S&P 500 closes at record for fourth straight day

The prospect of more economic stimulus from the Federal Reserve is pushing the Standard & Poor's 500 index to a fourth consecutive record close.

Whirlpool, Delta Air Lines and Kimberly-Clark rose sharply after reporting higher quarterly earnings.

The S&P 500 rose 10 points, or 0.6 percent, to 1,754 Tuesday.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 75 points, or 0.5 percent, to 15,467. The Nasdaq composite was up nine points, or 0.4 percent, at 3,929.

In government bond trading, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.52 percent from 2.60 percent late Monday.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/p-500-closes-record-fourth-straight-day-201536133--finance.html
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Election In Ultra-Orthodox Israeli Town Tests Gender Norms

Candidates for town council Michal Chernovitsky (left) and Adina Ruhamkin campaign in a park in El'ad, or Forever God, a small religious community in Israel. They could be the first women on El'ad's council, and the first ultra-Orthodox women to win public office in Israel.

Emily Harris/NPR

Voters across Israel choose new mayors and city councilors in local elections Tuesday. In one small town, a handful of ultra-Orthodox Jewish women are defying the norms of their community by running for office.

On a recent day, children mob two women in skirts, stockings and purple T-shirts in a neighborhood park in El'ad, or Forever God. The women are candidates for town council. As part of their get-the-word-out campaign, they're blowing up balloons for kids.

"I've been thinking about this for a year. I think it's crucial that women be represented on the town council," Michal Chernovitsky, the 33-year-old leader of the five female candidates running. "Because there are just men now, a lot of issues get lost."

Their slogan is "Mothers for El'ad." The town is young, just 13 years old. It was built specifically as a strict religious community, and the town spends extra money on synagogues and other religious institutions. No one is allowed to drive here on the Sabbath, and few residents have TV or the Internet.

All that is fine with Adina Ruhamkin, another candidate; what El'ad needs, she says, are basic services for children and the moms who take care of their daily needs.

"There's no library, nothing here. ... It's like a hotel," Ruhamkin says. "You come to sleep in town and leave the town. That's what's there — nothing."

Among the Mothers' pitches: Build a library and a swimming pool, increase bus service and add more stops. They also want to create jobs, for men and women. One voter at the park, a mother of nine, is hesitantly supportive.

"I've never heard before of women running for council," she says. "It's a new thing. I hope it will be accepted, but I'm not so sure. Here women who express themselves aren't seen as a good thing."

As the candidates hand out balloons, a car from another city council campaign drives by, touting over a loudspeaker the endorsements it's won from various rabbis. There are many ultra-Orthodox elected officials in Israel; none are women.

Racheli Ibenboim might have become one. She was supposed to be on the Jerusalem ballot for city council, but community pressure led her to drop out.

"My children were threatened that they would not be able to stay at their schools," Ibenboim says. "My husband was told he wouldn't be able to attend our synagogue anymore. His employers even got a phone call saying they should let him go."

She got many messages of support, too, but felt her particular ultra-Orthodox sect just wasn't ready for a woman to run for public office.

"When I had to decide whether to stay a part of my sect or take on this political task, I thought it was more important to try to create change from within," she says.

As Israel's ultra-Orthodox population has grown, its strict gender rules have crept into other parts of society. Rachel Azaria is not ultra-Orthodox, but is devout, religiously observant and an elected member of the Jerusalem City Council. She helped lead a fight against public bus lines that made women sit in the back. Azaria says many ultra-Orthodox women secretly called her during the campaign to thank her for her efforts, albeit in hushed tones.

Azaria believes with time, more ultra-Orthodox women will seek to make their voices heard in politics. Back in El'ad, the Mothers team is hopeful it will win at least one town council seat. But the candidates are in unfamiliar territory, says Ruhamkin.

"It's weird. We're not yet in, but weird," she says. "Because we are women and everybody [else] are men, and it's going to be weird.

After polls close Tuesday night, Forever God may indeed change.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/10/22/239347445/ultra-orthodox-towns-election-puts-gender-rules-to-the-test?ft=1&f=3
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Problems remain after Microsoft yanks Windows RT 8.1 update

In case you missed it, late Friday afternoon Microsoft pulled the Windows RT 8.1 update. Enough customers complained about BSODs and completely bricked machines -- including, notably, Microsoft Surface RT machines -- after applying the RT-to-RT 8.1 upgrade, that the update was yanked entirely.

There's also been a steady stream of complaints about the Win8-to-Win8.1 update, including an inability to connect with Remote Access Website connections. Here's an overview of what we know so far has happened, and how you may be able to recover.

Microsoft released the Windows 8.1 upgrade early in the morning (U.S. time) on Oct. 17. For consumers and others who don't have Volume License agreements with Microsoft, the update was directly accessible through the Microsoft Store. Volume Licensees had access through the VLSC. And, of course, MSDN and TechNet members have had access to the Windows 8.1 Enterprise (but not the Windows RT 8.1) bits for a month.

By Oct. 18, many users had reported problems with a Blue Screen, 0xC1900101 - 0x40017 error with the Windows 8.1 update. To date, the Microsoft Answers forum discussion that deals with that specific BSOD is up to 24 pages of comments, and Microsoft hasn't responded with any worthwhile suggestions, much less a solution.

Now we're seeing a second wave of problems.

Windows RT customers (those with retail copies of Windows RT, not volume licensees) encountered unresolved Blue Screen 0xc000000d errors with notification that "Your PC needs to be repaired / The Boot Configuration Data file is missing some required information / File: \BCD". On Oct. 19 -- two days after the update was released -- Microsoft MVP Wesley_P posted on the Answers Forum: "Why isn't the Windows RT 8.1 upgrade available in the Microsoft store?"

Apparently it took Microsoft about 48 hours to pull the upgrade. In a post without a time stamp, on a rather obscure site , Microsoft issued this advisory:

Microsoft is investigating a situation affecting a limited number of users updating their Windows RT devices to Windows RT 8.1. As a result, we have temporarily removed the Windows RT 8.1 update from the Windows Store. We are working to resolve the situation as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience. We will provide updates as they become available.

I have seen no further comment from Microsoft, no acknowledgment or description of the problem, and certainly no fix.

Ozzie Scott Williams, on his technical blog kickthatcomputer ("Annoying stuff I figured out / I really hate computers"), has come up with an ingenious workaround. Big problem: the method requires a USB recovery drive for your Windows RT computer, and few people have one sitting around.

However, following the steps he outlines, if you trust him (disclaimer: I don't know Williams), you can create a Windows RT recovery USB drive. Using the recovery USB drive, there's a way to bring up an old-fashioned command prompt, and type in a one-line command to rebuild the trashed BCD. Once the BCD is fixed, apparently Windows RT 8.1 will boot.

