2012 was a Breakout Year for MBoSC! | Mountain Bikers of Santa ...

MBoSC at Turning Wheels for Kids December 2012

2012 was an another amazing year for mountain biking in Santa Cruz County and MBoSC. In fact, this was probably a breakout year in which mountain biking changed from being an underground sport to one which had entered the community consciousness and is rapidly becoming a part of the Santa Cruz identity ? much like surfing. The local bike industry like Fox, Bell, Ibis, Santa Cruz Bikes, X-Fusion, Caletti Cycles and the local bike shops like Epicenter Cycling and Scotts Valley Cycle Sport had a really healthy year of growth.

Our donors and volunteers really stepped up their game for 2012 and we have accomplished some incredible things. The 2012 focus was to present the Santa Cruz Mountain Bike Festival in Aptos ? which included California?s first Super Enduro race in Soquel Demonstration Forest (another first) and the approval and implementation of the Emma McCrary trail in the Pogonip.

Starting the year, MBoSC President Mark Davidson was recognized by Santa Cruz NEXT as a community thought leader. This recognition created more visibility of local mountain biking among the broader (non-mtb) community.

The Pogonip multi-use trial (now called the Emma McCrary Trail) project was approved by the Santa Cruz City Council by a 6-1 margin. The story of the transformation of the East side of the Pogonip from a drug haven to recreational trail was documented in a Dec 2012 Bike Magazine article.

The 1.7 mile Castle Rock Trail officially opened April 6, 2012. This trail represents the first mountain bike legal single track opened in the county since the U-con trail in 1999.

MBoSC presented the 2012 Santa Cruz Mountain Bike Festival. This year was huge! The festival grew 50% in both activities and attendance over 2011. We had 70 sponsors, 200 athletes, 200 kids? rodeo participants, 150 volunteers, estimated 6,000 attendees (from as far as France) and perfect weather for making the Fox 3rd Annual Santa Cruz Mountain Bike Festival an incredible success!

As part of the SCMBF, we successfully ran the Bell Super Enduro at Demo ? the first sanctioned competitive event in Soquel Demonstration State Forest. The Bell Super Enduro had 50 elite riders doing 3 special downhill stages and 3 transfer stages.

However big the SCMBF and the Super Enduro were our largest and proudest accomplishment this year has been the design and implementation of the Emma McCrary Trail (a.ka Pogonip multi-use trail). This project really brought the community together. Over 2200+ volunteer hours and $30K had been raised since May and we hope to complete and open this trail for spring 2013.

There were lots of smaller events and initiatives that MBOSC volunteers were involved in. We strengthened our relationship with the local bike industry, we attended meetings and formed partnerships with local land managers. We sent folks to the IMBA Summit in Santa Fe and we had a IMBA Club Care Crew visit soon after. We participated in the annual Turning Wheels for Kids Holiday bike build and we built over 40 new bikes.

We aren?t slowing For 2013. Some of the projects we are planning include:

Finally, we must give a huge, HUGE thank you to the volunteers, attendees and donors who have made MBoSC and our events so successful this year! Thank you, thank you, thank you! It?s so rewarding to see the community come together for some monumental achievements. Specifically, we have to call out and recognize MBoSC officers Mark and Eve Davidson, Steven and Megan Gemelos, Michele Lamelin, Daryl Breuninger and Sebastien Praly for their hard work and commitment to the club. A huge thank you to Shannon Armstrong ? the SCMBF Festival Director for her uncompromising vision of increasing the quality and sustainability of the Santa Cruz Mountain Bike Festival.

Finally (finally!) we have to recognize MBoSC?s trails officer Drew Perkins for his leadership in the design and implementation of the Emma McCrary trail and for creating constructive long term relationships with the local land managers. Drew is the rock star of MBoSC and the man with boots on the ground to make new trails happen in Santa Cruz County. Thank you Drew!

We have earned a great reputation as an organization who are easy to work with and can get things done. We could not do it without the support of the local mountain biking community and those who love to ride in Santa Cruz County!

Lets rock 2013!

Source: http://www.mbosc.org/2012/12/31/2012-summary/

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David Beckham May Bring Family to China Under New Contract

December 30, 2012 18:33:32 GMT
The footballer reportedly is considering to join Super League team Shanghai Shenhua because he has conquered both Europe and America.

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It has been no secret that is one of the most wanted footballers out there after completing his contract with Los Angeles' Galaxy. More than a dozen football clubs in China, Brazil, Australia, France, Japan, Russia and South Africa are vying to sign him but it is reportedly Chinese Super League team Shanghai Shenhua which has the biggest chance.

Backham, originally from England, had to move to Madrid, Spain as well as Los Angeles, U.S. as he struck deals with different clubs. Earlier this month, he ended his career in LA Galaxy where he has spent the last six years of his life. Until recently, it was rumored that he would move back to U.K. or head to Monaco.

However, new reports claimed that Beckham may bring his family to China as he is mulling over a contract worth 250,000 pounds a week. He may also get additional 20 million pounds from merchandising deals. Simon Fuller will manage his move.

"He has cracked Europe and America, he now has the chance to become huge in China and the Far East," a source told People. "This is a huge decision for him. While David wants one final challenge in football, a move to China is about more than that. It will push Brand Beckham to a whole new level."

Beckham previously revealed that he was indeed having some interesting offers. "I'm lucky because at 37 years old, I've been offered some exciting options," the sportsman told Sky Sports News. "I've got quite a few offers on the table."

? AceShowbiz.com

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Source: http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00056751.html

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SBA Loan | FinanceDogma - Finance, loans, creditcard and mortgages

SBA Loan

The U.S. Small Business Administration was created by congress in 1953 to encourage the growth of commerce and aid in the forming of new businesses enterprises and to help with growth of existing enterprises. It acts in a way as a liason between congress and small businesses

The SBA loan program is a program that helps guarantee up to 85% of the loan amount. You still get the loan through the bank, only you have the SBA as a guarantor.. You might try to go to the bank and get a loan yourself first, and if you are turned down, ask if they would reconsider your request under the SBA loan guarantee program.

You may want to look into sba preferred and certified lending institutions.

You can approach the sba at any size or stage of small business development.

The SBA may take up to 10 days to process your application. Some of the main factors include collateral. If you don?t have colloateral, you won?t necessarily be rejected, but collateral is a very important factor in all loans.

To be eligible for the sba loan program a business must be operated for profit and must not exceed certain company size standards.

You can get a lot of business information at the local SBxA office and may even be able to find mentors with ?SCORE? ? The Service Corps of Retired Executives which provides free counseling to small business owners.

No comments yet.

