The singer proposed to his girlfriend Erin Brady after five years! See more stars who are planning to tie the knot
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Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
India, UK: Killing of an Indian Student in the UK Stirs Up Racism Debate
On Monday (26/12/2011) Anuj Bidve, a 23yr old Indian student from Pune, was shot dead at point blank range, as he walked with friends near their hotel in Salford, Greater Manchester, UK. Witnesses reported that the killing was without provocation; apparently, the killer had stopped Anuj and had asked him the time and despite a polite response shot him in the head and ran away. Anuj's father said that the family first got to know of the terrible tragedy, via Facebook.
The incident, which is now being seen as a hate crime by the local authorities, has fired the racism debate once again. Netizens across India and the UK reacted strongly to the murder.
Screenshot from the Facebook Page - Justice for Anuj
A section of the Tweeple, both from the UK as well as India, expressed sorrow and sympathy at the incident.
@ciarandearden: The more I hear about the tragic murder of Anuj Bidve, the more disgusted I am by this heinous crime.
@MissLButtercup: To the family of Anuj Bidve I am ashamed this has happened in my country.
@LolaMariachi: Just back to Salford Quays after Christmas. Sad to see flowers up for Anuj and TV Vans parked up. Sad times.
@MichaelPayneUK Michael Payne My thoughts are with family & friends of Anuj Bidve, 23yr old Lancaster Uni PG student who was killed in an attack in Salford yesterday
@super_bhav: My thoughts go out to the family of #anuj #bidve so sorry for your loss #salford #shooting #mindless #violence
Others however, also expressed outrage at what they felt was the tragic outcome of? a racist attack. There was a strong call for bringing the culprits to book as soon as possible and mete out strong punishment that would act as a deterrent in the future.
@shekharkapur:? #Anuj Bidve's random killing in UK is a disgusting racist attack tht needs 2 b condemned. Whts happenin 2 British Society?
@tomilis: Sad to see death of Anuj Bidve in Manchester. World isn't safe for those with our skin colour anymore it seems?
@loserSamay:The killing of #Anuj in Manchester must be condemn and the culprits must be sentenced.i thought racist attack in Britain was thing of past.
@AmitabhTiwari:#Anuj Bidve's killing proves that only Indians follow the philosophy of atithi devo bhavah! (a guest is like God)
@scutts:What a cowardly act to shoot Indian student #Anuj #Bidve. Hope the scum are caught quick. #bringbackhanging
@davidmonkton: David Monkton Remember the family and friends of Anuj Bidve. His death in Salford makes us ALL sad that ?crimes of hatred' take place in our country
@OwenJones84: The horrendous murder of Anuj Bidve is being treated as a hate crime. No rest until all forms of racism are driven from our society
@chet_a_chet: The killing an Indian student Anuj Bidve in UK is being called a ?hate Crime? here by the media. It was clearly a racial murder.
@dhulston:After riots we pulled together we need the same approach to clear the city of this scum. Action against #racism
The police have already made a couple of arrests and have appealed to the community for their support in solving the case. They have also announced a reward against information on the killers. That there is support for the police investigation from the local community that feels shamed at this turn of events is evident from this tweet:
@Bethel76: I am proud to live in Salford. The shooting of Anuj Bidve is a terrible crime. The police have support of the communities. #prayforhisfamily
The topic of racism is being discussed and debated in forums and on Facebook as well. For example, in the forum YouBihar, Chalu Chamar writes:
It seems racism is still rampant in?Modern?British Society otherwise we would not be reading such news.
While some have been quick to generalize and paint the entire British society with? the same brush, there are also other voices which offer a more moderate and balanced point of view on the issue of racism. For example, Sumit Ranjan comments in the above-mentioned forum discussion:
My tributes to the innocent Indian killed. May God give strength and courage to his family, friends and loved ones to bear this great loss. On the topic, sadly, racism does exist in England. I have personally faced it on few occasions and I will not deny it. But, at the same time, I would also like to?? say that the majority of the people are not racists. I have got many British friends who stood up for me and even fought some weirdo who had passed some racist comments at me recently in a pub and was trying to act smart. And btw, are we saying racism doesn't exist in India? That would be dishonest too? In my view, it?s a common problem.. but the extent of it may be different in different countries..
The debate as well as the investigation into the killing continues. In the meantime, Anuj's family is leaving no stone unturned to try and get his body back to India for performing his last rites.
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thenokian9blog: We like your style! RT @Rog007: I just voted for N9 in Nokia Community Awards 2011. Your vote http://t.co/YmzSgkib
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We like your style! RT @Rog007: I just voted for N9 in Nokia Community Awards 2011. Your vote nokia.ly/sqphPF 
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Thursday, December 29, 2011
Kindle Accessory Maker Files Suit Against Amazon
M-Edge, a small Maryland-based company responsible for many popular Kindle cases, last week filed suit against Amazon. According to the Wall Street Journal, M-Edge claims that Amazon has repeatedly tried to change the terms of a contract put into place all the way back in 2009, and has bullied the accessory maker each time it fights back. In the original contract, Amazon was to receive a 15 percent commission on all sales that go through Amazon's Kindle store front. Apparently this wasn't enough for Amazon, who later requested an increase in commission to 32 percent and threatened to remove M-Edge cases from the store if the Maryland-based company didn't concede.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/sBPTB77nPc8/
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JewishJournal: Israel doubts Europe will stop Iran atom project http://t.co/w5ghX1BO
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Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Why Unwrap Presents When You Have X-Ray Gift Vision? [Shooting Challenge]
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those unavoidable Ryanair charges and the best currency to take on holiday to Mexico
This week: those unavoidable Ryanair charges and the best currency to take on holiday to Mexico ??
?????Monday 26th December, 2011??Source: The Independent ??
| Q. I am fully aware of the various fees Ryanair charges and how to avoid them, but I have just discovered it now charges for online check-in at 6 per person. This is scandalous, since there is no other way to check-in without incurring a charge. Surely someone should be taking it to task for this? Richard Hunt | Breaking News |
|
Source: http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?rid=202143932&cat=968d25eaf1a5e264
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Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Nigeria fears more bombs after 35 die at church
ABUJA?? At a Nigerian Catholic church where a Christmas Day terror attack killed 35 people and injured at least 52, women tried to clean the sanctuary ahead of Mass on Monday while one man wept uncontrollably amid the debris.
Outside St. Theresa Catholic Church, crowds gathered among the burned-out cars in the dirt parking lot, angry over the attack claimed by a radical Muslim sect and fearful that the group will target more churches.
Rev. Father Christopher Jataudarde said Sunday's blast happened as church officials gave parishioners white powder as part of a tradition celebrating the birth of Christ.
Some already had left the church at the time of the bombing, causing the massive casualties. In the chaos after the bombing, Jataudarde said one mortally wounded man, cradling his shredded stomach, begged him for religious atonement.
"Father, pray for me, I will not survive," the man said, according to the priest.
At least 52 people were hurt in the attack, said Slaku Luguard, a coordinator with Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency. Victims filled the cement floors of a nearby government hospital, some crying in pools of their own blood.
