(CBSNews) 400 from Newtown, Conn., attend Giants-Eagles game

(CBSNews) EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. Carrying signs to express their gratitude and their choice of love over violence in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, approximately 400 residents of Newtown, Conn., attended the New York Giants-Philadelphia Eagles game Sunday. The residents, including about 200 students from the school system, formed a gantlet to welcome players from both teams before the game. They then held hands and ringed the field as the national anthem was played at MetLife Stadium. Players on both teams...

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(eonline) Kim Kardashian Pregnant With Kanye West's Baby!

(eonline) Move over, Baby New Year, and make way for Kimye Jr. Yes, indeed, Kim Kardashian is pregnant with Kanye West's baby! E! News has confirmed with the Kardashian family that Kim is expecting her first child with the rapper. But it was West who already spilled the exciting news to a few hundred concertgoers. During his Atlantic City show on Sunday night, West decided to announce that Kim was expecting to all his fans. ...

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(FOX NEWS)Reid: 'Significant distance' between sides as fiscal talks stall, carry into Monday

 ( FOX NEWS ) Capitol Hill negotiations to avert a fiscal crisis before the New Year’s deadline appeared to falter Sunday in the Senate, as lawmakers struggled to find common ground while bringing the country ever-closer to a 2013 shockwave of tax hikes and spending cuts. Senators spent the weekend trying to craft a new proposal that they originally claimed could be ready as early as Sunday. But Senate Democratic Leader Harry...

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(sfgate) Obama makes case for gun control on TV

(sfgate)Washington -- President Obama declared in an interview aired Sunday that the Dec. 14 shooting massacre in Newtown, Conn., "was the worst day of my presidency" as he sought to rally public support for lawmakers seeking tougher gun controls. "Anybody who was up in Newtown ... understands that something fundamental in America has to change. And all of us have to do some soul searching, including me as president, that we allow...

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(freep) Blood clot puts Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in hospital

(freep)WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was admitted to a New York hospital Sunday after the discovery of a blood clot stemming from the concussion she sustained earlier this month. Clinton's doctors discovered the clot Sunday while performing a follow-up exam, said her spokesman, Philippe Reines. He would not elaborate on the location of the clot, but said Clinton is being treated with anticoagulants and would remain...

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(Techcrunch) Instagram Denies 25% Holiday User Drop From TOS Backlash, And Here Are Real Explanations For A Usage Dip

( Techcrunch )Sure, it’s not unlike the New York Post to be sensationalist. But in this case it misinterpreted data to suggest Instagram was hit harder by backlash to its terms of service changes than it actually was. Combined with it being a quiet-ish holiday news week, I am taking a story it published today on a 25 percent drop in Instagram users with a little more than a grain of salt. Basically, it notes that figures...

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( Information Week ) Zuckerberg Photo Flap: 4 Lessons

( Information Week )Nothing quite says the holidays like quarreling over a private family Facebook photo made public on Twitter. Randi Zuckerberg, sister of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and a former company executive, posted a recent family photo -- which included her brother -- which she presumed to be private. The photo was then tweeted by Callie Schweitzer to more than 40,000 followers (then shared countless times, no doubt) after it first appeared in her Facebook newsfeed. According to the AP recap of the social spat, Zuckerberg...

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( NYDaily News ) Matt Damon and John Krasinski’s ‘Promised Land’ was revived with director Gus Van Zant Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/damon-revived-promised-land-call-article-1.1228236#ixzz2GQmwdPYh

 ( NYDaily News )  Matt Damon had been looking for a film to direct — and thought he’d found it in “Promised Land,“ a script he co-wrote with actor John Krasinski. But even as the start of production on “Promised Land” approached, Damon had to give up the reins at the last minute because of scheduling for “Elysium,” a thriller in which he was set to star. “I like to say that my biggest contribution to this film as producer...

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Indian Gang-Rape Victim Dies in Singapore Hospital

(ABC News) Shocked Indians on Saturday were mourning the death of a woman who was gang-raped and beaten on a bus in New Delhi nearly two weeks ago in an ordeal that galvanized people to demand greater protection for women from sexual violence. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he was aware of the emotions the attack has stirred and that it was up to all Indians to ensure that the young woman's death will not have been in vain. The victim "passed away peacefully" early Saturday at Mount Elizabeth hospital in Singapore with her...

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(Reuters)Analysis: For Senate leaders, a mission impossible from Obama

(Reuters) (Reuters) - Following a Friday meeting with congressional leaders, an impatient and annoyed President Barack Obama said it was "mind boggling" that Congress has been unable to fix a "fiscal cliff" mess that everyone has known about for more than a year. He then dispatched Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, on a mind-boggling mission: coming up with a bipartisan...

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Stalemate in Washington Is Eroding Confidence of Consumers

(NYTimes) For months, consumers have powered spending, while businesses pulled back ahead of the looming fiscal impasse in Washington. Now, as doubts grow about whether the president and Congress can reach a compromise before a year-end deadline, evidence has emerged that consumers, too, are becoming more pessimistic about the economy.  Consumer confidence in the first half of December took a sharper-than-expected dip, falling to...

