farewell fleabag: 2011

Saturday, December 31, 2011

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PFT: T.O. reportedly may play indoor football

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It?s here.? The last week of the regular season.? And I have even worse of a chance to catch Rosenthal as the Jets do of making it to the playoffs.

But I can?t give up now.? With a two-game win in Week 16, the game is down to seven games.? We disagree on four this week.? With a sweep, the 11 postseason games could get interesting.

Last week, I finished 10-6.? Rosey was a pathetic 8-8.? For the year, he?s 159-81.? I?m 152-88.

Lions at Packers

Florio?s take:? The Lions should try to beat the Packers, in order to avoid having to go back to New Orleans for the first round of the playoffs.? The Packers should try to beat the Lions, in order to force them to return to the Superdome.? Green Bay remains the better team, as long as they go with their starters.

Florio?s pick:? Packers 34, Lions 24.

Rosenthal?s take: The Packers aren?t likely to play their starters four quarters.? That doesn?t mean this will be a cakewalk for Detroit.? Ask the 2004 Bills about playing a No. 1 seed?s backups.? Or the 2010 Patriots about facing Matt Flynn.? Still, Detroit wants to avoid a trip to New Orleans.? Their defensive line will make the difference.

Rosenthal?s pick: Lions 28, Packers 27.

Titans at Texans

Florio?s take:? Technically, it?s a meaningless game for the Texans.? But with two ugly losses in a row, the AFC South champs need to build some confidence and momentum before the postseason begins.? Though Tennessee still has a shot at the postseason, they?re not ready to beat a quality-yet-flawed team on the road.

Florio?s pick:? Texans 24, Titans 16.

Rosenthal?s take: I believe Gary Kubiak when he says he?ll play this game like any other. The Texans don?t want to hit the playoffs on a three-game losing streak.? T.J. Yates needs his defense and running game to carry him.? They will on Sunday.

Rosenthal?s pick: Texans 21, Titans 17.

Colts at Jaguars

Florio?s take:? If the Colts win, they lose.? If they lose, they win.? So they?ll lose.? And win.? The question, of course, is what they?ll lose.? And what they?ll win.

Florio?s pick:? Jaguars 10, Colts 6.

Rosenthal?s take: The Colts were in this spot in 1997.? They had a random two-game winning streak in late December to put the No. 1 overall pick in jeopardy.? They lost in Minnesota in the season finale, ensuring the top pick and Peyton Manning.? Expect history to repeat.? The Colts haven?t won on the road yet and the Jaguars aren?t lucky enough to lose.

Rosenthal?s pick:? Jaguars 16, Colts 13.

Jets at Dolphins

Florio?s take:? Of all the things that must happen for the Jets to make it to the playoffs, the hardest part could be the business to which the Jets must personally tend ? beating the Dolphins in Miami.? Once 0-7, the Dolphins have improved dramatically in the second half of the season.? But the Jets seem to be destined to swipe another playoff berth, which means that the Jets will have to find a way to punch their way out of a corner yet another time.

Florio?s pick:? Jets 20, Dolphins 17.

Rosenthal?s take: The Dolphins are playing well. The Jets are playing lousy, but I?m still convinced Rex Ryan?s lap band is made out of horseshoe particles. Don?t be surprised if the Jets still sneak in the playoffs.

Rosenthal?s pick: Jets 20, Dolphins 17.

Bears at Vikings

Florio?s take:? Last month, the Bears were 7-3 and poised to give the Packers a run for their money in the playoffs.? After injuries to Jay Cutler and Matt Forte, the Bears have lost five in a row.? Though the Vikings also have lost their starting tailback, they?re trying desperately to get a boost as they head into the offseason.? As long as Chris Kluwe doesn?t kick to Devin Hester, the Vikings should be able to give the Bears the boot.

Florio?s pick:? Vikings 27, Bears 20.

Rosenthal?s take: Josh McCown remains at quarterback for the Bears. Toby Gerhart and Kahil Bell will be the primary running backs. I used to think the 18-game season could work, but can you imagine two more weeks like this?

Rosenthal?s pick: Vikings 24, Bears 20.

Bills at Patriots

Florio?s take:? With a win, the Pats lock up the No. 1 seed.? With another huge passing performance, Tom Brady could leapfrog Drew Brees.? One will happen, and the other might.

Florio?s pick:? Patriots 35, Bills 17.

Rosenthal?s take: The way to beat New England:? Hit Tom Brady, keeping Brady guessing by changing up your looks, and play great man-to-man coverage against the Patriots receivers.? The Bills secondary can handle the last part of the equation, but Buffalo?s pass rush is non-existent.

Rosenthal?s pick: Patriots 37, Bills 21.

Panthers at Saints

Florio?s take:? The Saints plan to go ?full steam ahead,? and they?ll need every ounce of it to beat the up-and-coming Panthers.? Though it?ll take an epic upset by the Rams over the 49ers to help the Saints improve their playoff positioning, this one is as much about ensuring that Drew Brees will fend off Tom Brady for the all-time single-season passing yardage record.

Florio?s pick:? Saints 42, Panthers 31.

Rosenthal?s take: I first picked the Panthers in this game based on the logic that Sean Payton will pull his starters once he sees the 49ers take a big lead in St. Louis.? And then I remembered the Saints could score 30 in the first half.

