McDonald's Canada Reveals How They Make Famous Fries

McDonald's Canada is at it again, demystifying their french fry recipe "from the farm to all the way to the fryer."In their new behind-the-scenes video, Scott Gibson, manager of the company's supply chain, takes customer questions on their world-famous fries.Gibson addresses the first question asking whether or not the potatoes used by the fast food restaurant are real. Standing in the middle of...

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Apple’s New iPad Mini Is Pricey but That Won’t Deter Fans: TechCrunch’s John Biggs

It's officially here: The iPad mini, the subject of endless speculation and rumors over the past year, made its debut Tuesday at the California Theater in San Jose, Calif. The iPad mini starts at $329 and hits store shelves Nov. 2. Pre-sales begin Oct. 26. It boasts a 7.9-inch display, weighs 0.68 pounds and is 7.2mm thick. The design closely resembles the iPod Touch and comes in both black and white.Related:...

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US economic growth improves to 2 pct. rate in Q3

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. economy expanded at a slightly faster 2 percent annual rate from July through September, buoyed by an uptick in consumer spending and a burst of government spending.Growth improved from the 1.3 percent rate in the April-June quarter, the Commerce Department said Friday.The pickup in growth may help President Barack Obama's message that the economy is improving. Still,...

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Disney buying Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Disney is paying $4.05 billion to buy Lucasfilm Ltd., the production company behind "Star Wars," from its chairman and founder, George Lucas. It's also making a seventh movie in the "Star Wars" series called "Episode 7," set for release in 2015, with plans to follow it with Episodes 8 and 9 and then one new movie every two or three years.The Walt Disney Co. announced the blockbuster...

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Soccer-Villa will be like wounded animals, warns Southampton boss

LONDON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Southampton must be ready for a backlash from "wounded animal" Aston Villa when the Premier League strugglers meet at Villa Park on Saturday, manager Nigel Adkins warned.Villa, entrenched in a miserable run of form, suffered a shock 3-1 defeat at fourth tier Bradford City in their Capital One (League) Cup semi-final, first-leg meeting on Tuesday."They'll be a wounded animal...

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Soccer-Higuain back and ready to try and fill Ronaldo's boots

MADRID, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain has said he is ready to step up and fill Cristiano Ronaldo's boots when the champions visit bottom club Osasuna in La Liga on Saturday without their suspended leading scorer.The Argentina international has just returned from two months on the sidelines with a hamstring problem picked up against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League...

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Soccer-Sturridge made right choice in Liverpool, says Henderson

LONDON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - New Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge made the right choice in joining the Anfield side from Premier League rivals Chelsea for an undisclosed fee last week, according to Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson.Sturridge, who struggled to hold down a regular first-team place after joining Chelsea from Manchester City in 2009, scored after seven minutes on his debut in the...

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"Ubuntu for Phones" Turns Smartphones into Desktop PCs

Millions of people have tried out Ubuntu, a free operating system for desktop and notebook PCs. Like Android, Ubuntu is open-source and based on Linux, and while it's mostly seen as an OS for hobbyists here in the U.S., hardware manufacturers like Dell and HP make Ubuntu PCs for markets like mainland China.Now Canonical, the startup which drives Ubuntu's partly community-based development, has announced...

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Acer and Asus to Stop Making Netbooks

The last two major netbook manufacturers, Acer and Asus, are closing the doors on these mini-laptops. According to Digitimes' Monica Chen and Joseph Tsai, Acer "has no plans to release more netbook products" such as its Aspire One, while Asus has already ended its Eee PC line.Other netbook manufacturers, such as Samsung, have long since abandoned the market.Why netbooks failed to catch onNetbooks...

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HP Cloud Ushers in 2013 and GA Compute Service with Reduced Pricing

HP Cloud Services is continuously working to increase efficiency in our datacenters, so we can pass these efforts along to our customers via enhanced enterprise-class service and/or lower prices.  As a result, HP Cloud Services is starting the New Year by permanently lowering the prices on Linux instances of HP Cloud Compute by 12.5% and Object Storage by as much as 25%. Furthermore, to celebrate...

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China says it will end prison labor camps. Will there be real reform?

China appears poised to end an inglorious history of labor camps, and the practice of “re-education through labor.”This week, Beijing announced it would end the decades-old system, which gives police and other officials power to detain people up to four years without charge or having to go through the legal system.It appears that the mounting dissatisfaction among citizens and lawyers has brought...

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India lashes Pakistan after deadly Kashmir encounter

JAMMU, India (Reuters) - India denounced Pakistan on Wednesday over a firefight in the disputed territory of Kashmir in which two Indian soldiers were killed, but the nuclear-armed rivals both appeared determined to prevent the clash escalating into a full diplomatic crisis. India summoned Pakistan's envoy in New Delhi to lodge a "strong protest", accusing a group of Pakistani soldiers it said...

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Officials: Possible 5th killing by Mexico dog pack

, Jan. 9, 2013. Authorities have captured …more RELATED CONTENT   Enlarge PhotoA puppy that was caught near the …Enlarge PhotoPolice officers take notes in front …MEXICO CITY (AP) — A 15-year-old girl found fatally bitten by dogs outside a Mexico City park in mid-December may have been the first victim of a feral pack suspected of killing at least four other people over the last month,...

