Sony's PlayStation Vita hits stores in Japan (AP)

TOKYO ? Sony's long-awaited PlayStation Vita portable game machine hit stores in Japan on Saturday as thousands of game enthusiasts lined up early in the morning to be among the first to buy it.

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. is predicting brisk sales, even though the launch may have missed some holiday shoppers. A successful debut would help the company offset the rest of its struggling business. Sony projects a loss of more than $1 billion for the fiscal year through March 2012, which would be its fourth straight annual loss.

In Tokyo's Ikebukuro shopping district, some 300 game enthusiasts lined up outside a major electronics chain that opened a few hours earlier than usual for the event. Many of the purchasers had made advance orders on the Internet so they could start playing immediately.

The device is a touch-interface and motion-sensitive handheld seen as a successor to the PlayStation Portable. Gamers can connect over cellphone networks and Wi-Fi hotspots, and use GPS location-tracking technology.

Television footage showed some shoppers unwrapping their new purchases and starting to try them out at the store.

"I'm so happy to see so many people lining up for PS Vita so early in the morning," Sony Computer Entertainment Japan President Hiroshi Kono wrote in his official blog after touring several Tokyo stores. "I can tell they had anxiously waited for today's launch."

For the Tokyo-based electronics and entertainment giant, the Vita is the biggest product launch since the PlayStation 3 console five years ago. It's also accompanied by two dozen software products ? the largest number of launch titles in PlayStation history.

The Vita has front and back cameras, a touchscreen in front, a touch pad on the back and two knob-like joysticks. It will enable gamers to play against each other using PlayStation 3 consoles over the Internet-based PlayStation Network, a system that was hit with a massive hacking attack earlier this year.

Vita's launch will heat up competition with rival Nintendo Co.'s 3DS. Nintendo Co.'s 3DS had a disappointing start despite the company's efforts to market its 3-D technology, with critics complaining about a lack of interesting games. Nintendo ended up slashing prices on the 3DS within six months.

The companies are challenged by the rise of smartphones and tablets, through which casual gamers play inexpensive and simple games like the mega-hit "Angry Birds."

The PS Vita goes on sale in North America and Europe on Feb. 22.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111217/ap_on_hi_te/as_japan_sony_playstation

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Tunisia fetes town where revolt year began

TUNIS, Tunisia?? Exactly one year ago, in a hardscrabble town in Tunisia's arid interior, the death knell sounded for the decades-old system of dictatorships across the Arab world.

With a desperate act of self-immolation, a 26-year-old Sidi Bouzid fruit-seller unwittingly unleashed a year of turmoil that toppled at least three autocrats in a region once thought to be immune to democracy.

Tunisia's new leaders together with thousands of others took part in a festival starting Saturday in the town honoring the vendor, the revolution, and the protesters whose anger snowballed into a nationwide and then region-wide phenomenon.

The changes in the Arab world over the past 12 months cannot be overstated. A region synonymous with stagnant authoritarian republics and monarchies is suddenly rife with change ? for better or worse.

The biggest winners so far appear to be the long-repressed Islamist parties, which didn't always lead the revolts but in subsequent elections in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco were the best organized and least tainted by the old regimes.

Tunisia's transformation
As the country that started the Arab Spring, Tunisia appears to be the farthest along in its transformation, having held its freest elections ever that brought to power a moderate Islamist party that most had thought had been oppressed out of existence.

Previously, Tunisia under former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was renowned among European tourists for its sandy beaches and cosmopolitan ways. But for most of its people, Ben Ali's presidency was 23 years of suffocating iron-fisted rule.

Now a human rights activist is president, and an Islamist politician who was jailed by Ben Ali for 15 years is the prime minister at the head of a coalition of left, liberal and religious parties.

The new president even announced on Friday that he was going to sell off his predecessor's many palaces to fund employment programs.

One year ago, Mohammed Bouazizi set himself on fire in front of the Sidi Bouzid town hall after he was publicly slapped and humiliated by a policewoman reprimanding him for selling his vegetables without a license. He suffered full-body burns, and died soon afterward.

Until then, he had spent his days pushing a cart to sell his vegetables, but when his wares were confiscated and his pleas for restitution ignored by town officials, something snapped and a young man who had never left Tunisia transformed the Middle East.

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His act struck a chord in the impoverished interior of the country, where unemployment is still estimated at 28 percent.

Clashes erupt
The demonstrations began in Sidi Bouzid but soon spread to the nearby city of Kasserine and surrounding small towns.

At first it was just local unrest, until clandestinely shot videos started popping up on Facebook and other social networking sites, inspiring youths across the country.

The focus of the protests soon moved to the capital Tunis as tens of thousands braved tear gas and battled police along the elegant, tree-lined boulevards. An estimated 265 Tunisians died in that month of protests that slowly drew the world's attention.

And then on Jan. 14 it was over. After Ben Ali's army refused to shoot protesters and his security forces wavered, he fled to Saudi Arabia with his family .

Experts were quick to explain how Tunisia was unique and the Jasmine Revolution was an isolated event ? until 11 days later tens of thousands occupied Cairo's Tahrir Square and began chanting the same slogan heard in Tunisia: "The people want the fall of the regime."

Not even three weeks later, Egypt's army too turned on its commander in chief and 82-year-old Hosni Mubarak, who had ruled Egypt for almost three decades as the quintessential symbol of Middle East status quo, suddenly resigned.

Four days later, protesters hit the streets in Libya's second largest city of Benghazi, while Yemen began experiencing demonstrations of its own.

Region awash in protests
Morocco also sprouted a pro-democracy movement that forced the king to scrabble to make reforms, and eventually even Syria ? a nation famous for its repression ? was awash with protests.