Rosenthal?s pick: Saints 40, Panthers 38.

Redskins at Eagles

Florio?s take:? With four straight wins to finish the 2011 season, the Eagles will give themselves a significant boost heading into 2012.? Though neither team technically has anything to play for, the Eagles know the value of creating some doubt as to whether the best team will actually win the Super Bowl; there?s a chance that the best team as of right now won?t be in the playoff field at all.

Florio?s pick:? Eagles 34, Redskins 20.

Rosenthal?s take: The Eagles have saved some jobs with their effort the last three weeks. One more win, and they will finish in second place in the division because of a tiebreaker advantage over Dallas and New York. So that?s pretty exciting. The Redskins have clinched double digit losses for a third straight year.

Rosenthal?s pick: Eagles 26, Redskins 16.

49ers at Rams

Florio?s take:? If this were John Harbaugh?s team, we?d be worried about the Ravens playing down to the Rams? level.? Then again, the Ravens rolled the Rams in St. Louis earlier this year.? With the No. 2 seed hanging in the balance, the Niners will, too.

Florio?s pick:? 49ers 27, Rams 7.

Rosenthal?s take: The Rams aren?t competitive in a league where almost everyone is competitive. Only four of their losses were by less than a 12-point margin. Five losses were by more than 20 points. It?s almost impossible to survive a season like that when it comes in a coach?s third year.

Rosenthal?s pick: 49ers 24, Rams 3.

Seahawks at Cardinals

Florio?s take:? Before Week One, anyone would have assumed that a Week 17 battle between a pair of 7-8 NFC West teams would have involved a home playoff game for the winner.? But with the 49ers at 12-3, it?s one of Sunday?s few meaningless games, except as it relates to draft order.? With Kevin Kolb out, John Skelton has only one more chance to show what he can do.? Until Kolb gets injured again in 2012.

Florio?s pick:? Cardinals 23, Seahawks 20.

Rosenthal?s take: Both the Cardinals and Seahawks have reasons for optimism heading into 2011 after second-half runs that fell short of the playoffs.? Seattle?s success has a better foundation and is based less on lucky finishes.? The Seahawks defense is the best unit in this game.

Rosenthal?s pick: Seahawks 24, Cardinals 17.

Buccaneers at Falcons

Florio?s take:? The Buccaneers have played the Falcons tough in recent years.? But the Bucs currently are in a full-blown free-fall.? Even as they play for their coach?s job, the Bucs are struggling to simply remain competitive.? And if/when the Lions lose to the Packers, the Falcons will have an opportunity to avoid having to go back to New Orleans for the wild-card round.

Florio?s pick:? Falcons 35, Buccaneers 21.

Rosenthal?s take: If the Lions win in Green Bay early, the Falcons will be stuck in the No. 6 seed. That means Chris Redman could make an appearance in this game. And Chris Redman can throw on this Bucs defense.

Rosenthal?s pick: Falcons 30, Buccaneers 21.

Ravens at Bengals

Florio?s take:? The Bengals haven?t been able to take down the big boys in the AFC North.? But they lost by only seven points at Baltimore, and Sunday?s game has high stakes for both teams.? Still, since it?s essentially a playoff game for the Bengals and given that the Bengals are 0-2 in playoff games under Marvin Lewis, the Ravens? desire to secure the bye and a home game likely will prevail.

Florio?s pick:? Ravens 17, Bengals 16.

Rosenthal?s take: The Ravens can?t beat mediocre competition on the road (San Diego, Jacksonville, Tennessee, and Seattle.) The Bengals can?t seem to beat playoff teams. (They?re 0-5 against teams already in the playoffs.) Something has to give here. It?s more likely to include the team with the rookie quarterback.

Rosenthal?s pick: Ravens 21, Bengals 17.

Steelers at Browns

Florio?s take:? With or without Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers are the better team.? And with the Ravens-Bengals game possibly going down to the wire, any scoreboard-watching by the Steelers will point to maintaining the pedal to the proverbial metal.

Florio?s pick:? Steelers 20, Browns 10.

Rosenthal?s take: The combined record of the three teams that beat Pittsburgh this year: 33-12. The combined record of the Cleveland Browns: 4-11. The Steelers won?t need a lot from Ben Roethlisberger.

Rosenthal?s pick: Steelers 23, Browns 10.

Chiefs at Broncos

Florio?s take:? The Prodigal Son returns to Denver, with Kyle Orton looking to punish the Broncos for their good deed of giving him his freedom.? And if the Chiefs can topple the Broncos and knock them out of the playoffs, it?ll be a long offseason for anyone and everyone who was involved in the decision to let Orton walk away.? If Tim Tebow can save the front office from that fate, maybe he will end up with the starting job, for life.

Florio?s pick:? Broncos 14, Chiefs 13.

Rosenthal?s take: The Chiefs have the personnel to play man coverage on the outside and load up the box to stop Denver?s run game. They also have a quarterback competent enough to score on a suddenly vulnerable secondary. Tebow struggled last week, but it was also alarming to see the Bills offense score on four straight drives of at least 55 yards.

Rosenthal?s pick:? Chiefs 17, Broncos 14.

Chargers at Raiders

Florio?s take:? The Raiders have a shot at their first winning season since 2002, and with a little help a playoff berth.? The Chargers have no shot at saving the skin of Norv Turner.? Reeling after last weekend?s blowout in Detroit, the Chargers could be in for a similar fate in Oakland.

