Missouri University Tiger's Blaine Gabbert, Aldon Smith Heading to NFL Early VIDEO Top Ten Mizzou Football Plays in 2010

___________________________________________________________________________
Top Ten Mizzou Football Plays in 2010
.

__________________________________________________________________________

Mizzou's Aldon Smith heading to NFL early

By REID LAYMANCE
Friday, January 7, 2011

Mizzou is losing another one to the NFL early.
Sophomore defensive end Aldon Smith has declared for the draft, the school announed today.
Quarterback Blaine Gabbert already had decided to leave school early.
After redshirting in 2008, Smith became set a school record with 11.5 sacks in 2009 and was named Big 12 defensive freshman and defensive newcomer of the year.
His 2010 season was hampered by a leg injury that kept him out of three games, but he returned in time to grab a key interception in his first game back against Oklahoma as Mizzou won, 36-27.
In 10 games in 2010, Smith had 48 total tackles, including 10 tackles for loss and 5.5 quarterback sacks.
Smith was named 1st-Team All-Big 12 by league coaches for his play in 2010, and his 17 career sacks ties him for sixth-best on the MU charts.
"I'd like to thank everyone at Mizzou for supporting me," Smith said in a statement released by the school. "The coaches, our fans and alumni, everyone has been great, and they've definitely helped me get to this point. It's been my dream for as long as I can remember to play in the NFL, so this is something I'm really excited for," he said.
Mizzou Head Coach Gary Pinkel said that he is supportive of Smith's decision.
. Click Here for more info.
.

.
___________________________________________________________________________
Gabbert leaving Mizzou early for NFL draft
BY VAHE GREGORIAN Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Interrupting Mizzou's near-decade succession of quarterback continuity and instantly transforming the Tigers' 2011 prospects from prosperous to less clear, junior quarterback Blaine Gabbert announced Monday he would make himself eligible for the NFL draft.
"This is definitely a bittersweet day for me," Gabbert, a Parkway West graduate, said in a statement released by Mizzou. "I was really looking forward to having a chance to do some special things next season with my teammates, but in the end this is the right decision to make for me and my family."
It's uncertain what ultimately informed Gabbert's reasoning. Gabbert's father, Chuck, didn't want to immediately expand on his son's statement, and MU has not disclosed the evaluation of his potential draft status from the NFL draft advisory board.
But in general, MU coach Gary Pinkel has the stance that if a player is projected as a first-round pick by the advisory board he should make himself available.
Russ Lande of GM Jr. Scouting Co. predicts Gabbert will be the No. 2 quarterback taken in the draft, probably a late first-round pick and at worst a mid-second round pick.
READ MORE
.

.
_____________________________________________________________________________

Reciprocal links:
http://HermannHearsay.blogspot.com/(Hermann Area News, Commentary & Discussion)

US jobs report an ‘utter mess’ murky mixture of data

________________________________________________________________________________

US jobs report an ‘utter mess’

By Robin Harding in Washington
Published: January 7 2011
Markets hoped that December’s payroll report would mark a breakthrough for the US economy’s recovery, with a surge in private job creation towards 200,000 – a level that would finally put a dent in the unemployment rate.
Instead they got a murky mixture of a report, prompting one economist, Rob Carnell of ING Bank, to call it an “utter mess” and question why markets focus so much on payrolls at all.

The problem is that the monthly payrolls report contains two different measures – a survey of households and a survey of employers – and in December they pointed in different directions.

The employment survey, the normal focus of attention, showed overall growth in payrolls of only 103,000. That was well below expectations, especially after a disappointing November report and a remarkably high estimate from private- sector payroll processor ADP earlier this week.
Yet the household survey, from which the unemployment rate is calculated, sent a completely different message. It showed an extra 297,000 people in jobs and 260,000 fewer people in the labour force. The combination of the two was enough to cause a drop in the unemployment rate from 9.8 to 9.4 per cent.
The reality – taking the trend in both measures and other recent data together – is likely to be somewhere in between. Jobs growth is picking up a bit to more than 100,000 a month but still shows no sign of a dramatic acceleration.
“At the moment [both surveys] send the same message: things are doing OK but not as well as you would have hoped or expected given the apparent strength of growth,” said Paul Dales, senior US economist at Capital Economics in Toronto.
Ben Bernanke, Federal Reserve chairman,struck a similar note in testimony to Congress prepared before the release of the payrolls data. “Although recent indicators of spending and production have generally been encouraging, conditions in the labour market have improved only modestly at best,” Mr Bernanke said.
. Click Here for more info.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Reciprocal links:
http://HermannHearsay.blogspot.com/(Hermann Area News, Commentary & Discussion)

