SEGA today announced that Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 2 will be coming to the Android Market and NVIDIA's Tegra Zone app sometime in 2012. No word on exactly when, however. But we do know that it'll be optimized for Tegra 2 devices -- and it'll have an "enhanced" version for the new quad-core Tegra 3 tablets and (eventually) smartphones.
And ... that's it for now. Check out the promo video above, and we've got the full presser after the break.
Baylor's Terrance Ganaway, center, rushes for a touchdown during the second half of the Alamo Bowl college football game against Washington, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011, at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Baylor pulled out a thrilling Alamo Bowl victory in the highest-scoring bowl game in history, beating Washington 67-56 in a record-smashing shootout Thursday night. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
Baylor's Terrance Ganaway, center, rushes for a touchdown during the second half of the Alamo Bowl college football game against Washington, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011, at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Baylor pulled out a thrilling Alamo Bowl victory in the highest-scoring bowl game in history, beating Washington 67-56 in a record-smashing shootout Thursday night. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
Baylor's Terrance Ganaway, right, and Kendall Wright celebrate a touchdown during the second half of the Alamo Bowl college football game against Washington, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011, at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Baylor pulled out a thrilling Alamo Bowl victory in the highest-scoring bowl game in history, beating Washington 67-56 in a record-smashing shootout Thursday night. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, left, is brought down by Washington's Josh Shirley during the first half of the Alamo Bowl college football game, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011, at the Alamodome in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
Washington's Chris Polk, center, rushes during the first half of the Alamo Bowl college football game against Baylor, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011, at the Alamodome in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III looks to pass during the first half of the Alamo Bowl college football game against Washington, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011, at the Alamodome in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
SAN ANTONIO (AP) ? A thrilling, back-and-forth, record-shattering Alamo Bowl had barely ended when Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III already started hearing the chants.
"One more year! One more year!"
One more year? There's still the craziness of what happened Thursday night to get through first.
Griffin wasn't dazzling in possibly his last college game ? and didn't need to be ? yet No. 15 Baylor still pulled out an incredible Alamo Bowl victory in the highest-scoring regulation bowl game in history, beating Washington 67-56 in the wildest shootout of this bowl season or any other in memory.
If this was RG3's final showcase before jumping to the NFL, it was a gripping goodbye to watch. One of the nation's most electrifying players was upstaged by an even more exciting nail-biter that shattered the previous record for points in regulation set in the 2001 GMAC Bowl.
"We went out in style!" Griffin shouted to his teammates. He paraded the Alamo Bowl trophy around the field before taking it to the front row of the stands and his mother, who's already been looking at her son's NFL draft prospects.
Griffin said he was still catching his breath after this one.
"I want Baylor nation to enjoy this," Griffin said. "It's not about me. I've got about two weeks. I'll enjoy this the next day, and then the next day, and then I'll make it."
The previous bowl record for a regulation game was 102 total points set in the 2001 GMAC Bowl between Marshall and East Carolina. That game went to double overtime and ended with a combined 125 points ? which still stands as the overall bowl record.
Baylor, which won its first bowl game since 1992, and Washington (7-6) also set a bowl record for total offense in a game with 1,397 yards.
Griffin had an unremarkable night, throwing just one touchdown pass and running for another. But Terrance Ganaway starred ably in his place, rushing for 200 yards and five touchdowns. His last was a 43-yard run with 2:28 left to seal Baylor's first 10-win season since 1980.
Washington quarterback Keith Price outplayed his Heisman counterpart, going 23 for 27 with 438 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for another three scores.
"I think we'll have a hard time this bowl season to see a quarterback play as well as he did," Washington coach Steve Sarkisian.
Griffin was 24 of 33 for 295 yards ? and his only touchdown throw came on the game's opening drive.
Blown out in four other games against ranked opponents this season, the Huskies finally made one interesting. Not that it started that way after Baylor ran up 245 yards of offense alone in the first quarter ? awful even by the standards of Washington's defense, which is among the nation's worst.
Then the most award-winning QB in the country suddenly stopped looking like even the best one in the Alamodome.
Price, a sophomore who threw a school-record 29 touchdowns in his first year as the starter, began cutting into a 21-7 deficit with a 12-yard scoring strike to James Johnson. Seven minutes later he tied the game when Devin Aguilar somersaulted over the goal line after catching a 1-yard lob.
The overwhelming crowd of Baylor fans ? decked in green-and-gold Heisman shirts and armed with signs such as "Superman wears RG3 socks" ? stood in stunned silenced. That gave way to disbelieving gasps on the next series, when the typically sure-handed Griffin fumbled after getting popped by Andrew Hudson.
After that, it was practically a free-for-all of big plays.
A 56-yard touchdown dash by Chris Polk. An 80-yard touchdown catch by Washington's Jermaine Kearse two plays into the second half. An 89-yard scoring rumble by Baylor's Terrance Ganaway. Kearse again, catching and darting for 60 yards before getting dragged down, setting up Price's fourth touchdown toss the next play.
Back and forth, back and forth. One after another. In all, five plays covered 50 or more yards, three of them for scores.
"That was crazy," Baylor coach Art Briles said.
For an Alamo Bowl short on drama and light on matchups in recent years, it was a thrilling scoring spree that overshadowed the mere novelty of featuring the Heisman winner. And that in itself was a rarity for a bowl of this stature: Not since Ty Detmer took BYU to the Holiday Bowl in 1990 had a Heisman winner played in a bowl before New Year's Day.
Plenty came to see this one.
Anticipating a surge of Heisman gawkers, Alamo Bowl officials added 800 temporary seats and opened up others with obstructed views that required ticket-buyers to sign a form acknowledging the poor sightlines. Those seats sold, anyway, and the announced attendance of 65,256 was the fifth-largest in the bowl's history.
Others had better seats.
