Oregon powers past Wisconsin 45-38 in Rose Bowl

Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas (5) celebrates with Kenjon Barner (24) after throwing a touchdown pass during the second half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game against Wisconsin, Monday, Jan. 2, 2012, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas (5) celebrates with Kenjon Barner (24) after throwing a touchdown pass during the second half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game against Wisconsin, Monday, Jan. 2, 2012, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Wisconsin's Nick Toon, left, scores a touchdown as Oregon's Ifo Ekpre-Olomu defends during the second half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game, Monday, Jan. 2, 2012, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Wisconsin's Montee Ball (28) goes over Oregon's John Boyett (20) and others as he is stopped during the second half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game, Monday, Jan. 2, 2012, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Oregon De'Anthony Thomas (6) celebrates his 64-yard touchdown with Mark Asper (79) during the second half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game against Wisconsin, Monday, Jan. 2, 2012, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Oregon's John Boyett (20) stops Wisconsin running back, Montee Ball (28) during the second half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game, Monday, Jan. 2, 2012, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) ? Oregon's incredible offense busted up Wisconsin and the record books on the way to the Ducks' first Rose Bowl victory in 95 years.

Darron Thomas passed for three touchdowns, De'Anthony Thomas scored on runs of 91 and 64 yards, and the No. 6 Ducks earned their first bowl victory under coach Chip Kelly, holding off Wisconsin 45-38 Monday night in the highest-scoring Rose Bowl ever played.

And it wasn't over until a video review confirmed the Badgers (11-3) ran out of time at the Oregon 25, out of timeouts and unable to spike the ball in time to stop the clock for a last-gasp fling.

Lavasier Tuinei caught eight passes for 158 yards and two TDs for the Ducks (12-2), who had no postseason success to show for Kelly's otherwise wildly successful three-year tenure until this landmark offensive performance in the 98th Rose Bowl. Oregon hadn't won the West Coast's biggest game since 1917.

"It's been 95 years since you could say: Oregon Ducks, Rose Bowl champions," Kelly said after the Ducks held Wisconsin scoreless in the fourth quarter.

The Granddaddy of Them All had never seen this many points, beating the record 80 scored by Washington and Iowa in 1991.

With the Ducks wearing mirrored helmets and playing at their usual frantic pace, Oregon racked up 621 total yards, just shy of the Rose Bowl record.

Montee Ball rushed for 122 of his 164 yards in the first half for the Badgers (11-3), who lost the Rose Bowl for the second straight year despite managing 508 yards of their own. Ball tied Barry Sanders' FBS record with his 39th touchdown of the season, while Russell Wilson passed for 296 yards and two scores.

"This team showed what Oregon football is all about," said linebacker Kiko Alonso, named the game's top defensive player after getting a key interception.

Wisconsin had two drives to tie it after Oregon kicked a field goal with 6:50 to play, but Jared Abbrederis fumbled near the Oregon sideline after making a long catch. The ball plopped onto the turf without even bouncing, and Oregon's Michael Clay jumped on it with 4:06 left.

That video review went the Ducks' way, too.

The Badgers had burned two timeouts early in the second half, so Oregon was able to run the clock down to 23 seconds before punting.

Wilson connected on two long passes, but the officials went to video review after the clock went to zeros as Wilson rushed his team to the Oregon 25 with 2 seconds left, waited for the ball to be set, then took the snap and spiked the ball.

But the Badgers took too long. The officials ruled time had indeed expired, and the Ducks sprinted onto the field to the frenzied cheers of their outnumbered fans.

The Ducks and Badgers produced the highest-scoring first quarter (14-14) and first half (28-28) in Rose Bowl history, eventually surpassing the 80 scored in Washington's 46-34 win over Iowa in 1991. Oregon's yardage fell just short of USC's 633 yards against Illinois in 2008.

Sure, Baylor's 67-56 win over Washington in the Alamo Bowl last Thursday might have packed bigger sheer numbers. But Wisconsin and Oregon commanded a much bigger stage ? and the Ducks unleashed every bit of their formidable offensive power.

