Mild December means good business for golf courses

PORTLAND, Ore. -- December usually means big business for the ski resorts, but most of this month, the weather has been more on the side of local golfers.

That's good news for golfers like Fritz Jossi, 90. But he was sitting around a table Thursday in the pro shop at Heron Lakes Golf Course -- not exactly what he had in mind.

"We golf the entire year around here," he said. "Once in a while, we have to cancel it out when it rains the course gets a little sloppy."

Jossi has had a good month of playing. Cancellations have been few and far between.

"Not bad at all," he said. "A little cold, but I've been hacking it around. My handicap keeps going up and up which I enjoy."

But Jossi's group decided to cancel its tee time Wednesday. He wasn't the only one to do that, though. There was just one lone golfer out there when KATU News showed up there Wednesday.

The weather, though, for the most part, has cooperated with golfers. In the past few days, though, rainy weather has hampered the time out on the golf course for golfers. However, earlier this month, Heron Lakes had more than 100 golfers out there swinging their clubs on a single day.

"We had one day where we did 20 golfers last year, and this year we did a 150 on the same exact day, so it's really weather-dependent," said Pro Shop Assistant Nick Piovanelli.

Piovanelli said the regulars have helped December business boom, which has been one of the best Heron Lakes has seen in the last couple of years.

"They're sticking around and they keep going and it keeps them happy and it brings others who are fair-weather golfers," he said. "It definitely helps business."

Once the weather clears, Jossi and his golfing buddies will be back out there, too, doing what he said they do best.

"They come out here and shoot the fat and lie about their scores and everything else," Jossi said with a smile.
?

Source: http://www.katu.com/sports/Mild-December-means-good-business-for-golf-courses-136375418.html

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The GOP's Response to Dem Union Funding

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Source: nation.foxnews.com --- Wednesday, December 28, 2011
The GOP's Answer to Union Money Achieving parity with the Democrats in campaign spending would be no small feat. Yet it appears possible. DECEMBER 28, 2011 By FRED BARNES wsj.com When Steven Law was deputy secretary of labor in the George W. Bush administration, he routinely scrutinized the disclosure forms of labor unions. Unions had recently been required to report new details about how they spent their members' dues money. Mr. Law discovered that organized labor was contributing millions to a variety of liberal groups?environmentalists, gay-rights advocates and left-wing blogs, among others. For Mr. Law, it was a revelation and a lesson. He concluded that the labor movement had enlarged and strengthened the coalition that helped produce Democratic landslides in 2006 and 2008. ...

Source: http://nation.foxnews.com/gop/2011/12/28/gops-response-dem-union-funding

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Woman hears buzz of tattoo needle for first time

By Ree Hines

Sarah Churman was born deaf, but earlier this year, at the age of 29, she underwent a procedure that suddenly allowed her to hear. Soon after, Churman decided to celebrate the life-changing event with a new tattoo at Ami James' "NY Ink" hotspot, the Wooster St. Social Club.

See Churman share her story with tattoo artist Tim Hendricks in this sneak peek from TLC. ?

"(My husband's) mom came to us one day and she said, 'Listen, I'm going to pay for the sugery.' It absolutely broke my heart that his widowed mother was going to cash in her savings and didn't think twice," a teary-eyed Churman explained to Hendricks as he inked a pinup girl along her side. "As soon as the words were out of her mouth, I called and started setting stuff up and told them give me the soonest date they've got."

If her story sounds familiar, it should. Churman rose to viral video fame after her husband uploaded a clip to Youtube which featured her reacting to the very first sounds she'd ever heard beyond vibrations and some noises an earlier hearing aid provided.

She also visited TODAY in October and explained just how profound her experience has been.

To see more of Churman's moving story, and the completed tattoo she got to commemorate it, tune into to the season premiere of "NY Ink" Thursday night at 9 p.m. on TLC.

Have you followed Churman's story over the past few months? Will you watch her spot on "NY Ink"? Tell on our Facebook page.

?

Related content:

Also in the Clicker:

Source: http://theclicker.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/29/9805349-woman-celebrates-hearing-for-the-first-time-with-new-tattoo

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How To Make Money From Home With Facebook And Twitter

When we understand, that it is important to market with the social mediums, we are after two benefits, how to reach higher rankings with our Facebook page, for instance, and how the social media posts can increase the rankings of our website. When we have solved this problem, we have far better ways how to make money from home. Lets discuss about this.

1. The Social Media Market is Heavily Growing.

The social media has two benefits. It is a big market and it is growing strongly. The total visitor number is 6,2 billion and unique visitors 213 million. The market is strong, so the question is, how you can turn enough visitors to your social media page or to your website?

The secret is to know, what these visitors are looking for and how they do that. Did you know, that many visitors use the search function, actually 845 million searches were made, up 13,5 %! If SEO is familiar to you, you guess the opportunity.

The searchers search mainly people or brands. Yes, brands. The social media is also called a conversational media, i.e. an interactive one, which gives hints, how to use it to promote or to build a brand.

2. How To Rank Better With Social Media Page?

If you wonder, how to make money from home with the social media, one answer is, that your page must rank well. It is a question about the links. Do you link from your home page? Use also your brand name in the post content.

The search engines give value to the crowd science, i.e. the more people like your page, the higher ranking it will get. Are your likes, follows and +1 in condition? Its about trust building. If Facebook is your only medium, this is even more important.

3. How Social Media Can Improve Your Website Rankings?

As we have seen how Google has changed its algorithms, the criteria which sets the rules how the ranked pages are ordered, it is clear, that the links from the social media have become more important. It is important that the landing page is easy to like, i.e. that the social media buttons are in place. It is crucial to call visitors to action, i.e. to share the thing, they just liked.