Source: http://www.financedogma.com/finance/sba-loan/

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Court to rule on legality of Egyptian parliament

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's highest court is to examine the legitimacy of the upper house of parliament, a case likely to increase the legal uncertainty of the country's political transition and leave it without a legislature.

The Supreme Constitutional Court has already forced the lower house to dissolve under a June ruling that said an electoral law used to elect both chambers - and which resulted in an Islamist dominated parliament - was unfair.

The new case once again pits independent lawyers against the Islamists that have come to power since the downfall of Hosni Mubarak and who see the court as stuffed with the former president's appointees.

On Sunday, at its first session since going on strike over President Mohamed Mursi's decision to expand his powers, the court set January 15 as the date for the first hearing. It will also examine the legitimacy of the Islamist-dominated assembly that wrote the constitution that Mursi fast-tracked to approval at a referendum this month.

If the court rules against the upper house - which seems likely as it was elected under the same law that the court found lacking in the lower house case in June - Egypt will have a legislative vacuum until new parliamentary elections, expected to start in about two months.

The upper house assumed legislative powers just last week under the new constitution.

The June ruling said the transitional electoral law - drafted by the generals then ruling post-Mubarak Egypt in consultation with political parties - gave too much power to parties, at the expense of independent candidates.

The court had to postpone the hearings from early December due to a protest outside its building by Islamists.

"The (court) renews its condemnation of those who participated in it, as well as those who remained silent," the court said in a statement.

Mursi had shielded both the assembly which drafted the constitution and the upper house of parliament from legal challenges in a decree he issued in November which touched off protests by critics who accused him of a power grab.

Mursi revoked the decree ahead of the referendum in which the constitution was approved by 64 percent of those who voted.

The new constitution cut the number of judges who sit in the Supreme Constitutional Court to 11 from 18. One of Mursi's most vocal critics was among the judges to leave the court.

(Editing by Tom Perry and Robin Pomeroy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/court-rule-legality-egyptian-parliament-172625955.html

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Afghan violence falls in 2012, insider attacks up

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? Violence in Afghanistan fell in 2012, but more Afghan troops and police who now shoulder most of the combat were killed, according to statistics compiled by The Associated Press.

At the same time, insider killings by uniformed Afghans against their foreign allies rose dramatically, eroding confidence between the sides at a crucial turning point in the war and when NATO troops and Afghan counterparts are in more intimate contact.

"The overall situation is improving," said a NATO spokesman, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Lester T. Carroll. He singled out Afghan special forces as "surgically removing insurgent leaders from the battle space."

Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Defense, said Afghan forces were now charged with 80 percent of security missions and were less equipped to face the most lethal weapon of the militants ? roadside bombs.

"Our forces are out there in the battlefields and combat areas more than at any other time in the past," he said, citing reasons for the spike in casualties.

U.S. troop deaths, overall NATO fatalities and Afghan civilian deaths all dropped as insurgent attacks fell off in their traditional strongholds in the south and east. However, insurgent activity rose in the north and west, where the Taliban and other groups have been less active in the past, and overall levels of violence were higher than before a U.S. troop surge more than two years ago.

U.S. troop deaths declined overall from 404 last year to 295 as of Saturday. The Defense Department says 1,701 U.S. troops have been killed in action in Afghanistan since the U.S. invasion in 2001 until Dec. 26. Of those, 338 died from non-hostile causes. Some 18,154 were wounded.

A total of 394 foreign troops, including the Americans, were killed in 2012, down from 543 in 2011. The British, with the second-largest military presence, had 43 killed ? the second-highest toll among countries with forces in Afghanistan, by AP's count. The figure includes a Georgian soldier who went missing on Dec. 18 and whose body was turned over to NATO on Saturday.

The AP keeps daily tallies of casualties and violent incidents across Afghanistan based on reports from NATO and Afghan officials. Most cannot be independently verified, and other incidents may never come to light. The statistics sometimes vary from official counts because of time lags, different criteria and other reasons.

Deaths from so-called insider attacks ? Afghan police and troops killing foreign allies ? surged to 61 in 45 attacks last year compared with 2011, when 35 coalition troops were killed in 21 attacks.

The number, provided by the NATO command, does not include the Dec. 24 killing of an American civilian adviser by a female member of the Afghan police because the investigation is ongoing.

The focus of NATO's mission has largely veered from the battlefield to training the Afghans ahead of a pullout of most troops by 2014. The U.S plans to maintain a residual force, the size of which is now being determined.

A NATO report that tracks violence in the country showed a rise this year compared with the period before the surge of U.S. troops into the country. But the levels were down from last year and a peak in the summer of 2010. Kabul and the country's second-largest city, Kandahar, saw a considerable drop in lethal attacks, but districts in Kandahar province remain among the most restive in Afghanistan.

Militant attacks, the report said, decreased countrywide by 7 percent through November compared with the same 11-month period last year. But they were up in the northern and western parts of the country, which previously had been among the most peaceful regions.

Although NATO officials frequently credit Afghan troops with successful unilateral operations, a recent U.S. congressional report noted that higher-level Afghan units still need vital air, logistics and other support from foreign forces.

More Afghan police and soldiers are dying in the conflict, according to numbers provided by the interior and defense ministries.

More than 1,050 Afghan troops died this year, substantially higher than last year, although the ministry could not provide the exact 2011 death toll.

Nearly 1,400 police died in the 10 months from March 21 to the end of the year, compared with about the same number for the 12 months beginning March 21, 2011. The Afghan government follows a calendar year starting March 21.

NATO says Afghan security forces have grown from 132,000 in March 2011 to 333,000 this month.

The AP tally showed that at least 822 Afghan civilians had been killed by the Taliban and other militants this year while another 119 died in NATO airstrikes and other operations. That was a decrease from last year, when 1,151 were killed by insurgents and 283 by NATO. Substantially smaller numbers perish when caught in crossfires.

The United Nations reported different casualty figures but also noted that civilian deaths had decreased, reversing a five-year trend of mounting civilian deaths. Its latest report says that during the first six months of the year, 1,145 civilians died in conflict-related violence, compared with 1,510 in the same period of 2011. The U.N. considers insurgent land mines and roadside bombs to be particularly deadly for civilians.

Close to 3,000 militants were reported to have been killed by coalition and Afghan forces this year, compared with more than 3,500 last year. The NATO command does not issue reports on the number of insurgents its troops have killed, and Afghan military figures, from which the AP compiles its data, cannot be independently verified.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/afghan-violence-falls-2012-insider-attacks-160058346.html

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Millinocket firefighters save several pets from fire - Bangor Daily News

MILLINOCKET, Maine ? Firefighters battled thick smoke to rescue two cats and a dog from a fire that damaged the cellar and living room of an Aroostook Avenue house Sunday morning.

