Friday, 26 October 2012

Big week of BCS scoreboard watching for Oregon

This is a big week for Oregon's BCS title hopes.

No, not because the second-ranked Ducks play hapless Colorado. That'll be a breeze.

The teams directly ahead of Oregon in the BCS standings (Alabama, Florida and Kansas State), and the one right behind (Notre Dame), are all playing ranked foes Saturday.

So the Ducks, fourth in the BCS standings, could get some of the help they need to move up ? or they could slip further back in the race to the national championship game.

It's a bit early to get overly worked up about the BCS pecking order. There are 11 undefeated teams in major college football, and the most there could be at the end of the season is seven. But you can whittle that down to four serious contenders for a spot in the BCS title game in Miami.

Ohio State is ineligible. Ohio University doesn't play a tough enough schedule. The Big East champion probably won't be able to climb over the top teams from the Southeastern Conference, Pac-12 and Big 12, and Notre Dame.

Out of the top five teams, Oregon seems to be the most likely to get left out of the national title game if more than two teams finish unbeaten. Excuse Ducks fans if they are a bit skittish. The BCS hasn't always worked out in their team's favor (see 2001 and '05).

Here's an example of the Ducks' problems: Notre Dame is at Oklahoma. If the Fighting Irish win, there's a chance they could jump the Ducks in the BCS standings the way Kansas State did last week. If Oklahoma wins, it makes Kansas State's victory at Oklahoma look even better and could push the Wildcats further ahead of the Ducks.

The Ducks' problems come down to schedule. Oregon's opponents so far just haven't been particularly good, and it's especially weighing the Ducks down in the computer ratings.

Oregon is second in both polls that are used in the BCS standings, but sixth in the computer rankings.

And part of Oregon's strength of schedule problem is Kansas State's fault. The Wildcats and Ducks were supposed to play each other last season in Manhattan, Kan., and this season in Eugene, Ore., but Kansas State backed out of the home-and-home when the Big 12 going to a nine-game conference schedule.

That left the Ducks with Arkansas State, Fresno State and Tennessee Tech to tuneup with this season. Oregon easily dispatched all three, but two months into the season the Ducks still don't have a marquee victory.

Obviously, Kansas State couldn't have known how this would play out, but it's looking like one of the best decisions coach Bill Snyder has made since returning to the sidelines.

After Colorado, the Ducks get into the teeth of their conference schedule with Southern California, Stanford and Oregon State all coming up, plus a possible Pac-12 title game (and maybe a rematch against USC). Win all those and the computers will spit out some different numbers on the Ducks.

Will it be enough to catch Kansas State if the Wildcats keep winning? Or fend off Notre Dame? Stay tuned.

The picks:

THURSDAY

No. 14 Clemson (minus 12) at Wake Forest

Tigers can't afford another ACC slip ... CLEMSON 31-17.

FRIDAY

Cincinnati (plus 3?) at No. 16 Louisville

Battle for the Keg of Nails will have Big East title implications ... LOUISVILLE 28-24.

SATURDAY

No. 13 Mississippi State (plus 24) at No. 1 Alabama

As line shows, Bulldogs have plenty of doubters ... ALABAMA 38-17.

Colorado (plus 45?) at No. 2 Oregon

Ducks have outscored opponents 199-49 in first half ... OREGON 50-14.

No. 3 Florida (plus 6?) vs. No. 12 Georgia at Jacksonville, Fla.

What happened to Bulldogs' defense? Last three opponents have averaged 211 per game on ground ... FLORIDA 31-23.

BEST BET

No. 15 Texas Tech (plus 7) at No. 4 Kansas State

Seth Doege for Heisman? If Red Raiders beat Wildcats, their QB could be a contender ... KANSAS STATE 41-31.

No. 5 Notre Dame (plus 10) at No. 8 Oklahoma

Best offense Fighting Irish have faced, but also best defense Sooners have faced ... OKLAHOMA 28-17.

