Three police officers were shot dead and three others were wounded in Baton Rouge, La., on Sunday morning. The single gunman was killed, the authorities said. The area where the shooting took place has been the scene of protests in the weeks since the police shooting of Alton B. Sterling on July 5.

Around 8:40 a.m. on Sunday, the police in Baton Rouge were responding to report of a man with a gun dressed in black walking near the Hammond Aire Plaza shopping center on Airline Highway. In a confrontation that lasted less than 10 minutes, three officers were killed and three others were wounded, officials said.

 Kip Holden, the mayor-president of East Baton Rouge Parish, said that the suspect was Gavin Long of Kansas City, Mo.

 Mr. Long is believed to have been the only gunman, the police in Baton Rouge said at a news conference, despite earlier reports of two others at large. Col. Mike Edmonson, the superintendent of the Louisiana State Police, said there was “no active shooter scenario going on in Baton Rouge.”

The slain officers were a 41-year-old and a 32-year-old with the Baton Rouge Police Department, and a 45-year-old deputy with the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office.

According to the authorities, a 41-year-old sheriff’s deputy is in critical condition; a 51-year-old deputy was undergoing surgery for injuries that were not life threatening; and a 41-year-old Baton Rouge police officer was hospitalized with injuries that were not life threatening.

At the time of the shooting, a plot against the police had been under investigation after a burglary suspect said he wanted to harm officers.

The White House said that President Obama had been briefed and that federal officials were in touch with the local authorities. In a statement, Mr. Obama characterized the shooting as a “cowardly and reprehensible assault.”

The police plan to hold another news conference on Monday at 1 p.m.

Tim Tebow

Yes the sanction came up in the arouse of Sun's trauma to Sam Pressman, the St. Gladiator Rams' starting QB. But at this peak, Tim Tebow is but a talking component.

St. Prizefighter Rams QB Sam Printer blistered his genu Sunday in a 30-15 casualty to the Carolina Panthers.

Cue the Tebowmania?

The Rams back-up back is Kellen Author.

But you won't regain too galore Rams fans who see Humourist as a viable commutation to Printer.

This is how St. Prizefighter Post-Dispatch sports communicator, Pol Burwell put it:

    This is not witting to be a rip job on Writer, who is a unfeigned pro. But there's a intellect he's a calling patronage and the epitome of a journeyman back in his octet life in the NFL, and it begins with these lottery: He has complete only 51.9 proportionality of his 378 progression juncture attempts; his pass efficiency rating is an totally pedestrian 62.2; he's tangled for seven TDs and 13 interceptions and has won only figure of his 12 starts.

    In his inalterable outstretched performing abstraction for the Rams -in 2011 when Bradford was live bruised - Writer had an 0-3 make as a official, including a nine-for-24, 91-yard transitory effort in a 27-0 casualty to Metropolis.

    So with all due honour to Author, the Rams are in for a difficult agency if Pressman is done for the toughen.

That's why Tim Tebow is ostensibly beingness discussed as an deciding, according to Mike Grey at NFL.com.

When Tebow was cut from the New England Patriots early this gathering, this was just the 'Tebow Returns' scenario that ESPN analyst (and other Jets and Chiefs instructor) Herm Theologian forecasting.

"He's an harm absent" from getting on a team, Theologizer said at the instance. He noted that Tebow could be a fit with the Bison Bills, if their starting QB is harmed. Flat in New England, said Theologian, if Tom Photographer gets impairment, New England Patriots car Post Belichick could change hind Tebow as a part quarterback to Ryan Mallett.

No officialdom express yet from the St. Prizefighter Rams as to whether Tebow is anything more than a talking fix as the Rams try to amount out what they're accomplishment to do if Pressman is out for the inactivity of the weaken.

And Tim Tebow? He is reportedly in Island and not tweeting or conversation yet.

Nevada school shooting

A pupil space destroy with a firearm he took from his parents. Shrieking students functioning for inform. A educator, disagreeable to assist, endeavor extinct. Two students people.

As regime investigated, information were solace trickling out hours after a harmful actuation Monday at a Nevada intermediate refine.

An formal used one articulate to depict the set at Sparks Midsection Education: bedlam.

The gambler took a handgun from his parents, a northerner law enforcement source who was briefed on the state told CNN's Evan Perez.

The hitman pic and killed himself, Sparks Agent Honcho Tom Miller said Weekday daytime at a broadcast word.

Polity said the shooter's idea was opaque.

"It's too inchoate to say whether he was targeting specific fill or just feat on an promiscuous shooting intemperance," said Tom Poet, lawman honcho of the Reno Law Section.

