The nations weather (AP)

Weather Underground Forecast for Friday, December 30, 2011.

Wet and snowy conditions persist in the Northwest on Friday, while light rain and snow moves over the Great Lakes into the Northeast. A low pressure system off the coast of British Columbia pushes a strong cold front over the Pacific Northwest. This will produce more rain and high elevation snow showers. As this system moves into the Northern Rockies, it will continue triggering widespread snow showers. Expect 2 to 4 inches of snow across Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. However, heavy snow showers will persist for the Cascades, with 3 to 6 inches expected in most areas, with up to 18 inches across highest mountain peaks. Strong winds will accompany this system with gusts from 30 to 40 mph, up to 60 mph at high mountain passes.

In the East, a low pressure system will continue moving eastward, over the Great Lakes and Midwest, into the Northeast. This system will continue triggering a wintry mix of light precipitation. Snow showers are likely in the Northeast and across the Great Lakes, while precipitation will turn to rain showers in the Ohio River Valley and Midwest. Snowfall accumulation in most areas will range from 1 to 2 inches, expect more is likely across the downwind shores of the Great Lakes. Rainfall totals will range around a half of an inch across the Midwest.

The rest of the nation will see mild and dry weather as high pressure dominates over the Southern US. Expect dry weather with highs in the 60s from California and the Southwest through the Southern Plains and Southeast. Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Thursday have ranged from a morning low of -14 degrees at Mt. Washington, N.H. to a high of 77 degrees at Weslaco, Texas

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/weather/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_weatherpage_weather

lego man cheryl hines john lackey john lackey ed lee ed lee garmin nuvi 1450

Polls provide insights, not voting predictions (AP)

WASHINGTON ? At this point four years ago, national polls taken in the run-up to presidential primaries said to prepare for a general election matchup between Republican Rudy Giuliani and Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton.

In 2004, Howard Dean was coasting to the Democratic nomination to face President George W. Bush.

Neither pairing materialized.

As the past has proved, countrywide polls are hardly crystal balls, particularly for primary elections that are won state by state. National surveys give insights into what people are thinking, and why, rather than predicting how they will vote.

State-level polling close to an election can be predictive, but even that is far from precise. Voters always can change their minds and attitudes shift quickly.

So there's no guarantee that Mitt Romney or Ron Paul, who are leading in Iowa polls just days before Tuesday's leadoff Republican presidential caucuses, will win. Also, there's no certainty over whether Rick Santorum, Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich will remain at the back of the pack.

On top of that, it's hard to find true primary voters to survey because so few people vote. In 2008, a record 120,000 Republicans voted in the Iowa caucuses, but that was only 2 percent of Iowa's adults.

Consider the 2007 primary polls. As Iowa approached, most national polls said Clinton and Giuliani were the front-runners. The final Associated Press-Ipsos poll that year put Clinton solidly ahead of Barack Obama, while on the GOP side, Giuliani held a comfortable edge over the rest of the field.

But Obama won Iowa for the Democrats, as did Mike Huckabee for the Republicans.

The national polling didn't say exactly how people would vote in 2008, and 2011 polling won't reveal who will win in 2012.

But countrywide surveys do provide context and help to explain the shifting results as the primaries roll on.

In the 2008 nomination contests, polls indicated that voters were focused on the war in Iraq and deeply dissatisfied with the Bush presidency and the country's direction. Those themes said more about why Obama and Republican John McCain won their party's nomination than the head-to-head matchups did.

This year, polls have consistently shown two dominant themes in the GOP race:

_A tepid response to the GOP field among Republican voters.

Earlier this month, an AP-GfK poll found that amid Gingrich's rise, Republican dissatisfaction with the lineup of candidates also rose. The wild swings among the anyone-but-Romney crowd have lifted nearly all of the candidates at some point this year, but none has fit the bill exactly.

Republicans don't actively dislike Romney, with 73 percent saying he's a strong leader and 81 percent calling him likable. But his best showing in any poll this year remains around 30 percent, and no other candidate has pulled a strong showing among the remaining 70 percent of the party.

_A deep anger among Republicans toward Obama.

This sentiment has buoyed Romney through the rise and fall of other candidates. Poll after poll reinforces his status as the candidate who runs most competitively with Obama and is seen as the most electable. Republicans sure would like to see Obama voted out of office. In the latest AP-GfK poll, 89 percent of Republicans said he deserved to be voted out, and three-quarters said they expected him to lose.

Later this year, the Republicans' battle for voters and delegates will end and a single Republican nominee will be left standing. But no one should expect today's polling to say who that will be.

___

Jennifer Agiesta is AP's deputy director of polling. She can be reached on Twitter at http://twitter.com/JennAgiesta.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/democrats/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111231/ap_on_el_pr/us_polls_don_t_predict

nest williams syndrome jay leno machine gun kelly lindsey lohan reed hastings cujo

Italy short-term debt costs halve at auction (Reuters)

MILAN (Reuters) ? Italian short-term debt costs halved at auction on Wednesday as a new package of budget austerity and an injection of cheap long-term money from the European Central Bank won Rome some respite in thin year-end markets.

Analysts warned market tensions could easily reignite and pointed to a new test on Thursday when Italy will sell up to 8.5 billion euros ($11.1 bln) of longer-term bonds, including three- and ten-year paper.

But the average rate of 3.25 percent at which Italy sold 9 billion euros of six-month BOT bills was down from a euro lifetime record of 6.50 percent just a month earlier.

"Many things have changed from a month ago: the government has won a confidence vote on its austerity package and the ECB has acted to help banks," an Italian bill trader said.

"This doesn't mean we can rule out further problematic auctions. Markets are easily unnerved."

Demand for bills totaled 1.69 times the amount on offer, a clear improvement versus a bid-to-cover ratio of around 1.5 at the end of November.

This is the first Italian debt sale since the ECB provided 490 billion euros in cheap three-year loans to euro zone banks on December 21 in an unprecedented move aimed at easing credit strains.

Expectations of a strong take-up at the ECB's tender contributed to an equally dramatic fall in Spanish short-term borrowing costs this month.

Madrid's six-month debt costs more than halved to 2.4 percent at an auction on the eve of the ECB's tender.

However, doubts about how much of the cheap three-year funds would find their way into troubled government bonds weighed on Italian and Spanish yields in the following sessions.

Italy's ten-year yields briefly climbed back above 7 percent this week, pushing the premium over the equivalent German benchmark above 500 basis points.

On Wednesday, the yield stood at 6.8 percent, giving a premium of 489 basis points over Germany.

