No. 5 Duke beats Minnesota 89-71

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) ? It sounds as if Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is putting together a screenplay: "The Maturation of Mason Plumlee."

So far the reviews have been great.

Plumlee scored 20 points and grabbed a career high-matching 17 rebounds to lead No. 5 Duke to an 89-71 victory over Minnesota on Thursday in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis.

The 6-foot-10 senior had four solid games this season before putting on an impressive performance against a team known for being physical and playing defense.

"Maturity is what you need to be this good," Krzyzewski said. "Most kids don't figure that out. He has. And it wasn't a case of him being immature before, he has just matured."

Seth Curry scored 25 points for Duke (4-0), which will face VCU in Friday's semifinals. The Rams beat No. 19 Memphis 78-65.

Plumlee was coming off a career-high 28 points on 9-for-11 shooting from the field, 10 of 11 from the free throw line and had nine rebounds in the Blue Devils' previous game, an 88-67 win over Florida Gulf Coast.

He was 8 of 10 from the free throw after coming in 17 of 22 (77.3 percent). That is very impressive for a guy who shot 52.8 percent from the line last season and 54.3 percent and 44.1 percent the two seasons before.

"I'm in a role that I love and feel like I am in control and confident in myself and my team," Plumlee said. "I think guys like Quinn (Cook) stepping up playing great and Ryan (Kelly) is playing better too. I think everything is heading in the right direction."

Sophomore point guard Quinn Cook had a career-high 17 points for the Blue Devils who extended their regular-season tournament winning streak to 21 games, a run that stretches to the championship game of the 2006 CBE Classic.

"My job is to communicate with everybody and be a leader," Cook said. "My teammates have confidence in me and know I can do what I have to when things break down."

Ryan Kelly had 14 points for Duke and freshman Rasheed Sulaimon, the fifth starter, added 11. The only points scored by a non-starter were the two from Amile Jefferson. Only four reserves played for Duke.

"We're not going to score that much from our bench, that's not what those guys have to do when they get in the game," Krzyzewski said. "It doesn't always have to be a certain way. These guys come in to make the hustle plays, rebound, defend. Do what we need to be done."

Rodney Williams had 16 points for the Golden Gophers (4-1), who just couldn't cut into the Blue Devils' lead in the second half.

"I think we had a couple of lapses on defense," Williams said. "Duke hit some big shots in the second half when we were playing good defense."

Duke's lead ranged from 10 to 13 points throughout most of the second half. Minnesota, a team known for its toughness and defense, met its match in the Blue Devils, who were just as physical as the Gophers, and were more so through the last 5 minutes when Duke pulled away.

"K's teams are always hard to play and that means they are hard to beat," Minnesota coach Tubby Smith said. "Plumlee is really good."

Curry was 8 of 11 from the field and Duke finished 30 of 55 (54.5 percent). Curry made all three of his 3-point attempts and the Blue Devils were 8 of 10 from beyond the arc.

Minnesota had held its first three opponents to 28.6 shooting from the field and 19.1 percent on 3s while giving up 48.0 points per game.

Obviously Duke was a little bit better than the Gophers' first three opponents.

"We felt we could try and get physical with our three big guys but he's just a real talented player," Smith said. "Game plans are meant to work but it didn't today."

This was Duke's 150th consecutive game ranked in the Top Ten and the Blue Devils are 150-30 in those games.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/no-5-duke-beats-minnesota-89-71-023918369.html

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Cops: Conn. real estate agent stole for sale signs

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) ? A Connecticut real estate agent has been charged with stealing a competitor's for sale signs from the front lawns of area homes.

Police say 54-year-old Robert Toth, of Shelton, was charged Wednesday with third-degree larceny and first-degree criminal trespass. Toth owns American Home Realty in Trumbull.

Police say U.S. Asset Realty owner Jihad Shaheer complained in September that his signs had been stolen from more than a half-dozen sites in Bridgeport and from the front of two homes in Stratford.

