Category: News

The 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game will be the finale of the Bowl Championship Series, pitting the top two teams in the BCS standings, and will be hosted by the Tournament of Roses Association at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, January 7, 2010.

This will be the last BCS game to air on terrestrial television for at least four years. ABC will televise this game, as well as the Rose Bowl, while FOX will televise the remainder of the BCS.

The 2010 games mark the final year of the current contracts with FOX and ABC; ESPN will take over the BCS starting in 2011, includingthe Rose Bowl Game and the National Championship.

This will mark the third time that the Tournament of Roses has hosted the BCS National Championship game in Pasadena, and the first under the “plus one national championship game” system. In the 2002 Rose Bowl, Miami (Florida) beat Nebraska 37-14, while in 2006, Texas beat highly favored and defending national champion Southern California, 41-38.Never mind that Boise State belongs to the much-maligned Western Athletic Conference. Don’t two victories against Top 10-caliber teams suggest the Broncos might have a chance against Alabama on a neutral field? To me, they do.

Cincinnati, BCS No. 3, was blown out by Florida, BCS No. 5, in the Sugar Bowl, leaving both teams with one loss. And the Gators already had lost to Alabama in the SEC title game. So that means Boise State is the most deserving team to challenge the Crimson Tide.

If we could play one more college game in 2010 …

We can dream, can’t we?

Even Texas coach Mack Brown conceded this week that Boise State has a legitimate beef about not getting to play for the national title.

“We finished .0128 out of the (BCS) national championship picture (last year), and we beat a really good Ohio State team (in the Fiesta Bowl) and we said the same thing and nobody cared,” Brown said. “I think it’s about the system. Until our system changes …”

Until the Badly Conceived System changes, there are almost always going to be unanswered questions and controversies at the end of the season.

So, congratulations, Nick Saban, but wipe that smirk off your face. You’re not the only 14-0 team. You’re the only one that was allowed to play for the national title.

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The 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game will be the finale of the Bowl Championship Series, pitting the top two teams in the BCS standings, and will be hosted by the Tournament of Roses Association at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, January 7, 2010.

This will be the last BCS game to air on terrestrial television for at least four years. ABC will televise this game, as well as the Rose Bowl, while FOX will televise the remainder of the BCS.

The 2010 games mark the final year of the current contracts with FOX and ABC; ESPN will take over the BCS starting in 2011, includingthe Rose Bowl Game and the National Championship.

This will mark the third time that the Tournament of Roses has hosted the BCS National Championship game in Pasadena, and the first under the “plus one national championship game” system. In the 2002 Rose Bowl, Miami (Florida) beat Nebraska 37-14, while in 2006, Texas beat highly favored and defending national champion Southern California, 41-38.Never mind that Boise State belongs to the much-maligned Western Athletic Conference. Don’t two victories against Top 10-caliber teams suggest the Broncos might have a chance against Alabama on a neutral field? To me, they do.

Cincinnati, BCS No. 3, was blown out by Florida, BCS No. 5, in the Sugar Bowl, leaving both teams with one loss. And the Gators already had lost to Alabama in the SEC title game. So that means Boise State is the most deserving team to challenge the Crimson Tide.

If we could play one more college game in 2010 …

We can dream, can’t we?

Even Texas coach Mack Brown conceded this week that Boise State has a legitimate beef about not getting to play for the national title.

“We finished .0128 out of the (BCS) national championship picture (last year), and we beat a really good Ohio State team (in the Fiesta Bowl) and we said the same thing and nobody cared,” Brown said. “I think it’s about the system. Until our system changes …”

Until the Badly Conceived System changes, there are almost always going to be unanswered questions and controversies at the end of the season.

So, congratulations, Nick Saban, but wipe that smirk off your face. You’re not the only 14-0 team. You’re the only one that was allowed to play for the national title.

Related posts:

1. Ncaa Football Rankings, Ncaa Football Rankings 2009 Live Streaming The 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game will be the…
2. Final Bcs Standings 2010 Information The 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game will be the…
3. College Football Bcs Championchip Game 2010 College football refers to American football played by teams of…

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Panasonic (PC) is getting green and mean post its acquisition of solar player Sanyo.

They're gunning to be #1:

The Street.com: Panasonic's outlook on green energy is as bold as it gets: the company said it plans to be the No. 1 green-energy company in the electronics space before its 100th anniversary in 2018. The big alternative energy dreams are part of a new yardstick being used by Panasonic management: it wants to have multiple key products that hold a top market share in the world, for a total of 10 trillion yen or more in sales and 10% percent or more in operating profit and return on equity

Panasonic is trying to become the largest green energy player in the world. Check out their official long-term strategy release that just came out.

