Canada new home prices inch up 0.1 percent in November

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Prices of new homes in Canada rose 0.1 percent in November from October on strength in Toronto, the country's biggest city, continuing an advance in prices that began in mid-2009, Statistics Canada said on Thursday.
Analysts had expected a 0.2 percent gain in the new housing price index following a 0.2 percent increase in October.
New home prices in the combined Toronto-Oshawa region contributed the most to the November gain, climbing 0.3 percent.
The biggest declines were in the west coast cities of Vancouver and Victoria, where new home prices fell 0.4 percent and 0.5 percent respectively.
Overall, new housing prices rose in 13 of the metropolitan areas surveyed in November, were unchanged in four areas, and fell in four.
Prices increased by 2.2 percent from November 2011, just below a 2.4 percent year-on-year increase in the previous month.
The Canadian government, which tightened mortgage rules in July, and the Bank of Canada have long expressed concerns the housing market may overheat. Ottawa says it is too soon to judge the full effect of the new rules.
The new housing price index excludes condominiums, which the government says are a particular cause for concern.

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Wind shift may have freed whales trapped off Quebec

(Reuters) - A group of killer whales trapped under the ice of Hudson Bay and taking turns breathing from a small hole may have been freed by a shift in the winds, Canadian media reported on Thursday.
The 11 whales, who sometimes appeared to be panicking as they fought for air, created a worldwide sensation as news and a video about their plight spread.
The mammals, which likely included two adults and several younger ones, were first spotted by a local Inuit hunter on Tuesday.
Residents from the nearby Inuit community of Inukjuak in northern Quebec had planned to widen the hole. But the whales were gone when they arrived at the site on Thursday morning, according to The Globe and Mail newspaper.
One resident, Johnny Williams, told the paper that the ice likely broke up from the shifting winds, allowing the creatures to swim to freedom.
The community's mayor had asked for an ice breaker and other assistance from the Canadian government. Experts from Canada's fisheries and oceans department were dispatched to the area.

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Macklem would be quieter Bank of Canada chief, no pushover

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The man tipped to be the next governor of Canada's central bank has the reputation of being a mild-mannered sideman to charismatic bank chief Mark Carney, but former colleagues say Tiff Macklem is a mover and shaker in his own quiet way.
As Carney prepares to leave the Bank of Canada to start his new job as head of the Bank of England on July 1, Macklem, his No. 2, has emerged as the frontrunner to succeed him.
The bank's choice of governor must be approved by Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government, which will likely look to external candidates as well, but insiders say Macklem, 51, has the knowledge and experience to do the job.
Macklem, who is making a speech in Kingston, Ontario, later on Thursday, is widely respected in academic circles, has had a stellar 25-year career at the bank and finance ministry and speaks fluent English and French, Canada's two official languages.
The most glaring difference he presents to Carney - and perhaps Macklem's biggest weakness - is his soft-spoken, cautious style, which raises doubts whether he has the street smarts to stand up to big bank CEOs and lawmakers and defend central bank actions.
Carney, known for his self-confidence and hot temper, had a now famous run-in with JPMorgan Chase Chief Executive Jamie Dimon last year over tougher new banking regulations.
"He's a milder guy, very different," said Purdy Crawford, a well-known Canadian businessman and lawyer who worked with Macklem in 2008 to restructure the Canada's collapsed $30 billion market for asset-backed commercial paper.
"Tiff is maybe not as overtly ambitious as Mark is but he's nobody's push-around... He's tough but easy, he doesn't come through like a sledgehammer," he said in a telephone interview.
The advertisement for the governor's position said the winning candidate must have "the courage to take a stand", a demand not mentioned when Carney applied for the job.
It's not a trait usually associated with central bankers, but it's something that Carney holds in spades. Carney was first G7 central banker to raise rates after the global financial crisis and his insistence that higher rates will one day be needed is met with some skepticism by market players focusing on stubbornly low inflation rates and the sluggish economy.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Macklem, for his part, is a classic public servant who toils quietly behind the scenes. He usually appears as backup to Carney, who has become a bit of a central banker rock star, in news conferences and parliamentary hearings.
"He looks like a bookish academic sort of guy and he hasn't had the private sector experience that Mark Carney had," said Bill Scarth, an economics professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.
In his second stint at the finance ministry from 2007 to 2010, Macklem helped craft policies to keep the Canadian and world banking systems well-greased and to bail out the auto sector, said Paul Boothe, who preceded Macklem at finance and later led the auto bailout from the industry ministry.
Macklem was Canada's point man at the G7 and G20 during the depth of the financial crisis and headed several international working groups. He also chaired a committee at the G20's Financial Stability Board that monitors implementation of banking reforms.
"I think what you would find is, maybe not to the general public, but to the people in the industry - both private sector and in other governments - he's very well known and very well regarded for being decisive," Boothe said.
Slim and bespectacled, Macklem hails from Montreal, the biggest city in the French-speaking province of Quebec. He is married with three children and is an avid skier.
AN INSIDER
Many who worked with Macklem in his early days at the Bank of Canada in the 1990s saw him as "governor" material as he quickly rose through the ranks to become head of the research department in 2000 at the young age of 39.
McMaster University's Scarth said Macklem impressed economists at the bank's annual conferences, particularly for his research on debt and deficit reduction. "I think he was doing the best work I knew of in Canada in that area for several years."
An internal candidate like Macklem would provide "continuity" at a time of global uncertainty, analysts said.
Carney and his predecessor, David Dodge, were both outsiders, moving to the Bank of Canada from other government departments, while Carney also had experience at Goldman Sachs.
Several external names have emerged as potential rivals to Macklem, but none have confirmed interest and the compressed timetable for choosing a successor may give Macklem an edge.
And it wouldn't be the first time Canada has had a mild-mannered central banker. Gordon Thiessen, who held the job from 1994 to 2001 wasn't exactly outspoken or combative, Scarth said.
"We've got previous cases where the quiet guy who actually knows what he's talking about commands respect.

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Spond cherishing chance at BCS title

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Notre Dame linebacker Danny Spond values every chance he gets to be on the football field.
That might sound trivial. After all, doesn't every player feel that way?
Probably so, but then again, few players have seen what Spond has seen.
The native of Littleton, Colo., was a star quarterback at Columbine High, where a school shooting took the lives of 13 people in 1999. Now a linebacker, he wears jersey No. 13 to honor those victims and has been deeply affected by the school massacre in Newtown, Conn., last month.
In August, he feared he might lose his football career when a migraine headache struck him so severely that he was unable to move parts of his body.
Now he's about to take the field with a national championship at stake.
"This is the biggest stage that we'll ever play on," Spond said.
No. 1 Notre Dame (12-0) meets No. 2 Alabama (12-1) on Monday night at Sun Life Stadium, a matchup of storied programs that will collide and decide the BCS national champion. Spond is expected to start for the Irish, who enter the game with the nation's top-ranked scoring defense, just a smidge ahead of the Crimson Tide.
Alabama is favored, which to the Irish isn't exactly a relevant point.
"In our eyes, this is a step down from the Super Bowl," Spond said. "Underdog or if you're favored in these games, that doesn't really matter."
And if anyone on the field Monday night can speak on what really matters, it might be Spond.
He knows what the Columbine shootings meant to his community, both then and now. He grieved for the victims of the school massacre in Newtown that took the lives of 26 students and teachers at an elementary school.
"I can't express how horrible of an event that is," Spond said Thursday, when he was among a small group of Notre Dame players who met with reporters in advance of the title game. "Going through that ... unspeakable. It's hard to explain. It's hard to put into words. I don't know what to say about it, other than time will heal. It did our community and I know it will there."
Spond relies on faith and makes no secret of it, using his beliefs to get him through tough moments, on the field and off.
When he was hospitalized in August, football wasn't his concern. Walking was.
Parts of Spond's left side were numb when he was struck by the migraine, which doctors originally feared was a stroke. He walked with a limp after spending about half a week in the hospital, then needed rehabilitation just so he could feel close to normal again. Football was pushed aside.
That is, until he surprised the Irish by coming back so quickly.
"We were just wondering if he would ever be able to function regularly on a daily basis," Irish star linebacker Manti Te'o said. "And then for him to come out — what was it, a week and a half later? — and say 'I'm going to practice,' we were like, 'Oh, Danny, you can just chill, you know. This is life we're talking about, not just football. Just chill.' But he goes, 'I'm going to get ready.'"
So he got ready. He finished the regular season with 38 tackles in 10 games, which doesn't sound all that impressive.
Notre Dame defensive coordinator Bob Diaco begs to differ.
"Danny Spond is, to me, one of the players of the year," Diaco said.
"To watch him battle and fight and stay positive and become the player that he has become for his teammates in 2012, he is a stalwart out there to the field. It's very hard to get a play on him in the pass game or the run game. It's just really been inspirational for me to watch and be a part of. So I'm so thankful for Danny Spond specifically in my life."
Spond said the six-week wait for this has been easier than some might think, since it's allowed the Irish to prepare and heal.
In short, he knows his team will be ready for whatever Nick Saban and Alabama can throw Notre Dame's way on Monday night.
"They are a great team," Spond said. "They are obviously in this game for a reason and they have proved that in the past couple of years. Coach Saban has built a very strong program over there, so we're preparing for their best. They'll give us their best."

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Can BCS title game challenge TV ratings record?

