Canada Green Lights Major Oil And Gas Acquisitions

Canada has given its approval to takeover bids of its firms by Asian energy giants China?s CNOOC (NYSE:$CEO) and Malaysia?s Petronas. CNOOC will be taking over Nexen Inc (NYSE:$NXY) for $15.1 billion while Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) will assume the control of Progress Energy Resources Corp for $5.2 billion. In an apparent tit-for-tat move, China also gave approval for Swiss based Glencore International Plc to acquire the Canadian firm Viterra Inc for $6 billion. Viterra has a canola crushing plant in China and therefore the deal needed approval from Chinese regulators.

CNOOC is the third of the three large Chinese oil companies. Its $15 billion acquisition will be the biggest ever by any Chinese firm of a foreign company.? Nexen is the owner of Canada?s largest oil sands field and has significant operations in the U.K. North Sea. CNOOC currently has a 35% stake in Nexen?s Long Lake oil sands facility near Fort McMurray, Alberta. Around 8% of Nexen?s total production comes from U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Nexen also has a 20% stake in Usan project in offshore Nigeria which is operated by Total S.A (NYSE:$TOT). Less than a month ago, Total sold its $2.5 billion stake in Usan to China?s biggest refiner Sinopec (NYSE:$SNP).

Meanwhile, Canada is aiming to become one of the leading energy exporters of the world. Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited China a few months ago in an attempt to show his support for the Chinese investment in the Canadian economy which is considered vital for the country to achieve its global energy ambitions. The country?s exports contribute one-third to the economic output while almost a quarter of the total exports are energy products. Harper also wants to diversify the nation?s energy exports that are currently focused on the U.S. ?As a general rule, the Canadian government will not go for a controlling stake in their oil sands projects except under ?exceptional circumstances?.

Since Nexen has significant operations in Europe and the U.S. as well, the deal also requires the approval from EU and U.S. regulators. CNOOC has revealed that E.U. has also given its nod but the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S has so far remained silent. That committee, chaired by Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, and as such is not directly seen as a political entity, but nothing in Washington D.C. is immune to politics.

Unlike CNOOC or Sinopec, Petronas is an LNG behemoth that is the owner of one of the world?s biggest LNG producing facility at Sarawak, Malaysia while its subsidiary MISC Berhad is the owner and operator of world?s biggest LNG fleet. Following the approval, Petronas now plans to construct a ~$10 billion LNG export facility along the coast of British Columbia. The company has privately held and is wholly owned by the government of Malaysia.

Due to intensive regulatory oversight, the Chinese oil companies have preferred oil investments in Africa (Nigeria) and South America (Brazil, Venezuela) over North America or Europe. Since CNOOC?s 2005 failed bid to acquire Unocal Corp for $18.5 billion, Chinese companies have preferred minority stakes in the U.S. CNOOC is currently working on the $2.5 billion drilling stakes of Devon Energy Corp. Besides that, it has also bought minority stakes from Statoil?s Gulf of Mexico assets in 2009 and Chesapeake Energy?s shale assets in 2010-11.

?	CNOOC	Nexen	Sinopec	Total
Stock YTD	+24.10%	+47.82%	+4.61%	-2.64%
P/E	9.72	32.44	11.21	8.21
EPS	22.3	0.73	9.8	6.06
Yield	1.60%	0.90%	2.50%	5.20%
ROA	13.33%	6.09%	5.10%	9.11%
ROE	23.71%	4.42%	11.00%	15.35%

?

The shares of both CNOOC and Nexen are up 24.10% and 47.82% since the beginning of the current year. The shares of Nexen in particular had jumped by as much as 50% in the last week of July when the news of CNOOC?s bid was revealed.

CNOOC may be overpaying for Nexen in the short run but for the future of Chinese economic growth the resources have immense future value.? As an investor, valuing these deals at today?s prices is a mistake.? The marginal demand for oil and gas in Asia will be tremendous as this growth plays out and for the price of these assets to remain the same would mean holding demand and production in balance when it is demonstrably becoming more difficult to replenish reserves every year.? Peak oil is not the problem.? Peak oil at $40-50 per barrel is history.?? Deals like the Nexen and Progress acquisitions will become more common at valuations that will be even more shocking by today?s standards.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/StockTwitsBlogs/~3/PFALYJY0BL8/

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Israel formally indicts ex-minister Lieberman

JERUSALEM (AP) ? Israel's Justice Ministry filed its indictment of former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman in a Jerusalem court on Sunday, charging him with breach of trust and fraud in a case that could hurt his political future.

Lieberman is accused of trying to advance the career of a former diplomat after the envoy relayed information to him about a criminal investigation into the former Cabinet minister's business dealings.

On Dec. 13, the Justice Ministry released a draft indictment to both Lieberman and the press. On Sunday, an amended version of that draft was filed in the Jerusalem Magistrates Court after prosecutors received testimony suggesting he was more deeply involved than previously thought in trying to promote the diplomat.

The actual charges remained unchanged.

Lieberman, who denies any wrongdoing, resigned his Cabinet post earlier this month after he was informed of the pending charges, though he remains a member of parliament. He did not appear in court on Sunday and had no comment on the indictment.

The diplomat he tried to promote, former ambassador to Belarus Zeev Ben-Aryeh, reached a plea bargain with the state in the case earlier this year.

The indictment did not address the main suspicions against Lieberman that had been the focus of a years-long investigation. Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein ultimately decided that prosecutors did not have a strong enough case to charge Lieberman with illicitly receiving millions of dollars from businessmen and laundering the cash through straw companies in eastern Europe.

While he was charged with lesser offenses, Lieberman's political future could be compromised if the court that hears the case decides to convict him of a crime that carries what is known in Israeli law as "moral turpitude." Lawmakers convicted of such crimes must resign immediately from parliament, then are barred from re-entering politics for seven years.

Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party is running on a joint list with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud in the Jan. 22 election, and he is expected to be re-elected to parliament. Political commentators had viewed the hookup as grooming him to become a future prime minister. Lieberman takes a hard line on concessions to the Palestinians and perceives Israel's large Arab minority as a threat to the Jewish state.

In other political news, Israel's Supreme Court unanimously rejected an election committee's attempt to disqualify an Arab lawmaker from running for parliament again next month because she took part in a flotilla that tried to breach Israel's naval blockade of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

The lawmaker, Hanin Zoabi, enraged many Israelis in 2010 by joining the Turkish-led Mavi Marmara flotilla, which was stormed by Israeli naval commandos who clashed with pro-Palestinian activists, killing nine. The Israeli military says the soldiers acted in self-defense after being attacked on the deck.

Zoabi was nearly assaulted in parliament by another lawmaker and subsequently was stripped of some of her parliamentary privileges.

Earlier this month, an Israeli elections committee voted to disqualify her from running in next month's election. She appealed that decision to the Supreme Court, which overturned it, as it has rejected the committee's attempts in previous years to bar other Arab candidates from running.

"I welcome the ruling," Zoabi said. "I hope this ruling will put an end to the political witchhunt."

Lawmaker Danny Danon, who collected thousands of signatures demanding that Zoabi's candidacy be disqualified, accused the court of "backing the Marmara terrorist rather than naval commando fighters."

The court said in its ruling that it would release its reason for overturning the decision at a later date. Under Israel's election law, the court had to issue its ruling by Sunday.

(Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Source: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/israel-formally-indicts-ex-minister-lieberman

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Vythiri Hotels: A Wide Variety to Choose From!

The city of Vythiri has the old world charm to it. The city has a lot of activities for everyone. There are beautiful hotels where one can stay. Like the Maurya Hotels, have all the facilities that you could imagine. Right from wireless internet to complimentary dinners and breakfasts they have it all. While on vacation here you could visit the Theatre of Arts Hall, the art galleries and the Museums.

The rates of the hotels go sky high during the holiday season so try and make your bookings well in advance so that you do not burn a hole in your pocket. The weather here is very chilly, so make sure you carry your woolens so that you remain warm here. The city has a great night life so don't miss out on it. It is one of the best holiday destinations to visit for a holiday. The atmosphere of the city is very chilled out. The city has a lot to offer in terms of entertainment. There are many hotels where you could stay and have a luxurious time. This place is ideal for a vacation with friends and family. You are sure to have a great time here. Your holiday in this place will leave you relaxed and rejuvenated.

Hotel Emerald Inn is a decent place to stay for those looking out for a comfortable yet affordable place to stay. Their tariffs start at INR 1200 per day. Hotel Trinca is a three star hotel which has all the basic amenities that one would require. Their tariffs start at INR 2000. The main market is a five minute walk from this hotel.

For those who are looking forward to a five star experience then Maurya Sheraton and The Taj Palace are great options to stay at. They have all the latest facilities and have a lot of in house activities like music nights, bonfires and tambola for its guests. They are priced a little high at INR 5500 but are surely worth the money. Be sure to plan your holiday well in advance so that you get the best hotel to stay in.

The Tekrees Inn is another great option to stay in this part of the city. It may be a little above the regular budget with their tariffs starting at 3000 INR. But it has the services that one would require. The foodstuff is par excellence is amazing and the hotel has a spa service. It is perfect for those who want a comfortable holiday. You can relax here and have a great vacation with your loved ones. A stay here will have you refreshed and keyed up.

For more information on Vythiri Hotels and Thenmala Hotels .

Source: http://articles.submityourarticle.com/vythiri-hotels-a-wide-variety-to-choose-from--309901

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Coach cleared of child porn wants files sealed

MANKATO, Minn. (AP) ? Minnesota State University, Mankato, head football coach Todd Hoffner, who was cleared of child pornography charges last month that stemmed from videos found on his cellphone of his naked children clowning around after a bath, is suing to keep the police investigative reports sealed.

Hoffner has been taken off administrative leave, but he hasn't been reinstated as head coach and is facing a 20-day, unpaid school suspension in January for unspecified reasons. He sued the state and Blue Earth County earlier this month in an effort to keep the police reports private, after a Twin Cities television station asked to see them. The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order that would keep anyone from disseminating the investigative file.

District Court Judge Krista Jass ruled last week that the reports will remain private until they can be reviewed, the Mankato Free Press reported (http://bit.ly/ZFYA0c ),

Jass ordered prosecutors to gather all investigative reports and turn them over to Hoffner's attorney, Jim Fleming. He'll be allowed to file a sealed list of information that he believes should be kept from the public. After receiving Fleming's list, Jass will decide what should remain sealed.

Fleming said in a court affidavit that releasing the information would harm Hoffner.

"Plaintiff Mr. Hoffner has an ongoing investigation relative to his employment as a head football coach at (MSU)," Fleming's affidavit said. "Release of private non-public data could irreparably harm (Hoffner) with respect to that investigation that a civil lawsuit for damages would not fully compensate."

Hoffner was charged with child porn possession in August after school officials found videos of his naked children on his work-issued cellphone, which he had turned in to be repaired. Jass dismissed the criminal charges last month after concluding that the short videos of his children acting silly after a bath were not child porn and showed nothing illegal.

Last week, the university said it was suspending Hoffner without pay for 20 days starting Jan. 7. In its announcement, the university didn't say why it was suspending Hoffner, and school officials have declined to specify the reason.

An attorney for the union representing Hoffner has said the suspension is being challenged. The university also said last week it is still investigating a complaint against Hoffner.

Fleming told the newspaper that he wants the information sealed to protect Hoffner's privacy. Investigators went through computer files and took pictures of items in his house.

"We're not hiding anything from anybody," Fleming said.

___

Information from: The Free Press, http://www.mankatofreepress.com

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-12-28-Minn%20St-Mankato-Child%20Porn/id-b4840880d21241708577de0084992e5f

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PFT: Jets' McElroy hid concussion symptoms

AP

When Lions return man Stefan Logan fielded a kick at the 4-yard line on Saturday against the Falcons, he did something extraordinarily stupid: He took a knee and downed it. At the 4-yard line.

