Vick's downfall has been startling

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It was 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 14, 2009, and Katie Couric opened up the nightly national news with these words:

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?We begin tonight with the return of a fallen sports star. Michael Vick returned to the NFL today, joining a new team, the Philadelphia Eagles. Two years ago, he was one of the league?s brightest stars, with the biggest contract, before losing it all when he was convicted of running a dogfighting ring. Now out of prison, he?s trying to turn his life around.?

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The start of Michael Vick?s Eagles career was the biggest story in the United States that day.

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The end of Michael Vick?s Eagles career -- at least the likely end of it -- wasn?t even the biggest Eagles story on Monday. That honor went to Jim Washburn?s firing.

In the span of 40 months, Vick has gone from the biggest story in the country to a sidebar on his own team.

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Head coach Andy Reid?s announcement that rookie Nick Foles will start at quarterback the rest of the year, even when Vick is fully recovered from his concussion, quietly marked the likely end of Vick?s stay in Philadelphia.

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There?s still a chance Vick will play again in an Eagles uniform. Reid said that when Vick does clear his concussion test and return to action, he?ll likely be No. 2, ahead of Trent Edwards, so if Foles gets hurt after Vick comes back, Vick could quarterback the Eagles at some point in the last four games of a disastrous season.

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And it is conceivable that if Foles struggles the rest of the year, whoever?s coaching the Eagles next year -- whether it?s a new coach or in the unlikely event it?s Reid -- could decide that a 33-year-old Vick is the Eagles? best quarterback option, likely at a reduced rate than the $16.5 million he?s owed for 2013.

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But the Eagles do have an escape hatch from Vick?s $100 million contract, which has four years at $62.5 million remaining after this season, including a base salary of $15.5 million in 2013. If the Eagles release Vick once the season ends in a month, they will owe him just $3 million.

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So what is the takeaway from Vick?s four-year stay in Philadelphia?

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Mixed.

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On the one hand, this is where Vick was able to re-establish himself in the NFL and in the community following his prison stay. He?s been a model citizen since signing with the Eagles in the summer of 2009 -- cooperative with the media, active in the community, a supportive teammate, a reclusive family man.

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On the field?

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Vick won eight of his first 10 starts after replacing Kevin Kolb early in 2010, but since then he?s just 10-14, leaving him 18-16 as an Eagles quarterback, barely over .500. The only quarterback to start more than 10 games in an Eagles uniform the last 25 years and have a worse record is Ty Detmer, who went 9-9 in 1996 and 1997.

After his spectacular start, things started to turn for Vick Christmas week in 2010.

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As Vick prepared to face the Vikings on Dec. 26, these were his stats: 63 percent completion percentage with 20 touchdowns, five interceptions and a 103.6 passer rating.

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Then the Vikings game was postponed a couple days by a blizzard, Leslie Frazier and the Vikings provided the rest of the league a blueprint to neutralize Vick with a ferocious attack of blitzes, and the Vikings stunned the Eagles, 24-14.

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And Vick was never really a special player again.

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A few weeks later, with a chance to beat the Super Bowl-bound Packers in the Eagles? only home playoff game in the last six years, he threw a terrible game-ending end zone interception on first down, then he lost six of his first nine starts last year and six of nine starts this year before suffering a concussion against the Cowboys on Nov. 11.

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He?s missed the last three games of this lost season and has now missed nine starts since he replaced Kolb early in 2010.

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And in 24 games since that 8-2 start, these are Vick?s numbers: 54 percent completion percentage with 31 touchdowns, 25 interceptions and a 77.3 passer rating.

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Vick didn?t throw an interception in his first seven games with the Eagles. Since then, he?s thrown 30 in 28 games.

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His 103.6 passer rating the first 14 weeks of 2010 was third-best among all NFL quarterbacks, behind only Tom Brady and Phillip Rivers.

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His 77.3 rating since the Vikings game in 2010 is 28th-best among NFL quarterbacks during that span.

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Most importantly, his 10 wins over the past two years are only 19th-most in the league.

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Average. At best.

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Curiously, Vick?s overall stats since he got to Philly compare quite favorably with other Eagles quarterbacks, thanks to the overwhelming numbers he put up in his 2010 Pro Bowl season.

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His 88.4 passer rating is highest in franchise history, breaking the record of 86.5 set from 1999 through 2009 by his former teammate, Donovan McNabb.

