Costa Phillippou gets big win as Tim Boetsch deals with rough night at UFC 155

Costa Philippou wasn't even supposed to be fighting at UFC 155. It was supposed to be Chris Weidman, Philippou's teammate, taking on Tim Boetsch. It was supposed to be a fight that decided a potential contender for Anderson Silva's bout. But in MMA, things don't always work out like they are supposed to, and Philippou walked away with a win at UFC 155.

Philippou stepped in to fight Boetsch after Weidman was injured in training camp. Boetsch took an early lead with clinch work and takedowns in the first round, but between rounds he talked about an injury that was bothering him. It got worse for Boetsch in the second round, as a large cut opened in his forehead and he was poked in the eye.

[Complete UFC 155 recap: Cain Velasquez mauls Junior dos Santos]

With his eye swelling and blood covering his face, Boetsch tried to deal with Philippou's striking. Boetsch attempted takedowns, but couldn't hold off Philippou, who finished the fight at 2:11 in the third round.

After the fight, Philippou sent this tweet that said it all.

They know me now.

? Costas Philippou (@Philippou185UFC) December 30, 2012

Though he's now 12-2 and has five straight wins in the UFC, Philippou has flown under the radar among middleweights. It will be hard to ignore him after he took advantage of this opportunity at UFC 155.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/costa-phillippou-gets-big-win-tim-boetsch-deals-045553011--mma.html

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At least 15 killed in sect attack in north Nigeria

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) ? Gunmen suspected to belong to a radical Islamist sect attacked a village in northeast Nigeria, tying up men, women and children before slitting their throats, killing at least 15 in the troubled region's latest attack, witnesses said Saturday.

The assault happened early Friday morning in the village of Musari on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the city where the sect known as Boko Haram first launched its guerrilla campaign of shootings and car bombings against Nigeria's weak central government. The gunmen shouted religious slogans and later ordered those there to be gathered up into a group, said Mshelia Inusa, a primary school teacher in the village.

"We heard some people chanting, 'God is great, God is great' amid sounds of banging on doors of houses at about 1 a.m.," the teacher said. "A voice was heard ordering people to be slaughtered and also voices of children were heard screaming."

Inusa said he and others later saw corpses with their hands tied behind their backs and their throats cut.

Later Friday morning, an ambulance arrived at the State Specialists Hospital in Maiduguri, accompanied by a group of military vehicles, a security guard said. Agitated soldiers ordered people away, but the guard said he counted at least 15 bodies being brought into the facility's morgue.

The guard spoke on condition of anonymity out of fears of angering either the military or the sect.

Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, a military spokesman, later issued a statement saying only five people had been killed in the village during the attack. However, military and police officials routinely downplay casualty figures because they are under increasing pressure from their superiors to minimize the perceived effects of the ongoing attacks by Boko Haram.

Boko Haram, which speaks to journalists through conference calls at times of its choosing, could not be immediately reached for comment Saturday. However, the attack mirrored other assaults carried out by the group as it expands its operations outside of cities in the northeast into rural towns and villages, where the security presence remains light and contact with the outside world remains difficult as the sect has destroyed a number of mobile phone towers recently.

The sect, whose name means "Western education is sacrilege" in the Hausa language of Nigeria's Muslim north, wants the nation to enact strict Shariah law and release its imprisoned members. Despite a heavy military and police presence, the sect's adherents have continued to launch frequent attacks.

More than 780 people have been killed in Boko Haram attacks so far this year, according to an Associated Press count, making 2012 the worst year of violence attributed to the group. Boko Haram also has loose connections with al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and Somalia's al-Shabab, according to Western military officials and diplomats.

Suspected Boko Haram gunmen also attacked another village Friday in Adamawa state on its border with neighboring Cameroon. Witnesses said that attack focused on the town of Maiha, where gunmen also shouted praises to God while setting fire to government buildings, a school and a prison. At least 35 prisoners were released from the prison in the attack, though 11 had been recaptured, police spokesman Mohammed Ibrahim said Saturday.

Ibrahim said a civilian and a police officer were killed during the fighting.

And violence continued around the central Nigerian city of Jos, where ethnic, religious and political rivalries have caused mass killings in recent years. Authorities said at least seven had been killed in recent days around Christian villages in the rural plateau. Police said they were investigating the attacks.

___

Associated Press writers Ibrahim Abdul in Yola, Nigeria, and Ahmed Saka in Jos, Nigeria, contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/least-15-killed-sect-attack-north-nigeria-125528008.html

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monsignor winfield: Education & Reference 2016: Petal the Owl

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Source: http://educationreference234.blogspot.com/2012/12/petal-owl-colours.html

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Briton held in Africa trying to join terror group

Britain News.Net Saturday 29th December, 2012

Ahmed Shaheen, 26, from London, was detained on the border between Mauritania and Mali as he tried to cross the Sahara on foot to reach the desert stronghold of the Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the Daily Mail reported.

The British Foreign Office said it was aware of reports of the detention of a British national in Mauritania.

Shaheen, described as of Asian origin and wearing a beard, was staying with a nomad family in the small oasis town of Walata, around 1,100 km from the Mauritanian capital of Nouakchott. He was allegedly posing as an expert in traditional communities.

The daily said he had attended prayers at an ancient mosque but was later reported missing. He said he planned to walk across the desert to Timbuktu, in Mali.

He was stopped by nomad tribesmen on Christmas Day and taken to security services operating in the border area who arrested him.

Shaheen reportedly told Mauritanian Police he was trying to reach Timbuktu to join the AQIM.

Citing Mauritanian news agency Sahara Media, the daily said jihadists from various countries, including instructors from Pakistan, have been flocking to Mali to fill the ranks of AQIM ahead of an armed assault by a UN-backed multi-national force to oust the militants.

The Islamists took control of Timbuktu in April after a military coup left Mali's army in disarray.

Source: http://www.britainnews.net/index.php/sid/211647164/scat/fad6c6ce3bc72160

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Soccer-Shakir's Iraq promotion ends Maradona speculations

Dec 30 (Reuters) - Iraq football association has promoted Hakeem Shakir to the head coach's post, ending speculations of a possible appointment of Diego Maradona for the job.

Shakir, 49, who guided Iraq to the final of this year's AFC under-19 Championship in the United Arab Emirates, had been in temporary charge of the national side since Brazilian Zico resigned in November.

The Iraq football association on Friday confirmed Shakir's appointment, the Asian Football Confederation said on its website (www.the-afc.com).

Earlier this month, an agent representing Maradona said that the Argentine great, former coach of UAE side Al Wasl and now their consultant, was excited at the prospect of a chance to lead Iraq to the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.

Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson of Sweden was also in the fray to take over the reins of the Middle Eastern country, the agent said.

Shakir's first assignment after his full-time appointment will be the Gulf Cup starting in Bahrain next week. (Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; editing by Amlan Chakraborty)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/soccer-shakirs-iraq-promotion-ends-maradona-speculations-062522502--sow.html

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2013 NFL Draft: Kwame Geathers' decision doesn't hinge on coaching hire

Kwame Geathers won't worry about when, or whom, Georgia picks as its new defensive line coach when deciding whether or not he'll enter the 2013 NFL Draft.

