Tahoe snowboarders can ride Shaun White's halfpipe (AP)

TRUCKEE, Calif. ? Having an Olympic champion call your local ski resort home has its privileges.

A 22-foot-high high, 500-foot-long halfpipe co-designed by snowboarder Shaun White was opened to the public last week at Northstar California, one of Vail Resorts Inc.'s properties formerly called Northstar-at-Tahoe.

The red-haired, two-time Olympic gold medal winner known as the "Flying Tomato" had the superpipe built at the Sierra resort for use in training for upcoming events. Snow Park Technologies based in Verdi, Nev., helped design the superpipe.

"It's not often that the public gets to ride the same competition-quality pipe that an athlete of Shaun's caliber trains in," said Mike Schipani, Northstar's terrain park manager.

"We're excited not only to offer one of the few 22-foot superpipes in the country but also to get it open this early in the season," he said.

White claimed gold at the Winter Olympics in 2006 and 2010. He signed a deal with Vail in August to represent all of the ski company's resorts in Colorado and California, and announced he was making Northstar his home mountain and primary training resort.

The halfpipe, located on the Cat's Face trail, is accessible via the Vista Express chairlift at the mountain near Truckee about 10 miles from Tahoe. Unlike most superpipes, it's constructed completely of snow.

Schipani said snowmaking and terrain park crews worked for more than 700 hours this season to design every detail, from the location and the pitch, to the consistency of the snow made specifically for the pipe and precision of the pipe cut.

Broomfield, Colo.-based Vail Resorts also owns Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado, and Heavenly at South Lake Tahoe, Calif.

___

Information from: Sierra Sun.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120109/ap_en_ce/ca_ski_shaun_white_tahoe_superpipe

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Giffords returns to Tucson shooting scene

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords made a surprise return to the Tucson grocery store where she was wounded in a deadly mass shooting on January 8 last year, as the city braced on Saturday for the event's somber anniversary.

A gunman toting a semiautomatic pistol pumped bullet after bullet into the crowd gathered for a congressional outreach meeting outside the Safeway store in northwest Tucson almost a year ago.

Giffords, who has been in rehabilitation in Houston for a gunshot through her head, returned to the store on Saturday evening. She was accompanied by her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, her office said.

"Gabby just visited the Safeway for the 1st time since 1/8/11," Kelly tweeted.

"It's been a tough year, but we're lucky to have so many people standing w/us," he added.

Giffords has only visited the southwest city four times since the deadly shooting spree last year that killed six people and wounded her and 12 others.

In another unannounced visit earlier in the day, Giffords hiked outside Tucson on a desert trail named for her slain aide Gabe Zimmerman, her office said, stopping briefly to talk to hikers.

The unannounced visits on Saturday came as survivors and residents of this close-knit city came together for walks, story-telling sessions and outdoor festivals ahead of the anniversary of the shooting on Sunday.

"The closer we get to Sunday, the more emotional it gets," said Bill Badger, a retired Army colonel hailed as a hero for tackling accused gunman Jared Loughner to the ground as he attempted to reload.

A few hundred people swayed to a steel band at Reid Park in central Tucson, at an upbeat music festival attended by Zimmerman's father, Ross.

"I'm finding this a really positive, uplifting day," Zimmerman told Reuters.

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'Recovery and resilience'
A few miles to the north, several hundred people visited a trail to remember the youngest victim, 9-year-old Christina-Taylor Green, shot down at the Congress on Your Corner event.

Several of her school friends sketched pictures with chalk on the sidewalk. A message in a child's hand read, "Christina we miss you."

Giffords' spokesman Mark Kimble, who was standing near her when she was shot, said the anniversary was a challenge for the survivors.

"I think very often about it on Saturday mornings, especially this time of year when the weather is similar," he said.

Giffords, who has been undergoing intensive therapy at a Houston hospital since she was shot, will join a candlelight vigil at the University of Arizona on Sunday evening with her husband.

The event is expected to draw thousands of residents of residents of Tucson, a city of 520,000 people that many describe as a "small big town."