Join the conversation about this story »

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Economists and others weigh in on the drop in nonfarm payrolls amid a steady unemployment rate.

• That we took a step back in employment in December should not be a shock as this tends to happen. Despite the negative reading in December, we are almost assuredly at the very end of the current cycle of firing and we repeat our belief that the number of people that lose their job from here on out is irrelevant. With over 8 million jobs shed in this recession, another 85,000 or 25,000 has no bearing. The only thing that matters is how quickly these people find a new job. –Dan Greenhaus, Miller Tabak



• The 85,000 decline in non-farm payrolls in December, which follows a revised 4,000 increase the month before (previously an 11,000 fall), is not a sign that the economic recovery has already stalled. November’s gain undoubtedly over-stated the strength of the labour market, while December’s decline probably under-states it. Monthly changes in payrolls are notoriously volatile and the underlying trend of improvement, which began in the first half of last year, still appears intact. –Paul Ashworth, Capital Economics
• The fact that positive job creation occurred in November 2009 is a very important fact, one that should not be ignored despite the disappointing headline print in December. While the worst of the recession is likely over, the fact that the duration of unemployment remains rigid is a concern, though a silver lining is that we are likely to see net job creation assisted by census hiring in the first quarter of 2010. –Ian Pollick, TD Securities
• There was some important weather-related downside in the December labor market report. This factor, together with the recent sharp improvement in jobless claims, a pullback in layoff announcements and a couple of other technical factors, all point to a much stronger employment report next month. –David Greenlaw, Morgan Stanley
• The labor market is not out of the woods yet. The December report was generally weak… The unemployment rate would have been higher if it weren’t for the fact that 661,000 people dropped out of the labor force. The underemployment rate rose again to 17.3% from 17.2% in November. The long-term unemployed, those out of work for 27 weeks or longer, continued to rise. In December, 4 out of 10 unemployed were long-term. Despite the disappointing report, the labor market is in the process of stabilizing. –Sung Won Sohn, Smith School of Business and Economics
• Perhaps more concerning than the weak nonfarm payrolls figures were results from the household survey. Household employment (an alternative measure of employment derived from surveys of households rather than firms) fell by 589k. We had expected a decline in this series after a large gain in November, but the drop was far in excess of our expectations. On a six-month moving average basis, the rate of decline in the household employment series has shown little improvement since July. –Zach Pandl, Nomura Global Economics
• The lack of hiring might reflect greater caution on the part of small companies or an outright inability to respond to rising sales because of financing constraints. The number of persons unemployed for 27 weeks or longer increased by 229,000 in December to 6.1 million, or 4% of the labor force. Both the average and median duration of unemployment rose in December. The good news is that labor markets are always weakest at cyclical upturns and that the foundation for job creation and business spending gains is in place. – Aaron Smith and Ryan Sweet, Moody’s Economy.com
• Despite the disappointment over the headline payroll decline, the improvement in the three-month trend is not violated by this report and, given the further decline in initial jobless claims since the December payroll survey week, we still believe we are on the verge of the emergence of modest payroll growth. –RDQ Economics
• November payrolls looked too good to be true relative to ADP and other indicators so this is a correction; the underlying trend undoubtedly continues to improve and payrolls will be positive by February, not least because Census hiring will start to rise. But the core is improving too; manuf just -27,000 in December and trending towards stability; services down just 4,000 after a 62,000 gain in November; temp hiring soaring, up by 47,000 in December. Unemployment will be slow to fall though because people will come back into the labor force, and wages will keep slowing. –Ian Shepherdson, High Frequency Economics
• Overall the December employment report was a disappointment and potentially highlights the difficulties making the transition from the end of firing to actual hiring. –Julia Coronado, BNP Paribas
• The jobs situation had been improving since summer on the back of reduced layoffs but in December the run to recovery slammed into the hard reality that no one is hiring… Although the pace of layoffs is far less than it was in the spring, the lack of hiring means that those out of work continue to stay that way for a long time. The average duration of unemployment extended out in December to 28.5 weeks compared with 26.9 weeks in November. Among those unemployed a post-war record 38.3% have been looking for work 27 weeks or longer. When the employment data are stacked up with consumer activity and the like the total picture is of an economy that has stopped falling but has yet to start improving in earnest. –Steven Blitz, Majestic Research

Compiled by Phil Izzo

It snowed and snowed and snowed in Britain this week, enough that many people in the country got stuck at home. But some of those people still had a good time. A Web site intended to help restless married people meet one another called IllicitEncounters.com reports a surge in new members over the last few days—more than 2,500 in the last six days—particularly from areas hit hard by the wintry weather, like Hampshire and Berkshire. From Reuters:

“In light of these figures, I’d be interested to see how much work those ‘working from home’ have actually done,” IlicitEncounters.com spokeswoman Sara Hartley said in a statement.

