Ronda Rousey, the injury streak, GSP?s return: What is MMA?s biggest story in 2012?

We have very few days left in 2012. Before the calendar changes to 2013, let's take a look back at the year in MMA and the biggest stories that shaped the world of cagefighting.

10. Bellator, Invicta, World Series of Fighting all showed the MMA landscape is biger than just the UFC --? Though the UFC is the biggest, they're not the only high level MMA promotion. Bellator finished the year out strong as they anticipate a move to Spike in 2013. World Series of Fighting made its debut on NBC Sports, and Invicta's all-female promotion earned respect with two shows this year.

9. Brock Lesnar, Kenny Florian, Mark Hominick and Stephan Bonnar said goodbye to MMA: After losing to Alistair Overeem late in '11, Lesnar hung up his gigantic gloves. Back issues forced Florian to quit fighting, but he still has an active role in the sport as a commentator for FX. Fan favorites Hominick and Bonnar also retired. Bonnar's came after a fight Anderson Silva ended in a loss and a suspension for a banned substance.

8. GSP's return -- UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre tore his ACL in October of '11. He finally returned to the cage in November this year, beating Carlos Condit in a bloody decision.

7. MMA stymied in New York ... again -- Though MMA was legalized in Vermont, the sport remains out-of-bounds in the Empire State. Dreams of a UFC pay-per-view in Madison Square Garden will have to remain dreams for another year as the bill to legalize the sport failed to reach the floor for a vote.

6. Jon Jones arrested for DWI -- In May, UFC light heavyweight champion Jones was arrested after he crashed his Bentley into a pole in Broome County, N.Y. He later pleaded guilty, paid a fine, and had his driver's license suspended. Jones' popularity took a hit with this incident.

5. Suspensions for Alistair Overeem and Nick Diaz: It wasn't a great year for former Strikeforce champs. Overeem was slated to fight Junior dos Santos for the UFC heavyweight championship in May, but was suspended when his testosterone levels were out of whack. Diaz was also suspended when he tested positive for marijuana metabolites.

4. Strikeforce's demise -- The Zuffa-owned, Showtime-aired promotion canceled two shows this fall after injuries hurt their drawing power. Ronda Rousey, their bantamweight champion and one of their biggest draws, was named the UFC champ, and other Strikeforce fighters were given UFC bouts. Finally, the promotion confirmed their January event will be their last.

3. UFC cancels an event -- A week and a half before UFC 151, Dan Henderson pulled out of his main event, title fight with Jones. The UFC offered Jones a bout with Chael Sonnen, which Jones turned down. (They will fight in April after coaching on "The Ultimate Fighter.") The UFC decided to cancel UFC 151, making it the first time they had made such a move.

2. Ronda Rousey to the UFC -- It was a pretty good year for the Olympic judo medalist turned fighter. Rousey won the Strikeforce bantamweight championship and defended it, and appeared on the cover of ESPN the Magazine's "Body Issue." But her biggest landmark came late in 2012, when she was named the UFC's first female fighter. She'll defend the UFC's women's bantamweight championship in February.

1. Injuries, injuries, injuries -- As you may have noticed while reading this list, more than anything else, injuries made a mark on the MMA landscape. Time and time again, UFC cards were rewritten as injuries affected champs Jose Aldo, Dominick Cruz, Georges St-Pierre and stars Vitor Belfort, Cung Le, Henderson and Frank Mir, among others. Strikeforce canceled two events because of injuries. Injury announcements became the norm.

Is the list missing something? Out of order? Speak up in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ronda-rousey-injury-streak-gsp-return-mma-biggest-201835862--mma.html

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Hostess expects to split up snack cakes in sale

(AP) ? Twinkies, Wonder Bread and Devil Dogs are likely to return to shelves in coming months, but probably not under the same owners.

Hostess Brands Inc. said in bankruptcy court Friday that it's narrowing down the bids it received for its brands and expects to sell off its snack cakes and bread brands to separate buyers. The testimony came from an investment banker for Hostess, which is in the process of liquidating.