Police tell the Connecticut Post (http://bit.ly/TT1Dsp ) that they later determined that Toth had been taking the signs. Toth had worked for Shaheer before opening his own real estate company.

Toth declined to comment.

___

Information from: Connecticut Post, http://www.connpost.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cops-conn-real-estate-agent-stole-sale-signs-141149554.html

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Beijing's S. China Sea rivals protest passport map

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) ? China has enraged several neighbors with a few dashes on a map, printed in its newly revised passports that show it staking its claim on the entire South China Sea and even Taiwan.

Inside the passports, an outline of China printed in the upper left corner includes Taiwan and the sea, hemmed in by the dashes. The change highlights China's longstanding claim on the South China Sea in its entirety, though parts of the waters also are claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia.

China's official maps have long included Taiwan and the South China Sea as Chinese territory, but the act of including them in its passports could be seen as a provocation since it would require other nations to tacitly endorse those claims by affixing their official seals to the documents.

Ruling party and opposition lawmakers alike condemned the map in Taiwan, a self-governed island that split from China after a civil war in 1949. They said it could harm the warming ties the historic rivals have enjoyed since Ma Ying-jeou became president 4 1/2 years ago.

"This is total ignorance of reality and only provokes disputes," said Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, the Cabinet-level body responsible for ties with Beijing. The council said the government cannot accept the map.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario told reporters in Manila that he sent a note to the Chinese Embassy that his country "strongly protests" the image. He said China's claims include an area that is "clearly part of the Philippines' territory and maritime domain."

The Vietnamese government said it had also sent a diplomatic note to the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi, demanding that Beijing remove the "erroneous content" printed in the passport.

In Beijing, the Foreign Ministry said the new passport was issued based on international standards. China began issuing new versions of its passports to include electronic chips on May 15, though criticism cropped up only this week.

"The design of this type of passports is not directed against any particular country," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily media briefing Friday. "We hope the relevant countries can calmly treat it with rationality and restraint so that the normal visits by the Chinese and foreigners will not be unnecessarily interfered with."

It's unclear whether China's South China Sea neighbors will respond in any way beyond protesting to Beijing. China, in a territorial dispute with India, once stapled visas into passports to avoid stamping them.

"Vietnam reserves the right to carry out necessary measures suitable to Vietnamese law, international law and practices toward such passports," Vietnamese foreign ministry spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi said.

Taiwan does not recognize China's passports in any case; Chinese visitors to the island have special travel documents.

China maintains it has ancient claims to all of the South China Sea, despite much of it being within the exclusive economic zones of Southeast Asian neighbors. The islands and waters are potentially rich in oil and gas.

There are concerns that the disputes could escalate into violence. China and the Philippines had a tense maritime standoff at a shoal west of the main Philippine island of Luzon early this year.

The United States, which has said it takes no sides in the territorial spats but that it considers ensuring safe maritime traffic in the waters to be in its national interest, has backed a call for a "code of conduct" to prevent clashes in the disputed territories. But it remains unclear if and when China will sit down with rival claimants to draft such a legally binding nonaggression pact.

The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam are scheduled to meet Dec. 12 to discuss claims in the South China Sea and the role of China.

___

Associated Press writers Oliver Teves in Manila, Philippines, Chris Brummitt in Hanoi, Vietnam, and researcher Zhao Liang in Beijing contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/beijings-china-sea-rivals-protest-passport-map-071228770.html

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Wireless networks: Mobile devices keep track

ScienceDaily (Nov. 21, 2012) ? A more sensitive technique for determining user position could lead to improved location-based mobile services.

Many mobile-phone applications (apps) use spatial positioning technology to present their user with location-specific information such as directions to nearby amenities. By simultaneously predicting the location of the mobile-user and the data access points, or hotspots, improved accuracy of positioning is now available, thanks to an international research team including Sinno Jialin Pan from the A*STAR Institute for Infocomm Research1. Software developers expect that such improvements will enable a whole new class of apps that can react to small changes in position.