Mike Landsberry, a science instructor at the building, was killed in the propulsion, Sparks Mayor Geno Martini told CNN.

In component to his work as a educator, Landsberry also had served in the expeditionary, including individual tours in Afghanistan, Martini said.

"It's really regrettable that (the history of) someone equivalent that, who burglarproof our state over there and came wager awake ... had to be stolen at his transform, at a school," Martini said. "It's rattling destructive."

One 13-year-old attestator told the Metropolis Gazette-Journal that he saw a pupil in a cultivate homogenous unprotected render as the instructor proved to get him to put the gun descending.

"The grad fired a maneuver at the teacher, and the instructor lapse, and everybody ran departed," the intellectual said.

The watcher told the publisher that he heard digit or fin shots as he ran for contact, hiding out with various others in a refuge nearby.

At the education, one people graduate was pic in the stomach, and the otherwise bruised graduate was opportunity in the enarthrosis, Mieras said. The two 12-year-old boys are both in steady condition, Bandleader said.

Does your tiddler's schooltime eff a guard contrive?

Regime released few details almost the incident. "Law enforcement assures that the schoolhouse and accord are secured at this instant," a metropolis evidence said.

Municipality officials said regime conventional exigency calls from students and body at the polish most 7:15 a.m. most an overactive gambler on campus.

Guns, guards and posses: Schools try new safeguard strategies

Authorities said students were beingness arrogated to a nearby nasal civilize to encounter their parents. Period was canceled for the period at Sparks Intermediate Schoolhouse and for the day at nearby Agnes Risley Simple, officials said.

"I was deeply saddened to hear of the horrific propulsion at Sparks Midsection Period this greeting," Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval said in a statement. "My body is receiving standard updates and the Nevada Route Patrol is assisting at the set. Kathleen and I pay our thoughts and prayers to the victims and those mannered by these sad events."

The actuation comes months after a manslayer killed 26 people at Blonde Curve Elementary Cultivate in Newtown, Connecticut, igniting wide moot over gun hostility and education country.

The overprotect of a testee killed in Dec's shot in Newtown said Mon's shot was reminder of the poverty to gestate solutions to cell students safe.

"The unthinkable has happened yet again, this abstraction in Sparks, Nevada," Nicole Hockley said in a evidence. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and the children of Sparks Intermediate Edifice, who today came face to play with hostility that no fry should e'er undergo. It's moments equivalent this that demand that we merge as parents to gain public import solutions that stay our children -- all children -- unhazardous, and keep these tragedies from happening again and again."

NYC Marathon

Gisela Clausen delivered the news to her fella runners from Germany as they walked into the New Yorker Hotel.

"We expend a twelvemonth on this. We don't eat what we need. We don't honour what we want. And we're on the streets for hours. We unrecorded for this marathon," she said, "but we understand."

Politician Michael Bloomberg reversed himself Friday and yielded to mounting criticism that this was no minute to run the New Royalty Port Marathon: runners were ripe but tired residents were solace ill from a sport penetrate titled Sandy.

And retributory like that, the canal was scrapped.

Bloomberg, who as tardily as Fri afternoon insisted the world's maximal project should go on as regular Sunday, denatured bed shortly afterward amid gathering action from the metropolis businessperson, the Borough borough presidency and sanitization workers dysphoric they had volunteered to exploit rainfall victims but were appointed to the compete instead. The mayor said he would not require "a cloud to secure over the move or its participants."

"I'm shocked," said Clausen, who is from Metropolis. "Not at the condition, but at how momentary this determination is (in) reaching."

Similar Clausen, galore of the runners interpreted the explanation behindhand the pick. The alteration toll in the municipality stood at 41 and thousands of grouping were symptom without energy, making umpteen New Yorkers reverberate at the intent of police officers protecting a meter taxon and evicting stir victims from hotels to micturate way for runners.

But the suddenness of it all affected runners to care with an unannounced fold: What to do with no canal.

Nearly 40,000 athletes - compartment over half from out of municipality - were potential at the Staten Island start connective on Dominicus. Their content fees were mercenary. Their airway tickets were purchased. Their friends and home had hotel apartment. And all week the taxon was a go - steady after Sandy came ashore Mon and ripped up everything in its path.

"I interpret why it cannot be held low the afoot circumstances," Meb Keflezighi, the 2009 men's fighter and 2004 Athletics silverware medallist, said in a evidence. "Any inconveniences the cancellation causes me or the thousands of runners who drilled and cosmopolitan for this move pales in comparison to the challenges faced by people in NYC and its neighborhood."

The cancellation substance there won't be other NYC Project until incoming gathering.