A likely suitor has emerged for the namesake Hostess brand, which includes Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Ho Hos, along with Dolly Madison cakes, which includes Coffee Cakes and Zingers, said Joshua Scherer of Perella Weinberg Partners. He said another viable bid was made for Drake's cakes, which includes Devil Dogs, Funny Bones and Yodels. That bidder also wants to buy the Drake's plant in Wayne, N.J., which Scherer said is the country's only kosher bakery plant.

Additional bids have been submitted for its bread brands, which include Wonder and Home Pride. Hostess expects to file binding "stalking horse" bids for many of its brands in January, followed by a four-week auction process to allow competing bids. Closings for many brands could come as soon as mid-March, Scherer said.

Hostess, based in Irving, Texas, has said potential buyers include major packaged food companies and national retailers, such as big-box retailers and supermarkets. The company has stressed it needs to move quickly in the sale process to capitalize on the outpouring of nostalgia sparked by its bankruptcy.

To begin winding down its operations late last month, Hostess had said it would retain about 3,000 workers to shutter plants and perform other tasks. On Friday, an attorney for Hostess said in court that figure was down to about 1,100 employees. The liquidation of Hostess ultimately means the loss of about 18,000 jobs, not including those shed in the years leading to the company's failure.

The company's demise came after years of management turmoil and turnover, with workers saying the company failed to invest in updating its snack cakes and breads. Hostess filed for its second Chapter 11 bankruptcy in less than a decade early this year, citing steep costs associated with its unionized workforce.

The company was able to reach a new contract agreement with its largest union, the Teamsters, the bakers union rejected the terms and went on strike Nov. 9. A week later, Hostess announced its plans to liquidate, saying the strike crippled its ability to maintain normal production. Although Hostess sales have been declining over the years, they still clock in at between $2.3 billion and $2.4 billion a year.

When asked how much the brands are expected to fetch from buyers, Scherer said he would rather not say.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-12-21-Hostess-Bankruptcy/id-1a6a259d7b35471c9206cad64d0b87b7

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Malians express dismay at intervention timeframe

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) ? Malians living under the grip of al-Qaida-linked militants expressed dismay Friday that it could be nearly a year before a regional military intervention to oust the Islamists from power.

The U.N.'s most powerful body on Thursday authorized an African-led force but made no mention of size and set no timeline for military action.

U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said recently he does not expect a military operation to begin until September or October of next year.

"We want rapid military action to liberate our cities," said Alphadi Cisse, who lives in Timbuktu. "There is no school, there is no work and no money. We are fed up with this situation."

The mayor of Timbuktu, which is controlled by the Islamist group Ansar Dine, has described conditions there as "a living hell." The al-Qaida-linked militants have imposed their version of strict Islamic law known as Shariah.

They have stoned to death a couple accused of adultery, hacked off the hands of thieves and have recruited children as young as 12 into their ranks. Heavily armed men also have attacked bars that sell alcohol, and banned men and women from socializing in the streets.

The turmoil has decimated the economy of Timbuktu, once a thriving tourist town.

Thursday's resolution adopted unanimously by the U.N. Security Council welcomes troop contributions pledged by the West African regional bloc ECOWAS and calls on member states, including from the neighboring Sahel region, to contribute troops to the mission.

Council diplomats say the best-trained African troops in desert warfare are from Chad, Mauritania and Niger.

The resolution stressed that there must be a two-track plan ? political and military ? to reunify the country, which has been in turmoil since a coup in March. Islamist groups were able to take hold of northern Mali, an area the size of Texas, after the March coup created a power vacuum.

Coup members created new political turmoil earlier this month when they arrested the country's prime minister and forced him to resign ? a move that raised new concerns about the ability of the Malian military help regain control of the north.

The U.N. resolution also emphasizes that further military planning is needed before a force could be sent and it asks Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to "confirm in advance the council's satisfaction with the planned military offensive operation."

France's U.N. Ambassador Gerard Araud told reporters Thursday that it's premature to say when the military operation will take place because African and Malian troops must be trained and much depends on the political process and the country's extreme weather.

Northerners in Mali say the longer the world waits, the more entrenched the militants are becoming.

Hamadada Toure, a teacher from the city of Gao, urged the international community to follow through swiftly on its pledges to help free the north.

"If the resolution is not acted upon to chase the Islamists out of towns, all the comings and goings of diplomats and the mobilization of the international community are a bluff," he said from southern Mali where he sought refuge earlier this year.