Traditionally, device position was determined by the Global Positioning System (GPS) that uses satellites to triangulate approximate location, but its accuracy falters when the mobile device is indoors. An alternative approach is to use the 'received signal strength' (RSS) from local transmitters. Attenuation of radio waves by walls can limit accuracy; and, it is difficult to predict signals in complex, obstacle-filled environments.

Software developers have tried to circumvent these problems by using so-called 'learning-based techniques' that identify correlations between RSS values and access-point placement. Such systems do not necessarily require prior knowledge of the hotspot locations; rather they 'learn' from data collected on a mobile device. This also has drawbacks: the amount of data can be large, making calibration time consuming. Changes in the environment can also outdate the calibration.

Pan and his co-workers reduced this calibration effort in an experimental demonstration of a protocol that calculates both the positions of the device and the access points simultaneously -- a process they call colocalization. "Integrating the two location-estimation tasks into a unified mathematical model means that we can fully exploit the correlations between mobile-device and hotspot position," explains Pan.

First, the researchers trained a learning-based system with the signal-strength values received from access points at selected places in the area of interest. They used this information to calibrate a probabilistic 'location-estimation' system. Then, they approximated the location from the learned model using signal strength samples received in real-time from the access points.

Experimental trials showed that this approach not only required less calibration, but it was more accurate than other state-of-the-art systems. "We next want to apply the method to a larger-scale environment," says Pan. "We also want to find ways to make use of the estimated locations to provide more useful information, such as location-based advertising." As this technique could help robots navigate by themselves, it may also have important implications for the burgeoning field of robotics.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Jeffrey Junfeng Pan, Sinno Jialin Pan, Jie Yin, Lionel M. Ni, Qiang Yang. Tracking Mobile Users in Wireless Networks via Semi-Supervised Colocalization. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, 2012; 34 (3): 587 DOI: 10.1109/TPAMI.2011.165

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/QOVx-2lnpLY/121123132612.htm

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Corporate travellers head to new business hubs beyond BRICs ...

The burgeoning BRIC nations are no longer the sole focus for companies exploring new markets according to global business travel management company FCm Travel Solutions.

Corporate travellers are heading to new business hubs outside of Brazil, Russia, India and China in order to scope new opportunities for growth and investment in other parts of Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Besides Brazil, FCm Travel Solutions has identified Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Argentina and Chile in Latin America as emerging hotspots on account of the volume of bookings FCm is transacting for clients to these five countries.

In the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, FCm has earmarked Saudi Arabia, Angola, Ghana, and Congo as countries of rising commercial importance for clients.

And in Europe, foreign interest in the natural resources industries of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan has put the spotlight on business travel to both these countries.

?While a lot of discussion has been around the activity generated from the BRIC countries we are starting to see growth in business travel bookings to a host of other global locations,? said Maren Hanschke, director of FCm?s Latin America and Caribbean network.?

?By looking across our global network at where our clients are booking their travel to, where clients are setting up new offices or operations and what destinations they are asking for local travel management support in, we are able to pinpoint new areas of growth for the industry and for our company.

?For companies travelling to these destinations it?s vital they have access to a travel management company with local market expertise as well as global knowledge of carriers and pricing options to ensure their people are getting in and out of these regions safely and cost efficiently,? added Hanschke.

According to FCm, commercial interest in Mexico is booming because of its location, well qualified workforce and reduced labour costs.

Key industries for FCm clients heading to Mexico include the manufacturing, automotive and assembly sectors. Additionally many US companies have supplier facilities in Mexico.

Clients involved in the agricultural, industrial and service sectors are also heading to or travelling within Argentina, while Chile and Peru are gaining importance on account of their mining opportunities.

In addition Costa Rica and Peru have high levels of inbound MICE.

In the Middle East & Africa, Ciar?n Kelly general manager for the region said: ?FCm recently signed a new partner licensee agreement in Angola in response to demand for travel management services in that region.

