Colbert offering $500K to pay for SC GOP primary

FILE- This Thursday, June 30, 2011 file photo shows comedian Stephen Colbert as he appears before the Federal Election Commission in Washington. Colbert says he will pay half a million dollars to help fund South Carolina's first-in-the-South GOP presidential primary. The Palmetto State native wrote in an op-ed Thursday in The State newspaper in Columbia that his super PAC will bridge the gap after state Republicans refused to contribute anything above candidates' filing fees. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

FILE- This Thursday, June 30, 2011 file photo shows comedian Stephen Colbert as he appears before the Federal Election Commission in Washington. Colbert says he will pay half a million dollars to help fund South Carolina's first-in-the-South GOP presidential primary. The Palmetto State native wrote in an op-ed Thursday in The State newspaper in Columbia that his super PAC will bridge the gap after state Republicans refused to contribute anything above candidates' filing fees. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

(AP) ? Comedian Stephen Colbert is offering to pay half a million dollars to help subsidize South Carolina's first-in-the-South GOP presidential primary, as state officials struggle to pay for it, but there's doubt whether it would even be legal.

The Charleston native wrote in an op-ed Thursday in The State newspaper in Columbia that Colbert Super PAC ? a type of political action committee that allows him to raise unlimited amounts of money from corporations, unions and individuals ? will bridge the gap after state Republicans refused to contribute anything above $180,000 collected in candidates' filing fees.

The state Election Commission, which administers South Carolina's voting, has said it has $1 million on hand for the primary but is short of the total $1.5 million price tag. Spokesman Chris Whitmire says the Commission has notified budget officials the state may need to seek permission to run a deficit to fund the primary.

Colbert wrote that he offered make up that $500,000 funding gap after state Republicans ultimately turned down his proposal to pay them $400,000 if they'd name the contest after him. Party officials have confirmed meeting with Colbert earlier this year to discuss a deal that would have renamed the balloting "The Colbert Super PAC South Carolina Republican Primary" in exchange for a check from the comedian.

Colbert says he also wanted to put a question about "corporate personhood" on the January ballot. He seized on the issue after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling eased restrictions on campaign spending by corporations.

Ultimately rebuffed by the GOP, Colbert says he started working with Democrats to get the issue on the ballot, but state Democratic Party Chairman Dick Harpootlian said Thursday that effort also fell through.

State GOP executive director Matt Moore said party officials were skeptical of Colbert from the beginning but entertained his early communications before turning him down.

"Despite our repeatedly saying 'no,' Stephen Colbert, the comedian, seems intent on being involved," Moore said. "It's exactly why we were wary in the first place."

Regardless of the party's position, it would be up to the state whether to accept or reject any offer.

Whitmire said the question of whether a PAC can fund a South Carolina primary is a new one. If the Election Commission were presented with the money and decided to accept it, he said, they would have to ask state Attorney General Alan Wilson to decide if state law permits a political action committee to fund a primary.

Colbert, who did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment, wrote that he will be spending the holidays in his native state and is open to discussions.

"The counties need the money, and Colbert Super PAC wants to give it to you; call it a Christmas Miracle," he wrote. "I'm going to be home in South Carolina over the holidays, so just give me a call. Both state parties have my contact info."

___

Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2011-12-22-SC%20Primary-Colbert/id-d056b6cf069f4e40a87ad873312da58d

pacquiao marquez pacquiao marquez penn state game radiohead tour cbsnews ufc on fox fight card florida marlins

Google sticks Nexus S ICS update back in the freezer

Eager to get your Nexus S all sticky with an Ice Cream Sandwich update? Google's saying not so fast, at least for some Nexus S owners. Google community manager Paul Wilcox responded to queries on the mobile support forum, explaining:

If you received an update notification a little while ago but the update isn't currently available for your phone, this is likely the result of Google pausing the update in your area while we monitor feedback. The Android 4.0 update is continuing to roll out around the world so your phone will receive another update notification when it's available again in your region.

Apparently the update is continuing to download for some users, but in some cases it won't install, though Wilcox says that this is "a different scenario." We've reached out to Mountain View for an update, but let us know about your experience in the comments.