New data collected from sensors left on moon in 1971 Moon has liquid core just like Earth

_________________________________________________________________________________
Core knowledge: Nasa applied contemporary seismological techniques to data being emitted from sensors left on the Moon in 1971. Scientists now think the Moon has a solid, iron-rich inner core and a fluid, primarily liquid-iron outer core
__________________________________________________________________________________

Moon has liquid core just like Earth... reveal sensors left on lunar surface by astronauts 40 YEARS ago

By Graham Smith 7th January 2011

It's an unlikely marriage between state-of-the-art and 40-year-old technology that has yielded extraordinary results.
Signals from seismic sensors left on the lunar surface by Apollo astronauts in 1971 have revealed that the Moon has a liquid core similar to Earth's.
Scientists at Nasa applied contemporary seismological techniques to the data being emitted from sensors placed by their colleagues during the U.S. space program's heyday.

The new research suggests the Moon possesses a solid, iron-rich inner core with a radius of nearly 150 miles and a fluid, primarily liquid-iron outer core with a radius of roughly 205 miles.
Where it differs from Earth is a partially molten boundary layer around the core estimated to have a radius of nearly 300 miles.
The data sheds light on the evolution of a lunar dynamo - a natural process by which our Moon may have generated and maintained its own strong magnetic field.

. Click Here for more info.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Reciprocal links:
http://HermannHearsay.blogspot.com/(Hermann Area News, Commentary & Discussion)

Money and Markets - Investments for 2011 VIDEOS

____________________________________________________________________________

Investment Ideas for 2011

by Weiss Money Network

The verdict on 2010 is not yet in. Economic data improved as the year went on, and the stock market showed strength that was surprising to many investors, but whether 2010 will ultimately be viewed as the beginning of a turnaround in the U.S. economy or an aberration will largely depend on what happens in 2011. So on this episode of Money and Markets TV, the Weiss Research editors look ahead over the next 12 months, and offer their best investment ideas for playing the markets.

Nilus Mattive tells income investors how to best protect their money using dividend-paying stocks. And for more adventurous investors, Sean Brodrick and Rudy Martin reveal their favorite plays among natural resource stocks and emerging markets, respectively. Plus, a round table of experts discuss whether the historic bull market in commodities will keep charging through 2011, or whether it’s run its course.
.

.

.

.
____________________________________________________________________________

Reciprocal links:
http://HermannHearsay.blogspot.com/(Hermann Area News, Commentary & Discussion)

High-End Features Come To Lower-End Cameras Prices Slashed New Point-and-Shoots

Fujifilm NA Corp.'s FinePix AV200 ($90) shoots 720p high-definition video.
__________________________________________________________________________________ 

High-End Features Come To Lower-End Cameras

by The Associated Press

January 7, 2011

To fight dwindling camera sales, manufacturers are slashing prices for point-and-shoots — often below $100 — and offering more features for the money.
Camera makers unveiled dozens of models this week at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the largest gadget show in the U.S. Here's what to look for once they go on sale over the next few months.

Lower Prices
It used to be nearly impossible to buy a digital camera for $100. Now, Casio America Inc., Canon Inc., Eastman Kodak Co. and Olympus Corp. all sell them, and other big brands just jumped on the bandwagon.
Sony Electronics Inc., a company not known for discounted cameras, will sell the Cybershot DSC-W510 ($100), a 12-megapixel camera with a 4X optical zoom - more than what you'll find on most entry-level cameras.
Canon, the market leader, will sell the 10-megapixel Powershot A800 for $89, albeit with a bare-bones 3X zoom.
Kodak has two budget offerings: the credit card-sized EasyShare Mini ($100) and the EasyShare Sport, an $80 camera that can be immersed in up to 10 feet of water, which is the kind of durability normally found in a $200 camera.
Fujifilm NA Corp.'s FinePix AV200 ($90) shoots 720p (1280 x 720) high-definition video, another rarity for cameras this cheap.

