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Provider: West World Media Event ID: 224949087 Title: Washington Capitals at Buffalo Sabres Source Page: [url]
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Early one December morning, we bundled up the boys and headed out into a blowing New England snowstorm to begin our annual trek home to North Carolina for the holidays.
Besides the snowplow we followed down that dark highway, our minivan was the only vehicle on the road.
We had booked the first flight out, anticipating weather delays and heavy crowds at the airport, which we had grown accustomed to while living in Maine. But a little snow couldn't dampen our spirits. We were going home for Christmas.
When Wade sidled the van up to the curb, a jolly skycap greeted us with more cheer than a crowd of carolers. He joked with the boys and stacked our suitcases on a cart like Santa's sleigh.
The boys were beyond happy. They were giddy. Being military dependents, they had always lived far away from our extended family, which made it difficult to visit often.
Each year, Weston and Wyatt reacquainted themselves with their cousins and, thankfully, 12 months of growth spurts between visits never seemed to change their bonds with one another.
As I waited with the boys and our bags, I noticed that Wade was at the ticket counter longer than usual. I began to get nervous, and the boys were getting antsy. Wade finally made his way over and gave me a quick briefing: There was a problem with our connecting flight from Detroit or Chicago or New York or wherever we were supposed to change planes.
Apparently, the snow had already delayed and canceled flights elsewhere, and ours happened to be one of those "elsewhere" flights. I tried to remain calm and happy so the boys would not sense our holiday was in jeopardy.
Wade went back to the ticket agent while I waited, reassuring the boys, "Daddy is going to work things out," all the while pushing back a sense of dread that had begun to form in my stomach.
Jolly the Skycap passed by with another sleigh full of someone else's bags and noticed us still waiting, the boys parked atop our mountain of bags and blissfully unaware of the frantic search for connecting flights going on at the ticket counter. He stopped to inquire about our predicament, a look of true concern on his face.
The departure time and last call for passengers on our flight came and went, and there we sat, like the Grinch and his little dog with reindeer antlers, atop their mound of stolen gifts and decorations, waiting for the Who's down in Who-ville to wake up and discover Christmas had been snatched right out from under them.
That's when Wade, poor thing, returned to break the awful news that Christmas, or at least our Christmas at home in North Carolina, had indeed been taken away.
There were no seats available on any connecting flights, he announced, and no guarantee that if we flew out of Maine that we'd ever arrive in North Carolina in time for Christmas.
With the likelihood that we might just find ourselves stuck, sleeping on the floor of an airport terminal in a very un-Christmassy place like Wilkes-Barre, Scranton or Cleveland, Wade decided we wouldn't risk the first leg of our trip.
Back to Maine
I couldn't believe that there wasn't one single flight, somewhere, with four seats or even two; Wade and I each could hold one boy in our laps, if need be, to get us home, if not today, tomorrow, or the next day.
We'd come back to the airport in snow, ice or freezing rain for the chance to see our family again.
I suggested we drive. If we started, we could drive all day and through the night to get there in just two short days. The roads were too treacherous, Wade explained.
He obviously already had weighed all our options before leaving the ticket counter, and he had come to the grim conclusion that we had only one: Drive back to our house in Maine and spend our holiday there with just our own little family - no cousins, aunts or uncles, no hugs and kisses from Grandma, no Mom's famous fruitcake, no ripping open presents on Christmas Eve.
The reality sunk in. And it stunk. I knew I shouldn't look over at the boys' faces, for fear I'd burst into sobs myself, but I did it anyway, and my heart broke.
Tears streamed down their once-gleeful faces, their bottom lips quivered uncontrollably; I had to look away to contain myself. I knew I had to stay positive for them. Knowing if I opened my mouth to speak, I'd only cry instead, I chose to stay mute and collect our belongings as Wade left us to retrieve the van from long-term parking.
The now-not-so-Jolly Skycap stood waiting with us at the curb, shaking his head, muttering, "That's not right."
As our Jolly Skycap wished us a Merry Christmas, I think I saw a tear in his eye. It was then that I allowed my own tears to fall, and I sobbed silently all the way home. Of course, we survived that Christmas. It was a beautiful white Christmas, with snow up to the boys' knees.
We spent quiet, lazy days together, just the four of us, and those memories will stay with us forever.
It was that Christmas that I truly learned what all military families know: Christmas is not in a place; it's in your heart.
You can take it with you wherever you go.
Sonya Sparks Murdock can receive messages at military@fayobserver.com or 486-3585.Source: http://fayobserver.com/articles/2011/12/25/1145181
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APLions center Dominic Raiola (51) hugs receiver Calvin Johnson during the closing minutes of the Lions' victory over the Chargers.
By LARRY LAGE
updated 9:19 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2011
DETROIT - Matthew Stafford led a victory-lap parade around the perimeter of Ford Field, high-fiving fans that have been waiting since 1999 for the Detroit Lions to make the playoffs.
With the crowd chanting "Play-offs! Play-offs!" as the final few minutes ticked away, Detroit clinched a postseason spot thanks to Stafford's three touchdown passes in a 38-10 win over the San Diego Chargers on Saturday.
Stafford appeared to be touched by the face-to-face interaction with fans hanging over the railing to reach his raised right hand.
"You could just get a sense of how much it meant to them," Stafford said. "It was fun to give them that kind of joy."
