NCAA Football: Michigan State edges TCU 17-16 in BWW Bowl

TEMPE, Ariz.?Dan Conroy kicked a 47-yard field goal with 1:01 left, Le'Veon Bell ran for 145 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown, and Michigan State rallied to beat Texas Christian 17-16 in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl on Saturday night.

Michigan State (7-6) labored through the first half before going on the longest drive in the school's bowl history, a 90-yard march capped by freshman Connor Cook's 15-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Burbridge in the third quarter. The Spartans recovered a muffed punt by TCU's Skye Dawson at the 4-yard line midway through the fourth quarter and Bell scored two plays later by racing around left end for a 14-13 lead.

TCU (7-6) rallied to set up Jaden Overkrom for a 53-yard field goal with 2:42

Michigan State defensive end Denzel Drone, bottom, pulls the ball away from TCU running back B.J. Catalon, center, as Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes, top,hits Catalon during the first half of the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012, in Tempe, Ariz. Catalon's forward progress was stopped causing the referees to blow the play dead. ((AP Photo/Paul Connors))

left, but left Conroy too much time for his second straight postseason game-winner after beating Georgia with a 28-yard kick in the third overtime of last year's Outback Bowl.

TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin (2) carries the ball during the first quarter of the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl NCAA college football game against Michigan State, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012, in Tempe, Ariz. MARICOPA COUNTY OUT; MAGS OUT; NO SALES. ((AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, Cheryl Evans) MARICOPA COUNTY OUT; MAGS OUT; NO SALES.)

TCU running back B.J. Catalon, center, is tackled between Michigan State defensive end Marcus Rush, left, and linebacker Max Bullough, right, during the first half of the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012, in Tempe, Ariz. ((AP Photo/Paul Connors))

TCU's Matthew Tucker (29) carries the ball during the first quarter of the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl NCAA college football game against Michigan State at Sun Devil Stadium, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012, in Tempe, Ariz. MARICOPA COUNTY OUT; MAGS OUT; NO SALES ((AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, ) MARICOPA COUNTY OUT; MAGS OUT; NO SALES )

Michigan State running back Le'Veon Bell, right, stiff-arms TCU linebacker Joel Hasley, center, as TCU cornerback Jason Verrett, left, pursues during the first half of the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl NCAA college football game Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012, in Tempe, Ariz. ((AP Photo/Paul Connors))

Source: http://www.willitsnews.com/ci_22282102/michigan-state-edges-tcu-17-16-bww-bowl?source=rss_viewed

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AP falls short of Dickerson; Wilson ties Manning

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, left, runs from Green Bay Packers cornerback Tramon Williams during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Genevieve Ross)

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, left, runs from Green Bay Packers cornerback Tramon Williams during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Genevieve Ross)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson passes during warm-ups before an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) looks downfield during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field in Detroit, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

Adrian Peterson nearly ran into the NFL record book, falling 9 yards short of breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing mark.

Peterson had 199 yards and a touchdown in Minnesota's 37-34 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, becoming the seventh NFL player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. He needed 208 when the day began to top Dickerson's record of 2,105 set in 1984.

"I know Eric Dickerson is feeling so good right now," Peterson said with a chuckle, referencing comments Dickerson made a few weeks back saying he hoped Peterson didn't break his record. "But God willing, I'll get it next year."

Peterson, who finished the regular season with 2,097 yards on the ground, also tied Hall of Famer Earl Campbell's single-season mark with his seventh game of 150 yards rushing or more.

"He is without question the best running back in our game and truly, in my mind, the MVP of our league," Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said after his team earned a playoff spot with the win.

Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson tied Peyton Manning's NFL record for most touchdown passes by a rookie with 26 after a third-quarter score in a 20-13 win over St. Louis.

"To tie that record is really something special," Wilson said. "It's a tribute to my faith and all God has put me through, but also to my team and what they've done."

Manning threw for three touchdowns in a game for the 73rd time, surpassing the record set by Brett Favre. Manning finished 23 of 29 for 304 yards in Denver's 38-3 romp over Kansas City.

Andrew Luck, the man who replaced Manning in Indianapolis, finished as the only rookie in NFL history with at least 4,000 yards passing and 10 wins. The Colts beat the Houston Texans 28-16 for their 11th victory.

Detroit's Matthew Stafford finished the season with an NFL-record 727 pass attempts, topping Drew Bledsoe's mark of 691 in 1994. But he fell short of a second consecutive 5,000-yard season, finishing at 4,967.

Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson narrowly missed becoming the first player with 2,000 yards receiving in a season. Johnson, who broke Jerry Rice's record of 1,848 yards receiving the previous weekend, finished at 1,964 after catching five passes for 72 yards. He also had his record streak of eight 100-yard receiving games snapped.

"Had a good year, but there's a lot of things that could have been done better," Johnson said. "There's always room to get better."

Drew Brees passed for 396 yards in New Orleans' 44-38 loss to Carolina, giving him 5,177 this season ? third-most behind the 2011 totals posted by himself (5,476) and New England's Tom Brady (5,235). Brees became the first player to eclipse 5,000 yards three times. His four TD passes gave him 43 in 2012, and he's the first player with 40 TD passes in consecutive seasons.

New Orleans also set a record it probably would rather have no part of as the Saints gave up 530 yards, raising their season total to 7,042 to break the old record of 6,793 allowed by the 1981 Baltimore Colts.

Houston's J.J. Watt and San Francisco's Aldon Smith failed to get any sacks Sunday, falling short of Michael Strahan's NFL record of 22?. Watt finished with 20?, while Smith had 19?.

___

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-12-30-NFL%20Records/id-fbeb3554b7db4091b2c44bedbe425fb6

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New GV e-book: African Voices of Hope and Change ? Global Voices

Here is a perfect gift to salute the new year: our new e-book dedicated to Africa's Sub-Saharan region. ?African Voices of Hope and Change,? ?gives you an intimate perspective into the stories and people of Sub-Saharan Africa through our best English-language posts from 2012. From a total of about 800 posts produced over the year from the region, we hand-picked 13 posts to feature from Senegal, Uganda, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Mauritania, Kenya, Angola and other countries.

You are welcome to download?it?here. You can even send a copy (in PDF, ePub or Mobipocket format) to your relatives or friends across the world, maybe as a present for their donation to GV. Most important, please spread the word in your global circles, social networks and anywhere you deem fit!

African Voices of Hope and Change is more evidence of the power of we?, a collective effort focusing on places and people too often ?forgotten' by mainstream media worldwide, despite Africa?s diverse but promising growth in the upcoming years. As stated in the ebook introduction, ?At the start of the new millennium, it felt as though the African continent was essentially written off by the international community? [but] recent statistics suggest that nine of the fastest-growing economies in the world are in Sub-Saharan Africa.?