Georgia Bulldogs defensive tackle Kwame Geathers is still undecided on whether or not he'll enter the 2013 NFL Draft, but says that his decision will be independent of who the team hires as its new defensive line coach, according to Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Journal.

Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham has hinted that the hire could come soon after Georgia's meeting with the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Capital One Bowl, but is still looking at several "quality candidates," he told Weiszer. Grantham is tasked with replacing former D-line coach Rodney Garner, who held the position for 15 years and coached All-American linemen Richard Seymour and David Pollock, in addition to current UGA standouts Geathers and John Jenkins, who will miss the Capital One Bowl after being ruled academically ineligible.

Geathers, a 6'6, 346-pound junior from Georgetown, S.C., has 37 tackles, five of which resulted in lost yardage, and one sack on the season.

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Source: http://atlanta.sbnation.com/georgia-ncaaf/2012/12/29/3814738/kwame-geathers-2013-nfl-draft-decison

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Oklahoma City real estate investing and internal rate of return | Joe ...

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Source: http://joepryor.com/2012/12/oklahoma-city-real-estate-investment-and-internal-rate-of-return/

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Argentina asks U.S. court to block payouts for debt holdouts

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Argentina is urging a U.S. appeals court to reverse an order requiring the country to pay $1.33 billion to creditors who did not participate in its two debt restructurings, a legal case that could have huge ramifications for global debt markets.

Lawyers for Argentina's government said in court papers filed late on Friday that a trial judge was "wrong to ignore the chorus of voices" who opposed his November order on payments to so-called "holdout" creditors.

Those payments, to a court-controlled escrow account, would threaten the service of $24 billion in restructured debt, Argentina's lawyers wrote in papers filed in the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York.

"There is no authority permitting a U.S. court to order a sovereign to bring its immune assets into the United States in order to 'turn over' or distribute them to its creditors," lawyers for the Argentine government said in the 69-page filing.

The appeals court is expected to decide next year whether to force Argentina to pay the $1.33 billion to investors in the defaulted debt. The decision could have broad impact on the ability of governments to raise money by selling bonds and on strained countries' response to economic crises.

The case stems from Argentina's $100 billion sovereign debt default 11 years ago. Argentina is trying to avoid paying the holdout creditors, who refused to take part in massive debt restructurings in 2005 and 2010.

About 92 percent of the bonds were restructured, giving holders between 25 cents and 29 cents on the dollar.

But the holdouts, led by Elliot Management Corp affiliate NML Capital Ltd and the Aurelius Capital Management funds, demanded to be paid in full. Argentina calls the holdouts "vultures" and has resisted.

The case has run for years in U.S. courts. Oral arguments before the 2nd Circuit on the appeal are set for February 27, 2013.

A decision against Argentina would deal a setback to President Cristina Fernandez, who is trying to avert the fallout of a potential technical default on tens of billions of dollars of debt.

In a statement late on Friday, an NML spokesman said Argentina was well placed to compensate the holdouts, citing its "more than $43 billion in foreign currency reserves" and billions more in other resources.

"Today's filing by the Republic once again demonstrates Argentina's irrational persistence in evading its contractual obligations and the orders of U.S. courts," said Peter Truell, a spokesman for NML.

Also on Friday, the U.S. government filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of Argentina's bid for the appeals court to reconsider its October ruling that found Argentina had improperly discriminated against bondholders who did not participate in the debt swaps.

The U.S. government said countries needed leverage to garner broad creditor support for a restructuring. It cited the recent debt exchange in Greece as an example of a situation in which holdouts can threaten orderly bond restructurings.

JUDICIAL REPRIEVE

Following the appeals court's October decision, U.S. District Judge Thomas Griesa in Manhattan on November 21 commanded Argentina to put the payments for the holdouts into escrow by December 15.

But on November 28, the 2nd Circuit gave Argentina a reprieve, saying it did not need to make the escrow payment for now.

The battle has even extended to the 2-1/2 month seizure of the Argentine naval vessel ARA Libertad in Ghana at the request of NML. The boat was freed on December 19 following a ruling by an international admiralty tribunal.

In its court papers, Argentina said that if Griesa's orders were allowed to stand, "we may very well see the end of such restructurings and enter an era where debt crises are unresolvable. This will increase litigation, not reduce it."

At the same time, the country's lawyers said Argentina understood the appeals court's desire to resolve the litigation, and "is prepared to do what it can to end it."

Argentina's lawyers said Fernandez was "prepared once again" to ask Argentina's Congress to end the litigation by treating the holdout bondholders the same as those who participated in the 2010 debt swap.

In a separate court filing, lawyers for holders of restructured bonds said that holdouts should not be treated better than "innocent" bondholders who took part in the swaps. The restructured bondholders include funds managed by Gramercy Financial Group LLC and BlackRock Inc , according to the court papers from the group.

The case is NML Capital Ltd et al v. Argentina, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 12-105.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel, Nate Raymond and Martha Graybow in New York; Editing by Ron Popeski)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/argentina-asks-u-court-block-payouts-debt-holdouts-054447388--finance.html

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Analyst: There Is 'An Insatiable Appetite' For The ... - Business Insider

Steve Kovach, Business Insider

?

Apple mega-bull Brian White of Topeka Capital is out with another, um, mega-bullish note on Apple.

He says people in China are going nuts for the iPad Mini. Here some excerpts from his note:

• Our checks indicate that the iPad mini sold out in Hong Kong this week for nearly all models, while the fourth generation iPad remains in stock. In fact, our research suggests the iPad mini is currently more popular in Hong Kong than the fourth generation iPad. Also, iPhone 5 stock has improved over the past week and is now available for walk-in customers versus online ordering.

• Our research is pointing to very strong demand for the iPad mini in China and this is leading to stock-outs this week. Similar to Hong Kong, we are being told by contacts in China that the iPad mini is already more popular than the fourth generation iPad. Prior to the China launch, we indicated that the iPad mini would be the "next big thing in China" and we believe this phenomenon is starting to develop. In our view, the smaller form factor and lower price point will allow Apple to sell the iPad mini in more meaningful volumes versus the regular-size iPad. Also, iPhone 5 availability has improved in China and became more widely available for walk-in customers this week. Unlike the iPad mini, we did not hear about iPhone 5 stock-outs. After the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note I/II became more popular than the iPhone 4S in recent months, our discussions now indicate that the iPhone 5 has recently become the most popular high-end smartphone at the resellers that we spoke with.

Please follow SAI on Twitter and Facebook.
Follow Jay Yarow on Twitter.
Ask Jay A Question ?

Tags: Apple, iPad, iPad Mini | Get Alerts for these topics ?

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Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/ipad-mini-in-china-and-hong-kong-2012-12

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Learn 3 Home Improvement Suggestions You Could ... - Foundation

The smallest budgets should not dissuade you from taking on home improvement plans that will help keep your home safe and sound. Sometimes you can improve your home without spending a lot of money at all. We like to focus on those projects that are less involved, but they provide good value and service to your investment. On the Internet, there is a lot of information about your expensive projects like remodeling your kitchen. The world economy is actually very bad right now, which will cause many people to hesitate for doing such projects.