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His 51 touchdown passes are actually sixth-most ever, behind McNabb (216), Ron Jaworski (175), Randall Cunningham (150), Norm Snead (111) and Sonny Jurgensen (70), and he?s also sixth in passing yards, behind the same five guys.

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Vick is also third in career completion percentage at 60.2 percent, behind Kolb (60.8) and Bubby Brister (60.3).

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Vick is one of only eight quarterbacks in the franchise?s 80-year history to lead the Eagles to the playoffs, and his 95.1 career postseason passer rating -- boosted by a 76-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin on a trick play in 2009 -- is second to Rodney Peete on the all-time Eagles? postseason list.

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Incredibly, Vick is also in the all-time Eagles? top-20 list in rushing with 1,667 yards and 17th with 13 rushing touchdowns, and his 6.5 per-carry average is second-best in Eagles history, behind only Cunningham, who averaged 6.6.

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But ultimately, barring a surprise return to action and a change in fortune, Vick?s Eagles years will be remembered as largely disappointing ones.

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Vick was a three-year starter without a playoff win to his name, and the only other Eagles quarterbacks to start eight or more games three straight years without delivering at least one postseason victory since 1945 are Snead, Jurgensen and Roman Gabriel, all in the 1960s and 1970s.

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Vick gave us 2? months of thrills and a few other scattered moments of brilliance, including a season-ending four-game winning streak last year and last-minute comebacks this September against the Browns and Ravens.

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But there were too many fumbles at crucial points, too many interceptions with the game on the line, too many costly mistakes when just one more big play would have won the game.

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Would things have been different if Vick had a more consistent offensive line, a respectable defense, and an offensive coordinator who made more of a commitment to the running game?

Maybe. But it?s too late to wonder what if.?

Vick was briefly a superstar, briefly on top of the world. But his moment was fleeting. The Eagles were a home win over a 5-9 Vikings team away from a likely first-round bye two years ago this month, but Joe Webb was better than Vick that day, and Vick has won 10 of 24 starts since.

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Ultimately, Vick?s Eagles career will go down in the books as one that brought tons of excitement, numerous brilliant plays, unforgettable electrifying runs and boundless promise.

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For a while, he gave us hope. But in the end, he gave us little else.

Source: http://www.csnphilly.com/12/05/12/After-hot-start-Vicks-time-as-an-Eagle-d/nbcsportseagles.html?blockID=810079&feedID=692

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Android 4.1.2 update ready for global Galaxy S3, multi-view and other features included

Android Central

International S3 gets full-screen multi-tasking and a slew of other features in latest update

It's early December, and as rumored, the Android 4.1.2 update has started rolling out on international Galaxy S3 phones (HSPA+ version, GT-i9300), starting with devices in Poland. But there's more to this update than the minor change in OS version would indicate. As was also rumored, the new update adds the "multi-view" multitasking feature that originally made its debut on the Galaxy Note 2. Multi-view allows you to hold down the back key to bring up a multi-tasking menu, then partition your screen in two in order to run two apps on-screen at the same time.

Also new is "page buddy." which adds additional context-sensitive home screen pages that activate when you've got headphones connected, or if you're roaming overseas. There's also a redesigned gallery app -- again, from the Note 2 -- and a customizable notification panel. The Paper Artist app from the Galaxy Note 2 is included too, in addition to Group Cast for media sharing.

Smart rotation from the Galaxy Note 2 has also made it across, and the Samsung keyboard has been upgraded too. We've can't yet confirm whether it's the same SwiftKey-based keyboard that's found on the Note 2, but given that just about every other Note 2 feature is present and accounted for, it's pretty likely that's exactly what it is.

So there's a lot of new stuff for Galaxy S3 owners to get stuck into. Kudos to Samsung for porting these new features back to the S3. SamMobile has a direct download for the Polish version of this update already; other territories should start to get this update over-the-air and through Kies in the coming days and weeks.

If you're curious about multi-view, we've embedded our quick video walkthrough on the Note 2 after the break.

Source: SamMobile

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/0jVqS5j1y3w/story01.htm

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Patent Pooling Is an Effective Tool for IP Monetization | IPWatchdog ...

The U.S. patent system has garnered a lot of attention over the past several months, much of it a negative portrayal of patents as a tool more likely to stifle than protect innovation?and much of that sentiment stemming from Apple?s recent legal triumph over Samsung.

