Strange Sunday: Packers lose, Colts win

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver watches the final moments of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs won 19-14. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver watches the final moments of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs won 19-14. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) is tackled by a group of Kansas City Chiefs defenders during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs won 19-14, handing the Packers their first loss of the season. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning looks on during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans in Indianapolis, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011. Colts vice chairman Bill Polian said Manning will not return to play in the final two games of the season, but the franchise quarterback did take snaps from center Jeff Saturday this week. The Colts defeated the Titans 27-13. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Indianapolis Colts middle linebacker Pat Angerer (51) celebrates with cornerback Kevin Thomas after making an interception against the Tennessee Titans during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011. The Colts defeated the Titans 27-13. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne celebrates as he leaves the field after the team's first win of the season in an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans in Indianapolis, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011. The Colts won 27-13. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

For anyone who thinks the NFL is predictable, ponder this: Green Bay loses and Indianapolis wins.

On the same Sunday.

At about the same time the Colts' plummet toward ignominy ? and 0-16 ? ended with a victory over Tennessee, the Packers' pursuit of perfection also was stopped. Yep, the winless won and the undefeated fell.

The Packers' 19-game winning streak, second longest in NFL history, was snapped with a 19-14 loss at Kansas City, a team that was routed by 27 points last weekend, then fired its coach. Defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay (13-1) won't have to put up with questions about an undefeated season any more.

"I personally always viewed the undefeated season as, really, just gravy," coach Mike McCarthy said. "The goal was to get home-field advantage and win the Super Bowl. That's what we discussed."

The Packers already own the NFC North title and still have the edge in the conference, two games ahead of New Orleans and 2 1/2 in front of San Francisco, which hosts Pittsburgh on Monday night. Losing to an AFC opponent, even one that is only 6-8 after this victory and replaced Todd Haley with Romeo Crennel after that debacle at the Jets a week ago, wasn't particularly damaging. Nonconference games have little effect on postseason tiebreakers.

"I think our goal ultimate goal is to win a Super Bowl. The next step is getting that No. 1 seed in the playoffs," said quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who had one of his least-productive performances in the last year. Rodgers was 17 of 35 for 235 yards, threw for a touchdown and ran for one. "We've got a home playoff game ? we've got a bye secured."

McCarthy has said for weeks the Packers will confront 16-0 when they get to 15-0. They won't be getting there, emulating the 1998 Broncos, who also won 13 in a row and then lost. Those Broncos repeated as NFL champs.

"We were fortunate enough to be in the position to possibly achieve the undefeated season," McCarthy added, "but we still have the primary goal in front of us, and that's to get home-field advantage."

Indy's primary goal in this lost year was to avoid a completely lost season, as in 0-16. That humiliation won't happen after the Colts stunned Tennessee 27-13 following 13 straight defeats.

Yes, the Colts finally won one without Peyton Manning.

"I'm happy for a lot of people on this team, for a lot of people in this organization," said Dan Orlovsky, the latest replacement at quarterback for Manning, who hasn't played all season after neck surgery. "It's a lot better than the feeling we've had lately."

Only one team, the 2008 Lions, went 0-16. Orlovsky played for them, too.

"I think in my career, I've learned not to take (wins) for granted," Orlovsky said, drawing polite laughter.

Sunday was the third time in NFL history that a team without a loss was beaten and a team without a win was victorious on the same day at least 11 games into a season. The previous two: Dec. 13, 1953, with Cleveland falling after 11 wins, and the Chicago Cardinals winning after going 0-10-1; and Nov. 18, 1984, when Miami lost after an 11-0 start, and Buffalo won after going 0-11.

"It means a lot, but we're a proud ballclub, so one game out of 13 or 14, we still have a ways to go," Colts defensive end Robert Mathis said. "Everybody held the fort today. We just kept chopping wood and the tree fell today."

Despite the victory, the Colts still have the inside track for the top overall pick in the draft, which many believe will be Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. St. Louis and Minnesota have only two wins, though, so if Indy finds another victory ? the Colts finish home for Houston and at Jacksonville ? the Rams or Vikings could sneak into the top spot.

The league's overall top spot still belongs to Green Bay; no one else has as few as two defeats. Green Bay finishes with home games against division rivals Chicago and Detroit, and might have a renewed focus after the flop in KC.

McCarthy certainly will be asking his players all week how their first loss since 31-27 at New England last Dec. 19 feels.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-12-19-Losing%20Packers-Winning%20Colts/id-1230fdebaf374c1c9d68254af38431f7

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How Exactly Is This a Good Idea? (Powerlineblog)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

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NBC's Richard Engel answers your questions about Iraq

After nearly nine years of war and occupation, the final U.S. troops left Iraq Thursday.

Richard Engel, NBC News' Chief Foreign News Correspondent, covered the war from the start. Earlier today he answered reader?questions about the U.S. withdrawal and what it means for the future of Iraq.

