Health Tip: Discuss Weight With Your Child (HealthDay)

(HealthDay News) -- Talking about weight with your child can be difficult, but it's important to foster a healthy attitude toward weight and eating.

The American Dietetic Association offers these suggestions for having this discussion:

• If your son or daughter is overweight, encourage the child to take action to lose weight. Take steps toward this end as a family, so your child doesn't feel isolated.
• Never bribe or punish your child to lose weight.
• Make sure both parents and other family members agree on how to best handle weight issues, so the message to the child is clear and consistent.
• Talk to your child's doctor about weight.
• Seek help from local programs or professionals who can help your child deal with weight issues.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20111227/hl_hsn/healthtipdiscussweightwithyourchild

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1st US museum dedicated to Greek culture opens (AP)

CHICAGO ? Dolls a Greek woman made during World War II. Ice cream bowls and wooden spoons from a 1940s Greek candy store. Thousands of record albums filled with Greek music.

These items and many other beloved objects and family heirlooms have found their way from around the country to the National Hellenic Museum in Chicago, which has a new place to store and exhibit them all, in a four-story 40,000-square-foot environmentally friendly building of limestone and glass that opened in early December.

The $20 million project in the city's Greektown neighborhood, which includes temporary and permanent exhibition space, classrooms, oral history archives, a library and roof patio overlooking downtown, replaces the museum's previous space a few blocks away on one floor of a four-story building.

"This museum became by default the repository for artifacts from the Greek American experience because there was no other place people felt secure donating their items," said Stephanie Vlahakis, the museum's executive director.

Outside the museum, the street bustles with diners at Greek restaurants like The Parthenon, Athena or Santorini. A group of men speak Greek during an animated game of backgammon at the Panhellenic Pastry Shop with mounds of powdered sugar almond cookies and baklava piled in the glass cases behind the counter.

"We are telling the story of Greek America," Vlahakis said. "We just start from the beginning, from ancient times and bring it to the modern times."

The museum is a work in progress, with a skeleton version of the permanent exhibit on the second floor. Curators have scribbled design concepts in colored marker on the walls, like "absolutely want mosaic work" or "look into etching on glass?" The hope is to raise enough money to fill the displays out in a year.

But there is still plenty to see: shelves filled with items from a Greek family in New York, a wall of black and white pictures that chronicles the story of Greek immigrants in America and an area to learn the Greek alphabet. Visitors can watch a short introductory video narrated by, who else, George Stephanopoulos.

Museum curator Bethany Fleming hopes to travel to Greece and make casts of columns, gates and parts of temples to bring back to Chicago.

Downstairs the temporary exhibit space is home to "Gods, Myths and Mortals: Discover Ancient Greece," an exhibit on loan from the Children's Museum of Manhattan until August. It's a child's view of the daily life of ancient Greece and its legends and heroes, like Aristotle, Odysseus and Cyclops.

"What we want to do with all our exhibits is create a place where all generations of visitors can connect," Fleming said.

There's a kid-sized recreated Greek temple, and children can dress up in togas in front of a mirror or crawl into a jungle-gym Trojan horse. Interspersed are nearly three dozen Greek artifacts, including coins, pottery and figurines. One Macedonian drachma coin dates to 336-323 B.C. and is about the size of a dime.

The museum building itself is inspired by nature, containing elements of earth, air, fire and water. Inside a large, sky-lit stairway leads visitors from east to west, symbolizing the travel of Greek immigrants from Europe to America. Everything, Vlahakis says, was done deliberately to parallel the Greek American experience.

"So much of our world is inspired by the ancient," she said.

___

If You Go...

NATIONAL HELLENIC MUSEUM: 333 S. Halsted St., Chicago; http://www.nationalhellenicmuseum.org or 312-655-1234. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (until 8 p.m. on Tuesdays); Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Adults, $10; seniors and students, $8; children 3-12, $7.

GETTING THERE: The museum is within walking distance of the Chicago Transit Authority's No. 8 bus and Blue Line's UIC-Halsted stop in the West Loop neighborhood. Street parking and pay parking are available.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111227/ap_en_ot/us_travel_trip_greek_museum

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Cops: Mom, son rescued after Facebook post

SALT LAKE CITY?? A Utah woman used Facebook to seek help after she and her 17-month-old son were held hostage at a residence for nearly five days, police said.

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Police Sgt. Jon Arnold said the woman hid in a closet with a laptop to post her plea for help on the social networking website, saying she and her son would be "dead by morning" if they were not rescued.

The post prompted someone to call police, who went to the home to check on the woman's welfare.

"Facebook was her only outlet that she had at the home," Arnold said. "It just happened that she was able to use it."

Police arrested Troy Reed Critchfield, 33, and booked him into jail Saturday for investigation of aggravated kidnapping, forcible sodomy, aggravated assault, domestic violence, child abuse, animal cruelty and other charges.

Salt Lake County Jail records show Critchfield initially refused to let police in the house.

The papers say the woman shook her head to indicate "No," when officers asked if she was OK.

After police separated the couple, the woman told officers she and her child had not been allowed to leave the home and that she repeatedly had been hit, choked and sexually abused over a period of nearly five days. Jail records show the woman also claimed Critchfield had taken her cell phone and the phone of a disabled child also in the home.

"She claims that any time she went to go to a door, he physically assaulted her," Arnold told The Associated Press on Monday.

Story: Man jailed after Facebooking a store burglary

The woman had bruises and other physical injuries consistent with allegations, but refused to go to a hospital for treatment, he said.

She also told officers that Critchfield grabbed the boy's arms and treated him roughly, while also refusing to let her feed the family dog, jail papers state.

Critchfield remained in jail on Monday. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney.

Utah State Court records show that in December 2010 Critchfield pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault and obstruction of justice charges in connection with a domestic violence incident.

A judge sentenced Critchfield to a prison term of five years, but suspended the punishment for a 120-day jail term and three years of probation.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45792838/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

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Liquor stores in Texas closed on Monday

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

Source: http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/outbursts/2011/dec/26/liquor-stores-texas-closed-monday/

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Did Google's Panda Updates Really Impact Content Farms?

Did Google's Panda Updates Really Impact Content Farms?

