Writer annoyed that Jon Jones got snubbed in AP voting, why?

Writer annoyed that Jon Jones got snubbed in AP voting, why?

Another year has just about come and gone for the world of mixed martial arts. The growth and progress of the sport since 2001 has been simply incredible.

It's come a long way, but are the athletes revered and respected like those in the traditional "major" sports?If you're looking at media coverage, probably not. Mike Chiappetta from MMAFighting.com says definitely not. He penned a piece this week to express his anger that Jon Jones, the clear choice for king of the MMA world in 2011, got zero respect from those voting for the AP's 2011 Male Athlete of the Year award.

[Related: Cagewriter's wish list: MMA fights we'd love to see in 2012]

Green Packers Super Bowl winning QB Aaron Rodgers won the award with MLB AL Cy Young winner Justin Verlander finishing second. Others getting votes included Novak Djokovic, Cam Newton, Tony Stewart, Kelly Slater, Derek Jeter, Dario Franchitti,? and Usain Bolt. That's right, there's also a surfer, driver and sprinter on the list, but no MMA fighter.

Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole and MMA analyst Frank Trigg joined myself during our "The MMA Insiders" show on ESPN1100/98.9 FM in Las Vegas to debate whether Jones got hosed.

Maybe the time hasn't arrived yet for athletes like Jones to be considered along with stars from the NFL, NBA and MLB. Or as Chiappetta and Iole suggest, the lack of respect for Jones is more a sign that the folks voting for the award are out of touch with the younger demographic and the hottest sport for males 18-34 years old.

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Bob Arum, Oscar De La Hoya weigh in on boxing's stengths, weaknesses
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? AJ Allmendinger proves to be biggest winner in NASCAR's silly season

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Writer-annoyed-that-Jon-Jones-got-snubbed-in-AP-?urn=mma-wp11100

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Steelers QB Roethlisberger out against Rams (AP)

PITTSBURGH ? Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will not start Saturday when the Steelers face the St. Louis Rams.

Roethlisberger is dealing with a sprained left ankle and did not practice this week following a 20-3 loss to San Francisco on Monday. He will be replaced by veteran Charlie Batch, who is 4-2 as a spot starter since joining the Steelers in 2003.

Roethlisberger said Wednesday he would prefer to play and believed his ankle was in pretty good shape after throwing for 330 yards and three interceptions against the 49ers. Yet he watched both practices this week in sweat pants as Batch took the snaps with the first team.

Roethlisberger last missed a start due to injury in 2009, when a concussion forced him to sit out a loss to Baltimore.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111223/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_steelers_roethlisberger

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Lolo Kabila commented on article China Sentences Rights Activist

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Christmas blast kills 19 at Nigeria church (Reuters)

ABUJA (Reuters) ? A powerful blast hit a Catholic church on the outskirts of the Nigerian capital Abuja during a Christmas service on Sunday killing many people, residents said, and one counted 19 bodies from the explosion.

Emergency services said 10 bodies had been recovered from the scene so far, and earlier said there were not enough ambulances available to evacuate all the dead and the wounded.

Witnesses said St Theresa's Church in Madala, an Abuja satellite town about 40 km from the city centre, was packed out and that there were many dead from the blast, which also blew out windows of neighboring houses.

"In these three vehicles, there are 15 bodies," a Federal Road Safety official in a reflective jacket told Reuters on the scene outside a police cordon, gesturing at three ambulances.

Hours later, another blast went off at the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Church in the central, ethnically and religiously mixed town of Jos, witnesses and police said.

A Reuters cameraman on the scene said he saw one lightly wounded policeman from that explosion, but there were no reports of other casualties.

"I heard the blast. My house shook," resident Tony Akpan said of the Madala Catholic church bomb.

"I came out to the front of the church to see what was happening. I counted 19 bodies myself, many of them mutilated, and five destroyed vehicles."

Another witness, Timothy Onyekwere, said: "We were in the church with my family when we heard the explosion. I just ran out. Now I don't even know where my children or my wife are. I don't know how many were killed but there were many dead."

Some said the blast was inside and others thought it came from just outside the church.

National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) spokesman Yushau Shuaibu, who had earlier confirmed there had been a bombing at a church, later put out a statement saying the blast had been on the highway nearby, not at the church itself.

