Soccer-FIFA reforms to go under the microscope

BERNE, Jan 11 (Reuters) - European soccer chiefs will meet this month to discuss proposed reforms to present to the sport's governing body FIFA, including an age limit for the president and a restriction on the number of mandates he can serve.
A working group which was set up to revise the FIFA statutes has proposed setting an age limit of 72 for the FIFA president and executive committee members at the time of their election, re-election or nomination.
It has also proposed limiting their mandates to two four-year terms.
Other matters under discussion for possible reform include the make-up of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which makes decisions on changes to the rules of the game.
The IFAB currently consists of four members from FIFA and one each from the four British associations.
UEFA, European soccer's governing body, said in a statement that it would host a meeting of the presidents of its 53 members associations on Jan. 24 to analyse the proposals.
"UEFA wants to ensure that the FIFA reform process maintains its good governance objectives and this has been made clear to our members in a clear and transparent way, to enable them to make their position clear," said UEFA secretary general Gianni Infantino. "We now need our members to put forward their views."
FIFA was hit a string of corruption cases in 2010 and 2011.
Three members of its 24-man executive committee were sanctioned for corruption, including former presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam who was banned for life, and another two resigned amid allegations of wrongdoing.

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Soccer-Legal settlement agreed with former owners, say Liverpool

LONDON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Liverpool said on Friday that a settlement between former owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett and directors involved in the sale of the Premier League soccer club had been agreed following a long-running legal battle.
Fenway Sports Group (FSG) completed their takeover in Oct. 2010, bringing to an end the acrimonious reign of Hicks and Gillett who tried to block the sale by RBS bank.
"As a consequence of that sale, Thomas Hicks and George Gillett (being the former owners of Liverpool FC) made a number of allegations and claims against Sir Martin Broughton, Christian Purslow and Ian Ayre (being the company directors responsible for the sale of Liverpool FC to the Fenway Sports Group). Those allegations and claims were denied by Messrs Broughton, Purslow and Ayre," Liverpool said in a statement on their website (www.liverpoolfc.com).
"The allegations, claims and denials resulted in legal proceedings being commenced.
"The parties have now agreed a settlement (the terms of which are confidential). All claims and allegations made against Messrs Broughton, Purslow and Ayre have been withdrawn by Messrs Hicks and Gillett and all legal proceedings between the parties concluded.
"The parties will not be making any further statement to the press."
The legal battle began after Liverpool was sold by RBS to Fenway - headed by American businessman John W. Henry - in a 300-million-pound ($483.21-million) deal in October 2010.
Hicks and Gillett alleged that the club had been sold at a "substantial undervalue", terming the sale an "epic swindle".

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Soccer-United's Rooney out of Liverpool clash

LONDON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney will miss Sunday's Premier League clash against north-west rivals Liverpool after failing to recover from a knee injury, manager Alex Ferguson said on Friday.
Rooney injured a knee ligament in training and missed United's holiday fixtures against Newcastle United, West Bromwich Albion and Wigan Athletic as well as their FA Cup draw at West Ham United.
"Wayne Rooney is still out," Ferguson told reporters. "I am hoping he will start training today actually, in which case he won't be far away. I don't think it is an issue, but we need to guide him along.
"In terms of the injury he had, it's quite straightforward so if he starts today, I assume he will be available for Wednesday's replay (against West Ham)."
United winger Nani and midfielder Anderson will both return to the squad for Liverpool's visit to Old Trafford.
"Nani is back in training and will be included in the squad for Sunday.
"Anderson has been back training for 10 days now so he will be in the squad for Sunday. All in all it is quite a positive situation. It's good to have them back."
United lead the Premier League by seven points from local rivals Manchester City after 21 games, while Liverpool are 14 points further adrift in eighth place.
The fixture, however, remains as important as ever, according to Ferguson.
"The derby game against Liverpool never changes," he said. It's always an immensely important game - intense, emotional. We are going into the game in reasonable form.

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Could Alex Jones's "revolution" actually happen?

Piers Morgan had it easy. Radio show host and author Alex Jones threatened the rest of us with a "revolution" if the government decides to confiscate guns from the homes and glove compartments of law-abiding Americans. It's almost too easy to dismiss Jones as a fringe figure, especially since fringe ideas make their way into the mainstream with (exciting? alarming?) frequency these days. So let's take him seriously.
Let's accept his premise. Actually, let's dismiss it first but then turn around and accept it for the sake of argument. The government has not the means nor the mechanism nor the credibility to confiscate 100,000 guns, much less 600,000,000. And those in the government doing the confiscating would be neighbors and relatives of the confiscatory victims: police officers, national guard members, Army reservists. Of course, Jones might say that their intent is bad enough. But "they" -- the Obama administration, I assume -- have no such intentions, and never did.
But OK. Let's say that the government tries to confiscate guns and "the people" attempt to revolt.  No doubt that civil disobedience can spring up rather spontaneously and even be organized very quickly, but if rioting were to somehow break out in American cities, it would be isolated and theoretically containable. Organizing a "revolt" would require extensive planning, including the massive transportation of citizens from their homes to wherever the rally points were, a communications infrastructure, and leaders. The same Open Source culture that would make it difficult for the government to plan a confiscation in secret makes it just as unlikely for citizens to plan a feasible response to that confiscation in secret.
One of Jones's obsessions, which, I confess, I share, is the militarization of the American homeland, and he is not promulgating a conspiracy here. The military has expanded its presence on American soil, and crucially, has expanded the way it is organized to respond to mass contingency events of any kind, including natural disasters and rioting. The U.S. Northern Command does receive intelligence briefings about domestic disturbances from the FBI and DHS, so commanders would be somewhat prepared to deploy troops. Thousands would come from the standing Army, but the bulk would be drawn from state National Guard detachments. It is exceedingly difficult to picture weekend warriors following blind orders en masse to detain or harm U.S. citizens when local police resources are stretched. The government has the power of command and control, but the people have the power of fellow-feeling. The government's response to any real revolt would probably be quite restrained. There'd be too much attention paid to every movement of every tank to act harshly. The strategy to contain any "revolt" might therefore depend on a period of people letting out their energies and then returning to their normal business.
Ah, but what if the government controls the communication nodes?  Well, corporations do; I assume Jones would have them immediately bend to a secret executive order shutting down serves and clouds and services like Twitter, but even if corporations agreed to do this, together, it would take days to get even a fraction of the telecom infrastructure offline. Maybe the government would order a mass power outage. But that's why so many Americans have generators in the first place!  Although government "boards" comprising major telecom and infrastructure executives do exist, the most they've ever contemplated doing is to shut down a narrow slice of an infected communications node. These days, they're focused on the cyber threat.  In the early days of civil defense planning, when there were a few television networks an AT&T had its monopoly, the threat of a government takeover of TV, radio and telephones was technically feasible. Today it is not. Actually, it does not make sense. What's turned on really cannot be turned off.
But wait. if Jones's "revolution" is to succeed, he needs to take over the government, because he'd need to dominate communications as well, unless he assumes that his movement would be organic and immune to arguments from elected officials asking for stability and calm.
An objective of anyone who wants to take over the government would be a seizure of the Emergency Broadcast System, which allows the President to speak to the nation through almost any mechanism of communication at any time. The EBS lives at Mt. Weather, the massive FEMA bunker in Virginia, but it can be activated and controlled from at least a dozen other places, including the briefcase of the Emergency Actions officer who travels with the President.  A coordinated violent action to seize control of this key portal would require an incredible amount of prior planning.
Assuming even that the government's response to isolated-turned-mass rioting is uneven, the President would be able to address Americans anytime he wants. In theory, Jones's followers could try to take over every broadcast entity in America, or could try and jam the broadcasts using sophisticated electronic warfare technology available to the military, but once again, the practicalities are not possible.
Because there will be no revolt over gun control, because there will not be and cannot be a mass confiscation of guns, playing with these ideas is fanciful and fodder for a sequel to Seven Days in May. Heck, we haven't even addressed the FEMA concentration camps (which don't exist).  But that isn't to say that nothing discussed above will ever be relevant. It is much easier to imagine a small-scale revolt, a series of pre-planned violent protests against the powers that be, perhaps because the political system seems so non-responsive to the worries of people who listen to Alex Jones.  It would not take much to make Americans nervous about the government's ability to restore law and order. And that frission itself is probably the most unknowable of all these factors.
Patriotic citizens aren't supposed to speculate about these extremely unlikely events, but the government certainly thinks about them. So maybe we should too.