By: Matthew Elshaw
2011-12-20

With Google releasing no less than 7 different Panda updates in 2011, now is the perfect time to see if these changes have made any difference to search results. New Scientist magazine recently published an article on the topic that claims search engines have won a major victory in their battle against content farms.

The magazine came to this conclusion after hiring University of Glasgow computer scientist Richard McCreadie to study 50 different search queries which were known to be a target of content farms. Examples of these queries include "how to organise your desktop" and "how to train for a marathon".

According to the article, as recently as March, the first 10 results from a Google search for "how to organise your desktop" contained nine links to pages churned out by content farms " websites that publish reams of articles, often of dubious quality, that aim simply to attract clicks and advertising dollars.

Google then released a number of "Panda" algorithm updates which aimed at filtering out these questionable search results. According to Mr McCreadie these changes have made an impact,

In the case of the marathon query, sites that contained lists of generic tips, such as "invest in a good pair of running shoes", were present in the top 10 in March but had disappeared by August, while high-quality sources, such as Runner's World magazine, now appear near the top. Similar trends were found throughout the 50 queries.

Well known content sites like ehow.com have also backed up the findings, stating that their traffic has dropped by 20 percent following Google's series of Panda updates.

In related news, Google have also stated that there will?be no further Panda updates in 2011 " but webmasters can expect more fine tuning in the new year.

Comments

View All Articles by Matthew Elshaw

---

About the Author:
Matt is a marketing professional at ineedhits.com, an international search marketing firm. Matt's passion for online marketing began at university and has proved invaluable in steering product development and marketing initiatives at the company. Matt is a regular contributor to the ineedhits search marketing blog.

---

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/searchnewzcombined/~3/LmNhJVBPfU4/sn-2-20111220DidGooglesPandaUpdatesReallyImpactContentFarms.html

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StCyrlyMe2: #EdShow YourRight Ed #GOP will run on the WeJustGot2Get #Obama OutOfOffice TheySoDumb TheyDon'tRemember #Bush Yrs #p2 #dems #politics #naacp

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Han Solo in Carbonite Case for iPhone 4/4S

I don’t know enough about Star Wars to make lots of witty remarks about Han Solo and Jabba the Hutt, but you might like this iPhone 4/4S case if you do.? The Han Solo in Carbonite case is from zazzle.? They start with a Speck Fitted Hard Shell Case for iPhone 4/4S and add a [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/12/25/han-solo-in-carbonite-case-for-iphone-44s/

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John Ford's The Grapes of Wrath (1940): Movie Trivia & Fun Facts

John Steinbeck?s searing The Grapes of Wrath came to movie theaters in 1940. Henry Fonda stars as Tom Joad, an ex-con who leads his fellow Okies west to California during the depths of the Great Depression. Here are 21 Grapes of Wrath movie trivia items and fun facts?

1. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1902-1968) was first published by Viking in 1939. Reported Malcolm Cowley in The New Republic (5/3/39): "I can?t agree with those critics who say that The Grapes of Wrath is the greatest novel of the last ten years; for example, it doesn?t rank with the best of Hemingway or Dos Passos. But it belongs very high in the category of the great angry books like Uncle Tom?s Cabin that have roused a people to fight against intolerable wrongs.?

The Grapes of Wrath one sheet style A movie poster - Heritage Auctions

3. Darryl F. Zanuck wanted John Ford (1894-1973) to direct the picture, feeling that Ford was the only man for the job, given his feel for America and his emotional connection to common people. Ford, however, demanded a month off before starting The Grapes of Wrath. At the time, Ford was "working like hell, averaging eighteen hours a day" on the set of Drums Along the Mohawk (1939), starring Henry Fonda and Claudine Colbert.

4. Henry Fonda had read Nunnally Johnson?s script and was itching to play the lead role of Tom Joad, asking Leland Howard to set it up. Howard informed Fonda that the actor would have to meet with Darryl F. Zanuck personally. That prospect didn?t please Fonda, who viewed Zanuck as "a narrow bastard with only two interests in life, making movies and satisfying" his sex life.

5. Henry Fonda and Darryl F. Zanuck eventually met. Zanuck wanted Fonda to sign a seven-year contract with Fox, hinting that he was also considering either Tyrone Power or Don Ameche for the role of Tom Joad. When Fonda pointedly replied that he wanted to remain a free-lance actor, Zanuck said with a smile, ?Well,? I?m not going to give you Tom Joad and then let you go off and do some picture with MGM and Joan Crawford.? Reluctantly, Fonda acquiesced and signed the contract, an act which would cause him immeasurable grief in the years to come.

6. Darryl F. Zanuck borrowed cinematographer Gregg Toland from MGM for $50,000.

7. The Grapes of Wrath was budgeted at $750,000. A second unit performed some background filming in Oklahoma?s Dust Bowl, while John "Pappy" Ford filmed at various locations in Arizona, New Mexico and in California?s lush San Fernando Valley.

8. The Grapes of Wrath was completed in only 43 days, with production starting on September 15, 1939, and ending on November 8, 1939. John Ford shot an economical 40,000 feet of film ? 100,000 feet might have been the norm with another director.

9. The emotional farewell scene between Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) and Ma Joad (Jane Darwell) was accomplished in one take. ?We rehearsed it and rehearsed it so that the camera crew could get the moves down,? Fonda is quoted by Dan Ford (grandson of John) in Pappy: The Life of John Ford (Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1979). ?Every time we got to the bench and were about to go into our lines, Pappy would say ?cut??Well, as actors we were very much aware of the emotion in this scene, and we really wanted to run it. We were like race horses chomping at the bit, but he wouldn?t let us go until the camera was ready. When we finally did run the scene we were ready! I mean the emotion was built up inside of us, and it was working for us. It was there in the face and in the eyes, and we had to fight to hold it back. It was a great, great scene and we knew it right then. After it was over, Pappy just got up and walked away from it?Everybody knew we could print that take.?

10. Darryl F. Zanuck, head of production at 20th Century-Fox, had a big hand in the final product. It was Zanuck who edited Nunnally Johnson?s screenplay, selected the accordion as the main instrument in Alfred Newman?s music score, added the cricket sounds to the swampy camp meeting attended by Preacher Casy (John Carradine) and tacked on Ma Joad?s "we?re the people" speech at the end of the movie.