Firefighters had to stop homeowner Thomas Jameson from going back into his house at 423 Aroostook Ave. to retrieve his pets after he had rescued a dog and a cat, Fire Chief Andrew Turcotte said.

With flames burning into the cellar ceiling and first-floor living room and smoke thick throughout the rest of the house, Turcotte went inside and found a dog and a cat and Firefighter-EMT Sam Monteith rescued a cat, Turcotte said.

?It was the funniest thing,? Turcotte said. ?The cat I found was just lying there, unresponsive, and I thought it was dead. I shook it a little bit and it came right alive. It hissed and clawed at me. I was thinking, ?Oh my goodness.??

Firefighters have pet-sized breathing masks to help resuscitate pets, but didn?t need to use them on the animals. Jameson, however, was treated for smoke inhalation at Millinocket Regional Hospital after refusing treatment at the scene, Assistant Fire Chief Thomas Malcolm said.

The fire apparently started in an ash box in the basement directly beneath Jameson?s living room fireplace. The ash box is large, approximately 16 inches across and about two feet deep, and embedded in cement, but was piled high with ash because it hadn?t been cleaned in a while, Turcotte said.

?It appears there was quite a bit of hot ash in there,? he said.

Ash that fell to the box from a fireplace fire the family started the night before apparently ignited thick building timbers hanging over the ash box. Turcotte said the timbers might also have ignited because they were badly dried out after decades of exposure to ash box heat.

Turcotte smelled smoke at about 8:55 a.m. and either he or a neighbor called 911. When firefighters arrived about five minutes later, heavy black smoke was pouring from the front door, Turcotte said.

Thick basement smoke and intense heat made finding the seat of the fire difficult, but firefighters doused the flames before they could spread very far into the living room area, Turcotte said.

East Millinocket firefighters were called immediately to the scene because Millinocket is down one engine, and they assisted in fighting the flames, Turcotte said. The flames might have eaten into the first floor and become uncontrollable had the fire burned much longer.

?They did a really good quick stop,? Malcolm said. The fire ?could have gone right up the chimney chase but it didn?t. They saved a lot with the initial knockdown.?

The Jameson family won?t be able to occupy the house until repairs are made. Damage estimates run from $30,000 to $40,000.

The fire is Millinocket?s second in about a month. A malfunctioning space heater sparked a fire that destroyed most of a second-floor apartment on Katahdin Avenue on Nov. 28.

Sunday?s fire, Turcotte said, underlined the importance of keeping fireplaces clear of ash buildup. He encouraged homeowners to have their chimneys and fire boxes cleaned professionally or at least emptied.

Source: http://bangordailynews.com/2012/12/30/news/penobscot/millinocket-firefighters-save-several-pets-from-fire/

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The Board Game Family Great Board Games to Go Around ? The ...

We hope you had a fantastic Christmas break and are looking forward to a nice New Year?s break as well (if even for only 1 day). We had a great time with family and friends and even got to play a few board games during the festivities.

With a whole week off of work I had great plans to catch up and post a few board game reviews that we?ve filmed. But, as you can tell, that hasn?t happened. It?s just been so fun and relaxing to kick back and simply enjoy time with family. So all the editing and writing was placed on the shelf for a while.

Donuts here we come!

Last weekend we spent a bunch of time together leading up to Christmas ? including going with the kids as they bought presents for each other (each child getting their own 1-on-1 time at the crowded stores). The day before Christmas we started with sledding in new fallen snow and ended Christmas Eve at grandparents house decorating gingerbread trains and trees, reading new Christmas storybooks, playing chimes, playing carols with kazoos, feasting, and eating too many desserts. And Christmas day brought more fun times with the kids and extended family (and more food).

The Donut reward!

The last few days we?ve spent new toys, reading books, watching movies, and going snowshoeing. With almost 4 steady days of snow, the snowshoeing was fantastic! It?s the first time we?ve gone as a family and we had a great time. There?s a place up a canyon near our home called Donut Falls that?s a great family hike both in summer and winter (3 miles RT). So we bought a dozen donuts and hiked to Donut Falls to eat them. It was a great treat/reward for making it to the falls.

Oh ? and I recall playing a board game or two this week as well.

In fact, one board game that we got for Christmas has been played daily by the boys with constant talk of playing again and again. And at 1:30 am this morning it was almost played yet again ? but, we decided sleep was a good option too.

Bring on the dungeon monsters!

What the big board game hit this Christmas? Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition.

It?s the first ?dungeon crawler? game that our family has played and it has been an immediate hit. And with the amount of open-ended possibilities with the game, I think it will continue strong well into the future. With how big a hit it?s been, we?ll get a full review up as soon as we can. But to give you a quick glimpse, it?s a game with heroes venturing into dungeon-type scenarios to battle monsters and accomplish quests.

Battles in progress.

One person plays the side of the Overlord who controls the monsters and the rest are the heroes. The game is chuck-full of miniatures, cards, tokens, and double-sided board pieces to make up the dungeons. There?s 23 page Rulebook and a 43 page Quest Guide. So getting up and running took quite some time (for dad at least ? going through it in preparation). But, the boys are hooked and can?t get enough. And even though we?ve only played a handful of scenarios so far, Trevor?s already wanting to create his own scenario.

Memoir ?44 ? above and beyond
One of the items I had at the top of my Christmas board games with list was an expansion for Memoir ?44. And while I didn?t receive one of the expansion sets, I got something completely unexpected and fantastic from my Dice Tower Secret Santa ? the Memoir ?44 Campaign Book Volume 1. The Campaign Books add a new level of fun to Memoir ?44 and the Volume 1 is out of print. So it was very sweet to get this gift and after playing it this week, I?ll agree that it?s a great addition to my Memoir ?44 fix.

The next board game gift we opened on Christmas was the 7 Wonders: Cities expansion. It hasn?t hit the table yet, but we?re looking forward to playing it soon ? once we can clear the big table of Descent.

Caleb was also given the R2-D2 Star Wars game of Trouble. It?s still the same luck-driven simple game of rolling dice and moving your pieces around the board, but I have to admit that the R2-D2 sounds when you pop the dice popper adds some spice to the game.

The gift of time together.

Another gaming gift came from Jaden in the form of a coupon book. It seems he took a page out of Trevor?s gift book from last year and gave me coupons for game time with him. With a book almost constantly in his hands, he?s sometimes the toughest to get to sit down to play games with. Now I have an ace up my sleeve with his game coupon book.

