Injury update on Randy Orton

INDIANAPOLIS ? WWE Superstar Randy Orton suffered an injury at SmackDown in Indianapolis that could keep him sidelined for a few weeks, and will prevent him from competing at upcoming WWE live events.

The injury occurred during a brutal Falls Count Anywhere Match with Wade Barrett. As their brawl spilled over outside the ring, the referee was knocked out when Orton shoved Barrett into him. Next, the cut-throat brawl continued within the Conseco Fieldhouse, where The Viper ended up at the bottom of a set of stairs. With WWE?s Apex Predator down, Barrett approached, but then decided to leave through an arena door (FULL SMACKDOWN RESULTS | WATCH | PHOTOS).

Although the full extent of The Viper?s injury remains to be seen, WWE physician Dr. Michael Sampson examined Orton and updated WWE.com about his condition.

?Randy suffered a herniated disc on the L4-L5 level on the left side, and that?s resulting in pain and weakness down his leg.? Dr. Sampson explained. ?He?s going to need some time off for rehab, anti-inflammatory medications and physical therapy.?

Sheamus is scheduled to replace The Viper in Street Fights against Wade Barrett at WWE live events this week.

Stay with WWE.com for further updates.

Source: http://www.wwe.com/inside/randy-orton-injury-update

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How You Can Teach Friends to Budget [Budgeting]

We all have the friend or family member who can't seem to grasp the idea of budgeting. It can be difficult to intervene and teach simple budgeting skills without breaking the bond of friendship. We'll outline the ways you can teach budgeting by creating an expense report, cutting those expenses down, and then help them monitor the budget.

Photo remixed from Max Strzelecki.

We've covered our fair share of budgeting tips and they've ranged from using webapps to track spending to using envelopes for cash. Here, we'll look at how to intervene in your friends financial business and how you can guide them through creating an expense report with hands-on techniques. Once they have a good idea of their expenses, you can walk them through the process of cutting those expenses down with webapps, ditching unnecessary services, and lowering the cost by calling all their providers.

How to Handle the Budgeting Intervention

A budgeting intervention is almost as difficult to bring up as a drug intervention. While many of your friends and family might need your help, many might not be interested in it.

It's not required that you handle the intervention as carefully as say, a heroin addiction, but you still need to follow some basic rules for bringing up and handling the subject. For an intervention, Mayo Clinic recommends doing your homework ahead of time, which in this case means coming up with a plan so you're able to talk about and work a budget on the spot. If you have the time, don't wait, it only takes a few minutes. It's also recommended you stay on track the whole time. Don't veer off into gossip or conversation and move the discussion somewhere that feels more like a formal meeting place so you can get the job done.

In my experience, I found it best to wait for them to open the discussion when they complain about not having any money. For instance:

Them: Man, I'm short on rent again this month.
You: Really, why?
Them: I don't know, I just don't have enough money.
You: Have you ever tried making a budget? It's super easy, let's do it right now.

I'm no financial expert by any means, but teaching ends up being as much a learning experience about your own budgeting as it is about showing someone the ropes. If you're excited about it, they might be as well, and it's not too difficult to make it an enjoyable experience. Most of these tips can be applied to any age group because at its core, the idea of budgeting is a simple one: make sure you have more coming in than going out. The trick is finding a method that someone will actually stick to.

Photo by MadLab Manchester Digital Laboratory.

Teach Them How to Make and Understand Their Own Expense Reports

It's a good idea to consider the type of learner you're attempting to teach budgeting. It might sound a little like elementary school, but if you want to make it an enjoyable experience you have to show them how to do it in a way they'll understand and actually implement in the future. This might mean you need to use visualizations or speak clearly about everything you're teaching them. Basically, you need to teach the budgeting in the same way you would to a child, but use grown up language. The biggest thing to remember is that you're not setting up a budget for them. You're guiding them through doing it. The basics are always the same: you can't spend more than you earn, but the methods are going to change from person to person. The overarching goal is to minimize expenses and learn to save, but the first step is to get a better view of what you're working with. You may find doing the initial expense sheets by hand instead of using a web or software service works better to lay down the foundation. Here are some ideas for doing it.

How to get the numbers: The most difficult and time-consuming part of making a budget is tracking down all the numbers and expenses you need to correctly make a budget. Monthly bills should be easy enough, but they'll need to take a look back at their monthly expenses on groceries, gas, and other random charges to properly get an idea of average expenses.

If you're teaching someone more technologically inclined, they can use a service like Mint to get a quick breakdown of the monthly expenses without a lot of work, but doing it by hand might work better for people new to budgets. One way they can do this is to print out a couple months of their bank statement and then highlight the different types of expenses with different colored highlighters. For instance, they'd highlight all the bills in red, entertainment expenses in yellow, and transportation in blue. This gives the whole thing a more tactile feel and while it takes a little longer, it can embed those expenses in their memory a little better than having a service do it automatically.

• Write Out a Simple "In and Out" Expense Sheet
  If you're working with someone who doesn't have a lot of complicated finances but needs to get a good gauge on where their money is going, a simple two-table list might be a good way to go. Have them round up the expenses they categorized above and make sure they're being honest with the numbers. At this stage, there's no expense that should be left out, no matter how embarrassing or trivial it is.
• Start by listing out all monthly expenses in one column, with the other dedicated to the average monthly paychecks.
• Compare the two and make sure they're not spending more than they're bringing in. If they are, we'll go over some ways to cut your spending down in the next section. If money is left over, they're in good shape, and we'll figure out how to deal extra cash in a little while
• Put the list somewhere it will be visible every day so it can be seen, remembered, and understood.

• 
  Graph the Expenses for a Visual Guide
  If you're working with someone more artistically inclined, you might consider teaching to his or her strengths. For budgeting, this includes graphs and pie charts. With all of the data they collected in the above steps they can do this pretty easily.
• To figure out your percentage, divide the expense by the total monthly income. For instance, if you're paying $60 a month for internet and you make $1500 a month, you divide 60 by 1500 and get four percent. Do this for each of the monthly expenses. If on average there is money left over, put that in its own category.
• Now you should have a set of percentages that up to 100 percent, so it's time to make a pie chart.
• The chart doesn't need technical accuracy, it's more about the act of drawing it. For a pie chart, they can estimate the size of each slice. Have them color everything so it's nice and clean looking, and then hang it up somewhere noticeable.