Credit Agricole strategist Peter Chatwell said the results bode well for the auction of three-year bonds on Thursday but he was less sure about the 10-year sale - typically a better measure of underlying interest from external investors.

"Demand for short term paper is good. It remains to be seen whether this extends to the longer maturities," he said.

Italy paid a euro lifetime record high yield of 7.56 percent to sell ten-year bonds at the end of November.

TESTING START

Italy can count on key support from retail domestic investors at short-term sales but longer-term bonds remain more challenging. With more than 91 billion euros of bonds maturing in the first four months of 2012, Rome faces a crucial test early next year.

In a push to regain market confidence, in the run-up to Christmas Italy's parliament gave the final seal to an emergency austerity budget rushed through by a new technocrat government.

Market attention will now turn to the reform agenda of Prime Minister Mario Monti who has promised to tackle Italy's chronic low-growth problems -- after inaction by former PM Silvio Berlusconi pushed the country to the brink of financial disaster.

Monti has convened a cabinet meeting on Wednesday to outline his plans and he could provide some indications to investors in his traditional year-end press conference on Thursday.

Analysts expect Monti's 33 billion euro austerity package to further depress Italy's weak internal demand, making government's efforts to revive growth through a series of long-delayed liberalizations even more crucial.

Italy also sold on Wednesday 1.7 billion euros of 24-month, zero-coupon CTZ bonds at an average yield 4.85 percent, sharply down from 7.8 percent a month ago.

For the first time, the Treasury set a target range for the CTZ sale, as it does for other bonds. It gives a set amount for bill auctions.

The Treasury had planned to sell between 1.5 billion and 2.5 billion euros of CTZs. ($1 = 0.7654 euros)

(Additional reporting by William James in London)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111228/bs_nm/us_italy_bills_auction

black friday 2011 rhodium uppity uppity stuffing brandon mcinerney brandon mcinerney

Insects Rapidly Becoming Resistant To GM Corn

Just so some accuracy can be in here. Life, as in DNA replication, exists for about 3 billion years. The solar system for about 4.5 billion years (our sun is third generation, in other words, 2 solar systems were destroyed before ours was created in roughly the same place), and earth somewhere near 4.4 billion years, although it could have been much smaller than today until about 4.2 billion years.

That "island species" (technically races, not species) die out when reunited with their long lost mainland brethren is not exactly news. It's what's happening to the human species right now. In general, without natural borders, different races are impossible within a species. The fact that we have both global travel and different races is an exceptional situation, and a temporary one (in ~500 years, maybe less, there will only be 1 human race left, unless global travel ends before that time). It is not known which race that will be, but if other island species evolution patterns are any indications, whatever race survives will look a lot like the original human race. It would be interesting to see whether the remaining race would be black or not (if not, that would be a strong indication that the original humans in Africa were not actually black before the races split up. My money's on that they weren't black (cause primates have white skin), but it could very well depend on the exact timing of the split).

My biggest complaint about food crops, rather than their GM-ness (success or failure) is that once we get a "good" strain, we keep cloning it instead of continuing the process via selective breeding. So while each generation of insect improves against the crop, the crop defends damn-near exactly the same way; I suspect that may have reduced the time needed for adaptation as well.

No offence, but this is a trivial, trivial complaint. Don't you think that GM researchers *also* stimulate evolution in those plants ? Also, for extremely obvious reasons predatory species cannot totally wipe out the species they seem to be destroying. Predatory species are fundamentally limited to about 1/500th of the biomass of their victim species (or -usually- much less), except in the extreme short term.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/nxcGDCV6VxI/insects-rapidly-becoming-resistant-to-gm-corn

barrel roll anagram 180 degrees askew cory smoot do a barrel roll jimmy kimmel

Venezuela to remove breast implants for free

EDITORS NOTE NUDITY - FILE - In this Jan. 22, 2007 file photo, a plastic surgeon performs breast implant surgery in Caracas, Venezuela. Venezuela is offering free surgeries for women to remove faulty French-made breast implants, the country's top health official said on Tuesday Dec. 27, 2011. France's health system has recommended that women with the PIP implants get them replaced, and has agreed to pay for surgeries. In Brazil and Argentina, however, health officials just recommend checkups. (AP Photo/Leslie Mazoch, File)

EDITORS NOTE NUDITY - FILE - In this Jan. 22, 2007 file photo, a plastic surgeon performs breast implant surgery in Caracas, Venezuela. Venezuela is offering free surgeries for women to remove faulty French-made breast implants, the country's top health official said on Tuesday Dec. 27, 2011. France's health system has recommended that women with the PIP implants get them replaced, and has agreed to pay for surgeries. In Brazil and Argentina, however, health officials just recommend checkups. (AP Photo/Leslie Mazoch, File)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) ? Venezuela is offering free surgeries for women to remove faulty French-made breast implants, the country's top health official said.

Health Minister Eugenia Sader said women with implants made by the now-defunct French company Poly Implant Prothese may go to hospitals that carry out plastic surgery to have the implants removed, the state-run Venezuelan News Agency reported.

Sader said Tuesday that the free procedure will simply be to remove the implants and will not include replacing them.

"Those patients are running a risk," Sader said. However, she said, women need not seek emergency care and instead may visit hospitals at their convenience.

France's health system has recommended that women with the PIP implants get them replaced, and has agreed to pay for surgeries. In Brazil and Argentina, however, health officials just recommend checkups.

It's unclear how many women have the PIP implants in Venezuela, where breast enlargement surgery is popular and doctors say the French implants used to be widely used.

An estimated 35,000 to 40,000 women in the country have breast enlargement surgery each year, said Dr. Marisol Graterol, president of the Venezuelan Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has criticized the widespread popularity of breast surgery, saying women shouldn't be sold on an image that big bosoms are attractive.

The plastic surgery society recommended last week that women with PIP breast implants see a doctor to have them checked. Graterol said doctors should decide depending on each patient's situation whether or not the implants need to be removed.

Sales of PIP implants were halted in Venezuela in April 2010, Graterol said.

Plastic surgeon Dr. Henry Saud said he removed ruptured PIP implants from more than 10 patients during the past year.

In some cases, his patients hadn't noticed anything wrong and the leaking implants were detected during imaging exams, Saud said. In other cases, "they felt discomfort and had swelling."

"It used to be one of the most-used brands," Saud said. Most of the women opted to replace the PIP implants with those of other brands, he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-28-LT-Venezuela-Breast-Implants/id-f7425cc5d13b466caffc98d67cf243c7

miracle on 34th street whitney cummings larry the cable guy mark sanchez santa tracker patrice oneal monkey bread

Lawyer says soldier shooting client was attacked (AP)

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. ? The lawyer for the 19-year-old California man charged with the attempted murder of an Afghanistan war veteran said his client was under attack when gunfire rang out.