And while many experts actually believe that new technology's most lasting influence will be on a broadening field of education, ?also important is the potential for leveraging technology towards a more general transparency and accountability, as shown by initiatives based on social and citizen media for monitoring local elections or making government data available on the Internet.?

Aimed at providing a larger context and fostering the Global Voices mission, this collection of 2012 posts will try to parse out such complex framework and open up the horizon for the upcoming year. These voices tell us about moving forward in hope and change, their accounts reveal a path infused with struggle and collaboration.

Thanks to Mohamed Adel for technical support and to those who variously contributed to articles selected for this new e-book: Afef Abrougui, Ahmed Jedou, Anna Gueye, Eleanor Staniforth, Endalk, James Propa, Kofi Yeboah, Lova Rakotomalala, Nwachukwu Egbunike, Richard Wanjohi, Sara Gold, Sara Moreira, and Ndesanjo Macha.

Source: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/12/30/new-gv-e-book-african-voices-of-hope-and-change/

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Ouya Comes Out of the Gate Running

The gaming revolution has begun. Ouya, a startup that launched with the outsized goal of challenging the big three gaming platforms of Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo, reported on Friday that it had shipped 1,200 consoles to developers. The Android-based product is a deceptively simple-looking cube the size of a coffee mug, which is meant to hook up to a television set.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/270889fd/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C769830Bhtml/story01.htm

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Fiscal cliff deal would pale against expectations

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Whether negotiated in a rush before the new year or left for early January, the fiscal deal President Barack Obama and Congress cobble together will be far smaller than what they initially envisioned as an alternative to purposefully distasteful tax increases and spending cuts.

Instead, their compromise, if they do indeed cut a deal, will put off some big decisions about tax and entitlement changes and leave other deadlines in place that will likely lead to similar moments of brinkmanship, some in just a matter of weeks.

Republican and Democratic negotiators in the Senate were hoping for an accord as early as Sunday on what threshold to set for increased tax rates, whether to keep current inheritance tax rates and exemptions and how to pay for jobless benefits and avoid cuts in Medicare payments to doctors.

An agreement would halt automatic across-the-board tax increases for virtually every American and perhaps temporarily put off some steep spending cuts in defense and domestic programs.

Gone, however, is the talk of a grand bargain that would tackle broad spending and revenue demands and set the nation on a course to lower deficits. Obama and Republican House Speaker John Boehner were once a couple hundred billion dollars apart from a deal that would have reduced the deficit by more than $2 trillion over 10 years.

The trimmed ambitions of today are a far cry from the upbeat bipartisan rhetoric of just six weeks ago, when the leadership of Congress went to the White House to set the stage for negotiations to come.

"I outlined a framework that deals with reforming our tax code and reforming our spending," Boehner said as the leaders gathered on the White House driveway on Nov. 16.

"We understand that it has to be about cuts, it has to be about revenue, it has to be about growth, it has to be about the future," House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said at the time. "I feel confident that a solution may be in sight."

And Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., offered a bold prediction: "There is no more let's do it some other time. We are going to do it now."

That big talk is gone for now.

Senate negotiators were haggling over what threshold of income to set as the demarcation between current tax rates and higher tax rates. They were negotiating over estate limits and tax levels, how to extend unemployment benefits, how to prevent cuts in Medicare payments to doctors and how to keep a minimum income tax payment designed for the rich from hitting about 28 million middle class taxpayers.

But the deal was not meant to settle other outstanding issues, including more than $1 trillion in cuts over 10 years, divided equally between the Pentagon and other government spending. The deal also would not address an extension of the nation's borrowing limit, which the government is on track to reach any day but which the Treasury can put off through accounting measures for about two months.

That means Obama and the Congress are already on a new collision path.

Republicans say they intend to use the debt ceiling as leverage to extract more spending cuts from the president. Obama has been adamant that unlike 2011, when the country came close to defaulting on its debts, he will not yield to those Republican demands.

As the day ended Saturday, there were few signs of success on a scaled-back deal, but no one was declaring a stalemate either.

Lawmakers have until the new Congress convenes to pass any compromise, and even the calendar mattered. Democrats said they had been told House Republicans might reject a deal until after Jan. 1, to avoid a vote to raise taxes before they had technically gone up, and then vote to cut taxes after they had risen.

Republicans said they were willing to bow to Obama's call for higher taxes on the wealthy as part of an agreement to prevent them from rising on those less well-off.

Democrats said Obama was sticking to his campaign call for tax increases above $250,000 in annual income, even though in recent negotiations he said he could accept $400,000. There was no evidence of agreement even at the higher level.

Obama, who once proposed nearly $1.6 trillion in tax revenue over 10 years, would get about half of that if he succeeded in getting a $250,000 threshold over 10 years. At a $400,000 level, the revenue figure drops to about $600 billion over a decade.

Republicans want to leave the estate tax at 35 percent after exempting the first $5 million in estate value. Officials said the White House wants a 45 percent tax after a $3.5 million exemption. Without any action by Congress, it would climb to a 55 percent tax after a $1 million exemption on Jan. 1. Obama's proposal would generate more than $100 billion in additional revenue over 10 years.

Democrats stressed their unwillingness to make concessions on both income taxes and the estate tax, and hoped Republicans would choose which mattered more to them.

___

Associated Press writer David Espo contributed to this article.

___

Follow Jim Kuhnhenn on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jkuhnhenn

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fiscal-cliff-deal-pale-against-expectations-092812135--politics.html

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NHL, union spend day on conference calls - Sun, 30 Dec 2012 PST

December 30, 2012 in Sports

Ira Podell Associated Press

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NEW YORK ? Lots of questions, but still no answers in the NHL labor?fight.

The league and the players? association spent much of Saturday talking to each other via conference call. The conversations were strictly for the purpose of sharing information regarding the new contract offer the NHL made to the union late?Thursday.

The initial thought was that the sides would get together today in New York to hold official negotiations for the first time in weeks, but those weren?t scheduled before discussions ended?Saturday.

Staff-level calls were expected to resume today, which could include face-to-face talks at some point, but no actual bargaining meetings have been?set.

?Some more informational sessions in the morning,? NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Associated Press regarding today. ?Nothing planned beyond?that.?

The union pored over the latest NHL proposal aimed at ending the lockout that reached its 105th day Saturday and saving the delayed hockey season. The league would like to reach a deal no later than Jan. 11, which would allow training camps to start the following day, and a 48-game season to begin Jan.?19.

Saturday?s conference calls were scheduled Friday night so the union could ask league officials questions about the nearly 300-page proposal. Whether enough progress will be made to lead to face-to-face talks remains to be?seen.

