Monday, November 28, 2011

How to Find Low-cost Auto Insurance - Pienso en Comics

Posted by admin on November 26, 2011
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Source: http://www.piensoencomics.com/how-to-find-low-cost-auto-insurance/

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Sunday, November 27, 2011

Amazon's Black Friday Deals Galore (Little green footballs)

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Newsmaker: Technocrat "oil man" takes charge of Libya lifeline (Reuters)

TRIPOLI (Reuters) ? Libya's new oil minister is seen as the right kind of technocrat, deeply experienced yet not too closely tied to the former regime of Muammar Gaddafi, to help restore the OPEC member's economic lifeline after eight months of war.

Abdulrahman Ben Yazza is in his mid-50s and brings experience from both Libya's oil industry and Italian firm Eni, the largest foreign oil producer in Libya before the war.

He worked at Libya's Waha Oil company and at the state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC), culminating in a seat on the management committee. He then headed a joint venture between NOC and Eni.

"He's an excellent oil man," NOC Chairman Nuri Berruien told Reuters. "He's a first-class professional ... The most important (thing) is that he's from the oil patch. It is very important, it is good to work with people who speak your tongue."

A source close to Ben Yazza said the married father of four from Tripoli had been living in Milan for the last few years and traveling frequently to Libya.

"Ben Yazza is an old guy, well known and well liked. He knows Eni very well but that doesn't mean he will be pro-Eni ... he will be pro-Libyan," one Libyan oil industry source said.

"He's more a technocrat politician. Remember this is a transitory government, a bit like the Monti government in Italy ...It doesn't represent the power equilibrium and none of the big shots are in it."

Of all the new appointments in Prime Minister Abdurrahim El Keib's government, set to lead the country to elections next year, analysts and industry sources said Ben Yazza is seen as the most technocratic and least colored by the country's regional politics.

"In meetings he would listen to everyone's opinion," a person who worked with him at the NOC said, describing Ben Yazza as "very respectable."

NEW FACES

Before the February revolt, Libya's oil policy was run by the NOC headed by Shokri Ghanem, who defected in June and is believed to be living in Europe.

Officials have since indicated there will be changes, with plans to split commercial arrangements from policy.

Ben Yazza himself is seen as somewhat independent despite his NOC history, as a man who reportedly clashed at one point with Ghanem and who carries no strong affiliation with the ousted regime.

He is "very competent with a strong personality," one diplomatic source said.

"There were other candidates in the sector who had good international pedigrees, but they were often very closely associated with Col. Gaddafi - or they amplified their connections with Gaddafi in order to increase their prestige," said Geoff Porter, a U.S. independent expert on Libya.

"In the new post-Gaddafi Libya, they are tainted and would have been rejected by the Libyan population and by the hydrocarbon sector workers in particular."

The new set of faces will have to sustain the revival of the industry, which is returning to the international market faster than expected.

Libya holds Africa's largest oil reserves and was pumping 1.6 million barrels per day before the revolt.

Questions remain about the future, with a potential shake-up that would give more power to the oil ministry and carve up the NOC's responsibilities.

Berruien said the oil ministry and NOC would "complement each other."

Ben Yazza's appointment could see a number of former Libyan state oil company executives return to the public sector, according to political risk consultancy Eurasia Group.

"Highly experienced and extremely well-connected, we expect Ben Yazza to announce the recruitment of a number of his former NOC colleagues and friends to the NOC and the ministry," it said.

"The implications for the sector are good. Separating the regulatory and oversight functions from operations will remove some conflicts of interest," it said.

"Ben Yazza (will have) the opportunity to root out some of the more entrenched examples of corruption."

Still, he could encounter opposition from some workers still wary of former NOC officials. Waha Oil workers just recently ended a strike after their demands for a new chairman were met.

"Lack of experienced personnel has long been a retarding factor in the Libyan oil and gas sector and Ben Yazza will see the return of senior officials currently with IOCs (independent oil companies) as important if the sector is to reach its full potential," Eurasia said.

(Additional reporting by Taha Zargoun and Christian Lowe in Tripoli, Stephen Jewkes in Milan, Jessica Donati in London; editing by Jason Neely)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111125/ts_nm/us_libya_oil_minister

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Friday, November 25, 2011

Judge allows Occupy back onto S.C. Capitol grounds; governor sued

By msnbc.com staff

C. Aluka Berry / AP file

Occupy Columbia protesters sang together before they were arrested Nov. 16 on the South Carolina State House grounds in Columbia.

Occupy Columbia protesters can return to the South Carolina State House grounds in Columbia after a state judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking Gov. Nikki Haley's attempted eviction of the movement.

NBC station WIS of Columbia reports that the order, which Circuit Judge Alison Lee signed Wednesday morning, will let the protesters bring sleeping bags and tents onto the capital grounds around the clock for the next 10 days. She said the protesters were likely to win a court challenge of the eviction on free speech grounds.

A hearing for a permanent injunction is scheduled for next week, The State newspaper reported.

Haley declared last week that protesters would be arrested if they were on the grounds after 6 p.m. After the arrests of 19 people on Nov. 16 led to widespread criticism, the order was amended to allow protesters to stay on the grounds all night as long as they didn't sleep or use sleeping bags.

The decision comes the same day that several Occupy Columbia protesters who were arrested last week for refusing to leave the grounds filed a lawsuit Haley and state public safety officials, The Associated Press reported.

Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/23/8980327-judge-allows-occupy-back-onto-sc-capitol-grounds-governor-sued

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2nd boy admits shopping cart push that hurt woman (AP)

NEW YORK ? A 12-year-old boy admitted Wednesday that he and a friend shoved a shopping cart off a fourth-floor walkway at a shopping center, a prank that critically hurt a woman when it plunged onto her.

The boy pleaded guilty in Family Court to assault, as his now 13-year-old friend did last week. Both are in custody until court dates next month, when a judge is to decide their punishments.

Because of their ages, they could be ordered to spend up to 18 months in a juvenile facility, not jail, but their detention could be extended annually up to their 18th birthdays.

"Me and (the other boy) threw a shopping cart off the fourth story of the mall" Oct. 30, the 12-year-old told a judge Wednesday in a shy mumble, with his mother and lawyer by his side. Like his friend, he acknowledged knowing that people on the ground could get hurt.

The case drew attention nationwide. An editorial in The Augusta Chronicle in Georgia portrayed it as evidence that "at least one of society's wheels is completely off the rails."

The cart landed on Marion Salmon Hedges, a real estate broker and volunteer with several charity organizations. She had gone to a discount store at the shopping plaza, in gritty East Harlem, to get a load of Halloween candy to give away to the children who flocked to her block of Upper West Side brownstones from a range of neighborhoods, her friends and family have said.

