End Of The World Predictions - Prophecies About The Earth's Doomsday

By Roberta Barrow

Everything in this world, even the world itself will certainly come to its end. When and how it is going to happen is a big question mark that many groups and individuals attempt to answer by giving their end of the world predictions. In fact, the earth's final day has actually been envisaged as early as 634 BCE by the ancient Romans. From then on, various predictions have been given, most of them failed while some are still awaiting their times to unfold. Below are some of them.

1st Century By The Early Christians

Christians during the first century had expectations of Jesus' return after a generation when He died. Even St. Paul the Apostle was believed to be one of these people.

Between 375-400 By St. Martin Of Tours

He stated that the world will be ending prior to the coming of year 400.

1033 By Various Christians

Many Christians during this time have all anticipated that Christ will once again come on His 1000th resurrection anniversary.

1284 By Pope Innocent III

The pope himself has his own predictions of the world's end after 666 years of the Islam religion's rising.

1346-1351 By Many Europeans

When the black plague has spread and affected most inhabitants of Europe, they thought that it was a sign, a beginning of the world's doomsday.

1600 By Martin Luther

He foretold that the year 1600 will not pass and the world will see its end.

1697 By Cotton Mather

He was a Puritan minister whose prediction was that the world will end on that year. What was interesting about this man was that after his 1697 prediction flopped, he once again released predictions about the world's final day twice (in 1716 and 1736).

December 25, 1814 By Joanna Southcott

She was a 64-year old woman who described herself as a prophet. She said that she was carrying within her womb the son of Christ. She proclaimed that the child will be born on Christmas day. This woman died on the day she had predicted and based on the result of her autopsy, it was found that she was not carrying a child.

February 13.1925 By Margaret Rowen

This Seventh Day Adventists woman claimed that she saw Angel Gabriel in her dreams where he told her that the world will end on the midnight of this foretold date.

February 4, 1962 By Jeane Dixon

This psychic foreseen that the world will be destructed when the planets will align themselves with one another.

January 1, 2000 By Various People

Many people believed that the computer virus Y2k will be the cause of numerous computer crashes. Since many systems at this time around the world has been automated by computers, the said malfunction brought about by Y2k was said to create major catastrophes resulting to mankind's end.

June30, 2012 By José Luis de Jesús

His prediction involved the failure of many governments and economies around the world. At such time, he along with his followers will be able to fly and also walk through walls.

On December 21, 2012 By Many Individuals

Many people and groups described different scenarios of the earth's doom such as galactic alignment, nuclear war, giant supernova and more. However, expert geologists and NASA scientists have all confirmed that these scenarios are unlikely to happen.

10100 Years By Various Scientists

The heat of the universe will cease and thus instigate the universe's end because life and motion will not anymore be sustained due to the absence of thermodynamics.

2012 Official Countdown is a complete package of text and audio materials revealing the truths regarding 2012. 2012 The Big Picture is also a similar resource that will show how the world might end according to the Mayan calendar.

How To Buy Centrifugal Fans

By Ador Talukdar

Centrifugal fans are built to be rugged, and are designed with different shapes of blades. They can range in diameter from 200mm to over 5 meters, and the configuration of the blades determines the operation of the fan.

Centrifugal fans may often resemble a paddle wheel and are sometimes referred, to as a squirrel cage. The air enters close to the centre of the wheel, and is turned 90 degrees, and then moves radically outward due to the centrifugal force that is created between the blades of the spinning impeller. The blades can be curved in a convex or concave design, in regard to the direction in which the rotation occurs, or they can be straight. Each design produces a distinctive performance. In order to determine the most suitable design of the centrifugal fans, there should be accurate measurements of the pressures and volumes of air that must be displaced in ventilation systems.

Finding a suitable fan will often entail searching through the catalogues created by the manufacturers of centrifugal fans. Since some customization may be necessary, contacting several companies are asking for quotations or inviting them to submit tenders for construction and installation of the fans, may be a more efficient process. However, additional information, such the pressures and volumes, must be provided, for more complete and appropriate tenders. Information should include temperatures, barometric pressures, humidities and, air densities.

In many situations, there are strict restrictions on the level of noise, that can be produced by the fans. Compliance to the restrictions is necessary, even if the fans are installed underground, and noise levels must be quantified. You may need to provide a plan that shows the proposed location of the fan along with any restriction in the use of space.

When submitting the request for tender, all the quantities and concentrations of pollutants that will be handled by the fan must be clearly identified. They will often include materials such as gases, dust water vapour, and drops of water. Materials of any corrosive nature must also be clearly indicated. You can also indicate preferences for any materials in the manufacture of the impellers and housing assemblies, and you should also specify the type protective coatings or paints to be used in the process or protect.