Ruben Ray Jurado was charged Tuesday with attempted murder and multiple sentencing enhancements for using a firearm in the shooting that critically wounded Christopher Sullivan, 22, a Purple Heart recipient. He's expected to be arraigned this week.

Sullivan was home for the holidays at a homecoming party when authorities say a fight began over football. When Sullivan moved to break it up, police say, gunfire broke out.

Defense attorney Michael J. Holmes said Tuesday that he wanted to talk to his client and the district attorney before commenting further on the case.

"It appears that he was being attacked and he was on the ground and was being kicked in the back, stomach, the head, and that is consistent with the injuries that I observed," Holmes said. "It is alleged at that point that Mr. Sullivan was shot."

Authorities said Jurado, who had played football with Sullivan in high school, began arguing with Sullivan's brother over football teams at the party Friday night and then punched him. Sullivan intervened and Jurado pulled a gun and fired multiple shots, hitting Sullivan in the neck, police said.

Sullivan remains in critical condition. His relatives say the gunfire shattered his spine and left him paralyzed from the neck down.

"He's opening his eyes more," his 20-year-old brother Brandon Sullivan told The Associated Press. "We're just waiting day by day."

Sullivan was wounded in a suicide bombing attack last year while serving with the military in Afghanistan. He suffered a cracked collarbone and brain damage in the attack and had been recovering in Kentucky, where he is stationed, before coming home for the holidays.

Sullivan was a wrestler and football player in high school in San Bernardino, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. He had nine months to go in the military and then planned to become a firefighter or police officer. He always liked to help people, his brother said.

"Say there was a person at school who never had friends or nothing ? Chris would be the person who would go up to him and try to be his friend. He didn't like people to feel alone," Brandon Sullivan said. "He always had a smile on his face."

___

Associated Press writer Kristin M. Hall in Nashville, Tenn., contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111228/ap_on_re_us/us_soldier_shot

snapdragon kim jong ill dead wedding crashers next iron chef next iron chef aquamarine iraq war

Consumer confidence hits 8-month high

NEW YORK?? A monthly survey shows consumers' confidence in the economy in December surged to the highest level since April and is near a post-recession peak.

The New York-based Conference Board says Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index rose almost 10 points to 64.5, up from a revised 55.2 in November. Analysts had expected 59.

The surge builds on another big increase in November, when the index rose almost 15 points from the month before.

Improving confidence is in line with retail reports of a decent holiday shopping season. Still, the December confidence reading is below the 90 level that indicates an economy on solid footing.

Economists watch the confidence numbers closely because consumer spending ? including items like health care ? accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity.

Story: Economists see growth picking up in new year

Labor market conditions have improved in recent months, with the unemployment rate falling to a 2-1/2 year low in November and applications for first time jobless benefits at the lowest since April 2008.

The survey's present situation index rose to 46.7 this month --- the highest since September 2008 -- from 38.3 in November. The expectations index surged to 76.4 from 66.4 in November.

"Consumers are more optimistic that business conditions, employment prospects and their financial situations will get better," the Conference Board said in a statement.

"While consumers are ending the year in a somewhat more upbeat mood, it is too soon to tell if this is a rebound from earlier declines or a sustainable shift in attitudes."

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45796151/ns/business-stocks_and_economy/

jimmy kimmel tilt do a barrel roll. florida state football florida state football fsu football fsu football

JXD S7100 Android Gaming Tablet/Handset Boasts Galaxy S II Specs For $140

We?ve seen quite a few Android gaming handsets make their way out of China and while the JXD S7100 doesn?t look much different, it?s what this handset has on the inside that really caught our eye. Boasting specs more along the lines of a Galaxy S II device, the JXD offers almost the same processor with a dual-core Cortex A-9 processor and Mali 400 graphics core powering the device. This makes the JXD more than capable of most graphics intensive Android titles as long as they don?t require anything over Android 2.2, which the device comes shipped with. Also found inside the device is 512MB of RAM, 2MP rear/.3MP front facing cameras, 16GB of internal storage and HDMI out. A huge 7-inch touchscreen display can be found on front with a resolution of 800?480.

The JXD S7100 laughably advertises ?Apple games? and most will find greater use with the available emulator apps for Android than its own custom app center. I?d say the most appeal is in its $140 price-tag making this an almost instant buy should you come across this at your local swap meet. If you want to see the JXD in action, check out the video below ? oh, and you?re going to want to turn your speakers up.

[Electronista | Gadgeteer via DroidDog]

?

?

?

'+ google_ads[0].line2+'
'+ google_ads[0].line3+'

';}else if(google_ads.length>1){ad_unit+='';} document.getElementById("contentBlock").innerHTML+=ad_unit;} google_ad_client="ca-pub-3288408743021834";google_ad_output='js';google_max_num_ads='2';google_ad_type="text";google_adtest="off";google_skip='1';google_ad_channel='8648058959';/*]]>*/

Source: http://phandroid.com/2011/12/26/jxd-s7100-android-gaming-tablethandset-boasts-galaxy-s-ii-specs-for-140/

clay matthews kenny chesney matt kemp rumpelstiltskin rumpelstiltskin occupy oakland occupy oakland

Church explosions in Nigeria kill at least 25

Radical Muslim sect claims bombs on Nigerian churches

CTVNews.ca Staff

Date: Sunday Dec. 25, 2011 8:23 AM ET

A radical Muslim sect ramped up its wave of terror in Nigeria on Sunday with two deadly bombing attacks, including one that killed 25 during Christmas Mass at a Catholic church near the capital.

The sect known as Boko Haram, which has killed at least 491 people this year, claimed responsibility for the attack on St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla and also for the bombing of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Church in Jos, where a police officer died during a subsequent gun battle.

A year ago, the sect claimed responsibility for a series of Christmas Eve bombings in Jos that left 32 dead and 74 wounded. The city of Jos is on the dividing line between Nigeria's predominantly Christian south and the Muslim north.

In Madalla on Sunday, rescue workers scrambled through the rubble of the church to save the injured. An angry mob around the bomb site was hampering their efforts.

"We're trying to calm the situation," said Slaku Luguard, a co-ordinator with Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency. "There are some angry people around trying to cause problems."

A Boko Haram spokesman later phoned a Muslim newspaper to claim responsibility for the attacks.

