diann acrophobia: December 2012

Monday, December 31, 2012

Snote et Google drive

Bon, je suis pass? sous 4.1.1, mais le pb reste le m?me.
En fait, je pense que la solution serait de monter un dossier de Drive.
Mais comment?...

Je pr?cise qu'en mode "hors connexion" le probl?me est le m?me:
"Impossible d'enregistrer le document"

puis

Enregistr?
/data/data/com.google.android.apps.docs/cache...

mais le document n'est pas enregistr?...

Modifi? par jeanraoul, aujourd'hui, 14:04.

Source: http://forum.frandroid.com/topic/132546-snote-et-google-drive/

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Black boxes examined in fatal Russian plane crash

Rescuers work at the site where a plane careered off the runwaw at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. A Tu-204 aircraft belonging to Russian airline Red Wings careered off the runway at Russia's third-busiest airport on Saturday, broke into pieces and caught fire, killing several people. (AP Photo/Alexander Usoltsev)

Rescuers work at the site where a plane careered off the runway at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. A Tu-204 aircraft belonging to Russian airline Red Wings careered off the runway at Russia's third-busiest airport on Saturday, broke into pieces and caught fire, killing several people. (AP Photo/Alexander Usoltsev)

Cars travel past the wreckage of a plane that careered off the runway at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. A Tu-204 aircraft belonging to Russian airline Red Wings careered off the runway at Russia's third-busiest airport on Saturday, broke into pieces and caught fire, killing several people. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

MOSCOW (AP) ? Investigators on Sunday examined flight recorders and other evidence to try to determine the cause of the airliner crash in Moscow that killed five people, an official said.

The Tu-204 belonging to Russian airline Red Wings was carrying eight people, all of them crew members, when it careered off the runway Saturday while landing at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport. It went partly into an adjacent highway, broke into pieces and caught fire.

Four people were pronounced dead soon after the crash and the airline said on its Twitter account that a fifth, a flight attendant, died Sunday. Those who died Saturday were the pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer and another attendant, Red Wings said.

The survivors were reported in critical or serious condition in Moscow hospitals.

Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for Russia's main investigative agency, was quoted by Russian news agencies saying the data recorders were being examined, along with fuel samples. In addition, he said flight documents for the plane have been taken from the airline for examination.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-12-30-Russia-Plane%20Crash/id-2282415a3c7d4803b097df8b69109691

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Washington State men beat Idaho State 74-39 - Sat, 29 Dec 2012 PST

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Washington State?Cougars
(Full-size photo)

KENNEWICK ? This trip to the Tri-Cities felt very business-like for the Washington State men?s basketball team.

Get in, win, get out. And get on with a stretch of games that figure to be much more difficult than the one the Cougars played Saturday afternoon at the frigid Toyota Center.

An overmatched Idaho State team offered WSU little resistance in its nonconference finale, as the Cougars led by 20 points at halftime and rolled to a 74-39 win before 4,590 mostly crimson supporters in a home-away-from-home game.

WSU finishes its nonleague schedule with a 9-4 record, three of those losses coming by two or fewer points. The Cougars have yet to defeat a team from a BCS conference ? they?ve played just two ? but coach Ken Bone said he?s relatively pleased with his team?s progress since the start of the season.

?If I were to put a letter grade on it, I would say a B-plus,? Bone said. ?It?s not exactly where we want to be, but I think we?ve made great strides in certain areas that could really help us out in Pac-12 play.?

One of those areas, Bone said, is the acclimation of senior Mike Ladd to the point guard position. Ladd steadied WSU during a sloppy start on Saturday, scoring 13 of his 17 points in the game?s first 12 minutes.

?Mike again stepped up and provided what we needed,? Bone said. ?It?s being a point guard and running the show, but at the same time tonight it was providing points at a time we had a hard time getting points.?

Another facet of WSU?s game that pleases Bone: the Cougars? ability to find shots for senior forward and leading scorer Brock Motum, who scored 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting against ISU?s unconventional 1-3-1 zone defense.

?We know our strengths,? said sophomore guard DaVonte Lacy, who scored 16 points. ?We go to Brock and we go to whoever?s on fire. Mike played well today so we went to him. I think we know our strengths, we know where our bread is buttered so that?s what we?re going to continue to get better at.?

The butter went on smooth enough yesterday. WSU was simply the superior team, and enjoyed overwhelming margins in a number of statistical categories ? field-goal percentage (49.0 to 37.2), second-chance points (20-0) and, perhaps most important to Bone and the Cougars, rebounding (43-16 overall and 15-2 on the offensive glass).

?Rebounding is a big key,? said Ladd, who also led the team with nine rebounds. ?Defensive rebounding, blocking out, finding guys, and (also) on the offensive end.?

They did all of that against the Bengals (1-10). No ISU player had more than three rebounds, and the game was won in the first half when WSU allowed ISU to shoot just 6 for 20 from the field. That fueled a 34-14 halftime lead.

?We?ve got to try to put two halves together every game,? Motum said. ?If we played defense the same way we did tonight in the first half in the second half, they?d have had 28 for the game and that?d have been outstanding.?

That?s where WSU has been most consistent. Entering the weekend, the Cougars led the Pac-12 in scoring defense at 56.5 points per game, and ranked second in field-goal percentage defense at 37.3.

Idaho State might have hung around longer than it did if it had been able to make some shots. The Bengals actually led, 8-6, with 10:51 remaining in the first half. But the Cougars reeled off a 10-0 run, ISU made just three field goals the rest of the half and WSU won for the seventh time in eight games.

Pac-12 play begins Jan. 5 with a game in Pullman against Washington.

?We want to continue our momentum,? Lacy said. ?I don?t think we?ve lost since the Gonzaga game, so we want to keep that win streak alive going into next?week.?

Source: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/dec/29/washington-state-men-beat-idaho-state-74-39/

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AP sources: Reid won't be back as Eagles' coach

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid walks on the field before an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid watches his team warm up before an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012 in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid, right, shakes hands with New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin after an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Giants won 42-7. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) ? Andy Reid is out after 14 years coaching the Philadelphia Eagles, three people familiar with the decision told The Associated Press following Sunday's 42-7 season-ending loss to the New York Giants.

Reid is scheduled to meet with owner Jeffrey Lurie on Monday to discuss his future and an official announcement will come afterward, according to one person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because a final agreement hasn't been reached. That person says there's a chance Reid might remain with the team in some capacity.

Reid is due to make $6 million in 2013 in the final year of his contract. He said he wants to coach next year, but it's possible Lurie could persuade him to take a season off and perhaps help out in the front office in an "advisory" role.

Eagles spokesman Derek Boyko denied several reports that Lurie has already fired Reid, saying it's "absolutely, 100 percent" untrue.

The Eagles (4-12) finished their worst season under Reid by losing 11 of their last 12 games. They missed the playoffs two straight years for the first time under Reid.

After the ugly loss to the Giants (9-7), Reid sounded like a man who knew he was going to lose his job.

"We weren't very good," Reid said. "That's my responsibility and I take complete blame for it."

Asked if he wants to return in 2013, Reid said: "I'm all in."