NEW YORK (AP) — Two undefeated teams, three Heisman Trophy finalists, five lead changes and 19 seconds left when the winning touchdown was scored.
No other BCS title game has come close to matching that perfect formula for broad appeal. The 2006 tilt between Texas and Southern California was on in nearly 22 percent of American homes with televisions; the second-best number is under 18 percent.
Now, seven years later, a matchup may finally challenge that Rose Bowl's TV ratings record.
No. 1 Notre Dame, so popular it can stay independent and negotiate its own television contract, is competing for its first championship since the 1988 season. Notre Dame's opponent, No. 2 Alabama, is a big name in its own right, made bigger by two titles in the last three years and the Southeastern Conference's run of six straight crowns.
"It sets up really remarkable possibilities," said Burke Magnus, ESPN's senior vice president for college sports programming.
Just as fans and media break down position-by-position battles for the Fighting Irish and Crimson Tide, a look at how this year's matchup stacks up against the record-holders from 2006:
— NAME RECOGNITION. Texas and USC are hardly slouches in the tradition and popularity departments, but Notre Dame is in its own category. Plus there's the added intrigue of the Irish's title drought.
"It definitely raises the bar of the hype and the buzz of this national championship compared to any of the other games I've had the good fortune to call," ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said.
Even if much of the interest sprouts from fans rooting against one of the teams.
"Notre Dame is the Yankees, is the Celtics, the Lakers and so on, the Dallas Cowboys. They're polarizing, which helps," Magnus said. "Actually, both of them are right now because of the SEC factor, and Alabama has been the standard bearer for that."
Herbstreit chuckled at the thought of some fans vowing not to watch because they detest both teams.
"Anybody who takes the time to make a comment like that clearly will be watching the game," he said. "They'll in fact watch the four hours of pregame we have before the game and be blogging and tweeting about how wrong everybody is on those shows."
— STAR POWER. Texas-USC sparkled far brighter here. The three Heisman finalists that season were from those two teams: Trojans quarterback Matt Leinart (who won the previous year) and running back Reggie Bush (who won this time, before later returning the trophy because of NCAA violations) and Longhorns quarterback Vince Young. All were skill position players believed at the time to have promising NFL futures.
Notre Dame's Heisman finalist is a defensive guy, linebacker Manti Te'o. Alabama's four first-team All-Americans are offensive linemen or defenders.
— ANTICIPATION. Texas and USC were the undisputed top teams in college football — the only undefeated squads in the country who led the rankings all season. Alabama has one loss, and while there has been almost no controversy as to whether the Tide deserves to play in the title game, the late-season rankings scramble that led to this game doesn't carry quite the same buzz.
— MARKET SIZE. In the NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball, postseason viewership often varies significantly based on whether the teams involved hail from cities big or small. In college football, that's less of a factor, though it didn't hurt the 2006 title game that a school from Los Angeles, the country's second-largest market, was involved.
The program from South Bend, Ind., of course is a classic example of national appeal.
"(Alabama is) the franchise right now and another mega brand," Magnus said. "It doesn't matter that it's Tuscaloosa — the TV markets don't matter when it comes to teams like that."
— ON-FIELD THEATER. One of the biggest factors in the final rating won't be known until the game kicks off. If the score stays close, more viewers will stick around to the end — and more will join in. Magnus believes the rise of social media will increase the audience of tight games even more than in the past, as casual fans learn through Twitter or Facebook that they can catch a tense finish if they tune in.
The Longhorns' 41-38 win featured 10 touchdowns, and the teams combined to score five times in the fourth quarter. Neither school ever led by more than 12 points.
Notre Dame has had a penchant for close games all season and Alabama also has lately. But the other half of the entertainment equation — high scoring — may be less likely with these two programs. Each allows fewer than 11 points a game.
— RAW NUMBERS. The Texas-USC title game set the record with a 21.7 rating — 22 percent higher than the next best BCS championship. No. 2 all-time was the 2001 Oklahoma-Florida State final with a 17.8. The best ratings since 2006 were a 17.4 for both the 2007 Florida-Ohio State and 2008 LSU-Ohio State matchups.
The 2006 championship was on ABC, but the BCS games have since moved to cable. ESPN is in about 14 percent fewer homes than the traditional broadcast networks, though executives note that college football fans are more likely than the general population to have cable. Ratings since the switch have seemingly been more affected by the matchups and competitiveness of games than by their availability.
Regular-season viewership, while still strong, was down for college football this year. On ESPN's networks, the average audience decreased more than 10 percent on ABC, almost 4 percent on ESPN, and nearly 13 percent on ESPN2 from 2011. SEC games on CBS also dropped 10 percent.
For the four BCS games so far, preliminary ratings are up 1 percent on ESPN from last season.
But Notre Dame and Alabama have already shown their ability to lure big audiences. The rating for the Tide's SEC title game against Georgia — essentially a national semifinal — was up 34 percent from the previous year's LSU-Georgia matchup. With an average of 16.2 million viewers, it was the season's most-watched college football game before the bowls.
No. 2 was Notre Dame's win over USC to clinch a berth in the BCS title game with 16.1 million viewers. That was the highest-rated Saturday night regular-season game on ABC since at least 1991.
Herbstreit is one of those sports fans who watch golf only when Tiger Woods is in contention on a Sunday. He considers Notre Dame-Alabama to be the college football equivalent of that.
"Without a doubt," he said, "if you're a college football fan, or even if you're a fringe college football fan, you're going to watch."

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Johnny "Football" Manziel favorite for Heisman

MIAMI (Reuters) - Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel is in line to become the first 'freshman' winner of the Heisman Trophy when the annual award for the top player in college football is made on Saturday.
Manziel, nicknamed "Johnny Football", is one of three players to be invited to Saturday's ceremony, along with Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o and Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein.
Wednesday's final installment of the Scripps Heisman Poll, which has accurately indicated the winner for 21 off the past 25 years, placed Manziel in the top spot.
The trophy was won last year by Robert Griffin III, who went on to be taken as the number two pick in the 2012 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins.
The previous year's winner Cam Newton, another quarterback, was taken as the number one overall pick by the Carolina Panthers and enjoyed a hugely successful rookie year in the NFL.
Up until Florida quarterback Tim Tebow won the Heisman in 2007, no sophomore had won the award but Manziel could go one better if he wins after his first season.
The Texan finished the regular season with 3,419 passing yards and 1,181 rushing yards to set a new total offense record for the Southeastern Conference (SEC) of 4,600 yards in 12 games.
Manziel also broke the record for total offense in a game, originally set by Archie Mannning, father of Peyton and Eli, back in 1969, when he accumulated 557 yards against Arkansas and he then bettered it with 567 yards against Louisiana Tech.
"It's so surreal for me to be even be able to be mentioned for the Heisman Trophy," Manziel said recently when asked about the award.
Manziel sat out football (redshirted) for his first year at college as the 'Aggies' already had Ryan Tannehill, now the starting quarterback with the Miami Dolphins.
While there is some debate over whether a redshirt freshman should be given the award, Tannehill believes Manziel has proven his worth.
"Look at the numbers. The numbers he has put up are outstanding. He's surpassed Cam Newton and Tim Tebow who both won the Heisman in the years that they set the SEC record for yards in a season," he said.
"Plus the fact of the game changing players he can make. He went to Alabama when they were ranked number one and had an upset victory there," added Tannehill.
The biggest threat to Manziel comes from Te'o who has been outstanding for Notre Dame as they enjoyed a 12-0 record and moved to number one in the nation, earning a shot at the title against the Alabama Crimson Tide in Miami on January 7.
Hawaiian Te'o made 52 solo tackles and assisted on a further 51 in his senior year and he has a total of 427 total tackles from his four year collegiate career.
Unlike Manziel, who has at least one more year left before he can enter the draft and will likely wait more, Te'o is expected to be a first round pick in the 2013 class.

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Bahrain extends activist custody on Twitter charge

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — A defense lawyer in Bahrain says a court has refused a request to free a prominent human rights campaigner charged with posting false reports on Twitter.
The arrest last month of Yousef al-Muhafedha marked the latest crackdown on Bahrain activists and is part of wider pressures on social media across the Gulf Arab states.
Bahrain has been gripped by nearly two years of unrest between the Sunni rulers and majority Shiites seeking a greater political voice in the strategic kingdom, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.
Lawyer Mohammed al-Jishi says the court decided Wednesday to keep al-Muhafedha in custody. It set the next hearing for Jan. 17.
Al-Muhafedha had been heading the Bahrain Center for Human Rights after its leader, Nabeel Rajab, was jailed.

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Social media masters, ninjas, and gurus: How Twitter pros describe themselves

What we talk about when we talk about social media
Is it weird for you to see your name without an @ symbol in front of it? Do you ever wake up in a cold sweat after dreaming about your Klout score? Does the mere thought of losing your iPhone make your hands tremble? If you answered yes to any of these questions, read on.
FollowerWonk, an analytics tool that allows you to keep tabs on your Twitter account, released a list of the most popular terms users deploy to bolster their "social media" bona fides in their Twitter bios — "Social Media Pro," for example.
The list, which started off with just 16,000 Twitter users in 2009, has ballooned to 181,000 self-described social media mavens by January 2013.
Here is a short list of the most and least popular social media descriptors, some of which are quite telling:
Social Media Ninja: 21,876 users
Social Media Evangelist: 20,829
Social Media Consultant: 9,031
Social Media Guru: 18,363
Social Media Whore: 174 (why???)
Social Media Master: 88
Social Media Warrior: 104
Social Media Veteran: 10 (one vet has been on Twitter for a whole 17 months)
Read the full list at AdAge.
I'm no expert, but boldly declaring your ninja-ness for the whole world to see? Not very ninja-like. And if I had to pick a description for myself, I'd probably go with "Social Media Veteran," but only because I once had a Xanga.
What kind of Social Media [blank] are you? Let us know in the comments.

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Rumors suggesting Facebook (FB) is working on a smartphone have resurfaced a number of times over the past year. Each time, Facebook denied the various claims. Facebook may indeed still be working on its own phone but as a new report from market research firm NPD Group shows, it probably doesn’t need to.
[More from BGR: Is Samsung the new Apple?]
Facebook makes money by gathering information about its users and serving targeted ads based on that data. Allowing users to update Facebook with fresh data as often as possible is obviously beneficial to the company, and smartphones present a terrific opportunity to give users access to their Facebook accounts from anywhere. The more people using Facebook’s mobile apps, the better, and Facebook’s smartphone penetration is absolutely staggering right now.
[More from BGR: iPhone 5 now available with unlimited service, no contract on Walmart’s $45 Straight Talk plan]
According to data published by NPD Group on Tuesday, Facebook’s iOS application was used by 86% of iPhone, iPad and iPod touch owners as of November 2012. On the Android platform, 70% of smartphone and tablet owners used Facebook’s mobile app in November.
No other third-party app even comes close to approaching Facebook’s mobile penetration. Google’s (GOOG) YouTube app is the next most popular third-party app on iOS with 40% penetration and Amazon’s (AMZN) mobile application is the second most popular third-party Android app with just 28% penetration.
So why would Facebook bother making its own phone?
One answer — perhaps the obvious one — is that an own-brand smartphone with custom software would give Facebook access to far more personal data than it can reach using third-party applications. Considering Facebook’s track record with matters relating to privacy, however, users may be reluctant to buy a Facebook phone.
In any case, a Facebook phone certainly doesn’t seem like a necessity for the time being. Instead, focusing on ways to effectively monetize the hundreds of millions of users who interact with Facebook from a smartphone or tablet each month might be a wiser use of resources.

