6-time Pro Bowler Taylor to retire after season

FILE - In this Dec. 27, 2009, file photo, Miami Dolphins linebacker Jason Taylor (99) walks onto the field during the second quarter against the Houston Texans in an NFL football game in Miami. Taylor says he'll retire after this season, his 15th in the NFL and his 13th with the Miami Dolphins. Taylor, who made the announcement following practice Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011, leads all active players with 139? sacks, which ranks sixth all-time. He has six fumble returns for touchdowns, an NFL record. He'll conclude his career Sunday against the New York Jets. It'll be his 204th game with the Dolphins, which ranks second to Dan Marino's 242. Taylor made the Pro Bowl six times, spending much of his career at end before switching to linebacker. He has been used mostly in passing situations this season and has seven sacks. Taylor has had three stints with the Dolphins, who drafted him in the third round in 1997. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 27, 2009, file photo, Miami Dolphins linebacker Jason Taylor (99) walks onto the field during the second quarter against the Houston Texans in an NFL football game in Miami. Taylor says he'll retire after this season, his 15th in the NFL and his 13th with the Miami Dolphins. Taylor, who made the announcement following practice Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011, leads all active players with 139? sacks, which ranks sixth all-time. He has six fumble returns for touchdowns, an NFL record. He'll conclude his career Sunday against the New York Jets. It'll be his 204th game with the Dolphins, which ranks second to Dan Marino's 242. Taylor made the Pro Bowl six times, spending much of his career at end before switching to linebacker. He has been used mostly in passing situations this season and has seven sacks. Taylor has had three stints with the Dolphins, who drafted him in the third round in 1997. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

DAVIE, Fla. (AP) ? Linebacker Jason Taylor walked across the locker room brushing his teeth, then ducked into the equipment room to rinse and spit. Minutes later he tried to muster a smile for a cluster of TV cameras.

It was time to call it quits.

The NFL's active sacks leader said he'll retire after this season, his 15th in the NFL and his 13th with the Miami Dolphins. Taylor has contemplated retirement in years past only to be lured back, but now he insists his mind's made up.

"Sunday's my last game," he said. "I might even change my cell phone number so they can't reach me."

The 37-year-old Taylor, who made the announcement following practice Wednesday, ranks sixth all-time with 139? sacks. He has six fumble returns for touchdowns, an NFL record.

He'll conclude his career Sunday against the New York Jets. It'll be his 204th game with the Dolphins, which ranks second to Dan Marino's 242.

"His contributions on the field as one of the greatest players in team history will be remembered by Dolphins fans for years to come," owner Stephen Ross said in a statement. "He will always remain an integral part of the Dolphin family."

Taylor has had three stints with the Dolphins, who drafted him in the third round in 1997. He also played for the Redskins in 2008 and the Jets in 2010.

"In my opinion, that's a no-brainer Hall of Fame player," Jets coach Rex Ryan said. "He was a phenomenal teammate here. We only had him the one year, yet he affected the team so positively. I'm proud that I had a chance to coach him."

Taylor helped the Jets reached the AFC championship game. He never made it to the Super Bowl, and his final playoff game with the Dolphins was way back in 2001.

"If there was one regret I have as an athlete, it's that I didn't get a chance to bring a championship to Miami," he said.

Taylor said his wife was surprised he's hanging it up. But the Dolphins (5-10) are nearing the end of another disappointing season and about to embark on a coaching search, which influenced his decision.

"The last few weeks I thought about it more," he said. "It has been a tough year. This organization is going to make some changes. This is the right time for me to go and allow this organization to grow and improve."

Taylor made the Pro Bowl six times, spending much of his career at end before switching to linebacker. He has been used mostly in passing situations this season and has seven sacks this season, which ranks second on the team.

"He's a great leader, a great ambassador for the city of Miami, and a great player in this league," teammate Jake Long said. "He'll definitely be missed."

His best season was in 2006, when he was chosen NFL Defensive Player of the Year. That season he had 13? sacks, forced 10 fumbles and returned two interceptions for scores.

Taylor has scored nine touchdowns, the most by any player whose primary position was the defensive line and who entered the league after 1970. He has four safeties, which ties him for fourth in NFL history. Taylor holds a Dolphins record with 27 fumble recoveries.

He has been honored many times for his work in the community, and his South Florida foundation has contributed more than $2 million in grants and services to help children.

"He's a tremendous role model," teammate Kendall Langford said. "He is always giving, giving, giving."

The foundation will help keep Taylor busy in retirement. He has also dabbled in acting, and earned runner-up honors on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" in 2008.

"I look forward to the future. There are a few irons in the fire," Taylor said. "Nothing is going to replace professional football. You can't find it on the golf course or anywhere. There's no place like an NFL locker room. Those guys become your family for seven months of the year. You won't replace that. But I'll find something else."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-12-28-FBN-Dolphins-Taylor-Retirement/id-550181d4d1d34478ae6e7cfc25eb8a43

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Father of slain girl says he's overcome with grief

FILE -- This undated file photo provided by the Allen County Sheriff's Department shows Aliahna Lemmon. Lemmon, 9, has been found dead, and the neighbor who was watching her before she disappeared was arrested on a murder charge Monday night, Dec. 26, 2011, authorities said. (AP Photo/Allen County Sheriff's Department/file)

FILE -- This undated file photo provided by the Allen County Sheriff's Department shows Aliahna Lemmon. Lemmon, 9, has been found dead, and the neighbor who was watching her before she disappeared was arrested on a murder charge Monday night, Dec. 26, 2011, authorities said. (AP Photo/Allen County Sheriff's Department/file)

Map of Indiana shows location of girl???s murder.