That includes Miami Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland, who kicked for Baylor in the late 1980s but was here on business scouting Griffin in case the fourth-year junior enters the draft. Griffin's parents, two sisters and fianc?e watched the nail-biter with front-row seats.
Griffin acknowledged this week his parents are looking at his draft prospects but denies having any substantial talks with them.
Win or lose, it was an impressive finale for Washington after stumbling into the postseason losing four of its last six. Particularly against a ranked team after then-Top 25 opponents Nebraska, Stanford, Oregon and USC all crushed the Huskies by an average of 24 points.
IOWA CITY, Iowa ? The ?Great Recession? barely touched Iowa City.
The University of Iowa and its hospital are in the middle of a construction boom. A manufacturer is touting plans to hire 175 people for a new iron foundry. Farmers working the land outside the city are flush with cash from record-setting crop prices.
Yet, after Rick Perry entered the Republican presidential race, he rolled into town on a bus emblazoned with ?Get America Working Again? and offered prescriptions for fixing the economy. Newt Gingrich stopped by to bash what he calls job-killing environmental and labor regulations. Ron Paul said during a recent visit that an overreaching federal government is hurting ?the productivity of all of us and means we will be poorer.?
Throughout the campaign for Tuesday?s Iowa caucuses, it hasn?t seemed to matter much that the state economy is in far stronger shape than the rest of the country, with unemployment at 5.7 percent, agricultural real estate selling near all-time highs and some manufacturers reporting a shortage of skilled workers to fill all their openings.
Republican voters who in past election years focused on pocketbook issues specific to Iowa, such as corn subsidies or ethanol policy, say they?re taking a wide-angle view of the economy this year. They blame President Barack Obama for its sputters and fear giving him a second term will slide it back toward the abyss.
?The economy is still suffering, even though the numbers don?t say it. People are hurting and things have gone downhill since Barack Obama became president,? said Pam Swick, a Council Bluffs retiree and Perry supporter.
?Yes, things are better here. But they?re still not good,? she said. ?And don?t credit President Obama for it. He?s made it worse. Things here are going fine despite him, not because of him.?
Iowa?s economy fell into recession later than the nation?s and didn?t drop as far as some other states, said Iowa State University economist David Swenson. There wasn?t much of a housing bubble, partly because the state is slow-growing but economically stable.
Yet a recent New York Times/CBS News poll found the economy was by far the most important issue to likely Republican caucus-goers. Leading the polls off and on in recent weeks have been the candidates most associated with the pro-business, small-government, economic freedom slices of the GOP: Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul. Those with stronger ties to the party?s social conservative base ? Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann and Perry ? make time for a healthy dose of economics during their stump speeches.
Jim Knapp, a 71-year-old home builder who lives in Iowa City and plans to support Bachmann, is one of many taking the wide view. Knapp said he is collecting Social Security and works on home remodeling projects while his wife works at the University of Iowa. They?re doing fine financially.
But he said he?s worried about the long-struggling economy in Detroit, where his son is a preacher. His son-in-law, meanwhile, is being laid off in a downsizing at a financial company in Minnesota.
?Iowa?s economy has held up because of the agricultural base,? Knapp said as he left a Bachmann event at a diner. ?But we need to get the whole economy back on track. As long as the nation is suffering, everybody is, to some extent.?
To be sure, not all of Iowa is as economically healthy as Iowa City. Swenson said that while Des Moines and the corridor between Iowa City and Cedar Rapids are doing well, cities such as Waterloo and Mason City that rely heavily on manufacturing are struggling with long-term unemployment and a slow recovery.
?We?re just kind of stuck in neutral,? Swenson said. ?On average, we don?t look so bad, but a large swath of the state also doesn?t look so hot.?
Still, Swenson said he wasn?t surprised that Iowa?s Republican voters are focused on the economy outside of the state. Many are businesspeople and farmers who equate a recovering national economy to renewed demand for their products.
That?s the view of Norman Olson, a 77-year-old retired farmer from Northwood, near the border with Minnesota. ?It still hurts that other people don?t have work other places,? he said. ?We are not isolated from the rest of the country.?
Then, there?s Obama. A recent University of Iowa Hawkeye poll found that Iowa Democrats have a brighter view of the economy than those in the GOP, suggesting some of the gloomy Republican outlook could be tinged by anti-Obama partisanship.
That?s the case for Carol Ann Christiansen, 55, president of the Johnson County Republican Women and the retired owner of a floral business. She said she wants a candidate who will be frugal in Washington and ?create the jobs this country so desperately needs.? She dismissed the economic success in the state college town of Iowa City as being largely funded by taxpayers.
?We need a president who is going to give business people some economic certainty,? Christiansen said. ?Every other day there seems to be some new regulation that makes it hard for them.?
???
Associated Press writers Philip Elliott and Shannon McCaffrey contributed to this report from Dubuque, Council Bluffs and Mason City.
Verizon Wireless appears to be standing behind its claims of operating "the nation's largest, most reliable 3G network and the nation's largest 4G LTE network," following this month's latest nationwide data outage. A Verizon spokesperson wrote in to inform us that "the 4GLTE issue was resolved overnight. 3G operated normally; calling, texting were unaffected." We were unable to access data on both LTE and 3G CDMA networks with our Galaxy Nexus yesterday, however. Verizon may be working furiously to add cities to its LTE coverage map, but with repeated outages and little clarification this month, it may be a very long time before the carrier can include 4G reliability in its corporate maxim.
Watson is the IBM computer built by David Ferrucci and his team of 25 research scientists tasked with designing an artificial-intelligence (AI) system that can rival human champions at the game of Jeopardy. After beating the greatest Jeopardy champions, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, in February 2011, the computer is now being employed in more practical tasks such as answering diagnostic medical questions.
