Chinese vendors form alliance to battle Apple and other patent predators

Handset makers in China have formed an alliance to prepare for possible patent battles with Apple, Microsoft and Nokia. Coolpad, Konka, TCL, ZTE and Lenovo were among the companies named in a report by?DigiTimes?on Friday. The number of lawsuits filed in China is expected to increase as Microsoft, Nokia and Apple try to increase market share there, the report says.?Nokia has already filed patent infringement suits against several Chinese phone makers and Microsoft has gone after Huawei to try to secure a patent licensing deal.?Huawei responded to Microsoft?s threats?in early November and explained that it has 65,000 patents worldwide. ?We have enough to protect our interests,? Huawei Devices chief marketing officer Victor Xu said. ?We are a very important stakeholder in Android.? Each of the Chinese companies reportedly has a large patent portfolio and, combined, they could create enough of a force to stave off at least some of the patent-related lawsuits that have plagued other companies.

Read

Source: http://www.bgr.com/2011/12/30/chinese-vendors-form-alliance-to-battle-apple-and-other-patent-predators/

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Who Has Better Credit Quiz - Credit Score - Credit, Loans and Debt ...

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Source: http://www.aarp.org/money/credit-loans-debt/info-01-2012/who-has-better-credit-score-quiz.questionId=1491775299.html

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A handy, dandy reminder that UFC 141 is tonight

Change is never easy, and MMA fans are creatures of habit. We're used to pay-per-view fights happening on Saturday nights, so UFC 141 is throwing us for a bit of a loop. The card is taking place on Friday, which is tonight.

Dana White tweeted this video to remind fans that the fights are on Friday, not "Next Friday" or "Friday After Next." It does contain some foul language, so use caution in pressing play.

And if that doesn't work, listen to this song just once. You won't be able to forget.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/A-handy-dandy-reminder-that-UFC-141-is-tonight?urn=mma-wp11260

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Stocks barely changed in light holiday trading

FILE - In this Dec. 12, 2011 file photo, specialist John O'Hara, right, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Signs of a global economic slowdown and stresses in Europe's financial system kept investors cautious on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011, causing losses in Asian markets, limiting gains in Europe and keeping the euro near 11-month lows.(AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 12, 2011 file photo, specialist John O'Hara, right, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Signs of a global economic slowdown and stresses in Europe's financial system kept investors cautious on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011, causing losses in Asian markets, limiting gains in Europe and keeping the euro near 11-month lows.(AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Mixed economic news and light trading led stocks to close barely changed Tuesday. Consumer confidence surged to an eight-month high, but home prices dropped in major cities. Sears plummeted after reporting that it would close more than 100 stores around the country.

In the latest sign of a bumpy recovery in the housing market, home prices fell in 19 of the 20 cities tracked by the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index. Atlanta, Detroit and Minneapolis posted the biggest declines. Prices in Atlanta and Las Vegas fell to their lowest points since the housing crisis began.

That report dampened investors' enthusiasm about a jump in consumer confidence to the highest level since April. The New York-based Conference Board reported that its Consumer Confidence Index rose almost 10 points to 64.5 in December. Economists watch the numbers closely because consumer spending accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity.

Henry Herrmann, chief executive officer at the investment management firm Waddell & Reed, said the increase reflected the fact that more jobs have been created in recent weeks, which will likely lead to "a more sustained" economic recovery.

"If job creation will come with wage improvement in the coming weeks, it will boost confidence further," Herrmann said.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 2.65 points, or 0.02 percent, at 12,291.35. The S&P 500 was up 0.10 points, or 0.01 percent, to 1,265.43. The Nasdaq composite rose 6.56, or 0.3 percent, to 2,625.20.

The most the Dow rose during the day was 34 points, and the most it fell was 24. It was the narrowest trading range in 5 months. Stocks are expected to trade within a narrow range all this week as trading remains light between the Christmas holiday and New Year's. The volume of shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange Tuesday was 2 billion, less than half the average daily volume this month.

Sears Holding Corp. plunged 27 percent to $33.38, the most in the S&P 500. The retailer warned it would close between 100 and 120 Sears and Kmart stores following poor sales during the holidays, the most crucial time of year for retailers.

The Sears news also dragged Whirlpool Corp. down 9 percent to $46.62. Investors worried the store closings would hurt sales of Whirlpool and Maytag washers and dryers the company makes.

A run of strong economic data in the U.S. has boosted the stock market in recent days. However analysts expect any gains to be tempered by worries over the European debt crisis.

Italy's borrowing costs rose Tuesday, reflecting a continued high level of investor anxiety. The yield on the country's ten-year bonds hit 7 percent again, which is considered unsustainable in the long run. Greece, Ireland and Portugal had to seek relief from their lenders after their own borrowing costs rose that high.

Italy is the euro zone's third-largest economy and is considered too big to get bailed out by its neighbors. Mario Monti, the country's new premier, got parliamentary approval last week for a big austerity package that is intended to save the country from financial disaster.

Markets have grown increasingly fearful over the past few months that Italy will find it difficult to pay off its massive debts, which stand at around $2.5 trillion.

In other corporate news:

? Computer Sciences Corp. fell 9 percent after warning that it will write down the value of an investment by about $1.5 billion.

? U.S. oil and gas explorer Endeavour International Corp. rose 24 percent after the company announced an agreement to buy ConocoPhillips' interest in three U.K. oil fields in the Central North Sea for $330 million.

? International Game Technology shares gained 5 percent following news that some states might be closer to permitting online gambling.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-12-27-Wall%20Street/id-146572df72664d0db4978b5cf44c2a2a

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Chad Ochocinco's gal hit up for Antoine Walker's debt

Evelyn Lozada, galpal of New England Patriots [team stats] wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, is being sued in bankruptcy court for allegedly helping her former fiance, ex-Celtic captain Antoine Walker, blow through the fortune he made in the NBA.

