIP Breast Implants, You Should Consult A Doctor This Is The Letter That Got
Mark Hurd Fired As CEO Of HP Google Recruiter Reveals The Biggest Mistake Job Candidates Make
Customer Obsession - Jeremy Gutsche's Leadership Speech Unlocks the Mentality of the Customer (TrendHunter.com)
(TREND HUNTER - The Latest Trends)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:47:02 AM
( TrendHunter.com) During Jeremy Gutsche's leadership speech he explains why
companies that create products with cultural significance will be the most successful. His leadership speech carefully examines the benefits of...
News Wire/
19
U.S. Mulls Trading Taliban Leader for Peace Talks

(FOXNews.com)
involved. Any prisoner transfer would be part of a trust-building effort to renew peace talks next year with AP Dec. 28, 2011: Former the Taliban that had reached a Taliban militants walk to hand critical point before falling apart over their weapons during a this month because of objections joining ceremony with the Afghan from Afghan President Hamid g o v e r n m e n t i n H e r a t , Karzai. Afghanistan. One goal of renewed talks with the insurgents would be to WASHINGTON The U.S. is identify cease-fire zones that considering a proposal to transfer could be used as a steppingstone a top Taliban commander out of toward a full peace agreement that t h e d e t e n t i o n f a c i l i t y a t stops most fighting, a senior Guantanamo Bay as part of a administration official told The potential step toward peace talks Associated Press -- a goal that with the Taliban insurgency in remains far out of reach. Afghanistan. U.S. officials from the State A senior U.S. official confirmed Department and White House t o F o x N e w s t h a t M u l l a h plan to continue a series of secret Mohammed Fazl is among the m e e t i n g s w i t h T a l i b a n prisoners being considered for representatives in Europe and the release. Held at Guantanamo Bay Persian Gulf region next year, since 2002, Fazl was suspected in assuming a small group of sectarian killings of Shiite Taliban emissaries the U.S. Muslims before the U.S. invasion considers legitimate remains t h a t t o p p l e d t h e T a l i b a n willing, two officials said. government in Afghanistan in The proposed trust-building 2001. measures were a Taliban The U.S. alleges he was a top headquarters office and the Taliban official who at one point release from the U.S. military commanded thousands of troops. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, According to Reuters, WikiLeaks of about five Afghan prisoners documents also placed him at the considered affiliated with the scene of a 2001 prison riot where Taliban. Those steps were to be CIA officer Johnny Micheal matched by assurances from at Spann was killed, though it's l e a s t p a r t o f t h e T a l i b a n u n c l e a r w h e t h e r F a z l w a s leadership that the insurgents
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:37:11 AM
met -- insurgents would need to break from Al Qaeda, abandon violence, and abide by the Afghan Constitution, including its provisions on respect for the rights of all Afghans, including women and ethnic minorities," Little said. U.S. and Afghan officials have pointed to Karzai's longstanding unease with what he sees as a rush by the U.S. to broker deals ahead of the planned exit of U.S. combat forces by 2015. Karzai has political problems at home, would cut ties with Al Qaeda, former Taliban governor of Herat. i n c l u d i n g n e w l y r e s u r g e n t a c c e p t t h e e l e c t e d c i v i l i a n Karzai's own advisers seeking militias, and the assassination of government of Afghanistan and peace with the Taliban had named his chief peace negotiator in bargain in good faith. those men among several Afghan S e p t e m b e r c l o u d s h i s o w n The Taliban office idea is seen Taliban prisoners it wanted o u t r e a c h t o t h e T a l i b a n . the most likely to regain traction released from Guantanamo as a The U.S. once swore off direct next year, but it's unclear when it goodwill gesture, but Karzai talks with the Taliban until the might open. A political office in a wants the prisoners to come to insurgents essentially were beaten neutral third country would be Afghanistan, not a third country, a but shifted position as the war authorized to conduct talks on a senior Afghan official in the dragged on in near stalemate. peaceful end to the 10-year war. region said. Participants said they still Karzai remains opposed to the Sending Afghans to an Arab consider a peace deal a long shot, more difficult prisoner transfer country could offend Afghans' and the insurgent leadership has plan, which is further complicated sense of sovereignty and suggest shown no sign it wants to stop by new congressional restrictions that the U.S. does not think fighting a guerrilla war it thinks it on any prisoner transfers. Afghanistan is fit to hold or try can sustain until after most The U.S. tentatively had agreed the men, officials said. foreign forces depart. to transfer a handful of Afghan Pentagon spokesman George The U.S. goal is to midwife talks prisoners to house arrest in a third Little said Friday that the United between the insurgents and the country, probably Qatar, before States is pursuing an "Afghan-led U.S.-backed Afghan government the deal unraveled, U.S. officials process" when it comes to led by Karzai, who frequently has said. reconciliation with insurgents. felt sidelined by the U.S. as it Aside from Fazl, another prison "We and the Afghan Government to be transferred under the h a v e b e e n c l e a r a b o u t t h e U.S. page 24 proposal is Khairullah Khairkhwa, conditions that would need to be
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News Wire/
New details rekindle HP-Hurd flap

(Reuters: Top News)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 10:32:23 AM
Mark Hurd, chairman, CEO and president of HP speaks at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference in Pasadena, California July 24, 2009. Credit: Reuters/Fred Prouser By Jim Finkle and Edwin Chan Fri Dec 30, 2011 11:32am EST (Reuters) - Former Hewlett Packard CEO Mark Hurd made increasingly aggressive romantic advances over several years toward an independent contractor who later accused him of sexual harassment, according to claims in a letter from her lawyer obtained by Reuters. The letter, ordered unsealed and allowed to be made public for the first time since the scandal emerged last year, outlined in intricate detail accusations by TV starlet and HP contractor Jodie Fisher that Hurd had wined and dined her, then allegedly sought sexual favors in return for employment. Fisher retained celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred, who sent the letter in June 2010 accusing Hurd of hiring her with amorous designs. He tried repeatedly to "engage" her by asking Fisher to his hotel room and kissing her on the lips, according to a copy of the letter provided by a source close to the
situation. The letter is at the heart of a scandal that transfixed Silicon Valley in 2010 and culminated in the resignation of Hurd, who was popular with investors on Wall Street and is now a president at HP rival Oracle Corp. Hurd, Oracle and even Fisher herself have said Allred's letter contained unspecified inaccuracies. Still, its release threatens to revive the scandal as Hurd looks to put the dispute behind him and focus on his new job at Oracle, where one of his key responsibilities is selling high-end computer systems that compete with products from HP. Hurd was ousted from HP on August 6 after Fisher - who was hired as a hostess for corporate events - accused him of sexual harassment, a claim an internal probe later dismissed. "It is appalling that you would use HP revenues for the purpose of procuring female companionship and romance under the guise of HP business," Allred's letter read. "She continually had to put you off, make excuses, scurry away or simply leave." The letter is available at r.reuters.com/fav75s UPHEAVAL Hurd's legal team had fought to keep the letter under seal, but a Delaware appeals court ruled this
week it should be made public, though some portions would be redacted. Sources had leaked details of the June letter to Reuters and other media in 2010. These included a claim that Hurd revealed details about HP's impending acquisition of Electronic Data Systems Corp before the deal was announced in 2008. Hurd has also denied that allegation. Allred declined comment, as did a spokeswoman for HP. The fresh revelations have refocused the spotlight on Hurd's controversial firing, which preceded a period of instability at HP. Outspoken Oracle CEO Larry Ellison blasted HP's board for being "cowardly" and promptly hired Hurd, who is married with children. Former SAP CEO Leo Apotheker replaced Hurd at the helm of the world's top computer maker, but lasted barely a year before Meg Whitman took up the baton. The computer services giant missed Wall Street targets for several quarters, killed its muchtouted TouchPad tablet, and first considered then backtracked on a plan to hive off its personal computer division, the world's largest. ALLRED'S CLAIMS The eight-page missive penned
by Allred, well-known for representing women accusing celebrities such as Tiger Woods and politicians of sexual misconduct, blasts Hurd for reducing Fisher to a "nervous wreck" as he continually sought sex with the former actress during meetings from Madrid to Los Angeles. It detailed claims that the advances began after Hurd was "taken with" Fisher after spotting her on the short-lived TV series, Age of Love. At their first two meetings at hotels after Fisher was contracted, Hurd shared personal details about his life and sought the same from her. According to the letter, matters escalated when Hurd invited Fisher up to his hotel room at the Atlanta Ritz and asked her to stay the night, kindling a one-sided pursuit that would last till 2009 and span cities around the world. "This was the beginning of an uncomfortable dance that went on for almost two years," Allred wrote. "You would relentlessly attempt to cajole her into having sex with you." Over the next year or so, Allred's letter described in detail various instances when Fisher allegedly fended off his advances, though she claimed she had dinner with Hurd several times out of fear for her job.
At one point, the HP CEO stopped at an ATM during a walk and showed Fisher that his checking account balance was over $1 million, which Allred claimed was an attempt to impress her. Fisher stopped getting contracts for corporate event appearances shortly after a final meeting with Hurd in Idaho, during which Allred said the then-CEO had grabbed and kissed her, but was again spurned. "She knew that if she did not have sex with you soon, her job was over, which is exactly what occurred," the letter said. Bloomberg first reported details of the June 24, 2010, letter. (This story is corrected to say Hurd resigned and was not fired in paragraph 4. Changes firstreporting credit to Bloomberg from AllThingsDigital in the last paragraph.) (Editing by Gary Hill) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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21
Spain says deficit bigger than expected, hikes taxes

(Reuters: Top News)
Ten days ago the Treasury said the central government budget deficit was on course to meet a Fri Dec 30, 2011 11:47am EST full-year target of 4.8 percent of ( R e u t e r s ) - S p a i n ' s n e w GDP, which analysts said would government said on Friday that push Spain's overall public deficit this year's budget deficit would be above its 6 percent target for the much larger than expected and year. announced a slew of surprise tax But the scale of the overshoot hikes and wage freezes that could took some economists by surprise drag the country back to the and led them to forecast a deeper centre of the euro zone debt crisis. recession, ending the year on a In its first decrees since sweeping downbeat note for the euro zone to victory in November, the centre as a whole. -right government said the public "This is a strong shock. I didn't deficit for 2011 would come in at e x p e c t t h i s k i n d o f d e f i c i t 8 percent of gross domestic increase. How can we achieve the product, well above an official objective using personal income target of 6 percent. taxes and capital taxes? This It announced initial public means making the recession much spending cuts of 8.9 billion euros worse," economist at Barcelona ($11.5 billion) and tax hikes E S A D E u n i v e r s i t y R o b e r t aimed at bringing in an additional T o r n a b e l l . 6 billion euros a year to tackle the While Italy's debt mountain has shortfall. been the biggest concern in "This is just the beginning ... financial markets in recent We're facing an extraordinary and months, Spain had been seen as unexpected situation, forcing us to faring somewhat better. Measures take extraordinary and unexpected taken by the previous Socialist measures," Deputy Prime Minister government, while costing it the Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said. election, have kept the markets Spain has been under market from pushing Spanish yields to scrutiny over its ability to control unsustainable levels. its public finances, and Madrid But as recession looms across the has seen risk premiums soar to euro zone, the new government record highs on contagion fears as faces a rocky few years. After the euro zone debt crisis spread. Friday's initial round of tax hikes
Submitted at 12/30/2011 10:47:04 AM
and spending cuts, it plans to unveil a final 2012 budget by the end of March. The Socialists cut the budget shortfall from 11.2 percent of gross domestic product in 2009, and the conservatives must take up the baton and bring the deficit down to 4.4 percent in 2012 and 3 percent in 2013. If the final 2011 deficit hits the 8 percent mark, as the conservatives say, the government will need to make total savings worth more than 35 billion euros in 2012 to meet the official target. TAX THE RICH Spain's economy, the fourthlargest in the euro zone, is likely to have shrunk as much as 0.3 percent in the fourth quarter, Economy Minister Luis de Guindos said this week, and many economists expect output to keep shrinking in early 2012. The collapse of the property market after the 2007 global credit crunch and shrinking consumer confidence have hit the economic cornerstones of construction and services, leaving Spain struggling to grow since emerging from recession in 2010. Now, the euro zone debt crisis and fear of economic slump across the bloc has hit Spanish export growth, the only element
of the economy to promote growth through 2011. The tax hikes announced by the conservatives on Friday, which they have always said would be counterproductive to a struggling economy, will be aimed at the country's wealthiest. The government froze civil servants wages, but also pledged to help the country's poorest by raising pensions and holding electricity tariffs steady for small consumers. Beyond deficit reduction, the new government said it would concentrate its first few measures on the broken labor market, which has left Spain with an unemployment rate more than double the European Union average, and the banking system. Spain has rapidly lost competitiveness since the birth of the single currency bloc as wages have followed a higher-thanaverage inflation rate, a situation the conservatives have pledged to changed through labor reform. Spanish wages have risen by 20.8 percent in 2003-2008 compared to just 9.7 percent in Germany according to data from the IESE business school. The government is in talks with unions and employers' representatives to produce a
reform plan in the first two weeks of January. Meanwhile, the banking system has been badly hit by the burst property bubble and new Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has said the banks must be forced to announce losses on the housing market in a new step in the ongoing restructuring plan. But some economists say that while Spain must reform and cut costs, its future depends on decisions by euro zone leaders on creating a viable backstop for troubled regional economies. "There is very little that the Rajoy government can do on its own to bring down Spain's borrowing costs significantly, not least as its fiscal policies are going to depress growth further. The real challenge in Spain is to get the economy moving," said Spiro Sovereign Strategy's Nicholas Spiro. (Additional reporting, writing by Paul Day; Editing by Hugh Lawson) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
22
News Wire/
China's factories falter, pro-growth policies eyed

(Reuters: Top News)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 3:29:13 AM
Workers use electric irons to smooth out a Communist Party of China flag on a table at the Beijing Jingong Red Flag factory located on the outskirts of Beijing June 28, 2011. Credit: Reuters/David Gray By Kevin Yao BEIJING| Fri Dec 30, 2011 4:29am EST (Reuters) - China's factory activity shrank again December as demand at home and abroad slackened, a purchasing managers' survey showed on Friday, reinforcing the case for progrowth policies to underpin the world's second-largest economy. The People's Bank of China is widely expected to lower its requirement for the amount of cash banks must hold as reserves to let lenders inject more credit into the economy to fight headwinds from Europe's debt crisis and sluggish U.S. demand. The HSBC Purchasing Manager's Index, designed to preview the state of Chinese industry before official output data are published, inched up to 48.7 in December from a 32-month low of 47.7 in
November, but fell short of the flash reading of 49. The HSBC PMI has been mostly under 50, which demarcates expansion from contraction, since July. "While the pace of slowdown is stabilizing somewhat, weakening external demand is starting to bite," said Qu Hongbin, China economist at HSBC. "This, plus ongoing property market corrections, adds to calls for more aggressive action on fiscal and monetary fronts to stabilize growth and jobs, especially with prices easing rapidly." He said China would avoid a hard economic landing so long as policy easing measures filtered through in coming months. HSBC believes a PMI reading of as low as 48 in China still points to annual growth of 12-13 percent in industrial output. China's once turbo-charged economy is on track to slow for a fourth successive quarter, easing further from the first quarter's 9.7 percent annual growth rate with economists expecting the final three months of the year to have slipped below 9 percent. The official PMI, due to be
published on Sunday, is expected to paint a similar picture, suggesting the world's secondlargest economy is finishing 2011 on a weak note, in tandem with the global economic outlook. Both the official and HSBC PMIs are stuck near their weakest levels since early 2009, when China took a blow from the global financial crisis. Economists polled by Reuters earlier this month forecast the PBOC will deliver 200 bps of required reserve ratio (RRR) cuts by the end of 2012 but refrain from an outright cut in interest rates unless quarterly GDP growth dips below 8 percent. Economists typically view growth of 7 to 8 percent as the bare minimum needed to generate enough jobs to help China absorb the urban influx of rural migrants and maintain social harmony. "I think the government will ratchet up pro-growth policies if (quarterly) growth falls below 8 percent, otherwise the economy could face big risks," said Guotai Junan Securities economist Wang Hu in Shanghai. "Another RRR cut could happen any time." ROOM FOR RRR CUTS
China's central bank cut reserve requirements for commercial lenders late in November for the first time in three years. The RRR remains at 21 percent for big banks, giving the central bank plenty of room to cut and free up funds that could be used for lending. Persistent capital outflows from China are putting more pressure on the central bank to release cash to keep credit conditions supportive for growth. Underlying indexes of the HSBC PMI showed softening demand at home and abroad, which helped cool inflation -- a boon for Chinese policymakers, according to the data collated by UK-based information firm, Markit. The sub-index for overall new orders edged up to 46.9 in December from November's 45, but still signaled falling demand. New export orders shrank in a reflection of listless demand from the United States and Europe -China's top overseas markets. Average input costs faced by manufacturers continued to moderate as raw material prices slipped, the HSBC survey showed. Inflation appears to be cooling,
having fallen from a three-year high of 6.5 percent in July to 4.2 percent in November, creating additional room for policy easing to support growth. HSBC's Qu expects the government to move on the fiscal front to boost job creation, cutting taxes for exporters -- a sector employing more than 30 million workers -- while increasing spending on public housing and other projects. "On top of monetary easing, mainly in the form of further reserve ratio cuts, we have long argued that fiscal policy can and should play a more important role in stabilize growth and jobs," Qu said. (Editing by Nick Edwards and Chris Lewis) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
News Wire/
23
Clarkson Faces Backlash Over Her Praise for Paul

(FOXNews.com)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:37:11 AM
Kelly Clarkson (Reuters) Sara Spafford Freeman, a 33-year -old communications consultant, has been a Kelly Clarkson fan since the singers " American Idol" days. But after she saw Clarksons Twitter endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, Spafford Freeman decided she could no longer endorse Clarkson. I used to like Kelly Clarkson. But I can't like anyone who is either ignorant enough or arrogant enough to endorse a candidate like Ron Paul, Spafford Freeman told Fox411 on Thursday from her home in Minnesota. I have listened to Since You've Been Gone for the last time. Spafford Freemans comments are just part of the pushback the platinum-selling superstar and inaugural "American Idol" winner has been getting since she announced her support of Paul Wednesday night. "I love Ron Paul, Clarkson tweeted. I liked him a lot during the last Republican nomination and no one gave him a chance. If he wins the nomination for the Republican party in 2012 he's got my vote. Too bad he probably
won't." Many of Clarksons Twitter followers immediately demanded that she retract her statement, but so far shes refused. Among Clarksons critics on Twitter was user @ kat_george, who tweeted: Ew just found out Kelly Clarkson luvs Ron Paul lyk, 4eva and stuff.
Soz Kelly, not your fan anymore. And there was this one from @ waflanagan: Oh Jebus Kelly Clarkson is a Ron Paul fan. My love for you has taken a severe hit, Kelly... Paul, who like Clarkson hails from Texas, has been roundly criticized over the last few weeks for having published a series of
newsletters in the 1980s and 90s that included racist and homophobic remarks. The newsletters content was revealed when Paul ran for president in 2008, but they got less attention because the congressman was never a front-running candidate. Polls currently show Paul neckand-neck in next weeks Iowa
caucuses with Mitt Romney. His policy platforms include significantly cutting military spending overseas and returning the country to the gold standard. Clarkson responded to her critics by saying that she supported Paul because of his stance on limited CLARKSON page 25
24
News Wire/
Cops: Parents Duct-Taped Kids, Posted on Facebook

(FOXNews.com)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:37:11 AM
U.S.
KSAZ-TV Kayla Almuina, 19, and Frankie Almuina, 20, were charged with two counts of child abuse after photos allegedly surfaced on Facebook showing their young children bound with duct tape. Two northern Arizona parents were arrested after photos of their young children allegedly being abused were posted on Facebook. An anonymous Facebook user reportedly alerted authorities on Wednesday after seeing two children, an infant and a toddler, bound with duct tape around their wrists and ankles in photos posted to the social networking site, Fox affiliate KSAZ-TV reported. The children's mouths were taped shut, and one of them was hung upside down by some exercise equipment, according to the Coconino County Sheriff's Office in Flagstaff. "I am shocked and horrified, and I will tell you that in 30 years in law enforcement in Arizona, this is one of the most horrendous things I have ever seen," Commander Rex Gilliland told the station. The anonymous caller knew the
names of the parents and where they lived, Reuters reported. Deputies arrested Frankie Almuina, 20, and Kayla Almuina, 19, at their Williams, Ariz., home on Thursday and charged them with two counts of child abuse. "They did indicate that they were simply joking, however, it is apparent through the photographs that this was not a joke. The photos depicted the children's faces in sheer terror," Gilliland said. "Clearly, you can't tape another person's hands and mouth shut -- especially small children. It is clearly child abuse, and they were charged appropriately." The children, a 2-year-old and a 10-month-old infant, are being taken care of by family members while the investigation continues, according to the station.
pursues talks with his enemies. He bills peace talks as an Afghan-led process, which the U.S. insists is also its goal. The U.S. outreach is meant to jump-start negotiations, U.S. officials have said, but they acknowledge that their efforts can feed the perception that Karzai is not fully in charge. Although the Karzai government shares the goal of outreach and eventual political reconciliation with the Afghan Taliban movement, he resents the insurgents' demand only to speak with what they call American occupiers. He has argued that the U.S. undercuts his leverage, and his inner circle derailed initial The arrests follow a similar U.S.-Taliban talks earlier this incident last week in Chicago in year, several officials previously which a father, Andre Curry, told the AP. allegedly posted a photo of his Karzai has supported the general young daughter bound with duct idea of an office, preferably in tape on Facebook. Curry was later Afghanistan, but he balked when charged with aggravated domestic the plan for Qatar appeared to have been settled without him, battery in the case. Newscore contributed to this officials said. Earlier this month, Kabul recalled its ambassador to report. Click to read more on this story Qatar for consultations over reports that the Taliban was from MyFoxPhoenix.com Parents Arrested After Kids planning to open an office there. B o u n d , P h o t o s P o s t e d : An Afghan official, who could not be identified because of the MyFoxPHOENIX.com This entry passed through the sensitivity of the issue, said at the Full-Text RSS service if this is time that the ambassador was your content and you're reading it recalled because Qatar had not on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
consulted with them throughout the process. The Afghan government supports the establishment of an office for the Taliban only as a facilitative step in the peace process, not as any kind of a concession to them, the official said. On Tuesday, Karzai backed down. He said his government would accept the Qatar office to hold peace talks, although Saudi Arabia or Turkey would be preferable venues. If the United States insists that the insurgents establish a liaison office in Qatar, "we are agreed," Karzai said in a presidential statement. Fox News' Jennifer Griffin and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Related Video U.S. Considers Releasing Top Taliban Commander Jennifer Griffin reports from Pentagon This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
World News/ Technology/
25
CLARKSON
government. I am really sorry if I have offended anyone. Obviously that was not my intent. I do not support racism. I support gay rights, straight rights, women's rights, men's rights, white/black/ purple/orange rights, she tweeted after being lambasted online. I like Ron Paul because he believes in less government and letting the people (all of us) make the decisions and mold our country. That is all. Out of all of the Republican nominees, he's my favorite." Clarkson also tweeted that she had, never heard that Ron Paul is a racist or a homophobe." Now the question is whether her political views will alienate a considerable portion of her fan base. Kelly Clarkson has a very strong fan base of people who love her
music and respect her as a person for her bold expression of her individuality time and time again, says In Touch senior editor Dorothy Cascerceri. Not every fan is going to care about her personal views, and when you have as loyal a fan base as she does, little will stop people from listening to her music, buying her CDs and music online. Indeed many of Clarksons fans stood by her on a forum on her website. Im glad Kelly stuck up for her opinion, that's what I love about her!" KellyFan_2011 posted Thursday afternoon on the forum. "She doesn't let any people push her around and its a really a shame, that some people rudely attack her because they have a different political opinion, she doesn't deserve that." But not everyone agrees.
"For some Paul is seen as a homophobe and a racist. So for her fans, that may be sending them a message that she concurs with his homophobic and racist ideals," explains "Cult of Celebrity" author Cooper Lawrence. "This is a problem since she does have a wide variety of die hard fans which include gays and a wide range of ethnicities who are offended by her endorsement." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Stephen Lawrence trial: Jury sent home until new year - BBC News
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:31:28 AM
BBC News Stephen Lawrence trial: Jury sent home until new year BBC News The verdict in the Stephen Lawrence murder trial will be reached in the new year after the jury was sent home after its first full day of deliberation. The jurors were earlier given permission to review video evidence shown
during the seven-week trial.... Lawrence murder: Jury still out The Press Association Stephen Lawrence trial: anger cannot guide your decision, judge tells jury The Guardian Stephen Lawrence judge tells jury: Don't let emotion sway your verdict Mirror.co.uk Telegraph.co.uk- The Independent- Scottish Daily Record all 351 news articles
RS fiasco triggers all out war between Congress, Opposition Hindustan Times
Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:02:32 PM
Polygonal Cartoon Paintings - Gusiv Vlad Illustrates Imaginative Scenes Using a Variety of Triangles (TrendHunter.com)
(TREND HUNTER - The Latest Trends)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:03:03 PM
The Hindu RS fiasco triggers all out war between Congress, Opposition Hindustan Times The government on Friday
blamed the BJP and other opposition parties for the lokpal bill fiasco in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday night. "At least 187 amendments were moved. The last of which was received at 6 (pm Thursday). That is the real story...
Will the Lokpal Bill ever become a reality? IBNLive.com Lokpal fiasco triggers all out war between government, opposition Times of India BJP unhappy with Hamid Ansari's last-minute conduct in Rajya Sabha Daily News &
Analysis India Today- indiablooms- The Hindu all 2,332 news articles
( TrendHunter.com) These Gusiv Vlad illustrations are reminiscent of video game graphics from the Playstation and Nintendo 64 era. With its jagged edges and pseudo3-D look, each Vlad rendering could easily pass for characters...
26
World News/ Technology/
Siege at Sydney's Chinese Consulate ends with one charged, another in hospital - Herald Sun
hospital under police guard after a robbery and armed confrontation outside a... Stuff.co.nz Chinese consulate caught up in Siege at Sydney's Chinese shootout Sydney Morning Herald Consulate ends with one charged, One charged over hotel 'siege' another in hospital Adelaide Now Herald Sun One charged over robbery and Police have established a crime shootout NEWS.com.au scene on in Camperdown in The Daily Telegraph- The Sydney's southwest. Picture: Bill Australian- ABC Online H e a r n e S o u r c e : T h e D a i l y all 370 news articles Telegraph A MAN has been charged and another remains in
Submitted at 12/30/2011 9:23:01 AM
Anuj Bidve murder: Police regret Facebook death news - BBC News
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:26:41 AM
BBC News Anuj Bidve murder: Police regret Facebook death news BBC News A police chief has said she regrets how the father of an Indian student shot in the head in Salford on Boxing Day found out about the murder on Facebook. A 50000 reward has been offered by Greater Manchester Police to
find the killer of 23-year-old... 50000 reward over student killing The Press Association Father of Indian student murderd on Boxing Day heard about it on Facebook Mirror.co.uk Greater Manchester Police offer 50000 reward over Anuj Bidve murder Metro Sky News- Manchester Evening News- The Sun all 2,161 news articles
Keen On Marian Salzman: What Were The Top Trends in 2011?