If you have successfully completed all required back ground work, you may be in a position to specify the type of fan that would be most suited, however, the manufacturer can be asked to propose a suitable solution. The tender should be wide enough in scope to cover all the required aspects, that can include supplying and installation, as well as commissioning the new fan. Each item should be individually priced.

Installation and operation of the fan will require a transmission, motor, monitoring devices, and electrical accessories. These can either be included in the tenders, or they can be separately obtained. There may also be some restrictions on the voltage and available power that can be used in operation of the fans, and these should be clearly indicated. It may also require the use and installation of transformers for proper operation, this issue must also be addressed.

There are many different issued that should be addressed in the purchasing of centrifugal fan. It is always better to seek professional guidance when determining which of the centrifugal fan is best suited for your purpose.

Test passed? Japan's earthquake causes quick response near Fukushima (+video)

TOKYO

For thousands of people living in the region of Japan devastated by last year’s triple disaster, Friday’s earthquake served as an unwelcome reminder of their vulnerability to sudden, violent seismic shifts – and as a warning to the rest of the country.But thanks in large part to the sheer force of the March 11 tragedy, and painful memories of its human toll, people in the vicinity of the quake’s epicenter knew what to do as soon as TV stations issued a tsunami warning: Drop everything and head to higher ground.

As darkness descended, the sense on this occasion was one of relief, not the despair of 21 months ago. Two hours after the northeast coast was rattled by a magnitude-7.3 earthquake at 5:18 p.m. local time, it appeared that the region had escaped unscathed.

Coming at the end of a week in which questions were raised about the country’s infrastructure following last Sunday’s tunnel collapse, the absence of major damage from today's quake was testimony to Japan’s level of preparedness for powerful earthquakes – specifically, the unrivaled ability of its specially designed buildings to withstand violent seismic activity that would have far more devastating consequences in other countries.

QUIZ: How much do you know about Japan? Take this quiz

Japan’s advanced warning system gave people in the area as many as six minutes to take precautions between the first report of the quake and estimate of the its size and the actual arrival of the earthquake.

There were no signs of major structural damage, only a handful of reported injuries, and, while a tsunami did arrive, at a little over 3 feet in height, it paled in comparison to the huge waves that laid waste to the same area last year, killing almost 20,000 people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.

Remember 2011

A third potential source of danger, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, also withstood Friday’s earthquake. The plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power, said it had found no signs of damage to the site’s crippled reactors or of radiation leaks.

Workers at the plant, who are struggling to treat and dispose of huge quantities of contaminated water used to cool the reactors before they can begin the long, dangerous process of removing melted fuel, were ordered to take shelter inside the facility. No one was injured, according to plant workers.

But any notions that the battered northeast had seen the end of new fallout from last year’s disaster were quickly dismissed when the meteorological agency announced that Friday’s quake was not the result of fresh seismic activity, but an aftershock from March 11.There were other reminders of the tragedy after Friday’s earthquake struck out at sea, 176 miles east of the city of Sendai: TV announcers imploring viewers to remember last year's quake and tsunami, and the appearance on-screen of red and yellow lines marking out the areas most at risk. On Friday, as on the day of Japan’s worst disaster in more than six decades, the initial quake was followed by powerful aftershocks and the ever-present risk of another tsunami warning.

Narita Airport closed briefly for safety checks and phone lines were temporarily jammed by the sheer volume of calls. Several much smaller tsunami waves, measured in inches, arrived in other parts of the northeast coastline, including Soma city, which lies just outside the 12-mile evacuation zone imposed around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The earthquake measured a lower 5 in Miyagi Prefecture on Japan's scale of 1 to 7, which measures the amount of shaking a quake causes rather than its intensity.

Earthquakes of that strength can cause damage to older buildings and roads that do not have strict quake-resistant features introduced after more than 6,000 people died in an earthquake in Kobe in January 1995.

Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries. Due to its location on the Pacific Ocean’s “ring of fire,” it accounts for about a fifth of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or higher, and experiences at least one tremor every five minutes.

Added anxiety

Buildings swayed for several minutes as far away as Tokyo; nearer the epicenter, where last year’s tsunami turned coastal towns and villages into near-deserted swathes of flattened land, people quickly headed to higher ground.

For all the relief that catastrophe had been diverted, Friday’s earthquake only added to the anxiety felt by the 325,000 people in the region still living in temporary accommodation. (Readmore about life after Japan's 2011 quake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown)

"I was in the center of the city the very moment the earthquake struck,” Chikako Iwai, a resident ofIshinomaki, in Miyagi Prefecture told Reuters.