Google sticks Nexus S ICS update back in the freezer originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TechCrunch  |  sourceGoogle Mobile Help Forum  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/20/google-sticks-nexus-s-ics-update-back-in-the-freezer/

gmail app phentermine port of oakland grand theft auto 5 grand theft auto 5 kris jenner kris jenner

Haley catches flak with Mitt support (Politico)

GREENVILLE, S.C. ? Nikki Haley?s attempt to boost Mitt Romney is threatening her own support here at home.

Romney?s campaign is using the South Carolina governor?s endorsement to build his acceptance among the tea party base that?s never been comfortable with his candidacy, especially in a state where Newt Gingrich has been running even stronger than elsewhere.

Continue Reading

But the people in that base who propelled Haley to the governor?s mansion last year see the endorsement of the more moderate Romney as abandoning them ? and giving them another reason to turn away from a governor whose approval rating has dropped to 34.6 percent.

Immediately after Haley announced her support Friday morning on ?Fox and Friends,? her Facebook page lit up with accusations that the first-term governor was selling out her principles. Rush Limbaugh followed with a blistering broadside against her on his radio show Friday, leading a charge of conservatives nationally, in addition to locally, who accused her of selling out.

Tea party leaders in the state suggested that Haley will pay for Friday?s move with a primary in 2014 ? provided she doesn?t win herself a spot on the ticket or another post in a Romney administration, as tea partiers and Republican operatives say must be the explanation for the decision.

?The overwhelming sense that I get from talking to people is deep betrayal,? said Karen Martin, the founder and organizer of the Spartanburg tea party, who has not endorsed a candidate. ?She?s not going to be able to come back from this with the tea party. If there?s anybody credible who will run against her, I believe the tea party will support them whole-heartedly.?

Martin predicted that Haley will face trouble even before then in trying to push through a governing agenda that?s already put her at odds with her former colleagues in the GOP-controlled legislature.

?She?s just lost her credibility,? she said. ?Anything that she tries to propose, most people in the past might not have looked too carefully at her, believing that she is a credible conservative. We?ve given her a pass on a few things, but that won?t happen any more.?

Limbaugh mocked the Haley endorsement, saying that it was more about her ambition than about conservative principles.

?Don?t misunderstand this,? Limbaugh said. ?Of course she has a choice, but she really doesn?t have a choice, given her aspirations. It just means that we?ve got a lot of work to do.?

Haley, though, insists she?s not worried.

Speaking to POLITICO after helping Romney draw more than the 425 people to a firehouse here on a rainy afternoon ? a rare event when the former Massachusetts governor has drawn an overflow crowd at a campaign stop ? Haley said she believed the tea partiers now upset would eventually see the wisdom of her decision.

?I have a great respect for the members of the tea party and what I know is all South Carolinians make the decision that?s best for them,? Haley said, between signing autographs at the event. ?And so that?s what I did today.?

There may be reason to be less concerned. Scott Huffmon, the director of the Winthrop Poll here, said Haley has already lost much of her tea party support, and that the percentage of South Carolina Republicans who identify themselves as tea partiers has shrunk since she surprised the state GOP establishment and won the 2010 primary for governor.

?It?s no longer a driving force, but it?s still a relevant force,? Huffmon said. ?She?s had a few things that have caused tea party support to not necessarily disappear, but not be as unified and excited to be behind her as it was in 2010. So her endorsement is by no means saying this is what the tea party has done.?

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_70580_html/43932133/SIG=11mm9dmau/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/70580.html

leap pad baltimore ravens san francisco 49ers san francisco 49ers lauren alaina lowes 49ers

Downsizing, TV style: Goodbye to Spelling Manor (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? Granted, it's a problem that maybe 1 percent of Americans could ever face: a 30-day deadline to move out of a 56,500-square-foot home after two decades of filling it with "stuff," as owner Candy Spelling puts it.

The widow of TV producer Aaron Spelling ("Dynasty," "Charlie's Angels" and scads more shows) takes on the task with such can-do spirit that it's easy to admire her, if not quite sympathize with her.

