Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Samsung Galaxy Note coming to Bell, Rogers and Telus in February

Those of you who seem to be more closely connected to the Maple Leaf than the pine needle might've jumped on the envious side at the news that folks across the border are getting their hands on the LTE Galaxy Note. Envy no more. Via blog post, Rogers has announced that Samsung's "phablet" creation will be surfing through its fresh 4G waves in the upcoming month. Aside from the Rogers branding we expect to see, it'll be hard to distinguish this Note from its AT&T brother, as it'll be identical in the specs department. Based on a page thrown up at Best Buy Canada, it looks as if it'll sell for $249.99 on a three-year contract (with Bell and Telus getting in on the fun, too), with the first of 'em shipping out on Valentine's Day. Desperate to be the first to try and fit this in your pocket? Head on to the source to join the carrier's reservation system.

Samsung Galaxy Note coming to Bell, Rogers and Telus in February originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Incomes up strong 0.5 pct., consumer spending flat (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Americans' income rose in December by the most in nine months, a hopeful sign for the economy after a year of weak wage gains. But consumers didn't spend any more than they had in November.

Americans ended up saving all their additional income.

Economists noted that income rose last month largely because of strong hiring. The economy added 200,000 jobs in December. More jobs mean more income available to spend.

The best hope for the economy is further job gains. On Friday, the government is expected to report another solid month of hiring for January.

Income rose 0.5 percent from November to December, the Commerce Department said Monday. It was the sharpest increase since a similar gain in March.

The flat spending in December followed scant gains of 0.1 percent in both October and November.

For all of 2011, income barely rose. And consumers tapped their savings to spend more.

But in December, Americans boosted their savings. If they continue to save any additional income rather than spend it, the economy could slow. And that could force employers to pull back on hiring.

Consumer spending accounts for about 70 percent of economic activity.

Many economists are holding out hope, though, that continued job gains will mean more spending across the economy.

"The pace of job growth in recent months, while still not satisfactory compared to most past cycles, at least seems sufficient to generate enough income growth to keep consumer spending moving ahead at a modest pace," said Joshua Shapiro, chief U.S. economist at MFR, Inc.

After-tax income adjusted for inflation rose 0.3 percent in December. For the year, inflation-adjusted income rose 0.9 percent. That was just half the rise in 2010.

Inflation-adjusted consumer spending rose just 2.2 percent last year. It was slightly better than the increase in 2010.

The government said Friday that the economy grew at an annual rate of 1.7 percent last year ? roughly half the growth of 2010. It was the weakest showing since the economy contracted in 2009.

Unemployment stands at 8.5 percent ? its lowest level in nearly three years after a sixth straight month of solid hiring.

For the final three months of 2011, Americans spent more on vehicles, and companies restocked their supplies at a robust pace.

Still, overall growth last quarter ? and for all of last year ? was slowed by the sharpest cuts in annual government spending in four decades. And many people are reluctant to spend more or buy homes. Many employers remain hesitant to hire, even though job growth has strengthened.

The outlook for 2012 is slightly better. The Federal Reserve has estimated economic growth of roughly 2.5 percent for the year, despite abundant risk factors: federal spending cuts, weak pay increases, cautious consumers and the risk of a European recession.

In December, spending on both durable and nondurable goods fell. Spending on services, a category that accounts for two-thirds of consumer spending, rose 0.2 percent.

The savings rate increased to 4 percent of after-tax incomes in December, up from 3.5 percent in November.

For the year, the savings rate dipped to 4.4 percent from 5.3 percent in 2010. The savings rate had fallen to 1.5 percent in 2005, reflecting a housing boom that made people feel like spending more and saving less.

The December report showed that prices tied to consumer spending edged up 0.1 percent in December and were up 2.4 percent compared to a year ago. This is the preferred inflation measure for the Federal Reserve.

The Fed last week established an annual inflation target of 2 percent.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_bi_ge/us_consumer_spending

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Monday, January 30, 2012

Do you really need that deep freezer? Really?

The distinction between wanting an item and needing it is a key one. If you don't need something right away, it pays to be patient with your shopping.

When we were first considering a move into our current home, my wife and I made a list of things that we wanted to have in our home that we just didn?t have room for in our small apartment. One of the big items on that list was a deep freezer.

Skip to next paragraph Trent Hamm

The Simple Dollar is a blog for those of us who need both cents and sense: people fighting debt and bad spending habits while building a financially secure future and still affording a latte or two. Our busy lives are crazy enough without having to compare five hundred mutual funds ? we just want simple ways to manage our finances and save a little money.

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We wanted one primarily because we often had offers of buying shares of venison or beef, where entire animals had been processed at a meat locker and the person was hoping to get back some of their investment by selling a quarter of the meat. Per pound, this was an incredible deal, but you would often have to deal with thirty or forty pounds (or more ? sometimes much more) of wrapped and processed meat.

We also wanted to take advantage of specific sales at the grocery store. For example, if a store has a sale on flash-frozen vegetables, we?ll often stock up on them.

As we moved into our current home, we had money set aside for buying a deep freezer, an amount based on the prices we could easily find at the time. We knew some of the specific models we wanted that had a good ?bang for the buck,? and we had the cash in hand. Time to buy, right?

Wrong.

The thing was that we didn?t immediately need that deep freezer. Yes, we wanted one and it was clear that over the long run such a freezer would save us money, but we weren?t pinned up against the wall with regards to the purchase.

This distinction between want and need is a key one. It is incredibly easy for people to decide that something useful that they merely want is actually more of a need ? something that they have to go out and purchase right away. I see it all the time with people in my social circle, and I even see it uncomfortably often in myself.

Holding back on those ?wants that seem kind of like needs? is essential for saving money.