Lozada, star of VH1?s ?Basketball Wives,? is being accused of taking something in the neighborhood of $560,000 from Walker, who made more than $110 million during his basketball career but squandered it all ? and then some. Now the bankruptcy trustee wants Lozada to pony up the $560K ? plus interest, attorneys? fees and costs ? so it can be returned to ?Toine?s creditors.

According to the suit, Walker made more than $110 million during his 13-year career, not including endorsements and other business ventures, but he lived ?paycheck to paycheck.?

?He was consistently in the negative and insolvent,? the suit states. ?The debtor spent more money than he actually made and accumulated debts far beyond his financial ability to pay.?

Walker owned ?multiple homes in Miami and Chicago,? the suit says. Other luxuries included ?Bentleys, Range Rovers, furs, diamond-encrusted jewelry and exotic vacations.?

?The debtor also accumulated millions of dollars in debts owed to multiple casinos which remain unpaid,? the suit states.

You may recall that ?Toine, 34, was arrested in Tahoe in 2009, accused of writing bad checks to three Vegas casinos for markers totaling close to $1 million. He declared bankruptcy last year, listing total assets of $4.3 million and debts of $12.7 million.

The suit against Lozada, the first in connection with Walker?s financial mess, contends that the hoop heavy gave away millions to family, friends, acquaintances and ?others he barely knew.? He also ?engaged in questionable business deals ... that were doomed to fail from the start,? the suits says.

Lozada was one of the recipients of the broke basketball hero?s largesse, the suit states. He transferred $560K to the reality TV star, who was then his fiancee, ?to support her lifestyle? and to fund Dulce, her shoe store in Coral Gables, Fla.

?At the time the debtor made the transfers he had multiple creditors that he was indebted to and the debtor was insolvent since his liabilities far exeeded his assets,? the suit states. ?The transfers were made to Lozada to fund her own lifestyle at the expense of the debtor?s creditors.?

Vincent Alexander, the attorney for bankruptcy trustee Drew M. Dillworth, told the Track Lozada now has the opportunity to respond to the suit but hasn?t yet done so. Chad?s GF also didn?t respond to our request for comment yesterday. However, TMZ.com, quoting sources, reported that Lozada claims she sold her engagement ring from ?Toine to fund the shoe store and that she had no idea he was that deeply in debt.

Lozada and Walker broke up in 2009, around the time he filed for bankruptcy. A coincidence? Discuss ...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bostonherald/track/~3/hC46G9pc24U/view.bg

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Another Shipper Declines on Lower Rates (The Motley Fool)

The shipping industry is in a terrible state at the moment, characterized by excess supply and low demand coupled with low spot rates. As the U.S. discovers more and more oil reserves, the need to export from the Middle East keeps decreasing, thus working against tankers such as Frontline (NYSE: FRO - News), which saw a third-quarter loss, and Ship Finance (NYSE: SFL - News).

Ship Finance's profits plunged 21% in its third quarter, hit by lower spot rates for ship leases. Ship Finance also declared that it would continue to pay out its quarterly cash dividend of $0.39. Let's dig in to find out what happened.

Lower rates lead to...
Lower spot rates because of an oversupply of vessels also helped push down Ship Finance's revenue slightly to $73.3 million from $73.5 million last year. Although Ship Finance's exposure to the spot market was somewhat mitigated through its profit-sharing agreement with Frontline, it was hit in the quarter by a $1.6 million adjustment due to profit sharing in the preceding quarters.

Fleeting up
The Bermuda-based company has a fleet of 69 ships, with 59 on the water and 10 in the works. The 10 include six dry bulk and four container vessels. Ship Finance plans to sell three of its non-double-hull very large crude carriers and expects to make $46.5 million from it. The company has been adding to its container and offshore businesses. With the tanker market struggling, it might be looking to reduce its dependency on tankers.

Flags down
Ship Finance's two biggest counterparties are Seadrill (NYSE: SDRL - News) and Frontline. Seadrill currently constitutes nearly 40% of Ship Finance's backlog. Greek shipper Frontline contributed to 25% of Ship Finance's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization in the quarter. Thus, when things don't go right for these two, it affects Ship Finance as well. For instance, in its most recent quarter, Frontline swung to a loss and at the same time announced that it might need to restructure its finances and need cash to sustain operations next year. In reaction to the news, Ship Finance's shares went down 16%.

Some good news...
In the face of the weak spot tanker market, Ship Finance is looking to generate a major chunk of its cash flow from the offshore business. It currently has $6.7 billion of fixed-rate order backlog, of which 43% is from offshore and 33% from tankers. Going forward, the company expects to get more business out of containers as well. Ship Finance's board has previously declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.39 a share (i.e., $1.56 annually) with a whopping dividend yield of 17%.

If investing in shippers makes you nervous, fear not. We've uncovered a stock in another sector that we think you'll love. If you'd like to take a look at the one company that we've picked out for tremendous growth in 2012, check out The Motley Fool's brand new report, "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2012." It highlights a company that is revolutionizing commerce in Latin America. You can get instant access to the name of this company by clicking here -- it's free.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personalfinance/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/fool/20111228/bs_fool_fool/rx171054

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MTV-India?s new hit, filmed in Israel

One of the cast members of The Chat House.

"Transmedia storytelling is the only way to engage this wired generation. We experimented with Crunch and now we are doing it again with Chat House. Integrating three screens seamlessly will give viewers the window to connect with the show wherever, whenever. With MTV Chat House, we are turning the fundamentals of a reality show on its head. It is inclusion instead of elimination, because today, if you don't have friends, you are nobody," said Aditya Swamy, executive vice president of MTV-India.

There was just one catch: MTV-India wanted the creators to be on hand during the filming - but Golan and Joseffson both have young children and didn't want to be away from home for three months. "Jokingly, I said they could come to Israel," says Golan, "and after a budget check, they did."

Some 100 crew, 15 participants and one VJ are now in Israel making television history.

"The Indians love Israel. They were not worried to come and they're excited that they're in Israel," Golan tells ISRAEL21c. "They're insisting that they go on a tour of Jerusalem after the show. I think I'll need at least two buses."