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French government says will propose a rejigged 75 percent tax plan

PARIS (Reuters) - The French government will redraft a proposal for a 75 percent upper income tax band and resubmit it, the prime minister's office said on Saturday, after the Constitutional Council rejected the measure included in the 2013 budget.
"It will be presented as part of the next budget law," Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault's office said in a statement, without giving a time frame. The statement said the Council's rejection of the 75 percent tax would not affect efforts to trim the public deficit.

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French court rejects 75 percent millionaires' tax

PARIS (Reuters) - France's Constitutional Council on Saturday rejected a 75 percent upper income tax rate to be introduced in 2013 in a setback to Socialist President Francois Hollande's push to make the rich contribute more to cutting the public deficit.
The Council ruled that the planned 75 percent tax on annual income above 1 million euros ($1.32 million) - a flagship measure of Hollande's election campaign - was unfair in the way it would be applied to different households.
Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the government would redraft the upper tax rate proposal to answer the Council's concerns and resubmit it in a new budget law, meaning Saturday's decision could only amount to a temporary political blow.
While the tax plan was largely symbolic and would only have affected a few thousand people, it has infuriated high earners in France, prompting some such as actor Gerard Depardieu to flee abroad. The message it sent also shocked entrepreneurs and foreign investors, who accuse Hollande of being anti-business.
Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici said the rejection of the 75 percent tax and other minor measures could cut up to 500 million euros in forecast tax revenues but would not hurt efforts to slash the public deficit to below a European Union ceiling of 3 percent of economic output next year.
"The rejected measures represent 300 to 500 million euros. Our deficit-cutting path will not be affected," Moscovici told BFM television. He too said the government would resubmit a proposal to raise taxes on high incomes in 2013 and 2014.
The Council, made up of nine judges and three former presidents, is concerned the tax would hit a married couple where one partner earned above a million euros but it would not affect a couple where each earned just under a million euros.
UMP member Gilles Carrez, chairman of the National Assembly's finance commission, told BFM television, however, that the Council's so-called wise men also felt the 75 percent tax was excessive and too much based on ideology.
FRANCE UNDER SCRUTINY
Hollande shocked many by announcing his 75 percent tax proposal out of the blue several weeks into a campaign that some felt was flagging. Left-wing voters were cheered by it but business leaders warned that talent would flee the country.
Set to be a temporary measure until France is out of economic crisis, the few hundred million euros a year the tax was set to raise is a not insignificant sum as the government strives to boost public finances in the face of stalled growth.
Hollande's 2013 budget calls for the biggest belt-tightening effort France has seen in decades and is based on a growth target of 0.8 percent, a level analysts view as over-optimistic.
Fitch Ratings this month affirmed its triple-A rating on France but said there was no room for slippage. Standard & Poor's and Moody's have both stripped Europe's No. 2 economy of its AAA badge due to concern over strained public finances and stalled growth.
The International Monetary Fund recently forecast that France will miss its 3 percent deficit target next year and signs are growing that Paris could negotiate some leeway on the timing of that goal with its EU partners.
The INSEE national statistics institute this week scaled back its reading of a return to growth in the third quarter to 0.1 percent from 0.2 percent, and the government said it could review its 2013 outlook in the next few months.
Saturday's decision was in response to a motion by the opposition conservative UMP party, whose weight in fighting Hollande's policies has been reduced by a leadership crisis that has split it in two seven months after it lost power.
The Constitutional Council is a politically independent body that rules on whether laws, elections and referenda are constitutional.

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Rejected French tax measures worth 300-500 million euros: finance minister

PARIS (Reuters) - The French Constitutional Council's rejection on Saturday of a 75 percent upper income tax rate and other minor measures in the 2013 budget will affect some 300-500 million euros worth of tax revenues, Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici said.
"The rejected measures represent 300 to 500 million euros. Our deficit-cutting path will not be affected," Moscovici told BFM television.
He added that the Socialist government would resubmit a proposal to raise taxes on high incomes in 2013 and 2014.

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Bama starts with bang at BCS championship game

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — No. 2 Alabama was halfway to stamping itself a dynasty, scoring touchdowns on its first three drives and taking a 28-0 lead at halftime of a BCS championship game that wasn't living up to the hype Monday night.
In a matchup of programs tied for the most AP national championships with eight, Alabama was rolling toward becoming the first team to win consecutive BCS titles — and its third title in four seasons under coach Nick Saban.
The Crimson Tide (12-1) marched with ease on the opening drive, going 82 yards on five plays to take a 7-0 lead on Eddie Lacy's 20-yard touchdown run up the middle with 12:03 left in the first quarter.
Notre Dame (12-0) had allowed only two rushing touchdowns in its surprising run to the championship game. The Fighting Irish were the first team to reach the BCS championship game after starting the season unranked. They were trying to become the first team to go from unranked to national champion since BYU in 1984.
Alabama quickly made the Fighting Irish look as if they were in over their heads.
Notre Dame did nothing to respond to Alabama's opening march, and on its punt back, the Crimson Tide might have caught a break. Returner Christion Jones muffed the kick, but Notre Dame was flagged for interfering with the catch, though it was one of Jones' teammates that made contact with him.
Lacy and the Crimson Tide went right back to work, hammering away at Notre Dame's vaunted defense. The Irish struggled to bring down the 220-pound tailback, who even ran through Heisman Trophy finalist Manti Te'o on a screen pass.
In the second quarter, it was freshman T.J. Yeldon slipping through Te'o's arms in the backfield on a third-down run and getting a first down.
Lacy set up Alabama's second touchdown with another 20-yard run, this time to the Irish 2. Instead of running into a Notre Dame goal-line defense that has become known for goal-line stands, AJ McCarron faked a handoff and found tight end Michael Williams all alone for the score and a 14-0 lead.
Alabama made it 3 for 3 on the next drive when Yeldon scored from a yard out on the first play of the second quarter.
The Alabama fans seemed outnumbered at Sun Life Stadium by Fighting Irish followers, pumped to see their team try to win its first national title in 24 years. But the folks in Crimson and houndstooth were making all the noise as the Tide rolled.
Lacy landed one more blow with 31 seconds left in the half. McCarron dumped off to Lacy, who spun off two tacklers, and went 11 yards to make it 28-0.
The Southeastern Conference, winners of the last six BCS championships, was storming toward seven in a row. Those familiar "S-E-C!" chants were ringing through yet another stadium.
Notre Dame had only five first downs in the half and allowed 309 yards. The Irish defense came in allowing 286 per game.
Lacy had 96 yards on 12 carries and McCarron, the MVP of last year's 21-0 title game victory against LSU, was 12 for 18 for 156 yards.
Everett Golson, the redshirt freshman quarterback who coach Brian Kelly had nurtured through the season, was 8 for 16 for 83 yards.
Alabama was trying to become only the third team to win three national titles in four seasons since polls started being used to crown champions in 1936. The last was Nebraska from 1994-97, and the Cornhuskers had to share the '97 championship with Michigan, which was voted No. 1 in the AP media poll. Nebraska was No. 1 in the coaches' poll.
Another national championship would also give Saban four, his first coming with LSU in 2003. Only Alabama's Paul "Bear" Bryant with six would have more.

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Bama bashing Notre Dame 35-7 at BCS title game

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — No. 2 Alabama was a quarter away from stamping itself a dynasty.
The Crimson Tide scored touchdowns on its first three drives against No. 1 Notre Dame and rolled to a 35-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter of a BCS championship game that wasn't living up to the hype Monday night.
In a matchup of programs tied for the most AP national championships with eight, Alabama was on its way toward becoming the first team to win consecutive BCS titles — and its third title in four seasons under coach Nick Saban.
The Crimson Tide (12-1) marched with ease on the opening drive, going 82 yards on five plays to take a 7-0 lead on Eddie Lacy's 20-yard touchdown run up the middle with 12:03 left in the first quarter.
Notre Dame (12-0) had allowed only two rushing touchdowns in its surprising run to the championship game. The Fighting Irish were the first team to reach the BCS championship game after starting the season unranked. They were trying to become the first team to go from unranked to national champion since BYU in 1984.
Alabama quickly made the Fighting Irish look as if they were in over their heads.
Notre Dame did nothing to respond to Alabama's opening march, and on its punt back, the Crimson Tide might have caught a break. Returner Christion Jones muffed the kick, but Notre Dame was flagged for interfering with the catch, though it was one of Jones' teammates that made contact with him.
Lacy and the Crimson Tide went right back to work, hammering away at Notre Dame's vaunted defense. The Irish struggled to bring down the 220-pound tailback, who even ran through Heisman Trophy finalist Manti Te'o on a screen pass.
In the second quarter, it was freshman T.J. Yeldon slipping through Te'o's arms in the backfield on a third-down run and getting a first down.
Lacy set up Alabama's second touchdown with another 20-yard run, this time to the Irish 2. Instead of running into a Notre Dame goal-line defense that has become known for goal-line stands, AJ McCarron faked a handoff and found tight end Michael Williams all alone for the score and a 14-0 lead.
Alabama made it 3 for 3 on the next drive when Yeldon scored from a yard out on the first play of the second quarter.
The Alabama fans seemed outnumbered at Sun Life Stadium by Fighting Irish followers, pumped to see their team try to win its first national title in 24 years. But the folks in Crimson and houndstooth were making all the noise as the Tide rolled.
Lacy landed one more blow with 31 seconds left in the half. McCarron dumped off to Lacy, who spun off two tacklers, and went 11 yards to make it 28-0.
The Southeastern Conference, winners of the last six BCS championships, was storming toward seven in a row. Those familiar "S-E-C!" chants started early in this one.
The Fighting Irish started the third quarter with a promising drive that ended with another Alabama highlight.
HaHa Clinton-Dix made a sensational diving interception, grabbing a tipped pass and tapping his toe inches from the sideline. Alabama turned the game's first turnover into another long scoring drive. McCarron capped this one with a 34-yard TD pass to freshman Amari Cooper, the longest TD pass the Irish have given up this season.
With the score 35-0 and some Fighting Irish fans in the stadium record crowd of 80,120, Notre Dame finally got on the board with 4:08 left in the third.
Everett Golson took an option keeper 2 yards for a touchdown to break a streak of 108 minutes, 7 seconds in which Alabama had not allowed a point in a BCS championship game, dating back to the last 6 minutes of the fourth quarter of the 2009 title game against Texas at the Rose Bowl. Alabama had scored 69 straight points in that span.
Alabama had 453 yards through three quarters. The Irish defense came in allowing 286 per game.
Lacy had 130 yards on 18 carries and McCarron, the MVP of last year's 21-0 title game victory against LSU, was 16 for 22 for 225 yards.
Golson, the redshirt freshman quarterback who coach Brian Kelly had nurtured through the season, was 14 for 26 for 196 yards.
Alabama was trying to become only the third team to win three national titles in four seasons since polls started being used to crown champions in 1936. The last was Nebraska from 1994-97, and the Cornhuskers had to share the '97 championship with Michigan, which was voted No. 1 in the AP media poll. Nebraska was No. 1 in the coaches' poll.
Another national championship would also give Saban four, his first coming with LSU in 2003. Only Alabama's Paul "Bear" Bryant with six would have more.