In the northeastern city of Damaturu, several days of fighting between sect members and security forces has left at least 61 dead, authorities said Sunday. The police said two explosions struck the city Sunday, one near government offices.

Boko Haram has been campaigning for several years for the implementation of shariah law in Nigeria. Its members are scattered throughout northern Nigeria and nearby Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

On Friday, the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria's capital of Abuja issued a warning to American citizens to be "particularly vigilant" around churches and large crowds.

With files from The Associated Press

Share with your social Network:

?

Source: http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20111225/nigeria-explosions-111225/

mcfadden mcfadden ponder ponder loretta lynn extract extract

Iran rejects NY judge's ruling on Sept. 11 attacks (AP)

TEHRAN, Iran ? Iran has rejected a New York judge's finding that Tehran is liable in the Sept. 11 attacks along with the Taliban and al-Qaida.

According to state TV, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman referred to last week's judgment as "clumsy scenario-making" by the U.S.

The spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, repeated Iran's insistence that al-Qaida has no presence in the country.

On Thursday, Judge George Daniels in Manhattan signed a default judgment finding Iran, the Taliban and al-Qaida liable in the 2001 attacks. The ruling came in a $100 billion lawsuit brought by family members of victims.

The findings also said Iran provides al-Qaida members a safe haven.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly denied any Iranian connection to the Sept. 11 attacks or to al-Qaida.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/terrorism/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111225/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran_sept11_lawsuit

peter schiff matt holliday project runway winner project runway winner hunter s thompson hunter s thompson berkman

New York Military Forces Honor Guard performs record number of funerals in 2011

LATHAM, N.Y. - The New York Military Forces Honor Guard performed more military funeral honors in 2011- over 10,500 - than at any time since it was created in 1999.

Last year the Honor Guard provided honors at the funerals of 10,415 soldiers, service members and veterans. As of Dec. 23, Honor Guard members had participated in funerals for 10,564 veterans, said Don E. Roy, the director of the program since 2003.

He anticipates providing military honors at more than 10,600 funerals across New York by New Year's Day, 2012, Roy added.

The bulk of these funerals, more than 90 percent, were for veterans of the Second World War, Roy said.

The 60 New York Army soldiers who work full-time with the Honor Guard and the 70, who participate in funerals on a part-time basis work out of nine offices located across the state from Long Island to Buffalo.

On average, the New York Honor Guard, which took first place in the most recent nationwide National Guard Honor Guard competition in 2010, conducts 900 funerals each month.

So far in 2011, the breakdown for each regional office is:

- New York, 1,638;
- Long Island, 3,677;
- Hudson Valley (Newburgh), 853;
- Capital Region, 821;
- Binghamton, 455:
- Buffalo, 1267;
- Rochester, 652;
- Syracuse, 781;
- Finger Lakes (Bath), 420.

The number of funerals conducted on Long Island is large because of the presence of two national veterans cemeteries there, Roy explained.

While the bulk of funerals have been for World War II veterans, the Honor Guard is now participating in the funerals of more and more Korean War veterans and Vietnam War veterans, Roy said.

The Honor Guard has participated in the funerals of the 32 New York Army National Guard soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001, although there were no funerals for New York National Guard soldiers in 2011.

However, the Honor Guard did participate in 10 repatriated remains ceremonies in 2011, Roy said. These were cases in which remains from past wars were finally identified and laid to rest.

The reason for the increase in funerals, aside from deaths in an aging population, is that more people are becoming aware that their loved one may be entitled to military honors at their funeral, Roy said.

Any veteran, with an honorable discharge, whether they served during peacetime or wartime, whether they retired or not, is entitled to military honors at their funeral, Roy said.

The Honor Guard has been conducting more than 10,000 funerals annually since 2007. Only California's Honor Guard performs more funerals than New York's, Roy said.

Since the program started in 1999, the New York Military Forces Honor Guard has participated in over 88,000 funerals for serving service members and veterans.

"People are starting to hear about us, and we are proud to honor those who served." Roy said.

Federal law requires that at least two Honor Guard members, from the parent service of the deceased, be present to play taps, fold and present a flag to the next of kin for all former soldiers when requested the family or a designated representative. For most of those funerals, the Honor Guard sends three members whenever possible. Soldiers killed in action, general officers, retired general officers, retired sergeants major and Medal of Honor holders require many more soldiers.

The Honor Guard's primary function is to provide military honors at the funerals of Army, Army Reserve, Army Air Corps veterans from World War II, and Army National Guard Veterans, Roy said. The Honor Guard will fill in when the other services cannot provide military honors if time permits, he said.

Honor Guard soldiers go through a week-long training program before they go out into the community to represent the Army and the Army National Guard.

It's a demanding program. The key is to focus on the drill moves required and attention to detail in uniform appearance, said Spc. Vanessa Banks, an Honor Guard member since 2010.

Banks, a Niagara Falls resident, works with the Honor Guard team based at the Masten Avenue Armory in Buffalo. Her office, one of the busiest offices in the state, does at least two funerals a day every day of the week, she said.

A cook in Company D of the 427th Support Battalion who will deploy to Kuwait in 2012, Banks said it's a real honor to represent the Army and the Army National Guard at military funerals.

"You're the last military representative of the United States Army the family gets to see," she explained. "There is a real sense of satisfaction. It makes you really proud."

Source: http://www.dvidshub.net/news/81761/new-york-military-forces-honor-guard-performs-record-number-funerals-2011

kit homes boxing day radio shack bethany hamilton bethany hamilton joyful noise after christmas sales

NBA: Ajustado triunfo de los Bulls sobre los Lakers por 88-87

Publicado: 26 dic. 2011 7:16 AM

LOS ANGELES, dic. 26 (UPI) -- Los Bulls de Chicago doblegaron por 88-87 a los Lakers de Los ?ngeles en el duelo inaugural para ambos equipos en la nueva temporada de la NBA.

En el partido disputado en el Staples Center de Los ?ngeles ante 18.997 espectadores Derrick Rose anot? a 4,5 segundos la canasta de la victoria.

Con 54,6 segundos para concluir el partido los Lakers ten?an seis puntos de ventaja en el marcador.

Antes de llegar la canasta "milagrosa" de Rose, que concluy? el partido con 22 puntos y cinco asistencias, para ser el l?der de los Bulls, Los Angeles desarrollaba una gran labor defensiva.

latam:reporte-ebt

Source: http://espanol.upi.com/Deportes/2011/12/26/NBA-Ajustado-triunfo-de-los-Bulls-sobre-los-Lakers-por-88-87/UPI-12371324894601/

dan henderson oregon ducks oregon ducks oregon football lana turner donald glover julio cesar chavez jr

sengineland: Weekend Review: Google Triples Its Spending To Keep Default Search Spot In Firefox by @mattmcgee http://t.co/lcXABzQ4

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

• Connexion
• Rejoignez Twitter !