Israeli technology behind-the-scenes

The format of the new program was one thing. Turning it into a reality for TV was another.

The creators and producers knew about the radical 3D sensoring technology that has taken the gaming industry by storm. And they knew that at the head of the pack of innovators was Tel Aviv-based PrimeSense - with its 3D interactive sensor system that allows gamers to literally put themselves in the game.

The task of using PrimeSense's hardware technology for Tanin's format idea arrived on Smite Entertainment founder and CEO Erez Yerushalmi's desk one month before The Chat House went on air.

"We took the challenge," Yerushalmi tells ISRAEL21c. "This is not the same as [online virtual world] Second Life, where you're controlling an avatar of how you see yourself. We're walking the thin line between virtual and reality; people on this show are a digitalized self."

On the show, the 12 contenders wear headsets and speak into depth-sensing cameras when chatting with the three masters. Their every move is recorded and shown via their avatars.

"We took these depth-cameras and developed software that enables the camera to shoot a real person in real time and whatever he does the avatar does in real time," says Yerushalmi.

Fans have left positive comments about the show on MTV-India's site.

"It's more than saying Israeli technology is great. If you look at the layers of this phenomenon, all of it was made in Israel. Tanin wrote the TV format, the IT [PrimeSense] is based in Israel and the application, avatars and game format were done by Smite," sums up Yerushalmi. "We completed a total experience -- idea, technology, application."

120 million viewers

The Chat House kicked off on November 25, and is set to run 60 days. The show is broadcast in Hindi but English is the language of communication on set.

Production figures are already impressive, with a reported 120 million viewers and three million "likes" on Facebook on the first day.

"In India, they're very excited. They smell that it's going to be a very successful show," says Golan. "I think by the end of the show we can reach 20 million 'likes.'"

With numerous other Israeli-made television formats now airing around the world -- including Homeland (Showtime), In Treatment (HBO) and Traffic Light (Fox) -- Golan says the secret to Israel's success is its oomph.

"Israeli TV formats are not lazy. We work very hard because we're a small country and we have to bring to the world something new, shocking, something that will attract attention," says Golan, who has sold formats to some 70 countries.

Since The Chat House has been on MTV-India, interest around the world has spiked. Golan says his company has sold the same format to France, Germany, Turkey and Greece.

Says Golan: "You must bring something with a twist; otherwise you don't have any chance to survive. That's why Israelis are very successful now."

Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5664465939

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World's coolest movie theaters

Courtesy of Electric Cinema

At the Electric Cinema in London, settle into overstuffed leather armchairs, complete with footstools, and aperitifs from the champagne-stocked bar.

By Mark Ellwood, Travel + Leisure

For movie buffs who frequent Austin?s Alamo Drafthouse, the theater matters at least as much as the show. After all, they?re here for the themed dinners and sing-alongs, and just may be in costume.

Slideshow: See where to enjoy movies in style

Even as home entertainment systems get bigger, there?s a longing for the thrills associated with the heyday of glamorous movie palaces ? for a communal experience that justifies the ticket price and inspires you to get off that sofa. Select new and classic theaters have responded by introducing advanced technology, cool events and gourmet treats such as bacon-fat popcorn.

University lecturer Ross Melnick welcomes this renaissance after years of bland shoebox-type theaters and megaplexes: ?It?s all about trying to bring back the style of the past and marry it with the technology of the future.? He cofounded the fan site Cinema Treasures, which devotedly chronicles the world?s coolest movie theaters. ?They?re cultural centers within a neighborhood,? says Melnick. ?You can see them from a few blocks away ? the lights, the marquee, the crowd, the show has already begun.?

Brooklyn?s DUMBO neighborhood has one such theater, as does London?s Notting Hill, where the Electric Cinema screens both crowd-pleasers and obscure vintage documentaries while patrons recline on leather armchairs with footstools and sip champagne cocktails. For travelers, these theaters with personality are yet another way to get an authentic taste of a destination.

Innovators have adapted the moviegoing experience with these creature comforts and even physics-busting 4-D technology ? available temporarily at a theater in Hong Kong?s airport and within a few aquariums and museums. Preservationists, too, have done their part, protecting old-school movie palace icons and making them cool for new generations.

When comic-book editor and movie buff Greg Lockard moved to San Francisco, he was immediately drawn to the iconic Castro Theatre, where an organ plays medleys before evening screenings and the audience is the city?s liveliest. ?I remember it having a touch of the Old Hollywood magic that I grew up on the East Coast daydreaming about,? he explains. ?To my uneducated eye, it was the San Francisco of Alfred Hitchcock.?

More articles from Travel + Leisure?

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Source: http://itineraries.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/01/9146914-worlds-coolest-movie-theaters

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Hackers! Embellishment! The Inside Story of the Facebook Movie

create a forum where everyone can share their own personal stories, then have the government connect the dots to implicate us all-for being so honest.- Make us feel safe, with homeland security- then turn the whole place into a wall to wall prison camp. America needs martyrs Uncle Sam wants YOU!

I actually watched this movie last week and its great to see how viral something can go. It brought up lots of ideas for me, he should be really proud of what he achieved!! I guess everyone wants to bein his live if you really live your dreams, like me and my spouse who started a website called

But guys, I prefer to do that in front of a whiteboard or a coffee machine? Informal discussions with *real* people does blast the twitter/facebook buzz

I know this is suposto make me sympathize with Mark Zuckerburg, but honestly how many people feel ?bad? for him. I sure as s*** don?t. That is why I hate stories/celebrities who play the sympathy card about how ?hard? its is bulls*** you made your bed of lavish luxery, and should be proud as hell. Instead your complaining because you want a change of sheets. I will totally sympathize with you Mark once you throw 10mil my way so I can start my own damn company.

I know the name zuckerberg, but I have no clue what he looks like cause, who cares? Facebook is famous, but I don?t know if this guy is going to get Gates famous for a website.