Hedges, 47, was in a medically induced coma for a time. Her husband has said she will need months of rehabilitation.

The 12-year-old has a history of being suspended from school, said city Law Department lawyer Leah S. Schmelzer, who represented the government in the Family Court case. But his lawyer, Sandeep Kandhari, said the boy has never been in legal trouble before.

"He understands the gravity of this," Kandhari told Judge Susan Larabee. "He understands that he has to take responsibility for his actions, and he's prepared to do so."

The Associated Press generally doesn't report the names of juveniles charged with crimes.

Kandhari asked the judge to let the boy go home for a few hours on Thanksgiving to his close-knit family; his parents, though not a couple anymore, live in the same household, his mother told the judge. Larabee declined.

The lawyer and the boy's mother declined to comment as they left the courtroom.

___

Follow Jennifer Peltz at http://twitter.com/jennpeltz.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111123/ap_on_re_us/us_hit_by_shopping_cart

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Thursday, November 24, 2011

Stocks fall on weak economic news in China, Europe (AP)

Stocks are falling at midday on worries about slower global growth and the spreading European debt crisis.

An auction of German debt drew surprisingly weak interest Wednesday, sending global markets lower. Germany has Europe's biggest economy. The weak auction signaled that Europe's debt woes might be spreading to the stronger nations that are helping to keep the euro afloat.

A Chinese survey suggested that manufacturing activity there has slowed. Investors focused on the negative aspects of several mixed U.S. economic reports. The government said Tuesday that growth in the third quarter was far slower than previously reported.

The Dow is down 189 points, or 1.6 percent, at 11,305. The S&P 500 is down 22, or 1.8 percent, at 1,167. The Nasdaq is down 50, or 2 percent, at 2,471.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111123/ap_on_bi_st_ma_re/us_wall_street

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Wednesday, November 23, 2011

China agrees to loan Venezuela $4 billion (AP)

CARACAS, Venezuela ? China has agreed to a new $4 billion loan to help Venezuela boost its oil output and will also help upgrade power plants and increase production of iron and aluminum, a Venezuelan official said Wednesday.

China has swiftly become Venezuela's biggest foreign lender in recent years, and has previously agreed to more than $32 billion in loans. President Hugo Chavez's government is repaying the loans with oil shipments.

Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez said during a meeting with Chinese officials that the new $4 billion loan agreement would be signed Wednesday. He said the purpose is to increase oil production involving Venezuelan and Chinese companies from about 100,000 barrels a day to about 330,000 barrels a day.

He said oil production involving Chinese companies should reach about 1.1 million barrels a day by 2014. That would be a big increase for Venezuela, which aims to raise its overall oil output from what it says is now roughly 3 million barrels a day to about 4 million barrels a day by 2015.

The infusion of cash from China has also provided key support as Chavez looks to boost spending ahead of next year's presidential election. Ramirez said Chinese companies are helping with upgrades to power plants. Chinese companies are also building public housing for the government, and are constructing railways.

Chinese and Venezuelan officials discussed not only plans to boost iron ore production, but also projects to expand a pier, dredge the Orinoco River and "expand our capacity of rail transport for transporting iron ore," Ramirez said at the televised meeting.

Another joint project aims to increase production of aluminum, Ramirez said.

Venezuela's oil exports to China stand at 410,000 barrels of fuel a day, up nearly 10-fold from the 45,000 barrels a day sold to China in 2005, Ramirez said.

In order to deal with increasing volumes of heavy oil from Venezuela, the two countries are moving ahead with plans to jointly build a refinery in China capable of handling up to 400,000 barrels a day, he said.

Much of the oil is to come from the vast reservoir of heavy crude in Venezuela's eastern Orinoco River basin. Ramirez said China will also be involved in developing a deep-water terminal in the eastern port town of Araya to enable increasing oil exports.

The long-term emphasis during this week's talks, Ramirez said, is "for us to supply all the oil that China needs for its development, and to obtain from China all necessary support in the transfer of technology and financing."

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

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Penguin pulls new e-books from library distributor, citing concerns over security

OverDrive's e-book universe got a little colder this week, thanks to Penguin. Citing "new concerns about the security of our digital editions," Penguin USA temporarily pulled its new titles from the distributor's stable of library e-books yesterday, pending further discussions with its business partners. The publisher didn't offer a concrete reason for its pullout, but issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to its business partners, and reassuring readers that physical copies of its new books will remain available across "libraries everywhere." OverDrive, which powers Amazon's Kindle Library Lending Service, soon issued its own statement, providing more insight into the conflict:
Last week Penguin sent notice to OverDrive that it is reviewing terms for library lending of their eBooks. In the interim, OverDrive was instructed to suspend availability of new Penguin eBook titles from our library catalog and disable "Get for Kindle" functionality for all Penguin eBooks. We apologize for this abrupt change in terms from this supplier. We are actively working with Penguin on this issue and are hopeful Penguin will agree to restore access to their new titles and Kindle availability as soon as possible.
This kerfuffle hasn't gone over too well with some libraries. In an e-mail sent to the Digital Shift, Cynthia Laino of the C/W Mars Library Consortium lamented the turn of events -- and the fact that her organization was left in the dark. "Neither Penguin nor OverDrive made any sort of announcement to library staff regarding this issue," wrote Laino, whose consortium represents more than 150 libraries across the US. "We have bought many additional copies of our most popular titles simply to meet the increased demand for them once Kindle users were added to our borrowers. We would not have spent the additional funds (thousands of dollars) had we known this issue would arise." Laino went on to express her hope for a quick resolution, suggesting that the involved parties should at least provide some compensation for the sudden withdrawal. We'll be following this story as it develops, and will be sure to bring you the very latest.

Penguin pulls new e-books from library distributor, citing concerns over security originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Police using technology to shield internal communcations

Police departments around the country are moving to shield their radio communications from the public as cheap, user-friendly technology has made it easy for anyone to use handheld devices to keep tabs on officers responding to crimes.

The practice of encryption has become increasingly common from Florida to New York and west to California, with law enforcement officials saying they want to keep criminals from using officers' internal chatter to evade them. But journalists and neighborhood watchdogs say open communications ensure that the public receives information as quickly as possible that can be vital to their safety.

D.C. police became one of the latest departments to adopt the practice this fall. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said recently that a group of burglars who police believe were following radio communications on their smartphones pulled off more than a dozen crimes before ultimately being arrested and that drug dealers fled a laundromat after a sergeant used his radio to call in other officers ? suggesting that they, too, might have been listening in.

"Whereas listeners used to be tied to stationary scanners, new technology has allowed people ? and especially criminals ? to listen to police communications on a smartphone from anywhere," Lanier testified at a D.C. Council committee hearing this month. "When a potential criminal can evade capture and learn, 'There's an app for that,' it's time to change our practices."