The process, involving 30 moving vans and meticulous planning by the uber-organized Spelling, is detailed in HGTV's two-part "Selling Spelling Manor," which debuts 9 p.m. EST Thursday. The second episode airs 4 p.m. EST Jan. 2.

"I took my attachment and separated myself from it," Spelling said. "I couldn't get emotional about everything I was packing."

Spelling, whose husband died in 2006, sold the French-style house on 4.7 acres in the city's exclusive Holmby Hills section for $85 million in July. The buyer was British heiress Petra Ecclestone, 22, daughter of sports entrepreneur Bernie Ecclestone.

The one-month escrow was part of the deal and not a TV stunt, said Spelling and the special's executive producer, Stuart Krasnow.

As Spelling, her staff and movers scurry to pack up Spelling Manor (as the family dubbed the estate), viewers get a peek at some of its five kitchens, 27 bathrooms and bowling alley, arcade, and silver storage and gift-wrap "specialty areas."

"She's Martha Stewart up there," Krasnow said of the space in which Spelling would wrap close to 1,000 presents a year. "It's her way of saying I didn't assign this to somebody. The generosity was important to me to show."

Besides the furniture and artwork occupying Southern California's largest house, Spelling had to evaluate her varied collections for donation, sale or storage.

"Only when I started moving did I start to think I have tendencies to be a hoarder," Spelling said, good-naturedly, then added: "I'm an archivist. That makes it sound a little better, doesn't it?"

Among her acquisitions: thousands of stuffed Beanie Babies, the result of urging her household to stuff themselves with McDonald's Happy Meals; hundreds of rare Madame Alexander dolls from the 1930s to the 1970s; 5,000 bound scripts from her husband's TV series.

The Beanie Babies were set for sale on eBay, with proceeds going to the nonprofit organization LA's Best, which benefits afterschool programs; Spelling is a board member.

Aaron Spelling's scripts are being donated to Boston University, while the rare dolls are to be sold at auction. A climate-controlled warehouse is getting the bulk of the house's contents for Candy Spelling and children Tori (of "Beverly Hills 90210" and reality series fame) and Randy to gradually sort through.

Spelling's new home is a custom-built condo, reportedly purchased for $47 million, on the top two floors of a Los Angeles-area high-rise. It's about the size of the 17,000-square-foot attic she left behind.

That means serious downsizing. But she's getting a rose garden, albeit a fraction of the ones at Spelling Manor, and a pool with an expansive city view.

It's part of a new, relatively simpler lifestyle, said Spelling, who is still attending black-tie events but has traded "ball gowns and huge jewelry" for simpler evening dresses.

"I'm guess I'm more mature and not so insecure. Aaron put a big importance on a lot of that and was really very thrilled to give it all to me. But I'm glad to not have to be bothered with it," said Spelling, 66, who wryly called herself a "trophy wife" in the past.

She hopes the recently married Ecclestone will create her own happy family history at the manor. For Candy Spelling and her offspring, the memories and even the Halloween memorabilia remain to be divided.

"Both Tori and Randy mentioned the witch with the cauldron. I hope there's not a little fight over that," Spelling said.

___

Online:

http://www.hgtv.com

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_en_tv/us_tv_spelling_manor

roddy white howard stern howard stern free shipping day free shipping day golden globe nominations 2012 war in iraq

Half of microsoft video game design finalists from UH

[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 15-Dec-2011
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Lisa Merkl
lkmerkl@uh.edu
713-743-8192
University of Houston

Improving the environment focus of 3 teams selected for 2012 Imagine Cup Finals

HOUSTON, Dec. 15, 2011 Three interactive video games developed by University of Houston (UH) computer science students have been selected by Microsoft to compete in the U.S. Imagine Cup 2012 Finals this spring, dominating the slots awarded in the fall leg of the contest.

With the theme of the competition being to imagine a world where technology helps solve some of the world's toughest global issues, the UH teams were right on target with games focused on cleaning up oil spills, restoring ocean life destroyed by pollution and protecting water in developing countries.

"Microsoft picks only six teams in the fall finalist selection, so UH is dominating the finals again," said Chang Yun, research assistant professor in the department of computer science. "These teams have worked hard. For the first round of the competition, they had to submit a storyboard, and for the second, they submitted a game demo, instructions and a playable game. Now, they will continue to refine and improve their games for the final round of the competition."

