Liberty Newspost Jan-13-2012

Curated News Edition
- 13/01/12
http://www.LibertyNewspost.com
Supreme Court Ruling Hailed as a Victory for Religious Freedom

(Christianpost.com > Politics)
Hosanna-Tabor over what it believed to be a work dispute over Submitted at 1/13/2012 7:20:37 AM an employer and a secular employee. (Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Perich, who had been diagnosed Ernst) ACLJ says its successful with narcolepsy, was fired shortly legal advocacy before U.S. after she returned from extended Supreme Court has prompted leave. The EEOC argued she was latest newspaper attack a secular teacher teaching from secular texts. Perich, however, W h e n t h e S u p r e m e C o u r t taught religion classes and led unanimously rejected the Equal prayer services several times a E m p l o y m e n t O p p o r t u n i t y day. Commissions claim to sue Critics say Wednesdays ruling Hosanna-Tabor for firing former will shortchange employees religious teacher Cheryl Perich, wrongfully fired from religious Attorney Mathew Staver said it institutions. also upheld the churchs right to Like us on Facebook control its religious message and Clergy who are fired for reasons protect it from government unrelated to matters of theology tampering. no matter how capricious or venal The church would no longer be those reasons may be have just the church if it had gone the other had the courthouse door slammed way, he asserted. The church in their faces, the Rev. Barry W. would be basically dominated by L y n n , e x e c u t i v e d i r e c t o r government regulation and would Americans United for Separation lose its unique message and of Church and State, said. ministry. However, Staver, chairman of the T h e E q u a l E m p l o y m e n t Liberty Counsel, said a court Opportunity Commission sued ruling affirming the EEOCs
power to restate Perich could have hindered a religious institutions right to fire religious employees who teach and preach a religious message that is contrary to their faith in the future. A Baptist school would eventually no longer be a Baptist school, a Catholic school would no longer be a Catholic school, a Jewish synagogue would no longer be Jewish synagogue, he said. The Supreme Court voted 9-0 for ministerial protections, a gesture Luke Goodrich, a deputy national litigation director at The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, says is a huge victory for religious freedom and a rebuke to the government. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion that the case was more than a mere employer-employee dispute and to treat it as such intrudes upon more than a mere employment decision. Such action interferes with the internal governance of the church, depriving the church
of control over the selection of those who will personify its beliefs. Now, Staver said, If the church could not control the people who were communicating the religious message or a teacher, for example who is teaching in a Christian school, if they departed from the core teaching of the church or the religious institution, the school would be able to terminate under this ruling. He also said religious schools like Hosanna-Tabor will no longer have to spend precious resources on this issue. The Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, president of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod The Court, applauded the ruling, saying, The Court, in upholding the right of churches to select their own ministers without government interference, has confirmed a critical religious liberty in our country. The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod places great emphasis on the religious education of its children
and the important role of commissioned ministers in promoting our faith, so we are thankful that the Court has confirmed our churchs right to decide who will be serving as ministers in our churches and schools. He continued, We also are thankful that this unanimous opinion will help secure the religious freedom of all religious organizations in America for years to come. Please keep the Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court in your prayers daily. Post a Christian job now or browse employment opportunities to get hired fast on ChristianHire.com, your best Christian jobs site. Browse Christian Jobs now This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Headline/
Penn State president Erickson takes heat at meeting with alumni

(USATODAY.com News)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 8:15:38 AM
a standing ovation as he delivered his message. Paternos dismissal, and the KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. (AP) schools handling of it, has been a Penn State University's president hot-button issue for the former told alumni that the school's crisis Pittsburgh Steeler. can be blamed on one person: I cant understand why it former football assistant coach happened. Us, as an alumni, we Jerry Sandusky. But many alumni have to be relentless. We have to are still grieving over the firing of keep fighting for Penn State, he longtime football coach Joe said. We cant let the board of Paterno. trustees or the media write the By Gene J. Puskar, AP final chapter. Penn State University President Harris, too, questions Ericksons Rodney Erickson answers a leadership. question during a town hall A lot of the answers that we meeting with alumni in Pittsburgh want from the university arent on Wednesday. coming forward. When they do In a sometimes heated 90-minute say something, even today, what I exchange Thursday night at a most recently heard, they think hotel near Philadelphia, university were dumb, Harris said. They president Rodney Erickson laid want us to believe it was in the the blame for the school's crisis on best interest of the school to fire Sandusky. Joe Paterno. No way was that in "It grieves me very much when I the best interest of the school. hear people say 'the Penn State At his forum, Harris asked for scandal.' This is not Penn State. real talk. The session began This is 'the Sandusky scandal,'" he after 8 p.m., and lasted about two said. "We're not going to let what hours. one individual did destroy the I find it hard to believe that on reputation of this university." Nov. 9th, that all 32 board KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. (AP) members wanted Joe Paterno Former Penn State running back fired, Harris said. Hopefully, Franco Harris doesnt believe Joe someone will come forward and Paternos firing was in the admit they didnt want Joe schools best interest and urged Paterno fired. This wasnt a alumni to be relentless. football problem. If had been a Speaking to a gathering of about football issue, believe me, Joe 300 on Thursday, Harris received Paterno would have handled this.
The present leadership thinks its right what happened and how this was handled. And we all know it was wrong. And this comes from our current leadership. Theyre hoping everything goes on as normal. All I want is the truth. I think we deserve it. Harris said he called Erickson to ask him to consider rehiring Paterno but Erickson told him no. Harris did throw tepid support behind new Penn State coach Bill OBrien and said he did not believe the next coach had to be from Penn State. But I do find it disturbing that not one of our people had any input at all in the decision, Harris said. But the thing thats upsetting to me is that this is labeled a football sex scandal and that our assistant coaches wont be able to get a job anywhere in the country. They should honor Joe. With their inaction, once again, they show Joe Paterno, all the good things hes done, and everything hes built, is not important. We cant let them get away with what theyve done and what theyre doing. They should rehire Joe Paterno for the first four games of next season and begin the transition right there, Harris said. Otherwise, there is no closure. If Joe Paterno isnt hired back, Im not going to the first
four games. Harris had the attention of the room the whole session. One supporter even blurted out that he should run for a board position at Penn State. Harris could only laugh before answering. You know, my running days are over. The 650 people attending the second of three alumni sessions, however, didn't receive his remarks well. "It's a shroud of secrecy still," said Joseph Weiss of the Class of 1988. "You said it's not a Penn State scandal, but it is, because perception is reality." Erickson will be in New York on Friday for the final alumni town hall event aimed at repairing the school's image following the child molestation charges filed against Sandusky, a retired defensive coordinator. He may not have an easy time of it if his previous stops in Pittsburgh and suburban Philadelphia are any indication. Most of the questions from alumni Thursday concerned Paterno, and the deep pain his firing has caused them. Several asked if Erickson plans to apologize to Paterno. Erickson said it was not his place, since the board had fired Paterno. He frequently reminded the audience that he reports to the board, and can't tell them what to
do. The response elicited groans and heckling at times. But several alumni thanked Erickson for holding the sessions, when board members have not. "They seem to be hiding under a rock someplace," said John Lagana, 74, of Chester Springs, Class of '62. "I'm a big Joe Pa fan, and I think he was treated unjustly." Many alumni called for the board to resign, or worried about their diplomas being tarnished. Several said they were astonished that more wasn't done to manage the looming crisis during the grand jury investigation. The 67-year-old Sandusky is charged with sexually abusing 10 boys over a 15-year period. He maintains his innocence and remains out on $250,000 bail while awaiting trial. Two Penn State administrators are facing charges they lied to a grand jury investigating Sandusky and failed to properly report suspected child abuse. Gary Schultz, a former vice president, and Tim Curley, the athletic director, have denied the allegations and await trial. Retired journalist Francine Cheeks, of Philadelphia, said she was surprised at the "unrelenting" PENN page 5
Headline/
After mass release, U.S., Burma to exchange ambassadors

(USATODAY.com News)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:23:15 AM
RANGOON, Burma (AP) Burma, also known as Burma, freed some of its most famous political inmates Friday, sparking jubilation outside prison gates while signaling its readiness to meet Western demands for lifting economic sanctions. By Khin Maung Win, AP A former political prisoner, right, gets welcomed by her friends as she comes out of the Insein prison in Rangoon. By Khin Maung Win, AP A former political prisoner, right, gets welcomed by her friends as she comes out of the Insein prison in Rangoon. In response, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the U.S. will exchange ambassadors with that nation. Prominent political activists, leaders of brutally repressed democratic uprisings, a former prime minister, ethnic minority leaders, journalists and relatives of the former dictator Ne Win were among those released. State media described the presidential pardon freeing 651 detainees as allowing them to take part in "nation-building." It was the latest in a flurry of accelerating changes in Burma
sought by the West, including starting a dialogue with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, legalizing labor unions and Thursday's signing of a cease-fire in a long-running campaign against Karen insurgents. Burma likely now feels the ball is the West's court to lift the onerous economic measures. President Obama praised the release as "a substantial step forward for democratic reform," and Clinton said ambassadors would be exchanged between the countries in response to the releases. The U.S. has not had an ambassador in Burma since downgrading its representation after a 1988 pro-democracy uprising was bloodily quashed by the army. But the United States and allies may take a wait-and-see approach on sanctions, to see if government truces with various ethnic rebel groups hold, discussions with Suu Kyi move forward and scheduled April elections appear free and fair. There has been a parade of top Western diplomats through Burma lately Clinton in December and British Foreign Secretary William Hague last week. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe is scheduled to arrive Saturday.
defers to Suu Kyi in judging the government's goodwill and progress toward democracy. Suu Kyi's party, marginalized for more than two decades of military rule, seeks a more active role in politics if the government will allow a more level playing field. The re-entry of her National The message conveyed by League for Democracy party into Western nations has been clear: mainstream politics is the kind of They are encouraged by the endorsement the government reform process under President n e e d s t o w i n W e s t e r n Thein Sein, but economic and approbation. What needs to be political sanctions could not be determined is the price each side lifted unless the prisoners were is willing to pay. freed. The various sanctions Until this week, even some of generally ban doing business with Suu Kyi's supporters feared she Burma, block financial transfers, had sold herself short. The especially by military-backed country's most prominent political leaders and their cronies, and also prisoners had remained behind bars with hardly a sour note struck deny visas to the same VIPs. "I think we are close to the by Suu Kyi in public. Cease-fire removal of Western sanctions," talks had been held between the said Monique Skidmore, a Burma government and various ethnic expert at the University of minority guerrillas groups, which Canberra, adding that the U.S. and have been fighting for autonomy others might first wait to see for decades, but actual combat Aung San Suu Kyi take a seat in between the army and the Kachin parliament. "There's a sense that minority in the north dominated there's still more to go before the relations. Then on Thursday the sanctions will be removed." Thein Sein's government, Suu government announced a ceaseK y i a n d t h e W e s t w i t h fire deal with the main ethnic Washington its key representative Karen group the most durable are involved in a complicated rebel movement and the three-way give and take. Thein prisoner release followed directly Sein seeks to normalize relations on that. with the West, which generally Whether by chance or design, the
latest moves come just ahead of visits by some U.S. senators influential in foreign affairs, including Mitch McConnell and John McCain, whose political muscle can seal a deal or wreck it. Human Rights Watch called Friday's release "a crucial development" in promoting human rights in Burma but stressed that an unknown number of political prisoners still remain detained. The group called for their release and urged the government to allow international monitors to enter prisons to verify the numbers and whereabouts of those still jailed. Until Friday, as many as 1,500 political prisoners were believed to be behind bars, by some counts, and the exact tally of those released Friday will likely take several days. Suu Kyi's party said it was expecting the release of many of the 600 dissidents it tracks. "The release of such a large number of political prisoners demonstrates the government's will to solve political problems through political means," said Win Tin, a senior member of Suu Kyi's party who previously spent 19 years in prison but was released under a 2008 amnesty. AFTER page 6
Headline/ Policy/ Economy/ Sports/
Obama, DNC amass $240 million campaign war chest

(USATODAY.com News)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 5:49:48 AM
Bush at this point in his 2004 reelection effort. But this year's contest is markedly different. By Fredreka Schouten, USA Aggressive new super PACs, TODAY empowered by 2010 federal court Updated rulings, now can unleash WASHINGTON President unlimited amounts of corporate Obama and the Democratic Party and union money to denounce or have raised more than $240 defend politicians as long as they million for his re-election, o p e r a t e i n d e p e n d e n t l y o f swamping his rivals' fundraising candidates. So far, Republicanas the president races to build a l e a n i n g s u p e r P A C s h a v e war chest to defend against the outraised Democratic independent eventual Republican nominee and groups, threatening to undercut deep-pocketed GOP"super the president's financial PACS." advantage. These groups are By Haraz N. Ghanbari, AP already shaking up the early GOP President Obama waves as he primary contests with millions of b o a r d s A i r F o r c e O n e o n dollars in attack ads. Wednesday at Chicago's O'Hare Obama "will need every penny" International Airport. to deal with the Republican Obama collected more than $42 onslaught, said Jack Pitney, a million during the closing three political scientist at Claremont months of the year, his campaign McKenna College. "He's facing a announced Thursday, while more very long general-election fight." than $24 million went to the In a video and e-mail to Democratic National Committee, s u p p o r t e r s e a r l y T h u r s d a y to help build a national campaign m o r n i n g , O b a m a c a m p a i g n infrastructure ahead of the manager Jim Messina called the November election. fundraising a "pretty good start" The fundraising puts Obama and said more than half a million roughly on par with the amounts people had contributed during the raised by President George W. October-to-December fundraising [unable to retrieve full-text content] [unable to retrieve full-text content]
quarter. Obama collected a record $745 million to win the presidency in 2008, raising expectations that his re-election effort could exceed $1 billion. Thursday, Messina rejected that number as "completely untrue" and said it had hampered fundraising. He implored supporters to give more. "There's no cavalry," he wrote. "There's only you." Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski said the fundraising activity shows Obama is "more interested in campaigning" than in creating jobs. Mitt Romney, with back-to-back victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, is the top GOP fundraiser, collecting $56 million in 2011. Experts, such as Pitney, predict huge campaign sums for Romney and GOP independent groups if he wins the nomination. A pro-Romney PAC, Restore Our Future, already is the biggest spender among candidate-specific super PACs, pumping $6 million into the early contests, federal records show. American Crossroads, another
Republican super PAC, and an affiliated group, Crossroads GPS, spent about $20 million last year to slam Democrats during the debt -ceiling debate, and plan to unleash anti-Obama ads in Florida, Iowa and Ohio once a GOP nominee emerges. Their fundraising goal: $240 million, spokesman Jonathan Collegio said. Democratic consultant Steve McMahon said the attacks by GOP rivals on Romney's record only help Obama if Romney emerges as the nominee. "Bain is a cancer on Romney's candidacy," he said. "It may go into remission for a while, but it will come back in the fall." Tad Devine, a strategist who worked on Democrat John Kerry's 2004 unsuccessful presidential bid, said Obama campaign aides must be prepared to hit his Republican opponent with television ads as early as March. "They need to make sure this campaign is debated on a terrain of their choosing," he said. "They are raising the kind of of money to do it." For more information about reprints & permissions, visit
our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com. USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Golf-Joburg Open second round leaderboard

(Sports News Headlines Yahoo! News)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:28:24 AM
Jan 13 (Reuters) - Leaderboard after weather-affected secondround of Joburg Open at the par-71 course in Johannesburg
onFriday. ...
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PENN
continued from page 2
focus on Paterno. "Sue and Joe Paterno are not the primary victims in this whole scheme," said Cheeks, Class of 1965. "It's children whose lives have been affected, and maybe destroyed, allegedly." Her college roommate, Marcia Hannah, of Wayne, fears the worst isn't over for Penn State. She said the school wasn't prepared for the media crush that followed the arrest of Sandusky and the school officials, and doubts they're preparing now for their trials. "They're going to get buried again," she said. "This university is not taking care of itself." Former Penn State and pro football star Franco Harris scheduled a competing event at the King of Prussia hotel after broad dissatisfaction with Erickson's first talk in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. But even some critics say Erickson shouldn't be getting all the blame for what many view as a floundering public relations effort. A 2002 alumnus, Ryan Bagwell, who's seeking a trustee seat in voting that will start next week, said Erickson "takes his marching orders from the Board of Trustees," which has "sent him out on this three-day spree." "We want to hear from the trustees," Bagwell said. "We want
them to explain why they made the decisions they did." Two cousins who attended Thursday night's alumni meeting said they aren't sure the current trustees are the right people to move the university forward. John Cohrac, a Class of 1990 graduate from Pottstown, said he hoped to ask Erickson why there hasn't been the transparency he promised. He and Mike Cohrac, a Class of 1999 graduate from Phoenixville, said they would still support the school's football program but might withhold donations to the academic side until they get answers from the trustees about how they handled the sex abuse scandal. Erickson has said openness and communication are his guiding principles and the school "will do better in the future." The chairman and vice chairman of the Board of Trustees released a statement Thursday evening responding to questions raised at the Pittsburgh meeting, including about the firing of Paterno. Paterno, they said, was removed in November instead of being allowed to retire after the season because of "extraordinary circumstances." "The details of his retirement are being worked out and will be made public when they are finalized," said the statement from Chairman Steve Garban and Vice
Chairman John Surma. "Generally speaking, the University intends to honor the terms of his employment contract and is treating him financially as if he had retired at the end of the 2011 football season." Representatives for the Paterno family said Thursday the trustees' statement came as a surprise. Paterno's son Scott Paterno responded it was becoming apparent that the coach's firing Nov. 9, "with no notice or hearing, was not handled well." The fired coach "strongly believed everyone involved is entitled to due process," his son said in a statement, adding that his parents still were "unwavering in their loyalty and dedication to Penn State." Paterno has described the scandal as one of the great sorrows of his life and has said that in hindsight he wishes he had done more after allegations against Sandusky were raised. While many alumni are unhappy about the way the school fired Paterno, some said there were no good options in the situation. "I don't think there was any graceful way to handle that problem," said John Burness, a former senior vice president of public affairs for Cornell University, Duke University and the University of Illinois. Harris, who played for Paterno
from 1968 to 1971 before helping the Pittsburgh Steelers win four Super Bowls, castigated the Board of Trustees for showing "no courage" by firing Paterno. Harris stepped down as chairman of the Pittsburgh Promise, a scholarship foundation, after Mayor Luke Ravenstahl complained about the statements, but he was reinstated in December. Burness also said that people who are seeking quick changes to the Penn State Board of Trustees forget there's a reason it's difficult to make such changes. "It isn't a simple thing to do, and it shouldn't be a simple thing to do," he said, since a key goal is for trustees to have a high degree of independence. Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Taiwan elections stir hope for Chinese democrats Washington Post