Other attacks by the radical Muslim sect Boko Haram on Christmas left a total of 39 dead across Africa's most populous nation. A bomb also exploded amid gunfire in the central Nigeria city of Jos and a suicide car bomber attacked the military in the nation's northeast.
After the bombings, a Boko Haram spokesman using the nom de guerre Abul-Qaqa claimed responsibility for the attacks in an interview with The Daily Trust, the newspaper of record across Nigeria's Muslim north. The sect has used the newspaper in the past to communicate with public.
"There will never be peace until our demands are met," the newspaper quoted the spokesman as saying. "We want all our brothers who have been incarcerated to be released; we want full implementation of the Sharia system and we want democracy and the constitution to be suspended."
Boko Haram has carried out increasingly sophisticated and bloody attacks in its campaign to implement strict Shariah law across Nigeria, a multiethnic nation of more than 160 million people. The group, whose name means "Western education is sacrilege" in the local Hausa language, is responsible for at least 504 killings this year alone, according to an Associated Press count.
This Christmas attack comes a year after a series of Christmas Eve bombings in Jos claimed by the militants left at least 32 dead and 74 wounded. The group also claimed responsibility for the Aug. 26 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Nigeria's capital Abuja that killed 24 people and wounded 116 others.
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While initially targeting enemies via hit-and-run assassinations from the back of motorbikes after the 2009 riot, violence by Boko Haram now has a new sophistication and apparent planning that includes high-profile attacks with greater casualties.
That has fueled speculation about the group's ties as it has splintered into at least three different factions, diplomats and security sources say. They say the more extreme wing of the sect maintains contact with terror groups in North Africa and Somalia.
Targeting Boko Haram has remained difficult, as sect members are scattered throughout northern Nigeria and the nearby countries of Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
Analysts say political considerations also likely play a part in the country's thus-far muted response: President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian from the south, may be hesitant to use force in the nation's predominantly Muslim north.
Speaking late Sunday at a prayer service, Jonathan described the bombing as an "ugly incident."
"There is no reason for these kind of dastardly acts," the president said in a ceremony aired by the state-run Nigerian Television Authority. "It's one of the burdens as a nation we have to carry. We believe it will not last forever."
? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45790505/ns/world_news-africa/
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Gender discrimination in Israel on the firing line
Published: Dec. 25, 2011 at 8:45 AM
JERUSALEM, Dec. 25 (UPI) -- Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Sunday issued a harsh rebuke against gender discrimination and called for the arrests of men who harass women .
Netanyahu referred to a report of an 8-year-old girl who was harassed by ultra-orthodox Jewish males as she walked to school in Beit Shemesh. Channel 2 Friday night said the males spat at her and called her names, and she is now afraid to walk to school.
"In liberal, western democracies the public space is open and secure for everyone -- men and women alike. There is no place here for any harassment or discrimination," The Jerusalem Post quoted Netanyahu saying at Sunday's cabinet meeting.
The prime minister instructed Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch to arrest those responsible for harassing women and ordered all government ministries and municipal authorities to remove signs calling for gender segregation, the newspaper said.
The latest incident comes days after an Israeli woman refused to adhere to calls by members of the ultra-orthodox community to move to the rear of the bus bound for Jerusalem.
Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5662611432
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Monday, December 26, 2011
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Cruise Claims #1 Spot at Christmas
Scoring his first number one film in a lead role since his last turn as Ethan Hunt, Tom Cruise scaled to the top of the charts over a sluggish Christmas session with his latest spy sequel Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol which topped the North American box office in its first round of wide release. The top three spots were all sophomore sequels playing musical chairs from last week's rankings as the batch of new holiday releases were met with more modest turn-outs settling for slots in the middle of the top ten. Overall sales were disturbingly slow but studios are hoping that the week ahead will see heavy traffic at multiplexes thanks to the extra time off so many people will have. Monday is a national day off and should see a strong spike in activity for all films.
Christmas Eve is always a soft moviegoing day due to last-minute holiday distractions and theaters closing early so with it falling on the prime day of Saturday this year, weekend grosses took a beating for every movie. But what was alarming was that total ticket sales even dipped below grosses from 2005 when the calendar was the exact same even though ticket prices were lower back then and there were no 3D surcharges added to the mix.
Expanding nationwide after five days of exclusive play on large-format screens, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol was the top film among moviegoers over Santa weekend grossing an estimated $26.5M over the Friday-to-Sunday period. The fourth installment in the long-running Paramount series averaged $7,696 from 3,448 theaters which was good given the hit all films took on Christmas Eve. Adding in the earlier limited run in IMAX and other large-format venues, the cume stands at a solid $59M with a red hot holiday week still to come when everyday behaves like a Saturday. Ghost Protocol will easily beat the $134M domestic final of the last film, 2006's Mission: Impossible III, and although it is too early to conclude, it also has a shot at challenging the $215.4M of 2000's MI2 to become the top-grossing installment of the series. After the disappointing results five years ago of the last flick, and all the negative publicity Cruise attracted in recent years, most thought this franchise could not make a comeback like this.
Dropping 55% in its second weekend to second place was the tentpole sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows with an estimated $17.8M raising the ten-day tally to $76.6M. Even factoring out the Christmas Eve effect, it was a large decline for a pricey pic coming off of a softer-than-expected opening. All the new choices for grown-ups certainly affected the turn out and teens are not contributing significantly to the grosses. Shadows currently is running 45% behind the pace of the first Sherlock although that film had a much stronger playing period in its first ten days since it debuted on Christmas Day.
Fellow sophomore sequel Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked fared better dropping 43% from its opening frame to an estimated $13.3M ranking third for the session. The Fox release has taken in $50.3M in ten days and is running 40% behind the first Alvin from 2007 which had a very similar pre-Christmas calender. With kids now out of school and on break, the studio is expecting stellar daily grosses for the next week.
Sony's much-hyped The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo opened in fourth place with a mediocre start grossing an estimated $13M over the Friday-to-Sunday weekend and $21.4M since debuting on Tuesday night. Directed by David Fincher, the R-rated remake of the hit Swedish film averaged only $4,461 from 2,914 locations and like other films is hoping to pick up solid numbers during the holiday week ahead. The studio projected a very aggressive 133% Saturday-to-Sunday jump while other major adult-skewing films estimated 50-80% boosts. Reviews were quite good and the Daniel Craig starrer has even scored some notices during awards season, however the dark and violent subject matter coupled with intense competition for the attention of mature adults led to an underwhelming result over the happy and cheery yuletide holiday. Still, a domestic final of $100M cannot be ruled out this early in the run.
Steven Spielberg had a bumpy start to his Christmas double feature offering for North American movie fans. The animated actioner The Adventures of Tintin bowed to just $9.1M this weekend, according to estimates, with $13.9M across the five-day debut period of Wednesday-to-Sunday. The domestic total including the earlier run in Quebec which began on December 9 is $17.1M. The 3D Paramount release played in 3,087 theaters and averaged a weak $2,956 but with sensational reviews is hoping to find American audiences over time. The property is not too well-known in the United States which always posed a challenge. Tintin opened in Europe and most international territories in October and has banked a stellar $240M+ overseas already making the U.S. not too important to the overall picture. Other films generated more excitement with parents and kids have been turning up in bigger numbers for the more familiar Alvin and the Chipmunks pic even though it is in its second weekend.