TV cameras caught Lions coach Jim Schwartz calling that, ?the f?king stupidest thing I?ve ever seen.? Now Logan has been benched.

?I won?t be [returning kicks] this Sunday,? Logan confirmed today. ?I?m mad, but at the same time there?s nothing I can do about that. That?s coach?s decision. I blame myself. I?m not blaming the coaches, I blame myself. I?m my worst critic.?

Logan didn?t have much of an explanation for why he downed the ball.

?It was a messed up play by me and I have to live with it and move on from it. It?s just a bad play by me and I have to pay the consequences and I have to live with it. I just have to work through it and just be ready for whenever your opportunity comes back up,? Logan said.

Schwartz said that if Logan can?t be trusted not to down the ball at the 4-yard line, then he can?t be trusted to return kicks.

?Part of a returner?s job is to know where he is on the field. Saying ?I didn?t know where I was, I thought I was in the end zone,? is not a valid excuse. Your job as a returner is to know where you are on the field, particularly after we had gotten a safety,? Schwartz said.

Frankly, Schwartz?s decision to bench Logan is long overdue, regardless of his bonehead play last week. Logan is dead last in the NFL with a 21.3-yard kickoff return average and 16th with a 9.1-yard punt return average, and he has six fumbles this season.

Still, Logan is confident in himself going forward.

?Things happen. I didn?t lose the game,? Logan said. ?The game was already over. So it?s not like I lost the game for us, but you can look at it however you want to look at it. We?ve all struggled as a team so far. Not just one individual. I?m like the quarterback on special teams. When the camera goes on special teams it comes straight to me so if anything happens on special teams as far as muffing a punt or a guy running into me or something like that it?s going to be my fault because the light is on me.?

The reality is that Logan is wrong when he says the game was over. It wasn?t over. The Lions were losing by 13 points with 1:21 remaining at the time of Logan?s blunder, so they certainly weren?t in good shape, but teams have come back from being down 13 with 1:21 remaining and gone on to win. In fact, just this season the Lions came back to force overtime after trailing the Titans by more than 13 with less than 1:21 remaining. In that game, Logan fielded a kick with the Lions down by 14 with 1:16 remaining. Fortunately for the Lions, when Logan downed that kick he really was in the end zone. (Apparently Logan thought at the time that the game was over, but his teammates still fought their way back into it.)

Logan?s ?the game was already over? statement doesn?t speak well for his competitiveness, but Logan said he still expects to be an NFL return man in 2013.

?I?ll just keep moving forward whether it?s with Detroit or another team,? he said.

Given Schwartz?s comments about Logan, it will probably not be with Detroit.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/27/mcelroy-concealed-concussions-symptoms/related/

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6 Ways to Use Recruitment Process Outsourcing to Turbocharge ...

Use the boost RPO can provide

Today?s post comes courtesy of business analyst and contributor Justin

Choosing to hire a professional RPO has its advantages. First, it has a huge cost cutting factor for different sectors. Hiring personnel is one example wherein the regular hiring process would require tons of research for candidates, ordination with job interviews and trainings. Despite the time spent on that process, there is still no assurance that they would be able to hire the person that they are looking for. Outsourcing outweighs all of the negative points brought upon by the regular process, which is why outsourcing recruitment is chosen and is preferred by companies and businesses worldwide. [Editor's Note: Interested in outsourcing? Check out this article on the business benefits]

6 Key Advantages

Here are a few of the advantages that outsourcing can bring:

• The best thing that this strategy brings to companies is that it helps in cutting down the costs. Businesses often go to low wage countries because the labor rates are extremely lower compared to countries like New Zealand or Australia. India, which is known to be great and charge really low rates for this industry, are also one of the best bets of these companies but the quality that the Philippines provide for their customers and clients are unsurpassable to what other countries can give. This also cuts down on the payroll expenses, processing fees, training fees and other company costs that substantially build up in the long run.

• Once a professional RPO is considered, you will now gain access to a pool of requirement specialists that are highly reliable. You will also be able to go through processes without having to worry about hurdles that will delay everything. All processes under your account will be monitored and inspected everyday to ensure high quality productivity.

• Your products will not only be shipped to your distributors immediately. To ensure quality, all of your projects will be analyzed carefully by a team skilled in optimum research that will focus on every detail of the project. RPO?s will manage all of the operational activities with an organized plan in a strategic manner to avoid delays throughout your business.

• Professional RPO?s have long been working with different companies which is why they are familiar with the different strategies and the effective recruitment tasks. They have a reliable database to do necessary researches and they have certain rule or benchmarks to make sure that all tasks are carried out really well to avoid erratic and inconsistent outputs

• RPO?s have an in house quality control team that will ensure that the processing of the outputs is working well as well as the outputs itself. No need to hire multiple personnel to do this sector for you.

• The R & D team will be the one responsible for looking out for new techniques and strategies to be incorporated with your recruitment process to further improve the search.

Bottom line, a professional RPO is chosen because of the proven and efficient benefits that it brings. Make a smart choice and give your business the quality that it deserves.

About the Author

Justin is a business analyst who loves to share entrepreneurship and marketing secrets with the world. He strongly feels Recruitment Process Outsourcing helps businesses overcome the difficulties to find quality talent at a reduced cost. Overcoming Business challenges is his passion and he aspires to reach at the highest rung of his field.

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2. 4 Ways to Expand Your Business on a Tight Budget

3. 3 Ways HR Solutions Boost Business Nirvana and Success

4. 4 Key Things for Hiring the Right People for Your Company

Source: http://globial.com/globialtalksbusiness/6-ways-to-use-recruitment-process-outsourcing-to-turbocharge-your-business/

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Police: NYC subway push victim was from India

NEW YORK (AP) ? The man who was shoved to his death in front of a subway train Thursday night was a 46-year-old from India who lived in New York City and worked for a printing business, police said.