The Lions (10-5) have won three straight after a seven-game slump to earn an NFC wild card, turning around the franchise after it was bad enough just three years ago to become the league's only 0-16 team.
It was coach Jim Schwartz's idea to reach out and touch the fans.
Week?15 in the NFLTop images??Some of the best photos from this week in the NFL. |
"There's going to be a time that we don't celebrate getting to the playoffs, but it's not going to be tonight," Schwartz said. "It's been a long time coming."
No one has been waiting longer than owner William Clay Ford.
Ford, whose first season leading the franchise was in 1964, was handed a keepsake in the jubilant locker room.
"We gave him the game ball," said center Dominic Raiola, who endured a string of miserable seasons after Detroit drafted him in 2001.
After Raiola's postgame news conference, he gave Stafford a bear hug.
"I'm excited for them, more than for myself and some of the other young guys," the 23-year-old Stafford said.
Music blared in Detroit's locker room, where players hugged teammates and anyone else who crossed their paths. Smiles might've outnumbered beads of sweat after a lopsided win that ended San Diego's playoff hopes.
According to the Chargers (7-8), they were eliminated from playoff contention. San Diego will miss the postseason for a second straight year after making it five times in a six-season stretch.
And, that might cost coach Norv Turner his job.
"I've been concentrating every week as well as I can on getting this team ready to play and doing the things we need to do," Turner said. "We all know that's something that's discussed at the end of the year."
San Diego stayed in playoff contention deep into December by winning three straight games, but couldn't overcome its midseason losing streak.
"When you lose six in a row in this league, you're probably not going to the postseason, but we fought our way back in it," Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers said. "You're hanging your hat on running the table, and going to beat playoff teams on the road, it's tough."
Knowing they could move into the postseason simply by winning, the Lions held San Diego scoreless until midway through the third quarter, when Rivers threw an 11-yard pass to Malcom Floyd to make it 24-7.
Detroit, though, closed strong to restore the rout.
The Lions and Buffalo Bills started the season with the league's longest playoff droughts at 11 seasons. Detroit's wait is over because a decades-long search for a franchise quarterback ended with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft.
"That's probably the key to a franchise is having a good quarterback and we'll hold onto him for a while," Schwartz said.
Coming off the league's only 0-16 season, Detroit selected Stafford and kept him healthy for the first time this season.
Stafford was almost perfect in the first half against San Diego, completing 21 of 26 passes for 260 yards with three TDs. He capped the first drive with a 7-yard pass to Brandon Pettigrew, threw a 3-yarder to Kevin Smith in the second quarter and connected with Calvin Johnson from 14 yards just before halftime to give the Lions a 24-0 lead.
"His numbers at halftime were outrageous," Raiola said. "He's the real deal."
Stafford finished with 373 yards passing to give him 4,518 this year, breaking Scott Mitchell's single-season team record from 1995. Perhaps not coincidently, that season marked the last time the Lions had double digits in wins.
The Lions will go for their 11th victory and try to improve their playoff positioning on Jan. 1 against Green Bay, a team they haven't beaten on the road since 1991.
The Chargers needed to extend their winning streak to four games to keep their postseason hopes alive, but the loss and Cincinnati's victory dashed them.
They had chances to come back.
Eric Weddle recovered an onside kick after San Diego finally scored in the third quarter, but the Chargers stalled inside the Lions 5. Cornerback Chris Houston broke up a pass in the end zone and the Chargers had to settle for Nick Novak's field goal and a 14-point deficit.
Detroit's potent offense quickly gained 48 yards on a third-quarter drive with passes to Nate Burleson and Johnson, setting up Smith's 6-yard TD and a 31-10 lead.
The Chargers then drove to the Detroit 2 and turned over the ball on downs, firing up its sideline and the fans who have been waiting a long time for a season like this one. It's the first time the Lions have made the playoffs since Ford Field opened in 2002.
"This is an accomplishment," Schwartz said. "It's a big step for our team and our organization."
San Diego, meanwhile, has taken another step back.
Rivers was 28 of 53 for 299 yards with a too-late TD and two interceptions, the second of which defensive end Cliff Avril snagged with his right hand and returned 4 yards to make it 38-10 late in the game.
Antonio Gates had four receptions to give him 588 in his career, breaking the Chargers record of 586 set by Hall of Famer Charlie Joiner, in his hometown of Detroit in front of family and friends.
"They were all here," Gates said. "It's just disappointing that we couldn't get a victory along with me crossing that milestone."
NOTES: Johnson matched a single-season team record with 15 TD receptions. ... Chargers LB Na'il Diggs, who had trouble defending Pettigrew, left the game in the third quarter with cramps in his right leg.
? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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More newsGetty ImagesPFT: After all the Christmas Eve fun, the Bengals, Broncos, Giants and Cowboys control their own playof destinies heading into the final week of the regular season.
Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45785176/ns/sports-nfl/
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BETHLEHEM, West Bank?? Tens of thousands of tourists and Christian pilgrims packed the West Bank town of Bethlehem for Christmas Eve celebrations Saturday, bringing warm holiday cheer to the traditional birthplace of Jesus on a raw, breezy and rainy night.
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With turnout at its highest in more than a decade, proud Palestinian officials said they were praying the celebrations would bring them closer to their dream of independence.
Meanwhile, Christmas celebrations began to take place around the globe, with Pope Benedict XVI celebrating Christmas Eve Mass two hours before midnight at Vatican City and urging the faithful to look beyond the commercialization of the holiday and discover its true meaning.