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Friday's Sports In Brief

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- Alabama coach Nick Saban sent home two backup players from the BCS championship game for violating curfew.A person with knowledge of the decision said the players were freshman linebackers Dillon Lee and Ryan Anderson. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the school didn't release names.A statement from Saban announced the disciplinary action. Alabama's...

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Report says Armstrong may confess to doping

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Lance Armstrong is reportedly considering a change in course, dropping his years of denials and admitting that he used performance-enhancing drugs.The New York Times, citing anonymous sources, reported late Friday that Armstrong has told associates he is thinking about the move.However, Armstrong attorney Tim Herman says that the cyclist hasn't reached out to USADA chief executive...

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Report says Armstrong may confess to doping, though move could have cons and benefits

AUSTIN, Texas - Lance Armstrong is reportedly considering a change in course, dropping his years of denials and admitting that he used performance-enhancing drugs.The New York Times, citing anonymous sources, reported late Friday that Armstrong has told associates he is thinking about the move.However, Armstrong attorney Tim Herman says that the cyclist hasn't reached out to USADA chief executive...

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Oregon governor says Nike plans expansion

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Nike wants to expand its Oregon operations and hire hundreds of workers but is asking the government to promise it won't change the state tax code.Gov. John Kitzhaber (KIHTS'-hah-bur) says he'll call the Legislature into session Friday to create a law to give Nike its wish.The company has not specified its expansion plans except to say it would create at least 500 jobs and $150...

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Report: Most Pakistani lawmakers do not file taxes

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The majority of Pakistani lawmakers do not file tax returns despite a legal requirement to do, a report said Wednesday, reinforcing concerns about the low level of tax revenue in the country.Pakistan has one of the lowest tax-to-GDP rates in the world because payment is not well enforced, and major areas of the economy, such as the agriculture sector, are either taxed at very low...

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Pennies over patriotism: Look at tax-averse stars

PARIS (AP) — France's Socialist government is introducing a 75-percent income tax on those earning over €1 million ($1.3 million), forcing some of the country's rich and famous to set up residency in less fiscally-demanding countries.Here's a look at some big stars in France and elsewhere who have, over the years, put their pennies above their patriotism.DEPARTING DEPARDIEUThe French prime minister...

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South Africa complete innings victory

Africa in Cape Town, January 4, 2013. REUTERS/Mike HutchingsCAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South Africa completed an innings victory over New Zealand on Friday in a result which was never in doubt after the visitors collapsed to 45 all out before lunch on the opening day of the first test.Dean Brownlie's maiden test century helped New Zealand to 232 for five at lunch on the third day after South Africa had...

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UPDATE 2-Cricket-South Africa complete innings victory

(Updates with quotes)CAPE TOWN, Jan 4 (Reuters) - South Africa completed an innings victory over New Zealand within three days on Friday in a result which was never in doubt after the visitors collapsed to 45 all out before lunch on the opening day of the first test.Dean Brownlie's maiden test century helped New Zealand to 232 for five at lunch on the third day after South Africa had declared their...

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Odd Mammal Thought Long Extinct in Australia May Still Live

A critically endangered mammal thought to be extinct in Australia since the last ice age may still exist there, a new study suggests.That speculation comes from the discovery that at least one long-beaked echidna, an egg-laying mammal thought to exist only in New Guinea, was found in Australia in 1901 and that native Aborigine populations reported seeing the animal more recently. The 1901 specimen,...

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YEARENDER-Tennis-Golden year for Murray, regrets for Nadal

LONDON, Dec 28 (Reuters) - For Andy Murray 2012 marked a golden milestone, for Novak Djokovic the year was an emphatic reminder of his status as the world's best male player, and for Roger Federer and his army of fans it was proof that the old master's magic still sparkles.Serena Williams used the second half of the year to demonstrate that she continues to be head and shoulders above her rivals in...

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Olympics sparkle at height of magical British summer

LONDON (Reuters) - London defied Britain's wettest summer for 100 years, potential transport and security chaos and a depressed economy to stage a marvelous 2012 Olympics during a magical year for British sport.Over the past century Britons have become resigned to watching the rest of the world beat them at games they had either invented or codified at the height of the island nation's imperial splendor.This...

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Asia delights in Olympic success but big names flop

Another shower of gold at the Olympics confirmed China's status as the powerhouse of Asian sport but there were few standout performances away from London for the continent's top sporting talents to crow about in 2012.The likes of Sachin Tendulkar and the Indian cricket team, Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao and Chinese tennis player Li Na had years ranging from the mediocre to the downright awful.There...

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Surname Racial Bias? Winners and Losers in 2012 Election

The first color a voter sees in studying the ballot might be the red or blue of the Republican or Democratic parties. But gender–and race–can be a significant factor in the power of choice and the ultimate composition of Congress. Last month, 78 U.S. House contests pitted a white candidate against a person of color; 47 white lawmakers won, or 60 percent. (In 10 additional races, both candidates were...

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Fixing the GOP: Party Like It's 1949

Americans by a 15-point margin in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll say the Republican Party needs less conservative policies that are more focused on middle- and lower-income Americans, rather than better leaders to sell its existing positions.And 63 years ago, Americans by an 11-point margin said precisely the same thing.See PDF with full results, charts and tables here.Mark it up to the...

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Obama nominating Kerry for secretary of state

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Friday will nominate Sen. John Kerry as his next secretary of state, a senior administration official said, making the first move in an overhaul of his national security team heading into a second term.If confirmed, Kerry would take the helm at the State Department from outgoing Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has long stated her intention to leave...

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