Weekend Review: Google Triples Its Spending To Keep Default Search Spot In Firefox by @mattmcgee mklnd.com/vKFPrq Il y a environ 5 heures via SocialFlow Retweeted by 6 people

sengineland

Search Engine Land

Pied de page

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

Source: http://twitter.com/sengineland/statuses/150984401038217216

andrea bocelli john hughes panasonic lumix dmc lx5 ucla football taylor momsen deliverance muhammad ali

Queen to host royals' Christmas, Kate's first

FILE - In this June 11, 2011 file photo, from left, Britain's Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William the Duke of Cambridge, Countess of Wessex Sophie, Prince Edward the Earl of Wessex, their daughter Louise, Princess Anne, partially seen, her husband Tim Lawrence, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry, Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh, and Prince Andrew, watch a Royal Air Force flypast on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after returning from the Trooping the Colour ceremony marking the Queen's official birthday in London. Queen Elizabeth II's extended family will gather at Sandringham Estate for a traditional holiday weekend that will mark Kate Middleton's first Christmas as a royal, Palace officials said Friday, Dec. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Akira Suemori, File)

FILE - In this June 11, 2011 file photo, from left, Britain's Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William the Duke of Cambridge, Countess of Wessex Sophie, Prince Edward the Earl of Wessex, their daughter Louise, Princess Anne, partially seen, her husband Tim Lawrence, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry, Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh, and Prince Andrew, watch a Royal Air Force flypast on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after returning from the Trooping the Colour ceremony marking the Queen's official birthday in London. Queen Elizabeth II's extended family will gather at Sandringham Estate for a traditional holiday weekend that will mark Kate Middleton's first Christmas as a royal, Palace officials said Friday, Dec. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Akira Suemori, File)

LONDON (AP) ? It will be a traditional Christmas weekend for Queen Elizabeth II's extended family, which now includes Kate Middleton, with the quiet holiday break to be followed by a year's worth of festivities to mark the queen's 60th year on the throne.

Most of the senior royals, including Middleton and her husband, Prince William, will be dispatched across the globe to help the aging monarch celebrate her Diamond Jubilee in grand style.

Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, are planning to mark the event with a series of tours throughout England to culminate with a celebration in London in early June that will include an unprecedented pageant on the River Thames with up to 1000 boats taking part.

In a carefully choreographed scenario, the flotilla will be led by the queen aboard the Royal Barge.

"They're hoping the Diamond Jubilee will be as successful as the Golden Jubilee in 2002," said Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine. "The media then thought the public wasn't interested, but by the big weekend there were 1 million people in the streets celebrating. I think that will happen again."

He said the queen was surprised by the outpouring of affection in 2002.

"Even after 60 years she is very self-effacing, and she's always amazed when people turn out to celebrate her achievements," he said. "You'd think by now she'd know how loved she is."

The Diamond Jubilee will mean extra overseas travel for many royals: Prince Charles and his wife Camilla will jet off to Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea; William and Kate will represent the queen in Malaysia, Singapore, the Solomon Islands and the tiny island of Tuvalu; while Prince Harry is being sent to the Caribbean to tour Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas.

The queen and Philip plan a series of trips throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from late March to mid-July. She is then expected to help open the Olympic Games in July before beginning her summer holiday.

With so many public events planned, it is not surprising that most of the Christmas festivities will be held in private at Sandringham, the queen's sprawling estate in rural Norfolk.

Palace officials said Friday that the royals plan to attend a Christmas service at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene on the estate grounds. This gives well-wishers a chance to see the royals briefly, and also provides photographers a chance to snap pictures of the queen ? and Kate.

The family traditionally exchanges gifts at Sandringham on Christmas Eve.

After the church service, the royals usually walk on the grounds, have a gala lunch, and gather to watch the queen's prerecorded television broadcast, a tradition that began with a radio address by King George V in 1932.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2011-12-23-EU-Britain-Queen/id-2bb1ed1c4ec14ba7b3f0b6aa2d1c1ac0

bay area news lettuce recall lettuce recall whitney cummings larry the cable guy war of the worlds

Even Orbiting Astronauts Get a Visit From Santa [Video]

It's nice to know that as humanity continues its conquest of space, Santa's naughty or nice list will still include those serving on orbiting space stations. It's just too bad that this might be his last delivery—ever. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/RTVnAbig2_o/even-orbiting-astronauts-get-a-visit-from-santa

new jersey weather halloween movies halloween movies new york snow new york snow braxton miller braxton miller

The winner of 'The X Factor' is ...

By Craig Berman, TODAY.com contributor

Michael Becker / FOX

Melanie Amaro was crowned the first "X Factor" champ on Thursday night.

Melanie Amaro was crowned the winner of ?X Factor? on Thursday, surprising almost nobody and completing the journey that nearly ended before it began.

Amaro famously wasn?t one of judge Simon Cowell?s original four female finalists, but got called back into the competition when he either changed his mind or decided that the charade had gone on long enough, depending on how cynical you are. Once she got that second chance, she immediately became the favorite among the women, sailing through the competition and earning the $5 million recording contract.

She fell to her knees in prayer after hearing the news, overwhelmed enough to resist host Steve Jones? numerous attempts to get something resembling a sound bite out of her. She choked up several times during her show-closing number, but presumably will recover in time to record what everyone at Fox hopes?will be?a monster album that sells millions of downloads.

Josh Krajcik, the former burrito maker and champion of the 30-somethings, came in second, with Chris Rene having been eliminated earlier in the evening as the third-place finisher.

The result capped an evening that was more of a holiday special than a coronation. The three finalists all sang Christmas tunes, as did Justin Bieber in a duet with Stevie Wonder. Bieber than sang a few notes with Drew, the teenager eliminated earlier in the competition who auditioned with Bieber?s ?Baby? and seemed as overwhelmed by the opportunity as any girl her age would.

?She is a very special girl and she will go far,? Bieber said, though he did not indicate that he was prepared to fulfill Drew?s fantasy of a date with him at the beach.

The show also featured the snippets of interviews with friends and family members that tug at the heartstrings and are a staple of all reality competitions, or so it seems.

?We used to complain about you singing all the time, and now look at you singing in front of millions of people,? Amaro?s brothers said.

?I?m not really surprised we?re here right now. I want you to know that I love you so much, and I don?t think I say that enough,? said Krajcik?s daughter.