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HTC says licensing agreement with Apple will lead to better devices in 2013

Apple (AAPL) and HTC (2498) signed a 10-year licensing agreement in November that covered all current, pending and future patents and ended the ongoing litigation between the two companies. It has been estimated that the company will pay Apple between $6 and $8 for every Android device shipped, however HTC CEO Peter Chao refuted the claim. Regardless of how much is being spent, HTC China president Ray Yam believes the deal will begin to benefit the company in 2013.
[More from BGR: ‘iPhone 5S’ to reportedly launch by June with multiple color options and two different display sizes]
“The settlement with Apple will start to pay off next year, and the fourth quarter of this year is still going at a set pace,” the executive said in an interview with the Economic Observer of China, according to Focus Taiwan. “The biggest benefit to us is that we can put more energy into innovation, which is more important than anything else for a technology company.”
[More from BGR: Nokia predicted to abandon mobile business, sell assets to Microsoft and Huawei in 2013]
Yam notes that HTC has wasted too many resources on lawsuits with Apple in the past and that the company is now encouraging employees to “take broader steps” when creating new and better products. The executive revealed that HTC has adjusted its product, sales and marketing strategies for 2013 in the wake of the settlement. He said that many of the company’s projects are now proceeding at a faster rate and it has also changed the way it negotiates with its telecom partners.
While the settlement will ensure that HTC’s devices will remain on sale in the U.S. and other markets, the company must still find a way to increase its dwindling market share as its struggles continue.

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Nokia’s Lumia 920 remains as expensive as Apple’s iPhone 5

One thing handset industry analysts are watching like hawks is the price graph of the most important Windows Phone 8 model in the European handset market. Nokia (NOK) priced the Lumia 920 very, very ambitiously for its November debut. How long can the model maintain a stiff premium? Was the early pricing just designed to skim high margins from the pool of eager Nokia/Windows Phone early adopters?
[More from BGR: ‘iPhone 5S’ to reportedly launch by June with multiple color options and two different display sizes]
Christmas is now over and the year 2013 has rolled in. But in the most important handset market in Europe, the Lumia 920 still costs as much as the 16 GB iPhone 5. At Phonehouse Germany, the price is 640 euros. At Handy Attacke, Ebay Germany, Amazon.de and other leading German phone retail sites, the price remains rock solid and notably uniform 650 euros. Most of these sites offer shipment within two to three days, so the price is no longer jacked up by lack of supply.
[More from BGR: Nokia predicted to abandon mobile business, sell assets to Microsoft and Huawei in 2013]
In comparison, the 16 GB iPhone 5 costs 630 euros at Ebay Germany, 650 euros at Notebooksbilliger and Handyschotte; and 670 euros at Telbay, Modeo and other sites.
Even as the unsubsidized price of Samsung’s (005930) Galaxy Note II is slipping below 510 euros in Germany, the Lumia 920 keeps levitating at the same price as the most expensive mass-market smartphone on the planet. Germany remains the biggest smartphone market in Europe, so this is going to be one key issue to keep an eye on as January price-cutting starts in earnest.

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Hagel nomination: Israelis ask 'what's the big deal?'

