A new law in New Hampshire lets parents object to school coursework and request that their children learn alternative material. It may readjust the balance between parents' rights and educators' judgment.?
Parents in New Hampshire now have the broadest rights in the United States to demand alternatives for their children if they are concerned about what's being taught in a public school.
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A new law here goes beyond student exemptions from sex education or health lessons, which are typical in other states and often must be based on religious grounds. It requires school districts to allow "an exception to specific course material based on a parent's ... determination that the material is objectionable."
Taking effect in January after the majority-Republican legislature overrode the Democratic governor's veto, the law does have some limits: An alternative for a child has to meet state requirements for the given subject area, be agreed to by the school, and be paid for by the parent.
The law has stirred controversy over how to strike a balance between parents' rights and educators' judgment in determining what and how students should learn.
More broadly, the law raises the question, "How wide can we make the circle in our public schools in terms of helping families to feel welcomed and feel their beliefs and perspectives are accommodated?" says Robert Kunzman, an education professor at Indiana University in Bloomington who has studied homeschooling and the intersection of education and religion.
It's helpful for a community to make some accommodations and include students who might otherwise be pulled out for homeschooling, Professor Kunzman says. But "certainly there have to be limits to that, both in matters of practice and principle."
It won't be until school districts in New Hampshire begin to field requests from parents that the law's parameters will be more clearly drawn. Backers of the law offer different views of the scope they expect it to have, and administrators are asking what will happen if parents and school officials can't agree on an acceptable alternative.
"Parents love their children ... and they have real big issues with the current curriculum that has been shoved down their throat in some instances," says state Rep. JR Hoell (R), who sponsored the bill, HB 542. Representative Hoell and his wife homeschool their children.
But educators might find themselves caught between state and federal law, says Mark Joyce, executive director of the New Hampshire School Administrators Association (NHSAA) in Concord, which opposed the bill.
The rhetoric swirling around the law has echoes of the "culture wars" in education over the past several decades, with Hoell suggesting parents can use it to object to everything from math instruction methods to what's included in history lessons. Parents might, for instance, seek phonics instead of whole-language instruction for their children, he says.
The original bill was even broader, saying districts could not "compel a parent to send his child to any school or program to which he may be conscientiously opposed." But the Senate worked with groups like NHSAA on compromise language. "We took a lot of care in how this would affect the school districts," says state Sen. Jim Forsythe (R), a backer of the law.
A fireman sprays the interior of a burned vehicle that was involved in a multi-vehicle accident that killed at least nine people, on Interstate 75 near Gainesville, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. Authorities were still trying to determine what caused the pileup on the highway, which had been closed for a time because of the mixture of fog and heavy smoke from a brush fire. At least five cars and six tractor-trailers were involved, and some burst into flame. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)
A fireman sprays the interior of a burned vehicle that was involved in a multi-vehicle accident that killed at least nine people, on Interstate 75 near Gainesville, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. Authorities were still trying to determine what caused the pileup on the highway, which had been closed for a time because of the mixture of fog and heavy smoke from a brush fire. At least five cars and six tractor-trailers were involved, and some burst into flame. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)
Debris and wreckage lie along the highway after a multi-vehicle accident that killed at least nine people, on Interstate 75 near Gainesville, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. Authorities were still trying to determine what caused the pileup on the highway, which had been closed for a time because of the mixture of fog and heavy smoke from a brush fire. At least five cars and six tractor-trailers were involved, and some burst into flame. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)
Aerial view of Interstate 75 in Gainesville, Fla. where according to Florida Highway Patrol at least 9 people have died as a result of multiple crashes Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012 involving 4 commercial vehicles and at least 10 passenger vehicles. The majority of the accidents happened in an area adjacent to where a brush fire was burning and producing heavy smoke. (AP Photo/The Gainesville Sun, Rob C. Witzel)
Firemen hose down a commercial carrier truck on Interstate 75 near Gainesville, Fla., after it was involved in a multi-vehicle wreck which killed at least 9 people in the early hours of Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. Authorities were still trying to determine what caused the pileup on the highway, which had been closed for a time because of the mixture of fog and heavy smoke from a brush fire. At least five cars and six tractor-trailers were involved, and some burst into flame. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)
Officials work at the scene of a multi-vehicle wreck on Interstate 75 at Paynes Prairie on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, south of Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/The Gainesville Sun, Matt Stamey)
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) ? Steven R. Camps and some friends were driving home hours before dawn Sunday when they were suddenly drawn into a massive pileup on Florida's Interstate 75.
"You could hear cars hitting each other. People were crying. People were screaming. It was crazy," the Gainesville man said hours later. "If I could give you an idea of what it looked like, I would say it looked like the end of the world."
Authorities were still trying to determine what caused the horrific pileup south of Gainesville, where a long line of cars and trucks collided one after another on a dark highway so shrouded in haze and smoke that drivers were blinded. At least 10 people were killed and another 18 were taken to a nearby hospital, Shands at the University of Florida. As of Sunday night, six patients remained in the trauma center and three others admitted through the emergency room remained.
The interstate had been closed for a time before the accidents because of a mixture of fog and heavy smoke from a brush fire that may have been intentionally set. The decision to reopen it early Sunday will certainly be a focus of investigators, as will the question of how the fire may have started.
Authorities also must figure out when to reopen the southbound lanes of I-75, the north-south highway that runs virtually the entire length of Florida. Complicating matters is that some of the road's asphalt melted. The northbound lanes were reopened late Sunday afternoon.
"Our standard operating procedure is to get the road open as quickly as possible but let's not forget we have 10 people who are not with us today," Lt. Patrick Riordan, a Florida Highway Patrol spokesman, said Sunday evening. "So we are going to take our time assessing the situation."
The pileups happened around 3:45 a.m. Sunday on both sides of I-75. When rescuers first arrived, they could only listen for screams and moans because the poor visibility made it difficult to find victims in wreckage that was strewn for nearly a mile.
At least a dozen cars and six tractor-trailers were involved, and some burst into flames.
Hours later, twisted, burned-out vehicles were scattered across the pavement, with smoke still rising from the wreckage.
Cars appeared to have smashed into the big rigs and, in one case, a motor home. Some cars were crushed beneath the heavier trucks.
