Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/180856824?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Beverly Hillbilly actress settles lawsuit over doll (Reuters)
(Reuters) ? The actress who played tomboy Elly May Clampett on 1960s television show "The Beverly Hillbillies" has settled her lawsuit against Mattel over a Barbie doll based on her character.
Actress Donna Douglas, now 78, sued the toy company in May as well as the consumer products division of CBS Corp. seeking a minimum of $75,000 in damages.
Her complaint said Mattel was "engaging in the unauthorized use" of her name, likeness and image to promote and sell the "Elly May" Barbie.
Attorneys in the case filed court papers on Tuesday in Louisiana indicating the lawsuit had been settled. The financial terms were not revealed
Douglas starred in "The Beverly Hillbillies" which ran from 1962 to 1971 on CBS television. She played the beautiful but naive Elly May Clampett, in the show about a family that struck oil and ditched their backwoods home for life in California.
Philip Shaheen, an attorney for Douglas who now lives in Louisiana, said he could not comment on the details of the settlement. California-based Mattel could not be reached for comment.
CBS Consumer Products had argued in court papers that it had exclusive rights to use the Elly May character, and did not need Douglas' permission before entering into an agreement with Mattel for the doll.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Jill Serjeant)
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Thursday, December 29, 2011
China bags Afghanistan's first oil exploration contract
Home
Brunei News.Net
Tuesday 27th December, 2011
"The Afghan cabinet has ordered Mines Minister Wahidullah Shahrani to sign an oil exploration contract for Amu Darya with China National Petroleum Corporation," Afghanistan president's office said in a statement Monday after cabinet approval.
For energy hungry China, which is engaged in oil and gas exploration in many countries, the deal will clinch yet another source of supplies.
Though resource-rich, Afghanistan remains a largely unexplored territory owing to its continuing political instability, violence and lack of infrastructure.
The Watan Group a local company will be state-owned CNPC's partner in the exploration block.
The state-owned Chinese oil giant will develop three oil fields located in the Amu river zone in Sar-e Pol and Faryab provinces in northern Afghanistan.
"This is the first big contract for exploration and extraction of oil in Afghanistan," the official statement said. "There are 87 million barrels of oil in the area."
So far six oil deposits have been discovered in Afghanistan including in Herat in the west, Helmand in the south and Paktia in the southeast.
With several countries looking to undertake infrastructure development in Afghanistan, analysts are sure China will also follow suit to participate in the rebuilding activities as it has been doing in many of the African nations where it is engaged in exploration activities.
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Source: http://www.bruneinews.net/story/202162922
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John Legend Engaged To Model Chrissy Teigen (Photos)
John Legend Engaged To Model Chrissy Teigen (Photos)
Grammy-winning singer John Legend is engaged to his model girlfriend, Chrissy Teigen, after proposing over the Christmas holidays. John’s rep Cindi Berger confirmed the engagement, [...]
John Legend Engaged To Model Chrissy Teigen (Photos) Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News
Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2011/12/27/john-legend-engaged-to-model-chrissy-teigen-photos/
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Wednesday, December 28, 2011
[uruknet.info] PLO Official: Without Peace Agreement, We May Cancel Recognition of Israel
December 26, 2011
On Monday, PLO official Mohammed Eshtayeh said the Palestinian Authority (PA) might cancel its 1993 recognition of the state of Israel if a peace agreement could not be reached.
Eshtayeh made the comment in an interview the London-based Sharq al-Awsat newspaper, calling the recognition of Israel "an unbalanced one."
Eshtaiyeh also said that the PLO recognized Israel in 1993 "geographically."
"However," he continued, "Israel did not recognize Palestine geographically, but only as an institution. It only recognized the PLO. We now ask for a mutual recognition: we want Israel to recognize Palestine on the 1967 borders."
Eshtayehh also said that if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was determined to say there is no difference between the illegal settlement of Har Homa and Tel Aviv, then Palestinians would not differentiate between Ramallah and Jaffa.
According to Eshtayeh, Palestinian efforts from now on would concentrate on internal issues, saying, "Mahmoud Abbas is interested in uniting Palestinians."
Eshtayeh, part of the Palestinian negotiating team, also talked about the possibility to canceling the Oslo agreements, just days after Hamas and the Islamic Jihad agreed to join the PLO and prepare for May elections for the main two bodies of the organization, the Palestinian National Council and the Executive Committee.
PLO executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi said no formal position about recognition of Israel had been decided.
Ashrawi told the "Voice of Palestine" radio that withdrawal of recognition was a last option if Israel made no progress towards peace. She said that first legal responses must be formulated to Israels expansion of settlements and Judaization of Jerusalem. Ashrawi also said that Palestinians must work on civil resistance projects in Jerusalem.
Source
Source: http://www.uruknet.info?new=84275
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Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Moldovan separatist region elects new president (AP)
CHISINAU, Moldova ? Yevgheny Shevchuk, a 43-year-old businessman and politician, has been elected the new president of the breakaway Moldovan region of Trans-Dniester, the separatists' official news agency reported Monday.
Olvia-Pres quotes election officials Monday as announcing that Shevchuk won 73.9 percent of votes to defeat Anatoly Kaminski, the candidate preferred by Russia, in Sunday's runoff.
Trans-Dniester broke away from Moldova in 1990 and fought a war with Moldovan forces in 1992 that left 1,500 people dead. The region, which is populated mainly by Ukrainians and Russians, is not recognized internationally, but has its own legal and administrative system.
Moscow has traditionally wielded significant influence there, and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin sent Kaminski a letter of support prior to the runoff. Analysts have said it is too early to predict whether Russia would lose influence in the region.
However, Shevchuk is thought to have a more conciliatory stance toward Moldova and the government in Chisinau than his predecessor Igor Smirnov, who led Trans-Dniester for 20 years. Smirnov came in third in the first round vote Dec. 11.
Shevchuk has shares in Sheriff, a company which has interests in the food, medicine, construction and petrol sectors.
(This version CORRECTS Corrects spelling of leader's name, adds background, byline.)
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Monday, December 26, 2011
Funeral for ex-Okla. college president scheduled
LANGSTON, Okla. (AP) - The interim president of Langston University says the death of former president Ernest Holloway is a dark day for the school and for the state of Oklahoma.
The 81-year-old Holloway died in Texas Saturday following a bout with stomach cancer.
Ponder said in a statement released Monday that Holloway was an outstanding educator who became legendary for his love of the school and his commitment to accessible education for all people.