As the larger business, government and societal debates continue relative to the future role and efficacy of the patent system, it?s worth taking a moment to remind ourselves that product and technology licensing is not anathema to the qualities of fairness and transparency.

Patent pooling is one example of a proven, effective tool that is helping industry better manage its licensing programs. By ?pooling? patents from many license holders, licensors generally are able to lower transaction costs and administrative overhead, and benefit from a centralized model that encourages patent bundling and fair play. Licensees likewise enjoy advantages in the form of lower royalty fees and a single point of contact that eliminates the need to negotiate separately with multiple license holders.

One-Blue, LLC, officially launched its patent pool in July 2011 as the one-stop-shop licensing agent for the Blu-ray Disc? (BD) industry. Representing 15 licensors from among the world?s global consumer electronics manufacturers, One-Blue operates a pool of more than 10,000 essential BD patents and to date has executed 72 Registration and/or License Agreements.? As our efforts have unfolded we have learned a number of important lessons that to us clearly demonstrate we have delivered upon our promise to promote a level playing field and foster innovation by instituting a per batch licensing process and by delivering upon our promise to enforce non-compliance.

Of course, there have been critics of patent pooling in the past, sometimes identifying what could be considered objective hurdles to the model. These business concerns, which center around monetization of patents in a timely way, largely relate to the mechanics of licensing and avoiding the free-rider problem, which unfortunately is a problem with so many collaborative business models.

To address the criticisms of patent pooling we have taken what we believe to be a unique approach.? In administering this pool, we have instituted a number of ?best practices? that we believe could (and probably should) be applied with equal success to other industries, from smartphones and computers to biotechnology. By adhering to these practices we believe that companies can ensure that their patent pools are fairly governed, cost-optimized and able to take swift enforcement action when required.

Enforcement: In the event an action is warranted, all members of the pool agree to participate by making their patents available for enforcement actions. This prevents some members from opting out of patent enforcement, while at the same time enjoying the pool?s benefits.

Per-batch licensing: Each product shipment carries licensing documentation and registration logos with serial numbers that can be verified by customs officials, distributors and retailers. This avoids cases where a company signs a license agreement but then fails to abide by its terms, which ultimately increases the cost of business for all other parties. While per-batch licensing may seem like an extra step, it ensures that royalties are applied only to the products shipped?not to the company itself.

Pre-netting: In cases where licensees hold pre-existing patent licenses with patent pool licensors, pre-netting subtracts what would be due the licensors when calculating royalty payments. This step ensures that licensees pay only for what they use and encourages broader participation in the pool.

Patent weighting: Not all patents are created equal. A weighting system of patents compensates licensors whose essential patents are subjectively determined to be of greater value.

Throughout history patents have been a force that pushes innovation forward. Yes, at times there have been patent battles, but these battles are eventually marked by settling of the industry, cooperation and leaps forward for innovation and technologies.? But without the incentive to profit and a mechanism to deliver rewards based on value, scope and scale of the contribution we fail to deliver value to those willing to fund and develop innovation.

At One-Blue the adoption of what we believe are best practices improves upon an already proven model that has lead to successful licensing of core patent assets that allow industries to grow and companies to flourish. When the media paints images of all patents being bad they are doing a disservice to the industry and ignoring the good that has come from patented innovation and the sharing of such innovation via patent pools and other cross-licensing arrangements.

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William J. Lenihan?is Director, IP Licensing of One-Blue, LLC.?Prior to One-Blue, Bill was the Director of IP Licensing for the Philips Electronics joint optical licensing program which included the IP of Philips, SONY, Pioneer and LG Electronics. Bill is a graduate of Manhattan College and resides in Pleasantville, N.Y.

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Source: http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2012/12/05/patent-pooling-is-an-effective-tool-for-ip-monetization/id=30939/

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All Sony connected TVs to get Ensequence tech in 2013 to serve up contextual content

All Sony connected TVs to get Ensequence tech in 2013 to serve up contextual content

Not getting your fill of connected TV action with contextual content and ads appearing alongside your soaps? Your hunger could be satisfied by picking up a Sony-made television in 2013, as Hirai and Co. have inked a multi-year deal with the folks at Ensequence to bake software for such experiences into all of their connected TVs starting next year. Ensequence leverages the automatic content recognition tech inside Sony's sets and provides a platform for content producers and advertisers to sling up everything from relevant coupons to trivia games on displays. If you watched the 2012 Olympics through Verizon FiOS, chances are you've glimpsed the company's technology in action. Proud owners of connected TVs made by Sony between 2011 and 2012 won't be left out of the contextual content bonanza, however, as a software update packing Ensequence's secret sauce will be available. For more details, and prognostications regarding the future of internet-savvy televisions, hit the jump for the press release.