Lurie said after the Eagles went 8-8 in 2011 that he considered firing Reid. He gave him another chance, but said before this season that 8-8 would be "unacceptable."

"I go in eyes wide open," Reid said of his meeting with Lurie. "Either way, I understand. Whatever he chooses will be the right thing. He always does things for the best interests of the Eagles."

Reid won more games (140) than any coach in franchise history. He led the Eagles to nine playoff appearances, six division titles, five NFC championship games and one Super Bowl loss.

But he couldn't win the big one and that's how he's measured in a city that hasn't celebrated an NFL title since 1960.

The Eagles haven't won a playoff game since 2008 and took significant steps backward the last two years. They entered both seasons with high expectations only to fail miserably.

"We had quite a run," offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said.

Players said they expect changes, but continued to support Reid.

"He's a great man and I love him to death," said quarterback Michael Vick, who could've played his last game with the Eagles. "I wish I could've done more. A lot of players wish they could've done more. Coaches can't play the games."

The Eagles talked all week about wanting to win one for Reid. Instead, they suffered another embarrassing loss to cap a dismal season.

"We came, we stunk it up and we lost. It was terrible. No heart," defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins said.

Like Jenkins, Vick also questioned his teammates' desire before trying to clarify his comment.

"It's frustrating," Vick said. "It's difficult because, me, I leave it all out on the field and I give everything I got. Sometimes, I wish I could play other positions, but I can't."

Vick was 19 of 35 for 197 yards, one TD and one interception in his first game since Nov. 11. He missed the previous six games, sitting out the first five with a concussion and then being inactive last week. Vick only got the start because rookie Nick Foles broke his hand.

Vick is due to earn about $16 million next year, but the Eagles can release him without taking a financial hit. He wants to be a starter and is unsure whether he even wants to come back.

"I don't know. I have to take time to think about everything that's happened," Vick said.

This already was a difficult year for Reid. He endured a devastating loss weeks before the season opener when his oldest son, Garrett Reid, died at training camp after a long battle with drug addiction.

In October, Reid fired close friend and longtime assistant Juan Castillo, who was in his second season as defensive coordinator after coaching the offensive line for 13 years. He later fired defensive-line coach Jim Washburn.

After beating the defending Super Bowl champion Giants on Sept. 30, the Eagles lost eight straight games ? their worst losing streak in 42 years.

Before coming to Philadelphia, Reid was an offensive assistant for six seasons under Mike Holmgren in Green Bay and was instrumental in Brett Favre's growth. Reid inherited a team that went 3-13 under Ray Rhodes in 1998 and was a laughingstock in the NFL. He was an unpopular choice among fans in Philadelphia. But Reid won them over quickly by turning the Eagles into a playoff team in just his second season.

Reid drafted Donovan McNabb with the No. 2 pick in the 1999 draft and developed him into a six-time Pro Bowl quarterback. Reid and McNabb guided the Eagles to five straight playoff appearances from 2000-04. They went to the NFC title game four consecutive years, finally winning one in January 2005 over the Atlanta Falcons. But the Eagles lost to the New England Patriots 24-21 in the Super Bowl, and have missed the playoffs in four of the last eight years.

Reid's tenure in Philadelphia included several controversial decisions. He brought in star wide receiver Terrell Owens here in 2004, finally giving McNabb a legitimate target. T.O. had an outstanding year, overcame a late-season injury and returned to have an excellent game in the Super Bowl. But Owens feuded with management and McNabb the next season and Reid kicked him off the team in November 2005.

In 2009, Reid and Lurie gave Vick a second chance in the NFL after the former star quarterback had spent 18 months in federal prison for dogfighting charges. Vick took over as the starter in 2010, had a remarkable season and led the Eagles to the NFC East title.

The decision to switch Castillo from offense to defense may have been Reid's worst mistake. The unusual move was heavily criticized and contributed to the defense's collapse.

"I'll always put it on the players," Jenkins said. "Coaches can only do so much. Players have to step up and make plays."

Reid's stoic personality and bland news conferences annoyed fans and even some members of the media. He refused to call out players and always took the blame after each loss, saying he had to "do a better job" and "put players in better position to perform."

While that didn't make him popular outside the locker room, Reid was respected by his players. They supported him to the end.

"He's a great coach, a great person. I love the guy," safety Kurt Coleman said.

___

Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobMaaddi

___

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-12-30-Eagles-Reid/id-210428aca3244fcfb2a9db31db8c7c40

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US family pleas for couple missing in Afghanistan

In this undated photo provided by James Coleman, Caitlan Coleman, right, sits with her husband, Josh. Caitlan Coleman's family has broken months of silence over her mysterious disappearance. According to her family, Coleman, an ailing, pregnant American woman missing in Afghanistan with her Canadian husband, was due to deliver in January and needed urgent medical attention for a liver ailment that required regular checkups. The family is making public appeals for the couple's safe return. The Colemans have asked that Josh be identified by his first name only to protect his privacy. (AP Photo)

KABUL (AP) ? The family of an ailing, pregnant American woman missing in Afghanistan with her Canadian husband has broken months of silence over the mysterious case, making public appeals for the couple's safe return.

James Coleman, the father of 27-year-old Caitlan Coleman, told The Associated Press over the weekend that she was due to deliver in January and needed urgent medical attention for a liver ailment that required regular checkups. He said he and his wife, Lyn, last heard from their son-in-law Josh on Oct. 8 from an Internet cafe in what Josh described as an "unsafe" part of Afghanistan. The Colemans asked that Josh be identified by his first name only to protect his privacy.

The couple had embarked on a journey last July that took them to Russia, the central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, and then finally to Afghanistan.

Neither the Taliban nor any other militant group has claimed it is holding the couple, leading some to believe they were kidnapped. But no ransom demand has been made.

An Afghan official said their trail has gone dead.

"Our goal is to get them back safely and healthy," the father told AP on Friday night by phone. "I don't know what kind of care they're getting or not getting," he added. "We're just an average family and we don't have connections with anybody and we don't have a lot of money."

He made a similar appeal in a video posted on YouTube on Dec. 13.

"We appeal to whoever is caring for her to show compassion and allow Caity, Josh and our unborn grandbaby to come home," he said.

Before the video came out, the family had kept quiet about the case since the couple disappeared in early October. They appear to have broken their silence in hopes it might lead to a breakthrough.

But many questions remain over the disappearances.

It is not known whether the couple is still alive or how or why they entered Afghanistan. And there is no information about what they were doing in the country before they went missing.

James Coleman, of York County, Pennsylvania, said he was not entirely sure what his daughter and her husband were doing in Afghanistan. But he surmised they may have been seeking to help Afghans by joining an aid group after touring the region. In the AP interview, he described his daughter as "naive" and "adventuresome" with a humanitarian bent.

He said Josh did not disclose their exact location in his last email contact on Oct. 8, only saying they were not in a safe place. James Coleman also said the last withdrawals from the couple's account were made Oct. 8 and 9 in Kabul with no activity on the account and no further communication from them after that date.