(china - Google News)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 9:46:18 AM
Bloomberg Taiwan elections stir hope for Chinese democrats Washington Post HSINCHU, TAIWAN As candidates raced around Taiwan in a final push for votes in a Saturday election, students visiting from China who have never had a vote crammed into classroom at National Tsing Hua University for a lecture on a subject not... In China, Fascination with Taiwan Election Wall Street Journal (blog) Chinese visitors flock to Taiwan to experience elections Chicago Tribune China Deals Up for Judgment as Taiwan Votes Bloomberg BusinessWeek- Sydney Morning Herald all 956 news articles
Skiers hit the halfpipe despite Burke's injury

The afternoon sun has cast a giant shadow across one wall of
the imposing 22-foot superpipe at Park City Mountain Resort.
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AFTER
"This amnesty will ease political tension before the upcoming April by-election. The other major problem the government has to seriously tackle now is the issue of ethnic fighting especially in Kachin state." The party decided to rejoin electoral politics after the military -backed but elected government took office last March, replacing army rule and tentatively easing years of repression. Some critics characterized the NLD's decision to rejoin electoral politics as a capitulation after years of resistance to military rule. The party won a 1990 general election but was denied power after the military refused to allow parliament to be seated. In 2010, the military held another general election, but the NLD found the rules unfair and declined to participate, leading to its being purged from the list of legal political parties. The critics fear the NLD's participation helps the government maintain a veneer of legitimacy for what is actually by constitutional statute, as well as the majority held by promilitary lawmakers continued domination of politics by the army. "I think this year we shall find out
whether we are making progress toward democracy," Suu Kyi said in an interview with The Associated Press last week, adding that benchmarks to consider are "the release of all political prisoners, how the byelections are conducted, how much more freedom of information is allowed and whether strong steps are taken to establish the rule of law." Among the high-profile inmates released Friday were Min Ko Naing, a nearly legendary student leader from Burma's failed 1988 pro-democracy uprising. Cheers and applause erupted outside the Thayet prison, 545 kilometers (345 miles) north of Rangoon, where a huge crowd gathered to see the charismatic activist. Min Ko Naing, leader of the "88 Generation Students Group," was serving a 65-year prison sentence. His most recent arrest came in August 2007 along with 14 other student leaders at a protest against fuel price increases that preceded the monk-led Saffron Revolution, which was violently suppressed. Activists arrested after the abortive 2007 Saffron Revolution named for the color of the robes worn by the country's Buddhist monks were also
freed. Among them were Shin Gambira, 32, a militant monk who helped lead the anti-government protests. Family members said he told them he was in good health. Also freed was ethnic leader Khun Tun Oo, the chairman of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, who was serving a 93 -year sentence. He had been arrested along with several other Shan leaders in February 2005 and charged with treason. Traditional Shan music blasted from speakers outside Khun Tun Oo's family home in Rangoon, where a crowd danced as they awaited his return. He said the accusations for which he was jailed were baseless, and he was imprisoned only because the Shan refused to take part in a military-directed constitution drafting process. "I am free and I am back home, but there's nothing in my heart because from the very first day of my arrest I was the person who shouldn't be arrested," he said. "We Shans never did anything wrong and the so-called rebellion against the state secession didn't happen." The government recently signed a preliminary cease-fire agreement with Shan rebels. The Shan Herald Agency for News, an
online news site close to the rebels, said five or six Shan political prisoners were freed. Jailed former Prime Minister Khin Nyunt also was freed. He was ousted in 2004 after falling out of favor with the junta and convicted a year later of insubordination and corruption and sentenced to 44 years under house arrest. "The democratic process is on the right track," the 73-year-old Khin Nyunt told reporters in Rangoon, saying he did not plan to return to politics. Dozens of his colleagues from the Military Intelligence service who were purged with him were also reportedly pardoned. Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
China Stocks Drop Most in a Week as Monetary Easing Hopes Wane BusinessWeek
Submitted at 1/13/2012 9:28:38 AM
AsiaOne China Stocks Drop Most in a Week as Monetary Easing Hopes Wane BusinessWeek 13 (Bloomberg) -- China's stocks fell, dragging the benchmark index down the most in a week, as speculation the government would loosen monetary policies waned. China Vanke Co. and Poly Real Estate Group Co. paced losses by developers after the China... China shares snap 9-week losing streak, Hong Kong firm Reuters China Shares End Lower; Shanghai Index Still Up 3.7% For The Week Wall Street Journal China Stocks: Changjiang Securities, CNR, CSR, EGing, Hisense Bloomberg Wall Street Journal (India) all 321 news articles
Top Posts Of The Week And Open Thread

Laura Northrup (The Consumerist)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:30:00 AM
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Here's A Credit Card That Looks To Trap ID Thieves By Making Them Think They're
Clever Businesses That Rip Off Poor People An Important Lesson In Bathroom Etiquette Penis Tattoo Gives Man A Permanent
Erection If You Think Suze Orman's Prepaid Debit Card Is A Bad Idea, You're An 'Idiot'
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Danny Meyer's Magic Touch: How To Create Four-Star Experiences And Lines Around The Block
David D. Burstein (Fast Company)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 12:46:42 PM
At age 27, Danny Meyer abandoned plans to go to law school and decided to open Union Square Cafe in New York City--a decision about which New York City's food lovers are eternally grateful. In the 25 years since, Meyer has opened 28 restaurants and, incredibly, given the cutthroat nature of the New York restaurant scene, has had only had one closing. Three of his restaurants, Union Square Cafe, Eleven Madison Park, and Gramercy Tavern, consistently appear on most major New York top restaurant lists; Eleven Madison is one of only five Michelin 3-star restaurants in the city. As the CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, Meyer oversees a large team that manages all of the restaurants and additional businesses, including the Shake Shack burger stands, which have in a few short years become a national and international brand, with locations in Miami, Washington D.C., Connecticut, Kuwait, and Dubai, among others. Demand for Shack burgers in
New York is so frenzied that someone made a Shake Shack app that lets you watch live video feed of the line so you can plan your burger binge based on its (usually very long) length. This week he opened a Blue Smoke BBQ stand and another fine-dining restaurant, North End Grill, in New York's Battery Park City. North End is his second collaboration with Chef Floyd Cardoz, recently the winner of Top Chef Masters. We sat down with Meyer at North End Grill to talk about the lessons he's learned in a famously risky industry, and the secret ingredient of his success that has stayed the same all these years. Fast Company: You've been in the restaurant business for 25 years. You've seen a lot. What have been the biggest changes in this industry in that time? Danny Meyer: Restaurants and chefs have become followed by such a broad swath of the public, in a way that used to be reserved for sports stars, movie stars, and theater actors. Restaurants are in the firmament of today's common culture. It would have been unheard of when I got into the business to talk about where a particular chef was cooking and
students visit us from St. Louis who are studying marketing. 25 years ago they never would have put a restaurant on their list of places to visit. One of the other big movements in the restaurant business has been the local and organic movement. You were early to that, why has that been important to you? I'm a big believer that you can try to change the world based on philosophy, doctrine, and belief. But I think the thing that really drives the world is hedonism, the pleasure factor. As far as I'm concerned, the best way to for people to know who that chef convert people to eating fresh was. So now there's a public that's local grown produce is to show hungry for food information. them that local fresh grown There are now artisans and produce tastes better. Our industry farmers, winemakers, bread is hyper-competitive; there are bakers, cheese makers, people 26,000 restaurants in New York, who raise pigs, and people who so each one has to give you a roast coffee who take what they reason to try it as well as a reason do very seriously. 25 years ago to come back. We are constantly you would have been ashamed to looking for better ingredients to say you were going into the cook with. So that when you restaurant business or to become a come here you say "The grilled pig farmer, today you are proud. salmon I had at North End Grill We also have a media that covers was the best I've ever had." We're food and restaurants extensively. constantly looking for better 25 years ago we didn't have the servers so people will say "My Internet, blogs, or the food server made me feel better." In network. We had a group of our industry, we can't leave a single stone unturned; we're
always looking for what's better. I think where our industry--or any industry--can get in trouble is when they try to invent things for invention's sake. Sometimes early in their careers, chefs make the mistake of adding one too many things to a plate to get attention. If a chef is just coming up with wizbang gimmicks on their plate, that has nothing to do with bringing real pleasure to people. Several of your places have become part of the classic New York restaurant establishment. How do you keep the "classic" elements amidst constantly needing to innovate in order to stay fresh? You want to preserve a sense of how someone's made to feel, even while you're evolving your product. Your product can evolve all the time and it has to. In 1985, no one had ever seen something we called "Filet Mignon of Tuna." It was our most popular dish at Union Square Cafe for years and years. Then after a while, it started to read like 1985. So the goal was to keep making people feel the way they want to feel when they come here, but also to figure out a way to change the DANNY page 9
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Generation Flux: DJ Patil