Tuinei was named the Ducks' offensive player of the game, but their flashiest star in those futuristic helmets was De'Anthony Thomas, the freshman from Los Angeles who showed off his electrifying athleticism on the longest scoring run in Rose Bowl history in the second quarter, going 91 yards up the middle. He added a mere 64-yard scoring run in the opening minute of the second half as Oregon won the matchup of the last two losers of the Rose Bowl.

Wisconsin lost 21-19 to TCU last season, and the Ducks lost to Ohio State two years ago before losing the BCS title game last year.

"It almost felt like there was some sort of magical force keeping us from getting it done in bowl games," Oregon guard Carson York said. "Glad we did it today."

LaMichael James rushed for 159 yards and an early TD in his likely college finale for the Ducks, while De'Anthony Thomas finished with 155 yards. Kenjon Barner also caught a TD pass from Darron Thomas.

Abbrederis and Nick Toon caught TD passes for Wisconsin, and defensive end Louis Nzegwu returned a fumble 33 yards for a score in the second quarter.

In the second half, the Ducks even slowed Ball. The Heisman Trophy finalist started strong in what's likely his final college game, even hurdling Oregon safety John Boyett in what's sure to be a big YouTube hit, but he had just three carries for no yards in the fourth quarter.

Both teams won their respective conferences' first-ever league title games to earn this trip to Pasadena. Although the Ducks' drought was generations longer, Wisconsin hasn't won in Pasadena since Jan. 1, 2000, when Ron Dayne led the Badgers to back-to-back Rose Bowl titles.

Oregon quickly debunked the theory that teams with extra time to prepare for the Ducks' inventive offense have a better chance to stop it. The Ducks were 1-4 in bowl games and season openers under Kelly until they carved up Wisconsin with the second-biggest yardage performance in Rose Bowl history.

Wisconsin set the tone from its opening drive, going 77 yards in seven plays for Abbrederis' wide-open 38-yard TD catch just 3:12 in. Ball carried on the Badgers' first four snaps, and play-action set up the pass ? two themes that dominated Wisconsin's game plan.

Oregon answered with an 80-yard drive in just 2:07, culminating in James' 1-yard TD run. Wisconsin scored again on Wilson's 4-yard run before the teams finally traded punts, but De'Anthony Thomas broke through the Wisconsin line and sprinted down the Oregon sideline for a 91-yard score, surpassing Tyrone Wheatley's bowl-record 88-yard run in 1993 and capping the second-longest scoring drive in Rose Bowl history at 95 yards with Oregon's longest run all season.

Wisconsin opened the second quarter with Ball's record-tying run, but Darron Thomas found Barner open down the seam for a 54-yard score on Oregon's next play. Both defenses then got a brief chance to shine: The Ducks stopped Wisconsin on fourth down inside the Oregon 20, but blitzing Wisconsin linebacker Mike Taylor forced Darron Thomas' fumble moments later, and Nzegwu scooped and scored.

Oregon calmly answered with Tuinei's 3-yard TD catch with 30 seconds left. The teams' 56 combined points surpasses the record 45 scored by Wisconsin and UCLA in 1999.

De'Anthony Thomas' 64-yard TD run put Oregon ahead, and the Ducks then held Wisconsin to a mere field goal ? but the Badgers' defense forced a punt, and Wilson made several heady plays on the way to an 18-yard TD pass to Toon.

The quarterbacks traded interceptions. Then Darron Thomas found Tuinei for his second score just 25 seconds into the fourth quarter, putting the Ducks ahead to stay.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-02-FBC-Rose-Bowl/id-ffeafbb4f3d64ff7851825edf358aec3

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Toxic homebrew kills 16 in India

07:24 AEDT Mon Jan 2 2012

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An official says at least 16 people have died after drinking toxic home-brewed liquor over the weekend in southern India.

Gaurav Uppal, a top district administrator, says another 24 poor villagers are being treated in hospitals in the Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh state.

Seven people died soon after drinking the illegally brewed alcohol on Saturday and another nine lost their lives on Sunday, the Press Trust of India news agency quoted Uppal as saying. Uppal could not be reached immediately for comment.

The victims were poor labourers looking for a cheap means of intoxication. Deaths from drinking illegally brewed alcohol are common in India since the poor cannot afford licensed liquor. The illicit liquor is often spiked with pesticides or chemicals to increase its potency.

