Putin puts down protesters with physics: What is 'Brownian motion,' anyway?

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin described election protesters as seeking 'Brownian motion.' Here's what the obscure term means.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, during comments before his supporters on Tuesday, said protesters against his 12-year reign were seeking "Brownian motion."? What was he talking about?

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Mr. Putin was referring to a physics phenomenon first described by Scottish scientist Robert Brown in his 1827 paper "A brief account of microscopical observations made on the particles contained in the pollen of plants."

While observing pollen grains suspended in water, Mr. Brown found that the grains jiggled and bounced within the fluid in what he called "rapid oscillatory motion." He could not see any cause of their motion ? they didn't appear to impact any other particles, and he ruled out currents within the water ? but he was able use other substances to consistently replicate the phenomenon, which he dubbed "Brownian motion."

It wasn't until 1905 that the phenomenon was explained, by none other than Albert Einstein. The grains weren't jerking randomly in the water, he wrote, but rather were colliding with much smaller water molecules.? As the molecules hit the grains, the grains would change direction, but since the water molecules were invisible, it would appear that the grains were jittering without cause.? Einstein's discovery was seen as proof of the atomic theory of matter: that all matter is made of tiny particles, or atoms.

So what did Putin mean? Presumably, he was referring to the protesters acting without apparent purpose ? he also said that their proposed individual programs were not "unified," and that their goals "are also not clear."

But there's also a bit of a warning in Putin's metaphor. After all, the point of Brownian motion is that it's not as inexplicable as it seems ? it's only inexplicable because the observer can't see all the molecules in play. Perhaps the same is true of Putin's perspective on the protesters.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/hduEtHtpy30/Putin-puts-down-protesters-with-physics-What-is-Brownian-motion-anyway

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Calendar for Auction of Government of India Treasury Bills for the Quarter Ending March 2012

English Release 30-December 2011

Date

Month

Year

• Vice President's Secretariat
• Vice President Inaugurates World Urdu Editors? Conference at Hyderabad
• Vice President Addresses International Seminar on ?Islamic Art And Culture? at Hyderabad
• Vice President Greets People on New Year 2012
• Min of Agriculture
• Wheat Sown in 276.43 lakh Hectares and Pulses in 138.54 lakh Hectares
• Min of Coal
• New System of Coal Grading from January 2012
• Ministry of Finance
• Calendar for Auction of Government of India Treasury Bills for the Quarter Ending March 2012
• Issuance Calendar for Marketable Dated Securities for Jan-March 2011-12
• India?s External debt Stood at US$ 326.6 billion at End-September 2011; an increase of 6.6 per cent over the Level of US$ 306.4 billion at End-March 2011
• Min of Heavy Ind. & Public Enterprises
• Achievements of Ministry of Heavy Industries During the Year 2011
• Achievements of Department of Public Enterprises During the Year 2011
• Min of Home Affairs
• Capacity Building and Containment of Violence were Watchword in 2011
• Min of Labour & Employment
• All-India Consumer Price Index Numbers for Industrial Workers on Base 2001=100 for the Month of November 2011
• Min of New and Renewable Energy
• 3815 MW Grid Connected Renewable Capacity Added During 2011
• Min of Overseas Indian Affairs
• Year-End-Review of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs for the year 2011
• Min of Parliamentary Affairs
• Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal Addresses Post Winter-Session Press Conference
• Min of Petroleum & Natural Gas
• 2011 Marked by Important Initiatives in Oil and Gas Sector
• Ministry of Railways
• RAILWAYS REVENUE EARNINGS UP BY 10.20 PER CENT
• Min of Rural Development
• Year End Review-2011
• Min of Shipping
• Jawaharlal Nehru Port Gets ISO Certification
• Min of Statistics & Programme Implementation
• Provisional Results of Annual Survey of Industries 2009-2010
• Min of Steel
• Achievements and Initiatives of the Ministry of Steel in the Year 2011
• Planning Commission
• Planning Commission Approves Upper Kundlika Project of Maharashtra

&nbsp

Ministry of Finance30-December, 2011 19:10 IST

Calendar for Auction of Government of India Treasury Bills for the Quarter Ending March 2012

? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? The Government of India in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India, after reviewing the cash position of the Government for 2011-12 and the cash requirements for the first five weeks of 2012-13 (factoring in redemptions of dated securities to the extent of Rs.59,000 crore), has decided to notify the amounts for the issuance of Treasury Bills for the quarter ending March 31, 2012 ?as under: ? Proposed Auction of T-Bills during Jan-March 2012 ?(Rs. Crore) Date of Auction 91 Days 182 Days 364 Days Total 4-Jan-12 6,000 4,000 ? 10,000 11-Jan-12 6,000 ? 4,000 10,000 18-Jan-12 6,000 4,000 ? 10,000 25-Jan-12 6,000 ? 4,000 10,000 1-Feb-12 9,000 4,000 ? 13,000 8-Feb-12 9,000 ? 4,000 13,000 15-Feb-12 9,000 4,000 ? 13,000 22-Feb-12 9,000 ? 4,000 13,000 29-Feb-12 8,000 4,000 ? 12,000 7-Mar-12 8,000 ? 4,000 12,000 14-Mar-12 8,000 4,000 ? 12,000 21-Mar-12 8,000 ? 4,000 12,000 28-Mar-12 8,000 4,000 ? 12,000 Total 1,00,000 28,000 24,000 1,52,000 ? The Reserve Bank of India/ Government of India will continue to have the flexibility to modify the notified amount and timing for auction of Treasury Bills depending upon the requirements of the Government, evolving market conditions and other relevant factors. Thus, the calendar is subject to change, if circumstances so warrant including for reasons, such as, intervening holidays. Such changes, if any, will be communicated through regular press releases. The auction of Treasury Bills will be subject to the terms and conditions specified in the General Notification No. F2(12)-W&M/97 dated March 31, 1998 issued by the Government of India, as amended from time to time. DSM/GN (Release ID :79301)

Source: http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=79301

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How I Met Your Robot Mother: a Qbo 'First' (video)

Is consciousness programmable? Do robots feel? Would Kubrick have approved of Spielberg's handling of AI? While you wrap your mind around those conundrums, set aside a bit of free grey matter to soak in another Qbo milestone. When last we left the little bot, it was just coming to terms with its place in the grand scheme of things and recognizing its reflection. Since, robotic hangers-on and the geeks that love'em have been pelting The Corpora (the brains behind the operation) with questions pertaining to the self-awareness of this artificially intelligent machine. The outfit's reply? A Qbo meet-cute with a "female" member of the automated species that highlights the droid's understanding of individuality. It's a far cry from a Lady and the Tramp-style nose nuzzle, but these bots don't have to touch -- a random series of nasal flashes serve to indicate their distinctiveness and, once that's done, polite flirtation ensues. Don't believe us? You can see the sparks of android love for yourself in the video after the break.

Continue reading How I Met Your Robot Mother: a Qbo 'First' (video)

How I Met Your Robot Mother: a Qbo 'First' (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/29/how-i-met-your-robot-mother-a-qbo-first-video/

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MICROSOFT LYNC WEB SCHEDULER PARA OFFICE 365 DISPONIBLE!!!

Llegan las Navidades y contin?an las novedades en Office 365!!

Hasta hace muy poco, la ?nica manera de programar una reuni?n en l?nea con Lync Online era a trav?s del cliente de correo Microsoft Outlook. Recientemente se ha liberado Lync Online Web Scheduler, una herramienta basada en web que nos permitir? crear y administrar las reuniones a trav?s de una interfaz web.

Para acceder a ella, nos conectaremos en la URL https://sched.lync.com/

Una vez dentro de la utilidad, el asistente de creaci?n de nuevas reuniones permitir? programar nuevas reuniones configurando las opciones generales, fecha y horarios de inicio y fin, moderadores y acceso, y los participantes.

Desde la opci?n de administraci?n de Mis Reuniones podremos visualizar todos los detalles de las reuniones, editarlas, unirnos a ellas, eliminarlas e incluso exportarlas como un archivo iCalendar para enviarla a los participantes que queramos.

?

Podemos encontrar m?s informaci?n en el siguiente art?culo:

Lync Online Web Scheduler http://office.microsoft.com/es-es/communicator-help/lync-online-web-scheduler-HA102756689.aspx?redir=0

Con esta herramienta incrementamos la potencia de Lync Online.

Enhorabuena a todo el equipo del producto por haberla hecho realidad!! ?

?

FELICES FIESTAS Y PR?SPERO A?O NUEVO A TODOS!!!

Source: http://blogs.technet.com/b/gpses/archive/2011/12/29/microsoft-lync-web-scheduler-para-office-365-disponible.aspx

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India lose Gambhir early after lunch on Day 2 in Boxing Day Test

Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir resumed the Indian first innings after lunch against Australia on Day 2 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. (AFP Photo)

NEW DELHI: Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag resumed the Indian first innings after lunch on the second day of the Boxing Day Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Tuesday.

Scorecard

Gambhir and Sehwag took the Indian first innings to 6/0 at lunch.

Earlier, Zaheer Khan took four wickets and Umesh Yadav and R Ashwin scalped three each as India bowled out Australia for 333 runs in their first innings.

The last Australian wicket fell when Nathan Lyon was bowled round his legs by Ashwin.

Australia lost their ninth wicket when R Ashwin had Ben Hilfenhaus caught by Virat Kohli at long-on.

Zaheer Khan took his fourth wicket when he had Peter Siddle caught behind by MS Dhoni.

Siddle played well to score 41 runs but fell to Zaheer who was reversing the ball both ways.

Zaheer had Brad Haddin caught by Virender Sehwag at gully in the second over of the day.

Zaheer broke the stubborn 72-run stand between Haddin and Peter Siddle as Sehwag took a good low catch.

The day's play started with Haddin and Siddle resuming the Australian first innings.

