Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch has been fined $10,000 for wearing Skittles-themed cleats during the team's last game, The Seattle Times reported Friday.
Lynch violated the NFL's dress code by lacing up the Nike cleats emblazoned with images of the colorful candies during Seattle's 19-17 loss to San Francisco on Saturday.
The Seahawks' leading rusher was previously fined $5,000 for wearing green socks during Seattle's Monday night matchup against St. Louis on Dec. 12.
Lynch's passion for Skittles dates back to high school, according to The Times. The former first-round draft pick reportedly snacks on the candies after scoring touchdowns, and fans in Seattle have begun throwing packages of Skittles into the end zone after Lynch crosses the goal line.
Last month, after a monster game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Lynch was offered a two-year supply of the candy by Skittles and a custom dispenser for his locker after the running back was seen snacking on the candy after a touchdown.
Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano holds up the trophy Pinstripe Bowl trophy after his team defeated Iowa State 27-13 in an NCAA college football game on Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, at Yankee Stadium in New York. ( AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano holds up the trophy Pinstripe Bowl trophy after his team defeated Iowa State 27-13 in an NCAA college football game on Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, at Yankee Stadium in New York. ( AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Rutgers running back Jawan Jamison (23) holds up the player of the game trophy after his team defeated Iowa State 27-13 in the Pinstripe Bowl NCAA college football game onFriday, Dec. 30, 2011, at Yankee Stadium in New York. ( AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Rutgers running back Jawan Jamison (23) walks on the field after the Pinstripe Bowl NCAA college football game against Iowa State, Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, at Yankee Stadium in New York. Rutgers won 27-13 and Jamison was the game's MVP. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Rutgers running back Jawan Jamison (23) runs with the ball as Iowa State defensive back Darian Cotton (23) defends in the first quarter of the Pinstripe Bowl NCAA college football game on Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, at Yankee Stadium in New York. Jamison was the game's MVP as Rutgers took a 27-13 victory. ( AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Iowa State running back Jeff Woody (32) scores on a touchdown run in the fourth quarter of the Pinstripe Bowl NCAA college football game against Rutgers, Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, at Yankee Stadium in New York. Rutgers won 27-13. ( AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
NEW YORK (AP) ? All year long Eric LeGrand inspired Rutgers from his wheelchair.
How could the Scarlet Knights ever slack off when their former teammate stayed so positive, was so sure he could overcome a devastating spinal injury and one day walk again?
After Rutgers completed its season with a 27-13 victory over Iowa State in the Pinstripe Bowl on Friday, it was time for the Scarlet Knights to thank LeGrand.
"Hey Big E! Hey Big E!" coach Greg Schiano shouted into the microphone as he stood at midfield at Yankee Stadium with the bowl trophy and pointed toward the press box. "This one's for you buddy."
LeGrand, paralyzed after making a tackle during a game last season, was shown on the huge video scoreboard while Schiano spoke ? busting out a wide grin.
"My heart kind of jumped because I wasn't expecting it," LeGrand told the AP in a phone interview.
He then went to the locker room and celebrated his friends. He said he even did a little shoulder dancing.
"That's our brother before and after the injury, and that's how we're going to treat him forever," Rutgers linebacker Khaseem Greene said. "Just having his presence around, it's amazing. He makes the locker room glow."
On the field, a couple of redshirt freshmen lit it up for the Scarlet Knights. Brandon Coleman hauled in an 86-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter after Iowa State trimmed the lead to 20-13, and Jawan Jamison ran for 131 yards and two scores on 27 carries.
"That's what we love to do. That's who we want to be," Schiano said about a running game that struggled much of the season, but seems to be in good hands going forward.
The Scarlet Knights (9-4) ran their bowl winning streak to five and improved to 2-0 this season at Yankee Stadium, where they beat Army last month. Rutgers, which played in one bowl game before 2005, is 5-1 in the postseason under Schiano.
The Cyclones (6-7) finished on a three-game losing streak, their last win coming Nov. 18 in Ames, Iowa, when they pulled off the biggest upset of the season against Oklahoma State.
That night Jared Barnett threw for 376 yards. In this game, Steele Jantz, who started the first six games, relieved Barnett in the second quarter and helped pull the Cyclones to 20-13 in the fourth on Jeff Woody's 20-yard touchdown run with 10 minutes left.
"We were not executing in a manner that I felt was going to lead us to a win, and from what we've seen in December's practices, made the switch," Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads said about the quarterbacks.
After an exchange of punts left Rutgers deep in its own end, Chas Dodd went deep to Coleman. The 6-foot-6 Coleman went over 5-7 cornerback Jeremy Reeves, then outran the corner to the end zone to make it 27-13 with 5:47 left.
It was Coleman's only catch, but it turned out to be the play of the game.