UPSET SPECIAL

No. 7 Oregon State (minus 4?) at Washington

QB Sean Mannion (knee) returns for Beavers ... WASHINGTON 31-28.

No. 9 Ohio State (pick'em) at Penn State

Most interesting game in the Big Ten so far has no championship implications ... PENN STATE 35-31.

No. 10 Southern California (minus 6?) at Arizona

Matt Barkley's Heisman campaign resets ... USC 42-28.

Duke (plus 27?) at No. 11 Florida State

ACC title game preview? Hard to say it with a straight face ... FLORIDA STATE 45-14.

Tennessee (plus 14) at No. 17 South Carolina

Two straight losses have derailed Gamecocks' championship hopes ... SOUTH CAROLINA 35-24.

Kent State (plus 13?) at No. 18 Rutgers

Beware the MAC ... RUTGERS 31-14.

Washington State (plus 24?) at No. 19 Stanford

First season at Wazzu has been forgettable for Mike Leach ... STANFORD 43-14.

No. 20 Michigan (plus 2?) at Nebraska

Denard Robinson tends not to play well against good defenses. Not a problem this week ... MICHIGAN 33-27.

No. 21 Boise State (minus 16?) at Wyoming

Defense carrying the Broncos ... BOISE STATE 28-14.

No. 22 Texas A&M (minus 15) at Auburn

Coach Gene Chizik and Tigers desperately need a victory ... TEXAS A&M 35-24.

No. 23 Ohio (minus 7) at Miami, Ohio

Bobcats are unbeaten, but have been living dangerously ... OHIO 37-33.

___

Last week's record: 18-3 (straight); 8-13 (vs. points)

Season record: 134-26 (straight); 77-65 (vs. points)

Best bets: 2-6.

Upset specials: 4-4.

___

Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphdurssoAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-10-24-FBC-T25-College-FB-Picks/id-05448334698445c28367916a5e03a4e6

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Saturday, 20 October 2012

National Dems jump into DesJarlais race in Tenn.

(AP) ? National Democratic groups have begun to target a Tennessee race rocked by revelations that the Republican incumbent, a doctor, once discussed abortion with a patient who was his mistress.

The House Majority PAC, the campaign committee associated with House Democratic leaders, on Friday announced it is spending $100,000 on TV ads criticizing Rep. Scott DesJarlais.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has added DesJarlais' challenger, state Sen. Eric Stewart, to its "Red to Blue" list of 55 candidates to receive camapaign cash, though it didn't say how much.

DesJarlais, a physician from southeastern Tennessee, doesn't dispute the contents of a transcript of the recorded conversation, but says he used stark language to push the woman to admit she wasn't pregnant. He claims there was no pregnancy and no abortion.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-10-19-DesJarlais-Abortion/id-0f52f5fc9ed54d83bf96307e2ca03715

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Friday, 19 October 2012

'Paranormal Activity' Looks To Possess Box Office

Liam Neeson's 'Taken 2' will likely give up its #1 spot to the latest in the found-footage horror series.
By Ryan J. Downey


"Paranormal Activity 4"
Photo: Paramount Pictures

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1695842/paranormal-activity-4-taken-2.jhtml

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Google results miss; shares dive after premature report

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc's quarterly results fell well short of Wall Street's expectations after its core advertising business slowed, stunning investors accustomed to consistently rapid growth from the Internet giant and wiping more than 9 percent off its market value.

The disappointing numbers on Thursday came hours ahead of schedule in a rare instance of premature filing. Google blamed the misfire on an unauthorized filing by its financial printers, RR Donnelley & Sons Co, and later confirmed the numbers' accuracy.

The earnings report, which had not been expected until after the market close, revealed a weakening in Google's core Internet advertising business and persistent losses at its recently acquired cellphone business, Motorola Mobility.

Shares of Google, the world's No. 1 Internet search engine, finished Thursday's regular trading session down 8 percent at $695 after a brief trading halt. Some analysts said the inadvertent results release spurred confusion and exacerbated its stock price decline.