The sides haven?t gotten together since Dec. 13 with federal mediators. Bargaining sessions with only the NHL and union involved haven?t been held since Dec. 6, when talks abruptly ended after the players? association made a counterproposal to the league?s previous offer. The league said that offer was contingent on the union accepting three elements unconditionally and without further?bargaining.

The NHL then pulled all existing offers off the table. Two days of sessions with mediators the following week ended without any progress?made.

The players? association?s executive board and negotiating committee went over the new proposal during an internal conference call?Friday.

A person familiar with key points of the offer told The Associated Press that the league proposed raising the limit of individual free-agent contracts to six years from five ? seven years if a team re-signs its own player; raising the salary variance from one year to another to 10 percent, up from 5 percent; and one compliance buyout for the 2013-14 season that wouldn?t count toward a team?s salary cap but would be included in the overall players? share of?income.

The latest proposal is for 10 years, running through the 2021-22 season, with both sides having the right to opt out after eight?years.

The lockout has reached a critical stage, threatening to shut down a season for the second time in eight?years.

All games through Jan. 14, plus the Winter Classic and the All-Star game already have been called off. The next round of cuts could claim the entire?schedule.

The NHL is the only North American professional sports league to cancel a season because of a labor dispute, losing the 2004-05 campaign to a lockout. A 48-game season was played in 1995 after a lockout stretched into?January.

It is still possible this dispute could eventually be settled in the courts if the sides can?t reach a deal on their?own.

The NHL filed a class-action suit this month in U.S. District Court in New York in an effort to show its lockout is legal. In a separate move, the league filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board, contending bad-faith bargaining by the?union.

Those moves were made because the players? association took steps toward potentially filing a ?disclaimer of interest,? which would dissolve the union and make it a trade association. That would allow players to file antitrust lawsuits against the?NHL.

? Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/dec/30/nhl-union-spend-day-on-conference-calls/

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Effective Online Marketing Principles For Successful ... - Maynas Eric

Running a business of your own is a great way to take charge of your life, but it also you should be skilled at sales. Becoming a successful Internet marketer can make those dreams possible, and the tips provided here can help you get started.

Consider doing your own email marketing. It is fairly easy to learn how to use auto responders, mass mailers and to build an email list. The added bonus is that you will have the knowledge, so it will be easier and easier, each time you do it.

Give something away. A great free downloadable item to offer is an article related to your product or services. It could be an introductory article explaining your product and it?s uses, with testimonials from customers. Offer something your audience will find valuable, such as tips or exclusive content. This tells customers that you care about what is important to them.

TIP! Before you start marketing online, you first need to brainstorm a variety of methods you may want to implement. There are many options for free and low-cost ad techniques, such as on a blog or your social networking site.

Keep learning about the things you can use online. By keeping up with the newest trends on the Internet, you increase your chances of giving the public what it really wants.

You can get good, original, very high quality content for your website by interviewing professionals and authorities in your field. Video interviews can be very effective, but audio or textual interviews can work well too. These interviews will increase your reputation, particularly when you have interviews with high-profile people.

Before even thinking about getting your site ranked, you?ll need to build a terrific website. This must be your first step in starting an online business. When your site is set up correctly and works well to begin with, you save yourself effort down the line.

TIP! Customers most often respect, and appreciate honesty. By being honest, you will receive and retain the trust of your customers.

Always use clear, high quality pictures that show off the products your site is selling. Customers will like the fact that they get to clearly see what they are ordering. Create an area on your web site where buyers can submit their photographs of your product. Before and after shots can be an effective selling tactic.

You can measure conversion rates between site visitors and paying customers by using technology tools offered by different companies as a means of evaluating your online marketing campaigns. There are a wide variety of companies that provide tracking software to determine how many visitors a website has, along with the number of sales that those visits trigger.

You can boost your own authenticity and standing by offering space on your website for major institutions to advertise in. When customers recognize well-known brands next to the name of your business, they will be more likely to trust your business. Good advertisements increases the amount of traffic and transforms the site from a listing page to a website.

TIP! It may seem overwhelming to decide which direction your business and website should go in. Sort through the possibilities until a single answer has emerged.

Include words like ?simple? and ?easy? in your strategy. People avoid products that seem complicated, so adding descriptions like ?easy to order? or ?easy to use? will tempt customers to try your product. This is a wonderful way to increase traffic and sales.

Tracking events online, promotions, or different types of initiatives related to your brand is vital in creating successful Internet promotion strategies in the future. Look out for public opinions about your promotions and events on forums, blogs, etc. These people will feel like they are valued if you follow their advice.

Try and implement emotional descriptors in your ads as a means of selling more products. This will help you to build up your brand and make it easily recognizable to others. Use very descriptive words when you are trying to sell your product.

TIP! It?s very important to have 3rd party transaction security in place on your business website if you will be selling products. There are many trusted, impartial services.

Find some service or product that you can give free-of-charge to those who visit your site. You can increase the chance that a potential customer will investigate your site further once you have caught their eye with a free offer. A helpful example would be a tax calculator on a website about finances.

While you?re business may start off small, it is entirely on your shoulders to build on it in order to reach higher levels of success. Keep going once you?ve started! As you learn some crucial tips on the subject, you will be able to create different campaigns with relative ease. Before you know it, the traffic will come pouring in.

Join me on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/maynaseric

Source: http://www.maynaseric.com/effective-online-marketing-principles-for-successful-campaigns-2

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13 technologies you won't see in 2013

6 hrs.

Avram Piltch, Laptopmag.com , TechNewsDaily

It seems like only yesterday we were planning for the Maya apocalypse, but like so many other products, the 14th b?ak?tun (next era) has been delayed due to bugs and lack of pre-orders. Yet if you talked to some pundits back in 2011, they?d have told you that the end of days was coming out in Q4 of 2012, along with its competitor, BlackBerry 10.

No doubt, in 2013, several long-rumored products will come to market. However, next year won?t be the year for these 13 gadgets and technologies.

Amazon smartphone

The speculation: After its success selling Amazon-branded Android tablets, the company will launch a smartphone that puts its content front and center and encouraging you to shop wherever you go. Some have even suggested that the company will make it easy to scan prices when you're in a retail store, just so you can see if Amazon sells the item cheaper. Taiwan Economic News recently reported that Foxconn will be manufacturing the handset, which will launch in Q3 or 2013 for $100 to $200.

Why it?won't happen in 2013: Breaking into the U.S. smartphone market with any hope of success is extremely difficult for new players. The four major carriers rule their networks with an iron fist, either forcing phone vendors to go along with their software?strategies or outright rejecting products that don't meet their immediate business goals. Just ask Google, which decided to release the Nexus 4 as an unlocked device rather than deal with AT&T and Verizon. (A subsidized version is available for T-Mobile.)