Robert Safian (Fast Company)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:35:55 AM
Our profile of DJ Patil, Data Scientist at Greylock Partners. His career includes being a researcher at Los Alamos, a Defense Department fellow, a virtual librarian for Iraq, a web-security architect for eBay, and head of a data team at LinkedIn, where his team created "People You May Know." @font-face { font-family: 'FCKaiserCondWebRegular'; src: url('/sites/all/themes/fc_v1/scripts/ mod2011/fckaiser-cond-webregular-webfont.eot'); src: url('/ sites/all/themes/fc_v1/scripts/ mod2011/fckaiser-cond-webregular-webfont.eot?#iefix') format('embedded-opentype'), url('/sites/all/themes/fc_v1/scripts/ mod2011/fckaiser-cond-webregular-webfont.woff') format('woff'), url('/sites/all/ themes/fc_v1/scripts/mod2011/ fckaiser-cond-web-regularwebfont.ttf') format('truetype'), url('/sites/all/themes/fc_v1/scripts/ mod2011/fckaiser-cond-webregular-webfont.svg# FCKaiserCondWebRegular') format('svg'); font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; } .kaiser, .kaiser a {font-family: 'FCKaiserCondWebRegular', Helvetica, sans-serif !important; font-weight: normal; letterspacing: 1px; line-height:1; fontsize:40px!important;color:#333!i m p o r t a n t ; t e x t decoration:underline;} .kaiser
a:hover {color:#666!important;} .kaiser {text-decoration:none;font -size:30px!important;} .sidebox {float:right;border:1px solid #e6e6e6;backgroundcolor:#fafafa!important;width:200 px;padding:5px;margin:0px 0px 10px 10px;} .sidebox a {color:#e80681;fontweight:bold;} .sidebox p {fontsize:13px;} .bottombox {background:#f2f2f2;border:1px solid #d8d8d8;padding:15px;} .bottombox img {display:inlineb l o c k ; v e r t i c a l align:middle;width:50px;height:5 0px;padding:6px;} .bottombox a {display:inline-block;verticalalign:middle;width:70px;fontsize:12px;line-height:1.2em; color:#e8007e;font-weight:bold;} Photo by Brooke Nipar DJ Patil pulls a two-foot-long metal bar from his backpack. The contraption, which he calls a double pendulum, is hinged in the middle, so it can fold in on itself. Another hinge on one end is attached to a clamp, which he secures to the edge of a table. "Now," he says, holding the bar vertically, from the top, "see if you can predict where this end will go." Then he releases it, and the bar begins to swing wildly, circling the spot where it is attached to the table, while also circling in on itself. There is no pattern, no way to predict where it will end up. While it spins and twists, with more velocity than I'd have imagined, Patil talks to me about chaos theory. "The
important insight," he notes, "is identifying when things are chaotic and when they're not." In high school, Patil got kicked out of math class for being disruptive. He graduated only by convincing a school administrator to change his failing grade in chemistry. He went to junior college because his girlfriend was going, and signed up for a calculus class because she had. He took so long doing his homework, his girlfriend would complain. "It's not like I'm going to become a mathematician," he told her. Patil, 37, is now an expert in chaos theory, among other mathematical disciplines. He has applied computational science to help the Defense Department with threat assessment and bioweapons containment; he worked for eBay on web security and payment fraud; he was chief scientist at LinkedIn, before joining venture capital firm Greylock Partners. But Patil first made a name for himself as a researcher on weather patterns at the University of Maryland: "There are some times," Patil explains, "when you can predict weather well for the next 15 days. Other times, you can only really forecast a couple of days. Sometimes you can't predict the next two hours." The business climate, it turns out, is a lot like the weather. And in recent years, predicting what will GENERATION page 11
DANNY
tuna. What we really try to do in all of our restaurants is to find this magical harmony between allowing the guest to feel like they went out to eat and like they came home to eat. The architecture of somewhere like Union Square Cafe is very homey, but we want to give the guest enough, whether it's the cocktails, the desserts, or the dinner, to make them say, "That's not something I would have made at home. I'm really glad I went out." But at a restaurant like The Modern you feel like you're going out. What we really need to work on at The Modern is dialing up the kinds of things that make you feel like you came home. Every restaurant needs to have a point of view. But it's like a sailing race. There's no such thing as a straight line; you're constantly making corrections. But the thing I'm proudest of is that our older restaurants are the more popular ones. That's because we stay focused on where we're going, but we also listen to our guests and our staff. We're proud of the point of view that we start with, but we also realize that's only a starting point. So how do you actually go about trying to make The Modern feel more like "you're going home?" We identify that with a team of our leaders. You don't do it for them, you ask them for their ideas, so that they understand the concept and they are invested in the solution. For instance, at The Modern we put in shorter tablecloths. When we opened it in
2005, we were thinking more about "going out," so we had these long formal tablecloths, you'd never have those at home. You wouldn't believe how a little detail like that makes a place feel more relaxed. Then one person on our team said mentioned how much they loved getting candy afterschool as a kid. So the pastry chef developed the idea of a rolling candy dessert cart with 15 kinds of chocolate on it. As you make these changes, how do you know if they are having the intended effect? We're in the business of creating delight for people. My partner Michael Romano, who was the chef at Union Square Cafe for 20 years, has an old comment card on the bulletin board in his office. It's a cartoon with three panes. In the first pane, there's a person opening the door to Union Square Cafe with a frown on their face because they had a bad day, in the second pane they're eating a burger at the bar, being served by one of our bartenders and their face has a straight line, in the third pane they're walking out with a smile on their face. Whatever happened to you before you came in we can't control. Whatever happens in pane two is our responsibility. How we do that all starts with how we hire. The people we hire have to be really good at what they do, but they also have to have a high "HQ"-which means they are people who are at their happiest when they're making other people feel good. There are plenty of good cooks
out there, but there aren't plenty of really good cooks who are primarily cooking for your pleasure. If you look at the people who work in our restaurants, I think you'd see two things: The first is that our staff is focused on their work, the second is that they are having fun with each other. So the staff exudes that spirit which is in turn quite attractive to the patrons. It's interesting to hear you talk about the importance of company culture in the restaurant business. It was intuitive from the beginning but it took me 10 years to name it. I had to name it when I opened my second restaurant Gramercy Tavern. As soon as there were two, it meant that wherever I was, I wasn't at the other one. I started to see that it was even more important how our staff treated each other than how they treated our guests. Lots of restaurants could never have an open kitchen because of all the yelling that goes on. Waiters get their head's chopped off in the kitchen, and then they are expected to go into the dining room and be lovely. I couldn't figure out why Gramercy Tavern didn't feel right when we first opened, then I realized that that culture was missing. The only restaurant you've closed was Tabla in 2010. You've called the decision to close it "excruciatingly hard." What did you take away from that experience? As long as there is integrity involved, there is no such thing as
failure. Tabla had a 12+ year run, which is pretty extraordinary for an Indian restaurant. We probably closed it two years later than we should have. I was so proud of never having closed a restaurant in a quarter century, and I wanted it to go on for another quarter century. So there was a little bit of foolish pride there, but there was also genuine concern I had for our staff members there. I didn't want them to lose their jobs. The recession was pretty brutal to Tabla. It was our largest restaurant--one of the many things that I learned from Tabla was scale your restaurant to the concept--Indian cooking, especially in [Tabla chef and now North End Grill chef] Floyd Cardoz's hands is exquisite, but all it takes is one spouse in a group of three couples to say they don't care for Indian food, and you've lost that whole group. I also realized that the cruelest thing I could have done was to keep that restaurant open. We had an incredibly loyal staff, they were so loyal that they wouldn't leave, so that mean that for 3 or 4 years they were not getting raises. So we closed it--we closed it the right way. We had a job fair for all of our staff. We invited all of our chefs and GMs, and we also invited every chef and GM of other restaurants who had been alums of Tabla to come in and hire our team. Now all of those people are further in their careers, and a lot of them have come back work with us. North End Grill is your 28th
opening. What's unique about opening here? It's a new neighborhood. One of the things we love to do is come to a neighborhood before the rest of the world does. We did that with Union Square. We did that with Gramercy Tavern in the Flatiron district. We come down here to Battery Park City, there's a real dearth of restaurants down here. I don't get it, because there's a real high concentration of businesses whose employees entertain at lunch and there's a concentration of residential buildings with residents who go out for dinner. The challenge when you go to a new neighborhood is "are you crazy or not." And only time tells. One of the reasons we decided to open three restaurants at once in this area--Shake Shack opened here six months ago, Blue Smoke opened here five days ago, and North End Grill opened five days ago--was to try and hasten the process of creating a "there there." In addition to your fine dining restaurants, the Shake Shack franchise has really grown in the past few years. The first Shake Shack was really an attempt to answer a need in Madison Square Park. Then the line kept getting longer and longer...and you can't get more space in a park. So we opened a second one, to initially try to mitigate the line from the first one. We opened on the Upper West Side but the Madison DANNY page 15
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Top News/
Gingrich abandons positive campaign strategy for 'contrast' approach - Fox News
(Top Stories - Google News)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:29:08 AM
This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," January 12, 2012. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. SEAN HANNITY, HOST: The race for South Carolina continues as the candidates attempt to rally supporters ahead of next week's primary. And among the candidates looking to reclaim the spotlight after Mitt Romney's victories in Iowa and New Hampshire is the former speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich. And to help him in this fight, he is calling into question Governor Romney's conservatism. Look at this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happened after Massachusetts moderate Mitt Romney changed his position from pro-abortion to pro-life? He governed pro-abortion. Romney appointed a pro-abortion judge, expanded access to abortion bills, put Planned Parenthood on a state medical board, but failed to put a pro-life group on the same board. And Romney signed government mandated health care with taxpayer funded abortions. Massachusetts moderate Mitt Romney, he can't be trusted. NEWT GINGRICH, R-
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm Newt Gingrich and I approve this message. (END VIDEO CLIP) HANNITY: And joining me now to layout his strategy for victory in South Carolina, former speaker of the House, presidential candidate Newt Gingrich. Mr. Speaker, welcome back. Thanks for being with us. GINGRICH: It's good to be with you. And it's a very exciting time in South Carolina, as you pointed out. I think the message of a Reagan conservative jobs program, cutting taxes, cutting regulations, developing American energy, including offshore natural gas in South Carolina -- all of that is working very, very well. And the contrast between a GeorgiaReagan conservative and a Massachusetts moderate is a pretty decisive contrast in the Palmetto State. HANNITY: There are a number of polls that came out today. Some more favorable to you than others. One very close -- has you very close with Mitt Romney, the Inside Advantage poll. What is different between Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, from your perspective? GINGRICH: Well, the biggest difference is that we are drawing very clearly the distinction between Governor Romney's
record, which is very different from his advertising, and my record. I'm for the Second Amendment. He was for Massachusetts gun control, and had a 400 percent increase in taxes on guns. I am for conservative judges. He appointed liberal judges in Massachusetts. You go down the list. I fought to cut taxes to create jobs. He raised taxes. In fact, there's an entire site called RomneyTaxes.com that outlines all the different tax increases he imposed. As a result, Massachusetts was 47th -- that is fourth from the bottom -- in creating jobs. Whereas, as speaker, we created 11 million new jobs working with Bill Clinton when I was speaker of the House, to cut taxes, cut regulations and have job creation. So I think difference -- the contrast is what's really beginning to work. HANNITY: You know, this was not your strategy when you started in Iowa. And you -- last time you were on or the time before, you said you, frankly, were trying to have an experiment. That was you wanted to run a positive campaign. Now you are running what you're calling a comparative campaign. It is aimed directly at Romney. Would this be different had Mitt Romney Super PAC not run the
millions of dollars of ads against you in Iowa? GINGRICH: Sure, of course, yes. Look, I was very happy. I was running a totally positive campaign of big ideas, solutions for jobs, solutions for balancing the budget, solutions for national security. As a result, in the Gallup poll nationally, I was beginning to pull away by something like 12 or 15 points. So I understand that my competitors did what they thought they had to do. But as a result, they changed the ground rules. If you run a purely positive campaign when your opponent is spending $3.5 million attacking you, you have unilaterally disarmed. You might as well get out of the race. So we shifted gears to a straightforward contrast between a Georgia-Reagan conservative and a Massachusetts moderate. We're laying it out very factually. Everything in that ad you just played is factually correct. It's validated. And I'm very prepared to debate Romney next week over the accuracy of my ads versus his ads. HANNITY: We have a debate right here Monday night on the Fox News Channel. I'll be there. I'm looking forward to being back down there in South Carolina. A lot has been made over the issue of Bain Capital in recent days. And I got into this with Governor
Rick Perry the other night. He had some very harsh words, called it vulture capitalism. Ethics were thrown out the door. Those were his words. When I asked him about it, he doubled down. You seem to have pulled back. Your most recent comment was you are not attacking capitalism. You are attacking Romney's judgment. Explain the point you want to make on Bain. What is it? GINGRICH: I do think it's kind of absurd that there has been this general response, mostly by Romney supporters, that to question his record is to be opposed to capitalism. Mitt Romney said he had two criteria for being president. One was his record as governor, which he now doesn't want to discuss because it's too liberal for South Carolina. The other was that he claimed he created 100,000 jobs. Well, the Washington Post yesterday gave him three Pinocchios on that jobs claim. They pointed out that in 1994, running for the Senate, he claimed to have created 10,000 jobs. And then he wasn't at Bain Capital in a management role after that. And they said they couldn't find any evidence that he created 100,000 jobs. Remember, working with Clinton, we created about 11 million jobs. So there's a GINGRICH page 16
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GENERATION
happen next has gotten exponentially harder. Patil's own life is a reflection of this reality. He has worked in academia, in government, at big public companies, and at startups; he is a technologist and a businessman; a teacher and a diplomat. He is none of those things and all of them, and who knows what he will be or do next. Certainly not him. "That doesn't bother me," he says. "I'll find something." Meet The Rest Of Generation Flux Other Flux-ers recommended by DJ Patil. Alex Dehgan Currently Sci and Tech Advisor to Administrator of USAID. LinkedIn Allen Blue Co-founder of LinkedIn@allenb Ellen Levy Silicon Valley Innovation, Social Networking a n d T e c h n o l o g y Executive@ellenlevy Eve Blossom Designer, architect and founder of Lulan Artisans@eveblossom Joi Ito Director, MIT MEdia Lab@joi Tyler Bell Director of Product at Factual@twbell Surya Yalamanchili Product, M a r k e t i n g , a n d Operations@suryasays Nancy Lublin CEO of Do Something and Founder of Dress for Success@nancylublin He recalls how he learned to master math: "I was always good with computers, fast at coding; I hacked into my school's grading system. But when I started taking calculus in junior college, I realized, I don't know any of this.
I felt embarrassingly stupid. So I said, 'Okay, I can either be stupid or I can change.' So I went to the Cupertino public library and took out all the high school math books I could find, and I had to selfteach the basic principles. And I fell in love with it. It was so different from other math classes I'd taken, because it explained why the world works. You could put it into computer programs, and it would make it real." After two years at DeAnza Community College, Patil transferred to University of California at San Diego. He still felt behind in math, certainly wasn't at the top of his class in terms of grades, but he helped professors with research--about how sand forms, and why the sardine population was collapsing --and he graduated on schedule with a math degree. He considered oceanography as a discipline, but chose instead to study under Jim Yorke, one of the pioneers of chaos theory, at the University of Maryland. For his research, Patil says, "I would take over the computers at night." His research topic: "How do you understand the nonlinear aspects of the weather? I had to clean and process so much data. I would go to bed at 5 p.m. and get up at midnight, when the computers weren't being used. It was hell." Patil wanted a spot as a professor, but he knew he'd have to generate the funds to support his own hiring. So he attacked grant writing, and in 2000 brought in
about $1 million. "I created a job for myself." In 2004 he took a fellowship at the Department of Defense. "I went into government to help my country, but I wasn't going to enlist. But I was trained on public funds, at universities. I felt I wanted to do some service. Plus I also knew it would get me exposure to how government works, which would help me if I went back to academia or whatever happened." At Defense, he worked on the Threat Anticipation Project (which he still believes is years away from bearing practical fruit), helped two other fellows build a virtual library for Iraq, and participated in a bioweapons prevention mission to Kazakhstan. He then asked himself: Do I go back to the lab or try something different? "I took three months off, consulting, talking to people. I was intrigued by entrepreneurial places. I wondered if there was a home for me in Silicon Valley." (His father was a computer scientist who had helped found Cirrus Logic.) He ended up at eBay, helping build web and security systems, and then met Reid Hoffman at a board meeting for the University of California at Santa Cruz. The two hit it off, and Hoffman convinced him that there was an opportunity at LinkedIn around data. "The data team needed to be a product team," Patil says. He became head of data products and chief scientist and chief security officer at LinkedIn, and ended up coining the phrase "data scientist" to
describe what he does. After a brief, ill-fated stint at a startup called Color, he is now in residence at Hoffman's venture capital firm, Greylock, particularly exploring how data science can impact health care. He recently wrote a treatise called "How To Build Data Science Teams: Professionals no longer commit themselves to a single company for the bulk of their careers." He could be describing himself. He goes on: "With each new generation of professionals, the number of organizations and even careers has increased. So rather than fight it, embrace the fact that people will leave, so long as they leave to do something amazing. What I'm interested in is potential: If you have that potential, we all win, and we all grow together, whether your success comes with my team or somewhere else." "The silos that have traditionally separated data people from engineering, from design, and from marketing, don't work when you're building data products. I would contend that it is questionable whether those silos work for any kind of product development. But with data, it never works to have a waterfall process, in which one group defines the product, another builds visual mockups, a data scientist preps the data, and finally a set of engineers builds it to some specification document. " "Each data product is a new experiment, and design is a critical part of that experiment. . .
. To develop this kind of product effectively, the ability to adapt and iterate quickly throughout the product life cycle is essential." When he reflects on his career, Patil notes particular turning points. "I really thought I wanted to be a consultant for a while," he recalls. "I was interviewed at McKinsey, and halfway through, I thought, 'Oh my god, I can't stand this.' You don't own anything, produce anything, you just advise. It's not for me." "There are plenty of opportunities I didn't walk into because there was no way to make a good choice. At one point a lot of friends were going into finance, to hedge funds. It's an area with a lot of data. But I couldn't understand it. How to play the game was too unpredictable for me." "My biggest mistake," he says (referring to his abortive run at Color), "was not taking pause and talking to as many people as I could. You need to do that due diligence." But he also acknowledges that mistakes--and serendipity--are part of life, chaotic though that may be. "At the end of the day, you have two things: your energy and your intellectual curiosity," Patil says. "If you're willing to apply them, try to add value to the world, the possibilities are so endless." Generation Flux The future of business is pure chaos. Here's how you can survive --and perhaps even thrive. GENERATION page 12
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Top News/
US Restores Full Ties to Myanmar After Rapid Reforms - New York Times
STEVEN LEE MYERS and SETH MYDANS (Top Stories Google News)
Apple Opens Suppliers' Doors to Labor Group Bloomberg

Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:31:42 AM
Hillary Rodham Clinton, who in December became the first secretary of state to visit Myanmar since 1955, later Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:27:45 AM WASHINGTON The United announced that the United States States restored full diplomatic w o u l d s e n d a n A m e r i c a n relations with Myanmar on ambassador back to the country Friday, responding to the new for the first time in more than two civilian governments rapid decades. The administration is c a m p a i g n o f p o l i t i c a l a n d also considering a series of economic changes that most additional steps to reward the recently included a cease-fire with reforms already announced and to ethnic Karen rebels and the encourage more. release of prominent political The United States withdrew its prisoners. ambassador from Myanmar The announcement is the latest in following the elections of 1990, a s e r i e s o f c a u t i o u s l y which Ms. Aung San Suu Kyis choreographed steps that have party won, though the military eased tensions between the United government never recognized the States and Myanmar and that results. It never severed relations c o u l d r e m a k e A m e r i c a n fully, as with countries like Iran, diplomacy in Asia, where the C u b a o r N o r t h K o r e a , b u t Obama administration has sought downgraded the diplomatic status to refocus its foreign policy. of its embassy. President Obama, in a statement, In remarks at the State welcomed the pardon and release Department, Mrs. Clinton said on Friday of 651 prisoners, that the administration would including prominent leaders of soon nominate and seek Senate student protests against the confirmation of an ambassador countrys military rulers in 1988, and invite Myanmar to send a signal uprising. It was the most o n e t o W a s h i n g t o n . A n significant release of political American ambassador will help prisoners by the newly elected strengthen our efforts to support government, and Mr. Obama the historic and promising steps called it a substantial step that are now unfolding, she said. forward for democratic reform. The releases were detailed by
The Irrawaddy magazine, a Thailand-based Burmese exile magazine. The leaders of the signal 1988 protests who were freed included Min Ko Naing, who served two long terms in prison; Htay Kywe, Mya Aye, Nilar Thein and Ko Ko Gyi. Television images showed large groups of family members and supporters greeting prisoners as they emerged from detention. It was in 1988 that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader, first rose to prominence. The government has engaged her in a dialogue since her release from house arrest in November 2010, and she has announced that she will run for a vacant parliamentary seat in April. The Democratic Voice of Burma, a dissident news organization based in Norway, also reported that former Prime Minister Khin Nyunt was released, along with members of the Karen National Union, a leader of the Shan ethnic group, monks arrested in the August 2007 antigovernment protests, former military intelligence officials and various journalists, including five from its own organization. Since Myanmars civilian government took office in March,
ending nearly 50 years of military rule, the government has held talks with Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, approved the registration of her political party and her candidacy in Aprils by-election, and suspended plans for a huge Chinese-backed dam that drew strong opposition from within and outside Myanmar, which was once known as Burma. On Thursday, it announced the cease-fire with the Karen rebels, who have been fighting for autonomy since shortly after the country achieved independence in 1948 from Britain. Steven Lee Myers reported from Washington and Seth Mydans from Bangkok. Eric Schmitt contributed reporting from Washington and Kevin Drew from Hong Kong. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Bloomberg Apple Opens Suppliers' Doors to Labor Group Bloomberg Ltd. work along a production line in the Longhua Science and Technology Park, also known as Foxconn City, in Shenzhen, China. Play Video Play Video Enlarge image Apple Opens Its Suppliers' Doors Apple Opens Its Suppliers' Doors Forbes Conrad/ Bloomberg... Apple Opens Its Suppliers' Doors to Labor Group After Suicides BusinessWeek all 39 news articles
GENERATION
Also, read the full profiles. danah boyd DJ Patil Baratunde Thurston Beth Comstock Pete Cashmore Raina Kumra Bob Greenberg
Top News/ News Wire/
13
Will Texas Meeting of Christian Leaders Influence SC, Fla. Primaries?

(Christianpost.com > Politics)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:16:12 AM
Epoch Times | National, World, China, Sports, Entertainment News