4. Define The Role Of The Social Media In The Sales Funnel.

As said, the social media is an interactive and discussing media and the different social media sites have different user profiles. If the social media is the first point in the sales funnel, what you have planned it to do?

Is it a teaser, which persuades readers to get more from the landing page? Does it communicate the same brand identity than the landing page and other sales funnel parts? Does it have a personal and human feeling, like some club has, so that it will encourage to participate?

5. If You Do It, Do It Properly.

The social media is not anymore a discussion forum, but a serious business medium. When you ponder ways how to make money from home, you can even end up to use only one social media and to learn to master it.

Remember, that the brand building is crucial with a planned brand strategy. Without it there is a danger, that all what you get is a content, which does not share any benefits to the visitors.

Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-business-articles/how-to-make-money-from-home-with-facebook-and-twitter-5526978.html

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Oh to be free once more.

This is a private roleplay between myself and AkiraAsylum.

Early morning, when the sun rises and the rooster caws. It meant the start of another day for the servants of the royal court. One in particular, A young Chambermaid to the king himself, woke on this morning. She was quick to dress in her uniform, a pale dress and a dark apron tied around her waist. She had her raven hair tied up and out of the way. When she was satisfied with her appearance she left the servants quarters and rushed to the kitchens. The cook had been awake for a good amount of time now, already preparing breakfast. When the young woman entered she was greeted with a warm smile, One of the few she would see that day.

"Morning Yvette." The cook grumbled through his thick mustache. Yvette returned the warm smiled and nodded. "I am to wake the king in a few moments time. Is his meal ready?" She asked softly, turning to the silver platter that was meant to carry the food. The cook nodded, quickly placing the plates of cooked meats and toast, fresh juices and a plate of eggs. Yvette gave a faint nod and gathered the tray up, turning from the kitchen. She made her way up the twisting stair cases and through the hallways until she came to a large ornate door adorned with a large red and gold lions head.

Yvette nudged the door open with her foot and slipped inside, resting the tray on the dark wooden table by the kinds bed side. She set out the plates, turned to the closet to get the kings clothes for the day ready then turned back to the bed. "My Lord." She said softly, reaching out to gently touch the kinds shoulder. The man stirred and his cold eyes turned up to meet the young maids. He said nothing, only grunted at her presence while he sat. Yvette didn't need to be spoken to in order to know what the king desired. She fetched the plate of assorted meats and presented it to her king, bowing her head.

When the king was fed and dressed he stood, hardly glancing at the maid at his side. "Take these plates to the kitchens, then greet the knights when they arrive." He commanded. Yvette bowed once, gathered the dishes and turned to do as she was asked. She stood at the gates with her hands folded, waiting for the knights to arrive.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/Bav8OL6H1n4/viewtopic.php

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Asian stocks mostly down on Europe bank worries (AP)

BANGKOK ? Asian stock markets were mostly lower Thursday amid new signs of pressure on Europe's banking system and a downturn on Wall Street.

Benchmark oil lingered above $99 per barrel while the dollar rose against the euro but fell against the yen.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index fell 0.7 percent to 8,367.73. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was 0.9 percent lower at 18,349.90. Australia's S&P ASX 200 fell 0.6 percent to 4,064.20. Benchmarks in India and Indonesia were also lower.

But South Korea's Kospi reversed earlier losses and gained 0.1 percent to 1,827.17. Benchmarks in Singapore and Taiwan also rose after a lower opening. Shares in mainland China and Malaysia were also higher. Overall, stock markets were quieter than normal as many traders go on vacation the week between Christmas and New Year's.

Investor sentiment waned hours after the European Central Bank said banks had parked $590.72 billion with it overnight, surpassing the record set only Monday. That means European banks were less willing to take the risk of making short-term loans to each other, opting instead to earn low interest rates from the ECB ? with money lent by the central bank itself.

Francis Lun, managing director of Lyncean Holdings in Hong Kong, said the action on the part of the banks "defeated the purpose" of the ECB lending operation, which was to spur business activity.

"Investors are disappointed at the development," Lun said. "Europe still has not found an answer on how to solve its sovereign debt crisis. There's no solution, and they are trying cosmetic measures, which really do not address the problem."

The development also shook confidence in the euro, which on Wednesday dropped to $1.2910 ? its lowest level against the dollar in nearly a year ? before recovering slightly.

"As we have seen time and time again throughout 2011, when EUR/USD falls, so does equities, and so does gold, with traders buying into fixed income assets," Chris Weston of IG Markets in Melbourne wrote in a research note.

Even successful bond auctions in Italy failed to lift the euro against the dollar. Demand for Italian bonds was strong Wednesday, and the country was able to pay lower interest rates.

Meanwhile, the yen's rise to a 10-year high against the euro put stress on Japan's exporters. Kyodo News agency said the euro briefly fell to 100.35 yen in Tokyo, its lowest level against the Japanese currency since June 2001.

Honda Motor Corp. fell 1.4 percent. Sharp Corp. shed 3.6 percent. Yamaha Motor Corp. and Suzuki Motor Corp. both lost 1 percent.

Commodity shares in Australia came under pressure amid worries about the state of the global economy. Gold miner Newcrest Mining Ltd. lost 3.1 percent. Woodside Petroleum fell 1.1 percent. OZ Minerals fell 3.3 percent after the company said copper concentrate may have spilled from a derailed train.

In currency trading Thursday, the euro fell to $1.2929 from $1.2941 late Wednesday in New York. The dollar fell to 77.72 yen from 77.91 yen.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 1.1 percent to 12,151.41. The S&P 500 fell 1.3 percent to 1,249.64. The Nasdaq composite declined 1.3 percent to 2,589.98.