Score one for the DOS command line. Hard to believe it would bring a borked Surface RT back to life.

The other major, solvable Windows 8.1 bug I've seen makes it impossible to connect Internet Explorer to a Remote Web Access website running on a Small Business Server 2011 server.  Poster Yves describes it on the TechNet forum:

Source: http://www.infoworld.com/t/microsoft-windows/problems-remain-after-microsoft-yanks-windows-rt-81-update-229131
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Greek charity: mystery Gypsy camp girl aged 5-6

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A Greek charity says an unknown girl found living with a Roma couple charged with abducting her is older than police initially thought.

The "Smile of the Child" charity, which is caring for the child known as "Maria" until her biological parents are found, says she is aged around five or six.

The charity director said Monday that the revision follows dental and other examinations done at a hospital where the girl is undergoing health checks. The charity had initially set her age at around four.

A Greek appeal for help in identifying the girl has triggered a global outpouring of sympathy and tips — over 8,000 calls so far — but no concrete breakthroughs, authorities say.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

A Greek appeal for help in identifying an unknown girl who had been living with a Roma couple has triggered a global outpouring of sympathy and tips — over 8,000 calls so far — but no concrete breakthroughs, authorities said Monday.

Greek police on the case are investigating everything from a potential link with child trafficking rings to a welfare scam or even simple charity as they seek the child's biological parents.

The "Smile of the Child" charity, which is caring for the approximately 4-year-old girl, said it has received thousands of emails in addition to the calls. Respondents include people from the U.S., Scandinavia and other parts of Europe, Australia and South Africa.

"The case has touched a chord with lots of people from many countries," Panayiotis Pardalis, a charity spokesman, told The Associated Press on Monday. "We've received photos of missing children and potentially connected cases which we are forwarding to the police, but there are also — and that's the majority — people conveying their support and concern."

Greek police have also sought assistance from Interpol, the international police agency, which has 38 girls younger than 6 on its missing persons database. None of them, however, fit the girl's description and the agency only receives cases when member governments seek its help.

The Greek appeal follows the discovery last week of the girl in a Gypsy settlement near Farsala in central Greece during a police raid looking for drugs, firearms and fugitives. The blond, blue-eyed child was strikingly unlike the couple she lived with, which triggered the curiosity of prosecutor Christina Fasoula, who had accompanied the police.

A DNA test proved that "Maria," as the child was called, was not related to the Gypsy couple she was living with. Police say the couple initially claimed her as their own.

A 39-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman appeared Monday before an investigating judge in Larissa, near Farsala, to face criminal charges of child abduction, which carries a maximum ten-year prison sentence.

Both denied the charges last week, claiming instead to have adopted the child while she was just days old. A defense lawyer said they were motivated by charity, after being approached by an intermediary for a destitute foreign mother who reportedly could not afford to raise the child.

The suspects have also been charged with illegally obtaining official documents such as birth records.

Police allege the woman claimed to have given birth to six children in less than 10 months, while 10 of the 14 children the couple had registered as their own are unaccounted for.

It is unclear whether these all exist, or are fake declarations of parenthood to milk the Greek welfare system. Police say the two suspects received about 2,500 euros ($3,420) a month in subsidies from three different cities where they had registered the children.

The man also faces separate charges, together with other people from the settlement, for allegedly possessing an illegal firearm and drug-related offences.

Roma, a poor people in a country devastated by an economic crisis, try to make a living on the outskirts of Farsala by selling fruits, carpets, blankets, baskets and shoes. They are already stereotyped by some in Greece and elsewhere in Europe as social outcasts, thieves and beggars — and now fear they will be stigmatized as child traffickers as well.

The case "doesn't reflect on all of us," Babis Dimitriou, president of the local Roma community, told the AP on Sunday.

Dimitriou said the female suspect claimed the child's biological mother was a Bulgarian woman.

"I have seen that woman in our settlement, but she disappeared a few days ago," he said.

Greece's Roma community has for centuries been exposed to poverty and discrimination. According to the London-based Minority Rights Group, some 80 percent of Greece's 300,000 Roma are illiterate.

___

Costas Kantouris in Thessaloniki contributed.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/greek-charity-mystery-gypsy-camp-girl-aged-5-130731171.html
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Sometimes You Need Your To-Do List To Be A Bit Bossy

Digital Life

Online Dating Is On The Rise (But There Are Still Haters)

Digital Life

Sometimes You Need Your To-Do List To Be A Bit Bossy

Technology

Facebook Users Don't 'Like' This: Status Update Error Messages

Technology

When Playing Video Games Means Sitting On Life's Sidelines

Source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=239269498&ft=1&f=1019
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NJ governor ends gay marriage fight as couples wed

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Gov. Chris Christie dropped his legal challenge to same-sex marriages on Monday, removing the possibility that the vows of couples who began getting married hours earlier could be undone by a court.

New Jersey became the 14th state to allow gay marriages Monday, three days after the state Supreme Court unanimously rejected Christie's request to delay the start of the nuptials. He has said residents, not a court or legislators, should decide on the issue.

"Although the governor strongly disagrees with the court substituting its judgment for the constitutional process of the elected branches or a vote of the people, the court has now spoken clearly as to their view of the New Jersey Constitution and, therefore, same-sex marriage is the law," Christie's spokesman Michael Drewniak said in a statement. "The governor will do his constitutional duty and ensure his administration enforces the law as dictated by the New Jersey Supreme Court."

The announcement came from a Republican governor who is a possible 2016 presidential candidate and has for years opposed gay marriage while supporting the state's previous civil union law.

It was met with jubilation from gay rights advocates including Steven Goldstein, the founder and former leader of Garden State Equality, who asked "How much happiness can I stand?" Conversely, conservatives like National Organization for Marriage President Brian Brown scorned the legalization of gay weddings.

"This is just another example of the courts making law out of thin air," he said. "Obviously, Christie should have continued the lawsuit."

Brown said his group could look into whether it could continue the legal fight that Christie dropped but said he doubts the courts would allow anyone to intervene.

The decision caught some by surprise, but not Larry Lustberg, one of the lawyers on the case on behalf of gay couples and Garden State Equality. "The handwriting was on the wall as clearly as it could possibly be. The governor had always said he would fight this all the way up to the Supreme Court, but he didn't say he was going to fight it in the Supreme Court twice," he said in a conference call. "This was inevitable."

The letter detailing Christie's decision, from the Acting New Jersey Attorney General John Hoffman to the Supreme Court, was just two sentences and didn't get into detail.