President Obama’s choice of Chuck Hagel for secretary of Defense, hotly contested by the American Jewish community, has received a muted response in Israel. While some echo concerns that the former Republican senator is dangerous or anti-Semitic, others here ask, “Who’s that?”
To be sure, the appointment of a man who is seen as soft on Iran and eager to talk to terrorist groups on Israel’s borders isn’t generally popular here.
Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said today that Israel should be "concerned, but not afraid of Hagel's isolationist ideas." But he and other politicians, including candidates in Israel's Jan. 22 elections, have emphasized that US-Israel ties go deeper than any one personality and have expressed confidence that the two countries would remain strong allies.
“It’s none of our business, it’s America’s prerogative,” said Naftali Bennett of the right-wing HaBayit HaYehudi (The Jewish Home) party, whose popularity has surged in recent weeks. “Israel and America’s bond goes way beyond certain relationships between individuals.”
Mr. Bennett's shrug comes despite the fact that Hagel’s record diverges sharply from Bennett’s views on Iran, which he identifies as the most pressing foreign policy issue facing Israel. While representing Nebraska in the Senate, Hagel voted repeatedly against US sanctions on Iran and has expressed opposition to a military strike on Iran – a country seen by some Israelis as an existential threat to the Jewish nation.
[Recommended: Obama-Netanyahu tensions: Not as bad as 5 other US-Israel low points]
“Zionism was about creating a shelter, the most secure place on earth for Jews,” said Bennett, speaking at a foreign policy debate at Hebrew University of Jerusalem today. “By having a nuclear Iran, Israel by one fell swoop would turn into the most dangerous place for Jews.”
Obama has promised to prevent a nuclear Iran, but his appointment of Hagel signals to some that Obama may be more lenient than they feel comfortable with.
“[Hagel] is dangerous,” says Eliyahu Ben Haim, one of the few Jerusalemites out and about on a very stormy day. “He’s anti-Semite. He’s against attacking Iran, he’s against sanctions, and he wants us to talk to Hamas and Hezbollah.”
But in the same shopping area, Fred Sternberg says Hagel essentially shares Obama’s views on Iran and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and thus his appointment would not trigger any major policy change. The bigger conflict is between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and Obama, he says.
“The problem is that we don’t have a government that is very friendly toward Obama,” says Dr. Sternberg, who has lived here for 40 years. “I do not agree with the policy of the Israeli government. So I am not very far from Obama.”
Others on the political left here even go so far as to support Hagel’s nomination.
“I listened yesterday to some remarks that Mr. Hagel said – one was his critique about the behavior of Israel in the Palestinian issue. I share his views,” said Yaakov Peri, former director of Israel’s internal security service, the Shin Bet. He notes that Hagel supports a Palestinian state and thinks Israel “should go for it, initiate it.
“I rely on the president of the United States that Chuck Hagel is a responsible and capable guy to do his job and I share the view that the US and Israeli bond and relationship and cooperation will remain, and hopefully strengthen,” said Mr. Peri, a member of Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid (There is a Future) party.
Isaac Herzog of the Labor Party, another participant in today’s foreign policy debate, said it’s fine for American officials to criticize Israel as long as they know the facts.
“After that, they can be a critical friend, because that’s what friends are for,” said Mr. Herzog, the son of former Israeli president Chaim Herzog.
Yitzhak Hanegbi of Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud-Yisrael Beitenu bloc joked during today’s debate that all of Israel’s friends, even tiny Micronesia, are critical friends. On a more solemn note, he added that part of being a friend is trying to understand Israel’s “fears and hopes,” and expressed gratitude to the US for striving to do just that – despite personal tensions between Obama and Netanyahu.
“We believe that the president feels for Israel,” he said. “Even though sometimes personal tensions do occur, it has nothing to do with the strategy and with the instincts of the US toward Israel.

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Does Depardieu herald Russia as a tax haven for Europe?

French movie star Gerard Depardieu has returned to his native habitat in western Europe following a tumultuous Russia visit that has left behind a nation collectively scratching its head over the instinctively authoritarian Vladimir Putin's quirky decision to bestow Russian citizenship upon a cantankerous foreign tax rebel, and the equally odd spectacle of Mr. Depardieu accepting it amid a fusillade of lavish praise for Mr. Putin's regime.
Most analysts say the event was probably a big domestic propaganda win for Putin, who has been under criticism – even from members of his own government – for imposing a seemingly vindictive ban on US citizens adopting Russian orphans in response to US legislation that targets official Russian human rights abusers.
Some suggest that Depardieu's move might trigger a wave of wealthy Europeans, disgruntled by ever-higher tax rates, to move to Russia where everybody pays a flat 13 percent income tax.
Recommended: Vladimir Putin 101: A quiz about Russia's president
Such talk is encouraged by news that French actress Brigitte Bardot is also threatening to apply to Putin for a Russian passport, albeit for completely different reasons. Ms. Bardot, an ardent supporter of animal rights, is angry about plans by French authorities to euthanize two circus elephants thought to be carrying tuberculosis.
"In the West they badly understand the specifics of our tax system. When they do learn about it, you can expect a mass migration of rich Europeans to Russia," tweeted Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin on Saturday.
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"If someone like Depardieu wants to be a Russian citizen, that's good. Putin made a beautiful gesture," by granting his wish, says Vladimir Zharikhin, deputy director of the the official Institute of the Commonwealth of Independent States in Moscow.
"If rich people want to come here, why not? Plenty of talented Russians, like the tennis player Maria Sharapova, live in the US but hang on to their Russian passports.... It's not just about patriotism, but also about money. So, let rich people rush here and pay that 13 percent to the Russian treasury," he adds.
But Rustam Vakhitov, head of tax practice at the Moscow office of International Tax Associates, a Dutch tax consultancy, says that if things were that simple, rich tax evaders would have been flocking to Russia since the flat tax was initiated about a decade ago.
"In principle it's possible that rich Europeans could manage to maintain residency in Russia," by utilizing loopholes to get around the six-month-per-year residency requirement to be eligible for the 13 percent rate, he says.
"But they'd have to spend a few months here. In practice, the number of Europeans who'd be willing to come and live in Russia is probably quite limited," by a variety of factors, including distance from Europe, lifestyle and language, he says.
"Some may come here. I'm not saying Russia's a bad place, but there are other countries that probably offer better terms," for wealthy tax fugitives, he adds.
Depardieu was shown over the weekend on Russian TV bearhugging and dining with a smiling Putin in the Kremlin leader's palatial Black Sea dacha in Sochi, where the 2014 Winter Olympic Games are slated to take place.
Later Depardieu visited the deep-Russian republic of Mordovia, where (perhaps not coincidentally) one of the members of the punk rock band Pussy Riot, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, is serving her two-year sentence in one of the region's notorious penal colonies.
Mordovian officials greeted Depardieu like a visiting hero. Russian media reported that the French actor, who is planning to star in a film about the 18th century Russian peasant revolutionary Emilian Pugachov, was given a free apartment and offered the job of culture minister of the small, ethnic Volga River region.
And in a widely quoted open letter to Russian journalists, Depardieu declared that Putin's Russia is a "great democracy.... I love your President Vladimir Putin, and the feeling is mutual."
"I adore your culture, your intelligence. My father was a communist, listening to Radio Moscow! This is also my culture," he wrote.
"In Russia, there is a good life. Not necessarily in Moscow, which is too big a metropolis for me. I prefer the countryside, and I know wonderful places in Russia.... I like the press, but it is also very annoying because there is too often a single thought. Out of respect for your president and your great country, I have nothing to add," Depardieu wrote.
No opinion polls have yet detailed the Russian public's response to all this, but veteran pollster Alexei Grazhdankin, deputy director of the independent Levada Center in Moscow, says it will probably be mostly positive.
"We don't yet know how the population feels about this move of Putin's, but I believe the approval will be higher than the level of disapproval," Mr. Grazhdankin says. "Putin is a figure who crystallizes positive and negative attitudes."
Dmitri Oreshkin, head of the Mercator Group, a Moscow-based political consultancy, says the Depardieu visit to Russia, with its colorful political overtones, is a throwback to Soviet practices. Shortly after the Bolshevik Revolution, nearly a century ago, leading Western intellectual lights such as H.G. Wells, Bertrand Russell and George Bernard Shaw visited Russia, and brought back a largely sympathetic image of the new revolutionary state. Muckraking US journalist Lincoln Steffans famously returned from a trip to Soviet Russia declaring, "I have seen the future, and it works."
"This is a PR exercise, not too different from Putin's flight with the birds last September," aimed at countering negative views of Russia under his leadership, says Mr. Oreshkin.
"I recall in the 1980s the Soviet leadership gave Soviet citizenship and a Moscow apartment to a defecting American scientist, Arnold Lokshin," who claimed to be persecuted in the United States.
"Where is Lokshin now? I'm pretty sure Depardieu isn't going to want to come and live here, and this whole foolish business will blow over after a while," he adds.