Figure Out Where and How to Cut Expenses Realistically

Now that the current spending habits are in front of them, it's time to figure out how to cut expenses. This is going to depend on where their money is going, what type of entertainment they like, and how close to their limit they are each month.

To start, figure out if any money is getting wasted away. Take a look at all those discretionary purchases each month individually and see if you can find a trend. Often, it's as easy as noticing the $150 spent on coffee every month at a coffee shop instead of making it at home. Perhaps they have some monthly purchases that go to waste but are kept because they've always been there. Cable is often a good example of something that might only get used to watch a few shows but could easily be replaced with cheaper services. We've outlined how to ditch cable before, and it's a good way to quickly get rid of a expensive and underutilized service. Other common expenses include:

• Alcohol
• Restaurants
• Gas
• Groceries
• Entertainment
• Phone
• Insurance

To reduce the cost of expenses, you can make a few sacrifices, or spend some time on the phone with service providers to get them to lower costs. Services like BillShrink can be used to find cheaper gas, wireless service, and television. To cut the grocery and restaurant bill, consider our previously mentioned tips to start eating well at home while keeping shopping costs down. If they're more the type to spent money on movies, books, or video games, discretionary spending on entertainment is one of the easiest to curb. If they're a big gamer, consider our tips for selling off used games at the best price, or using rental services like Redbox or GameFly. If they spend a lot on purchasing movies all the time, Netflix or Blockbuster might be the way to go. For books, the easiest solution is the local library, but a good used book store works just as well. The important thing is to stress that it's possible to keep up the entertainment habit without breaking the bank every month. If they are one of the avid collectors that will purchase everything despite their financial situation, stress the importance of cutting in other places in order to do so.

Once expenses are cut as low as possible, they need to figure out what type of savings they need. If no potential vacations, credit card repayments, or big purchases are on the horizon, that money should go into an emergency fund to help pay for any unexpected expenses that may come up. If you're dealing with a person who seems to hate saving, remind them of a recent emergency like a car repair or medical bill they've had to pay out of pocket.

Now they should have an optimized budget, where expenses are cut, the bills are as low as they can be, and it's as close to breaking even as possible. To show off a little, have them redo the expense sheets highlighted above to get a better idea of what has changed. Now it's time to figure out how to use those numbers and keep the budget on track in the future.

Photo by MoneyBlogNewz.

Three Easy Ways to Keep Them On Budget

Figuring out where the money is going and finding ways to cut expenses is only half the battle. The next part is figuring out a way to keep them on the budget. When they're starting out, a lot of people like to keep their monthly expenses on a wall where they can see them every day as a reminder. One person I talked to recently did so while surrounding their budget with pleasant images and quotes so it wasn't such a downer to look at it. A lot of different ways exist to track a budget, but lets look at the simplest forms for beginners with simple expenses. These are easy, month-to-month style budgets for people who aren't dealing with capitol investments or large oncoming expenses. They'll need to tweak the methods over time to fit their lifestyle, but these will start them with a strong foundation to build on.

• Envelope Method: If you're teaching budgeting methods to someone who is more comfortable with cash than a card, the envelope method is one of the simplest to follow. This method involves coming up with specific categories and stuffing the budgeted amount of cash into that envelope. For instance, a monthly set of envelopes might include: food, entertainment, gas, and emergency. Some expenses like rent, utilities, and bills can't be paid in cash, so this only works for people who might struggle with their discretionary spending. In this example, you would help them come up with their proposed monthly budget, then hit up the bank and take out the cash. Each envelope gets filled with the budgeted amount and that's all that can be spent for the month (or week or bi-weekly, whichever they prefer). It's as easy as that. When the envelope is out of money, the spending needs to stop.
• Webapps and Software: A lot of different methods for tracking a budget on a computer exist and we've highlighted the best before. For complete beginners, we rather like Mint for this, and our guide to setting up and tracking your spending is a good place to start. Mint's mobile apps and reminder system are good for those new to budgeting because they'll get alerts when they're close to zero dollars or when a strange expense comes up.
• Multiple Bank Account Budgeting: We've talked about the idea of bucket budgeting with multiple bank accounts before, but it's a really handy tool for those who are struggling to make their bills each month. Basically, set up two accounts, one for fixed expenses and one for everything else. This helps ensure the rent and bills will always get paid first and the rest of the spending can be doled out as needed. It's good for budgets that need flexibility or for people who just got a lump sum payment like a student loan or insurance payout. While the idea revolves around a checking account and two saving accounts, it could also be worked as two checking accounts. One account goes to bills and you deposit money in at the beginning of each month, while the other goes to the rest of the expenses. It takes a few steps to transfer money, so impulse purchases won't be as easy to make. Once the budget is in order, another account can be used as a savings account as well.

• Photo by Lisa Brank.

  ---

  While we've talked about many of these tips in a way for you to help teach budgeting to someone else, it's just as applicable to your own budgeting. In my personal experience, I've found that helping friends set up their expenses always makes me revisit and retool my own. It's hard to gauge when it's a good time to intervene to help a friend or family member out, but hopefully this will help you teach them in a direct and simple way. Have you ever helped someone create and manage a budget? What methods did you use?

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/vac3HGiAMRc/how-you-can-teach-friends-to-budget

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Gun Laws in California

Caution: This summary is meant for general purposes only. Firearm laws frequently change and the following answers may not reflect changes in the laws.

State Requirements

Rifles and Shotguns

• Permit to purchase rifles and shotguns? No
  
• Registration of rifles and shotguns? No
  
• Licensing of owners of rifles and shotguns? No
  
• Permit to carry rifles and shotguns? No

Handguns

• Permit to purchase handgun? No*
  
• Registration of handguns? Yes*
  
• Licensing of owners of handguns? No
  
• Permit to carry handguns? Yes (If concealed)

* Police record all purchases from dealers.
* Residents moving into California have 60 days to register their handguns.