Also slow out of the gate, but well-positioned to gain some ground during the holiday week ahead, was the Matt Damon drama We Bought a Zoo which opened on Friday and collected an estimated $7.8M over the weekend from 3,117 locations for a dull $2,502 average. The PG-rated film was not based on any brand that would lead to upfront excitement and Damon is not much of a box office draw outside of the action genre so Fox has been counting on positive buzz from regular moviegoers to help it sell the film. Two rounds of sneak previews weeks ago and the two days of nationwide release before Christmas Day were intended to get the feel-good film in front of ordinary people who would then spread strong word-of-mouth over the holidays allowing those recommendations to kick in from December 25 onwards. An encouraging A grade from CinemaScore indicates that the product is indeed pleasing ticket buyers so Zoo numbers will have to be watched in the days and weeks ahead. Reviews have been mixed and won't help the cause too much, but working in the film's favor is that it is the only truly American film for grown-ups among all the major films this holiday week. Other films feature some combination of foreign settings, charcters, and actors.
Holdovers with modest grosses rounded out the top ten. The Warner Bros. comedy New Year's Eve tumbled 59% to an estimated $3M giving the ensemble pic a disappointing $32.3M to date. With its namesake holiday having arrived, the 3D toon Arthur Christmas dipped only 24% to an estimated $2.7M for a lackluster $44.2M cume to date. Audiences are notorious for losing interest in Santa-themed films from December 26 onwards. Disney's The Muppets followed with an estimated $2M, down 43%, for a $75.6M sum. Off 43% was another PG-rated Thanksgiving leftover, Martin Scorsese's acclaimed 3D drama Hugo, which also collected an estimated $2M giving Paramount a not-too-impressive $43.7M to date.
The top ten films grossed an estimated $97.3M which was down 22% from last year when Little Fockers opened in the top spot with $30.8M; and down a steep 62% from 2009's record frame when Avatar stayed at number one with $75.6M.
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Sunday, December 25, 2011
Obesity Linked to Higher Esophageal Cancer Death Rates (HealthDay)
FRIDAY, Dec. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Obese people who have had surgery to treat esophageal cancer are twice as likely to have a recurrence of the disease or die from cancer within five years as patients of normal weight, according to a new study.
In the study, published in the Dec. 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., suggested their findings could change the way some doctors treat obese patients with this type of cancer.
The investigators followed 778 people who had surgery for esophageal cancer and found that those who were classified as obese (a body mass index of 30 or higher) had a five-year survival rate of 18 percent. That survival rate jumped to 36 percent among people who were not overweight.
"Obesity is considered a risk factor in the development of this cancer, which is known to be both highly lethal and increasingly common," the study's lead investigator, Dr. Harry Yoon, an oncologist at the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, said in a Mayo news release. "But prior to this study, we did not really understand the impact of obesity in this upper gastrointestinal cancer."
The study authors pointed out that their findings applied only to nonsmokers who had their esophagus removed. Yoon added that previous research has linked obesity to greater risk for cancer as well as increased risk of death from other types of tumors because extra weight results in a chronic inflammatory state.
The researchers noted their findings could change the approach they take with obese patients with esophageal cancer.
"As an oncologist, I did not typically speak to my patients about excess body weight as part of their care, because we are more often concerned about weight loss and maintaining proper nutrition, but that may change," said Yoon. "It would be helpful to be able to offer patients some measures that they can take to possibly impact their prognosis."
More information
The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about obesity and cancer.
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Common gets through 'low point' to record 9th CD (AP)
NEW YORK ? Most people are excited before recording a new album, but Common didn't particularly feel that way.
He says before making his ninth album, "The Dreamer, the Believer," he was at a low point musically.
"I hadn't figured out what I was going to do, what label I was going to work with," he said. "I wasn't inspired."
Common had major success with 2005's "Be" and "Finding Forever," which came two years later. The albums reached gold status and each earned multiple Grammy nominations, including a win for best rap performance by a duo or group for "Southside" with Kanye West. Both albums were mainly produced by West.
But 2008's "Universal Mind Control," produced by the Neptunes, was a commercial disappointment, only selling 245,000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan; the CD, however, did earn a Grammy nomination for best rap album.
But Common parted ways with Universal Music, where he's released five of his nine albums.
Now, on Warner Bros. Records, the rapper said he's got his mojo back, mainly thanks to producer and longtime friend No I.D.
"He was willing to be like, `Yo, let's go! Let's get it. Let's go get on this hip-hop,'" Common recalled. "So I think that meant a lot to me and from there we just continued to grow."
The album, released Tuesday, features Nas, Maya Angelou, John Legend and Makeba Riddick. The 39-year-old says the disc embarks on "real, traditional, new hip-hop."
_____
Online:
http://www.thinkcommon.com/
_____
Mesfin Fekadu covers entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/musicmesfin
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Saturday, December 24, 2011
Franklin County community calendar
Saturday, Dec. 24
Chambersburg
Breakfast, Chambersburg High School Class of 1965, 9 a.m., Greenvillage Drive-In Family Restaurant, 5440 Philadelphia Ave.; Della Fleagle Claar at 263-3097.
Mercersburg
Carillon recital, Julia Littleton, midnight, Mercersburg Academy Chapel, 300 E. Seminary St.
Orrtanna
Live nativity, 6 to 8 p.m., Mountain Top Ministries, 200 Church Road; 334-5430 or 334-9709. Sunday, Dec. 25
Fayetteville
Christmas meal, 3 to 6 p.m., Otterbein United Methodist Church, 61 W. Main St.; reservations are closed.
Greencastle
Model railroad open house, noon to 3 p.m., residence of Leighton Scott, 594 Shannon Drive; 597-3902 or leescottdesign@gmail.com.
Monday, Dec. 26
Chambersburg
Open house, noon to 5 p.m., Cumberland Valley Model Railroad Club, 440 Nelson St.; http://www.cvmrrc.com.
Tuesday, Dec. 27
Chambersburg
Meeting, Noontime Lions Club, noon, The Orchards, 1580 Orchard Drive.
Shippensburg
Reins of Rhythm Riding and Horsemanship Program, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fine Line Stable, 470 McCulloch Road; for ages 7 to 11; Anastasia Kissel at 504-3852 or Patience Groomes at 228-8037.
Wednesday, Dec. 28
Shippensburg
Blood drive, noon to 6 p.m., Messiah United Methodist Church, 30 S.
Penn St.Thursday, Dec. 29
Chambersburg
Meeting, Chambersburg Rotary, 12:15 p.m., The Orchards, 1580 Orchard Drive.
Greencastle
Blood drive, 1 to 7 p.m., First Assembly of God Church, 525 E. Leitersburg St.