Google executives maintained in a conference call on Thursday that the company's various businesses continued to benefit from healthy growth and that Google was well-positioned to capitalize on consumer's increasing use of mobile devices.

Chief Executive Larry Page, speaking on his first earnings call since an unspecified voice ailment sidelined him from public speaking in June, said that Google's mobile business was now generating revenue at an annualized run rate of $8 billion.

Page acknowledged that mobile ad rates were below the rates that Google garners for ads that appear on its standard website. But he said the variety of Web-connected devices used by consumers is creating "a huge new universe of opportunities for advertisers."

"We're uniquely positioned to get through that transition and to really profit from it," Page said, citing Google's Android mobile software, the world's top operating system for smartphones by market share.

Google, which has been struggling to turn around a Motorola Mobility hardware business it bought for $12.5 billion, reported a 20 percent dive in net income to $2.18 billion. Excluding certain items, it earned $9.03 a share, vastly underperforming the $10.65 analysts had expected, on average.

"We have been saying this thing was ripe for a pullback. It's not like they're Google not being Google, but you still have some major issues," said BCG analyst Colin Gillis.

"Click prices declined for the fourth consecutive quarter after rising for eight consecutive quarters before then. That's a negative. This is the mobile problem."

"The other bit is the Motorola millstone had been ignored by the market, and - boom - now you've got weak revenue from Motorola. When you acquire a business and you're about to whack all kinds of people and close offices, you know what happens to the employees? They take their eye off the ball. Sales are down," Gillis explained.

Net revenue growth at Google's main Internet business increased 17 percent year-over-year, the first time growth in that business has fallen below 20 percent since 2009. Google Finance Chief Patrick Pichette stressed on the conference call that the revenue growth rate was higher if the impact of foreign currency exchange rates was backed out.

"It was just too rapid a deceleration," said Pivotal Research Group analyst Brian Wieser. "Many of the same underlying trends drive Facebook advertising."

Shares of Facebook Inc, which headed south shortly after Google's inadvertent filing, closed down 4.6 percent. Google's snafu recalled Facebook's debut, which was marred by technical glitches that also spooked traders and contributed to the stock's first-day decline.

The decline in Google's shares come after a three-month run-up in its stock, which reached an all-time high of $774.38 earlier this month.

A BAD MISS?

Google reported net revenue - excluding traffic acquisition costs - of $11.3 billion for the third quarter, below Wall Street's expectations for about $11.9 billion.

For the fourth consecutive quarter, the company reported a decline in average cost-per-click (CPC), a critical metric that denotes the price advertisers pay Google.

Average CPC declined 15 percent from a year ago and 3 percent from the second quarter of this year. Analysts say that Google, like many of its peers in the Internet industry, has been struggling to adapt to the rapid consumer uptake in mobile devices. Advertisers pay far less for ads on smartphones and tablets than for similar ads on desktop computers.

"The core business seems to have slowed down pretty significantly, which is shocking," said B. Riley analyst Sameet Sinha. "The only conclusion I can look at is, search is happening more and more outside of Google, meaning people are searching more through apps than through Google search."

"That could indicate a secular change, especially when it comes to ecommerce searches. The big fear has always been, what if people decide just to go straight to Amazon and do their searches? And potentially that's what could be happening."

But Ryan Jacob, chairman and chief investment officer of Jacob Funds, said he viewed Google's results as only "minorly disappointing," with most of the weakness coming from Motorola as expected.

"Unfortunately, by dropping an 8K in the middle of a trading day, people kind of shoot first, ask questions later," said Jacob, whose fund owns Google shares.

JP Morgan analyst Doug Anmuth said in a note that the Google results were "light" but not as bad as they appeared at "first blush."

FILING SNAFU

Google, which recently overtook Microsoft Corp to become the second-largest U.S. technology company by capitalization, had been due to release its results after the market close.

The second paragraph of the press release merely read "Pending Larry quote," suggesting that space was reserved for comment from CEO Larry Page.