"He just said they were heading into the mountains ? wherever that was, I don't know," the father said, adding, "They're both kind of naive, always have been in my view. Why they actually went to Afghanistan, I'm not sure... I assume it was more of the same, getting to know the local people, if they could find an NGO (non-governmental organization) or someone they could work with in a little way."

There was some indication that the couple knew they were in dangerous territory, though they perhaps did not grasp just how dangerous. James Coleman said in general, they preferred small villages and communities because they felt safer there than in big cities, and that is where they wanted to focus their travels.

"I assume they were going to strike out on foot like they were doing," he added.

Both the U.S. State Department and Canadian Foreign Affairs Ministry say they are looking into the disappearance.

"Canada is pursuing all appropriate channels and officials are in close contact with local authorities," Canadian Foreign Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Chrystiane Roy said Friday, calling the incident a "possible kidnap."

It was not known whether the silence over the case by U.S. and Canadian officials and, until now, by the Coleman family was because of ongoing negotiations to seek their release. But information black-outs have kept some similar past cases quiet in an attempt to not further endanger those missing.

According to Hazrat Janan, the head of the provincial council in Afghanistan's Wardak province, the two were abducted in Wardak in an area about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of the capital Kabul. They were passing through Wardak while traveling from Ghazni province south of Kabul to the capital.

Wardak province, despite its proximity to Kabul, is a rugged, mountainous haven for the Taliban and travel along its roads is dangerous. Foreigners who do not travel with military escorts take a substantial risk.

He said they were believed to have been taken from one district in Wardak to a second and then into Ghazni.

"After that, the trail went dead," Janan said.

He said it was suspected that the kidnappers were Taliban because criminal gangs would have likely asked for a ransom.

When the AP contacted Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid about the missing couple two months ago, he said the group had carried out an investigation and found no Taliban members were involved.

"We do not know about these two foreigners," he said in a telephone interview.

Janan's information could not be independently verified, and U.S. and Canadian officials still do not say for certain the couple was abducted.

NATO officials said they had no current information on the case, which was turned over to the U.S. State Department after it was determined the couple were not affiliated with foreign military forces.

Coleman said his daughter and her husband met on the Internet and married in 2011. They had previously travelled through Central America so they had some experience abroad.

During their recent Asian travels, they bought local goods to help vendors, slept in their tent and hostels and interacted with villagers. Despite her travel fever, love of history and a desire to do good, her father said Caitlan "wanted basically to be a housewife and have a bunch of kids."

___

Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press reporter Amir Shah in Kabul contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-30-Afghanistan-Missing%20Couple/id-8ca8d758caa541ce9eac9ab1a5ed954c

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How to flag an email message on iPhone and iPad

Sometimes you get an email that you want to easily find again later, maybe to follow up, maybe just to keep handy. Luckily, your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad Mail app comes with this functionality built right in. All you have to do to keep special track of a message is flag it. Then you can read, reply, or refer to again quickly and easily, whenever you need to.

Launch the Mail app from the Home screen of your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad.

Tap on the Inbox or other mail box that contains the message you'd like to flag.
Tap the Edit button in the upper right hand corner.

Tap on the message or messages you'd like to flag. They'll get highlighted.

Tap on the Mark button in the lower right hand corner.
Tap Flag.

An icon will appear next to the message so you'll know it's flagged.

Once you have a message (or messages) flagged, a special Flagged mailbox will appear in your Mail account list. Tap on it to see a list of all your flagged messages.

If you ever want to unflag a message, you'll repeat the same steps as above and choose Unflag the second time around.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/lIoxzbMBK-I/story01.htm

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Woman charged with "murder as a hate crime" in fatal subway pushing

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A woman suspected of shoving a man to his death in front of an oncoming New York subway train was arrested on Saturday and charged with "second-degree murder as a hate crime" in the second such fatality this month for one of the world's busiest transit systems.

The district attorney for the New York City borough of Queens said Erika Menendez, 31, who was seen pacing the subway platform and muttering to herself before the attack, had told investigators that she pushed the victim, Sunando Sen, 46, on Thursday because "I hate Hindus and Muslims."

Menendez was taken into custody in Brooklyn by authorities acting on a tip from someone who recognized the suspect from video of the incident that was aired on television, a spokeswoman for the district attorney told Reuters.

"The defendant is accused of committing what is every subway commuter's worst nightmare - being suddenly and senselessly pushed into the path of an oncoming train," District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement.

"Beyond that, the hateful remarks allegedly made by the defendant and which precipitated the defendant's actions can never be tolerated in a civilized society," he said.

The prosecutor's statement quoted Menendez as telling investigators: "I pushed a Muslim off the train tracks because I hate Hindus and Muslims ever since 2001 when they put down the twin towers I've been beating them up."

Her alleged admission was an apparent reference to the September 11, 2001, attack on Manhattan's World Trade Center by Muslim extremists who flew two hijacked jetliners into the twin towers.

Brown's statement gave no indication of the victim's ethnicity or religion or Menendez might have taken Sen to be a Muslim.

The spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office, Meris Campbell, said she did not believe the victim was wearing any clothing that would have led someone to identify him as being a Muslim.

Menendez is awaiting arraignment in Queens Criminal Court on a criminal complaint charging her with second-degree murder as a hate crime, an offense that carries a minimum sentence of 20 years to life in prison. The minimum penalty for second-degree murder alone is 15 years to life, Campbell said.

If convicted, Menendez could face a maximum penalty of 25 years to life.

Witnesses told police a woman appeared to be mumbling and pacing Thursday evening before she approached an unsuspecting man from behind on the platform of an elevated station in the borough of Queens.

She then shoved him onto the subway track as the train pulled into the station, witnesses said. Brown said Sen died of multiple blunt-force trauma.

After shoving Sen on Thursday, the suspect ran from the station to the street in a scene caught on surveillance video footage that police released on Friday as they searched for her.

Sen's death was the second this month of a New York subway rider pushed onto the tracks of the city's more than 100-year-old subway system.

On December 3, Ki-Suck Han was killed after being shoved onto subway tracks in Manhattan as a train entered a station near Times Square. A suspect, Naeem Davis, has been charged with second-degree murder. Authorities have disclosed a possible motive.

Including Thursday's incident, 139 people have been struck by New York City subway trains so far in 2012, and 54 of them died, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman said on Friday. He said the tally was preliminary and subject to change.

(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins, Brendan O'Brien and Dan Burns; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Peter Cooney and Bill Trott)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/woman-charged-murder-hate-crime-fatal-subway-pushing-005352488.html

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Sunday, December 30, 2012

A better pencil sharpener? Inventor dreams of erasing life's annoyances

58 min.

Devin Coldewey , NBC News

Long lines at amusement parks. Traffic stalled at rush hour. Cycling uphill. To most of us, these are just minor problems we face in an otherwise comfortable existence.?To Anwar Farooq, they are personal call-outs, challenges that he must answer with his own ingenuity. These days, the math?teacher and habitual?inventor is wrestling with the age-old problem of the?pencil sharpener.

"When I saw my students struggling with the regular pencil sharpener, I honestly knew that there must be an alternate approach, so I started thinking," Farooq, who teaches?at Maywood Academy,?southeast of Los Angeles, told NBC News.