Goldstein said advocates for same-sex marriage still have work to do. He said lawmakers must adopt a law codifying same-sex marriage to clarify three points that are left unaddressed in court decisions. The court rulings do not say whether civil unions should be converted to marriages, does not say whether religious organizations such as the Knights of Columbus can reject hosting weddings on their property and does not spell out whether legal out-of-state marriages of gay couples are automatically recognized in New Jersey.

Last year, the state Legislature passed a law to allow gay marriage and deal with those issues, but Christie vetoed it.

Advocates have been making a major push to override the veto before a Jan. 14 deadline. Before Christie's announcement Monday, they were expecting a vote by lawmakers sometime after the Nov. 5 election.

But Hayley Gorenberg, a Lambda Legal lawyer who was co-counsel in the court case, said on a conference call Monday that the veto override is not needed. "I think we're done here," she said. She addressed one of the points left unanswered in the court rulings, saying that the First Amendment provides the necessary religious protection for clergy who do not want to preside over ceremonies of same-sex couples.

New Jersey's courts and politicians have been deliberating over whether to allow gay marriage for more than a decade. The answer has changed quickly in the past month.

In September, a state judge ruled that New Jersey must allow the nuptials in light of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that made the federal government recognize same-sex marriage.

The state's top court ruled Friday afternoon that it would not delay Monday's implementation date.

And at 12:01 a.m., couples in a handful of communities wed.

In Newark, Mayor Cory Booker, in one of his last acts before joining the U.S. Senate in coming weeks, led a ceremony for seven gay couples and two heterosexual couples.

"Tonight we have crossed a barrier, and now, while you all have fallen into love, I want to say that the truth is, that the state of New Jersey has risen to love," he said. "This state now is resonant now with the core values of our country, with the idea that there is no second class citizenship in America, that we're all equal under the law."

In Lambertville, Joanne Shcailey and Beth Asaro were wed in a municipal courtroom packed with friends, family and journalists.

"We're floating on air," Asaro, in a salmon pink suit, said afterward. "It's like winning the Super Bowl," said Schailey, who wore a black suit.

___

Mulvihill reported from Haddonfield. Associated Press writers Samantha Henry in Newark and Katie Zezima in Jersey City contributed to this report.

___

Follow Mulvihill at https://twitter.com/geoffmulvihill

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nj-governor-ends-gay-marriage-fight-couples-wed-151402979.html
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iPad Mini will adopt Retina Display, says WSJ

Apple is prepping a new iPad Mini with the higher-resolution Retina Display, says The Wall Street Journal.

The iPad Mini will finally sport a Retina Display. But will we see it on Tuesday?

Citing information from Apple's component suppliers, The Wall Street Journal said Monday that "Apple is now readying a revamped iPad Mini with a high-resolution 'Retina' Display." The Journal's careful wording suggests that the new high-res Mini is in the works but doesn't specifically say it will take its bow at Apple's media event on Tuesday.

Prior reports have been on the fence over if and when a Retina iPad Mini will see the light of day. Some analysts say it will happen but cite manufacturing issues that may delay the launch of the device or at least limit its initial supply.

Apple is also working on a thinner, lighter version of the 9.7-inch iPad that will see its glass screen replaced with a thin film. But again, the Journal doesn't say when this revamped iPad will debut. Other reports have said that the fifth-generation iPad will borrow a new thin and light design from the Mini.

We should know for sure what the iPad Mini and iPad will offer after Apple kicks off its launch event at 10 a.m. PT Tuesday. CNET will host a live blog of the event.

Read the CNET Editors' Take

iPad Mini 2

Editors' Take: Will a Retina Display finally make its way into Apple's smallest iPad? Here are our best pre-event guesses. Read More

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57608422-37/ipad-mini-will-adopt-retina-display-says-wsj/?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-Apple
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Britain To Build New Nuclear Plant, Bucking European Trend

A worker walks inside the turbine hall of the Sizewell nuclear plant in eastern England in 2006. The U.K. government on Monday announced that French-owned EDF would build the first new British nuclear power station in 20 years.

Lefteris Pitarakis/AP

A worker walks inside the turbine hall of the Sizewell nuclear plant in eastern England in 2006. The U.K. government on Monday announced that French-owned EDF would build the first new British nuclear power station in 20 years.

Lefteris Pitarakis/AP

Britain has approved the construction of the country's first nuclear power station in 20 years.

NPR's Philip Reeves, reporting on the announcement for our Newscast unit, said the move goes counter to a European trend to phase out nuclear power in the aftermath of Japan's Fukushima disaster in 2011.

"Most of Britain's 16 nuclear reactors are coming to the end of their lives. Now the government's inked an agreement with a consortium led by the French company EDF Energy to build two new nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point in southwest England. Two state-owned Chinese companies are expected to have a sizable stake. Anti-nuclear sentiment in Britain is low-key compared to some European nations: Germany's phasing out nuclear power after the Fukushima disaster. But this deal will be controversial. Attention is focusing on China's involvement — and the price. The consortium is footing the massive construction costs in return for a guaranteed fixed price for the electricity it produces — that's far higher than current rates."

But as the BBC notes the announcement isn't legally binding. EDF will make a final decision on the project in 2014. The project also needs European Commission clearance.

Still, the news prompted us to look at nuclear energy use across Europe and elsewhere. Here's what we found:

As has been the case for years, France relies on nuclear power for more than three-quarters of its energy needs. And nuclear power enjoys broad public support in the country — at least until the Fukushima disaster.

But France and now Britain are among the few European states that see nuclear power as playing a significant role in the future. Across much of Europe, it's a different story.

Existing plants are being phased out, including in Belgium and Germany.

Indeed, Germany's goals are far-reaching: It plans to close all nuclear power stations by 2022. The aim, as NPR's Eric Westervelt reported last year, is "to have solar, wind and other renewables account for nearly 40 percent of the energy for Europe's largest economy in a decade, and 80 percent by 2050."

But, there are growing doubts about that timeline, too, as Eric noted:

"The fact is, the post-Fukushima consensus in Germany has given way to growing concerns about rising energy costs. The debate is intensifying over just who will pay for the transition to renewable energy, how it will happen, how fast — and through whose backyards."

Further afield, Japan was a major proponent of nuclear power until the Fukushima disaster. Until 2011, about 30 percent of electricity in Japan came from nuclear sources. The plan was to increase the share to 40 percent by 2017. But last year, just 2.1 percent of Japan's electricity came from its nuclear plants.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/10/21/239064992/britian-to-build-new-nuclear-plant-bucking-european-trend?ft=1&f=1004
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Bloomberg wins inaugural 'Jewish Nobel Prize'

New Yorkers have mixed feelings about Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s legacy as his days at city hall wind down, but amid questions about what's next for the billionaire mayor, he is winning high praises on the international stage for his long record of philanthropy and stewardship of the Big Apple.