One very natural way to naturally protect and keep your home cool in hot months is by having trees growing near your house. Trees are great, especially when they are tall and thick enough to block the sun on a hot day in the summer. The best way to approach this is by talking to a professional about what kind of trees would be best. Planting trees can be much more simple if you have an expert help you. Contacting a nursery can be a step in that direction, especially when it comes to planting in the right location. Planting trees by yourself is only a good idea if you are an expert in this field.

As we have just stated, home improvement is something that cannot be ignored ? or at least should never be ignored. We do recognize very well that your situation is vital and matters a great deal. We will begin the rest of our discussion right away, but sometimes you have to stop and let issues sink in a little bit. This is the sort of content that men and women need to know about, and we have no problems saying that. Our last few items can really prove to be highly effective considering the overall.

Install GFCI, ground fault circuit interrupter, outlets in bathrooms and other areas. A GFCI outlet is different from the normal household power receptacle in both design and appearance. Typically, the flow of electrical current goes from the hot to the neutral terminal. This outlet will detect if this if this is actually happening. If there should be an electrical short, such as with the device you are using, the difference or change in current will be detected by the receptacle. The GFCI will automatically open up and the current flow will stop to prevent any damage.

Energy costs have risen a lot over the years, and everyone knows it. It is interesting that some things are known to never decrease in price, so they can be prepared for because you always know what to expect. So, you have to make the most with what you have, and this involves staying as energy-efficient as possible. Take your refrigerator for example, there are coils in the back of it that have to receive adequate ventilation. What you can do is make sure you do not restrict the normal flow of air. The coils on your refrigerator also need to be free of dust buildup or the efficiency will decrease.

Regardless of the type of home improvement that you do, if it improves your energy efficiency, it is money well spent. If you are only spending a few years at the helm, don?t do it. If you are going to spend the rest of your life, you should do these projects. There are many homes on the market today, and that people live in, that are not energy efficient at all. Problems that you see now should be fixed immediately so they do not become larger problems at a later date. The longer you wait to fix small problems, the more money you will eventually pay later on.

The writer is a search marketing and advertising specialist ? who writes on numerous home improvement related subjects such as roofer Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale commercial roofing company and Learn Here.

Source: http://foundation.16mb.com/2012/12/28/learn-3-home-improvement-suggestions-you-could-not-know/

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Stocks lower at midday ahead of DC 'cliff' summit

4 hrs.

JeeYeon Park , CNBC

Stocks held modest losses in volatile trading Friday as traders reacted to "fiscal cliff" headlines from Washington and ahead of a White House summit later this afternoon.?

Still, stocks pared session lows following a Bloomberg report that President Obama plans to offer a scaled-back plan to avoid some of the effects of tax and spending changes set to kick in early next year.?

The Dow Jones Industrial Average recovered back above the psychologically-important 13,000 level after being down more than 100 points earlier. Hewlett-Packard and Chevron led the blue-chip laggards.?

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq also cut some of their losses. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, gained above 20.

All three major averages are on track to posting declines of more than 1 percent across the board for the week.?

Among key S&P sectors, energy and materials held losses, while utilities turned higher.?

"Traders are so cautious and investors are also worried," said Stephen Guilfoyle of Meridian Equity Partners. "You're going to see some headlines [from the meeting at the White House] so the market will move again later today."?

President Barack Obama will meet congressional leaders from both parties at the White House later this afternoon, just days before the deadline to reach a deal or see the a series of automatic spending cuts and tax hikes come into force.?

House Speaker John Boehner, Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Joe Biden are scheduled to attend Friday's meeting. If a deal is not possible, Obama and the leaders would leave the resolution to the next Congress to address in January.

Stocks tumbled Thursday?but recovered most of their intraday losses after the House of Representatives said it would reconvene this Sunday to resume budget talks.?

On the economic front, pending home sales rose to the highest level in more than 2-1/2 years, climbing 1.7 percent in November, according to the National Association of Realtors.?

And the Institute for Supply Management-Chicago said its index of Midwest business activity rose to 51.6 in December from 50.4 in November, edging past expectations for 51.0.

Hewlett-Packard confirmed that the Justice Department is looking into its allegations that Autonomy engaged in accounting fraud prior to its acquisition by HP last year.

Apple dipped after a Chinese court fined the iPhone maker $160,000 for hosting third-party applications on its App Store that were selling pirated electronic books, Xinhua news agency said. Apple shares have declined nearly 25 percent in the last three months. The stock hit an all-time high of $705 in mid-September.?

Barnes & Noble jumped after British publisher Pearson said it will buy a 5 percent stake in the bookstore chain's digital Nook and college bookstore businesses for $89.5 million. Separately, Barnes & Noble said it expects holiday sales to be below forecasts and that its Nook business will not meet prior full-year 2013 projections.?

Among airlines, Raymond James raised its price target on Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines, U.S. Airways, Spirit Airlines and Alaska Air.?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/stocks-lower-midday-ahead-white-house-cliff-summit-1C7753894

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NBA standings 2012: Heat lose ground to Hawks

Atlanta is back to within two games of the first-place Heat in the Southeast division, which has turned out to be a two-horse race.

The Miami Heat lost a game on the Atlanta Hawks after the defending champions fell to the Detroit Pistons, 109-99, on Friday night in the Motor City.

Atlanta got past the Cleveland Cavaliers, 102-94, to pull to within two games of the division-leading Heat. Those are the only two teams currently in the mix in the NBA's Southeast division, as the Orlando Magic lost their fourth straight game, a disappointing 105-97 defeat at the hands of the Washington Wizards, and have fallen to nine games behind Miami.

Although they lost their 17th straight game on Friday, the Charlotte Bobcats have still been able to remain out of the cellar, sitting two games in front of the 4-23 Wizards.

Here are the full Southeast division standings:

---

---

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Source: http://tampabay.sbnation.com/2012/12/29/3814676/2012-nba-standings

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Charles Barkley Slavery Joke: Former NBA Great Goes There On TNT's 'Inside The NBA' (VIDEO)

Charles Barkley has never been a stranger to controversy, and Thursday night was no exception. During TNT's NBA halftime show, "Inside the NBA," the former basketball legend cracked a joke that caused many to take notice due to its reference to slavery.

When co-host Kenny Smith asked him to name his favorite president, Barkley gave an interesting, if not slightly awkward, answer.

"I love President Obama, but Abe Lincoln is my new favorite president," Barkley said. "You know why? Because if it weren't for him, we'd be calling Ernie 'boss.'"

Barkley was referring to co-host Ernie Johnson, the only white anchor on the panel, which also includes Smith and Shaquille O'Neal. The joke elicited laughter from both Smith and Shaq, while Johnson tried to change the subject, only to have the Big Aristotle revert back to calling him "boss."

While some on Twitter found the joke amusing, others thought it to be in poor taste:

Ben Manning

Charles Barkley's slavery joke was very solid. Hahaha.