The transition to encryption has put police departments at odds with the news media, who say their newsgathering is impeded when they can't use scanners to monitor developing crimes and disasters. Journalists and scanner hobbyists argue that police departments already have the capability to communicate securely and should be able to adjust to the times without reverting to full encryption. And they say alert scanner listeners have even helped police solve crimes.

"If the police need to share sensitive information among themselves, they know how to do it," Phil Metlin, news director of WTTG-Fox 5, in Washington, said at the council hearing. "Special encrypted channels have been around for a long time; so have cellphones."

It's impossible to quantify the scope of the problem or to determine if the threat from scanners is as legitimate as police maintain ? or merely a speculative fear. It's certainly not a new concern ? after all, hobbyists have for years used scanners to track the activities of their local police department from their kitchen table.

David Schoenberger, a stay-at-home dad from Fredericksburg, Va., and scanner hobbyist, said he understands the chief's concerns ? to a point.

"I think they do need to encrypt the sensitive talk groups, like the vice and narcotics, but I disagree strongly with encrypting the routine dispatch and patrol talk groups. I don't think that's right," he said. "I think the public has a right to monitor them and find out what's going on around them. They pay the salaries and everything."

One iPhone app, Scanner 911, offers on its website the chance to "listen in while police, fire and EMS crews work day & night." Apple's iTunes store advertises several others. Though iPhones don't directly pick up police signals, users can listen to nearly real-time audio through Internet streaming services, said Matthew Blaze, director of the Distributed Systems Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania.

The cost of encryption varies. The Nassau County, N.Y., police department is in the final stages of a $50 million emergency communications upgrade that includes encryption and interoperability with other law enforcement agencies in the region, said Inspector Edmund Horace. Once the old system is taken down, Horace said, "You would not be able to discern what's being said on the air unless you had the proper equipment."

The Orange County, Fla., sheriff's office expects to be encrypted within months. Several police departments in the county are already encrypted, and more will follow suit to keep officers safe, said Bryan Rintoul, director of emergency communications for the sheriff's office.

In California, the Santa Monica police department has been fully encrypted for the past two years, enabling police to communicate more freely during high-risk calls, said spokesman Sgt. Richard Lewis.

Smaller communities like Garden City, Kan. ? with a population of roughly 27,000 ? are also converting.

"It was an unknown. There was no criminal act, but it concerns the officers when you see the same vehicle keep showing up at your scenes," said spokesman Sgt. Michael Reagle. "What is their intent when they keep showing up?"

The shift to encryption has occurred as departments replace old-fashioned analog radios with digital equipment that sends the voice signal over the air as a stream of bits and then reconstructs it into high-quality audio. Encrypted communication is generally only heard by listeners with an encryption key. Others might hear silence or garbled talk.

Still, full encryption is cumbersome and difficult to manage, especially for large law enforcement agencies that must keep track of who has the encryption key. The more individuals or neighboring agencies with access, the greater the risk that the secrecy of the system could be compromised and the harder it becomes to ensure that everyone who needs access has it, Blaze said.

"I would not be surprised if a lot of departments that do it would switch back to non-encryption. The practical difficulties of trying to maintain an encrypted system at scale start to become apparent," he said.

Some departments have studied full encryption but decided against it, including police in Greenwich, Conn.

"Because we've always retained the ability to encrypt traffic on a case-by-case basis when we need to, in a community like Greenwich, I think the transparency we achieve by allowing people to listen to our radio communications certainly outweighs any security concern we have," said Capt. Mark Kordick.

Some departments have tried to compromise. The Jacksonville, Fla., sheriff's office leased radios to the media, allowing them to listen to encrypted patrol channels. That practice ended last summer out of concern about maintaining the confidentiality of radio transmissions, said spokeswoman Lauri-Ellen Smith.

In D.C., Lanier says the department is stepping up efforts to advise the public of developing crimes through Facebook, Twitter and an email alert system. Officers will use an unencrypted channel starting next month to alert the public to traffic delays, said spokeswoman Gwendolyn Crump. But the chief has refused to give radios to media organizations, which continue to assail the encryption.

"What about the truly terrifying crimes?" Metlin, the news director, asked at the hearing. "What if, God forbid, there is another act of terrorism here? It is our jobs to inform the public in times of emergency."

Rick Hansen says he's been listening to police communications since he was 13 or 14 and considers efforts to shut them off a way to make government less transparent. The Silver Spring, Md., man says they should use technology to keep sensitive information of the airwaves on a selective basis.

"Yes, it's a concern ? and it's something that can be addressed through proper procedures and processes as opposed to turning out the lights on everybody," he said.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45376345/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/

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Lackluster results show challenge for HP's Whitman (AP)

SAN FRANCISCO ? Hewlett-Packard Co.'s first earnings report with Meg Whitman as CEO highlights the troubles she faces in setting a new course for the besieged company.

The latest quarterly numbers, reported Monday after the market closed, beat Wall Street's subdued expectations. But the forecast for the 2012 fiscal year left something to be desired. HP's shares fell.

The results show a company being pulled in two directions at once. The tensions underline a key challenge for Whitman, who is best known for building eBay Inc. from its startup days into a Silicon Valley icon and now must wrestle with one of technology's oldest companies amid management dysfunction and economic malaise.

Whitman's first major decision as CEO was deciding to keep the $40 billion-plus personal computer business, which her predecessor, Leo Apotheker, had wanted to sell or spin off. That business is pulling HP toward the low end of the technology market. PCs notoriously carry thin profit margins, and customers are spending less on them amid challenges from rival technologies, mainly smartphones and tablets. HP sees PCs as an inexpensive way to get its sales hooks into corporations and sell more expensive technology.

Meanwhile, HP has spent tens of billions of dollars expanding into those more profitable areas of technology services and software. But cracking those businesses means facing entrenched enemies such as IBM Corp. HP faces serious questions about its competitiveness at the high end of those markets.

The latest earnings report showed HP's net income fell 91 percent ? mostly because of write-downs and charges for Apotheker's decision to kill off HP's fledgling tablet and smartphone lines. So staying on track will be a challenge.

The company earned $239 million, or 12 cents per share, for the quarter ended Oct. 31. That's down from $2.54 billion, or $1.10 per share, a year earlier.

Excluding one-time items, HP earned $1.17 per share, more than the $1.13 analysts expect on average, according to FactSet.

Revenue fell 3 percent to $32.12 billion, but that beat the $32.05 billion analysts expected.

HP's shares briefly rose in extended trading, after the results were reported. But momentum turned against the company as investors digested the weaker outlook, and the shares fell 28 cents. In regular trading Monday, the stock fell $1.13, or 4 percent, to close at $26.86.