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Dynasty: No. 2 Alabama bashes No. 1 Notre Dame 42-14 to win second straight BCS championship

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - The coach no longer wears houndstooth. The result is the same. Another Alabama dynasty.
Quieting the Irish by the first play of the second quarter, Eddie Lacy, AJ McCarron and the No. 2 Crimson Tide rolled top-ranked Notre Dame 42-14 for the BCS championship Monday night, locking up a second straight national title and third in four years with another laugher of a title game.
The Bear would've been especially proud of this one — Nick Saban and the Tide romping to the second-biggest rout of the BCS era that began in 1999.
Lacy, the game's offensive MVP, ran for one touchdown and caught a pass for another in the final minute of the opening half, spinning away from the vaunted Notre Dame defence not once, but twice, to cap a 28-0 blitz before the bands even got on the field.
Lacy finished with 140 yards on 20 carries, coming up with two of his best performances in the two biggest games of the year. He rushed for a career-high 181 yards in a thrilling victory over Georgia in the SEC title game, and was nearly as dominant against the Irish. McCarron wasn't too shabby, either, completing 20 of 28 passes for four touchdowns and 264 yards, adding another dazzling effort on top of his MVP in last year's title game.
You could almost hear television sets around the country flipping to other channels, a hugely anticipated matchup between two of the nation's most storied programs reduced to nothing more than the second straight BCS blowout for the Crimson Tide.
"We've had a lot of really great football players who've worked really hard," Saban said. "Because we've had a great team, we've been able to have a significant amount of success."
Alabama (13-1) scored 69 straight points against its title game opponents, going back to getting the final 13 against Texas in 2010, followed by a stifling 21-0 victory over LSU for last year's crown, then scoring the first 35 points on Notre Dame. Saban's team made the Irish (12-1) look like a squad that would be hard-pressed to finish in the middle of the pack in the mighty Southeastern Conference, which has now won seven straight national championships.
The Crimson Tide will likely wrap up its ninth Associated Press national title, breaking a tie with Notre Dame for the most by any school and gaining a measure of redemption for a bitter loss to the Irish almost four decades ago: the epic Sugar Bowl in which Ara Parseghian's team edged Bear Bryant's powerhouse 24-23.
Bryant won five AP titles during his brilliant career. The way things are going, Saban might just chase him down.
The diminutive man with the perpetual scowl has guided Alabama to the top spot in the rankings three times since arriving in Tuscaloosa in 2007, and if he's serious about finishing his career with the job he has, there seems no reason he can't win a few more before he's done with "The Process."
Already, Saban is the first coach in the BCS era to win national titles at different schools, capturing his first at LSU during the 2003 season. Now, he's the first coach with back-to-back BCS titles, and given the youthfulness of his team, Alabama figures to go into next season as a heavy favourite.
In an interesting twist, Saban's fourth college title came in the stadium where he had the only stumble of his coaching career, a two-year tenure with the NFL's Miami Dolphins that ended ugly, with the coach insisting he wasn't planning to leave — then bolting for Alabama just two weeks later. His tactics may have been underhanded, but it's hard to argue with the call he made.
Before a record Sun Life Stadium crowd of 80,120 that definitely included more green than crimson, Lacy ran right through the Irish and their Heisman Trophy finalist Manti Te'o on a 20-yard touchdown run before the game was 3 minutes old, capping an 82-yard drive that was longest of the season given up by the Fighting Irish.
It would only get worse. Alabama marched right down the field on its second possession, this one a 10-play, 61-yard pounding that finished with McCarron completely faking out the defence and lofting a 3-yard touchdown pass to Michael Williams, standing all alone in the back of the end zone.
On the first play of the second quarter, T.J. Yeldon powered over from the 1 to make it 21-0, the finish to another impressive drive — this one covering 80 yards — that included two long completions by McCarron. First, he went to Kevin Norwood on a 25-yard gain. Then, he hooked up with freshman Amari Cooper for a 27-yard gain to the Notre Dame 6.
By that point, it was clear to everyone that Notre Dame's hopes of winning its first national championship since 1988 were all done. But Alabama just poured it on.
Lacy's 11-yard touchdown reception with 31 seconds left in the half left the Irish fans shaking the heads in disbelief, while the Alabama faithful broke out that familiar "SEC! SEC! SEC!" chant, as if to let Notre Dame know that it may have turned things around under third-year coach Brian Kelly, but isn't yet ready to compete with one of the Southern powerhouses.
Alabama made it 35-0 on McCarron's second TD pass of the night, a 34-yarder to Cooper without a Notre Dame defender in sight.
The Irish finally scored late in the third quarter, a 2-yard run by Everett Golson that served no other purpose except to end Alabama's remarkable scoreless streak in the BCS title games, which stretched to 108 minute and 7 seconds — the equivalent of nearly two full games — before the Notre Dame quarterback fought his way into the end zone.
Good thing a four-team playoff is coming with the 2014 season.
Alabama and the SEC have come to dominate this system. Florida began the unprecedented streak in the 2006 season, and added another crown two years later. LSU and Auburn have also won titles during the run. But Alabama is the top dog these days.
The only BCS title game that was more of a blowout was USC's 55-19 victory over Oklahoma in the 2005 Orange Bowl, a title that was later vacated because of NCAA violations.
About the only time Alabama stumbled was when McCarron had a miscommunication with his All-American centre, Barrett Jones, in the closing seconds. The fiery McCarron shouted at Jones, who just shoved him away. But as the seconds ticked off, they were right on the same page, hugging Saban and celebrating another title.
Notre Dame made tremendous strides under Kelly, going from unranked in the preseason to the top spot in the rankings by the end of the regular season. But that long-awaited championship will have to wait at least one more years. Golson completed his first season as the starter by going 21 of 36 for 270 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. But he got no help from the running game, which was held to 32 yards — 170 below their season average.
Kelly had vowed this was only beginning, insisting the bar has been raised in South Bend no matter what the outcome.
No one sets its higher than the folks in Tuscaloosa.

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French actor Depardieu in Russia to meet Putin

MOSCOW (Reuters) - French film star Gerard Depardieu arrived in Russia on Saturday to meet President Vladimir Putin, who granted him citizenship after a public spat in France over his efforts to avoid a potential 75 percent income tax.
Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the two would meet in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, where Putin was spending part of the 10-day New Year and Russian Orthodox Christmas holiday.
He said it was possible Putin would hand Depardieu his Russian passport during the meeting.
"It is a private meeting, we will not be releasing any other details," Peskov said by phone.
Russian media quoted him as saying the meeting would take place on Saturday. Depardieu's spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.
On Thursday, the Kremlin announced that Putin had signed a decree granting Russian citizenship to Depardieu, who objected to Socialist president Francois Hollande's plan to impose a 75 percent tax rate on millionaires.
Depardieu is a popular figure in Russia, where he has appeared in many advertising campaigns, including for ketchup. He also worked there in 2011 on a film about the eccentric Russian monk Grigory Rasputin.
The star of the movies "Cyrano de Bergerac" and "Green Card" was also among the Western celebrities invited in 2012 to celebrate the birthday of Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed strongman leader of Russia's Chechnya province who is accused by rights groups of crushing dissent.
Some of Putin's critics called the passport move a stunt and pointed out that Putin last month announced a campaign to prevent rich Russians keeping their money offshore.
At a press conference on December 20 during which he offered Depardieu a passport, Putin said Russia had a close, special relationship with France and that he had developed warm ties with the actor, even though they had rarely met.
But Moscow suffered a blow in November when it was forced to suspend its bid to build an Orthodox church with five domes in the heart of Paris, whose mayor called the plan "ostentatious".
Russia has a flat-rate income tax of 13 percent compared to the 75 percent rate that French President Francois Hollande wants to introduce on income over 1 million euros ($1.32 million).
Depardieu has already bought a house in Belgium to establish Belgian residency in protest at Hollande's tax plans.
Hollande's original proposal was struck down by France's Constitutional Court in December, but he has pledged to press ahead with a redrafted tax on the wealthy.
French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault called Depardieu's decision to seek Belgian residency "pathetic" and unpatriotic, prompting an angry reply from the actor.
Russia does not require people to hand in their foreign passports once they acquire a Russian one. But it is rare for people from the European Union or the United States to seek Russian citizenship unless they have recent Russian roots.

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Italy's Monti says change property tax as polls improve

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's outgoing prime minister, Mario Monti, said on Sunday he would alter an unpopular property tax imposed by his own government, as a poll showed his centrist bloc gaining in popularity ahead of next month's election.

Monti's new centrist formation was third in a survey published on Sunday ahead of the February 24-25 parliamentary vote, behind a centre-left coalition led by Pier Luigi Bersani and the centre-right bloc of former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Monti, a 69-year-old former European commissioner, was appointed in November 2011 to lead an unelected right-left government of experts after Berlusconi quit amid a sex scandal and Italy's financial crisis threatened the euro.

To cut the deficit and restore confidence in Italy's ability to manage its 2-trillion-euro debt, Monti introduced a series of austerity measures in late 2011, including a property tax that hurt consumer spending and deepened the recession.

Berlusconi, who supported Monti's government until two weeks ago, has repeatedly said his first act of government, should he win February's vote, would be to abolish the property tax.