"I didn't go out there trying to make a play. I just went out there trying to do my job," Coleman said. "The number was called but I was still calm, cool and collected."
Rutgers grabbed a 7-6 lead early in the second quarter when Jamison powered through a tackler and scored on fourth-and-goal from the 1. On the next possession, Iowa State couldn't handle one of Rutgers' many blitzes, and Greene and Wayne Warren swarmed and stripped Barnett. Scott Vallone scooped up the fumble and returned it 12 yards to the Iowa State 4. The Cyclones managed to hold Rutgers to San San Te's 21-yard field goal.
Jantz replaced Barnett on the next Iowa State series.
The Cyclones didn't hold up as well on Rutgers' next possession. The Scarlet Knights marched 66 yards, 49 on the ground, and Jamison juked his way into the end zone from 12 yards out to make 17-6.
Justin Francis finished Rutgers' strong second half by blocking Zach Guyer's 44-yard field- goal attempt with 57 seconds left.
Iowa State jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first quarter, with Guyer kicking field goals of 40 and 46 yards on the Cyclones' first two possessions. Inaccurate throws by Barnett were key to stalling each drive.
The redshirt freshman was 2 for 7 before giving way to Jantz, who was 15 for 31 for 197 yards and ran for 36 yards.
"Most of it falls on the offense not executing and not what they did," Jantz said. "Not to take away anything from them because they have a great defense, but then again it ultimately comes back to me because I run the offense."
The Scarlet Knights missed the postseason last year for the first time since 2004, but rebounded this season to challenge for the Big East title behind a defense that came in ranked 14th in the nation.
Greene led the charge Friday with 13 tackles, three for losses, before being carted off in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. The junior was on crutches after the game and said he thinks he'll be OK in the long run.
Just like LeGrand.
"To have him in the locker room right now with all his buddies, that's special," Schiano said. "That's his senior class."
After Schiano made his short postgame speech, the fans in Yankee Stadium chanted "Eric! Eric!"
"Honestly, this was picture perfect," LeGrand said. "The only thing that would have made it better is if it could have run out there with them."
Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum signs his autograph on a hat during a campaign stop at a restaurant and bar on Friday, Dec. 30, 2011 in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum signs his autograph on a hat during a campaign stop at a restaurant and bar on Friday, Dec. 30, 2011 in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum arrives for a campaign stop on Friday, Dec. 30, 2011 in Ames, Iowa. Republican presidential candidates are largely shifting from persuading voters to mobilizing them for Tuesday's caucuses. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is surrounded by media as he orders food at Buffalo Wild Wings during a campaign stop on Friday, Dec. 30, 2011 in Ames, Iowa. Republican presidential candidates are largely shifting from persuading voters to mobilizing them for Tuesday's caucuses. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) ? Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum pushed back Friday against criticism from a rival for his pursuit of funding for home-state projects during his tenure in Congress.
As he campaigned in Iowa, Santorum vowed to push for deep cuts in federal spending should he win the White House, but that pledge drew only renewed scorn from another candidate, Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
Perry took a jab at Santorum while promoting himself as a Washington outsider. He labeled Santorum a "serial earmarker," a charge he's made before, and ticked off pork-barrel projects like an indoor rain forest and the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere" in Alaska.
Santorum, who has surged in many polls in Iowa, was asked about the criticism at a town hall meeting in Marshalltown.
"I see a little bit of hypocrisy," said the former congressman and senator from Pennsylvania. "He had a paid lobbyist in Washington looking for earmarks."
Santorum said he's already apologized for the use of earmarks, but he also defended them as a tool to force bureaucrats to follow the will of Congress. The right thing to do, he said, is to listen to constituents about their priorities for spending federal money.
"You can't just trust the bureaucracy to make the right call," he said.
Throughout his campaign day, Santorum focused on stepping up his grassroots efforts, turning his attention to delivering backers to next week's caucuses.
Santorum worked his way through a noisy sports bar in Ames to watch Iowa State play Rutgers in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
Followed by a mob of cameras, Santorum said his campaign is working hard on turnout efforts and has in place 1,000 precinct captains to make the case for him Tuesday.
Santorum has sent out a fundraising appeal on the heels of his improvement in polls and said he just had his best fundraising day ever. He gave no details but said he'll go on the air in New Hampshire on Monday.
InterOil Corporation of Papua New Guinea had secured a preliminary sales deal with Chinese company ENN for its first natural gas output, in what could be a thrust for InterOil to finally push its planned $6 Billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project.
Under its agreement with ENN, InterOil will supply 1 to 1.5 mtpa of LNG for a period of 15 years.
