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BEIJING ? ?A long-awaited government report said design flaws and sloppy management caused a bullet train crash in July that killed 40 people and triggered a public outcry over the dangers of China's showcase transportation system.

A former railway minister was among 54 officials found responsible for the crash, a Cabinet statement said Wednesday. Several were ordered dismissed from Communist Party posts but there was no word of possible criminal penalties.

The crash report was highly anticipated by the public. The disaster near the southern city of Wenzhou also injured 177 people and had triggered a public outcry over the high cost and dangers of the bullet train system, a prestige project that once enjoyed lofty status on a level with the country's manned space program.

Regulations had required the report to be released by Nov. 20. When that date passed, the government offered little explanation, drawing renewed criticism by state media, which have been unusually skeptical about the handling of the accident and the investigation.

The Cabinet statement cited "serious design flaws and major safety risks" and what it said were a string of errors in equipment procurement and management. It also criticized the Railways Ministry's rescue efforts.

The report affirmed earlier government statements that a lightning strike caused one bullet train to stall and then a sensor failure and missteps by train controllers allowed a second train to keep moving on the same track and slam into it.

Those singled out for blame included former Minister of Railways Liu Zhijun, a bullet train booster who was detained in February amid a graft investigation. Also criticized was the general manager of the company that manufactured the signal, who died of a heart attack while talking to investigators in August.

The decision to assign blame to one figure who already has been jailed and another who is dead, along with mid-level managers who have been fired, suggests any additional political fallout will be limited.

Several officials including a former Communist Party secretary of the Shanghai Railway Bureau were ordered dismissed from their party posts, a penalty that is likely to end their career advancement. Others received official reprimands but there was no mention of possible criminal charges.

The bullet train, based on German and Japanese systems, is one facet of far-reaching government technology ambitions that call for developing a civilian jetliner, a Chinese mobile phone standard and advances in areas from nuclear power to genetics.

The bullet train system quickly grew to be the world's biggest but has suffered embarrassing setbacks. After the Wenzhou crash, 54 trains used on the Beijing-to-Shanghai line were recalled for repairs following delays caused by equipment failures.

Critics complain authorities have spent too much on high-speed lines while failing to invest enough in expanding cheaper, slower routes to serve China's poor majority.

Beijing is rapidly expanding China's 56,000-mile rail network, which is overloaded with passengers and cargo. But it has scaled back plans amid concern about whether the railway ministry can repay its mounting debts.

On Friday, the current railways minister, Sheng Guangzu, announced railway construction spending next year will be cut to about $65 billion, down from this year's projected $75 billion.

A failure to expand rail capacity could choke economic growth because exporters away from China's coast rely on rail to get goods to ports.

The rail ministry's reported debt is $300 billion. Analysts say its revenues are insufficient to repay that. That has prompted concern the ministry might need to be bailed out by Chinese taxpayers.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/12/28/china-blames-54-officials-for-bullet-train-wreck/

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That phone on Big Red having problems with data? Apparently you're not alone, as the carrier appears to be having issues again judging by the metric ton of emails we've gotten from you experiencing LTE, and in some cases CDMA, blackouts across the country. Our Galaxy Nexus in New York is chugging along with 1xRTT while a Thunderbolt in Washington DC is doing just fine with CDMA. We've just pinged Verizon and will update if we hear back.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Verizon experiencing nationwide data outage? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LONDON ? Britain's Prince Philip spent a third night in the hospital as he recovers after treatment for a blocked coronary artery.

The 90-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II is in good spirits and will remain under observation for "a short period," Buckingham Palace officials said Monday. There are no details of when he may be released.

The prince underwent a successful coronary stent procedure at Papworth, a specialist heart hospital in Cambridgeshire, where he was taken on Friday after complaining of chest pains.

It was the most serious health scare suffered by Philip, who is known to be active and robust. He has continued to appear at many engagements, most recently taking a 10-day tour of Australia with the queen.

He is likely to miss the Royal Family's traditional Boxing Day shooting party on Monday at the queen's private Sandringham estate in Norfolk, an event he usually leads.

Six of Philip's grandchildren, including Princes William and Harry, visited him Sunday in the hospital.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111226/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_prince_philip

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Over the past year visual-art obsessives have been having a field day with the feature of the Google smart-phone app called Google Goggles, which allows a user to shoot a picture of something - a painting, a photograph, a poster - and in seconds see an identification of the image and a list of search results for more information about it.

The app, which was introduced for Android phones in late 2009 and last year for the iPhone, has been getting much better recently at digging up the title, artist and art-historical provenance of the work that the phone camera is looking at. Part of the credit for that can go to holders of huge art-image databases like the J. Paul Getty Museum, which provided Google several months ago with access to several hundred images from its collection, becoming the first museum to do so.

Now the Metropolitan Museum of Art has gotten involved. It announced Friday that it has supplied more than 76,000 images of paintings, drawings, prints and photographs in its collection to the project, meaning that if you come across a reproduction of a painting that rings a bell - like ''Juan de Pareja'' - but can't remember who painted it, your phone can tell you within seconds that it was Diego Velazquez. The app then directs you to the work on the Met's site, for example, which tells you where to find the painting in the museum and gives you much more information about it. (Two-dimensional works function best with the app; it tends to struggle with sculpture, so the Met has so far stuck to paintings and other works on flat surfaces.)

In a statement Thomas P. Campbell, the Met's director, described the partnership with Google as ''a milestone in our efforts to provide greater access to the museum's holdings for a global audience.''

This is a more complete version of the story than the one that appeared in print.