The night also saw the rivalry between Simon and judge?L.A. Reid depicted as a battle of heavyweights, while judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Adbul had the ?Cry-Off? clip show instead. This concept was brought to you by the 1950s, which wants its gender roles back.

Rachel Crow made her return, two weeks after her elimination in what was called the most shocking moment of the season. She didn?t seem to have any lingering scars from that experience.

?I?m gonna steal your job,? she told Steve.

It was a tough night for the host in general, who was often stymied in his attempts to talk with the contestants and had Nicole whiff on a punchline several times before he finally threw up his hands and gave up.

Other acts included 50 Cent, who tested the Fox censors and was accompanied by some of the less-heralded members of the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as Ne-Yo and Pitbull. Also singing was Leona Lewis, who won the British version of the show and is what the folks at Fox are desperately hoping that Amaro becomes. That, as much as anything else, will determine whether this becomes the next ?American Idol? or just one of the countless shows stuck in its wake.

{"contentId":"9645437","totalVotes":"4120"}

Did the right contestant win?

?

More in The Clicker:

Source: http://theclicker.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/22/9645437-the-winner-of-the-x-factor-is

earthquake today earthquake today droid razr oklahoma news atomic clock earthquake map geoffrey mutai

ria_novosti: #US, #Japan, S. #Korea boycott General Assembly's #tribute to Kim Jong-il : http://t.co/x137SSPH

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

• Connexion
• Rejoignez Twitter !

#US, #Japan, S. #Korea boycott General Assembly's #tribute to Kim Jong-il : en.rian.ru/world/20111223? Il y a environ 8 heures via web Retweeted by 4 people

ria_novosti

RIA Novosti

Pied de page

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

Source: http://twitter.com/ria_novosti/statuses/150093350907809792

diphtheria diphtheria smokey robinson smokey robinson del rio del rio das racist

UK: Analysis of activity in the energy markets 2011

My?Account??

If you find DocuTicker useful, please supply a testimonial??

Home > DocuBase > Article

??All DocuBase Articles

?

? UK: Analysis of activity in the energy markets 2011 December 22, 2011 23:20 Source: Financial Services Authorty (UK) For the tenth consecutive year, we (the FSA) have written to UK energy market brokers to ask for information about volumes and values in the gas, power, coal and emissions traded markets (?the market(s)?) they operate in. We aim to gather information on favoured routes to market and market size to help assess firms? potential market impacts. This information also helps to focus our efforts in identifying risks to the market through our market surveillance programmes. Our analysis is for the 12 months of trading to 31 July 2011 (?this year?). We surveyed the same participants as last year (12 months of trading to 31 July 2010) and, because the analysis is focused on the UK energy broker market, we have not attempted to include any exchange-traded figures. Our analysis is based on data provided by respondents, which we collated without verification. + Direct link to document (PDF; 223 KB) Category: Source: Views: 30 blog comments powered by Please note: DocuTicker's editors collect citations for full-text PDF reports freely available on the web but we do not archive these reports. When you click a link to find and/or download the report, you are leaving the DocuTicker site. DocuTicker makes no representations regarding the ongoing availability of any report or any external resource. Links were accurate as of the date of posting.

??All DocuBase Articles

DocuTicker sponsored by:

FreePint Shop Featured Report: DocuTicker Report: DocuTips on the Globabl Economy: Not a day goes by without news of the economy strongly featured, wherever one lives. For several years, at least as far as Western economies go, they have largely been stories of crisis: recession, fears of a "double dip recession", hopes of recovery found in some figures set against evidence of continued problems in others. Learn more and order??

Source: http://web.docuticker.com/go/docubase/65828

tonight show unthink julianne hough chris cook nest williams syndrome jay leno

Smith scores 24 as No. 4 Louisville tops Memphis

Louisville's Adonis Thomas (35) blocks the shot of Louisville's Kevin Ware during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Louisville's Adonis Thomas (35) blocks the shot of Louisville's Kevin Ware during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Memphis coach Josh Pastner reacts to a call against his team during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game against Louisville on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Memphis' Tarik Black, right, shoots against Louisville's Gorgui Dieng (10) and Jared Swopshire during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Louisville's Gorgui Dieng, left, and Memphis' Tarik Black go up for a rebound during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Louisville coach Rick Pitino shouts instructions to his players during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game against Memphis on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) ? Russ Smith can always provide an offensive boost for Louisville. His defensive contributions will keep him on the court even longer.

Smith set personal bests with 24 points and seven steals as No. 4 Louisville survived a rough-and-tumble matchup with former conference foe Memphis 95-87 on Saturday to extend the Cardinals' home winning streak to 18 games.

"Seven steals is just a great accomplishment," said Smith, who made the most of a rare start. "Anybody can get 24 points, but seven steals is really special."

Coach Rick Pitino almost passed on Smith despite shining as a youngster at their basketball camps. But Smith grew from 5-foot-9 to a 6-foot frame and kept impressing Ralph Willard, who stepped down as the school's director of basketball operations earlier this year.

"Ralph just kept saying, Russ is the guy we need," Pitino said. "Russ was terrific. He's got great hands. He has no fear. ... I'm real proud of him."

Gorgui Dieng added 14 points and 14 rebounds in the schools' first meeting since the Cardinals (10-0) beat the Tigers (5-4) by a point to win the Conference USA tournament in 2005 before departing for the Big East.

Will Barton set career highs with 28 points and 16 rebounds for Memphis, which rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit to take the lead before the Cardinals overwhelmed the Tigers down the stretch in a game that featured 54 fouls.

"It was like a war we ended up winning," Dieng said. "It was physical."

Louisville is off to its best start since the 1996-97 season and on its longest winning streak at home in 27 years. It took almost everything the Cardinals had to extend it.

After Memphis rallied from a 13-point deficit to take a 58-55 lead, the two sides traded baskets for 6 minutes until Louisville took control.

"They withstood our runs, and they made the last one that counted," Barton said.

With the game tied, Chane Behanan hit two free throws, Rakeem Buckles finished a layup on a fast break, Dieng grabbed an offensive rebound and hit a shot in traffic, and Kyle Kuric finished an alley-oop slam from Smith to give the Cardinals a 78-70 lead with 4:49 to play.

Chris Smith's 3-pointer gave Louisville an 83-73 lead and Tigers never got back within a possession as the Cardinals finished with seven players in double figures. Peyton Siva finished with 13 points, Buckles 12, Kuric and Smith 11 apiece and Behanan 10 for Louisville.