Thursday night we also had some of our neighbor father and sons come over for some fun and games. We didn?t introduce them to any of the new games but instead pulled out a few older ones and ended with a full 7-player game of Shadows Over Camelot ? in which the knights were defeated by the traitor amongst us. Even though the 6 brave knights lost, we had a great time playing.

And that?s what board games are all about ? having fun with family and friends.

So whether we play old games are new games, simple games or more involved games, many games once or one game many times, it?s all about enjoying the time together.

We hope you have a very enjoyable time with your family as you start the New Year 2013!

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Source: http://www.theboardgamefamily.com/2012/12/great-board-games-to-go-around/

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Georgia?s Hunger Games, Grad School, and the Best Worst Beers

Don't waste your life this way, says Ron Rosenbaum

Photo by Otmar Winterleitner/iStockPhoto.

?Should You Go To Grad School? My story,? by Ron Rosenbaum. Relinquish the world of the living for ?dusty, drowsy? seminar rooms, where students drift around in suspended animation and professors hubristically trash all of Hamlet?s best lines? Never, never, never, never, never, says Rosenbaum (quoting Lear). Get thee behind me, grad school.???

?The Departed: Three soon-to-be-former congressmen talk about how bad things have gotten,? by David Weigel. Weigel conducts exit interviews with outgoing representatives about what it was like ?to serve in an institution 85 percent of Americans can?t stand.? The politicos dispense life wisdom (?Anytime you?re explaining, you?re losing?), reminisce about colleagues, and try to pinpoint when they first intimated that ?this Congress would be rough.?

?The One-Eyed Man Is King: How did the monocle become a symbol of wealth?? by Bryan Lowder. By being inconvenient, impractical, and expensive enough to assume the connotations of an ornament, rather than a useful device. After holding up a magnifying glass to the posh history of the eyepiece, Lowder informs us we can still buy monocles from retailer Warby Parker for $50.?

?A Christmas Miracle: Packaging Is Less Infuriating. Did you swear as much at clamshells and twist ties this year?? by Farhad Manjoo. The package designer?s lament, according to Manjoo, is that no one ever notices packaging unless it is truly awful. We expect plastic ties to slip off like water and cardboard to unfold itself. But our unreasonable expectations are nearer to being met in 2012, as retailers continue to research how they can improve the unwrapping experience. ?Joy to the world!? concludes Manjoo. ?The clamshell is rare, and soon it will be dead.??

?Georgia?s Hunger Games: Fewer than 4,000 adults in the Southern state receive welfare, even as poverty is soaring. How Georgia declared war on its poorest citizens?leaving them to fight for themselves,? by Neil deMause. Rising poverty rates, plunging welfare rolls, and a state government that sees financial aid as a gladiatorial contest: The dystopian reality in Georgia could have risen from the pages of a Suzanne Collins novel. Combining grim statistics and face-to-face conversations with poor Americans, deMause argues for a policy overhaul.??

?The Worst Cads of 2012: From the dirtbags (Chris Brown) to the doxxed (Violentacrez), our list of the year?s most accomplished sleazeballs,? by Holly Allen and Virginia Choi. What do Rush Limbaugh, Lance Armstrong, and Kristen Stewart have in common? Way too much chutzpah and the ignominious distinction of being included in our yearly roundup of jerks, arses, clownheads, and scumbags. Congratulations?

?25 Years of Prozac, 100 Years of Crosswords: All your 2013 anniversary coverage, previewed in 2012,? by Matthew J.X. Malady. Spoilers abound as Malady scans 2013 for important anniversaries, including the 10th birthday of the Apple iTunes Store and the 50^th anniversary of ZIP codes. He speculates about which news outlets will seize on which story, what headlines they?ll deploy, whom they?ll quote, and more. If he?s right, stay tuned to Slate for a blistering takedown of Pride and Prejudice, 200 years after its publication.

?The Top Newfound Species of 2012: Meet the gorgeous, creepy, goofy plants and animals discovered this year,? by Kara Brandeisky. Brandeisky introduces us to the latest footnotes in the book of life, among them a Gollum-faced lesula monkey, the world?s tiniest frog, a skink lizard with a vivid blue tail, a venomous primate, and a real life Swedish Fish. (It?s called a reticulated dragonet.)

?Let Old Complaints Be Forgot: Prudie shares updates from memorable letters as 2012 comes to a close,? by Emily Yoffe. Wondering what ever happened to that dad who wanted to ask his infertile Asian wife to please find a white egg donor? Or to the widower whose stepdaughter developed feelings for him? After following up with some of her most intriguing interlocutors, Slate?s Dear Prudie reports on where they are now.

?The Best Worst Brews: A taste test of cheap beers. (No, Bud Light isn?t cheap enough to be a ?cheap beer?),? by Troy Patterson. Slate readers voted, and Patterson received his marching orders: to sample and rank the cheapest of budget beers and live to tell the tale. Busch or PBR? Natural Light or Porkslap Pale Ale? We sip so you don?t have to.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=8aac06dee5251d60b837cc01096dc2e9

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Last ditch effort to avoid fiscal cliff under way

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The end game at hand, the White House and Senate leaders took a final stab at compromise Friday night to prevent middle-class tax increases from taking effect at the turn of the new year and possibly prevent sweeping spending cuts as well.

"I'm optimistic we may still be able to reach an agreement that can pass both houses in time," President Barack Obama said at the White House after meeting for more than an hour with congressional leaders.

Surprisingly, after weeks of postelection gridlock, Senate leaders sounded even more bullish.

The Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said he was "hopeful and optimistic" of a deal, adding he hoped a compromise could be presented to rank-and-file lawmakers as early as Sunday, a little more than 24 hours before the year-end deadline.

Said Majority Leader Harry Reid: "I'm going to do everything I can" to prevent the tax increases and spending cuts that threaten to send the economy into recession. He cautioned, "Whatever we come up with is going to be imperfect."

Officials said there was a general understanding that any agreement would block scheduled income tax increases for middle class earners while letting rates rise at upper income levels.

Democrats said Obama was sticking to his campaign call for increases above $250,000 in annual income, even though in recent negotiations he said he could accept $400,000.

The two sides also confronted a divide over estate taxes.

Obama favors a higher tax than is currently in effect, but one senior Republican, Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, said he's "totally dead set" against it. Speaking of fellow GOP lawmakers, he said they harbor more opposition to an increase in the estate tax than to letting taxes on income and investments rise at upper levels.

Also likely to be included in the negotiations are taxes on dividends and capital gains, both of which are scheduled to rise with the new year. Also the alternative minimum tax, which, if left unchanged, could hit millions of middle- and upper-income taxpayers for the first time.

