So who goes: Bobby Valentine, or Red Sox players?

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So who goes: Bobby Valentine, or Red Sox players?

Aug 15, 2012
By Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY
Two seasons stick out on Bobby Valentine's managing resume.

His only two postseason appearances came in 1999 and 2000 with the Mets. He's managed three major league franchises and only with the Mets does he have a winning record. Valentine has more winning seasons than not, but never has won a division title.
Right now, making the playoffs is a more difficult challenge than getting over .500 for the Red Sox, but the degree of difficulty for both increased with Tuesday's reports that some players told ownership they couldn't play for him.

MORE: Players vs. Valentine

Manufacturing In New York Area Unexpectedly Shrank In August

Manufacturing In New York Area Unexpectedly Shrank In August

By Caroline Fairchild - Aug 15, 2012
Manufacturing in the New York area unexpectedly contracted in August for the first time in 10 months, indicating U.S. factories are burdened by the global economic slowdown.
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s general economic index fell to minus 5.9 this month from 7.4 in July. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists was 7.0. Readings less than zero signal contraction in the so-called Empire State Index, which covers New York, northern New Jersey and southern Connecticut.

James puts a lighthearted slant on Einstein's genius

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James puts a lighthearted slant on Einstein's genius

August 14, 2012

By thisiscornwall.co.uk

Anyone who found schooling a trial will be encouraged to know that Albert Einstein did too. In fact this German-born Nobel Prize winner, whose name has become synonymous with genius, felt so out of place in an academic institution that he left at 15 with no formal qualifications.

Considered one of the great scientific brains of the modern world, young Albert didn't talk until he was five either – but suddenly burst out into full sentences as if waiting until he had something weighty to say. He did. Einstein's most singular talent was cogitating upon the big questions – time,

Mating with Neanderthals is off-again, on-again

Mating with Neanderthals is off-again, on-again

By JOHN TIMMER
2012/8/14

One of the odd aspects of scientific peer review is that, because it's handled anonymously, you sometimes have no idea someone else is working on the same problem, preparing a paper at the same time. That seems to have been the case with a couple of papers that have appeared online over the last couple of days on the subject of what our ancestors may or may not have done with Neanderthals.

Mutated butterflies found near Fukushima

Mutated butterflies found near Fukushima

20123/8/14

By chron.com

Researchers found dozens of mutated butterflies near the site of the nuclear accident in Fukushima, prompting officials to say it’s the first sign of damage to the ecosystem.

According to NBC News, researcher Joji Otaki of the University of Ryukyus found mutation in roughly 12 percent of 144 commonly-found pale grass blue butterflies collected two months after the March 2011 disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

Even more alarming, researcher said the mutation increased to 28 percent six months later and more than 50 percent of the offspring showed some signs of mutation.

Researchers said the butterflies has disfigured antennas, smaller-sized wings, indented eyes and different color patterns, NBC News reported.

Usain Bolt refuses to race in UK until tax laws are changed

Usain Bolt refuses to race in UK until tax laws are changed

Triple London 2012 Olympic champion Usain Bolt has refused to compete in the UK again until the country changes its tax laws.
By Andrew 14 Aug 2012

The sprinter, who won gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay at the Games in London, objects to a law that sees him taxed on global sponsorship and endorsement earnings as well as any appearance fee - levied at the 50pc higher earning rate - when he competes in Britain.
And despite setting a new world record during the Olympics, the 25 year-old, who earns an estimated

Pesky was the Heart of Red Sox Nation: A Fan’s Take

Pesky was the Heart of Red Sox Nation: A Fan’s Take

By Rick Blaine | Yahoo! Contributor Network
2012/8/14
I first met Johnny Pesky when I was five years old, and he was traveling through New England in the winter with a couple of players to promote the upcoming Boston Red Sox season. Back in those days, teams used these winter caravans to generate excitement among the fans and to sell tickets. This was before the Red Sox captured fans' hearts with the 1967 Impossible Dream team; before the World Series drought ended; before every game at Fenway Park was automatically sold out.
My father took me to the local Elks club that day to meet Pesky, whom he had watched play for the Red Sox in his own youth, when Pesky was a teammate of the great Ted Williams and Boston was battling the New York Yankees for the pennant each season.
Years later, at a spring training game in Florida, I introduced my own son to Pesky. As he had been

Taylor Swift announces new album and single

Taylor Swift announces new album and single

August 14, 2012
(CBS/AP) Taylor Swift announced that she will be releasing her fourth studio album called "Red" on Oct. 22.