??Mark Zuckerberg will become the first tech nerd to be granted Hollywood celebrity?? No shit. He?s Jewish and Hollywood?s run by Jews. BTW, he?s not the first nerd to get the hollywood treatment. Remember ?Pirates of Silicon Valley? about Bill Gates and Steve Jobs? Also Jews? Hollywood Jewish propaganda at work!

First tech nerd to be granted Hollywood celebrity? If granting celebrity means ?making a movie about you?, as opposed to ?letting you into the parties?, there was

If this was a TNT movie I?d watch it without reservation. But in the theater? Watching this movie at a theater is gonna be like watching porn: We do it, but we don?t mention it the next day.

Wow, comparing Zuckerberg and Facebook to Hearst and his newspapers. I guess since neither Citizen Kane nor The Social Network are close to reality, the historical comparisons shouldn?t be either.

?When the movie based on his college exploits and Silicon Valley conquests hits screens this fall, he?ll become the first tech nerd to be granted Hollywood celebrity.?

Wow, talk about a sperm bank of useless metaphor and pointless references to miscellaneous topics and irrelevant persons, not too dissimilar from Peter Griffin and his whopper of a tale of complete stupidity and moronic behavior as only could be followed by the nefarious minds who now regurgitate garbage onto a computer screen while wholly ignoring the aspects of journalism and review.

I never cared much for Facebook, but I?m going to have to see this just because of the director and the epic soundtrack.

?so, apart from the now-established monetary means required to persuade justin timberlake to return to his nsync hairstyle, is there anything else this film achieves other than showcase the success of a clone website of myspace??

Why do you keep saying he will be the first tech nerd in film? Bill Gates and Steve Jobs have already beat him 20 years ago.

This movie could be great. However, being a creep isn?t synonymous to being a genius or really ?special?. I do believe it?s the biggest misconception going around teens today. Actually, being a creep has dual sided benefits, its either you end up going really astray and be a loner. Or, you try to do something really worth it for the people around you.

Source: http://guidewhois.com/2011/12/hackers-embellishment-the-inside-story-of-the-facebook-movie/

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iPhone 4 32GB goes BOGO at Best Buy, today only

For today only, and in store only, Best Buy is offering qualified buyers last year’s iPhone 4 at 32 GB capacity on BOGO (buy one, get one free) on either the Verizon or AT&T networks.

Buy the Apple? iPhone? 4 32GB and get one FREE. Choose from

...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/4tKctg1mWfk/story01.htm

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What are Steve Jobs' most notable failures?

Like The Architect would say, NeXT was quite naturally perfect. It was a work of art. Flawless. Sublime. A triumph only equaled by its monumental failure.

First, some context: back when NeXT was created Jobs went from being the guy from Apple to the guy who got his ass thrown from Apple, after trying to stage a coup BTW.

Now NeXT computers weren't that expensive considering prices of the time and how advanced it was. Problem is it happened right when the PC became a commodity, no longer an expensive tool for companies and white collar workers. Jobs couldn't adapt to that, he started back when a good computer was almost the prize of a car (if not more) and now he became the old guy that still takes the train and wonders why everybody travels by plane now.

Those were the days of outsourcing manufacturing, yet Jobs wasted a ton of money building a state-of-the-art factory. He wouldn't even buy the motherboards, it was all soldered and assembled right there. I guess that's why he became a big supporter of overseas factories, even saying the Segway was doomed to fail because it was made in the US (and he had a point, given his own experience).

Paul's note about the fancy NeXT boxes its funny considering that's the kind of attention to details that people love about Apple now. But packaging wasn't a big deal back in the '80s and 90's, nor was minimalism.?

In fact those were the times of quantity=quality, of "multimedia" devices, consoles with lots of addons, cars with green LCD displays all over the place, all-in-one PCs with TVs built-in, and big remotes full of buttons.?

Yeah, you need training to handle that.

People are used to Apple's compromises today, but back then compromise was the F word: feature bloat was the rule, not the exception and not by any means a mistake. A product was considered subpar if it didn't have at least 3 separate functions, even if it sucked at all 3. The microwave/toaster/coffeemaker? that's from the '90s...

And BTW, mind Jobs used almost all of his own money on NeXT, he paid $100,000 out of his pocket for the logo alone. There were other investors on board but he was the only one that was going to end up broke if NeXT failed.

And it did, at least the original idea: nobody bought a NeXT, not even the cheaper pizzabox model. However he avoided bankruptcy by doing a 180? and embracing one of the other big trends of the '90s: software. He downscaled NeXT to the NeXTSTEP OS, which is ironic considering the original idea for NeXT was a computer and the OS was added by Jobs along development, one of the first mistakes he made since it not only added several millions in costs but it also delayed the launch of the Cube, killing most of the momentum it had.

How it affected Jobs? well, to start nobody cared or knew who he was during the '90s. Gates was famous, nobody outside IT talked about Windows being a copy of the Mac, it was all ancient history. When Jobs came back to Apple in '97 for most of the people out there it was the last gasp of the Cupertino boys. Apple was doomed, and the dude from the square-thingy computer that was used to code DOOM but that nobody actually bought to play that insanely popular game* was not going to be able to save it.

There was no red carpet at Infinite Loop, no hero's return: the only reason why Jobs made it back to Apple its because they were desperate for a new OS after Copland failed. How bad was Jobs' image back then? well to put it into perspective some people were actually disappointed (and still are) that Apple didn't bought Be Inc, using BeOS instead and bringing back Gass? who was doing a good job before Sculley also fired him.

That he managed to climb out of that hole is nothing short of a miracle.

*On defense of gamers, the version for the NeXT cube and station had a sluggish framerate and no sound.

Source: http://www.quora.com/Steve-Jobs/What-are-Steve-Jobs-most-notable-failures/answer/Juan-Videla

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Source: http://fabulously40.com/blog/id/authentic-nfl-jerseys-cheap-authentic-football-jerseys-online-22140

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The winner of 'The X Factor' is ...

By Craig Berman, TODAY.com contributor

Michael Becker / FOX

Melanie Amaro was crowned the first "X Factor" champ on Thursday night.