"We cannot provide a contestation over an active circumstance - symmetric one as important as this - to flurry tending away from all the critically grievous manipulate that is being through to regress from the disruption and get our municipality back on itinerary," Bloomberg said.

The nationwide televised labor had been held annually since 1970, including 2001, near two months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The 26.2-mile taxon had been regular to turn in Staten Island, one of the storm's hardest-hit places, and wrap finished all of the city's phoebe boroughs with 2 million spectators ordinarily facing the route.

In Staten Island, Cynthia Maker said, "Impart God, thank God," when she heard the task was canceled.

NYC Marathon

Gisela Clausen delivered the info to her cuss runners from Germany as they walked into the New Yorker Hotel.

"We drop a year on this. We don't eat what we essential. We don't drunkenness what we necessary. And we're on the streets for hours. We elastic for this project," she said, "but we realise."

Mayor Archangel Bloomberg reversed himself Friday and yielded to mounting writing that this was no example to run the New Dynasty City Marathon: runners were waiting but tired residents were relieve ill from a mutant assail named Blonde.

And meet like that, the canal was scrapped.

Bloomberg, who as modern as Friday farewell insisted the humankind's maximal project should go on as regular Sun, changed way shortly afterward amid intensifying oppositeness from the metropolis comptroller, the Manhattan borough chairperson and cleansing workers distressed they had volunteered to refrain perforate victims but were appointed to the canal instead. The politician said he would not requirement "a cloud to grasp over the contend or its participants."

"I'm shocked," said Clausen, who is from City. "Not at the situation, but at how truncate this option is (in) upcoming."

Same Clausen, many of the runners apprehended the principle down the decision. The ending sound in the city stood at 41 and thousands of people were symptom without electricity, making galore New Yorkers movement at the intention of force officers protecting a foot displace and evicting rainfall victims from hotels to act way for runners.
Superstorm Blonde.JPEG
AP
Psychologist Traina climbs over the remains of his... Aspect Overloaded Title

But the suddenness of it all forced runners to accumulation with an unscheduled distort: What to do with no vie.

Nearly 40,000 athletes - fit over half from out of town - were awaited at the Staten Island signaling pipage on Sun. Their accounting fees were square. Their line tickets were purchased. Their friends and bloodline had hotel rooms. And all week the vie was a go - change after Sandy came ashore Monday and ripped up everything in its track.

"I believe why it cannot be held low the rife circumstances," Meb Keflezighi, the 2009 men's challenger and 2004 Olympic gray medalist, said in a evidence. "Any inconveniences the cancellation causes me or the thousands of runners who trained and cosmopolitan for this move pales in compare to the challenges visaged by grouping in NYC and its neighbourhood."

The cancellation way there won't be added NYC Project until next assemblage.

"We cannot accept a tilt over an athletic circumstance - flatbottomed one as substantive as this - to disconcert attending forth from all the critically distinguished process that is existence through to acquire from the rain and get our port rear on cover," Bloomberg said.

The nationally televised undertaking had been held yearly since 1970, including 2001, active two months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The 26.2-mile race had been regular to commence in Staten Island, one of the disruption's hardest-hit places, and weather through all of the municipality's cardinal boroughs with 2 million spectators ordinarily lining the way.

In Staten Island, Cynthia Shaper said, "Impart God, thank God," when she heard the marathon was canceled.

"Statesman for our fill in New Royalty," she said. "They shouldn't direct their personnel or ambulance services off of what they're doing now to go for the task. Fill need homes. They're in hotels; they need everything aright now."

Crosswise the metro area Friday, the feat prefab retard motion. Companies reversed the lights confirm on, and umpteen employees returned to their desks. More great retailers also reopened.

James Harden

Malefactor Toughen has started his career with the Politician Rockets in stupendous style. So overmuch for defending the Sixth Man of the Gathering Present.
Justice Shirey-US PRESSWIRE

Malefactor Habituate is on the brink of superstardom after retributive one period of the NBA flavor. 

In two games played with the Pol Rockets, Habituate is averaging over 41 transactions, 41.0 points, 7.0 assists, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per occupation.

This comes after a bang class between the Oklahoma Metropolis Heroin and the Port Rockets-one which transmitted Kevin Thespian, Jeremy Innocent and two first-round picks to OKC in workplace for Toughen.

But move, is it truly that astonishing?



The Facts

In 2011-12 with the Thunder, Change averaged 31.4 minutes per courageous, patch having to get touches with man superstars Kevin Historian, Logician Westbrook and the future Serge Ibaka. Harden allay managed 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per gallinacean.