Florio?s pick:? Raiders 27, Chargers 10.

Rosenthal?s take:? San Diego?s no-show last week was the worst game by a team fighting for a playoff spot since . . . San Diego?s no-show in Cincinnati of Week 16 last season. The Raiders finally have their receivers healthy. Deion Sanders would call this a ?U-Haul? game for San Diego.? They are ready to go.

Rosenthal?s pick: Raiders 33, Chargers 30.

Cowboys at Giants

Florio?s take:? The 256th game of the 2011 regular season also will be the first game of the 2011 postseason.? Since I picked the Cowboys to win the division way back in September, I can?t abandon them now.? Even if logic and common sense points to the Giants finishing their unlikely late-season climb to the postseason.

Florio?s pick:? Cowboys 27, Giants 23.

Rosenthal?s take: They Giants are as dangerous as their pass rush allows. It was great last week, with Justin Tuck finally looking healthy. Osi Umenyiora returns this week. There is no figuring out this Giants team, but I took them to win the NFC East before the year and can?t give up now.

Rosenthal?s pick: Giants 24, Cowboys 21.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/12/29/report-t-o-could-be-joining-the-ifl/related/

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Friday, December 30, 2011

APNewsBreak: Titanic artifacts headed to auction

FILE - John Zaller, creative director of Premier Exhibitions, discusses objects from the Titanic's Verandah Cafe on display in the "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition" at the Discovery Times Square Exposition in New York, in this June 24, 2009 file photo. The owner of the largest trove of artifacts salvaged from the Titanic is putting the vast collection up for auction as a single lot in 2012, the 100th anniversary of the world's most famous shipwreck. The auction is scheduled for April 1 by Guernsey's, a New York City auction house, according to filings by Premier Exhibitions Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A spokeswoman for the auction house and Premier Exhibitions declined Wednesday Dec. 28, 2011 to discuss the auction with The Associated Press until a formal announcement in January. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

FILE - In a Friday, Aug 15, 2008 file photo, currency, part of the artifacts collection of the Titanic, is shown at a warehouse in Atlanta. The owner of the largest trove of artifacts salvaged from the Titanic is putting the vast collection up for auction as a single lot in 2012, the 100th anniversary of the world's most famous shipwreck. The auction is scheduled for April 1 by Guernsey's, a New York City auction house, according to filings by Premier Exhibitions Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A spokeswoman for the auction house and Premier Exhibitions declined Wednesday Dec. 28, 2011 to discuss the auction with The Associated Press until a formal announcement in January. (AP Photo/Stanley Leary, File)

FILE - First class tea cup china used by passengers is a part of the artifacts collection of the Titanic which is in a secret hiding place in Atlanta, in this Aug 15, 2008 file photo being prepared for shipping to the Georgia Aquarium for the public to see later. The owner of the largest trove of artifacts salvaged from the Titanic is putting the vast collection up for auction as a single lot in 2012, the 100th anniversary of the world's most famous shipwreck. The auction is scheduled for April 1 by Guernsey's, a New York City auction house, according to filings by Premier Exhibitions Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A spokeswoman for the auction house and Premier Exhibitions declined Wednesday Dec. 28, 2011 to discuss the auction with The Associated Press until a formal announcement in January. (AP Photo/Stanley Leary, File)

FILE - Third-class tea cup china used by passengers and the crew, is shown as part of the artifacts collection at a warehouse in Atlanta, in this Aug 15, 2008 file photo. The owner of the largest trove of artifacts salvaged from the Titanic is putting the vast collection up for auction as a single lot in 2012, the 100th anniversary of the world's most famous shipwreck. The auction is scheduled for April 1 by Guernsey's, a New York City auction house, according to filings by Premier Exhibitions Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A spokeswoman for the auction house and Premier Exhibitions declined Wednesday Dec. 28, 2011 to discuss the auction with The Associated Press until a formal announcement in January. (AP Photo/Stanley Leary, File)

FILE - Third class china used by passengers and the crew, which is part of the artifacts collection of the Titanic which is in a secret hiding place in Atlanta, in this Aug 15, 2008 file photo being prepared for shipping to the Georgia Aquarium for the public to see later. The owner of the largest trove of artifacts salvaged from the Titanic is putting the vast collection up for auction as a single lot in 2012, the 100th anniversary of the world's most famous shipwreck. The auction is scheduled for April 1 by Guernsey's, a New York City auction house, according to filings by Premier Exhibitions Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A spokeswoman for the auction house and Premier Exhibitions declined Wednesday Dec. 28, 2011 to discuss the auction with The Associated Press until a formal announcement in January. (AP Photo/Stanley Leary, File)

RICHMOND, Virginia (AP) ? The owner of the largest trove of artifacts salvaged from the Titanic is putting the vast collection up for auction as a single lot in 2012, the 100th anniversary of the world's most famous shipwreck.

More than 5,500 items including fine china, ship fittings and portions of hull that were recovered from the ocean liner have an estimated value of $189 million (146 million euros), according to Premier Exhibitions Inc., parent of RMS Titanic Inc. ? the Titanic's court-approved salvor. That value was based on a 2007 appraisal and does not include intellectual property gathered from a 2010 scientific expedition that mapped the wreck site.