Holloway served as president of Oklahoma's only historically black university for 25 years before retiring in 2005. He earned a bachelor's degree from Langston and served in various positions before being named president in 1979.
Officials said funeral services have been tentatively scheduled for Friday in the C.F. Gayles Gymnasium. His body is to lie in repose on Thursday.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.ktul.com/story/16395551/funeral-for-ex-okla-college-president-scheduled
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Apple's late boss Steve Jobs to receive Grammy
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is receiving a posthumous Grammy for his technological innovations in the arts.
Jobs is among a dozen people, music groups or companies receiving honorary awards Feb. 11, the day before the Grammys. He died of cancer in October.
The Grammys are honoring Jobs with one of the group's Trustees Awards, citing the late Apple boss' advancements that "transformed the way we consume music, TV, movies, and books."
Grammy organizers called him a "creative visionary" for Apple Inc. innovations that include the iPod, iPhone and iPad.
Others receiving honorary awards the day before the Grammys include Diana Ross, the Allman Brothers, Glen Campbell, Antonio Carlos Jobim, George Jones, the Memphis Horns and recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder.
---
Online:
http://www.grammy.com
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Sunday, December 25, 2011
Raiders stay alive with 16-13 OT win over Chiefs
By DAVE SKRETTA
updated 4:25 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2011
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 36-yard field goal 2:13 into overtime Saturday, giving the Oakland Raiders a 16-13 victory over Kansas City that eliminated the Chiefs from the playoff race and kept their own AFC West hopes alive.
Carson Palmer threw for 237 yards and a touchdown for the Raiders (8-7). His perfectly thrown 53-yard pass to Darrius Heyward-Bey early in overtime set up Janikowski's winning kick, allowing Oakland to avoid a second straight late-game meltdown.
Kyle Orton threw for 300 yards for Kansas City, his only touchdown pass going to Dwayne Bowe with 1:02 left in regulation to tie the game. The Raiders went three-and-out, giving Kansas City the ball back with little time on the clock, and Orton hit Bowe for 25 yards and Terrance Copper for 11 more to set up Ryan Succop for a potential winning field goal on the final play of the game.
Succop's 49-yard try was blocked by Trevor Scott to send the game to overtime.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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More newsTebow throws 4 INTs in loss
??Jairus Byrd and Spencer Johnson returned Tim Tebow interceptions for touchdowns on consecutive plays in the fourth quarter to help the Buffalo Bills snap a seven-game skid and seal a 40-14 win over the Denver Broncos on Saturday.
Raiders stay alive with 16-13 OT win over Chiefs
??Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 36-yard field goal 2:13 into overtime Saturday, giving the Oakland Raiders a 16-13 victory over Kansas City that eliminated the Chiefs from the playoff race and kept their own AFC West hopes alive.
Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45784574/ns/sports-nfl/
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Hipstamatic brings automatic sharing with Disposable (Appolicious)
Taking photos in a large group can result in some great memories, but it can also result in a chorus of ?You have to send me that photo!? causing you email and text exhaustion. Hipstamatic?s new app Hipstamatic Disposable, for iPhone and iPod Touch, aims to take the work out of group photography by setting up an automatically shared camera ? with a twist.
The app comes with two free camera styles, but you can pick up a third pack by liking the app on Facebook. Although you can use the cameras an unlimited number of times, this is a throwback app ? each camera only offers 24 exposures (remember those days?). When you set up the camera, you can create a custom sticker (in case you have more than one camera working at once) and share the camera with other Hipstamatic Disposable-using friends ? ideal for when you?re at a gathering and want to capture different event angles. Oh, and just like film, you won?t be able to see any of your images until the roll of 24 is complete. Some might consider this a frustration, but I think it?s an interesting concept in the land of digital immediacy. It also will cut down on the overwhelming ?Let me see? chorus in group settings.
Once you?ve completed your camera roll, the images are automatically shared with all of the friends on the camera. From here you can share the images further with Twitter and email, or save individual shots to your photo library.
The biggest problem I see with Hipstamatic Disposable is its pricing model. Additional camera filters are available for in-app purchase, but not all of these are unlimited use. In fact, the company has already changed the model once, responding to public criticism, and added unlimited options to the Hipstamart. Caveat emptor, since some of the filters are still restricted; for instance, Dreamy includes nine cameras of 24 exposures each for a buck, and 99 cameras for $3.99. I didn?t buy in, but I?d be highly surprised if the filter is anything that special, and the idea of paying for something repeatedly should be a user turn-off.
I like Hipstamatic Disposable?s nostalgic quality and the group sharing is a big bonus, but I?d stick with the free cameras if you pick up this app.
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Boston Bruins defeat Florida Panthers, 8-0, Friday night for sixth straight win.
This is why the list must be checked twice.
What, no goal yet this season for hard-working Dennis Seidenberg? Must be one somewhere in this bag.
Benoit Pouliot hasn?t had a chance to show the skill that made him the fourth player selected in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft? Gotta take care of that.
A plug for the hole created by Rich Peverley?s absence? Oh, that?s right here ? Patrice Bergeron, with a goal and an assist from the point on the power play. Tuukka Rask has complained so little about playing so little? That?s definitely worth a second shutout.
There?s even something for those who?ve been a little naughty ? a goal for Milan Lucic in his return from a one-game suspension, and the biggest gift of the night for ever-abrasive winger Brad Marchand ? his first NHL hat trick.
?I never thought I?d ever get one of those in this league,? said Marchand, the second-year NHLer who was just moving up from the Bruins? fourth line at this time last year.
The Bruins turned it all into an 8-0 victory over Florida on Friday night at TD Garden. Boston?s sixth straight victory sent the B?s into their holiday break in first place in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the New York Rangers.
The NHL schedule-maker did a little gift-wrapping, too, by sending the Panthers to Boston for their third game since Tuesday, and with seven injured forwards. The B?s, heeding pretty strict instructions from coach Claude Julien to play like the fresher, healthier team, won the game with a four-goal first period.
Marchand?s shorthanded goal after just 5:56 got the night off to a good start, and three goals in the period?s final 6:20 crushed what little spirit the Panthers might have started with: Lucic scored on the power play at 13:40, Pouliot beat defenseman Dmitry Kulikov on a dazzling 1-on-1 rush before surprising goalie Jose Theodore with a backhander at 18:31, and Seidenberg scored his first of the year with 58 seconds left in the period.
