CarrierIQ is having a difficult time making friends. Nearly two weeks after Massachusetts congressman Edward Markey asked the FTC to open an investigation on the data collection company, it appears his wish may be granted. According to anonymous government officials close to the Washington Post -- and confirmed by CarrierIQ itself -- senior officials from the company visited the nation's capital yesterday to discuss the matter with representatives from the FTC and the FCC, as well as a few congressional staffers. The Federal Trade Commission itself hasn't confirmed that it's opening a probe into the situation; regardless, it's certainly evident that the government's beginning to look very close at the company's practices. It's great news for privacy advocates, but whether it amounts to any changes remains to be seen.
Update: We just received a report from the New York Times that Carrier IQ claims it was misquoted in the Washington Post. In a statement released later, the company said:
This week CarrierIQ sought meetings with the FTC and FCC to educate the two agencies about the functionality of its software and answer any and all questions. Although Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), co-Chairman of the Bi-Partisan Congressional Privacy Caucus, has asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the practices of Carrier IQ, we are not aware of an official investigation into Carrier IQ at this time.
LONDON (Reuters) ? European regulators have recommended approval of a targeted melanoma drug from Swiss group Roche Holding AG, opening the way to a new treatment option for patients with the deadliest form of skin cancer.
The green light for Zelboraf from the European Medicines Agency -- which Roche said on Friday it expected to be formally endorsed by the European Commission in February -- follows U.S. approval in August.
The new drug is given as a twice-daily pill and is designed to be used alongside a companion diagnostic test, also from Roche, that identifies which patients have a specific genetic mutation that means they will benefit from the treatment.
The London-based agency said the benefits of Zelboraf, particularly the improvements seen in terms of patients going longer before their disease progressed and overall survival, outweighed its potential risks.
Side effects from Zelboraf can include secondary growths, rash, slight hair loss, extreme photosensitivity and joint pain.
Zelboraf was developed in partnership with Daiichi Sankyo and became the second drug to be approved for melanoma in the United States this year, after Yervoy from Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Roche said in August that Zelboraf would cost just over $56,000 for a six-month course of treatment in the United States. It has yet to announce a price in Europe.
Analysts tracked by Thomson Reuters Pharma, on average, forecast annual sales of $930 million for the medicine by 2016, making it a useful addition to Roche's market-leading portfolio of cancer therapies.
Zelboraf, known clinically as vemurafenib, is targeted for patients with tumors that have a mutation in a gene known as BRAF that allows melanoma cells to grow. About half of all melanomas have the genetic aberration the drug targets.
The European drugs watchdog said it backed Zelboraf for treating patients with the BRAF mutation who suffered from metastatic or unresectable melanoma, meaning it cannot be removed by surgery.
Melanoma globally afflicts nearly 160,000 new people each year. It can spread quickly to internal organs and average survival is six to nine months.
With its initial public offering coming up later this week, Zynga is making a few notable traffic gains on Facebook and mobile. Older games like FarmVille are growing, not just new ones like CastleVille.?The obvious reasons include it doing more advertising and cross-promotion -- and getting some extra publicity out of new launches and media events. But it looks like there's more going.?Facebook appears to have made a few adjustments to how users see app activity within the last month or so.
The Habitable Exoplanets Catalog, a new online database of habitable worldsPublic release date: 5-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Abel Mendez abel.mendez@upr.edu 787-379-2363 University of Puerto Rico, Arecibo Campus
The database suggests over 15 exoplanets and 30 exomoons as potential habitable candidates
Scientists are now starting to identify potential habitable exoplanets after nearly twenty years of the detection of the first planets around other stars. Over 700 exoplanets have been detected and confirmed with thousands more still waiting further confirmation by missions such as NASA Kepler. Most of these are gas giants, similar to Jupiter and Neptune, but orbiting very dangerously close to their stars. Only a few have the right size and orbit to be considered suitable for any life.
Now the Planetary Habitability Laboratory (PHL) of the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo (UPR Arecibo) presents a new assessment of the habitability of these worlds as part of its Habitable Exoplanets Catalog (HEC). The catalog not only identifies new potential habitable exoplanets, including exomoons like the Pandora world in the movie Avatar, but also ranks them according to various habitability indices.
"One important outcome of these rankings is the ability to compare exoplanets from best to worst candidates for life", says Abel Mndez, Director of the PHL and principal investigator of the project.