"Taxes need to be cut, but no one should be making promises that cannot be kept," Monti told SkyTG24 television. The property tax "should be restructured and modified", he said, with a greater portion set aside for city governments.

Monti repeated he wants to cut income taxes for low earners and said a planned value-added tax increase can be averted if the election winners are "ready to say no to special interests".

Both Berlusconi and Monti have made multiple appearances on TV, in Twitter question-and-answer sessions, and in online video interviews over the past week as they seek to close the gap with the centre-left, and it is paying off.

POLL

The centre-left coalition still has a comfortable lead, but both Monti's and Berlusconi's blocs have gained in recent weeks, according to a poll published on Sunday.

The number of voters who say they will vote for Bersani's bloc is between 38 and 39 percent, and the Democratic Party (PD) is seen getting 32-33 percent, polling institute ISPO said.

Monti's bloc has risen to between 14 and 15 percent from just over 10 percent before he entered the race, and Berlusconi has boosted his own party's share to 17-19 percent from 13-16 percent at the beginning of December, the poll indicated.

The number of undecided voters, or those who plan to abstain, has fallen below 40 percent, down from almost 50 percent a few weeks ago, the poll showed.

The new "With Monti for Italy" formation presented on Friday would itself win 9 percent, the poll said, and is drawing votes mostly from the centre-left and the previously undecided, said Renato Mannheimer, head of ISPO.

"Most analysts see it as improbable that, as things now stand, the coalition led by Monti can win more than 20 percent," he said.

If Berlusconi seals an alliance with the regionalist Northern League, his coalition could pull in 28 percent of the vote, ISPO said. Most of the PDL increase came from the large pool of undecided and disillusioned voters, Mannheimer said.

If Berlusconi and the League run together, complexities of the electoral law might make a post-election alliance with Monti key to a stable Senate majority for Bersani, Mannheimer added.

The anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, led by comic Beppe Grillo, dropped to 13-14 percent from 17-19 percent a month ago.

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Republican Sen. McConnell rules out more taxes in U.S. fiscal fight

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Sunday ruled out raising tax revenues on top of the tax hike on the wealthy in the "fiscal cliff" deal, and said the full focus must now be on spending cuts to curb U.S. deficits.
But Democrats said they would push for a "balanced" approach of more tax revenue from the rich as well as spending reductions as Congress headed toward another fiscal battle in March over raising the federal debt ceiling.
"The tax issue is finished, over, completed," McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said on ABC's "This Week With George Stephanopoulos."
"That's behind us. Now the question is what are we going to do about the biggest problem confronting our country and our future, and that's our spending addiction."
McConnell used the Sunday morning news shows to lay out his position in the upcoming fight over raising the U.S. debt ceiling and funding the government that is expected to come to a head in March, just three months after the struggle to avert the January 1 fiscal cliff of severe tax hikes and spending cuts that economists said could have brought a recession.
Republicans want big spending cuts in programs including Medicare healthcare for the elderly and the Social Security pension program as a condition for raising the U.S. borrowing limit.
President Barack Obama has said he will not negotiate over the debt ceiling, arguing that Congress must pay the bills for spending it has already approved.
McConnell said the White House should start working with Congress immediately to find savings, before the March deadline to raise the borrowing limit brings another fiscal crisis.
"We could do things very quickly, these are not new issues," he said on ABC.
Asked whether Republicans would threaten a U.S. default in their press for spending cuts, McConnell said, "It's not even necessary to get to that point. Why aren't we trying to settle the problem? Why aren't we trying to do something about reducing spending?"
On CBS's "Face the Nation," he said, "We now have a debt of $16.4 trillion. That's as big as our economy. That alone makes us look a lot like Greece."
'LINE IN THE SAND'
Democrats said they will continue to push for more revenue as well as spending cuts to curb deficits, issues they said should be dealt with separately from the debt ceiling.
"Well, if Mitch McConnell is going to draw the line in the sand, it's going to be a recipe for more gridlock," Representative Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, said on "Fox News Sunday."
"As we go forward, we need to adopt the same framework as the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles commission, meaning, a combination of cuts and revenue," Van Hollen said, referring to the commission that presented a sweeping plan to cut deficits.
"We're talking about looking at the tax code, putting everything on the table from the standpoint of closing loopholes, and we know that we can do that. Special subsidies for big oil, for example, $38 billion right there," House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said on CBS's "Face the Nation."
Pelosi, of California, said any savings found in Medicare and Social Security should be plowed back into the programs.
In what could be a replay of last year's standoff over the debt ceiling, House Republicans will put forward a plan "that says: OK, Mr. President, if you want to increase the borrowing authority of this country, here is a menu of options where you can reduce spending of equal or greater amount," said Ohio Republican Representative Jim Jordan.
"Mitch McConnell is exactly right," Jordan said on Fox News. "They just got revenue. We've got to cut spending. We've got $16 trillion debt. The credit card is maxed out."
Senator Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the chamber, said Obama will discuss curbing the debt in his State of the Union address this month, "but it has to be done in a balanced way."
On CNN's "State of the Union," Durbin, of Illinois, said more money should be wrung from taxes, citing various deductions, special treatments and loopholes. "We can do that and use the money to reduce the deficit."
In his several television appearances, McConnell also defended the deal he helped to broker with Vice President Joe Biden to avoid the fiscal cliff.
Most of his fellow Republicans in the House opposed the deal for being focused almost entirely on raising revenue through a tax increase on families making more than $450,000 a year, while postponing significant spending cuts.
"What we did was prevent tax increases on 99 percent of the American public. Nobody in the Senate, not the 90 percent of Senate Republicans who voted for this, voted to raise anybody's taxes," McConnell said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
The deal extended lower tax rates for most taxpayers set during the George W. Bush administration that were set to expire on January 1, but let rates rise on the top incomes.

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Google executive chairman and ex-New Mexico Gov. Richardson heading to North Korea

BEIJING, China - The executive chairman of U.S.-based Google, one of the world's largest Internet companies, was travelling Monday to North Korea, a nation with notoriously restrictive online policies.
Eric Schmidt, the most high profile U.S. business executive to visit North Korea since young leader Kim Jong Un took power a year ago, was in Beijing and scheduled to depart for Pyongyang aboard a commercial Air China flight.
Leading the delegation was former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who has travelled more than a half-dozen times to North Korea over the past 20 years. Richardson called the trip a private, humanitarian mission.
"This is not a Google trip, but I'm sure he's interested in some of the economic issues there, the social media aspect. So this is why we are teamed up on this," Richardson said without elaborating on what he meant by the "social media aspect."
"We'll meet with North Korean political leaders. We'll meet with North Korean economic leaders, military. We'll visit some universities. We don't control the visit. They will let us know what the schedule is when we get there," he said.
Richardson also said the delegation plans to inquire about a Korean-American U.S. citizen detained in North Korea.
"We're going to try to inquire the status, see if we can see him, possibly lay the groundwork for him coming home," Richardson said. "I heard from his son who lives in Washington state, who asked me to bring him back. I doubt we can do it on this trip."
The four-day trip, which is taking place just weeks after North Korea fired a satellite into space using a long-range rocket, has drawn criticism from U.S. officials. Washington condemned the Dec. 12 launch, which it considers a test of ballistic missile technology, as a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions barring Pyongyang from developing its nuclear and missile programs. The Security Council is deliberating whether to take further action.
"We don't think the timing of the visit is helpful, and they are well aware of our views," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters last week.
The trip was planned well before North Korea announced its plans to send a satellite into space, two people with knowledge of the delegation's plans told The Associated Press. AP first reported the group's plans last Thursday. Schmidt, a staunch proponent of Internet connectivity and openness, is expected to make a donation during the visit, members of the delegation told AP. They asked not to be named, saying the trip was a private visit.

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Analysts see slow adoption for 'ultra-HD' TVs as makers prepare new models

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - "Ultra-HD" TVs are set to be the talk of International CES, the gadget show kicking off this week in Las Vegas. But the televisions aren't likely to account for much of the market even four years down the road.
That is the conclusion of analysts of the show's host, a day before TV makers such as Samsung, LG and Sony attempt to wow conference attendees with their latest models.
Ultra high-definition TVs, with four times as many pixels as HD TVs, are expected to account for only 1.4 million units sold in the U.S. in 2016, or about 5 per cent of the entire market. Sales in the rest of the world are expected to be smaller.
The analysts blamed high prices and low availability for the slow start.
"It's a very, very limited opportunity," said Steve Koenig, director of industry analysis at the Consumer Electronics Association, which officially kicks off the show Tuesday. "The price points here are in the five digits (in U.S. dollars) and very few manufacturers, at least at this stage, have products ready."
The consumer electronics industry is struggling to come back from a weak year in 2012, when an estimated $1.06 trillion worth of goods was sold around the world, down 1 per cent from 2011, hurt by a weak European economy and flat TV sales in China.
The market is seen recovering this year, with global sales rising 4 per cent to $1.11 trillion, pumped up due to renewed growth in the so-called BRIC countries, led by China, Brazil, Russia and India.
All the more reason for gadget makers to energetically tout their latest innovations. TV makers were somewhat chastened last year as enthusiasm for super-thin and vibrant organic light-emitting diode (OLED) TVs was hampered by production problems and delays. Now they have turned their focus to ultra-HD to drive consumer demand.
Steve Bambridge, business director for boutique research and consumer choices at GfK, said troubles making OLED sets are "not any secret." He added that while some makers planned to sell models this year after introducing them a year ago, he said he "won't be surprised if those go backwards."
Although the show has often unveiled the biggest and best of TV sets, the biggest electronics show in the Americas has increasingly been dominated by computers, tablets and mobile devices.
For good reason: In 2013, CEA and GfK predicted that for the first time, three categories of devices — mobile personal computers, tablets and smartphones — will account for over half of all consumer electronics spending worldwide.
Shawn DuBravac, the CEA's chief economist, said one trend at the show was the increasing number of exhibitors who display technology that uses a smartphone or tablet as their hub. He noted a 25 per cent increase in exhibitors from health and fitness companies, including those that sell heart monitors and blood pressure applications.
He also said the clamshell design of laptop computers, which hasn't changed much in two decades, will face a significant challenge. He expects 30 to 40 different hardware designs for the laptop to be presented on the show floor. Some intriguing computers on display will be giant touch-screen tablets meant for lying flat, and laptops whose screens can swivel around or detach from the keyboard easily.
"The clamshell design is still intact 20 years later. That's starting to change," he said.
More companies are also expected to do more with devices that respond better to a wider range of gestures and more natural speech.

