This Week In Small Business: Everything Is Super! - NYTimes.com

What?s affecting my clients, my small business and other small-business owners like me this week.

The Deficit: We Await the Supercommittee

Lawmakers on the deficit supercommittee continue to haggle before Wednesday?s deadline. The president is bracing for failure. Paul Krugman is hoping for failure. Ezra Klein brings together everyone?s predictions. Businesses are wary. Jane Wells reports that small businesses will feel defense cuts, saying there will be ?a trickle down effect of $2.64 in lost sales in the general economy for every $1 in defense cuts.? Steve Pearlstein laments the failure of global leadership.

Red Tape Update: Health Care Goes Supreme

Trish Turner wonders why our tax dollars are subsidizing Scottie Pippen, Ted Turner and Jon Bon Jovi. General Electric pays no taxes on $14 billion in profits. The Supreme Court agrees to hear health care arguments. Anna Yukhananov and Lisa Lambert discuss what the ruling could mean. Gallup says Americans tilt toward favoring repeal. Rob Lynch offers five reasons small businesses shouldn?t drop their health care benefits. Karen Klein explains why so few small-business owners are using the health care tax credit.

The Small-Business Economy: Super Saturday

Global Entrepreneurship Week was introduced in 123 countries last week. American Express is super-sizing this weekend?s Small-Business Saturday (and teamed with Google to offer a cool way for businesses to tell their stories). Janine Popick reports that Kim Kardashian is helping small-businesses. Bank of America hires Malcolm Gladwell to speak to small businesses. Michael J. Fox does Johnny B. Goode again. A study says that Americans really do like big businesses. The Wall Street Journal announces its most innovative entrepreneur of the year.

The Economy: Structural Shift?

A Federal Reserve report says the chance of recession in 2012 is greater than 50 percent. An updated report (pdf) finds that gross domestic product rose 2.5 percent after rising 1.3 percent in the second quarter. Mark Perry points to a structural shift in the economy: ?The Great Recession stimulated huge productivity and efficiency gains as companies shed marginal workers and learned how to do more with less (fewer workers).? Prediction: holiday spending should be about the same as last year (thanks in part to pawn shops!). Scott Grannis has a bunch of charts that show where the economy is heading. Rebecca Black still tops the YouTube charts?

The Data: No Bad Data This Week?

Architecture billing and residential remodeling indexes climb. Industrial production and capacity utilization expand. Machine tool orders surge. Consumer prices and producer prices fall. Retail sales rise and James Picerno is optimistic. But Doug Short says the consumer economy remains in a recession. The United States has the second most efficient labor market.

People: Have You Hired a Veteran?

A report says small-business staffing levels are stable. Sharon Ho gives advice on hiring the right people, and Michael Alter talks about turning them into the right team. Congress approves a tax break for hiring military veterans and Amazon opens its doors. A chief executive explains why he hires vets. A Target employee starts a petition against working on Thanksgiving Day. Darth Vader is promoted to regional director at an electronics chain. Starbucks? campaign to create jobs surpasses $1 million in donations. Google and Apple top a list of the most attractive employers.

Marketing 1: Social Media Stuff

A report finds that 96 percent of small businesses are on Facebook. Mikal E. Belikove says that Google+ is not good for small businesses: ?As of this writing, Google+?s reach is .05 percent of total U.S. Internet users online. By comparison, Facebook?s reach is 63 percent.? Cindy Bates explains how to use Microsoft Bing to promote your business free. A Nielsen survey finds that Indians spend more time on social media than on any other activity on the Internet. Local social media ad spending is expected to hit $2.3 billion in 2015. Jason Keith sums up a bunch of useful social media marketing stats. Here is proof that Americans are still awesome.

Marketing 2: Does Yelp Help?