HD Video Standard
It's not unusual for whiz-bang features to trickle down into lower-end products. Face detection, for example, used to be reserved for high-end cameras; today, shoppers have come to expect it. Now, high-definition movie recording is becoming a typical feature on point-and-shoots.
With the exception of some of those $100 cameras, almost every model Canon, Fujifilm, Kodak, Panasonic Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. and Sony announced this week records HD movies at 720p or even 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolution.
Fujifilm's $90 HD number takes the cake in terms of value, but Canon's Powershot A2200IS ($140) also records HD video for a still-reasonable price.
While we can't vouch for the quality of these movies, the boost in resolution is an improvement because the videos will look sharp on high-definition televisions.

New Ways To Share Photos
We've noticed several companies experimenting with new ways to free photos from the camera.
Samsung's SH100 ($200) isn't the first camera with built-in Wi-Fi, but it is unique in that it can send photos directly to a smart phone. Photographers can also use the Wi-Fi-enabled camera to back up their photos to websites such as Facebook.
People can also use their smart phone as a remote-control to trigger their camera's shutter, as long as they're within a Wi-Fi network. Here's the catch: The camera only does this with Samsung's own line of Galaxy smart phones, which run Google Inc.'s Android software.
Across its product line, Kodak has been emphasizing a sharing feature that lets people select photos stored on the camera to be automatically uploaded to sites such as Facebook when the camera is connected to a computer.
Eye-Fi Inc.'s memory cards can already wirelessly send photos from a camera to a PC or to websites such as Flickr. Now, they can also send photos to smart phones, tablets and other devices. It requires a one-time setup to connect the Eye-Fi card to the gadget over Wi-Fi. Android phone or tablet owners then download an app to see the photos.
Eye-Fi won't say if other devices, such as iPads and iPhones, will be supported. The new feature will be available as a free update to people who already own one of Eye-Fi's X2 cards, which start at $50 for 4GB of storage space.

More Megapixels
For a while, camera makers had seemingly called off the megapixel arms race, taking a break from one-upping each other with higher and higher resolution. Now, they're at it again, cramming as many as 14 or 16-megapixels into new models.
This isn't necessarily a good thing: The more megapixels a camera has, the smaller each sensor is, meaning they can collect less light in dim shooting situations. Nighttime photos might also look grainer with more megapixels. This is all especially true of compact point-and-shoots, which have relatively small sensors to begin with.
 Click Here for more info.
.

.
Eye-Fi Inc.'s memory cards can already wirelessly send photos from a camera to a PC or to websites such as Flickr. Now, they can also send photos to smart phones, tablets and other devices.

Source: YouTube

__________________________________________________________________________________

Reciprocal links:
http://HermannHearsay.blogspot.com/(Hermann Area News, Commentary & Discussion)

Hermann Bearcats Boys Basketball BOXSCORE Beat Owensville 38 to 30

#21 Jake Schannuth Leaps for Rebound vs Owensville.
__________________________________________________________________________________

Hermann downs Owensville

01/06 -

Hermann 5-3 (1-1)	38
Owensville 5-4 (1-1)	30

Hermann downs Owensville Hermann 5-3 (1-1) 38 Owensville 5-4 (1-1) 30 Game Stats Hermann Owensville

Thu, 1/6/2011	Score by Quarters									Final	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RBS
Hermann	8	7	7	16						38	48.15	0.00	70.6	25
Owensville	11	6	4	9						30	0.00	0.00	80.0	0

Team Comparison (Season Totals)	Hermann(1-1 5-3)	Owensville(1-1 5-4)
Points For | Average	417 | 52.1	399 | 44.3
Points Against | Average	365 | 45.6	420 | 46.7

Hermann Bearcats	PTS	FG-FGA	3FG-3FA	FT-FTA	FL	STL	AST	OF	DF	TN	BK	GP
Ethan Kirchhofer	14	5-10	0- 3	4-5	1	3	5	0	5	4	0	1
Jake Schannuth	13	4-7	0- 0	5-8	1	0	2	1	4	2	0	1
Jonathan Baumstark	4	1-3	0- 0	2-2	4	0	0	0	3	0	0	1
Philip Wright	4	2-5	0- 0	0-0	3	1	4	2	6	2	0	1
Nick Koenig	2	1-1	0- 0	0-0	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	1
Craig Winkelmann	1	0-1	0- 1	1-2	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	1
Totals	38	13-27	0- 4	12-17	10	4	11	3	22	8	0	6
Percentages		48.15	0.00	70.6

