Siri Shows Up on Other Devices, for Cars, for Everything (NewsFactor)

An ecosystem is emerging around Siri, the intelligent natural language software agent that Apple introduced with its iPhone 4S. In the latest evolutionary news, a version of Siri has been made to run on other Apple devices, there's a comparable app for Android devices, and there's even an app to start your car with Siri voice commands.

One of Siri's many talents is voice dictation, and now a hack known as SiriOus allows for jailbroken iPhones 4 and 3GS, and the iPod Touch fourth generation, to offer that function. Jailbreaking involves getting around Apple's limitations on a device, such as installing non-App Store apps or changing the user interface.

Here Comes Cluzee

Owners of non-4S Apple devices aren't the only ones who might be a little Siri-envious. Now, a new, third-party "intelligent personal assistant" application called Cluzee provides similar features for Android-based devices.

Cluzee, available in the Android Market, also reportedly offers features beyond Siri. Tronton, the company that created Cluzee, has posted a video in which Cluzee answers a question like "what does my schedule look like today?" This not only includes a verbal recitation of one's calendar schedule, but also on-the-fly integration with external data, such as verbal advice to avoid the traffic on certain streets, in order to reach a doctor's appointment.

Tronton said that Cluzee can provide such additional capabilities as personalized recommendations of restaurants based on the user's previous choices, a health planner, a travel planner, notes management, personal radio and more. And, if you want a taxi, just tell Cluzee, "Call taxi."

Siri Controls for Any Machine

But instead of a taxi, you might want to tell your own car to start. A developer named Brandon Fiquett has created a plugin/PHP addition that allows voice commands through Siri to turn a car engine on or off, if the car has the Viper SmartStart system, such as on the Acura TL.

With this setup, voice commands given to Siri can also open the trunk, lock the car doors, or turn on the car alarm.

But cars are only the beginning for Siri. Another developer, Pete Lamonica, has developed a SiriProxy, which intercepts the signal Siri sends to Apple's servers as it obtains more data or executes a demand.

With this signal rerouted, apps are being developed to allow Siri to control digital thermostats, turn on lights or television, open or close curtains, or select the latest episode of a given TV show on a home entertainment system.

The rapid proliferation of new uses for Siri mirrors comparable third-party development of Microsoft's Kinect controller, which uses gestures, face recognition, and voice recognition to control the Xbox 360. But that is now being expanded into a virtual cottage industry of medical applications, control of non-game devices, and every other use that non-touching interactive control can invite.

With these parallel ecosystems, Siri and Kinect are rapidly moving human-computer interaction toward the future that the 21st century is supposed to deliver -- natural interaction with intelligent machines.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/environment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20111129/bs_nf/81162

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Drexel expert: Efficiency metrics for energy storage devices need standardization

Public release date: 29-Nov-2011
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Contact: Britt Faulstick
britt.faulstick@drexel.edu
215-895-2617
Drexel University

Dr. Yury Gogotsi questions accuracy of current energy storage metrics

PHILADELPHIA -- Solving the mystery of prematurely dead cell phone and laptop batteries may prove to be a vital step toward creating a sustainable energy grid according to Drexel researcher Dr. Yury Gogotsi. In a piece published in the November 18 edition of Science, Gogotsi, who is the head of the A.J. Drexel Nanotechnology Institute, calls for a new, standardized gauge of performance measurement for energy storage devices that are as small as those used in cell phones to as large as those used in the national energy grid.

Gogotsi is one of the featured experts, along with Bill Gates, tapped by Science to address problems that must be solved en route to the widespread use of renewable energy. His piece, co-authored with Dr. Patrice Simon of the Universit Paul Sabatier in Toulouse, France, is entitled "True Performance Metrics in Electrochemical Energy Storage."

"A dramatic expansion of research in the area of electrochemical energy storage has occurred over the past due to an ever increasing variety of handheld electronic devices that we all use," Gogotsi said. "This has expanded use of electrical energy in transportation, and the need to store renewable energy efficiently at the grid level. This process has been accompanied by the chase for glory with the arrival of new materials and technologies that leads to unrealistic expectations for batteries and supercapacitors and may hurt the entire energy storage field."

The main type of energy storage device addressed in the article is the supercapacitor. Supercapacators, which are built from relatively inexpensive natural materials such as carbon, aluminum and polymers, are found in devices, ranging from mobile phones and laptop batteries to trams, buses and solar cells. While supercapacitors tend to store less energy compared to standard lithium-ion batteries, they have the ability to charge and discharge energy more quickly than batteries and can be recharged a near infinite number of times, and operate in a wider temperature range with a high efficiency.

Typically, the performance of both, batteries and supercapacitors, is presented using Ragone plots, graphs that show a relation between the energy density and the power density. For example, a Rangone plot for the battery used in an electric car shows both how far it can travel on a single charge energy density- and how fast the car can travel power density. An ideal energy storage device is expected to store plenty of energy and do it quickly.

The issue that Gogotsi and Simon bring to light is the idea that current metrics for grading energy storage devices, including the Ragone plot, may not provide a complete picture of the devices' capability. According to the researchers, other metrics, such as a device's cycle lifetime, energy efficiency, self-discharge, temperature range of operation and cost, must also be reported.

"This paper calls upon the community of scientists and engineers who work on supercapacitors to present data on material performance using metrics beyond the traditional Ragone plot," Simon said. "Although such plots are useful for comparing fully packaged commercial devices, they might predict unrealistic performance for packaged cells from extrapolation of small amounts of materials."

###

Gogotsi and Simon have a longtime research collaboration, investigating materials for supercapacitors. Their joint work has received global coverage and various awards and distinctions. Funding for the collaboration between Gogotsi and Simon is sponsored by the Partner University Fund (PUF) which supports innovative and sustainable partnerships between French and US institutions of research and higher education.

---

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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.

Public release date: 29-Nov-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Britt Faulstick
britt.faulstick@drexel.edu
215-895-2617
Drexel University

Dr. Yury Gogotsi questions accuracy of current energy storage metrics

PHILADELPHIA -- Solving the mystery of prematurely dead cell phone and laptop batteries may prove to be a vital step toward creating a sustainable energy grid according to Drexel researcher Dr. Yury Gogotsi. In a piece published in the November 18 edition of Science, Gogotsi, who is the head of the A.J. Drexel Nanotechnology Institute, calls for a new, standardized gauge of performance measurement for energy storage devices that are as small as those used in cell phones to as large as those used in the national energy grid.

Gogotsi is one of the featured experts, along with Bill Gates, tapped by Science to address problems that must be solved en route to the widespread use of renewable energy. His piece, co-authored with Dr. Patrice Simon of the Universit Paul Sabatier in Toulouse, France, is entitled "True Performance Metrics in Electrochemical Energy Storage."

"A dramatic expansion of research in the area of electrochemical energy storage has occurred over the past due to an ever increasing variety of handheld electronic devices that we all use," Gogotsi said. "This has expanded use of electrical energy in transportation, and the need to store renewable energy efficiently at the grid level. This process has been accompanied by the chase for glory with the arrival of new materials and technologies that leads to unrealistic expectations for batteries and supercapacitors and may hurt the entire energy storage field."