(Epoch Times | National, World, China, Sports, Entertainment News)
(Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar) Voters enter a polling station in Nashua, New Hampshire, January 10, 2012. Voters in New Hampshire went to the polls Tuesday in the first in the nation presidential primary election. The South Carolina primary is a week away and some of the GOP candidates are now starting to look to Florida where former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney appears to have a strong base of support. Yet the divide within the GOP appears to come down to the mainstream pro-Romney faction and the anyone but Romney group that is larger but divided within their own ranks. While there is little information about what the weekend meeting which includes Focus on the Family founder James Dobson and former presidential candidate Gary Bauer will achieve, one of the organizers made clear that the purpose will not center on
stopping Mitt Romney. Earlier this week, Bauer, CEO of American Values, personally endorsed former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum. I know that Sen. Santorum is gaining some momentum right now, and I think what people are hoping to accomplish at the meeting is just to see what can be done to make sure that conservative values, the sort of Regan conservatism continues to dominate in the Republican Party, said Bauer. Its not clear just how many will actually show up to the meeting the approximate number on the invite list was about 150. But The Christian Post spoke with several invitees who did want to be identified and spoke only on background. Most were not optimistic any one person would emerge as a consensus candidate that everyone would fall in line behind. Like us on Facebook Its not that Im opposed to the discussing the issue of endorsing someone, said one leader of a large evangelical group. Well
have those who support Gingrich, Santorum and even Perry at the meeting. That means some will want to give one of those a chance to throw the long ball in South Carolina. But after the South Carolina primary something needs to be done quickly or it will be a one-man race. Richard Viguerie, chairman of ConservativeHQ.com and someone who has been in the conservative trenches for over 50 years, did acknowledge he was attending and was steadfast in his hopes that the group would reach an agreement to support one candidate. Now is the time and the clock is ticking, said Viguerie. Weve given the Doles and McCains of the past their chance and look at where its gotten us. We got to rally behind the candidate that will commit to fighting for conservative social and economic principles. But Mitt Romney is not that person. Yet several noted Christians who were invited are not attending. My wish is that one of two things would have happened,
said another high-profile conservative leader. Either this meeting would have taken place last month or the primaries would be extended another two months. But its too late for either. What this meeting needs to be about is how were going to rally social conservatives behind whoever the nominee happens to be. This Sunday in Myrtle Beach, S.C., the Faith & Freedom Conference will convene and all of the top GOP candidates will make their pitches to South Carolina conservatives prior to Mondays Fox News Presidential Debate. Post a Christian job now or browse employment opportunities to get hired fast on ChristianHire.com, your best Christian jobs site. Browse Christian Jobs now This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Top Stories The fruits of Somali piracy are benefitting more than a handful of criminalstheyre being shared with the greater community, a new report based on satellite imagery has found. An award-winning documentary shows life in Haiti under postearthquake reconstruction. As the U.K. and Scotland head into a constitutional tug of war over Scottish independence, wrangling over the legality, wording, and timing of a referendum are not the only [...] Taiwans presidential election debate is an eye opener and lesson in democracy for mainland Chinese. Opinion is divided on the implications of Americas defense policy following the announcement of President Obamas strategic defense review last week, but U.S. forces are [...] This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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Top News/
"Angry Brides" Game Tackles Dowry In India, iPhone 5 To Run On T-Mobile?, Facebook Launches "Listen"
Nidhi Subbaraman (Fast Company)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:19:51 AM
Breaking news from your editors at Fast Company, with updates all day. Shaadi.com Launches "Angry Brides" Facebook Game. Indian matchmaking giant Shaadi.com (#39 on Fast Company's list of Most Innovative Companies of 2011) has launched a Facebook game to tackle dowry, a thorny matrimonial issue in India. In the game, "Angry Brides," players play a many-armed bride who can hurl shoes, veggies, even knives, at dowry seeking targets. --NS --Updated 10:00 a.m. EST Delhi High Court Issues Summons To Facebook, Google. A Delhi High Court has issued summons to Google, Facebook, and other Internet companies in an ongoing battle in India over user content on websites. The issue swirls around religiously offensive and other "objectionable" content on the websites, which the companies are being asked to take down. The companies have been asked to appear in court on March 13 and face criminal charges for allegedly hosting inappropriate
content. --NS --Updated 8:30 a.m. EST iPhone 5 Could Run On TMobile. T-Mobile's chief technology officer is optimistic about the network's involvement in Apple's iPhone 5. The hardware that Apple will put in the new phone, Neville Ray said, will be compatible with T-Mobile's unique AWS wireless network. -NS --Updated 6:45 a.m. EST
credit for the idea. --NS Egging Halts iPhone 4S Sales In Beijing, Shanghai. Apple's overwhelming popularity and limited store presence in China landed its iPhone 4S launch in a spot of trouble. Opening delays at a Beijing Apple Store rankled the assembled crowd, members of which had been waiting hours in the cold. Name calling and scrapping broke out and two members of the crowd egged the store. In response, Apple has decided to stop selling the iPhone 4S at Apple Stores in Shanghai and Beijing, and instead will route customers to their Web store and retail partners. --NS Facebook Launches "Listen" Feature. The "Listen" feature, part of Mark Zuckerberg's grand plan for Facebook unveiled at F8, is Google Doesn't Index The @ tweeted his objection to Google's lauching today. Look for a Symbol. Google has confirmed to indexing habits yesterday. --NS musical note beside friends' Mashable that it doesn't index the Beats And Monster Splitting Up. names in your chat sidebar. "@" symbol, a Twitter standard, Monster Cable Products, the Hovering over them, you'll see the in its search algorithms. So, when manufacturers of the iconic Beats "Listen With..." button, which you Google "@so-and-so" it's headphone line, will no longer be will let you listen to the tune equivalent to searching for "so- partners in creating their hugely they're listening to with a single a n d - s o , " t h e r e b y e x c l u d i n g popular earpieces. Beats will not click. --NS Twitter accounts from top search renew its contract with Monster --Updated 5:30 a.m. EST h i t s . T w i t t e r G C A l e x when their five-year deal lapses at [Image: Flickr user dfinnecy] Macgillivray, who tweeted his the end of this year, Bloomberg Yesterday's Fast Feed: m i s g i v i n g s a b o u t G o o g l e ' s reports, after the companies failed "ANGRY page 15 "Search Plus You" policy, also to agree on revenue shares and
Business/ Sports/
15
DANNY
"ANGRY
Square Park line just got longer. Then we opened a Shake Shack at CitiField. Now we have three Shake Shacks, and it was getting to be so big that we dedicated a whole team within the business just to Shake Shack. Then we started getting invitations to open them from all over, the most surprising of which came from the Middle East. As you expand all over the country and now globally, how do you ensure the Shake Shacks all have this same sense of hospitality? One of the beautiful things about Shake Shack is that it becomes a mirror of the community it is in. We do the same thing everywhere we go--except for a few drinks we name after the neighborhood we're in. But they all look different based on who goes there. The Middle East feels different because we don't have people pulling their burka aside while they're eating a cheeseburger while taking a picture and blogging about the burger. You wouldn't believe the Twitter follows we got and the blogging that goes on around the Middle East Shake Shack. We have a company called Hospitality Quotient, which teaches companies who are already the best in the world at what they do
to become the best in the world at how they make people feel. So we use Hospitality Quotient to train the staff in with Shake Shacks abroad. The staff in Kuwait consists mostly of Filipino kids. They've never been treated this way in any job, and the training we do with them is actually empowering. I think what we're trying to say is that the spirit is just as important. In 2011 a number of restaurants started to use iPads as menus and ordering systems. Would you ever see a day where you would use an iPad for people to order or put a live twitter feed on the wall? I never say never, but I don't see a role for that in a restaurant like this. We thought a few years ago about having a wine bar that was connected to the Internet. The idea was to have a dynamic list of ten wines by the glass. From anywhere in the world the guests could go online to pick the wines from our list of over 300 wines. Whatever they wanted to taste, we would open it, it would become one of our wines by the glass, and then everyone could see the top wines at that moment. We thought about something like that, it could be a ways off. We always have 3x5 cards at all of our restaurants that describe the wines and the menu, I could absolutely see
having an iPad there instead so that a server could go to that information and then come back to your table. But then again, I said I wouldn't have online reservations because I didn't want to give up friendly encounters on the phone. Then I realized if that's how people want to make a reservation, that's how they want to make a reservation! Note: This interview has been edited for content, clarity, and length. [Images: Danny Meyer portrait and The Modern photos by Ellen Silverman; Union Square Cafe, courtesy of Union Square Cafe; Shake Shack, photo by Beyond My Ken] Read more Fast Talk David D. Burstein is a young entrepreneur, having completed his first documentary 18 in '08. He is also the founder & executive director of the youth voter engagement not for profit, Generation18. His book about the millennial generation will be published by Beacon Press in 2012.
Manufacture Of Raspberry Pi Begins, Israel Hacker Publishes Saudi Credit Card Info, Sharp Won't Make iPad 3 Screens, and more!
Burger King Has Been Quietly Testing Out A Whopper Delivery Service In The US
Kim Bhasin (Business Insider)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:43:00 AM
Ravens got what they wanted

Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:29:43 AM
Ray Lewis hugged coach John Harbaugh and barked: "They're coming through Baltimore."
Burger King recently revealed to Bloomberg that it has been testing out a delivery service in select locations. A few Burger King locations in Maryland and Northern Virginia have offered the service over the past several months, reports Eater. The chain plans to expand it to 16 stores by January 23rd. Burger King even has a website up that lets you order online (you can also do it over the phone). The delivery fee is $2, and the minimum order ranges from $8 to $10. However, you can't get fountain drinks, milkshakes, coffee or breakfast items, according to Bloomberg. Will it go national? Burger King hasn't said anything about that yet. It has probably been so quiet about the testing because the service isn't perfected yet, and it doesn't want to get people's hopes
up. Fast food chains have generally stayed away from delivering food outside of major cities. It's just not the cultural norm. Delivery is offered in most Asian and Middle Eastern countries because it's demanded by consumers there. NOW SEE: The Shocking Difference Between Fast Food Ads And Real Menu Items > Please follow War Room on Twitter and Facebook. Join the conversation about this story See Also: Look At The Shocking Difference Between Fast Food Ads And Real Menu Items Taco Bell Wants To Turn Things Around By Going Gourmet And Competing With Chipotle Watch The 'Quantum Levitation' Viral Video Ad That Let Everyone Down When They Found Out It Was Fake
16
Business/ Technology/
GINGRICH
pretty big difference in scale. So I have asked questions about let's look at the record. Let's see the details. Don't just give us the claim. Show us what actually happened. That somehow got turned into questioning capitalism, which is baloney. This guy is running for president. He is making a set of claims. He bases a lot of it on his career. If you ask about his career, it's because he is running for president. I think he owes the country a much more detailed answer about what his career was like, what decisions they made. Because we're looking at the judgment, the values of a particular person, not of a system, but of one guy, Mitt Romney, who wants to be president. HANNITY: You keep using the term Massachusetts moderate. I think most people recognize you are a conservative. Do you think that between you, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, you are splitting the conservative vote? GINGRICH: Of course we are. That is of concern to us. Frankly, as the race clarifies over the next five or six days, my hope is, given the polls we've seen, where I'm clearly the only one who is close
enough to Romney to beat him -my hope is that the average South Carolina voter will decide they want to vote for the conservative who can stop Romney, not just cast a protest vote. And if we can consolidate conservatives -- it's very clear from the polling data. If we consolidate conservatives, we could beat Romney by a big margin. That is one of my major challenges in the next eight or nine days, is to convince conservatives to come together, to make sure that we don't nominate a moderate who I think would have a very hard time debating Obama. HANNITY: How does Ron Paul factor into all this? GINGRICH: I think Ron Paul is a protest candidate in his own universe, with his own supporters. I think you don't draw votes away from him and he doesn't draw votes away from anyone else. He is a unique protest candidate. He has a very strong message that is a combination of critiquing the Federal Reserve, calling for hard money, being basically an isolationist about Iranian nuclear weapons and indifferent to the survival of Israel. Then a lot of
young people who want him to legalize drugs. I think that's a very interesting coalition. But it doesn't fit anybody else's campaign. HANNITY: Mr. Speaker, thanks so much for being with us. We really appreciate it. Content and Programming Copyright 2012 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2012 CQ -Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of CQ-Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Swiss France The Most Overvalued Currency In The World According To Big Mac Index
Nick Jardine (Business Insider)
resulting in the SNB intervening to stop the Franc surging too Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:49:04 AM much. According to t h e European nations topped the Economist's"burgernomics," the index, with Norway, Sweden and S w i s s F r a n c i s t h e m o s t Denmark also being among the overvalued currency in the world. nations with the top five most The publication's Big Mac Index expensive Big Macs. c o m p a r e s t h e p r i c e o f t h e Please follow Europe on Twitter M c D o n a l d ' s b u r g e r i n 1 0 0 and Facebook. countries across the world in Join the conversation about this order to compare the value of story currencies. And, a Big Mac in See Also: Switzerland costs $6.81 compared Guess Which European City to the $4.20 you'd pay for one in The New York Times Argue Is the U.S. The American cost is More Attractive To Visit Than u s e d a s a n a v e r a g e b y t h e Paris, Madrid And Vienna Economist for this index. Controversial Soccer Legend That means that if we want to E r i c C a n t o n a I s S e e k i n g take the Big Mac Index as the Nomination To Run For President ultimate truth, the Swiss Franc is Of France 62 percent overvalued. Bankrupt French Ferry Carrier Last summer, the Swiss National SeaFrance To Be Liquidated Bank promised that it wouldn't let the Franc rise a certain level above the Euro, eventually
HTC Rhyme review

Dave Oliver
Android with the latest Sense user interface, a 5-megapixel camera and a boxful of The handsets keep a-comin' from a c c e s s o r i e s . HTC, with no sign of letting up. Design The Rhyme is a mid-range The Rhyme clearly aimed at
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:00:00 AM
people for whom a mere phone
just isn't enough. So the box comes with a its own angled charge/sync dock made of rubberised plastic, a leather-look carry pouch, a glowing dongle (it shines and pulsates when you
receive a call) and an unusual looking set of headphones. By: Dave Oliver, Edited by: Dan Smith Continue reading...
Top News/ Business/ World News/ Food/
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Americans, Independents, Republicans are becoming more 'conservative'

(The Front Page)
Hulu Missed Its Revenue Projections For 2011 By Nearly 20% (NWS, CMCSA, DIS)
Kevin Lincoln (Business Insider)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:46:02 AM
themselves moderate has gradually diminished in the U.S. Submitted at 1/13/2012 6:01:00 AM since it was 43 percent in 1992. T h e l a c k o f a m o v e m e n t During that period, Americans conservative candidate who could have increasingly described their c a p t u r e t h e h e a r t s o f views as being more conservative conservatives, may explain the than liberal. lack of the enthusiasm Republican The majority of Republicans, voters have with regard to the according to the 2011 survey, said field of presidential hopefuls. This they are either very conservative is even more so the case when, or conservative and the total according to a new survey done proportion of conservatives b y G a l l u p , A m e r i c a n s , increased by 10 percentage points Independents, and Republicans b e t w e e n 2 0 0 2 a n d 2 0 1 2 . are becoming m o r e According to Gallup, 72 percent conservative. of Republicans now say they are The Gallup survey found that, in conservative, as opposed to 62 2011, 40 percent of Americans percent in 2002. d e s c r i b e d t h e i r v i e w s a s In addition, Gallup found that conservative, 35 percent as Independents have increasingly moderate, and 21 percent as d e s c r i b e d t h e i r v i e w s a s liberal, and it marked the third conservative. In 2008, 30 percent straight year that conservatives of Independents said they were have outnumbered moderates, conservative. In 2011, 35 percent after more than a decade in which said so. m o d e r a t e s m a i n l y t i e d o r Because the GOP field does not outnumbered conservatives. have a conservative standard Further, Gallup found that the bearer, the enthusiasm on the percentage of Americans calling Republican side has been lacking.
Superfast Black Bean Hummus

(Cooking Light: Editor's Picks)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 3:00:00 AM
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Allison gives hummus a southwestern kick for a Superfast
Hulu makes a big deal about its dual business plan, which is based on selling both premium video As we wrote yesterday, Hulu content and premium video released its numbers for 2012. advertising. Clearly, those ad A recent Pew Research survey The big one, $420 million in sales are still a major part of the found that the percentage of revenue, sounds pretty good at business, even with 1.5 million Republicans expressing positive first. paying subscribers. views of the GOP presidential But then you look back on that Please follow SAI: Media on field is below 50 percent. blog post in April, when CEO Twitter and Facebook. Compare that to January of 2008, Jason Kilar wrote that Hulu was Join the conversation about this when 68 percent of Republicans on pace to generate $500 million story and those leaning Republican said in revenue. See Also: they had good candidates to Even though Hulu beat its other Hulu's 2011 Revenue Comes In major projection 1.5 million At $420 Million choose from. The message for Republicans is subscribers instead of 1 million Google May Have Made The simple: Nominate and support that's a 16% miss in revenue, Worst Mistake In Its History This more conservative candidates. though it's a 60% growth from Week Tony Lee edits The Chase 2012 2010. We Found The Worst Business section and writes on politics and Kilar pinned the troubles on soft Card Of All Time At CES Today culture for HUMAN EVENTS. ad sales in the second half of Follow him on Twitter and 2011. Facebook. E-mail: ALEE (at) EaglePub.com This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to (Nation - Google News) delegation that their country Wikileaks. should make its policy clear on Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:10:47 AM Pakistan- sponsored terrorism US should clear stand on Pak- against India. A seven-member sponsored terrorism: Modi delegation of the Republican Times of India Party of the... AHMEDABAD: Gujarat chief US should clear stand on Pak healthy snack or appetizer. minister Narendra Modi on Friday terrorism: Modi Hindustan Times told the US Republican Party all 7 news articles
US should clear stand on Pak-sponsored terrorism: Modi - Times of India
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Top News/ News Wire/ Featured/ Technology/
Van der Sloot sentenced to 28 years for Peru murder - CNN

(Top Stories - Google News)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:40:12 AM
Van der Sloot sentenced to 28 years STORY HIGHLIGHTS Judges ordered Joran van der Sloot to pay about $74,500 in reparations He was ordered expelled from Peru after completing his sentence Van der Sloot was visibly upset after the sentencing (CNN)-- Peruvian judges on Friday sentenced Dutch national
Joran van der Sloot to 28 years in prison and ordered him to pay thousands of dollars in reparations for the killing of a 21-year-old Peruvian woman in 2010. Van der Sloot, who was visibly upset after the decision was issued, admitted this week to the killing in 2010 of Stephany Flores in his Lima hotel room. The judges said they took his confession into account, but they still gave him a sentence two years short of the 30-year maximum.
or about $74,500, in reparations to Flores' closest relatives. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks. The defendant stood for much of the more than two-hour session and perspired through his green tshirt. He drank three cups of water and frequently wiped his face. The judges ordered Van der Sloot expelled from Peru at the end of his sentence and ordered him to pay 200,000 Peruvian new soles,
Obama asks Congress for power to streamline government

(Reuters: Top News)
Obama asked Congress on Friday for sweeping authority to consolidate trade and businessU.S. President Barack Obama related parts of the federal talks at a Chicago Forum event at government to untangle what he University of Illinois in Chicago, called an "outdated bureaucratic January 11, 2012. maze" and help boost exports. Credit: Reuters/Larry Downing Obama, in an appearance at the WASHINGTON| Fri Jan 13, White House, proposed merging 2012 11:42am EST six departments and agencies into (Reuters) - President Barack o n e , a m o v e t h a t w o u l d
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:42:52 AM
effectively eliminate the Commerce Department. The initiative appeared aimed at countering Republicans' electionyear efforts to paint him as a biggovernment liberal. "With this authority, we'd help businesses grow, save businesses time and save taxpayer dollars," he said. (Reporting By Matt Spetalnick)
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Vintage Oriental Artwork - Don Hong-Oai Echoes the Traditional Asian Art (TrendHunter.com)
(TREND HUNTER - The Latest Trends)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:21:03 AM
Romney Ad: GOP Rivals Taking 'Obama Line'

Michael Warren (The Weekly Standard)
Mitt Romney has released a new television ad for South Carolina
markets.
( TrendHunter.com) Traditional Chinese paintings have a kind of unique beauty and peacefulness to them that's difficult to copy; however, Chinese artist Don Hong-Oai used photography to impressively imitate this millennial...
News Wire/
19
Looming S&P downgrade hits euro zone markets