11. The Grapes of Wrath opens on a dusty road near Oklahoma City where Tom Joad, recently released from prison, enters the Cross Roads diner. Tom Joad had spent the last four years in the state penitentiary, having killed another man at a dance hall after the man had stabbed him with a knife. Both men had been drunk at the time, with Tom retaliating with a shovel and striking his attacker dead. Tom had been given a seven-year sentence, but had gotten out in four.

12. In flashbacks, it?s the Shawnee Land and Cattle Company who move the tenant farmers a.k.a. "dusters" off the land. "The cats" ? caterpillar tractors ? move in, bulldozing fences and houses, with their operators earning $3 a day for their work. Muley Graves (John Qualen) threatens to shoot one of the cat operators, only to discover that he?s the son of a neighbor.

13. Uncle John (Frank Darien) produces a handbill advertising for 800 migrant pickers in California. With only a day left to vacate their Oklahoma farm, the Joads load up their old truck before dawn and begin the long trek to California. Grampa Joad (Charley Grapewin), however, stubbornly refuses to leave, so the family spike his coffee with Soothin? Syrup. The sleepy drunk old man is then placed in the truck and hauled away.

14. Grampa Joad becomes ill and dies along the way. Too poor to afford an undertaker, the Joads bury William James Joad right there, leaving a note at the makeshift grave. This practice was not uncommon among displaced Okies during the Great Depression.

15. The Joads follow U.S. 66 to California. Across the Pecos River in New Mexico, their truck overheats. Pa Joad is then "allowed" to buy a loaf of day-old bread for ten cents from a surly employee at a truck stop.

16. The Joads glimpse their first sight of California from the Arizona side, scanning a series of desolate mountains. ?Well, there she is, folks,? Pa Joad remarks contemptuously. ?The land of milk and honey ? California.?

17. The Joads are assigned house #63 at the Keene Ranch near Pixley, California, where they pick peaches for five cents a box ? no bruised fruit allowed in the final count.

18. Tom Joad enjoys a dance with his ma at the Farmworkers? Wheat Patch Camp where they glide across the floor to the strains of "Red River Valley," performed by accordionist Danny Borzage.

19. The Grapes of Wrath debuted at New York City?s Rivoli Theater on January 24, 1940. The first day?s attendance was 12,917. The film proved to be an overnight sensation, as long lines of eager moviegoers snaked around the theater for weeks, resulting in traffic problems for the NYPD.

20. Author John Steinbeck loved the movie version of his famous novel. The Grapes of Wrath earned seven Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Henry Fonda), Best Supporting Actress (Jane Darwell, won), Best Director (John Ford, won), Best Screenplay (Nunnally Johnson), Best Sound Recording (E.H. Hansen), and Best Film Editing (Robert Simpson). Jane Darwell had almost missed being cast in Grapes, as Beulah Bondi had also been considered for the pivotal role of Ma Joad.

21. Deceased cast members from the Grapes of Wrath include Henry Fonda (1905-1982), Jane Darwell (1879-1967), John Carradine (1906-1988), Charley Grapewin (1869-1956), Dorris Bowdon (1914-2005), Russell Simpson (1880-1959), O.Z. Whitehead (1911-1998), John Qualen (1899-1987), Eddie Quillan (1907-1990) and Zeffie Tilbury (1863-1950).

?I?ll be all around in the dark. I?ll be everywhere, wherever you can look. Wherever there?s a fight so hungry people can eat, I?ll be there?? - Henry Fonda as Tom Joad

?Top Image

• The Grapes of Wrath cast, l-r: Eddie Quillan, Dorris Bowdon, John Carradine, Henry Fonda - Heritage Auctions

Copyright ? 2011 William J. Felchner

?

?

William J. Felchner is a graduate of Illinois State University. His many articles have appeared in such publications as True West, Hot Rod, Persimmon Hill, Corvette Quarterly, Western & Eastern Treasures, Military Trader, Illinois Magazine, Sports Collectors Digest, Movie Collector's World, Antiques & Auction News, Frontier Times, Old West, Pennsylvania and Goldmine.

Source: http://factoidz.com/john-fords-the-grapes-of-wrath-1940-movie-trivia-fun-facts/

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Denver coach Joe Scott building a better basketball program

Scott tapping into Denver's basketball history with an eye on fans and winning.

DU coach Joe Scott's enthusiam is contagious as he tries to get the Pioneers into position to take the Front Range. (Andy Cross, Denver Post file)

The more Joe Scott learns about the University of Denver's distant basketball past, the more driven he becomes for what he wants to see in the future.

On a trip to Utah State in November ? a 67-54 Denver victory ? Scott discovered there's some DU history to build on. The Pioneers have the fourth-longest series on Utah State's schedule. They met for the first time in the 1922-23 season, but they have met just twice since 1978.

Then Monday, the Pioneers played their 148th game in the series with Wyoming. There's Division I men's basketball history at DU, but it needs a dusting.

Scott, who was hired at DU in March 2007 after coaching stops at Air Force and Princeton, hopes to build the Pioneers program into a consistent contender for postseason play. However, they are postseason poor.

In the early years, DU made appearances in the Regional AAU Tournament, and there were appearances in the NAIA and NCAA Division II tournaments, but the only postseason appearance in Division I was in 2004-05, when the Pioneers took a 20-10 record into the National Invitation Tournament.

Scott's fifth Pioneer team seems headed in the postseason direction. At 10-2, it has established itself as one of the program's best ever.

"Denver's known as a sleeping college basketball town," Scott said. "Maybe if we can keep our season going, the people here who like college basketball will show they're not sleeping anymore."

If the Pioneers defeat Troy in their Sun Belt Conference opener Thursday night at Magness Arena, going 11-2 would equal DU's best start in Division I, set in 1942-43.

Scott has put together an interesting mix of players he hopes will continue the program's rise. There's veteran leadership with forward Rob Lewis, guard Brian Stafford and brothers Chase and Travis Hallam. But maybe the most exciting parts of the team are the younger players headed by sophomore Chris Udofia, who has established himself as one of the best college players in the area. Udofia (13.9 points per game) and Stafford (14.1) are in a close battle for the team scoring lead.

Guard Brett Olson, out of Highlands Ranch High School, is starting as a freshman. Senior forward Justin Coughlin, sophomore forward Blake Foeman and freshman forward Royce O'Neale are providing effective play off the bench.

Scott often credits his players with accepting and fulfilling their roles.