Also taking part in the vigil will be Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, Rabbi Stephanie Aaron and Dr. Peter Rhee, chief of the division of trauma, critical care and emergency surgery at the University of Arizona Medical Center, who treated Giffords and others who were wounded in the shooting.

Some survivors have chosen to talk about the traumatic events of the shooting. But Navy veteran Eric Fuller, who was shot in the leg and back a year ago, said he preferred not to dwell on the tragedy.

"I don't want to go on Dr. Phil and tell him how long I cried after I got shot," Fuller told Reuters.

Fuller said he would attend events including a church service and vigil on Sunday evening.

College dropout Loughner,23, was arrested at the scene of the shooting and charged with crimes including attempting to assassinate Giffords. He pleaded not guilty.

Found mentally unfit to stand trial, he is being treated in a federal prison hospital in Missouri.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45911374/ns/us_news-life/

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Seattle geeks create bizarre miniature golf course: This is no ordinary putt-putt

Technology meets mini golf at Smash Putt

They call it mechanized experimental art. But it really looks like geek putt-putt on acid.

If you?re an adventurous sort in search of something fun, offbeat and unusual, check out the new Smash Putt miniature golf course in Seattle?s SoDo neighborhood. What?s Smash Putt all about?

Well, I?ll let the organizers of the silly spectacle explain.

Golfball cannons! Raucous contraptions! Scratch n? sniff technology! Amazing feats of gravity defying whimsy. Leave no regrets on this plane of reality as we face the dawning of miniature golf armageddon.

I?ve got to say, this looks down right awesome?


If that video doesn?t get you fired it up, here?s ?robotics hackers? Jeremy Franklin-Ross and Mike McCracken talking about some of the pneumatic cylinders used on the course.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/geekwire/~3/lVV9Nyzg60g/geeks-meet-minigolf-ordinary-puttputt

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Elton John to write book about the AIDS crisis (AP)

LONDON ? Elton John is writing his first book, a personal account of the AIDS crisis.

The musician says "Love is the Cure: Ending the Global Aids Epidemic" will include memories of friends who died of AIDS-related illnesses, including Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.

British publisher Hodder & Stoughton says the book will be published in July along with an audio book read by the British pop star. The U.S. publisher is Little, Brown.

Proceeds will go to the Elton John's AIDS Foundation.

John said Monday the book would ask why more is not being done to cure the disease.

He said AIDS "is a disease that must be cured not by a miraculous vaccine, but by changing hearts and minds, and through a collective effort to break down social barriers."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120109/ap_en_mu/eu_britain_people_elton_john

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In which I discuss the sports teams at the University of Michigan (#52)

Tonight's the big game, and I'm cautiously optimistic. Denard looked much better in the passing game the last few weeks of the season, which more than makes up for occasionally looking lost in the running game. VT hasn't played against a running spread this year, but did get torched by GT. They are weak on both lines, so I could see Michigan pounding them into submission without needing to throw much. Their QB scares me, but I would guess that Michigan wins.

In other news, I don't know if anyone has been following the DeAnthony Arnett saga, but it seems that as of this morning he's finally been released to transfer to either UM or MSU from Tennessee. Here's a lesson: If somebody wants to transfer from your program, wish them well. I doubt Dooley recovers from this. Even the players that remain at Tennessee have been tweeting their frustrations about how many recruits they lost over this. I don't know if UM will get Arnett, or whether they even want him, but it's great that he'll get a chance to play for a BCS school while being there for his ailing father.

Recruiting has been very quiet, as all 5 or 6 players still on the radar plan to announce late. UM's still in it for a bunch of really big names, but they'll probably also take a lower-rated TE, as the OC seems determined to have 3 TEs in this class no matter what. The third was committed, but defected to Oregon a couple weeks ago, leaving few options.

The basketball team is looking pretty good. Hardaway really struggled the other night, but the true freshman point guard has been spectacular. 2-0 in B10 play, with a huge game at Indiana on Thursday. Smotrycz reminds me a lot of Hartsock, but with more talent a lot less polish.

