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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/QPBplwiJnxs/story01.htm
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Saturday, December 31, 2011
Daily Deal: Incipio DRX Case for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 only $16.95
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Friday, December 30, 2011
Amazon says Kindle products had best holiday season ever (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) ? Amazon's Kindle products had their best holiday season ever, according to a statement released by the company on Thursday. More than a million Kindles flew off the shelves each week during the month December.
Amazon historically has been loathe to release specific sales data for its hardware, so this was a minor step forward as the company released figures -- albeit imprecise ones.
It also announced that three Kindle products occupied the top three spots on its bestseller charts.
The newly released Kindle Fire tablet topped the list, while the Kindle Touch and regular old Kindle clocked in at numbers two and three respectively. The Fire has been the bestselling and "most gifted" product on Amazon since it debuted 13 weeks ago.
Kindle sales have also been strong overseas, leading the pack in England, Germany, France Spain and Italy during the holidays.
"We are grateful to our customers worldwide for making this the best holiday ever for Kindle," Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com's founder and CEO said in a statement. "And in a huge milestone for independent publishing, we'd also like to congratulate Darcie Chan, the author of 'The Mill River Recluse,' and Chris Culver, the author of 'The Abbey,' for writing two of the bestselling Kindle books of the year."
There is no breakdown between the different Kindle products, so all of the figures remain vague. As MG Siegler of TechCrunch notes on his personal blog, Fire and Touch sales could range from 100,000 to 2 million (or even infinity).
Still, as Bezos noted, strong Kindle sales are good for Amazon in another way -- they boost book sales.
Gifting of Kindle books climbed 175 percent in the stretch between Black Friday and Christmas this year as opposed to 2012 with Christmas registering as the "biggest day ever for Kindle book downloads."
Even if the numbers are vague, the sales figures mean that the new devices are a success, if not on the level of the iPad).
By offering its tablets and e-readers for bargain prices, Amazon has cornered a new part of the market and created a new platform whereby to sell more media through the Amazon store.
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Spring sports tribute: Lightning baseball
BROOMFIELD, Colo. -
How does a team recover from losing a hurler with a 90-mph fastball and a future spot at the University of Nebraska?
What about when the No. 2 starter and closer go down, too?
Ask the members of the Legacy baseball team, who scrapped their way to an 11-7 regular season record and a spot in the 5A district tournament.
The Lightning managed that despite injuries that depleted a pitching staff that was supposed to be the team's strength this season.
"We've had guys fill in who aren't used to filling in and we've held our own," said Luke Bublitz, the team's injured would-be ace. "We've won games with duct tape."
Bublitz's lower back injury cost Legacy a pitcher who had 70 strikeouts and a 2.35 ERA as a junior. No. 2 starter Taylor Huyett was lost to a broken ankle suffered early in the season, and lower back problems cost closer Shorne Stevens most of the season.
The loss of the team's stars challenged its juniors and underclassmen.
"When you've faced adversity, it shows what kind of character a team has," first-year coach Ty Giordano said
Into the void stepped players like junior Kevin Walter, whose low ERA and work at the plate helped Legacy grind its way into the postseason.
The team lost 2-0 to Regis in the first round of the district tournament.
If the season was bittersweet, it was still an improvement over last year, when Legacy was forced to forfeit its district title. That cost the school its first-ever spot in the 5A state championship tournament.
Source: http://www.broomfieldenterprise.com/ci_12797369?source=rss_viewed
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Thursday, December 29, 2011
Rescue group in crisis mode after cat euthanized (AP)
PHOENIX ? Animal lovers threatened to pull donations to an animal rescue group and the public flooded the agency with scathing comments and calls after a man's cat was euthanized when he couldn't afford its medical care, prompting the Arizona Humane Society to go into damage-control mode Wednesday.
The group has hired a publicist, removed dozens of comments on its Facebook page and directed a team of five volunteers to respond to the overwhelming calls and emails it has received since The Arizona Republic published a weekend story about Daniel Dockery and his 9-month-old cat, Scruffy.
Dockery, a 49-year-old recovering heroin addict, told the Phoenix newspaper that he took Scruffy to a Humane Society center on Dec. 8 because she had a cut from a barbed-wire fence, an injury that he described as non-life-threatening. The agency said it would cost $400 to treat Scruffy, money he didn't have.
The Humane Society cited policy when it declined to accept a credit card over the phone from Dockery's mother in Michigan or to wait for her to wire the money. The staff said if he signed papers surrendering the cat, Scruffy would be treated and put in foster care, he said.
Instead, Scruffy was euthanized several hours later.
Dockery told the Republic that he was devastated.
"Now I've got to think about how I failed that beautiful animal," Dockery said. "I failed her. ... That's so wrong. There was no reason for her not to be treated."
He described the cat as helping him stay off drugs for more than a year, the longest he had ever been clean. He hand-fed the feline before she opened her eyes at 4 days old, giving her fresh tuna and letting her sleep on his pillow.
Stacy Pearson, who was hired by the agency specifically to deal with media questions about the cat, said Dockery's case has led to two changes. The Arizona Humane Society has set up an account, funded through donations, that would cover the costs of emergency treatment of animals whose owners need a day or two to come up with money for payments. And the group is now accepting credit card payments by phone, Pearson said.
Dozens of scathing comments have since inundated the group's Facebook page, with animal lovers demanding to know why the cat was put down. Pearson said angry comments were removed because of their content: One called for the staff to be euthanized, while another said what happened to Scruffy was murder.
Pearson said Scruffy was put down over a number of reasons, including Dockery's lack of immediate funds, a lack of veterinarians to treat her and what Pearson described as a very serious cut on Scruffy from her abdomen to her knee that went to the muscle.
She said the Arizona Humane Society at the time didn't accept credit card payments over the phone because of possible fraud and can't treat pets with only a promise from owners that they can pay the next day. She said staff had every intention of getting Scruffy the help she needed but the number of animals requiring help at the group's second-chance clinic was too much for the resources available.
If Dockery had been able to pay, Scruffy would have been treated at the facility where he brought her, Pearson said.
"There was no malicious intent to take Scruffy away from her father," Pearson said. "Pulling funding is only going to make a problem like this worse."