The coach also has accepted a role, albeit risky for coaching tenure, in building the Pioneers' basketball image. He put some gusto into the nonconference schedule by playing perennial postseason contenders St. Mary's, California, Iona and Utah State along with continued rivalries with Wyoming, Northern Colorado and Colorado State.

"Our nonconference schedule has gotten more difficult every year," junior guard Chase Hallam said. "It has made us a better team. If you play well against the better teams, it builds confidence."

Scott sees a beneficial circle.

"People are smart, they know when you're a good team," Scott said. "They know if you're playing good teams. The more you play good and you play good teams, the more college basketball fans you find. They're just waiting to be turned on here."

More than 7,000 fans turned out for the Wyoming game.

"I grew up watching rivalry games," Scott said, pointing to his roots in New Jersey. "I watched Providence and Holy Cross, Princeton and Rutgers. Those are huge rivalry games. The schools are older on the East Coast, and there's a lot of college basketball tradition."

Scott isn't a novice at building a program. Eight years ago, his fourth Air Force team went 22-7 and won the Mountain West Conference regular season at 12-2 to advance to the 2004 NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1962. That was the Falcons' first winning season since going 15-10 in 1977-78.

"I'd like to bring Notre Dame to play us in Magness Arena," Scott said of future goals. "I'd go there twice if we could get them to come here once."

Scott sees college basketball picking up steam in the area, and DU is part of it.

"I think all of the programs are better than they were five years ago," Scott said. "We're building better programs, and that raises the specter of college basketball. We're all concerned about our own teams, but we also care about the game of basketball."

Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com

---

Growing into elite level

A look at the University of Denver's basketball history, outside of Division I play:

NAIA: 1979-80 season through 1989-90

NCAA Division II: 1990-91 season through 1997-98

Division I: 1998-99 season to present

Source: http://www.denverpost.com/colleges/ci_19616780?source=rss

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Moon & Venus Put On Post-Christmas Sky Show (SPACE.com)

For those still recovering from an active Christmas Day, there will be a celestial sight pretty enough to adorn your Christmas tree on the evening after Christmas.

On Monday (Dec. 26), known as Boxing Day in Commonwealth nations like Canada and the United Kingdom): The brilliant planet Venus will shine prominently in the vicinity of a lovely crescent moon. The Venus-moon sky show repeats on Tuesday night, too.

On Monday, check the south-southwest sky right after the sun sets. Venus will likely catch your eye first since it will be shining about one-fifth of the way up from the horizon. Now look off to the right and at a slightly lower altitude from Venus and you'll also catch sight of the slender sliver of a waxing crescent moon. ?

The eye-catching duo will quickly descend as the sky darkens, finally setting about 2 1/2 hours after sunset, beyond the southwest horizon. The?sky map available here ?shows how Venus and the moon appear on Monday.

A striking sight

This will not be a particularly close conjunction (as groupings of planets are called) since Venus will be hovering about 7 degrees from the moon. Your clenched fist held at arm?s length measures roughly 10 degrees.? Still, the two sky objects will likely attract immediate attention because of their magnificent brightness.

Venus shines at magnitude -4 on the scale astronomers use to measure and object's brightness. On the scale, the lower the magnitude number, the brighter the object appears. On this scale Venus is 11 times brighter than Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.

The moon will be a little more than two days past new phase and will only be about 6 percent illuminated.? Look for the beautiful phenomenon known as "earthshine" ? sunlight reflected by the Earth, directed toward the moon and dimly illuminating its dark portion with a faint grey-blue glow.? That effect will impart an almost three-dimensional appearance to the moon and will enhance the overall scene.

Venus is currently 123 million miles (197 million kilometers) from the Earth. But the moon is only about 235,000 miles (379,000 km) away and as a result appears to move much more rapidly against the background stars than Venus.?

By the time the sun sets on Tuesday evening, the configuration between Venus and the moon will have markedly changed. In fact, the moon ? whose illuminated sliver will have noticeably widened to 12 percent ? will now be positioned high above Venus. If you drop an imaginary line straight down from the Moon and you will hit Venus some 10 degrees ("one fist") away.?

During the daytime too!

And the moon's proximity relative to Venus will give you an excellent chance to try and glimpse Venus during the daytime.

If your sky is mostly clear with little or no haze, check your south-southwest sky during the late afternoon hours of Monday and Tuesday before sunset and try to locate the moon. It will most likely be easier to do this on Tuesday since the moon will be higher and a thicker crescent.

If you find the moon, remember that on Monday, Venus will be positioned about 7 degrees to the moon's left and will be a bit higher up.? On Tuesday look roughly "one fist" below the moon to find Venus. It will be visible as a tiny white speck of light against the blue sky background.?

Another fine (albeit similarly wide) pairing-off of Venus and moon will again occur a month from now, on Jan. 25 and 26.

If you snap an amazing photo of venus and the moon and would like to share it with SPACE.com, contact managing editor Tariq Malik at?tmalik@space.com.?

Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for The New York Times and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, New York.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/space/20111224/sc_space/moonvenusputonpostchristmasskyshow

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3 Americans Killed In Mexico After Five Gunmen Open Fire On Buses

Three U.S. citizens traveling to spend the holidays with their relatives in Mexico were among those killed in a spree of shooting attacks on buses in northern Mexico. Hit the jump to read the rest of the story.
@WiLMajor

A group of five gunmen attacked three buses in Mexico?s Gulf coast state of Veracruz on Thursday, killing a total of seven passengers in what authorities said appeared to be a violent robbery spree.

The Americans killed were a mother and her two daughters who were returning to visit relatives in the region, known as the Huasteca, said an official in the neighboring state of Hidalgo, where the mother was born.

Hidalgo state regional assistant secretary Jorge Rocha identified the dead U.S. mother as Maria Sanchez Hernandez, 39, of Fort Worth, Texas, and the daughters as Karla, 19, and Cristina, 13. Rocha said all three held dual U.S.-Mexican citizenship. A 14-year-old Mexican nephew traveling with the three was also killed.

A U.S. Embassy official confirmed the women?s nationalities, but could offer no information on their ages or hometowns. The official, who was not authorized to be quoted by name, said consular authorities were offering assistance to the victims? relatives.

While funeral plans were unclear, Rocha said Sanchez Hernandez?s mother wants her daughter to be buried in Mexico.

