Here is this evening’s Daily Run Down.

Big News

• Obama signs bill warding off fiscal cliff – CNN blog
• Christie lambasts House Republicans over Sandy bill Shame on Congress – They should be ashamed. Happens in Louisiana or Texas and BOOM, INSTANT MONEY. Democratic state… no, we’ll take our time 5 weeks later.
• Starbucks $1 reusable cup Curb trash get a discount
• Facebook now has voicemail — and voice calling in Canada – This now makes more sense why messenger was a separate application.

General News

• Scientology Fascinates the Author Lawrence Wright
• Sandy Hook students to return to class
• Lawsuit Accuses Fired Utah Trooper of Falsifying D.U.I. Arrests
• Chevron Hits Rough Patch in Richmond Calif.
• Airline Pilot wasnt warned of plane he hit at Fla. airport
• Justin Bieber calls for crackdown after paparazzo death – Bieber and I are actually in agreement on this one.
• Why schools used to be better
• VIDEO Lincoln tipped for Oscar glory
• Congress will vote on Sandy aid this week says Boehner +video
• Newspaper hires armed guards
• Record high gun background checks
• Feds Issue $50000 Challenge to Terminate Robocalls – I wish I could think of a way to fix robocalling.

International

• Three shot dead in Swiss village
• Why Japans Fukushima 50 remain unknown
• Starbucks to open shop in Vietnam
• US drone strike kills Pakistan Taliban commander
• Mubarak Dictated Response to Protests in Cairo Report Says
• Irish climber in mountain tragedy
• Ban for women straddling bikes
• Delhi gang-rape accused face rape and murder charges
• Nigeria police station burnt down
• Cameron rejects call to return Falkland Islands to Argentina
• Ecuadors school drugs problem
• Argentinas president demands Britain return Falklands – Los Angeles Times
• Terror suspect extradited to US
• Gérard Depardieu Citizen of Russia
• Russia in a Froth Beer Now Labeled as Alcohol

Politics

• Under pressure Boehner is said to promise votes on hurricane Sandy relief + video
• Bigger fights loom after
• Obama signs bill warding off fiscal cliff – CNN blog
• New Congress takes office today will face old Congress leftovers
• Can Republicans rediscover a once-celebrated foreign policy tradition
• Obamas Next Foreign Policy Battle His Cabinet
• John Boehner set for new term as House speaker as 113th Congress convenes
• US State Department doesnt want Eric Schmidt to visit North Korea right now – Shocked? No, absolutely not.

Obits

• Former GWU president Lloyd H. Elliott 94 helped modernize the university
• Son of NBA team owner found dead
• Longest-serving PoW dies aged 98

Health

• Hydrofracking Safe Says N.Y. Health Dept. Analysis

Science/Space

• Chesapeake Bays health improving slightly report says
• Shale oil and gas predictions for 2013 and beyond
• 100 Billion Alien Planets Fill Our Milky Way Galaxy Study
• Cosmic Pancake Spotted Around Andromeda Galaxy
• Giant Gas Geysers Erupting from Milky Way Galaxy
• Energy drinks Glorified caffeine delivery systems
• Tsunami Bomb Created by US Military
• Long-beaked echidnas
• Volcanos 30-Year Eruption Bursting with Discoveries
• Odd Mammal Thought Long Extinct in Australia May Still Live
• Senator Claims Angels Visited Him in Hospital
• Javan Rhino Officially Extinct In Vietnam – Sad… very sad….
• Half of Andromedas satellite galaxies orbit in a mysterious disk
• Finding the neuron that makes your sweater itch
• Bacterial

Financial

• Sullivans new Dish raises $333000 from over 11K people in first 24 hours
• Late Rush in Manhattan Home Sales Brings 2012 to a Robust Close
• Ferrari sales suffer as Italians shun luxury cars – Yeah, they’re too damn expensive.
• Love it or hate it Buzzfeed just got $19.3M for its crazy take on news
• Pinterest acquires Punchfork the social site for recipes meals and gorgeous photos of food
• Room 77 raises $30.3M to find a place to lay your head

Historical

• Longest-serving PoW dies aged 98
• Ancient Carving Shows Stylishly Plump African Princess

Tips and Tricks

• How McConnell and Biden pulled Congress away from the fiscal cliff

Gaming

• Humble Indie Bundle 7 culminates in sales of $2.65 million
• Razers Sabertooth Xbox controller has buttons galore
• Sniper Ghost Warrior 2 sets sights on March
• Microsoft working on tool for easier Xbox Live region-switching
• Video Minecraft sells 5 million copies on Xbox Live

Gadgets

• Pebble will finally unveil its Kickstarter darling smartwatch at CES
• New iHome Lightning-compatible iPhone and iPad docks will be on display at CES 2013
• Ex-Nokia engineers develop the Leikr GPS sports watch Kickstarter campaign now open
• Soundmatters $250 Dash 7 portable Bluetooth speaker to debut at CES 2013
• Heat Therapy Neck Massager
• LG has new IPS displays in store for CES 2013

Law

• HBO sued over cancelled show Luck
• FTC ends long Google probe with mild reprimand
• Kim Dotcom US – Wouldn’t put it past the government to do such things.