Bouazizi's plight was familiar across the region where growth had not provided jobs, education was poor and widespread restrictions on freedoms left a sense of hopeless frustration.

One year later, many countries are freer but the economic situation remains grim.

Tourists have been frightened away by the unrest, an economic crisis in Europe has damaged traditional export markets and the messy business of democracy has been slow to produce new governments.

Six weeks after its elections, Tunisia is forming its new government, but for the people of Sidi Bouzid, it feels like nothing has changed.

Even during October's elections, when much of the country was euphoric, the young men of Sidi Bouzid sat sullenly in their cafes and complained that they had been forgotten.

Now the focus has returned to this small town surrounded by olive orchards and tall cactus groves, as thousands marched through the streets, watched fireworks and applauded the unveiling of a marble memorial of a vegetable seller's cart surrounded by empty chairs symbolizing the fallen dictators.

Where once there had been little sign of Bouazizi's sacrifice, the town's main street has been renamed for him.

Tunisia's leaders have promised that the interior will no longer be neglected and they say they have drawn up plans to rebalance investment away from the coast.

"Mohammed Bouazizi restored the dignity to the Tunisian people," said Marzouki, who struggled to promote human rights during Ben Ali's long reign and was twice imprisoned. He promise to "restore joy to this long marginalized region."

If the new government succeeds, even as the other countries in the region struggle with the complicated aftermaths of their own pro-democracy movements, Tunisia could for a second time inspire the Arab world.

Schemm reported from Rabat, Morocco.

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/45708042/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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mrgeog: RT @alldenews: If you've ever tweeted, you're in the Library of Congress - http://t.co/P71fxpAO #twitter

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GrubWithUs Now Wants To Plan YOUR Group Meals (And Do All The Legwork)

You're hungry. You're feeling social. But you're also feeling laaaaazy, and planning a big group meal can be so much work that you end up hating everyone at the table by the end of it. GrubWithUs, a startup best known for organizing buy-in dinners with overarching themes (TechCrunch fans!) or at least one particularly interesting person at the table, is playing with the idea of building dinners for the most interesting person of all: you. You punch in a few details, and GrubWithUs does pretty much all of the leg work ? but there's a catch!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/sdQjAi5mGL4/

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Russian aid convoy stuck on Serbia-Kosovo border (AP)

JARINJE, Kosovo ? A stranded Russian aid convoy for Kosovo Serbs is at the center of an escalating dispute Wednesday between Moscow and international peacekeepers, with a top Western official casting doubt on the humanitarian goal of the aid mission.

The convoy of more than 20 Russian trucks was stopped Tuesday at a Kosovo border with Serbia guarded by U.S. soldiers, increasing tensions in the volatile region. It remained stranded Wednesday.

Moscow has become the champion of Serb defiance against Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia. Local Serbs are frustrated by Belgrade's refusal to use force to save them from ethnic Albanian rule, and have turned to the Kremlin for help.

The minority Serbs, who reject Kosovo's statehood, have been blocking roads in the Serb-run north of the country to prevent Pristina authorities from taking control. The peacekeepers say the convoy's cargo consisting of canned food, blankets, tents and power generators appears like it is intended for those manning the roadblocks, and not for the general Kosovo Serb population.

"I don't know if the Russian aid is a propaganda trick or something else," the top Western official overseeing Kosovo's independence, Pieter Feith, told Serbian reporters. "Although not surprising, the (Russian aid) initiative is not practical."

"Poverty and misery exist in Kosovo, but the U.N. and the EU have not proclaimed the north of Kosovo as a zone of a humanitarian catastrophe," Feith said.

Russian officials escorting the convoy accused Kosovo's peacekeepers of blocking passage. EU officials in Kosovo said the Russians can pass if they allow an international police escort.

Russia's ambassador to Serbia, Aleksandr Konuzin, who is leading the convoy, refused an EU escort and accused the peacekeepers of "political blackmail."

Serbia's state Tanjug news agency said Konuzin asked for help from top Moscow officials.

Russia's envoy to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, called the stoppage of the convoy "a humanitarian crime." He told Russian news channel Vesti-24 that such actions by Western countries "lead the Serbian minority in Kosovo to extinction."

The spokesman for the EU rule of law mission in Kosovo, Nicholas Hawton, said "there are two options for the convoy.

"Either they have a EULEX police escort to the destination following customs control, or proceed to Merdare," he said referring to Kosovo's eastern border crossing with Serbia that is manned by ethnic Albanian customs officials.

"It is a normal EU standard for a convoy of this size to have a police escort," Hawton said.

Konuzin has refused the alternative border crossing, saying the controls there are done by Pristina authorities, which are not recognized by Russia and Serbia.

Russia is considered a traditional Serb ally because of common Slavic roots and the Christian Orthodox religion.

___

Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade and Nebi Qena in Pristina contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111214/ap_on_re_eu/eu_kosovo_russian_aid

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Video: Trump: I?d consider an independent run

>>> donald trump is our next guest and joins us exclusively. he's out with a new book called "time to get tough, making america number one again." donald, it's good to see you.

>> good morning, matt. tell chuck todd it will only help.

>> you said you were going to host this debate december 27th . you heard george say people should say away from this. ron paul says it's beneath the office of the presidency. he went on to say it contributes to a, quote, unwanted circus-like atmosphere and people surrounding jon huntsman called this the presidential apprentice debate with the donald. do you think other candidates will stay away ?

>> no, i don't. i think most candidates will join and i think those two candidates have zero chance of being elected so it makes no difference. ron paul says iran should have nuclear weapons are can have nuclear weapons and doesn't even think in terms of israel. i think they are joke candidates and they are doing poorly. mr. huntsman is doing extremely poorly in the polls and gives more air time to those that have a chance of being elected.