Three other Mexican citizens were killed in the Thursday attacks on the three buses.

The five gunmen who allegedly carried out the attacks were later killed by soldiers.

Earlier in their spree, the gunmen shot to death three people and killed a fourth with grenade in the nearby town of El Higo, Veracruz.

On Thursday, the U.S. Consulate General in Matamoros, a Mexican border city north of where the attacks occurred, said in a statement that ?several vehicles,? including the buses, were attacked, but did not specify what the other vehicles were.

The consulate urged Americans to ?exercise caution? when traveling in Veracruz, and ?avoid intercity road travel at night.?

DN

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Source: http://www.inflexwetrust.com/2011/12/24/3-americans-killed-in-mexico-after-five-gunmen-open-fire-on-buses/

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No. 13 Georgia women cruise past Appalachian State (AP)

ATHENS, Ga. ? Khaalidah Miller had 23 points and 11 rebounds, freshman Krista Donald added 22 points and No. 13 Georgia beat Appalachian State 81-37 on Thursday night.

Georgia (10-2) was able to let point guard Jasmine James rest her injured right knee. The Lady Bulldogs' second-leading scorer watched the game from the bench in a warmup.

Meredith Mitchell moved from swingman to point guard, and Erika Ford started in Mitchell's spot. But Mitchell left the game with blurred vision after getting poked in the eye late in the first half.

Miller took over at point guard and made it 38-19 early in the second half by stealing the ball from Raven Gary, scoring a fast-break layup and converting a three-point play.

Anna Freeman scored 14 points to lead Appalachian State (8-2).

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111223/ap_on_sp_co_ga_su/bkw_t25_appalachian_st_georgia

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The Best Turn-By-Turn Navigation App for Android [Video]

Android users have the benefit of getting a phone that likely comes with turn-by-turn navigation right out of the box, usually in the form of Google Maps Navigation. Even though many Android users will never use anything but Google Navigation to get from point a to point b, we found that Waze is also free and a better option.

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• Provides voice-guided turn-by-turn driving directions, with multiple voice prompts before turns and merges
• Automatically recalculates route when you make wrong turns or change course
• Supports Android's built-in voice search, so you can speak destinations to search them quickly
• Offers live traffic and road condition reports from local traffic services as well as other users
• Crowdsources your commute by allowing other users to report accidents, construction, police activity, or other obstructions
• Alerts you in advance as you approach reported road issues and conditions
• Displays the positions of other Waze members and drivers on the road in real time, allows you to see their direction and speed
• Switches between day and night map view for easy reading
• Offers GPS driving "groups" of other drives that you can connect with
• Makes driving and commuting a social game with points, rewards for new routes, and points for submitting construction areas or road incidents

Like its iOS version, Waze doesn't disappoint, and its price can't be beat. It had an especially high bar to meet on Android because Android devices usually ship with Google Maps Navigation built-in, and while that would seem like a logical choice for the best turn-by-turn GPS app, Waze offers a wealth of features that Google Maps doesn't. First of all, Waze's turn-by-turn directions are solid, and the app always shows your overall drive time, distance, and ETA on-screen while you drive. The app lets you save destinations for quick access when you get in the car and open the app, so you don't have to type the same destinations over and over. If traffic conditions ahead change and the app thinks you'll be delayed, you'll see it right on the map, with a large note that the speed in a given area has reduced to a certain amount, and as you approach, your ETA will change. When you come to a stop at a light, Waze will rotate through traffic alerts and warnings in your area, so you can take a moment to see if any incidents are things you should worry about. The app's settings are rich, and offer a wealth of configuration options, from languages, male/female voice, route learning, and more.

When you start moving again, Waze knows, displays your speed on the map in real-time, and switches back to a vehicle-centered view. This is actually a huge benefit, because you or your passenger can tap areas on the map, explore your route, or look something up, and Waze will always automatically go back to a vehicle-centered view. With Google Navigation, even the slightest drag off of the vehicle-centered view means you're now looking at maps, and you have to tap the Nav icon to go back to the navigation view. Also, if the app crashes, retstarts, or force closes, the next time you open it, Waze auto-recovers your destination and re-plots your course. It's a huge benefit if something happens while you're driving and you have to re-open the app?you don't have to re-type your destination.

Waze's biggest benefits are clearly the real-time traffic and road information that users of the app provide. I live in a major metro area, so the information I encountered was, about eight times out of ten, accurate and up to date. When Waze warned me that I was about to approach visible police activity, sure enough someone was pulled over, or a police car with a speed camera mounted on the hood was ahead. When it warned me there was a stopped car on the side of the road, it really was there. The fact that you can then thank the driver who reported the issue or report the issue resolved if it's not there are also quick ways to get you to start contributing as well.

It's really difficult to understate the benefit of the social components that Waze offers. Like Adam Dachis mentioned when he recommended Waze for the iPhone, I also reviewed Waze a long time ago, when the app was just getting off the ground. At the time, I felt the social component was gimmicky and useless until the app had a community of commuters behind it who were sharing and reporting accidents, road closures, and other issues. It's come a long way since then, and has enough users that those features aren't just useful, they're the star of the show.

Waze isn't perfect however. I found the voice prompts a bit muddy sounding, and not nearly as clear and crisp as Google Nav's built-in voice. I also found Waze has a little trouble staying stable if you switch in or out of the app. For example, when I drive, I often plug my phone into my car stereo and stream Pandora in the background while GPS is in the foreground. Leaving Waze to start Pandora is easy enough, but more than once I returned to the app to find an error on-screen, and the app asked me to submit a bug report. If I left Pandora up, Waze worked properly in the background and stayed in the notifications pane, but switching back to it caused it to freak out a bit. It was annoying, but since Waze automatically re-plots your course and picks up where it left off if the app crashes, restarts, or is closed, it was no bother.

Also, Waze occassionally warned me to "exit left" when the exit was indeed to the right, only to quickly correct itself with the next prompt. The first time it happened, I figured it was a minor error, specific to that location, but when it happened again, I was a little worried. The map is correct, the data on-screen is correct, and both the prior and following voice prompts tell you the correct direction, but I could see that being a serious problem to someone depending on Waze's voice prompts more than the map. Speaking of voice prompts, I also found Waze more than a little chatty, often prompting me three to four times per exit or turn, at the 1-mile, half-mile, quarter-mile, and tenth-of-a-mile that a turn was coming up. You can tweak this though, so it's not a big deal.