In addition, Obama and Democrats want to prevent the expiration of unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless, and there is widespread sentiment in both parties to shelter doctors from a cut in Medicare fees.

The White House has shown increased concern about a possible spike in milk prices if a farm bill is not passed in the next few days, although it is not clear whether that issue, too, might be included in the talks.

One Republican who was briefed on the White House meeting said Boehner made it clear he would leave in place spending cuts scheduled to take effect unless alternative savings were found to offset them. If he prevails, that would defer politically difficult decisions on government benefit programs like Medicare until 2013.

Success was far from guaranteed in an atmosphere of political mistrust ? even on a slimmed-down deal that postponed hard decisions about spending cuts into 2013 ? in a Capitol where lawmakers grumbled about the likelihood of spending the new year holiday working.

In a brief appearance in the White House briefing room, Obama referred to "dysfunction in Washington," and said the American public is "not going to have any patience for a politically self-inflicted wound to our economy. Not right now."

If there is no compromise, he said he expects Reid to put legislation on the floor to prevent tax increases on the middle class and extend unemployment benefits ? an implicit challenge to Republicans to dare to vote against what polls show is popular.

The guest list for the White House meeting included Reid, McConnell, Boehner and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

The same group last met more than a month ago and emerged expressing optimism they could strike a deal that avoided the fiscal cliff. At that point, Boehner had already said he was willing to let tax revenues rise as part of an agreement, and the president and his Democratic allies said they were ready to accept spending cuts.

Since then, though, talks between Obama and Boehner faltered, the speaker struggled to control his rebellious rank and file, and Reid and McConnell sparred almost daily in speeches on the Senate floor. Through it all, Wall Street has paid close attention, and in the moments before the meeting, stocks were trading lower for the fifth day in a row.

The core issue is the same as it has been for more than a year, Obama's demand for tax rates to rise on upper incomes while remaining at current levels for most Americans. He made the proposal central to his successful campaign for re-election, when he said incomes above $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for couples should rise to 39.6 percent from the current 35 percent.

Boehner refused for weeks to accept any rate increases, and simultaneously accused Obama of skimping on the spending cuts he would support as part of a balanced deal to reduce deficits, remove the threat of spending cuts and prevent the across-the-board tax cuts.

Last week, the Ohio Republican pivoted and presented a Plan B measure that would have let rates rise on million-dollar earners. That was well above Obama's latest offer, which called for a $400,000 threshold, but more than the speaker's rank and file were willing to accept.

Facing defeat, Boehner scrapped plans for a vote, leaving the economy on track for the cliff that political leaders in both parties had said they could avoid. In the aftermath, Democrats said they doubted any compromise was possible until Boehner has been elected to a second term as speaker when the new Congress convenes on Jan. 3.

Further compounding the year-end maneuvering, there are warnings that the price of milk could virtually double beginning next year.

Congressional officials said that under current law, the federal government is obligated to maintain prices so that fluid milk sells for about $20 per hundredweight. If the law lapses, the Department of Agriculture would be required to maintain a price closer to $36 of $38 per hundredweight, they said. It is unclear when price increases might be felt by consumers.

______

Associated Press writers Alan Fram and Andrew Taylor contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/last-ditch-effort-avoid-fiscal-224121739.html

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Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger reiterates desire to keep hat-trick hero Theo Walcott after Newcastle blitz

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Nissan upgrades US Leaf warranties, will 'restore' batteries that lose too much charge

Nissan has thrown down the warranty gauntlet to other EV makers by announcing it would be the first to "restore" battery capacity if a Leaf's full charge fell below 9 out of 12 "bars" within 5 years or 60k miles. The new clause was announced by VP Andy Palmer and will go into effect in spring of next year on all models, including those sold in 2011 and 2012. The company stressed it would only "repair or replace the battery under warranty with a new or remanufactured unit to restore capacity at or above a minimum of nine bars," and not a full charge -- saying a gradual, but not excessive loss of charge was normal. Nissan added that it'd look to improve the accuracy of the battery gauge, since the aforementioned bars on the dash were computer managed and not exactly scientific. All of this applies to US-only vehicles for now, but similar policies will soon go into effect worldwide, according to the statement. So, if you've been starting to get range anxiety, check the PR below the break for more info.

Continue reading Nissan upgrades US Leaf warranties, will 'restore' batteries that lose too much charge

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/28/nissan-will-now-restore-leafs-battery-charge/

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Get your fill of the year's final full moon

The final full moon of the year rises on Friday night to cap a year of amazing lunar sky shows. While the bright moon will easily outshine other celestial objects, there is more than meets the eye to Earth's nearest neighbor.

The December full moon is also called the "long-night's moon" since it is the closest full moon to the northern winter solstice (when the nights are longest). This full moon will be visible for the longest amount of time.

From New York, for instance, moonrise on Thursday occurred at 4:17 p.m. ET, and the moon set at 7:12 a.m. Friday morning. That adds up to 14 hours and 55 minutes.

Moon-watching myth
Contrary to popular belief, the full moon not the best time to observe the moon with binoculars or a telescope.

Normally, even with just small optical power we can see a wealth of detail on its surface. But during the full moon phase, the moon appears flat and one-dimensional, as well as dazzlingly bright to the eye.

It is only later in the weekend and into next week that the moon's best features will stand out. As the moon wanes to its gibbous phase, and then to last quarter, those lunar features close to the terminator ? the variable line between the sunlit and darkened portions of the moon ? will appear to stand out in sharp, clear relief. [Amazing Moon Photos of 2012]

The moon will arrive at last quarter phase on Jan. 4 at 11:58 p.m. ET, when its disk will be exactly 50 percent illuminated.

How bright, the full moon?
How does the moon's brightness compare at that moment with when it's full? Most people may believe the moon is half as bright, but in reality astronomers say that the last-quarter moon is only one-eleventh as bright as full. This is because the moon is not a smooth sphere, but has a myriad of craters, mountains and valleys that cast long, distinct shadows across the lunar landscape.

Interestingly, a first-quarter moon is actually slightly brighter than a last-quarter moon, because at first quarter the illuminated half of the moon displays less of the dark surface features known as the "maria," popularly referred to as lunar seas.

And believe or not, it isn?t until just 2.4 days before or after full that the moon actually becomes half as bright as full!

Lunar cycles
Here are some interesting lunar calendar facts that the famed Belgian astronomical calculator Jean Meeus has compiled concerning the phases of the moon.

1. Space news from NBCNews.com

   1. The night sky's top sights for 2013

      Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: The coming year could bring brilliant cometary fireworks as well as eclipses, meteor showers and more. But there's also the potential for disappointment.