From a business perspective, playing in the smartphone space makes little sense for Amazon as the company's goal is not to sell phones but to sell media and dry goods through its online store. The company already has its shopping app preloaded as crapware on many Android devices, and the company could leverage these placements in 2013 by finally bringing Amazon Instant Video to Android devices and adding a price-scanning app to the mix. Why spend money building and supporting a smartphone when you can just get users of other phones to buy the all the same products from you?

More: ?Top 10 Smartphones

Windows?Blue

The speculation: Microsoft?will launch the next major version of Windows, codenamed "Windows Blue," as soon as spring 2013. The new OS will get at least annual updates over the air so consumers and businesses with Blue always have the latest verison of the OS.

Why it won't happen in 2013: If the rumors are true, a company that usually releases operating systems on a three-year cadence will suddenly start selling a new mainstream operating system less than a year after Windows 8?launched. And before Microsoft starts selling its next OS, it will no doubt go through months of public and developer previews as it has with Windows 7 and 8.

So, for Windows Blue to launch even as late as Q4 of 2013, Microsoft would have to announce a developer preview or public beta at the beginning of the year. With all the controversy surrounding Windows 8, news of another new Windows OS would convince users who were on the fence about upgrading to delay their purchases. Talk about Osborning yourself.

More:??8 Worst Windows 8 Annoyances and How to Fix Them

Google Nexus 4 with LTE connectivity

The speculation: When Google released its Nexus 4 phone, users were shocked to learn that the device did not support 4G LTE, the fastest type of mobile network.?To avoid dealing with carriers and building carrier-specific versions of its handset, the company decided to go with simple HSPA support, a decision Android head Andy Rubin called a "tactical issue."?Despite Rubin's comments, some believe that Google will eventually offer an LTE version of the Nexus 4, because it provided carrier-specific LTE versions of its prior-gen phone, the Galaxy Nexus. The Nexus 4 even has a disabled LTE radio inside of it, though this radio can only support a handful of bands that most areas of the U.S. don't use.

Why it won't happen: With the Nexus 4, Google is trying to make a point about its independence from carriers. Users who want a nearly-identical phone with LTE can already buy the LG Optimus G. However, not including LTE on phones is a poor long-term strategy. I wouldn't be surprised if Google's next handset, rumored to be the Motorola X, had LTE that worked with at least a couple of the major U.S. carriers' networks.

More: ??10 Most Stylish Smartphones

Wireless charging pads hit public places

The speculation: If you've been following the news lately you might expect to see wireless charging stations?appear at all your favorite haunts in 2013. This past fall, Nokia, HTC and others released phones with Qi-standard wireless charging support built-in while. At the same time, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf announced its plan to install compatible charging pads in its tables and Virgin Atlantic said it will offer the same in its airport lounges. Jay Z also announced a partnership with Duracell to bring that company's charging mats to several New York hotspots, including his own 40/40 club. Could Starbucks, McDonald's, 7-11 and Chucky Cheese be next? Not in 2013.

Why it won't happen in 2013: While many new phones this fall support the Qi wireless charging standard, Samsung and Qualcomm have loaned their support to the competing Alliance for Wireless Power (AW4P) standard. There's nothing like a standards war to make restaurant chains invest millions in upgrading their infrastructure to support half a dozen phones, none of which is an iPhone. Don't expect to see many more public places with wireless charging until Apple picks a standard and builds support into its products.

More:??Top 6 Smartphones with Wireless Charging

Nokia's Windows tablet

The speculation:?Two years have passed since Nokia has jumped off the "burning platform" of developing its own phone OS and fully embraced Windows Phone.?So what does former Microsoft exec Stephen Elop do for a follow-up? How about releasing a tablet.

After all, Elop said the following when speaking with analysts: "From an ecosystem perspective, there are benefits and synergies that exist between Windows and Windows Phone. We see that opportunity. We'll certainly consider those opportunities going forward." According to one popular rumor, the company plans to release a Windows RT slate with a battery-powered keyboard cover early in 2013. The tablet will allegedly come with wireless 4G service from carriers such as AT&T.

Why it won't happen in 2013: Nokia has had enough difficulty gaining market share in the smartphone space and, though things seem to be looking up for the Finnish company, its Devices and Services division lost 683 million Euros in Q3. Windows RT devices like the Microsoft?Surface are by no means a proven commodity, so Nokia would be jumping onto a whole new burning platform at a time when it needs to show stability and success. I think they'll pass.

More: ?10 Best Tablets of 2012

Mobile payments become common

The speculation: If you have certain Sprint phones, today you can use Google Wallet to tap and pay at a handful of stores. On AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, you will soon be able to use a competing service called ISIS to turn your phone?into a credit card. With all this activity, you might expect that, in 2013, all the major stores would support mobile payments. Not so fast there, Ms. Kardashian.

Why it won't happen in 2013: You may see a few more stores add support for one or both payment standards, but many phones, including the iPhone, don't have the NFC chip necessary to support them. Even worse, consumers have few incentives to switch from old fashioned credit and debit cards. Forrester Research Analyst Denee Carrington recently told us that mobile payments won't catch on until at least 2015.

More:??How to Fix Mobile Payments

An Apple TV set

The speculation: Rumors of an Apple large-screen TV (aka the iTV) have been floating around for years. In late 2011, these rumors gained more credibility when Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs mentioned that the late Apple founder had plans for a TV set. In 2012, Apple CEO Tim Cook told NBC's Brian Williams that TV is "an area of intense interest" for his company. Now, many believe 2013 will be the year that Apple stops dropping hints and finally drop ships a product.

Why it won't happen in 2013: There's nothing stopping Apple from manufacturing an ordinary HDTV with iTunes and maybe some additional smart TV functions built-in. However, the company won't be content to ship that. It needs to partner with cable providers and TV networks, two very conservative groups, to offer a complete end-to-end service. It must also provide a better display than its competitors, perhaps an OLED screen that would push the price way up.

With the cable and display markets unlikely to change in the next 12 months, Apple will decide that it's better off pushing its services through an improved Apple TV set-top box, rather than getting into the TV business in 2013.

More:??Best Smart TVs of 2012

Self-driving cars

The speculation: Google has been working on a self-driving car for a couple of years now but it's not alone. Big automakers such as Ford, Cadillac and Volvo are developing their own autonomous vehicles. In the past two years, both Nevada and California have made the self-drivers street legal. Will we finally see someone selling them to the public in 2013? No.