It was not known who exploded the bomb but Nigerian security forces are battling the militant Islamist Boko Haram group, which wants to impose Islamic sharia law across the country split roughly equally between Christians and Muslims.

"We are presently there, evacuating the dead and the injured, but unfortunately we don't have enough ambulances, the NEMA spokesman said by telephone. "Most of our ambulances have gone to operate on the major highways of the country," he added.

A Reuters reporter at the scene said the whole area around the church was cordoned off by police. The reporter saw thousands of angry youths set up burning road blocks on the main highway from Abuja leading to Nigeria's largely Muslim north.

Police and the military tried to disperse them by firing live rounds into the air along with tear gas amid chaotic scenes.

BOKO HARAM LINK?

There was no claim of responsibility, but Islamist sect Boko Haram has been blamed for dozens of bombings and shootings in the north, and has claimed responsibility for two bombings in Abuja this year, including Nigeria's first suicide bombing on the U.N. headquarters in August that killed at least 23 people.

Last Christmas Eve, a series of bomb blasts around Jos killed 32 people, and others people died in attacks on two churches in the northeast of Africa's most populous nation.

Gun battles between the security forces and Boko Haram killed at least 68 people in two days of fighting in northern Nigeria, authorities and hospital sources said on Saturday.

Boko Haram has been blamed for scores of shootings and bombings in Nigeria's remote, semi-arid northeast, including a spate of attacks in the past few weeks.

Boko Haram -- which in the Hausa language spoken in northern Nigeria means "Western education is sinful" -- is loosely modeled on the Taliban movement in Afghanistan.

Rights groups say more than 250 people have been killed by Boko Haram since July 2010.

On August 26, a suicide bomber struck the U.N. building in Abuja. At least 23 people were killed and 76 wounded by the bombing which gutted the ground floor and smashed almost all the windows. Boko Haram claimed responsibility on August 29, demanding the release of prisoners and an end to a security crackdown aimed at preventing more bombings.

The blast was the first known suicide bombing in Nigeria. It marked an escalation in the group's tactics and revealed an increase in the sophistication of explosives it uses.

(Reporting by Felix Onuah and Tife Owolabi in Jos.; Writing by Tim Cocks and Peter Millership)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111225/wl_nm/us_nigeria_blast

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Ask Engadget: best quick-shutter camera for under $700?


We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Travis, who is soon to become a father (congratulations!) and wants to capture the baby's life with a new camera. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.
"I'm about to become a new parent and my not-so-tech-savvy wife thinks we need a ridiculous DSLR to get good, quick pics of our new child. I argue there are plenty of cameras out there with fast shutter speeds that won't cost us too much, but I don't know what exactly to look for. I want to take quick pictures to capture those really cute shots that other cameras miss. What's a good camera that I can get less for $700?"
Camera experts, baby owners, people who balance objects on your pets, what's the camera you can rely on to catch those split-second moments of cuteness? Our thoughts lead us toward the Nikon J1's motion snapshot, or the Sony NEX-C3, but perhaps someone out there knows the perfect baby-snapping camera? Dear friends, the floor -- by which we mean the comments feed below -- is yours.

Ask Engadget: best quick-shutter camera for under $700? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Dec 2011 22:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/8gd2EhDUOdA/

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How does Cody Rhodes measure up to Booker T's past?

Booker T has stood toe-to-toe with the best Superstars in WWE history. How does Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes measure up to some of the legend's greatest opponents??

The Rock: Rocky Maivia became the iconic Rock when he embraced his egocentric side ? speaking of himself in the third person, channeling the ?millions and millions? of fans shouting his name as he deemed himself The People?s Champion. This attitude gave him a strong advantage against any opponent. Cody Rhodes has embraced this same egocentric philosophy, making his voice heard with a righteous indignation that belittles Superstars and the WWE Universe alike. Although self-centered, there is no doubt the confidence he exudes has become a valuable trait, not unlike The Great One.?

?Stone Cold? Steve Austin: The Texas Rattlesnake gained a huge advantage over his adversaries by launching an all-out rebellion against WWE, doing whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted to do it. Rhodes also carries a strong disregard for the rules, laughing in the face of what is considered acceptable behavior. He continuously questions authority figures such as SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long, refuses to stand silent whenever the actions of other Superstars rub him the wrong way and takes every advantage he can ? from attacking his opponents before a match to using weapons. This is something Booker, no doubt, learned at WWE TLC.

