Android Remains Top Mobile Platform in the U.S. (NewsFactor)

Web metrics firm comScore reports that 234 million Americans above the age of 13 were using mobile devices during the three months prior to Thanksgiving. The Web metrics firm's new survey of more than 30,000 U.S. mobile subscribers also demonstrates that Google's Android remained ahead in the mobile OS platform race with a 46.9 percent market share.

In the U.S. mobile handset market overall, Samsung was the top device maker with a 25.6 percent share. Second-place LG achieved a 20.5 percent share, and Motorola Mobility came in third with a 13.7 percent share.

Apple's share of the market overall rose from 9.8 percent in August to 11.2 percent in November, driven by pent-up demand for the iconic device maker's new iPhone 4S. By contrast, Research In Motion's BlackBerry sales slipped from 7.1 percent in August to 6.5 percent in November.

During the three months through Nov. 24, 72.6 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers used text messaging on their mobile devices -- a rise of 2.1 percentage points from last August, comScore reports. And 44.9 percent of all U.S. mobile subscribers downloaded applications during the latest survey period -- up 3.3 percentage points.

Smartphone Ownership Climbs

According to comScore, 91.4 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones at the end of the firm's latest three-month survey period. Smartphone ownership rose by a robust 8 percent between August and November.

Android's share of the smartphone market segment rose 3.1 percentage points between August and November. Though Apple's iOS remained in second place with a 28.7 percent share, the platform's 1.4 percentage point rise did not keep pace with Android's steeper growth trajectory.

RIM ranked third in comScore's latest survey with a 16.6 percent share -- down 3.1 percentage points from August. Microsoft's Windows Phone platform also lost one-half of a percentage point during the same period.

Though Microsoft's new Mango release hit the U.S. market during the survey period, the Windows Phone platform trailed behind the market leaders with a 5.2 percent share. Additionally, Nokia's Symbian platforms still held on to a 1.5 percent smartphone market share.

Mobile Browsing Growth

The number of handset users accessing social-networking sites or blogs on their devices grew 2.1 percentage points to 33 percent of all U.S. mobile subscribers, comScore said. Moreover, 29.7 percent reported mobile gaming activities, while 21.7 percent said they listened to music on their handsets.

On the browser front, comScore said 44.4 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers were surfing the Internet on their handsets -- up 2.3 percentage points since August. According to Net Applications, Apple's Safari mobile browser for smartphones and tablets led the field with a 55 percent share at the end of November, while Android's browser ranked third (16.4 percent) behind the Opera Mini mobile browser (20.1 percent).

More than 80 percent of U.S. mobile users 18 to 22 years of age access the Internet outside the home, with 67 percent using the mobile Internet at least monthly, Forrester Research reported last month. Still, U.S. adults 23 to 31 years of age have the highest uptake of smartphones and are most likely to use the mobile Internet on their mobile device.

"They use their mobiles for a wide range of activities, from playing games and listening to music to looking up directions," wrote Forrester Research analyst Gina Sverdlov in a blog post. "Two in three online 'Gen Yers' fall into our SuperConnecteds Mobile Technographics segment."

By contrast, only 33 percent of U.S. residents between the ages of 46 and 55 own a smartphone. Additionally, only 20 percent of Americans 56 to 66 years of age use the mobile Internet regularly, Sverdlov noted.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20111230/bs_nf/81589

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California Highway Patrol: Chico teens hurt in I-5 crash with big rig

WOODLAND ? Teenage brothers from Chico were injured in a crash Dec. 21 on Interstate 5 that involved a second vehicle and a big rig driven by an Orland man.

The California Highway Patrol said Jarred Brown, 16, of Chico, was driving south on I-5 just after 11 a.m. when his 1994 Honda Accord veered into another lane and was struck by a tractor-trailer driven by Robin A. White, 31, of Orland.

Brown and his front seat passenger, Jeremiah Brown, 18, were transported to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, where they were treated for moderate injuries and later released.

White wasn't injured, nor was Soloman Salvador, 55, of Tacoma, Wash,, the driver of a Toyota Sienna involved in a crash with the Honda before it was struck by the big rig.

The CHP said drugs and alcohol are not suspected to the factors in the crash, which is under investigation.

Source: http://www.chicoer.com/ci_19630343?source=rss_viewed

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Economic Cycles and Investing | The Big Picture

Comments

Please use the comments to demonstrate your own ignorance, unfamiliarity with empirical data, ability to repeat discredited memes, and lack of respect for scientific knowledge. Also, be sure to create straw men and argue against things I have neither said nor even implied. Any irrelevancies you can mention will also be appreciated. Lastly, kindly forgo all civility in your discourse . . . you are, after all, anonymous.

1. KJMClark Says:
   December 28th, 2011 at 2:42 pm

   Now you need one for long (demographic) waves. As in, Generation A grows up during a crash, saves strongly, creates conditions for growth. Generation B thinks their parents are foolish Scrooges, spends, increasing growth but building up debt. Generation C sees grows up during debt-fueled growth, enjoys the good times, but then has to deal with the crash. Repeat.

2. B_Lev Says:
   December 28th, 2011 at 4:29 pm

   A number of the cycle charts show ?rising inflation? as a characteristic of an economy slowing/ entering a recession. At the same time, the charts suggest stocks and commodity prices start falling. Is this contradiction apparent?

   Why are prices increasing during a recession when (presumably) velocity slows? Outside of the 70?s stagflation or Volcker ?ringing out? inflation by inducing a recession (contractionary monetary) in the early 80?s, why would we associate a recession with increasing prices? Text Book. Inflation is expansionary. Right?

   Gen C! woop!

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Source: http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2011/12/economic-cycles-and-investing/

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Obama to visit swing state Ohio to talk economy (Reuters)

HONOLULU (Reuters) ? President Barack Obama will visit the political battleground state of Ohio next week, ushering in the 2012 election year with a speech focused on the economy, the White House said on Thursday.

Obama will visit Cleveland on Wednesday, just after he returns from a more than week-long vacation in Hawaii, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.

The president had put off his trip to Hawaii to wait for Congress to extend payroll tax cuts expiring at the end of December, which lawmakers eventually agreed to continue for only two months because of disagreements about how to offset their cost.

Efforts to broker a full-year deal for the payroll tax cuts, which the White House has said the middle class needs until the U.S. economy heals, are expected to hang over Washington in early 2012 and may be a major theme of Obama's Cleveland speech.

The Democrat will also seek to deflect attention from the Republican caucuses in Iowa and draw a contrast between Obama's economic vision and those laid out by potential Republican rivals for the White House in the November vote.