On Facebook, where only the agency's executive director is allowed to post comments now, Guy Collison wrote that "Scruffy's story is heartbreaking, and underscores the worst-case-scenario of need eclipsing resources available." He said that his agency has always done what's best for animals.
In less than an hour after his statement was posted, more than 100 people responded, with most slamming the agency and some defending it as doing the best it can with available resources.
Pearson said the group told Dockery on Tuesday that when he's ready for another pet, he could come in and pick one out, but he declined, telling them: "No thanks."
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Mass anti-Assad protest in Homs as monitors visit (Reuters)
BEIRUT (Reuters) ? Tens of thousands of Syrians in Homs rallied on Tuesday against President Bashar al-Assad, emboldened by Arab peace monitors' first tour of the flashpoint city, after the army withdrew some tanks following days of unrest.
Some 70,000 protesters marched towards the city centre where security forces fired at them and lobbed teargas, activists said.
The observers want to determine if Assad is keeping his promise to implement a peace plan to end his uncompromising military crackdown on nine months of popular revolt that has generated an armed uprising, edging Syria towards civil war.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said security forces killed 15 people across the country on Tuesday, six of them in Homs. An activist network said 34 had been killed on Monday.
Some protesters shouted "we want international protection" in a video posted on YouTube apparently showing a street encounter with the Arab League observers, in which some residents argued and pleaded with them to venture further into the Baba Amr quarter, where clashes have been especially fierce.
There was the sound of gunfire after a resident yelled at one monitor to repeat what he had just told his headquarters.
"You were telling the head of the mission that you cannot cross to the second street because of the gunfire. Why don't you say it to us?" the man shouted, grabbing the unidentified monitor by his jacket.
Gunshots crackled nearby as two monitors and two men wearing orange vests stood amid a crowd of residents, one begging the team to "come and see; they are slaughtering us, I swear."
Damascus has barred most foreign journalists from the country, making it hard to check events on the ground.
The head of mission said the first visit was "very good."
"I am returning to Damascus for meetings and I will return tomorrow to Homs," Sudanese General Mustafa Dabi said. "The team is staying in Homs. Today was very good and all sides were responsive."
Activist reports just before the monitors arrived said up to a dozen tanks were seen leaving Baba Amr but others were being hidden to fashion a false impression of relative normality in the city while observers were around.
"My house is on the eastern entrance of Baba Amr. I saw at least six tanks leave the neighborhood at around 8 in the morning (0600 GMT)," Mohamed Saleh told Reuters by telephone. "I do not know if more remain in the area."
Al Jazeera television showed an estimated 20,000 Syrians in a square in Khalidiya, one of four districts where there has been bloodshed as rebels fight security forces using tanks.
They were whistling and shouting and waving flags, playing music over loudspeakers and clapping. Women were advised to leave because of the risk of bloodshed. But a speaker urged the men to "come down, brothers."
The protesters shouted "We have no one but God" and "Down with the regime." An activist named Tamir told Reuters they planned to hold a sit-in in the square.
"We tried to start a march down to the main market but the organizers told us to stop, it's too dangerous. No one dares go down to the main streets. So we will stay in Khalidiya and we will stay here in the square and we will not leave from here."
ASSAD ISOLATED
The autocratic Assad is internationally isolated. Western powers and his neighbors Turkey and Jordan have called on him to step down, which would end a 41-year-old family dynasty.
He says he is fighting Islamist terrorism steered from abroad and has defied calls to make way for a reformist succession as has transpired in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia after popular uprisings toppled dictators this year.
Armed insurgency is eclipsing civilian protest in Syria. Many fear a slide to sectarian war between the Sunni Muslim majority, the driving force of the protest movement, and minorities that have mostly stayed loyal to the government, particularly the Alawite sect to which Assad belongs.
Analysts say the Arab League is anxious to avoid civil war. Western powers have shown no desire to intervene militarily in a volatile region of Middle East conflict. The U.N. Security Council is split, with Russia - a major arms supplier to Assad - and China opposed to any hint of military intervention.
Assad's opponents appear divided on aims and tactics. He retains strong support in important areas - including Damascus and the second city Aleppo - of the country, and maintains a critical anti-Israel alliance with Iran.
WAIT AND SEE
Homs protesters appeared to take heart from the monitors' sudden presence. They want to impress on the Arab League mission that it must not let its teams be hoodwinked by the state and be shown places where life looks relatively normal.
As the monitors arrived, tanks were seen leaving the Baba Amr district which activists say was pounded for the past four days. Hundreds have been killed in Homs in the revolt - among the 5,000 the United Nations says have died as a result of violence nationwide since protests began in March.
In Baba Amr on Monday, activist video showed bodies crushed and buildings smashed as if by high explosive weapons. The images were impossible to verify.
"We do not want to jump to conclusions and say that this delegation is not objective or did not look for the truth," said Moulhem Droubi, top ranking Muslim Brotherhood member on the Syrian National Council, the opposition umbrella group in exile.
"It is not fair yet to judge. Let's wait and see what it will do," he told Reuters by phone from somewhere outside Syria.
"I expect it will be able to write a report with many facts because the facts are so clear. If they go to Baba Amr they will see that there is destruction."
Syria stalled the Arab League for months before accepting the monitoring mission, the first significant international intervention on the ground since the start of the popular revolt inspired by Arab pro-democracy uprisings this year.
The Arab delegation started with 50 monitors who arrived on Monday. About 100 more are to follow soon.
On the border with Turkey, Syrian forces killed "several" men from an "armed terrorist group" trying to cross into Syria, the state news agency SANA said on Tuesday.
The northern border has become the route of choice for infiltration by army defectors fighting to topple Assad since Turkey's government, once a close ally, parted ways with him over the bloody repression of protesters.
SANA also reported that "an armed terrorist group targeted and sabotaged a gas pipeline near Rastan in Homs province" on Tuesday. The pipeline has been attacked several times in recent months and returned to operation each time.
(Additional reporting by Ayman Samir. Editing by Douglas Hamilton and Mark Heinrich)
Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111227/wl_nm/us_syria
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Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Miami Heat Intro Video: All of the Lights, Egos, Hype
The Miami Heat aren't exactly trying to play down their star power or title expectations with their 2011-12 intro video, set to "All of the Lights" by Kanye West.