The students are part of the Interactive Game Development Program in the computer science department. Yun and Jose Baez-Franceschi, a game developing instructor, are the teams' mentors.

Competing in the game design category, teams choose between two tracks Xbox/Windows and Windows Phone. Team Wasabi Ninja was selected in the Windows Phone category, and Teams Eager Beavers PC and Zigers were chosen in Xbox/Windows game design.

Led by Yun, Team Zigers created an Xbox game called Spillville that addresses major oil spills in the ocean. The player commands a fictional organization to clean up the spills. Members are undergraduate students Michael Slater, Chris Gonzales, Sin Ng and Allison Sherrick.

Also under the mentorship of Yun, Team Wasabi Ninja created a game for Windows Phone 7, where the player takes the role of a nanomachine engineered specifically to destroy harmful materials in the water systems of developing countries. Members are graduate students Martin Le and Patipol Paripoonnanonda and undergraduates Jackchalat Chaiyakhom and Josh Riffel.

The group coached by Baez-Franceschi, Team Eager Beavers PC, created an educational game dubbed Hydrobot Adventures, featuring a robot capable of restoring all ocean life destroyed by years of pollution. During the game, the player learns about environmental sustainability, and the game brings to mind a vision of what the ocean environment will become in the future if people do not act now. Members are undergraduate Khoa Le and graduate students Hien Nguyen, Sushil Joshi and Debjyoti Majunder.

The finals will be held this April in Seattle. With six more finalist teams to be picked during a spring selection in March, additional UH teams may advance to the national finals. Teams also can enter the Worldwide Imagine Cup for a chance to make it to the international finals in Sydney, Australia, later in the year.

UH's computer science department has a legacy of success at the Imagine Cup. In 2011, four UH teams competed in the U.S. finals, bringing home first and second place in mobile game design and third place in Windows/Xbox game design. Two teams brought home second and third place in the 2010 nationals.

###

About the University of Houston

The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the nation's best colleges for undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation's fourth-largest city, UH serves more than 38,500 students in the most ethnically and culturally diverse region in the country.

About the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

The UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, with 187 ranked faculty and approximately 5,800 students, offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in the natural sciences, computational sciences and mathematics. Faculty members in the departments of biology and biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, earth and atmospheric sciences, mathematics and physics conduct internationally recognized research in collaboration with industry, Texas Medical Center institutions, NASA and others worldwide.

For more information about UH, visit the university's Newsroom at http://www.uh.edu/news-events/.

To receive UH science news via e-mail, sign up for UH-SciNews at http://www.uh.edu/news-events/mailing-lists/sciencelistserv/index.php.

For additional news alerts about UH, follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UHNewsEvents and Twitter at http://twitter.com/UH_News.



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 15-Dec-2011
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Lisa Merkl
lkmerkl@uh.edu
713-743-8192
University of Houston

Improving the environment focus of 3 teams selected for 2012 Imagine Cup Finals

HOUSTON, Dec. 15, 2011 Three interactive video games developed by University of Houston (UH) computer science students have been selected by Microsoft to compete in the U.S. Imagine Cup 2012 Finals this spring, dominating the slots awarded in the fall leg of the contest.

With the theme of the competition being to imagine a world where technology helps solve some of the world's toughest global issues, the UH teams were right on target with games focused on cleaning up oil spills, restoring ocean life destroyed by pollution and protecting water in developing countries.

"Microsoft picks only six teams in the fall finalist selection, so UH is dominating the finals again," said Chang Yun, research assistant professor in the department of computer science. "These teams have worked hard. For the first round of the competition, they had to submit a storyboard, and for the second, they submitted a game demo, instructions and a playable game. Now, they will continue to refine and improve their games for the final round of the competition."

The students are part of the Interactive Game Development Program in the computer science department. Yun and Jose Baez-Franceschi, a game developing instructor, are the teams' mentors.

Competing in the game design category, teams choose between two tracks Xbox/Windows and Windows Phone. Team Wasabi Ninja was selected in the Windows Phone category, and Teams Eager Beavers PC and Zigers were chosen in Xbox/Windows game design.