“I immediately jumped into the car and started running toward the mountains. I'm still inside the car. I have the radio on and they say the cars are still stuck in traffic. I'm planning to stay here for the next couple of hours," she said.

QUIZ: How much do you know about Japan? Take this quiz

Indian Railways to set up institute for accounting training

NEW DELHI: The railways is going to set up its own training institute to impart training and improve finance and accounting skills among its officials.

It will set up an Indian Railway Institute of Financial Management (IRIFM) at Secunderabad to train its officials in accounting and finance.

The state-run transporter will also start a specialized programme to depute middle-level finance officers abroad for training.

Announcing the decision on the occasion of Indian Railway Account Services (IRAS) day, Vijaya Kanth, financial commissioner of railways, asked IRAS officers to examine their role in public service that is meant to be efficient and effective with integrity.

She exhorted the officers to improve their skills which should keep pace with developments outside the finance world.

HDFC Life unveils 2 unit-linked pension plans

MUMBAI, DEC 3:

HDFC Life has launched two unit-linked pension plans based on new guidelines by the Insurance Regulatory Development Authority.

HDFC Life Pension Super Plus is a regular premium unit-linked plan that offers death benefit of total premiums paid to date accumulated at a guaranteed rate of 6 per cent per annum.

HDFC Life Single Premium Pension Super, a single premium unit-linked plan, offers benefit of 101 per cent of total premiums paid on vesting, the company statement said.

The life insurance company has also launched a traditional annuity plan, HDFC Life New Immediate Annuity Plan. As per IRDA’s new guidelines, customers need to purchase immediate annuity from the proceeds of the Pension Plan from the same company.

A survey -- HDFC Life Value Notes Life Freedom Index -- conducted earlier this year revealed that consumers are sceptical about the adequacy of their financial plans to meet their desired standard of living throughout their lifetime, the company said.

According to the survey, about 13 per cent of youth and women and about 24 per cent of those 45 years and above are confident that they have adequate retirement planning in place. This reflects that planning for retirement among all customer segments needs significant improvement.

Amitabh Chaudhry, MD & CEO, HDFC Life said, “HDFC Life Single Premium Pension Super and HDFC Life Pension Super Plus are designed to build a sizeable corpus for post retirement income and offer assured vesting value with minimum guarantee benefits.”

‘Khiladi 786’ review: Akshay Kumar's return as 'Khiladi' marred by bad script!

Ananya Bhattacharya

When back in 2008, Rohit Shetty’s ‘Sunday’ pulled off an ingenious spoof on Bollywood’s quintessential pseudo-versatile-genius, people might have had a genuine laugh or two. Little did they know that while Arshad Warsi was caustically speaking about his partner, Irrfan Khan’s acting prowess as the music director who produces his own film, directs it on his own, provides music to it and acts in it; Himesh Reshammiya might actually have been eavesdropping. And perhaps the result of that overheard conversation is this gigantic pain in the neck called ‘Khiladi 786’.

Manshukh Desai (Himesh Reshammiya – need I say more?!) is a wedding planner, an aide in his father’s business. Just that all he can do is break up marriages with his incompetence or some gaffe or the other. So when one such wedding falls apart, Desai is kicked out of his home. Hitting the streets with a bottle of desi liquor and trying to re-enact a Devdas might be anybody’s forte but Himesh’s – the man makes sure of that with his forced acting. Enter Indu Tendulkar (Asin), the girl who nobody wants to enter wedlock with: reason – she’s TT’s (Mithun Chakraborty) sister. Tantiya Tukaram Tendulkar’s abbreviated name is enough to leave people in tatters. An underworld don, this man can just not be imprisoned.

And then there’s the Khiladi. The Punjab-da-puttar Bahattar Singh – 72 Singh as he’s better known as (Inane? You bet.) – Akshay Kumar in garish, loud kurtas knocking off the teeth and smashing the noses of every other bad guy in the village. One might go to the extent of mistaking him for the Robin Hood in uniform. Yes, he plays a cop here as well – seemingly so. From 71 to 75, all the males in the Singh family have their names firmly perched on a number. Khiladi Bhaiya hits people, loots trucks, keeps a considerable amount of the booty to himself and distributes the rest among the people.

Mansukh decides to get Indu and Bahattar hitched, and looks upon it as the wedding that would prove him as a man in front of his father. However, there are cock-and-bull stories to be concocted on the way and brash, rowdy people to be gotten rid of. Oh and there’s Indu’s gunda boyfriend too to be taken care of. Somewhere along the way, Khiladi Bhaiya’s philanthropy gets buried under layers of hallucinations involving him romancing Indu in some foreign land or singing sad songs, also in some foreign land. The Punjab da Puttar is careful about his imaginations: there are red Ferraris and exotic locales involved, always.

