Saturday, December 31, 2011

Gingrich: Iowa Race Will Be "Turmoil Until Tuesday Night" (ABC News)

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Amazon says 2011 holiday was great for Kindle, fails to mention how great

Amazon Kindle Fire

Amazon announced this morning that 2011 was its Kindle line's best holiday season to date, with over one million devices sold per week throughout December. Amazon seems particularly proud of how well received its Kindle Fire has been, citing the device's title of #1 best selling, most wished for, and most gifted device on the site for the past 13 weeks. The popularity of the Kindle line, Amazon says, has given rise to the growth of its Kindle Direct Publishing program, which generated the #1 and #4 titles on Kindle's best selling list this year. Just how well the Kindle line, and the Kindle Fire in particular, is selling is still a mystery, as Amazon has failed to release any hard numbers for holiday sales. Read into that tidbit as you wish. Amazon's full statement is at the source link.

Source: Amazon



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/5uf_DYuWafs/story01.htm

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Frankincense, Christmas staple, 'doomed': Scientists

If fire, grazing and insect attack, the most likely causes of decline, remain unchecked, then?frankincense?production could be doomed altogether.

Trees that produce frankincense, a fragrant resin used in incense and perfumes and a central part of the Christmas story, are declining so fast that production could be halved over the next 15 years, scientists said on Wednesday.

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In a study published in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology, ecologists from the Netherlands and Ethiopia looked at large-scale field studies and predicted that tree numbers could decline by 90 percent in the next 50 years.

If fire, grazing and insect attack, the most likely causes of decline, remain unchecked, then frankincense production could be doomed altogether, they warned.

Frankincense, best known in religious teachings as one of the gifts laid before the newborn Messiah, is obtained by tapping various species of Boswellia, a small, deciduous tree that grows across Africa from northern Nigeria to the highlands of Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Cutting the Boswellia's bark produces the frankincense resin, a white substance with a strong, sweet smell. The resin is burnt in churches, mosques and at ceremonies, as well as being used by the perfume industry and in herbal medicines.

Despite its economic importance, incense has been traded internationally for thousands of years, little is known about how tapping affects Boswellia populations.

Working in an isolated part of northwest Ethiopia near the source of the Blue Nile, a research team led by Frans Bongers of Wageningen University in the Netherlands studied 13 two-hectare plots, some where trees were tapped for frankincense and some where they were untapped.

Over two years, they monitored survival, growth and seed production of more than 6,000 Boswellia trees and used the data to build mathematical models to predict the fate of Boswellia populations in coming years. The forecasts suggest Boswellia populations are declining so dramatically that frankincense production could be halved in the next 15 years.

"Current management of Boswellia populations is clearly unsustainable," Bongers said in a statement. "Our models show that within 50 years, populations of Boswellia will be decimated, and the declining populations mean frankincense production is doomed."

The researchers found that all the Boswellia populations they studied are declining, not only those from tapped trees, a finding that suggests factors other than tapping are at the root of the problem.

Bongers said the main causes of the trees' decline are likely to be burning, grazing and attack by the long-horn beetle, which lays its eggs under the Boswellia's bark.

The scientists urged local authorities to introduce better management incentives to ensure farmers work harder to protect Boswellia trees. In the short-term this meant preventing fires and beetle attack, Bongers said, but in the longer-term, large areas should be set aside and protected for five to 10 years to allow Boswellia saplings to become established.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/0Y9G3Fx0E68/Frankincense-Christmas-staple-doomed-Scientists

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Exposition

Ahh. This is a great question. xD

The trouble a lot of introductions run into is they start with such a wide scope, talking about the universe in the broadest of strokes, that there's no way for potential players to hook themselves in. I know you said not to mention Star Wars, but seriously look at how the movies themselves did it. You start with the screen crawl "LONG LONG AGO IN A GALAXY FAR FAR AWAY" which, y'know, is about as broad as you can get but very quickly you're drawn into the story because the characters are instantly relatable, and you're not lost still in gobs of explanatory things.

I hope that makes sense. One of the greatest ways to get exposition out is to involve the reader. I remember a sci-fi RP once on another board where the GM spoke to potential readers as though they were late to a classroom session where their potential mission was being outlined. Having a fantasy opening being told as a "sonnet" by a minstrel by a fire.

Implying exposition through dialogue, or having brief narrative moments explain things is also an option. Showing the reader a shrine to a deity and how it has cracked and been overgrown with time speaks volumes of a country leaving its roots behind more than just telling us about it.

As I say, character is compass. Making the exposition so that the reader feels like they're a part of the story right away rather than waiting for the broad-as-the-sky opener down to finally, finally, why they decided to read through all the pages is the way to go.

I once read a hunk of "this is our world!" extra-IC nonsense that got as detailed as to tell potential players how people blow their nose in the country. That's not okay.

As unorganized as I am, I sure hope you got something outta that.

-VV

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/lbVP3A7HH9c/viewtopic.php

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Quake rattles New Zealand's Christchurch: USGS

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 struck close to the New Zealand city of Christchurch on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

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The quake was measured only about 14 km (9 miles) northeast of the city. It was another in a series of quakes that have rattled the city since a major earthquake killed almost 200 people there 10 months ago.

There were no immediate reports of a tsunami warning.

A quake of a similar magnitude was felt in the area on December 23, sending terrified residents from their houses but causing no casualties or major damage.

Christchurch, the largest city in New Zealand's South Island, is still recovering from a quake measuring 6.3 that killed 182 people in February and caused up to NZ$20 billion ($15.5 billion) in damage.

Large areas of Christchurch's business district are still off limits after the February quake, which toppled the city's famous cathedral, as well as shops, office buildings and homes.