Led by Yun, Team Zigers created an Xbox game called Spillville that addresses major oil spills in the ocean. The player commands a fictional organization to clean up the spills. Members are undergraduate students Michael Slater, Chris Gonzales, Sin Ng and Allison Sherrick.

Also under the mentorship of Yun, Team Wasabi Ninja created a game for Windows Phone 7, where the player takes the role of a nanomachine engineered specifically to destroy harmful materials in the water systems of developing countries. Members are graduate students Martin Le and Patipol Paripoonnanonda and undergraduates Jackchalat Chaiyakhom and Josh Riffel.

The group coached by Baez-Franceschi, Team Eager Beavers PC, created an educational game dubbed Hydrobot Adventures, featuring a robot capable of restoring all ocean life destroyed by years of pollution. During the game, the player learns about environmental sustainability, and the game brings to mind a vision of what the ocean environment will become in the future if people do not act now. Members are undergraduate Khoa Le and graduate students Hien Nguyen, Sushil Joshi and Debjyoti Majunder.

The finals will be held this April in Seattle. With six more finalist teams to be picked during a spring selection in March, additional UH teams may advance to the national finals. Teams also can enter the Worldwide Imagine Cup for a chance to make it to the international finals in Sydney, Australia, later in the year.

UH's computer science department has a legacy of success at the Imagine Cup. In 2011, four UH teams competed in the U.S. finals, bringing home first and second place in mobile game design and third place in Windows/Xbox game design. Two teams brought home second and third place in the 2010 nationals.

###

About the University of Houston

The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the nation's best colleges for undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation's fourth-largest city, UH serves more than 38,500 students in the most ethnically and culturally diverse region in the country.

About the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

The UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, with 187 ranked faculty and approximately 5,800 students, offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in the natural sciences, computational sciences and mathematics. Faculty members in the departments of biology and biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, earth and atmospheric sciences, mathematics and physics conduct internationally recognized research in collaboration with industry, Texas Medical Center institutions, NASA and others worldwide.

For more information about UH, visit the university's Newsroom at http://www.uh.edu/news-events/.

To receive UH science news via e-mail, sign up for UH-SciNews at http://www.uh.edu/news-events/mailing-lists/sciencelistserv/index.php.

For additional news alerts about UH, follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UHNewsEvents and Twitter at http://twitter.com/UH_News.



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-12/uoh-hom121511.php

jason segel turducken power rangers jungle fury power rangers jungle fury ufc 139 fight card cloudy with a chance of meatballs houston nutt

New iTunes "Avatar" pulls back curtain on the green screen (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) ? By revealing the digital tricks behind the blue-skinned Na'vi, Fox is expecting to start seeing lots of green this holiday season.

"Avatar" fans will be able to get an in-depth look at the groundbreaking performance capture and green-screen technology that helped James Cameron craft the alien residents of the planet Pandora thanks to a new iTunes special edition of the 2009 blockbuster.

The latest extras-laden version of the film will be available exclusively through the Apple platform starting on December 20.

"This came about because we were trying to figure out how we can elevate the iTunes space," Aubrey Freeborn, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Product Management for Worldwide VOD and Electronic Sell-Through, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, told TheWrap.

"We're trying to make digital copies of films more compelling," she added.

The thinking is that offering more interactive features might persuade viewers to buy movies rather than just streaming them.

To that end, Freeborn said that the studio worked closely with Cameron and the "Avatar" director's Lightstorm entertainment to create the supplemental materials.

Among the more eye-popping attractions are features that allow viewers to watch the green screen and other technological magic behind 17 of the film's scenes. Viewers can simultaneously view the film's Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and other "Avatar" actors hooked up to their performance-capture gear alongside a computer template of the scenes and the finished product.

It's amazing to see just how physical the performances are, as Worthington and Saldana are tossed around in a dizzying array of harnesses and contraptions, as well as how challenging it must have been for the actors to imagine that they were fighting, flying, or romancing on a lush, distant moon when they were surrounded by floor mats and green screens.