Gregory Campbell, a former Panther (so is Seidenberg) who hit a crossbar in the first period, got a shot under the bar against relief goalie Scott Clemmensen 3:50 into the second period, and Bergeron struck on the power play 12 minutes later. Marchand scored his 14th and 15th goals in the third period to complete his hat trick, and take the team?s goal-scoring lead away from linemate Tyler Seguin.
POOR RICH
Peverley?s absence wasn?t a surprise. The B?s haven?t disclosed his injury, but acknowledged last Saturday ? when Peverley didn?t play for most of the third period in a 6-0 win at Philadelphia ? that he?d been playing through some discomfort. He took Sunday off, extended his points streak to four games (2 goals, 5 assists) with an assist in an 18-minute, 22-second outing Monday night against Montreal, and hasn?t been on skates since.
?We thought that was the best plan,? Julien said. ?Give him a whole week (to) hopefully recover and be in better shape when he gets back.?
The Bruins won?t skate again until a practice session on Tuesday at Phoenix, where they play on Wednesday night. Unless he skates on his own before that, Peverley ? who had climbed into a tie for second on Boston?s scoring list with Patrice Bergeron at 25 points ? will not have been on the ice for seven straight days.
?We thought that was the best plan,? Julien said. ?Give (Peverley) a whole week to hopefully recover and be in better shape when he gets back.?
AROUND THE BOARDS
Left wing Jordan Caron and defenseman Steve Kampfer were Boston?s healthy scratches ? Florida was so short of healthy forwards, rookie defenseman Erik Gudbranson skated as a winger
Mike Loftus may be reached at mloftus@ledger.com.
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Saturday, December 24, 2011
Analysis: What's the plan if North Korea collapses? (Reuters)
SEOUL (Reuters) ? North Korea appears to be making an orderly transition after the death of leader Kim Jong-il last week, but the risk of collapse is higher than before and regional powers need to start discussing that contingency with China, diplomats and analysts say.
The problem is China refuses to contemplate any unraveling of North Korea which has nuclear ambitions and is its long-term ally. Beijing has rebuffed such overtures from the United States, Japan and South Korea.
"Secret talks with China to plan for contingencies have long been overdue," said Douglas Paal, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in a paper this week.
"Beijing has been reluctant to engage in this kind of dialogue, although Chinese thinkers have increasingly acknowledged privately the need for such an authoritative conversation."
Yet little evidence has emerged that such talks have taken place or are being planned, despite a flurry of discussions between the four countries in the aftermath of Kim's death last Saturday.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda travels to Beijing at the weekend, but it is unlikely that China would entertain anything more than platitudes. No contingency plan can be coordinated without China's agreement, since it borders North Korea and supplies much of its food and fuel.
Christopher Hill, a former envoy to the six-party talks on North Korea nuclear disarmament, said it was difficult to raise North Korean instability scenarios with China.
"The Chinese are always skittish about these things," he said, adding that the disclosure of secret U.S. diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks have made them especially wary of contingency planning.
Still, the transition of power in North Korea from the departed "Dear Leader," Kim Jong-il, to his son, the "Great Successor" Kim Jong-un, is going smoothly so far.
"We hope it stays that well," said Pentagon spokesman George Little. "We have not seen any unusual North Korean troop movements since the death of Kim Jong-il. That would be one indicator of a less than smooth transition."
The real worry is further down the road if a contest for power develops and piles stresses on a state that is already perilously close to economic collapse.
China, the United States and other regional powers around the peninsula may face a number of daunting scenarios if the transition goes badly over the medium term. These could include civil conflict, a mass exodus of refugees, military mutiny, lost control of the North's small nuclear arsenal or military attack.
A CHANGE IN CHINA?
China is however undergoing its own leadership transition in 2012 and down the line it's not impossible that there may be some changes in its steadfast refusal to work with the United States and its allies on contingency planning for North Korea.
In one Feb 22, 2010 cable by then U.S. ambassador to Seoul Kathleen Stephens, a top South Korean diplomat cited private conversations with two high-level Chinese officials who said China could live with a reunified Korea under the control of South Korea.
The then South Korean vice foreign minister, Chun Yung-woo, who was also a delegate at the six-party talks, said the two Chinese officials told him privately that China "would clearly not welcome any U.S. military presence north of the Demilitarized Zone in the event of a collapse."
But the Chinese officials told him Beijing "would be comfortable with a reunified Korea controlled by Seoul and anchored to the United States in a 'benign alliance' - as long as Korea was not hostile towards China."
The United States maintains 28,500 troops in South Korea and remains the Supreme Commander of unified American and South Korean troops in the event of a crisis with the North.
Chun, now the South Korean president's national security adviser, did not respond to a request for comment.
Chun also told the U.S. ambassador in that cable that China would not militarily intervene in the event of a North Korea collapse, and he expected that to happen within two to three years after the death of Kim Jong-il.
The alleged remarks from the two Chinese diplomats do not represent China's official position on North Korea. But China's ability to influence North Korea is sometimes over-estimated. In April 2009, He Yafei, then China's vice foreign minister, told a U.S. diplomat in Beijing that North Korea acted like a "spoiled child" to attract U.S. attention through steps such as firing a three-stage rocket over Japan.
The official line from Beijing, repeated during a visit by Kim Jong-il to China in May, is that the relationship remains "sealed in blood" of the allies that fought together in the Korean War.
"For China, the core imperative remains the avoidance of anything that might compromise North Korea's stability," said Sarah McDowall, an analyst at IHS Jane's.
"Occasionally, however, when North Korea commits particularly blatant provocations, this priority comes into conflict with another of China's over-riding diplomatic objectives - its desire to be seen as a responsible global player. China's behavior with regards to North Korea in recent years has been a struggle to balance these two objectives."
PEACEFUL REUNIFICATION
In another Wikileaks cable from Astana, Kazakhstan on June 8, 2009, Chinese ambassador Cheng Guoping told his U.S. counterpart Richard Hoagland that China opposes North Korea's nuclear tests and hopes for peaceful reunification of the peninsula over the long term.
Cheng said China's objectives in North Korea were to ensure their commitments on non-proliferation, maintain stability, and 'don't drive (Kim Jong-il) mad,'" Hoagland said in the cable.
John Park, at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, used a medical analogy to describe the difference in the U.S. and Chinese approaches.
"The way contingency planning is framed by the U.S. is, 'Let us coordinate so that if the North Korean state does collapse we can harvest the organs, and we think they should be implanted in a unified Korea, and the more the U.S. and China coordinate on this, the more smooth and stable it will be.'