Himesh Reshammiya’s story zigzags through concealment of identities, servants trying to bring their employer’s empire down, and a wedding planner hoping that his endeavour doesn’t go in vain. But honestly, he could just have not bothered to go ahead with this waste of talent, money, and whatnot.

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That Akshay Kumar as an actor is an exceptionally talented one has been proved time and again – given the man has a decent story to perform in. Not this one, though. The genre of action is the Khiladi’s forte, goes without saying; however, when it remains in the realm of the real. One single man taking on more than 200 goons and flattening them single-handedly – come on, haven’t we had too much of that already? When Akshay Kumar isn’t beating people up or thinking about Asin, which – by the way – hardly happens, he isn’t bad. Asin’s Marathi mulgi act is overshadowed by her tomboyish side; but when faced by solid patriarchy in the form of her brother, she hardly has anything to do. Her acting is good, but not one that deserves a standing ovation. Mithun plays off the stereotypical elder-brother-worried-about-sister’s-wedding well.

As far as Himesh Reshammiya’s talent (he’s the producer, storywriter, music director, singer and actor in the film) is considered – we might need to do an entire thesis on why does this man try and burn a little of his fingers everywhere! The old adage ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’ might be able to do some justice to the fellow – hopefully.

The music of the film, by Himesh (yet again!) ranges from un-listenable to cringe-inducing songs. Numbers like ‘Hookah Bar’, ‘Fire Brigade’ and the like – absurd as they might appear – are catchy, and will definitely do a good job of staying on the music charts for some time. The other songs will hopefully be forgotten the way so many others are; and cheers to that!

Watch the film if you swear by Akshay Kumar. If you don’t, you’d be ill-advised to go into the theatres.

On Ada Lovelace's 197th birthday Google doodles the evolution of computers

New Delhi: From the first program that Ada Lovelace created for the Analytical Engine to present day laptops and tablet PCs, Google has doodled the evolution of computers on the occasion of the world's first computer programmer's 197th birth anniversary.

The doodle shows Ada Lovelace writing the pioneering computer program with a quill pen seated on a desk and the paper scroll she is writing her algorithm on twirls in the shape of the letters of the Google logo.

Ada King, the countess of Lovelace, was born on December 10, 1815 in Piccadilly Terrace, Middlesex, England and was the daughter of the famous poet Lord Byron, but as her parents separated soon after her birth and she did not get to know her father well.

Her original name was Augusta Ada Byron and on her marriage to William King she became Ada King and later her husband became an earl, she became the countess of Lovelace.

While she was educated at home by tutors, her mathematical skills were further honed by Augustus De Morgan, the first professor of mathematics at the University of London, who helped her in advanced studies.

Her association with Charles Babbage, father of the computer, began when she translated an article by Italian mathematician and engineer Luigi Federico on Babbage's proposed Analytical Engine. She not only translated the work but added her notes that were more elaborate and longer than the work she was translating.

Ada Lovelace died at the young age of 36 on November 27, 1852 of uterine cancer.

Charles Babbage called her the 'Enchantress of Numbers'. Though there has been some disagreements over the extent of Ada Lovelace's contribution to early computing, the computer language Ada is named after her and a medal is awarded in her name by the British Computer Society.

Johnny Manziel's journey just beginning

George Schroeder, USA TODAY Sports

2Comment

It's a lofty goal, but Manziel was deemed the best player in college football this season by Heisman voters, who overcame their historic unwillingness to reward freshmen.9:46PM EST December 9. 2012 - NEW YORK — Say this for Johnny Manziel: He has ambition. He's just become the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy, and his next objective is only, well, "to be the best football player in the entire world."

Described by runner-up Manti Te'o as "a human video game," the Texas A&M quarterback known as "Johnny Football" received 474 of a possible 928 first-place votes and a total of 2,029 points, ahead of the Notre Dame linebacker (321 first-place votes, 1,706 points) and Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein (60, 894).

Despite setting the Southeastern Conference record for total offense while leading A&M to a 10-2 record, there would seem to be room for growth. While Te'o and Klein were seniors, Manziel was only two days past his 20th birthday when he claimed the trophy Saturday night. He has three years of eligibility remaining (though after redshirting in 2011, he could opt for the NFL draft next year, after his sophomore season).

Could he win another Heisman or three? He hast other ideas.