What are you holding back for? The sale. There are many ways where you can find that item that you?re looking for at a much lower price than what you?ll see at your local department store or appliance store.

All we did is sit on this idea of buying a deep freezer for about two months. We watched the ads from the local hardware and appliance stores, waiting for a great price on one of the models we wanted. Eventually, we found it on sale at about a 35% discount, saving us quite a bit of money.

Even better, during that period, a friend of ours came up with a used deep freezer that he offered to give to us. We were strongly considering taking the item, even though we were a bit concerned about the fan motor in it, but we went for the discounted one instead.

We didn?t lose anything by waiting, but we gained about the third of the cost of our deep freezer.

This type of story repeats itself time and time again when you?re making any major purchase. The price you find today is likely to be easily topped if you exhibit a little bit of patience, and considering that the items that you?d do this with aren?t really essential to your day-to-day life, there?s no real drawback to waiting.

What kind of threshold should you have for pulling the trigger? For me, I usually try to wait for a price that?s at least 20% lower than the lowest regular price I found when I was initially searching for the item.

How long should you wait? This is really up to you. What I typically do is wait until I notice a continuous stream of possible uses for the item I was considering buying. Whenever I notice a use, I bump my threshold for buying closer to the lowest regular price until it becomes clear that the item is nearly a ?need? in terms of how we live our lives, then I?ll just go for the lowest-priced version I can find.

Patience is the key, and patience pays off time and time again.

This post is part of a yearlong series called ?365 Ways to Live Cheap (Revisited),? in which I?m revisiting the entries from my book ?365 Ways to Live Cheap,? which is available at Amazon and at bookstores everywhere.

The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of the best economy-related bloggers out there. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. To contact us about a blogger, click here. To add or view a comment on a guest blog, please go to the blogger's own site by clicking on www.thesimpledollar.com.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/8qdFOMzQ9jI/Do-you-really-need-that-deep-freezer-Really

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

North claims 23-13 Senior Bowl victory (AP)

MOBILE, Ala. ? Michigan State's Kirk Cousins and Wisconsin's Russell Wilson threw touchdown passes to lead the North to a 23-13 victory over the South in the Senior Bowl on Saturday.

Purdue kicker Carson Wiggs put it away with his third short field goal, a 28-yarder with 4:11 left in the showcase for senior NFL prospects.

Boise State's Kellen Moore led that clinching 13-play drive that consumed 8:36 with the help of a running clock.

It snuffed out a spark provided by South quarterback Nick Foles of Arizona, who started his career with Cousins at Michigan State.

Foles had gotten the South into the end zone by firing a 20-yard touchdown pass to Arizona teammate Juron Criner with 12:55 left in the game.

It was an up-and-down day for a crew of quarterbacks with sparkling college credentials, with a combined five interceptions.

Cincinnati running back Isaiah Pead had a big day for the North. He set a Senior Bowl record in the first half with 98 yards on two late punt returns, and was named the MVP. Pead also rushed for a team-high 31 yards on eight carries.

Cousins completed 5 of 11 passes for 115 yards but threw an interception. Moore, who won an college-record 50 games as a starting quarterback, was 6-of-12 passing for 50 yards, and had a 23-yarder to set up the final field goal that put the North up two scores.

Wilson completed 4 of 7 passes for 45 yards with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Jones in the second quarter. He also threw an interception.

Arkansas receiver Joe Adams, the South's Most Outstanding Player, had six catches for 116 yards after losing a fumble on the opening drive. He had a 36-yarder and a 29-yarder in the third quarter.

Criner gained 77 yards on six catches.

Linebacker Bobby Wagner of Utah State had seven tackles and an interception and was the North's Most Outstanding Player.

Wiggs made kicks of 27, 32 and 28 yards while missing a 37-yarder in the final minutes.

Foles almost got the South back in it earlier, but his fourth-down pass from the 13 was incomplete with 3:59 left in the third quarter.

He had the best stat line of the six quarterbacks. Foles was 11-of-15 passing for 136 yards and the TD, and was the only South quarterback who wasn't picked off.

San Diego State's Ryan Lindley was 10 of 21 for 103 yards and also was intercepted once. Oklahoma State's 28-year-old Brandon Weeden started for the South but was picked off twice on nine attempts, completing five passes for 56 yards.

Cousins put the North ahead 20-6 early in the second half with a 41-yard touchdown pass to Arizona State's Gerell Robinson. The 6-foot-3, 223-pound Robinson caught it coming across the middle and raced down the right sideline.

It was the second time on the drive Cousins had thrown for a nice gain on third down, hitting T.J. Graham (North Carolina State) for 22 yards earlier.

The North's Kendall Reyes of Connecticut had two sacks.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_sp_co_ga_su/fbc_senior_bowl

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Quarterly GDP changes in past 4 years, at a glance (AP)

Quarterly GDP changes in past 4 years, at a glance - Yahoo! News Skip to navigation ? Skip to content ? AP By The Associated Press The Associated Press ? Fri?Jan?27, 5:41?pm?ET
Here are the quarterly changes in economic activity over the past four years as measured by the gross domestic product. GDP is the total output of goods and services produced in the United States. The figures are seasonally adjusted annual rates.
Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4
2011 0.4 percent 1.3 percent 1.8 percent 2.8 percent
2010 3.9 percent 3.8 percent 2.5 percent 2.3 percent
2009 -6.7 percent -0.7 percent 1.7 percent 3.8 percent
2008 -1.8 percent 1.3 percent -3.7 percent -8.9 percent
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis
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  • Copyright ? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

    Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_bi_ge/us_economy_gdp_quarters_glance

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    Iran official says oil will reach $150 per barrel

    (AP) ? Iran's official news agency reports that the head of the state oil company is claiming that the price of crude will go up to $150 per barrel.

