This page contains a single entry by James Wesley, Rawles published on January 4, 2012 1:49 PM.
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Source: http://www.survivalblog.com/2012/01/economics_and_investing_1042.html
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Jordan Theodore scored all 19 of his points in the second half and Seton Hall ended almost 11 years of frustration by stunning No. 8 Connecticut 75-63 on Tuesday night in coach Kevin Willard's biggest win since taking over the program last season.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/45850288#45850288
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Shortly before Arnoldo Pedroza was scheduled to lead a tour south of Mexico City, the local guide started to worry that recent disturbances would sabotage his trip. He followed news updates anxiously, hoping that the area would cool off and officials wouldn?t ban visitors.
You?re thinking drug cartels, vendettas and gunfire? Wrong. Pedroza was worried about spraying lava, not flying bullets.
?It is an active volcano,? said Pedroza of Popocatepetl, the volatile volcano up which he led a group of American mountaineers a few weeks ago. ?I was afraid that it was going to pour lava, but it stayed quiet.?
Mexico?s second-highest mountain is an apt metaphor for the country itself: Despite threatening rumblings, danger doesn?t always materialize. Sometimes it?s even all in our heads. Yet misperceptions dog Mexico, which has been seriously shaken by the ongoing turf battles between drug cartels and the frontal-assault strategy employed by President Felipe Calderon?s government.
?There?s a big gap between perception and reality,? says Margot Lee Shetterly, a Hampton, Va., native who relocated to Mexico with her husband six years ago. ?It?s a real shame for people to write off a whole country without looking at the map and at the statistics.?
Without a solid understanding of the geography (761,606 square miles) and the nature of the drug wars (internecine fighting), many foreigners assume that all of Mexico is a war zone. But it isn?t.
?The episodes of violence are in very specific pockets,? says Rodolfo Lopez-Negrete, chief operating officer of the Mexico Tourism Board, ?and are unrelated to tourism.?
Even so, some places in Mexico are extraordinarily dangerous ? so dangerous that they should be mummified in crime tape.
The U.S. State Department?s travel warning on Mexico, last updated in April, specifies the dangers by state, delineating the possible threats to Americans, 4.7 million of whom visited from January through October.
Yet countless tourists balk at the border, unsure of where ? or whether ? to go.
Well, we?ll tell you. We spoke to security experts, tour operators, government officials and expats for advice on where you can comfortably kick off your sandals and places you should avoid or explore with caution.
One quick PSA: No matter the destination, always be aware of your surroundings and follow the commandments of common sense: Register with the U.S embassy, don?t walk in the dark alone, keep the bling at home, etc. Street crime, like multiple days of rain or a vengeful plate of beans, can really ruin a good vacation.
VISIT WITH ABANDON
We know what you want: to plop down on the beach, sip a margarita and feel your stresses turn to goo beneath the hot Mexican sun.
You?re not alone. About 90 percent of tourists flock to the beach resorts on both coasts, says Lopez-Negrete. Nor will you be disappointed. The majority of beach resorts, especially along the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, are sheltered oases.
Mark these in your vacation planners as safe: Cancun, Cozumel and Playa del Carmen on the Yucatan Peninsula, and on the Pacific side, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. Some spots left out of the glossy brochures also make the list, such as the colonial city of Campeche, a World Heritage Site on the gulf, and Merida, a city west of Cancun on the Yucatan. In addition, most day trips from the strands, including outings to the Mayan ruins, also occupy the lowest rung on the risk ladder. These excursions include Tulum, Uxmal and Chichen Itza.
Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/01/2563339/smart-travelers-can-still-play.html
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We aren't saying that Google got the idea on this one from our picture contest to win the Verizon HTC Merge, but it is pretty similar, except for the fact that it's lacking the sweet prize we gave away.
Anywho, Google took to its +Android account on Google + asking the coolest place you have taken your Android. Think you have taken your Android to the coolest place? Does the coolest place even exist outside your mind? And know that they are talking about the little green guy here, not your phone or anything, so if you don't already have one they have provided one you can download and cut out to get you on your way. So, get to showing them off, will ya?
Source: +Android
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/5Qu4AVs9xcY/story01.htm
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Getty ImagesWith Aaron Rodgers moving toward the league MVP award and Drew Brees penciled in for offensive player of the year, things get a little more dicey when trying to discern the defensive player of the year.
The outcome of the 50-person Associated Press vote typically hinges on a vague blend of statistical performance, team performance, name recognition, and reputation.? This year, 16 weeks of football have produced no clear-cut favorite.? And so the outcome will hinge on the performance of the top contenders in Week 17.
With no big-name players near the top of the league-leading interception list (seven is the high-water mark), the sackmasters will get primary consideration.? Currently, Vikings defensive end Jared Allen has 18.5, Eagles defensive end Jason Babin and Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware have 18, Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has 15.5, and 49ers rookie linebacker Aldon Smith has 14.
If Allen or Babin can match or beat Michael Strahan?s all-time record of 22.5*, that guy (not to be confused with Jon Gruden?s ?this guy?) will be the most likely winner of the award.? But if they fall short of the record, the recognition could fall to Ware or Pierre-Paul, based on whether the Cowboys or Giants win on Sunday night and secure the NFC East crown.
With Babin and Allen playing for non-playoff teams, a berth in the postseason could provide the final nudge for Ware or Pierre-Paul ? especially since they?ll be playing in the highest-profile nationally-televised game on the eve of the casting of the ballots by the AP voters.
