Texans take over top spot in AP's power rankings

NEW YORK (AP) ? The top of the AP Pro32 power rankings is a tough spot to hold.

The Houston Texans became the fourth team in as many weeks to sit first overall in the rankings. Fresh off an impressive victory at Denver to go 3-0 for the first time, Houston replaced San Francisco as the No. 1 team in voting Tuesday by 12 media members who regularly cover the NFL. Houston earned nine first-place votes and 380 points.

"Decisive win in Denver and big-time performance from Matt Schaub, losing part of his ear in the process," 2002 NFL MVP Rich Gannon of CBS Sports and Sirius XM radio said.

Schaub lost a small portion of his left ear lobe when his helmet cut it on a hard hit.

"I don't think we'll be hearing any more questions about Matt Schaub's toughness after the quarterback played with a severed ear lobe ..." added Alex Marvez of Foxsports.com

San Francisco dropped to a tie for fourth with the New York Giants. Previously, Green Bay and New England also held the top spot, then lost.

The other unbeaten teams, Atlanta and Arizona, were second and sixth, respectively. The Falcons got two first-place votes and 371 points, while the Cardinals had one and 335 points.

"The Falcons are hot, in all three phases," noted former All-Pro safety John Lynch of Fox Sports. "Is anyone playing the QB position better than Matt Ryan? I don't think so."

Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune gave the Cardinals the nod.

"It's hard to believe they are the best in football, but they have beaten more good teams and answered more challenges than any other team," Pompei said.

Rounding out the top 10 were third-place Baltimore, seventh-ranked Green Bay, No. 8 New England, No. 9 Seattle and No. 10 Chicago.

Last for the second straight week was Cleveland, which lost at home to Buffalo and is 0-3.

"Hope they're not expecting Ray Lewis to hold a pity party for them Thursday night," quipped Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune.

Of course, the Browns have a bit of an excuse, as Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News pointed out:

"The Browns have the youngest starting lineup in the NFL at an average age of 24.86 years," he said.

The league's other winless team, New Orleans, fell to 27th. The Saints were ranked ninth in the preseason, but have lost twice at home after sweeping their home games last year.

"Now we know the value of a head coach and a quality defense," said Pat Kirwan of CBSSports.com and Sirius XM. "This is starting to look like a lost season at 0-3."

Not to everyone. Bob Glauber of Newsday had the Saints 22nd.

"Season's slipping away already," Glauber said. "Not what Drew Brees had in mind as his response to Bountygate fiasco. Still enough talent to get back into it, but time might be running out."

___

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/texans-over-top-spot-aps-power-rankings-201522498--nfl.html

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'Watch,' 'House,' 'Curve' land in photo finish

This film image released by Open Road Films shows Michael Pena, left, and Jake Gyllenhaal in a scene from "End of Watch." (AP Photo/Open Road Films, Scott Garfield)

This film image released by Open Road Films shows Michael Pena, left, and Jake Gyllenhaal in a scene from "End of Watch." (AP Photo/Open Road Films, Scott Garfield)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Hollywood is in photo-finish mode with three new movies bunched up tightly for the No. 1 spot during a sleepy weekend at the box office.

Studio estimates Sunday put two movies in a tie for first-place with $13 million each: Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena's police story "End of Watch" and Jennifer Lawrence's horror flick "House at the End of the Street."

And right in the same ballpark was Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams' baseball tale "Trouble with the Curve," which opened with $12.7 million.

Actual rankings will be determined Monday as studios release final numbers for the weekend.

No matter which movie comes out on top, it was another slow weekend for Hollywood, whose business has been sluggish throughout late summer. Revenues were down for the fourth-straight weekend, with all three of the top new movies opening to modest crowds.

"This was a clash of the non-titans," said Paul Dergarabedian, analyst for box-office tracker Hollywood.com. "When three films are duking it out for the top spot with only around $13 million, that doesn't represent a very strong period at the box office."