I have a question: Does Watson know that it won Jeopardy? Did it think, ?Oh, yeah! I beat the great Ken Jen!?? In other words, did Watson feel flushed with pride after its victory? This has been my standard response when someone asks me about the great human-versus-machine Jeopardy shoot-out; people always respond in the negative, understanding that such self-awareness is not yet the province of computers. So I put the line of inquiry to none other than Ferrucci at a recent conference. His answer surprised me: ?Yes, Watson knows it won Jeopardy.? I was skeptical: How can that be, since such self-awareness is not yet possible in computers? ?Because I told it that it won,? he replied with a wry smile.
Of course. You could even program Watson to vocalize a Howard Dean?like victory scream, but that is still a far cry from its feeling triumphant. That level of self-awareness in computers, and the time when it might be achieved, was a common theme at the Singularity Summit held in New York City on the weekend of October 15?16, 2011. There hundreds of singularitarians gathered to be apprised of our progress toward the date of 2045, set by visionary computer scientist Ray Kurzweil as being when computer intelligence will exceed that of all humanity by one billion times, humans will realize immortality, and technological change will be so rapid and profound that we will witness an intellectual event horizon beyond which, like its astronomical black hole namesake, life is not the same.
I was at once both inspired and skeptical. When asked my position on immortality, for example, I replied, ?I?m for it!? But wishing for eternal life?and being offered unprovable ways of achieving it?has been a theme for billions of people throughout history. My baloney-detection alarm goes off whenever a soothsayer writes himself and his generation into the forecast, proclaiming that the Biggest Thing to Happen to Humanity Ever will occur in the prophet?s own lifetime. I abide by the Copernican principle that we are not special. For once, I would like to hear a futurist or religious diviner predict that ?it? is going to happen in, say, the year 2525 or 7510. But where?s the hope in that? Herein lies the appeal of Kurzweil and his band of singularity hopefuls. No matter how distressing it may be when the bad news daily assaults our senses, our eyes should be on the prize just over the horizon. Be patient.
Patience is what we are going to need because, in my opinion, we are centuries away from AI matching human intelligence. As California Institute of Technology neuroscientist Christof Koch noted in narrating the wiring diagram of the entire nervous system of Caenorhabditis elegans, we are clueless in understanding how this simple roundworm ?thinks,? much less in explicating (and reproducing in a computer) a human mind billions of times more complex. We don?t even know how our brain produces conscious thoughts or where the ?self? is located (if it can be found anywhere at all), much less how to program a machine to do the same. Pop rock duo Zager and Evans were probably closer in their 1969 hit song In the Year 2525?s prediction that the biggest milestones would happen between the years 2525 and 9595, their exordium and terminus.
An irony: amid all this highfalutin braggadocio of how close we are to computers taking over the world and emulating human thought, I had to give my talk on the ?social singularity? (progress in political, economic and social systems over the past 10,000 years) early because Rice University computer scientist James McLurkin could not get his small swarm of robots to work. Either someone?s wireless mic or the room?s wireless network was interfering with the tiny robots? communications system, and no one could figure out how to solve the problem. My prediction for the Singularity: we are 10 years away ... and always will be.
Source: www.nytimes.com --- Monday, December 26, 2011 Yousaf Raza Gilani denied reports by anti-American media outlets that he was planning to dismiss the country?s army and intelligence commanders. ...
Knesset holds first discussion on possible recognition of Turkey's Armenian genocide; Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin says Israel has an ethical commitment to recognize other nations' genocides.
Breaking News Monday 26th December, 2011
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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) ? Walking into his news conference to kick off an NFC East showdown week with the Dallas Cowboys, Tom Coughlin couldn't hide the injury.
There was a noticeable limp in his left leg, one that seemingly will bother the 65-year-old New York Giants coach for weeks and might require medical intervention down the road.
Coughlin didn't care. He wasn't going to discuss the extent of the injury sustained in Saturday's game with the Jets when he was slammed into by D.J Ware after the Giants running back was hit out of bounds.
All that was important was that the Giants (8-7) are playing Dallas (8-7) Sunday night at MetLife Stadium for the NFC East title and a playoff berth. The loser goes home.
"Never better. I may not be able to run for a while," Coughlin said of his health, adding later that he doesn't discuss injuries.
Still, Coughlin had some fun. When asked about Ware, he joked Ware was no longer with the team.
He blamed himself for not paying attention and taking his eye off the play, even though he admitted the late push that resulted in a penalty came 10 yards out of bounds. He even noted he was in for treatment Sunday, just to check up on his players who were hurt in Saturday's 29-14 win that gave the Giants bragging right over Rex Ryan and the brash Jets, the team that co-owns the stadium where they play.
The man who also led the Giants to a Super Bowl title in 2008 and missed the playoffs the past two seasons added he has no intention of coaching from the press box Sunday night. He will be on the field with his players in this all-or-nothing game.
"This is a long and storied rivalry, no doubt about it," Coughlin said of the Giants-Cowboys series. "There have been some great, great games between the two franchises. The one a couple of weeks ago was an outstanding game and example of that. We prepare ourselves for just that type of high intensity, outstanding, high level of performance on both sides."
The Giants rallied from a 12-point deficit in the final 5:41 to beat the Cowboys in Dallas on Dec. 11. However, Coughlin reminded his team Monday that Dallas beat the Giants in the Meadowlands last season after losing in Texas.
Defensive end Dave Tollefson said Coughlin has been the one person the players can count on in what has been an inconsistent year.
The fourth-quarter injury on Saturday was yet another example.
Player after player was amazed at Coughlin's toughness after taking the hit, which looked nasty. Trainers forced him to go to the bench to be examined, but he fought them all the way and quickly limped back to his coaching position along the sideline.
"You know his actions, obviously, Saturday was a great example to the public," Tollefson said. "He would never ask us to do anything that he himself would (not) be willing to do, though he is twice the age of our youngest guy. Seriously, he means what he says and he says a lot of things that he does say, there is conviction in his voice. So you can really tell he means it."