"Let us ask the Lord to help us see through the superficial glitter of this season, and to discover behind it the child in the stable in Bethlehem, so as to find true joy and true light," Benedict told congregants in a packed St. Peter's Basilica.
Bethlehem, like the rest of the West Bank, fell onto hard times after the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation broke out in late 2000. As the fighting has subsided in recent years, the tourists have returned in large numbers and all of the city's hotels were fully booked.
By late night, the Israeli military, which controls movement in and out of town, said some 100,000 visitors, including foreigners and Arab Christians from Israel, had reached Bethlehem, up from 70,000 the previous year.
Story: Pope laments Christmas consumerismThousands of Palestinians from inside West Bank also converged on the town.
"It's wonderful to be where Jesus was born," said Irma Goldsmith, 68, of Suffolk, Virginia. "I watch Christmas in Bethlehem each year on TV, but to be here in person is different. To be in the spot where our savior was born is amazing."
After nightfall, a packed Manger Square, along with a 50-foot-tall (15-meter-tall) Christmas tree, was awash in Christmas lights, and the town took on a festival-like atmosphere.
Vendors hawked balloons and corn on the cob, and bands played Christmas songs and tourists packed cafes that are sleepy the rest of the year. As rain began falling in the early evening, many people cleared out of the square and raced to nearby restaurants.
Festivities culminated with Midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity, built over the grotto where tradition says Jesus was born.
Slideshow: Christmas Eve (on this page)
Among the visitors were a surprisingly large number of veiled Muslim women with their families, out to enjoy an evening out in what is normally a quiet town.
"We love to share this holiday with our Christian brothers," said Amal Ayash, 46, who came to Manger Square with her three daughters, all of them covered in veils. "It is a Palestinian holiday and we love to come here and watch."
Israel turned Bethlehem over to Palestinian civil control a few days before Christmas in 1995, and since then, residents have been celebrating the holiday regardless of their religion.
Pilgrims from around the world also wandered the streets, singing Christmas carols and visiting churches.
"It's a real treat to come here," said John Houston, 58, a restaurant owner from Long Beach, California. "It makes me feel really good to see what I have been learning from the time I was a kid in Sunday school until today."
Houston said he was surprised by Bethlehem's appearance, which is a far cry from the pastoral village of biblical times. Today, it is a sprawling town of cement apartment blocs and narrow streets that combined with several surrounding communities has a population of some 50,000 people.
Located on the southeastern outskirts of Jerusalem, Bethlehem is surrounded on three sides by a barrier Israel built to stop Palestinian militants from attacking last decade.
Palestinians say the barrier has damaged their economy by constricting movement in and out of town. Twenty-two percent of Bethlehem residents are unemployed, the Palestinian Authority says. Israeli settlements surrounding Bethlehem have added to the sense of confinement.
The Christmas season is essential for Bethlehem's economy, which depends heavily on tourism.
Most visitors entering Bethlehem, including the top Roman Catholic official in the Holy Land, had to cross through an Israeli-controlled checkpoint to reach town.
"We ask the child of Bethlehem to give us the peace we are in desperate need for, peace in the Middle East, peace in the Holy Land, peace in the heart and in our families," Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal said as he crossed through a massive metal gate in the barrier in a traditional midday procession from Jerusalem. Later, he went to the Church of the Nativity to celebrate Midnight Mass.
Israel allowed about 550 Christians from Gaza to cross Israel and enter Bethlehem. Israel rarely allows Gazans to enter.
The Palestinians have subtly tried to draw attention to their plight with this year's Christmas slogan, "Palestine celebrating hope," a veiled reference to their bid to win U.N. recognition. With peace talks at a standstill, the Palestinians are seeking membership as a state in the United Nations and recently gained admission to UNESCO, the U.N. cultural agency.
"We are celebrating this Christmas hoping that in the near future we'll get our right to self-determination, our right to establish our own democratic, secular Palestinian state on the Palestinian land. That is why this Christmas is unique," said Mayor Victor Batarseh, who is Christian.
Late Saturday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told a meeting of Christian leaders that he is committed to reaching peace with Israel, despite a three-year standstill in negotiations.
"I hope they will come back to their senses and understand that we are seekers of peace, not seekers of war or terrorism," said Abbas, a Muslim. "The mosque, church and synagogue stand side by side in this Holy Land."
Today, only about one-third of Bethlehem's residents are Christian, reflecting a broader exodus of Christians from the Middle East in recent decades. Overall, just 60,000 Christians live in the Palestinian territories, making up less than 2 percent of the population, according to Palestinian officials.
As Christians throughout the world prepared to celebrate, Pope Benedict XVI was beginning a busy two weeks of celebrations at the Vatican with an evening Mass in St. Peter's Basilica. Midnight Mass was moved up to 10 p.m. a few years ago to spare the 84-year-old pontiff such a late night.
After the Mass, Benedict will have a few hours rest before delivering his traditional "Urbi et Orbi" speech ? Latin for "to the city and the world," where the pope usually reflects on the hardships facing the world, and ends with Christmas greetings delivered in dozens of languages.
President Barack Obama was spending the holiday with his family in Hawaii. In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama wished all Americans a merry Christmas and happy holidays, with a special message of thanks to U.S. troops, especially those serving in Afghanistan.