Source: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0CE1D8163AF934A25751C1A9679D8B63&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

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Christmas Day celebration by Sky High India Social Organisation

Program was started with a welcome speech & lecture By Social Activist Aman Kalsotra Founder Director of Sky High Indian Social Organization who first introduce the organization to the guests present on the occasion and retreated organization motto of work & help to down trodden of the State and also appeal to all the citizens to extend all possible support and effort for the upliftment & progress of deprived who really need our help and urge the citizens of the country to pray on this Christmas for the peace and progress of mankind.

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NEW YORK/LAS VEGAS (Reuters) ? Retailers saw a steady flow of last-minute shoppers on Saturday, the day before Christmas, putting a moderate cap on a pre-holiday season that started with a bang and has since waned.

Industry watchers are forecasting a stronger holiday shopping season than expected, fueled by deep discounts at the start of the season, unusually warm and dry weather, a late Hanukkah, and an extra shopping day.

On the last shopping day before Christmas, the scene at several malls in different parts of the country was busy, but neither shoppers nor retailers seemed overwhelmed.

"The last-minute Charlies have come out," said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at the NPD Group. "Stores are busy, but not bustling."

The fact that Christmas Eve falls on a Saturday is good for retailers like Wal-Mart Stores, Best Buy and Gap Inc. So is the fact that the day after Christmas is a Monday, instead of a Sunday like last year, when many people stayed home and watched American football, said Ramesh Swamy, an analyst in Deloitte's retail practice.

"The calendar is working in our favor," Swamy said.

So is the fact that there was no blizzard this year, like there was last year.

Many stores around the country saw brisk traffic in the past week, and Friday was the busiest shopping day of the season, according to a survey of stores done by mall operator Taubman Centers Inc.

Sales at surveyed stores were trending up at a mid-single-digit rate for the week, on average, Taubman said, though luxury goods stores were trending up at high-single to double-digit rates.

Saturday caps a key week in the retail calendar that saw a handful of major U.S. store chains staying open around the clock to cater to consumers' late-night shopping craves, from Toys R Us Inc to Macy's Inc, a decision hailed by shoppers and industry watchers alike.

The National Retail Federation raised its forecast for holiday retail sales to a 3.8 percent increase from an October forecast of a 2.8 percent increase.

And ShopperTrak, which monitors traffic at shopping malls, now expects sales in November and December to rise 3.7 percent, up from its September forecast of 3 percent.

NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT

The Thanksgiving weekend, which marks the unofficial start to holiday shopping, saw sales soar 16.4 percent to $52.4 billion this year, the NRF said. The number of transactions at merchants jumped 17 percent on Black Friday alone, dwarfing the 5 percent gains seen in the prior two years, according to data from MasterCard Inc's network.

The binge was spurred by deep discounts, but they have since moderated, thanks to tighter inventory management by retailers who often would rather sell fewer items at full price than more items at profit-sapping markdowns.

"It isn't how much you sell but how well you sell it," said NPD's Cohen. "Retailers would rather sell out than sell off."

As a result, inventory on key gift items, such as sweaters, was quite low in many stores on Saturday, Cohen said, and the discounts were not that extreme.

One shopper, who only wanted to be identified as 67-year-old Bill V., was finishing up his holiday shopping at a Las Vegas-area Macy's store early Saturday morning.

Armed with several bags filled with gifts for his wife, daughter and grandson, he said the deals were not much to write home about.

"They were OK. They could have been better," he said.

Vickie Hoffman, a 39-year-old stay-at-home mom, bought some perfume and lotions at Victoria's Secret and an engraved snow globe for some last-minute gifts on Saturday.

"I didn't think so much of the sales this year," Hoffman said. "I didn't think there were many great deals. I just didn't see them."

Most of the steepest discounts on clothing on Saturday were for cold-weather coats, due to the mild weather this season.

A Macy's in suburban Las Vegas was offering 50 percent to 60 percent off women's winter coats, 60 percent off sweaters, 50 percent off slippers and fuzzy socks and 40 percent to 70 percent off purses.

Children's clothing chain Gymboree was selling all its merchandise, in stores and online, for $15.99 or less. Guess Inc had 50 percent off sweaters, outerwear and boots and teen clothing chain Aeropostale Inc had women's fleeces, originally $49.50, on sale for $18 and men's and women's jeans, originally $54.50, on sale for $25.

All retailers offer discounts to draw shoppers as part of their holiday strategy. But unplanned markdowns, as a result of poor sales, is what hurts profit margins.

On balance, margins are expected to be better this year than last, Cohen said, but January will be the key. That is when shoppers head to stores with returns or gift cards, often spending 16 percent more than the value of their credit, he said.

Some retailers' tactics included offering people store credit that they can use starting next week, as a way to get them back in the stores once the full-priced, spring merchandise hits shelves, Swamy said.

The weak economy has put a damper on consumer confidence, but shoppers' resilience has surprised the industry.

"There are still a lot of issues out there, including uncertainty in the economy," Swamy said. "But for whatever reason it didn't dampen people's holiday spirit.

(Reporting By Martinne Geller in New York and Lisa Baertlein in Las Vegas; Editing by Sandra Maler and Mohammad Zargham)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111224/bs_nm/us_usa_retail

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Scientists have discovered a pair of Earth-sized planets orbiting a distant star. Could these planets, dubbed Kepler 20e and Kepler 20f, support life?

For life as we know it to arise on another planet, scientists think the alien world must have three key ingredients: organic molecules that can form complex structures, energy to jiggle those molecules, and liquid water for them to jiggle?in. It's a short recipe, but nonetheless, only planets that are extremely similar to Earth can possibly have all three items in stock.

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If a planet is much closer to its star than we are to ours (and assuming that star is similar in size to our sun), all the water on its surface will evaporate in the heat. If it's much farther away, all its water will freeze. Similarly,?planets much larger than Earth?are gaseous, with no solid surface for an ocean to slosh around on, while those much smaller wouldn't have had enough gravity to form in the first place. Thus, in the search for "candidate planets" which could host alien life, "alien Earths" are the Holy Grail.