"Whereas China's view is, 'Why would you wait for until the patient dies? Why wouldn't you prevent the death of the regime.' So there the Chinese are adopting almost this preventive medicine approach."
Jia Qingguo, professor of international relations at Peking University, said prospects for political stability in North Korea were bleak and interested powers needed "to step up communications, especially now the risks of a crisis are quite high."
The loyalty of those around the "Great Successor" is difficult to ascertain, Jia said.
"Add to that all the many problems, domestic and external, confronting North Korea. In these circumstances, I think it's very difficult to say whether Kim Jong-un will be able to master the political apparatus."
Kim Jong-un, who is in his late 20s, has little experience. His father Kim Jong-il had 20 years to prepare for rule under the tutelage of his father, Kim Il-sung, the charismatic founding father of the North Korean state.
Analysts have said senior officers were replaced after young Kim was made a four-star general last year, though he had never served in the military.
Issues that need to be urgently addressed in contingency planning include how to provide aid in the face of a collapse or crisis, and how to ensure the safety of the North's nuclear materials, Jia said.
"I think from the viewpoint of China and the United States, it may be up to one of them to assume control of the nuclear weapons and avoid proliferation."
A former Japanese diplomat who dealt with North Korean issues, Hitoshi Tanaka, questioned whether any measures would be effective in the event of "internal domestic turmoil" in North Korea.
South Korea, China, Japan and the United States "are very busy collecting and exchanging information and comparing notes" about North Korea's future, but that information is "very, very limited."
"It is extremely important...to let China work in the most constructive way, because clearly, China is the last resort in the context of helping North Korea," he said.
(Additional reporting by Chris Buckley in Beijing, Paul Eckert and Warren Strobel in Washington, Linda Sieg in Tokyo and Jack Kim in Seoul; Editing by David Chance)
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Friday, December 23, 2011
Daily tip: How to add more game ROMs to the iMame emulator for iPhone and iPad
Curious how to get more game ROMs on the iMame emulator for iPhone and iPad? iMame hit the App Store yesterday but didn’t exactly wow anyone with the built in content. Luckily, it’s fairly simple to add more ROMs to the emulator, including a lot of classic games...
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/Mdt0FTHDvIk/story01.htm
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Thursday, December 22, 2011
Women's basketball: Utes' Plouffe stomps New Mexico State
New Mexico State had dreams of beating Utah Wednesday. Then they went Plouffe.
Michelle Plouffe scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Utah women?s basketball team to a 74-37 win over the Aggies at the Huntsman Center. While Plouffe scored her season-high 24 points in 28 minutes, it took the 12 women who played for New Mexico State 32:37 of game time to match that total.
"I just come out every game trying to do whatever I can for the team," said Plouffe, "and if I?m not hitting outside shots I try to get offensive rebounds and hustle plays."
Against New Mexico State, she did all those things. She was 3-of-3 from 3-point range, was 8-of-11 from the field, was one off her career high in rebounds and accounted for two blocked shots.
"She just has a complete game and every single night it doesn?t matter who we?re playing against, she shows up and plays her tail off," Utah coach Anthony Levrets said.
The Utes (6-4) won their second blowout in as many games. Four days earlier they defeated Texas Southern 75-33.
Utah has one game remaining in the preseason before launching its inaugural Pac-12 campaign. Levrets said the Utes are doing now what they need to do to be ready for it.
They looked it from the beginning against the Aggies, who beat UC-Santa Barbara at home on Tuesday.
After opening the game with a 13-6 lead, the Utes went on a 20-5 tear to close the half. By then, Plouffe already had 17 points, a one-half career high. New Mexico State made just four field goals in the first half and shot 14.3 percent.
"I?m really pleased with where we are defensively," Levrets said. "I think it will give us a chance against anybody we play against on any given night, especially up here at the Huntsman Center."
Forward Taryn Wicijowski scored 12 points in 20 minutes, while Rachel Messer added 11 points.
Utah Valley 72, Weber State 65 ? At Ogden, Sammie Jensen scored 18 points as the visiting Wolverines (6-5) made 55.8 percent of their shots while holding the Wildcats (2-11) to just 33.8 percent from the field.
Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/53164648-77/plouffe-utah-points-game.html.csp
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Sunday, December 18, 2011
History Channel's "Pawn Stars" begets "Cajun Pawn Stars" (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) ? Been wondering where you can hock that spare cow you have sitting around? Look no further than the Silver Dollar Pawn & Jewelry Center in Alexandria, La., the setting for the History Channel's spin-off of its most popular series, "Pawn Stars."
"Cajun Pawn Stars," which premieres on History on January 8, will revolve around Silver Dollar Pawn, a shop that, in addition to dealing in jewelry and collectibles, also trades in livestock. One transaction involves donkeys.
Silver Dollar is operated by Jimmie "Big Daddy" DeRamus, along with DeRamus' daughter Tammie and his younger brother Johnnie. The 20,000-square-foot store houses more than 100,000 items, and is an attraction for school and tourist bus tours. History Channel's release on the show notes that the shop's customers will include a daily stream of "quirky local characters."
DeRamus has been in the pawn business for nearly three decades, and is described as a "walking encyclopedia" of knowledge about valuable and historic collectibles. He likes to make bold moves in acquiring rare artifacts, and in the premiere episode, makes a $500,000 offer to obtain rare bank notes.
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Animal rights activists sue to challenge 2006 law (AP)
BOSTON ? A group of animal rights activists has filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a law they say treats them like terrorists if they demonstrate against businesses that use or sell animal products.
Five activists represented by the Center for Constitutional Rights filed the federal lawsuit in Boston Thursday, asking that the Animal Enterprise Terrorist Act be declared unconstitutional.
Staff attorney Rachel Meeropol says the 2006 law has had a chilling effect on the animal rights community, with activists afraid to participate in public protests out of fear they will be prosecuted. Meeropol says the law punishes people who criticize or demonstrate against any so-called "animal enterprise" if they damage property or the profitability of the business.
The activists say the law unconstitutionally restricts their right to speak about animal rights issues.
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Saturday, December 17, 2011
Europe's economic and debt woes touch Asia (Reuters)
LONDON (Reuters) ? The pace of decline in the euro zone private sector eased unexpectedly in December, but the global toll of the region's sovereign debt crisis became clearer on Thursday with news of falling investment and factory activity in China.