Investigators on Friday searched for an unidentified woman who rose from a bench and suddenly pushed the man in the back with both hands, sending him flying onto the tracks as a train entered an elevated station in Queens.

Police released surveillance video of the woman fleeing the area and have been interviewing witnesses, including some who said she was mumbling and cursing to herself before the attack.

Some witnesses said the man had been shielding himself from the cold by waiting in a stairwell before he ventured out onto the platform to see if the train was coming. They also said he had no interaction with the woman, who immediately darted down the stairway after she pushed him.

One witness told police that the man had no time to try to save himself. The witness turned away to avoid seeing the man getting crushed on the tracks.

Investigators identified the victim, who lived alone in Queens, through a smartphone and a prescription pill bottle he was carrying. They delayed releasing his name while they worked to notify his relatives in India.

Detectives were following leads from the public generated by the video, and also checking area homeless shelters and psychiatric units in a bid to identify a suspect.

The woman was described as heavyset and in her 20s. It was unclear whether she and the man knew each other, or whether the attack was simply the act of a deranged stranger.

Commuters, meanwhile, absorbed the news of the second fatal subway shove in the city this month.

"It's just a really sad commentary on the world and on human beings, period," said Howard Roth, who takes the subway daily. He said the deadly push made him think about subway safety, "but I guess the best thing is what they tell you ? don't stand near the edge and keep your eyes open."

Asked about the episode at the station on Queens Boulevard in the Sunnyside neighborhood, Mayor Michael Bloomberg pointed Friday to legal and policy changes that led to the release of many mentally ill people from psychiatric institutions from the 1960s through 1990s.

"The courts or the law have changed and said, no, you can't do that unless they're a danger to society; our laws protect you. That's fair enough," Bloomberg said on "The John Gambling Show with Mayor Mike" on WOR-AM.

There are no barriers separating the trains from the people on New York City's subway platforms, and many people fall or jump to their deaths in front of rushing trains each year.

Though shoving deaths are rare, Thursday night's killing was the second one this month. On Dec. 3, a 58-year-old man was pushed in front of a train in Times Square. A homeless man was charged with murder and is awaiting trial.

Other high-profile cases including the 1999 slaying of Kendra Webdale, an aspiring screenwriter, by a former psychiatric patient. That case led to a state law allowing for more supervision of mentally ill people living outside institutions.

Like many subway riders, Micah Siegel follows her own set of safety precautions during her daily commute: stand against a wall or pillar to keep someone from coming up behind you and watch out when navigating a crowded or narrow platform to avoid being knocked ? even accidentally ? onto the tracks.

"I do try to be aware of what's around me and who's around me, especially as a young woman," Siegel, a 21-year-old college student, said as she waited at Pennsylvania Station on Friday.

So does Roth, who is 60.

"It sounds a little wimpy if you're like, 'Who's going to push me?' But it's better to be safe than sorry," he said.

___

Associated Press Writer Jennifer Peltz contributed to this report.

___

Online:

Video: http://apne.ws/RWeSyO

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-28-Subway-Push%20Death/id-baed60fb08fd40dfa53ba2840e16b221

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Janet Jackson Christmas Card: (Solo) Season's Greetings!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/12/janet-jackson-christmas-card-solo-seasons-greetings/

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Bay Area's stormy weather expected to subside

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Posted: 11:55 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012

KTVU.com and Wires

BAY AREA ?

The rain-soaked Bay Area was expected to get a slight reprieve from the stormy weather for the next couple of days, a National Weather Service forecaster said Wednesday.

Isolated thunderstorms and hail were possible throughout the day

Wednesday, but that night and Thursday should be dry, forecaster Steve Anderson said.?

"We're dealing with some light residual showers around the region," Anderson said. "Some of them can be locally heavy but they're going to be short-lived."

The next significant rainfall was expected Friday night and Saturday, but Anderson said that rain likely wouldn't be as heavy as what the Bay Area had seen over the past few days.

High temperatures were expected to reach the mid-50s, with overnight lows in the mid-30s in the North Bay and the mid-40s elsewhere, he said.

?

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Source: http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local/bay-areas-stormy-weather-expected-subside/nTf3K/

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Samsung expects to ship more than half a billion phones in 2013

To a black ESPN sports analyst, this is the critical question: Is Robert Griffin III, aka RG III, the black rookie sensation Washington Redskins quarterback, "a brother, or is he a cornball brother?" What has RG III done or said to raise a suspicion about his bona fides as a black person? More importantly, what does this have to do with appreciating ? or choosing not to appreciate ? Griffin as an athlete?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/samsung-expects-ship-more-half-billion-phones-2013-180500001.html

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Top tech flops of 2012 tainted a good year for gadgets

13 hrs.

Molly Klinefelter , Laptop

A lot of good things happened in tech this year.?The iPhone 5 premiered with 4G and a feather-light design. Google released its Nexus 7 tablet to go head-to-head with the Amazon Kindle Fire, and equipped it with Jelly Bean.?Samsung delivered a powerful one-two punch with the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II. And we saw a fair number of Ultrabooks that gave the MacBook Air?a run for its money.

But where there?s good, there?s bad. And there were plenty of major tech?fails this year. These awards go to the eight biggest.

Wrong-Way Award: Apple Maps
With all the anticipation surrounding iOS 6, many didn?t think twice about giving up Google Maps for Apple?s new Maps app. But once users switched over, the complaints and outcries that the iOS app was far inferior to Google Maps mushroomed. The app was riddled with errors ? including wrong addresses and warped-looking landmarks in the Flyover view ? while it lacked integrated mass-transit directions.

Apple eventually apologized for the Maps gaffe, and even recommended alternatives. CEO?Tim Cook probably put it best, saying, "We screwed up."

More:?7 Things Apple Must Do in 2013

False Start Award: Windows 8
After Microsoft?released a preview of the highly anticipated Windows 8, users were dismayed to find that, although the new system's classic "desktop" was practically identical to the Windows 7 interface, it lacked a Start menu. Microsoft had substituted the menu with a shortcut to the Start screen, which meant users are forced to leave the desktop just to launch an app that takes them right back to the desktop.

