Kodak sells digital imaging patents for $525M

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — Eastman Kodak is selling its digital imaging patents for about $525 million, money the struggling photo pioneer says will help it emerge from bankruptcy protection in the first half of next year.
Apple Inc., Google Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., Research In Motion Ltd., Microsoft Corp., China's Huawei Technologies, Facebook Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. are among the 12 companies paying to license the 1,100 patents, according to court filings. Patents have become very valuable to digital device makers, who want to protect themselves from intellectual property lawsuits. But Kodak, which has been trying to make the sale happen for more than a year, wound up receiving substantially less money than had been expected.
Rochester, N.Y.-based Eastman Kodak Co. said Wednesday that the patent sale will help it repay a substantial amount of a loan it received under the bankruptcy process. It also satisfies a key condition of a new, cheaper $830 million loan package, which required that the patents be sold for at least $500 million.
Founded in 1880, Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January after a long struggle to stay relevant. First came competition from Japanese companies, then the shift from film to digital photography over the past decade. Kodak failed to keep up. The once-mighty company, whose workforce peaked at 145,300 in 1988, said at the end of September that it expected to wind up with 13,100 employees after another round of job cuts.
Since filing for bankruptcy protection, Kodak has sold off several businesses, such as its online photo service, and said it would shut down other divisions, including the manufacturing of digital cameras. The company intends to focus on commercial and packaging printing. It sees home photo printers, high-speed commercial inkjet presses, software and packaging as the core of its business as it emerges from bankruptcy.
Kodak began mining its patent portfolio for license revenue in 2008. In January 2010, it sued Apple and RIM, saying that smartphone makers infringed its patent for technology that lets a camera preview low-resolution versions of a moving image while recording still images at higher resolutions.
But by July 2011, it was trying to sell its 1,100 digital imaging patents. Analysts initially thought the portfolio could fetch between $2 billion and $3 billion. But Kodak struggled to find a buyer.
The 12 licensees for Kodak's imaging patents were organized by Intellectual Ventures and RPX Corp. Kodak spokesman Christopher Veronda said each licensee will pay a portion of the total cost and then have access to all the patents. The deal also includes an agreement to settle patent-related litigation.
The sale represents "another major milestone toward successful emergence" from bankruptcy, said Antonio M. Perez, Kodak's chairman and CEO, in a statement. "Our progress has accelerated over the past several weeks as we prepare to emerge as a strong, sustainable company."
Kodak will keep ownership of about 9,600 patents, focused mostly on commercial imaging and printing technologies.

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News Summary: Kodak sells patents for $525 million

STEPPING STONE: Eastman Kodak is selling its digital imaging patents for about $525 million, money the struggling photo pioneer says will help it emerge from bankruptcy protection in the first half of 2013.
GROUP OF 12: Apple Inc., Google Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., Research In Motion Ltd., Microsoft Corp., China's Huawei Technologies and Facebook Inc. are among the 12 companies paying to license the 1,100 patents, according to court filings.
HISTORY: Founded in 1880, Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January after a long struggle to stay relevant. First came competition from Japanese companies, then the shift from film to digital photography. Kodak failed to keep up.

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Best Buy exec leaves for COO post at Symantec

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Best Buy's president of digital operations is leaving the struggling electronics chain to become chief operating officer at the computer security company Symantec.
Best Buy has been implementing a turnaround plan as it faces tough competition from discounters and online retailers. The Minneapolis company last week extended until after the holiday season the window for co-founder Richard Schulze to make a buyout offer.
Best Buy Co. announced Wednesday that Stephen Gillett's responsibilities will now be divvied up, with responsibilities going to Chief Financial Officer Sharon McCollam, Scott Durchslag, the president of online and global e-commerce and Shawn Score, senior vice president of U.S. retail.
Gillett also served as executive vice president. He will take on that role at Symantec Corp. in addition to his COO post.
Gillett, who starts at Symantec on Friday, will report to its Chairman and CEO Steve Bennett. He will work at the company's Mountain View, Calif. headquarters.
Shares of Best Buy added 9 cents to $11.99 in premarket trading on Thursday.