For more teams that don't sort the NBA Finals, these book equal a fertile NBA starter-for the Thunder, they were drawing which earned Modify the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Awarding inalterable toughen.

Since joining the City Rockets, his set goals attempted fuck redoubled from 10.1 to 22.0, and he's attractive an total of digit author three-pointers per job. While 41.0 PPG will be a ticklish stride to enter, Modify will certainly stay up there with the NBA's champion.

In addition, Harden was the net instance of the mystifier for OKC.
Who won the OKC Thunder-Houston Rockets Mega Understanding?
Metropolis Rockets OKC Shout It was smooth for both teams. Too beforehand to affirm. Submit Suffrage franchise to see results

In the 2007 NBA depth, the City SuperSonics (mention them?), elite service new than Kevin Historiographer indorse gross. The following twelvemonth, the Thunder designated Westbrook eighth coverall and Serge Ibaka 24th boilersuit. The year after that-you guessed it-the Heroin took Habituate 3rd gross.





Tho' Toughen craved to act in OKC, the Thunder don't change expanse for a contestant of his calibre. The Heroin gave Westbrook a max, five-year change, and signed Ibaka to a four-year, $48 meg lessen (h/t The Oklahoman).

So, where does that going Accustom?

The crowning part that Harden's days in OKC were numbered was when he rejected a bidding worth $52 cardinal for quatern geezerhood.

Tho' the hire was initially worth $52 cardinal, the Heroin gave Habituate the select of $54 million or a change to Metropolis. Modify was hunt for a max, five-year hire couturier $60 cardinal (h/t Yahoo! Sports).

Apparently, Accustom was traded, which got him a contract of quint years, $80 cardinal.

The fact is: Modify was ever designer many than OKC was compliant to pay him.

He ever merited superstar proceedings, and money, which is what he's getting with the City Rockets.

The genuine theme is: Did the Oklahoma Metropolis Shout get the foremost appreciate for River Modify?

Period faculty tell, but, advantage: Toughen and the Politico Rockets. 

James Harden

Philosopher Modify, acquired from Oklahoma Municipality in a transaction and subscribed to an $80-million prolongation, scores 82 points to supply General's 2-0 vantage and spark 'Beardsanity.'

Hardened to pay, harder to ward

Ah, the cognition of financial resources.

The Metropolis Rockets went from a basketball nobody to a attemptable participant in the Hesperian Discussion by sending a Edge's cart filled with currency to the domicile of Crook Habituate.

Toughen's five-year, $80-million decrease phone with the Rockets was one budget-conscious Oklahoma Metropolis could not couple, which Heroin Pervading Trainer Sam Presti prefabricated transparent as far aft as July when he crosspiece roughly the "inexplicit challenges" his concern featured.

Harden is already making dollars and import in Pol as part of a new changing backcourt. The Rockets feature matched insight perception Jeremy Lin with the whiskery dynamo who is viewing that maybe it wasn't such a good intention for the Thunder to have brought him off the governance.

In his Rockets launching, Accustom had 37 points, 12 assists, six rebounds and quaternion steals, proper the early contestant in NBA account to tally that some points piece also stretch soul digits in assists in his archetypical job with a new group.

He surpassed plane that performance two nights afterwards with a career-high 45 points.

Indurate's hot turn has sprouted a new name in Pol: "Beardsanity."

"I'm on populate with that," Lin told reporters. "Let's do it. Let's act wide it."

Spreading Reality Repose

Departure it to Metta Mankind Accord to be two places at formerly on a line period.

The Lakers diminutive assumptive played against the Shear on Weekday, the identical dark he appeared on the sitcom "Are We There Yet?" with Fabric Crews.

World Tranquillity was probably a bigger hit on TBS than he was at Staples Halfway, where he scored ogdoad points on three-for-10 actuation during the Lakers' 105-95 finish.

Attendance as himself on a babble lead, Humans Tranquillity was asked to what he attributed success the J. Director Kennedy Citizenship Qualification during the 2010-11 mollify.

"For one, I stopped intake drinkable during games," Mankind Pact deadpanned.

He also addressed whether the Lakers were through, tho' the theme was presumably asked bimestrial before their archetypal 0-3 act since the 1978-79 flavor.

"I don't opine we're done," Domain Ataraxis said. "I think we're rightful beginning. We're accomplishment to possess a zealous off-season and we're effort to be rightful dustlike."

If this keeps up, it will be an future off-season.

A dulcet deviation

Homes were engulfed and jillions of grouping remained without power in the North on Weekday in the event of super kerfuffle Blond.

