Saturday, December 31, 2011

PFT: Lynch fined $10K for Skittles shoes

San Francisco 49ers v Baltimore RavensGetty Images

We handle the biggest injury news throughout the day in the Rumor Mill.

The rest goes right here, in the weekly injury report segment designed to freak you out.

1. The big names we?ve already covered Friday: Tom Brady, Logan Mankins, Osi Umenyiora, Aaron Rodgers, Charles Woodson, Reggie Bush, LeSean McCoy, and?Colt McCoy. ?(Note: The McCoys are not related.)

2. Ravens receiver Anquan Boldin was upgraded to doubtful with a knee injury after running on Friday. Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda (chest) is also doubtful. That?s a big loss for Baltimore.

3. The Bengals? biggest injury concern is defensive end Carlos Dunlap. He?s questionable with a hamstring injury. He did practice all week in a limited fashion.

4. The Titans are healthy for their game against Houston. Defensive end?Jason Jones is the only Titan not expected to play.

5. ?San Diego receiver Vincent Jackson is probable despite missing practice most of the week with a groin injury. Running back Ryan Mathews (calf) is a gametime decision.

6. The Broncos are expected to play without safety Brian Dawkins. He?s doubtful with a neck injury.

7. Rams quarterbacks Sam Bradford (ankle) and A.J. Feeley (thumb) are both doubtful to play in the season finale. Kellen Clemens will wrap up the season at quarterback for the Rams.

8. The Bears list Brian Urlacher (knee) as questionable, but he?s expected to play Sunday. Marion Barber (calf) is doubtful.

9. Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson (achilles) will be a gametime decision against the Seahawks. ?Kevin Kolb (concussion) is listed as questionable, but he?s not expected to be active Sunday.

10. The Chiefs will head into Denver without running back Jackie Battle, who has been ruled out with a foot injury.

11. The Panthers will be without their best defensive player. Defensive end Charles Johnson (back) is doubtful. He finishes with nine sacks on the year.

12. New Orleans will be without running back?Mark Ingram (toe) and wideout Lance Moore (hamstring). It?s looking like Ingram won?t be back for the playoffs. Jonathan?Vilma (knee) and?Malcolm Jenkins (neck) are questionable. They should play after being limited in practice.

13. Dallas Clark is officially questionable with a neck injury. He should play in what could be his final game as a Colt. Oh, and Peyton Manning (neck) is officially listed as out for the 16th straight week.

14. Ben Roethlisberger (ankle) is officially probable. He?s fully expected to start, although he may not play the whole game against the Browns. Center Maurkice Pouncey (ankle) is also probable. ?LaMarr Woodley (hamstring) is doubtful.

15. The Raiders are likely to get wideout?Jacoby Ford (foot) and safety Michael Huff (hamstring) back this week. They are both questionable, but practiced all week. Darren McFadden (foot) is out again.

16. The 49ers should have?Patrick Willis (hamstring) available if they want to use him. He?s questionable, but has practiced during the week.

17. The Redskins should get running back?Roy Helu (toe,?knee) back in the mix. He?s questionable.

Thanks for reading all year if you made it this far. Now say hello to your families.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/12/30/skittles-shoes-cost-marshawn-lynch-10k/related/

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Wall St back at Square One, with S&P flat in 2011 (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? For the U.S. stock market, 2011 was a long wild ride to nowhere.

The broad S&P 500 endured huge daily swings but a year of drama left the index almost where it started. It lost a mere 0.003 percent, closest to unchanged since 1947, according to Standard & Poor's.

Global markets have been battered this year by the euro-zone debt crisis, upheaval in the Middle East, and U.S. political gridlock. Similar events probably await investors in 2012.

"The earnings and fundamentals were there for companies, but the political crisis and paralysis in Washington and Europe were too much," said Martin Sass, who founded and runs the $7.5 billion M.D. Sass hedge fund.

"They overwhelmed the fundamentals. I didn't think the euro- zone crisis would have been so protracted as it has become."

The Dow industrials gained 5.5 percent for the year as investors sought safety in large-cap, dividend-paying stocks. The Nasdaq lost 1.8 percent.

Investors took out their ire on the financials (.GSPF), which were the weakest group this year, falling more than 18 percent. Concerns about exposure to Europe and the threat of a renewed financial crisis hurt those shares.

Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) was the Dow's worst performer, tumbling 58.3 percent this year, and it was also one of the S&P 500's biggest losers. JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) slumped 21.6 percent in 2011.

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp (COG.N) was the only S&P component to double its stock price in 2011 - rising 100.5 percent - followed by another energy name, El Paso Corp (EP.N), which rose 93.1 percent. The S&P 500 's weakest stock was First Solar (FSLR.O), as shares of that company were hit by falling solar panel prices. For the year, the stock was off 74.1 percent.

Defensive sectors like utilities outperformed growth sectors, underscoring the view that investors were concerned about the economic outlook.

McDonald's Corp (MCD.N) advanced 31 percent this year, making it the Dow's biggest gainer.

Reflecting the wild market swings, the CBOE Volatility Index, or VIX (.VIX), rose about 32 percent for the year, the first increase since 2008. The S&P 500 climbed 9 percent at its peak, and dropped 14.5 percent to its bottom.

One potential silver lining headed into 2012 is that after relatively flat years, the market tends to bounce.

"The other times (the S&P 500) didn't change much during the year, it performed quite well during the next year," said Jason Goepfert, president of SentimenTrader.com in a report.

"Overall, the years after these small-change years did well, especially during the past 50 years."

Of those, the next year returned a median gain of 17.8 percent, according to Goepfert's data. The maximum loss averaged

a decline of only 1.6 percent versus a maximum gain that averaged 20.9 percent. He also noted the final session of the year has not had a great run lately, being positive only 34 percent of the time during the past 30 years.

A DOWNBEAT FRIDAY

On Friday, the Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) fell 69.48 points, or 0.57 percent, to 12,217.56 at the close. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) slipped 5.42 points, or 0.43 percent, to 1,257.60. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) dropped 8.59 points, or 0.33 percent, to 2,605.15.

Daily volume this week has been running about half of the average, with many traders away for the Christmas and New Year's holidays. The anemic action amplified moves in both directions.