New Zealand straddles the boundaries of the Indo-Australian and the Pacific tectonic plates and is hit by about 14,000 quakes every year, of which only a small number top a magnitude of 5.

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45771298/ns/world_news/

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Friday, December 30, 2011

Ericsson Goes From Oil to Mobile

The?head of?telecommunications giant Ericsson's Russia operation, Maria Radtke, was fluent in?English, Swedish, French, German and?Spanish when she arrived in?Moscow in?2010. But she could not speak Russian.

On?the back of?a smattering of?Croatian picked up during a?stint in?that country as well as Russian lessons, nearly two years after her transfer she's able to?express herself to?locals.

"Communication is a?basic human need," she said. Radtke is confident of?Ericsson's ability to?weather any economic storm and?said the?growth of?Internet penetration will significantly raise Russia's gross domestic product.

While Ericsson is fully behind plans to?modernize Russian society and?boost the?innovation economy championed by?President Dmitry Medvedev ? it's even a?strategic partner in?high-technology hub Skolkovo ? the?company was first drawn to?Russia 130 years ago for?a more traditional reason: oil.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/themoscowtimes/RUXi/~3/PpZekwQsbT0/450459.html

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Obama would trounce Romney, Perry among Latino voters, survey finds (The Christian Science Monitor)

Washington ? Most Latinos in the United States disapprove of the rise in deportations of illegal immigrants under the Obama administration. But in hypothetical matchups with two Republican presidential candidates, President Obama wins handily, according to a new survey by the Pew Hispanic Center.

Against former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Mr. Obama wins 68 percent to 23 percent among Latino registered voters. Obama also beats Texas Gov. Rick Perry, 69 percent to 23 percent.  

The fast-growing Hispanic population represents a crucial voting bloc next November. Republicans acknowledge that their nominee must do better against Obama in 2012 than John McCain did in 2008, when Obama won 67 percent of the Hispanic vote, versus 31 percent for Senator McCain. In 2004, when President George W. Bush was reelected, he won 44 percent of the Hispanic vote.

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The Pew Hispanic Center survey demonstrates how steep the challenge is for the eventual Republican nominee.

?Even among those who disapprove of the way Obama is handling the issue of deportations, a majority support his reelection over either of these two potential Republican challengers,? the Pew center reports. ?Obama would carry this group by 57 percent to 34 percent against Romney and 61 percent  to 31 percent against Perry.?

As for Newt Gingrich, a separate survey in early November by the Pew Research Center showed Obama beating the former House speaker among Hispanic voters, 61 percent to 36 percent.

Latinos disapprove of Obama?s immigration policy 57 percent to 27 percent, according to the new Pew Hispanic Center survey. Under Obama, deportations have risen to record levels. Since 2009, the annual average is near 400,000, 30 percent higher than the annual average of George W. Bush?s second term and about double the annual average of his first term. The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that 81 percent of undocumented immigrants in the United States are of Hispanic origin. Among deportees in 2010, 97 percent were Hispanic, according to figures cited by Pew from the Department of Homeland Security.

Democrats have historically performed better than Republicans among Latinos, except for those of Cuban descent. In the survey, Latinos reported that jobs, education, and health care were the top issues in next year???s election. One-third of registered Latino voters said immigration was extremely important to them.

But the optics of the immigration debate have weighed heavily against the GOP. Republicans tend to favor a ?secure the border first? approach to immigration, while Democrats are more inclined toward comprehensive immigration reform, which would establish a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants while also addressing border security. Critics call the citizenship provision amnesty.

In addition, 90 percent of Latinos support the DREAM Act, legislation that provides legal status to young illegal immigrants who attend college or serve in the US military for two years. The Obama administration backs the DREAM Act, while Republicans tend to oppose it.

In 2012, several swing states have fast-growing Hispanic communities, including Florida, Nevada, and New Mexico. The Obama campaign and state Democratic parties already have extensive outreach programs in place, while the Republican Party is embroiled in its nomination process. Still, Republicans believe the struggling economy ? which has hit minorities harder than other Americans ? gives them an inroad into the Hispanic community. Republicans also argue that Hispanics? entrepreneurial culture and emphasis on family values make their party a natural home for Latinos. 

RECOMMENDED: Four reasons illegal immigration across the US-Mexico border has dropped 

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20111228/ts_csm/442446

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How Doctors Die

You mean this one:

I swear by Apollo the physician and Aesculapius, and Health, and All-heal, and all the gods and goddesses, that, according to my ability and judgment, I will keep this Oath and this stipulation -- to reckon him who taught me this Art equally dear to me as my parents, to share my substance with him, and relieve his necessities if required; to look upon his offspring in the same footing as my own brothers, and to teach them this art, if they shall wish to learn it, without fee or stipulation; and that by precept, lecture, and every other mode of instruction, I will impart a knowledge of the Art to my own sons, and those of my teachers, and to disciples bound by a stipulation and oath according to the law of medicine, but to none others. I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgement, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous. I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel; and in like manner I will not give to a woman a pessary to produce abortion. With purity and with holiness I will pass my life and practice my Art. I will not cut persons labouring under the stone, but will leave this to be done by men who are practitioners of this work. Into whatever houses I enter, I will go into them for the benefit of the sick, and will abstain from every voluntary act of mischief and corruption; and, further, from the seduction of females or males, of freemen and slaves. Whatever, in connection with my professional service, or not in connection with it, I see or hear, in the life of men, which ought not to be spoken of abroad, I will not divulge, as reckoning that all such should be kept secret. While I continue to keep this Oath unviolated, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and the practice of the art, respected by all men, in all times. But should I trespass and violate this Oath, may the reverse be my lot.

