Tennis-Australian Open order of play - day one

MELBOURNE, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Order of play on the main
showcourts at the Australian Open on Monday (play starts at 0000
GMT on all courts, prefix denotes seeding):
Rod Laver Arena
Olga Puchkova (Russia) v 2-Maria Sharapova (Russia)
Chang Kai-chen (Taiwan) v 9-Samantha Stosur (Australia)
1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) v Paul-Henri Mathieu (France)
From 0800
Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) v 8-Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia)
13-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) v Melinda Czink (Hungary)
- - - -
Hisense Arena
25-Venus Williams (U.S.) v Galina Voskoboeva (Kazakhstan)
David Goffin (Belgium) v 22-Fernando Verdasco (Spain)
15-Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) v Ashleigh Barty (Australia)
From 0600
4-David Ferrer (Spain) v Olivier Rochus (Belgium)
- - - -
Margaret Court Arena
6-Li Na (China) v Sesil Karatantcheva (Kazakhstan)
Bojana Bobusic (Australia) v 4-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland)
23-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) v Matthew Ebden (Australia)
Casey Dellacqua (Australia) v Madison Keys (U.S.)
From 0800
Albert Ramos (Spain) v 28-Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus)

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Golf-U.S. PGA Tour Sony Open scores

Jan 13 (Infostrada Sports) - Scores from the U.S. PGA Tour Sony Open at the par-70 course on Saturday in Honolulu, Hawaii
193 Russell Henley (U.S.) 63 63 67
Scott Langley (U.S.) 62 66 65
196 Tim Clark (South Africa) 64 66 66
197 Scott Gardiner (Australia) 68 64 65
Charles Howell III (U.S.) 66 64 67
198 Matt Jones (Australia) 66 68 64
Danny Lee (New Zealand) 66 66 66
Pat Perez (U.S.) 68 63 67
Chris Kirk (U.S.) 68 62 68
199 Marc Leishman (Australia) 67 68 64
Dicky Pride (U.S.) 68 67 64
Brian Stuard (U.S.) 66 68 65
Matt Kuchar (U.S.) 66 63 70
200 Tommy Gainey (U.S.) 66 69 65
Jeff Overton (U.S.) 65 68 67
Tim Herron (U.S.) 66 66 68
Harris English (U.S.) 69 69 62
Scott Piercy (U.S.) 64 64 72
201 Shane Bertsch (U.S.) 69 67 65
John Senden (Australia) 69 66 66
Ricky Barnes (U.S.) 70 65 66
David Mathis (U.S.) 69 66 66
Justin Hicks (U.S.) 69 68 64
202 Russ Cochran (U.S.) 68 68 66
Erik Compton (U.S.) 67 68 67
John Huh (U.S.) 71 63 68
Alistair Presnell (Australia) 68 66 68
Vijay Singh (Fiji) 67 67 68
Stephen Ames (Canada) 65 67 70
203 Peter Tomasulo (U.S.) 68 68 67
Morgan Hoffmann (U.S.) 66 70 67
Doug LaBelle II (U.S.) 71 66 66
David Hearn (Canada) 67 70 66
Keegan Bradley (U.S.) 68 69 66
David Lingmerth (Sweden) 69 68 66
Webb Simpson (U.S.) 66 69 68
Josh Teater (U.S.) 70 68 65
204 Nicholas Thompson (U.S.) 69 68 67
Hideto Tanihara (Japan) 70 65 69
Brad Fritsch (Canada) 67 70 67
Rory Sabbatini (South Africa) 69 65 70
Brian Gay (U.S.) 70 68 66
John Rollins (U.S.) 68 66 70
Kevin Streelman (U.S.) 71 67 66
205 Charlie Wi (South Korea) 67 69 69
Chad Campbell (U.S.) 69 68 68
Ben Kohles (U.S.) 67 70 68
Henrik Norlander (Sweden) 70 64 71
Justin Leonard (U.S.) 70 68 67
Jeff Maggert (U.S.) 71 67 67
206 Billy Horschel (U.S.) 66 70 70
Steve Marino (U.S.) 69 67 70
Lee Williams (U.S.) 69 66 71
Dean Wilson (U.S.) 69 68 69
Brendon De Jonge (Zimbabwe) 69 68 69
Bart Bryant (U.S.) 68 67 71
Jimmy Walker (U.S.) 69 69 68
Bae Sang-Moon (South Korea) 72 66 68
Kyle Stanley (U.S.) 73 65 68
Yang Yong-Eun (South Korea) 70 68 68
Cameron Percy (Australia) 71 67 68
207 Lee Dong-Hwan (South Korea) 68 68 71
Shawn Stefani (U.S.) 68 67 72
Carl Pettersson (Sweden) 68 69 70
Mark Anderson (U.S.) 73 64 70
George McNeill (U.S.) 70 68 69
208 Steven Bowditch (Australia) 67 69 72
Ryan Palmer (U.S.) 67 68 73
Derek Ernst (U.S.) 71 67 70
209 Fabian Gomez (Argentina) 69 69 71
211 Jason Kokrak (U.S.) 69 69 73
212 James Hahn (U.S.) 70 67 75
215 Robert Streb (U.S.) 67 71 77
217 John Daly (U.S.) 70 68 79

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Tennis-Tomic and Stosur carry Australian hopes in Melbourne

MELBOURNE, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Take a walk around the Grand Slam Oval at Melbourne Park and it is easy to see why Australia has such high expectations of tennis success.
A long semi-circle of bronze busts of the likes of Rod Laver, Margaret Court, Roy Emerson and Evonne Goolagong bear witness to an era when Australian winners at majors were the rule rather than the exception.
Those expectations have not been met by a homegrown Australian Open singles champion for three and a half decades, however, and in recent years the lively Melbourne crowds have had scant opportunity to barrack for local heroes.
That is unlikely to change this year, unless former U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur suddenly overcomes the injury woes that have beset her over the last few weeks and stage fright that strikes when she plays in Australia.
Warm-up tournament victories for Bernard Tomic and Lleyton Hewitt, though, have fired up hopes that the former can fulfill his potential or the latter can enjoy one last triumphant day in the sun.
Tomic's triumph at the Sydney International was probably more significant than Hewitt's at the Kooyong Classic exhibition but even so, it may still be a couple of years too early to talk about the 20-year-old as a potential Australian Open champion.
Tomic has thrown off the shackles of a miserable end to 2012 and started the new season with eight successive wins, including a stunning victory over world number one Novak Djokovic at the Hopman Cup.
Saturday's Sydney title success was his first on the ATP Tour and he was still basking in the afterglow when he arrived in Melbourne on Sunday.
"It's amazing. It's very important for tennis to have a lot of confidence, so I'm really confident. I'm going to use this as much as I can for Tuesday and this whole tournament," he told reporters.
"I'm playing really good tennis, feeling physically really well. That's why I think I've been playing good out there."
Tomic has a rest day on Monday before his first round tie against Argentine Leonardo Mayer, but most local eyes are fixed on a potential third round encounter with Roger Federer, who he played in the last 16 last year.
"I would love to get in that position to play Roger in the third round," he said. "He has to get there as well. You don't know what can happen. Tennis is a funny sport."
Tomic has been lauded as the next big thing in Australian tennis but former U.S. Open and Wimbledon champion Hewitt shows no sign of letting the light flicker out easily on his grand slam dreams.
The 31-year-old will drag his battered body into a 17th consecutive Australian Open on Monday with hope renewed after beating world number 15 Milos Raonic, number six Tomas Berdych and number seven Juan Martin del Potro at Kooyong.
Runner-up to Marat Safin in 2005, Hewitt was reluctant to indulge his compatriots about the state of men's tennis in Australia on the back of two titles at warm-up events.
"Obviously we're both hitting the ball well, but we're both unseeded, too," he said on Sunday.
"We probably had higher expectations when myself, (Mark) Philippoussis and (Pat) Rafter were in the top 10, top 15 in the world, and seeded at the majors.
"But we're both hitting the ball well, obviously confident coming in."
Hewitt did not have the best draw either, having been handed a first-round tie against eighth seed Janko Tipsarevic which will take place on Rod Laver Arena on Monday.
"I don't care," the feisty Australian said. "I'll knock him off, try to take his spot in the draw."
Stosur is again the Australian standard-bearer in the women's draw but admits she has not looked past Taiwan's Chang Kai-chen, who she meets on Monday, having crashed out in the opening round last year.
"I think this year I do feel better about things," said the ninth seed, who has never been beyond the fourth round at Melbourne Park.
"I don't feel as probably uptight or stressed or anything like that than last year. Last year I didn't handle it so well. I need to try to play a bit better than what I have been."
Stosur has been hampered by the effects of ankle surgery in the off-season and could hardly have started the year more poorly after falling at the first hurdle in both her warm-up events in Brisbane and Sydney.
"I'm hoping I can turn it around," said the 28-year-old. "I guess it's just one of those things. You don't always have the most ideal preparation, and even if you do, it doesn't mean you'll have the most ideal results." (Editing by Alastair Himmer)

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Rampant Bulls run struggling Cavaliers ragged

game in Miami, Florida January 4, 2013. REUTERS/Andrew Innerarity
(Reuters) - Carlos Boozer and the Chicago Bulls recovered from a slow start to pummel the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers 118-92 on Monday and take over top spot in the Eastern Conference's Central division.
In-form forward Boozer scored a game-high 24 points along with 11 rebounds, while Luol Deng added 19 points as the Bulls recorded their third straight win, and their 11th in a row over the Cavaliers.
Chicago, who upset NBA champions Miami 96-89 on Friday, shrugged off a disappointing first quarter to improve their overall record to 19-13 and dislodge the Indiana Pacers (20-14) from top spot in the Central standings.
"I'm just playing off my team mates," Boozer told reporters after recording his fifth consecutive double-double. "Games like this are fun because everybody played so great. We like moments like this.
"We wish all the games could be like this. We're trying to step it up a little bit and get some more wins. We had a tough last couple of weeks of 2012."
Guard Dion Waiters, off the bench, led the way with 18 points for the Cavaliers, who slipped to 8-28 following their eighth defeat in their last 11 games.
"That's a good team," Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said.
"They've just got our number. In the second half, they just turned it up. Their intensity level went way up, and we just couldn't match it."
EARLY LEAD
Cleveland, without center Anderson Varejao for the 10th straight game due to a bruised right knee, raced into an early 7-0 lead as their opponents surprisingly struggled to find the hoop and, with forward C.J. Miles pouring in two three-pointers, they ended the first quarter 30-22 up.
But the Bulls gradually clawed their way back, taking the lead for the first time at 33-32 on a Marco Belinelli three-pointer before going into halftime 53-50 ahead.
With Boozer, Deng and center Joakim Noah all sizzling on offense in the third quarter, Chicago stretched their lead to 88-72 and stayed in control throughout the final period.
Noah finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds, one of six Bulls players to reach double figures on the night, while Taj Gibson chipped in with 18 and seven boards off the bench.
"They're in rhythm now," Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau said of his team's 10-of-14 display in three-point shooting. "That's the biggest thing.
"It's off ball movement, hitting the paint, coming out, (making) the extra pass. They're rhythm threes. Our percentage has slowly been creeping up."
The Bulls outshot the Cavaliers by 54 percent to 42 from the field and out-rebounded them 47-31.

