Sarah Palin vows to fight on without Fox News gig

Sarah Palin has parted ways with Fox News, but says, 'we haven't begun to fight!' even though polls show declining support for the tea party movement. In particular, she promises to 'shake up the GOP machine.'

By Brad Knickerbocker,?Staff writer / January 27, 2013

Former vice presidential candidate and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin addresses a Tea Partly Express Rally in Manchester, N.H., in 2011. Palin is no longer a Fox News contributor, but she vows to fight on for tea party values.

Stephan Savoia/AP

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The ?lamestream media,? as Sarah Palin calls it, may have written her off now that the former vice presidential candidate and tea party favorite has lost her principal media voice as a well-paid commentator on Fox News.

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But there?s no indication that Ms. Palin will go back to life in Alaska as the former mayor of a small town and then governor for two years, fishing and hunting with her family before Sen. John McCain picked her out of relative political obscurity to be his running mate in 2008.

?I?was raised to never retreat and to pick battles wisely, and all in due season,? she said in the one substantial interview she?s given since Real Clear Politics first reported that Palin and Fox had parted ways. ?When it comes to defending our republic, we haven?t begun to fight!?But we delight in those who underestimate us.?

How well do you know Sarah Palin? A quiz.

The extent to which the conservative-leaning TV enterprise tried to keep her onboard is still unclear.

Fox reportedly offered Palin far less than the million-dollar annual contract that had included a broadcast studio at her home in Wasilla, Alaska. She turned it down, and Fox had no inclination to up the ante.

?What happened, quite simply, is that Palin?s star had faded,? Howard Kurtz wrote in Newsweek?s the Daily Beast. ?She was no longer the rock star of 2008, her future presidential ambitions the subject of constant speculation.?

For Fox News, it seemed to be largely a business decision. Or as CEO Roger Ailes put it in 2011, ?I hired Sarah Palin because she was hot and got ratings.? But there was more to it than that, it seems.

?The political climate shifted as well, with Republicans, having been shellacked in their second straight presidential election, debating a future involving [Marco] Rubio and [Chris] Christie and [Paul] Ryan but not Palin,? Kurtz wrote. ?And the atmosphere at Fox shifted as well. It was no longer a network in the throes of a tea party revolt and providing a platform for Glenn Beck. Fox edged a bit closer to the center, and Palin began to seem more the [actor] Julianne Moore of [the HBO movie] ?Game Change? than a political force.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/MHN-m1PoLGM/Sarah-Palin-vows-to-fight-on-without-Fox-News-gig

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Child asthma reduced by smoking bans - Mother Nature Network

Child asthma reduced by smoking bans

British study finds a significant drop in hospital admissions for childhood asthma attacks after a law is enacted banning smoking in enclosed spaces.

Mon, Jan 21 2013 at 2:09 PM

A new study in the United Kingdom has some good news for children who suffer from asthma. According to researchers at the Imperial College London, childhood asthma attacks have dropped significantly since a law was enacted in 2007 banning smoking in enclosed spaces.

?

The new study, which was published in a recent issue of Pediatrics, found that the hospital admissions for children suffering from asthma attacks dropped more than 12 percent in the first year after the law was introduced in July 2007. ?The admission rates continued to decline in subsequent years suggesting that the health benefits from the law have had a sustained effect on England's kids.

?

Before the ban was implemented, hospital admissions for childhood asthma attacks were rising at a rate of 2.2 percent per year, with admissions hitting a peak of 26,969 admissions in 2006-07. ?Researchers estimate that the rapid decline in admissions, which began immediately after the law came into effect, is equivalent to 6,800 fewer hospital admission within the first three years after the law came into effect. ?

?

The decline in hospital admissions was seen across the board in both boys and girls and for children living in poor neighborhoods or wealthier communities.?

Source: http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/blogs/child-asthma-reduced-by-smoking-bans

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Chantilly-Centreville Real Estate Investors: The Long Term ...

January 27th, 2013 categories: Buyer Strategies, Resl Estate Investing

In helping real estate investors in the Chantilly and Centreville area, as well as the overall Northern Virginia region, I have seen two very different perspectives.

One perspective is the ?make a fast fortune in real estate? view.? The other is the long-term perspective.

The first view has a good bit of wishful thinking and popular mythology that is not apparent at first look.? It generally includes ?creative? ways to get properties vastly below their normal selling price.? Occasionally, someone navigates the huge risks and other considerable barriers and makes something like this happen.? But for the most part, reality wins out and people discover the road to rapid profits is not as promised.

The other view sees real estate investing as a disciplined process done with knowledge and good support.

Investors who take this approach build a team of trusted associates they work with to get the deals done right and get the properties ready to rent (or sell).

This is a time when lots of people are looking at real estate as either an adjunct to their overall investment strategy, or as a way to get started with their first rental property, and build a portfolio of properties that will generate income.

If you want more background on the long-term view, take a moment to check out our Investor Center.? You can take

You can get there. Get help figuring out your route, and start driving!

our? free video course, and also use our Real Estate Investment calculator as one easy-to-use analytical tool.? (Watch the very brief video, then click ?Try it now?).

I want you to know that you don?t need to be a real estate guru or have a fortune to get started in real estate investing.

Today there are people who are enjoying the benefits of monthly income from properties they acquired quite some years ago.? The bought, they improved, they held?.and now they enjoy the results.? Take our free course if this approach fits with your perspective.? And let us know if you have any questions about the real estate investment opportunities in the Chantilly and Northern Virginia area.? We are here for you!

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 27th, 2013 at 7:00 am and is filed under Buyer Strategies, Resl Estate Investing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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Source: http://realestateinchantilly.com/2013/01/27/chantilly-centreville-real-estate-investors-the-long-term-perspective/

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Real Estate and Property Managers - WikKiss

Do you own property but aren?t able to give the time to provide the appropriate management for your investment? The process of owning real estate can be a great business venture, but it can also be stressful and time-consuming, especially if you operate other businesses. Working with a property management company can provide you with necessary services to get the most from your real estate. We can collect payment, find quality tenants, and handle other important tasks. We have developed several fail-safe procedures that are very productive in properly managing your property. Find out how we can help you with property management when you get an estimate today. property management training

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Wall Street gains as earnings flow in; Alcoa up

NEW YORK (AP) ? Stocks rose on Wall Street Wednesday after U.S. corporate earnings reports got off to a good start.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 86 points to 13,415 as of noon EST. The Dow is coming off of two days of losses.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained six points to 1,463 and the Nasdaq composite rose 17 points to 3,109.