President Obama and the president of China kiss in a controversial new marketing campaign. MP Mueller reminds us not to forget the clients we already have. Retailers are seeing a split in the behavior of shoppers. Brian Goffman offers 12 marketing predictions for 2012. Amazon goes all out for loyalty. Kara Haas explains how QR codes can help market your services (even if you?re not an accountant). Jonathan Farrington explains why qualification is a process, not a single event. Stephanie Elam and Julie Brayton both wonder if Yelp really helps small businesses. Constant Contact finds small businesses are still slow to adopt social media.

Around the World: Where Are the Innovative?

Ever wonder where in the world the most innovative companies are? A new service will help you expand into foreign markets. Small businesses in Italy are hampered by bureaucracy. Miles of a mysterious network grid appear in Chinese satellite photos. Google creates a start-up incubator in Israel. Bahrain?s Startup Weekend draws a good response. A photographer shares a beautiful 24-hour time-lapse shot of Dubai. An Afghani entrepreneur explains what it?s like to run a business in a war zone. Small-business ingenuity thrives during the recent Thai flooding.

Around the Country: New Jersey and Raw Milk

?The Daily Show? reveals class warfare among the Occupy Wall Streeters and a New York City small-business owner counterprotests. Detroit is running out of money. The New York Times reports that Hispanics are arriving in numbers large enough to offset or even exceed the decline in the white population in many places. A 12-year-old gives a TED talk. New Jersey residents go to great lengths for raw milk. A stuntman does amazing stuff. Natural gas is helping regional economies. The flame-retardant industry spends $23 million on lobbying and campaign donations. Manufacturing in New York (pdf) improves. The Postal Service faces default, and Josh Sanburn explains how it fell apart.

Start-Up: Dirt Cheap?

One report says venture-backed start-up companies continue to be job-creation engines. New farmers find that dirt really isn?t cheap. A start-up raps for financing. A new company achieves a major feat. Jeff Haden lists nine buzzwords your start-up shouldn?t use, including ?collaborative partnership?. ?When customers pay you, they?re not your partner.? A company helps start-ups find people. Harvard builds its start-up muscle. Adam Dachis gives advice for dating. A start-up invents a spam button for paper mail. The White House honors four Chicago start-ups. Selena Gomez takes the start-up plunge.

Ideas: Preserve Equity

Advice for the day: rather than killing your pets for the insurance, just consider liability insurance instead, O.K.? Thinkers50 lists 50 influential management gurus. Steven Davidoff says wise entrepreneurs know how to preserve equity. A utility executive on solar power: In ?three to five years you?ll be able to get power cheaper from the roof of your house than from the grid.? Belinda Parmar offers five things every entrepreneurial woman should know, including: ?It will be 100 times harder than you already think.? (An escalator proves surprisingly hard for this woman.) By 2050, the United States is likely to have nine million people 90 and older, up from 720,000 in 1980. A grocery store in Finland shows how to help aging customers. A very bad idea: a dad?s prank goes wrong. The Hunger Games movie looks awesome.

Technology: Warren Buffett Buys a Tech Stock?

Apple warms up to the business market and Arthur Cole recommends 10 Apple apps for companies. Warren Buffett buys a stake in I.B.M. Honda shows off its electric motorcycle. Here?s what it?s like to drive at 462 mph. Smallbusinesscomputing.com lists its five best open source accounting software applications. Amazon?s new Kindle sells for $79 (but costs $84 to make). A New Yorker cartoon portrays the downside of the cloud. These may be the droids farmers are looking for. Matt Smith explains how to find out if an online business is legitimate.

The Week Ahead

Scheduled to be released: existing home sales, preliminary G.D.P., personal spending and durable goods orders.

The Week?s Bests

Explanation for What Really Motivates Small-Business Owners. Neroli Makim sums it up: ?Being able to provide a valuable product and service to others whilst enjoying the freedom to explore and express your creativity is an extraordinary motivator. Your creativity is inextricably linked to how autonomous you feel; freedom and creativity go hand in hand. When you work for someone else, you are rarely given free rein to innovate and problem-solve at will. ? The intrinsic motivation of autonomy drives you in business and the sense of freedom and creativity that comes from it is a great source of fulfillment in itself.?