>> do you think the other candidates might agree you have them exactly where you want them? a lot of them stop by looking for your approval or support. that would be a wasted effort if they snub you or don't show up at your debate.

>> a lot of top rips ask -- republicans asked me to do the debate. we're doing it with news max and i have millions of people that follow me because they're tired of seeing this country, our great country, the united states , getting ripped off by china, by opec, by almost every country, matt, that does business with us. i'm tired of it and a lot of other people are tired of it. i think the candidates know. i mean i left when i left because of the equal time provisions i'm not allowed t. eed to have a show and run. when i left i was leading in the polls.

>> i've known you for a long time. let me tie this up by asking you this isn't going to be all about donald trump . you're not going to use this as a way to get on center stage and talk about what you believe, this will truly be about the candidates, right?

>> i want a great candidate, a candidate that is going to beat president obama . it's very important. it's vital for this country. if we don't get that candidate, we are in big, big trouble because the country is in big, big trouble . it's being led down the drain.

>> let's talk about newt gingrich surging to the top of the polls in iowa. you're going to meet with him a little later today . as i already mentioned, he's agreed to show up at your debate. he made some controversial comments lately about the poor and jobs. i'll play them for you and get your reaction.

>> really poor children in really poor neighborhoods have no habits of working and have nobody around them who works. so they literally have no habit of showing up on monday. they have no habit of staying all day. they have no habit of i do this and you give me cash unless it's illegal.

>> maureen dowd in the "times" on sunday has he not heard of the working poor ? the problem isn't that these kids aren't working, it's that they don't have time with their parents who often toll day and night at more than one job and earn next to nothing. difficulties newt gingrich mischaracterize what's happening?

>> no, it may not be politically correct but it's the truth. one of the reasons he's surging is because he says it like it is. i like maureen dowd very much but in terms of what newt said, that's the way it is. he's looking at the inner city where obama has done nothing, he has done nothing for the inner cities and he wants to do something to get them going.

>> but the children in those inner city areas really have no role models who work?

>> well, i think you have a role model in president obama . let obama be the role model.

>> in their own families, though?

>> it hasn't turned out to be much of a role model. no, they don't have in many cases role models , matt, it's very sad. they do not have role models . so i know it's not a popular statement, but it happens to be true.

>> let's talk about mitt romney . obviously he's someone who has had a difficult time breaking through in the polls. he's going to be on the cover of "time" magazine this week and it says something to the effect of why don't people like me. what is it with mitt romney ? why has he had a difficult time either getting to or maintaining front runner status?

>> well, i'm actually a little surprised. he's a very attractive guy. i've gotten to know him very well. he's been up to the office a number of times. he really is a very good, solid person. he doesn't get traction. i've actually spoken to him about it. i don't understand. he's not getting traction.

>> does he have a problem with flip-flopping?

>> well, i don't think so. look, everybody changes their mind. we have, you have, i know for a fact you have over the years. we all change our minds or things. i think people have done a good job in saying that, but for some reason he doesn't get the traction. when herman goes out and herman i got to know very well and he's a good guy but has suffered greatly over the last few weeks. when herman , now you take those votes and divvy them up, in theory he should get a lot of those votes but he just doesn't seem to get traction. i don't know what it is.

>> you write over a lifetime i've seep many people who don't change and they always get left behind . smart people learn things and change their minds. only stupid people never change their minds. is it more important to you that you have a candidate that can beat barack obama or someone that sticks to conservative principles?

>> well, i actually think it's going to be a combination of both. i think you're really going to have a combination of both. but you do have to -- you know the fighters, you learn a lot from boxing. they have an expression. you have to go with the punches. you sort of have to go with the punches. and it's true. life changes, the world changes, things and events change. sometimes you change your mind . if you don't change your mind , you're stuck.

>> you are someone who's changed your mind as well and you're right, i have as well. have you completely ruled out a run for president even as a third party candidate?

>> well, as you know, and again the equal time professions don't allow me to run until may, when i'm a free agent and you happen to like because i have a very successful show on your network. i hope that's the reason you like me. anyway, but the fact is if the wrong candidate is nominated to run, if i think it's a candidate th that's not going to win and not very good and that could happen, i'm seeing some very good people an talented people and if the economy continues to be bad and i think it will because i think we have incompetent leadership i would certainly think about running.

>> you flirt wed this a lot in the past. i was in your office when you talked about it. but do people have a right to say at some point you talk the talk , roll up your sleeves and walk the walk?

>> absolutely. but i never really looked at it seriously until this year. people thought that i looked at it years ago because people wanted me to do it, twice. i looked at it once for a period of one week. i love what i'm doing, i love the real estate. in fact in my book which comes out today, i actually disclose the financial disclosure. i give it, and it tells my network.

>> how many billion dollars?

>> $7 billion and almost $300 million in cash. nobody ever knew that before. i've never disclosed it before. frankly i did it because i'm very proud of what i've been able to build. i built a great company and i'm proud of it.

>> donald trump , good to have you with us and thanks for your time this morning.

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/45550577/

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US to use foreign aid to promote gay rights (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The Obama administration is announcing a wide-ranging effort to use U.S. foreign aid to promote rights for gays and lesbians abroad, including combating attempts by foreign governments to criminalize homosexuality.

In a memorandum issued Tuesday, President Barack Obama directed U.S. agencies working abroad, including the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development, to use foreign aid to assist gays and lesbians who are facing human rights violations. And he ordered U.S. agencies to protect vulnerable gay and lesbian refugees and asylum seekers.

"The struggle to end discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons is a global challenge, and one that is central to the United States' commitment to promoting human rights," Obama said in a statement.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is also expected to speak about the announcements in Geneva later Tuesday.