John Connor I love Barkley. No filter. Nothing off limits. ?@Deadspin: This Charles Barkley slavery joke presented without comment http://t.co/umRsZrOl?
Brett Alexander Wondering your thoughts on Barkley. It's not in a movie, but it is making light of slavery on cable tv. http://t.co/DUYafyOW
Steve Lindsay

Charles Barkley makes a joke about slavery on national tv. Never a good idea.

The joke brings up the question of whether sports shows are an appropriate venue to discuss sensitive and complicated issues such as race in the first place.

The question was posed by HuffPost blogger B.J. Garrison last week in a post responding to the Rob Parker-RGIII controversy.

"Why is a discussion of racial identity necessary on a sports talk show?" Garrison asked. "What does any of this have to do with ... football?"

However, in reference to Barkely's remarks, SportsGrid's Glenn Davis notes that "not everyone could have pulled off such a joke."

"Yeah, most shows wouldn?t dare go there at all: but this [one's] willingness to do just that is what?s always separated [the show] from its peers," he wrote.

Business Insider's Cork Gaines seems to agree.

"The reason why the show is so good is because they are not afraid to push the limits of what should or should not be said on television. And because of that, you are often left wondering if they just went too far," he wrote.

Do you think Barkley's joke was funny or offensive? Let us know in the comments.

(h/t Deadspin)

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/28/charles-barkley-slavery-joke-tnt-inside-nba_n_2377563.html

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Apple loses another copyright lawsuit in China: Xinhua

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A Chinese court has fined Apple Inc 1 million yuan ($160,400) for hosting third-party applications on its App Store that were selling pirated electronic books, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.

Apple is to pay compensation to eight Chinese writers and two companies for violating their copyrights, the Beijing No.2 Intermediate People's Court ruled on Thursday, Xinhua said.

Earlier in the year, a group of Chinese authors filed the suit against Apple, saying an unidentified number of apps on its App Store sold unlicensed copies of their books. The group of eight authors was seeking 10 million yuan in damages.

"We are disappointed at the judgment. Some of our best-selling authors only got 7,000 yuan. The judgment is a signal of encouraging piracy," Bei Zhicheng, a spokesman for the group, told Reuters.

Apple said in a statement that it takes copyright infringement complaints "very seriously".

"We're always updating our service to better assist content owners in protecting their rights," Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu said.

China has the world's largest Internet and mobile market by number of users, but piracy costs software companies billions of dollars each year.

Apple, whose products enjoy great popularity in China, has faced a string of legal headaches this year. In July, Apple paid 60 million yuan to a Chinese firm, Proview Technology, to settle a long-running lawsuit over the iPad trademark in China.

($1 = 6.2360 Chinese yuan)

(Reporting by Shanghai Newsroom and Melanie Lee; Editing by Kazunori Takada and Matt Driskill)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apple-loses-another-copyright-lawsuit-china-xinhua-093548443--finance.html

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Storm-damaged New York hospital partially reopens its doors

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City partially reopened its inpatient facilities on Thursday, nearly two months after it was flooded by Superstorm Sandy and sustained damages that could exceed $1 billion.

Storm damage in New Jersey, New York City's outer boroughs and New York state's Long Island captured most of the world's attention after the second-costliest hurricane in U.S. history made landfall on October 29, obscuring much of the damage sustained in Manhattan.

The emergency department at the Manhattan hospital could remain closed until the end of 2013.

At the height of the storm, the hospital was forced to evacuate its 322 patients, including 20 babies in intensive care, when it lost power and its rooftop back-up generators shut down because flooding knocked out fuel tanks in the basement.

Other major hospitals in Manhattan were also badly damaged.

Bellevue Hospital Center, one of the country's oldest hospitals and the city's main trauma treatment center, said this week that it was receiving ambulances for the first time since Sandy struck, and that full services were not expected until early February.

Recovery was still under way in other parts of Manhattan. About 10 percent of office space in downtown Manhattan, which includes the Financial District around Wall Street, was still closed as of late last week, according to a report by the real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle.

DAMAGE ESTIMATE OVER $1 BLN

As of Thursday, NYU Langone said it could once again perform surgery on patients that would involve overnight stays, and that its intensive care and neurology units were open. More than 50 inpatients were being seen on Thursday, a spokeswoman said.

Other services, such as its labor wards and pediatric and cancer departments, would reopen on January 14.

The hospital's emergency department on the ground floor was under construction as part of an expansion program when the storm hit, and the damage was still being repaired, the hospital's statement said. In the meantime, the hospital has set up a temporary urgent care center that will receive walk-in patients and redirect more serious cases to other places in the city.

The hospital resumed some outpatient services within a week of the storm.

The total cost of repairing damaged infrastructure and replacing state-of-the-art medical equipment was likely to exceed $1 billion, a spokeswoman said. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, had already allocated $114 million, she said, and the hospital was waiting to see how much would be covered by insurance.

Images of critically ill patients being evacuated in the stormy darkness at NYU Langone and, the following day, the evacuation of some 725 patients from the nearby Bellevue, prompted concerns from some emergency experts that hospitals in New York and elsewhere are not prepared for times when the hospital itself is affected by a disaster.

Bellevue, though still closed to inpatients, has been operating outpatient clinics, walk-in emergency care and pharmacy services since November 19.

(Editing by Daniel Trotta and Jan Paschal)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/storm-damaged-york-hospital-partially-reopens-doors-201445642.html

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A New Year`s Card Game- Hyakunin Isshu Karuta (??????? ...

A 17th century set of Hyakunin Isshu Karuta

The special dishes and?decorations, the visits to shrines or temples, the family gatherings, the greetings, even the pre-holiday cleanings,?make O-Shogatsu ( the Japanese New Year Celebration) fascinating for?me. They reveal how the Japanese? make a clean break with the past and then make?a fresh,?new?start- with?the strong?desire for the?health, prosperity and happiness of the family, the community and the nation,?manifesting itself in?the amassing of? ENGI-MONO (???)- objects, words, colors, etc, which are believed to have a?POSITIVE impact on the world. In addition, there are?also objects, words, colors etc, which are compiled to?keep all forms of misfortune away. What is fascinating, is what it is that determines the?making of?GOOD ENGI- symbolism and connection?expressed?through shape, name,color, etc. I have given numerous examples of this?in my past? few Tsukublog articles.Here are?some things which are?symbolically auspicious:

Oranges (DAIDAI), because their Japanese name DAIDAI also means GENERATION BY GENERATION- thus representing the wish for the continuation of the family line.

Shrimp- because their bent backs resemble the bodies?of?extremely old?people- expressing the hope to live a long life.

Buckwheat noodles (soba): are eaten on New Year`s Eve? because ( among other reasons)?they break easilly, representing a clean break with the past year.

As my articles show, the list of these ENGI MONO goes on and on.

The presence of this?type of?symbolism extends even, or should I say extends?naturally,?to traditional New Year`s games. For example, there is HANE TSUKI , a game in which decorative paddles ( HAGOITA, which are ENGI MONO in themselves) are used to battle a shuttle cock back and forth. This batting away of the birdy symbolizes batting away mosquitos, and illness.