Stocks, having rallied after a last-minute resolution stopped the U.S. going from over the "fiscal cliff," are facing their first challenge of the year as companies start to report their earnings for the fourth quarter of 2012. Throughout last year, analysts had cut their outlook for earnings growth in the period and now expect them to rise by 3.21 percent, according to data from S&P Capital IQ.

"Maybe earnings expectations were a little too low," said Ryan Detrick, a strategist at Schaeffer's Investment Research. "You don't need to have great earnings, you just need to beat those expectations" for stocks to rally, Detrick said.

Alcoa predicted rising demand for aluminum this year as the aerospace industry gains strength. Late Tuesday the company reported fourth-quarter revenue that beat analysts' estimates. Investors pay close attention to Alcoa's results and forecasts because the aluminum it makes is used in so many industries including construction and manufacturing.

Alcoa's stock rose 8 cents to $9.18.

Consumer products maker Helen of Troy, whose brands include Dr. Scholl's, Vicks and Fabreze, rose 89 cents to $34.42 after reporting a 15 percent increase in net income. Agricultural products giant Monsanto gained 84 cents to $99.34 after it said that its profit nearly tripled in the first fiscal quarter as sales of its biotech corn seeds expanded in Latin America.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note was unchanged at 1.87 percent.

Among other stocks making big moves:

? Wireless network operator Clearwire jumped 22 cents to $3.14 after Dish network made an unsolicited offer to buy the company, which has already agreed to sell itself to Sprint. Dish rose $1.17 to $37.14 and Sprint fell 8 cents to $5.89.

? Online education company Apollo Group plunged 10 percent after reporting a sharp decline in fall-term student sign-ups at the University of Phoenix. The stock fell $2.04 to $18.88.

? Seagate Technology, a maker of hard-disk drives, jumped $1.52 to $32.91 after predicting revenue for its fiscal second quarter that topped Wall Street expectations late Tuesday.

? Bank of America fell 29 cents to $11.69 after Credit Suisse analysts lowered their outlook on the lender to "neutral" for "outperform," saying the current stock price overestimates the improvement in cost reduction that the bank can achieve this year.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wall-street-gains-earnings-flow-alcoa-165554903--finance.html

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Drilling barge pulled from rocks off Alaska island

In this image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard the conical drilling unit Kulluk sits grounded 40 miles southwest of Kodiak City, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2012. The Kulluk grounded after many efforts by tug vessel crews and Coast Guard crews to move the vessel to safe harbor during a winter storm.Calls for federal scrutiny of Royal Dutch Shell PLC drilling operations in Arctic waters swelled Thursday with a request for a formal investigation by members of Congress. (AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard, Petty Officer 2nd Class Zachary Painter)

In this image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard the conical drilling unit Kulluk sits grounded 40 miles southwest of Kodiak City, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2012. The Kulluk grounded after many efforts by tug vessel crews and Coast Guard crews to move the vessel to safe harbor during a winter storm.Calls for federal scrutiny of Royal Dutch Shell PLC drilling operations in Arctic waters swelled Thursday with a request for a formal investigation by members of Congress. (AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard, Petty Officer 2nd Class Zachary Painter)

In this image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard the conical drilling unit Kulluk sits grounded near a beach 40 miles southwest of Kodiak City, Alaska, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2012. The Kulluk grounded after many efforts by tug vessel crews and Coast Guard crews to move the vessel to safe harbor during a winter storm. (AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard, Petty Officer 2nd Class Zachary Painter)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) ? A large floating drill rig that ran aground a week ago on a remote Alaska island arrived as planned Monday in the shelter of a Kodiak Island bay after being towed about 45 miles through swells as high as 15 feet, officials said.

The Royal Dutch Shell PLC vessel was lifted off rocks late Sunday and towed away from the southeast side of Sitkalidak Island, where it sat exposed to the full-on fury of Gulf of Alaska winter storms since grounding near the beach there on New Year's Eve.

The Kulluk ? a circular barge with a diameter as long as nearly three basketball courts ? was towed for about 12 hours to the protected waters in Kiliuda Bay, where it will undergo further inspection, including an underwater look at its hull.

"We could not be more impressed with the caliber of the response and recovery crews who were safe and meticulous in their effort to move the Kulluk offshore," Shell Alaska spokesman Curtis Smith said by email.

The vessel will remain in the bay 43 miles southwest of the city of Kodiak until inspectors review its condition and the Coast Guard clears it to travel. Shell incident commander Sean Crutchfield said there's no timetable for departure.

"Until we have that damage assessment, we'll not be able to develop those plans," Crutchfield said at a news conference Monday.

The massive effort to move and salvage the ship involves more than 730 people, according to the Unified Command, which includes the Coast Guard, Shell and contractors involved in the tow and salvage operation. Eleven people are aboard the ship ? a salvage crew of 10 people and one Shell representative

Shell earlier reported superficial damage above the deck and seawater that entered through open hatches. Water has knocked out regular and emergency generators, but portable generators were put on board last week.

The Kulluk is 266 feet in diameter with a derrick in its middle and a funnel-shaped, reinforced steel hull that allows it to operate in ice. Its derrick rises 160 feet. The barge drilled last year in the Beaufort Sea and was headed to Seattle for upgrades and maintenance when it ran into trouble.

Its towing vessel, the 360-foot anchor handler Aiviq, on Dec. 27 lost its line to the Kulluk in heavy seas and hours later lost power to all four of its engines, possibly due to contaminated fuel.

Four reattached lines between the Aiviq or other vessels also broke in stormy weather. The Aiviq on New Year's Eve again broke its line, leaving the Kulluk attached to the tugboat Alert.

Coast Guard Capt. Paul Mehler, the federal on-scene coordinator, said Monday the Alert also experienced a mechanical problem the night the Kulluk went aground. The agency is investigating.