Source: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8397362/toxic-homebrew-kills-16-in-india

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Strong earthquake jolts Japan, no tsunami warning (Reuters)

SINGAPORE (Reuters) ? A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 jolted eastern and northeastern Japan on Sunday, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damages and no tsunami warning was issued.

The earthquake measured 4 in central Tokyo, Fukushima and their surrounding areas on the Japanese intensity scale, which measures ground motion, according to Japan Meteorological Agency, which uses a different measuring system than the U.S. Geological Survey.

A spokesman for Tokyo Electric Power said there were no reports of any abnormalities at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plan following the quake.

Some high-speed train services in northern Japan were suspended after the earthquake, but soon resumed operations, Kyodo news reported.

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake, at a depth of nearly 217 miles, was recorded off Japan's southeastern Izu islands on Sunday at 0527 GMT, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The Hawaii-based U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has not issued a tsunami warning following the earthquake located south-southwest of Hachijo-jima in the Izu islands.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

On March 11, 2011, the northeast coast was struck by a magnitude 9 earthquake, the strongest quake in Japan on record, and a massive tsunami, which triggered the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years since Chernobyl.

The disaster left up to 23,000 dead or missing.

(Singapore world desk, additional reporting by Taiga Uranaka and Kiyoshi Takenaka)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/weather/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120101/wl_nm/us_japan_earthquake

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Japan developing cyber weapon

Japan has been developing a virus that could track down the source of a cyber attack and neutralise its program, the daily Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Sunday.

The weapon is the culmination of a Y179 million ($A2.28 million) three-year project entrusted by the government to technology maker Fujitsu Ltd to develop a virus and equipment to monitor and analyse attacks, the daily said.

The United States and China are reported to have put so-called cyber weapons into practical use, Yomiuri said.

Japan will have to make legal amendments to use a cyber weapon as it could violate the country's law against the manufacture of a computer virus, the daily said.

In November a computer system run by about 200 Japanese local governments was struck.

In October, Japan's parliament came under cyber attack, apparently from the same emails linked to a China-based server that have already hit several lawmakers' computers.

It was also reported that Japanese computers at embassies and consulates in nine countries were infected with viruses in the summer.

Currently, the virus is being tested in a "closed environment" to examine its applicable patterns.

Source: http://news.msn.co.nz/worldnews/8397284/japan-developing-cyber-weapon-report

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Ashley Cruseturner, Trib Board of Contributors: What Iowa means to the GOP

After months of positioning, the primary season is finally upon us. This Tuesday, Iowans will caucus and render the first real winners and losers in the race to secure the 2012 Republican nomination for president. By the end of January, the Iowa caucus and the three primaries that follow ? New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida ? will most likely bring startling clarity to the currently murky and distorted picture of this most volatile preseason of the modern political era.

How important is Iowa?

It can be everything. Iowa is the venue that gave life to the improbable candidacies of George McGovern, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama. Iowa also clarified extremely confusing and competitive races in 2000 and 2004, propelling Al Gore and John Kerry, respectively, on to relatively uneventful Democratic nomination victories.

However, the history of the Republican caucus in the Hawkeye State is less definitive. Iowa picked the eventual GOP nominee in 1996 and 2000, but Ronald Reagan lost to George H.W. Bush on his way to the nomination in 1980. Eight years later, likewise, Bush lost to Bob Dole in Iowa on the way to his own nomination. In the last cycle, Mike Huckabee shocked a pack of GOP contestants to win the caucus, while the eventual Republican standard-bearer, John McCain, finished a distant third.

What we think we know about Iowa in 2012: Ron Paul is going to run strong. Newt Gingrich is losing altitude but should remain viable at least through the first skirmish in the Heartland. Mitt Romney is now all in and, with the endorsement of the Des Moines Register, he will be a major factor. Michele Bachmann remains fully invested in Iowa with a number of home-field advantages. Rick Perry will spend more money than most of his opponents combined to compete in the caucus. And then here is Rick Santorum, who is desperately hoping to be the big surprise of the night.

