Remember QR Codes? The Leading Reader, Scan, Has Been Downloaded 25 Million Times, Scans 27 Million Codes A Month

Screen Shot 2012-11-27 at 11.48.13 AMNo one out there seems to love a QR code, but that hasn't stopped leading QR code scanner makers Scan from serving up 25 million copies of their software. The company, which currently processes 27 million codes per month, is offering version 2.0 of their product.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/xZJj32kqN5I/

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Wired SKorea to stem digital addiction from age 3

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? Park Jung-in, an 11-year-old South Korean, sleeps with her Android smartphone instead of a teddy bear. When the screen beams with a morning alarm, she wakes up, picks up her glasses and scrolls through tens of unread messages from friends, shaking off drowsiness.

Throughout the day, the gadget is in her hands whether she is in school, in the restroom or in the street as she constantly types messages to her friends. Every hour or so, she taps open an application in her phone to feed her digital hamster.

"I get nervous when the battery falls below 20 percent," Park said as she fiddled with the palm-size gadget. "I find it stressful to stay out of the wireless hotspot zone for too long."

In South Korea, where the government provides counseling programs and psychological treatment for an estimated 2 million people who cannot wean themselves from playing online computer games, youngsters such as Park have previously not been considered as potential addicts.

Here and in other parts of Asia, online addiction has long been associated with hardcore gamers who play online games for days on end, isolated from their school, work or family life and blurring the line between the real and fantasy online worlds. In a shocking 2010 case in South Korea, a 3-month-old girl died after being fed just once a day by her parents who were consumed with marathon online game sessions.

Park does not play computer games and in class, she confidently raises her hand to answer a question. She also gets along well with her friends and likes to cook as a hobby. And yet, she set off more than eight red flags on an addiction test, enough to be considered unhealthily dependent on her smartphone. Park is not unique and the government is concerned enough to make it mandatory for children as young as 3 to be schooled in controlling their device and Internet use.

Her obsession with being online is a byproduct of being reared in one of the world's most digitally connected societies where 98 percent of households have broadband Internet and nearly two thirds of people have a smartphone. Being wired is an icon of South Korea's pride in its state-directed transformation from economic backwater to one of Asia's most advanced and wealthy nations. Always seeking an edge, the government plans to digitize all textbooks from 2015 and base all schooling around tablet computers.

But some now fret about the effects that South Korea's digital utopia is having on its children, part of the first generation to play online games on smartphones, tablets and other devices even before they can read and write.

New mobile devices that instantly respond to a touch of a finger seem to make children more restless than before and lack empathy, said Kim Jun-hee, a kindergarten teacher who conducted an eight-month study on Internet safety and addiction education for pre-school children.

"Babies are in a stroller with a smartphone holder. Kids sit in the grocery shopping cart watching movies on the tablet computer," she said. "I've been teaching at kindergartens for more than 10 years now but compared to the past, kids these days are unable to control their impulses."

In Suwon city south of Seoul, students in teacher Han Jeoung-hee's classroom now turn in their smartphones when they arrive at school in the morning.

"Kids forgot to eat lunch, completely absorbed with smartphones and some stayed in the classroom during a PE class," said Han who teaches sixth grade students at Chilbo elementary school. Smartphones are put in a plastic basket and returned when kids leave for home after classes.

The National Information Society Agency, or NIA, estimates 160,000 South Korean children between age 5 and 9 are addicted to the Internet either through smartphones, tablet computers or personal computers. Such children appear animated when using gadgets but distracted and nervous when they are cut off from the devices and will forgo eating or going to the toilet so they can continue playing online, according to the agency.

Across the entire population, South Korea's government estimated 2.55 million people are addicted to smartphones, using the devices for 8 hours a day or more, in its first survey of smartphone addiction released earlier this year. Smartphone addicts find it difficult to live without their handsets and their constant use disrupts work and social life, according to NIA. Most of their personal interaction is carried out on the mobile handset. Overuse of smartphones may be accompanied by physical symptoms such as turtle neck syndrome caused by having the head in a constant forward position and a pain or numbness in fingers or wrists.

Though Internet addiction is not recognized as a mental illness, there is a growing call from medical practitioners and health officials worldwide to treat it as an illness rather than a social problem.