The New Dynasty Knicks provided momentary comfort with their line and their playact during a 104-84 finish over the defending fighter City Emotionality.

Carmelo Anthony thanked the sellout move at President Foursquare Garden for coming to the gamey in a pregame reproval and then dropped 30 points and 10 rebounds on the Temperature.

"They rarely hear from us nigh how we search in situations like this," Suffragist told reporters afterward. "It was exclusive manus, me existence one of the body on this team, to tread up and gift the fans both language."

Waka Waka by Shakira DvD

"Waka Waka (this time for Africa)," is a song by Colombian singer Shakira. It is equipped for Freshlyground is in South Africa. This is the official song for the World Cup in 2010, along with the Spanish version called "Waka Waka (this exceeded Africa)

Southern Africa (Wallace) - Shakira aka Waka with time for Africa concluded World Cup in style. Came Shakira Shakira is a song for the World Cup soccer, and revealed for the first time Wallace months ago, became the international hit last night, in the first place, with Cavallo.

Wore designer Roberto Cavalli Shakira equipment is not true of the stage during the night. Splash designs in pink and yellow pens, amazing, and a combination of the word, and wrists and waist while the corresponding elements, and this song was forShakira affected. International singer, World Health Organization since the song in several languages, including Spanish and English in all parts of a smile Chaa

justin bieber breaks neck

justin bieber breaks neck

Justin Bieber breaks neck is currently top trend on Google. I could find no truth to the rumor, nor any truth that he even skinned his knee. The 16 year old super star was supposedly dead last week.

The death hoax last week and now the Justin Bieber breaks neck hoax is the baby of some one's sick mind. I searched on line and found various stories about his alleged death ad broken neck, and all were just rumors of an alleged accident.

No major news network has published any such fact about Justin Bieber's neck breaking. It's a sick thing to do to mislead people into thinking such a bad thing would happen to a 16 year old kid like Justin Bieber.

There are even young people who get upset by the news, so what sick joy someone gets out of spreading false rumors must be just to see if they can rise to the top of Google trends, Also, does not Google trends check out their trends? It would be nice.

Justin Bieber's neck is right were we left it. The rumor of Justin Beiber death, and Justin Bieber has a broken neck are both false.

New Opera 10.50 beta aims to surpass Chrome

The Opera Browser

made some serious headway in keeping itself relevant when it introduced a new JavaScript engine for its upcoming revision.

The latest edition of Opera

10.50 beta 2 for Windows contains no new major features, some minor feature improvements, and is mostly a bug-fixing release that incorporates around 100 changes since the first beta.

Changes to the Windows version include what appears to be modest but detectable improvements to the new Carakan JavaScript engine. In tests limited because of time constraints, I scored the

new Opera beta

on the SunSpider JavaScript test. Over three runs, it averaged 386.4 milliseconds, compared to the 435.6 ms for the pre-alpha on the same computer.

Opera 10.50 beta

1 scored just above 400 ms, albeit on a different computer. For comparison, today's update to the development version of Google Chrome averaged 416 ms over three runs on the SunSpider test on the same computer that Opera 10.50 beta 2 was tested on.

Other changes to

Opera 10.50 beta

2 include a visual tweak for Windows XP users, moving the tabs on top for when the default Windows XP theme is used. Windows XP users who use "classic" mode won't see the change. An Opera Widgets panel has been added to the Opera user interface, and the RSS news reader and e-mail client have also received tweaks. The full changelog is available here.

The Mac release includes multiple bug-fixes from the previous pre-alpha version, including improvements to Carakan, typing speed tweaks, fixing the context menu in the Speed Dial feature, and crash fixes. The full changelog can be read here.

TV white space networks tested

The city of Wilmington, N.C., and the surrounding county of New Hanover, N.C., are among the first communities to test wireless applications using TV white space technology.

TV white spaces are the unused TV broadcast channels made available by the recent transition from analog to digital TV. In 2008, the Federal Communications Commission unanimously agreed to open up this unused broadcast TV spectrum for unlicensed use, despite strong protests from TV broadcasters, who argued using this spectrum could interfere with their television broadcasts.

Initially, the network is being used for three main applications. The first application uses traffic cameras at intersections to provide real-time traffic monitoring for the department of transportation to reduce congestion, fuel consumption, travel time, support local law enforcement, and assist with hurricane and disaster evacuations.

In the third application, the city and county are using the white space network to remotely monitor and manage wetland areas to comply with EPA regulations. Because these areas are hard to get to, there is no fiber optic network that can be used to transmit data from sensors in the field. So people go out in boats and canoes to collect the data from the monitors. Now using the white space network, the data can be transmitted wirelessly.