"First and foremost, there's the Cotton Bowl," said Manziel, referring to the Aggies' game Jan. 4 with 11th-ranked Oklahoma in Arlington, Texas. "From there, I have to be the guy that starts the motor for a run at the national title next year. That's our goal. If more awards come, they come."

It's not a hard and fast rule that Heisman-winning quarterbacks don't play well in bowl games, it just seems that way. Only a year ago, Robert Griffin III led Baylor to victory in a wild Alamo Bowl shootout that showcased all of his ability. The year before that, Cam Newton led Auburn to the BCS title. While the last 10 went 4-6, perhaps buried beneath the toll of the awards circuit, Manziel's father said refocusing won't be a problem.

"He's so competitive," Paul Manziel told USA TODAY Sports. "He loves to play the game. He's happiest on the field. He's ready to go practice right now."

Manziel's coaches say he has only begun to tap his potential. The 6-foot, 205-pounder compiled 4,600 yards and led the SEC in rushing and scoring. When he led the Aggies to a stunning upset Nov. 10 at then-No. 1 Alabama, the legend of "Johnny Football" was full-blown. But Texas A&M offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said as a player, Manziel is not yet fully grown.

Although the most spectacular highlights come from ad-libs, the sequences when no one including Manziel is really sure what's coming next, the continued emphasis is to stick with the plan, to strike what Kingsbury calls "a happy medium" between following instruction or his instincts.

"We'll just keep getting better. We've got lots to improve," Kingsbury said. Turning to Manziel, he added: "Right?"

"Right," Manziel answered, and grinned.

Jennie Garth Having Trouble Accepting Peter Facinelli's New Romance

Actress Jennie Garth is struggling to come to terms with her estranged husband Peter Facinelli's new romance, insisting his blossoming relationship with Jaimie Alexander is hard to accept.

The Twilight hunk split from Garth in March after 11 years of marriage, and he recently began dating brunette beauty Alexander, his co-star in TV drama Nurse Jackie.

Former Beverly Hills, 90210 regular Garth admits it is tough to watch Facinelli move on to another woman, even though she is quietly dating too.

She tells People.com, "I think there will come a time when it won't sting so bad. But I'm not quite there yet."

Garth and Facinelli share custody of their three daughters Luca, Lola and Fiona.

Manti Te'o wins Lott IMPACT Trophy

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o has won the Lott IMPACT Trophy as the collegiate defensive player having the biggest impact on his team.

The linebacker led the Irish in tackles each of the past three seasons, including 103 this year when top-ranked Notre Dame went undefeated in the regular season.

The other finalists were Arthur Brown of Kansas State, Jarvis Jones of Georgia and Chase Thomas of Stanford.

It was the seventh national award for Te'o in a week. He was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night in New York.

The award is named for Hall of Fame defensive back Ronnie Lott and goes to a player with strong academic work, community involvement and team leadership.

Notre Dame will receive $25,000 for its general scholarship fund.

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was the speaker at Sunday night's banquet in Newport Beach.

Luke Kuechly of Boston College won last year

UFC on FOX 5 analysis: Henderson goes from wrong side of highlight reel to dominant champ

By MARC RAIMONDI
Posted: 3:28 PM, December 9, 2012

Benson Henderson, left, kicks Nate Diaz during the fifth round of a lightweight championship mixed martial arts bout at a UFC on FOX event Seattle.

Benson Henderson was posterized.

Two years ago, he was on the receiving end of perhaps the most replayed MMA sequence of all time. Anthony Pettis kicked himself off the cage in the fifth round with his right foot and used the same leg to clip Henderson’s chin. It was an action-movie highlight – impossible to imagine in real life.

Pettis won the fight and the WEC title on that night in December 2010. Henderson became the MMA equivalent of the guy who haplessly tries to block Michael Jordan or LeBron James before he throws down a ferocious dunk.

He also has not lost since.

Henderson defended his UFC lightweight title Saturday night by absolutely dominating Nate Diaz for five fast-paced rounds at UFC on FOX 5 in Seattle. He used his strength and athleticism – he’s the best 155-pounder in the world in those two categories – to frustrate the normally tough-minded Diaz.

Diaz blamed a punch to the eye that blurred his vision early in the fight. In actuality, it wasn’t his eye that was the problem – it was the muscle between his ears. Henderson got in his head by keeping things tight, pushing him up against the cage, taking him down and elbowing him hard during scrambles.

And those leg kicks. Diaz’s boxing, his greatest attribute as a mixed martial artist, could never get going. Henderson crushed Diaz’s lead leg over and over with sledgehammer-like kicks. When he wasn’t kicking Diaz’s legs, he was punching them, an unorthodox yet successful strategy.