Reporters who were allowed to view the site saw bodies still inside a burned-out Grand Prix. One tractor-trailer was burned down to its skeleton, charred pages of books and magazines in its cargo area. And the tires of every vehicle had burned away, leaving only steel belts.
Before Camps hit the fog bank, a friend who was driving ahead of him in a separate vehicle called to warn of the road conditions. The friend said he had just seen an accident and urged Camps to be careful as he approached the Paynes Prairie area, just south of Gainesville.
A short time later, Camps said, traffic stopped along the northbound lanes.
"You couldn't see anything. People were pulling off the road," he said.
Camps said he began talking about the road conditions to a man in the car stopped next to him when another vehicle hit that man's car.
The man's vehicle was crushed under a semi-truck stopped in front of them. Camps said his car was hit twice, but he and another friend were able to jump out. They took cover in the grass on the shoulder of the road.
All around them, cars and trucks were on fire, and they could hear explosions as the vehicles burned.
"It was happening on both sides of the road, so there was nowhere to go. It blew my mind," he said, explaining that the scene "looked like someone was picking up cars and throwing them."
Authorities had not released the names of victims Sunday evening, but said one passenger car had four fatalities. A "tour bus-like" vehicle also was involved in the pileup, police said.
All six lanes of the interstate were closed most of Sunday as investigators surveyed the site and firefighters put out the last of the flames. Some traffic was being diverted onto U.S. 301 and State Road 27, Riordan said. The northbound lanes were reopened at about 5:30 p.m.
At some point before the pileup, police briefly closed the highway because of fog and smoke. The road was reopened when visibility improved, police said. Riordan said he was not sure how much time passed between the reopening of the highway and the first crash.
A spokeswoman for the Florida Forest Service, Ludie Bond, said the fire began Saturday, and investigators were trying to determine whether the blaze had been intentionally set. She said there were no controlled burns in the area and no lightning.
Bond also said the fire had burned 62 acres and was contained but still burning Sunday. A similar fire nearby has been burning since mid-November because the dried vegetation is so thick and deep. No homes are threatened.
Four years ago, heavy fog and smoke were blamed for another serious crash.
In January 2008, four people were killed and 38 injured in a series of similar crashes on Interstate 4 between Orlando and Tampa, about 125 miles south of Sunday's crash. More than 70 vehicles were involved in those crashes, including one pileup that involved 40 vehicles.
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Associated Press writer Freida Frisaro in Miami contributed to this report.
While beans were vaguely spilled ahead of its official launch, T-Mobile UK today unveiled its latest attempt to differentiate itself from the competitive world of British carriers with a new no-holds-barred tariff. From the network that previously nixed its fair use policy around this time last year, the Full Monty offers up truly -- yes, truly; we checked -- unlimited data alongside unlimited cross network calls and text messages. While the entry-level £36 contract limits calls to 2,000 per month, unlimited calling starts at £41 per month, reaching the dizzying heights of £61 if you're shopping for the latest iPhone. New phones will similarly be absorbed into what is now T-Mob's premier contract. It'll join mobile carrier Three, which was previously the only other major operator to offer unlimited data. Alongside the above package, which includes tethering, T-Mobile phones will also nab access to BT Openzone, the UK's largest WiFi hotspot network.
When the Fully Monty launches on February 1st, it'll be accompanied by a new Android and iOS app that adds one-click connectivity to those WiFi networks. The deal isn't available SIM-only, although T-Mobile UK's Head of Propositions, Ben Fritsch, told us that the new deal is pitched at users looking to take the smartphone plunge. Its existing collection of tariffs will also see a similar refresh -- but there's no details on those just yet. American readers can gaze with envy at the full release below.
Update:Electricpig reports that there may be traffic control in effect if users (somehow) hit above 80GB.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. ? Iowa did a lot of things right against Indiana. Defense wasn't one of them.
Freshman Cody Zeller scored a season-high 26 points to help No. 16 Indiana defeat Iowa 103-89 on Sunday night. Indiana scored more than 100 points in a conference game for the first time since defeating Iowa 110-79 on March 12, 1995.
Iowa made 19 of 24 shots in the second half and somehow lost convincingly.
"We shot 80 percent in the second half," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. "You go on the road and score 89, you should be in pretty good shape. I was upset by a lot of things that happened on the defensive end of the floor."
Zeller made 11 of 12 shots and had four assists and three steals for the Hoosiers (17-5, 5-5 Big Ten),
"I've watched a lot of film, obviously, and he is as good as any freshman big man I have ever seen," McCaffery said.
It wasn't just the defense on Zeller that failed. Christian Watford scored 15 points, Verdell Jones III had 14 points and nine assists and Victor Oladipo had 12 points and six rebounds for the Hoosiers, who had lost four of five.
"We didn't help the helper enough," Iowa guard Bryce Cartwright said. "We had too many lapses."
Josh Oglesby scored a season-high 24 points and Matt Gatens added 20 for Iowa (11-11, 3-6). The Hawkeyes shot 63 percent from the field, but committed 17 turnovers. Since defeating Michigan, the Hawkeyes have lost at Purdue, at home to Nebraska and at Indiana.
Iowa and Indiana will meet again in Iowa City on Feb. 19.
Indiana was held to a season-low 50 points in a loss at Wisconsin on Thursday night, but had that many by halftime against Iowa. The Hoosiers finished with 20 assists after having four against Wisconsin.
On the rare occasion in which Indiana missed a shot against the Hawkeyes, the Hoosiers often got the rebound. Indiana scored 23 second-chance points on 20 offensive boards.
Indiana's Derek Elston hit three straight shots, including two 3-pointers, in a run that gave the Hoosiers a 26-18 lead with 11:37 left in the first half. Iowa cut the lead to one point on a basket by Aaron White, but the Hoosiers quickly regrouped. Tom Pritchard scored baskets 16 seconds apart in a run that gave Indiana a 44-36 lead.
The Hoosiers led 54-37 at halftime, their second-highest point total in a half this season. Indiana shot 54 percent and grabbed 11 offensive rebounds. Iowa shot 50 percent but committed 10 turnovers in the first half and was outrebounded 24-11.
A powerful one-handed dunk by Zeller gave the Hoosiers a 65-48 lead.