Overall domestic revenues totaled $88 million, down 25 percent from the same weekend last year, when a 3-D re-release of "The Lion King" led with $21.9 million, according to Hollywood.com.

The weekend's other new wide release, Lionsgate's sci-fi action tale "Dredd," opened well down in the rankings at No. 6 with $6.3 million. The movie features "Star Trek" co-star Karl Urban as a law enforcer and executioner in a crime-laden city of the future.

Open Road Films' "End of Watch" stars Gyllenhaal and Pena as partners patrolling the mean streets of LA. Relativity Media's "House at the End of the Street" casts "The Hunger Games" star Lawrence as a youth who moves with her mom next door to a house where bloody misdeeds took place years earlier. "Trouble with the Curve," released by Warner Bros., stars Eastwood as an aging baseball scout whose daughter (Adams) accompanies him on his latest road trip.

Studios determine weekend estimates by counting Friday and Saturday ticket sales then projecting Sunday revenues based on how similar movies have played out in the past. On rare occasions when the top movies are this close, the rankings sometimes change when Monday's final numbers are released.

That has led to grousing among competitors that some studios might be inflating their Sunday estimates to gain No. 1 bragging rights, even if only for a day.

"I took the high road myself and put down the $12.7 million we reported," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution at Warner Bros., where Eastwood has been based for decades. "I've got a major actor with a solid group of people in this movie, and I don't want to eat crow on Monday."

Other studios were tracking "End of Watch" and "House at the End of the Street" at a bit less than $13 million for the weekend, and some had "Trouble with the Curve" at No. 1 by a fraction.

"It's unbelievably close. I honestly don't remember ever seeing it this close, but we're happy that we're in the race," said Kyle Davies, head of distribution for Relativity. "We think our estimate is on target."

"We'll see tomorrow. I think today everybody projected honorably and honestly," said Tom Ortenberg, chief executive officer for Open Road Films. "I think it's fair to say that nobody's sure who's going to be No. 1."

While audiences were not too excited about the new wide releases, Lionsgate's Summit Entertainment banner had big crowds in limited release for its teen drama "The Perks of Being a Wallflower."

The film took in $244,000 in four locations for a strong average of $61,000 a theater. That compares to meager averages ranging from $3,960 to $4,762 a theater for "Trouble with the Curve," ''House at the End of the Street" and "End of Watch," which all played in about 3,000 cinemas.

"Perks" features "Harry Potter" co-star Emma Watson alongside Logan Lerman and Ezra Miller in the story of a troubled high school freshman taken in by a clique of senior misfits.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1 (tie). "End of Watch," $13 million.

1 (tie). "House at the End of the Street," $13 million ($1.5 million international).

3. "Trouble with the Curve," $12.7 million.

4. "Finding Nemo," $9.4 million ($1.3 million international).

5. "Resident Evil: Retribution," $6.7 million ($30.5 million international).

6. "Dredd," $6.3 million ($2.2 million international).

7. "The Master," $5 million.

8. "The Possession," $2.6 million ($1.5 million international).

9. "Lawless," $2.32 million ($1.5 million international).

10. "ParaNorman," $2.3 million ($3 million international).

___

Estimated weekend ticket sales at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada) for films distributed overseas by Hollywood studios, according to Rentrak:

1. "Resident Evil: Retribution," $30.5 million.

2. "Ted," $9.3 million.

3. "Masquerade," $9 million.

4. "The Bourne Legacy," $8.8 million.

5. "Brave," $5.7 million.

6. "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted," $4.6 million.

7. "Prometheus," $4.1 million.

8. "The Expendables 2," $4 million.

9. "The Dark Knight Rises," $3.8 million.

10. "ParaNorman," $3 million.

___

Online:

http://www.hollywood.com

http://www.rentrak.com

___

Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-09-23-Box%20Office/id-91c22216260b436ba208c68e18edc2f3

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iOS 6 Upgrades Versus Android - Business Insider

Google's "Jelly Bean" mascot.