European shares closed up on Friday, but recorded their biggest annual drop in three years as debt tensions in the euro zone strained the financial sector and threatened to derail a fragile economic recovery. (.EU)

Some believe investors may have become too panic-stricken about Europe, an issue that will dominate headlines in coming months.

"Most of the Italian debt gets rolled over in the first quarter ... Once that debt's rolled, if it's rolled successfully, then there isn't any more to talk about this subject we've beaten to death for over a year now," said Ken Fisher, chief executive of Fisher Investments.

<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

For a graphic on 2011 market performance, see:

http://r.reuters.com/xut75s

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>

Composite volume was 4.07 billion shares on the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq and Amex, well below this year's daily average of about 7.84 billion shares.

Decliners led advancers on the New York Stock Exchange by about 4 to 3, while on the Nasdaq, about three stocks fell for every two that rose.

(Reporting By Angela Moon; Additional reporting by Daniel Bases in New York and Doris Frankel in Chicago; Editing by Jan Paschal)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111230/bs_nm/us_markets_stocks

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Friday, December 30, 2011

Deadly bird flu suspected in ailing Chinese man

China has reported a suspected human case of the H5N1 virus, or bird flu, in a southern city bordering Hong Kong, officials said on Friday.

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The patient, a 39-year-old man living in Shenzhen, developed symptoms on Dec. 21 and was admitted to a hospital on Dec. 25 because of severe pneumonia, the Centre of Health Protection of Hong Kong said in a statement. He is now in critical condition.

China's Ministry of Health said preliminary laboratory tests on the patient's specimen by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention of Guangdong Province had yielded a positive result for H5N1.

About 10 days ago Hong Kong culled 17,000 chickens at a wholesale poultry market and suspended all imports of live chickens from mainland China for 21 days after a dead chicken there tested positive for the H5N1 virus.

The virus is normally found in birds but can jump to people who do not have immunity to it and researchers worry it could mutate into a form that would spread around the world and kill millions of people.

In recent years, the virus has become active in various parts of the world, mainly in east Asia, during the cooler months.

WHO 'deeply concerned' by deadly flu research

Authorities in China are especially worried about the spread of infectious diseases around this time when millions of Chinese travel in crowded buses and trains across the country to go home to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

The current strain of H5N1 is highly pathogenic, kills most species of birds and up to 60 percent of the people it infects. Since 2003, it has infected 573 people around the world, killing 336. The virus also kills migratory birds but species that manage to survive can carry and disperse the virus to new, uninfected locations.

The virus can kill birds and humans in a matter of days but can survive far longer durations in a moist, cool environment.

It transmits less easily between people but there have been clusters of infections in people in Indonesia and Thailand in the past, where the virus is believed to have been passed between family members through direct contact with contaminated respiratory secretions.

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45826580/ns/health-cold_and_flu/

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Union Bank of India cuts rate by 10 basis points

While the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is still brooding over plans to cut key rates, Union Bank of India on Thursday astonished the market by announcing a cut of 10 basis points in its lending rate.

State-owned Union Bank of India's lending rate now stands at 10.65 per cent.

Union Bank of India chairman MV Nair said that the cut in lending rate would boost loan demand and provide the bank with an edge over peers.

The lender's prime-lending rate is at 15.50 per cent.

Making the announcement, the Mumbai-headquartered bank said, "Our asset liability committee, in its quarterly review of interest rates, has decided to bring down the base rate by 10 basis points from 10.75% to 10.65% with immediate effect."

Since March last year, the RBI has raised the repo rate, the rate at which lenders borrow from the central bank, as many as 13 times in order to tame inflation. It is now expected to begin slashing key rates, but it has signaled that it wouldn't slash rates unless inflation falls to his comfort level of 7 per cent. The RBI's repo rate currently stands at 8.5 per cent.

Analysts believe the central bank to begin slashing key rates by March-April 2012. Economist Indranil Sen Gupta, from Bank of America Merill Lynch, expects lending rates to come down by 100-150 basis points in the April-September slack season.


Source: http://stockwatch.in/union-bank-india-cuts-rate-10-basis-points-29280

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The morning after: PlayStation Vita sales go cold during first full week in Japan

It's hard to set much store by early sales performance, particularly after the evergreen 3DS faced such a rocky road. Nevertheless, the Vita's latest stats do look disappointing for such a highly anticipated -- not to mention high-quality -- console: after shifting a remarkable 321,000 units during its first two days on sale in Japan, it could only muster 72,500 in the whole week between December 19th and Christmas Day. In comparison, the PS3 sold 76,000 units during the same period, while the 3DS rang up half a million. This doesn't necessarily reflect a lack of interest, however: there have been stock shortages, and it's also possible that buyers are waiting to make sure that all the launch bugs get cleaned up. As for us, our alarms remain firmly set for February 22nd.

The morning after: PlayStation Vita sales go cold during first full week in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 11:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/29/the-morning-after-playstation-vita-sales-go-cold-during-first-f/

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Thursday, December 29, 2011

Obama to nominate economist, banker, as Fed governors (Reuters)

HONOLULU/WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? President Barack Obama will nominate Harvard economist Jeremy Stein and Jerome Powell, an investment banker and former Treasury official, to the two empty seats on the Federal Reserve's policy-setting board of governors.

The White House's pick of candidates, who have Democratic and Republican credentials respectively, may help speed their nomination through Congress amid a sluggish economic recovery that has failed to put a major dent in the unemployment rate, now at 8.6 percent.

While neither has laid out detailed views on monetary policy, Stein wrote a paper earlier this year suggesting he would back the Fed's unconventional efforts to keep down long-term borrowing costs, which have been controversial in Washington. The Fed for over three years has adopted an array of radical measures to keep interest rates low and spur recovery.

Stein, who previously worked for the Obama administration as an adviser to the Treasury secretary and a National Economic Council staff member, specializes in stock price behavior, corporate investment and financing decisions, risk management and capital allocation inside firms. He declined to comment on his nomination.

The choice of Powell, who served at the Treasury during President George H. W. Bush's term in the late 1980s and early 1990s, could be aimed at mollifying Senate Republicans. They blocked Peter Diamond, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist, saying the Nobel prize winner was not qualified for the job and was too sympathetic to government intervention in the economy.