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NBA-Skiles steps down as Bucks head coach

Jan 8 (Reuters) - Scott Skiles has stepped down as coach of the Milwaukee Bucks after more than four seasons in charge, General Manager John Hammond announced on Tuesday.
Skiles compiled a 162-182 regular season record since replacing Larry Krystkowiak and made the playoffs once, in 2009-10, when the Bucks lost to Atlanta in the first round.
Assistant Jim Boylan will assume head coaching duties for the remainder of the season.
The Bucks, 16-16 this season under Skiles, made Boylan's debut a success when they beat the Phoenix Suns 108-99 on Tuesday in Milwaukee.
"Scott and I met yesterday after practice and after some honest discussion, we both came to the conclusion that it was best to part ways," Hammond said in a statement.
"It is never an easy decision to make, but in the end a decision we felt was best for both parties.

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NBA-Celtics guard Rondo suspended game for bumping referee

Jan 7 (Reuters) - Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo has been suspended one game without pay for making contact with a referee and failing to cooperate with a league investigation, the National Basketball Association (NBA) said on Monday.
The incident occurred with 3:19 left in the third quarter of Boston's 89-81 win against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday after Rondo was called for an offensive foul on a drive to the basket.
Immediately following the call, the Celtic guard bumped into referee Rodney Mott as the pair walked back up the court.
Rondo will serve his suspension later on Monday when the Celtics visit the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
The NBA on Monday also fined Hawks general manager Danny Ferry $15,000 for inappropriate interaction with the game officials after his team's loss to Boston on Sunday.

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An iPhone priced below $200 would devastate RIM and Nokia – and Apple’s margins

Both Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal now believe Apple (AAPL) is seriously considering launching a cheap iPhone. Speculation about this has been going on for years. But the probable price range mentioned by Bloomberg is a huge shock: The rumored retail price range of $100 to $150 is far below what had earlier been assumed. The iPhone 5 tends to sell for more than $700 in emerging markets. The 2-year old iPhone still costs more than $500. That is the reason why iPhone market share is fading below 5% in major markets like Brazil. But industry experts had widely assumed that the retail price of a low-end iPhone would be somewhere around $250 to $300. Even this would trigger radical changes in the handset markets around the globe.
[More from BGR: iPhone 5 now available with unlimited service, no contract on Walmart’s $45 Straight Talk plan]
Anything under $200 would be an earthquake. Smartphones with capacitive touch screens and 1 GHz processors selling under $150 at retail cannot have operating margins above 15%. Nokia (NOK) has 70 million unit quarterly feature phone volumes and a lot of experience in tight cost control. Yet even Nokia cannot get the operating margins of its latest and most desirable Asha models costing less than $150 much above 10%. You can only lower touch screen quality or processing power of a low-end iPhone so far. Moving to a resistive touch screen or a 600 MHz processor would splinter the iOS app market.
[More from BGR: CES has sadly become a complete waste of time]
If Apple truly is willing to dive into the sub-$200 gutter, the impact on vendors from RIM (RIMM) and Nokia to HTC (2498) and LG (066570) would be devastating. The best-selling prepaid smartphone in the United Kingdom right now may be the Huawei Ascend G300, a device with 4-inch display, 5 megapixel camera and 2.5 GB of internal memory that sells for about $160. This is the sweet spot of the budget smartphone market from Europe to Asia. It is quite possible to do a cheap iPhone with these specs, priced at $150 in the fourth quarter of 2013 and shoot for maybe a 10% operating margin.
That device would sell a hundred million units in a year with no marketing, if the production can be ramped up fast enough. It would reverse the market share losses Apple has recently suffered from Brazil to Germany literally in a quarter or two. But would Apple really be willing to tolerate the massive margin hit such a product would trigger? Being the champion of the mobile software market is worth a lot. But a sub-$150 iPhone would carry the obvious risk of cannibalizing the $650 iPhone sales deeply and permanently. The performance requirements created by the iOS app market prevent Apple from constraining the budget iPhone with truly low-end components.
Of course, the strategic impact of a bargain basement iPhone would be momentous. Apple would get to play Attila the Hun and literally wipe out smaller rivals who couldn’t possibly undercut a $150 iPhone on price. It is worth noting that one of the best-selling Nokia feature phones, the Asha 311, costs about $140 in retail. If Bloomberg is right, Apple is preparing to attack with a smartphone priced to the level of a feature phone that was created specifically for Africa and India.
It is clear that Apple is being forced into a corner. Google (GOOG) Play app revenue growth is now far faster than iOS app revenue growth. Instat claims that the page views of Android smartphones have started soaring above page views of iPhones across various markets. Apple cannot allow Google to gain hegemony in mobile content consumption in Asia, Latin America and Africa. Something has to be done. But the plunge into deep budget territory that Bloomberg is describing is very difficult to believe.

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Mayor seguridad por violación en escuela de Ohio

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio, EE.UU. (AP) — Un distrito escolar en el este de Ohio agregó guardias de seguridad desarmados a sus edificios en momentos en que ha aumentado la atención sobre dos jugadores de fútbol americano de una escuela secundaria y que enfrentan cargos por violación.
Mike McVey, superintendente de las escuelas de la ciudad de Steubenville, dijo el martes que un guardia permanecerá afuera de cada uno de los cuatro edificios del distrito hasta nuevo aviso. McVey dijo a The Associated Press en una entrevista que la medida fue tomada "para mejorar la seguridad de nuestros estudiantes".
Dos jóvenes estudiantes de 16 años enfrentan juicio el próximo mes en una corte juvenil en Steubenville, una ciudad de aproximadamente 18.000 residentes, acusados de haber violado en agosto a una niña de 16 años. Abogados de los acusados Ma'Lik Richmond y Trent Mays han negado los cargos en la corte.
McVey señaló la decisión de incorporar guardias a los edificios escolares fue tomada el lunes, antes de que el distrito fuera puesto en alerta la mañana del martes debido a una posible amenaza.
Los maestros dejaron de impartir clases y cerraron las puertas de sus salones durante cerca de una hora y media mientras la policía determinaba si la amenaza era viable.
Según un reporte policiaco, un estudiante describió haber visto un mensaje por Facebook indicando una amenaza potencial, pero el mensaje no pudo ser recuperado. El mensaje se refería a personas no acusadas en el caso de violación y les ordenaba que acudieran a cierto lugar, o "voy a comenzar a matar gente", indicó el reporte.
Las redes sociales e internet han tenido un papel crucial en el caso. Piratas informáticos presentaron la semana pasada un video de más de 12 minutos de duración que supuestamente muestra a un hombre joven bromeando sobre la acusadora después de la presunta violación.
Los hackers que presentaron el video argumentan que estuvo involucrada más gente y deberían ser castigados por ello. El lunes, un fiscal dijo que el joven lamentó los comentarios, los cuales realizó estando ebrio.
Un abogado de la familia de la niña ha dicho que el comentario en internet sobre el caso ha dificultado más la situación.
McVey se negó a comentar sobre la elevada atención que ha recibió su distrito escolar. Agregó que no estaba preparado para comentar sobre la decisión de tener en la escuela guardias de seguridad sin armas en lugar de armados.
Los acusados Richmond y Mays están en arresto domiciliario y asisten a una escuela alternativa durante el día dentro del Centro de Justicia del condado que se encuentra al otro lado de una autopista muy transitada con respecto a la escuela secundaria en el centro de la ciudad.

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The FBI Is Now Investigating the Steubenville Backlash

It's probably fair to say that things have gotten a little out of hand in Steubenville, Ohio, where two high school football players are accused of raping a 16-year-old while she was drunk. If you've read anything about the investigation and court case that's now unfolding you'll know that what started out as a suspicious sexual assault has turned into a national outrage, and local authorities are dealing with some pretty serious backlash that includes death threats being made against their families. On Wednesday night, CBS News reported that the FBI had opened an investigation into such threats on local sheriff Fred Abdalla's family and a suspected computer virus that targeted the Steubenville police chief. It's unclear who the suspects might be, and the FBI isn't commenting on the probe.
RELATED: Why Nobody Trusts Steubenville
In a way, this new FBI investigation is a bit of a relief. The small football-crazed town of Steubenville has been obviously overwhelmed since scrutiny from Anonymous has been helping to elevate the rape investigation to viral status on the web. The firestorm of attention came to a head last weekend when 1,300 protesters descended on the town's city hall for an event dubbed Occupy Steubenville. Sheriff Abdalla even made an appearance, after having said on the radio that he was "coming after" Anonymous. (Since Anonymous doesn't take too well to threats, this might've had something to do with the death threats that he received over email and social media in the days after the rally.) Then, on Tuesday, police reported "some type of shooting threat" being made on social media prompting a lockdown on all local schools that lasted nearly two hours.
RELATED: Occupy Steubenville: Anonymous vs. the Sheriff
So you could say things have been tense. The more we learn about Steubenville and its long history of corrupt leadership, though, the more we can understand how this rape case pushed people over the edge. As recently as 1997, the Justice Department found the city's police department to have "have engaged in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives persons of rights, privileges, or immunities secured and protected by the Constitution and the laws of the United States." And close ties between Abdalla and the Steubenville High football coach Reno Saccoccia -- think Coach Taylor from Friday Night Lights, only more sinister -- have led many, especially those in Anonymous, to believe that the corruption never went away.
RELATED: Inside the Search for the Truth About Steubenville — 1,000 Tips at a Time
Who knows what the Feds will find when they take a closer look at the threats being hurled at Steubenville law enforcement. They might even find out something about the things the local cops are doing to attract such hatred. Then again, they might just be in the mood to arrest some more Anonymous members.

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Railway & Underground Railway Construction in the UK Industry Market Research Report Now Updated by IBISWorld

The impetus from the landmark rail projects like Crossrail and Thameslink, other publicly funded capacity enhancement initiatives and stable maintenance spending have more than doubled the annual level of railway construction since the mid-2000s with the value of construction expected to climb by an annualised 21.4% over the five years through 2012-13. Over the next five years, the industry is expected to endure a moderate slowdown, reflecting the stage completion on landmark rail projects (notably Crossrail) and consequently, industry revenue is projected to contract over the five years through 2017-18.