Friday, Dec. 30
Mercersburg
Film, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn," 7:30 p.m., Star Theatre, 23 W. Seminary St.; http://www.newstartheatre.com.
Saturday, Dec. 31
Chambersburg
Dinner/concert, with Randy Simpson, New Season, Mercy's Vessel and Cornerstone Quartet, 5:30 p.m. to midnight, Solomon's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 4856 Wayne Road. Tickets at door and Sunnyway Foods in Chambersburg and Greencastle; 264-5138.
Greencastle
Pork and sauerkraut meal, for ages 55 and older, noon, Camp Joy El, 3741 Joy El Drive; free; reservations required, call 369-4539 or e-mail info@joyel.org.
Mercersburg
Film, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn," 7:30 p.m., Star Theatre, 23 W. Seminary St.; http://www.newstartheatre.com.
Carillon recital, Charles Farris, midnight, Mercersburg Academy Chapel, 300 E. Seminary St. Shippensburg
Drop the Anchor, 7 p.m., downtown Shippensburg. Register at http://www.tinyurl.com/ShipNewYears.
2012
Sunday, Jan. 1
Cascade, Md.
Polar Plunge, 1 p.m., Lake Royer at Fort Ritchie; party at noon with bonfire, s'mores, hot chocolate and music; participants must raise money; those younger than 18 must have supervision by parents and a parent signature; (301) 241-5085.
Orrtanna
Pork and sauerkraut dinner, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Buchanan Valley Volunteer Fire Department, 1180 Buchanan Valley Road, Orrtanna; 677-9234.
Monday, Jan. 2
Chambersburg
Open house, noon to 5 p.m., Cumberland Valley Model Railroad Club, 440 Nelson St.; http://www.cvmrrc.com.
Tuesday, Jan. 3
Chambersburg
Breakfast, Chambersburg High School Class of 1959, 8:30 a.m., Johnnie's Family Restaurant, 679 S. Main St.; Brenda Roof at 263-9441.
Friday, Jan. 6
Hagerstown, Md.
Information session, 10 a.m., Elliott Center, Hagerstown Community College, 11400 Robinwood Drive; for active duty military, veterans interested in attending; Kevin Crawford at (240) 500-2412 or klcrawford@hagerstowncc.edu.
Saturday, Jan. 7
Chambersburg
Luncheon, Chambersburg High School Class of 1961, 11 a.m., Texas Lunch, 108 Lincoln Way West.; 261-0600.
Community drum circle, 6:30 p.m., Zion Reformed United Church of Christ, 259 S. Main St.; bring drums; use Liberty Street entrance; donations requested; Jeff Diller at 267-0413.
Dances of Universal Peace, 7:30 p.m., Zion Reformed United Church of Christ, 259 S. Main St.; use Liberty Street entrance; no partner or experience needed, wear comfortable clothing; donations requested; Jeff Diller at 267-0413.
Greencastle
Model railroad open house, 1 to 4 p.m., residence of Leighton Scott, 594 Shannon Drive; 597-3902 or leescottdesign@gmail.com.
Orrtanna
Seafood dinner, 6 p.m., Buchanan Valley Volunteer Fire Department, 1800 Buchanan Valley Road. For tickets, call 677-0870 or 677-9234.
Sunday, Jan 8
Chambersburg
Open house, noon to 5 p.m., Cumberland Valley Model Railroad Club, 440 Nelson St.; http://www.cvmrrc.com.
Greencastle
Model railroad open house, 1 to 4 p.m., residence of Leighton Scott, 594 Shannon Drive; 597-3902 or leescottdesign@gmail.com.
Monday, Jan. 9
Chambersburg
Meeting, AARP Chapter 2840, Falling Spring, 1:30 p.m., Bard Hall, Eugene C. Clarke Jr. Community Center, 235 S. Third St.; John Southwood at 263-1594.
Tuesday, Jan. 10
Chambersburg
Blood drive, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Menno Haven's Menno Village, 2075 Scotland Ave.; for appointment, call 261-2507.
Meeting, Noontime Lions Club, noon, The Orchards, 1580 Orchard Drive.
Meeting, Charles Nitterhouse Post 1599 Veterans of Foreign Wars Ladies Auxiliary, 7 p.m., Stoner's Restaurant, 615 Wayne Ave.; refreshments served at 6; Diana Alexiou at 263-3673.
Saturday, Jan. 14
Chambersburg
Breakfast, Chambersburg High School Class of 1962, 8 a.m., Greenvillage Drive-In Family Restaurant, 5440 Philadelphia Ave.
Greencastle
Model railroad open house, 1 to 4 p.m., residence of Leighton Scott, 594 Shannon Drive; 597-3902 or leescottdesign@gmail.com.
Sunday, Jan. 15
Chambersburg
Open house, noon to 5 p.m., Cumberland Valley Model Railroad Club, 440 Nelson St.; http://www.cvmrrc.com.
Greencastle
Model railroad open house, 1 to 4 p.m., residence of Leighton Scott, 594 Shannon Drive; 597-3902 or leescottdesign@gmail.com.
Tuesday, Jan. 17
Chambersburg
Meeting, St. Thomas Area Ruritan, 7 p.m., clubhouse, 3705 Lincoln Way West.
Thursday, Jan. 19
Fayetteville
Relay for Life kickoff, overnight fundraising event, 6 p.m., Norlo Park Community Center, 3050 Lincoln Way East; Jennifer Kessel at 264-6266 or jennifer.kessel@cancer.org.
Saturday, Jan. 21
Chambersburg
Workshop, "Year of the Dragon," 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., rooms 7 and 8, Agricultural Heritage Building, 185 Franklin Farm Lane. To register, call Jennifer Wetzel at 263-9226.
Greencastle
Model railroad open house, 1 to 4 p.m., residence of Leighton Scott, 594 Shannon Drive; 597-3902 or leescottdesign@gmail.com.
Sunday, Jan. 22
Greencastle
Model railroad open house, noon to 3 p.m., residence of Leighton Scott, 594 Shannon Drive; 597-3902 or leescottdesign@gmail.com.
Tuesday, Jan. 24
Chambersburg
Meeting, Noontime Lions Club, noon, The Orchards, 1580 Orchard Drive.
Wednesday, Jan. 25
Hagerstown, Md.
AARP Driver Safety Program, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., The Village of Robinwood, 19800 Tranquility Circle. To register, call Judy Brewer at (301) 790-0275, Ext. 220.
Friday, Jan. 27
Chambersburg
Annual joint meeting, Franklin County Cooperative Extension Association and Franklin County Conservation District, 7 p.m., Solomon's
Evangelical Lutheran Church, 4856 Wayne Road. Buy tickets by Jan. 20; 263-9226 or 264-5499.
Saturday, Jan. 28
Greencastle
Model railroad open house, 1 to 4 p.m., residence of Leighton Scott, 594 Shannon Drive; 597-3902 or leescottdesign@gmail.com.
Sunday, Jan. 29
Greencastle
Model railroad open house, 1 to 4 p.m., residence of Leighton Scott, 594 Shannon Drive; 597-3902 or leescottdesign@gmail.com.
