Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Syria forces retake Damascus suburbs; showdown at U.N. (Reuters)

AMMAN/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) ? Syrian government forces reasserted control of Damascus suburbs on Tuesday after beating back rebels at the capital's gates, ahead of a push at the United Nations for a resolution calling for President Bashar al-Assad to give up powers.

Western and Arab diplomats descended on U.N. headquarters to back a Security Council resolution that would endorse an Arab League call for Assad to delegate powers to his deputy and defuse a 10-month uprising against his family's dynastic rule.

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby urged the council to take "rapid and decisive action," while Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim warned the 15-nation body that Syria's "killing machine is still at work.

Eleraby made clear that Arab nations are trying to avoid foreign intervention in the Syrian crisis.

The Arab leaders will make the case for the bloc's plan, with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe and Britain's William Hague presenting a united western front.

The fate of the resolution depends on whether the Arabs and Western states can get Russia - long Assad's ally - to abstain rather than veto it.

Diplomats have been haggling for days to find a text Moscow will not block, with a main sticking point being the degree to which it expresses support for the Arab plan for Assad to give up powers, U.N. diplomats said under condition of anonymity.

Russia opposes a resolution explicitly backing Arab League calls for Assad to step aside, or which does not rule out the use of force to push him out.

"The Western draft Security Council resolution on Syria will not lead to a search for compromise," Interfax quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov as saying. "Pushing it is a path to civil war."

British Prime Minister David Cameron told parliament: "What ... the foreign secretary is doing today with colleagues at the U.N. Security Council is trying to build the strongest possible resolution and say to the Russians: 'Really, if you go on vetoing or preventing these motions, you are going to be completely outside, not just world public opinion, but the very, very clear, expressed opinion of the Arab League themselves.'"

BATTLEFRONT

On the battlefront, activists in eastern districts of Damascus said troops fired in the air as they advanced beyond areas from which the defector Free Syrian Army withdrew, capping three days of fighting activists said killed at least 100 people. Tanks also swarmed into the area.

"The suburbs are under an unannounced curfew. A small grocery shop opened this morning and soldiers came and beat the owner and forced him to shut down," said an activist in the Ain Tarma neighborhood on Tuesday.

Others said residents of some eastern districts were allowed to flee their neighborhoods in vehicles by advancing troops, but that security forces in the district of Irbin had rounded up young men at gunpoint and detained them.

Events on the ground are difficult to confirm as the Syrian government restricts most access by journalists.

Activist groups said 25 people were killed on Monday in Damascus suburbs and dozens more died in other parts of the country, mostly in raids in and around the central city of Homs, which has seen some of the heaviest attacks by Assad's forces.

NEW PHASE

The uprising against Assad - one of the most violent revolts of the "Arab Spring" - has entered a new phase in recent weeks, with an insurgency whose leadership is based in Turkey daring to show its face at the outskirts of the capital.

A last-ditch bid by Moscow to broker talks between Assad's government and rebels foundered when the opposition refused to attend, citing the continued killing, torture and imprisonment of the president's opponents.

Washington says countries need to accept that Assad's rule is doomed and stop shielding him in the Security Council.

"I do not see how he can sustain his rule of Syria," U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said on Tuesday.

A draft of the U.N. Security Council resolution obtained by Reuters emphasizes "the need to resolve the current crisis in Syria peacefully" and neither authorizes the use of force against Assad nor explicitly bars it.

A key sticking point is language in the draft that "fully supports" the Arab plan, U.N. diplomats said. European delegations were prepared to dilute that language to win over Moscow, while Arab and U.S. delegates were less inclined to compromise, the diplomats said.

One of Russia's leading defense and security think-tanks, CAST, said Moscow could lose billions of dollars in military contracts with Assad if he is pushed aside. Assad's Syria is one of Russia's last allies in the region.

China is expected to join Russia in either vetoing the draft or abstaining to let it pass. So far Moscow has shown little sign of agreeing to allow the resolution, but some Western diplomats say they still hope Moscow will not block it.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for consensus among the Council to stop the bloodshed, saying: "Every day tens of people are killed ... It is crucially important for the Security Council to act on this."

Syria is the main Arab ally of non-Arab Iran, which has often put Assad at odds with other Arab leaders.

"America's plan for Syria is evident and unfortunately some foreign and regional countries take part in America's plans," Iran's IRNA news agency quoted Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying on Tuesday.

REBELS SHOW FACE IN CAPITAL

Assad's forces appear to have decisively beaten back an attempt by the opposition to assert themselves near Damascus.

An activist said armed defectors mounted scattered attacks on government troops who advanced through the district of Saqba, held by rebels just days earlier.

Rebel forays near the capital follow a negotiated victory in Zabadani - a town of 40,000 in mountains near the border with Lebanon - where government forces pulled back under a ceasefire.

Some rebel commanders have spoken of creating "liberated" territories to force diplomatic action.

Outside the capital, an explosion set fire to a crude oil pipeline feeding an oil refinery in the city of Homs, residents said. A tall plume of smoke rose from the pipeline in farmland east of the refinery, one of two in the country.

Amour-backed troops entered al-Adawiya district in Homs, driving out Free Syrian Army rebels. Residents said tank bombardment and gunfire could be heard across the city in one of the heaviest barrages in weeks, and activists reporting dozens of casualties and field hospitals full of wounded.

The United Nations said in December more than 5,000 people had been killed in the protests and crackdown. Syria says more than 2,000 security force members have been killed by militants.

(Additional reporting by Suleiman al-Khalidi and Steve Gutterman; Writing by Joseph Logan; Editing by Peter Graff and Christopher Wilson)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/un/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120131/wl_nm/us_syria

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AAA: Average price of gasoline in Washington $3.49 (AP)

BELLEVUE, Wash. ? The AAA auto club reports the average price of a gallon of gasoline in Washington is $3.49.

That's up 2 cents in a week and 7 cents in a month. It's 6 cents higher than the national average.

Some metro prices from Monday's AAA survey:

Bellingham $3.62, Bremerton $3.54, Seattle-Bellevue-Everett $3.56, Tacoma $3.54, Olympia $3.55, Vancouver $3.53, Yakima $3.61, Tri-Cities $3.29, Spokane $3.18.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/energy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gas_prices_washington

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Monday, January 30, 2012

Japan finds water leaks at stricken nuclear plant (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Japan's stricken nuclear power plant has leaked more than 600 liters of water, forcing it to briefly suspend cooling operations at a spent-fuel pond at the weekend, but none is thought to have escaped into the ocean, the plant's operator and domestic media said.

The Fukushima plant, on the coast north of Tokyo, was wrecked by a huge earthquake and tsunami in March last year, triggering the evacuation of around 80,000 people in the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years.

The operator of the complex, the Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco), reported two main leakages on its Web site on Sunday, one from a pump near the plant's office building and another from a back-up cooling system at reactor No.4.

"The cooling water is from a filtrate tank for fire extinction and doesn't contain radioactive materials," Tepco said of the incident at reactor No. 4. It added that some water from the other leakage had flowed into a drain and "we are examining whether this water has flowed into the ocean or not."