Purchase

All firearms sales including private and gun show sales, transfers or loans, must go through a California licensed firearms dealer. An application for sale or transfer must be made with a licensed California gun dealer before any firearm may be sold or transferred.

The purchaser must present the dealer with a valid California Driver's License or a California I.D. Card and supply their thumbprint. The purchaser of a handgun must also provide additional proof of California residence. The dealer sends a copy of the application to the Ca. Dept. of Justice and the local police chief.

The CA DOJ will conduct a background check on each buyer at a fee. There is a 10-day waiting period before delivery of any firearm. Dealers must keep a register of all firearm transfers.

Possession of the firearm from the dealer must be done within 30 days or the entire purchase process must be repeated.

The waiting period and dealer application do not apply to:

• Transfers to police officers
• Other gun dealers.
• Manufacturers or importers.
• Antique firearms, and rifles and shotguns which are classified as curios or relics by the federal government.
• Infrequent gifts or transfers to one's "immediate family," an infrequent temporary loan not to exceed 30 days to a person who is not prohibited from possessing a firearm.
• A transfer of a rifle or shotgun at auctions by nonprofit or public benefit corporations.

No person shall make an application to purchase more than one pistol, revolver, or other firearm capable of being concealed upon the person within a 30-day period and no delivery shall be made to any person who has made an application to purchase more than one pistol, revolver, or other firearm capable of being concealed upon the person within any 30-day period. No person shall purchase or transfer a handgun to someone without a Handgun Safety Certificate (HRC).

To receive a handgun safety certificate, a person must pass a written test that includes but is not limited to laws applicable to the ownership, use, handling, and carrying of firearms, particularly handguns.

A CA DOJ certified instructor must administer the Handgun Safety Certificate test.

The HRC is valid for five years.

To receive a handgun from a dealer, a person must have or buy an approved firearms safety device. A list of firearms safety devices certified for sale can be found at California Department of Justice, Firearms Division.

Possession:

• It is unlawful for anyone convicted of a felony, or who is a drug addict, present or former mental patient, ever committed for mental observation, or acquitted by reason of insanity to own or possess any firearm.
• People with certain misdemeanor convictions involving force or violence may not possess or own any firearm within 10 years of the conviction.
• A person who has been adjudicated as a juvenile offender or delinquent for any offense which would be classified as a felony or misdemeanor involving force or violence if committed by an adult may not own or possess any firearm until age 30.

• A minor may not possess a handgun except with written permission or under the supervision of a parent or guardian.
• A minor under 16 may not possess a handgun, unless they are accompanied by their parent or guardian while participating in a legal recreation activity involving firearms or has written permission to participate in such activities.
• A minor under 16 may not possess live ammunition except with the written permission or under the supervision of a parent or guardian, or while going to or from an organized lawful recreational or competitive shooting activity or lawful hunting activity.

Carrying And Transportation In Vehicles:

It is unlawful to carry a loaded rifle, shotgun, or handgun in any public place or on any public street in an incorporated area or an area where firing a firearm is prohibited.

Exceptions include:

• Persons shooting on target ranges, or while hunting on the premises of a shooting club.
• A person who reasonably believes that he or his property is in immediate danger and the weapon must be carried for "preservation."
• A person "engaged in the act of making or attempting lawful arrest."
• A person carrying a firearm while at home or at his place of business, including temporary residences and campsites.

Carrying a handgun concealed is prohibited without a license. The law states "Firearms carried openly in belt holsters are not concealed within the meaning of this section."

Carrying a handgun concealed within a vehicle is prohibited without a license. A handgun carried in a glove compartment or under the seat of a vehicle is considered to be concealed. A handgun placed in the trunk of an automobile, or locked in a container in the vehicle other than the utility or glove compartment or while in a locked container carried directly to or from a vehicle is deemed not to be "concealed." A locked container means a fully enclosed secure container locked by a key lock or similar locking device.

Exceptions to this prohibition are:

• Members of clubs organized for practice shooting while on any established target range or going to and from such range.
• Licensed hunters and fishermen while engaged in hunting or fishing and while going to or from such hunting or fishing expeditions and members of an antique or historical collector's club while at a show, or while going to and from a display as long as the weapons are locked in a trunk or are in a locked container.

More Information

The California gun laws are complex and can not be fully explained within this section. For detailed information and clarifications of the current gun laws visit, NRAILA and the California Department of Justice, Firearms Division.

Source: http://crime.about.com/od/gunlawsbystate/p/gunlaws_ca.htm

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Facebook unwelcome in Vietnam, but Zuckerberg OK

(AP)? HANOI, Vietnam ? Vietnam may block its citizens from using Facebook, but that didn't stop website founder Mark Zuckerberg from vacationing in the communist country.

Zuckerberg spent Christmas Eve in the popular tourist destination Ha Long Bay, local official Trinh Dang Thanh says.

State-run media say Zuckerberg arrived in Vietnam on Dec. 22.

Zuckerberg spent Christmas Day at an ecolodge in the northern mountain town of Sapa and rode a buffalo, said Le Phuc Thien, deputy manager at Topas Ecolodge.

Zuckerberg, Facebook's 27-year-old CEO, founded the social networking site in 2004.

Vietnam's aggressive Internet censors block access to Facebook and other websites, but young Vietnamese easily bypass the restrictions.

Source: http://feeds.cbsnews.com/~r/CBSNewsGamecore/~3/PbAFR2PPQGM/

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Facebook unwelcome in Vietnam, but Zuckerberg OK (AP)

HANOI, Vietnam ? Vietnam may block its citizens from using Facebook, but that didn't stop website founder Mark Zuckerberg from vacationing in the communist country.

Zuckerberg spent Christmas Eve in the popular tourist destination Ha Long Bay, local official Trinh Dang Thanh says.

State-run media say Zuckerberg arrived in Vietnam on Dec. 22.

Zuckerberg spent Christmas Day at an ecolodge in the northern mountain town of Sapa and rode a buffalo, said Le Phuc Thien, deputy manager at Topas Ecolodge.

Zuckerberg, Facebook's 27-year-old CEO, founded the social networking site in 2004.