    Head of the National Iranian Oil Company Ahmad Qalehban did not give a time frame for the prediction, nor any other details in the Sunday report by IRNA.

    The price of benchmark U.S. crude on Friday was around $99.56 per barrel.

    Qalehban's statement comes as Iranian officials prepare to debate a ban on crude sales to European Union countries, in response to a planned EU embargo on Iran's oil by summer because of that country's nuclear program.

    The United States and its allies argue that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons technology, while Tehran says the program is for purely peaceful purposes.

    Associated Press

    Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-29-ML-Iran-Oil/id-70d28ab461ac4f26a9837dc0f748ecf4

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    Saturday, January 28, 2012

    Harper eyes 'major transformations' to Canada

    DAVOS, Switzerland ? Prime Minister Stephen Harper signalled his government will bring forward "major transformations" to the country in the coming months ? in areas such as the retirement pension system, immigration, science and technology investment and the energy sector.

    Of those reforms, Harper said, getting a grip on slowing the rising costs of the country's pension system is particularly critical.

    In the wake of Harper's speech, it now appears the Conservative government could be poised to gradually change the Old Age Security system so that the age of eligibility is raised to 67 from 65.

    The opposition NDP and Liberals said that such a move would financially cripple millions of Canadians, and that at a time when world leaders were talking about addressing income inequality, the prime minister's words indicated the opposite may happen in Canada.

    Harper made the revelations in a major keynote speech Thursday at the World Economic Forum, the annual gathering of the world's political and business elite.

    As expected, the prime minister was critical of Europe and the United States for not adequately dealing with the economic problems that have gripped them in recent months and years.

    But it was Harper's assessment of the major changes that lie ahead for Canada that stood out in the speech.

    "In the months to come, our government will undertake major transformations to position Canada for growth over the next generation," said Harper.

    The Conservative government will table a budget in the coming weeks that is expected to set the stage for years of deficit-slashing and government reform.

    "Under our government, Canada will make the transformations necessary to sustain economic growth, job creation and prosperity now and for the next generation," said Harper.

    He said that means two things: "Making better economic choices now. And preparing ourselves now for the demographic pressures the Canadian economy faces."

    Harper said the country's aging population has become a backdrop for his concern about how to keep the country strong over the long term.

    "If not addressed promptly, this has the capacity to undermine Canada's economic position and, for that matter, that of all western nations well beyond the current economic crises."

    Indeed, Harper said the country's demographics ? an aging population and a dwindling workforce ? constitute "a threat to the social programs and services that Canadians cherish."

    For that reason, he said his government will "be taking measures in the coming months."

    Harper did not specify what those measures will be, but he said they are necessary ? not just to bring the government's finances back to a balanced budget in the medium term, "but also to ensure the sustainability of our social programs and fiscal position over the next generation."

    "We have already taken steps to limit the growth of our health-care spending over that period," said Harper. "We must do the same for our retirement income system."

    Harper said the centrepiece of the public pension system ? the Canada Pension Plan ? is fully funded, actuarially sound and does not need to be changed.

    But he added: "For those elements of the system that are not funded, we will make the changes necessary to ensure sustainability for the next generation while not affecting current recipients."

    So far, the government has come forward with a plan to create a private pooled pension system to encourage Canadians to prepare for their retirement.

    Still, there are concerns that as baby boomers approach retirement, the cost to government of providing public pensions will skyrocket.

    In December, the National Post reported that there was internal debate within the government about increasing the age of eligibility for the other major element of the public pension scheme ? Old Age Security ? to 67 from 65.

    Internal government documents project the cost of the OAS system will climb from $36.5 billion in 2010 to $48 billion in 2015. By 2030 ? when the number of seniors is expected to climb to 9.3 million from 4.7 million now ? the cost of the program could reach $108 billion.

    NDP finance critic Peter Julian, speaking to reporters in Ottawa, called Harper's speech "ominous words because we don't have any details yet."

    Julian said the NDP wants to see the government increase spending on the OAS by $700 million per year, which the NDP says would make the system sustainable, rather than tell seniors they have to work for two more years before they can retire.

    "That's completely unacceptable. If he had run on that platform last May, he wouldn't have the numbers he has in the House he has today," Julian said.

    The NDP and the Liberals said that increasing funding to the OAS could be financed by reigning in spending on prisons and the F-35 fighter jet, which could cost anywhere between $16 billion and $30 billion, depending on who you ask.

    "If he's serious about the demographic shift, he should listen to evidence and invest in hospital beds, not prison beds," said Liberal critic Scott Brison.

    Brison said the government should make tax credits refundable for those in the lowest income brackets to help address income inequality in Canada.

    "It would be a very regressive step to cut or restrict OAS at a time when income inequality is growing issue," Brison told Postmedia News.

    "Harper isn't addressing income inequality. He's proposing changes that would make it worse."

    The challenge to the government will now be selling whatever changes it plans to the pension system, something which has dogged previous prime ministers, said Errol Mendes, a politics experts from the University of Ottawa.

    Brian Mulroney, months into his mandate, controversially decided to de-index pensions. After a senior confronted him, Mulroney backed away from the plan.

    "I bet you (Harper) won't talk about the OAS over here because there will be pictures of that woman saying 'Goodbye Charlie' to Brian Mulroney," said Mendes, referring to the famous 1986 encounter.

    Harper issued a scathing criticism of countries in the developed world, which he suggested had forgotten about the importance of creating economic growth.

    "Is it the case that, in the developed world, too many of us have in fact become complacent about our prosperity?" Harper asked.

    He suggested that developed countries had taken wealth "as a given . . . assuming it is somehow the natural order of things."

    As a result, he said, countries in the western world had become focused primarily "on our services and entitlements."

    As a result, he said, it's not surprising that, in addition to banks facing debt, countries themselves were also facing sovereign debt crises.