Taken absolutely literally, it only forbids one kind of abortion. I would interpret this, in light of "I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgement, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous" to mean avoiding any kind of abortion that is likely to be destructive to the patient, but that any kind that is likely to be helpful to be entirely legitimate. The requirement of being for the benefit of the patient is, IMHO, the ruling clause and all others are contextual interpretations of it.

Urological surgery, the Oath states, should be performed by a specialist. I don't see any technical problems with this -- I wouldn't want a GP to be performing it either. Surgery is best left to surgeons, as the Oath says. ("will leave this to be done by men who are practitioners of this work"). General Practitioners are not brain surgeons, heart surgeons, urologists, etc, and should indeed refer the patient to a specialist. (I don't consider surgeons to be doctors in the sense meant by the Oath. The Oath seems to make it clear that it is intended for village doctors making house-calls, or GPs in local practice, with similar but suitably-adjusted Oaths being required of those trained in highly specialized areas of medicine.)

Frankly, the Laws of England would be better served if attempts to revise or delete elements of Common Law were examined in light of the original intents of such law, and if both the Houses of Parliament and the practicing lawyers were familiar with the purpose of Alfred's Book of Dooms, the elimination of Sovereign Immunity in the Great Charter, and the reasoning behind the English Bill of Rights. Sure, nobody would want to revert to Saxon law, but the reasons for why it was what it was have changed surprisingly little. It was a careful balance of revenge, punishment and mercy, a balance a lot of modern laws don't have. We've progressed a lot in theory and can strike a much wiser balance today, but unless you start from the notion of a balance in the first place, you cannot hope to ever do so.

As for medical ethics having progressed, I must have missed that, what with a maker of structurally dangerous breast implants going on the lam. It was reported that the faults were spotted in 2000, but production stopped in 2011? The saline contamination at Stockport's Stepping Hill hospital is still untraced - the nurse who was suspected has since been cleared, but investigation is minimal. Dr Harold Shipman -- a name to strike fear into any reputable medical establishment. Started in med school, too. Yeah, I've some... doubts over this medical ethics bit. I may be being unfair -- certainly, much of the NHS loss of quality in the past couple of decades has been due to budget cuts, "reforms" and moving too much paperwork to medical practitioners. Long ago, the idea of the local doctor doing rounds in the neighborhood has been crushed to oblivion over the fetish for centralization. (Doctor's offices, once almost outlawed to the seriously sick to prevent disease spreading unnecessarily, have become disease central.)

I would consider the Oath to be more than a historical curiosity, just as I consider Florence Nightingale's admonishment for proper hygine and sterilization to be entirely relevant today, and consider Mrs. Mary Seacole's surgical notes to be more than a mere historical footnote. Had the Lady of the Lamp been listened to in modern days, AIDS prevention schemes (such as dispensing clean needles) would have been enacted far sooner, contamination due to unclean implements would be rarer, cross-contamination by superbugs would still be largely unheard-of, etc. I'm not saying to take these old texts literally, I'm not a fundamentalist, but rather their lessons are important and failure to listen to them in the modern world has never produced a good result.

SARS was stopped when people performed proper isolation of the disease. Sure, Florence Nightingale didn't talk about modern quarantine regulations. You have to extrapolate into the modern times, allowing and adjusting for more modern knowledge and more modern technologies. But she did talk about the dangers of allowing illnesses to spread uncontained - a lesson demonstrably not learned a hundred years later.

The Greeks were great at updating --- there's narry a single scientific, mathematical or philosophical text from ancient times that isn't riddled with corrections, updates, clarifications and replacements as understanding improved. They replaced entire lines of thinking wholesale when they were no longer useful. The same should be done today, certainly. But ethics should always start from first principles and never from modern sensibilities.

The same applies to the Oath itself. Much of it is sensibilities "modern" to that time. Extract the first principles from it, then derive the "correct" modern form of the Oath from those first principles and modern understandings. Modern political, social and religious thought should not enter into the equation. At all. Ever. The modern science and the ethical first principles should be the sole arbiters of what is ethical in medicine today. As I said in my prior post, society and the law should be subordinate to what is ultimately intended and the best way to achieve that. Society should never be in a position to mandate inferior standards and the law should never be in a position to impose impossible dilemmas. I don't care what the dollar/pound cost is, in any absolute sense. Economists should not dictate standards of living either. They may be able to say where the "sweet spot" is, where the benefits of the higher standards and superior care equal in value all of the benefits and superior standards achieved in consequence of it, but since they've done such a lousy job of even direct bean-counting I'd not hold my breath waiting. But ultimately, that should be advisory. One parameter amongst many. The ripple effect is not the only one to consider and not all ripples will be quantifiable anyway.

So, no, I don't consider it a red herring. I consider understanding the foundations on which the Oath is predicated to be sound, to understand prior architectures of ethical systems to be entirely reasonable, and to base a modern architecture on these pieces of knowledge to be entirely rational. Modern failures are almost invariably the consequences of ignoring past lessons, but you cannot learn from a history you don't know and you cannot know what it is you're to learn from history if you don't interpolate as needed but merely take texts as they stand, unchanging.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/urvHuKtjxEE/how-doctors-die

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Few consumers trust Facebook storefronts to prevent fraud -- 11:25:33(CST)12-27-2011

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Tuesday, December 27, 2011 ? 11:25:33 (CST)

Few consumers trust Facebook storefronts to prevent fraud

San Jose, Calif. & Traverse City, Mich., Dec. 23, 2011 -- ThreatMetrix?, a leading provider of integrated cybersecurity solutions, today announced results of a joint study with The Ponemon Institute, ?Mobile Payments & Online Shopping Survey of U.S. Consumers.? The survey, which looked at U.S. consumers who self-reported they are active users of the Internet, revealed that 53% of consumers do not believe Facebook storefronts are committed to protecting them against fraudsters. A quarter of respondents (23%) were unsure about Facebook?s fraud prevention tactics.