In a Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011 photo, Mike Plumadore sits next to the chair Aliahna Lemmon, 9, was last seen before she went missing on Friday. Authorities said Monday night, Dec. 26, 2011 that Aliahna Lemmon had been found dead and Plumadore, 39, who was watching Aliahna and her two sisters when she went missing Friday, was being held on a murder charge. He and Aliahna's family lived in the same mobile home park in Fort Wayne. He will be formally charged with murder Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. (AP Photo/The Journall-Gazette, Cathie Rowand) NEWS-SENTINEL OUT

Ron Penn takes a knee in a moment of silence in front of a makeshift shrine with stuffed Teddy bears at the Northway mobile home park in Fort Wayne, Ind. on Tuesday evening, Dec. 27, 2011 during a candlelight vigil for 9-year-old Aliahna Lemmon. A babysitter and trusted neighbor has confessed that he bludgeoned Lemmon to death with a brick then dismembered her, hiding her head, hands and feet at a home where he was staying and dumping the rest of her remains nearby, police said Tuesday. (AP Photo/The Journal Gazette, Swikar Patel)

A makeshift shrine with stuffed Teddy bears pays mute tribute at the Northway mobile home park in Fort Wayne, Ind. on Tuesday evening, Dec. 27, 2011 during a candlelight vigil. A babysitter and trusted neighbor has confessed that he bludgeoned a 9-year-old Indiana girl to death with a brick then dismembered her, hiding her head, hands and feet at a home where he was staying and dumping the rest of her remains nearby, police said Tuesday. (AP Photo/The Journal Gazette, Swikar Patel)

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) ? The father of a 9-year-old girl who was found bludgeoned and dismembered said Wednesday that he knew the man accused of killing his daughter and had no reason to distrust him.

"I can't talk about it because I'm still coping with it. It's too hard to talk about," Dawayne Maroney of Centerville, Iowa, said in a brief telephone interview with The Associated Press, adding that the gruesome slaying has him overcome with grief.

Maroney said he hadn't recently talked with his daughter, Aliahna Lemmon, or her mother, because they frequently changed their phone number. Maroney said he knew the man accused of killing his daughter, 39-year-old Michael Plumadore, through his daughter's mother, Tarah Souders.

Maroney said he trusted Plumadore.

"I had no reason to suspect anything," he said.

Plumadore faces a preliminary charge of murder. He made a brief initial court appearance on Tuesday where he was ordered held without bond. He is due back in court Friday morning. According to a probable cause affidavit, Plumadore admitted to killing Aliahna in the early morning hours of Dec. 22 by repeatedly striking her in the head with a brick.

Court records do not show that Plumadore has an attorney yet, said Danielle Edenfield, Allen County prosecutor's office chief investigator. The Associated Press asked the Allen County Sheriff's Department to pass along a request to Plumadore seeking an interview.

Also Wednesday, Allen County Coroner E. Jon Brandenberger said he won't be able to determine the cause of death for Aliahna until further tests are completed, including microscopic findings and toxicology results.

"All of which are integral parts of the autopsy and all of which play significant roles in the accurate determination of the cause of death," he said.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Plumadore told authorities he put the girl's body inside trash bags and put it in a freezer in the trailer he lived in that formerly belonged to the girl's grandfather, who died earlier this month. Plumadore told authorities that later that day and early on Dec. 23 he used a hack saw to dismember the girl's body.

Brandenberger said parts of the girl's body were found in a trash container outside a convenience store ? the same store where a surveillance camera video showed Plumadore went early Friday to buy a cigar. Plumadore told authorities he hid her head, hands and feet in the freezer at her grandfather's trailer.

In Indiana, Aliahna's family remained quiet a day after gruesome details of her death were revealed by authorities. Aliahna Lemmon's step-grandfather, David Story, told The Associated Press that the Allen County Sheriff's Department and the FBI told family members not to talk to anyone about her death. He says they didn't give a reason.

"They just said any questions needed to be directed through them," Story said.

FBI agent David Crawford said agents had told the family they would prefer it if they didn't speak to the media. Sheriff's department spokesman Cpl. Jeremy Tinkel said his department hadn't ordered the family not to talk, saying it didn't have the power to, but confirmed deputies had told the family they would prefer it if they didn't talk to the media.

"We're not their attorney and we certainly can't put a gag order on anybody. I think they were told it may be in the best interest of protecting the integrity of the case to limit what you say," he said.

Tinkel and Edenfield said they could not comment on a possible motive for the murder.

"I can't comment on a pending investigation," Edenfield said.

Maroney said he plans to attend the funeral, although he doesn't yet know when it will be. The Daily Iowegian in Centreville ran a story that it was helping to raise money to help Maroney attend the funeral.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-12-28-Indiana-Girl's%20Death/id-b78dfd02d9de457eb9acb12809869b48

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Tornado alarm interrupts wedding

08:30 AEDT Wed Dec 28 2011

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A wedding in the US took an ominous turn when a tornado alarm sounded at the worst possible moment.