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SC Gov Haley unveils $6.3 billion budget proposal

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Gov. Nikki Haley's budget plan she presented Thursday would spend more on computer security, law enforcement and health care. She also asked that not-yet-projected revenue go toward tax relief that saves the average filer less than $30.
Her $6.3 billion budget plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1 seeks $47 million for computer security following a massive breach at the state's tax collection agency. More than 40 percent of the money would pay back a loan approved last week by the Budget and Control Board to cover costs incurred so far.
The Department of Revenue is receiving a $20.2 million loan this fiscal year from the state's insurance reserves.
Haley wants $12.4 million to complete computer upgrades at the agency, plus $3 million for security consultants.
The Republican governor also wants to hire 25 agents to supervise parolees, 10 natural resources officers, 18 state troopers and 15 employees at the State Law Enforcement Division, to include agents and lab technicians. She also wants to provide all troopers wireless access in their vehicles and upgrade prison officers' safety.
The only salary increases Haley proposes are to officers that work in the state's eight maximum security prisons for violent offenders. She recommends giving them a 3 percent boost.
She noted that when she visited Lee Correctional in Bishopville, where inmates took officers hostage in June and September, 60 positions were open. Authorities could not fill them "because people are too scared to work there," she said
Her budget would spend $10 million to build two watch towers at Lee Correctional and buy cameras and metal detectors and wands at prisons statewide.
"We are sending them in there every day and not giving them the tools to protect themselves," Haley said. "You are not giving money to prisoners. You're giving money to people who keep prisoners from harming you."
Haley said the budget's top cost driver is health care, with state employee benefits costing nearly $80 million more. Haley adamantly opposes expanding Medicaid eligibility under the federal health care — a decision left to legislators next session. Still, Haley's budget allocates an additional $67 million to Medicaid just to cover already-eligible residents expected to sign up after the law takes effect.
Governors generally release their executive budgets in January before session starts. But Haley said she wanted to get her proposal to legislators sooner this year in hopes they'll use more of her recommendations as they craft the budget. Haley recognized that legislators largely ignored former Gov. Mark Sanford's budget plans.
"We don't do this for kicks and giggles," she said.
Haley's $6.3 billion plan represents a 3 percent increase in spending from the state's general fund, which doesn't include federal money and other sources such as fines and fees that agencies collect.
Haley's budget is based on the Board of Economic Advisors' current predictions for tax collections in 2013-14. The board revises their estimate in the spring, which usually gives legislators more money to work with, though 2008-09 and 2009-10 were exceptions. On average over the last eight years, legislators have had $100 million more to allocate in their final approved spending plan than the governor.
Haley said when the "money tree falls" this spring, legislators should use $26 million of it to cut income taxes. Eliminating the 6 percent tax bracket, would save the average filer $29, according to her report.
She wants the rest spent on roads and bridges, calling that tax relief.
"This is an option not to increase the gas tax," she said.
The state transportation department anticipates needing nearly $50 billion over the next 20 years for infrastructure but only receiving $19 billion under the current system. The state motor fuel tax, which has been 16 cents per gallon since 1987, is the agency's main funding source but is declining due to improved vehicle fuel efficiency and higher costs for gasoline and diesel fuel.
Haley said she will not tolerate any move to increase that tax and considers her plan a start toward addressing the multi-billion-dollar need.

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Samsung is replacing faulty Galaxy S IIIs that are suddenly dying for no reason

Samsung (005930) is reportedly quietly replacing faulty Galaxy S III devices according to many users on XDA Developers. The issue appears to be related to the NAND becoming corrupted and killing off the Galaxy S III’s mainboard, which causes the phone to essentially “brick” itself. Users have reported the issues have affected some devices after 150-200 days after purchase. Users on XDA Developers and Reddit are also saying Samsung is replacing affected smartphones (rooted or not) with new ones that could potentially be just as faulty in another 200 days. The Galaxy S III made headlines last week when an XDA forum member discovered that a security hole in its Exynos-4 processor was vulnerable to app-based malware attacks. Samsung has since said it will patch the hole as soon as possible.