InterOil's Gulf LNG project is a joint venture with Pacific LNG. It has an initial capacity of 5 million tons per annum (mtpa), with possible expansion to 10 mtpa in phases. The joint venture company target 2015 for the delivery of its 'first gas'.
Since InterOil plans to spend $6 billion in its newest venture, it needs to secure some 85 per cent in supply agreements of the total capacity before it finally stamps it approval to push through with the project.
Earlier, InterOil has sealed a commitment to deliver 2.3 mtpa in preliminary sales pacts with Gunvor,?Noble?and the Philippines' EWC. Together with the ENN deal, its total commitment now stands between 3.3 mtpa and 3.8 mtpa. To complete the 85 per cent supply agreement requirement, InterOil needs to get sales amounting to 4.25 mtpa.
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Papua New Guinea holds an estimated 226.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas reserves that can be commercialised through LNG terminals, the very reason why many?oil companies are building bases in the South Pacific.
ConocoPhillips?is already working with Australia Pacific LNG, while?Chevron,?Royal Dutch Shell?and?Apache?through the Wheatstone LNG project.?Exxon is likewise building an LNG export facility in the Papua New Guinea fields.?
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Well the NFC West is locked down and San Francisco 49ers are now fighting for a chance at a first-round bye.
Who will win this week and which players are the keys to the games? Watch as B/R lead writer Matt Miller breaks down this week in football for the NFC West, telling you who will win every game and why.
?
Love the NFL? Follow Matt on Twitter @nfldraftscout and watch for more Bleacher Report videos at Bleacher Report Productions.
>>leaders are apologizing for smuggling terrorists. this mistake led to clashes in istanbul against the
air strike
. the military admits they killed 35 smugglers and others that it thought were kurdish militants. a spokesman expressed regret and also hinted at possible compensation for the victims. a
tennessee woman
faces jail time for allegedly bringing a loaded pistol to the new york's 9/11 memorial. meredith graves asked police where she could check her loaded gun. that question landed the tourist in a new york jail on a
gun possession
charge. she since posted bond and is due in court in march.
>>>starting
january 15th
, verizon customers will have to shell out $2 to pay a phone bill online or by phone. the fee will offset payment processing costs using electronic checks and payment ifsks will be free there.
MIAMI ? A surgeon and technician from a Mayo Clinic in Florida flying across the northern corner of the state to retrieve a heart for transplant died Monday in a helicopter crash that also killed the pilot, officials said.
The helicopter departed the clinic in Jacksonville around 5:45 a.m. but never arrived at the Gainesville hospital, Shands at University of Florida, about 60 miles to the southwest, said Kathy Barbour, a spokeswoman for Mayo, which is based in Rochester, Minn.
Killed were heart surgeon Dr. Luis Bonilla, procurement technician David Hines and the pilot, whose name wasn't released.
The heart they were going to pick up could not be used in another transplant because its viability expired, and the patient who had been scheduled to receive it is waiting for a new organ, Mayo Clinic spokesman Layne Smith said.
The helicopter went down about 12 miles northeast of Palatka, said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen. The town is about 40 miles east of Gainesville and about 45 miles south of Jacksonville.
Clay County Sheriff's Office dispatcher Myron White confirmed the three dead but had no more information to release about the crash in the remote, densely forested area away from roads. The National Transportation Safety Board also was investigating.
The National Weather Service in Jacksonville reported that there was light fog with overcast conditions in the area but no rain.
"As we mourn this tragic event, we will remember the selfless and intense dedication they brought to making a difference in the lives of our patients," John Noseworthy, Mayo Clinic president and chief executive officer, said in a statement. "We recognize the commitment transplant teams make every day in helping patients at Mayo Clinic and beyond. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families."
The wreckage was spotted around noon by another helicopter, said sheriff's Lt. Russ Burke. Debris was scattered around the crash site, which was hidden from the road by rows of pine trees.
FAA records show the Bell 206 helicopter is operated by SK Jets. The St. Augustine company released a statement: "The focus of our efforts at this time is to attend to the needs of our passengers, crew and their families and work with the NTSB and local public safety officials to determine the cause and extent of the accident."
Gary Robb, a Kansas City aviation attorney specializing in helicopter safety, said SK Jets is known as a careful and safe operator in the industry. The small, lightweight craft has low weight and speed capabilities and is primarily used by traffic reporters or police departments, Robb said.
"It's not usually used in donor flights," he said.
"If you're on a mission where time is sensitive, why use an engine that is low performance?" Robb said, adding that the helicopter has a cramped cabin.
An NTSB investigator will scour the crash site for clues and look into the pilot's experience and any factors that might have impaired the pilot, any environmental factors such as birds or low visibility that may have contributed to the crash, and any mechanical problems with the helicopter, he said.
The Bell 206 usually has an older engine no longer installed in new models, Robb said.