The video shows the couple just moments away from being wed.

"If there is anyone here who has just cause why this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony speak now or forever hold your peace," the minister says.

At that moment a loud tornado alarm begins sounding, causing the group to erupt in uneasy laughter.

It is unclear when or where the video was filmed, but it was uploaded to social news website Reddit today.

User Mr_Rawrr posted it with the message saying he was the one who filmed the video.

The video prompted another user to share a similar story.

"Years ago at my cousin's wedding something similar happened," user Plumhawk wrote.

"The altar they were standing on had a lattice with white roses intertwined overhead. As the pastor said the 'speak now' portion of the ceremony, a rose broke off and bounced off the pastor's head.

"Everyone laughed. Within a few years, they were divorced."

Source: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8395618/tornado-alarm-interrupts-wedding

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Mom of Iran detainee questions alleged confession

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The mother of an Iranian-American detained in Iran for four months on espionage charges says his alleged confession was made under duress.

Behnaz Hekmati says her son, Amir, a former U.S. military translator, was in Iran to visit his two grandmothers and that the charges against him make no sense.

Iranian prosecutors say Hekmati was working for the CIA. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

In a statement provided to The Associated Press on Wednesday, Behnaz Hekmati appealed to Iranian authorities to treat him fairly and provide him due process.

"It is clear to me and our entire family that Amir is speaking under duress," she said.

"The statement from the courts that Amir planned on permanently leaving the United States to reside in Iran is totally false. It is an indication that he is not speaking freely but being forced to say something that isn't true."

Behnaz Hekmati said her son has financial and business investments in the U.S. and "would never walk away from them."

"In this environment Amir is a victim. We are convinced that there is a mistake or misunderstanding," she said. "We pray and hope he will be allowed to come home soon."

The State Department has called for Hekmati's release and said on Wednesday that it was still waiting for Iranian authorities to grant Swiss diplomats access to him in prison.

Spokesman Mark Toner said the Swiss, who represent U.S. interests in Iran, have been denied access to Hekmati three times. Hekmati has been detained since August.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-12-28-Iran-American%20Detained/id-3f8f20baee594a5c8ef89604577840fc

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China, Japan Unveil Financial Agreements

By Joe McDonald

BEIJING -- Chinese and Japanese leaders have unveiled initiatives to tighten financial links between East Asia's economic giants and sometime rivals -- measures that could expand use of China's tightly controlled currency abroad. During a visit to Beijing by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, the two governments said in a surprise announcement Sunday they will encourage use of their own currencies in bilateral trade, which now is conducted mostly in U.S. dollars. They also agreed to support the sale of bonds denominated in China's yuan by Japanese companies in Tokyo and foreign markets and by the state-owned Japan Bank of International Cooperation in mainland China's markets, which are closed to most foreign investors. The pledges were a striking step for China and Japan, which are the world's second- and third-largest economies and are bound by billions of dollars in trade but whose political relations often are strained over conflicting territorial claims and other disputes. > > Bull or Bear? Vote in Our Poll "To support the growing economic and financial ties between China and Japan, the leaders of China and Japan have agreed to enhance mutual cooperation in financial markets of both countries and encourage financial transactions between the two countries," the governments said in identically worded statements. They said Japan's government also planned to purchase Chinese government bonds, and an application process for official approval of that was under way. The governments gave no timetable for practical steps to put the pledges into action or the size of possible bond offerings. Commercial banks still have to create yuan-denominated letters of credit and other tools before traders in Japan can use the currency. The moves might reduce the dominance of the dollar in East Asia, the world's fastest-growing region. The Kyodo News agency cited a Japanese official who told reporters some 60% of trade between Japan and China is now settled in dollars, which requires companies to convert money between yen, dollars and yuan, adding to their costs. Beijing controls the yuan's exchange rate and the flow of money into and out of China's booming economy. But the government has begun allowing limited use of yuan for trade. It said this month that some companies that obtain Chinese currency abroad will be allowed to invest it in mainland financial markets.

Source: http://www.thestreet.com/story/11356795/1/china-japan-unveil-financial-agreements.html?puc=_breitbart&cm_ven=BREITBART&cm_cat=Free&cm_pla=Feed&cm_ite=Feed&puc=breitbart&

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Rasmussen College to offer CPR classes

Rasmussen College recently announced their partnership with In-Pulse CPR to offer CPR classes for the public at the college?s five Florida campus locations.

In-Pulse CPR is an American Heart Association-authorized provider of CPR and ECC courses. The one-day, 4-hour classes will held throughout the next four months at Rasmussen?s Florida college campus locations in Ft. Myers, New Port Richey, Land O? Lakes, Ocala, and Tampa/Brandon.

The first CPR Classes will start this January and are open to both Rasmussen College Students and the general public.

Recommended as an invaluable skill for any adult, CPR training is required in many jobs such as early childhood education professionals, nursing home workers, and dental or medical office staff. In-Pulse CPR?s classes qualify students for the American Heart Association Heartsaver / BLS Healthcare CPR certification, good for two years.

In-Pulse CPR classes use the latest equipment including Laerdal and Prestan mannequins and a large selection of AED trainer models. All instructors are either EMT workers or nurses, and all are certified by the American Heart Association.

Course cost is $45, and no prior first aid knowledge is needed.