Obama's re-election chances are expected to hinge on the state of the U.S. economy and particularly the jobless rate, which at 8.6 percent is several percentage points higher than before the financial crisis that struck just before he took office.

In Hawaii, Obama has been golfing, spending time at the beach with his wife and daughters, and enjoying dinners with friends. The Obamas went to church on Christmas Day, and on Thursday, they visited the Pearl Harbor memorial.

(Reporting By Laura MacInnis and Travis Quezon)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111230/pl_nm/us_usa_obama_ohio

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Tatum, McConaughey's patriotic striptease

Feast your eyes on the men of "Magic Mike"!

In the first promo pic from the upcoming male stripper flick, Joe Manganiello, 34, Alex Pettyfer, 21, a shirtless (and newly engaged!) Matthew McConaughey, 42, and Channing Tatum, 31, perform a patriotic striptease.VIDEO: Channing Tatum's hilarious stripper video

The film, which stars Tatum as a veteran exotic dancer who mentors Pettyfer's character, is directed by Steven Soderbergh and also features Matt Bomer, Riley Keough and Olivia Munn. Magic Mike is loosely based off Tatum's experiences at a Chippendales-style revue.

VIDEO: Alex Pettyfer shows off his raunchy tattoos

"It's so funny," Manganiello, who plays Big Dick Richie, told The L.A. Times in October. "It's like 'Animal House' and 'Hangover' funny. Steven has most of it edited and he's such a good storyteller with that camera."

PHOTOS: Hollywood's buff boys

Magic Mike is expected to hit theaters in June 2012.

Copyright 2011 Us Weekly

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45804274/ns/today-entertainment/

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Why 2012 Will Be a Bad Year for Renewable Energy

The eyes of the environmental community were on the South African city of Durban over the past two weeks, as diplomats from more than 190 countries met for the annual U.N. climate-change summit. The talks ran 36 hours longer than scheduled ? so late that host South Africa had to arrange for bigger flights to accommodate departing diplomats, but in the end representatives managed to come to an agreement, sort of. Essentially nations decided to begin the process of negotiating a bigger and better climate treaty ? one that could eventually encompass all major emitters, including big developing nations like China and India ? while keeping the Kyoto Protocol alive for at least a few more years. There's no certainty that Durban will actually result in a real climate treaty (virtually nothing agreed to at the summit was binding), but it's at least a little bit better than nothing.

More than 7,000 miles away in Washington, however, another negotiation is underway that could be much more important to the climate than the U.N. summit ? and the end isn't likely to be as positive. U.S. wind and solar companies are panicking over the murky future of federal support for renewable energy. Generous tax credits and subsidies ? especially since the 2009 stimulus ? have helped the U.S. renewable industry thrive, with wind power alone growing 37% annually over the past four years. But much of that government aid is set to expire at the end of the year, and if Congress doesn't act ? which seems increasingly unlikely in these politically dysfunctional days ? the U.S. renewable-energy industry could suffer a major crash in the years ahead. That could have knock-on effects both for the fight against global warming and for the slowly recovering job market. "Wind-turbine manufacturing has been a bright spot for the U.S. over the past few years," said Denise Bode, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), in a conference call with reporters. "But we're putting those jobs at risk." (See the top 10 green trends of 2011.)

Renewable-energy projects are eligible for the Production Tax Credit (PTC), which provides a credit of 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour of energy produced in a wind farm or solar-utility project, for the first 10 years of operation. That money has driven rising investment in renewable energy over the past several years. IHS Emerging Energy Research estimates that the PTC ? which has been in place since 2005 ? has supported an average of 5.6 gigawatts of annual growth in wind energy, which has helped the industry reach more than 43 gigawatts of installed capacity.

That's been good for the climate as renewable energy displaces coal or natural gas, but it's also been good for American manufacturing. There are more than 400 facilities in 43 states producing parts for wind turbines, and today 60% of a turbine's value originates from the U.S., up from 25% before the PTC was enacted in 2005. "These are good manufacturing jobs," said John Purcell, the vice president of wind energy for Leeco Steel. "That's a great job to have in today's times."

But the PTC for wind is set to expire at the end of 2012. A study by Navigant Consulting ? admittedly commissioned by the AWEA ? predicts that if that happens, investment in the industry will drop from $15.6 billion in 2012 to $5.5 billion in 2013, while jobs will fall from 78,000 to 41,000. New wind installation would fall to 2 gigawatts from the 8 gigawatts of installation that is projected to occur if the PTC is renewed. It's little wonder that groups as disparate as the United Steelworkers and the National Association of Manufacturers have endorsed the renewal of the PTC. "Time is of the essence," says Terry Royer, president of Winergy Drive Systems. (Watch TIME's video "Climate Central: Philadelphia's Hot New Normal.")

The PTC for solar isn't scheduled to expire until 2016, so that industry has a bit more breathing room. But it faces an additional challenge: the end of the 1603 program. Before the recession, companies took advantage of the credits provided for funding renewable-energy projects by applying them against their tax bill. Banks ? unsurprisingly in the boom years ? were major customers for those credits. But a funny thing happens during a recession: companies stop making a profit, which also means they stop paying much in taxes ? so they have little use for tax credits. As the tax-equity market dried up, so did financing for renewable energy ? especially solar projects, which already receive less investment than wind.

Enter the 1603 program, which was also enacted as part of the 2009 stimulus. Instead of receiving a credit against tax bills, companies that invested in renewable energy could simply get cash straight from the federal government, bypassing the tax-equity problem. As a result, investment in renewables soared ? last year 1603 paid out $3.3 billion, helping the solar industry employ some 100,000 people. But if 1603 isn't renewed ? and with House Republicans against anything that smells of "stimulus," it's not looking good ? the U.S. solar industry could lose nearly 37,000 jobs and miss out on as much as 2 gigawatts of additional installation. "The next year is going to be a Darwinian one for the solar industry," says Ed Fenster, CEO of SunRun, a solar-financing company. "The expiration of 1603 means that smaller companies are going to have a difficult time getting access to capital."

Conservatives protest that the 1603 program ? which has cost $9.6 billion through 2011, nearly three times what Congress had expected ? is unaffordable in an era of tight budgets. There's also the argument that government aid should focus more on supporting breakthrough-energy technologies, instead of spending money year after year enabling sources of renewable energy that are unable to survive without government aid. But the cost of wind and solar are dropping rapidly, finally putting renewable energy in a position to compete in the marketplace ? as long as the certainty of government aid doesn't disappear. The history of U.S. clean-energy policy has been one of fits and starts, with the renewable industry rising and then crashing when subsidies expire. As the climate crisis worsens ? and countries barely seem to be able to do anything about it on the international stage ? now's not the time to pull the rug out from under American renewables.