The announcement came during a live web chat from Nashville, Tenn., on Monday before a living room full of fans. She said she named it "Red" because of all the different emotions she explores on the album.

Pictures: Taylor Swift

"They're all pretty much about the kind of tumultuous, crazy, insane, intense, semi-toxic relationships that I've experienced in the last two years," she said of the

Mercedes, Lexus, Audi Sedans Earn Poor Crash-Test Ratings

Mercedes, Lexus, Audi Sedans Earn Poor Crash-Test Ratings

By Angela Greiling Keane on August 14, 2012
Most mid-sized luxury cars scored “marginal” or “poor” in an insurance industry group’s new frontal-crash test that differs from the U.S. government’s tests and simulates a particularly deadly type of accident.

Of the 11 models the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tested, only the Volvo Car Corp. S60 and Honda Motor Co.’s Acura TL earned “good” ratings in a test simulating a so-called small-overlap crash, in which the front corner of a car hits a tree, utility pole or another vehicle. The Nissan Motor Co. Infiniti G scored “acceptable.” Volvo is owned by China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co.

7-inch Tablet Wars: How Low Can Prices Go?

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7-inch Tablet Wars: How Low Can Prices Go?

By JARED NEWMAN | @OneJaredNewman | August 14, 2012

The low-end of the tablet market keeps getting more interesting, as device makers scramble to lure people in with cheap hardware.

The latest move comes from Barnes & Noble, which over the weekend slashed prices across its Nook tablet line:

Retail Sales In U.S. Probably Rose First Time In Four Months

Retail Sales In U.S. Probably Rose First Time In Four Months

By Alex Kowalski - Aug 14, 2012

Retail sales in the U.S. probably rose in July for the first time in four months, alleviating concern that the expansion was foundering, economists said before a report today.
The 0.3 percent increase in purchases would follow a 0.5 percent drop in June, according to the median forecast of 85 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. Another report may show prices

Groupon slumps on weak Europe, slowing daily deals business

Groupon slumps on weak Europe, slowing daily deals business

Tue Aug 14, 2012 8:43am EDT
(Reuters) - Shares of Groupon Inc (GRPN.O) looked set to open down 20 percent on Tuesday, after the company's quarterly revenue missed Wall Street estimates on a weak European economy and its high-margin daily deal business slowed.
At least two brokerages downgraded the company's stock and four others cut their price targets.

Groupon is one among several high-profile Internet companies such as Facebook Inc (FB.O) and Zynga Inc (ZNGA.O) that has continued to disappoint investors after raising expectations during their market debuts.

Egypt's Mursi seizes early chance to take on army

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Egypt's Mursi seizes early chance to take on army

By Edmund Blair and Yasmine Saleh
CAIRO | Tue Aug 14, 2012
(Reuters) - A blunder by the Egyptian army that left 16 border guards dead at the hands of Islamist militants gave President Mohamed Mursi an unexpectedly early chance to claw back powers from a military whose political influence he had always wanted to restrict.
A week after the raid on Egypt's Sinai border that outraged ordinary Egyptians and some soldiers, angry at what they saw as a failure in military leadership, Mursi on Sunday dismissed the country's

Robert Pattinson given ice cream on "The Daily Show"

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Robert Pattinson given ice cream on "The Daily Show"

August 14, 2012
(CBS/AP) Robert Pattinson returned to the spotlight Monday night with an appearance on "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," where he was offered some ice cream in light of his recent break up.
Pictures: Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart
Pictures: Robert Pattinson
Pictures: Kristen Stewart
The 26-year-old actor has been out of sight since learning last month that his girlfriend and "Twilight" co-star Kristen Stewart had an affair with married movie director Rupert Sanders. A tabloid printed photos of the illicit dalliance, breaking the hearts of "Twilight" fans worldwide and prompting Stewart and the director to issue public apologies to their loved ones.