For course times and directions to the nearest Rasmussen campus go to www.inpulsecpr.com/florida.

For more information on Rasmussen College Florida campus locations, visit: http://www.rasmussen.edu/locations/florida/.

Source: http://landolakes.wtsp.com/news/health/96642-rasmussen-college-offer-cpr-classes

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Air Dictate app brings Siri's voice control to Macs, makes you feel just a little more important

Well, this was probably inevitable. Given that we've already seen Siri respond to custom commands, replace your remote and adjust the temperature in your house, it shouldn't come as a surprise that someone, somewhere has figured out how to make her control Macs. That's what's going on with Air Dictate by Avatron, a new app that allows you to dictate memos and other Very Important Business so that it appears in your text editor, without you having to type it yourself. Once you download the $1 app, you'll need to visit Avatron's website, download the Air Dictate Receiver software for your Mac and make sure the two devices are connected to the same WiFi network. So far as we can tell, it should work with any application that accepts text input, though for now it's only compatible with Macs and the iPhone 4S (sorry, jailbreakers).

Air Dictate app brings Siri's voice control to Macs, makes you feel just a little more important originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 10:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/27/air-dictate-app-brings-siris-voice-control-to-macs-makes-you-f/

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East Chicago Mayor Copeland Threatened

East Chicago, Ind. - East Chicago, Ind. Mayor Anthony Copeland was threatened by a gunman on his Thursday night walk.

The incident occurred at 10 p.m. next to Johnny?s Meat Market, 3940 Main St., near Copeland?s home.

?I usually go out for a nightly two-mile walk,? Copeland said. ?I used to do it during the day. I was coming back home, when about a block and half from my house, a guy came out of the alley and tried to rob me.?

Copeland said he didn?t break stride as he took cover behind a truck parked on the street. The gunman never broke the cover of the alley, Copeland said.

?I yelled at the top my lungs, ?Are you going to shoot me or what are you going to do?,? ? Copeland said.

The man never responded and instead fled back down the alley.

Copeland called police, and they searched for the man to no avail. The suspect was described as a black male in his 30s, wearing black jeans, a black jacket, a black hooded sweatshirt and a black knit hat. Copeland hurt his shoulder as he took cover behind the truck.

A background in self-defense may have helped Copeland avoid serious injury. Copeland taught self-defense classes for 15 years, and one of the techniques has stayed with him in the years since.

?When I walk and come to alley or any kind of entryway, I always instinctively veer away from it by about five or six feet, in case a car or dog comes out,? Copeland said. ?If I had stayed alongside the building, he would have pointed it at my head or body.?

Copeland said he doesn?t think the man knew who he was. ?It was just a thing of chance and opportunity,? Copeland said.

The situation did leave Copeland a bit shaken, but he?s determined not to change his routine.

?What am I going to be ? a hermit inside my home?? Copeland said. ?It alters you. Will I think twice about taking the route again? Yes. Will I be paralyzed in fear? No.

?Only a foolish person would think it couldn?t happen to them. Any person, any time, any place ? that person could take your life from you. I know that I?m overwhelmed with blessings.?

Source: http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/east-chicago-mayor-copeland-threatened-by-gunman-while-on-walk-20111224

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Gaza's thriving tunnel imports unleash building boom (Reuters)

GAZA (Reuters) ? At last, Nael Zeyara has a steady job in construction, thanks to the smuggling of cement through Gaza's network of tunnels to Egypt, an underground supply line that boosts the Israeli-blockaded enclave and creates jobs.

Zeyara, 30, has been out of work for four years.

"I lead a tough life with a wife and four children in a rented house," Zeyara told Reuters as he worked.

"Six or seven months ago I got my job back when supplies began to flow again," he said. Zeyara earns about $19 a day.

Thanks to hundreds of tunnels in the sandy soil of the border zone, a construction boom has buoyed Gaza's otherwise crippled economy, according to a United Nations report.

Israel only allows construction materials into Gaza for the use of international relief agencies, including the building of houses and schools. It has recently permitted the import of limited quantities to rebuild some factories destroyed in its largest military offensive in Gaza, in 2009.

The U.N. report said that in an economy severely depressed for most of the past decade developments in the first half of 2011 provided some marginal relief.

"Employment jumped by more than 47,000 jobs in first-half 2011, or 24.7 percent, to an estimated 237,475. The broad unemployment rate declined to 32.9 percent from 45.2 percent in second-half 2010," the report said.

TUNNELS OUTSTRIP OVERLAND SUPPLY

Gazans say the tunnels have enabled them to bring in all of their needs "from the needle to the rocket."

The underground business continues to flourish, undeterred by dozens of deaths from Israeli air strikes or cave-ins, and now far outstrips overland imports from Israel that enter Gaza via carefully supervised official crossing points.

"Despite the easing of restrictions on the Israeli-imposed blockade, tight controls of the crossings from Israel into Gaza are a significant factor behind the growth in the tunnel economy," said Chris Gunness, spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians (UNRWA).

U.N. estimates for the import of building materials in September show that 46,500 tonnes of aggregate arrived via the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel into Gaza, whereas 90,000 tonnes came through the tunnels.

Some 9,195 tonnes of cement came through Kerem Shalom, against 90,000 through the tunnels. For steel rods, 1,418 tonnes transited Kerem Shalom versus 15,000 via the underground route.