After two extremely close wins over Frankie Edgar, Henderson firmly established himself as the No. 1 lightweight in the world Saturday night. It was a rout, a blowout that was only missing a finish.

Henderson, 29, has become almost like a 155-pound version of Georges St-Pierre. He executes an excellent strategy, stays in an opponent’s face, has magnificent cardio and eventually outpoints him.

Lightweight is such a stacked division in the UFC that it’s hard to guarantee Henderson will have the belt a long time. Besides, there’s one guy out there who has something over on him: Pettis. If Pettis beats Donald Cerrone next month, it’s almost a lock he’ll meet Henderson again.

The outcome there might be different. The only poster Henderson’s likeness graces right now is one that reads UFC lightweight champion.

Alexander Gustafsson was good enough to win all three rounds against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, one of the best light heavyweights of all time. It was an impressive showing and some would even call it dominant. But I doubt people are lining up to see the big Swede fight champion Jon Jones, especially the way Jones pummelled “Shogun” from pillar to post last year to win the belt.

With that said, Gustafsson is just 25 – the same age as Jones – and his wrestling is improving constantly training with Phil Davis and Michael Chandler at Alliance MMA in San Diego. Gustafsson is supposedly the No. 1 contender now, though he’ll likely fight again since Jones gets Chael Sonnen in April. Another win before a title shot won’t be a bad thing and if it’s impressive that could mean both guys would make more money when and if it happens.

Rory MacDonald is a weird dude with an interesting style of dress. He’s also arguably the most talented young fighter in the world not named Jon Jones. There’s only one guy that has made BJ Penn look absolutely clueless in a fight and that’s MacDonald’s training partner Georges St-Pierre. It’s early, but at 23 he has all the tools to become one of the sports all-time greats. MacDonald dominated Penn in every aspect of the fight, including fighting where Penn was supposed to have an edge.

Afterward, MacDonald called out Carlos Condit, the man who handed him his only UFC loss – and that was a TKO in the closing seconds of a fight two years ago. That fight could make sense and if MacDonald wins you can make a serious case for him getting a title shot. But what will he do if St-Pierre is still the champion? That would be an incredible matchup of teacher versus student if it ever happens.

UFC president Dana White thinks Penn should retire. I don’t know why. I understand it when White says a guy who continuously gets knocked out late in his career should call it quits. Penn is not that guy. He almost never gets dominated like he was by MacDonald. I credit Rory’s skills for that more than BJ’s deterioration. There’s one thing Penn has to do though – move back to 155 pounds. Fights are still out there for him at lightweight.

Outside of two losses to Frankie Edgar, who is no longer in the division, Penn has not been defeated at 155 since Jens Pulver in 2002. I don’t think he’ll ever be a threat for Henderson’s belt, but he can still win fights at that weight.

Matt Brown should have probably been cut by the UFC two years ago. He lost three straight, including two to guys no longer with the organization. Smart move to keep him around by matchmaker Joe Silva and White. The Ohio native has now won four in a row after his one-punch knockout of Mike Swick. I’m not sure if Brown is really near a title shot, but at 31 he has firmly established himself as a durable, exciting and winning fighter for the company.

As good as Brown’s knockout was, Yves Edwards took home the $65,000 Knockout of the Night bonus with his starching of Jeremy Stephens. My pick would have been Daron Cruickshank’s head kick KO of Henry Martinez, though. That was the No. 3 top play on “SportsCenter” and will live on highlight reels for a very long time. Cruickshank got robbed.

Dennis Siver looked phenomenal in taking apart Nam Phan. The German kickboxer can be a real force at 145 pounds. I feel the same way about Abel Trujillo at lightweight, though his two guilty pleas on domestic violence charges raise serious red flags.

Putting Scott Jorgensen’s fight on Facebook was a disservice to him and the fans, but luckily the fight did air on TV. The guy is never boring and his rear-naked choke of John Albert with one second remaining in the first round earned him Submission of the Night and Knockout of the Night bonuses. Jorgensen has now won five “Of the Night” bonuses in his Zuffa career. Not too shabby.

The overnight ratings for UFC on FOX 5 were a significant improvement over the last two shows, which had to be expected given the title fight and stacked card.

TVByTheNumbers.com has the event averaging 3.41 million viewers and that’s without taking into account the West Coast and the 10 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. block that the main event ran into.