Very clever.Like all the other ideas for ENGI MONO which have been popularized over the years.

There is another very popular traditional New Year`s game, however, which rather than having a significantly auspicious?symbolism ( though I?would suggest that it might), is a surprising?celebration of Japan`s? classical culture- specifically, its poetry- in which the players must?familiarize themselves ( and in many cases memorize) one hundred?poems of varying degrees of complexity and difficulty.

The name of the game is Hyakunin Isshu Karuta?( The?One hundred Poets, One Hundred Poems Card Game), and I first encountered it years ago while spending an O-Shogatsu with a Japanese Family. After a long leasurely afternoon of eating and drinking, the?everyone in the house, young and old?suddenly?got down on the TATAMI floor to play a card game. One hundred cards were spread on the floor. Each, I was told contained the last segment ( SHIMO KU)?of a poem. What we were to do was to try to grab up these cards as their first portions (KAMI KU)?were chanted.

Playing hyakunin Isshu Karuta with a wooden tablets insted of cards (Tsukuba 2011)

As you might have guessed, since I was a complete beginner in Japanese at that time ( and was unfamiliar with these poems), I?ended up with not a single card when the game was over.

Still, I never forgot that game. Being the stubborn obssesive personiltiy?that I am, in the subsequent years I studied and studied, until what was once an exotic hum to me ( as the peoms are recited), are now clearly understandable pieces, which evoke all their possible interpretations in my mind when I hear them.

Yes, it was that one game of Hyakunin Isshu Karuta, which started me off on my?ongoing relationship?with Japanese poetry.

The cards ( in this case wooden tablets) are usually arranged in alphabetical (A, I,U,E) order to make finding them easier

Let me tell you a little bit more about what the Hyakunin Isshu is- and maybe you too?will catch the addiction.

The Hyakunin Isshu is a collection of WAKA (??)- Japanese?poems of the TANKA variety.. Unlike English poetry which often invovles RHYME,? these poems are created?by fitting ideas?into a set number of sylables- specifically 31 (MISOHITOMOJI, ?????), broken up into phrases of 5-7-5-7-7 ( longer than the mere 5-7-5 pattern which was popularized later with HAIKU poems).

The reason that this unusual syllabic rhythm was set upon as the standard form for WAKA poetry?was that? it was in this particular?pattern (5-7-5-7-7)?that?the God SUSANOO NO MIKOTO anounced his marriage. This form was thus deemed to be the WAY THE GODS SPEAK. Thus waka were used to express thoughts and feelings which could not be expressed in normal everyday speech.

As its title , ONE HUNDRED POETS. ONE HUNDRED POETS suggests, the Hyakunin Isshu is a selection of 1oo?WAKA by 100 different poets -?79 men ( including 8?Emperors,?and 13?Buddhist?monks) and 21 women ( including 1 Emperess. The first poem of the collection is??attributed to the Emperor Tenji (626-671), and the last to retired Emperor Juntokuin (1197-1242), and thus the anthology?spans the works from a period of 500 years.

Among these works are some (one each of course)?by Japan`s??greatest NAMES in classical?poetry and literature: Otomo no Yakamochi, Ono no Komachi,?Ki no Tsurayuki,?Murasaki Shikibu and Sei Shonagon.

All the poems in the Hyakunin Isshu?strongly reflect the tastes and sensibilites of?its compiler, FUJIWARA NO TEIKA (1162-1241), a?highly respected?poet in his own right and an advocate of? aesthetic principles which he developed emphasizing the expression of the SPIRIT OF THINGS ( mono no kokoro) over realism ( Teika`s ideas would have a MAJOR impact on the Japanese culture of the Muromachi Period- especially on The Noh Theater, and The Tea Ceremony).

The subject matter?dominating the collection?also reflects Teika`s own particular preferences, with??LOVE poems (43 out of 100)making up a large portion, followed by SEASONAL POEMS ( 32 out of 100), with works on what?serely must have been Teika`s favorite season- autumn, predominating these.

With only 100 poems, the?Hyakunin Isshu is the slimmest volume?among Japan` great anthologies of classical poetry. But that`s what makes it so great ( for me, at least). Japan`s?poetic traditional boiled down to its essence.?It a most convenient medium?through?which?to work your way into the world of traditional Japanese aesthetics.

And not only this. Working to understand these poems will lead you on the road to exploring?many other aspect of Japanese culture nature and history.

It is interesting how this influential collection came into being ( whether?the story is?true or not, no one is sure). It is said that Teika was asked to select one hundred poems, which would be written on sheets of paper to decorate the sliding doors of?a mountain villa in a place called Ogura ( this is why, though there have been many subsequent alternative Hyakunin Isshu, i.e. one hundred warrior poets, one hundred women poets, etc.) Teika`s collection, the standard, is referred to as the OGURA HYAKUNIN ISSHU).

This ( and more)?is all detailed in Teika`s extant diary- the MEIGETSU KI (???).

An old set of hyakunin Isshu karuta

The fact that the poems Teika selected?were originally written on sheets of paper ( at the even number of one hundred), made it conducive for them to be made into a card game- with distinctive illustrations of the poets and in an even more distinctive script( supposedly based on Teika`s idiosyncratic calligraphy).

The idea of?this card game, by the way, most probably would not have arisen without the arrival in Japan?of the Portuguese, who introduced?playing card?( among other things) to this country. This is reflected in the use of the Portuguese based word KARUTA? (carta) for the game.

For those who are not ready to tackle the poems Teika selected?in their original language, there are MANY translations. In fact, some say that the first work in Japanese ever rendered into English was the Hyakunin Isshu.

You can?find numerous translations online, including this 1909 version by William Porter:

http://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/hvj/index.htm

Tsukuba`s very own Shaney Crawford (founding member, editor and frequent contributor to TsukuBlog), has also been working on a translation of the anthology, and she has already completed English renditions of the first 30 poems:

http://www.shaneycrawford.com/2002/03/hyakunin-isshu-my-interpretations/

These should help you get started off?on your own road into the world?of Hyakunin Isshu?- which naturally should at some point?get you into?reading into?the poems for yourself?. It is only by?close examination of each poem in its original that?REAL?appreciation can be achieved.

The reason for this is not only the fact that the poems are written?a specialized form of classical?Japanese ( if that were?the case, looking up each word in the dictionary would? be enough to achieve understanding), but these works?abound in?puns and allusions which?are completely lost in translation. There?is even a poem ( number 22), whose beauty lies in its play on the construction of the Chinese character for the word storm(??), which is made of? a mountain (??on top of wind (wind)!- this makes for a mighty difficult challenge for tranlators.

Let me give you one more example. Since?this is Tsukublog, I will?present the case of poem number 13 of the collection, which?just happens to be?set in Tsukuba.