In a paper published today (Dec. 20) in the journal Nature, a team of scientists who study data collected by NASA's Kepler telescope report the?discovery of a pair of exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system, that are almost exactly the same size as Earth. The distant worlds, labeled Kepler-20e and 20f, orbit a star called Kepler-20 located 950 light-years away, and have diameters 0.87 times and 1.03 times that of Earth, respectively.

At those sizes, the planets' gravity would be strong enough to make them rocky like Earth, rather than gaseous like Jupiter. "Theoretical models suggest that the material inside the planet could be iron in the core surrounded by a mantle of silicates," said Guillermo Torres, a member of the Kepler team based at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. If that's the case, they would have, respectively, masses 1.7 times and three times Earth's mass, he said. [Infographic: Earth-Size Alien Worlds]

The planets are roughly Earth-size, but do they have what it takes to sustain life? Unfortunately, not quite. "These are just way too hot to be habitable," Torres told Life's Little Mysteries.

Both Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f orbit extremely close to their star, with years just 6 days and 20 days long, respectively. Though their star is slightly dimmer than our own, it still blasts them with too much heat. "For the inner one, the temperature is about 1,000 degrees Celsius [1,800 degrees Fahrenheit], and for the outer one it's about 700 degrees C [1,300 degrees F]," Torres said.

Unfortunately, that's far too hot for liquid water to survive. And because there are no swirling oceans on the new planets ? no?primordial soups for organic molecules?to slosh around in ? there has been no genesis of life there, the scientists say.

But is there any chance that life that doesn't require water could exist on Kepler-20e and 20f? Torres said he gets this question a lot: "Why do we think that life has to be like we have it here on Earth? Well, the thing is we don't have any other examples of life, so we have to start with what we know. We cannot rule out that there might be other types of life that don't require water? if that's possible? but that seems a little far-fetched."

Two weeks ago, the Kepler team announced its discovery of another planet that was close to being habitable, but which missed the mark for a different reason. "We announced Kepler-22b, which has the right temperature for life, but it's too big. Now, we're announcing a planet that's the same size as Earth but it's too hot," said Dave Charbonneau, another member of the Kepler team based at Harvard's CfA.

"What we're doing next is trying to look for a planet that's the best of both worlds: Earth-size and the right temperature. That's the big one," he said.

Follow Natalie Wolchover on Twitter @nattyover.?Follow Life's Little Mysteries on Twitter @llmysteries, then join us on?Facebook.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/BQZKCGRy6d0/Could-the-new-Earth-like-planets-harbor-life

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It may be Christmas Eve Eve and the fourth day of Hannukah, but so far, this has felt like just another week in the consumer electronics biz. Another loco crazy, pre-CES, sink-or-swim, walk-a-dozen-miles-to-charge-your-cell kind of week. But that doesn't mean we don't have a couple of nice presents for you...including, of course, your very own Engadget Podcast.

Host: Brian Heater, Tim Stevens
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Just a Dream

01:37 - Engadget Distro now available on Android Market and iOS Newsstand!
04:46 - AT&T abandons T-Mobile merger plans (updated)
11:02 - Sony PlayStation Vita review (Japanese edition)
24:38 - Microsoft's CES 2012 keynote won't deliver 'significant news,' more of 'a wrap-up'
32:09 - SOPA hearing delayed until the new year as petition signatures top 25k
35:47 - T-Mobile, Motorola respond to Senator Franken's Carrier IQ questions
37:20 - Two days in the desert with Apple's lost founder, Ron Wayne
41:55 - Fusion Garage's website goes dark -- has it bitten the dust? (update: it's back?)
45:00 - The Engadget Interview: Fusion Garage's Chandra Rathakrishnan... post-fallout
50:02 - Indian villagers walk a dozen miles to charge cellphones
53:14 - Listener questions

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Engadget Podcast 269 - 12.23.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thursday, Dec. 22

9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Line dancing at Senior Citizens Center

9:30 a.m. MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers), First Southern Baptist Church, child care provided

Noon Pot luck lunch at Senior Citizens Center

1 p.m. TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), Episcopal Church of the Covenant, 314 N. Adams St.

1 p.m. LIFE class: Writing Your Family History, library

4 p.m. Doors open at the Junction City Fraternal Order of Eagles, 203 E. 10th St.

5 to 8 p.m. Junction City Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie and Auxiliary kitchen is open with full meals

6:30 p.m. Troubadours of JC perform at Bicentennial Manor, 1010 W. Eighth St.

7 p.m. LIFE class: Crochet, library

7:30 p.m. JC Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie, 203 E. 10th St.

8 p.m. Alcoholics Anonymous, 119 W. Seventh St.

Senior Citizens Center errands to Walmart

Friday, Dec. 23

Noon Alcoholics Anonymous, 119 W. Seventh St.

4 p.m. Doors open at the Junction City Fraternal Order of Eagles, 203 E. 10th St.

5 to 8 p.m. Junction City Fraternal Order of Eagles kitchen is open with short-order meals?

6 p.m. Ogden American Legion Bingo, 515 Riley Blvd.

6 p.m. Alcoholics Anonymous, Women?s meeting, 119 W. 7th St.

6:30 p.m. JC Fraternal Order of Eagles Auxiliary Bingo, 203 E. 10th St., open to public

7 p.m. New Beginnings-New Life Support Group, Martha Hoover Conference Room, Geary County Community Hospital

8 p.m. Alcoholics Anonymous, 119 W. Seventh St.

Senior Citizens Center closed

Saturday, Dec. 24

Noon Alcoholics Anonymous, 119 W. Seventh St.

