The shifting definition of the Web browser | PandoDaily

By Nathaniel Mott
On December 31, 2012

The Web comes in all shapes and sizes. Designers and developers are tasked with building sites capable of shifting from 3-inch smartphone displays to 92-inch (yes, really) ?smart? television sets and everywhere in between. Yet supporting an ever-expanding array of screen sizes is only half the battle. Developers also have to account for all kinds of Web browsers ? and there are more of them than you might think.

Most people probably think of Safari, Google Chrome, or Internet Explorer when they think ?Web browser.? (Assuming they know what a browser is in the first place, that is.) But a quick look at the home screen of any device can show that there are browsers hidden everywhere. Your Twitter client probably has a built-in browser. So does your read-later app, the Facebook app, your RSS reader, your social reading app, and so on. Browsers are everywhere, and they don?t always work as we might think.

First, why all of these apps have embedded browsers in the first place: They want users to stay within that app. This means that users are sticking with an app instead of bouncing around to a dedicated browser every time they want to view something that doesn?t reside in that particular app?s data silo, keeping the developer happy ? who doesn?t want their app to be used? ? and saving the user from having to constantly ?shift gears.?

Twitterrific, a Windows Phone -styled Twitter client for the iPhone and iPad, offers a prime example. One might expect that the iPad app?s embedded browser would use the entire screen, but it doesn?t. Users are instead treated to a cut-off view that uses maybe half of the iPad?s screen when held like a magazine. Suddenly the tablet-specific view doesn?t seem so appealing, as the aspect ratio and size are much different than designers probably anticipated.

This sizing problem is common across other embedded browsers, though not to the same extent. Tumblr?s iPhone app shows just a few more pixels on each Web page than Safari for iPhone, for example, while Google Chrome for iOS shows more than either. These differences are slight but noticeable, and go a long way towards making a Web page feel ?cramped? or just-right.

Then there are browsers that just don?t want to cooperate with websites. Prismatic, a social reading app, doesn?t play well with Quartz, the Atlantic?s global business website, for example. Quartz displays a ?this site uses technologies which aren?t supported by your browser? error every time I try to read an article in Prismatic, severely cramping the app?s ?read whatever interests you? style.

But, then, battling with technological differences between browsers isn?t anything new. It isn?t enough to build a site that displays properly in Google Chrome or Safari, which both use WebKit as a base ? the site needs to work in Internet Explorer, Firefox, and, to a lesser degree, Opera. Sites need to work for anyone who visits ? falling short of that, they need to work for as many people who visit as possible, and that means supporting the little niggles inherent with every major platform.

So, what?s the solution? Well, in all honesty, there probably isn?t one ? developers and designers have had to work with the limitations imposed by browser makers? whims for years now, and that doesn?t show any sign of changing. Some form of improved multi-tasking in iOS, which treats every app as a separate entity from the Web and other installed applications, might help a bit, but it?s far from a silver bullet.

Mobile didn?t just lead to the proliferation of different screen sizes. It also started to blur the line between what an ?app? and a ?browser? is, allowing developers to create their own little looking glasses, their own windows into the Web. While this is appealing to both users and developers for the reasons outlined above, it?s also a pain in the ass for developers. Which raises the question of whether or not we?ll ever truly have a uniform, completely optimized view of the Web.

Probably not.

[Image via getonfast.com]

Nathaniel Mott

Nathaniel Mott is a staff writer for PandoDaily, covering startups and technology from New York.

Source: http://pandodaily.com/2012/12/31/the-shifting-definition-of-the-web-browser/

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Pagano returns as Indianapolis beats Texans 28-16

Houston Texans' Andre Johnson (80) is tackled by Indianapolis Colts' Jerrell Freeman (50), Vontae Davis (23) and Joe Lefeged (35) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

Houston Texans' Andre Johnson (80) is tackled by Indianapolis Colts' Jerrell Freeman (50), Vontae Davis (23) and Joe Lefeged (35) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

Indianapolis Colts' T.Y. Hilton (13) reacts following a 70-yard touchdown reception during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

Indianapolis Colts' T.Y. Hilton (13) makes a 70-yard touchdown reception against Houston Texans' Johnathan Joseph (24) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano talks to Robert Mathis (98) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano is greeted by family members after walking onto the field before an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Indianapolis. Pagano is back as coach after nearly three months of treatments for leukemia. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? Chuck Pagano walked onto the field Sunday waving to the fans and hugging his wife.

He left the field hugging everybody in sight ? assistant coaches, Colts players, even Texans players and coaches ? before dancing in the locker room.

Why not?

Andrew Luck threw for two TDs, Vick Ballard ran for another and Deji Karim scored on a 101-yard kickoff return to give the cancer-beating coach a 28-16 win over AFC South champ Houston in his return to the sideline.

Those who thought Pagano might take it easy in his first game back at the helm of the wild-card Colts since starting the first of three rounds of chemotherapy Sept. 26 were wrong.

Pagano spent the pregame warm-ups hugging friends such as offensive coordinator and former interim coach Bruce Arians, and Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. During the game, he was the same old guy. Pagano took his customary linebacker stance, hands on bended knees, signaled touchdowns when the Colts scored, patted players on their helmets and gestured for flags to be thrown. He even sprinted a few times.

Fans gave Pagano a standing ovation after a 1-minute video was shown on the stadium's two Jumbotrons just before kickoff.

But Pagano's players wanted to welcome back another way: with a victory celebration. Indy (11-5) did everything it needed to get it Sunday, perhaps damaging the Texans' playoff seeding, too.

The Colts play at Baltimore in the wild-card round next weekend. The slumping Texans (12-4) have lost three of their last four and won't know their AFC seeing until after Denver and New England finish later Sunday.

Indy prevented J.J. Watt from getting any closer to Michael Strahan's NFL sacks record (22?). Watt finished the season with 20?.

Luck broke Peyton Manning's rookie record for completions and moved into third all-time among rookies with 22 TD passes. He finished 14 of 28 for 191 yards, giving him 339 completions this season.

Of course, the Colts gave Pagano a game ball, then watched him lead an impromptu dance in the locker room, including a do-si-do with team owner Jimmy Irsay.

It didn't take long for the Colts to assert themselves in this emotional environment ? or to swing the game when the Texans took their only lead. Shayne Graham made a 37-yard field goal with 5:22 left in the third quarter, but that lead lasted all of 12 seconds.