That's not the first time Farooq "started thinking."

His inventions, spanning 1986 to now, may?seem whimsical at first, but on closer inspection are like early ancestors of devices in use today. There's a bike where your pedaling is boosted by an air compressor, for instance. If you replace the air compressor with an electric motor, you get today's battery-powered bikes.

There's?the Robocam, a?remote-controlled camera platform that's a precursor to telepresence robots and smartphone?videoconferencing apps alike.

For those annoying amusement park or movie theater?lines, Farooq proposes a chain of connected, moving chairs.?You take a load off, enjoy the?built-in entertainment system, and before long, it's your turn to get up and enjoy the ride or show. He calls it Waiting Is Fun.?It may seem far-fetched?... until Disney goes and installs one in Tomorrowland.

The idea Farooq seems most proud of is the?Rapid Commute. Cars traveling from the outskirts of a city?drive right onto a high-speed train, as if they were boarding a ferry boat. The train then brings them to a central location downtown, where they disembark. Next month he will be presenting it to the Transportation Research Board, an off-shoot of the non-profit?National Research Council,?at its annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

And then there's the?Quick N Silent pencil sharpener.?

* * *

Pencil sharpeners are, in fact, one of the few classroom technologies that have?not?experienced a radical redesign in the past century. The most common type of institutional sharpener, the hand-cranked type you can still see?mounted to a wall or the teacher's table in classrooms all over the world,?was introduced in 1904.

Sure, electric versions have been introduced, but?the cylindrical mills rotating in "planetary" fashion within?are still dominant ? despite the inconsistency of their results.

Nevertheless, when Farooq wrestled with how to modernize the?pencil sharpener, he didn't look to some?laser that could hone the tip of a pencil with micron-level precision. Instead, he found inspiration in the distant?past.

"I remembered that people carried pocket knives and they just used those to sharpen pencils quietly and efficiently."

He set to work on the new machine based on the same principles.

* * *

Farooq was always an inventor at heart, but he told us that, growing up in Pakistan, he never had a chance to exercise his creative capabilities. "Even if I had an idea, we were from the lower middle class, so we didn't have any money to do anything," he told us. "My biggest break is that I came to a country like America ??and now I can do those things I desire."

But even after moving to the U.S. in the 1970s, inventing hasn't been exactly easy for Farooq. In fact, following his dreams can at times be something of an expensive habit. "Of course it's a hardship to me and tight financially," he admitted. "My wife says, 'Why don't you take up gambling?'"

At least to him, though, the cost is worth it.?"I live for that, that excitement of finding something, of discovering something." He points out that the famed inventor Nicola Tesla died a poor man, but now they're building a Tesla?museum. Farooq doesn't expect a museum, but he does hope that his inventions will outlast him.

It may be his latest baby, the pencil sharpener,?that lives on. Even in our increasingly?digital world, Farooq feels strongly that pencil and paper, as?a medium for recording thoughts and images, won't disappear any time soon.?"Yes, it is old and unglamorous technology, but it's foolproof and works as advertised."

Its biggest asset is its low cost: "It's cheap enough to be owned by almost anyone in the world," he said.

When he finally figured out how to implement the pocket-knife method of sharpening, Farooq built a mock-up and?patented his design.

His prototype doesn't grind, like the rotary sharpeners in classrooms?worldwide. Nor does it shave around the edge, like the small twisty?single-blade sharpeners that predate the rotary type. Instead, it uses multiple blades to whittle down the edge from all sides at once. True to its name, the blades slice down the end of the pencil, exposing a sharp tip and plenty of lead in a single, silent pass.

Farooq is looking for funding to start manufacturing the device, which he has continually modified over the last few years in his spare time.?A crowd-funding attempt at?Fundageek, a website for inventors, has not produced much income. But he intends to put a more complete version of the device up for consideration on Indiegogo, a larger platform for collecting funding.

In the meantime, Farooq will keep on inventing. His own modest?website lists two things ? Personal Safety 360 and GPS Live Cam ??that he isn't ready to discuss publicly.

"When I came to this country,?I wanted to do something positive, a legacy to leave behind." Whether his inventions find widespread adoption or not, Farooq's insatiable inventor's spirit may continue to inspire the kids in his classroom ??as well as those who encounter him through his growing portfolio.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC?News Digital. His personal website is?coldewey.cc.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/better-pencil-sharpener-inventor-dreams-erasing-lifes-annoyances-1C6340098

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Microsoft costretta a corteggiare gli sviluppatori iOS

Non ? certamente una posizione cui sono abituati a Redmond, ma d?altro canto in guerra e amore ogni arma ? lecita. Sapevamo gi? che Microsoft ? impegnata da tempo in un corteggiamento serrato degli sviluppatori iOS, all?estero come in Italia, e ci? nasce dal fatto che ha bisogno di apportare velocemente nuova linfa vitale alla propria piattaforma Windows Phone. Per questa ragione, si tura il naso e sopporto tonnellate di Mac, iPhone e iPad nei propri uffici.

La scorsa settimana, racconta il MIT Techonology Review, nel Campus Microsoft di Mountain View avreste assistito ad uno spettacolo davvero inconsueto: decine e decine di sviluppatori armati di portatili Apple, iPad e iPhone sedevano dietro un palco tappezzato di loghi Windows e Microsoft.

Erano l? su invito del padrone di casa, per un meeting fuori dall?ordinario:

?Non era un incontro di ribelli Microsoft: era il tentativo di Microsoft di irretire gli sviluppatori che fino ad oggi hanno creato app per la popolare piattaforma Apple iOS [?] e convincerli a passare a Windows 8 e Windows Phone.? racconta Metz. ?Visto che la maggior parte degli sviluppatori crea app per i gadget e gli smartphone, e per i tablet Android, il gigante del software di Redmond si trova nell?insolita posizione di dover attirare l?attenzione degli sviluppatori.?

? davvero curioso come la storia a volte si ripeta in modo beffardo, ma dopotutto ? una mossa pi? che sensata. Windows Phone Store ha finalmente raggiunto un numero adeguato di applicazioni a catalogo -120.000 per l?esattezza- ma ? ancora terribilmente indietro per risultare appetibile rispetto alla concorrenza. Un traguardo simile Apple l?ha superato ben pi? di tre anni fa, e a giugno dell?anno scorso ? arrivato un record ancora pi? significativo: il superamento delle 100.000 app per iPad. Anzi, nel momento in cui scriviamo l?App Store conta precisamente 764.574 titoli attivi a catalogo. Hai voglia a corteggiarne, di sviluppatori.

Microsoft costretta a corteggiare gli sviluppatori iOS ? stato pubblicato su Melablog.it alle 09:00 di domenica 30 dicembre 2012. Leggete le condizioni di utilizzo del feed.

Fonte notizia: MelaBlog.it

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Source: http://www.bestnotizie.com/176359/microsoft-costretta-a-corteggiare-gli-sviluppatori-ios/

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Kenny Boynton, Florida Gators stop Air Force at Orange Bowl Classic

When Air Force coach Dave Pilipovich?s 20-year-old son found out his dad?s team was playing 14th-ranked Florida this season, his initial reaction was, ?Why??