"We've seen a number of instances where that engine simply failed," Robb said.
The crash and others like it illustrate the delicate nature of transporting organs.
In 1990, a surgeon and an assistant flying to pick up a donor heart for a patient were killed in a plane crash in New Mexico. And in 2007, a twin-engine plane carrying a team of surgeons and technicians ? along with a set of lungs on ice being brought to a patient already prepped for surgery ? crashed into the choppy waters of Lake Michigan. Six were killed.
Doctors ultimately got another set of donor lungs that were transplanted into the patient.
Britney Spears is making this holiday season memorable with gifts to her fans - and we're not just talking about her engagement to Jason Trawick, nice as that was.
Earlier, she released a new/old song, "Strangest Love," reportedly recorded (but never released) for 2003's In The Zone. Now another new song has surfaced online.
It's an acoustic version of “Don’t Keep Me Waiting,” which was clearly enhanced with production on the album version. But this one is fun to listen to in its own way.
Listen to Britney Spears in a rare acoustic setting and see what you think:
Perception of inappropriate care frequent among ICU workersPublic release date: 27-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Ruth D. Piers, M.D. ruth.piers@ugent.be JAMA and Archives Journals
CHICAGO A survey of nurses and physicians in intensive care units (ICUs) in Europe and Israel indicated that the perception of inappropriate care, such as excess intensity of care for a patient, was common, and that these perceptions were associated with inadequate decision sharing, communication and job autonomy, according to a study in the December 28 issue of JAMA.
"Clinicians perceive the care they provide as inappropriate when they feel that it clashes with their personal beliefs and/or professional knowledge. Intensive care unit workers who provide care perceived as inappropriate experience acute moral distress and are at risk for burnout. This situation may jeopardize the quality of care and increase staff turnover," according to background information in the article. The extent of perceived inappropriateness of care in the ICU is unknown.
Ruth D. Piers, M.D., of Ghent University Hospital, Gent, Belgium, and colleagues conducted a study to determine the prevalence and characteristics of perceived inappropriateness of care among clinicians in ICUs. The study consisted of an evaluation on May 11, 2010, of 82 adult ICUs in 9 European countries and Israel. The participants were 1,953 ICU nurses and physicians providing bedside care, who were surveyed regarding perceived inappropriateness of care, defined as a specific patient-care situation in which the clinician acts in a manner contrary to his or her personal and professional beliefs.
Of the 1,651 clinicians who provided responses, 439 (27 percent) reported perceived inappropriateness of care in at least 1 patient. Of the 1,218 nurses who completed the perceived inappropriateness of care questionnaire, 300 (25 percent) reported perceived inappropriateness of care. Of the 407 ICU physicians who provided care, 132 (32 percent) reported perceived inappropriateness of care in at least 1 of their patients.
In all, 397 clinicians completed 445 perceived inappropriateness of care questionnaires. Perceived disproportionate care was the most common reported reason (65 percent) for perceived inappropriateness of care; in 89 percent of these cases, the amount of care was perceived as excessive and in 11 percent as insufficient. Feeling that other patients would benefit more from ICU care than the present patient was the second most common reason (38 percent) for perceived inappropriateness of care. This feeling of distributive injustice was significantly more common among physicians than among nurses, the authors write.
Analysis indicated that several factors were independently associated with lower perceived inappropriateness of care rates: decisions about symptom control shared by nurses and physicians as opposed to being made by the physicians only; involvement of nurses in end-of-life decisions; good collaboration between nurses and physicians; work autonomy (freedom to decide how to perform work-related tasks); and perceived lower workload (only among nurses).
"In conclusion, perceived inappropriateness of care is common among nurses and physicians in ICUs and is significantly associated with an intent to leave the current clinical position, suggesting a major impact on clinician well-being. The main reported reason for perceived inappropriateness of care is a mismatch between the level of care and the expected patient outcome, usually in the direction of perceived excess intensity of care," the researchers write.
The authors add that the challenge for ICU managers is "to create ICUs in which self-reflection, mutual trust, open communication, and shared decision making are encouraged in order to improve the well-being of the individual clinicians and, thereby, the quality of patient care."
(JAMA. 2011;306[24]:2694-2703. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org)
Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
Editorial: Perceived Inappropriateness of Care in the ICU
In an accompanying editorial, Scott D. Halpern, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, writes that "although the report by Piers et al provides a hazy lens through which to view appropriateness of care, it yields more clarity than prior studies."
"Thus, the greatest contribution of [this study] may be to provide the clarion call needed to spur more rigorous study of what happens to clinicians and the care they provide when requests for care do not resonate with clinicians' conceptions of appropriateness. Such clinician-centered outcomes research, in other words, may usefully supplement the patient's perspective in gauging the quality of health care delivery."