Bloomberg on Monday was named the first-ever recipient of the $1 million Genesis Prize, which the award’s organizers have described as the “Jewish Nobel Prize.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will formally present the award to Bloomberg next May in Jerusalem.

The Genesis Philanthropy Group, a charity founded by Russian Jewish billionaires, set up the award earlier this year to honor “exceptional human beings” committed to the “betterment of mankind” who will inspire the next generation of Jews.

In a statement, Bloomberg said he was “deeply honored” to receive the prize. He’ll donate the $1 million prize to a philanthropic cause that he’ll announce next year.

“Many years ago, my parents instilled in me Jewish values and ethics that I have carried with me throughout my life, and which have guided every aspect of my work in business, government, and philanthropy,” Bloomberg said. “The Genesis Prize embraces and promotes those same values and ethics — a common thread among the Jewish people worldwide that has helped move humankind forward for centuries."

According to the group, Bloomberg was picked from more than 200 nominees around the world as the inaugural recipient because of “his track record of outstanding public service and his role as one of the world’s greatest philanthropists.”

"Mayor Michael Bloomberg sets a very high bar as the first recipient of the Genesis Prize," Nobel Prize laureate Elie Wiesel, one of the judges for the award, said in a statement. "It is a great honor for the entire Jewish people to celebrate his achievements, his commitment to improving the world, and in particular his city: New York. His pursuit of the agenda centered on health, innovation and social justice has been unwavering.”

Bloomberg has long said his goal is to be remembered as one of New York City’s best mayors, but his popularity has taken a hit as he prepares to leave office in late December. His handling of the city — including his support of the controversial stop-and-frisk tactic that allowed police officers to randomly search people without cause — became a key issue in the Democratic mayoral primary.

Public advocate Bill de Blasio won the primary by positioning himself as the anti-Bloomberg in the race, arguing that income inequality in New York had created a “tale of two cities” for residents under the mayor’s stewardship.

A recent Wall Street Journal/NBC 4 New York/Marist poll found 45 percent of registered voters in the city believe Bloomberg is doing an “excellent or good” job as mayor, compared to 52 percent who rated his job as “fair or poor.”

That’s major nose-dive since his ratings four years ago, when he successfully fought to overturn term limits to seek an unprecedented third term at ciity hall. Back then, the same poll found 68 percent rated Bloomberg’s job performance as “excellent or good,” compared to 32 percent who said “fair or poor.”

But Bloomberg has professed not to read the polls, and he’s vowed to stay out of the limelight as he winds down his final months in office.

• Michael Bloomberg
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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bloomberg-wins-inaugural--jewish-nobel-prize--153900476.html
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The Sony Xperia Z1S Might Be a Mini Z1 For Everyone Else

Remember the impressive-looking Xperia Z1F handset, shrinking down the flagship Sony Xperia Z1 to a more pocketable size? Some bad news; it’s pencilled in only for Asian markets. The good news? Looks like we’re getting the Xperia Z1S instead, which is basically the same phone, with a different name.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/PPGDN_SZTq4/the-sony-xperia-z1s-might-be-the-mini-z1-for-all-the-wo-1448993863
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Cruz: Senate won't make same mistake in next fight

FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013 file photo, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. On Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013, Cruz said Republicans lost the government shutdown budget battle because some members of his own party in Congress turned on their colleagues — but he also said he expects they won't make the same mistake during another political impasse. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013 file photo, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. On Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013, Cruz said Republicans lost the government shutdown budget battle because some members of his own party in Congress turned on their colleagues — but he also said he expects they won't make the same mistake during another political impasse. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said Saturday that the GOP lost the government shutdown budget battle because some congressional Republicans turned on others, but that he doesn't think they will make the same mistake during the next political impasse.

"I am hopeful that in the future the Senate will listen," Cruz, the tea party favorite and freshman senator from Texas, told a convention in Austin of the Texas Medical Association.

Cruz staged a more than 21-hour quasi-filibuster in the Senate late last month, helping spark a budget fight in the Republican-led House that partially shuttered the government in an attempt to sever funding for the nation's new health care law.

Then, with the country facing a debt default, leaders in the Democratic-led Senate brokered a deal to end the standoff — which Cruz dismissed as "selling the American people down the river."

"You don't win a fight when your own team is firing cannons at the people who are standing up and leading, which are the House Republicans," he said.

The deal sets up the potential for another budget showdown in January. Senate GOP leaders, however, have suggested that there won't be a repeat of the shutdown or a potential default crisis like in recent weeks.

But addressing reporters after his speech, Cruz would not say that another fight won't be coming.

"There will be plenty of time to consider the particular practical or strategic decisions," he said.

Asked if he was worried about retaliation from more-senior Republican leaders in the Senate, Cruz said, "I try very hard not to worry about the politics and the internal back-and-forth in Washington."

Many attendees gave Cruz a standing ovation at the end of his speech.

Some political observers now see Cruz as Texas' most popular Republican. But his approval ratings across the country may be slipping.

National polls have shown that while Americans in general don't love the health care law, they oppose defunding it — especially if it means shutting down the government. And many of Cruz's Senate colleagues have bemoaned the shutdown for tarnishing the GOP's image.

Cruz also took questions from the audience and was asked if ideology driving Washington could outweigh political pragmatism.

"The arguments I have laid out today have not been ideological," Cruz said. "These were the essence of practical."

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-10-19-US-Health-Overhaul-Cruz/id-8ae1065caff241fca5816568834e04a5
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Report: NSA Plays Crucial Role In Drone Attacks

Basing its reporting on documents obtained by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, The Washington Post moved a story last night that details a close collaboration between the spy agency and the Central Intelligence Agency, when it conducts drone attacks against suspected terrorists.

As the Post reports this revelation may bolster the NSA's assertion that its controversial practice of collecting vast Internet data is used for the purpose of protecting the country. The documents, however, do not make specific mention of any of the surveillance programs revealed by the Snowden leaks.

The Post story details the 2012 targeted killing of Hassan Ghul, a close associate of Osama bin Laden, who outlined the courier network that eventually led to his capture.

The paper reports that an intercepted email from Ghul's wife gave enough detail that the CIA was able to order a drone strike against the suspected terrorist:

"In the search for targets, the NSA has draped a surveillance blanket over dozens of square miles of northwest Pakistan. In Ghul's case, the agency deployed an arsenal of cyber-espionage tools, secretly seizing control of laptops, siphoning audio files and other messages, and tracking radio transmissions to determine where Ghul might "bed down."