The forecast was lower than most analysts' targets. HP said it was being "cautious," citing turmoil in Europe amid the debt crisis there, soft consumer spending and weakening spending by businesses.

Analyst Brian White with Ticonderoga Securities called the outlook "weak" but said the stock has some appeal in investors because of its previous declines. Indeed, the stock has fallen 40 percent since CEO Mark Hurd was ousted last year in an ethical scandal.

"HP has valuation on its side and expectations are low; however, we believe this turnaround story will take time to play out, and the darkening macroeconomic environment is only likely to hinder this cause," White wrote in a note to clients.

The profit decline in the latest quarter was caused in large part by $3.3 billion in charges for HP's earlier decision to kill its tablet and smartphone businesses, as well as other write-downs and acquisition costs. Revenue in three of HP's biggest divisions ? personal computers, printers and ink, and servers and networking ? fell as well.

Whitman faces a real test as she attempts to pull together a conglomerate beset by growing pains and managerial strife. She is HP's third CEO in a year and a half. Though HP is the world's largest information technology company by revenue, the company has had a hard time deciding whether it wanted to grow even bigger or start getting smaller.

Apotheker, who succeed Hurd, was ousted in September over his botched handling of key initiatives, particularly the plan to sell or spin off the PC division, which leaked early to the press and which Whitman has reversed.

For the fiscal first quarter, HP expects earnings of 83 cents to 86 cents per share, excluding one-time items. That's far less than the $1.11 per share analysts expected.

For the full fiscal year, HP expects to earn at least $4 per share, excluding one-time items. Analysts expected $4.53 per share on that basis.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111122/ap_on_bi_ge/us_earns_hewlett_packard

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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Eli catches the Romo disease

Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Green Bay PackersGetty Images

Nine days after 11-11-11, the 11th Sunday of the 2011 regular season was played.

In the AFC, we?re no closer to knowing which teams are the best teams.? In the NFC, ineffectiveness and injuries are allowing two franchises with eight Lombardi Trophies between them to continue to separate from the pack.

But let?s go deeper than the same-old ?if the season ended today? scenarios or the other fairly obvious stuff you?ll see on certain four-letter networks today.

For some reason, I always can come up with only 10 things to say.

1.? Moral victory for the Bucs.

They say there are no moral victories.? I say ?they? say a lot of things, plenty of which are wrong.

In this specific case, here?s why.

Blown out 48-3 by the 49ers and 37-9 by the Texans, the Bucs desperately needed to avoid a similar fate at Lambeau Field.? It wasn?t looking good early, what with the Packers up 14-0.

But the Bucs scratched and clawed their way back into the game, making it competitive and keeping the score respectable.? For coach Raheem Morris, whose contract situation puts the team in a fire-him-extend-him-or-let-him-do-the-lame-duck-thing trilemma for 2012, avoiding an embarrassment was the next best thing to pulling what would have been a most unlikely upset.

That said, a couple of ill-advised onside kicks likely won?t help the ?keep Raheem? cause.? Overall, however, the Bucs have nothing about which to be ashamed ? apart from their recent effort to make excuses for their 4-6 record by pointing out how difficult their schedule is.

2.? Michael Bush, Kevin Smith prove the fungible nature of tailbacks.

On Sunday morning, an item from one of the Bay Area websites presumed that Raiders running back Michael Bush will be swimming in gold coins come free agency in 2012.? Though Bush definitely won?t be pitching a tent in Zucotti Park, he will still be earning a fraction of the game?s truly elite backs.

Bush, while talented, possesses skills that aren?t uncommon at the NFL level.? Every year, college programs throughout the country churn out men who will move the chains, with competent blocking.? Though Bush, who would have been a first-round pick but for a gruesome leg injury in the first game of his final season at Louisville, lands on the high end of the curve, he?s not in the Adrian Peterson/Chris Johnson financial district, yet.

The performance of guys like Lions? reclamation project Kevin Smith underscores that point, and eventually will undermine Bush?s case for big dollars.? Unwanted by the Lions after three seasons with the team and drawing zero interest elsewhere, Smith hung around and hung around until the Lions decided that their running game was sufficiently bad to justify bringing back one of the lone bright spots from that 0-16 team of 2008.

Smith responded Sunday with 201 total yards and three touchdowns.

Though the performance may have given Smith a short-term assignment pending the return of Jahvid Best, Kevin Smith?s career nevertheless will be remembered more like Timmy?s than Emmitt?s.? Yes, playing the position requires speed and toughness and courage and durability.? But of all the things that NFL players are required to do (other than kicking, punting, holding, and long-snapping), those traits seem to be the most common.

That?s why only a few get paid a ton of money, and that?s why veterans like Larry Johnson, Clinton Portis, and Tiki Barber are spending the 2011 season unemployed, and flabbergasted.

3.? Percy Harvin would be special, if he got the touches.

There?s a guy in Minnesota who has those interchangeable tailback skills, but at a far higher level than most.? The only problem is that, for reasons neither known nor apparent, the Vikings don?t use him as much as they should.

Percy Harvin made a big splash in 2009 as a rookie receiver and kickoff returner.? Lost in the shuffle of last year?s disappointing season, Harvin nevertheless had more yards from scrimmage.

This year, with not even a mention of an issue with migraines that previously plagued him at the pro level, his workload hasn?t spiked the way that it should for a third-year player who has shown a ton of potential.

Maybe it?ll come in 2012, after quarterback Christian Ponder gets more comfortable and the Vikings upgrade their offensive line via free agency and/or the draft.? Maybe it?ll eventually have to come after Harvin joins a new team.

Regardless, at some point Percy Harvin deserves a chance to become the total package ? whether as a full-time receiver or a part-time wideout/tailback or even as a full-time Darren Sproles-style option out of the backfield.? Harvin could be so much better than he has been, and he?s one of the few true stars that remain on the roster of a 2-8 team.

4.? Caveat emptor, quarterback edition.

Titans tailback Chris Johnson still isn?t earning his money.? A week after racking up 100-plus rushing yards for the first time since getting paid, Johnson?s average plunged to 1.1, with 13 yards on 12 carries.

The lesson to the Titans, and the rest of the league, is becoming more obvious:? Don?t pay big money to a running back who has held out for all of training camp and the preseason, especially when there are so many others who can do the job.

In Buffalo, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has provided another piece of advice for NFL teams: ?Don?t pay an up-and-coming quarterback during the season in which he?s up-and-coming.

Fitzpatrick?s game has evaporated since he put his name at bottom of a six-year, $59 million contract.? Yes, the Bills celebrated the new deal with a 23-0 win against the Redskins in Toronto.? But the team, and most importantly Fitzpatrick, had their mojo (along with their Deux Deux Deuxs) confiscated at the Canadian border.