Australia ended Day 1 at 277/6 after being 205/5 at one stage.

Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma, both playing under the shadow of recent injuries and lay-offs, struggled with their line and length under an overcast sky on a moisture-laden pitch that aided lateral movement when the ball was pitched up.

The hosts opened with debutant Ed Cowan and the belligerent David Warner who were off to a steady start after skipper Michael Clarke won the toss and surprised many by choosing to bat first.

Cowan betrayed no nerves and displayed a fine defensive technique and the right temperament to succeed in Test cricket.

Warner made a sketchy 37 that included a breath-taking pull for six off Umesh Yadav and several airy-fairy shots. He was out off the first ball after a brief rain-induced stoppage at the stroke of the first hour of play when he top-edged a Yadav bouncer that ballooned up to Dhoni behind the stumps.

Shaun Marsh, who has usurped Ricky Ponting's No. 3 position, hardly did justice to the promotion when his intended off-drive off Yadav flew to point, where Virat Kohli held a low catch.

Ponting received a warm welcome from the fans and a hot one from Yadav. The Indian pacer tested the Aussie great with a well-directed bouncer. Ponting, who was late in reacting, was struck just above his elbow and on the grille of his helmet before he regained his bearings and managed to kick the ball away from close to his stumps.

The former Australian captain struggled right through his innings of 62 in the course of which he got beaten several times, overbalanced on a couple of occasions but hung in there to raise 113 runs for the third wicket with the dormant Cowan.

The duo made the Indian pacers pay for their lack of length in the post-lunch session that was delayed by around 40 minutes because of yet another spell of light rain. Just when frustration was creeping into the Indian ranks, Ponting departed much like he had started: a touch shakily. Yadav, having softened him up with a snorter that Ponting somehow managed to evade, got his next delivery to move away late and the batsman edged it to Laxman at second slip.

Clarke, who looked fluent in making a sparkling 31 with five crisply struck boundaries, added a further 46 runs in association with Cowan, but gifted Zaheer his wicket dragging a short ball on to his stumps.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/india-in-australia/top-stories/Ind-vs-Aus-India-lose-Gambhir-early-after-lunch-on-Day-2-in-Boxing-Day-Test/articleshow/11261429.cms

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Pakistani president warns top court in scandal

A Pakistan Air Force cadet is silhouetted while he stands guard during a change of guard ceremony to mark the 135th anniversary of the birth of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan, at the Jinnah mausoleum in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

A Pakistan Air Force cadet is silhouetted while he stands guard during a change of guard ceremony to mark the 135th anniversary of the birth of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan, at the Jinnah mausoleum in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

ISLAMABAD (AP) ? Pakistan's president on Tuesday warned the Supreme Court not to take action in violation of the constitution, referring to a judicial hearing into a secret memo seeking to rein in the powerful military, a scandal that threatens the Pakistani leader.

The political crisis revolves around a memo that was allegedly sent to Washington with President Asif Ali Zardari's support in May asking for help in stopping a supposed army coup following the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Zardari has denied any connection to the memo.

Also Tuesday, gunmen killed a senior official from the government's Intelligence Bureau in the northwestern city of Peshawar, said police officer Imtiaz Khan.

No group has claimed responsibility, but the Pakistani Taliban have killed many government officials and security personnel in the last few years.

There is long-standing tension between Pakistan's civilian government and the army because the military has staged a series of coups and ruled the country for much of its 64-year history.

The government has opposed the Supreme Court's decision to open a hearing into the scandal about a week ago, saying a judicial investigation was unnecessary because parliament was already looking into the matter. The powerful army, which has denied it intended to carry out a coup and was enraged by the memo, supports the investigation.

The Supreme Court opened its hearing after receiving a petition to do so from a handful of opposition politicians ? a common practice in Pakistan.

Zardari warned Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry to respect the constitution, an indication he may be worried the judge will team up with the president's opponents to topple the government. Zardari has clashed with both Chaudhry and the army since he was elected in 2008.

"Anyone casting a bad eye intending to break up my federation, I will not let it break," Zardari told thousands of flag-waving supporters in southern Pakistan in a speech marking the fourth anniversary of the assassination of his wife, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Zardari did not say exactly what he meant by the Supreme Court respecting the constitution, or what he fears might be the result of the inquiry. Many analysts agree the president enjoys immunity from prosecution while in office

Zardari said earlier in the day that Pakistanis should pay tribute to his slain wife by guarding against anti-democratic conspiracies, an apparent reference to tensions over the memo scandal. He said his wife's death was also a conspiracy against Pakistani democracy.

"I therefore urge all the democratic forces and the patriotic Pakistanis to foil all conspiracies against democracy and democratic institutions," said Zardari in a statement sent to reporters.

The army-backed Supreme Court hearing sparked Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to say last week that a conspiracy was under way to topple the government. He did not specifically point to the military, but said the army must be answerable to the parliament and could not act as a "state within a state."