Karim fielded the ensuing kickoff 1 yard deep in the end zone, found a seam in the middle of the field and never slowed until he reached the opposite end zone to make it 21-16. Pagano patted him on the helmet after the longest kickoff return since the Colts moved to Indy in 1984.

Then, facing third-and-23 from the 30, Luck threw a perfect strike through a narrow window, hitting T.Y. Hilton in stride for a 70-yard TD to make it 28-16.

On a day the Texans mostly settled for field goals, that's all the Colts needed.

Luck masterfully led the Colts 75 yards in 13 plays on the game's opening possession, prompting Pagano to call for a defensive pass interference call on third-and-goal. Pagano also flung his arms into the air when Luck hooked up with Coby Fleener for a 1-yard score.

Graham made a 51-yard field goal late in the first quarter and 37-yarder early in the second.

But after Matt Schaub's underthrown pass was picked off by Vontae Davis and returned 26 yards to the Houston 39, Luck went back to work. He found Hilton for a 17-yard completion before Ballard plunged in from the 1 to make it 14-6.

Pagano was even on the minds of the Texans.

Houston opened the second half with its only touchdown when Arian Foster broke through a hole for a 13-yard TD run. Instead of doing his trademark bow, though, Foster ran through the end zone and tapped the (hash)Chuckstrong sign hanging on the wall. That made it 14-13.

Schaub finished 24 of 36 for 275 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns. Foster ran 16 times for 96 yards.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-30-FBN-Texans-Colts/id-9c131dfb368f4cec82ed42d72c171741

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New Year's Resolution from The Skin Cancer Foundation ...

Four Tips for Preventing Skin Cancer and Keeping Skin Healthy

NEW YORK, N.Y. ? Adopting healthy skin habits in 2013 could save your life. Thousands of people in the United States die each year from skin cancer, a highly preventable and treatable disease. Skin cancer can affect anyone, regardless of age or skin color, which is why making skin health a priority should be on everyone?s list of New Year?s Resolutions.

With an easy to remember acronym, S.K.I.N., The Skin Cancer Foundation is proposing four simple steps for keeping skin cancer prevention and skin health top of mind in 2013 and beyond: Skip the tanning bed, Keep up with skin exams, Ignore the myths, and Never skimp on sun protection.

Skip the tanning bed
New research findings reveal that just one indoor UV tanning session increases the risk of melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, by 20 percent, and each additional session during the same year boosts the risk almost another 2 percent. Each year in the United States more than 9,000 people die of melanoma. Overall, indoor UV tanners are 74 percent more likely to develop melanoma than those who have never tanned indoors, and those who begin tanning before the age of 35 increase their melanoma risk by almost 90 percent.

Keep up with skin exams
Skin cancers found and removed early are almost always curable. The five-year survival rate for patients whose melanoma is detected early, before the tumor has penetrated the skin, is about 98 percent. The survival rate falls significantly when the disease has the chance to metastasize (spread) throughout the body. Check your skin from head-to-toe each month, and visit a dermatologist annually for a professional skin exam. If you notice any change in an existing mole or discover a new one that looks suspicious, see a physician immediately. Visit SkinCancer.org to download a guide to self-exams and find a local dermatologist with the Foundation?s Physician Finder.

Ignore the myths (and learn the facts)
There are many misconceptions surrounding skin health, particularly when it comes to skin cancer and sun protection. For example, spending time outdoors without sun protection is not the best way to obtain vitamin D; doing so will increase your risk of skin cancers, premature skin aging and a weakened immune system. Vitamin D can be acquired safely through diet and supplements.

Another common myth is that you need sun protection only on sunny days. The intensity of the sun?s UV rays is not simply linked to air temperature, and while bright, hot, sunny days always pose UV risks, you can damage your skin on cold or cloudy days as well. This is because even when it?s overcast, between 50 and 80 percent of UV rays penetrate the clouds to reach the skin.

Never skimp on sun protection (even indoors)
The Foundation recommends adopting a complete sun-protection regimen: cover up with protective clothing (including wide-brimmed hats and UV-blocking sunglasses), seek shade between 10 AM and 4 PM, and wear sunscreen every day. Because UVA radiation can pass through glass, be mindful of sun protection even while at home and in the car. Consider installing window film, which can block almost 100 percent of UVA radiation from penetrating glass. For more information, visit SkinCancer.org.

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Source: http://njtoday.net/2012/12/31/new-years-resolution-from-the-skin-cancer-foundation-remember-s-k-i-n/

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Giants top Eagles 42-7, but Giants out of playoffs

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) reacts after throwing a toucdown pass to Rueben Randle during the first half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) reacts after throwing a toucdown pass to Rueben Randle during the first half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid walks on the field before an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

New York Giants running back David Wilson (22) flips while celebrating a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

New York Giants wide receiver Rueben Randle (82) celebrates with teammate Victor Cruz (80) after scoring a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012 in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

A contingent of teachers, parents, and students from Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., take part in ceremonies before Sunday's game between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in East Rutherford, N.J. The school was the site of a mass shooting on Dec. 14. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) ? There will be no repeat for the New York Giants. Not even a playoff berth.

The Giants (9-7) saw their playoff hopes end minutes after posting a 42-7 win over the Philadelphia Eagles when Chicago beat Detroit 26-24 to eliminate the defending Super Bowl champions from playoff contention.

It marks the seventh straight season the Super Bowl champion has failed to win a playoff game the following year.

The Giants came into the regular-season finale needing to beat the Eagles (4-12), have Chicago and Minnesota lose and then have Dallas either lose or tie against Washington to advance to the postseason. The Bears' win brought a quick end to that scenario playing out.

Eli Manning did his part with a career-best five touchdown passes, and fans who stuck around were chanting "Let's Go Lions" as the final moments ticked off in the Chicago-Detroit game.

"Nine and seven was good enough last year," Manning said after a game that might have been Andy Reid's final one as the Eagles' coach. "It wasn't good enough this year and we knew it wouldn't be."

The Giants put themselves in a tough spot to reach the playoffs, losing five of seven prior to Sunday, including two games by a combined 67-14 margin to playoff-bound Atlanta and Baltimore.

Manning woke up the offense with touchdown passes of 3 and 38 yards to rookie Rueben Randle, a 15-yarder to David Wilson and a 24-yarder to Victor Cruz just before halftime for a 35-3 lead. He's the first Giants player to throw five TD passes in a game since Phil Simms did it against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1980. His fifth score was a 1-yard pass to fullback Henry Hynoski in the fourth quarter.