(JAMA. 2011;306[24]:2725-2726. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org)
Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
To contact Ruth D. Piers, M.D., email ruth.piers@ugent.be. To contact editorial author Scott D. Halpern, M.D., Ph.D., call Jessica Mikulski at 215-349-8369 or email jessica.mikulski@uphs.upenn.edu.
###
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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.
Perception of inappropriate care frequent among ICU workersPublic release date: 27-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Ruth D. Piers, M.D. ruth.piers@ugent.be JAMA and Archives Journals
CHICAGO A survey of nurses and physicians in intensive care units (ICUs) in Europe and Israel indicated that the perception of inappropriate care, such as excess intensity of care for a patient, was common, and that these perceptions were associated with inadequate decision sharing, communication and job autonomy, according to a study in the December 28 issue of JAMA.
"Clinicians perceive the care they provide as inappropriate when they feel that it clashes with their personal beliefs and/or professional knowledge. Intensive care unit workers who provide care perceived as inappropriate experience acute moral distress and are at risk for burnout. This situation may jeopardize the quality of care and increase staff turnover," according to background information in the article. The extent of perceived inappropriateness of care in the ICU is unknown.
Ruth D. Piers, M.D., of Ghent University Hospital, Gent, Belgium, and colleagues conducted a study to determine the prevalence and characteristics of perceived inappropriateness of care among clinicians in ICUs. The study consisted of an evaluation on May 11, 2010, of 82 adult ICUs in 9 European countries and Israel. The participants were 1,953 ICU nurses and physicians providing bedside care, who were surveyed regarding perceived inappropriateness of care, defined as a specific patient-care situation in which the clinician acts in a manner contrary to his or her personal and professional beliefs.
Of the 1,651 clinicians who provided responses, 439 (27 percent) reported perceived inappropriateness of care in at least 1 patient. Of the 1,218 nurses who completed the perceived inappropriateness of care questionnaire, 300 (25 percent) reported perceived inappropriateness of care. Of the 407 ICU physicians who provided care, 132 (32 percent) reported perceived inappropriateness of care in at least 1 of their patients.
In all, 397 clinicians completed 445 perceived inappropriateness of care questionnaires. Perceived disproportionate care was the most common reported reason (65 percent) for perceived inappropriateness of care; in 89 percent of these cases, the amount of care was perceived as excessive and in 11 percent as insufficient. Feeling that other patients would benefit more from ICU care than the present patient was the second most common reason (38 percent) for perceived inappropriateness of care. This feeling of distributive injustice was significantly more common among physicians than among nurses, the authors write.
Analysis indicated that several factors were independently associated with lower perceived inappropriateness of care rates: decisions about symptom control shared by nurses and physicians as opposed to being made by the physicians only; involvement of nurses in end-of-life decisions; good collaboration between nurses and physicians; work autonomy (freedom to decide how to perform work-related tasks); and perceived lower workload (only among nurses).
"In conclusion, perceived inappropriateness of care is common among nurses and physicians in ICUs and is significantly associated with an intent to leave the current clinical position, suggesting a major impact on clinician well-being. The main reported reason for perceived inappropriateness of care is a mismatch between the level of care and the expected patient outcome, usually in the direction of perceived excess intensity of care," the researchers write.
The authors add that the challenge for ICU managers is "to create ICUs in which self-reflection, mutual trust, open communication, and shared decision making are encouraged in order to improve the well-being of the individual clinicians and, thereby, the quality of patient care."
(JAMA. 2011;306[24]:2694-2703. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org)
Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
Editorial: Perceived Inappropriateness of Care in the ICU
In an accompanying editorial, Scott D. Halpern, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, writes that "although the report by Piers et al provides a hazy lens through which to view appropriateness of care, it yields more clarity than prior studies."
"Thus, the greatest contribution of [this study] may be to provide the clarion call needed to spur more rigorous study of what happens to clinicians and the care they provide when requests for care do not resonate with clinicians' conceptions of appropriateness. Such clinician-centered outcomes research, in other words, may usefully supplement the patient's perspective in gauging the quality of health care delivery."
(JAMA. 2011;306[24]:2725-2726. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org)
Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
To contact Ruth D. Piers, M.D., email ruth.piers@ugent.be. To contact editorial author Scott D. Halpern, M.D., Ph.D., call Jessica Mikulski at 215-349-8369 or email jessica.mikulski@uphs.upenn.edu.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
It?s the holiday season and everyone should be full of good food and surrounded with friends or family. You might be having hot cocoa this Christmas morning, or maybe even some Mimosa ? either way we hope you enjoy it. Here at Android Community we decided to round up a small list of our must have top apps for that new smartphone anyone may have received for Christmas. Below are just a few of many we thought were worth mentioning. Hit that little white and green icon shaped like a shopping bag titled ?Market? and get started.
