LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - If Univision has its way, the future will look a lot like last night: Aided by repeat-heavy slates on the Big 4 networks, the Spanish-language network edged out CBS for the highest overall ratings of the night.
The finale of popular novela "La Fuerza del Destino" scored a 2.3 rating/6 share and 5.4 million total viewers from 8-10 p.m. An interview with the cast at 10 on "Don Francisco Presenta" scored a 1.5/4 and 3.6 million total viewers. The ratings averaged out to a 2.0 overall for the night, just ahead of CBS's 1.9 average for a night of all reruns.
Even in reruns, CBS still had the highest-rated show of the night: "Two and a Half Men" at 9 scored a 2.4/6. It was also the most-watched show with 8.1 million total viewers. But other shows lowered its overall average to just below Univision's.
Univision has long aimed to be the most-watched network in any language by the middle of the decade. Of course, it will typically face much stiffer competition than it will this slow holiday week.
The highest-rated new network show Monday was NBC's "Who's Still Standing" at 8, which earned a 1.7/5 and 6.9 million total viewers. NBC aired a "Fear Factor" repeat at 9, followed by a new episode of "30 Rock With Brian Williams" at 10, which earned a .9/2 and 3.5 million total viewers. NBC came in behind CBS, averaging a 1.4 over the night, despite offering the most new programming of the night, and NBC's numbers were likely inflated by local sports pre-emptions.
ABC's "You Deserve It" at 9 scored a 1.0/3 and 3.6 million total viewers. Otherwise the network ran repeats. It averaged a .9, and its numbers were also likely inflated by pre-empts.
Fox aired repeats throughout the night and averaged a .8 rating.
Amare Stoudemire, left, battles Celtics' Kevin Garnett in the first half on Sunday.ASSOCIATED PRESS
";
aryZooms[imgCounter] = "javascript: NewWindow(870,675,window.document.location+'&Template=photos&img="+imgCounter+"')";
var match = /\/Times Herald-Record/.test('ASSOCIATED PRESS');
if (match==false || 'ASSOCIATED PRESS'==''){
document.getElementById('purchasePhoto').style.display = "none";
}
else {
document.getElementById('purchasePhoto').style.display = "inline";
}
bolImages=true;
By HOWARD BECK
Published: 2:00 AM - 12/26/11
NEW YORK ? There was joy again at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, a blend of holiday cheer, pent-up anticipation and the thrill of the NBA's belated return after a long, strange offseason. The joy gave way to anxiety, then a bit of nastiness.
But it ended with a final burst of merriment and a 106-104 Knicks victory over the Boston Celtics in the NBA's first game since June.
Carmelo Anthony, playing in his first opening day as a Knick, scored 37 points, including the go-ahead free throws with 16.3 seconds left. The debut of the Knicks' towering new frontcourt was a success, with Amare Stoudemire adding 21 points and Tyson Chandler providing just enough paint presence to make it all stand up.
Shumpert injured
Knicks rookie guard Iman Shumpert is expected to miss two to four weeks because of a sprained right knee ligament.
The first-round pick from Georgia Tech was hurt in the second half of New York?s 106-104 victory over Boston on Sunday when Celtics reserve Chris Wilcox appeared to bang into his leg. The Knicks say Shumpert sprained his MCL.
Shumpert scored 11 points on 3-of-13 shooting in 22 minutes in his debut.
With Baron Davis unavailable for a while with a herniated disc in his back, Shumpert was expected to provide minutes at both guard spots.
The Knicks were already short-handed in the backcourt with Mike Bibby sidelined by a sore back. Also, forward Jared Jeffries left with a sore right calf and could miss a week or two.
The Associated Press
Along the way, the Knicks built and squandered a 17-point lead, lost Iman Shumpert to a knee injury and, most significant, got the attention of a Celtics team that played without Paul Pierce.
"We showed something today," Anthony said. "This is a new beginning for us."