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Poaching crisis escalates with 'targeted, efficient' slaughter of 12 Kenya elephants

Kenya has suffered its worst single loss of elephants to poachers on record, with 12 members of one family slaughtered and their tusks hacked out in just a few hours last weekend.
Eleven adults and one infant calf died in a “targeted and efficient” attack highlighting the growing professionalism of poachers bankrolled by international criminals supplying soaring demand for ivory in the Far East. The calf, less than a year old, is believed to have been crushed by its dying mother as she fell to the ground.
“It is unimaginable, a heinous, heinous crime,” said Paul Udoto, spokesman for the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). “We have not seen such an incident in recent memory, it’s the worst single loss that we have on record, and our records go back almost 30 years. These were professional killers. The attack was targeted and efficient.”
Recommended: Think you know Africa? Take our geography quiz.
The poachers, armed with automatic rifles, had already fled but there were hopes Tuesday that a massive search involving foot patrols, a dozen vehicles, and three aircraft could still find them.
“Every possible resource is being deployed to track down these criminals,” Mr. Udoto said. “They will feel the full force of the law.”
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But privately, conservations fear the poachers and their haul of 22 tusks, worth an estimated $281,000 on the Asian market, would already have escaped following the attack, which occurred late Saturday in a remote corner of Tsavo East National Park, Kenya’s largest wildlife reserve.
This was the latest in a surge of elephant deaths that has seen the number of the animals killed for their ivory in Kenya increase sevenfold in five years, from fewer than 50 in 2007 to 360 in 2012, according to KWS figures. Over the past six weeks, 20 elephants have been found dead, with their tusks hacked out, in the Samburu ecosystem of northern Kenya alone. Three females were killed close to the Amboseli National Park in October. Experts speculate that many more are killed in the wilderness and their carcasses never found.
The increase has led many wildlife experts to declare the current situation a crisis worse even than the mass slaughter of Africa's elephants in the 1970s and 1980s, which led to a global ivory trade ban in 1989.
“Now the situation is far graver, because we have fewer elephants left, but the demand for ivory is far greater," says Iain Douglas-Hamilton, founder of Save The Elephants. “The only thing that will radically alter the situation now is somehow to lower that demand.”
Two average 10-lb. tusks from an adult female elephant are now worth more than $20,000 in China, close to double their value a decade ago. The new demand is driven by the country’s booming middle class, for whom carved ivory and tusk trinkets are a sign of wealth.
Occasional “one-off sales” to China and Japan of stockpiled ivory from Southern Africa, most recently in 2008, are also blamed for restarting a market that had been dormant since the trade was banned.
In the past year, several Chinese celebrities, including former NBA player Yao Ming, have lent their voices to campaigns encouraging Chinese consumers to avoid ivory products. And dozens of African religious leaders gathered late last year outside Nairobi to discuss how to use their moral clout to discourage poaching.
"Africa has a half-million elephants left, but all together we know they are not enough to satisfy the demand for their ivory," adds Udoto, of the KWS. "We must all pull in one direction to stop that demand."

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SPORTS BRIEFS: Disc golf tournament in Pooler this weekend

LOCAL

Disc golf tournament in Pooler this weekend

The ninth annual Savannah Open Disc Golf Tournament will be held Saturday and Sunday at Tom Triplett Park in Pooler.

A field of 90 players is expected for the event, including defending champion Michael Johansen and four-time winner Brian Schweberger.

The tournament format will be two rounds of 18 holes on Saturday and one round on Sunday, followed by a six-hole shootout for the top four pros.

There will be competition in ten divisions and organizers are still seeking sponsors. Potential sponsors should contact George Shaw at 484-7821.

For more information on the tournament, go to savannahdiscgolf.com.

NATIONAL

BCS blowout hurts television ratings

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The BCS title game’s television rating was up from last season, but the lopsided score kept viewership down.

Alabama’s 42-14 rout over Notre Dame drew a 15.1 fast national rating Monday on ESPN, the network said Tuesday. The 26.4 million viewers were up 9 percent from last year’s game, another blowout Crimson Tide victory, 21-0 over LSU.

But that’s down from the 27.3 million for ESPN’s first BCS championship two years ago, Auburn’s win over Oregon that was decided in the final seconds. This year’s game posted the second-largest audience in cable history behind the 2011 championship.

The matchup between traditional powerhouses in Alabama and Notre Dame created the potential for a record-setting audience. But once the Crimson Tide went up 28-0 by halftime, viewers had reason to skip the second half. Ten previous BCS title games drew a higher rating.

Ratings represent the percentage of U.S. homes with televisions tuned into a program. The game was on in 17.5 percent of homes that get ESPN.

The first half was watched by 20.4 percent, significantly higher than 17.9 for Auburn-Oregon. Typically viewership increases throughout a game if it is competitive. But on Monday, the rating peaked between 9 and 9:30 p.m. EST — midway through the first half — and decreased from there as Alabama pulled away.

NHL owners to vote on agreement today

NEW YORK — NHL owners will vote today on the tentative labor agreement reached with the players’ union.

If a majority approves, as expected, the NHL will move one step closer toward the official end of the long lockout that began Sept. 16.

As of Tuesday afternoon, a memorandum of understanding of the deal hadn’t been completed, so the union has yet to schedule a vote for its more than 700 members. A majority of players also must approve the deal for hockey to return to the ice.

“We continue to document the agreement,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Associated Press in an email Tuesday.

If there are no snags, ratification could be finished by Saturday and training camps can open Sunday if approval is reached on both sides. A 48-game regular season would then be expected to begin on Jan. 19.

U.S. Doping chief claims Armstrong offered donation

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The chief of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency tells CBS’s “60 Minutes Sports” that a representative for Lance Armstrong offered the agency a “donation” in excess of $150,000 several years before a USADA investigation led to Armstrong being stripped of seven Tour de France titles.

In an interview on the show’s premier airing tonight, USADA CEO Travis Tygart said he was “stunned” when he received the offer in 2004 and USADA didn’t hesitate to turn it down.

Armstrong’s attorney, Tim Herman, denied such an offer was made.

“No truth to that story,” Herman wrote Tuesday in an email to The Associated Press. “First Lance heard of it was today. He never made any such contribution or suggestion.”

Tygart did not immediately respond to requests from the AP for comment.

