Abigail Noble: Impact Investing: How Do We Harness the Hype?

There is a lot of hype about impact investing. Investors speak of a 1 trillion USD sized market. Social enterprises reposition their business model and restructure their financial model to attract, absorb and grow through investor capital. Despite the enthusiasm, the actual volume of impact investment transactions remains minimal at best. The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship took this week at Davos to convene several important discussions about how to harness the hype and create results that are both practical and impactful.

On Tuesday, before the Annual Meeting began, the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship hosted a private discussion on the possible future scenarios for impact investing. The participants were asked to map out what the space could ideally look like in 2030, and work backwards to identify the constraints and facilitating factors for this ideal state. The intimate discussion, which included a handful social entrepreneurs and several mainstream investors who are just entering the space, was moderated by Professor Johanna Mair, Chair of the Global Agenda Council on Social Innovation and Editor of the Stanford Social Innovation Review.

Later in the week, the Schwab Foundation and the investors community of the World Economic Forum co-hosted a gathering that brought together some 30 CEOs, CFOs and Chief Investment Officers of the world`s most powerful private equity, venture capital, and investment management firms with 20 leading social entrepreneurs, as well as important players in the field including foreign investment authorities, pension funds and leading business professors. In an interactive and dynamic simulation, they were challenged to build a concrete investment case comprising both an economic and ESG (environmental, social, governance) bottom line. This exercise helped build empathy and a spirit of collaboration among the diverse participant group. The ensuring dialogue created actionable next steps and helped defuse some of the hype around the impact investment class.

Discussions like these are critical to help investors and social entrepreneurs start speaking the same language. Financial institutions like UBS, which recently launched at $100 million impact investment fund, have already made large commitments to the field. However, there is still a dearth of information for newer investors on how to navigate the impact investing sector.

For this reason the Schwab Foundation partnered with Credit Suisse to produce the report Investing for impact: how social entrepreneurship is redefining the meaning of return. Contributors include Jed Emerson, Cathy Clark, and Acumen Fund's Brian Trelstad and Rob Katz. The investment profiles of five social enterprises in the Schwab Foundation network are featured in the report. Working in sectors as diverse as health care, education, and job creation, these organizations are united by their innovative yet pragmatic approaches to solving social problems. They are:

? Felipe Vergara of Lumni in the US and Latin America; investment funds would be used to set up a Chile Fund to finance the university education of low-income students
? Asher Hasan of Naya Jeevan in Pakistan; equity and grant funding would underwrite a new initiative to provide health insurance to workers making less than $6 a day
? Patrick Shofield of The Indalo Project in South Africa; grants and low-interest loans would be used to establish twelve new craft producer groups
? Bam Aquino of Hapinoy in the Philippines; investment funds would allow Hapinoy to expand its model to less developed islands in the archipelago
? Kyle Zimmer of First Book; a loan will finance expansion of their services to reach 35,000 children in Mumbai, India.

The social enterprise sector is on the cusp of achieving significant scale and impact, thanks in no small part to the recent influx of investment capital. But to ensure the capital remains a tool to build the sector and not the other way round, investors must take the longer view, get comfortable assuming greater levels of risk, and be willing to deploy a mix of financial tools most suitable for social enterprises' needs. And take heart: you are laying the foundations for a new economy.

?

Follow Abigail Noble on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ab_noble

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/abigail-noble/impact-investing-how-do-w_b_1240237.html

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Expected Growth in the Communications Field Entices Students to ...

Our online degree rankings are primarily based on several factors, including faculty and program popularity, peer and educational quality, and general affordability.

Although Americans have been experiencing an economic downturn, according to a recent report from Veronis Suhler Stevenson, the U.S. communications industry is projected to increase at a 5.5 percent compound annual growth rate from 2010 to 2015 to $1.41 trillion. This growth comes on the heels of the explosion of Internet-based computer and mobile technologies, which are expected to continue to evolve and flourish. For prospective students, this proves there has never been a better time to obtain a communication degree or further their education with a Masters in Communication. Featuring the benefits and requirements for obtaining a communication degree or Masters in Communication, CommunicationDegreeGuides.org informs people about the important things to consider when advancing their education. These essentials include admissions prerequisites, majors, tuition and curriculum, and more. Visitors can also learn about the variety of career opportunities and potential salaries within the communications industry. Due to the flexibility and affordability of online degrees, an increasing number of people are choosing to pursue their communication degree through Internet-based programs. But according to CommunicationDegreeGuides.org, because online communication degrees can vary greatly in quality, it is essential to perform extensive research to find the top-rated program. ?To assist with that investigation, we?ve put together a rating of what we have determined to be the most effective online and distance studying master?s degree programs in communication, journalism and public relations,? states the site. ?Our online degree rankings are primarily based on several factors, including faculty and program popularity, peer and educational quality, and general affordability.? CommunicationDegreeGuides.org also offers a guide to some of the careers available to people once they have obtained their communication degree or Masters in Communications. These include jobs within the marketing, advertising, public relations, political science, financial, sales and non-profit sectors. Advanced communication skills are considered by companies to be one of the most desired traits in employees. To develop their interpersonal skills even further and make themselves a more valuable asset to future employers, numerous people are choosing to acquire a higher degree. To learn the benefits of obtaining a communication degree or Masters in Communication, visit http://www.CommunicationDegreeGuides.org About CommunicationDegreeGuides.org: CommunicationDegreeGuides.org provides visitors with the array of benefits associated with acquiring a communications degree or masters in communication. Featuring an assortment of information pertaining to the communications field, people can read about topics such as typical salary ranges, available positions, education requirements and prerequisites and more.

Source: Press Release Distribution

Source: http://pressreleaseexamples.net/expected-growth-in-the-communications-field-entices-students-to-obtain-a-masters-in-communication

dragnet

Ex-soldier behind Papua New Guinea mutiny arrested (AP)

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea ? A retired colonel who attempted to take over Papua New Guinea's military and ordered the prime minister to step down has been arrested.

Police spokesman Dominic Kakas said Yaura Sasa was arrested Saturday night in a suburb of Port Moresby, the capital. He said Sunday that Sasa had yet to be charged with a crime.

Sasa led a small group of soldiers in a mutiny Thursday in which the military's top commander was briefly held under house arrest. The mutiny was part of a power struggle in which Prime Minister Peter O'Neill and former Prime Minister Michael Somare claim to be the rightful leader of the South Pacific nation.

Sasa demanded that O'Neill step down within a week to make way for Somare, who appointed Sasa defense chief after being removed from office.