Debuting tonight before the Heat's 115-107 win over the Celtics, the video shows Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, LeBron James & Co. in all their grandiosity.
In a word ... EH. Last year's intro video, set to "In The Air Tonight," just invoked a visceral sense of impending awesomeness, even if you loathe the Heat.
"All of the Lights" is a little underwhelming. Maybe that's a good thing, though. After last year's Finals failure, maybe Miami should let its play do the talking:
Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/12/miami-heat-intro-video-all-of-the-lights-egos-hype/
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'Girl With The Dragon Tattoo': Why It Didn't Dominate
Experts explain to MTV News why the best-selling book didn't translate to a box-office #1.
By Eric Ditzian
Rooney Mara in "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
Photo: Sony Pictures
Stieg Larsson's "Millennium" trilogy of crime thrillers has sold about 17 million copies in the United States alone. The first novel in the series, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," is the first book ever to sell a million digital copies. The books have become nothing short of cultural touchstones, the collective response of devoted fans to the uninitiated being something along the lines of "You haven't read 'Dragon Tattoo'? What's wrong with you?"
That's the entertainment scene onto which David Fincher's American adaptation of "Dragon Tattoo" came last week. What's more, the movie received strong critical reviews, Sony's marketing campaign was lauded by industry insiders and MTV named it the Best Movie of 2011. Yet "Dragon Tattoo" wound up with a six-day gross of just $27.8 million — the highest total of any new release but good for just fourth place overall and undoubtedly disappointing given its lofty pedigree.
So what happened?
"Maybe fans of the Stieg Larsson novel were satisfied by last year's Swedish film and weren't feeling David Fincher's Hollywood version," writes Deadline editor in chief Nikki Finke, who notes the weak opening is especially surprising given the film was the only rated-R wide-release over the Christmas season and that "adults are flocking to specialty box-office hits like Fox Searchlight's 'The Descendants' and the Weinstein Co's 'The Artist.' "
The release date could also have been a factor, even as Sony positioned "Dragon Tattoo" as the "feel-bad movie of Christmas." "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," says Gitesh Pandya, editor of Box Office Guru.
With no wide releases slated for the upcoming weekend, however, "Dragon Tattoo" could see its box-office haul grow significantly. Sony's distribution chief, Rory Bruer, told TheWrap that the film "is off to a good start and it's just going to get better with every day through the rest of the holiday season and well into the new year."
Finke, too, expects the film's B.O. numbers to pick up this week, and Pandya suggests "a domestic final of $100 million cannot be ruled out this early in the run as moviegoers continue to catch up on films they are interested in."
That's good news for fans of the series and of Fincher's film, who have their fingers crossed that the Oscar-nominated director gets the go-ahead to make the final two pictures in Larsson's series. As Fincher told us recently, he hopes that the first film is received well enough that he's able to revisit, in journalist Mikael Blomkvist and hacker Lisbeth Salander, "two fascinating characters who I have really come to care about."
In the end, though, the chance to see Fincher's adaptations of "The Girl Who Played With Fire" and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" might be entirely out of the hands — or, rather, the wallets — of American moviegoers. "Ironically, the biggest factor in this sequelizing or not will come down to how well it does in foreign market — a place where the Swedish version of the film already made nearly $100 million just a couple years ago," said Jeff Bock, box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations. "Do overseas audiences really want to see the Hollywood version after the original is so fresh in their minds and was equally well-received?"
Check out everything we've got on "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
Related VideosSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1676485/girl-dragon-tattoo-box-office.jhtml
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Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Josh Krajcik: So Happy for Melanie Amaro!
There may be one thing Josh Krajcik does better than sing: accept defeat.
The X Factor runner-up may have lost to Melanie Amaro last Thursday night, but you'd hardly know it based on the way Krajcik greeted reporters after the show. He was giddy and gracious.
"It's been an amazing process to be a part of, I've met so many incredible people," Josh said. "I feel like the future's bright and everything I've done in my life has led to tonight. It's a turning point in my life and now it starts. Now I'm ready to get to work."
"She deserves to win. She's wonderful. America decided, and she's got such an amazing voice and she's such a great girl. I couldn't be happier for her."
Krajcik added that he's gonna go home for a week and then "go to work" on his singing career. We have a feeling his days of slinging burritos are long behind him.
Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/12/josh-krajcik-so-happy-for-melanie-amaro/
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Monday, December 26, 2011
University of Notre Dame Researchers Develop Solar Cell Paint
[Photo: University of Notre Dame]Someday, adding solar power to your home could be as easy as applying a coat of paint, instead of having to install bulky and expensive solar panels to your roof. University of Notre Dame researchers figured out a way to create an inexpensive, energy generating ?solar paint? they call ?Sun-Believable.? (No really; that's what it's called!)
This latest feat in solar energy came when the scientists found a way to incorporate power-producing nanoparticles called quantum dots into a spreadable paste. The paste is mixture of titanium dioxide nanoparticles, followed by a coating of either cadmium sulfide or cadmium, along with a water-alcohol suspension.
In order to create an energy-producing cell, the paint is spread onto a transparent conductive material, and then annealed with a heat gun. The painted electrode surface is then jointed to a graphene composite electrode with an electrolyte solution.
The resulting material generates energy when exposed to a beam of artificial sunlight. So far, the solar paint has only yielded, at best, a one-percent light-to-energy conversion efficiency, so it?s not quite ready to take over for commercial solar cells that usually run at 10- to 15-percent efficiency.
The scientists say, however, that the paint can be cheaply made into large quantities. If the researchers manage to improve its efficiency, every home in the future might be coated with solar power.
[University of Notre Dame via PhysOrg and Engadget]
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War of words between Washington and Hezbollah (569)
BEIRUT, December 25 (AFP): A war of words is heating up between Hezbollah and Washington, with allegations and counter-allegations flying between the two foes as the crisis in Syria takes its toll on the Shiite militant group.
The cold war between Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah and the United States -- which blacklists the Lebanese group as a terrorist organisation -- runs back decades.
But with political upheaval in the Arab world at a peak, tensions between the two are skyrocketing.