Read about the history of green energy.

Read about Sweden's new energy source.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/time/mostemailed/~3/2Om2W8Eyty4/0,8599,2102129,00.html

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Fla. crash kills doc getting heart for transplant

MIAMI (AP) ? A heart surgeon from a Mayo Clinic in Florida flying across the northern corner of the state to retrieve a heart for transplant was killed Monday when his helicopter crashed, officials said.

The helicopter departed the clinic in Jacksonville around 5:45 a.m. but never arrived at the Gainesville hospital, Shands at University of Florida, about 60 miles southwest, said Kathy Barbour, a spokeswoman for Mayo, which is based in Rochester, Minn.

Heart surgeon Dr. Luis Bonilla, procurement technician David Hines and the pilot were killed.

They were on their way to pick up a heart for a patient at the Jacksonville hospital, Clinic spokesman Karl Oestreich told The Associated Press. He said he didn't know whether the heart could still be used in a transplant or what would happen to the patient who had been scheduled to receive it.

The helicopter went down about 12 miles northeast of Palatka, said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen. The town is about 40 miles east of Gainesville and about 45 miles south of Jacksonville.

Clay County Sheriff's Office dispatcher Myron White confirmed the three dead but had no more information to release about the crash in the remote, forested area away from roads. The National Transportation Safety Board also was investigating.

The National Weather Service in Jacksonville reported that there was light fog with overcast conditions in the area but no rain.

"As we mourn this tragic event, we will remember the selfless and intense dedication they brought to making a difference in the lives of our patients," John Noseworthy, Mayo Clinic president and chief executive officer, said in a statement. "We recognize the commitment transplant teams make every day in helping patients at Mayo Clinic and beyond. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families."

FAA records show the Bell 206 helicopter is operated by SK Jets. The St. Augustine company released a statement Monday evening: "The focus of our efforts at this time is to attend to the needs of our passengers, crew and their families and work with the NTSB and local public safety officials to determine the cause and extent of the accident."

The pilot's name was not released.

Gary Robb, a Kansas City aviation attorney specializing in helicopter safety, said SK Jets is known as a careful and safe operator in the industry. The small, lightweight craft has low weight and speed capabilities and is primarily used by traffic reporters or police departments, Robb said.

"It's not usually used in donor flights," he said.

"If you're on a mission where time is sensitive, why use an engine that is low performance?" Robb said, adding that the helicopter has a cramped cabin.

An NTSB investigator will scour the crash site for clues and look into the pilot's experience and any factors that might have impaired the pilot, any environmental factors such as birds or low visibility that may have contributed to the crash, and any mechanical problems with the helicopter, he said.

The Bell 206 helicopter usually has an older engine no longer installed in new helicopters, Robb said.

"We've seen a number of instances where that engine simply failed," Robb said.

The crash and others like it illustrate the delicate nature of transporting organs.

In 1990, a surgeon and an assistant flying to pick up a donor heart for a patient were killed in a plane crash in New Mexico. And in 2007, a twin-engine plane carrying a team of surgeons and technicians ? along with a set of lungs on ice being brought to a patient already prepped for surgery ? crashed into the choppy waters of Lake Michigan. Six were killed.

Doctors ultimately got another set of donor lungs that were transplanted into the patient.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-12-26-Helicopter%20Crash-Florida/id-a417a0c823074ed695d454828c818efd

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Cheetah the chimp from 1930s Tarzan flicks dies (omg!)

PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) ? A Florida animal sanctuary says Cheetah the chimpanzee from the Tarzan movies of the early 1930s has died at age 80.

The Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor announced that Cheetah died Dec. 24 of kidney failure.

Sanctuary outreach director Debbie Cobb on Wednesday told The Tampa Tribune (http://bit.ly/rRuTeJ ) that Cheetah was outgoing, loved finger painting and liked to see people laugh. She says he seemed to be tuned into human feelings.

Cheetah was the comic relief in the Tarzan series starring American Olympic gold medal swimmer Johnny Weissmuller. Cobb says Cheetah came to the sanctuary from Weissmuller's estate sometime around 1960.

Cobb says Cheetah wasn't a troublemaker. Still, sanctuary volunteer Ron Priest says that when the chimp didn't like what was going on, he would throw feces.

___

Online:

http://suncoastprimate.homestead.com/

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_cheetah_chimp1930s_tarzan_flicks_dies_050034998/44016643/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/cheetah-chimp-1930s-tarzan-flicks-dies-050034998.html

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Community Christmas dinners

PARKERSBURG - Hundreds of people attended community Christmas dinners in Parkersburg Sunday, at First Presbyterian Church on Juliana Street and at Tri-City Baptist Church in south Parkersburg.

People from all over the area came to the Christmas Dinner at First Presbyterian.

Carol Seely, the wife of the Rev. Michael Seely, pastor of First Presbyterian, said they have been doing the dinner for over 20 years.

"Every year, we have a faithful number of people who come and share Christmas Day dinner with their friends and acquaintances," she said. "These are people who are lonely, people who don't have enough money for a good Christmas meal and people who don't have any family around who just want to be around people."

Every year, the church has many volunteers who come out to help serve food and talk with those who come in from single people to couples to whole families.

"We have people who come faithfully every year to volunteer," Seely said. "It is a really fun experience."

Parkersburg resident Yvonne White has been volunteering annually with her husband John for many years.

"The people are why I keep coming back," she said. "We have done it for so long I wouldn't know what else to do."

Melva Pickens, one of the organizers of Sunday's dinner at Tri-City Baptist Church in south Parkersburg, said this was the sixth year for the church's Christmas Day community dinner and about 130 people showed up to enjoy food, music and fellowship. Volunteers also delivered some meals to local senior facilities, she said.

"They're mostly from the community. We have a lot of church people that help out, doing the cooking, the waiting, the cleaning and everything," Pickens said.

Samuel Naylor was at Tri-City Baptist Church on Sunday with his wife, Jennifer. The couple lives in south Parkersburg and has been coming to the church's community Christmas dinner for three years, after seeing a sign about the event in south Parkersburg in 2009.

"My family lives in North Carolina so this really helps us out and gives us somewhere to come and enjoy the fellowship and the church people here giving their time," he said.

Parkersburg resident James Vaughan was making his first visit Sunday to the Tri-City Baptist dinner and was enjoying the fellowship.

"We stopped in, we didn't have any plans for Christmas so it's nice to get out and fellowship with people," he said.

Source: http://www.mariettatimes.com/page/content.detail/id/540984.html

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Phishing email seeks Apple billing info

By Suzanne Choney

You won't get an email from Apple asking you to update your billing information. But if you think you got one in recent days, delete it; it's a phishing scam designed to snatch that info from you, and it's definitely not from the Cupertino company.