While a recession has almost certainly started in the euro zone, Markit's flash composite purchasing managers' index (PMI), which corresponds closely with economic growth, raised some hope it might not be as deep as first feared.
"(It) reinforces the notion that the euro zone economy is slipping into a mild recession rather than falling off a cliff," said Martin van Vliet, senior economist at ING.
Even so, the survey compilers warned against viewing its latest gauge of euro zone business as a turning point, especially since there is still a strong risk the euro zone sovereign debt crisis could spiral out of control.
EU leaders last week took a historic step towards fiscal union last week, but pressure is building on reluctant euro zone paymaster Germany to take immediate, radical steps to solve the crisis.
Indeed, there is growing evidence the debt crisis has already damaged the global economy, impeding the fervent growth of emerging economies like China that are so dependent on European export markets.
China saw its first year-on-year drop in foreign direct investment in 28 months in November, while PMIs there showed factory activity slowed for a second month.
The United States has perhaps been the only major economy that has enjoyed a run of good news recently, which could extend into a glut of jobs and industry data due at 1330 GMT.
EURO PERIPHERY STILL STRUGGLES
Most economists gave a cautious welcome to the euro zone PMI data, which measures changes in the activities of thousands of businesses across the euro zone.
"All in all, despite the further pick-up in December, the PMI data still suggest that euro zone real GDP saw a marked contraction in the fourth quarter," said ING's van Vliet.
The Markit Eurozone Composite PMI, which looks at both the manufacturing and services sectors, rose unexpectedly in December to 47.9 from 47.0 last month.
But it has now lingered below the 50 line that divides growth from contraction for four months.
Furthermore, only France and Germany were responsible for the upturn in the index, while the euro zone's peripheral economies continued to struggle.
Markit said its data pointed to a quarterly economic decline of 0.6 percent in the euro zone in the final quarter of this year.
That would be twice as deep as the contraction expected by economists in a Reuters poll on Wednesday, which also forecast a 0.2 percent fall in the first three months of the new year.
An escalation of the debt crisis could cause a far steeper contraction next year -- a scenario the Swiss National Bank warned on Thursday could not be ruled out, after holding its exchange rate cap on the franc against the euro for now.
There was one bright note on Thursday. The risk premium on benchmark Spanish bonds fell following a well-received bond auction that raised more than the government had targeted.
CHINESE CHILLS
Fresh signs that China's economic growth is slowing emerged on Thursday with the first year-on-year drop in foreign direct investment (FDI) in 28 months, while a fresh fall in new orders signaled a further contraction in factory activity.
November's $8.8 billion of commitments were down 9.8 percent on November 2010, the first fall since July 2009's 35.7 percent year-on-year collapse to $5.4 billion.
A sharp drop in inflows from the United States was a particular drag, slowing year-to-date growth in FDI flows to 13.2 percent from 15.9 percent in October's data.
"The overall trade environment next year for China will be complicated, partly due to the economic uncertainties in the European countries, and I should say that the export situation in the first quarter of next year will be very severe," Commerce Ministry spokesman Shen Danyang told a news conference at the release of the FDI data.
The European Union is China's largest export partner, meaning the debt crisis has had a harsh impact on China's vast manufacturing economy.
The HSBC flash manufacturing purchasing managers' index, the earliest indicator of China's industrial activity, rose modestly to 49.0 in December from 47.7 but pointing to a monthly contraction in activity nonetheless.
"With inflation quickly shifting to disinflation, the Chinese government can and should make more aggressive easing on both fiscal and monetary fronts to stabilize growth and jobs," said Qu Hongbin, chief China economist at HSBC.
(Additional reporting by Aileen Wang and Koh Gui Qing in Beijing, Editing by Ross Finley and Hugh Lawson)
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In Budget Negotiations, White House Throws A Curve Ball On Omnibus Bill
WASHINGTON -- In a move that could dramatically shake up late-stage budget negotiations in Congress, the White House on Wednesday night issued a public statement alerting lawmakers that the administration was not comfortable with the current contours of a deal.
White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer once again urged Congress to pass a short-term extension of the current federal budget so that negotiations over a long-term appropriations bill could continue. There were, Pfeiffer said, several unresolved issues with the long-term omnibus bill, chief among them policy riders that would alter previously passed legislation and compromise executive powers.
"The President continues to have significant concerns about a number of provisions that have been reported to be in the Republican agreement on the omnibus," the statement read. "This includes provisions that would undermine Wall Street reforms, enact extreme social and ideological riders, undercut environmental protections, and threaten the foreign policy prerogatives of the President. Given the magnitude of the legislation -- providing over $1 trillion dollars in funding -- coupled with the unresolved payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance extension, Congress should pass a short-term continuing resolution as it has seven times already this year so that all parties have an appropriate opportunity to consider and complete all of the critical budget and economic issues necessary to finish our responsibilities for the year."
Pressed for specifics, an administration official highlighted two examples of language in the omnibus bill that the White House found problematic. The official described these examples as "undermining Wall Street reform by not adequately funding [the Commodity Futures Trading Commission] and impinging on the President's power to conduct foreign policy in this case with regards to Cuba policy." (The omnibus, as currently envisioned, would reinstate restrictions on travel to Cuba that were loosened by the president in 2009).
In pushing Congress to give itself more time (a short-term continuing resolution could last several days or a week), the White House is very overtly letting it be known that the deal on the omnibus is far from closed.
"There has been all this reporting that somehow there is some deal on the omnibus," a senior administration official said on Tuesday. "There is not a deal on the omnibus. There is only a deal when the president is ready to sign a bill."
Republicans have insisted that negotiators have come to an agreement on a roughly $1 trillion measure to fund the government over the course of the next year. And they have called on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to bring the bill to the floor so that it can be passed into law.
Democrats have declined to do so. Publicly, their line is that a deal on the omnibus is not yet final. And, indeed, the quibbling over riders doesn't seem done yet. Privately, there is concern that if the appropriations bill were to pass, House Republicans would simply get out of town, leaving Senate Democrats with an unenviable choice: pass the GOP version of the payroll tax cut extension or no version at all.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/14/budget-negotiations-white-house-omnibus-bill_n_1149912.html
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Friday, December 16, 2011
Egypt Islamists try to hold lead in second round vote (Reuters)
CAIRO (Reuters) ? Egypt's rival Islamist groups sought more gains in the second round of a parliamentary election on Wednesday, with liberals also fighting for a voice in an army-led transition that began with the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak.