"This year was not the first time Hezbollah has exposed intelligence networks, whether working for the United States or others, and the United States criminal case against Hezbollah goes back months," said Paul Salem, head of the Beirut-based Carnegie Middle East Center.
"But there's no doubt that, given what's happening in Syria along with the US withdrawal from Iraq ... we're in a phase of high tension in which everyone's raising the pressure on their opponent."
The feud began to deepen earlier this year, when Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah accused the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of planting spies within his party's ranks.
Nasrallah's announcement in June, which the party hailed as a "victory" over the United States, marked the first acknowledgment of infiltration by the movement founded in 1982.
The United States filed a criminal lawsuit against a string of Lebanese financial institutions with alleged ties to Hezbollah on the grounds they were complicit in a massive scheme to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars.
US federal authorities say the companies were part of a scheme to launder hundreds of millions of dollars in profits from narcotics dealing and other criminal activities in order to fund Hezbollah's activities.
But Hezbollah has staunchly denied the charges, with the group's second in command, Sheikh Naim Qassem, accusing Washington this week of waging a smear campaign against a Shiite Muslim group which, he said, would never follow a path "prohibited by religion."
Hezbollah upped the stakes by accusing the "terrorist" United States of being behind twin bombings in the Syrian capital on Friday which left 44 dead and 166 wounded, according to officials.
"These bombings which resulted in the death and injury of dozens of people, mainly women and children, are the specialty of the United States, the mother of terrorism," read a statement released by the movement last Friday.
It said the timing of the bombings, which ripped through two security service offices in the Syrian capital, clearly signalled they were a "cowardly, bloody act of revenge" over the US "defeat" in Iraq.
Analysts say the crisis in Syria, which provides Lebanon with its only open border, has dealt a blow to Hezbollah which must now face the possibility of a future without a key regional ally.
And as power structures shift in the Middle East, experts say Western pressure on the Lebanese militant movement will continue to mount as the group risks losing the support provided by the regime of embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
"The latest US accusations against Hezbollah are ... part of a wider campaign against the Syria-Iran-Hezbollah axis," said Amal Saad-Ghorayeb, author of the forthcoming "The Iran Connection: Understanding the Alliance with Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas."
"We're only going to see more of these accusations," Saad-Ghoryaeb told AFP.
"The United States is aware that ... Hezbollah has already lost some support in the region because of Syria, so now's the time to tarnish its reputation, to move from labelling the group as terrorist to actually criminalising it."
Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5663460713
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Sunday, December 25, 2011
AUTOMOTIVE - AUTOS: Top 10 Sports Cars Of 2012
Sports cars continue to provide bright flashes of light in an automotive market obsessed with safety and economy, with escalating levels of performance, handling and sheer driving fun. For this top-10 list, the candidates were limited to coupes and convertibles with room for just two occupants, although a couple have vestigial rear seats but remain essentially two seaters.
In ascending order of price tags, they are:
Mazda MX-5 Miata ($23,190 - $28,660) ?The little car that started off the rebirth of modern-day roadsters is affordable, economical and loads of fun, and now available with a retractable hardtop.
Nissan 370Z ($32,750 - $42,200) ? The thoroughly enjoyable Nissan 370Z in either coupe or convertible remains a top choice with a unique look, great handling and plenty of power.
BMW Z4 ($48,650 - $64,200) ? The latest generation has improved styling and a choice of strong-running engines, with the allure of a classic roadster.
Chevrolet Corvette ($49,525 - $111,525) ? Still the greatest bargain in sports-car performance, Chevy?s fiberglass sports car ranges from the muscular base model to the ultra-powerful ZL1.
Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class ($54,800) ? The revamped compact sports car has an aggressive new look and road manners to match.
Porsche 911 ($79,950) ? All new for 2012, the iconic 911 enters yet another phase in its development while retaining the style and substance of the purposeful original.
Jaguar XKR ($103,500) ? A supercharged V8 boosted to 510 roaring horsepower and a firmed-up suspension turns this luxury cruiser into an all-out supercar.
Audi R8 ($123,300 - $196,800) ? The masterful sports coupe is joined by a Spyder version for 2012, both of them mighty mid-engine performance cars with sophisticated drivability.
Ferrari 458 Italia ($227,325 - $257,000) ?Available as a coupe or the new retractable-hardtop Spider, the mid-engine beauty is built of exotic materials and powered by a 562-horsepower V8.
Lamborghini Aventador ($387,000) ? The latest super-exotic sports car from the Italian automaker replaces the Murcielago with a 700-horsepower V12 mounted amidships, with a zero-60 time of 2.9 seconds.
For a gallery of photos, see Best Sports Cars.
Bob Golfen, Automotive Editor for SPEED.com, is a veteran auto writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, with a passion for collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. SPEED.com fans can email Bob Golfen at
Source: http://automotive.speedtv.com/article/autos-10-best-2012-sports-cars/
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Watch Out: A Deluge of Legal Blogs is Approaching ? Robert ...
Better start building that ark, because a deluge of new blogs will soon flood the legal profession. At least, that seems to be the conclusion of a just-released survey of social media in the legal sector conducted by LexisNexis and Vizibility. Just take a moment to ponder this graphic, which is just a snip from a gi-normous infographic that was created to illustrate the survey results:
It asks law firms what social media services they plan to use in their marketing. Note the responses for blogging: Of AmLaw 100 firms, 93.8% have or plan to have blogs. Of AmLaw 200 firms, 94.7%. Move on down the list and the percentage for every size firm is greater than 75%. Among 1-5 lawyer firms ? which make up the majority of firms in the U.S., 87.8% have or plan to have blogs.
In short, roughly nine out of every 10 law firms will be blogging ? some might have multiple blogs. Someone on Quora estimates that there are 50,000 law firms in the U.S. That means we could soon expect to see as many as 45,000 legal blogs, maybe more.
That?s good news for Kevin O?Keefe, who is in the business of building blogs for law firms. He?s probably putting a down payment on a new boat right about now.
But what?s it mean for the rest of us ? those who already have blogs and those who regularly read blogs?
Well, on one hand, I suspect it?s much ado about nothing. Despite their best-laid plans, I doubt all the firms that say they?ll launch blogs really will. And of those that do launch blogs, no doubt a good number will be abandoned or ignored, as seems to happen with many blogs.