Parliament replaced Somare with O'Neill in August while Somare was getting medical treatment outside the country. Papua New Guinea's Supreme Court sided with Somare last month, but O'Neill continues to have support from lawmakers.

Somare issued a statement Sunday repeating his call to be reinstated, and calling on police and the military to join him.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_re_as/as_papua_new_guinea_mutiny

revenge

Jennifer Diley Calls BS on Steven Tyler, American Idol

Jennifer Diley auditioned for American Idol in San Diego Sunday - on an episode that will be replayed at 8 p.m. tonight on Fox - and did not make the Hollywood cut. Case closed, right?

Not so much.

The aspiring singer, who donned a tube top and very short shorts, has gone public with complaints over producers forcing her to choose from a list of "flirty" songs. (She ended up covering "With You" by Jessica Simpson and "Hero" by Mariah Carey, neither of which she had rehearsed.).

Jennifer Diley American Idol Audition

Diley is also apparently mad at Steven Tyler because he supposedly told her off-air that he loved her outfit... and then remained silent while she was mocked for it during the audition. The nerve!

Informed off this random complaint, Tyler's manager told TMZ: "You are telling me some provocatively dressed woman is claiming Steven Tyler flirted with her? I am shocked."

As for auditions of people who can actually sing, we recommend fans keep an eye on Ashley Robles. She has serious potential.

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/jennifer-diley-calls-bs-on-steven-tyler-american-idol/

october 21 2011

Jerry Ashton: Hip Hop: Time to Occupy It

"Hip Hop was stolen from us just like the economy was stolen from Americans by Wall Street," declares famed hip-hop photographer, 'Brother Ernie' Paniccioli.

And, he finds this to be grand theft at its worst. "As close as I can determine, hip hop earns between $250-500 billion a year. This includes ticket sales, hip hop clothing and merchandise, books, magazines and record sales as well as hip hop themed movies, DVD's etc. There is no 'trickle-down.' It all goes to the 1 percent at the top."

Any man who reveres David Lynch, John Coltrane, Richie Havens, The Dalai Lama, Public Enemy and Lee "Scratch" Perry and has done books on Punk, Hip Hop and Collage, is a member of The Universal Zulu Nation and a honorary member of The Black Panther Party is respected as a free thinker, if not a rebel.

Appropriately, he has gathered together a significant number of people who agree with him -- enough to make this movement and his Facebook page "Occupy Hip Hop Ernie Paniccioli," a must-visit site for music activists.

Relentless in his scorn, Ernie sees most of present-day hip hop and rap as being "the voice of the colonizer and the exploiter -- to make people who love hip hop into subservient consumers."

In Ernie's mind, what originated as a "voice for the voiceless" has become just one more way for Wall Street to extract money from people's pockets. "It is a war for the hearts and mind of our children," and he and his adherents are intent in promoting non-violent direct action and he is rallying them to "identify, unite and take action."

"It was first necessary to identify and target that which is wrong in commercialized rap and hip hop and how it is hurting us," Ernie says. (As example, the top 10 rap songs of 2009 were those that glorified the top 10 killers of black people: drugs, alcohol, unprotected sex, etc.)

"If you trace all of these things... follow the money... it all goes down to a certain small clique of criminal-minded people. It is organized, and it is criminal -- it is organized crime. And, we in the community are seriously considering a RICO action against this out-of-balance and out-of-control media."

Pride, courage, consciousness and clarity have been co-opted by people touting pimps and "hoes." "Hip hop was never pure, but it was organic. Today, this stuff is created in a lab by a mad scientist. Throw in a certain amount of profanity, the N-word, 'hate women' lyrics, violence and machismo, and you have a hit."

Ernie doesn't want to see the Occupy Hip Hop movement to become the music police, but a force to bring about a level music field in which everyone has a chance to be heard. Essentially, he feels the community is being subjected to the tyrannical equivalent of the musical 1 percent.

"How come we don't hear the music of the 99 percent?

We're trying to expand the vocabulary, and rap is an oral tradition. What once was used to bring people together now serves to separate them. Hip hop has always been here -- always a native vibe, a spiritual force that came from the people."

Ernie understands the power of social media in this struggle against mainstream media and leverages it in his Internet presence. "The FCC is asleep at the wheel, which is why we need to have our voices heard," Ernie declares. "Media has done all that they can do to suppress dissent and have their way.

This "dumbing down" is not accidental -- the dumbed-down masses are easier to control (and sell to), and we are sick of it."

Ernie goes into significant detail at Manifesto.com and his piece "So Much Things to Say" as well as his poem "Thank You" on YouTube as a self-described "Big Red Alarm Clock."

"You will better understand how to hold Hip Hop... that force that evolved from the outcry concerning the decimation of the inner city... what we have termed the the urban blight."

"Today's blight is the music that attempts to pass for hip hop and rap," Ernie growls.
(You can check out Ernie's Facebook Page here).

?

Follow Jerry Ashton on Twitter: www.twitter.com/WrittenOffUSA

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jerry-ashton/hip-hop-time-to-occupy-it_b_1220881.html

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Minn. bear delivers at least 2 cubs on Internet (AP)

ELY, Minn. ? A 3-year-old bear in Minnesota has given birth to at least two cubs before an Internet audience.

Lynn Rogers of the Wildlife Research Institute, affiliated with North American Bear Center, says Jewel gave birth in a den near Ely to the first cub at 7:22 a.m. Sunday, and a second at 8:40.

According to the Duluth News Tribune (http://bit.ly/xuFrjP), Rogers says a third cub might have been born at 9:08 a.m., but the den camera's view was blocked.

Rogers and his colleagues recorded the birth of a bear named Hope in 2010. A Hunter killed Hope last year.

Jewel is the younger sister of Lily, who gave birth to Hope. A hunter killed Hope last year.

___

Online:

North American Bear Center: http://www.bear.org

___

Information from: Duluth News Tribune, http://www.duluthsuperior.com

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_re_us/us_internet_bear_sister

tom bradley

6 Things to Know Before Starting a Business

This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

An entrepreneur?s life can be a real roller coaster. Having started a few businesses in my career, I thought it would be useful to highlight some of the hard-won experience I?ve learned throughout the process ? the kind of advice I wish I?d known when I started my first, or even second, business.

---

1. Don?t Underestimate a Business Plan

---

If you?re not seeking outside funding at the start, it?s tempting to forgo writing out a formal business plan. However, taking the time to write out your business plan, forecasts and marketing strategy is a particularly effective way to hone your vision. All planning should center around two essential questions: How is my business serving a particular need or pain point, and does this represent a major market opportunity?