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Clinton scheduled to return to work Monday after hospitalization for blood clot

WASHINGTON - The State Department says Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will return to work Monday, a little over a week after she was hospitalized with a blood clot in her head.
The department on Sunday released a schedule which has Clinton meeting with assistant secretaries Monday morning. The most significant items on her agenda are meetings in Washington on Thursday and Friday with visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Clinton was admitted to New York-Presbyterian Hospital on Dec. 30 after doctors discovered the blood clot while following up on a concussion she suffered earlier in December. She was released Wednesday.
Clinton is expected to resign from the State Department soon. President Barack Obama has nominated Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry to replace her.

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McIlroy says he may skip 2016 Rio Olympics

LONDON (AP) — Rory McIlroy may skip the 2016 Olympics because of a problem over which country to represent.
The No. 1-ranked player from Northern Ireland is eligible to compete for either Britain or Ireland when golf returns to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He said he may miss the games to avoid having to choose between the two.
"I just think being from where we're from, we're placed in a very difficult position," the 23-year-old McIlroy said in a BBC documentary. "I feel Northern Irish and obviously being from Northern Ireland you have a connection to Ireland and a connection to the U.K."
McIlroy stirred controversy last year when he said in a British newspaper interview that he felt "more British than Irish." He then posted a clarification on Twitter saying he grew up "a proud product of Irish golf" and had not made a decision on the Olympics.
"If I could and there was a Northern Irish team I'd play for Northern Ireland," he said in the BBC program. "It's a tough one, whatever decision I make — whether it's play for Ireland, play for Britain or not play at all, maybe, just because I don't want to upset too many people.
"It's definitely an option. I either play for one side or the other or I don't play. Those are the three options that I have and I'm still considering them very carefully."
McIlroy, who has twice represented Ireland at the World Cup, was asked whether he regretted saying last year that he felt more British.
"It was a moment, I don't want to say of weakness, but of frustration with it all," he said. "People tune in to watch me play on TV and feel like they are connected to me in some way. I don't want to repay them for their support by doing something that they wouldn't want me to do.
"When I do make a decision, it's going to be one that I've thought long and hard about, and one I feel comfortable with.

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INTERVIEW-Golf-Monty would be mad to captain again - Harrington

LONDON, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Colin Montgomerie would be mad to entertain the thought of returning as Europe's captain for the 2014 Ryder Cup, according to triple major winner Padraig Harrington.
The players committee will meet during the Jan. 17-20 Abu Dhabi Championship to decide on the successor to Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal at the biennial team event, with 2011 British Open champion Darren Clarke and Ireland's Paul McGinley the frontrunners.
Clarke, however, said last month that he believes Europe should appoint a leader with a "huge presence", suggesting 2010 skipper Montgomerie should be considered.
"There's not a chance, after what he went through last time, that Colin would ever take the captaincy again," Harrington told Reuters in an interview.
"He puts so much more on the line than anybody else - it would be madness for him. He's had a great Ryder Cup playing career, he's been a successful captain - why risk all that?
"I can't see in any shape or form him agreeing to do it again."
The United States, desperate to halt a run of seven defeats in nine editions, appointed eight-times major champion Tom Watson as captain last month.
"That was a big statement and brilliant for the event," said Clarke. "There are few more iconic figures in golf...and it sends out a statement they are serious about winning the trophy back.
"Maybe we have to consider other people. Whoever it is standing on that stage opposite Tom Watson needs a huge presence."
But Harrington, who won the British Open in 2007 and 2008 and the U.S. PGA Championship in 2008, said half of Montgomerie's career would go out of the window if he lost as skipper.
"I had a long chat with Monty the evening we won the Ryder Cup in 2010," said the 41-year-old Irishman. "I could see the relief Colin had when he won.
"I don't think he quite realised until then the enormity of being captain for him. Most players who take the captaincy, whether they win or lose, it doesn't change people's perception of their overall career.
GREAT RECORD
"Monty's career though is based on his eight order of merit wins and his Ryder Cup performances," added Harrington who has just signed a new multi-year deal with his club manufacturers Wilson Golf.
"By taking the captaincy he's putting far more on the line than anybody else because it would be hard to mention that he's unbeaten in the singles in the competition but, oh, he's also a losing captain as well. That would take the shine off his great record."
Harrington, a stalwart of six Ryder Cup campaigns, wants fellow-Irishman McGinley to take over as skipper at Gleneagles in Scotland next year before handing over to Northern Irishman Clarke for the 2016 version in the United States.
"Everybody's talking about it on the European Tour," said Harrington. "My own personal opinion is that McGinley should take it this time and for Clarke to do it in the U.S.
"I think Darren would be a better captain in America because of his stature over there. McGinley would be a better option to go up against Watson.
"He can't match Watson in terms of his stature in the game - nobody can do that. The only way McGinley would tackle a Ryder Cup is to knuckle down and do his own business and organise things - he would be ideal for Gleneagles."
Harrington, who launches his 2013 European Tour campaign at next week's Volvo Golf Champions event in South Africa, said he had heard on the golfing grapevine that Watson was going to be named as U.S. captain.
"That was the word, so it was no surprise when I found out he was appointed," said the genial Dubliner. "I had kind of heard earlier that they were going to do something different.
"I can understand it - they're not dominating the Ryder Cup and they need to bring in the heavyweight hitters to get the trophy back.
"They don't have the luxury at the moment of going through the ranks to pick the captain - they have to go right to the top of the pile and unless you pick Jack Nicklaus, there's no one else who carries the stature of Tom Watson," added Harrington.
"It will be fascinating for the U.S. players because if you can learn anything from Tom Watson, anything at all during Ryder Cup week, it would be a career highlight.

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Monty would be mad to captain again: Harrington

LONDON (Reuters) - Colin Montgomerie would be mad to entertain the thought of returning as Europe's captain for the 2014 Ryder Cup, according to triple major winner Padraig Harrington.
The players committee will meet during the January 17-20 Abu Dhabi Championship to decide on the successor to Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal at the biennial team event, with 2011 British Open champion Darren Clarke and Ireland's Paul McGinley the frontrunners.
Clarke, however, said last month that he believes Europe should appoint a leader with a "huge presence", suggesting 2010 skipper Montgomerie should be considered.
"There's not a chance, after what he went through last time, that Colin would ever take the captaincy again," Harrington told Reuters in an interview.
"He puts so much more on the line than anybody else - it would be madness for him. He's had a great Ryder Cup playing career, he's been a successful captain - why risk all that?
"I can't see in any shape or form him agreeing to do it again."
The United States, desperate to halt a run of seven defeats in nine editions, appointed eight-times major champion Tom Watson as captain last month.
"That was a big statement and brilliant for the event," said Clarke. "There are few more iconic figures in golf...and it sends out a statement they are serious about winning the trophy back.
"Maybe we have to consider other people. Whoever it is standing on that stage opposite Tom Watson needs a huge presence."
But Harrington, who won the British Open in 2007 and 2008 and the U.S. PGA Championship in 2008, said half of Montgomerie's career would go out of the window if he lost as skipper.
"I had a long chat with Monty the evening we won the Ryder Cup in 2010," said the 41-year-old Irishman. "I could see the relief Colin had when he won.
"I don't think he quite realized until then the enormity of being captain for him. Most players who take the captaincy, whether they win or lose, it doesn't change people's perception of their overall career.
GREAT RECORD
"Monty's career though is based on his eight order of merit wins and his Ryder Cup performances," added Harrington who has just signed a new multi-year deal with his club manufacturers Wilson Golf.
"By taking the captaincy he's putting far more on the line than anybody else because it would be hard to mention that he's unbeaten in the singles in the competition but, oh, he's also a losing captain as well. That would take the shine off his great record."
Harrington, a stalwart of six Ryder Cup campaigns, wants fellow-Irishman McGinley to take over as skipper at Gleneagles in Scotland next year before handing over to Northern Irishman Clarke for the 2016 version in the United States.
"Everybody's talking about it on the European Tour," said Harrington. "My own personal opinion is that McGinley should take it this time and for Clarke to do it in the U.S.
"I think Darren would be a better captain in America because of his stature over there. McGinley would be a better option to go up against Watson.
"He can't match Watson in terms of his stature in the game - nobody can do that. The only way McGinley would tackle a Ryder Cup is to knuckle down and do his own business and organize things - he would be ideal for Gleneagles."
Harrington, who launches his 2013 European Tour campaign at next week's Volvo Golf Champions event in South Africa, said he had heard on the golfing grapevine that Watson was going to be named as U.S. captain.
"That was the word, so it was no surprise when I found out he was appointed," said the genial Dubliner. "I had kind of heard earlier that they were going to do something different.
"I can understand it - they're not dominating the Ryder Cup and they need to bring in the heavyweight hitters to get the trophy back.
"They don't have the luxury at the moment of going through the ranks to pick the captain - they have to go right to the top of the pile and unless you pick Jack Nicklaus, there's no one else who carries the stature of Tom Watson," added Harrington.
"It will be fascinating for the U.S. players because if you can learn anything from Tom Watson, anything at all during Ryder Cup week, it would be a career highlight."

