Commerce Minister: China Certain to Hit 7.5% 2012 GDP Growth Target

China is certain to hit the government's economic growth target of 7.5 percent for 2012 and could even exceed it, Commerce Minister Chen Deming said on Wednesday.

Chen made the comment at a conference, adding that China would likely spend more than $70 billion this year on non-financial outbound direct investment.

"In the first three quarters, China's economy has grown 7.7 percent from a year ago, therefore, it is for certain that we can achieve the annual GDP target of 7.5 percent or above,? Chen said in a speech.

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His forecast was seconded by Chen Dongqi, deputy chief at the Academy of Macroeconomics Research, a think-tank under the powerful National Development and Reform Commission. He told the conference, in comments carried by state radio, that growth would reach between 7.6 and 7.7 percent this year.

China's growth rate has slowed for seven successive quarters and is on course for its weakest full year of expansion since 1999, albeit at a pace that far outstrips the rest of the world's major economies.

The minister's remarks on growth echo those made by an official from the National Bureau of Statistics in October when economic data for the third quarter revealed annual growth had dipped to 7.4 percent.

Analysts polled by Reuters expect China, the world's second biggest economy, to grow by 7.7 percent in 2012.

Beijing has followed a program of fine-tuning economic policies ? cutting interest rates, freeing more cash for lending and approving a raft of infrastructure projects ? for the last 12 months in an effort to underpin an economy currently caught in its slackest period of activity since the 2008-09 global financial crisis.

China's exposure to the global trade cycle has seen growth crimped by a slow recovery in the United States and a lingering financial crisis in the European Union - the two biggest markets for goods from the country's factories.

China's $1.9 trillion of exports were worth about 31 percent of GDP in 2011, according to World Bank data and about 200 million Chinese jobs are estimated to be supported by the external sector.

Being levered to external demand makes Beijing particularly sensitive to the risk of protectionism ? even more so as the government seeks to broaden the structure of the economy and put more of its huge $3.2 trillion stockpile of foreign reserves to work through outbound direct investment.

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Chen said the trend for China to increase its outbound investment would continue for years to come.

"As you know, China has more than $3 trillion of foreign exchange reserves, which has provided (favorable) conditions for our outbound investment," he told the conference.

"I think the non-financial outbound investment this year will be larger than last year and likely top $70 billion."

OUTBOUND INVESTMENT

China's outbound direct investment from non-financial firms in the first 10 months totaled $58.2 billion, up 25.8 percent year-on-year, Ministry of Commerce data shows.

Outbound direct investment rose 8.5 percent to $74.7 billion in 2011, extending a decade-long expansion streak. The government is targeting a total of $560 billion in outbound foreign direct investment in the five years to 2015.

The head of China's $482 billion sovereign wealth fund told Reuters in an interview earlier this month that he detected a rise in protectionism in Western economies and that the fund would not invest where it was not welcome.

Tensions have risen recently between an increasingly wealthy and acquisitive China and many of its Western trading partners still struggling to recover from the effects of the global financial crisis and where companies hungry for investment capital are up for sale.

A series of trade actions against China by President Barack Obama, including his blocking of a privately owned Chinese company from building wind turbines close to a U.S. military site, and his challenge of Chinese auto and auto-parts subsidies in a World Trade Organization case, have increased the friction.

Editor's Note: Use This Single Loophole to Pay Zero Taxes. See Video

China's state-owned CNOOC Ltd and its Canadian takeover target Nexen Inc on Tuesday withdrew and resubmitted an application for U.S. approval of a proposed $15.1 billion tie-up, as Canada gets close to its decision on whether to approve the transaction.

A brief statement did not provide a reason for, or the timing of, the unexpected move. It was not immediately clear whether the announcement meant the process had hit a snag or signaled a delay in closing the deal, which has become a topic of heated debate in Canada.

? 2012 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.moneynews.com/Markets/china-gdp-growth-target/2012/11/28/id/465629

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Drought expands, blankets High Plains

(Reuters) - Drought is tightening its grip on the central United States as winter weather sets in, threatening to ravage the new wheat crop and spelling more hardship for farmers and ranchers already weary of the costly and ongoing dry conditions.

While conditions started to improve earlier in November, they turned harsh to close out the month as above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation proved a dire combination in many regions, according to the Drought Monitor, a weekly compilation of data gathered by federal and academic scientists issued Thursday.

Forecasts for the next several days show little to no relief and weather watchers are predicting a drier than average winter for much of the central United States.

"The drought's impacts are far reaching," said Eric Luebehusen, a meteorologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in the report.

The U.S. High Plains, which includes key farm states of Nebraska, South Dakota, and Kansas, are the hardest hit. In that region, almost 58 percent of the land area is in extreme or exceptional drought, the worst categories of drought. A week ago, the tally was 55.94 percent.

Nebraska is by far the most parched state in the nation. One hundred percent of the state is considered in severe or worse drought, with 77.46 percent of the state considered in "exceptional" drought - the worst level, according to the Drought Monitor.

Overall, roughly 62.65 percent of the contiguous United States was in at least "moderate" drought as of November 27, up from 60.09 percent a week earlier,

The portion of the contiguous United States under "extreme" or "exceptional" drought - the two most dire classifications - expanded to 20.12 percent from 19.04 percent.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said this week that U.S. farm income will drop by 3 percent this year due in part to the ravages of the worst drought in half a century. So far, crop insurers have paid $6.3 billion on losses this year, USDA said. Some analysts say the still-persisting drought in the Farm Belt will drive indemnities to $20 billion.

On top of the crop losses in 2012, more losses are likely for 2013 if soil moisture does not improve. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said this week that the condition of the winter wheat crop fell to an all-time low for late November with only 33 percent of the new crop rated good to excellent, and 26 percent was rated poor to very poor as the plants headed into winter dormancy.

In South Dakota, 64 percent of the crop was rated poor to very poor; and at least 40 percent of the wheat crop in Texas, Nebraska and Oklahoma was also rated poor to very poor. Top producer Kansas had 25 percent of its crop rated poor to very poor.

Though light showers are possible through the Mississippi Valley and possibly into southern Texas in the next few days, dry, warm conditions are expected across the remainder of the contiguous United States, the Drought Monitor said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has forecast warmer-than-average temperatures in much of Texas, northward through the Central and Northern Plains and westward across the Southwest. A drier-than-average winter is forecast for Kansas, Nebraska, the Dakotas and through the upper Midwest.

(Reporting by Carey Gillam in Kansas City)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/drought-expands-blankets-high-plains-172345312.html

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5 people die in rural northwest Ohio house fire

REPUBLIC, Ohio (AP) ? A fast-moving fire leveled a 130-year-old farmhouse overnight on Tuesday, killing five people believed to be from the same family.

Authorities said they believe the victims were three young children who lived at the home along with two adults.

"We assume those are the ones recovered," said Dean Henry, a spokesman for several volunteer fire departments that responded.

It will be up to a coroner to identify the victims.

A truck driver spotted smoke coming from the house, in rural northwest Ohio, just after 3 a.m. Tuesday and called 911, Henry said. The two-story house was fully engulfed in flames when the first firefighters arrived, he said.