The main type of energy storage device addressed in the article is the supercapacitor. Supercapacators, which are built from relatively inexpensive natural materials such as carbon, aluminum and polymers, are found in devices, ranging from mobile phones and laptop batteries to trams, buses and solar cells. While supercapacitors tend to store less energy compared to standard lithium-ion batteries, they have the ability to charge and discharge energy more quickly than batteries and can be recharged a near infinite number of times, and operate in a wider temperature range with a high efficiency.

Typically, the performance of both, batteries and supercapacitors, is presented using Ragone plots, graphs that show a relation between the energy density and the power density. For example, a Rangone plot for the battery used in an electric car shows both how far it can travel on a single charge energy density- and how fast the car can travel power density. An ideal energy storage device is expected to store plenty of energy and do it quickly.

The issue that Gogotsi and Simon bring to light is the idea that current metrics for grading energy storage devices, including the Ragone plot, may not provide a complete picture of the devices' capability. According to the researchers, other metrics, such as a device's cycle lifetime, energy efficiency, self-discharge, temperature range of operation and cost, must also be reported.

"This paper calls upon the community of scientists and engineers who work on supercapacitors to present data on material performance using metrics beyond the traditional Ragone plot," Simon said. "Although such plots are useful for comparing fully packaged commercial devices, they might predict unrealistic performance for packaged cells from extrapolation of small amounts of materials."

###

Gogotsi and Simon have a longtime research collaboration, investigating materials for supercapacitors. Their joint work has received global coverage and various awards and distinctions. Funding for the collaboration between Gogotsi and Simon is sponsored by the Partner University Fund (PUF) which supports innovative and sustainable partnerships between French and US institutions of research and higher education.

---

[ | 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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/du-dee112911.php

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"Women in Love" director Ken Russell dies (omg!)

LONDON (Reuters) - Ken Russell, the British director of "Women in Love" and "The Devils," has died at the age of 84, a friend said on Monday.

Norman Lebrecht, the music critic, said the famously provocative film maker died peacefully in his sleep on Sunday.

Russell began his directing career with the BBC and went on to make some of the most controversial and violent films of the 1960s and 70s.

"Among many achievements that spring to mind, he made British cinema less insular and self-referential," Lebrecht said in a blog posting on the ArtsJournal website.

"He was also a leading creative force in the history of British television. He will be widely mourned."

Women in Love, a 1969 adaptation of D. H. Lawrence's novel, became infamous for its nude wrestling scene between actors Alan Bates and Oliver Reed.

The picture earned Russell an Oscar nomination for best director, and Glenda Jackson won a statuette for best actress.

Russell was criticized for the level of violence in the 1971 religious drama "The Devils," while his biggest commercial success came three years later with "Tommy," an adaptation of The Who's rock opera.

It starred Roger Daltrey, Elton John, Jack Nicholson, Oliver Reed and a string of other big names in film and music.

He began the 1980s with a foray into science fiction in "Altered States," which won over some leading critics who had dismissed his earlier works.

His last Hollywood production was "Crimes of Passion" starring Kathleen Turner, after which he returned to Europe and took a break from cinema to direct operas.

Russell made a handful more feature films, although by the late 1980s his star had faded and he focused on television productions and documentaries.

In 2007, he joined the reality TV show "Celebrity Big Brother," but quit voluntarily after a row with one of the other contestants.

Russell was born in 1927 in the southern English town of Southampton, where he developed an early interest in film through visits to the cinema with his mother.

According to online biographies, he briefly worked as a photographer before moving into television, where he made a series of documentaries about leading musicians.

(Additional reporting by Stephen Addison; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_women_love_director_ken_russell_dies101432604/43731984/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/women-love-director-ken-russell-dies-101432604.html

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'Skyfall' Recruits Ben Whishaw As Bond's New Q

Welcome to the big time, Ben Whishaw! The 31-year-old Brit has been cast as Q in "Skyfall," the 23rd James Bond film.
If you?ve only seen the Bond movies of the Daniel Craig era, you may not be familiar with Q, so here's some background info: Q is not really a name, but a job description [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2011/11/28/skyfall-recruits-ben-whishaw-as-bonds-new-q/

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HP Pavilion dv7-6b55dx

The HP Pavilion dv7-6b55dx ($699.99 list at Best Buy), a budget desktop replacement laptop, has a battery capable of lasting over nine hours and several wireless technologies working under its sleek aluminum body. Its Core i5 processor offered solid performance in day-to-day, and considering its price point, this laptop can compete with the best of them.

Design
The dv7-6b55dx has the same brushed, dark umber aluminum lid and palm rest as the Editors' Choice HP Pavilion dv7-6163cl ($949.99 list, 4 stars). A small HP logo sits in the lower-left hand corner, and illuminates when the laptop is turned on. A silver band lines the edge of the laptop, breaking up the deep brown design. The entire system weighs 6.94 pounds, and 1.05 pounds of that total weight can be attributed to its 9-cell 100Wh battery. The battery is so big that it actually raises the laptop up at a slight angle in the back. The HP dv7-6163cl has the same battery, but weights slightly more (7.4 pounds) than the dv7-6b55dx.

The 17.3-inch screen is framed by a glossy black bezel and displays in 1,600-by-900 resolution, which translates to 720p HD. If you're looking for a true 1080p HD viewing experience, you'll have to start looking at laptops like the Acer Aspire AS8950G-9839 ($1,499.99 street, 4 stars), which come at a premium. However, you can export video on the laptop to an external display in 1080p through the HDMI port or built-in WiDi 2.0 streaming technology, which allows you to wirelessly display your computer's content (provided you have a Netgear Push2TV adapter to receive the signal).

Its chiclet-style keyboard is full-size and has a numeric keypad to boot. The trackpad has a light texture, and provided a comfortable surface to navigate on. The separate mouse buttons where easy to click, providing little resistance to register a tap. The entire touchpad is framed by a white light, which will help users that like to work late nights.

Features
The dv7-6b55dx comes equipped with several standout features such as two USB 3.0 ports and WiMAX 4G broadband. Topping off the feature list are two USB 2.0 ports, a tray-loading DVD+-RW drive, VGA video output, media card reader (SD, MMC), two headphone and one mic jack, Ethernet port, fingerprint reader, and a Webcam above the screen. The Pavilion dv7-6b55dx also features the sexy Beats Audio software, which allows you to ramp up the bass and tailor your listening experience depending on if you're watching a movie, listening to a podcast, or playing music. The Beats Audio software ultimately helps output better sound whether you're listening through headphones or through HP's laptop speakers. The built-in HP triple bass subwoofers certainly helped create more depth in sound.

Its 750GB hard drive should be sufficient to hold all your digital content with room to spare. However, it does come loaded with some bloatware. Bing Bar, Blio ereader, Evernote, and a desktop shortcut to eBay top off the list.