Vietnam's aggressive Internet censors block access to Facebook and other websites, but young Vietnamese easily bypass the restrictions.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111227/ap_en_ot/as_people_zuckerberg

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ZVOX intros three new Z-Base models, lowers the pricing soundbar

Because it's never too early to get a start on Christmas 2012, ZVOX has announced the release of three new Z-Base models, the most affordable members of that soundbar line, all designed to live beneath flat screen TVs. The low-end Z-Base 220 packs three full-range speakers, a subwoofer and a 35-watt amplifier in a DVD player-sized footprint for $200. The 320 measures 24 inches and will run you an extra $50. At the high-end is the Z-Base 420, a 28-incher with five speakers, a 5.25-inch subwoofer and a 45-watt amplifier. That one'll cost you $300. All three soundbars also feature the company's proprietary PhaseCue II virtual surround sound system. More info after the break.

Continue reading ZVOX intros three new Z-Base models, lowers the pricing soundbar

ZVOX intros three new Z-Base models, lowers the pricing soundbar originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 04:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/xlhuaAeUCAI/

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More than 50 "Occupy" protesters arrested in New York (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? More than 50 anti-Wall Street protesters were arrested on Saturday after they tried to climb over a chain-link fence around a church parking lot in a bid to establish a new encampment.

The demonstrators had used a wooden ladder to scale a chain-link fence into the lot owned by Trinity Church, an Occupy Wall Street spokesman said.

Police had no immediate figure on how many people were taken into custody, but Gideon Oliver, president of the New York City chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, put the number at about 55, including between five and 10 members of the clergy.

The remaining demonstrators marched through Manhattan's streets toward the house of the Trinity Church rector, but were turned away by police.

Later, as they started to move toward Midtown, some of the demonstrators were hemmed in by lines of police, and police on motorcycles tried to disperse protesters who were in the middle of streets.

"We are unstoppable. Another world is possible," and "Whose street? Our street," were among the chants from the protesters, who blocked some streets as they marched.

The remainder of the group, several dozen protesters, held signs in Times Square into the evening.

Trinity Church's rector, James H. Cooper, issued a statement on the church's website saying: "We are saddened that OWS protesters chose to ignore yesterday's messages" from several Episcopal and Anglican church leaders, including South African Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu.

The messages discouraged trespassing on Trinity Church property and called attention to several ways in which the church was providing support to Occupy Wall Street and working for economic change.

Cooper said the vacant church lot the OWS wanted to move into "has no facilities to sustain a winter encampment. In good conscience and faith, we strongly believe" erecting a camp there "would be wrong, unsafe, unhealthy, and potentially injurious."

The Occupy movement began with protesters taking over a park in New York in September to draw attention to economic inequality and a financial system they say is unfairly skewed toward the wealthy.

In ensuing months the protests and encampments spread to cities throughout the United States as well as to some in other countries.

But Occupy camps in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and a number of other major cities were shut down in recent weeks in operations that resulted in hundreds of arrests and have raised questions about the movement's future.

Authorities have justified their moves against the camps on a variety of grounds, including that the camps were causing sanitation problems and were dangerous to public safety.

(Additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb, Editing by Jerry Norton)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111218/us_nm/us_protests_newyork

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House sets Monday votes on payroll tax cut bill (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The fate of legislation in the Congress to extend a payroll tax cut for two months was uncertain on Saturday as the measure appeared to face strong opposition in the House of Representatives.

House leaders announced they have scheduled votes on the Senate-passed bill for Monday night. But as has been the case throughout 2011, Congress was now girding for yet another fight over major legislation - even as lawmakers were clamoring to quit for the year and start a long winter break.

Just hours after President Barack Obama praised the Senate for passing the temporary tax cut extension for 160 million workers during a rare Saturday session, aides to House Republican leaders were indicating trouble rounding up support for passing the measure in their chamber.

"Republicans are overwhelmingly opposed to the Senate bill," one House Republican aide said, adding that the measure was "offensive to the middle class" because of the uncertainty such a short, two-month extension would bring.

Another House Republican aide said members were disappointed in the Senate bill, which also extends long-term unemployment benefits. This aide said several options were being weighed, including amending the bill and sending it back to the Senate.

Obama had sought a one-year extension of the tax cut, arguing it will put about $1,000 in additional cash in the hands of the average worker and help the struggling U.S. economy.

For weeks, Republicans and Democrats fought over how to offset the $120 billion one-year cost, although initially Republicans were cool to extending the tax cut at all.

The two-month extension passed the Senate with a solid 89-10 vote and the blessing of Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell. But as has been the case throughout this year, many House Republicans were at odds with others in their party.

The Senate also passed a $915 billion spending bill on Saturday to keep government agencies running through next September. Obama signed a stop-gap funding bill into law on Saturday evening, averting a furlough of federal workers, and was expected to sign the full $915 billion agreement when it reaches his desk.

Passage of that measure gave rise to hopes that a tumultuous year in Congress, following the Republican takeover of the House in January, would draw to a quick close.

GEARING UP FOR A FIGHT

But with the fate of the payroll tax bill now in question, there are likely to be at least a few more days of intrigue on Capitol Hill.

Obama was already gearing up for a fight in early 2012 over a full-year extension of payroll tax cuts and jobless benefits.

"It would be inexcusable for Congress not to further extend this middle class tax cut for the rest of the year," Obama said at the White House shortly after the Senate passed the bill.

Senators then left town, intending to return for business on January 23. They will have to cancel at least some of their vacation plans, however, if the House alters their tax cut bill next week.

The payroll tax measure would keep the 4.2 percent tax rate from jumping to 6.2 percent for 160 million workers on January 1.

Economists have warned that a failure to keep the workers' tax cut in place next year would hurt a U.S. recovery already exposed to troubles in debt-stricken Europe. Some said it could lop as much as 1 percentage point off U.S. economic growth.

The $33 billion cost of the Senate's two-month extension would be covered by increasing fees government-controlled Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac charge lenders to guarantee mortgages. A full-year extension would have cost about $200 billion.

The fees on new mortgage customers would be permanently increased by 10 basis points under the legislation.