The "vast phishing attack," as Mac software security firm Intego calls it, began around Christmas Day, and seeks to prey on those who got new Apple gear for the holiday. The spammers don't know whether you did or not; they do know that with Apple products as popular as they were on holiday gift lists, the odds are in their favor of getting some hits on this.

The email's subject line is "Apple update your Billing Information." Says Intego: "These well-crafted emails could fool many new Apple users, especially those who may have found an iPhone, iPod or iMac under their Christmas tree, and set up accounts with the iTunes Store or the Mac App Store for the first time. The messages claim to come from 'appleid@id.apple.com.'" And here's what it says:

Intego

Looks official, right?

Intego says if you click on the link in the message, you'd be taken to a "realistic-looking sign-in page, then, after entering your Apple ID and password, you?ll be taken to a page asking you to update your account profile, notably entering your credit card information. Again, this page looks realistic, and many of the elements it contains are taken from Apple's own Web pages."

But if you moved your cursor over the link in the message and waited for a "tooltip to pop up," you'd see this:

Intego

The URL that's shown is not an apple.com address, Intego says, "but rather a numerical address (we've blurred the first part of the address). At the end of the address is a page called apple.htm, which could fool people, but that?s not what?s important. Always look at the part right after the http:// in the URL: if it's not something.apple.com (it could be www.apple.com, store.apple.com, or something else), then it's bogus."

Thanks to Intego for the heads-up and the reminder that phishing scams may be at their worst during the holidays, but can also proliferate after them, too.

? Via TheNextWeb

Related stories:

Check out Technolog, Gadgetbox, Digital Life and In-Game on?Facebook,?and on Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.

Source: http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/27/9747036-phishing-email-seeks-apple-billing-info?chromedomain=gadgetbox

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Today's Buzz: Who's Obama's dream GOP opponent?

U.S. President Obama waves from the Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington (JASON REED, REUTERS / December 23, 2011)

Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board

December 27, 2011

For months, the conventional political wisdom said President Obama would wind up facing Mitt Romney in next year's general election. But in recent weeks, sudden shifts in support among GOP voters seem to have increased the chances that another GOP candidate could be nominated. Of Romney, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul or Rick Perry, which would be easiest for Obama to defeat? Or will the president be so dragged down by the economy that he won't be able to knock off any of these candidates? Is next year's election likely to be close? Talk about it!

You must be registered with OrlandoSentinel.com to leave comments.

Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5666885525

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A genome-wide association study in Han Chinese identifies multiple susceptibility loci for IgA nephropathy

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Source: www.moreover.com --- Sunday, December 25, 2011
Nature Reviews Genetics Dec 25 2011 8:46PM GMT ...

Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5662850874

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Video: Hardball?s top movies of the year

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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/45780148#45780148

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Three Legends Remembered: Steve Jobs, Elizabeth Taylor, Amy Winehouse (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | Many notable deaths marked the year 2011. Among them, the following individuals stand out as people whose defiance of convention forever changed their respective industries. A technological innovator, a humanitarian actress and a soulful songstress rewrote the rules and redefined the very meaning of excellence. As a result, our expectations of greatness have been altered forever.

Steve Jobs: A Technological Innovator

It could be argued that Steve Jobs is one of the sole reasons that technology revolutionized the world as quickly as it did. Due to his practical, down-to-earth focus on the user experience, he single-handedly made computers cool. He focused on humans, and what we wanted computers to do, and brought to life the dreams we didn't know we had. He seemed to have an innate ability to tap into the collective unconscious; he intuitively knew what people wanted from technology and ushered us into the future, putting the unimaginable at our very fingertips.

Elizabeth Taylor: A Humanitarian Actress

A child star turned movie star, and movie star turned activist, Liz Taylor played many roles throughout her life. Her performances made her the leading lady on the silver screen. Her work in the fight against HIV and AIDS made her a leader in humanitarianism. Her championing of Jewish causes made her a legend. Not many people would offer themselves up as a replacement hostage in order to secure someone else's freedom. Elizabeth Taylor, however, did exactly during the Entebbe Skyjacking in 1976, successively integrating guts and glamour.

Amy Winehouse: A Soulful Songstress

Though the words "tortured" and "tormented" have been used repeatedly to describe this iconic singer/songwriter, those were undoubtedly the exact qualities that made her music so mesmerizing. She publicly and unabashedly wrestled her demons through her lyrics and her raw, unpretentious sound. Where others try to capture deep emotions artistically, Amy Winehouse effortlessly channeled, and expertly conveyed, the darkest elements of the human soul.

Each of these individuals personified determination, genius and talent. Though their contributions to society were markedly different, each had a larger-than-life persona and left behind a legacy that will be long remembered. Steve Jobs changed the way we relate to technology, Elizabeth Taylor created our definition of star and Amy Winehouse reinvented the very idea of soul.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111223/cm_ac/10740429_three_legends_remembered_steve_jobs_elizabeth_taylor_amy_winehouse

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Cowon Plenue Z2 PMP scurries into the FCC's database, hides its face from the authorities

See that? That's the backside of a new portable media player from a company know best for its legendary sound quality. Unfortunately, there's no extra information to be gleaned from Cowon's Plenue Z2 FCC filing, but it certainly appears as if this will be one of the company's larger players. We're still waiting on pins and needles to hear if Android or its own OS will be running the show, but now that it's hopped this hurdle, we doubt it'll be too many more weeks before the whole thing is revealed all proper like. Head on past the break for a close-up of the label.

Continue reading Cowon Plenue Z2 PMP scurries into the FCC's database, hides its face from the authorities

Cowon Plenue Z2 PMP scurries into the FCC's database, hides its face from the authorities originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/22/cowon-plenue-z2-pmp-scurries-into-the-fccs-database-hides-its/

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How Your House Works: Fireplace

December 23, 2011 6:30 AM

Classic brick-and-mortar fireplaces aren't exactly hot these days, according to Joe LaVecchia of New Jersey's Abbey Hart Brick & Stone. "We used to sell a million firebricks a year in the 1970s," he says. "Now it's more like eighty or a hundred thousand."

It's not that the hearth's allure has been extinguished?it's a cost issue. Between the prerequisite concrete foundation and a mason to do the job, a traditional fireplace can cost $10,000 to $15,000 to install. Then there's efficiency. Typical fireplaces draw and vent interior air that a homeowner pays to heat with a furnace. The image of dollar signs streaming out of a chimney comes to mind.