Melanie Amaro was crowned the winner of ?X Factor? on Thursday, surprising almost nobody and completing the journey that nearly ended before it began.

Amaro famously wasn?t one of judge Simon Cowell?s original four female finalists, but got called back into the competition when he either changed his mind or decided that the charade had gone on long enough, depending on how cynical you are. Once she got that second chance, she immediately became the favorite among the women, sailing through the competition and earning the $5 million recording contract.

She fell to her knees in prayer after hearing the news, overwhelmed enough to resist host Steve Jones? numerous attempts to get something resembling a sound bite out of her. She choked up several times during her show-closing number, but presumably will recover in time to record what everyone at Fox hopes?will be?a monster album that sells millions of downloads.

Josh Krajcik, the former burrito maker and champion of the 30-somethings, came in second, with Chris Rene having been eliminated earlier in the evening as the third-place finisher.

The result capped an evening that was more of a holiday special than a coronation. The three finalists all sang Christmas tunes, as did Justin Bieber in a duet with Stevie Wonder. Bieber than sang a few notes with Drew, the teenager eliminated earlier in the competition who auditioned with Bieber?s ?Baby? and seemed as overwhelmed by the opportunity as any girl her age would.

?She is a very special girl and she will go far,? Bieber said, though he did not indicate that he was prepared to fulfill Drew?s fantasy of a date with him at the beach.

The show also featured the snippets of interviews with friends and family members that tug at the heartstrings and are a staple of all reality competitions, or so it seems.

?We used to complain about you singing all the time, and now look at you singing in front of millions of people,? Amaro?s brothers said.

?I?m not really surprised we?re here right now. I want you to know that I love you so much, and I don?t think I say that enough,? said Krajcik?s daughter.

The night also saw the rivalry between Simon and judge?L.A. Reid depicted as a battle of heavyweights, while judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Adbul had the ?Cry-Off? clip show instead. This concept was brought to you by the 1950s, which wants its gender roles back.

Rachel Crow made her return, two weeks after her elimination in what was called the most shocking moment of the season. She didn?t seem to have any lingering scars from that experience.

?I?m gonna steal your job,? she told Steve.

It was a tough night for the host in general, who was often stymied in his attempts to talk with the contestants and had Nicole whiff on a punchline several times before he finally threw up his hands and gave up.

Other acts included 50 Cent, who tested the Fox censors and was accompanied by some of the less-heralded members of the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as Ne-Yo and Pitbull. Also singing was Leona Lewis, who won the British version of the show and is what the folks at Fox are desperately hoping that Amaro becomes. That, as much as anything else, will determine whether this becomes the next ?American Idol? or just one of the countless shows stuck in its wake.

{"contentId":"9645437","totalVotes":"17162"}

Did the right contestant win?

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NBCMiami: Don King delivered thousands of turkeys to the needy in South Florida http://t.co/eA87ZzHw

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New crew arrives at International Space Station (Reuters)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) ? A Russian Soyuz capsule arrived at the International Space Station on Friday with a trio of astronauts, bringing the orbital outpost back to full staffing after a failed cargo ship launch in August disrupted flight schedules.

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, NASA's Don Pettit and the European Space Agency's Andre Kuipers blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday for the space station, a $100 billion research complex that orbits about 240 miles above Earth.

Their two-day trip in the cramped capsule ended at 10:19 a.m. EST (1519 GMT) when the Soyuz slipped into the Earth-facing docking port on the station's Rassvet module.

The docking occurred about three hours after another botched Russian launch, the fifth this year.

An unmanned Soyuz-2 rocket carrying a Russian communications satellite lifted off from Russia's Plesetsk space center at 7:08 a.m. EST (1208 GMT), but failed to reach orbit after a third-stage engine failure.

The rocket and its payload crashed in Siberia, according to the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

There was no immediate word about whether the Soyuz-2 failure will impact upcoming launches, including a Soyuz flight slated for Wednesday to put six Globalstar mobile communications satellites into orbit.

The engine on the Soyuz-2 rocket lost Friday is different than the one used on the rocket that launches space station cargo and crews, NASA said.

"This is unlikely to have any effect on operations to the International Space Station," said NASA spokesman Joshua Buck.

The next cargo run to the space station is scheduled for launch on January 25.

At a news conference broadcast on NASA Television following the new crew's arrival, Russian space agency officials acknowledged the country's aerospace industry is in trouble.

"There are problems," Roscosmos chief Vladimir Popovkin said through a translator. "There is aging of many resources. We need to optimize everything. We need to modernize."

"It's also aging of human resources," Popovkin said. "Given the troubles we had in the '90s, quite a lot of people left and nobody came to replace them."

Russian launch troubles kept the space station short-staffed for most of the past three months.

Crew flights to the station were delayed while Russian engineers scrambled to find and fix the cause of a Progress cargo ship engine failure on August 24. The engine is virtually identical to the one used on the Russian Soyuz capsules that ferry crew.

The accident was traced to contamination or a blockage in a fuel line.

Russia beefed up its inspection and quality control systems and resumed flying on October 30.

Russian launch failures this year also claimed a long-awaited mission to return samples from the Martian moon Phobos. The 13-ton Phobos-Grunt spacecraft is expected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere between January 9 and 16.

The newly arrived crew at the space station joined station commander Dan Burbank and two cosmonauts, who have been aboard the outpost since November 16.

"It is so great to have all six crew members on board the space station," said NASA's head of human spaceflight Bill Gerstenmaier.

"This will be an exciting period for the crew. They have many activities over the next several months."

With the return to a six-member crew, the station can resume full-time science operations, including medical research, physics experiments and astronomical observations.

The crew also will begin preparations for the arrival of the first commercial cargo ship.

Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, is scheduled to launch its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule on February 7 for a trial run to the station.

The debut flight of a second U.S. supplier, Orbital Sciences Corp., is expected later in the year.