Source: http://www.cougaruteforum.com/showthread.php?t=51386&goto=newpost&hotpeppersauce=52

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R. Scott Studham named vice president, chief information officer at University of Minnesota

News Release

Contacts: Kate Tyler, University of Minnesota, ktyler@umn.edu, (612) 626-8535
Patty Mattern, University News Service, mattern@umn.edu, (612) 624-2801

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (01/04/2012) ?R. Scott Studham has been named the University of Minnesota?s vice president and chief information officer. He will begin the position February 13, 2012, pending approval by the university?s Board of Regents.

Studham most recently served as the chief information officer at the University of Tennessee, where he was responsible for the strategic direction and management of the university?s information resources.

As the chief information officer, Studham will be responsible for ensuring the strategic and operational excellence of both academic and administrative information technology for the entire University of Minnesota system. This includes establishing a strong IT platform for evidence-based decision-making, managing systemwide IT projects and services, pursuing standardization through disciplined innovation, and deploying tools to meet the needs of academic programs and administrative operations across the University?s five campuses.

Studham received his undergraduate degree from Washington State University in 1997 and a master?s degree in business administration from the University of Tennessee in 2008. An expert in computer-related security issues, Studham has served as project manager and chief architect for a top ten supercomputer six times during the course of his career. He is an internationally recognized researcher in the area of high-performance computing, and has been called upon to give expert testimony before the U.S. Congress.

?The University of Minnesota has distinguished itself as a national leader in innovative and efficient information technology,? said Studham. ?I look forward to joining the university?s Office of Information Technology team and continuing its outstanding work across the system and across the state.

?Scott brings broad experience in enterprise application integration and resource planning in complex organizations and multi-campus environments,? said Robert J. Jones, the university?s senior vice president for System Academic Administration. ?President Kaler and I believe that Scott is a highly capable and visionary leader who will build upon our existing strengths to ensure operational excellence in support of the University?s mission in education, research and public engagement benefiting the state and region.?

Studham, who was recommended by a systemwide search committee, replaces Steve Cawley, who left the university in April for a position at the University of Miami. Ann Hill Duin, who has served as interim VP and CIO since April, will return to her role as associate vice president and associate CIO.

Tags: All administrative: President, Provost, etc.

Source: http://www.umn.edu/news/news-releases/2012/UR_CONTENT_367948.html

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Shades of NKorea's founder in its young new leader (AP)

SEOUL, South Korea ? The resemblance is striking: the full cheeks and quick smile, the confident gait, the habit of gesturing with both hands when he speaks.

North Korea's young new leader, Kim Jong Un, appears to be fashioning himself as the reincarnation of Kim Il Sung, his grandfather and the nation's founder, as he seeks to solidify his hold on the nation of 24 million in the wake of his father's death last month.

Unlike Kim Jong Il, who sequestered himself for three years of mourning before formally taking up the mantle of leadership, Kim Jong Un is moving swiftly to demonstrate a decisiveness perhaps aimed at dispelling concerns about his ability to rule. He is only in his late 20s and made his public debut as his father's anointed successor just 15 months ago, far less time than the 20 years Kim Jong Il had to prepare to lead.

With the world watching, Kim Jong Un has tread confidently down the "red silk carpet" laid before him by his father, as one analyst put it, using family tradition as his guideposts. Kim Il Sung has served as his main muse as he seeks to consolidate power and loyalty.

"The image of a young smiling Kim Il Sung is deeply engraved in North Korean people's minds. It is the image of a young general who liberated the nation from Japan's imperial rule," said Ahn Chan-il, a political scientist at the World Institute for North Korea Studies in South Korea who was born in North Korea. "Kim Jong Un is borrowing from that. Kim Il Sung is resurrected in the looks and behavior of Kim Jong Un."

Two years ago, the world knew so little about the young man that even the South Korean government was spelling his name wrong. Here's a look at what we know now.

___

THE BLOODLINE

Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il were characterized in North Korea as having a divine right to rule, and Kim Jong Un is leaning on this legacy as he shores up support for a third generation of Kim leadership.