Powell is a lawyer by training and worked at Dillon, Read and Bankers Trust Co. after leaving the senior Bush administration and before joining Carlyle Group. His knowledge of financial markets could help him fill the gap left by Kevin Warsh, a former Morgan Stanley executive who acted as Chairman Ben Bernanke's point-man for crisis negotiations.

FULL BOARD

However, Powell's financial industry background may also be a source of criticism from analysts who already see the U.S. central bank as being too cozy with Wall Street.

Powell is currently a visiting scholar at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, focused on federal and state fiscal issues. He was not immediately available to comment. Both Stein and Powell had already been flagged in various press reports as likely nominees.

In response to a deep recession and financial crisis, the Fed slashed interest rates to near zero and sharply expanded its balance sheet to $2.8 trillion to keep the economy afloat. Some analysts worry the Fed's asset purchases could make it harder for the central bank to tighten monetary policy when it decides the time is right.

If Powell and Stein are confirmed, it would be the first time since April 2006 that all seven seats on the Fed's board are filled. The term currently filled by Elizabeth Duke, the last remaining George W. Bush appointee on the board, is to expire at the end of January, though governors can choose to stay in office until a successor is confirmed.

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Johnson, a Democrat, welcomed the most recent nominations.

"With the fragile state of the U.S. economy and a looming European debt crisis, Chairman Johnson believes it is imperative that our financial regulators operate at full strength," his office said in a statement. "Chairman Johnson is committed to moving these nominations though the Banking Committee in a timely manner and is looking to schedule a hearing soon."

(Additional reporting by Pedro da Costa; Editing by Neil Stempleman and Dan Grebler)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111227/ts_nm/us_usa_fed_whitehouse

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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Dan Aykroyd joins 'Dog Fight' with Will Ferrell (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) ? Dan Aykroyd has joined Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis in the political comedy "Dog Fight," TheWrap has confirmed.

"Dog Fight," due August 10, stars Ferrell and Galifianakis as bumbling, rival politicians battling for a congressional seat in North Carolina. All three are producing the movie, along with frequent Ferrell collaborator Adam McKay.

It is not yet clear what role Aykroyd will play in the Jay Roach-directed film, however.

Ferrell and Galifianakis have some history with politics. Ferrell famously spoofed President George W. Bush on "Saturday Night Live" and in his HBO special, "You're Welcome, America -- A Final Night with George W. Bush." Galifianakis' real-life uncle Nick Galifianakis served in Congress from 1967 to 1973.

For his part, Aykroyd played President Jimmy Carter in a presidential reunion sketch featured on FunnyorDie.com, which was co-founded by Ferrell and McKay.

"Dog Fight," distributed by Warner Bros., also stars John Lithgow, Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott, Thomas Middleditch and Brian Cox.

The film was written by "Eastbound & Down" scribe Shawn Harwell and one of the HBO show's executive producers, Chris Henchy.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111227/film_nm/us_danaykroyd

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Farm family readies for service trip to Haiti with church

ARCADIA, Ind. ? Farmers Ken and Jane Rulon, along with other members of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Noblesville, are preparing to embark on an unique service trip to Haiti.

OLG has had a close relationship with the St. Louis du Sud Parish in Haiti for more than 20 years.

?There is a lot of synergy between the parish in Haiti and our parish here. The main difference is we just speak a language,? Ken Rulon said.

He explained that OLG has a service committee dedicated to deciding which projects the group should complete during its trip at the end of January.

?The goal is to develop a longer presence serving in Haiti that is more than just going down and handing out food to the children. We want to leave them with the tools needed to become self-sufficient,? he said.

One of the projects is especially aimed towards the children who come from a local orphanage and attend school at the parish.

?My wife, Jane, has been working getting everything we need to install a hand washing station in the school. She has been making posters with directions in Creole that will help instruct the students on how to use the station,? Rulon noted.

He added that another hurdle to overcome is teaching the children of St. Louis du Sud of the importance of something such as hand washing.

The Rulons? agriculture background will prove useful during the trip when it comes to the second phase of installation for the stations.

?Haiti receives more than 60 inches of rain a year, so the water for the hand washing station will come from catching the rain as it falls off the roof of the school,? Ken said.

Another important impact of the rain-catch system is that all the materials and contractors are being sourced locally, which will provide jobs and revenue in the town.

?Besides working on installing the hand washing stations, we also plan on finishing up the installation of solar panels. A project started by a previous service trip last spring. Electricity has to be generated and can be very costly. With abundant sunlight, solar panels are cost-effective, along with reliable. Since one of the most important keys to becoming self-sufficient is communication, it is important to get the panels working,? Rulon said.

He noted that the priest of the parish in Haiti has to drive at least an hour just to access Internet and, in turn, is only able to check his email about once a week.

?It?s hard when we can?t communicate with the priest on a regular basis. We often miss opportunities to help them in time,? the farmer said.

Both Ken and Jane are hoping that while they are in Haiti they will be able to connect with a farm family in the parish and develop a long-term relationship with them.

?We want to look into the possibility of forming a long-term relationship with a farm family. We could help establish a type of market where the family, along with other farm families, grows a product like tomatoes specifically that the parish would agree to buy in advance, before planting. Ultimately, we would be helping them create a local market,? Rulon said.

He added this is just an idea that will take years to develop, but helping the people of Haiti help themselves is the whole point behind the OLG service trips and their goal to help the parish.

?Our Lady of Grace is not going to Haiti to solve the world?s problems. We are just hoping we can work towards helping them live better. We want to provide as much love to the children and people as we possibly can,? Rulon said.

The Rulons are funding their own trip because they want all money raised to be used directly on items to help the people of Haiti.

?Our industry has been greatly blessed this year. We just want to share some of those blessings with our brothers and sisters in Haiti,? Ken said.

Anyone wanting to help support the cause in making Haiti sustainable may direct donations to: Our Lady of Grace ? Haiti, 9900 East 191st St., Noblesville, IN 46060.

Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5662443449

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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Eddie Jones to coach Japan

Former All Blacks winger Kirwan will step down from his role when his contract expires at the end of this month.

Jones, the coach of Japan's Top League rugby side Suntory Sungoliath since 2009, has a contract from April 2012 to the end of the 2015 World Cup in England, Kyodo news agency reported.