Talk about frustrating. The good news is that a number of third parties have stepped up to the plate with alternatives, including Stardock's Start8 and Samsung's S Launcher utility.

More:?8 Windows 8 Annoyances and How to Fix Them

Worst Sales Pitch: Dell?s ?Daily Deals?
During Laptop's annual Tech Support Showdown, we made three calls to Dell's?tech support line and got more than we bargained for. During the calls, Dell pushed premium warranties on us, saying we had won a daily drawing that would allow us to buy a $500 four-year extended warranty for just $317. Lucky us ? we were chosen to spend even more money on something we didn?t need! When we resisted, the representative rushed us through the call, barely attempting to answer our question, but routinely haranguing us to buy the warranty, because otherwise the next caller would get our "prize."

According to Dell, using "drawings" as a sales tactic is against company policy. However, aggressively pushing extended warranties and hardware purchases is not, as we experienced on two other calls where support reps seemed more interested in making a commission than solving our problems.

More:?Tech Support Showdown 2012

IP-(Uh)-O Award: Facebook
Although Facebook?s IPO initially set a record for technology companies by raising more than $16 billion, it quickly became the decade?s worst initial public offering. When the social networking giant went public in May, its initial offering price was set at $38, while the company was valued at $104 billion. However, a little more than two weeks later, Facebook shares had dropped dramatically to $26.90 per share.

As it turns out, Facebook?s inability to monetize mobile traffic has caused a lot of concern among investors.?Although the stock has rebounded from a recent slide, the share is still way off the debut price.

More:?26 Ultimate Facebook Tips

Biggest Rip-Off Award: Shared Data Plans
In June, Verizon unveiled its new Share Everything plans, which allow customers to pay a flat fee for each device, plus a single charge for shared monthly data, which ranges from 1GB to 10GB. The plan includes unlimited voice minutes and text messages and makes you pay for them, whether you need them or not. As a result, a 2GB data plan costs $100 on the new plan while 2GB with a limited number of minutes and texts cost $70 on the old plan.

AT&T followed suit with similar Mobile Share plans. However, neither of these shared-plan options lets you opt for limited voice minutes or data. Plus, you still need to pay an additional monthly fee as you add devices, whether it?s a tablet?($15 for AT&T, $10 on Verizon Wireless) or mobile hotspot ($50 for AT&T, $20 for Verizon Wireless). At least AT&T kept its individual plans for those who don?t want to go the shared route.

More:?Top 10 Smartphones

Broken Promises Award: BlackBerry?10
BlackBerry 10 has become somewhat of a punchline in the tech industry, with the release of Research?In?Motion?s new mobile?OS continually delayed at a time when the straggling smartphone-maker should be trying anything to keep up with its Android and iPhone?competitors. After a brief demonstration of BlackBerry 10 at BlackBerry World in May, RIM pushed back the operating system?s release until Q1 of 2013, and soon after slashed 5,000 jobs.

Although there are some features in BB10 that look promising, many BlackBerry loyalists have already jumped ship. We'll find out in January if RIM has a shot at a better 2013.

More:?BlackBerry 10 Video Preview

Bait-and-Switch Award: Microsoft Surface
When commercials for the Microsoft?Surface started airing, viewers were enthralled by the device's Touch Cover. It came in fun, eye-catching colors and magnetically snapped onto the device for an easy typing experience.

One would assume that if Microsoft was putting the Touch Cover into its Surface commercials, it would come with the Surface, right? Wrong. Turns out the Touch Cover is a separate purchase, and shoppers would have to invest an additional $119 for the accessory ($100 if you buy it with the black one).

More:?Top 10 Windows 8 Tablet-Laptop Hybrids

Bad Idea Award: Google Nexus Q
Nexus Q could have easily made our list of most overpriced gadgets of all-time ... if it had actually come out. First shown and given to attendees at Google I/O 2012, the Nexus Q is a set-top box in the shape of an orb that streams music and movies to your home theater from Google Play ??and Google Play only.

While a $49 Roku box, a $99 Apple TV or a $99 Google TV box offers a variety of content services, even apps, the $299 Nexus Q didn't even have Netflix. Once you got over its unique design, the Nexus Q's main feature was allowing multiple users to add to the same playlist, something that was sure to create plenty of arguments among family members with different tastes. To Google's credit, the company quickly realized it had a dud on its hands, stopped accepting new orders and gave free units to anyone who had preordered.

More:?The 15 Most Overpriced Gadgets of All Time

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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/top-tech-flops-2012-tainted-good-year-gadgets-1C7657745

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Is a relationship less valid because it is long distance? ? me and India

?.Of course not, although unfortunately not everyone shares that opinion.

It?s not far off of two years that babu and i have been together now, yet in some people?s eyes, because our relationship is long distance it still doesn?t qualify as a proper relationship. The first example of this came from my mum, I?ll tell you about that in a minute. The second being from a colleague at work, at this point we didn?t know each other too well and she had just joined our team from another in the department. Don?t get me wrong, she?s the sweetest girl ever but at this moment In time her opinion insulted me. We were talking about relationships in general and she says it must be hard for me etc etc, only to continue to ask why i didn?t just get a boyfriend in this country because its much easier ? this wasn?t in jest, she was serious. I mean, what do you say to that? I simply asked if she would just dump her boyfriend if the circumstances were a bit difficult. -of course she wouldn?t ? ?but that?s different? she replied.

About a 6 months ago I found my mum trying to set me up with the son of someone at their local pub ? she had shown them a photo I had sent whilst I was away (with babu!) and they had remarked that I was ?fit? (for the non-British amongst us that means attractive, by no means does it mean fit this body has never stepped foot In a gym and is very fond of cake!) and since he has his own house and a car apparently, we should get together. I had to remind her that I have a boyfriend thank you very much, to which she replied ? ?oh but he?s miles away, you want one much closer to home?.