On the other hand, I have no doubt that many new legal blogs will continue to launch and that a fair number of them will be worth reading. The more the merrier, I say. Like cream, good blogs rise to the top. Even if we have a flood of blogs, there will be those that stand out and those that do not.
For readers of blogs, there is a coming feast of abundance. For writers of blogs, the game is on to produce quality, thoughtful posts that will keep your blog from drowning.
Source: http://www.lawsitesblog.com/2011/12/watch-out-a-deluge-of-legal-blogs-is-approaching.html
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Saturday, December 24, 2011
Community Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
Sebring, FL -- Head out to the Unity Life Enrichment Centre which will be filled with all the sights, sounds and joys of the season for a Highlands County Community Christmas Eve Candlelight Service.
The service will include beautiful secular and sacred music, with a candlelight portion added to the service.
Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; service begins at 8 p.m. and runs until 10 p.m.
Unity Life Enrichment Centre is located at 10417 Orange Blossom Blvd. S. in Sebring (between SR 66 and Lake Josephine Road).
For more information call 8630471-1122 or visit unityofsebring.org.
?
Source: http://sebring.wtsp.com/news/events/97027-community-christmas-eve-candlelight-service
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nbcchicago: Man Charged in Theft of Jar Collecting Donations for Cancer Patient http://t.co/NRGILKNV
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Previously unconnected molecular networks conspire to promote cancer
Thursday, December 22, 2011
An inflammation-promoting protein triggers deactivation of a tumor-suppressor that usually blocks cancer formation via the NOTCH signaling pathway, a team of researchers led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reports today in Molecular Cell.
Working in liver cancer cell lines, the team discovered a mechanism by which tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF?) stimulates tumor formation, said senior author Mien-Chie Hung, Ph.D., professor and chair of MD Anderson's Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology. Hung also is MD Anderson's vice president for basic research.
"We've discovered cross-talk between the TNF? inflammation and NOTCH signaling pathways, which had been known to separately promote cancer development and growth," Hung said. Liver cancer is one of several cancers, including pancreatic and breast, associated with inflammation.
Their findings have potential implications for a new class of anti-cancer drugs currently in clinical trials. "Pharmaceutical companies are developing NOTCH inhibitors," Hung said. "TNF? now presents a potential resistance mechanism that activates NOTCH signaling in a non-traditional way."
Pathways also unite in colon, lung, prostate cancers
"In addition, co-activation of these two pathways was also observed in colon, lung and prostate cancers, suggesting that the cross-talk between these two pathways may be more generally relevant," Hung said.
However, TNF? also presents an opportunity to personalize therapy, Hung said. The presence of TNF? or a separate protein that it activates called IKK alpha may serve as useful biomarkers to guide treatment.
"If a patient has only NOTCH activated, then the NOTCH inhibitor alone might work. But if TNF? or IKK? are also activated, then the NOTCH inhibitor alone might not work very well and combination therapy would be warranted," Hung said.
"We'll try this in an animal model and then go to clinical trial if it holds up," Hung said.
A path from inflammation to liver cancer
In a series of experiments, Hung and colleagues connected the following molecular cascade:
- TNF?, a proinflammatory cytokine, signals through a cell's membrane, activating IKK?, a protein kinase that regulates other proteins by attaching phosphate groups (one phosphate atom, four oxygen atoms) to them.
- IKK? moves into the cell nucleus, where it phosphorylatesFOXA2, a transcription factor that normally fires up the tumor suppressor NUMB.
- NUMB usually blocks a protein called NICD, the activated portion of NOTCH1 that slips into the cell nucleus to activate genes that convert the normal cell to a malignant one.
- But when FOXA2 is phosphorylated, it does not activate NUMB. With NUMB disabled, NOTCH1 is activated. New understanding, new targets for cancer therapy
In liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) tumors, IKK?, the phosphorylated version of FOXA2 and NOTCH1 are expressed more heavily than in normal liver tissue. Expression of all three is correlated in liver cancer tumors, the team found.
The authors conclude that identifying the link between TNF? and NOTCH1 pathways provides a new starting point for understanding the molecular basis for TNF?-related tumor growth and for identifying new targets for cancer therapy.
Finding ways to inhibit FOXA2 phosphorylation or to activate NUMB would provide new options for treating and perhaps preventing cancer, Hung said.
###
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center: http://www.mdanderson.org
Thanks to University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center for this article.
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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116280/Previously_unconnected_molecular_networks_conspire_to_promote_cancer
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Friday, December 23, 2011
Of Course Santa Has To Train Like a Top Gun Pilot [Video]
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Thursday, December 22, 2011
Record-busting motorbike will be jet engine on wheels
The way to crack the motorbike land speed record may be to put a jet engine on two wheels
RICHARD BROWN is a man with unfinished business. In 1999, he smashed the one-way speed record for a motorbike by hitting 584 kilometres per hour on the salt flats of Bonneville in northern Utah. But his claim on the outright world record - which is based on the average of two runs in opposite directions - was thwarted by technical problems.
Now he is trying again. He hopes to be the first person to exceed 720 km/h on a motorbike while achieving an average two-way speed of at least 640 km/h. Any old bike will not do: he will be using one that is jet-propelled.
While cars used in land-speed-record attempts, like the Bloodhound jet car that will attempt the challenge in 2012, and certain types of boat have taken advantage of jet thrust since the 1950s, all record-breaking motorbikes have used a conventional engine that drives the rear wheel.
This is because it is difficult to pack a jet engine into a two-wheeled frame capable of enormous speed with any degree of safety. Fast cars can be built around old jet fighter engines, but these are far too heavy to fit into a bike that must be balanced by the driver making tiny steering adjustments to the front wheel.
So for his new bike, called Jet Reaction, Brown has redesigned a 930-kilowatt helicopter engine to produce thrust instead of turning a rotor. It was "quite difficult", he says. "One is working with very fine tolerances in very difficult materials. If you get it wrong, destroying the engine is the most likely result."
Brown has also added his own reheat unit, or afterburner. It sprays fuel into the hot exhaust gases, causing it to ignite and generate yet more thrust. The idea sounds simple enough, though he says that getting it to work at something approaching its theoretical potential "requires much more development". The reheat burner sits above two canisters that deploy braking parachutes when needed.