London, United Kingdom (PRWEB) January 10, 2013
A century ago money was being poured into railway construction to reduce commuting time and open up new trade links. Today, public authorities and private companies are investing in landmark generational projects to increase passenger and freight capacity and boost the economy. London's rail transport system is undergoing the largest transformation in generations, involving the construction of Crossrail (£15.9 billion) and Thameslink (£5.5 billion). According to IBISWorld industry analyst Anthony Kelly, “the impetus from the landmark rail projects, other publicly funded capacity enhancement initiatives and stable maintenance spending have more than doubled the annual level of railway construction since the mid-2000s”. The value of construction is expected to climb by an annualised 21.4% over the five years through 2012-13.
The Railway & Underground Railway Construction industry captures a significant share of the total work in this market, and the balance is performed by professional consultants, trade subcontractors and bridge and tunnelling companies. Industry revenue is expected to climb by an annualised 8.0% over the five years through 2012-13 to total £3.3 billion, up 10% on the previous year. Kelly adds, “over the next five years, the industry is expected to endure a moderate slowdown, reflecting the stage completion on landmark rail projects (notably Crossrail)”. Subsequently, industry revenue is projected to contract over the five years through 2017-18.
The level of market share concentration in the Railway & Underground Railway Construction industry is medium, despite the large number of very small-scale contracting firms. The industry is characterised by its many small-scale, geographically dispersed contractors, principally working on maintenance and repair activities for existing rail infrastructure. Relatively few large-scale, multi-disciplined firms compete for the lead contractor role on major railway construction projects, and the four largest contractors contribute about 27% of annual industry revenue. These are multi-disciplined global construction firms Balfour Beatty, Colas, Morgan Sindall and Babcock International Group.
For more information on the Railway & Underground Railway Construction industry, including latest industry trends, statistics, analysis and market share information, purchase the full report from IBISWorld, the nation’s largest publisher of industry research.
IBISWorld industry Report Key Topics
This industry includes contractors undertaking work in the construction of railway and underground railway infrastructure, including site preparation, rail track placement, and the construction of associated structures (bridges, tunnels and platforms). Construction activity includes new work, repair, additions and maintenance on existing infrastructure. Portions of the work can be subcontracted out and the firms can operate as construction manager on railway projects.
Industry Performance

Executive Summary

Key External Drivers

Current Performance

Industry Outlook

Industry Life Cycle

Products & Markets

Supply Chain

Products & Services

Major Markets

Globalisation & Trade

Business Locations

Competitive Landscape

Market Share Concentration

Key Success Factors

Cost Structure Benchmarks

Barriers to Entry

Major Companies

Operating Conditions

Capital Intensity

Key Statistics

Industry Data

Annual Change

Key Ratios
About IBISWorld

Recognised as the nation’s most trusted independent source of industry and market research, IBISWorld offers a comprehensive database of unique information and analysis on many UK industries. With an extensive online portfolio, valued for its depth and scope, the company equips clients with the insight necessary to make better business decisions. Headquartered in London, IBISWorld serves a range of business, professional service and government organisations through more than 10 locations worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.ibisworld.co.uk or call (020) 3008 6568.

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Russ Hoover Presents A New Understanding of the Human Mind Unknown to Experts

While author-psychologist L. Russel Hoover refers to his new book “Demand Healing” as “first and foremost a crucial new look at treatment in mental health,” the read is packed with a wealth of first edition insights other practitioners will soon want to say they had discovered. Stunningly written and well worth the price of admission, this book puts readers one up on experts.

Kirksville, MO (PRWEB) January 10, 2013
Author-Psychologist Russ Hoover draws on extensive clinical experience and scientific acumen bringing a master’s touch to a new form of treatment. In section one for instance, he defines obsessions as “intrusive morbid fixations that certified head jockey’s endlessly attempt to cure deadened to the fact obsession does not cause itself… Hence their mantra ‘Stop thinking about it so much’ is akin to jumping off a plane and exhorting the person not to fall under conditions where falling is imminent,’ adding, ‘all the while expecting those words should have some effect on preempting the person’s downward movement. Cute…’” Bridging the gap between science and humor, the narrative essays an understanding of the complex world of human feelings by operationally defining easy to comprehend associated precepts. Demand Healing: The Advanced Study of Mood and Ego Remission is intriguing for the persuasive style in which it is written providing a tour de force critique of one of the most trusted institutions. Readers should not miss it.
Quick review of the book’s contents finds the work expertly sketched in three stages each spiced up with numerous clinical illustrations guaranteed to fire up readers’ interest. In stage one, the author, a specialized master therapist, produces an exposé of inefficiencies that abound in current treatment methods; what he refers to “absurdities” and “abominations,” as a means of showing why core changes are needed. Stage two yields an accurate in-depth inspection of what occurs in the troubled mind and various heretofore unknown laws that govern that kind of reaction. Finally, stage three de-encrypts what might be called the barest requisites of mental therapy while expounding upon its systematic application. The book is comprehensive and offers high-end discussion on an important subject.
Eye opening and practical, Demand Healing is formidable and a richly layered addition to the bookshelves of those searching for a good reading whether they are in or outside the genre.
For more information on this book, interested parties may log on to http://www.Xlibris.com.
About the Author

Author, teacher, lecture, and therapist, L. Russel Hoover began his distinguished career as a faculty member at Andrew Tailor Still Medical College. In that position he was to teach medical externs, interns, and psychiatric residents the ins and outs of various schools of psychotherapy, especially as it relates to medical treatment. However, he spent the majority of his reign there in the hospital’s clinics performing diagnostics and treatment. It was there, “down in the trenches” Hooves began developing what he called the NonCognitive approach to therapy ultimately publishing his first book under the name, NonCognitive Psychotherapy.

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Heroes Juggle School Life and World-Saving in Book IV of Epic Series

Author David R. Mastbergen releases “The Marvels of the Healer: The Senior Year”

Rushmore, MN (PRWEB) January 10, 2013
David R. Mastbergen, prolific author of The Marvels of the Healer series, accomplishes a rare and amazing feat by releasing his fourth book in just four months. Mastbergen’s newly published book, The Marvels of the Healer: The Senior Year, comes after the successive and successful releases of the opening trilogy: Book I: The Marvels of the Healer; Book II: The Marvels of the Healer and the Sisters of Radiance; and Book III: The Marvels of the Healer & the Calm of the Healer.
“Today’s religious sectors and the world itself are lost and a new healer is needed to bring reality to a new belief. A hero continues his quest to find and fulfill his destiny against many odds,” shares Mastbergen when asked about the relevance and appeal of his books. “It is fast paced and is written to be like a TV series where each chapter builds upon the next…If they like the series then they will want to continue with the saga.”
This fourth installment to the adrenaline-pumping epic saga, about a family with extraordinary abilities to fight the evils of the world, follows The Healer, David Knight, as a senior in high school while he continues his marvels. The other stars in the series continue with David as they prove to be a powerful force and David’s most important protectors against his archenemies.
Readers are reintroduced to other familiar characters: Jasmine Parker, The Calm; Nikki Knight, the Healer’s twin sister; Adela and Amada (twins), Jasmine’s little sisters; Julian Welsh, David’s mother; Vicky Miller, David’s aunt; and Kate Knight, David’s aunt. They will also meet new friends in the characters of Sissy Holmberg and Barb Knight, and new foes in Dr. Whitwell, the appalling adversary.
With its exciting new plot, new intriguing characters, and new surprises, no doubt that The Marvels of the Healer: The Senior Year will once again captivate fiction fantasy fans from the opening scene till the end. Mastbergen has clearly outdone himself this time. However, showing no signs of resting on his laurels, he is already working on his fifth installment to the series—Book V: The Marvels of the Healer: The Darkness.
For more information on this book, interested parties may log on to http://www.Xlibris.com.
About the Author

David R. Mastbergen was born in Worthington, Minnesota. He was raised in Worthington until he enlisted into the United States Navy and spent the next twenty plus years servicing his country. Upon retiring from the navy as a chief warrant officer, he spent nine plus years working for the state of Minnesota. He has a Master of Arts degree in management from the College of St. Scholastica and a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from Coleman College.

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FACTBOX-Soccer-African Nations Cup finalists Cape Verde Islands

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Factbox on African Nations Cup finalists Cape Verde Islands ahead of this year's tournament in South Africa from Jan. 19 to Feb. 10:
Previous appearances in African Nations Cup finals: none
FIFA world ranking Dec. 2012: 69th
Coach: Lucio Antunes has won himself near-mythical status in his homeland for guiding the Cape Verdians to the Nations Cup. The 46-year-old worked his way up through the federation ranks as a coach of the national youth teams before being appointed in 2010 to take over the senior side. He previously won the national championship with Academica Sal.
Key players:
Heldon (Maritimo). Age: 24 Pos: Forward
Scorer of vital goals in the qualifying competition which ensured the island archipelago's progress to the Nations Cup finals. He moved to Portugal in 2007 and worked his way up through the amateur ranks to sign for Maritimo in 2010. He played and scored for the Madeira-based club in the Europa League this season.
Ryan Mendes (Lille). Age: 23 Pos: Forward
Pacey player who likes to run at defenders and has made a successful transition to Ligue 1 with former champions Lille from Le Havre this season. He was regarded as one of the best players in Ligue 2 over the last three seasons after Le Havre spotted him as an 18-year-old participating in a youth tournament.
Fernando Varela (FC Vaslui). Age: 25 Pos: Defender
Lisbon-born defender, who has been relegated twice from the top flight of Portuguese football with Trofense and Feirense. Moved to Romania at the start of the season to join an enclave of African players at FC Vaslui, who were third in the standings going into the winter break.
Prospects:
The Cape Verdians have made a fairytale run to the finals, becoming the smallest country (population just over 500,000) to compete at the Nations Cup and taking the scalp of the mighty Cameroon in the process. They will be a unknown quantity but face the daunting prospect of playing against hosts South Africa in the opening game on Jan. 19 in front of a partisan crowd of some 90,000.

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South African morale dented by loss ahead of Nations Cup

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - African Nations Cup hosts South Africa suffered a morale-deflating 1-0 defeat at home to a young Norway side on Tuesday in their penultimate warm-up international.
Norway, with a team of inexperienced home-based players, scored the only goal from captain Tarik Elyounoussi four minutes before half-time.
Elyounoussi took advantage of some slopping defending to net from close range in the only real attack of the first half for the visitors, who are using their off-season to expose younger players to international football.
The result will not help the crisis of confidence affecting Bafana Bafana, who were hoping for a change in fortunes but failed to deliver on pre-match promises of attacking play and flair from their coach Gordon Igesund.
Instead they were stymied by a well-organised Norway side and after a show of poor finishing they will have more to contemplate some 10 days before the Nations Cup kick off.
It will also leave the home public sceptical about the team's chances at the 16-team tournament, which South Africa kick off against Cape Verde Islands at Soccer City in Johannesburg on January 19 (1600 GMT).
"I'm disappointed we lost the game, but we created a lot of good chances. We have to work now on using the possession better and not overelaborating so much on the ball," said Igesund.
South Africa conclude their preparations against fellow finalists Algeria in Soweto on Saturday. Norway play Nations Cup holders Zambia in Ndola, also on Saturday, in the last game of their brief African trip.