Owensville Dutchmen/Dutchgirls	PTS	FG-FGA	3FG-3FA	FT-FTA	FL	STL	AST	OF	DF	TN	BK	GP
Ryan Cooper	18	8-0	1- 0	1-1	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Shawnee Wright	5	1-0	0- 0	3-4	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Jason Kottwitz	4	2-0	0- 0	0-0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Cole Farris	3	1-0	1- 0	0-0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Garrett Baker	0	0-0	0- 0	0-0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Connor Crosby	0	0-0	0- 0	0-0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Tanner Goodman	0	0-0	0- 0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Totals	30	12-0	2- 0	4-5	18	0	0	0	0	0	0	7
Percentages		0.00	0.00	80.0

Team Comparison (Game Totals)	Hermann(1-1 5-3)	Owensville(1-1 5-4)
2-PT Made-Attempted	13-23	10-0
2-PT Percentage	56.52	0.00
3-PT Made-Attempted	0-4	2-0
3-PT Percentage	0.00	0.00
Total Made-Attempted	13-27	12-0
Total Percentage	48.15	0.00
Offensive-Defensive-Total Rebounds	3-22-25	0-0- 0
Free Throws Made-Attempted	12-17	4-5
Free Throws Percentage	70.6	80.0
Assists	11	0
Turnovers	8	0
Fouls	10	18
Steals	4	0
Blocks	0	0

__________________________________________________________________________________

Reciprocal links:
http://HermannHearsay.blogspot.com/(Hermann Area News, Commentary & Discussion)

Missouri Farmers Have 2 week Left to Sign Up for Conservation Stewardship Program (INFO VIDEO)

____________________________________________________________________________________

NRCS Extends CSP Deadline to January 21 The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has extended until January 21 the deadline for farmers, ranchers and foresters to apply for Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) benefits. “NRCS Chief Dave White extended the deadline by two weeks to give people more time to consider the program and to work through the application process,” State Conservationist J.R. Flores says. Flores adds that CSP has a continuous sign up, but only applications received by January 21 will be eligible for the next round of funding. CSP is a voluntary program designed to encourage participants to adopt additional conservation practices and improve, maintain and manage existing ones. Eligible lands include cropland, pastureland, and non-industrial private forestland.  NRCS recently mailed CSP payments totaling more than $38 million to Missouri producers whose applications were submitted and approved during previous funding periods. Flores says NRCS has about 3,200 CSP contracts with Missouri farmers. “CSP is one of our most popular conservation programs,” Flores says. “It helps farmers pay for conservation measures that benefit all of society by protecting water quality and preserving other natural resources.” To sign up for CSP, or to get more information about it and other NRCS programs, contact the NRCS office serving your county. Look in the phone book under “U.S. Government, Department of Agriculture,” or click here. . .

____________________________________________________________________________________

Reciprocal links:
http://HermannHearsay.blogspot.com/(Hermann Area News, Commentary & Discussion)

Google Previews Honeycomb Features for Tablet Computers Android 3.0

________________________________________________________________________________

Nancy Gohring Nancy Gohring – Thu Jan 6, 2:20 pm ET

Google showed off the first preview of features in Honeycomb, its upcoming version of Android designed for tablets, during a keynote speech Thursday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
"We wanted our tablet experience to be better, not just bigger," said Mike Cleron, principal software engineer for Google.
Honeycomb requires no physical buttons on a tablet. Instead, it displays buttons on the screen. The advantage to that design is that the buttons appear on the bottom of the screen no matter which way the user is holding the tablet.
Cleron showed off the way that widgets work in Honeycomb, saying that they are more powerful. A Gmail widget let him scroll through e-mail messages quickly from the home screen. A calendar widget works similarly.
Honeycomb also allows for widgets for individual contacts. That means a user can pin a widget to the home screen for a friend and see updates about that person appear automatically. The feature is reminiscent of the tiles that Microsoft features on Windows Phone 7 which allows users to create a tile for a person that updates with recent information about the person.
"It shows you want you can do with an OS designed from the ground up for multitasking," Cleron said.
Gmail has been completely redesigned for tablets with Honeycomb. It displays columns with the left one listing folders, the middle a list of contacts and the right column showing recent messages.
Cleron also showed off Google Maps 5.0 with new features that were recently added. The audience sounded impressed with the feature that lets a user drag two fingers on the screen to tilt the map and show drawings of buildings.
Honeycomb receives notifications of new messages but includes a bit more data than in previous Android versions. For instance when a user receives an email, the notification that pops up includes a small phone of the person who sent the message.
. Click Here for more info.
.