Andrew Keen (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:33:28 AM
Police apologise and offer 50000 reward to find Anuj's killer - The Hindu
Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:06:53 PM
The Hindu Police apologise and offer 50000 reward to find Anuj's killer The Hindu Police on Friday announced a reward of 50000 to find the killer of the Indian university student Anuj Bidve and apologised for the delay in informing his family
about the tragedy after his father Subhash Bidve complained that they first learned about... Bidve killing: Cops to visit India, teenagers bailed IBNLive.com Anuj Bidve murder: Police regret Facebook death news BBC News Racism not ruled out in Indian student's killing Economic Times Times of India- Hindustan Times - Daily News & Analysis all 2,161 news articles
Home leave prisoner posted missing - The Press Association

Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:00:00 PM
BBC News Home leave prisoner posted missing The Press Association A prisoner granted home leave over Christmas has failed to return to resume his sentence this week. Steven Robertson was due
to return to Castle Huntly, near Dundee, on Thursday following a week at home. Tayside Police are appealing for information to... Prisoner Steven Robertson absconds from Castle Huntly BBC News Prisoner fails to return from Christmas leave stv.tv all 38 news articles
Its the last Friday in 2011 and the new year is imminent. So what were the top technological, cultural and economic trends in 2011? What shaped a year that some are saying is one of the most significant in the last couple of centuries? The queen of trendology is Marian Salzman, a global marketing executive, who publishes an iconic annual trends report about the world. So what were the leading trends in 2011, I asked Marian, when she came into our New York studio. Her answers are both stimulating and controversial. From men being the new women to technology defining the new hope agenda to the emergence of a public mycasting system, Marians observations about 2011 are bound to provoke discussion. So is she right? Will 2011 really be remembered as the year that the tablet revolution became the ultimate transportation device that finally enabled us to live in the cloud? This is the first in a two part interview with Salzman. Early next week, she reveals her top trends for 2012.
Technology/
27
Op-Ed: Stop Feeding Facebook, It's Time for Moderation

Joe Brockmeier (ReadWriteWeb)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:00:00 AM
The answer is to moderate our use of and dependence on social media, especially Facebook. Frictionless sharing, the act of passively notifying social media of all manner of activity, scares the hell out of me. Not just because of the obvious privacy implications. Frictionless sharing turns up the volume on useless information and simultaneously threatens user privacy and control of online identity. Not only is Facebook becoming too central to our online discourse, it's becoming too crapified to even be useful. We have a social media problem, and the time to turn back is now. And the answer isn't regulating Facebook. Sponsor Editor's note: This story is part of a series we call Redux, where we're re-publishing some of our best posts of 2011. As we look back at the year - and ahead to what next year holds - we think these are the stories that deserve a second glance. It's not just a bestof list, it's also a collection of posts that examine the fundamental issues that continue to shape the Web. We hope you enjoy reading them again and we look forward to bringing you
more Web products and trends analysis in 2012. Happy holidays from Team ReadWriteWeb! Frictionless sharing is not the only problem, but it's the straw that broke the proverbial dromedary's back. Passive sharing is not a feature I hear other users clamoring for. The value of observing every action online is of little value to users, but of far too much value to Facebook and the lot. Sometimes you want to control your audience, but Facebook's privacy controls are so complex it's never quite clear who can and can't see your messages. You're not assured that someone will or won't see a message, at all. Social Media as Game of Telephone Social media means, more than ever, little control of your message. As an individual, you surrender control of distribution. As publisher, you surrender the notion that the receiver will have actually read the source. Too often, I've noticed that I garner far more feedback on articles via Google Plus and Facebook than on the site that hosts the articles. This would be fine, except for one little problem all too few of the commentators take the time to actually read the article or post in question. This becomes abundantly clear when you see howls of outrage in response to
That's not the only problem with using a handful of social media tools as the hub of conversation and information discovery. Expression Depends on Tools Marshall McLuhan said "the medium is the message," and he wasn't wrong. How you say something, the medium that you choose, is often as important as what you say. And, of course, what you say is shaped by where you say it. Our dependence on features on The Onion because social media means that we have the reader had no idea they were to conform our messages to the responding to a satirical article. t o o l s , w i t h t h e p r e d i c t a b l e My friends in PR and marketing d e l e t e r i o u s r e s u l t s . may complain that companies are Just by broadcasting your losing control of their message. thoughts on a social network, your Some argue that it's well and fine message is shaped and colored by that companies lose control of t h a t m e d i u m . T w i t t e r i s their message, because it forces immediate, short and ephemeral. engagement directly with the It's sending smoke signals in the audience. That's true, as far as it hopes they'll be received and goes, but it misses the larger relayed. Conversations are terse point. Social media has not only b y n e c e s s i t y . I e n j o y t h e wrested control of message, it's challenge, sometimes, of fitting a made it incredibly difficult to thought into 140 characters (chalk ensure accuracy of the message. it up to J-School damage). It's of It's one thing that organizations limited value when there's more to have less ability to spin, yet share than fits in 140 characters, another when they're faced with a but by limiting its scope I think 21st century game of telephone. Twitter also limits the damage. When a publication gets things No one expects to carry on all of wrong, a correction may not their conversations on Twitter. receive the same level of attention Privacy Roulette as an inaccurate headline or story. The same can't be said for But when a tweet heard round the Facebook, which would happily w o r l d i s w r o n g , m a k i n g a engulf all of our online discourse, correction is next to impossible.
and then some. Facebook allows for more lengthy discourse, and the ability to "like" (but not dislike) a sender's message. Comments, however, are mandatory. It's always somewhat unclear who will receive your message, given Facebook's evershifting privacy policies and controls. You cannot simply pick up and re-host your content on a competing network. You can take your toys and go home, but you can't play with them there. Call it privacy roulette. Sometimes you want your updates to be received by everyone, but Facebook opts to display them only to a sliver of your audience based on its importance algorithms. Sometimes you want to control your audience, but Facebook's privacy controls are so complex it's never quite clear who can and can't see your messages. You're not assured that someone will or won't see a message, at all. Google Plus is more straightforward, but the oracle in Mountain View has decreed that we must all be our literal selves online and not more comfortable pseudonymous personas. Businesses, as of yet, have no presence at all except through their spokespeople. While this suggests that communications OP-ED: page 31
28
Technology/
GoDaddy goes against SOPA

Steven Musil (CNET News)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 10:18:52 AM
LG To Debut Second Intel-Powered Smartphone At CES 2012

Chris Velazco (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:13:56 AM
More headlines Verizon Wireless: Yep, that'll be $2 to pay your bill online week in review The "Dump Company confirms that it will G o D a d d y D a y " m e s s a g e soon begin charging customers a registered with the domain $2 fee to process payments made registrar. online or by phone. But the GoDaddy, targeted by online company also offers ways to activists in response to its avoid the fee. e n t h u s i a s m f o r a p a i r o f Verizon fixes latest network Hollywood-backed copyright outage bills, finally denounced the Verizon's network suffers third legislation in response to a outage this month Apple tripling s c h e d u l e d b o y c o t t . W a r r e n its iPad lineup in January? Not so Adelman, the company's chief fast Reports that Apple plans to executive, said that "GoDaddy release two new iPad models to opposes SOPA," short for the join the iPad 2 next month are Stop Online Piracy Act, which is receiving a lashing around the facing a House of Representatives Web. committee vote next month. Two new iPads due next month, The idea of boycotting GoDaddy report says Former HP CEO Mark began with a protest thread on Hurd loses appeal to keep letter Reddit and was aided by Jimmy sealed Hurd, now president of Wales' announcement last week Oracle, loses an appeal in court that "Wikipedia domain names this week that would keep the will move away from GoDaddy." letter accusing him of sexual It inspired GoDaddyBoycott.org, harassment confidential. which urged Internet users and Here's the letter Mark Hurd companies to "boycott GoDaddy didn't want you to see Secret u n t i l t h e y s e n d a l e t t e r t o subpoena aimed at Twitter user Congress taking back any and all n o t s o s e c r e t a n y m o r e support of the House and Senate M a s s a c h u s e t t s a u t h o r i t i e s versions of the Internet censorship s u b p o e n a e d T w i t t e r f o r bill, both SOPA and PIPA." information on an Occupy Wall Go Daddy gets name off SOPA Street figure but ran afoul of supporters list Twitter's own privacy policy. GoDaddy accused of interfering W h o o w n s y o u r T w i t t e r with anti-SOPA exodus account? Check out this lawsuit
Apple iOS Christmas activations likely beat Android by 1.6 million At least 4.2 million iOS devices were activated on Christmas compared with about 2.6 million Android devices, according to rough calculations put together by Fortune. Android device activations hit 3.7 million on Christmas weekend Android, iOS activations hit record on Christmas. Again Google, Facebook top Internet destinations in 2011 Search edges social networking for Web users this year, according to data from market researcher Nielsen. Samsung still dominates mobile phone market, but Apple is gaining U.S. online holiday spending hits $35.3 billion Also of note New York Times mistakenly emails millions about subscriptions Windows Phone Marketplace hits 50,000-app mark U.S. takes bite out of Oracle's Google lawsuit This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
If at first you dont succeed, try try again. It looks like LG and Intel have taken that old adage to heart, if a new report is to be believed. The Korea Times reports that LG will debut an Intel -powered smartphone at CES 2012, but the bigger question is whether or not the device will ever make it to market. LG and Intels first mobile partnership yielded an Android smartphone running on Intels Moorestown chipset for CES 2011, but the device was ultimately scrapped. The reason for its premature demise? As the story goes, the device died because of its lack of marketability. LGs brass certainly thinks their Intel smartphone is viable according to one of the Times executive sources, the device could be released as soon this March. Still, the original LG-Intel phone was pegged with a 2011 release date, so take those claims with a grain of salt for bow. Hopefully LGs second swing at
an Intel-powered phone fares a little better its said to run on Intels next-generation Medfield system-on-a-chip, and early tests have yielded some pretty impressive benchmarks when compared to NVIDIAs Tegra 2 and Qualcomms Snapdragon MSM8260 SoCs. Of course, the real competition is yet to come, as nearly every player in the mobile chipset market is hard at work on their next-generation platforms. Intel has a lot of brand recognition when it comes to PCs, but their lack of presence in the mobile market to date could mean that Medfield could drown in a sea of established ARM-based chipsets. Thats why the partnership with LG is so critical despite their handset division spending a few quarters in the red, LG is still the number two handset OEM in the U.S. Having a major hardware vendor taking a chance on their new platform could establish Intel as a real player in the mobile space, and right now Intels mobile efforts could use all the visibility they can get.
Technology/
29
Staff Turnover Could Be IT's Biggest Issue for 2012

David Strom (ReadWriteWeb)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 9:44:06 AM
mentions how turnover is his biggest issue: "knowledge keeps walking out the door." I wondered How long have you held your if what he paid his developers was current position? If you answered one of the reasons for the huge less than two years, you are not turnover. All of his six-person alone. It seems that turnover could team has been with him for less be IT's biggest challenge in the than a year. But it turns out his new year: keeping talented particular issues aren't so simple. developers. Network World's Part of the problem is that loyalty Carolyn Marsan writes this week is so over. Back in my dad's day, about the topic and it is well you wanted to amass a retirement worth reading her story. portfolio, or get more vacation This isn't a completely new time, or other benefits of being problem. In 1980, I took my with a firm for decades. Now, second job, about two years after I those seem old-fashioned, and started work at a consulting firm there are fewer pension plans and in Washington, DC. My father m o r e c o n t r a c t w o r k e r s . was not happy about the switch. Hypergrowth is what matters. He was working as an accountant Getting challenged, learning stuff. for the same place (and ended up Layoffs can happen at a moment's putting in 30 years by the time he notice, making more of a "what's eventually retired, yes complete in it for me" attitude. with gold watch that I have The CIO interviewed in Marsan's somewhere). He thought it was a r t i c l e s p o k e a b o u t a v e r y too quick a transition. What different developer mindset for would other employers think? today's 20-something coders. Little did I know I was starting a "There have been a number of trend in the tech field lo these cases where we have had a system many years ago that runs into issues, bugs, defects Sponsor or a major change requirement. A CIO quoted in Marsan's article W e t h o u g h t i t w o u l d b e a
challenge for a developer to own it. But their first reaction is to want to scrap it and start over." Another problem is that we expect instant gratification in our work lives. We can download what we need almost immediately from the Internet. If we don't get super-fast bandwidth and subsecond response times from our computer we get frustrated. If it takes more than a few minutes to understand something, we move on. I have noticed this in my own use of apps recently: I get very impatient when I can't understand something at first, and tend to drop products that have even a modest learning curve. (This is
one of the reasons why Second Life went nowhere: it was a lot to learn at once.) One often-heard demand is for better workplace flex times. Back when I was in my 20s, I worked day and night sometimes to get projects done. There was no such thing as 9-to-5, telecommuting, or flexible Fridays. Today's GenY wants it all. IT has to do a better job explaining the business context of their code and be engaged in what the company is actually doing with their apps. Coding just for coding's sake is pass, as it should be. Granted, this was true back in my formative years, but it has gotten more important as IT has become more of a distributed operation, and coders are closer to their departments. Certainly, it is a delicate balance to train and retain highly technical people. But it does seem as if these times have made it more of a challenge. What has been your experience? Discuss
GeekDad gives the Nike TomTom SportWatch a run for its money
Andy Robertson
Submitted at 12/30/2011 1:24:00 AM
BUY WITH ME!

Sony and Ericsson, Microsoft and Nokia and now Nike and Tom Tom; technological interbreeding seems to be on the rise. Nike's new partnership with Tom Tom has generated an interesting progeny in the form of the Nike+ TomTom SportWatch. I've been an amateur runner the last couple of years and have tried a variety of tracking gadgets to help me on my way. Run Keeper on the iPhone has been a regular favourite, as has my Garmin Forerunner. Although I wasn't initially looking for a new running watch I was intrigued by some of the features of the Nike+ offering. By: Andy Robertson, Edited by: Nate Lanxon Continue reading...
CITY! Get the Best Deals in ANY
30
Technology/ Culture/
5 Things Dropbox Competitors Need

Joe Brockmeier (ReadWriteWeb)
my iMac and my Linux Mint computer as well as with the Dropbox service. Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:32:00 AM Its doing it silently, without any I got all excited this morning intervention or extra setup on my when I saw a link on Hacker part. Before Dropbox, I used News to BitPocket, one of the rsync over SSH to sync my files latest so-called DIY Dropbox t o r s y n c . n e t a n d m y o t h e r offerings thats open source. The computers. It was workable, but excitement faded pretty quickly not particularly convenient. It when I hit the GitHub repo and took about ten minutes for me to found that its just a small but decide to plunk down the monthly smart script that does 2-way fee for Dropbox after discovering d i r e c t o r y s y n c h r o n i z a t i o n the LAN sync feature in Dropbox. without most of the Dropbox Platform Ubiquity features. Another feature that any Dropbox Dropbox didnt get where it is challenger needs? Platform today by being a wrapper for ubiquity. If it doesnt run on rsync, Git, Unison or any of the Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, iOS other open source tools for file and Android, Im not interested. synchronization. If you want to Technically, Im actually OK replicate Dropboxs suceess, with a service that doesnt run on theres a few features that are Windows, but the sheer number of mandatory. folks who use Windows means Sponsor that any Dropbox alternative is Top-Notch Synchronization pretty much DOA without a The biggest failing that Bitpocket Windows client. And theres very has is the lack of automatic sync. little attraction to any tool that As Im writing this post (in Vim, doesnt sync with my mobile using Markdown on my MacBook device. Web Access Pro), Dropbox is syncing it with If Im not on a computer I
year. I admit it, Ive fat-fingered rm once or twice in 2011, and saved over a file in LibreOffice that I didnt mean to. Revision control and file restore mean that Ive been able to recover gracefully with zero loss of data. Unless an alternative can give me that, Im not switching. Sharing Finally, I need to be able to share files with co-workers and friends. Dropbox makes this dirt simple, control, I still want to be able to even for other folks that dont use get to a file in a pinch. Dropboxs Dropbox. Falling Short Web interface is perfect for the Bitpocket and other sync scripts few times I dont have my own and tools may be acceptable for computer handy, or havent gotten some use cases, but they dont around to installing Dropbox yet. rise to the Dropbox label. UpSince I tend to do a lot of testing, a n d - c o m i n g p r o j e c t s l i k e its not uncommon for me to set S p a r k l e S h a r e m a y b e n i f t y up a new box without wanting to collaboration tools, but theyre hassle with installing Dropbox not a Dropbox replacement. when Im going to be wiping a Id love to see an open source, system in a few days. (Not that DIY alternative to Dropbox, but Dropbox is all that hard to install.) so far none have come close. Revision Control and File Restore Discuss Revision control and file restore are features I dont use often, but are worth the price of Dropbox even if I use them just twice a
Christian World Adoption

The Tech Tales of 2011

(HowStuffWorks Daily Feed)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 8:00:56 AM
Christian World Adoption is one of the largest international adoption agencies in the United States. Since 1991, Christian World Adoption has placed thousands of children from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. These children now enjoy the love and security of a forever family. Christian World Adoption currently offers adoption programs in Bulgaria, China, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Ukraine. Explore our website to learn more about international adoption. Then, when youre ready, call our friendly adoption counselor, toll free, at 1.888.97ADOPT.
[unable to retrieve full-text
content] For fans of technology, big tech stories of 2011? 2011 was a year packed with triumphs, tragedies and teasers. How much do you know about the
Technology/ Products/
31
OP-ED:
from companies will be "more personal" it also forces the identity of a company onto the individual. If Acme Corporation hopes to have a voice on Google Plus, it must do so via its employees. Google Plus has, in my opinion, better technical tools for expression and better privacy options, with the exception of its onerous pseudonym policies (and vigorous enforcement). Google also has well-publicized tools for extracting your data, should you choose to leave Google Plus. However, this is not the same thing as being able to extract your data from, say, WordPress. You cannot simply pick up and re-host your content on a competing network. You can take your toys and go home, but you can't play with them there. In all cases, you surrender control of your platform to the owner of the network. This is illustrated quite well by the collapse of MySpace. Bands (it always seems to be bands) that built up a following on MySpace cannot easily move that following to another social network, or to their own site. Companies that build up a loyal following on Twitter or
Facebook (they're not yet welcome on Google Plus) can't move that following to a competing network. Feeding the Beast The problems I've mentioned so far would not be so bad if social media were avoidable. Companies and media are embracing, out of necessity, the intermediaries as a way to reach the audience we wish to connect with. As Adrian Short so rightly pointed out, avoiding social media is not an option for most individuals or companies. "We need to use social networks to get heard and this forces us into digital serfdom." The right to avoid social networks, as Short says, is the right to be ignored. Indeed, it's a vicious cycle. If you're not on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google Plus or whatever comes, then your chances of being "heard" are far more remote than just a few years ago. Holding out seems futile, participating makes the problem worse. Short asks how long before social networks are essential, I'd argue they already are, but only because we've collectively decided that it's OK. You Get the Web You Deserve
Like Short, I'm not sure I have an answer except this: moderation. We cannot depend on Facebook to be moderate in its attempts to be the center of the Web. The answer is not a kinder, gentler and less privacy abusive alternative to Facebook. The answer is to moderate our use of and dependence on Facebook. Like moderating diet, drink, television consumption or any other pleasurable but ultimately damaging-if-done-inexcess activity it is up to individuals. If we cannot do this, the fault lies only with us. The damage being done by excessive social media is every bit as real as the damage done by a steady diet of bacon cheeseburgers and no exercise, and just as slow to become obvious. Frictionless sharing is the cardiac event that should signal it's time to cut back on the endless diet of bacon cheeseburgers. Stop feeding the beast, and start using social media in moderation. Discuss
French reseller eBizcuss sues Apple over unfair competition

Kelly Hodgkins (TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:00:00 PM
Top Posts Of The Week And Open Thread

Laura Northrup (The Consumerist)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:30:00 AM
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Yes, There Is Such A
Thing As Bad Publicity The Down Toilet After Surgery Red Dollar Menu McDonald's And Light Camera Company Posts Car Taco Bell Don't Want You To Crash Montages On YouTube... Know About At This Quizno's, Meat Is Mandatory Man Poses As Liposuction Surgeon, Flushes Fat
Apple opened its first retail store in France in November 2009 and caused sales to plummet for local Apple retailers, says eBizcuss CEO Franois Prudent. According to a report in Le Figaro, the effect is so great that eBizcuss has filed a lawsuit against Apple, alleging the company unfairly favors its own stores over resellers. eBizcuss is the largest Apple reseller in France and has 16 stores nationwide. CEO Prudent claims sales have fallen 30 percent in the last quarter because it was unable to secure a reasonable supply of iPads and MacBook Airs from Apple. The company also never received the iPhone 4S. It's not just hardware that Apple is keeping for itself, it's supposedly stealing valuable customers, too. Prudent claims Apple is actively courting his business customers and has wooed many away with its lower prices. While Apple is allegedly crippling the reseller market, the company is demanding more and more from its resellers. Prudent claims he recently invested over US$6.5 million on store improvements, including a new
point-of-sale system, to meet Apple's criteria. This accusation of unfair trade practices is not anything new. Apple faced a lawsuit in 2004 when a group of five US resellers including Mac Accessory Center, Thomas Armes, MACadam Computers Inc., and others banded together and accused Apple of favoring its own stores over the resellers. Apple reached a settlement with all the plaintiffs in this case. [Via ifoAppleStore] French reseller eBizcuss sues Apple over unfair competition originally appeared on TUAW The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Source| Permalink| Email this| Comments
32
Technology/
Tools published that exploit router flaw

Marguerite Reardon (CNET News)
pass-phrase when adding a new device to the secure network. The problem is that when Submitted at 12/30/2011 10:32:41 AM security PINs are entered for Researchers have released two access to the network, the router tools that can be used to exploit a actually lets the user know if has vulnerability in a protocol that gotten the first or last numbers of makes it easier to set up secure the 8-digit code correct. The code home Wi-Fi networks. that Viehbock and Heffner have Stefan Viehbock, who first w r i t t e n u s e a b r u t e - f o r c e reported the vulnerability to the approach, which means different U . S . C o m p u t e r E m e r g e n c y combinations of PINs are tried Readiness Team, released a tool over and over until one is found that can crack a home Wi-Fi that allows the hacker access. This network in two hours. And Craig can be done since most routers Heffner of Tactical Network don't limit the number of attempts Solutions, who had been working on the passwords used to access independently on figuring out the the router. same vulnerability that Viebock Typically, it would take a hacker reported to US-CERT, has also about 100 million tries to crack an developed a tool that will allow eight digit code. But because the hackers to gain access to some router indicates whether or not secure Wi-Fi networks in four to some digits are correct, that 10 hours. His tool called Reaver is number drops to around 11,000 hosted on Google Code. attempts before access can be The vulnerability itself is gained, according to Viehbock's inherent in the Wi-Fi Protected research paper. Once an hacker Set-up protocol. This protocol, figures out the PIN, it's much which is often bundled into Wi-Fi easier to figure out the router's routers, is designed to allow password and gain access to the unskilled home users to set up network. secure networks using WPA The security flaw could affect encryption without much hassle. millions of people with Wi-Fi Users are then able to type in a routers in their homes and shortened PIN instead of a long businesses, since the protocol is
integrated into most new wireless routers sold today. The US-CERT warning named all the major wireless router brands: Buffalo, D -Link, Cisco Linksys, Netgear, Technicolor, TP-Link, and ZyXEL. So far none of these companies have responded to the US-CERT warning with a fix, nor have they provided comment to the press on this situation. CNET reached out to each of these companies. Buffalo and Cisco representatives said they were looking into the issue, but they have still not officially responded. Viehbock and Heffner say this is why they have published their tools, so that they could draw attention to the issue. The fix right now is that users can disable the WPS set-up on their routers. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Steve Jobs's long and complex relationship with Japan

Michael Rose (TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:00:00 AM
Japanese writer Hayashi Nobuyuki has written a thoughtful article on Steve Jobs and Japan, covering both the professional and personal influences that helped shape Jobs's path through life and with Apple. The piece has been translated into English, and it's worth a read. Jobs considered himself a practicing Buddhist most of his adult life, and was a student of the St Zen monk Otogawa Kbun; Otogawa even served as the "spiritual advisor" for NeXT. Apparently, Jobs's enthusiasm for Zen study once led him to threaten to retreat from the world and ensconce himself in a St temple in Japan. Jobs's affection for Japanese culture and cuisine even led him to 'bend' his strict vegan diet when it came to sushi; he was a frequent customer of the Kaygetsu restaurant in Silicon Valley, and he relished the raw fish delicacies in dinners with family and
colleagues. When Jobs learned that the restaurant was set to close this year (which it did, two days after Steve's death in early October), he approached the restaurant's chef with a job offer. The same dishes that Steve enjoyed are now featured on the bill of fare at Apple's campus cafeteria. Thanks Rick! photo by Mike Tex | Flickr CC Steve Jobs's long and complex relationship with Japan originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Source| Permalink| Email this| Comments
Technology/
33
Windows emergency update live today: are you patched?

Chris Burns (SlashGear)
probably got nothing to worry about but since youre here now, probably you should check. There comes a time in every This attack works through a operating systems life when it certain type of HTTP request that needs to have an emergency patch consumes 100% of the processes slapped over a security hold in its of one CPU core. Several requests guts, and for Windows, that time of course could cut a server down is today and its an emergency. to its knees in no time. Microsoft What youre going to see here is a has the following to say: bulletin by the name of MS11-100 Attacks targeting this type of that acts as a sort of public service vulnerability are generically announcement as Microsoft wants known as hash collision attacks, you to update your system several the company said, adding that the weeks before the regularly hole is not specific to Microsofts scheduled Patch Tuesday in mid Web services as it affects PHP 5, -January. What this patch does is Java, .NET, v8 and to some extent to cut off access to a security hole PHP 4, Ruby and Python. The thatd allow hackers to launch a folks behind those platforms are DoS attack against people with expected to issue similar updates M i c r o s o f t s A S P . N E T in the near future, but the holidays application framework in place. will undoubtedly delay that What youll have to do is head process. Microsoft over to here:[Security Bulletin Again this is an attack you likely List] and see if your software is wont feel hitting you if youre an amongst those affected. If you average citizen, but better safe never access the internet, youve than sorry. This update to security
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:34:57 AM
Verizon to roll out Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update for HTC Trophy today Xbox 360 Dashboard updates start tonight for Xbox LIVE members The Emergency Money Box Microsoft launches new webbased Windows Phone Marketplace Xbox 360 Dashboard update slightly delayed Windows 7 SP1 Available for Download Lifehacker has screenshots of Windows Live Mail Desktop Beta Windows emergency update live today: are you patched? is written by Chris Burns& originally posted on SlashGear. 2005 - 2011, SlashGear. All right reserved.
is currently rated Critical for the following systems: Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Service Pack 1, Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Service Pack 2, Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1, Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5.1, and Microsoft
.NET Framework 4 on all supported editions of Microsoft Windows. Dont freak out, but dont hesitate to update. Relevant Entries on SlashGear.com XBox 360 Dashboard Update Released
3D-printed Hilbert Cube originates in Second Life

Duncan Geere
Submitted at 12/30/2011 1:03:00 AM
The intriguing-looking object you see in the video above you is a Hilbert Cube -- formed of a single
line of plastic, folded up so that it occupies as much space as possible. It's the creation of Henry Segerman, a Second Life user who designed it in the three-
dimensional virtual world back in 2007, using a bunch of Python
scripts. He's now brought the Nate Lanxon Continue reading... design into the three-dimensional real world, however, with the assistance of 3D printing company Shapeways. By: Duncan Geere, Edited by:
34
Technology/ Featured/
2012 Chevrolet Sonic recalled due to missing brake pads

Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:03:41 PM
Were pretty certain that someone at General Motors is in a whole heap of trouble this week as its been discovered that a batch of their Chevrolet Sonic cars with missing brake pads have left the factory and were sold in kind to unsuspecting customers. While these missing pads arent currently being rated as something so fatal that GM is recommending a total instant freak-out on the part of car owners, if you are one of those owners, you probably should bring your car in to be checked. Nothing like cruising into grandmas house for New Years and finding yourself on the other side because you brakes just you know arent there. Currently GM is saying that there havent been any crashes or injuries related to the missing brake pads, but you never know!
Some Sonics are currently missing an inner or outer brake pad, this resulting in increased stopping distance than the norm. The entire recall covers exactly 4,296 of GMs Chevrolet Sonic models sold inside 2011 (of the 2012 model, mind you.) These models were sold across the US as well as Canada and were
assembled in the Orion Township, Michigan assembly plant. John Q Assembler has some explaining to do. For those of you that own this vehicle, your local approved dealer will inspect your front brakes on your Sonic and do the necessary pad replacement if necessary. Those of you who have
likely been affected will be getting dealer letters starting on the 14th of January. That basically means that youre probably not going to crash, again, as a result of this situation before then. Good luck! [ via WP Natnl] Relevant Entries on SlashGear.com
2012 Chevy Sonic gets 40 MPG on highway with 1.4L turbo power 2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS breaks cover Chevrolet Captiva Chevy to increase Volt production by 50% in 2012 Nintendo to offer blue Wii in Mario & Sonic 2012 Olympics game Sonic CD available for iOS tomorrow, Android and WP7 must wait [UPDATE: Android version live now!] Awesome mushroom drum pads Universal Sonic Toothbrush 2012 Chevrolet Sonic recalled due to missing brake pads is written by Chris Burns& originally posted on SlashGear. 2005 - 2011, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Gillmor Gang Live 12.30.11 (TCTV)

Steve Gillmor (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:00:19 AM
NBC Iowa Poll: Romney 23, Paul 21, Santorum 15, Perry 14, Gingrich 13
Daniel Halper (The Weekly Standard)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 8:58:00 AM
The Gillmor Gang Mike Steve Gillmor are recording live Arrington, John Borthwick, at 9am PT. Robert Scoble, John Taschek, and
poll: NBC reports on its latest Iowa
Technology/
35
NVIDIA high-fives Sega for Sonic the Hedgehog 4 mobile release

Submitted at 12/30/2011 10:52:31 AM
Sega is coming on strong on the Sonic tip here at the end of 2011, first with Sonic CD for the mobile platform, now with Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 2 for Android devices sporting either an NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core or Tegra 3 quad-core processor onboard! What youll be playing here is a new vision of Sonic in the classic setup: complete with the rebirth of an old enemy and the return of no less than everyones favorite sidekick: Tails! And just wait until you hit the go button on the video to hear that classic SEGA sound effect flawless victory! Youll be dunking down tubes and flipping over television boxes full of rings just far enough to accidentally smash into a trio of spikes, and all of it in style with
Sonic the Hedgehog inductive Wii Remote charger from Mad Catz Sonic the Hedgehog Coming to Android, iOS, Xbox 360, PlayStation, and MORE! Why Sega has failed me Sega and NeuroSky looking to steal the user interface spotlight from the Wii Sega Genesis controller for your Wii Sonic Unleashed delayed for PS3 and Xbox 360 in Japan until Spring NVIDIAs set of fabulous systems on chips. Youve got brand new character animations, a reworked physics engine for superior effect, and all of it tuned to perfection by the developers at Sega working with the specialists at NVIDIA. Can you imagine such a cool customer made specifically for your Transformer Prime? Have a peek at the trailer above and note that this game will also be coming to iOS for your iPhone and iPad as well as the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. In other words, itll be difficult to find a platform this game is NOT on when it comes down to it. Were feeling strongly that this game will be released inside the first quarter of 2012, but no guarantees yet! Stay tuned for more Sonic action! Relevant Entries on SlashGear.com Sega describes the iPod as flawless for gaming Sonic CD available for iOS tomorrow, Android and WP7 must wait [UPDATE: Android version live now!] NVIDIA high-fives Sega for Sonic the Hedgehog 4 mobile release is written by Chris Burns& originally posted on SlashGear. 2005 - 2011, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Apple to appeal ruling in Italian court