Technology

• Microsofts huge R D budget is useless if its best ideas are poorly executed or never released
• Can a computer out-compose Mozart
• YouTube adds TV remote feature to tons of smart TVs set-top boxes
• Marvell Adds NVDRIVE to DragonFly Family of Enterprise Storage Accelerators
• Internet Explorer ends the year on a high Windows 8 slow to get noticed
• Razer Updates Synapse Software With Better Offline Mode Other Problematic Features Remain Unchanged
• Corning Gorilla Glass 3 to be three times more scratch resistant than previous generation
• WiFi and WiGig Alliances become one work to promote 60GHz wireless
• 3-D Customizable iPhone Case

Internet

• Arizona set to make online impersonation a felony – Fantastic.. we’ll see how well this works.
• DMCA Nonsense Your Default Login Page Is A Ripoff Of Our Default Login Page
• Skrillex makes Leaving EP freely available on YouTube

Mobile

• Samsung confirms plan to begin inching away from Android
• Vodafones Nearly New program entices penny-pinchers with pre-owned smartphones
• Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 swoops by FCC with Verizon-friendly LTE

Rumors

• Google boss Eric Schmidt plans to visit North Korea according to AP report
• Nokia plots an aluminum Windows Phone handset for 2013

Software/Apps

• Facebook now has voicemail — and voice calling in Canada – This now makes more sense why messenger was a separate application.
• Examining Sonys Internet-free method for blocking used game sales
• Write Gambling Software Go to Prison

Security

• Browser vendors block active attacks using fraudulent digital cert

London/Britain/UK

• Cat that spent a week in Mass. tree found
• VIDEO Jim Davidson bailed in abuse inquiry
• Mortgage funds to rise says Bank
• Man punched trying to help woman
• Mayor Releases Londons Draft Budget And Council Tax
• UK house prices fell 1% in 2012 – But London housing costs increased 7% in the last quarter. The Numbers seem to be contradictory.
• Christmas sales increase at Next
• Obese and unhealthy people could face benefit cuts – Hmm… interesting.
• Britons crushed in Bruges crash
• University applications down by 6% – Yeah, because there are no jobs and it’s too expensive to go. Same as here in the US.
• Have You Seen Adam Pacittis Billboard
• Homes without gas for fifth day
• Arrest after six-hour A21 closure
• Campaign For Harry Beck-Style Cycling Map
• Preview London Short Film Festival
• Extra Extra

Odd

• Cat that spent a week in Mass. tree found

Funny

• Lesson #1625 – The Sound Of Coffee
• The Evolution of Desktop Workspace [Comic]
• Man tries to rob store then calls his Mom for a ride home
• You Know Its Been Too Long When…
• Getting a Vasectomy Has Never Been Easier
• Youre too Late
• WHERE ARE YOU
• I Hope It Was Worth It
• Silver Screen Biebs
• Theres Never Enough Long Pieces
• Best Landlords Ever
• Ooh So Close
• Good For Her
• Ermahgerd
• Music 502 Each Bar is a Tweet

Chicagoland

• Man shot to death while driving on Far South Side
• North Chicago fires police officer
• GOP blocks Illinois gay marriage law 2nd vote sought today
• Aging St. James church still has a prayer
• Obama immigration shift cheered by Chicago-area advocates
• Six injured in West Side car crash
• Trial begins for prisoner who took gun from investigators en route to court
• Auto repair shop owner killed two others wounded in separate shootings
• Kirk to return to U.S. Senate after yearlong rehab from stroke
• La Catedral Cafe Named Best Restaurant by Local Chamber of Commerce
• WWII Labor Camp Survivor a Fixture on Northwest Side Streets
• Candidates start filing for Jackson Jr.s old seat in Congress
• Yeah Dont Drink Drive
• FBI releases detailed photo of escaped bank robbers tattoo
• Wrigleyville Police Commander Wants Zero Tolerance for Raucous Partygoers
• Feds drop escape charge in downtown prison break
• Downers Grove bank robbed by masked man with gun
• Tests end of speed cameras near city schools and parks
• Proposed Burger King on Clark Street Irks Some North Side Residents

Total Number of stories: 154

Look for more stories tomorrow.