The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders lists Internet Use Disorder as meriting further study. It is unclear whether it will be recognized as a mental illness in a major revision of the standard-setting manual due out next year. But as the Internet becomes more pervasive and mobile, more societies are grappling with its downside. In Asia, countries that have experienced explosive growth in the Internet such as Taiwan, China and South Korea are most active in carrying out research into whether Internet addiction should be recognized as a mental illness, according to Lee Hae-kook, a psychiatry professor at Catholic University of Korea, College of Medicine.

South Korea already provides taxpayer-funded counselors for those who cannot control their online gaming or other Internet use. But the emergence of the smartphone as a mainstream, must-have device even for children is changing the government's focus to proactive measures from reactive.

South Korea's government is widening efforts to prevent Web and digital addiction in school-age children and preschoolers. Starting next year, South Korean children from the age 3 to 5 will be taught to protect themselves from overusing digital gadgets and the Internet.

Nearly 90 percent children from that age group will learn at kindergartens how to control their exposure to digital devices and the danger of staying online for long hours. The Ministry of Public Administration and Security is revising laws so that teaching the danger of Internet addiction becomes mandatory from pre-school institutions to high schools.

Kim, the kindergarten teacher, said educating children against digital and web addiction should start early because smartphones are their new toys.

From next year, her program for 3-year-olds will focus on introducing them to the positive activities they can do with the computers, such listening to music. Children aged 4 and 5, will learn the dangers of overuse and how to control their desire to use computers.

Programs also include making and learning the moves for "computer exercises" and singing songs with lyrics that instruct kids to close their eyes and stretch their bodies after playing computer games. They read fairy tales where a character falls prey to Internet addiction and learn alternative games they can play without computers or the Internet.

Kim said parents have to be involved in the education. One of the pledge cards written by a 5-year-old girl reads: "I promise to play Nintendo for 30 minutes only. Daddy promises to play less cellphone games and play more with me."

___

Youkyung Lee can be reached via Twitter: www.twitter.com/YKLeeAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2012-11-28-SKorea-Digital%20Addiction/id-34c9196f7f2948cdaded0c68c7ccce3e

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Top 5 Web Design and SEO Companies In Australia | TechSling ...

The Web Showroom

thewebshowroom is an Australian company that helps Australian businesses to generate tangible results online through online marketing and website design. Its team of 35 web professionals has helped over 1500 Australian businesses. It has experience of designing websites for diverse organizations such as educational institutes, universities, NGO?s, clinics, furniture manufacturers and traders, fashion designers, constructors and many more. Along with online marketing and web designing, it also offers a variety of other services such as E-commerce web designing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), reputation management, conversion optimization, and Google maps optimization.

PAKKA-Web Design Company

PAKKA Web Design Company has been helping clients since its formation in 1993. As a website design company in Sydney, it has more than 16 years? experience in the field of web design, online marketing, and graphic design. It believes in combining marketing, technology and design to take its client?s business to the next level. It provides a number of services such as web design and development, e-commerce web design and development, CMS, graphic design, brochure design, search engine marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), copywriting, logo design, packaging design, stationery design, building marketing strategy, and much more. It caters to the needs of small as well as medium sized businesses and organizations. PAKKA is specifically targeting Sydney based businesses and records show that most of their clients are from Sydney.

Thewebdesigner

The Web Designer has been providing web design and graphic design solutions to its customers since its inception in 2003. It helps its clients to design logos, create corporate identities?and design websites. ?Along with the web development it also provides services to build a variety of web-based applications such as e-commerce, business to business (b2b) marketing, content management systems (CMS), shopping carts, and internet sales. It has a client-base which is geographically dispersed to clients in Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide, Melbourne, New Zealand and USA. The team at The Web Designers comprises members, who come from various design and IT backgrounds, is headed by Warren O?Hara and Ross Munro.

Netstarter

Netstarter is a Sydney based company that specializes in digital marketing, e-commerce, web design and development. Its team comprises web designers, producers and developers as well as expert?SEO,?SEM, online marketing and?social media?consultants. It has a wide experience of working with a variety of organizations such as footwear companies, book publishers, health care providers, mortgage companies, real estate dealers, educational institutes, and a number of other organizations. It has experience with technologies such as Magento, Kentico, and Joomla web design.