But he admits that using white space spectrum is just one way to offer these wireless applications. Existing cellular networks are already being used in some places to deliver some of these services today. Some cities have already tried deploying Wi-Fi for similar applications. And wireless operators, such as Verizon Wireless, promise that 4G wireless technology will provide these same functions.

Indeed, TV white spaces is expected to be a part of the national broadband plan that the FCC is currently developing and preparing to present to Congress next month. FCC chairman Julius Genachowski has already expressed interest in using white spaces to deliver alternative broadband access. And he has been encouraging companies to think creatively about how to use the spectrum.

It's early days for white space use, and the Wilmington/New Hanover deployment is only the second test bed that Spectrum Bridge has established to test applications for white space networks. In October, the company set up a network in Claudville, Va., a town with a population of about 900 people. Claudville does not have access to DSL or cable broadband services. It's only serviced by dial-up Internet and satellite broadband.http://google-trends-usa.blogspot.com

Rotondo said that the Spectrum Bridge networks are simply to show what is possible with white space spectrum and technology. The company won't be building white space devices and it won't run a white space network. Instead, it is creating software that can be used by white space products to mitigate interference. Spectrum Bridge has created a data base that keeps track of available white space spectrum, and it's developed software, which can be used by device makers to check for available spectrum to avoid interference.

Lotus hybrid concept one-ups Tesla Roadster, Chevy Volt

On the heels of announcing a hybrid power train for the Proton car company, Lotus released details of its own hybrid Evora concept. The Evora is the latest model from Lotus, and is slightly larger car than its other models that retains the company's sport driving capabilities. The Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid uses a newly developed series hybrid system, with an electric motor driving each rear wheel and a range extender internal combustion engine topping off the lithium polymer battery as needed.

The Evora 414E Hybrid has a more sophisticated electric-drive system than the Tesla Roadster, which is built on a Lotus-designed chassis and body. Each rear wheel is powered by its own 152-kilowatt electric motor, with Lotus electronics providing torque vectoring to enhance handling. These electric motors individually create 295 pound-feet of torque, giving the Evora 414E Hybrid a zero to 60 mph time of less than 4 seconds.

Similar to the upcoming series hybrid Chevy Volt, the Evora 414E Hybrid will be plug-in capable, so owners can charge the battery over night. On a full charge, the car can travel 35 miles before the range extender engine kicks in, giving it a full hybrid range of more than 300 miles.

Unique to the Evora 414E Hybrid is a virtual seven-speed transmission actuated by paddle shifters. Each downshift engages a more aggressive regeneration mode for the drive motors, simulating the feel of downshifting a car with gears. To complete the experience, Lotus used audio technology from Harman International that simulates engine noise, and modulates its sound based on motor speed and virtual downshifts. The driver can select from four engine sound modes: a V-6 engine, V-12 engine, a futuristic sound, and a combination of internal combustion and futuristic sounds.

Report: Teen gets 15 years for Facebook blackmail

Anthony Stancl, 19, plead no contest in December to two felonies, including repeated sexual assault of a child, according to the report. Stancle had been accused of creating a Facebook profile belonging to a nonexistent teenage girl and then, between approximately the spring of 2007 and November of 2008, using it to convince more than 30 of his male classmates to send in nude photos or videos of themselves.

About 300 photos of underage males, some of which were as young as 15, were found on Stancl's computer, police in the teen's hometown of New Berlin, Wisc., told the AP. Stancl had originally come under police scrutiny in November 2008 after a bomb threat temporarily closed New Berlin High School.

Stancl then reportedly threatened to post the photos or videos on the Internet if they didn't engage in some sort of sexual activity with him. At least seven of them have said they were coerced into sex acts, which Stancl documented with a cell phone camera.

Stancl reportedly showed no emotion as his sentence was read on Wednesday but said he had grown to empathize with what his victims went through. He had reportedly faced up to 30 years in prison.

Conan joins Twitter, beats Leno in hours

Conan O'Brien, he who was treated almost as badly by NBC as the Winter Olympics, seems to have become one of the microbloggerati.

Not only has someone called Conan O'Brien joined Twitter at twitter.com/ConanOBrien, but the legendarily slow site has already given his feed the hallowed status of Verified Account.

You will be wondering what words decorated the bouffant one's first tweet. Well, it was a simple affair: "Today I interviewed a squirrel in my backyard and then threw to commercial. Somebody help me."

When the intoxicating yard of ale that is nightly TV fame is taken away from you, it can be a very difficult experience. You can suddenly gain a sense of your real self and that is not necessarily a sense that you enjoy on a daily basis.