The wood-frame home, which sat outside the village of Republic, about 50 miles southeast of Toledo, is fairly isolated and surrounded by farm fields. The nearest house is about a quarter-mile away.

Firefighters and investigators spent much of Tuesday looking through the debris for the victims and clues to what caused the fire. The last two victims were found by mid-afternoon.

The family bought the home in 2004, according to county auditor records that said the house was built in 1880.

It's unclear how the victims were related. One of the three children, ages 6, 8 and 12, has a different last name than the other four.

Investigators from the state fire marshal's office were looking into the cause of the fire.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/5-people-die-rural-northwest-ohio-house-fire-215044505.html

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iraqi news: orpitasingh: Horse Racing History | recreation and sports ...

The sport of horse racing goes back a long, long way. It goes back to circa 4,500 BC when nomadic Central Asian tribes domesticated horses for the first time. Ever after, horse-racing has reigned supreme as a sport fit for Kings.

From the beginning of recorded history, horse racing has been depicted as an organised and popular sport common to all of the world?s major civilizations. The Olympic Games of ancient Greece featured events involving both mounted and chariot racing. The sport was then taken up by the Romans. Mounted and chariot horse racing became major areas of enterprise in Roman Empire days; these events were the product of breeding programs with imported bloodlines and extensive training programs. Horseracing had all elements of legalized betting like bookies, proper racing tracks, hit tips, scandals and, red hot entertainment and excitement. Horse racing saw a decline that coincided with the Roman Empire?s decline. It began to pick up speed once more once mankind was well into a more modern era.

Horse racing took a professional turn as long ago as the twelfth century, when English Crusader knights came back in the company of Arab horses. This set off a trend that lasted for the forthcoming period of hundreds of years: more and more Arab stallions were imported for crossing with English mares. The ensuing offspring were a real mix of speed and endurance. These cross bred horses were the forefathers of today?s horse racing breeds.

As quantum technological jumps in transport and other fields of human concern took place in the 19th century and later , thousands of people became hooked on watching horse races and gambling on racing horses. Horseracing started to get intensive coverage in distinguished newspapers, and gambling volumes consistently increased. The arrival of organised on-site bookmakers brought along a complete sea change. Random and sometimes illegal, sometimes unethical practices led to a moderately successful Jockey Club effort to establish really high standards of order, discipline and integrity that ensured the sport?s continued well being.

All around the world, attendance at race courses has been shooting up right into the early part of this century. There had been a decline in attendance during the 1970s and 1980s. The technology wonder of online web wagering has influenced horse racing in ways never conceived of earlier. Online betting has drawn a completely new generation of spectators and betters to the Game of Kings; they prefer to conduct all of their activities in front of their computers and TV sets. The facility to bet and earn cash legally from the result of horse races has been a core part of this sport?s appeal and a major factor behind its survival as a sport with a presence.

Source: http://recreationsportsupdates.blogspot.com/2012/11/horse-racing-history.html

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Source: http://okymevucol.posterous.com/horse-racing-history-recreation-and-sports-bl

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Source: http://powersalfred56.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/horse-racing-history-recreation-and-sports-blog-updates.html

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Source: http://orpitasingh.blogspot.com/2012/11/horse-racing-history-recreation-and.html

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Source: http://iraqi-news-blog.blogspot.com/2012/11/orpitasingh-horse-racing-history.html

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Source: http://listofsports.stoptbpartners.org/920/iraqi-news-orpitasingh-horse-racing-history-recreation-and-sports/

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5 Marketing To Dos to get done before 2013

by Drew McLellan

November 28th, 2012 ? 6 Comments ? Business owner/leader stuff, Marketing, Strategy

This is the time of year where work grinds to a halt.

We have another two weeks or so before the holiday frenzy, parties, hangovers and the general professional apathy creeps in and productivity becomes a dirty word.

But don?t give up hope yet. ?I think there?s still a few things we can get done before we all sing Auld Lang Syne. Here are the five things I think you should focus on as the year winds down.

Your website: Take the time to look at every page, click on every link and make a list of what?s missing. ?We spend a lot of time building our websites but once they?re done, they tend to be forgotten. ?Fix all those broken links, correct any copy that?s wrong and update the pages that are out of date or are missing some of your more current offerings. ?Look for simple things you can do to increase visitors and engagement.

Your five best customers: Take the time to actually think about those customers who help you keep the doors open. ?Then, in this crazy rushed time ? write them a handwritten thank you note/letter. ?Be specific about why you love working with them ? and send it so you end their year with a smile.

Call it quits: Look back over the past 12-24 months. ?What?s the one marketing tactic that you have really dedicated yourself to but it just hasn?t caught on fire. ?This has to be something that you feel you really implemented well, thoroughly and can?t imagine what you could have done better. ?If you can say that and it?s not delivering results ? it?s time to let it go. ?Make December 2012 the last time you invest in it.

Identify your #1: If at the end of 2013, you could claim one accomplishment or goal?s achievement that would benefit the organization more than anything else ? what would it to be? Spend some time identifying the barriers that are between you and that accomplishment and what you need to leap over them. ?Build a one page business plan for getting to that goal as early in 2013 as you can. ?Make it your priority.

Fix what?s broken: When you look back at your marketing efforts for 2012 ? what?s the one marketing tactic that you know you did a lousy job of implementing? ?You know it can and will work but you just let other things get in the way or you did it half-heartedly. It?s time to get serious. ?Figure out what got in your way and figure a way around it. ?Farm it out, get something else off your plate, make a bet that you can?t afford to lose ? do whatever you need to do ? to ?make it happen and happen well.

There you have it ? get those five things done and then you can drink that 3rd glass of spiked egg nog at the company party without any guilt. ?And you?ll start 2013 with a storm of focus and energy.

You might also like

1. Marketing insights question: What do you really sell?
2. Marketing tip #83: Less but better
3. Don?t have the time to do marketing
4. Marketing in the Round (is your marketing a 360? effort?)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheMarketingMinute/~3/Ms-i3eINRuM/5-marketing-to-dos-to-get-done-before-2013.html

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Groups Plans Boycott of Newport Harbor Christmas Boat Parade

A group opposed to a proposal to raise rents on residential dock space in Newport Harbor said it is prepared to boycott next month?s 104th annual Christmas Boat Parade there.

Stop the Dock Tax said it represents 1,200 residential dock owners in Newport Harbor, and has reserved advertising space in newspapers throughout Southern California to publicize the boycott of the event.

The boat parade draws visitors from throughout the region during its annual run, and is set for Dec. 19-23 this year.

The threat of a boycott comes as the Newport Beach City Council considers the increase, with a vote that could come as early as Wednesday night.

The city?s proposal would increase the rent for residential docks from a flat $100 annual fee to 52.5 cents per square foot. The change could add anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars in annual costs for homeowners with dock space owned by the city.