"Earlier this morning RR Donnelley, the financial printer, informed us that they had filed our draft 8K earnings statement without authorization," Google said in a statement. "We have ceased trading on NASDAQ while we work to finalize the document. Once it's finalized we will release our earnings, resume trading on NASDAQ and hold our earnings call as normal at 1:30 PM PT."

Shares of RR Donnelley, the U.S. printing services company, slid as much as 5 percent. They closed down 1 percent at $10.76.

Reed Kathrein, a plaintiff lawyer with Hagens Berman who sues companies on behalf of investors, said investors would not have a claim against either Google or RR Donnelley because the earnings disclosure was likely a mistake.

"There's no fraudulent intent here," Kathrein said.

However, Google could have a negligence claim against RR Donnelly to recover any additional costs it incurred in responding to the incident, Kathrein added.

"Everyone is trying to figure out if there's any legal issue with respect to RR Donnelley," said Michael Matousek, senior trader at U.S. Global Investors Inc, which manages about $3 billion in San Antonio.

(Additional reporting by Gerry Shih and Noel Randewich in San Francisco, David Gaffen and Jennifer Saba in New York; Editing by Bernard Orr and Gary Hill)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/google-jumps-gun-results-revenue-soft-164129195--sector.html

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Thursday, 18 October 2012

Mayfly with springtail hitchhiker: Amber specimen -- 16 million years old -- reveals unknown animal behaviors

ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2012) ? Stunning images, including video footage, from a CT scan of amber have revealed the first evidence of any creature using an adult mayfly for transport.

Researchers at the University of Manchester say this 16-million-year-old hitchhiker most likely demonstrates activity that is taking place today but has never previously been recorded.

Entombed in amber the tiny springtail can be seen resting in a v-shaped depression at the base of one of the mayfly's wings. It appears to have secured itself for transport using its prehensile antennae.

Dr David Penney and colleagues from the Faculty of Life Sciences and the School of Materials used a high resolution CT scanner to take over 3,000 X-rays from different angles.

The scientists then created slices, showing the fossil in cross sections. From these slices 3D digital images of the springtail were made so an accurate analysis of its behaviour could be conducted.

Dr Penney says: "The images are really impressive. This pioneering approach to studying fossils has allowed us an insight into the behaviour of one of the world's most prevalent organisms."

Springtails are minute creatures (usually only 1-2mm long) related to true insects. They're found around the world in great numbers, including here in the UK. Gardeners will recognise them as the tiny insects that hop around when soil is disturbed. They readily colonize newly-formed islands but very little is known about how they manage to migrate. One of the reasons is that they are incredibly nervous creatures and have an astonishing ability to leap away from danger using a springing organ (the furca) on the underside of the abdomen, which makes observing them in life very difficult.

Interestingly, when the 3D image of the springtail in amber is magnified it's possible to see that the springtail is very slightly detached (by just 50 micrometres) from the mayfly. This suggests it was attempting to spring away as the amber set around it.

Only one previous case of phoresy (the transportation of one organism by another) has been recorded for springtails. This was found in a piece of Baltic amber where five springtails were hooked in a row on the leg of a harvestman arachnid.

It was this discovery in 2010 which prompted Dr Penney to take a closer look at his own specimen. "I had initially thought the creature on the mayfly may have been a tiny nymphal pseudoscorpion, as they are known to use other creatures for transport, and this behaviour is not uncommon to see in amber. I was interested in the fact that this was the first time a creature had been found on an adult mayfly but I didn't truly appreciate the significance of my find until I used the CT scanner and was able to identify the animal as a springtail."

Phoresy in adult mayflies has never before been recorded. They live for just a short period of time from one hour to a few days depending on the species. The primary function of the adult stage is reproduction and they are unable to feed. This makes it very difficult to study mayflies in their natural habitat and record instances of phoresy.

