DMR poll: Newt 25, Paul 2nd place, Romney 3rd (Politico)

The Des Moines Register's Jennifer Jacobs just tweeted out the topline on the paper's eagerly-awaited poll, and Newt Gingrich is solidly in first place, with Mitt Romney dropping a small bit.

Per Jacobs, Gingrich is at 25 percent, Ron Paul is 18 percent, Mitt Romney gets 16 percent, and undecided is in fourth place with 11 percent.

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Of the rest, Michele Bachmann and the now-gone Herman Cain are tied at 8 percent, and Rick Santorum and Rick Perry are tied at 6 percent.

This is not a good poll for Romney, who can't afford to slip too far. Gingrich clearly started picking up the sliding Cain support, and he is now the furthest ahead of Romney that anyone has been in Iowa all year.

The DMR poll is also the gold standard of Iowa surveys, and this solidifies that Gingrich as back from the dead is a very real thing.

As for the rest, the poll also means the Paul rise is also real - and in a fractured, multi-candidate field, if he can pull a few more points his way and expand his base, he could win the caucuses given his level of organization. This would be the best scenario for Romney short of an outright win there himself at this point.

The bulk of Cain's remaining support in the survey will probably head Gingrich's way as well. And so the big question remains the undecideds, and how they break with just about a month to go until the caucuses, and paid media by Romney beginning in earnest there.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories1211_69712_html/43796893/SIG=11m13c1ts/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/69712.html

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Santo elected to Hall of Fame by veterans panel (AP)

DALLAS ? Ron Santo always kept rooting for the causes dearest to him ? for his Chicago Cubs to win the World Series, for doctors to find a cure for diabetes and for him to reach the Hall of Fame.

On Monday, Cooperstown finally came calling.

The barrel-chested third baseman who clicked his heels in victory was elected to the Hall, overwhelmingly chosen by the Veterans Committee nearly a year to the day after he died hoping for this very honor.

"It's really exciting because so many years that we had parties over to his house in spring training saying this is the year, I'd tell him this is the year you're going in," said Hall of Fame teammate Billy Williams, a member of the voting panel.

"The one thing, of course, is he's not here to enjoy it, but his family will. He long awaited this, and we're all happy. I know I'm happy, his family is happy, the fans of Chicago are happy," he said.

Santo was a nine-time All-Star, hit 342 home runs and won five Gold Gloves. He was a Cubs broadcaster for two decades, beloved by the home crowd for the way he eagerly cheered for his favorite team on the air, hollering "Yes! Yes!" or "All right!" after good plays and groaning "Oh, no!" or "It's bad" when things went wrong.

Shortly after the announcement, Santo's flag ? white with blue pinstripes, plus his name and No. 10 ? was flying from the center pole atop the scoreboard at Wrigley Field.

"I've got tears in my eyes writing this: congrats to the Santo family on Ron's election to MLB Hall of Fame. A good day to be a Cub fan," tweeted Chicago-area rocker Billy Corgan, frontman for the Smashing Pumpkins.

Santo breezed in with 15 votes from the 16-member panel that met at baseball's winter meetings. It took 75 percent ? 12 votes ? to get chosen.

Santo died Dec. 3, 2010, from complications of bladder cancer at age 70. He had diabetes, which eventually cost him both legs below the knees, and worked tirelessly to raise millions for research into the disease.

Williams was on the line when Santo's widow, Vicki, got the congratulatory phone call.

"Ron has passed, but it was always his dream, to even have this come to him after his passing. It just shows you can't give up," she said during a conference call from Arizona.

"All he said (was) I hope I get in in my lifetime, that's certainly a reasonable request for anybody who gets an honor as special as this one. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be," she said. "With his lifetime every disappointment that came along, he was very disappointed."

Santo joined former Cubs teammates Ernie Banks, Ferguson Jenkins and Williams in the Hall. That famed quartet did most everything at the Friendly Confines through the 1960s and early 1970s except bring a World Series to the ivy-covered ballpark.

"With Ernie, myself and Fergie, those players he played with ... to hear this kind of news today that he's inducted in the baseball Hall of Fame is really gratifying because so many times that we talked about it, it's a place he wanted to be," Williams said.