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Gunnar G. Sevelius’ ‘The Nine Pillars of History’ Traces 9 Common Links through 200,000 Years

ATHERTON, Calif. (PRWEB) January 04, 2013
“After having reviewed world history,” says author Gunnar G. Sevelius, M.D., “I would consider the ultimate goal for society to be to pass from one generation to the next from a platform of dignity.” It is with this goal in mind that he presents readers with his new book “The Nine Pillars of History: An Anthropological Review of Political History, Five Religions, Feminism, Modern Economy and a Plan for Cost Control of the Eighth Pillar, Medicine, All as a Guide for Peace, 5th Expanded Edition” (published by AuthorHouse).
In his book, Sevelius discusses his discovery of nine common denominators that run through 200,000 years of history. This discovery yields compelling hypotheses of anthropological scope and social relevance. The nine pillars of history he identifies are 1) food, water, air, energy, sex 2) shelter 3) cleanliness 4) art 5) communication 6) community support 7) religion 8) medical care 9) and trade.
Sevelius’ hypotheses have already been presented, by the author, at the 2012 American Anthropological Association’s national meeting Nov. 15-18 in San Francisco.
“The Nine Pillars of History”

By Gunnar G. Sevelius, M.D.

Hardcover | 6 x 9 in | 372 pages | ISBN 9781477269541

Softcover | 6 x 9 in | 372 pages | ISBN 9781477269558

E-Book | 372 pages | ISBN 9781477269534

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
About the Author

Gunnar G. Sevelius, M.D., is a retired medical director from a major defense contractor. Previously, he was a contracted medical director for NASA, and before that an associate medical professor and medical scientist at the University of Oklahoma. For more information, visit http://www.ninepillars.com.
Sevelius is the author of several other books, including “Add years to your life and life to your years, parts I and II,” “You are it, first aid when minutes count” and “An untold medical story, coronary blood flow, heart attack prediction, prevention and treatment.”

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International Student Exchange Helps Build Homes for Families in Washington

Babylon, NY (PRWEB) January 04, 2013
Eight students from all different corners of globe met in Pasco, WA on October 13th to participate in a country wide, foreign exchange student initiative called Project H.E.L.P., an International Student Exchange offshoot which focuses on community service and outreach. Working with the famed Habitat for Humanity, students from countries such as Brazil, Ecuador, Germany, Thailand and Japan worked together to help protect newly constructed homes in the Pasco area from the often brutal storms in the Northwest region.
The site on which the students worked will at its completion contain enough structures to support twenty families, and when asked, each student was eager to offer their insight on how their contribution helped the community and gave them a sense of satisfaction, knowing they could something back to the people that welcomed them into their country. "It was hard work," said representative Sharon Burns, "but it was good for the cause and the [students] got to meet new friends."
Most of the tasks completed by the students on that day were measures intended to weatherproof the newly constructed buildings from the harsh weather that often descends upon the Northwest in the fall and winter months. These tasks included caulking the joints and seams inside the frames of the homes, and helping to insulate the house from the inside out.
The students hope to participate in a second round of Habitat for Humanity projects early in the next year. "Hopefully we will get to work in home that has heat," remarked one of the South American students. "It will be very cold here in January."
Each participating student earned six to eight hours of community service for their efforts, and though their program asks that they only complete five, each student has energetically agreed to be ready for the second go-round when the day arrives. One of the German students remarked, "I am sorry to be going home at the end of the year. We had so much fun today that I would like to come back for the next one."
International Student Exchange, Founded in 1982, is a non-profit organization that brings together people from all different cultures and creeds. Located in Babylon, NY, ISE is helping to educate tomorrow's leaders one student at a time.

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Daniel T. Morof DDS PC of Cherry Hill Dental Center Receives Top Reviews as Local Garden City, MI Dentist

As a leading provider of general and cosmetic dentistry in the Garden City, MI area, Dr. Daniel Morof and his staff at Cherry Hill Dental Center have received top patient reviews on their website and third party industry review sites for excellence in patient comfort and care.