Best Buy offers an extended warranty program, which gives customers an extra year of protection beyond the one-year warranty of most system manufacturers. There are two plans in this extended warranty program. The standard plan ($119.99) covers the system against normal wear and tear, power surge damage, and includes a "No Lemon" guarantee in which Best Buy will simply replace the computer if it requires more than four repairs during the coverage period. Best Buy's advanced plan ($219.99) offers all this, and also covers the system against accidental damage from drops and spills. Other special offers can be found online or in stores, like discounts on printers, software, and tech support plans which are available with any new PC purchased through Best Buy.

Performance
The dv7-6b55dx is equipped with a 2.4GHz Intel Core i5-2430M processor and 8GB of RAM. In day-to-day tasks, the dv7-6b55dx is a solid performer, as shown in our PCMark 7 test (2,406). A Core i5 processor in the sub-$700 price range is fairly standard, so there wasn't a huge variation in performance scores among laptops like the Asus U56E-BBL6 ($699.99 list, 4 stars) (2,255) and Dell Inspiron i17R-6434DBK ($749.99 list, 3.5 stars) (2,240). In more CPU-intensive tasks, there weren't any major differences in scores. For instance, it took the dv7-6b55dx 4 minutes 2 seconds to run through our Photoshop CS5 script, while it took the Asus U56E-BBL6 the same amount of time (4:02) and the Dell i17-6434DBK 4:09. Likewise, in Cinebench R11.5, a 3D rendering test, the dv7-6b55dx scored 2.71 points where the Asus U56E-BBL6 scored 2.68.

The dv7-6b55dx doesn't come equipped with a discrete graphics card, like the HP dv7-6163cl (AMD Radeon HD 6770M). Rather it has Intel integrated graphics, which won't get you as far as a dedicated chip would on the gaming grid. The dv7-6b55dx wasn't able to garner a playable frame rate average (30fps is considered playble) in either DirectX 10 Crysis (13.6 frames per second) or DirectX 9 Lost Planet 2 (20 fps); whereas the HP dv7-6163cl tore through Crysis (53fps) on Medium quality settings and 1,024-by-768 resolution. So if you want to play anything beyond World of Warcraft, you'll have to start considering laptops in the $900 price range.

In our MobileMark 2007 battery test, the dv7-6b55dx's 100Wh battery lasted 9 hours 33 minutes, longer than the HP dv7-6163cl's same-size (100Wh)battery (8:24) and Dell XPS 15z (Microsoft)'s ($999 direct, 4 stars) smaller 54Wh battery (7:13).

The HP Pavilion dv7-6b55dx has a lot of features to recommend it, like WiDi 2.0, WiMAX 4G, and USB 3.0. However, the Editors' Choice Asus U56E-BBL6 offers the same features at the same price, but in a slightly more portable 15.6-inch package. If your work/life requires a bigger screen, longer battery life (2 hours more than Asus), better audio quality (though not by much), and more security out of its fingerprint reader, then the dv7-6b55dx might be the better option. But it's not quite enough to usurp the Asus U56E-BBL6 as the current Editors' Choice, if only because it got there first.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the HP Pavilion dv7-6b55dx with several other laptops side by side.

More laptop reviews:
??? Asus Zenbook UX31-RSL8
??? HP ProBook 4430s
??? HP Pavilion dv7-6b55dx
??? Sony VAIO VPC-F237FX/B
??? Samsung Series 9 (NP900X3A-B01UB)
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/vJquk2ikdT0/0,2817,2396822,00.asp

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3 American students arrested in Cairo back in US

Derrik Sweeney, center, gets hugs from his father Kevin Sweeney, left, and sister Ashley, right, as arms from his mother, Joy Sweeney, wrap around from behind after Derrik arrived at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, in St. Louis. Sweeney and two other American students were arrested on the roof of a university building near Tahrir Square in Cairo last Sunday, accused of throwing firebombs at security forces fighting with protesters. On Thursday, a court ordered the three to be released. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Derrik Sweeney, center, gets hugs from his father Kevin Sweeney, left, and sister Ashley, right, as arms from his mother, Joy Sweeney, wrap around from behind after Derrik arrived at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, in St. Louis. Sweeney and two other American students were arrested on the roof of a university building near Tahrir Square in Cairo last Sunday, accused of throwing firebombs at security forces fighting with protesters. On Thursday, a court ordered the three to be released. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Derrik Sweeney, center, gets hugs from his father Kevin Sweeney, left, and sister Ashley, right, after Derrik arrived at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, in St. Louis. Sweeney and two other American students were arrested on the roof of a university building near Tahrir Square in Cairo last Sunday, accused of throwing firebombs at security forces fighting with protesters. On Thursday, a court ordered the three to be released. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Derrik Sweeney, center, gets hugs from his father Kevin Sweeney, left, and sister Ashley, right, as arms from his mother, Joy Sweeney, wrap around from behind after Derrik arrived at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, in St. Louis. Sweeney and two other American students were arrested on the roof of a university building near Tahrir Square in Cairo last Sunday, accused of throwing firebombs at security forces fighting with protesters. On Thursday, a court ordered the three to be released. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Gregory Porter, center, one of three U.S. students arrested during a demonstration in Cairo, walks with his mother Nancy Hansen, left, upon arriving at Philadelphia International Airport, in Philadelphia, on Saturday Nov. 26, 2011, after an Egyptian court ordered the release of Porter and two other U.S. students who were arrested for throwing firebombs at security forces said Egyptian officials. (AP Photo/ Joseph Kaczmarek)

Gregory Porter, left, one of three U.S. students arrested during a demonstration in Cairo, and his attorney Theodore Simon, second from right, speak to members of the news media after arriving at Philadelphia International Airport, in Philadelphia, on Saturday Nov. 26, 2011, after an Egyptian court ordered the release of Porter and two other U.S. students who were arrested for throwing firebombs at security forces said Egyptian officials. (AP Photo/ Joseph Kaczmarek)

ST. LOUIS (AP) ? The last of the three American students to arrive home after being arrested amid Cairo's tumultuous protests described his first hours in custody as "probably the scariest night of my life ever," saying the youths were hit, forced to lay for hours in the dark nearly in a fetal position and threatened with guns.

Derrik Sweeney, 19, spoke with The Associated Press shortly after arriving at St. Louis' international airport late Saturday night, greeted with joyful shouts of anxious parents who tightly hugged him as dozens of others in a crowd of supporters and relatives held up signs reading, "We love you Derrik" and "Welcome home, Derrik."

"The first night was probably the scariest night of my life ever. I was not sure I was going to live. They said if we moved at all, even an inch, they would shoot us. They were behind us with guns," Sweeney told the AP in a brief phone interview, adding the three had spent about six hours curled up uncomfortably with their hands behind their backs.

Egyptian authorities said they had arrested Sweeney a week earlier along with 19-year-old Gregory Porter and 21-year-old Luke Gates on the rooftop of a university building near Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square amid violent protests engulfing the streets below.