Reason Bad Hires Happen. John Featherstone explains: ?Not properly thinking through the problems and requirements of the job, and the related skills and experience needed for a person to be successful. ? There are no shortcuts here. How can you possibly pick the right person for the job when you haven?t clearly identified what kind of qualifications to look for? Proper preparation is critical to a successful hiring project.?

Uses of Psychology. Joe Wilner lists five ways positive psychology can help a workplace, including: ?Taking an approach of self-determination offers freedom and autonomy for workers to flourish and become absorbed in the work they do best. This involves employees uncovering their signature strengths and having the freedom to use them.?

?This Week?s Question: Are your employees absorbed in their work?

Gene Marks owns the Marks Group, a Bala Cynwyd, Pa., consulting firm that helps clients with customer relationship management. You can follow him on Twitter.

Source: http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/21/this-week-in-small-business-everything-is-super/

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Eagles beat Giants again in 4th quarter, win 17-10 (AP)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. ? The Eagles destroyed the Giants' season a year ago at the Meadowlands with a 28-point onslaught in the final seven minutes.

This time, Andy Reid's undermanned team used the slow and excruciating method to hurt the Giants once again and tighten the NFC East race.

Using a quarterback whose only pass this season had been intercepted to replace Michael Vick and a receiver who did not have a catch all season, Philadelphia marched 80 yards in a roughly 9 minutes and defeated the Giants 17-10 Sunday night on an 8-yard go-ahead touchdown pass from Vince Young to Riley Cooper with 2:45 to play.

"We knew we had to dig deep," said Cooper who had his first five catches of the season for 75 yards, with the final 8 being the difference in breathing life into the Eagles (4-6).

"Everybody contributed," Cooper said. "It was not just one player, not just one long play. We pieced that last drive together piece by piece."

What was so surprising was that the "Dream Team" did it in the fourth quarter, a period that had seen them lose five games earlier this season.

The Eagles found the solution this time with an 18-play march over 8:51 that sent the Giants (6-4) to their second straight loss.

"It's definitely a big win," said Young, who was 23 of 36 for 258 yards, two touchdown and three interceptions. "You see the excitement and the smiles on the guys and that's what we need, what we have to have."

Philadelphia converted six third-down plays with DeSean Jackson setting up the first-and-goal with a 10-yard catch to the 10, and Young capping it with his second touchdown pass of the game to a wide-open Cooper.

"We were taking our time, making plays and the guys came up with big plays on third down," Young said.

Jackson, who was benched for last week's game for missing a team meeting, finished with six catches for 88 yards and set up a touchdown pass to former Giant Steve Smith with a 51-yard punt return. LeSean McCoy added 113 yards rushing, with 60 coming on a late run that iced the game.

"Vince, stepping in for the great Michael Vick, that's a tough thing to do and he did it and the guys rallied around him," Reid said. "The offensive line and defensive line played well, the offensive line had a huge challenge when it counted and they were able to put some things together."

The Eagles, of course, made Reid sweat out the final minutes.

Eli Manning, who tied it with a 24-yard TD pass to Victor Cruz earlier in the quarter, drove the Giants from their own 10 to the Eagles 21 with the final 47 yards coming on a catch-and-run by Cruz with 1:25 to play.

However, Manning stepped out of the pocket on the next play and was hit from behind by Jason Babin and fumbled. Derek Landi recovered at the 26, sending the Giants to their second straight tough loss, coming on the heels of a 7-point loss to San Francisco, a game that ended with New York at the Niners 2.

"It was important because it keeps us alive," linebacker Jamar Chaney said. "We had faith coming in. We really did. We might have been banged up, but we had faith. I feel good about our defensive effort. We came up big. It was time for the defense to make a play and we have a lot of playmakers out there. Jason got the sack and Landri got the ball."