Joe Jackson scored 22 points for Memphis and Chris Crawford added 12.

This game harkened back to the two schools' time together in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Metro Conference and Conference USA with Memphis wearing throwback uniforms from their days under coach Gene Bartow in the early '70s. Pitino has advocated that Memphis be added to the expanded Big East conference, and games like this could bolster the Tigers' chances.

"It was exciting to have Memphis back. We've had some great games with them. I'm just hoping the Big East gets smart and does something about that and allows them to come into the league," Pitino said. "I keep getting on the pulpit and saying this: We got hurt big time and we need Memphis. Memphis doesn't need us, we need Memphis. We need Temple. We need to build up basketball again."

Kuric hit a 3-pointer to give Louisville a 47-34 lead with 18 1/2 minutes left, but Memphis rallied with a 13-3 run. Jackson hit a jumper and gave Memphis its first lead in nearly 20 minutes when he scored with a floater off the backboard and was fouled.

Jackson pumped his fist, yelling "That's right!" then sank the free throw that gave Memphis a 58-55 lead. But Buckles answered with a free throw and a 3-pointer to keep the game close until Louisville's decisive 8-0 spurt.

Memphis gave up 24 points off turnovers and missed 14 free throws, the two reasons Memphis coach Josh Pastner cited in the loss.

"It's pretty black and white," Pastner said.

The Cardinals have big games looming later this month with No. 16 Georgetown on Dec. 28 and a Dec. 31 trip to No. 3 Kentucky, but this was a win to savor against their former rival.

"We definitely still got work to do. It's still early and we've still got conference play," Russ Smith said. "That's what's important.

The Tigers began the season ranked 11th in the poll after returning all five starters and 10 letter-winners, but dropped games to Michigan and Georgetown in the Maui Invitational before losing at home to Murray State on Sunday.

Russ Smith scored 13 of Louisville's first 17 points, while Dieng started slow with five straight misses before making four of his next five shots to record his third straight double-double and give Louisville some breathing room. The lead would grow to 13 before Memphis finally rallied.

"We cannot just start out slow. I don't know what it is but we've got to fix that immediately if we're going to be the team we want to be," Barton said. "I think we'll fix it. It's not too late. But we've just got to do it. I'm sick of talking about it, we've just got to do it."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-12-17-T25-Memphis-Louisville/id-de536b144e454adcbc7f62a2e3ebb0d2

uc davis pepper spray usc oregon breaking dawn part 2 breaking dawn part 2 big game jeremy london jeremy london

Grammy-winning singer Cesaria Evora dies at age 70

LISBON, Portugal?? Cesaria Evora, who started singing as a teenager in the bayside bars of Cape Verde in the 1950s and won a Grammy in 2003 after she took her African islands music to stages across the world, died Saturday. She was 70.

Evora, known as the "Barefoot Diva" because she always performed without shoes, died in the Baptista de Sousa Hospital in Mindelo, on her native island of Sao Vicente in Cape Verde, her label Lusafrica said in a statement on its website. It gave no further details.

Evora retired in September because of health problems. In recent years she had had several operations, including open-heart surgery last year.

She sang the traditional music of the Cape Verde Islands off West Africa, a former Portuguese colony. She mostly sang in the version of creole spoken there, but even audiences who couldn't understand the lyrics were moved by her stirring renditions, her unpretentious manner and the music's infectious beat.

Her singing style brought comparisons to American jazz singer Billie Holiday. "She belongs to the aristocracy of bar singers," French newspaper Le Monde said in 1991, adding that Evora had "a voice to melt the soul."

Evora's international fame came late in life. Her 1988 album "La Diva Aux Pieds Nus" ("Barefoot Diva"), recorded in France where she first found popularity, launched her international career.

Her 1995 album "Cesaria" was released in more than a dozen countries and brought her first Grammy nomination, leading to a tour of major concert halls around the world and album sales in the millions.

She won a Grammy in the World Music category of the 2003 awards for her album "Voz D'Amor".

Evora, known to her close friends as Cize (pronounced see-ZEH), was the best-known performer of "morna," Cape Verde's national music. It is a complex, soulful sound, mixing an array of influences arising from the African and seafaring traditions of the 10 volcanic islands.

Evora was born Aug. 27, 1941, and grew up in Mindelo, a port city of 47,000 people on the island of Sao Vicente, where sailors from Europe, America, Africa and Asia mingled in what was a lively cosmopolitan town with a fabled nightlife.

The local musical style borrowed from those cultures, defying attempts to classify it.

1. More Entertainment stories
   1. Child endangerment: TV's hottest new trend?

      Shows from "Dexter" to "The Walking Dead" have made kids in danger the dramatic thrust of their finale storylines. "The Wa...

   2. 'M:I 4' gives Bond a run for his money
   3. 'Dancing' winner J.R. Martinez to be a father
   4. Why Howard Stern is perfect for 'Got Talent'
   5. Craig tried to be 'normal guy' for 'Dragon' role

"Our music is a lot of things," Evora told The Associated Press in a 2000 interview at her home. "Some say it's like the blues, or jazz. Others says it's like Brazilian or African music, but no one really knows. Not even the old ones."

Evora was 7 years old when her father died, leaving a widow and seven children. At 10, with her mother unable to make ends meet, she was placed in an orphanage.

"I didn't like it. I value my freedom," she told the AP.

At 16, when Evora was doing piecework as a seamstress, a friend persuaded her to sing in one of the many sailors' taverns in her town. As her popularity grew, she was also rowed out into the bay to sing on anchored ships.

She received no pay ? just free drinks. She used to smile when she recalled her fame as a heavy cognac drinker. And she sadly recalled the exact day ? Dec. 15, 1994 ? she had to give up drinking for her health's sake.

Evora didn't think much of her international stardom and she went back to Mindelo whenever she could. She rebuilt her childhood home, turning it into a 10-bedroom house where friends and family often stayed over, and she always made sure she was home for Christmas.

A heavy smoker for decades, Evora was diagnosed with heart problems in 2005. She suffered strokes in 2008 and in September 2011, when she announced she was retiring.

She had a son and a daughter by different men but never married. Family details were not immediately available.