Officials accused the young men of throwing firebombs at Egyptian security forces fighting with the protesters, but Sweeney said he and the other Americans "never did anything to hurt anyone" and never were on the rooftop nor handled or threw any explosives. He called those accusations "very clearly just lies, 100 percent."

But he said conditions in custody markedly improved after the opening night's ordeal when they three were taken to some "legitimate" prison or jail. He didn't elaborate on who he believed was holding him the opening night but he called the treatment humane in the ensuing days.

? "There was really marked treatment between the first night and the next three nights or however long it was. The first night, it was kind of rough. They were hitting us; they were saying they were going to shoot us and they were putting us in really uncomfortable positions. But after that first night, we were treated in a just manner ? as a prisoner ? we were given food when we needed and it was OK after that first night."

At his airport arrival, he also said things became much better in subsequent days when he was allowed to speak with U.S. consular official "and then my mom."

An Egyptian court ordered the students' release Thursday, and they were on flights out of Cairo two days later. Porter and Gates also arrived back in their home states late Saturday, all greeted by relieved family members.

"I'm not going to take this as a negative experience. It's still a great country," Gates, his parents wrapping their arms around him, said shortly after getting off a flight in Indianapolis.

The protests had flared starting Nov. 19, in anticipation of the landmark parliamentary elections in Egypt due to start Monday. On Friday, the crowd grew to more than 100,000 people and on Saturday fresh clashes erupted between security forces and the Egyptian protesters demanding the military step down. The protests Saturday left one man dead as the violence threatened to overshadow the looming elections.

Porter also was met by his parents and other relatives earlier Saturday evening when he landed at Philadelphia International Airport. Porter took no questions, but said he was thankful for the help he and the other American students received from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, administrators at the university they were attending, and attorneys in Egypt and the U.S.

"I'm just so thankful to be back, to be in Philadelphia right now," said Porter, who is from nearby Glenside, Pa., and attends Drexel University in Philadelphia.

All three left the Egyptian capital Saturday morning on separate connecting flights to Frankfurt, Germany, an airport official in Cairo said. The three were studying at American University in Cairo.

Joy Sweeney said staff at the school packed her son's bags because he wasn't allowed to return to his dorm room. Waiting for her son had been grueling, she said shortly before he arrived, but she was grateful he would be home before the holiday weekend was over.

"He still hasn't processed what a big deal this is," she told the AP shortly before her son arrived at the airport.

She said she was trying not to dwell on the events of the last week and was ecstatic that her son, a student at Georgetown University in Washington, was coming home. The family is from Jefferson City, Mo., about 130 miles west of St. Louis.

Earlier in the week, she talked about how she put a Thanksgiving celebration on hold because the idea seemed "absolutely irrelevant" while her son still was being held.

"It's been an emotional rollercoaster. I mean, I don't know how to describe it other than that," she said Saturday night. "But I never looked at the worst-case scenario."

___

Matheson reported from Philadelphia. Associated Press photographer Michael Conroy contributed to this report from Indianapolis and AP writers Bill Cormier in Atlanta; Maggie Michael in Cairo; Andale Gross and Erin Gartner in Chicago; Sandy Kozel in Washington; Rick Callahan in Indianapolis; and Maryclaire Dale in Philadelphia also contributed.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-11-27-Egypt-American%20Students/id-2010efd1159c42bf8fbf1013307970fb

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Winners and Losers of the Deficit Supercommittee Deadlock (Time.com)

Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA

Democratic Senate Majority Leader from Nevada Harry Reid talks to reporters about Supercommittee negotiations after the Democrat's weekly leadership lunch in Washington, Nov. 8, 2011.

With the deficit supercommittee charged with finding $1.2 trillion in savings teetering on the brink of failure, Washington is embroiled in a high stakes round of recriminations. Depending on whom you listen to, everyone?s to blame and everyone?s blameless. Three months closer to an election year, Congress is proving every bit as dysfunctional as it was during the debt ceiling deal that created the supercommittee in August, and looming primaries ? both presidential and congressional ? have put bipartisan compromise even farther out of reach. Really, there should be no shock that the committee has failed ? there were too many people who stood to benefit from its demise.

(MORE: In a Tea Party Universe, Visions of Supercommittee Success)

Congressional incumbents: If you?re, say, Senator Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat who has a tough reelection test ahead of him next November, what incentive would you have to vote for entitlement cuts, which would risk the support Native American tribes, seniors, lower income voters ? the trifecta of constituents that are pivotal to winning statewide in Montana. On the flip side, if you?re, say, Rep. Paul Gosar, an Arizona Republican freshman of the Tea Party persuasion, voting for increased revenue could leave you open not just to a primary challenge, but also vulnerable to a conservative Democrat in the general election. Ultimately, the political calculus was against any deal, and any member of Congress facing a close race can breathe a sigh of relief now that the supercommittee has deadlocked.

Congressional challengers: That said, new candidates for office have also been given a gift. Congress?s approval rating is near record lows and the supercommittee?s failure only serves to underline the hamstrung legislative process and the fact that those in office right now probably aren?t the ones who are going to fix it.

Democrats: As I noted?the day after the debt ceiling agreement, that deal wasn?t terrible for Democrats. Not only did they settle the 2012 budget with just $7 billion in non-defense discretionary cuts, but the likelihood of a supercommittee deadlock all but assured that Congress would pass tax reform in late 2012 or at the beginning of 2013. Democrats have long sought to raise revenue through tax reform without having to cut entitlement benefits, and now they will likely get their wish. The consequence of the supercommittee?s failure is that $1.2 trillion in cuts will automatically happen in January 2013, not coincidentally at the same time George W. Bush?s tax cuts expire. Those two events will create powerful incentives for tax reform.

(MORE: Amid Supercommittee Wranlging, Tax Reform Gains Momentum)

President Obama: On his tour of Asia, Obama wisely stayed about as far away as he could get from the supercommittee train wreck. After getting burned by being too close to the debt ceiling negotiations, Obama learned his lesson and let Congress embarrass itself. The supercommittee?s failure to reach an agreement only helps his strategy of running against Congress, as Harry Truman did in 1948. Now, he can spend the next year blaming congressional dysfunction for the country?s woes.

Americans for Tax Reform?s Grover Norquist: The deadlock proves his power to hold GOP politicians to his anti-tax pledge is as potent as ever. For all the stories about how Norquist was done and how lawmakers were finding ways around it, Republicans? fear of raising new revenue and crossing Norquist was one of the biggest contributing factors to the committee?s failure.

(MORE: When Grover Norquist Says ?Jump??)

Still, the supercommittee?s impending failure will not be without its casualties.

House freshmen: Whether this debacle was their fault or not, the new, largely Republicans class elected in 2010 has come to represent the congressional logjam and they are suffering for it. They are already running into fundraising trouble?and House Democrats outraised their GOP counterparts nearly two-to-one last month. Passing a bipartisan deal that satisfied the markets and reduced the deficit could?ve done wonders to reform their obstructionist image. Alas, it was not to be. So, while running for reelection having raised taxes would?ve been hard, this group is doubly screwed as they also bear the blunt of the blame for the sorry state of affairs.