The second half ( shimo ku) of poem number 13- which is set in Tsukuba- it reads: KOI ZO TSUMORITE FUCHI TO NARI NURU

The poem is attributed to the Retired?Emperor Yozei-In(868-949) and goes like this:

??????????????
????????????
Tsukuba ne no mine yori otsuru minano-gawa
Koi zo tsumorite fuchi to nari nuru

Which I will DIRECTLY translate,?or rather explain the general meaning?as:

From the peaks of Mt. Tsukuba flows the Minanogawa River which?forms deep pools ( at the foot of the mountain)?. In the same way my love for you has grown (strong and)?deep.

What has to be dealt with by the translator in the case of this poem is?conveying the?significance of Mt. Tsukuba for the aristocrats at that time, as well as the meaning of the characters used to write the name of the river MINANOGAWA.

For the educated Japanese of Yozei-In`s time, Mt Tsukuba represented COUPLES, ROMANCE, and SEX.

This is because? the oldest collection of Japanese poems the Manyoshu, as well as?the Chronicles of the land of Hitachi ( Hitachi no?Kuni no Fu-doki??, refer to Mt Tsukuba as having been the most famous?location for special COUPLING festivals, at which men and women, most of whom had never met before, would GET TOGETHER. These ceremonies which were held twice a year in spring and autumn?were called KAGAI. The reason that Mt Tsukuba would have become an important place for?such rites was because of its TWIN PEAKS, which for the Japanese naturally?represented the male and the female.

According to poems in the Manyoshu, the men and women who wanted to participate in the KAGAI would gather?on Mt Tsukuba?at a river called the MINANOGAWA. The name of this river is spelled with the Kanji characters ???, which directly translated mean the MAN-WOMAN RIVER.

Thus we can see that the place at which the poem is set Mt Tsukuba,?as well?the MINANOGAWA river, were terms pregnant with meaning for educated Japanese, and?this makes?understanding the poem?extremely difficult without delving deeper.

(It is obvious that Yozei-In did not ever actually visit Mt. Tsukuba ( there are no deep pools which form at its base), but rather selected the setting of his love poem for its symbolic significance).

(It is interesting that Tsukuba`s most?most famous?Sake Brewery, located at the foot of Mt Tsukuba calls its brand-?Minanogawa (???).One reason its products are so delicious is that it uses the water that flows from the peaks of Mt. Tsukuba.)

Anyway, I`d better stop now. VOLUMES could be written about the complexities? these poems and their backgrounds?( and many volumes HAVE in fact?been written about them!).

I hope that you too take the leap into this special poetic world-? maybe by O-Shogatsu ( New Year`s)?next year you will be ready to take on your Japanese friends in a game of Hyakunin-Isshu Karuta!

Source: http://blog.alientimes.org/2012/12/a-new-years-card-game-hyakunin-isshu-karuta-%E7%99%BE%E4%BA%BA%E4%B8%80%E9%A6%96%E3%81%8B%E3%82%8B%E3%81%9F-is-a-gateway-to-the-sublime-world-of-classical-japanese-poetry/

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Reseller Internet Hosting | The Floor Geek

An internet internet hosting organization is solely a corporation that provides web site house on their servers and some also function as The web Service Suppliers (ISPs), to offer their clients world wide web connectivity. They keep large info centers with banking institutions of servers. At the same time one can find pretty much thousands of service providers on the market which provide world wide web hosting, there are actually primarily two sorts. People establishments that offer cost-free net room and people establishments who?re compensated hosting solutions. Both of these opportunities are quite numerous so get a look in the advice provided beneath and establish which preference is most effective for the desires.

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A very couple of those no charge web pages supply you with advancement equipment as part of the offer therefore you might have to both shell out an internet designer to develop your web site or make investments in an enhancement setting and get it done your self. It?s very challenging to defeat the cost. Free indicates that your funds may very well be spent someplace else and it also frees you from needing to feel concerned about month to month expenses. Should you be new to online business or else you are delivering a free of charge assistance and advertising promotion in your page this might be fantastic. Be aware but that several of the f-r-e-e solutions usually do not let the profits of business advertising on the at no cost web site considering, in lots of cases, you may be compelled to position banner adverts of the website internet hosting small business in your blog. When you are intending to provide promotion, do a comparison of the price of the zero cost website towards your expected get because of the promotion.

Paid world wide web web hosting is really an fully totally different animal. These services almost always let endless online house and unrestricted site traffic and all of them allow for the gross sales of economic marketing, which can be a superb source of profits for just about any internet site proprietor. At any time you require a substantial quantity of space for storing and you simply be expecting numerous website traffic, you might want to take into account paying out a per month payment. These fees, based about the kind of services that you just must have, are usually very good. General packages start as low as $3 along with a committed server can amount about $100 per 30 days. Almost all of these businesses supply coupon codes which will permit you to preserve a lot more, after the sensible service fees, plus present free of cost enhancement equipment to help you to get your website up and managing and keep it taken care of.

So, web hosting: free of charge vs. compensated? It is your simply call.

How To Decide On An Appropriate Web Hosting Service Supplier can give you maximum data for Ideas Selecting An Internet Hosting Company.You should head over to the article for additional info!

Related posts:

1. Higher Business Bureau Scores Of Web Hosting Firms
2. Read The Perfect Internet Hosting Evaluate Of The Most Well-Liked Host
3. Get To Learn About Internet Hosting Services
4. Reseller Web Hosting
5. What?S The Best Internet Hosting For Small Companies

Source: http://www.thefloorgeek.com/2012/12/reseller-internet-hosting-6/

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Weird News: Can You Fire An Employee After Your BDSM Fling ...

Yeah, if anyone asks it's a yo-yo.

A toy store tryst involving rough sex has resulted in a wrongful termination lawsuit.

Ever been in a relationship that was terrible, and your partner wasn't necessarily good in bed but knew the stuff you liked? Right then, I ? I mean you ??stuck around because the thought of admitting to a new person what you were into was terrifying and then teaching them how to do it properly was a headache just to contemplate. I ? again, you ? have all been there. Unfortunately, a New York toy shop manager took things a bit too far.

More from YourTango: How To Handle Money Problems In Your Marriage

Per Canoe, a 26-year-old toy store employee is suing her former boss because he wanted to fire her after she broke up with him when their relationship veered into territory well-explored by the feature film Secretary. The vigorous rogering was one thing but their trysts went down a painful path. The suit references these bad times as, "increasing acts of 'rough' sexual activities, including hitting, slapping and biting."

But of course there is another wrinkle to this story. The store's boss thought that he had purchased his employee's complicity in indulging his sexual proclivities by way of a raise, from doubling her income to $60K (before taxes, she's not playing for the Yankees) to even covering some of her other expenses including rent. As you can imagine, he was not pleased with getting dumped. The suit alleges that he soon began putting his ducks in a row to terminate from employment as she terminated him from their dangerous sexual arrangement (allegedly).

What can we learn from this? Obviously, there's that old thing about not pooping wear you sleep/eat. But mostly, it reminds me that grown men who hang around toys all the time can turn violent and horny.

More from YourTango: Are You Too Sexy For Work?

Given this new information, it's a surprise that Santa's workshop can make it until December 26th to commence their two-week coke-fueled BDSM orgy.