Iowa rallied and cut the deficit to 67-55 on a dunk by Nelsahn Basabe. Zeller took a break with Indiana leading 72-57. A two-handed putback dunk by Pritchard helped the Hoosiers maintain their lead, and Indiana led 81-64 when Zeller returned. His breakaway dunk increased the lead to 85-64.
The Hoosiers scored their 100th point on a free throw by Oladipo with 2:30 remaining.
Iowa might have scored 100 points too with better rebounding and effort on defense.
"It is not coming together right now," Gatens said. "Our defense on ball is bad, our pick-and-roll defense is bad. We couldn't get stops."
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Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton covers the latest issue of Scouting, a U.K. magazine dedicated to promoting ... scouting. And specifically volunteer work!
The 30-year-old is now the February/March cover girl on the publication, a fitting choice after she performed some private volunteer work with the scouts.
"Part of her role as volunteer is to help below the radar," says a source of Kate's work with girl and boy scouts and their younger counterparts, the Beavers.
The scouts hope the duchess will help Kate Middleton run a variety of activities relevant to her skills and interests, and she's likely to be popping into some groups' regular meetings near her home on Anglesey, North Wales, and elsewhere.
Inside the magazine, adventurer-broadcaster Bear Grylls pays tribute to Kate: "It is how we change our society, many people doing a little bit," he says.
The scouts are one of five charities she chose to patronize in her royal role. Kate is set to start officially touring some of them next month.
She and husband Prince William are due back from vacation in Mustique soon. William then heads to the Falkland Islands for military duty next month.
It's no secret that certain countries have different views over freedom of expression on the internet, but this hasn't stopped Twitter's attempt to keep its service running in as many places as possible. In its latest blog post, the microblogging service announced that it'll begin "to reactively withhold content from users in a specific country" when required, in order to keep said content available to all users elsewhere (as opposed to blocking it globally). The withheld tweets will be marked accordingly while their authors get notified with reasons where possible, and internet legal rights monitor Chilling Effects will also post the relevant take-down notices on a dedicated page.
This may seem like some form of censorship taking over Twitter, but the company only mentioned those of "historical or cultural reasons" like the ban of pro-Nazi content in France and Germany; so it's not clear whether Twitter will also handle similarly with tweets that potentially lead to events such as the UK riots last year. Even though Twitter didn't elaborate further for Reuters, there is one reassuring line in the post:
"Some [countries] differ so much from our ideas that we will not be able to exist there."
One such country is most likely China, and back at AsiaD in October, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey told us that there's simply no way for his company to work with the Chinese government (you can watch him answering us at 38:17 in the video -- courtesy of All Things D -- after the break):
"The unfortunate fact is we're just not allowed to compete in this market, and that's not up to us to change. The person to ask is trade experts between both governments, but at the end of the day we can't compete. They (Chinese microblogging platforms) can compete in our markets, and we're certainly interested in what that means for us... We would love to have a strong Twitter in China, but we'd need to be allowed to do that."
There are obviously many factors that add up to this sour relationship, but the contradiction between China's strict internet monitoring policy and Twitter's core values is most likely the biggest obstacle. And of course, the Chinese government would favor its home-grown tech properties, anyway. That said, several months ago, one of the country's largest microblogging services Sina Weibo was criticized by the authorities for not censoring fast enough, so it's obvious that it'd be even trickier to work with a foreign company that sees things differently. Things are unlikely to change any time soon, or ever, unless China relaxes its policy.
Oil prices moved in a narrow range Friday as Iran prepared to consider a ban on crude sales to European Union countries.
Iranian leaders are scheduled to debate the ban Sunday in response to EU plans to embargo Iran's oil by summer because of that country's nuclear program. Investors worry that any ban could cause supply disruptions.
Benchmark oil fell 14 cents to finish at $99.56 per barrel after climbing as high as $100.63 per barrel earlier in the session. Brent crude rose 67 cents to end at $111.46 per barrel in London.
EU countries account for about 18 percent of Iran's oil exports. Analysts believe any shortfall in Europe could be made up by other countries. If it stops selling oil to Europe, Iran should find takers in Asia. China is its biggest oil customer.
Iran also has threatened to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. About one-fifth of the world's supply of oil is shipped through the strategic waterway. The U.S. and other nations have said they will not tolerate an Iranian blockade. U.S., British and French warships regularly patrol the Gulf.
In other trading, gasoline futures jumped almost 3 percent on concerns about future supplies after next month's closure of the big Hovensa refinery in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It produced about 350,000 barrels per day, but the high price of crude has made it unprofitable. The closure comes as many refineries slow down for regular spring maintenance.
Gasoline futures rose 8 cents to end at $2.92 per gallon. Futures prices are up about 10 percent since the start of the year.
Natural gas prices rose again on Friday, after dropping more than 4 percent on Thursday. Futures contracts rose 7 cents, or 2.8 percent, to finish at $2.68 per 1,000 cubic feet.
Natural gas hit a 10-year low last week, driven down by huge supplies and mild winter weather that's kept furnaces turned down. Now forecasts show a colder weather pattern emerging for the Midwest and the Northeast in February, which would mean more natural gas will be needed for heating. The buildup of natural gas supplies may also slow as producers cut back. Chesapeake Energy, ConocoPhillips and Consol Energy said this week that they would reduce some natural gas operations.
Heating oil futures rose 2 cents to end at $3.07 per gallon.
At the pump, AAA says the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline rose a penny on Friday, to $3.39. That's about 15 cents more than a month ago and nearly 29 cents more than a year ago.
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AP Energy Writer Jonathan Fahey contributed to this report.
Leena Rao currently works as a writer for TechCrunch. She recently finished graduate school at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, where she studied business journalism and videography. From 2004 to 2007, she helped lead Congresswoman Carloyn Maloney???s community outreach and relations efforts in New York City. She graduated from Columbia University in 2003, where she was... ? Learn More
HelloWallet, a personal finance software, has raised $12 million in Series B funding from Morningstar and TD Fund. The startup previously raised $9 million in Series A funding, from Grotech Ventures and AOL co-founder Steve Case?s VC fund Revolution Ventures.
HelloWallet, which launched last year, helps users track and proactively manage their personal finances from both the web and mobile. But HelloWallet aims to be a full-service financial advisor, and looks forward to proactively uncover savings opportunities and potential threats for its members.