The American people: Deficits remain a great threat to national security, as Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, once put it. The committee?s failure risks a stock market dive amid a widening European crisis and another potential downgrade of America?s bond rating status. Small business lending could get tougher?because of this debacle, the recession could drag out and unemployment could continue to stagnate. There are probably a dozen more winners and losers that I could name on the political spectrum. But the fact of the matter is, whatever short-term political gains anyone gets out of this, in the long run the American people lose.

(MORE: The Generational Divide That Will Define 2012)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/time_rss/rss_time_us/httpswamplandtimecom20111121withthesupercommitteepoisedforfailurewinnersandlosersinwashingtonxidrssnationyahoo/43670466/SIG=148lfook1/*http%3A//swampland.time.com/2011/11/21/with-the-supercommittee-poised-for-failure-winners-and-losers-in-washington/?xid=rss-nation-yahoo

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90 people in Indonesia injured in line for BlackBerry Bold 9790 (Digital Trends)

If you thought local?Black Friday deals were good, you need to go to Indonesia. A crowd of over 1,000 people formed outside an Indonesian mall on Friday for a sale on the newly released BlackBerry 9790, pictured on the left above. The phone that retails for around $520 was available at half price. ?

Customers had been in line since 4 pm the day before waiting for the sale to start. Rumors started spreading throughout the massive crowd that there wasn?t enough phones for everyone in line so they started to get a little rowdy. The crowd pushed through a barricade which caused at least 90 people to pass out and three people to suffer broken bones. It took 200 police officers and security guards to restore order to the mob. ?Three people were rushed to the hospital for treatment to their injuries.

While it might be a little surprising for us here in the U.S. but BlackBerry is by far the most popular phone maker in Indonesia. Four of the top five selling phones are made by BlackBerry. Combine the insane popularity of the device with a half off discount on a recently released device and this sort of situation is predictable.

Local police said that BlackBerry officials will be questioned for failure to provide a safe environment for the sale. The police were not informed by BlackBerry prior to the event, and say that if they were they would have been able to control the situation.

After the initial mob was dispersed phones went back on sale for a short time until ultimately the sale was shut down prematurely. ?There is no word as of right now if other retailers will attempt a similar promotion, but Indonesians should be able to buy the 9790 at any of their local BlackBerry retailers starting tomorrow.

This article was originally posted on Digital Trends

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/20111125/tc_digitaltrends/90peopleinindonesiainjuredinlineforblackberrybold9790

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Football open thread (Balloon Juice)

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Gorilla baby death mystery: Accident or gorilla infanticide? (The Christian Science Monitor)

Atlanta ? The death of a nine-day-old rare western lowland gorilla infant from head trauma at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo highlights the mysterious dynamics of child rearing in gorilla tribes, where only two out of three infants survive.

Zoo authorities say the unnamed baby, who had already become a big hit with visitors, was observed being carried, lifeless, by its 16-year-old first-time mom, Bana, in the zoo's gorilla enclosure on Friday morning. Authorities believe the mother may have accidentally sat on the baby, but admit they don't fully understand what happened.

"There are no bite marks or cuts and no sign of aggression, but it is possible she may have been dropped or even sat on," Zoo spokeswoman Sharon Dewar told the Daily Mail. "It happened at night and it was too dark to be captured by the cameras in the exhibit."

Last year, a baby gorilla lost part of its leg after a family scuffle in an enclosure at the Louisville Zoo, in Kentucky. Several years ago, a gorilla infant at Zoo Atlanta, which has the largest population of lowland gorillas in the US, was hurt, perhaps accidentally, by the dominant male silverback in the group. Earlier this year, a gorilla infant named Tiny at the London Zoo was killed during a group squabble after a new male was introduced to the group.

Most infanticides in the wild occur when the dominant silverback dies, which often causes females with babies to seek protection inside other family groups rather than face the potential of a rival male murdering the deceased male's offspring.

?Squabbles within a gorilla group do happen,? Louisville Zoo Animal Curator Steve Wing said in a statement. ?Gorillas exhibit complex and dynamic relationship behaviors. It is challenging to identify the reason for this occurrence."

But while relationships can be managed at zoos, it's impossible to anticipate the full dynamics of gorilla behavior. In Chicago, zoo staff had worked with Bana to help her figure out how to rear the baby, and all signs showed that she was a good and willing mother.

The zoo says workers allowed Bana to hold onto her baby for several hours "to make peace with what happened."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/pets/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20111126/ts_csm/428940

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Research on Next Generation Communications Solution Based One ...

home > Management > Research on Next Generation Communications Solution Based One Large Scale Enterprise

?Abstract? The next generation communications solution is of great importance to enterprise, in particular to large scale enterprises. Based on the practical investigation and evaluation of a typical large scale enterprise, in this thesis, we proposed an integrated next generation communications solution to meet the corporate requirements. First, eight sub-solution sets are addressed according to different requirements. Second, the detailed flowcharts of each sub-solution sets are presented. Finally, three possible supplier selection strategies are given for selection. The proposed solution is proved to be effective by the successful implementation in the enterprise. The proposed next generation communications solution is also useful to similar large scale enterprises.

Title: Research on Next Generation Communications Solution Based One Large Scale Enterprise
Category: Management economics
Filename: Research on Next Generation Communications Solution Based One Large Scale Enterprise.pdf
Pages: 163
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The Democrats? Black Eye (Powerlineblog)

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Obama pardons pair of gobblers for Thanksgiving (AP)

WASHINGTON ? With a wave of his hand, President Barack Obama on Wednesday gave two plump turkeys a Thanksgiving reprieve, noting that without his intervention, "they'd end up next to the mashed potatoes and stuffing."

The official national Thanksgiving turkey is a 19-week-old, 45-pound bird named Liberty. Its alternate, also spared, is a turkey of the same age and size named Peace.

Liberty sat calmly as Obama, accompanied by daughters Sasha and Malia, offered a blessing, his hand over the turkey's head. Obama said Liberty had the distinction of being "the luckiest bird on the face of the earth."

"Right now, he's also probably one of the most confused," Obama said.

Obama jokingly cast his pardon as yet another of his "We Can't Wait" initiatives. "Recently, I've been taking a series of executive actions that don't require congressional approval," the president said. "Well, here's another one. We can't wait to pardon these turkeys."

In a more sober tone, Obama called on Americans to remember the meaning of Thanksgiving and to be mindful of those who have less.

"Let's think about those who can't spend the holiday with their loved ones, especially the members of our military serving overseas," he said. "I'd like to thank all our men and women in uniform, and their families, for their incredible service and devotion."

Liberty and Peace were selected from among 30 turkeys raised and groomed by student members of the Future Farmers of America in Willmar, Minn., for a potential presidential amnesty.

The birds' home state of Minnesota will surely spur analysis about the value of sparing turkeys from a political battleground state ahead of an election year. But the motives might be simpler ? Minnesota produces more turkeys than any other U.S. state.