If the House insists on a one-year extension, it is unclear whether lawmakers will be able to agree on how to offset the higher costs. And with the 2012 presidential and congressional election campaigns heating up, it is becoming harder for Democrats and Republicans to strike compromises.

Already this year, difficulties crossing the partisan divide brought the government to the brink of shutting down three times, pushed it close to a debt default and cost the nation its prized triple-A credit rating.

The $915 billion spending bill that cleared the Senate 67-32

raises funding for the Defense Department but cuts into budgets at the Environmental Protection Agency, education and health departments and other federal activities.

KEYSTONE PIPELINE FIGHT

Republicans used the payroll tax measure to push for quick U.S. approval of TransCanada Corp's Keystone XL pipeline project, which is backed by labor unions but opposed by environmental groups.

The legislation requires Obama to approve construction of the pipeline from Canada to U.S. Gulf of Mexico facilities within 60 days or declare it is not in the national interest. Obama wanted to take a year, beyond November's elections, to review the project.

Republicans argued the pipeline would create jobs at a time the nation is suffering from an 8.6 percent unemployment rate.

"The president says he wakes up every morning thinking about jobs. This morning, the Senate took action where the president has punted," said Republican Senator John Cornyn.

An Obama administration official who briefed reporters said the State Department would "almost certainly" have to turn down the approval because there would not be enough time to complete its environmental review.

The Senate bill would pay for the payroll tax cut and jobless benefits with higher guarantee fees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac charge. That could drive up mortgage costs for homebuyers. For example, the cost of a $220,000 mortgage would go up by about $15 per month.

The administration had proposed raising the fees as a way to slash the federal budget deficit and reduce the government's role in the housing market, where it now finances about nine in 10 new mortgages. An administration official said gradually increasing the fees would encourage more private financing.

(Additional reporting by Laura MacInnis and Caren Bohan; Editing by Eric Walsh)

(This story makes clear in paragaph 9 that Obama signed short-term funding bill)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111218/ts_nm/us_usa_taxes

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Runaway whippet fouls up flights in Manchester

A runaway whippet gave security crews a good run?on Saturday after forcing the closure of one runway at?Manchester Airport, airport officials said.

One flight from Istanbul was diverted to Birmingham and dozens of other flights were delayed during the chase, which lasted about 40 minutes at the United Kingdom's fourth busiest airport,?the Manchester Evening News reported.

Gary Brown, the airport?s duty manager, told the?newspaper that?his crews hustled for quite a while to collar the?dog after it ran away from its owners during a walk nearby.

Security officials raised the alarm about 10:40 a.m. local time to halt take-offs and landings after the speedy pet raced onto the air field, bypassing an access point into a cargo area, the newspaper reported.?

?It took some time to catch it. The airfield is obviously quite a big area," Brown said, adding, "Because of the delay, there was a buildup of flights and we had to suspend a Turkish Airways flight from Istanbul. It was diverted to Birmingham, refueled and has now made its way up here.

?Basically, if there is any lost animal on the runway, we have to stop all flights straight away. Fortunately, we?ve cleared the backlog.??

More on Overhead Bin

?

Source: http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/17/9524042-runaway-whippet-fouls-up-flights-at-manchester-airport

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The Engadget Podcast is live tonight at 5PM!

We're back! Well, Brian is, at least. Tim's MIA this time out, but it's okay, because Darren and Dana will be on-hand to help recap the week's biggest tech news. We're live at 5PM tonight. So come, join us in the chat after the break.

Update: And, we're done! Look for the recording tomorrow!

Continue reading The Engadget Podcast is live tonight at 5PM!

The Engadget Podcast is live tonight at 5PM! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/15/the-engadget-podcast-is-live-tonight-at-5pm/

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Riot shields could scatter crowds with 'wall of sound'

RIOT shields that project a wall of sound to disperse crowds will reduce violent clashes with police, according to a patent filed by defence firm Raytheon of Waltham, Massachusetts.

The device looks similar to existing riot shields, but it incorporates an acoustic horn that generates a pressure pulse. Police in the US already use acoustic devices for crowd control purposes that emit a loud, unpleasant noise.

The new shield described by Raytheon produces a low-frequency sound which resonates with the respiratory tract, making it hard to breathe. According to the patent, the intensity could be increased from causing discomfort to the point where targets become "temporarily incapacitated".

Acoustic devices haven't seen wide adoption because their range is limited to a few tens of metres. The patent gets around this by introducing a "cohort mode" in which many shields are wirelessly networked so their output covers a wide area, like Roman legionaries locking their shields together. One shield acts as a master which controls the others, so that the acoustic beams combine effectively.

Raytheon declined to comment on the work.

"We do not have sufficient technical detail yet to determine if there are any hidden medical implications," says Steve Wright of Leeds Metropolitan University in the UK. "These are always a concern because of the risk to sensitive bodily functions such as hearing, or even inducing panic attacks in asthmatics."

The biggest danger, he warns, is that the technology would be used for political control. "If authorities in Egypt or Syria had this, would they use it for dispersal or to shove crowds into potentially lethal harm's way?"

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Debt crisis pushes developed economies to the edge: Reuters poll (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? The sovereign debt crisis crippling the euro zone still threatens other developed economies, leaving Britain and Japan teetering on the edge of recession but with the United States seen several paces away from a slump, a Reuters poll found.

Reuters polls of over 250 economists taken over the past week found hatchets taken to 2012 forecasts for the euro zone, Britain and Japan as ultra-loose monetary policies have failed to stimulate enough growth.

Once-booming economies in Asia have also felt the effects of the slowdown, but earlier on Wednesday China pledged to guarantee growth in the face of an "extremely grim" outlook for the global economy in 2012.

European Union leaders made an historic step towards fiscal union last week but there are fears it will not be enough to ease the debt crisis that has brought the bloc to its knees. Financial markets have reacted negatively.

"The move decided towards fiscal union can contribute to calm market fears, but not quickly," said Jean-Louis Mourier, economist at Aurel BGC.

The 17-nation bloc is already in a recession that will last until next April and growth will be flat next year, according to the latest Reuters poll.