___

Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/malians-express-dismay-intervention-timeframe-091657124.html

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FG urged to incorporate flooding, natural disasters in budget allocation

By PETER EGWUATU

Federal and State Governments have been urged to consider flooding and other natural disasters in budget allocation and also put in place insurance schemes and other processes that would protect the citizens against human and natural disasters currently prevalent in the country.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Custodian and Allied Insurance Plc, Mr. Wole Oshin, made the call recently at the Delta State?Liaison office in Lagos when his firm donated relief materials to Delta State flood victims.

According to him, nobody expected some of the crises (human or natural causes) being witnessed in the country. He stressed that now that natural disasters have started to happen, governments at both state and federal levels should put in place structures and processes to mitigate the risks.

He noted that? government cannot continue to fund the enormous disaster? that are beginning to happen as a result of climate change or? general recklessness among Nigerians.

In his words, ?Some years ago, we never thought some of the disasters we are seeing in Nigeria could happen. We do not know when it would happen next and when it happens, will we go through this process again of raising fund, donating materials and so on. This is not a sustainable approach.

The more sustainable approach is risk management and in so doing, it is important? and critical for? government to? embrace insurance? such that? a? fixed? sum of money? is set aside? and at the end of the day,? they call on insurance? companies who are experts in this area to pay claims and restore? the people back to where they were prior to the losses?

Speaking on the relief materials (1,000 mattresses) presented to Delta State, Oshin said it was part of Custodian and Allied Insurance? Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to give back to society where they operate.

According to him, ? When this (flood)happened months ago, we thought of how to help communities that were displaced and Delta State came to our mind because of the enormity of? flood in that region.?

Receiving the relief materials on behalf of the Delta State Government, Commission for Information, Mr. Chike Ogeah, said, ?Delta State thanked the company and others who had rendered similar support for their kind gestures. You have come to donate to displaced people. On behalf of Delta State government and the good people of Delta State, we say thank you to Custodian and Allied Insurance Plc.?

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Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/12/fg-urged-to-incorporate-flooding-natural-disasters-in-budget-allocation/

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Cross cultural branding | Nurturing Your Unique Brand

I worked for most of my career in cross cultural teams and if someone told me about cross cultural training, I would have gladly taken them on board. It would have raised my awareness that values such as punctuality and the use of humour or silence vary across communities. It would have strengthened my interpersonal skills, alleviated my frustrations of not being understood and be a better team player. As I am results oriented and my work used to be my life, I got over my culture shock and learn to bridge the gap rapidly. Cross cultural communication or skills are useful and adds value to your existing set of skills.

1.?????? Understand the main cultural norms

The world is a global village, thanks to the internet, with businesses working with foreign suppliers and expanding their geographical footprint beyond their national borders. The existing cross cultural frameworks provided by Fons Trompenaars, E T Hall and others builds your cross cultural intelligence. It raises your awareness that certain values such as punctuality, taken for granted in the western world, are not considered important in other communities. The need to know your family background are sometimes considered more essential in some countries whilst in others this is considered as being intrusive.

2.?????? Speaking the same language does not bridge the gap

Speaking foreign languages is definitely an asset for a career in a multinational environment. However, there is more to learning a language. ?Speaking English definitely helps our cross cultural intelligence. What is not taken into consideration is that we have American English, Mauritian English, British English, Australian English. All of them have their own subtleties and typical expressions.

3.?????? Focus on similarities to bridge the gap

What is most important is to understand the foreign counterparty?s cultural norms, leaving our judgement at the door and keeping an open mind.? There are differences and similarities in every culture. Focusing more on the similarities helps to bridge the gap when we are trying to build cross cultural relationships.

4.?????? When in Rome, do as the Romans without compromising your core values.

The more you meet people from different backgrounds, the easier it will be for you to understand what you can relate to and what is far beyond your reach. There is always a ?no go? zone and this zone slowly decreases in size as you finetune your cross cultural intelligence. Let?s be clear reaching out to people does not imply compromising on your core values and ethics or forcing yourself to change who you are. It is more about being curious: ?going to sharing a meal with local colleagues at their usual snack bars, going to those places where the local people usually go, understanding how marriages are celebrated ? really simple things!