"The understanding the night of the response was that when she was taking maximum power, there was an engine problem," Mehler said. "They did recover that within 30 minutes. The details of that, I couldn't answer yet."

Inspections after the grounding determined that the Kulluk could be towed, and the Aiviq on Sunday reattached a tow line. Tension was added to test the line Sunday night and increased as high tide approached, Crutchfield said.

He was not on scene but did not hear of complications.

"The Kulluk came off reasonably easy, would be my assessment," he said.

Mehler said he was in the command center when salvors reported the Kulluk had come off the rocks.

"I won't say that I saw anyone high-fiving," Mehler said. "I'll say there was certainly a sense of relief, but recognizing now we have a lot more work to do."

Likewise, the tow "has gone pretty much according to plan," Crutchfield said.

Inspections will involve an underwater look at the hull with divers or remotely operated underwater vehicles or divers or both, he said.

The Kulluk will be tethered to two tugs in the bay and will attempt to set its anchor. If that doesn't work, he said, additional tugs will be used to keep it in place. Four more tugs were on scene Monday.

A tug trailing the drill vessel used infrared equipment to watch for oil sheens and reported no petroleum discharge.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-07-Shell-Arctic%20Drill%20Ship/id-5722751667c94ad3971e5390c7f03b6b

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Thesmith: Love, relationships, and other crazy things you might not ...

There?re few things more ridiculous than the thought of the one certain person waiting out there just for you, the one human that, if you could find her/him, then your life would be complete. There may be the hypothetical ?right? person, but that?s different from the fanciful ?one?.?

In this world there?s upwards of 7 billion people. Over half of them are female and almost all of them are not in the country in which you grow up. It?s like saying you?ve found the most perfect yellow piece of sand and declaring the futility of looking any further. Don?t worry about all the trillions of other pieces of sand on all the billions of beaches around the world, this piece is the perfect one and you should stop here. But the purpose of searching for something is to find it. I don?t think I would have been so uptight about finding a ?right? girl if I knew there was no chance. People don?t just go looking for something without some indication of its existence. So in this massive world full of great people, there must be someone out there I can discover who?ll blow me away. In fact, there are so many people milling around doing their daily thing that my perfect vision of a female must be sitting out there right now. With all the possibilities, it would be foolish to say she isn?t there. I wonder what she looks like? I don?t really care what she looks like, but part of me does. I know what I find attractive in a female and I probably won?t look twice at someone I don?t find attractive, a reaction common to all humans. We are attracted to certain things about other people, and with such variety and differentiation it?s impossible to say what is ?universally? attractive. But a weird thing happens when I sometimes see beautiful women. I see their beauty or their ?hotness? (not the same thing, don?t get them mixed up) and I immediately think of how great we?d be together. I wouldn?t mind some carnal knowledge too, the two thoughts running parallel in my brain as the beauty strolls past. Despite what silly books tell you, men don?t think about sex around seven times a minute. That?s just ludicrous. But it does flash on the headlines whenever an attractive person is nearby, there?s no denying that. It?s actually really difficult to explain what it?s like being a man in the presence of an attractive female. But it?s pretty much the same as the rest of the day, just on steroids. Being a man and having a sex-drive is like I?m hungry all the time. Just think about needing food at certain times of the day because your body clock is telling you dinner time?s close, except the hunger is for sex, not food. You can get a little satiation from time to time, but the desire is still there. It?s always present and it never leaves you. When the old sex-drive isn?t flashing through the headlines in big obnoxious neon signs, bashing you over the head to pay attention to it like a spoiled school brat who needs more manners taught than chocolate ice-cream stuffed down its chubby face, it can be found after page three near the comments section. It might not be leaping out at you, but it doesn?t take much to hit the override button. It?s not weird that the sex-drive ebbs and flows. What?s weird is many times when I see an attractive female my thought process goes something like this: ?Wow, this chick is amazing! Look at her, she?s fantastic!? ?I?d sure like to bang her. Mmmm, any which way. She?d be great to bring home to my grandma. Maybe we could see the world together! But I bet she has a boyfriend, they always do. How can a girl looking like that be single? It just doesn?t happen, of course she?s unavailable. And I?ve got no chance.? ?Doesn?t matter anyway. I bet she?s vapid as a warm breeze flowing over dusty roads and about as interesting as watching cardboard exist.? Why do I do that? This stuff happens in a spit second up in the cobwebs of my thinking machine. I see a pretty girl and I should be thinking objectively how beautiful she is, instead I immediately evaluate how impossible she is to attract and dive headfirst into an insult about her intelligence without knowing a shred of anything about her. I?m not going to blame this on the media. I don?t care how many times movies have portrayed pretty girls as being thick and vapid, it?s totally my fault for assuming this immediately about someone I don?t know. Besides, I wasn?t making a judgement on the level of her intelligence; I was simply defending my own honour after a perceived insult to me. But there was no insult. The girls always walk past, sometimes as if I don?t exist, but that?s not their fault. How many times did I walk past a girl I didn?t find attractive? How did I think they feel when I couldn?t even offer a quick peek or even smile? I insult the pretty girl?s intelligence simply because she?s beautiful. I see a girl in the distance and if she?s pretty a little gremlin in my brain assumes she?s stupid. I know it?s a defence mechanism because I?ve heard it all around me from pretty much every guy. They see a happy, beautiful girl dancing around or frolicking in the flowers (whatever it is pretty girls do?) and we all immediately have that one nasty word we vomit out. We don?t know anything about the pretty dancing girl, or the girl in the low-cut top. We know nothing of who she is deep inside. We?re completely ignorant of her history and educational background, but because she?s not dancing for us we mutter ?slut? and dismiss her. This is so common among guys as a turn-of-phrase it?s actually become acceptable. A guy can do almost whatever he wants with women. He can throw his money around, he can sleep with as many girls as he likes, he can wear pretty much what he wants and no one gives a damn. We all think he?s the ?alpha? male, give him a hearty slap on the back, and go on our way. Yet if a girl so much as simply looks beautiful we call her a slut if she?s not falling all over us. If she is falling all over us, we just like to call that a ?score?. As if it?s all a game, reinforcing the clich? that girls are actually objects. What?s crazy is we think it?s actually the girl?s fault. I call her a slut or I sit there and assume she?s vapid and uninteresting, and somehow the girl is in the wrong. As if she needs to change, not me.? In my opinion, this is the origin of the patriarchal, misogynistic ideal of covering women in hideously unflattering clothes. Most men will not be attractive in any way, shape, or form during their lives. They will not have the good looks, the power, the prestige, or the money that work as force multipliers (to borrow a military term) making them more attractive to females. Females probably should be attracted to these things as they show how suitable the male is for a life partner. Only a relative handful of men will reach these goals while the rest of us wallow in the deep pools of normalcy. Beautiful females in particular and most females in general, are attracted to men with such traits. And in a normal society, these beautiful women usually ?end up? with the attractive man. The rest of the people are left to mix and mingle among themselves for relationship success. Left to the wild, removing any ideology, this is the ?normal? way of things for humans. In a monogamous society there is greater room to break this trend and for a ?normal? male to successfully attract a beautiful woman. But in a polygamous society (as most societies were for thousands of years), the powerful male usually attracts beautiful women disproportionately, while leaving the many other men to divide the far fewer not-so-fit females for themselves. The ?alpha? guy is powerful, with all his beautiful women. The women all want to stay with him because he represents security and safety for each of them and their children. But the other less-powerful men have little, if any chance, of actually finding a girl at all. Of course, this just means there?s usually far more men than women to go round in these societies, and a surplus of men is never a good thing. They start to conspire. They start to scheme. And sooner or later they?ll invent rules oppressing the fairer sex because when it becomes too difficult to satisfy the raging male sex-drive anymore.