Now we know not everyone uses their smartphone for the same thing. Some people love games like Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja ? and others just want to take notes, get help with shopping lists, track their fantasy football team and more. The list below are a few that may appeal to a wide array of users although you can hit our hands-on portal to see many more we?ve featured in the past.
This post is all about smartphones as I?m sure many got a shiny new Galaxy Nexus or HTC Amaze 4G this holiday season and were looking for a few good apps.
First off we must mention Beautiful Widgets. Not only is it on sale currently but it?s also the most popular widget and most purchased Android application and is a sure favorite for any Android phone or tablet.
Beautiful Widgets will tell you the weather and time and look good while doing it ? it also has widgets for anything and everything from battery meters, WiFi easy toggle switches, and much much more. We?ve reviewed it a few times here already and it shouldn?t need much explaining. If someones Android phone had a neat weather/clock icon taking up part of their screen that you liked ? most likely it was Beautiful Widgets.
Market Link
Next we have Dolphin Browser. The stock web browser is quite excellent and many love it but Dolphin just adds that extra level of polish and options many users need or want. With tabbed browsing, gestures, color themes, add-ons like FireFox or Chrome and more it is highly usable and very versatile.
Market Link
Everyone loves the simple games we listed above like Fruit Ninja or Angry birds so how about a few that are even more amazing that most might now know about. There is way too many to list so here are just a few:
Shadowgun EA Real Racing 2 Grand Theft Auto III (oh yea!) Madden 2012 Words with Friends and a couple of my favorites are Asphalt 6 or Cut the Rope
We could go on forever on games as there are a plenty but they aren?t for everyone so here are a few more must get apps.
Evernote ? the easiest and most simple way to take and share notes. This is great for shopping, keeping track of your day, or basically any of the other thousand reasons we all take notes. You can snap a photo and make a note, write it down, or even record your voice.
Evernote turns your Android device into an extension of your brain!
Market Link
File Managers are a very popular Android application as they give users complete and absolute control and access of their devices. Basically making your Android phone display every file in a PC or computer style for easy access, navigation, copying and more. We?ll recommend three ? one is our favorite but ad based, one is absolutely free with no ads and the other is a MUST have for root users.
Astro File Manager ES File Explorer and last but not least is Root Explorer for everyone that roots their phone ? this is a must have app.
Next we?ll mention keyboards since not everyone likes the stock keyboard that comes with their smartphone. I?d highly recommend SwiftKey X as it is the most useful and amazing keyboard for a phone hands down. Next would have to go to Swype because it is just awesome and fun to use ? not to mention the new updates they?ve recently released.
We?d also like to round off this list with a few random but excellent applications for Android other than the usual Google Maps type of comments ? since most Google apps come standard out of the box. We?d recommend Pandora Radio, Dropbox, Google Reader, AirDroid (control phone from pc), and Shazam for music tagging.
This is a pretty random selection but after gathering the lists from everyone here at Android Community we just had way too many and figured we?d round em all up and list the most popular or useful ones of all. There are hundreds of thousands of apps in the Android Market so head on over and see for yourself. Feel free to see our Tablet Apps roundup post for anyone with a new Galaxy Tab or Transformer Prime.
We?ll end it right here as I?m sure you?re all dying to enjoy those new phones just received for Christmas so give a few of our suggestions a try, or feel free to recommend a couple favorites of your own in the comment section below. Don?t forget to stay right here at Android Community for all your Android related news. Get the AC App for the latest and greatest from the world of Android.
The 2011 edition of ?The Best American Sports Writing? is out. Each year Bill and series editor Glenn Stout discuss some of the most intriguing stories from the collection. ?This year they?re also joined by Chris Jones, whose piece about a free diver is titled ?Breathless?. It originally appeared in ESPN The Magazine.
Bill?s thoughts on ?Best American Sports Writing 2011?:?
Nobody can read all the sports-related stuff worth reading in a given year?except Glenn Stout.
It?s been that way since 1991, when Glenn took on the job of series editor for Houghton Mifflin?s The Best American Sports Writing. Since then, the annual collection has provided all of us with a second chance to read not only the work of some of the most celebrated sportswriters, but of good writers who?ve only paused briefly in the toy department. These collections contain the great stuff from Sports Illustrated and lots of the other usual suspects, but Glenn also finds worthy material in magazines where sports stories seldom appear and on websites many of us have never heard of.
In the conversation I had with Glenn for the December 24th program, I mentioned some of the stories from the current edition of The Best American Sports Writing, which I particularly enjoyed. I?ll not list those stories again, but I will contend that this year, as in each year since 1991, every reader of this collection will find lots of delights.