In addition, don?t overlook the exit strategy at the beginning. Do you want your children to take over the company? Do you want to sell it? It?s critical to think about these questions from the start, as the building blocks of your company (such as legal structure) should vary depending on your preferred final outcome.

---

2. Don?t Get Stuck in the Past

---

My husband and I launched our first online legal document filing service in 1997, and then re-entered the market with our second company in 2009. While our previous experience certainly gave us a leg up the second time around, we soon realized the market landscape had changed dramatically since our first company. We had to stop dwelling on previous competitors, customer needs and service expectations and write a brand new playbook.

The marketplace and your business plan are living entities; they?re continually in flux. Whether it?s your first company or fifth in a given market, you?ve got to keep asking: What do we need to do today?

---

3. Don?t Hire Friends

---

I form bonds quickly and make fast friends with people around me. While I generally consider this a positive trait, it has created some difficult situations when running a business. At times I have been reluctant to let employees go even though I know it?s not a good fit. If things aren?t working out between an employee and startup, it?s time to put feelings aside and trust that the person will find a better situation elsewhere.

Unfortunately, I?ve also learned that people can let you down, ranging from laziness to fraud. I still believe that faith in people is a good thing. However, blind faith can bring trouble.

---

4. Don?t Dive in Without a Plan

---

Just like the business plan, it?s critical to think through any initiative you wish to launch. When you?re in the midst of startup fever, it?s easy to get wrapped up with every new idea. However, be careful of losing focus. Moving forward is critical for any startup, and constantly switching directions can impede this forward progress. With each new idea, step back and think how it fits into your company?s overall goal and vision, then create a plan for how to make it happen.

---

5. Don?t Fall Into a Discount Trap

---

At the beginning, too many young companies feel the pressure to heavily discount their prices in order to win business. While customer acquisition is important, attracting customers at unsustainable price levels will just result in a race to the bottom. After all, raising your prices on goods and certain services can be a tricky proposition. I?ve learned that you?re better off in the long run focusing on how to bring more value to customers, rather than simply slashing your prices.

---

6. Don?t Be Afraid to Fail

---

Soccer coach Sven-Goran Eriksson once said, ?The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure.? An entrepreneur?s path is uncharted and sometimes a little bumpy. It?s easy to get stressed or downright panicked, but you cannot let fear prevent you from following your dreams. Think of it this way: the sooner you fail, the closer you are to discovering what works.

---

Conclusion

---

While you can?t guarantee the outcome of any new venture, you can stack the odds in your favor. These are six lessons I?ve learned over time and countless others are out there. If you?re open, you can gain wisdom from everything you try and gather insight from fellow entrepreneurs. What do you wish you knew when you started your first business?

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, ineskoleva

Source: http://mashable.com/2012/01/21/6-things-starting-business/

red tails

Bayer, Onyx cancer drug shows modest improvement in survival

A colorectal cancer drug under development by Bayer HealthCare modestly improved overall survival in some of the sickest patients in a late-stage trial, partner Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc.? ? Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. Latest from The Business Journals Bayer, Onyx cancer drug shows modest improvement in survivalCresa opens East Bay office; more growth to comeDealmakers seek to reset biotech clock Follow this company said Tuesday, and Bayer will seek Food and Drug Administration approval of the drug this year.

The median overall survival of patients on experimental regorafenib was 6.4 months. That compares to five months for patients who were given a placebo.

Onyx called the finding, released at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's gastrointestinal cancer meeting in San Francisco, statistically significant. But critics appeared less than wowed by the small improvement.

The companies also said the 760-patient study showed that patients on regorafenib had a better median progression-free survival rate than those on placebo -- 1.9 months versus 1.7 months -- and a better disease control rate.

Source: http://feeds.bizjournals.com/~r/vertical_38/~3/f6CACCRVFvE/bayer-onyx-cancer-drug-shows-modest.html

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Surprise! Senators with Huge Campaign Contributions from Media Support SOPA/PIPA [Sopa]

It's an old clich? in politics to "follow the money." Unfortunately, it's almost always true when it comes to the support of controversial bills. In fact, all you need is $100k per senator to buy support for PIPA, the Senates version of SOPA. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/rZr6KbzgVGg/surprise-senators-with-huge-campaign-contributions-from-media-support-sopapipa

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iPad Boxes Stuffed With Clay On Sale in Canada [Wtf]

When a bunch of fraudsters wanted free iPads, they purchased them, removed the iPad, packed the box with clay and returned it to the store. Cheeky, illegal, but ingenious. Only, the stores then sold the clay to unsuspecting customers. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/vLOy5MKP8eU/ipads-boxes-stuffed-with-clay-on-sale-in-canada

david blaine

Congress to speed up on transit bills (Politico)

The House returns Tuesday to a mountain of unresolved transportation issues with little room for error and little time to get up to speed.

There will be immediate urgency for both chambers (the Senate reconvenes Jan. 23) to address the Federal Aviation Administration, as its funding expires Jan. 31. That?s just the beginning ? transit riders are clamoring for an expired tax provision to be renewed and the trucking industry is in a frenzy over new hours-of-service rules. Just around the corner: Surface transportation law runs out March 31.

Continue Reading

Partisan bickering on extending a 2 percent payroll tax cut past Feb. 29 could easily suck up the oxygen in Congress and lead to further stopgap extensions on FAA and highway funding ? an unpalatable scenario for leaders after 30 extensions over more than 2,400 days for the two laws.

?If we want to ensure we have high unemployment, have stopgaps. If we want to have high employment,? we need new bills, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) said in an interview.

Here?s a look at how Congress left transportation when it bolted in December and what it now has to do about it.

Stop the shutdown

Avoiding a possible second partial FAA shutdown in six months is a must. A two-week stalemate last summer over Essential Air Service subsidies for rural flights put 4,000 FAA employees out of work, cost the Airport Improvement Program more than $300 million and reflected poorly on Capitol Hill as a whole.

Funding expires in exactly two weeks, and Congress had 4? months since the last stopgap to work on a new long-term bill, the most breathing room since 2009. Optimism on getting a new four-year bill persisted until winter set in, when it was revealed controversial National Mediation Board language over how union election votes are interpreted forced negotiations between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).

Mica said leadership staff made ?minor progress? during negotiations over the winter recess and that discussions on the labor issue, general funding levels, the Essential Air Service program and flight slots at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport are fluid but within reach. Still, the clock is ticking.