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Togo president persuades Adebayor to play in Cup

LOME (Reuters) - Emmanuel Adebayor will play in the African Nations Cup after being persuaded to go back on his decision to boycott the tournament by Togo's president Faure Gnassingbe in meetings over the last two days, a government spokesman said on Tuesday.
"Adebayor was received yesterday in Accra by the head of state," Cleo Petchezi, director of communications for the presidency, told Reuters.
"Discussions continued this morning in Lome. Following them Adebayor has said he will return to his club and join the national team in a week."
The Tottenham Hotspur striker had previously said he was boycotting the tournament in South Africa, which starts on January 19, because of a row over bonuses for the players.
The developments open the likelihood that Adebayor will play for his club in the Premier League away against Queens Park Rangers on Saturday before joining his teammates one week ahead of the tournament kick off.
Adebayor, who has now made three returns after self-imposed 'retirements' from the national side, has missed Togo's pre-tournament preparations, including international warm-up games in Oman and Niger over the last 10 days.
The 28-year-old is at the centre of yet another row over bonus payments to the squad following their qualification to the finals.
The Togolese side has been in constant turmoil over money with Adebayor using his status in the small west African country to force the issue.
On Tuesday, Togo press reports said coach Didier Six was also seeking to be paid outstanding wages and had not joined up with the team, who are preparing for the tournament in neighbouring Ghana.
The absence of the French-born coach from the team training camp in Accra was confirmed by Herve Agbodan, communications officer of the Togolese Football Federation (TFF), but he said Six would return to work on Wednesday.
Agbodan told Reuters on Tuesday the dispute over money was not being handled by the TFF but instead by the government.
The state has stepped in before to pay money over to the team, notably ahead of the 2006 World Cup in Germany when Adebayor and team mates refused to train for several days before receiving promised qualification bonuses.
Togo's opening game at the Nations Cup is in Rustenburg against the tournament favourites Ivory Coast on January 22.

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GLOBODOX, the enterprise document management company, is a happy place as they complete fourteen successful years in document management. The software is set to have much more in store and has made big plans for 2013 according to the sources at ITAZ Technologies, the makers of GLOBODOX. (PRWEB) January 08, 2013 GLOBODOX, the enterprise document management company, is a happy place as they complete fourteen successful years in document management. The software is set to have much more in store and has made big plans for 2013 according to the sources at ITAZ Technologies, the makers of GLOBODOX. Shiraz Ahmed, CEO of ITAZ had much to say about the occasion. He said “Looking back through the years, it feels amazing to know where we have reached. This is definitely an important landmark. It makes me happier to think that we are already in process of looking ahead with our plans for next year.” Shiraz also spoke about challenges in information management for companies in the upcoming years. He said “We are looking ahead at the most daunting challenges in information management. With the improved environmental understanding, most companies are aiming at environment friendly options for processes. So I think, one challenge for companies in 2013 would be to get more out of their investment in document management software by spreading its use to other departments. Not only will they get more bang for the buck but they will also significantly reduce the use of paper within the organization.” Shiraz also spoke at length about the Information Explosion and challenges to protect private information. He explained “Businesses need to work harder to deal with additional devices. It is not difficult to block access to a device once it is reported lost or stolen. But only having a product with a strong audit trail will tell you what was viewed, modified or deleted till the time access was blocked.” The last but perhaps the most important challenge according to Shiraz however, seems to be the Uniform Information Access. Elaborating the same, Shiraz says “Today it would not be uncommon for the user to have a Windows Desktop machine, an Apple MacBook, an iPad tablet and an Android smartphone. The challenge is to make information accessible from all such devices. This means having a uniform method of information access across devices. At ITAZ we will be concentrating on this challenge in 2013. “ About ITAZ Technologies ITAZ Technologies designs easy to use document management software for businesses of all sizes. Globodox is ITAZ's enterprise document management solution. ITAZ was founded in 1999 and has customers in GLOBODOX, the enterprise document management company, is a happy place as they complete fourteen successful years in document management. The software is set to have much more in store and has made big plans for 2013 according to the sources at ITAZ Technologies, the makers of GLOBODOX. (PRWEB) January 08, 2013 GLOBODOX, the enterprise document management company, is a happy place as they complete fourteen successful years in document management. The software is set to have much more in store and has made big plans for 2013 according to the sources at ITAZ Technologies, the makers of GLOBODOX. Shiraz Ahmed, CEO of ITAZ had much to say about the occasion. He said “Looking back through the years, it feels amazing to know where we have reached. This is definitely an important landmark. It makes me happier to think that we are already in process of looking ahead with our plans for next year.” Shiraz also spoke about challenges in information management for companies in the upcoming years. He said “We are looking ahead at the most daunting challenges in information management. With the improved environmental understanding, most companies are aiming at environment friendly options for processes. So I think, one challenge for companies in 2013 would be to get more out of their investment in document management software by spreading its use to other departments. Not only will they get more bang for the buck but they will also significantly reduce the use of paper within the organization.” Shiraz also spoke at length about the Information Explosion and challenges to protect private information. He explained “Businesses need to work harder to deal with additional devices. It is not difficult to block access to a device once it is reported lost or stolen. But only having a product with a strong audit trail will tell you what was viewed, modified or deleted till the time access was blocked.” The last but perhaps the most important challenge according to Shiraz however, seems to be the Uniform Information Access. Elaborating the same, Shiraz says “Today it would not be uncommon for the user to have a Windows Desktop machine, an Apple MacBook, an iPad tablet and an Android smartphone. The challenge is to make information accessible from all such devices. This means having a uniform method of information access across devices. At ITAZ we will be concentrating on this challenge in 2013. “ About ITAZ Technologies ITAZ Technologies designs easy to use document management software for businesses of all sizes. Globodox is ITAZ's enterprise document management solution. ITAZ was founded in 1999 and has customers in over 50 countries across the globe.Picaboo Yearbook Provides the Ideal Business Opportunity for Women Re-Entering the Workforce over 50 countries across the globe.

Picaboo Yearbooks is helping women with a strong sales background, and who are re-entering the workforce, to start their own business with an exclusive dealership opportunity based in their community.

(PRWEB) January 08, 2013
Women looking to re-enter the workforce – but want to steer clear of MLM, affiliate marketing, and aspire to own their own business in which they can build equity – are finding that a new and unique business opportunity with Picaboo Yearbooks is an ideal fit.
“This is the ideal opportunity for women with a strong sales background who are looking to re-enter the workforce and like getting out and meeting with people,” commented Bryan Payne, President of Picaboo Yearbooks. “And since the majority of our customers are schools, the workday window leaves them time to spend with family.”
Members of Picaboo Yearbooks’ nationwide network of locally-based Dealership Owners are awarded an exclusive and protected sales territory, and are empowered to introduce the company’s groundbreaking yearbook product to schools and other groups within their communities. They also enjoy the perks of being their own boss, which includes the freedom to schedule presentations and appointments around their other important commitments. In addition, they can also build equity in their business, and can sell the business if they decide to pursue other opportunities.
Payne also noted that interest to join his company’s nationwide network has far exceeded expectations.
“In the past three months we’ve sold over 100 of the 500 total territories available across Canada and the United States,” added Payne. “We’re thrilled and well ahead of schedule. We anticipate all 500 dealership territories to be sold by the end of 2013, especially with an average investment of only $5000 - $10,000.
The response we’ve received from women across the country has been overwhelmingly positive. Dealership Owners are telling us that they decided to purchase their territory because our business model is revolutionizing the yearbook industry, and it’s inspiring to sell something unique and in-demand. They’re also impressed by our world-class training and marketing support.”
Since launching in September, 2012, many of Picaboo Yearbooks’ Dealership Owners have experienced rapid success, and over 500 schools and organizations nationwide have already started creating a yearbook – which is well ahead of the company’s predicted pace.
Prospective Dealership Owners who want to learn more about joining Picaboo Yearbooks’ nationwide network, and discover the rewards of being part of a customer-focused revolution in the yearbook industry, can learn more at http://yearbooks.picaboo.com/dealers/ or email info(at)picabooyearbooks(dot)com.
About Picaboo Yearbooks
Picaboo Yearbooks, which launched September, 2012, is a division of Picaboo: a premier provider of photo books. Picaboo Yearbooks believes that every school and student deserves a great yearbook, and is revolutionizing the yearbook industry through easy-to-use web app technology that empowers customers to: easily collaborate and create a personalized yearbook in no time; order as few or as many yearbooks as they need for the same affordable price; and have their top quality yearbooks shipped within three weeks. Schools and other customers can also create a professional, feature-filled eYearbook at no-cost, and easily setup a storefront to sell and manage yearbook sales online. Learn more at http://yearbooks.picaboo.com/.

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GLOBODOX Celebrates Completion of 14 Years in Document Management

GLOBODOX, the enterprise document management company, is a happy place as they complete fourteen successful years in document management. The software is set to have much more in store and has made big plans for 2013 according to the sources at ITAZ Technologies, the makers of GLOBODOX.

(PRWEB) January 08, 2013
GLOBODOX, the enterprise document management company, is a happy place as they complete fourteen successful years in document management. The software is set to have much more in store and has made big plans for 2013 according to the sources at ITAZ Technologies, the makers of GLOBODOX.
Shiraz Ahmed, CEO of ITAZ had much to say about the occasion. He said “Looking back through the years, it feels amazing to know where we have reached. This is definitely an important landmark. It makes me happier to think that we are already in process of looking ahead with our plans for next year.”
Shiraz also spoke about challenges in information management for companies in the upcoming years. He said “We are looking ahead at the most daunting challenges in information management. With the improved environmental understanding, most companies are aiming at environment friendly options for processes. So I think, one challenge for companies in 2013 would be to get more out of their investment in document management software by spreading its use to other departments. Not only will they get more bang for the buck but they will also significantly reduce the use of paper within the organization.”
Shiraz also spoke at length about the Information Explosion and challenges to protect private information. He explained “Businesses need to work harder to deal with additional devices. It is not difficult to block access to a device once it is reported lost or stolen. But only having a product with a strong audit trail will tell you what was viewed, modified or deleted till the time access was blocked.”
The last but perhaps the most important challenge according to Shiraz however, seems to be the Uniform Information Access. Elaborating the same, Shiraz says “Today it would not be uncommon for the user to have a Windows Desktop machine, an Apple MacBook, an iPad tablet and an Android smartphone. The challenge is to make information accessible from all such devices. This means having a uniform method of information access across devices. At ITAZ we will be concentrating on this challenge in 2013. “
About ITAZ Technologies

ITAZ Technologies designs easy to use document management software for businesses of all sizes. Globodox is ITAZ's enterprise document management solution. ITAZ was founded in 1999 and has customers in over 50 countries across the globe.