And that he led to loyalty toward a coach who let his players know where they stand.
"You don't want to let him down because he is willing to do anything he can to not let us down," Tollefson said.
Coughlin's message to the team Monday was simple: Forget about the win over the Jets. If you want to get into the postseason, win on Sunday.
"We are all all-in," said defensive captain Justin Tuck, who seemingly shook off all his injuries and played his best game of the season against the Jets. "Coach Coughlin is the same as all of us. I know that leg is banged up a little bit, but he wasn't showing any ill effects today and came in excited about the opportunity that we have this week."
Outspoken safety Antrel Rolle went home to Miami for Christmas, and texted his coach to see how he was feeling Sunday.
"Some of our toughness definitely rubbed off on him," Rolle quipped before getting serious. "He is a tough guy. He kept it going. If our coach is strong enough to go out there and fight and keep it going and hang through a situation like that, we're younger. Why can't we do it?" That's the mentality I have."
Some of the players could not help but tease Coughlin a little bit. One of the things he always says to them is: no toughness, no championship."
The coach heard that a couple of times after being hurt.
His age also was a target.
"I don't think he has taken a hit like that since World War II," Tollefson said of Coughlin, who was born a year after the hostilities ended. "For him to bounce back is impressive."
He'll tape it up if he has to," added guard Chris Snee, the coach's son-in-law. "It didn't look very good but I guess it could have been a lot worse."
NOTES: Coughlin hopes to have WR Mario Manningham (knee) back for the regular-season finale. ...DE Osi Umenyiora (ankle) is a little more iffy. ... Rolle, CB Corey Webster and DE Jason Pierre-Paul all played over 100 plays against the Jets.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Brees already among the greats
Tanier: Drew Brees deserves to be seen as more than a runner-up MVP. He is a future Hall of Famer, and he should be acknowledged as one of the best quarterbacks, not just of this generation, but of any generation.
Members of the South Korean mourners group including Chairwoman of Hyundai Group Hyun Jeong-eun, center, pay their respects over the body of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il at Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang, North Korea, Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. (AP Photo)
Members of the South Korean mourners group including Chairwoman of Hyundai Group Hyun Jeong-eun, center, pay their respects over the body of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il at Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang, North Korea, Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. (AP Photo)
Mourners line up in Kim Il Sung Square to pay respects to late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang, North Korea, early Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. (AP Photo)
Mourners react after paying respects to a portrait of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, early Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. (AP Photo)
Mourners line up in Kim Il Sung Square to pay respects to late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang, North Korea, early Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. (AP Photo)
Members of the South Korean mourners group including Lee Hee-ho, the wife of former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, center, pay their respects over the body of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il at Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang, North Korea, Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. Lee is part of an 18-person group allowed by South Korea to attend the Dec. 28 funeral of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. (AP Photo)
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) ? North Korea's next leader burnished his diplomatic skills Monday, welcoming a private South Korean mourning delegation as state media revealed a new title that gives Kim Jong Un authority over political matters.
Kim Jong Un has rapidly gained prominence since the death of his father Kim Jong Il on Dec. 17, and his brief meeting with a group led by a former South Korean first lady and a prominent business leader shows Seoul that he is assured in his new role.
State media have showered Kim with new titles. On Saturday, the North referred to him as "supreme leader" of the 1.2 million-strong armed forces and said the military's top leaders had pledged their loyalty to him. On Monday, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper described him as head of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party ? a post that appears to make him the top official in the ruling party.
On Monday, a South Korean delegation stood in a line on a red carpet and bowed silently during their visit to the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, where Kim Jong Il's body is lying in state in a bier surrounded by flowers and flanked by an honor guard.
Kim Jong Un gave the South Koreans his thanks after they expressed condolences and sympathy, the North's official Korean Central News Agency said. Seoul's Unification Ministry confirmed the meeting in a statement but didn't elaborate.
The lead delegates were the widow of former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, who engineered a "sunshine" engagement policy with the North and held a landmark summit with Kim Jong Il in 2000, and Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun, whose late husband had ties to the North.
Their meeting with Kim Jong Un could be intended to push South Korea to pursue previously agreed upon cooperative projects that would give North Korea much-needed aid, said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, which is in South Korea.
Footage from AP Television News in North Korea earlier showed the South Koreans being greeted by North Korean officials during a stop at a factory park in the North Korean border town of Kaesong. North Korea sent delegations to Seoul when the women's husbands died.
Monday's meeting appeared to be Kim Jong Un's first reported meeting with South Koreans since his father's death.
The Kim family has extended its control over the country of 24 million people to a third generation with Kim Jong Un, who is in his late 20s and was revealed last year as his father's choice among three sons for successor.
Kim Jong Il, who ruled North Korea for 17 years, wielded power as head of three main state organs: the Workers' Party, the Korean People's Army and the National Defense Commission. His father, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, remains the nation's "eternal president" long after his 1994 death.
Kim Jong Un was named a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party last year, but was expected to ascend to new military and political posts while being groomed to become the next leader.
Monday's reference to his new title was in commentary in the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the mouthpiece of the Workers' Party, urging soldiers to dedicate their lives "to protect the party's Central Committee headed by respected Comrade Kim Jong Un." Rodong Sinmun has also called on the people to become "eternal revolutionary comrades" with Kim Jong Un, "the sun of the 21st century."
The language echoed slogans used years ago to rally support for Kim Jong Il, and made clear the son is quickly moving toward leadership of the Workers' Party, one of the country's highest positions, in addition to the military.
North Korea refers to Kim Il Sung as the "sun" of the nation and his birthday is celebrated as the "Day of the Sun," and state media have sought to emphasize Kim Jong Un's role in carrying out the Kim family legacy throughout his succession movement.