Manning finished 13 of 21 for 208 yards and no interceptions. Ahmad Bradshaw, who rushed for 107 yards and passed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the second time in his career, also scored on a 1-yard run.

Starting for the first time since a concussion against Dallas in early November, Michael Vick threw a 7-yard touchdown to Jeremy Maclin. Vick finished 19 of 35 for 197 yards and one interception before being replaced by Trent Edwards late.

The Eagles surprised the Giants on a cold and windy day with an onside kick to open the game. Vick and the Eagles took over at their 47 and got a first down at the Giants 40.

However, turnovers have hurt the Eagles all season, and it happened again when Stevie Brown came up with his eighth interception and returned the ball to the Eagles 26.

Manning needed four plays to score, finding Randle over the middle for his second touchdown of his rookie season. His third came on the following series when New York went 74 yards in five plays with Randle catching a go-pattern down the left sideline from 38-yards out for a 14-0 lead.

It was all Giants after that as New York scored on its first three possessions. The third touchdown was another pass to a rookie, with Wilson catching a 15-yarder after running a wheel route out of the backfield.

Philadelphia's only touchdown came in the opening minutes of the second quarter, and it might have been Vick's last with the team. The Eagles have to decide whether to keep the oft-injured quarterback or turn things over to Nick Foles.

Bradshaw's 1-yard run stretched the lead to 28-7 later in the quarter and Manning and Cruz hooked on a salsa-inducing touchdown with 10 seconds left in the half, just two plays after a fourth-down gamble by Reid failed.

___

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-Eagles-Giants/id-c8ade22d83734bbe91e9092dc0e398c2

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College Football Flashback: 2000 Rose Bowl

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Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

How times have changed. It will be 13 years ago Tuesday that the Wisconsin Badgers and Stanford Cardinal played against each other in the Rose Bowl. Back then it was presented by AT&T and not Vizio. Back then the BCS was just beginning and hadn?t yet faced the scrutiny it currently does. Back then the Pac-12 was still the Pac-10 and the Big Ten only had 11 teams. Back then the Cardinal got in as a surprise, almost Cinderella story while the Badgers were a power looking for a second straight top-five finish. How times have changed.

I was a child nearing puberty at the time and it was a big deal anytime the Badgers were in a bowl game on New Year?s Day. By 2000, it had almost become normalized that the Badgers would be playing on January 1. An appearance in the Rose Bowl for the Badgers made things even more special at my house on the first day of the year.

January 1, 1994 was a three-person party with my brother, my mom, and myself having our eyes glued to our T.V. while watching the Badgers in a bowl game that seemed impossible to get to just a few years before. Then on the first day of 1999, Ron Dayne lead the Badgers to an upset Rose Bowl win over the UCLA Bruins. This win established the Badgers as a recurring power in the Big Ten. The fact that the Badgers only lost once in the ?99 season, that Dayne broke the NCAA rushing yards record, and that Dayne won the Heisman Trophy came as no surprise to almost everyone in the state of Wisconsin. Well, the fact that the Badgers lost once that season may have come as a surprise to many.

The Badgers came into the 2000 Rose Bowl game with only one loss and were looking to be the first Big Ten team to repeat in Pasadena ever. The Cardinal came in looking to make a statement that their football program was back on the rise. The Cardinal entered the game with an 8-3 record and were barely inside the top-25.

It shouldn?t need to be noted, but due to the small amount of black head coaches in college football, it should be noted that the coach of the Cardinal in both the 2000 (Tyrone Willingham) and 2013 (David Shaw) Rose Bowls will be black. On the other side, and in a weird bit of irony, the coach of the Badgers in both of these Rose Bowl games will be the same man: Barry Alvarez.

The most surprising part of this game to me was that the Cardinal played close with the Badgers for almost the entire game. Evidence of this is the fact that the Cardinal lead the game 9-3 at halftime in what was a very defensive game. All of that was the opposite of what I was expecting; Dayne was a monster in college and all expectations were that he would run over the Cardinal defense while the Cardinal didn?t have much of anything that appeared to be a secret weapon or something they could exploit to their advantage. But they found a way.

It turned out that rushing was the key in this game, as it will likely end up being in this season?s Rose Bowl. The Cardinal rushed for minus five yards as a team while Dayne rushed for 200 yards. The Cardinal passing attack died down in the second half and the Badgers took over the game when that happened on their way to a 17-9 win. This allowed the three of us at home to breath a sigh of relief as for more than 30 minutes, a major upset seemed possible.

If you?ve caught on that much of this seems familiar and has been illustrated as being familiar, good. The point of this article was not only to flashback to a time when I was a child, but to point out that football can have instances (mainly in the post-season) where history repeats itself, even if it repeats itself with more than a decade in between. Such is the case with this year?s Rose Bowl that not only has many factors that are familiar to the 2000 game, but many that are almost exactly the same. Such is football and the weird ways that history can repeat itself in this sport. If you want a clearer example of this, look at the New York Giants? run through last year?s NFL playoffs and compare it to their Super Bowl run in the 2007 season.

Source: http://www.rantsports.com/ncaa-football/2012/12/30/flashback-2000-rose-bowl/

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Soccer-Tunisia win first Nations Cup warm-up game

DEAR ABBY: My sister, the mother of three boys, is now unable to take care of them. My family is asking me and my new husband to take them in. To me it's a no-brainer -- something I'd do in a heartbeat. My husband refuses! He says that if we do, we'll never have children of our own. I feel like I'm being forced to choose between my husband and my nephews. What would you do? -- PULLED IN TWO IN CINCINNATIDEAR PULLED IN TWO: I'd keep talking to my husband about it, and find out why he thinks that taking in your nephews would prevent you from having children of your own. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/soccer-tunisia-win-first-nations-cup-warm-game-165938268--sow.html

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Experts: Trained police needed for school security

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The student's attack began with a shotgun blast through the windows of a California high school. Rich Agundez, the El Cajon policeman assigned to the school, felt his mind shift into overdrive.

People yelled at him amid the chaos but he didn't hear. He experienced "a tunnel vision of concentration."

While two teachers and three students were injured when the glass shattered in the 2001 attack on Granite Hills High School, Agundez confronted the assailant and wounded him before he could get inside the school and use his second weapon, a handgun.