?The residential docks are attached to the homes that rim Newport Harbor,? Stop the Dock Tax said in a press release. ?Each year we voluntarily spend thousands of dollars to lavishly decorate our homes and boats in the holiday tradition. It is reported that one million people view the annual Christmas Boat Parade.?

Properties on private waterways or county tidelands would be exempt from the increase.

The increases for city-owned docks would be phased in through 2015.

?This is an unnecessary money grab and we can?t take it anymore, said Stop the Dock Tax Chairman Bob McCaffrey. ?The money we use to decorate our homes will have to be used to pay the new tax.?

The proposal to raise rents on residential docks follows a similar move on commercial marinas in Newport Harbor.

Source: http://ocbj.com/news/2012/nov/27/groups-plans-boycott-newport-harbor-christmas-boat/

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Chinese paper celebrates Kim Jong Un on being named ?Sexiest Man Alive? by The Onion

Kim Jong Un (People's Daily)

In a hilarious if increasingly common example of a real newspaper taking a satirical newspaper seriously, the People's Daily?the website for the Communist Party of China's newspaper?published a story on Tuesday congratulating North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on being named 2012's "Sexiest Man Alive" by the Onion.

"U.S. website The Onion has named North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un as the 'Sexiest Man Alive' for the year 2012," the story announces before quoting the Onion's sarcastic write-up:

"With his devastatingly handsome, round face, his boyish charm, and his strong, sturdy frame, this Pyongyang-bred heartthrob is every woman's dream come true. Blessed with an air of power that masks an unmistakable cute, cuddly side, Kim made this newspaper's editorial board swoon with his impeccable fashion sense, chic short hairstyle, and, of course, that famous smile," it said.

"He has that rare ability to somehow be completely adorable and completely macho at the same time," said Marissa Blake-Zweiber, editor of the Onion Style and Entertainment.

The accompanying 55-page slideshow includes images of Kim in varying degrees of sexiness?riding a horse, posing with military leaders, aiming a rifle, riding a horse and, uh, riding a horse.

Of course, this isn't the first time the Onion's sarcasm has been lost in translation.

In September 2011, Capitol Police in Washington were forced to investigate after the Onion's Twitter feed teased a satirical article?"Congress Takes Group of Schoolchildren Hostage"?with a series of tweets proclaiming breaking news of a hostage situation inside the Capitol building.

A month later, the Onion caused real confusion when it published a satirical story?"Study Finds Every Style of Parenting Produces Disturbed, Miserable Adults"?that cited the California Parenting Institute in its findings.

The real institute was soon deluged with emails and phone calls from concerned residents.

[Hat tip: BuzzFeed]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/kim-jong-un-onion-sexiest-man-alive-newspaper-144736602.html

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Climate Change Threatens to Create a Second Dust Bowl

A cool October broke a 16-month streak of above average temperatures across the Lower 48, but temperatures are projected to remain above normal across most of the western half of the country in the coming months. In addition, the latest climate change projections put future temperature gains on the high side of various models.

As of November 6, 59.5 percent of the contiguous U.S. was experiencing persistent drought conditions that are most severe in the Great Plains?North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado?where drought is expected to persist or intensify in the foreseeable future.?On October 17?18 those drought conditions combined with high winds to create a large dust storm across Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Wyoming, closing major highways.

To Katharine Hayhoe, professor and director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, this heralds big changes for agriculture on the Great Plains. "In a nutshell," Hayhoe says, "we're seeing major shifts in places and times we can plant, the types of crops we can grow and the pests and diseases we're dealing with. If you talk to seed companies, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and even farmers, they tell you we can modify our way out of this, that we can overcome all these problems with technology. There's no question we can adapt to some of the change, but whether we can adapt to all of it is a very open question."

In the 1930s Dust Bowl a land speculator? and government-encouraged plowing frenzy removed windbreaks and grasslands that stabilized soil. The dry, windy weather that followed created one of the worst man-made ecological disasters ever. Powerful winds scoured bare soil from the ground and carried it long distances. Farms failed across Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

This October's dust storm, which followed preparation of fields for fall planting, could be the first act of an encore performance. "If the drought holds on for two or three more years, as droughts have in the past, we will have Dust Bowl conditions in the farming belt," says Craig Cox, an agriculture and natural resources expert with the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit using public information to protect public health and the environment. "It could be in a sense an invisible Dust Bowl?not like the big storms before, but withered crops, dry streams and other disasters that accompanied the Dust Bowl. Wind erosion is tremendously damaging and hard to control. A lot of practices that control wind erosion require growing things, and if those weren't in place when the drought hit, it's almost impossible to put them in place now."

Since the 1940s agriculture on the semiarid southern Great Plains?Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas?has relied on irrigation. On the high plains of Texas, tens of thousands of wells pumping from the 10-million-year-old Ogallala Aquifer have depleted it by 50 percent. Given variation in its depth and the difficulty of pumping at low water levels, most of the remaining reservoir will likely be useless for irrigation within about 30 years. At the same time, climate change has brought less rain as well as hotter temperatures that increase evaporation?forcing farmers to use even more water for irrigation. "We have agriculture systems in semiarid areas," Hayhoe says. "We built these vulnerabilities into the system and climate change is the final straw that may break the camel's back."

Agriculture on the southern plains isn't necessarily doomed, though, Hayhoe stresses. "There are techniques being developed already, such as dry-land farming, rotating crops and using waste as biofuel that will keep the economy going." Actions also can be taken at the local level to reduce the vulnerability of agriculture, she says, including using energy more efficiently and developing sounder management and development policies.

Other adaptations include switching to more heat-tolerant breeds of livestock and even away from cattle altogether, says Wayne Polley, research ecologist at the USDA's Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory. "Major changes in agricultural land use will mean changes in our eating habits and our family budgets as well."

"There are absolutely things farmers could do to deal with climate change," Cox says. "This is not a technical problem. There is a whole suite of practices that would make farming systems more resilient and able to stand up to climate change. Yet instead of making farming more resilient to the challenges, current government agricultural policy actually takes us in the opposite direction." Ending mandates for corn ethanol and once again tying crop insurance to land conservation would help reduce erosion and drainage of wetlands on farmland, he says, reducing the risk of returning Dust Bowl conditions.

The good news, Hayhoe adds, is that whatever happens, the land will still be here. "In the southern Great Plains we may have a major shift to dry-land crops. We may have to shift when we plant. But we have the option of trying different things?as opposed to, say, Bangladesh, where cropland is being lost to sea-level rise.

"We can save ourselves by wise planning," she says. "But a lot of change has been hampered because people don't want to do anything that has a 'climate change' label on it, and also because industrial, large-scale systems are resistant to changes because changes are expensive. But that's true only in the short term. Not doing anything will be way more expensive in the long term. Business as usual is not going to be a viable option 30 years from now, or even sooner."

Fifty miles south of Hayhoe's Texas Tech office, agricultural fields line an arrow-straight highway. On a dry, windy day, in circular fields created by wheeled irrigation contraptions that spin from a well in the center, water sprays onto new autumn crops. Enormous bales of recently harvested cotton stacked up at nearby gins render bits of the snowy fluff to the wind, which catch the grass along the road's edge to gather into miniature drifts. As temperatures rise and the aquifer levels fall, these iconic images of high plains agriculture may be blown away with the dust.