"The e-mail from Ghul's wife 'about her current living conditions' contained enough detail to confirm the coordinates of that household, according to a document summarizing the mission. 'This information enabled a capture/kill operation against an individual believed to be Hassan Ghul on October 1,' it said.

"The file is part of a collection of records in the Snowden trove that make clear that the drone campaign — often depicted as the CIA's exclusive domain — relies heavily on the NSA's ability to vacuum up enormous quantities of e-mail, phone calls and other fragments of signals intelligence, or SIGINT.

"To handle the expanding workload, the NSA created a secret unit known as the Counter-Terrorism Mission Aligned Cell, or CT MAC, to concentrate the agency's vast resources on hard-to-find terrorism targets. The unit spent a year tracking Ghul and his courier network, tunneling into an array of systems and devices, before he was killed. Without those penetrations, the document concluded, 'this opportunity would not have been possible.'"

The whole piece is worth a read; it's one of the most detailed looks at the controversial and mostly secret U.S. program of targeting and killing terror suspects.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/10/17/236372860/report-nsa-plays-crucial-role-in-drone-attacks?ft=1&f=1001
Category: Robinson Cano   Voyager 1   Hyperloop   Dufnering   geraldo rivera  

Scherzer stands between Red Sox and World Series

Boston Red Sox's Jonny Gomes heads to home plate to take batting practice during a team workout at Fenway Park, Friday, Oct. 18, 2013, in Boston. The Red Sox will face the Detroit Tigers in Game 6 of the American League baseball championship series on Saturday. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Red Sox's Jonny Gomes heads to home plate to take batting practice during a team workout at Fenway Park, Friday, Oct. 18, 2013, in Boston. The Red Sox will face the Detroit Tigers in Game 6 of the American League baseball championship series on Saturday. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz laughs as he takes a break from hitting during a baseball workout at Fenway Park, Friday, Oct. 18, 2013, in Boston. The Red Sox are scheduled to host the Detroit Tigers in Game 6 of the American League baseball championship series on Saturday. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Koji Uehara runs next to the warning track during practice at Fenway Park, Friday, Oct. 18, 2013, in Boston. The Red Sox will face the Detroit Tigers in Game 6 of the American League baseball championship series on Saturday. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Clay Buchholz walks off the field after completing his workout at practice at Fenway Park, Friday, Oct. 18, 2013, in Boston. The Red Sox will face the Detroit Tigers in Game 6 of the American League baseball championship series on Saturday. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Koji Uehara, of Japan, throws to teammate Junichi Tazawa during a baseball workout at Fenway Park, Friday, Oct. 18, 2013, in Boston. The Red Sox are scheduled to host the Detroit Tigers in Game 6 of the American League baseball championship series on Saturday. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

BOSTON (AP) — One victory to reach the World Series.

And all that's in Boston's way is 21-game winner Max Scherzer, with Justin Verlander on deck for a seventh game — if it gets that far.

"We all know what we are up against," Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said on Friday after an offday workout to prepare for Game 6 of the AL championship series against the Detroit Tigers. "I expect it's going to be another one of those tough games."

A victory in Game 6 on Saturday would eliminate the defending AL champions and send the Red Sox to their third World Series since 2004. Scherzer will face Boston's Clay Buchholz, a repeat of the Game 2 matchup that the Red Sox won 6-5.

Scherzer took a no-hitter and a 5-0 lead into the sixth inning, but the Red Sox rallied against the Tigers bullpen and tied it on David Ortiz's eighth-inning grand slam. Now at least the Boston batters can say they've seen the likely AL Cy Young winner recently.

But Scherzer has a little more experience against them, too.

"I don't see him making too many adjustments," Saltalamacchia said. "There's not many adjustments he needs to make."

The Red Sox wrapped up a 4-3 victory over Detroit in Game 5 on Thursday night to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. They arrived home early on Friday morning and worked out at Fenway Park in the afternoon.

The Tigers did not work out, instead opting to rest hobbled starters like Miguel Cabrera and Alex Avila, who joined the injured after a home-plate collision with Boston's David Ross in the second inning of Game 5.

"We have to go to Fenway and we have to fight hard enough to win a game," said Cabrera, who has been slowed by a variety of injuries since late in the regular season. "If we do that, we have to keep fighting and get the next one. We've done this before, and we've got great pitchers."

Detroit's starting rotation was its biggest advantage heading into the series, and it has lived up to the hype. Anibal Sanchez, Scherzer and Verlander all took no-hitters into the fifth inning in the first three games, though the Tigers won only one of them.

In all, Detroit's starters had allowed only three runs in 27 innings through the first four games before Mike Napoli's homer keyed a three-run second inning the second time around against Sanchez.

"They were pitching pretty well the first could of games. They shut us down," Napoli said. "It's been a great series all-around. But it's not over yet. We've got to take care of business. We've got Buchholz going, and we've got all the confidence in the world in him."

The Red Sox seem to be getting stronger as the series goes on, but the Tigers are more beaten up with each game.

Avila, who has a history of concussions, was involved in a collision with Ross at the plate that left the Tigers catcher with a sprained left knee. He also took a foul ball — also by Ross — off his mask before leaving the game in the fourth inning.

Leyland said he would wait to see how Avila feels on Saturday before making a decision.

"It will be a big factor, whether he plays or not, it will obviously affect us some," Leyland said. "I don't think there will be anything tricky. It will pretty much be using what we've used the last couple of days, depending on Alex's health."

Leyland did confirm that Jose Iglesias will play shortstop on Saturday. The 23-year-old Cuban started Game 1 before coming in as a substitute in the next two games; he was back in the lineup for Games 4 and 5.

The Red Sox are also turning to a young infielder to boost their offense.

Red Sox manager John Farrell said that Xander Bogaerts, a top prospect who wasn't called up until August, will start at 3B in place of Will Middlebrooks. Middlebrooks started Boston's first eight playoff games but he is batting .174 with nine strikeouts in the postseason, giving way to the rookie in Game 5

"It's definitely special," Bogaerts said. "I want the manager to have confidence in me, especially in the playoffs. Every game is important; every at-bat. It's definitely huge."

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-10-18-BBA-ALCS-Tigers-Red-Sox/id-48fc3814cc4843428b10d5215b2ce4fe
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Clever iOS Game Helps iPhone 5C Case Fulfill Its Connect Four Destiny

Much has been said about the perforated plastic case Apple designed for the iPhone 5C, and very little of it has been positive. But an iOS developer has found the plastic cheese grater's silver lining with an iOS game that turns it into a fairly authentic recreation of Connect Four.