Brown has a track record in ambitious jet engine projects. Following his 1999 record attempt he built a sub-orbital rocket, but the launch in South Africa had to be cancelled. He is also working on a gas-turbine-powered jet pack, similar to one developed by the US military, that he hopes will allow the wearer to remain airborne for 10 minutes.
Brown's 1999 record attempt involved his own Gillette Mach 3 Challenger bike, which featured a custom-built hybrid rocket engine. The attempt failed because soft ground forced the team to use tyres rather than the usual aluminium wheels. The tyres were only designed to withstand speeds of 380 km/h or so. Eventually the massive centrifugal forces on the rear tyre caused it to deflate.
The current motorbike land-speed record, 606 km/h, was set in 2010 by Rocky Robinson on a bike called the Ack Attack Streamliner. Such record-breakers feature elongated metal bodies - as does Jet Reaction - making them look more like giant bullets than motorcycles. They are also fitted with retractable stabilisers for balance when moving slowly or stationary.
Brown expects to carry out trials with Jet Reaction at a UK airfield in March next year, with an attempt on the world record back at the Bonneville salt flats pencilled in for 2013.
It won't be easy, says Mark Chapman, Bloodhound's chief engineer. "The biggest issue is air intake," he says. "You have to be sure the air flow through the jet is stable or the engine could surge, which could be dangerous."
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Monday, December 19, 2011
Egypt military uses heavy hand in crushing protest
An Egyptian protester throws a stone toward soldiers, unseen, as a building burns during clashes near Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. Hundreds of Egyptian soldiers swept into Cairo's Tahrir Square on Saturday, chasing protesters and beating them to the ground with sticks and tossing journalists' TV cameras off of balconies in the second day of a violent crackdown on anti-military protesters that has left nine dead and hundreds injured. (AP Photo/Ahmad Hammad)
An Egyptian protester throws a stone toward soldiers, unseen, as a building burns during clashes near Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. Hundreds of Egyptian soldiers swept into Cairo's Tahrir Square on Saturday, chasing protesters and beating them to the ground with sticks and tossing journalists' TV cameras off of balconies in the second day of a violent crackdown on anti-military protesters that has left nine dead and hundreds injured. (AP Photo/Ahmad Hammad)
Egyptian protesters run as they are chased by army soldiers over the Asr el-Nile bridge leading out of Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. Hundreds of Egyptian soldiers swept into Cairo's Tahrir Square on Saturday, chasing protesters and beating them to the ground with sticks and tossing journalists' TV cameras off of balconies in the second day of a violent crackdown on anti-military protesters that has left eight dead and hundreds injured. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Egyptian army soldiers face protesters, unseen, over the Asr el-Nile bridge leading outside of Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. Hundreds of Egyptian soldiers swept into Cairo's Tahrir Square on Saturday, chasing protesters and beating them to the ground with sticks and tossing journalists' TV cameras off of balconies in the second day of a violent crackdown on anti-military protesters that has left eight dead and hundreds injured. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Egyptian army soldiers chase a protester over the Asr el-Nile bridge leading out of Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. Hundreds of Egyptian soldiers swept into Cairo's Tahrir Square on Saturday, chasing protesters and beating them to the ground with sticks and tossing journalists' TV cameras off of balconies in the second day of a violent crackdown on anti-military protesters that has left eight dead and hundreds injured. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
An Egyptian protester uses a slingshot against soldiers, unseen, as a building burns during clashes near Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. Hundreds of Egyptian soldiers swept into Cairo's Tahrir Square on Saturday, chasing protesters and beating them to the ground with sticks and tossing journalists' TV cameras off of balconies in the second day of a violent crackdown on anti-military protesters that has left nine dead and hundreds injured. (AP Photo/Ahmad Hammad)
CAIRO (AP) ? Troops pulled women across the pavement by their hair, knocking off their Muslim headscarves. Young activists were kicked in the head until they lay motionless in Cairo's Tahrir Square.
Unfazed by TV cameras catching every move, Egypt's military took a dramatically heavier hand Saturday to crush protests against its rule in nearly 48 hours of continuous fighting in Egypt's capital that has left more than 300 injured and nine dead, many of them shot to death.
The most sustained crackdown yet is likely a sign that the generals who took power after the February ouster of Hosni Mubarak are confident that the Egyptian public is on its side after two rounds of widely acclaimed parliament elections, that Islamist parties winning the vote will stay out of the fight while pro-democracy protesters become more isolated.
Still, the generals risk turning more Egyptians against them, especially from outrage over the abuse of women. Photos and video posted online showed troops pulling up the shirt of one woman protester in a conservative headscarf, leaving her half-naked as they dragged her in the street.
"Do they think this is manly?" Toqa Nosseir, a 19-year old student, said of the attacks on women. "Where is the dignity?"
Nosseir joined the protest over her parents' objections because she couldn't tolerate the clashes she had seen.
"No one can approve or accept what is happening here," she said. "The military council wants to silence all criticism. They want to hold on power ... I will not accept this humiliation just for the sake of stability."
Nearby in Tahrir, protesters held up newspapers with the image of the half-stripped woman on the front page to passing cars, shouting sarcastically, "This is the army that is protecting us!"
"Are you not ashamed?" leading reform figure and Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei posted on Twitter in an address to the ruling military council.
Egypt's new, military-appointed interim prime minister defended the military, denying it shot protesters. He said gunshot deaths were caused by other attackers he didn't identify. He accused the protesters of being "anti-revolution."
Among those shot to death in the crackdown was an imminent cleric from Al-Azhar, Egypt's most respected religious institution. At the funeral Saturday of the 52-year-old Sheik Emad Effat, thousands chanted "Retribution, retribution." Some of them marched from the cemetery to Tahrir to join the clashes.
The main street between Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the anti-Mubarak protests, and the parliament and Cabinet buildings where the clashes began early the previous morning looked like a war zone Saturday. Military police on rooftops pelting protesters below with stones and firebombs and launched truncheon-swinging assaults to drive the crowds back.
Flames leapt from the windows of the state geographical society ? a treasure trove of antique scientific books ? that was hit by firebombs in the melee. Some youths tried to rescue books from the fire.