"I'm very excited and honoured to have the job as head coach of Japan," Jones was quoted as saying.

"The first thing we're going to have to do is to win. I want Japan to win and be in the top 10 in the world. We need to develop a solid play that suits Japanese players."

Jones, 51, coached the Wallabies team beaten by England in the 2003 World Cup final but tasted success in 2007 as a consultant to the victorious South Africa team.

Masahiro Kunda will be Jones' assistant with the pair taking up their roles after the Australian finishes the season with Sungoliath, who he led to the national championship last term.

Under Kirwan, Japan's 'Brave Blossoms' returned home without a victory at this year's World Cup in New Zealand and have not won a match at the finals since beating Zimbabwe 52-8 in 1991.

"We've got a very big challenge ahead us," Jones said.

"The great thing about Japanese rugby is we have a very strong domestic company competition and strong university and high school competitions.

"We're going to quickly add in 30 or 40 players for the next World Cup."

Source: http://www.ewn.co.za/Story.aspx?Id=79818

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Coal extraction poses climate challenge for Obama administration (Washington Post)

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Monday, December 26, 2011

Ravens Eagles Football

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Sunday, December 25, 2011

Google becomes the Clark Griswold of the internet with 'Jingle Bells' doodle

Having conquered so many aspects of the software world, it's time for Google to take the next logical step in its evolution: becoming that annoying neighbor who always goes a bit overboard each year with the Christmas display. This time out, Google's doodle lets you play five notes of "Jingle Bells" manually, bringing down the lights and finishing up the song with a full-on holiday light show. Check it out, but don't blame us if your computer blows a fuse.

Google becomes the Clark Griswold of the internet with 'Jingle Bells' doodle originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Dec 2011 14:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/24/google-becomes-the-clark-griswold-of-the-internet-with-jingle-b/

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Harrison Ford To Star In 'Ender?s Game'

Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

After weeks of flirting, Harrison Ford has officially signed on to Ender?s Game, Odd Lot?s sci-fi film adaptation of the novel by Orson Scott Card. Abigail Breslin has also joined the production.

Hugo actor Asa Butterfield is starring in the pic (Hailee Steinfeld and Ben Kingsley are also on board), set in a future where the Earth is under attack by an insect-like race and mankind has created a battle school to train fighting forces. In this environment enters Ender Wiggin (Butterfield), a kid who is tormented by bullies and an older brother but proves to be a master at a three-dimensional, zero-gravity laser tag-like game. That sets him on a path as a possible savior of the human race.

Read more: www.hollywoodreporter.com

Movie ? Ender's Game

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Source: http://www.killermovies.com/e/endersgame/news/3472_Harrison_Ford_To_Star_In_Ender_s_Game.html

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Saturday, December 24, 2011

gamesthirst: SCEA Unveils Complete PS Vita US Launch Lineup, Largest In History: Tweet Sony Computer Entertainment America ha... http://t.co/1p29yRQj

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Analysis: Searching for glimmers of euro zone hope in 2012 (Reuters)

BRUSSELS (Reuters) ? After two years of turmoil that has shattered confidence in the economics and politics of European monetary union, it would be rash in the extreme to suggest an end is in sight.

But through the pall of gloom that has hung over Brussels for months, vague whispers can now be heard in the corridors about a corner possibly being turned if several tricky elements come together in the months ahead.

At this point they are purely speculative musings, laden with multiple ifs. And it remains far easier to list all the potential pitfalls and obstacles that lie ahead than it does to identify the possible bright spots.

But the combination of the European Central Bank's provision of three-year liquidity for banks averting a credit crunch, the fact yields on Italian and Spanish 10-year bonds have fallen, the first steps towards deeper euro zone fiscal integration and the pure fatigue in markets after such a long period of all-consuming crisis may point to some relief ahead.

Mark Mobius, the Franklin Templeton fund manager known as something of a contrarian, went as far this week as to put a date on an end to the mayhem. That was stepping out on a limb, but it suggests that those attempting to take the pulse of the crisis may be beginning to shift their prognosis.

"The European crisis isn't as deep and terrible as people think," Mobius, who oversees $50 billion in emerging market investments, told Brazil's Valor Economico newspaper, saying he expected Europe's crisis to be over by June 2012.

"Nations there are in a process of negotiations and that takes time," he said.

European policymakers are not as bold as that. They have learnt over the past two years just how dangerous it is to make overly positive policy pronouncements.

But the progress in getting 26 of the EU's 27 countries to back tighter fiscal rules for the euro zone - Britain remains outside - and the fact Mario Draghi, the ECB president, is positive about what is being called a new "fiscal compact" has given some officials room to feel slightly more optimistic.

If the unlimited three-year liquidity that the ECB offered this week - of which banks snapped up 489 billion euros - can help unfreeze lending, if Portugal, Ireland and Italy can stay on top of their structural reforms and Spain keeps up its efforts too, if euro zone leaders can finally put together a meaningful firewall against the crisis using their bailout funds and help from the IMF, and a frightening amount of government debt refinancing early in the year is overcome, then...

"If we manage the first 6 months of 2012 without major accident things will look better," one senior euro zone policymaker told Reuters.

That is the tentative on-record view too.

"The path is long, longer than we expected," Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council and the chairman of EU summits, said in a video message this week.

"But let there be no doubt, there is a fundamental political will to move forward as a union. We have a moral duty to continue this mission," he said, announcing that EU leaders would next meet on January 30 for their 17th crisis-fighting summit, this time to focus on a growth strategy.

MOSTLY DARK

One notable improvement in sentiment is the fact that diplomats and EU officials no longer speak quite so freely about the break-up of the euro zone, a possibility that was on everyone's lips only two months ago.

While Greece - the crucible of the debt crisis - remains a serious concern, and the chairman of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L) said on Thursday he thought a small country could still leave the euro zone, the commitment to new fiscal rules has created a renewed sense of unity.

The first top-level meeting to work on the details of the fiscal compact - which EU leaders hope to be in force by March - was held this week and was a chaotic affair, diplomats said, with clear tension between euro zone and non-euro zone countries.