Egypt's first free election in six decades is unfolding in three stages until January. Even then, the generals who stepped in when an uprising toppled Mubarak in February will not hand power to civilians until after a presidential vote in mid-2012.
The pragmatic Muslim Brotherhood, its hardline Salafi rivals and a moderate faction won about two thirds of party-list votes in the first round. But the Brotherhood has signaled it wants a broad coalition, not a narrow Islamist front, in an assembly whose main task is to choose a body to draft a new constitution.
"This is the first time our vote counts," said Fatma Sayed, a government employee voting in Suez east of Cairo, recalling the routinely rigged elections of the 30-year Mubarak era. "We want to retain our rights."
The military will still appoint the government, but the next parliament will have legislative powers. It will also pick a 100-strong assembly to write a constitution that will define Egypt's political framework after decades of autocratic rule.
For a graphic http:/link.reuters.com/tax45s
The constitution is already the focus of a tussle between Egypt's newly-assertive political class and the ruling generals, and may also become a battleground for Islamists and liberals.
The army-backed cabinet sparked violent protests that killed 42 people last month after it sought to insert articles to shield the military from any future civilian oversight.
That fuelled suspicions that the army wants to cling to power even after the presidential poll now expected in June.
Voting was peaceful in the first round although there was a host of electoral violations, such as parties campaigning outside polling stations or the late arrival of ballots. One district will hold a re-run after ballots were damaged or lost.
The committee supervising the poll noted irregularities in the first round but said they were not serious enough to undermine the result and would be addressed in future rounds.
IRREGULARITIES
Troops outside a polling station in Suez tore down posters of candidates and parties on Wednesday. The Interior Ministry said the late arrival of supervising judges delayed the opening of 39 of the thousands of polling booths across the country.
A party list led by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) came top in the first round, with strict Salafi Islamists surprise runners up. Liberals were pushed into third place and are trying to close ranks to fight back.
"I think the major trend will continue (in the second round) with some minor changes. The FJP will be first, but I think the percentage will be reduced relative to the first round," said Hassan Abou Taleb, political analyst at the Al Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies.
He said some voters, concerned by the rise of Islamists who they fear could introduce religious strictures on society, might boost liberals, but he did not expect a significant swing.
The Egyptian Bloc alliance, which includes liberal parties founded just months ago in the wake of Mubarak's downfall, and the decades-old liberal Wafd party together secured about 20 percent of the votes for party lists in the first round.
Liberal politicians say they are trying to coordinate more effectively this time to avoid splitting their vote and revitalize campaigns with more active street canvassing.
Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie has sought to reassure voters, saying his group wants to work in a broad coalition and does not want a showdown with the army.
RAINBOW PARLIAMENT
"We will not rule Egypt alone. Parliament will include all the colors of the rainbow that must agree on one direction, one goal," he told a private television channel this month.
Some analysts say the Brotherhood might prefer to find non-Islamist allies in parliament, rather than lining up with the main Salafi al-Nour Party, in a bid to build a position in mainstream politics and avoid alienating chunks of society.
"There is a big difference between the Salafis and the Muslim Brotherhood. There is a real competition from an ideological perspective and also from their political experience," said Ahram's Abou Taleb.
Unlike the well-established Brotherhood, the Salafis had long spurned politics and are new faces on the political scene. Analysts say they have used long-established television satellite channels and mosques they control to make an impact.
Under Egypt's new electoral system, two thirds of parliament's 498 elected seats go to party lists and the rest go to individuals. The race is split into three phases, and each phase has a run-off vote for the individual seats.
Voting for each stage is held on two days. This time voting is on Wednesday and Thursday in parts of Cairo not covered last time round, Ismailiya and Suez to the east of the capital, Aswan and Sohag to the south, and Nile Delta regions in the north.
Official results are not expected until Saturday or Sunday as results are collated from outlying areas. But, as in the first round, parties are likely to indicate their performance sooner as they have representatives watching counting.
(Writing by Edmund Blair; editing by Alistair Lyon)
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Australia media ownership laws set for shake-up: reports (Reuters)
CANBERRA (Reuters) ? A review of Australia's media will call for a radical overhaul of laws that curb the influence of media proprietors, potentially paving the way for more consolidation between newspapers, internet and television, reports said on Thursday.
Australian media is already among the world's most concentrated, with Rupert Murdoch's News Ltd controlling some 70 percent of the country's newspaper ownership. Previous attempts to ease ownership laws have drawn criticism that they will threaten democratic protections.
But an interim report by the government-backed review into media convergence said long-standing cross-ownership rules were irrelevant in the online era, as media companies increasingly operate across several platforms, the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper said.
"The media laws in Australia were largely put in place 20 years ago, and this is an opportunity to bring them up to date with all the technological change we've seen," review chairman Glen Boreham told the newspaper.
Instead of cross-media ownership rules, the report will call for all big media mergers to be subject to an overarching "public interest" test, the paper said.
The laws, last changed in 2006, prevent the common ownership of newspapers, television and radio broadcasting licenses that serve the same market with a "two-in-three" rule.
They also restrict foreign ownership to allow single foreign shareholders to only hold up to 25 percent of the shares in a mass circulation newspaper, with a maximum of 30 percent for all foreign interests.
The convergence review proposed removal of two in three rule that limits operators such as New Corp from buying other media interests, The Australian Financial Review newspaper said.
It would also aid media mogul Kerry Stokes and his Seven West Media, while putting new media like Google and Facebook on the same footing, the paper said.
"Existing media ownership rules are becoming increasingly ineffective," the report said, according to the Herald. "In particular, the cross-media rule that prevents a person from controlling more than two out of three traditional local media in a license area is less relevant as many of these now operate on a range of platforms."
Other laws that could be changed included a "one to a market rule" for commercial television and a "two to market" rule for commercial radio.
Those rules stop the same person controlling more than one commercial TV broadcasting license or more than two commercial radio licenses in the same license area, usually in Australia's major cities like Sydney and Melbourne.
To enforce the still-undefined public interest test, the convergence review recommended a new independent regulator to also resolve consumer complaints, the Herald said.
The convergence review, which is separate from a government inquiry into the print media launched in the wake of the News Corp phone hacking scandal in the United Kingdom, is due to hand its final report to the government in March.
The Australian entertainment and media industry is forecast to grow 28 percent over the next five years, largely due to growth in interactive gaming, internet access and subscription television, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers outlook.