In a way, the young man knew what he was talking about, because the Gators pulled away in the second half Saturday night to defeat Air Force 78-61 in the nightcap of the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic doubleheader at the BB&T Center in Sunrise.

The Gators (9-2) led just 33-31 after the first half, when the Falcons (8-3) shot 47.8 percent. But Florida?s defense, which ranks third in the nation in points allowed (51.3), stiffened in the second half, holding Air Force to 33.3 percent shooting.

?That?s a very good Florida team,? the elder Pilipovich said. ?We knew they?d come out sharper in the second half.?

Erik Murphy, Florida?s 6-10 senior forward, was named the game?s MVP after he scored 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting. He also had seven rebounds, four assists, three blocks, a steal and no turnovers.

Teammate Kenny Boynton, a 6-2 senior shooting guard playing in his fourth and final OB Classic, went out on top. He was held to three points in the first half but finished with 14.

Boynton entered the game in a 4-for-32 shooting slump from three-point range, but broke out with three made shots from distance in an eight-minute span of the second half.

?This is not the first time Kenny has gone through something like this,? Gators coach Billy Donovan said of the slump. ?What I always tell him is to take good, available shots. When he does that and makes a couple, then he can take more difficult shots.?

Boynton?s only first-half basket came on a three-point play in which he drove the lane, got fouled and made a short bank shot.

To his credit, Boynton never seemed to force the action, getting three assists and just one turnover, often driving and dishing to open teammates.

For the game, he made 4 of 10 shots, including 3 of 7 on three-pointers.

?I just tried to make sure I let the game come to me,? Boynton said. ?I watched a lot of film with Coach Donovan, and we saw that a lot of shots that I had been taking [during the slump] were contested or with a guy running out on me.?

Besides Murphy and Boynton, the other Gators player who scored in double figures was forward Patric Young, who had 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Most of his damage was done in the post.

Donovan also praised guard Scottie Wilbekin for his defensive effort on Air Force?s Michael Lyons, who entered the game ranked 20th in the nation with a 20.5 scoring average. Lyons was held to 11 points on 3-of-11 shooting.

Much of the attention in the postgame news conference centered on Boynton, the hometown hero who played his high school ball at Pompano Beach Ely and at Plantation American Heritage.

?It?s been a good career,? Boynton said when asked to reflect on his time at Florida. ?Every year, I?ve learned more. My goal is to get as far as we can and help my team in the NCAA Tournament.?

Boynton left high school with a lot of media members speculating he might follow prep rival Brandon Knight as a ?one-and-done? player, leaving college quickly for a shot at the NBA.

That type of talk upset Donovan.

?It?s unfortunate and unfair that people put these type of expectations on kids,? Donovan said. ?Whether he has a 10-year career in the NBA remains to be seen. Not every player?s game translates to the league.

?But Kenny is going to probably leave here as our all-time leading scorer and one of the greatest players in the history of the program.?

Murphy said he?s glad Boynton decided to stay all four years.

?We all have the utmost respect for Kenny,? Murphy said. ?He came in with a lot of hype. He probably could have left any year he wanted to, but he stuck around, and that says a lot that he wants to be with this team. We all love Kenny.?

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/12/30/3161051/kenny-boynton-florida-gators-stop.html

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McNeill tornado relief stops taking clothing

So many donated clothing items have been received following the Christmas Day tornado in McNeill that a donation center is no longer accepting them.

Instead, organizers are asking donors to give non-perishable food items, toiletries and gift cards, the Picayune Item reported.

Click to read more.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50321006/ns/local_news-new_orleans_la/

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Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall | WAN speak

Mirrors in the Game of Chess First, let me get rid of a bee in my bonnet.? At a recent round table, while many argued that business continuity was just one aspect of disaster recovery, I argued that business continuity and disaster recovery were two completely different things.? To me, disaster recovery starts from the premise that a catastrophic failure will inevitably disrupt the business and focuses on getting things up and running again as quickly as possible ? preferably before the business fails.? On the other hand, business continuity means designing systems that will survive failure of the components, by deploying redundant systems ? preferably automatically and immediately ? thus allowing the business to keep going with minimal disruption.

Now that?s off my chest, let?s look at what this means at a technology platform level.? Disaster recovery can be dealt with by storing images of applications and backups of data off-site, which then can be loaded back onto new equipment as and when needed ? simple enough, in theory.? In practice, both the work involved and the discipline required present formidable operational challenges, and the impact on the business can mean that most of an organization?s prospects and customers decide to go elsewhere, and then never return.

Business continuity needs to deliver the capability for workloads, applications, and data to switch from one physical environment to another in as close to real time as possible. For true business continuity, this will need to be done across as much distance as possible, so that the business can survive an incident that takes out a whole region, such as flood, earthquake, or civil unrest. Every aspect has to be ?mirrored? ? there have to be copies of apps and live data running somewhere else, ready to take over should the working system become unusable for any reason.? This ?master? and ?slave? approach has been used for years, but not always with success.

Long distances bring in issues for data.? Running an app and its associated data is fine when running at data center speeds, but trying to replicate all transactional data over a WAN can lead to jitter, data collisions, and packet loss, all of which will have to be checked for and remediated in real time.? WAN acceleration technologies can help here in minimizing the volumes of data being pushed down the pipe.

The failure of the master system may not be the result of equipment failure or a natural disaster, but may be caused by data corruption.? Direct mirroring with zero intelligence means that the data corruption is also mirrored; you now have two dead systems.? So some means of store-and-forward mechanism is required, which also helps in being able to measure what transactions (if any) have been lost between the failure of the master and the cutting in of the slave systems, since a log of transactions is kept between the systems.

Lastly is the ?elegance? in which a system fails over.? Historically, this required special software to deal with monitoring the ?heartbeat? of the master and slave systems, and proprietary means of managing state, IP addresses of servers and clients, along with logical unit numbers (LUNs) for storage and so on, so that the users do not have to do anything themselves to switch over from the master to the slave system.?

With virtualization now becoming more mainstream, such failover is now far easier to manage, and cloud computing is further aiding in abstracting the application and data from the physical equipment.

If you want to be wedded to a backup and restore disaster recovery approach, you could become famous as the person who helped put the organization out of business.? If you want to be the White Knight, then make sure you push for a real business continuity approach.

Image credit: Alan Cleaver (flickr)

Source: http://blog.silver-peak.com/mirror-mirror-on-the-wall?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mirror-mirror-on-the-wall

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Saturday, December 29, 2012

Fearful of ban, frenzied buyers swarm gun stores (tbo)

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| Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/273763692?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Gazprom, Bauer Comp to Cooperate on CNG ... - LNG World News

Gazprom CNG

The Gazprom headquarters hosted a working meeting between Vitaly Markelov, Deputy Chairman of the Company?s Management Committee and Heinz Bauer, owner of BAUER COMP.

During the talks the BAUER COMP experts made proposals regarding organizational arrangements for co-production of compressed natural gas (CNG) filling stations in Russia.

Following the meeting results, the parties agreed to continue consultations on exploring the possible ways of organizing production of CNG filling stations.