What could happen in Iowa in 2012?

Although it would be unusual, it is possible that Iowa may yield five candidates polling between 10 and 22 percent with no one even breaking the 25-point threshold.

What happens if there is no breakout candidate? What happens if Wednesday morning finds four to six candidates tightly packed together?

Political handicappers often declare that there are ?only three tickets out of Iowa.? Undoubtedly, if Bachman, Perry or Santorum finish under 10 percent in Iowa, their presidential bids are dead on arrival with virtually no reason to extend their respective campaigns. If Romney scores big, he has a golden opportunity to seal the nomination by midmonth.

On the other hand, let us consider the chaos scenario. If no one wins in Iowa, perhaps no one loses. If no one candidate can pull away, but all candidates put points on the board, it is possible to imagine the race moving to New Hampshire with all the Iowa players still viable plus one: Jon Huntsman.

New Hampshire and beyond

If you can imagine an inconclusive Iowa, a disappointing night for former Gov. Romney in New Hampshire a week later would blow a huge hole in his presumptive front-runner status. Regardless, a desperate showdown would once again loom in South Carolina, a state primary that has over time come to serve as the kingmaker in GOP nomination contests. Conceivably, any number of still-surviving candidates (Perry, Bachmann, Santorum and/or Gingrich) could face an absolute last stand in the Palmetto State. Survivors of South Carolina would move on to Florida, which might well offer the climactic marquee battle of the early primary race.

With proportional voting in place for the first time ever in the GOP race, Romney finds himself in an extremely enviable position. Even if he suffers a series of second-place finishes, he will not face the same dilemma as in the last cycle. Rather than fading down the stretch with his frustrating silver and bronze performances for no points, this time around he accumulates delegates with each and every contest. Over the long haul, Romney?s money, key endorsements, organization, experience and ?steady-wins-the-race? strategy give him a singular advantage.

Long shots

On the strength of his organization, appeal to people of faith and his indefatigable courtship of Hawkeye voters, Santorum could perform beyond current predictions in Iowa. But even in the best-case scenario, he faces real trouble building on a better-than-expected showing outside the Hawkeye State.

Likewise, we will most likely remember Bachmann as an intriguing, hardworking candidate, but her prospects beyond the Iowa caucuses, based on her narrow appeal, seem incredibly dismal. Losing her Iowa campaign manager to Paul last week sure didn?t help.

Perry too seems an unlikely long-term contender at this point. But he still offers the best record of any GOP candidate in that he?s a three-term big-state governor who has a proven track record as a chief executive.

Traditionally, this is a good thing in a GOP primary. Of course, Perry has other liabilities, and it seems increasingly doubtful whether his resume can overcome his propensity to look unqualified. But it is possible that Iowans give him one more serious look before Tuesday. A pleasant surprise in Iowa for Perry gets him to the South, where he has a chance to bloom.

Gingrich continues to thrill party faithful with his ability to articulate conservative policy and philosophy with courage and panache. However, his temperament, a relentlessly hostile media and, most daunting, his complete lack of a campaign organization make him seem especially vulnerable over the long haul.

Paul, 75, a Texas Republican, will never be president. His tough love is just not politically palatable to enough voters. Because he runs a very frugal operation with an intensely dedicated following, and he can continue his campaign through to the convention, he will likely finish second overall in the final delegate count. Nevertheless, as long as he does not opt for a third-party run, his impact on the race is fully contained.

Jon Huntsman may be the last wild card. Besides Perry, he is the other person who can boast of a conservative record as a chief executive. Granted, Huntsman?s home state of Utah does not strike us as a ?birthplace of presidents,? but Americans sometimes elect governors from less obvious origins under extraordinary circumstances.

For Huntsman, the clock is ticking. He has not broken through nationally, and, frankly, that is mostly his fault. He has not found his rhythm on the stump, and he inexplicably chose to market himself as a moderate to political consumers craving sincere conservatism. However, due to the lingering dissatisfaction with the field, and with a lot of luck, he has a chance to re-brand himself and catch fire at the exact right time.