The last two FOX cards did overnight ratings of 2.25 million and 2.36 million. Saturday’s numbers are still going to be short of last November’s first FOX card, which did 5.7 million for the heavyweight title fight between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos. January’s FOX card, which had a main event of Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis, did 4.37 million.

mraimondi@nypost.com

Hanukkah celebrants gather for downtown Baltimore menorah lighting

Jewish community gathers under misty rain for holiday event

Rabbi Shmuel Kaplan and Howard Silverman, 13, light a menorah in McKeldin Square in memory of Esther Ann Adler, who was Silverman's aunt. (Algerina Perna, Baltimore Sun / December 9, 2012)

By Kevin Rector, The Baltimore Sun

8:28 p.m. EST, December 9, 2012

After mounting menorahs atop minivans and gathering in Park Heights, members of Baltimore's Jewish community paraded in a caravan south to the Inner Harbor, where they ate latkes and jelly doughnuts, danced and listened to traditional music before lighting the city's 30-foot-tall menorah in McKeldin Park.

Under a misty rain Sunday evening, another Hanukkah season was marked downtown, with celebrants of the festival of lights proudly announcing their faith on Light Street.

"Hanukkah has a special message, not only for people of the Jewish community but also for the larger community," said Rabbi Shmuel Kaplan, director of Chabad Lubavitch in Maryland, which helped organize the event. "It recognizes the victory of religious freedom as well as the importance of living with our values."

In the Jewish tradition, the eight nights of Hanukkah — which began Saturday night — celebrate the triumph of the Maccabees over the Greeks and the story of priests rekindling the temple light using a small amount of pure oil that, despite all odds, burned for eight days until more could be produced, community members said.

The Chabad Lubavitch movement asks its members to honor the tradition through public events such as the one downtown where the celebration has taken place for the past three years. This year marks its second with the large menorah.

"What I like about this event is it brings people together from all different neighborhoods in Baltimore," said Rabbi Levi Druk, of Chabat Lubavitch of Downtown Baltimore.

"It can't squash Hanukkah," said Sharon Caplan, of Federal Hill, of the wet weather. "There are still potato latkes, there are still candles. It's still all good."

Children with their faces painted watched acrobat Dextre Tripp perform as the Maryland Defense Force Band played holiday tunes on a stage where a handful of city officials, including Councilwoman Rochelle "Rikki" Spector, also sat.

Rafi Goff and friend Don Brody, both of Chabad of Park Heights, dressed in dreidel costumes, encouraged kids to spin them in circles "to spread the holiday joy," Groff said.

Rivky Bukiet, there with her husband and five young sons, said the event has become a family tradition.

"Snow, rain or shine, they wouldn't let me miss it," Bukiet said of her boys, all between the ages of 8 and 1. "It's their favorite holiday."

Bukiet said she remembers a similar tradition of parading through Buffalo, N.Y., in her family's car as a child, "so proud to drive around with the menorah on top, reminding everyone it's Hanukkah."

About 5 p.m., Rabbi Kaplan went up high above the crowd in a bucket truck with Howard Silverman, 13, of Pikesville, to light the menorah at its center and atop its two left-most branches. The rain made the lighting difficult, but the pair made it work, and the flames licked back at the moist air to cheers from below.

Silverman — whose grandfather Howard Brown, chairman of David S. Brown Enterprises, donated the 30-foot menorah in memory of his daughter Esther Ann Adler, who died three years ago — said the experience was "awesome."

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Army-Navy game: Midshipmen overcome late deficit to overtake Black Knights, 17-13, to win Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy

View Photo Gallery — Navy overcomes late deficit to overtake Army 17-13: Keenan Reynolds scores the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter as the Midshipmen beat the Black Knights for the 11th consecutive time to regain the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy.

By Gene Wang, Published: December 8

PHILADELPHIA — The Navy football team completed its regular season resurgence on Saturday by rallying for a 17-13 victory over Army to reclaim the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, thanks to a signature performance from freshman quarterback Keenan Reynoldsand an opportunistic defense that preserved the result in the closing minutes at Lincoln Financial Field.

In the Midshipmen’s series-record 11th consecutive win before an announced crowd of 69,607, Reynolds scored on an eight-yard run with 4 minutes 41 seconds left in regulation, turning a play designed to go inside to a dash wide around the right side and reaching the end zone just inside the pylon.

Then on the Black Knights’ ensuing possession that had them with a first and 10 at the Navy 14, nose guard Barry Dabney fell on a loose ball following a poor exchange between quarterback Trent Steelman and running back Larry Dixon with 1:04 remaining, and the Midshipmen could begin celebrating their seventh win in eight games.

“This is the best I’ve ever felt after winning a football game,” said senior wide receiver Brandon Turner, who caught a 49-yard pass one play before Reynolds’s winning touchdown. “I wish I could put it into words and describe it to you. It’s phenomenal.”