   2. Get your fill of the year's final full moon
   3. Mars rover snaps amazing self-portrait
   4. Astronaut's song marks a space milestone

All are cyclical, the most noteworthy being the so-called Metonic Cycle that was independently discovered by the Greek astronomer Meton (born about 460 B.C.). This is a 19-year cycle, after which time the phases of the moon are repeated on the same days of the year, or approximately so.

Take, for instance, Friday?s full moon. Nineteen years from now, in 2031, there?ll be another full moon on Dec. 28.

Another moon cycle fact: After two years, the preceding lunar phase occurs on or very nearly the same calendar date. So in 2014, it will be the first-quarter moon that occurs on Dec. 28.

After eight years, the same lunar phases repeat, but occurring one or two days later in the year. Ancient Greek astronomers called this eight-year cycle the "octaeteris." Indeed, in 2020, a full moon occurs on Dec. 29.

Finally, in our Gregorian calendar, 372 years provides an excellent long-period cycle for the recurrence of a particular phase on a given date. Therefore, we know with absolute certainty that the same full moon that shines down on us on Dec. 28 of 2012 will also be shining on Dec. 28 in the year 2384.

So mark your lunar calendars, and enjoy the lunar display!

If you snap an amazing photo of the year's final full moon and would like to share it with Space.com for a potential story or gallery, submit photos and comments, including your name and location to managing editor Tariq Malik at: spacephotos@space.com.

Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for TheNew York Times? and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, New York. Follow Space.com on Twitter @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and Google+.

? 2012 Space.com. All rights reserved. More from Space.com.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50312830/ns/technology_and_science-space/

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Senate leaders to make last-ditch "fiscal cliff" effort

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and U.S. congressional leaders agreed on Friday to make a final effort to prevent the United States from going over the "fiscal cliff," setting off intense bargaining over Americans' tax rates as a New Year's Eve deadline looms.

With only days left to avoid steep tax hikes and spending cuts that could cause a recession, two Senate veterans will try to forge a deal that has eluded the White House and Congress for months.

Obama said he was "modestly optimistic" an agreement could be found. But neither side appeared to give much ground at a White House meeting of congressional leaders on Friday.

What they did agree on was to task Harry Reid, the Democratic Senate majority leader, and Mitch McConnell, who heads the chamber's Republican minority, with reaching a budget agreement by Sunday at the latest.

"The hour for immediate action is here. It is now. We're now at the point where in just four days, every American's tax rates are scheduled to go up by law. Every American's paycheck will get considerably smaller. And that would be the wrong thing to do," Obama told reporters.

A total of $600 billion in tax hikes and automatic cuts to government spending will start kicking in on Tuesday - New Year's Day - if politicians cannot reach a deal. Economists fear the measures will push the U.S. economy into a recession.

Pessimism about the fiscal cliff helped push U.S. stocks down on Friday for a fifth straight day. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 158.20 points, or 1.21 percent. Retailers are blaming worries about the "fiscal cliff" for lackluster Christmas season shopping.

Under the plan hashed out on Friday, any agreement between McConnell and Reid would be backed by the Senate and then approved in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives before the end of the year.

But the House could well be the graveyard of any accord.

A core of fiscal conservatives there strongly opposes Obama's efforts to raise taxes for the wealthiest as part of a plan to close America's budget deficit. House Republicans also want to see Obama commit to major spending cuts.

Talks between Obama and Republican House Speaker John Boehner collapsed last week when several dozen Republicans defied their leader and rejected a plan to raise rates for those earning $1 million and above.

A Democratic aide said Boehner stuck mainly to "talking points" in Friday's White House meeting, with the message that the House had acted on the budget and it was now time for the Senate to move.

TALKS ON 'BIG NUMBERS'

The two Senate leaders and their aides will plunge into talks on Saturday that will focus mainly on the threshold for raising income taxes on households with upper-level earnings, a Democratic aide said. Analysts say both sides could agree on raising taxes for households earning more than $400,000 or $500,000 a year.

The pair will also discuss whether the estate tax should be kept at current low levels or allowed to rise, the aide said.

Democrat Reid warned of tough talks.

"It's not easy, we're dealing with big numbers, and some of that stuff we do is somewhat complicated," he said.

McConnell described Friday's White House summit, also attended by Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, as "a good meeting."

"So we'll be working hard to try to see if we can get there in the next 24 hours. So I'm hopeful and optimistic," he said.

If things cannot be worked out between the Senate leaders, Obama said he wanted both chambers in Congress to vote on a backup plan that would increase taxes only for households with more than $250,000 of annual income.

The plan would also extend unemployment insurance for about 2 million Americans and set up a framework for a larger deficit reduction deal next year.

There are signs in the options market that investor fear is taking hold. The CBOE Volatility Index, or the VIX, the market's favored anxiety indicator, has remained at relatively low levels throughout this process, but it moved on Friday above 22, the highest level since June.

But some in the market were resigned to Washington going beyond the New Year's Day deadline, as long as a serious agreement on deficit reduction comes out of the talks in early January.

"Regardless of whether the government resolves the issues now, any deal can easily be retroactive. We're not as concerned with January 1 as the market seems to be," said Richard Weiss, a senior money manager at American Century Investments.

Another component of the "fiscal cliff" - $109 billion in automatic spending cuts to military and domestic programs - is set to kick in on Wednesday.

S&P rating agency said on Friday the fiscal cliff impasse did not affect the U.S. sovereign rating.

That lifted the immediate threat of a downgrade from the agency, which cut the United States' triple-A rating in August, 2011 in an unprecedented move after a similar partisan budget fight.

(Additional reporting by David Lawder, Thomas Ferraro, Rachelle Younglai and Mark Felsenthal; Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senate-leaders-last-ditch-fiscal-cliff-effort-012150621--business.html

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Video: What are the chances that a "fiscal cliff" deal will pass? (cbsnews)

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Podcastomatic instantly turns your favorite blog into an audio podcast

Podcastomatic is a unique way to catch up on your favorite blogs. Just type in a blog’s URL and you’ll be presented with a list of recent articles. Click play and the desired article will be read to you in one of the best text to speech synthesized voices I’ve heard to date. The male [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/12/29/podcastomatic-instantly-turns-your-favorite-blog-into-an-audio-podcast/

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Functional Techniques Throughout Web Design ? The Fundamentals

Much has been discussed the way significant search engine marketing is good for service repair shop. In the increasingly competing on the internet foundation, search results suppliers provide the essential methods to maintain the edge required by organizations to remain on top. Please take a look at: web design nottingham to learn more regarding Search engine optimization ideal strategies.