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USADA chief says Armstrong rep offered 'donation'

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) -- The chief of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency tells ''60 Minutes Sports'' that a representative for Lance Armstrong offered the agency a ''donation'' in excess of $150,000 several years before a USADA investigation led to Armstrong being stripped of seven Tour de France titles.
In an interview on the show's premiere airing on Showtime Wednesday night, USADA CEO Travis Tygart said he was ''stunned'' when he received the offer in 2004.
''It was a clear conflict of interest for USADA,'' Tygart said. ''We had no hesitation in rejecting that offer.''
Armstrong's attorney, Tim Herman, denied such an offer was made.
''No truth to that story,'' Herman wrote Tuesday in an email to The Associated Press. ''First Lance heard of it was today. He never made any such contribution or suggestion.''
Tygart was traveling and did not respond to requests from the AP for comment. USADA spokeswoman Annie Skinner said Tygart's comments from the interview were accurate. In it, he reiterates what he told the AP last fall: That he was surprised when federal investigators abruptly shut down their two-year probe into Armstrong and his business dealings, then refused to share any of the evidence they had gathered.
''You'll have to ask the feds why they shut down,'' Tygart told the AP. ''They enforce federal criminal laws. We enforce sports anti-doping violations. They're totally separate. We've done our job.''

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Oprah to interview Lance Armstrong

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Lance Armstrong has agreed to a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey where he will address allegations that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his cycling career.
According to a release posted on Oprah's website on Tuesday, it's the first interview with Armstrong since his athletic career crumbled under the weight of a massive report by USADA detailing allegations of drug use by the famous cyclist and teammates on his U.S. Postal Service teams.
It's unclear if the interview at Armstrong's home in Austin, Texas, has already been taped. Nicole Nichols, a spokeswoman for Oprah Winfrey Network & Harpo Studios, declined comment.
The show will air at 9 p.m. EST on Jan. 17 on OWN and Oprah.com.
Armstrong has strongly denied the doping charges that led to him being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, but The New York Times reported Friday he has told associates he is considering admitting the use of PEDS.
The newspaper report cited anonymous sources, and Armstrong attorney Tim Herman told The Associated Press that night that he had no knowledge of Armstrong considering a confession.
Earlier Tuesday, ''60 Minutes Sports'' reported the head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency told the show a representative for Armstrong offered the agency a ''donation'' in excess of $150,000 several years before an investigation by the organization led to the loss of Armstrong's Tour de France titles.
In an interview for the premiere airing on Showtime on Wednesday night, USADA CEO Travis Tygart said he was ''stunned'' when he received the offer in 2004.
''It was a clear conflict of interest for USADA,'' Tygart said. ''We had no hesitation in rejecting that offer.''
Herman denied such an offer was made.
''No truth to that story,'' Herman wrote Tuesday in an email to the AP. ''First Lance heard of it was today. He never made any such contribution or suggestion.''
Tygart was traveling and did not respond to requests from the AP for comment. USADA spokeswoman Annie Skinner said Tygart's comments from the interview were accurate. In it, he reiterates what he told the AP last fall: That he was surprised when federal investigators abruptly shut down their two-year probe into Armstrong and his business dealings, then refused to share any of the evidence they had gathered.
''You'll have to ask the feds why they shut down,'' Tygart told the AP. ''They enforce federal criminal laws. We enforce sports anti-doping violations. They're totally separate. We've done our job.'

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Neah Power Systems Issues Letter to Shareholder Highlighting Recent Developments

Neah Power continues its aggressive efforts to commercialize proprietary patented fuel cell technology – the PowerchipTM product and the PowerPlay™ product - that has the potential to revolutionize the energy storage marketplace.

Bothell, WA (PRWEB) January 07, 2013
Neah Power Systems, Inc., (OTCBB: NPWZ) http://www.neahpower.com, a developer of power solutions using proprietary, award winning technology for the military, transportation, and portable electronic devices, issued a letter to shareholders highlighting recent developments as part of its ongoing communication plan.
Neah Power continues its aggressive efforts to commercialize proprietary and patented fuel cell technology. The Powerchip™ product and the PowerPlay™ product have the potential to revolutionize the energy storage marketplace.
"Over $50 million has gone into the Company, and we are starting to see the benefits," said Dr. Chris D’Couto, CEO. He continued to say “The company recently introduced PowerPlay™ technology that leverages some key components of the Powerchip™ technology to build a low-cost, consumer-oriented product.” Some of the key recent developments giving rise to an optimistic future include:

Product shipment to a Fortune 150 defense contractor
Continued licensing discussions with a foreign Defense entity
Scope of work and commercial proposal for a large aerospace company
Verified interest in off-grid power solutions
Various consumer and telecommunications applications of the PowerPlay™ technology
Various grant proposals jointly submitted by the company and its customers
Please visit http://www.neahpower.com to view the detailed Letter to Shareholders and view the corporate video ‘About Neah Power Systems’ which is a very informative overview of the Company and the Powerchip™ and PowerPlay™ technologies. The company continues to be optimistic about opportunities, and advise readers to review publically available information on annual report 10-K recently filed.
About Neah Power

Neah Power Systems, Inc. (NPWZ.OB) is a developer of long-lasting, efficient and safe power solutions for the military, transportation, and portable electronics applications. Neah uses a unique, patented and award winning, silicon-based design for its PowerchipTM and PowerPlay™ micro fuel cells that enable higher power densities, lower cost and compact form-factors. Previous awards include the 2012 ZINO Green finalist, the 2010 WTIA finalist, and 2010 Best of What’s NewTM Popular Science and other awards. The Company’s micro fuel cell system can run in aerobic and anaerobic modes.
Further Company information can be found at http://www.neahpower.com.

________________________________________
Forward-Looking Statements

Certain of the statements contained herein may be, within the meaning of the federal securities laws, "forward-looking statements," which are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. See Neah Power System’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011 and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC during fiscal 2012 for a discussion of such risks, uncertainties and other factors. These forward-looking statements are based on management's expectations as of the date hereof, and the Company does not undertake any responsibility to update any of these statements in the future.

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OnFarm Released for Growers, First to Integrate Fixed Field Agriculture Information

OnFarm, the first company to integrate field, cloud, and activity information into a single agriculture dashboard has been released for customers.

Fresno, CA (PRWEB) January 07, 2013
OnFarm represents a fundamental shift in the way farmers run their operations. By putting critical information at their fingertips, OnFarm gives farmers a competitive edge in the global marketplace.
OnFarm enables a farmer to see real-time growing conditions, soil moisture, pesticides, field conditions, weather, and other vital information on their PC, tablet, or smartphone. Armed with this information, growers can better plan their day, manage their costs, and increase their production. OnFarm is collaborative and allows farmers to share their information with ranch managers, irrigators, field staff, and agricultural consultants.
OnFarm has partnerships with several leading agriculture companies to integrate data. Farmers with information from Agrian, McCrometer, Adcon, Decagon, Irrometer, Banner, or C3 can access their data in OnFarm. The OnFarm integrated dashboard can significantly improve the decision making process throughout the entire farming operation, a major advantage for today’s farmers.
Growers interested in how OnFarm can benefit their operation should contact 559-483-9508 or sales(at)onfarmsystems(dot)com.