The auction is scheduled for April 1 by Guernsey's, a New York City auction house, according to filings by Premier Exhibitions Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Results of the auction won't be announced until April 15, the date a century ago the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage after striking an iceberg.

The auction is subject to approval by a federal judge in Virginia whose jurisdiction for years has given oversight to legal issues governing the salvage of the Titanic. The Titanic treasures were amassed during seven perilous trips to the wreck, which rests about 2 1/2 miles below the ocean surface in the North Atlantic.

A spokeswoman for the auction house and Premier Exhibitions declined Wednesday to discuss the auction with The Associated Press until a formal announcement in January.

The Titanic's sinking claimed the lives of more than 1,500 of the 2,228 passengers and crew. An international team led by oceanographer Robert Ballard located the wreckage in 1985, about 400 miles (645 kilometers) off Newfoundland, Canada.

U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith, who has overseen the case from her Norfolk courtroom, has ruled that RMS Titanic has title to the artifacts and was entitled to full compensation for them. She has not determined how RMS Titanic will be compensated.

Smith, a maritime jurist who has called the Titanic an "international treasure," has approved covenants and conditions that the company previously worked out with the federal government, including a prohibition against selling the collection piecemeal.

The conditions, which accompanied a 2010 ruling, also require RMS to make the artifacts available "to present and future generations for public display and exhibition, historical review, scientific and scholarly research, and educational purposes."

Atlanta-based Premier Exhibitions has been displaying the Titanic artifacts in exhibitions around the world. The items include personal belongings of passengers, such as perfume from a manufacturer who was traveling to New York to sell his samples.

RMS recovered artifacts from the shipwreck in expeditions in 1987, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2004.

In its SEC filing, Premier acknowledged any future owner of the Titanic treasures must abide by the covenants and conditions.

In accordance with court's conditions, "The Property will be sold as a complete collection and offered for sale as one lot," Guernsey's wrote in the SEC filing, which outlines the terms of the auction. The auction house's commission is 8 percent of a successful bid.

In 2010, RMS Titanic collaborated with some of the world's leading experts in the most technologically advanced expedition to the Titanic, undertaking the first comprehensive mapping survey of the vessel with 3-D imagery from bow to stern.

Some of the never-before-seen images were shown in Smith's courtroom. The most striking images involved the 3-D tour of the Titanic's stern, which lies 2,000 feet from the bow.

A camera in a remote-controlled submersible vehicle skimmed over the stern, seemingly transporting viewers through scenes of jagged rusticles sprouting from the deck, a length of chain, the captain's bathtub, and wooden elements that scientists had previously believed had disappeared in the harsh, deep ocean environment.

The cameras did not probe the interior of the wreck. But the expedition fully mapped the 3-by-5-mile (5-by-8 kilometer) wreck site, documenting the entire debris field for the first time.

The new images will ultimately be assembled for public viewing, scientists said, and to help oceanographers and archaeologists explain the ship's violent descent to the ocean bottom. It is also intended to provide answers on the state of the wreck, which scientists say is showing increasing signs of deterioration.

"Titanic" director James Cameron also has led teams to the wreck to record the bow and the stern.

The Titanic exhibit is among several operated by Premier Exhibitions, which bills itself as "a major provider of museum-quality touring exhibitions." Its offerings have included sports memorabilia, a traveling Star Trek homage and "Bodies," an anatomy exhibit featuring preserved human cadavers.

___

Online:

RMST Inc.: http://www.titanic-online.com

___

Steve Szkotak can be reached on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sszkotakap .

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-12-29-Titanic%20Auction/id-e131a2d4e115421e8dfd0fd76964dfb4

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Newt: Paul Not a Serious Candidate (TIME)

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Thursday, December 29, 2011

bikyamasr: #Afghan #media centre: #US cuts support after criticism of troops http://t.co/qsO1LsGh

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Friday, December 16, 2011

T-Mobile introduces first Nokia Windows Phone in US

T-Mobile

By Athima Chansanchai

Hoping to snag first-time smartphone users, T-Mobile will launch the first Nokia Windows Phone in the U.S., the Lumia 710.

The Lumia ??which has caught some attention not only as the second coming of Nokia, but for the unfortunate coincidence of its name translating as "prostitute" in Spanish?? will give first-timers (and more experienced users) a 4G experience at an entry level price of $49 (after a $50 mail-in rebate, with a two-year commitment to the carrier). Unlimited family value plans (which include calls, texts and data) start at about $50.

"Our strategic mission is to bring 4G data and smartphones to mass of 150 million people who have yet to upgrade to a smartphone," said T-Mobile senior product manager Rhone Rarick, in an interview earlier today.

"We?ve seen from research, with consumers upgrading to smartphones, there is an intimidation factor.?Windows Phone is a light touch operating system," Rarick said. "It doesn?t require a lot of maintenance. You don?t have to download a ton of apps for a great social experience. It's a very intuitive experience from screen to screen."?

Live Poll

If you've never bought a smartphone before, would T-Mo's Nokia Lumia 710 be your first one?

170830
YES. Sounds like a great deal. I'm willing to try it.
47%
170831
NO. I'd rather have an Android.
28%
170832
NO. If I've waited this long, I might as well get an iPhone.
13%
170833
NO. Who needs a smarter phone?
13%

VoteTotal Votes: 87

Europeans just got their hands on the device Friday, but Americans won't be able to handle it until Jan. 11.?Those across the pond also get the phone in a rainbow of colors, while in T-Mobile's initial launch, customers will be stuck with black and white. They also get the more elegant Lumia 800, which has yet to be introduced by any U.S. carrier.