Natural gas use as a motor fuel is rapidly expanding around the world and nowadays involves more than 80 countries. The annual increase in gas-powered vehicle fleet averages 26 per cent. The world?s leading vehicle producers turn out more than 80 models of gas-powered cars. The Russian fleet of gas-powered vehicles numbers some 86 thousand units (global vehicle fleet is comprised of some 15 million units).

Today, 243 compressed natural gas (CNG) filling stations are operating in 59 Russian regions, with 208 owned by Gazprom. Besides, a new CNG filling station is being currently built in the Kaliningrad Region.

In 2012, 390 million cubic meters of compressed natural gas are expected to be sold through Russian CNG filling stations, which is 28.4 million cubic meters more than in 2011.

BAUER Compressors produces compressor equipment for CNG filling stations. The BAUER Compressors equipment is installed at the first CNG filling station in the Republic of Gorny Altai.

LNG World News Staff, December 28, 2012; Image: Gazprom

Source: http://www.lngworldnews.com/gazprom-bauer-comp-to-cooperate-on-cng-filling-stations-in-russia/

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So who?s in for the SD06 special election? (Offthekuff)

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PFT: Jets' McElroy hid concussion symptoms

Getty Images

So how did Jets quarterback Greg McElroy go from having an abdominal issue on Wednesday to a concussion on Thursday?? Apparently, the guy who scored in the 40s on the Wonderlic wasn?t smart enough to tell the team he was suffering from concussion symptoms.

Jane McManus of ESPNNewYork.com reports that McElroy had concealed his symptoms ?for days,? telling teammates about the situation but only finally going to the team on Thursday morning.

?He came to my room [Christmas night] and we talked about it,? receiver Clyde Gates told ESPNNewYork.com. ?He was hurting real bad. I was like, ?Bro, I know, I?ve been down that road already.? I?m just saying you can?t try to tough it out cause you going to end up hurting yourself.? You?ve got to let everybody know how you really feel.??

Guard Matt Slauson also knew about the situation.? ?He definitely has that [warrior] mentality, but it got to the point where it was scaring him,? Slauson said.

McElroy finally decided to approach trainers on Thursday, after experiencing headaches during a morning weightlifting session.

While it was indeed dumb for McElroy to hide his condition, McElroy was smart enough to know that admitting to headaches and other symptoms would jeopardize his ability to play, which in turn would harm his chances of showing that he can be a starting quarterback, in New York or elsewhere.? Still, the league wants players to come forward.

The most alarming aspect of this story is that multiple teammates were aware of McElroy?s concussion symptoms, and yet they did nothing to alert the coaching staff or trainers to the situation.? Though on one hand they would have been violating a confidence, they also would have been showing genuine concern for a teammate?s health ? and if McElroy would have had a problem with it, it would have been his problem.

Most importantly, the situation reconfirms that the league has a long way to go when it comes to changing the culture of concussions.? It?s easy for the NFL to talk, but real action will be needed in order to get players whose livelihood hinges on being available to play to willingly raise their hands, and potentially lose their jobs.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/27/mcelroy-concealed-concussions-symptoms/related/

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In 2012, we turned to Wikipedia to learn about ... Facebook?

8 hrs.

Rosa Golijan , NBC News

Unlike most major Internet brands, Wikipedia had no year-end top-10 list to share. But that's not to say there isn't a list of most viewed Wikipedia articles of 2012. It took a software engineer with a bit of spare time to gather up the data, and share the results, equal parts predictable and off-the-wall.?What does this list say about us?

Based on?Johan Gunnarsson's analysis of Wikipedia logs, it seems that?the most viewed articles on the English version of Wikipedia are lined up as follows:

1. Facebook - 32,647,942 views
2.?Wiki -?29,613,759?views
3.?Deaths in 2012 -?25,418,587?views
4.?One Direction -?22,351,637?views
5.?The Avengers (2012 film) -?22,268,644?views
6.?Fifty Shades of Grey -?21,779,423?views
7.?2012 phenomenon -?20,619,920?views
8.?The Dark Knight Rises -?18,882,885?views
9.?Google -?18,508,719?views
10.?The Hunger Games -?18,431,626?views

While we're not surprised to see iconic pop culture phenomena like musical sensation One Direction, the all-star movie?"The?Avengers," the risque literary?trilogy "Fifty Shades of Grey" and of course the?inescapable "Hunger Games" series?appear,?we did scratch our heads about Facebook and Google, and ... "Wiki"?

Wikimedia spokesman Jay Walsh explained the popularity of these items to All Things D's Liz Gannes as likely being due to users who might type "Facebook" or similar into a search engine built into "their browsers intending to go to the site and end up on Wikipedia."?Either that, he says, or there's simply "general, high-level interest and curiosity" about the history of some of these websites and services.

We'll buy the accidental typing explanation over the "high-level of?interest" one.

While most of the top 100 most-viewed?English Wikipedia articles centered around pop culture and current events, some articles raise eyebrows for feeling a bit out of place. Entries on the Illuminati (No. 33), elocution (No. 34)?and g-forces (No. 83)?cropped up on the heels of expected entries like Mitt Romney (No. 22) and?Justin Bieber (No. 25).

The more immature individuals among us may find it amusing that entries on sex (No. 18) and human penis size (No. 82) made it into the list of 100?most viewed.?Android fanboys may flaunt the fact that an article about the mobile operating system hit the list at No. 70, while no entries about iOS made it into the top 100. (Though Steve Jobs did come in at No. 64.)

At least some people were using Wikipedia for its intended purpose, to cheat on homework assignments: Historical topics from?Albert Einstein (No. 98)?to the Hatfield-McCoy feud (No. 91) pepper the list.

When looking at the?most viewed articles in languages other than English, we find that the obsession with major Web properties and pop culture extends beyond their idiom of origin. Facebook led the Spanish top 10, which also includes One Direction. German language readers were particularly interested in the?TV shows "How I Met Your Mother," "The Big Bang Theory," "Two And A Half Men," and "Game Of Thrones" ? all which made it into their top 10.

And speaking of Bieber,?those with an irrational dislike for the teen?heartthrob may find it comforting to know that he?only made the top 10 in Norwegian and Danish. He failed to reach single digits in any other language, and sits at No. 25 on the list of the most viewed English Wikipedia articles.

"Gangnam Style," the ear-worm that beat Bieber's "Baby" to?a billion views on YouTube, appears to have only made it onto one top-100 list?? the English one ? taking the No. 21 spot with a mere?13,129,876 views.

Want more tech news?or interesting?links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on?Twitter, subscribing to her?Facebook?posts,?or circling her?on?Google+.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/2012-we-turned-wikipedia-learn-about-facebook-1C7753895

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Thatcher papers show fascination with Reagan visit

LONDON (AP) ? It is not often that the president of the United States needs to seek fashion advice.

But when Ronald Reagan was getting ready for a visit to England as a guest of Queen Elizabeth II in June 1982, his people had an important question for the Brits: Just what does one wear to go riding with the queen in the magnificent horse country surrounding Windsor Castle?

The answer: Something smart, but casual, of course. Riding boots, breeches and a turtleneck sweater would do fine ? no need for formal riding attire.