Why it won't happen in 2013: Google's self-driving car technology is probably the closest to being ready, but the company is not an automaker and isn't likely to sell autos directly to the public. Even if one of the automakers felt it had a finished product, there are only a couple of states where drivers could use the car in its autonomous mode. With so much potential liability???just imagine the lawsuit if one of these cars caused an accident???we'll be reading about new testing and legal certifications for years before the first model hits a dealership.

More:??High-Tech Cars Go Mainstream

Motorola Droid 5

The speculation: Motorola is the king of the keyboard slider, having launched the original Droid with keyboard and then releasing three different sequels. The company's most recent entry, the Droid 4, came out last February on Verizon and launched on Sprint as the Photon 4G this past summer. If Motorola plans to continue offering keyboarded phones, it will need to release a Droid 5 some time in early 2013.

Why it won't happen: The other leading phone vendors have moved?away from QWERTY phones in recent years, either giving up on them altogether or releasing them as under-featured budget phones such as the Samsung Stratosphere. Motorola's new owner Google hasn't put keyboards on its phones and, when the company launched its flagship devices this fall, it didn't even mention physical keyboards. Sadly, it looks like Motorola won't come out with another high-end keyboard slider.

More:??The 7 Worst Smartphone Injustices and How to Fight Them

BlackBerry PlayBook 2

The speculation: BlackBerry's PlayBook was first released in 2011, an eternity in tablet years. With the company's new BlackBerry 10 OS coming in January, some speculate that RIM will update its slate. Though the old PlayBook is still for sale, it has ancient specs like a 1024-by-600 screen and a dated design.?If RIM wants to stay in this space, it needs to release a new model. A leaked roadmap even mentions a 10-inch PlayBook code named "Blackforest."

Why it won't happen in 2013: Though the company shipped a surprisingly-high 255,000 Playbooks in Q3 of 2012, the tablet?has never been a considered a success by anyone's standards. Meanwhile, RIM is losing market share in he smartphone space and needs to buckle down and focus on its core audience: smartphone users. If the company turns its fortunes around with BlackBerry 10 phones, we may see another tablet, but not in 2013.

More:??10 Most Anticipated Features of BlackBerry 10

A Facebook phone

The speculation: For years, we've been hearing that Facebook would release a phone of its very own.?In 2011, HTC even released the super-lame Status, a budget phone with the Facebook logo on it and some added Facebook integration. Could Facebook be planning to enter the market with a truly revolutionary handset in 2013?

Why it won't happen?in 2013:??Back in July, Mark Zuckerberg himself said that creating a phone "wouldn't make sense." To be fair, companies sometimes deny working on products that later turn out to be very real. However, in this case, you should take Zuck at his word. There's no real selling point to a Facebook phone when every phone on the market has Facebook integration. By making its own phone, Facebook might even alienate some of its partners.

More:??26 Ultimate Facebook Tips

Flexible display phones or tablets

The speculation: CNET recently reported that Samsung Electronics will be showing off bendable displays at CES 2013. With the rumored Galaxy S IV phone expected to launch this spring and the inevitable Galaxy Note III, some believe we'll see the first phones to deploy this technology.

Why it won't happen in 2013: If Samsung's electronics division is first demoing the screen at CES 2013, it won't hit commercial products for at least another year. Also, in order for the phone itself to be flexible, the entire body must bend, something that may never happen. Samsung may use the flexible displays to create phones with slightly curved screens, but that won't happen in 2013.

More:??5 Things You Need to Know About the Samsung Galaxy S IV

Google Project Glass for consumers

The speculation: Google's Project Glass augmented reality goggles will be available as a developers kit in early 2013. If developers get their hands on the product in January or February, a full-fledged product release can't be too far behind, right?

Why it won't happen in 2013: Google co-founder Sergey Brin told Bloomberg in June that he would like to have a consumer version of Project Glass "within a year" after releasing the kit to developers. While it's always possible that the kit will come out in January and the product will ship in December, it seems unlikely that such a unique product will make its way from prototype to final that quickly. Don't expect to get your headset until 2014.

More:??Will Google Glasses Make Us Cyborgs?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/13-technologies-you-wont-see-2013-1C7753186

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San Diego Real Estate: Mortgage Defaults Diving ? CT Homes LLC

Are San Diego foreclosures really declining or is it all more statistical tricks, in an attempt to make the market look healthy?

The latest round of figures from DataQuick and UT San Diego show a steep and steady decline in the local foreclosure rate. The figures show a 15% drop in notices of default being filed between October and November, to half of what we were seeing this time last year. This puts San Diego County at a measly 819 foreclosure notices last month, the lowest rate since August 2006.

This all sounds like incredibly positive news and in combination with rising home sales volume and home prices suggests we truly are in recovery mode if not entering a new boom era.

Still, San Diego real estate prices still have about a 30% climb to go before hitting their previous high, and before we can really call an officially and completely healed market.

However, are these statistics really painting a true picture of the market or are they being skewed by other factors?

Lower foreclosure figures could certainly be accounted for by at least two other factors. The first being the massive trend in short sales. 40,000 Californian homes have reportedly been sold as short sale since the mortgage settlement, but anyway you count them, it means they are being recycled.

The second could be mortgage lenders holding back on actually filing foreclosures. In fact it was just revealed that Bank of America alone has over $64 billion of 180 day or more delinquent home loans on the books which have not had foreclosure notices filed against them.

Fortunately, most real estate agents and investors are actually crying out for more distressed home inventory as we are now down to only about half of the available homes as 3 years ago. If this is accurate, the San Diego foreclosure crisis peaked in 2009.

This would indicate about another 3 years of foreclosures trailing off while San Diego builds on its reputation as one of the healthiest real estate markets in the country.

Tags: financing, mortgage, San Diego

This entry was posted on Friday, December 28th, 2012 at 4:00 pm and is filed under Financing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://www.cthomesllc.com/2012/12/san-diego-real-estate-mortgage-defaults-diving/

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Taylor Swift named most charitable celebrity

By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, TODAY

She is never, ever getting a bad reputation, at least for charitable works. Country star Taylor Swift is No.1 on the 20 "Celebs Gone Good" list put out by non-profit group DoSomething.org.

Carlo Allegri / Reuters file

The group praised Swift, 23, for being the youngest person ever to receive the?Ripple of Hope Award from the Robert F. Kennedy Center for her charity work, for donating $4 million to the Country Hall of Fame Museum, and for her work with children who have cancer.

Just behind Swift on the list? Actress and singer Miley Cyrus, who was highlighted for her work with Saving SPOT! Dog Rescue, for going barefoot for a day for?TOMS? One Day Without Shoes challenge, and for other charity work.

Also making the list were Channing Tatum, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Robin Roberts and others.