Gilani eventually backed away from his comments after army chief Gen. Pervez Ashfaq Kayani denied any intention to stage a coup and promised to support democracy. The prime minister on Monday denied reports he would replace Kayani or the army's intelligence chief, Lt. Gen. Shuja Pasha, to neutralize the threat to his government.

Former Pakistani ambassador to the U.S., Husain Haqqani, allegedly crafted the memo sent to Washington, which promised to replace Pakistan's national security hierarchy with people favorable to the U.S. in exchange for help in reining in the military. Haqqani has denied any connection to the memo but resigned in the wake of the scandal.

The bin Laden operation angered Pakistani officials because they weren't told about it beforehand and humiliated the army because it was not able to stop the nighttime raid near Pakistan's equivalent of West Point.

The political crisis comes at a time when Pakistan is struggling with a violent Taliban insurgency, a stuttering economy and troubled relations with its most important ally, the United States.

____

Associated Press writers Sebastian Abbot in Islamabad and Riaz Khan in Peshawar contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-27-AS-Pakistan/id-76a70afa8b8f43d18722edfb688719d0

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House GOP Leaders Agree to Payroll Tax Bill

You are solely responsible for the content of your comments. GOVERNING reserves the right to remove
comments that are considered profane, vulgar, obscene, factually inaccurate, off-topic, or considered
a personal attack.

Comments must be fewer than 2000 characters.

Source: http://www.governing.com/news/federal/House-GOP-Leaders-Agree-to-Payroll-Tax-Bill.html

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Lamb born on Christmas Eve at Ohio nativity scene

CINCINNATI (AP) ? A lamb has been born unto a Cincinnati nativity display.

The Krohn Conservatory says that a night watchman oversaw the Christmas Eve delivery for a sheep that was part of the live-animal display.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports (http://cin.ci/vYkP2y ) that conservatory officials say the birthing went well and the mother and lamb were doing fine. The conservatory's director says they are thinking of calling the female lamb "Merry," for "Merry Little Christmas."

Other details weren't immediately available.

___

Information from: The Cincinnati Enquirer, http://www.enquirer.com

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2011-12-27-Nativity%20Lamb/id-b308ab4fd0404d32b62828ca5217ecce

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Project To Mainline Android Kernel Changes Formed

As has been repeatedly reported, Linus is fine with someone taking a version of the Linux kernel and forking it off in their own special direction, as the Android developers have done. If you want to put some of the those features back into his main line, though, they will have to meet his standards, and those of the people he has trusted to manage the kernel changes. If the Android developers' changes were acceptable, they would already have been merged.

"wakelocks", for example, are a kludge to cover up some very lax user-space coding standards, and are not acceptable.

There is a lot of recent work (not really finished, IMO) to handle micromanaging power consumption for System on Chip (SoC), battery-powered devices, both in the kernel itself and through controlling userspace. If Android developers want to be using the mainstream kernel, they should be preparing to use the new interfaces and tools, while helping to find any real issues, rather than whining "why won't you just do it our way?".

My contribution to the Linux kernel is incredibly minor, but it had to go through exactly the same vetting process, and the result was a better change.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotDevelopers/to/~3/ZelhrNoI074/project-to-mainline-android-kernel-changes-formed

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NKorea pointing to heir's uncle playing key role

In this Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011 photo released by the Korean Central News Agency and distributed in Tokyo, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011, by the Korea News Service, Kim Jong Un, center, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's youngest known son and successor, visits at Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang, North Korea, to pay respect to his father. At far left front is Jong Un's uncle Jang Song Thaek. (AP Photo/Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service) JAPAN OUT UNTIL 14 DAYS AFTER THE DAY OF TRANSMISSION

In this Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011 photo released by the Korean Central News Agency and distributed in Tokyo, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011, by the Korea News Service, Kim Jong Un, center, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's youngest known son and successor, visits at Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang, North Korea, to pay respect to his father. At far left front is Jong Un's uncle Jang Song Thaek. (AP Photo/Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service) JAPAN OUT UNTIL 14 DAYS AFTER THE DAY OF TRANSMISSION

In this Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011 image made from KRT television, Kim Jong Un, center, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's youngest known son and successor, with military officials, stand in front of his father's body displayed in a glass coffin, not in photo, at Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang, North Korea. At far left is Jong Un's uncle Jang Song Thaek . (AP Photo/KRT via APTN) TV OUT, NORTH KOREA OUT

In this Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011 photo released by the Korean Central News Agency and distributed in Tokyo Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011 by the Korea News Service, Moon Hyung-jin, president of the Unification Church, second from right, carries a wreath with unidentified men to lay in front of a portrait of the late Kim Jong Il at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea. (AP Photo/Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service) JAPAN OUT UNTIL 14 DAYS AFTER THE DAY OF TRANSMISSION

In this Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011 photo released by the Korean Central News Agency and distributed in Tokyo Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011 by the Korea News Service, North Koreans react as they pay their respect to late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Nampo, North Korea. (AP Photo/Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service) JAPAN OUT UNTIL 14 DAYS AFTER THE DAY OF TRANSMISSION

In this Dec. 23, 2011 photo released by the Korean Central News Agency and distributed in Tokyo Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011 by the Korea News Service, North Koreans pay respects to their late leader Kim Jong Il in front of his portrait in South Hwanghae province, North Korea. (AP Photo/Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service) JAPAN OUT UNTIL 14 DAYS AFTER THE DAY OF TRANSMISSION

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) ? North Korea on Sunday aired footage showing the uncle and key patron of anointed heir Kim Jong Un wearing a military uniform with a general's insignia ? a strong sign he'll play a crucial role in helping the young man take over power and uphold the "military-first" policy initiated by his late father, Kim Jong Il.