Saturday, Feb. 4
Shippensburg
Soulful Saturday, 8 p.m., Knights of Columbus, 336 E. Garfield St. Register by Jan. 20 to 477-1616.
Saturday, Feb. 11
Chambersburg
Breakfast, Chambersburg High School Class of 1962, 8 a.m., Greenvillage Drive-In Family Restaurant, 5440 Philadelphia Ave.
Sunday, Feb. 12
Greencastle
Model railroad open house, noon to 3 p.m., residence of Leighton Scott, 594 Shannon Drive; 597-3902 or leescottdesign@gmail.com.
Tuesday, Feb. 14
Chambersburg
Meeting, Noontime Lions Club, noon, The Orchards, 1580 Orchard Drive.
Sunday, Feb. 26
Greencastle
Model railroad open house, noon to 3 p.m., residence of Leighton Scott, 594 Shannon Drive; 597-3902 or leescottdesign@gmail.com.
Tuesday, Feb. 28
Chambersburg
Meeting, Noontime Lions Club, noon, The Orchards, 1580 Orchard Drive.
Wilson College World Travel Film Series, "The Silk Road ...," 7 p.m., Thomson Hall's Alumnae Chapel, Wilson College. For tickets, call 262-2003.
Thursday, March 1
Greencastle
Hobo Minstrel show, "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," 7:30 p.m., Greencastle-Antrim High School auditorium, 300 S. Ridge Ave.
Friday, March 2
Greencastle
Hobo Minstrel show, "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," 7:30 p.m., Greencastle-Antrim High School auditorium, 300 S. Ridge Ave.
Saturday, March 3
Greencastle
Hobo Minstrel show, "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," 7:30 p.m., Greencastle-Antrim High School auditorium, 300 S. Ridge Ave.
Saturday, March 10
Breakfast, Chambersburg High School Class of 1962, 8 a.m., Greenvillage Drive-In Family Restaurant, 5440 Philadelphia Ave.
Sunday, March 11
Greencastle
Model railroad open house, noon to 3 p.m., residence of Leighton Scott, 594 Shannon Drive; 597-3902 or leescottdesign@gmail.com.
Tuesday, March 13
Chambersburg
Meeting, Noontime Lions Club, noon, The Orchards, 1580 Orchard Drive.
Sunday, March 25
Greencastle
Model railroad open house, noon to 3 p.m., residence of Leighton Scott, 594 Shannon Drive; 597-3902 or leescottdesign@gmail.com.
Tuesday, March 27
Chambersburg
Meeting, Noontime Lions Club, noon, The Orchards, 1580 Orchard Drive.
Saturday, March 31
Chambersburg
Wilson College Performing Arts Series, Baltimore Mandolin Orchestra, 7:30 p.m., Laird Hall, Wilson College. For tickets, call 262-2003.
Tuesday, April 3
Chambersburg
Wilson College World Travel Film Series, "Discovering the Dutch," 7 p.m., Thomson Hall's Alumnae Chapel, Wilson College. For tickets, 262-2003.
Saturday, April 14
Breakfast, Chambersburg High School Class of 1962, 8 a.m., Greenvillage Drive-In Family Restaurant, 5440 Philadelphia Ave.
Wednesday, April 15
Chambersburg
Van Looy Organ Series: Gordon Turk, 3 p.m., Alumnae Chapel, Thomson Hall, Wilson College. For tickets, call 262-2003 or e-mail specialevents@wilson.edu.
Friday, May 4
Chambersburg
Wilson College Performing Arts Series, J.D. Walter and the Steve Rudolph Trio, 7:30 p.m., Laird Hall, Wilson College. For tickets, call 262-2003.
Saturday, May 12
Breakfast, Chambersburg High School Class of 1962, 8 a.m., Greenvillage Drive-In Family Restaurant, 5440 Philadelphia Ave.
Saturday, June 9
Breakfast, Chambersburg High School Class of 1962, 8 a.m., Greenvillage Drive-In Family Restaurant, 5440 Philadelphia Ave.
Source: http://www.publicopiniononline.com/living/ci_19613067?source=rss
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The challenging new spin on Rubik?s Cube (Yahoo! News)
IQ Cube adds uneven blocks to the mix, comes in two difficulties
It's a little late to make a?Christmas or Hanukkah gift, but the IQ Cube might be a suitable New Year's present for the puzzle-obsessed people in your life. You know, the ones that are always telling you that their?Rubik's Cube is just way too easy?
By eschewing the traditional 3x3x3 layout of cubes that comprise the iconic 1980s era toy, this unofficial successor features either?3x3x7 or?3x3x9 pieces, depending on how much of a challenge you want. While apparently the same physical size as a standard Rubik's Cube, these puzzles feature more rows of blocks that are very thin, thus creating many times the number of possible solutions.
The two "super cubes" are a bit pricey at $27 each, but there could always be some endorsement money for becoming the world record holder in solving one of these devious devices. Just do expect to be as fast as?Feliks Zemdegs, the current Rubik's Cube world record holder ? he can solve the traditional 3x3x3 puzzle in just 5.66 seconds.
[via?Gizmodo]
(Source)
This article was written by Randy Nelson and originally appeared on Tecca
More from Tecca:
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Friday, December 23, 2011
New Mr. Rooter(R) Facebook Game Calls Attention to Water Conservation
WACO, TX -- (Marketwire) -- 12/22/11 -- Mr. Rooter Plumbing uses Wally the Wrench in The Drip Game on Facebook to promote being Water-Wise? in real life.
The Drip Game is about stopping leaks, which has become a rampant problem in reality. More than 1 trillion gallons of water is wasted from household leaks each year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
'We started the Water-Wise initiative at Mr. Rooter Plumbing to bring attention to the importance of conserving water,' said Mary Kennedy Thompson, president of Mr. Rooter Corporation. 'With The Drip Game we can make learning about water conservation more entertaining.'
And entertaining, it is. In the first month of being live, The Drip Game has been played more than 65,000 times. That equals more than 7,500 hours of playtime.
'We've been blown away with the attention The Drip Game is getting,' said Fawn Barlow, marketing manager at Mr. Rooter Corporation. 'It's challenging, fun and to be honest, my wrist hurts from playing it so much.'
The Drip Game has three levels: sink, toilet and shower. It also has 'powerups' that make the game interesting. While some catch, slow and stop the drips, others multiply the score and lower the clog level.
The Drip Game is available on Mr. Rooter Corporation's Facebook page at facebook.com/mrrootercorporation. Just click on The Drip Game link in the left side menu.
If you have a leak, check out the Mr. Rooter online drip calculator. It determines the amount of water wasted daily, monthly and yearly based on the number of drips per minute.
It's easy to use. Just enter the number of drips per minute in the box, and the amount of wasted water is calculated immediately. You can find the drip calculator at www.mrrooter.com/AskTheExpert/Drip Calculator.aspx.
Finding and fixing leaks can save the average household more than 10,000 gallons of water annually, according to the EPA. That's enough to fill a back yard swimming pool.