The National Rifle Association's response to a Connecticut school massacre envisions, in part, having trained, armed volunteers in every school in America. But Agundez, school safety experts and school board members say there's a huge difference between a trained law enforcement officer who becomes part of the school family ? and a guard with a gun.

The NRA's proposal has sparked a debate across the country as gun control rises once again as a national issue. President Barack Obama promised to present a plan in January to confront gun violence in the aftermath of the killing of 20 Sandy Hook Elementary School students and six teachers in Newtown, Conn.

Agundez said what happened before the shooting in the San Diego County school should frame the debate over the NRA's proposal.

With a shooting at another county school just weeks before, Agundez had trained the staff in how to lock down the school, assigned evacuation points, instructed teachers to lock doors, close curtains and turn off the lights. He even told them computers should be used where possible to communicate, to lessen the chaos.

And his training? A former SWAT team member, Agundez' preparation placed him in simulated stressful situations and taught him to evade a shooter's bullets. And the kids in the school knew to follow his advice because they knew him. He spoke in their classrooms and counseled them when they came to him with problems.

In the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre, school boards, administrators, teachers and parents are reviewing their security measures.

School security officers can range from the best-trained police officers to unarmed private guards. Some big-city districts with gang problems and crime formed their own police agencies years ago. Others, after the murder of 13 people at Columbine High School in 1999, started joint agreements with local police departments to have officers assigned to schools ? even though that was no guarantee of preventing violence. A trained police officer at Columbine confronted one of two shooters but couldn't prevent the death of 13 people.

"Our association would be uncomfortable with volunteers," said Mo Canady, executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers ? whose members are mostly trained law enforcement officers who "become part of the school family.'"

Canady questioned how police officers responding to reports of a shooter would know whether the person with a gun is a volunteer or the assailant.

Former Rep. Asa Hutchinson, who also was a top Homeland Security official and will head the NRA effort, said the program will have two key elements.

One is a model security plan "based on the latest, most up-to-date technical information from the foremost experts in their fields." Each school could tweak the plan to its own circumstances, and "armed, trained, qualified school security personnel will be but one element."

The second element may prove the more controversial because, to avoid massive funding for local authorities, it would use volunteers. Hutchinson said in his home state of Arkansas, his son was a volunteer with a local group "Watchdog Dads," who volunteered at schools to patrol playgrounds and provide added security.

He said retired police officers, former members of the military or rescue personnel would be among those likely to volunteer.

There's even debate over whether anyone should have a gun in a school, even a trained law enforcement officer.

"In general teachers don't want guns in schools period," said Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association, one of the two large unions representing teachers. He added that one size does not fit all districts and said the union has supported schools that wanted a trained officer. Most teachers, he said, do not want to be armed themselves.

"It's a school. It's not a place where guns should be," he commented.

The security situation around the country is mixed.

?Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio says he has the authority to mobilize private citizens to fight crime and plans to post armed private posse members around the perimeter of schools. He said he hasn't spoken to specific school districts and doesn't plan to have the citizen posse members inside the buildings.

?The Snohomish School District north of Seattle got rid of its school officers because of the expense.

?The Las Vegas-based Clark County School District has its own police department and places armed officers in and around its 49 high school campuses. Officers patrol outside elementary and middle schools. The Washoe County School District in Nevada also has a police force, but it was only about a decade ago that the officers were authorized to carry guns on campus.

?In Milwaukee, a dozen city police officers cover the school district but spend most of their time in seven of the 25 high schools. In Madison, Wis., an armed police officer has worked in each of the district's four high schools since the mid-1990s.

?For the last five years, an armed police officer has worked in each of the two high schools and three middle schools in Champaign, Ill. Board of Education member Kristine Chalifoux said there are no plans to increase security, adding, "I don't want our country to become an armed police state."

?A Utah group is offering free concealed-weapons permit training for teachers as a result of the Connecticut shootings. Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne proposed a plan to allow one educator in each school to carry a gun.

Ed Massey, vice chairman of the Boone County, Ky., school board and president of the National School Boards Association, said his district has nine trained law enforcement officers for 23 schools and "would love to have one in every school."

"They bring a sense of security and have done tremendous work in deterring problems in school," he said. "The number of expulsions have dramatically decreased. We used to have 15 or 20 a year. Now we have one or two in the last three years."

An officer, he said, "is not just a hired gun. They have an office in the school. They are trained in crisis management, handling mass casualties and medical emergencies."

He said a poster given out by the local sheriff's department shows one of the officers and talks about literacy and reading.

Kenneth Trump, president of the National School Safety and Security Services consulting firm, said having trained officers in schools is "more of a prevention program than a reactive program if you have the right officers who want to work with kids."

But he also criticized a drop in funding for school security, saying, "Congress and the last two administrations have chipped away to the point of elimination of every program for school security and emergency planning."

Dr. Ronald Stephens, executive director of the National School Safety Center that provides training to schools, said the NRA's suggestion of using volunteers "is a whole new concept of school safety." He questioned whether the NRA wants to bring the best sharpshooters on campus.

"How is that going to create a positive atmosphere for young people?" he asked. "How does that work on the prevention side?"

Agundez, 52, who retired as a policeman in 2010, learned shortly before his retirement just how much his trained reaction to a shooter affected students at Granite Hills High.

He was writing a traffic ticket and the driver's whole body started shaking. He had been a student that day nine years earlier.

"He gave me a hug," Agundez recalled. "He said 'I always wanted to thank you.' You saved our lives."

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Associated Press writers Todd Richmond, Michael Tarm, Greg Moore, Ken Ritter, Sandra Chereb and Donna Blankinship contributed to this report.

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Follow Larry Margasak on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/LarryMargasak

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/experts-trained-police-needed-school-185203575.html

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Las Vegas police investigate discovery of girl's body

NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. (AP) ? Police investigating the week-old disappearance of a 10-year-old Las Vegas girl said Thursday they think they found the child's body in an undeveloped housing tract in North Las Vegas.

Authorities couldn't immediately confirm the body was Jade Morris pending positive identification and notification of family members by the Clark County coroner, Las Vegas police homicide Capt. Chris Jones said.

But, "I can tell you that the likelihood is that this is our victim," Jones said.

He also said that the body belongs to a black girl.

Coroner Michael Murphy said he did not expect positive identification until Friday.

