Without Kevin Love, Where do The Timberwolves Go?

On Wednesday afternoon, Yahoo!'s own Marc Spears reported that All-Star power forward Kevin Love will miss 8-to-10 weeks after undergoing hand surgery on the same broken right hand that kept him out of the Minnesota Timberwolves first nine games this season. Love reinjured the hand in a January 3 game against the Denver Nuggets and had already missed the team's last two games as he sought medical opinions and weighed options. This report built off an earlier note from Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com that Love was likely to miss at least three months while rehabbing.

It's obviously bad news for the Wolves, a playoff hopeful that's had to deal with a number of injuries to key players already this season. Will the loss of Love be too much to handle? And what does it mean for a young team that expected to make great strides this season?

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Real Madrid Fans Think Jose Mourinho Bad for Club’s Image

Even in prosperous times, Jose Mourinho splits opinion amongst his club's own supporters. So with Real Madrid 16 points behind Barcelona midway through the season and Mourinho refusing to start beloved captain Iker Casillas in their last two matches, a poll conducted by Marca shows fan opinion (within the tiny sampling of their poll) is swaying more towards the negative. Even after Mourinho led the club to their first La Liga title in four years last season...Read the entire story

Alistair Overeem's Situation Provides Platform for Commissions to Set Strict PED Precedent

LAS VEGAS – There are a number of similarities between cyclist Lance Armstrong and Alistair Overeem, the UFC heavyweight who on Tuesday received a license to fight from the Nevada Athletic Commission.

Both men are world-class athletes who have been dogged throughout their careers by rumors of performance-enhancing drug usage. Both vehemently denied such claims.

In October, the United States Anti-Doping Agency released a 164-page report with two addendums totaling another 33 pages that detailed Armstrong's usage. Armstrong, though, still hasn't admitted his guilt, though there have been reports that he's considered doing so.

Overeem failed a surprise drug test by the Nevada commission in March 2012 on the morning of a news conference to announce a planned fight with then-heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos.

The heavily muscular Overeem's testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio, or his T/E ratio, was more than double Nevada's limit of 6-1 and more than triple the limit of the World Anti-Doping Agency's standard of 4-1...Read the entire story

Tiger Woods Speaks, Announces First European and PGA Tour Starts

You want a little Tiger Woods in your life? No worries, because it'll come in just over a week. Woods, currently the No. 3 golfer in the world, announced on his website on Wednesday that he is planning on playing in Abu Dhabi next week, a tournament he co-lead for 54 holes a year ago.

The tournament, held at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, kicks off on January 17, and will have a field that includes Tiger and Rory McIlroy, two guys that played together at this event a year ago for the first three rounds (no word yet if they're paired this time, but if the start of 2013 is anything like the end of '12, expect to see them side by side).

Woods also announced that he will open his PGA Tour season the following week at the Farmers, an event he has won six times and the site of his one-legged U.S. Open victory in 2008.

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2,000 Year Old Treasure Discovered In Black Sea Fortress

Residents of a town under siege by the Roman army about 2,000 years ago buried two hoards of treasure in the town's citadel — treasure recently excavated by archaeologists.

More than 200 coins, mainly bronze, were found along with "various items of gold, silver and bronze jewelry and glass vessels" inside an ancient fortress within the Artezian settlement in the Crimea (in Ukraine), the researchers wrote in the most recent edition of the journal Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia.

"The fortress had been besieged. Wealthy people from the settlement and the neighborhood had tried to hide there from the Romans.  They had buried their hoards inside the citadel," Nikolaï Vinokurov, a professor at Moscow State Pedagogical University, explained...Read the entire story

'Smart' potty or dumb idea? Wacky gadgets at CES

[caption id="attachment_172" align="aligncenter" width="567"] Associated Press/Julie Jacobson - The iPotty for iPad potty training device is see on display at the Consumer Electronics Show, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013, in Las Vegas. No app is available to go with the trainer[/caption]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Some of the weirdest gadgets at the International CES show are designed to solve problems you never knew you had. Are you eating too fast? A digital fork will let you know. Is your toddler having trouble sitting still on the potty? Let the iPotty come to the rescue. Are you bored driving to work in a four-wheeled vehicle? Climb inside a 1,600-pound mechanical spider for your morning commute.

Of course, not all of the prototypes introduced at the annual gadget show will succeed in the marketplace. But the innovators who shop their wares here are fearless when it comes to pitching new gizmos, be they flashy, catchy or just plain odd.