"Let's take a moment to give thanks for their service; for their families' service; for our veterans' service," the president said Saturday. Obama noted that with the Iraq war over, the last troops from that conflict are home for the holidays.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45783259/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/
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A Must Have App For The Holidays: Calorie Counter by FatSecret: If you?re gearing up to head h... bit.ly/rKLbn2 #xoopia #android 
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By Josh Levs, CNN
updated 6:52 PM EST, Thu December 22, 2011
Andre Curry, 21, has been charged with aggravated domestic battery, Chicago police said.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
(CNN) -- A man who allegedly gagged and bound his toddler's arms and legs with tape and posted a photo of her on Facebook is "devastated by the situation," his attorney told CNN Thursday.
Andre Curry, 21, is charged with aggravated domestic battery, which is a felony, Chicago police said.
In court Wednesday, his bond was set at $100,000.
"It's our belief that after the investigation by the state and DCFS (the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services) is concluded, Andre Curry will be vindicated," said assistant public defender Anand Sundaram.
Curry has no history of child abuse and the girl has not shown injuries, Sundaram said, adding that the family is cooperating in the investigation.
The girl was being checked by a doctor Thursday for any injuries, whether old or new, he said.
With the photo "going viral on the Internet, things may have been blown out of proportion," Sundaram said.
Sundaram gave few details, saying he could not comment on specifics of the case.
The photo at issue shows the girl with painter's tape over her mouth and binding her wrists and ankles.
Above the photo on Curry's Facebook page were the words, "This is wut happens wen my baby hits me back. ;)"
The Facebook page appears to have been taken down. But the image was picked up by other websites. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office also told CNN that the caption was with the photo on Curry's Facebook page.
Andy Conklin, a spokesman for the state's attorney's office, told CNN Wednesday the girl in the photo is 22 months old.
"The photo itself does not tell the story of who our client is and how well he takes care of this child," said Sundaram.
He said his client will not face the felony charge if prosecutors cannot prove the girl suffered any injuries from the incident. If that's the case, he said, prosecutors could at most seek a charge of misdemeanor battery.
Conklin said the next court date will be December 27.
In the meantime, Curry remains behind bars. He would need to post $10,000 toward his bond to leave jail, Sundaram said.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/22/justice/facebook-father-battery/index.html?eref=rss_mostpopular
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What?s a trillion between friends ay? Well, while I doubt the US can afford this, it?s probably worth it just for how much it will piss off Pakistan.
KOCHI: The United States will invest one trillion dollars for infrastructure development in India, said Nirupama Rao, India?s ambassador to the US.
She was speaking at an interactive session organised by the Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and its Ladies? Forum at the Chamber Hall on Thursday.
In order to discuss the possibilities of investment, a trade delegation led by the United States Commerce Minister will visit India By March, 2012. Discussions towards an ever green revolution similar to the earlier Green Revolution using US expertise to increase agriculture production and rural income will take place.
Space technology for monsoon prediction and for linkage between farm and market will also be considered. Nirupama said that around 2.8 million Malayalis are part of the Indian community in the US.
In terms of trade, business contracts between the two countries have grown exponentially over the last few years. Also, the imports and exports are on the rise. In the last five years, the US exports to India have increased three times and Indian exports to the US have doubled.
The FDI by the US in India has increased seven times, Nirupama added.
Apart from political and strategic cooperation, energy, education, agriculture, science and technology, healthcare, space technology and skill development are the other areas which will be given prominence in the bilateral relations between the two nations. Trade and economic relations will be the central driving force in the multifaceted partnership.
Canadian artist and anti jihad and freedom of speech activist This entry was posted in Geopolitics, India, U.S.A.. Bookmark the permalink.Source: http://vladtepesblog.com/?p=41940
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Continue reading MOTOACTV torn down and rooted, turned into a tablet for ants
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Depending on how you define MFP, the HP TopShot LaserJet Pro M275 ($399.99 direct) either isn't an MFP at all, or it's an MFP (multi-function printer) with a difference. It's built around a color laser printer, with high-quality output for text, graphics, and photos. But instead of adding a standard scanner, HP has added something it calls a TopShot scanner, which is actually a camera that copies or scans by essentially snapping a picture. The result has some serious limitations for scanning paper, but if you need to scan 3D objects?for showing products on your company Web site, say?this might be the MFP you've been waiting for.
On paper at least, the TopShot M275 seems to be a near twin of the HP LaserJet Pro 100 Color MFP M175nw ($349.99 direct, 3 stars) that I reviewed earlier this year. The only obvious difference is that the M175nw's standard scanner is swapped out for the TopShot scanner. Both printers offer the same claimed speed, at 17 pages per minute (ppm) for printing in monochrome and 4 ppm for color, and both share the same limited paper handling, which makes them a good choice for light duty printing only.
Like the M175nw, the TopShot M275's paper handling should be adequate for a personal printer or for a micro or home office with light-duty printing needs, but not much more. It holds only 150 sheets of paper, doesn't include a duplexer, and doesn't offer any paper handling upgrade options.
Other features the two printers share include support for both wired and WiFi network connections. Both support Apple AirPrint, which uses WiFi, and both let you print directly to the printer with an ad hoc WiFi connection to an Android smartphone or to an assortment of iThings. You can get the free HP ePrint Home and Biz apps from the Apple and Android app Web sites.
In addition, you can print through the cloud with HP ePrint, which lets you assign an email address to the printer and then send documents by email to print them. The two printers also both copy and scan, including over a network, with the M175nw equipped with its traditional scanner and the TopShot M275 using the TopShot scanner.