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(Chron)Storm blows through East; 135K in dark in Arkansas

(Chron) CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A muted version of a winter storm that has killed more than a dozen people across the eastern half of the country plodded across the Northeast on Thursday, trapping airliners in snow or mud and frustrating travelers still trying to return home after Christmas. The storm, which was blamed for at least 16 deaths farther south and west, brought plenty of wind, rain and snow to the Northeast when it blew in Wednesday night. Lights generally remained on and cars mostly stayed on the road, unlike many harder-hit...

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(FOXSPORTS) Report: Nets want Phil Jackson

(FOXSPORTS) The Nets were thinking big when they moved to Brooklyn and acquired a host of high-priced stars to rival the Knicks for New York supremacy. Now, after firing coach Avery Johnson when the team sank into a slump, the Nets may be shooting for the stars again. Phil Jackson is the top target of the Nets' coaching search, according to a report by ESPN's Marc Stein and Chris Broussard. Jackson's agent, Todd Musburger, told TNT's David...

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(CBSNEWS) Another NYC "subway push" death

(CBSNEWS)  NEW YORK A mumbling woman pushed a man to his death in front of a subway train on Thursday night, the second time this month someone has been killed in such nightmarish fashion, police said. The man was standing on the elevated platform of a 7 train in Queens at about 8 p.m. when he was shoved by the woman, who witnesses said had been following him closely and mumbling to herself, New York Police Department chief spokesman Paul Browne said. When the train pulled in, the woman got up from a nearby bench and shoved...

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(newsday) Norman Schwarzkopf dead, retired general was 78

(newsday) WASHINGTON - Retired Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, who topped an illustrious military career by commanding the U.S.-led international coalition that drove Saddam Hussein's forces out of Kuwait in 1991 but kept a low public profile in controversies over the second Gulf War against Iraq, died Thursday. He was 78. Schwarzkopf died in Tampa, Fla., where he had lived in retirement, according to a U.S....

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U.N. Envoy Calls for Transitional Government in Syria

(nytimes)MOSCOW — The international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, on a mission to Damascus seeking an end to the escalating civil conflict in Syria, said Thursday that a transitional government should be granted full executive powers until President Bashar al-Assad’s term ends in 2014.  Mr. Brahimi’s remarks to journalists, reported by news agencies, follow intensive talks this week with Mr. Assad and a range of opposition figures. Over the past month, Mr. Brahimi, as special representative from the United Nations and Arab League,...

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Storm whips into Northeast bringing snow, rain

(sfgate)CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The death toll from a powerful winter storm that pushed through the nation's midsection into the Northeast has risen to 7. Officials in Ohio are blaming the bad weather for a crash that killed an 18-year-old girl, who lost control of her car Wednesday afternoon and smashed into an oncoming snow plow on a highway northeast of Cincinnati. The storm is expected to drop one to two feet of snow on parts of the Northeast just a day after it swept through the nation's middle, dumping a record...

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Free Calling for Gmail Users Extended through 2013

(Mashable)Gmail users in the U.S. and Canada will get free calling for another year, Google announced Wednesday. "You'll continue to be able to make free domestic calls through 2013," Mayur Kamat, a product manager at the company, said in a blog post. Users with Internet connection and a microphone can make calls to any phone from within the email client. An option to "Call phone," indicated by a phone-receiver icon, is part of Google Chat's menu; when clicked, a pop-up with a dial pad appears. SEE ALSO: Google Voice Mistaken Identity...

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Google lists best Android apps of 2012

( Slashgear)Google doesn’t assign any particular ranking to these apps, so none of them are supposed to be considered “better” than the others. Some of them bring online storefronts to your device, while others are services that many users take advantage of on a daily basis. The majority of them are free to install, save for just one app on the list. In no particular order, here are Google’s best Android apps of 2012: • Evernote • Zappos • Pinterest • Grimm’s Snow White • Expedia • Pocket • Ancestry • Fancy • Mint.com Personal Finance •...

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Former South African President Mandela Released from Hospital

A spokesman for South African President Jacob Zuma said former President Nelson Mandela will begin to get home-based medical care following his release Wednesday from a Pretoria hospital, where he has been since December 8. The 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader underwent treatment for a lung infection and had surgery to remove gallstones. President Zuma’s spokesman, Mac Maharaj, said Mandela’s discharge has brought immense relief to South...

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Randi Zuckerberg loses control on Facebook (and Twitter)

(CNET NEWS)It's easy to have sympathy for those who have been misled by Facebook's ever-morphing privacy controls. One should therefore have additional sympathy when the person led astray is a former director of Facebook and enjoys the name Zuckerberg. Randi Zuckerberg thought she had posted a picture to be only seen by her friends. Suddenly, it was there for all to see. Yes, all. The world. The whole misanthropic, green-eyed human race....

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Toyota in $1.1 Billion Gas-Pedal Settlement

( http://online.wsj.com )Toyota Motor Corp. agreed to pay about $1.1 billion to settle a class-action lawsuit stemming from complaints of unintended acceleration in its vehicles that soured its reputation for quality and undermined its sales globally. The settlement, filed in a federal court in California on Wednesday, will result in a $1.1 billion pretax charge to earnings this quarter, Toyota said. Owners of some...