Obama said the students trained the turkeys to face the White House press corps by exposing them to loud noises and flash bulbs.

"They also received the most important part of their media training, which involved learning how to gobble without really saying anything," he said.

Following the pardon ceremony at the White House, Liberty and Peace will retire to the historic home of George Washington in nearby Mount Vernon, Va. Obama said Liberty first will have to finish "a round of cable hits and Sunday shows."

The turkeys will endure further celebrity during "Christmas at Mount Vernon," a special program that runs through Jan. 6. Following the holidays, the two birds will live in a custom-made enclosure at Mount Vernon's livestock facility.

The birds are larger than the average U.S.-bred turkey. According to the Agriculture Department, the U.S. turkey industry produces more than 250 million birds a year, with each live bird averaging about 25 pounds.

Later Wednesday, the president, his daughters and first lady Michelle Obama planned to deliver two not-so-lucky birds to a local food pantry, where the first family planned to serve patrons.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111123/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_turkey_pardon

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Judge dismisses Harrisburg, PA, bankruptcy filing (Reuters)

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (Reuters) ? Pennsylvania is poised to take over its struggling capital of Harrisburg after a federal judge said the city cannot file for bankruptcy to get out of its $300 million outstanding debt.

Disappointed city officials said they were considering an appeal after Wednesday's decision.

Harrisburg in October became one of the most-high-profile cities to opt for the little-used Chapter 9 of the U.S. bankruptcy code to gain relief from debts incurred as a result of an expensive overhaul of the city's incinerator.

The ruling by U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Mary France paves the way for the state to use its Act 47 process for distressed cities, once used for Philadelphia, the state's largest city.

A recent change in state law prohibiting municipalities of a certain size to file for bankruptcy thwarted the city's attempt to protect itself from creditors.

"While we respect (the judge's) opinions we will take some time after Thanksgiving to determine whether we want to file an appeal," said Brad Koplinski, a city councilman who voted for bankruptcy.

The crisis has been a year in the making as the city of about 50,000 struggles to pay for critical services, as well as the debt incurred from an expensive revamp of its incinerator.

Harrisburg's incinerator debt has resulted in cuts to key services, and the city earlier in the month voted to sell the incinerator and lease several parking garages to help pay debts.

Bankruptcy tends to ruin a government's credit rating, making it difficult to borrow for years. But a state takeover can also hit taxpayers and reduce key services. Koplinski has said if the city paid creditors now and ran out of money again, it might have no choice but to cut its police force, reduce services to the elderly and close fire stations.

"We still believe that bankruptcy is the best option for the taxpayers of Harrisburg," he said.

James Spiotto, a municipal bankruptcy expert at law firm Chapman and Cutler, said Harrisburg's dismissal from bankruptcy court was not surprising. State law did not authorize a filing until mid-2012, he said, and the state still had the power to appoint a receiver who could have filed to dismiss the case.

State takeovers are more common than bankruptcies, and more large cities are facing this possibility due to falling tax revenue and weak economic growth. The mayor of Detroit, Michigan, has warned that his city may be headed toward a state takeover, as it may run out of cash by April.

In November, Jefferson County, Alabama, filed a $3 billion Chapter 9 petition, the largest U.S. municipal bankruptcy in history.

AMENDED LAWS

Earlier in the year, Pennsylvania's state law was amended to prevent Harrisburg from seeking bankruptcy protection until July 1, 2012.

That amendment sparked controversy, with council members saying it was specifically targeted at Harrisburg because it applied only to municipalities of a certain size. Judge France noted during the hearing that this amendment revoked the city's authority to file for bankruptcy.

"I'm elated and I have a spirit of Thanksgiving because now the cloud has been removed from around the city in terms of the uncertainty," said Mayor Linda Thompson, at her office on Wednesday. When she was a member of the council, Thompson voted in favor of the incinerator overhaul several years ago.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett signed a bill on October 20 that allows for a takeover of the city's finances, and he named David Unkovic, a lawyer with ties to the city's biggest creditors, as receiver last week.

A spokesperson for Corbett said the governor was "not surprised" by the ruling and is "moving forward with the receiver process to ensure Harrisburg is put back on sound fiscal footing as soon as possible."

Mark Schwartz, a Philadelphia-based attorney who represents the city council members who voted in favor of a filing, said he is "leaning" toward appeal, but has not decided yet.

Pennsylvania voted for a takeover of Harrisburg through its Act 47 process, which appoints a receiver and imposes financial conditions to restructure the city's finances.

Harrisburg's mayor and five of its seven city council members voted earlier in the month to sell the incinerator and lease several parking garages.

Les Ford, a resident who runs a community watchdog group and was in favor of bankruptcy, predicted the city would end up in court regardless of the state's efforts.

The state's "process was flawed and their product was flawed. They were not honest brokers," said Ford, who runs Debt Watch Harrisburg. "We will be back here next year. The city is functionally bankrupt. We have to go through hoops to convince the governor and the mayor and the county that we are bankrupt."

Spiotto said that in 1994, federal bankruptcy laws were amended to say that municipal bankruptcy for a local government had to be "specifically" authorized instead of the general authorization previously required.

Since then, questionable authorization has been the major reason courts have rejected muni bankruptcies.

Spiotto also noted that courts have rejected 82 of the 261 Chapter 9 filings, including Harrisburg's, made since 1980.

"Chapter 9 is always a last resort, a drastic resort," Spiotto said, adding that the court ruling hopefully will allow a receiver to work with Harrisburg to find a solution.

(Reporting by Mark Shade in Harrisburg; additional reporting by Chip Barnett in New York and Karen Pierog in Chicago; Writing by David Gaffen; Editing by Dan Grebler)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111123/us_nm/us_harrisburg_bankruptcy

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End of the Packers' streak?

AP

The bad news is that I gained no ground on Rosenthal last week in the picks contest.

The good news?? I lost no ground, either.

We matched our records in Week 11 with 10-4 efforts; he picked the Dolphins when I foolishly trusted the Bills.? Fortunately, Rosenthal sided with the Jaguars while a scored a near hole in one, picking the Browns to win by the score of 13-10.

For the year, he?s 109-51.? I?m 98-62.

This weekend, when factoring in the Thanksgiving picks, we disagree on five games.? If I?m right on all of them, I can cut his lead nearly in half.

Now, where?s that damn wishbone?

Vikings at Falcons

Florio?s take:? Barring a miracle, Minnesota tailback Adrian Peterson will miss the game.?? And that will make it even harder for the 2-8 Vikings to avoid losing their ninth game of the season, especially since the Falcons now have a great opportunity to leapfrog the Giants and the Bears for a spot in the playoffs.? The fact that former Falcons quarterbacks coach and current Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave knows the Atlanta offense could help keep it from being a blowout.

Florio?s pick:? Falcons 31, Vikings 20.