His titles are slight variations of those held by his father, but appear to carry the same weight. It was unclear whether the nation's constitution had been changed to reflect the transfer of leadership as when Kim Jong Il took power after his father's death.
Mourning continued, meanwhile, despite frigid winter weather, in the final days before Kim Jong Il's funeral is set to take place Wednesday and a memorial Thursday.
People continued lining up Monday in central Kim Il Sung Square, where a massive portrait that usually features Kim Il Sung has been replaced by one of Kim Jong Il, to bow before his smiling image and to lay funereal flowers. Heated buses stood by to give mourners a respite from the cold, and hot tea and water were distributed from beverage kiosks.
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Associated Press writers Foster Klug, Hyung-jin Kim and Jiyoung Won in Seoul, South Korea, and AP Korea bureau chief Jean H. Lee, contributed to this report. Follow AP's Korea coverage at twitter.com/newsjean and twitter.com/APKlug.
Eighteen games remain in the 2011 NFL season: Bears-Packers tonight, Falcons-Saints tomorrow and 16 games on New Year?s Day. Here?s a rundown of how each team still in contention can have its playoff position affected by the results of those 18 games:
Patriots: Clinch home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs by beating Buffalo or by having both the Ravens and Steelers lose.
Ravens: Clinch the AFC North and a first-round bye with a win or a Steelers loss. Clinch home-field advantage with a win and a Patriots loss.
Steelers: Clinch the AFC North with a win and a Ravens loss. Clinch home-field advantage with a win, a Ravens loss and a Patriots loss.
Texans: Locked into the AFC No. 3 seed. Week 17 is meaningless to Houston, and the Texans may rest many of their key players.
Broncos: Clinch the AFC West and the No. 4 seed by beating the Chiefs, or a Raiders loss.
Raiders: Clinch the AFC West and the No. 4 seed by beating the Chargers and a Broncos loss. If the Broncos win, the Raiders can still get a wild card if they win and the Bengals lose, plus either the Titans lose or the Jets win.
Bengals: Clinch a playoff spot and the No. 6 seed if they win, or if the Jets lose and either the Raiders or Broncos lose.
Jets: Get the No. 6 seed if they win and the Bengals and Titans and either the Raiders or Broncos lose.
Titans: Get the No. 6 seed if they win and the Bengals lose, plus either the Jets win and the Broncos or Raiders lose, or the Jets lose and the Broncos and Raiders both win.
Packers: Clinch home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs if they beat either the Bears tonight or the Lions next week, or if the 49ers lose next week.
49ers: Clinch a first-round bye with a win next week or the Saints losing either on Monday night or next week. The 49ers can still get home-field advantage throughout the playoffs if they win and the Packers lose to both the Bears and the Lions.
Saints: Clinch the NFC South if they win either of their two remaining games, and they could even clinch the NFC South if they lose both of their remaining games, if the Falcons lose in Week 17. The Saints can?t get home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, but they can get a first-round bye if they win both their remaining games and the 49ers lose next week.
Cowboys/Giants: Next Sunday night?s game is essentially a playoff game: The Cowboys-Giants winner wins the NFC East and is the No. 4 seed, while the loser?s season is over. If the game ends in a tie, the Giants win the division.
Falcons: The Falcons can clinch a playoff spot tonight by the Packers beating the Bears. They need just one more win or one more Chicago loss to get to the playoffs. They could still win the NFC South, but only if they beat the Saints Monday night and win next week, plus the Saints lose next week.
Lions: Detroit is an NFC wild card. Whether they?re the No. 5 or No. 6 seed depends on the results of their own game with the Packers and the Falcons? remaining games.
Bears: Chicago can still make the playoffs, but only if they win both their remaining games and the Falcons lose both their remaining games.
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Whether you'll be hosting holiday get-togethers or traveling, know before you go how you are going to keep your pets calm and comfortable.
Up to this point, there has not really been a direct competitor to the iPod touch. Since its original release in 2007, it has continued to dominate the portable music market with millions sold worldwide. Despite Jobs saying that the it was training wheels for the iPhone, the iPod touch has really grown into its own. Recently it has stepped out of the shadow of the iPhone and moved beyond the iPod line. Users can listen to music, watch movies, and play their favorite games anywhere. Not many other devices do this. Most tech companies have basically decided that this is lost territory. While companies like Motorola, and Amazon have focused their efforts on the tablet market, combating the iPad, Apple has roped of this section of the market. No one dares to cross the line? that is until Samsung decided to make a device of their own.
Recently they released their own portable media player, the Samsung Galaxy Player 5.0. This is the first device that could potentially rival the iPod touch. So, of course I got my hands on one and for the past couple weeks, put it through its paces. Keep in mind that I am an avid iPod user but I am going to try and be as unbiased as possible.
Screen:
The first noticeable thing on either of these devices is the screen. This is one of the primary factors when picking out a phone, and it is not any different with music playing devices. The iPod touch of course sports a 3.5 inch Retina Display that just looks absolutely amazing. It is always crisp and has an incredible viewing angle?from the sides it?s near 180? and the top and bottom are about 170?. The pixels are so small that the eyes cannot distinguish one from another.
The Galaxy Player?s WVGA screen is really not as nice. Edges on text are not nearly as smooth and sharp and the viewing angle is slightly worse. However, the Samsung has much more screen real estate. In fact at 5 inches, the entire iPod touch can nearly fit on the Player?s screen alone. This makes watching YouTube more enjoyable and the web experience is closer to that of a desktop. Because of the large screen on the Galaxy Player though, things seem just a little blown out of proportion.? I think there is a reason that phones do not go this big, because 5 inches feels like a small tablet. Beyond screen size, Samsung?s device is less responsive and accurate. When typing, my fingers, although the screen is so much bigger, never seem to hit the right keys. (More on this later).