.

.
This is a unique style of video from Google introducing Android 3.0 Honeycomb, unveiled today during CES 2011

We should be getting a lot more features with Honeycomb such as most probably:
- Tablet optimized gmail app
- New Screen Transitions
- New Homescreen Style
- New Tablet-sized keyboard
- Chrome-styled tabbed browser
- Tablet optimized book reader
- Updated Google Talk with video chat
- Tablet-enhanced Google Maps
- Tablet optimized YouTube client

__________________________________________________________________________________

Reciprocal links:
http://HermannHearsay.blogspot.com/(Hermann Area News, Commentary & Discussion)

Local businesses use Facebook to gather clients, increase traffic

Stephanie Backus/FULTON SUN photo: Kristen Zeimet, Kingdom of Callaway Chamber of Commerce PR and Membership coordinator, updates the Chamber's Facebook page on Thursday. Local businesses are relying on Facebook business pages to reach a new audience. __________________________________________________________________________________

By Don Norfleet

Friday, January 7, 2011

Lydia Schuster believes in Facebook.

The photographer, and owner of Studio Seven, started her business solely on the belief Facebook would work for her.

“I decided to use Facebook because I had to,” Schuster said. “I was looking at my friends list and I had 600-some friends. I’ve always gotten a lot of really good feedback from any photos I posted on Facebook on my personal page, so I talked to my husband and decided to take it to the next level.”

The next level was the decision to start her Facebook business page.
“I started to do little incentives here and there, like the first person responding getting a free sitting fee,” she said. “As soon as I put ‘free’ in anything, people responded.”

A baby contest really got Schuster’s business going, though.
“I probably had 700 fans on my page when I started the contest,” she said. “I don’t even know how many I have now. It’s well over 1,000. I had 75 baby entries and thousands of votes.

“That was overwhelming — just an overwhelming response with all that.”

Facebook is not only a way for Schuster to grow her business, but it’s her portfolio.

“Facebook is personable enough to where people are really nice when they are on your page,” she said. “But it’s impersonable enough for where people don’t have a problem going to the page and looking at your photos.”

Schuster said she thinks people look at Facebook pages for photographers now instead of their websites.

“It’s definitely worth my time and effort,” she said. “I have a website, but I don’t update it. I don’t update it ever. I set it up originally where a portion of my pictures were there, but with Facebook, it’s so nice to upload and post to my wall, and then everybody looks at it.

“If it wasn’t for Facebook, I would have probably an eighth of the business I have now.”

Schuster isn’t the only one in Fulton using Facebook to grow business. She’s just one of many who are using the social networking tool. Businesses and organizations from churches to not-for-profits to restaurants are using the site.
. Click Here for more info.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Reciprocal links:
http://HermannHearsay.blogspot.com/(Hermann Area News, Commentary & Discussion)

__________________________________________________________________________________

10 Percent Unemployment Forever?

Why the good news about the economy doesn't necessarily mean that jobs are coming back anytime soon.

BY TYLER COWEN, JAYME LEMKE

The U.S. economy finally appears to be picking up steam and headed toward recovery: several economic indicators -- including manufacturing and services output, and sales of cars and consumer goods -- have shown noticeable improvement over the last few months. Scan virtually any financial news website, and you'll see it's now a consensus that a sustained economic recovery has not only arrived -- it's picking up speed.

But there's good reason to believe that the labor market won't be keeping pace. Rather than an aberration, high unemployment may be an enduring feature of the United States' economy.

We are, sadly, in a very deep pit when it comes to the labor market. The recent private-sector estimate from ADP Employer Services announced the creation of 297,000 new jobs for December, but this is the first instance of a real dent in the jobless rate since the beginning of the recession. The November report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics pegged the unemployment rate at 9.8 percent, which translates to over 15.1 million unemployed. Over 40 percent of currently unemployed workers have been out of a job for over six months, the highest percentage of long-term unemployment since World War II. The numbers look even worse if we consider the underemployed, which includes potential workers who have given up looking for a job or the 9 percent of the labor force that is made up of part-time workers who would prefer to be working full-time. At least 2.5 million people gave up looking for work in the last year alone.