Read more...

Source: http://gizmodo.com/clever-ios-game-helps-iphone-5c-case-fulfill-its-connec-1446274360
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Jeb Bush on Ted Cruz: ''Have a Little Bit of Self-Restraint' (ABC News)

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Sox Vs. Cards: 5 Things To Know About The World Series

Jonny Gomes of the Boston Red Sox celebrates after defeating the Detroit Tigers in Game Six of the American League Championship Series at Fenway Park on Sunday.

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

Jonny Gomes of the Boston Red Sox celebrates after defeating the Detroit Tigers in Game Six of the American League Championship Series at Fenway Park on Sunday.

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

The Boston Red Sox clinched the American League pennant last night during a 5-2 win over the Detroit Tigers in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series.

That means the World Series matchup is set: It'll be the Red Sox vs. the St. Louis Cardinals beginning Wednesday in Boston.

With that, here are five things you should know about the upcoming championship series:

— The Sox have redeemed themselves this year. Last season, they ended in last place with only 69 wins; this season, they clinched the American League East with 97 wins, tying with the Cards for the best season in baseball.

— This will be the first time since the Braves and Yankees played in 1999 that league win leaders will face off in the World Series.

— MLB.com reports that the Cards and Sox have met in the World Series on three previous occasions — in 1946, 1967 and 2004. The first two meetings went to game seven and ended with a Cardinals win.

— As the AP reports, the 2004 series marked the third Series visit for the Sox during the past decade. They steamrolled St. Louis in a four-game sweep and won their first championship since 1918. That said, the two teams have not played each other since 2008.

— The Cardinals are a formidable — and surprising — organization. They have captured four pennants in 10 years and won the World Series in 2006 and 2011, as well as 9 other times in their history. The New York Times reports that it would be easy to say the Cards are the Yankees of the National League. But, they managed their wins without the kind of stars the Yankees have. In fact, the Cardinals "develop names that most have never heard of." So keep an eye out for Carlos Martinez, the 22-year-old reliever who throws 99 mph fastballs and had never played anything above Double-A baseball before this season.

Correction at 1:30 p.m. ET. Teams Have Met Three Times:

An earlier version of this post said the Cardinals and Red Sox had met four times in past World Series. They have, in fact, met three times — in 1946, 1967 and 2004. Also, the Cardinals have won the World Series a total of 11 times, not 12, as originally implied in the math.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/10/20/238309669/sox-vs-cards-5-things-to-know-about-the-world-series?ft=1&f=1001
Tags: constitution day   Manny Diaz   Ncaa Football Scores   phoebe cates   The Dirty  

Berlin museum seeks return of ancient gold tablet

A Holocaust survivor's family urged New York's highest court Tuesday to let them keep an ancient gold tablet that their late father somehow obtained in Germany after World War II.

Attorney Steven Schlesinger argued that the estate of Riven Flamenbaum has a legal claim, whether the native of Poland bought the relic from a Russian soldier or simply took it to compensate for losing his family at Auschwitz, the concentration camp where he spent several years.

"Under the Soviet rules at the time, there was permission to pillage and plunder," Schlesinger said. "My client could have taken it in retribution."

The tablet was in the collection of the Vorderasiatisches Museum, a branch of the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, before the war. The family argued that the museum's failure to reclaim the tablet for 60 years was an unreasonable delay, undercutting its claim. Schlesinger said Flamenbaum had been told by Christie's in 1954 that the small tablet was a fake and kept it at home. It's now in a safety deposit box on Long Island.

Museum attorney Raymond Dowd said the absence of the 3,200-year-old relic was quickly noted by the museum, later reported by scholars and widely known.

"There's no such thing as a right of pillage," Dowd said. "Reparation has nothing to do with this case."

Who gets it is up to New York's Court of Appeals, where the seven judges grilled both lawyers Tuesday. A ruling is expected next month.

The 9.5-gram tablet was excavated a century ago by German archaeologists from the Ishtar Temple in what is now northern Iraq. It went on display in Berlin in 1934, was put in storage as the war began and later disappeared.

"It could fit in the palm of your hand," said Hannah Flamenbaum. "We played with it as children."

Her father met her mother, another Holocaust survivor, at a relocation camp after the war. By his accounts he traded cigarettes or a salami for it. The couple came to the U.S., where her father went to work for a Manhattan liquor store and later bought the store, settling in Brooklyn, raising three children and later moving to Long Island, she said.

"He never tried to sell it. ... This was sort of the legacy of his suffering in the camps," she said. "The thought was if we're allowed to retain it, put it on display in one of the museums, whether down here in Battery Park City in Manhattan or even in Israel. Use it as a way to talk about the Holocaust ... and my parents' story."

According to court documents, the tablet dates to 1243 to 1207 B.C., the reign of King Tukulti-Ninurta I of Assyria. Placed in the foundation of the temple of a fertility goddess, its 21 lines call on those who find the temple to honor the king's name.

The tablet was excavated by German archaeologists from about 1908 to 1914 in what was then the Ottoman Empire, with Germany giving half the found antiquities to Istanbul, Raymond Dowd, the museum's lawyer, said. The modern state of Iraq has declined to claim it, he said.

In 1945, the Berlin museum's premises were overrun, with many items taken by Russia, others by German troops and some pilfered by people who took shelter in the museum, Dowd said. The museum director was not in a position to say who took it, only that it disappeared.

One recent estimate put its value at $10 million, Schlesinger said.

Lower courts in New York were split on the decision, leading to the latest appeal.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/berlin-museum-seeks-return-ancient-143014029.html
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Israel urges powers to be tough in nuclear talks with Iran

By Dan Williams

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel urged world powers that resumed talks with Iran on Tuesday to demand a full rollback of the Iranian nuclear program and not to ease economic sanctions on Tehran prematurely.

A rare statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyau's security cabinet said it had "adopted unanimously" his long-standing call that Iranian uranium enrichment and plutonium facilities be shut down and all fissile material shipped abroad.

"It would be a historic mistake not to take full advantage of the sanctions, by making concessions before ensuring the dismantling of Iran's nuclear weapons program," said the statement, which was issued first in English for foreign consumption. A Hebrew version came out an hour and a half later.

Tehran says its nuclear energy program is focused on generating electricity and other peaceful projects. Netanyahu has pledged that Israel would never allow a nuclear-armed Iran and, hinting at possible military action to prevent such an outcome, has said it is prepared to stand alone.

The two-day Geneva talks between Iran and the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany are widely seen as the best chance in years to end deadlock in a decade-old nuclear dispute that could otherwise kindle a new Middle East war.