The footage on state television shows Jang Song Thaek in uniform as he pays respects before Kim Jong Il's body lying in state at Kumsusan Memorial Palace. Seoul's Unification Ministry says it's the first time Jang, usually seen in business suits, has been shown wearing a military uniform on state TV.

Little by little, North Korea is offering hints on the details of Kim Jong Un's rise and the future composition of his inner circle as millions continue to mourn for his father, who died just over a week ago. North Korea has also begun hailing Kim Jong Un as "supreme leader" of the 1.2-million strong military as it ramps up its campaign to install him as ruler.

"Let's become comrades of ... great comrade Kim Jong Un, the sun of the 21st century!" the North's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in a commentary carried Sunday by the official Korean Central News Agency.

The new title, a public show of support from top military leadership and the symbolic appearance of Jang in uniform send a strong signal that the nation will maintain Kim Jong Il's "military first" policy for the time being.

South Korean intelligence has reportedly predicted Kim Jong Un's aunt Kim Kyong Hui, a key Workers' Party official, and her husband Jang, who is a vice chairman of the powerful National Defense Commission, will play larger roles supporting the heir.

Jang and his wife have risen to the top of North Korea's political and military elite since the succession campaign began two years ago. Both 65, they also have the weight of seniority so important in a society that places a premium on age and alliances.

Kim Jong Un made a third visit Saturday to the palace where his father's body is lying in state ? this time as "supreme leader of the revolutionary armed forces" and accompanied by North Korea's top military brass, according to KCNA.

Earlier, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper urged Kim Jong Un to accept the top military post: "Comrade Kim Jong Un, please assume the supreme commandership, as wished by the people."

Kim Jong Un, who is in his late 20s and was unveiled in September 2010 as his father's choice as successor, will be the third-generation Kim to rule the nation of 24 million. His father and grandfather led the country under different titles, and it remains unclear which other titles will be bestowed on the grandson.

Kim Il Sung, who founded North Korea in 1948, retains the title of "eternal president" even after his death in 1994.

His son, Kim Jong Il, ruled the country in his capacity as chairman of the National Defense Commission while concurrently serving as supreme commander of the Korean People's Army and general secretary of the Workers' Party.

Kim Jong Un was promoted to four-star general and appointed a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party. He had been expected to assume a number of other key posts while being groomed to succeed his father.

His father's death comes at a sensitive time for North Korea, which was in the middle of discussions with the U.S. on food aid and restarting talks to dismantle the North's nuclear weapons program. Chronically short of food and suffering from a shortfall in basic staples after several harsh seasons, officials had been asking for help feeding its people even as North Koreans prepared for 2012 celebrations marking Kim Il Sung's 100th birthday.

North Korea has emphasized the Kim family legacy during the sped-up succession movement for Kim Jong Un. State media invoked Kim Il Sung in declaring the people's support for the next leader, comparing the occasion to Kim Jong Il's ascension to "supreme commander" exactly 20 years ago Saturday.

At the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, Kim Jong Un and senior commanders paid silent tribute to Kim Jong Il, "praying for his immortality," KCNA said. The military also pledged its loyalty to Kim Jong Un, the report said.

"Let the whole army remain true to the leadership of Kim Jong Un over the army," KCNA reported ? a pledge reminiscent of those made when Kim Jong Il was named supreme commander.

The call to rally behind Kim Jong Un, dubbed the "Great Successor" in the wake of his father's death on Dec. 17 from a heart attack, comes amid displays of grief across North Korea. The official mourning period lasts until after Kim's funeral Wednesday and a memorial Thursday.

In Pyongyang, workers at beverage kiosks handed steaming cups of water to shivering mourners, including children bundled up in colorful, thick parkas. State media said Sunday the drinks were arranged at the instruction of Kim Jong Un, who ordered officials to take special measures to protect the health of mourners.

A throng of North Koreans climbed steps and placed flowers and wreaths in a neat row below a portrait of Kim Jong Il as solemn music filled the air and young uniformed soldiers, their heads shaved, bowed before his picture.

A sobbing Jong Myong Hui, a Pyongyang citizen taking a break from shoveling snow, told AP Television News that she came out voluntarily to "clear the way for Kim Jong Il's last journey."

Despite the grief, there are signs that the country is beginning to move on, with people going to work and "not giving way simply to sorrow," KCNA said. "They are getting over the demise of their leader, promoted by a strong will to closely rally around respected Comrade Kim Jong Un."