Anthony carried the Knicks for long stretches and was dominant when it mattered most, scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter. He was efficient, too, going 10-for-17 from the field and 13-or-15 from the foul line, while grabbing eight rebounds. His only blemish was in the turnover column, with five.
The Knicks were fortunate to get the victory after giving up 35 points in the third quarter, when the Celtics turned a 12-point deficit into an 8-point lead. They tightened the defense in the fourth quarter, holding Boston to 17 points, then rode Anthony's hot hand to the finish.
"We fought," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said. "It's not always going to be pretty, especially early. And we got to get as many wins as we can by the spirit of the team."
The Christmas afternoon ended with a snarl, and the Celtics' Kevin Garnett striking the Knicks' Bill Walker with an open hand to the throat. Garnett had missed a potential game-tying jumper on the game's final possession with Walker defending. After the buzzer, Walker started to approach Garnett, who responded with venom. Teammates quickly separated them to prevent a fight.
Reader ReactionWe reserve the right to remove any content at any time from this Community, including without limitation. Please check our Community Rules for more information. We ask that you report content that you in good faith believe violates the above rules by clicking the Flag link next to the offending comment. New comments are only accepted for two weeks from the date of publication.
The perils of 'bite-size' sciencePublic release date: 28-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Lucy Hyde lhyde@psychologicalscience.org 202-293-9300 Association for Psychological Science
Short, fast, and frequent: Those 21st-century demands on publication have radically changed the news, politics, and culturefor the worse, many say. Now an article in January's Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal published by the Association for Psychological Science, aims a critique at a similar trend in psychological research. The authors, psychologists Marco Bertamini of the University of Liverpool and Marcus Munaf of the University of Bristol, call it "bite-size science"papers based on one or a few studies and small samples.
"We're not against concision," says Bertamini. "But there are real risks in this trend toward shorter papers. The main risk is the increased rates of false alarms that are likely to be associated with papers based on less data."
The article dispatches several claimed advantages of shorter papers. Proponents say they're easier to read. Perhaps, say the authors, but more articles mean more to keep up with, more reviewing and editingnot less work. Proponents laud the increased influence authors gain from more citations. Precisely, say the twobut two short papers do not equal twice the scientific value of a longer one. Indeed, they might add up to less.
The reason: The smaller the experimental sample the greater the statistical deviationsthat is, the greater the inaccuracy of the findings. The results are sometimes flukes, with a bias toward false positiveserrors a wider ranging study with multiple experiments, plus replication in the same and in other labs, could correct. Strict word limits, moreover, mean cutting the details about previous research. The new results sound not only surprising but also novel. Write the authors: "A bit of ignorance helps in discovering 'new' things."
These surprising, "novel" results are exactly what editors find exciting and newsworthy and what even the best journals seek to publish, say the authors. The mainstream media pick up the "hot" stories. And the wrong results proliferate.
"Scientists are skeptics by training," says Bertamini. But the trend toward bite-size science leaves no time or space for that crucial caution. And that, argue the authors, is antithetical to good science.
###
For more information about this study, please contact: Marco Bertamini at m.bertamini@liverpool.ac.uk.
Perspectives on Psychological Science is ranked among the top 10 general psychology journals for impact by the Institute for Scientific Information. It publishes an eclectic mix of thought-provoking articles on the latest important advances in psychology. For a copy of the article "Bite-size science and its undesired side effects" and access to other Perspectives on Psychological Science research findings, please contact Lucy Hyde at 202-293-9300 or lhyde@psychologicalscience.org.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
The perils of 'bite-size' sciencePublic release date: 28-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Lucy Hyde lhyde@psychologicalscience.org 202-293-9300 Association for Psychological Science
Short, fast, and frequent: Those 21st-century demands on publication have radically changed the news, politics, and culturefor the worse, many say. Now an article in January's Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal published by the Association for Psychological Science, aims a critique at a similar trend in psychological research. The authors, psychologists Marco Bertamini of the University of Liverpool and Marcus Munaf of the University of Bristol, call it "bite-size science"papers based on one or a few studies and small samples.