Netflix will come pre-loaded on it ??unique to T-Mobile ??though any Windows Phone user on any carrier can go to the Marketplace to get it. Also pre-loaded: Internet Explorer, Bing Search, T-Mobile TV, Nokia Drive (a free app with turn-by-turn instructions) and ESPN.

Users can view those sports, movies and shows on a 3.7-inch ClearBlack WVGA scratch-resistant display. A Qualcomm 1.4GHz Snapdragon processor powers the phone, which will also have a 5-megapixel camera.

Rarick is counting on the phone to cut down barriers to those who might be wary of breaking smartphones and buying what they don't intend to due to the sensitive touch screens. But those who are on Windows Phone will have to be content with only about 40,000 apps on its Marketplace, compared to more than 320,000 on Android and over 500,000 on the Apple App Store.

Take our poll and let us know if you think this Windows Phone is all that.

In an interview, Microsoft mobile chief Andy Lees discusses how Windows Phone may finally be gaining momentum, thanks in part to new ties to Windows 8 and Xbox and the launch of Nokia's first wave of Microsoft-powered smartphones.

More Windows Phone and T-Mobile stories on msnbc.com:

Check out Technolog on?Facebook, and on Twitter, follow?Athima Chansanchai, who is also trying to keep her head above water in the?Google+?stream.

Source: http://gadgetbox.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/14/9443318-t-mobile-introduces-first-nokia-windows-phone-in-us

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Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Balloon Juice ? Breast Cancer, PPACA, and a Change of Heart ...

by ABL

Obamacares.

LA Times featured an op-ed yesterday that is a must-read:

I want to apologize to President Obama. But first, some background.
I found out three weeks ago I have cancer. I?m 49 years old, have been married for almost 20 years and have two kids. My husband has his own small computer business, and I run a small nonprofit in the San Fernando Valley. I am also an artist. Money is tight, and we don?t spend it frivolously. We?re just ordinary, middle-class people, making an honest living, raising great kids and participating in our community, the kids? schools and church.

We?re good people, and we work hard. But we haven?t been able to afford health insurance for more than two years. And now I have third-stage breast cancer and am facing months of expensive treatment.

To understand how such a thing could happen to a family like ours, I need to take you back nine years to when my husband got laid off from the entertainment company where he?d worked for 10 years. Until then, we had been insured through his work, with a first-rate plan. After he got laid off, we got to keep that health insurance for 18 months through COBRA, by paying $1,300 a month, which was a huge burden on an unemployed father and his family.

By the time the COBRA ran out, my husband had decided to go into business for himself, so we had to purchase our own insurance. That was fine for a while. Every year his business grew. But insurance premiums were steadily rising too. More than once, we switched carriers for a lower rate, only to have them raise rates significantly after a few months.

_snip

Fortunately for me, I?ve been saved by the federal government?s Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan, something I had never heard of before needing it. It?s part of President Obama?s healthcare plan, one of the things that has already kicked in, and it guarantees access to insurance for U.S. citizens with preexisting conditions who have been uninsured for at least six months. The application was short, the premiums are affordable, and I have found the people who work in the administration office to be quite compassionate (nothing like the people I have dealt with over the years at other insurance companies.) It?s not perfect, of course, and it still leaves many people in need out in the cold. But it?s a start, and for me it?s been a lifesaver ? perhaps literally.

Which brings me to my apology. I was pretty mad at Obama before I learned about this new insurance plan. I had changed my registration from Democrat to Independent, and I had blacked out the top of the ?h? on my Obama bumper sticker, so that it read, ?Got nope? instead of ?got hope.? I felt like he had let down the struggling middle class. My son and I had campaigned for him, but since he took office, we felt he had let us down.

So this is my public apology. I?m sorry I didn?t do enough of my own research to find out what promises the president has made good on. I?m sorry I didn?t realize that he really has stood up for me and my family, and for so many others like us. I?m getting a new bumper sticker to cover the one that says ?Got nope.? It will say ?ObamaCares.?

(read the rest)

As more and more people find out about the benefits of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Republicans are going to find it difficult to continue the ?Repeal Obaaaaahmaacare? siren song. And the fact that health insurers are cutting their lobbying costs because the Department of Health and Human Services has stated that such lobbying costs cannot be counted as providing healthcare is just icing on the cake.

From The People?s View,

Their lobbying scheme didn?t work. They know it and are finally resigning to the fact that health reform is the law of the land and that they are going to have to comply with it. And since they can?t count lobbying costs as providing you with health care, lobbying costs are now in direct competition with shareholder gain. If the insurance companies want to make more money but can?t do it by kicking people off their insurance or counting everything and its mother as a ?health care cost,? there are only a few ways of doing it: cut administrative costs (hello, industry lobbyists, hi! Waving atcha!), and raise revenue by attracting more customers in a level playing field.

As many of you know, I have a microprolactinoma (a pituitary tumor). Navigating the health insurance industry over the past 6 years has been a pain in the ass. I?ve wrangled with Blue Shield and I?ve been horrified by Kaiser Permanente, and the experience has left me disheartened, frustrated, and often in tears. I have found myself calculating how much time I will allow for the drugs to work and shrink the damn thing in my brain before I decide to have it surgically removed just so the procedure will be covered by insurance. It?s insane.