Young activists put helmets or buckets on their heads or grabbed sheets of concrete and even satellite dishes as protection against the stones hailing down from the roofs. The streets were strewn with chunks of concrete, stones ,broken glass, burned furniture and peddlers' carts as clashes continued to rage after nightfall Saturday.
The clashes began early Friday with a military assault on a 3-week-old sit-in outside the Cabinet building by protesters demanding the military hand over power immediately to civilians.
More than a week of heavy fighting erupted in November, leaving more than 40 dead ? but that was largely between police and protesters, with the military keeping a low profile.
In the afternoon, military police charged into Tahrir, swinging truncheons and long sticks, briefly chasing out protesters and setting fire to their tents. Footage broadcast on the private Egyptian CBC television network showed soldiers beating two protesters with sticks, repeatedly stomping on the head of one, leaving the motionless bodies on the pavement.
They trashed a field hospital set up by protesters, swept into buildings where television crews were filming and briefly detained journalists. They tossed the camera and equipment of an Al-Jazeera TV crew off the balcony of a building.
A journalist who was briefly detained told The Associated Press that he was beaten up with sticks and fists while being led to into the parliament building. Inside, he saw a group of detained young men and one woman. Each was surrounded by six or seven soldiers beating him or her with sticks or steel bars or giving electrical shocks with prods.
"Blood covered the floor, and an officer was telling the soldiers to wipe the blood," said the journalist, who asked not to be identified for security concerns.
The military's violent response suggested it now felt emboldened. Two rounds of voting ? last weekend and in late November ? have been held for Egypt's lower house of parliament, and millions of Egyptians turned out for the freest and fairest elections in the country's modern history.
The generals appear to be betting that Egyptians engaged in elections have had enough of the multiple protests since Mubarak's fall and want quiet.
One man arguing with activists in the square said he opposes protests. "Elections were the first step. This was a beginning to stability," said Ahmed Abdel-Samei, 29. "Now we are going 10 steps back."
The military shrugged off criticism from a civilian advisory panel that it created only last week to show it was consulting with others. The generals gave no comment after the panel announced it was suspending its operations in protest and demanded the army apologize for the violence.
At least nine people have been killed and around 300 people injured in the two days of clashes, according to the Health Ministry.
"The military council is either fed up or lacks vision in dealing with protests. It's unbelievable what is happening; the revolution was meant to give us freedom," said Aboul-Ela Madi, a member of the panel who resigned.
Meanwhile, the powerful Muslim Brotherhood and the more conservative Islamist Salafis focused on following vote counting from the most recent round of elections. The groups have emerged as the biggest winner so far and likely do not want to do anything to disrupt the voting, which continued until March. The Brotherhood has called for the military to apologize but has not urged supporters to join the protests.
"Islamists went after their own interests. The ballot boxes are their interests," said Ahmed Hussein, a 35-year-old protester. He accused the military of trying to prolong the transition to ensure protection from civilian scrutiny.
As night fell in Tahrir, clashes continued around a concrete wall that the military erected to block the avenue from Tahrir to parliament.
Aya Emad told the AP that troops dragged her by her headscarf and hair into the Cabinet headquarters. The 24-year-old said soldiers kicked her on the ground, an officer shocked her with an electrical prod and another slapped her on the face, leaving her nose broken and her arm in a sling.
Mona Seif, an activist who was briefly detained Friday, said she saw an officer repeatedly slapping a detained old woman in the face.
"It was a humiliating scene," Seif told the private TV network Al-Nahar. "I have never seen this in my life."
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Sunday, December 18, 2011
Bonds to be sentenced for obstruction of justice
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Barry Bonds lives on a two-acre estate in Beverly Hills in a house with six bedrooms and 10 bathrooms.
That's important because he may be spending most of his time there after he is sentenced Friday for his felony conviction of obstruction of justice. Federal probation officers are recommending U.S. District Judge Susan Illston sentence Bonds to some form of house arrest and community service rather than the prison term that prosecutors seek.
Legal analysts expect Illston to follow most of the probation department's suggestions and "downward depart" from federal sentencing guidelines calling for 15 months to 21 months in prison when the last of the defendants directly connected to the investigation of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative is sentenced Friday.
The analysts, Bonds attorneys and the probation department all cite Illston's sentencing of cyclist Tammy Thomas and track coach Trevor Graham as the more appropriate guidelines to follow in considering Bonds' punishment. Thomas and Graham were convicted of similar crimes. Thomas was sentenced to six months of home detention after a jury convicted her of perjury for denying she used steroids. Graham received a year's home arrest after a jury convicted him of lying to a federal agent about his relationship with a steroids dealer.
A jury convicted Bonds in April of purposely answering questions about steroids with rambling non sequiturs in an attempt to mislead a grand jury investigating sports doping in December 2003. Bonds' trial jury deadlocked on three other charges accusing Bonds of perjury for allegedly lying when he denied taking performance-enhancing drugs and receiving injections from someone other than his doctor.
Prosecutors in September dropped those deadlocked charges, foregoing another trial.
Prosecutors are asking for a prison sentence of 15 months and note that baseball's career home runs leader has never accepted responsibility for his actions.
"Bonds' pervasive efforts to testify falsely, to mislead the grand jury, to dodge questions, and to simply refuse to answer questions in the grand jury makes his conduct worthy of a significant jail sentence," prosecutors wrote the court last week.
Bonds will have 14 days to file his intention to appeal his conviction after sentencing Friday.
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Domino's top boss is CNBC's best CEO of 2011
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Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/15/9474895-dominos-top-boss-is-cbncs-best-ceo-of-2011
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Saturday, December 17, 2011
Melissa Rivers Has A New Man
E!'s Fashion Police star, Melissa Rivers, has a new man and he has exclusively confirmed to In Touch that they are dating. Steven Hirsch, co-chairman of the adult company Vivid Entertainment, reveals, "Melissa and I met through a mutual friend and immediately hit it off. It's still new, but we're having fun." Ironically, Joan Rivers? famous daughter split from her boyfriend, businessman Jason Zimmerman, in September after finding out there were images of him on an adult website. The 43-year-old has a son, Cooper, 10, with her former husband, horse trainer and Apollo Farms owner John Endicott. Congrats to the new couple!