About Mr. Rooter?:
Established in 1970, Mr. Rooter is an all-franchised, full-service plumbing and drain cleaning company with approximately 300 franchises worldwide. Recognized by Entrepreneur magazine among its 'Franchise 500' and Franchise Times Top 200, Mr. Rooter franchisees provide services to both residential and commercial customers. Mr. Rooter began franchising in 1974 and is a subsidiary of The Dwyer Group, Inc. For more information or to find the location nearest you, please visit our Web site at www.mrrooter.com and www.mrrooter.ca. Follow us on www.facebook.com/mrrootercorporation and twitter.com/mrrootercorp
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Thursday, December 22, 2011
Debt crisis: live
21.14 Fitch adds that America's AAA rating "will likely be lowered? unless there's a concrete a plan to reduce its deficit. ?Agreement will also have to be reached on raising the federal debt ceiling, which is expected to become binding in the first half of 2013,? it says.
21.04 More on Fitch's warning to America: essentially the ratings agency points out that the failure of the Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to agree on $1.2 trillion of deficit reductions has put into question its ability to contain the rise in federal debt. Not taking action now will lead to more pain in the future, it says:
By postponing the difficult decisions on tax and spending until after the forthcoming Congressional and Presidential elections, the scale and pace of required deficit reduction will consequently be greater. Even under optimistic economic and fiscal policy assumptions, Fitch believes that at least USD3.5 trillion of additional deficit reduction measures will be required to stabilise federal debt (held by the public) at around 90% of GDP in the latter half of the current decade.
20.26 Standard & Poor's has already taken America's AAA rating away, and now Fitch is threatening to do the same:
The high and rising US federal and general government debt burden is not consistent with keeping the AAA rating.
But it also says that it won't happen before 2013. Quite why the move is ruled out for 2012 is not clear.
19.52 AFP is reporting that Standard & Poor's has downgraded Hungary's credit rating to junk.
19.13 Spain has named its new economy minister: 51-year-old Luis de Guindos, an ex-Lehman Brothers executive.
He has solid political credentials with the ruling Popular Party, which won an election landslide in November as voters punished the Socialists for their handling of the economic slump.
De Guindos was a member of then prime minister Jose Maria Aznar's team from 1996-2004, working in the economy ministry and rising to become state secretary for the economy from 2002-2004. After that, he was executive chairman for Spain and Portugal at Lehman Brothers from 2006-2008.
Speaking at an economics seminar in Madrid last month, he said:
It cannot be that when activity declines businesses automatically fire temporary workers. It cannot be that when a company's revenue declines 50pc its industrial sector agreement obliges it to raise salaries by inflation plus two points. Half of the financial sector needs a new round of restructuring.
18.56 The FTSE 100 closed down 0.55pc today, but these tables show the outcome for the five companies at the luckiest and unluckiest ends of the spectrum.
18.20 Italian and Spanish government 10-year bond yields rose today after doubts emerged as to whether banks would use much of the hefty three-year loans they took from the ECB to buy sovereign debt and ease the cost of borrowing.
You can see the rises in the graph below (the yields look completely flat, but if you click on each country name you can toggle its graph line on and off to get a closer look at those remaining).
17.25 With only two trading days until Christmas (and Friday is only a half-day...) there isn't much time left for the traditional "Santa rally". Giles Marriage, associate director at Thesis Asset Management, had this to say this morning:
'Santa rallies' have seen UK blue chip shares rise in December for the last eight years in a row. Looking back further, the FTSE 100 has only had three negative Decembers in the last 27 years and has returned on average +2.88pc.
Of course, the FTSE 100 lost 0.55pc today, so we now need a 300+ point rise to reach the value seen at the start of the year. We'd also need a Santa rally of more than 2pc to end the month in the black...
17.10 Fitch says that deterioration in the eurozone is leading to weaker economic growth, heightened financial vulnerabilities and some negative rating actions in Europe. Charles Seville, Director in the sovereign group at Fitch Ratings, says:
Central and Eastern Europe is by far the most exposed emerging market region to the eurozone crisis owing to strong trade flows, banking sector linkages and, in some cases, portfolio investments, currency risks and substantial gross external financing requirements.
It also placed 41 Italian local governments including Milan, Rome and Italy's wealthiest region, Lombardy, in the north, on "rating watch negative".
16.58 We've more from the IMF now. Currently it estimates 4pc growth in 2012, but Christine Lagarde now says that this will probably be cut due to the eurozone debt crisis.
"I am almost certain... that the forecasts will be revised down" in January, Lagarde told the Niger National Assembly, saying that "clouds building up, especially over Europe, mean we have to lower our outlook."
16.54 Time for the customary end-of-day market graphs.
16.42 The IMF is "almost certain" to cut its 2012 world growth forecast. We'll bring you more on that as it comes in...
16.35 The European markets have now closed for the day, slipping back from initial gains made on news of a massive bank liquidity injection by the ECB faded in unease at the huge amount offered (summed up nicely by Angus Campbell below).
Angus Campbell, head of sales at Capital Spreads, said:
European banks were given an early Christmas present by the ECB today as it provided cheap 3 year loans and before you could say ?quantitative easing? they were massively oversubscribed, dishing out almost ?500 billion. Initially we rallied on the back of the news but then the gains were swiftly reversed as people said: 'hang on a second, if the banks need that much in short term loans they really are in trouble'.
The big question is what will they do with the cash? The thinking is that they?ll buy up Spanish and Italian debt to earn from their hefty yields, help to bring down the countries? borrowing costs and assist in their fiscal rebalancing. The problem is however that if all that renewed exposure to Italian and Spanish debt goes sour, a year or so down the line we?ll be in even bigger trouble than we are now.
16.02 More from Fitch: the credit rating of 14 regional and local authorities are now on "Ratings Watch Negative":
The RWN indicates that the ratings are under active review and are subject to a heightened probability of a downgrade in the near-term. Fitch expects to complete the review by the end of January 2012. If the review concludes that a downgrade is warranted, it is likely be limited to one or two notches.
15.15 BREAKING NEWS...
Fitch says 14 Spanish local, regional governments face possible downgrade.
Adds that French banks need to restore confidence.
15.02 BREAKING NEWS...
US housing data out. Existing home sales were 4.42m (annualised) in November month on month against expectations of 5.05m. Previous month was 4.97m.
Existing home sales revised down by 15pc in 2010 to 4.19m, 16pc in 2009 to 4.34m, 16pc in 2008 to 4.11m and 11pc in 2007 to 5.04m.
14.44 BREAKING NEWS...
Egypt downgraded to B2 from B1 by Moody's and may be cut further.
14.41 The Telegraph's Ambrose Evans-Pritchard as blogged on the European Santa rally: Herr Draghi or Signor Draghi, and the ECB's Santa Rally (technical)
14.36 Ed Conway at Sky is tweeting about Olivier Blanchard, the IMF's chief economist:
IMF Blanchard: substantial fiscal consolidation needed... marathon rather than a sprint. More than two decades to return to prudent debt levels.
14.29 The IFS has commented on the UK borrowing figures (see 09.33). Public borrowing was lower than expected in November at ?15.2bn, but weak growth and eurozone worries threaten UK's attempts to balance the books.