Instead, the sexual frustration and the inability to find a girl materialises as anger to be taken out on females in the society. They are forced to cover up, lest the pathetic man become aroused. They are told to stay at home, in the kitchen, lest the man find himself tempted by the presence of a female.?

The feelings of arousal and temptation when a sexually frustrated man spots an attractive female are not his fault but hers, he rationalises. She shouldn?t be wearing those clothes. She shouldn?t have said those things. She shouldn?t have looked at me so seductively. I know this happens a lot overseas to a great extent, it?s even encourages in some places. Treating women as second-class citizens just waiting for abuse is a common idea. Men really don?t know how lucky we are when travelling abroad. But this also happens in more developed countries too, just more privately. I don?t consider myself sexually frustrated, but I know I sometimes get similar reactions when I see beautiful women.?

Source: http://likebulb.blogspot.com/2013/01/love-relationships-and-other-crazy_7.html

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Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

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Britney of Arabia: Happy New Year!

Happy New Year kids! Hope you all had a lovely time celebrating, whatever you did. What did I do, I hear you cry? WELL it was all go, let me tell you. The barby was lit in the garden, food was roasted, champagne flowed, and then at 11.50 we walked out of the villa and watched the fireworks from the Burj Khalifa amongst all of our Satwa neighbours. It was so joyful, and I?m not ashamed to admit I felt a little emotional about the whole thing. But that could have just been the bubbles.

So what news of resolutions? I?ve never been crazy about these. I?m on a constant quest for self-improvement, goal setting, list making (the best book ever for this is here) so I?ve rarely felt the need to write a list just because it?s January 1^st. I?m usually half way through two or three others!

That said, I will share a few of my thoughts with you here:

• Continue to take huge joy in the simple things in life.
• Get down to the running track on Jumeirah beach as often as physically possible (as per the previous point, it?s free, beautiful and oh-so good for the soul)
• Embrace change (I already have some huge and exciting changes planned for 2013, you?ll have to wait and see what they are!)
• Eat more egg sandwiches in the park.

That?s about it. I lead a life filled with many blessings. Here?s to many more adventures in 2013.

Source: http://britneyofarabia.blogspot.com/2013/01/happy-new-year.html

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How To Choose A College - NYTimes.com

www.nytimes.com:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/06/how-to-choose-a-college-n_n_2422294.html

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Hisense previews 2013 TV lineup that includes a 110-inch 4K set, Google TV and glasses-free 3D

Hisense gave us a tease of its TV future late last year with reasonably-sized 4K sets. We now know that it's bringing a lot more to CES -- and we do mean a lot. Its 2013 lineup will include the XT900 line, which brings 3D-capable 4K displays to 65-inch, 85-inch and slightly staggering 110-inch sizes. If extreme resolution isn't top on the list, there's still the 55- and 65-inch XT780, which port Hisense's Google TV interface from a set-top box to the set itself. Glasses-free 3D rounds out the previews: while just a concept, the 60-inch GF60XT980 is promising through its combination of face tracking and a 2160p display to avoid the usual 3D eyewear while preserving detail. Unspecified models across the entire mix carry MHL-capable HDMI ports to handle devices like the Roku Streaming Stick. Prices and ship dates will have to wait until closer to release, Hisense says, but many more details (including a snapshot of the XT780) await after the break.

Continue reading Hisense previews 2013 TV lineup that includes a 110-inch 4K set, Google TV and glasses-free 3D

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Browns, Kelly to meet again for 2nd straight day

Oregon's Michael Clay, left, holds up the championship trophy as head coach Chip Kelly looks on after the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football game against Kansas State Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013, in Glendale, Ariz. Oregon defeated Kansas State 35-17.(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Oregon's Michael Clay, left, holds up the championship trophy as head coach Chip Kelly looks on after the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football game against Kansas State Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013, in Glendale, Ariz. Oregon defeated Kansas State 35-17.(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Oregon head coach Chip Kelly, right, signals a 1-point safety to the referee during the second half of the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football game against Kansas State, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Oregon head coach Chip Kelly tosses a football to a Kansas State player during warmups before the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football game, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

Oregon head coach Chip Kelly address the media, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013, in Scottsdale, Ariz. Oregon will face Kansas State Thursday in the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football game. (AP Photo/Matt York)

CLEVELAND (AP) ? The Browns have Chip Kelly's interest. Now they need his signature.

The team is expected to meet with Oregon's innovative coach again Saturday and hopes to complete a deal to make him Cleveland's sixth coach since 1999. The sides met for a reported seven hours in Arizona on Friday and came close to reaching an agreement but parted company agreeing to talk a second time.