Benchmark crude for February delivery rose 6 cents to $99.42 a barrel at midday Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $1.98 to settle at $99.36 in New York on Wednesday.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111229/ap_on_re_as/world_markets

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Search suspended for woman who jumped ship

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico?? The U.S. Coast Guard says it has suspended a search for a 30-year-old female bartender who worked aboard a cruise ship and jumped overboard near Puerto Rico.

The Coast Guard said in a statement late Monday that the Filipino woman was an employee with the Celebrity Summit cruise ship. Officials said she jumped late Sunday as the ship passed just northeast of the popular tourist island of Culebra. They did not identify the woman or say whether they had uncovered a possible motive for her action.

The ship operated by Celebrity Cruises had just left Puerto Rico and was headed toward Barbados.

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

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45796045/ns/travel-news/

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La saga Final Fantasy y Tomb Raider rebajan su precio para iPhone y iPad

Square Enix se suma a la tradici?n y ha decidido rebajar gran parte de su extensa lista de juegos destinada a los dispositivos de Apple durante estas festivas fechas. Y de toda esa lista, dos nombres sobre salen por encima de todos: Final Fantasy y Tomb Raider. Casi nada.

Cuando hemos hablado de las ofertas que iTunes est? ofreciendo a usuarios de los diferentes dispositivos m?viles, en alguna ocasi?n hemos citado a una de las principales compa??as de hoy en d?a en la industria de los videojuegos: Square Enix; una compa??a que tiene entre sus manos grandes t?tulos como Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Tomb Raider o su nueva adquisici?n, Hitman. Un gigante que ha sabido ver el gran potencial de mercado que ofrece, cada vez m?s, el sector de los smartphones y las tabletas en la industria. Todo ello le ha permitido contar con una ampl?sima lista de juegos a disposici?n de los usuarios de iPhones, iPad y iPod Touch.

Ahora, aprovechando estas festivas fechas de Navidades y A?o Nuevo, Square Enix ha decidido rebajar gran parte de su arsenal de juegos para Apple, y seguir as? la estela de otras grandes compa??as como Electronic Arts, Sega, Capcom o id Software, entre otros. Un momento ideal para hacerse con alguno de sus grandes t?tulos, que no son pocos, como podremos comprobar a continuaci?n.

Obviamente, no pod?a faltar el ojo derecho de la compa??a: Final Fantasy, que tambi?n se ha lanzado a conquistar las pantallas t?ctiles de iPhones y iPad con cuatro de sus entregas, precisamente, las tres primeras y la adaptaci?n a iPhone y iPad de?Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions que Square Enix prepar? para PlayStation Portable.

Otro nombre que destaca por encima del resto es sin duda, Tomb Raider, que hizo su aparici?n en el App Store con Lara Croft and The Guardian of Light, que introduce la posibilidad de jugar tambi?n en modo cooperativo, por tan s?lo 0,79 euros.

A continuaci?n te ofrecemos la lista de los juegos rebajados por Square Enix para iPhone, iPad y iPod Touch:

Chaos Rings (iPad)	5.99?
Chaos Rings Omega	4.99?
Chaos Rings Omega (iPad)	5.49?
Chocobo Panic	1.59?
Cooking Mama	2.99?
Crystal Defenders	2.99?
Final Fantasy	3.99?
Final Fantasy II	3.99?
Final Fantasy Tactics	9.99?
Final Fantasy III	9.99?
Final Fantasy III (iPad)	10.49?
Groove Coaster	0.79?
Hills and Rivers Remain	2.39?
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light	0.79?
Secret of Mana	3.99?
Sliding Heroes	Gratis
Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes ? Encore	3.99?
Space Invaders Infinity Gene	2.39?
Vanguard Storm	1.59?
Victorian Mysteries: The Moonstone	0.79?
Voice Fantasy	0.79?

Art?culos relacionados

1. Final Fantasy XIV llegar? tambi?n a PS Vita, Xbox 360, Android y iPhone
2. Final Fantasy XIII-2 : Nuevas im?genes de la pr?xima entrega de la saga
3. Final Fantasy XIII-2 : Nuevos detalles sobre el pr?ximo t?tulo de la saga
4. Final Fantasy XIII-2 recupera el casino de minijuegos de Final Fantasy VII
5. Final Fantasy XIII-2 prepara dos ediciones especiales para su lanzamiento

Source: http://www.gamerzona.com/2011/12/28/la-saga-final-fantasy-y-tomb-raider-rebajan-su-precio-para-iphone-y-ipad/

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Ron Paul Calls GOP Rivals Serial Hypocrites, Flip-Floppers (ABC News)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/180111702?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Ruben Ray Jurado Arrested: Police Arrest Suspect In Shooting That Left Soldier Paralyzed

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. ? Police on Monday arrested a suspect in a shooting that critically wounded a soldier at his Southern California homecoming party after he survived a suicide bombing attack in Afghanistan.

Police said Ruben Ray Jurado turned himself in to authorities in Chino Hills, about 35 miles east of Los Angeles. The 19-year-old had been sought in the attempted murder of 22-year-old Christopher Sullivan.

Authorities allege Jurado shot Sullivan at the party Friday night after getting into an argument with the soldier's brother over football teams.

Jurado, who had played football with Sullivan in high school, punched Sullivan's brother and Sullivan intervened. Jurado then pulled a gun and fired multiple shots, hitting Sullivan in the neck, San Bernardino police Sgt. Gary Robertson said.

Sullivan's relatives said the Purple Heart recipient was hit twice by gunfire, which shattered his spine and left him paralyzed.