While Google came out ahead of Facebook in terms of fraud prevention intentions, findings also showed more than half of consumers feel Google is more effective than Facebook at actually keeping them safe from online criminals. In fact, Google recently announced it is aiming to enhance its online retailing strategy, which some say will challenge Amazon.com. Google would partner with major retailers and shippers to enable consumers to shop for goods online and receive orders within a day for a low fee.

?If Google moves forward with this service, it introduces another set of fraud prevention concerns,? said Alisdair Faulkner, chief products officer, ThreatMetrix. ?With online shopping becoming more convenient and affordable for consumers, fraudsters will be even more eager to take advantage of underprepared retailers.?

Consumers Have Yet to Shop Via Social Networks

Survey results indicate that consumers have yet to really adopt online shopping habits through social networks. Only 32% of consumers surveyed have browsed a company?s Facebook page and then bought something on the company?s website. In turn, only one in five consumers indicated that they have purchased something directly within a Facebook storefront.

?Consumers have yet to adopt social shopping habits because it?s largely unavailable, with many retailers still trying to figure out their strategy in offering their products via social outlets like Facebook,? said Faulkner. ?And with the current consumer perception that Facebook isn?t doing enough to protect against security breaches, Facebook storefronts still face hurdles in gaining widespread adoption.?

The spam attack on Facebook accounts this past November did little to comfort consumers about security and fraud on the site. According to Faulkner, the security breach sparked concerns about the site?s vulnerability to hackers even though the attack didn?t compromise users? data.

?With new account registration, you have fraudsters who will sign up with social networking sites like Facebook in order to gain access to current user information,? added Faulkner. ?Having a comprehensive fraud prevention strategy is vital for social networks and strategic to their operations, especially if a user experiences spam directly within the site.?

For more information on today?s most prominent fraud threats and how to protect against fraudsters please see ThreatMetrix?s videos: ?Fraud Prevention Recommendations,? and ?Current Trends in the Online Fraud Environment?? Download the full ThreatMetrix report at http://info.threatmetrix.com/Ponemon-ExecSummary-Sept2011.html .

About ThreatMetrix
ThreatMetrix is a leading provider of multichannel cybersecurity solutions that enables brands to safely and securely accelerate online transactions in real-time. The ThreatMetrix Cloud-Based Fraud Prevention Platform, incorporating ThreatMetrix SmartID? cookieless device identification, provides online businesses with the ability to protect themselves and their customers by verifying new accounts, authorizing payments and transactions and authenticaticating user logins. The company serves a rapidly growing international customer base across a variety of industries, including financial services, e-commerce, social networks (dating, gaming), government, affiliate marketing and payments. For more information, visit http://www.threatmetrix.com or call 1-408-200-5755.

? 2011 ThreatMetrix. All rights reserved. ThreatMetrix, the ThreatMetrix Cloud-Based Fraud Prevention Platform, ThreatMetrix SmartID, ThreatMetrix ExactID, and the ThreatMetrix logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of ThreatMetrix in the United States and other countries. All other brand, service or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or owners.

Source: Company press release.

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Source: http://www.greensheet.com/newswire.php?newswire_id=24801

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Thursday, December 29, 2011

US warns Iran against closing key oil passage

(AP) ? The U.S. strongly warned Iran on Wednesday against closing a vital Persian Gulf waterway that carries one-sixth of the world's oil supply, after Iran threatened to choke off traffic through the Strait of Hormuz if Washington imposes sanctions targeting the country's crude exports.

The increasingly heated exchange raises new tensions in a standoff that has the potential to spark military reprisals and spike oil prices to levels that could batter an already fragile global economy.

Iran's navy chief said Wednesday that it would be "very easy" for his country's forces to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the passage at the mouth of the Persian Gulf through which about 15 million barrels of oil pass daily. It was the second such warning by Iran in two days, reflecting Tehran's concern that the West is about to impose new sanctions that could hit the country's biggest source of revenue, oil.

"Iran has comprehensive control over the strategic waterway," Adm. Habibollah Sayyari told state-run Press TV, as the country was in the midst of a 10-day military drill near the strategic waterway.

The comments drew a quick response from the U.S.

"This is not just an important issue for security and stability in the region, but is an economic lifeline for countries in the Gulf, to include Iran," Pentagon press secretary George Little said. "Interference with the transit or passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz will not be tolerated."

Separately, Bahrain-based U.S. Navy 5th Fleet spokeswoman Lt. Rebecca Rebarich said the Navy is "always ready to counter malevolent actions to ensure freedom of navigation."

Rebarich declined to say whether the U.S. force had adjusted its presence or readiness in the Gulf in response to Iran's comments, but said the Navy "maintains a robust presence in the region to deter or counter destabilizing activities, while safeguarding the region's vital links to the international community."

Iran's threat to seal off the Gulf, surrounded by oil-rich Gulf states, reflect its concerns over the prospect that the Obama administration will impose sanctions over its nuclear program that would severely hit its biggest revenue source. Iran is the world's fourth-largest oil producer, pumping about 4 million barrels a day.

Gulf Arab nations appeared ready to at least ease market tensions. A senior Saudi Arabian oil official told The Associated Press that Gulf Arab nations are ready to step in to offset any potential loss of exports from Iran. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the issue.

Saudi Arabia, which has been producing about 10 million barrels per day, has an overall production capacity of over 12 million barrels per day and is widely seen as the only OPEC member with sufficient spare capacity to offset major shortages.