The most common alternative today is the fuel-efficient, direct-vent gas fireplace. Carpenters can install the prefab firebox, which costs a fraction of a traditional fireplace. Still, nothing duplicates a crackling hearth. The old flame?fascinating and elemental?dies hard.

CHIMNEYS: THE INSIDE STORY

1. FLUE Smoke rises through ceramic flue liners in about 95 percent of brick chimneys, Tyler McClave of flue-maker Superior Clay says. Round models span 3 to 36 inches in diameter; rectangular flues get as big as 24 x 24. But a 12 x 12 square is typical, and two flues often run side by side in a single chimney.

2. SMOKE SHELF Wood smoke rises from the firebox and collects along the smoke shelf, a horizontal termination that prevents smoke from traveling downward from the chimney and into the house. Located about 8 inches above the top of the firebox, the shelf? has a concave surface that collects rainwater and debris.

3. DAMPER The metal door atop the firebox closes when the fireplace is dormant to seal the drafty chimney from the home interior. It's not a perfect seal, McClave says, because a refrigerator-style rubber gasket can't last in intense heat. Common-sense note: Never light a fire with the damper closed.

4. FIREBRICK Also known as refractory brick, firebrick has an inherent ability to expand and contract with rapid heating and cooling. Face brick, which clads chimneys, cracks and fails when used to line a firebox.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/improvement/interior/how-your-house-works-fireplace?src=rss

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LA Galaxy secure trio to new deals

The LA Galaxy announced today defender Sean Franklin, midfielder Bryan Jordan and forward Adam Cristman will all return to the club for the 2012 MLS season after helping LA win their third MLS Cup last season.

Franklin and Jordan each re-signed with the Galaxy while the defending Supporters? Shield winners and MLS Cup champions exercised an option on Cristman, bringing him back for a second season in Southern California.

Cristman, Franklin, Jordan and the rest of the Galaxy will return to action on Wednesday, March 7 when they take on Toronto FC in the first leg of their 2011/12 CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal, which will be played at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5658944115&f=378

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Denny's offers jobs to laid off Aberdeen workers

ABERDEEN, Wash. (AP) -- The Grinch Fund campaign to give laid off Aberdeen diner employees unpaid back wages has exceeded its goal and resulted in job offers.

KXRO reports the operator of several Denny's franchises, Chris Haque (hawk), donated $3,000 to the fund and offered jobs to workers willing to work at his restaurants in Seattle and Olympia.

Haque told KXRO he's also looking into the possibility of reopening the America's Diner in Aberdeen as a Denny's.

Regular customer Glenn Ludwig started the Grinch Fund to help a dozen workers who hadn't received a paycheck since before Thanksgiving. His goal was $16,000. The fund now has nearly $20,000. The surplus will go to charity.

The Department of Labor and Industries is investigating the owner who closed the diner without paying the workers.

---

Information from: KXRO-AM, http://www.kxro.com

Source: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WA_GRINCH_FUND_WAOL-?SITE=TXCOL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

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Beer Me, Sommelier

It?s a busy night at the D.C. restaurant Birch & Barley, as well as its casual upstairs sister joint, ChurchKey. Greg Engert is guiding me through his beverage list with all the knowledge, talent, and grace one would expect from an award-winning sommelier. With a couple crisp queries, he learned enough to make some intriguing recommendations. He didn?t flaunt his knowledge about food and drink, but when I had questions, he gave precise answers about the flavor, aroma, producer, pairing potential, and even the history of the available beverages. Fortunately, there was no attempt at upselling, the odious sin far too many sommeliers commit, a big reason why many diners are suspicious of the entire profession.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=1351dd91c727487fdbe6856649ac9180

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Venezuela turns over alleged drug lord to US (AP)

CARACAS, Venezuela ? Venezuela handed a top Colombian drug trafficking suspect to U.S. authorities on Thursday, deporting him to face charges of shipping tons of cocaine to the United States.

The U.S. had offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Maximiliano Bonilla Orozco, known as "Valenciano," who was also on Colombia's most-wanted list. Bonilla was captured in Venezuela last month.

He was turned over to U.S. authorities at Caracas' international airport. U.S. counter-drug officials, their faces covered with masks, led the handcuffed Bonilla aboard a plane.

The U.S. State Department had listed Bonilla among its eight most-wanted Colombian drug traffickers after leftist rebels. U.S. officials say Bonilla sent tons of cocaine to the United States through Central America and Mexico, dealing extensively with Mexico's Zetas drug cartel.

Venezuela also deported a second Colombian suspect, Gildardo Garcia Cardona, to Colombia on Thursday. Garcia, an alleged member of the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, was captured in Venezuela in October.

Garcia is charged with drug trafficking, and Colombian officials had issued an order for his arrest through Interpol, Venezuelan Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami said.

When Bonilla was captured in the central city of Maracay, both Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called it an example of improved counter-drug cooperation.

Santos said Colombian authorities had provided intelligence to Venezuelan authorities, who tracked down Bonilla.

Bonilla, 39, allegedly headed a Medellin-based criminal organization dating back to the 1980s that once recruited hit men for the late cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar.

Wanted on a 2008 federal indictment from New York's eastern district for drug trafficking, Bonilla received cocaine from various sources in Colombia, including the country's rebels, Colombian and U.S. officials say.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111215/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_venezuela_us_drugs

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Browns' McCoy out with concussion, Watson on IR

El quarterback de los Browns de Cleveland, Colt McCoy, es ayudado tras recibir un golpe del linebacker de los Steelers de Pittsburgh, James Harrison, en un partido el jueves, 8 de diciembre de 2011, en Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Don Wright)

El quarterback de los Browns de Cleveland, Colt McCoy, es ayudado tras recibir un golpe del linebacker de los Steelers de Pittsburgh, James Harrison, en un partido el jueves, 8 de diciembre de 2011, en Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Don Wright)

FILE - In this Sept. 1, 2011, file photo, Cleveland Browns quarterback Seneca Wallace (6) drops back to pass against the Chicago Bears in the first half an NFL preseason football game in Chicago. With Colt McCoy still experiencing headaches and not practicing from a concussion suffered in Pittsburgh last week, Wallace, who has spent most of his NFL career as an understudy, will could start when the Browns visit the Arizona Cardinals. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

BEREA, Ohio (AP) ? Colt McCoy is expected to recover from his concussion and play for the Browns again this season. Benjamin Watson isn't as fortunate.

Watson was placed on injured reserve Friday, ending the tight end's season after he sustained his third concussion since July in last week's loss at Pittsburgh. Watson was injured when he banged his head on the ground following a tackle in the first half, couldn't get his balance and had to be helped to the sideline.

Watson who was Cleveland's leading receiver last season and had 37 catches for 410 yards and two touchdowns this year, visited a specialist on head injuries earlier this week.