Additionally, HelloWallet does not allow banks to advertise or promote products, so its recommendations claim to be untouched by any business interests. The startup plans to use the fund to further product development and build out its businesses development team.
HelloWallet?s team of consumer finance experts have developed a platform that helps users set and reach specific financial short- and long-term goals for important life milestones including buying a home, saving for retirement, reducing debt safely, and saving for college.
For example, HelloWallet stores tuition information for nearly every college and university across the country, and models the tuition out to a users? expected enrollment date. The service is then able to make specific recommendations for the best approach to educational savings, on an individual basis.
The company has sold more than 300,000 subscriptions since it launched its enterprise application in mid-2011. During this same period, HelloWallet?s personalized financial guidance has helped its average members increase their monthly savings contributions by more than 80 percent, creating about $350 in extra savings contributions every month per person.
The new funding will be used to expand its client base.
HelloWallet is an independent, online financial guidance service for workers founded by former Brookings Institution scholar Matt Fellowes. HelloWallet is primarily distributed through Fortune 500 and other employers as a workplace benefit. HelloWallet helps workers improve their overall household finances by ???finding the money??? to boost their contributions to retirement savings and reduce debt. Retirement plan providers also provide the service to help workers improve their personal finances. HelloWallet???s independence comes from the fact that it receives no commissions...
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) ? Google Inc, which revolutionized Internet searches with an easy-to-use website, has itself become an increasingly tricky business to grasp.
That issue leapt to the fore last week when the company stunned Wall Street by missing financial expectations for the fourth quarter -- sending its stock into a tailspin and triggering a flurry of questions over what went askew.
Analysts say Google is simply putting its fingers in too many pies. Forays into television, Android mobile phones and music sales in the past two to three years have left the investment community straining to recognize the company.
A surprise drop in Google's search advertising rates in the fourth quarter raised questions about how its rapidly expanding mobile business was affecting its main money-making machine.
With investors still uneasy about Google's proposed $12.5 billion acquisition of smartphone maker Motorola, the earnings disappointment underscored a big challenge facing Chief Executive Larry Page as he positions the company for new growth opportunities.
Some are wondering if Google has a clear strategy for generating revenue and growth out of a plethora of fledgling initiatives, from Android to its Facebook wannabe, Google+, especially since Page and management refuse to offer guidance.
"Right now people are skeptical about those bets paying off," said Walter Price, a portfolio manager at RCM Capital Management, referring to Google's efforts outside its flagship search business.
Google's managers "get on a conference call and they're super enthusiastic about their future, and yet you look at the (stock's) multiple and the way the stock is treated, and people don't share that enthusiasm," said Price, whose firm owns Google shares.
Google's stock closed at $569.49 on Wednesday, down from a four-year high of $670.25 earlier this month. The stock trades at 13.6 times forward earnings, compared to the 12.3 average multiple for companies on the S&P 500.
The limited insight Google provides on the details of its non-search businesses has not helped matters, as investors struggle to connect the company's ambitious strategic vision with its income statement.
In that sense, Google is very like Amazon.com Inc, which warned in October it could lose money in the fourth quarter as the online retailer spends heavily on the Kindle Fire tablet and other projects. Amazon is due to report results on January 31.
"Google is very much in the midst of a transformation," said BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis.
Page has "taken some aggressive big bets here, stuff that's going to be hard to undo," said Gillis, citing the Motorola deal, which he estimated will lop 600 basis points off of Google's profit margin when the acquisition is completed.
THICKER ARROWS
If Page's bets pay off, search could represent just one of several large and thriving businesses as Google recasts itself as a full-fledged "media and services" company.
Since replacing Eric Schmidt last April as CEO, the Google co-founder has aggressively tossed out underperforming and non-essential projects and products. The idea is to put "more wood" behind the company's most important arrows, he has said.
Among those arrows are Google+, the eight-month old social network; Android, the smartphone operating system; and YouTube, the video Website it bought six years ago for $1.65 billion.
Clearly, these have been very successful ventures. Android has become the world's No. 1 smarpthone operating system, surging past Apple Inc's iOS, the software that powers the popular iPhone. YouTube is delivering 4 billion video views per day. And 90 million users have signed up for Google+.
What is less clear is how much money Google can eventually generate from these largely free services, such as from advertising sales.
For Google to keep growing, it needs access to a wider range of content on which it can place ads and make money, particularly as the tech landscape shifts and consumers' Internet habits evolve.
"Any walled-off content is the enemy of Google, so they're trying to pry it open. They did it well with Android, they're trying it with social media and they're trying it with television," said MIT Sloan School of Management Professor Michael Cusumano.
The strategy is not cheap, requiring significant investments for Google to build or buy platforms to reach new content -- adding pressure on the bottom line. And many of the new markets may not be as profitable as the search ad business where Google rules the roost, said Cusumano.
Google does not disclose how much money it has spent on Google+. But analysts believe much of Google's aggressive hiring during the past year -- its headcount swelled to more than 8,000 employees in 2011 alone -- was to feed its social efforts as it seeks to challenge Facebook's 800 million user network.
Microsoft's ongoing efforts to displace Google in search provide a stark reminder of the steep price involved in going head-to-head with an entrenched Web company: in the last eight quarters, Microsoft's online services unit has lost roughly $4.9 billion.
Google+, which does not currently feature ads, is still in its infancy and the company has yet to outline its monetization plans for the service. But Macquarie Research analyst Ben Schachter said the benefits of some of Google's other non-search initiatives, such as the vast amount of online video it now streams across the Web on YouTube, are coming into focus.
"The goal at the end of the rainbow is TV advertising," he said. "For years Google has been eating the lunch of print and radio, but TV has held up incredibly well."
That will start to change by the second half of this year and into 2013, when Schachter expects that TV advertising dollars will flow to online video providers like Google.
TIME FOR A REPORT CARD?
In October, Google said that its mobile business was generating revenue at a $2.5 billion annualized run rate, up from $1 billion a year earlier.
But while the figures provide evidence that Google's mobile efforts are bearing fruit, they leave plenty of questions unanswered, including what portion of the revenue is mobile search ads versus mobile display ads, and how much money is generated from users of Android devices versus Apple iPhones on which Google presumably has to share some of the revenue.