What remains unclear is what routes the Gulf nations could take to move the oil to markets if Iran goes through with its threat.

About 15 million barrels per day pass through the Hormuz Strait, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

There are some pipelines that could be tapped, but Gulf oil leaders, who met in Cairo on Dec. 24, declined to say whether they had discussed alternate routes or what they may be.

The Saudi official's comment, however, appeared to allay some concerns. The U.S. benchmark crude futures contract fell $1.98 by the close of trading Wednesday on the New York Mercantile Exchange, but still hovered just below $100 per barrel.

U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner played down the Iranian threats as "rhetoric," saying, "we've seen these kinds of comments before."

While the Obama administration has warned Iran that it would not tolerate attempts to disrupt traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. officials do not see any indication that the situation will come to that. Nor do they believe that Iran, which is already under increasing pressure from sanctions, would risk disrupting the Strait because doing so would further damage Iran's own economy.

Instead, the administration believes Iran is playing the only card it has left: issuing threats and attempting to shift focus away from its own behavior.

U.S. officials have not said whether there is a concrete response plan in place should Iran seek to block the Strait. But the administration has long said it is comfortable with the U.S. Naval presence in the region, indicating that the U.S. could respond rapidly if needed.

The White House has been largely silent on Iran's threat, underscoring the administration's belief that responding at the White House level would only encourage Iran.

While many analysts believe that Iran's warnings are little more than posturing, they still highlight both the delicate nature of the oil market, which moves as much on rhetoric as supply and demand fundamentals.

Iran relies on crude sales for about 80 percent of its public revenues, and sanctions or even a pre-emptive measure by Tehran to withhold its crude from the market would already batter its flailing economy.

IHS Global Insight analyst Richard Cochrane said in a report Wednesday that markets are "jittery over the possibility" of Iran's blockading the strait. But "such action would also damage Iran's economy, and risk retaliation from the U.S. and allies that could further escalate instability in the region."

"Accordingly, it is not likely to be a decision that the Iranian leadership will take lightly," he said.

Earlier sanctions targeting the oil and financial sector added new pressures to the country's already struggling economy. Government cuts in subsidies on key goods like food and energy have angered Iranians, stoking inflation while the country's currency steadily depreciates.

The impetus behind the subsidies cut plan, pushed through parliament by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was to reduce budget costs and would pass money directly to the poor. But critics have pointed to it as another in a series of bad policy moves by the hardline president.

So far, Western nations have been unable to agree on sanctions targeting oil exports, even as they argue that Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon. Tehran maintains its nuclear program ? already the subject of several rounds of sanctions ? is purely peaceful.

The U.S. Congress has passed a bill that penalizes foreign firms that do business with the Iran Central Bank, a move that would heavily hurt Iran's ability to export crude. European and Asian nations use the bank for transactions to import Iranian oil.

President Barack Obama has said he will sign the bill despite his misgivings. China and Russia have opposed such measures.

Sanctions specifically targeting Iran's oil exports would likely temporarily spike oil prices to levels that could weigh heavily on the world economy.

Closing the Strait of Hormuz would hit even harder. Energy consultant and trader The Schork Group estimated crude would jump to above $140 per barrel. Conservatives in Iran claim global oil prices will jump to $250 a barrel should the waterway be closed.

By closing the strait, Iran may aim to send the message that its pain from sanctions will also be felt by others. But it has equally compelling reasons not to try.

The move would put the country's hardline regime straight in the cross-hairs of the world, including nations that have so far been relative allies. Much of Iran's crude goes to Europe and to Asia.

"Shutting down the strait ... is the last bullet that Iran has and therefore we have to express some doubt that they would do this and at the same time lose their support from China and Russia," said analyst Olivier Jakob of Petromatrix in Switzerland.

Iran has adopted an aggressive military posture in recent months in response to increasing threats from the U.S. and Israel of possible military action to stop Iran's nuclear program.

The Iranian navy's exercises, which began on Saturday, involve submarines, missile drills, torpedoes and drones. A senior Iranian commander said Wednesday that the country's navy is also planning to test advanced missiles and "smart" torpedoes during the maneuvers.

The war games cover a 1,250-mile (2,000-kilometer) stretch off the Strait of Hormuz, northern parts of the Indian Ocean and into the Gulf of Aden near the entrance to the Red Sea and could bring Iranian ships into proximity with U.S. Navy vessels in the area.

The moderate news website, irdiplomacy.ir, says the show of strength is intended to send a message to the West that Iran is capable of sealing off the waterway.

"The war games ... are a warning to the West that should oil and central bank sanctions be stepped up, (Iran) is able to cut the lifeblood of the West and Arabs," it said, adding that the West "should regard the maneuvers as a direct message."

___

El-Tablawy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Adam Schreck in Dubai, Julie Pace in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Abdullah Shihri in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, contributed.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-28-ML-Iran-Oil/id-640496e272944a559614bf7d80a1678e

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About that left-libertarian alliance thing (Unqualified Offerings)

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Beware the Mistletoe

No. In fact, December turns out to be one of the least violent months of the year. A Department of Justice study conducted in 1997 found that hospitals treated the highest numbers of violence-related injuries in June, July, and August, while only 8 percent of such injuries were treated in December. In 2007, one of the few recent years for which daily data are available from the Mortality Statistics Branch of the National Center for Health Statistics, there were fewer reported homicides on Christmas than on most other days in December. While police chiefs and other local officials sometimes claim that domestic violence increases over the holidays, they don't have much hard evidence. On the contrary, researchers for the National Domestic Violence Hotline found a drastic decrease in call volume on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Thanksgiving, at least during a study period running from 2004-10. In the 1997 Department of Justice study, hospitals treated the fewest violence-related injuries in February, and the fourth fewest in December. (Holidays or not, people tend to commit more acts of violence when it's hot out.)