Isaac Brekken / AP

Related content:

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2012/12/28/16214967-taylor-swift-named-most-charitable-celebrity?lite

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Miley Cyrus nails cover of Dolly Parton's 'Jolene'

By Kurt Schlosser, NBC News

If you're tired of Miley Cyrus stories that call attention to her hair, her outfits, her birthday parties or any other thing not related to her singing, you're in luck. Here's a story about her singing.

A new video released as part of Miley's "Backyard Sessions" from earlier this year features the singer covering Dolly Parton's "Jolene."

With her previously long brown locks in a bun atop her head,?Miley sways in a long black skirt and bare feet as she's joined outdoors by her 5-piece band. "Hannah Montana" has long since transformed into a pop music?star, but there's talent in that twang.

Check out Parton performing her hit nearly 40 years ago. We think Miley has done her godmother proud. Tell us if you agree and vote below.

Source: http://entertainment.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/27/16195384-miley-cyrus-belts-out-solid-cover-of-dolly-partons-jolene?lite

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One Year After Buying NewBay, RIM Sells The Mobile Cloud Software Developer To Synchronoss Technologies For $55.5M In Cash

RIM could have a little more cash on hand next quarter. The flailing BlackBerry developer has sold its cloud services unit NewBay to Synchronoss Technologies, the provider of automation software, mobility management, and cloud technology solutions. The acquisition price was $55.5 million in cash, and the transaction closed in the fourth quarter of 2012.

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

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Softball playoff run among year's brightest spots - Milton Independent

There were no team state championships for Milton in 2012, but there was plenty of success in a variety of sports and four individual titles in track and field, including a third straight crown for pole vaulter Karleigh Manfredi.

The most surprising success story of the year was the Yellowjacket softball team, which in the tough Metro Division managed just a 6-10 regular-season record but came up two outs short of reaching the Division II championship game last June.

After going to East Montpelier and pulling off a 9-3 victory over seventh-seed U-32, 10th-ranked Milton got a big gift from Hartford when the No. 15 Hurricanes stunned No. 2 Springfield in the first round. That gave the Yellowjackets an unexpected home playoff game in the semifinals, and they took full advantage with a 15-0 rout to move on to the semifinals against second-seed Lyndon Institute.

At Lyndon, each team had a turn coming out ahead in a dramatic seventh inning.

The Yellowjackets snapped a 3-3 tie in the top of the last inning on a pair of errors and a passed ball but escaped further damage on a tough call at third when a Milton player tried to advance on the second error. The third baseman mishandled the throw in from center field, but trapped the ball between her body and glove as she tagged the runner, getting the out call to end the inning with just one run across. It didn?t take Lyndon long to capitalize, opening the bottom half with a pair of singles and winning the game on Lily a one-out, two-run walkoff triple.

The same weekend, Milton had more success in the Division II track and field state championships.

Seniors Karleigh Manfredi and Kevin Mongeon swept the pole vault, state record holder Manfredi winning a third consecutive title and Mongeon taking his second in a row. Samantha Rock defended her state crown in the 300 hurdles and added second place in the 100 hurdles and triple jump, while a fourth senior, Scott Hitchcox, was champion in the 1500 meters and second in the 3000.

Other strong performances at Fair Haven came from then-sophomore Brooke Phillips (second in the 100 and 300, third in the vault); senior Nathan Fleming (third, 3000) and freshman Joe Badger (third, long jump).

In distance running this fall, a cross country season centered on rebuilding the program featured some superb performances from a host of young runners with more on the way.

Of the 13 Yellowjackets running in the varsity races at the state, there were just two seniors and one junior. The top four girls consisted of freshmen Katie Rayner (ninth), Brielle McDonald and Elizabeth Bashaw and sophomore Kaitlyn Brouard. The boys were led by sophomores Alex Lauzon and Taylor Wensley, with Jackson Hickey and Dylan Hemsted next and the only two seniors in the program.

Looking ahead to next fall, the team will be strengthened by current eighth-graders Emma Preiss and Ryan Joseph. The two swept the mostly Division II Randolph Invitational middle school titles in the fall, and Joseph had one of the best seasons of any runner statewide ? winning the highly competitive Woods Trail Run in Thetford, finishing second in the U-32 Invitational, and then placing in the top 25 at a Junior Olympics qualifying race in New Hampshire (21st out of 127 runners) to earn a spot in the Northeast Regional Championships, where he placed 47th out of 105 athletes.

Milton almost pulled off a playoff upset after the long drive down Route 7, pushing No. 6 seed Burr & Burton deep into the game before the Bulldogs pulled away late for a 60-53 win.

After posting a 9-11 record in the regular season, including a late-season victory over Division I BFA-St. Albans, the Yellowjackets earned the 11th seed for the D-II playoffs.

That set up a first-round trip to Manchester to take on No. 7 Burr & Burton. Milton led late in the third quarter, 39-37, before the Bulldogs? multi-sport star Jake Stalcup converted a three-point play. That started a 13-2 run for B&B, which went all the way to the semifinals before losing to Division II state champion Mt. St. Joseph.

As he had much of the season, junior Derryk O?Grady led Milton in the playoff game with 15 points, while seniors Caleb Harris (14) and Nik Couture (9) also had big nights.

A sensational comeback bid came up just short in the quarterfinals against the same Lyndon team that ended the Yellowjackets? softball season.

Milton?s 14-6 regular season put it in the top four in Division II, ensuring home games in the first two rounds of the state tournament. Milton opened the playoffs with a lopsided win over Vergennes (61-38), but faced a stiffer test when the Vikings came to town for their March 9 quarterfinal.

There wasn?t much scoring but plenty of excitement in the second half in the crowded, loud Milton gym. Lyndon appeared on its way to a comfortable victory on the way to Barre, but the Yellowjackets stormed back into the game. Trailing 30-18, Milton got four points from Paige Johnson, a huge 3-pointer by Samantha Ryea, a steal by Nicole Menard and a pair of Katie O?Brien (16 points) baskets, eventually tying it up at 35 all. Samantha Rock?s steal and layup brought the crowd to its feet and put Milton in front, 39-38 with 19 seconds to go.

Lyndon showed its own poise, though, regaining the lead on a pair of free throws and sealing the win with two more from the line.

The Yellowjackets drew a tough seed for the Lake Division state tournament, their eighth-place finish in Division II setting them up to face No. 1 seed Northfield after an easy win in the first round.

Seth Amstein scored a hat trick before the end of the first period in the opening game at Highgate Arena, a 5-0 victory over Mt. Mansfield. Brandon Beliveau also scored in the Yellowjackets? four-goal first period, and Cody Boyson finished the scoring early in the third.

Milton was not as fortunate in the quarterfinals against top-ranked Northfield, which cruised to a 5-1 win and reached the championship game before falling to No. 2 U-32.