But there appears to be a genuine desire to keep the 17 euro zone members and 9 non-euro countries in lockstep in pushing for stricter budget deficit and debt rules, and intense efforts are being made on all sides to get Britain to join up too, with Berlin and Brussels keen for London's buy-in.

"If you look at the intergovernmental agreement, I don't see why it can't be extended to 27 countries and integrated back into the EU fold," said one euro zone diplomat, referring to the fiscal compact and the need to get Britain onboard.

"It's going to be a very delicate dance and there's no certainty that it will come off, but there are efforts being made on all sides and it would be a good beginning to 2012 if a way could be found to get the agreement at 27, not 26 and 1."

FIREWALLS AND FRANCE

The other big question mark hangs over the firewall needed to ward off market attacks on weak euro zone debtors.

At the moment the euro zone has the European Financial Stability Facility, a 440 billion euro fund that has so far been used to bail out Ireland and Portugal and will be used to provide assistance to Greece under its second aid program.

The EFSF is scheduled to be replaced by the European Stability Mechanism, a permanent crisis-resolution fund, in July next year, although final details concerning the structure and functioning of the facility remain to be agreed.

If the ESM, which will have a capacity of 500 billion euros, comes into force in July and agreement can be reached on giving it a banking license as France wants - a big if - then it is possible that the positive political undertones of the fiscal drive will be underpinned by stronger financial support.

By then it is also possible that a way will have been found to release 150 billion euros from euro zone central banks to the IMF to bolster its arsenal, with the possibility of up to 50 billion euros more from other European countries - Russia, India and others.

That would bolster the IMF's resources, potentially allowing it to lend money back to needy euro zone member states with IMF terms and conditions attached. But again, there remain more doubts than certainties about whether the plan can work.

"We're working on a multi-pronged strategy that brings together a new fiscal framework, more intense political commitments and a bigger firewall," said a senior EU official directly involved with tackling the crisis.

"I'm not saying we're there yet, but we've got the right materials in place now. We just need to build it."

While positive murmurings are audible, no one wants to put too bright a view on the outlook. There are at least two very dark clouds hanging in the middle distance: the state of the euro zone economy and French presidential elections.

Expectations are that the euro zone will slide into recession in the first quarter of next year, making it even harder for struggling countries to get their finances in order.

And President Nicolas Sarkozy faces an electoral test the polls suggest he will fail.

How he handles policy in the run-up to the April 22 election, what happens to France's triple-A credit rating before then, and how Paris and Berlin - the powerhouses of the euro zone - deal with their differences, may determine the region's future.

Francois Hollande, the Socialist candidate who is ahead in the polls, has already vowed to renegotiate the terms of the EU treaty deal if he is elected to include a stronger role for the ECB and the creation of joint euro zone bonds - both red lines for the Germans which could strain their alliance.

However, with Hollande's popularity slipping, the electoral outcome is far from certain.

"France and Germany are like two big rams locked in one another's horns," said the euro zone diplomat, emphasizing that how Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel interact and play off each other was perhaps the biggest imponderable of 2012.

(Writing by Luke Baker, additional reporting by Jan Strupczewski in Brussels and Daniel Flynn in Paris, editing by Mike Peacock)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111222/bs_nm/us_eu_crisis_outlook

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Friday, December 23, 2011

Daily Apps: FX Photo Studio, Curio, Word Lens, Particlescape, DataMan Free

FX Photo Studio: UI improvements, text labels, contest entering and more make an already great photo editor even greater! $0.99 – App Store link Curio: Ron Templeton III is imprisoned in an insane asylum and it’s your job to get him out in this quirky take on a...


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/JfsamdCkpkM/story01.htm

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nothreeputt: LOL RT @TigersIphone: #Lakers Koby Bryant gets divorced then couple days latter he has wrist injury, coincidence? #notalakerfan #nba

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Thursday, December 22, 2011

Libyan rebel suing UK over alleged rendition role (AP)

LONDON ? The head of Tripoli's military council is suing Britain and its security forces for their alleged role in his rendition to Libya in 2004, a legal action charity said Monday.

London-based group Reprieve said that Britain was complicit in the torture of Abdel-Hakim Belhaj and his wife, who were subject to abuse after they were handed over to United States authorities for rendition.

The group said that Balhaj has instructed the law firm Leigh Day & Co to take legal action against the government.

It said that the couple, who then lived in Beijing, tried to leave the country to seek asylum in Britain but were instead forced on planes that took them to what they believed to be a secret U.S. prison where they were abused. The couple were then imprisoned in Libyan jails.

"The barbaric treatment which our clients describe, both at the hands of the Americans and the Libyans, is beyond comprehension and yet it appears that the U.K. was responsible for setting off this torturous chain of events," said Sapna Malik, a lawyer representing Belhaj and his wife.

A number of documents held by the Libyan security services unearthed after the fall of Moammar Gadhafi's regime showed that the British alerted the Libyans to the couple's whereabouts, Reprieve said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111219/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_libya

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Sunday, December 18, 2011

Spector Pro 2011


The features found in parental control and monitoringutilities cover a very wide spectrum. They all aim to protect kids from Internet dangers, but the degree to which they monitor online activity varies. Way out in the ultraviolet end of the spectrum you find products strongly focused on monitoring, like Spector Pro 2011 ($99.95/direct). With this type of utility in place, absolutely everything that happens on the child's computer is recorded.

What's New
I reviewed an earlier version of this product, Spector Pro 2009 ($99.95 direct, 4 stars), several years ago. When I first installed the 2011 edition, I hardly saw any difference. I checked in with the company to learn just what's new.

Just about all of the improvements are things you can't see, it turns out. This version is updated for efficient in-program activity capture in all the latest browsers and chat clients. It's also up to date with the latest versions of Facebook and MySpace?at least, until they change again.

Jeani Park, SpectorSoft's senior director of product strategy explained, "Our recorder does a better job of capturing everything, on a broader set of applications, in shorter timeframes. So, the recorder component is more stable, more accurate, and faster, across more applications." Park continued, "This may sound simple, but it isn't. Engineers have to reverse engineer the monitored applications to understand how they operate, so we can be sure to faithfully record, play back, and present all activity within that monitored application."