The White House said Tuesday's announcement marked the first U.S. government strategy to combat human rights abuses against gays and lesbians abroad.

The order also directs U.S. government agencies to use foreign assistance to protect human rights and advance non-discrimination, and work with international organizations to fight discrimination against gays and lesbians.

Obama's announcement is part of the White House's outreach to gays and lesbians, a core Democratic constituency. Since taking office, Obama has advocated for the repeal of the military's ban on openly gay service members and ordered the administration to stop enforcing a law defining marriage as between one man and one woman.

However, Obama has stopped short of backing gay marriage, saying only that his personal views on the matter are evolving.

Gay rights groups praised the order as a significant step for ensuring that gays and lesbians are treated equally around the world.

"Today's actions by President Obama make clear that the United States will not turn a blind eye when governments commit or allow abuses to the human rights of LGBT people," said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay advocacy organization.

The presidential directive applies to all U.S. agencies involved in foreign aid, assistance and development, including the Departments of States, the Treasury, Defense and Homeland Security.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111206/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_gay_rights

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Emily Maynard: Dating Ex of Vienna Girardi?!

Gotta love The Bachelorette rumor mill.

With Emily Maynard and Jeremy Shockey apparently no longer together, and Vienna Girardi and Kasey Kahl splitting up, Emily and Kasey must be an item, right?

Of course, if you believe In Touch Weekly ... which proclaims Emily is now dating Vienna's ex. They could mean a different ex, too, of course. Girlfriend gets around.

Whoever it is she's dating ... she's not. No way she would want Kasey or anyone tied to Vienna guarding and protecting anything. Emily also denied it on Twitter.

Just listen to the North Carolina cutie herself:

Emily Maynard: “Seriously? You'd think that with all the guys the mags say I'm dating I'd have some help with my Xmas lights! #stillnottrue #stillsingle.”

Now that's hard to believe. Emily can't get help with her Christmas lights? Do you realize how hot this woman is? What is wrong with the men of Charlotte?

We've been hearing rumblings that, following her breakup with Brad Womack, her quest for love may continue as the star of The Bachelorette next year.

Repeat, that's just a rumor. Unlike In Touch, we'll call celebrity gossip what it is and not label it as fact. But we hear they are trying to woo Emily again.

The sticking point? Her daughter Ricki. As a single mom, we don't see it happening, but will they come up with a better catch among Ben Flajnik castoffs?

Should Emily be the next Bachelorette?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/12/emily-maynard-dating-kasey-kahl/

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Steelers stay hot, rout Bengals

Roethlisberger throws 2 TDs as Pittsburgh (9-3) sweeps season series with 35-7 win

Gregory Shamus / Getty Images

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger celebrates a touchdown against the Bengals.

By WILL GRAVES

updated 6:11 p.m. ET Dec. 4, 2011

PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Steelers needed just 15 minutes to provide the Cincinnati Bengals a refresher course on what it takes to win in December.

Run the ball. Create turnovers. A big play or two on special teams helps. So does having a quarterback who knows what he's doing when the games dwindle to a precious few.

It's a formula the defending AFC champions have used for years. It has rarely looked as effective as it did in a 35-7 win Sunday.

Ben Roethlisberger threw two touchdown passes to Mike Wallace, Rashard Mendenhall ran for two more and the Steelers used an explosive second quarter to crush error-prone Cincinnati.

"We're in it now," linebacker James Farrior said. "Right now is our time. ... We already started our playoffs."

It certainly looked like it as Pittsburgh (9-3) swept the season series from Cincinnati (7-5) for the second straight year to end any realistic hopes the Bengals have of winning the AFC North.

"It's tough," said Cincinnati wide receiver A.J. Green, who caught an 11-yard touchdown pass but also committed a false start penalty that wiped out another score. "We shot ourselves in the foot sometimes. Being the veteran team they are, they capitalized on everything we did."

It's what the Steelers do this time of year.

Pittsburgh has been a mixed bag at times this season, often playing to the level of the competition, regardless of who it is.

The same team that handled New England with ease six weeks ago is the same one that barely escaped woeful Kansas City with a win last Sunday night, raising concerns about Roethlisberger's fractured right thumb, the running game and a defense nursing injuries to safety Troy Polamalu (concussion) and LaMarr Woodley (hamstring).

There were no anxious final moments against the Bengals. Pittsburgh's best quarter of the season left little room for doubt, scoring four touchdowns in a span of less than 12 minutes to break it open.

"Finally," Wallace said. "We always make it harder than it has to be. Today, we came out with a lot of emotion and a lot of energy. The guys just wanted to win. We knew what we had to do. It's getting closer to the playoffs and it's time for us to get better."

While the Bengals appear to be getting worse.

Rookie quarterback Andy Dalton passed for just 135 yards, was sacked three times by Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison and spent the fourth quarter on the bench as a preventative measure with the game out of reach.

"We can't let this hurt us," Dalton said. "We can't let this affect the next four."

Blocking it out might be tough.

Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis did little to downplay the game's importance, practically admitting his team's hopes for an outside shot at a divisional title would all but disappear if his surprising team couldn't earn a split with the Steelers.

The Bengals hung tough in a 24-17 loss to Pittsburgh three weeks ago, the kind of gritty performance that gave them hope they could earn a split with their division rivals and stay alive in their quest for a second division title in three seasons.

No chance.

Thrust into the role of contender, the Bengals wilted in the spotlight, reverting back to the kind of mistakes they've avoided while rebuilding on the fly behind the tandem of Dalton and Green. Cincinnati committed 10 penalties for 109 yards and offered little resistance to lose for the third time in four games.

"They beat us in every area today ? beat us on offense, beat us on defense, beat us in special teams," Lewis said.