Outscored 106-26 in games against the Jets, Cowboys, and Dolphins, Buffalo now finds itself in a 2008-style free-fall, with any realistic chances of a postseason appearance riding on the ability to somehow get their groove back.

And, please, don?t point out that the 2001 Patriots were also 5-5 after 10 games.? The Pats? arrow was pointing up a decade ago.? The Bills? tank is, by all appearances, on empty.

By giving Fitzpatrick that big contract, it will be harder for the Bills to effectively consider all their options come January, given the money that has been tied up in the contract for Fitzpatrick.

5.? It?s time to extend the goal posts, somehow.

On Sunday, a pair of field goals created a little controversy, due in part to the fact that today?s kickers routinely blast the ball higher than the uprights extend.

In Cleveland, Phil Dawson believed a 38-yarder that would have put the Browns up by seven points late was good, even though the officials disagreed.? The lost three-pointer nearly ended up haunting the Browns, who had to hold off one final charge by the Jaguars.

In Washington, Redskins coach Mike Shanahan didn?t agree that a 39-yard try in overtime from Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey had satisfied the standard for chalking up a field goal.

In both cases, the ability to determine whether the kick was good was complicated by the fact that the ball went above the uprights.

For kicks that go over the U-shaped structure, the rule book requires the ball to pass fully within the outside edge of the uprights.? Which basically means that if an official standing directly under the outside edge of the upright looks straight up and sees no portion of the ball, the kick is good.

Good luck getting in the right spot and making the right judgment while the ball is soaring right through the air at least 30 feet above the ground.

The easy fix would be to make the uprights taller.? Sure, they already look goofy with the extra-long extensions that would dwarf the H-shaped contraptions of yesteryear.? And the laws of physics would result in much greater stress being placed on the corners of the crossbar as wind blows the very tops of even longer beams.

Still, it?s 2011.? The NFL eventually found a fake grass that performs much better than green cement, and the NFL easily could find a material that would perform well when elongated by an extra 10 feet, even in high winds.

At a minimum, the league should consider a high-tech solution that would use sensors or lasers to visibly extend the post, or that would allow the officials to determine easily whether the ball indeed passes inside the outer edge of the uprights.

As the sport grows and the importance of the outcome of each game (or, for the fantasy football crowd, each extra point and field goal) becomes more significant, the league needs to be prepared to take all reasonable steps to iron out any potential glitches in the rules.? After Sunday, it?s obvious that the league needs to address the height of the goal posts.

6.? Sorting out the offsetting penalties in Eagles-Giants.

The PFT email box and Twitter pipeline exploded on Sunday night, after a penalty for illegal use of hands against the Giants during a 50-yard pass to Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson and a post-play taunting penalty on Jackson completely wiped out the gain and gave Philly an unwanted do-over from their own two yard line.

The prevailing thought was that Eagles should have been able to decline the penalty against the Giants, and then to have the 15 yards walked off after the play, giving Philly a 35-yard gain.

But the outcome reflected the proper application of a strange donut hole in the rule book.

The process gets started at Rule 14, Section 1, Article 9:?? ?If there has been a foul by either team during a down and there is a dead ball foul by the other team in the action immediately after the end of the down, it is a double foul, and all rules for enforcement of double fouls apply (see 14-3-1).?

Regarding double fouls, Article 14, Section 3, Rule 1 provides as follows:? ?If there is a double foul . . . without a change of possession, the penalties are offset and the down is replayed at the previous spot.?

In this case, a key exception almost applied, but ultimately didn?t.? ?If one of the fouls is of a nature that incurs a 15-yard penalty and the other foul of a double foul normally would result in a loss of 5 yards only (15 yards versus 5 yards),? the rule book states, ?the major penalty yardage is to be assessed from the previous spot.?? Since the penalty on the Giants entailed a five-yard penalty AND an automatic first down, the exception didn?t apply in Jackson?s case.? Even if it had (for example, if the Giants had simply been offside), the Eagles would have had the 15 yards walked off (or, in this case, half the distance to the goal) from the previous spot.

Either way, the penalty on the Giants ultimately penalized the Eagles.? Though the officials sorted it all out properly in real time, the rule book definitely needs to be tweaked to prevent such unfair outcomes.

7.? Vince Young clinches a second chance to start.

The stats weren?t pretty, especially with three interceptions and a passer rating of 69.0, but Vince Young?s performance in the clutch during a primetime game for the squad he unintentionally gave the ?Dream Team? label could go a long way toward giving him a shot at a starting job in 2012.

After Young signed with the Eagles following his unceremonious exile from Nashville, Eagles president Joe Banner told PFT Live that Young wanted a one-year deal, even though the Eagles had hoped to lock him up for two.? Young?s insistence on a shorter term lets him get back to the market again in March. Even if he doesn?t take another snap this year, he has done enough to earn extra consideration in this quarterback-need league.

Young, quite simply, is Tim Tebow plus the ability to throw the ball reasonably accurately, albeit unconventionally.? Young still can perform at a high level; the challenge will be to match him up with a coach who?ll be able to shepherd Young through the adversity he?ll inevitably face as a starting quarterback.

Young faced plenty of it last night, and he did enough to keep the ?Dream? alive, even if it dies for good next week against the Patriots.

8.? Eli catches the Romo disease.

Two weeks ago, many were singing the praises of Peyton Manning?s kid brother.? Since then, Eli has been playing like the evil twin of Tony Romo.

Late turnovers in losses to the 49ers and the Eagles have dropped the Giants from 6-2 to 6-4, plunging them into a tie with the Cowboys and giving the Eagles a glimmer of hope, especially since Philly currently holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over both Dallas and New York.

In each of the last three weeks, Eli?s passer rating for the season has dropped.? And last night?s 74.0 doesn?t take into account the play that killed the Giants? late hopes for a comeback ? a fumble when Eli was hit from behind by Jason Babin.

As the Giants find themselves in the midst of yet another late-season collapse, Eli needs to find a way to turn those late opportunities into something other than turnovers.? If he can?t, plenty of jobs could be turning over in New York after the season ends.

9.? Bears could be in a real bind.

Peter King explained late night for an exclusive SNF Extra video that the thumb injury to Bears quarterback Jay Cutler could be a killer for Chicago.? Contrary to the classic design of the Mike Martz offense, Cutler had been moving more out of the pocket in order to buy time behind a work-in-progress offensive line.

With Caleb Hanie getting the nod, the Bears either need to get him comfortable doing what Cutler was doing, or hope the offensive line gets a lot better.

In the interim, it could mean more reps for Matt Forte, who?ll only add to his pay-the-man case if the Bears climb onto his back while Cutler is out.