The catalog uses new habitability assessments like the Earth Similarity Index (ESI), the Habitable Zones Distance (HZD), the Global Primary Habitability (GPH), classification systems, and comparisons with Earth past and present. It also uses data from other databases, such as the Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia (http://www.exoplanet.eu), the Exoplanet Data Explorer (http://www.exoplanets.org), the NASA Kepler Mission (http://www.kepler.nasa.gov), and other sources.
According to Mndez, "New observations with ground and orbital observatories will discover thousands of exoplanets in the coming years. We expect that the analyses contained in our catalog will help to identify, organize, and compare the life potential of these discoveries."
The catalog lists and categorizes exoplanets discoveries using various classification systems, including tables of planetary and stellar properties. One of the classifications divides them into eighteen mass and thermal categories, creating a table similar to a periodic table for exoplanets. Additional resources of the catalog will include scientific visualizations and stellar maps of exoplanets. Various undergraduate students participated in the project.
Only two confirmed exoplanets so far match the criteria for habitability in the catalog, Gliese 581d and HD 85512b, both still marginally Earth-like. However, the catalog identifies over 15 exoplanets and 30 exomoons as potential habitable candidates. Future observations with new instruments, such as the proposed NASA Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF), will be necessary to confirm the suitability for life of any of these candidates.
"I hope this database will help increase interest in building a big space-based telescope to observe exoplanets directly and look for possible signatures of life," says Jim Kasting, an expert on planetary habitability science from Penn State.
###
The catalog is available now online at the PHL website phl.upr.edu. A poster will be presented at the Kepler Science Conference from December 5th to 9th, 2011 in NASA Ames, Moffet Field, California.
The PHL is a research and educational virtual laboratory dedicated to studies of the habitability of Earth, the Solar System, and exoplanets. The PHL is managed by the UPR Arecibo with the international collaboration of scientists from various institutions including NASA and SETI.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
The Habitable Exoplanets Catalog, a new online database of habitable worldsPublic release date: 5-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Abel Mendez abel.mendez@upr.edu 787-379-2363 University of Puerto Rico, Arecibo Campus
The database suggests over 15 exoplanets and 30 exomoons as potential habitable candidates
Scientists are now starting to identify potential habitable exoplanets after nearly twenty years of the detection of the first planets around other stars. Over 700 exoplanets have been detected and confirmed with thousands more still waiting further confirmation by missions such as NASA Kepler. Most of these are gas giants, similar to Jupiter and Neptune, but orbiting very dangerously close to their stars. Only a few have the right size and orbit to be considered suitable for any life.
Now the Planetary Habitability Laboratory (PHL) of the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo (UPR Arecibo) presents a new assessment of the habitability of these worlds as part of its Habitable Exoplanets Catalog (HEC). The catalog not only identifies new potential habitable exoplanets, including exomoons like the Pandora world in the movie Avatar, but also ranks them according to various habitability indices.
"One important outcome of these rankings is the ability to compare exoplanets from best to worst candidates for life", says Abel Mndez, Director of the PHL and principal investigator of the project.
The catalog uses new habitability assessments like the Earth Similarity Index (ESI), the Habitable Zones Distance (HZD), the Global Primary Habitability (GPH), classification systems, and comparisons with Earth past and present. It also uses data from other databases, such as the Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia (http://www.exoplanet.eu), the Exoplanet Data Explorer (http://www.exoplanets.org), the NASA Kepler Mission (http://www.kepler.nasa.gov), and other sources.
According to Mndez, "New observations with ground and orbital observatories will discover thousands of exoplanets in the coming years. We expect that the analyses contained in our catalog will help to identify, organize, and compare the life potential of these discoveries."
The catalog lists and categorizes exoplanets discoveries using various classification systems, including tables of planetary and stellar properties. One of the classifications divides them into eighteen mass and thermal categories, creating a table similar to a periodic table for exoplanets. Additional resources of the catalog will include scientific visualizations and stellar maps of exoplanets. Various undergraduate students participated in the project.
Only two confirmed exoplanets so far match the criteria for habitability in the catalog, Gliese 581d and HD 85512b, both still marginally Earth-like. However, the catalog identifies over 15 exoplanets and 30 exomoons as potential habitable candidates. Future observations with new instruments, such as the proposed NASA Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF), will be necessary to confirm the suitability for life of any of these candidates.