Santo will be inducted into Cooperstown on July 22, along with any players elected by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America on Jan. 9. Bernie Williams joins Jack Morris, Barry Larkin and others on that ballot.

"This is a great day for baseball and for Cubs fans everywhere," Commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. "Ron was a staple of the Cubs' experience every single day for decades."

"I always admired Ron's courage and loyalty, and I miss him very much," he said.

Jim Kaat was second with 10 votes, Gil Hodges and Minnie Minoso each drew nine and Tony Oliva got eight on the 10-person Golden Era ballot. Buzzie Bavasi, Ken Boyer, Charlie Finley, Allie Reynolds and Luis Tiant each received under three votes.

Santo never came close to election during his 15 times on the BBWAA ballot, peaking at 43 percent ? far short of the needed 75 percent in his last year of eligibility in 1998.

Santo had gotten closer in previous elections by the Veterans Committee. The panel has been revamped several times in the last decade, aimed at giving a better look at deserving candidates.

Since his final swing in 1974, Santo's numbers on the field never changed. The perception of what he meant to the game did, though.

"From the discussion yesterday, we kind of got in depth," Williams said. "We really, really talked about each individual and some things were brought out, I imagine that wasn't brought out last time, in so far as what he'd done for the game of baseball, the $60 million he raised for (juvenile diabetes research), all the other stuff we knew."

"This was the case of Ron Santo. We talked about it, we had good discussions on it and it happened," he said.

Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson was also part of the panel that voted on Santo.

"I kept thinking that he would get in then, then, then and finally he got in, but it's a little too late for him to be there," he said.

"He's just a terrific guy, he's baseball through and through, he's done a lot for the game of baseball in his career, and he's been though a lot of hardships physically and he was just a terrific player," he said. "He certainly belongs in the Hall of Fame. A long time coming. No one knows the reason he didn't get in when the writers were voting, but this process we have has been the fairest, I think."

Santo is the 15th third baseman in the Hall, including three from the Negro Leagues. He was a career .277 hitter and hit at least 30 homers every season from 1964-67.

Santo made his debut at 20 with the Cubs in 1960 and played his whole career with them until finishing with the crosstown White Sox in 1974.

Like Banks, Santo never got to play in a World Series. They came close in 1969, overtaken in the stretch by a New York Mets team managed by Hodges, the former Brooklyn star first baseman.

That year, Santo liked to jump and click his heels after wins. It was also the season a fateful picture was taken, showing Santo with on a bat on his shoulder in the on-deck circle at Shea Stadium as a black cat scampered past.

"The '69 team was so very, very close, and the joy that they had not only as players, but to the day he passed, and they're still so very close," Vicki Santo said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111205/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bbo_hall_of_fame

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Web an increasing tool to link campaigns, voters (AP)

NEW YORK ? As potential voters in New Hampshire and Iowa scan the Internet, they probably are seeing ads for Republican Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama alongside deals for shoes and holiday gifts.

The campaign ads will then follow those voters around the Web, popping up on news sites, Google searches and on social networking sites like Facebook.

Online advertising, once used primarily as a way to reach young and heavily wired consumers, has emerged as an essential communications tool in the 2012 presidential contest. While few expect Web ads to supplant television commercials anytime soon, strategists say online ads may be the most nimble, efficient and cost-effective way to reach voters.

"Online advertising cuts through because of its ability to target. It's unparalleled in any other medium," said Romney's digital director, Zac Moffatt. "TV may be more effective for driving a big message, but per usage, the Internet is more powerful. We are probably one presidential cycle from everyone believing that."

Web ads can take many forms, from small display boxes to clickable videos to 15- or 30-second commercials known as "pre-rolls" a viewer sees before the start of a news clip or YouTube video.

While campaigns invest heavily in television ads to reach a mass audience, Web ads are geared specifically to people based on their ZIP code, demographics and, most importantly, their Internet browsing history.

That means someone who has visited the Obama campaign website probably will start seeing his ads on a number of different Web pages. Those who use Google to search for information on the Republican candidates might notice a Romney campaign pre-roll the next time they watch a TV show online.

Campaigns also buy ads on websites that cater to the different demographic groups the campaigns are hoping to reach.