Please replay the chat below to see his responses.

Recent reports from Richard:

Post-U.S. Iraq: Welcome to Shia-stan?

Today Show video: U.S. troops leave Iraq

---

This chat is moderated, as many questions as possible will be answered.

Source: http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/15/9473201-nbcs-richard-engel-answers-your-questions-about-iraq

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Just Show Me: How to password protect your Kindle Fire (Yahoo! News)

Welcome to?Just Show Me on?Tecca TV, where we show you tips and tricks for getting the most out of the?gadgets in your life. In today's episode we'll show you how to password protect your?Kindle Fire.

Password protecting the Kindle Fire is an easy way to make sure that you're the only one using it. We recommend selecting a strong password, and not sharing that password with anyone!

If you'd like more information on Amazon's tablet, check out our?Kindle Fire guide.

For more episodes of Just Show Me,?subscribe to Tecca TV's YouTube channel and?check out all our Just Show Me episodes. If you have any topics you'd like to see us cover, just drop us a line in the comments.

This article originally appeared on Tecca

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20111217/tc_yblog_technews/just-show-me-how-to-password-protect-your-kindle-fire

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2 men sue Syracuse, Boeheim for defamation (AP)

NEW YORK ? Jim Boeheim initially insisted two former Syracuse ball boys were lying when they accused his longtime assistant of molesting them.

Now they're suing the Orange men's basketball coach and the university for defamation, saying he was the one making false statements.

Stepbrothers Bobby Davis and Mike Lang have alleged they were molested by Bernie Fine, who has since been fired and has denied the allegations. A third man also has accused the 65-year-old Fine, who had been Boeheim's top assistant since 1976.

Boeheim "has seriously hurt my reputation but I want people to know the truth," Davis said, reading from a statement at a news conference after the lawsuit was filed in New York State Supreme Court on Tuesday.

When the allegations surfaced Nov. 17, Boeheim staunchly supported Fine, saying the accusations were lies to capitalize on the Penn State child sex abuse case.

"The Penn State thing came out, and the kid behind this is trying to get money," Boeheim told the Syracuse Post-Standard. "If he gets this, he's going to sue the university and Bernie. What do you think is going to happen at Penn State? You know how much money is going to be involved in civil suits? I'd say about $50 million. That's what this is about. Money."

And in an interview with ESPN, which broke the story, Boeheim said: "It is a bunch of a thousand lies that (Davis) has told. You don't think it is a little funny that his cousin is coming forward?"

Lang said that when Boeheim suggested "my little brother and I were lying," he "felt sick to my stomach."

University spokesman Kevin Quinn declined to comment. The U.S. attorney's office is investigating for potential criminal charges.

"Boeheim's statements were even worse given his 35 years of opportunity to observe Fine at close quarters, and at least seven years of opportunity to see Fine with Bobby Davis on trips, at practices, in Manley Field House and at games," the suit says.

Victim advocates reacted angrily to Boeheim's initial comments and called for him to resign or be fired. He later said he was wrong to question the motives of the accusers.

That's not enough, said the two men's attorney, Gloria Allred, whose recent clients include a woman who accused presidential candidate Herman Cain of making unwelcome sexual advances.

"Although Boeheim eventually acknowledged that he `misspoke,' those words came too little too late," Allred said. "One of Syracuse's most respected individuals had already told the world repeatedly that Bobby Davis and Mike Lang were nothing but liars and out for money and nothing else.

"Boeheim has not suffered any consequences in his employment for using his position of power within the university to make these false, inflammatory and injurious statements about Bobby and Mike."

On Nov. 27, Zach Tomaselli, of Lewiston, Maine, also accused Fine, and ESPN aired a tape in which a woman the network identified as Fine's wife tells Davis she knew "everything" that was going on. After Fine was fired that night, Boeheim released a statement saying he regretted any statements he made that "might have been insensitive to victims of abuse."

On Nov. 29, Boeheim apologized, but said again he didn't regret defending his old friend based on the information he had at the time, adding that he never worried about his job status in 36 years.

By Dec. 2, he was far more contrite.

"I believe I misspoke very badly in my response to the allegations that have been made," said Boeheim, who spoke slowly and paused frequently during a postgame news conference. "I shouldn't have questioned what the accusers expressed or their motives. I am really sorry that I did that, and I regret any harm that I caused."

Davis, now 39, said in the lawsuit that Fine started molesting him when he was about 11 years old and that the sexual contact continued for almost two decades. A ball boy for six years, Davis said the abuse occurred at Fine's home, at Syracuse basketball facilities and on team road trips, including the 1987 Final Four.

Lang, 45, has told ESPN that Fine began molesting him while he was in fifth or sixth grade.

During an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan on Tuesday night, Lang was asked whether Boeheim should lose his job.