Eacsoft

Eacsoft is a Brisbane based company that offers website development, search engine optimization (SEO)?and internet marketing. Eacsoft has been working as customized software developer since 2006. ?It specializes in web applications such as .NET, Microsoft SQL database, C programming and visual studio environments. ?It also has the experience of building content managements systems (CMSs) and product management systems (PMSs) from scratch. ?Its portfolio includes clients from industries such as retail, health and care, finance, travel, real estate, restaurant, law and photography.

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Source: http://www.techsling.com/2012/11/top-5-web-design-and-seo-companies-in-australia/

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SkinSchool? ? Blog Archive ? Skin Cancer: Melanoma

Of all the different forms of skin cancer, there are three types which occur most frequently: melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma. In this post, we?re going to focus on the most serious type of skin cancer?melanoma.

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, melanoma accounts for less than five percent of skin cancers.?However, it is responsible for the vast majority of skin-cancer deaths. Melanoma is not as common as basal cell or squamous cell carcinomas, but unlike those forms of skin cancer, melanoma carries a high risk for metastisis (spreading to other parts of the body). This increased chance of spreading is why melanoma accounts for so many skin-cancer deaths.

Melanomas develop in the melanin, which is skin pigment, and it manifests itself in moles. It can occur in either an existing or new mole. It is most often found on parts of the body that receive a lot of sunlight: face, neck, arms, hands, legs, back, although it is possible for people to have melanomas on parts of the body which are not frequently exposed to the sun. Moles that are asymmetrical, have an irregular border, change color, have a large diameter and changes over time could be cancerous.

Treatment of melanoma is dependent on how advanced the cancer is. Melanomas that are detected early may only require a surgical procedure to remove the mole and some surrounding tissue. Other, more-advanced cancers may require more drastic treatments, such as lymph node surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

The No. 1 cause of melanoma is sun exposure. As such, the best ways to prevent this type of cancer are to avoid spending time in the sun, wear sunscreen, avoid tanning beds and cover your skin when spending prolonged periods of time in the sun.

The key to treating melanoma is early detection. The five-year survival rate for people who catch melanoma before it penetrates the skin is 98 percent, compared to 62 percent once the cancer reaches the lymph nodes. That means that if you see an irregularity in a mole, it is crucial that you see a dermatologist immediately.

If you need more serious help with skin issues or something else that is troubling your skin, we are here to help. Skin health is an important part of total body wellness. Schedule an appointment today with one of our board certified physicians to get your skin the care it needs so it can reach its fullest, healthiest potential.

Contact Knoxville Dermatology Group at 865.690.9467.

Source: http://knoxderm.com/2012/11/skin-cancer-melanoma/

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UK may face deeper government spending cuts - IFS

LONDON (Reuters) - Chancellor George Osborne may have to announce more spending cuts and tear up one of his key austerity goals next month, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said on Monday, warning government borrowing was likely to rise this year.

Osborne, who updates parliament with the latest official borrowing and growth forecasts on December 5, has struggled to keep his austerity targets on track because of the economic malaise.

The Conservative has already extended the planned period of spending cuts by two years, well beyond the next election in 2015, and warned of further cuts to welfare spending.

Poor economic performance since the March budget means more bad news could be on the way next month, including the embarrassment of higher borrowing this year compared to last.

"Since the budget, the outlook for the UK economy has deteriorated and government receipts have disappointed by even more than this year's weak growth would normally suggest," said IFS deputy director Carl Emmerson.

"The planned era of austerity could run for eight years - from 2010-11 to 2017-18."

The IFS estimates that Osborne may have to find a further 11 billion pounds of tax increases or welfare cuts for that post-election period, in addition to extrapolating the same squeeze on public spending already planned and the extra welfare cuts already announced.

If the trend for the public finances seen so far this year were to continue, the IFS said, borrowing would come in at 133 billion pounds for the year ending March 2013 - 13 billion above the Office for Budget Responsibility's forecasts in March.

"This would mean that underlying borrowing rose between 2011-12 and 2012-13 rather than fell as the Chancellor George Osborne had intended," the IFS said.

Rising borrowing would prove a blow for the Conservatives who promised to all but eliminate a record budget deficit by the time of the 2015 election and to get Britain's public sector net debt falling as a percentage of national output by 2015/16.