The Korean peninsula has remained in a technical state of war since the Koreas' 1950-53 conflict, but two groups from South Korea have permission from the South Korean government to visit the North to pay their respects, Unification Ministry spokesman Choi Boh-seon said Saturday in Seoul.

One group will be led by the widow of former President Kim Dae-jung, who held a landmark summit with Kim Jong Il in 2000, and the other by the wife of a late businessman with ties to the North.

On Sunday, North Korea accused South Korea of blocking many other groups from visiting Pyongyang to pay respects, warning the action would trigger "unpredictable catastrophic consequences" in relations between the countries. An unidentified spokesman at the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification said North Korea will test how sincere South Korea is in its calls for improved ties with North Korea.

The spokesman's statement was carried by KCNA.

Seoul's Unification Ministry said it will allow only the two groups to visit the North.

___

Associated Press writers Foster Klug and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, and AP Korea bureau chief Jean H. Lee contributed to this report. Follow them on Twitter at twitter.com/newsjean and twitter.com/APKlug.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-25-AS-Kim-Jong-Il/id-3829ac548fd744fa80031c52baae2c7b

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Plex media app: streaming soon to Nook Tablet and Color

Well, well, if it isn't the famed iOS and Android media jock (read: Plex) making its way to the Nook universe. The application's now gone through yet another good-to-go regime, and if all goes according to plan, it should be hitting Barnes & Noble's virtual stores in the coming days. For those of you out of the loop on Plex's offerings; the service acts as a media server ready to stream online and locally stored content, which are great features to have -- especially when someone limits how your internal storage can be used. We've got no info on how much cash you'll have to spend to start using the goods on your Nook slates, but we can imagine it'll be around the same ($4.99) as its other platform variants.

Plex media app: streaming soon to Nook Tablet and Color originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Dec 2011 19:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oil rises to near $100 amid improving US economy (AP)

SINGAPORE ? Oil prices closed in on $100 a barrel Friday in Asia amid expectations an improving U.S. economy will boost demand for crude.

Benchmark crude for February delivery was up 23 cents to $99.76 a barrel at late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 86 cents to finish at $99.53 on Thursday.

In London, Brent crude was down 4 cents at $107.85 on the ICE futures exchange.

Crude has jumped from below $93 earlier this week on evidence of a slow but steady improvement in the U.S. economy.

The number of people applying for unemployment benefits dropped last week to the lowest level since April 2008, the third week in a row that applications fell. The Conference Board reported that its measure of future economic activity jumped last month, the second straight gain.

"This is a market that just appears to want to go higher," energy consultant and trader The Schork Group said in a report. "All good positive economic headlines are hyped and all poor headlines are ignored. Bears seem unable to keep crude from finishing 2011 below $100."

The market is also primed for potential threats to global crude supplies, such as rising tensions between Iran and Western nations over Iran's nuclear power program. The U.S. and Europe may bolster sanctions against the world's fourth crude biggest producer.

"Iran might not passively wait for sanctions to be applied and could act unilaterally to embargo supplies," J.P Morgan said in a report. "We are also concerned about Iraq, where political uncertainties seem to be rising following the U.S. troop pullout."

"We expect Iraq to add about 500,000 barrels a day of new supply in both 2012 and 2013, and any deviation from its present course could have serious implications for global supply."

Trading volume is normally low during the next week as many traders take vacations around the Christmas and New Year's Day holidays. Global oil markets are closed Monday for Christmas.

In other energy trading on the Nymex, natural gas fell 3.3 cents to $3.14 per 1,000 cubic feet. Heating oil rose 0.4 cent to $2.92 a gallon and gasoline futures were up 0.4 cent to $2.64 a gallon.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111223/ap_on_bi_ge/oil_prices

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Sports News: Ferguson backs Suarez decision

Dec 24 2011

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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has broken his silence over Luis Suarez's ban for allegedly racially abusing Patrice Evra.

The Liverpool striker was suspended for eight games and fined ?40,000 after being found guilty of using insulting words towards the United full-back, with reference to Evra's skin colour.

"Our support of Patrice was obvious right from the word go and that's still the same," said Ferguson, in comments reported by the Guardian. "The matter is over and I think we're satisfied that they [the Football Association's independent commission] found the right decision."

Liverpool responded with a strongly-worded statement in which they criticised the FA and claimed Evra should also face charges after he admitted insulting Suarez during the altercation, while their players wore T-shirts in support of the Uruguayan before their draw with Wigan.

Ferguson initially insisted he had "nothing to say" about the T-shirts, but implied the Reds should back down and accept the sanction.

He added: "This wasn't about Manchester United and Liverpool at all. It was nothing to do with that. This was an individual situation where one person was racially abused."

The Scot also drew parallels with Evra's four-game ban in 2008 following an incident involving Chelsea groundsman Sam Bethell.

"Patrice got that suspension for the incident down at Chelsea when no-one was there, just a groundsman and our fitness coach," he said.

"He got a four-match ban and we had to wait two weeks for the evidence to come through.