It dropped New York into a tie for first place with Dallas in the NFC East with six games to play and left the Eagles two games behind. The Cowboys beat the Redskins in overtime after Washington missed a game-winning field-goal attempt.

"This is as big a disappointment as we have had around here in a long time," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said in ripping his team for a no-show effort.

It also marked the second straight year the Eagles rallied late to beat New York at the Meadowlands with last year's 38-31 decision coming in a game that Philadelphia rallied from 21 points down late.

While Young made several big plays to spark the Eagles' offense, he also threw three interceptions, the most costly being one that Aaron Ross picked off in the end zone on a second-and-9 from the New York 16 with Philadelphia ahead 10-3 with 5 minutes left in the third quarter.

New York eventually tied it early in the fourth quarter on a 24-yard TD pass from Manning to Cruz. It was set up two plays earlier when Manning rolled out of the pocket and found Hakeem Nicks for a 47-yard gain on third down to the Eagles 24.

Manning was 18 of 35 for 264 yards, and Cruz had six catches for 128 yards. The Giants' running game failed to get going, rushing for just 29 yards.

"We can't always afford to be in those positions," Manning said of the recent late rallies. "I think we still feel confident when we get in there that we're going to move the ball and we're going to give ourselves a chance to win. It is just a matter of you don't always want to be in that position."

The first half was typical of an Eagles-Giants meeting: chippy, intense, hard-fought and, not surprisingly, ugly.

If there was a surprise, it was that the defenses dominated. The norm was Jackson taunting the Giants in more ways than one, including one that cost the Eagles a 50-yard pass completion.

Jackson set up both of the Eagles' scores in the first half. He caught a 32-yard pass early in the second quarter to set up a 33-yard field goal by Alex Henery and then brought back excruciating memories from last season with a 51-yard punt return that was a carbon copy of his winning 65-yard punt return on the final play of the Eagles' 38-31 Meadowlands Miracle, a game Philadelphia rallied from a 21-point deficit in the final seven-plus minutes.

What made the return so eerie was that Jackson fielded Steve Weatherford's punt at his own 35, circled right and then ran down the sideline in front of the Giants' bench ? the same thing he did last season. The only difference was Weatherford pushed him out of bounds at the 14; Matt Dodge was the Giants' punter last season.

It didn't matter. One play later, Young found former Giants receiver Steve Smith cutting under the zone and he easily outran linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka into the end zone with 1:22 left in the half.

It was enough time for Manning to get the Giants on the board. A 21-yard pass to Cruz on the first play got the ball the 41 and a late 10-catch by running back D.J. Ware on a play in which he suffered a concussion set up Lawrence Tynes' 48-yard field goal.

Notes: The game was Coughlin's 250th regular-season game, making him the 19th head coach in NFL history to reach the mark. He is 139-111, including 71-51 with the Giants. ... Reid said the Eagles had no major injuries. ... Giants rookie LB Mark Herzlich started his first game and the cancer survivor had four tackles. ... The Eagles sacked Manning three times. The Giants only got Young once. ... Giants Pro Bowl G Chris Snee played sick and said he threw up several times during the game. ... Philadelphia was 9 of 17 on third down.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111121/ap_on_sp_fo_ga_su/fbn_eagles_giants

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Kelly Ayotte, New Hampshire Senator, Set To Endorse Mitt Romney For GOP Nomination: Source

PETERBOROUGH, N.H. ? Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney is set to win the endorsement of New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte on Sunday.

Ayotte will make her endorsement official in a campaign stop with Romney in Nashua, according to a message sent to supporters late Saturday night.

"I will be working as hard as I can to help him secure the Republican nomination and, most importantly, ensure that Barack Obama is a one-term president," Ayotte wrote in a message distributed after news of the endorsement became public.

The endorsement represents a major pickup for Romney, who's already leading polls in the early primary state.

The 43-year-old Ayotte will become the first member of the New Hampshire congressional delegation to endorse a presidential contender.