Kelly also met with the Buffalo Bills, and he intends to keep a scheduled meeting with the Philadelphia Eagles, who weren't going to pursue the 49-year-old when it was learned a deal with Cleveland was near. It's possible Kelly and his agent, David Dunn, are meeting with the other teams to gain leverage with the Browns.

Kelly nearly jumped to the pros last year with Tampa Bay but decided at the last minute to return to Oregon, where he has been coach since 2009.

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner plan to hire a coach before they seek a general manager to pair with him. The Browns have also promised that their next coach will have final say and control over the club's 53-man roster, perks that will likely limit their talent pool when looking for a GM or pro personnel director.

Kelly went 46-7 in four years at Oregon, where his high-tempo, warp-speed offense averaged nearly 50 points per game this season. He has no pro coaching experience, but some of his offensive principles are being used by New England and Washington. Patriots coach Bill Belichick met with Kelly in the offseason and has adopted a few of the Ducks' offensive wrinkles into his schemes this season.

Following Oregon's win over Kansas State in Thursday night's Fiesta Bowl, Kelly said he hoped to have the interview process "wrapped up quickly and figure out where I'm going to be."

All indications are that he's headed to Cleveland, where he'll inherit a young roster that showed some promise this season.

Haslam and Banner have been in Arizona all week. They camped out there early to get first crack at Kelly and conducted at least four other known interviews before meeting with him.

Cleveland has also spoken with former Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt, Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton, Syracuse's Doug Marrone and Penn State's Bill O'Brien, who removed himself from consideration Thursday and said he would return for his second season with the Nittany Lions.

The Browns are not commenting on any candidates or interviews until they hire a successor for Pat Shurmur, who was fired after going 9-23 in two seasons.

Haslam and Banner believe Kelly can fix Cleveland's franchise, which has made just one playoff appearance in 14 years. Saturday was the 10th anniversary of the Browns' last postseason game, a 36-33 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the decade since, the Browns have had nine double-digit loss seasons and changed coaches four times.

Cleveland's current run of at least 11 losses in five straight seasons is the second-longest streak of futility in NFL history. Only the Oakland Raiders (2003-2009) have had one longer.

___

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-05-FBN-Browns-Kelly/id-a1796649826c4ab2822e910f209f53b5

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Sports Shorts: Youth basketball free-throw championship Jan. 19 ...

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Youth basketball free-throw championship set for Jan. 19

All boys and girls ages 10 to 14 are invited to participate in the local level of competition for the 2013 Knights of Columbus Basketball Free-Throw Championship. The competition for Portsmouth area contestants (includes Greenland, New Castle, Portsmouth, Rye) will be held on Saturday, Jan. 19 at the Portsmouth Middle School gym.

Registration is 1 to 2:30 p.m. Competition is 1:30 to 3 p.m. Winners will progress through local, district and state competitions. All contestants will compete in their respective age divisions and will be recognized for their participation in the event. Participants are required to furnish proof of age and written parental consent.

For entry forms in advance or additional information, contact Graham Kent at 431-7542.

North Church gets victory

PORTSMOUTH ? Brad Jones scored 15 points in leading North Church to a 58-43 victory over Seaport Fish in the Portsmouth Recreation Department boys high school basketball league on Thursday.

Brian Jones (12 points) and Rich Riley (10) also played well for North Church. Joseph Ricci (14) led the way for Seaport Fish.

Co-Rec Volleyball offered

The Hampton Parks and Recreation Department is offering a Co-Rec Volleyball program, open to both men and women age 18 and up.

Sessions are held on Monday evenings from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the upper gymnasium at Hampton Academy. The cost to participate is $6 per night on a "pay as you go" basis.

The current schedule runs now through May 13, with the exception of Jan. 21, Feb. 25 and April 22. The schedule is subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances such as inclement weather and school cancellations or functions.

There is no need to register for the Co-Rec Volleyball program, although a signed waiver needs to be on file in order to participate.

Waivers are available online at www.hamptonnh.gov, or at the recreation office, located in the town office building at 100 Winnacunnet Road in Hampton. For more information call 926-3932.

Original Patriot Davis dies

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) ? Former Patriots offensive guard Jack Davis has died at the age of 80.

Davis, an original member of the team when it was formed in 1960 as the Boston Patriots of the American Football League, died on Jan. 1 in Palm Harbor, Fla., the club announced Friday.

He played one pro season, appearing in 14 games for the Patriots. The name of the team was changed to the New England Patriots in 1971 when it moved to the suburb of Foxborough.

Seacoast Mavericks auction

The Seacoast Mavericks' inaugural Hot Stove Dinner and Silent Auction will be held on Friday, Jan. 25 at the Residence Inn's Harbor Events in Portsmouth starting at 6 p.m. The event will be headlined by Boston Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Sam Fuld, a Durham native.

Tickets are available at www.seacoastmavericks.com or by calling 431-6700.

First Tee offers winter event

The First Tee of New Hampshire, a state-wide values education and life skills program for youth, using golf as a platform, is holding a winter fund-raiser on Thursday, Jan. 10.

The event will be held indoors on the Simulator at Pease Golf Course in Portsmouth from 6 to 9 p.m. It will be played in scramble format; golfers are welcome to bring friends, form a team or attend solo. This three-person team event features contests, prizes and a cash bar.

The fee is $35 per person. Call 964-3033 to reserve a spot or visit www.TheFirstTeeNH.org for more information.

Spartans AAU basketball tryouts today

The Spartans AAU basketball team will hold tryouts today at the New Heights gymnasium on Campus Ave. in Portsmouth.

Times are as follows: girls in grades 9-12, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.; boys in grades 9-12, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.; boys and girls in grades 7-8, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; boys and girls in grades 3-6, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

We reserve the right to remove any content at any time from this Community, including without limitation if it violates the Community Rules. We ask that you report content that you in good faith believe violates the above rules by clicking the Flag link next to the offending comment or fill out this form. New comments are only accepted for two weeks from the date of publication.

Source: http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20130105-SPORTS-301050328

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Samsung introduces its CES audio hardware, claims a world first

Samsung's New Digital Audio Line-up Brings Easy Wireless Connections and Rich, Pure Sound to Any Listening Environment

Samsung will emphasize connectivity and usability across its 2013 AV products, including the industry's first soundbar that enables Bluetooth connectivity with a TV

2013 International CES
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today announced the expansion of its digital audio line-up with new devices that easily turn any home entertainment setup into an optimal sound environment. The company's 2013 AV products feature a number of wireless connectivity enhancements, including the industry's first soundbar that can connect with a TV using wireless Bluetooth technology.