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Robert Mulhearn, CFA Joins Smart Devine as Senior Manager in Their Business Valuation Practice

Smart Devine (http://www.smartdevine), the full-service accounting, tax and advisory firm, announces today that it has hired Robert Mulhearn as Senior Manager in their Business Valuation Practice. Bob will assist both public and private companies to address the complexities that come with valuation needs in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, goodwill and intangible asset impairment testing, gift and estate tax, ESOPs, succession planning, and business disruption.

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) January 08, 2013
Smart Devine (http://www.smartdevine), the full-service accounting, tax and advisory firm, announces today that it has hired Robert Mulhearn as Senior Manager in their Business Valuation Practice. Bob will assist both public and private companies to address the complexities that come with valuation needs in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, goodwill and intangible asset impairment testing, gift and estate tax, ESOPs, succession planning, and business disruption.
Bob is a senior valuation professional with extensive experience performing detailed financial analysis and appraisals including those involving worldwide business enterprises. His expertise includes valuations involving allocation of purchase price, impairment studies for financial reporting, mergers and acquisitions, stock or business valuations, solution of special appraisal problems, valuations of intangible assets for both tax and accounting purposes (ASC 805 and ASC 350), creating budgets and business plans and solvency and fairness opinions.
Bob’s Industry experience includes manufacturing, telecommunications, internet firms, health care/pharmaceuticals, software providers, security monitoring, education, retail steel, electric power, financial services, gaming and others.
Prior to joining Smart Devine, Bob was President of Providence Valuation LLC and was a Vice President and Director at Marshall & Stevens Inc.
“Bob brings excellent senior advisor valuation credentials to Smart Devine’s business valuation practice. His knowledge in valuation across a broad range of industries offers a valuable resource to company leaders,” said Jim Smart, CEO of Smart Devine.
Bob earned his MBA in Finance from St. Joseph’s University and holds a BA in Psychology from Villanova University. Bob is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and a member of the CFA Institute and the Philopatrian Literary Institute.
Smart Devine, is headquartered in Philadelphia and provides a full range of accounting, advisory, tax and investigative forensic accounting services to companies across a variety of industries.

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US pushes to finish Afghan dam as challenges mount

KAJAKI, Afghanistan (AP) — In the approaching twilight of its war in Afghanistan, the U.S. is forging ahead with a giant infrastructure project long criticized as too costly in both blood and money.
It's a $500 million effort to refurbish the massive Kajaki dam and hydro-electric power system with an extensive network of power lines and transmission substations. It is supposed to bring electricity to 332,000 people in southern Afghanistan, increase crop yields and build up a cohort of trained Afghan laborers in a region badly in need of them.
But completion, which originally was envisaged for 2005, now is projected for some time in 2015, the year after most combat troops will have left the country. And there are some crucial ifs:
If a convoy carrying 900 tons of concrete can make it up a dangerous road to the dam site without being attacked by the Taliban. If the Afghan army can hold out in an area that took thousands of U.S. Marines to secure. If the Afghan government can take on the management of the dam.
"It's a long-term bet. I've said to people: We have to be patient and we have to persevere," said Ken Yamashita, the head of USAID in Afghanistan.
The desire to succeed is understandable. The Kajaki dam on the Helmand River symbolizes for both the Afghans and their American backers what they had hoped the infusion of U.S. troops and cash would produce nationwide: an Afghan government that can provide for its people and in turn count on its support against the Taliban insurgency.
The U.S. has spent $22.34 billion on governance and development in Afghanistan since it invaded the country following the Sept. 11 attacks, much of that on projects to build roads, schools, power plants and irrigation systems. In the past two years alone, $800 million was earmarked for infrastructure projects.
Kajaki is also a symbol of the American presence in Afghanistan dating back to the 1950s and the Cold War. That was when the U.S. built the original dam, with a powerhouse added in the 1970s. But before the three turbines could be installed, the Soviets invaded and construction stopped. The dam was still squeezing out a bit of power in 2001 when the U.S. attacked and, ironically enough, bombed the dam's power transmission line.
In the latest phase of the Kajaki saga, fighting as well as limited oversight of spending has led to huge delays and cost overruns. Now Helmand province, home of the dam, is seeing the first and largest wave of U.S. troop reductions, with 10,000 of 17,000 U.S. Marines already gone. That means most of the Kajaki project is going forward with Afghan forces providing nearly all the security in an area that was a Taliban stronghold until a year ago.
Afghans here are already hedging their bets.
The number of workers on a U.S.-funded construction project next to Kajaki has dwindled from 200 to 20 since last fall, and those remaining say workers feel the risk isn't worth the $6 daily paycheck.
"They can't come here because all the routes to the district are controlled by the Taliban," said Abdul Razziq, a 28-year-old villager working on construction of a new district government center next to the dam.
His family supports the government, so he at least doesn't have to lie to keep his place of work secret. Not so Timur Shah, who spends a couple of months at a time working at Kajaki. "My immediate family knows I am here. But if anyone else asks they will make something up," he said.
Shah said security improved when U.S. Marines flooded the province, but is deteriorating as the Marines leave.
"Just at the time the American forces started leaving here, the Taliban started to appear again, in the whole area," Shah said.
Cellphone service also stopped working in Kajaki district in late fall. It is common for insurgents to disrupt service in areas they control, though the construction workers say they're just as ready to believe to say the Americans blocked calls.
U.S. officials say the wariness is to be expected at a time of transition. They point out that Afghan security forces have increased their presence around the dam and that attacks, while still regular, appear to be decreasing.
"There's an ebb and flow," said Marine Capt. Glen Baker, one of a small group of Marines who continue to hold an outpost in Kajaki and advise Afghan forces in the area. "There was an increase when the Marines pulled out and there has been a decrease subsequently."
The company working on building the dam has also been able this year to send supplies via road — four convoys of trucks have made the trip without incident. Previously, equipment was being helicoptered in at enormous cost.
The core of the project is the installation of a third power-generating turbine at the dam, an effort that planned since 2002. The installation was originally budgeted at $18 million. Now it is getting another $85 million and is scheduled to be installed in March, after being delayed by efforts to weed out subcontracting applicants suspected of having Taliban ties.
But many in Afghanistan have already given up on Kajaki.
"It is 10 years now that Kajaki dam has been as it is. Too much money has been spent there in the name of reconstruction ... all of that money wasted," President Hamid Karzai said in a speech in December.
Shah, the construction worker, echoed the complaint.
"When the international forces first came here they told us, 'In one year you will have the dam, you will have power, you will have roads.' But that didn't happen. ... and we are still waiting," he said.
Even if the project now overcomes the security and logistical barriers, there are questions about whether it's worth the cost.
The dam can't provide enough power to sustain the main city in the region — Kandahar — and the price tag is steep for the extra irrigation it brings to the Helmand River valley.
And there are also signs of the difficulties the Afghan government may face when it takes over the management of the dam.
One area already controlled by the Afghans is the management of irrigation water. The water has to hold to a certain level through the winter to keep electricity flowing, but last year the manager in charge of irrigation yielded to pressure from farmers and kept the water valve open.
"He ignored the need to close it in September. So the level of water was reduced," said Shaqib Nassar, the utility's chief operations officer, which oversees the dam. As a result the dam can only produce 24 megawatts, rather than 33 megawatts, he explained.
And the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction, the U.S. government watchdog for spending in the country, said in a report in December that $12.8 million in electricity distribution equipment provided to the Afghan energy utility in Kandahar was sitting unused because the Afghan staff "lacked the technical and operational capacity to properly install and manage it." The Kandahar utility also oversees Kajaki dam.
As recently as mid-2012 the U.S. was considering scrapping the whole project and switching the money to less unwieldy projects. Then it doubled down.
"Several months back we had a lot of discussion about whether continued investment in this would be worthwhile ... There are certainly voices that say, 'We've invested this much, let's finish it,' and there are others that say, 'We've invested this much, however the additional investment just won't get us there,'" said Yamashita, the USAID official.
"In the end, the discussion and the conclusion was that the output of electricity plus the development programs in the Helmand valley, plus the security it brings, equals a risk worth taking."
From the air, the Helmand River is a narrow turquoise ribbon through the desert. The dam is a stacked concrete wall that bisects the river, creating a reservoir ringed with trees — a few spots of green in a vast field of brown.
The helicopters that fly to the dam are owned by a U.S. contractor and depart from a U.S. military base. As resources and Americans become fewer, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and USAID say they expect oversight to depend increasingly on Afghan partners. Everyone says they are committed to finishing the project; they'll just have to manage much of it from afar.
Sayed Rasoul is an Afghan engineer with decades spent in the management of Kajaki as well as the Kandahar and Helmand power grid. He says he's confident the dam will be completed and deliver the riches promised.
He also says he's certain that the Americans will be in Kajaki long after the last of the combat troops leave.
"Maybe the American forces will leave here," he said, "but the engineers will be with us.

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Pakistan accuses India of deadly cross-border raid

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Pakistani military is accusing forces from neighboring India of crossing the boundary between the two sides' forces in Kashmir and attacking a Pakistani border post, killing a soldier.
The military's public relations office said in a statement Sunday that another Pakistani soldier was critically wounded in the incident early Sunday.
They said troops are still exchanging gunfire in the area.
They said the raid crossed the "line of control" dividing the Indian and Pakistani sides of Kashmir, a flashpoint of violence between these two neighbors for decades.
Both claim the region as their own.
A 2003 cease-fire ended the most recent round of fighting.
Each side occasionally accuses the other of violating it by lobbing mortars or shooting across the LOC, but accusations of cross-border raids are rare.

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British Spitfire search team arrives in Myanmar

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — A search team led by a British aviation enthusiast arrived in Myanmar on Sunday to begin a dig they hope will unearth dozens of rare British Spitfire fighter planes said to have been buried in the Southeast Asian country at the end of World War II.
The 21-member team led by farmer and businessman David Cundall will start excavations soon near the airport in the main city, Yangon.
Cundall said the aircraft were buried in wooden crates around 30 feet under the ground and the project would take about four to six weeks to complete.
"We are expecting them to be in first-class condition," Cundall said shortly after arriving at the international airport in Yangon.
The Spitfire remains Britain's most famous combat aircraft. Its reputation was cemented during the Battle of Britain when the fast-moving single-seater aircraft helped beat back waves of German bombers.
Britain built a total of about 20,000 Spitfires, although the dawn of the jet age at the end of World War II meant that the propeller-driven planes quickly became obsolete.
The planes believed to be in Myanmar were buried by American engineers as the war drew to a close. Searchers hope they are in pristine condition, but Andy Brockman, a freelance archaeologist who is part of the search team, said it was possible all they might find is a mass of corroded metal and rusty aircraft parts.
Nevertheless, he said, "I'm very confident that we'll have answers to the story of what happened ... in 1945."
The venture is being backed by the Belarusian videogame company Wargaming.net, which is best known for its multiplayer titles including "World of Warplanes" and "World of Tanks."
The search team says 36 Spitfires are believed to be buried near Yangon airport, while another 18 are in Myitkyina in northern Kachin state and six more are buried in Meikthila in central Myanmar.