Jade was last seen by her family at about 5 p.m. Dec. 21 when Brenda Stokes picked her up for a shopping outing, police said. Police said Stokes was a trusted friend of the girl's father, and family members have told reporters that the two dated for several years.

Stokes, who also uses the name Brenda Wilson, was later arrested after she was accused of slashing a co-worker with razor blades at the Bellagio resort casino.

Stokes, 50, is now in jail and Jones said she has not cooperated in the investigation about the girl's whereabouts.

A passer-by called 911 about noon Thursday, and North Las Vegas police found a girl's body in unkempt brush near palm trees in a small traffic circle near Dorrell Lane and North 5th Street.

The location is a short distance from the northern 215 Beltway and about 10 miles from the downtown Las Vegas outlet mall off Interstate 15 where Stokes was to have taken the girl shopping.

Attempts by The Associated Press to reach family members on Thursday were unsuccessful.

Stokes picked up the girl about 5 p.m., and two hours later returned to another friend the red 2007 Saab sedan that she borrowed for the shopping trip, Jones said.

Later, Stokes got a ride with a friend to the Bellagio resort on the Las Vegas Strip, where she was arrested after allegedly attacking a female co-worker, Joyce Rhone, with a razor in each hand as Rhone dealt blackjack about 9:30 p.m.

Rhone, 44, was hospitalized with deep cuts on her face, including one from her ear to the edge of her mouth. A police arrest report said Rhone also had several smaller cuts around her right eye.

Records show that Stokes was being held Thursday on $60,000 bail at the Clark County jail on felony battery with a weapon, burglary and mayhem charges that could get her decades in prison.

She told a judge Wednesday that she had not obtained a lawyer. She was due again in Las Vegas Justice Court on Friday.

The arrest report says casino video shows Stokes attacking Rhone before a casino patron and security officers intervene. Officer Marcus Martin said the video is evidence that may be shown by prosecutors in court but will not be made public by police.

Police said Stokes later told investigators that she attacked Rhone over harassing phone calls and an unspecified betrayal that ended their seven-year friendship.

Stokes also told police she visited her doctor last week, seeking to be admitted to a hospital "due to feeling like she wanted to hurt someone."

She is reported to have told investigators she hadn't taken a prescription anti-anxiety drug on Friday, and that, "Sometimes people just snap."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/vegas-police-investigate-discovery-girls-body-231900089.html

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UK's Pearson invests in Barnes & Noble's Nook

LONDON (AP) ? Pearson, the U.K. publisher and education company, is to take a 5 percent stake in Barnes & Noble's NOOK e-reader as technology companies seek new inroads into the potentially lucrative business of digital textbooks for schools.

Pearson PLC will pay $89.5 million cash for a 5 percent stake in NOOK Media LLC which includes the bookseller's e-reader and tablets, its digital bookstore and its 674 stores serving U.S. colleges. Barnes & Noble will hold 78.2 percent of the business and Microsoft will have about 16.8 percent, the company said Friday.

Major tech companies have looked for inroads into the industry, seeing tablets like the iPad and the NOOK as replacements for the dozens of books that students must lug to and from school each day.

Walter Isaacson in his biography of Steve Jobs wrote about meetings between the co-founder of Apple Inc. and major publishers to accomplish just that before his death last year.

Janney Capital Markets described the tie-up between Pearson and Barnes & Noble as an "online education dream team."

"After this investment from Pearson, it is more clear that Nook Media has its sight set on transforming the way education is administered in the U.S. and around the world," analyst David Strasser wrote.

Pearson is the largest higher educational publisher in the world and the largest in kindergarten-through-high school publisher in the United States, Janney said. The company, which also owns the Financial Times and whose Penguin book brand is in the process of being merged with Random House, reported that its textbooks and training made 1.9 billion pounds ($3 billion) in revenue the first six months of 2012.

Will Ethridge, CEO of Pearson North America, says his company had worked with Barnes & Noble for decades and have invested heavily in providing engaging and effective digital reading experiences.

"It is another example of our strategy of making our content and services broadly available to students and faculty through a wide range of distribution partners," Ethridge said.

Barnes & Noble Inc. has invested heavily in the Nook e-reader. It has faced tough competition from online retailers like Amazon.com and discount stores, with shoppers moving away from traditional books in favor of electronic books.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-12-28-Britain-Pearson-Nook/id-3ee0a8fb3d634a00a09d28bca27cd8e3

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vvslaxman25: Publishing Your eZine the Cons | My life

As with any other types of businesses, publishing your own online newsletter a.k.a. eZine has its share of drawbacks, in spite of the several benefits it offer.

The purpose of this article is not to scare you away with the disadvantages of publishing your own eZine, as the benefits are often more attractive. However, I will also show you how you can easily tackle the cons.

One obvious challenge most beginning eZine publishers face is the creation of eZine content. Creating your own content can be tiresome, especially if you are not a gifted writer and that you run out of ideas every so often that your publishing schedule is threatening you.

A way of taking care of this problem is to create your content in advance. You can compile 30 days worth of content in one day, for example. If you are not blessed with writing skills, you can broker the writing task to capable freelance writers which you can find at places such as http://www.elance.com/ or http://www.rentacoder.com/. While you need to pay for such services, you are at liberty to take the credit for written articles.

Alternatively, you can republish articles from article directories such as http://ezinearticles.com/. This is a free method you can use in making content, provided you include the resource box of the original author and that the article has republishing rights conveyed.

In conclusion, you can easily tackle the content creation challenge using the mentioned methods that do not require writing on your part, free or paid.

[Insert Your Resource Box Here]

(Words: 253)

This entry was posted in Internet Marketing on December 25, 2012 by SWELEX.

Source: http://blog.swelex.com/teamangel/publishing-your-ezine-the-cons.html

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Source: http://vvslaxman25.blogspot.com/2012/12/publishing-your-ezine-cons-my-life.html

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From Panjiayuan Moncler Jackets Antique | AAA soccer jerseys store

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Obama Calls Leaders as 'Cliff' Looms (WSJ)

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

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Fitness Business Ninja Service Helps Personal Trainers and Fitness ...

?

PRLog (Press Release) - Dec. 26, 2012 - Rancho Santa Margarita, CA ? Stealthier than a ninja, the new Fitness Business Ninja program is a complete online business solution for personal trainers, martial arts and mixed martial arts instructors, group fitness programs, small gyms, boot camp and CrossFit instructors. Fitness Business Ninja http://www.fitnessbusinessninja.com/
helps fitness pros manage their business, schedule group and one-on-one sessions, increase profits, run contests, improve customer service and build clients.