But Pattinson couldn't lay low forever - he has a film to promote, the thriller "Cosmopolis."

Chad Johnson, Evelyn Lozada's VH1 Show Canceled

Chad Johnson, Evelyn Lozada's VH1 Show Canceled

Published August 14, 2012
Fox News Latino
In the course of the last four days NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson has been arrested, lost his job, and now - his reality TV show.
Johnson's downfall began Saturday night when he was arrested and spent Saturday night in jail after allegedly head butting his reality star wife, Evelyn Lozada.
For Johnson, a weekend confrontation with his wife has led to repercussions beyond a misdemeanor charge and NFL unemployment.
VH1 pulled from its schedule the reality series ''Ev and Ocho,'' starring newlyweds Johnson - formerly known as Chad Ochocinco - and Lozada. The network announced the move Monday, citing ''the

Global Recession: Only Time Can Heal the Economy, Says Gary Shilling

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Global Recession: Only Time Can Heal the Economy, Says Gary Shilling

By Bernice Napach | Daily Ticker
2012/8/13
More than two years before the housing bubble burst in 2006, economist Gary Shilling warned that subprime loans were probably "the greatest financial problem" for the future U.S. economy. In 2007 he said "housing would sink the economy," and a year after that he warned of a "serious recession" that would consume most of 2008. He was right every single time.
Now Shilling says a new recession has begun in the U.S. — in the second quarter — following on the heels of the recession in Europe. He says the current recession is different from previous ones because it wasn't caused by rising rates or another housing downturn but rather a drop in consumer spending due to a weak job market.

GM recalls over 38,000 police Impalas in North America

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GM recalls over 38,000 police Impalas in North America

2012/8/13
(Reuters) - General Motors Co (GM) is recalling more than 38,000 Chevrolet Impala police cars in North America because the lower front control arms could fracture, increasing the risk of crash.
The recall, which does not affect non-police versions of the Impala, covers 36,413 cars in the United States and 1,713 in Canada, according to GM and documents filed with the National

Miley Cyrus Chops Off Her Hair!

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Miley Cyrus Chops Off Her Hair!

08/13/2012
By stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com
For once … we’re speechless!
Miley Cyrus chopped off her hair Sunday night, documenting the cut in what started as a series of somewhat cryptic Tweets.

After posting a photo of stylist Chris McMillan about to cut off her very blonde bun, the singer wrote, “it’s happening,” followed by, “if you don’t have something nice to say don’t say anything at all. my hair is attached to my head no one else’s and it’s going bye bye.” Five hours later, the deed was done.

“Never felt more me in my whole life,” the bride-to-be wrote, after posting some shots of her sleek new pixie ‘do. “LOVE my hair. feel so happy,

Jennifer Aniston Engaged To Justin Theroux

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Jennifer Aniston Engaged To Justin Theroux

Theroux popped the question to his 'Wanderlust' co-star on his birthday on Friday.
By Jocelyn Vena
Aug 13 2012
Jennifer Aniston and her beau, fellow actor and screenwriter Justin Theroux, are officially engaged.

His rep confirmed the news to People in a statement, "Justin Theroux had an amazing birthday on Friday, receiving an extraordinary gift when his girlfriend, Jennifer Aniston, accepted his proposal of marriage."

They sparked engagement rumors in March when Aniston was spotted in New York City wearing what looked to be a shiny piece of jewelry on her ring finger.

'Bourne' Dethrones Batman As #1 Movie At Box Office

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'Bourne' Dethrones Batman As #1 Movie At Box Office

Jeremy Renner-led 'Bourne Legacy' ends three-week reign of 'Dark Knight Rises' with a $40.3 million debut.
By Ryan J. Downey
Aug 13 2012
Despite losing series star Matt Damon, the "Bourne" franchise was powerful enough to dethrone three-time champion "The Dark Knight Rises" at the box office. With Jeremy Renner in the lead role, "The Bourne Legacy"took in $40.3 million over the weekend to become the #1 movie in America.

App.net hits $500,000 target: now can it rival Twitter with a paid-for service?

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App.net hits $500,000 target: now can it rival Twitter with a paid-for service?