His mother, Suzanne Sullivan, told the Los Angeles Times that doctors believe her son will be paralyzed from the neck down.

"I don't have any emotions. My emotions are none," she said. "He didn't deserve it. He's an excellent son and an excellent man."

Jurado has been transferred to the custody of the San Bernardino Police Department where he will be booked, officials said Monday.

Police said Jurado had an attorney but officials couldn't immediately provide the lawyer's name. It wasn't immediately possible to locate a number for Jurado.

Sullivan was wounded in a suicide bombing attack last year in Kandahar province while serving with the 101st Infantry Division. He suffered a cracked collarbone and brain damage in the attack and had been recovering in Kentucky, where he is stationed.

He was home on leave when the shooting occurred.

The Times reported that Sullivan joined the military in 2009.

Fabian Salazar, a soldier who served with Sullivan in Afghanistan, said Sullivan rushed back to try to rescue other soldiers after the bomb blast propelled him several feet, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

"I know he would take a bullet for his brother," Salazar told the newspaper. "And if you asked him again after all this... if he would take a bullet for him again, he would say yes. That's the type of person he is."

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/26/ruben-ray-jurado-arrested_n_1170398.html

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[ili-l] Instructional Technologist position at Lafayette College (please excuse the duplicate postings) - "Xu, Lijuan"

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Source: http://lists.ala.org/sympa/arcsearch_id/ili-l/2011-12/004901ccbffb$6c4ca2c0$44e5e840$@edu

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Amazon's Kindle Fire rooted yet again after the 6.2.1 update

Look at what we have here, an update for the Amazon Kindle Fire on Dec 20, and it has been rooted already again on Dec 23. It is always nice to be able to keep up to date with the most current OS versions because they tend to make performance better and fix previous issues, but no one wants to be without root, right? Thankfully we have some amazing people hard at work behind the scenes and Rootzwiki and AndroidPolice have teamed up and released a root method for the Kindle Fire already. If you took the update and want to root, or skipped the update until it was rooted, be sure to hit the source link to check out what you need to do and how to do it!

Source: Rootzwiki

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/qbRUbojDYEU/story01.htm

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[Quick Review] Galaxy Nexus

Last month a device was announced that was set to change the way Android phones would look and feel. The Galaxy Nexus was announced as the first Android device to be able to run the new Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich software and that's just what it was. Released earlier last week, the device comes to us as the first phone ever to have no button in the front (iPhone has one) just a sexy curved display. Let's give this new pure Android device a quick review, and see how we feel about it at the end of the day.

Overview:
Getting this device, I was instantly impressed by how sleek, clean, and nice it looked. The front of the phone only has the speaker grill, front facing camera, some sensors, and a really useful LED indicator, nothing more or less. The rear of the phone has a 5 megapixel no lag back-lit camera with a single LED flash which produces decent pictures; these pictures weren't as good as those on the Rezound (which took the pictures being used in this review) or the Galaxy S II but they're still up there. The phone in general is quite nice, slim, unique and just plain sexy. Being a man that likes to stay cool, back in the days I would need to buy an iPhone to stay looking cool, but now thanks to devices like this, Android does it just as well.
The software part of this phone is another thing I really loved about the device. Google really outdid themselves when they finished Android 4.0, the OS is quite simple amazing. It's been playing really nicely with me; I've experienced no lag, switching apps is a breeze, and even the browser experience has been touched up. The software included with the phone is pure Android, and as far as I can tell, there was no Verizon crap installed on the device (no Google wallet either though). The facial recognition software is pretty cool, but it's mostly for showing off to iPhone owners, because security wise, it's not very secure. The UI that comes stock, IMHO, is far better than anything else I could've gotten from the market, and that's a lot coming from a guy like me. Android 4.0 is, all together, the best OS I've used to date and the Galaxy Nexus's hardware complement's it in every way.
Now here's the breakdown:

Good:

• HD 720p resolution
• Fast 1.2 Ghz Dual-core processor
• No Lag Camera
• Fast 4G
• Android 4.0
• No Crap-ware
• Sleek design
• Pretty good battery life for an LTE device
• Development community backed (Droidforums)

Bad:

• Camera quality
• No hard camera button
• Screen technology isn't a smart choice
• Price

Ratings:

10/10: Speed and Multitasking
8/10: Camera Quality
10/10: Browsing Experience
9/10: Music Playback
10/10: Network
7/10: Pricing
9/10: Overall Rating

Would I buy it?
Yes I really would. I currently own the Galaxy S II, amongst other devices, and I enjoy using the Galaxy Nexus more than all of them. The device, with it's sleek design and no front buttons, looks really nice and I feel cool every time I pull it out of my pocket.

Recommend it?
Yes; If you have the money to buy one of these, do it. $299 with a contract is not a cheap price but if you're going to be married to a phone for 2 years then you shouldn't settle for nothing less than the best.

Congrats Google and Samsung, you've made a heck of a device and I congratulate you for it.
Merry Christmas to all, and hope your day was nothing less than perfect.

Photos taken with a Rezound!

Source: http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-news/190247-quick-review-galaxy-nexus.html

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Saturn moons spied from the side

Cassini captures Titan and Dione against the sixth planet's rings

Web edition : 10:47 am

Titan, Saturn?s largest moon, hovers in front of the planet?s rings like a holiday ornament in this natural color photo snapped by the Cassini spacecraft and released on December 22. The hazy orange moon looms large next to bright, icy Dione ? Saturn?s third-largest satellite ? against the shadows of Saturn?s rings.