(Reporting by Rob Taylor; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
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Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Ohio to seek death penalty in Craigslist slayings (AP)
CLEVELAND ? A self-styled chaplain suspected in a deadly scheme to rob people who replied to a Craigslist job ad will be charged with murder and attempted murder in attacks on four victims and could face the death penalty, a prosecutor said Monday.
The chief prosecutor in northeast Ohio's Summit County, Sherri Bevan Walsh, said local officials in southeast Ohio and state and federal officials signed off on an agreement to let her office take the lead against Richard Beasley, 52.
Three deaths and the wounding of a fourth man are part of the investigation in the plot to lure victims with the promise of a farm job in southeast Ohio.
"In deciding where and how to try this case, our primary concern was doing what is in the best interest of the victims and their families," said Walsh, who noted that most of the victims are from the Akron-Canton area.
Beasley, who has been jailed in Akron on unrelated prostitution and drug charges, has denied involvement in the Craigslist slayings. Email and phone messages seeking comment were left Monday for his attorney handling the drug case.
Beasley was arrested in November after authorities linked him to the alleged Craigslist plot.
An acquaintance of Beasley's, Brogan Rafferty, 16, of nearby of Stow, faces juvenile charges of aggravated murder, complicity to aggravated murder, attempted murder and complicity to attempted murder in the death of one man and the shooting of another.
Authorities say the plot's first victim, David Pauley, 51, of Norfolk, Va., came to Ohio in mid-October after answering the Craigslist ad. A friend has said Pauley was desperate for work and eager to return to Ohio.
Police say he was killed Oct. 23, and his body was found Nov. 15. Family members had contacted police concerned they hadn't heard from him.
Timothy Kern, 47, of Massillon, whose body was buried near an Akron shopping mall, answered the ad and was last seen Nov. 13, authorities said.
The body of Ralph Geiger, the potential third victim, was found in a shallow grave Nov. 25.
A South Carolina man also answered the ad and was shot Nov. 6 before escaping, police say.
The murder and attempted murder charges will cover those four men, said April Wiesner, spokeswoman for the prosecutor. No timetable has been set for filing charges, she said.
Beasley was a Texas parolee when he returned to Ohio in 2004 after serving several years in prison on a burglary conviction. He was released from an Akron jail on July 12 after he posted bond on a drug-trafficking charge. Texas officials say he never should have been released from jail and that they issued a warrant for his arrest because the charge violated his parole.
Beasley appeared briefly in an Akron courtroom last week on the drug charge, wheeled into court after he apparently became ill and said he needed a wheelchair.
In a four-page handwritten letter to the Akron Beacon Journal, Beasley has said he has been miscast as a con man when he had helped feed, house and counsel scores of needy families, drunks, drug addicts, the mentally ill and crime suspects for years.
"To call me a con man when I sacrificed for others is wrong," wrote Beasley, who didn't mention the Craigslist investigation or Rafferty. "To turn their back on me is not following Christ's example. I gave three full years of my life to that ministry and what I got out of it was the satisfaction of doing the right thing. There was no `con' to it."
___
Associated Press Legal Affairs Writer Andrew Welsh-Huggins in Columbus contributed to this report.
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Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Video: TODAY?s Professionals debate hangover pill
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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/45565922#45565922
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Monday, December 5, 2011
Putin's party losing support in parliamentary vote
CAPTION CORRECTION CORRECTS THE NAME OF PHOTOGRAPHER - Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, with the emblem of the United Russia party in the background, visits the United Russia party headquarters in Moscow, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2011. Exit polls cited by Russian state television showed Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's party with less than 50 percent of the vote in Sunday's parliamentary elections, a significant drop reflecting Russians' growing weariness with his rule. (AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Alexei Nikolsky, Pool)
CAPTION CORRECTION CORRECTS THE NAME OF PHOTOGRAPHER - Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, with the emblem of the United Russia party in the background, visits the United Russia party headquarters in Moscow, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2011. Exit polls cited by Russian state television showed Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's party with less than 50 percent of the vote in Sunday's parliamentary elections, a significant drop reflecting Russians' growing weariness with his rule. (AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Alexei Nikolsky, Pool)
Elizaveta Semenova is helped by her daughter to fill in a ballot paper at her home in the village of Oster, 380 km (237 miles) west of Moscow, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011. The ballot box has a sign reading: "Election" and the Smolensk region emblem. Russians cast their ballots with muted enthusiasm in national parliamentary elections Sunday, a vote that opinion polls indicate could water down the strength of the party led by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, despite the government's relentless marginalization of opposition groups. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Russian soldiers stand in line at a polling station in Moscow, Russia, on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011. Russians cast their ballots with muted enthusiasm in national parliamentary elections Sunday, a vote that opinion polls indicate could water down the strength of the party led by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, despite the government's relentless marginalization of opposition groups. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr)
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin casts his ballot at a polling station in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011. Russians cast their ballots with muted enthusiasm in national parliament elections on Sunday, a vote that opinion polls indicate could water down the strength of the country's dominant party. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin greets journalists after voting at a polling station in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011. Russians cast their ballots with muted enthusiasm in national parliament elections on Sunday, a vote that opinion polls indicate could water down the strength of the country's dominant party.(AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Alexei Nikolsky, Pool)
MOSCOW (AP) ? Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's party struggled to hang onto its majority in Russia's parliamentary election, results showed Monday, suggesting Russians were wearying of the man who has dominated Russian politics for more than a decade.
Rival parties and election monitors said even a result of around 50 percent was inflated, alleging ballot-stuffing and other significant violations at the polls. Many expressed fears that the vote count would be manipulated.
Putin wanted to see his United Russia party do well in Sunday's election as a sign of popular support for his return to the presidency in a vote now three months away. Despite the sobering setback, he was still expected to have little trouble reclaiming the position he held from 2000 to 2008.
Putin has systematically destroyed any potential challengers and most Russians do not see any credible alternatives, despite growing dissatisfaction with his strongman style. Grumbling over pervasive official corruption and the gap between ordinary people and the superrich has become widespread.
Putting a positive spin on the disappointing returns, Putin said "we can ensure the stable development of the country with this result." But he appeared glum when speaking to supporters at United Russia headquarters and limited his remarks to a terse statement.
United Russia held a two-thirds majority in the outgoing State Duma, which allowed it to change the constitution unchallenged. But the party is increasingly disliked, seen as representing a corrupt bureaucracy and known to many as the "party of crooks and thieves."