"I hope this database will help increase interest in building a big space-based telescope to observe exoplanets directly and look for possible signatures of life," says Jim Kasting, an expert on planetary habitability science from Penn State.
###
The catalog is available now online at the PHL website phl.upr.edu. A poster will be presented at the Kepler Science Conference from December 5th to 9th, 2011 in NASA Ames, Moffet Field, California.
The PHL is a research and educational virtual laboratory dedicated to studies of the habitability of Earth, the Solar System, and exoplanets. The PHL is managed by the UPR Arecibo with the international collaboration of scientists from various institutions including NASA and SETI.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
DALLAS ? Jose Reyes is speeding to the suddenly splurging Miami Marlins.
The All-Star shortstop became the second top free agent to land with the Marlins in a matter of days, agreeing Sunday night to a $106 million, six-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.
After adding All-Star closer Heath Bell for $27 million over three years, the Marlins gave the NL batting champion a deal that includes a club option for 2018 that would make the contract worth $120 million, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not yet been announced.
Preparing to move into a $515 million retractable-roof ballpark, the Marlins hired Ozzie Guillen as their manager and have become a driving force in the market ahead of the winter meetings, which start Monday. With Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols the remaining high-profile hitters on the market, they hope to land another big bat. Pujols, like Reyes, already has toured the new stadium ? which opens when the Marlins host the Cardinals on April 4.
Reyes is following Francisco Rodriguez and Carlos Beltran out of New York, leaving David Wright and Johan Santana as the Mets' last remaining stars. Mets general manager Sandy Alderson began hearing rumors of the deal Sunday afternoon.
"If the numbers are what are speculated and Jose does leave us, I don't think people will be surprised that under those circumstances he went elsewhere. It doesn't mean they'll be happy about it," said Alderson, who spoke with Reyes' agents earlier in the day. "There was an indication to me that things were moving. Exactly how far. I didn't ask. I didn't need to."
Reyes signed with New York at age 16 and last year become the Mets' first NL batting champion, when he hit .337 and topped the league with 16 triples, while stealing 39 bases.
The 28-year-old is a four-time All-Star and three-time stolen base champion. But he has been prone to injuries in recent seasons, particularly to his hamstrings. He has not played more than 133 games in any of the last three years, averaging 98.
His arrival in Miami, where the Marlins will be wearing new brightly colored uniforms, likely means three-time All-Star Hanley Ramirez will be shifting from shortstop to third base.
Reyes received the second-nine figure deal of the offseason, following center fielder Matt Kemp's $160 million, eight-year contract to stay with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Reyes' departure is another blow to the Mets, who went 77-85 in their third straight losing season. Attendance at Citi Field dropped to 2.35 million, down about 7 percent from last year and their lowest since 2004, when they played at Shea Stadium.
Alderson said the Mets never made a formal offer to Reyes, who is coming off a deal that paid him $32.4 million over five years.
"I don't believe Mets' fans will be surprised if these reports are true that Jose may not be back," he said. "You have to draw a line somewhere and based on our experience, not just with Jose ? but with multiyear contracts generally, and not just with our multiyear contracts, but all multiyear contracts generally ? we decided that there were some conceptual limitations to where we would go."
Alderson became general manager when Omar Minaya was fired after the 2010 season. The Wilpon family that owns the Mets has been sued by the trustee trying to recover money for the victims of the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme, and he is seeking to recover up to $386 million from the Mets' ownership group.
"Bernie Madoff and his specter are always referenced in these situations. I really don't really think that Madoff has that much to do with this," Alderson said. "But when a team loses $70 million, irrespective of Bernie Madoff or anyone else, that's probably a bigger factor in our approach to this season and the next couple than anything else."
Alderson wouldn't say whether the $70 million figure was for 2011 only.
"Big losses, let's put it that way," he said.
With Reyes gone, Ruben Tejada becomes the Mets' projected starting shortstop.
"We don't expect him to be Jose Reyes," Alderson said. "At some point, he will be what he can be as a player."
In a matter-of-fact 20-minute briefing, Alderson didn't concede the 2012 season would be a loss and maintained the departure wouldn't lead to a total rebuilding.
"I don't think anything that Jose does or doesn't do over the next few days has any impact on David Wright," Alderson said. "Right now, we don't contemplate trading David Wright."