Titan looks murky because of its atmosphere ? a puffy, blue-rimmed nitrogen shroud. The cloudy cover is darker at the moon?s north pole and slightly flattened at the moon?s south pole (see this Casssini image also released December 22). Organic compounds within the smoggy layer form clouds of ethane and methane that seasonally rain down upon Titan?s surface.

Dione ? essentially a spherical ice cube with a rocky core ? is heavily cratered, cut with canyons, and home to icy cliffs. In this image, Dione is 3.2 million kilometers away from Cassini; Titan is 2.3 million kilometers away.

Found in: Atom & Cosmos

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/337136/title/Saturn_moons_spied_from_the_side

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Google Reader account is wiped on every restart [updated]

I reported this to seesmic but they say as it's a third party app I must report it to the writers who are a french company (which I've done, hope they speak english). But why is a completely broken app like this in the market place, don't seesmic do any basic test or validation? I won't put votes here as seesmic basically are going to ignore it as far as I understand, but wish there was a working google reader functionality

Source: http://feedback.seesmic.com/forums/57952-seesmic-desktop-2/suggestions/2470839-google-reader-account-is-wiped-on-every-restart

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Just heard from our HP Canada team that Santa has been spotted off the coast of...

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Source: http://www.facebook.com/HP/posts/10151084364680290

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deantrippe: RT @dustinharbin: Confronted with Apple's "design anyone can use" success, Microsoft is betting on "labyrinth" as their design paradigm.

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Confronted with Apple's "design anyone can use" success, Microsoft is betting on "labyrinth" as their design paradigm. Il y a environ 5 heures via Twitter for iPhone Retweeted by 1 person

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Source: http://twitter.com/deantrippe/statuses/150057930841014272

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Daily Apps: FX Photo Studio, Curio, Word Lens, Particlescape, DataMan Free

FX Photo Studio: UI improvements, text labels, contest entering and more make an already great photo editor even greater! $0.99 – App Store link Curio: Ron Templeton III is imprisoned in an insane asylum and it’s your job to get him out in this quirky take on a...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/JfsamdCkpkM/story01.htm

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BOJ warns of economic standstill as exports slump (Reuters)

TOKYO (Reuters) ? Japan's central bank offered a bleaker view of the economy and the government warned of worsening business sentiment as exports slumped, adding to evidence of the pain Europe's debt crisis is inflicting on global growth and Japan's recovery prospects.

But in a sign Japan's tattered finances leave it with little room for more fiscal stimulus, Rating and Investment Information Inc (R&I) stripped the country of its AAA status, the first downgrade by a domestic credit ratings agency.

That puts the onus on the Bank of Japan, which kept monetary settings unchanged at a rate review on Wednesday but cut its economic assessment and acknowledged that growth will stagnate at least until spring next year.

BOJ Governor Masaaki Shirakawa said that while Japan's economy was still headed towards a moderate recovery, Europe's sovereign debt crisis and economic stagnation were hurting global growth including Japan.

"A delay in dealing with Europe's crisis may have a severe impact on the global economy. We must prevent this from happening at all cost," he told a news conference.

As widely expected, the BOJ held off on offering additional monetary stimulus after having eased policy two months ago with an increase in asset purchases, in a bid to save its limited options in case the economy faces deeper troubles next year.

"We expect the BOJ to implement additional easing steps in January-March as there is a chance the yen will appreciate further during that period," said Takahide Kiuchi, chief economist at Nomura Securities in Tokyo.

"Another trigger could be a credit rating downgrade for European sovereign debt. If that happens and causes financial market turmoil, coordinated monetary easing with U.S. and European central banks could be a possibility."

CLOCK TICKING

Japan's economy rebounded from a recession triggered by the March earthquake and tsunami, but is expected to slow sharply this quarter as the initial spurt driven by companies restoring supply chains and production facilities tails off.

Many in the BOJ are counting on support for growth from fiscal spending for reconstruction from the March disaster, but that may not be enough to offset weakening overseas demand.

"Japan's economy will remain more or less flat for the time being" before resuming a moderate recovery, the BOJ said, sounding slightly more gloomy than last month on the outlook.

The government kept its economic assessment intact in its monthly report issued on Wednesday but cut its view on business sentiment, reflecting worsening confidence among big manufacturers in the BOJ's December tankan survey.

It is also expected to cut its economic forecast for the next fiscal year beginning in April to 2.2 percent growth, a source told Reuters, matching the BOJ's projection but still rosier than private-sector estimates.

The government and Shirakawa both warned that a summit in Europe this month has failed to quell fears about the region's public finances, keeping markets on edge.

"Bond yields in some countries continue to rise (even after the summit) and market tension runs high," Shirakawa said. "The effect is spreading globally via trade and financial channels."

Central banks are flooding markets with cash to support growth. The Federal Reserve has pledged to keep interest rates near zero until mid-2013 and the European Central Bank cut its main interest rate to a record low this month.

The BOJ, too, has kept rates virtually at zero and eased policy in October by topping up its asset buying scheme to ease the pain from sharp yen rises on the export-reliant economy.

It has stood pat since then but expressed its readiness to inject huge amounts of liquidity in market operations and loosen monetary policy to fend off any contagion from Europe as it sees a global credit crunch as a real potential risk.

Shirakawa, however, has warned that easy monetary policy alone cannot fix Japan's structural problems that led to ballooning public debt, such as its rapidly ageing society, low potential growth and delays in tax reforms.

R&I also cited inadequate social security reform and an unclear outlook for economic revitalization as reasons for its ratings cut, which followed a series of cuts by other agencies such as Standard & Poor's and Moody's Investors service.

Japan's bond market has continued to attract investors, mostly risk-shy domestic players, but the clock is ticking for Tokyo to deal with its soaring public debt, which has grown to roughly twice the size of its $5 trillion economy.