This edition enhances the product's ability to run in stealth mode, undetected. Its screen capture feature is "triggered in more granular time elements, and saved locally for fast retrieval and playback." Once again, these enhancements aren't visible.

Stealth Install
During installation of the program you must agree that you'll only install it on a computer that you own, and that you'll inform those using the computer that they're being watched. Nothing stops you from lying, though. You could definitely use this monitoring power for evil, spying on a spouse or a co-worker. I'll assume, though, that you don't plan to do that. Maybe you'll even enable the option to warn users at logon that monitoring software is active.

PC Pandora 7.0 ($109.95 direct, 3.5 stars) displays a much more detailed privacy agreement during installation. However, users accustomed to clicking past EULAs probably won't even notice it.

A wary kid won't find an obvious monitoring process in Task Manager, or in a list of startup programs. The program filename is randomized for each installation, as are names of the data folder and data files, and even the extension for data files. Clearly stealth is important.

To bring up the reporting module, you press a special key combination that you define yourself. This brings up a password dialog that doesn't mention Spector Pro. Unless you enter the user-defined password that's as far as you'll get. More stealth here! PC Pandora and WebWatcher ($169.95 direct, 4 stars) use a similar pairing of special keystroke combination and password for access.

User Profiles
By default, Spector Pro's settings apply equally to all users of the system. If you want different handling for any particular Windows account, perhaps your own, you simply associate a new user profile with that account and change its settings.

For each profile, you can enable, disable, or fine-tune any of the ten areas that Spector Pro tracks. There's also an option to set a weekly schedule and monitor only during specific times. This might make sense if you use the computer during the day but give the kids access after work hours.

WebWatcher doesn't support multiple profiles. With PC Pandora you can turn overall monitoring on or off for specific Windows accounts.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/O0GDBN7f044/0,2817,2397596,00.asp

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Army, govt poles apart on memo