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Pats get 7 to Pro Bowl

(bostonherald)FOXBORO — The NFL has again shown its respect for the Patriots’ elite level of talent. Seven Patriots were selected to play in the Pro Bowl on Jan. 27 in Honolulu. Quarterback Tom Brady, tight end Rob Gronkowski, wide receiver Wes Welker, left guard Logan Mankins, defensive lineman Vince Wilfork, linebacker Jerod Mayo and special teamer Matthew Slater all received the nod. “It is flattering to be selected, but I have always considered Pro Bowl recognition as a reflection of the team’s overall success,” Brady said. “I am...

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McConnell Pushed Into Fiscal Fight as Congress Faces Deadline

(bloomberg) Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader who has stayed largely outside the U.S. budget fight this year, will be thrust into prominence just five days before the deadline for tax increases and spending cuts. After the House of Representatives failed to act and the Treasury Department said yesterday it will start taking special measures now to avoid breaking the debt ceiling, McConnell’s next move may influence whether more than $600 billion in tax increases and spending cuts begin in January. President Barack Obama is pressing...

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A street dog from the Philippines that won hearts around the world

  ( sacbee)       A street dog from the Philippines that won hearts around the world after saving two girls from being hit by a motorcycle is a step closer to receiving surgery at UC Davis to reconstruct her missing snout. UC Davis veterinarians have announced that chemotherapy has successfully eliminated the tumors that delayed facial surgery for Kabang, the dog whose muzzle was torn off in a motorcycle crash last year....

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(Catholic) LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Hugh Jones of the University of Hertfordshire says he and his colleagues have discovered no less than five planets orbiting Tau Ceti, a star which is just 12 light-years away. Tau Ceti is a sun-like star in the constellation Cetus, (the whale) and can been seen with the naked eye. What's more is astronomers studying the light from the star have detected five planets orbiting it. One of...

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Deadly storm spreads snow, twister risk to Atlantic coast

By NBC News staff and wire reports A major storm that unleashed heavy snow and deadly winds on the nation’s midsection on Christmas Day was moving across the East Coast Wednesday, bringing more wintry conditions and the risk of new tornadoes. Snow was expected across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, with northern Ohio, northern Pennsylvania and southern New York set to bear the brunt, according to Weather Channel meteorologist Guy Walton. Further...

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Egyptian Senate Convenes

(Voice of America)Egypt's upper house of parliament has convened for its first session since President Mohamed Morsi signed a decree putting the controversial new Islamist-backed constitution into effect. The Shura Council met on Wednesday to swear in 90 new members appointed by Morsi. The council is also expected to begin setting the framework for elections in the lower of house of parliament within the next two months. Morsi signed the decree late Tuesday, after the election commission said almost 64 percent of voters had backed the...

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Russian Parliament Sends Adoption Ban to Putin

(NYTimes) MOSCOW – The upper chamber of Parliament on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill to ban adoptions of Russian children by United States citizens, sending the measure to President Vladimir V. Putin, who has voiced support but not yet said if he will sign it.  Enactment of the adoption ban, which was developed in retaliation for an American law punishing Russians accused of violating human rights, would be the most severe blow yet to relations between Russia and the United States in a year marked by a series of setbacks. ...

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The Obama family’s Hawaiian vacation home

Today, President Obama is ending his holiday vacation short and heading back to the capital, to work with other political leaders towards a deal for avoiding the fiscal cliff.  But before donning on his presidential leader hat again, the president and his family returned back to his home state of Hawaii for some holiday R&R. Read more article here.&nbs...

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President Barack Obama is cutting short his Hawaiian holiday to leave for Washington on Wednesday to address the unfinished "fiscal cliff" negotiations with Congress, the White House said on Tuesday.

(Reuters) - As the clock ticks toward a January 1 deadline, efforts to avert a sharp rise in taxes and deep spending cuts have stalled, worrying world financial markets. Obama and congressional lawmakers left Washington on Friday for the Christmas holidays with talks to avert the fiscal disaster in limbo. When Obama arrives back in Washington early on Thursday, the focus will shift to the U.S. Senate after Republicans in the House...

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Tornado in space

Image description: NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope revealed an object that looks like a giant tornado in space. The structure actually results from shock waves where a powerful protostellar jet hits neighboring gas and dust. Find more images from the Spitzer Space Telescope. Photo by NASA / JPL-Caltech / J. Bally (University of Colorado) Read more article her...

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Promise Neighborhoods and the Importance of Community

Thanks to the Chavez Middle School band and the Thomas Elementary school children's choir. Thank you for that beautiful music. It's a bittersweet day today. We need to listen carefully to the voices of children at this moment. We need to savor their innocence, and applaud their unquenchable appetite for self-expression and renewal. Today--let me start with a piece of great news. Today, we're announcing the winners of a new round of Promise Neighborhood grants. As most of you know, Promise Neighborhoods are cradle-to-career initiatives that...

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