Britain's 2012 growth forecast was slashed to just 0.6 percent from 1.0 percent a month earlier. Analysts gave an even chance that Britain, whose main trading partner is Europe, would fall back into recession within the next 12 months.

Economists predicted Japan's economy will shrink in the fiscal year to next March thanks to the yen's relentless strength as well as supply chain disruptions from a devastating earthquake earlier this year.

But the U.S. economy, the world's biggest, probably picked up speed in the last few months and will grow moderately in 2012, staving off the need for additional stimulus from the Federal Reserve.

U.S. growth was expected to average 2.1 percent next year, unchanged from November's poll, and more than half the economists polled said they do not expect the Fed to undertake another round of quantitative easing next year, known as "QE3."

"It's still this very gradual recovery, picking up a little bit more steam, but not really making up a lot of the ground that was lost in the labor market," said Scott Brown, chief economist at Raymond James.

A surprise drop in the unemployment rate last month to 8.6 percent, as well as relatively strong consumer spending has buoyed growth expectations for the current quarter, with forecasts revised up.

But GDP growth is expected to slow sharply to 1.8 percent in the first quarter, providing scant relief to U.S. President Barack Obama ahead of an election year.

At its annual policy-setting conference Beijing delivered a series of commitments to deliver economic stability, laying out a blueprint for the world's second-biggest economy in the year ahead. It promised to keep monetary policy "prudent," fiscal policy "pro-active" and consumer prices stable.

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For an interactive graphic see: http://r.reuters.com/kaw55s

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DEEP POCKETS

Major central banks have slashed interest rates to record lows and pumped trillions of dollars into the money supply in an attempt to heat up tepid growth.

The European Central Bank -- which hiked interest rates earlier this year before performing an about-turn -- is seen cutting them to a record low of 0.75 percent early next year.

Across the Channel, the Bank of England -- which has already cut rates to 0.5 percent -- is seen increasing its asset purchase program next year by an additional 75 billion pounds.

Analysts expect the Bank of Japan to stick to its ultra-easy monetary policy until the end of the fiscal year to March 2013 at least and also see a chance of further easing steps.

The BOJ has expressed its readiness to offer additional stimulus if its scenario of a moderate recovery is threatened.

"There is a possibility the BOJ will ease policy in January-March if share prices tumble and the yen further appreciates on the back of overseas dismay," said Yoshiki Shinke, a senior economist at Dai-Ichi Life Research Institute.

In that case, "The BOJ may top up its asset buying scheme or it may change what it buys in the scheme."

(Additional reporting by Andy Bruce, Leah Schnurr in New York and Kaori Kaneko in Tokyo; Editing by Catherine Evans)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111214/bs_nm/us_economy_wrap_poll

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Young Cancer Survivor Carries No Side-Effect To Their Offspring ...

Young people suffering from cancer need not to be afraid of their coming generation as it has been found that the offspring of cancer patients doesn?t carry the side effects of cancer treatment. There is no doubt that the chemotherapy and other type of cancer therapy sometime leaves a horrifying experience upon cancer patients.

For long, the medical experts were fearful that the side effects of cancer treatment might also be seen over the offspring of the young cancer patients. But according to the recent study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the offspring of young cancer patients are free from the side effects.

The lead author of the study, Lisa Signorello, was reported of saying, ?Childhood cancer survivors face real reproductive concerns, including unknowns related to the effects of therapy. But, hopefully this study will provide some reassurance that their children are unlikely to be at increased risk for genetic defects stemming from their earlier treatment?.

For the study, the researchers analyzed the data of the young cancer patients. The data was procured from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. In the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, about 20,000 childhood cancer survivors were analyzed from 1970 to 1986.

During the recent study, the researchers contracted the young cancer survivors and questions related to their sexual activity and adult age. It was found that only 2.7% of the babies born from cancer survivors had some birth defects.

The defects included Down syndrome, abnormally short stature (achondroplasia) or cleft lip. It has also been revealed that 3% of women who received chemotherapy agents at the time of cancer had babies with genetic birth defect.

Although it has been found that young cancer survivor?s offspring are free from the side effects of cancer treatment, further study is required to be conducted.

Source: http://topnews.us/content/245185-young-cancer-survivor-carries-no-side-effect-their-offspring

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Emissions show rate at which Milky Way makes stars

NASA's twin Voyager spacecraft have given astronomers their first direct look at emissions important for estimating the rate at which the Milky Way is making stars,?opening a new avenue for studying star-forming regions in the galaxy.

NASA's twin Voyager spacecraft have given astronomers their first direct look at emissions important for estimating the rate at which the Milky Way is making stars.

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The emissions are known as Lyman-alpha emissions. Their direct detection opens a new avenue for studying star-forming regions in the galaxy, according to a study published in the Dec. 2 issue of the journal Science.

Until now, astronomers have had to rely on another type of emission as a stand-in for gauging star-forming rates in the Milky Way and in other galaxies.

But the theoretical underpinnings that gave researchers the OK to use this surrogate haven't been tested against the real cosmos.

With future measurements from new spacecraft, researchers finally will be able to subject the surrogate to reality check.

"This is a pioneering observation," says Jeffrey Linsky, a researcher at the University of Colorado's Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics in Boulder, Colo., who was not part of the research project.

IN PICTURES: Where stars form

Star-formation rates represent a critical element in the story of how galaxies form and evolve. Of particular interest, Dr. Linsky says, is the formation of so-called first-generation stars and how that leads to the birth of second-generation stars like the sun.

As the name implies, first-generation stars are the first to form as regions within vast, cold clouds of dust and hydrogen collapse under their own gravity and heat up. At a critical point, pressures and temperatures at the center of each ball of gas become so great that the hydrogen atoms fuse together to form heavier elements. This process releases enormous amounts of energy, igniting the stars.

As these stars burn, they heat and compress the gas around them, triggering the formation of "Star Birth: Next Generation."

As the stars burn, their spectra show the characteristic fingerprint of hydrogen. In ultraviolet light, where the first-generation stars shine brightest, the standout in this spectral fingerprint is dubbed the Lyman-alpha line. In visible light, the fingerprint shows up as so-called Balmer lines.