ISLAMABAD ? The federation in its reply filed in the Supreme Court on Thursday challenged court?s authority to hear the memogate case, while the chiefs of the Army and the ISI said there was enough evidence suggesting that a plot had been hatched against the army and the country, and called for a through probe into the matter.
The reply filed in the Supreme Court on behalf of Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervaz Kayani on Thursday stated that ?memo was a reality and the issue should be probed?. General Pasha in his reply gave out the details of his meeting with Ijaz Mansoor, the author of the memo at the centre of the controversy, along with his assessment that the material handed over to him by the US national regarding his contacts with Husain Haqqani was credible. The cabinet, law, defence, interior and foreign secretaries also filed their replies in the memogate case through Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) on Thursday, the deadline for the submissions. The replies of the COAS and DG ISI were also submitted through the AGP, who said no changes were made to the replies of Gen Kayani and Lt-Gen Pasha.
The reply from Mansoor Ijaz was also received in the court the same day through foreign ministry secretary. In his 81-page reply, which contains his Witness Statement, BlackBerry Messages (BBM) screen shots and handwritten notes, Ijaz gave detail of his meeting with ISI chief Lt-Gen Shuja Pasha. The former Pakistan Ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani has already submitted his reply to the court, maintaining that the allegations levelled against him were false and it was a conspiracy against the country. AGP Maulvi Anwarul Haq talking to the media on Thursday morning said that President Zardari?s reply would not be submitted today (Thursday) and he would file it today (Friday).
The Supreme Court on December 1 after hearing the constitutional petitions on memo scandal had directed the respondents to file their replies to all the petitions within 15 days. The matter has been fixed before a 9-member bench, headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan, on December 19, 2011. The SC office on directives of the chief justice forwarded the copies of the received replies to all the petitioners and respondents in the petitions, with the direction that if they desire to file replies of these replies they may do so before the date of hearing.
Federation?s reply:
The federation in its 3-page reply challenged the Supreme Court jurisdiction to hear the memo case and its constitution of an investigative panel, saying it (federation) is custodian of national sovereignty. It said that parliament, which is an elected institution, was the right platform to investigate the issue. The Parliamentary Committee on National Security, which has representation of all political parties in the parliament, is independent to hold probe into the matter. It also stated that the president and the prime minister have no link with the memo issue. The PPP government has rendered numerous sacrifices for the restoration of democracy in the country, it added.
The federation also gave the reference of another article published in The Independent blog on December 3, 2011. According to the blog General Pasha had been travelling throughout the Arab world and other countries as well right after bin Laden raid (and he ) sought and ?received permission from senior Arab leaders to sack Z (President Zardari)?. ?I was just informed by senior US intel,? Ijaz writes in a message on May 10, ?that GD-SII Mr P asked for, and received permission, from senior Arab leaders a few days ago to sack Z.?
Kayani?s reply:
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Ashfaq Kayani in his reply to the court stated that the memo was a reality and a conspiracy was being hatched against the army and the national security. He says in the reply that the Fiancial Times published Mansoor Ijaz?s story about the memo on October 10. He (Gen Kayani) was informed about DG ISI General Pasha?s meeting with Mansoor Ijaz on October 24 and Pasha was of the opinion that there was enough evidence to validate the authenticity of the memo. The DG ISI reported there was evidence which illustrated that Ijaz was in touch with Husain Haqqani between May 9-11 and that they exchanged text messages and phone calls.
Kayani writes that on October 28 the spokesperson for the foreign ministry and the presidency denied the memo in their separate statements. Admiral Mike Mullen through his spokesperson first denied receiving the memo on November 8 but a few days later changed this stance.
The reply goes on to state that on November 13, during a meeting with Prime Minister Gilani, he (Kayani) advised that those points of the memo which were leaked were very sensitive and that a decision had to be made on it being real or not. He insisted that the prime minister summon Haqqani so he can brief the country?s leadership about this matter. Kayani told the prime minister that time was limited and ?the sooner we found out the facts the better it would be?.
On November 15, Kayani said he was called by the president for a meeting and met him at 2pm in the afternoon. According to Kayani, the prime minister had already informed the president about his recommendations. President Zardari informed Kayani that the decision to summon Haqqani had already been made. On November 21, US General James Jones confirmed that he had taken the memo to Mullen.
Kayani said that he was part of a meeting which also included the prime minister, president and DG ISI on November 22. It was during this meeting that Haqqani briefed all of them and Prime Minister Gilani asked for Haqqani?s resignation and ordered an investigation.
Towards the end Kayani writes that there was enough evidence validating the memo and there should be full review to evaluate the circumstance and facts behind it. General Kayani said that the memo tried to decrease the morale of the Pakistan Army but was unsuccessful in doing so.
Pasha?s reply:
In his 4-page reply over the memo controversy, ISI Director General Ahmad Shuja Pasha stated that he was satisfied with the evidence provided by Mansoor Ijaz. He said Ijaz would not have been able to write the article in Financial Times without having evidence about the memo. He said the article was part of a never-ending propaganda against ISI.
He requested the court to summon Mansoor Ijaz and direct him to produce proofs of the matter. He said without proofs, no one could write such a big thing in his article. He requested the court to summon Blackberry data and computer of Husain Haqqani and order its forensic examination. He said he would fully cooperate with the commission to be constituted by the court on memo issue.
Pasha said he had met Mansoor Ijaz on Oct 22 in London to know the facts. He said he came to know about Ijaz?s article through media wing of the ISI, adding that ISI was in forefront in the security of the state. He stated that he had asked the president in his meeting with him that memo issue should be taken as serious.
Mansoor Ijaz reply:
The reply of Mansoor Ijaz, who claimed of authoring the memo at the asking of Husain Haqqani and delivering it to former US Joint Chief of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, came through Ministry of Foreign Affairs secretary, according to a SC press release.
According to the reply, ISI DG met Ijaz in London with the consent of Gen Kayani. Ahmed Shuja Pasha told him: ?It was his and General Kiyani?s deep desire to see government complete its term.? On the data debriefing, DG looked a bit astonished at what he was seeing but at no time did offer any assessment of the data other than to indicate that the records were ?clear and convincing? evidence.
Mr Ijaz mentioned that Lt-Gen Pasha read the memorandum himself and expressed his surprise and dismay at times disgust and disappointment over the content of the document. But did not ask a single question about the content of the document other than if he would be willing to divulge the names of the others besides Haqqani that would be the part of new national security team. ?I (Mansoor) did so with the caveat that I did not believe either Karamat or Durrani knew anything about the plan to deliver the memo, the contents of the memo or the mindset of Haqqani and those behind him dreaming up the scheme,? says the reply.
During the debrief, Pasha opened Ijaz?s computer, BlackBerry device and questioned how the data was stored, transmitted and displayed. The ISI DG carefully analysed dates, times, ?properties? of Microsoft documents to see when the documents were created and how they fit into the timeline Mansoor stated, Lt-Gen Pasha looked at the original telephone bill logs, checked the time at which each BBM messages were sent or received and also reviewed the handwritten notes.
Ijaz stated that contrary to media report, at no time Lt-Gen Pasha tried to send BBM to Haqqani from his handset. The ISI chief recorded the PIN numbers that Mansoor had for Haqqani, both old and new one. Haqqani did not have the third PIN at that time. Lt-Gen did ask how he stored email addresses and to see the ones he had for Haqqani one from his private university mailbox (Boston University) and one for official use at the embassy in Washington.
About the exchanges of BBM and calls to Husain Haqqani, Ijaz stated that Haqqani explained to him that bin Laden episode created severe stresses between the Pakistan Army/intelligence agencies and the civilian government. In Haqqani?s words army and the ISI pin the blame of Abottabad event on President Zardari?s administration. Mansoor writes that Haqqani said in clear words ?the army wants to bring the government down?.
Haqqani sought his help and said it was urgent to get a message verbally to the Americans. The ex-Pak envoy to US said this was a ?1971 moment.? The right person, as yet undefined, to give this verbal message to was Admiral Mullen. Ijaz mentions in reply that he asked from Haqqani whose authority he was acting on behalf of. Haqqani said there was a like-minded group of people in Islamabad that would be brought on board by ?the boss? a reference to President Zardari as the new national security team, once tension had dissipated. He mentioned two names and I (Mr Ijaz) recognised (Jehangir Karamat and Mahmud Durrani) but added that they would be approached once this was all over.
Mansoor writes, on the insistence of Haqqani, he contacted Gen Jones for delivering the message to Mike Mullen. Gen Jones? first reaction was that Pakistani officials often made verbal promises that they didn?t keep. Gen Jones said: ?He would not consider taking any message to Admiral Mullen if it wasn?t in writing.? Mansoor said he told Haqqani about Gen Jones concerns. Haqqani on May 9, 2011 dictated a series of points that ultimately became the basis of first draft of memo.
Ijaz Mansoor said he sent draft to Haqqani for review and on phone asked about the authority. Haqqani said: ?Don?t worry about that, I?ve got it sorted out with the boss.? Mansoor writes that before giving memo to Gen Jones for Mike Mullen he again confirmed from Haqqani that he had the authority from the highest political level to proceed with the operation. He said: ?I have got the boss?s approval, go ahead.?
In the reply, Ijaz reiterated he was prepared, without hindrance of any type whatsoever, without concern for personal safety, ignoring the threats that were made and continue to be made to him, and with the consent and support of his family, to appear in front of the apex court to present the physical evidence in his possession and to allow such evidence as he has to be forensically tested in any manner chosen by competent, independent and unbiased experts retained by this court that the authenticity of these data can be ascertained with certainty.
However, Mansoor Ijaz, in his Witness Statement described that his loyalties were first and foremost to the national interest of the country where he was born ? the US. He clarified that he acts at the behest of no person in government, outside of government, in any foreign country or the US.
According to the reply, Mansoor Ijaz maintained high-level political and military/intelligence contacts in nearly two dozens countries around the world, during the past decade, but had no contact with any Pakistan government official civilian, judicial, military or intelligence except General Ehsanul Haq, President Asif Ali Zardari, Hussain Haqqani and Lt-Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha. In the end of his Witness Statement, he thanked the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the judges of the apex court for permitting him to be heard in completeness and said he was ready to answer any court questions.
Earlier, the same day a two-member delegation of Pakistan Armed Forces? Judge Advocate General Branch (JAG) Branch met Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq in his office at the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Media quoted sources saying that PPP leader Babar Awan also attending the meeting. They said that the army team with the help of the attorney general gave final touches to the reply which was to be submitted to the apex court on behalf of the Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and ISI Director General Lt-Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha.
The JAG Branch of the Armed Forces is composed of Pakistan?s military senior officers, lawyers and judges who provide legal services to the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines at all levels of command.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/today-headlines/~3/mpYJKL8Hpn8/Army-govt-poles-apart-on-memo