No idea how many Bothan spies died bringing him this information, but Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac managed to get his hands on Apple’s guidelines for Apple Store employees covering codes of conduct for social networks like Facebook and Twitter, personal websites, and inter-personal communications. Short version: Be honest, respectful,...
Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain speaks at Middle Tennessee State University Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain speaks at Middle Tennessee State University Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) ? Set to meet with his wife for the first time since a woman came forward claiming she had a 13-year extramarital affair with him, Herman Cain is preparing for one last campaign stop before he decides whether to press forward with his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.
Cain, who has denied the affair and allegations of unwanted sexual advances from other women, planned a Friday afternoon campaign stop in Rock Hill, S.C., before heading home to Atlanta to assess whether the accusation of an affair would be enough to force him from the GOP contest. With a little more than a month before Iowa has its lead-off caucuses, time is working against the Georgia businessman as he tries to steady his campaign.
"I want to do the assessment that we've got to do. Every time a new bit of information comes up, that stimulates another story in the media and that hurts my family and my wife, and it hurts me," Cain told Fox News Channel on Thursday.
"I'm going to re-establish my reputation," he added.
It won't be easy, regardless of whether the allegations are true or not. Cain's standing in the polls is cratering, supporters are wavering and fundraising is limping.
Since Ginger White stepped forward Monday, the allegation of an affair has overshadowed Cain's campaign. He told The New Hampshire Union Leader that his wife, Gloria, did not know he was providing the 46-year-old Atlanta-area businesswoman with money for "month-to-month bills and expenses."
"Unfortunately, I'm a softy and I feel sorry for people when they get in deep financial trouble, especially given this economy," Cain later told Fox News.
White told MSNBC in an interview Thursday night that she was "deeply sorry" for causing Cain's wife or other members of his family any pain.
"My heart bleeds for this woman because I am a woman and being in a situation like this cannot be fun. And I am deeply, deeply sorry if I have caused any hurt to her and to his kids, to his family," she said.
White said the affair was never about love and that Cain never said he loved her.
"Nor did I tell him that I loved him," she said. "It wasn't a love affair. It was a sexual affair, as hard as that is for me to say and as hard as it is for people to hear it. You know, it pretty much is what it is. And that's what it was."
Even before White surfaced, Cain faced steep hurdles to the nomination. He didn't have much of a campaign organization. He was spending more time on a book tour than in early primary and caucus states. And he was dealing with doubts about whether he was ready for the presidency, given a series of fumbles on policy questions.
Cain said that he was heading home on Friday to talk "face to face" with his wife of 42 years, although he said they had spoken several times a day since White told an Atlanta television station she had a casual if long-term affair with Cain that ended about eight months ago.
"My wife told me again today she loves me. It's not that she is doubting me," Cain told Fox News. "It's that all the media frenzy and all of the speculation and all of the twisting and the turning that never stops, it takes a toll on your family and that's my No. 1 priority."
Even so, he canceled a Friday evening event at the Atlanta Athletic Club as he decides whether his campaign goes forward.
"Herman Cain is a smart man, and he loves his family, and I know that these last four, five weeks, with these accusations, have taken a toll on him and they've taken a toll on his family," Cain lawyer Lin Wood told CNN. "I suspect he's going to have a heart-to-heart talk with his wife and his other family members and he's going to make sure that whatever decision he makes, the first and foremost consideration: Is it in their best interest?"
___
Associated Press writers Shannon McCaffrey and Ray Henry in Atlanta and Tom Beaumont in Iowa contributed to this report.
BC-FBC--T25-Pac-12 Championship, 3rd Ld-Writethru,951No. 8 Oregon beats UCLA 49-31 for Pac-12 titleAP Photo ORGW101, ORGW103, ORDR108, ORDR107, ORDR103, ORDR102, ORDR101, ORDR104, ORDR106, ORDR109Eds: No. 8 Oregon 49, UCLA 31. New approach. With AP Photos.By ANNE. PETERSONAP Sports Writer
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) ? As LaMichael James danced to celebrate Oregon's third straight conference championship, fans surrounding him shouted "One More Year!"
The junior running back ran for 219 yards and three touchdowns in the eighth-ranked Ducks' 49-31 victory over UCLA in the inaugural Pac-12 championship game Friday night. With the win, the Ducks earn a trip to the Rose Bowl.