Dave Caolo (TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog)
according to The Register. Apple was fined 900,000 Euros (approximately US$1.2 million) Submitted at 12/30/2011 1:00:00 PM for failing to inform customers Earlier this week, Apple was that they may receive free service fined for poor communication of biennially (via the Consumer its warranty policies in an Italian Code) and for selling Apple court. Today, Apple has stated Protection Plans that overlapped that it will appeal that ruling, availability of that free service.
Apple denies up-selling the typically year-long Apple
Protection Plan, and will appeal the associated fines, according to The Register. Apple was also ordered to alter AppleCare packaging so that it mentions the free Customer Code service. Apple to appeal ruling in Italian court originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple
Weblog on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Source| Permalink| Email this| Comments
36
Technology/
Fisker Karma is so green, even interior uses low-carbon leather

Suzanne Ashe (CNET News)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:04:32 AM
material from Bridge of Weir. The EcoStandard and EcoSport models' seat, steering wheel, dash, Bridge of Weir leather was door casings and center console chosen for the interior of the trim are all wrapped in the Fisker Karma for its luxurious S c o t t i s h c o m p a n y ' s l o c a l l y feel and its low environment produced "low carbon leather," impact during processing.(Credit: Bridge of Weir said in a press Fisker) release. Less than three months on the The leather used in the Karma market and the Fisker Karma is travels less than 100 kilometers already getting high praise for ( a b o u t 6 2 m i l e s ) f r o m t h e being "green" and luxurious. Just slaughterhouse (or abattoir) to the last month, the near $100,000 tannery--most of the leather used p l u g - i n h y b r i d w a s n a m e d in vehicle interiors comes from "Luxury Car of the Year" by BBC S o u t h A m e r i c a a n d t r a v e l s Top Gear magazine. thousands of miles. Then the Part of what makes the Karma so leather is processed at a plant that luxurious is the used interior follows rigorous environmental
standards, the company said. The plant's computerized dye dispensing system, for example "brings greater accuracy, reduces waste and eliminates the need for
employees to handle chemicals," said Bridge of Weir. Energy conservation at the plant includes the use of hydrogenerated electricity and natural
gas. Bridge of Weir leather is also used by Aston Martin, Vertu smart phone handsets, the world's only seven-star hotel in Dubai. The Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid, which features Bridge of Weir leather, and can accelerate from 060mph in 5.9 seconds.(Credit: Fisker) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Bombs power the US homes they were meant to destroy

Damon Tabor
Submitted at 12/30/2011 1:46:00 AM
The end of the cold war created a problem: what to do with the USSR's stockpile of nukes. The solution: a 1993 agreement to convert 500 tonnes of Soviet weapons-grade uranium into fuel
for American nuclear plants. Russia got paid, the US got power and scientists who might otherwise have gone rogue got jobs. Former warheads now fuel about ten per cent of the electricity that the US consumes. When the programme finishes in Soviet missiles will have been 2013, the equivalent of 20,000 repurposed to light the same
homes that they were built to annihilate. Here's how it's being done. Russians have classified some of this process, but it's likely that technicians at disassembly plants in four cities, including the oncesecret Sverdlovsk-45, remove the missile casing and separate the
high explosives (which would have been used to set off the nuclear reaction) from the highly enriched uranium. By: Damon Tabor, Edited by: Dan Smith Continue reading...
Technology/ Economy/ Culture/
37
Viking Social Profile Pics Darwin Yamamoto Illustrates Skyrim Characters as Facebook Avatars (TrendHunter.com)
The Real Tragedy Of The Euro

Tyler Durden
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:15:29 AM
offers a clear perspective on why the EMU is a 'self-destroying' and 'conflict-aggregating' system but The realization that the European counters that with some views on debacle is much more an issue of what the outcome will be and how political harmonization and French governmental pressure Empire-building than one of pure remains the cornerstone of the economic band-aid provision establishment of a European (TREND HUNTER - The Latest should be clear to any- and every- Empire for better or more likely Trends) one who has followed the words for worse. and deeds of the various European The Tragedy of the Euro explains Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:27:03 AM factions for the past year or two. why the Eurosystem almost ( TrendHunter.com) Like many Yesterday, we discussed the collapsed in May 2010 when the this year, Darwin Yamamoto has dithering and competing camps Greek sovereign debt crisis spread succumb to Skyrim fever and has but what is really critical is to to other PIIGS countries. It explains how the system sunk countless hours into the role- understand how we got here and playing game that's taken the what the underlying social and creates money out of nothing and world by storm. As a tribute to the political wills are among all of the creates perverse incentives for B e t h e s d a - p r o d u c e d g a m e , players. There is no better governments that lead to its own summation of the formation, destruction. Without a reform, the Yamamoto... driving forces, and tensions Eurosystem is doomed for failure. among European leaders and Beside the European monetary central bankers than Phillip i n s t i t u t i o n s , t h e b o o k a l s o Bagus''Tragedy Of The Euro'. describes the political interests From the simple divergence of the behind the euro. The single dual visions of Europe with c u r r e n c y w a s a n i m p o r t a n t northern libertarians and southern strategical tool in the plan of socialists to the Bundesbank's European socialists. It served to fearsome reputation for showing get rid of the Bundesbank and the up weak governments, Bagus DM that served as brakes on
European inflation. In his conclusion, Bagus points out that: The institutional setup of the EMU has been an economic disaster. The Euro is a political project; political interests have brought the European currency forward on its grievous way and have been clashing over it as a result. And economic arguments launched to disguise the true agenda behind the Euro have failed to convince the general population of its advantages. The Euro has succeeded in serving as a vehicle for centralization in Europe and for the French governments goal of establishing a European Empire under its controlcurbing the influence of the German state. ...and in response to what the future will bring for a system whose incentives destine it for self-destruction, he sees three possibilities: first, the system will break up; second, the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) will be reformed and finally enforced;
and third, incentives toward having higher deficits than other countries will lead to a pronounced transfer union. In the current crisis, it seems that governments are hovering between options 2 and 3 - what scenario will finally play out is anyone's guess and with Greece's March deadline looming, perhaps now is a good time to read and understand what is really at stake for the Eurozone. The book has been generously released on pdf by The Mises Institute: BagusToE Average: Your rating: None Average: 4.5( 6 votes) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
2011 Drinks Trends

Simon Majumdar (AskMen Latest Articles)
colinspoelman/ Flickr" /> Every year, new trends show up on cocktail menus and on the shelves behind bars across the
land. It might be wine from a certain region, a plethora of boutique versions of a particular spirit, a trend in mixing cocktails, or even new styles of drinking establishments such as punch h o u s e s . S o m e , l i k e t h e bars, are welcome and bring a development of serious cocktail
new burst of energy to an already exciting scene. Others, like the urge to combine spirits with ingredients with which they should never share a glass, emerge as little more than the result of committee-inspired thinking by desperate marketing
executives.Here are the hottest drinks trends I've noticed around the world in my travels in 2011. RELATED VIDEO: Check Out This Year's Drink Trends Continue Reading
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Policy/
Turkey's Museum of Shame - Jenna Krajeski

JENNA KRAJESKI (Foreign Policy)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 10:17:54 AM
Diyarbakir Prison is a notorious site of torture and repression. Now, activists want to transform it into a symbol of Turkey's long war against the Kurds. BY JENNA KRAJESKI| DECEMBER 30, 2011 DIYARBAKIR On a warm Sunday in October, Mehmet Takar, a 49-year-old Kurd in a tailored gray suit, sat beneath an umbrella in Diyarbakir's Kosuyolu park, sipping strong, unsweetened tea. Students chewed pistachios and studied their textbooks on the lawn, enjoying the last days of an extended summer. The park is often a meeting point for Kurdish protesters; large, loud crowds fill the lawns between its fences, shout into clouds of tear gas, and wait to be arrested. It's these protests that give Diyarbakir, a city of 1.5 million in southeastern Turkey, its reputation as a bastion of Kurdish nationalism and anti-government unrest. Diyarbakir flaunts its politics. Graffiti throughout the city cheers the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and roads are scarred by burned tires -- the centerpieces of small protests. The latest flashpoint came on the night of Dec. 28, when Turkish warplanes struck what the military thought were Kurdish militants
near the Iraqi border, killing 35 people. The men later turned out to be cigarette smugglers, many still teenagers. Stone-throwing protesters took to the streets of Diyarbakir in response, clashing with police. At the literal and figurative heart of this long-simmering war sits Diyarbakir prison. In the 1980s
and 1990s, it was a notorious torture site, and the hardships that Kurdish activists underwent there laid the groundwork for the modern Kurdish resistance. Its jail cells are still full to this day. Takar is a former resident of Diyarbakir Prison -- he was sentenced to death in 1980, at age 18, for his connection to the PKK.
His four years in that prison, he said, included physical torture -electric shocks, " Palestinian hanging," and worse. He built escape tunnels without managing to escape. He witnessed the deaths of fellow prisoners, while being reminded routinely that his own was imminent. But it is the psychological torture
that Takar remembers most vividly: The Kurdish language was forbidden, so when his mother visited, they were unable to communicate. He couldn't write letters to his wife, whom he had married shortly before his arrest. "Everything was a gun for them to TURKEY'S page 39
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TURKEY'S
use against us," he said. "Family was a gun." "Diyarbakir prison was designed as a stage on which the Turkish state could perform all kinds of bloody operations on the Kurdish people," Murat Paker, a professor of psychology at Istanbul's Bilgi University, told me. "In Diyarbakir prison they wanted to crush Kurdishness." Twenty years and seven days later, Takar was released, and immediately resumed his work. "I didn't waste any time," he said. "If the issue is freedom of society then you have to fight." He contacted the local offices of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), the legal Kurdish political party, and started doing outreach work. He is also a member of the 78ers Union -- a network of leftist political activists who have tried to heal the deep wounds the Kurdish conflict has left on Turkish society, focusing specifically on prisoner abuse. For the residents of Diyarbakir, there is no greater symbol of Kurdish oppression and resistance than the prison -- a cluster of low, red buildings in the center of the city. In 2010, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, campaigning in Diyarbakir, raised the hopes of the city's residents when he promised to close it, acknowledging the difficulties of living in its shadow and recalling his own time in prison. But a proposal to convert the prison into a school was nixed after opponents reacted with horror to the idea of their children
being educated there. The 78ers Union stepped in; it had recently helped organize a temporary exhibition in Ankara that memorialized victims of torture in the 1980s and 1990s in western Turkey. They proposed to continue that project in Diyarbakir prison. In an unusual example of smoothly functioning politics, all sides -- the Ministry of Culture, the Diyarbakir municipality, the BDP, the 78ers Union -- agreed. "It will be called the Museum of Shame," Takar told me, the same name as the Ankara exhibition. "But the shame won't just be in the name, it will be clear in everything they show. Everyone will see it. We still have our bloody clothes; we want to put them on display. We have to remember the people who died there, and show people that for us, even though we are still alive, our future was killed in that building." But it's one thing to make a campaign promise, and another thing to translate those promises into reality. The long conflict between the military and the Kurds is a minefield on the Parliament floor and the Turkish street alike -- is Turkey really ready to confront it in detail? The 78ers Union is doing its best to make sure that it has no choice. In 2007, its members formed the Truth and Justice Commission for Diyarbakir Prison, a group of 30 academics and activists who record, transcribe, code, and analyze 90-minute interviews with men who were incarcerated there between 1980 and 1984,
when the country was under military rule. So far, the group has interviewed 500 former prisoners, mostly Kurds, and the findings are staggering -- firsthand accounts of systematic torture; hunger strikes; and the organizing of a behindbars resistance that would help form the modern PKK. The commission's findings stitch together a part of Turkish and Kurdish history that goes largely unacknowledged in Turkish media or education. While the modern-day violence between the PKK and the military continues to dominate headlines, the story of how the conflict began has largely been forgotten. "Most Turkish people don't have a clue," Paker, who is a member of the commission, told me. The project has only grown more important as Erdogan's attempts at rapprochement with Turkey's Kurds has foundered. While Erdogan's "Kurdish opening" in 2009 initially seemed to hold promise for easing tensions, it was stopped in its tracks after 34 PKK members were given amnesty -and promptly returned from Iraqi Kurdistan to rally for the PKK. The ensuing public uproar caused Erdogan to retreat from the plan. Since then, the government's crackdown on the Kurds has only gained pace. In the last two years, hundreds of Kurdish politicians and activists have been arrested. The most recent wave of arrests came on Dec. 20, when Turkish police threw dozens of journalists in jail for alleged links to Kurdish
rebels. This crackdown has only succeeded in convincing a new generation of Kurds that there is little point in politics or peaceful activism, and that their only hope is to resort to violence with the armed PKK militia in the mountains. Diyarbakir Prison was the breeding ground for the sort of militancy that Turkey has been fighting for generations. Its overcrowded prison cells became recruiting centers and training grounds for the PKK. The PKK's conduct in prison -- establishing order, teaching Kurdish history, recruiting -- provided it with both a mythology and a manifesto. Letters and pamphlets, written in forbidden Kurdish, marked the beginnings of the Kurdish media that today dominates Diyarbakir. Many of those writings were hidden in the walls of the prison, away from the guards. In the Museum of Shame, they would be unearthed and put on display. Detractors worry that the museum could be a half-apology, a way for Turkey to distance itself from the crimes of the past and further delay discussion of Kurds' outstanding grievances. Recently, Erdogan's publicly apology for a massacre of ethnic minorities in the 1930s that killed thousands, drew mixed reviews. Many were encouraged by Erdogan's acknowledgment of the crimes, but critical of his delivery. "It was an important apology, but very haphazard," Paker said. Such apologies, he thinks, should be accompanied with enough
information about the incident to give a sheltered public the full picture. Others saw the apology as a cynical attempt to push responsibility onto the shoulders of the rival Republican People's Party (CHP). A similar political motive is often linked to the Diyarbakir museum project. "It's only a PR campaign for the government," Inan Keser, a professor of sociology at Dicle University in Diyarbakir told me. "The discussion about making it into a museum is a discussion with an agenda." The agenda, some suspect, is to win the AKP votes. Even a BDP stronghold like Diyarbakir could be persuaded by Erdogan's promise that Turkey is finally coming to grips with the crimes of its past. In the lead-up to the last election, when Erdogan made the promise about Diyarbakir Prison, the AKP campaigned vigorously in the southeast's Kurdish areas. Even more difficult than pinning down the government's motives is imagining it cooperating with the municipality, led by members of the BDP, which the Turkish state views as the political appendage of the PKK. Since the original talks, communication seems to have broken down -- unraveled by a spike in PKK violence. And the ongoing arrests -- many of which have taken place in Diyarbakir -wind the political climate too tight for a sit-down over a museum. In this atmosphere of speculation TURKEY'S page 42
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Policy/
Occupy Everywhere - By James Traub

JAMES TRAUB (Foreign Policy)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:38:58 AM
In this year of protests, is it really fair to compare the grievances of the Occupy movement to the courage of the Arab Spring? BY JAMES TRAUB| DECEMBER 30, 2011 Around this time last year, foreign-policy pundits, including me, were writing about the WikiLeaks cables. That was the big story of 2010: the truth of how U.S. diplomacy actually operated in the world. We could not have imagined -- well, I could not have imagined -- that the great story of 2011 would have absolutely nothing to do with U.S. actions, good or bad. That story, of course, was the struggle by millions of people in the Middle East to throw off generations of tyranny. It may still end badly, but the Arab Spring has been the most thrilling spectacle since the end of apartheid in South Africa in 1991, and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. But where does that leave the United States, the center of global events, the indispensable nation? Are we just spectators of the glorious theater of liberation, as we are spectators of so much else in this new world of emerging, non-Western powers? That just doesn't seem fair. In recent months, a new narrative has arisen which sees the Arab Spring as only one, regional instance of leaderless mass protest against
political and economic injustice -a global movement which began in Tunisia, spread across the Arab world, leaped to Europe and then landed in the United States in the form of Occupy Wall Street,before finally moving onto Russia. "This year," as my friend Kurt Anderson wrote in an adroit
essay introducing Time magazine's choice of "The Protester" as Person of the Year, "do-it-yourself democratic politics became globalized, and real live protest went massively viral." That's true, as well as consolatory from the point of view of American national vanity; but I'm
not convinced that it's as important as Time thinks it is. The Arab Spring was a revolution, not in the classic sense of an upending of the class system, but in the distinctly modern form of a whole people rising up against a corrupt and autocratic leader and his cadre, as
happened in the Philippines in 1986, or the "color revolutions" in the Balkans and the former Soviet states, more recently. Those leaders had so effectively walled off the Middle East from the democratizing forces sweeping OCCUPY page 41
Obituaries
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OCCUPY
the globe that Arabs appeared to be unable or unwilling to seize their own destiny. In fact, as JeanPierre Filiu writes in "The Arab Revolution," "Arabs are no exception, but the resilience of their ruling cliques has been exceptional." The revolution -again, no matter what the ultimate outcome -- put a dramatic end to the Arab exception, and rejoined the Arab sphere to the world around it. That is an event of supreme importance. How did this happen? The incremental change which Western leaders had urged upon Arab leaders had proved to be a dead end and an infuriating snare; it became all too clear that real change could only come from below, and only through mass pressure. What we have witnessed over the last year is millions of individual acts of courage and determination in the face of very grave danger. That's why the Arab Spring has been not only so important, but so enthralling. These individual acts, in turn, were enabled and coordinated by new technologies -- Facebook, Twitter, and others forms of social media. Those media didn't cause the revolution but they did greatly accelerate it, and impart the very specific, and very contemporary, shape of the leaderless mass movement. And this distinctively democratic
form of street protest, with the dignity of acting as individuals joined to the special euphoria of acting in a great mass, did indeed spread abroad -- the first export of the new Middle East. Protesters took to the streets in Spain, then Greece, then Israel, then New York and, very quickly, other American cities. Many of these demonstrations had something of the look and feel of the Arab Spring, with protesters pitching tents in public spaces and shouting, "The people want. . ." -whatever it is the people wanted. So, yes, the form of protest spread; but what about the content? Is it the deepest aspects of the Arab Spring, or the more superficial ones, that have migrated to the West? It's true that protestors in both cases argued that the system is rigged against them, but that's very close to a sine qua non of protest itself. If you thought the system worked, you would just choose your preferred representative to argue on your behalf and go back to work. Anderson writes that the demonstrators of 2011 objected to "hell-bent megascaled crony hypercapitalism." That is a good description of what bound together activists in New York and Madrid, but not in Tahrir Square or Pearl Square, in Bahrain. In the Arab world, cronyism is rampant but
capitalism does not run amok and in fact only barely escapes the paralyzing clutches of the state. The Arab world is pre- what the Western world is post-. But I won't belabor the obvious. Of course, the Arab world has no democracy and the West does, so the one protest is immensely more urgent, and braver, than the other. Egypt needed a revolution; the United States could use some reform. But it's also true that the protestors in Egypt and Tunisia knew very well what the fundamental solution to their problems was, and those in Zuccotti Park did not. And this persistent, even insistent, vagueness has proved to be a problem. The question of what Occupy Wall Street "means" has always been a chimera. Do protesters want to end "hypercapitalism," or capitalism itself? Do they want to make big corporations behave better, or do they think big corporations themselves are bad? It's impossible to say. Even if we accept that the essence of the movement is that the "99 percent" is getting shafted by the "1 percent," what does that tell actually us? The Tea Party, a leaderless mass movement from the pre-Arab Spring era, loathes Wall Street but also loathes taxes, and so objects to increasing tax rates for the very rich. Do they not
count as part of the new zeitgeist? Perhaps the real problem with Occupy Wall Street is less that it is indistinct as that it is inadequate. What gets people into the streets is rank injustice -- a brutal dictator, a pointless war. Bankers getting away scot-free after helping to wreck the economy is a pretty gross injustice, too. But that doesn't go to the core of America's economic problems. The United States, unlike Egypt or Libya, does not have a true bad-guy problem, although it would be gratifying to see the con artists high and low discover the inside of a jail cell. The United States doesn't even have an injustice problem, though of course there's injustice aplenty. The U.S. problem is that it can no longer find the political will to muster the resources it needs to be competitive in the world. It can not, or rather will not, make serious investments in infrastructure, research, education, and training. And it can not do this because it raises too little revenue -- thanks in part to the anti-tax mood sparked by 2010's grassroots revolutionaries, the Tea Party and broadly embraced by mainstream Republic ans -- and because it spends too much of that shrinking pool of revenue on entitlements, thanks in part to the Democratic party and its special interests. The
grotesque spectacle of the recent budget negotiations shows how deeply the U.S. is stuck. Occupy Wall Street has already done some good by stiffening President Barack Obama's spine on taxes, and giving some muscle to his rhetoric on the economy. It may even tip the presidential election in his favor. So far, however, the movement has not had an effect on American politics that begins to approach that of the Tea Party. Recent polls have found that Occupy Wall Street's popularity is fading, and has now sunk below that of the Tea Party. If the movement is ever to deserve being mentioned in the same breath as the Arab Spring, it will have to find a language which appeals to a broad swath of Americans, while its leaders -there will, alas, have to be leaders -- must devise a more coherent and pragmatic program which actually promises to help pull America out of its funk. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Italian who fought for vote rights abroad dies (AP)

(Yahoo! News: Obituaries)
AP - Mirko Tremaglia, a rightwing politician who successfully
battled for the right of Italians has died. He was 85. abroad to vote in Italian elections,
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Culture/ Finance/
TURKEY'S
and suspicion, the Diyarbakir municipality -- accustomed to functioning independently on Kurdish issues -- drafted its own plan. It wants the museum to display the "torture instruments, pictures, and the writings of the victims," said Baris Alen, a spokesperson for the municipality, as well as old Turkish newspapers that confirm some events, and illustrate a campaign of government disinformation. The municipality wants the museum to serve as more than a remembrance for the individuals that died in the prison -- it is pushing for a discussion of the "non-democratic character of the state," Alen said. The 78ers also envision an education component, as well as resources for the families to help them rehabilitate former prisoners. Another idea that has been broached is to include a green space in the large complex, where families could have picnics. According to Alen, the implementation of their plan is not a pipe dream. "The municipality has the right to label the land status," he said. "The
prison is operated by the state, but the land is owned by the municipality." In other words, once the prison closes, Diyarbakir has the authority to do what it wants. Or so its officials seem to think. The two cities of Diyarbakir and Ankara -- separated geographically and culturally -often work in contradiction to one another. Just because the Diyarbakir municipality prepares a proposal does not mean anyone in the Turkish capital will read it. The Turkish state could circumvent the BDP officials in Diyarbakir by appointing a representative at the city level to work on the museum. Of course, Ankara has its own plan. An employee at the Ministry of Culture, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the state is "still working to transform the place into an important warning place. Things are going slow, but we are decisive about it." Her words seemed conciliatory, even hopeful. "The minister," she said, "supports the idea personally." But the devil is in one important detail. "The culture minister will
never accept the word 'shame,'" Yilmaz Akinci, a Kurdish journalist for Al Jazeera and a Diyarbakir resident, told me. "They see it as more of a warning." Shame -- it's a word that can be used in Ankara, but catches fire in Diyarbakir. And on this issue, the state likely cannot be convinced to compromise. "For sure the municipality won't get what they want," Akinci said. "They want to politicize it, and they won't be allowed to." As hard as the municipality works, only the official backing of the state could truly transform the public debate. "The majority of Turks believe the government. If the state officially accepted it as Turkish history, the effects would be incomparable," Paker said. However, it will not be easy to reverse a historical narrative that has been drummed into Turks for generation, particularly when new violence and new arrests continue to polarize Turkish society. It's impossible to know what, exactly, the Diyarbakir prison museum will display in the end. The power struggle over the
museum is only beginning; how it ends depends largely on what happens on the outside. If the conflict between the Kurds and the Turkish state has proved anything, it's that the victors get to design the museums, choose the exhibits, and set the admission fee. When Erdogan made his big campaign announcement last year that the prison would close, he was met with cheers. But he wasn't finished speaking. "Don't worry," he said. "We will build you another one." The new prison, just outside of town, will be almost twice the size. Construction on it is already underway. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
10 Ways to be Abducted by an Alien Videos

(HowStuffWorks Daily Feed)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 8:00:56 AM
You're Watching: Playlist | 10 Ways to be Abducted by an Alien Videos Playlist | 10 Ways to be Abducted by an Alien Videos Interested in learning more? See the full list of 10 10 Ways to be Abducted by an Alien videos in this playlist. There are 10 videos tagged "10 Ways To Be Abducted By An Alien" This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
FTSE 100 lifted by BG's Brazil oil breakthrough

Ben Harrington (Finance News - Business news from the UK and world)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 9:26:58 AM
Best Watches Of 2011