    The problem, he suggested, could be "too much general willingness to have standards and benefits beyond our ability, or even willingness, to pay for them."

    Harper warned that the wealth of western economies "is no more inevitable than the poverty of emerging ones."

    He said the problems afflicting Europe and the U.S. threaten to become even more serious in future.

    "Each nation has a choice to make. Western nations, in particular, face a choice of whether to create the conditions for growth and prosperity, or to risk long-term economic decline."

    The solution, he said, is for countries to make the sometimes tough, but correct, decisions now.

    "Easy choices now mean fewer choices later."

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    Among the other priorities Prime Minister Stephen Harper signalled where change is coming:

    - Energy

    The Conservative government will make it a "national priority" to ensure the country has the "capacity to export our energy products beyond the United States, and specifically to Asia."

    "In this regard, we will soon take action to ensure that major energy and mining projects are not subject to unnecessary regulatory delays ? that is, delay merely for the sake of delay."

    Harper did not explain what he has planned, although he and Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver have complained that foreign-backed "radical" opponents of the $5.5-billion Northern Gateway project have threatened to slow down hearings by the National Energy Board.

    - Immigration

    "We will ensure that, while we respect our humanitarian obligations and family reunification objectives, we make our economic and labour force needs the central goal of our immigration efforts in the future."

    - Science

    The government will continue to make "key investments in science and technology" that are necessary to sustain a "modern competitive economy."

    "But we believe that Canada's less-than-optimal results for those investments is a significant problem for our country."

    - Trade

    Harper expects to complete negotiations on a Canada-European Union free-trade agreement this year.

    Furthermore, he said, his government is also committed to completing negotiations for a free-trade deal with India by the end of 2013.

    And Canada will begin talks to become a member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership while also pursuing opportunities to trade in the emerging market of Asia.

    ? Copyright (c) Postmedia News

    Source: http://feeds.canada.com/~r/canwest/F229/~3/oz4a1qGmtno/story.html

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    Ivan Pravilov Facing Sex Charges: Youth Hockey Coach And Mentor To NHL, College Players Indicted

    PHILADELPHIA -- A Ukrainian hockey coach has been indicted on charges he fondled a teen attending clinics in Philadelphia.

    Ivan Pravilov (ee-VAHN' PRAH'-vuh-lahv), a mentor to several NHL and college players, has been in custody since his arrest last week.

    Federal authorities will seek detention at a hearing Friday. They say he threatened a teenage witness and has no local ties.

    A recent book by former player Maxim Starchenko describes the coach as physically, mentally and sexually abusive.

    Authorities say the 48-year-old Pravilov took a 14-year-old Ukrainian boy to his Philadelphia apartment this month for sexual purposes. The boy was staying with a family in Wilmington, Del.

    Pravilov's hockey school takes young players to camps and tournaments throughout the U.S.

    His public defender declined to comment Thursday.

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    Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/26/ivan-pravilov-ukrainian-coach-indicted-abuse-pa_n_1235356.html

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    Friday, January 27, 2012

    This Centimeter of Dried Glue Is Apparently Worth Thousands [Video]

    This glob of dried glue kind of looks like Homer Simpson. Kind of. The thing is that this insignificant blip in the scheme of humanity is about to sell on eBay UK for a metric crap ton. It's at ?151,000 with two days to go. More »


    Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/n4GkCDlOV_M/this-centimeter-of-dried-glue-is-apparently-worth-thousands

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    Eyes-on the innards of Fujitsu's K supercomputer (updated)

    Eyes-on the innards of Fujitsu's K supercomputer
    Fujitsu's K supercomputer was on our radar before it was even completed, and naturally, we let you know when it smoked the competition and became the supercomputing speed king. So, when we had the opportunity to see a piece of K at Fujitsu's North America Technology Forum today, we couldn't pass it up. In case you forgot, K is a massive machine powered by 864 racks with 24 boards per rack housing SPARC64 CPUs. We got to see one of those boards, and Yuichiro Ajima -- who designed the inter-connection chips (ICC) on them -- was gracious enough to give us some more info on this most super of supercomputers.

    As you can see in the gallery above, each board has extensive plumbing to keep the SPARC silicon running at a manageable 32 - 35 degrees Celsius (90 - 95 Fahrenheit) under load. Underneath that copper cooling system lies four processors interspersed between 32 memory modules (with 2GB per module) and four ICCs lined up next to the board's rack interconnect ports. Currently, the system takes 30 megawatts to do its thing, though Ajima informed us that K's theoretical max electricity consumption is about double that -- for perspective, that means K could consume the entire output of some solar power plants. When asked if there were plans to add more racks should Fujitsu's supercomputer lose its crown, Ajima-san said that while possible, there are no plans to do so -- we'll see if that changes should a worthy opponent present itself.

    Update: Turns out the K's power consumption resides around 13 megawatts, with a max consumption of 16MW at its current configuration. The facility in Kobe, Japan where K resides can deliver up to 24 megawatts, so expansion is possible, but none is currently planned.

    Eyes-on the innards of Fujitsu's K supercomputer (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/JWeme4NM3LA/

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    Thursday, January 26, 2012

    Upbeat and on a roll, Obama showing some swagger

    President Barack Obama signs autographs after arriving at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

    President Barack Obama signs autographs after arriving at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

    President Barack Obama shakes hands after speaking about manufacturing and jobs during a visit to Intel Corporation's Ocotillo facility Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Chandler, Ariz. In 2011 Intel announced a more than $5 billion investment to build the new chip manufacturing facility, called the Fab 42, bringing thousands of construction and permanent manufacturing jobs to Intel's Arizona site. (AP Photo/Haraz Ghanbari)

    President Barack Obama jogs toward a group of onlookers to shake hands after arriving at the airport in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

    President Barack Obama speaks about manufacturing jobs at the Conveyor Engineering & Manufacturing plant, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

    President Barack Obama speaks about manufacturing jobs, at the Conveyor Engineering & Manufacturing plant, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

    (AP) ? If President Barack Obama is showing some swagger, it shouldn't be a surprise.