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SB-Tickets.com Announces Super Bowl Ticket and Hotel Availability Leading Up To The Championship Games

In approximately 2 weeks, following the conference championship games the site will begin to list specific seating arrangement including section and row to give customers a concrete location when making their purchase.

New Orleans, LA (PRWEB) January 07, 2013
SB-Tickets.com a leading Super Bowl ticket marketplace is conducting heavy preparations for this year’s game in New Orleans. The 2013 Super Bowl is taking place on February 3, 2013 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sugar Bowl Drive. This year Super Bowl week is falling in between two weeks of Mardi Gras, meaning all the party atmosphere will be lingering around from the first week of celebrations and you are guaranteed to have a good time.
With a slim amount of hotel accommodations directly assessable to fans and all of which are miles and miles away from the stadium, SB-Tickets.com is continually looking for new affordable housing options through its existing network of vendors and immediately listings those options for sale on their website. Currently they have several options inside the French Quarter, Warehouse/Arts District and near the international airport.
In approximately 2 weeks, following the conference championship games the site will begin to list specific seating arrangement including section and row to give customers a concrete location when making their purchase. Up until now, all ticket locations are sold in zones, which guarantee purchasers specific area in the dome but not a specific section or row. http://www.sb-tickets.com/ will be increasing their staff and hours of operation to handle the call volume and phone orders being placed following those games.
SB-Tickets.com is also announcing their Official Party Calendar, and easy to use guide that displays all parties taking place Super Bowl week. Once on their calendar you can hover over each party, get a quick description and if you like what you read, click the party for complete details of that event. Events taking place Thursday thru Sunday are currently for sale including red carpet parties, tailgate and pre-game events.
About SB-Tickets.com
SB-Tickets.com gives you first hand access to Super Bowl tickets, hotel accommodations and exclusive parties and special events occurring Super Bowl week. Their mission is to provide exceptional customer service and support that goes above the norm to create an unforgettable experience for their clients. In addition their hospitality division caters to corporate clients looking to drive sales, close business deals and offer performance incentives. SB-Tickets.com can provide your company with block hotel rooms, group tickets, private luxury suite rentals, arrange ground transportation, book private jets, hire celebrity speakers and coordinate your entire corporate event so that you can focus on what is most important; your day to day operations.

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Cricket-Australia beat Sri Lanka by five wickets in third test

SYDNEY, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Australia beat Sri Lanka by five wickets on the fourth day of the third test at Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday to sweep the series 3-0.
Scores: Australia 141-5 (R. Herath 3-47) & 432-9 dec (M. Wade 102 not out, P. Hughes 87, D. Warner 85, M. Clarke 50; R. Herath 4-95) v Sri Lanka 278 (Dimuth Karunaratne 85, D. Chandimal 62 not out, M. Jayawardene 60; M. Johnson 3-34, J. Bird 3-76) & 294 (Lahiru Thirimanne 91, M. Jayawardene 72; J. Bird 4-41, M. Starc 3-71) (Compiled by Nick Mulvenney

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Cricket-Australia v Sri Lanka - third test scoreboard

SYDNEY, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Scoreboard after Australia beat
Sri Lanka by five wickets after tea on the fourth day of the
third test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday:
Australia won the toss and chose to bowl first
Sri Lanka first innings 294
Australia first innings 432-9 dec.
- -
Sri Lanka second innings (overnight 225-7)
D. Karunaratne c Wade b Bird 85
T. Dilshan c Hughes b Johnson 5
M. Jayawardene c Clarke b Siddle 60
L. Thirimanne c Bird b Johnson 7
T. Samaraweera c Hussey b Lyon 0
A. Mathews run out 16
D. Chandimal not out 62
D. Prasad c Wade b Starc 15
R. Herath b Bird 10
S. Lakmal b Johnson 0
N. Pradeep c Wade b Bird 9
Extras (b-1, lb-4, w-1, nb-3) 9
Total (all out, 81.2 overs) 278
Fall of wickets: 1-24 2-132 3-155 4-158 5-178 6-178 7-202
8-235 9-237
Bowling: Starc 12-1-49-1, Bird 21.2-5-76-3 (nb-3), Johnson
15-3-34-3 (w-1), Siddle 17-4-42-1, Lyon 15-1-66-1, Hussey
1-0-6-0
- -
Australia second innings
E. Cowan lbw Herath 36
D. Warner c Jayawardene b Lakmal 0
P. Hughes lbw Herath 34
M.Clarke c Thirimanne b Dilshan 29
M. Hussey not out 27
M. Wade b Herath 9
M. Johnson not out 1
Extras (lb-5) 5
Total (for five wickets, 42.5 overs) 141
Fall of wickets: 1-0 2-45 3-104 4-108 5-132
Did not bat: P. Siddle, M. Starc, N. Lyon, J. Bird.
Bowling: Dilshan 18-2-57-1, Lakmal 6-1-18-1, Herath
16.5-0-47-3, Pradeep 2-0-14-0

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UPDATE 4-Cricket-Hussey finishes on a high with Australia sweep