?Angola?s oil reserves make it highly attractive to G20 countries and corporations with commercial interests in mining. Ghana and Congo in Africa are viewed as rising business hubs while Saudi Arabia in the Middle East is on FCm?s list as a country of high potential for growth and investment.?

FCm Travel Solution is considered the World?s Leading Travel Management Company by the World Travel Awards.

Recommended

Source: http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/corporate-travellers-head-to-new-business-hubs-beyond-brics/

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TrueCar's Steals on Wheels: November 21 to 27, 2012 ? Luxury ...

Wednesday, 21 November 2012 06:00 Written by Brandy Schaffels

With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching and Black Friday bargains top of mind, many luxury auto manufacturers are beginning their seasonal holiday advertising campaigns hoping you'll celebrate the joy of gift giving by moving these cars off their lots and right into your driveways. As the new-car shopper?s resource for researching new car pricing, TrueCar.com has the data and analysis you need to help you get a great buy on your next new car.

As holiday season campaigns begin, our "Steals on Wheels" are already showing great nationwide discounts on these six luxury cars ranging from 9.6 percent to 15.5 percent.? Whether you're shopping for a luxury sport/utility vehicle or sedan, if you're looking for a great deal anywhere across the country, any of these models may suit your needs, with True Car Market Average pricing demonstrating a potential savings off Manufacturer?s Suggested Retail Pricing (MSRP) by as much as $9,164 off this week?s selection of great deals.

Even though gas prices are dropping nationwide, we?re still keeping our eyes on fuel costs, so our chart also includes fuel economy figures to help you compare savings at the pump, as well as at the dealership. Just because you're purchasing a luxury car does not mean fuel economy is not important, so it's nice to see that the well-priced Lincoln MKZ Hybrid sedan also offers combined fuel economy of 38 mpg.

?

TrueCar?s Steals on Wheels: November 21 to 27, 2012 ? Luxury Vehicles
Year Make Model Trim	Segment	MSRP / Market Average*	Est. Payment**	$ Savings / % Savings	City / Hwy / Comb MPG
2012 BMW X5 AWD 4dr 35d	Luxury SUV	$59,045 / $49,881	$717	$9,164 / 15.5%	19 / 26 / ?22.3
2012 Lincoln MKZ 4dr Sedan Hybrid FWD	Luxury Car	$35,630 / $30,153	$433	$5,477 / 15.4%	41 / 36 / ?38.1
2012 Infiniti M37 4dr Sedan AWD	Luxury Car	$50,745 / $44,662	$642	$6,083 / 12.0%	17 / 24 / ?20.2
2012 Lincoln Navigator L 4WD 4dr	Luxury SUV	$63,835 / $56,729	$815	$7,106 / 11.1%	13 / 18 / ?15.3
2012 Acura MDX AWD 4dr Advance/Entertainment Pkg	Luxury SUV	$55,450 / $49,583	$713	$5,867 / 10.6%	16 / 21 / ?18.4
2012 Mercedes-Benz R-Class 4MATIC 4dr R350 BlueTEC	Luxury Car	$54,715 / $49,472	$713	$5,243 / 9.6%	18 / 23 / ?20.4
*Market average is estimated based on the national average of recent vehicle transactions, including destination and delivery charges after incentives that are subject to change, but does not include tax, title, licensing, documentation or processing fees, other state and governmental charges and/or fees, or any other charges or fees allowed by law. **Estimated monthly payments are based on a 3% APR for 60 months with 20% down on the current market average price, and excludes sales tax and other fees and charges that may vary by region or state. Actual APR may be subject to credit approval and other factors. These examples are for information purposes only, and are not an offer to lend. See your dealer/lender for details, including actual available offers.

?

Last week?s edition of ?Steals on Wheels? demonstrated some of the best incentives available on a broad assortment of vehicle types during the month of November, so if you had your eye on one of these well-priced cars or SUVs, keep on shopping, as many of those deals may still be available in the upcoming week at a TrueCar Certified Dealership near you.