The IFS said Osborne, whose official title is Chancellor of the Exchequer, may have to scrap the latter target.

"The Chancellor would likely be best advised to abandon the rule and consult on replacing it with something that better ensures long-run sustainability rather than engage in significant further fiscal tightening in order to remain on course to comply with this target," it said.

(Editing by Greg Mahlich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uk-may-face-deeper-government-spending-cuts-ifs-001103759--business.html

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Graphene/nanotube hybrid makes single-surface material for energy storage, electronics

ScienceDaily (Nov. 27, 2012) ? A seamless graphene/nanotube hybrid created at Rice University may be the best electrode interface material possible for many energy storage and electronics applications.

Led by Rice chemist James Tour, researchers have successfully grown forests of carbon nanotubes that rise quickly from sheets of graphene to astounding lengths of up to 120 microns, according to a paper published November 27 by Nature Communications. A house on an average plot with the same aspect ratio would rise into space.

That translates into a massive amount of surface area, the key factor in making things like energy-storing supercapacitors.

The Rice hybrid combines two-dimensional graphene, which is a sheet of carbon one atom thick, and nanotubes into a seamless three-dimensional structure. The bonds between them are covalent, which means adjacent carbon atoms share electrons in a highly stable configuration. The nanotubes aren't merely sitting on the graphene sheet; they become a part of it.

"Many people have tried to attach nanotubes to a metal electrode and it's never gone very well because they get a little electronic barrier right at the interface," Tour said. "By growing graphene on metal (in this case copper) and then growing nanotubes from the graphene, the electrical contact between the nanotubes and the metal electrode is ohmic. That means electrons see no difference, because it's all one seamless material.

"This gives us, effectively, a very high surface area of more than 2,000 square meters per gram of material. It's a huge number," said Tour, Rice's T.T. and W.F. Chao Chair in Chemistry as well as a professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and of computer science and a co-author with former postdoctoral researcher and lead author Yu Zhu, now an assistant professor at the University of Akron.

Tour said proof of the material's hybrid nature lies in the seven-membered rings at the transition from graphene to nanotube, a structure predicted by theory for such a material and now confirmed through electron microscope images with subnanometer resolution.

Carbon has no peer as a conductive material in such a thin and robust form, especially in the form of graphene or certain types of nanotubes. Combining the two appears to offer great potential for electronic components like fast supercapacitors that, because of the massive surface area, may hold a great deal of energy in a tiny package.

Rice chemist Robert Hauge and his team made the first steps toward such a hybrid over the past decade. Hauge, a distinguished faculty fellow in chemistry at Rice and co-author of the new work, discovered a way to make densely packed carpets of nanotubes on a carbon substrate by suspending catalyst-laced flakes in a furnace. When heated, the catalyst built carbon nanotubes like skyscrapers, starting at the substrate and working their way up. In the process, they lifted the aluminum oxide buffer into the air. The whole thing looked like a kite with many strings and was dubbed an odako, like the giant Japanese kites.

In the new work, the team grew a specialized odako that retained the iron catalyst and aluminum oxide buffer but put them on top of a layer of graphene grown separately on a copper substrate. The copper stayed to serve as an excellent current collector for the three-dimensional hybrids that were grown within minutes to controllable lengths of up to 120 microns.

Electron microscope images showed the one-, two- and three-walled nanotubes firmly embedded in the graphene, and electrical testing showed no resistance to the flow of current at the junction.

"The performance we see in this study is as good as the best carbon-based supercapacitors that have ever been made," Tour said. "We're not really a supercapacitor lab, and still we were able to match the performance because of the quality of the electrode. It's really remarkable, and it all harkens back to that unique interface."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Rice University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Yu Zhu, Lei Li, Chenguang Zhang, Gilberto Casillas, Zhengzong Sun, Zheng Yan, Gedeng Ruan, Zhiwei Peng, Abdul-Rahman O. Raji, Carter Kittrell, Robert H. Hauge, James M. Tour. A seamless three-dimensional carbon nanotube graphene hybrid material. Nature Communications, 2012; 3: 1225 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2234

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/electronics/~3/rB6NJZnJIoU/121127111342.htm

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Thousands protest after Bangladesh factory fire

Thousands of textile workers gathered in Bangladesh in protest factory conditions following a massive fire that killed 112 people. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.