The power of SEO produces in any company is critical, because it forms the particular reputation of any company. Add its capability to bring firms closer to his or her targeted shoppers which is an important program for web based business advertising. Making and maintaining an online web-site is often a big marketing strategy for virtually any business enterprise. Perfecting web site elements so they band together to make sites get ranking in significant to engines like google. Search engine marketing allows companies expose and leave his or her tag on clients. The absence of SEO tends to make any web site an empty covering with no serious objective.

SEO organizations offer you distinctive campaigns that people are able to use to enhance its rankings. In addition, it offers start-up businesses with a all-important benefit devoid of taking an excessive amount of in the home business budget. It?s simple rendering and fuss-free build process can make it a very important net advantage to help. Constructing on line good reputation with no Website seo can make it a hardship on your business to meet their objectives. Your time and effort have been around in vain and you really are simply squandering your precious time, income, as well as options. SEO may be the spine of any blog, as without it, the web site could have trouble always keeping making money.

Website positioning forms understanding the business? model. It will help organizations remain inside attention of the clients. It can help hold aged consumers whilst taking good care of a new one. Any business knows that more to attract new customers people has to advertise. In addition they are aware that it is a lot pricy to develop their unique Search engine optimisation team from scratch. Without proper exercising, business people could turn out spending too much money for weak hands outcome. Outsourced workers SEO services makes it possible for corporations to concentrate on their own central characteristics.

Preserving the text of business online towards the shopper as a result of customer service is another significant Website seo edge. There is no need to concern yourself with ever burning off connection together with your people. Search engine optimization can invariably make sure your visitors can find you on the web. This really is regardless how deeply your enterprise is smothered within the marine of rising fresh current market competitors.

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Source: http://mtararat.org/blog/2012/12/28/functional-techniques-throughout-web-design-the-fundamentals/

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Sailing Around the World on Adult Cruises

If you?re planning a journey across the ocean on adult cruises, you?ll be able to sample some of the most exotic locations in the world. You might be traveling around the Western Caribbean, the Mexican Rivera, or the Greek Islands. Each cruise offers an eyeful on and off of the ship. If you?re a traveler who likes to explore the sensual areas of life, this could be the perfect vacation for you.

If you take adult cruises around the Western Caribbean, you?ll stop in areas like Grand Cayman and George Town. Grand Cayman has a white sandy beach that is seven miles long. The waters along that shore are clear blue and inviting. In George Town, there?s plenty of shopping to do and rest assured that the stores are duty-free. If you?ve always wanted to get up close and personal with stingrays, you can grab your snorkel gear and do just that. But wait, you?re not done yet. You also will travel to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico to check out the Mayan Riviera.

If you sign up for adult cruises that travel along the Mexican Riviera, get ready to view some amazing scenery along the Gold Coast. Are you ready to tour Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and Ensenada? Then climb aboard with a boat full of sexy and adventurous individuals and get ready for the time of your life. By day you can see the sights and check out the culture; by night, you can party with your shipmates.

The Greek Islands are popular places to take adult cruises. If you?ve always wanted to see Piraeus, Greece as well as Santorini, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Molyvos, and Istanbul, this is your chance to climb aboard. All of the ocean liners traveling to these exotic destinations are luxurious so you can do it in style. There are cafes, nightclubs, and dance floors on the ships. For couples, there are journeys that are geared for swingers, nudists, or those looking for a taste of a new adventure.

Why stay home when there are adult cruises leaving daily to scenic locations around the world? If you?re interested in exploring Grand Cayman or George Town, the Western Caribbean trip is the one to book. If you?ve always wanted to see the Gold Coast or check out Puerto Vallarta or Ensenada, then the Mexican Riviera is waiting for you. If the Green Islands suit your fancy along with a luxurious ocean liner full of free spirited couples and individuals, then this is the trip for you.

The fun of adult cruises can make all the difference if you want an adventure. Come to http://couplescruise.com and find out why we?re a respected name in vacation planning.

Source: http://www.articlesrx.com/sailing-around-the-world-on-adult-cruises/10201

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First genome sequence of Chinese plum provides important resource for fruit improvement

Dec. 27, 2012 ? A Chinese research team, led by Beijing Forestry University, BGI, Beijing Lin Fu Ke Yuan Flowers Co., Ltd, and other institutes, has completed the first genomic sequence of Prunus mume, known as mei. This work is extremely important for the deeper understanding of Rosaceae evolution and provides an invaluable resource for the improvement of fruit trees.

The latest study was published online December 27 in Nature Communication.

As one of the longest-lived flowering fruit trees, the P. mume was domesticated in China more than 3,000 years ago. It belongs to Rosaceae, the third most economically important plant family in temperate regions, and is characterized by high nutrition, medical value, and tolerance to low temperature in winter. Writers and artists have extolled the beauty of its flowers, and the blossom is considered to be the symbol of Chinese national spirit. The availability of P. mume genome will open a new way for better decoding the mysteries of this fascinating tree.

The plantation technique that makes P. mume so diverse--the artificial grafting--also makes their genomes difficult to assemble. In this study, researchers sequenced the genome of P. mume, a wild species from Tibet in China, using a robust approach integrated with next-generation sequencing (NGS) and whole-genome mapping (WGM) technologies. Then they constructed a high-density genetic map by applying restriction-site-associated DNA (RAD) marker strategy that further improves the quality of the genomic reference. Through all the efforts, researchers yielded the ~237Mb P. mume reference genome.

The poor phylogenetic resolution of the Rosaceae suggests rapid evolution within the family. In this study, the evolutionary analysis of P. mume genome demonstrated that there was no recent whole-genome duplication (WGD) event happened after the differentiation between P. mume and Malus x domestica (apple). However, the triplicated genomic arrangement was found in the P. mume genome by paleo-history analysis in Prunus.

Supported by the genomic data of apple and strawberry (Fragaria vesca), researchers successfully reconstructed nine ancestral chromosomes of Rosaceae family, and analyzed the chromosome fusion, fission and duplication history in three major subfamilies, including genera Prunus, Malus and Fragaria. Through analysis, they hypothesized that at least 11 fissions and 11 fusions occurred in P. mume from the nine common ancestral chromosomes. For apple, at least one WGD and five fusions took place to reach the 17-chromosome structure, compared with 15 fusions for strawberry to affect the 7-chromosome structure.

P. mume is one of the first trees that bloom in early spring, blooming even below 0?. In this study, researchers investigated the genetic characteristics underlying the mechanisms related to acclimate to cold weather and release itself from dormancy. They found that dormancy-associated MADS-box transcription factors (DAM) family and C-repeat-binding transcription factors (CBF) were two important factors related with flowering dormancy.