A search for this year's strangest (and perhaps least useful) electronic devices yielded an extra-loud pair of headphones from a metal band, an eye-sensing TV that didn't work as intended and more. Take a look...Read the entire story

Amazon Steps Up digital Music Competition With Apple

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc unveiled a service that increases competition with Apple Inc's dominant iTunes store.

Amazon launched Amazon AutoRip, which gives customers free digital versions of music CDs they purchase from the world's largest Internet retailer.

The digital music files are automatically stored in customer libraries in remote datacenters run by Amazon, where they are available to play or download immediately through the company's Cloud Player service, the company said.

Amazon customers who have bought AutoRip-eligible CDs at any time since the company started selling discs in 1998 will also get digital versions of that music stored in their Cloud Player libraries for free, the company added...Read the entire story

Bank of England to Start 2013 on Sidelines As Economy Scrapes By

[caption id="attachment_163" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Reuters/Reuters - A general view shows the Bank of England in the city of London November 26, 2012. REUTERS/Olivia Harris[/caption]

LONDON (Reuters) - The Bank of England is likely to withhold fresh monetary stimulus at the start of the new year, with economic news still not bleak enough to trump worries about stubborn inflation.

Last month the Bank voted 8-1 against extending its 375 billion pound programme of bond purchases, and none of the 60 economists polled by Reuters over the past week expect a policy change after the Monetary Policy Committee concludes its monthly meeting on Thursday.

Interest rates are also forecast to remain at their record-low 0.5 percent until at least July 2014.

"I don't think that we've seen anything to substantially change the MPC's view of the economy," said Barclays economist Chris Crowe. "We are not expecting any change in policy."

Although December surveys of purchasing managers pointed...Read the entire story

UK Statisticians Unexpectedly Reject Inflation Change

[caption id="attachment_159" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Reuters/Reuters - A generic picture of a some British sterling money in coins and bank notes. BANKG REUTERS/Catherine Benson[/caption]

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's top statistician unexpectedly decided against major changes to the country's longest-running inflation index on Thursday, rejecting a move that could have significantly cut government borrowing costs.

The decision to keep the Retail Price Index in its current form is a major boost for older Britons who have company pensions linked to RPI, as well as to holders of Britain's inflation-linked government bonds.

Changes to RPI had been expected to bring it closer to the lower Consumer Price Index measure of inflation (CPI) used by the Bank of England, and prices for 10-year index-linked gilts soared on Thursday's news, taking yields to a record low.

RPI was developed after World War Two, but in recent years it has increasingly diverged from CPI and for months Britain's Office for National Statistics had been consulting economists, fund managers and other users of the data on its proposals...Read the entire story

5 Marketing Predictions for 2013

There was certainly no shortage of big developments in the marketing world throughout 2012. Facebook created a massive mobile advertising business in less than year, Red Bull literally financed a trip into the stratosphere to create powerful branded content, and a YouTube video finally hit 1 billion views, showing the potential reach for online videos.

So what might 2013 bring for marketers? Read the entire story

5 Credit Myths to Ditch in 2013

When one year ends and another begins, it’s hard not to look ahead and strive to do better.  And when it comes to credit, we’re definitely creatures of habit. We resolve to spend less, but open store credit cards anyway. We vow to pay off debt, but only put down the minimum due. We aim to turn our credit around and boost our scores — and while we might think we have a handle on how the system works, we might actually have some misconceptions about credit that can keep our goals out of reach.

So what should you do? We asked Credit.com expert Barry Paperno to highlight five popular credit myths to ditch in order to help everyone get a better handle on their finances.

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10 Tips About Mortgages and Refinancing in 2013

If you've been sitting on the sidelines, waiting for the best time to refinance or get a mortgage to buy a home, think of 2013 as your last chance to act.

With good credit, persistence and some shopping skills, you can still snag phenomenal deals this year -- even if you are underwater on your loan.

Here are 10 mortgage tips to help you with your mortgage decisions in 2013.

Tip 1: Stop procrastinating and refinance

If you haven't refinanced recently, you're probably paying a higher interest rate on your mortgage than you should. Take advantage of today's record-low mortgage rates while they last. Rates are expected to remain low during the first few months of the year, but they should gradually increase. When they do, many borrowers will regret having missed the opportunity to grab the lowest mortgage rate in history.

Tip 2: Buyers, get moving

With rates near the bottom and home prices on the rise, it's still a perfect time to buy a house. If you can afford a home and qualify for a mortgage, this may be your last chance to take advantage of...Read the entire story

Two Separate Bombs kill 32, hurt 100 in Pakistan Cities

QUETTA/PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Bomb blasts in two Pakistani cities killed 32 people and injured more than 100, police and hospital officials said.