Kim Il Sung founded the country in 1948, three years after Korea was divided into the Soviet-backed north and the U.S.-allied south. When he died in 1994, Kim Jong Il took over in what was the first hereditary succession in the communist world.

"His power comes from the bloodline," said Kim Gwang-in, head of research at the North Korea Strategy Center in Seoul.

Plans for Kim Jong Un to succeed his father were laid out after Kim Jong Il suffered a stroke in 2008. As recently as October, Kim Jong Il issued an order to elevate his son to supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, the Korean Central News Agency reported late last month.

"Kim Jong Il laid a red silk carpet, and Kim Jong Un only needs to walk on it," said Jeung Young-tae of the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul.

The most important holidays in North Korea are the birthdays of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, and it's likely that Kim Jong Un's birthday will become a national holiday as well. Exactly when he was born has never been revealed, but it's widely believed that he will celebrate a birthday on Sunday.

In recent days, North Korea's state broadcaster has aired tributes and odes to Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, as well as the first documentary footage of Kim Jong Un and a tune composed to prepare for his leadership: "Footsteps."

___

THE LOOK

Kim Jong Un's resemblance to his grandfather is uncanny ? and probably strategic.

He is in his late 20s, undeniably young for the leader of a nation. But Kim Il Sung was just a few years older when he emerged in 1945 to lead the North after Japan's World War II defeat ended its colonial rule of Korea.

"When Kim Jong Un smiles, that reminds me exactly of a 33-year-old Kim Il Sung," Ahn said.

Photos of Kim Il Sung hanging on the walls of the Workers' Party Foundation Museum in Pyongyang, spotted during an October visit by The Associated Press, show a dapper young man with a startling similarity to Kim Jong Un. Even their hairlines are trimmed identically.

The grandson walks, shoulders thrown back, and gestures with both hands like his grandfather.

Last year, Kim Jong Un appeared in a light gray parka like the one his father famously wore. And during the mourning period, Kim Jong Un donned a dark Mao-style suit like the one his father wore when Kim Il Sung died in 1994.

However, since then, Kim Jong Un has traded the parka for a dark, double-breasted winter overcoat ? much like the jackets his grandfather favored.

___

THE CEREMONIES

Solemn and somber in mourning, Kim Jong Un followed the routine set by his father at Kim Il Sung's 1994 funeral. He bowed at three sides of his father's glass-encased casket at Kumsusan Memorial Palace, just as his father did 17 years earlier.

For the funeral, officials dusted off one of Kim Il Sung's Lincoln Continentals for the procession through the snowy streets of Pyongyang. Just as in 1994, mourners lined the street wailing.

But Kim Jong Un played an even more public role in the procession than his father in 1994. Barehanded and bareheaded, he walked with the hearse, right hand held up in a salute, left hand at times resting on the vehicle.

For many in Pyongyang, it was their first chance to see the new leader in person.

___

THE INSPECTIONS

Kim Jong Un wasted no time in wading into the public eye. His first inspection visit without his father was a well-documented New Year's Day trip to a tank unit with symbolic ties to his family and his nation's history.

He laughed and clapped during his visit with the Seoul Ryu Kyong Su tank division, and even pulled officers close to give them a word of advice. He got busy inspecting bunks and testing the water faucets.

The division was the first North Korean unit to march into Seoul during the early days of the Korean War in 1950, and was a favorite unit of Kim Jong Il's. The visit sent a pointed message about Kim Jong Un's intention to uphold his father's "military first" policy, and gave North Koreans a glimpse of his style.

The photos and documentary footage were sent within two days of the visit ? notably quick turnaround for state media, which in the last years of Kim Jong Il's life typically provided only still images of the aging leader.

Ahn said it seemed odd to him that state media would show Kim Jong Un's easy laughter with the troops just two weeks after his father's death.

"It is a sign of the urgency the North feels in trying to put behind the Kim Jong Il leadership," he said.

___

THE PROPAGANDA

New banners and posters in Pyongyang urge the people to "follow the leadership of respected Comrade Kim Jong Un" and "devotedly defend" Kim Jong Un.