(Reuters: Top News)
notch triple-A ratings, and Slovakia would also be affected. The Financial Times reported that A woman walks on a map of France and Austria would each Europe, which is part of a marble drop one notch to AA+. world planisphere, in Lisbon There was no official comment in August 14, 2011. Paris but Reuters reporters saw Credit: Reuters/Jose Manuel Finance Minister Francois Baroin Ribeiro arrive at President Nicolas By Matthias Sobolewski and Sarkozy's office in the late Dina Kyriakidou afternoon. BERLIN/ATHENS| Fri Jan 13, Government spokeswoman 2012 12:13pm EST Valerie Pecresse told BFM (Reuters) - Standard & Poor's was television: "France today is a safe poised to downgrade the credit investment. It can repay its debt ratings of several euro zone and the news concerning our countries on Friday, including deficit is better than expected." France and Austria but not The euro fell by more than a cent Germany or the Netherlands, to $1.2650 on the news. European rattling markets in the first blow stocks, which had been up on the of the new year for the troubled day, turned negative. Safe-haven single currency. German 10-year bond futures rose In another potential setback, talks to a new record high while the on a debt swap by private risk premium investors charge on creditors seen as key to averting a French, Spanish and Belgian debt Greek default that would rock widened in reaction. Europe and the world economy Greek negotiators who have broke up without agreement in repeatedly voiced confidence in a Athens, although officials said deal in which banks and insurers more talks are likely next week. would accept voluntary losses of Four euro zone government 50 percent of the face value of sources said S&P would cut a their bond holdings said they were number of the currency bloc's now less hopeful, warning of s o v e r e i g n s , m a k i n g a n "catastrophic consequences" for announcement after New York Greece and Europe if they failed. markets close at 4 p.m. EDT Without a deal, a second Greek (2100 GMT). bailout package could fall apart, A euro zone official said France leaving Athens facing default in and Austria would lose their top- March when it must meet massive
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:13:47 AM
bond repayments. "Yesterday we were cautious and confident. Today we are less optimistic," a source close to the Greek task force in charge of the negotiations said. The Institute for International Finance, negotiating on behalf of creditor banks, said in a statement: "Under the circumstances, discussions with Greece and the official sector are paused for reflection on the benefits of a voluntary approach. The double blow of the S&P news and the stalling of the Greek debt talks came after a brighter start to the year with Spain and Italy beginning their marathon debt rollover at lower borrowing costs this week. The European Central Bank's move last month to flood banks with cheap three-year liquidity helped ease a worsening credit crunch and provided funds which governments hope some will use to buy sovereign bonds. RESCUE FUND WEAKENED S&P declined comment on reports of an imminent downgrade, which several sources said would not affect the triple-A ratings of Germany or the Netherlands. There was no word of a threat to the euro zone's other AAA states, Finland and Luxembourg. France and Austria were both
seen as being at greater risk because of their banks' exposure to the debt of peripheral euro zone countries and Hungary respectively, and the weakening economic outlook for Europe. S&P warned on December 5 that it was reviewing the ratings of 15 of the 17 euro zone members, including Germany and France, the region's two biggest economies, for a possible mass downgrade due to rising "systemic stresses" in the currency area. The agency said it would issue a decision within three months, but as soon as possible after a December 9 summit at which euro zone countries agreed to negotiate a fiscal pact with tougher enforcement of budget discipline. A cut in France's rating would be a serious setback for the centreright Sarkozy's chances of reelection in May and could weaken the euro zone's rescue fund, reducing its ability to help countries in difficulty. France is the second largest guarantor of the European Financial Stability Facility, which currently has a AAA rating. Preserving that status would require members to increase their guarantees, which could prove politically unpopular. After vowing to do everything to preserve Paris' top-notch standing,
Sarkozy appeared to prepare voters last month for the likely loss of the prized status before the election. "It would be one more difficulty, but not insurmountable," he said in an interview with Le Monde. France has the highest debt-togross-domestic-product ratio of the euro zone's AAA-rated countries, and the government has refused to take further savings measures before the election, insisting it can meet its fiscal targets. It was not clear how far a downgrade would increase France's borrowing costs, since markets have already anticipated the prospect by raising the French risk premium over German Bunds. "One notch is priced in but not more. The Franco-German spread can widen. It is about 130 basis points for the 10-year bond. The maximum level reached was 180 to 190 basis points and it can go back to this level," said Alessandro Giansanti, senior rates strategist at ING in Amsterdam. (Additional reporting by Annika Breidthardt in Berlin and Reuters euro zone bureaux; Writing by Paul Taylor, editing by Mike Peacock) This entry passed through the LOOMING page 21
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News Wire/
JPMorgan profit falls, but sees hope in economy

(Reuters: Top News)
the measure of business borrowing. But Dimon sounded renewed A woman walks past a JP alarm on the European debt crisis. Morgan Chase bank branch in "I would put myself in the New York, October 15, 2008. 'increasing worried' category," he Credit: Reuters/Lucas Jackson said. By David Henry His comments came shortly Fri Jan 13, 2012 11:31am EST before a senior euro zone (Reuters) - The drag of the government source said credit E u r o p e a n d e b t c r i s i s o n rating agency Standard & Poor's investment banking weighed on was set to downgrade several euro JPMorgan Chase & Co's fourth- zone countries, not including quarter profit, sending financial Germany, on Friday. The report stocks tumbling even as the bank sent the euro and U.S. markets p r o v i d e d e v i d e n c e t h a t t h e lower. d o m e s t i c e c o n o m y i s JPMorgan shares fell 3.7 percent strengthening. in morning trading on the New Chief Executive Jamie Dimon York Stock Exchange, while the said the New York-based bank KBW banks index was down 1.7 was seeing signs of improvement percent. in credit quality as well as loan JPMorgan is the first major U.S. demand from corporations and bank to announce results for the consumers in the United States. f o u r t h q u a r t e r . I t s w e a k "We see a mild recovery which i n v e s t m e n t b a n k i n g r e s u l t s actually might be strengthening, s u g g e s t W a l l S t r e e t f i r m s and it's broad," Dimon said in a Goldman Sachs Group Inc and conference call with reporters Morgan Stanley will also report following the earnings report on tough quarters when they issue Friday. "Hopefully, it will add to results next week. more jobs. We have seen jobs Others such as Bank of America growing ... it's not enough but it Corp and Citigroup Inc, which could be self-sustaining." also report results in the coming Loan balances in JPMorgan's days, could benefit from the commercial division were up 13 stronger business loan demand percent at the end of December that JPMorgan experienced but compared with a year earlier, the could also face problems in sixth consecutive quarterly rise in investment banking and housing
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:31:03 AM
loans. JPMorgan's results "show that there are major headwinds against the banking industry and it requires a strong management team to battle the headwinds," said Rick Meckler, president of investment firm Libertyview Capital Management in New York. "The bigger negatives tend to be the housing and mortgage situation and investors questioning, 'Have we really hit bottom in this sector or is this just a black hole?'" Goldman Sachs shares were down 2.8 percent, Morgan Stanley was off 2.3 percent, Bank of America fell 3.1 percent, and Citigroup dropped 2.1 percent. "We all knew the fourth quarter would be difficult," said Gary Townsend of Hill-Townsend Capital. "But the overall economic outlook has been improving from an economic standpoint starting in December." ROUGH TIMES JPMorgan said fourth-quarter net income was $3.72 billion, or 90 cents a share, down from $4.83 billion, or $1.12 a share, a year earlier. Wall Street analysts, on average, had expected 90 cents a share, according to surveys by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Revenue declined 17 percent to $22.2 billion on an adjusted basis, missing the average Wall Street estimate of about $23 billion. Investment banking revenue fell 30 percent to $4.36 billion, hurt by a 39 percent drop in underwriting and advisory fees, a 13 percent decline in fixed income, and a 31 percent fall in equity markets. The results were complicated by an accounting adjustment that reduced earnings by 9 cents per share to reflect a change in the market value of JPMorgan debt during the quarter. In the third quarter, the accounting adjustment added 29 cents per share to profits. The bank also booked additional expenses for litigation, primarily for mortgage matters, totaling 8 cents a share. It said reducing its loan loss reserves added 11 cents per share to the earnings. "The earnings show how well JPMorgan can be managed in one of the roughest times," said money manager Michael Holland, founder of Holland & Co. "They were able to pull off a meet-orbeat quarter." The bank's return on equity, a key measure of shareholder profits, fell to 8 percent from 11 percent a year earlier and 9 percent in the 2011 third quarter.
The company's quarter-end share count declined 4 percent from a year earlier as it bought back stock. For the first time in three quarters, JPMorgan booked more income and revenue from its credit card and card loan businesses than from any other area. Net income from the consumer credit areas was $1.1 billion, or 28.2 percent of total profit. Investment banking profit, by far the largest generator of profits in the first three quarters of 2011, fell 52 percent to $726 million, or 19.5 percent of total quarterly profit. (Additional reporting by Jed Horowitz and Angela Moon in New York, Rick Rothacker in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Ben Berkowitz in Boston; editing by John Wallace) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
News Wire/ World News/
21
Amid Tension, Iran to Let In UN Nuclear Inspectors

(FOXNews.com)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:25:04 AM
LOOMING
January, 12, 2012: Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad waves as he exits a plane upon arrival to an air force base in Quito, Ecuador. WASHINGTON Iran has agreed to host a high-level team of United Nations nuclear inspectors later this month, according to Western diplomats. The surprise development could help to curb building tensions with the West, The Wall Street Journal reported. However, the U.S. warned Tehran against making good on its threats to close the Strait of Hormuz -- a strategic waterway where 20 percent of the world's daily oil trade passes through -The New York Times reported, adding that the Obama administration would consider such a move a "red line" and would respond accordingly. The warning came as diplomats Thursday said Iran had tentatively agreed to receive a delegation from the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) headed by the agency's chief weapons inspector,
Herman Nackaerts, The Journal reported. The diplomats, who are based in Vienna, said the visit was tentatively set for Jan. 28. Unclear, said the diplomats, was whether Tehran would let the inspectors visit key nuclear sites and interview the Iranian official the U.S. and the U.N. agency believe may head a nuclear weapons program. An Iranian diplomat in New York declined to comment to The Journal on the trip. Fears of a conflict between Iran and the West have soared in recent weeks as the Obama administration and European Union began enacting sanctions targeting Tehran's oil exports and its central bank in a bid to
persuade it to halt its nuclear program. On Thursday, the U.S. raised pressure by sanctioned firms from China, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates for doing business with Iran's energy sector, the State Department said. Iran has responded by threatening to choke off oil commerce through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Tensions rose further this week when Iran sentenced a U.S. Marine to death as a spy and an unidentified assassin killed an Iranian nuclear scientist in Tehran. Senior U.S. officials have in recent days warned of the consequences of the strait's closure, with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin
E. Dempsey saying that Washington would "take action and reopen the strait," the New York Times reported, adding that doing so could involve the use of airstrikes and warship escorts. While Iran's threats are widelyregarded as an attempt to increase the price of oil, and the strait's closure is seen as unlikely, the Pentagon says Tehran has the military capability to shut down the waterway. "The simple answer is yes, they can block it," Dempsey said on CBS on Sunday. However, Iran's navy is not considered to be a match for the U.S. Navy. Even though it could inflict damage on U.S. naval forces, the Iranian navy would eventually be defeated, according to naval analysts, who also said that reopening the strait could take anything from one day to several months. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Rann to focus on causes close to heart - Adelaide Now

(Nation - Google News)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:50:25 AM
Sydney Morning Herald Rann to focus on causes close to heart Adelaide Now FORMER premier Mike Rann says he plans to focus on activism for causes close to his heart. Mr Rann took to the social networking site Twitter about 2pm yesterday to confirm he had formally resigned to Speaker Lyn Breuer. There will be a byelection to... After 26 years in politics, Rann has a new mission: to care for his wife The Australian Mike Rann says goodbye to parliament NEWS.com.au Rann slides from politics ABC Online BigPond News- FiveAA all 107 news articles
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News Wire/ World News/ Technology/
Holloway Suspect Joran van der Sloot Gets 28 Years for Murder in Peru
(FOXNews.com)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:25:04 AM
'Piracy' student Richard O'Dwyer loses extradition case - BBC News

Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:00:26 AM
DEVELOPING: Joran van der Sloot has been sentenced to 28 years in prison after pleading guilty to the 2010 murder of a 21year-old Peruvian woman he had met at a casino in Lima. Van der Sloot was also fined roughly $74,000 by a three-judge panel in Lima for the murder that took place exactly five years to the day after the disappearance of American teen Natalee Holloway in Aruba. Van der sloot -- who appeared in court wearing a green T-shirt while sweating profusely as he appeared to frequently wipe tears from his eyes -- said he was "truly sorry" for the killing of Stephany Flores. He said he had "wanted from the first moment to confess sincerely" to the killing. His lawyer told the court that van der Sloot killed Flores as a result of
"extreme psychological trauma" he had suffered from the fallout over the Holloway case. The 24-year-old Dutchman frequently hung his head as the lengthy charges were read in court. He drank several glasses of water prior to sentencing and appeared to be listening intently to the charges being read by a judge. Van der Sloot remains the main
suspect in that case and Holloway's parents want him extradited to the United States to be tried on related charges. Natalee Holloway disappeared on May 30, 2005, during a high school graduation trip to the Dutch Caribbean island where van der Sloot grew up. Her body was never found and repeated searches turned up nothing as intense media coverage brought the case
worldwide attention. Van der Sloot faces a possible 30 years in prison in the killing, though the guilty plea was aimed at winning a lighter sentence. The defense had claimed the killing was manslaughter, which carries a minimum sentence of five years. In a confession, he had said he killed her in a fit of rage after she discovered on his laptop that he'd been linked to the Holloway disappearance. But prosecutors said he killed her to rob her after learning she had won money at the casino where they met. The Associated Press contributed to this report. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
BBC News 'Piracy' student Richard O'Dwyer loses extradition case BBC News A Sheffield student can be extradited to the US to face copyright infringement allegations, a judge has ruled. Richard O'Dwyer, 23, set up the TVShack website which US authorities say hosts links to pirated copyrighted films and television programmes.... TVShack's student founder can be extradited to US, court rules The Guardian Student Richard O'Dwyer can be extradited over TV website Telegraph.co.uk Richard O'Dwyer extradition verdict: Don't blame the courts, blame our politicians Daily Mail Sky News- Metro- The Press Association all 311 news articles
IBM researchers cram a bit of data into 12 atoms

Mark Brown
Submitted at 1/13/2012 9:47:00 AM
Nanotechnology engineers at IBM's research lab have
demonstrated the ability to store a single bit of computer data -- a binary 0 or 1 -- in just 12 atoms. For the sake of comparison, require almost one million atoms typical computer hard drives
to store a bit. This research could Duncan Geere Continue reading... therefore pave the way to much smaller hard drives, that are faster and more energy efficient. By: Mark Brown, Edited by:
News Wire/ World News/
23
Kardashians' Careers Fizzling After Divorce?

(FOXNews.com)
Khloe Kardashian: 2010's Classiest Celebrity The youngest of the Kardashian Everything the Kardashians touch gals decided flashing turns absolutely toxic -- with photographers was the best way to party promoters, magazine editors get some attention. and television execs all WARNING: SOME PHOTOS scrambling to blacklist them, NSFW Related Stories When according to insiders. celebs auction their stuff for Ratings for the family's reality charity, they often keep most of show have plummeted, sales of the profits Anti-Kardashian magazines with Kim Kardashian's Website Gets a Call ... From Kim mug go unsold and her products Kardashian's Lawyer are unmarketable, insiders told the This entry passed through the New York Post. Full-Text RSS service if this is Kim Kardashian was once paid a n d t a l k a b o u t h o w t h a t percent dip in Nielsen ratings, Even shoe company Skechers your content and you're reading it $600,000 to spend New Year's h a p p e n e d . " from 3.5 million viewers per ditched Kim Kardashian as the on someone else's site, please read Eve at Tao Las Vegas. Now, it is T h e w h e e l s c a m e o f f episode last season to three face of the company in 2011, the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentthe total opposite. Kardashian's caboose in October, million this season. replacing her with a French only/faq.php#publishers. Five "I'd pay her $600,000 personally when she filed for divorce from Circulation at magazines Us bulldog. Filters recommends: Donate to not to go to Red Egg," Travis Nets forward Kris Humphries Weekly, In Touch, Life & Style "I'm bored with them," Manhattan Wikileaks. Bass said, referring to the New after 72 days of marriage. and OK! dropped about 18 publicist R. Couri Hay, who York hot spot he co-owns. "Kim E!'s Kardashian TV franchise, " percent when a Kardashian was organized paid Kardashian visits Kardashian would be crushing to K e e p i n g U p w i t h t h e on the cover in December, to clubs in 2008 and 2010, said. us. We'd have a meeting Monday Kardashians," suffered a 14 publishers said. Related Slideshow
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:25:04 AM
Congress distances itself from Khurshid's quota promise - Times of India

Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:52:11 AM
IBNLive.com Congress distances itself from Khurshid's quota promise
Times of India NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday sought to distance itself from law minister Salman Khurshid's promise on providing nine per cent reservation to
backward Muslims if the party is voted to power in Uttar Pradesh, saying queries on the issue should be... Cong disowns quota, Batla remarks of Salman, Digvijaya
Hindustan Times Congress disowns Salman Khurshid's sub-quota poll promise India Today JD(U) slams Khurshid's quota stand Firstpost
Daily News & AnalysisIBNLive.com- Economic Times all 332 news articles
24
World News/ Featured/
EU Must Restructure The Realist Prism: Two Debt to Solve the Key Gaps in Obama's Strategic Defense Guidance Eurozone Crisis
(World Politics Review: Articles)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 3:09:00 AM
States ought to concentrate its defense assets and attention, Submitted at 1/13/2012 3:10:00 AM followed by the Middle East. At The release of President Barack t h e s a m e t i m e , l o n g - t e r m Obamas strategic guidance to the stabilization operations, meaning Department of Defense on Jan. 5 large-scale interventions with has already unleashed a storm of ground forces meant not only to commentary. The final document, remove a threat but to transform a S u s t a i n i n g U . S . G l o b a l country, are being downgraded, Leadership: Priorities for 21st and the increased focus on the Century Defense, was prepared Asian theater will come about by after months of consultations with drawing away resources currently the national security team and earmarked for U.S. defense senior military leaders, and is a activities in other parts of the first attempt to begin prioritizing world. both defense missions as well as This kind of prioritizing is geographic regions that are most necessary, especially given the vital to U.S. interests. The current budgetary pressures facing guidance puts a premium on what U.S. military planners. But with it might be termed expeditionary comes the risk of throwing out the firepower -- naval and air assets baby with the bathwater. Like capable of projecting power over wounded beasts that when forced a wide area -- and focuses on the to leave the safety of the pack Asia-Pacific region as being the become much more vulnerable to part of the world where the United predators, downgraded missions
Is Hungary on The Road to Serfdom?