And as to anyone who thinks that my lobbying last week for the Texans to pursue Brett Favre in lieu of Matt Leinart applies to the Bears, my perceived lunacy doesn?t extend to Illinois.? The Martz offense is too complex, the Bears are too cheap, and Martz is too obsessive-compulsive to ever make Favre a potential match there, even though it would give Brett a shot at the Vikings and at least one crack at the Pack.

The best bet for the Bears is to hunker down with Hanie, and hope for the best.

Unless Marc Bulger, who ran the Martz offense in St. Louis, decides to emerge from retirement.

10.? Catching up with what?s a catch.

It had been five weeks since the last time the Calvin Johnson rule reared its head in a game situation.? On Sunday, the Bengals lost a touchdown pass to Jermaine Gresham via the application of a rule that routinely defies with the expectations of the reasonable fan.

Gresham bobbled the ball near the end zone, got possession of it in the vicinity of the goal line, took two steps, fell to the ground with the ball in one hand, and lost the ball when the hand holding it struck the ground.

This year, the league has emphasized the element of time, treating such plays as valid receptions if the receiver who, while going to the ground, had enough time to make a football move, regardless of whether a football move was actually made.? And that seems to be what Gresham did.? Or at least could have done.

Perhaps more importantly, the fact the officials in real-time called it a catch (and thus a touchdown) would require conclusive 100-drunks-in-a-bar evidence to overturn the play.? With the question of whether Gresham had enough time to make a football move a topic that strays into the realm of professional judgment, referee Ron Winter should have deferred to the ruling on the field that Gresham had possession long enough to make a football move.

The outcome reconfirms that the league needs to clean up the rule book once and for all regarding what is and what isn?t a catch when a receiver hits the ground.? The ?football move? exception is a twist on the uncodified ?second act? rule, which allowed the requirement of maintaining possession through the ground to be disregarded when the receiver manages to break the plane of the goal line while falling.

The NFL needs to just start over, crafting a simple rule that the officials can consistently apply ? and that meshes with what a reasonable person would regard to be a catch, or not a catch.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/11/21/week-11-monday-10-pack-2/related/

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Virginia upsets No. 23 Florida State 14-13

(AP) ? Kevin Parks ran 10 yards for a touchdown with 1:16 left Saturday to give Virginia the lead and Florida State's Dustin Hopkins missed a 42-yard field-goal attempt in the closing seconds as the Cavaliers upset of No. 23 Florida State 14-23 to set up a showdown with intrastate rival Virginia Tech a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

Florida State (7-4, 5-3 ACC) got two fortunate breaks on its final drive that gave Hopkins, the ACC's leading scorer, a chance to win it.

An facemask penalty on Virginia allowed the Seminoles to convert a fourth down and a pass initially ruled complete in bounds and would have killed the clock was overturned by replay and rule incomplete.

Another Virginia penalty moved Hopkins' kick 5 yards close, but he boomed it wide left with 3 seconds left.

Virginia (8-3, 5-3) snapped Florida State's five-game winning streak with its fourth straight win.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-11-19-T25-Virginia-Florida%20St/id-f5b590f78131402fb5d4dbe91795a323

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Monday, November 21, 2011

Lackluster results show challenge for HP's Whitman (AP)

SAN FRANCISCO ? Hewlett-Packard Co.'s first earnings report with Meg Whitman as CEO highlights the troubles she faces in setting a new course for the besieged company.

The latest quarterly numbers, reported Monday after the market closed, beat Wall Street's subdued expectations. But the forecast for the 2012 fiscal year left something to be desired. HP's shares fell.

The results show a company being pulled in two directions at once. The tensions underline a key challenge for Whitman, who is best known for building eBay Inc. from its startup days into a Silicon Valley icon and now must wrestle with one of technology's oldest companies amid management dysfunction and economic malaise.

Whitman's first major decision as CEO was deciding to keep the $40 billion-plus personal computer business, which her predecessor, Leo Apotheker, had wanted to sell or spin off. That business is pulling HP toward the low end of the technology market. PCs notoriously carry thin profit margins, and customers are spending less on them amid challenges from rival technologies, mainly smartphones and tablets. HP sees PCs as an inexpensive way to get its sales hooks into corporations and sell more expensive technology.

Meanwhile, HP has spent tens of billions of dollars expanding into those more profitable areas of technology services and software. But cracking those businesses means facing entrenched enemies such as IBM Corp. HP faces serious questions about its competitiveness at the high end of those markets.

The latest earnings report showed HP's net income fell 91 percent ? mostly because of write-downs and charges for Apotheker's decision to kill off HP's fledgling tablet and smartphone lines. So staying on track will be a challenge.

The company earned $239 million, or 12 cents per share, for the quarter ended Oct. 31. That's down from $2.54 billion, or $1.10 per share, a year earlier.

Excluding one-time items, HP earned $1.17 per share, more than the $1.13 analysts expect on average, according to FactSet.

Revenue fell 3 percent to $32.12 billion, but that beat the $32.05 billion analysts expected.

HP's shares briefly rose in extended trading, after the results were reported. But momentum turned against the company as investors digested the weaker outlook, and the shares fell 28 cents. In regular trading Monday, the stock fell $1.13, or 4 percent, to close at $26.86.

The forecast was lower than most analysts' targets. HP said it was being "cautious," citing turmoil in Europe amid the debt crisis there, soft consumer spending and weakening spending by businesses.

Analyst Brian White with Ticonderoga Securities called the outlook "weak" but said the stock has some appeal in investors because of its previous declines. Indeed, the stock has fallen 40 percent since CEO Mark Hurd was ousted last year in an ethical scandal.

"HP has valuation on its side and expectations are low; however, we believe this turnaround story will take time to play out, and the darkening macroeconomic environment is only likely to hinder this cause," White wrote in a note to clients.

The profit decline in the latest quarter was caused in large part by $3.3 billion in charges for HP's earlier decision to kill its tablet and smartphone businesses, as well as other write-downs and acquisition costs. Revenue in three of HP's biggest divisions ? personal computers, printers and ink, and servers and networking ? fell as well.

Whitman faces a real test as she attempts to pull together a conglomerate beset by growing pains and managerial strife. She is HP's third CEO in a year and a half. Though HP is the world's largest information technology company by revenue, the company has had a hard time deciding whether it wanted to grow even bigger or start getting smaller.

Apotheker, who succeed Hurd, was ousted in September over his botched handling of key initiatives, particularly the plan to sell or spin off the PC division, which leaked early to the press and which Whitman has reversed.

For the fiscal first quarter, HP expects earnings of 83 cents to 86 cents per share, excluding one-time items. That's far less than the $1.11 per share analysts expected.

