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Calls For More Reporting Of Suspected Child Abuse

Credit Gene J. Puskar / AP

Students stand outside Penn State's Old Main building, protesting the handling of a child abuse scandal involving retired Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.

Credit Evan Vucci / AP

Former NHL hockey player Sheldon Kennedy testified before the Senate subcommittee on children and families during a hearing on child abuse. As a young teen, he said, he was sexually abused for years by a respected hockey coach, but the adults around him who suspected never said a thing.

By Joseph Shapiro

Originally published on Wed December 21, 2011 8:35 am

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The revelations about alleged child sex abuse by a former Penn State football coach have caused policymakers to propose new measures to broaden who is required to report suspected abuse.

Each state already has laws that require some combination of doctors, teachers, day care providers and others who work with children to report suspected abuse. If they don't, they could face fines, the loss of a license, and, in some states, possibly jail time.

8:00 pm

Tue December 20, 2011

The NBA Is Bullish On Christmas, By Necessity

Credit Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images

The Chicago Bulls mascot, dressed as Santa Claus, dunks during a game last December. The NBA is starting its season on Christmas Day, with a quintuple-header.

By Frank Deford

This time last year, Phil Jackson, then the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, complained that the NBA scheduled games on Christmas Day. It seemed, he said, that "Christian holidays don't mean anything" any longer.

A few players echoed Jackson's sentiments, but the complaint died aborning. This Christmas, Sunday, the league has scheduled ... (to the tune of "The 12 Days Of Christmas"):

5 gold games,

4 point guards,

3 referees,

2 free throws,

5:19 pm

Tue December 20, 2011

Hell On Fire In 2011, Thanks To Film And Books

Credit Hulton Archive / Getty Images

Hell was much written and thought about in 2011. In this 18th-century engraving accompanying Dante's Inferno, Virgil leads the poet past souls writhing in torment in the River Styx.

By Barbara Bradley Hagerty

In 2011, hell was a hot topic, from Hollywood to New York Times bestsellers. In fact, this year has seen an incendiary debate about the existence and contents of hell.

The year began with an epic battle between a priest and Satan, with Anthony Hopkins playing a demon possessed priest in the movie, The Rite. The Hollywood glimpse of the underworld came and went without much notice by moviegoers. But then, another form of hell on earth grabbed the headlines. Judgment Day would soon be upon us.

5:18 pm

Tue December 20, 2011

No Excuses: Robots Put You In Two Places At Once

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Credit Anybots.com

The two "eyes" on the Anybot are actually a camera and a laser. The camera "sees," the laser points, and the person on the screen controls it all.

Credit Oli Scarff / Getty Images

Robot technology made several advances in 2011. Here, an iCub robot built by the Italian Institute of Technology tracks and grabs a red ball at the Robotville exhibition, held in London.

Credit AFP / AFP/Getty Images

The QA telepresence robot by Anybots chats with people on the floor at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January 2009. The CEO of one Silicon Valley startup uses an Anybots robot around the office when he's away on business.

By Laura Sydell

Originally published on Tue January 3, 2012 11:11 am

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Mike Fennelly isn't easily surprised by cutting-edge technologies, but when he started as an IT guy at a Silicon Valley startup called Evernote, he was caught off guard by a robot rolling around the office.

"It was slightly disturbing for not really knowing what the robot was for at the beginning, and then going, 'Oh, OK. That's Phil,' " he says.

CEO Phil Libin is also known as the company's "robotic overlord." Libin himself isn't actually a robot, but when he's out of town, his robot keeps an eye on things.

4:34 pm

Tue December 20, 2011

In Sales, Android Has Upper Hand On The iPhone

Credit Laurent Fievet / AFP/Getty Images

Models hold the new Samsung Galaxy Nexus Android phone during its official launch in Hong Kong in October. The new smartphone runs Google's Android "Ice Cream Sandwich" operating system.

By Sam Sanders

Apple's iPhones may seem more cool, but the Google-backed Android phones are much more popular in the United States. In 2011, Android's U.S. market share was 53 percent, compared to 29 percent for the iPhone, according to the research group NPD.

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10:01 pm

Tue December 20, 2011