There has been speculation that James, who set a league record with three straight 1,500-yard seasons, will bolt to the NFL next season.
But for right now, James was savoring the moment.
"Just being with my teammates, I cherish that," he said. "I don't think about 'one more year.' I just think about today."
While James partied, UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel paused before Bruins fans at Autzen Stadium and tipped his hat. The former UCLA quarterback was fired this week after four seasons at his alma mater.
The Bruins (6-7) played with passion for their outgoing coach and kept it closer than many thought they would, but it was not enough to overcome the Ducks (11-2), who head to a BCS bowl for the third straight season.
"They can take my job," Neuheisel said, gesturing to the locker room as he left the field, "but they can't take those boys away from me."
Neuheisel was fired following last weekend's 50-0 loss to No. 9 Southern California, It was one in a wave of coaching moves in the conference. Around the time he was fired, Arizona State let go of Dennis Erickson. Washington State parted ways with Paul Wulff, then quickly hired former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach a day later.
The Bruins were granted permission this week from the NCAA to accept a bowl invitation despite their losing record.
"We made it a game, at least for a time. I was thrilled that we got that kind of effort, given the events of the last week," Neuheisel said. "I just am excited for these guys. They get one more game. They'll find out where here soon."
Oregon will play the winner of the first Big Ten championship game Saturday between No. 11 Michigan State and No. 15 Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2. The bowl pairings will be formally announced on Sunday.
The Ducks clenched roses in their teeth Friday night as fireworks exploded above and confetti rained down. James danced with fellow running back Kenjon Barner.
With his three TDs, James moved into a tie with USC's LenDale White (2003-05) for second on the league's career rushing TD list with 52.
James ran 30 yards for a touchdown on Oregon's first drive of the game. He went into the game as the nation's top running back with an average of 142.7 yards per game.
UCLA tied it when linebacker Patrick Larimore intercepted Thomas and ran 35 yards for a touchdown. Neuheisel pumped his fist in celebration.
Thomas scored on a 10-yard keeper and then found true freshman tight end Colt Lyerla alone in the end zone with a 7-yard scoring pass to make it 21-7.
UCLA narrowed it with quarterback Kevin Prince's flea-flicker to Nelson Rosario for a 37-yard touchdown.
Oregon was stung early in the game when dynamic true freshman De'Anthony Thomas fumbled after a hit by Tevin McDonald. Shaken up on the play, the versatile running back who earlier this week was named the Pac-12's co-freshman of the year on offense did not return.
James added a 3-yard touchdown run to make it 28-14 before Darron Thomas connected with Daryle Hawkins for a 25-yard TD reception.
UCLA's Tyler Gonzalez kicked a 44-yard field goal to make it 37-17 at halftime.
Prince scored on a 1-yard run early in the third quarter to pull UCLA closer to the Ducks, but James answered with a 5-yard TD dash to make it 42-24.
A Heisman Trophy finalist last season as a sophomore, James fell out of the running for the most part this season because he missed two games with a dislocated right elbow.
Offensive lineman Carson York said he certainly hoped this wasn't James' final season with the Ducks.
"It's been an absolute honor to block for that guy for the last three years," York said. "I am firmly against this being his last game at Autzen Stadium."
David Paulson caught a 22-yard touchdown pass midway through the third, which put Darron Thomas in front of Danny O'Neil (1991-94) for most passing TDs at Oregon.
Rosario pulled down a one-handed, 19-yard touchdown pass from Prince with less than two minutes to play. Rosario finished with six catches for 98 yards.
Prince completed 13 of 26 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns.
The addition of Colorado and Utah to the Pac-12 paved the way for a league championship game this season. In previous years, the team with the best conference record claimed the title.
While No. 9 USC (10-2, 7-2) finished atop the Pac-12 South, the Trojans are ineligible to play in the postseason because of NCAA sanctions, which put UCLA in the title game.
Because of Neuheisel's dismissal, offensive coordinator Mike Johnson will take over if UCLA is selected to play in a bowl game.
The Bruins have reached just one bowl in the past three seasons. Athletic director Dan Guerrero said he wants to reward the Bruins' 18 seniors by going to a bowl even while the program is in upheaval.
Oregon went to the 2010 Rose Bowl in its first season under Kelly, losing to Ohio State. Last season the Ducks went to the BCS championship, where they fell to Auburn.