Garden City MI (PRWEB) January 04, 2013
As a leading provider of general and cosmetic dentistry in the Garden City, MI area, Dr. Daniel Morof and his staff at Cherry Hill Dental Center have received top patient reviews on their website and third party industry review sites for excellence in patient comfort and care.
Cherry Hill Dental Center is entering its 55th year of providing dental services to the local Garden City area. Started by Dr. Jerry Morof in 1958, Dr. Daniel Morof has since joined his father at the practice in providing the latest in general and cosmetic dentistry.
“Our doctors and staff have a number one priority of putting our patients’ needs first while providing an energetic and fun-loving service,” said Dr. Daniel T. Morof. “We appreciate receiving top reviews from our patients because it lets us know that we’re doing our job right—providing great smiles while keeping our patients happy.”
Reviews of Dr. Daniel Morof show that patients can tell that the staff at Cherry Hill Dental Center has their best interest and comfort in mind.
“Dr. Daniel Morof and his office are competent, professional, friendly and extremely helpful,” said Vicky Madison, a patient of Cherry Hill Dental Center. “I have never felt so welcome and accepted in a dentist office before. I would recommend them to any and all who are looking for a good dentist.”
B. Koharic, another patient of Dr. Morof, said, “ Dr. Dan and his staff gave me my smile back and explained everything they were doing so that I understood. Dr. Dan fixed my problem without unnecessary procedures.”
Cherry Hill Dental Center provides a wide variety of dental service, ranging from fillings and crowns to braces, dental implants and gum care. They pride themselves on offering the latest in dental technology to provide patients the utmost quality for their dental procedures. Dr. Daniel Morof works alongside his father and founder of Cherry Hill Dental Center, Dr. Jerry Morof and Dr. Nakash, the newest member to the dental team.
Dr. Daniel Morof of Garden City, MI graduated from the University of Detroit School of Dentistry in 1990, after which he completed additional training at Boston University of Dentistry in endodontics. He has also completed continuing education in orthodontics and oral implantology.

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James Schramko Opens 2013 With Life-Changing All-Year Inspirational Business Tips

James Schramko believes there’s a better alternative to doing New Year’s resolutions: coming up with all-year solutions. In his latest business news video, he shows how this perspective has led him to the lifestyle he wants, and how viewers can achieve their dream lifestyle, too, by utilizing his formula for success.

Sydney, Australia (PRWEB) January 04, 2013
James Schramko doesn’t believe in making resolutions just because it’s the start of the year. What he believes in is making brave, bold, and well thought-out life-changing decisions all year round. In his latest business news video, he asks viewers: What are you going to change today?
The business Internet marketing leader and CEO of SuperFastBusiness.com poses this question both as a dare and an inspiration for his viewers who are seeking more success in business and in life. Schramko’s story of how he reached the top through sheer hard work, smart strategies and positive drive is a legend in business circles. He emphasizes that making resolutions any day (instead of waiting for New Year’s day) can be a more effective approach for people who wish to live their dream lifestyle sooner.
He recalls his own journey when he was still juggling his time and energies between keeping his day job and learning and testing the principles of Internet marketing. He persevered and stayed committed to his vision until he finally achieved the level of success that allowed him to let go of his job and build his own Internet business according to his own terms.
Today, a typical workday for him can look more like a leisurely weekend for the average employee. “I can sleep in, have a massage, get a coffee, have a haircut, eat some lunch, come home, have a swim and then make a short video like this and we get to call this ‘work’. I’m going to go through a few of my emails and that will be my day for today.”
He credits a huge part of his quality of life to the business strategies and tools he chooses, and makes it his mission to share his formula for success to people who want to build a business based on their lifestyle. “If you’re interested in that sort of living, then I encourage you to go along to FastWebFormula.com and join up the community there. I will teach you how I do this.”
Leading Internet business coaching forum community Fast Web Formula provides members access to basic, intermediate and advanced Internet business training through information materials, live events and multimedia modules. Online business owners, affiliate marketers, business consultants, service providers and digital professionals can all acquire the essentials geared to help them grow their business faster.
Standing in front of his luxurious pool in his own backyard, Schramko affirms that the path to a better life starts with a decision to make changes: “I made a decision many years ago that I wanted to have a lifestyle dictated more by the way I’d like to live and I built my business around that. And I encourage you to do the same thing. Start making changes today. It is absolutely possible.”

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Instant Whey DUO® sets new industry standards for protein shakes

In the highly competitive sports nutrition market one thing that’s very rare to see is a protein powder that’s not only market leading in terms of protein content and quality control but also price. Reflex Nutrition insists they’ve achieved what many believe in the industry was not possible. Enter Instant Whey DUO®, their newest addition to their protein range, the best value and highest quality protein powder available

(PRWEB UK) 4 January 2013
Martin Eastwood head of Quality Control & Research at Reflex Nutrition gave us his very matter of fact summary, “Numerous brands offer value proteins and nearly all them have a number of things in common. They are lower in protein content, they have higher levels of carbohydrates, higher levels of lactose and fat, not to mention the fact that many are full of soy protein. These are products that really are made to a price and it’s something you’ll never see from Reflex Nutrition. With Instant Whey DUO® we had to make a product that supported the Reflex ethic. Put simply it had to be the best in market in terms of protein content, nutrition content, taste and price. That’s exactly what Instant Whey DUO® delivers.”
The numbers tell the story;