?There?s going to be an emergency assessment [this] week when we get back,? Mica said. ?If I don?t have an agreement or time to finish the language, ? we have to kind of convene a quick conference.?

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories0112_71497_html/44201136/SIG=11mfeokis/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71497.html

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NeowinFeed: Microsoft finally issues SOPA opposition statement #microsoft #sopa http://t.co/OBSux0hE #neowin

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Microsoft finally issues SOPA opposition statement #microsoft #sopa neow.in/xElVX8 #neowin Il y a environ 5 heures via twitterfeed Retweeted by 12 people

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Source: http://twitter.com/NeowinFeed/statuses/159472364021755904

mississippi personhood

Video: Happy birthday to Muhammad Ali and Betty White

Former boxing champ Muhammad Ali turned 70 today and beloved actress Betty White turned 90. NBC?s Brian Williams reports.

Related Links:

http://www.facebook.com/nbcnightlynews

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/46032086/

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Tanker carrying fuel arrives at iced-in AK town (AP)

NOME, Alaska ? Crews worked to build a path Sunday over a half-mile of Bering Sea ice for the final leg of a Russian tanker's mission to deliver fuel to a town isolated amid one of the most severe Alaska winters in decades.

The tanker was moored roughly a half-mile from Nome's harbor after a Coast Guard cutter cleared a path for it through hundreds of miles of a slow journey stalled by thick ice and strong ocean currents.

The tanker got into position Saturday night, and ice disturbed by its journey had to freeze again so workers could create some sort of roadway to lay a hose that will transfer 1.3 million gallons of fuel from the tanker to the harbor in Nome.

On Sunday, workers spent the morning walking around the vessel and checking the ice to make sure it was safe to lay the hose, which will take about four hours, said Jason Evans, board chairman of the Sitnasuak Native Corp.

With the tanker and the Coast Guard ice breaker sitting just offshore and poised to deliver the fuel, Evans said the bulk of the mission's biggest challenges were now behind the crew.

Still, the final job of transferring fuel from the ship to the town comes with its own hurdles: In addition to waiting for the ice to freeze, crews must begin the transfer in daylight, a state mandate. But Nome has just five hours of daylight this time of year.

"In theory, it was possible and in reality, it now is done," Evans said of the journey.

A storm prevented Nome's 3,500 residents from getting a fuel delivery by barge in November. Without the tanker delivery, supplies of diesel fuel, gasoline and home heating fuel Nome are expected to run out in March and April, well before a barge delivery again in late May or June.

The tanker began its journey from Russia in mid-December, picking up diesel fuel in South Korea, then headed to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, where it took on unleaded gasoline. Late Thursday, the vessels stopped offshore and began planning the transfer to Nome, more than 500 miles from Anchorage on Alaska's west coast.

Despite the complicated logistics of delivering fuel by sea in winter, Sitnasuak opted for the extra delivery after determining that it would be much less costly and more practical than flying fuel to Nome.

Mark Smith, CEO of Vitus Marine LLC, the fuel supplier that arranged to have the Russian tanker and its crew deliver the fuel to Nome, described the challenges as substantial, partly because winter has been especially harsh in the region this year. He said that moving the tanker even with the help of the cutter through more than 300 miles of pack-ice was "a very profound obstacle."

"It seems that every day brought a new crisis," he said. "Opinion appeared to be divided in Nome where some welcomed the arrival of the tanker and others thought it was a manufactured and unnecessary crisis."

Cari Miller was among the residents unconvinced a real crisis was at hand. The 43-year-old mother, who has lived in Nome for eight years, said she believed that another fuel provider in town had plenty of fuel for the community.

"We do not have a fuel crisis," she said. "It wasn't necessary."

Kwan Yi, 40, a maintenance worker at the Polaris Bar in Nome, faulted Sitnasuak for not arranging for barge delivery earlier last fall, but he believed the town was in need of fuel. He said he was still pleased the fuel tanker had arrived after struggling with frozen pipes and gas leaks caused by the unusually cold weather.

The crew of the 370-foot tanker Renda was working to ensure the safe transfer of the fuel through a segmented hose that will be laid on top of the ice to the harbor, located about 2,100 feet from the ship, Wadlow said in a telephone interview from Nome on Saturday night.

Once crews create a suitable path for the hose to rest on, its segments will have to be bolted together and inspected before the fuel can begin to flow.

Though the transfer must start during daylight, it can continue in darkness, Betty Schorr of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation has said. It could be finished within 36 hours if everything goes smoothly, but it could take as long as five days, she said.

Evans said once the hose is laid down, personnel will walk its entire length every 30 minutes to check it for leaks. Each segment of hose will have its own spill containment area, and extra absorbent boom will be on hand in case of a spill.

Evans, however, cautioned that delivering the fuel is only half the mission.

"The ships need to transition back through 300 miles of ice," he said. "I say we're not done until the ships are safely back at their home ports" in Seattle and Russia.

___

Online:

Coast Guard webcam, http://bit.ly/wEsemi

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120115/ap_on_re_us/us_nome_iced_in

oregon stanford

In La Jolla people-versus-seals battle, tide has yet to turn

Reporting from San Diego?

On the beach at the Children's Pool, curious tourists and locals, many with cameras at the ready, approached the dozens of harbor seals sleeping in the noonday sun.

From her vantage point on the sidewalk overlooking the horseshoe-shaped beach, Dorota Valli, a volunteer with the unofficial Seal Watch Campaign, was ready with her bullhorn.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she announced sternly, "please stay behind the rope. The seals are pregnant and they need their rest. No picture is worth hurting the seals."

At the other end of the sidewalk, near the lifeguard tower, were activists of an opposing stripe who believe Valli and her group are robbing the citizens of San Diego of the right to enjoy the breakwater-protected beach and its tranquil access to the ocean.

"They're shutting down the only man-made beach dedicated by trust for the children," said David Pierce of the San Diego Council of Divers. "You don't have to be against the seals to be in favor of humans."

In a city with chronic financial problems and the usual set of urban dilemmas, there appears to be no issue that has engendered as much passion for the last two decades as the confluence of people and seals at the Children's Pool beach in La Jolla.

Opposing sides in the dispute have set up tables, large informational signs and stacks of handout literature that they believe bolsters their cases. Both sides are armed with cameras.

Each will tell tales on the other. Each feels the other is misguided and selfish.