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=a9a1198896c0270c4fed19c1a91b9e53

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Police find 7 bodies in northern Mexico (AP)

MONTERREY, Mexico ? Police in the northern Mexico state of Nuevo Leon said Tuesday that information provided by arrested members of a kidnapping gang has led them to at least seven bodies found buried in shallow graves or dumped in a well.

By nightfall, Nuevo Leon state police had found seven sets of human remains around the cities of Linares and Montemorelos, near the border with Tamaulipas state. Four bodies were found burned or half-buried, and three others had apparently been thrown down a well.

A Nuevo Leon state detective who was not authorized to be quoted by name said information from a band of five kidnappers detained over the weekend by soldiers led police to the bodies.

The soldiers detained the gang after a woman's relatives alerted a passing army patrol that she was being kidnapped.

Nuevo Leon security spokesman Jorge Domene said the gang worked for the Zetas drug cartel.

Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon have been the scene of bloody turf battles between the Zetas and the Gulf cartel.

Also Tuesday, federal prosecutors announced that a former high-ranking federal police official has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for helping the Sinaloa drug cartel.

The case of former regional police security coordinator Javier Herrera Valles had been a scandal and for some a cause celebre, in part because he was arrested after having publicly accused some of his superiors of corruption or incompetence.

The Attorney General's Office said in a statement Tuesday that Herrera Valles had been convicted of organized crime charges for aiding the Sinaloa drug cartel, Mexico's most powerful gang.

He was arrested in 2008, around the same time Mexico arrested a number of high-ranking officials for collaborating with drug cartels.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mexico/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111228/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_drug_war_mexico

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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Economists see growth picking up in new year

The U.S. economy will grow faster in 2012 ? if it isn't knocked off track by upheavals in Europe, according to an Associated Press survey of leading economists.

Unemployment will barely fall from the current 8.6 percent rate, though, by the time President Barack Obama runs for re-election in November, the economists say.

The three dozen private, corporate and academic economists expect the economy to grow 2.4 percent next year. In 2011, it likely grew less than 2 percent.

The year is ending on an upswing. The economy has generated at least 100,000 new jobs for five months in a row ? the longest such streak since 2006.

The number of people applying for unemployment benefits has dropped to the lowest level since April 2008. The trend suggests that layoffs have all but stopped and hiring could pick up.

And the economy avoided a setback when President Barack Obama signed legislation Friday extending a Social Security tax cut that was to expire at year's end. But Congress could agree only on a two-month extension.

The economists surveyed Dec. 14-20 expect the country to create 177,000 jobs a month through Election Day 2012. That would be up from an average 132,000 jobs a month so far in 2011.

Dean Maki, chief U.S. economist at Barclays Capital, says the U.S. economy remains vulnerable to an outside shock. A big threat is the risk that Europe's debt crisis will trigger a worldwide credit freeze like the one that hit Wall Street in late 2008.

A shock to the U.S. economy, he says, might not be as dangerous if it were growing at a healthier 4 percent to 5 percent annual pace. But when growth is stuck at 2 percent or 3 percent, a major global crisis could stall job creation and raise unemployment.

Beyond Europe, troubles in other areas could also upset the U.S. economy next year, the economists say. Congressional gridlock ahead of the 2012 elections and unforeseen global events, like this year's Arab Spring protests, could slow the U.S. economy. Three economists said rising nuclear tensions with Iran are a concern.

Even without an outside jolt, the economists expect barely enough job creation in 2012 to stay ahead of population growth and the return of discouraged workers into the labor force.

"I just don't know if it's going to be enough to bring the unemployment rate down," says Chad Moutray, chief economist for the National Association of Manufacturers.

The AP economists expect the unemployment rate to be stuck at a recession-level 8.4 percent when voters go to the polls in November. Unemployment was 8.6 percent in November.

A majority (56 percent) of the economists say the economy will get a lift from Federal Reserve policies. The Fed has said it plans to keep short-term interest rates near zero through at least mid-2013 if the economy remains weak. The central bank also has begun a campaign to try to push down mortgage rates and other long-term interest rates through next June.

Those surveyed also think the economy is strong enough to withstand higher oil prices. At near $100 a barrel, oil prices are up 10 percent from a year ago. But only two of the economists AP surveyed expect the higher prices to slow the economy "a lot."

The economists expect the European economy to shrink 0.5 percent in 2011 ? and fall into a recession. Europe is slowing as heavily indebted countries slash spending and banks exposed to government debt curtain lending.

Among the gravest fears is that a major country like Italy will default on its debt, wiping out some banks with large holdings of European government bonds. A worldwide credit crunch like the one that followed the 2008 failure of Lehman Bros could follow.

Story: Minister: Spain to fall back into recession

Twenty-one of the economists listed Europe as a threat to the U.S. economy next year.

"If it were a big enough downturn, given the size of Europe, it could bring the world economy down into recession," says Allen Sinai, president of Decision Economics.

But overall, the economists see only an 18 percent chance that Europe's debt troubles will cause a recession in the United States.

The economists are divided over which one step European policymakers should take now to bolster the 17-country eurozone.

More than one-fourth say the European Central Bank should aggressively try to lower the borrowing costs of the Italian and Spanish governments by buying their bonds.

Nearly one-fifth say European countries should jointly issue "Eurobonds" to help finance weaker countries.

And 17 percent say European governments should slash spending.

Still, the economists expect European policymakers to find a way to prevent the crisis from escalating into a global financial panic.

If Europe can stabilize its economies, the U.S. stock markets would rally sharply, economists say, and prospects for U.S. economic growth would brighten.