Roethlisberger, who aggravated his injured thumb in practice during the week, overcame a slow start to complete 15 of 23 passes for 176 yards and the two scores to Wallace. His final completion, a 9-yard toss to tight end David Johnson in the fourth quarter, was the 2,026th of his career, breaking Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw's club record.

"It's obviously an awesome honor," Roethlisberger said. "Anytime you break a guy like that's record, it's a great thing."

It was that kind of day for Pittsburgh. Wide receiver Hines Ward became the 19th player in NFL history to eclipse 12,000 career yards while Harrison joined Chad Brown and Mike Merriweather as the only players in team history to record at least two three-sack games in the same season.

"You have to start playing good, all-around football," Ward said. "Today, we displayed that."

The Bengals did not.

Cincinnati's miscues started early. Green flinched ever so slightly just before the snap to negate a 4-yard touchdown pass from Dalton to Jermaine Gresham on the Bengals' opening possession.

Mike Nugent came out to kick a short field goal only to have it called back after being flagged for delay of game. Nugent's kick never had a shot the second time around. Rookie Cam Heyward swatted it out of harm's way to record Pittsburgh's first blocked kick in more than two years.

It's as close as the Bengals would get to making it interesting.

Mendenhall, who has been erratic, gave the Steelers the lead with a 3-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. He upped the lead to 14-0 with a nifty 5-yard cutback run.

The Bengals continued to self-destruct on the ensuing kickoff when Brandon Tate fumbled and the Steelers recovered at the Cincinnati 23. Roethlisberger needed just three plays to hit Wallace for a 12-yard score to make it 21-0.

Dalton found Green for an 11-yard score to briefly give the Bengals life, but Brown extinguished any momentum with a scintillating 60-yard punt return just before the half that gave the Steelers a 28-7 lead at the break.

The Bengals came in with an NFL-record three double-digit second half rallies, but not this time. Playing with a lead Pittsburgh's defense teed off on Dalton and sent fans sprinting to the exits early with victory in hand.

"It's just embarrassing," Cincinnati defensive back Chris Crocker said. "You don't feel good at all. When they're beating you so bad that their fans leave, that's just a bad feeling."

Notes: The Steelers have swept the Bengals seven times in the last 11 seasons. ... Woodley started for the first time since getting hurt against New England on Oct. 30, but left in the first half after "tweaking" his left hamstring according to Tomlin. ... Pittsburgh hosts Cleveland on Thursday night, while the Bengals host Houston on Sunday.

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

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Packers still unbeaten, barely

??Aaron Rodgers engineered a last minute drive to set up a 30-yard field goal by Mason Crosby on the final play of regulation and the Green Bay Packers remained undefeated and clinched a playoff berth with a 38-35 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday.

Christian Petersen / Getty Images

Cowboys ice their own kicker, lose to Cards

??LaRod Stephens-Howling caught a short pass from Kevin Kolb and zipped 52 yards for a touchdown in overtime to give the Arizona Cardinals a 19-13 victory over Dallas on Sunday, snapping the Cowboys' four-game winning streak.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45543602/ns/sports-nfl/

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[OOC] Cirque du Nuit

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MasterCherry

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Crapgadget: iStation woos Apple romantics with the glory of the late '70s, fails

Some people buy tablets for their portability and convenience. Others get sucked into the pitfalls of gadget lust, snatching up the latest tech. But for the dedicated fanboy, there's a whole world of unnecessary kitsch just waiting to relieve'em of those hard-earned greenbacks. Enter M.I.C.'s iStation: an iOS dock in sorta, kinda Apple I / II clothing (their claim, not ours) that's ready and willing to cash in on your tech industry nostalgia. Alright, so this $85 setup won't exactly ape those Jobs / Woz lovechildren of the late '70s, but it does pack stereo speakers, a subwoofer, Bluetooth keyboard, USB port, microSD card slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack into its wood-paneling. Feeling spendthrifty? Good, then you can fork over the dough at the source below. Or, if you still need convincing, peep the video after the break and soak up the heavenly choral music.

Continue reading Crapgadget: iStation woos Apple romantics with the glory of the late '70s, fails

Crapgadget: iStation woos Apple romantics with the glory of the late '70s, fails originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Dec 2011 08:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/ywNNCV-tBew/

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Army official sees Egypt's foreign reserves plunging (Reuters)

CAIRO (Reuters) ? Egypt's foreign reserves will plunge by a third to $15 billion by the end of January and the budget deficit will grow, possibly leading to a review of sensitive subsidies, an army official said on Thursday.

Reserves have tumbled since the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak as foreigners have fled and tourists packed their bags, hurting two of Egypt's main sources of hard currency.

The central bank put reserves at $22 billion at the end of October, down $2 billion from a month earlier and showing a faster fall than in previous months. Economists said even that level left limited firepower to cope with a looming currency crisis.

"By end of January of next year foreign reserves will go down to $15 billion dollars," Mahmoud Nasr, a senior army financial official, said at a briefing on the economy.

"Only $10 billion dollars will be available. That is only enough for two months (imports cover)," he said, adding that $5 billion was already committed in payments to foreign investors or for other obligations.

Nasr is assistant for financial affairs to Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the head of the ruling army council.

Egypt's pound has tumbled to seven-year lows and economists predict it may weaken more in 2012 unless a new government can swiftly restore confidence in a country that had been a darling of foreign investors until this year's political turmoil.

Allowing a slow, controlled fall of the Egyptian pound could stimulate growth and reduce pressure for further depreciation, analysts said. But it may now be too late to take such action without causing currency market panic and instability.

"We have a plan regarding the Egyptian pound vs. the dollar ... the mechanisms of the central bank will not allow for a further fall of the pound," Nasr said.

Industry leaders favour a devaluation to make exports more competitive, but say it should have begun long ago.