The fashion inquiry is but one tidbit contained in nearly 500 pages of formerly Confidential documents relating to the Reagan visit being made public Friday by Britain's National Archives. The dossier shows the British government ? led by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ? to be extraordinarily interested in pleasing the relatively new president on his two-day visit. British leaders also fretted that perennial cross-Channel rivals might triumph in the tug-of-war for presidential face time in a visit that had to be sandwiched between two summits on the European mainland.

The papers show that top Reagan adviser Michael Deaver had a way of annoying his British counterparts with last-minute changes and requests, and also surprised them with some of his objectives. Deaver, remembered as a shrewd image-builder, said he wanted Reagan to be photographed outside of formal venues, so he wouldn't be seen "exclusively in white tie" at palace functions, even suggesting that Reagan go to a village pub to soak up the atmosphere

There were raised eyebrows, and bruised feelings, when the White House failed to formally reply in a timely fashion to an official invitation from the queen ? the sort of invite that usually commands respect and a prompt reply the world over. The queen's invite was left to languish for weeks and weeks, something that the British believe is simply Not Done.

"It is really for the president to respond to her invitation, which he has not done personally, something that I have pointed out several times here," writes Nicholas Henderson, Britain's ambassador to Washington, in a memo to the British Foreign Office. "As you know those surrounding the president are not deliberately rude: It is simply that they are not well-organized and do not have experience of this sort of thing."

William F. Sittman, a special assistant to Reagan who was involved in planning the trip, told The Associated Press that it is possible the delay in responding to the queen was caused by first lady Nancy Reagan's insistence on consulting her astrologer before travel plans were finalized.

"You have to remember that Mrs. Reagan was very strict about his schedule, and she would consult her astrologer to see if this was the right time to travel," he said. "Sometimes she would back up departures."

The documents make clear that Europe's leaders were desperate for Reagan's attention at a time of high Cold War tensions. A memo from U.K. Cabinet Secretary Robert Armstrong on Feb. 5 expresses concern that a gala, summit-closing dinner at the palace of Versailles outside Paris could delay Reagan's arrival in London. But he warns against pressuring the Reagan entourage to skip the meal at Versailles' Hall of Mirrors because "that would not please the President of the French Republic."

Reagan's aides also worried the British by suggesting the president might have to skip the stop in London because accepting it might anger the Germans, who had offered a similar invitation. But feelings are smoothed over a bit when the Americans assure the British contingent that the Germans are not America's top priority.

"Eagleburger emphasized how much the president himself wanted to go to London," stresses one confidential memo from the British ambassador, referring to senior U.S. diplomat Lawrence Eagleburger. "There should be no doubt about that. Eagleburger also said that at the moment the Germans were not America's favorite allies."

The prospect of a chance to relax from international summitry with a bit of horseback riding with the queen seems to have helped carry the day for the Brits. Asked for the president's favorite type of horse, British planners are told simply that he wants a thoroughbred. He ended up riding Centennial, one of the queen's favorites, and wearing a perfectly fitted sports jacket above his sweater, going for an old-time Hollywood look he carried off with ease.

Much of the actual visit was devoted to pomp and pageantry, or to relaxation, but Reagan did make one speech of consequence. He became the first American president to address a meeting of both houses of Parliament and used the occasion to trumpet his distaste for the Soviet Union, calling it an economic catastrophe.

He said Marxism-Leninism would be left on the ash heap of history ? a prediction that would come to pass in the following decade.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-12-28-Britain-Thatcher-Reagan/id-eeb32e39a28d4863a67f263ca633bbf4

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Kacsmar: Do-or-die for some in Week 17

Vikings, Bears, Cowboys must win in last week of regular season

Image: Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III

Tim Shaffer / Reuters

Redskins?quarterback Robert Griffin III can clinch rookie records for completion percentage (66.4 percent) and passer rating (104.1) with a good performance against the Cowboys on Sunday.

Opinion

By Scott Kacsmar

NBCSports.com contributor

updated 12:20 p.m. ET Dec. 27, 2012

Hard to believe, but we have reached the end of the NFL?s 2012 regular season. Was it not that long ago that we had replacement referees and the Arizona Cardinals were 4-0? Yet here we are, days away from that last Sunday until next September in which all 32 teams will play a real game. Savor the moment.

Week 17 offers numerous playoff scenarios, the last two playoff berths, and one more attempt to rewrite the NFL record book. Here is your handy guide to what to watch for this Sunday. All 16 games are divisional rematches.

AFC South
The Houston Texans (12-3) have been in the driver?s seat of the AFC all season, yet a loss in Indianapolis (10-5) will likely push them all the way to the No. 3 seed, which means no first-round bye.

It is a very important game for Houston, which just beat the Colts 29-17 in a Week 15 game dominated by J.J. Watt. He has 20.5 sacks, eyeing Michael Strahan?s record of 22.5 sacks set in 2001.

For the Colts, Bruce Arians had one of the finest runs ever as an interim coach, leading the team to a 9-3 record. Chuck Pagano triumphantly returns to the sidelines this week as his battle with leukemia continues to inspire this team of underdogs.

Despite their -42 scoring differential, the Colts are 10-5. They have done so by going 9-1 in games decided by 1-7 points. Andrew Luck has already set the rookie passing record (4,183 yards), and has tied the regular season record with seven game-winning drives.

While the Colts are locked into the No. 5 seed, they are still a young team that can use the experience against a quality opponent. It is hard to imagine they will not go all out for the win with Pagano?s return. The Colts are 10-0 all time at home against Houston.

You can say Peyton Manning?s injury last year helped pave the way for drafting Luck. Now Manning will be looking for some help in return, as a Colts? victory over Houston is the path for Manning?s Broncos to get the No. 1 seed this year.

Jacksonville (2-13) has a slight chance of securing the No. 1 pick in the draft with a loss to Tennessee (5-10). The only other need is a Kansas City win in Denver, so good luck there. Think of your imminent future with Tim Tebow as a consolation prize, Jacksonville fans.

AFC North
With Baltimore (10-5) clinching the division last week, there is little on the line against playoff-bound Cincinnati (9-6), which is locked into the sixth seed. Ray Lewis is back, but he is not expected to play on Sunday. The Ravens have won four straight over the Bengals, who are making back-to-back playoff trips for the first time since 1981-1982.

A Baltimore win combined with a New England loss would give the Ravens the No. 3 seed, but that is not a likely scenario. Besides, that would mean the Ravens would host these very same Bengals a week later, and it is hard to beat a team twice in one week.

Only pride is on the line for Pittsburgh and Cleveland. The Steelers (7-8) will look to avoid their first losing season since 2003, while the Browns (5-10) have not swept the Steelers since 1988.

AFC West
In a season full of inconsistent play, the Denver Broncos (12-3) are a glimmer of hope. They have won 10 straight games by at least seven points. All other AFC winning streaks combined add up to just eight games. Ranking top five on both offense and defense, Denver might be the most complete team in the league.

Peyton Manning will look to cap off his campaign for a fifth MVP award. His 12 consecutive games with a passer rating of at least 90.0 is the third longest streak in NFL history. Only Aaron Rodgers (13 games in 2011) and Manning again (15 games in 2004) had longer streaks.