Dalibor Rohac (The Weekly Standard)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:22:00 AM
French and U.K. banks in full. However, the refusal to countenance a Greek default is From the start, the eurozone now dragging the eurozone crisis has been a battle over who t o w a r d e v e n g r e a t e r c r i s i s . will ultimately be liable for the Already, Greece has proven billions worth of actual and unable to meet the austerity potential losses on sovereign debt measures laid out by the EU, the held by European financial ECB and the IMF as conditions institutions. With neither the for loans. In fact, imposing issuance of collectively backed austerity on Ireland, Portugal, Eurobonds nor the use of the Greece and now Italy cannot, on European Central Bank (ECB) as its own, solve the eurozones lender of last resort initially problems, which are not merely available as options, the European the result of profligate borrowing U n i o n , t h e E C B a n d t h e by the peripheral nations, but also International Monetary Fund reflect earlier profligate lending d e c i d e d t o p r o t e c t b a n k by the core nations. And because bondholders at all costs, choosing the current bailout proposals are instead to impose losses on operationally unsustainable, they taxpayers, even at the risk of will lead to a broader contagion stretching governments solvency that will ultimately affect the to the breaking point. But because credit ratings of core countries voters tolerance for bank bailouts such as Germany and France. ... had already worn thin following This entry passed through the the initial financial crisis of 2009, Full-Text RSS service if this is governments in the EU core your content and you're reading it countries began implementing on someone else's site, please read what amounts to a covert bank the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentand the rise of authoritarianism. bailout, lending huge sums to the only/faq.php#publishers. Five More than sixty-five years later, periphery-- Greece, Ireland and Filters recommends: Donate to this prediction does not seem to Portugal -- so that they could in Wikileaks. turn repay their debts to German, have been validated. and regions become easy targets for even more-ambitious costcutting measures further down the line. When forced to decide, services that are already under enormous pressure to generate fiscal savings will likely decide that further cuts can be taken out of roles and areas that have fallen out of favor. As Fred Kaplan observed, there will be a strong temptation on the part of senior officers to whack away at the resources for things that are no longer deemed as core missions. ... This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
In 1945, Friedrich Hayek famously predicted that economic
interventionism in the West would lead to the erosion of democracy
World News/ Technology/
25
France's Sarkozy Hemmed Oxford don held suspicion In and Vulnerable in of professor murder - The Upcoming Election Independent
South Australia murder victim identified Herald Sun

Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:14:48 AM
candidates who might benefit from a protest vote. Submitted at 1/13/2012 3:09:00 AM As always, the domestic outlook With fewer than 100 days left does not seem bleak enough to until the first round of Frances warrant the French electorates presidential election, President penchant for pessimism, but Nicolas Sarkozy is behind in the n e i t h e r i s t h e r e c a u s e f o r polls(.pdf) and facing an uphill enthusiasm. Meanwhile, the battle for re-election. Although policy constraints imposed by the his principal rival, the Socialist doctrine of austerity that, for Partys Franois Hollande, has better or worse, has become the been losing ground at an alarming new European orthodoxy have rate, Sarkozys numbers have rendered much of the fiscal debate stagnated, suggesting he will have sterile. ... his work cut out for him if he is to This entry passed through the convince French voters to trust Full-Text RSS service if this is him with a second term at a time your content and you're reading it when his divisive and jarring style on someone else's site, please read seems at odds with the countrys the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentneed for reassurance and unity. only/faq.php#publishers. Five And in an election that may very Filters recommends: Donate to well be decided by which of the Wikileaks. two candidates suffer the most defections, there is no shortage of

Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:09:23 AM
The Guardian Oxford don held suspicion of professor murder The Independent The exchanges between Miliband and Cameron over the rail fares increase have been scored by some as ... Despite all the gloomy headlines, latest figures show some remarkable resilience in the
UK housing m... In case you're suffering from the January... Oxford professor's wife says death 'was not murder' BBC News Widow speaks out over don's death The Press Association Indian-origin Oxford professor held over fellow academic's death The Hindu The Guardian all 818 news articles
Odisha govt orders probe into Pipili gangrape Hindustan Times

Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:30:14 AM
Couture Mime Editorials - The Vogue Italia January 2012 Photo Shoot Features Fully Painted Faces (TrendHunter.com)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:31:03 AM
( TrendHunter.com) I would never think that something I enjoyed so dearly as a child could
be considered high fashion, but the Vogue Italia January 2012 editorial has changed my mind about face painting entirely. The photo...
Indian Express Odisha govt orders probe into Pipili gangrape Hindustan Times Even as demonstrations by political parties, women, students and social organizations continued for the second day to protest against alleged gang rape
of a dalit girl in Pipili in Puri district, the Odisha government on Friday ordered a judicial... Congress demands CBI probe into Pipili rape case IBNLive.com Judicial probe to verify role of police in Pipili rape case Deccan Chronicle Judicial probe ordered into rape of dalit girl The Asian Age all 26 news articles
FiveAA South Australia murder victim identified Herald Sun Glenelg man bashed to death South Australian Police are calling for witnesses to an assault that left a 27-year-old man dead on the side of the road near Kersbrook. THE man found murdered at Kersbrook on Wednesday has been identified as Jayson... Dead man in SA from Queensland Ninemsn Man probably bashed to death: police Yahoo!7 News Motive For Man's Murder Unknown FiveAA all 18 news articles
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World News/ Technology/ Finance/
Osborne stands by Boy found dead child benefit cuts in dam in Victoria - Channel 4 News - Brisbane Times
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:22:38 AM
Greek default worries rise as bond swap talks are 'paused'

Telegraph Staff (Finance News - Business news from the UK and world)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:42:28 AM
Channel 4 News Osborne stands by child benefit cuts Channel 4 News Chancellor George Osborne vows to scrap child benefit for high earners, despite the prime minister hinting the plans could be modified. Chancellor George
Osborne has vowed to press on with his plans to scrap child benefit for higher earners,... Child benefit cut will go ahead, says Osborne The Independent Osborne sticks to child benefit cut The Press Association Universal child benefit has had its day Daily Mail Telegraph.co.uk- Metro all 413 news articles
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:04:52 AM
Boy found dead in dam in Victoria Brisbane Times The search for a nine-year-old boy, who failed to return from a bike ride in central Victoria, has ended in tragedy. Police say Bailey Fuller has been found dead in a dam near the intersection of
Sinclairs Road and Bennetts Road early Saturday,... Tragic end to search for missing Strathfieldsaye boy Bendigo Advertiser Search for boy, 9, missing after bike ride Herald Sun Police searching for missing boy near Bendigo ABC Online all 22 news articles
Crucial negotiations between the Greek government and its private creditors on a bond swap deal needed to avoid default appeared close to collapse on Friday, with representatives of private bondholders saying they had been "paused for reflection."
Friday Poll: Does Google's Search Plus add up?

Leslie Katz (CNET News)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:30:00 AM
Were you googling for CES 2012 gadgets this week? If so, you might have spotted Google's new Search Plus feature, which automatically includes comments and photos from your Google+ and Picasa networks--unless you opt out. Some will surely view the feature, which launched this week, as a nice way to easily find
posts and photos on a given topic from friends and acquaintances. But not everyone is happy about Search Plus. Yesterday, the Electronic Privacy Information Center asked regulators to investigate whether the new feature violates federal antitrust rules and poses privacy concerns. At issue, from EPIC's perspective, is whether the more personalized search violates a Google/FTC settlement reached
last year. That agreement stemmed from Google's nowdefunct Google Buzz social network and requires Google to make new features opt-in if they provide additional sharing of certain types of private information. EPIC says it thinks Google+ users wouldn't reasonably expect their posts, presumably even the ones set to be viewed by the public, to pop up in Google search. Also, as with other social-
networking features that have raised the ire of privacy advocates, EPIC maintains that people shouldn't have to hassle with the whole opting-out thing. So, Google+ users, aside from EPIC's questions surrounding the legality of Search Plus, how do you feel about the new feature? Is it a great tool for furthering your social networking? A privacy pain in the patootie? Somewhere in between? Vote in our poll, and be sure to share your additional
thoughts below. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Technology/
27
Strategy Roundtable For Entrepreneurs: Spotlight On IIT Kharagpur, India

Sramana Mitra (ReadWriteWeb)
shepherding these young entrepreneurs along. Before I start discussing the Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:34:00 AM businesses, I'd like to highlight the Today's roundtable was jointly r o l e the National organized by the Indian Institute Entrepreneurship Network (NEN) of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT has played in developing the eKGP) and the 1M/1M program as cells at 470 different schools and part of the former's Global colleges in India. NEN is part of E n t r e p r e n e u r s h i p S u m m i t the Wadhwani Foundation's organized by the student-run e- e f f o r t s a t e n t r e p r e n e u r s h i p cell. For the uninitiated, IIT KGP development, and it is great to see is considered one of the top how pervasive their success has technology schools in India, and it been. I spoke to Ajay Kela, the is located in the Eastern part of CEO of Wadhwani Foundation the country, not far from the city recently, and got a feel for the of Kolkata. breadth of their investment. I have visited IIT KGP many The challenge ahead for NEN times over the years, and each and the academic institutions in time I see a marked improvement India is to now take the massive in the energy and momentum at interest and enthusiasm that has the campus on entrepreneurship. been generated, and harness it to My 1997 recruitment visit met produce a large number of with tepid response, with the successful companies. student body largely interested in Today, at IIT KGP, we caught a multinational placements at the glimpse of some of the budding time. But a subsequent visit in heroes of 21 st century India. January 2009 saw a massive mobHUB change: the students were excited First, Piyush Bagaria from IIT about entrepreneurship. KGP pitched mobHUB, a learning Sponsor management solution with Today's roundtable was yet e x t e n s i v e s i m u l a t i o n a n d another step forward: the students visualization capability that he have started producing interesting, proposes to sell to science and viable business ideas, and some t e c h n o l o g y e d u c a t i o n a l a r e e v e n v a l i d a t i n g t h e m institutions to empower faculty to successfully. It gives me great produce rich media content. satisfaction to observe this P i y u s h h a s g o t s o m e e a r l y evolution, and play a small role in encouragement from a couple of
Then Gaurav Dahake from IIT KGP pitched BUYHatke, a penny auction site that is considering three primary segments with a consumer-to-consumer ecommerce business model: netsavvy housewives, IT and BPO professionals, and college students with Internet access. My feedback was that the company needs to enter the market in a business-to-consumer mode because the logistics schools in Calcutta, and while he infrastructure in India is not at a needs to expand the scope of his point where a c-to-c business can validation process, there are some thrive. A B-to-C business, on the interesting nuggets in his core other hand, can use Flipkart's idea. Optimum Mobility Services logistics infrastructure, and have a Next Lakshman Pasala from IIT better shot at success. My other K G P p r e s e n t e d O p t i m u m feedback was to focus on one of Mobility Services, a fleet routing the three segments, because and optimization solution for cab everything else - from customer c o m p a n i e s , t h e i r c u r r e n t acquisition, to merchandising, to validation segment, followed by PR, to SEO would work better if logistics companies operating the segmentation is tighter. trucks, etc. Two cab companies Univect Education Solutions have already validated the idea, Next Parth Pachoir and Udayan and OMS is on their way to Pandey from IIT KGP presented signing up more cab companies in Univect Education Solutions, a India as beta customers. Clearly, social network for parents, the solution offers some concrete teachers, and students in second value, and conceivably, OMS can and third tier Indian cities, to look at the global market later on support online expert networks, in their evolution. The notion of mentoring programs, knowledge I n d i a n c o m p a n i e s b r i n g i n g sharing, etc. The team is short of software technology to the Computer Science expertise, and Western market at dramatically is looking for a co-founder to add lower price-points is one that I to their pack. I like their focus on have highlighted on many prior second and third tier Indian cities, occasions. BUYHatke
and they have already started pilots in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. TransTag Then Nishant Koul from IIT KGP pitched TransTag, a RFID solution to help check car-theft in India. Well, Nishant's idea, to achieve success, would need the cities to install RFID readers at every street-corner. This is impossible to consider as realistic in the near term. Nishant would turn grey by his mid twenties if he hangs his hat on this idea, so I discouraged him to pursue it. Instead, he should turn his talents elsewhere. I very much enjoyed getting a peek into IIT KGP's entrepreneurship action tonight, and look forward to working with other campuses - both in India, as well as in the US, Europe, Asia, and Latin America - on similar programs. You can listen to the recording of today's roundtable here. As always, I would very much like to hear about your business, so let me invite you to come and pitch at one of our free 1M/1M public roundtables. We will be holding future roundtables on the following dates: Thursday, January 19, 8:00 a.m. PST, Register Here. STRATEGY page 30
28
Technology/
The Good News About Google's New Search Plus Your World
Marshall Kirkpatrick (ReadWriteWeb)
I don't know about you, but when I want to find Britney Spears, I know where to go. And I've never Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:35:19 AM found myself grunting the word Google launched a major new "cars" at a search engine, either. feature this week called Google But look for business or technical Search Plus Your World and terms and if you've got friends many people are incredibly upset like I do, the new Google search about it. The feature presents feature is great. The UI? I agree search results from your contacts w i t h R e a d W r i t e W e b ' s J o n on Google's social network, Mitchell- I think it's incredibly Google+, and the things they've non-invasive. shared. It's clutter, critics say, it's Ok, here are some examples of unfair, it's a violation of a sacred the new search being a big win. contract between users and Last night for example I Googled Google. for the phrase IBM Social Be that as it may, the feature can Business, because I've still got it also be pretty awesome. Below on my mind after writing about it I've listed 5 examples of search this week. When I search for that queries that were fabulously phrase in the new social search, I improved by the availability of find a months-old Plus post from the new search results. What do a n a l y s t J e r e m i a h O w y a n g they have in common? They adressing the term social business surface timely and opinionated in August. Specifically, he had content, shared by people I know just completed an extensively and trust. Search super-expert researhed report on the topic. Danny Sullivan has shown with a That was a very useful thing to long list of examples that some find, among other social search queries suffer at the hands of the results. I wish I would have seen new feature. I'd like to offer some that before I wrote the article I counter-examples. did. Sponsor I also found my own article there Sullivan offers evidence that a too in those search results, it was search for Britney Spears will an easy way to search my own never be the same and that only a content. Blogging hacker Pete f e w a m b i t i o u s b r a n d s a r e Warden says he's already found highlighted in a search for the the new search to be the best way word cars. to recall content he's written
sneak that critique in at the top of an otherwise very offical page, Google! If I search for Jay Baer's name, by the way, I get a page full of social results in the form of links that other friends of mine have shared about the man himself. The world's best-known nonprofit technology consultant Beth Kanter shared a Baer blog post on Google+ and says it's terrific. If Beth vouches for someone, I can't himself. He thinks of it as think of better validation. Amber Memory Augmentation and that Naslund, former VP Social could be said just as easily about Strategy for Radian6 and now the streams of content shared by startup co-founder at SideraWorks your friends that you saw (in is goofing around with Jay on theory) but that you couldn't G o o g l e + . And Francine previously recall. Hardaway, a tech investor and One of the blog posts that pundit, says she's known Jay for showed up in that search was 20 years. I feel like the social from giant PR firm Edelman. search results contributed a lot to Reading that post stirred my a search for a person's name. I interest and made me search for had no idea that so many people I Edelman and Social Business. know knew and interacted online That search brought back a full with Jay Baer. page of official content from Then I search for "reviews of Edelman.com, but in this case a SuccessFactors" the giant HR social result was inserted at the software upstart that SAP paid top of Google's list of results. $3.4 billion dollars this Fall. If I What was that result? It was a search for Successfactors SAP on critique of the larger trend of PR the main Google intereface, I get agencies inferior to Edelman news stories from Venturebeat, trying to do trainings on social, Forbes and the Wall Street written by one of the world's Journal. Those are big general leading social media marketing interest business websites. But consultants, Jay Baer. Way to when I select Social, then I'm
delivered news stories from enterprise technology specialists. Those are the people I'm connected with online, not people from the WSJ. If you've got a well-stocked set of people you're following on Google +, then there's a lot this can do for you. Speaking to blogging hacker Pete Warden again, Warden says searching for technical topics works very well with Plus. That's probably because he's following a lot of technical people on the Plus social network. A search for Scala and Play in Google proper, Warden points out, returns all kinds of information about these two web frameworks from official sources. "I just wanted to know if it [Play] was any good," he says. The new social search returns the kind of opinion-based content that Warden is looking for. Those are all great use-cases, if you ask me. It seems clear to me that if you've got the right contacts and you think about it the right way, then you've really got something valuable in the new Google Search Plus Your World. Discuss
Technology/
29
Will the AT&T Nokia Lumia 900 be Priced to Succeed?