(Additional reporting by Rie Ishiguro, Stanley White, Tetsushi Kajimoto and Kaori Kaneko; writing by Leika Kihara; Editing by Chris Gallagher)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111221/bs_nm/us_japan_economy_boj

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Elizabeth Barrett Browning's illness deciphered after 150 years

Monday, December 19, 2011

Known for her poetry, letters, love affair and marriage to Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett Browning also left a legacy of unanswered questions about her lifelong chronic illness. Now, a Penn State anthropologist, with the aid of her daughter, may have unraveled the mystery.

Born in 1806, Barrett Browning suffered throughout her life from incapacitating weakness, heart palpitations, intense response to heat and cold, intense response to illnesses as mild as a cold, and general exhaustion in bouts that lasted from days to months or years. Her doctors were unable to diagnose or treat her illness, which apparently first appeared around age 13.

"Conjectures by modern biographers about Barrett Browning's condition include anorexia nervosa, neurasthenia; tuberculosis; pertussis, an encephalomyelitis; non-paralytic poliomyelitis; paralytic scoliosis, or the lifetime effects of injuries to her spine from falling from her horse in early adolescence; opium addiction; and mental illness, including anxiety and agoraphobia," Anne Buchanan, research associate in anthropology, reports in the current issue of Perspectives in Biology and Medicine.

Some even attribute her illness to defense against the inferior status and treatment of Victorian women, or simply to malingering.

Ellen Buchanan Weiss, Buchanan's daughter, noted the symptoms recorded in Barrett Browning's letters because the symptoms seemed so similar to those that she experienced. Buchanan Weiss has hypokalemic periodic paralysis (HKPP), a muscle disorder that causes blood levels of potassium to fall because potassium becomes trapped in muscle cells. The disorder was first described in 1874 in German and then in 1901 in English. Barrett Browning died in 1861, long before physicians would have any idea of HKPP.

Today, oral or intravenous potassium can prevent or stop an attack, but there is no cure for the disorder, which may be genetic, either inherited or caused by a sporadic mutation. According to Buchanan, there is slight evidence of an uncle in Barrett Browning's family who may have suffered the same symptoms. While Elizabeth and Robert did have a son, he apparently had no offspring so there are no living descendants.

A variety of triggers can initiate weakness for people with a periodic paralysis, says Buchanan. Common triggers for people with HKPP include anything that increases secretion of insulin -- alcohol, hunger or high carbohydrate foods -- table salt, excessive heat or cold, sudden temperature change, illness, sleep, exercise or some medications. Symptoms of HKPP generally first appear at puberty.

Barrett Browning's first bout occurred after a minor illness, which was followed by measles. Her health continued to decline, and although physicians were unable to diagnose her malady, one prescribed opium to which she became addicted for life. This illness lasted for more than a year and at times she was so weak she could not sit upright without support.

Barrett Browning writes in the diary that she kept during her 25th year of other triggers for her ailment. She notes becoming weak after eating a generous portion of honey, a substance that would increase insulin production. She reports an episode that followed an outing where she ran down a hill, was rained upon and thoroughly soaked.

Throughout her life, she suffered terribly during the cold damp winters in England, especially in London, and only found some relief after marrying Robert Browning and escaping to the warmer, milder climate of Italy.

Other incidents in her life that she recorded include suffering terribly after a day of religious fasting. Hunger is a strong HKPP trigger. Her letters to Browning, her 25th year diary and other letters to friends and relatives describe not only the symptoms of her disease, which mirror those of HKPP suffers and Buchanan Weiss specifically, but also a list of triggers that are now known to be specific triggers for HKPP.

After two years of declining health, Barrett Browning died on June 29, 1861, in Browning's arms.

Buchanan notes that "many others have read these same descriptions, looking for clues to her illness, but my daughter's experience with HKPP has given us a perhaps unique lens through which to view them."

###

Penn State: http://live.psu.edu

Thanks to Penn State for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116133/Elizabeth_Barrett_Browning_s_illness_deciphered_after_____years

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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

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Male privilege vs. women in gaming - Boing Boing

By Rob Beschizza at 8:21 am Friday, Dec 16

Harris O'Malley takes a run at male privilege in gaming, especially how it manifests as angry refusals to accept womens' complaints about the sexual objectification of female characters in mainstream games. "If a girl wants to see herself represented in video games, she better get used to the idea of being the prize at the bottom of the cereal box. ... It's hard to feel valued or fully included when a very vocal group insists that your input is irrelevant, misguided and ultimately unwelcome." [Kotaku]

Where not otherwise specified, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution. Boing Boing is a trademark of Happy Mutants LLC in the United States and other countries.

Source: http://boingboing.net/2011/12/16/male-privilege-vs-women-in-ga.html

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The Painkiller That Saves Money But Costs Lives

I don't think I know anyone who takes pain drugs, so I have no personal
knowledge. However, I found a short article about Methadone on the Seattle
Times web site recently when I was looking at Google Health news. Even the
summary seemed obviously suspicious, so I looked at the article.

To me, that article and all the data to which the Slashdot story linked screamed incompetence or fraud. Now that I've read a little of the linked data, I realize the writers are at least partly incompetent. Possibly only whoever started them looking was engaged in fraud to sell more expensive drugs.

I just discovered that I'm not the only one who thinks that. [nwsource.com] Short quotes, read the full comments:

"It does not matter if you switch every body to oxycontin or oxycodone. These drugs are terrible at controlling pain and all are very dangerous."

"... I have an issue with how the Seattle Times is drawing a correlation between poverty and methadone poisoning...."