The pro-seal group has pictures and videos that they say show seals being harassed or injured. The divers have information about how the pro-seals attorney was once cited for using a stun gun and sentenced to anger management classes.

To Valli, the Children's Pool is the only seal rookery on the mainland south of Santa Barbara County. To Pierce, it's where spear fishermen for decades entered the ocean to hunt lobsters and white sea bass and where families taught their children to swim.

The dispute over whether seals or humans should have priority at the Children's Pool has flared since the seals, for reasons unknown, appeared en masse, abandoning their historic haunts on the large rocks just offshore.

In recent years the dispute took on renewed fervor when the city of San Diego put up a rope barrier to discourage people from approaching the marine mammals during the pupping season, from mid-December to mid-May.

After the city put up the rope barrier last month, Pierce's group held a protest on the beach, thrusting a real estate-style banner saying "open" into the sand near the seals.

On Friday, the La Jolla Friends of the Seals filed a lawsuit against Mayor Jerry Sanders and City Atty. Jan Goldsmith to force them to fulfill a promise by the City Council to close the beach entirely during pupping season.

The current barrier allows humans to stand a dozen or so yards behind the seals or flank them to the right to gain access to the water. "You shouldn't have to tiptoe around the seals to get into the water," Pierce said.

Meanwhile, the city's request for a permit for a year-round rope barrier is pending before the California Coastal Commission. "Barrier," however, is a bit of misnomer because it is easily breached.

Although the two sides are still passionate about the Children's Pool, the reigning emotion over the issue at City Hall is exhaustion after years of litigation and an estimated $1 million in legal fees.

For years, the city was in the middle of a legal pingpong match: a federal judge saying the Marine Mammal Protection Act demanded that the seals be protected; a state judge saying the 1931 Tideland Grant required that the beach be kept open for children.

In hopes of finding an endgame, the council asked the state Legislature in 2009 to amend the grant, which originally called for the beach to be for children, as requested by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps, who financed the breakwater.

A bill allowing the city to declare the beach a marine sanctuary was passed and signed by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Amid the legal and political wrangling over their presence, the seals have become a tourist magnet. Tour buses bring visitors daily. Rare is the day when the sidewalk is not crammed with people admiring the sleeping animals.

Bryan Pease, attorney for La Jolla Friends of the Seals, says it is wrong to pose the issue as an inter-species dispute.

"It's not seals versus people,'' Pease said as a line of tourists and locals walked by slowly. "Look at all these people: They love the seals. It's those guys" ? pointing to Pierce and the others ? "versus all the people."

As for the stun gun issue, Pease said that was six years ago and he was being accosted by a drunk.

tony.perry@latimes.com

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/wGZWNLhOCG0/la-me-seals-20120109,0,3681323.story

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PFT: Dolphins moving on from Fisher

Getty Images

The story of the early phase of the 2012 offseason will come from Indianapolis, and it will focus on the payment of $28 million due and owing to Colts quarterback Peyton Manning on or about March 8.

Peter King reported during the NBC wild-card pregame on Saturday that the Colts and Manning may be amenable to pushing the deadline back.? On Sunday, Chris Mortensen of ESPN said that Colts owner Jim Irsay and Manning each were ?emphatic? that there have been no discussions about moving the date.

In this regard, Manning holds the cards.? The March 8 trigger, which comes before the new league year begins, wasn?t selected accidentally.? Agent Tom Condon wanted Peyton to have the upper hand, forcing the Colts to fork over $28 million or cut Peyton loose.

If Peyton truly wants to stay with the Colts and if both sides agree come early March that he?s not yet healthy, it should be a no-brainer to bump the deadline deeper into the year.? But if Irsay intends, as Tony Dungy believes, to keep Manning ?if healthy? and also draft Andrew Luck, Peyton may want a new place to play.

I?ve said for months that Peyton won?t want the Colts to take Luck, not when they could trade the selection and get Peyton multiple players and/or draft picks aimed at helping Peyton win another Super Bowl or two.? Ordinarily, a player like Peyton would have no choice but to go along with whatever the team tries to do.? In Peyton?s case, if there?s any question about his health and if Irsay is skittish about the possibility of sending Manning?s total haul for two seasons north of $50 million with no guarantee he?ll ever take another snap, a decision to dig in could get Peyton his freedom.

And so Peyton may indeed be willing to delay the due date on the bonus ? if he gets an assurance that the first overall pick in the 2012 draft won?t be looming over the shoulder of the first overall pick in the 1998 draft.

It?s doubtful such an assurance could come.? As Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star explained this week on PFT Live, Irsay needs to think about the future, not the past.? Without Luck, the Colts could return to their hard-luck ways of the past.? Which could eventually cause empty seats to infiltrate Lucas Oil Stadium.

And which, as Kravitz fears, could put the Colts in line for a move to the place where the team Robert Irsay originally owed once played its home games.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/08/glazer-dolphins-moving-on-from-fisher/related/

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Romney rivals go after front-runner on primary eve (AP)

MANCHESTER, N.H. ? Mitt Romney's declaration that "I like being able to fire people" set off a tempest on the eve of the New Hampshire Republican primary as his rivals seized a chance to rough up his presidential prospects beyond the race he's expected to win Tuesday.

Never mind that Romney was talking about American consumers being able to "fire" their health insurance companies, not about a boss laying off workers. His off-the-cuff comments Monday played into growing questions about whether his drive for profits at a private equity firm came at the expense of workers.

"Gov. Romney enjoys firing people, I enjoy creating jobs," GOP rival Jon Huntsman told reporters at a Concord, N.H., rally. "It may be that he's slightly out of touch with the economic reality playing out in America, and that's a dangerous place for someone to be."

Newt Gingrich said Romney's firm "apparently looted" the companies it took over, and he promised a clamorous challenge ahead, no matter what happens in New Hampshire.

"I spent three weeks with Gov. Romney saying a variety of foolish things like, you need broad shoulders, and, you need to stand the heat," Gingrich said. "I mean, fine, OK, I've got broad shoulders, I can stand the heat. Now, we'll see if he has broad shoulders and he can stand the heat."

The former Massachusetts governor, who had practically adopted New Hampshire as his home, has held a comfortable lead in pre-primary polls, leaving his opponents essentially vying for second place while hoping New Hampshire's capacity to spring a surprise might yet break their way.

Romney tried to shrug off the fallout from his remarks ? and the piling on.

"Free enterprise will be on trial," he told reporters. "I thought it was going to come from the president, from the Democrats, from the left, but instead it's coming from Speaker Gingrich and apparently others and that's just part of the process. I'm not worried about that.