FInally, Waze suffers a little bit from the "webapp as Android app" problem, where menus and options aren't native Android screens and menus, and are instead custom versions of the web interface that tie right back to your Waze profile. They're quick and responsive to be sure, they just look and feel a little kludgy at times. Oh - one more thing: a number of people complain about Waze's server stability. I never had those problems during my testing, but it's worth mentioning, since it's the most common complaint by Waze's detractors. Your mileage there may vary.

Google Maps Navigation (Free) is perhaps the most obvious competition here, and without doubt more widely used than Waze. Google Nav ships on most Android phones, offers a traffic layer so you can see where problem spots are on the road, and estimates your travel time based on speed limit and traffic ahead (although Google has had problems with this feature.) Where Waze is US and Canada only, Google Maps is global, and has Google's massive database of highways, side-streets, and surface roads to lean on to help you find the best possible route. Google Navigation has all of the same easy-search features and voice options that Waze does, and also allows you to search for locations along your route so you can make a side trip if necessary. Most Android users already use Google Nav, and while it's a great GPS app and definitely a killer feature of Android, you don't have to settle for it if you're looking for something more, and if Waze's bells and whistles turn you off and you just want driving directions, Google Navigation is always there for you.

Navigon for Android ($30 + $14 in-app purchase for live traffic) Navigon (by Garmin) is another great option, and while it's expensive and the app forces you to download your maps ahead of time (a process we suggest you do over Wi-Fi, as the files are pretty big) you do get the benefit of a "real" GPS app, where all of your maps are stored on your phone and you don't need a constant data connection to help you find your way. If your data connection drops?like mine did yesterday?Navigon keeps going like nothing happened. Plus, the app is snappy, the interface is well designed for in-car use, and the voice prompts are clear and loud. That said, it's really pricey by comparison, and you have to pay again in-app to get live traffic, when other apps offer it for free. Navigon has a long and storied history, and it's a great option if you need offline maps (although Google Nav also allows you to download map areas), but its really hard to get around the price.

Sygic ($26 for North American license, Price varies by location, Free trial available) is another great turn-by-turn navigation option. Sygic leverages TomTom's maps for driving directions, and has its signature big, bright, colorful GPS maps and on-screen UI. The screens are easy to understand, upcoming turns are shown clearly, and the full license comes with real-time traffic. The app allows you to add your own points-of-interest (POI), speaks street names and lane-change warnings, and even integrates Google search so you can search along your route. Sygic is packed with all of the features that make a GPS device useful, which means you don't have to leave the app to search for businesses on the way, find a place to eat, see traffic conditions, and so on. It's a great app, and many of its users are happy with it, but again, it's difficult to recommend paying $26 (19.99 EUR) for the North American maps when the free trial is over when other apps offer the same core features for free, even if many of the premium ones are missing.

Skobbler (Free, $1.99 for Maps) is for the OpenStreetMap fans. It doesn't really offer anything that the other apps don't already provide, including Google Navigation, but if you prefer your mapping platform open-source and not in the hands of a specific company or mapping service, Skobbler is the tool for you. You have to pay once for your "Forever Maps," but once you do, the app gives you access to OSM, which are as up to date as the community keeps them.

MapQuest Mobile (Free) really wants to be a bigger player in this space, but the app needs work. MapQuest itself has come a long way since the days when it was overshadowed by Google and Microsoft, and the mobile app shows a lot of the polish the web site has tried to introduce. The trouble is that it's turn-by-turn directions just aren't that great. I often found MapQuest trying to route me through communities and cul-de-sacs when I knew there was a faster route on a larger street just up ahead, and toggling to OSM (a nice feature), didn't seem to help. It did re-route me if I missed a turn, and it does offer some traffic conditions, updated every five minutes from public sources, but unless you're looking for some of the sponsored hotels and restaurants that pop up in the app's search results, finding locations can be tricky and you may have to leave the app first. Still, MapQuest Mobile for Android is new, and technically still in beta. With more work and more features, it could be a real contender?assuming MapQuest's map database is up to snuff, and while it's improved a lot, I'm not sure it's there yet.

Note: Despite our best efforts to get review copies, we were unable to test CoPilot Live USA. It should be noted that these apps were not considered in our evaluation because we couldn't test them.

---

Lifehacker's App Directory is a new and growing directory of recommendations for the best applications and tools in a number of given categories.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/bh1sZdHZ40Q/the-best-turn+by+turn-navigation-app-for-android

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Vote: Who plays the perfect Sarah Palin?

By Randee Dawn, TODAY.com contributor

NBC, HBO

Tina Fey, left, and Julianne Moore in character as former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

Who's the best Sarah Palin impersonator?

Well, until recently, Tina Fey -- of course! The "30 Rock" star practically wrote the book on the former Alaska governor, who lost her bid for the vice-presidency in 2008, running alongside John McCain.

Fey's impersonation alongside "Parks and Recreation" star Amy Poehler (as Hillary Clinton) on "SNL" went huge as a viral video, and Fey even earned the Associated Press Entertainer of the Year award for the portrayal.

But ... Fey may have some serious competition. HBO has recently released a clip of its upcoming "Game Change" film, which looks at McCain's presidential campaign -- and, of course, his pairing with the surprisingly telegenic Palin. But rather than hire Fey, the filmmakers went with ... four-time Oscar nominee Julianne Moore. And really, the appearance is truly striking.

So we ask you: Who is the better Sarah Palin?

{"contentId":"9630788","totalVotes":"12923"}

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Source: http://scoop.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/22/9630788-vote-who-plays-the-perfect-sarah-palin

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Microsoft's CES 2012 keynote won't deliver 'significant news,' more of 'a wrap-up'

After learning of Microsoft's plans to stop holding CES keynotes following the 2012 edition, the immediate attention turned to this: would it use its last opportunity on the main stage to make a lasting impact? Evidently, that answer is "no." We've confirmed with the company that Steve Ballmer will be "focusing quite a bit on Windows Phone and the its Xbox / entertainment story," while also sharing "momentum from across the company for Windows, Office, Bing, etc." Ultimately, we're told that there "won't be significant news, but more of a wrap up of the strong year the company has had in consumer." We've got a call out for further clarifications (as well as questions on whether or not another BUILD, MIX or some other spinoff event will take the theoretical place of CES), and we'll be sure to update as we learn more.