For the full fiscal year, HP expects to earn at least $4 per share, excluding one-time items. Analysts expected $4.53 per share on that basis.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111122/ap_on_bi_ge/us_earns_hewlett_packard

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Insight: Tibetans in China seek fiery way out of despair (Reuters)

DAOFU, China (Reuters) ? The Ganden Jangchup Choeling Nunnery stands hidden from view on an isolated mountain-top in southwestern China, accessible only by a twisting, rocky road. It was here, in a mud-brick hut, that Palden Choetso lived.

The 35-year-old Tibetan Buddhist nun burned herself to death on a public street an hour's drive away earlier this month, the latest in a string of self-immolations to protest against Chinese religious controls over Tibet.

Palden was a quiet woman who had been with the nunnery in the Ganzi prefecture in Sichuan province for more than a decade, her friends said. A bright nun who studied Tibetan Buddhism, she was well-versed in reciting spiritual texts and was an ardent follower of the exiled Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama.

No one suspected, however, that Palden would sacrifice herself, writhing in flames on a dusty road lined with shops in downtown Daofu, or Tawu in Tibetan.

"I want the Dalai Lama to return to China, I want freedom for Tibet!" she is said to have shouted as fire engulfed her body.

"She had drunk several jin of gasoline," a senior religious figure at the nunnery told Reuters, referring to a traditional weight of measure that is about half a kilogram. "We got a call that she had set herself on fire, and a few of us went down to try to save her. But it was too late."

In China, eleven Tibetan monks and nuns -- some former clergy -- have resorted to the extreme protest since March this year. At least six have been fatal.

The similarities are striking: All called for the return of the 76-year-old Dalai Lama, who fled to exile in India in 1959, and for freedom for Tibet.

China's Foreign Ministry has branded the self-immolators "terrorists" and has said the Dalai Lama, whom it condemns as a supporter of violent separatism, should take the blame for the "immoral" burnings.

Human rights activists and Tibet experts say, however, the string of self-immolations stems from desperation at Chinese religious controls and being left with few opportunities and little protection for their culture, without the Dalai Lama to provide hope.

"In her heart, she's always wanted the Dalai Lama to return to China," said the senior religious figure at Palden's nunnery, some 425 km (265 miles) from Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

The Dalai Lama, revered by Tibetans, has not condemned or condoned the burnings but said the desperate conditions Tibetans face under Beijing's rigid controls in what amounted to "cultural genocide" have led to the spate of self-immolations.

"ALL HEROES"

Burning oneself in public is not a new form of protest in China. The self-immolations are perhaps an uncomfortable reminder to the Communist Party of previous public protests such as those by five people in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 2001. China said then the self-immolators belonged to Falun Gong, a banned spiritual group.

But this year's self-immolations are notable for their frequency -- and the power with which they symbolize the pent-up frustration felt by many Tibetans in China.

Just days before she burned herself, Palden told her fellow nuns that she felt "so sorry for those who self-immolated themselves," Free Tibet, an advocacy group, told Reuters.

Nicholas Bequelin, a researcher on China for Human Rights Watch, said that his interviews and reports among the monastic communities suggest that tensions are worse now than in March 2008, when deadly riots against the Chinese presence spread across Tibetan regions ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

"So far, the escalation and the rise in tensions is unprecedented," he said. "One of the main concerns of the government is they don't exactly know how to respond to this."

"Normally they rely on fear and intimidation," Bequelin said. "But how do you intimidate people who are ready to set themselves on fire?"

Most of the people who Reuters spoke to in three Tibetan towns in Ganzi prefecture approved of the grisly act.

"I think they are all heroes," said a woman shopkeeper selling Tibetan religious artwork in the heavily Tibetan town of Danba, giving the "thumbs up" as she spoke. "The central government says our policies on the Tibetans are good. But all they do is suppress the Tibetan people."

"There will be more. This is just the beginning," she said. "There's no other way out."

A monk at the Jingang Temple in Kangding town concurred: "Many Tibetans support it, and I support it too. They gave up their lives for the Tibetan race."

In Daofu, a town of about 55,000 people and the site of a previous self-immolation by a monk from the Nyitso monastery in mid-August, Tibetan clergy appeared conflicted about the act.

"No, absolutely not," said the senior religious figure from Palden's nunnery, when asked whether he supported self-immolation. "I can't support it because we're talking about people's lives. It's going against the principles of Buddhism."

The Karmapa Lama, ranked third in the hierarchy of Tibetan Buddhism after the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama, appealed last week for Tibetans not to set themselves on fire, saying he hoped they would find more constructive ways to advance their cause.

Robbie Barnett, a Tibet expert at Columbia University in New York, said there has been no precedent for self-immolation as a political protest in Tibet, but added it would be "quite misleading to think that Buddhists disapprove of this".

"They disapprove of it from the point of view of the individual, but they admire the sacrifice that the person is making for what's seen as a greater ideal, for the greater good," Barnett said.

The self-immolations have been concentrated in Ganzi and the neighboring Aba prefecture. Most residents are Tibetan herders and farmers, many of whom have long resented Chinese rule.

"This was not far from the areas where the first big battles began against the Chinese in the mid-1950s," Barnett said. "These are people who are not easily pushed around, especially now when their religious institutions are being interfered with in a way that is not seen by them as justifiable."

All the monks who were interviewed by Reuters spoke of decades of "patriotic re-education" campaigns, during which they are forced to pledge allegiance to the Communist Party and occasionally denounce the Dalai Lama.

In Daofu, where monks have been jailed for "splittist" activities, they say they live in fear of the police and are wary of arrest. All of them asked that their names not be used.

The complaints are familiar: China has ruled Tibet with an iron fist since its troops marched in 1950. Experts say, however, that Beijing has compounded the problem by intensifying its security presence in monasteries in recent years.

Monks and nuns are deeply respected figures in Tibetan society and have also often led resistance to Chinese Communist rule. Chinese security forces detained about 300 Tibetan monks from Aba's Kirti monastery for a month in May amid a crackdown sparked by a monk's self-immolation in March.

Although there were no police roadblocks and no sign of a heavy security presence in Ganzi on a recent weekend, six buses of troops and paramilitary forces were seen leaving Daofu. Police told Reuters journalists to "leave immediately" and tailed them out of the town for about 200 km.

RETURN OF THE DALAI LAMA?

China, which has poured billions into Tibet, rejects accusations that it oppresses Tibetans, saying its rule has ended serfdom and brought huge economic benefits to what was a poor, feudal society.

"Life was much harder before the Communists came," said Zhaxi Zhongka, a villager from Jiaju village in Danba, which has benefited from tourism money. She brushed off questions about Tibetan independence and the Dalai Lama.