Rosenthal?s take:? The Falcons have shown an ability to consistently beat bad teams, which may be enough to get them back to the playoffs. While the Vikings don?t feel 2-8 bad, their offense will be among the league?s worst without Adrian Peterson. Heck, it was among the league?s worst with Adrian Peterson.

Rosenthal?s pick: Falcons 28, Vikings 17.

Browns at Bengals

Florio?s take:? After close losses to the Steelers and Ravens, the Bengals should believe that they can play with anyone.? If the Bengals somehow can?t play with the Browns, the Bengals definitely won?t be playing past January 1.

Florio?s pick:? Bengals 20, Browns 0.

Rosenthal?s take: It took a dropped pass and some bad playcalling by the Jaguars for the Browns to win their fourth game. The Bengals won?t be so forgiving.? Jay Gruden has quietly been among the best offensive coordinators in the league.? He?ll be happy to face a division rival that isn?t Baltimore or Pittsburgh.

Rosenthal?s pick: Bengals 23, Browns 10.

Panthers at Colts

Florio?s take:? Carolina has become an unexpected entrant in the ?Suck of Luck? sweepstakes.? It won?t last.? The Panthers are better than the Colts, and the Colts are fine with that . . . at least until they clinch the top pick.

Florio?s pick:? Panthers 28, Colts 14.

Rosenthal?s take: The Colts have finally found a team they can score against! The Panthers defense is second-to-last in points allowed this year.? The only problem: The Colts are dead last in the same category.? And they don?t have Cam Newton.

Rosenthal?s pick: Panthers 28, Colts 24.

Texans at Jaguars

Florio?s take:? Publicly, the Texans see the glass as half full in the wake of Matt Schaub?s season-ending injury.? Privately, they have to be worried that Matt Leinart isn?t the answer.? If the Jaguars team that beat the Ravens last month shows up on Sunday, the Texans may be bidding farewell to their shot at a bye.

Florio?s pick:? Jaguars 20, Texans 17.

Rosenthal?s take:? I don?t expect much out of Matt Leinart, but I do expect him to be better than Blaine Gabbert. The Jaguars defense has been strong all year, but it struggled last week without Terrance Knighton and Clint Session. Allowing Colt McCoy and Chris Ogbonnaya to have breakout games was a bad sign.

Rosenthal?s pick: Texans 24, Jaguars 17.

Bills at Jets

Florio?s take:? With multiple teams clustered between 6-4 and 4-6 in the AFC, one of them likely will get hot and take the final playoff spot.? Though there?s a good chance that neither the Jets nor the Bills will be that team, one of them has to win this one (barring a tie, obviously).? Injuries have decimated the Bills, and the rollercoasting Jets will head back up the mountain once again, with three winnable games on tap before a trip to Philly and a ?visit? from the Giants.

Florio?s pick:? Jets 27, Bills 14.

Rosenthal?s take: Even the most cynical Bills fan couldn?t have imagined a collapse like this. They?ve lost three straight games by a combined score of 104-26. Fred Jackson is done for the year. Ryan Fitzpatrick?s future looks shaky. Their defense can even make Mark Sanchez look good. Bills fans deserve better.

Rosenthal?s pick: Jets 27, Bills 13.

Cardinals at Rams

Florio?s take:? The Rams predictably struggled through the tough seven-game stretch of their schedule to open the season.? But they?re now unexpectedly struggling through the supposedly soft spot.? The Cardinals continue to have issues at quarterback, and if the Rams slide to 2-9, Steve Spagnuolo may not be around to get fired after the season ends.

Florio?s pick:? Rams 23, Cardinals 13.

Rosenthal?s take:? This is a big game for Steve Spagnuolo. If the Rams can?t beat John Skelton in St. Louis, what games can they win? I have doubts the Rams will win many more games, but Spagnuolo should at least get his third win Sunday.

Rosenthal?s pick: Rams 20, Cardinals 17.

Buccaneers at Titans

Florio?s take:? The Bucs gained some confidence via a loss at Lambeau Field, and the Titans haven?t shown an ability to take advantage of opportunities to gain ground on the Texans.? With the seat heating up for Raheem Morris, look for Tampa to string a few wins together during a rare respite from their tough schedule.

Florio?s pick:? Buccaneers 27, Titans 20.

Rosenthal?s take: The Titans are 5-5 because they beat bad teams. Tennessee is 4-0 against teams that currently have a sub .500 record. The Bucs are a bad team. Raheem Morris? defense is near the bottom of every meaningful statistical category for a reason. He can?t complain about the schedule when they lose this one.

Rosenthal?s pick: Titans 24, Bucs 17.

Bears at Raiders

Florio?s take:? The banged-up Raiders and the healthy-but-for-the-most-important-position-on-the-field Bears each need this one.? Badly.? The Raiders are fending off the Broncos, and the Bears need to guard against a gaggle of would-be wild-card contenders.? Even without Jay Cutler, the Bears have the firepower to overcome an Oakland team that isn?t as good as its record would suggest, especially in light of all the injuries.

Florio?s pick:? Bears 21, Raiders 17.

Rosenthal?s take: This would have been Sunday?s best game before Jay Cutler?s thumb injury ruined it. I?m not buying that the Bears will survive without Cutler. He made Chicago?s offensive line look a lot better than it really was by making throws Caleb Hanie shouldn?t even attempt.

Rosenthal?s pick: Raiders 24, Bears 14.

Redskins at Seahawks

Florio?s take:? But for the 49ers, the Seahawks ? even at 4-6 ? would be on track for a second straight NFC West crown.? They remain tough to beat at home; just ask the Ravens.? Or the Redskins come Sunday night.

Florio?s pick:? Seahawks 20, Redskins 13.

Rosenthal?s take: This game looks close (and uninteresting) on paper.? It won?t be close. It will be uninteresting. The Seahawks? defense has quietly grown into a difference-making unit. Tarvaris Jackson is playing well enough at quarterback.? By well enough, I mean ?better than Rex Grossman.?

Rosenthal?s pick: Seahawks 28, Redskins 14.

Patriots at Eagles

Florio?s take:? The New England defense is improving, and the offense can?t get much better.? The longest-tenured coach in the NFL never has beaten the second longest-tenured coach in the NFL, and that?s not likely to change, regardless of whether Mike Vick or Vince Young is playing quarterback for the home team.

Florio?s pick:? Patriots 24, Eagles 20.

Rosenthal?s take: This is probably the toughest game left on New England?s schedule, even if Vince Young starts. Philadelphia?s wide receiver talent can overwhelm the Patriots? undrafted afterthoughts. The Eagles have the secondary to slow down New England in man coverage. That?s a long way of saying Philly will be in position to win, but blow another fourth-quarter lead.

Rosenthal?s pick: Patriots 35, Eagles 31.

Broncos at Chargers

Florio?s take:? What you gonna do, Chargers, when Tebowmania runs wild on you?? It?s illogical and counterintuitive, but after seeing what I?ve seen over the last three weeks, I can?t pick against the Broncos.? And after what I?ve seen from the Chargers since they started 4-1, I can?t pick San Diego to win, either.