Rowena Crawford, a research economist at the IFS, said:
A simple extrapolation from borrowing so far this year suggests that for the whole of 2011-12 it would come in below last month's forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility of ?127bn. However, if central government departments were to exhaust their allocated budgets by the end of the year ? as the OBR expects ? then borrowing would be much more likely to come in as forecast.
"Furthermore, while so far overall tax receipts are in line with the OBR forecast, there are risks around this. For example, despite a large downwards revision to their expectations for corporation tax receipts this year in the Autumn forecast, meeting the OBR's projection still depends on strong growth in these receipts over the next four months, which would be a turn-around from the fall in receipts seen so far this year.
14.21 More woe on the high street. Eighteen stores in the collapsed shoe shop chain Barratts Priceless will shut before Christmas, administrators said today.
Barratts stores set to close this week are in Connswater, Kilmarnock, Darlington, Cardiff and Blackpool. The 13 Priceless stores are in Croydon, Durham, Oldham, Strabane, Crossgates, Kettering, Carlow, Donaghmede, Torquay, Weymouth, Kings Lynn, Bexhill on Sea and Erdington.
14.04 The single currency has got a vote of confidence from... Finnish finance minister Jutta Urpilainen.
?I don?t believe in a break-up of the euro and I don?t want it. I can?t see Finland returning to its former currency, the markka, given the benefits the northernmost euro member has had from the single currency."
13.40 We are hearing rumours that the ECB is buying Italian bonds. However, the spread between Italian bonds and German Bunds is widening.
Economic commentator Zerohedge has tweeted:
ECB buying is confirmation LTRO plan has failed. Banks were supposed to be doing this.
12.47 Update on the markets:
FTSE 100 -0.05pc
CAC 40 -0.02pc
DAX +0.08pc
IBEX -0.28pc
MIB -0.29pc
12.33 Telegraph Business has rustled up a collection of the best pictures of 2011 and the biggest heroes and villains of the year.
Mervyn King watching cricket while Europe collapses and Silvio Berlusconi trying to impress the ladies are just two of the highlights. Well worth a look.
12.19 More on the ECB three-year loan action today. Morgan Stanley believes the LTRO only covers 20pc of EU bank delevaging needs - ?2.5 trillion.
MS Bank Del Ever Aging
But IoD chief economist Graeme Leach has welcomed the move:
At last we have a little Christmas cheer. The decision of the ECB to offer unlimited three-year loans at 1pc isn?t a game changer, but it?s the closest we?ve come to one throughout this crisis.
12.14 First the French, now the Germans are having a go at us.
In today?s Die Welt, Editor Michael St?rmer writes:
The loneliness of the British is a bad sign for Europe. The liberal economic forces lose ground vis-?-vis EU-statists. This changes all the equations within the EU, strengthens the development of the Franco-German directorate and weakens the influence of the smaller member states. Germany will become overwhelmed in its role of the irreplaceable yet reluctant hegemon.
12.09 Bad news in the US. After some good housing data yesterday, today it has been announced that MBA mortgage applications fell 2.6pc versus a previous rise of 4.1pc.
Dow still expected to open up 0.3pc.
11.42 Why 2012 could be disastrous for supermarkets:
Evolution Securities says food retailers are opening new stores and expand existing ones at a time when consumer spending is falling.
11.22 Some good news... and it comes from a ratings agency! Fitch says it has a stable outlook for German banks in 2012, as they are benefitting from the resilient domestic economy.
Meanwhile, the BdB Association of German Banks has said that the ECB loans (see 10.23 "are still all emergency measures that can?t replace a functioning interbank market?.
11.14 Need a further indication of how troubled the high street is? Here's Sports Direct's website boldly announcing that its January sale has started... four days before Christmas.
11.05 The French government says they "have no information" of a possible ratings downgrade.
Meanwhile, the Finnish finance minister, Jutta Urpilainen, says his country is committed to keeping its AAA rating and is planning more cuts and tax increases.
11.03 Time for an update on the markets: The FTSE 100 is up 0.6pc, France's CAC 40 is up 1.2pc and Germany's DAX is up 1.1pc. Spain's IBEX and Italy's MIB are both up 0.9pc.
10.59 Mariano Rajoy has taken over as Spain?s prime minister, backed by the strongest majority in three decades, and is preparing to appoint a finance minister, who will be tasked with reordering public finances and creating jobs.
New Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is sworn in during a ceremony at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid on December 21, 2011
Rajoy, whose People?s Party won 185 of the 350 seats in Parliament, is due to name his finance minister and other Cabinet members at 6.30pm.
10.45 The BBC's Robert Peston is tweeting on those figures:
ECB's ?489 three-year loans to stressed eurozone banks is a huge life-support operation, not a cure.
10.41 Analysts are reacting to those ECB figures, which showed more European banks borrowed more money than expected
Martin van Vliet, senior economist at ING:
The take-up of loans is massive, and even higher than in the ECB's first 12-month longer-term refinancing operation (LTRO) of June 2009, which attracted demand of ?442bn. However, the lower number of participating banks (523 versus 1121 previously) suggests that the take-up is currently less widespread - and probably more concentrated in banking systems in peripheral eurozone countries. Today's allotment of three-year loans is equivalent to almost one and a half times Spain and Italy's combined sovereign bond issuance in 2012. However, we doubt whether the money will be used extensively to fund purchases of peripheral debt, given concerns about mark-to-market risks and possible reputation risks.
Annalisa Piazza, from Newedge Strategy:
The take-up was a massive ?489bn, much higher than the expected ?300bn euros. Liquidity on the banking system has now increased considerably. In a nutshell, the three-year auction can been considered as successful in terms of adding liquidity to the banking sector. We believe most of the take up has come from EMU periphery's banks which have more problems with long-term fundings. However, given the large number of banks participating at today's auctions, we cannot rule out some core countries' banks have started to put on some carry positions.
10.38 Those ECB figures (see 10.23) have rocked the bond markets. Below is the 10-year bond market, with the yield the second column from the right and the movement in the last column. Bonds for the EU nations are moving back up, meaning it will be more expensive for those nations to borrow money.
10.32 An interesting UK Christmas spend tracker for while you're shopping for presents online:
10.23 BREAKING NEWS...
523 banks have taken the ECB's three-year loans, with ?489bn tendered (against predictions of ?300bn).
A lot of troubled banks out there.
10.12 Italian banking association ABI sees country's debt at 121.3pc of GDP in 2011, 120.8pc in 2012 and 117.4pc in 2013. And deficit at 3.8pc of GDP in 2011, 1.5pc in 2012 and 0.1pc in 2013.
It also forecasts core tier one ratio of 14 main Italian banks at 9.3pc in 2013 versus 8.5pc in June 2011.
10.05 Just need to slip in some political news. Mark Stone at Sky News has tweeted this pic as he flies with David Cameron:
No coalition when it comes to toilets, then...