But many Tibetans remain resentful of Chinese rule. They have placed their hopes in the Dalai Lama, who stresses a non-violent movement for Tibetan autonomy but not outright independence.

Khedroob Thondup, the Dalai Lama's nephew, said in a telephone interview the situation is unlikely to improve unless Chinese officials meet with his uncle. China has held on-off talks with the Dalai Lama's envoys for several years, without any sign of progress. Talks between the two sides last occurred in February 2010.

The thorny issue of the aging Dalai Lama's religious succession may also feed into tensions. Tibetans fear China will use the issue to split the movement, with one new Lama named by exiles and one by China after his death.

"We cannot change anything without His Holiness, the Dalai Lama's return to Tibet," Palden was quoted as telling her friends in the nunnery, days before she burned herself.

Woeser, a Tibetan writer based in Beijing, said Tibetans in Ganzi have been sentenced to jail for merely shouting slogans. "Under these circumstances, you can only choose self-immolation to express your intentions," she said.

(Additional reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Ken Wills and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111120/wl_nm/us_china_tibetans

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Eagles beat Giants again in 4th quarter, win 17-10

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson (10) catches a pass in front of New York Giants cornerback Corey Webster (23) during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson (10) catches a pass in front of New York Giants cornerback Corey Webster (23) during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz (80) is tackled by Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Joselio Hanson (21) during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Philadelphia Eagles' LeSean McCoy (25) is tackled by New York Giants free safety Antrel Rolle (26) during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Philadelphia Eagles tight end Brent Celek (87) is tackled by New York Giants linebacker Spencer Paysinger (55) and teammate Dave Tollefson (71) during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

New York Giants linebacker Mark Herzlich (58) tackles Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy (25) during the second quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011 in East Rutherford, N.J. Herzlich, a cancer survivor, was not drafted and made the Giants as a free agent. He is starting in the middle for fellow rookie Greg Jones. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

(AP) ? The Philadelphia Eagles finally got it right in the fourth quarter, and it's no surprise they did it against the New York Giants.

Subbing for the injured Michael Vick, Vince Young threw a go-ahead 8-yard touchdown pass to Riley Cooper with 2:45 to play and the undermanned Eagles posted a 17-10 victory over the Giants in what was a must-win game for Andy Reid's struggling team Sunday night.

The Eagles (4-6) had lost five games in the fourth quarter this season but found the solution this time with an 80-yard, 18-play march over 8:51 that sent the Giants (6-4) to their second straight loss.

Philadelphia converted six third-down plays with DeSean Jackson setting up the first-and-goal with a 10-yard catch to the 10, and Young capping it with his second touchdown pass of the game to a wide-open Cooper, who came in without a catch this season.

Jackson, who was benched for last week's game for missing a team meeting, finished with six catches for 88 yards. Cooper had five receptions for 75 yards.

The Eagles, of course, made Reid sweat out the final minutes. Eli Manning, who tied it with a 24-yard TD pass to Victor Cruz earlier in the quarter, drove the Giants from their own 10 to the Eagles 21 with the final 47 yards coming on a catch-and-run by Cruz with 1:25 to play.

However, Manning stepped out of the pocket on the next play and was hit from behind by Jason Babin and fumbled. Derek Landi recovered at the 26, sending the Giants to their second straight excruciating loss to the Eagles and second consecutive tough loss overall.

It dropped New York into a tie for first place with Dallas in the NFC East with six games to play and left the Eagles two games behind. The Cowboys beat the Redskins in overtime after Washington missed a game-winning field-goal attempt.

It also marked the second straight year the Eagles rallied late to beat New York at the Meadowlands with last year's 38-31 decision coming in a game that Philadelphia rallied from 21 points down late.

Young was 23 of 36 for 258 yards and two touchdowns, and LeSean McCoy had 113 yards rushing ? with 60 coming on a game-sealing scamper in the closing moments.

While Young made several big plays to spark the Eagles' offense, he also threw three interceptions, the most costly being one that Aaron Ross picked off in the end zone on a second and 9 from the New York 16 with Philadelphia ahead 10-3 with 5 minutes left in the third quarter.

New York eventually tied it early in the fourth quarter on a 24-yard TD pass from Manning to Cruz. It was set up two plays earlier when Manning rolled out of the pocket and found Hakeem Nicks for a 47-yard gain on third down to the Eagles 24.

Manning was 18 of 35 for 264 yards, and Cruz had six catches for 128 yards. The Giants' running game failed to get going, rushing for just 29 yards.

The first half was typical of an Eagles-Giants meeting: chippy, intense, hard-fought and, not surprisingly, ugly.

If there was a surprise, it was that the defenses dominated. The norm was Jackson taunting the Giants in more ways than one, including one that cost the Eagles a 50-yard pass completion.

Jackson set up both of the Eagles' scores in the first half. He caught a 32-yard pass early in the second quarter to set up a 33-yard field goal by Alex Henery and then brought back excruciating memories from last season with a 51-yard punt return that was a carbon copy of his winning 65-yard punt return on the final play of the Eagles' 38-31 Meadowlands Miracle, a game Philadelphia rallied from a 21-point deficit in the final seven-plus minutes.

What made the return so eerie was that Jackson fielded Steve Weatherford's punt at his own 35, circled right and then ran down the sideline in front of the Giants' bench ? the same thing he did last season. The only difference was Weatherford pushed him out of bounds at the 14; Matt Dodge was the Giants' punter last season.

It didn't matter. One play later, Young found former Giants receiver Steve Smith cutting under the zone and he easily outran linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka into the end zone with 1:22 left in the half.

It was enough time for Manning to get the Giants on the board. A 21-yard pass to Cruz on the first play got the ball the 41 and a late 10-catch by running back D.J. Ware on a play in which he suffered a concussion set up Lawrence Tynes' 48-yard field goal.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-11-21-FBN-Eagles-Giants/id-19cc749efb46435e81961ec707b6530e

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UFC 139: Watch Heavy?s Fight Day Live today at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT

The UFC's only official pre-fight show returns on Saturday, November 19 when Fight Day comes to you live from the HP Arena in San Jose, California prior to UFC 139. Hosts Dave Farra and Megan Olivi will break down the entire card, which features a light heavyweight attraction between Dan Henderson and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Our panel of expert journalists will help break down one of the more stacked cards in UFC history, and we'll talk to UFC stars Nate Diaz and Jon Fitch about their upcoming fights. Tune in to Fight Day at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT at Heavy.com.

UFC 139: Watch Heavy?s Fight Day Live today at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT

Watch UFC 139 right here on Yahoo! Sports

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFC-139-Watch-Heavy-8217-s-Fight-Day-Live-toda?urn=mma-wp9597

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