Continue reading All Sony connected TVs to get Ensequence tech in 2013 to serve up contextual content

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Source: Ensequence

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/04/sony-connected-tvs-ensequence-2013/

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High-Skilled Immigration Reform Stopped In Senate

images (26)As expected, the last great hope for immigration reform quickly died in the United States Senate, as the Democratic majority will likely follow through on a promise to kill the STEMS Jobs Act. Engineering-starved tech firms have become a casualty of partisan bickering over how to overhaul the entire immigration system, with both Democrats and Republicans refusing to allow more high-skilled immigrants without changes to low-skilled visas. In other words, congress will have to accomplish a great feat of compromise before there are more high skilled immigrants...so don't hold your breath.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/cU5qapuwN-g/

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Dropbox updates Android app with bug fixes and file management

Dropbox updates Android app with bug fixes and file management

Dropbox updated its app for Android today, bringing the oft-used cloud storage / sharing service to version 2.2.2. Included is the usual assortment of unspecified bug fixes we're accustomed to seeing in such point upgrades, but there is one major improvement of note: the ability to manage files and folders. Sure, this may not seem like a revolutionary move on the company's part, but for photo-obsessed users that have the service set to auto-upload, the change is welcome, indeed. It's live in the Google Play store now, so head on over to the source to get that download started.

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Via: Android Police

Source: Google Play

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/IZD7MgGCjgU/

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Diet helps prevent repeat heart attacks | MNN - Mother Nature Network

Too often, people with cardiovascular disease assume the medications they take to lower their cholesterol and blood pressure are enough to prevent another heart attack or stroke. But a new study underscores the fact that eating healthfully also counts ? a lot. Healthful eating may not only reduce a person's risk for a new heart attack or stroke, but also lower the risk of dying.

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Canadian researchers interviewed nearly 32,000 people from 40 countries with an average age of 66.5 years about their eating habits. All the people in the study, who were already enrolled in two randomized clinical trials, had either established cardiovascular disease or diabetes mellitus with end-organ damage. The participants' food intake was recorded using a food frequency questionnaire that contained 20 food items. Volunteers were asked how often they ate food from various categories during the previous 12 months and were followed for nearly five years.

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During the follow-up period, a total of 5,190 cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks or strokes, occurred. But people who had the healthiest diets fared the best. Those who ate a heart-healthy diet had a 35 percent reduction in their risk of death from cardiovascular disease; a 14 percent decrease in their risk for a new heart attack; a 28 percent decrease in their risk for congestive heart failure; and a 19 percent reduction in their risk for stroke.?

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A diet was considered heart-healthy if people followed dietary recommendations and consumed more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts and had a higher intake of fish relative to meat, poultry and eggs, according to the researchers. For example, Americans in the study who fared best ate four servings per day of fruits; five servings of vegetables; one serving of nuts or soy protein; and three or more servings of whole grains, amounts that are consistent with current American dietary guidelines.

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People who had the healthiest diets were more likely to be older (an average of 66.7 years of age) and more active and were less likely to smoke. They also tended to have a lower body mass index and drink more alcohol. (Men drank an average of 1.5 to 2.5 glasses per day and women drank from 0.5 to 1.5 glasses daily.) Older people with cardiovascular disease are "more concerned about their health, so they try harder," said nutritionist and study researcher Mahshid Dehghan of the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.

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The study findings don't negate the important role medication plays in helping people manage cardiovascular disease. Rather, the findings drive home the fact that overhauling one's diet is equally crucial. "A healthy diet offers a consistent benefit over and above the benefits of taking medication," Dehghan said. "The two go hand in hand."

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The study appears today (Dec. 3) in the journal Circulation.

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Pass it on: Medication plus a healthy diet can help prevent recurrent heart attacks and strokes.