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ANALISIS-Poco ha cambiado en Italia tras reforma laboral de Monti

ROMA (Reuters) - Reacondicionar las rígidas leyes laborales de Italia se suponía que iba a ser la reforma clave de Mario Monti.
Ello requería negociaciones complejas y prolongadas con sindicatos, empleadores y partidos políticos. Pero seis meses después de su aprobación, las medidas parecen estar teniendo poco efecto en la contratación, el despido o el mercado laboral en general.
La intención del primer ministro saliente era alentar la contratación permanente en lugar de los trabajos temporales y facilitar los despidos a las empresas durante los malos momentos económicos. Sin embargo, las empresas y los sindicatos dicen que no está haciendo nada.
Monti, que dimitió como primer ministro el mes pasado, esperaba impulsar una tasa de empleo crónicamente baja y poner fin a un mercado laboral "dual", compuesto de trabajadores mayores sobreprotegidos y millones de jóvenes con trabajos temporales y sin derechos laborales.
Sin embargo, rápidamente tuvo una fuerte oposición, liderada por el sindicato CGIL, que encontró apoyo en el Partido Democrático (PD) de centroizquierda, en el que confiaba para su mayoría y que ahora, según los sondeos, será el probable ganador de las elecciones de febrero.
Los sindicatos, que en su mayoría representan a los trabajadores mayores y más protegidos, llevaron a cabo una serie de huelgas y protestas para defender la actual protección laboral. La ministra de Trabajo, Elsa Fornero, que redactó la propuesta de reforma, se convirtió en una figura odiada por millones de trabajadores.
Después de suavizarse durante su paso por el Parlamento, la versión final del plan, aprobado en junio del año pasado, aliviaba ligeramente las restricciones al despido en las empresas grandes y medianas y hacía más costosa la contratación temporal.
Los sindicatos advirtieron de que esto podría incrementar los despidos, mientras que las empresas dijeron que desalentaría las nuevas contrataciones. Seis meses después, los sindicalistas admiten que sus temores eran exagerados, pero los empleadores aseguran que sus preocupaciones están siendo confirmadas.
"No hay pruebas de que las compañías estén despidiendo más con las nuevas leyes. Esto simplemente no está pasando", dijo Pierangelo Albini, responsable de asuntos laborales del grupo empresarial Confindustria.
SIN DATOS
No hay datos disponibles sobre el número de trabajadores que han sido despedidos con las nuevas leyes, pero incluso los sindicatos, que estudian la situación de cerca, estiman que la cifra es insignificante.
Los sindicatos rápidamente denunciaron casos aislados que implicaron a las empresas de telecomunicaciones Huawei y Vodafone, que atrajeron la atención de los medios italianos, aunque cada uno no implicó a más de un par de trabajadores.
"La reforma en realidad no cambia mucho en términos de procedimientos de despido", dijo Michele Tamburini, abogado laboral de un bufete estadounidense en Milán.
"Potencialmente podría facilitar el despido, pero todo depende de cómo lo interpretan los jueces y casi nadie quiere comprobar eso", agregó.
Tamburini dijo que él y sus colegas de otras firmas legales no han visto un aumento de las impugnaciones por despidos, como esperaban algunos analistas.
Monti, que dijo que se presentará a las elecciones del 24 y 25 de febrero, inicialmente defendió la reforma pero ahora ha reconocido sus limitaciones, culpando al sindicato izquierdista CGIL por bloquear más cambios radicales.
"Las intenciones de Monti sobre la reforma laboral eran buenas pero las políticas fueron todas equivocadas", dijo Riccardo Barbieri, de Mizuho International.
"El PD no podía permitirle facilitar el despido en período preelectoral y en medio de una recesión", agregó.
A pesar de las críticas hacia algunas de sus reformas, a los inversores les encanta la idea de que el ex comisario europeo se quede en el cargo después de las elecciones, idealmente a la cabeza de una mayoría más consistente que le permita sacar adelante su nuevo programa.

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Nokia predicted to abandon mobile business, sell assets to Microsoft and Huawei in 2013

Nokia (NOK) appears to have finally turned a corner with the Lumia 920, a smartphone that is seemingly selling quite well after a string of early flops from the struggling smartphone maker. According to Keepskor founder and Forbes contributor Tristan Louis, however, Nokia’s recent efforts will ultimately be for naught. 2013 will see a great deal of movement in the mobile industry according to the executive, and Nokia’s departure from the handset market will be among the year’s most notable events.
[More from BGR: Can Samsung survive without Android?]
“The biggest shocker (and what I suspect will be my most controversial prediction), though, will be the the [sic] departure of Nokia from the phone business as the company sells its mobile operation and infrastructure divisions to Huawei in order to focus on software and services,” Louis wrote. ”With the company’s bet on Windows [Phone] 8 having failed in the marketplace, it will see Microsoft (MSFT) and Huawei competing for the mobile device division and will eventually sell its smartphone group to Microsoft and the rest of its telecom interests to Huawei.”
[More from BGR: Next-generation iPhone, iOS 7 discovered in website logs]
Unlike Louis’s other predictions, which are mostly common sense trends or speculation backed by months of rumors (Amazon will launch a phone, Microsoft will launch a phone, etc), the offloading of Nokia’s handset business appears to be a complete shot in the dark. The executive offers nothing to substantiate his theory and the involvement of Microsoft and Huawei also appear to be guesses based on loose logic.
Nokia has reported six straight quarterly losses and though the company’s struggles are expected to continue for some time, it has given no indication that selling its mobile business is even an option being considered at this point in time. Nokia was rumored in early 2011 to be discussing the possibility of selling its phone business to Microsoft, but it immediately denied that such negotiations were taking place.

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‘iPhone 5S’ to reportedly launch by June with multiple color options and two different display sizes

After a seven-month run that took Apple (AAPL) shares to an all-time high in late September, the company’s stock plummeted more than 25% and touched new lows as 2012 drew to an end. According to Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White, Apple’s strong portfolio, a reversal of the negative news trend surrounding the company, and a fresh new “iPhone 5S”  will help the stock rebound in 2013, and he maintains a Buy rating on Apple shares with a sky-high price target of $1,111.
[More from BGR: Nokia predicted to abandon mobile business, sell assets to Microsoft and Huawei in 2013]
“Apple is our top overall pick for 2013,” White wrote in a note to investors on Wednesday that discussed Topeka’s stock picks moving into the new year. “With the 25% correction in Apple’s stock from the high in September, the stock is now trading at just 7.7x our CY13 EPS estimate (less cash) and the company’s portfolio has never been stronger, in our view.”
[More from BGR: Next-generation iPhone, iOS 7 discovered in website logs]
He continued, “We believe tax-related selling was largely to blame for the downward bias in the stock price as we exited 2012 and this created a negative news cycle around Apple that we believe will be broken as we enter 2013. We believe there is still plenty to look forward to at Apple, including the potential for greater choices (i.e., colors, sizes) around the next iPhone in 2013, combined with accelerating momentum with the iPad mini and continued strength with the iPad franchise at large.”
White went on to explain that the iPad mini has seen incredible demand thus far in China, outselling the full-size iPad in the country. The analyst also called the rumored China Mobile iPhone launch and release of Apple’s HDTV “moving targets,” and he expects at least one of these major catalysts to become a reality in 2013.
In a separate note, White said that according to his checks with Apple’s suppliers, the next-generation iPhone will represent a huge departure from earlier models.
“Our checks indicate that the next iPhone will have more choices for customers,” the analyst wrote. “This entails an expansion in both the color patterns and screen sizes with the next iPhone (i.e., likely called the iPhone 5S) that we currently believe will be launched in May/June with certain supply production starting in March/April.”
White believes the next iPhone will be available in five different colors: pink, yellow, blue, white & silver and black & slate. He also believes there will be two different screen sizes available on the device, marking the first time Apple has released one phone with multiple display size options.
“Our checks are also indicating that the next iPhone will offer customers more choice in terms of screen size,” White reported. “Although Apple offers a 4-inch screen on the iPhone 5 and a 3.5-inch screen on the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, the Company has never offered multiple screen sizes for a single model. We believe this is about to change with the next iPhone offering different screen sizes that we believe will allow Apple to better bifurcate the market and expand its reach.”
He continued, noting that multiple screen sizes could allow Apple to better address emerging markets with a lower-cost iPhone.

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Relive Every Great Moment of 2012 in Just 4 Minutes

Relive Every Great Moment of 2012 in Just 4 Minutes
The ball has dropped which means it's time to begin alphabetizing your New Year's resolutions. But before welcoming in 2013 and throwing out last year's memories, take one last chance to relive all the glorious, splendid, heartbreaking, tragic, viral, sweet, crazy and fantastic moments of the past 12 months.
[More from Mashable: Google Wants You to Add to Its Global New Year’s Resolution Map]
From Honey Boo Boo to the birth of Blue Ivy, SOPA to NASA, iPhone 5 releases to GIF domination, Gabby Douglas' golden moments to Chick-Fil-A PR nightmare, cannibals to a Cruise-Holmes split, to a string of mass shootings that will make us remember this year's incredible heroes and victims -- here's to you, 2012.
SEE ALSO: Emotional Viral Video Looks Back at 'What Brought Us Together' in 2012
[More from Mashable: 8 Tech Resolutions for the New Year]
And best of luck 2013, you've got no Mayan apocalypse, Olympic games or U.S. presidential election on the books -- just hope K-Stew cheats on R-Patz again so we'll all have something to eulogize in 2014.
BONUS: 16 Things You Forgot Happened in 2012
1. GoDaddy Supported SOPA and Faced the Consequences
Technically this debacle took place in the last week of 2011, but the backlash lasted well into 2012. GoDaddy, the popular domain registrar and web hosting company, showed early support for the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), a hotly contested bill regarding copyright violations that was introduced by U.S. Representative Lamar S. Smith. Many Internet users believed SOPA would lead to extreme censorship of the web and were shocked to hear that GoDaddy supported it. As a result, hundreds of high-profile sites joined a boycott and mass-transfer movement sparked by Ben Huh, founder of the Cheezburger Network, moving their domains away from GoDaddy. The company eventually withdrew its support for SOPA, but not before it lost many customers. In September 2012, GoDaddy faced another PR nightmare when its DNS servers went down due to a distributed denial of service attack, and with the servers went many customers' websites for a long period of time. The company apparently didn't have a backup plan, furthering soiling its reputation. Image courtesy of Flickr, dsleeter_2000.