Pierre-Paul, drafted in 2010 as a project for a team that didn?t technically need another defensive end, has exploded down the stretch, winning the NFC defensive player of the week award twice in the last three weeks and making it to the Pro Bowl without being on the ballot.
With two sacks, Ware would become the first player with 20 or more sacks in two separate seasons.
Other candidates could come from the Ravens? defense, which has gotten 13 sacks and a great Thanksgiving night performance from linebacker Terrell Suggs.? His votes could be diluted by nose tackle Haloti Ngata.
49ers defensive lineman Justin Smith could get serious consideration, despite not having high-end stats, given his key role in the dominance of the San Francisco defense.
Broncos linebacker Von Miller also could get votes, even though he?s more likely to contend for the defensive rookie of the year award, if Aldon Smith (14 sacks) doesn?t break Jevon Kearse?s rookie record of 15.
Regardless, this award is coming down to the final week ? and possibly the final game ? of regular-season action.
Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/12/30/skittles-shoes-cost-marshawn-lynch-10k/related/
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APIA, Samoa ? The New Year's Eve parties started a whole day early on the South Pacific island nation of Samoa, after a hop across the international date line transported the country 24 hours into the future ? making it the first in the world to ring in the new year.
Samoans began celebrating under a rainbow of fireworks at the stroke of midnight on Thursday, Dec. 29 ? when the country skipped over Friday and moved straight into 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 31.
Samoa and neighboring Tokelau lie near the date line that zigzags vertically through the Pacific Ocean, and both sets of islands decided to realign themselves this year from the Americas side of the line to the Asia side, to be more in tune with key trading partners.
The time-jump revelry in Samoa continued throughout Saturday as the hours ticked down to 2012. Pools and beaches across the capital Apia were packed with Samoans and tourists celebrating the country's sudden position as the first in the world to ring in the new year, rather than the last.
Despite the extended festivities, Samoan police said there had been no reports of any problems.
"More than 90 percent of our people really appreciate the change, and that contributes to its success," said one official who could not be named as he was not authorized to speak publicly.
Elsewhere across the globe, people prepared to say goodbye to a year that was marked by upheaval and mass protests in several Arab countries, economic turmoil and a seemingly endless string of devastating natural disasters.
In Australia, people began crowding onto the shores of Sydney's glittering harbor early Saturday in a bid for the best spot to watch the midnight fireworks extravaganza over the iconic Harbour Bridge. The display was designed around the theme "Time to Dream," a nod to the eagerness many felt at moving forward after the rough year.
"It's about giving people the opportunity to dream of the year ahead and that hopefully it is a bit better than the year we've had," said Aneurin Coffey, the producer of Sydney's New Year's festivities.
Some of the fireworks were expected to explode in the shape of clouds ? "Because every cloud has a silver lining," Coffey said. A series of colorful lights will be beamed onto the center of the bridge forming an "endless rainbow" meant to evoke hope.
Many were eager for a fresh start.
"I've had enough this year," said 68-year-old Sandra Cameron, who lost nearly everything she owned when her home in Australia's Queensland state was flooded to the ceiling during a monstrous cyclone in February. "It's gotta be a better year next year."
For Japan, 2011 was the year the nation was struck by a giant tsunami and earthquake that left an entire coastline destroyed, nearly 20,000 people dead or missing and the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in meltdown.
At the year's end, many in Japan were left reflecting on the fragility of life, while remaining quietly determined to recover.
"For me, the biggest thing that defined this year was the disaster in March," said Miku Sano, 28, a nursing student in Fukushima city. "Honestly, I didn't know what to say to these people, who had to fight sickness while living in fear about ever being able to go back home. The radiation levels in the city of Fukushima, where I live, are definitely not low, and we don't know how that is going to affect our health in the future."
People across Japan were expected to spend Saturday visiting shrines and temples, offering their first prayers for the year. The giant hanging bell at temples will ring 108 times to purify the world of evil and bring good luck.
Kouichi Takayama, a university student, said 2011 was a year he would never forget.
"It was a year I felt the preciousness of life with a passion," he said. "But I was also able to catch a glimpse of the warmth of human relations, and reconfirm my gratitude for family, community and everyday life. I hope I can connect meaningfully with more people next year to create a Japan that truly endures toward the future."
In the southern Philippine city of Cagayan de Oro, people were still reeling from deadly flash flooding sparked by Tropical Storm Washi. The storm killed more than 1,200 in southern and central Philippines, 800 of which were in Cagayan de Oro.
For Ana Caneda, a disaster relief official in Cagayan de Oro, the new year "offers a new ray of hope."
"It's going to be a relief to write the date 2012, not 2011," Caneda said.
In Hong Kong, more than 400,000 people were expected to watch the 4-minute, $1 million display of fireworks that will shoot off from 10 skyscrapers, lighting up the city's famed Victoria Harbour.
Raymond Lo, a master of feng shui ? the Chinese art of arranging objects and choosing dates to improve luck ? said he wasn't surprised that 2011 was such a tumultuous year because it was associated with the natural elements of metal and wood. The year's natural disasters were foreshadowed, Lo said, because wood ? which represents trees and nature ? was attacked by metal.
2012 could be better because it's associated with ocean water, which represents energy and drive and the washing away of old habits, Lo said.
"Big water also means charity, generosity," Lo said. "Therefore that means sharing. That means maybe the big tycoons will share some of their wealth."
___
Gelineau reported from Sydney. Associated Press writers Ray Lilley in Wellington, New Zealand, Teresa Cerojano in Manila, Philippines, Kelvin Chan in Hong Kong and Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to this report.
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