Browns tight end Evan Moore was disappointed Watson's season ended prematurely, but understood the choice.

"That's a big loss," Moore said. "All of us are really close with Ben. He's doing well. I don't know the ins and outs of how the decision was made, but I know when it comes to the head, it's not something you mess around with. So I think he not only has to think about himself but his family. And Ben's a smart guy, so I'm sure he wanted to go with the right decision."

Shurmur said Watson, a father of three who will turn 31 on Sunday, has not discussed with him the possibility of retiring.

Watson was not available for interviews as players packed following practice for their flight to Arizona. A team spokesman said per league policy, "players are not available until cleared from a medical standpoint."

McCoy, who was flattened last week on an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit by Steelers linebacker James Harrison, has not yet been cleared to play by Cleveland's medical staff, which came under heavy criticism for its handling of the QB's head injury.

McCoy is still experiencing headaches and was sent home Friday for the fourth time this week to rest. He was seen driving away from the team's facility in his pickup truck and will not accompany the team to Arizona.

Shurmur said there has been no discussion about placing McCoy on IR.

"He's still having some symptoms and that's why we sent him home," Shurmur said.

With McCoy sidelined, backup Seneca Wallace will make his first start this season against the Cardinals. Wallace went 1-3 in four starts last season, and Shurmur expects the nine-year veteran who will be making his 19th start in the NFL to play well.

"I'm anticipating that Seneca's going to go out and execute efficiently and I think we saw Colt do that at times this year," he said. "As a quarterback, you're trying to go out and do everything right all the time. Every once in a while you'll make a bad throw or a poor decision and then you get right back on the horse and try to correct it.

"I would anticipate, based on what I saw in practice, Seneca will do a good job."

Shurmur added that rookie fullback Owen Marecic is also out this week. Like McCoy and Watson, Marecic sustained a concussion against the Steelers, his second concussion in a month.

To replace Marecic, the Browns activated fullback Eddie Williams.

The Browns' handling of McCoy's injury ? he was not given the standard sideline concussion test until the next day ? prompted the league to send medical personnel to Cleveland to meet with the Browns. Representatives of the Players Association also attended the meeting to discuss the team's treatment of McCoy and possible changes to the league's policies on head injuries.

Team president Mike Holmgren said the team did not check McCoy for a concussion on the sideline because he was not displaying symptoms and because the medical staff did not see Harrison's vicious hit while attending to other injured players on the sideline.

Shurmur said the team is not planning any major changes to their procedures on concussions this week, but that McCoy's injury "made an impression on us."

On Friday, the league denied Harrison's appeal of his suspension, which the league handed down for his fifth illegal hit on a quarterback in three years. Harrison is the first player suspended under stricter guidelines for player safety.

Moore, who sustained a concussion earlier this year, is pleased there is increased awareness on concussions and more emphasis on player safety. He's also in favor of the league using independent neurologists at games to help assess head injuries.

"That's something that we could've addressed in the CBA before we finished things up," Moore said. "I think we as players tried to push for health issues but I think we sacrificed a couple things in the interest of getting the business side of it done.

"I thought we could have done a better job as a union -- that's how I personally feel -- of making sure we look after players first. It's something we could have done better and the unfortunate thing is we have a 10-year CBA with no opt out, so we've gotta try to find a way to get it done before then."

Notes: K Phil Dawson was pleased to learn general manager Tom Heckert wants him back next season. "It's nice to hear that. It beats the alternative," Dawson said with a smile. "It's good to know they're not looking for a young guy in the draft." The Browns placed their franchise tag on Dawson this season and could do so again. The 36-year-old is having another solid season, his 14th with the franchise. ... Williams, who wears No. 44, has been popping pads at practice for weeks. "He can drop his weight and block a guy so he'll get a chance to do it live on Sunday," Shurmur said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-12-16-FBN-Browns-McCoy/id-427c107ec9ba499a903a89f3636dc832

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140 new species described by California Academy of Sciences in 2011

ScienceDaily (Dec. 15, 2011) ? In 2011, researchers at the California Academy of Sciences added 140 new relatives to our family tree. The new species include 72 arthropods, 31 sea slugs, 13 fishes, 11 plants, nine sponges, three corals, and one reptile. They were described by more than a dozen Academy scientists along with several dozen international collaborators.

Proving that there are still plenty of places to explore and things to discover on Earth, the scientists made their finds over six continents (all except Antarctica) and three oceans (Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian), climbed to the tops of mountains and descended to the bottom of the sea, looked in their owns backyards (California) and on the other side of the world (Cameroon).

Their results, published in 33 different scientific papers, add to the record of life on Earth and help advance the Academy's research into two of the most important scientific questions of our time: "How did life evolve?" and "How will it persist?"

Discovering new species, formally describing them, and determining their evolutionary relationships to other organisms provide the crucial foundation for making informed conservation decisions at a national level. For example, earlier this year, Academy scientists embarked on the largest expedition in the institution's recent history -- a 42-day journey to the Philippines to survey the shallow water, deep sea, and mountain habitats of Luzon Island. Early estimates indicate that they may have discovered as many as 500 new species. While it takes months and even years to formally describe and publish a new species in a peer-reviewed scientific journal (the reason they are not included in the 2011 total), Academy scientists had enough initial data to provide a formal recommendation to Conservation International and the Philippine government outlining the most important locations for establishing or expanding marine protected areas. Formal species descriptions in the coming years should help the scientists bolster and refine their initial recommendations.

Below are a few highlights among the 140 species described by the Academy this year. For a full list of species, including geographic information, visit www.calacademy.org/newsroom/releases/2011/new_species_list.php.

Four New Sharks

Academy research associate David Ebert and his colleagues described four new species of deep-sea sharks this year. The African dwarf sawshark (Pristiophorus nancyae) was collected via a bottom trawl at a depth of 1,600 feet, off the coast of Mozambique. It is notable for its elongated blade-like snout, or "rostrum," which is studded with sharp teeth and used as a weapon. The sawshark will swim through a school of fish swinging its rostrum back and forth, stunning and injuring prey, and then swim back to consume the casualties. Ebert and his colleagues also described two species of lanternshark: Etmopterus joungi from a fish market in Taiwan, and Etmopterus sculptus from trawling at depths of 1,500 -- 3,000 feet off the coast of southern Africa. Like their name suggests, lanternsharks emit light on various parts of their body -- probably a strategy to camouflage themselves from upward-looking predators and also to interact with others of their own species. Finally, a new species of angel shark (Squatina caillieti) was described from a single specimen collected in 1,200 feet of water off the Philippine island of Luzon. Angel sharks have flattened bodies and large pectoral fins resembling wings.