Follow Scientific American on Twitter @SciAm and @SciamBlogs. Visit ScientificAmerican.com for the latest in science, health and technology news.
? 2012 ScientificAmerican.com. All rights reserved.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/climate-change-threatens-create-second-dust-bowl-130100552.html

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Where to Get the Most Cash for Your Old iPhone

Every time the latest version of a smartphone or tablet arrives, a new market for the previous models arrives too. Some buyers hope they can get decent used smartphones for less money than brand-new ones, and others think the latest version is too small an upgrade to justify the higher price. If you strategize well, you can sell your old phone on this secondary market for a surprising amount of cash. But before you can sell it, you have to get it ready for its new owner by backing it up, erasing your data, and restoring the factory settings. To boost the phone's resale value, you might also consider using Ultrasn0w (a program available on iphone-dev.org) to unlock it so that it can work on different carriers. Unlocking is legal but won't work on all phones?Verizon and Sprint devices, which operate on the CDMA network, can't be unlocked to work on AT&T and T-Mobile's GSM networks and vice versa. Finally, box up the phone in whatever original packaging you have left so it looks as close to new as possible.

Some electronics stores, among them Apple and RadioShack, have trade-in programs, and many websites serve as go-betweens for you and potential buyers. For gadgets such as the iPhone that cause near mayhem when new models come out, you need not look any further than Craigslist, where a few sentences including the state of your phone, your asking price, and any extra features?an intact warranty, for instance?will be enough to flood your inbox with emails from interested (and nearby) buyers. As of this writing, a 16 GB black AT&T iPhone 4 could fetch about $150.

Electronics more than one or two generations older than the current version are tougher sells, but it's certainly not impossible. Amazon, Best Buy, and Gazelle all have programs that let you trade your gadgets in exchange for gift certificates. You rate the condition of your phone?perfect, good, or mediocre?then send it in for the service to verify your judgment and to receive a gift card. With Amazon's exchange service, if the phone is worth more than what you guessed, you'll get a gift certificate for the higher amount, and if you overestimated, Amazon gives you the option of taking the lower amount or not selling at all. Though all three programs are nearly identical in process, they aren't in results: At press time, Amazon offers the most for a 16 GB black AT&T iPhone 4?a "like new" phone will get you $170 and a "good" one goes for $145. Best Buy offers slightly lower amounts?$152 for "perfect" and $145 for "good." Gazelle is the cheapskate of the group, offering just $145 for a "flawless" phone and $140 for a "good" one. Prices are bound to fluctuate as new models arrive, so it's still important to check all your options before choosing one.

The same services will work for much more than iPhones. If you have something really old, though, you might be better off giving eBay a shot. There, an obsolete-technology collector may be just the match for your old Walkman.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/how-to/tips/where-to-get-the-most-cash-for-your-old-iphone-14784863?src=rss

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Get the Lowdown on FEMA, Flood Insurance Details at Oceanport ...

A message from Oceanport Mayor Michael Mahon:

Oceanport Emergency Management and Boro elected officials have arranged a Town Hall meeting with FEMA and National Flood Insurance representatives to provide information to residents who have been affected by Sandy. The meeting will be held on Thursday, Nov. 29, 7 p.m. at Maple Place School.

It is the intent of this meeting to provide as much information to residents so they may make informed decisions as they go about rebuilding their property to include mitigation activities that reduce or eliminate future flood damage.

The meeting will inform residents about some of the coverage?s within their flood insurance policies, such as Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) and the FEMA grant programs that may be applied for to reduce or eliminate future flood damage. It is also hoped the Small Business Administration representatives will be present to discuss their loan programs.

Residents who have filed for assistance and or hold flood insurance policies, of which there are about 700 in force within the Boro, are urged to attend.

Source: http://littlesilver.patch.com/articles/townhall-meeting-gives-oceanport-residents-access-to-fema-insurance-reps

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2012 Dessert and Dessert Food Truck Of The Year Contest | Mobile ...

The votes from our?initial?polling for our 2012 favorite dessert and dessert food truck are in. Let your friends and family know that the final voting has begun. We had great turnout for so many trucks across the country, it was difficult to narrow the field down to just ten. Because of this, we extended the ?list to include the top 12 trucks that our readers submitted votes for in regards to the dessert truck of the year.

Here are your top 12:

Favorite Dessert Food Truck

• 3 Girls Cupcakes - Kansas City, MO
• BSweets Mobile - Los Angeles, CA
• Flirty Cupcakes - Chicago, IL
• Frozen Hoagies - Boston, MA
• Goodies Frozen Custard & Treats - Washington DC
• Sarah's Cake Stop - St. Louis, MO
• Street Sweets & Eats - Sal Lake City, UT
• Sugar Shack Sweets - Little Rock, AR
• Sweet Treats - Seattle, WA
• Sweetery NYC - New York, NY
• Trailercakes - Dallas, TX
• Twirl & Dip - San Francisco, CA

View Results

Here are the top 5 desserts nominated for food truck dessert of 2012:

These polls will wrap up on Friday, December the 7^th. The truck and dessert item with the most votes from each poll will be declared our winner.

Not only will the truck(s) lay claim to the title of Dessert Truck of the Year?and/or?Best Dessert from a Food Truck , the winning truck from each of these categories (they could actually be the same) will have a profile interview posted here on Mobile Cuisine.

So spread the word, and help your favorite lay claim to the title.

?

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Source: http://mobile-cuisine.com/features/2012-dessert-and-dessert-food-truck-of-the-year-contest/

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Cutler sharp as Bears beat Vikings, 28-10

Chicago Bears safety Chris Conte (47) breaks up a pass intended for Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph (82) in the first half of an NFL football game in Chicago, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Chicago Bears safety Chris Conte (47) breaks up a pass intended for Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph (82) in the first half of an NFL football game in Chicago, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte (22) walks to the locker room with a trainer after getting injured in the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings in Chicago, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Bears running back Michael Bush (29) rushes for a touchdown against Minnesota Vikings safety Jamarca Sanford (33) in the first half of an NFL football game in Chicago, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) passes against the Minnesota Vikings in the first half of an NFL football game in Chicago, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

CHICAGO (AP) ? The Chicago Bears got Jay Cutler back from a concussion, only to lose three more stars to injuries.

Start with Devin Hester. Add Matt Forte and Charles Tillman to the list, and just for good measure, throw in two starting guards.

Consider this a painful win.

Cutler threw for 188 yards and a touchdown after missing a game, and the Bears broke it open early in a 28-10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

The injuries, however, tempered some of the good feelings.

Tied with Green Bay for the NFC North lead and just a game ahead of Minnesota (6-5) coming in, the Bears (8-3) grabbed a 25-3 halftime lead thanks to Cutler's pinpoint passing. The defense held Adrian Peterson in check early on, although he finished with 108 yards rushing.

Chicago also came away with three more takeaways to increase its total from a league-leading 30 entering the game to 33.