"This is Gov. Romney's biggest endorsement in New Hampshire," said Steve Duprey, a New Hampshire member of the Republican National Committee.

Romney already enjoys the support of several prominent New Hampshire political figures, including former Gov. John H. Sununu and former Sen. Judd Gregg.

But New Hampshire Republicans say the backing of Ayotte, who won a landslide election just a year ago, gives Romney tremendous advantages.

"As the most popular Republican in the state, Kelly represents the future of our party," said Michael Dennehy, a local GOP operative who led Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign four years ago. "Very few endorsements matter in this process, but Sen. Ayotte's adds weight in New Hampshire and nationally."

Ayotte said electability was a factor in deciding which presidential hopeful to support.

"It is imperative that Republicans nominate our strongest candidate to face President Obama," she said.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/19/mitt-romney-endorsement-kelly-ayotte_n_1103451.html

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The brain's zoom button

Friday, November 18, 2011

Everybody knows how to zoom in and out on an online map, to get the level of resolution you need to get you where you want to go. Now researchers have discovered a key mechanism that can act like a zoom button in the brain, by controlling the resolution of the brain's internal maps.

In this week's edition of Cell, Lisa Giocomo and colleagues at the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience at NTNU describe how they "knocked out", or disabled, ion channels in the grid cells of the mouse brain. Grid cells are equivalent to a longitude and latitude coordinate system in the brain, with the grid cell firing at the cross-point where the longitude and latitude lines meet. This network enables the brain to make internal maps. Ion channels mediate signals between the inside and the outside of the cells. When the researchers knocked out the ion channels, they found that the resolution of the maps created by the mouse brain became coarser, in that the area covered by each grid cell was larger.

"If grid cells are similar to a longitude and latitude coordinate system, what determines the distance between the coordinate points of this internal map?" Giocomo asks. "When we knocked out the HCN1 ion channel, the scale of the innate coordinate system increased. It's like losing longitude and latitude lines on a map. Suddenly you can't represent a spatial environment at a very fine scale."

In a normal brain, the ion channels function as they should, and the brain is able to generate the precise resolution for the map that it needs. But if the ion channels don't work ? as was the case in the experimental set up ? then the map isn't at the right resolution.

Future research will aim at determining what effect this might have on spatial memory and navigation. Giocomo says her findings could prove useful for future research on Alzheimer's and related diseases, "particularly because the area that is damaged in Alzheimer's is the area that we are investigating. Also, one of the first things to go wrong with Alzheimer's is that you suddenly start to lose your sense of direction. Of course, we don't know if there is any connection yet, but it might be worth looking into."

The article in Cell is being published simultaneously with a companion article in Neuron, authored by researchers at the Kavli Institute for Brain Science, at Columbia University in New York. The two Kavli Institutes decided to work cooperatively on the topic, says Edvard Moser, director of the Kavli Institute at NTNU.

"We believe that this is a great example of collaborative research instead of neck-and-neck competition. We got our knock-out mice from (Eric) Kandel's lab (at Columbia), and they sent a post-doc over here to work with us. We discussed and debated our findings of course, gave each other feedback and input," Moser says.

The collaborative approach enabled the two institutes to publish linked research data from two interconnected areas of the brain, the entorhinal cortex and the hippocampus. Both sets of data show the effect of removing ion channels in grid cells and place cells. Place cells are thought to base their spatial response based on the calculations of the grid cells, so finding this close correspondence in research results is "very rewarding," Moser says. "It's great that we can find two pieces of evidence that show how scale is represented in our brain, and that we can publish these results at the same time.

###

Norwegian University of Science and Technology: http://www.ntnu.edu

Thanks to Norwegian University of Science and Technology for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/115318/The_brain_s_zoom_button

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Iowa Thanksgiving Family Forum: Republicans Seek Social Conservatives' Nod

You can watch a livestream of the Thanksgiving Family Forum here.

By Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Most of the Republican presidential candidates, with the notable exception of Mitt Romney, set their sights on early-voting Iowa for a discussion on the role of religious faith in public life, along with hot-button social issues such as marriage and abortion.

The setting was a forum Saturday night hosted by a new evangelical group trying to leave its mark on the campaign in a state where influential social conservatives have struggled to rally behind an alternative to Romney. While the former Massachusetts governor has stayed near the top of national polls, some Republican activists have misgivings about his record on cultural issues.

Romney's six more socially conservative challenges are actively competing in Iowa to emerge as the preferred candidate among Christian conservatives with just six weeks to go until the Jan. 3 caucuses.

"People are getting close to decision time," former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum told The Associated Press at a campaign stop in Des Moines. "I think you're going to see some coalescing in the next couple of weeks."

Jobs, the economy and the deficit are voter priorities in Iowa and nationally, but it was a focus on social issues that drew the 2012 hopefuls to the event sponsored by The Family Leader, an organization started last by a former Republican candidate for governor, Bob Vander Plaats.

Scheduled to join Santorum were Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, businessman Herman Cain, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Texas Rep. Ron Paul and Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Romney declined the invitation and was campaigning in New Hampshire. He is not competing aggressively for the social conservative vote in Iowa as he did in the 2008 presidential race. His leaner Iowa campaign is focused more on holding supporters from his second-place finish four years ago and appealing to economic conservatives.

But Romney also has avoided multicandidate events in early-voting states, even one this month in Iowa by the National Association of Manufacturers and co-hosted by Gov. Terry Branstad, a pro-business Republican.

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman also planned to skip the event. He, too, has a mixed record on social issues, has avoided campaigning in Iowa and is focusing his early-state campaign on New Hampshire, home of the leadoff primary.

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Online:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/19/iowa-thanksgiving-family-forum_n_1103030.html

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No. 5 Syracuse romps over Colgate 92-47 (AP)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. ? SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) ? Playing for the first time since an assistant coach was accused of sex abuse, No. 5 Syracuse romped to a 92-47 win over Colgate on Saturday.

It was business as usual for the Orange (4-0) on the court, even as the program was trying to come to grips with molestation allegations against assistant coach Bernie Fine.

Syracuse placed Fine on administrative leave "in light of the new allegations" that he molested two former ball boys for years. Fine has dismissed the allegations as "patently false," and expressed confidence he will be vindicated.

Fine's usual seat behind coach Jim Boeheim was left vacant. This is Fine's 36th season working for the head coach.

Boeheim again defended his friend against the charges.

"I've been friends for 50 years with coach Fine," he said. "That buys a lot of loyalty for me, and should."

At the Carrier Dome, a subdued crowd came to watch hoops, not make protest signs or chant for the absent coach. While 21,084 fans dutifully dressed in orange, making the scene like any another Syracuse basketball game, troubling issues still loom large.

Both of Fine's accusers are now adults. Bobby Davis, now 39, told ESPN that Fine molested him beginning in 1984 and that the sexual contact continued until he was around 27. A ball boy for six years, Davis told ESPN that the abuse occurred at Fine's home, at Syracuse basketball facilities and on team road trips, including the 1987 Final Four, when the Orange lost to Indiana in the national championship game.

Davis' stepbrother, Mike Lang, 45, who also was a ball boy, told ESPN that Fine molested him starting when he was in fifth or sixth grade.

Syracuse said it conducted its own four-month investigation in 2005 when the allegations first came to the school's attention, including interviews with people the accuser said would support his allegations, but all of them "denied any knowledge of wrongful conduct" by Fine.

There were no signs of Davis or Lang when AP reporters stopped by their houses on Saturday. At Lang's Constantia Cove Diner, a worker locked the door and yelled "Closed!" when reporters and a photographer approached the door, even as an "Open" sign sat in the window and customers ate at the counter.

Lang's house, which is on the market for $74,900, stood as a tribute to Syracuse hoops. Stickers were scattered over windows; basketballs, beer mugs, a clock, PEZ dispenser, and a plush mascot doll rested on the windowsill; a Gerry McNamara jersey also hung in the window. There was even a foam orange finger, signaling Syracuse is No. 1.