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Celtic Tiger and emerging China shine in 2012

 Rory McIlroy's dominance on both sides of the Atlantic and the clearest hint yet at the exciting potential in China were the biggest storylines in what may prove to be a truly transformational golfing year in 2012.
The coronation of McIlroy as the game's leading player was confirmed in sensational fashion when the exciting Northern Irishman cruised to his second major title by a record eight shots in the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island in August.
Dubbed 'Boy Wonder' in his homeland for the past decade, McIlroy fully justified his other nickname of 'the Celtic Tiger' as he ended the year being showered with virtually every accolade available to him.
He followed in the footsteps of Luke Donald when he became the second player to win the money list titles in both Europe and the United States and he strengthened his position as world number one with an extraordinary run of form.
Long regarded as heir-apparent to Tiger Woods as the game's greatest player, McIlroy has smoothly taken over that role while Woods, despite triumphing three times on the 2012 PGA Tour in a welcome return to winning ways, has had to take a back seat.
The 23-year-old McIlroy is almost certain to be a dominant figure in golf for at least another decade but 14-year-old Chinese Guan Tianlang gave a strong indication of the likely impact from his part of the world well beyond that time frame.
Guan ensured he would become the youngest player ever to compete at the Masters by winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship last month, tantalizing proof of the vast golfing potential in the Chinese market.
The world's most populous nation had celebrated another coup just five months earlier when Shanshan Feng, 22, clinched the LPGA Championship by two shots in Rochester, New York to become the first person from mainland China to win a women's major.
Remarkably, Feng was born just five years after the first golf course was opened in China.
There were several other highlights during 2012 with Bubba Watson producing arguably the shot of the year to win the Masters in a two-way playoff and Ernie Els ending a decade-long drought in the majors to claim his second British Open.
THRUST INTO LIMELIGHT
The belly putter was also thrust into the limelight when Webb Simpson, at the U.S. Open, and Els, at Royal Lytham, joined 2011 PGA Championship winner Keegan Bradley as the only players to triumph in the majors using a long putter.
That trend, coupled with the growing number of younger golfers opting to anchor putters to their chin, chest or belly, prompted golf's rulemakers last month to propose a ban on the technique which could come into effect by 2016.
However, McIlroy's stellar play around the world gave golf fans their most stirring memories in 2012.
He recorded four wins on the U.S. circuit among 10 top-10s in just 16 starts before ending the season being named the PGA of America Player of the Year, the PGA Tour's Player of the Year and winner of the Vardon Trophy for the lowest scoring average.
McIlroy clinched the Arnold Palmer Award as the PGA Tour's leading money winner, with earnings of $8,047,952, and was delighted to follow that up with the European Tour order of merit with two events remaining.
"Winning a second major already made it a fabulous season, but then to follow Luke in becoming number one in both Europe and the States is the icing on the cake after a fabulous season," he said.
Hardly surprisingly, McIlroy finished his 2012 campaign on a triumphant note when he won the European Tour's season-ending DP World Tour Championship by two shots in Dubai last month.
"I didn't want the year to just tail off, I wanted to end it in real style," he said after spectacularly making birdies on the last five holes to close with a 66.
While the richly talented McIlroy is a gifted shot-maker, left-hander Watson delivered the 'blow' of the year with a miraculous escape from pine straw to win the Masters in a playoff with South African Louis Oosthuizen in April.
On the second extra hole, the long-hitting American ended up well right and deep in the tree line off the tee from where he had a narrow avenue to the green.
STUNNING HOOK
Undaunted, Watson struck a stunning hook off the pine straw with a gap wedge, his ball bending 40 yards in the air to settle 10 feet from the pin before he claimed his first major victory with a two-putt par.
"I got in these trees and hit a crazy shot," said Watson, a self-taught golfer who learned the game by hitting wiffle balls around his house. "I just hooked it up there and somehow it nestled close to the hole."
In June, Watson's good friend and fellow American Simpson clinched his first major title with a nerve-jangling one-shot victory at the U.S. Open after overhauling overnight leaders Jim Furyk and Graeme McDowell.
The following month, 42-year-old South African Els won the British Open at Royal Lytham by one stroke from Adam Scott after the Australian agonizingly bogeyed the last four holes.
Unquestionably the greatest comeback of the year, and perhaps of all time in golf, came at the Ryder Cup in September when Europe overhauled a deficit of 10-6 going into the final day to beat the United States by 14-1/2 points to 13-1/2.
Inspired by the spirit of the late Seve Ballesteros, Europe sent out their best players early and rode a wave of blue numbers to retain the trophy when Germany's Martin Kaymer defeated Steve Stricker one up.
"Seve will always be present with this team," a teary-eyed European captain Jose Maria Olazabal said of his fellow Spaniard, friend and mentor. "He was a big factor for this event, for the European side."
That same month, South Korean Shin Ji-yai romped to a nine-stroke victory at the Women's British Open at Royal Liverpool in England to complete a stunning Asian sweep of the year's four women's majors.
Shin's compatriot Yoo Sun-young won the Kraft Nabisco Championship in a playoff at Rancho Mirage in April and Choi Na-yeon, also of South Korea, claimed her first major title by four shots at the U.S. Women's Open in Kohler, Wisconsin in July.

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World sports diary November/December 2013

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1
TENNIS
Paris Masters (to 3)
MOTOR RACING
Formula One: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marinas Circuit (to 3)
CRICKET
Western Australia v England, Perth (to 2)
HORSE RACING
Breeders Cup, Santa Anita, California (to 2)
SOCCER
FIFA Under-17 World Cup, UAE (to 8)
- - - -
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2
RUGBY
International Matches
- - - -
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3
ATHLETICS
New York City marathon
- - - -
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4
TENNIS
ATP: World Tour finals, London
- - - -
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5
HORSE RACING
Melbourne Cup
- - - -
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6
CRICKET
Australia A v England, Hobart (to 9)
- - - -
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7
GOLF
PGA Tour: McGladrey Classic, Sea Island, Georgia (to 10)
European Tour: Turkish Open, Antalya (to 10)
- - - -
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8
MOTORCYCLING
MotoGP: Valencia, Ricardo Tormo-Valencia (to 10)
- - - -
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9
RUGBY
International matches
- - - -
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10
- - - -
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11
- - - -
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12
BADMINTON
BWF Li Ning China Open Super Series Premier, Shanghai (to 17)
BWF Yonex-Sunrise Hong Kong Open Super Series, Kowloon (to 24)
- - - -
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13
CRICKET
New South Wales v England, Sydney (to 16)
- - - -
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14
GOLF
European Tour: DP World Tour Championship, Dubai (to 17)
Singapore Open, Sentosa (to 17)
- - - -
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15
SOCCER
2014 World Cup qualifying matches
Asian Cup qualifying matches
MOTOR RACING
Formula One: United States Grand Prix, Austin (to 17)
TENNIS
Davis Cup World Group final (to 17)
- - - -
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16
RUGBY
International matches
- - - -
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17
- - - -
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18
- - - -
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19
SOCCER
2014 World Cup qualifying matches
Asian Cup qualifying matches
- - - -
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20
- - - -
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21
CRICKET
Australia v England, Brisbane, first test (to 25)
GOLF
European Tour: Hong Kong Open, Fanling (to 24)
- - - -
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22
MOTOR RACING
Formula One: Brazilian Grand Prix, Sao Paulo (to 24)
- - - -
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23
RUGBY
Rugby League World Cup semi finals, Wembley
- - - -
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24
HORSE RACING
Japan Cup, Tokyo
CANADIAN FOOTBALL
Grey Cup, Saskatchewan
- - - -
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25
- - - -
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26
- - - -
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27
- - - -
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28
GOLF
World Cup, Shenzen (to 1)
- - - -
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29
CRICKET
Australia Chairman's XI v England, Canberra (to 30)
- - - -
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30
RUGBY
Rugby League World Cup final, Old Trafford
- - - -
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1
SOCCER
World Cup Finals Draw, Brazil (to 4)
Japan League final day
Korean League final day, South Korea
- - - -
MONDAY, DECEMBER 2
- - - -
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3
- - - -
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4
- - - -
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5
CRICKET
Australia v England, Adelaide, second test (to 9)
- - - -
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6
- - - -
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7
- - - -
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8
- - - -
MONDAY, DECEMBER 9
- - - -
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10
- - - -
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11
GAMES
Southeast Asian Games, Myanmar (to 21)
SOCCER
Club World Cup, Morocco (to 21)
- - - -
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12
- - - -
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13
CRICKET
Australia v England, Perth, third test (to 17)
- - - -
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14
- - - -
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15
- - - -
MONDAY, DECEMBER 16
- - - -
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17
- - - -
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18
- - - -
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19
- - - -
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20
- - - -
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21
- - - -
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22
- - - -
MONDAY, DECEMBER 23
- - - -
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24
- - - -
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25
- - - -
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26
CRICKET
Australia v England, Melbourne, fourth test (to 30)
- - - -
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27
- - - -
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28
- - - -
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29
- - - -
MONDAY, DECEMBER 30
- - - -
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31

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Golf-Jimenez out for several months after breaking leg skiing

MADRID, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Spanish golfer Miguel Angel Jimenez will be out of action for at least three months after breaking his leg in a skiing accident on Saturday.
"I was skiing in Sierra Nevada, I lost control and fell," Jimenez was quoted as saying in local media on Sunday.
"I felt a huge stab of pain and I knew straight away I had broken something," he said, adding that he had been operated on at a clinic in his native Malaga.
"I broke the top of the tibia in my right leg, just where it meets the knee, and they put in two pins.
"It will take three, four or five months to recover and be able to return to competition. I was playing very well but ... these things happen in life."
Jimenez, who will be 49 on Saturday, was named European Tour golfer of the month in November after his victory at the Hong Kong Open made him the oldest winner in Tour history at 48 years and 318 days.
A lover of fine wines and cigars and known for his trademark ponytail, he said he had fashioned a love of skiing some years ago and was well aware of the risks.

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Why does Google build apps for its rival Apple's iPhone?