"We were quite astounded at that. A four-match ban? We thought it was well over the top for a trivial incident. But it happened and there's nothing you can do about it, you know."

Source: http://www.people.co.uk/sport/sports-news/2011/12/24/ferguson-backs-suarez-decision-102039-23657849/

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Broadcast What You Read: Yahoo Expands Facebook Social Sharing

Yahoo said today that it is expanding its Facebook social sharing feature to 26 more Yahoo sites around the world, meaning there are now more options to automatically share the Yahoo stories you're reading with Facebook friends.

That includes Yahoo TV, Yahoo Movies, Yahoo Games, and blog properties like omg, as well as Yahoo News sites around the world.

Back at September's f8 developer conference, Facebook unveiled new partnerships with music and entertainment companies that allowed Facebook users to link up and share what they were doing outside Facebook. Watch an episode of "30 Rock" on Hulu and share that on your profile, or listen to a song on Spotify and automatically alert your friends. Similarly, the Yahoo deal shares the stories that you're reading on Yahoo News via Facebook.

In a blog post today, Mike Kerns, vice president of social and personalization for Yahoo, said the company has seen a 300 percent traffic boost from Facebook to Yahoo News since the feature was implemented about two months ago.

"Many of you who love to share your reading activity are young and socially engaged (no surprise!), and this has quickly impacted the virality of Yahoo's content on Facebook, as demonstrated in their recent post about the most-shared stories of 2011, showing that 12 of the 40 most-shared stories this year came from Yahoo," Kerns wrote.

The new additions will likely provide users the option to share the movies they're perusing on Yahoo Movies, for example, or the games they're playing on Yahoo Games.

"The features are designed to bring a deeply personalized, social news experience to more of the content millions of people come to Yahoo to read each day," Kerns wrote.

Yahoo also said it will add a Notifications button across Yahoo in the U.S., which will alert you when you've received feedback on a review, response to comments, stock alerts, and more.

There are, of course, some privacy concerns that crop up when automatic sharing is involved. Do you really want all your Facebook friends to know that you read three Justin Bieber articles today? Luckily, the service is opt-in. You have to add an app to your Facebook profile before auto-shares commence, and if there is something you want to read privately, you can temporarily shut down sharing via Yahoo.

But if a friend reads a Yahoo article and it shows up on your news feed, you also have to have the app installed before you can read it. You can't just click and go directly to the story on Yahoo News. This prompted CNET's Molly Wood to say in a recent column that Facebook had ruined sharing. But in a recent interview with Charlie Rose, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg said this type of sharing is the future of Facebook.

Going forward, instead of just telling people how you feel or what you had for dinner, you can share your interests more deeply with apps that bring in your activity from across the Web. "Do you want to go to the movies by yourself or with your friends?" Zuckerberg asked.

Do you agree with Zuckerberg? Have you found Yahoo News (or Spotify, Hulu, etc.) auto-sharing helpful, creepy, annoying, or none of the above? Let us know in the comments.

For more from Chloe, follow her on Twitter @ChloeAlbanesius.

For the top stories in tech, follow us on Twitter at @PCMag.

Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2397934,00.asp?kc=PCRSS05079TX1K0000992

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Coffee linked to lower cancer risk in women

Kelly McMullen, manager of the Java Bay Cafe coffee shop in the Ocean Pines Yacht Club, whips up a creation. A new study found that women who consume four or more cups of caffeinated coffee per day appear to lower their risk for endometrial cancer by 25 percent / LAURA EMMONS FILE PHOTO

Source: http://cancerfriends.net/endometrial-cancer/189790-coffee-linked-lower-cancer-risk-women.html

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Apple poised to sell more iPhones: Susquehanna (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Susquehanna raised its price target on Apple Inc's stock and increased its iPhone shipment estimates as it sees the company ramping up smartphone production, now that Thailand-related constraints have been resolved.

"The revisions are based on positive sell-through data combined with recent supply-chain checks, which suggests that earlier component constraints have largely been resolved and build plans have increased for the fourth and first quarter." Susquehanna wrote in a note to clients.

The brokerage raised its iPhone shipment estimates for the first quarter to 30.3 million units from the 27.1 million it forecast earlier.

"Demand appears solid as iPhone 4S continues to ship in one to two weeks online and stores are generally sold out for in-store reservation and pickup."

The 4S is Apple's fifth iteration of its hugely popular iPhone smartphone range and was released to the public on October 4 this year.

Susquehanna sees strong holiday sales of the company's iPad tablets as well as new product launches such as the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 as significant positive catalysts to the stock.

The brokerage reiterated its "positive" rating on the stock.

Shares of the Cupertino, California-based Apple were down marginally in pre-market trade on Wednesday. They closed at $395.95 on Tuesday on Nasdaq.