    His job approval ratings point to an uptick. The Navy SEAL unit that killed Osama bin Laden just pulled off a daring rescue that Obama authorized in Somalia. He's fresh off a big speech before Congress, and the Republicans who want his job are criticizing each other probably more than they are Obama.

    As he hits the road for three days of travel to important political states, Obama is on a roll.

    Feeling good, he even tried his hand at a bit of public crooning a few days ago, channeling the Rev. Al Green to a fundraising crowd at the Apollo Theater in New York and securing the highest of pop culture distinction: a ring tone.

    It could be a fleeting moment for Obama. While the economy is improving with indicators trending positively, unemployment remains high at 8.5 percent and international debt crises and tensions could unravel the gains. A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows signs of increasing optimism that the economy will improve with 37 percent saying it will get better in the next year, the highest level in that poll in more than a year.

    For now, Obama is not hiding his upbeat demeanor.

    Arriving in Iowa on Wednesday, he jogged, grinning, to a rope line of a couple of dozen supporters. He later expressed nostalgia for the days in 2007 when he was campaigning in Iowa, and he struck a defiant tone against congressional Republicans that was even sharper than the repudiation he offered Tuesday night in his State of the Union address.

    "Our economy is getting stronger, and we've come too far to turn back now," he told workers and guests at a conveyor manufacturing plant in Cedar Rapids. Speaking of Republicans, he said, "Their philosophy is simple: We're better off when everyone is left to fend for themselves and play by their own rules."

    "Well, I am here to say they are wrong," he said.

    In a stop later in the day in Arizona, Obama stripped off his jacket and joked about the warm weather to a crowd at an Intel chip plant, seeming to revel in being out on the stump.

    He even mixed it up with the state's Republican governor, Jan Brewer, confronting her over how she depicted him in her book. Reporters witnessed the two in intense conversation after Brewer greeted Obama on the tarmac at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, and Brewer later said it was over a passage in her book in which she describes Obama as lecturing her over immigration.

    A White House official said Obama, who opposes Arizona's controversial immigration law, responded to an invitation from Brewer to meet with her by telling the governor he'd be glad to, but adding that Brewer had inaccurately described their last meeting in her book.

    The spring in his step comes as polls show slight improvement in his job approval ratings. A Washington Post/ABC poll last week had him evenly split 48-48 on that question. A Gallup tracking poll has him even in recent surveys, compared with a few months ago when more disapproved than approved.

    On the road through Friday, Obama will bask in the afterglow of his prime-time address and use the power of the presidency to compete for headlines with leading GOP White House hopefuls Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich as they knock heads ahead of the Jan. 31 Florida primary. He will try to promote a populist message of income equality that Obama's team believes can resonate with voters.

    Underscoring the political subtext, four of the five states he will visit will hold Republican presidential caucuses or primaries within the next month. The two caucuses ? in Nevada and Colorado ? come within two weeks of his visit.

    If 2011 began with overtures to Republicans and big business, 2012 is about operating on his own terms. He will challenge Congress to pass his initiatives, some of which he has tried before without success. For now, Obama is liberated. The thrust and parrying of governing has not picked up in Washington yet.

    The road gives him an opportunity to goad congressional Republicans, believing he has been able to sway public opinion with his presidential megaphone before. He cites Washington's decision to extend, for two months, a payroll tax cut for workers. He's now seeking to extend it for the full year, and while there's little doubt that Congress eventually will agree, Obama prodded anyway.

    "Your voices convinced Congress to extend this middle-class tax cut before," he said. "You remember there was little resistance there last year. I need your help to get them to do it again. Tell Congress to pass this tax cut without drama, without delay. No soap operas. Just get it done."

    Political events are going his way as well.

    Just as he stepped up his call for a minimum 30 percent tax rate for millionaires, Romney released his tax returns under pressure, revealing that he paid an effective tax rate of 14 percent. That not only underscored Romney's wealth, it also provided an argument for altering the nation's tax laws, a central element of Obama's re-election campaign.

    Gingrich on Wednesday helped keep the focus on Romney's wealth, saying that the wealthy businessman lived in "a world of Swiss bank accounts and Cayman Island accounts and automatically $20 million income for no work."

    Romney and Gingrich have been forced to target each other in the GOP presidential contest, freeing Obama from the fray. For instance, Romney has ads in Florida and Nevada blaming the housing crisis on Gingrich and concludes that nothing would make Obama happier than Gingrich winning the nomination.

    ___

    AP Deputy Polling Director Jennifer Agiesta in Washington and Associated Press writer Cristina Silva in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

    Associated Press

    Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-25-Obama/id-f841bc3cc3ea464a94f04caed4185999

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    Council finds states weakening teacher tenure (AP)

    WASHINGTON ? America's public school teachers are seeing their generations-old tenure protections weakened as states seek flexibility to fire teachers who aren't performing. A few states have essentially nullified tenure protections altogether, according to an analysis being released Wednesday by the National Council on Teacher Quality.

    The changes are occurring as states replace virtually automatic "satisfactory" teacher evaluations with those linked to teacher performance and base teacher layoffs on performance instead of seniority. Politically powerful teachers' unions are fighting back, arguing the changes lower morale, deny teachers due process, and unfairly target older teachers.