There's also a nifty feature that allows users to guide their cursor across scenes from the film to expose what elements of a shot are green-screen creations.

Fox says the "Avatar iTunes Extras Special Edition" comes with a total of six hours of extras.

The digital copy sells for $19.99 in high-definition and $14.99 for standard-definition. The timing of the release was picked to capitalize on the onslaught of iTunes gift cards typically purchased during the holidays.

The copy also features an original screenplay by James Cameron, Cameron's "scriptment" (a novella with some scenes broken out into dialogue), a gallery of 1,700 images and some "making of" features.

Fox executives say that the extras are specifically designed for digital consumption and that there are no plans to make them available on DVD or Blu-ray.

For fans, it's a chance to keep returning to Pandora and an opportunity to make the long wait until "Avatar 2" hits theaters in 2014 a little more bearable.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/digitalmusic/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111216/film_nm/us_avatar_itunes

boise state boxer rebellion boxer rebellion stanford football lsu football schedule lsu football schedule terrapin

SoundTracking tops Android Apps of the Week (Appolicious)

SoundTracking was a highly talked about app launch this past week, with a new take on music identification and sharing for the check-in happy. Local restaurant recommendation engine Alfred had a major launch this week, followed by an acquisition deal with Google. YouSendIt?s also making waves with a big cloud push on Android?s platform, while Microsoft promotes its own ideas on mobile collaboration with the launch of its Lync app for Android.

You already broadcast to the world your daily activities and favorite things in life. Why not add a soundtrack to your streams, broadcasting music moments on-the-go? SoundTracking will identify a song and then let you share it on Facebook, Twitter and even Foursquare. Your friends will get a song clip to hear, and also see where you heard the song, if you choose to geo-tag it. And if you have a Spotify or Rdio account, you can listen to entire tracks shared on SoundTracking. This app has a pretty large database of songs, so you can search for a tune and post it anytime.

Alfred is the latest app from Clever Sense, a company bent on putting artificial intelligence to use. It got a makeover for its Android debut, with a whole new native app designed around Google?s mobile OS. Getting started, you take a quiz to teach Alfred your tastes by marking your favorite places for lunch, coffee, dinner, group meals and so on. From the main screen you?ll see a personalized profile of restaurant recommendations, which can be viewed as cards, in a list or an a map. You can filter your recommendations from here, resulting in a pretty geeky way to find a good meal. With a large user base and a ?serendipitous? recommendation engine, Alfred caught the eye of Google, which confirmed its purchase of Clever Sense mere hours after Alfred?s Android launch.

YouSendIt is known for being that website you use when you need to send the occasional large file. They?re expanding their services and their tools, and finding mobile grounds to be quite fertile. The cloud-based file sharing app lets you send files, share folders and electronically sign documents right from your Android device. Your files are always synced, and you can open and edit documents, add photos and videos, instantly storing everything to the cloud. With consumer and enterprise-grade plans, YouSendIt has a broad appeal in what?s become a competitive market. Security is key for YouSendIt, and is a great collaborative tool for work teams.

Microsoft?s building out its portfolio of apps on rival platforms, launching two new apps for Android this week. One is Lync 2010, an IM and conferencing app that?s already part of its own Windows Phone lineup. As part of Office 365, Lync?s new found ability to serve users on Android and iOS is an important for accessibility, with mobile workers continuously on the rise. Microsoft?s looking to better integrate all of its services into the mobile realm, even if that means creating apps for other platforms. This week brought a Skype update and the OneNote launch, as well as a Kinect-related game app for iOS.

Geared towards the budget-conscious college population, Amazon Student offers a way to save on textbooks. You can buy used or new, compare prices and even trade in the books currently collecting dust on your shelf. Scan a barcode on a textbook and the free app will run a price check. The same will work for movies, games and electronics, helping students (and everyone else) save money. As a bonus, Amazon?s trade-in program lets you convert items to gift cards, because we all could use more money to spend at one of the world?s biggest retailers.