Chris Davies (SlashGear)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:50:02 AM
CES 2012 has drawn to a close, and if youd said twelve months ago that Nokia would leave the show having introduced one of the stand-out products, the industry wouldve laughed you out of Vegas. Sure enough, though, the AT&T Nokia Lumia 900 is on everyones lips, delivering the slick style of the first Lumia 800 with the sort of big screen and capable camera dominating the smartphone market today. Rumors suggest itll drop in March, but is Nokia ready to price the LTE Lumia to succeed? Neither A&T nor Nokia would be drawn on exactly how much the Lumia 900 will cost when it eventually goes on sale. Going by previous LTE smartphones, however, $199.99 with a new, two -year agreement and mandatory 4G data plan would on the fact of it seem most likely. Still, AT&T is working hard to push LTE down through the price range. The Pantech Burst and Samsung Exhilarate didnt exactly grab attention like the Lumia did, but AT&T has promised them for $50 apiece (again, with contract). 2012 may well end up being the year for relatively affordable LTE devices after all.
Will any of those be bearing the Nokia logo, however? The Finnish company has been ambitious with its Lumia 800 pricing in Europe, undercutting Android and iOS rivals and negotiating decent subsidies with networks to make the Windows Phone more affordable. As an exclusive on AT&T, however something both companies have repeated ad-nauseum theres always the suspicion that the
carrier will use that rarity to milk subscribers of a little extra cash."Nokia may still be number one worldwide, but in the US its embryonic at best" That would potentially be death to Nokias chances in the US market, however. It may still be the number one mobile phone company in the world, but Nokias standing in the US is embryonic at best; if AT&T slaps a $200 tag on the Lumia 900 itll
hardware, which combine to help the company drive down prices. Stephen Elop has even recently namechecked that as a reason why selling off its smartphone division to Microsoft simply wouldnt make sense. Now its time for Nokia to put its potency to work. It has one chance to storm the US market and convince analysts, investors, geeks and consumers that it has caught up with its rivals, and a bulging marketing budget isnt enough, on its own, to do that. Price the AT&T Lumia 900 right, and Nokia could take its first step on a comeback campaign its been paying lip-service to for months. Nokia Lumia 900 hands-on: Story Timeline Microsoft and Nokia US Windows Phone budget is $200m corrects insider on Jan 4th 2012 Microsoft's Nokia smartphone division acquisition tipped lose a huge chunk of potential i m m i n e n t o n J a n 5 t h 2 0 1 2 audience who might be willing to AT&T Nokia Lumia 900 LTE give Windows Phone a punt. official on Jan 9th 2012 Offer it for $100, however, and all Nokia Lumia 900 AT&T LTE of a sudden theres a lot more hands-on on Jan 9th 2012 appeal. Do the unthinkable and Nokia: Unlocked US Lumia opt for free-on-contract just as 800 in February, 20 game EA deal the 800 is sold in many European incoming on Jan 10th 2012 countries and you could have a Samsung to overtake Nokia in 2012 mobile phone shipments on real success on your hands. Nokia has long made a point of Jan 10th 2012 highlighting its supply chain and WILL page 30 experience in producing
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Technology/
Smart TVs: How Do They Work?

Jay Donovan (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:28:54 AM
WILL
(meaning easy ways to locate content), and social media connectivity. Smart TVs were everywhere at Their future vision of Smart TV CES. I must have seen two technology includes a convergent hundred of them while I was c o n t e n t m o d e l c o n t e n t there. I could report on specs, distributed across multiple device resolution or 3D screens, but touch points. For example, what if really, I am more curious about you could start watching a movie that word smart than I am about on your smartphone during your the raw specs. Is it merely the sum cab ride home from work but then of new features that defines what could easily and seamlessly pick a Smart TV is or should be? Just up where you left off on your what exactly is it that makes a larger screen the minute you Smart TV, wellsmart? arrive home. ( Wait, doesnt It probably has something to do Netflix do that already?) with apps right? Maybe. Internet Sony defined a Smart TV as one connectivity? Likely. Gesture that is connected for content controls? Possibly. Rather than c o n s u m p t i o n ( e . g a p p s , speculate, I decided to visit a few entertainment network, etc) but people at the CES booths of also for interaction with social Samsung, Sony and LG in order networks. Additionally, internal to get their take on Smart TVs. or external integration with other Basically, I asked them all the content systems (like Google TV) same 2 questions: How do you is a must. define what a Smart TV is today At Sony their vision for the and what is your companys future of Smart TVs also has to do vision for Smart TVs in the w i t h c o n v e r g e n t c o n t e n t future? experiences. According to their Heres what they said: spokesperson Sean Cassady, that Samsung defined Smart TVs as vision is not limited to TVs alone sets that can run apps, have web but instead is more of a companybrowsing capability, smart search wide attitude.
LG defined a Smart TV as one that is interactive, connected to the internet and capable of running apps. No one was available to comment at the time about their future vision. Overall, few of these responses surprised me. How about an external opinion though? Smart TVs could be somewhat of a misnomer according to Dan Shust, Vice President of the RI Lab at Resource Interactive. Smart would imply some kind of intelligence or predictive behavior. While we are starting to see bits of that functionality, these TVs still arent totally there yet. What if my TV is not only connected to my social graph, but is making show recommendations based on things Ive liked or commented on in my social network of choice? Mr. Shust continued by saying To me, the perfect TV would be one that takes content from any source (TV, movie, podcast, whatever), then watches my consumption habits, and can make intelligent recommendations deeply within the content I consume. For example, if the TV
recognizes that I watch Jimmy Fallon clips on Youtube a lot, it should just start recording the regular show for me in the background. It could connect the dots and even notify me that a band I liked on Facebook is going to be performing on Jimmy Fallon. That would be truly Smart. I think I agree. This potential view of Television would have seemed scary or like science fiction a mere 15 years ago but when viewed within the lens of the current capability of social and content networks, it seems to me more like a question of when not if . When we do reach a point where TVs are equipped to handle preference management, Im sure those kind of intelligent features will be able to be disabled, for those with privacy concerns. Where does that leave us though? It still leaves us with some pretty fabulous displays, that are more powerful than ever and increasingly laden with features that increase the viewing experience.
Elop: Nokia smartphone sale rumors are tired and baseless on Jan 11th 2012 Nokia could ship 37M Windows Phones this year tip analysts on Jan 12th 2012 AT&T Lumia 900 due March tips Nokia newsletter on Jan 13th 2012 Will the AT&T Nokia Lumia 900 be Priced to Succeed? is written by Chris Davies& originally posted on SlashGear. 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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Thursday, January 26, 8:00 a.m. PST, Register Here. If you want a deeper relationship with me, you are very welcome to join the 1M/1M premium program. If you have any
questions about the program, please, first study the website, especially What to expect from the 1M/1M premium program and the FAQs. If you have additional questions, please email me, and I
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Technology/
31
Xbox 360 scores big but gaming sales dip in 2011

Lance Whitney (CNET News)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:05:41 AM
December Presents: Record Traffic For Social Interest Sites Tumblr And Pinterest
Eric Eldon (TechCrunch)
Microsoft's Xbox 360 was one of the few bright spots in a year marked by a downturn in retail gaming sales, according to data out yesterday from NPD Group. The Xbox 360 scored almost 40 percent of physical retail sales across all product categories in 2011. Microsoft's gaming console was the top-selling platform of the year, said NPD, though Sony's PlayStation 3 also saw a jump in unit sales over 2010. Revenue from software, accessories, and other items for the Xbox 360 and PS3 rose 5 percent for the year. But the gaming industry as a whole didn't fare as well. Total physical retail sales for the year, including hardware, software, and accessories, fell to $17.02 billion, an 8 percent dip from $18.59 billion in 2010. Sales of hardware and accessories each dropped by 11 percent, while video game sales inched down by 6 percent. Beyond the Xbox 360 and PS3, all other platforms showed a drop in unit sales compared with 2010.
Factoring in computer games along with titles for consoles and portable machines, gaming sales dropped to $9.3 billion, 8 percent lower than the $10.1 billion captured in 2010. Moving beyond the traditional retail sector, though, consumers spent more on used games, digital downloads, and mobile gaming apps last year, all of which helped offset the decline throughout the rest of the industry. As a result, spending across the board on both physical and digital products likely hit somewhere between $16.3 billion and $16.6 billion, around a 2 percent drop from 2010. The results didn't exactly shock NPD. "Overall industry results are not entirely surprising given that we are on the back end of the current console lifecycle, combined with the continued digital evolution of gaming," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier in a statement. "Core gamers continue to be engaged and spend on established franchises across both the digital and physical format using multiple devices for different gaming occasions."
Among the top 10 games for the year, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was the best seller, followed by Just Dance 3, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Battlefield 3, and Madden NFL 12. Gamers also scooped up Call of Duty: Black Ops, Batman: Arkham City, Gears of War 3, Just Dance 2, and Assassin's Creed: Revelations. "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 landed in the top spot for software title sales for both December and for Annual 2011," Frazier said. "Looking at the top 10 titles for the year, two franchises scored with two titles each: Call of Duty and Just Dance - two franchises that couldn't be more different, demonstrating the range of appealing content on consoles in 2011." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
comScore is talking about is this: users are gravitating towards new Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:36:57 AM ways of sharing the things they One of the most interesting care about with anyone who findings of comScores 2011 shares the same interests as them. social networking report was the Theyre still sharing private things surge in sites designed around like showing baby photos or party users interests, not necessarily pics to real friends on Facebook. real-life social circles. The web Theyre just also falling in love measurement firms December with the new simple, public tools numbers, which came after the that these other companies offer. report, more than confirm the Myspace has provided all sorts of trend. And Im not just talking public sharing feature for years, about Twitter and Google+, both but in a clunkier and spammier of which had strong months. interface. A few recent redesigns I mean Tumblr and Pinterest. not dissimilar from some of The blogging platform gained these interest rivals has for nearly three million new unique whatever reason failed to stop it visitors, growing 18% from 15.9 from losing users. For its current million to 18.8 million uniques. owners, the growth of these rivals Meanwhile, the online pin-it site is both salt in the wounds and a boomed by nearly 55%, from 4.85 hint of hope. million to 7.51 million uniques. The larger shift here that
Airplay Hip Hop Boomboxes Ludacris Unleashes the Soul Electronics Party in a Box at (TrendHunter.com)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:41:23 AM
( TrendHunter.com) Hip hop artist Ludacris recently introduced the
Soul Electronics Party in a Box' at CES 2012, which will likely rival the new speakers that fellow artist Dr. Dre unveiled just last year for his Beats...
32
Technology/ Finance/
Sony Google TV second generation handson

Michael Crider (SlashGear)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:25:54 AM
Smart TVs were a running theme of CES this year, but the Google TV platform didnt get a lot of love. Aside from a chipset demonstration from Marvell and some lip service from LG, only Sony showed off real progress for the the Android-based integrated TV service. The second generation of Sonys Google TV hardware comes in integrated TV, Blu-ray and stand-alone models, and we took some time to check them out on the CES show floor. Physically, the new stand-alone and Blu-ray versions (NSZ-GP7 and NSZ-GP9, respectively) arent all that distinctive. The Bluray player is a large white box, and the stand-alone is a dimpled grey. Its a shift from the original version, but by no means a radical one. The real news is the newlyredesigned remote, which takes some ques from HTPC remotes and the Boxee Box remote. One side looks like a standard TV/ cable remote with thew addition of a touchpad, and the full
QWERTY keyboard is moved to the other side. Both sides have backlit keys for easy access in a theater-style setup, and an integrated microphone lets you use Voice Search and Voice actions from the couch. Demonstrations of voice functions were very convincing. The Blu-ray player is a pretty impressive specimen, cramming all of Google TVs functions into
a case not much bigger than standard models on retail shelves today. It includes full 3D support at 1080p, so its worth a look even if you want the latest 3D tech. The Blu-ray player also includes the remote, and as far as functions and interface goes, its nearly identical to the stand-alone and integrated units. Speaking of the interface, its refreshingly spare on
it simple. There was no detailed specification information for the new Google TV units, so we dont know if its running on the older x86 hardware or the newer ARM systems coming from Marvell and MediaTek. Since these models arent due to hit the market for a few months at least, wed guess the latter. No pricing information was offered. Story Timeline Samsung, Sony and Vizio bringing Google TVs to CES on Jan 6th 2012 MediaTek's Google TV 120Hz chipset detailed on Jan 6th 2012 Marvel Armada 1500 Google TV Hands on on Jan 11th 2012 OnLive reveals Google TV manufacturer customization. cloud-gaming app incoming on Aside from a few links to Sony Jan 11th 2012 music and media stores, its pure LG "Nexus" Google TV tipped Google TV (Android) 3.2, with on Jan 13th 2012 the new Android Market GTV section well-integrated. Sonys Sony Google TV second Google TV hardware was the first generation hands-on is written by to receive the major update, and Michael Crider& originally after hearing that LG plans to do posted on SlashGear. some heavy modification of the 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All open-source hardware, were right reserved. thrilled to see that Sony is keeping
S&P downgrade and debt crisis: live

and (Finance News - Business news from the UK and world)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:24:12 AM
European bond yields rise after won't be voluntary. fears S&P will 'imminently' downgrade several eurozone countries and Greek debt write-off
Technology/ Culture/
33
Health Sensors Are After Being Banned, Everywhere: Up Close Grooveshark Returns to iOS and Android With HTML5 App With Striiv And Fitbit
John Paul Titlow (ReadWriteWeb)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:40:33 AM
John Biggs (TechCrunch)

Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:51:03 AM
Grooveshark may have been booted from both the iTunes App Store and Android Market, but that's not stopping the controversial music streaming startup from forging ahead with its mobile strategy. Rather than going back and forth with Apple and Google, the company has taken matters into its own hands by launching a Web app that forgoes Flash in favor of HTML5. The Grooveshark HTML5 app can stream music from any modern mobile browser, including Safari on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Until now, the service wouldn't work on (nonjailbroken) iOS devices, since the desktop Web app for Grooveshark utilizes Flash for playback. Sponsor Like any good mobile Web app, Grooveshark's has the feel of a native application, albeit a visually stripped-down one. Users can search for music, listen to prebuilt stations or stream what's trending under the "Popular" tab. It borrows a few UI conventions from native mobile apps, such as sliding down and releasing to load more content. On the iPad, the
app's interface scales up nicely and plays back without any major problems. You can even minimize Safari and let it stream in the background while you do other things. There's a Cross-Platform Compatible HTML5 Mobile Web App For That Grooveshark isn't the first company to use the power of HTML5 to circumvent proprietary app store restrictions. The Financial Times launched a Web app of its own last year to get around Apple's steep subscription revenue share requirements. The browser-based version functioned as well as any basic native app and even led to an increase in mobile traffic for the Financial Times, thanks to its crossplatform compatibility. Amazon has made HTML5 an increasingly central part of its
mobile strategy as well, launching the Web-based Kindle Cloud Reader and more recently unveiling an iPad-optimized Kindle e-book store. Grooveshark's reasons for having to go around Apple and Google are a bit different than Amazon's. The music startup isn't so much concerned about subscription revenue share terms, but rather has been ejected from native app stores because of the legallyquestionable nature of its functionality and business model. The company is currently being sued by every major music label, with EMI recently piling on despite being the only one with which Grooveshark has a formal deal in place. The company allegedly hasn't been forthcoming with royalty payments to EMI, so the label has taken Grooveshark to court. Universal Music Group, Sony Music and Warner were already litigating against the company, accusing it of permitting widespread copyright infringement. Grooveshark's longterm viability in the face of these lawsuits may be unclear, but for now the company is pushing forward and making its service available to more smartphone and tablet users. Discuss
during the day and the winner has to do chores or gets some of the losers energy. This was the year of the sensors. Fitbit, on the other hand, is From Fitbits new Aria Wi-Fi closing the loop when it comes to scale to the Basis sports watch, I health data. The Aria scale sends saw more devices to keep you your current weight and BMI to healthy and lean than ever. the Fitbit web app and lets you I sat down with the folks from figure out whats working and Fitbit and Striiv who both saw the whats not. power of self-reporting and In the end, these products are mindfulness when it comes to only as good as their users. weight loss. Striiv, for example, However, with a little bit of data has a new feature that allows you you can go a long way towards t o c o n n e c t t o y o u r f r i e n d s getting on track to health and/or wirelessly to compete in contests weight loss. Thats the plan, at like walkathons and races. For least. Whether it works in practice example, you and the wife can is another question. compete to get to 5,000 steps first
The Open Thread Is Your Weekly Defense Against SAD [Open Thread]
Adam Pash (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 8:30:00 AM
It's the dead of winter, and sure, we may not be able to give your body the sunshine it needs to completely battle Seasonal whatever's on your mind in this Affective Disorder, but we can week's open thread. More educate you on the finer points of avoiding SAD. And we can invite you in for a conversation about
34
Technology/ Featured/
CES 2012 comes to a close as SlashGear exits Las Vegas

Chris Burns (SlashGear)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:19:10 AM
Weve had one whole heck of a lot of fun this past week at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show, but all good things must come to a close, and so too must we exit Las Vegas Nevada. What weve seen has been wrapped up a bit by Chris Davies in a set of posts listed later in this post, but weve got plenty of content left to go stacks of hands-on video and photos of oddities, hidden treasures, and items that require just a bit more in-depth processing than your average feature from across the show floor for you to peek at throughout the weekend. That said, wed like to thank everyone at CES for all your hard work and for making such an event of massive size take place for the pleasure of us and our readers. For those of you interested in following the entirety of our CES 2012 content, both at the event and outside of the event but
relating to the timeline, head to our tag[CES 2012]. Everyone interested in exploring what weve scooped up here live at the events in Las Vegas as they unfolded and in-person, head to our portal by the name of[CES Live]. Both tags will continue to be filled out over the weekend and, if youre lucky, into the oncoming week. As with all
events that have so many products in them that theres no physical way for everyone to cover them all, so too do we want to give you all weve got. Weve also got additional comprehensive wrap-up posts on the way, including our favorite picks, the best-of for the entirety of CES 2012 separated by category, and opinion columns
both here and over at Android Community regarding what weve seen over the last week. This very moment I must leave you with one question: What was YOUR favorite device, product, or moment from CES 2012 that youve happened upon thus far? Story Timeline CES 2012 mobile app now
active on all platforms: tell us where to go! on Jan 2nd 2012 CES 2012: basics for beginners on Jan 4th 2012 The CES 2012 Crap Tablet Gush Begins on Jan 8th 2012 CES 2012: We're here! on Jan 9th 2012 CES 2012 Is Go: Ultrabooks fast out of the blocks on Jan 9th 2012 CES 2012 speaks out against SOPA on Jan 10th 2012 ShowStopppers at CES 2012 Wrap-up on Jan 11th 2012 CES 2012 Ultrabook Round-Up on Jan 11th 2012 CES 2012 Smartphone RoundUp on Jan 11th 2012 CES 2012 Smart TV Round-Up on Jan 12th 2012 CES 2012 comes to a close as SlashGear exits Las Vegas is written by Chris Burns& originally posted on SlashGear. 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Report: Candidate Obama Complained About Meeting Soldiers in Iraq