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?This is all about making your life as a personal trainer, gym owner or coach a little easier, simplifying and organizing all of your fitness business aspects, while giving you more opportunities to build your client base and increase your profits,? said John Spencer Ellis, founder of John Spencer Ellis Enterprises, a personal development and fitness solutions company. ?One of the great parts of Fitness Business Ninja is that you don?t even need a physical location to sign up for this service; we work with you online wherever you are to help you with your business.?

Fitness Business Ninja provides a central hub of operations for managing a fitness business; this can include scheduling, assigning trainers, creating and running health transformation contents, doing complete health assessments, tracking client progress, offering profitable nutrition programs and more. With a special promotion of $1 for the first 15 days, Fitness Business Ninja can save fitness pros several hours per week, which they can use to make more money. Likewise, the service also offers billing for clients.

?With everything you need for health and fitness in one place, this is so easy to use and it?s convenient for clients and trainers,? Ellis added. ?It creates accountability for clients and gives fitness pros the chance to share more nutrition and weight loss, fitness assessments and personal training services with their clients.?

Source: http://www.prlog.org/12048440-fitness-business-ninja-service-helps-personal-trainers-and-fitness-business-owners-manage-clients.html

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Show Us Your Wallpaper

Walter Glenn

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Normally, we'd share a bunch of great wallpapers today in Wallpaper Wednesday. But since Adam is out, we're going to flip things around and ask to see your favorite wallpapers instead. Take a moment to share your best desktop backgrounds below.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/eQtx3_TLY64/show-us-your-wallpaper

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Tensions hit French Embassy in C. African Republic

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) ? Angry protesters carrying clubs threw rocks at the French Embassy in Central African Republic on Wednesday, criticizing the former colonial power for failing to do more to stem a rapid rebel advance as fears grew that the insurgents aim to seize the capital.

The demonstrations began earlier in the day outside the U.S. Embassy before about 100 protesters then took to the French Embassy, carrying pieces of cardboard with messages that read: "No to war! No to France!"

"It's France who colonized us ? they should support us until the end. Unfortunately, they have done nothing. In this case, we are merely asking purely and simply that they leave our country," shouted one young demonstrator in front of the French mission in Bangui.

The protesters then began stopping cars to verify whether any foreign nationals were inside.

"These people have taken down the French flag from its pole and removed it," said Serge Mucetti, the French ambassador to Central African Republic. "They have carried out stone-throwing in the area of the embassy and have broken windows. This kind of behavior is unacceptable."

Air France confirmed Wednesday that its once-a-week flight to Bangui turned back because of protests at the French Embassy. The decision was made independently by Air France, and the French government did not make the request, said an airline spokeswoman, who spoke on condition of anonymity because company policy did not authorize her to speak on the record.

The French foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the armed attacks, saying they "gravely undermine the peace agreements in place and the efforts of the international community to consolidate peace" in the country, U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

The U.N. chief appealed to all parties to refrain from any acts of violence against civilian and to respect human rights, he said.

The secretary-general welcomed the conclusions of the heads of state summit of the Economic Community of the Central African States in Ndjamena, Chad, on Dec. 21 and urged all parties to abide by the decisions "which provide a basis for a peaceful resolution of the dispute," Nesirky said.

But many fear that Bangui, a city of about 600,000 people, could be the scene of a battle between government forces and the rebels. The fighters already have seized at least 10 towns, meeting little resistance from soldiers.

Rebel Col. Djouma Narkoyo said Wednesday that his forces have continued taking towns in recent days because government forces are attacking their positions. But, he insisted via phone: "Our intention is not to take Bangui. We still remain open to dialogue."

Bangui residents were skeptical of the insurgents' intentions.

"We are afraid by what we see happening in our country right now," said Leon Modomale, a civil servant in the capital. "It's as if the rebels are going to arrive in Bangui any moment now because there are too many contradictions in their language."

The rebel advance began earlier this month, with a push by the Union for the Democratic Forces for Unity, known by its French acronym of UFDR. The group signed an April 13, 2007, peace accord, which paved the way for the fighters to join the regular army, but the group's leaders say the deal was never properly implemented.

Central African Republic is a desperately poor, landlocked country that has suffered numerous rebellions since independence from France. Despite the nation's wealth of gold, diamonds, timber and uranium, the government remains perpetually cash-strapped.

U.S. special forces troops have deployed to Central African Republic among other countries in the region in the hunt for Joseph Kony, the fugitive rebel leader of the notorious Lord's Resistance Army.

___

Associated Press Writer Lori Hinnant contributed to this report from Paris.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-12-26-Central%20African%20Republic-Rebel%20Advance/id-b1bb67b71a754064962ef7e141886b0f

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Obama, Congress set for one last effort on fiscal cliff

By Reuters

?Updated at 5:00p.m.ET:?The United States on Wednesday edged closer to the fiscal cliff as Congress waited for President Barack Obama to return from vacation in Hawaii and make one final attempt to avoid huge tax hikes and spending cuts in the New Year.

In the absence of Obama, there was no sign of either side in Congress making an effort to strike a deal. The corridors of the Capitol building were empty except for an occasional police officer, and members' office doors stayed locked.

House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner has not yet set a date for bringing House members back to Washington from their Christmas break, an aide of the Republican leader said. That makes the timing of a vote on any budget deal before December 31 more difficult.

The Boehner aide also said there were no plans for new talks between the top Republican in Congress and Obama, who flies overnight and is due back in the White House on Thursday morning.

The inaction notwithstanding, there was still just enough time to prevent a fiscal crunch that would upset global financial markets and likely push the United States into recession.

Reports of lackluster retail holiday sales added to the urgency for a deal. Shoppers might be spending less this holiday season in fear of looming income tax increases. U.S. stocks fell on Wednesday, dragged lower by shares of retail companies.

President Obama and Congress are set to return to Washington to hopefully reach a deal on averting the fiscal cliff before the New Year. Luke Russert and NBC News' Kristen Welker and Mark Murray discuss.

A modest, last-minute measure in Congress to avoid deep spending cuts set for January 1 and most of the tax hikes could pass the Democratic-controlled Senate by the New Year, although Republicans would need to agree not use a procedural roadblock known as a filibuster.