"When someone expresses interest in politics online, it's an incredibly good time for the campaigns to talk to them," said Andrew Roos, a Google account leader who works with Democratic campaigns on Web ad strategy. "You want to grab people when they are paying attention and ask them to take another action, like send money or attend an offline event. It's an old-school organization principle that has been working its way online."

Campaigns were slow to adapt to online advertising even as the corporate world flocked to the Web with product ads years ago. Internet ad revenue climbed to nearly $7.9 billion in the third quarter of 2011, up 22 percent from the same time last year, according to the Internet Advertising Bureau, which tracks online ad spending.

Corporations now spend from 18 percent to 28 percent of their advertising budget online, while campaigns historically have spent no more than 5 percent.

Chris Talbot, a freelance campaign digital strategist, noted that big companies can devote considerable time, money and research to figuring out what works online and what doesn't. Campaigns don't have that luxury.

"There is no `next quarter' in politics, so campaigns usually revert to a template of what's worked in the past," he said.

In 2008, Obama and Republican presidential rival John McCain both did limited online campaign advertising. Web ads grew more prevalent in the 2010 midterm elections, when 85 of the top-spending House races and 600 interest groups bought display ads on Google.

Plenty of Internet users say they aren't thrilled with the proliferation of online ads, particularly those that follow them from site to site.

A USA Today/Gallup poll taken in late 2010 found 9 of 10 respondents said they pay little attention to online ads. Two-thirds said they don't believe advertisers should be able to target them based on their past Web searches.

"The only way it works is on a mass scale. Most people ignore ads on the Web," said Aaron Shapiro, head of the digital marking firm HUGE.

Web ads' biggest advantage, many strategists say, is accountability.

"Online ads are very metric driven ? you can figure out how many impressions you got, how many people clicked, how many people signed up for an email address. All of that is calculated in real time," Google's Roos said. "It's much more efficient than direct mail and TV."

The Romney campaign's Moffatt said Web ads became part of the media strategy when officials there realized how much their own viewing habits had changed.

"Strategists here acknowledge they really don't watch live TV," Moffatt said.

___

Associated Press researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed to this report.

___

Follow Beth Fouhy on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/bfouhy

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111203/ap_on_el_pr/us_online_campaign_ads

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Monster black hole is nearly 10 billion times the mass of the sun

All large galaxies are thought to harbor super-massive black holes at their hearts that contain millions to billions of times the mass of our sun. Until now, the largest black hole known was a mammoth dwelling in the giant elliptical galaxy Messier 87. Now research suggests black holes in two nearby galaxies are even bigger.

Scientists have discovered the largest black holes yet, and they're far bigger than researchers expected based on the galaxies in which they were found.

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The discovery suggests we have much to learn about?how monster black holes grow, scientists said.

All large galaxies are thought to harbor super-massive black holes at their hearts that contain millions to billions of times the mass of our sun. Until now, the?largest black hole known?was a mammoth dwelling in the giant elliptical galaxy Messier 87. This black hole has a mass 6.3 billion times that of the sun.

Now research suggests?black holes?in two nearby galaxies are even bigger. [Photos: Black Holes of the Universe]

The scientists used the Gemini and Keck observatories in Hawaii and the McDonald Observatory in Texas to monitor the velocities of stars orbiting around the centers of a pair of galaxies. These velocities reveal the strength of the gravitational pull on those stars, which in turn is linked with the masses of the black holes lurking there.

The new findings suggest that one galaxy, known as NGC 3842, the brightest galaxy in the Leo cluster of galaxies nearly 320 million light years distant, has a central black hole 9.7 billion solar masses large. The other, named NGC 4889, the brightest galaxy in the Coma cluster more than 335 million light years away, has a black hole of comparable or larger mass. Both encompass regions or "event horizons" about five times the distance from the sun to Pluto.

"For comparison, these black holes are 2,500 times as massive as the black hole at the center of the

Milky Way galaxy, whose event horizon is one-fifth the orbit of Mercury," said study lead author Nicholas McConnell at the University of California, Berkeley.

Astronomers had suspected that black holes more than 10 billion solar masses large exist, based on light from quasars, cosmic objects from the early universe that are no more than a light year or two across but are thousands of times brighter than our entire galaxy.