Update: While Microsoft can't confirm specifics, we're getting the impression that the company's partners will be the ones leading and driving announcements in the CES events to come. And while it wouldn't comment specifically on the future of MIX or BUILD, we're told that "it will continue to invest in those kinds of owned venues going forward."

Update 2: The CEA, also known as the entity that puts CES together, has officially responded to the news. It also affirmed that Microsoft will not reserve the massive Central Hall exhibit space that it has used in past years, but it seems pretty unconcerned about the whole ordeal. The full statement is after the break.

Continue reading Microsoft's CES 2012 keynote won't deliver 'significant news,' more of 'a wrap-up'

Microsoft's CES 2012 keynote won't deliver 'significant news,' more of 'a wrap-up' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/21/microsofts-ces-2012-keynote-wont-deliver-significant-news-m/

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DerekPonamsky: RT @darrenrovell: Guys at @fans tell me the Honey Badger's No. 7 LSU jersey became the top selling NCAA jersey this season in the last 4 ...

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Source: http://twitter.com/DerekPonamsky/statuses/149968242230837248

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Man facing child porn charges (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

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"Work It" ripped by LGBT groups for cross-dressing premise (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) ? The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the Human Rights Campaign have ratcheted up their campaign against the upcoming ABC comedy "Work It."

The two groups took their argument to the pages of Variety on Tuesday, placing a full-page ad saying the show makes fun of the transgendered.

The ad, titled "Message to ABC: 'Work It' Will Harm Transgender People," argues that the series, which portrays a pair of men who disguise themselves as women in order secure employment, will encourage mockery.

"By encouraging the audience to laugh at the characters' attempts at womanhood, the show gives license to similar treatment of transgender women," the ad reads.

The ad lauds ABC's "record of positive portrayals of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people," but adds that the network "should know how offensive this show is, and that it even has the potential to jeopardize the safety of many transgender Americans in the process."

The two groups will also meet with ABC to discuss the series, which is slated for a January 3 premiere and stars Ben Koldyke ("How I Met Your Mother") and Amaury Nolasco ("Prison Break") as the cross-dressing job-seekers.

GLAAD and HRC fired off their first shot against the series last week. GLAAD issued a statement slamming the show and asking ABC to "consider whether airing this show is worth the damage it has the potential to do," while HRC urged the public to boycott the series.

ABC has not yet responded to TheWrap's request for comment on the matter.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111221/tv_nm/us_workit

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Super Bowl to be streamed online, to mobile phones (AP)

NEW YORK ? The Super Bowl will be streamed online and to mobile phones for the first time.

The NFL said Tuesday that NBC's broadcasts of wild card Saturday, the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl would be available on the league's and network's websites and through Verizon's NFL Mobile app. The package will include additional camera angles, in-game highlights and live stats.

NBC already streams its "Sunday Night Football" telecasts online and to Verizon phones.

The Super Bowl is Feb. 5 in Indianapolis. The game is annually by far the biggest attraction on television, with last season's Packers-Steelers matchup drawing a record U.S. audience for any show with 111 million viewers.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111220/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_super_bowl_live_streaming

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Euro falls on ECB president comments (AP)

NEW YORK ? The euro fell against the dollar Monday after the president of the European Central Bank gave cautious statements about the Europe's growing debt crisis. News that North Korea ruler Kim Jong Il had died initially pushed the yen lower against the dollar, but it has since recovered.

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said that the central bank was preparing the eurozone's bailout fund for a possible downgrade of France's AAA-credit rating. Draghi said that if France's rating is downgraded, other countries could receive downgrades too. He also said in an interview with the Financial Times that large-scale government bond purchases were outside the central bank's responsibility.

Earlier in the month, rating agency Standard & Poor's put 15 of the 17 countries that use the euro on watch for a downgrade. On Friday, ratings agency Fitch warned that it could downgrade Italy, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, Slovenia and Cyprus. Downgrades could complicate Europe's work to solve the debt crisis because it will cost more for the countries to borrow money.

The euro fell to $1.3009 in afternoon trading Monday from 1.3024 late Friday. Fears that European leaders aren't doing enough to end the region's debt crisis pushed the euro to an 11-month low of $1.2943 Wednesday, but it has hovered above $1.30 since then.

The dollar rose to 77.92 Japanese yen in midday trading. Earlier it jumped to a nearly three-week high of 78.165 yen on news that North Korea's ruler died. The dollar was worth 77.87 yen late Friday.

Traders are concerned that the transition of power in North Korea might not go smoothly. Fears of political unrest in the region also pushed the South Korean won lower against the dollar Monday.

In other trading, the British pound rose to $1.5519 from $1.5499 late Friday. The dollar fell to 0.9365 Swiss franc from 0.9372 Swiss franc and to 1.0356 Canadian dollar from 1.0384 Canadian dollar.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111219/ap_on_bi_ge/us_dollar

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?DWTS? Winner J.R. Martinez Expecting First Child!

“DWTS” Winner J.R. Martinez Expecting First Child!

“Dancing With The Stars” champ J.R. Martinez just recently took home the mirror-ball trophy and is now expecting his first child! The war hero and [...]

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Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2011/12/18/dwts-winner-j-r-martinez-expecting-first-child/

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Global stocks mixed, euro flat on downgrade fears (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? World stocks were mixed and the euro was flat on Friday as worries about downgrades of weaker euro zone countries curbed risk appetite, pushing aside an improved outlook on the U.S. economy.

Volume was below average across financial markets heading into the weekend. Trading was choppy as perceived risky assets gave up much of their initial gains.

Anxiety over potential ratings downgrades in European sovereign debt and their repercussion on the region's banks underpinned safety bids for U.S. and German government bonds.

Fitch Ratings on Friday placed Belgium, Cyprus, France, Ireland, Italy, Slovenia and Spain on watch for possible downgrade and warned that a comprehensive solution to this festering problem is "technically and politically beyond reach".

It affirmed France's AAA-rating but could strip the second-biggest euro zone economy of its top-notch rating in two years.

Fitch's rating move and dire warning about Europe trumped optimism about the U.S. economy following recent upbeat data.