"Europe appears to be the only real impediment to keeping this recovery from happening," said Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economics.

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

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45791407/ns/business-eye_on_the_economy/

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Al Qaeda leaders moving to Africa, says report - India Today

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epaulnet: @UnseeingEyes All of this is unimportant. #sport #sports At least they're not #gay. #CheshireCat #smile http://t.co/95AXeBS9

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DesignObserver: John Foster: Merry Christmas from Accidental Mysteries, 12.25.11: A Gallery of Old Soviet Union Christmas Cards http://t.co/sdTdEEp1

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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

For Sale Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac

Forum Jump

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In a Past Life, Gingrich Passionately Defended the Individual Mandate (Little green footballs)

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Earth's northern half plunged into darkness by axial tilt! Will sunlight ever return?

It sure will! The Winter Solstice occurs at 12:30 a.m. EST. After that, the days will start getting longer again.?

Winter officially arrives late Wednesday or in the wee hours of Thursday, depending on the time zone you are in.

Skip to next paragraph

The official time corresponds to 12:30 a.m. EST (9:30 p.m. PST, or 5:30 a.m. Universal Time) Thursday (Dec. 22). This is the point when the northern half of our planet will face directly away from the sun.

This means that days, which have up until now been growing shorter in the Northern Hemisphere, will begin to lengthen.

This happens because the Earth rotates on an axis that is tilted by 23.5 degrees, so the planet leans one way or another as it travels around the sun. This doesn't make much difference for folks living around the Earth's equator, but for those of us farther north, or south, this tilt?creates seasons.

The winter solstice marks the end of fall and the beginning of winter. During the solstice, the northern half of the Earth is facing away from the sun, hence it will experience its shortest day of the year as the planet rotates.

The effect of this tilt, and of the solstice, depends on your latitude. Everything above the Arctic Circle will remainshrouded in darkness, with no sun?that day, and to the north,?the North Pole?goes without sunlight for months. Farther south in the Northern Hemisphere, the solstice day becomes longer.

The opposite occurs in the Southern Hemisphere. There, the December solstice marks the arrival of summer. ?

For those of us in the north, the days may begin to grow longer, but the coldest days are still to come. This is because ocean temperatures?drive much of the weather?on the continents, and they continue to cool in the relative lack of sunlight this time of year.?

You can follow?LiveScience?senior?writer Wynne Parry on Twitter?@Wynne_Parry.?Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter?@livescience?and on?Facebook.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/4J-tzilg8-0/Earth-s-northern-half-plunged-into-darkness-by-axial-tilt!-Will-sunlight-ever-return

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Commercial Real Estate Investing Vs Residential

Commercial real estate investing is a better investment than investing in residential property? Now we all know that real estate is usually an investment vehicle and the two large residential and commercial properties can be good investments. Avenue can be a huge impact on your net worth, but most people only think of a property if they think about investing in real estate. All this is certainly the most appropriate way for most people, commercial real estate can not provide additional benefits to the residential model can offer.

Three reasons are better than commercial residential investment offers:

1). Commercial Real Estate offers you more access to more capital

It is my experience that it is a bit easier to raise large amounts of capital (less than $ 3 million) to increase by a commercial offer at $ 150,000 contract for a house. As an investor, your access to housing capital is primarily due to traditional financing, limited hard money lenders and private money from investors. If you are not able to raise capital are from one of three ways, then you are forced to purchase goods with the owner of a creative financing, subject strategies, lease options, etc. This is not itself a bad thing, But unfortunately you have a few bargains that can not be purchased to run with creative financing techniques.

Bundle in the commercial real estate financing, it is common for investors to invest their capital together and treated Union, you will also find that small business private equity and finance companies are more willing to make joint-venture projects and provide the necessary capital, to complete the transaction, if a lot of sense. Then as a commercial investor, you have the ability to raise capital for an agreement from the same sources as residential projects such as traditional financing and difficult to collect money, but also you can access to capital by small businesses in private equity, hedge funds, private REITs, investment groups, and the list goes on.

It seems also a sense of intrigue and prestige have when it comes to investing in commercial transactions. Perhaps because of the current state of the commercial market, it seems investors are more oriented to invest in commercial projects.

2) Commercial Real Estate is less competitive

If you think about it from a marketing point of view, most investors target homeowners that the housing market more competitive. In many arenas, from industry news sources, the World Wide Web, all the ?We Buy Houses? signs on almost every street corner there are many marketing tactics to promote the residential owners. If you discuss the same marketing strategies and take on commercial real estate, you will probably find that you are the only person in contact with these commercial owners to sell their property. Most commercial properties of less than $ 5,000,000 are generally too large for most residential investors, too small for most institutional investors.

3). Commercial Real Estate allows a ?forced? Appreciation

Residential properties are generally based on comparable properties that were sold in the region and are rated similar in functionality. If the ?comps? for Room 3 / 2 bath home in a neighborhood of about $ 100,000, then your property is likely to be at a value of $ 100,000. It is not too much if your target property has additional features that matter, or if your home is $ 900 per month in rent instead of the house on the street, that the rent $ 700 per month. All in all, your property will be evaluated more fairly be close to the ?Comp? in the region.

But in the commercial real estate financing, the valuation of a property on the turnover is generated by the property. Now commercial property still subject to ?comps? of the area, as it is about the ?how? refers to the revenue are evaluated in terms of capitalization rates. But the general premise is that the more income a property generates more value than the property is.

In order to ?force? that is, the value of your commercial property, you have additional ways to find revenue increase generated by the property. A slight increase in revenue to increase the value of a property depending on the ?cap rate? in the region for this type of commercial property. Unfortunately, with residential real estate is not an option, you really can not force appreciation. Your property will be assessed in the general area of ??market comps.