Overall I?m going to have to say that the iPod wins this round. Its retina display is brighter, sharper, and more accurate. You might be thinking that bigger is always better, but even though it only has a 3.5 inch screen, it feels more comfortable in the hand and provides for a better user experience.
iPod touch: 1/Galaxy Player: 0
External Hardware:
Hardware is the next thing I look for in a good product. The number of buttons, where they are located, and how esthetically pleasing the device is, are all key factors. To begin with, the iPod touch is has some great hardware. Apple keeps buttons to a minimum and gave it a sleek metal back. The 30pin connector and headset jack are located on the bottom while the top has the power/lock button. The volume controls are located on the side. The front of the device has only the screen, camera, and the home button. The iPod touch is definitely for those who prefer a minimalistic look.
The Galaxy Player 5.0 has quite a different build. The back is all plastic and it has two speaker grills. At the top of the device is where you will find a MicroSD card slot. On the right side, you get a power button and a volume rocker and located on the bottom there is the headset jack, microphone, and microUSB port. The front of the device has the screen, front facing camera, and 3 capacitive buttons?menu, home, and back. There is also some sort of earphone grill, but I can?t figure out what it is for, because it is not a phone? The Galaxy Player?s, face reminds me a lot of previous versions of the iPhone, as it sports a silver bevel.
I actually prefer the Player?s 3 buttons as opposed to the iPod?s one. Having a dedicated back key took a bit to get used to, but it is surprisingly convenient. I like how the buttons are not physical keys either, because it makes the front so sleek looking. The only problem is that they are only on, when the device is unlocked, so unlike the iPod touch, you can only wake the device with the power button. This isn?t a huge deal, but out of habit I try to press the home button to wake it. The microSD slot was not a bad idea either; because the Galaxy Player only has 8GB of storage, having the ability to expand to is really great. I also prefer the plastic back opposed to the iPod?s metal one. Yea it?s plastic, but the iPod?s back is a scratch magnet (and probably the worst decision Apple designers have ever made). I am able to set it down without worrying about getting about a million scratches. ?The Samsung also has two speaker grills on the back. Because the touch?s speaker is internal, it is not as loud and clear.
Due to the dedicated back button, the better speakers, and the harder-to-scratch back, the external hardware winner is, in my opinion, clearly the Samsung Galaxy Player.
iPod touch:1/Galaxy Player:1
Overall?Aesthetics:
Neither of these devices look bad. They each have something going on for them in terms of form and style. I am putting all function aside and just judging on pure looks. Shallow? Yes, but I think appearance does matter.
The iPod Touch is a thing of beauty. With its slim form factor and its sleek steel back it represents everything that is Apple. It is so pleasing to look at with its all black front and?iconic single?button. The Apple logo on the back completes the package. The iPod is one of the best looking devices on the market.
This being said, the Samsung Galaxy Player 5.o is no ugly ducking. It is not as thin as or small as the iPod, but surprisingly, there is not that big of a weight difference?81 grams. The Galaxy player does have a silver bevel around the edge, which in my opinion, it could do without. It also has the silver Samsung logo on the front which takes away from the sleek black. The back edges are rounded though, making it comfortable in the hands.
I am going to have to give this one to the iPod Touch. I just don?t think there are many devices out there that can beat an Apple device. They are so pure and simple and I could stare at it for hours.
iPod touch: 2/Galaxy Player: 1
Internal Hardware:
Everyone always says it is what?s on the inside that counts. Of course I am talking about the processor, the battery, and the other bits and pieces that go into these two devices, but the saying holds true. ?How long can I get on a single charge of the battery? How fast is the processor? Things like this are always important to me.
The iPod Touch has Apple?s 1GHz A4 processor (underclocked to 800MHz) and 256MB of RAM. While it is not the fastest processor on the market, applications load quick enough and Apple?s version of multitasking is made possible. As far as the battery goes, the iPod has a lithium-ion battery that Apple says lasts anywhere from about?7 hours (continuous video playback) to?40 hours (music playback). The Touch also has a gyroscope and accelerometer which are primarily used in gaming. Lastly, it has flash storage ranging from 8-64Gigs.
Samsung?s device has the 1GHz hummingbird processor and double the RAM at 512MB. Things load fairly quickly, but it is not a landslide over the iPod. Some applications?like Angry Birds?load faster on the iPod where others?like Facebook and Dolphin Web Browser?are quicker on the Galaxy Player. The GP has a Li-Polymer battery that Samsung claims gets 8 hours of video playback and 60 hours of music. In my personal experience, the battery lasts about as long as I do in a day. I charge it every night before I go to bed, and it lasts late into the night the next day. It also does seem to have a longer standby time than that of the iPod Touch. The Galaxy Player only has 8Gigs of internal storage, but with the SD card slot, it is expandable up to 40. Like Apple?s device, Samsung also put in an accelerometer and gyroscope; however, they also added a compass and GPS. The GPS is a really great feature for traveling. I can load the Google maps, and it will give me turn by turn directions. This is something that the iPod is lacking and definitely needs.
I think I am going to call this one a draw. The Galaxy Player has a faster processor on paper, but in my actual tests, it was not that big of a difference. And while it also has a GPS, this is not a make-or-break feature. Both batteries last as long as I need them to and although the Player?s battery lasts longer, the iPod does charge a bit faster. It can charge to 80% in about 2 hours whereas the Galaxy Player takes FOR-EV-ER.
iPod touch: 3/Player Touch :2
As you can see, these to multimedia players are fairly equal. One maybe have a better quality display, while the other may be bigger. The iPod Touch charges faster, but doesn?t last as long as the Galaxy Player. Samsung?s device has a faster processor and more RAM but Apple uses some sort of magic to make the Touch just as fast.
Final score for part one: iPod touch: 3/Galaxy Player: 2
Stay tuned for part two, where I will take a look at the cameras, media playback, and software. If there is anything specific you want me to look at, leave a comment below or send me a tweet @TiP_Bryce.