More juicy stories from Yourtango:

Source: http://www.yourtango.com/2012169143/weird-news-can-you-fire-employee-after-your-bdsm-fling-sours

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Box?s Gameplan For 2013: A Third-Party App Economy; Expanding Security And More

As you talk to Aaron Levie, the co-founder of fast growing cloud storage company Box, it's hard not to notice his incredible energy when he talks about enterprise storage possibilities. Six years in, Levie is still as passionate about what he is trying to build as he was back in Mike Arrington's backyard pitching VCs on Box in 2006. Box has had a big year, and one that many could call a turning point for the company. After raising $125 million in new funding a reported $1.2 billion valuation in July, the company is finishing off 2012 by nearly tripling revenue from last year, and preparing the company to possibly enter the public markets in 2013 or 2014. We sat down with Levie to talk about Box's gameplan for 2013, his education in being a leader and CEO, and more.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/klAwuzFvy_E/

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A lot on the line in finale

Do-or-die games for Vikings, Bears, Cowboys in Week 17

Tim Shaffer / Reuters

Redskins?quarterback Robert Griffin III can clinch rookie records for completion percentage (66.4 percent) and passer rating (104.1) with a good performance against the Cowboys on Sunday.

Opinion

By Scott Kacsmar

NBCSports.com contributor

updated 12:20 p.m. ET Dec. 27, 2012

Hard to believe, but we have reached the end of the NFL?s 2012 regular season. Was it not that long ago that we had replacement referees and the Arizona Cardinals were 4-0? Yet here we are, days away from that last Sunday until next September in which all 32 teams will play a real game. Savor the moment.

Week 17 offers numerous playoff scenarios, the last two playoff berths, and one more attempt to rewrite the NFL record book. Here is your handy guide to what to watch for this Sunday. All 16 games are divisional rematches.

AFC South
The Houston Texans (12-3) have been in the driver?s seat of the AFC all season, yet a loss in Indianapolis (10-5) will likely push them all the way to the No. 3 seed, which means no first-round bye.

It is a very important game for Houston, which just beat the Colts 29-17 in a Week 15 game dominated by J.J. Watt. He has 20.5 sacks, eyeing Michael Strahan?s record of 22.5 sacks set in 2001.

For the Colts, Bruce Arians had one of the finest runs ever as an interim coach, leading the team to a 9-3 record. Chuck Pagano triumphantly returns to the sidelines this week as his battle with leukemia continues to inspire this team of underdogs.

Despite their -42 scoring differential, the Colts are 10-5. They have done so by going 9-1 in games decided by 1-7 points. Andrew Luck has already set the rookie passing record (4,183 yards), and has tied the regular season record with seven game-winning drives.

While the Colts are locked into the No. 5 seed, they are still a young team that can use the experience against a quality opponent. It is hard to imagine they will not go all out for the win with Pagano?s return. The Colts are 10-0 all time at home against Houston.

You can say Peyton Manning?s injury last year helped pave the way for drafting Luck. Now Manning will be looking for some help in return, as a Colts? victory over Houston is the path for Manning?s Broncos to get the No. 1 seed this year.

Jacksonville (2-13) has a slight chance of securing the No. 1 pick in the draft with a loss to Tennessee (5-10). The only other need is a Kansas City win in Denver, so good luck there. Think of your imminent future with Tim Tebow as a consolation prize, Jacksonville fans.

AFC North
With Baltimore (10-5) clinching the division last week, there is little on the line against playoff-bound Cincinnati (9-6), which is locked into the sixth seed. Ray Lewis is back, but he is not expected to play on Sunday. The Ravens have won four straight over the Bengals, who are making back-to-back playoff trips for the first time since 1981-1982.

A Baltimore win combined with a New England loss would give the Ravens the No. 3 seed, but that is not a likely scenario. Besides, that would mean the Ravens would host these very same Bengals a week later, and it is hard to beat a team twice in one week.

Only pride is on the line for Pittsburgh and Cleveland. The Steelers (7-8) will look to avoid their first losing season since 2003, while the Browns (5-10) have not swept the Steelers since 1988.

AFC West
In a season full of inconsistent play, the Denver Broncos (12-3) are a glimmer of hope. They have won 10 straight games by at least seven points. All other AFC winning streaks combined add up to just eight games. Ranking top five on both offense and defense, Denver might be the most complete team in the league.

Peyton Manning will look to cap off his campaign for a fifth MVP award. His 12 consecutive games with a passer rating of at least 90.0 is the third longest streak in NFL history. Only Aaron Rodgers (13 games in 2011) and Manning again (15 games in 2004) had longer streaks.

Consistency is the name of the game, and that?s what Manning has brought to Denver as it looks towards a run at the Super Bowl. A win will give the Broncos a first-round bye.

The Chiefs (2-13) have consistently been bad this year, and will likely have the first pick in the draft. If they should fail to get a takeaway, they will tie the NFL record for fewest takeaways (12) in a 16-game season. The 2006 Washington Redskins also had 12 takeaways.

San Diego (6-9) plays Oakland (4-11), which should be the swansong for Norv Turner?s run there. Turner is 55-40 (.579) and 3-3 in the postseason as San Diego?s head coach.

AFC East
With a home finale against Miami (7-8), New England (11-4) can be anywhere from the No. 1 to No. 4 seed depending on Sunday?s results. If the Patriots score at least 32 points, they will have the second-highest scoring season in NFL history. Miami is looking for its third non-losing season since 2004.

Buffalo (5-10) and the Jets (6-9) will play a Week 1 rematch. The season cannot possibly end any faster for these two teams.

NFC South
Atlanta (13-2) can tie its 1998 Super Bowl team for the best record in franchise history with a win over reeling Tampa Bay (6-9), which has lost five straight games. The Falcons have already clinched the NFC?s No. 1 seed.

New Orleans (7-8) can end its troubled season with a win over Carolina (6-9), which would give the Panthers a second straight 6-10 finish.

Cam Newton needs one touchdown pass to join Dan Marino, Peyton Manning and Andy Dalton as the only quarterbacks to throw at least 20 touchdowns in each of their first two seasons. Meanwhile, Drew Brees needs one touchdown pass to become the first player in NFL history with consecutive seasons of 40 or more touchdown passes.

Brees only needs 219 yards to reach 5,000 yards passing for the third time in his career. Matthew Stafford (305) and Tony Romo (315) also are in position to throw for 5,000 yards, which would match last season?s total of three quarterbacks hitting the milestone.

NFC North
The NFC North will have a huge impact on the final playoff seeds as both games are involved with many of Sunday?s scenarios. They also will feature two of the league?s best players looking for a 2,000-yard milestone.

Green Bay (11-4) travels to Minnesota (9-6) in a late afternoon game. With a win, the Packers will clinch the No. 2 seed in the NFC. The Vikings need a win just to make the playoffs, which is their best scenario.

A Minnesota win could very well mean these teams will meet again next week, but it will not be easy. The Packers are hot, winners in nine of their last 10 games, and have won five straight against the Vikings.

Minnesota just pulled off an upset in Houston, even without Adrian Peterson having his best game. Peterson needs 102 rushing yards to become the league?s seventh 2,000-yard rusher, and will need 208 yards to break Eric Dickerson?s all-time record (2,105 yards).