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Saturday, December 17, 2011

Schwartzel pulls 4 behind Westwood in Thailand

Charl Schwartzel of South Africa watches his shot after teeing off from the second hole during the third round of the Thailand Golf Championship at the Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi province, southeastern Thailand Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)

Charl Schwartzel of South Africa watches his shot after teeing off from the second hole during the third round of the Thailand Golf Championship at the Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi province, southeastern Thailand Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)

Charl Schwartzel of South Africa watches his fairway shot on the second hole during the third round of the Thailand Golf Championship at the Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi province, southeastern Thailand Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)

Lee Westwood of England reacts after sinking a birdie putt on the fifth hole during the third round of the Thailand Golf Championship at the Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi province, southeastern Thailand Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)

Lee Westwood of England blasts off a bunker on the sixth hole during the third round of the Thailand Golf Championship at the Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi province, southeastern Thailand Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)

Lee Westwood of England hits a fairway shot on the fourth hole during the third round of the Thailand Golf Championship at the Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi province, southeastern Thailand Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)

(AP) ? Masters champion Charl Schwartzel shot a second straight 6-under 66 on Saturday move four strokes behind Lee Westwood at the Thailand Golf Championship.

Westwood led by 11 strokes at the halfway stage after going bogey-free on the opening two days but a 1-over 73 in the third round allowed Schwartzel to cut the deficit.

Schwartzel holed four straight birdies from the 2nd hole and was within three shots of the lead heading to the last but a bogey 5 gave Westwood some breathing space.

Westwood's total of 197 for three rounds left him at 19 under. Schwartzel was at 201, and Michael Thompson of the United States had a 69 to put him in third at 12-under 204.

"I didn't expect to be four shots back at the start of today's round," Schwartzel said. "I knew I had to shoot a low score. Lee didn't play particularly well. I've seen him play much better golf.

"I feel I still need to shoot a 64 or 65 on the last day to get a chance. At least there's a light at the end of the tunnel now. Four shots is not much out there."

Schwartzel came from four shots back to win his first major at the Masters in April.

"I've won about two or three tournaments where I was four shots behind," he said. "I don't know what the secret is. I just play my own game when I'm out there."

Westwood shot a career-low 60 in the first round and followed that with a 64. He had four bogeys on Saturday as his form dipped.

"After a 60 and 64, you have to be a bit realistic unfortunately," Westwood said. "A lot of people are going to think you're going to shoot 60, 62 and 64 every day but I'm afraid golf is not like that. Every day you have to reset your goals and your sights.

"A four-shot lead into the last round is a good position to be in."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-12-17-GLF-Thailand-Golf-Championship/id-be395c5d6c93469083465427a02049a6

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Amelia: An Unremarkable Holiday

When people think about LGBT stories and the holidays, some imagine scenes of argument and strife or -- sometimes worse -- tension and polite-acting relatives. Well, this story isn't like that at all. This is the Christmas story of Ryan and Eddie.

The love story started in college. Ryan grew up in a small, rural community in Canada and had always dated women. Eddie was dapper, gay exchange student from England. After a night of (cough) lowered inhibitions, the two started dating. It was a confusing time for Ryan. He'd never dated a man before, and the only person he knew from his small town community who came out of the closet was immediately disowned by her family. But there was something about Eddie he just couldn't give up.

They dated in secret, only "friends" to everyone else, until Eddie had to return home to England. It didn't take long for Ryan to follow Eddie across the Atlantic, but despite being in a different country, they still kept their relationship quiet, to everyone, friends and family alike, for nearly two years, because Ryan just wasn't ready.

And, OK, this is where I got stuck. Eddie's family is completely open and accepting, and he came out of the closet when he was 16, with little fanfare and no drama.

"Two years?" I asked Ryan, kind of horrified. "And Eddie just put up with it? Didn't he get pissed off?"

"No," Ryan assured me. "He knew I needed to take my time."

I found that answer really unsatisfying, and I wanted to hear it from the horse's mouth.

Eddie backed up the story. "I was never frustrated with him. I was frustrated with the world, but not with him."

My astonished "really?" was probably a little harsh and more than a little rude.

"He was worth it," Eddie insisted... and it might just be his adorable accent that did it, but I was convinced.

So after two years, Ryan and Saint Eddie moved back to Canada, and on the top of Ryan's to-do list was coming out to his parents. He was nervous, really nervous, and he had reason to be. His parents were conservative, church-going people, and homophobic jokes and ignorance were not unheard of at family functions.

And those family functions, like the holidays that were quickly approaching, were one of the things Ryan worried about most. He has an large extended family, and Christmas was always a loud and chaotic affair full of laughter, food, and games. He was scared that being open about his relationship Eddie would end it all. His parents would be uncomfortable, his cousins (many of whom are good country boys) would be worse, and the holiday he loved would become a tension-filled nightmare -- that is, if he didn't get disowned himself.

But Ryan charged forward and came out to his parents. And the world absolutely failed to end. There was surprise and a very small amount of drama that ended with his father stating plainly, "I want you to be happy." Ryan introduced his parents to Eddie that same day, and everything went great. The whole episode actually left Ryan feeling embarrassed at just how much he had underestimated his parents.

A few weeks later, when Christmas rolled around, Ryan brought Eddie into the family holiday craziness. Everyone treated Eddie just like they did everyone else's boyfriends and girlfriends. No one had any fits, outrageous or passive episodes of homophobia, or tense uncomfortable moments. It was Ryan's wildest dream come true.

When Ryan recounted the tale, one thing he said in particular really struck me: "Last year's Christmas will always have a place in my heart for being truly unremarkable."

And that is what makes me love this story. What makes it unremarkable is just what makes it remarkable. It is a story of love and acceptance trumping the fear and hate gay people in our society have come to expect.

So, this Christmas, I wish for all our holidays to be unremarkable. I think it could be a really good time.

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Follow Amelia on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Amelia_blogger

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/Amelia/an-unremarkable-holiday_b_1147445.html

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