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTouchWeekly/~3/JQ8H5QvXxAQ/melissa_rivers_has_a_new_man.php
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'The Help' leads Screen Actors honors with 4 noms
In this film publicity image released by Disney, Viola Davis is shown in a scene from "The Help." Davis was nominated Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011 for a Screen Actors Guild award for best actress for her role in "The Help." The 18th annual SAG Awards will be presented Jan. 29. (AP Photo/Disney, Dale Robinette)
In this film publicity image released by Disney, Viola Davis is shown in a scene from "The Help." Davis was nominated Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011 for a Screen Actors Guild award for best actress for her role in "The Help." The 18th annual SAG Awards will be presented Jan. 29. (AP Photo/Disney, Dale Robinette)
In this film publicity image released by The Weinstein Company, Jean Dujardin portrays George Valentin, left, and Berenice Bejo portrays Peppy Miller in a scene from "The Artist." The film was nominated Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011 for a screen Actors Guild Award for best ensemble cast. The 18th annual SAG Awards will be presented Jan. 29. (AP Photo/The Weinstein Company)
In this publicity image released by Universal Pictures, from left, Melissa McCarthy, Ellie Kemper, Rose Byrne, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig are shown in a scene from "Bridesmaids." The wedding comedy was nominated Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011 for a Screen Actors Guild Award for best ensemble cast. (AP Photo/Universal Pictures, Suzanne Hanover)
In this image released by Fox Searchlight Films, George Clooney, left, and Shailene Woodley are shown in a scene from "The Descendants." The film was nominated, Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2011 for a Screen Actors Guild award for best ensemble cast. The 18th annual SAG Awards will be presented Jan. 29. (AP Photo/Fox Searchlight Films, Merie Wallace)
In this film publicity image released by The Weinstein Company, Jean Dujardin portrays George Valentin in "The Artist." Dujardin was nominated Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011 for a Screen Actors Guild award for best actor for his role in "The Artist." The 18th annual SAG Awards will be presented Jan. 29. (AP Photo/The Weinstein Company)
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? The Deep South drama "The Help" cleaned up with four nominations Wednesday for the Screen Actors Guild Awards, among them honors for Viola Davis, Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer.
The adaptation of the best-selling novel also was nominated for best ensemble cast, along with the silent film "The Artist," the wedding comedy "Bridesmaids," the family drama "The Descendants" and the romantic fantasy "Midnight in Paris."
The nominations are among the first major honors on the long road to the Feb. 26 Academy Awards. The SAG list of contenders and Golden Globe nominees that will be announced Thursday help sort out favorites from also-rans for Oscar voters, whose nominations come out Jan. 24.
Davis is up for best actress and Spencer for supporting actress as black maids who agree to share stories of their tough lives with an aspiring white writer at the start of the civil-rights movement in 1960s Mississippi. Chastain also was nominated for supporting actress as Spencer's lonely, needy new boss.
"The Artist" ran second with three nominations, including a best-actor honor for Jean Dujardin as a silent star falling from grace amid the advent of talking pictures and supporting actress for Berenice Bejo, who plays a rising sound-era movie star.
Along with Davis, best-actress contenders are Glenn Close as a woman disguising herself as a male butler in 19th-century Ireland in "Albert Nobbs"; Meryl Streep as British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady"; Tilda Swinton as a grief-stricken woman coping with her son's horrible deeds in "We Need to Talk About Kevin"; and Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe in "My Week With Marilyn."
Joining Dujardin in the best-actor category are Demian Bichir as a hard-working illegal immigrant father in "A Better Life"; George Clooney as a neglectful dad tending his two daughters in "The Descendants"; Leonardo DiCaprio as FBI boss J. Edgar Hoover in "J. Edgar"; and Brad Pitt as Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane in "Moneyball."
"Albert Nobbs" star Close was a double nominee, picking up a best-actress honor for a TV drama series for "Damages." Close's co-star Janet McTeer was nominated for supporting actress as a cross-dressing laborer in "Albert Nobbs."
Overlooked for best actor was Gary Oldman, whose performance in the espionage saga "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" has been billed by critics as one of the best in his career.
Also snubbed was Michael Fassbender for his daring role in the sex-addict drama "Shame" and Ryan Gosling for two acclaimed performances in the action tale "Drive" and the political drama "The Ides of March."
Several Oscar best-picture prospects will sit out the SAG ceremony, including Steven Spielberg's "War Horse" and Martin Scorsese's "Hugo," but those are epic tales whose impact comes more from their scope than their performances.
Another Oscar potential that missed out at SAG was David Fincher's "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," which features a blistering break-out performance by Rooney Mara.
"Bridesmaids" was a rare mainstream comedy that has earned critical respect. Along with its ensemble nomination, the film earned a supporting-actress slot for Melissa McCarthy as a crude but caring member of the wedding.
Missing out in the supporting-actress category was Clooney's young "Descendants" co-star Shailene Woodley, who delivers a breakout performance as a troublesome teen.
Up for supporting actor are Kenneth Branagh as Laurence Olivier in "My Week With Marilyn"; Armie Hammer as Hoover's FBI colleague and soul mate in "J. Edgar"; Jonah Hill as an economics whiz kid in "Moneyball"; Nick Nolte as a bad dad trying to make amends in "Warrior"; and Christopher Plummer as an elderly, ailing father who announces he's gay in "Beginners."
Betty White, the guild's lifetime-achievement award winner two years ago, had two TV nominations: comedy-series actress for "Hot in Cleveland" and "Hallmark Hall of Fame: The Lost Valentine."
"Modern Family" led the TV side with five nominations, including best comedy ensemble and individual honors for Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Eric Stonestreet and Sofia Vergara.
SAG also honors unsung action players with a stunt ensemble prize. The film stunt contenders are "The Adjustment Bureau," ''Cowboys & Aliens," ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1," ''Transformers: Dark of the Moon" and "X-Men: First Class."
TV stunt nominees are "Dexter," ''Game of Thrones," ''Southland," ''Spartacus: Gods of the Arena" and "True Blood."
The 18th annual SAG Awards will be presented Jan. 29.
___
Online:
http://www.sagawards.org
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