At Fine's house, three cars were parked in the driveway but no one answered the door.

Fine was listed as associate head coach in the game program and his photo and bio remained. Former Syracuse star Gerry McNamara filled in for him. He played on Syracuse's 2003 NCAA championship team and was a four-year starter for the Orange.

Boeheim addressed the players after the allegations were made public and told them to remain focused on basketball.

"Our program will be fine," he said. "It's been pretty good for 36 years. We've been through a lot of different things. We'll get through whatever happens in our program."

Fine missed Syracuse's 46th straight victory against Colgate, according to STATS LLC. The Raiders' last win over the Orange was a 67-63 triumph on Feb. 24, 1962, a few months before Boeheim enrolled as a student at Syracuse.

Dion Waiters scored 16 points, James Southerland had 14 and C.J. Fair 13 for the Orange.

Matt Moore led Colgate (1-2) with 19 points.

The Orange rolled to a 52-19 lead at the break, highlighted by Southerland's seven straight points in 17 seconds.

"These players had nothing to do with anything," Boeheim said. "The coaching staff has to focus on these players, what they need from us, and that's what we're going to do."

The allegations at Syracuse come on the heels of the child sex abuse allegations against former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, a scandal which cost coach Joe Paterno his job. While Sandusky's defenders have been scarce, if any, Fine has received an outpouring of support from the Syracuse basketball community.

Former Syracuse center Rony Seikaly was among a number of former Orange who staunchly defended Fine's character. In a telephone interview Thursday night with the AP, Boeheim backed Fine and said: "This kid came forward and there was no one to corroborate his story. Not one. Not one."

Boeheim enjoyed the blowout, smiling at times and walking over to the stands to shake hands with a man he knew during a break.

The Orange now move on to New York for the NIT Season Tipoff semifinals ? with their longtime assistant left behind.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111120/ap_on_sp_co_ga_su/bkc_t25_colgate_syracuse

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Japan insurer reduces scandal-ridden Olympus stake (AP)

TOKYO ? Nippon Life Insurance, the top shareholder in scandal-ridden Olympus Corp., said Thursday it reduced its stake in the Japanese camera and medical equipment maker that now risks being kicked off the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Osaka-based Nippon Life Insurance said that it reduced its stake from 8 percent to about 5 percent in Olympus shares following a widespread scandal in which the company acknowledged covering up huge investment losses.

"We have sold a part of our holdings because of uncertainties, from the standpoint of profitability for our customers and considerations of managerial efficiency," the company said in a statement.

But Nippon Life remains the top shareholder in Olympus and affirmed its support for the company, its technology and its "core business."

The scandal centers around $687 million in payments for financial advice and expensive acquisitions of companies unrelated to its mainstay businesses that were used to cover up heavy investment losses from the 1990s.

Olympus has acknowledged the scheme and now risks being delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange unless it can rectify past filing with regulators by reporting revised earnings by Dec. 14. The company's shares have plummeted 80 percent since the scandal broke.

The fiasco came to light last month, when Chief Executive Michael Woodford, a Briton ? and a rare foreigner heading a major Japanese company ? raised questions about the payments and called for executives to resign. He was subsequently fired by the board on Oct. 14.

But Olympus was forced to reverse its initial denials of wrongdoing after a company investigation ? sparked by media attention and public statements by Woodford ? showed that accounting irregularities had taken place and that executives had acted to hide investment losses.

Japanese authorities have begun a separate investigation into the scandal, and media reports say Olympus officials may be questioned in a criminal investigation. Police have declined to comment on the reports.

The scandal is also likely to boost calls for better regulations to ensure corporate governance in Japan, which has been repeatedly criticized as falling behind global standards.

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Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at http://twitter.com/yurikageyama

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111117/ap_on_hi_te/as_japan_olympus

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