The rather easy win came after back-to-back losses to Houston and San Francisco, but it also came with a heavy price.

The Bears lost Hester, a receiver and record-setting return specialist, early to a concussion. And that was just the start.

Forte, their top running back, hobbled to the tunnel midway through the third quarter with an ankle injury. Coach Lovie Smith said Tillman, their star cornerback, also hurt his ankle.

Besides those three, the Bears lost both guards in the third quarter to knee sprains, with Lance Louis and Chris Spencer going down. Louis' injury on a blindside hit by Jared Allen as Antoine Winfield returned an interception forced Chicago to go with Gabe Carimi, who lost the right tackle job to Jonathan Scott.

Spencer, meanwhile, was in the lineup after Chilo Rachal left the team.

If the Bears are going to develop any continuity on the line, well, don't expect it anytime soon.

"I don't think it's possible now," Cutler said. "With all the moving parts we have and Lance going down, you're not going to have that. We're going to have to roll with the guys we have and see what we have, lean on our defense as we have before, run the ball well. Be efficient through the air. See how far we go."

As for Cutler, he looked sharp after missing Monday's blowout loss at San Francisco.

Back after being knocked out of the Texans game on a helmet-to-helmet hit by Tim Dobbins, he got off to a scorching start and completed 23 of 31 passes with an interception to go with his TD.

"I felt good," Cutler said. "It was a matter of going through the motions, talking to the doctors. I had a good week of practice, a shorter week with the Monday game and Thanksgiving."

Brandon Marshall caught 12 passes for 92 yards and became the first Bears receiver since Marty Booker in 2002 to go over 1,000 yards. He now has 1,017 yards this season, his sixth straight with 1,000 or more.

"In the third quarter, I leaned over to Jay and said, 'That catch puts me at 1,000 yards for six seasons in a row.' And he looked at me and said, 'You're disgusting,'" Marshall, the Bears' big offseason acquisition, said, laughing.

He added he knew he was closing in because followers on Twitter had mentioned it.

On defense, Henry Melton set the tone by sacking Christian Ponder on the first play from scrimmage. Nick Roach set up the first touchdown by knocking the ball out of Peterson's hands. Chris Conte set another TD with a 35-yard interception return, and Julius Peppers blocked a field goal.

The league's leading rusher, Peterson tied Robert Smith's club record with a 100-yard performance for the fifth straight game even though he managed just 25 in the first half. He also lost two fumbles and had to catch a cab to the stadium and arrived about 90 minutes before kickoff, according to reports.

Ponder wasn't much help, going 22 of 43 with 159 yards and a touchdown along with an interception. His favorite target, Percy Harvin, sat out his second straight game with a sprained left ankle, and the Vikings lost for the third time in four games.

"We knew what we were getting into," Peterson said. "They wanted to make a statement. I thought it was more so what we did, giving the ball away, not making routine plays. Can't wait to see them again."

He won't have to wait long, with the Bears visiting Minnesota on Dec. 9.

Cutler completed 15 of 17 passes for 117 yards in the first half, and the Bears jumped out a big lead after a shaky start on offense.

Forte fumbled on Chicago's first play from scrimmage, leading to a 40-yard field goal by Blair Walsh ? all the scoring the Vikings did in the half.

The Bears broke it open late in the second half.

Bush scored from the 1 and holder Adam Podlesh ran in for a 2-point conversion that made it 18-3.

Ponder got picked off by Conte and he returned it 35 yards to the Minnesota 13. That led to a scoring strike from Cutler to a lunging Matt Spaeth on the next play.

NOTES: Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said he and Peterson were going to have a talk about punctuality after Sunday's delayed arrival. "There is something that Adrian and I need to talk about regarding getting to the stadium," he said. ... Allen thought his hit on Louis after Winfield's interception was a clean one. "I turned around, he was running to make a tackle and I threw myself into him to make a block. My condolences to him and his family. I never, ever, try and intentionally hurt anybody."

___

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-11-25-FBN-Vikings-Bears/id-0a015dc94ff1429c99922e46d17f27e6

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1 of FBI's 10 most wanted arrested in Mexico

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? One of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives was arrested in Mexico and returned to Los Angeles Friday night to face charges of murder, kidnapping and rape, U.S. officials said.

Reputed Los Angeles gang member Joe Luis Saenz was taken into custody in Guadalajara late Thursday following a joint operation with the Mexican government, said Bill Lewis, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles office.

Investigators said Saenz shot and killed two rival gang members in July 1998 to retaliate for an assault on one of his associates.

Saenz suspected Sigrieta Hernandez, his girlfriend and the mother of his daughter, was going to tell police about the slayings, investigators said. He is accused of kidnapping, raping and killing her less than two weeks later.

Saenz also is believed to have killed Oscar Torres at his home in suburban Whittier in October 2008 because he failed to repay $600,000 in drug money after police seized the cash during a traffic stop. Authorities said they have videotape from a surveillance camera at Torres' house that shows Saenz killing Torres and wounding another person.

Saenz, who is about 37 years old, was believed to be hiding in Mexico, working as an enforcer and hit man for a Mexican drug cartel.

Saenz had been on the FBI's most-wanted list since 2009, putting him among the ranks of Osama bin Laden, Boston crime lord James "Whitey" Bulger and other notorious criminals. There was a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to his arrest.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/1-fbis-10-most-wanted-arrested-mexico-031249271.html

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Apps of the Week: Wreck-it Ralph, WordHero, Pizza Boy and more!

For those of you in the states, we hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Those of you outside the states... hope you had a great Thursday. We took the day off to come up with some great app picks for your enjoyment, regardless. We've got a couple of great games and some phone utilities for you to check out this week, so stick around after the break and see how we did.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/7cVweY-agzo/story01.htm

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The football sport in world | Ardour.tv - Buckvvidella's blog

A sport is an entertaining activity which certainly wants competitiveness, technique, dedication and a fair play. A sport will be organized in between two teams .Each sport is ruled with certain set of rules and regulations for enhancing a fair play. Sports include the bodily event of a person. The winner in each sport will be determined depending on the mental expertise and bodily expertise of the player. The well-known sports internationally are soccer, basketball, cricket and so forth? The sports are categorized into workforce occasions and private event. Card video games and board video games are categorized under thoughts sports.

The sport soccer is a workforce sport which includes the gamers of this sport to kick the ball and drive it towards the aim publish of the opponent team. The workforce with more objectives would be the winner of the game. In this sport each workforce consists of 11 gamers including a aim keeper on the sphere played with a spherical ball. Each workforce can improve seven further gamers and the sport will be played for 90 minutes which is divided into two equal halves. Records for the success and failures in each match are maintained by all of the sports channels and they are introduced within the sports talk categorized under soccer news.

Football sport is played on a rectangular fields embedded with grass or an artificial turf. There are lots of cups held in between the soccer teams. World cup soccer is a world foot ball competition held between all of the national teams from each particular person country. This cup is organized for each 4 consecutive years. Football sport is also known as as soccer sports bysome soccer associationsin some components of the world. American soccer is a well known sport in America. This is played in between two teams geared up with eleven gamers each side. The primary intention of the sport is to attain the points by driving the ball into the opponent?s finish level by operating with it or by throwing the ball.