(Editing by Kevin Gray and Will Dunham)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111223/sc_nm/us_space_station

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[OOC] The Labyrinth

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Tax cut fight ends ugly year for Boehner (San Jose Mercury News)

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Women in Egypt hold huge rally to protest violence against them

Egyptian soldiers beat and stripped some women protesters in Cairo. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned the attacks on women as "shocking."

Egyptian police and soldiers fired guns and teargas to try to clear hundreds of women protesters from Cairo's Tahrir Square on the fifth day of clashes that have killed 13 people and drawn a stinging rebuke from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

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It may have been the biggest all-female demonstration in Egypt's history.

Clinton on Tuesday condemned as "particularly shocking" incidents such as one in which two Egyptian soldiers were filmed dragging a woman protester on the ground by her black full-body veil, exposing her bra, then clubbing and kicking her.

IN PICTURES: Tahrir Square protests

The confrontations provide a turbulent backdrop to Egypt's progress towards democracy, with nine provinces, mostly outside the capital, holding run-off votes on Wednesday and Thursday in a parliamentary election being staggered over six weeks.

The army has pledged to hand power to an elected president by July, but its plans to permanently shield itself from civilian oversight in the new constitution have enraged pro-democracy protesters, who want it to hand over power at once.

Medical sources say 13 people have been killed and hundreds wounded in the latest violence, which began on Friday in Tahrir and nearby streets leading to parliament and the cabinet office.

"Women protesters have been rounded up and subjected to horrific abuse. Journalists have been sexually assaulted. And now women are being attacked, stripped and beaten in the streets," Clinton said in a speech at Washington's Georgetown University on Monday.

"This systematic degradation of Egyptian women dishonours the revolution, disgraces the state and its uniform and is not worthy of a great people," she added, in some of the strongest U.S. criticism of Egypt's new rulers.

The United States, which saw deposed leader Hosni Mubarak as a staunch ally, gives Cairo $1.3 billion a year in military aid.

WOMEN MARCH

Gunfire rang out across the square at dawn as security forces charged hundreds of protesters, and later thousands of women marched on the square to condemn attacks on females who have taken part in the protests. But by nightfall the square was calm again.

The women marchers were dressed in black and accompanied by male demonstrators who vowed to protect them from harassment.

"The women of Egypt are a red line!" they chanted.

"This is a continuation of the systematic violence we used to witness (under Mubarak)," said Sarah Rifaat, a 27-year-old environmentalist. "They manipulate women, thinking they can break the people and scare them this way.

"What happened to the girl who was stripped and dragged was sheer savagery. We cannot be silent about this. I want someone from the military council to admit responsibility."

In a statement, the army council that took over after Mubarak was overthrown in February apologised, saying it "respects and appreciates Egyptian women and their right to protest and fully participate in political life".

General Adel Emara, a member of the council, said on Monday that the attack on the woman protester was an isolated incident and was under investigation. He denied that the army had given orders to clear the square.

But other generals and their advisers have condemned the pro-democracy protesters, sometimes in extraordinary terms.

"What is your feeling when you see Egypt and its history burn in front of you?" retired general Abdel Moneim Kato, an army adviser, told the daily al-Shorouk, referring to a historic archive building set alight during clashes - the Institute of Egypt. "Yet you worry about a vagrant who should be burnt in Hitler's incinerators."

One opposition group that has lowered its profile in the protests is the once-banned Muslim Brotherhood, whose Freedom and Justice Party leads the election results after the first round, followed by hardline Salafi Islamists.

A large percentage of the individual - rather than party list - seats up for grabs in the run-offs will be contested between Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi candidates.

Washington has reached out to Islamists in a shift in approach since the summer. A senior U.S. diplomat met Islamist and other newly elected members of parliament in the northern city of Alexandria, the embassy said on Tuesday. (Writing by Kevin Liffey; Editing by Michael Roddy)

IN PICTURES: Tahrir Square protests

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/LdQh0Qn_zdo/Women-in-Egypt-hold-huge-rally-to-protest-violence-against-them

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Blatter to meet Brazil leader over WCup concerns

By JIM ARMSTRONG

updated 4:05 a.m. ET Dec. 17, 2011

TOKYO - FIFA President Sepp Blatter plans to meet with Brazil's head of state to discuss concerns over the country's preparations for the 2014 World Cup.

FIFA officials have repeatedly said preparations for Brazil 2014 are behind schedule. FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke has told Brazilian lawmakers that the pace had to be stepped up, saying "we are late, we can't lose a day."

Blatter expressed his concerns on Saturday following a meeting of FIFA's Executive Committee on the sidelines of the 2011 Club World Cup.

"The executive committee is worried about that," Blatter said. "I will myself take up the World Cup in a presidential level and in the first or second month of next year I will go and meet the head of state."

Valcke reported on the status of preparations for the 2014 World Cup during the Dec. 16-17 meetings in Tokyo and noted that the general World Cup Bill, which comprises the necessary government guarantees regarding the organization of the event, has yet to be enacted by the relevant authorities.

"Clearly, we are concerned that we have not received the confirmation of the general World Cup Bill," Blatter said.

Blatter also said that Ricardo Teixeira, the 2014 World Cup organizing committee president, has asked for a leave of absence until the end of January.

"Mr. Teixeira has asked for a leave of absence until the end of January so he is out of FIFA and the 2014 organizing committee until the end of January," Blatter said.

Blatter also reiterated his desire to publish a document naming soccer officials who took millions of dollars in kickbacks from World Cup broadcast deals.

The BBC has reported that the document implicates former FIFA President Joao Havelange and Teixeira. Havelange resigned as an IOC member earlier this month.

FIFA postponed the publication of the document because "legal measures taken" by a party involved in the 10-year-old ISL scandal prevented it from releasing the court papers during the executive committee meetings in Tokyo.

"The executive committee and myself would like to open the file as quickly as possible," Blatter said. "FIFA needs to lay the ISL issue to rest, it's unfortunate we can't open it now but I am hoping the Swiss court will allow us to open the file in early 2012. We cannot go to the past, we can only clarify it."