Back-to-back wins midway through the season were a bright spot, but an eight-game losing streak to finish the regular season left Milton ranked 15th and the Yellowjackets were knocked out I the first round of the playoffs by No. 2 Vergennes, 9-3.

After starting the spring with just one win in its first six games, Milton came up with wins over Burlington (8-3) and North Country (7-6) two days apart in early May.

The Yellowjackets did pack a season?s worth of excitement into their May 3 win over North Country, though. The Falcons rallied from a five-run deficit to tie the game on a three-run homer in the seventh inning. But leadoff hitter Mike McClellan singled to start the bottom of the inning, stole second, and scored the walkoff winning run on Jeff Cook?s bouncing base hit into center field.

The young varsity team set a program record for wins with three. All of those victories came against Vergennes, whom Milton beat 6-5, 9-4 and 17-5. Hunter Goodwin led the Yellowjackets with 16 goals on the season, and Sam Noel was the assists leader with nine.

The Yellowjacket boys and girls had mirror-image seasons, each of which came to an end with quarterfinal losses 24 hours apart in Montpelier after struggling much of the season to find consistency.

The boys earned the seventh seed with a 5-7-2 record, and cruised to a 5-0 first-round victory over Stratton Mountain before falling 1-0 to the Solons. It was the Yellowjackets? second straight 1-0 quarterfinal loss, matching their defeat at Burr & Burton a year earlier. In both those contests, Milton dominated play late with all kinds of scoring chances. Burr & Burton went on to win a second straight Division II championship last month, beating Montpelier 2-1 in the title game.

Milton?s girls had to work much harder to get to Montpelier, barely escaping their game against a ski academy in the first round. Green Mountain Valley took a 2-0 lead late into the match, but Brooke Phillips helped save Milton?s season with a sensational hat trick. Her first of the day came with just 11:09 left in regulation time, the second with only 3:33 to play, and the third 4:38 into overtime for the win.

But the Yellowjackets? eighth seed (after an 8-5-1 record) was a tough one, sending the team to Montpelier to take on the eventual state champions. The Solons only loss all fall was to undefeated D-III champ Peoples Academy ? a team that might have been the best in the state at any level ? and their 2-0 win over Milton in the quarterfinals was the closest post-season call they had. Montpelier followed that with a 3-0 win over Spaulding and an 8-0 pounding of No. 2 seed Springfield in the title game.

Source: http://www.miltonindependent.com/softball-playoff-run-among-years-brightest-spots/

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C. African Republic president seeks foreign help

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) ? The president of Central African Republic on Thursday urgently called on France and other foreign powers to help his government fend off rebels who are quickly seizing territory and approaching this capital city, but French officials declined to offer any military assistance.

The developments suggest Central African Republic could be on the brink of another violent change in government, something not new in the history of this resource-rich, yet deeply impoverished country. The current president, Francois Bozize, himself came to power nearly a decade ago in the wake of a rebellion.

Speaking to crowds in Bangui, a city of some 600,000, Bozize pleaded with foreign powers to do what they could. He pointed in particular to France, Central African Republic's former colonial ruler.

About 200 French soldiers are already in the country, providing technical support and helping to train the local army, according to the French defense ministry.

"France has the means to stop (the rebels) but unfortunately they have done nothing for us until now," Bozize said.

French President Francois Hollande said Thursday that France wants to protect its interests in Central African Republic and not Bozize's government. The comments came a day after dozens of protesters, angry about a lack of help against rebel forces, threw rocks at the French Embassy in Bangui and stole a French flag.

Paris is encouraging peace talks between the government and the rebels, with the French Foreign Ministry noting in a statement that negotiations are due to "begin shortly in Libreville (Gabon)." But it was not immediately clear what, if any, dates have been set for those talks.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, meanwhile, spoke via phone with Bozize, asking the president to take responsibility for the safety of French nationals and diplomatic missions in Central African Republic.

Bozize's government earlier reached out to longtime ally Chad, which pledged to send 2,000 troops to bolster Central African Republic's own forces. But it was unclear if the Chadian troops had all arrived, and even then, it is far from certain if the combined government forces could withstand rebel attacks.

At least four different rebel groups are involved, though their overall numbers could not immediately be confirmed.

Central African Republic, a landlocked nation of some 4.4 million people, is roughly the size of France. It has suffered decades of army revolts, coups and rebellions since gaining independence in 1960 and remains one of the poorest countries in the world.

The rebels behind the most recent instability signed a 2007 peace accord allowing them to join the regular army, but insurgent leaders say the deal wasn't fully implemented.

Already, the rebel forces have seized at least 10 towns across the sparsely populated north of the country, and residents in the capital now fear the insurgents could attack at any time, despite assurances by rebel leaders that they are willing to engage in dialogue instead of attacking Bangui.

The rebels have claimed that their actions are justified in light of the "thirst for justice, for peace, for security and for economic development of the people of Central African Republic."

Despite Central African Republic's wealth of gold, diamonds, timber and uranium, the government remains perpetually cash-strapped. Filip Hilgert, a researcher with Belgium-based International Peace Information Service, said rebel groups are unhappy because they feel the government doesn't invest in their areas.

"The main thing they say is that the north of the country, and especially in their case the northeast, has always been neglected by the central government in all ways," he said.

But the rebels also are demanding that the government make payments to ex-combatants, suggesting that their motives may also be for personal financial gain.

Bozize, a former military commander, came to power in a 2003 rebel war that ousted his predecessor, Ange-Felix Patasse. In his address Thursday, Bozize said he remained open to dialogue with the rebels, but he also accused them and their allies of financial greed.

Those allies, he implied, are outside Central African Republic.

"For me, there are individuals who are being manipulated by an outside hand, dreaming of exploiting the rich Central African Republic soil," he said. "They want only to stop us from benefiting from our oil, our diamonds, our uranium and our gold."

___

Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer Sarah DiLorenzo in Paris contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-12-27-Central%20African%20Republic-Rebel%20Advance/id-4d54d49472e3498f8caeb89ee6355661

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Way cool macro photos of the human eye (Americablog)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

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Settlement reached in Toyota acceleration cases

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it has reached a settlement worth more than $1 billion in a case involving unintended acceleration problems in its vehicles.

The company said the deal will resolve hundreds of lawsuits from Toyota owners who said the value of their cars and trucks plummeted after a series of recalls stemming from claims that Toyota vehicles accelerated unintentionally.

Steve Berman, a lawyer representing Toyota owners, said the settlement is the largest in U.S. history involving automobile defects.

"We kept fighting and fighting and we secured what we think was a good settlement given the risks of this litigation," Berman told The Associated Press.