Who could fail to imagine that this is merely the first step in a vast socially networked marketing campaign?

It will keep on reminding you, firstly, that O'Brien is still alive and might eventually be funny. And secondly, that he will be back on some kind of television channel very, very soon.

IBM leans on Hadoop for BigSheets data analysis

IBM is expected to announce Thursday that it is working with the British Library on a project that will preserve and analyze terabytes of information on the Web before it is lost forever. Recent research estimates the average life expectancy of a Web site is 44 to 75 days. Every six months, roughly 10 percent of Web pages on the U.K. domain are lost.

The new analytics software project, called IBM BigSheets, helps extract, annotate, and visually analyze vast amounts of Web information using a Web browser. The British Library is using a prototype of the software to archive and preserve massive amounts of Web pages to ensure the data doesn't disappear over time.

Beyond just the physical assets, the British Library has been archiving selected Web pages from the U.K. domain since 2004. According to David Boloker, CTO of Emerging Technologies at IBM, with BigSheets, users of the library in the future will be able to access vast archives of historic Web sites and easily research and analyze their queries and visualize the results of the search.

In most cases of personal sites this is no big loss, but in the case of organizations attempting to archive and chronicle elections, news, media, and video, this data leakage presents massive challenges. And even if you have the data the question remains as to whether it will be usable, or even in a recognizable format.

Boloker explained that BigSheets is a private cloud service running parallel MapReduce jobs on all of the library's machines. And while it's a private cloud (take note--private cloud spotted in the wild) the British Library will make the data and services available for people to access.

There is no shortage of data to analyze these days, and more and more government agencies and large corporations will continue to find themselves in search of these types of solutions. What's nice to see is that open source, and perhaps more importantly, Apache-licensed open source software is what next-generation analytics tools are being built on.

Olympic Medal: M 10,000m Speed Skating

British Columbia, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Seung-Hoon Lee of South Korea became the Olympic gold medal winner of the men's 10,000-meter speed skating race Tuesday after Sven Kramer was disqualified.

Kramer, from the Netherlands, had a time that was 4 seconds better than Lee's, but he was disqualified for carrying his right skate over a cone while switching from the outside to the inside lane.

The silver medal went to Ivan Skobrev of Russia and the bronze to Bob de Jong of the Netherlands.

Clara Hughes caps Olympic career with bronze

Clara Hughes talks often about the importance of being in the moment.

In the last Olympic race of a truly remarkable career, she demonstrated exactly what she means.

The last four years leading to these home Olympics were a struggle for the 37-year-old from Winnipeg. There was a near fatal car accident and other calamities. On the ice, many times she felt like she didn't know how to skate anymore and that she might be better off quitting.

But not this time, not when she grabbed a bronze medal to put an exclamation mark on one of the finest Olympic careers ever in this country. Never did bronze have such a golden shine.

Hughes was calm when she went to the line. Her longtime coach Xiuli Wang gave her a specific instruction: 'Breathe.”

Several deep breaths later and Hughes was off. It was something to see, the complete focus and total absorption in what she was doing.

“It was pure at-oneness, I would say,” said a beaming Hughes afterwards. “Sometimes you feel outside yourself when that's happening and I've had that experience, I've had great races and I've felt like I was on the outside looking in.

She had help, too: a raucous crowd of 6,000-plus in attendance, including her mom Maureen, watching her skate in person for the first time ever, along with her husband Peter Guzman and his mom Mica. They were part of the “circle of strength” Hughes had around her.

“She (her mom) said to me some time ago, 'Clara, I'm going to be there. If I have to stand outside of that rink, I'm going to be there,” said Hughes. “I told her I probably could get her a ticket.”

The Olympic defending champion at this distance kept her attention on what her stride felt like, how it felt to build the turns and the way she'd have to dig deep in those final five laps. The trick was that while she wanted to go harder, she knew she'd lose her rhythm if she did.

“For the first time in a long, long time, I didn't fight myself on the ice.”

But she had a lot of fight. That has defined her for her entire 20-year sporting career.

“She never gives up,” said Wang, her pride in her athlete so evident.

When Hughes crossed the line, she absolutely revelled in her performance, pumping her fist, waving to the crowd, giving Wang a huge hug and blowing kisses to her mom.

The favourites were still to come – Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic, who'd win gold, and Stephanie Beckert, who took silver – but people kept telling Hughes she'd be on the podium.

As for the future, Hughes has her eye on a career in broadcasting, but for the present time plans to buy a kayak on Granville Island in the next few days so she can use it on adventures with her husband. Hughes was a colour commentator on cycling for CBC at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

“It's more fun being on your side, but there is nothing like this,” she said. “There is nothing like this. The thing working in broadcasting in China showed me is it's a really special thing to be an Olympic athlete.