Fantasy sport is a sport through which the gamers acts as house owners and build their own workforce to compete with the opposite fantasy owner team. These fantasy sports are broadly growing their market, as the current era may be very fond of those games. The gamers of the fantasy workforce will be chosen by depending within the statistics of the player. Fantasy soccer is an interesting interactive sport under fantasy sports.

Basketball is also a well-known sport within the current era and it may be categorized under NBA sports. This is the well-known association for basket ball in America. Now-a-days cricket has develop into the craziest sport within the public. This sport is categorized into three formats. They are at some point matches, take a look at cricket matches and twenty- twenty matches. The at some point matches are played for a single day by limiting 50overs per each side. Twenty- twenty is fast sport which is restricted to twenty over?s for both sides whereas the take a look at cricket is the ancient one and it is played for 5 steady days restricted for 80 over?s for each day.

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Tags: Recreation and Leisure: Sports: Football

Source: http://ardour.tv/the-football-sport-in-world/

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Source: http://buckvvidella.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/the-football-sport-in-world-ardourtv.html

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Next pope an American? US cardinals a factor

Gregorio Borgia / AP

Pope Benedict XVI is flanked by Archbishop James Harvey, during the weekly general audience at the Vatican on Wednesday. Harvey will become the 11th cardinal from the U.S. to be on the panel that would elect any new pope.

By Claudio Lavanga, NBC News

ROME ? The red, or rather scarlet, carpet will be rolled in St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday for the elevation of six cardinals. The new so-called "princes of the church" will receive their ring, scarlet skullcap and the traditional biretta, a four-cornered hat, in a solemn ceremony presided by Pope Benedict XVI.

The ceremony won't only be a rare insight into one of the oldest and most colorful traditions in the Catholic Church, which with 1.1 billion adherents worldwide, represents more than half of the world's Christian population. It will also redefine the balance of power in the Catholic Church, and further increase the United States' influence in the election of the next pope.

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Among the six cardinal-elects is James Harvey, an archbishop from Milwaukee who will become the 11th cardinal elector from the U.S., strengthening the country's position as the Vatican's second-largest voting bloc after Italy. ?Cardinal electors are the members?of the College of Cardinals who have not reached their 80th birthdays on the day the pope dies and are thus able to vote for the new prelate.

But as American author and John Paul II biographer George Weigel explains, the fact that American cardinals will represent almost 10 percent of worldwide electors in the next Conclave (the election of the pope), does not necessarily mean one of them will become the next Holy Father.?

"The prominence of American cardinals in the current college reflects the vitality of the Catholic Church in the United States," Weigel told NBC News. ?But I don't think it likely that any American will be elected pope for as long as the United States remains the world's pre-eminent power."?

What the selection of an American to be one of the new cardinal electors might show however, is that Pope Benedict XVI is acutely aware that the Catholic Church is swiftly ceasing to be?predominately?European religion.?After all, with 134 million followers, Brazil alone has more Catholics than Italy, France and Spain combined,?according to a major study released in 2011. Even the United States, with 75 million or ?24 percent of the world's Catholics, is far ahead of any European country.

Harvey, 63, is a well-known and respected figure in the Vatican. He was named prefect of the papal household in 1998, and has since arranged daily meetings and engagements for Pope John Paul II first, and Benedict XVI later. Having lived for the past 30 years in the Vatican, he may be more familiar with the dome of St. Peter?s Basilica than the "Domes" at the Mitchell Park Conservatory, but he never severed his ties with his native city.

Once he receives his ring, skullcap and hat on Saturday, Harvey will become the third American to be elevated to cardinal this year, after Edwin Frederick O?Brien and Timothy Michael Dolan received the honor back in February.

External link: Cardinals by country

While chances of an American to be elected Pope are still slim, American cardinals are undeniably a force in the Vatican.?

Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, has quickly become the superstar among American cardinals.?His charismatic personality and quick wit??made him an instant hit with the media, who have been waiting for a camera-friendly cleric since the death of Pope John II, arguably the greatest Catholic communicator in the age of mass media.

Spencer Platt / Getty Images

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, speaks with people waiting for free Thanksgiving groceries at the Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Memorial Community Center in Harlem on Tuesday.

"Cardinal Dolan is definitely a candidate and enjoys a lot of name recognition ? which helps in a global church," Alessandro Speciale, Vatican correspondent at the Religious News Service, told NBC News.

"But two factors might weaken his chances: coming from the world's only superpower could still be seen as a negative factor in a global church, and he has never held a leadership position in the Roman Curia," he said,?referring?to the Holy See's?administrative?body. ?

New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who is being touted as having a chance to become the first American pope, talks with MSNBC's Chris Jansing about the controversial immigration laws in Arizona and Alabama that allow law enforcement to check on the status of suspected illegal immigrants.

In any case, the choice of non-Europeans to high office in the Vatican is?a way for the Holy See to shift the balance of power towards other continents and prove the ?universality of the church.??

"There was considerable criticism of the last group of cardinals being too European, too Italianate, and too Curial. I think it's fair to read this group as a response to that criticism," Weigel said.

Speciale agrees: "The previous Consistory in February had been criticized for being overly skewed towards Italy (and more in general Europe) and, again, the Curia. With this quite unusual second batch of red hats in a year, Benedict wanted to show his attention to the rest of the world."

Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. Look back at his life from childhood through his papacy.

Whatever the reason for the choice of non-European Cardinals, the selection plays in favor of the American grouping, which will have one more elector in their ranks.

"The power of Americans in the Vatican has grown significantly in the last few years: not just because of the star power of Cardinal Dolan but also thanks to the organization, economic resources and boldness in the defense of Catholic values in front of a perceived hostile society is admired by many in the Vatican," Speciale said.

"But it remains to be seen whether this numerical weight will actually translate into influence at the Conclave: though national links are powerful, many other factors ? the strongest being whether one is part on not of the Roman Curia ? play into the secret voting in the Sistine Chapel."

When the time comes, all Cardinals-electors from all over the world will "lock" themselves in the Sistine Chapel in order to vote for a new Pope. While it is unclear who will emerge from it as the new leader of the world's Catholics, one thing is certain: that American influence in that choice went up a notch.

More world stories from NBC News:

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/23/15361087-the-path-to-an-american-pope-cardinals-elevation-gives-us-clout-at-vatican?lite

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Congo fires army chief after rebel seizure of Goma

SAKE, Congo (AP) ? Congo's president has suspended the army's chief of staff, following the publication of a United Nations report which reveals that Gen. Gabriel Amisi oversaw a criminal network selling arms to rebels in the country's troubled east.

The firing of the general indicates that Congo is finally getting tough on its notoriously dysfunctional and internally divided army. It comes as an eight-month-old rebel group, made up of soldiers who defected from the army, pushed beyond Goma, the bustling regional capital of eastern Congo, which fell to the fighters earlier this week.