"The market has become more conscious of currency risks over the past few months as local borrowing costs have risen and the rate of reserve burn has accelerated," said Simon Kitchen, strategist at EFG-Hermes.

The government turned down a $3 billion financing facility from the International Monetary Fund in the summer. The finance minister at the time said Egypt would turn to domestic financing resources and that the army did not want to build up debts.

"We do not want to seek foreign loans ... the only useful means is relying on ourselves. Foreign authorities and governments have offered us loans but with political conditions," Nasr said.

He said public support was crucial for the new government, currently being formed, to succeed in setting policy to deal with Egypt's economic troubles.

DEFICIT TO CLIMB

The current finance minister has said Egypt is ready to seek IMF funds again, but Nasr's comments reflect army discomfort with borrowing.

Nasr said the deficit in financial year 2011/12 was set to climb from the 133 billion Egyptian pounds ($22 billion) originally forecast by the government, which represents 8.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

He said the deficit would now climb to 167 billion pounds in 2011/12, a level economists said would represent roughly 11 percent of GDP.

"There are several solutions (to dealing with the deficit). One of them is reviewing subsidies, particularly petrol subsidies. We prefer not to borrow money from abroad. The loans come with strings attached that undermine state sovereignty," Nasr said.

Egypt spends 19 billion pounds on food subsidies, 95.5 billion on petrol subsidies and 5 billion for subsidies on electricity, Nasr said.

Economists have questioned the ability of Egyptian banks to meet the shortfall without foreign funds. Fuel subsidies represent 20 to 25 percent of total state spending.

Nasr confirmed that negotiations for cash from Gulf Arab states had so far only yielded $1 billion in budgetary support. "We only received $1 billion from the Gulf, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. There has not been more money coming to Egypt," he said.

Western diplomats say Saudi Arabia is unhappy with the decision to put Mubarak, a longtime ally, on trial for corruption and over the killing of protesters.

"Some Arab governments are angry over Egypt taking their investors (who have invested in Egypt) to court," Nasr said, referring to cases in which Arab investors were embroiled in corruption charges.

(Additional reporting by Patrick Werr; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Alistair Lyon)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111201/wl_nm/us_egypt_economy

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University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center tests novel drug that makes brain tumors glow hot pink

Public release date: 1-Dec-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: George Stamatis
george.stamatis@uhhospitals.org
216-844-3667
University Hospitals Case Medical Center

Bright color distinguishes tumor from healthy tissue to improve tumor resection

CLEVELAND Just 24 hours after Lisa Rek sang at her niece's wedding, her husband Brad was driving her to a local hospital.

"The pain got worse. When we got to the emergency room, I said to Brad 'something is just not right,'" Rek remembers.

After an MRI showed a suspected tumor, Rek was immediately flown to Seidman Cancer Center at University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center, where Andrew Sloan, MD, diagnosed her with Stage 4 glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer and the most difficult to treat.

"The tumors are comprised of the brain itself. It looks like brain tissue, it sort of feels like brain tissue. It's hard to figure out necessarily where tumor ends and swollen brain tissue begins," says Dr. Sloan, Director of the Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center and Peter D. Cristal Chair in Neurosurgery at UH Case Medical Center and Associate Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

To help identify the difference between tumors and healthy tissue and improve tumor resection, Dr. Sloan is testing an experimental drug called 5-Aminolevulinic Acid (5-ALA). The drug makes brain tumor cells glow hot pink when illuminated with a special blue light incorporated into his operating microscope.

This novel technique enables surgeons to visualize the edges of the tumor more clearly, allowing them to remove it more completely from the brain. Patients take the drug by mouth prior to surgery and then during their operation, Dr. Sloan uses the blue light to identify and remove tumor cells, a process called fluorescent guided resection (FGR).

Rek is now one of the volunteers in the research trial.

Compared to normal tissue, high-grade gliomas (or brain tumors) metabolize 5-ALA to a fluorescent compound called protoporphyrin ix, a structure similar to that of chlorophyll found in plants. Tumors that absorb this compound fluoresce (glow) with the blue light. Using a specially modified surgical microscope that contains the blue light enables Dr. Sloan to see the glowing tumor tissue and help guide excision of the tumor.

"If we get out 95 to 99 percent of the tumor, we can almost essentially double the patient's survival," says Dr. Sloan.

Although 5-ALA is routinely used for FGR in Europe, it has not been approved by the FDA in the United States and thus is not widely used. UH Case Medical Center is one of a handful of hospitals studying the drug in the U.S. for brain tumor surgery.

Dr. Sloan, lead investigator of the study looking at the effects of varying 5-ALA dose levels, is collaborating with David Dean, PhD, Associate Professor and Director of the Imaging Laboratory in the Department of Neurological Surgery at Case Western Reserve University.

Dr. Dean, an engineer, is working with Dr. Sloan to improve how FGR is performed by precisely measuring protoporphyrin ix fluorescence in tumors using a digital fiber-optic probe during surgery. Drs. Dean and Sloan believe that the digital probe will be both more sensitive and more precise than the current technique which is based on the surgeon's perception of how "pink" the tumor is.

The study is supported with funds from Dr. Sloan's Peter D. Cristal Chair in Neurosurgery and the Kimble Foundation.

"Nearly 13,000 people are diagnosed each year in the U.S. with malignant gliomas. Unfortunately, cures are rare and most patients live less than 2 years, so improved treatment options are critical," says Dr. Sloan.