No one should be forced to make a significant health decision that includes life-threatening surgery simply because they don?t have the time to let non-surgical options run their course, and they won?t be able to pay for surgery should they need it. So I am very grateful to President Obama for the government?s pre-existing condition insurance plan because when my COBRA runs out, I?m going to need it.

[cross-posted at Angry Black Lady Chronicles]

December 6, 2011 1:29 pm Posted?in:?World's Best Healthcare (If You Can Afford It) ?41 Comments

Source: http://www.balloon-juice.com/2011/12/06/breast-cancer-ppaca-and-a-change-of-heart-about-president-obama/

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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Trump blasts Paul for smacking him in forum-skip (Politico)

Donald Trump apparently didn't take kindly to Ron Paul's decision to skip the NewsMax-hosted forum moderated by the developer and reality TV star, saying it created a circus-like atmosphere around the presidential race.

"As I said in the past and will reiterate again, Ron Paul has a zero chance of winning either the nomination or the presidency," Trump said in a statement in response to Paul, adding, "my poll numbers were substantially higher than any of his poll numbers, at any time."

"Few people take Ron Paul seriously and many of his views and presentation make him a clown-like candidate," he said. "I am glad he and Jon Huntsman, who has inconsequential poll numbers or a chance of winning, will not be attending the debate and wasting the time of the viewers who are trying very hard to make a very important decision."

Trump referred to his book that's coming out and his claim he is worth more than $7 billion, and asked why he is "not the right person to lead this country out of economic chaos or at least to moderate a debate. I would like to see how Ron Paul would fair in the world of big business."

Paul was the first candidate competing in Iowa to reject the invitation for the Dec. 27 event. His move may give cover to other candidates to do the same - although Trump's comments are a reminder of the potential problem with skipping it.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories1211_69693_html/43794392/SIG=11m0bpcdm/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/69693.html

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Monday, December 5, 2011

Google employees now testing Ice Cream Sandwich for Nexus S, claim it's delicious

Damn them. As it turns out, Google employees are the lucky guinea pigs for testing Android 4.0 on the Nexus S, and Mountain View's minions have now begun crowing about their superiority. On the up side, this means that all users of Google's former prodigy are one step closer to receiving the official version of Ice Cream Sandwich onto their devices. The company hopes its employees will discover any lingering foul tastes before delivering its frozen treat onto the unwashed masses, although early reports suggest they're digging the flavors. Of course, if you just can't wait -- and hey, we haven't -- there's always custom ROMs to fill the void.

Google employees now testing Ice Cream Sandwich for Nexus S, claim it's delicious originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Dec 2011 04:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/aj0eMF15ffA/

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Sunday, December 4, 2011

[Bleacher Report] - NBA Free Agents 2011: Houston Rockets Gameplan If No Nene

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Source: http://sportspyder.com/teams/houston-rockets/articles/5333398

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Official: Green Zone bombing was targeting Iraq PM (AP)

BAGHDAD ? An explosion earlier this week in the Green Zone, a protected area in the center of the Iraqi capital, was an assassination attempt against the Iraqi prime minister, an Iraqi spokesman said.

That assailants were able to get a bomb inside what is supposed to be the most heavily fortified area in the country raises serious doubts about the abilities of Iraq's security forces at a crucial time when American troops are leaving the country.

The Baghdad military spokesman, Qassim al-Moussawi, said an attacker was able to get a vehicle carrying about 44 pounds (20 kilograms) of explosives into the Green Zone on Monday, and then tried to join a convoy of other vehicles going into the parliament grounds.

But at a checkpoint leading into the parliament compound, guards prevented the driver from going any farther because he did not have proper authorization. The driver then drove to the parking lot just opposite the parliament entrance where many lawmakers or their staff park, and the vehicle exploded seconds later.

At the time, officials had said they did not know if the explosion was the result of rocket or mortar fire into the Green Zone, whether a bomber managed to get inside or whether a bomb had been attached to a vehicle that then drove into the Green Zone.

Al-Moussawi said Friday that the new information was based on confessions from members of a terrorist group. They revealed that the bomb was supposed to go off when Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki visited the parliament during an upcoming session, he said. But al-Moussawi declined to give further details.

He added that security officials already had information leading them to believe that al-Maliki might be targeted during his parliament trip. Al-Maliki was expected to address the legislative body soon but no date had been set.

A security official with knowledge of the investigation said police found a charred body near the mangled vehicle and were still trying to determine the identity of the person through DNA tests. The official said no one had come forward to claim the body, and it was not clear whether it was an innocent bystander or a suicide bomber.

Al-Maliki was in his office in another area of the Green Zone when the bomb went off, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to journalists.

No one else was killed in the blast, though two people were wounded.

The vast area in central Baghdad dubbed the Green Zone is the most protected area in Iraq and houses the U.S. Embassy, the Iraqi parliament and the homes of many Iraqi government officials. People going into the area must go through a checkpoint and show identification. Guards check for bombs or use dogs to search for explosives.

Inside the Green Zone there are often more checkpoints to access certain areas, including the parliament.