"I've got broad shoulders," he said once again, "and I'm happy to describe my experience in the private economy."

Rivals quickened their drumbeat of criticism against him in the fast-paced finale of the New Hampshire campaign. Much of it is centered on his tenure at Bain Capital when it took over a host of companies, growing some and closing others.

Romney has never substantiated his claim that he helped create more than 100,000 jobs at Bain, an assertion key to his economically centered candidacy. That has left him vulnerable to charges by Democrats, and increasingly his GOP opponents, that he was merely a corporate takeover artist who put profits ahead of workers.

Declaring "I don't believe in unilateral disarmament," Gingrich promised a tougher tone in the race, which he had previewed in weekend debates. "Mitt Romney cannot campaign with a straight face as a conservative," said the former House speaker, soon to be aided by an ad campaign in South Carolina assailing Romney and his Bain record.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, rocked by a poor showing in the Iowa caucuses, echoed Gingrich's line of attack from South Carolina, having passed up the New Hampshire race.

"I have no doubt that Mitt Romney was worried about pink slips ? whether he'd have enough of them to hand out," Perry told several dozen breakfast patrons in Anderson, S.C. That was a slap at Romney's recent comment that he worried about getting a pink slip during his executive career.

Perry cited South Carolina companies that downsized under Bain's control, and said it would be an "insult" for Romney to come to the state and ask for voters' support in easing economic pain.

"He caused it," Perry said, describing himself as best positioned to untangle the "unholy alliance between Washington and Wall Street."

Former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu, a prominent Romney supporter, shot back that Gingrich and Perry are talking not just like Democrats, but socialists.

"Sometimes the socialists are Republicans," Sununu said at Romney's Manchester, N.H., headquarters, where the candidate stopped to make a few calls to voters. "I would not be using comments that sound like they could have been written in the White House."

Despite the swirling questions about workers who lost their jobs at Bain-owned companies, Romney chose to liken consumers in the health care market to employers who get to lay people off. "I like being able to fire people who provide services to me," he said, looking weary, at a Nashua Chamber of Commerce breakfast.

"If someone doesn't give me the good service I need, I want to say, you know, `I'm going to get somebody else to provide that service to me.'"

Alone among the half dozen contenders, Perry skipped New Hampshire. But several others are looking to South Carolina, too, to help level the playing field, conceding Romney's advantage in his neighborhood.

One of them was Rick Santorum, who came within eight votes of upsetting Romney in Iowa only to find New Hampshire a tough sell.

"Second place would be a dream come true," Santorum told reporters, who outnumbered supporters on a chilly soccer field in Nashua. He is hoping his social conservative credentials will serve him better in South Carolina, which votes Jan. 21.

The candidates were all but tripping over each other Monday, concentrating their day in the southern half of New Hampshire, known for holding town-hall meetings in actual town halls.

Meantime the advertising scene has quickly turned more negative in South Carolina.

On Monday, Ron Paul's campaign unleashed an ad calling Santorum "another serial hypocrite who can't be trusted," an attempt to counter his rise in South Carolina polls and his growing appeal to social conservatives.

This followed an ad Gingrich began broadcasting Sunday attacking Romney's economic plans.

Paul visited a Manchester diner in the morning, planning to shake hands with patrons, but swiftly departed because of a crush of news camera crews.

The Texas congressman told Fox News his campaign did not plan to contest Florida, which holds its primary Jan. 31, largely for financial reasons. But he said the plan could change if he did well in New Hampshire and South Carolina.

"We're still taking one week at a time, one primary at a time."

Huntsman, who needs a strong New Hampshire performance to stay viable in the race, had perhaps the most frantic pace Monday, with seven stops on his itinerary from Lebanon near the Vermont line to the seacoast.

The former Utah governor visited a Lebanon truck stop and took the phone from an employee behind the counter who was speaking with a milk delivery driver. He said he's looking for votes wherever he can find them. "I'm the underdog," he said, a label that applies ? at least in New Hampshire ? to anyone but Romney.

Huntsman was greeted outside a Dover bakery by former state party chairman Fergus Cullen, who said he decided Sunday night to back him. The harsh tone of the GOP race weighed on Cullen.

"I like that he's a positive person, he's not angry," he said of Huntsman. "The party can't give in to its anger."

___

Associated Press writers Brian Bakst in Anderson, S.C., Thomas Beaumont in Columbia, S.C., and Holly Ramer, Brian Bakst, Shannon McCaffrey, Philip Elliott and Kasie Hunt in New Hampshire contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120109/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign

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BIN-CONUS: Canon XH-A1S w/ SONY MRC1K RECORDER FOR $2400

I have a Canon XH-A1s that is in terrific shape minus the rubber cover that goes over the firewire port. It has been used on maybe 8-9 jobs this past year including a couple of weddings and church functions.

It comes with 3 batteries, the charger, a UV filter I put on the lens the day I got it (so the lens is in brand new shape), and I am also including a Sony MRC1K that I have been using to record to CF cards. Since I have primarily been shooting to CF cards, the heads on the camera have very little wear.

The MRC1K comes with two batteries and a charger. I am trying to get this sold fast since I am trying to move on a great deal on a couple of L lenses for my 5D before someone else gets them. So I am willing to negotiate. Also, I am willing to post a video demonstration of the camera on Vimeo if you would like to see it in action.

The listing can be found here: Canon XH-A1S Camcorder - Black (w/ SONY MRC1K CF Memory Recording Unit) (013803101324) | eBay

I am also selling a Letus Extreme 35mm Adapter that I used with the XH-A1s. If this is something you are also interested in then I would be willing to make a great deal on it also with the purchase of this camera.

That listing can be found here: eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices

Source: http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/showthread.php?t=504216&goto=newpost

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Six arrested in anti-police march in Oakland, California

By Emmett Berg

SAN FRANCISCO | Sun Jan 8, 2012 5:43pm EST

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Six people were arrested, one for carrying a quarter-stick of dynamite, during a late-night protest march through downtown Oakland, California, marked by various acts of vandalism, police said on Sunday.

The unrest Saturday night followed Twitter messages calling for an anti-police rally by individuals identifying themselves as supporters of Occupy Oakland, a local offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations against economic inequality.

Organizers said the march was aimed at protesting what they called excessive force by the Oakland Police Department.

The Twitter posts urged demonstrators to dress in black and to assemble at 8 p.m. local time at Frank Ogawa Plaza, the public square taken over by Occupy Oakland activists last fall before they were evicted in a series of clashes with police.