1 p.m. Doors open at JC Fraternal Order of Eagles, 203 E. 10th St.

1 to 8 p.m. Junction City Fraternal Order of Eagles kitchen is open with full meals, evening special available from 5 to 8 p.m.

6:30 p.m. JC Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie Bingo, 203 E. 10th St., open to public

7 p.m. American Legion Post 45 Bingo, Fourth and Franklin Streets

8 p.m. Alcoholics Anonymous, 119 W. Seventh St.

Library closed for holidays

Sunday, Dec. 25

Noon Alcoholics Anonymous, 119 W. Seventh St.

1:30 p.m. American Legion Post 45 Auxiliary Bingo, Fourth and Franklin Streets

8 p.m. Narcotics Anonymous, 119 W. Seventh St.

Library closed for holidays

Monday, Dec. 26

Noon Alcoholics Anonymous, 119 W. 7th St.

4 p.m. Doors open at Junction City Fraternal Order of Eagles, 203 E. 10th St.

6 p.m. JC South Kiwanis meets at Sirloin Stockade, 426 Golden Belt Blvd.

6:45 p.m. Social Duplicate Bridge, 1022 Caroline Ave.

7 p.m. Hope Al Anon meeting at First United Methodist Church

7 p.m. Hope Al-anon, First United Methodist Church, 804 N. Jefferson.

7 p.m. JC Fraternal Order of Eagles Auxiliary meeting, 203 E. 10th St.

8 p.m. Alcoholics Anonymous, 119 W. Seventh St.

Senior Citizens Center closed

Library closed for holidays

Tuesday, Dec. 27

10 to 11 a.m. Bible study at Senior Citizens Center

4 p.m. Doors open at the Junction City Fraternal Order of Eagles, 203 E. 10th St.

5 to 8 p.m. Junction City Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie and Auxiliary kitchen is open with full meals

6:30 p.m. JC Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie Bingo, 203 E. 10th St., open to public

7 p.m. Composite Squadron Civil Air Patrol, JC airport terminal, 540 Airport Road

8 p.m. Alcoholics Anonymous, 119 W. Seventh St.

Wednesday, Dec. 28

6:45 a.m. Breakfast Optimist Club, Stacy?s Restaurant, Grandview Plaza

9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Exercise at Senior Citizens Center

Noon Noon Kiwanis meets at Kite?s, Sixth and Washington streets

Noon Alcoholics Anonymous, 119 W. Seventh St.

12:15 p.m. Weight Watchers, Presbyterian Church 113 W. Fifth St.

1 to 4 p.m. Cards at Senior Citizens Center

5:30 p.m. Weight Watchers, Presbyterian Church, 113 W. Fifth St.

6 to 7:45 p.m. AWANA Club, First Southern Baptist Church

7 p.m. Woodcarvers meet at JCAC studio, 109 W. Seventh St.

8 p.m. Narcotics Anonymous, 119 W. Seventh St.

8 p.m. Alcoholics Anonymous, Presbyterian Church, 113 W. Fifth St.

Senior Citizens Center birthday party for December birthdays

Senior Citizens Center errands to Fort Riley and Dillons

Thursday, Dec. 29

9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Line dancing at Senior Citizens Center

9:30 a.m. MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers), First Southern Baptist Church, child care provided

1 p.m. TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), Episcopal Church of the Covenant, 314 N. Adams St.

4 p.m. Doors open at the Junction City Fraternal Order of Eagles, 203 E. 10th St.

5 to 8 p.m. Junction City Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie and Auxiliary kitchen is open with full meals

8 p.m. Alcoholics Anonymous, 119 W. Seventh St.

Senior Citizens Center errands to Walmart

Friday, Dec. 30

9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Exercise at Senior Citizens Center

Noon Alcoholics Anonymous, 119 W. Seventh St.

4 p.m. Doors open at the Junction City Fraternal Order of Eagles, 203 E. 10th St.

5 to 8 p.m. Junction City Fraternal Order of Eagles kitchen is open with short-order meals?

6 p.m. Ogden American Legion Bingo, 515 Riley Blvd.

6 p.m. Alcoholics Anonymous, Women?s meeting, 119 W. 7th St.

6:30 p.m. JC Fraternal Order of Eagles Auxiliary Bingo, 203 E. 10th St., open to public

8 p.m. Alcoholics Anonymous, 119 W. Seventh St.

Senior Citizens Center errands to Dillons

Saturday, Dec. 31

Noon Alcoholics Anonymous, 119 W. Seventh St.

Noon to 1 p.m. Drawing class for elementary ages, JCAC, 109 W. Seventh St.

1 p.m. Doors open at JC Fraternal Order of Eagles, 203 E. 10th St.

1 to 8 p.m. Junction City Fraternal Order of Eagles kitchen is open with full meals, evening special available from 5 to 8 p.m.

1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Drawing class for middle school ages, JCAC, 109 W. Seventh St.

6:30 p.m. JC Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie Bingo, 203 E. 10th St., open to public

7 p.m. American Legion Post 45 Bingo, Fourth and Franklin Streets

8 p.m. Alcoholics Anonymous, 119 W. Seventh St.

Source: http://www.thedailyunion.net/newsdetail.asp?article_id=10861

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SEOUL (Reuters) ? North Korea appears to be making an orderly transition after the death of leader Kim Jong-il last week, but the risk of collapse is higher than before and regional powers need to start discussing that contingency with China, diplomats and analysts say.

The problem is China refuses to contemplate any unraveling of North Korea which has nuclear ambitions and is its long-term ally. Beijing has rebuffed such overtures from the United States, Japan and South Korea.

"Secret talks with China to plan for contingencies have long been overdue," said Douglas Paal, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in a paper this week.