Frank Geelen (AskMen Latest Articles)
Weve given it some careful consideration, and here are the best watches of 2011. There can be only one winner, but the other
nine are our favorites in different categories. All together, these are the most inspiring, most mindbending, most intriguing timepieces of the past year. Although the watch industry has released hundreds, or even search wasnt that hard. These thousands, of new watches, the were the timepieces that really
stood apart.The following are in no particular order, except for the No. 1 entry, which is the overall winner. Continue Reading
Britain's top share index ended the day up after late rally on Friday but remains down on the year in which the threat of contagion from the eurozone debt crisis has unsettled investors.
Economy/
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French Unemployment Hits 12-Year High (It's Going to Get Much Worse); Sarkozy Outlines Jobs Plan (Mathematically It Can't Work); Olli Rehn to Give Keynote Speech at Eurobond Seminar
noreply@blogger.com (Mike Mish Shedlock) (Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis)
daily problems of French citizens by 24 percent of those polled. Sarkozy comes in second with 20 percent and far-right politician Submitted at 12/30/2011 3:07:00 AM The EU Observer reports France Marine Le Pen in third place t o h o l d j o b s s u m m i t a s (16%). unemployment hits 12-year high While all candidates will focus A s h a r p r i s e i n F r a n c e ' s on combatting unemployment and unemployment figures is putting there are set to be many proposals pressure on President Nicolas for economic growth, their hands Sarkozy to deliver, with over half w i l l b e t i e d b y F r a n c e ' s the French population wanting the commitment to reduce its high c a n d i d a t e s f o r t h e s p r i n g budget deficit, as part of an presidential election to focus their overall plan to contain the energies on maintaining jobs. eurozone debt crisis. Sarkozy Figures released by the labour Outlines Jobs Plan Based on ministry this week show that the German Program (Mathematically number of those unemployed hit It Can't Work) 2.85 million in November, a 12- The Wall Street Journal Reports y e a r h i g h a n d t h e s e v e n t h Sarkozy Outlines Jobs Plan consecutive monthly increase. Largely inspired by measures The numbers have sparked a Germany relied on to navigate the debate in France about the nature 2 0 0 9 e c o n o m i c r e c e s s i o n , and future of employment with [Sarkozy's] draft plan calls for Sarkozy convening a jobs summit companies to retain all staff even on 18 January. if they are faced with a slump in Unemployment as an issue is a orders, and for workers to accept number-one priority on French lower pay. As an incentive and to voters' minds. According to a poll help pay for the move, the in La Croix newspaper, 52 percent government would kick in for o f F r e n c h p e o p l e w a n t t h e some of the lost wages and socialc a n d i d a t e s f o r t h e A p r i l security contributions, according presidential elections to focus on to officials at the French Labor r e s p o n s e s t h a t " m a i n t a i n Ministry and union leaders who employment." were briefed on the proposed pact. Of the main candidates in the Mr. Sarkozy intends to discuss running, socialist contender both the job-saving scheme, and Francois Hollande is seen as the flexibility idea at a meeting proposing the best solutions to the with labor and employer unions
on Jan. 18. By then, the government must answer a key question: how to finance measures that officials say could cost more than 1 billion ($1.3 billion) next year. Five months ahead of presidential elections, Mr. Sarkozy is already fighting on multiple fronts to reduce the budget deficit, preserve the country's triple-A debt rating and find a comprehensive solution to the protracted euro-zone debt crisis. The unemployment ratewhich rose to 9.7% of the active population in the third quarteris the latest bad news on France's economic dashboard. The country's trade deficit is projected
more resistance. "All labor unions will say 'No,' because that would amount to making workers pay for the economic downturn," said Mourad Rabhi, a leader at CGT, France's second-largest union. "And in France there isn't the same climate of mutual confidence between workers and companies, as in Germany." Mathematically It Can't Work The unions will agree to pay cuts as long as there are no pay cuts (government kicks in the rest). Moreover the unions will not agree to increase work-time and pay flexibility because "that would amount to making workers to widen to an all-time high of pay for the economic downturn" Heaven forbid. Meanwhile, 75 billion this year, and the Sarkozy needs to trim the deficit, national statistics office, Insee, has forecast that the economy will not increase it, and his proposal likely contract in the current does the opposite. quarter and the first quarter of Note that Hollande is widely predicted to beat Sarkozy in an next year. In France, the measure is likely to election runoff, and Hollande is gather support from trade unions running on a platform to make a s l o n g a s t h e g o v e r n m e n t changes to the agreement reached commits to compensate pay cuts. between Sarkozy and German "We're on board as long as the Chancellor Angela Merkel. government puts some money on Expect European Unemployment the table," said Jean-Claude to Get Much Worse M a i l l y , t h e h e a d o f F o r c e Europe is already in a nasty Ouvrire, France's third-largest recession. Austerity measures coupled with tax hikes in union. The French government's idea to numerous countries but especially increase work-time and pay FRENCH page 47 flexibility is likely to meet much
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Economy/
Explaining Italian Christmas Season Sales (It's Far Worse Than Previously Reported); How Various Austerity Measures Will Affect Spending in 2012; Emails from Italian Readers; Massive European Recession On the Way
noreply@blogger.com (Mike Mish Shedlock) (Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:50:00 AM
In response to Italians Cut Spending in Worst Christmas in 10 Years; Harsh Times Ahead for All Europe(an article translated from Spanish that had me puzzled about a number of things even though I could tell spending fell dramatically), reader Andrea offers a very nice explanation of just how bad things are in Italy. Hello Mish, I can help your readers better understand the reported "spending cuts in Italy". Coldiretti is the farmers lobby and they claim that for Christmas day dinner and lunch they spent 2.3 billion Euros, 18% less than last year and the lowest figure since 2001: Christmas day dinner and lunch (and generally speaking food) is typically a strong tradition that Italians wants to keep as much abundant and tasty as possible even through the worst times, this is why is such an important figure. The other figure you mention ("The consumer group estimates "as much as 40 percent") is related to something completely different and it is an estimate. Just after the Christmas period (from the first days of January) in Italy and in Europe in general you have a "discounted sales", where
retailers sell items at a discounted price to empty their stocks and of the items unsold during the normal season. Typically this is a consistent part of the sales of the year and people used to rush in the shops since the very first hours of the first days to get the best bargains. Codacons (one of the biggest consumer associations) estimates that the "discounted sales" this year will be 30%-40% less than last year. Federconsumatori (another consumer association) instead estimates a reduction of 19/20%, which is probably more close to reality (people have probably waited this season to buy something not urgent). If this happens, it will certainly be a huge sign that recession is beating hard. Regarding total spending during the holiday season, it is quite hard to find a comparison with the last year. The typical comparison reported by media is between the forecast of another consumer association (Federconsumatori) and the actual results: Federconsumatori forecast 4.4 billion and instead the total was 4 billion, so 10% less than forecast. However, looking in the Federconsumatori Website I found the final result for last year: roughly 5 billion. Therefore, Italy had a 20% decline through Christmas, not the 9% cited in the
link you referenced. That 9% drop was based on estimates that had already factored in some of the decline. This was a massive spending reduction for a season that makes a big part of the revenues of the year. Please note that in Italy employees get the so-called "tredicesima", a thirteenth monthly salary just before the Christmas period, and this is cash that typically helped to lift sales during this period. By the way, on Federconsumatori website you can find a lot of statistics about spending, prices and so on, unfortunately in Italian. The most hit seem to be clothes and shoes sectors, which are by the way typical sectors that instead have a lot of sales during the "discount season". Actually I have been in Italy a few days around Christmas and generally speaking the atmosphere is quite gloom: all the time on the media the main topic is austerity, how much it will affect the spending power, frugal Christmas and so on. The tax hikes are quite massive : apart the tax on house ownership (which was canceled by Berlusconi government 3 years ago and so is just a comeback), there will be tax increase on revenues applied by each Italian region, there has been increase between 5 and 10% of fuel
(petrol, diesel, propane and methane). Federconsumatori estimates that the sum of the all the austerity budget laws passed this year (Berlusconi + Monti) will reduce the spending power of a typical family of 7.6%. Best regards, Andrea Email from an Expatriate Living in Italy Here is a second email from a reader. This one is from Mikkel, an expatriate who now lives in Italy. Hi Mish I am a expat living in Italy for the last 6 years. Italy is a wonderful, but strange country. In a politically incorrect and stereotypical analysis of Italy's problems, the North produces, the South lives off the wealth created by the North, and the omnipotent elected assembly (where you do not vote for the candidate, but the party), allows the main politicians like Berlusconi to stay in office nearly forever. Fortunately, Italy is a country of savers. However, huge fiscal pressure have forced over 60% the Italians to spend less. A liter of gas costs now 1.70 euros (over half is in taxes). That amounts to $8.35/gallon. Assuming one has a job (official unemployment rate is 8.5%), the average salary is 1200 euro net/
month or less, but you still need to pay 21% IVA on all goods, car insurance, gas + taxes, utilities, property and car taxes, etc. Gross salaries are on the order of 2500 euros/month. How much money do people have left to save and invest for the future? It will be interesting to see what happens. Thanks Mikkel Massive European Recession On the Way As I have said numerous times, European countries are in dire need of work rule changes, less government spending, less bureaucracy, and fewer taxes. Unfortunately, bureaucrats have responded with increased taxes. The recession in Europe, which has already started, will be massive. Mike "Mish" Shedlock h t t p : / / globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot. com Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http:// www.sitkapacific.com/ EXPLAINING page 46
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WiLLiaMBaNZai7'S 2011 ToP 40

williambanzai7
Submitted at 12/30/2011 10:42:18 AM
THE WILLIAMBANZAI7 2011 TOP 40 I used to enjoy listening to Casey Kasem's Top 40 Countdown driving up to ski country on New Year's weekend. There is not much skiiing going on in Hong Kong and Casey Kasem has apparently finally retired. The good news is we now have the Banzai7 viewer countdown instead. The methodology
followed is simple. I tallied up the page views for all of the images I posted on Flickr. This is not a perfectly accurate gauge since it does not reflect all of the views on Zero Hedge. As you know, I cluster almost everything together in the posts. While ZH tallies views of posts, I have no way of knowing how many have viewed each image. The Flickr tallies do, however, reflect click throughs from ZH, my Blog, Twitter and other sites on which my images are posted or
linked. There is also a substantial amount of other traffic generated on Flickr. Although many important events are not reflected in this list, I thought it would be interesting to show you how the viewer traffic shakes out. Howard Beale went through everything I ever did and came up with another "Best of Banzai7 List." Howard and many others, is of the view that my Fukushima work stands apart artistically. That series of events affected me
deeply and I would agree that the work I did concurrently was inspired. I would add that that period was transformative in terms of my approach (I started discarding more). All of my images are on Flickr and the easiest way to find them is to click on any of these images, which brings you directly to my Flickr stream. I sincerely thank all of you for your support and input (positive and/or polite ;-)) which has helped the evolution of "Visual Combat"
immeasurably. WB7 The countdown list is in reverse order (i.e., the No. 1 viewed image is at the bottom). 40. MF GLOBAL FINANCE 101: WHERE ARE YOU? 39. EURO DETONATORS COVER 38. DEBT CEILINGS FOR DUMMIES 37. THIS SHIT IS FUCKED 36. EURO TEUTONIC WILLIAMBANZAI7'S page 48
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Economy/ Culture/
GLD: A Great Set-Up!

thetechnicaltake
Submitted at 12/30/2011 10:41:45 AM
EXPLAINING
I am sure you have heard all of the pronouncements that the bull market in gold is over. All sorts of reasons have been given from strength in the Dollar to the "you better run for the hills" price is now under the 200 day moving average for the first time in 10 months. I am not going to "poo poo" the price action, because it has been ugly, but all of the data I can muster shows that the fundamental and technical picture remains bright for gold. First, this downdraft still remains within in the realm of pullbacks for a gold bull market. Bull market dogma would suggest that a bull market will do its best to throw you off the bull, and I believe that is what we have in this case. Second, the fundamental picture remains bright for precious metals as bond yields appear to be going lower; there is still talk that economy (or stock market) needs a life line. Third, Dollar strength is the time to buy gold. Fourth, investors' sentiment towards gold has not changed. In other words, if gold was entering
a bear phase, I contend that investors actions would suggest such a dynamic. Lastly, the longer term (monthly) charts continue to suggest that the bull market in gold is very much intact, and if anything, the recent tumult in prices is a buying opportunity as price is at the bottom of a rising price channel. Despite all the good, I am not going to minimize the technical damage that has been done. This can be seen in the weekly chart of the SPDR Gold Trust ETF (symbol: GLD). See figure 1. The pink and red dots are key pivot points, which represent the best areas of buying (support) and
151.96, and with today's price action, price is likely to close back above this key pivot point level. Break below support leads to selling. Buyers step in taking prices higher leaving weak hands on the sidelines with remorse for having sold at the lows. Resistance (old support) coincides with the weekly levels at approximately 157. Figure 2. GLD/ daily In sum, within the context of the fundamentals, the current technical set up in GLD is selling (resistance). The wide compelling. A weekly close above range price bar (see red arrow on 157 would confirm the idiocy of chart) that closed below the the crowd, and a weekly close support level at 157.18 is the first below 150-ish would be reason to sign of technical damage. Support step back again from gold. levels should hold, but this one TheTechnicalTake offers an edid not, and within the context of newsletter: It's FREE! Average: positive fundamentals, I would Your rating: None consider this a warning sign. This entry passed through the Figure 1. GLD/ weekly Full-Text RSS service if this is The next level of support your content and you're reading it Adam Pash (Lifehacker) (150.10) appears to be holding, on someone else's site, please read and based upon the following the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content- Submitted at 12/30/2011 4:00:00 AM daily chart of GLD, the price only/faq.php#publishers. Five As we all prepare for a big year dynamics are turning bullish. See Filters recommends: Donate to ahead, we spent the month figure 2. Once again, the gold and Wikileaks. looking back at the best of the black dots represent key pivot best from Lifehacker from 2011. levels. This past week prices Here's a last look back at the best broke below the key pivot at of 2011 in case you missed anything along the way. More
account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific.
This Is the Best of Lifehacker 2011 [Best Of Lifehacker 2011]
Did Beyonc Have Her Baby?

Kimberly Timlick (PopSugar)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 9:54:52 AM
Beyonc Knowles baby rumors
bombard the internet See Jason Sudeikis and Olivia Wilde step out on a date Mariah Carey shares pictures of her twins with Santa!
O'Dowd is engaged 10 best celeb quotes of the week Bridesmaids actor Chris
Economy/
47
OOPS! 9 Monster Mistakes That Almost Broke The Whole Financial System In 2011 (BAC, RIMM)
FRENCH
Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, and Greece will make matters much worse. "United States of Europe" Author Hosts Eurobonds Seminar The galling arrogance of Eurocrats is rather stunning. Eric Platt (Money Game) e v e n i f w e d o n t g o t o a The National Association of referendum, which was never a Realtors announces the mother of While reading the EU Observer Submitted at 12/30/2011 10:27:00 AM article at the top, this Ad for a purpose in itself. Im glad that all all data revisions It's no question that 2011 was a this discussion has at least After continued calls that its data Eurobonds Seminar on January d i f f i c u l t y e a r f o r m a r k e t s , brought a lot of people back to w a s i n f l a t e d , t h e N a t i o n a l 10, 2011 popped up. corporates, governments, and their senses." He then offered his Association of Realtors admitted Olli Rehn is Vice President of the pretty much anyone with exposure resignation, a temporary national that during its data collection it European Commission. Guy to Europe. unity government, and elections double counted certain sales. The Verhofstadt MEP is the Leader of But the year was only made early next year in return for news forced a 14% downward the Alliance of Liberals and w o r s e b y e r r o r s a n d s o m e support in a confidence vote. revision of existing home sales, Democrats for Europe and author insanely poor decisions that made FOMC announcement delayed representing the loss of more than of the book United States of investors question the people because of broken copy machine two million sales from that Europe(2006), the New Age of running those same companies On the day the Federal Open inflated rate. The NAR took Empires(2008) and How Europe and governments. M a r k e t s C o m m i t t e e w o u l d significant heat for the mistake, can Save the World(2009). We compiled a list of the most announce Operation Twist, a plan and in doing so, painted a far Tireless, Dangerous Demagogues epic fails of the year. Have one to buy billions of long-term bleaker picture of the nation's Rehn and Verhofstadt are tireless, you think we missed? Leave it in federal debt while selling shorter- h o u s i n g m a r k e t t h a n w a s s o c i a l i s t f o o l s a s w e l l a s dangerous demagogues dedicated the comments and we'll add it if term notes, the copy machine used o r i g i n a l l y t h o u g h t . it's just as bad as (or worse than) to distribute the announcement See the rest of the story at to the destruction of sovereign rights of every nation in the EMU. the nine we present here. Greece jammed. The slow down resulted Business Insider p l a n s t o v o t e o n a u s t e r i t y i n a d e l a y i n t h e e a g e r l y Please follow Money Game on They ought to scare the bejeebies out of any sane person who is not measures, then reneges anticipated news and sent Twitter Twitter and Facebook. in favor of a European NannyIn November, Greek PM George a flurry. The announcement was See Also: Papandreou announced Greece twice as long as normal five The 10 Big Stories You Missed Zone. Their brainwashing event, would hold a referendum on pages to they typical two While Thinking About Vacation marketed as a seminar on austerity measures in January. EU which may have caused the jam. This Week l e a d e r s c r i t i c i z e d t h e v o t e , That wasn't the only time the Fed 16 Of Wall Street's Sharpest eurobonds is already filled up. suggesting that Greece would has had issues timing its release. Minds Predict Where Stocks Are The primary thing stopping these socialists and their nanny-zone have to leave the euro if it didn't L a t e r i n t h e y e a r , a n e w s Headed In 2012 accept the austerity measures. But organization broke the strict The 11 Best Performing Stock ideal is the German supreme court. it turned out that the referendum embargo on FOMC minutes, Markets Of The Year This past Wednesday, German was all a bluff, when Papandreou pushing news outlets to follow Constitutional Court Judge Udo cancelled it, saying "I will be glad suit. Di Fabio said in a Spiegel interview " It's a Mistake To
Pursue a United States of Europe". Please note that Di Fabio sees Euro-bonds as illegal. However, the judge proved his naivet with his statement"no politician really intends to transfer their power of disposition over the substance of the national budget at an EU level". On the contrary, the European Parliament is loaded with nannyzone proponents who are conducting seminars on how to do just that. Mike "Mish" Shedlock h t t p : / / globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot. com Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http:// www.sitkapacific.com/ account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific.
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Economy/
Kim Jong-Un Just Issued His First Threat Of War Against South Korea (EWY)
Gus Lubin (Money Game)
WILLIAMBANZAI7'S
News): "When the whole nation is overcome with grief over the Kim Jong-un, who was declared great loss, only the South Korean Supreme Leader of North Korea puppet group committed thricey e s t e r d a y , i s s u e d h i s f i r s t cursed crimes," the Commission terrifying threat of war today. said in a long statement. "The North Korea may "smash the D P R K N a t i o n a l D e f e n s e stronghold of the puppet forces" Commission, above all, discloses in the South in retaliation for before the world and the nation "hideous crimes" committed the truth about those crimes of the during the mourning period for South Korean puppet group." Kim Jong-il. The Commission said the South's Threats of war from Kim Jong- actions created the impression that un's father though terrifying were a 'golden opportunity' had arrived routine. His father threatened and to lead the North to a system attacked the South multiple times, change. "The South Korean but he never started a war or authorities put the three services launched a nuclear offensive or o f t h e p u p p e t a r m y o n a n u s e d h i s a r t i l l e r y f o r c e t o emergency alert and ordered them devastate Seoul. to adopt combat posture, creating Unfortunately no one knows a war-like atmosphere on the what to expects from the 28-year- ground and in the seas and air," it old Kim Jong-un. We hope he's said. just making noise to show people North Korea also condemned the he's not to be messed with. South for spreading anti-DPRK Notably the NYSE-traded South leaflets during the mourning Korea ETF seems unfazed. period and preventing certain Here's part of a statement from groups and citizens from visiting the National Defense Commission Pyongyang to convey their of the Democratic People's condolences. "Traitor Lee MyungRepublic of Korea (via BNO b a k s p e a r h e a d e d a l l t h e s e
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:14:00 AM
35. AMERIKAN OLIGARCH 34. EFSF LETTER 33. OBAMA RATING DOWNGRADE SPEECH 32. BLIDERBURG SQUARED 31. WALMART PRICE RIOT 30. CITIBANK BRANCH NOTICE operations," the Commission said, 29. MIND OF A KEYNESIAN referring to the South Korean 28. MUTTI 27. MF BUM president. It added: "[Lee] sought to attain 26. WEINER HOLDER 2012 his foolish goal by taking the 25. GEITHNER REJECTION advantage of the mourning period, LETTER and if that fails, to lead the DPRK 24. BIN LADEN PORN CLIP to 'contingency' and 'change of . 23. CAPTAIN BEN system'. From the olden times, it B E R N A N K E P H D was considered inhumane to raise one's fist at the neighbor visited ( C O M M A N D E R O F H M S by misfortune and seek profits." T I T A N I C ) 22. HAPPY VALENTINE'S Read more at BNO News. Check DAY WALL STREET out insane pictures from the 21. DEFICIT REDUCTION funeral of Kim Jong-il > POLITBURO Please follow Business Insider on 20. ATLAS MUGGED Twitter and Facebook. Join the conversation about this 19. BANANA NOTE 18. SUPER MARIO EFSF story 17. MESSAGE FROM THE See Also: PONZI SYSTEM North Korea Analysts See This Man Emerging As A Behind The 16. MT DEBTMORE USA 15. S&P RATING MODEL Scenes Powerbroker EXPLAINED This Is The Letter That Got 14. LARRY'S LINKEDIN Mark Hurd Fired As CEO Of HP PROFILE UPDATED Google Recruiter Reveals The Biggest Mistake Job Candidates 13. FOMC GANG SIGNS 12. WEINER Make 11. WHAT'S WRONG WITH
THE MSM? 10. ECONOMIC DECEPTION 9. REP WEINERS FACEBOOK PAGE 8. EURO BOMB 7. MAX AND STACY BED IN 6. EURO FRAUDTOPOLY 5. DIVINE BERLUSCONI 4. KLEPTO-CRONYFRAUDOCRATIC-PONZIPLUTOPIANISM 3 . M U A M M A R BLOOMBERG'S FACEBOOK PAGE 2. THE GOLDEN GROUPON TURDBALL 1. OCCUPY USA BOARD GAME Now, if you want to know something about Banzai7, besides hot looking women and cranking good music, this is what really gets me going... Average: Your rating: None Average: 1( 1 vote) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Economy/ Culture/ TV/
49
European Markets Breathe 10 Most Stressful A Sigh And End 2011 On Jobs in America A Positive Day
Linda C. Brinson (HowStuffWorks Daily Feed)
Department of Labor data to assign points for such factors as deadlines, physical risk, Submitted at 12/30/2011 8:00:56 AM competitiveness and work Simone Foxman (Money Game) a n n o u n c e m e n t s a f f i r m h i s country from receiving EU and It isn't exactly news that environment. willingness to take decisive action IMF aid. While EU officials have unemployment is stressful. But Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:08:00 AM Another problem with in addressing Spain's problems. pledged to consider the law "in working can be a great source of comparisons is that some rankings European markets closed slightly Part of that effort will be new depth," this is a grim development stress for many people. Polls and don't group professions in the positive on the last trading day of taxes and wage freezes for for Austrian banks that would be surveys have found that anywhere same way as others. Some don't the year. government workers, that he highly exposed to a collapse in from one-fourth to nearly half of even look at jobs that others rank Germany's DAX: +0.9% hopes will cut 8.9 billion ($11.5 Hungary. working Americans say that their as highly stressful. Various France's CAC 40:+1.0% billion) in spending. Please follow Money Game on job is extremely stressful[source: rankings list dentists, physicians, UK's FTSE 100: +0.1% Bloomberg reports that the cost Twitter and Facebook. CareerCast]. surgeons, and psychiatrists or Spain's IBEX: +0.9% for European banks to borrow Join the conversation about this Who has the most stressful job? therapists separately, while others Italy's FTSE MIB: +1.2% dollars fell to its lowest level in story Chances are that many people will lump them all into a "medical T h e S p a n i s h g o v e r n m e n t three weeks. On the other hand, See Also: say that they win that dubious professional" category. announced emergency budget European banks stored near Gold Drops And The Euro Falls honor, whatever their job may be. Since any listing of most stressful measures meant to hold the record levels of cash at the central Even Further That's one of the problems with jobs will be subjective, we've Spanish economy over until it can bank's lending facilitya sign of These 10 Dates Are Crucial For the lists that rank jobs by stress come up with our own list of the formally pass a budget in March. nervousness in the financial The Future Of Europe level: Polls and surveys may be 10 most stressful jobs in the U.S. While Rajoy said that Spain's system. EL-ERIAN TO IMF: Stop unreliable. In addition, work- Keep reading. Maybe you have government deficit will probably Last but not least, Hungary Kowtowing To Europe related stresses may not be caused some ideas of your own. b e m u c h l a r g e r t h a n passed a controversial central by occupation, but a particular set This entry passed through the e x p e c t e d a r o u n d 8 % t h e bank law that's preventing the of circumstances. If you don't like Full-Text RSS service if this is your boss or a co-worker, you're your content and you're reading it going to be stressed -- no matter on someone else's site, please read what your job. The same is true if the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentyou know layoffs are coming, or only/faq.php#publishers. Five Jordan Zakarin (TV on Filters recommends: Donate to all enjoy them for their art, but rejection of accepted norms, a if you're not suited to your job. HuffingtonPost.com) Online employment service Wikileaks. there's nothing more intriguing or political stand or even just a attention-drawing as a star who substance-induced mania -- we've CareerCast tries to measure job Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:32:11 AM does and says what he or she seen all of those things this year, stress by using U.S. Census and Despite all the year-end lists wants. and they've stolen headlines and made about the best of this and Now, we may not be fans of all conversation time and time again. the worst of that, the category that the things they do and say, but Here's our list of the biggest compels us most goes completely that's part of the essential DNA of badasses of 2011; vote for the top ignored: Biggest Badasses. Sure, a badass: they do it regardless of badass, and let us know if we great films and TV shows make what anyone thinks. It could be an missed any. headlines for a little while, and we artistic statement, an ego trip, a
These Celebs Did What?!
50
Culture/
FDA Documents Show Agency Once Strongly Opposed Farm Antibiotic Overuse
Maryn McKenna (Wired Top Stories)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 10:00:00 AM
The use of antibiotics and sulfonamide drugs, especially in growth promotant and subtherapeutic amounts, favors the selection and development of single and multiple antibioticresistant and R-plasmid-bearing bacteria. Animals that have received either subtherapeutic and/or therapeutic amounts of antibiotic and sulfonamide drugs in feeds may serve as a reservoir of antibiotic resistant pathogens and nonpathogens. These reservoirs of pathogens can produce human infections. The prevalence of multi-resistant R-plasmid-bearing pathogenic and nonpathogenic bacteria in animals has increased and has been related to the use of antibiotics and sulfonamide drugs. Organisms resistant to antibacterial agents have been found on meat and meat products. If you give the text above a close read, you might think it was written by Mark Bittman or Tom Philpott or Tom Laskawy, or me or any of the small number of journalists who focus on the safety and policy perils of giving scarce antibiotics to confinementraised farm animals. After all,
what it says is what any of us would say: Routine administration of antibiotics to livestock spurs the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria that move through the food chain, threaten human health, and lend their DNA to yet other bacteria, increasing the reservoir of resistance in a dangerous and untracked manner. As it happens, though, the text above wasnt written by any of us. It was written by the Food and Drug Administration, the FDA. Yes, the FDA the federal agency that, as I wrote last Friday,
has just backed off a 34-year attempt to assert regulatory control over growth promoter antibiotic use, opting instead for voluntary self-policing by the agricultural and pharmaceutical industries. The text above comes from the FDAs original 1977 attempt to withdraw penicillin from animal feeds by revoking the drugs approval for that use. Its an excerpt from the Notice of Opportunity for a Hearing (NOOH) that the agency published in the Federal Register
on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 1977. That notice and a companion NOOH revoking approval for tetracycline (published in the Federal Register Friday, Oct. 21, 1977) are what the FDA withdrew last Thursday. What those original documents make clear is that the FDA has never had any uncertainty about the risks posed by subtherapeutic and prophylactic use of antibiotics in large-scale agriculture. It has only lacked the power, funding or will to push back against sustained opposition from industry and from Congress
(which you can see in this timeline). Because they date from 1977, the original notices arent accessible through the Federal Register search engine. They were retrieved by the Natural Resources Defense Council, which has been pressing a lawsuit against the FDA for not pursuing the withdrawal of approvals. For easy accessibility, Ive placed pdfs of them on Scribd: the penicillin NOOH here and the FDA page 52
Culture/
51
2011: The Year Data Centers Turned Green

Eric Smalley (Wired Top Stories)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:11:00 AM
Iceland plays its geothermal ace in the high-stakes green data center market. Photo: Verne Global The amount of data the world stores is on an explosive growth curve. According to research outfit IDC, the digital universe will grow 44 times larger over the course of the decade, thanks to the rise of worldwide obsessions with things like social media and cloud computing. And that means more data centers. But this data center boom comes at a time of high energy prices and heightened concern about carbon emissions. The days of cramming truck loads of servers into a room and firing up a bunch of industrial air-conditioners to cool them are over. Data center operators are gaining control of their energy bills and earning green points by increasing data center efficiency, from server processor chips to warehouse-size buildings. Theres no how-to manual on building green data centers. The industry is feeling its way on energy efficiency and no two data centers are alike. Out of necessity, the huge Internet players Google, Facebook, Amazon, Twitter, Yahoo, and Apple are finding ways to use greener energy and get more out of the energy they use. Google has continued to earn
praise for its energy and environmental practices, and Facebook is actually sharing its progress with the rest of the world. This year, it launched the Open Compute Project, encouraging the rest of the industry to exchange technologies
and techniques for building efficient data centers. 2011 was a banner year for green data centers, with dozens of stateof-the-art facilities opening for business. Here, Wired takes a look at nine of the more innovative facilities that came
online in 2011, rating each by Power Utilization Effectiveness (PUE), the industry standard measure of a facilitys energyefficiency. PUE is ratio of all electricity a facility consumes to electricity used by the IT equipment it houses.
The ideal 1.0 means a facilitys lighting, power, and cooling systems consume no power and its power distribution system is perfectly efficient. Most data centers are in the 2.0 to 3.0 2011: page 53
52
Culture/
FDA
tetracyclines one here. (That lawsuit, filed in May 2011, may have triggered the FDAs reneging on the original withdrawal notices, in that it put pressure on the agency to support its 34-year-old intentions. Its also an example of how people periodically have called on the FDA to follow through on its proposed ban. One purpose of the lawsuit was to force the FDA to pay attention to two citizens petitions filed in 1999 and 2005 by the groups Public Citizen, Center for Science in the Public Interest, Union of Concerned Scientists and Food Animal Concerns Trust. In a parallel move to last weeks, the FDA ignored those petitions for years, but denied them once the lawsuit was brought.) The 1977 withdrawal notices make fascinating reading. For one thing, they throw light on the FDAs history on this issue, which is surprisingly sciencebased. They say the FDA began examining subtherapeutic use of antibiotics even before the 1969 publication of the Swann Report in the UK, which first raised the alarm about resistant bacteria emerging as a result of agricultural antibiotic use. (Important context: This was occurring in a period when concern about infectious disease risks was at an all-time low. The Swann Report was published two
years after the US Surgeon General famously said or didnt say that it was time to close the book on infectious disease, and the US had had only one outbreak of MRSA, in a hospital in Boston.) Some excerpts from the penicillin NOOH: The Bureau (of Veterinary Medicine)s primary concern is with that portion of increased antibiotic resistance in the ecological system which may result from the practice of using subtherapeutlc levels of penicillin and other antibiotics in animal feed for prolonged periods. This practice, which sometimes produces increases in growth promotion/feed efficiency, provides an ideal environment for selective pressure to operate. When exposed to an antibiotic, the organisms that are drug resistant survive while the growth of other (drug-sensitive) bacteria Is inhibited. Eventually, the antibiotic-resistant organisms predominate in the bacterial population, and continuous antibiotic pressure perpetuates this abnormal situation Evidence demonstrates that the use of subtherapeutic levels of penicillin and other antibiotics in animal feed contributes to the increase in antibiotic-resistant E. coli and in the subsequent transfer of this resistance to Salmonella A number of studies have shown
that humans in contact with animals receiving medicated feed, including subtherapeutic levels of penicillin, have a higher incidence of drug-resistant organisms in their flora than do control populations of individuals without this direct contact During the slaughtering process, contamination of carcasses with intestinal microorganisms cannot be prevented. Meat and meat products are often contaminated with antibiotic-resistant E. coli, and these often reach the human consumer The Director must conclude that man is exposed to R-plasmidbearing intestinal bacteria through contact with contaminated food. Because the drug resistance of these bacteria is increased by feeding the animals subtherapeutic levels of antibiotics, such feeding enhances the likelihood of transmitting Rfactor bearing bacteria to man through contact with contaminated food. If you spend any time looking into this issue of inappropriate antibiotic use in agriculture, you fairly quickly run up against the assertion that the case for agricultures responsibility is not proven, and there is no clear evidence of risk. (As was said so often by tobacco companies: More research needed.) What these 1977 notices make clear is that, once upon a time, the FDA
did not agree with that. In 1977, the agency was very clear that using antibiotics in agriculture in growth-promoter doses caused the emergence of resistant bacteria that moved off the farm to threaten human health. Which makes it all the more disturbing that, 34 years later, the FDA has determined that championing that well-proven case is a losing battle. See Also: News: FDA Wont Act Against Ag Antibiotic Use EU Parliament Votes To Oppose Most Farm Antibiotic Use Update: Farm Animals Get 80 Percent of Antibiotics Sold in U.S. FDA estimates US livestock get 29 million pounds of antibiotics per Drug-Resistant Bacteria: To Humans From Farms via Food Flickr/ Quinn.Anya/ CC This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt duet blows cuteness meter [video]
(Holy Kaw!)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:24:00 PM
Adorkable might rank as the most annoying faux word of 2011, but there are few other adjectives that can accurately describe this duet by Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The 500 Days of Summer costars reunited to cover Nancy Wilsons What Are You Doing New Years Eve?. Less adorkable celebrity news. Permalink| Leave a comment
Culture/ Obituaries
53
2011:
range, meaning ancillary systems and losses consume as much or more energy than the electricity used to run the servers, but the cream of crop have PUE ratings well below this range. Facebook: Prineville, Oregon Facebooks massive complex in the high desert of eastern Oregon makes the most of free cooling, meaning using outside air. An aircraft-carrier-size space above the server rooms acts as a giant ventilation duct. An evaporation room uses the sites dry air for low-power evaporative cooling when outside temperatures are high. PUE: 1.05 to 1.10 This room in Facebook's Prineville data center puts a chill in the air with minimal exertion. (Photo: Pete Erikson/Wired.com FedEx: Colorado Springs, Colorado FedExs new data center uses cool, dry Rocky Mountain air for free cooling. The global shipper expects to use this very efficient cooling 5,000 hours a year, or 57 percent of the time. PUE: 1.28 Cool, dry air helps give this FedEx data center a Rocky Mountain high level of efficiency. Photo: FedEx Google: Hamina, Finland Google converted a 1950s-era papermill into a state-of-the-art
data center that uses seawater for cooling. Heat exchangers cool the servers, and the warm wastewater is mixed with seawater before its returned to the Gulf of Finland to minimize thermal pollution. PUE: 1.14* *average of Googles 5 MW and larger data centers Harris Corporation: Harrisonburg, Virginia This highly redundant, highly secure trusted cloud facility won the Uptime Institute 2011 Green Enterprise IT Audacious Idea award for recycling cooling water to irrigate the data centers 4.5 acre grounds. A closed-loop condenser cooling system uses ultraviolet light and electrical pulses rather than harsh chemicals to control corrosion, scale and biological contamination. PUE: 1.36 Hewlett-Packard: Fort Collins, Colorado HPs new facility is a testbed for developing green data centers. The Rocky Mountain facility uses free cooling and evaporative cooling. It also has thousands of environmental sensors that feed a data analytics system for finegrained resource management. The plastic sheets above the server racks in the image below prevent cold air fed into the servers from mixing with hot air exhausted from the servers.
PUE: 1.15 Clear plastic walls help this HP data center keep its cool. Photo: HP IBM: Auckland, New Zealand IBMs new down under data center uses environmental monitoring and a power management system that measures power, water and diesel use in real time. The facility uses free cooling from outside air and rainwater captured in cooling towers. PUE: 1.6* *annual maximum level Tieto: Espoo, Finland The European IT services companys new data center won the Uptime Institute 2011 Green Enterprise IT Beyond the Data Center award for using waste heat to heat 1,500 area homes. The company sited the facility near a cogeneration power plant so that waste heat could be fed into the power companys district heating network. The data centers contribution is expected to offset 10,000 tons of carbon dioxide. PUE: 1.2 to 1.3 Vantage: Santa Clara, California This data center hosting facility earned LEED Platinum certification, the greenest classification from the US Green Building Council. The energyefficient facility also conserves water. It was built with low-toxic
materials, and 91% of construction waste was diverted from landfills. PUE: 1.29 This Silicon Valley data center hosting facility looks platinum through green-colored glasses. Photo: Vantage Verne Global: Reykjanesbaer, Iceland This data center hosting and colocation facility makes a unique claim: carbon-neutral operations. The facility is powered by geothermal (shown in the image at the top of this story) and hydroelectric energy, which are cheap and abundant in Iceland. It also takes advantage of Icelands cool, dry air for year-round free cooling. PUE: 1.2* *testing phase data This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
NYE 2011: Planning to party on social media [infographic]