On Friday, M23 rebels patrolled the town of Sake, the next town on the road south from Goma. They manned checkpoints, drank vodka in local bars and let the corpses of Congolese soldiers rot in the streets. One of the soldier's bodies bore an execution-style bullet wound to the temple.

The rebellion is led by soldiers who defected from the Congolese army. Before their recent defection, their commanders benefited from a privileged relationship with Congo's government, despite mounting evidence of their complicity in grave abuses. The leader of the M23 is believed to be Gen. Bosco Ntaganda, who is wanted for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.

Tens of thousands of civilians could be seen fleeing along a 10-kilometer (6-mile) stretch of the road to Goma, carrying mattresses and cooking pots on their heads, as well as live chickens, goats, and babies bundled on their backs. The town of Sake was nearly deserted. A lone father returned to his empty house. He had fled on Thursday when the shooting erupted, but lost track of his four children in the scramble to get out of town. The youngest are just 2 and 4 years old, he said.

"We heard shots from the hills," said Timothe Mashamba. "We fled, but now I have returned. I lost my four children when we fled and haven't found them. I am waiting for them here. I can't leave. They won't know where to find me."

The president of neighboring Uganda was acting as a go-between for the two sides, and on Friday, one of the leaders of M23, Bishop Jean-Marie Runiga was in Kampala, the Ugandan capital, for talks, said deputy rebel spokesman Amani Kabasha. Earlier in the week, both Congolese President Joseph Kabila, and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who is accused of arming the rebels, met in Uganda for an attempted mediation.

The two presidents agreed on certain principles and were now discussing them with M23, said the rebel spokesman.

"They (Kagame, Kabila) took decisions in Kampala and now they want to talk to Bishop Runiga about them. Joseph Kabila said in his communique that he would talk to us, and that is what we want," said the rebel spokesman.

Congo's troubled east has been plagued by decades of violence, and the latest rebellion is a reincarnation of a previous conflict. The rebel group that took Goma dubs itself the M23, a reference to the March 23, 2009 peace deal that paved the way for fighters from a now-defunct rebel group to join the army. Charging that the peace accord was not implemented, soldiers defected from the Congo army in April to form the M23. Both the M23 and the previous rebel group, known as the CNDP, are widely believed to be backed by neighboring Rwanda, which has fought two wars against its much-larger neighbor.

Numerous reports by the United Nations Group of Experts have shown the extent of Rwandan infiltration in the rebel groups based in Congo, as well as in Congo's armed forces, but it wasn't until the release of the most recent findings that Congo took decisive action.

A statement released by the Office of Congo's' President Joseph Kabila said that the U.N. report published on Nov. 21 made clear that Amisi's behavior was contrary to the rules of military behavior. "The President of the Republic has decided to suspend him immediately of all his functions, while an investigation is ongoing," the statement said.

___

Associated Press writers Rukmini Callimachi in Dakar, Senegal and Saleh Mwanamilongo in Washington contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/congo-fires-army-chief-rebel-seizure-goma-104138697.html

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Google Now awarded Popular Science's Innovation of the Year

Popular Science has given Google Now its "Innovation of the Year" award, putting it alongside past winners like the Large Hadron Collider, the Toyota Prius and the Mars Curiosity Rover. It's august company to be sure, and the reasoning behind the decision is that it's "the first virtual assistant that truly anticipates your needs." The service has grown quite a bit since its initial launch -- from personalized recommendations to public safety alerts and the addition of a pedometer, it seems that these are early days yet for the context- and location-aware app. Hit the Android G+ source link to read a Q&A between PopSci and part of the Google Now team to get some behind-the-scenes insight of the award-winning service.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Google

Comments

Source: Android (Google+), Popular Science

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/22/google-now-innovation-of-the-year/

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Earlier Black Friday kicks off shopping season

Shoppers wait in line for the 8 p.m. opening of the Times Square Toys-R-Us store, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012, in New York. While stores typically open in the wee hours of the morning on the day after Thanksgiving known as Black Friday, openings have crept earlier and earlier over the past few years. Now, stores from Wal-Mart to Toys R Us are opening their doors on Thanksgiving evening, hoping Americans will be willing to shop soon after they finish their pumpkin pie. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Shoppers wait in line for the 8 p.m. opening of the Times Square Toys-R-Us store, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012, in New York. While stores typically open in the wee hours of the morning on the day after Thanksgiving known as Black Friday, openings have crept earlier and earlier over the past few years. Now, stores from Wal-Mart to Toys R Us are opening their doors on Thanksgiving evening, hoping Americans will be willing to shop soon after they finish their pumpkin pie. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

A joyful shopper laughs as she attempts to load a 40-inch TV into her cart at Target during their Black Friday sales event in Flint, Mich. on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Flint Journal, Griffin Moores)

A customer examines shelves of toys during Toys "R" Us' Black Friday sales event in Flint, Mich. on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Flint Journal, Griffin Moores)

Shoppers attempt to navigate snaking lines and clogged aisles during Target's Black Friday sales event in Flint, Mich. on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Flint Journal, Griffin Moores)

Shoppers make their way out of Target during their Black Friday sales event in Flint, Mich. on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Flint Journal, Griffin Moores)

This year's Black Friday shoppers were split into two distinct groups: those who wanted to fall into a turkey-induced slumber and those who'd rather shop.

Stores typically open in the wee hours of the morning on the day after Thanksgiving that's called Black Friday because of retail folklore that it's when merchants turn a profit for the year. But after testing how shoppers would respond to earlier hours last year, stores such as Target and Toys R Us this year opened as early as Thanksgiving evening. That created two separate waves of shoppers.

Sam Chandler, 55, and his wife, Lori Chandler, 54, were a part of the early group. By the time they reached the Wal-Mart in Greenville, S.C. early Friday, they had already hit several stores, including Target and Best Buy. In fact, they had been shopping since midnight.

"We've learned over the years, you have to stand in line early and pray," Sam said.

Stu and April Schatz, residents of Rockland County, N.Y., preferred to get a later start. They went to the Shops at the Garden State Plaza mall in Paramus, N.J., which didn't open until 7 a.m. on Black Friday, because they didn't want to deal with the crowds that show up for openings late night on Thanksgiving or midnight on Black Friday.

"It's so much more civilized going in the morning," said April Schatz, a teacher. "We wanted to enjoy our evening."

The earlier hours are an effort by stores to make shopping as convenient as possible for Americans, who they fear won't spend freely during the two-month holiday season in November and December because of economic uncertainty. Many shoppers are worried about high unemployment and a package of tax increases and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff" that will take effect in January unless Congress passes a budget deal by then.

At the same time, Americans have grown more comfortable shopping on websites that offer cheap prices and the convenience of being able to buy something from smartphones, laptops and tablet computers from just about anywhere. That puts added pressure on brick-and-mortar stores, which can make up to 40 percent of their annual revenue during the holiday shopping season, to give consumers a compelling reason to leave their homes.

That's becoming more difficult: the National Retail Federation, an industry trade group, estimates that overall sales in November and December will rise 4.1 percent this year to $586.1 billion, below last year's 5.6 percent growth. . But the online part of that is expected to rise 15 percent to $68.4 billion, according to Forrester Research.