The Nikkei newspaper Monday quoted Tepco as saying around 40 liters had leaked from the pool-cooling system of the No. 4 reactor Sunday morning, with probably 600 liters of purified water leaking from another point. Water had also leaked at other facilities within the complex, the Nikkei added.

However, the Nikkei newspaper quoted Tepco Monday as saying that it believed no water had escaped into the sea.

"The leakage is believed to have been caused by freezing due to cold weather, and the leaked water included radioactively contaminated water that has been purified," the Nikkei said in its online edition, quoting Tepco.

"The contamination level is low."

(Reporting by Mark Bendeich; Editing by Kavita Chandran)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120129/wl_nm/us_japan_nuclear_fukushima

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Onion: Did the Media Treat Bachmann Unfairly? (Little green footballs)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/192758721?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

Utah school bomb plot: from inspiration to prevention, Columbine had a part

One suspect in the Utah high school bomb plot interviewed the Columbine principal in December. Police were tipped off by a friend of the suspect who received a suspicious message.?

An apparent school bombing plot foiled this week in Utah illustrates how much the Columbine massacre still resonates more than 10 years later.

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One of the Utah suspects was so fascinated by the 1999 mass shootings at Colorado?s Columbine High School that he visited the school in December and interviewed the principal.

But the lessons of Columbine, including the importance of encouraging students to come forward about anything that might indicate a threat of school violence ? also appear to have borne fruit in this case.

The 16-year-old suspect?s friend and classmate, Bailey Gerhardt, reported a suspicious text message to an administrator at Roy High School: ?If I told you to stay home on a certain day, would you?? the text read, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

The minor boy, as well as 18-year-old Roy High School student Dallin Morgan, were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit mass destruction. Police say months of planning went into their plot to set off a bomb during an assembly at the 1,500-student school and then try to escape by stealing an airplane.

No school assemblies were imminent, but had Bailey not come forward, ?it could have been a disaster,? Roy police spokeswoman Anna Bond said Thursday. The minor had previously made a pipe bomb, and both students had information about school security cameras and had been using flight simulator software, police said.

The Columbine connection in this case is the most extreme example seen by several school safety experts interviewed by the Monitor. It?s not uncommon for students to joke about Columbine or to refer to it when making real threats, they say.

But ?to go as far as to interview the principal and physically go there ? sends a message that they were extremely committed to doing something,? says Kenneth Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services in Cleveland.

Columbine Principal Frank DeAngelis told the Associated Press that the student in question, who is not being named because he is a minor, asked to interview him for a story for his school newspaper. Mr. DeAngelis often fields such requests, he said, but in light of the arrests in Utah, he won?t do such interviews without first clearing it with security officials, the AP reports.

Wanting to emulate, or outdo, an incident like Columbine doesn?t happen in a vacuum, triggered by the Columbine massacre alone, notes William Pollack, a Harvard psychiatry professor and school-violence expert. It?s more like a ?gating phenomenon,? he says, where people might study it to do harm and feel encouraged by it to go through that gate, ?but they won?t do that if they?re not already there? ? motivated and committed for other reasons, he says.

While more information is likely to emerge about possible motives for the alleged plot, Bailey commented to investigators that the suspect had been angry after a former girlfriend broke up with him. Both teens wanted ?revenge on the world,? according to quotes in court documents as reported by the Salt Lake Tribune.

Bailey?s willingness to come forward ?says something for the school environment,? says Dr. Pollack, who was involved in post-Columbine studies on school shooters and the reasons why bystanders do or don?t report suspicious information.

More and more school administrators have taken the lessons of such reports to heart and ?see safe school climates as essential,? Pollack says. And whether it?s about bullying or a bomb plot, ?kids are more willing to come forward in general to talk about difficulties, or fears they have that someone may be hurt.?

In too many schools, safety training for staff is on the decline because of budget cuts, Mr. Trump cautions. He says calls for consulting are increasing from lawyers who are suing because of negligence and lack of safety in schools, and decreasing from from schools trying to be proactive.

But some of the most important steps aren?t very dependent on school budgets, says William Modzeleski, a school-safety consultant to the US Department of Education. It?s about being willing to put in the time to open up lines of communication between kids and adults, he says. ?Kids want to be talked with and feel they can go to someone.?

Associated Press material was used in this report.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/uBOWeM5JVj4/Utah-school-bomb-plot-from-inspiration-to-prevention-Columbine-had-a-part

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The Causes For The Rise Of Finance | Weakonomi?s

Does this statement disturb you?

In 1950, finance and insurance in the United States accounted for 2.8% of GDP, according to US Department of Commerce estimates. By 1960, that share had grown to 3.8% of GDP, and reached 6% of GDP in 1990. Today, it is 8.4% of GDP, and it is not shrinking. The Wall Street Journal?s Justin Lahart reports that the 2010 share was higher than the previous peak share in 2006.

It?s certainly not surprising is it? It makes perfect sense considering the rise of banking and Wall Street over the last generation or so. This blog has said before that this rise also lead to greater levels of compensation, and thus drew talent that may have otherwise focused on other areas (like science or education). This probably further grew the industry?s share of the economy. And when people read these kinds of comments about the rise of Wall Street it is worrisome that they always think this is a bad thing.

Consider the following. Your grandparents likely retired on a pension and collected social security and hardly ever needed to save for retirement. In 1950 the average person lived to be 68 years old. Retirement didn?t last very long, if at all. In 2009, we were living to be 78, and we all know this number is only going to rise with time. That?s an extra decade of living expenses. How is that being paid for? Pensions have had to invest considerably more money in order to deal with the burden of people living longer. Reforms here and there occasionally soften the blow for them, but the burden is still much higher than it used to be. Pensions now invest in riskier securities, and get better returns too. Wall Street?s role was to facilitate the transactions that enabled these pensions to survive just a little bit longer and pay the retirements of all these people.? And to say nothing of the rising insurance needs of the aging population.? Those premiums are invested too. When a new demand is born, an industry grows.

When you consider that baby boomers are just now retiring the rise of Wall Street makes even more sense. These were the first group of people that may have to sustain their retirement with personal savings and investments. 401(k)s became very popular in the 1980s and of course still are; IRAs too. Now people were taking their retirement into their own hands. This gave rise to the mutual fund industry and now you have a bulging population entering the prime of their careers and saving for their own retirement. Again, an industry grew to service this demand.

Just as everyone was taking responsibility for their own retirements, the internet was about to start growing too. With the internet, people were able to take their own financial management to a new level. Soon, people would be able to buy and sell stocks within a few minutes, and then seconds through online brokerages. Once again, an industry rose to meet this demand.

Further still, consider the globalization that has occurred. More so than ever before, we are engaging in huge levels of trade, moving trillions of dollars to Moscow, Beijing, Tokyo, London, Singapore, Dubai, and Rio. This movement happens at the speed of light and the infrastructure to enable it was built and managed by the finance industry.

The rise of Wall Street shouldn?t be concerning at all. Given the changing demographics and economy, it makes perfect sense. And what of the greed and the financial crisis? Unfortunately, finance is not a stable industry. The financial crisis had a lot of causes, and Wall Street was certainly part of that. Together with a poor incentive structure, they again rose to meet a demand. This is a case of the industry getting ahead of itself.