The amber specimen encasing the mayfly and the springtail provides an accurate snapshot of behaviour that scientists wouldn't otherwise be able to record, highlighting one important application of the fossil record for understanding the present. The near perfect condition of the mayfly demonstrates that it died instantaneously and wasn't moved far from where it rested when the resin ran over it. Equally the position of the springtail resting on the back of the mayfly and the fact that it is in contact with the creature means the pair were unlikely to have been brought together by the resin as it moved down the tree.

The details of Dr Penney's research has been published in the journal, PLOS ONE. More analysis of amber using CT scans is continuing.

Dr Penney says: "The CT scan allows us to build up a 3D image that catches minute details of the animal. We can rotate the image to see parts of the creature that are obscured when looking from the outside in. In effect, we are able to digitally dissect the fossil without causing any damage to it whatsoever. This technology has revolutionised how we study fossils and the findings are incredibly exciting."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Manchester.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Penney D, McNeil A, Green DI, Bradley RS, Jepson JE, et al. Ancient Ephemeroptera?Collembola Symbiosis Fossilized in Amber Predicts Contemporary Phoretic Associations. PLoS ONE, 2012; 7 (10): e47651 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0047651

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/K9UQfjJDIhM/121017181349.htm

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GOPs' Broun vs Darwin in Ga. House race

(AP) ? Having denounced evolution as a lie "straight from the pit of hell," Republican Rep. Paul Broun has won himself a new political opponent: Charles Darwin.

An ultraconservative congressman whose district includes the University of Georgia campus, Broun told a Baptist church last month that evolution, embryology and the Big Bang theory were lies spread by scientists out to erode people's faith in Jesus Christ. He also claimed the Earth is roughly 9,000 years, a view held by fundamentalist Christians based on biblical accounts of creation.

Now scientists are questioning whether Broun, a medical doctor and a Baptist from Athens, should serve on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee if he rejects widely accepted scientific ideas. And a talk radio host in nearby Atlanta is trying to rally voters to cast write-in votes for Darwin, the English naturalist who first published his theory of evolution in 1859.

Religious fundamentalists like Broun damage the Republican brand, said Neal Boortz, the libertarian-leaning radio host who has a strong following among Georgia conservatives.

"It makes Republicans look like knee-dragging, still-tending, tobacco-spitting Neanderthals," Boortz said.

A Facebook page promoting Darwin for Congress went up Oct. 8 urging supporters to take a stand against Broun.

But the laws of political science hold that Broun will likely win re-election to a fourth term. He has no Democratic opponent in the election Nov. 6 and Georgia law requires write-in candidates to register by early September. That, and Darwin is long dead.

"Dr. Broun welcomes Mr. Darwin as a challenger and is particularly looking forward to the debate portion of the campaign," the congressman's spokeswoman, Meredith Griffanti, said in an e-mail Wednesday evening. "We're sure it will be very lively."

The write-in campaign is tongue-in-cheek, said Jim Leebens-Mack, a plant biologist at the University of Georgia who started the Facebook page. But its supporters hope Darwin gets enough votes to pressure Republicans into removing Broun from a leadership post on the House Science Committee. Kevin Smith, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

"I'd think the Republican Party would want to put a serious legislator in this seat rather than have Paul Broun," Leebens-Mack said.

Griffanti had previously said the congressman's Sept. 27 comments to a banquet at Liberty Baptist Church of Hartwell were intended as off-the-record statements about his personal beliefs. The church posted video of the congressman's speech on its website.

"God's word is true," Broun said in the video. "I've come to understand that. All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and Big Bang theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of hell. And it's lies to try to keep me and all the folks who are taught that from understanding that they need a savior."

Mark Farmer, the biological sciences chairman at the University of Georgia, said Broun should resign his committee seat or be removed.

"If you truly don't understand or accept the basic tenets of modern science, I find it difficult to see how you could be making basic judgments about science policy," Farmer said.

___

Bynum reported from Savannah. Follow Ray Henry at http://twitter.com/rhenryAP.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-10-17-US-Congressman-vs-Darwin/id-45cf0403a36a49118f89036c2d07431f

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