    The debate is so intense that in Idaho, for example, state superintendent Tom Luna's truck was spray painted and its tires slashed. An opponent appeared at his mother's house and he was interrupted during a live TV interview by an agitated man. Why? The Idaho legislature last year ended "continuing contracts" ? essentially equivalent to tenure ? for new teachers and said performance, not seniority, would determine layoffs. Other changes include up to $8,000 in annual bonuses given to teachers for good performance, and parent input on evaluations. Opponents gathered enough signatures to put a referendum that would overturn the changes on the November ballot.

    Luna says good teachers shouldn't be worried.

    "We had a system where it was almost impossible to financially reward great teachers and very difficult to deal with ineffective teachers. If you want an education system that truly puts students first, you have to have both," Luna said.

    On Tuesday night, President Barack Obama weighed in on the issue during his State of the Union address. He said schools should be given the resources to keep and reward good teachers along with the flexibility to teach with creativity and to "replace teachers who just aren't helping kids learn."

    Tenure protections were created in the early 20th century to protect teachers from arbitrary or discriminatory firings based on factors such as gender, nationality or political beliefs by spelling out rules under which they could be dismissed after a probationary period.

    Critics say teachers too often get tenure by just showing up for work ? typically for three years, but sometimes less, and that once they earned it, bad teachers are almost impossible or too expensive to fire. The latest statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics, dating to the 2007-2008 school year, show about 2 percent of teachers dismissed for poor performance, although the numbers vary widely by school district.

    The analysis by the National Council on Teacher Quality, a research and policy group that seeks to improve the quality of teaching, documents the shift in laws. In 2009, no state required student performance to be central to whether a teacher is awarded tenure; today, eight states do. The analysis also says four states now want evidence that students are learning before awarding tenure.

    Other changes:

    ? In Florida, tenure protections were essentially made null and void with policy changes such as eliminating tenure-like benefits altogether for new teachers, but also spelling out requirements under which all teachers with multiple poor evaluations face dismissal.

    ? Rhode Island policies say teachers with two years of ineffective evaluations will be dismissed.

    ? Colorado and Nevada passed laws saying tenure can be taken away after multiple "ineffective" ratings.

    ? Eleven states now require districts to consider teacher performance when deciding who to let go.

    ? About half of all states have policies that require classroom effectiveness be considered in teacher evaluations.

    ? Florida, Indiana and Michigan adopted policies that require performance to be factored in teacher salaries.

    A growing body of research demonstrates the dramatic difference effective teachers can play in student lives, from reducing teenage pregnancies to increasing a student's lifetime earnings. Meanwhile, while controversial, teacher evaluations have evolved in a way that proponents say allows better accounting of students' growth and of factors out of a teacher's control, like attendance.

    The Obama administration has helped nudge the changes with its Race to the Top competition, which allowed states to compete for billions of education dollars, and offering states waivers around unpopular proficiency requirements in the No Child Left Behind education law. To participate in either, states have to promise changes such as tying teacher evaluations to performance.

    "There's a real shift to saying all kids, especially our most disadvantaged kids, have access to really high quality and effective teachers. And, that's it's not OK for kids to have ... an ineffective teacher year after year," said Sandi Jacobs, vice president of the National Council on Teacher Quality.

    Jacobs said tenure should be meaningful, but that in 39 states it's automatic.

    "That's the problem with tenure, everybody gets it," she said. "If you're held to a high bar where you've really demonstrated that you are effective in the classroom, then there's nothing wrong with that as long as the due process rights that you do get are reasonable."

    But many teachers feel under siege. They argue the evaluation systems are too dependent on standardized tests. While teachers' unions have gotten more on board with strengthening teacher evaluations, they often question the systems' fairness and want them designed with local teachers' input.

    Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said unions understand the tenure process needs change, but that too often, school administrators have used it as an excuse to mismanage. "They want teachers to basically do exactly what they say, give them no resources and then blame them if they don't in a time of tremendous fiscal instability and fiscal pressures," Weingarten said.

    In Boise, Idaho, Lane Brown, 56, a biology and horticulture teacher who moved from a private school a few years ago to a public alternative high school to seek new challenges after three decades of teaching, said her school's climate has dramatically changed.

    "There's nobody in this building that doesn't understand it could be one of us, not just the newest teacher or the teacher with the fewest number of students. It could be anybody, ... which is scary. Every teacher here is saying, `I don't know if I'm going to have a job next year,'" Brown said.

    In Florida, teachers fear expressing what they feel is best for students, said Andy Ford, president of the Florida Education Association.

    "Teachers see positions not being filled, class sizes increasing, more demands, more testing, and you add all that together with their economic uncertainty about continued employment and it certainly doesn't allow you to go out and plan for long term investments like a home," Ford said.

    Kathy Hebda, the deputy chancellor for education quality in Florida, said the contract-related changes were not done in "isolation," but as part of broader changes that improve accountability and provide teachers feedback.

    Michelle Rhee, the former schools chancellor in Washington, D.C., acknowledged widespread mistrust among teachers about evaluations, but she said once teachers are brought into discussions, many are won over.

    "If we know who the effective teachers are, if we know what kind of an impact effective teachers can have on individual kids and on our society overall, then why wouldn't we take the obvious step of utilizing the information on who are the most effective teachers to make our staffing decisions?" said Rhee, whose education advocacy group StudentsFirst is pushing for changes to layoff policies based on seniority.

    Coming up, Missouri legislators appear poised to take up the contentious topic of teacher tenure. In Connecticut, the Connecticut Education Association launched a TV advertising campaign after Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and legislative leaders said education reform ? and possibly tenure ? will be the major focus of this legislative session. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie, both Republicans, are eyeing tenure law changes.

    "Tenure laws will be under assault for many years to come," said Marjorie Murphy, a professor of history at Swarthmore College who wrote a book about the teacher labor movement. Murphy said ending tenure protections will "take over any sense of fair play between employer and employee. All of that will be gone."