"Beijing has been reluctant to engage in this kind of dialogue, although Chinese thinkers have increasingly acknowledged privately the need for such an authoritative conversation."

Yet little evidence has emerged that such talks have taken place or are being planned, despite a flurry of discussions between the four countries in the aftermath of Kim's death last Saturday.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda travels to Beijing at the weekend, but it is unlikely that China would entertain anything more than platitudes. No contingency plan can be coordinated without China's agreement, since it borders North Korea and supplies much of its food and fuel.

Christopher Hill, a former envoy to the six-party talks on North Korea nuclear disarmament, said it was difficult to raise North Korean instability scenarios with China.

"The Chinese are always skittish about these things," he said, adding that the disclosure of secret U.S. diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks have made them especially wary of contingency planning.

Still, the transition of power in North Korea from the departed "Dear Leader," Kim Jong-il, to his son, the "Great Successor" Kim Jong-un, is going smoothly so far.

"We hope it stays that well," said Pentagon spokesman George Little. "We have not seen any unusual North Korean troop movements since the death of Kim Jong-il. That would be one indicator of a less than smooth transition."

The real worry is further down the road if a contest for power develops and piles stresses on a state that is already perilously close to economic collapse.

China, the United States and other regional powers around the peninsula may face a number of daunting scenarios if the transition goes badly over the medium term. These could include civil conflict, a mass exodus of refugees, military mutiny, lost control of the North's small nuclear arsenal or military attack.

A CHANGE IN CHINA?

China is however undergoing its own leadership transition in 2012 and down the line it's not impossible that there may be some changes in its steadfast refusal to work with the United States and its allies on contingency planning for North Korea.

In one Feb 22, 2010 cable by then U.S. ambassador to Seoul Kathleen Stephens, a top South Korean diplomat cited private conversations with two high-level Chinese officials who said China could live with a reunified Korea under the control of South Korea.

The then South Korean vice foreign minister, Chun Yung-woo, who was also a delegate at the six-party talks, said the two Chinese officials told him privately that China "would clearly not welcome any U.S. military presence north of the Demilitarized Zone in the event of a collapse."

But the Chinese officials told him Beijing "would be comfortable with a reunified Korea controlled by Seoul and anchored to the United States in a 'benign alliance' - as long as Korea was not hostile towards China."

The United States maintains 28,500 troops in South Korea and remains the Supreme Commander of unified American and South Korean troops in the event of a crisis with the North.

Chun, now the South Korean president's national security adviser, did not respond to a request for comment.

Chun also told the U.S. ambassador in that cable that China would not militarily intervene in the event of a North Korea collapse, and he expected that to happen within two to three years after the death of Kim Jong-il.

The alleged remarks from the two Chinese diplomats do not represent China's official position on North Korea. But China's ability to influence North Korea is sometimes over-estimated. In April 2009, He Yafei, then China's vice foreign minister, told a U.S. diplomat in Beijing that North Korea acted like a "spoiled child" to attract U.S. attention through steps such as firing a three-stage rocket over Japan.

The official line from Beijing, repeated during a visit by Kim Jong-il to China in May, is that the relationship remains "sealed in blood" of the allies that fought together in the Korean War.

"For China, the core imperative remains the avoidance of anything that might compromise North Korea's stability," said Sarah McDowall, an analyst at IHS Jane's.

"Occasionally, however, when North Korea commits particularly blatant provocations, this priority comes into conflict with another of China's over-riding diplomatic objectives - its desire to be seen as a responsible global player. China's behavior with regards to North Korea in recent years has been a struggle to balance these two objectives."

PEACEFUL REUNIFICATION

In another Wikileaks cable from Astana, Kazakhstan on June 8, 2009, Chinese ambassador Cheng Guoping told his U.S. counterpart Richard Hoagland that China opposes North Korea's nuclear tests and hopes for peaceful reunification of the peninsula over the long term.

Cheng said China's objectives in North Korea were to ensure their commitments on non-proliferation, maintain stability, and 'don't drive (Kim Jong-il) mad,'" Hoagland said in the cable.

John Park, at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, used a medical analogy to describe the difference in the U.S. and Chinese approaches.

"The way contingency planning is framed by the U.S. is, 'Let us coordinate so that if the North Korean state does collapse we can harvest the organs, and we think they should be implanted in a unified Korea, and the more the U.S. and China coordinate on this, the more smooth and stable it will be.'

"Whereas China's view is, 'Why would you wait for until the patient dies? Why wouldn't you prevent the death of the regime.' So there the Chinese are adopting almost this preventive medicine approach."

Jia Qingguo, professor of international relations at Peking University, said prospects for political stability in North Korea were bleak and interested powers needed "to step up communications, especially now the risks of a crisis are quite high."

The loyalty of those around the "Great Successor" is difficult to ascertain, Jia said.

"Add to that all the many problems, domestic and external, confronting North Korea. In these circumstances, I think it's very difficult to say whether Kim Jong-un will be able to master the political apparatus."

Kim Jong-un, who is in his late 20s, has little experience. His father Kim Jong-il had 20 years to prepare for rule under the tutelage of his father, Kim Il-sung, the charismatic founding father of the North Korean state.

Analysts have said senior officers were replaced after young Kim was made a four-star general last year, though he had never served in the military.

Issues that need to be urgently addressed in contingency planning include how to provide aid in the face of a collapse or crisis, and how to ensure the safety of the North's nuclear materials, Jia said.

"I think from the viewpoint of China and the United States, it may be up to one of them to assume control of the nuclear weapons and avoid proliferation."

A former Japanese diplomat who dealt with North Korean issues, Hitoshi Tanaka, questioned whether any measures would be effective in the event of "internal domestic turmoil" in North Korea.