Consistency is the name of the game, and that?s what Manning has brought to Denver as it looks towards a run at the Super Bowl. A win will give the Broncos a first-round bye.

The Chiefs (2-13) have consistently been bad this year, and will likely have the first pick in the draft. If they should fail to get a takeaway, they will tie the NFL record for fewest takeaways (12) in a 16-game season. The 2006 Washington Redskins also had 12 takeaways.

San Diego (6-9) plays Oakland (4-11), which should be the swansong for Norv Turner?s run there. Turner is 55-40 (.579) and 3-3 in the postseason as San Diego?s head coach.

AFC East
With a home finale against Miami (7-8), New England (11-4) can be anywhere from the No. 1 to No. 4 seed depending on Sunday?s results. If the Patriots score at least 32 points, they will have the second-highest scoring season in NFL history. Miami is looking for its third non-losing season since 2004.

Buffalo (5-10) and the Jets (6-9) will play a Week 1 rematch. The season cannot possibly end any faster for these two teams.

NFC South
Atlanta (13-2) can tie its 1998 Super Bowl team for the best record in franchise history with a win over reeling Tampa Bay (6-9), which has lost five straight games. The Falcons have already clinched the NFC?s No. 1 seed.

New Orleans (7-8) can end its troubled season with a win over Carolina (6-9), which would give the Panthers a second straight 6-10 finish.

Cam Newton needs one touchdown pass to join Dan Marino, Peyton Manning and Andy Dalton as the only quarterbacks to throw at least 20 touchdowns in each of their first two seasons. Meanwhile, Drew Brees needs one touchdown pass to become the first player in NFL history with consecutive seasons of 40 or more touchdown passes.

Brees only needs 219 yards to reach 5,000 yards passing for the third time in his career. Matthew Stafford (305) and Tony Romo (315) also are in position to throw for 5,000 yards, which would match last season?s total of three quarterbacks hitting the milestone.

NFC North
The NFC North will have a huge impact on the final playoff seeds as both games are involved with many of Sunday?s scenarios. They also will feature two of the league?s best players looking for a 2,000-yard milestone.

Green Bay (11-4) travels to Minnesota (9-6) in a late afternoon game. With a win, the Packers will clinch the No. 2 seed in the NFC. The Vikings need a win just to make the playoffs, which is their best scenario.

A Minnesota win could very well mean these teams will meet again next week, but it will not be easy. The Packers are hot, winners in nine of their last 10 games, and have won five straight against the Vikings.

Minnesota just pulled off an upset in Houston, even without Adrian Peterson having his best game. Peterson needs 102 rushing yards to become the league?s seventh 2,000-yard rusher, and will need 208 yards to break Eric Dickerson?s all-time record (2,105 yards).

Peterson had 210 yards when these teams met in Week 13, but the Packers won. For the Vikings to make the playoffs, they are going to need Christian Ponder to step up.

The Chicago Bears (9-6) are still alive. They have to take care of the Lions (4-11), and hope for the Vikings to lose. Should Chicago falter, it will become just the fourth team to start 7-1 and fail to make the playoffs since 1978. The Bears would join the 1987 San Diego Chargers, 1988 New Orleans Saints and 1996 Washington Redskins.

Standing in their way is a pass-happy Detroit team. Matthew Stafford needs seven pass attempts to surpass Drew Bledsoe?s record of 691 passes in 1994. Unless he is injured, Stafford will become the first quarterback ever to throw 700 passes in a season. He can also break Bledsoe?s record for most drop backs in a season. Bledsoe had 757 while Stafford is currently at 745.

Detroit needs just 12 pass attempts to break the team record for a season, which is currently held by the 1981 Minnesota Vikings (709 attempts).

The beneficiary of all these attempts is Calvin Johnson, who now holds the record for most receiving yards in a season with 1,892 yards. He needs just 108 to become the first player ever with 2,000 receiving yards, and you figure Detroit will do all it can to get him there.

NFC West
Despite their bad loss on Sunday night, the San Francisco 49ers (10-4-1) should have little trouble clinching the NFC West with a win at home over Arizona (5-10). The banged-up 49ers will just have to root for Minnesota to take care of the Packers in order to get the No. 2 seed and what appears to be some needed rest.

Seattle (10-5) is already in the playoffs, and will likely be the No. 5 seed. Though they lost to the Rams (7-7-1) way back in Week 4, this is a much stronger team now.

Not only is Seattle one of two teams (Atlanta) that are 7-0 at home this year, but their home scoring differential of 141 is easily the best in the league. Denver is a distant second at 94 points.

Russell Wilson needs two touchdown passes to break Peyton Manning?s rookie record of 26 touchdown passes set in 1998. Seattle has scored 150 points over the last three weeks, and is +11 in turnover differential since their bye week (4-1 record).

For the Ram, a win would give them their first winning season since 2003. That would be a strong way to end Jeff Fisher?s first season in St. Louis, but not a likely outcome.

NFC East
Finally we have the media darlings of the NFC East. For the New York Giants (8-7) to make the playoffs and defend their championship, they need a lot of help.

Not only do the Giants need to beat the Eagles (4-11), but they need Chicago, Minnesota and Dallas to lose. Technically they can get in if Dallas ties, but that?s not going to happen. They will be extremely fortunate just to get all the other results to go their way.

While most probably expect the Vikings and Cowboys to lose this week, and for Chicago to potentially lose, there is no guarantee the Giants can take care of the Eagles, who will start Michael Vick this week.

It has been a very inconsistent season for the Giants, who have looked like the best and worst team in the league at different moments throughout the season. The Giants would become the seventh defending Super Bowl champion since 1990 to miss the postseason should their miracle scenario not play out.

Then there is the 256th and final regular season game of the 2012 season: Dallas Cowboys (8-7) at Washington Redskins (9-6) for the NFC East title on Sunday Night Football.

For the third time since 2008, the Cowboys go on the road in Week 17 for a "win and you?re in" playoff game against one of their NFC East rivals. The last two times have not gone well, but this Dallas team is different. It has been winning a lot of tough games in the second half of the season, and Tony Romo is playing very well.

Also playing well is Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, who can clinch rookie records for completion percentage (66.4 percent) and passer rating (104.1) with a good performance. Griffin making the playoffs would mean three rookie quarterbacks (Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson) in the postseason for the first time ever.

Not sure which buttons Mike Shanahan pressed during the team?s bye week, but Washington has turned a 3-6 season into a possible seven-game winning streak that will allow the Redskins to host a playoff game for the first time since the 1999 season.

While it is do-or-die for Dallas, the Redskins can still make the playoffs with losses by the Bears and Vikings, which they will know before the game starts. But if they want to do things the right way, they take care of this one at home.

Either way, let?s just hope for a competitive final game to close out this wild regular season.

Scott Kacsmar (@CaptainComeback) writes for Cold, Hard Football Facts, Bleacher Report, Colts Authority, and contributes data to Pro-Football-Reference.com and NFL Network.

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More newsHunter Martin / Getty Images Contributor

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/50302329/ns/sports-nfl/

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