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

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45707835/ns/today-entertainment/

zook john elway john elway eric decker eric decker dallas cowboys cheerleaders leftover turkey recipes

Obama wants payroll tax extended for entire year

President Barack Obama delivers a statement in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, following the Senate vote to approve legislation extending a Social Security payroll tax cut and long-term jobless benefits for two months. Obama says it would be "inexcusable" for Congress not to extend a payroll tax cut for the rest of 2012 when lawmakers return from their holiday break. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

President Barack Obama delivers a statement in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, following the Senate vote to approve legislation extending a Social Security payroll tax cut and long-term jobless benefits for two months. Obama says it would be "inexcusable" for Congress not to extend a payroll tax cut for the rest of 2012 when lawmakers return from their holiday break. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

President Barack Obama delivers a statement in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011 following the Senate vote to approve legislation extending a Social Security payroll tax cut and long-term jobless benefits for two months. Obama says it would be "inexcusable" for Congress not to extend a payroll tax cut for the rest of 2012 when lawmakers return from their holiday break. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

President Barack Obama makes a statement at the White House in Washington, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. Obama says it would be "inexcusable" for Congress not to extend a payroll tax cut for the rest of 2012 when lawmakers return from their holiday break. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Barack Obama delivers a statement in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011 following the Senate vote to approve legislation extending a Social Security payroll tax cut and long-term jobless benefits for two months. Obama says it would be "inexcusable" for Congress not to extend a payroll tax cut for the rest of 2012 when lawmakers return from their holiday break. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

President Barack Obama delivers a statement in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011 following the Senate vote to approve legislation extending a Social Security payroll tax cut and long-term jobless benefits for two months. Obama says it would be "inexcusable" for Congress not to extend a payroll tax cut for the rest of 2012 when lawmakers return from their holiday break. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama, rebuffed by Congress on a yearlong extension of a Social Security payroll tax cut, said Saturday that it would be "inexcusable" for lawmakers not to lengthen the short-term deal when they return from their holiday break.

The measure, passed by the Senate shortly before the president spoke briefly at the White House, would extend the tax cut and long-term jobless benefits for just two months ? a partial victory for Obama that also sets the stage for another fight in February.

While pleased by the Senate vote, Obama said "it would be inexcusable for Congress not to further extend this middle class tax cut for the rest of the year. It should be a formality, and hopefully it's done with as little drama as possible when they get back in January."

He added, "This really isn't hard. There are plenty of ways to pay for these proposals."

The renewal of the 2-percentage-point cut in the Social Security payroll tax for 160 million workers and unemployment benefits averaging about $300 a week for the additional millions of people who have been out of work for six months or more is a modest step forward for Obama's year-end jobs agenda.

As a condition for GOP support of the payroll tax measure, Obama has to accept a provision that forces him to decide within 60 days whether to approve or reject a proposed a Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline that promises thousands of jobs.

Obama made no reference to the pipeline in his remarks.

The bill awaits House action next week.

"I'm looking forward to the House moving forward and getting this done when they get back on Monday," Obama said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-12-17-US-Obama-Tax-Cut/id-e09bac52be6541768747a68ace612edf

s.978 larry ellison go ask alice go ask alice nflx john mccarthy john mccarthy

Mars Life Hunt Could Look for Magnetic Clues (SPACE.com)

SAN FRANCISCO ? If life ever existed on Mars, it may have betrayed its presence with a distinctive magnetic signature that a future rover could detect, a new study suggests.

A mission to hunt for life on the Red Planet could look for deposits of magnetite or other iron-bearing minerals in Martian sediment mounds. A relatively even smattering of magnetic grains throughout such mounds would be strong evidence of long-ago capture by sticky microbial "biofilms," the idea goes.

This magnetic method holds promise as a definitive test for Martian life, researchers said. Scientists have been searching for such a black-and-white metric for decades, but most options offer many shades of gray.

"We're trying to get rid of the gray area," said lead author Victoria Petryshyn of the University of Southern California, who presented the study here Friday (Dec. 9) at the annual winter meeting of the American Geophysical Union. [5 Bold Claims of Alien Life]

Sticky microbial mounds

Here on Earth, communities of micro-organisms commonly build large sedimentary mounds called microbialites. The microbes clump together in slimy mats or films, which grow layer by layer as the microbes reproduce, creating microbialites.

The most famous of these mounds are stromatolites, which form in shallow water and preserve a fossil record of life on Earth that stretches back 3.5 billion years.

If a rover stumbled across a stromalite-looking mound on the surface of Mars, scientists would doubtless get very excited. But that discovery would not in itself be definitive evidence of past or present Martian life, since similar mounds can also form without the assistance of living organisms.

Further, microbes don't fossilize well, so the rover might not find anything in a sample even if the mound was once crawling with Red Planet bacteria.

But biofilms are sticky; microbialites trap and bind sediments and various minerals, including magnetite. Petryshyn and her team wanted to see if this magnetite accumulation could serve as a "biosignature," or convincing sign of life. So they performed some experiments.

The researchers harvested microbial mat samples from southern California. They put the samples into a water-filled tank and inclined them at a variety of angles ? from 0 degrees (horizontal) to 90 degrees (vertical). Then they introduced magnetite particles.

They did the same thing with the mat samples swapped out for a carbonate control (microbialites generally contain a lot of carbonate minerals).

The team found that the mat samples trapped much more magnetite than the control. In the control sample, magnetite particles concentrated at the bottom, as dictated by the laws of gravity. But the mat grabbed lots of magnetite across its entire surface, showing just how sticky biofilms are. Even vertically tilted mat samples snagged a lot of magnetite, while the stuff slid right off tilted control samples.

Sampling mounds on Mars?

The team's experiments suggest that a future rover mission could search Martian stromatolite-like mounds for magnetite or other iron-bearing minerals, Petryshyn said. Any mounds that exhibit lots of these minerals throughout their structure ? not just at the bottom ? were likely built by microbes.

To do the job, a rover would just need a small drill and an instrument that induces a magnetic field, a flight-ready version of the table-top device the researchers used for their study.

That shouldn't be too tough, Petryshyn said, pointing out that robot explorers have been outfitted with more-sophisticated gear in the past. For example, NASA's Curiosity rover, which launched toward the Red Planet last month, carries a suite of 10 instruments, including a mass spectrometer.

"If you can put a mass spec on a rover, you can put this on a rover," Petryshyn told SPACE.com.

Of course, the method Petryshyn and her colleagues are proposing would be useful only if rovers spot any suspicious-looking mounds on the Martian surface. That hasn't happened yet. But if it does, researchers would probably want a good way to investigate whether or not it was biological in origin.

"If we found a stromatolite-like structure on Mars, then the fight would begin," Petryshyn said.

You can follow SPACE.com senior writer Mike Wall on Twitter: @michaeldwall. Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/space/20111215/sc_space/marslifehuntcouldlookformagneticclues

occupy portland the hunger games neil degrasse tyson neil degrasse tyson bears lions bears lions kendall jenner