Possibly Methadone is more often given to people who have little education, and who are therefore more likely to overdose because they didn't understand the instructions, or because they have other issues that confuse them.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/m9r8mNet09k/the-painkiller-that-saves-money-but-costs-lives

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Shutdown likely averted as tax talks go on (AP)

WASHINGTON ? House Speaker John Boehner says Republicans will keep a controversial oil pipeline provision in a bill to extend a payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits.

Opposition by President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats to language that would speed work on the Keystone XL pipeline has been a major hurdle to reaching compromise on the payroll tax cut measure.

Senate leaders are negotiating the payroll tax cut bill. Boehner told reporters the House will keep the pipeline language in whatever bill the Senate produces.

The House plans to approve a $1 trillion spending bill Friday that will avert a weekend federal shutdown and keep government agencies running through next September. Then the House will send members home until the Senate produces a payroll tax cut bill they can vote on.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Congress appears on track to avert a government shutdown this weekend, even as President Barack Obama's push to extend a payroll tax cut and jobless benefits for another year is encountering snags.

Those hiccups in finding spending cuts to pay for extending a 2 percentage point cut in Social Security payroll taxes and jobless benefits for millions have prompted Democratic leaders to suggest just a two-month, $40 billion extension of expiring tax breaks and jobless benefits might be needed.

But the first act in clearing away a pile of unfinished business for an unpopular Congress is for the GOP-controlled House to pass a massive, bipartisan, $1 trillion-plus spending measure funding 10 Cabinet departments and U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

That vote is on track for Friday afternoon, but a stopgap bill could be needed to fund the government into next week.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told reporters Thursday night that he was still optimistic that bipartisan talks on yearlong extensions of the Social Security payroll tax cut and unemployment coverage would succeed. But as a "Plan B," he said, they were working on a two-month extension as well, which would also prevent cuts in Medicare reimbursements for doctors during that period.

"We're still working on the long-term" bill, Reid told reporters as he exited the Capitol after a day of talks over both the payroll tax and spending measures. As for the two-month version, he said, "We'll only do that if what we're working on doesn't work out."

Reid's remarks put a slight damper on a day on which for the first time, Democratic and Republican leaders expressed optimism at prospects for swift compromise on their payroll tax standoff and a spending battle that had threatened to shutter federal agencies beginning at midnight Friday.

A deal on the $1 trillion-plus spending bill was reached after Republicans agreed to drop language that would have blocked President Barack Obama's liberalized rules on people who visit and send money to relatives in Cuba. But a GOP provision will stay in the bill thwarting an Obama administration rule on energy efficiency standards that critics argued would make it hard for people to purchase inexpensive incandescent light bulbs.

A senior White House official said the administration supported the two-month plan.

Bargainers were considering the two-month extension of this year's payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits bill because so far, they haven't agreed how a yearlong extension would be paid for, said a Democratic aide who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks.

The two-month bill would cost $40 billion, according to the aide. It would be paid for from a list of around $120 billion in savings that bargainers are considering, including sales of the broadcast spectrum and raising fees that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac charge to back mortgages, the aide said.

The two-month extension would let lawmakers revisit the measure after returning to Washington after the holiday season. That could be risky because that work would come well into the 2012 presidential and congressional election year.

Without congressional action, the payroll taxes would rise and extra benefits for the long-term unemployed would expire on Jan. 1. Doctors' Medicare payments would be automatically reduced that day by 27 percent, a reduction that could prompt some to stop seeing Medicare patients.

"Right now, Congress needs to make sure that 160 million working Americans don't see their taxes go up on Jan. 1," said Obama, referring to the tax cut extension at the core of the jobs program he outlined in a nationally televised speech three months ago.

At Obama's insistence, Congress cut the 6.2 percent Social Security payroll tax to 4.2 percent this year in an effort to stimulate the economy with more consumer spending. The president has proposed deepening the cut to 3.1 percent next year, but Republicans have only shown a willingness to renew it at this year's level.

Obama also wants to leave in place a system that provides aid for up to 99 weeks for the long-term unemployed. The House-passed measure reduces the total by 20 weeks, a step that the administration says would cut off 3.3 million individuals and that Democrats are hoping to soften if not reverse.

Reid indicated that a number of expiring tax breaks were on the table, as well, a list that included a provision that benefits commuters who use mass transit.

The House-passed payroll tax cut measure relied on a pay freeze and increased pension contributions for federal workers, as well as higher Medicare premiums for seniors with incomes over $80,000, beginning in 2017. The bill would also raise a fee that is charged to banks whose mortgages are guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and cancel more than $40 billion from the year-old health care bill, Obama's signature domestic achievement.

The year-end, $1 trillion spending measure would lock in cuts that Republicans extracted from Democrats in negotiations conducted months ago against the deadline of a previous government shutdown threat. It funds 10 Cabinet departments, including the Pentagon and dozens of smaller agencies, awarding a slight increase to the military and veterans' programs while trimming most other domestic programs.

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

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Samsung: 25 million phones with Carrier IQ; other devices have 'dormant' code

Samsung Mobile, in its response to U.S. Sen. Al Franken over the Carrier IQ saga, says that it's sold some 25 million cell phones preloaded with Carrier IQ software, which it's been using since 2007. Many of these phones are non-Android feature phones, and Samsung repeats the response we've already heard from HTC in that it's not a customer of Carrier IQ, therefore it doesn't see the data collected.