* Australia win by five wickets
* Sweep series 3-0 (updates after Australia win)
SYDNEY, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Michael Hussey ended his test career on a high on Sunday when Australia beat Sri Lanka by five wickets with a day to spare in the third test to sweep the series 3-0.
The 37-year-old was deprived of the ultimate fairytale ending when his batting partner Mitchell Johnson scored the winning run but Hussey, ever the team man, was not remotely concerned.
"It couldn't have ended any better," he said after being applauded off the pitch by both teams at the end of his 79th test.
"I feel very proud to have worn the baggy green cap and I've probably achieved a lot more in my career than I ever dreamed I could."
Australia, chasing 141 runs to win the test, lost three wickets in quick succession just before tea to bring Hussey out for his final test innings before retirement.
The break came with the hosts just five runs shy of victory and when Johnson pushed the ball wide of point for his only run of the innings, Hussey was already halfway down the pitch to secure the winning run.
"I was telling Mitch the over before if it comes up that you hit it, then I'm more than happy to let us get this over and done with," said Hussey, who finished unbeaten on 27 for a career average of 51.52.
"But I was more than happy to be out there when the winning run was hit. A dream come true. The important thing was making sure we won the test match."
Australia had dismissed the tourists for 278 before lunch to set up the run chase but they inched nervously towards the target after David Warner had departed for a duck without a run on the board.
Seamer Suranga Lakmal had the opener caught in the slips by his captain Mahela Jayawardene but it was the spin-bowling of Tillakaratne Dilshan and particularly Rangana Herath that was always going to provide most problems on a turning wicket.
The peace of a hot afternoon at the Sydney Cricket Ground was punctuated by the loud appeals of the Sri Lankans pretty much any time the ball came near a batsman's front pad.
Jayawardene, so profligate with his appeals to the TV umpire in this series, made the most of his first of the innings to remove Phil Hughes for 34 with Australia still 96 runs short of their target.
There was some confusion as to whether they were appealing for a catch or lbw off the Herath delivery. The TV pictures showed no nick or glove but did reveal that the ball would have hit the stumps so Hughes was out.
HUSSEY CHANTS
Clarke, the most prolific test batsmen of last year and later named Player of the Series, came to the crease for another duel with Herath, who took more test wickets than any other bowler in 2012.
In the end though, it was the spin of Dilshan which removed the Australia skipper for 29 although opener Ed Cowan (36) and Matthew Wade (9) did then quickly fall victim to Herath.
The crowd had already started chanting Hussey's name before Clarke's dismissal in the hope he would get out to bat again in his final test after being run-out in the first innings and they got their wish.
"What a place to finish. The SCG is probably my top three favourite grounds in the whole world," Hussey said.
"The crowd support and the support in general has been a bit overwhelming and I've been a bit embarrassed by it. In a way I'm quite relieved that it's over now."
Sri Lanka had resumed on 225-7 in the morning looking to bulk up their lead of 87 and give their bowlers something to work with.
Dinesh Chandimal hit a defiant 62 not out off 106 balls but ran out of partners when Jackson Bird had Nuwan Pradeep caught behind for nine half an hour before lunch.
Chandimal and Pradeep had put on 41 for the final wicket after Herath (10) and Lakmal (0) had departed relatively cheaply.
Bird, the least experienced of the four paceman deployed by Australia in the test, was named Man of the Match after bagging figures of 7-117.
Australia won the first test in Hobart by 137 runs and the second by an innings and 201 runs inside three days in Melbourne last week.
"I think we fought really well, but it wasn't good enough," said Jayawardene, who is stepping down as captain after this series.
"When you are competing at this level, I think we need to be much better prepared and show more character to win test matches in these conditions."

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League and union resume separate mediation sessions

 The National Hockey League (NHL) and the union representing its locked-out players met separately with a U.S. federal mediator on Friday with a week to go before the deadline to reach a deal and salvage a shortened season.
The two sides met with a mediator in New York but there has been no decision on whether the league and union would hold face-to-face negotiations on Friday, according to a report on the NHL's website.
In addition to meeting separately with the mediator on Thursday, officials from the NHL and NHL Players' Association met together Thursday for small-group discussions on some key issues.
With half of the 2012-13 regular season already lost to the labor dispute, the NHL has set a January 11 deadline for a new deal so that a shortened 48-game campaign could begin eight days later.
The lockout, which the league has said is costing it about $18-$20 million a day, began in mid-September when the previous collective bargaining agreement expired with both sides at odds over how to split the NHL's $3.3 billion in revenue.
The dispute, which follows a lockout that wiped out the entire 2004-05 campaign, is now centered around the salary cap number for the 2013-14 season, the pension fund and length of player contracts.

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Sides in NHL labor fight meet with mediator

The NHL and the players' association met separately with a federal mediator throughout Friday morning and well into the afternoon with no sign that they would return to the bargaining table anytime soon.
Federal mediator Scot Beckenbaugh has been shuttling back and forth between the hotel in which the union is working, and the league office. As of late afternoon, the sides had made no plans to get together.
After marathon talks that lasted deep into Wednesday night, the sides have remained apart with the exception of two smaller meetings on Thursday.
The lockout reached its 111th day Friday, and the sides have only one week to reach a deal on a collective bargaining agreement that would allow for a 48-game hockey season — the minimum the NHL has said it will play.
Commissioner Gary Bettman set a Jan. 11 deadline so the season can begin eight days later.
The players could be looking to wait until Saturday night to return to the bargaining table when it is expected that the executive board will again have the authority to exercise a disclaimer of interest that would allow the union to dissolve and become a trade association.
A vote among union members was initiated on Thursday, and players have until 6 p.m. Saturday to cast their ballots that would allow the board to take the action of the disclaimer. An earlier vote passed overwhelmingly last month, but the union let its self-imposed deadline to go by on Wednesday night without acting on it.
A restoration of authority to go the route of the disclaimer might be the leverage the union wants before it starts negotiating again.
Representatives from the league and the union met twice Thursday for small meetings, one dealing with the pension plan, but never got together for a full bargaining session. A long night of discussions Wednesday that stretched into the early morning hours didn't end well and created Thursday's lack of activity.
The sides can't afford many more days like that.
All games through Jan. 14, along with the All-Star game, have been canceled, claiming more than 50 percent of the original schedule.
The talks appeared to take a downward turn late Wednesday after the players' association passed on declaring a disclaimer of interest.
The discord carried over to Thursday when Bettman had said he expected to resume negotiations at 10 a.m. at the request of the mediator. But the union was holding internal meetings then and didn't arrive at the league office until a few hours later.
When players and staff did get there, they did so without executive director Donald Fehr. The group discussed a problem that arose regarding the reporting by clubs of hockey-related revenue, and how both sides sign off on the figures at the end of the fiscal year. The union felt the language had been changed without proper notification, but the dispute was solved and the meeting ended in about an hour.
The wait for more elaborate talks went on, and didn't end until the players returned — again without Fehr — for a meeting about the pension plan. That one lasted just under two hours, and again the waiting game ensued.
But this time there wouldn't be any more talks, big or little. Neither side issued a statement, and Bettman was seen leaving league headquarters shortly after 9 p.m.
The players' association held a late Thursday afternoon conference call to initiate its second vote regarding the disclaimer of interest. It wasn't immediately known when a new authorization would expire if the vote passes again.
A sense of progress might be why the union didn't declare the disclaimer on Wednesday, but any optimism created after the deadline passed took several hits Thursday.
The NHLPA filed a motion in federal court in New York seeking to dismiss the league's suit to have the lockout declared legal. The NHL sued the union in mid-December, figuring the players were about to submit their own complaint against the league and possibly break up their union to gain an upper hand.
But the union argued that the NHL is using this suit "to force the players to remain in a union. Not only is it virtually unheard of for an employer to insist on the unionization of its employees, it is also directly contradicted by the rights guaranteed to employees under ... the National Labor Relations Act."
The court scheduled a status conference for the sides on Monday.
The sides have traded four proposals in the past week — two by each side — but none has gained enough traction. Getting an agreement on a pension plan would likely go a long way toward an agreement that would put hockey back on the ice.
Fehr believed a plan for players-funded pension was established before talks blew up in early December. That apparently wasn't the case, or the NHL has changed its offer regarding the pension in exchange for agreeing to other things the union wanted.
The salary-cap number for the second year of the deal — the 2013-14 season — hasn't been agreed to, and it is another major point of contention. The league is pushing for a $60 million cap, while the union wants it to be $65 million with a floor of $44 million.
In return for the higher cap number players would be willing to forgo a cap on escrow.
Both sides seem content on the deal lasting for 10 years, but they have different opinions on whether an opt-out should be allowed to be exercised after seven years or eight.
The NHL proposed last Thursday that pension contributions come out of the players' share of revenues, and $50 million of the league's make-whole payment of $300 million will be allocated and set aside to fund potential underfunded liabilities of the plan at the end of the collective bargaining agreement.
Last month, the NHL agreed to raise its make-whole offer of deferred payments from $211 million to $300 million as part of a proposed package that required the union to agree on three nonnegotiable points. Instead, the union accepted the raise in funds, but then made counterproposals on the issues the league stated had no wiggle room.
"As you might expect, the differences between us relate to the core economic issues which don't involve the share," Fehr said of hockey-related revenue, which likely will be split 50-50.
The NHL is the only North American professional sports league to cancel a season because of a labor dispute, losing the 2004-05 campaign to a lockout. A 48-game season was played in 1995 after a lockout stretched into January.