As a result, brick-and-mortar retailers have been trying everything they can to lure consumers into stores. Some stores tested the earlier hours last year, but this year more retailers opened their doors late on Thanksgiving or at midnight on Black Friday. In addition to expanding their hours, many also are offering free layaways and shipping, matching the cheaper prices of online rivals and updating their mobile shopping apps with more information.

"Every retailer wants to beat everyone else," said C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America's Research Group, a research firm based in Charleston, S.C. "Shoppers love it."

Indeed, some holiday shoppers seemed to find stores' earlier hours appealing. Julie Hansen, a spokeswoman at Mall of America in Minneapolis, said 30,000 people showed up for the mall's midnight opening, compared with 20,000 last year. She noted that shoppers are coming in waves, and sales aren't just being shifted around.

"This is additional dollars," Hansen said.

About 11,000 shoppers were in lines wrapped around Macy's flagship store in New York City's Herald Square when it opened at midnight on Black Friday. That's up from an estimated 9,000 to 10,000 shoppers who showed up the store's midnight opening last year.

Joan Riedewald, a private aide for the elderly, and her four children ages six to 18, were among them. By that time, she already had spent about $100 at Toys R Us, which opened at 8 p.m., and planned to spend another $500 at Macy's before heading to Old Navy.

"I only shop for sales," she said.

But some shoppers decided to stick to traditional Black Friday shopping hours. Joe Russell was hunting for a great deal on a large flat-screen TV and went to the Best Buy store in Watertown, Mass., shortly after midnight on Friday. But the long line of shoppers gunning for door-buster promotions deterred him from braving the freezing temperatures. So Russell, 47, returned to the store after sunrise and got a different TV for "a decent price."

"This is the earliest I've ever shopped," he said.

Elizabeth Garcia, a sales representative from the Bronx borough of New York City, also decided on a later shopping start at about 3:30 a.m. at Toys R Us in New York's Times Square. As a result Garcia, who has three children ages three, five and seven, believes she dodged some of the lines on Thanksgiving when the store opened at 8 p.m. That's good news since the crowds got to her last year, and she almost got into a fight over a Tinker Bell couch.

"This year I wasn't about to kill people," she said.

Meanwhile, Nicole Page of Bristol, Conn., shopped with her sister at a Wal-Mart in Manchester, Conn., at about 4:45 a.m. on Black Friday out of tradition. Page, who recently finished school and started working as a nurse, bought an electric fireplace for $200 that she said was originally $600. Her shopping cart also had candy canes, a nail clipper for her dog and other stocking stuffers.

"We try to make a tradition of it. It's kind of exciting," she said.

------

Mae Anderson and Anne D'Innocenzio reported from New York. Candice Choi contributed from Paramus, N.J. Tamara Lush contributed from Tampa, Fla. Mitch Weiss contributed from Greenville, S.C. Stephen Singer contributed from Manchester, Conn. Dinesh Ramde contributed from Milwaukee. Rodrique Ngowi contributed from Watertown, Mass. Tom Krisher contributed to this report from Ann Arbor, Mich., and Toledo, Ohio.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-11-23-US-Black%20Friday/id-9353632f52d84169a8e993dd88c1af4b

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The Road Map To A Happy Marriage | JewishPress

Published: November 22nd, 2012

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Creating direction in a marriage is similar to going on a long journey. To get to where you want to go, you need to have a plan that includes directions, supplies and the ability to navigate along the way. You will also have to be prepared for many possible factors that may interfere with your trip, including wind, rain, unpredictable mechanical breakdown and human error. Most importantly you will need a map to guide and help reorient you in case you lose your way.

Many couples who seek my advice are simply lacking the guidance of a relationship road map.

Take Shmuel, 25 and Rivky, 23. They came to speak with me about the lack of excitement and enthusiasm in their marriage. They had only been married for about six months, but were already feeling as if they were traveling down a bumpy road to an unknown destination.

From the outset they looked like the perfect couple ? well-dressed, articulate and extremely well-educated. All of the excitement surrounding their engagement period and wedding had just about ended. Now, in their sixth month of marriage, they were feeling unequipped to deal with each other?s emotional needs. They were constantly bickering about the small things ? like garbage collection, cooking dinner and cleaning up around the house.

Marriage wasn?t supposed to be so hard. Unable to cope, they started to withdraw from one another, instead of working together to solve their problems. It?s important to note that these were two healthy individuals who had the potential to have a great marriage, but they were lacking a roadmap or emotional GPS that could guide them on how to communicate and gain greater understanding of one another.

This couple?s relationship was clearly going off course. They needed guidance to stay focused on their destination.

To make their job easier, I suggested that they follow an emotional road map based upon what I call ?The Four C?s of Relationship Theory: Connection, Control, Communication, and Conflict Resolution.? Together, they provide a clear guide to help couples evaluate where their relationship is going, and where and how to make changes if necessary.

Imagine, for example, if Shmuel and Rivky could read each other?s minds and understand what makes the other happy or sad, or scared and the way each wants to be cared for.

The Four C?s help couples see the bigger picture, and then make a distinction between the areas that demand attention, and those matters that are superficial and should not be the focus of their relationship. For example, you may find yourself arguing over small things like washing the dishes or doing the laundry. You may also be feeling as if your spouse is overly controlling and denies your feelings. Or, you may feel the two of you are drifting apart and aren?t as connected as you used to be. If so, should you try to be more assertive? Or should you learn more about you spouse?s inner world, increase the amount of quality time you spend together, and carefully work through their issues with them? A look at the Four C?s should provide an answer.

The following chart summarizes the principles of Relationship Theory.

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The First ?C?: Connecting to
Your Spouse?s Inner World

Learning about the total person you are married to is one of the main goals of marriage. As a therapist, I help couples explore both sides of their personalities ? their external behavioral characteristics as well as their inner emotional worlds.

It?s important to note, that as human beings, we live in two distinct emotional worlds: an outer world and an inner world. The outer world is merely a fa?ade, a layer which covers up our deeper and unseen emotions. The inner world, however, is the place that holds the key to understanding what makes people tick. Regrettably, many husbands and wives never learn about the complex and delicate issues in the other?s inner world; each relates only to the other?s outer or external side of their personality.

How in touch are you with your spouse?s inner world? Listed below are common negative behaviors that are based upon underlying ?inner? world emotions. Take a few moments to evaluate your awareness of these issues.

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About the Author: Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch, MA, is an expert in marriage, pre-marriage education, and working with teenagers at risk. He is the executive director of Shalom Task Force and maintains a private practice in Brooklyn. For an appointment or to watch his free video series on marriage and parenting, visit www.JewishMarriageSupport.com call 646-428-4723 or email: rabbischonbuch@yahoo.com. For more information visit www.shalomtaskforce.org or call the hotline at 1-888-883-2323.

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Source: http://www.jewishpress.com/sections/family/marriage-relationships/the-road-map-to-a-happy-marriage-2/2012/11/22/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-road-map-to-a-happy-marriage-2

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