(Holy Kaw!)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:56:00 AM
Via hotlist. Like infographics? So do we. Permalink| Leave a comment
Singer, actress Kaye Stevens dies in Florida (AP)

(Yahoo! News: Obituaries)
AP - Singer and actress Kaye Stevens, who performed with the
Rat Pack and was a frequent guest on Johnny Carson's "The Tonight
Show," has died at a central Florida hospital. She was 79.
54
Culture/ TV/
Samoa skips a day to get a jump on The Best TV Kisses 2012 Of 2011
(Holy Kaw!)
Zealand, but regular folk were given a bonus by the government to compensate for the lost Friday While many bemoan the hour lost by being paid for the day if they or celebrate an hour gained due to were scheduled to work. daylight savings time-related Samoa has also jumped ahead of changes, Samoans are celebrating Tonga to be the first country to their loss of an entire day as the ring in the New Year, which country officially jumped the offers some great perks in the international date line last night. publicity department, but the The official reason for skipping tourism industry is making the to Saturday is the advantage to be most of the switch, too: gained being in sync with their In an effort to spin the time biggest trading partners, including change for possible tourists, in the A u s t r a l i a , C h i n a a n d N e w Guardian the Samoan prime
Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:15:00 PM
minister argued for people to jump the timeline with them and celebrate birthdays or
anniversaries twice. "You can have two birthdays, two weddings and two wedding anniversaries on the same date on separate days in less than an hour's flight across [the ocean], without leaving the Samoan chain." American Samoa, which is less than 100 miles away, is staying on the Western side of the time line. Full story at The Atlantic. Time have changed. Photo credit: Fotolia Permalink| Leave a comment
Jaimie Etkin (TV on HuffingtonPost.com)

Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:05:28 PM
Best Movies Of 2011

Rick Mele (AskMen Latest Articles)
It's been quite a year at the movies in 2011: We've seen 3D take over, childhood favorites return, major cities explode, franchises reboot, writers timetraveling, and existential indies ruminate on the nature of the universe. In other words, a lot like what we watched in 2010. But still, a few trends emerged, as new aliens attacked seemingly every other weekend, the hard-R comedy made a strong comeback
and our shared nostalgia was exploited wherever and whenever possible. Meanwhile, Hollywood gave us a steady stream of sensory assaults in various forms in 2011, from giant robots smashing
buildings to Michael Fassbender going full frontal. (Just be glad Shame director Steve McQueen didn't decide to join Michael Bay on the growing 3D bandwagon.)And while year-end
There's nothing better for a TV fan than their favorite couple finally sealing it with a kiss. When that tension that builds up for seasons explodes in a moment of passion, viewers can't help but smile and swoon. This year had no shortage of long -awaited kisses: from Blaine and Kurt finally making it official -and making Gleeks go "aww" -on "Glee" to a water-soaked engagement lip lock for Michael Scott on "The Office" to Sookie "Best Of" lists have become as and Eric's porch session on "True much of an annual December Blood" that needed to be hosed t r a d i t i o n a s c o l l e c t i v e l y down. pretending our movie tastes Watch our mash-up of the 11 TV improve in the winter months, kisses we deemed the best of that's not stopping us from 2011! recapping the year in movies. So Now, find out more about the here's what we were watching in couples who made those magic 2011. They may not all be Oscar moments happen: contenders, but you weren't fooling anyone with your halfbaked Tree of Life dissertation anyway. Continue Reading
Culture/ Finance/
55
A Bikini-Clad Miley Cyrus Spends Some Beach Time With Liam

Lindsay Miller (PopSugar)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 9:58:49 AM
Miley Cyrus wore a bright, strapless bikini in Hawaii yesterday as she and Liam Hemsworth spent some time on the beach. The couple are in the islands after marking the holidays with their families, and during their day by the water, the pair were also seen playfully snapping some photos - Liam even stripped off his shirt for Miley's lens! Miley looked relaxed as she and Liam lounged in the sun, despite Tweeting about her fear of flying as they set off for their vacation. Miley and Liam have been dating off-and-on since teaming up on the movie The Last Song. Miley has been focusing mostly on her music career since then, going on a major tour this Summer and recording several new songs this year, but she'll make her return to
film soon. Last month, it was announced that Miley will be a voice in the upcoming animated movie Hotel Transylvania, playing the daughter of Adam Sandler's character. In the meantime, Liam is gearing up for a milestone big-screen moment of his own, with the highly anticipated adaptation of The Hunger Games hitting theaters in Marty Cortinas (Wired Top Stories) just a few short months. View Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:15:00 PM Slideshow
Game|Life Podcast: The Extremes of 2011

Judging by your facial expression, you are conflicted about rating L.A. Noire. Image courtesy Rockstar Its the last Game|Life podcast of the year. Yes, were skipping the last week, but to make up for it were bringing you not one, but two great discussions: the best games and the most disappointing games of 2011. The crew is back together for this edition. Specifically, Game|Life Editor Chris Kohler is joined by Wired magazine Senior Editors Chris Baker and Peter Rubin, and Wired.com Managing Editor Marty Cortinas. Send all complaints to Kohler. The Game|Life podcast is posted every Friday and is available on iTunes and as a direct MP3 download. See links below. GameLife Reboot: Episode 011 Subscribe to RSS feed Subscribe on iTunes > This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
FTSE loses 90bn over year but eurozone fares worse

Telegraph Staff (Finance News - Business news from the UK and world)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 10:44:58 AM
the value of the index, but despite the fall shares in London have fared much better than those in Frankfurt and Paris.
The FTSE 100 has ended 2011 down after a turbulent year that has seen around 90bn wiped off
56
Culture/ Politics-Left/ Featured/
Pregnant Alessandra Ambrosio Hits the Beaches in Brazil with Her Baby Bump
Katie Henry (PopSugar)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 9:32:56 AM
Spain unveils spending cuts to tackle deficit

(AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE))
Submitted at 12/30/2011 10:46:47 AM
unexpected measures," she said. Santamaria announced that Spain will extend a public-sector pay Pregnant Alessandra Ambroosio S p a i n ' s n e w c o n s e r v a t i v e freeze for another year in 2012 was back on the beach in Brazil government has unveiled its first and freeze the hiring of civil yesterday showing off her baby austerity measures as it tries to servants to reduce the public bump in a bright, yellow bikini. reassure markets of its plan to get deficit. The supermodel announced she's a g r i p o n p u b l i c f i n a n c e s A full-blown 2012 budget is expecting her second in the a n d r e v i v e a n expected in late March. Spring, and shared a photo of her e c o n o m y a m i d s e v e r e The government also decided to growing belly on Facebook. freeze public-sector hiring in all Alessandra is no stranger to her fellow Angels Miranda Kerr, u n e m p l o y m e n t . Spain's new government said on areas except for health, education, wearing sexy outfits, and was one Erin Heatherton, and Karli Kloss of the lucky Victoria's Secret in February to shoot the retailer's Friday the public deficit for 2011 policing and tax inspection, Angels chosen to walk the runway upcoming Summer catalog. View would come in at eight per cent of Santamaria said. gross domestic product, well 'Sending a message' in this year's holiday show. We'll Slideshow above a target of six per cent, and The previous Socialist have to wait and see if she joins announced income- and property- government cut public-sector tax increases and a civil-servant- wages by an average of 5.0 per wage freeze in response. cent in May 2010 before freezing With much of the country on civil servant salaries this year. holiday, Mariano Rajoy, the prime " T o d a y ' s m e e t i n g r e a l l y i s minister, was presiding over a designed to send a message which Daniel Halper (The Weekly holds the first in the nation cabinet meeting that approved the is that the cuts start now," Dr Standard) primary: first in what is expected to be a Nigel Townson, a professor of Romney, once again, is trying to painful series of spending freezes political science in Madrid, told Submitted at 12/30/2011 10:22:00 AM portray himself as a visionary-- or cuts. Al Jazeera. Republican presidential candidate and as an optimist. He did this Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, the "There's no question that they're Mitt Romney released yet another earlier in the week with an ad deputy prime minister in the new going to carry out [more] very ad, though today's is targeted at aimed at Iowa. Popular Party-led centre-right severe cuts over the next few New Hampshire, the state that government, outlined public- months." spending cuts worth $11.5bn Cristobal Montoro, the new (8.9bn euros) to tackle the deficit. treasury minister, announced "We're facing an extraordinary tax increases on Friday that will and unexpected situation, forcing focus on the wealthy, raising us to take extraordinary and around 6bn euros.
Romney Releases New Hampshire Ad
The conservatives, who swept to victory in November amid dissatisfaction over the Socialists' handling of the crisis, have pledged to turn the economy around while reforming a broken labour market and pulling the country out of a prolonged slump. Rajoy has repeatedly said he is determined to meet Spain's commitment to cut its budget deficit to 4.4 per cent of GDP in 2012. Worries over Spain's public finances and a banking sector heavily exposed to a property bubble that burst in 2008, have caused the country's borrowing costs to rise sharply. There are fears Spain could end up suffering the same fate as the three bailed-out eurozone countries - Greece, Ireland and Portugal. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Politics-Left/ Featured/
57
Clashes erupt as protests spread across Syria

Submitted at 12/30/2011 9:46:30 AM
"We know that large demonstrations are also under way in the city of Hama, [in] At least 32 people have been Homs, as well as [in] Idlib, where reported killed during fresh we've seen images of observers protests against the Syrian t h e m s e l v e s a l o n g w i t h t h e government, as hundreds of demonstrators in the midst of it t h o u s a n d s o f d e m o n s t r a t o r s all." flooded streets across the country. Omar Hamza, a witness to the Activists said the deaths came on clashes between security forces Friday as protesters, emboldened a n d d e m o n s t r a t o r s i n t h e by the presence of Arab League Damascus suburb of Douma on observers in the country, took to Friday, said government forces the streets after noon Muslim shot at protesters who gathered at prayers. a mosque in the city. The UK-based Syrian Human "More than 100 people are injured Rights Observatory said more right now," he told Al Jazeera. "It than half a million people turned is a very bad situation in Douma out for the largest demonstrations today." in months. Hesitant to speak Al Jazeera's Dorsa Jabbari, The violence comes as the Arab r e p o r t i n g f r o m B e i r u t i n League observer team in Syria neighbouring Lebanon, said the continues its mission aimed demonstrations were taking place at determining whether President in 18 different provinces across Bashar al-Assad is implementing Syria. a peace plan to end the violence. " O n e o f t h e b i g g e s t Our correspondent said protesters demonstrations is near the capital, on Friday were eager to show the Damascus. Activists have called observers the situation on the on all residents to try and reach ground and have their stories the centre of their cities. In heard, but some residents were Damascus ... they are being met more hesitant to speak. by security forces who have used " [ T h e o b s e r v e r s ] a r e b e i n g tear gas, according to many of the followed by Syrian forces as part residents nearby," she said. of the agreement, so they are
responsible for their safety. So some residents don't feel they have the freedom to speak in front of Syrian authorities in front of the observers," she said. Syrian activists called on Thursday for the removal of the head of the Arab League monitoring team in a new blow to the credibility of the mission. The opposition has condemned the observers' presence as a farce to enable Assad to buy time a n d a v o i d m o r e international censure and sanctions. The 60 Arab League monitors are the first set of observers allowed in to the country during the nine-month uprising. Their remit is to ensure that the government is complying with the terms of the regional bloc's plan to end the crackdown on protests. Activists doubtful Syrian activists, however, doubt
violence in the city. They saw how security forces shoot at protests. They also saw the bodies of dead people," Abdullah said. "The monitors also saw destruction in the city. One of the observers asked residents of Baba Amr neighbourhood How can you live in this place?'" Arab monitors are getting the International diplomats from access they need to be able to give China, Russia and the US have a fair assessment of the violence urged Syria's government to that the UN estimates has left facilitate the observer mission. more than 5,000 people. The Arab League plan, endorsed A member of the observer team by Syria on November 2, calls for told Al Jazeera the situation in the withdrawal of the military Syria was "very dangerous". from towns and residential The official, who declined to be districts, a halt to violence against named, said there was constant civilians and the release of shelling in the city of Homs with detainees. some areas under control of the The Syrian government says Free Syrian Army, an umbrella most of the violence has been group of armed anti-government perpetrated by "armed terrorist fighters. Observers plan to visit groups" that are working against protest hubs in the country the government. The source said he believed This entry passed through the the Arab League mission was Full-Text RSS service if this is certainly going to fail. your content and you're reading it Speaking to Al Jazeera, Hadi on someone else's site, please read Abdullah, an activist in Homs, the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentsaid that monitors witnessed the only/faq.php#publishers. Five crackdown on protests, but he was Filters recommends: Donate to s u s p i c i o u s o n h o w t h e y Wikileaks. would report it. "The observers saw a lot of
Boycott the Virginia Republican Primary?

William Kristol (The Weekly Standard)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 9:38:00 AM
The Virginia Republican Party is
apparently planning to require voters in the March 6 Virginia GOP presidential primary to sign a form that says, I, the undersigned, pledge that I intend
to support the nominee of the Republican Party for president.
58
Politics-Left/ Products/
Deadly Cyclone Thane hits southern India

Submitted at 12/30/2011 10:42:50 AM
with heavy to very heavy falls at a few places and isolated extremely heavy falls would Thane damaged parts of India's occur," the Indian Meteorological southeast coastline on Friday, Department said. bringing down walls and power "Gale wind speed reaching lines [Reuters] 120kph to 130kph gusting to Lashing rains and gale force 145kmph is likely along and off winds are bearing down on India's n o r t h T a m i l N a d u a n d southeastern coast, disrupting P o n d i c h e r r y c o a s t s d u r i n g power supplies a n d next three hours and then decrease communication lines as Cyclone gradually." Thane makes landfall near the Witnesses in Chennai and i n d u s t r i a l c i t y o f C h e n n a i , Pondicherry said trees had been officials said. toppled, there had been power Packing wind speeds of up to outages throughout the night and 125kph, and accompanied by tidal disruption to phone and internet surges of up to 1.5m, Thane hit services in some areas. Tamil Nadu state on Friday, Hundreds of people from fishing killing at least eleven people and communities along north Tamil causing coastal villagers to move Nadu's coast, and neighbouring to relief shelters. Andhra Pradesh state, have "Under the influence of this moved to schools set up as relief system, rainfall at most places centres until the weather system
with some 15,000 people put on high alert." India's cyclone season generally lasts from April to December, with severe storms often causing dozens of deaths, evacuations of tens of thousands of people from low-lying villages and widespread crop and property damage. In 1999, a "super-cyclone" battered the coast of the eastern state of Orissa for 30 hours with wind speeds reaching 300kph, killing 10,000 people. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it passes. "They had about 24 hours to on someone else's site, please read "Making relief efforts diffuclt, prepare, unlike with other storms. the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentroads are blocked because of So evacuation shelters are in only/faq.php#publishers. Five h e a v y r a i n f a l l , t r a i n s p l a c e , " o u r c o r r e s p o n d e n t Filters recommends: Donate to were canceled and international said. "Eight teams from the Wikileaks. flights also canceled," Al Jazeera's d i s a s t e r m a n a g e m e n t f o r c e Prerna Suri said. are deployed from New Delhi,
Just In: 2012 Hyundai Accent SE

Consumer Reports News (Consumer Reports)
a lot of content-full power accessories, iPod control, keyless entry, alloy wheels, Bluetooth, Submitted at 12/30/2011 9:29:59 AM even a trip computer. Other than Just In: 2012 Hyundai Accent SE the lack of an outside temperature We were pretty impressed with display, this Accent really doesnt the redesigned-for-2012 Hyundai want for anything. Several early Accent GLS sedan we tested. It logbook comments from our staff p r o v e d t o b e a s u b s t a n t i a l say that they could happily live improvement over the model it with this inexpensive car. (That replaced. Now we bought a said, the roomier Hyundai Elantra second Accent to test, this time a GLS stickers at only $17,205 with well-equipped SE hatchback with a manual -and at that price, all a manual transmission. you give up are the Accent SEs Its $16,695 sticker price includes alloy wheels.)
Like several other Hyundais, the Accent SE claims 40 mpg on the highway. Hyundais come under fire in some quarters, particularly from Elantra owners, for having optimistic EPA fuel economy
estimates. Well be curious to see how this Accent stacks up in our formal tests, but so far, its not too hard to eke over 40 mpg out of the car on the highway. The six-speed manual transmission certainly seems to help. The Accent shares its 1.6-liter direct-injected fourcylinder with the funky Veloster sports car. Small stick-shift hatchbacks like these may be sold as gas-sippers, but they often provide cheap fun as an unexpected bonus. Cars like the Ford Fiesta SES and Honda
Fit Sport hatchback that weve tested prove to be both practical and entertaining. Well see how this Accent SE compares when we fully test it. Subscribe now! S u b s c r i b e t o ConsumerReports.org for expert Ratings, buying advice and reliability on hundreds of products. Update your feed preferences
TV/ Science/
59
David Fagin: Saving for a "Collagen" Education: Can We Go Any Lower Than Toddlers & Tiaras?
David Fagin (TV on HuffingtonPost.com)
Slow-Motion Video: Blender Versus Pomegranate

Paul Adams (Popular Science New Technology, Science News, The Future Now)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:45:06 AM
one of these "Mimps" (MommyPimps) as she openly brags that her goal in life is to mooch off her Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:06:31 PM young daughter's celebrity for as "I did awesome. I'm better than all long as she can. Is she talking the other girls," boasts beauty about her daughter or a used car? queen Torran Robinson, age 8. The logical next step for the Watch five minutes of Toddlers networks is to shoot a reality & Tiaras, TLC's controversial version of The Hunger Games. reality show featuring virtual A few years back, Sacha Baron infants learning all the wrong life Cohen's film Bruno shed some lessons in the guise of a beauty light on the disturbing subject of pageant, and tell me the world mothers willing to exploit their isn't coming to an end. children in the pursuit of fame It's bad enough we have the ever- when he secretly filmed the p o p u l a r " m y - s u c c e s s - i s - mommy of a two-year-old c o n t i n g e n t - o n - y o u r - f a i l u r e " agreeing to subject her baby to mantra governing almost every plastic surgery if it meant the adult-oriented reality show, but do possibility of landing a national we really need to sink to the level commercial. As bad as that was," where we're offering our kids up T&Ts" takes it to a whole new as bait in exchange for a shot at level. the big time? Thanks to the Child beauty pageants have been success of the aforementioned, the around for a long time. Knowing a n s w e r i s a p p a r e n t l y a they exist is one thing, but resounding, "Yes!" watching the carnage unfold Not only do we get to see five- firsthand in your living room is year-olds playing the competition another. After all, aside from game to the max, complete with a Extreme Home Makeover, aren't visit to the chiropractor to gain the main ingredients of almost that 'extra edge,' but we're treated every successful reality show a to a glimpse inside the mind of toxic blend of humiliation,
tension, and aggression? And, while the producers of Toddlers ^ Tiaras haven't yet bestowed upon us a throw-down between two sixyear-olds, in my opinion, what they're doing is much worse. Just watching one of these future "Veruca Salts" as she learns to be a sore loser (or worse, an ungracious winner), and overhearing a starstruck mother as she imparts upon her impressionable child life's most valuable lesson: the need to be better than everyone else, one can't help but feel that by simply tuning into the show, you're an accomplice. An accomplice in the destruction of a dozen childhoods per week. Where Toddlers & Tiaras really succeeds is in its ability to give viewers an up-close-and-personal glimpse into what will most likely amount to a sadly confusing, vanity-filled, twisted adolescence and adulthood for many of these little girls. Thanks to the magic of reality television, the stars of the show are no longer just beauty pageant contestants, they're now pint-sized celebrities -- signing
autographs, endorsing dolls, landing their own spin-off shows, etc. And, I think we've seen at least one or two of those derail in recent memory. The big question is, where does it end? Are reality shows becoming our reality? The Internet is overrun with clips of teenagers beating homeless people for sport, parents encouraging their kids to fight each other, and countless stories of teen celebs relapsing after rehab. But, who can blame them for their neanderthal behavior when everywhere you look is the message that living a "screw you" lifestyle is the preferred way to succeed? You don't have to be a sociology professor to see there's something wrong with this picture. On one hand, reality shows like Toddlers & Tiaras keep reminding us, indeed, we can sink even lower. On the other, I can't wait for Bravo's UFC Kids this spring.
A celebration of a beautiful fruit Now is the time of year when pomegranates are at their sweetest and juiciest. This video celebrates the season in one of our favorite ways: by tossing a pomegranate into our Vitamix blender and filming the vegetarian carnage in ultra-slow motion with the Phantom supercamera. Before you cringe, rest assured: the fruit sacrificed here was a terrible runty juiceless specimen.
60
Products/
Optoma Neo-i Video Projector & Speaker System for iPhone & iPod
(Woot! - One Day, One Deal)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:00:14 AM
one man given so much and asked so little? Paul, its just a shame your Maybe He Did it Thirty-Five reward for this Watchmen-level Minutes Ago gambit is going to be a long Not going to PAX this year, stretch of unemployment and the son? Why not use the Optoma release of a dossier-sized torrent Neo-i Video Projector to see what containing everything youve ever you missed from your couch. said, been and done. On the Hey, Paul Christoforo. No, no, bright side, future employers will dont recoil in horror and run sure find it so easy to verify it away in fear. Were not going to was you who re-contextualized condemn you for all that stuff you Son into a 21st Century insult! said over the holidays. Why So before you pre-refuse the pizza should we? You didnt even deliveries and turn off your include us in your made-up list of computer until July, can we clients! In fact, even now, as recommend you pick up this Kotaku, IGN and G4 take great Optoma Neo-i Video Projector to pains to distance themselves from keep you company during your your innovative attempt to go long seclusion? negative, were going to say With nothing more than your something no one else dares to iPhone, iPod or other device, the say. Were going to say thank Optoma Neo-i Video Projector you, Paul Christoforo. Thank you will be taking what youve got for doing something no one else saved and throwing it up on the ever could. Through the total and wall. No need to hang onto that complete sacrifice of your expensive HDTV! Go ahead and professional career, you brought sell it for rent money! Because the Internet together against a with the Optoma Neo-i Video common foe. Today its not Projector, all those movies and Xbox vs PS3 or Console vs shows and homemade videos are PC or any of the other petty easily projected at up to 120 squabbling that goes on behind inches, in 16:9 WVGA resolution. the scenes. Today its cut and The HDMI port means you can dried: all of us vs little ol you. plug in that Blu-ray. The VGA And how could a genius like you port means you can hook up that not know exactly what you were computer. The AV-in means doing when you committed quality sound and the iPod/ professional suicide? When has iPhone dock means a nice safe
place to charge your phone when it isnt in use which it wont be, we expect, for quite some time. But then again, you knew that, didnt you, Paul? A wellconnected guy like you probably knows everything. Thats how we know this all is part of your master plan. Paul, the sacrifices youve made well, gosh. It was audaciously brilliant to fire up the geeks of the world with a single well-planned email rant. Those typos in your twitter accounts werent mistakes from a buffoon they were delicate strokes of genius! You played them all like an expensive keytar, and for what end? Just to bring the online world together, for a few days, at the end of 2011. Gandhi, King, Mandela and Paul. Its just too bad the world doesnt see what we see. Because we see the heart of a man who loved the world so much, he was willing to give away his very identity just to make a fellow man smile. Paul, you pointed the way down a path not many are brave enough to take. Castigate you, Paul Christoforo? We salute you. Authorized for SquareTrade Extended Warranty Warranty: 1 Year Optoma Condition: New Features:
DLP Pico technology Universal Dock compatible with all iPhone models and iPod models with video capability Mini-plug AV input supports composite video and stereo audio HDMI and VGA ports, for a full range of connection options LED light source lasts over 20,000 hours while producing excellent color Project large widescreen images of up to 120" diagonal 16W stereo audio with DSP and Bass Reflex technologies maximize sound quality and bass response 2000:1 contrast ratio produces detailed images Convenient remote included to control menu and playback options Truly portable, lightweight at 2.2 pounds, instant on/off and cool-operating temperature Videos: Overview Additional Photos: Front Profile Rear Profile Package Contents Great For Kids and Adults Home Entertainment Office Presentations Specifications: Display Technology: DLP Light Source:
LED (RGB); Estimated Life of Over 20,000 Hours Brightness: 50 ANSI Lumens Contrast Ratio: 2000:1 (Full On/Full O ff) Resolution: Native WVGA (854 x 480) Maximum Resolution: WXGA (1280 x 800) through VGA Port; HD (1080i) through HDMI Displayable Colors: 100% NTSC Color Gamut Noise Level: 25dB Throw Ratio: 1.8:1 (Distance/Width) Image Size (Diagonal): 5 to 120 (16:9 Native) Projection Distance: 8 to 188 Projection Method: Front, Rear Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Native; 4:3 Compatible Audio: Two 8Watt Speakers Video Input Compatibility: NTSC, PAL, SDTV (480i), EDTV (480p), HDTV (720p, 1080i) Computer Compatibility: WXGA, XGA, SVGA, VGA, VESA, PC and Macintosh Compatible Power Consumption: 36W (Max) Power Supply: AC Input 100-240V, 1.0A, Auto-Switching, 50-60 Hz DC Output 19V, 2.1A I/O Connectors: Universal iPod/ iPhone Dock (30-Pin), HDMI, VGA-In, 2.5mm Jack AV Input (Composite Video and Stereo Audio-In) User Controls: Complete On-Screen Menu Adjustment in 10 Languages Dimensions: 12.8 x 3.1 x 8.9 (324 x 79 x 227mm) Weight: 2.2 OPTOMA page 61
Products/
61
Verizon Refuses To Admit To Me That The Nationally Reported 4G LTE Outage Happened
Mary Beth Quirk (The Consumerist)
will be more than happy to review your wireless account. After reviewing the outage Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:00:00 PM information, I am not currently Brian is one of the many showing there was an outage in customers nationwide who was the Nashville, Tennessee area in affected by the data outages the last 72 hours. If you are V e r i z o n W i r e l e s s ' 4 G L T E having issues with your device, network has suffered recently, please contact us at 800-922-0204 including an incident this week. or *611 and [send] airtime free He complained to customer from your wireless phone. This s e r v i c e a b o u t t h e f r e q u e n t department is available from 6am outages, and asked for a $20 to 11pm daily. credit on his account. Their Verizon Wireless recognizes that response? No outages happened without you, our loyal customer, whatsoever! there would be no us. I make it He forwarded his frustrated my personal goal to resolve all of message to Verizon, detailing your wireless concerns. I hope I where the outages happened have done that for you today by his primary line as well as his hot reviewing the outages in your spot as well as the exasperating area. response he received. We appreciate your business and T h a n k y o u f o r c o n t a c t i n g thank you for choosing Verizon Verizon Wireless via our Website, Wireless. my name is [redacted]. I am sorry Brian's incredulous response is to hear you are having issues with right in line with the fact that the 4G coverage in your area and Verizon itself admitted to three
national outages in under a month. He replied, including links to news stories reporting the widespread outages, "Seriously? To deny an issue existed is insulting to me as a customer. It was nationwide outage and was covered thoroughly in the national media." Perhaps a bit more communication between PR people and customer service reps would be warranted, eh, Verizon? Previously: Verizon Wireless Sends Me 4 Replacement Phones, I Still Can't Get A 4G LTE Connection This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Test complete video: 2012 Chevrolet Impala