"With the advances in picture displays, consumers also need to be able to complement their viewing experience with high quality home theater products"
Products highlights include:

Samsung's Vacuum Tube Soundbar (model HW-F750) is the first soundbar to feature a built-in vacuum tube to maximize sound quality, and is the world's first soundbar that can wirelessly connect with a TV via Bluetooth.
Samsung's Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker (model DA-F60) brings advanced sound quality with an apt-X codec, while offering the simplicity of Near-Field Communications (NFC) connectivity.
Samsung's 7.1 Channel Home Theater System (model HT-F9750W) was created to be the perfect counterpart for Samsung's 2013 TVs, with a Gallium Nitride (GaN) amplifier that delivers pure sound, and design and usability features that bring home a totally seamless experience.
Samsung's Premium Blu-ray Player (model BD-F7500) features advanced upscaling capabilities, allowing users to experience ordinary SD and HD content in superior resolution.
"With the advances in picture displays, consumers also need to be able to complement their viewing experience with high quality home theater products," said Sunny Lee, Executive Vice President, Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. "Today's product introductions prove that consumers can enjoy premium sound and cutting-edge design without sacrificing convenience, simplicity or ease of use."

As testament to Samsung's leadership in innovation, design and engineering, the Samsung HW-F750 Soundbar and Samsung BD-F7500 Smart Blu-ray Player have each been awarded a 2013 CES Innovation Award. The new line of home theater products will be on display at Samsung's booth, located at #12004 in the Central Hall at the 2013 International CES, which will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) from January 8-11, 2013.

Warmer, immersive sounds without hassle or distortion

Samsung's Vacuum Tube Soundbar (model HW-F750) resolves consumers' desire for pure power and warm, natural sound by integrating a vacuum tube amplifier into a soundbar for the first time.

Additionally, the HW-750 offers the ultimate in convenience with its SoundShare function, which enables users to wirelessly connect the soundbar to a TV via Bluetooth. Meanwhile, the product's gyroscope sensor gauges height, rotation and slope to optimize sound quality, whether the soundbar is placed in a horizontal or vertical position. Combined, these features virtually eliminate restrictions on where consumers can place the HW-750 in their homes.

Adding to the product's ease of use, users can activate the new AirtrackON function, which automatically powers on the soundbar when the TV is turned on, and allows users to control the HW-F750 with a TV remote control. The HW-F750 sports a slim design and separate, wireless subwoofer, making it an ideal companion for the premium design of any Samsung Smart TV. With its stylish, metal design, the product combines the best that vintage and modern technologies have to offer.

The ultimate in portable wireless sound

Samsung's Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker (model DA-F60) offers sound quality and simplicity, whether consumers are at home or on the go. The speaker's integrated Near-Field Communications (NFC) connectivity makes it easy for consumers to pair the speaker with other NFC devices, such as a smartphone or tablet, by simply tapping the two devices together. Additionally, support for Samsung's SoundShare feature means users can employ the DA-F60 as a TV speaker using wireless Bluetooth connectivity.

The DA-F60 incorporates neodymium magnets and a passive radiator to produce results typically found in high-end Hi-Fi audio systems, including tuned low-frequency reproduction and virtually no distortion even at high volumes. Users will also enjoy improved performance and a high-quality experience with the built in apt-X codec technology, which boosts the Bluetooth speaker's extensive dynamic range, particularly at the top end.

Weighing only three pounds, the Samsung DA-F60 is an ideal audio companion that combines both fidelity and portability to reproduce full-range audio outside the home.

A superb combination of the highest quality audio and picture

Samsung's 7.1 Channel Home Theater System (model HT-F9750W) was created to be the perfect counterpart for a Samsung 2013 TV, with design and usability that bring home a totally seamless experience. The new TV Sound On feature allows users to instantly activate the system's 1,330-watt sound while muting the internal TV speaker with a single click of the remote control. This flagship HTS incorporates Samsung's proprietary vacuum tube and digital amplifier, as well as the latest in Smart TV features to create the best entertainment experience available.

For a larger-than-life experience comparable to that of a movie theater, the HT-F9750W offers the multi-dimensional sound of a swivel speaker, coupled with a new DTS? Neo fusion codec ? exclusive to Samsung ? that further enhances vertical sound to deliver unprecedented sound quality to the home. A Gallium Nitride (GaN) amplifier can handle a sound range beyond the typical audible frequency range. Paired with a vacuum tube pre-amplifier, consumers will enjoy true, natural sound with minimal distortion. A Ceramic Polypropylene Injection Diaphragm (CPID) speaker expands sound resolution so every note is distinct.

The exceptional picture quality of the HT-F9750W is immediately noticeable, even on the Ultra-High Definition (UHD) TV sets coming to market in 2013. Samsung's 4K Scaler Processor generates true-to-life pictures with vivid colors, and also upscales high-definition content to UHD-level picture quality.

The Blu-ray component of the HT-F9750W can run multiple apps simultaneously, and also offers Samsung's latest Smart Hub? and AllShare? features. This 1,330-watt system is an excellent addition for any audiophile looking for the finest home entertainment experience.

Enhanced picture performance and speed

Samsung's Premium Blu-ray Player (model BD-F7500) enhances the joy of watching your favorite movies by transforming ordinary SD and HD content into a superior resolution, such as that delivered by Ultra High Definition (UHD)-supported televisions. This slim player offers a dual-core processor and Samsung's Smart TV technologies including Smart Hub? and AllShare?, so that users can enjoy unparalleled picture performance through an intuitive, streamlined user interface.

The BD-F7500 is an aesthetic study in black and silver, simultaneously modern, yet classic. Its minimalist high-gloss black finish contrasts with the unit's aluminum trim, and complements the same design qualities found on many high-end flat-panel displays that feature black lacquered finishes set off by silver bezels.