Kim Jong Un also made his debut on a postage stamp: a 70-won stamp, equivalent to 50 U.S. cents at official exchange rates, depicts a smiling Kim Jong Un with his father, both clad in the same light gray parka.

His official portrait has not been made public yet, and it remains to be seen whether it will hang next to those of his father and grandfather in every building in North Korea.

Reports in South Korean media say Pyongyang's premier Mansudae Art Studio created a Jong Un portrait in 2010; it could be revealed as early as his birthday Sunday, predicted Cheong Seong-chang, a senior fellow at the Sejong Institute in South Korea.

North Koreans also show their loyalty by wearing pins of the Kims. But even today, most still wear Kim Il Sung's visage pinned to their shirts, not Kim Jong Il's.

___

THE NICKNAMES

Kim Jong Un became known in North Korea as the "Young General" beginning in September 2010, when state media announced that he had been made a four-star general. He became "Respected General" or "Illustrious General" last year in signs that offered blessings to him, his father and grandfather.

The day Kim Jong Il's death was announced, state media referred to the son with a new, telling nickname: "Great Successor."

"Supreme commander" of the military; "supreme leader" of the people, party and army; "great leader": the nicknames began to echo those of his grandfather and father. The most affectionate remains "dear comrade" or "dear respected comrade."

Kim Il Sung ruled as president, and remains North Korea's "eternal president" long after his death.

Kim Jong Il ruled as chairman of the National Defense Commission, a position that under the constitution gave him authority as "supreme leader" of North Korea.

It remains to be seen which title will give Kim Jong Un authority as supreme leader under the constitution.

___

THE IDEOLOGY

Kim Jong Il's "military first" policy may serve as North Korea's main ideology for now under Kim Jong Un, but a new ideology will likely emerge, intended to prove to the people that he can raise their standard of living.

Analysts said the goal is to link Kim Jong Un more closely to the early, nation-building years of Kim Il Sung's rule rather than the economic hardship and famine of Kim Jong Il's era.

In the 1960s and 1970s, North Korea rebuilt quickly from the ashes of the Korean War with Soviet help, and its economy was stronger than that of rival South Korea. But natural disasters and outdated agricultural practices, compounded by the loss of Soviet aid, triggered a famine that killed hundreds of thousands of North Koreans in the mid- to late-1990s. Chronic food shortages persist.

"I expect North Korea to come up with more practical ideas that can help feed the people and strengthen the image of Kim Jong Un as someone who's capable of that," said Koh Yu-hwan, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University in Seoul.

Koh added that Kim "has to demonstrate that he is a capable leader from now on."

___

AP's Park Il-hwan also contributed to this report. Follow Jean H. Lee at twitter.com/newsjean and Sam Kim at twitter.com/samkim_ap.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120107/ap_on_re_as/as_nkorea_kim_jong_un

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Karla May Drury, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Karla May Drury - Born July 28, 1934 passed on January 5, 2012. Our beloved Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Sister, and Aunt went to meet the Lord on January 5, 2012 after a brief illness. Born in the tiny hamlet of Buffalo, ND to Johann and Ella she soon moved to Fargo where she attended school, worked for Northwestern Bell and met and fell in love with Her best friend, Tom. She was the epitome of love and family. She loved her husband, doted on her sons and their spouses and adored her Grandson! She brought a spark of joy and happiness everywhere she went: be it a baseball game, gathering at home with family and friends, or playing her video poker machines at Post 49, where she was a member of Unit 49. Karla was fun! She is survived by her husband of 44 years, Tom; her sons, Jon and Mike; grandson, Ryan; daughter-in-law, Molly and Chris Waseta, all of Albuquerque. She also leaves behind her beloved sister, Elaine and much-loved nephews, Steve and Tom Zaeske and their families all of Fargo, ND. A Memorial Service will be held Sunday, January 8, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. at Post 49, 11005 Central Ave NE. Flowers may be sent to Post 49.

Source: http://krqe.tributes.com/show/Karla-May-Drury-93055852

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