UNRWA says Gaza's jobless rate is still one of the most severe in the world and a "reversal of deepening poverty and aid dependency among ordinary people in Gaza is unlikely."

About 1.7 million Palestinians are estimated to live in the narrow coastal enclave, a strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea between southern Israel and Egypt's Sinai border.

It is controlled by the Islamist movement Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by Israel and the West.

The Hamas administration says many factories that had closed doors in 2007, when Israel tightened its blockade after Hamas seized Gaza from forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas, have now re-opened and re-hired their employees.

"The more building increases, the bigger the number of people who will join the labor force," said contractor Majed Sabra, supervising at team of 10 at a construction site.

RESTRICTED EXPORTS

Israel restricts the import by Gaza of construction materials such as cement and steel, which it says could be used for military purposes by Gaza's armed factions.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad have used the tunnels to import rockets which are fired sporadically into Israel.

Nevertheless, construction seems to be going on in every street. New roads have been paved, others are under construction and modest shopping malls have been inaugurated using private and Hamas money.

UNRWA acknowledges Gaza's "expanded activity due to the tunnel economy" but says the situation of about half a million Palestinian refugees in the territory remains a concern.

UN and Palestinian officials say Gaza will not see real progress without freedom to export. Israel allows limited exports from Gaza at the peak season for cut flowers and strawberries, shipped fresh to Europe.

The flow of building materials also has a social impact.

"I have built some houses for people whose marriages had been delayed because they could not build a house or expand the building at their family home," said Sabra, 42.

Hussam Breika, a businessman, he and his brothers were building a large home to unite them all under one roof, as Gazans traditionally live.

"Right now, each brother lives in a different area of Gaza. A family house is different. Family ties get stronger," said Breika, who imports food products and soft drinks via Israel.

(Reporting by Nidal Almughrabi; Editing by Alistair Lyon)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111224/wl_nm/us_palestinians_gaza

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The Week in Android News

While you should be spending the day with the family, doing some holiday stuff of some sort, we know the inner geek in you just needs to make sure you haven't missed anything. Check out the links below for some of what you may have missed.

General News

• Google announces welcome improvements to Google+ are coming before the New Year
• Vote now in the 2011 Android Central Awards!
• More than 700,000 Android devices activated daily

Hardware News

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Active review
• Droid Bionic gets a mysterious OS update
• Motorola Droid RAZR bugfix update rolling out now
• This is not the Samsung Galaxy S III

Tablet News

• ASUS Transformer Prime back on Amazon, company expects 'normal inventory levels in January'
• Archos announces the 70b Internet tablet, Honeycomb priced under $200
• Honeycomb OTA for the HTC EVO View 4G rolling out, rooted users beware
• HTC Flyer's price dropped to £199, sale season starts early
• Sony Tablet S to get Ice Cream Sandwich update, timeframe coming 'soon'

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

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Sony Ericsson LT28at details rumoured, 4.55-inch display and 13MP camera

The largest 2012 Sony Ericsson yet could be on the cards, as a Bluetooth End Product List has apparently revealed that a 4.55-inch display packing LT28at is on the way.

The LT28at, heading to AT&T, will feature the aforementioned screen with 720 x 1280 pixel resolution, as well as a sizable 13 megapixel rear facing camera, with LED flash and a 720p shooter on the front.

Apparantly we?re also looking at s a 1.5GHz dual-core chipset too.

Early thoughts that the? LT28at could be the US version of the Nozomi seem unfounded given that this device is considerably larger.

Here?s hoping more deets emerge at the forthcoming CES event in January.

Xperia Blog

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4. Sony Ericsson?s next Cybershot camera phone with GPS?
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   Although Sony Ericsson has always been vanguards of touchscreens in...

Source: http://www.pocketpicks.co.uk/index.php/2011/12/22/sony-ericsson-lt28at-details-rumoured-4-55-inch-display-and-13mp-camera/

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Reader photos: Southern California Moments, Day 356

Green for go: Ben Molina photographs a cyclist riding down downtown Los Angeles' new bike lane. The 1.5-mile lane along Spring Street stretches from Cesar Chavez Avenue to 9th Street.

Every day of 2011, we're featuring reader-submitted photos of Southern California Moments. Follow us on Twitter and visit the Southern California Moments homepage for more on this series.

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/lanowblog/~3/_I9N8ki5dmU/reader-photos-southern-california-moments-day-356.html

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?Dragon Tattoo? Star Rooney Mara on Her Lisbeth Salander Transformation, Nude Scenes and More

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo star Rooney Mara is creating some buzz in one of the highly anticipated flicks of the year. The 26-year-old star chats with Parade.com about her Lisbeth Salander transformation, how she was originally turned down for the role, and much more. Here are some highlights: On the audition process… ?The [...]

Source: http://www.celebritymound.com/dragon-tattoo-star-rooney-mara-on-her-lisbeth-salander-transformation-nude-scenes-and-more/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dragon-tattoo-star-rooney-mara-on-her-lisbeth-salander-transformation-nude-scenes-and-more

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DA Ozanne may ask Supreme Court to rehear union lawsuit

SCOTT BAUER | Associated Press madison.com | | Posted: Thursday, December 22, 2011 2:15 pm

Dane County's district attorney, who filed a lawsuit challenging Wisconsin's law passed earlier this year effectively ending collective bargaining rights for most public workers, said Thursday he is considering asking the state Supreme Court to rehear the case.