The BD-F7500's video processor includes a proprietary Samsung algorithm that improves the visual quality of block-based low bit-rate coded images and reduces blocking artifacts. This feature is especially important for maximizing the visual quality of content streamed from the Internet, as well as improving the quality of picture sharpness. Furthermore, the unit's 900MHz x 2 high-performance dual-core chipset boosts the unit's image processing capacity so consumers can enjoy the highest picture quality and the fastest web-browsing speed.

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/05/samsung-ces-audio-hardware/

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Dot Earth Blog: New Shade of Green: A Stark Shift for Onetime Foe of GMOs

In case you missed the coverage and commentary yesterday (the Twitter flow is here), you can now watch Mark Lynas, the British writer and environmentalist who once helped drive Europe?s movement against genetically engineered crops, apologize for those actions and embrace this technology as a vital tool for ending hunger and conserving the environment. He spoke yesterday at the?Oxford Farming Conference?at Oxford University. (Many other fascinating presentations are now online.)

An excerpt from Lynas?s prepared remarks is below. Here?s his remarkable preamble:

For the record, here and upfront, I apologize for having spent several years ripping up GM crops. I am also sorry that I helped to start the anti-GM movement back in the mid 1990s, and that I thereby assisted in demonizing an important technological option which can be used to benefit the environment.

As an environmentalist, and someone who believes that everyone in this world has a right to a healthy and nutritious diet of their choosing, I could not have chosen a more counter-productive path. I now regret it completely.

The arc of Lynas?s fascinating career is in some ways neatly encapsulated by two acts at Oxford ? throwing a cream pie in the face of Bjorn Lomborg, the skeptic of eco-calamity, at a book signing there in 2001, yelling ?pies for lies? (see photo below), and now echoing more than a few of Lomborg?s assertions in his lecture at the Oxford Farming Conference on Thursday.

In doing so, he has displayed an encouraging ? and still rare ? capacity to shed dogma in favor of data. His valuable 2011 book ?The God Species? (a host of reviews here) was the first big sign of this transformation.

After ?The God Species? was published, Lynas explained his shift this way in an interview with Keith Kloor:

Well, life is nothing if not a learning process. As you get older you tend to realize just how complicated the world is and how simplistic solutions don?t really work? There was no ?Road to Damascus? conversion, where there?s a sudden blinding flash and you go, ?Oh, my God, I?ve got this wrong.? There are processes of gradually opening one?s mind and beginning to take seriously alternative viewpoints, and then looking more closely at the weight of the evidence.

In reading the text of Lynas?s speech yesterday, I asked him if he?d reassessed the pie assault. His reply showed just how willing he is to endure slings and arrows from old allies by invoking another name that is anathema to many traditional greens:

Bjorn was always the perfect gentleman about that incident. I have apologized properly over email to him, and we?ve had a couple of phone conversations since. These days I read his stuff with interest but I do think he could make his case more strongly by avoiding his own tendency to confirmation bias and being rather selective with his sources, to say the least.

I only recently discovered the work of Julian Simon, who was Lomborg?s original inspiration, and I think it should be required reading for all enviro types ? some vital wisdom there.

Before we get to Lynas?s talk on genetics and agriculture, it?s worth posting my reply on Simon:

Simon was too demonized for sure (his relevant work is online). But he was wrong on one thing ? the need for more people to make more progress (more geniuses), as I wrote here:??Julian Simon?s 20th century notion that?population growth was good?because it raised the odds of generating a fresh batch of breakthroughs was half right; you just don?t need the extra billions if you expand access to education and tie brains together with communication (and?translation).?

Read on for an excerpt from Lynas?s speech (as prepared for delivery), but please read or listen to the whole thing, and then to dig in to ?The God Species,? as well:

When I first heard about Monsanto?s GM soya I knew exactly what I thought. Here was a big American corporation with a nasty track record, putting something new and experimental into our food without telling us. Mixing genes between species seemed to be about as unnatural as you can get ? here was humankind acquiring too much technological power; something was bound to go horribly wrong. These genes would spread like some kind of living pollution. It was the stuff of nightmares.

These fears spread like wildfire, and within a few years GM was essentially banned in Europe, and our worries were exported by NGOs like Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth to Africa, India and the rest of Asia, where GM is still banned today. This was the most successful campaign I have ever been involved with.

This was also explicitly an anti-science movement. We employed a lot of imagery about scientists in their labs cackling demonically as they tinkered with the very building blocks of life. Hence the Frankenstein food tag ? this absolutely was about deep-seated fears of scientific powers being used secretly for unnatural ends. What we didn?t realize at the time was that the real Frankenstein?s monster was not GM technology, but our reaction against it.

For me this anti-science environmentalism became increasingly inconsistent with my pro-science environmentalism with regard to climate change. I published my first book on global warming in 2004, and I was determined to make it scientifically credible rather than just a collection of anecdotes.

So I had to back up the story of my trip to Alaska with satellite data on sea ice, and I had to justify my pictures of disappearing glaciers in the Andes with long-term records of mass balance of mountain glaciers. That meant I had to learn how to read scientific papers, understand basic statistics and become literate in very different fields from oceanography to paleoclimate, none of which my degree in politics and modern history helped me with a great deal.

I found myself arguing constantly with people who I considered to be incorrigibly anti-science, because they wouldn?t listen to the climatologists and denied the scientific reality of climate change. So I lectured them about the value of peer-review, about the importance of scientific consensus and how the only facts that mattered were the ones published in the most distinguished scholarly journals.

My second climate book, Six Degrees, was so sciency that it even won the Royal Society science books prize, and climate scientists I had become friendly with would joke that I knew more about the subject than them. And yet, incredibly, at this time in 2008 I was still penning screeds in the Guardian attacking the science of GM ? even though I had done no academic research on the topic, and had a pretty limited personal understanding. I don?t think I?d ever read a peer-reviewed paper on biotechnology or plant science even at this late stage.

Obviously this contradiction was untenable. What really threw me were some of the comments underneath my final anti-GM Guardian article. In particular one critic said to me: so you?re opposed to GM on the basis that it is marketed by big corporations. Are you also opposed to the wheel because because it is marketed by the big auto companies?

So I did some reading. And I discovered that one by one my cherished beliefs about GM turned out to be little more than green urban myths.

I?d assumed that it would increase the use of chemicals. It turned out that pest-resistant cotton and maize needed less insecticide.