An anonymous reader writes "The Large Hadron Collider has many fans, and one of its biggest is Sasha Mehlhase, a physicist from the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen. Mehlhase has decided to help promote the LHC to students by taking the time to recreate a 1:50 scale model of it using Lego bricks. In total he spent 81 hours creating it, which was split between 48 hours of designing the model on his laptop, and a further 33 hours putting it together."
I'm going to buy this giant-sized, refurbished Kindle DX e-Reader for Kyle Wagner for Christmas. Why? Not because I particularly love the idea of a 10-inch e-Reader, but because in his review of the latest Kindle, Kyle complained about the placement of the buttons making his delicate little hands cramp up. I figure if I get him a Kindle with a bigger screen, more words will fit on the screen and he'll have to turn the page less. But who knows, the added weight of the DX might actually make his delicate little arms fall off. Then again, at $200 (which is $180 off its normal price), it just might be worth the spectacle. -AC More »
LITTLETON, New Hampshire (Reuters) ? Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney on Thursday attacked U.S. President Barack Obama for a "signature failure" to keep some troops in Iraq to prevent the country falling back into sectarian conflict.
Just days after U.S. troops left Iraq, a wave of bombings killed at least 72 people in Baghdad on Thursday. The Shi'ite-led government is engulfed in a crisis that risks fracturing Iraq along sectarian and ethnic fault lines.
A consistent front-runner in polls of Republicans, Romney said he feared leaving Iraq without a stabilization force could put the hard-earned successes and victories there at risk.
"I hope that risk is not realized. I hope that we're able to see stability there but the president's failure to secure an agreement and maintain 10,000 to 30,000 troops in Iraq has to be one of his signature failures," he told Reuters.
Romney was speaking in an interview on his campaign bus in New Hampshire. The former governor of Massachusetts is among the top two candidates to win the Republican nomination to take on Obama in November, 2012.
In widespread comments on foreign policy, Romney rejected the transfer of Taliban prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay military prison into Afghan government custody as part of a secret dialogue to end the Afghan war.
He also accused Obama's of falling far short in his handling of the economy despite some signs of strength such as a drop in the unemployment rate to 8.6 percent from 9 percent.
Republicans will use Iraq against Obama in the election campaign if the country descends into violence again after the recent U.S. withdrawal. Thursday's attacks there are the first sign of rising violence since Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki moved to sideline Sunni rivals.
The White House expressed solidarity with Iraq after the bombings. "Attempts such as this to derail Iraq's continued progress will fail," spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement.
White House negotiations with Iraq over a follow-on troop presence fell apart over a Pentagon demand that Iraq provide U.S. troops with immunity against prosecution in Iraq for any crimes committed there. Iraq's government was unwilling to meet that demand, and its political elite were divided over a post-2011 U.S. military presence.
CHINA, NORTH KOREA
Romney, a multi-millionaire businessman who has little foreign policy experience, showed a fair grasp of global affairs in the interview. Romney was relaxed and casual on his bus with wife Ann and senior aides.
He urged China to exert its influence to help North Korea to move to a more open society and rein in its nuclear arsenal after leader Kim Jong-il's death.
"China has by far the greatest influence and this is an occasion for China to exert its influence in a way to move towards a more open society, and to encourage the regime to avoid the promotion of nuclear technology to other parts of the world," Romney said.
"China has to recognize that North Korea's participation in nuclear proliferation cannot be tolerated forever," he said.
He continued his drumbeat of criticism of China's trade policies that the United States says amounts to manipulation of its currency.
"I think China has to recognize that currency manipulation and in particular theft of intellectual property and hacking into computer is something which a society is not going to endure without a response," he said.
Romney was sharply critical of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who is working to regain the presidency over the protests of thousands of Russians who have led peaceful demonstrations.
He said Putin has "returned to some of the more heated rhetoric of the past" and added, "I think he endangers the stability and peacefulness of the globe."
He commented on a Reuters exclusive story this week that revealed secret talks with the Taliban had focused on the possible transfer of several Taliban prisoners at Guantanamo Bay to Afghan custody.
"I don't believe in releasing prisoners as part of a terrorist negotiation. And we do not negotiate with terrorists. The Taliban are terrorists, they are our enemy and I do not believe in a prisoner release exchange," he said.
(Reporting by Steve Holland and Jim Gaines; editing by Alistair Bell and Anthony Boadle)
TROY ? Looks like Councilman Bill Dunne will remain in the City of Troy government as he has been chosen as the new commissioner of Planning and Community Development for Mayor-elect Lou Rosamilia?s administration.
According to a press release, Dunne will be tasked with reorganizing the planning, engineering and code-enforcement functions of the city as a way to consolidate the responsibilities into one department as a means to save taxpayer dollars.