No one should be surprised nor concerned that the industry continues to be a large part of the economy. Our lives are more financially complicated. The financial crisis is a perfect example of the growing pains. It?s impossible for this industry to grow and meet demand without making mistakes. Everyone made mistakes. I?m no apologist for the criminal, greedy, and immoral acts in any industry. But the rise of finance as a share of GDP is merely a reactionary metric of the way the world has changed.

Image: Jan Tik


Source: http://weakonomics.com/2012/01/27/what-created-the-rise-of-finance/

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Saturday, January 28, 2012

Twitter's new censorship plan rouses global furor (AP)

NEW YORK ? Twitter, a tool of choice for dissidents and activists around the world, found itself the target of global outrage Friday after unveiling plans to allow country-specific censorship of tweets that might break local laws.

It was a stunning role reversal for a youthful company that prides itself in promoting unfettered expression, 140 characters at a time. Twitter insisted its commitment to free speech remains firm, and sought to explain the nuances of its policy, while critics ? in a barrage of tweets ? proposed a Twitter boycott and demanded that the censorship initiative be scrapped.

"This is very bad news," tweeted Egyptian activist Mahmoud Salem, who operates under the name "Sandmonkey," Later, he wrote, "Is it safe to say that (hash)Twitter is selling us out?"

In China, where activists have embraced Twitter even though it's blocked inside the country, artist and activist Ai Weiwei tweeted in response to the news: "If Twitter censors, I'll stop tweeting."

One often-relayed tweet bore the headline of a Forbes magazine technology blog item: "Twitter Commits Social Suicide"

San Francisco-based Twitter, founded in 2006, depicted the new system as a step forward. Previously, when Twitter erased a tweet, it vanished throughout the world. Under the new policy, a tweet breaking a law in one country can be taken down there and still be seen elsewhere.

Twitter said it will post a censorship notice whenever a tweet is removed, and will post the removal requests it receives from governments, companies and individuals at the website chillingeffects.org.

The critics are jumping to the wrong conclusions, said Alexander Macgilliviray, Twitter's general counsel.

"This is a good thing for freedom of expression, transparency and accountability," he said. "This launch is about us keeping content up whenever we can and to be extremely transparent with the world when we don't. I would hope people realize our philosophy hasn't changed."

Some defenders of Internet free expression came to Twitter's defense.

"Twitter is being pilloried for being honest about something that all Internet platforms have to wrestle with," said Cindy Cohn, legal director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "As long as this censorship happens in a secret way, we're all losers."

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland credited Twitter with being upfront about the potential for censorship and said some other companies are not as forthright.

As for whether the new policy would be harmful, Nuland said that wouldn't be known until after it's implemented.

Reporters Without Borders, which advocates globally for press freedom, sent a letter to Twitter's executive chairman, Jack Dorsey, urging that the censorship policy be ditched immediately.

"By finally choosing to align itself with the censors, Twitter is depriving cyberdissidents in repressive countries of a crucial tool for information and organization," the letter said. "Twitter's position that freedom of expression is interpreted differently from country to country is unacceptable."

Reporters Without Borders noted that Twitter was earning praise from free-speech advocates a year ago for enabling Egyptian dissidents to continue tweeting after the Internet was disconnected.

"We are very disappointed by this U-turn now," it said.

Twitter said it has no plans to remove tweets unless it receives a request from government officials, companies or another outside party that believes the message is illegal. No message will be removed until an internal review determines there is a legal problem, according to Macgilliviray.

"It's a thing of last resort," he said. "The first thing we do is we try to make sure content doesn't get withheld anywhere. But if we feel like we have to withhold it, then we are transparent and we will withhold it narrowly."

Macgilliviray said the new policy has nothing to do with a recent $300 million investment by Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Mac or any other financial contribution.

In its brief existence, Twitter has established itself as one of the world's most powerful megaphones. Streams of tweets have played pivotal roles in political protests throughout the world, including the Occupy Wall Street movement in the United States and the Arab Spring uprisings in Egypt, Bahrain, Tunisia and Syria.

Indeed, many of the tweets calling for a boycott of Twitter on Saturday ? using the hashtag (hash)TwitterBlackout ? came from the Middle East.

"This decision is really worrying," said Larbi Hilali, a pro-democracy blogger and tweeter from Morocco. "If it is applied, there will be a Twitter for democratic countries and a Twitter for the others."

In Cuba, opposition blogger Yoani Sanchez said she would launch a personal Twitter boycott of unspecified length.

"Twitter will remove messages at the request of governments," she tweeted. "It is we citizens who will end up losing with these new rules..."

In the wake of the announcement, cyberspace was abuzz with suggestions for how any future country-specific censorship could be circumvented. Some Twitter users said this could be done by employing tips from Twitter's own help center to alter one's "Country" setting. Other Twitter users were skeptical that this would work.

While Twitter has embraced its role as a catalyst for free speech, it also wants to expand its audience from about 100 million active users now to more than 1 billion. Doing so may require it to engage with more governments and possibly to face more pressure to censor tweets; if it defies a law in a country where it has employees, those people could be arrested.

Theoretically, such arrests could occur even in democracies ? for example, if a tweet violated Britain's strict libel laws or the prohibitions in France and Germany against certain pro-Nazi expressions.

"It's a tough problem that a company faces once they branch out beyond one set of offices in California into that big bad world out there," said Rebecca MacKinnon of Global Voices Online, an international network of bloggers and citizen journalists. "We'll have to see how it plays out ? how it is and isn't used."

MacKinnon said some other major social networks already employ geo-filtering along the lines of Twitter's new policy ? blocking content in a specific jurisdiction for legal reasons while making it available elsewhere.

Many of the critics assailing the new policy suggested that it was devised as part of a long-term plan for Twitter to enter China, where its service is currently blocked.

China's Communist Party remains highly sensitive to any organized challenge to its rule and responded sharply to the Arab Spring, cracking down last year after calls for a "Jasmine Revolution" in China. Many Chinese nonetheless find ways around the so-called Great Firewall that has blocked social networking sites such as Facebook.

Google for several years agreed to censor its search results in China to gain better access to the country's vast population, but stopped that practice two years after engaging in a high-profile showdown with Chain's government. Google now routes its Chinese search results through Hong Kong, where the censorship rules are less restrictive.

Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt declined to comment on Twitter's action and instead limited his comments to his own company.

"I can assure you we will apply our universally tough principles against censorship on all Google products," he told reporters in Davos, Switzerland.

Google's chief legal officer, David Drummond, said it was a matter of trying to adhere to different local laws.

"I think what they (Twitter officials) are wrestling with is what all of us wrestle with ? and everyone wants to focus on China, but it is actually a global issue ? which is laws in these different countries vary," Drummond said.

"Americans tend to think copyright is a real bad problem, so we have to regulate that on the Internet. In France and Germany, they care about Nazis' issues and so forth," he added. "In China, there are other issues that we call censorship. And so how you respect all the laws or follow all the laws to the extent you think they should be followed while still allowing people to get the content elsewhere?"

Craig Newman, a New York lawyer and former journalist who has advised Internet companies on censorship issues, said Twitter's new policy and the subsequent backlash are both understandable, given the difficult ethical issues at stake.