By NBC News wire services

DHAKA, Bangladesh --?Thousands of Bangladeshi workers blocked the streets of a Dhaka suburb Monday, throwing stones at factories and smashing vehicles, as they demanded justice for at least 112 people killed in a garment-factory fire that highlighted unsafe conditions in an industry rushing to produce for major retailers around the world.

Another fire broke out in a multi-story garment factory in a Dhaka suburb on Monday, but a fire department official said the blaze was under control and there were no immediate reports that anyone had died in the latest blaze.

Some 200 factories were closed for the day after the protest erupted in Savar, the industrial zone where Saturday's deadly fire occurred. Protesters blocked a major highway.

Andrew Biraj / Reuters

Workers shout slogans Monday as they protest against the death of their colleagues after a weekend fire in a garment factory in Savar, Bangladesh, killed more than 100 people.

The government announced that Tuesday will be a day of national mourning, with the national flag flying at half-mast in honor of the dead.

Fire official: No emergency exit
Investigators suspect that a short circuit caused the fire, said Maj. Mohammad Mahbub, fire department operations director. But he said it was not the fire itself but the lack of safety measures in the eight-story building that made it so deadly.

Fire sweeps clothing factory in Bangladesh -- more than 100 killed

"Had there been at least one emergency exit through outside the factory, the casualties would have been much lower," Mahbub said.

He said firefighters recovered at least 100 bodies from the factory, and 12 more people died at hospitals after jumping from the building to escape the fire.

Local media reported that up to 124 people were killed.

"I haven't been able to find my mother," one worker, who gave her name as Shahida, told Reuters. "I demand justice. I demand that the owner be arrested."

Mohammad Ripu, a survivor, said Monday that he tried to run out of the building when the fire alarm rang but was stopped.

"Managers told us, 'Nothing happened. The fire alarm had just gone out of order. Go back to work,'" Ripu said. "But we quickly understood that there was a fire. As we again ran for the exit point we found it locked from outside, and it was too late."

Watch World News videos on NBCNews.com

Ripu said he jumped from a second-floor window and suffered minor injuries.

Mahbub said the fire broke out on the ground floor, which was used as a warehouse, and spread quickly to the upper floors. He said many workers who retreated to the roof were rescued, but dozens of others were trapped; firefighters recovered 69 bodies from the second floor alone.

A fire blew through an eight-story clothing factory in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh on Saturday night. The factory made products for Walmart and other U.S. companies. NBC's Kate Snow has more.

Many victims were burned beyond recognition. The bodies were laid out in rows at a school nearby. Many of them were handed over to families; unclaimed victims were taken to Dhaka Medical College for identification.

More news from South & Central Asia on NBCNews.com

Hazardous conditions are widespread
The garment-factory fire was Bangladesh's deadliest in recent memory, but such dangers have long been a fact of life as the industry has mushroomed to meet demand from major retailers around the world.

At least 500 people have died in clothing factory accidents in Bangladesh since 2006, according to fire department officials.

The Savar factory is owned by Tazreen Fashions Ltd., a subsidiary of the Tuba Group. Neither Tazreen nor Tuba Group officials could be reached for comment.

The Tuba Group is a major Bangladeshi garment exporter whose clients include Wal-Mart, Carrefour and IKEA, according to its website.

Andrew Biraj / Reuters

A firefighter inspects a garment factory in Savar, Bangladesh, on Sunday after a fire caused more than 100 deaths there a day earlier.

Bangladesh has some 4,000 garment factories, many without proper safety measures. The country annually earns about $20 billion from exports of garment products, mainly to the United States and Europe.

Complete World coverage on NBCNews.com

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association said it would stand by the victims' families and offered $1,250 to each of the families of the dead. The association's acting president, Siddiqur Rahman, said on a talk show late Sunday that Tazreen's owner was to meet with group representatives on Monday.

"We will discuss what other things we can do for the families of the dead," Rahman said on Rtv, a private television station. "We are worried about what has happened. We hope to discuss everything in detail in that meeting."