    75% Protein content which is proven by batch protein testing, other brands contain as little as 60% protein and are not tested for their protein content.
    Free from Soy Protein, syrups, creamers, salt, sugar and cheap fillers.
    Made in the U.K by Reflex Nutrition to ISO9001 Quality Control Standards using 100% Green Energy.
    Low carbohydrate content of 8%, some other brands contain closer to 20%
    Low fat content, other brands using cheaper sources of whey protein will typically contain high levels of fat.
    Low lactose content, other brands will typically contain at least 10% lactose because they use lower grades of whey protein.
    Pro-biotic Lactospore®, few other brands offers this.
    Digezyme® Enzyme Complex, few brands offers this.
Instant Whey Duo® contains a precise blend of ultra-high quality proteins, the main two are undenatured ultra filtered whey protein concentrate and Nutralys®. The pairing of the two proteins provides a unique amino acid profile that neither protein on its own could ever deliver. It is what Reflex Nutrition believes to be one of the best combinations of protein ever brought together for athletes; being both rich in Branch Chain Amino Acids, Arginine and Glutamine.
Demand Instant Whey DUO® is expected to be extremely high and the indicated demand from outlets throughout Europe suggest that Duo® will become one of the best selling protein powders in Europe during 2013.
Keeping up with demand will not be an issue since the new protein powder is made at Reflex Nutrition’s bespoke sports nutrition manufacturing facility on the outskirts of Brighton in the U.K. where Martin Eastwood will be casting his ever watchful eye over all aspects of the manufacture and quality control processes. Each batch will be assayed for its protein content to ensure that Duo® meets its industry leading protein content.
Instant Whey DUO® will available early January 2013 throughout Europe with an RRP of £56.99 for a 2.0kg tub.

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Sony’s PlayStation 4 could lose to the next Xbox before it’s even released

I love all game consoles equally. My Xbox 360 is used equally as much as my PlayStation 3. The Wii -- oh, I’ll just leave it at that. The current generation of consoles is all but over -- their 10-year lifecycle be damned -- and new consoles are rumored to be coming next fall. If not next fall, then in 2014. Whatever is the case, Sony (SNE) can’t afford to lag in third place again. Sure, the Xbox 360 and PS3 are neck-in-neck in global lifetime sales, and the Xbox 360 did have a one year head start, but coming off the disappointing PS Vita, “confidence is less high” that Sony will deliver a console next year in time to compete with Microsoft (MSFT), according to Kotaku.
[More from BGR: Has the iPhone peaked? Apple’s iPhone 4S seen outselling iPhone 5]
I want a new console just as much as any other gamer. There’s a reason people are still pouncing on those Wii U consoles and flipping them on eBay. Six years is unusually long for a console to still be kicking around.
[More from BGR: Apple execs said to be ‘seething’ over Google Maps praise]
According to the well-informed Stephen Totilo, Editor-in-Chief of Kotaku, the game blog that first broke news on the next-gen Xbox, Microsoft’s “Durango” is ”on the mark” and "Sony appears to inspire less confidence…due to the on-and-off troubles of the PlayStation 3 and the struggles of the Vita vs. how much lost confidence is due to any problems looming for PS4."
Totilo says “confidence is high that the next Xbox will be out in time for next Christmas” and confidence is low that the PS4 will be right there on store shelves next to it.
The “on-and-off troubles of the PlayStation 3″ Totilo is referring to is the anchor that’s weighed the console down since launch: tougher development due to the Cell processor and less available RAM -- 256MB vs. 512MB in the Xbox 360.
In the months before the PS3′s launch in 2006, Sony said the console would be the most powerful console ever created, and here we are six years later and multi-platform games on the console consistently end up being buggier and uglier than on the Xbox 360 in many cases. Cases in point: Skyrim, Mass Effect and Call of Duty: Black Ops II.
Sony’s in a rut right now. It has the chops to build beautiful and powerful hardware that’s a developer’s dream (ex: PS Vita), but at the same time, it’s always launching after the competition nowadays.
If Sony’s learned any lessons in the last half a decade, it better apply them to the PS4. The console needs to offer next-level processing and graphics. It needs to be backward-compatible with PS3 games and play Blu-ray discs. It should be small and quiet. It should have a strong online platform, support a greater array of apps and most importantly be easy for developers to program for.
Game exclusives will always be important, but now that games are million-dollar productions, multi-platform will be where developers hope to reap back their costs.
With Microsoft said to be preparing an “Xbox 720″ and an “Xbox Lite,” Sony can’t make the mistake of launching late or pricing the console too high. A launch in spring of 2014 would mean Sony will miss Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the two biggest shopping days of the year that bring in massive sales. Ceding sales and market share to Microsoft and Nintendo by launching late would be disastrous.
The PS3 screwed up too many times. At this point, the PS4 needs to be perfect out of the door.