Why help a key competitor? Two words: Advertising and data
There isn't any other way to say it: Apple and Google really don't like each other. Apple CEO Steve Jobs vowed to destroy the Google geniuses behind the Android operating system for allegedly stealing the basic mechanics of the iPhone. Apple and Google-partner Samsung are constantly at one another's throats over patents. And most recently new Apple CEO Tim Cook gave two of Google's most popular products — Google Maps and YouTube — the boot from iOS 6.
Then the unthinkable happened: Fans started turning on Apple. Even the most gushy tech critic had to admit that Apple's replacement for Google Maps was a train wreck, a rare blight on the company's otherwise stainless track record (a failure, notes Zara Kessler at Bloomberg, which ironically might ultimately benefit Apple).
Why, then, would Google throw its chief rival a life preserver this week and deliver Google Maps to iOS — as well as handing over Chrome and an awesome new Gmail app in recent weeks? Two main reasons:
1. Potential advertising: "Google doesn't make money off of Android which is open source; they make money when people use Google services," Joel Spolsky, CEO of Stack Overflow, tells Wired. Google Maps on the iPhone doesn't have ads yet, although the Android version does. In the end, Google's primary concern is to get its services in front of as many eyeballs as possible — even if those eyeballs are peering into an iPhone.
SEE MORE: Steve Jobs' mysterious iMac-controlled yacht
2. More data with which to make its products better: Google Maps is every marketer's dream. Mapping software gives them invaluable consumer data to work with, like the city you live in, the stores you shop at, the restaurants you frequent, where you get your coffee, and much, much more. "Google needs the traffic that iOS users bring," says Casey Newton at CNET. Those millions of iPhone owners unknowingly feed Google the analytics it needs to make Google Maps the superior, celebrated product it's become. The same goes for Chrome. And Gmail.
And "Google is hardly the first company to aggressively support a rival platform for selfish reasons," says Ryan Tate at Wired.
Microsoft was a strong backer of Apple's Macintosh for decades because its core business was selling applications [Word, Excel, etc.], not Microsoft's competing operating system Windows… Google's willingness to ship iOS apps could look smarter as time goes on. The company trounces Apple when it comes to all things cloud, not just maps and e-mail; its social network, search engine, and highly optimized data centers could give its iOS apps an even bigger edge in the coming years.

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Samsung Smart TVs: The next frontier for data theft and hacking [video]

Smart TVs, particularly Samsung’s (005930) last few generations of flat screens, can be hacked to give attackers remote access according to a security startup called ReVuln. The company says it discovered a “zero-day exploit” that hackers could potentially use to perform malicious activities that range from stealing accounts linked through apps to using built-in webcams and microphones to spy on unsuspecting couch potatoes. Don’t panic just yet, though. In order for the exploit to be activated, a hacker needs to plug a USB drive loaded with malicious software into the actual TV to bypass the Linux-based OS/firmware on Samsung’s Smart TVs. But, if a hacker were to pull that off, every piece of data stored on a Smart TV could theoretically be retrieved.
[More from BGR: Has the iPhone peaked? Apple’s iPhone 4S seen outselling iPhone 5]
[More from BGR: Dell confirms it will exit smartphone business, drop Android]
As if the possibility of someone stealing your information and spying on you isn’t scary enough, according to ComputerWorld, “it is also possible to copy the configuration of a TV’s remote control, which would allow a hacker to copy the remote control’s settings, and remotely change the channel.”
ReVuln told The Register it hasn’t informed Samsung of the vulnerability and plans to sell the details of in hopes of “speeding up” development of a fix. A video of the exploit as proof from ReVuln follows below.

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Huge Wave of Google App Updates Hits iOS, Android

Google just brought iPhone and Android phone users a holiday gift. Google Maps has returned to the iPhone, this time in the form of its own separate app, while Google Currents -- the company's Flipboard-style online magazine app for Android -- received a substantial update as well.
Besides the two big updates, about a half-dozen other apps for Android and Google TV received bug fixes and new features, according to Android Police blogger Ryan Whitwam. Here's a look at what to expect, and where the rough edges still lay.
Google Maps is back
It was technically never there to begin with; the iPhone simply had a "Maps" app included, which used Google Maps' data. But a few months ago, Apple switched from using Google's map data to its own, which caused no end of problems as Apple's data was incorrect much more often. These problems were sometimes hilarious, but in at least one case they were dangerous, as several motorists had to be rescued after becoming stranded inside an Australian national park (where Apple's maps said the town they were trying to get to was).
Google Maps has also received a thumbs-down from the Victoria police in Australia, but is regarded as more reliable overall. It's a completely new app this time, and while it has at least one "Android-ism" according to tech expert John Gruber (an Ice Cream Sandwich-style menu button), it's reported to work well and doesn't show ads like the YouTube app does.
It does, however, keep asking you to log in to your Google account so that it can track your location data.
Google Currents has a new look and new features
The update to digital magazine app Google Currents brings its features more in line with Google Reader, the tech giant's online newsreader app which can monitor almost any website for updates. Like Google Reader, Currents can now "star" stories to put them in a separate list, can show which stories you've already read, and has a widget to put on your Android home screen. Other added features include new ways to scan editions and stories, and filter out sections you aren't interested in.
Bugfixes and updates for other Google apps
Google Earth and Google Drive received miscellaneous bugfixes "and other improvements," while Google Offers (a Groupon competitor) now features a "Greatly improved purchase experience."
The Google Search app received a slew of additions to its Siri-like Google Now feature, including new cards to help while you are out and about and new voice actions (like asking it to tell you what song is playing nearby). The Field Trip augmented reality app now uses less battery life, and lets you "save cards" and favorite places you visit, as well as report incorrect data to Google. Finally, Google TV Search and PrimeTime for Google TV both received performance and stability updates.

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Valve Confirms New Game Console on Its Way

In an interview with Kotaku's Jason Schreier at the Spike TV Video Game Awards, Valve co-founder Gabe Newell confirmed that a "living-room-friendly PC package," designed to "compete with next-gen consoles from companies like Microsoft and Sony," will be available for purchase starting next year.
What makes a PC a PC
Most of the machines Newell described, which he expected "companies" would "start selling" next year, would be powered by Microsoft Windows like normal PCs. However, they would be more like home theater PCs than regular computers; they would be designed to fit in the living room and plug into an HDTV, and they would use a much-simplified interface which eschews pointing and clicking in favor of using a game controller.
Getting the (Big) Picture
That interface is Steam's Big Picture mode, launched last week as a free upgrade to the Steam digital store. Gamers can click a button on the Steam window to be taken to a screen much like an Xbox 360's dashboard or PlayStation 3's XMB, where they can use a game controller to buy things from the store and play their installed games.
Games which can be played using only a controller get special branding and status in Big Picture mode. Steam held an enormous sale to promote such games when Big Picture mode launched, including titles like Sonic Generations which are also available on game consoles.
Steam-powered penguins?
Besides Big Picture mode, Valve's other big project as of late has been porting Steam to Linux, starting with the popular Ubuntu version. The Linux version of Steam, currently in beta, also supports Big Picture mode. Newell said in the interview that a working Linux version would "give Valve more flexibility when developing their own hardware," and dozens of games are already available for Linux gamers on Steam.
What will this hardware look like?
Newell's talk of "companies" making computers like this suggests a Valve-created standard, like the Intel ultrabook or like Google's requirements for Android devices, which PC manufacturers would have to adhere to. He also talked about Valve making its own hardware, which might be similar to Google's Nexus lineup of tablets and smartphones.
Besides that, these game console style PCs won't be as "malleable" as a normal computer, according to Newell. Like with today's laptops, it may be difficult or impossible to get at the internals and upgrade parts, the way dedicated PC gamers like to do with their machines.
How much will these machines cost?
Newell's statement that they will compete with "next-gen" consoles from Sony and Microsoft, which probably means the long-awaited new PlayStation and Xbox consoles expected next year, implies that they will be cost-competitive in some way. Gaming PCs typically have prices starting at $600 - $800 at the very lowest, while the PlayStation 3's $599 USD launch price made it a pariah of the game console world for years. A Steam-powered game console may have to invent its own price bracket.

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$35 Raspberry Pi computer gets its own app store

DIY developers adore the $35 Raspberry Pi and huge communities have enabled the Linux-powered computer to do cool things like emulate Super Nintendo games and run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. What’s next for the cheap computer? The Raspberry Pi Foundation announced it’s launching the “Pi Store” – an app store created in partnership with IndieCity and Velocix. Anyone will be able to download and upload their own apps to the Pi Store for consideration according to Raspberry Pi’s website. The Pi Store will have 23 free apps at launch as well as paid content. As with the success of the Raspberry Pi itself, the Pi Store’s success hinges on the community’s support.

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What's on the table now in 'fiscal cliff' talks

An update on the latest offers on the table in negotiations to avert a year-end avalanche of federal tax increases and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff":
___
INCOME TAXES
House Speaker John Boehner would allow income tax rates to rise for people making more than $1 million per year and would hold rates where they are for everyone making less. The top rate on income exceeding $1 million would go from 35 percent to 39.6 percent.
President Barack Obama would freeze income tax rates for taxpayers making $400,000 or less and raise them for people making more.
The two sides are moving closer together. Previously, the Republican House leader opposed allowing any tax rates to go up; Obama wanted higher taxes for individual income above $200,000, or $250,000 for couples.
___
PAYROLL TAX
Obama has dropped his proposal to extend a temporary cut in Social Security payroll taxes paid by 163 million workers. Republicans want that tax to go back up.
Raising the payroll tax by 2 percentage points to its old level would cost a worker making $50,000 a year another $1,000 — or a little more than $19 per week — during 2013.
___
SOCIAL SECURITY
Obama is offering to reduce cost-of-living increases for Social Security recipients. Republicans have been seeking this as a key to long-term deficit reduction. But many congressional Democrats oppose it.
Government pensions and veterans' benefits would also get smaller cost-of-living increases.
In addition, taxpayers, especially low- and middle-income families, would pay more because of changes in the way that tax brackets are adjusted for inflation.
___
MEDICARE
Obama continues to reject Republicans' plan to raise the eligibility age for Medicare from 65 to 67. Boehner now says raising the eligibility age is not essential to a deal.
Obama wants to limit cuts in Medicare and other health care programs to about $400 billion over 10 years; Republicans want to overhaul Medicare to save even more money.
___
DEBT LIMIT
Obama wants a deal that would raise the amount the government is allowed to borrow to cover the next two years, to avoid another debt showdown with Congress until after the 2014 midterm elections.
Previously, Obama had demanded permanent authority to increase the debt ceiling without congressional approval. Republicans want Congress to be part of the decision-making process so they can demand budget-cutting in exchange for additional borrowing.

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Swiss lender ZKB says three charged by U.S. authorities

Swiss lender Zuercher Kantonalbank (ZKB) said two of its bankers and one former employee had been charged by U.S. authorities, which had accused them of helping U.S. clients avoid taxes.
The three were indicted over changes of conspiring with American clients to hide more than $420 million from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan had said on Wednesday.
The indictment did not identify the bank concerned but named Stephan Fellmann, Otto Hueppi and Christof Reist, who it said were all former client advisers for the unnamed institution.
None of the bankers had been arrested, authorities said.
Banking secrecy is enshrined in Swiss law and tradition but has recently come under pressure as the United States and other nations have moved aggressively to tighten tax law enforcement and demand more openness and cooperation.
U.S. authorities are investigating at least 11 banks, including Julius Baer , Credit Suisse and other Swiss regional banks, along with UK-based HSBC Holdings and Israel's Hapoalim, Mizrahi-Tefahot Bank Ltd and Bank Leumi .
In February, Wegelin & Co, Switzerland's oldest private bank, was indicted.
UBS AG , the largest Swiss bank, in 2009 paid a $780 million fine as part of a settlement with U.S. authorities who charged the bank helped thousands of wealthy Americans hide billions of dollars in assets in secret Swiss accounts.
ZKB said in a statement it was cooperating with U.S. authorities. The bank said it could give no details about the employees due to the ongoing investigation and did not confirm what they had been changed with.
ZKB bankers Fellmann and Reist could not be reached for comment. Hueppi declined to comment.