Setup, Speed, and Output Quality
Setting up the TopShot M275 is standard fare. I connected it to a wired network for my tests and installed the software and drivers on a Windows Vista system. On our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software for timing) it came in at an effective 3.3 ppm, the same speed as the M175nw. As a point of comparison, however, both printers are notably slower than the Editors' Choice Dell 1355cnw Multifunction Color Printer ($419.99 direct, 4 stars), at 4.5 ppm.
Output quality for the TopShot M275 is easily above par for color laser MFPs, and a bit better than the already high quality that the M175nw offers. The text quality is a touch short of what I'd want for serious desktop publishing applications, but easily good enough for any standard business need, and even good enough for marketing materials like tri-fold brochures. Graphics are similarly good enough for any business use. Most people would consider them good enough for marketing materials as well.
Photos are in the top tier for color laser MFPs. Mount them in a frame behind glass, and they could pass for true photo quality, unless you looked closely. They're certainly good enough for printing your own marketing materials.
Other Issues
The TopShot scanner demands more attention than we usually give scanners on MFPs, because it's so different from what you're probably used to. The scanner consists of a white platform, plus a camera (although it doesn't look much like one) along with lights for flash photography. Both the camera and the lights are at the end of a movable arm. The platform normally sits on top of the printer over the output tray, but lifts off easily if you need it to. The scanner arm folds down so it can lie flat against the platform when you're not using it.
To scan, you rotate the arm up, so it's over the platform, much like the document camera it basically is. You then put whatever you want to scan or copy on the platform and give the appropriate command. The camera takes six shots according to HP: three with flash from different angles and three with ambient light. The MFP then integrates the images to eliminate shadows and glare. If you gave a copy command, it then prints the image. If you gave it a scan command, it treats the photo as scanned data, sending it to a file on your computer or to your computer's email program, opening a new message and adding the file as an email attachment.
I tried the scanner with both 3D objects and typical paper documents. The results with 3D objects were terrific compared with traditional scanners, but not as good as I'd expect from using a camera. In scans of a black, shiny handheld scanner, for example, some areas turned to blue, possibly from a reflection of something in the three images taken with ambient light. Even so, if you're not an accomplished photographer, and don't have an appropriate setup for taking product pictures, the results may be better than what you can get from taking a photo.
For scanning sheets of paper, the scanner is limited at best. Granted, it's easier to put each sheet down on the platform rather than position a page on a standard flatbed under a lid, but it takes a relatively long time to snap each page. Also, because there's nothing holding the page flat, any tendency for the paper to curl will get translated into a distortion in the image. One scan of a photo, for example, had curved edges, because the paper curled up from the platform.
Ultimately, the HP TopShot LaserJet Pro M275 is something of a niche product, with the TopShot scanner the most compelling argument both for and against it. If you don't need to scan 3D objects, the limitations for scanning documents leave you with no reason to consider it. If you need to scan 3D objects?to put the images in marketing materials, on your own Web site, or on eBay, say?and you don't want to deal with taking photographs, the scanner makes it a slam dunk choice, and the high-quality print output is a welcome extra.
More Multi-function Printer Reviews:
??? Canon imageClass MF4570dw
??? HP TopShot LaserJet Pro M275
??? HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus e-All-in-One
??? HP PhotoSmart 7510 e-All-in-One
??? HP PhotoSmart 6510 e-All-in-One
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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry crawls to the sideline after being injured late in the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings in an NBA preseason basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011. Curry was carried off the court to be examined. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry crawls to the sideline after being injured late in the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings in an NBA preseason basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011. Curry was carried off the court to be examined. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Golden State Warriors guard Ish Smith, left, defends against Sacramento Kings guard Jimmer Fredette during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, Dec., 20, 2011.(AP Photo/Steve Yeater)
Golden State Warriors center Andris Biedrins, right, reaches for a rebound against Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, Dec., 20, 2011.(AP Photo/Steve Yeater)
Golden State Warriors guard Monta Ellis (8) drives to the basket past Sacramento Kings defenders Marcus Thornton (23) and J.J. Hickson (31) during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, Dec., 20, 2011. (AP Photo/Steve Yeater)
Golden State Warriors guard Ish Smith (12) drives to the basket past Sacramento Kings defenders during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, Dec., 20, 2011.(AP Photo/Steve Yeater)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) ? Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry sprained his right ankle and had to be helped off the court during the Sacramento Kings' 95-91 preseason victory Tuesday night.
Curry was injured while defending rookie Jimmer Fredette just before halftime. Curry didn't play in the second half and finished with seven points and five assists in 15 minutes.
Team officials said Curry would have X-rays on his ankle Wednesday morning.
"I'm disappointed. We need him back quick," Warriors rookie coach Mark Jackson said. "But if not, we still have to go out and execute. It's no excuse. The next player has to look at it as an opportunity. We hope Steph comes back quick because everybody knows we are a better basketball team with him."
Marcus Thornton scored 21 points for Sacramento, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 27 seconds left.
Thornton, who hit some big shots late last season after being acquired from New Orleans, found the ball in his hands after a missed shot by the Kings. He never hesitated, making a 3 from the corner to put the Kings ahead 92-91. He added two free throws to help seal the victory.
"Time was ticking away, so I caught it and let it go," Thornton said. "It felt good leaving my hand."