Prospects for defusing the stand-off may have risen with the June election of relative moderate Hassan Rouhani as president of the Islamic Republic, replacing a conservative hardliner.

Iran seeks relief from crippling international sanctions. World powers want it to move swiftly to allay concern that the nuclear projects it insists are peaceful mask a drive to get the bomb. Both sides says any deal would be complex and take time.

"These negotiations begin at a time when the Iranian regime is under great pressure because of the sanctions and is desperately trying to have them removed," the seven-minister security cabinet said. "Sanctions must not be eased when they are so close to achieving their intended purpose."

Speaking later in parliament, and marking 40 years since a Middle East War in which Israel was caught by surprise by Egyptian and Syrian forces that pushed into the occupied Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights, Netanyahu said Israel must never again underestimate its enemies nor rule out pre-emptive action.

Sometimes, the right-wing premier said, inaction from fear over how the world would react to Israeli military moves could end up being more costly to Israel down the line.

"A pre-emptive war, and a pre-emptive strike, are among the hardest decisions a government must make because it will never be able to prove what would have happened had it not acted," he said, without mentioning Iran directly.

"COSMETIC CONCESSIONS"

The Israelis accuse Iran of diplomatic stalling while it builds up the capability to produce nuclear weaponry.

"Iran believes it can get by with cosmetic concessions that would not significantly impede its path to developing nuclear weapons, concessions that could be reversed in weeks. In exchange, Iran demands an easing of the sanctions, which have taken years to put in place," the Israeli statement said.

"The international community must reject Iran's attempts to reach a deal that leaves it with the capability to develop nuclear weapons and must insist upon a genuine and sustainable agreement," it added, saying Israel would support such a deal.

Though widely assumed to have the Middle East's atomic arsenal, Israel lacks the conventional forces to deliver lasting damage to Iran's far-flung and well-defended nuclear sites. Washington, while not ruling out last-resort military action, has cautioned its Israeli ally against lashing out unilaterally.

At least one member of the security cabinet, centrist Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, previously objected to Netanyahu's heated rhetoric about the danger of a nuclear-armed Iran.

(Writing by Dan Williams and Ari Rabinovitch, editing by Jeffrey Heller and Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israel-urges-powers-tough-nuclear-talks-iran-140123228.html
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The Last Word In Business

 

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Graham Elliot Talks 'Covert Kitchens,' Pop-up Restaurants and Judging 'MasterChef Junior' Kids

Courtesy of Spike TV/Shine America

Graham Elliot

Chef Graham Elliot has a full plate.

He's not only judging Fox's MasterChef Junior but also gearing up for the debut of his new Spike TV special, Covert Kitchens, and the return of MasterChef.

PHOTOS: Hollywood Power Players Choose Their Favorite Chefs

In Covert Kitchens, he gives chefs 36 hours and $3.600 to come up with a pop-up restaurant from scratch -- in such unconventional locations as an auto body shop. Elliot serves as a mentor to the aspiring chefs, guiding them through their menu and concept and taste-testing everything along the way, while chefs Nancy Silverton, Michael Voltaggio and John Shook serve as judges.

Elliot recently gave The Hollywood Reporter a preview of what's to come on all of his shows.

What can you tell us about Covert Kitchens?

The idea is giving an up-and-coming chef an opportunity to show what they can do by kind of going off the grid and, with 3,600 bucks and 36 hours, transform a space into a fully functioning restaurant. In the end, they have to cook a multicourse menu for 50 or so people -- bloggers and who's who in the city and chefs who can help their career. It's an exciting and fun show; I don't think anything is on TV like it now. What happens is one of the chefs or two of chef or three will be able to offer the team a job and with that help them on their culinary journey.

What kind of locations will these chefs be dealing with?

The first one is in an auto body shop in East L.A. You'll be seeing someone cook on the hood of a Camaro and using blow torches. We also could do a tattoo parlor or an abandoned railroad car.

How popular are these pop-up restaurants?

[Many] chefs are not able to invest a million dollars into a bricks-and-mortar restaurant. This is how they can show everything they can do, and do it on the fly and cheap. These pop-up places exist for one night only. The word gets out via social media and people show up on the spot. From food trucks to pop-up restaurants to covert-style kitchens, this is a rebellious way to cook. As people are [getting into] cooking younger and younger, it's very similar to music -- you're going to see a lot of people going this route.

Have you done one of these yourself?

We've done certain things where we put up a restaurant for two or three days. You're dealing with all kinds of things, like maybe the water doesn't work or you think it will be this many [patrons] and it's double that amount. It's exciting but it makes you pull your hair out. You really do only have that much money to design [the space] and pay for the staff and get food and ingredients.

STORY: CBS Dramas, 'MasterChef Junior' and 'Shark Tank' Top Friday

What happens if a chef can't meet the 36-hour deadline?

I haven't run into that issue, but I'd still find a way to encourage them to stick with cooking and find a way to get better next time.

What's your role on the show?

I’m not telling them what to do, but what I'd do in a situation. "Don't be too ambitious; [create] soup instead." I'm giving guidance, so I'm focused probably a little more -- not stern, but focused on pushing them to get it done. I still get to be myself, but it's a lot more pressure, so I'm pushing them to make things happen.

How does this role differ than what you do on MasterChef?

I think in MasterChef, there's more time to critique and go over how to make things better. In this show, the clock is constantly ticking.

How has it been working with the kids on MasterChef Junior?

The kids are awesome. They are super inspiring. Kids are open-minded and innocent and haven't been conditioned to cook a certain way, if their mom or grandmother did things a certain way. They try new things and are excited instead of being scared or intimidated.

How did you changing your judging style to work with the kids?

Between [fellow judges] Joe [Bastianich], Gordon [Ramsay] and I, we have 10 kids of our own. We went into this looking to be coaches and mentors and push the kids along no matter what. [To encourage them to] stick with cooking as a creative outlet. No yelling but a lot of laughing and show how food is a universal language.

What can you reveal about what's ahead the rest of the season?

The most important thing is the restaurant takeover. You'll see these kids cooking for a dining room full of patrons. In the end, they get to see who's cooking, and people are tearing up and just can't believe that it's kids doing good food. It's really emotional.

Why do you think cooking shows are so popular?

Because it's something that everybody does. Lots of people are cooking. [There's also] this kind of hipsterization of food, where people put photos on Twitter and Instagram. They show the different things they are making. It's very in vogue right now.

Do you think there is a limit to how many cooking shows can be on TV at any one time?

Yeah, but in the end, the viewers are the ones that dictate it. Crappy food shows get booted, and the ones they like grow and continue. I'm glad to be part of one that resonates with viewers.