(Reuters) ? Bristol-Myers Squibb Co said on Thursday its liver cancer drug brivanib failed to meet the primary endpoint in a late-stage clinical trial.
Brivanib failed to meet the main goal of improving overall survival versus placebo in liver cancer patients who failed or are intolerant to sorafenib. Sorafenib is used to treat advanced primary liver cancer.
Bristol-Myers said three other trials, to evaluate brivanib in different liver cancer patient groups, will continue as planned.
"We remain committed to the development of brivanib as a potential treatment option for patients with liver cancer, and the ongoing study investigating brivanib 'first-line' is expected to complete in 2012," senior vice president Brian Daniels said in a statement.
Shares of the company closed at $35.09 on Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange.
(Reporting by Soham Chatterjee in Bangalore; Editing by Bob Burgdorfer)
Pitt researchers propose new model to design better flu shotsPublic release date: 22-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: B. Rose Huber rhuber@pitt.edu 412-624-4356 University of Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGHThe flu shot, typically the first line of defense against seasonal influenza, could better treat the U.S. population, thanks to University of Pittsburgh researchers.
New research that focuses on the composition and timing of the shot design was published in the September-October issue of Operations Research by Pitt Swanson School of Engineering faculty members Oleg Prokopyev, an assistant professor, and Professor Andrew Schaefer, both in the Department of Industrial Engineering, and coauthors Osman Ozaltin and Mark Roberts, professor and chair in Pitt's Department of Health Policy and Management. Ozaltin, who is now an assistant professor of engineering at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, did his research for the study as a Pitt graduate student in the Swanson School; he earned his Pitt PhD degree in industrial engineering earlier this year.
The exact composition of the flu shot is decided every year by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the decision is complicated.
"The flu's high rate of transmission requires frequent changes to the shot," said Prokopyev. "Different strains can also cocirculate in one season, which gives us another challenge for figuring out the composition."
The Pitt researchers used powerful optimization methods from engineering to examine whether they could improve the yearly decisions made regarding what strains of influenza should be included in the current year's vaccine. The strains of flu that will be most likely to appear in the regular flu season are not known with certainty, but waiting longer to finalize the composition of the vaccine and observing what strains are occurring in other parts of the world improves the accuracy of the selection. However, the longer the FDA waits to make the decision, the more likely it is that there will be insufficient vaccine produced by the start of flu season. The model developed by the Pitt researchers balances these two important characteristics of the flu selection decision and integrates the composition and timing decisions of the flu shot design.
The model allows examination of the effect of many changes to the design and production of the vaccine, such as how many strains to include in the shot, when to make the final decision, how many times the FDA should meet to re-examine the current information concerning strains in other parts of the world, and the potential benefits from improved production methods.
"With this model, several policy questions can be addressed," said Schaefer. "For example, incorporating more than three strains might increase the societal benefit substantially, particularly under more severe flu seasons."
"The strains in the flu shot are now chosen at least six months before the actual flu season," added Schaefer. "This leaves a lot of uncertainty because we're really not sure which strain will emerge. Our models provide insights into a better flu shot."
The Pitt study focused solely on the United States, where the FDA makes the final decision about the flu shot composition soon after recommendations from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control. The current flu shot contains inactivated strains of two influenza A subtypes and one influenza B lineage. The flu shot production is also limited by the scarcest strain, as the three strains are combined together to compose the shot.
"The three strains in the current flu shot are grown separately in chicken eggs and combined together to produce a single dose," said Ozaltin. "Our model considers all three strains simultaneously, because unanticipated difficulties in growing a strain might result in reductions in the overall flu shot supply."
The Pitt researchers note that currently only six manufacturers provide the flu shot for the U.S. market. Once the strains are selected by an FDA advisory committee, manufacturers move forward in making their own plans to maximize profits.
"We're suggesting a policy that includes more frequent committee meetings," said Prokopyev. "That could provide additional gains in the annual societal benefit of the flu shot."
For the future, the results suggest a substantial potential benefit from improved manufacturing techniques. With more research in this area, a more appropriate flu shot could be produced annually, saving Americans millions of dollars and preventing substantial influenza complications.
"This is another excellent example of the benefits of collaborative, multidisciplinary research that the University of Pittsburgh is famous for," notes Roberts. "Our group has been applying methods developed in engineering and designed for industry to very real problems in health and disease, and finding that they can provide insights not previously observed using traditional clinical research methods."
###
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Pitt researchers propose new model to design better flu shotsPublic release date: 22-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: B. Rose Huber rhuber@pitt.edu 412-624-4356 University of Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGHThe flu shot, typically the first line of defense against seasonal influenza, could better treat the U.S. population, thanks to University of Pittsburgh researchers.
New research that focuses on the composition and timing of the shot design was published in the September-October issue of Operations Research by Pitt Swanson School of Engineering faculty members Oleg Prokopyev, an assistant professor, and Professor Andrew Schaefer, both in the Department of Industrial Engineering, and coauthors Osman Ozaltin and Mark Roberts, professor and chair in Pitt's Department of Health Policy and Management. Ozaltin, who is now an assistant professor of engineering at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, did his research for the study as a Pitt graduate student in the Swanson School; he earned his Pitt PhD degree in industrial engineering earlier this year.
The exact composition of the flu shot is decided every year by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the decision is complicated.
"The flu's high rate of transmission requires frequent changes to the shot," said Prokopyev. "Different strains can also cocirculate in one season, which gives us another challenge for figuring out the composition."
The Pitt researchers used powerful optimization methods from engineering to examine whether they could improve the yearly decisions made regarding what strains of influenza should be included in the current year's vaccine. The strains of flu that will be most likely to appear in the regular flu season are not known with certainty, but waiting longer to finalize the composition of the vaccine and observing what strains are occurring in other parts of the world improves the accuracy of the selection. However, the longer the FDA waits to make the decision, the more likely it is that there will be insufficient vaccine produced by the start of flu season. The model developed by the Pitt researchers balances these two important characteristics of the flu selection decision and integrates the composition and timing decisions of the flu shot design.