The Communist Party appeared to benefit from the protest vote, with exit polls and the early returns predicting it would get nearly 20 percent, up from less than 12 percent four years ago.
But Putin should still have no serious difficulties getting his laws passed. The two other parties in parliament also looked set to gain seats, and both have consistently voted with United Russia. Even the Communists pose only tempered opposition.
The results with 75 percent of the precincts counted showed about 50 percent for United Russia. This was in line with an exit poll conducted by the VTsIOM polling agency that had United Russia tallying 48.5 percent and another done by the FOM polling agency that had it winning 46 percent of the vote. The two polls were reported by the two state television channels.
Complete results were expected at 0600 GMT Monday (1 a.m. EDT).
About 60 percent of Russia's 110 million registered voters cast ballots, down from 64 percent four years ago.
Only seven parties were allowed to field candidates for parliament this year, while the most vocal opposition groups were barred.
Several parties complained Sunday of extensive election violations aimed at boosting United Russia's vote count, including party observers being hindered in their work.
Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov said his party monitors thwarted an attempt to stuff a ballot box at a Moscow polling station where they found 300 ballots already in the box before the start of the vote.
He said incidents of ballot-stuffing were reported at several other stations in Moscow, Rostov-on-Don and other areas. In the southern city of Krasnodar, unidentified people posing as Communist monitors had shown up at polling stations and the real observers from the party weren't allowed in, Zyuganov said.
Russia's only independent election monitoring group, Golos, has come under strong official pressure and its website was incapacitated by hackers on Sunday. Golos was still able to field more than 2,000 observers, and they reported numerous violations, director Liliya Shibanova said.
She said many of the violations involved absentee ballots, including so-called "cruise" or "carousel" voting where people with the ballots are bused to multiple polling stations. Many people complained that they were forced to get absentee ballots and hand them over to their bosses.
Shibanova said some of the worst violation were in the Volga River city of Samara, where observers and election commission members from opposition parties were barred from verifying that the ballot boxes were properly sealed at all polling stations.
Social media were flooded with messages reporting violations. Many people reported seeing buses deliver groups of people to polling stations, with some of the buses carrying young men who looked like football fans.
In Moscow, several journalists, including a photographer for The Associated Press, were briefly detained after taking pictures at a polling station.
Mikhail Kasyanov, a former prime minister during Putin's first presidential term, said he and other opposition activists who voted Sunday are under no illusion that their votes will be counted fairly.
"It is absolutely clear there will be no real count," he said. "The authorities created an imitation of a very important institution whose name is free election, that is not free and is not elections."
In a number of Russian regions, the official results differed sharply from the exit polls, with United Russia doing far better than the polls indicated.
A few dozen activists of the Left Front opposition group tried to stage a protest just outside Red Square on Sunday, but were quickly dispersed by police, who detained about a dozen of them. Later in the evening, police said they arrested more than 100 other opposition demonstrators at another Moscow square and about 70 in St. Petersburg.
The websites of Golos and Ekho Moskvy, a prominent, independent-minded radio station, were down on Sunday. Both said the failures were due to denial-of-service hacker attacks. Ekho Moskvy's site came back up after the polls closed.
Golos, which is funded by U.S. and European grants, has come under heavy official pressure in the past week after Putin accused Western governments of trying to influence the election and likened recipients of Western aid to Judas.
Shibanova, the Golos leader, said its hotline was flooded Sunday with automated calls that effectively blocked it. Prior to the vote, many of the group's activists were visited by security agents, while Shibanova was held for 12 hours at an airport and forced to hand over her laptop.
The group had compiled some 5,300 complaints of election-law violations ahead of the vote, most of which were linked to United Russia. Roughly a third of the complainants ? mostly government workers and students ? said their employers and professors were pressuring them to vote for the party.
___
Jim Heintz, Nataliya Vasilyeva and Vladimir Isachenkov contributed to this report.
(This version CORRECTS Updates with 75 percent of precincts counted. Corrects that Putin's speech was longer than two sentences. Complete results expected at 0600 GMT Monday (1 a.m. EDT Monday). For global distribution.)
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Sunday, December 4, 2011
The BlackBerry PlayBook Is Killing RIM (The Atlantic Wire)
It's becoming clear that the BlackBerry Playbook?is significantly hurting an already ailing Research in Motion, after the company announced Friday morning that it will take a $485 million charge as a result of poor tablet sales. The tablet, which launched back in April sold just 500,000 tablets in its first quarter, 250,000 in its next quarter, and then a meager 150,000 this quarter,?reports The Wall Street Journal's Chip Cummins. To give an idea of how measly that is, RIM sold?just one?Playbook for every 23 iPads during its Q2.?
Related: RIM Says Sorry to Customers with Free Apps
Since its debut, the PlayBook has enjoyed poor reviews, initiated by the tablet's lack of native e-mail,?and the sales to match. But as of late, the tablet has gone downhill even further. After six months on the market and just in time for the holiday rush, Research in Motion decided to hack?its device's price to $199. The PlayBook started at a very pricey $499 -- the same as the going rate for Apple's 16GB iPad 2, that came with more apps and e-mail. Not too long after Amazon came out with its discount Kindle Fire, BlackBerry matched the price. Not only is it paying for this price cut with that $485 million charge, but it's not clear that sales are up. After this "limited time promotion" Best Buy was reportedly canceling PlayBook orders and had pulled the tablet from its site, which might be a good sign: BlackBerry Playbooks are actually selling out! But as Electronista points out, usually the electronics store will keep sold out products on the site, with an out of stock message. So perhaps Best Buy doesn't plan on ordering any more, ever.?
Related: Consensus: New Curves Aren't Good Enough to Save BlackBerry
The PlayBook is just the latest woe for Research in Motion. It has had a particularly rough year on all fronts. The PlayBook is just the latest device it can't seem to get right. Every single one of its recent phone releases hasn't wowed reviewers. On top of listless offerings, the company managed to alienate its diminishing customer base with a four-day?outage last October, which RIM tried to make up for with?apps instead of money. In the last three months its stock has continued a downward slope, at least in part to poor tablet sales, yet Research in Motion is staying positive. "RIM is committed to the BlackBerry PlayBook and believes the tablet market is still in its infancy," said the company.
Related: BlackBerry's New Social Music Service Would've Been Rad in the '90s
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Saturday, December 3, 2011
Why The New Spotify-Powered Apps Are Free and Desktop-Only? For Now [Spotify]
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