Even if the December rate of job creation continues, it will be 2014 before unemployment is down to 5 percent. But last month's good news may not last. At a more conservative estimate of 150,000 jobs added per month, it could be 2024 before employment is back to 2007 levels. Keep in mind that there are 100,000-plus estimated new entrants into the workforce each month. In November, a sum total of 92,000 new jobs were created -- but that didn't lower the unemployment rate.

So what happened? Why have American labor markets ended up in such a dire situation?

The simple Keynesian explanation for the initial unemployment is that aggregate demand -- the country's combined spending and investment -- has been too low. But it's unlikely that spending is the only problem, as unemployment is too high and too persistent relative to similar episodes of disinflation in recent history. If weak demand was the main problem, profits should be collapsing too, but they are not. Investment and corporate profits have been fine for some time now, and they are broadly within the range of pre-recession estimates.

There's a second problem with the Keynesian story, which relies heavily on the notion that real, inflation-adjusted wages are sitting at too high a level. If unemployment causes someone real suffering, why wouldn't he or she be willing to take a lower salary to get a job and ease the pain? But rather than falling, private-industry wages are currently on the rise -- up nearly 60 cents per hour since the end of the recession. There are plenty of good theories why it is hard to cut the wages of employed workers -- long-term contracts pose legal challenges, and fragile worker morale threatens to collapse under the stress of wage cuts. But it's harder to explain why unemployed workers can't find new jobs for less pay, especially if output is recovering, profits are high, and corporations are sitting on a lot of cash.
. Click Here for more info.

________________________________________________________________________________

Reciprocal links:
http://HermannHearsay.blogspot.com/(Hermann Area News, Commentary & Discussion)

FED Chairman Ben Bernanke: 4-5 Years Before 'Normal' Unemployment projects 8 percent two years from now

__________________________________________________________________________________
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.
__________________________________________________________________________________

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke sketched a more optimistic view of the economy Friday but said the Fed's $600 billion bond-buying program is needed because unemployment will likely stay elevated for up to five more years. 

Bernanke told the Senate Budget Committee that there's rising evidence that a "self-sustaining" recovery is taking hold. He said he expects stronger growth because consumers and businesses will boost spending this year.

Bernanke spoke an hour after the government released a disappointing employment report. Employers added only 103,000 jobs in December.

The unemployment rate fell to 9.4 percent partly because people gave up looking for jobs. Many economists had forecast much bigger job gains and were looking for a signal that businesses were stepping up hiring.

Asked about December's 103,000 job gains, Bernanke said if the pace of hiring doesn't increase, "we're not going to see sustained declines in the unemployment rate."

The Fed chief defended the central bank's move to buy $600 billion in Treasurys through June and gave no hint that it would change its course. The bond purchases are designed to boost the economy by lowering interest rates, encouraging spending and lifting stock prices.

The program has been criticized by Republicans in Congress and some Fed officials who contend it will do little to help the economy and could hurt it by unleashing inflation and speculative buying on Wall Street. China, Germany and Brazil complained it was really a scheme to push down the value of the dollar, giving U.S. exporters a competitive edge.

The Fed chief said the threat of deflation—a dangerous drop in prices, wages and in the values of homes and stocks -- and the potential for persistently high unemployment were sufficient reasons to launch the program.

Bernanke predicted that the overall pace of the economy will be "moderately stronger" this year. He said the Fed has seen "increased evidence that a self-sustaining recovery" is taking place.

Factories are cranking up production. The service sector is growing at its fastest pace in more than four years. Fewer people applied for unemployment benefits over the past month than in any other four-week period in more than two years.

Consumers are spending more freely, and a payroll tax cut is likely to boost their activity further. Tax cuts are also likely to lead businesses to expand and hire more.

But weakness in job growth could slow this momentum, Bernanke cautioned, especially if consumers spend less.

Bernanke said unemployment is likely to be around 8 percent two years from now.