Apple's iPhone 5 opening weekend sales weren't as good as analysts expected, but the stat that really stuck out to me was 100 million people upgraded their iPhones and iPads to iOS 6, the new mobile operating system that launched less than a week ago.

That means 100 million people immediately had access to Apple's latest and greatest operating system.

Now, let's compare that to Android.

According to Google's own stats, 57% of Android users are still running a version called Gingerbread, which is approaching?two years old. It was released in December 2010. Next to that, 21% of Android devices are running Ice Cream Sandwich, which was released in November 2011.

A pitiful 1.2% of Android devices are running Jelly Bean, Google's latest version of Android that was released in July.

Android continues to get better and better, but manufacturers are still plagued by upgrade delays. Part of that is because manufacturers like to customize Android, which takes time. But the biggest offenders are the carriers, which force manufacturers to put their software through a lot of testing before it approves the upgrade. That takes a lot more time.

But the cause doesn't matter. In the end, Apple is able to deliver its latest and greatest operating systems to all users on day one. Android users don't get that advantage.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/ios-6-upgrades-versus-android-2012-9

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Xbox 720 ? A Major Breakthrough In The Field Of Gaming Consoles -

Monday, September 24th, 2012 at 1:31 am ?

Xbox 720 is Microsoft?s latest advancement venture inside the video clip game console arena. It may get to be the successor to the latest Xbox 360. Rumors about are whirling that the Xbox 720 could possibly be officially launched on the coming E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo conference taking place on June 5, 2012. The Xbox console give off date might be published around 2013.

Microsoft?s Xbox 720 will be competing neck to neck in opposition to Nintendo plus Sony?s following age group video gaming consoles, mainly Nintendo?s Wii U as well as Sony?s Playstation 4. Nintendo recently introduced its Wii U (Wii2) back in E3 2011 for a release date in between April and also December 2012, whilst Sonys Playstation 4 will probably follow with regards to their news at E3 2012 joining Microsofts Xbox 720.

Rumours around the Xbox 720 graphics and also pics include possible built-in Natal technological innovation including complete HD stereoscopic 3D visuals. A chance incorporates incorporation using the 3D television, with 3D technology like the 3D visuals inside a 3D movie theatre. Chipmakers AMD and ATI have currently produced a GPU offer with Microsofts newest Xbox 720 advancement. The latest Xbox 360 Xeon GPU shows its match ups with older gaming applications.

Intel Larrabee or the AMD Chipset?

Supposition from your Inquirer journal in late 2008 announced that Intel is seeking to get its most current top quality GPU Larrabee chipset in to the newest next-generation Xbox 720. Solutions from Inquirer expresses that Intel has made available Microsoft a deal in substitution for getting rid of the utilization of AMD chip in its most up-to-date next-gen system. Intel will give Microsoft featuring its personal most recent top notch processor chip including styling its thermals and also enhancing the Larrabee chipset, allowing Microsoft to subcontract as it desires. Larabee Two, the latest GPU style and design will possibly generate a massive effect in the choosing issue for Microsoft.

The existing Xbox 360 is based on a PowerPC-based CPU created from IBM which has a GPU made by ATI. A attainable Intel deal would transform the landscape, with feasible hardware backwards compatibility removed as a result. Nevertheless, the best things about a Larrabee chipset regarding its CPU function provide an innovating toward throughput computing and are focused by its energy-efficient functionality abilities. Its GPU part has been evolving towards a general-purpose computing and is dedicated by better quality visuals along with data-parallel programming.

The newest Xbox 360 Slim new console currently functions a Vejle CPU/GPU combo processor. It is attainable that the brand new Xbox 720 employs a AMD Fusion chip, perhaps assessing the DX11-capable Krishna APU owing to be issued this year 2012. With AMDs revolutionary technological innovation, we could find Avatar-level pictures that involved top level CGI along with 3D Capturing costing $1 million per every second of footage. Along with possible Avatar-level graphics, it can also flaunt boosted AI and also physics functions. An in-character game might handle its own individual AI individuality.