Google's $5 billion run rate for its graphical display ads is similarly murky. And Google's updates on the business are unpredictable: The company has only provided a display ad run-rate figure two times, with five quarters elapsing between the updates.
With mobile and display representing greater portions of Google's business, some say the time has come for the company to be more forthcoming to push its price/earnings multiple higher.
"If they want multiple expansion they need to provide more clarity," said National Alliance Capital Markets analyst Mike Hickey. "If someone asks them how's an aspect of the business 'terrific' just doesn't cut it anymore."
It is, however, unlikely that Google will go so far as to provide financial forecasts -- a practice the company has shunned since its earliest days.
But more consistent and detailed reporting of some of its key businesses could bolster Wall Street's faith in the company's prospects outside search, and quell some of the persistent anxiety about its spending.
"We need a report card," said RCM Capital Management's Price, noting that he believes Google's current search business is only the "tip of the iceberg" when it comes to the company's longer term money-making prospects.
(Editing by Peter Lauria, Edwin Chan and Bernard Orr)
WASHINGTON ? It was a wish list, not a to-do list.
President Barack Obama laid out an array of plans in his State of the Union speech as if his hands weren't so tied by political realities. There can be little more than wishful thinking behind his call to end oil industry subsidies ? something he could not get through a Democratic Congress, much less today's divided Congress, much less in this election year.
And there was more recycling, in an even more forbidding climate than when the ideas were new: He pushed for an immigration overhaul that he couldn't get past Democrats, permanent college tuition tax credits that he asked for a year ago, and familiar discouragements for companies that move overseas.
A look at Obama's rhetoric Tuesday night and how it fits with the facts and political circumstances:
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OBAMA: "We have subsidized oil companies for a century. That's long enough. It's time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that's rarely been more profitable, and double-down on a clean energy industry that's never been more promising."
THE FACTS: This is at least Obama's third run at stripping subsidies from the oil industry. Back when fellow Democrats formed the House and Senate majorities, he sought $36.5 billion in tax increases on oil and gas companies over the next decade, but Congress largely ignored the request. He called again to end such tax breaks in last year's State of the Union speech. And he's now doing it again, despite facing a wall of opposition from Republicans who want to spur domestic oil and gas production and oppose tax increases generally.
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OBAMA: "Our health care law relies on a reformed private market, not a government program."
THE FACTS: That's only half true. About half of the more than 30 million uninsured Americans expected to gain coverage through the health care law will be enrolled in a government program. Medicaid, the federal-state program for low-income people, will be expanded starting in 2014 to cover childless adults living near the poverty line.
The other half will be enrolled in private health plans through new state-based insurance markets. But many of them will be receiving federal subsidies to make their premiums more affordable. And that's a government program, too.
Starting in 2014 most Americans will be required to carry health coverage, either through an employer, by buying their own plan, or through a government program.
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OBAMA, asking Congress to pay for construction projects: "Take the money we're no longer spending at war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the rest to do some nation-building right here at home."
THE FACTS: The idea of taking war "savings" to pay for other programs is budgetary sleight of hand. For one thing, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been largely financed through borrowing, so stopping the wars doesn't create a pool of ready cash, just less debt. And the savings appear to be based at least in part on inflated war spending estimates for future years.
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OBAMA: "Through the power of our diplomacy a world that was once divided about how to deal with Iran's nuclear program now stands as one."
THE FACTS: The world is still divided over how to deal with Iran's disputed nuclear program, and even over whether the nuclear program is a problem at all.
It is true that the U.S., Europe and other nations have agreed to apply the strictest economic sanctions yet on Iran later this year. But the global sanctions net has holes, because some of Iran's large oil trading partners won't go along. China, a major purchaser of Iran's crude, isn't part of the new sanctions and, together with Russia, stopped the United Nations from applying similarly tough penalties.
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OBAMA: "Tonight, I want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that's built to last - an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values."
THE FACTS: Economists do see manufacturing growth as a necessary component of any U.S. recovery. U.S. manufacturing output climbed 0.9 percent in December, the biggest gain since December 2010. Yet Obama's apparent vision of a nation once again propelled by manufacturing ? a vision shared by many Republicans ? may already have slipped into the past.
Over generations, the economy has become ever more driven by services; not since 1975 has the U.S. had a surplus in merchandise trade, which covers trade in goods, including manufactured and farm goods. About 90 percent of American workers are employed in the service sector, a profound shift in the nature of the workforce over many decades.
The overall trade deficit through the first 11 months of 2011 ran at an annual rate of nearly $600 billion, up almost 12 percent from the year before.
___
OBAMA: "The Taliban's momentum has been broken, and some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home."
THE FACTS: Obama is more sanguine about progress in Afghanistan than his own intelligence apparatus. The latest National Intelligence Estimate on Afghanistan warns that the Taliban will grow stronger, using fledgling talks with the U.S. to gain credibility and stall until U.S. troops leave, while continuing to fight for more territory. The classified assessment, described to The Associated Press by officials who have seen it, says the Afghan government hasn't been able to establish credibility with its people, and predicts the Taliban and warlords will largely control the countryside.
___
OBAMA: "On the day I took office, our auto industry was on the verge of collapse. Some even said we should let it die. With a million jobs at stake, I refused to let that happen. In exchange for help, we demanded responsibility. We got workers and automakers to settle their differences. We got the industry to retool and restructure. Today, General Motors is back on top as the world's number one automaker. Chrysler has grown faster in the U.S. than any major car company. Ford is investing billions in U.S. plants and factories."
THE FACTS: He left out some key details. The bailout of General Motors and Chrysler began under Republican President George W. Bush. Obama picked up the ball, earmarked more money, and finished the job. But Ford never asked for a federal bailout and never got one.
___
OBAMA: "We can also spur energy innovation with new incentives. The differences in this chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change. But there's no reason why Congress shouldn't at least set a clean energy standard that creates a market for innovation."
THE FACTS: With this statement, Obama was renewing a call he made last year to require 80 percent of the nation's electricity to come from clean energy sources by 2035, including nuclear, natural gas and so-called clean coal. He did not put that percentage in his speech but White House background papers show that it remains his goal.
But this Congress has yet to introduce a bill to make that goal a reality, and while legislation may be introduced this year, it is unlikely to become law with a Republican-controlled House that loathes mandates.