. Click Here for more info.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Reciprocal links:
http://HermannHearsay.blogspot.com/(Hermann Area News, Commentary & Discussion)

Russia Junior Hockey Champs Kicked off Flight for Being Unruly Drunk JFK Airport

__________________________________________________________________________________

Members of a championship-winning Russian junior ice hockey team were kicked off their flight overnight for being too drunk.
The team was representing Russia in the World Junior Hockey Championships, which was hosted in Buffalo. On Wednesday night, Team Russia won the Gold Medal game by upsetting Team Canada, 5 - 3.
The after-game celebrations may have been a bit too much, as police say players were thrown off a Delta flight scheduled to leave Buffalo-Niagara International Airport, because members of the team were intoxicated.
Our sister station WGRZ in Buffalo says team members were seen sitting in the baggage claim area after their flight took off. The team is now sobering up at a Days Hotel, while they make new flight arrangements on Friday.
The World Junior Hockey Championship is an annual tournament held for national under-20 ice hockey teams from around the world.


.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Reciprocal links:
http://HermannHearsay.blogspot.com/(Hermann Area News, Commentary & Discussion)

Aerial VIDEO Franklin County Tornado Damage from December 31 Storm 2010

____________________________________________________________________________
Aerial views of Franklin County storm damage from the December 31st Tornado. This video by Franklin County Sheriff Gary Toelke was taken shortly after the storm.
.

.

____________________________________________________________________________

Reciprocal links:
http://HermannHearsay.blogspot.com/(Hermann Area News, Commentary & Discussion)

Mystery of Mass Animal Death Epidemic Deepens Spreading World Wide

____________________________________________________________________________________

Mystery of mass animal death epidemic deepens after 8,000 turtle doves fall dead in Italy with strange blue stain on their beaks

By Wil Longbottom
Last updated at 3:45 PM on 7th January 2011

• Blue stain believed to be sign of poisoning or hypoxia - lack of oxygen that is precursor to altitude sickness
• Cold weather and overbreeding blamed for deaths of two 2million fish in Chesapeake Bay
• Disease behind deaths of 100,000 fish in Arkansas River
• At least nine incidents of mass animal deaths across the globe
• Hundreds of confused birds plummeted to their deaths in multiple locations in the U.S.
• Rapid movement of Magnetic North Pole towards Russia may have caused bird deaths

Thousands of dead turtle doves rained down on roofs and cars in an Italian town in the latest in a growing spate of mass animal deaths across the globe.
Residents in Faenza described the birds falling to the ground like 'little Christmas balls' with strange blue stains on their beaks.
Initial tests on up to 8,000 of the doves indicated that the blue stain could have been caused by poisoning or hypoxia.

Mystery: 8,000 turtle doves fell to the ground dead in Faenza, Italy, and were found to have a blue stain around their beaks

Shock: Residents described seeing individual doves fall from the sky, before groups of 10 or 20 began hitting roofs and cars

A witness told www.examiner.com: 'We have no idea why this happened all of a sudden.
'The doves just started falling one-by-one then in groups of 10s and 20s.'
Hypoxia, a lack of oxygen, is known to cause confusion and illness in animals. It is also a common precursor to altitude sickness.
Experts said results from tests on the doves will not be available for at least a week.
They said that cold weather could have caused the birds' deaths as the flock was swept into a high-altitude wind storm before falling to the earth.
It comes after two million dead fish were found to have washed up on shores in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland.

The alarming find is being blamed by authorities in Maryland on the stress caused by unusually cold water and overbreeding among spot fish.

Mystery: Experts said they believed the blue colouration around the doves' beaks may indicate poisoning or lack of oxygen

Littering the beach: The bodies of two million spot fish have washed up on the shores of Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, after unusually cold weather

Carnage: Thousands of dead fish have washed up on the shores of Spruce Creek, Florida

That investigation comes just days after the deaths of an estimated 100,000 fish in northwest Arkansas, which is being blamed on disease.
A statement by the Maryland Department of the Environment said: 'Natural causes appear to be the reason.
'Cold water stress exacerbated by a large population of the affected species (juvenile spot fish) appears to be the cause of the kill.'
Preliminary tests of the water in Chesapeake Bay have showed the quality was acceptable, officials said.
The statement added: 'The affected fish are almost exclusively juvenile spot fish, three to six inches in length.
'A recent survey showed a very strong population of spot in the bay this year. An increased juvenile population and limited deep water habitat would likely compound the effects of cold water stress.'

