But Hartley and his Saints have a taste for victory (14)
The Saints will go marching into European rugby's most forbidding fortress adamant that they possess the mental fortitude to rise to the 'unique' challenge of beating Munster in Limerick. Jim Mallinder's Northampton side firmly believe they can do what so many of Europe's finest have failed to do by conquering the mighty Irish province at Thomond Park. Only Leicester have left the place victorious in 15 seasons of Heineken Cup competition, during which time Munster have risen from the bridesmaid role to double champions. Yet, if ever there was a time for the other leading Midlands club to be taking on this onerous exercise in Pool One, it is now. They go into this... 		'Bring it on' _ Flatt, Nagasu ready to challenge world and all those critics of US skating (13)
She made a very respectable debut at worlds last year by finishing fifth, and she's the 2008 junior world champion. She's been fourth or better at all of her Grand Prix events. "I would love to be both, steady and spectacular," Flatt said. "I've been pushing the envelope, but I haven't quite been 100 percent happy with all of my performances. I'm always on the cusp of doing something that feels absolutely incredible and completely exhilarating." Nagasu was on the brink of stardom when she won the U.S. title two years ago. Just 14, she was perky and precious and was as entertaining off the ice as she was on it. For as gifted as she is, though, Nagasu... 		CCIA Weighs In On Ticketmaster-Live Nation Merger (12)
The proposed Ticketmaster Live Nation merger should not be approved without conditions to protect competition in the primary and secondary markets for live event ticketing, Computer & Communications Industry Association President & CEO Ed Black said in a letter to Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney yesterday. Contrasting the highly competitive markets of e-commerce with the highly consolidated markets for live event ticketing, Black urged the Department of Justice to at a minimum impose conditions on the transaction. He said these conditions are needed to prevent the merged entity from using their ticket monopoly to charge any surcharge they want when someone buys a ticket...