A former U.S. Marine taking part in those protests was gravely injured when he was struck in the head by a tear gas canister fired by police on October 25 during a confrontation that became a rallying cry for the anti-Wall Street movement nationwide. A second Iraq war veteran was hospitalized for severe injuries sustained in a beating by police who arrested him in another round of clashes with protesters days later.

During Saturday night's disturbances, protesters lit a fire at a downtown intersection, threw bottles at police, smashed windows of police patrol cars and vandalized a media van, Oakland Police Officer Johnna Watson said in a statement.

Six individuals were arrested on suspicion of such offenses as assaulting an officer, resisting arrest and vandalism. One was arrested on a charge of possession of an explosive device after being found carrying a quarter-stick of dynamite, the statement said.

Police did not give a crowd estimate for Saturday's protest, but the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the rally drew a few dozen demonstrators. Police said the march was dispersed before midnight.

(Editing by Steve Gorman and Colleen Jenkins)

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/08/us-protest-oakland-idUSTRE8070R620120108?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews&rpc=22&sp=true

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Board approves pay raise for Boise State's coach Pete

BOISE, Idaho (AP) ? Boise State's Chris Petersen has officially joined college football's $2 million coaching club.

The State Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday to give Petersen a $375,000 raise for 2012, the first step toward replacing his old contract with a new five-year deal designed to keep Petersen in Boise through January 2017.

The pay raise and new contract come at the end of another successful season and after reports linking Petersen's name to the year's biggest coaching vacancies, including renewed rumors this week that Penn State intended to make another play for Petersen's services.

"I feel honored and blessed that I will continue to lead this football team," Petersen said in a statement. "I appreciate the support of the administration and Bronco Nation, and I'm excited about the continued growth of this program."

In six seasons at Boise State, Petersen has led the Broncos to a 73-6 record, two BCS bowl victories and elevated the program's profile enough to earn an invitation to join the Big East Conference starting in 2013.

This year, the Broncos finished 12-1 and clobbered Arizona State 56-24 in the MAACO Bowl in Las Vegas last month. Petersen also owns the best winning percentage among active coaches in the Football Bowl Subdivision (.924).

Petersen's current deal, renegotiated and sweetened several times in recent years, called for a 2012 salary of $1.625 million. Under terms of the proposed new deal, Petersen's salary would increase $200,000 in each of the next four years. It also includes new incentive bonuses for meeting academic and athletic goals and an increase of his buyout to $750,000, according to terms provided by athletic officials.

Locking Petersen down to a new deal ? and quelling in the short term perennial rumors linking him to other jobs ? has been one of the primary objectives of Boise State administrators and the school's new athletic director, Mark Coyle, who left Kentucky last month to oversee Broncos athletics.

"Chris Petersen's success in sustaining excellence in football at Boise State has created a unique opportunity for the university to achieve national attention as a school equally dedicated to academic excellence," said university President Bob Kustra. "Chris is a national role model for football coaches across the nation and it is my fondest hope that he will provide that leadership from Boise State for years to come."

The raise and new contract ? which will come from revenue generated by the football program and not state tax dollars ? put Petersen in exclusive company, one of about 40 coaches making at least $2 million annually. But he's also at the bottom of that list and far below the $5 million paid to Texas coach Mack Brown. Other top paid coaches include Alabama's Nick Saban at $4.6 million per year, Oklahoma's Bob Stoops at $4.07 million and Les Miles at LSU at $3.75 million per year.

Source: http://university.kboi2.com/news/news/54399-board-approves-pay-raise-boise-states-coach-pete

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MarioLopezExtra: @JR_Thompson Julio speaks 3 languages just so you know... He's working on a 4th. My dad actually thinks he's the Dos Equis guy. #hilarious

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@JR_Thompson Julio speaks 3 languages just so you know... He's working on a 4th. My dad actually thinks he's the Dos Equis guy. #hilarious Il y a environ 7 heures via Twitter for BlackBerry? en r?ponse ? JR_Thompson

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Obama sidesteps Congress for a second time (Washington Bureau)

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The Game: Tide and Tigers roll into New Orleans

The Third Line Brass Band greets LSU football players as they arrive in New Orleans on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012. LSU is scheduled to play Alabama in the BCS Championship NCAA college football game on Jan. 9. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

The Third Line Brass Band greets LSU football players as they arrive in New Orleans on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012. LSU is scheduled to play Alabama in the BCS Championship NCAA college football game on Jan. 9. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

Members of the Alabama Crimson Tide deplane after arriving in New Orleans on Wednesday, Jan 4, 2012, to face LSU in the BCS Championship game on Jan. 9. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson greets officials as the team arrives in New Orleans, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012. LSU is scheduled to play Alabama in the BCS Championship NCAA college football game on Jan. 9. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

The Third Line Brass Band greets Alabama players as they arrive in New Orleans on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012. Alabama is scheduled to play LSU in the BCS Championship NCAA college football game on Jan. 9. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Alabama coach Nick Saban talks with reporters after the Alabama team arrived in New Orleans on Wednesday, Jan 4, 2012 ,to face LSU in the BCS Championship NCAA college football game scheduled for Jan. 9. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama had just gotten into town, and already it felt a little like a home game for the Tigers.

"If we can't play this game in Tiger Stadium, the only place we'd rather play it is here," LSU offensive guard Will Blackwell said.

The Southeastern Conference rivals both arrived in New Orleans on Wednesday to prepare for the first BCS title game ever to feature teams from the same league.

For Alabama, it was a short flight, and a brass band greeted the Crimson Tide (11-1) as they got off the plane, while somebody shouted "Roll Tide!" as coach Nick Saban talked to reporters.

That was low key, though, compared to the band plus 100-or-so revved up fans and the big stuffed tiger that met LSU at a downtown hotel, sticking around even though they had to wait an extra 40 minutes because one of the Tigers' buses developed a problem on the way down from Baton Rouge and couldn't break 60 mph.

"The attachment to this city is one this team really feels," LSU coach Les Miles said. "You think (a greeting like this) is going to subside but this is going to continue for the week."

He wasn't worried about it all going to his players' heads. After all, LSU (13-0) has already won the SEC championship and beaten Alabama on its home field.

"I think they know how to remove distractions," Miles said.

A trip to New Orleans was Alabama's goal all season, too.

"This is a special place, it's a special city, it's a special opportunity for our team to play against an outstanding LSU team," Saban said.

"In the spirit of competition, this is about as good as it gets."