“Perhaps these wives and husbands have just been waiting for a time when they could join, away from the eyes of their work colleagues and, most importantly, their partners…”

Hartley reports that IlicitEncounters.com has taken on extra workers to meet the rush. Apparently, adultery is about the only thing driving job growth anymore.

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Image: flickr / spratmackrel

San Francisco, California | Outsider Architecture

A veritable still life zoo, the Zeum Carousel in San Francisco’s Children’s Museum has been giving rides to delighted children and adults alike for over 100 years. Still operational, it has more than just the common carousel horse: leaping giraffes, ornamented camels, majestic rams in mid run, gilded chariots decorated with elaborate dragons, snakes, and gargoyles. Even the horses are remarkable, each one unique in its design and decorations. But perhaps even more remarkable then the animals which make up the carousel is its storied and well traveled history.

Constructed in 1906 by master carver and builder Charles I. D. Looff (who built the first carousel at Coney Island in 1876, and went on to manufacture over 50 carousels throughout his life, in addition to California’s Santa Monica Pier), it was originally to be placed in San Francisco, but the 1906 fires and Earthquake caused it to be installed at the Luna Park in Seattle, Washington instead. Miraculously it was the only attraction to survive the 1911 Luna Park fire, and in 1913 moved again to its original destination of San Francisco. Installed at the ocean side amusement park Playland-at-the-Beach, where it remained until the close of the park in 1972.

It was then purchased by a private collector and held in Roswell, New Mexico until 1983, when it was transported back to California, set up by Marianne Stevens in Shoreline Village, Long Beach. The City of San Francisco finally purchased the carousel from Ms. Stevens in 1998 and returned it, fully restored and operational, to its current location at Zeum in the Yerba Buena Gardens.

Charles I.D. Looff was the father of the unique Coney Island style of carousel carving, catering and contributing to the vaudeville style attractions that were steadily growing more popular in the early nineteenth century.

Classic circus music plays cheerfully during the 2 for $3 rides, complimenting the character of the carousel. The animals reflect this bright, fanciful, carnival style. Horses are suited up in a saddle and blanket unique to themselves, gem studded with colorful patterns. Real horse hair tails and further elaborate designs adorn each piece. The camels, giraffes, and rams are equally magnificent and lustrous, fine attention to detail in both original and restored carving and painting evident.

The Zeum Carousel is a wonderfully well preserved and restored historical ride, hearkening back to a time when everything was new and exciting, and amusement park rides such as these were as much marveled inventions as they were public entertainment.

Just like the PS Store update, this week’s PlayStation Network video store update is a bit sparse. There’s a pair of scary movies in there, including that incredible triumph in sequel titling, The Final Destination.There’s also a

Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced today that it has accepted the Oshkosh Defense military truck that will carry a Boeing-built laser beam control system for the U.S. Army’s High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator (HEL TD) program.

Boeing received the Oshkosh Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) on Dec. 17 at the Oshkosh facility in Oshkosh, Wis.

“This demonstration program has successfully transitioned from the design phase to the fabrication phase,” said Gary Fitzmire, vice president and program director of Boeing Missile Defense Systems’ Directed Energy Systems unit.

“This transformational, solid-state laser weapon capability will provide speed-of-light, ultra-precision capability that will dramatically improve warfighters’ ability to counter rocket, artillery and mortar projectiles.”

The eight-wheel, 500-horsepower HEMTT A4, a widely used military tactical vehicle, will be shipped to Boeing’s facility in Huntsville this spring for integration with the laser’s rugged beam control system (BCS).

The program has already begun receiving BCS components from suppliers.

“These hardware deliveries show that the program is making great progress and getting closer to demonstrating its revolutionary capability,” said Blaine Beardsley, Boeing HEL TD program manager.

The BCS will acquire, track and select an aimpoint on a target during the same time frame in which the system also will receive the laser beam from the laser device, reshape and align it, and focus it on the target. The system includes mirrors, high-speed processors and high-speed optical sensors.

HEL TD testing against real targets, but using a low-power surrogate for the high-energy laser, is scheduled for fiscal year 2011 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. HEL TD is a cornerstone of the Army’s high-energy laser program and will support the transition to a full-fledged Army acquisition program.

Boeing is developing laser systems for a variety of U.S. Air Force, Army and Navy warfighter applications. Besides HEL TD, these systems include the Airborne Laser, Free Electron Laser and Tactical Relay Mirror System.

Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation, is an industry-leading global designer and manufacturer of tactical military trucks and armored wheeled vehicles.

About Boeing Integrated Defense Systems

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world’s largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft.

Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Marc Selinger, 703-872-4240
Boeing Missile Defense Systems
[email protected]

One of the many hassles with digital media is always trying to get your content such as pictures and videos off of your phone,  out, about and useful.  Sure uploading to YouTube or Facebook is cool, but a lot of the time you want to get those items out at home for personal use.  Or how about the other headache and constant struggle to untether the content that you own from the boxes they are stored on, allowing sharing of YOUR media anywhere in your home?  If you have ever tried that, you know it can be a headache.

Well, not anymore for Android users!  PacketVideo, the makers of Twonkymedia have announced at CES 2010 a free, mobile version of their media gateway server.  The app is going to allow Android users to have the ability to stream media from their handsets to other devices on their home networks, and vice versa!  Freedom for your media at your grubby little Android powered finger tips!  Imagine having the ability to watch a video you took with your brand spanking new Nexus One on your big screen plasma at home with all your friends with the touch of a button.  Entirely possible with the Twonkymedia app.

The Android app works in conjunction with the Twonkymedia server application which runs on Windows boxes as well as Mac’s and Linux builds.  The home version costs a VERY reasonable $29.95, and is worth looking at.  It covers a LARGE number of devices, and allows you to stream media all over your house.  Granted, it is possible to do this without a program if you are a tech guru, but with something that is written and geared for media sharing like this program, it may be worth it to not have to hassle with the guesswork.

Since the Android app is free, it is worth taking a look at and seeing if it fits your needs!

Twonkyserver Mobile is the name of the app and is available right now for download from the Market.  Use the barcode below to scan and download right now.

Android seems to be the weapon of choice at CES this year. As the best mobile platform for open source development and modifications, it only makes sense that as many developers as possible would want to get their hands on the OS- and yet, Dell’s Android-powered tablet came way out of left field.

Sporting a 5-inch screen, Dell’s Streak practically defines medium-scale, falling somewhere between an Archos 5 and a myTouch 3G in terms of size, and as Gizmodo puts it, looking like a large iPod touch. While the device isn’t a phone, the inclusion of a SIM-card slot leads me to believe that you’ll be using a cell provider’s data plan for network service, in a fashion similar to the Nook’s AT&T 3G.

(via Pocket Lint)

Another cool and actually useful application for Twitter’s location feature: Detecting, tracking, and reporting earthquakes.

The USGS is reportedly developing a system that scans Twitter for conversation about earthquakes, mapping them using Twitter’s new geolocation data.

Timothy B. Hurst, EcoPolitology: The energy behind that kind of behavior is what is behind the Twitter Earthquake Detection (USGSted) project [USGS seismologist Dr. Paul] Earle is heading up. TED uses the Twitter social networking platform to collect real-time, earthquake-related messages from anywhere around the globe. “For earthquakes in sparsely instrumented regions, these detections could provide an initial heads up that an earthquake may have occurred,” explains Earle.

TED uses an application programming interface that aggregates tweets based on keywords like “earthquake” and “tremor” to pull tweets about a particular earthquake into a database. Then the USGS generates an e-mail report containing the magnitude, location, depth below the surface, number of tweets about the earthquake broken down by their location, and text of the first 40 or 50 tweets.

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• News Corp’s Sky News Is Making Every Journalist a Twitter Convert

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Videos, Porsche

Image marketing is a grand thing, regardless of whether or not it has any grasp on reality.

In this case, Porsche wants the world to know that it has its roots in racing. That’s fine, we enjoy watching the clever production and breathing in the nostalgia – it’s great. We note, however, that there aren’t any shots of the Cayenne sluicing around wet racetracks, hanging an engine-filled arse out to the side. Not that the Cayenne hasn’t seen its fair share of motorsports action, mind. But in this case, at least, it’s all about Porsche’s sports cars. Now, will we get a Panamera motorsports video 30 years down the road? Forgive us for not caring for the moment, we’d rather just watch this video again.

[Source: Porsche via YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Porsche’s ‘Roots in Racing. Not posing.’ spot says it all

Video: Porsche’s ‘Roots in Racing. Not posing.’ spot says it all originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When your country is about to go bankrupt and get kicked out of the EU, what do you do for an instant increase in tax revenue? Simple: you tax booze and cigarettes.

BBC: The Greek government has announced increases in taxes on alcohol and tobacco as it seeks to counter the country’s debt crisis.

For most drinks, tax per litre of alcohol will rise from 11.4 euros (£10.23) to 13.7 euros with immediate effect. Tax on a pack of cigarettes will rise from 57.5% to 70% on 12 January.

The Finance Ministry said the measures would increase revenues. The government has ruled out increasing VAT. Value added tax currently stands at 19%.

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• Scared Of An Auction, Greece Wants To Negotiate Interest Rates Behind Closed Doors
• Today’s CNBC Drinking Game: "Bottoming Process"