On one hand, he said, Twitter could put its employees in peril if it was deemed to be breaking local laws.

"On the other hand, Twitter has become this huge social force and people view it as some sort of digital town square, where people can say whatever they want," he said. "Twitter could have taken a stand and refused to enter any countries with the most restrictive laws against free speech."

___

Associated Press writers Paul Schemm in Rabat, Morocco, Michael Liedtke in San Francisco, Peter Orsi in Havana, Cuba, Cara Anna in New York and Ben Hubbard in Cairo contributed to this story.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_hi_te/us_twitter_censorship

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Colgate hikes prices at home; 1st attempt in years (AP)

NEW YORK ? Colgate-Palmolive is navigating a delicate tightrope, as it raises prices in North America for the first time in more than two years.

The company, best known for its toothpaste and dish soap, said Thursday it had raised prices in North America by an average of 0.5 percent in the fourth quarter, after cutting prices every quarter since the summer of 2009. The news emerged as the company reported a 5 percent decline in net income that it blamed on higher costs for raw materials.

Raising prices can be a risky move, because cash-strapped customers can drop even their favorite brands to save a few cents. Paychecks are already stretched thin and the government's most recent data on jobs, also released Thursday, show that the number of people seeking unemployment benefits rose last week. There are signs that the economy is healing, but raising prices in North America had been something that Colgate, until recently, had been unwilling to try.

Many of Colgate's rivals raised prices last year, as well as many restaurants, clothing stores and other industries. But Colgate had taken a different strategy, raising prices in fast-growing Latin America, where customers seemed willing to stomach the higher costs, but lowering prices in North America through discounts and other promotions.

In a call with analysts, CEO Ian Cook said customers were still willing to pay for premium products, like toothpaste for sensitive teeth, if they provided a benefit that customers want. Colgate is also aware that budget-conscious customers are generally more likely to trade down in other household products before swapping out their favorite toothpaste for store brands.

Overall, Colgate raised prices 3 percent in the quarter and 1 percent for the year, and Cook said price changes for the coming year would be "on the same order of magnitude."

The higher prices would come even though costs for many materials appear to be declining: Cook said he thought commodities costs would rise 2 to 3 percent this year, a far smaller burden than 2011's increase of 12 to 13 percent. As Colgate paid more for raw materials, its profit margin fell 1.7 percentage points.

But Colgate, like other U.S. companies, probably won't enjoy the same benefit that it got in 2011 from the weak dollar, which caused revenue raised overseas to translate into more dollars at home. Cook noted that other U.S. companies face the same challenge. "That is a global factor," he said, "not a Colgate factor."

Javier Escalante, an analyst at Consumer Edge Research, asked whether the higher prices would hurt Colgate's sales. Cook replied that the volume of sales had continued to grow in the quarter despite higher prices. "We believe we can continue that in 2012, balancing the volume between the rollover of the pricing that we have already," he said.

Colgate has consistently cut North American prices since the third quarter of 2009, by an average of 1.5 percent to 4.5 percent each quarter. To be sure, its 0.5 percent increase in the fourth quarter was far less than the 8.5 percent price increase in Latin America. But it did represent a snapped trend. In Europe, a region the company described as "volatile," Colgate dropped prices by an average of 3 percent.

The higher North American prices may be because the company thinks it can, or that it must, or perhaps a little bit of both. At the same time, Colgate is aggressively seeking to protect market share, even if it has to spend to do so. Cook said the company would continue to invest in creating and advertising new products.

The pricing strategy also reinforces Colgate's decision to lean on emerging markets for growth as U.S. customers get tapped out. Of Colgate's four main geographic regions, North America accounts for the smallest portion and it is where revenue grew the slowest. Latin America grew the fastest, and made up the biggest portion of revenue

For the quarter, the higher prices helped fuel a 5 percent rise in revenue to $4.17 billion, up from $3.98 billion. It was dwarfed by the 9 percent increase in what the company had to pay to make and transport its products.

Colgate earned $590 million, or $1.21 per share. That was down from $624 million, or $1.24 per share. Excluding one-time expenses like putting cost-saving plans into place and other charges, Colgate earned $1.30 per share. That beat the $1.29 that Wall Street expected, according to a poll by FactSet.

Barclays Capital analyst Lauren Lieberman described fourth-quarter results as "more or less in line with our lackluster estimates."

Colgate's decision to try to recoup its margins comes during a fragile time for the U.S. economy.

The jobs data released Thursday show more people sought unemployment benefits. However, the overall trends point to a recovering job market. At least 100,000 jobs have been added for six straight months and the unemployment rate has declined to 8.5 percent, its lowest in almost three years.

But it's not a healthy number yet and the government also released data Thursday showing that fewer people bought new homes in December, sealing 2011 as the worst year for new home sales on record.

For the year, Colgate's revenue rose 7.5 percent, to $16.7 billion, and net income rose 10 percent to $2.4 billion.

Shares of Colgate-Palmolive Co. rose $1.75, or 2 percent, to $91.19 in afternoon trading.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/earnings/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_bi_ge/us_earns_colgate

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Friday, January 27, 2012

NYPD commish's son, a Fox anchor, in rape probe

NEW YORK -- The son of New York City's police commissioner Raymond Kelly is under investigation after a woman accused him of rape, sources tell NBC New York.

A source confirms a woman filed a sexual assault complaint against Greg Kelly, co-host of Fox 5?s "Good Day New York," with authorities at the 13th Precinct.

Details of her complaint are unknown at this time, but?Greg Kelly has not been arrested or charged with any crime.

For more, visit NBCNewYork.com

Kelly's attorney, Andrew Lankler, said that his client was aware of the investigation and strongly denied any wrongdoing.

"Mr. Kelly is aware that the New York County District Attorney's office is conducting an investigation. Mr. Kelly strenuously denies any wrongdoing of any kind, and is cooperating fully with the district attorney's investigation," Lankler said in a statement. "We know the district attorney's investigation will prove Mr. Kelly's innocence."

The District Attorney's office declined comment. An NYPD spokesman also declined comment, referring all questions to the district attorney.

The New York Times, quoting an anonymous law enforcement official, said the woman is in her late 20s or early 30s. She walked into the 13th Precinct with her sister after 8 p.m. on Tuesday and made her complaint, according to the Times.

The woman told police she met Kelly on the street, and the two had drinks together on Oct. 8, the paper reported. They then moved on to her office at a Lower Manhattan law firm. According to the Times, the woman told the cops that the rape occurred at the office. The two continued to keep in touch by phone and text message after the encounter.

Sources tell NBC New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly was approached by an unknown individual at a public event who told him that his son had ?ruined my girlfriend?s life.?

The police commissioner asked him to explain, but the man said he didn?t want to discuss the issue there. Ray Kelly told him to put it in writing and send it to him.

It wasn't clear if the letter was ever sent.

Greg Kelly, 43, joined Fox News Channel in 2002 and was the White House correspondent from 2005-2007, according to his biography on WNYW's website. A Marine Corps veteran and reservist, he also covered the Iraq War, including four assignments in Baghdad. ??? ?