Gruesome: New Year revellers watched in horror as the birds rained down on houses and cars in Beebe

Mystery: Officials initially blamed high-altitude hail or lightning hitting the birds. Then preliminary lab tests concluded they had died from multiple blunt force trauma

Mystery: A starling lies along the Morganza Highway in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana. Experts said hundreds of birds may have died after hitting power lines

Mass winter deaths among spot fish have occurred twice before in the Maryland area - in 1976 and 1980.
The incident is the latest mass animal death to hit the headlines in the last two weeks.
These include:

• 450 red-winged blackbirds, brown-headed cowbirds, grackles and starlings found littering a highway in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• 3,000 blackbirds on roofs and roads in the small town of Beebe, Arkansas
• Thousands of 'devil crabs' washed up along the Kent coast near Thanet
• Thousands of drum fish washed along a 20-mile stretch of the Arkansas River
• Two million small fish in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland
• Thousands of dead fish found floating in warm Florida creek
• Hundreds of snapper fish found dead in New Zealand
• Scores of American Coots found dead on Texas highway bridge

Experts have speculated that New Year fireworks, thunderstorms, cold weather, parasites and even poisoning may be behind the deaths.
But conspiracy theorists have also speculated on the internet that secret government experiments could be behind them, with some even claiming it was a sign of a looming Armageddon at the end of the Mayan calendar next year.
Another theory is that the rapid movement of the Magnetic North Pole towards Russia may have affected the birds' innate navigation systems.

The plot thickens: Rescue chief Christer Olofsson holds a dead bird in Falkoping, Sweden. Dozens of jackdaws were found dead on the street

Creepy: Thousands of dead drum fish were also discovered just miles away lining the shores of the Arkansas River

Inbuilt navigation systems in birds and fish is believed to be affected by magnetism.
Scientists have said the Magnetic North Pole is shifting at an average of around 25 miles a year.
With birds and fish relying on it to travel to breeding grounds and warmed climes, there are fears that the shifting pole could be confusing the animals which means they do not migrate in time to avoid cold weather.
Tests are being carried out on the dead birds and fish, but results are not expected for several weeks.
Scientists have been baffled by the sudden deaths of hundreds of birds which have plummeted to the ground seemingly simultaneously in several locations.
Two hundred American Coots were found dead on a highway bridge crossing Lake O' the Pines in Big Cypress Creek, Texas.
They are believed to have been hit by passing vehicles while walking or apparently trying to roost on the bridge.
Swedish experts blamed the shock of New Year fireworks for the unexplained deaths of 50 jackdaws found on a street in Falkoping, Sweden.
Many of the birds are believed to have died from stress or as a result of being run over while disoriented.
The largest incident took place in Beebe, Arkansas, were horrified revellers witnessed around 3,000 blackbirds crashing to their deaths into homes, cars and each other as they celebrated New Year.
Another 450 birds were found strewn along a highway in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after apparently hitting overhead power lines.
In both cases, the birds are believed to have become confused and were flying at a lower height than usual.
The deaths of tons of fish across the globe is being attributed to unusually cold water.
Thousands of Brazilian fishermen have been left struggling to make ends meet after the sale of seafood was temporarily suspended when masses of fish were discovered in Paranaguá, Antonina and Guaraqueçaba Pontal do Paraná.
Fish were also discovered rotting and floating in Spruce Creek, Florida, after another period of cold weather.
100,000 drum fish were found strewn along the shore of the Arkansas River.
And the cold snap has been blamed for the deaths of 40,000 Velvet swimming crabs - known as 'devil crabs - found littering beaches in Thanet, Kent.

Thousands of them: Crabs washed up at Palm Bay, Margate, are thought to have died of hypothermia

. Click Here for more info.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Reciprocal links:
http://HermannHearsay.blogspot.com/(Hermann Area News, Commentary & Discussion)

Avalanche of Tablets Debut, Next Version of Windows, Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas

__________________________________________________________________________________ .
World Tech Update comes from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. Coming up: an avalanche of tablets debut, the next version of Windows will run on something special, Avatar Kinect lets you digitize yourself, Intel's next gen chips combine the CPU and GPU and Sony shows of futuristic 3D head-mounted displays.
.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Reciprocal links:
http://HermannHearsay.blogspot.com/(Hermann Area News, Commentary & Discussion)