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/26/15446713-thousands-protest-after-bangladesh-fire-traps-workers-kills-at-least-112?lite

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Keep Bananas Fresh Longer Using Plastic Cling Wrap

Keep Bananas Fresh Longer Using Plastic Cling WrapDo you never finish a bunch of bananas before one or two are too brown for your taste? Slow down the ripening process by wrapping a piece of plastic cling wrap around the crown of the banana bunch.

Educational weblog SnapGuide points out that you should use a piece of cling wrap around the size of your fist and wrap it tightly around the crown. Each time you remove a banana carefully remove and replace the cling wrap. If done correctly this trick should give you another three to fives days before your bananas are too ripe to enjoy.

How to Keep Bananas Fresh Longer | SnapGuide

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/bKgQVwLs0Cw/keep-bananas-fresh-longer-using-plastic-cling-wrap

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'Twilight,' Bond, 'Lincoln' lead record weekend

FILE - In this Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012 file photo, from left, American actor Taylor Lautner, American actress Kristen Stewart and British actor Robert Pattinson pose during a photo call at the Spanish premiere of the film "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 2" in Kinepolis Cinema in Madrid, Spain. Stewart, Pattinson and Lautner have walked their last ?Twilight? red carpet with the arrival of the finale ?The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2,? and now must step into careers of their own using the superstardom the multi-billion-dollar franchise has provided them. ( AP Photo/Gabriel Pecot, File)

FILE - In this Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012 file photo, from left, American actor Taylor Lautner, American actress Kristen Stewart and British actor Robert Pattinson pose during a photo call at the Spanish premiere of the film "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 2" in Kinepolis Cinema in Madrid, Spain. Stewart, Pattinson and Lautner have walked their last ?Twilight? red carpet with the arrival of the finale ?The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2,? and now must step into careers of their own using the superstardom the multi-billion-dollar franchise has provided them. ( AP Photo/Gabriel Pecot, File)

FILE - This Oct. 22, 2012 file photo shows British actor Robert Pattinson, right, having his photo taken with fans upon arrival for an exclusive fan event for the final chapter of the Twilight Saga "Breaking Dawn Part 2" in Sydney, Australia. Thanksgiving newcomers have been unable to knock off the big three at the box office: Bella, Bond and Abe Lincoln. Kristen Stewart's finale as Bella Swan led the holiday weekend ticket sales. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith, File)

(AP) ? Bella Swan, James Bond and Abe Lincoln have combined to lift Hollywood to record Thanksgiving revenue at the box office.

Kristen Stewart's finale as Bella in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn ? Part 2" was No. 1 again with $64 million during the five-day holiday stretch that began Wednesday, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Daniel Craig's Bond adventure "Skyfall" came in at No. 2 with $51 million, while Daniel Day-Lewis and Steven Spielberg's Civil War saga "Lincoln" finished third with $34.1 million.

According to box-office tracker Hollywood.com, the three films paced Hollywood to an all-time Thanksgiving week best of about $290 million from Wednesday to Sunday.

That tops the previous record of $273 million over Thanksgiving in 2009, when "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" led the weekend.

This Thanksgiving also was a huge 25 percent jump from a year ago, when domestic revenues were a weak $232 million as some big holiday releases fizzled.

With a strong December lineup ahead, Hollywood has resumed its record revenue pace for the year after a brief box-office lull in late summer and early fall.

Domestic revenues for 2012 are at $9.75 billion, putting Hollywood potentially on track for its first $11 billion year, which would beat the 2009 record of $10.6 billion, said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian.

"We're barreling toward a record-breaking box-office year," Dergarabedian said. "It's built on the back of just a lot of really strong movies that have come out over the past few weekends. It bodes very well for the rest of the holidays."

The "Twilight" finale, "Skyfall" and "Lincoln" finished in the same top-three rankings for the second-straight weekend as new releases were unable to dislodge the holdovers.

Released by Lionsgate's Summit Entertainment banner, "Breaking Dawn ? Part 2," pulled in $43.1 million from Friday to Sunday, raising its domestic total to $227 million. The movie added $97.4 million overseas to bring its international total to $350.8 million and its worldwide take to $577.7 million.

Sony's "Skyfall" also topped $200 million domestically, ringing up $36 million for the three-day weekend to put its U.S. total at $221.7 million. With $41.3 million more overseas, "Skyfall" raised its international revenues to $568.4 million and its worldwide sales to $790.1 million.