New Calif. water policy aims to save state's key estuary, but critics say it falls short (11)
The perilously low populations of salmon and native fish are symptoms, according to numerous scientists, of a crashing ecosystem in the West Coast's largest estuary. Numerous theories abound for the decline, from too much water being pumped from the delta for drinking and irrigation to the use of agricultural chemicals. Whatever the cause, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers believe they took a step to restoring the delta when they passed policy reforms last November and approved an $11 billion water bond to go on the November ballot. Schwarzenegger said it would launch the nation's largest environmental restoration project since the federal effort to save the... 		Acts of Kindness (11)
We have been moved by incredible acts of kindness, both in Haiti and right here at home in Syracuse. We have lived in many parts of the country over the past 28 years, but we have never seen a Christmas effort that comes close to what happens here every year. When the number of families registering for the Christmas Bureau distribution exceeded all expectations, thoughtful and generous people stepped forward to do even more. A total of 13,882 people from 3,669 families were able to celebrate Christmas together in their own home. More than 3,000 volunteers contributed close to 8,000 hours. Through the kindness of neighbors, 8,738 children in Onondaga County had a toy to open... 		Ken Davidoff's Baseball Insider (11)
In honor of the recently arrived new year, let's use two measures of evaluation for these players: Health, and Happiness. "Health" will cover actual health, as well as statistical production: Did the player stay on the field? Did he deliver sufficiently on his expectations?"Happiness" will cover the player's and team's satisfaction with one another. Were they a good fit? How much, if any, tension existed?The evaluations are subjective, of course, and in some cases I've wimped out and offered an "Eh," or "Sort of" or "Pretty much." When there's a "No" on "Happiness," I'll explain that unhappiness. And obviously, since many of these deals are still ongoing, the judgments rendered...
Turbines symbol of co-operation (11)
The wind farm, paid for by New Zealand, will provide "green power" to Scott Base and its 10-times larger US neighbour, McMurdo Station. The wind farm was constructed by Meridian Energy using German turbines designed for the Arctic. Meridian director of growth and development Ken Smales said the project was complex, not because of Antarctica's extreme weather, but because the turbines had to be integrated with the diesel generation plants of the two bases. Another problem was the different voltages used by the New Zealand and US electrical systems. Smales said McMurdo Station was always enthusiastic about the Kiwi proposal, but had doub... 		Robbery and Muggings, Oh My! Just What's Going On in Eugene? (11)
Embry has been in trouble with the team before, and Masoli has a record of theft, so if either one of these two did it, they will lose their place at the U of O for sure. Now, another source inside the campus said Masoli is protected legally and won't be talking to the cops in any way. Either this thing was a hoax, or Masoli will be protected according to this guy (who has the same attorney as Masoli). If that's true, we can breathe a sigh of relief and know he'll be back next year. But what about Embry? Or whoever actually did this? Whoever is proved guilty will most likely be kicked off the team and get his scholarship taken away. Theft is no small thing... 		Bruce has Cabanas interest (11)
However, his club Mexican America - have told Bruce to forget about making a move for him during the January transfer window.Bruce is well versed in the North, Central and South American markets and has a wealth of contacts and scouts in the region.His latest target has emerged as highly-rated striker Cabanas, who has over 40 caps to his name for Paraguay and is pivotal player for his country.The 29-year-old is also a key figure as well for America, who he has played for since 2006, and Bruce admits that Cabanas would be a great signing. "I've monitored Cabanas," said the Sunderland manager."You know I've had a little contact in South America."Cabana...
P. Diddy gives his son a $360,000 Maybach for 16th birthday (5)
For his 16th birthday, P. Diddy gave his son Justin Dior Combs a brand spankin' new silver Maybach priced at $360000. The car was delivered to the teen at ... 		'American Idol' contestant Michael Lynche replaced following Top 24 leak to local paper (4)
The "American Idol" spoiler blog Joe's Place, often the go-to website for insider "Idol" news, reports Lynche was replaced over the weekend with another ... 		Misa Hylton Dishes On Dirt On Diddy (4)
Fashion Stylist Misa Hylton-Brim was a special guest on Cherry Martinez's BAN Mondays recently and dished the dirt on her new fashion company as well as ...
Samsung-led group drops $7 billion on green energy in Ontario, Canada (3)
The Samsung deal is made possible by the Ontario government's Green Energy Act passed last year providing for some of the most generous feed-in tariffs in ... 		Elizabeth Large blogs about memorable meals, dining trends, comings and goings on the restaurant scene and more. (3)
I am not a vegetarian, however--and hope I never am. Have you run across any restaurants in and around Baltimore that offer a good variety of foods that are ... 		Scott Brown's 'American Idol' road to victory (3)
Democratic strategists ought to familiarize themselves with "American Idol" history: The year Ayla Brown made her brief appearance, Chris Daughtry, ...
Brangelina Breakup? Baloney, Says Source (3)
... award at S... more >> Soap opera star James Mitchell, who for 30 years entertained 'All My Children' fans a... more >> It's good being Diddy's son. ... 		American Idol Contestant Michael Lynche Cut for Top 24 Leak (3)
American Idol contestant Michael Lynche has been cut from the competition after it was revealed he had made it to the top 24. The 26-year-old 'dirty blues' ... 		Jim Irsay, Indianapolis Colts (2)
Jim Irsay's father was one of the more polarizing figures among professional sports team owners. His stories were often full of hyperbole and half-truths. ...
Is This Really Brett Favre\'s End? (2)
... one last visceral challenge, and the joie de vivre evident in the effort up until the moment the other side could yell "Laissez les bons temps rouler! ... 		Worlds Strongest Toddler (1)
Worlds Strongest Toddler. According to manchestereveningnews The World's Strongest Toddler (Five, tonight, 9pm) is another documentary from Manchester film ... 		Beauty v the Beast (1)
Any road, on the day Arsenal's beauty was very much skin-deep. They were as fragile as Keira Knightley's ankles. Wenger wasn't complaining either. ...
Sarah and Vinnie Suspended from Alice 97.3 Radio Show? (1)
There are reports that Sarah and Vinnie have allegedly been suspended from the Alice 97.3 Radio Show. The show reportedly went fine on Friday went but since ...
African Nations Cup (10)

Two goals in five minutes at the start of extra-time helped defending champions Egypt book their place in the African Nations Cup semi-final with a battling victory over Cameroon.The game, though, was marred by a controversial third goal by Pharaohs' captain Ahmed Hassan which was allowed to stand by referee Jerome Damon despite replays showing the ball had clearly not crossed the lineBy that time the Egypt midifelder, who was winning a record 170th cap for his country, had already nodded Achille Emana's corner past his own keeper in the 26th minute, though the Indomitable Lions player was awarded the goal.Hassan scored again at the other end to pull his side level with a powerful l...
Minnesota Vikings Who Will Get Out of the Pile This Week (0)

Closer to home, AD's own position coach Eric Bieniemy "defended" his player earlier this week by pointing out that AD will help keep Brees off the field. ...
Brett Favre's daughter Brittany Favre watches... (0)

Cheering from the stadium stands were his wife as well as Brett Favre's daughter, Brittany Favre. Brittany is age 21 this year, and is one of two children ...
Minnesota Vikings' three-way gamble might pay off today (0)

But what could Zygi Wilf have possibly been thinking? The Vikings owner forked over a two-year, $25 million contract to a quarterback he couldn't be certain ...
Bubble Wrap Turns 50 (0)

It's the last Monday in January and that means it's officially Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day. That's according to the folks at Sealed Air, the company formed ...
Beau Biden takes a pass on a Senate run (0)

Beau Biden now says he'll take a pass. Since Biden's seating as vice president, former aide Ted Kaufman has served as a placeholder in the Senate seat. ...
VMWare Sets High Bar for EMC and Citrix (VMW, EMC, CTXS) – 24/7 Wall St. (0)

VMware Inc (NYSE: VMW) has been a difficult stock to evaluate for many due to the notion that it is still almost representative of a virtualization tracking ...