Named the game’s most valuable player, Reynolds finished with 43 rushing yards on 15 carries and added 130 passing yards on 10 of 17 completions without an interception. Sophomore fullback Noah Copeland, meantime, had 99 rushing yards on 22 carries, including a 12-yard touchdown run for the first points of the game.

Steelman’s 11-yard run with 6:20 to play before halftime tied it at 7, and after the Midshipmen got a 31-yard field goal from freshman place kicker Nick Sloan, Army went ahead on a pair of field goals by senior Eric Osteen. The first came when his 41-yard bid hit the left upright but fell through on the final snap of the first half.

Osteen’s 21-yard kick with 3:36 left in the third quarter produced the only points of the period, and he had an opportunity to give Army a six-point lead, but he missed wide left on a 37-yard attempt with just less than seven minutes remaining in the game.

The Midshipmen (8-4) then took over at their 20 for the decisive drive reminiscent of when Reynolds, the first freshman since 1991 to start at quarterback for Navy, scored the tying touchdown and directed the winning drive during a28-21 overtime triumph against Air Force on Oct. 6 in Colorado Springs. That victory coupled with Saturday’s outcome means Navy owns the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy for the 13th time and has run its record to 19-2 in its past 21 games against the other service academies.

“I don’t really say much to Keenan because the kid knows what he’s doing,” Navy Coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “The kid is a very, very good football player. He listens, he’s coachable. His legacy will be, will he stay hungry and stay humble? If if does those two things, that kid has a chance to go down as one of the best quarterbacks we’ve ever had here.”

Steelman, meantime, leaves West Point among the most decorated players in Army historybut with an 0-4 record against Navy. He finished with 96 yards rushing and one touchdown and added 48 passing yards on 4 of 5 completions in the final game of his college football career.

Running back Raymond Maples ran for a game-high 156 yards on 27 carries as the Black Knights (2-10) rolled up 370 rushing yards and outgained Navy 418-297 in total yards. But Army wasn’t able to overcome three lost fumbles that in part allowed Navy to win in time of possession by nearly four minutes.

“It’s just unfortunate,” Steelman said. “I don’t know how else to put it. I feel like we deserved that game in every way possible, but it just didn’t happen. We were wearing them down, and there was nothing that was going to stop us, but that’s life. Things don’t go your way sometimes.”

Jerry Brown's high school coach remembers positive kid

Robert Klemko, USA TODAY Sports

4Comment

10:32PM EST December 9. 2012 - The high school football coach of Jerry Brown says the St. Louis community where Brown grew up is still "in disbelief" over his passing as a result of a Saturday morning car wreck.

Brown, a 25-year-old practice squad defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys, died after the car he was riding in wrecked and flipped on Texas State Highway 114, then caught fire. The driver, Cowboys teammate Josh Brent, has been charged with intoxication manslaughter.

Reginald Ferguson has been the Vashon High School head football coach for 10 years and remembers Brown as a positive influence on his peers.

GARRETT: Cowboys coach reflects on Brown

COLLEGE TEAMMATE: Brown a 'good dude'

"Jerry's attitude was always good for the team," Ferguson said Sunday. "He was always very positive for the program and very positive for his teammates. Just a good person. Everybody was rooting for him. Everyone looked forward to seeing him play in the NFL."

Ferguson said the high schooler who refused to dwell on losses hadn't changed much in adulthood.

"He had natural leadership about him," Ferguson said of Brown, a four-year varsity starter at Vashon. "If we happened to lose the game he'd come and say, 'Hey coach, how about we do this, that and the other next week?' He wasn't worried about the loss or anything like that. That wasn't his concern because he knew that we could do things better. That's what I loved about him."

Brown graduated from Vashon in 2006, winning three St. Louis Public High League titles and three Missouri district championships before attending the University of Illinois. Brown had stints with two Arena League teams and one CFL team before signing with the Indianapolis Colts this season. He was later cut and picked up by Dallas.

When Brown signed with the Colts, he called Ferguson to tell him the good news.

"When he made that leap from Arena to NFL everybody was excited and quite proud of him," Ferguson said. "He was very excited -- very excited. That was a big thing for him, and he wanted me to know, and I was really delighted that he kept me in mind. He felt like with all the trials and all the different places he'd been, he was getting this opportunity, and he was looking forward to making good on the opportunity. That's Jerry. You never heard him down. He was always positive."

Ferguson said the manner in which Brown died, and the controversy surrounding the death, have little bearing on his memory of him.

"Details like that, I just dealt with it from the standpoint of, he's gone," Ferguson said.