"We're not against concision," says Bertamini. "But there are real risks in this trend toward shorter papers. The main risk is the increased rates of false alarms that are likely to be associated with papers based on less data."
The article dispatches several claimed advantages of shorter papers. Proponents say they're easier to read. Perhaps, say the authors, but more articles mean more to keep up with, more reviewing and editingnot less work. Proponents laud the increased influence authors gain from more citations. Precisely, say the twobut two short papers do not equal twice the scientific value of a longer one. Indeed, they might add up to less.
The reason: The smaller the experimental sample the greater the statistical deviationsthat is, the greater the inaccuracy of the findings. The results are sometimes flukes, with a bias toward false positiveserrors a wider ranging study with multiple experiments, plus replication in the same and in other labs, could correct. Strict word limits, moreover, mean cutting the details about previous research. The new results sound not only surprising but also novel. Write the authors: "A bit of ignorance helps in discovering 'new' things."
These surprising, "novel" results are exactly what editors find exciting and newsworthy and what even the best journals seek to publish, say the authors. The mainstream media pick up the "hot" stories. And the wrong results proliferate.
"Scientists are skeptics by training," says Bertamini. But the trend toward bite-size science leaves no time or space for that crucial caution. And that, argue the authors, is antithetical to good science.
###
For more information about this study, please contact: Marco Bertamini at m.bertamini@liverpool.ac.uk.
Perspectives on Psychological Science is ranked among the top 10 general psychology journals for impact by the Institute for Scientific Information. It publishes an eclectic mix of thought-provoking articles on the latest important advances in psychology. For a copy of the article "Bite-size science and its undesired side effects" and access to other Perspectives on Psychological Science research findings, please contact Lucy Hyde at 202-293-9300 or lhyde@psychologicalscience.org.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
CNET TechTracker will now automatically install software without requiring further action by you. (Note: This feature automatically accepts associated EULAs and third party applications on your behalf.)
You have selected the following software to Smart Install:
CNET TechTracker will attempt to install this software without interrupting you again. If an application requires manual installation, CNET TechTracker will download the installer and prompt you to take further action.
There's something good waiting in the desert at CES -- and you won't need an interesting vision quest to find it. Archos has announced its 70b Internet Tablet, the company's first Honeycomb-based slate, for $199. The 70b IT will be lightweight (though we're not sure exactly how lightweight), and will ship with a 1.2 GHz processor, a higher resolution capacitive touchscreen (1024 x 600), 8 gigs of flash storage, 512MB of RAM and WiFi connectivity. There's also Android Market access, unlike with some tablets, along with HDMI output and a microSD port. Are you sold? You'll need wait only a few more weeks to take one home -- the 70b is expected to hit stores in January for $199, and those of you lucky enough to be trekking out to Vegas next month can check it out at the company's booth at CES. Jump past the break for the full PR.
It took five years, three months and 27 days, but you can do it all in three minutes. Here, from start to finish, is what the NASA rover "Spirit" sniffed, bopped, scratched and saw as it moved across 4.8 miles of the Martian surface.
The lens is wide-angled, so the horizon always looks like a curved mountain top; every so often a one-armed probe, looking weirdly lobster-like, will suddenly appear, noodle around, poke, tap or sift through the Martian soil.
Towards the end you'll catch glimpses of the sun setting, (same sun! different set! I thought.) until Spirit gets stuck in the Martian muck and then, dramatically, everything goes dark. The folks who edited this together added movie music, which makes it really fun to watch. This is the best low-res, low-priced, low energy Martian hike you'll ever take.
And, for those of us who like this kind of thing, we're going back! Next summer, on Aug. 5, a Jeep-sized vehicle-laboratory thingy called Curiosity will ? we hope ? land on Mars. Our search for Little Green Men will resume.