A Bounty of Arthropods

There are more species of arthropods -- insects, spiders, crustaceans, and other joint-legged creatures -- than any other group of animals on Earth, and more are being discovered every day. So it's no surprise that over half of the new species on this year's list consists of arthropods: 43 ants, 20 goblin spiders, six barnacles, and three beetles. In addition, Academy scientists took it to the next level -- literally -- by describing six new genera ("genus" being one classification level higher than "species"). These include three new genera of goblin spiders from Africa (Malagiella, Dalmasula, Molotra) and three new genera of barnacles (Minyaspis, Pycnaspis, and the fossil Archoxynaspis).

Gorgeous Sea Slugs

Despite the common name of "sea slug," nudibranchs are breathtaking in their beauty and diversity. Every color of the rainbow is represented among nudibranchs, in a wide variety of patterns, making them a favorite for underwater photographers. These animals use color as a warning sign -- predators learn to associate their vivid colors with their toxic or unpalatable nature, and so they avoid eating them.

More than 3,000 nudibranch species have been discovered and described to date, and scientists estimate that another 3,000 species are yet to be named. Academy Dean of Science Terry Gosliner and his colleagues did their part to increase our knowledge of nudibranch diversity by describing 31 new species this year, from places as close as Florida to faraway countries like Papua New Guinea.

A Tale of Two Tortoises

In a ZooKeys article published this year, Academy curator emeritus Alan Leviton and colleagues, collaborating with Dr. Robert Murphy of the Royal Ontario Museum, solved the identity crisis of the desert tortoise Gopherus agassizii -- a saga almost as old as the Academy itself. First, by sifting through the original species description in The Proceedings of the California Academy of Natural Sciences (as the Academy used to be called), they determined that the species was first described in 1861, not 1863 as had long been thought. Next, they deduced that one of the three original specimens used to describe the species was likely lost during the most devastating event in the Academy's history -- the 1906 earthquake and fire. (A second specimen is currently housed at the Smithsonian, while the whereabouts of the third remain unknown.) Third, they reviewed the tumultuous taxonomic history of the species, which has changed its genus name five times in the past 150 years. Finally, using DNA analysis, they concluded that G. agassizii is not one, but at least two distinct species -- one that lives to the northwest of the Colorado River in California and Nevada (G. agassizii), and one that lives to the southeast of the river in Arizona and Mexico (a new species, which they named Gopherus morafkai).

This newfound clarity has important implications for conservation, because the geographic range of G. agassizii is now only 30% of its former range. Having significantly declined in numbers over the past three decades, it may warrant a higher level of protection than its current "threatened" status. And now that G. morafkai has a distinct name and its own identity, its conservation status can be evaluated as well.

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Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215095613.htm

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Time Warner Cable to launch HBO Go (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Time Warner Cable Inc is set to provide the online offerings of pay-TV provider HBO in the next month, potentially putting more pressure on rival online services such as Netflix.

Time Warner Cable, which has a big presence in markets such as New York and Los Angeles, said that under an agreement reached with HBO on Friday it would offer the latest online video services from HBO Go and Max Go to its customers in the next month.

Time Warner will would run a brief trial service before the online services become available for no extra charge to all its customers who subscribe to the premium HBO and Cinemax channels. Cinemax, which specializes in movies is owned by HBO. HBO is owned by Time Warner Inc.

Under the agreement about 1,400 shows will be available on line to subscribers of HBO while MAX GO, offers more than 400 titles of Cinemax programming online. (Reporting by Sinead Carew; editing by Carol Bishopric)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111217/wr_nm/us_time_warner_hbo

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Dreams of the Fallen: Hope For the Lost [Pokemon OOC/signup]

Dreams of the Fallen: Hope for the Lost

When the sky illuminates a radiant fire, it stirs something within the hearts of others. It flushes out emotions hidden deep within our souls, our hearts, and it rises to the surface. They are called dreams, something everyone has. Whether they are a trainer, or a member of a crime organization, they all have dreams. Sometimes, the path they choose is not always the right one, and it leads them down a path of injustice and deceit. Sometimes, the path they choose might be a step in the right direction, but lead down a different path in their destiny.

Every trainer has a destiny, a dream to fulfill and they would stop at nothing to achieve it. But what happens when a group of crime syndicates abduct their one Pok?mon they cherish? They embark on a journey to retrieve the Pok?mon, and along the way, develop a bond thought taboo. Will the trainer forsake everything for the criminal? Or will the Criminal change his/her ways and return the stolen Pok?mon in return for something more? Their fate has been decided.

Code: Select all

[Place Image of your Character here]
[b]Name:[/b] [What is your Character?s Name?]
[b]Nickname:[/b] [Does your Character have a Nickname? If not, edit this out.]
[b]Birth Date:[/b] [What is your Character?s Birthdate? Month/Day]
[b]Age:[/b] [What is your Character?s Age? 18-30]
[b]Gender:[/b] [Male/Female]
[b]Ethnicity:[/b] [What is your Character? Be creative. Can be any Ethnicity and/or mixture.]
[b]Regular Clothing:[/b] [What does your character wear on a daily basis? Can be a description and/or an image.]

[b]Pok?mon Type:[/b] [What type(s) of Pok?mon is your Character interested in?]
[b]Starter Pok?mon:[/b] [What was your Starter Pok?mon?] [Kanto-Unova Regions]
[u]Pok?mon Party[/u]
[What other Pok?mon does your Character have? List more if you?d like.]

[b]Status:[/b] [What is your Character?s Status? GymLeader/Trainer/Breeder/Rocket Member/Coordinator][If a Rocket Member, what is your Character?s Rank? Grunt/Leader/Etc.?]
[b]Interest:[/b] [Who is your Character interested in?][What Pok?mon did your Character Steal? ? Only for Rocket Members ? This will also be your Interest.]
[b]Change:[/b] [Does your Character change his/her ways to be with the one they love?][If Rocket Member, does your Character reform or convince the trainer to join?]