The model allows examination of the effect of many changes to the design and production of the vaccine, such as how many strains to include in the shot, when to make the final decision, how many times the FDA should meet to re-examine the current information concerning strains in other parts of the world, and the potential benefits from improved production methods.
"With this model, several policy questions can be addressed," said Schaefer. "For example, incorporating more than three strains might increase the societal benefit substantially, particularly under more severe flu seasons."
"The strains in the flu shot are now chosen at least six months before the actual flu season," added Schaefer. "This leaves a lot of uncertainty because we're really not sure which strain will emerge. Our models provide insights into a better flu shot."
The Pitt study focused solely on the United States, where the FDA makes the final decision about the flu shot composition soon after recommendations from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control. The current flu shot contains inactivated strains of two influenza A subtypes and one influenza B lineage. The flu shot production is also limited by the scarcest strain, as the three strains are combined together to compose the shot.
"The three strains in the current flu shot are grown separately in chicken eggs and combined together to produce a single dose," said Ozaltin. "Our model considers all three strains simultaneously, because unanticipated difficulties in growing a strain might result in reductions in the overall flu shot supply."
The Pitt researchers note that currently only six manufacturers provide the flu shot for the U.S. market. Once the strains are selected by an FDA advisory committee, manufacturers move forward in making their own plans to maximize profits.
"We're suggesting a policy that includes more frequent committee meetings," said Prokopyev. "That could provide additional gains in the annual societal benefit of the flu shot."
For the future, the results suggest a substantial potential benefit from improved manufacturing techniques. With more research in this area, a more appropriate flu shot could be produced annually, saving Americans millions of dollars and preventing substantial influenza complications.
"This is another excellent example of the benefits of collaborative, multidisciplinary research that the University of Pittsburgh is famous for," notes Roberts. "Our group has been applying methods developed in engineering and designed for industry to very real problems in health and disease, and finding that they can provide insights not previously observed using traditional clinical research methods."
###
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
On January 3, ABC is set to premiere the new comedy Work It, a sitcom about two men who dress as women to secure employment. During a period in which the transgender community now routinely finds itself in the cultural crosshairs, the timing couldn?t be worse for a show based on the notion that men dressed as women is inherently funny. In fact, shows like this have the power to put the transgender community in an even more dangerous position.
GLAAD has seen the pilot and while the show?s pilot does not explicitly address transgender people, many home viewers unfamiliar with the realities of being transgender will still make the connection. Work It invites the audience to laugh at images of men trying to adopt a feminine appearance, thereby also making it easier to mock people whose gender identity and expression are different than the one they were assigned at birth. Said GLAAD?s Acting President Mike Thompson, ?Transphobia is still all too prevalent in our society and this show will only contribute to it. It will reinforce the mistaken belief that transgender women are simply ?men pretending to be women,? and that their efforts to live their lives authentically as women are a form of lying or deception.?
These problems are even more pronounced in the show?s printed ad, which depicts the two main characters dressed as women while standing at men?s room urinals. Not only does it inadvertently further notions that transgender identities are humorous or artificial, but imagery like this is one of the first things anti-LGBT activists resort to when trying to deny transgender people protections against discrimination. As Mark Snyder from the Transgender Law Center said in a recent article, a printed image like this in magazines or the sides of city buses will ?make it more difficult for transgender people to gain full equality -- including the important right to access public accommodations appropriate to their gender identity.?
Work It comes from a network with a track record of inclusive LGBT content that has often included the transgender community. When ABC cast Candis Cayne on Dirty Sexy Money, it was the first time a transgender actress was featured in a recurring role on broadcast television. Around the same time, they featured Alexis Meade on Ugly Betty, who was television?s first regular transgender character. Most recently, ABC cast transgender advocate Chaz Bono on their hit series Dancing with the Stars. When it comes to representing the transgender community in a fair and accurate way, ABC has routinely led the network pack.
But the fact that this show is coming from what has been one of the LGBT community?s strongest media allies perhaps makes the sting worse. When speaking about the show to an audience of television critics at this summer?s TCA executive panel, ABC president Paul Lee said, ?I?m a Brit, it is in my contract that I have to do one cross-dressing show a year; I was brought up on Monty Python. What can I do?? For starters, Mr. Lee can recognize that there has been forty years of progressive social change since Monty Python?s television heyday. Not to mention the birth and continuing advancement of the modern LGBT movement.
We are at a crucial point in transgender representation in our culture. While public awareness continues to increase and there have been great milestones reached in the past few years, thanks in part to networks like ABC, all too often the community is still depicted in a problematic light. Creators often resort to the same tired stereotypes and insulting language to depict transgender people, and the slur ?tr*nny? is still used with alarming frequency. Off-screen, transgender people experience disproportionately higher rates of violence, harassment, discrimination, poverty, and homelessness. While the straight men on the show may have gotten jobs by dressing as women, transgender people also face double the rates of unemployment. At a time when we need greater understanding of the transgender community, a show like Work It will ultimately have the opposite effect.
We ask that ABC recognize this fact, keep the show?s bathroom advertisement out of circulation, and seriously consider whether airing this show is worth the damage it has the potential to do. The fact is ABC should not air this show at all, as it will contribute to a climate in which transgender people are something to be laughed at, rather than treated with the respect and dignity that everyone deserves.
To read the original story on the GLAAD blog, click HERE.
There was a time in the late 1990s when fleece suddenly became ubiquitous in my life. I blame Old Navy. Their boldly-hued, fuzzy pullovers dominated every commercial break during the holidays and clothed everyone in my high school. More »
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Public release date: 22-Dec-2011
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