?

Cultural norms are taken to be general principles and there are always exceptions or degrees of applicability. What is most important is to know yourself so well that when learning about a new culture, it is easier for you to identify the gaps and work out on how to bridge them. Remember ?practice makes perfect?

Categories: Blog, Your Unique Brand | Permalink

Author: Valerie Cheong Took

I am a coach and use a mix of techniques involving Neuro Linguistic Programming and Transactional Analysis. I am also a firm believer of the Law of Attraction and apply it in my daily life. I work with people who are looking to differentiate themselves in their career or who would like to reinvent themselves using their existing work experience, skills and knowledge. I coach people who have achieved their goals in some areas of their lives and would like to replicate this success in other parts of their lives.

Source: http://valeriecheongtook.com/?p=251

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Report: Europe May Have Scuttled Google's FTC Deal

The postponement of Google's deal with the Federal Trade Commission may have been caused, at least in part, by Europe's tough stance with the company. As of a few days ago, reports suggested that Google was close to hashing out a deal with the FTC, but that the European Commission's two-year antitrust investigation was far from resolved.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/26cdbfbc/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C769120Bhtml/story01.htm

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PFT: Carroll says Harbaugh tries to work the refs

SparanoAP

Before placing blame for the Jets? misguided decision to acquire quarterback-of-all-trades Tim Tebow and their inability to use him effectively, a determination must be made that blame should be placed.

In the apparent opinion of Jets offensive coordinator Tony Sparano, there?s no reason for blame because the Tebow experiment wasn?t a disaster.

?It?s combination of things but I wouldn?t use the words ?didn?t work? at all,? Sparano said, via Jane McManus of ESPNNewYork.com.

?We had a plan going into this thing,? Sparano said.? ?But obviously the plan always, at that particular time, was that Mark was the quarterback and Tim would have a role and to what degree the role was, if I remember correctly, it was one-to-20 plays in a game.? Some days it was eight, some days it was one, some days it was none.? Just predicated on what we saw out there.? Tim has worked really hard out here, he?s done a good job, he?s worked hard on the practice field, but that?s where we are.?

Sparano is right about that one-to-20 snaps; he cited that number back in May.? Still, there was an expectation that Tebow would do a lot more than he did.

The effort to declare victory and retreat from Tebow includes an explanation from Sparano that presumptions of multiple big plays from the Tebow package were inaccurate.? ?The way that I think the perception is of the Wildcat is that we had a bunch of these 30-yard gains,? Sparano said. ?That wasn?t the case in Miami, either.? In Miami, it wasn?t the case at all. We just did it a lot more, so the two-yard gains and the five-yard gains [didn?t stand out[, but then the 15-yard gain, I guess that jumped out more than the two or the five.?

So if the bar was that low, why not use Tebow more often?? After all, one of the stated goals was to force opposing defenses to spend less time preparing for the base offense by accounting for the Tebow package.? Once it became clear that:? (1) Tebow wouldn?t be used much on offense; and (2) when used the outcome would be nothing like, for example, Miami?s torching of the Patriots in 2008, there was no need to worry about Tebow.

There also was no need to worry about the Jets? offense.? Ranked 30th in total yards and 31st in yards per play, the franchise is moving in the wrong direction under Sparano.

Thus, regardless of whether the Tebow package was a failure or a success (and if it really was a success we?d hate to see what it would have looked like if it were a failure), Sparano likely will soon be joining Tebow as a former employee of the team.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/20/pete-carroll-says-harbaugh-wants-help-from-the-officials/related/

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Sibling squabbles can lead to depression, anxiety

Dec. 20, 2012 ? Holiday presents will soon be under the tree for millions of adolescents. With those gifts may come sibling squabbles over violations of personal space, such as unwanted borrowing of a fashionable clothing item, or arguments over fairness, such as whose turn it is to play a new video game. Those squabbles represent two specific types of sibling conflict that can have different effects on a youth's emotional health, according to a multi-year study by a University of Missouri psychologist. With these findings, parents can learn how to bring peace to the home and encourage their children's healthy psychological development.