Submitted at 12/30/2011 7:29:59 AM
OPTOMA
lbs (1kg) In the box: Optoma DV20A Neo-i Video Projector & Speaker System for iPhone & iPod Standard A/V Cable (RCA to Mini-Jack)
Remote Control Battery for Remote AC Adapter Apple Universal Dock Adapters CD-ROM Users Manual Quick Start Card and Warranty Card
Discuss this product Price: $219.99 I want one!
Test complete video: 2012 Chevrolet Impala The biggest news about the 2012 Impala(besides it being 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewarts ride) is that it now has a modern 302-hp, 3.6-liter V6 and six-speed automatic transmission. Other than that, weve found this relic of a car-- the platform dates back to 1988--wanting. As you might imagine, acceleration and handling dont quite match what Mr. Stewart experiences in his racecar. Zero to sixty times are definitely improved by the new engine, but the car is outpaced by numerous competing V6 and turbocharged four-cylinder family sedans with less horsepower. The pedestrian Impalas handling is fairly clumsy with steering that has about as much feedback as a bored teenager. And too much engine noise makes its way into the cabin, further downgrading the driving experience. Cabin ambiance is fine as long as youre content with low-rentlooking materials, flat and wide
front seats, and less room inside than the cars exterior suggests. And the driving position is compromised by the lack of a telescoping steering wheel somewhat insulting for a $29,000 sedan. The good news? Well, the trunk is large. All-in-all, for the amount we spent on our Impala, most of us could think of a half-dozen other cars wed rather haveeven Chevrolets own less costly (and much more contemporary) Malibu is worth considering if you must have a GM-branded product. See our full road test and Ratings on the Chevrolet Impala. Subscribe now! S u b s c r i b e t o ConsumerReports.org for expert Ratings, buying advice and reliability on hundreds of products. Update your feed preferences
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Products/ Finance/
Sears reveals partial list of 3 Steps To A store locations it plans to Financially close Successful 2012
stores, the company expects "to generate $140 to $170 million of cash as the net inventory in these Submitted at 12/30/2011 8:29:59 AM stores is sold and we expect to Sears reveals partial list of store generate additional cash proceeds locations it plans to close from the sale or sublease of the Sears Holdings has released the related real estate." locations of 79 stores that it plans Previously: Sears To Shutter 100 to shutter, and just about half of To 120 Sears & Kmart Stores them are Kmart stores, with the company has also seen fewer After Disappointing Holiday list of locations spanning 25 layaway sales. Sales[Consumerist] states. Sears Holdings Provides The company is one of the Earlier this week, the retailer nation's largest retailers with more U p d a t e [ S e a r s ] announced that it planned to close than 4,000 stores in the U.S. and Sears Details Store 100 to 120 store locations in 2012 C a n a d a , a c c o r d i n g t o Closures[Wall Street Journal] because many were not C N N M o n e y . Sears releases partial list of store performing well, plus the retailer According to the list of 79 stores, closings[CNNMoney] Subscribe saw weak sales overall this Florida will see 11 locations close now! holiday season. In a press release, up shop, the most of any state S u b s c r i b e t o Sears Holdings stated specifically listed, followed by Georgia, ConsumerReports.org for expert that a "combination of lower sales Michigan and Ohio, each with six Ratings, buying advice and and continued margin pressure s t o r e c l o s i n g s . O f t h e 7 9 r e l i a b i l i t y o n h u n d r e d s o f coupled with expense increases," l o c a t i o n s , 3 8 a r e K m a r t . products. Update your feed were to blame. The statement also According to Sears, by closing preferences cited decreased sales in both 100 to 120 Kmart and Sears electronics and apparel, and the
Phil Villarreal (The Consumerist)
to give up and proceed as though there's nothing wrong. It's tougher to make yourself aware of your Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:15:00 PM choices and their consequences, If you've decided 2012 will be then resume the discipline it takes the year you get your finances in to claw out of your hole. order, you'll need to take concrete * Do things differently. If you steps toward making that goal a don't like where your past choices reality. It takes sound, consistent and practices have brought you, choices to chug along in the right s h a k e t h i n g s u p . C o n s i d e r direction. financial moves that are out of Frugal Beautiful offers three tips your comfort zone, then study up to get you off to a proper start: and make your play. Find * Cut out the excess. Focusing on someone in your life who seems money takes time and energy, so to have things together, then i t h e l p s t o d o a w a y w i t h emulate that person and ask for unproductive hobbies and habits. coaching along the way. You'll also need to take the time 3 Fast Track Tips To Get Your to develop a coherent, realistic F i n a n c e s S t r a i g h t T h i s budget that will serve as your map Y e a r [ F r u g a l B e a u t i f u l ] to success. This entry passed through the * Don't stick your head in the Full-Text RSS service if this is sand when you fail. Realize that your content and you're reading it you're going to screw up at some on someone else's site, please read point, but the setback doesn't have the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentto send you into a tailspin. When only/faq.php#publishers. Five you blow your budget or make a Filters recommends: Donate to poor investment choice, it's easy Wikileaks.
Spain unveils 8.9bn of cuts but warns deficit will rise

Telegraph Staff (Finance News - Business news from the UK and world)
Spain's new government plans to cut public spending by 8.9bn (7.5bn) in 2012 to restore public finances and raise taxes for the
rich but warned the country's deficit would be higher than expected.
Products/ Gaming/ News Photos
63
Flash In The Brain Pan: Scarlet Stranger

(Woot! - One Day, One Deal)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:17:00 AM
2011's most memorable photos - WPTV

(news photos - Google News)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 8:36:50 AM
Starting from the very first loading screen, Scarlet Stranger is a real joy to play. Here's a quick peek at what you're facing today. Naturally you can turn off the map at any time, We just wanted you to see the size of the castle first. Here's a better shot of your character. You're the Scarlet Stranger, infiltrating the mysterious Chameleon Castle to save a lady fair. You can chop things with your Trusted Blade and defend yourself with your shield. You've got a magic ring and the very first person you meet runs a shop where you can buy and sell gems to get cooler stuff. If you've ever
played a video game in your life, you already know what this is all about. The tricky part, naturally, is in the execution. Some monsters you can kill with one blow, others are much tougher. Your shield buys you time, but if you're defending,
you can't stab. If you take your gems and wood and stone and whatever back to a shop, you can slowly craft them into something cool, but hunting them up takes time. As you can see from the counter at the bottom, in an hour the castle's gonna change. If you
haven't won by then, you'll have to learn the new path and that's how they trap ya. To DEATH. We didn't exactly finish the game, but we're not giving up. Scarlet Stranger lets you save your game to your computer or the cloud so you're perfectly able to come back to it and try again later. Which is good, because this thing is gonna take a while to solve. If only we had a long weekend coming up... Give Scarlet Stranger a shot, see how far you can get, then let us know about your game in the comments. Will YOU uncover the secret of the castle?
WPTV 2011's most memorable photos WPTV Anthony Weiner (D-NY) (R) speaks to the media regarding a lewd photo tweet May 31, 2011 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. A close-up photo of underwear of a man was tweeted from Weiner's Twitter account addressed to a college student in Seattle.... and more
McMillen: Publisher in talks with Nintendo for Binding of Isaac on 3DS

JC Fletcher (Joystiq)
of Isaac, co-creator Edmund McMillen revealed that "A publisher i know is currently Y o u c o u l d l i v e t h r o u g h asking Nintendo if they would be exaggerated childhood trauma ... OK with Isaac on the 3DS." If i n 3 D ! R e s p o n d i n g o n h i s Nintendo approves, he's willing to FormSpring to a question about a "let them port it." potential 3DS port of The Binding McMillen later said that the 3DS
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:10:00 AM
was the "only other system you might ever see Isaac on." Of
course, acquiring Nintendo approval may be difficult considering the violent, grotesque imagery and overarching theme of infanticide. McMillen: Publisher in talks with Nintendo for Binding of Isaac on 3DS originally appeared on
Joystiq on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments
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Sports/ Politics/ News Photos
Barea uncertain to play vs. Heat Minneapolis Star Tribune

(- Bing News)
Submitted at 12/29/2011 10:32:12 PM
Timberwolves guard J.J. Barea's hurting hamstring felt much better on Thursday. The question is: Will it improve enough by Friday night to allow him to play against Miami? Barea learned Wednesday that his hamstring -- injured while going for a layup Tuesday in Milwaukee -- is only strained, not torn. "I was a little scared yesterday, but found out no tear, no nothing," Barea said Thursday. "It's a lot better today. It's just swollen and bruised up. We'll see how it feels tomorrow and we'll go from there." He didn't practice Thursday, when coach Rick Adelman returned to the team after attending a family funeral on Tuesday. "I've never had one before," Barea said of the hamstring injury. "I'm kind of mad these last couple
days. I'm never hurt in the last five years. If I miss one game a season, that's a lot." The Wolves listed him as doubtful for Friday. "I don't know, I don't want to say no or yes yet," he said. "But we'll see. Definitely on Sunday, though." Sunday? What's Sunday? Oh, yeah, a game against his former Dallas team. "Just another game, just another game," he said, grinning. "It will be weird, but it will be fun." Injury update Center Nikola Pekovic returned to practice Thursday, but only worked half-court because of a strained left groin sustained in the preseason finale. Adelman said he won't be ready to play Friday. Neither will rookie guard Malcolm Lee, who is expected to get doctors' opinions on his sore knee. Lee had surgery to repair a MCL after the college season last March. Ups and downs Adelman watched Tuesday's loss
at Milwaukee on replay and saw a 25-turnover game that was reflected in ESPN's highlights. When asked about rookie Ricky Rubio's first two NBA games, he said, "The first night, Ricky did some really nice things, and the other night I turn on SportsCenter after the Milwaukee game and they showed all his turnovers. That's the way it goes." Hello, again Miami stars LeBron James and Chris Bosh know a little something about Rubio, even though they've never played an NBA game against him. "I saw enough of him in the Olympics," Bosh said of the 2008 Beijing Games, when Rubio played for Spain at age 17. "He has just an ultimate knack for passing. He can run an offense and when he gets out, he's better in that fast-paced spread offense because he can just see things before they even happen." James praised Rubio's passing in a tweet after he saw highlights of
Rubio in Monday's season opener. "Exactly what I said: He can pass the ball," James said when asked about Rubio. "He's got great instincts. He sees a lot of plays happening before they happen. I think he's a really good point guard." Talking 'bout Love James has an opinion on Wolves All-Star forward Kevin Love, too. "He's just putting up great numbers," he said. "He's a good player, he's a great player. He won't wow you and get highlights above the rim. But every night, you see his stats and you're seeing 24 and 15 or 30 and 17, whatever the case may be. And he's consistent with it. He's a franchise player for this team." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Photos: Mariah & Nick Share Twins' First Christmas People Magazine
Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:07:41 PM
Babble (blog) Photos: Mariah & Nick Share Twins' First Christmas People Magazine Of course Mariah had to be in one of the photos. I am surprised she allowed Moraccan to have his own photo where she isn't creeping in the background or anything. And where is Nick? If its their First Christmas I would expect to nly see the babies.... Mariah Carey Tweets Photos Of First Christmas For Twins Moroccan And Monroe Starpulse.com Mariah Carey Shares Photos from Twins' First Christmas TooFab.com Photos: Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon's Twins Celebrate Their First Christmas! OK! Magazine Babble (blog) all 37 news articles
The Atlantic Politics Quiz: Inaugural Edition

Conor Friedersdorf (Politics : The Atlantic)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 10:58:59 AM
&amp;amp;amp;amp;a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a
h r e f = " h t t p : / / theatlantic.polldaddy.com/s/newquiz"&amp;amp;amp;a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Vi e w Survey&amp;amp;amp;
amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/ a&amp;amp;amp;amp;a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; This article available online at: http://www.theatlantic.com/ politics/archive/2011/12/the-
atlantic-politics-quiz-inauguraledition/250703/ This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read
the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Sports/
65
Lloyd plans to stay in After landing on Madden cover, Peyton Hillis believes St. Louis if OC McDaniels does - NFL in curses - Boston Herald
(- Bing News) (- Bing News)
with strep throat and five with a hamstring injury. It took him a couple of weeks to B EREA, Ohio - It took a season, return to form, but he ran for a but the Madden cover boy finally season-high 112 yards last week believes in curses. against the Baltimore Ravens and Peyton Hillis had heard of the has 211 yards in his past two Madden jinx, had even been games. warned about it before beating out "Thats the Peyton I think quarterbacks Michael Vick and everybody here is used to seeing," Aaron Rodgers to grace the cover Browns coach Pat Shurmur said, of the Madden 2011 video game. declining to discuss his thoughts He just didnt think it could on whether Hillis will be back happen to him. with the team next season. "Yeah, I heard about it," Hillis Despite the injuries and off-thesaid. "I really didnt think it field drama, Hillis, who is a free would affect me. But I can tell agent after the season, would like you its nagged at me a little bit to return to the Browns. this year. I cant argue that." But negotiations before and Hillis was limited in practice on during the season did not produce Thursday with a sore elbow. a new contract for Hillis. "Things havent worked in my "I would love to come back here," favor this year," he said. "Theres Hillis said. "Im a Cleveland a few things that happened this Brown at heart. Since Ive been year that make me believe in here, I fell in love with the fans, curses." the city and the people that live Hillis ran for 1,177 yards and 11 here. Theyve been nothing but touchdowns last year but has 100 percent supportive through missed six games this season, one everything when I talk to em. Its
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:25:18 AM
good to have a second family backing (you) like that." RG3 mania Shurmur said hed "find a way" to watch some of Baylors bowl game Thursday night to see more of Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Robert Griffin III in the Holiday Bowl against Washington. "Ive watched him," Shurmur said. "(Hes a) tremendous talent, good player." Asked if Griffin would fit in the Browns West Coast offense, Shurmur was quick to respond. "Good players fit in every offense," he said. (c)2011 the Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio) Distributed by MCT Information Services This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Submitted at 12/30/2011 9:23:36 AM
Despite all the struggles the Rams have had this year -- and the fact that they've won just two games since he was traded to the team from the Denver Broncos-wideout Brandon Lloyd said Thursday he wouldn't mind making St. Louis his permanent home. "I would like to stay here," Lloyd told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I've been well-received by the players, by the coaches, by the community. It's been overwhelming; an overwhelmingly warm reception. Coming back to Missouri and St. Louis. I would love to grow with Sam Bradford; that would be awesome. I've never had a true elite-level quarterback in my career." As is oftentimes the case, however, Lloyd put a disclaimer on his wish to remain a Ram: The deal is off if offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels skips town. "I can't even lie about that," Lloyd said. "I'm tied to McDaniels. He uses me differently than other offensive coordinator (has) used me in my entire career. He uses me as an every-play receiver. The
short game, mid-range game, gimmick passes, deep balls." Lloyd led the NFL in receiving yards (1,448) with the Broncos in 2010 -- his one full season with McDaniels -- and the future free agent said teaming up with the coach is his top priority when evaluating possible destinations. NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora reported Thursday that McDaniels will be a candidate for an assistant position in Kansas City as well as the vacant head coaching job. "Probably No. 1 (as a factor)," Lloyd said. "Because I want to be successful, and I want to earn whatever money I'm making. I want to be used in ways where I feel comfortable and I can be successful. And Josh knows how to do that." The Rams end their season Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
66
Gaming/ News Photos
Anonymous is apparently gearing up to shut down Sony again

Ben Gilbert (Joystiq)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 1:10:00 PM
The amorphous hacker collective known as " Anonymous" (or entities claiming to be, as it were) has once more announced its intentions to attack electronics manufacturer "Sony Company and Associates." Unlike the previous attack, which crippled Sony's PlayStation Network service during several months in the first half of 2011 and for which the group is suspected of involvement, this time the group pins its reasoning to Sony's support of the Stop Online Piracy Act ("SOPA").
In a video missive uploaded to YouTube, the group declares its intentions to "destroy your network," presumably referencing the aforementioned PlayStation Network employed by Sony's
game consoles. It also names several famous targets it plans on going after, from Justin Bieber to Taylor Swift. Hasn't Taylor Swift been through enough, folks? No timing is given for the
purported attack, but we're putting our money on "pretty soon," if at all. Curiously, Anonymous only picks Sony for its scorn, though a variety of other companies across the game industry (including Sony's main competition, Nintendo and Microsoft) have signed on in support of SOPA. Joystiq, as you might imagine, has not, and neither has our parent company. Anonymous is apparently gearing up to shut down Sony again originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments
Jodie Fisher Photos Revealed from Mark Hurd HP Scandal LALATE

Submitted at 12/30/2011 10:08:38 AM
Jodie Fisher Photos Revealed from Mark Hurd HP Scandal LALATE LOS ANGELES (LALATE) Jodie Fisher ( photos below) was a Mark Hurd love interest while at HP, a new scandal letter reveals. Jodie Fisher and Mark Hurd's controversy erupted in August 2010. But today, the scandal letter at the core of the Mark Hurd HP... and more
Gears of War 3 'Season Pass,' props on sale today

Alexander Sliwinski (Joystiq)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:10:00 PM
Today's Xbox Live Marketplace holiday promotion covers Gears of War 3, with discounts on ingame content and at least one soon-to-be-discontinued Avatar prop. The highlight of today's deals is the Gears of War 3"Season Pass,"
which grants access to four DLC packs(two already available, two upcoming) for 1800 MSP ($22.50), which is 25 percent off the regular price. There's also a 50 percent discount on the " Gears 3 Skins Launch Collection," also priced today for 1800 MSP. This means here's your last Microsoft will discontinue "gun- chance to get the Gears of War like Avatar items" from the Xbox Gold Lancer prop -- not only at a Marketplace on January 1, 2012.
50 percent discount of 160 MSP ($2) -- but, like, ever. The Gears Boomshield prop appears to be
safe from delisting, and is also available for 160 MSP. Gears of War 3 'Season Pass,' props on sale today originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments
Science/ Politics-Right/
67
Police Union Blames Occupy D.C. for Citys Rising Crime Rate
Rob Bluey (The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 7:28:43 AM
Northrop Grumman X -47

(Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now)
maneuvers, including aerial refuelings and aircraft-carrier landings, with no human assistance. The tailless, fighterSubmitted at 12/30/2011 10:00:00 AM N o r t h r o p G r u m m a n X - 4 7 sized jet, which flew for the first Courtesy Northrop Grumman time in February, makes decisions Fully autonomous drone refuels using 3.4 million lines of onboard a n d l a n d s w i t h n o h u m a n code, which the company refined intervention using 10,000 hours of simulated Today's "robot planes" are f l i g h t t i m e . T h e X - 4 7 B i s pilotless, not autonomous; a scheduled to demonstrate takeoffs joystick-equipped human on the and landings from an aircraftground still does the flying. carrier deck by 2013. Northrop Grumman's X-47B will be the first aircraft to handle all
The violent crime rate in Washington, D.C., is up 13 percent since the Occupy D.C. protest began this fall as police officers have been pulled out of local neighborhoods and reassigned to the protest. The chairman of the local police union pinned the blame on the citys redistribution of resources, noting that on some shifts between two and 18 neighborhood patrol officers have relocated to Occupy D.C. Those protesters are primarily based in McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza, two downtown locations near the White House. Fraternal Order of Police Chairman Kristopher Baumann outlined the crime statistics in a Dec. 28 letter to Mayor Vincent Gray. Baumann objected to comments Gray made during a recent television interview when asked about Occupy D.C. Gray has not yet responded to the letter. The full text of the letter is below, including a number of attachments. Heres the relevant
portion about the crime rate increase: As you are aware, on the date of your interview violent crime in the District was up by 13 percent and total crime was up by 10 percent since Occupy D.C. began on October 1, 2011, compared to the same time period the year before, according to the Metropolitan Police Department (Attachment 1). In addition, the increase in violent crime and all crime has accelerated as Occupy D.C. has continued. One the date of your interview, violent crime over the past 30 days had increased by a stunning 17 percent and overall crime was up by 14 percent (Attachment 2). These numbers are year to date comparisons, so they account for the holiday spike in crime this is a dramatic increase on top of the holiday spike. (I would note that the problem continues to worsen; as of December 26, 2011, violent crime over the past 30 days was up 21 percent and overall crime was up 18 percent, see Attachment 3.) Baumann blamed Gray for cutting hundreds of police officers, leaving the force ill-
equipped to handle the protest and maintain neighborhood patrols. In normal times, the loss of even one officer can have an impact on neighborhood policing, Baumann wrote. Losing 2 or 3 officers per shift in a district is devastating, because our numbers are so low that some districts are down to only 3 officers per shift. In an interview with FOX 5 in D.C., Baumann complained of an unfunded federal mandate to monitor the Occupy D.C. protests. But even if the federal government were to fund more police for D.C., research by Heritages David Muhlhausen determined programs such as Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) had little to no effect on crime rates. Click here for more coverage of the Occupy movement. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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Health/
To Your Health: Time For New Resolutions

(Shots - Health Blog)
Americans about their New Year's resolutions, past and future, in the Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:50:00 AM latest NPR-Thomson Reuters Catherine J o n e s / Health Poll. iStockphoto.com First, if you're thinking about What's on your list? committing to improving your When the New Year's parties health in 2012, you'll have plenty end, a lot of us are left with some of company. A little over half of tough promises to keep. the people we surveyed said This year, I'll lose weight. they'll resolve to exercise more. Smoking? History! And, of More than a third will resolve to course, I'll start working out, too. lose weight. And 13 percent say Really, I mean it this time. they'll commit to either quitting So with the day for fresh starts smoking or reducing how much looming, we resolved to ask they smoke.
Some people have had a lot of practice with their vows to do better. A little more than a third of people have resolved to lose weight at least once in the past five years. Among those who have promised themselves they'd shed a few pounds, 38 percent made that resolution five years in a row. How much did people want to lose? Almost half of people with dieting in mind wanted to drop 10 to 29 pounds. About 21 percent wanted to shed between 30 and 49
pounds. Making a resolution is the easy part. How well do people actually do? Overall, 57 percent of respondents who wanted to lose weight in the past told us they'd reached their goal. Quitting smoking is more challenging. Among people who had vowed to quit smoking at least once in the past five years, only 36 percent said they had succeeded. The telephone poll of more than 3,000 adults across the country
was conducted during the first half of December. The margin for error is plus or minus 1.8 percentage points. Click here to read the questions and complete results. You can find the previous polls here, or by clicking on the NPR-Thomson Reuters Health Poll tag below. Now, we have to admit that we wondered how accurate people's reports of success on their goals might be. The folks at Practice YOUR page 69
Politics-Right/ Daily World/
69
YOUR
Fusion, a supplier of electronic medical record systems for doctors' offices, gave us another way of looking at things. The company combed through a sample of real-world data from doctors' records, including the weights of more than 21,000 patients measured in 2010 and again in 2011. "There's a lot of people who are losing some weight," Jake Marcus, a data scientist at Practice Fusion, tells Shots. Overall, about 46 percent of people lost some weight. On average, it was about 7 pounds from one year to the next. Now the Practice Fusion data are from people who saw their doctors regularly, and we don't know how that lines up with
respondents to our poll. After looking at our poll's findings and his own company's data, Marcus says you might not reach your ambitious New Year's health goal, but it's still worth a try. You may lose a little weight, which is better than none at all. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Nancy Pelosi Wants to Retire

(The Feed)
said in a phone interview. But Rep. Pelosi, 71, insisted through a spokesman that she has no plans Via NY Post: to retire. This may be wishful House Minority Leader Nancy thinking on the part of a rightPelosi would retire from Congress wing blog, but it is totally untrue, but doesnt want to let down her the spokesman said. . . a d o r i n g f a n s a n d g e n e r o u s Not sure I buy it, but I hope it supporters, her daughter said happens. Greg Pollowitz yesterday. She would retire right This entry passed through the now if the donors she has didnt Full-Text RSS service if this is want her to stay so badly, your content and you're reading it A l e x a n d r a P e l o s i t o l d on someone else's site, please read biggovernment.breitbart.com. the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentThey know she wants to leave, only/faq.php#publishers. Five though. They think shes destined Filters recommends: Donate to for greatness, the younger Pelosi Wikileaks.
Submitted at 12/30/2011 9:16:07 AM
Best of FF: Were the Founders Libertarians?