Before that, he covered politics for local cable news channel New York 1 and was an anchor and reporter for NewsChannel 34, an ABC and NBC affiliate in Binghamton, N.Y., his bio said. ??? ?

He also served for nearly a decade in the Marine Corps and is now a lieutenant colonel in its reserves.?

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/26/10241910-nypd-commishs-son-a-fox-anchor-in-rape-probe

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Capsule reviews of `The Grey,' `Man on a Ledge' (AP)

"Albert Nobbs" ? The role of Albert Nobbs is one that's been near to Glenn Close's heart for a while. She first played it 30 years ago off-Broadway and reprises it now in a project she's been working for some time to bring to the screen. Her dedication is obvious in watching "Albert Nobbs," based on a short story about a woman living as a man and working as a posh hotel waiter in order to survive in 19th-century Ireland. Close's Albert is all quiet repression: the low monotone of her voice, the horizontal line of her mouth, the dark, conservative suit topped frequently by a prim bowler hat. The slightest gesture or facial expression is so subtle as to be practically imperceptible. Every moment of the performance is a marvel of precision ? and yet, because she immerses herself so completely in the emotional restraint of this odd little man she's created, it's difficult to feel a connection with the character, despite the difficult life she's lived. There's no sense of the woman within, which would have provided crucial context for us to appreciate fully the sacrifice and sadness she's suffered for decades. Janet McTeer, meanwhile, is electrifying in every scene she's in as a painter who comes to work at the hotel who's also a woman disguised as a man; she shakes up Albert's world, and the film drags noticeably in her absence. Mia Wasikowska and Brendan Gleeson are among the strong supporting cast. R for some sexuality, brief nudity and language. 113 minutes. Two stars out of four.

? Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic

___

"The Grey" ? After the thrillers "Taken" and "Unknown," Liam Neeson is back in his new genre of choice, looking quite at home punching a wolf. As the grizzled, morose sniper John Ottway, he's among a roughneck band of Alaskan oil refinery workers who, while being shuttled by plane to Anchorage for vacation, crash violently in a storm, stranding them in the snowy tundra. Ottway, the alpha dog, takes charge among the seven survivors (among them Dermot Mulroney, Dallas Roberts and, most memorably, Frank Grillo) whose predicament severely worsens when a pack of wolves announce themselves by their eerie, glowing eyes on the dark fringes of their campfire. Director Joe Carnahan ("The A-Team," "Narc"), adapting a short story by Ian Mackenzie Jeffers, sends their dwindling numbers on a survivalist adventure that grows increasingly bleak and existential. In manly, fireside chats, they parse out philosophical ideas, talking God in a wintery void, faced with the cruel brutality of nature. But "The Grey" is not "Jaws" and it's certainly not "Moby-Dick." In ambling toward an unconventional ending, its musings aren't as sure-handed as its action sequences. Ultimately, it feels less like a genuine existential thriller than a movie aping the conventions of one. R for violence, disturbing content including bloody images, and for pervasive language. 117 minutes. Two stars out of four.

? Jake Coyle, AP Entertainment Writer

___

"Man on a Ledge" ? This so-called thriller about a disgraced cop who threatens to jump off a building to divert attention from a heist going on across the street isn't even implausible in a fun way. You see a movie like "Ocean's 11" or "Tower Heist" (which is thematically similar to this with its wily have-nots stealing from the filthy-rich haves) and you suspend some disbelief because they have an irresistible, knowingly giddy energy about them. "Man on a Ledge" is so cliched and reheated, it almost feels like a parody of a generic action picture ? only no one seems to be in on the joke. Director Asger Leth's film plods along with its trash-talking New York cops and its forensic evidence and its elaborate surveillance systems. Every few minutes, a new star you recognize shows up: Edward Burns, Elizabeth Banks, Kyra Sedgwick, Ed Harris. At the center is a bland Sam Worthington doing a horrible job of disguising his Australian accent. He stars as Nick Cassidy, a fugitive who insists he was wrongly imprisoned for stealing a $40 million diamond from Harris' reptilian real-estate tycoon. As Nick teeters along a ledge on the 21st floor of the Roosevelt Hotel in midtown Manhattan, stalling for time while toying with Banks as a scarred police negotiator, Nick's brother Joey (Jamie Bell) and Joey's stereotypically saucy Latina girlfriend Angie (Genesis Rodriguez) are trying to pull off a real burglary across the street. PG-13 for violence and brief strong language. 102 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.

? Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_en_re/us_film_capsules

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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Obama to Republicans: Game on (AP)

WASHINGTON ? President Barack Obama delivered an election-year broadside to Republicans: Game on.

The GOP, from Congress to the campaign trail, signaled it's ready for the fight.

In his third State of the Union address, Obama issued a populist call for income equality that echoed the Occupy Wall Street movement. He challenged GOP lawmakers to work with him or move aside so he could use the power of the presidency to produce results for an electorate uncertain whether he deserves another term.

Facing a deeply divided Congress, Obama appealed for lawmakers to send him legislation on immigration, clean energy and housing, knowing full well the election-year prospects are bleak but aware that polls show that the independent voters who lifted him to the presidency crave bipartisanship.

"I intend to fight obstruction with action," Obama told a packed chamber and tens of millions of Americans watching in prime time. House Republicans greeted his words with stony silence.

The Democratic president's vision of an activist government broke sharply with Republican demands for less government intervention to allow free enterprise. The stark differences will be evident in the White House's dealings with Congress and in the presidential campaign over the next 10 months.

In the Republican response to the president's address, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who once considered a White House bid, railed against the "extremism" of an administration that stifles economic growth.

"No feature of the Obama presidency has been sadder than its constant effort to divide us, to curry favor with some Americans by castigating others," Daniels said, speaking from Indianapolis. "As in previous moments of national danger, we Americans are all in the same boat."

Obama said getting a fair shot for all Americans is "the defining issue of our time." He described an economy on the rebound from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, with more than 3 million jobs created in the last 22 months and U.S. manufacturers hiring. Although unemployment is high at 8.5 percent, home sales and corporate earnings have increased, among other positive economic signs.

Republicans say the president's policies have undermined the economy.

Obama "had the opportunity and the responsibility to level with the American people, admit that the policies of the past three years have delivered an underwhelming record of economic growth and job creation, and show an interest in changing direction and uniting, not dividing the nation," said Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., head of the Republican Policy Committee. "The president failed to meet that responsibility."

There were brief moments of bipartisanship. Republicans and Democrats sat together, continuing a practice begun last year. The arrival of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt, elicited sustained applause and cheering, with chants of "Gabby, Gabby." Republican Rep. Jeff Flake escorted her into the chamber and Obama greeted her with a hug.

The president received loud applause from both sides when he said: "I'm a Democrat. But I believe what Republican Abraham Lincoln believed: That government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves, and no more."

But all that belied a fierce divide.

Obama ticked off items on a hefty agenda that he wants from Congress ? a path to citizenship for children who come to the United States with their undocumented parents if they complete college, tax credits for clean energy, elimination of red tape for Americans refinancing their mortgages, a measure that bans insider trading by lawmakers and a payroll tax cut.

Political reality suggests it was largely wishful thinking on Obama's part. The payroll tax cut and must-do spending bill are the most likely legislative items to survive the election year.