For a summary of rating and price target changes on U.S. companies: Reuters Eikon users, click on Reuters 3000Xtra users, double-click Reuters Station users, click .1568

(Reporting by Siddharth Cavale in Bangalore; Editing by Joyjeet Das)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/applecomputer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111221/tc_nm/us_apple_research_susqehanna

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Romney says Gingrich can't take heat of a campaign (AP)

BEDFORD, N.H. ? Continuing a nasty dispute over negative campaign tactics, Mitt Romney said Wednesday that if Newt Gingrich can't take the heat generated by attack ads during the GOP presidential primary, he'll wilt going up against President Barack Obama.

Appearing on morning television programs, Romney responded to Gingrich's claims that a special political action committee that supports Romney is running misleading and false ads against the former House speaker that have taken a toll on his campaign.

Gingrich has called on Romney to urge his allies to stop the advertising onslaught, a demand the former Massachusetts governor has dismissed as they both vie for Iowa and New Hampshire voters who will begin rendering judgment in less than two weeks.

Romney said he can't control what the independent PAC does and needled Gingrich as being too thin-skinned for a drawn-out contest against Obama.

"There are limits to what you can tell a PAC," Romney said Wednesday on Fox News Channel. "I'm sure I could go out and say, `Please, don't do anything negative.' But this is politics. And if you can't stand the heat in this little kitchen, wait until the Obama's Hell's Kitchen turns up the heat."

In subsequent interview on MSNBC that touched on foreign affairs, Romney said he would not rule out military "support" to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has overseen a deadly nine-month uprising against his regime. Romney said as recently as last month that the time had come for Assad's regime to end.

The spat over attack ads has dominated the GOP campaign in recent days as Gingrich, picking up endorsements from legislative leaders in Iowa and New Hampshire, and Romney, on a bus tour of New Hampshire, worked to fit in as much glad-handing with voters as possible before taking a break for Christmas.

"I don't object to being outspent. I object to lies. I object to negative smear campaigns," Gingrich said Tuesday, suggesting that Romney was being less than truthful when he claimed he can't do anything about hard-hitting spots coming from the independent group, Restore Our Future, formed by staffers from his 2008 campaign. "Understand, these are his people running his ads, doing his dirty work while he pretends to be above it."

"I think these guys hire consultants who get drunk, sit around and write stupid ads," a fired-up Gingrich said. "Every one of these candidates should take responsibility for the lies they are putting up."

Earlier Tuesday, Romney said in an appearance on MSNBC that these political action committees have been "a disaster." But he refused to urge the group backing him to halt its attacks on Gingrich, citing federal law that prohibits coordination between his campaign and such groups. And he pointedly declined to disavow the ads.

"I'm not allowed to communicate with a super PAC in any way, shape or form," Romney said. "If we coordinate in any way whatsoever, we go to the big house."

Hours later, Gingrich read Romney's remarks to reporters and then promptly labeled them "baloney." Said Gingrich, "His comments are palpably misleading, clearly false and are politics at its worst form."

The standoff over negative ads comes as Gingrich has lost ground in Iowa and elsewhere after the Romney-aligned super PAC and others, including Texas Rep. Ron Paul, have blanketed the airwaves with ads casting Gingrich as a Washington insider who profited on his name after leaving office. The ads have knocked Gingrich off message just as he's seeking to make his closing argument to Iowa voters ahead of the Jan. 3 caucuses.

With Gingrich flailing, Romney focused on Obama in a speech Tuesday in which he accused Obama of deepening the economic crisis and backing policies that will redistribute wealth instead of creating equal opportunity for people to do well.

Polls show Romney, Gingrich and Paul in contention for the lead in Iowa and elsewhere.

Paul, the blunt-spoken Texas congressman, was campaigning Wednesday in Iowa, along with other candidates in the field. The race there remains unpredictable, as voters weigh electability against conservative credentials.

Jenny Turner, a 31-year-old wedding videographer from Mount Pleasant, Iowa, summed it up this way: "My heart is with Newt. But Mitt Romney is in the back of my mind."

The bickering over negative ads has highlighted the role of so-called super PACs, independent groups that may accept unlimited donations but are not supposed to directly coordinate with candidates. Such groups have sprung up to work on behalf of every serious Republican candidate after a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year that allowed individuals, unions and corporations to donate unlimited sums of money to outfits advocating the election or defeat of candidates.

On Tuesday, Gingrich and Romney decried the system, with Romney calling it a "disaster" and Gingrich branding it as a "nightmare." But both benefit from super PACs.

Two pro-Gingrich groups have started raising money, and Gingrich's longtime aide Rick Tyler just signed on with one of them.

Romney's supporters, however, have had a yearlong head start in raising money. Restore Our Future is slated to spend roughly $3 million on ads, most of which paint Gingrich as an ethically-challenged Washington power broker.

Gingrich, who trails Romney badly in fundraising after a campaign implosion this year, said he would disavow any group that runs negative ads on his behalf.

In a sign of his fundraising and organizational deficiencies, Gingrich was rushing later Wednesday to Virginia, the state the former Georgia congressman now calls home, to help ensure he has the needed signatures to get on the ballot there.

___

Hunt reported from New Hampshire.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111221/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign

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