The regular-season meeting between the SEC West rivals was in Tuscaloosa, Ala., a bare-knuckled brawl of a game the Tigers won 9-6 in overtime.

"The big thing that we've tried to focus on in terms of what we learned in that game is the technical aspects of things that that we could have done better, maybe from a schematic standpoint, maybe from an execution standpoint," Saban said.

"We did learn a lot from that game in terms of the things we can do better."

While some have questioned whether Alabama deserved a second chance at LSU and whether it's fair to the Tigers that they have to beat the Crimson Tide again to win a national championship, neither team feels that this game is anything other than winner take all.

"It's a one-game season right here and we know they're going to bring their all and they know we're going to bring our all," Alabama running back and Heisman Trophy finalist Trent Richardson said.

Few cities can throw a party like New Orleans and it's always been a hub of sorts for the SEC. The French Quarter should be awash in Alabama crimson and LSU purple and gold by the weekend.

It'll be fun ? for the fans.

"Everybody's got their heads on right, so we're not expecting anybody to get into trouble," Richardson said. "It's strictly business for us."

Miles said he met with his team leaders and they suggested an early curfew.

"We have a very, very early curfew comparatively to other bowls that we've attended," he said, but did not go into details. "I think the celebration may be put off for a while."

Alabama is looking for its second BCS title in the last three seasons.

LSU is shooting for BCS championship No. 3. The previous two (2003 and 2007) were won in the Superdome.

Blackwell was a redshirt freshman on that '07 team, which beat Ohio State to win the title.

LSU fans clearly outnumbered Buckeyes fans back then. Alabama fans might not be so easy to drown out on Monday night.

"I would imagine it would be about as close to even as it could be," Blackwell said. "But Tiger fans are loud so we'll have to see during the game who the advantage really goes to."

___

AP Sports Writer John Zenor in New Orleans contributed to this report.

___

Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-04-T25-BCS%20Championship/id-0cc00fcb20e542eaaa286efb887e0b7c

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US automakers' 2011 sales show turnaround

By Msnbc.com staff and wire

Detroit's Big Three automakers, GM, Chrysler and Ford, posted solid sales in 2011, showing how the rubber has begun to hit the road for auto demand after a long hiatus.

Chrysler said Wednesday its U.S. sales rose 26 percent last year, while Ford reported an 11 percent sales gain thanks to good demand for trucks and SUVs. GM said its U.S. sales rode 13 percent.

Chrysler?ended the year with a 37 percent increase in December sales on strong demand for the Jeep Wrangler and Chrysler 200 sedan.

Ford sold 2.1 million vehicles last year, a sign of the industry's continuing recovery. It was the first time the Ford brand has passed the 2 million mark since before the recession in 2007.

GM sold just over 2.5 million new cars and trucks in the U.S. Its December sales rose nearly 5 percent from a year earlier.

The Chevrolet Cruze compact and the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks led sales.

Strong sellers for Ford included the new?Explorer SUV, which more than doubled sales from 2010. The Escape small SUV and Ranger small pickup also posted big increases.

Ford's car sales rose 4 percent. Sales of the Fiesta subcompact nearly tripled over 2010, but Ford didn't get much traction with its new Focus small car.

Ford's Lincoln brand sales were flat.

Ford says December sales climbed 10 percent over the same month last year.

After hitting a 30-year low in 2009, U.S. auto sales are poised for a second straight year of growth -- the result of easier credit, low interest rates and pent-up demand for cars and trucks created by the Great Recession.

The sales forecast bodes well for the industry's continued recovery and for the broader American economy.

In 2009, Detroit automakers were in peril. Car sales plunged as unemployment soared, and loans became harder to get. Chrysler and General Motors filed for bankruptcy protection. Ford avoided bankruptcy only by borrowing billions.

Now credit is more available, interest rates are low and Americans need to replace old cars and trucks they kept during and after the downturn. Millions of drivers in their teens and 20s are expected to buy vehicles, too. That could mean more jobs, more factory shifts and overall growth.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/04/9945534-us-automakers-2011-sales-show-turnaround

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Tech Today: iPad apps on Apple TV, Sony Tablet S price cut

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Updated 02:14 2 Jan 2012 by Chris Smith

Jailbreakers have got iOS apps running on Apple TV, while Sony has slashed the price of its Tablet S. Also, LG confirms the world's largest OLED TV for CES

iOS works on Apple TV following hack
Jailbreakers have managed to hack into Apple TV to make full-screen iOS applications run through the set-top box. The MobileX window manager hack allows iPhone and iPad apps to work through the device at full 720p resolution by replacing the 'springboard.' The hack, which has not yet been made public, still requires the Season0nPass jailbreak.
Link: AppleInsider, @Stroughtonsmith

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Sony slashes price of Tablet S in the US
The trend has definitely been set for 2012. The price of tablets is coming down and the latest company to slice a few bucks off its iPad-rival is Sony. In the US, the company has knocked $100 off the Android Honeycomb-running Sony Tablet S device. The 16GB tablet is now down to $400 and the 32GB edition is $500. We have no word yet on whether this price cut will apply in the UK. There's also a host of cool content freebies like music streaming, movie downloads and PlayStation classic games.
Link: CNET

LG's 55-inch OLED telly confirmed for CES
LG Electronics has announced the arrival of the world's largest OLED television, which will go on display at CES next week. The device is just 4mm thin and will go on sale in the fourth quarter of 2012. LG says it will have the most natural colours of any TV set, thanks to its WOLED technology and will arrive at a significantly lower price point than other OLED tellies. We can't imagine it'll be cheap though.
Link: The Verge

60beat iPad gamepad arrives
As the world continues to wait for the arrival of the OnLive cloud gaming app for iPad, little-known accessory manufacturer 60beat has launched an awesome-looking gamepad to add a little console flavour to existing titles on the device. The 60beat GamePad plugs into the iPad's (or iPhone's) headphone socket and works by sending signals through the microphone. It'll cost $50 (around ?30).
Link: TechCrunch

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Casio's smartphone buddy G-Shock watch
The Casio G-Shock GB-6900 watch will finally arrive in Japan in March this year following a series of delays. The watch has Bluetooth connectivity meaning it's able to alert you to incoming calls, notifications and can control basic functionality on your smartphone.? Let's hope it takes a trip west in the coming months also.
Link: Engadget

Source: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/670/f/8515/s/1b70a1a2/l/0L0St30N0Cnews0Ctech0Etoday0Eipad0Eapps0Eon0EApple0Etv/story01.htm

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