___
OBAMA: "Right now, because of loopholes and shelters in the tax code, a quarter of all millionaires pay lower tax rates than millions of middle-class households."
THE FACTS: It's true that a minority of millionaires pay a lower tax rate than some lower-income people. On average, though, wealthy people pay taxes at a much higher rate than middle-income taxpayers.
Obama's claim comes from a Congressional Research Service report that compared federal taxes paid by people making less than $100,000 with those paid by people making more than $1 million. About 10 percent of families with incomes under $100,000 paid more than 26.5 percent in federal income, payroll and corporate taxes. And about a quarter of millionaire taxpayers paid a rate lower than that.
___
OBAMA: "We can't bring back every job that's left our shores.... Tonight, my message to business leaders is simple: Ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to your country, and your country will do everything we can to help you succeed."
FACT CHECK: Many of the jobs U.S. companies have created overseas won't return because they were never in the United States in the first place.
As Obama said in his speech, U.S. workers have become more productive and labor costs have fallen.
But there are powerful forces pushing the other way: Many of the overseas jobs in U.S. companies weren't transferred from the U.S. They were created in fast-growing markets in Latin America, Asia and elsewhere to serve customers in those markets. Companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 index now earn more than half of their revenue from overseas.
That has fueled more job creation abroad. U.S. multinationals cut more than 800,000 jobs in the United States from 2000 to 2009, according the Commerce Department. They added 2.9 million overseas in the same period.
___
OBAMA: "Anyone who tells you that America is in decline or that our influence has waned doesn't know what they're talking about ... That's not how people feel from Tokyo to Berlin; from Cape Town to Rio; where opinions of America are higher than they've been in years."
THE FACTS: Obama left out Arab and Muslim nations, where popular opinion of the U.S. appears to have gone downhill or remained unchanged after the spring 2011 reformist uprisings in the Middle East. A Pew Research Center survey in May found that in predominantly Muslim countries such as Turkey, Jordan and Pakistan, views of the U.S. were worse than a year earlier. In Pakistan, a major recipient of U.S. foreign aid that went unmentioned in Obama's speech, just 11 percent of respondents said they held a positive view of the United States.
___
Associated Press writers Tom Raum, Anne Gearan, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Martin Crutsinger, Jim Drinkard, Dina Cappiello, Erica Werner, Andrew Taylor, Christopher S. Rugaber and Stephen Ohlemacher contributed to this report.
Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun accepted his National League Most Valuable Player award on Saturday night at the?Baseball Writers Association of America awards banquet in New York City.
It was his first public appearance since the news broke last month that he tested positive for ?insanely high? levels of synthetic testosterone just before the start of the Brewers? NLDS matchup with Arizona.
Braun gave a short speech, touching on his lingering PED conviction only in broad terms (via Tom Haudricourt of the?Milwaukee Journal Sentinel):
?Sometimes in life we all deal with challenges we never expected to endure. We have an opportunity to look as those challenges and view them either as obstacles or opportunities. I?ve chosen to view every challenge I?ve ever faced as an opportunity and this will be no different. I?ve always believed that a person?s character is revealed through the way they deal with those moments of adversity.
?I?ve always loved and had so much respect for the game of baseball. Everything I?ve done in my career has been done with that respect and appreciation in mind, and that is why I?m so grateful and humbled to accept this award tonight. Thank you again to everybody and I hope you guys enjoy the rest of your evening.?
Braun pleaded his innocence Thursday in front of a three-person arbitration panel. A ruling should be coming soon. If the test result is upheld, he will serve a 50-game suspension at the start of the 2012 regular season.
Hard times mean more people are unable to afford legal services. But hard times also mean a reduction in support for Legal Aid of Arkansas, a Jonesboro-based agency that provides legal assistance in civil cases for those unable to pay in 31 counties.
Offices and staff are going to be cut back and work reorganized to cope, Legal Aid of Arkansas has announced. Its release follows.
NEWS RELEASE
JONESBORO, Ark. ? Facing steep funding cuts, Legal Aid of Arkansas has reorganized its service delivery system to continue to provide quality legal service to low income individuals and families in Arkansas.
A 14.9 percent federal funding cut to the Legal Services Corporation in 2012 and a four percent cut in 2011 equates to a loss of more than $300,000 for Legal Aid. The organization will likely face an additional 10 percent cut in 2013. Legal Services Corporation is Legal Aid?s largest funding source.
Adding to the problem, Arkansas? State Administration of Justice Fund, Legal Aid?s second largest funding source, has recently decreased by 18 percent.
?Because of the reductions in funding, we are going to have to be more strategic about how we allocate our limited resources,? said Lee Richardson, Executive Director of Legal Aid.
Legal Aid already laid off three staff attorneys and three support staff in 2011 in anticipation of funding cuts. Four attorney positions, three paralegal positions and three support positions will be cut in 2012.
Legal Aid?s delivery system is also getting an overhaul. The new system is based on four substantive law workgroups, which will focus on domestic violence, consumer matters, housing issues and economic justice. Management will also be consolidated into four regions: Northwest, Ozark, Northeast and Delta.
The Mountain View office will be closed and Legal Aid management will look to relocate other offices to smaller physical plants. Donated space will be used to ensure continued local access to Legal Aid services.
These cuts come in the face of an economic downturn that has seen more and more people in need of legal assistance. Legal Aid closed more than 7,000 cases in 2011, and for every client the organization provided assistance, another client was turned away because a lack of resources.
?The cornerstone of fairness in this country is based on the idea that the most humble among us should be the peer of the most affluent when seeking justice,? Richardson said. ?Unfortunately, this concept cannot be a reality unless both sides to an issue have legal counsel. Legal Aid is the only game in town for individuals with civil issues without resources to pay an attorney.?
Despite cuts, Legal Aid remains the place for low-income Arkansans to seek legal assistance.
In an effort to maximize scarce resources, Legal Aid has developed Medical Legal Partnerships with Arkansas Children?s Hospital and Walmart Corporate Legal Department and with Federally Qualified Health Clinics in Lee and Monroe County. Legal Aid also introduced the Justice for Arkansans AmeriCorps program, placing eight public interest attorneys throughout the state to tackle various civil legal issues.