The teams split their two preseason games. The Kings open the regular season Monday at home against the Los Angeles Lakers, while the Warriors host the Los Angeles Clippers on Christmas night.
David Lee had 30 points and 12 rebounds for the Warriors. Monta Ellis added 19 points.
JJ Hickson had 19 points and nine rebounds for the Kings, who scored the final six points. Tyreke Evans scored 15, but committed seven of Sacramento's 27 turnovers. Fredette, who had 21 points in his NBA debut against the Warriors, finished with 12.
Ellis put the Warriors up 91-89 when Evans was called for goaltending on a drive to the basket with 1:15 left. But Thornton responded with five straight points and the Warriors never scored again.
"We made plays down the stretch both on offense and defense to win the game," Kings coach Paul Westphal said. "That's what we need to do as a young team."
A 9-0 run, highlighted by two fast-break layups by Hickson, put the Kings ahead 84-81 with 5:09 to go.
The Warriors scored six consecutive points, the final four by Lee, who converted a fast-break layup to put Golden State up 81-75 with 7:16 left.
After the Warriors trailed by eight at halftime, Ellis scored nine points and Lee had eight in the third quarter to help Golden State take a 67-66 lead into the fourth.
Thornton scored 11 first-half points and Hickson had eight for the Kings, who led 49-41 at halftime. Lee had 14 points and eight rebounds for the Warriors.
In the first preseason meeting between these teams, Curry scored 22 points to lead the Warriors to a 107-96 victory.
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MADRID ? Days before Christmas, a tiny town of 2,000 in cash-strapped Spain found itself richer by euro720 million ($940 million) Thursday after scooping the top prize in the nation's famed Christmas lottery.
Billed as the world's richest, the lottery dishes out some euro2.52 billion ($3.29 billion) to winners across the nation.
The top prize ? dubbed "El Gordo" (The Fat One) ? was split among the holders of tickets bearing the number 58268. The number appeared on 1,800 tickets, giving winners euro400,000 for their euro20 ticket.
The state lottery agency said all 1,800 tickets with that number were sold in the town of Granen, located in the arid and barren northeastern Los Monegros area.
Spain is struggling to emerge from a near two-year recession that has left it with a eurozone-high 21.5 percent unemployment rate.
The Gordo lottery aims for a share-the-wealth system, rather than a single jackpot, and thousands of numbers yield at least some kind of return. Lots of people chip in together and buy shares of several or many tickets, meaning it is common for multiple prizes to go to the same town.
Other lotteries have larger individual top prizes but El Gordo is ranked as the world's richest for the total sum paid out.
The winning number was picked and announced by pupils of Madrid's Saint Ildefonso School in a nationally televised draw.
Since it began in 1812, the Dec. 22 lottery has become a favorite holiday tradition. This year, it sold an estimated euro2.7 billion in tickets and the state lottery agency estimated per-capita spending of about euro70.
Spain holds another big lottery Jan. 6 to mark the Feast of the Epiphany. It is known as "El Nino" (The Child), in reference to the baby Jesus.
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It?s always strange to realize just how much we spend on things that we don?t consider regular, heavy expenses. American pet care is a $50 billion dollar industry and growing. As infrequently as vet visits seem to come up for my family, the bill for most any procedure is at least $200. Pets are a part of the family, and I?m certainly not one to cut corners, but some of our spending is very unnecessary.
Check out my latest infographic to see where you fall on America?s spectrum of pet obsession:
Please share this graphic by embedding it on your site
Source: http://frugaldad.com/pets/
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Public release date: 18-Dec-2011
Share ] Contact: Syl Kacapyr
vpk6@cornell.edu
607-255-7701
Cornell University
With the share of married adults at an all-time low in the United States, new research by demographers at Cornell University and the University of Central Oklahoma unveils clues why couples don't get married they fear divorce.
Among cohabitating couples, more than two-thirds of the study's respondents admitted to concerns about dealing with the social, legal, emotional and economic consequences of a possible divorce.
The study, "The Specter of Divorce: Views from Working and Middle-Class Cohabitors," is published in the journal Family Relations (December 2011) and is co-authored by Sharon Sassler, Cornell professor of policy analysis and management, and Dela Kusi-Appouh, a Cornell doctoral student in the field of development sociology. (http://bit.ly/sJqeFa).
Roughly 67 percent of the study's respondents shared their worries about divorce. Despite the concerns, middle-class subjects spoke more favorably about tying the knot and viewed cohabitation as a natural stepping stone to marriage compared to their working-class counterparts. Lower-income women, in particular, disproportionately expressed doubts about the "trap" of marriage, fearing that it could be hard to exit if things go wrong or it would lead to additional domestic responsibilities but few benefits.
The study also found working-class cohabitating couples were more apt to view marriage as "just a piece of paper," nearly identical to their existing relationship. They were twice as likely to admit fears about being stuck in marriage with no way out once they were relying on their partners' share of income to get by.
The authors hope that their findings could help premarital counselors to better tailor their lessons to assuage widespread fears of divorce and to target the specific needs of various socioeconomic classes.
###
Contact Syl Kacapyr for information about Cornell's TV and radio studios.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 18-Dec-2011 Share ] Contact: Syl Kacapyr
vpk6@cornell.edu
607-255-7701
Cornell University
With the share of married adults at an all-time low in the United States, new research by demographers at Cornell University and the University of Central Oklahoma unveils clues why couples don't get married they fear divorce.