"Our results show that conflicts about violations of personal space and property are associated with greater anxiety and lower self-esteem one year later in life," said Nicole Campione-Barr, MU assistant professor of psychological science in the College of Arts and Science. "Conflicts over issues of equality and fairness are correlated to greater depression one year later."

Campione-Barr and her colleagues studied 145 pairs of mostly European-American, middle-class siblings for one year. The average ages for the pairs were 15 and 12 years. The teens rated different topics of possible conflict, noting the frequency and intensity of the arguments. The arguments were organized into two categories: violations of personal domain or conflicts over fairness and equality. The study then examined correlations among the arguments and teens' reports of depressed mood, anxiety and self-esteem after one year.

"Although parents may be inclined to step in as arbiters, previous research has found that parents' interventions into adolescent sibling conflict can be detrimental," said Campione-Barr. "In concert with those prior findings, we believe our research suggests that setting household rules such as 'knock before entering a sibling's room,' can be the best means for parents to resolve disputes and avoid appearing to play favorites. A calendar of chores and defined time limits for turns with a video game can help reduce conflicts over fairness. However, if a parent notes that one child consistently gets the short end of the stick, action should be taken to ensure one child isn't being too subordinate. Also, if most sibling interactions become intense conflicts, a family should seek professional help, especially if violence is involved."

Campione-Barr noted that one limitation to her study was that it was largely constrained in its demographic scope to white, middle-class Americans. Other cultures and economic classes may have different relationships among privacy, fairness and emotional well-being. Although adolescents in some households may not have their own rooms, they still need some degree of respect for personal space from both parents and siblings. For example, parents and siblings should respect the private nature of children's diaries.

"The next step in our research will be to examine the positive aspects of relationships among adolescent siblings and parents," said Campione-Barr. "Strong, healthy family relationships are immensely beneficial later in life. For example, there are things people will tell their siblings that they would never tell their parents, or possibly even friends. We are currently studying disclosure and levels of trust among parents, siblings and peers."

The study, "Differential associations between domains of sibling conflict and adolescent emotional adjustment," was published in the journal Child Development.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Missouri-Columbia.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Nicole Campione-Barr et al. Differential associations between domains of sibling conflict and adolescent emotional adjustment. Child Development, (in press)

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/mind_brain/child_development/~3/sGOizfqB3LI/121220080453.htm

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Tom Cruise's 'Jack Reacher': The Reviews Are In!

Cruise goes off the grid for Christopher McQuarrie's adaptation of the Lee Childs novel series.
By Josh Wigler


Tom Cruise in "Jack Reacher"
Photo: Paramount Pictures

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1699272/jack-reacher-movie-reviews-tom-cruise.jhtml

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Radio 3 Live in Concert: Live from the chapel of the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich: Tavener, Bax, Ireland, Finzi

Fom the chapel of the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, English music for Christmas performed by the BBC Singers and BBC Concert Orchestra, by Tavener, Bax, Ireland and Finzi.

Live from the chapel of the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich

Presented by Christopher Cook

A feast of English music for Christmas from the BBC Singers and BBC Concert Orchestra

John Tavener: A Christmas Proclamation: God is with us Arnold Bax: Mater ora filium John Ireland: The Holy Boy Gerald Finzi: Dies Natalis

Nicky Spence tenor Edward Price baritone

BBC Singers BBC Concert Orchestra David Hill conductor

Three contrasting but much-loved English seasonal favourites lie at the heart of this Christmas programme from the BBC Singers and BBC Concert Orchestra. Gerald Finzi's solo cantata "Dies natalis" sets Thomas Traherne's ecstatic words to music of rapturous beauty, while Ralph Vaughan Williams' Fantasia is a high-spirited sequence of traditional carols which takes the listener on a musical journey from Advent to New Year, and Herbert Howells' beautifully-wrought carol-anthems for a cappella choir have become modern choral classics.

Completing the programme, Finzi's evocation of a frosty Christmas Eve, Arnold Bax's hymn to the Virgin Mary, and other choral and orchestral works for the Festive Season by British composers.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01p9j86/Radio_3_Live_in_Concert_Live_from_the_chapel_of_the_Old_Royal_Naval_College_Greenwich_Tavener_Bax_Ireland_Finzi/

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