FIFA also announced the list of members of the Independent Governance Committee, a committee aimed at cleaning up world soccer's governing body and headed by Basel University professor Mark Pieth.

The list has nine members including Sunil Gulati, president of the U.S. Soccer Federation. Non-soccer members include Michael Hershman, President and CEO of the Fairfax Group, and Peter Goldsmith, who served as Attorney General in the United Kingdom from 2001-2007.

At an October executive committee meeting, Blatter said the panel would consist of up to 18 people, half from soccer, half from politics, law and civil society.

In other developments, FIFA decided that the 2013 and 2014 editions of the Club World Cup would be held in Morocco after the 2012 tournament in Japan.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Chelsea slips, Dempsey scores

Euro roundup: Chelsea missed a chance to put pressure on the two Manchester clubs at the top of the Premier League on Saturday, yielding a goal with two minutes left in a 1-1 draw at relegation-threatened Wigan.

Mike Stobe / Getty Images

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Terror detainee turned over to Iraqis

WASHINGTON?? The United States on Friday handed over its last detainee in Iraq to Iraqi authorities, after months of failed efforts by Washington to persuade Baghdad to allow his extradition for trial.

White House National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said Iraq had given assurances that Ali Mussa Daqduq, suspected of orchestrating a 2007 kidnapping that resulted in the killing of five U.S. military personnel, would be tried for his crimes. U.S. officials would continue to discuss the case with Baghdad, Vietor said.

Daqduq is a Lebanese national that the U.S. suspected of being a Hezbollah operative working under orders from Iran.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45699836/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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Philippines storm, floods kill more than 250

MANILA, Philippines?? More than 250 people were killed and almost twice that number were missing after a typhoon hit the southern Philippines, officials said on Saturday, triggering flash floods and landslides and forcing tens of thousands from their homes.

Typhoon Washi, with winds gusting up to 56 mph, hit the resource-rich island of Mindanao late on Friday, bringing heavy rain that also grounded some domestic flights and left wide areas without power.

The Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) said 256 people were killed in flash floods in Mindanao and another island. Soldiers and police were recovering more bodies washed ashore in nearby towns.

"The death toll might still rise because there are still a lot of missing people," said Gwendolyn Pang, secretary-general of the PNRC.

Photoblog: Storm, floods hits south Philippines

She said the hardest-hit areas were in the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro.

Almost 400 people were unaccounted for, most of them from a coastal village in Iligan. Houses were swept into the sea by floodwaters while people were sleeping inside late on Friday.

The latest Red Cross figures put the death toll in Iligan at 144. Another 86 were killed in Cagayan de Oro, many of them children.

Five miners were killed in a landslide in Monkayo on Mindanao and another 21 people drowned on the central island of Negros, the PNRC said.

The national disaster agency put the death toll at 131, but other government officials also said at least 256 people had been killed.

The Philippines social welfare department said about 100,000 people were displaced and brought to more than a dozen shelters in Iligan and Cagayan de Oro.??

Villages 'swept to the sea'
Teddy Sabuga-a, a disaster officer in Misamis Oriental province, said 60 people were rescued in waters off El Salvador city, about 6 miles northwest of Cagayan de Oro, after they were swept to the sea by a raging river, and about 120 more were rescued off Opol township, closer to the city.

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He said an island in the middle of the Cagayan de Oro river was inundated, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or people missing.

Cruz said the coast guard and other rescuers were scouring the waters off his coastal city for survivors or bodies that may have been swept to the sea by a swollen river.

The floodwaters were waist-high in some neighborhoods that do not usually experience flooding. Scores of residents escaped the floods by climbing onto the roofs of their homes, Cruz said.

Army spokesman Colonel Leopoldo Galon said search and rescue operations would continue along the shorelines in Misamis Oriental and Lanao del Norte provinces.

"I can't explain how these things happened, entire villages were swept to the sea by flash floods," Galon told Reuters, saying the death toll could rise as hundreds of people were unaccounted for.

"I have not seen anything like this before. This could be worse than Ondoy," he said, referring to a 2009 storm that inundated the capital, Manila, killing hundreds of people.

Prominent radio broadcaster missing
Television images showed bodies covered in mud, cars piled on top of each other and wrecked homes. Helicopters and boats searched the sea for survivors and victims.

Those missing included prominent radio broadcaster Enie Alsonado, who was swept away while trying to save his neighbors, Cruz said.

Rep. Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro said that about 20,000 residents of the city had been affected and that evacuees were packed in temporary shelters.

Television footage showed muddy water rushing in the streets, sweeping away all sorts of debris. Thick layers of mud coated streets where the waters had subsided. One car was shown to have been carried over a concrete fence.

The chief of the national disaster agency, Benito Ramos, said that officials were still getting reports from the field and that the number of casualties would likely rise.

"Massive flooding had been reported over the region, especially in Iligan city and Cagayan de Oro city," Ramos said, adding that tens of thousands of people sought shelter on high ground.

Strong winds toppled trees onto the rain-saturated ground in Polanco township in Zamboanga del Norte province. An 80-year-old woman drowned after being trapped in the first floor of her flooded home. A 30-year-old man and a 10-year-old boy also drowned, said provincial disaster officer Dennis Tenorio.

Washi, the 19th storm to hit the Philippines this year, came ashore in eastern Mindanao and blanketed the region with thick rain clouds 250 miles in diameter.

It quickly cut across the region overnight and was over the Sulu Sea by midmorning Saturday, packing maximum winds of 47 miles per hour and gusts of up to 56 mph. It is expected to blow out of the country late Sunday, forecaster Raymond Ordinario said.

Back-to-back typhoons in September left more than 100 people dead in the northern Philippines.