The Undertaker: For more than two decades, The Phenom has set his adversaries off-balance before the bell even rings, largely because of the ominous mystique that surrounds him. If there is one thing Rhodes shares with The Deadman, it?s this mysterious dark side. The Intercontinental Champion's career was redefined following his accidental injury at the hands of Rey Mysterio. Though he has since dropped the protective mask and self-loathing, traces of the scars still remain on his psyche, giving Rhodes a dangerous focus that breeds intimidation and keeps the competition guessing about what to expect from him.

Batista: The mighty Batista was called "The Animal" because he could channel pure rage capable of overpowering any opponent. Rhodes does not carry the size of the former World Champion. But, despite his good looks and smooth ability on the mic, he too is driven by an inner fury. When backed into a corner, he attacks with a vicious aggression that many opponents don't see coming until it's too late.

?

Christian: Say what you want about Christian?s constant insistence that he should have ?one more match? or his complaints about a lack of concern for his recent injuries. But regardless, no one can deny the extraordinary ability of this two-time World Heavyweight Champion in the squared-circle. Likewise, in spite of what anyone thinks of Rhodes' antics, he is as sound a ring technician as anyone in the locker room, strategic and cunning as they come.

One could argue that with his many dominant attributes, Cody Rhodes is as strong a threat to Booker T as any Superstars he has faced before. If the Intercontinental Champion brings the full force of these characteristics to fruition in further altercations with the Master of the Spin-a-Roonie, it could present the greatest challenge of Booker's career.

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/2011-12-20/cody-brooker-past-foes

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What to shop for in the post-Christmas sales

Eric Thayer / Reuters

Catch a breather while you can -- the after-Christmas sales are coming.

By Herb Weisbaum

Bargain hunters will find some great discounts in the days after Christmas. It won?t be hard to find sale signs boasting markdowns of 70 percent or more. But don?t expect retailers to slash the price of everything in the store, just the things they need to get out the door.

Dealnews.com, a popular website that tracks retail prices, compared last year?s after-Christmas deals to this year?s Black Friday sales and found that post-Christmas sales in 2010 were ?notably less exceptional? in terms of top offerings. In other words, while the prices will be good, they won?t always be great.

?You?ll see some of the best sales of the year on apparel,? says Dan de Grandpre, founder and CEO of Dealnews. ?Merchants want to clear out their winter merchandise to make room for the new spring items.?

The focus this year, de Grandpre says, will be on brick-and-mortar stores, not online sales. Many retailers, he says, will use their websites to drive shoppers to their stores.

?Sometimes it will be a coupon that you print and take to the store,? de Grandpre says. ?Other times it will be another discount on top of the lowest prices available at the store.?

For example, last year on Dec. 26 Gap gave an extra 50 percent off all sale items in the store until noon. Some of the items were already marked down 50 or 60 percent.

Video games also go on sale right after Christmas, even the most recent titles.

?Some of the video game prices we saw last year right after Christmas were the best prices all year, and we?re expecting that again this year,? de Grandpre says.

Is there anything you should avoid buying? You might want to wait on electronics. Dealnews says the markdowns on electronics tend to be so-so right after Christmas. Closeout prices on TVs, laptops and GPS units usually hit early in the new year.

You can also expect another round of clothing sales in January. That?s when you?ll find the biggest discounts on winter apparel.

ConsumerMan Tip: As always, it?s the final price -- not the ?percentage off? -- that matters. Take the time to use a price shopping website to find out if that sale price is really as good as it seems.

Related:

NYT: Shoppers winning 'game of chicken' at stores

Will you be shopping the after-Christmas sales?

Strong holiday spending is helping the economy end the year on a high note. Retail sales are higher than this time last year and online holiday sales have reportedly hit $32 billion. CNBC's Ron Insana discusses.

Source: http://lifeinc.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/23/9658086-what-to-shop-for-in-the-post-christmas-sales

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Analysis: Isolated on tax cut, House GOP blinks (AP)

WASHINGTON ? With tea party-backed first-termers calling the shots, House Republicans snatched political defeat from the jaws of victory in a year-end showdown over Social Security payroll tax cuts and jobless benefits.

This time, they pushed the country to the brink ? and wound up blinking.

"In the end House Republicans felt like they were re-enacting the Alamo, with no reinforcements and our friends shooting at us," said veteran Republican Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas.