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What If There is Nobody or Nothing to Blame for Lanza? Guns, Video Games, Autism or Authorities

What if there is nobody or nothing to blame for Adam Lanza's heinous acts? Other than Lanza, of course.
What if school security and the school psychiatrist kept an eye on Lanza since his freshman year? The Wall Street Journal has a compelling narrative about the red flags addressed.
What if he had a form of autism that has little or no link to violent behavior? Lanza may have had Asperger's syndrome but, even so, that is not a cause.
What if it's too simple to lay the massacre at the feet of the gun lobby? Reader Larry Kelly tweets that shaming Aspies "makes about as much sense at stigmatizing the NRA. Pick an enemy ... any enemy. Let outrage and fear rule."
What if Lanza wasn't provoked by video games? David Axelrod, a close friend an adviser of President Obama, tweeted last night: "In NFL post-game: an ad for shoot 'em up video game. All for curbing weapons of war. But shouldn't we also quit marketing murder as a game."
When I asked whether he was laying groundwork for a White House initiative, Axelrod said no: "Just one man's observation." A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonytmmity, said today that Axelrod was not a stalking horse for Obama on this issue.
What if Lanza's mother did everything she could, short of keeping her guns out her adult son's reach?
What if there is nobody or nothing to blame? Would that make this inexplicable horror unbearable?
What if we didn't rush to judgement? What if we didn't waste our thoughts, prayers and actions on assigning blame for the sake of mere recrimination? What if we calmly and ruthlessly learned whatever lessons we can from the massacre -- and prevented the next one?

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What If Nothing or Nobody is to Blame for Lanza? Guns, Video Games, Autism or Authorities

What if there is nobody or nothing to blame for Adam Lanza's heinous acts? Other than Lanza, of course.
What if school security and the school psychiatrist kept an eye on Lanza since his freshman year? The Wall Street Journal has a compelling narrative about the red flags addressed.
What if he had a form of autism that has little or no link to violent behavior? Lanza may have had Asperger's syndrome but, even so, that is not a cause.
What if it's too simple to lay the massacre at the feet of the gun lobby? Reader Larry Kelly tweets that shaming Aspies "makes about as much sense at stigmatizing the NRA. Pick an enemy ... any enemy. Let outrage and fear rule."
What if Lanza wasn't provoked by video games? David Axelrod, a close friend an adviser of President Obama, tweeted last night: "In NFL post-game: an ad for shoot 'em up video game. All for curbing weapons of war. But shouldn't we also quit marketing murder as a game."
When I asked whether he was laying groundwork for a White House initiative, Axelrod said no: "Just one man's observation." A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonytmmity, said today that Axelrod was not a stalking horse for Obama on this issue.
What if Lanza's mother did everything she could, short of keeping her guns out her adult son's reach? What if he wasn't bullied?
What if there is nobody or nothing to blame? Would that make this inexplicable horror unbearable?
What if we didn't rush to judgement? What if we didn't waste our thoughts, prayers and actions on assigning blame for the sake of mere recrimination? What if we calmly and ruthlessly learned whatever lessons we can from the massacre -- and prevented the next one?