Which brings me to the event that prompted me to write is post. Every Christmas the local fire engine preservation society dress their engine in tinsel and come round the local area collection money and blaring out Christmas tunes. It?s been a traction since I can remember ? think of it as the local equivalent of the coca cola truck ? it?s not Christmas until its been! Anyway, they got a bit hi-tec this year and got a Facebook page, which my mum (Facebook addict) loved! It can be touch and go if they will do out street or not so since they were open to bribes mum offered them some extra cash and some mince pies (on fb) to come down our road, and so on Monday night, a day earlier then planned they turn up. Of course we lavish them with cash and some of my own recipe mice pies, which they enjoy so much they tell us they?re coming back again the next day! Back to the kitchen it was for me then. The next day I get a mail from mum with a copy of their last Facebook update -
?Nice offerings of mince pies in .. Be back tomorrow.. Oh and you daughters phone number is wanted ? which brought a smile to my face since its very flattering, and bragging rights at work that I?d pulled a fireman, but that?s as far as it goes. Not interested, I have a boyfriend who is perfectly lovely. So on the way home from work I call my mum up with the intention if having a giggle about it when she says something that really made me angry, ?oh why don?t you take his number, go for a drink or something, you never know? ?I have a boyfriend already remember??? Was my instant reply, and the she went on to say that it wouldn?t do any harm, that he might be nice, that Babu and I aren?t a proper relationship since he?s in the other side of the world! ? yep, blood was boiling!

Ok ok, it?s not a regular relationship by any means, BUT we still love each other, we still talk on the phone, on Skype, we still share things with each other we wouldn?t with anyone else, we still dream and plan our future together, we still do the same things every other couple do, we just don?t get to do it face to face so often. And yes, we would change it in a heartbeat if we could, and one day we will be In a position to do that.

To address the main concern people give ? you?ve not spent enough time together to know what each other is really like?- well actually this year alone we have spent just over 60 days in each others company, which for a LDR is pretty good. and believe me, it has been long enough for each others ways and habits to show through and sometimes irritate. Not to motion the hours every day we spent on the phone when he was at home. We?ve got a pretty good idea about each other! Realistically we?re not going to be able to live together before we marry one day ? the government and my financial situation together put a stop to any of those kind of thoughts immediately. I have my eyes open, and actually I spent 7 and 5 years living I the pockets of my exes respectively before we figured out those relationships weren?t right, so really that throws that argument out of the window ? besides ? people marry virtual strangers every day In India ? I?m not going to get into discussion about arranged marriage right now ? but I just want to reinforce my point!

And besides, if someone starts dating someone in the army, and they head off to a war zone ? is their relationship not real? How about the lady at work who?s husband works In the gulf for several months at a time, is their relationship not a proper relationship?

Do people think I purposely chose to put myself in this situation ? well, yes, in a way I suppose I did, however, I believe a large amount is down to fate, destiny if I may, was I wrong to pursue this? After that instant strong connection we had upon meeting should we just parted ways a week later and let it be? A couple of days after me met I had wrote about out meeting in my journal, and I had written about how even though we barely knew each other, or even really spoken, the thought of leaving that ship and never seeing him again would?ve killed me ? and this was someone not looking for a relationship, and this isn?t my usual approach (before anyone takes the assumption I?m one off these girls who just needs to be loved, no matter who) something about this meeting was pre-planned by someone, something, whatever it is.

What I?m getting at anyway is that it pisses ? yes, pisses me off (I don?t really like to swear here but I feel it?s justified) that people don?t take this relationship seriously. This has lead to me pussyfooting around people, softly softly, don?t want to scare the parents. Well, the owner of a company I work closely with, lost his wife two weeks ago to a brain tumor, just under a year ago a perfectly healthy lady In her 50s blacked out, and from that moment forward her life was never the same again. It makes you really think. Life can be short, you never know what is around the corner, I?ve spent too much time padding with cotton wool so not to scare my parents, in fact with very little success. ? they still freaked out. that day I found out that lady passed, and left her wonderful husband and daughter behind I realised I need to do what is right for me, for my heart, because one day it might just be too late. I want to please my parents too, but I fear that would eventually be to the detriment of my own happiness, maybe they will meet half way one day, but I can?t keep putting my life an happiness on hold until they do. I really really hope that when the day comes, they will support me, but I guess that if they don?t, no matter how much it hurts I will have to deal with it.

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Source: http://meandindia.com/2012/12/22/is-a-relationship-less-valid-because-it-is-long-distance/

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Research sheds new light on mechanisms of T-ALL, a form of leukemia that primarily affects children

Dec. 23, 2012 ? Acute lymphatic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children under the age of 14 years. With optimum treatment, approximately 75 percent of children are currently cured, but the treatment consists of severe chemotherapy with many side effects. In collaboration with international research teams, scientists at VIB, KU Leuven and UZ Leuven have identified new genetic mutations that lead to T-ALL, a variant of ALL. They have unmasked the ribosome -- the molecular machine in the cell that is involved in the production of proteins -- as a weak spot in leukemia cells.

Their research has also shown that there is a difference in T-ALL between adults and children. Both findings can be important in the search for improved treatments for T-ALL.

Jan Cools (VIB/KU Leuven): "We have discovered that there is a clear genetic difference between T-ALL in children and in adults. This could be an explanation why adults do not respond as well to the current therapy."

Stein Aerts (KU Leuven): "This is a beautiful example of the power of genome sequencing in cancer research. New technologies and large-scale bio-informatics allow us to study a lot of data simultaneously. This allows us to discover links that would have been impossible to find in the past."

T-cell acute lymphatic leukemia (T-ALL)

The formation of white blood cells is disrupted by leukemia. The cells in the bone marrow that should mature into white blood cells multiply unchecked without maturing completely. These immature blood cells compromise the production of normal blood cells. This makes patients more susceptible to infections. Leukemia occurs in different forms; in the case of T-ALL, there is an accumulation of immature white blood cells over a very short period of time. With optimum treatment -- involving chemotherapy -- approximately 75 % of children are currently cured. For adults, the chance of a cure is below 50 %. Chemotherapy is associated with many side effects. The search for a more specific treatment can only start once we know what causes T-ALL.