Government data released on Friday showed U.S. inflation pressure waning, fanning expectations the Federal Reserve could do more to boost economic growth. The latest consumer price report followed data on Thursday suggesting a possible pick-up in job growth, which has been meager during the current recovery.

Investor fears about the euro zone debt crisis persist as European leaders have not delivered more measures to contain the crisis after promising increased fiscal disciple at a summit in Brussels last week.

"There remains a great deal of concern about the direction of the euro zone," said Michael Woolfolk, senior currency strategist at BNY Mellon in New York. "We're still not trading on fundamentals and haven't been for some time."

The MSCI world equity index rose 0.3 percent after hitting a three-week low on Thursday. The index is still down 3.5 percent on the week.

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) closed down 2.42 points, or 0.02 percent, at 11,866.39. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) was up 3.91 points, or 0.32 percent, at 1,219.66. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) was up 14.32 points, or 0.56 percent, at 2,555.33.

On the week, the Dow fell 2.7 percent; the S&P lost 2.9 percent and the Nasdaq declined 3.5 percent. (.N)

European stocks (.FTEU3) ended down 0.5 percent, erasing earlier gains on selling tied to expiration of options contracts. They finished 2.9 percent lower on the week.

Tokyo's Nikkei (.N225) ended up 0.3 percent, reducing its weekly drop to 1.6 percent.

The euro clung to the $1.30 area versus the dollar after falling to 11-month lows on Wednesday. The 17-nation common currency was poised to close up 0.1 percent against the greenback after touching a high of $1.3084. It lost 2.6 percent against the dollar on the week.

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For full multimedia coverage: http://r.reuters.com/xyt94s

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PERIPHERAL YIELDS STAY HIGH

Long-term borrowing costs for Italy and Spain, whose heavy debt loads have worried investors and rating agencies, fell early in the trading day. That helped to steady the euro and briefly boosted European shares.

But they ratcheted back up to alarmingly high levels, with the yield on 10-year Italian government bonds creeping back above 7 percent, which analysts deem unsustainable for the euro zone's third-biggest economy to pay.

Italy faces a confidence vote in parliament, called to speed up approval of a 33 billion euro ($43 billion) austerity package aimed at restoring investor confidence.

Amid these political developments, worries linger about the euro zone debt crisis and have supported U.S. Treasuries and German Bunds. They pushed aside optimism about the U.S. economy and hopes the European Central Bank will ultimately step in to buy bonds of troubled euro zone peripheral countries.

Bund futures ended up 1 point at 138.66 at their highest in four weeks. Benchmark 10-year Treasury notes were up 17/32 in price for a yield of 1.85 percent, touching their lowest levels in early October.

Gold, another traditional safehaven asset, snapped a four-day losing streak tied to fund liquidation.

Spot bullion in London ended up 1.5 percent at $1,593.68 an ounce after touching the lowest level since late September on Thursday. For the week, gold fell 6.8 percent, the biggest weekly decline since late September.

The oil market struggled to hold early gains on nagging worries about the euro zone crisis causing a global economic slowdown. February Brent crude futures settled down 25 cents at $103.35 a barrel, while spot U.S. oil futures settled down 34 cents at $93.53, briefly falling below their 300-day moving average.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111217/bs_nm/us_markets_global

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PS Vita gets first public unboxing treatment, leaves nothing to the imagination (video)

Sure, we've shown you a hands-on, but we know your brain's been working hard imagining what it's like to unwrap Sony's next-gen handheld. The PS Vita could easily be considered one of the -- if not the biggest -- teases of the gadgetverse; since it was first unveiled, it's only had time for a smattering of cameos. Regardless, no one is questioning the Vita's determination to be in as many wish lists as possible by its eventual 2012 release. Folks who tend to enjoy teasers can find precisely that just after the break.

Continue reading PS Vita gets first public unboxing treatment, leaves nothing to the imagination (video)

PS Vita gets first public unboxing treatment, leaves nothing to the imagination (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Kotaku  |  YouTube (itvhk)  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/SeQ3iP1RF8Y/

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Highlights of $1T-plus year-end spending bill (AP)

Highlights of the $1 trillion-plus 2012 spending legislation in Congress:

_$518 billion for the Pentagon's core budget, a 1 percent boost, excluding military operations overseas.

_$115 billion for Pentagon war costs in Iraq and Afghanistan, $43 billion less than 2011 costs.

_$7.2 billion to sustain and modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

_$11.8 billion for the IRS, an almost 3 percent budget cut.

_$39.6 billion for homeland security programs, a 5 percent cut, though border security and immigration enforcement are increased.

_$8.4 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency, a 6 percent cut from the president's request.

_$4.3 billion for the Indian Health Service, a 6 percent increase.

_$30.7 billion for health research, a 1 percent increase.

_$14.5 billion for Title I grants to schools, virtually the same as last year.

_$11.6 billion for grants to school districts for special needs children.

_$4.3 billion for Congress' own budget, a 5 percent cut.

_$122.2 billion for veterans programs.

_$3.5 billion for low-income heating and utility subsidies, a cut of about 25 percent.

_$53.3 billion for foreign aid and the State Department's budget.

_$8.1 billion for disaster aid.

_Reforms to the Pell Grant program that maintain the maximum award at $5,550 but limit the number of semesters the grants may be received and make income eligibility standards more strict.

___

The measure also contains many policy provisions, including those to:

_Block detainees from Guantanamo Bay from being transferred to the United States.

_Block new energy efficiency regulations for light bulbs.

_Prohibit the District of Columbia government from funding abortions for poor women.

_Ban federal funding of needle exchange programs that help prevent the spread of AIDS among drug users.

_Delay new Labor Department regulations limiting coal dust in mines.

___

Congressional Democrats and the Obama administration succeeded in dumping numerous other GOP policy "riders" from the bill, including attempts to:

_Block Environmental Protection Agency rules on greenhouse gases, mountaintop removal mining and hazardous emissions from utility plants, industrial boilers and cement kilns. GOP efforts to block EPA rules on coal ash and large-scale discharges of hot water from utility plants were also blocked.

_Ban taxpayer subsidies from being used to purchase National Public Radio programming.

_Eliminate taxpayer grants to Planned Parenthood.

_Require all teen pregnancy prevention grants to go to abstinence-only programs.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_go_co/us_congress_spending_highlights

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