South Korea, China, Japan and the United States "are very busy collecting and exchanging information and comparing notes" about North Korea's future, but that information is "very, very limited."

"It is extremely important...to let China work in the most constructive way, because clearly, China is the last resort in the context of helping North Korea," he said.

(Additional reporting by Chris Buckley in Beijing, Paul Eckert and Warren Strobel in Washington, Linda Sieg in Tokyo and Jack Kim in Seoul; Editing by David Chance)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111223/ts_nm/us_korea_north_collapse

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Indianapolis Colts' Reggie Wayne exults after his touchdown catch during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011, in Indianapolis. Indianapolis won 19-16. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck passes during practice in Stanford, Calif., Friday, Dec. 16, 2011, in preparation for their NCAA college football Fiesta Bowl game scheduled for Jan. 2 against Oklahoma State. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck smiles as he arrives for practice in Stanford, Calif., Friday, Dec. 16, 2011, in preparation for their NCAA college football Fiesta Bowl game scheduled for Jan. 2 against Oklahoma State. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ? All that good luck the Indianapolis Colts have received on the field these last two weeks could leave them with no Luck at all when the NFL draft rolls around.

The Colts have won two straight games to fall into a tie with the Vikings and Rams for the league's worst record and the chance to take Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the No. 1 pick.

With Peyton Manning out for the year with a neck injury, the Colts lost their first 13 games of the season, and most figured Luck could start looking for an Indy-based realtor.

Then a funny thing happened ? the Colts started winning.

The Colts beat Tennessee two weeks ago for their first win of the season. No big deal, right? They still had a game on two-win teams in Minnesota and St. Louis and didn't have to deal with the ignominy of going winless for an entire season.

Vikings fans were already dreaming of USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil coming in to protect Christian Ponder and clear a path for Adrian Peterson. With Sam Bradford under center, Rams fans were drooling over the prospects of bringing in Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon as the stud receiver he's been missing early in his career.

Then the Colts went out and won on Thursday night against the playoff-bound Texans.

What were they thinking?!?

That was some of the outcry heard from fans and pundits after the victory, which many view as jeopardizing the franchise's long-term health by risking losing out on another All-Pro caliber quarterback in Luck to eventually replace the face of the franchise, albeit one who will turn 36 in March and has had multiple neck surgeries over the past two seasons.

All of a sudden some Colts fans ? particularly those who were showing up to Lucas Oil Stadium with blue No. 12 jerseys that had "Luck" written on the back ? have an entirely different pain in their necks.

"That's not for the players to worry about," Colts running back Joseph Addai said. "I don't worry about that. I just go out and keep playing ball."

Now all three teams are tied for the fewest wins in the league, with the Vikings and Rams still to play this weekend.

Minnesota has lost six in a row and plays at Washington on Saturday before hosting Chicago in the season finale on Jan. 1. The Rams figure to have a tough time in Pittsburgh on Saturday and with San Francisco at home to end the season.

The Colts hold the strength-of-schedule tiebreaker over Minnesota and St. Louis. So a loss at Jacksonville next week would clinch the No. 1 pick for Indianapolis.

But the Jaguars haven't exactly been hitting their stride as the season wears on. Rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert has been erratic and head coach Jack Del Rio has already been fired.

"For one thing, not knowing what my future's going to be, just wanting to get a win," Colts receiver Reggie Wayne said after making the game-winning touchdown catch with 19 seconds to play Thursday night. "Couldn't get anything better than this."

Sorry Reggie, but some fans would say that a 6-foot-4, 235-pound college star with a rocket right arm and a completion percentage of 70 percent trumps one more victory in a season that has been lost since the moment Manning went under the knife.

And even though the Vikings and Rams both have already spent high first-round draft choices on young signal-callers in the last couple of years, they would have to at least consider Luck with the top pick.

Scouts lavish praise on a prospect they call the best quarterback to come out of college since John Elway. Luck's touchdown-to-interception ratio is almost 4 to 1, he calls his own plays for the Cardinal and takes puppies to visit senior citizens in hospice care.

Well, that part about the puppies has not been confirmed, but you get the point.

Should either the Vikings or Rams luck out and sneak into the top spot, they also could decide to stick with their young guns, trade down with another team eager to take Luck and stockpile picks to fill the numerous holes on each roster.

Just look what the Chargers did in 2004 when the New York Giants so badly wanted Eli Manning. The Giants sent the Chargers draft picks that amounted to Philip Rivers, Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding to get their hands on a quarterback who would eventually lead them to a Super Bowl victory.

Up until two weeks ago, the thought of having to make that decision seemed absurd.

Then again, so did a Colts winning streak.

___

AP Sports Writer Michael Marot in Indianapolis contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-12-23-FBN-Feeling-Lucky?/id-fb776cb630ae4d6697cf9b6adf73834e

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(NaturalNews) A "breast cancer awareness" Bible published by the publishing arm of the US Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has been pulled from bookstore shelves after it was discovered that Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the infamous breast cancer group responsible for coining the popular "pink" campaigns, partners with the pro-abortion group Planned Parenthood.

A portion of the sales generated from the Here's Hope Breast Cancer Bible had been going to support Susan G. Komen's breast cancer awareness activities, which include pushing women to get blasted with radiation at annual mammogram screenings (http://www.naturalnews.com/mammogra...). But this partnership was severed when it was discovered that one of the group's affiliates is Planned Parenthood.

"We made a mistake," said Thom Rainer, president of the SBC's LifeWay Christian Resources, in a statement. SBC's LifeWay had been selling the Bibles for the past several months. "Though we have assurances that Komen's funds are used only for breast cancer screening and awareness, it is not in keeping with LifeWay's core values to have even an indirect relationship with Planned Parenthood."