Ismael Ozanne said he was looking at making the request after learning that Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman had received free legal services from a firm that defended the law in that case decided in June.

Gableman was part of a four-justice majority that upheld the law, which generated massive opposition protests earlier this year and made Wisconsin the center of the national fight over union rights.

There's no guarantee the court would agree to rehear the case even if Gableman did not participate in making that decision. If no other justice changed their opinion on the case, a 3-3 deadlock would be possible and it would not be heard again.

Ozanne said he didn't have a timeline for deciding whether to make the request, but he was looking into the facts related to Gableman's involvement with the law firm that helped defend the collective bargaining law.

Whether a rehearing is sought "depends on what all the facts are," Ozanne said. "We have some of them, but not all."

Gableman retained the law firm of Michael Best and Friedrich to defend him in a 2008 ethics case that related to an ad he ran in his successful campaign for the state's highest court. Gableman signed a contingency agreement with the law firm that resulted in him paying out of pocket expenses, but required him to pay attorneys' fees only if he prevailed and could persuade the state to pay the costs.

The Supreme Court deadlocked 3-3 on the charges that Gableman violated the ethics code, which meant he did not win and could not seek reimbursement for his legal fees from the state claims board.

Michael Best also defended the state in the collective bargaining lawsuit.

Eric McLeod, a Michael Best attorney who represented Gableman and also assisted in the defense of the collective bargaining law, did not immediately return a call seeking comment Thursday.

Gableman has declined repeated requests to comment made through a court spokesman.

Madison lawyer Lester Pines, who represented state Sen. Mark Miller in the open meetings lawsuit, said Ozanne has "every right" to ask the court to rehear the case.

"(McLeod) himself was appearing before the court in that case and nobody knew" about Gableman's free legal representation by McLeod, Pines said. "That's a very big deal."

Dana Brueck, spokeswoman for the state Department of Justice, which opposed Ozanne's open meetings lawsuit in court, said DOJ would respond to the issue if something is filed in court.

Ozanne argued in the collective bargaining case that the bill should not go into effect because a Republican-controlled committee of lawmakers broke the state's open meetings law by voting on the bill without the required notice to the public.

But the court, in its 4-3 ruling, said legislative rules trumped the open meetings law and said passage of the bill was legal.

A government watchdog group, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, as well as Democratic state Rep. Gary Hebl have asked the state Judicial Commission and the Government Accountability Board, which enforces campaign finance and ethics laws, to investigate Gableman.

Since the law firm started representing Gableman in 2008, he participated in nine cases involving Michael Best clients. Gableman ruled in those clients' favor in five of those cases, including the collective bargaining lawsuit.

There are five pending cases before the court with Michael Best clients.

On Thursday, a motion was filed seeking Gableman's recusal in another case in which Republicans are seeking to have new legislative district boundaries enacted for possible recall elections next year. Michael Best represented Republicans in the drawing of those new lines as part of the once-a-decade task of redistricting.

Attorney Jeremy Levinson argues in the motion filed on behalf of Democrats seeking to recall Republicans that given Gableman's relationship with Michael Best, he should not be allowed to participate in that case.

"Justice Gableman has put himself at the center of a constellation of profound and difficult facts and circumstances that compel him to refrain from participating," Levinson argued.

A group of Republican citizens filed the lawsuits, asking the Supreme Court to either appoint a panel of judges or hear the case directly. The Republicans argue that the new GOP-friendly boundaries should take effect for any recall elections, which would make it more difficult for Democrats to succeed.

Petitions are currently being circulated targeting four incumbent Republican state senators for recall. Under the redistricting law as passed, the new boundaries would not take effect until the November election.

Michael Best initially represented the Republicans in the pending cases, but have since withdrawn as their attorneys.

? State Journal reporter Ed Treleven contributed to this report.

Source: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/da-ozanne-may-ask-supreme-court-to-rehear-union-lawsuit/article_dda060d4-2cba-11e1-9184-0019bb2963f4.html

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You'll Never Guess 2011's Most Popular YouTube Video! [Video]

Just kidding, of course you will, because it's Rebecca Black, and Rebecca Black is 2011's most important entity across culture, politics, and the whole of the space-time continuum. But what else mattered in our cosmos, YouTube-wise? Let's explore! More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/M8tOqTOXpIM/youll-never-guess-2011s-most-popular-youtube-video

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Wambach a worthy award winner (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

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Alone in Antarctica: British woman on solo journey

In this photo taken on Nov. 19, 2011 and provided by the Kaspersky ONE Trans-antarctic Expedition, Felicity Aston takes a picture of herself at Union Glacier days before she traveled to her starting point on the Ross Ice Shelf for a solo trek across Antarctica. For more than three weeks, since Nov. 25, Aston has been skiing toward the South Pole pulling two sledges packed with supplies. She is attempting to become the first woman to cross Antarctica alone, and has covered about one third of the journey of more than 1,700 kilometers (1,000 miles). (AP Photo/Kaspersky ONE Trans-antarctic Expedition/Kaspersky Lab)