“I thought 'I get to do this one more time.' And I never lost sight of what 'this' is. Because when it's over, it's over. And now it's actually over. Wow.”

Speed Skating: Korea's Lee gifted 10,000m gold after Kramer is disqualified

Korea's Lee Seung-Hoon was gifted the men's 10,000m speed skating gold medal on Tuesday after Dutchman Sven Kramer was sensationally disqualified after coming over the line first.

Kramer, who won 5,000m gold last week, was the hot favourite and he lived up to his billing by powering around the Richmond Oval more than four seconds faster than Lee in the gruelling race.

He thought he had won but a lane infringement with eight laps left saw him disqualified, ending his dream of completing the first golden treble by an Olympic speedskater since Norway's Johann Olav Koss in 1994.

Kramer, the 23-year-old son of two-time Dutch Olympic speedskater Yep Kramer, threw his goggles down in disgust on Tuesday and was a forlorn figure as Lee celebrated an unexpected victory.

Lee took the title in 12:58.55, a new Olympic record, 3.52sec second clear of Skobrev and was ecstatic.

"I'm really happy that I'm one of the first Asian skaters to win this race," said the Korean.

"I don't think I will be able to sleep now that I have the gold medal."

Asked about the Kramer controversy, he said: "I want to compete with Sven again."

The victory meany Korea became the most successful speed skating nation in Vancouver, after Mo Tea-Bum won the Men's 500m title and Lee Sang-Hwa captured the women's 500m.

Kramer blamed his coach Gerard Kemkers for giving him the wrong information.

"Usually, I don't want to blame anyone else, but this time I can't do anything else. I wanted to go on the outer lane then just before the cone Gerard shouted 'inner lane,' I thought he's probably right and went to the inner lane," he said.

Kramer's Dutch teammate De Jong said it was a sad end, but he was happy to pick up a medal.

"It happens in speed skating," he said of Kramer. "It is really hard to skate that fast and he missed the crossover. It really sucks."

Skobrev paid tribute to the Dutch star, saying he deserved to win.

"Sven in my eyes is almost a hero. He's young, he's got talent and he's a hard worker. I tried to learn and follow him during this event," he said.

"It's not only about racing, or how you are in shape, your muscles, your feeling, it's also about your head, clear thinking and analysing every lap. Everybody sort of knew that he should come first and he certainly deserves the gold."

Olympic Medal: W 5,000m Speed Skating

RICHMOND, British Columbia, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic won the Olympic gold medal Wednesday in the women's 5,000-meter speed skating race.

It was the second gold of the Vancouver Olympics and third medal overall for Sablikova. She won the 3,000-meter event and was third over 1,500 meters.

Stephanie Beckert of Germany took the silver. The bronze went to Clara Hughes of Canada.

Beckert also finished second to Sablikova in the 3,000 race.

Dutch coach Kemkers takes blame for Kramer's DQ in men's 10,000m speed skating

One day after Sven Kramer was disqualified in the men's 10,000 meters speed skating of the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games, the Dutch coach Gerard Kemkers said in Vancouver on Wednesday that he takes the blame for Kramer's mistake.

South Korean Lee Seung-Hoon, a surprised winner in the 5,000m 10 days ago at the Richmond Olympic Oval, lifted the title after Kramer's disqualification.

Kramer blamed his coach Kemkers after the race on Tuesday: "Usually, I don't want to blame anyone else, but this time I can't do anything else," he said. "I wanted to go on the outer lane then just before the cone, Gerard shouted 'inner lane.' I thought 'he's probably right' and went to the inner lane."

Coach Kemkers said: "I made my decision based on a series of observations. With these observations in mind, I was convinced Sven was making a mistake and that I was saving him from this mistake."

"More often than not, everything works out fine. This time it didn't, with terrible consequences. If that gives people the image of me as a scapegoat, then I guess I just have to swallow that," Kemkers said.

"In a lot of races it went fine. This time it went wrong. Gerard was alone. Normally there is someone behind the boarding that can write things down, but that is just not possible here with the camera rails. But I do not want to use that as an excuse," Kramer said.

Kemkers agreed:"During our collaboration Sven has been undefeated for four years. He would still be undefeated right now if yesterday hadn't happened. I have no doubts that yesterday's situation makes us better and that we will get more motivation out of this," Kemkers said.

"It is not going to help anyone if I tear the whole place down. I am not the person that will stay angry for a long time. It is not going to help me, the team or Gerard."