Dalton Caldwell reckons that people will pay for an ad-free real-time social networking service - and now has half a million dollars' funds to prove it, from around 10,000 users. Next: winning in the attention economy
13 August 2012
By guardian.co.uk
Would you pay to use Twitter? A service called App.net has just indicated that at least some people would, by hitting a target of raising $500,000 in funding from individuals paying $50, $100 or $1000 to set up a Twitter clone where "users and developers come first, not advertisers".

The brainchild of Dalton Caldwell, a San Francisco-based developer who was one of the people behind the "web 2.0" resurgence in 2006, the scheme hit its target funding on Sunday evening more than a day ahead of its deadline. At the time of writing 7,448 people are offering to pay the base $50 level for access to post to the service, 2,010 paying $100 to be developers with access to back-end functionality, and 59

Sarah Palin won’t speak at Republican National Convention

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Sarah Palin won’t speak at Republican National Convention

Palin, 2008’s fiery Republican vice presidential nominee and Tea Party favorite, may not even attend the Tampa event, party boss Reince Priebus says.
BY KRISTEN A. LEE / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2012
It’s official: Sarah Palin will not be bringing her brand of political red meat to the Republican National Convention this month.
“Everything I said at the 2008 convention about then-candidate Obama still stands today,” she told Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren. “This year is a good opportunity for other voices to speak at the convention and I’m excited to hear them.”

Japan GDP Points to Shaky Recovery

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Japan GDP Points to Shaky Recovery

By TAKASHI NAKAMICHI
August 13, 2012
TOKYO—The Japanese economy slowed more sharply than expected in the April-June quarter as exports and consumer spending lost steam, raising the specter of further deceleration for the rest of this year.

Japan had stellar growth in the first quarter on stepped-up government spending on rebuilding in areas battered by the March 2011 earthquake and incentives to boost sales of fuel-efficient vehicles.

Norway Needs Urgent Fix in Terror Preparedness, Commission Says

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Norway Needs Urgent Fix in Terror Preparedness, Commission Says

By Josiane Kremer on August 13, 2012
Norway needs to make a number of urgent changes in its ability to respond to terror attacks, said Alexandra Bech Gjoerv, head of the commission in charge of reviewing the response to last year’s twin attacks.

The group’s review found “large weaknesses” and agreed on six main findings, she said today as she handed the July 22 Commission report to Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. The 10- person group is headed by lawyer and former Statoil ASA executive Gjoerv and also includes the former head of the Norwegian Intelligence Service, academics, executives as well as police officials from neighboring Denmark and Finland.

The report is “very important” because it will give us common knowledge of what happened and will

Google to Cut 20% of Motorola's Staff

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Google to Cut 20% of Motorola's Staff

August 13, 2012
By SAABIRA CHAUDHURI

Google Inc. GOOG is cutting about 20% of Motorola Mobility's workforce, a move the company said is designed to return its mobile-devices unit to profitability after it lost money in fourteen of the last sixteen quarters.

Motorola will shave 4,000 positions of a total of about 20,000. Two-thirds of the reductions will take

Obama seizes lead in race to define Romney

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Obama seizes lead in race to define Romney

Obama ads trashing Romney's work at Bain Capital and his tax record undermine the image the Republican wants voters to see.

By Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times
August 13, 2012

Hours after revealing his choice of Rep. Paul D. Ryan as his running mate, Mitt Romney slammed President Obama for running his reelection campaign "down in the dirt." The race, he said, could now focus on serious issues.

By selecting the Wisconsin congressman, who leads the Republican Party's drive for tax cuts for all — including the wealthiest — and dramatic spending reductions, Romney ensured a robust debate on sharply contrasting visions for America's future.

Olympics: Usain Bolt-led Jamaica sets Olympic record in winning 4x100-meter relay By Elliott Almond

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Olympics: Usain Bolt-led Jamaica sets Olympic record in winning 4x100-meter relay

By Elliott Almond

ealmond@mercurynews.com
Posted: 08/11/2012
LONDON -- The incomparable Usain Bolt added an exclamation point to the London Games on Saturday night with an explosive final leg in the 4x100-meter relay to lead Jamaica to a world-record victory over the United States.
As soon as Bolt blazed across the finish line with his third gold medal of the 2012 Summer Olympics, the fun was about to begin.