If he can make a move in New Hampshire, where he has invested all his time and money, he can generate enough momentum to make him a viable option in South Carolina on Jan. 21 and, more importantly, Florida on Jan. 31. His one-state strategy is high-risk, but, if he can win or show in the Granite State, Huntsman has a chance to create a bit of buzz as the new kid in town.

It?s not at all certain the Iowa caucuses will predict the eventual Republican nominee, but we could know much more Wednesday regarding the nature and contours of the 2012 primary race before us.

Ashley Cruseturner teaches history at McLennan Community College.

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Source: http://www.wacotrib.com/opinion/136491798.html

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Ethiopia troops enter Somalia, control border town (AP)

NAIROBI, Kenya ? Hundreds of Ethiopian troops poured into a western Somalia border town on Saturday, opening a new front against the militant group al-Shabab, which now faces hostile militaries on three sides.

Resident Mohammed Abdi said hundreds of residents fled Beledweyne on Saturday after hundreds of Ethiopian and Somali troops moved in. Capt. Hashi Nor of the Somali military confirmed that Somali and Ethiopian troops had moved in.

"I saw Ethiopian troops standing at the doors of neighboring homes. Somali soldiers are also searching the homes," Abdi said. "Al-Shabab retreated back to Bulo Burte and also many of the residents fled, and those who remained are in their homes."

The military movement appears to be a third front against al-Shabab, Somalia's strongest militant group. Kenyan troops moved into Somalia in mid-October in a push against the militants in the country's south. African Union troops from Uganda, Burundi and most recently from Djibouti have mostly pushed al-Shabab fighters out of the capital, Mogadishu.

"We are in full control of Beledweyne now and our troops will move forward in the coming hours," Nor, the Somali military officer, said by phone from Beledweyne.

Abdi said the sound of gunfire could be heard in Beledweyne but that he did not believe actual battle was taking place. However, al-Shabab on its official Twitter feed said that a battle that began at 6 a.m. was still "raging" in the city as of midday.

Al-Shabab said that a "majority" of Beledweyne residents joined al-Shabab "to thwart the offensive." It claimed that dozens of Ethiopian troops had been killed, but that was impossible to verify and was likely an exaggerated claim. It later said on Twitter that al-Shabab was executing a planned withdrawal and would surround the city.

Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali said in a statement that Somalia's armed forces had taken over "strategic places" from al-Shabab in the central region of Hiran on Saturday. He did not make direct mention of involvement by Ethiopian troops.

"We are officially requesting the international community and the neighboring countries like Ethiopia to stand on our shoulders and help the Somali people and their government for the historic operation to liberate the country from this brutal terror group," he said. "We are also asking the humanitarian aid agencies to reach and help people living in the areas liberated from al-Shabab."

U.S.-backed Ethiopian troops moved into Somalia in 2006 at the invitation of the weak, U.N.-backed Somali government. But the incursion was seen by many Somalis as an unpopular invasion and actually helped give birth to the al-Shabab movement. Ethiopians pulled out in early 2009, and there are fears that a new push by Somalia could be a propaganda coup for al-Shabab.

Ethiopia in November said it was considering whether to contribute troops to the African Union force in Somalia. Kenya's parliament recently voted for its forces to join the AU force. That move is awaiting approval by the United Nations.

The central Somalia town of Beledweyne lies about 20 miles (30 kilometers) from the border with Ethiopia. A commercial hub, it lies on a key road that links Mogadishu with northern Somalia. Control of the town has changed hands frequently in recent months as different militias push to seize control of it.

___

A Somali employee of The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111231/ap_on_re_af/af_somalia_ethiopia

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Forest fire cuts across Chilean Patagonia

The fire has already burned 32 square miles of the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, says President Sebastian Pinera.

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera says an out-of-control fire has already burned 32 square miles of a national park in the nation's south, and it has prompted the evacuation of 400 tourists.

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The president interrupted a summer vacation to meet with top aides on Friday about how to respond to the conflagration at the Torres del Paine National Park, which receives tens of thousands of foreign visitors each year.

He says "the terrain in the area is extraordinarily rough and that enormously complicates access and work." Gusts as strong as 70 mph also have fanned the fire.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/AYaQJQYqFcA/Forest-fire-cuts-across-Chilean-Patagonia

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