But Obama's far-reaching list and the hour-plus speech offered a unique opportunity to contrast his record with congressional Republicans and his top presidential rivals, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.

"Anyone who tells you America is in decline or that our influence has waned, doesn't know what they're talking about," Obama said ? a clear response to the White House hopefuls who have pummeled him for months.

In an attack on the nation's growing income gap, Obama called for a new minimum tax rate of at least 30 percent on anyone making more than $1 million. Many millionaires ? including Romney ? pay a rate less than that because they get most of their income from investments, which are taxed at a lower rate.

"Now you can call this class warfare all you want," Obama said. "But asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that common sense."

Obama calls this the "Buffett rule," named for billionaire Warren Buffett, who has said it's unfair that his secretary pays a higher tax rate than he does. Emphasizing the point, Buffett's secretary, Debbie Bosanek, attended the address in first lady Michelle Obama's box.

Obama made his appeal on the same day that Romney released some of his tax returns, showing he made more than $20 million in a single year and paid around 14 percent in taxes, largely because his wealth came from investments.

In advance of Obama's speech, Romney said, "Tonight will mark another chapter in the misguided policies of the last three years ? and the failed leadership of one man."

Obama highlighted his national security successes ? the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, the diminished strength of al-Qaida and the demise of Moammar Gadhafi. In hailing the men and women of the military, the commander in chief contrasted their cooperation and dedication with the divisions and acrimony in Washington.

"At a time when too many of our institutions have let us down, they exceed all expectations," Obama said. "They're not consumed with personal ambition. They don't obsess over their differences. They focus on the mission at hand. They work together. Imagine what we could accomplish if we followed their example."

Obama leaves Washington for a three-day tour of five states crucial to his re-election bid. On Wednesday he'll visit Iowa and Arizona to promote ideas to boost American manufacturing; on Thursday in Nevada and Colorado he'll discuss energy; and in Michigan on Friday he'll talk about college affordability, education and training.

He also addresses a conference of House Democrats focused on their own re-election in Cambridge, Md., on Friday.

Polling shows Americans are divided about Obama's overall job performance but unsatisfied with his handling of the economy.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_state_of_the_union

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Iraq al-Qaida says US withdrew to save money

Security forces inspect the scene of a car bomb attack in Sadr City eastern of Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. Two separate car bombs exploded in the Shiite district of Sadr City killing and wounding several people, police said. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

Security forces inspect the scene of a car bomb attack in Sadr City eastern of Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. Two separate car bombs exploded in the Shiite district of Sadr City killing and wounding several people, police said. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

(AP) ? The U.S. pulled its troops out of Iraq because its economy is collapsing and it needed to save money, an al-Qaida front group said in a message posted on its website Wednesday, its first online comment since the U.S. completed its pullout last month after nine years of war.

Al-Qaida was one of the main U.S. enemies in Iraq. It was behind some of the deadliest attacks on U.S. soldiers, Iraqi security forces and American-backed government institutions. Since the U.S. pullout, al-Qaida and other Sunni militants have stepped up attacks on Shiites, killing more than 170 people since the beginning of the year and raising concern that the surge in violence and an escalating political crisis might deteriorate into a civil war.

In an audio message, a spokesman for al-Qaida's Islamic State of Iraq who identified himself as Abu Mohammed al-Adnani said "America has been defeated in Iraq."

"They pulled out because its economic and human losses were unbearable," al-Adnani said. "America's bankruptcy and collapse is imminent. This is the real reason behind the withdrawal." .

Al-Adnani also called on former al-Qaida fighters who switched sides and fought the group with Americans not to "abandon jihad" now that the U.S. withdrawal has been completed. He threatened more attacks on the Shiite-led government, saying that "our explosives are at the door" of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

He told his followers not to be deceived by the number of the Iraqi government troops and its Shiite supporters, saying "they are merely beetles and flies." Sunni extremists consider Shiites as not real Muslims.

Al-Adnani called on former Sunni fighters who switched sides and fought al-Qaida to return, promising to forgive "whatever their crime was."

Despite the bombast, the appeal was a sign of the group's problems. In July, al-Qaida in Iraq made an online appeal for new fundraising ideas, saying they were in dire need of money to help thousands of widows and children of slain fighters.

At the height of Iraq's insurgency, tens of thousands of Sunni fighters, most of them members or sympathizers of al-Qaida, switched sides and joined U.S. and government forces. Their support created a crucial turning point in the war against al-Qaida in 2007.

Since then, many members of the pro-government Sunni militias known as the Awakening Councils say they haven't been given jobs fitting to their contribution in the war and still feel they're viewed with suspicion by the Shiite-led government.

After the government disarmed thousands of Awakening Council fighters and sent some to jail, al-Qaida launched a series of attacks, killing dozens of them and leading others to return to the insurgent group.

On Tuesday, one of the Council's leaders was killed in a drive-by shooting in western Baghdad, according to police and hospital officials. Mullah Nadhum al-Jubouri fought the Americans with al-Qaida, but then switched sides.

In 2009, al-Jubouri was detained in a joint U.S.-Iraqi raid on suspicion of carrying out attacks three years earlier, including downing a U.S. helicopter. He was later released.

___

Associated Press writers Maamoun Youssef in Cairo and Sameer N. Yacoub in Baghdad contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-25-ML-Iraq/id-6bcc8f4a7f704590a3d653f0ec407a5b

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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Germany and France seek relaxation of bank capital rules: report (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? France and Germany will call on Monday for a relaxation of global bank capital rules to prevent lending to the real economy being choked off, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

German finance minister Wolfgang Schauble and his French counterpart Francois Baroin will urge special treatment for banks that own insurance companies, according to a joint paper seen by the newspaper.

The pair will also urge important elements of the Basel III guidelines on capital requirements to be watered down to mitigate any "negative effect" on growth, according to the article.

The FT said the paper calls for a three-year delay to the mandatory deadline to disclose leverage ratios, a measure of bank borrowing and risk.

"European institutions should agree on achieving the EU financial market regulation agenda while taking due consideration of its impact on the financing of the real economy," the draft proposal states.

The FT said the German-Franco move is likely to infuriate policymakers in London, who have been fighting hard to stop French-led attempt to dilaute the Basel III accord.

Banks across the world will have to follow Basel III accords for disclosing the size and quality of their capital safety buffers from 2013 to help reassure investors they are stable.

(Reporting by Stephen Mangan; Editing by Kim Coghill)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/bs_nm/us_france_germany_regulation

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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Oscar 2012 Predictions: Best Picture

'The Artist' and 'The Descendants' lead MTV News' nominee picks for the Academy Awards' top prize.
By Kevin P. Sullivan


Bérénice Bejo and Malcolm McDowell in The Artist
Photo: The Weinstein Company

In a few short hours, the conversation that has captivated film writers for months — "Who will be nominated for Best Picture?" — will become "Who will win the Academy Award for Best Picture?"

A new Academy rule once again changed the possible number of nominations for the top prize. What used to be a set number of 10 nominees now depends on the specifics of the Oscar ballots, and now the number of nominees can range from five to 10.