7 new genes with a key role in T-ALL identified

T-ALL only occurs if errors in various genes occur simultaneously. It is important to determine which genes play a key role. Kim De Keersmaecker, Zeynep Kalender Atak, Jan Cools and Stein Aerts have identified a series of defects in 15 important genes, of which 7 have not previously been associated with T-ALL. They used next-generation sequencing to analyze the 20,000+ genes of 67 T-ALL patients. This technique allows for very fast analysis and comparison of the complete DNA sequence of healthy and sick individuals.

A difference between adults and children

The investigators from Leuven also discovered a difference between T-ALL in children and in adults. T-ALL in adults contains significantly more mutations than in children. The leukemia cells in adults also contain mutations in other genes than in children. This genetic difference could be a possible explanation why adults do not respond as well to the current therapy.

A weak point in leukemia cells exposed

RPL5 and RPL10 -- two newly identified genes -- form part of the ribosome: this is the complex in the cell that produces proteins. The scientists hereby demonstrated for the first time that defects in the ribosome can also play a role in cancer activation. Experiments in yeast cells confirm that mutations in RPL10 cause a change in the ribosome.

Kim De Keersmaecker (VIB/KU Leuven): "This could be a weak point of the leukemia cells: all cells need properly functioning ribosomes to survive and to grow. These 'defective' ribosomes in the leukemia cells could be a new suitable target for the development of targeted therapies."

Patient information

As this study may raise many questions in patients, we would like to refer you to the e-mail address that the VIB has set up for this purpose. Anyone with questions about this research and other medical research can submit their questions on patients@vib.be. Please submit your question in Dutch or English only.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by VIB, via AlphaGalileo.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Kim De Keersmaecker, Zeynep Kalender Atak, Ning Li, Carmen Vicente, Stephanie Patchett, Tiziana Girardi, Valentina Gianfelici, Ellen Geerdens, Emmanuelle Clappier, Micha?l Porcu, Idoya Lahortiga, Rossella Luc?, Jiekun Yan, Gert Hulselmans, Hilde Vranckx, Roel Vandepoel, Bram Sweron, Kris Jacobs, Nicole Mentens, Iwona Wlodarska, Barbara Cauwelier, Jacqueline Cloos, Jean Soulier, Anne Uyttebroeck, Claudia Bagni, Bassem A Hassan, Peter Vandenberghe, Arlen W Johnson, Stein Aerts, Jan Cools. Exome sequencing identifies mutation in CNOT3 and ribosomal genes RPL5 and RPL10 in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Nature Genetics, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/ng.2508

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/t1aTr52MtSw/121223152437.htm

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Profiler: Gunman?s behavior indicates planning, control

An undated photo of Adam Lanza, who posed for a group photo with the Newtown High technology club (AP)

NEWTOWN, Conn.?In stockpiling ammunition, smashing his computers and killing his mother as she slept, Adam Lanza undertook considerable preparation before shooting up an elementary school on Friday, a former FBI profiler said.

"He didn't just snap. This takes a lot of planning," said Mary Ellen O'Toole, who worked for 15 years in the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit where she studied psychopaths and helped capture killers.

O'Toole retired in 2009 and has no direct connection to the case.

Investigators had hoped Lanza's computers would shed some light on what caused him to massacre 20 first-graders and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary, a school he once attended. But the 20-year-old reportedly butchered his computer's hard drives with a hammer or screwdriver, according to ABC News.

Still, the FBI's Computer Analysis and Response Team has been working around the clock on the case and could make progress despite the damage.

"The FBI is pretty good, we can pull stuff off anything," O'Toole said.

O'Toole still assists law enforcement and has written a book titled "Dangerous Instincts." She says the Sandy Hook shootings are worse than any case she has dealt with before.

"I have not seen a case with callousness of this extreme," O'Toole said of Lanza's shooting rampage. "It's off the charts."

Multiple reports have painted Lanza, who lived alone with his divorced mother, as being socially awkward but very intelligent, especially when it came to computers.

O'Toole said the way Lanza carried out his killings suggested a high measure of control, including damaging the computers.

"His computers were very important him. They were a window to his world," O'Toole told Yahoo News. "He didn't want them to survive. He knew that they would give insight into him and didn't want people to have it."

Friends and family of Lanza's mother, 52-year-old Nancy Lanza, have said she dedicated her life to helping her son, who reportedly had Asperger's syndrome or other mental health issues.

O'Toole said people with Asperger's aren't known to commit such violence and that too much is being made about Lanza's mental health.

"It's time we stop putting out the mental health issue as an excuse that he didn't know what he was doing," she said.

Lanza brought three guns into the school, all owned by his mother. He killed his victims with a high-powered semi-automatic rifle, but he also carried two pistols, one of which he used to take his own life. Police say he sprayed hundreds of bullets inside the school and had considerably more left over to use.

Shooting his mother while she slept and preloading numerous rounds of ammunition into the gun clips signals that Lanza was on a mission, O'Toole said.

"He wanted to accomplish maximum lethality," O'Toole said. "He was not out of touch with reality. I think he put some security measures in place so he wouldn't be stopped."

Which unfortunately meant choosing the most helpless of victims, she added.

"If you pick older people you are going to have some blowback," O'Toole said. "He didn't want people to interfere. When people take security measures like that, you know what you are doing is wrong."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/gunman-behavior-shootings-indicates-planning-control-former-fbi-180620270.html

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Pew: The unaffiliated rank 3rd in world religions

Jim Hollander / EPA

Franciscan nuns and Nigerian Christians pray inside St. Catherine's Church, adjacent to the Church of the Nativity, traditionally accepted as the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on Monday.