    _____

    National Council on Teacher Quality: http://www.nctq.org/

    ____

    Chris Blank in Jefferson City, Mo., and Jessie Bonner in Boise, Idaho, contributed to this report.

    Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_go_ot/us_teacher_tenure

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    Wednesday, January 25, 2012

    Dortmund's Mario Goetze out for up to 2 months

    Associated Press Sports

    updated 8:57 a.m. ET Jan. 24, 2012

    DORTMUND, Germany (AP) -Borussia Dortmund says young star Mario Goetze will up be out for up to two months because of a pubic bone injury.

    The loss of the 19-year-old midfielder is a big setback for the defending Bundesliga champions, who are in a three-team tie with Bayern Munich and Schalke at the top of the standings.

    Dortmund thrashed Hamburger SV 5-1 without Goetze at the weekend to start the second half of the season.

    The club says Goetze requires two weeks rest before he can start rehab due to a "stress reaction" and "overload" in the pubic bone.

    ? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


    advertisement

    Reuters
    That's a reason?

    AC Milan's Kevin-Prince Boateng is hurt again, and his girlfriend says it's because they have sex "7-10 times a week." Oh.

    Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45175309/ns/sports-soccer/

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    Tuesday, January 24, 2012

    Environmentalists see reason for alarm in GOP race (The Arizona Republic)

    Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

    Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/190272342?client_source=feed&format=rss

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    HBT: Twins' Morneau feeling much better

    Finally, some promising news on Justin Morneau.

    According to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the 30-year-old first baseman has been participating in?strenuous?workouts for over a month at a training facility in?Phoenix and has not experienced a concussion-related symptom yet.

    There?s still some concern that Morneau?s head issues will resurface when spring training opens and he?s exposed to the heat and sunlight of a typical March in Fort Myers, Florida. But, so far so good.

    ?I wouldn?t say the head?s perfect yet,? Morneau told the Star-Tribune. ?I?m not going to declare that until I go through fielding ground balls, playing catch, taking batting practice, doing all the baseball stuff. But what I was able to do today is miles ahead of where I was at this time last year.?

    Morneau batted just .227/.285/.333 with four home runs and 30 RBI across 288 plate appearances last year and has played in only 150 games over the past two seasons. The native of British Columbia was the American League?s Most Valuable Player in 2006 and was a .282/.352/.505 hitter between ?04 and ?09.

    Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/22/justin-morneau-hasnt-felt-concussion-symptoms-since-dec/related/

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    Monday, January 23, 2012

    Oprah Winfrey charms "chaotic" India at book event (Reuters)

    JAIPUR, India (Reuters) ? Amid raucous cheers from thousands of admirers, television superstar Oprah Winfrey praised the contrast of calm and chaos in India at the region's largest literature festival fast becoming a global cultural gala.

    Considered one of the world's most influential women, Winfrey lived up to her billing as the headline draw at an event boasting literary giants such as Tom Stoppard, Michael Ondaatje and Richard Dawkins, charming the crowds on Sunday morning.

    "I came here with an open mind, and it has been expanded... It's the greatest life experience I have ever had," Winfrey said at the annual Jaipur Literature Festival in India's north-western state of Rajasthan.

    "You feel like you're in the centre of something bigger and greater than yourself."

    Hundreds of eager visitors jostled against barricades at the back of the main stage area as Winfrey began speaking. Security guards struggled to shut the main entrance gates as angry admirers tried to push their way inside.

    "It's like being in a video game. I don't know which way to look," Winfrey told crowds on her arrival in Mumbai. "It's a bit chaotic, but there's an underlying calm, a flow, that you all seem to understand. India is a paradox."

    The 57-year-old has caused a media storm in India, with news channels and front pages filled with stories of her touring the city of Mumbai with the Bachchans, Bollywood's first family. On Sunday she drew huge cheers as she appeared on stage in a traditional Indian churidar kameez smock.

    "I will take with me a sense of calmness, and a genuine respect... people don't talk religion here, they live it," Winfrey said.

    Her appearance on Sunday was seen as a welcome distraction from the Salman Rushdie furor that has overshadowed the five-day festival, after the author cancelled his planned visit due to reported assassination threats against him.

    The talk-show host and interviewer's "Book Club" turned little-known authors into global stars, with 59 of the club's 70 selected books making the USA TODAY Top 10 best-sellers list.

    Winfrey told the festival that in 2008, after witnessing the completion of her mission to get then-Senator Barack Obama to the White House, she stuck a picture of a woman riding a camel on her pinboard, that said "Come to India."

    "It was important for me to go to slums but not show the worst of the worst, but show that people can live in poverty and still have hope and meaning in their lives," said Winfrey, who also called for Indians to work to eradicate discrimination against widows in society.

    (Editing by Ron Popeski)

    Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120122/stage_nm/us_india_festival_oprah

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    HelloGiggles ? Hello Giggles Pets of the Week!

    Confession time, Gigglers: I really love when animals do human things. I even started a Tumblr called ?Animals Doing Human Things?. No, that?s not meant to be self promotion ? it?s just me trying to prove to you how much I love when animals act like people (especially classy business people).

    Which is why my favorite female dog CEO pet of the week has to be Aubie. That dog looks better in those?pearls?than I do in mine! But this week?s whole gallery is pretty much full of the cutest pets I?ve ever seen.

    Want to try and make next week?s gallery even cuter with the inclusion of your pet? E-mail us your pictures and be sure to include your pet?s name. Until next week, fellow animal lovers!