I?d assumed that GM benefited only the big companies. It turned out that billions of dollars of benefits were accruing to farmers needing fewer inputs.

I?d assumed that Terminator Technology was robbing farmers of the right to save seed. It turned out that hybrids did that long ago, and that Terminator never happened.

I?d assumed that no one wanted GM. Actually what happened was that Bt cotton was pirated into India and roundup ready soya into Brazil because farmers were so eager to use them.

I?d assumed that GM was dangerous. It turned out that it was safer and more precise than conventional breeding using mutagenesis for example; GM just moves a couple of genes, whereas conventional breeding mucks about with the entire genome in a trial and error way.

But what about mixing genes between unrelated species? The fish and the tomato? Turns out viruses do that all the time, as do plants and insects and even us ? it?s called gene flow.

But this was still only the beginning. So in my third book The God Species I junked all the environmentalist orthodoxy at the outset and tried to look at the bigger picture on a planetary scale. [The full text is here.]

Source: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/04/new-shade-of-green-stark-shift-for-onetime-foe-of-genetic-engineering-in-crops/?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Video: Sideshow: Photoshopped photo-op

Famed Roman shipwreck could be two

??A dive to the undersea cliff where a famous Roman shipwreck rests has turned up either evidence that the wreck is enormous ? or a suggestion that, not one, but two sunken ships are resting off the Greek island of Antikythera.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/hardball/50367473/

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Clean tech venture capital plummets in 2013 | MIT Technology Review

Going down: venture activity in clean-technology companies has peaked and appears on the way down. Startups are turning to alternate sources, such as corporate investors and family foundations.

It?s no secret that times are tough for funding clean technology startups. But innovators are adapting to the many things that have changed since the go-go years of the mid to late 2000s.

Research company the Cleantech Group yesterday released data showing just how much venture investors have soured on clean technologies, with the amount of money invested into clean-tech startups plummeting 33 percent last year to $6.46 billion.

Even though fewer startups are being funded, innovation in energy and environment continues, albeit under very different business conditions. Here are some thoughts on the business and technology trends shaping this year.

A smaller investor pool. Back in the mid 2000s, nearly all generalist venture capital firms had an investment in the clean tech category with solar and biofuels getting most of the money. Now, the venture investing is left primarily to specialist companies, as others have fled.

The Cleantech Group?s numbers reflect this. In addition to a lower total amount invested, the number of deals fell over 30 percent, too, and the average deal sizes are lower. Many venture capital companies ?got burned? in previous years when they underestimated how much capital is required to bring an energy-related startup to an IPO or sale, says Sheeraz Haji, the president of the Cleantech Group.

Corporate investors, such as ABB or General Electric, have helped fill the funding needs for startups, but these ?strategic investors? are cautious and there?s been a decline in their involvement over the past year, says Haji. Meanwhile, raising money on the public markets via an IPO is effectively shut and a number of companies cancelled stock offerings. SolarCity did have a successful IPO but had to scale back how much it sought to raise, which its chairman Elon Musk blamed on investors skittish of clean tech.

The continued marriage of energy and IT. Energy has traditionally meant drilling, but it?s becoming increasingly high tech.?This is driven in part by investment patterns. Wary of funding companies that will require big sums of money and long technology development periods, VCs are putting their money into ?capital-efficient? startups geared at energy efficiency. One hundred and forty of the 700 deals Cleantech Group recorded last year were in energy efficiency.

A number of companies have rightly estimated that buildings could be more efficient by analyzing data or using sensors to cut back on wasted energy. One startup called Stem analyzes building energy consumption patterns and electricity rates and then uses an on-site battery to lower electricity bills. (See A Startup?s Smart Batteries Reduce Building?s Electric Bills.)?

But this area has become overcrowded. There are now dozens of building and utility data analytics companies and Haji notes that some, such as Serious Materials, have had to abandon plans to offer energy management services to building owners. Investment dropped 21 percent in energy efficiency, which is also hurt by muted electricity prices.

A more promising area is using embedded computation and communication, such as networked sensors, to make energy more efficient, a form of what people call the Internet of things. An example in the area of sensors is Enlighted, a lighting company that uses light and motion sensors to improve lighting controls and save energy. General Electric, meanwhile, is pushing heavily into the ?industrial Internet? by equipping everything from jet engines to medical devices with controllers and sensors to analyze data and improve equipment performance.

Cheap Fossil Fuels Give and Take away. Natural gas has rapidly displaced coal in power generation and super cheap natural gas in the U.S. makes it harder for solar and wind to compete on price. (See What Mattered In Energy Innovation This Year.)?

But the domestic fossil fuel boom is creating the need for better analytical tools in exploration and monitoring the entire distribution system, Haji says. And the drilling technique behind the U.S. oil and gas boom?fracking?creates the need for water treatment technologies. Cheap natural gas also makes stationary fuel cells and natural gas vehicles more attractive.

Solar has become a commodity business and investment has plummeted, but other areas such as energy efficiency and waste-to-energy are attracting more interest.

Meanwhile, more companies are trying to make use of natural gas to make chemicals and even fuels. For example, Siluria has a process for making the chemical ethylene from natural gas rather than oil while Calysta Energy and Primus Green Energy, once a biofuel company, are using natural gas to make liquid fuels. (See Biofuel Companies Drop Biomass and Turn to Natural Gas.)

Efficiency, not electrification, is the name of the game in cars. Electric vehicles are coming, but expect a long transition. The shorter range and high cost of battery-electric vehicles limits their appeal to a small audience of people, while hybrids offer better fuel economy without range limitations. Sales data from big automakers indicate that consumers a showing preference for plug-in hybrids over all-electric cars. (See Consumers Voting for Plug-in Hybrids Over EVs.)

But as automakers looks to meet more stringent fuel economy standards in the U.S. and other countries, electrification is just one tool among many. Expect to see more advances in the internal combustion engine and efficiencies gained through lighter materials and more aerodynamic body designs.?

By the end of this year, BMW is expected to release the i3 plug-in hybrid that uses a carbon fiber body, a sign that alternative materials have attracted serious attention from auto manufacturers.?

?

Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/view/509556/for-energy-startups-a-glass-half-full-or-empty/

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