Please keep in mind that ?Market Average? is based on the national average of recent vehicle transactions, including destination and delivery charges after incentives that are subject to change, but does not include tax, title, licensing, documentation or processing fees, other state and governmental charges and/or fees, or any other charges or fees allowed by law.

It doesn?t actually matter where you live: our weekly ?Steals on Wheels? deals are available nationwide, and demonstrate potential savings on new cars based on the possible discount from the Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price (MSRP).

You might find different pricing based on sales in your local area at TrueCar.com. Be sure to visit TrueCar.com to view local pricing on any car and to be connected with your local TrueCar Certified Dealer who will provide you additional pricing information for the vehicle you are researching.

?

Ready To Go Shopping for a New Car?

This week's ?Steals on Wheels? feature demonstrates six of the best deals available on luxury cars and sport/utility vehicles in the month of November based on the possible discount from the Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price (MSRP). This assortment of ?Steals on Wheels? choices may include potential savings from such special offers as manufacturer?s rebates, cash incentives, or special leasing offers, which helps place them among the greatest opportunities for savings for new car shoppers over the upcoming weekend. Remember: incentives and leasing programs are subject to change by region and should be confirmed with your dealer, as they can affect your final price.

As always, here are some really important things to remember, such as:

? Each week, ?Steals on Wheels? highlights the top discounts off the MSRP down to a particular trim level, since potential discounts can vary greatly between the trim levels. So, for this week's edition, the all-wheel-drive version of the X5 was the most highly discounted trim of the entire BMW X5 lineup in relation to its MSRP, and had the highest discount by percentage and dollar savings on this week's list.
? Remember, deals are limited to inventory on hand. Your TrueCar Certified Dealer must confirm that actual inventory, including your preferred options and colors, is in stock.

Once you?ve made your choice, why not connect with a Certified Dealer willing to sell you a car for a guaranteed upfront savings? With more than 5,100 Certified Dealers in the TrueCar network, locking in your guaranteed savings on the car or truck of your dreams has never been easier!

?

Source: http://blog.truecar.com/2012/11/21/truecars-steals-on-wheels-november-21-to-27-2012-luxury-cars-and-suvs/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=truecars-steals-on-wheels-november-21-to-27-2012-luxury-cars-and-suvs

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Breast Augmentation ? Preparing for the Operation and the Results ...

Related eBooks

The breast augmentation procedure makes thousands of women happy every year. It is a growing way for women to enhance their figures.

Source:Breast Augmentation ? Preparing for the Operation and the Results

Related Reading:

Plastic Surgery Secrets Plus, 2e

Plastic Surgery Secrets-the first Secrets Series? title in the PLUS format-offers an easy-to-read, information-at-your-fingertips approach to plastic and reconstructive surgery and hand surgery. Jeffrey Weinzweig has joined forces with world-renowned plastic surgeons Joseph McCarthy, Julia Terzis, Joseph Upton, Fernando Ortiz-Monasterio, and Luis Vasconez, and others to bring you the expert perspective you need to grasp the nuances of this specialty. This new edition features an additional color that highlights tables, legends, key terms, section and chapter titles, and web references. All this, along with the popular question-and answer approach and list of the "Top 100 Plastic Surgery Secrets," make it a perfect concise board review tool and a handy clinical reference.

• Maintains the popular and trusted Secrets Series? format, using questions and short answers for effective and enjoyable learning.
• Provides the most current overview and authoritative coverage of all topics thanks to contributions from an impressive list of over 300 experts in the field of plastic surgery and multiple related specialties.

• Introduces the new PLUS format, with an expanded size and layout and full color for easier review, more information, and more visual elements for an overall enhanced experience.
• Presents enhanced tables, legends, key terms, and section and chapter titles through the use of an additional color that makes finding information quick and easy.
• Contains new full color images and illustrations to provide more detail and offer a clearer picture of what is seen in practice.

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Source: http://www.jackiesbazaar.com/womensinterests/cosmetic-surgery/breast-augmentation-preparing-for-the-operation-and-the-results

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