Covert Kitchens airs at 11 p.m. ET on Sunday on Spike TV, while MasterChef Junior airs at 8 p.m. Fridays on Fox. Meanwhile, casting for MasterChef is under way, hitting Chicago on Saturday. All three series are produced by Shine America.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thr/television/~3/ESoQJtTQ-UY/story01.htm
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Vols top No. 11 South Carolina 23-21 on final play

Tennessee kicker Michael Palardy (1) and wide receiver Tyler Drummer (3) celebrate their 23-21 victory over South Carolina after Palardy kick the game-winning field goal as time expired in an NCAA college football game against South Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013, in Knoxville, Tenn. Tennessse won 23-21. aSouth Carolina cornerback Victor Hampton (27) walks off the field. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

Tennessee kicker Michael Palardy (1) and wide receiver Tyler Drummer (3) celebrate their 23-21 victory over South Carolina after Palardy kick the game-winning field goal as time expired in an NCAA college football game against South Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013, in Knoxville, Tenn. Tennessse won 23-21. aSouth Carolina cornerback Victor Hampton (27) walks off the field. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

Tennessee linebacker Raiques Crump (40), defensive back Michael F. Williams, center, and linebacker John Propst (47) celebrate with fans after their 23-21 victory over South Carolina in an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013 in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

Tennessee kicker Michael Palardy (1) kicks a field goal as time expires in the fourth quarter to give his team a 23-21 victory over South Carolina in an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013 in Knoxville, Tenn. Tennessee wide receiver Tyler Drummer (3) is holding. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

Tennessee wide receiver Marquez North (8) makes a one-handed catch as he's defended by South Carolina cornerback Ahmad Christian (4) in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013 in Knoxville, Tenn. The catch set up the game-winning field goal and Tennessee won 23-21. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw (14) throws to a receiver as he's pressured by Tennessee defensive lineman Jacques Smith (55) in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Michael Palardy lived up to his word.

Palardy made a 19-yard field goal as time expired Saturday for a 23-21 victory over No. 11 South Carolina that ended the Volunteers' 19-game losing streak against ranked opponents. Palardy had predicted such a scenario a day earlier in a conversation with Tennessee coach Butch Jones.

"I said, 'You've got the game-winner tomorrow, right?'" Jones said. "And he said, 'I got you, Coach.'"

The loss may have proved doubly painful for South Carolina, which had a four-game winning streak snapped. Quarterback Connor Shaw left the game after being sacked by Marlon Walls and Daniel McCullers with less than five minutes remaining. South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said afterward that Shaw had a sprained knee.

"I think he sort of got tackled on it," Spurrier said. "It collapsed under him, he said."

Tennessee (4-3, 1-2 SEC) got into field-goal range on a spectacular 39-yard catch by freshman Marquez North, who snared the ball with his left hand at the South Carolina 26 while being closely covered by cornerback Ahmad Christian down the left sideline. Four consecutive runs by Marlin Lane got the Vols to the South Carolina 2 and set up the field goal.

Palardy celebrated his game-winning kick by racing to join his teammates on the sideline closest to the Tennessee locker room, where they gathered to celebrate at about the 15-yard line. They later ran to the other side of the field to celebrate with Tennessee's band and students.

Tennessee coach Butch Jones chest-bumped athletic director Dave Hart on his way off the field.

"It meant everything, to be honest with you," Palardy said. "It's been a long time coming."

Mike Davis rushed for 137 yards and a touchdown for South Carolina (5-2, 3-2), which erased a 17-7 halftime deficit before falling. Shaw had a touchdown run and a touchdown pass, though he also was 7 of 21 and threw his first interception of the season, ending a string of 177 consecutive passes without getting picked off.

"They came out, played fast, did the things we expect them to do," Davis said. "We just didn't execute."

Tennessee hadn't beaten a ranked foe since a 31-13 victory over No. 21 South Carolina on Oct. 31, 2009. But on a day when hundreds of former Volunteers joined the team Saturday in running onto Neyland Stadium, Tennessee finally started playing like the Vols of old.

About 250 former Tennessee players, including All-Pro selections Al Wilson and Jamal Lewis, joined the team in going through the "T'' and onto the playing field before the game.

"I was shaking all those guys' hands earlier and told them, 'We've got your back,'" Tennessee offensive tackle Antonio "Tiny" Richardson said. "We're trying to get Tennessee back to where it needs to be. I think we took the first step to getting there."

The presence of all those former Vols seemed to inspire Tennessee.

Tennessee took a 3-0 lead on a 37-yard field goal that was set up by a targeting penalty on South Carolina safety Kadetrix Marcus that resulted in his ejection. Marcus had hit Alton "Pig" Howard at the end of a 12-yard reception.

After Shaw's 76-yard touchdown pass to Damiere Byrd put South Carolina ahead 7-3 on the first play of the second quarter, Tennessee reached the end zone on its next two series. Justin Worley threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Howard and Rajion Neal added a 5-yard touchdown run.

"It's ultimately a matter of belief," Jones said. "I thought our team took a valuable step forward two weeks ago. It was gut-wrenching, but also our kids believed and they built confidence. Confidence is a powerful thing. Belief is a powerful thing. We've pointed to this game for a long period of time."

South Carolina regained the momentum after a gutsy fourth-down call.

Shaw scrambled 9 yards for the first down on fourth-and-8 from the Tennessee 45. Shaw capped the drive by pitching right to Davis on third-and-6 for a 21-yard touchdown.

After Palardy's 46-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide left on Tennessee's next possession, South Carolina grabbed a 21-17 lead Shaw's 1-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.

Tennessee cut the lead to 21-20 with 10:11 remaining on Palardy's 33-yard field goal, which was set up by North's leaping 48-yard reception. But the Vols stalled after reaching South Carolina territory on their next two possessions.

South Carolina, which has gone 6 of 6 on fourth-down conversions over the last two weeks, considered trying to put away the game with one more fourth-down attempt. South Carolina faced fourth-and-2 from its own 26 with about three minutes left when Spurrier kept his offense on the field and called two straight timeouts before finally opting to punt.

"We were thinking about going for it," Spurrier said. "We went up there and if it looked good, we were thinking about going for it. Then, the second time, they actually changed their defense a little bit. We thought we had a little bit of a hole there. ... But looking back, I always tell myself to go for those."

That punt set the stage for Palardy to reward Jones' faith in him.

"He tells me every day to visualize a game-winning kick because sooner or later it would come down to it," Palardy said. "Sure enough, he was right."

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-10-19-FBC-T25-South-Carolina-Tennessee/id-af596e0c847f4c0187283eeb209c531d
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