David Frum (FrumForum David Frum)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:00:55 AM
As 2011 comes to a close, Frum Forum plans to re-run some of our best featured pieces from the year. BEST page 70
50,000 reward over student killing

(Evening Standard - News)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:45:57 AM
30 Dec 2011 Police investigating the "horrific" Boxing Day murder of an Indian student have offered a 50,000 reward as it emerged that the victim's father learned of his son's death from Facebook. The cash for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer of Anuj Bidve was offered in the hope that murder squad detectives will be given vital clues. The 23-year-old was shot in the
head at point-blank range as he walked with friends near their hotel in the inner-city Ordsall district of Salford, in the early hours of December 26. His father, Subhash Bidve, who read a post on the social networking site before officers were able to get in touch with him in India to deliver the news, said: "They could have called us and told us what had happened to him." His son's murder is being treated by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) as a "hate crime" which may have been racially motivated.
Detective Chief Superintendent Mary Doyle, who is leading the murder inquiry, said: "It is an extremely unusual, savage and motiveless attack, an absolutely horrific crime, which is why we are taking the step of issuing it (the reward) a bit earlier than we normally would. "We absolutely understand the need to take whoever is responsible for this off the streets. That's the reason we are issuing it now at such an early stage." Mr Bidve told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Nobody official from the UK Government or consulate or
the Indian government called us and told us about this. I am really surprised because they confiscated his phone and must have known his father's or mother's number." Assistant Chief Constable Dawn Copley, from GMP, said: "That is not the way anyone should have to find out something so devastating and we completely understand how upset the family are. Social networking is instantaneous and we have no control over when and what people post on such sites, but noone should hear such tragic news
in this way." A 16-year-old boy and two 17year-old boys arrested over the murder have been released on bail pending further inquiries. Two men, aged 19 and 20, remain in custody. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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The piece by David Frum discusses whether or not the Founding Fathers would be recognized as libertarians. Let me toss in my 5 cents worth on the question of whether the Founders were libertarians. This seems to me a question approximately as meaningful as asking whether the Founders would have preferred Macs or PCs: it exports back into the past an entirely alien mental category. Libertarianism fuses two ideas, one political, one psychological. The political idea is that the central state should be confined within the narrowest possible limits. The psychological idea is that each person should enjoy the widest possible scope to live as he or she thinks best. Libertarians see these two ideas as very consistent. But that libertarian perspective only feels consistent if you can accept a previous assumption: that the central state is the most important limit on our ability to live as we think best. For most people in most advanced modern democracies, that hypothesis does not ring true. For most people, its the bill collector, or the ex-wife, or the boss that imposes the most onerous restraints. If this tandem set of ideas seems remote even in our modern era, back in the 18th century, each on its own would have been inaccessible, never mind both together. Start for example with the need to confine government. Modern libertarians draw a very clear line
between the state and private associations. I.e.: If a town council passes an ordinance requiring all houses to be painted white, thats an outrageous violation of personal liberty, but if a condominium association adopts such a rule, thats a reasonable exercise of freedom of association. But suppose you lived in an 18th century New England town, and the town meeting adopted such a rule. Is the town meeting more like the modern town council? Or the condo association? That distinction, so legible to us, was not nearly so legible in the 18th century. Were the Penn family the government of Pennsylvania or its owners? Even at the highest level, things were fuzzy. The king of England was yes clearly equivalent to something wed call the state. But Parliament? Was that the state also? Or was it more like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce: a permanent standing body to monitor the government and with some ability to protest and block the governments actions? The fact is that the concept of the state as presented in some modern libertarian writing owes much more to 19th century German ideas than to the 18th century Anglo-American legacy. In 18th century Britain, the question of whether ministers owed obedience to the king or to Parliament was a blurry and uncertain one. In 19th century Germany and Austro-Hungary, the question was clear: ministers
obeyed the monarch. Period. The state as experienced by Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich von Hayek was something outside civil society, something that society could not reliably control, and therefore had to be contained. A John Adams might think of the king of England that way, but thats not how hed think of the legislature of the commonwealth of Massachusetts. Libertarian psychology would have been even more indigestible to the 18th century mind than libertarian politics. Libertarianism argues that each individual should enjoy the widest possible scope to live as he or she thinks best. Its an attractive ideal, one widely shared by 21st century people. Modern liberals share the libertarian commitment to autonomy, as this ideal is generally called they just disagree about the institutions needed to support autonomy. But to an American of the Founding generation, the ideal of autonomy would have contradicted four of the most fundamental physical and psychic facts of life: Latinity Calvinism material scarcity and slaveholding Lets take them in turn Elite Americans of the Founding generation were deeply shaped not literally by Roman ideas, but by the 18th century understanding of Roman ideas. Heres a perfect example: George Washingtons
favorite play was Joseph Addisons Cato, published in 1713. Washington adapted words from that play in his famous speech quelling the Newburgh mutiny in 1783. Patrick Henrys give me liberty or give me death was likewise a paraphrase of a speech from Addisons play. Ditto Nathan Hales I only regret I have but one life to give for my country. So influential, right? And what was the message of that play? That the most precious thing in life is honor. And what is honor? It is the esteem of the wise and the good. Better to die in a way that earns the admiration of others than to live without that admiration. It is hard to imagine a more radical antipode to Ayn Rands formula, I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine. Less elite Americans of the Founding generation were shaped less by Addison and the Latin classics than by religious traditions heavily tinged by Calvinism. If ever a religious tradition emphasized the danger of giving scope to the individual will, Calvinism was that tradition: Man, having been corrupted by his fall, sins voluntarily, not with reluctance or constraint; with the strongest propensity of disposition, not with violent coercion; with the bias of his own passions, and not with external compulsion: yet such is the depravity of his nature that he
cannot be excited and biased to anything but what is evil (From Institutes of the Christian Religion). It would be hard to imagine a mental outlook less conducive to the libertarian celebration of individual choice than that bequeathed by Calvinism not only to New England Puritanism but also to the hardshell Baptists of the South such as for example the parents of Abraham Lincoln. Only a very few Americans of the Founding generation enjoyed anything like material security. While most white Americans enjoyed a higher standard of living than European peasants, that comparative abundance was a desperately precarious state. An American who drank too much, who had too many children, who got into a fight and suffered a wound that could be infected in short anyone who did not tightly control his impulses risked disaster not only for himself or herself, but also for his or her loved ones. In such a world, the psychology of modern libertarianism the desire to live unrestrained by any force outside oneself would be seen by most as an invitation to selfdestruction. Libertarianism is very much a movement of post-1945 affluent society America, a society that has developed birth control and drug rehab, antibiotics and antidepressants. We are a society abounding in second chances. BEST page 71
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18th century America was a society in which a personal misstep could easily lead to premature and unpleasant death. Self-actualization through selfexpression was a concept not imaginable until GDP per capita rose many, many thousands of dollars higher than the level prevailing in 1776. Fourth and finally: the libertarian ideal was psychologically unavailable to 18th century Americans because 18th century America was a slaveholding society. If a libertarian is one who believes, as I suggested at the outset, that each person should be free to live as he or she thinks best, then a libertarian in 1776 would have been obliged to be an abolitionist. After all, the one-fifth of Americans who were defined as property on the eve of the revolution were obviously unfree to live as they thought best. Yet its a very striking fact that the language that to our ears sounds most libertarian in the Founding generation tended most often to issue from those most committed to slavery. By contrast, the Founding Fathers who sound most statist Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams tended also to be most hostile to slavery. This disjunction is more than some odd little paradox of history. It is a resounding klaxon warning of the enormous gap between the 18th century mindset and our own. Samuel Johnson jeered at
the American colonists: How is that we hear the loudest yelps for liberty among the drivers of negroes? Johnsons accusation of hypocrisy is obviously wellfounded, but there is something more going on here than hypocrisy. It was precisely the intimate awareness of the horror of unfreedom and possibly guilt for the denial of freedom to others that inspired the passionate concern for liberty among so many slaveholders. When Patrick Henry said that he would rather be dead than share the fate of the 75 slaves he owned, he was not engaging in metaphor. But he was also not expressing 21st century libertarianism. One last thing needs to be said to enter into the mind of 18th century Americans. Most 18th century Americans originated on an island that had been one of the most politically unstable kingdoms in Europe. Between 1640 and 1745, the British executed one king, and sent a second into exile. The British Isles suffered three invasions backed by foreign powers: one in 1688, another in 1715, a third in 1745. They were governed by three different foreign-origin royal families (Stuart, Orange, and Hanover), plus a native military dictatorship. They had experienced a succession of radical changes in church organization, almost equally radical changes in land owning patterns. In the years after 1689, however,
that same country steadily evolved into the most stable in Europe. The dynasty established in 1714 lasts until the present day. Britain had a population only onethird that of its great power rival, France. Yet Britain built a military-fiscal state that fought and inflicted defeat after defeat upon the French. Yes for sure there were Americans who, following John Trenchard the author of Catos Letters, reviewed this history and saw the creeping menace of Big Government. Some of the AntiFederalists of the 1780s do seem to have thought this way. But if Founders refers to the people who designed the government Americans actually instituted in the 1780s, then I think its safe to say that most of the Founders accepted these British achievements as achievements to emulate: not only Alexander Hamilton, but also James Madison. (The Bank of the United States that was destroyed by Andrew Jackson was chartered by President Madison.) The people of the 18th century retained intense memories of what Europe had looked like before the growth of states: not a libertarian paradise, but a marauders freefire zone in which dynasts and warlords despoiled the weak and disorganized. The Founding generation had absorbed the Enlightenment ideals of John Locke. But Locke had taught that the state was the vindicator of natural rights, not the enemy of
those rights. From Lockes Second Treatise: If man in the state of nature be so free, as has been said; if he be absolute lord of his own person and possessions, equal to the greatest, and subject to no body, why will he part with his freedom? Why will he give up this empire, and subject himself to the dominion and control of any other power? To which it is obvious to answer, that though in the state of nature he hath such a right, yet the enjoyment of it is very uncertain, and constantly exposed to the invasion of others: for all being kings as much as he, every man his equal, and the greater part no strict observers of equity and justice, the enjoyment of the property he has in this state is very unsafe, very unsecure. This makes him willing to quit a condition, which, however free, is full of fears and continual dangers: and it is not without reason, that he seeks out, and is willing to join in society with others, who are already united, or have a mind to unite, for the mutual preservation of their lives, liberties and estates, which I call by the general name, property Locke did not argue against government. He argued against arbitrary government, against the divine right of kings. Although political stability had thickened in Britain by the 1770s, the Founders had a vivid example of a stateless world before their eyes: the world of the American Frontier. That was a world of
violence, not a world of freedom. They had seen in the 1780s a real possibility of the breakup of the Colonies into distinct and then warring sovereignties like those of Europe. The Constitution represented a rejection of both those futures. The Founders were state-builders, very much in the model of the British statesmen of the 18th century. And if the government they built has become too big and too expensive, if the libertarian impulse summons us to take action to contain and constrain that government, very well let us take up the task. But we can do that task without duping ourselves with a false history that denies the reality of the past and ironically belittles the Founders actual achievements by measuring them against standards they would surely have rejected, if they had ever understood them. Originally Published on December 31, 2010. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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Morning Bell: War Games, An Energy Crisis, and the Iranian Threat
Mike Brownfield (The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 7:00:12 AM
A picture released by Fars News Agency on December 29, 2011, shows a U.S aircraft carrier spotted in an area of the Iranian navy ongoing maneuver zone on the Sea of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz in southern Iran. UPI/ Abdollah Arab Koohsar/Fars News The Strait of Hormuz lies between Iran and the United Arab Emirates, providing passage for some 15.5 million barrels of crude oil per day, amounting to one third of the worlds seaborne oil shipments. In a word, it is a 34mile-wide chokepoint, making Irans threat this week to shut down the strait all the more serious for the global community. The Iranian regimes provocative warnings came on Tuesday from Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi who threatened to close the strait if Iran faces sanctions for its nuclear ambitions. And Wednesday, Irans top naval commander Habibollah Sayyari said, Closing the Strait of Hormuz for Irans armed forces is really easy or, as Iranians say, it will be easier than drinking a glass of water. Irans closing of the strait and its economic ramifications is a
scenario that has been contemplated before. From December 2006 to March 2007, Heritage Foundation scholars conducted a computer simula-tion and gaming exercise that examined the likely economic and policy consequences of a major oil disruption in the Persian Gulf. Specifically, the war game was based on a scenario in which Iran began blockading the Strait of Hormuz in January 2007.
What did they find? Based on their modeling, if Iran succeeded in fully blockading the strait for up to one week, Americans would see a massive spike in oil prices, a one-quarter drop in GDP of $161 billion, the loss of one million jobs, and a drop of real disposable personal income costing more than $260 billion. With those threats at hand, the scholars recommended a series of steps to manage the theoretical
blockade and its worldwide economic consequences: A focused but restrained use of military power oriented toward objectives that address vital national interests would demonstrate U.S. determination to uphold freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, help to calm global markets, and reassure American consumers, and measures liberalizing energy policies and rolling back
regulatory restrictions would allow the marketplace to work to meet global energy needs. At the time this war game analysis was conducted, the scholars described why a potential blockage of the Strait of Hormuz would be such a significant threat. Their words ring true today. They looked back to the energy crises during the Arab oil embargo in 1973-1974 and the Iranian revolution in 1978-1979 both of which led to fuel shortages, long gas lines, gasoline rationing, high inflation, and energy-related dam-age to the overall economy. In those instances, they wrote, America suffered not only as a result of the changes in global oil supply, but also because of policies emanating from Washington: At almost every turn, Washington policymakers exacerbated the already challenging energy situation with their own policy blunders. The federal governments newly created maze of economic and environmental regulations and implementing agencies greatly hampered domestic energy supplies and limited the private sectors ability to respond to events. In retrospect, the U.S. government probably caused at MORNING page 76
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Five Easy Steps to End Islamophobia

Robert Spencer (FrontPage Magazine FrontPage)
Submitted at 12/29/2011 10:41:39 PM
No comedy show, no matter how clever or winning, is going to eradicate the suspicion that many Americans have of Muslims. This is because Americans are concerned about Islam not because of the work of greasy Islamophobes, but because of Naser Abdo, the would-be second Fort Hood jihad mass murderer; and Khalid Aldawsari, the wouldbe jihad mass murderer in Lubbock, Texas; and Muhammad Hussain, the would-be jihad bomber in Baltimore; and Mohamed Mohamud, the wouldbe jihad bomber in Portland; and Faisal Shahzad, the would-be Times Square jihad massmurderer; and Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, the Arkansas military recruiting station jihad murderer; and Naveed Haq, the jihad mass murderer at the Jewish Community Center in Seattle; and Mohammed Reza Taheri-Azar, the would-be jihad mass murderer in Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Ahmed Ferhani and Mohamed Mamdouh, who hatched a jihad plot to blow up a Manhattan synagogue; and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the would-be Christmas airplane jihad bomber; and many others like them who have plotted and/or committed mass murder in the name of Islam and motivated by its texts and
teachings all in the U.S. in the last couple of years. The fact that there are other Muslims not fighting jihad is just great, but it doesnt mean that the jihad isnt happening. This comedy show simply doesnt address the problem of jihad terrorism and Islamic supremacism. As David Horowitz and I show in our pamphlet Islamophobia: Thoughtcrime of the Totalitarian Future, the term Islamophobia is a politically manipulative coinage designed to intimidate critics of Islamic supremacism and jihad into silence. Claire Berlinski explains how Islamic supremacists from the Muslim Brotherhood devised it for precisely that purpose: Now heres a point you might deeply consider: The neologism Islamophobia did not simply emerge ex nihilo. It was invented, deliberately, by a Muslim Brotherhood front organization, the International Institute for Islamic Thought, which is based in Northern Virginia. If that name dimly rings a bell, it should: Ive mentioned it before, and its particularly important because it was co-founded by Anwar Ibrahimthe hero of Moderate Islam who is now trotting around the globe comparing his plight to that of Aung San Suu Kyi. AbdurRahman Muhammad, a former member of the IIIT who has renounced the group in disgust, was an eyewitness to the creation
of the word. This loathsome term, he writes, is nothing more than a thoughtterminating cliche conceived in the bowels of Muslim think tanks for the purpose of beating down
critics. And in fact, FBI statistics show that there is no Islamophobia. In fact, many anti-Muslim hate crimes have been faked by Muslims, and Jews are eight times
more likely than Muslims to be the victims of hate attacks. The Muslim Brotherhood is dedicated in its own words to eliminating and destroying Western civilization from within. One easy way to do that would be to guilt-trip non-Muslims into being ashamed of resisting jihad activity and Islamic supremacism, for fear of being accused of Islamophobia. I doubt these comics are aware of this program, but theyre useful tools for it. Muslim American comics tour and documentary, by Tara Bahrampour in the Washington Post, December 27 (thanks to James): Beware, America. The Muslims are coming, and they look and act suspiciously like you. Sheesh. No one says they arent. This is just a straw man designed to demonize opponents of jihad. Negin Farsad, an Iranian American stand-up comic from California, wears eye-catching mini dresses, curses liberally and has awkward sex talks with her mother (though hers sound more like alien encounters. Actual quote: You had intergender flesh relations without the security of external safety product?). Then she has more to worry about from observant Muslims than she does from Islamophobes. Such conversations, painfully private in traditional Muslim FIVE page 76
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New York Times Ridicules Gingrich on Sharia

Ryan Mauro (FrontPage Magazine FrontPage)
warning about the Islamist threat within the U.S. are thus depicted as being part of a political fringe Submitted at 12/29/2011 10:43:03 PM without credibility. On December 21, the New York The article does quote antiTimes published an article by Islamist Muslim activist Dr. reporter Scott Shane titledIn Zuhdi Jasser of the AmericanIslamic Law, Gingrich Sees Islamic Forum for Democracy, Mortal Threat to U.S. The article w h o s a y s h e a p p r e c i a t e s tried to subtlety discredit Gingrich Gingrichs stance, but this is the and others talking about the minimal level of balance required Islamist agenda in the U.S., twice to stop the piece from turning into stating that many scholars feel an op-ed. The rest of the quotes the threat is being overblown and downplay the threat and ridicule it is roundly rejected by most Gingrich for making it an issue. experts. There is no mention of the The Times opens up with some Muslim Brotherhood or any of the of Gingrichs quotes, such as reasons why the issue of Islamism when he called Sharia a mortal has gained traction. threat. [It] takes your breath away, its Stealth jihadis use political, s o a b s u r d , A k b a r A h m e d , cultural, societal, religious, chairman of Islamic studies at intellectual tools; violent jihadis American University is quoted as use violence. But in fact theyre saying. It ends with a quote from both engaged in jihad, and theyre a former supporter of Gingrichs, both seeking to impose the same an advisor to the Department of end state, which is to replace Homeland Security, Mohamed Western civilization with a radical Elibiary. Elibiary is at the center imposition of Shariah, Gingrich of a scandal. He is suspected of says. trying to leak sensitive law Gingrichs warning is then enforcement documents to the characterized as a much-disputed media to try to expose the sot h e s i s i n v o g u e w i t h s o m e called Islamophobia of Rick conservative thinkers but roundly Perry. He calls Gingrichs rhetoric rejected by many American anti-Islam and propaganda for Muslims, scholars of Islam and jihadists. counterterrorism officials. Those The fact that many opponents of
the Islamist agenda do not equate it with Islam or Muslims as a whole is not mentioned. Neither is the fact that the issue at hand is Sharia-based governance and not the non-threatening practice of Sharia in Muslims private lives. Scott Shane was previously confronted by Robert Spencer, a scholar of Islam and director of JihadWatch.org, over his reporting on the July 2011 massacre in Norway by Anders Breivik. Shane placed a heavy focus on Breiviks use of Spencers material, implying that it inspired him into acts of violence. Spencer noted that Breivik was planning violence long before he even began writing
about Islam. In that article, titledKillings in Norway Spotlight Anti-Muslim Thought in U.S., there were no quotes defending Spencer and the other critics of Islam. The title immediately framed them as having an agenda against Muslims, instead of being critics of the state of their religion. The statement that was the closest to defending Spencer was from Marc Sageman, but even his quote attributed some responsibility to the anti-Islamists for Breikviks actions, saying that they and their writings are the infrastructure from which Breivik emerged. This rhetoric is not costfree. The article sparked a back-
and-forth between Shane and Spencer via email. On September 2, the New York Times published an opinion piece titledDont Fear Islamic Law in America. Its main argument was that the fight against Sharia Law is the modern-day manifestation of anti-Semitism and is fundamentally un-American, bigoted and dangerous. A pattern can be seen in the pages of the New York Times where the case against the Islamist agenda is misrepresented and vilified. The evidence substantiating the anti-Islamists worries is plentiful, yet unmentioned in these articles. The trial of the Holy Land Foundation proved that the Muslim Brotherhood operates in the U.S. through powerful front organizations. The Brotherhoods stated goal is to wage a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying Western civilization from within. A 2009 court ruling confirmed the links between Hamas and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Islamic Society of North America and the North American Islamic Trust, the lattermost of which owns at least one-quarter of the mosques in the U.S.
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The Center for American Progress Jihad Against the Free World
Daniel Greenfield (FrontPage Magazine FrontPage)
American left and the Muslim right, articulating the Islamist agenda as a vehicle for the foreign Submitted at 12/29/2011 10:45:37 PM policy of the post-American left. The colors of the American flag Its where Ali Gharib can run are red, white and blue, but the pieces whitewashing the Muslim colors of the Center for American Brotherhood while Zaid Jiliani Progress are red, white and green. attempts to justify the ambassador Red for the left and green for to Belgiums comments denying Islam. the existence of Muslim antiT h e C e n t e r f o r A m e r i c a n Semitism. P r o g r e s s i s n o t j u s t a n y A CAP report co-authored by organization. Headed up by John Wajahat Ali, a defender of Hamas P o d e s t a , a c o - c h a i r m a n o f and Islamic Jihad terrorists, and a Obamas transition team and board member of the Muslim backed by a 38 million dollar Students Association, a Muslim annual budget, it is George Soros Brotherhood front group, claimed most ambitious attempt to turn his that counterterrorism analysts Shadow Party into a shadow were misrepresenting the threat of g o v e r n m e n t . C A P i s t h e Sharia law and that Sharia was organization with the single overwhelmingly concerned with greatest influence on the Obama personal religious observance White House and its foreign and such as prayer and fasting, and domestic policy. not with national laws. That CAP is more than just another particular revelation might come think tank; its a lever for shifting as a shock to raped women in the Democratic Party further to Pakistan and gay men in Iran. the left, bought and paid for by Alis Islamist leanings drove him George Soros and a roster of to call on Obama to interact with secret donors whose names are democratically elected Muslim not made public by the secretive governments and representatives, and powerful organization. Those such as Hamas and Mahmoud who buy influence with it also get Ahmadinejad of Iran. But despite anonymity as part of the package. Alis extremism, the Center But the Center is more than a allowed him to co-author a report rogue billionaires brand of on Islamic law and another report progressivism turned into talking- titled Fear Inc. which attempted point groupthink by Washington to demonize Muslim and noninsiders. It is a link between the M u s l i m c r i t i c s o f I s l a m i s t
enthusiastically uncritical approach to the Islamist Arab Spring and a hostile, critical approach to the State of Israel. At the ThinkProgress blog, Matt Duss described Israels border controls with Hamas-run Gaza as a moral abomination and compared the deaths of Islamist radicals who attempted to murder Israeli soldiers to the murders of Goodman, Chaney, and Schwerner in the South during the Civil Rights movement. Duss, writing at Middle East Progress, a spinoff CAP blog, ran a piece on Rashid al-Ghannushi. Al-Ghannushi is one of the leaders of Tunisias Islamist Ennahda organization with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. In the past he has called for a war against America, branding it an enemy of Islam. Al-Ghannushi has also called for the genocide of Israeli Jews, writing: There are no civilians in Israel. The population males, organizations such as the Muslim policy arm from its blogs. In a females and children are the Brotherhood. post jointly co-authored by Faiz army reserve soldiers, and thus ThinkProgress, the Center for Shakir and Ken Gude, the two can be killed. True to form, Duss American Progress blog, is run men denied that their work was tossed softball questions to the by Faiz Shakir, who also serves as a n t i - S e m i t i c , b u t a v o i d e d gruesome Al-Ghannushi while the organizations vice president. similarly ruling out that their praising him as a non-violent The ThinkProgress blog has work was anti-Israel, probably intellectual. This was business at become extreme even by CAP because such an assertion would usual at CAP where Netanyahu is standards, forcing Ken Gude, have simply been unsupportable. a monster who must be kicked to CAPs national security director, CAP and its various affiliated CENTER page 76 to attempt to distance his centers b l o g s h a v e t a k e n a n
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least as much harm as any foreign entity did. Much of the energy crisis was self-inflicted by bad decisions made in Washington. The errors of the 1970s should serve as a cautionary tale as Amer-ica again faces similar energy challenges. Today, Washington is throwing up similar roadblocks to energy independence. President Barack Obama has postponed a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline, which would transport 700,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada to refineries in Texas, and give a major boost to the U.S. economy. M e a n w h i l e , h i s Administration has blocked access to shale resources and slowed down and even halted offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, which supplies 30 percent of domestic oil production. And the Environmental Protection Agency is imposing new, costly regulations on energy production. And all of this comes as Iran is threatening to cut off a quarter of the worlds energy supply.
As Heritages war game analysis showed, there are things America can do to respond to such provocations from Tehran, but no actions can totally eliminate the economic consequences. However, there are things Washington can and should do today to help America become less dependent on the Middle East for its energy and soften the blow should Iran choose to lash out at the West. Americas security depends on it. Quick Hits: Despite some reports that President Obamas approval rating went up this week, it didnt last long. A Gallup poll released yesterday shows the President with a 41 percent approval and a 50 percent disapproval rating. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that residential telephone customers can sue the federal government for post-9/11 warrantless wiretapping. North Korea has a new leader in Kim Jong Eun, but the country is maintaining its hostile bent toward South Korea. On Friday it announced that it would shun
South Koreas government forever. Get ready to say goodbye to the incandescent light bulb. Starting Sunday, the traditional 100-watt bulb will no longer be manufactured in the United States. Have you seen Heritages Top Ten Videos of 2011? Watch as we busted gas price myths, conducted an exclusive interview with Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, and paid tribute to Ronald Reagans 100th birthday, all at Foundry.org. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
societies, are public fodder for Farsad and three other Gen X and Gen Y Muslim comics with whom she traveled to the deep South this past summer. The tour, which later extended to Western states and included other Muslim comics, will form the backbone of The Muslims Are Coming!, a documentary film about Islamophobia in America that Farsad is working on with Palestinian Italian American comedian Dean Obeidallah. This is going to be the usual victimhood-mongering and deflecting of attention from the real causes of suspicion of Muslims in the U.S. Obeidallah contacted me and asked me to be interviewed for the piece, and assured me he would give me a fair hearing. But then he went on Twitter and called Pamela Geller a Muslim-hater echoing the deceptive Islamic supremacist
claim that fighting for free speech and equality of rights for all people is hate. His true agenda thus revealed, I bowed out of the interview. The documentary, which includes interviews with comics such as Jon Stewart and Louis Black and commentators including CNNs Soledad OBrien, explores freedom of religion and what it means to be a minority in America. Note the implication: that minorities have it so tough in America. No mention will be made, no doubt, of the far more precarious position of nonMuslim minorities in Muslim societies.
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the curb, but real monsters like Al -Ghannushi are moderates who deserve our support.
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Ron Pauls Base

David Frum (FrumForum David Frum)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 7:20:18 AM
Heres another tragic misunderstanding of Ron Pauls message of human freedom: Paul has just gained David Dukes endorsement. This week, the former KKK Grand Wizard telephoned into the radio show hosted by Stormfront founder Don Black to announce his support, and the two men had the following conversation. Ron Paul was a hot topic this week on the talk radio show hosted by prominent white supremacist Don Black and his son Derek. Mr. Black said he received Mr. Pauls controversial newsletters when they were first published about two decades ago and described how the publications were perceived by members of the white supremacist movement. Former KKK Grand Wizard and Louisiana Congressman David Duke also phoned in to explain why hes
voting for Mr. Paul. Everybody, all of us back in the 80s and 90s, felt Ron Paul was, you know, unusual in that he had actually been a Congressman, that he was one of us and now, of course, that he has this broad demographicbroad base of support, Mr. Black said on his broadcast yesterday. Mr. Black is a former Klansman and member of the American
Nazi Party who founded the white nationalist website Stormfront in 1995. He donated to Mr. Paul in 2007 and has been photographed with the candidate. Mr. Paul has vocal supporters in Stormfronts online forum. Black said on air he does not regard Paul as currently a white nationalist. To which David Duke answered: Again, I go back to that, you
know, traditional topic that I always talk about, you know, the powers of international Zionisma power in banking, a power in media, a power in government influence, in campaign financea power thats, you know, hurting the values of this country on behalf of Israel, Mr. Duke said. So, I would vote for Ron Paul at this moment because hes one of the few candidates who have
policies in this regard and this realm that I wholeheartedly support, and thats why Id vote for him. A politician isnt answerable for the antics of every one of his supporters. But theres surely a reason, isnt there, that racists, anti-Semites, 9/11 Truthers, and Holocaust deniers are so strongly attracted to the Paul campaign. They hear something. They continue to hear it too, no matter how firmly Ron Pauls more mainstream supporters clamp their hands over their own ears. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Isaiah 42:8-9 (12-30-11)

(Verse of the Day)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 2:00:00 AM
"I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another. ... See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being, I tell you of them."
Isaiah 42:8-9(NIV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... No matter what happens over the next few days, months, or years, God is already there! He is not bound by space and time. He creates reality by his powerful word. While some may tremble with fear because of the unknown,
Christians can take comfort in knowing that wherever we find ourselves, our Father is already there. He is already working on our deliverance and salvation. Even now he is declaring new things for us -- things about our future that we cannot see. So as we journey into our unknown
future, let's make sure we journey with the one to whom the future is not unknown. My Prayer... Thank you Father! You know where my life and my world are headed. With so much tumult about the changing of the year and the passing of time, I consciously and confidently trust that my future is
in your hands. There is no other place I would rather it be! Please bless me with confidence and banish anxiety from my heart as your future unfolds before me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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2011s Biggest Winners and Losers in Ecommerce