Among cohabitating couples, more than two-thirds of the study's respondents admitted to concerns about dealing with the social, legal, emotional and economic consequences of a possible divorce.
The study, "The Specter of Divorce: Views from Working and Middle-Class Cohabitors," is published in the journal Family Relations (December 2011) and is co-authored by Sharon Sassler, Cornell professor of policy analysis and management, and Dela Kusi-Appouh, a Cornell doctoral student in the field of development sociology. (http://bit.ly/sJqeFa).
Roughly 67 percent of the study's respondents shared their worries about divorce. Despite the concerns, middle-class subjects spoke more favorably about tying the knot and viewed cohabitation as a natural stepping stone to marriage compared to their working-class counterparts. Lower-income women, in particular, disproportionately expressed doubts about the "trap" of marriage, fearing that it could be hard to exit if things go wrong or it would lead to additional domestic responsibilities but few benefits.
The study also found working-class cohabitating couples were more apt to view marriage as "just a piece of paper," nearly identical to their existing relationship. They were twice as likely to admit fears about being stuck in marriage with no way out once they were relying on their partners' share of income to get by.
The authors hope that their findings could help premarital counselors to better tailor their lessons to assuage widespread fears of divorce and to target the specific needs of various socioeconomic classes.
###
Contact Syl Kacapyr for information about Cornell's TV and radio studios.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-12/cu-wyc121611.php
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BAGHDAD?? Even as Iraqis celebrated the departure of the last American troops Sunday, the dangers left behind after nearly nine years of war were on full display. Politicians feuded along the country's potentially explosive sectarian lines and the drumbeat of deadly violence went on.
The last U.S. convoy rumbled out of Iraq across the border into Kuwait around sunrise under a shroud of secrecy to prevent attacks on the departing troops. When news reached a waking Iraqi public, there was joy at the end of a presence that many Iraqis resented as a foreign occupation.
In the northern city of Mosul, pastry shop owner Muhannad Adnan said he had a swell of orders for cakes ? up to 110 from the usual 70 or so a day ? as families threw parties at home. Some asked him to ice the cakes with inscriptions of "congratulations for the end of occupation," he said.
'The war is over': Last US soldiers leave IraqOnly on msnbc.com
But the happiness was shot through with worries over the future.
"Nobody here wants occupation. This withdrawal marks a new stage in Iraq's history," said Karim al-Rubaie, a Shiite shopowner in the southern city of Basra. But, he said, "the politicians who are running this country are just a group of thieves."
"These politicians will lead the country into sedition and civil war. Iraq now is like a weak prey among neighboring beasts."
In the morning, a bomb hidden under a pile of trash exploded on a street of spare car parts stores in a mainly Shiite district of eastern Baghdad, killing two people and wounding four others. It was the latest in the near daily shootings and bombings ? low-level but still deadly ? that continue to bleed the country and that many fear will increase with the Americans gone.
Story: 'It feels good to be home safe and sound': 300 troops arrive at Fort HoodViolence is far lower than it was at the worst of the Iraq War, in 2006 and 2007, when Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias preyed on Iraqis around the country in a vicious sectarian conflict that nearly turned into complete civil war. But those armed groups still remain, and there are deep concerns whether Iraqi security forces are capable of keeping them in check without the help of U.S. troops.
Iraq's military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Babaker Zebari said Sunday that his troops were up to the task of uprooting militant groups.
"There are only scattered terrorists hiding here and there and we are seeking intelligence information to eliminate them," Zebari said. "We are confident that there will be no danger."
Equally worrying, the resentments and bitterness between the Shiite majority and Sunni minority in this country of 31 million remain unhealed. The fear is that without the hand of American forces, the fragile attempts to get the two sides to work together could collapse and even turn to greater violence.
In an escalation of the rivalry, the main Sunni-backed political bloc on Sunday announced it was boycotting parliament to protest what they called Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's attempts to monopolize government positions ? particularly those overseeing the powerful security forces. The bloc has complained of security forces' recent arrests of Sunnis that it says are "unjustified."
The Iraqiya bloc warned that it could take the further step of pulling its seven ministers out of al-Maliki's coalition government.
Story: 'Iraq War Ledger': The conflict by the numbers"We are against the concentration of security powers in the hands of one person, that is the prime minister," said Sunni lawmaker Hamid al-Mutlaq, a member of the bloc.
Sunnis have long feared domination by the country's Shiites, who vaulted to power after the 2003 fall of Saddam Hussein at the hands of the Americans. The rivalry was exacerbated by the years of sectarian killing.
The Iraqiya bloc narrowly won the most seats in last year's parliamentary election. But its leader Ayad Allawi was unable to become prime minister, outmaneuvered by al-Maliki, who kept the premier's post after cobbling together key support from Shiite parties.
That has left al-Maliki beholden to Shiite factions, including those led by radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose militiamen were blamed for sectarian killings during the worst of Iraq's violence. Since forming his new government, al-Maliki has effectively controlled the Interior and Defense Ministries, which oversee the police and military, while conflicts between Sunni and Shiite politicians have delayed the appointment of permanent ministers.
Many on both sides of the sectarian divide also worry that neighboring Shiite-led powerhouse Iran will now increase its influence in their country. Al-Maliki's party and other Shiite blocs have close ties to Tehran. But even some in the Shiite public resent the idea of Iranian domination.