?We will work tirelessly to develop new resources and partnerships to advance the cause of social justice,? Richardson said.
In addition to these new developments, Legal Aid continues its Equal Access to Justice and Arkansas Volunteer Lawyers for the Elderly Panels, which maintain more than 700 private attorneys who volunteer to represent clients referred by Legal Aid for free.
Legal Aid of Arkansas is a nonprofit organization that provides free legal services to low-income persons with civil legal problems in 31 counties from Benton County in Northwest Arkansas to Phillips County in the Mississippi River Delta. If you need legal advice or representation, call 100-9-LAW-AID (1800-952-9243) to apply for services. Visit www.arlegalaid.org to learn more about services and volunteer opportunities.
Contact: Caroline Perry cperry@seas.harvard.edu 617-496-1351 Harvard University
Extracellular matrix identified as source of spreading in biofilms
Cambridge, Mass. - January 23, 2012 - New research at Harvard explains how bacterial biofilms expand to form slimy mats on teeth, pipes, surgical instruments, and crops.
Through experiment and mathematical analysis, researchers have shown that the extracellular matrix (ECM), a mesh of proteins and sugars that can form outside bacterial cells, creates osmotic pressure that forces biofilms to swell and spread.
The ECM mechanism is so powerful that it can increase the radius of some biofilms five-fold within 24 hours.
The results have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Biofilms, large colonies of bacteria that adhere to surfaces, can be harmful in a wide range of settings, resulting in tooth decay, hospital infections, agricultural damage, and corrosion. Finding ways to control or eliminate biofilms is a priority for many industries.
In order for a biofilm to grow, a group of bacterial cells must first adhere to a surface and then proliferate and spread. When a vast number of cells are present, this can translate into the creation of a filmy surface spanning several meters.
"Our work challenges the common picture of biofilms as sedentary communities by showing how cells in a biofilm cooperate to colonize surfaces," says lead author Agnese Seminara, a research associate at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS).
Several types of biofilms have been characterized based on composition and antibiotic resistance, but until now it has not been clear what roles the whip-like flagella and the ECM play in the outward movement of cells.
While the presence of a flagellum has traditionally been associated with greater movement capability, the new research has found that a flagellum actually confers little advantage in the formation of biofilms. In the Harvard study, mutant bacteria lacking flagella were able to spread at almost the same rate as the wild-type (natural) ones. Mutants that could not secrete the ECM, however, showed stunted growth.
The team of physicists, mathematicians, chemists, and biologists examined the formation of biofilms in Bacillus subtilis, a type of rod-shaped bacteria often found in soil. Their focus on this particular species was led by Roberto Kolter, Professor of Microbiology and Immunobiology at Harvard Medical School, an expert on biofilms and the genomics of B. subtilis.
"This project establishes a link between the phenotype, the physically observable traits of biofilm growth, and the genetic underpinning that allows spreading to happen in B. subtilis," notes co-principal investigator Michael Brenner, the Glover Professor of Applied Mathematics and Applied Physics at SEAS.
The researchers had speculated about a possible connection between the biofilm's quest for nutrition and the process of spreading. Because biofilms absorb nutrients through their exposed surface area, they can only swell vertically to a certain point before the surface-area-to-volume ratio makes it impossible to adequately nourish every cell. At this point, the biofilm must begin to spread outward so that the surface area increases along with the number of cells.
The ECM, a complex mesh of proteins, sugars, and other components outside of the individual cells, holds the key to one aspect of this movement: it apparently increases osmotic pressure within the biofilm.
In response to the increased pressure, the biofilm immediately absorbs water from its surroundings, causing the entire mass to swell upward. The final change in the shape of the biofilm is due to a combination of this swelling and the horizontal spreading that follows.
Seminara and Brenner created a mathematical model that mirrored many of the team's physical observations. The model supported the experimental observations; by considering the relationship between swelling and spreading, they were able to find the "critical" time at which horizontal outward motion begins.
"This work is led by theoretical predictions which were tested by experiment and proved to be correct," reflects co-principal investigator David Weitz, Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at SEAS and Co-Director of the BASF Advanced Research Initiative at Harvard. "The results also demonstrate how simple physical principles can provide considerable insight into the behavior of biofilms."
The motion of biofilms represents only a small part of a complex subject. Further research will investigate how biofilms adapt and possibly manipulate their environment. The ultimate goal is to alter biofilms' behavior to minimize their harmful effects.
"The natural question at this point is: do cells actively control biofilm expansion and can they direct it toward desired targets?" says Seminara. "This is a first step toward understanding the striking evolutionary success of these ubiquitous organisms, and it may open the way to unconventional methods of biofilm control."
###
Seminara, Brenner, and Weitz worked with Thomas Angelini, an Assistant Professor at the University of Florida and a former member of the Weitz lab; James Wilking, a SEAS research associate in applied chemistry; Senan Ebrahim '12, an undergraduate at Harvard; and Hera Vlamakis and Roberto Kolter of Harvard Medical School.
The research was supported by the BASF Advanced Research Initiative at Harvard, the 7th European Community Framework Programme, the National Institutes of Health, and the Harvard Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, which is supported by the National Science Foundation.
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Contact: Caroline Perry cperry@seas.harvard.edu 617-496-1351 Harvard University
Extracellular matrix identified as source of spreading in biofilms
Cambridge, Mass. - January 23, 2012 - New research at Harvard explains how bacterial biofilms expand to form slimy mats on teeth, pipes, surgical instruments, and crops.
Through experiment and mathematical analysis, researchers have shown that the extracellular matrix (ECM), a mesh of proteins and sugars that can form outside bacterial cells, creates osmotic pressure that forces biofilms to swell and spread.
The ECM mechanism is so powerful that it can increase the radius of some biofilms five-fold within 24 hours.
The results have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Biofilms, large colonies of bacteria that adhere to surfaces, can be harmful in a wide range of settings, resulting in tooth decay, hospital infections, agricultural damage, and corrosion. Finding ways to control or eliminate biofilms is a priority for many industries.
In order for a biofilm to grow, a group of bacterial cells must first adhere to a surface and then proliferate and spread. When a vast number of cells are present, this can translate into the creation of a filmy surface spanning several meters.