If it wasn't for that new stipulation, the announcement of Best Picture nominees might not have provided any surprises or drama, since five films are essentially guaranteed locks. Thankfully, the new rule adds an extra element of intrigue to an otherwise boring race.

MTV News' predictions for the Academy Awards' Best Picture nominees are:

"The Artist"
This is the name that should be read first, not just because it starts with "A," but because it will be the least surprising of the nominees. The silent throwback charmer "The Artist" has led the pack throughout awards season, and with its recent big wins at the Globes and the Producers Guild, things will only start to get interesting after this nominee is read.

"The Descendants"
Alexander Payne's drama about a family coping with the impending death of a mother and wife currently stands as the only real competition for "The Artist." A Best Picture (Drama) win at the Globes coupled with George Clooney's Best Actor win guarantee "The Descendants" will be in the running come Oscar night.

"The Help"
Though the film as a whole has not fared well with the guilds and critic circles, "The Help" is bolstered by its crowd-pleasing nature and two nomination-worthy performances by Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer. Despite an underwhelming win record, it's presence on shortlists should continue with the Oscars.

"Hugo"
Martin Scorsese's 3-D family-friendly ode to filmmaking, "Hugo" swept up a surprising number of critics and guild awards and is the only movie that realistically could steal Best Picture glory away from "The Artist" or "The Descendants." Scorsese's win for Best Director at the Golden Globes could mean a big last-minute push for the legend's latest film.

"Midnight in Paris"
This past summer's surprise indie hit went on to become Woody Allen's most financially successful movie of all time. "Midnight in Paris" stayed in the minds of many voters despite its release date outside the awards-heavy fall movie season, and it falls nicely in line with the most feel-good set of nominees in recent memory.

"Moneyball"
Call it the "Social Network" effect. This Aaron Sorkin co-scripted drama about an ostensibly boring subject matter went on to become a critical and box-office success story. Strong performances from Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill certainly helped the baseball drama, but its excellent script and assured direction by Bennett Miller earned "Moneyball" a spot on the nominees list.

"Tinker Tailor Solider Spy"
This seventh spot is the most fluid of all, with "War Horse" or "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" as potential substitutes. Many Oscar experts, however, have felt that the surprise resurgence of the British spy drama "Tinker Tailor Solider Spy" will be the story of tomorrow's nominations. (Here's to hoping for Gary Oldman's first nod.) Strong critical reception, combined with modest financial success and the Academy's British vote could make for the category's only surprise.

See the complete list of Academy Awards Nominations.

Related Photos

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677773/oscar-predictions-best-picture-2012.jhtml

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Remember, They Hate us for Our Freedom (Balloon Juice)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

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Monday, January 23, 2012

Video: Emotions run high after Paterno?s death



>> with an outpouring of emotion on the penn state campus after the death of legendary coach joe paterno who lost his battle to lung cancer . nbc's ron allen is in state college , pennsylvania, with more. good morning.

>> reporter: good morning, natalie. we are outside the football stadium where joe paterno and penn state enjoyed so much glory. his statue is over there and has become a shrine with people stopping by to light candles, leave flowers. everyone is trying to focus on what paterno accomplished rather than the sexual abuse scandal that led to his downfall. thousands from the penn state community gathered in the heart of campus to honor a man who, perhaps more than any other individual, made this university what it is.

>> we are not just athletes. we're not just students. we are a reflection of who joe paterno was.

>> reporter: joe paterno was here for 60 years, with a record 409 victories while putting academics before athletics.

>> people ask me why i stayed here so long. you know what? look around.

>> reporter: the legacy of greatness.

>> joe paterno with the light he was blessed with blessed each of us.

>> reporter: tarnished by the sexual abuse scandal around his long-time assistant jerry sandusky that led to paterno getting fired. with hindsight he said he wished he had done more to intervene.

>> after 61 years he deserved the benefit of the doubt . the circumstances at the end which happened, sad for everybody.

>> reporter: the official cause of death is lung cancer but many people will tell you a contributing factor was that paterno was heartbroken by everything that happened the last few months. we expect to hear from the family and the university about funeral arrangements and the memorial service . natalie?

>> thank you, ron.

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/46098260/

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Pele: Messi's not me

updated 1:55 p.m. ET Jan. 20, 2012

PARIS - Pele thinks Lionel Messi still needs to improve at international level before he can be considered the greatest soccer player ever and needs to score more goals to come close to matching the Brazilian great.

The 24-year-old Messi already has won three straight FIFA Player of the Year awards.

"When Messi's scored 1,283 goals like me, when he's won three World Cups, we'll talk about it," Pele told Le Monde. "Football changes. Records are there to be broken, but it will be hard to break mine.

"People always ask me: 'When is the new Pele going to be born?' Never. My father and mother have closed the factory."

Although many observers consider Pele or Diego Maradona to be the greatest ever, Messi's form for Barcelona has him being mentioned in the same group.

Messi scored 55 goals in 2011 for Barcelona and already has 213 in 300 games for the club, 22 shy of Cesar Rodriguez's team record for goals. Messi is the club's leading scorer in the Champions League, scoring in victories over Manchester United in the 2009 and 2011 finals.

"I like Messi a lot, he's a great player," Pele replied when asked who his favorite current player is. "Technically, we're practically at the same level."

But Pele was also quick to point out that Messi has not scored at the same rate for Argentina in big tournaments. Messi failed to score in both the 2010 World Cup and Copa America last year, and has a modest tally of 19 goals in 67 international matches.

"He's a great player for Barcelona, but when he plays for Argentina he doesn't have the same success," Pele said.

Pele also feels he may have had more natural ability than Messi.

"No one knew which foot I was going to shoot with, I was two-footed. I also scored a lot of goals with my head," Pele said.

However, Pele knows that the debate over who is the world's greatest ever player will always divide opinion.

"Some people will say Beethoven couldn't play the piano. Others will say Michelangelo couldn't paint and that Pele couldn't play football," he said. "But we all received a gift from God."

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Pele: Messi's not me

Pele thinks Lionel Messi still needs to improve at international level before he can be considered the greatest soccer player ever and needs to score more goals to come close to matching the Brazilian great.

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Best of the US

Abby Wambach and Clint Dempsey are voted top players by the U.S. Soccer Federation.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46073608/ns/sports-soccer/

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Sunday, January 22, 2012

US files charges against Megaupload in 'largest copyright case'

US prosecutors say that the video-sharing site Megaupload.com cost the US entertainment industry $500 million. Online activists worry the US case could stifle Internet freedoms around the world.

In New Zealand, police had to cut through an iron door of a safe room to get their fugitive, Kim Dotcom, the founder of an Internet-based video sharing site called Megaupload.com.

Skip to next paragraph

Mr. Dotcom (a German citizen born as Kim Schmitz), along with six of his colleagues, has been charged with criminal copyright infringement, racketeering, and money laundering.

Meanwhile, a worldwide network of hackers took up the battle on behalf of Megaupload.com, launching a massive denial-of-service attack on several entertainment websites, as well as on the US Department of Justice website.

The mayhem and legal proceedings are just the opening shots in what US prosecutors are calling the largest criminal copyright case ever, and involves $500 million in damages to the entertainment industry, as well as complex legal issues of what constitutes copyright infringement in the age of YouTube, Facebook ?liking,? and DVD burners. And the legal battle is likely to reverberate around the world, as countries contemplate their own laws over intellectual property rights.