"I am afraid that this occupation will be replaced by indirect occupation by some neighboring countries," said Ali Rahim, a 40-year-old Shiite who works for the Electricity Ministry.
Omar Waadalla Younis, a senior at Mosul University, said at first he was happy to hear the last Americans were gone and thought the city government should hold celebrations in the streets. Then he thought of the possible threat from Iran.
"Now that the Americans have left, Iraq is more vulnerable than before."
___
AP correspondent Bushra Juhi in Baghdad contributed to this report.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45715184/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/
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Physicists in Aalto University, Finland, have shown how a nanomechanical oscillator can be used for detection and amplification of feeble radio waves or microwaves. A measurement using such a tiny device, resembling a miniaturized guitar string, can be performed with the least possible disturbance. The results were recently published in the most prestigious scientific arena, the British journal Nature.
The researchers cooled the nanomechanical oscillator, thousand times thinner than a human hair, down to a low temperature near the absolute zero at -273 centigrade. Under such extreme conditions, even nearly macroscopic sized objects follow the laws of quantum physics which often contradict common sense. In the Low Temperature Laboratory experiments, the nearly billion atoms comprising the nanomechanical resonator were oscillating in pace in their shared quantum state.
The scientists had fabricated the device in contact with a superconducting cavity resonator, which exchanges energy with the nanomechanical resonator. This allowed amplification of their resonant motion. This is very similar to what happens in a guitar, where the string and the echo chamber resonate at the same frequency. Instead of the musician playing the guitar string, the energy source was provided by a microwave laser.
Microwaves get amplified by interaction of quantum oscillations
Researchers from the Low Temperature Laboratory, Aalto University, have shown how to detect and amplify electromagnetic signals almost noiselessly using a guitar-string like mechanical vibrating wire. In the ideal case the method adds only the minimum amount of noise required by quantum mechanics.
The presently used semiconductor transistor amplifiers are complicated and noisy devices, and operate far away from a fundamental disturbance limit set by quantum physics. The Low Temperature Laboratory scientists showed that by taking advantage of the quantum resonant motion, injected microwave radiation can be amplified with little disturbance. The principle hence allows for detecting much weaker signals than usually.
Any measurement method or device always adds some disturbance. Ideally, all the noise is due vacuum fluctuations predicted by quantum mechanics. In theory, our principle reaches this fundamental limit. In the experiment, we got very close to this limit, says Dr. Francesco Massel.
The discovery was actually quite unexpected. We were aiming to cool the nanomechanical resonator down to its quantum ground state. The cooling should manifest as a weakening of a probing signal, which we observed. But when we slightly changed the frequency of the microwave laser, we saw the probing signal to strengthen enormously. We had created a nearly quantum limited microwave amplifier, says Academy Research Fellow Mika Sillanp?? who planned the project and made the measurements.
Certain real-life applications will benefit from the better amplifier based on the new Aalto method, but reaching this stage requires more research effort. Most likely, the mechanical microwave amplifier will be first applied in related basic research, which will further expand our knowledge of the borderline between the everyday world and the quantum realm.
According to Academy Research Fellow Tero Heikkil?, the beauty of the amplifier is in its simplicity: it consists of two coupled oscillators. Therefore, the same method can be realized in basically any media. By using a different structure of the cavity, one could detect terahertz radiation which would also be a major application.
###
Aalto University: http://www.aalto.fi/en/
Thanks to Aalto University for this article.
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CLASP
By Allison Linn
If you?re a working parent, chances are at some point you?ve bemoaned the high cost of child care.
The lower your income, the more likely you are to have reason to complain.
A recent graphic from CLASP, an advocacy group for low-income people, shows that families with working moms who live below the poverty line and have kids under 15 are spending 40 percent of their monthly income on child care expenses.
That?s a more than 10 percentage point increase from 2002, according to CLASP.
Both sets of data are based on information from the U.S. Census Bureau, and they exclude people who are getting child care for free or from a family member, government or charity program. The most recent data was released in the spring of 2010.
Hannah Matthews, the director of child care and early education for CLASP, said it?s not clear why child care costs have increased so substantially for very low-income families. One hypothesis is that child care costs are going up while incomes are dropping or staying steady.
The 40 percent figure is also very high in comparison to families who earn 200 percent above the poverty line, or more. Those families are paying just 7 percent of their monthly income in child care expenses.
Matthews noted that many families in the 7 percent range also likely feel pained by that child care bill.
?It?s 7 percent of their income and feels like such a large amount. It?s striking to think about what it feels like for a family that?s in the 40 percent chart there - what they?re dealing with just to make ends meet,? she said.
?Related:
The high cost of single parenthood
Who's going hungry
Do you feel squeezed by high child care costs?
?
Source: http://lifeinc.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/15/9475285-good-graph-friday-that-child-care-bill
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Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=f51d0377b6326344dac728ae58409539
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TEHRAN, Iran ? Iran's Intelligence Ministry says its agents have arrested a person of Iranian origin suspected of spying for the United States.
A ministry statement broadcast on state TV Saturday said Iran's secret services identified the suspect at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan and detained the individual after crossing into Iran. The report did not elaborate.
Bagram is the main base for American and other international forces outside Kabul.
State TV alleged the suspect, who was not identified, received special training and sought to infiltrate Iran's secret services and funnel false information to deceive Iranian intelligence.
Tehran periodically announces the capture or execution of alleged U.S. or Israeli spies, and often no further information is released.
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