By Becky Bratu, NBC News

Roughly one in six people around the world has no religious affiliation, a new study by the Pew Research Center?s Forum on Religion & Public Life found, making the unaffiliated the third-largest religious group worldwide, behind Christians and Muslims, and about equal in size to the world?s Catholic population.

The religiously unaffiliated population includes atheists, agnostics and people who do not identify with any particular religion in surveys, the study issued Tuesday reads. Many of the religiously unaffiliated, however, hold religious or spiritual beliefs, the study emphasized.

"For example, belief in God or a higher power is shared by 7 percent of Chinese unaffiliated adults, 30 percent of French unaffiliated adults and 68 percent of unaffiliated U.S. adults," it read.

Making up 16.3 percent of the world population, this group comprises a majority of the population in six countries. China's number of religiously unaffiliated is the largest, with a 62 percent share.

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The Pew Forum's study is based on self-identification.

Titled "The Global Religious Landscape," the study analyzed data available as of early 2012 from more than 2,500 national censuses and large-scale surveys, and found that Christians are the world's biggest religious group, with 2.2 billion people or 32 percent of the world?s population. The largest share of all Christians live in the United States, followed by Brazil and Mexico.

About half of all Christians are Catholic, while an estimated 37 percent of Christians are Protestant, the study shows. Greek and Russian Orthodox Christians make up 12 percent of Christians.

With 23 percent of the world's population, Muslims represent the second-largest religious group and are a majority in 49 countries, including 19 of the 20 countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

Hindus make up 15 percent of the population, while the nearly 500 million Buddhists add up to 7 percent.

The study also found that the median age of Muslims (23 years) and Hindus (26) is younger than the median age of the world?s overall population (28), and more than 12 years younger than the median age of Jews, which is 36 years old.

"Muslims are going to grow as a share of the world's population, and an important part of that is this young age structure," Pew Forum demographer Conrad Hackett told Reuters.

Judaism has the weakest growth prospects in comparison.

There are about 15 million Jews in the world, or about 0.2 percent of the global population, and about 44 percent of them live in North America, while about 41 percent live mostly in Israel.

The Pew Forum study also shows that an estimated 405 million people practice various folk or traditional religions, including African traditional religions, Chinese folk religions, Native American religions and Australian aboriginal religions. More than 70 percent of the world?s folk religion practitioners live in China.

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/18/15993849-the-unaffiliated-rank-third-among-world-religion-groups-pew-study-says?lite

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Minnesota Lets Robosigning Zombie Debt Buyer Off With Hand Slap; Consent Order Requires Outfit To Do What It Should Have Already Been Doing Anyway When Clipping Consumers For Unpaid Bills

Minnesota Lets Robosigning Zombie Debt Buyer Off With Hand Slap; Consent Order Requires Outfit To Do What It Should Have Already Been Doing Anyway When Clipping Consumers For Unpaid Bills

From the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General:

• Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson [] announced a Consent Judgment with Midland Funding, LLC, one of the country?s largest debt buyers and which has offices in St. Cloud, to settle a lawsuit she filed against the company last year for filing unreliable ?robo-signed? affidavits in collections lawsuits and sometimes targeting the wrong people for payment of old bills that it purchased from credit card companies and banks for pennies on the dollar.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheHomeEquityTheftReporter/~3/OxcIwlc6NeM/minnesota-lets-robosigning-zombie-debt.html

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As online voting begins, Oscars take extra steps not to leave voters behind

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - The Academy opened online voting for the first time in his history on Monday. But in the days leading up to the unprecedented move away from paper ballots, AMPAS also took measures to make sure that chunks of its membership aren't left on the sidelines by the digital revolution.

"We're trying to enfranchise as many members as possible," AMPAS COO Ric Robertson told TheWrap.

Months ago, the organization set up stations in the lobby of its Beverly Hills headquarters where members could register to vote electronically and also receive answers to questions about the process.

In November, the organization extended the deadline for voters to request paper ballots.

And in the week before that new December 14 deadline, AMPAS took an extra step that essentially made that deadline irrelevant. Academy officials, worried about the number of members who hadn't chosen either option, decided to mail paper ballots to every one of its 5,856 members whose dues were current but who hadn't signed up for the online-voting option.

"If you've paid your dues and you haven't registered to vote electronically, we're going to send you a paper ballot whether or not you've asked for one," said Robertson.

That final decision by AMPAS officials, he said, will make the percentage of potential nominating voters commensurate with what it has been in prior years, when all voters whose dues were paid automatically received paper ballots.

"Between those who registered to vote electronically and those who are receiving paper ballots, we're at a number that is similar to what we've had in the past," he said.

As for the breakdown in this first year of online voting, Robertson said that "the majority of voting members" have registered to cast their votes by computer.

The move to online voting, he added, is particularly important this year, when the deadline to return nominating ballots is January 3, two weeks earlier than usual.

"The voting period for nominations is essentially the holiday season," he said. "Whether you're vacationing in Hawaii or working in Mexico, it's now much easier to vote - and you don't have to worry about being out of town while your ballot is sitting in your mailbox back in West L.A."

Still, Robertson admits that not every AMPAS voter has embraced moving into the online age.

"We have some members who are not shy in any way about saying, 'I'm going to vote paper and I'm not changing,'" he said. "But I was really pleasantly surprised that the number of people who registered to vote electronically was higher than I anticipated."

Throughout the year, he added, the Academy has had focus groups with members to explain the online voting process. And though the Screen Actors Guild had its nominations leaked early last week through an error on its website, Robertson insists that the Academy is not worried.

"I am confident about it," he said. "We have taken extensive measures to make sure our system is secure and protected."

While in past years, PricewaterhouseCoopers partners have told TheWrap that a large number of members voted and returned their nominating ballots immediately after receiving them, Robertson said he doesn't expect a similar early rush this time.

"Most of our members are still trying to see the movies," he said. "I don't think too many people are going to be voting right away this year."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/online-voting-begins-oscars-extra-steps-not-leave-231718500.html

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