What you see now, offers many advantages over commercial real estate investments in housing, in addition to a higher return on your investment.

Now of course there are also disadvantages of each type of investment, including commercial real estate. However, you should consider the following when choosing between private and commercial investment to your passive income source to create;

1) The building meets the requirements for the loan, the borrower

2) The building shall not loan, the borrower

3) Allow others to the building to manage the borrower

4) income determines the value of the land, not comps

5) activation rate measures the demand for goods, not comps.

In summary we can say: The value of commercial property is income producing assets and forever linked the general demand for the services of the property. Therefore, depending on the location of the land and the optimal use, commercial real estate investments can certainly provide a higher return on your investment of time verses on investments in residential real estate. Perhaps even more so in our current market cycle.

Source: http://www.commercial-real-estate.org/commercial-real-estate-investing-vs-residential

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Asia stocks mixed after weak US economy indicators (AP)

BANGKOK ? Asian stock markets were mixed in holiday-thinned trading Monday after weak U.S. indicators dulled optimism about prospects for the world's biggest economy.

Several markets were closed including Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and New Zealand. Oil traders were also on holiday. Wall Street and European stock markets are closed Monday because Christmas fell on a Sunday this year.

Japan's Nikkei 225 stock index finished up 1 percent at 8,479.34 after being closed for a public holiday Friday while South Korea's Kospi fell 0.6 percent to 1,856.70.

China's Shanghai Composite Index shed 0.7 percent to 2,190.11. Markets in India and the Philippines gained while benchmarks inTaiwan and Thailand fell.

Figures showing that U.S. consumer spending and personal income rose by a modest 0.1 percent in November were below market expectations. The headline 3.8 percent increase in durable goods orders last month masked a decline in a crucial investment measure, benefiting from big orders for Boeing aircraft.

The data offset some of the optimism in markets about the U.S. economy following a run of largely positive indicators. Since Thursday, investors have taken heart from figures showing that the number of initial jobless claims in the U.S. unexpectedly fell 4,000 last week to 364,000, the lowest level since April 2008.

While the U.S. economy has been the dominant driver in markets the past few days, Europe's debt crisis is likely to remain the key market focus next year.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 124.35 points, or 1 percent, to 12,294 on Friday in quiet pre-holiday trade. The Nasdaq composite index gained 19.19 points, or 0.7 percent, to 2,618.64. The Standard & Poor's 500 index added 11.33 points, or 0.9 percent, to 1,265.33.

In currencies, the euro was up 0.1 percent at $1.3068. The dollar was down 0.1 percent at 77.96 yen.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111226/ap_on_bi_ge/world_markets

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Monday, December 26, 2011

Lions coach doesn't care who Packers may rest

updated 5:09 p.m. ET Dec. 26, 2011

ALLEN PARK, Mich. - Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz isn't fretting over circumstances beyond his control.

He said Monday he doesn't worry if the Green Bay team the Lions will face on Sunday at Lambeau Field will rest key players now that the Packers have clinched home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

Schwartz also said he isn't concerned about possible playoff scenarios for his Lions, who secured their first postseason berth since the 1999 season with a 38-10 victory over San Diego on Saturday.

The Lions are in the running for the No. 5 seed in the NFC, which would mean playing at the winner of Sunday's game between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys.

"Particularly being a wild card like we are, to get through the NFC, you're going to have to win three games," Schwartz said. "All three of those are going to be good teams. The only thing we can do is worry about ourselves and preparing the very best we can this week and not worrying about scenarios or all those other things. They'll have a team for us to play. We'll be ready for them."

Schwartz said the Lions' preparation for Green Bay won't be impacted much by the possibility backup quarterback Matt Flynn could start if Aaron Rodgers is kept out of harm's way.

The Packers played without four injured starters, including offensive tackles Bryan Bulaga and Chad Clifton, in a 35-21 victory over Chicago on Sunday night. The Lions haven't beaten Green Bay on the road since 1991.

"We can't control who they play or what objectives they have in the game," Schwartz said. "It doesn't change our objectives or anything else. Obviously, if we're preparing for a different quarterback, you need to be ready for that, but their offense isn't going to change. They are what they are. It's not like some other situations we've seen. You go to Minnesota, another division opponent, you have one quarterback and then a very different skill set in a different quarterback."

Schwartz gave no indication that the Lions might rest some nicked-up players against Green Bay.

"It's football," he said. "We're going to try to win the game. Any game they put in front of us, we're going to try our best to win."

Schwartz dismissed the notion the Lions are happy to merely be in the playoffs after 10 consecutive losing seasons, including 0-16 three years ago. He noted recent history, with three of the last six Super Bowl champions being wild cards.

"There is an advantage to playing at home and getting byes and things like that, but it's certainly been proven that it can be done," Schwartz said. "A lot of that starts this week. You look at those teams, it wasn't just what they did when they got in the playoffs, it's where they were at the end of the season. Green Bay last year needed to win their last two just to get in.

"That's why it puts a little bit more importance on games like this. You want to go in with momentum, you want to go in with wins, you want to go in healthy. To be in is obviously the most important thing. After that, everybody has a chance."

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


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Brees already among the greats

Tanier: Drew Brees deserves to be seen as more than a runner-up MVP. He is a future Hall of Famer, and he should be acknowledged as one of the best quarterbacks, not just of this generation, but of any generation.

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BriEldridge: I opened a couple of Christmas presents. Best present was a gag gift - golf clubs. Fisher Price golf clubs... lol

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I opened a couple of Christmas presents. Best present was a gag gift - golf clubs. Fisher Price golf clubs... lol BriEldridge

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