    Morgan is an NYU student who wishes she could graduate and be a grown-up producer and/or blogger already. She also loves all things Disney and hot pink, which she realizes may contradict her desire to be an adult. You can follow her on Twitter @Morgan_L_Nelson or Tumblr at mln2118.tumblr.com.
    See more posts from Morgan

    Source: http://hellogiggles.com/hello-giggles-pets-of-the-week-3?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hello-giggles-pets-of-the-week-3

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    Sunday, January 22, 2012

    Cooley leads Irish to upset over No. 1 Syracuse

    (AP) ? Mike Brey's viewing selection for his players the night before meeting top-ranked Syracuse was an easy choice. The Notre Dame coach showed a video of former Irish teams upsetting No. 1 teams over the years.

    Brey and the current group of Irish now have their own spot in that collection.

    Jack Cooley had 17 points and 10 rebounds against a Syracuse team missing its shot-blocking, rebounding center Fab Melo and the Irish surprised the top-ranked and previously unbeaten Orange 67-58 on Saturday night.

    Fans stormed the court after the Irish's rousing victory, hoisting players on their shoulders in a wild scene at the Purcell Pavilion. It was the eighth time Notre Dame has beaten a No. 1 team ? that ties for fourth-most all-time, with North Carolina having the most with 12.

    "Notre Dame has an unbelievable history against No. 1 teams," Irish forward Scott Martin said. "We saw a little video to just kind of pump us up a little bit."

    Cooley was certainly inspired.

    Without Melo in the middle, Notre Dame's 6-foot-9, 248-pound center was a major force as the Irish won the rebound battle 38-25.

    "I can't even describe this right now. They were 20-0. I can't put it to words how amazing this is," Cooley said. "We came out with energy. This was a great opportunity and we didn't want to squander it."

    Melo had started all 20 of the Orange's first games, was their leading rebounder with 5.7 a game, averaged 7.2 points and three blocks. School officials gave no explanation why the talented center did not make the trip. He will also miss Monday's game against Cincinnati.

    "We had all week to prepare for Melo (not playing). We didn't know for sure (he would not play), but we were prepared for it," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said, without elaborating on the reasons.

    "I don't know how he affected the game because he wasn't here."

    Syracuse guard Scoop Jardine said Melo was definitely missed but his absence was no excuse for such a weak offensive performance in their lowest scoring game of the season.

    "Fab is the key to our defense. He's an anchor. It wasn't that, though. Our offense wasn't going today," Jardine said. "Fab only averaged six points for us. That's not too much points."

    James Southerland scored 15 points for Syracuse, which shot just 34 percent and was 7-for-23 on 3-pointers. Martin added 13 for Notre Dame, which hit 50 percent of its field-goal attempts.

    Southerland's 3-pointer with 53.9 seconds left brought the Orange to within 62-56 before the Irish held on as Jerian Grant sank four free throws in the final 32 seconds.

    It was the first time the Irish have beaten a top-ranked team since 1987 when they defeated North Carolina, also in South Bend. One of the Irish's most dramatic victories over a No. 1 came in 1974, when they stopped UCLA's 88-game winning streak by 71-70, also on the Irish's homecourt.

    Hence the video selection from Brey.

    "I just wanted them to see the history of our place against No. 1s," Brey said. "I mean, we were channeling all week as much as possible. In the midst of the videos, I had our guys doing good things and making big plays. It was only about five minutes, but it was really well done and we watched it last night in the team meeting.

    "It is awesome that the players have said that they wanted to see me in some of them. ... This is a great memory for them. This is the kind of thing that will be talked about at the reunions when they come back in 10 years."

    Boeheim was denied his 877th career victory, which would have put him in sole possession of fourth place among Division I men's coaches.

    Notre Dame led in the first half by as many as 18 and was up 35-23 at the half, shooting 54.4 percent and holding the Orange to 2.6 (8-for-18). Syracuse was only 4-of-13 from the 3-point line and was beaten on the boards 20-13 as Notre Dame seemed to be half-step quicker.

    "We knew that. It's been like that all year for us. We're the No. 1 team in the country and we're going to get everybody's best shots," Jardine said. "We knew Notre Dame was going to come out and make some shots. ... We didn't bounce back fast enough, and that's why we lost."

    Syracuse got off to a better second-half start and whittled the lead to eight less than three minutes in. But Martin hit another 3-pointer for the Irish as the shot clock was winding down and Cooley ? benefiting from Melo's absence ? bulled his way in for a layup to restore the lead to 12. Cooley then dropped in two free throws and Martin again sank a 3-pointer and the Irish were rolling with a 17-point lead.

    The Orange then went on a 9-2 run and Kris Joseph's 3-pointer made it a 10-point game with 7:43 to go. Syracuse again cut it to eight before Cooley roared down the court for a dunk with just over five minutes left.

    Triche's three-point play with 2:24 left cut it to seven as the Orange made a final run.

    Pat Connaughton, inserted into the Irish starting lineup, had a pair of 3s in the early going and Notre Dame bolted to an 11-2 lead.

    Notre Dame kept up the long-range accuracy, making four of its first six attempts. And when Eric Atkins grabbed a rebound and went the length of the floor for a layup, the Irish were up 21-10 as the fans at Purcell Pavilion went wild.

    And without Melo in the middle, the Irish were all over the boards with an early 13-4 advantage.

    Atkins picked up his third foul with 9:04 left, but Jerian Grant's 3-pointer gave the Irish a two-touchdown lead at 28-14.

    The Orange missed 14 of their first 19 field-goal attempts and nothing was falling. Tom Knight's left-handed shot in the lane doubled the score, putting the Irish up 32-16.

    Alex Dragicevich's 3-pointer as the shot clock was running down put the Irish up 35-18 with 1:12 left in the half. Dion Waiters then responded with a pair of quick 3-pointers to get the Orange to within 12 at the end of a frustrating first half.

    The 23 points represented the Orange's lowest-scoring half of the season.

    Associated Press

    Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-22-T25-Syracuse-Notre%20Dame/id-18cd786c9d4a4bf59564ad69dbcedd64

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