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Existing home sales rise to fastest pace in three years

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Home resales rose sharply in November to their fastest pace in three years, a sign the recovery in the housing market is gaining steam.
The National Association of Realtors said on Thursday that existing home sales climbed 5.9 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.04 million units.
That was the fastest since November 2009, when a federal tax credit for home buyers was due to expire. Sales were well above the median forecast of a 4.87 million-unit rate in a Reuters poll.
The U.S. housing market tanked on the eve of the 2007-09 recession and has yet to fully recover, but steady job creation has helped the housing sector this year, when it is expected to add to economic growth for the first time since 2005.
NAR economist Lawrence Yun said superstorm Sandy, which slammed in the U.S. East Coast in late October and disrupted the regional economy for weeks, had only a slight negative impact on home resales.
The NAR expects some purchases delayed by the storm to add a slight boost to resales over the next few months, Yun said.
Nationwide, the median price for a home resale was $180,600 in November, up 10.1 percent from a year earlier as fewer people sold their homes under distressed conditions compared to the same period in 2011. Distressed sales include foreclosures.
The nation's inventory of existing homes for sale fell 3.8 percent during the month to 2.03 million, the lowest level since December 2001.
At the current pace of sales, inventories would be exhausted in 4.8 months, the lowest rate since September 2005.
Distressed sales fell to 22 percent of total sales from 29 percent a year ago.
The share of distressed sales, which also include those where the sales price was below the amount owed on the home, was also down from 24 percent in October.

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New York City should hike taxes on big business-comptroller

(Reuters) - New York City's top financial officer and possible contender for mayor in 2013, John Liu, proposed on Thursday tax hikes for big businesses and an end to Madison Square Garden's $15 million annual property tax exemption.
The proposals by New York City Comptroller John Liu include tax hikes on private equity firms, which would help offset his plan for $500 million in tax breaks and lowered fines for 90 percent of the city's small businesses.
Liu is expected to vie for the Democratic mayoral nomination for the election in November 2013.
The city could end tax breaks for big companies - more than $250 million of which were handed out last year, Liu said.
The city could also eliminate its $15 million annual property tax exemption for Madison Square Garden, the indoor arena in midtown Manhattan that's home to the New York Knicks basketball team. Madison Square Garden has been exempt from paying taxes on real property since 1982 under New York state law.
The arena is owned by The Madison Square Garden Co, which also owns the Knicks and other professional sports teams. The company also owns Radio City Music Hall, the Beacon Theatre and others venues, as well as television networks.
Liu also proposed examining tax breaks for special interests. Insurance companies, for instance, have not paid the general corporation tax since 1974, at a cost of $300 million annually to the city, he said.
Private equity firms could also start paying the unincorporated business tax for carried interest or gains from assets being held for investment. The exemption costs New York City about $200 million a year, Liu said.
Liu's package would use the revenue generated by those measures to offset his plan to ease the tax burden for small businesses.
He proposed ending the city's general corporation tax for all businesses with liabilities under $5,000 -- about 240,000 business in the city, or 85 percent of those that currently pay the tax.
His plan would also reduce some fines, as well as exempt businesses that make less than $250,000 in annual income from the city's unincorporated business tax.
The proposals would have to be approved by the governor and state legislature after a request by the city council.
The city is facing a possible $2.7 billion gap in fiscal 2014 that could grow to $3.8 billion the following year, Liu said.

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Republicans push own "fiscal cliff" plan; talks frozen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the Congress pushed ahead on Thursday with a "fiscal cliff" plan that stands no chance of becoming law as time runs short to reach a deal with President Barack Obama to avert a Washington-induced economic recession.
House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner's "Plan B" to limit income-tax increases to the wealthiest sliver of the population appeared likely to pass the House on Thursday evening after it narrowly cleared a procedural hurdle in the afternoon.
However, Obama has vowed to veto the plan, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he will not bring it up for a vote in the Democratic-controlled chamber. White House spokesman Jay Carney called it a "multi-day exercise in futility."
Still, passage of Plan B could give Boehner the political cover he needs to strike a deal that would break with decades of Republican anti-tax orthodoxy.
"Time's running short. I'm going to do everything I can to protect as many Americans from an increase in taxes as I can," Boehner told a news conference.
Though it does not raise taxes on as many affluent Americans as Obama wants, the bill would put Republicans on record as supporting a tax increase on those who earn more than $1 million per year - a position the party opposed only weeks ago.
That could make it easier eventually to split the difference with Obama, who wants to lower the threshold to households that earn more than $400,000 annually. Obama also faces resistance on his left flank from liberals who oppose cuts to popular benefit programs, which Republicans say must be part of any deal.
Obama and Boehner will need to engage in more political theater to get lawmakers in both parties to sign on to the painful concessions that will have to be part of any deal to avert the cliff and rein in the national debt, analysts say.
"They are now in the mode where they have to demonstrate how hard they're trying to get everything they can," said Joe Minarik, a former Democratic budget official now with the Committee For Economic Development, a centrist think tank.
Even as he pressured Obama and the Democratic Senate to approve his plan, Boehner indicated that he was not willing to walk away from the bargaining table.
"The country faces challenges, and the president and I, in our respective roles, have a responsibility to work together to get them a result," Boehner said.
TIME RUNNING OUT
Obama and Boehner aim to reach a deal before the end of the year, when taxes will automatically rise for nearly all Americans and the government will have to scale back spending on domestic and military programs. The $600 billion hit to the economy could push the U.S. economy into recession, economists say.
Investors so far have assumed the two sides will reach a deal, but concerns over the fiscal cliff have weighed on markets in recent weeks. The S&P 500 index of U.S. stocks was up 0.4 percent in Thursday trading, despite a round of strong data on economic growth and housing.
"The closer we get to the end of the year without a deal, the more optimism is going to evaporate," said Todd Schoenberger, managing partner at LandColt Capital in New York.
Shares crept up after Boehner said he was prepared to work with Obama to prevent the fiscal cliff from kicking in.
Lawmakers are eager to wrap up their work and return home for the Christmas holiday, but congressional leaders kept the door open for last-minute action.
The Senate was expected to leave town on Thursday or Friday, but Reid said it could return next week to vote on any deal.
Boehner indicated the House would stay in session after Thursday's vote, scheduled for 7:45 p.m. EST (0045 GMT on Friday).
Several influential conservative groups have condemned Plan B, and some Republicans are expected to vote against it. But passage appeared likely after the House narrowly voted by 219 to 197 to bring the bill to the floor for debate.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, an influential business group that has often tangled with the Obama administration, offered grudging support.
"We are not comfortable allowing tax increases on anyone in this environment. However, we understand that, at times, politics requires compromise," the Chamber's top lobbyist, Bruce Josten, wrote in a letter to lawmakers.
To placate conservatives, Boehner also scheduled a vote on legislation that would shift $55 billion in scheduled defense cuts to cuts in food and health benefits for the poor and other domestic programs.
That measure also would roll back some of the Dodd-Frank financial regulation reforms of 2010. It is not expected to become law.

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$35 Raspberry Pi computer gets its own app store

DIY developers adore the $35 Raspberry Pi and huge communities have enabled the Linux-powered computer to do cool things like emulate Super Nintendo games and run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. What’s next for the cheap computer? The Raspberry Pi Foundation announced it’s launching the “Pi Store” – an app store created in partnership with IndieCity and Velocix. Anyone will be able to download and upload their own apps to the Pi Store for consideration according to Raspberry Pi’s website. The Pi Store will have 23 free apps at launch as well as paid content. As with the success of the Raspberry Pi itself, the Pi Store’s success hinges on the community’s support.

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Is the Christmas card dead?

Author Nina Burleigh says the holiday photo is dead — and the internet killed it
Every year around the holidays, countless Americans sit down at their dining room tables to thoughtfully scribble pen-and-paper updates about how they are and what they've been doing with their lives to a select number of friends. These messages are usually written on the back of a recent family photograph (sometimes with Santa hats), before they're sealed, stamped, and mailed around the country, where they're displayed like a trophy over someone else's fireplace.
Could that all be changing? This year, especially, there seems to be a dearth of dead-tree holiday cheer filling up mailboxes across the country. In a recent column for TIME, author Nina Burleigh says the spirit once distilled inside the Christmas card is dying, and a familiar, if fairly obvious perpetrator killed it: The internet. "There's little point to writing a Christmas update now, with boasts about grades and athletic prowess, hospitalizations and holidays, and the dog's mishaps, when we have already posted these events and so much more of our minutiae all year long," she writes. "The urge to share has already been well sated."
[Now] we already have real-time windows into the lives of people thousands of miles away. We already know exactly how they've fared in the past year, much more than could possibly be conveyed by any single Christmas card. If a child or grandchild has been born to a former colleague or high school chum living across the continent, not only did I see it within hours on Shutterfly or Instagram or Facebook, I might have seen him or her take his or her first steps on YouTube. If a job was gotten or lost, a marriage made or ended, we have already witnessed the woe and joy of it on Facebook, email and Twitter.
Burleigh says the demise of the Christmas card is deeply saddening. "It portends the end of the U.S. Postal Service," she writes. "It signals the day is near when writing on paper is non-existent." It's true, says Tony Seifart at Memeburn — "my mantle is empty this year. In fact I haven't received one Christmas card yet."
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Let's not get too nostalgic just yet, says Alexis Madrigal at The Atlantic. Research firm IBISWorld anticipates that purchases of cards and postage will be the highest it has been in five years — $3.17 billion total. And Hallmark, the industry's biggest player, has seen revenue hold steady since the early 2000s despite the financial crisis. We could also think about this another way: That desire to share, the willingness to inform, could just be extending itself beyond the physical form of the holiday photo.
No matter what time of the year, people now write contemplative letters with weird formatting to an ill-defined audience of "friends"; these are Christmas letters, whether Santa is coming down the chimney or not. There are reindeer horns on pugs in July. And humblebrags about promotions in April. There are dating updates in November. And you can disclose that you were voted mother of the year any damn day you please... For good or for ill, perhaps we're seeing not the death of the holiday card and letter, but its rebirth as a rhetorical mode. Confessional, self-promotional, hokey, charming, earnest, technically honest, introspective, hopey-changey: Oh, Christmas Card, you have gone open-source and conquered us all.
The spirit of the Christmas card is indeed alive and well. It's just not necessarily in a Christmas card.

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