Rules
- This is the number one rule. Be Respectful To Others! I cannot stress this enough. A long time ago ? before I quit roleplaying ? other role-players were at each other?s throats and it was just chaos. I want to keep this role-play clean and friendly. Now I do not mind the character?s you are role-playing arguing/fighting whatever, but keep it down to a minimum.
- No pictures above 400x400 pixels.
- Do not control another role-player?s character unless they have given you permission and have notified me via PM or e-mail.
- This role-play is meant to be enjoyable and fun. Please, if you have a problem with something, notify me via e-mail or PM and we can discuss what you do not like or are having problems with.
- I understand that most of us have a life outside of role-playing, therefore; if you plan on being gone for longer than four days, please give me a head?s up and notify me of your absence. That way, if another role-player is waiting for your response, I, or another, may change the post to let them continue without you.
- I understand that not everyone is a grammar nazi, and I do not expect you to be. All I ask is that you know your grammar, when to use it, how to use it, and can post more than one paragraph. This role-play will require a three paragraph minimum and no maximum. Paragraphs are usually five to ten sentences long, so please keep that in mind.
- This is to be a Mature role-play. It also will comply with RPG?s rules and not exceed a PG-13 rating, however; if it does ? and is crucial to the plot ? you may e-mail/PM each other with the necessary information and then continue within the IC thread.
- You are not limited to the number of Attacks a Pok?mon can have, but please be reasonable.
- You ARE limited to a number of Character?s you can make. The limit is two, whether it is two females, two males, or one male, one female. Please, if you do make two characters, keep the gender ratio even.
- You are allowed ONE shiny Pok?mon. I don?t want everyone to have a team full of shiny Pok?mon.
- Absolutely NO Legendary Pok?mon in your team.
- If you are compliant with the rules, then we should have no problem.
- If you have any questions, you can e-mail me at manyfacesofthemoon@gmail.com. I will get back to you as soon as I can.
- Your Character can be any Ethnicity and from any region. Kanto ? Unova.
- Other than these few rules, do have fun with this.

Trainer(s)
- Yamamoto Zaira - MoonlightSonata
- Yamamoto Aurelio - MoonlightSonata
- Open
- Open
- Open
- Open

Team Rocket Memebers
- Open
- Open
- Open
- Open
- Open
- Open

More spots will open as the spaces are filled

---

Name: Yamamoto Zaira
Nickname: Ai
Birth Date: 9/24
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Ethnicity: Japanese/Italian
Regular Clothing: [Zaira?s clothing]
Pok?mon Type: Fire/Dark/Flying
Starter Pok?mon: Oshawott ? Samurott? [Piove]
Pok?mon Party
- Zoroark? [Kokuei]
- Houndoom? [Fuori]
- Rapidash? [Aoi]
- Krookodile? [Kuro]
- Rufflet? [Rosso]
Status: Breeder
Interest: Whoever is interested.
Change: Depends on pairing.
Name: Yamamoto Aurelio
Nickname: Yamamoto
Birth Date: 11/23
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Japanese/Italian
Regular Clothing: [Aurelio?s Clothing]
Pok?mon Type: Water/Electric/Flying
Starter Pok?mon: Squirtle ? Blastoise? [Ame]
Pok?mon Party
- Pidgeot? [Aria]
- Raichu? [Rai]
- Herdier? [Leale]
- Steelix? [Sacra]
- Haunter? [Fantasma]
Status: Trainer
Interest: Anyone who is interested.
Change: Depends on pairing.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/S_L98l5uEiw/viewtopic.php

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Getting by on $50k, but burdened by student loans

Brandon Thibodeaux for msnbc.com

Samuel and Megan Moss stand in their kitchen with their 10-month-old daughter, Mary Margaret, at their apartment in Plano, Texas.

By Allison Linn

With careful budgeting, Sam and Megan Moss are able to get by on their combined salaries of about $50,000 a year.

But the couple is weighed down by around $110,000 in student loan debt that Sam, now 28, accrued while they were students at University of Mississippi.

Megan, 25, says they don?t want their 10-month-old daughter, Mary Margaret, to be burdened by such high debt when she goes to college. That?s one reason the Plano, Texas, couple is unsure whether they will have more children.

?I would love for her to have siblings ? but I don?t see us being able to afford it,? Megan said.

Megan works full-time in sales for a hotel company, while Sam is in the mortgage industry.

What's it like to live on around $50,000 a year?

It is a challenge. It definitely takes planning and budgeting to make everything work.

How has the weak economy affected your finances?

We have been affected simply through the rising cost of living. Everything is more expensive, from gas to groceries to utilities.

Do you worry about money?

I'm not worried about the everyday, for example not being able to put food on the table or buy diapers or gas, but I worry about emergencies.? I worry that our cars, which are both older models, might give out on us and we don't have the extra cash flow to fix (them). I worry about something happening to one of us that makes us unable to work, or in some way negatively affects our job situation.

What are your biggest expenses?

Our biggest expenses are rent, student loan payments and daycare. We pay about $550 a month on Sam?s student loan payments. Our daycare bill every month is close to $800; it is a mortgage payment for some people.

We could probably find a cheaper apartment to live in, but it is worth it to us to pay a little bit more and not have to worry about the neighborhood we live in, or commute too far to work. We both drive less than three miles to work every day.

What do you splurge on?

We splurge on our cable, because it is our entertainment. And occasionally we will go to a movie or out with friends if my parents are available and willing to watch the baby for us. We also splurge on stuff for the baby.

Brandon Thibodeaux for msnbc.com

What kind of debt do you have, and do you find it hard to pay off your loans or other debts?

Sam has student loan debt, quite a bit of it. It averages out to about a $500+ monthly payment.

?I am lucky enough to have a grandfather who is generous enough to pay for my education (as well as my three brothers and my cousins). It was (and still is) the best gift I have ever been given, other than my daughter. I don't know if I will ever be able to fully thank him or show him enough gratitude for what he has done for me.

We also have (around $2500 of) credit card debt that we got into while I was on maternity leave for three months. We pay minimum monthly payments for those every month, and plan to use our tax refund to pay those down completely.

Are you able to save money for the future?

Right now, unfortunately, we are not able to. We have plans though to put the money that has been going to credit card payments into a savings account when we pay those off.?

What are you most proud of in terms of your financial situation?

We own both of our cars. We have steady jobs, with growth potential in the near future.

?Are there any financial mistakes you think you've made?

?I?d say our biggest mistake is not saving the money we had to spare before the baby was born. We didn?t plan as well as we would have liked, financially, before her birth. Hindsight is always 20/20, though.

Over the next few years, do you expect things to get better or worse for you financially?

I hope things will get better for us. We both have the potential for growth in our careers, and we are lucky enough to work in companies that offer those opportunities.

Right now, I would say we are on the right path for success. However, Sam?s loans are on an adjustable rate, and when rates go back up it could really make things more difficult.

More on this series:

Click here to see previous stories in our "We are the median" series. We?re also?sharing our thoughts?? and yours ? on Twitter?(hashtag #median), Facebook and Google Plus. We invite you to comment on our posts ? but keep it civil and on topic, please!

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Are you carrying student loan debt?

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Source: http://lifeinc.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/12/9396045-we-are-the-median-burdened-by-student-loan-debt

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