Susan G. Komen does not directly support abortion services, but the group has given grants to Planned Parenthood to conduct breast cancer screenings for "low-income, uninsured, or medically under-served women," according to reports. But the fact that the group funds the organization at all is troubling for the SBC and LifeWay, which see the alliance as a violation of its moral and ethical policies.

But what should trouble the SBC and LifeWay even more is a 2009 study released by the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) which found that mammography screenings actually cause cancer (http://www.naturalnews.com/027641_m...). Mammograms blast women with radiation in order to detect the presence of tumors -- but this radiation dose can actually be a cause of the very disease it is touted at helping to prevent.

And in 2010, researchers from Oslo University Hospital in Norway found that mammograms effectively prevent a mere two percent of breast cancers, at best. When accounting for margins of error, this prevention rate hardly holds much statistical significance, especially when considering that mammograms lead to far more false positives than they do legitimate detections of malignant tumors (http://www.naturalnews.com/030063_m...).

Susan G. Komen's primary goal is to get as many women as possible to get mammograms in the name of raising awareness about breast cancer, even though this method is unproven and ineffective. In light of this, the SBC and LifeWay would do well to get to the root of the issue and altogether reconsider their alliance with Susan G. Komen in the first place.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/art...

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Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/034455_breast_cancer_Bibles_Planned_Parenthood.html

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Deepika Padukone Already Has Her New Year?s Resolution!:
Deepika Padukone is ready to greet the New Year with a brand new resolution. That?s right folks; even the big celebrities have some unfulfilled wishes!
Insiders reveal, ?The actress was recently heard saying she wants to get better at snorkeling and might be soon taking classes. Deepika loves the water and her New Year resolution is to get better at underwater swimming.?
We wonder if this is Deepika?s personal resolution or something for an upcoming film, as her contemporary, Katrina Kaif is also trying to brush up on her underwater skills for ?Dhoom 3.?

*
We say sun, sea and sand have become the new trend in Bollywood and an excuse to sport that one piece suit. We know the Bollywood producers won?t be complaining!
Do you share the same New Year?s resolution as Deepika?
By Neha Bhatt

Source: http://123tamilforum.com/showthread.php?t=551786&goto=newpost

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I don’t like using the on-screen keyboard on my iPad.? There’s no tactile feedback, so I can’t tell if my hands are in the correct position nor if I actually struck a key.? The TouchFire Screen-Top Keyboard for iPad looks like a very promising way to add a tactile keyboard to your iPad without having [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/12/22/add-a-keyboard-to-your-ipad-or-ipad-2-directly-on-the-screen/

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NEW YORK (Reuters) ? With two weeks left in the trading year, the euro-zone debt crisis will remain the primary impediment to pushing the S&P 500 index into positive territory for 2011.

Uncertainty over progress in the region, along with the potential for credit rating downgrades on euro-zone countries, have kept investors on edge and market volatility high.

Even with a fairly busy U.S. economic calendar, which includes a batch of data on the housing market, the final reading on gross domestic product and durable goods orders, markets will focus on developments from Europe.

"What everybody is going to look at is the same thing they've been looking at -- every time a German official opens their mouth, we get crushed," said Paul Mendelsohn, chief investment strategist at Windham Financial Services in Charlotte, Vermont.

"I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Santa Claus is out there. But we've got to see something."

The benchmark S&P 500 index (.SPX)(.INX) is down about 3 percent for the year and would need to climb above 1,257.64 in order to end higher for the year.

A stocks' rally on Friday fizzled, and the market ended with only modest gains after the latest credit warning about possible downgrades of European nations. For last week, the Dow fell 2.7 percent, the S&P 500 lost 2.9 percent and the Nasdaq slid 3.5 percent.

Italy's prime minister urged European policymakers on Friday to beware of dividing the continent in the effort to contain the debt crisis, warning against a "short-term hunger for rigor" in some countries, in a swipe at Germany.

Stocks have been whipsawed as investors weigh the threat from the euro-zone crisis against modest improvement in U.S. economic data and stocks that many regard as cheap.

"There do appear to be some improving economic indicators domestically, but it's hard to see how they win the day if Europe continues to be a big concern. It's not like the valuations are at such bargain-basement prices that it becomes a one-way bet," said Stephen Massocca, managing director at Wedbush Morgan in San Francisco.

As volumes begin to dry up and market moves become more exaggerated during the holiday period, the volatility may help lift the stock market into the plus column.

CHANCE OF RALLY

"Can you see an upside rally? Certainly, because you are going to have some asset managers in the end who are going to try and just push it so the market ends at the very least flat on the year, if not higher," said Ken Polcari, managing director at ICAP Equities in New York.

"If there is going to be a rally at all, it will happen on light volume because there will be fewer and fewer participants. When there is less volume, you do have the ability to have those exaggerated moves, but people will take advantage of that."

Volatility in individual shares could also be affected by corporate earnings pre-announcements. There have been 97 negative earnings pre-announcements issued by S&P 500 corporations for the fourth quarter, compared with 26 positive pre-announcements, resulting in a negative-to-positive ratio of 3.7. That's the highest in 10 years, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Companies that have provided outlooks in recent weeks include DuPont (DD.N), Intel Corp (INTC.O), United Technologies Corp (UTX.N) and Texas Instruments Inc (TXN.N).

Unexpected management shakeups could also be on the horizon and increase the tumult in stocks. Both Cablevision Systems Corp (CVC.N) and The New York Times Co (NYT.N) saw high-level executives suddenly leave their posts.

But stock movements this week will ultimately be dictated by actions taken in Europe, with the light volume exacerbating market swings.

"The only thing that is going to be of any interest is certainly the continuing headlines on Europe, whether or not they come any closer to what looks like a potential agreement," said Polcari.