###

A video about the 5-ALA research and Lisa Rek's story can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKMCqezBrC8

About University Hospitals

University Hospitals serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of hospitals, outpatient centers and primary care physicians. At the core of our health system is University Hospitals Case Medical Center. The primary affiliate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, University Hospitals Case Medical Center is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research centers of excellence in the nation and the world, including cancer, pediatrics, women's health, orthopedics and spine, radiology and radiation oncology, neurosurgery and neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, organ transplantation and human genetics. Its main campus includes the internationally celebrated UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked among the top children's hospitals in the nation; UH MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; and UH Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. For more information, go to www.uhhospitals.org

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 1-Dec-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: George Stamatis
george.stamatis@uhhospitals.org
216-844-3667
University Hospitals Case Medical Center

Bright color distinguishes tumor from healthy tissue to improve tumor resection

CLEVELAND Just 24 hours after Lisa Rek sang at her niece's wedding, her husband Brad was driving her to a local hospital.

"The pain got worse. When we got to the emergency room, I said to Brad 'something is just not right,'" Rek remembers.

After an MRI showed a suspected tumor, Rek was immediately flown to Seidman Cancer Center at University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center, where Andrew Sloan, MD, diagnosed her with Stage 4 glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer and the most difficult to treat.

"The tumors are comprised of the brain itself. It looks like brain tissue, it sort of feels like brain tissue. It's hard to figure out necessarily where tumor ends and swollen brain tissue begins," says Dr. Sloan, Director of the Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center and Peter D. Cristal Chair in Neurosurgery at UH Case Medical Center and Associate Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

To help identify the difference between tumors and healthy tissue and improve tumor resection, Dr. Sloan is testing an experimental drug called 5-Aminolevulinic Acid (5-ALA). The drug makes brain tumor cells glow hot pink when illuminated with a special blue light incorporated into his operating microscope.

This novel technique enables surgeons to visualize the edges of the tumor more clearly, allowing them to remove it more completely from the brain. Patients take the drug by mouth prior to surgery and then during their operation, Dr. Sloan uses the blue light to identify and remove tumor cells, a process called fluorescent guided resection (FGR).

Rek is now one of the volunteers in the research trial.

Compared to normal tissue, high-grade gliomas (or brain tumors) metabolize 5-ALA to a fluorescent compound called protoporphyrin ix, a structure similar to that of chlorophyll found in plants. Tumors that absorb this compound fluoresce (glow) with the blue light. Using a specially modified surgical microscope that contains the blue light enables Dr. Sloan to see the glowing tumor tissue and help guide excision of the tumor.

"If we get out 95 to 99 percent of the tumor, we can almost essentially double the patient's survival," says Dr. Sloan.

Although 5-ALA is routinely used for FGR in Europe, it has not been approved by the FDA in the United States and thus is not widely used. UH Case Medical Center is one of a handful of hospitals studying the drug in the U.S. for brain tumor surgery.

Dr. Sloan, lead investigator of the study looking at the effects of varying 5-ALA dose levels, is collaborating with David Dean, PhD, Associate Professor and Director of the Imaging Laboratory in the Department of Neurological Surgery at Case Western Reserve University.

Dr. Dean, an engineer, is working with Dr. Sloan to improve how FGR is performed by precisely measuring protoporphyrin ix fluorescence in tumors using a digital fiber-optic probe during surgery. Drs. Dean and Sloan believe that the digital probe will be both more sensitive and more precise than the current technique which is based on the surgeon's perception of how "pink" the tumor is.

The study is supported with funds from Dr. Sloan's Peter D. Cristal Chair in Neurosurgery and the Kimble Foundation.

"Nearly 13,000 people are diagnosed each year in the U.S. with malignant gliomas. Unfortunately, cures are rare and most patients live less than 2 years, so improved treatment options are critical," says Dr. Sloan.

###

A video about the 5-ALA research and Lisa Rek's story can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKMCqezBrC8

About University Hospitals

University Hospitals serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of hospitals, outpatient centers and primary care physicians. At the core of our health system is University Hospitals Case Medical Center. The primary affiliate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, University Hospitals Case Medical Center is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research centers of excellence in the nation and the world, including cancer, pediatrics, women's health, orthopedics and spine, radiology and radiation oncology, neurosurgery and neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, organ transplantation and human genetics. Its main campus includes the internationally celebrated UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked among the top children's hospitals in the nation; UH MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; and UH Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. For more information, go to www.uhhospitals.org

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-12/uhcm-uhs120111.php

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AP source: Red Sox choose Valentine as manager

FILE-This Nov. 21, 2011 file photo shows ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine smiling as he answers questions from reporters following his interview for the vacant Boston Red Sox manager position, at Fenway Park in Boston. A person familiar with the decision says the Boston Red Sox have chosen Bobby Valentine to be their next manager and were working to complete a contract. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday Nov. 29, 2011 because no announcement had been made. (AP Photo/Bizuayehu Tesfaye, File)

FILE-This Nov. 21, 2011 file photo shows ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine smiling as he answers questions from reporters following his interview for the vacant Boston Red Sox manager position, at Fenway Park in Boston. A person familiar with the decision says the Boston Red Sox have chosen Bobby Valentine to be their next manager and were working to complete a contract. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday Nov. 29, 2011 because no announcement had been made. (AP Photo/Bizuayehu Tesfaye, File)

FILE-This Aug. 14, 2002 file photo shows New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine leaning on the dugout rail before their start against the San Diego Padres at Shea Stadium in New York. A person familiar with the decision says the Boston Red Sox have chosen Bobby Valentine to be their next manager and were working to complete a contract.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday Nov. 29, 2011, because no announcement had been made. (AP Photo/Ron Frehm, File)

The Boston Red Sox have picked Bobby Valentine to be their next manager and the sides were working to complete a contract, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Tuesday night.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made. Several media outlets in Boston, citing anonymous sources, reported earlier in the evening that Valentine would be the team's new manager.

An announcement could come by Thursday.