Peterson had 210 yards when these teams met in Week 13, but the Packers won. For the Vikings to make the playoffs, they are going to need Christian Ponder to step up.

The Chicago Bears (9-6) are still alive. They have to take care of the Lions (4-11), and hope for the Vikings to lose. Should Chicago falter, it will become just the fourth team to start 7-1 and fail to make the playoffs since 1978. The Bears would join the 1987 San Diego Chargers, 1988 New Orleans Saints and 1996 Washington Redskins.

Standing in their way is a pass-happy Detroit team. Matthew Stafford needs seven pass attempts to surpass Drew Bledsoe?s record of 691 passes in 1994. Unless he is injured, Stafford will become the first quarterback ever to throw 700 passes in a season. He can also break Bledsoe?s record for most drop backs in a season. Bledsoe had 757 while Stafford is currently at 745.

Detroit needs just 12 pass attempts to break the team record for a season, which is currently held by the 1981 Minnesota Vikings (709 attempts).

The beneficiary of all these attempts is Calvin Johnson, who now holds the record for most receiving yards in a season with 1,892 yards. He needs just 108 to become the first player ever with 2,000 receiving yards, and you figure Detroit will do all it can to get him there.

NFC West
Despite their bad loss on Sunday night, the San Francisco 49ers (10-4-1) should have little trouble clinching the NFC West with a win at home over Arizona (5-10). The banged-up 49ers will just have to root for Minnesota to take care of the Packers in order to get the No. 2 seed and what appears to be some needed rest.

Seattle (10-5) is already in the playoffs, and will likely be the No. 5 seed. Though they lost to the Rams (7-7-1) way back in Week 4, this is a much stronger team now.

Not only is Seattle one of two teams (Atlanta) that are 7-0 at home this year, but their home scoring differential of 141 is easily the best in the league. Denver is a distant second at 94 points.

Russell Wilson needs two touchdown passes to break Peyton Manning?s rookie record of 26 touchdown passes set in 1998. Seattle has scored 150 points over the last three weeks, and is +11 in turnover differential since their bye week (4-1 record).

For the Ram, a win would give them their first winning season since 2003. That would be a strong way to end Jeff Fisher?s first season in St. Louis, but not a likely outcome.

NFC East
Finally we have the media darlings of the NFC East. For the New York Giants (8-7) to make the playoffs and defend their championship, they need a lot of help.

Not only do the Giants need to beat the Eagles (4-11), but they need Chicago, Minnesota and Dallas to lose. Technically they can get in if Dallas ties, but that?s not going to happen. They will be extremely fortunate just to get all the other results to go their way.

While most probably expect the Vikings and Cowboys to lose this week, and for Chicago to potentially lose, there is no guarantee the Giants can take care of the Eagles, who will start Michael Vick this week.

It has been a very inconsistent season for the Giants, who have looked like the best and worst team in the league at different moments throughout the season. The Giants would become the seventh defending Super Bowl champion since 1990 to miss the postseason should their miracle scenario not play out.

Then there is the 256th and final regular season game of the 2012 season: Dallas Cowboys (8-7) at Washington Redskins (9-6) for the NFC East title on Sunday Night Football.

For the third time since 2008, the Cowboys go on the road in Week 17 for a "win and you?re in" playoff game against one of their NFC East rivals. The last two times have not gone well, but this Dallas team is different. It has been winning a lot of tough games in the second half of the season, and Tony Romo is playing very well.

Also playing well is Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, who can clinch rookie records for completion percentage (66.4 percent) and passer rating (104.1) with a good performance. Griffin making the playoffs would mean three rookie quarterbacks (Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson) in the postseason for the first time ever.

Not sure which buttons Mike Shanahan pressed during the team?s bye week, but Washington has turned a 3-6 season into a possible seven-game winning streak that will allow the Redskins to host a playoff game for the first time since the 1999 season.

While it is do-or-die for Dallas, the Redskins can still make the playoffs with losses by the Bears and Vikings, which they will know before the game starts. But if they want to do things the right way, they take care of this one at home.

Either way, let?s just hope for a competitive final game to close out this wild regular season.

Scott Kacsmar (@CaptainComeback) writes for Cold, Hard Football Facts, Bleacher Report, Colts Authority, and contributes data to Pro-Football-Reference.com and NFL Network.

? 2012 NBC Sports.com? Reprints

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Week 17 offers numerous playoff scenarios, the last two playoff berths, and one more attempt to rewrite the NFL record book. Here is your handy guide to what to watch for this Sunday.

PFT's picks: Vikings won't stop Packers

The Vikings are playing for a postseason berth. The Packers are playing for a bye. The Packers remain the better team, and they have every reason to demonstrate that on Sunday.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/50302329/ns/sports-nfl/

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PSA: Ouya developer consoles now shipping to qualified backers

Did you pony up $699 or more to the Kickstarter-famed Ouya in hopes of an early hands-on with the unreleased gaming platform? If so, you may want to keep an eye on your email's inbox, because orders for the developer version of the Android-powered console are starting to ship out. As for the package itself, early adopters can expect a dev unit console, two controllers and a copy of the system's "ODK" software development kit. If you went all-in on Ouya and have received your order or notification email, we'd love to hear about it via the comments below.

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10 Things to Know for Friday

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and stories that will be talked about Friday:

1. WHO COMMANDED DESERT STORM

"Stormin' Norman" Schwarzkopf, who commanded the U.S.-led coalition that drove Saddam Hussein's forces out of Kuwait in 1991, dies at 78.

2. WHERE THERE'S STILL NO SIGN OF COMPROMISE

Democrats and Republicans remain snarled across a partisan divide, showing no sign of reaching a deal to avoid year-end tax increases and spending cuts.

3. THEY'RE DITCHING THE STOCK MARKET

With distrust of Wall Street growing, ordinary Americans are selling off stocks for a fifth year in a row.

4. WHY HE WANTS TO PACK A GUN

English teacher Kevin Leatherbarrow favors carrying a weapon to school, saying "we're sitting ducks" in the event of an attack like the one that occurred in Newtown, Conn.

5. DEMANDING AN INVESTIGATION

Egypt's chief prosecutor orders a probe into allegations that opposition leaders committed treason by inciting supporters to overthrow President Morsi.

6. STORM REACHES NORTHEAST

A muted version of a winter storm that has killed more than a dozen people in its journey across the eastern half of the country hits New England.

7. WHAT COULD DISRUPT EAST COAST SHIPPING

If 14,500 longshoremen strike, ships that move much of American commerce would be unable to use most major ports on the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico.

8. RIDING SHOTGUN, VIA TWITTER

Virtual ridealongs, a new approach to informing the public about what law enforcement officers do, are taking hold at police departments across the U.S. and Canada.

9. CONSUMER CONFIDENCE FALLS

It was driven down by fears of sharp tax increases and government spending cuts set to take effect next week.

10. BUSH SENIOR STILL IN HOSPITAL

A spokesman says former President George H.W. Bush remains in intensive care at a Houston hospital.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/10-things-know-friday-103047600.html

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