Except nobody's looking for those any more. Instead, the hunt is on for very teeny Martians, shaped like itsy bitsy rods, that look (on Saturday morning tv, anyway) something like this...
Benjamin Arthur for NPR
Methanogens are very primitive microorganisms that both produce and consume methane. When you come close to a swamp and catch the smell of "marsh gas," that's methanogens doing their methaney thing.
And not too long ago, we discovered there are at least five places on Mars that also leak methane. Lots of it. At one location, NASA scientist Michael Mumma found 20,000 metric tons of methane in big "plumes" hanging in Mars' summertime northern hemisphere. They are new emissions, because on Mars, methane disintegrates pretty quickly in the atmosphere.
So why care about swamp gas on Mars?
Well, here on Earth, 90 percent of our methane comes from living things (farting cows, for example) or from dead, decaying, formerly living things. The other ten percent comes from not-so-exciting rocks leaching gas when in contact with moving water. In other words: on Earth, methane is evidence of life 90 percent of the time.
But on Mars? That's the question.
If we find Martian methanogens dead or alive, then we have just discovered life elsewhere in the universe. That's a biggie. And Micheal Mumma has a hunch they might be living right now below the Martian surface, deep down, or under a blanket of ice, or maybe they died and the methane from their decay is trapped down there, and every so often escapes.
Here's the dream scenario for those of us who wanted to meet Little Green Men, but have to settle for micro-Martians instead: (I found it in Marc Kaufman's wonderful new book First Contact.) We go to Mars. We scoop up some frozen Martian soil buried under the surface. We add a little heat, and frozen bits of dirt suddenly stir, and we look closely...and...Hello Martians!
This very thing happened here on Earth. As Marc describes it, NASA astrobiologist Richard Hoover found microbes deep in an Alaskan tunnel at a level that contained life buried for 32,000 years.
They were inactive in the ground, but when warmed they came alive and even moved and, if they were methanogens, began to produce methane. Something similar could happen on Mars.
We wish. That's why the new vehicle, Curiosity, will try to detect methane this summer, as will the probes that follow it later in the decade. And that's why those of us who hope to be around for a first encounter with alien life will be biting our fingernails for the next decade, hoping it happens while we're still here. I mean what could be more exciting?
Well, there's this: Hans Ulrich Kaufl, a NASA scientist and colleague of Michael Mumma, is quoted in the book saying (tongue in cheek) what if we get to Mars, find a plume of methane gas, follow it to its source, look closely and discover "large herds of farting cows"?
Benjamin Arthur for NPR
Now that would be awesome.
Science reporter and national editor at the Washington Post Marc Kaufman's new book is called First Contact; Scientific Breakthroughs in the Hunt for Life Beyond Earth (Simon and Schuster, 2011) Michael Mumma talks about methane on Mars in this short, nicely animated NASA video.
Twitter sur votre mobile ? Cliquez ici m.twitter.com!
Passer cette ?tape
Connexion
Connexion
Rejoignez Twitter !
Gr8 night @sara & @ev. South Beach was buzzing the Founder Twitter hit the town last night. Thx @nicolasiervo & @DaveGrutman!Il y a environ 6 heuresvia Twitter for BlackBerry?Retweeted by 1 person
As expected, Apple has decided to appeal a ruling on its injunction blocking the sale of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia to the High Court. The means Samsung cannot start selling its slates at 4PM as a lower court had decided, and puts the devices on ice until at least December 9th. What, you thought that after months of litigation in multiple countries, you thought either side would just walk away from this? We'll see you all back here in a week or so for the next incremental legal happening.
Asian markets stay edgy on renewed eurozone debt woes: bit.ly/rtO00p via @AddThis 
edgemy 
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vSByrYvUPBXCRMAs4IwSdzo1iSDcEPwI_h8hQqFilCyz5tAv1WEOD-loJkzcN5WVkB72wWVUNMjRIFRfKb3l7bJNuEOHfAhylUtWrne-4=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 28-Dec-2011
Share ] 
JasonBinn 