In this photo taken on Nov. 19, 2011 and provided by the Kaspersky ONE Trans-antarctic Expedition, Felicity Aston takes a picture of herself at Union Glacier days before she traveled to her starting point on the Ross Ice Shelf for a solo trek across Antarctica. For more than three weeks, since Nov. 25, Aston has been skiing toward the South Pole pulling two sledges packed with supplies. She is attempting to become the first woman to cross Antarctica alone, and has covered about one third of the journey of more than 1,700 kilometers (1,000 miles). (AP Photo/Kaspersky ONE Trans-antarctic Expedition/Kaspersky Lab)

In this photo taken on Nov. 25, 2011 and photo provided by the Kaspersky ONE Trans-antarctic Expedition, the wing of the plane carrying Felicity Aston is seen through the plane's window over the TransAntarctic Mountains as she flies from Union Glacier to the Leverett Glacier on the Ross Ice Shelf to begin her solo trek across Antarctica. For more than three weeks, since Nov. 25, Aston has been skiing toward the South Pole pulling two sledges packed with supplies. She is attempting to become the first woman to cross Antarctica alone, and has covered about one third of the journey of more than 1,700 kilometers (1,000 miles). (AP Photo/Kaspersky ONE Trans-antarctic Expedition/Kaspersky Lab)

As she skis across Antarctica, Felicity Aston is taking on dangers including crevasses, storms, injuries and frostbite. Her biggest challenge, though, has been adapting to solitude in the seemingly endless expanses of white.

For more than three weeks, she has been skiing toward the South Pole pulling two sledges packed with supplies. Aston is attempting to become the first woman to cross Antarctica alone, and has covered about one-third of the journey of more than 1,700 kilometers (1,000 miles).

The British adventurer expects to reach the South Pole this week, then pick up more supplies and head out again for the other side of the frozen continent. She says the emotional toll has been much greater than she expected.

"When that plane disappeared and left me on the wrong side of Antarctica all by myself with two little sledges, it really hit me that I'm completely responsible for myself," she told The Associated Press in an interview by satellite phone. "It's just you. You have to sort out your problems, and that makes you feel very vulnerable."

When alone in Antarctica, little problems can easily become big problems.

One ski binding is slightly out of alignment and has been making her ankle ache.

The three cigarette lighters she brought to start her camp stove suddenly stopped producing a flame in the cold, leaving her with only matches for a time, though she finally managed to get the lighters working again, intermittently.

She's been fighting a cough. And her breath freezes and forms icicles on her mask as she skis in temperatures of minus 25 Fahrenheit (minus 30 Celsius) and below.

After each day on the ice, she pitches her tent, cooks a freeze-dried meal on her stove and posts messages on Twitter.

"Ice coating my fur hood and icicles hanging off my mask and goggles made me look like a real polar explorer today," she posted on Saturday.

Sometimes, she raves about the beauty of the landscape. Other times, she says she feels tired, bitterly cold or even a bit overwhelmed.

"Yesterday was the first day I didn't burst into tears at any point. Must mean I'm getting used to this finally?" she said in a post on Twitter last week.

The 34-year-old used to work as a meteorologist in Antarctica and is a veteran adventurer who has led team expeditions in the Antarctic, the Arctic and Greenland. She said she decided to attempt her first solo expedition to test her personal limits and also because she was curious about being on her own.

Aston set out Nov. 25 from the Ross Ice Shelf, climbing a glacier dotted with crevasses in the Transantarctic Mountains before emerging onto the continent's vast central plateau.

She initially hoped to reach the South Pole by Dec. 13, in time for the centennial celebration of Norwegian Roald Amundsen's achievement in leading the first team to reach the pole. But initial flight delays and a storm slowed her progress.

Some days, Aston has skied through drifting snow. Others, she has soldiered through sastrugi, the waves of ice sculpted by fierce winds.

This time of year, the sun never sets in Antarctica. It makes a big circle in the sky.

"You've got a halo around the sun, but then directly beneath the sun on the snow on the horizon is like a big flare of light," Aston said in one of the audio updates she regularly posts online.

In addition to two satellite phones, she is carrying solar panels to charge her batteries and a GPS to track her position. While skiing, she listens to an MP3 player with songs by Aretha Franklin and others.

She said posting on Twitter helps her feel a little less alone. In one message, she wrote: "I felt tired today but I could hear my Mum's voice encouraging me, 'Just keep moving. Keep moving forward.'"

Aston said in an interview earlier this month that when she unpacks her tent after a hard day, "that's when the demon voices come out, and you hear little voices in your head going, 'What are you doing?' and you know, 'You could be at home nice and warm right now.'"

"But you do have to try and push those to one side. Once I'm out there and skiing, then I know exactly why I'm here," she said. "Today, it felt like I was walking along the top of clouds."

Aston is not crossing the continent in a straight line. Once she reaches the South Pole, she will make a sharp turn and head off toward Hercules Inlet, where she hopes to finish her journey in late January.

Hers is one of 26 expeditions in Antarctica this year, involving more than 150 people, said Peter McDowell, a manager at the company Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions, which provide logistical support to the skiers.

Some are attempting even longer journeys than Aston's. Norwegian Aleksander Gamme is trying to ski more than 2,200 kilometers (1,300 miles) from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole and back. The Australian team James Castrission and Justin Jones are attempting a similar feat.

The skiers carry satellite phones, and those on solo expeditions also carry emergency beacons to pinpoint their positions. The company has ski-equipped planes at the ready to assist or rescue any team that runs into trouble.