"He's got it. I just spoke to him a little while ago," Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda, who managed Valentine in the minors with the Los Angeles Dodgers, said in a telephone interview with the AP.

The Red Sox had no comment, spokesperson Pam Ganley said. Valentine would succeed Terry Francona, who left after eight seasons following Boston's record collapse in September.

Francona guided the Red Sox to a pair of World Series championships, in 2004 and 2007.

Valentine was in Japan this week, where he managed from 2004-09, and said he was about to take off on a flight when he sent the AP a text message at 9:48 p.m. Tuesday saying he had no comment on "the Red Sox situation."

Valentine previously managed in the majors with the New York Mets and Texas Rangers. He led the Mets to the 2000 World Series, where they lost to the New York Yankees in five games. He had been working as a baseball analyst for ESPN.

"I'm happy for him. I think the Red Sox got themselves a good manager. In all my years, I've never seen a guy prepare a team for a game like he does. That's what makes him unique," Lasorda said.

The Red Sox also interviewed Gene Lamont, Torey Lovullo, Dale Sveum, Sandy Alomar Jr. and Pete Mackanin. Sveum was hired to manage the Chicago Cubs by former Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein. Mackanin and Alomar were told they were no longer in the running.

The Red Sox have gone nearly two months without a manager, but general manager Ben Cherington has noted that Francona wasn't hired until after Thanksgiving ? on Dec. 4, 2003.

Valentine's last major league managerial job was with the Mets in 2002.

Three years earlier, he was ejected for arguing a catcher's interference call in the 12th inning of a 14-inning game against Toronto. Valentine then returned to the dugout wearing a fake mustache and sunglasses. The Mets won 4-3, but Major League Baseball suspended him for three games and fined him $5,000.

The energetic Valentine, 61, has a more confrontational style than Francona, who was known as a player's manager. And that may be just what the Red Sox need after their late-season flop.

They led the AL East for much of the summer but went 7-20 in September, squandering a nine-game lead in the AL wild-card race and finishing in third place in the division, one game behind Tampa Bay.

Francona and the team parted ways two days after the end of the regular season, with Francona saying the players needed a new voice in the clubhouse. The Red Sox didn't pick up his option for 2012.

Soon after, there were reports of starting pitchers drinking beer and eating fried chicken in the clubhouse during games in which they weren't scheduled to pitch instead of staying on the bench to support their teammates.

Valentine interviewed on Nov. 21 with Cherington and other members of Red Sox management.

Asked then about his philosophy of discipline, he said, "Discipline is not 30 whacks with a whip these days. But I think everyone likes discipline. I think everyone likes structure. Everyone likes to be acknowledged when they do things properly. Discipline and rules and things like that ? it's just about right and wrong."

He also was enthusiastic about the job.

"They have one of the best teams in baseball, one of the best organizations in baseball, one of the greatest venues in baseball, with a winning tradition over the last 10 years," he said. "Other than that, there's really no reason why I want to be here."

And, he said then, if he got the job, "I would feel like it is Christmas."

Hiring a manager would now put Boston's focus on signing free agents. The team has already lost closer Jonathan Papelbon to the Philadelphia Phillies but would like to retain designated hitter David Ortiz. The Red Sox also can use one or two starters and either a setup man or closer in the bullpen.

Valentine was a late addition to the original five-man field of candidates as the Red Sox sought someone with experience as a big league manager. Of the initial group, only Lamont had that.

Valentine managed the Rangers from 1985-92 and the Mets from 1996-2002. He was fired by the Mets after the 2002 season when they finished fifth in the NL East. That was the only one of his six full seasons with the Mets when they ended up below .500.

With the Mets, he clashed publicly with general manager Steve Phillips.

In 2004, Valentine began a six-year managing career in Japan, where he won the Japan Series in 2005 with the Chiba Lotte Marines.

On Nov. 3, he and Red Sox president and part owner Larry Lucchino took part in Hartford in a program put on by the World Affairs Council on the global rise in the popularity of baseball

At the time, both said they hadn't discussed the job with each other.

"He's a great man and a great manager and he has a colorful and successful history, so his name inevitably comes up in this day and age," Lucchino said then.

When Cherington was named general manager on Oct. 25, he was asked about the search for the next manager.

"We're not looking for the next star manager," he said. "We're looking for the right fit for the Red Sox in 2012."

He may have gotten both.

A Connecticut native, Valentine won MVP awards in the Pioneer League in 1968 and the Pacific Coast League in 1970, both times with Lasorda as his manager.

"This guy would always rise to the occasion. He would always drive in that big run for you," Lasorda said. "He was sharp. When he came to me in the rookie league, he showed me some real knowledge about the game."

Valentine played second, shortstop, third base and outfield and made it to the majors with the Dodgers from 1971-73. He also was with the California Angels (1973-75), San Diego Padres (1975-77), the Mets (1977-78) and the Seattle Mariners (1979).

His career was derailed by a broken leg sustained when his spikes caught the chain link fence at Anaheim Stadium in May 1973 as he tried to catch a home run hit by Dick Green. Valentine finished with a .260 career batting average, 12 homers and 157 RBIs.

The son-in-law of former major league pitcher Ralph Branca, Valentine has a 1,117-1,072 record as a major league manager, but has never finished in first place in 15 seasons.

In April 2000, he criticized the Mets front office and several players, specifically Bobby Bonilla and Rickey Henderson, while speaking to students at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business.

"He's matured, and I think managing in Japan helped him a great deal," Lasorda said. "Becoming the manager of the Red Sox, that's a privilege and an honor, and I'm sure he's going to do a great job."

___

AP Sports Writers Ronald Blum and Howard Ulman contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-11-29-BBA-Red-Sox-Valentine/id-18e8c75ecd724c1d8fd11c55c49dc172

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