"Our work challenges the common picture of biofilms as sedentary communities by showing how cells in a biofilm cooperate to colonize surfaces," says lead author Agnese Seminara, a research associate at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS).
Several types of biofilms have been characterized based on composition and antibiotic resistance, but until now it has not been clear what roles the whip-like flagella and the ECM play in the outward movement of cells.
While the presence of a flagellum has traditionally been associated with greater movement capability, the new research has found that a flagellum actually confers little advantage in the formation of biofilms. In the Harvard study, mutant bacteria lacking flagella were able to spread at almost the same rate as the wild-type (natural) ones. Mutants that could not secrete the ECM, however, showed stunted growth.
The team of physicists, mathematicians, chemists, and biologists examined the formation of biofilms in Bacillus subtilis, a type of rod-shaped bacteria often found in soil. Their focus on this particular species was led by Roberto Kolter, Professor of Microbiology and Immunobiology at Harvard Medical School, an expert on biofilms and the genomics of B. subtilis.
"This project establishes a link between the phenotype, the physically observable traits of biofilm growth, and the genetic underpinning that allows spreading to happen in B. subtilis," notes co-principal investigator Michael Brenner, the Glover Professor of Applied Mathematics and Applied Physics at SEAS.
The researchers had speculated about a possible connection between the biofilm's quest for nutrition and the process of spreading. Because biofilms absorb nutrients through their exposed surface area, they can only swell vertically to a certain point before the surface-area-to-volume ratio makes it impossible to adequately nourish every cell. At this point, the biofilm must begin to spread outward so that the surface area increases along with the number of cells.
The ECM, a complex mesh of proteins, sugars, and other components outside of the individual cells, holds the key to one aspect of this movement: it apparently increases osmotic pressure within the biofilm.
In response to the increased pressure, the biofilm immediately absorbs water from its surroundings, causing the entire mass to swell upward. The final change in the shape of the biofilm is due to a combination of this swelling and the horizontal spreading that follows.
Seminara and Brenner created a mathematical model that mirrored many of the team's physical observations. The model supported the experimental observations; by considering the relationship between swelling and spreading, they were able to find the "critical" time at which horizontal outward motion begins.
"This work is led by theoretical predictions which were tested by experiment and proved to be correct," reflects co-principal investigator David Weitz, Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at SEAS and Co-Director of the BASF Advanced Research Initiative at Harvard. "The results also demonstrate how simple physical principles can provide considerable insight into the behavior of biofilms."
The motion of biofilms represents only a small part of a complex subject. Further research will investigate how biofilms adapt and possibly manipulate their environment. The ultimate goal is to alter biofilms' behavior to minimize their harmful effects.
"The natural question at this point is: do cells actively control biofilm expansion and can they direct it toward desired targets?" says Seminara. "This is a first step toward understanding the striking evolutionary success of these ubiquitous organisms, and it may open the way to unconventional methods of biofilm control."
###
Seminara, Brenner, and Weitz worked with Thomas Angelini, an Assistant Professor at the University of Florida and a former member of the Weitz lab; James Wilking, a SEAS research associate in applied chemistry; Senan Ebrahim '12, an undergraduate at Harvard; and Hera Vlamakis and Roberto Kolter of Harvard Medical School.
The research was supported by the BASF Advanced Research Initiative at Harvard, the 7th European Community Framework Programme, the National Institutes of Health, and the Harvard Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, which is supported by the National Science Foundation.
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?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
SAN FRANCISCO ? Alex Smith and Vernon Davis connected for their second touchdown pass of the game to help the San Francisco 49ers take a 14-10 lead over the New York Giants after three quarters in the NFC championship game Sunday.
Smith threw a 73-yard TD pass to Davis in the first quarter and then completed only two more passes over a span of more than two quarters before connecting again midway through the third.
One play after a 24-yard dumpoff to Frank Gore, Davis got deep down the sideline behind safety Kenny Phillips to catch another big pass from Smith.
Davis now has four touchdowns in his first two career playoff games, joining Jerry Rice as the only Niners with consecutive two-touchdown receiving games in the postseason.
Davis set a playoff record for tight ends with 180 yards receiving and the two touchdowns, including the game-winner with 9 seconds remaining, in a 36-32 victory over New Orleans last week.
The two big plays by Davis more than made up for a big first three quarters by New York's Victor Cruz, who caught 10 passes from Eli Manning for 142 yards.
His 36-yard reception set up a 6-yard touchdown pass to Bear Pascoe early in the second quarter that tied the game. Cruz then caught four passes for 56 yards after New York took over at its 36 with 1:36 to go in the half to set up Lawrence Tynes' 31-yard field goal that made it 10-7 at the break.
Manning and the Giants were unable to generate much offense in the third quarter against San Francisco's stingy defense, gaining two first downs and failing to cross midfield in four drives.
The game was played in a steady rain and with strong winds, and each team fumbled once early in the game but recovered.
On the second play of San Francisco's second drive, Davis beat safety Antrel Rolle and got loose down the sideline. He pulled down the pass from Smith and raced into the end zone. He then jumped up onto a camera stage and posed, drawing a personal foul for excessive celebration.
Davis appeared as if he might have stepped on the sideline, but after a review, referee Ed Hochuli said there was not indisputable evidence and ruled that the touchdown would stand.
Davis got called for another personal foul in the second quarter for unnecessary roughness for jumping on Deon Grant's back after a skirmish between New York's Michael Boley and San Francisco's Anthony Davis.
He did a dance after his second touchdown and was not penalized.
After the 49ers scored their first touchdown, the Giants drove to the San Francisco 34 before stalling. Manning threw incomplete on third-and-1, then linebacker NaVorro Bowman stuffed Brandon Jacobs on fourth down.
The Niners were looking to make it to the Super Bowl for the first time in 17 seasons. Under rookie coach Jim Harbaugh, they won the NFC West with a 13-3 regular-season record to make the playoffs for the first time since 2002.
The Giants won their final two regular-season games to clinch the NFC East, then knocked off Atlanta at home and won at top-seeded Green Bay last week to make it to the conference title game.
The day got off to a bad start for the Harbaugh family, who had been hoping for a "Superbaugh" in two weeks in Indianapolis. John Harbaugh's Baltimore Ravens lost the AFC championship game 23-20 to the New England Patriots.
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Public release date: 23-Jan-2012
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