"Lincoln," a DreamWorks film distributed by Disney, took in $25 million over the weekend to lift its domestic revenue to $62.2 million.

Leading the newcomers was Paramount and DreamWorks Animation's tale "Rise of the Guardians" at No. 4 with $24 million for the weekend and $32.6 million since opening Wednesday.

Based on William Joyce's "Guardians of Childhood" books, "Rise of the Guardians" gathers Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and other mythical beings as a team of heroes battling an evil overlord.

Close behind at No. 5 was director Ang Lee's shipwreck saga "Life of Pi" at No. 5 with $22 million over the weekend. The 20th Century Fox release has taken in $30.2 million domestically since its Wednesday debut and added $17.5 million in four Asian markets.

"Life of Pi" was adapted from Yann Martel's best-selling novel about an Indian youth adrift on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. Many fans considered the introspective novel impossible to film, but Lee has charmed audiences and critics with an inspiring survival story told through dazzling 3-D images.

The weekend's other new wide release, a remake of the 1980s U.S.-invasion tale "Red Dawn," opened at No. 7 with $14.6 million, raising its total to $22 million since debuting Wednesday.

"Red Dawn" sat on the shelf for three years while studio backer MGM went through bankruptcy, with distributor FilmDistrict eventually picking it up for domestic release. The movie's cast includes Chris Hemsworth ("Thor") and Josh Hutcherson ("The Hunger Games") in a story of young guerrillas battling North Korean invaders.

In limited release, Fox Searchlight's "Hitchcock" opened solidly with about $300,000 in 17 theaters. The movie stars Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock in a behind-the-scenes story of the making of "Psycho."

The weekend's overall strength came from a broad range of films that clicked with various audiences, from action and family fare to thoughtful drama.

"This is a marketplace that has something for everyone," said Chris Aronson, head of distribution for 20th Century Fox. "You have something deeper like 'Life of Pi,' yet you have a very successful sequel in 'Twilight' at the same time. Adult bio-drama, if you will, in 'Lincoln,' and you have Bond. That's the secret to a very successful and balanced marketplace."

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

1. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn ? Part 2," $43.1 million ($97.4 million international).

2. "Skyfall," $36 million ($41.3 million international).

3. "Lincoln," $25 million.

4. "Rise of the Guardians," $24 million ($10 million international).

5. "Life of Pi," $22 million ($17.5 million international)

6. "Wreck-It Ralph," $16.8 million ($2.1 million international).

7. "Red Dawn," $14.6 million.

8. "Flight," $8.6 million ($723,000 international).

9. "Silver Linings Playbook," $4.6 million ($1.6 million international).

10. "Argo," $3.9 million ($6 million international).

___

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

1. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn ? Part 2," $97.4 million.

2. "Skyfall," $41.3 million.

3. "Life of Pi," $17.5 million.

4. "Rise of the Guardians," $10 million.

5. "Argo," $6 million.

6. "Hotel Transylvania," $5.5 million.

7. "A Werewolf Boy," $4.2 million.

8 (tie). "Don't Cry, Mommy," $3.6 million.

8 (tie). "Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo," $3.6 million.

10. "Wreck-It Ralph," $2.1 million.

___

Online:

http://www.hollywood.com

http://www.rentrak.com

___

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

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-11-25-Box%20Office/id-9204dc844caf40c6a0e95edce483b49f

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Cash is King in Emergency Situations

Cash is King in Emergency SituationsMany people don't regularly carry cash anymore, but as Hurricane Sandy just proved it can be essential when the power is out, no stores are accepting credit or debit cards, and no electricity means no functioning ATMs.

Consumer Reports magazine's weblog recommends keeping a small stash of cash in your home that is always there in case of emergency. Depending on how much you want to keep on hand you may consider investing in a safe, using a keychain cash can, a DIY book safe, or just keeping a folded dollar bill in your phone case. I'd recommend keeping at least enough for a tank of gas and a few meals. If you know that a hurricane or winter storms are headed your way and don't normally keep cash consider taking out enough from an ATM to get you by for a few days in case of a power loss. Photo by Steven Depolo.

Hurricane Sandy proves cash is still king in emergencies | Consumer Reports

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/rR-cfp4uKdw/cash-is-king-in-emergency-situations

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