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The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45705894/ns/weather/

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Egypt's military clashes with protesters in Cairo

Egyptian protesters carry an injured fellow protester during clashes with military police near Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. Egyptian soldiers clashed with hundreds of rock-throwing protesters in central Cairo for a second consecutive day on Saturday, in a resurgence of turmoil just days after millions voted in parliamentary elections. (AP Photo/Mohammed Abu Zaid)

Egyptian protesters carry an injured fellow protester during clashes with military police near Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. Egyptian soldiers clashed with hundreds of rock-throwing protesters in central Cairo for a second consecutive day on Saturday, in a resurgence of turmoil just days after millions voted in parliamentary elections. (AP Photo/Mohammed Abu Zaid)

Egyptian protesters throw stones toward military police during clashes near Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. Egyptian soldiers clashed with hundreds of rock-throwing protesters in central Cairo for a second consecutive day on Saturday, in a resurgence of turmoil just days after millions voted in parliamentary elections. (AP Photo/Mohammed Abu Zaid)

Egyptian army soldiers arrest a woman protester during clashes with military police near Cairo's downtown Tahrir Square, Friday, Dec. 16, 2011. Activists say the clashes began after soldiers severely beat a young man who was part of a sit-in outside the Cabinet building. (AP Photo/Str)

A protester injured during clashes with military police receives medical treatment near Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 16, 2011. Soldiers stormed a protest camp outside Egypt's Cabinet building, expelling demonstrators calling for an end to military rule, just as officials were counting votes Friday in the second round of Egypt's parliamentary elections. (AP Photo/Mohammed Abu Zaid)

An Egyptian protester flashes anti-military ruling council banner, as others throw rocks at military police during clashes near Cairo's downtown Tahrir Square, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 16, 2011. Activists say the clashes began after soldiers severely beat a young man who was part of a sit-in outside the Cabinet building. The Arabic banner reads " over my dead body if the military council rule us and welcome to be a martyer" . (AP Photo/Ahmed Ali)

CAIRO (AP) ? Egyptian soldiers clashed with hundreds of rock-throwing protesters in central Cairo for a second consecutive day on Saturday, hurling stones from rooftops and firing water from hoses in a crackdown that has left at least eight people dead.

The violence has brought to the fore the simmering tensions between security officers and activists demanding an end to military rule, and threatened to spark a new cycle of fighting after deadly clashes between youth revolutionaries and security forces in November that lasted for days and left more than 40 dead.

Early Saturday, hundreds of protesters hurled stones at security forces who have sealed off the streets around the country's parliament building with barbed wire and large concrete blocks. Soldiers on rooftops pelted the crowds below with stones, prompting many of the protesters to pick up helmets, satellite dishes or sheets of metal to try to protect themselves.

Stones, dirt and shattered glass covered the streets between the two sides, while flames came out of the windows of a two-story building set ablaze near parliament, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the sky.

Witnesses said soldiers wielding wooden sticks and dressed in riot gear chased protesters through the streets, forcing them to retreat to nearby Tahrir Square, which served as the epicenter of the uprising that toppled longtime leader Hosni Mubarak in February.

Later, soldiers stormed into Tahrir to disperse the protesters, and set fire to their tents. A huge cloud of black smoke hung over downtown Cairo as the tents burned.

There were reports of live gunfire from the rooftops, and the MENA state news agency said at least eight people have been killed and around 300 people injured in the two days of clashes.

Egypt's prime minister acknowledged that people had died from gunshot wounds, but denied the military and the police fired at protesters instead said "a group came from the back and fired at protesters" and said that his government is for "the salvation of the revolution."

The violence first began late Thursday after soldiers stormed an antimilitary protest camp outside the Cabinet building near Tahrir Square, expelling demonstrators demanding an end to military rule and an immediate transfer of power to a civilian authority. Witnesses said troops snatched a protester, taking him into the parliament building and beating him.

The soldiers later moved in, burning protesters' tents. Video footage and pictures showed military police in uniform dragging female protesters from hair, beating men and occupying rooftops of the Cabinet building.

The military took over after longtime President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in a popular revolt in February. Rights groups and activists charge that the military is carrying on the practices of the old regime, including arresting and beating dissidents.

Funerals were expected Saturday for those killed a day earlier. Among the dead was Sheik Emad Effat, a cleric from Al-Azhar, Egypt's most eminent religious institution. Effat had taken a pro-revolutionary position, criticizing the military and issuing a religious decree forbidding voting for former members of the regime in elections. He was shot in the chest after joining the protesters outside the Cabinet.

Many Egyptians have grown increasingly wary of the military and frustrated with its handling of the country's transition period, and activists accuse the ruling generals of trying to hang on to power.

El-Ganzouri, a Mubarak-era politician who was named prime minister few days after violent protests broke out last month, blamed demonstrators for fueling the latest clashes by demolishing a wall of the Cabinet building, setting fire to the building and smashing surveillance cameras.

He said that the military forces guarding the building from inside have not been taken part in the clashes. He added that protesters are not "the pure revolutionaries" he knew, saying "a 12-year old boy can't be a revolutionary."

"I feel very sad and in so much pain," he told reporters in a press conference aired on Egyptian state TV. "I stress here that the armed forces didn't engage with protesters and didn't leave the building."

Mustafa Ali, a protester who was wounded by pellet shot in clashes last month, on Saturday accused the ruling generals of instigating the violence to "find a justification to remain in power and divide up people into factions."

In a statement read on state TV Friday night, the ruling military said its forces did not intend to break up the protest and said officers showed self-restraint, denying the used any gunfire. It said the clashes began when a military officer was attacked while on duty and protesters tried to break into the parliament compound.

The young activists who led the protests against Mubarak have not translated that success into results at the polls, where Islamist parties won a clear majority of seats in the first round of voting last month over the more liberal parties that emerged from the uprising. Results from this week's second round are expected in the coming days, with the rest of the country set to vote next month.

Images of troops protecting polling centers and soldiers carrying the elderly to the polls have served to boost the military's image as guardians of the country. The military remains the ultimate authority on all matters of state in absence of a president.

The second round of voting took place Wednesday and Thursday in nine of the country's 27 provinces. It covered vast rural areas where the religious stand of Islamist parties has strong support.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-17-ML-Egypt/id-e15c591486d94cd0ab2d4447ef6e2aca

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