But senators probably would not make the effort unless there was a strong signal from Boehner that the House would find a way to go along.

A Senate Democratic aide downplayed chances for votes this week in the Senate, but suggested there could be legislative movement at the weekend.

"We can't do anything until Republicans either give us the 60 votes," which are needed to advance legislation without long procedural delays, or allow a short-cut that lets bills pass on a simple majority vote in the 100-member chamber.

The focus in Congress is shifting from broad deficit reduction to narrower efforts to avert the immediate shock of the December 31 cliff dive.

"This is the (emergency) scenario that we have long believed would rise in probability the closer we go to December 31, which essentially calls for extending all the rates for those individuals making under $200K and households under $250K and does not address the debt ceiling or the deficit," analyst Chris Krueger of Guggenheim Securities wrote in a research note.

Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, who is retiring at year's end, told MSNBC that $250,000 "is too low of a threshold" for raising income taxes.

She said that in conversations she has had with some Senate Democrats, "they are saying maybe more in the $400,000 to $500,000 category."

Obama himself recently offered to raise the threshold to $400,000, before negotiations with Boehner broke off.

Clock ticking

But even if a handful of Senate Republicans support Democrats on a measure to avoid the worst of the fiscal cliff, time is short.

When the Senate returns on Thursday it is due to work on a disaster aid bill to help New York and New Jersey recover from Superstorm Sandy and other measures.

Recommended:?GOP willing to bend on issues after election

In the Republican-controlled House, any bill that raises taxes on anyone would need a rare bipartisan vote to win approval.

All 191 Democrats might have to team up with at least 26 Republicans to get a majority if the bill included tax hikes on the wealthiest Americans, as Obama is demanding.

Some of those votes could conceivably come from among the 34 Republican members who are either retiring or were defeated in the November elections and no longer have to worry about the political fallout.

An alternative is for Congress to let income taxes go up on everyone as scheduled. Then, during the first week of January, lawmakers would strike a quick deal to reduce them except on people in the highest brackets.

They would also pass a measure putting off the $109 billion in automatic spending cuts that most lawmakers want to avoid.

Once the clock ticks past midnight on December 31, no member of Congress would have to vote for a tax increase on anyone - taxes would have risen automatically - and the only votes would be to decrease tax rates for most Americans back to their 2012 levels.

Americans' optimism that Obama and congressional leaders will reach a budget agreement before January 1 has waned in recent days, according to a Gallup poll.

President Obama is cutting his Hawaiian vacation short and heading back to Washington just a day after Christmas. Meanwhile, Congress returns tomorrow with just days left to reach a deal before the looming January 1 fiscal cliff. NBC's Kristen Welker reports.

Fifty percent believe a deal will be reached, a drop of 7 percentage points from the previous week, and 48 percent are doubtful. The poll was taken just after talks ran into trouble last week.

Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz is urging workers in the company's roughly 120 Washington-area coffee shops to write "come together" on customers' cups on Thursday and Friday to send a message to politicians.

"We're paying attention, we're greatly disappointed in what's going on and we deserve better," Schultz told Reuters.

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Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/26/16165743-obama-congress-set-for-one-last-effort-on-fiscal-cliff?lite

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Volunteers track Santa's progress, answer calls

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AP) ? Most of the thousands of children who call the annual Santa-tracking operation at a Colorado Air Force Base on Christmas Eve ask the usual questions: "Where's Santa, and when will he get here?"

So volunteer Sara Berghoff was caught off-guard Monday when a child called to see if Santa could be especially kind this year to the families affected by the Connecticut school shooting.

"I'm from Newtown, Connecticut, where the shooting was," she remembers the child asking. "Is it possible that Santa can bring extra presents so I can deliver them to the families that lost kids?"

Sara, just 13 herself, was surprised but gathered her thoughts quickly. "If I can get ahold of him, I'll try to get the message to him," she told the child.

Sara was one of hundreds of volunteers at NORAD Tracks Santa who answered more than 88,000 calls by Monday evening, program spokeswoman Marisa Novobilski said.

First lady Michelle Obama, who is spending the holidays with her family in Hawaii, also joined in answering calls as she has in recent years. She spent about 30 minutes talking with children from across the country.

The calls into NORAD this year were on pace to exceed last year's record of 107,000.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command, a joint U.S.-Canada command responsible for protecting the skies over both nations, tracks Santa from its home at Peterson Air Force Base.

NORAD and its predecessor have been fielding Christmas Eve phone calls from children ? and a few adults ? since 1955. That's when a newspaper ad listed the wrong phone number for kids to call Santa. Callers ended up getting the Continental Air Defense Command, which later became NORAD. CONAD commanders played along, and the ritual has been repeated every year since.

After 57 years, NORAD can predict what most kids will ask. Its 11-page playbook for volunteers includes a list of nearly 20 questions and answers, including how old is Santa (at least 16 centuries) and has Santa ever crashed into anything (no).

But kids still manage to ask the unexpected, including, "Does Santa leave presents for dogs?"

A sampling of anecdotes from the program this year:

___

THE REAL DEAL: A young boy called to ask if Santa was real.

Air Force Maj. Jamie Humphries, who took the call, said, "I'm 37 years old, and I believe in Santa, and if you believe in him as well, then he must be real."

The boy turned from the phone and yelled to others in the room, "I told you guys he was real!"

___

DON'T WORRY, HE'LL FIND YOU: Glenn Barr took a call from a 10-year-old who wasn't sure if he would be sleeping at his mom's house or his dad's and was worried about whether Santa would find him.

"I told him Santa would know where he was and not to worry," Barr said.

Another child asked if he was on the nice list or the naughty list.

"That's a closely guarded secret, and only Santa knows," Barr replied.

___

TOYS IN HEAVEN: A young boy who called from Missouri asked when Santa would drop off toys in heaven.

His mother got on the line and explained to Jennifer Eckels, who took the call, that the boy's younger sister died this year.

"He kept saying 'in heaven,'" Eckels said. She told him, "I think Santa headed there first thing."

___

BEST OF: Choice questions and comments wound up posted on a flip chart.

"Big sister wanted to add her 3-year-old brother to the naughty list," one read.

"Are there police elves?" said another.

"How much to adopt one of Santa's reindeer?"

____

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR: NORAD got calls from 220 countries and territories last year, and non-English-speakers called this year as well.