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Citizens Research Council Analyzes Renewable Energy Proposal

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Source: http://www.gongwer.com/news.cfm?article_ID=511890103

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The New CTU Contract vs. The Old UFT Non-Contract ...

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Norm at Ed Notes has a thorough treatment of what might be in the new Chicago Teachers? Union contract. Michael Fiorillo expresses gratitude to the CTU:

Can?t we at least take satisfaction and feel some gratitude in the CTU wiping some of the smugness and arrogance off the faces of these bastards, and showing that the destruction of the public schools will not be passively allowed to happen?

This was an epochal strike, one that will be seen as the opening round in the battle to reclaim public education. After decades of being slandered and knocked back on our heels, the CTU has shown that we can fight back and begin to reclaim the territory that is rightfully ours. They deserve our thanks and support.

Those of us in NYC especially need to thank the CTU. As Michael suggested, they have shown us that fighting back against the education reform juggernaut is possible. We have had the reformer boot on our necks for a decade here in the nation?s largest public school system. The Chicago strike was a gunshot in the darkness, a potential awakening to the fact that the boot is on our necks only because we have allowed it.

And ?we? means our union. As was pointed out in Norm?s post, there will surely be spin by UFT leadership as to why the strike was unnecessary, about how we have all of the things the CTU has without striking and how our salvation lies in backroom negotiations with reformer types.

So, let us put that to the test by comparing what the CTU might have gotten to what we have. Bullet points about the CTU contract all come from Norm?s link included at the start of this post.

1. They have a contract.

The first response to any Unity supporter who tries to downplay the Chicago strike is that they have a contract and we do not. They were willing to strike for their right to a contract, while the UFT has done?. what exactly?

2. *Provide A Better School Day:* The Board will hire 512 additional ?special? teachers in art, music, physical education, world languages and other classes to ensure students receive a better school day, a demand thousands of parents have called for since last year.

While in NYC, each school has either one art or one music teacher, but not both. Foreign languages are dying and hundreds of Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese and Latin teachers around the city have been excessed over the past 3-5 years. The state is working on? getting rid of the Global History regents, which will surely mean teachers of that subject will face layoffs and excessing in the near future.

3. *Ensures Job Security:*Creates a ?CPS Hiring Pool,? which demands that one-half of all of CPS hires must be displaced (laid-off) members.

A good provision that not only protects jobs, but ensures children will have more experienced teachers rather than TFA mercenaries. Meanwhile, in NYC, we have an untold number of ATRs, perfectly good teachers who are demeaned every day by making copies, locking bathrooms and doing cafeteria duty. That is not to say these jobs are demeaning, that is to say that our ATRs should be teaching. Of course, the Unity response to this is ?at least they still have jobs?. Protecting jobs is the least a union can do for its members. It makes no sense to give the UFT credit for doing the least with our union dues. They should be fighting for our conditions, quality and professionalism. The CTU restored some of that with this provision.

4. *Adds An Anti-Bullying Provision: *No more bullying by principals and managerial personnel. The new language will curtail some of the abusive practices that have run rampant in many neighborhood schools.

This is one of the biggest problems in NYC, a problem that has been allowed to persist because of a lack of a new contract. The contract by which we are forced to abide has so much grey area, grey area that has allowed principals to get away with murder, that the bullying of teachers is epidemic throughout the system. The fact that we cannot grieve letters to the file anymore, the fact that it is nearly impossible to win the grievances we do bring forward, the fact that teachers pretty much have to sue in court to overturn ?U? ratings because of the biased appeals process, the fact that Walcott has supported principals who sexually harass their staff, the fact that SCI and OSI essentially now try to substantiate every frivolous charge and the fact that the new generation of arbitrators hired for 3020a hearings were brought in to fire teachers has led to a system that bullies teachers as a matter of policy. We do not know exactly what kind of anti-bullying provisions were won by the CTU, but we do know that we have no anti-bullying provisions in NYC. When we finally do negotiate a new contract, something substantial has to be done about bullying or nothing else we get in the contract will matter.