10.00 We're getting some reaction from analysts on the MPC figures:
George Buckley at Deutsche Bank:
The minutes show a 9-0 on both the decision on the rates and QE. I think it is interesting that all members are discussing to make up for more QE. If they do more QE in February they are more likely to do ?75bn than ?50bn to keep the weekly run data the same.
Kit Juckes, a curency strategist at Societe Generale:
They are doing QE about as much as they can. They do not need to do more yet and, technically, doing more is quite tricky. When they make their next move, it will be more QE, but in reality you cannot do it at a rate that's disorderly. The MPC is temporarily out of bullets, it's standing by and watching.
09.51 Here are the MPC's minutes in full:
mpc1112[1]
09.33 BREAKING NEWS...
Bank of England MPC minutes released. Decision to hold rates and QE was unanimous. Some MPC members felt more QE might become warranted in due course.
Britain's outlook looked set to remain flat over the last quarter of 2011 and the first half of 2012, with some recovery likely after.
Public borrowing lower than expected in November at ?15.2bn, but weak growth and eurozone worries threaten UK's attempts to balance the books. Treasury spokesman:
These figures show the Government is making good progress on deficit reduction, with borrowing from April to November more than ?10bn lower than in the same period last year. These figures demonstrate the Government's unwavering commitment to dealing with the debts it inherited, despite the euro [crisis] and market turbulence.
09.32 A Reuters poll has concluded that the take-up of ECB three-year loans will total ?310bn.
09.22 Further to that ECB action today, 14 Italian banks have listed ?38.4bn of state-guaranteed bonds ahead of the three-year loan programme, according to the Italian Bourse.
09.17 Two pieces of breaking EU news.
Germany says it plans to borrow ?250bn from markets next year.
Spanish 10-year bond yields have fallen below 5pc. This means that the country's borrowing costs have fallen, too, instigated by the ECB's loan action today.
09.14 Jens Stoltenberg, Prime Minister of Norway, has said that his country has given 55bn krone (?6bn) to the IMF... and they aren't even in the EU.
09.08 Earlier this morning we had a profits warning from Thorntons, now restructuring firm AlixPartners has said that retail insolvencies may reach the highest level in four years.
This will be caused by weak Christmas sales leaving chains struggling to meet rent payments due this month.
?We are likely to see a number of retail collapses early in the new year and it could include some much-loved names,? Sanjay Bailur, managing director of the advisory firm?s UK unit, said in an interview. The outlook is ?worse than the last three or four years?.
09.01 BREAKING NEWS...
Italian GDP contracted by 0.2pc in the third quarter. Previous quarter saw 0.3pc growth.
Figures signal that the country may have entered its fifth recession since 2001 as the government adopts new austerity measures that will further weigh on growth.
09.00 Michael Hunter at the FT tweets on something we are all hoping for this Christmas:
All over Europe, wide-eyed, glistening children are looking at the skies in wonder and asking "is today the day the Santa rally is coming?"
08.52 Risks for European insurance companies from the current debt crisis have increased in the past six months and up to eight groups failed so-called "stress tests", a new report has shown.
In a twice-yearly report on financial stability in the insurance and occupational pension fund sectors, the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority found that risks in the sector "are at high levels, and are more pronounced than the first half of 2011".
08.50 The BBC's Robert Peston is tweeting on the EU:
What happens to eurozone banks when they run out of assets pledge to central banks and other secured lenders?
08.19 Here's a worrying graph (aren't they all?) on UK GDP/consumer confidence:
08.02 In his daily email, Telegraph City Editor Richard Fletcher has focused on the release of the MPC minutes at 9.30am this morning:
07.44 Meanwhile, back to the East. China's national pension fund, the National Council for Social Security Fund, has injected 10bn yuan (?1bn) into the domestic stock market through other funds cleared on Friday to manage the investment, the Shanghai Securities News has reported.
07.21 Today, the European Central Bank is expected to report strong demand for an offer of unlimited three-year loans after banks were urged to take the funds as part of concerted efforts to ease severe pressure across the eurozone.
The ECB announced the emergency three-year loans, known as longer-term refinancing operations, or LTROs, earlier this month, in an attempt to help banks overcome ?720bn-worth of funding due to mature next year
07.15 Elsewhere, in the Guardian, Business Secretary Vince Cable has attacked the "whingeing" City, adding that the Government will ignore the bankers' pleas and make the economy less dependent on a sector that has caused "immense damage" to Britain.
07.11 Quick bit of corporate news, and it's all Japan this morning. HSBC is selling its private banking business in the country to Credit Suisse.
06.57 The Asian markets are doing well. Over in Europe and the US, the FTSE 100 is expected to open up 0.5pc and the Dow is predicted to open up 0.1pc
06.55 The Japanese government now expects 2011 real GDP to shrink by 0.1pc, against an earlier predicition of a 0.5pc contraction. They expect 2012 real GDP to grow 2.2pc against 2.7pc prediction.
Tokyo-based Ratings & Investment Information has cut Japan?s sovereign ranking for the first time, citing ?uncertain? prospects for economic recovery.
R&I lowered Japan?s foreign and domestic currency issuer ratings one step to AA+ from AAA.
06.51 The big stories this morning are Japan's central bank warning that its economic recovery has paused:
The pick-up in Japan's economic activity has paused, mainly due to the effects of a slowdown in overseas economies and of the appreciation of the yen.
and Japanese prosecutors raiding the headquarters of Olympus.
We apologise deeply again for the great troubles and worries we have caused our shareholders, investors, customers and others.
06.44 While Philip Aldrick brings us back to earth with a warning from ratings agency Moody's that Britain's credit rating could be cut if growth stalls:
Demonstrating how vulnerable the UK is to a downgrade, Moody's based its prognosis on growth in 2012 of 0.7pc ? in line with the official forecast, but more optimistic than both the Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development's prediction of 0.5pc and the contraction expected by a swelling group of City forecasters.
Deutsche Bank on Tuesday added to the sense of doom by slashing its outlook for growth next year to "zero" and warning of a "modest technical recession".
06.35 Ambrose Evans-Pritchard and Louise Armitstead describe the Euroland euphoria sweeping across the region as Southern Europe basks in a blast of cheap liquidity from the European Central Bank:
Exuberance lifted Germany's DAX index by 3pc, the French CAC by 2.7pc, and FTSE 100 by 1pc, with ripple effects through commodities and risky assets worldwide.
The buying spree comes as markets wait for the ECB to turn on the monetary spigot. Funds are betting that an offer of unlimited bank credit for three years ? long-term repo operations (LTROs) ? will transform the underlying dynamic of Europe's debt crisis. Banks will be able to borrow at 1pc to buy Spanish and Italian bonds at 5pc or 6pc. It allows the ECB to prop up sovereign states without violating EU treaty law.
06.23 Here's how this morning's papers view the business world:
Telegraph: Euroland euphoria on Mario Draghi bank rescue
Financial Times (?): Strong take-up of ECB loans expected
Guardian: Vince Cable attacks 'whinging' City
The Times (?): Kim's lethal legacy
06.15 Good morning and welcome back to live coverage of the global debt crisis.
Debt crisis live: archive
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