Oregon had appeared to be in the running for another shot at the national championship game before losing 38-35 to USC at Autzen Stadium on Nov. 19.
Republican presidential hopeful former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks at the annual meeting of the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011, in West Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Republican presidential hopeful former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks at the annual meeting of the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011, in West Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) ? Americans are going to have to do more for themselves if they want the government to do less, Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said Thursday.
The former House speaker's call for "more responsible" citizens is the crux of the message he said he planned to stress as he approached the final month of campaigning for votes in Iowa's leadoff nominating caucuses.
"Whether you are a parent or grandparent or an aunt or an uncle you have responsibilities to your community, your neighborhood," Gingrich told about 500 employees of an insurance company at its Des Moines headquarters. "And we're all going to have to roll up our sleeves and be a little bit more responsible in the next 30 years."
While warning that he alone couldn't turn the country around as president, Gingrich also expressed confidence in his resurgent campaign.
Gingrich is riding a wave of late support, having lost most of his national campaign staff over fundraising and strategy issues in June. He met with some of Iowa's many Republican state lawmakers and picked up backing from a former top supporter of rival Herman Cain.
"I'm going to be the nominee," Gingrich said in an ABC News interview. "It's very hard not to look at the recent polls and think that the odds are very high I'm going to be the nominee."
Gingrich's demeanor Thursday, loose and cheerful, belied the increasing intensity in the once slow-moving campaign for Iowa's Jan. 3 caucuses.
While a driving snow in central Iowa heralded the coming caucuses, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was preparing to air his first advertisement in Iowa, a spot for Friday touting his business background and plan to cut the budget.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry also planned to introduce a new ad Friday, his seventh, focusing on his Christian faith.
Two nationally televised debates are scheduled within the next two weeks in the state.
Despite leading in some national and Iowa polls, Gingrich has little of the campaign infrastructure on the ground. Identifying supporters and turning them out at roughly 1,700 precinct-level political meetings requires an organizational network other candidates have spent more time developing than Gingrich has.
Last month, he hired back two of the Iowa staffers who quit in June, and added three more this week.
Gingrich joked Thursday that a methodical march to the caucuses would have been no challenge.
"We had a chance in June to do it easy, and thought to ourselves, why would you want to do that?" Gingrich said during an Associated Press interview.
He said he's now scrambling to build a campaign organization while hoping a winning message can resonate with undecided caucusgoers.
Gingrich's scholarly style ? he's a former college history professor ? and blunt candor have produced standout debate performances that have boosted his fundraising in recent months.
Without scolding, he said lasting economic recovery would require sacrifice.
"So every person who says they want a smaller bureaucracy and less power in Washington, you better sign up to do more things yourself," he told the AP.
It was a message that won over Charlie Gruchow. A tea party organizer in Iowa, he had been a strong supporter of Cain. But the reports of sexual harassment and an alleged extramarital affair had damaged Cain, said Gruchow, who said he would support and likely work for Gingrich's campaign.
Gingrich's path is far from certain.
Polls of Iowa GOP caucusgoers have shown Romney continually strong but not dominant, underscoring a healthy contingent of Republicans looking for an alternative to the former Massachusetts governor.
Gingrich's history as a Washington insider with nuanced positions, such as support for allowing some illegal immigrants to remain in the country, has prompted rivals to begin attacking him in the conservative state.
Texas Rep. Ron Paul released a blistering Internet video Wednesday, raking Gingrich in part for receiving more than $1.5 million from the embattled federally backed mortgage company Freddie Mac for consulting work after he left Congress.
"If we want nuance, we have that in Romney," said Iowa Republican activist Chuck Laudner. "What we want is clarity."
NEW YORK ? The dollar rose against the euro Friday after the U.S. government reported a sharp drop in the unemployment rate last month.
The Labor Department said that the unemployment rate fell to 8.6 percent in November, the lowest since March 2009. Analysts had expected the rate to stay at 9 percent.
In November, the country added 120,000 jobs, a sign that the economy is slowly recovering. The government also said that job growth was higher in September and October than first estimated.
The euro fell to $1.3387 in afternoon trading Friday from $1.3460 late Thursday.
The dollar was higher against most other currencies. The British pound fell to $1.5592 from $1.5689. The dollar rose to 77.92 Japanese yen from 77.76, to 0.9213 Swiss franc from 0.9164 and to 1.0192 Canadian dollar from 1.0150 Canadian dollar.