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Sides in NHL labor rift meet all day with mediator

A federal mediator held over 12 hours of separate talks with the NHL and the players' association Friday before stopping for the night with a promise to get going again in the morning.
The sides remained apart all day, buffered by the presence of federal mediator Scot Beckenbaugh, who shuttled back and forth between the hotel where the union is working, and the league office. He started at 10 a.m. EST and wrapped up discussions for the day shortly before 11 p.m.
Similar talks were scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
It still isn't known when the league and the union will get back together at the bargaining table. Neither side provided details, but the all-day discussions at least provided a glimmer of hope that perhaps progress was being made from afar.
That would be a welcome change after things cooled during an unproductive Thursday.
"I'm looking forward to continuing the process tomorrow," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly wrote to The Associated Press in an email late Friday night.
After marathon talks that lasted deep into Wednesday night, the sides have remained apart with the exception of two smaller meetings Thursday.
The lockout reached its 111th day Friday, and the sides have only one week to reach a deal on a collective bargaining agreement that would allow for a 48-game hockey season — the minimum the NHL has said it will play.
Commissioner Gary Bettman set a Jan. 11 deadline so the season can begin eight days later.
The players could be looking to wait until Saturday night to return to the bargaining table when it is expected that the executive board will again have the authority to exercise a disclaimer of interest that would allow the union to dissolve and become a trade association.
A vote among union members was initiated Thursday, and players have until 6 p.m. Saturday to cast their ballots that would allow the board to take the action of the disclaimer. An earlier vote passed overwhelmingly last month, but the union let its self-imposed deadline to go by Wednesday night without acting.
A restoration of authority to go the route of the disclaimer might be the leverage the union wants before it starts negotiating again.
Representatives from the league and the union met twice Thursday for small meetings, one dealing with the pension plan, but never got together for a full bargaining session. A long night of discussions Wednesday that stretched into the early morning hours didn't end well and created Thursday's lack of activity.
The sides can't afford many more days like that.
All games through Jan. 14, along with the All-Star game, have been canceled, claiming more than 50 percent of the original schedule.
The talks appeared to take a downward turn late Wednesday after the players' association passed on declaring a disclaimer of interest.
The discord carried over to Thursday when Bettman had said he expected to resume negotiations at 10 a.m. at the request of the mediator. But the union was holding internal meetings then and didn't arrive at the league office until a few hours later.
When players and staff did get there, they did so without executive director Donald Fehr. The group discussed a problem that arose regarding the reporting by clubs of hockey-related revenue, and how both sides sign off on the figures at the end of the fiscal year. The union felt the language had been changed without proper notification, but the dispute was solved and the meeting ended in about an hour.
The wait for more elaborate talks went on, and didn't end until the players returned — again without Fehr — for a meeting about the pension plan. That one lasted just under two hours, and again the waiting game ensued.
But this time there wouldn't be any more talks, big or little. Neither side issued a statement, and Bettman was seen leaving league headquarters shortly after 9 p.m.
The players' association held a late Thursday afternoon conference call to initiate its second vote regarding the disclaimer of interest. It wasn't immediately known when a new authorization would expire if the vote passes again.
A sense of progress might be why the union didn't declare the disclaimer on Wednesday, but any optimism created after the deadline passed took several hits Thursday.
The NHLPA filed a motion in federal court in New York seeking to dismiss the league's suit to have the lockout declared legal. The NHL sued the union in mid-December, figuring the players were about to submit their own complaint against the league and possibly break up their union to gain an upper hand.
But the union argued that the NHL is using this suit "to force the players to remain in a union. Not only is it virtually unheard of for an employer to insist on the unionization of its employees, it is also directly contradicted by the rights guaranteed to employees under ... the National Labor Relations Act."
The court scheduled a status conference for the sides Monday.
The sides have traded four proposals in the past week — two by each side — but none has gained enough traction. Getting an agreement on a pension plan would likely go a long way toward an agreement that would put hockey back on the ice.
Fehr believed a plan for players-funded pension was established before talks blew up in early December. That apparently wasn't the case, or the NHL has changed its offer regarding the pension in exchange for agreeing to other things the union wanted.
The salary-cap number for the second year of the deal — the 2013-14 season — hasn't been agreed to, and it is another major point of contention. The league is pushing for a $60 million cap, while the union wants it to be $65 million with a floor of $44 million.
In return for the higher cap number players would be willing to forgo a cap on escrow.
Both sides seem content on the deal lasting for 10 years, but they have different opinions on whether an opt-out should be allowed to be exercised after seven years or eight.
The NHL proposed last Thursday that pension contributions come out of the players' share of revenues, and $50 million of the league's make-whole payment of $300 million will be allocated and set aside to fund potential underfunded liabilities of the plan at the end of the collective bargaining agreement.
Last month, the NHL agreed to raise its make-whole offer of deferred payments from $211 million to $300 million as part of a proposed package that required the union to agree on three nonnegotiable points. Instead, the union accepted the raise in funds, but then made counterproposals on the issues the league stated had no wiggle room.
"As you might expect, the differences between us relate to the core economic issues which don't involve the share," Fehr said of hockey-related revenue, which likely will be split 50-50.
The NHL is the only North American professional sports league to cancel a season because of a labor dispute, losing the 2004-05 campaign to a lockout. A 48-game season was played in 1995 after a lockout stretched into January.

Read More..