As the saying goes, "Plum blossom incense from the cold weather," P. mume always has a special fragrance in winter. To understand its mechanism of floral scent, researchers identified a series genes related to the biosynthesis of volatile compounds, such as benzyl alcohol acetyltransferase (BEAT) gene. They supposed the expansion of the BEAT gene family might increase the content of benzyl acetate and therefore induces the special fragrance of P. mume.

The disease resistance related-genes may benefit the future breeding improvement. In this study, researchers found many related genes expanded tremendously in the P. mume genome, such as leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase (LRR-RLK) genes, the nucleotide-binding site-coding resistant gene (NBS-coding R gene), and pathogenesis-related (PR) gene families. It was reported that PR proteins could mediate plant defence against pathogenic constraints and the general adaptation to stressful environments. Most PR gene families in P. mume were expanded notably especially PR10, suggesting their expansion might be related to the response of P. mume to salt, drought and fungal infection in roots and leaves.

Wenbin Chen, Project Manager of BGI, said, "The P. mume genome lays a solid foundation for identification of important economic traits, and provides a valuable resource for P. mume breeding and other Rosaceae species studies. The work here also brings a new approach for further exploring the biosynthesis of floral scent and regulation mechanism of early blooming in endodormancy, and other comparative genomics studies on Rosaceae species."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by BGI Shenzhen, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Qixiang Zhang, Wenbin Chen, Lidan Sun, Fangying Zhao, Bangqing Huang, Weiru Yang, Ye Tao, Jia Wang, Zhiqiong Yuan, Guangyi Fan, Zhen Xing, Changlei Han, Huitang Pan, Xiao Zhong, Wenfang Shi, Xinming Liang, Dongliang Du, Fengming Sun, Zongda Xu, Ruijie Hao, Tian Lv, Yingmin Lv, Zequn Zheng, Ming Sun, Le Luo, Ming Cai, Yike Gao, Junyi Wang, Ye Yin, Xun Xu, Tangren Cheng, Jun Wang. The genome of Prunus mume. Nature Communications, 2012; 3: 1318 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2290

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/KXS6HDyZXdQ/121227142951.htm

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News Corp buys regional sports channel in Ohio

(Reuters) - News Corp said on Friday it bought SportsTime Ohio, a Cleveland-based regional sports network that broadcasts Cleveland Indians baseball games.

The company did not disclose financial details. A source close to the matter said on Friday the deal was worth roughly $230 million, which Reuters first reported on December 3.

The network, owned by the Cleveland Indians baseball team, also airs programming on the Cleveland Browns National Football League team, college football and high school sports.

Fox said it a statement it also struck a separate long-term TV rights agreement to air Cleveland Indians baseball games. Fox will pay the team about $40 million per year for more than 10 years as part of a new agreement, according to the source close to the matter.

Fox already owns a regional sports channel in Ohio, called Fox Sports Ohio, which is available in 5 million homes. It held the rights to Cleveland Indians games until 2006.

Fox Sports, which operates or holds stakes in 20 regional sports networks, provides sports programming to more than 67 million subscribers.

New York-based News Corp has been stepping up efforts to control the rights to key sports teams in response to Time Warner Cable Inc's $3 billion deal in February 2011 to carry the Los Angeles Lakers basketball games on its Time Warner SportsNet Channel.

Last month, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp said it would buy a 49 percent stake in the YES network, a sports channel controlled by the New York Yankees baseball team, a deal that sources said was valued at $3 billion. Reuters has reported that Fox is also negotiating a 25-year extension of its existing agreement to carry Los Angeles Dodgers baseball games and could pay as much as $6 billion for those rights.

News Corp is planning to separate its publishing and entertainment assets into two publicly traded companies next year. News Corp's regional sports networks, film and television businesses, which currently include the 20th Century Fox film studio, Fox broadcasting network and Fox News channel, will be part of the renamed parent company that will be called Fox Group.

News Corp shares were trading 9 cents lower, or 0.3 percent lower at $24.81 per share.

(Reporting by Liana B. Baker; Editing by Dan Grebler and Andrew Hay)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/news-corp-buys-regional-sports-channel-ohio-155915617--finance.html

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SAIC shows how DARPA's submarine-tracking drone ship finds its silent targets (video)

Some of us have been feeding advice to DARPA's ACTUV sub-tracking drone project for more than a year, but we haven't had a in-depth look at how the autonomous ship will go about its business, especially when chasing very silent diesel-electric subs. Thankfully, craft designer SAIC has stepped in with a detailed video tour. If there's suspicions that a diesel sub is in the area, the US Navy can deploy sonar buoys that give the ACTUV an inkling of where to go first. After that, the drone takes over with both long-range and short-range sonar. The vehicle can gauge the intent of ships in its path (with human failsafes) and hound a target for up to 13 weeks -- either letting the Navy close in for an attack or, ideally, spooking the sub into avoiding conflict in the first place. While ACTUV won't hit the waves for years, there's a promise that we'll always know about underwater threats and deal with them on our own terms.

Continue reading SAIC shows how DARPA's submarine-tracking drone ship finds its silent targets (video)

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Source: Wired

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/27/saic-shows-how-darpas-submarine-tracking-drone-ship-finds-targets/

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Google Picks 12 Top Android Apps of 2012

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A homeless woman was in critical condition in a Los Angeles hospital after a man doused her with liquid accelerant and set her on fire as she slept on a bus bench, police said on Thursday. Officers arrested Dennis Petillo, 24, in connection with the early morning attack, and he has been booked in jail on suspicion of attempted murder, police said. The woman, whose name has not been released, was being treated at a local hospital with burns all over her body, said Los Angeles police Lieutenant Damian Gutierrez. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/google-picks-12-top-android-apps-2012-181452664.html

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Whale stranded on New York City beach dies: official

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A 60-foot whale that washed up on a beach in New York City on Wednesday has died, a marine rescue official said on Thursday.

The finback whale had appeared on the beach in New York's Breezy Point neighborhood and marine conservationists had been fearful for its survival. Breezy Point, in the borough of Queens, faces the Atlantic Ocean and was devastated by flooding and fire in superstorm Sandy in October.

"Biologists have confirmed that the whale has died," said Mendy Garron, a marine mammal rescue specialist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Plans are currently being developed for necropsy and disposal of the carcass."

The finback is the second largest marine mammal species after the blue whale, according to the NOAA Fisheries website. An adult can reach 85 feet and weigh up to 80 tons, although northern hemisphere finbacks tend to be somewhat smaller than their southern cousins. Typical lifespan is 80 to 90 years.

(Writing by Dan Burns; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/whale-stranded-york-city-beach-dies-official-175526701.html

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