Erica Swallow (Mashable!)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 10:29:01 AM
In-demand products, unparalleled site design and usability, competitive search engine marketing, continuous innovative, exciting holiday specials these are just some of the variables that make up a successful ecommerce business. On the other hand, some of the top pitfalls for Internet retailers include lousy service, uninventive products, confusing corporate messaging and ineffective advertising. Weve seen a little bit of everything in 2011. As the year wraps up, its the perfect time to recount the ecommerce wins and fails of 2011. Some strong houses continue to dominate this year, while previously lauded companies fell a bit from grace (cough, Netflix). Lets take a look at the winners and losers in online commerce for 2011. 1. Winner: Amazon As the worlds largest online retailer, Amazon has been making great strides for years, and 2011 was a fun year to watch the company do its thing. First and foremost, Amazon released a refreshed line of Kindle products, including the Kindle, Kindle Touch, Kindle Touch 3G and Kindle Fire tablets. Kindle
devices continued to fly off the shelves all year the company announced last week that it was selling well over 1 million Kindle devices per week, outpacing the launch of the original iPad in early 2010. Though it has been met with criticism(and a software update to appease frustrated customers), Amazons Kindle Fire tablet is the retailers bestselling item ever, having only launched three months ago. Its not just the devices that are making waves in the market. Kindle books are a big deal for the company too. As of April, Kindle electronic books began outselling physical books on Amazon. For every 100 print books Amazon has sold, it has sold 105 Kindle books. Amazon also celebrated a number of other milestones this year, including the introduction of Amazon Deals, Cloud Player, the Android App Store, MyHabit.com, the ad-supported Kindle 3G and the Mac Downloads Store, along with the acquisitions of The Book Depository and LOVEFiLM. 2. Loser: Barnes & Noble With the weight of its brick-andmortar stores, Barnes & Noble looks like its fighting a losing battle. This year, its ecommerce site
PC market, with Dell and Apple following suit, yet it has no idea where its going. To WebOS or not to WebOS? Furthermore, to PC or not to PC? Those were the questions Meg Whitman finally helped the company answer after taking over for confused HP CEO Leo Apotheker. After the failed HP TouchPad launch, the company is now out of the tablet business, but hopes to be back in the game by 2013. Im sorry, thats just sad. 5. Winner: Walmart In August, Mashables Christina performed tremendously well. the iPhone 4S this year, basking Warren declared Walmarts The Nook ereader drove digital in the glory of a full-fledged hype recently purchased online movie service Vudu a bonafide hit. sales. But the websites increasing mill at each launch. sales are no match for the total The iPad 2 helped drive sales of For the first half of 2011, Vudu decline in revenue the company is the iPad to 40 million units, since had 5.3% of the U.S. market, putting it in third place after facing. the original was introduced. Barnes and Nobles November While the world would have behemoth iTunes and Microsofts launch of the Nook tablet, the preferred to see the iPhone 5, the Zune Video Marketplace. Vudu successor to the Nook Color, was iPhone 4S was received well, with even eclipsed Sony PlayStation a positive event for the company record weekend sales of 4 million Store and Amazon. the device received celebratory devices. Thanks to the iPhone 4S Although it shut down its sevenreviews and online buzz. release, the company is on its way year-old MP3 music store, Vudu, But one cant overlook the fact to selling a record number of along with a few other Internet wins, places it on my winning list. that BN.com and the house of iPhones this quarter. Nook are severely impeded by the Apple also set a new record for The retail giant is trying its hand retail stores extreme losses. Mac sales in Q4 of 2011, having at Facebook giving this holiday Although Id like to declare sold 4.89 million units. 4. Loser: season, divvying up$1.5 million of holiday grants via the worlds Barnes and Noble a winner this HP year for its feats in the tablet and What is up over at HP? I cant largest social network with its 12 ereader markets, I just cant bring even begin to explain all of the Days of Giving campaign. myself to reward mediocrity. 3. horrible problems that company is And speaking of social media, Winner: Apple facing. 2011S page 79 Apple introduced the iPad 2 and It holds top market share in the
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Walmarts social media strategy is top-notch when compared to other large retailers. It provides onmessage, utility-focused videos on YouTube and showcases a team of 15 specialized tweeters via its Twitter channel. Admittedly, Im not a huge fan of Walmarts animated Frank the Fruitcake Facebook spam, but its social strategy is going in the right direction otherwise. And while we all love to dote on Amazon, Walmart is still the largest retailer in the world by a long shot, if you count offline business; and it ranks in the top 10 for online retail. Walmart still needs to work on diversifying its online audience, though a recent comScore report illustrated that 83.4% of Walmart.coms visitors came from North America in June. 6. Loser: Netflix Much of 2011 went quite well for Netflix, but all hell broke loose after the company implemented its 60% price hike in September. Shortly thereafter, CEO Reed Hastings apologized and announced that the company would be splitting its streaming video and DVD business, rebranding the DVD-by-mail
service as Qwikster. Of course, Qwikster sounded like a stupid idea to everyone in the community, so that idea was qwikly abandoned in October. As a result of all of the madness and confusion, the companys stock plummeted and the company disclosed a loss of 805,000 subscribers in the third quarter. Hopefully for Netflix this huge snafu will be forgotten in the new year but thats unlikely. 7. Winner: Gilt Groupe Although it was only founded in 2007 and focuses solely on ecommerce, Gilt Groupe ranks in the top 50 Internet retailers, beating out household names like J. Crew, Scholastic, Crate and Barrel and American Eagle Outfitters. Gilt Groupe has even broken the record for highest grossing revenue in Silicon Alley history. This year has seen announcement after announcement from Gilt, showcasing the companys ability to innovative quickly and to build upon its pioneering flash sale site model. In May, Gilt raised$138 million in a round of funding, bringing it to a total of $240 million to date.
From there, it introduced its online culinary magazine Gilt Taste, an exclusive Facebook commerce offering and the relaunch of Gilt Home. In November, Gilt Groupe began shipping to more than 90 additional countries(beyond its U.S. and Japanese operations), making it more global than ever. Gilt also introduced its full-price mens retail site, Park & Bond, in 2011, though performance is yet to be determined. 8. Loser: Sony This year was difficult for electronics and entertainment giant Sony. The company is forecasting a$1.1 billion full-year loss, which would make its fourth straight annual net loss. So, whats going on? For starters, the strengthening yen, the unfortunate and lengthy PlayStation Network hacking affair, and declining LCD TV sales put the company in a bad place. Besides these more predictable problems, Sony also faced two natural disasters that hit its business badly, including floods in Thailand and the Japanese earthquake. Sony, like its competitors, is facing difficulties adjusting to the ever-changing consumer
electronics sector, and this year counts as another addition to its losing streak. Your Thoughts This post outlines some of the most buzzed about ecommerce stories of 2011. I could get into the nitty gritty of other companies after all, there are hundreds of other Internet retailers out there in the green and red. But Id rather get your thoughts on the industry. Let me know your thoughts about this years biggest ecommerce winners and losers in the comments below. Images courtesy of iStockphoto, desifoto, Flickr, Noelas, Walmart Stores More About: amazon, apple, ecommerce, features, gilt groupe, HP, Kindle, netflix, nook, Opinion, sony, Year End 2011 For more Business coverage: Follow Mashable Business on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Business channel Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad
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Verizon: Future 4G LTE Outages Wont Affect the Whole Country

Peter Pachal (Mashable!)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:09:20 PM
Verizons been having a lousy month. On top of the PR disaster of introducing a new $2 service fee for paying bills online, the wireless carrier with the reputation for having the best service suffered no less than three outages for its ultra-fast 4G LTE data network. Now the company has finally come forward and explained itself. Each of the outages was caused by an separate bug, Verizon says, though none as serious as the one that took down the entire network for an extended period in April. Now Verizon says its taking a key step to prevent nationwide LTE outages: geo-segmentation. By partitioning the network by area, the carrier can isolate problems before they spread and take down the whole system. The April berbug was caused by a bug in the very core of the network, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Verizon vice president of network engineering Mike Haberman revealed to
GigaOm. All of this months outages also involved issues with the IMS, though none were quite as fundamental to the systems operation as the one in April. The first outage this month happened on Dec. 7 when an IMS backup database failed. The second, on Dec. 20, was caused by a key network element not responding properly. And for the third, which occurred this past Wednesday, two network elements werent communicating right.
Although customers phones should automatically switch to 3G signals when LTE isnt functioning, that didnt happen for some customers. That was because of the nature of an IMS failure the network is still transmitting radio signals just fine, it just cant recognize devices running on it. Verizon was eventually able to force those phones to switch to 3G, but not right away. Although Verizon says it take outages seriously, it makes no
guarantees that more of them wont occur. Verizons 4G LTE network is the worlds largest, and the carrier says these kind of outages are simply par for the course when youre pioneering a next-generation wireless network. LTE is a generational shift in data networking technology, and Verizon was the first carrier to deploy it in the United States. AT&T has since followed with its own LTE network, and Sprint plans to debut the tech in 2012. Were you affected by Verizons disabled LTE service? Has it changed your thoughts on the carrier in any way? Let us know in the comments. Image courtesy of Eric Hauser, Flickr More About: 4G, LTE, outage, verizon For more Mobile coverage: Follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Mobile channel Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad
Google Reveals 2012 New Years Doodle

Zachary Sniderman (Mashable!)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:25:56 AM
Fans of Google Doodles the charming illustrations and reimaginations of Google that appear on the sites main page can get an early look at the companys New Years doodle with a little smart thinking and a foreign domain URL. Google has posted its 2012 New Years doodle on international landing pages where, due to time zone differences, its already New Years Eve. The doodle, shown above, can be found on sites such as google.co.kr(South Korea) or google.co.nz(New Zealand). Google is known to create a variety of doodles on its multiple homepages for major events, but it looks like this one could be a global doodle. Well all find out soon enough as we all creep closer to New Years Eve and 2012. The doodles, originally created in 1998 as a sort of out of office notice when Googles founders left for Burning Man, have become an online phenomenon in their own right. They have been GOOGLE page 81
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made to celebrate international holidays, historical landmarks, famous birthdays and just about anything else you can imagine. The doodles have also become something of an art form, with noted artists and designers submitting doodles on special occasions. SEE ALSO: Where Do Google Doodles Come From? Is the 2012 New Years Google Doodle a hit? Do you think the U.S. or U.K. will get something entirely different? BONUS: Google Doodles: 12 Years of Holiday Magic 1999 Google's first ever holiday
Doodle was a simple snowman. Click here to view this gallery. More About: Doodle, Google, google doodle, Holidays, new years For more Social Media coverage: Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Social Media channel Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad
Barratts collapse costs 1,600 jobs

Submitted at 12/30/2011 8:59:17 AM
find a buyer for the concessions "will unfortunately result in redundancies of Barratts Priceless 30 Dec 2011 staff across units in the UK and Around 1,600 jobs are to go at the Republic of Ireland". shoe retailer Barratts Priceless Daniel Butters, joint after attempts to find a buyer for administrator and partner in the concessions business failed, Deloitte's restructuring services administrators have said. practice, said: "Following a It was announced last week that marketing of the Barratts Priceless nearly 200 jobs were being lost businesses it is clear that a with the closure of 18 stores in the satisfactory sale of the concession UK and Ireland. to a new party will not be Administrator Deloitte said it achieved. would continue to trade the " A c c o r d i n g l y , t h e j o i n t remaining 173 stores as it sought administrators have regretfully a buyer for all or parts of the had to make approximately 1,610 business as a going concern. Barratts Priceless Group full and B u t i t s a i d i t h a s b e e n part- time employees working in unsuccessful in finding a buyer t h e v a r i o u s c o n c e s s i o n s for the concessions business. r e d u n d a n t . " They are mainly in Dorothy The joint administrators are in Perkins and Outfit stores. The 173 conversation with the various stand-alone stores are unaffected concessionaires to see how many by Friday's announcement as of the affected people they could attempts to seek a buyer continue. either employ or absorb into their The administrators said failure to existing businesses.
Five Barratts and 13 Priceless stores closed last Friday, with the loss of 127 jobs, and a further 60 staff members at the head office in Bradford, West Yorkshire, were also being made redundant. The shoe chain collapsed into administration earlier this month, after unseasonably mild weather further exacerbated already difficult trading conditions. A spokeswoman for the administrators said later that the 359 concessions in Dorothy Perkins and Outfit would close. There are 15 further concessions, which are unaffected. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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Man held over Video: Best news death of baby girl bloopers of 2011
Submitted at 12/30/2011 7:37:00 AM
30 Dec 2011 Police are investigating the death of a 10-month-old baby girl who died after being admitted to hospital on Boxing Day. Devon and Cornwall Police said they had arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of grievous bodily harm (GBH) in connection with the "unexplained" death of the infant in Ottery St Mary, east Devon. A spokesman said she was admitted unconscious to the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital during the evening of December 26 and later transferred to the Frenchay Hospital in Bristol, where she
died on Thursday. "The girl has not been formally identified but her next of kin were with her at the time of her death, she said. "The force's public protection unit has begun an investigation and a 28-year-old man from Ottery St Mary has been arrested on suspicion of GBH." The man was bailed until February 13. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Tina Korbe (Hot Air Top Picks)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:15:29 PM
posted at 1:15 pm on December 30, 2011 by Tina Korbe In the spirit of ESPNs Not Top 10 and other lists of not the best but worst moments of the year, I bring you this amusing collection of ironically awful moments in local news. Its hard to say which one should be ranked No. 1, but my votes go to either (a) the supposedly sweet-tempered rottweiler that just loses it (at about 0:13) or (b) the news reporter who just cant seem to get a grip as she looks around an empty seating area with a terrified expression (at about 4:15). I
definitely enjoyed laughing at the expense of the folks in this video, but, if my first national TV appearance taught me anything, its that, on live TV, anything can happen and, if you cant laugh about unexpected mistakes, what can you laugh at? Its one of the most glorious facts of our humanity: No matter how far we come, were still flawed. Aint it great? This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Holder bets Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act on opposition to photo-ID voting requirements
Ed Morrissey (Hot Air Top Picks)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:00:42 AM
posted at 12:00 pm on December 30, 2011 by Ed Morrissey For a man who supposedly doesnt have the faintest clue what his own ATF is doing while bodies pile up in the hundreds in Mexico, thanks to Operation Fast and Furious, Eric Holder is rather busy sticking his nose into the HOLDER page 84
Engadget Podcast 270 - 12.30.2011

Trent Wolbe (Engadget)
Verizon confirms) 09:00 - Verizon confirms latest Submitted at 12/30/2011 11:30:00 AM LTE outage restored, again claims Happy The Engadget Podcast 3G operated normally New Year's, everybody! You 12:28 - Toshiba Thrive 7" review know what to do. Don't forget to 21:10 - Tech's biggest misfires of date your checks right. 2011 Host: Brian Heater Hear the podcast Guests: Richard Lawler, Terrence Subscribe to the podcast O'Brien [ iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast Producer: Trent Wolbe directly in iTunes (enhanced Music: We Found Love AAC). 04:47 - Verizon experiencing [ RSS MP3] Add the Engadget nationwide data outage? (update: Podcast feed (in MP3) to your
Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [ Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) Contact the podcast Send your questions to@tim_stevens. Leave us a voicemail: (423) 438RSS aggregator and have the 3005 (GADGET-3005) show delivered automatically. E-mail us: podcast at engadget [ RSS AAC] Add the Engadget dot com
Twitter:@bheater,@rjcc,@terrenc eobrien Filed under: Podcasts Engadget Podcast 270 12.30.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 11:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| | Email this| Comments
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Will Obama release Fazl from Gitmo for peace talks with Taliban?
Ed Morrissey (Hot Air Top Picks)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 9:45:52 AM
posted at 10:45 am on December 30, 2011 by Ed Morrissey When any nation or organization wants to negotiate an end to hostilities, it has to be prepared to offer something substantial as a way to demonstrate good faith. Almost by definition, their own side will object to the concession offered if its significant. That will likely be the reaction to the Reuters report that the Obama administration is mulling over the idea of releasing one of the first detainees to enter the detention center at Guantanamo Bay in exchange for serious peace talks with the Taliban: The Obama administration is considering transferring to Afghan custody a senior Taliban official suspected of major human rights abuses as part of a longshot bid to improve the prospects of a peace deal in Afghanistan, Reuters has learned. The potential hand-over of Mohammed Fazl, a high-risk detainee held at the Guantanamo Bay military prison since early 2002, has set off alarms on Capitol Hill and among some U.S. intelligence officials. As a senior commander of the Taliban army, Fazl is alleged to be responsible for the killing of thousands of Afghanistans
WikiLeaks, he was also on the scene of a November 2001 prison riot that killed CIA operative Johnny Micheal Spann, the first American who died in combat in the Afghan war. There is no evidence, however, that Fazl played any direct role in Spanns death. Without a doubt, Fazls a pretty bad guy, and an indictment all on his own of the Taliban government the US deposed after the 9/11 attacks and the Talibans refusal to turn over al-Qaedas leadership. People forget just how bad the Taliban was in its administration of Afghanistan following their overthrow of the post-Soviet government in Kabul, such as it was. Iran can be described fairly as a twelfthcentury tyranny with 20th-century technology, but the Taliban were an eighth-century tyranny with 19th-century technology at best. If Fazl returned to the field and he almost certainly would, absent a peace agreement he could wreak a bloody havoc on Afghanistan once again, which is probably the main reason that the US has balked at returning him to Afghanistan. However, its not just the Taliban that want him back. The USsupported government in Kabul minority Shiite Muslims between 1998 and 2001. According to U.S. military documents made public by WILL page 86
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business of states and perhaps spelling the end of disparate treatment by the Department of Justice of southern states entirely. The DoJ, through its Civil Rights division, announced that it would block a new South Carolina law that required voters to show a photo ID when casting a vote, claiming that it had a disproportionate impact on minority voters. The Wall Street Journal scoffs at the claim, and points out that Holder has put the DoJ on a fast track to losing Section 5 in the 1965 Civil Rights Act as a result: In a letter to South Carolinas government, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Thomas Perez called the state lawwhich would require voters to present one of five forms of photo ID at the pollsa violation of Section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Overall, he noted, 8.4% of the states registered white voters lack photo ID, compared to 10% of nonwhite voters. This is the yawning chasm the Justice Department is now using to justify the unprecedented federal intrusion into state election law, and the first denial of a pre-clearance Voting Rights request since 1994. One of the forms of acceptable
photo ID is the South Carolina identification card issued by the state for free. Applicants have to show proof of residency in the state and a birth certificate or passport that shows US citizenship. If they lack a birth certificate, the state will provide a certified copy for $12, either in person, by mail, or by phone for an additional fee of $12.95. Note that the federal government requires states to check photo-IDs to get gun permits, another right explicitly guaranteed by the Constitution, for which all of these same fees would apply in South Carolina. Interestingly, this is almost identical to Indiana, which has a provision for free state IDs but only for the purpose of voting. They require the same documents to get the state ID, and charge between $5 to $12, depending on which county the birth record resides. Why is Indiana important? Because the Supreme Court approved an identical photo -ID voting requirement in Indiana in 2008, not to mention one in Georgia, also covered by Section 5, in 2005: The 1965 Voting Rights Act was created to combat the systematic disenfranchisement of minorities, especially in Southern states with
a history of discrimination. But the Justice position is a lead zeppelin, contradicting both the Supreme Court and the Departments own precedent. In 2005, Justice approved a Georgia law with the same provisions and protections of the one Mr. Holder nixed for South Carolina. In 2008, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Crawford v. Marion County Election Board that an Indiana law requiring photo ID did not present an undue burden on voters. In a later case, this one involving Holder, the Court declined to make a decision about Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, although they did note the substantial federalism costs of interfering in the law-making ability of a subset of states decades after the voting-rights issues have been settled. But thats not all they said on the matter to Holder: A second case offers a further glimpse into the High Courts perspective on the modern use of Section 5. In 2009s Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District v. Holder, the Court declined to decide the question of the constitutionality of Section 5, writing that while it imposes substantial federalism costs, the
importance of the question does not justify our rushing to decide it. But the Justices didnt stop there. They also cast real doubt on the long-term viability of the law, noting in an 8-1 decision by Chief Justice John Roberts that it imposes current burdens and must be justified by current needs. That such strong criticism was signed by even the Courts liberals should concern Mr. Holder, who may eventually have to defend his South Carolina smackdown in court. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley tells us she will absolutely sue Justice over its denial of her states law and that challenge will go directly to federal district court in Washington, D.C. From there it may be appealed directly to the Supreme Court, which would have to consider whether South Carolina can be blocked from implementing a law identical to the one the High Court approved for Indiana, simply because South Carolina is a covered jurisdiction under the Voting Rights Act. In the 2008 case, Section 5 wasnt an issue, since Indiana wasnt a covered state under its terms. It will be a big part of the case when Haley pushes it to the
Supreme Court, not just on the thin 1.6% difference that the DoJ cited, but because the Court will have to take into account the 2008 case when it decides on South Carolinas law. They cant uphold the DoJs interpretation without relying on Section 5, but overruling the DoJ on this would all but eviscerate that section and return the states under its aegis to the same voting-rights standards as every other state in the union, even if the Supreme Court doesnt explicitly end Section 5, which the 2009 case showed they seriously considered doing at the time. That wouldnt be a bad outcome for anyone except Holder, Obama, and the radical activists on their staff at the DoJs Civil Rights division. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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Why Is No One Attacking Mitt Romney?

Alex Roarty (Politics : The Atlantic)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 10:58:51 AM
As he zooms to the front of the pack on the eve of the caucuses, the rest of the field is expending its energy and money tearing each other down. Mitt Romney's confidence is brimming. The former Massachusetts governor, now widely seen as the favorite to win Iowa, announced Wednesday he'll stay in the Hawkeye State the night of the caucus, a clear indication he anticipates a good result. If he does capture Iowa, he'll head into New Hampshire, long his political stronghold, with a chance to become the first nonincumbent GOP presidential candidate ever to win the first two primary contests -- a back-to-back triumph that would all but secure the nomination. So, naturally, his Republican rivals have spent the last week castigating him on the trail and eviscerating him on TV, all in a desperate attempt to slow down his momentum and keep their own campaigns viable. Right? No -- they've nearly done the opposite. MORE FROM NATIONAL JOURNAL 2011's Luckiest Candidates Will Ron Paul Supporters Vote GOP in 2012? Rick Santorum Could Be the Savior of Retail Politics
In a new radio ad released Wednesday, Texas Gov. Rick Perry set his sights not on Romney but on former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who is enjoying his own surge in Iowa. In the ad and on the campaign trail, Perry criticized Santorum's previous support for earmarks, calling the ex-U.S. senator part of the bigspending Washington establishment. He does not, however, mention Romney. It's an old story this primary, where Romney has not faced the kind of withering attacks that normally confront a frontrunner. His rivals have trained their fire
on one another instead. Just examine the Iowa landscape this week as the campaigns make their last desperate push. Reps. Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul are at each other's throats over the defection of the Minnesota congresswoman's Iowa state chair. Paul, meanwhile, has spent most of the last month barraging former House speaker Newt Gingrich with a litany of hard-hitting TV ads. Paul himself has received blistering criticism from Gingrich and Santorum, each of whom has said his isolationist-leaning foreign policy is unacceptable. As they form a circular firing squad, Romney stepped back.
Rather than engage his GOP opponents, as he's done most of his campaign, he's focused almost entirely on his No. 1 target, President Obama. Romney has received cover from the primary's unprecedented volatility (at least since 1964), which has sent a bushel of candidates to momentary stardom atop the Republican field only to be torn down weeks later. Attacks from rivals and media scrutiny have followed each of these momentary front-runners, who have risen and fallen through the fall, instead of Romney, as he plodded methodically along at 25 percent in most national polls.
And it's not as though Romney, his past rooted in blue-state Massachusetts, didn't supply his opponents plenty of ammunition. They have the bullets; they're just not firing them. Image: Brian Snyder / Reuters This article available online at: http://www.theatlantic.com/ politics/archive/2011/12/why-isno-one-attacking-mitt-romney/ 250700/ This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentWHY page 86
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wants him and four other Afghani Taliban in Gitmo released into their custody, and have been requesting that since 2005. Both the Bush and Obama administrations have resisted those demands, and Congress remains opposed on a bipartisan basis. They see Fazl as an especially egregious case and a big danger if released; Reuters says that Fazl and the others would remain in detention, but thats probably fantasy. The Kabul government could try Fazl for the massacres, but theyd probably trade him in a peace agreement if they could get one that disarms the Taliban as part of a general amnesty. According to public data, that looks like a decision for Kabul to make. Unless the US has information that Fazl took part in terrorist operations against the US or have evidence that Fazl took part in Spanns murder, the jurisdiction for Fazls crimes would be in Afghanistan, not the US or Gitmo. Sending Fazl and his cohorts to Kabul in custody of the Karzai government would not constitute negotiating with terrorists, as one objection in the Reuters account is stated. It would be negotiating with the sovereign government we support
so that they can negotiate with the Taliban. Thats not just a distinction without a difference, either. Unlike al-Qaeda, which was always a foreign group transplanted into Afghanistan for strategic purposes, the Taliban represent for better or worse the Pashtuns in Afghanistan, and to a lesser extent in Pakistan. The Pashtuns are one of the biggest tribes in the region, and the conflict between the Taliban and the Afghan government (and the Northern Alliance that preceded it) is as much about tribal supremacy as it is about religion, and perhaps more so. In any postwar Afghanistan, the government will have to find a way to integrate the Pashtuns into the political life of the country without a resort to arms. Over the last ten years, many efforts have been made to get the Pashtuns to abandon their Taliban leadership, but without much success, and in the long run, negotiation will be necessary to end the conflict. Given the tribal map of Afghanistan, its obviously impossible for total victory through military conquest: Pashtuns are the largest single tribal ethnicity in Afghanistan, and one of the largest in Pakistan
as well at around 40%, with only/faq.php#publishers. Five Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks Filters recommends: Donate to following in order (aggregating in Wikileaks. the white space in the north on this map). The only hope of ending the war is to get Pashtuns to live with the other tribes of Afghanistan in peace, or outright annihilation, which is not just impossible but unthinkable. Peace will require negotiation, and negotiation will require tradeoffs, sometimes literally, perhaps such as Fazl for a truce and serious talks. Fazl might be a high price to pay, but in the end it will be the Afghan government who will pay it, and who should have jurisdiction to make that decision unless the US has evidence that Fazl has conducted terrorist operations against the US outside of the scope of our invasion in 2001. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks. Molly Ball (Politics : The Atlantic)
Frank Luntz Always Makes Newt Gingrich Cry

shouldn't come as too much of a surprise: The event was emceed by GOP opinion-researcher-cumSubmitted at 12/30/2011 12:13:08 PM stand-up-comedian Frank Luntz, Recalling his late mother, the and tearjerking is his M.O. f o r m e r H o u s e s p e a k e r g e t s The event, at a downtown Des emotional -- not the first time he's Moines coffeehouse, was styled been brought to tears lately, and as a focus group of moms, so hardly out of character. Luntz asked Gingrich to recall his DES MOINES -- At an Iowa own mother, who died in 2003. campaign stop Friday morning, Gingrich recounted his mother's Newt Gingrich got all choked up FRANK page 87 remembering his late mother. This
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final days in a long-term care facility, where she battled bipolar disorder, depression and physical ailments. It was that experience, he said, that prompted his interest in long-term care and Alzheimer's disease. As he spoke, a baby in the audience wailed, suggestively perhaps, in the background. "My whole emphasis on brain science comes indirectly from dealing --" Gingrich paused, winced and waved a hand, pleading, "you've got me all emotional!", then continued -"dealing with the real problems of real people in my family. And so it's not a theory. It's, in fact, my mother." Parallels were instantly being drawn to the campaign-trail tears of Hillary Clinton, whose 2008 welling-up was thought to humanize her to voters, and Ed Muskie, whose emotionalism in 1972 helped kill his campaign. But it's worth remembering that Gingrich has hardly been the
picture of stoicism up to this point. At a Thanksgiving forum in Des Moines in November, also moderated by Luntz, Gingrich was one of several candidates who broke down in tears. That time, the trigger was thinking about a friend's baby who was born with a heart defect. Also shedding tears at that event were Rick Perry, Rick Santorum and Herman Cain; Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul managed not to crack. "I feel like Dr. Phil!" Luntz joked at that earlier event, and it's clear his manipulative lines of questioning -- probing the candidates for the emotional pressure-points of family and faith -- were responsible for the orgy of tears. Unlike Hillary Clinton, Gingrich doesn't suffer from a too-tough public persona. If anything, it's the opposite -- he's seen as a loose cannon. The momentary front-
runner, now fallen to a lowly fifth in Iowa polling, isn't tanking because voters worry he's too buttoned-up. Quite the opposite, in fact. The candidate who could most use a tearful moment to soften his image as overly controlled and cerebral isn't Gingrich. It's Mitt Romney. Image credit: Reuters/Jim Young This article available online at: http://www.theatlantic.com/ politics/archive/2011/12/frankluntz-always-makes-newtgingrich-cry/250706/ This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Verizon offers vague statement, no apology for LTE downtime

Zach Honig (Engadget)
which Verizon reps claim didn't experience any downtime. Instead, your hiccups were a Earlier this week, you may have result of being "unable to connect n o t i c e d t h a t y o u r V e r i z o n to the 3G Network as quickly as W i r e l e s s L T E s m a r t p h o n e [Verizon] would have liked." couldn't do inconsequential things Have any questions? Of course like update your inbox, or pull up you don't. Such can be expected a webpage. This happened once. from any carrier, just like the Then twice. And finally a third requirement to fork over two time this month. And what's the bucks for the convenience of root cause?"Growing pains," paying your monthly bill. according to the carrier's latest Continue reading Verizon offers statement. And since growing vague statement, no apology for pains are a natural consequence of LTE downtime adolescence, there's no reason for Verizon offers vague statement, Verizon to issue any kind of no apology for LTE downtime apology to its paying customers, originally appeared on Engadget w h o n a t u r a l l y e x p e c t s u c h on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 10:34:00 inconsistencies from "the most EDT. Please see our terms for use a d v a n c e d 4 G L T E w i r e l e s s of feeds. Permalink| Verizon network in the world." Now, some Wireless| Email this| Comments of you also reported issues connecting to the 3G network,
Submitted at 12/30/2011 10:34:00 AM
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Editorial: How FAA-certified gadgets could improve air travel and eliminate the Terrible 10,000 Feet
Tim Stevens (Engadget)
Submitted at 12/30/2011 12:35:00 PM
If you're reading this now and have experienced the wonders of modern air travel then you have surely suffered through what I call the "Terrible 10,000 Feet." This is the period between the clunk of the cabin door closing and the bong of the cabin indicator, the chime signifying arrival of the magic altitude where "approved electronic devices" can then be used again. The first half of the worst part of the flight is then over -- the latter half to commence as soon as the plane dips again below that gadget ceiling.
This is the loudest part of the flight -- engines throttled up, flaps and gear hanging in the breeze and scared kids doing their best to drown all that out with screams and shouts. It's exactly when you most want to use your portable music player, and exactly when you aren't allowed. We've been told that this is for safety reasons, to prevent interference from the myriad devices carried by a cabin full of passengers, but that's never quite felt satisfactory to me. (Why is it okay to use those very same devices over 10,000 feet? Why can pilots use iPads but I can't?) So many questions, but I'm not here to second-guess the people whose jobs it is to keep me safe as
I schlep myself, my roller bag and my personal item across the country yet again. I'm here to propose a very simple solution: a certification program in which manufacturers submit devices for
testing and the FAA charges a (possibly hefty) fee for their approval. It could not only improve the lives of frequent travellers like myself, but could also stand to provide millions in
funding to the FAA, funds that could be put toward its unfortunately named NextGen air traffic control system. Win win? Read on and decide for yourself. Continue reading Editorial: How FAA-certified gadgets could improve air travel and eliminate the Terrible 10,000 Feet Editorial: How FAA-certified gadgets could improve air travel and eliminate the Terrible 10,000 Feet originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 12:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| | Email this| Comments

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