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What If Nothing or Nobody is to Blame for Adam Lanza? Guns, Video Games, Autism or Authorities

What if there is nobody or nothing to blame for Adam Lanza's heinous acts? Other than Lanza, of course.
What if school security and the school psychiatrist kept an eye on Lanza since his freshman year? The Wall Street Journal has a compelling narrative about the red flags addressed.
What if he had a form of autism that has little or no link to violent behavior? Lanza may have had Asperger's syndrome but, even so, that is not a cause.
(RELATED: How To Make Sense of America's Confusing Patchwork of Gun Control Laws)
What if it's too simple to lay the massacre at the feet of the gun lobby? Reader Larry Kelly tweets that shaming Aspies "makes about as much sense at stigmatizing the NRA. Pick an enemy ... any enemy. Let outrage and fear rule."
What if Lanza wasn't provoked by video games? David Axelrod, a close friend an adviser of President Obama, tweeted last night: "In NFL post-game: an ad for shoot 'em up video game. All for curbing weapons of war. But shouldn't we also quit marketing murder as a game."
When I asked whether he was laying groundwork for a White House initiative, Axelrod said no: "Just one man's observation." A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said today that Axelrod was not a stalking horse for Obama on this issue.
What if Lanza's mother did everything she could, short of keeping her guns out her adult son's reach? What if he wasn't bullied?
What if there is nobody or nothing to blame? Would that make this inexplicable horror unbearable?
What if we didn't rush to judgement? What if we didn't waste our thoughts, prayers and actions on assigning blame for the sake of mere recrimination? What if we calmly and ruthlessly learned whatever lessons we can from the massacre -- and prevented the next one?
What if it wasn't one thing, but everything, that set off Lanza?

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Home invasion victim gets help over Xbox headset

NORTH APOLLO, Pa. (AP) — Police say a Pennsylvania man used his Xbox headphones to call for help after being bound with duct tape and menaced with a gun during a home invasion.
Investigators say the 22-year-old suburban Pittsburgh man was playing video games in an upstairs bedroom when he heard his front door open. The man initially thought it was a family member but saw an armed man wearing a ski mask when he looked downstairs.
Authorities say the intruder bound Derick Shaffer and led him around the North Apollo home to locate valuables, then fled in Shaffer's car. Shaffer reached a friend over his Xbox Live headset and had him call police.
The missing car was located about an hour later. Police questioned three people but are still trying to identify a suspect.

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Baseball-McGehee to join fellow former Yankee Jones in Japan - report

 Infielder Casey McGehee is on the verge of joining another former New York Yankee Andruw Jones at the Rakuten Eagles in Japan's professional baseball league, according to a local media report on Friday.
Rakuten, who signed former All-Star outfielder Jones earlier this week, have agreed to a 130 million yen ($1.54 million) one-year contract with 30-year-old free-agent McGehee, Kyodo news agency reported.
The deal would be announced after a medical, the report added.
McGehee, who has also played for the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers, batted .217 with nine homers and 41 RBIs for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Yankees last season.

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McGehee to join fellow former Yankee Jones in Japan: report

 Infielder Casey McGehee is on the verge of joining another former New York Yankee Andruw Jones at the Rakuten Eagles in Japan's professional baseball league, according to a local media report on Friday.
Rakuten, who signed former All-Star outfielder Jones earlier this week, have agreed to a 130 million yen ($1.54 million) one-year contract with 30-year-old free-agent McGehee, Kyodo news agency reported.
The deal would be announced after a medical, the report added.
McGehee, who has also played for the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers, batted .217 with nine homers and 41 RBIs for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Yankees last season.

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Greenberg gets minor league deal from Orioles