"That's not for me to say," he said. "I certainly hope not, but he did a lot of damage by calling us liars without knowing the facts."

The suit said Boeheim's office was always near Fine's ? and next door at times ? and that Fine's door was generally open, except when Davis was inside with the assistant coach. The lawsuit contradicts Boeheim's assertion to the Post-Standard that Davis went on road trips only if he was baby-sitting Fine's kids; the suit said he traveled with the team before Fine had children and at times when the assistant didn't bring along his family.

The suit includes Davis' assertion that Boeheim saw Davis lying on the bed in Fine's hotel room in his shorts during the 1987 Final Four. In a Nov. 17 telephone interview with The Associated Press, Boeheim denied ever going to the assistant's room, much less seeing Davis there.

"This kid came forward, and there was no one to corroborate his story. Not one. Not one," Boeheim told the AP. "... They said I walked into Bernie's room on the road and saw this. I have never walked into Bernie's room on the road. This isn't true. This just isn't true."

The suit said Boeheim "made each of these statements knowing they were false or recklessly disregarding their truth or falsity."

The suit requests special, compensatory and punitive damages in an amount to be determined at trial. Allred said the university was included because she believed it was legally liable for Boeheim's statements as an employee who often spoke to the media on Syracuse's behalf.

Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said last week that Davis was credible, but he couldn't investigate under state law because the statute of limitations had expired.

The statute of limitations in New York to bring a civil suit for child sexual abuse is five years after the victim turns 18, though there have been several legislative attempts recently to open a one-year window for older incidents.

Allred said she would work with state lawmakers to change the rules.

"That's not the reason we are filing," she said of the lack of options for Davis and Lang to pursue the charges. "The reason we are filing is we have reason to believe our clients were defamed."

Under New York case law, defamation is "making a false statement which tends to expose a person to public contempt, ridicule, aversion or disgrace." Accusing someone of a crime they didn't commit is by nature defamatory, which in this case could mean accusing the two men of lying to authorities.

Albany lawyer Kevin Luibrand, who has two pending defamation cases, said it always comes down to the exact words someone used. Luibrand, who was unfamiliar with Boeheim's precise quotes, said the coach could argue that he made the statements based on what he thought was true.

However, acknowledging later he was ? or may have been ? wrong, as Boeheim did, doesn't undo the initial false statement.

"The truth is always a defense," Luibrand said. "The statements don't necessarily have to be truthful but based on a belief they are truthful."

Davis said he was suing so victims of abuse would not be afraid to come forward.

"We're grateful any time a child sex abuse victim finds the courage to take action against a child predator," David Clohessy, executive director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said in a statement. "That's an enormous benefit of civil litigation ? it can help uncover evidence of complicity by a predator's colleagues and supervisors, and thus deter others from keeping secret about possible child sex crimes in the future."

___

Associated Press Writer Michael Virtanen in Albany and AP Sports Writer John Kekis in Syracuse contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111214/ap_on_re_us/us_syracuse_fine_investigation

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Fantasia Barrino Welcomes Son Dallas Xavier

The American Idol season 3 winner gave birth to a baby boy, Dallas Xavier Barrino, her rep tells PEOPLE.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/0nGCqV6Bxb0/

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South Carolina football: Gamecocks cut six scholarships, reduce recruiting visits in wake of major NCAA violations

Also will reduce recruiting visits

Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina will eliminate six football scholarships in the next three years as punishment for committing three major NCAA violations, the school announced Wednesday.

In a 111-page response to the NCAA, the school also said it will reduce official recruiting visits in football and track and field.

The NCAA said 10 South Carolina football players and two women?s track athletes received $47,000 in improper benefits for staying at a Columbia hotel for a reduced rate that was about a quarter of what should?ve been charged. The university also agreed it committed a major violation when athletes or prospects received $8,000 in benefits from two executives from a mentoring foundation.

The school also didn?t dispute the NCAA finding it failed to properly monitor its athletes, but it called the hotel violation a ?good faith error in judgment? from its compliance department.

Then-compliance officer director Jennifer Stiles signed off on players paying $450 each to live in a two-bedroom suite at The Whitney Hotel, a rate the NCAA determined was only about a quarter of what should?ve been charged. Stiles was demoted to another job in the office earlier this month.

The second major violation involved the Student Athlete Mentoring Foundation and its president Steve Gordon and treasurer Kevin Lahn. The two are South Carolina graduates and paid for several unofficial visits by Gamecocks freshman receiver Damiere Byrd.

The NCAA ruled that Byrd must miss four games and pay back $2,700.

Lahn also paid for a $3,350 dinner cruise on Lake Murray for several prospects that was also attended by track coach Curtis Frye and 16 members of his program.

The NCAA will consider South Carolina?s self-imposed penalties at a hearing on the violations in February.

Source: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2011/12/15/1858422/south-carolina-football-gamecocks.html

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