Being a star, the sun is a strong source of the Lyman-alpha signature ? so strong that it forms a kind of diffuse glow within the solar system that swamps the weaker signatures astronomers want to see coming from outside the solar system.

This has led astronomers to use Balmer lines as surrogates for Lyman-alpha lines in gauging star-formation rates in the Milky Way and beyond.

Enter a team led by Rosine Lallement, with the Paris Observatory. The team was using ultraviolet spectrometers aboard the two Voyager craft ? launched in 1977 and now at the boundary between the solar system and interstellar space ? to study hydrogen features at the boundary.

The researchers noticed that the sun's Lyman-alpha glow was accompanied by a broader, more diffuse signature. When the team checked to see where the diffuse signature was strongest, they found that it came from the galactic plane, defined by the edge-on view of the galaxy's spiral arms. The arms contain numerous star-forming regions.

The Voyager observations represent a proof-of-concept that Lyman-alpha signatures from outside the solar system can be detected, Linsky says.

Additional observations, plus a test of the theory underpinning the use of Balmer lines as a surrogate for Lyman-alpha lines, potentially could come from the ultraviolet spectrometer aboard NASA's New Horizons flyby mission, which is bound for Pluto and beyond, he says.?

The Monitor's Weekly News Quiz for Nov. 27-Dec. 2, 2011

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/d783lIpjAeo/Emissions-show-rate-at-which-Milky-Way-makes-stars

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Trump wants say in GOP race, mulls independent bid (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Sure, he's out of the GOP presidential race, but The Donald isn't content to sit on the sidelines. Donald Trump wants a say in who gets the nomination, so he's hosting a presidential debate, holding out the prospect of his endorsement and threatening an independent run.

All that has some conservatives grousing that Trump's involvement is tarnishing the GOP's image and diminishing the Republican presidential field as it tries to field a candidate to beat President Barack Obama next year.

"GOP candidates would be foolish to show up at Trump's clown circus/ debate. Walk away," Republican strategist Mike Murphy advised on Twitter.

Republican strategist Karl Rove, President George W. Bush's longtime adviser, added on Fox News: "What the heck are the Republican candidates doing showing up at a debate with a guy who says, `I may run for president next year as an independent'?"

Trump, predictably, is undeterred.

On Monday, the TV celebrity met with Newt Gingrich, the latest presidential contender to visit Trump's New York offices in search of his support, and he released a campaign-style book to offer his views on the economy and the media in his typically bombastic style.

In a round of TV interviews, he blistered many of the GOP candidates, saying that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney "doesn't get the traction" he needs to nail down the nomination and calling Rep. Ron Paul and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman "joke candidates."

And given the field, Trump added, "I would certainly think about running as an independent."

During one interview, Trump was asked if he agreed with Gingrich's assertion that there are no role models in the inner-cities. Trump backed up Gingrich; civil rights leader Al Sharpton called the statement offensive and threatened protests if he didn't retract the statement.

Given Trump's affinity for publicity, it would be welcome.

Earlier this year, Trump suggested he might seek the GOP nomination but ultimately decided against it ? as he has during past elections.

It was around that time that Trump was somewhat marginalized when Obama himself sought to put to rest questions that the Republican had stoked about whether the president was eligible to serve in the White House. Obama released his "long form" birth certificate showing that he was, in fact, born in Hawaii in 1961.

Obama also suggested that Trump could be lumped in with "side shows and carnival barkers," and he used his appearance at the White House Correspondents Dinner to mock Trump, who was sitting in the audience glowering.

Despite that, Trump tried to stoke the "birther" issue anew Monday, saying on MSNBC: "Whether or not he was born here, you know, to me it means something. I guess it doesn't mean a lot to a lot of people. To me it happens to mean something."

So far, only Gingrich, a former House speaker, has committed to attend the Dec. 27 debate.

Huntsman said he wouldn't be there. "I'm not going to kiss his ring and I'm not going to kiss any other part of his anatomy," he said.

"This is exactly what is wrong with politics. It's show business over substance," Huntsman said on Fox News.

Paul also planned to skip it, telling CNN that he didn't understand why candidates were seeking Trump's support.

"I didn't know he had the ability to lay on hands and anoint people," Paul said.

Romney, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota have met with Trump. Businessman Herman Cain, who ended his campaign on Saturday, and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin also visited with him.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111205/ap_on_el_ge/us_trump_republicans

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WWII bomb in Germany evacuates 45,000

WWII bomb: a nearly 2-ton bomb discovered in a German town has caused a massive?evacuation.

Officials in the western German city of Koblenz say tens of thousands of residents have left their homes as experts prepare to defuse a massive World War II-era?bomb?discovered in the Rhine river.

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City officials said Sunday that some 45,000 residents living within a radius of about 1.2 miles from the?bomb?site had to evacuate for the day by 0800 GMT.

It's one of Germany's biggest bomb-related evacuations since the war ended.

The British 1.8 ton?bomb?could cause massive damage if it exploded. It was found last week alongside a 275-pound U.S.?bomb?after the Rhine's water level fell due to lack of rain. Both?bombs?are to be defused.

Finding unexploded?bombs?dropped by the Allies over Germany is common even more than 60 years after the conflict.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/DjEekUF8RuM/WWII-bomb-in-Germany-evacuates-45-000

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Steven Cohen: Mike Bloomberg's Impressive Sustainability Record (Huffington post)

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

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Cheap beads offer alternative solar-heating storage

Public release date: 2-Dec-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: R. Meenakshi Reddy
rmreddy123@gmail.com
Inderscience Publishers

A cheap material that can store heat energy collected from the sun during the day that can be released slowly over night has been developed by researchers in the India. The material based on paraffin wax and stearic acid is described in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Renewable Energy Technology and could help keep homes warm in sunny parts of the world that get very cold at night without burning wood or fossil fuels.

Mechanical engineer Meenakshi Reddy of Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering and Technology, in Chittoor, Andra Pradesh, and colleagues explain how certain materials, known as phase change materials (PCM) can store a large amount of heat in the form of latent heat in a small volume. PCMs have a high heat of fusion and melt/freeze at a certain temperature. Heat is absorbed when the material melts and released when it freezes. Heated in the sun, the mixture of paraffin wax (which melts at about 37 Celsius) and stearic acid (a fat commonly used to make soap) becomes entirely liquid. However, as it solidifies it slowly releases the stored heat. The process is akin to the phase changing heating that occurs in hand-warmers that contain a PCM but in this case the material does not need to be boiled in a pan or heated in a microwave oven to absorb latent heat.