Adam Greenberg is getting a chance to resume his baseball career with the Baltimore Orioles.
The 31-year-old returned to the major leagues for one at-bat in October, more than seven years after he was beaned in his debut. He agreed to a minor league contract with the Orioles and will have a chance to earn a job at their Triple-A farm team in Norfolk, Va.
"To get the opportunity with the Orioles means everything to me," he said Saturday.
He had contacted Baltimore manager Buck Showalter at the winter meetings this month in Nashville, Tenn.
"I just walked up to him, introduced myself," Greenberg said. "I've always kind of looked at Buck and said that would be the guy that I would love to play, that type of hard-nose mentality."
Showalter put him in touch with Orioles special assistant Brady Anderson and general manager Dan Duquette.
"I'm going to spring (training) with the opportunity to make the Triple-A squad," he said. "Being 31, they said I'm not going to be going to Double-A and taking away a prospect's spot. It's Triple-A, big leagues — obviously I'm not going to make the big league team out of camp — it's Triple-A, big leagues or nothing, and that's great."
Selected by the Chicago Cubs in the ninth round of the 2002 amateur draft, Greenberg made his big league debut as a pinch hitter on July 9, 2005, and was hit on the back of his head with the first pitch from the Marlins' Valerio de los Santos. Greenberg sustained a concussion and was removed for a pinch runner.
Released by the Cubs in June 2006, he had minor league stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Kansas City Royals, the speedy outfielder signed a minor league deal with the Cincinnati Reds and was cut at the end of spring training, hampered by a rotator cuff injury. He spent 2009, '10 and '11 with the Bridgeport Bluefish of the independent Atlantic League.
After a petition on Change.org urged a big league team to give him another chance, the Marlins signed him and sent him up as a pinch hitter on Oct. 2 against New York Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Greenberg struck out on three pitches against the eventual NL Cy Young Award winner.
"The last few years have been very, very difficult and challenging, but I got myself physically where I need to be and more important than anything, mentally I'm at a point in my career where I'm able to commit 110 percent back to the game," he said.
His agreement was reported by several media outlets on Thursday.
NOTES: Baltimore assigned OF Steve Pearce outright to Norfolk on Friday.

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AP Source: D-backs, Ross agree to 3-year contract

Outfielder Cody Ross has agreed to a three-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said Saturday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.
Ross, who turns 32 Sunday, adds to the abundance of outfielders on the Arizona roster, leading to speculation a trade may be ahead. He .267 with 22 home runs and 81 RBIs last season with the Boston Red Sox. He's a career .267 hitter in nine big league seasons.
The addition gives the Diamondbacks four veteran outfielders — Ross, Justin Upton, Gerardo Parra and Jason Kubel — along with two youngsters the organization has deemed ready for the majors — Adam Eaton and A.J. Pollock.
That would indicate a trade could be in the works with Kubel the center of that speculation. In his one season with Arizona, the left-handed slugger hit .253 with 30 home runs and 90 RBIs. He was hitting .300 on July 22 but batted .176 with 19 RBIs the rest of the season.
Ross, who throws left-handed and bats right-handed, was a fourth-round draft pick of Detroit out of Carlsbad, N.M., High School in 1999. He had brief major league stints with the Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati before becoming a full-time big leaguer with the Florida Marlins. Ross was claimed by San Francisco off waivers in August 2010 and was MVP of that year's NL championship series, when he hit .350 with three home runs in five RBIs against Philadelphia. He also homered against Texas in the World Series.
He committed one error in each of the last two seasons.

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OF Cody Ross and Diamondbacks agree to 3-year deal

 Cody Ross and the Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to a three-year contract Saturday with a club option for 2016.
Ross, who turns 32 on Sunday and lives in nearby Scottsdale, adds to the abundance of outfielders on the Arizona roster, leading to speculation a trade might be coming. Ross batted .267 with 22 home runs and 81 RBIs last season for the Boston Red Sox. He's a career .267 hitter in nine big league seasons with six teams.
"Could not be happier to be in the Dbacks family! Truly Blessed!" Ross posted on his Twitter account.
The addition gives the Diamondbacks four veteran outfielders — Ross, Justin Upton, Gerardo Parra and Jason Kubel — along with two youngsters the organization has deemed ready for the majors: Adam Eaton and A.J. Pollock.
That would indicate a trade could be in the works, with Kubel the center of that speculation. In his first season with Arizona last year, the left-handed slugger hit .253 with 30 home runs and 90 RBIs. He was hitting .300 on July 22 but batted .176 with 19 RBIs the rest of the season.
Ross, who throws left-handed and bats right-handed, was a fourth-round draft pick of Detroit out of Carlsbad, N.M., High School in 1999. He had brief major league stints with the Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati before becoming a full-time big leaguer with the Florida Marlins.
Ross was claimed by San Francisco off waivers in August 2010 and was MVP of that year's NL championship series, hitting .350 with three home runs and five RBIs against Philadelphia. He also homered against Texas in the World Series and batted .294 (15 for 51) with five homers, five doubles and 10 RBIs in 15 postseason games for the champion Giants.
He committed one error in each of the last two seasons.
The Diamondbacks also announced that infielder Gustavo Nunez cleared waivers and was returned to Detroit, opening a spot for Ross on the 40-man roster. Nunez was claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh in October after the Pirates selected him from the Tigers in the 2011 Rule 5 draft.

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