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Related on MyHealthNewsDaily and MNN:

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This story was originally written for MyHealthNewsDaily and is republished with permission here. Copyright 2012 MyHealthNewsDaily, a TechMediaNetwork company.

Source: http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/diet-helps-prevent-repeat-heart-attacks

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Nokia's New Lumia 620: Windows Phone 8 on the Cheap

If you want Windows Phone 8 but are scrabbling for cash, Nokia might have the answer. It just announced its new entry-level handset, the Lumia 620, at a show in Paris—and it's squarely targeted at the budget end of the market. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/giLQHXQAAx4/nokias-new-lumia-620-windows-8-on-the-cheap

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The diplomat wears Prada: Wintour on ambassador shortlist?

As part of a second-term shakeup of his diplomatic corps, President Obama is reportedly considering the appointment of Vogue editor-in-chief and major campaign donor Anna Wintour as U.S. ambassador to Great Britain or France.

Sources cited by Bloomberg News' Hans Nichols said Wintour, 63, is among a handful of top Obama financiers interested in the posts, which have become choice presidential rewards for elite political supporters.

Obama is also said to be eyeing campaign finance chairman Matthew Barzun and investment banker Marc Lasry for diplomatic appointments, according to Bloomberg.

All three figures - Wintour, Barzun and Lasry - are Obama bundlers, each raising more than $500,000 for his 2012 re-election bid, according to estimates provided by the Obama campaign.

Vogue spokeswoman Megan Salt would not confirm whether Wintour has been approached about a diplomatic job, or whether she'd consider it, telling ABC News that Wintour is "very happy with her current job."

Neither Lasry nor Barzun, 42, the former U.S. ambassador to Sweden, could be reached for comment. A White House official did not immediately respond to an ABC News request for comment.

Rumors of an official post for Wintour have swirled for months, following her high-profile role in hosting star-studded Obama fundraising events and pushing a grassroots campaign fundraising contest.

Wintour, actress Gwyneth Paltrow and designer Tom Ford hosted a $15,000-per-plate fundraiser for Obama in London Sept. 19, according to an invitation obtained by the Sunlight Foundation.

She also co-hosted a $40,000-per-plate fundraising dinner at the New York City home of actress Sarah Jessica Parker in June and a $35,800-a-head event at the Connecticut home of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein in August. Obama attended both events.

During the 2008 campaign, Obama spoke out against the influence of special interests inside the executive branch, criticizing those who had "turned our government into a game only they can afford to play."

Still, as iWatch News reported last year, many of Obama's 2008 campaign bundlers received prestigious appointments and exclusive access.

Telecom executive and Obama financier Donald Gips became the ambassador to South Africa. The current U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, Louis Susman, was a fundraising machine for Obama's 2008 run.

And in April, Obama nominated Timothy Broas, who also raised more than $500,000 for Obama four years ago, to be the next ambassador to the Netherlands.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/anna-wintour-reportedly-obama-short-list-us-ambassador-154255146--abc-news-politics.html

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Eddie Vedder - Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Fort ...


"It's my tenth time playing in your neck of the woods. I've got a lot of memories, but I wanna make some new ones." said Eddie Vedder to the sold out crowd inside Fort Lauderdale's Broward Center for the Performing Arts. And that is just what the 47-year old musician did, breaking down the barriers between himself and the room, sharing stories, laughing with the audience, and of course playing his ukulele.?The feeling of being just one in an a packed theater of 2000-plus attendees quickly disappeared.


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Vedder didn't hesitate to kick things off with electric energy, driving away any preconceived notion that he'd just be strumming away on a uke all night. With his electric Fender guitar, Vedder opened the show with "Throw Your Arms Around Me" by?Hunters and Collectors, before going into a trio of Pearl Jam's earlier tracks, "Sometimes", "Long Road", and "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town." Not a person in the room was silent, marking the first of many sing-alongs that would happen throughout the evening.

"This is the first ever speed thrash metal ukelele song," he said.?

And Eddie wasn't joking. If anyone could enthrall an audience with a tiny guitar, it's him. Starting the "ukelele" portion of the night with "Can't Keep," followed by "Sleeping by Myself" and "Without Out," the grunge-rocker proved he could stand strongly on his own as a solo act.?

Source: http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/countygrind/2012/12/eddie_vedder_concert_broward_center_fort_lauderdale.php

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