Florio?s pick:? Broncos 15, Chargers 12.

Rosenthal?s take: A month ago, who would have believed that Tim Tebow would be in position to bury Philip Rivers? playoff hopes in this game? And who would have believed John Elway would be rooting for Rivers?

Rosenthal?s pick: Chargers 24, Broncos 20.

Steelers at Chiefs

Florio?s take:? Blown out four times this year, the fifth one is coming, courtesy of the team for which Todd Haley?s dad once worked.? The Steelers have too much firepower on offense, and the Chiefs simply have no answer for it.

Florio?s pick:? Steelers 38, Chiefs 13.

Rosenthal?s take: If Tyler Palko led the Chiefs to three points in Foxborough, he may score negative three points against Pittsburgh. Perhaps Kyle Orton will come in woefully unprepared during the second half like Carson Palmer did in his first Raiders game. That may be the only way this game stays interesting into the fourth quarter. (But, uh, watch it. It?s on NBC.)

Rosenthal?s pick: Steelers 30, Chiefs 10.

Giants at Saints

Florio?s take:? With a bye week plus an extra day to prepare for the Giants, the 7-3 Saints will do their best to keep pace with the 49ers for the No. 2 seed in the NFC.? Or possibly to cut San Fran?s lead in half, if the 9-1 Niners slip up in Baltimore on Thursday night.

Florio?s pick:? Saints 34, Giants 21.

Rosenthal?s take: Conflicting emotions here. As Florio has mentioned, I got a fleur de lis tattoo while in college at Tulane. I also picked the Giants to win the NFC East, a choice that isn?t looking as good these days. When in doubt, take the team that hasn?t lost at home.? (Note: I didn?t actually get that tattoo.? Also: I?m not actually 15. I?m 19.)

Rosenthal?s pick: Saints 33, Giants 30.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/11/23/pfts-thanksgiving-picks-2/related

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JK Rowling says press left her feeling under siege (omg!)

LONDON (AP) ? Author J.K. Rowling has told a U.K. media ethics inquiry she felt under siege from intrusive journalists who staked out her house and went as far as to slip a letter into her 5-year-old daughter's school bag.

The creator of boy wizard Harry Potter says Thursday that media interest began shortly after the publication of her first novel in 1997, and soon escalated, with photographers and reporters frequently stationed outside her home.

Once, her daughter came home from primary school and Rowling found a letter from a journalist in her backpack. Rowling says she felt a huge sense of invasion at the move.

___

Leveson Inquiry: http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/

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THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

LONDON (AP) ? Actress Sienna Miller told a media ethics inquiry Thursday that she was left paranoid and scared by years of relentless tabloid pursuit that ranged from paparazzi outside her house to the hacking of her mobile phone.

Miller said the surveillance, and a stream of personal stories about her in the tabloids, led her to accuse friends and family of leaking information to the media. In fact, her cell phone voice mails had been hacked at Rupert Murdoch's News of the World tabloid.

Miller, 29, became a tabloid staple when she dated fellow actor Jude Law. She said the constant scrutiny left her feeling "very violated and very paranoid and anxious, constantly."

"I felt like I was living in some sort of video game," she said.

She called the paparazzi focus on her terrifying.

"For a number of years I was relentlessly pursued by 10 to 15 men, almost daily," she said. "Spat at, verbally abused.

"I would often find myself, at the age of 21, at midnight, running down a dark street on my own with 10 men chasing me. And the fact they had cameras in their hands made that legal."

Miller, the star of "Layer Cake" and "Alfie," was one of the first celebrities to take the News of the World to court over illegal eavesdropping. In May, the newspaper agreed to pay her 100,000 pounds ($160,000) to settle claims her phone had been hacked.

The newspaper's parent company now faces dozens of lawsuits from alleged hacking victims.

Miller, who looked confident as she gave evidence at London's Royal Courts of Justice, said challenging Murdoch's media conglomerate had been a difficult decision.

"I was very nervous about taking on an empire that was richer and far more powerful than I will ever be," she said. "It was very daunting."

"Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling, who has campaigned to keep her children out of the media glare, is due to give evidence later Thursday about media intrusion.

Prime Minister David Cameron set up the inquiry amid a still-unfolding scandal over illegal eavesdropping by the Murdoch-owned tabloid. Murdoch closed down the News of the World in July after evidence emerged that it had illegally accessed the mobile phone voice mails of celebrities, politicians and even crime victims in its search of scoops.

More than a dozen News of the World journalists and editors have been arrested over allegations of illegal eavesdropping, and the scandal has also claimed the jobs of two top London police officers, Cameron's media adviser and several senior Murdoch executives.

The inquiry, led by Judge Brian Leveson, plans to issue a report next year and could recommend major changes to media regulation in Britain.

Miller took the stand after another witness was allowed to give evidence in private. The courtroom was cleared of the press as the witness, identified only as HJK, testified about suffering intrusions while in a relationship with a well-known figure, whose identity was also kept secret.

Former Formula One boss Max Mosley, who has campaigned for a privacy law since his interest in sadomasochistic sex was exposed in the News of the World, broadened the focus in testimony Thursday, discussing the difficulty of squashing malicious stories in the Internet age.

Mosley successfully sued the News of the World over a 2008 story headlined "Formula One boss has sick Nazi orgy with five hookers." Mosley has acknowledged the orgy, but argued that the story ? obtained with a hidden camera ? was an "outrageous" invasion of privacy. He said the Nazi allegation was damaging and "completely untrue."

Mosley said he has had stories about the incident removed from 193 websites around the world, and is currently taking legal action "in 22 or 23 different countries," including proceedings against search engine Google in France and Germany.

"The fundamental thing is that Google could stop this appearing but they don't or won't as a matter of principle," he said. "The really dangerous things are the search engines."

"You work all your life to try and achieve something or do something useful," Mosley added. "And suddenly something like this happens and that's what you're remembered for."

High-profile witnesses still to come include CNN celebrity interviewer Piers Morgan, who has denied using phone hacking while he was editor of the Daily Mirror newspaper.

The hearings have heard allegations of media malpractice and intrusion that extend far beyond the News of the World.

Witnesses have included celebrities like actor Hugh Grant and ordinary people pursued in times of grief, including the parents of murdered 13-year-old Milly Dowler, whose voice mails were accessed by the News of the World after she disappeared in 2002.

Her parents said the hacking gave them false hope their daughter was still alive during the investigation into her disappearance.

On Wednesday, the parents of missing child Madeleine McCann said they were left distraught by false stories and the publication of private information by the tabloid press.

Kate and Gerry McCann told the inquiry they felt powerless in the face of stories, based on concocted evidence, suggesting they had killed their daughter. Madeleine had vanished when she was three during the British family's 2007 vacation in Portugal.

___

Leveson Inquiry: http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/

Jill Lawless can be reached at: http://twitter.com/JillLawless

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_jk_rowling_says_press_left_her_feeling_under154711988/43705257/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/jk-rowling-says-press-left-her-feeling-under-154711988.html

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