Dunne, who is currently serving his eighth and final term as a council member, has served on the Standing Committee of Planning and Community Development throughout his eight years on the council, along with several other committees before and during his term.
Soon-to-be City Council President Lynn Kopka said in a statement that he is impressed by Dunne?s civic career as well as his time spent in the private sector when he helped run the family business, James Dunne, Jr. & Co., Inc., from 1984 through 1994.
?Bill has been a dedicated leader on the City Council and will bring a great amount of experience in civic planning, engineering and urban development into this role,? Kopka said. ?The city will benefit greatly from his ability and commitment to moving Troy forward.?
Currently, Dunne serves as the senior field engineer in the Department of Engineering and Construction for the Albany Medical Center. Rosamilia commends Dunne for his time spent on the council as well as his educational background where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History at Siena College and a master?s degree in Architecture from the University of Florida.
?Bill?s professional and educational background and his eight years in city government uniquely qualify him to oversee the consolidation and operation of these departments,? Rosamilia said.
Samsung addressed some of the mystery surrounding its Ice Cream Sandwich rollouts on Friday, and the news isn’t good. The latest flavor of the Android OS won’t be arriving on Samsung’s Galaxy S smartphone, or on its 7-inch Galaxy Tab tablet. These devices won’t be getting the update because they lack the RAM and ROM requirements [...]
The poker-faced popstar Lady Gaga had her Twitter and Facebook accounts hacked yesterday — and then malicious links were sent to all her friends and followers. Serves them right for liking her music. More »
URBANDALE, Iowa ? A prominent Christian conservative group in Iowa is not endorsing a Republican candidate for president, underscoring the divisions among influential social conservatives in the state.
The group's top two leaders said Tuesday they are backing former Sen. Rick Santorum, giving the little-known Pennsylvania Republican a lift as he works to break through in the Jan. 3 caucuses.
"I really believe he could be the Huckabee in this race," Bob Vander Plaats, president of the Family Leader, said of Santorum, likening him to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, the 2008 Republican caucus winner.
Vander Plaats, a former candidate for governor, formed the Family Leader, a Christian political advocacy group, last year with the hope of establishing it as a power player in the 2012 caucuses.
But the group's board members, after hosting a series of candidate events around the state including a five-candidate forum in Des Moines last month, failed to unite behind a candidate.
Vander Plaats and Chuck Hurley, president of the affiliated Iowa Family Policy Center, said they were endorsing Santorum on their own, and urged civility in an internal struggle among social conservatives that has become heated.
"I do regret that one erstwhile friend and culture warrior has threatened to, quote, burn Bob's body, drag it through the street and hang it from a bridge, unquote, if Bob doesn't endorse who that person wants him to endorse," Hurley told reporters.
Vander Plaats and the group had been pressured by an anonymous group called Iowans for Christian Leadership not to back former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who has courted the faith community aggressively but stirs doubt among some in light of his admitted marital infidelity and two divorces.
Their endorsement was seen as a help to Santorum, who has campaigned doggedly in Iowa ? the only one to tag all 99 counties ? but with little fanfare. He has picked up the backing of ministers of large evangelical churches in Sioux City and the Des Moines area.
"He's the one candidate who's not caught his wave yet," Vander Plaats said. "But every place I go, I hear, `What do you think about this Rick Santorum?'"
Santorum, a longtime crusader against abortion rights and gay marriage in Congress, has reached out to pastors and Christian home-school advocates, part of the support base for Huckabee's winning caucus campaign in Iowa four years ago.
Unlike then, the 2012 field has a number of candidates aggressively courting these voters in Iowa, which has divided them and fed the fluidity in the race for the Jan. 3 caucuses, which polls show up for grabs.
For example, the American Family Association, endorsed Gingrich on Tuesday. He was influential in helping the group seed a campaign in Iowa last year to oppose the retention of three state Supreme Court judges who were part of the unanimous 2009 decision allowing gay marriage in Iowa.
Vander Plaats and Hurley endorsed Huckabee's 2008 campaign, and helped lead the campaign to oust the three Iowa judges last year.
"This means so much more to our campaign," said Santorum, who has polled in the single digits in Iowa. "If their work on behalf of Gov. Huckabee four years ago is any indication, I have no doubt they will be a terrific catalyst for our campaign."
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Public release date: 27-Dec-2011
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Bill?s thoughts on ?Best American Sports Writing 2011?:?![Click here to read This 9.7" Kindle DX Is Your Oh-My-God-This-Thing-Is-Huge Deal of the Day](http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/images/4/2011/12/small_8e782b073b7bd08b5d220e8d5092c4c3.jpg "Click here to read This 9.7" Kindle DX Is Your Oh-My-God-This-Thing-Is-Huge Deal of the Day")