___

Associated Press writer Sameer N. Yacoub contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111203/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

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Saturday, December 3, 2011

Campaigns turning more to Web to link with voters (AP)

NEW YORK ? As they peruse the Internet, voters in New Hampshire and Iowa are probably seeing ads for Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama alongside those for shoes and holiday gifts. The ads will then follow those voters around the Web, popping up on news sites, Google searches and on social networking sites like Facebook.

Online advertising, once used primarily as a way to reach young and heavily wired consumers, has emerged as an essential communications tool in the 2012 presidential contest. While few expect Web ads to supplant television commercials anytime soon, strategists say online ads may be the most nimble, efficient and cost-effective way to reach voters.

"Online advertising cuts through because of its ability to target. It's unparalleled in any other medium," said Romney's digital director, Zac Moffatt. "TV may be more effective for driving a big message, but per usage, the Internet is more powerful. We are probably one presidential cycle from everyone believing that."

Web ads can take many forms, from small display boxes to clickable videos to 15- or 30-second commercials known as "pre-rolls" a viewer sees before the start of a news clip or YouTube video.

Targeting is key. While campaigns invest heavily in television ads to reach a mass audience, Web ads are geared specifically to people based on their ZIP code, demographics and, most importantly, their Internet browsing history.

That means someone who has visited the Obama campaign website will likely start seeing his ads on a number of different Web pages. And those who use Google to search for information on the Republican candidates might notice a Romney campaign pre-roll the next time they watch a TV show online.

Campaigns also buy ads on websites that cater to the different demographic groups the campaigns are hoping to reach.

"When someone expresses interest in politics online, it's an incredibly good time for the campaigns to talk to them," said Andrew Roos, a Google account leader who works with Democratic campaigns on Web ad strategy. "You want to grab people when they are paying attention and ask them to take another action, like send money or attend an offline event. It's an old-school organization principle that has been working its way online."

Campaigns were slow to adapt to online advertising even as the corporate world flocked to the Web with product ads years ago. Internet ad revenue climbed to nearly $7.9 billion in the third quarter of 2011, up 22 percent from the same time last year, according to the Internet Advertising Bureau, which tracks online ad spending.

Corporations now spend from 18 to 28 percent of their advertising budget online, while campaigns historically have spent no more than 5 percent.

Chris Talbot, a freelance campaign digital strategist, noted that big companies can devote considerable time, money and research to figuring out what works online and what doesn't. Campaigns don't have that luxury.

"There is no `next quarter' in politics, so campaigns usually revert to a template of what's worked in the past," he said.

In 2008, Obama and Republican presidential rival John McCain both did limited online campaign advertising. Web ads grew more prevalent in the 2010 midterm elections, when 85 of the top-spending House races and 600 interest groups bought display ads on Google.

To be sure, plenty of Internet users say they aren't thrilled with the proliferation of online ads, particularly those that follow them from site to site.

A USA Today/Gallup poll taken in late 2010 found 9 out of 10 respondents said they pay little attention to online ads. Two-thirds said they don't believe advertisers should be able to target them based on their past Web searches.

"The only way it works is on a mass scale. Most people ignore ads on the Web," said Aaron Shapiro, head of the digital marking firm HUGE.

Web ads' biggest advantage, many strategists say, is accountability.

"Online ads are very metric driven ? you can figure out how many impressions you got, how many people clicked, how many people signed up for an email address. All of that is calculated in real time," Google's Roos said. "It's much more efficient than direct mail and TV."

The Romney campaign's Moffatt said Web ads became part of the media strategy when officials there realized how much their own viewing habits had changed.

"Strategists here acknowledge they really don't watch live TV," Moffatt said.

___

Associated Press researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed to this report.

___

Follow Beth Fouhy on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/bfouhy

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111203/ap_on_el_pr/us_online_campaign_ads

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Friday, December 2, 2011

Many With HIV Not Getting Meds: CDC (HealthDay)

TUESDAY, Nov. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Some 1.2 million Americans are living with HIV, yet only about 28 percent of them have their disease under control, federal health officials report.

Efforts to diagnose, treat and reduce transmission of the virus need to be redoubled, claims a new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which was released just before World AIDS Day on Thursday, Dec. 1.

"The bottom line here is that we have the tools to stop HIV from spreading," CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden, said during a noon press conference on Tuesday.

"The most encouraging new finding is that when people start HIV treatment early, when their immune systems are still relatively strong, they are 96 percent less likely to infect their partners," he said. "This study brings home that treatment is prevention; that treatment is essential to prevention."

But there is a lot of work to be done to fully see the beneficial effect of treatment, Frieden said. "About 850,000 Americans with HIV do not have the virus controlled," he said.

The first step is to get people to recognize their HIV status through testing, Frieden said. "And second, to make sure that every person with HIV has every opportunity to remain in ongoing care after they're diagnosed," he added.

The CDC recommends that HIV testing be a part of a regular checkup at least once, and for those most at risk, testing should be done at least once a year.

According to the CDC report, in 2010 only 9.6 percent of adult Americans had been tested for HIV during in the past 12 months. Testing varied by state, from 4.9 percent to 29.8 percent, the researchers noted.

Of the more than 900,000 people with HIV who know it, about 77 percent were linked to care and 51 percent were getting continuing treatment.