The team has now tested spherical capsules just 38 millimetres in diameter containing a blend of paraffin and stearic acid, which can be floated on the top of water in a tank. Stearic acid is a lot cheaper on the Indian market than paraffin and more readily available. The team found that costs could be held down without reducing the overall heating efficiency of the capsules by lowering the proportion of paraffin wax.

###

"Solar energy based thermal energy storage system using phase change materials" in Int. J. Renewable Energy Technology, 2012, 3, 11-23

---

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?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 2-Dec-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: R. Meenakshi Reddy
rmreddy123@gmail.com
Inderscience Publishers

A cheap material that can store heat energy collected from the sun during the day that can be released slowly over night has been developed by researchers in the India. The material based on paraffin wax and stearic acid is described in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Renewable Energy Technology and could help keep homes warm in sunny parts of the world that get very cold at night without burning wood or fossil fuels.

Mechanical engineer Meenakshi Reddy of Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering and Technology, in Chittoor, Andra Pradesh, and colleagues explain how certain materials, known as phase change materials (PCM) can store a large amount of heat in the form of latent heat in a small volume. PCMs have a high heat of fusion and melt/freeze at a certain temperature. Heat is absorbed when the material melts and released when it freezes. Heated in the sun, the mixture of paraffin wax (which melts at about 37 Celsius) and stearic acid (a fat commonly used to make soap) becomes entirely liquid. However, as it solidifies it slowly releases the stored heat. The process is akin to the phase changing heating that occurs in hand-warmers that contain a PCM but in this case the material does not need to be boiled in a pan or heated in a microwave oven to absorb latent heat.

The team has now tested spherical capsules just 38 millimetres in diameter containing a blend of paraffin and stearic acid, which can be floated on the top of water in a tank. Stearic acid is a lot cheaper on the Indian market than paraffin and more readily available. The team found that costs could be held down without reducing the overall heating efficiency of the capsules by lowering the proportion of paraffin wax.

###

"Solar energy based thermal energy storage system using phase change materials" in Int. J. Renewable Energy Technology, 2012, 3, 11-23

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-12/ip-cbo120211.php

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British soldier jailed for stabbing Afghan boy

LONDON?? A British soldier has been jailed for stabbing a 10-year-old Afghan boy with a bayonet for no reason, according to Britain's Ministry of Defense.

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Prosecutors said that Daniel Crook, a Grenadier Guardsman stationed in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province, suffered from a hangover when he attacked the boy, who was on an errand. The boy survived the incident, which happened in March, 2010.

Crook admitted he stabbed the child, but could not explain why he did so when questioned by military police.

The Ministry of Defense confirmed Saturday that Crook was dismissed from the army, has faced court martial and is imprisoned for 18 months.

The boy's father, Haji Shah Zada told The Guardian newspaper that he didn't know why his son was attacked and received no apology from the British forces.

"Of course foreigners are the enemies of Afghans ? otherwise he wouldn't do that to innocent child who was just going by on his bike," the 72-year-old shopkeeper told the British newspaper.

He said his son still has difficulties walking to school, located nearly a mile away.

On the question of compensation, the father said: "We asked for $40,000 but they only gave us $800."

Reuters contributed to this report.

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/45534829/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/

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Trey Parker, Matt Stone Are mtvU's Men Of The Year

'South Park' creators joined by Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as network's Woman of the Year.
By Gil Kaufman

Trey Parker and Matt Stone
Photo: Maury Phillips/ WireImage

Trey Parker and Matt Stone are probably used to their share of high-fives, fist bumps and sweaty hugs from rabid fans of their long-running claim-to-fame cartoon, "South Park." Now, on top of all the Tonys they took home for Broadway's "The Book of Mormon," they can add one more honor — one that puts them in the company of a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

mtvU has named the pair their 2011 Men of the Year, alongside Burmese opposition leader and former government detainee Aung San Suu Kyi, who was dubbed Woman of the Year. The college network praised Parker and Stone for continuing to "push the envelope by targeting hypocrisy with a comedic sensibility that satirizes zealotry and inserts reason into the global debate." MTV President Stephen Friedman explained in a statement that, "Each year, mtvU shines a spotlight on the individuals who have challenged us to think about the world in a new way and who have left an indelible mark on our culture and society. ... We're proud to honor Aung San Suu Kyi and Matt and Trey who, in radically different ways, have positively contributed to the cultural narrative of a historic year."

In naming Parker and Stone, the network said that for 15 years, the pals and creative collaborators have "fearlessly pushed boundaries by taking shots at liberals and conservatives, atheists and the ultra-religious, and everyone in between. After they met at the University of Colorado, the two film students created an animated short called 'The Spirit of Christmas,' which became a viral sensation and introduced the world to Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny. Since then, they've become two of the most distinct voices in comedy, and in our culture."

And, in the same week that Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton is set to make a historic visit to Myanmar on Friday to meet with Suu Kyi, mtvU has honored the freedom fighter as its Woman of the Year. "A living reminder of Mahatma Gandhi's legacy, mtvU's Woman of the Year is fearless in her pursuit of democracy and defense of human rights," read the announcement. "Suu Kyi refused to be silenced by one of the world's most authoritarian states, and her lifelong effort proves that nonviolent resistance can overcome the fiercest oppression. After spending more than 15 years under house arrest for her political views, Suu Kyi continues to demand democratic reform from the Burmese military junta. In March, the junta stepped down, and last week, her party re-entered Myanmar's political system, with the likelihood that Suu Kyi will run for parliament."

Beginning Wednesday (November 30), mtvU will profile its People of the Year to millions of young people on college campuses around the United States in short-form segments on-air and online. Last year, the college network named Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and hip-hop artist Nicki Minaj its Man and Woman of the Year.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1675163/trey-parker-matt-stone-mtvu-men-of-year.jhtml

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