Precisely.

By spurning a deal that Senate Republicans had embraced, for a two-month extension of tax cuts for 160 million Americans and jobless benefits for millions more, the House wing of the party isolated itself politically and by some calculations improved President Barack Obama's re-election prospects.

Friday brought a humbling surrender, the only realistic alternative despite grumbling from scattered holdouts and Newt Gingrich, courting tea party support in the race for the presidential nomination.

By then, even allies said Republicans had become vulnerable to Obama's accusation that they, alone, were threatening a fragile economic recovery and the well-being of the employed and unemployed alike. "Right now, the bipartisan compromise that was reached on Saturday is the only viable way to prevent a tax hike on Jan. 1," Obama said Tuesday after the House rejected the two-month measure that had sailed through the Senate on a vote of 89-10.

The reliably conservative editorial page of The Wall Street Journal piled on, referring to a circular Republican firing squad. The GOP has "achieved the small miracle of letting Mr. Obama position himself as an election-year tax cutter. ... This should be impossible," it wrote on Wednesday.

One poll said Obama ran ahead of Republicans when it came to handling taxes, an issue that has generally favored the GOP since Ronald Reagan sat in the White House three decades ago.

No less critical were Senate Republicans, fearing the impact on their own political prospects, both individually and as a group eager to gain a majority in the 2012 elections. A gain of four seats would give them control, and several close races are likely. Losses suddenly seemed possible instead. There was in even talk that the hardline stance by House Republicans was putting the GOP's big majority in that chamber in danger.

Most importantly, for the first time all year, Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell wasn't in a position to help as House Speaker John Boehner sought to carry out the wishes of his rank and file, the Kentucky senator having voted for the bill that House Republicans insisted was a loser.

At its core, the dispute was a simple one.

Talks between the two parties in the Senate on a full-year extension faltered when negotiators could not agree on the cuts needed to make sure the measure did not increase deficits. The two-month stopgap bill was designed to keep the tax cuts and jobless benefits going until the negotiations could resume again after the first of the year.

To the tea party types, that smacked of government as usual, precisely what they came to Washington to change.

"We're as unified as we've been all year," said Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, on the night before the House Republicans rejected the Senate bill, demanded negotiations on a compromise and drove themselves into a political dead end.

This time, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Democrats had no incentive to negotiate, unlike earlier when brinkmanship pushed the government to the edge of a partial shutdown or an unprecedented default.

They and the White House had already caved to Republican demands that any extension be paid for, and that Obama decide within 60 days whether to allow construction of an oil pipeline from Canada to Texas.

The president had threatened to veto any measure that linked tax cuts and the pipeline, hoping to postpone a decision on the project until after the election. Late last week, he did an about-face and demanded Congress send him a bill that did precisely that.

The reversal gave Republicans the political victory some had sought if they were going to approve an extension of the tax cuts and jobless benefits at the core of Obama's jobless program.

Boehner told House Republicans as much in a conference call on Saturday, according to several officials who listened. They added he recommended no specific course of action and sought the all views.

Some lawmakers suspected Boehner had acquiesced in the two-month extension that McConnell worked out, and he was challenged on it 48 hours later in a closed-door meeting. He bristled at the accusation, according to several participants, and denied it flatly.

There were hints of infighting. Behind closed doors, one Republican lawmaker raised a concern about a memo ? inaccurate, he said ? from an unidentified staff aide who wrote that Boehner favored a more conciliatory approach than Majority Leader Eric Cantor and other members of the leadership.

"We're here and ready to work," Boehner told reporters on Wednesday morning. He spoke at a made-for-television event with Cantor and the eight Republicans, including three first-termers, appointed to conduct non-existent negotiations with Democrats.

Little more than 24 hours later, the charade ended when Boehner informed his own rank and file, no consultations permitted.

By then, even two newcomers to the House had issued public statements calling for an end to the standoff.

"I don't think that my constituents should have a tax increase because of Washington's dysfunction," said freshman Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., now a voting member of the government he was criticizing.

The struggle over, Reid said he hoped the episode had been "a very good learning experience, especially to those who are newer" to Congress.

"Everything we do around here does not have to wind up in a fight."

___

EDITOR'S NOTE ? David Espo covers Congress for The Associated Press.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111224/ap_on_go_co/us_payroll_tax_analysis

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