A bomb in Quetta, the capital of the eastern province of Balochistan, killed 11 people and injured more than 40, police officer Zubair Mehmood said. A local militant group claimed responsibility.

 

Another 21 were killed and more than 60 injured in a bombing where people had gathered to hear a religious leader speak in Mingora, the largest city in the northwestern province of Swat, police and officials at the Saidu Sharif hospital said.

"The death toll may rise as some of the injured are in critical condition and we are receiving more and more injured people," said Dr. Niaz Mohammad.

Police initially said the Swat blast was caused by an exploding gas cylinder but later police chief Akhtar Hayat said it was a bomb...

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Federal Investigators Seek Cause of New York Ferry Crash

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investigators searching for the cause of a ferry accident Wednesday morning near Wall Street that injured dozens of people will reportedly look into possible mechanical failure, which was blamed for one of the boat's past docking crashes.

The National Transportation Safety Board inspectors were in Highlands, New Jersey, on Thursday where the Seastreak Wall Street was towed to its usual berth following Wednesday's morning rush-hour crash, said Coast Guard spokeswoman Jetta Disco.

The high-speed commuter ferry was carrying more than 300 passengers from New Jersey when it crashed into a pier during a docking approach injuring 57 people, one critically, authorities said.

"It's a pretty good sized hole," Disco said of the gash torn into the 141-foot ferry, which was traveling at between 10 and 12 knots, or about 11.5 to 14 miles per hour, when it crashed into the pier...

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George Washington

George Washington (February 22, 1732 [O.S. February 11, 1731]^{[Note 1][Note 2]} – December 14, 1799) was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, serving as the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He also presided over the convention that drafted the Constitution, which replaced the Articles of Confederation. The Constitution established the position of President of the republic, which Washington was the first to hold.

Washington was elected President as the unanimous choice of the 69 electors in 1788, and he served two terms in office. He oversaw the creation of a strong, well-financed national government that maintained neutrality in the wars raging in Europe, suppressed rebellion, and won acceptance among Americans of all types. His leadership style established many forms and rituals of government that have been used since, such as using a cabinet system and delivering an inaugural address. Further, the peaceful transition from his presidency to the presidency of John Adams established a tradition that continues into the 21st century. Historically, Washington has been widely regarded as the "father of his country".^[4]

Washington was born into the provincial gentry of Colonial Virginia; his wealthy planter family owned tobacco plantations and slaves. After both h

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10 Tips for Buying the Right Insurance in 2013

Most people buy insurance the wrong way. They buy it piecemeal. They buy a little bit of this here and a little bit of that there. They buy too much in some areas and not enough in others. Then, when there is a serious claim, their insurance coverage often fails them. If your New Year's resolution for 2013 is to fix that, we have some tips that can help you accomplish it.

Homeowners insurance

Tip 1: If Hurricane Katrina wasn't reminder enough, along came Superstorm Sandy in 2012 to remind everyone that homeowners policies do not cover flooding. The policies cover those homes destroyed by fire, and homes damaged or destroyed by a storm. But they do not cover flooding. If you are exposed to any chance of severe flooding, even if you don't live anywhere near a body of water, talk to your agent about flood insurance and check out the government flood insurance website at FloodSmart.gov.

Tip 2: If you work from home even part time, you need to add an endorsement to your homeowners insurance called "incidental occupancy endorsement." Homeowners policies, besides covering your building and contents, also cover personal liability, including liability for guests injured on your home premises...Read more

NatGeo celebrates 125 years On Jan. 13 2013

NatGeo celebrates 125 years

On Jan. 13 2013, the National Geographic Society will celebrate its

 

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White House denies petition to deport Piers Morgan

The White House has responded to the petition seeking the deportation of Piers Morgan with a statement from press secretary Jay Carney explaining the First Amendment.

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Mercedes s-class

The brakes continue to become more advanced with the new Brake Assist Plus system monitoring for an impending collision and increasing braking if needed, while the Distronic Plus radar guided cruise control can now bring the car to a complete stop.[12] This system works in outdoor conditions; a test demonstration by Mercedes-Benz in a crash-test hall resulted in embarrassment for the company when a new S-Class crashed into the back of a stationary W220 S-Class. This incident was later attributed to the radar system malfunctioning inside the radar-reflective (i.e. radar-confusing) steel test building where the event was filmed.

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