"People get injured all the time," McDowell said. "Thus far this season, there have been five or six that have been pulled from the field."

Aston said she is mindful of the fine line between in control and out of control.

"I've done too many polar journeys to know that you can be scuppered by a blister, a bad fall, fuel leaking into your food, weather," she said last month before starting the expedition.

"Every trip teaches you something: how tough you are, what your personal limits are, how to wrap up a blister better, how not to get sick. Particularly on the psychological side, each journey I've had has taught me something about how to feel better about a situation, how to react, how to behave."

When Aston led a group of women from countries including Jamaica, India, Singapore and Cyprus to the South Pole in 2009, one team member suffered frostbite and others coped with injuries. That expedition became the focus of her book "Call of the White: Taking the World to the South Pole."

On her current journey, she has described lying in her sleeping bag as the only time she doesn't feel cold. "From my sleeping bag I can hear the whisper of snow being blown along the ground by the lightest of breezes," she wrote on Twitter.

She misses hot showers and bread with melting butter. But when she is out skiing, she gets into a rhythm and "it's a form of meditation."

The white landscape is devoid of trees, rocks or any sign of life. At times, she said, the panorama is so monotonous that the mind can play tricks.

"A couple of times, I could have sworn I saw birds. But I know there is no way there are any birds up here. It's just the brain kind of filling in the gaps for me," she said. "As soon as you look, there's nothing there."

Aston didn't expect to see a soul before reaching the research station at the South Pole.

But last week, she posted a surprise message: "I had visitors last night ? real ones not hallucinations! ? a convoy of vehicles coming out of Pole came to say HI." They stayed for a while chatting, then drove off in the trucks.

Alone again, she said one thought is constantly in the back of her mind: "I still have a very long way to go."

___

Associated Press writer Ian James reported from Caracas, Venezuela. AP Radio reporters Carlotta Bradley and Sandy Kozel in Washington, and AP writer Michael Warren in Buenos Aires, Argentina, contributed to this report.

___

Online:

Aston's expedition site: www.kasperskyonetransantarcticexpedition.com

Aston on Twitter: www.twitter.com/felicity(underscore)aston

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-18-AA-Antarctica-Solo-Crossing/id-cbbebb01899e425aac786b04a06d480e

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Senate confirms U.S. envoy to Russia (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The Obama administration's top adviser on Russia policy, Michael McFaul, was approved by the Senate on Saturday to serve as the country's ambassador to Moscow.

McFaul was a leading architect of the Democratic administration's "reset" policy of improving relations with Russia and helped negotiate a new U.S.-Russia nuclear arms reduction treaty.

The former Stanford University professor replaces John Beyrle, who was appointed in 2008 by former President George W. Bush. McFaul's confirmation had been temporarily delayed over concerns among Republicans about possible cuts to nuclear weapons spending.

(Reporting By Rachelle Younglai)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111217/pl_nm/us_usa_mcfaul

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Blood-sucking mosquitoes keep their cool

Friday, December 16, 2011

No one likes being bitten by whining mosquitoes, but have you ever considered what the experience is like for them as their cold-blooded bodies fill with our warm blood? Now researchers reporting online on December 15 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, have uncovered the mosquitoes' secret to avoiding heat stress: they give up cooling droplets of their hard-won meals.

The study shows for the first time that blood-feeding insects are capable of controlling their body temperature, the researchers say.

"During feeding on a warm-blooded host, such as a human being, mosquitoes ingest quite a large amount of hot blood in a short period of time," said Claudio Lazzari of Universit? Fran?ois Rabelais. "We aimed to determine to what extent these insects are exposed to the risk of overheating during the blood intake."

Mosquitoes have to be quick, lest their host turns into a potential predator, Lazzari points out. But that influx of heat could send their internal body temperature soaring past physiological limits.

Insects' body temperatures generally do depend on the environment around them. However, earlier studies have shown that insects, including bees and aphids, can control their temperature with beads of nectar or sap. Mosquitoes, too, will give up drops of fluid during feeding.

"What intrigued us was why they eliminate fresh blood, which is a precious and risky-to-obtain nutritive element," Lazzari said.

To find out, he and Chlo? Lahond?re used a camera that depends on heat to form images, much as a regular camera depends on light. Those images highlighted differences in temperature between the body parts of mosquitoes as they fed. Their heads reached temperatures close to that of the ingested blood, while the rest of their bodies remained closer to ambient temperature. That temperature variation wasn't observed when mosquitoes dined on sugar water instead.

The researchers showed that the cooling depended on those drops of fluid the insects excrete from their backsides as they feed. Lazzari and Lahond?re say that the mosquitoes' strategy no doubt protects them and any malaria-causing (Plasmodium) parasites they might be carrying. The new understanding of mosquito physiology is more than a curiosity; it could lead to strategies aimed to control mosquitoes and the diseases they spread.

"Blocking or delaying the production of the excreted fluid would have a double impact on the physiology of mosquitoes: on water and thermal balance," Lazzari said. "Indirectly, this would affect microorganisms transmitted by insects by modifying the thermal environment to which they are exposed."

###

Cell Press: http://www.cellpress.com

Thanks to Cell Press 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/116063/Blood_sucking_mosquitoes_keep_their_cool

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