5. *Racial Diversity:*The CTU continues to fight the District on its lay-off policies that has led to a record number of African American educators being laid off and eventually terminated by the District. The new contract will ensure that CPS recruits a racially diverse teaching force.

A high percentage of laid-off Chicago teachers have been black. This is an Arne Duncan legacy and has continued in Chicago until this day. To replace them, we get the Ivy League suburban TFA alum with no ability to communicate with inner-city students and no intention to continue to teach. That means they are not motivated to learn how to communicate with inner-city students, making them mostly crappy teachers. The same thing is happening in NYC. The black educator has been disappearing. This is not so much a race issue as it is an issue of community-building. Too many new teachers are from the suburbs and have no idea what the students in their classes face. There is an alienation between student and teacher. The CTU is trying to overcome this. The UFT, historically, has driven wedges between teachers and the communities they serve. The 1968 strike comes to mind. It is unlikely the UFT will change their tune in this regard or call for hiring practices that will bring in people from the community. It is a shortcoming woven into the fabric of the Unity caucus.

6. *Fairer Evaluation Procedures:* The new contract will limit CPS to 70% ?teacher practice,? 30% ?student growth? (or test scores)?which is the minimum by state law. It also secures in the first year of implementation of the new evaluation procedures there will be ?no harmful consequences? for tenured teachers. It also secures a new right?the right to appeal a Neutral rating.

Teacher evaluations based 30% on student test scores is the most the CTU could have gotten thanks to Illinois law. In New York, we have at least 20% and most likely it will go up to 40%. It is the only 40% that matters since we are rated ?inefficient? overall if we fail that 40%. This is what our union negotiated for us and told us it was such a great thing. Not only did they not resist any parts of these provisions, but defended them to us. The fact that two inefficient ratings in a row leads to 3020s hearings effectively ends tenure for NY teachers. In Chicago, they have at least secured some sort of guarantee for tenured teachers., as well as a right to appeal that seems more fair than in NY. Remember, in NYC, only 13% of teachers will have the right to appeal a bad rating. The UFT tells us this is preferable to what goes on now where no teachers ever gets a ?U? overturned. Unfortunately, it was the UFT who allowed it to get that way in the first place.

7. *Reimbursement for School Supplies:*The contract will require the District to reimburse educators for the purchase of school supplies up to $250.

Hmmmm, I am no mathematician, but $250 seems more than the NOTHING NYC teachers get now.

8. *Reduced Paperwork:*The new contract ensures the new paperwork requirements are balanced against reduction of previous requirements.

Paperwork sorely cuts into teacher time. We know that the vast majority of paperwork we get is useless. While this is a problem in all schools, the fact that the CTU tackled this issue at all is a small victory for our professionalism and respect for our important duties. By the way NYC teachers, have you filled out your Circular 6 assignments yet?

Notice that most of the things in the new CTU contract have to do with learning and teaching conditions. This should put to rest all of the dumb talk about going on strike for ?more money? and ?limousine benefits?. Much of what is listed above goes to the heart of what it means to be a teacher in the age of education reform,

As for our union in NYC, they cannot pretend that the contract we currently do not have is better than what the CTU received after a strike. While this is not a perfect contact (none of them are), its provisions certainly beat most of the contract we are forced to work under. Is the corporate unionism of the UFT better for students and teachers than the social justice unionism of the CTU? Look at the contracts and decide for yourself.

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Source: http://theassailedteacher.com/2012/09/16/the-new-ctu-contract-vs-the-old-uft-non-contract/

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Video: FTN Page 2: September 16 (cbsnews)

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