"You may get a little bit of a push to the 1,250 to 1,270 range, but much beyond that I don't see why it would go any higher unless you get some explosive announcement out of Europe."

(Reporting By Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Kenneth Barry and; Jan Paschal)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111218/bs_nm/us_usa_stocks_weekahead

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Alan Boyle writes

What are those strange white patterns in China's Gobi Desert? For weeks, experts have puzzled over the crazy lines that show up in satellite images.

Some of the theories have taken wild turns: Maybe they're messages directed at Earth-observing extraterrestrials, or part of a UFO development program, or the remains of ancient cities. But the leading theory is that these patterns serve a variety of purposes for the Chinese military, including calibrating satellite imaging systems and testing radar avoidance techniques. There have also been claims that these are "fractal antennas" to shield underground weapons facilities from ground-penetrating radar.

This particular crazy-quilt pattern was picked up on July 27 from an altitude of 423 miles by the Ikonos satellite, one of the spacecraft in a commercial Earth-imaging constellation operated by GeoEye. The picture is today's offering from the Cosmic Log Space Advent Calendar, which features views of Earth from space every day until Christmas.

Whatever the precise purpose of these patterns might be, it's not all that unusual for people to draw huge lines in the sand: Consider Peru's famous Nazca Lines, which were etched more than 1,500 years ago to form patterns that look like geometric shapes, insects and birds. Some of those patterns can be seen in their full form only from the air. More recently, archaeologists have puzzled over wheel-like patterns in the Middle East.

What do you think about the Gobi puzzles? Feel free to add your comments below, and check out these past entries from the Advent calendar:

Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

Source: http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/17/9519382-holiday-calendar-mystery-in-the-gobi-desert

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KINSHASA, Congo (AP) ? Congo's supreme court on Friday upheld President Joseph Kabila's victory following a contested election, raising fears of more violence in sub-Saharan Africa's largest nation because the main opposition candidate already has rejected the results showing he placed second.

The November election was only the second democratic vote in Congo's 51-year history, and the first to be organized by the Congolese government rather than by the international community. Observers have expressed concern about irregularities, saying voter turnout results were impossibly high in some districts.

Kabila, Congo's incumbent president, had faced 10 candidates, including Etienne Tshisekedi, a 79-year-old longtime opposition leader who is enormously popular with the country's impoverished masses. Observers fear unrest if Tshisekedi orders his supporters to take to the streets. So far, Tshisekedi has called for calm, telling his supporters to await his instructions.

Another opposition candidate, Vital Kamerhe, had appealed to Congo's supreme court to annul the presidential vote, but the court said late Friday that his complaint was groundless and lacked sufficient evidence. The decision was announced by Justice Jerome Kitoko, the court's vice president.

Kabila first came to power after his father's assassination and now has led the massive, mineral-rich Central African nation for a decade. Results released one week ago showed he had 49 percent of the vote, and Tshisekedi had 32 percent of the nearly 19 million votes cast.

Just 24 hours after those results were published, U.S. observers from the Atlanta-based Carter Center founded by former President Jimmy Carter issued a statement saying the vote lacked credibility.

David Pottie, one of the senior observers with the Carter Center, said it was impossible to have 100 percent voter turnout in a region where less than 2 percent of the roads are paved, and equally improbable for all the votes to go to Kabila, when there were 11 candidates on the ballot.

Country experts and opposition leaders originally had urged the government to delay the vote due to massive logistical problems. Instead, the poll went ahead although it was extended by several days so that more voters could cast ballots.

Congo sprawls across an area the size of Western Europe in the heart of Africa and neighbors nine other countries. Some districts of Congo, which suffered decades of dictatorship and two civil wars, are so remote that ballot boxes had to be transported across muddy trails on the heads of porters, and by dugout canoe across churning rivers.

The election took place amid significant unrest in Congo's east, where dozens of militia groups and rebels continue to terrorize people. Government soldiers and rebels have brutally raped women, men and children, and burned down villages. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes because of violence.

The fighting is fueled by the competition to control mines, many operated by soldiers, rebels and militiamen who use the minerals to fund their armed groups.

(This version CORRECTS Corrects Tshisekedi's age to 79 to reflect his birthday this week.)

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-16-AF-Congo-Election/id-3a29b9a7bb6d45549442a43570e093d6

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Friday, December 30, 2011

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China Points Finger at Officials for Bullet Train Crash

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Verizon experiencing nationwide data outage?

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

UK's Prince Philip remains in hospital (AP)

In swing Ohio, Gingrich gaining the "not-Romneys" (The Arizona Republic)

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

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ARTSBEAT; Met on Google Goggles

Monday, December 26, 2011

Christmas Day celebration by Sky High India Social Organisation

Stores see busy, but not bang-up Christmas Eve (Reuters)

ANCALERTS: A California family is answering a little girl's 'air note' to Santa after it traveled 700 miles by balloon: http://t.co/XiQQE1T9 | via @AP

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Paul Forecast a "Race War" (Taegan Goddard's Political Wire)

Could the new Earth-like planets harbor life?

Engadget Podcast 269 - 12.23.2011

State News: Thursday's briefing: NW Kansas tech getting attention for iPad use

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Analysis: What's the plan if North Korea collapses? (Reuters)

Friday, December 23, 2011

Colts' win throws Luck sweepstakes up in air

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Christian group pulls 'pink' breast cancer awareness Bibles after ...

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Deepika Padukone Already Has Her New Year’s Resolution! - India Entertainment News

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Add a Keyboard to Your iPad or iPad 2 ? Directly on the Screen

Monday, December 19, 2011

Time short for S&P to end 2011 higher (Reuters)

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Rumors swirl over Gobi Desert's mysterious patterns

Congo supreme court upholds president's victory