The light of quasars is thought to come from matter driven to incandescent brightness as it spirals at high speeds into?supermassive black holes. This is the first time scientists have detected black holes approaching such theorized giants in size.

"These two new supermassive black holes are similar in mass to young quasars, and may be the missing link between quasars and the supermassive black holes we see today," said study co-author Chung-Pei Ma, an astrophysicist at the University of California, Berkeley.

The researchers suggest these relatively dim black holes may be the aged remnants of quasars ? "their central black holes are no longer fed by accreting gas, so have become dormant and hidden," Mai told SPACE.com. "The boisterous quasars may have passed through a turbulent youth to become quiescent giant elliptical galaxies."

This pair of black holes is 1.6 to 4.6 times more massive than one would predict from their galaxies, based on details such as the brightness of the bulges at their centers. These findings suggest that black holes may grow differently in large galaxies than in small ones.

"We know that bigger galaxies are made by mergers of smaller galaxies, and during this process, the black holes at the centers of the smaller galaxies can merge to form bigger black holes," Mai said. "But black holes can also grow by being fed by gas in their vicinity. It's a bit like asking, 'Are taller children produced by taller parents or by eating a lot of spinach?' For black holes, we are not sure."

The researchers are now analyzing data on even more black holes. They detailed their findings in the Dec. 8 issue of the journal Nature.

Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter?@Spacedotcom?and on?Facebook.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/3GLkD4Cqdlc/Monster-black-hole-is-nearly-10-billion-times-the-mass-of-the-sun

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Michael Jackson doctor files appeals notice in LA

The doctor sentenced to four years behind bars for causing Michael Jackson's death has filed a notice that he intends to appeal the conviction.

Conrad Murray signed a one-page document that was filed in Los Angeles on Friday seeking all records and transcripts from the case. The filing does not indicate the basis on which Murray will argue to overturn his conviction or sentence.

The 58-year-old was sentenced Tuesday to four years in jail for his involuntary manslaughter conviction, but the term will be automatically cut in half.

Murray's challenge will be heard by a state appeals court in Los Angeles, assuming he files an opening brief at a later date.

Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor blasted Murray's conduct on Tuesday, calling him a disgrace to the medical profession.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45530847/ns/today-entertainment/

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WATCH: Adam Carolla Rants Against Occupy Protestors

Writer, comic and TV personality Adam Carolla is a funny guy, but he doesn't think the Occupy protests are any laughing matter. A nine-and-a-half minute long recording of Carolla lambasting the protesters has gone viral on the web, though the comedian seems to take fault with the wrong parts of their arguments and goals.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/adam-carolla-rants-against-occupy-wall-street-protestors/1-a-407460?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aadam-carolla-rants-against-occupy-wall-street-protestors-407460

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Hospital says evangelist Graham has pneumonia

FILE- In this Dec. 20, 2010 file photo, evangelist Billy Graham, 92, is interviewed at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association headquarters in Charlotte, N.C. The Rev. Billy Graham was admitted to a hospital Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011 near his home in western North Carolina to be tested for pneumonia after suffering from congestion, a cough and a slight fever, his spokesman said. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond, File)

FILE- In this Dec. 20, 2010 file photo, evangelist Billy Graham, 92, is interviewed at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association headquarters in Charlotte, N.C. The Rev. Billy Graham was admitted to a hospital Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011 near his home in western North Carolina to be tested for pneumonia after suffering from congestion, a cough and a slight fever, his spokesman said. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond, File)

(AP) ? The Rev. Billy Graham has been diagnosed with pneumonia but remains in good spirits at a North Carolina Hospital. Dr. Mark Hellreich, a pulmonologist treating Graham at Mission Hospitals in Asheville, said Thursday that the 93-year-old evangelist is responding well to antibiotic treatment and is in stable condition.

Graham was visited Thursday by his pastor, the Rev. Don Wilton, who prayed with him and read from St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians.

Graham is alert and talking with hospital workers, and has also been visited by his daughter, Gigi.

In May, Graham spent five days in the hospital during a bout with pneumonia.

Graham rarely appears in public, but recently published his 30th book, in which he reflects on aging and mortality.