Clingle wants to make check-ins more visual with video. The idea is to attach live video to your local check-ins, making a more engaging experience for you and your friends. These multimedia check-ins aren?t limited to video. Feel free to attach an audio file or an image, layering in as much context as you?d like for a given locale. The idea is to capture your experiences in real time, sharing a public check-in or with a private group. On the flip side, Clingle is a discovery tool for finding local points of interest, with the added benefit of seeing firsthand what the place is all about. Similar to Foursqare, you can earn points and badges, to be redeemed for real prizes. Clingle has a global presence, so there?s an appeal for travelers too.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/digitalmusic/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_androidapps_com_articles10492_soundtracking_tops_android_apps_of_the_week/43925432/SIG=12sqs1mhc/*http%3A//www.androidapps.com/tech/articles/10492-soundtracking-tops-android-apps-of-the-week

cmas world series of poker joe walsh zsa zsa gabor heavy d dead heavy d dead alaska weather

Republicans try to protect military from budget cuts (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? A top Republican on Wednesday introduced legislation to protect the military from automatic budget cuts despite stiff opposition from Democrats and a veto threat from President Barack Obama.

Republicans have been trying to find savings to replace the $1.2 trillion in automatic budget cuts that go into effect from 2013 after a congressional debt panel failed to reach a deficit reduction plan in November.

Half the savings would come from the Pentagon's budget and the rest from domestic federal programs.

The bill proposed by the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Republican Representative Howard McKeon, would slash the federal workforce by 10 percent in order to spare the military and other programs from spending cuts.

"The troops simply don't have any more to give. It is time we address our debt crisis sensibly, by literally shrinking the size of government," McKeon said in a statement.

Congress has been struggling with how to rein in the country's $15 trillion public debt.

As part of this summer's deal to raise the debt ceiling, a super committee of lawmakers was charged with finding $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction over 10 years. When they failed to forge a deal, it triggered the series of budget cuts.

Republicans in the Senate also announced plans on Wednesday to protect the Pentagon's budget, which has nearly doubled over the past decade to $700 billion.

They said they would introduce legislation in January that would rely on savings proposed by other means including broadcast spectrum and land sales.

"We are not talking about raising taxes," said Jon Kyl, the no 2 Republican in the Senate.

"The bottom line is, we will identify savings, we will present that in the best legislative vehicle we can and thereby offset the savings from (the automatic budget cuts)," he said.

(Editing by Todd Eastham)

(Reporting By Rachelle Younglai)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111215/pl_nm/us_usa_budget_defense

kym johnson how old is justin bieber how old is justin bieber north dakota jobs referendum scarlett johansson glee project winner

Asia stocks up on hopes for Europe debt crisis fix (AP)

BANGKOK ? Asian stocks rose Wednesday amid growing optimism that European leaders will approve aggressive plans by the end of the week to rescue the region from a debt crisis that has roiled financial markets for months.

Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.8 percent to 8,645.72 and South Korea's Kospi added 0.9 percent to 1,918.99. Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.8 percent 19,105.51. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 climbed 0.8 percent to 4,296.80.

On Wall Street, stocks mostly rose Tuesday on a report that European leaders might create a second bailout fund to supplement the one they have already agreed to. The second fund would nearly double the capacity of Europe's financial rescue programs, the Financial Times reported.

The plan involves allowing the existing 440 billion euros bailout fund to continue running when a new 500 billion euros facility comes into force in mid-2012, almost doubling the rescue system's firepower, Stan Shamu of IG Markets wrote in a report. "This latest move might just be the 'bazooka' Europe needs to appease markets."

Asian stocks tumbled Tuesday, hours after Standard & Poor's credit ratings agency warned that it might downgrade 15 of the 17 countries that use the euro ? even Germany, which has a top AAA rating and Europe's strongest economy.

On Tuesday, S&P said it might also cut the AAA rating of Europe's bailout fund. The fund needs that top rating to cheaply raise money, and losing it would mean it would cost billions more to fund bailouts.

On Tuesday, hopes that Europe was finally serious about taming its debt crisis boosted U.S. stocks. The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 0.4 percent at 12,150.13. The Standard & Poor's 500 index closed up 0.1 percent to 1,258.47. The Nasdaq composite average closed down 0.2 percent at 2,649.56.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111207/ap_on_bi_ge/world_markets

giuliana and bill giuliana and bill