If found guilty, Dotcom and his Megaupload associates ? who are thought to have earned up to $175 million by selling advertisements on their website ?could face 20 years in prison.

The Washington Post quoted Sen. Patrick Leahy ? author of the controversial Protect IP Act (PIPA) ? praising the arrest of Dotcom.

?Today?s action by the Department of Justice against the leaders of Megaupload.com shows what law enforcement can do to protect American intellectual property that is stolen through domestic Web sites,? the Post quoted Leahy saying.

The New York Times quoted?Ira P. Rothken, a lawyer for Megaupload, as saying in a Times phone interview, ?Megaupload believes the government is wrong on the facts, wrong on the law.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/UR3sdCnoAlY/US-files-charges-against-Megaupload-in-largest-copyright-case

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Fed spells out how it will forecast rate changes

(AP) ? The Federal Reserve has specified how it will begin signaling when its benchmark interest rate will rise and what the rate will be at points in the future.

Four times a year starting Wednesday, the Fed will show in a chart the year when Fed officials predict they will begin raising the rate. Another chart will show individual Fed members' predictions for the rate at the end of 2012, 2013 and 2014.

More guidance on rates might help lower long-term yields further ? in effect providing a kind of stimulus. Lower rates could lead consumers and businesses to borrow and spend more. The economy would likely benefit.

The Fed has left its key short-term rate at a record low near zero for the past three years. In August, it said it planned to leave the rate there until at least mid-2013, unless the economy improved.

Many private economists believe the rate is likely to remain near zero for longer than the mid-2013 target. Many are forecasting the first rate hike will not occur until sometime in 2014.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-20-Fed-Rate%20Forecasts/id-1f3f0c970236464c80c88e4554e0bfd4

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Saturday, January 21, 2012

Native forest birds in unprecedented trouble, according to University of Hawaii at Manoa researchers

Native forest birds in unprecedented trouble, according to University of Hawaii at Manoa researchers [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 19-Jan-2012
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Contact: Leonard Freed
lfreed@hawaii.edu
808-956-8655
University of Hawaii at Manoa

Native birds at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge are in unprecedented trouble, according to a paper recently published in the journal PLoS ONE. The paper, titled "Changes in timing, duration, and symmetry of molt of Hawaiian forest birds," was authored by University of Hawai'i at M?noa Zoology Professor Leonard Freed and Cell and Molecular Biology Professor Rebecca Cann.

In the paper, Freed and Cann report that birds are now so food-deprived that they take up to twice as long replace their feathers, an annual process known as molt. The authors confirmed the hypothesis that Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus) birds are effectively competing with most species of native birds. Their research found that both young and adult birds took longer to complete their molt. Young birds normally complete their juvenile molt in five months, beginning before June and ending in October. Now it is taking the birds as late as March of the following year to finish that molt. Adults are also taking that much longer to replace their feathers. Freed and Cann propose that this change in molt matches those in studies that experimentally starve birds.

In addition, the authors report that more adults are beginning their molt early, during months when they normally breed. Some molting females even had active brood patches. Birds generally avoid this overlap in their life history because both activities require extra energy. In their study, Freed and Cann have identified that the endangered Hawai'i creeper had the greatest molting changes. The record change for an individual bird, a Hawai'i amakihi, was set by an individual that finished its juvenile molt from the previous year in March only to begin its adult molt in May. All Hawaiian honeycreepers had significant changes.

Usually birds molt the same primary flight feathers on the two wings at the same time to maintain maneuverability. However, by 2002, all species had asymmetric molt of these feathers. This is the first time asymmetric molt has been documented throughout a community of birds. This molt was experimentally seen previously in food-limited birds. In laboratory situations, starvation of birds to 60% of normal diet leads to the changes in molt that Freed and Cann observed in nature. Native birds died at a greater rate during the months of extended molt during 2000-2004, and survival worsened each year. A control set of years in the 1990's, with fewer white-eyes, showed no trend in survival.

The authors reported that the changes in molt were associated in every detail with the increase in Japanese white-eye birds, a bird intentionally introduced to Hawai'i in 1929 to control insects. According to Freed and Cann, the molt study complements a previous 2009 Current Biology paper by the authors showing that all species of native birds have stunted growth and lower survival. The authors suggest that no section of the refuge is safe from the competitive effects of this introduced bird, especially the lower closed forest section of the refuge which had the greatest non-normal molt in 2006.

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To view the research paper, visit: http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0029834.


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Native forest birds in unprecedented trouble, according to University of Hawaii at Manoa researchers [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 19-Jan-2012
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Contact: Leonard Freed
lfreed@hawaii.edu
808-956-8655
University of Hawaii at Manoa

Native birds at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge are in unprecedented trouble, according to a paper recently published in the journal PLoS ONE. The paper, titled "Changes in timing, duration, and symmetry of molt of Hawaiian forest birds," was authored by University of Hawai'i at M?noa Zoology Professor Leonard Freed and Cell and Molecular Biology Professor Rebecca Cann.

In the paper, Freed and Cann report that birds are now so food-deprived that they take up to twice as long replace their feathers, an annual process known as molt. The authors confirmed the hypothesis that Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus) birds are effectively competing with most species of native birds. Their research found that both young and adult birds took longer to complete their molt. Young birds normally complete their juvenile molt in five months, beginning before June and ending in October. Now it is taking the birds as late as March of the following year to finish that molt. Adults are also taking that much longer to replace their feathers. Freed and Cann propose that this change in molt matches those in studies that experimentally starve birds.

In addition, the authors report that more adults are beginning their molt early, during months when they normally breed. Some molting females even had active brood patches. Birds generally avoid this overlap in their life history because both activities require extra energy. In their study, Freed and Cann have identified that the endangered Hawai'i creeper had the greatest molting changes. The record change for an individual bird, a Hawai'i amakihi, was set by an individual that finished its juvenile molt from the previous year in March only to begin its adult molt in May. All Hawaiian honeycreepers had significant changes.

Usually birds molt the same primary flight feathers on the two wings at the same time to maintain maneuverability. However, by 2002, all species had asymmetric molt of these feathers. This is the first time asymmetric molt has been documented throughout a community of birds. This molt was experimentally seen previously in food-limited birds. In laboratory situations, starvation of birds to 60% of normal diet leads to the changes in molt that Freed and Cann observed in nature. Native birds died at a greater rate during the months of extended molt during 2000-2004, and survival worsened each year. A control set of years in the 1990's, with fewer white-eyes, showed no trend in survival.

The authors reported that the changes in molt were associated in every detail with the increase in Japanese white-eye birds, a bird intentionally introduced to Hawai'i in 1929 to control insects. According to Freed and Cann, the molt study complements a previous 2009 Current Biology paper by the authors showing that all species of native birds have stunted growth and lower survival. The authors suggest that no section of the refuge is safe from the competitive effects of this introduced bird, especially the lower closed forest section of the refuge which had the greatest non-normal molt in 2006.

###

To view the research paper, visit: http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0029834.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/uoha-nfb011912.php

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