Interestingly, Samsung also echoes HTC by saying some of its phones also may contain components of Carrier IQ and therefore may trigger the various CIQ detector apps available, but that the software is "dormant." Unlike HTC, however, Samsung did not say whether it was working to remove these dormant components. Says Samsung:

"Because the CIQ agent and other required CIQ software components are not installed, however, these vestigial elements do not and will not function on these devices, and therefore, the devices do not transmit (and never have transmitted) any user data using any CIQ software functionality."

Samsung did not say which phones contain the dormant CIQ code.

Following are the Android smartphones Samsung says contain Carrier IQ:

• AT&T: Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket
• Sprint: Moment, Epic 4G, Intercept, Transform, Galaxy Tab (original 7-inch), Galaxy Prevail, Replenish, Conquer 4G, Transform Ultra (Boost Mobile), Epic 4G Touch
• T-Mobile: Samsung Galaxy S II, Exhibit II 4G

More: Samsung's response (pdf)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/F9G0rg5Df0A/story01.htm

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SEC charges ex-Fannie, Freddie CEOs with fraud (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday brought civil fraud charges against six former top executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, saying they misled investors about risky subprime loans the mortgage giants held when the housing bubble burst.

Those charged include the agencies' two former CEOs, Fannie's Daniel Mudd and Freddie's Richard Syron. They are the highest-profile individuals to be charged in connection with the 2008 financial crisis.

The federal government has faced criticism for not bringing charges against top executives who may have contributed to the worst financial meltdown since the Great Depression.

Mudd, 53, and Syron, 68, led the mortgage giants in 2007, when home prices began to collapse. The four other top executives also worked for the companies during that time.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in New York City.

"Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac executives told the world that their subprime exposure was substantially smaller than it really was," said Robert Khuzami, SEC's enforcement director. "These material misstatements occurred during a time of acute investor interest in financial institutions' exposure to subprime loans, and misled the market about the amount of risk."

Fannie and Freddie both entered into agreements with the government on Friday, accepting responsibility for its conduct without admitting or denying the charges. The government-controlled companies also agreed to cooperate with the SEC on the cases against the former executives.

The Justice Department has opened up probes into Fannie and Freddie but has not charged anyone with a crime.

In a statement released through his attorney, Mudd said the lawsuit "should never have been brought" and said the government reviewed and approved all of the company's financial disclosures.

"Every piece of material data about loans held by Fannie Mae was known to the United States government to the investing public," Mudd said. "The SEC is wrong, and I look forward to a court where fairness and reason ? not politics ? is the standard for justice."

Syron's lawyers said the case was "without merit," and said the term "subprime had no uniform definition in the market" at that time.

"There was no shortage of meaningful disclosures, all of which permitted the reader to assess the degree of risk in Freddie Mac's" portfolio, the lawyers said in a statement. "The SEC's theory and approach are fatally flawed."

According to the lawsuit, Fannie told investors in 2007 that it had roughly $4.8 billion worth of subprime loans on its books, or just 0.2 percent of its portfolio. The SEC says that Fannie actually had about $43 billion worth of products targeted to borrowers with weak credit, or 11 percent of its holdings.

Mudd told a congressional panel in March 2007 that Fannie's subprime business represented less than "2 percent of our book." He also said the company held subprime mortgages "very carefully." A month later, he told a separate congressional panel that subprime loans represented less than 2.5 percent of Fannie's books.

Freddie told investors in 2006 that it held between $2 billion and $6 billion of subprime mortgages on its books. The SEC says its holdings were actually closer to $141 billion, or 10 percent of its portfolio in 2006, and $244 billion, or 14 percent, by 2008.

In a May 2007 speech in New York, Syron said Freddie had "basically no subprime exposure," according to the suit.

Fannie and Freddie buy home loans from banks and other lenders, package them into bonds with a guarantee against default and then sell them to investors around the world. The two own or guarantee about half of U.S. mortgages, or nearly 31 million loans.

During the financial crisis, the two firms verged on collapse. The Bush administration seized control of them in September 2008.

So far, the companies have cost taxpayers almost $150 billion ? the largest bailout of the financial crisis. They could cost up to $259 billion, according to its government regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Administration.

Mudd was fired from Fannie after the government took over. He's now the chief executive of the New York hedge fund Fortress Investment Group.

Syron resigned from Freddie in 2008. He's now an adjunct professor at Boston College.

The other executives charged were Fannie's Enrico Dallavecchia, 50, a former chief risk officer, and Thomas Lund, 53, a former executive vice president; and Freddie's Patricia Cook, 58, a former executive vice president and chief business officer, and Donald Bisenius, 53, a former senior vice president.

Lund's lawyer, Michael Levy, said in a statement that Lund "did not mislead anyone." Lawyers for the other defendants declined to comment Friday morning.

Fannie and Freddie had traditionally purchased a small number of subprime mortgage loans, which involved borrowers with credit problems who could not qualify for cheaper prime loans. But starting in the late 1990s many firms started purchasing subprime loans, and Fannie and Freddie followed suit.

Legal experts say the cases, while unusual, might not yield much in penalties against the former executives.

In July, Citigroup paid just $75 million to settle similar civil charges with the SEC. The company's chief financial officer and head of investor relations were accused of failing to disclose more than $50 billion worth of potential losses from subprime mortgages. The two executives charged paid $100,000 and $80,000 in civil penalties.

A federal judge in the case said she was "baffled" by the low settlement.

Fines against executives charged in SEC civil cases can reach up to $150,000 per violation. SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro has asked Congress to raise the limit to $1 million.

Mudd made nearly $4 million in salary and bonuses in 2007, and Syron made more than $18 million, according to company statements.

The SEC has charged more than 80 people, including 40 CEOs and senior executives, with violations stemming from the 2008 financial crisis.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_bi_ge/us_fannie_freddie_charges

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