The proposed deal was filed Wednesday and must receive the approval of U.S. District Judge James Selna, who was expected to review the settlement Friday.

Toyota said it will take a one-time, $1.1 billion pre-tax charge against earnings to cover the estimated costs of the settlement. Berman said the total value of the deal is between $1.2 billion and $1.4 billion.

Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against Toyota since 2009, when the Japanese automaker started receiving numerous complaints that its cars accelerated on their own, causing crashes, injuries and even deaths.

The cases were consolidated in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana and divided into two categories: economic loss and wrongful death. Claims by people who seek compensation for injury and death due to sudden acceleration are not part of the settlement; the first trial involving those suits is scheduled for February.

As part of the economic loss settlement, Toyota will offer cash payments from a pool of about $250 million to eligible customers who sold vehicles or turned in leased vehicles between September 2009 and December 2010.

The company also will launch a $250 million program for 16 million current owners to provide supplemental warranty coverage for certain vehicle components, and it will retrofit about 3.2 million vehicles with a brake override system. An override system is designed to ensure a car will stop when the brakes are applied, even if the accelerator pedal is depressed.

The settlement would also establish additional driver education programs and fund new research into advanced safety technologies.

"In keeping with our core principles, we have structured this agreement in ways that work to put our customers first and demonstrate that they can count on Toyota to stand behind our vehicles," said Christopher Reynolds, Toyota vice president and general counsel.

Current and former Toyota owners are expected to receive more information about the settlement in the coming months. Some information is also available at http://www.ToyotaELsettlement.com , a website created for Toyota owners affected by the settlement.

"We are extraordinarily proud of how we were able to represent the interests of Toyota owners, and believe this settlement is both comprehensive in its scope and fair in compensation," Berman said.

Toyota has recalled more than 14 million vehicles worldwide due to acceleration problems in several models and brake defects with the Prius hybrid. The automaker has blamed driver error, faulty floor mats and stuck accelerator pedals for the problems.

Plaintiffs' attorneys have spent the past two years deposing Toyota employees, poring over thousands of documents and reviewing software code, but the company maintains those lawyers have been unable to prove that a design defect ? namely Toyota's electronic throttle control system ? was responsible for vehicles surging unexpectedly.

Both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and NASA were unable to find any defects in Toyota's source code that could cause problems.

The company has been dogged by fines for not reporting problems in a timely manner.

Earlier this month, NHTSA doled out a record $17.4 million fine to Toyota for failing to quickly report floor mat problems with some of its Lexus models. Toyota paid a total of $48.8 million in fines for three violations in 2010.

Toyota President Akio Toyoda appeared before Congress last year and pledged to strengthen quality control. Recent sales figures show the company appears to have rebounded following its safety issues.

___

Online:

Settlement website: http://www.ToyotaELsettlement.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/settlement-reached-toyota-acceleration-cases-221548964--finance.html

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Your Rear Will Feel Great By Using These Tactics : : Critical Care 2011

Continually be mindful of your posture. Sustaining upright posture will help you to eliminate lower back pain, or at a minimum decrease it drastically. Poor posture may result in a aching back, so by being conscious of the issue you can efficiently cut down on the chance of a aching back. Your reward for following this assistance will probably be less lower back pain and a lot more huge smiles!In case you have repeated back aches and pains, smoking could be the major reason for your difficulties. Smoking may cause disc deterioration in your spine, and minimizes blood circulation.

To diminish your back pain, ensure you bodily exercise on a daily basis. A few simple exercises construct wonders to all your back pain. Undertake doing crunches and pelvic thrusts (all the while over your lower back, raise your knees, and just click your back into the floor).

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Many people have found that a regular routine of those two simple exercises genuinely lessens their back pain.

Clinic healthy posture and make it an endless focus. Sitting at the laptop or ranking for extended periods of time can certainly be uncomfortable, specifically if you allow your own circumstances to supply in to the recession. Remain assemble the times you try to sit or base and keep your spine as precise as easy to alleviate any additional force on the bones.

If you suffer from back pain, you are aware how considerable may perhaps interfere with every aspect of your health. Back pain can impact the quality and capability of simple daily activities like bathing, attaining an item through the shelf, several sleeping. Locate actions you can take to combat back pain, rustic, handcrafted lighting. Here are some great tips.

It can be estimated that two thirds of people will go through having a significant episode of lower back pain one or more times inside their lifestyle. The majority of people feel a precise incident causes the rear ache to show up. The truth is, lower back pain generally is preceded from a cumulative set of scenarios.

Even when you shouldn?t beverage many liquor if you suffer from an unsatisfactory back, taking in a modest amount of red red wine could actually support relieve lower back pain. Wine helps your muscle mass to relax, and thus, it might be a fantastic approach to improving your rest so long as you apply it in moderation. Ingesting an occasional glass of red red wine might be a wonderful remedy for a painful back.

Prices is important lounge chair if back pain is an issue for you. A comfortable reclining chair certain can feel nice, however it is not made with the health and fitness of these lower back in mind. A chair that pushes you to keep healthy posture is a better option. Stick to one single that has a firm lower back and a comfortable seat.

Anytime you are driving near or meeting for a long time, you happen to be using your lower back in danger. Purchase lower back pads that are designed to support for lower back difficulties. You will discover these web based or simply at your neighborhood drug store.

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They?ve got different styles of assistance pads, and you simply need to locate one that you simply feel comfortable employing.

To avoid back pain and shock you must deal with the thing you happen to be raising, flex at the knees, tuck inside your stomach muscles and avoid jerking or rotating. If you jerk, perspective or flex at the waistline you happen to be most likely to obtain hurt or make any established back pain more painful.

Sporting appropriate shoes that assist and cushion your feet may help stop lower back pain. When your footwear is definitely the completely wrong sizing or perhaps is not comfortable, your posture can shift, mailing ache in your back.

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When you can?t give up great heels, limit just how long you use them and employ insoles to include convenience.

If you have lower back pain, place with your knees and hips in an position around 90 degrees. You?ll really feel stress-free and comfortable, stretches out your muscle mass and finishing the pain. If the will not appear to be to help you, try experimenting with different placements to discover one particular which works for you.

Healthy posture is amongst the most vital elements using a nutritious lower back! Back pain could be an horrible hurdle within our daily lives several give us complication all the while we attempt to rest! One of the best actions you can take to all your lower back is keep correct posture all the while walking or ranking fairly a few absolutely whilst you are meeting so preserve spine precise and avoid any ahead bending.

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Source: http://www.criticalcare2011.org/your-rear-will-feel-great-by-using-these-tactics

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Source: http://chauncey785.typepad.com/blog/2012/12/your-rear-will-feel-great-by-using-these-tactics-critical-care-2011.html

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