Volunteers who speak other languages get green Santa hats and a placard listing their languages so organizers can find them quickly.

"Need a Spanish speaker!" one organizer called as he rushed out of one of three phone rooms.

___

HE KNOWS WHEN YOU'RE AWAKE: At NORAD's suggestion, volunteers often tell callers that Santa won't drop off the presents until all the kids in the home are asleep.

"Ohhhhhhh," said an 8-year-old from Illinois, as if trying to digest a brand-new fact.

"I'm going to be asleep by 4 o'clock," said a child from Virginia.

"Thank you so much for that information," said a grateful mom from Michigan.

___

CHRISTMAS EVE IN AFGHANISTAN: Five U.S. service personnel answered calls from Afghanistan for about 90 minutes through a conferencing hookup.

"They had a great time," said Novobilski, the program spokeswoman.

NORAD wanted to set up a call center in Afghanistan but that proved too complex, she said.

___

HEY, MR. ELF: "Mr. Elf," said one caller, "This is Adam, and I've been really good this year."

___

FOR GEARHEADS: For people who want to know the specs of Santa's sleigh, NORAD offers a trove of tidbits, including:

Weight at takeoff: 75,000 GD (gumdrops).

Propulsion: 9 RP (reindeer power).

Fuel: Hay, oats and carrots (for reindeer).

Emissions: Classified.

___

Online:

Track Santa online at http://www.noradsanta.org/

___

Follow Dan Elliott at http://twitter.com/DanElliottAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/volunteers-track-santas-progress-answer-calls-183925306.html

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Powerful new tool is quantum analog of phase space flow

Dec. 26, 2012 ? UK-based physicist Ole Steuernagel from the University of Hertfordshire, alongside Dimitris Kakofengitis and Georg Ritter, have found that a new powerful tool they call 'Wigner flow' is the quantum analogue of phase space flow.

Wigner flow provides information for quantum dynamics similar to that gleaned from phase space trajectories in classical physics. Wigner flow can be used for the visualisation of quantum dynamics. Additionally, and perhaps even more importantly, Wigner flow helps with the abstract analysis of quantum dynamics using topological methods.

Ole Steuernagel, from the University's Science and Technology Research Institute, said: "Because trajectories are missing in quantum phase space, physicists did not pay much attention to the associated flow-fields, although these do exist. Now, our research shows that quantum phase space flow is well worth studying."

In classical physics, phase space trajectories give rise to flow-fields representing the dynamics of the system along its trajectories; they yield additional insight into a system's behaviour.

Quantum theory phase space trajectories do not exist because Heisenberg's uncertainty principle does not allow for the formation of sharply defined trajectories. But quantum physicists have not given up entirely on phase space. The study of the next best thing, the movement of quantum physics' phase space-based probability distributions has actually boomed in recent years.

Sophisticated schemes for the reconstruction of the most prominent of these distributions, 'Wigner's function', from experimental data, have set quantum phase space analysis on a firm footing. Yet, since quantum trajectory studies cannot be carried out, some of the power of established classical methods is missing.

The researchers have been studying Wigner flow, which is based on the dynamics of Wigner's function, and have shown that it reveals new and surprising features of quantum phase space dynamics. It forms, for example, vortices that spin the 'wrong' way round and which appear in the 'wrong' part of phase space, when viewed from a classical physics standpoint. So, such dynamical patterns are manifestations of the quantum nature of the system.

On top of such new riches the team has established the existence of a conservation law that reveals a new type of topological order for quantum dynamics. As an application they have shown that Wigner flow sheds new light on quantum tunnelling, the fundamental process that governs the workings of electronic computer circuits, and also the decay of radio-nuclides.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Hertfordshire, via AlphaGalileo.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Ole Steuernagel, Dimitris Kakofengitis, and Georg Ritter. Wigner flow reveals topological order in quantum phase space dynamics. Physical Review Letters, 2012; (accepted) [link]

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/physics/~3/5Zmh9vLfmj0/121226080400.htm

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Lawmakers look to restrict gun magazine capacity

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Lawmakers from both parties voiced their willingness Sunday to pursue some changes to the nation's gun laws, but adamant opposition from the National Rifle Association has made clear than any such effort will face significant obstacles.

NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre dismissed efforts to revive a ban on assault weapons as a "phony piece of legislation" that's built on lies.

Democratic lawmakers in Congress have become more adamant about the need for stricter gun laws since the shooting of 20 children and six teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California is promising to push for a renewal of expired legislation that banned certain weapons and limited the number of bullets a gun magazine could hold to 10.

"I think we ought to be looking at where the real danger is, like those large clips," said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas.

"I think we need a comprehensive approach," said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., a longtime gun rights supporter. "I'll look at all the proposals. . I think it looks at mental health, I think it looks at protecting our schools but I also think it looks at these high-volume magazines, you know, that can fire off so many rounds."

Both lawmakers appeared on CBS' "Face the Nation," where NRA President David Keene said lawmakers were asking the wrong question when discussing how many rounds a gun magazine should have.

The right question, he said: "Can we keep guns out of the hands of people who are potential killers?"

LaPierre made clear it was highly unlikely that the NRA could support any new gun regulations.

"You want one more law on top of 20,000 laws, when most of the federal gun laws we don't even enforce?" he said.

Instead, LaPierre reiterated the group's support for putting police officers in every school.

"If it's crazy to call for putting police and armed security in our schools to protect our children, then call me crazy," LaPierre said on NBC's "Meet the Press." ''I think the American people think it's crazy not to do it. It's the one thing that would keep people safe."

Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, said he found the NRA's statements in recent days to be "really disheartening." Still, he said he agrees with some of the points the group has made about the causes behind violence in America.

"But it's obviously also true that the easy availability of guns, including military-style assault weapons, is a contributing factor, and you can't keep that off the table. I had hoped they'd come to the table and say, everything is on the table," Lieberman said.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said LaPierre was "so extreme and so tone deaf" that he was making it easier to pass gun legislation.

"Look, he blames everything but guns: movies, the media, President Obama, gun-free school zones, you name it. And the video games, he blames them," Schumer said.

Lieberman said the NRA's stand on new gun rules means passing legislation next year won't happen easily.

"It's going to be a battle. But the president, I think, and vice president, are really ready to lead the fight," he said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lawmakers-look-restrict-gun-magazine-capacity-082617451.html

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