___

Online:

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association: http://www.billygraham.org/

Associated Press

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Germany offers therapy to child sex abuse victims (Reuters)

BERLIN (Reuters) ? Germany will offer every victim of child sex abuse 10,000 euros ($13,000) worth of therapy from a 100 million euro fund set up to address a scandal centered on Catholic schools.

The statute of limitations for sexual abuse crimes will be extended to 30 years from just three. Victims will not receive government compensation under the plan.

The fund is the result of 18 months of consultation between the government, victims and Church officials. The government said the consultation group heard from more than 20,000 victims of abuse with many cases dating back several decades.

"The fund will go towards counselling and therapy -- it will not be used for cash payments. The victims said that (therapy) is a huge concern of theirs because most cannot finance therapy under their current health insurance plans," said Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger late on Wednesday.

"It was never our plan to make compensation payments with this fund -- it's up to the institutions themselves to decide how they want to make them."

The German Catholic Church faces some 600 demands for compensation. Pope Benedict met victims of clerical sex abuse on his visit to Germany in September and expressed his deep regret.

There had been calls for an official inquiry into the Catholic Church, as happened in Ireland. Berlin, however, opted for round-table talks investigating not only clerical abuse but also abuse within families and other institutions.

Some clerical abuse victims expressed disappointment about the fund, saying it was insufficient to redress a lifetime of suffering. Others criticized the new 30-year statute of limitations and said there should be no time limit.

Michael Ermisch, a victims' spokesman said: "Many victims just starting to open up are very old and they need long-term therapy, which is costly. Therapy costs can be determined only on an individual basis."

Norbert Denef, founder of Netzwerk B, a network for victims of sexual assault, said: "It can take victims up to 20 or 30 years to open up, which is why it is so important to abolish the statute of limitations. You can't say 'great, you can talk now but we won't let you sue'."

"These are lifelong injuries -- you can't just throw a few euros at the problem and think it will go away."

Bishop Stephan Ackermann, spokesman on abuse issues for the bishops' conference, has announced the Church would offer abuse victims whose cases are too old to bring to court payments of up to 5,000 euros, and set up a 500,000 euro fund to prevent abuse.

(Reporting By Natalia Drozdiak)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/parenting/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111201/hl_nm/us_germany_child_abuse

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Data shows robust start for holiday retail sales

(AP) ? Retail sales for the four-day holiday weekend, starting with Thanksgiving Day, rose 8.7 percent from a year earlier, a key data service said Thursday.

The figures from MasterCard Advisors' SpendingPulse show the holiday shopping season got off to a robust start with help from midnight openings Thanksgiving evening and deep discounting.

Retailers count on the holiday shopping season, which includes November and December, for as much as 40 percent of their annual sales.

Retail sales totaled $50.06 billion for the four days, excluding autos but including gasoline, food and online purchases. SpendingPulse tracks payments in all forms including cash.

For the four weeks from Oct. 30 through Saturday, Nov. 26, SpendingPulse's holiday index, which includes spending on clothing, general merchandise, toys and electronics and in department stores, rose 4.7 percent to $125 billion, compared with a 2.6 percent increase last year.

"The holiday season is off to a good start," said Michael McNamara, vice president of research and analysis for MasterCard Advisors' SpendingPulse. "But we have to see how it holds up. A lot of the season is still in front of us."

The data follows other reports that also point to a big surge in spending over the weekend.

A survey by the National Retail Federation found Americans spent $52.4 billion over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend, the most ever recorded. The average shopper spent $398.62, also a record, up from $365.34 a year ago, the NRF said.

ShopperTrak, a Chicago-based research firm that watches sales and traffic at 25,000 stores, said sales the day after Thanksgiving rose 6.6 percent to $11.4 billion, the largest amount ever spent on what's known as Black Friday.

And the research firm comScore Inc. said sales on Cyber Monday, the first business day after the Thanksgiving weekend, rose 22 percent from 2010 to $1.25 billion, producing the biggest day ever for online sales.

When major chain stores including Target Corp. and Macy's Inc. report their November sales comparisons on Thursday, which will add still more detail. Those figures, for revenue at stores open at least a year, are a key indicator of retailers' financial health.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-12-01-US-Holiday-Sales/id-4a057b712a9143caae62f4ec856f505b

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