In addition, 45 percent had prevention counseling and 89 percent were taking antiretroviral medications. Of these, the virus was suppressed in 77 percent, meaning the virus was suppressed in about 28 percent of all Americans with HIV, according to the report.

Those least likely to know they have HIV and least likely to get prevention counseling are gay and bisexual men, the population most affected by the disease, researchers noted.

To make its estimates, the CDC used data from the National HIV Surveillance System, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the Medical Monitoring Project, as well as other published data.

Dr. Margaret Fischl, director of the AIDS Clinical Research Unit and co-director of the University of Miami Developmental Center for AIDS Research, said that "one has to continue to push to make people realize that you should be testing everyone. Everyone should be tested if they are young and sexually active."

Moreover, more infected people need to get treatment and stay on treatment, she said. "I didn't spend 25 years designing antiretroviral trials to get where we are today to see these types of numbers," she said.

"We know these regimens can have a 96 percent success rate," Fischl said. "These regimens today are very powerful, they're easy to take, they have much less side effects and patients needed to be followed intensely," she added. In addition, treatment can help reduce the transmission of HIV, Fischl said.

More information

For more information on HIV/AIDS, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/aids/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20111130/hl_hsn/manywithhivnotgettingmedscdc

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World's central banks act to ease market strains

The Euro sculpture is reflected in a puddle on the lid of a bin that stands in the Frankfurt Occupy camp at the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, Nov.30, 2011.(AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A ferret looks out of the jacket of an activist of the Frankfurt Occupy movement at the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011.(AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Two ferrets look out of the jacket of an activist of the Frankfurt Occupy movement at the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011.(AP Photo/Michael Probst)

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) ? Major central banks around the globe took coordinated action Wednesday to ease the strains on the world's financial system, saying they would make it easier for banks to get dollars if they need them. Stock markets and the euro rose sharply on the move.

The U.S. Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Bank of England and the central banks of Canada, Japan and Switzerland were all taking part.

"The purpose of these actions is to ease strains in financial markets and thereby mitigate the effects of such strains on the supply of credit to households and businesses and so help foster economic activity," the central banks said in a joint statement.

The announcement came just hours after China reduced bank reserve levels Wednesday to release money for lending and help shore up slowing growth. It was the first easing of Chinese monetary policy in three years ? and higher growth in China could be crucial for a suffering global economy.

Stocks surged following the news. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped more than 400 points in early trading and was up 392 an hour after the opening bell. Germany's DAX was trading 4.7 percent higher, France's CAC was up 4.1 percent, the euro rose 1.1 percent to $1.3463 and oil was up $1.45 to $101.25.

As Europe's debt crisis has spread, the global financial system is showing signs of entering another credit crunch like the one that followed the 2008 collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers. Banks are afraid to lend to each other, since no one is really sure what institutions are holding how much bad government debt.

Greece, Ireland and Portugal have all been forced to take international bailouts, and Italy, Spain and Belgium are seeing their borrowing costs rise sharply. Banks already had to agree to forgive 50 percent of the value of their Greek debt holdings ? and many fear that other struggling European countries might also demand a so-called "haircut" on bonds.

A ratings downgrade by Standard & Poors for six major U.S. banks on Tuesday added to fears that Europe's woes would hurt the entire financial system. If one or more European governments default, that would unleash a shock to the world's financial system that at the very least would lead to recessions in the United States and Europe, severe losses for banks and a global stranglehold on lending.

The central banks agreed to reduce the cost of temporary dollar loans they offer to banks ? called liquidity swaps ? by a half percentage point. The new, lower rate will be applied to all central bank operations starting Monday.

The cut means that the charge will fall to 50 basis points ? or one-half percentage point ? over an international benchmark, the overnight index swap rate, which is averaging around seven to 10 basis points currently.

Non-U.S. banks need dollars to fund their U.S. operations and to make dollar loans to companies that need the U.S. currency. The dollar is the world's leading currency for central bank reserves and is widely used in international trade.

"Obviously, these moves are designed to increase the flow of dollar liquidity to European banks, which are struggling to attract short-term funding because of questions about their exposure to potential losses on holdings of European sovereign bonds," said Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics.

He explained that Wednesday's move does not expose the Fed to propping up ailing European banks.

"The ECB actually makes the loans to these banks, so the Fed is not on the hook for any losses if a European bank failed," Ashworth added.

The announcement also extended the length of time the temporary dollar lines will be available by six months to Feb. 1, 2013. The swap line program had been scheduled to end Aug. 1, 2013.

According to Federal Reserve figures, $2.4 billion in swap lines were being used as of last week. By comparison, at the height of the 2008 financial crisis, $580 billion was provided in temporary swap lines in December of that year.

The central banks are also taking steps to ensure that banks can get ready money in any of their currencies if market conditions warrant by establishing a temporary network of reciprocal swap lines.

Right now there is no need to offer non-domestic credits in currencies other than the dollar, the central banks said, but they "judge it prudent" to get such an arrangement in place ahead of time.

Fears of more financial turmoil in Europe have already left some European banks dependent on central bank loans to fund their daily operations. Other banks are wary of lending to them for fear of not getting paid back. Such constraints on interbank lending can hurt the wider economy by making less money available to lend to businesses.

AP Business Writer Marty Crutsinger contributed from Washington, DC.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-11-30-Central-Banks/id-6a3c256daa22475fa569fe5a8277ad82

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