Jon Jones took the mixed martial arts world by storm in 2011, so it was no surprise to see the "Swagger Jacker" steal the show in Las Vegas tonight.
The Palms hosted the third annual World MMA Awards show in the Pearl at the Palms.
Jones entered the year as a possible contender to compete for the UFC light heavyweight title. Three fights later and he's been labeled as nearly unbeatable by some. Jones received the Charles "Mask" Lewis Fighter of the Year award.
Below are the other significant awards pertaining to action in the cage with my personal choice for winner. We stuck with the five finalists that were chosen through fan voting at the Fighters Only magazine website (winners courtesy MMAjunkie).
CHARLES "MASK" LEWIS FIGHTER OF THE YEAR Nominees: Dominick Cruz, Nick Diaz, Dan Henderson, Jon Jones and Anderson Silva. Winner: Jon Jones; Cofield winner: Nick Diaz
BREAKTHROUGH FIGHTER OF THE YEAR Nominees: Donald Cerrone, Daniel Cormier, Phil Davis, Demetrious Johnson and Brian Stann. Winner: Donald Cerrone; Cofield winner: Demetrious Johnson
SUBMISSION OF THE YEAR Nominees: "Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung vs. Leonard Garcia at UFC Fight Night 24, Pablo Garza vs. Yves Jabouin at UFC 129, Richard Hale vs. Nik Fekete at Bellator 38, Vinny Magalhaes vs. Viktor Nemkov at M-1 Challenge 25, and Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader at UFC 132 Winner: Chan Sung Jung vs. Leonard Garcia at UFC Fight Night 24: Cofield winner: "Korean Zombie"
KNOCKOUT OF THE YEAR Nominees: Patricky "Pitbull" Freire vs. Toby Imada at Bellator 39, Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry at UFC Live 5, John Makdessi vs. Kyle Watson at UFC 129, Lyoto Machida vs. Randy Couture at UFC 129, and Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort at UFC 126 Winner: Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort at UFC 126; Cofield winner: Lyoto Machida
FIGHT OF THE YEAR Nominees: Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick at UFC 129, Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber at UFC 132, Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard at UFC 125, Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley at "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley," and Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann at UFC Live 3 Winner: Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard at UFC 125; Cofield winner: Nick Diaz vs. Paul DaleyINTERNATIONAL FIGHTER OF THE YEAR. Nominees: Michael Bisping, Alexander Gustafsson, Joachim Hansen, Alistair Overeem and Dennis Siver. Winner: Alistair Overeem; Cofield Winner: Overeem
REFEREE OF THE YEAR Nominees: Herb Dean, "Big" John McCarthy, Dan Miragliotta, Josh Rosenthal and Mario Yamasaki. Winner: Herb Dean; Cofield winner: Josh Rosenthal COMEBACK OF THE YEAR Nominees: Marloes Coenen vs. Liz Carmouche at "Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson," Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry at UFC Live 5, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (career), Tito Ortiz (career) and Joe Warren vs. Joe Soto at Bellator 27. Winner: Cheick Kongo: Cofield winner: Tito Ortiz FEMALE FIGHTER OF THE YEAR Nominees: Marloes Coenen, Zoila Gurgel, Sarah Kaufman, Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate. Winner: Miesha Tate; Cofield winner: Tate
RING ENTRANCE OF THE YEAR Nominees: Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133, Vitor Belfort at UFC 133, Dave Herman at UFC 131, Mark Hominick at UFC 129 and Jason "Mayhem" Miller at DREAM.16 Winner: Jason "Mayhem" Miller; Cofield winner: How is Tom Lawlor not on this list?
CarrierIQ is having a difficult time making friends. Nearly two weeks after Massachusetts congressman Edward Markey asked the FTC to open an investigation on the data collection company, it appears his wish may be granted. According to anonymous government officials close to the Washington Post -- 
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With its initial public offering coming up later this week, Zynga is making a few ![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_svELijckPMh0795-nQnwWjsBVpFVKbXx9-SgyXldLZ2_DAoeIFmKjZVczhHQ-QHpQSHvItbcgScaxmo0FxxthjVopO10R4775uOGTIgXA=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 5-Dec-2011
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COMEBACK OF THE YEAR