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Craig Suits and Lilith Eden Pen New Book on Entertaining Hobby, ‘Treasure In Your Backyard’

Westwood, NJ (PRWEB) January 04, 2013
Treasure hunting has fascinated children and adults for years with the idea of going on a high adventure and finding lost gold and ancient artifacts. Treasure hunter Craig Suits partakes in this entertaining hobby, but with the absence of pirates and curses. Ever since he built his first metal detector from a kit 45 years ago. he has been hunting for treasure everywhere he goes. It soon became a lifelong hobby that he not only had fun with, but also found profit in. Now to share his love with others, along with the help of editor Lilith Eden, comes their new book, “Treasure In Your Backyard” (published by AuthorHouse).
“Treasure In Your Backyard” is an instructional book designed to inform readers of the fun and profit that treasure hunting can provide for almost anyone. Suits teaches readers the basics needed to begin their own treasure hunt, from the equipment needed and instructions on using a metal detector to insights on where to and where not to search. He even shares a number of personal stories from his own exciting experiences.
“I would like to inspire and educate readers that aren’t accustomed to treasure hunting with metal detectors and to provide readers with a great and free life-long hobby that will always be the source of at least a few dollars,” Suits explains. “A lot of fun, great exercise and the possibility of discovering items worth thousands, especially when gold is selling at around $1800 an ounce these days.”
“Treasure In Your Backyard”

By Craig Suits and Lilith Eden

Softcover | 5 x 8 in | 64 pages | ISBN 9781468529500 |

E-Book | 64 pages | ISBN 9781468529494 |

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
About the Authors

Craig Suits is also author of the book, "[Up One Level." He supplies 45 years of field experience and technical know-how in the field of treasure hunting with a metal detector. Lilith Eden has bachelor’s degrees in anthropology and history.
AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industry’s only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, AuthorHouse celebrated 15 years of service to authors in Sept. 2011.For more information or to publish a book visit authorhouse.com or call 1-888-519-5121. For the latest, follow @authorhouse on Twitter.

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Harold A. Workman Jr. Unleashes His Poetic Talent in New Book

The Works Of A. Workman’ is a heartwarming poetry collection that offers love, hope and happiness in a world of pain and strife.

California City, CA (PRWEB) January 04, 2013
Passionate writer and hard-working contractor Harold A. Workman Jr. carefully weaves his romantic, poetic and inspiring take on life’s loss, pain, grief , happiness and success in his heartwarming and meaningful anthology, The Works Of A. Workman. This book contains poetic pieces that he has written throughout the course of his life. He aims to motivate and delight readers in looking at life in a more profound and joyful way.
Brimming with intense emotions, Workman’s poignant, deep and mystical poetic pieces will definitely touch many hearts and souls. His remarkable play with words, feelings and thoughts can bring both smiles and tears to readers. From grief to happiness, from solitary to harmony, from love to heartaches, from rejection to moving on, and more, the poems are an amazing blend of Workman’s feelings, hopes, insights, and learning. Highly stimulating, insightful, genuine, and fresh, this collection is his way of showing to all that life is a great adventure worth trying. Sometimes, it gets too hard that it’s better to renounce, give-up, surrender; it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel, however with the desire of hope, inspiration and truth interwoven in these poems, everyone will realize that everything is still worth it and life is the best roller coaster ride one can ever experience.
The Works Of A. Workman expresses true human emotions and feelings people feel at some point in their lives. It also reveals the positive side of life, which is often overlooked. The viewpoint of this book is to convey that life is a wonderful mystery. People can enjoy and learn from each and every adventure. It evokes a true luminous, magnetic power all on its own that is enough to give spark and glimmer to every reader’s life.
For more information on this book, interested parties may log on to http://www.Xlibris.com.
About the Author

Harold A. Workman Jr. has been writing poetry almost all of his life. He is a hard-working contractor that meets people from all walks of life. Poetry is Workman’s way of sharing his feelings and emotions.
The Works Of A. Workman* by Harold A. Workman Jr.

Volume 2

Publication Date: December 13, 2012

Trade Paperback; $19.99; 268 pages; 978-1-4797-5849-4

Trade Hardback; $29.99; 268 pages; 978-1-4797-5850-0

eBook; $3.99; 978-1-4797-5851-7
Members of the media who wish to review this book may request a complimentary paperback copy by contacting the publisher at (888) 795-4274 x. 7879. To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (610) 915-0294 or call (888) 795-4274 x. 7879.
For more information on self-publishing or marketing with Xlibris, visit http://www.Xlibris.com. To receive a free publishing guide, please call (888) 795-4274.

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Author Mary Margaret Jensen Pens Debut Fiction, ‘Against the Grain’

Farmington, NM (PRWEB) January 04, 2013
Author Mary Margaret Jensen hearkens readers to remember small-town life in the Southwest before technology changed history forever in her engaging new novel, “Against the Grain” (published by Trafford Publishing).
Set in mid-20th-century New Mexico, “Against the Grain” is narrated by Sandy, a middle-aged woman reminiscing on the events of her childhood. When she was 10-years-old, she witnessed the blooming romance between two locals who were largely looked upon as outcasts.
Neither Tobus nor Ruby were fully accepted by the locals; Tobus had a speech impediment and Ruby was noticeably obese. But to each other, they were a perfect match. The couple began a torrid love affair and before long decided to elope.
When Charley, Ruby's father and the local storekeeper, learned of the secret marriage, he went into a tirade. In fear Charley was to drive them apart, Ruby pled with Tobus that they leave the country. Believing she had Tobus persuaded that they go, she set the night of the community Halloween party for them to leave, but Tobus never came.
Readers are drawn into a world of mystery, intrigue and family secrets filled with complex characters coping with situations that are common to the human condition. Jensen has crafted a fast-paced, heartfelt novel that will resonate with a broad audience.
About the Author

Mary Margaret Jensen has been writing short stories since she was a child. Now a widow, she resides in New Mexico and has one son and two daughters. This is her first published book.
Trafford Publishing, an Author Solutions, Inc. author services imprint, was the first publisher in the world to offer an “on-demand publishing service,” and has led the independent publishing revolution since its establishment in 1995. Trafford was also one of the earliest publishers to utilize the Internet for selling books. More than 10,000 authors from over 120 countries have utilized Trafford’s experience for self publishing their books. For more information about Trafford Publishing, or to publish your book today, call 1-888-232-4444 or visit trafford.com.

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Brain Benefits for the Holidays? Stuff the Stocking with Video Games

Happy holidays! As the year draws to a close, one thing I'm celebrating is the fun I've had helping put together the magazine I edit, Scientific American Mind. I am looking forward to working on new articles and projects in 2013. (We have some surprises in store.) I'm pleased about my growing and attentive audience for Streams of Consciousness, too. Thank you for reading, thinking and, when you have to, taking me to task!
This post introduces the January/February 2013 Scientific American Mind, which debuted online Wednesday. If I sound a little giddy with optimism, it's because I truly am excited about the magazine, this blog, and what I get to do at my job everyday--and because that mood suits this post. It doesn't seem to hurt. In fact, I may have just managed to cheer myself up.
Wow, This Is An Amazing Story!
Optimism. Not everyone is upbeat about it, and the whole idea may be unproven. It could even have serious drawbacks, which we've detailed in previous stories (see "Can Positive Thinking Be Negative?" by Scott O. Lilienfeld and Hal Arkowitz). Still, I am often trying to fight my way over to the sunny side--and I think I'm going to keep at it. Why? For one thing, I like it over there. Plus, there is at least some data suggesting that my struggle to smile is worth it.
The health benefits of positive thinking may be tenuous, and some realistic pessimism is often warranted. But from a psychological standpoint, thinking everything is (or will be) fine is what resilience is all about. And on the flip side, wearing a dark lens puts us at risk for mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. In my experience, it's also more fun to believe in the positive, or at least emotionally neutral, aspects of a situation than to presume that the world is out to get you.
As Elaine Fox reports in "Tune Your Subliminal Biases Toward Optimism," a nervous person giving a speech has a choice: she can glob on to the person in the front row who is dozing in his seat or focus on the majority who are mesmerized. If your boss rushes by you impatiently one morning, you could assume she is mad at you--or simply running late. My latest favorite example from my own life comes from a colleague who told me that she loved going to the dentist, a dull and unpleasant task if there is one. "What exactly do you like about the dentist?" I asked, thinly disguising my incredulity. Her answer: "It's like a spa for your mouth." The feeling of clean teeth delighted her.
Some people, like my coworker, are predisposed toward positivity, others not so much. If you are in the not-so-much group, you can train yourself to adopt a more positive outlook using a simple computerized method called Cognitive Bias Modification. It uses a subliminal process to repeatedly direct attention either away from unpleasantness or toward appealing or happy stimuli or thoughts. A CBM app is not yet available for your smart phone, but you can still try some lower-tech tricks for worming out of your gloomy mood. Find out more by reading the story.
Value to Video Games?
If you are looking for other ways to spruce up your mind, check out an electronics store. Head straight for the first-person shooter video games, pick out a few and plan on spending your downtime practicing. Your arduous efforts ducking behind shipping containers and blasting enemy soldiers and aliens will pay off in mental currency. You will see with sharper eyes. You will reason in three dimensions with greater speed and clarity. And you will make better on-the-fly decisions in response to visual input. Training to be a laparoscopic surgeon or a pilot? Playing these games is perfect preparation.
Should we all run out and buy these electronic atrocities? I haven't--yet. I do worry about the violence, which can make people more aggressive, although the strongest effects wear off within half an hour, experts say. Some 8 percent of kids seem to get addicted to gaming, too, although I think if my kid had a problem with too much gaming, I'd have seen it already.
Allowing moderate use of these types of games might be reasonable in some cases, because the research on their benefits is strong and compelling (see "How Video Games Change the Brain," by Lydia Denworth). That said, as with anything you put in a child's (or adult's) hands, the person needs to be prepared to use it responsibly. People with emotional issues or who tend to be aggressive anyway may not be good candidates. And a child should be old enough to clearly understand the difference between fantasy and reality. Nobody wants to take chances with something as troublesome as violence, especially in light of the recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. Scientists and game designers are now trying to figure out how to create electronic entertainment that benefits the brain in a more peaceful fashion. When that happens, I'm on-board for sure.
Courtroom Justice
In another feature in the issue, a psychologist and a lawyer team up to show how psychological science can improve the accuracy of courtroom decisions, preventing miscarriages of justice in which the wrong person is put behind bars. They present evidence-based solutions for incorrect eyewitness accounts, false confessions, racial bias, prejudicial courtroom procedure and picking innocent individuals in subject line-ups. It's an important story with widespread implications and clear prescriptions for change (see "Your Brain on Trial," by Scott O. Lilienfeld and Robert Byron).
The issue also features a book excerpt describing a psychologist's tour of a high security prison. The goal of this terrifying trip: to extract advice from psychopaths. These conscienceless criminals, it turns out, have a lot to teach us. Their tendency toward ruthlessness, charm, focus and fearlessness can be astoundingly useful--although these traits must be tempered to avoid troublesome side effects (see "Wisdom from Psychopaths," by Kevin Dutton).

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