Mark Hemingway (The Weekly Standard)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:58:00 AM
Elizabeth Cromwell Buzzfeed flags this passage from Michael Hastings new book The Operators: The Wild and
Terrifying Inside Story of
America's War in Afghanistan. It seems that as a Presidential candidate visiting Iraq, Obama didn't exactly make enough time
to welcome and thank the troops:
Technology/ Finance/
35
US Air Force Special Ops Command changes iPad purchase plans

Steven Sande (TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 12:00:00 PM
Back in December of 2011, the US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) announced that only iPads met the requirements to provide tablet computers to 2,861 crew members. AFSOC had done a three-month test last year with the result that the iPad "outmatched all peer competitors -- not only meeting but exceeding AFSOC mission specifications." Well, the specter of defense budget cuts must be staring AFSOC in the eye, since the command is now reneging on its plans to exclusively purchase iPads as electronic flight bags. AFSOC spokeswoman Major Kristi Beckman says that the command is now going to take an open approach to tablet procurement. Quoted on Nextgov, Beckman said that "During our initial evaluation, the iPad was the best available commercial off-the-
SanDisk's 128GB Extreme SDXC memory cards land in the UK

Nate Lanxon
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:54:00 AM
shelf product for our needs. We are, however, platform agnostic and fully expect improvements across the commercial market to develop in a variety of areas that will increase our capabilities." The electronic flight bags will be used in a manner similar to those carried by commercial airline pilots, since the command has concerns about the security of data. That means that the devices would carry digital navigation
charts and flight information publications that are publicly available. As usual, what is good enough for the commercial market -- in this case the thousands of airline pilots flying for United/ Continental, Alaska, American, and other airlines who are using iPads in the cockpit -- apparently isn't good enough for the military. Anybody up for an overly expensive Android-powered toilet
seat? US Air Force Special Ops Command changes iPad purchase plans originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Source| Permalink| Email this| Comments
Earlier this week, SanDisk announced its largest-capacity Extreme SDXC memory card ever -- a data-hogging 128GB model, designed for photography and video enthusiasts. The new card can write data from your camera at up to 45 megabytes per second. To put that into context, that's about a musical album downloaded from iTunes you can copy over to this card in about two seconds. Or, more practically, roughly four high-quality 18-megapixel JPEG photographs per second By: Nate Lanxon, Edited by: Duncan Geere Continue reading...
FTSE 100: Banks rebound but downgrade talk leads blue-chips lower
Rachel Cooper (Finance News Business news from the UK and
Downgrade talk leads London lower.
36
Technology/ Economy/
This Is Not Good: Greek Creditors End Talks On Debt Swap

discussions with Greece and the official sector are paused for reflection on the benefits of a Greek debt restructuring talks voluntary approach. We very have fallen apart, after the much hope, however, that Greece, government and banks failed to with the support of the Euro Area, reach an agreement about how will be in a position to re-engage much of a haircut investors would constructively with the private take on their holdings. sector with a view to finalizing a Talks are however set to resume mutually acceptable agreement on on January 18. a voluntary debt exchange In October Greek creditors and consistent with the October 26/27 officials had agreed to a voluntary Agreement, in the best interest of 50% hair cut on Greek debt. But both Greece and the Euro Area." Steven Sande (TUAW - The house, from your backyard, or timers on lights, and b) had your the government had recently been Why this matters? Unofficial Apple Weblog) w h i l e y o u ' r e o n v a c a t i o n neighbors check on your place? pushing for interest payments that The debt restructuring could thousands of miles away. Call me That's certainly less expensive would make new bonds worth less reduce Greece's massive 360 Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:30:00 AM old-fashioned, but why can't you than this system, which ZDNet than the 50% haircut in bonds' billion public debt burden, by Sometimes I begin to wonder if just walk a few feet and punch the reports has a price tag of $350 - face value. From the IIF release: nearly 100 billion. But, a the entire "let's control your life wall-mounted garage door button $500, plus a $15 annual fee for "Despite the efforts of Greeces breakdown in talks increases the from your smartphone" thing is to open and close it? the privilege of using your phone leadership, the proposal put likelihood that Greece will default going a little too far. We've seen The system, which LiftMaster to operate your garage door. f o r w a r d b y t h e S t e e r i n g on its debt. iPhone-powered barista tools, refers to as MyQ, uses an internet Seriously? C o m m i t t e e o f t h e [ P r i v a t e Greece is looking at 14.5 billion A D T s e l l s a s m a r t p h o n e - gateway that connects to the LiftMaster uses your iPhone as a Creditor-Investor Committee] bond redemption in March. connected security system, and garage door opener. Install the remote garage door opener P C I C w h i c h i n v o l v e s a n Please follow Money Game on n o w g a r a g e d o o r o p e n e r L i f t M a s t e r H o m e C o n t r o l originally appeared on TUAW - unprecedented 50% nominal Twitter and Facebook. manufacturer LiftMaster is selling app(free) on your iPhone, and The Unofficial Apple Weblog on reduction of Greeces sovereign Join the conversation about this two openers that can use your now you're opening and closing Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:30:00 EST. bonds in private investors hands story iPhone or computer to open and your garage door from that Please see our terms for use of and up to 100 billion of debt See Also: close your garage door. internet caf on Novaya Zemlya. feeds. forgiveness has not produced a FITCH ON GREECE: 'Time Is From the marketing materials on Sure, MyQ can also turn on and Source| Permalink| Email this| c o n s t r u c t i v e c o n s o l i d a t e d Running Out' the LiftMaster website, it's off lights in addition to opening Comments response by all parties, consistent A Quick Guide To The Youth apparent that they want you to be and closing that garage door, but with a voluntary exchange of Unemployment Mess In Europe able to open or close your garage what ever happened to the good Greek sovereign debt and the Not Good In Greece... door from any room in your old days when you either a) used October 26/27 Agreement. Under the circumstances,
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:34:00 AM
Mamta Badkar (Money Game)
LiftMaster uses your iPhone as a remote garage door opener
Technology/ Economy/ Talk/
37
Corel acquiring Roxio line Here's Why France as old guard consolidates Is About To Lose
Stephen Shankland (CNET News)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:15:32 AM
Its AAA Rating

Simone Foxman and Mamta Badkar (Money Game)
Roxio's Toast line will become Corel's under the acquisition agreement.(Credit: screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET) Corel has agreed to acquire Roxio from Rovi, consolidating companie from an earlier era in the software industry. Corel sells graphics programs, including the new AfterShot Pro it obtained with the recent acquisition of Bibble Labs, and the WordPerfect Office line. To that it plans to add Roxio's products for tasks including burning DVDs, recording videos of videogame play, encrypting USB drives, transferring VHS tapes to DVDs, and playing DVDs. "On the digital media side, we will have a full-blown multimedia suite and a new offering on the Mac platform. For WinZip, we will be able to further expand our suite of tools, with new data
protection and security software," said Shawn Cadeau, Corel's senior vice president of global marketing. Corel announced the move yesterday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The move would make Corel a larger player in the market for software running on personal computers. Much of the new action these days, however, is for
software running on mobile devices and in Web applications that run in browsers. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
TED: Morley sings "Women of Hope" Morley (2011)

TEDTalks (TEDTalks (video))
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:11:53 AM
Inspired by Aung San Suu Kyis call to action, If youre feeling helpless, help someone, Morley
composed this song, which she sings at TEDxWomen.
have fallen from 55% of Germany's exports to barely 40%. Labor productivity has fallen Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:20:28 AM three times in the last four years. We're learning that France is Source: The Economist about to lose its AAA rating today France's debt is large and when S&P downgrades several growing. European countries. S&P first put France's gross public debt 1 5 o f 1 7 e u r o n a t i o n s o n amounts to some 1.7 trillion creditwatch negative back in ($2.3 trillion), or 87.4% of GDP. December. That's the highest ratio of debt-toIf France were to lose its AAA GDP of any AAA-rated country rating, it is likely that the EFSF in the euro area. would lose its AAA rating as Source: Der Spiegel well, since France provides And its government is doing little 158.5 billion of guarantees to the to curb its deficit. EFSF. This would raise the cost France passed its last balanced of borrowing from the EFSF budget in 1974. throwing a spanner in the works With growth slowing, it is for a resolution to the debt crisis. already going to have trouble Although France is generally adhering to EU rules to bring its regarded as one of Europe's budget deficit under 3% by 2013. stronger economies, the loss of its Source: Der Spiegel AAA rating would be devastating See the rest of the story at to European efforts to build a Business Insider firewall that would prevent Please follow Money Game on contagion from spreading through Twitter and Facebook. the EU banking system. See Also: But France also has bigger T h e s e E c o n o m i e s W i l l problems than just its credit Dominate The World In 2050 rating. Fitch recently said France GARY SHILLING: 2012 Is was the AAA country with the Going To Be Totally Crappy most exposure to Europe's debt The Complete History Of US c r i s i s . F r a n c e i s l o s i n g i t s Real Estate Bubbles Since 1800 competitive edge. In ten years, France's exports
38
Technology/ Economy/
"Greener" Apple power adapters will cost manufacturer

Dave Caolo (TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:30:00 AM
French Fashion Designer Jean Paul Gaultier Has Introduced A Stylish Way To Invest In Gold
Nick Jardine (Money Game)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:32:41 AM
Manufacturer Volex makes power and USB cables for Apple. As a part of Apple's "green push," the company will move to halogen-free power cables within the year, according to the London Evening Standard. The change will initially cost Volex quite a bit of money, but it's hoped that longterm environmental benefits will outweigh the initial investment. Volex expects a hit of about 3.9 million (about US$6 million as of this writing) in set-up costs. However, Volex expects to see profits in line with market expectations, despite these "oneoff" costs. It's important to remove halogen from these cables as they're often incinerated after being thrown away. The incineration process
can release dioxins and furans into the atmosphere. Apple has been criticized for its environmental performance and has worked to change that. Late last year, Apple jumped to fourth place on a Greenpeace survey, up from where it stood in 11th place just four years prior. [Via Giga Om] "Greener" Apple power adapters
will cost manufacturer originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Source| Permalink| Email this| Comments
French fashion designer and icon Jean Paul Gaultier has come up with a new product that marries fashion with fortune: his own one ounce, 24 karat gold bar. The Telegraph reports that the bar, which is engraved with a heart and the designer's name, has been billed as a more "fashionable way for investors to diversify holdings and hedge against inflation" by Gaultier's PR representatives. Additionally the Wall Street Journal says that 5,000 of the ingots have been made. They are currently being sold for $1,826.33 with an additional $25 handling fee. That's a 10 percent rise on the
price of standard gold, presumably because of the Gaultier brand. Please follow Europe on Twitter and Facebook. Join the conversation about this story See Also: Here's What Happened When A French Clothing Store Offered Customers Free Clothes For Shopping In Their Underwear These 8 Videos Tell You What You Need To Know About Soccer Legend Eric Cantona Controversial Soccer Legend Eric Cantona Is Seeking Nomination To Run For President Of France
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False Flag - By Mark Perry

MARK PERRY (Foreign Policy)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 9:13:32 AM
A series of CIA memos describes how Israeli Mossad agents posed as American spies to recruit members of the terrorist organization Jundallah to fight their covert war against Iran. BY MARK PERRY| JANUARY 13, 2012 Buried deep in the archives of America's intelligence services are a series of memos, written during the last years of President George W. Bush's administration, that describe how Israeli Mossad officers recruited operatives belonging to the terrorist group Jundallah by passing themselves off as American agents. According to two U.S. intelligence officials, the Israelis, flush with American dollars and toting U.S. passports, posed as CIA officers in recruiting Jundallah operatives -- what is commonly referred to as a "false flag" operation. The memos, as described by the sources, one of whom has read them and another who is intimately familiar with the case, investigated and debunked reports from 2007 and 2008 accusing the CIA, at the direction of the White House, of covertly supporting Jundallah -- a Pakistan-based Sunni extremist organization. Jundallah, according to the U.S. government and published reports, is responsible for assassinating Iranian government
officials and killing Iranian women and children. But while the memos show that the United States had barred even the most incidental contact with Jundallah, according to both intelligence officers, the same was
not true for Israel's Mossad. The memos also detail CIA field reports saying that Israel's recruiting activities occurred under the nose of U.S. intelligence officers, most notably in London, the capital of one of
Israel's ostensible allies, where Mossad officers posing as CIA operatives met with Jundallah officials. The officials did not know whether the Israeli program to recruit and use Jundallah is
ongoing. Nevertheless, they were stunned by the brazenness of the Mossad's efforts. "It's amazing what the Israelis thought they could get away FALSE page 40
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with," the intelligence officer said. "Their recruitment activities were nearly in the open. They apparently didn't give a damn what we thought." Interviews with six currently serving or recently retired intelligence officers over the last 18 months have helped to fill in the blanks of the Israeli false-flag operation. In addition to the two currently serving U.S. intelligence officers, the existence of the Israeli false-flag operation was confirmed to me by four retired intelligence officers who have served in the CIA or have monitored Israeli intelligence operations from senior positions inside the U.S. government. The CIA and the White House were both asked for comment on this story. By the time this story went to press, they had not responded. The Israeli intelligence services -- the Mossad -- were also contacted, in writing and by telephone, but failed to respond. As a policy, Israel does not confirm or deny its involvement in intelligence operations. There is no denying that there is a covert, bloody, and ongoing campaign aimed at stopping Iran's nuclear program, though no evidence has emerged connecting recent acts of sabotage and killings inside Iran to Jundallah. Many reports have cited Israel as the architect of this covert campaign, which claimed its latest victim on Jan. 11 when a motorcyclist in Tehran slipped a magnetic explosive device under the car of Mostafa Ahmadi
Roshan, a young Iranian nuclear scientist. The explosion killed Roshan, making him the fourth scientist assassinated in the past two years. The United States adamantly denies it is behind these killings. According to one retired CIA officer, information about the false-flag operation was reported up the U.S. intelligence chain of command. It reached CIA Director of Operations Stephen Kappes, his deputy Michael Sulick, and the head of the Counterintelligence Center. All three of these officials are now retired. The Counterintelligence Center, according to its website, is tasked with investigating "threats posed by foreign intelligence services." The report then made its way to the White House, according to the currently serving U.S. intelligence officer. The officer said that Bush "went absolutely ballistic" when briefed on its contents. "The report sparked White House concerns that Israel's program was putting Americans at risk," the intelligence officer told me. "There's no question that the U.S. has cooperated with Israel in intelligence-gathering operations against the Iranians, but this was different. No matter what anyone thinks, we're not in the business of assassinating Iranian officials or killing Iranian civilians." Israel's relationship with Jundallah continued to roil the Bush administration until the day it left office, this same intelligence officer noted. Israel's
activities jeopardized the administration's fragile relationship with Pakistan, which was coming under intense pressure from Iran to crack down on Jundallah. It also undermined U.S. claims that it would never fight terror with terror, and invited attacks in kind on U.S. personnel. "It's easy to understand why Bush was so angry," a former intelligence officer said. "After all, it's hard to engage with a foreign government if they're convinced you're killing their people. Once you start doing that, they feel they can do the same." A senior administration official vowed to "take the gloves off" with Israel, according to a U.S. intelligence officer. But the United States did nothing -- a result that the officer attributed to "political and bureaucratic inertia." "In the end," the officer noted, "it was just easier to do nothing than to, you know, rock the boat." Even so, at least for a short time, this same officer noted, the Mossad operation sparked a divisive debate among Bush's national security team, pitting those who wondered "just whose side these guys [in Israel] are on" against those who argued that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." The debate over Jundallah was resolved only after Bush left office when, within his first weeks as president, Barack Obama drastically scaled back joint U.S.Israel intelligence programs targeting Iran, according to
multiple serving and retired officers. The decision was controversial inside the CIA, where officials were forced to shut down "some key intelligence gathering operations," a recently retired CIA officer confirmed. This action was followed in November 2010 by the State Department's addition of Jundallah to its list of foreign terrorist organizations -- a decision that one former CIA officer called "an absolute nobrainer." Since Obama's initial order, U.S. intelligence services have received clearance to cooperate with Israel in a number of classified intelligence-gathering operations focused on Iran's nuclear program, according to a currently serving officer. These operations are highly technical in nature, and do not involve covert actions targeting Iran's infrastructure or political or military leadership. "We don't do bang and boom," a recently retired intelligence officer said. "And we don't do political assassinations." Israel regularly proposes conducting covert operations targeting Iranians, but is just as regularly shut down, according to retired and current intelligence officers. "They come into the room and spread out their plans and we just shake our heads," one highly placed intelligence source said, "and we say to them -Don't even go there. The answer is no.'" Unlike the Mujahedin-e Khalq,
the controversial exiled Iranian terrorist group that seeks the overthrow of the Tehran regime and is supported by former leading U.S. policymakers, Jundallah is relatively unknown -but just as violent. In May 2009, a Jundallah suicide bomber blew himself up inside a mosque in Zahedan, the capital of Iran's southeastern Sistan-Balochistan province bordering Pakistan, during a Shiite religious festival. The bombing killed 25 Iranians and wounded scores of others. The attack enraged Tehran, which traced the perpetrators to a cell operating in Pakistan. The Iranian government notified the Pakistanis of the Jundallah threat and urged them to break up the movement's bases along the Iranian-Pakistani border. The Pakistanis reacted sluggishly in the border areas, feeding Tehran's suspicions that Jundallah was protected by Pakistan's intelligence services. The 2009 attack was just one in a long line of terrorist attacks attributed to the organization. In August 2007, Jundallah kidnapped 21 Iranian truck drivers. In December 2008, it captured and executed 16 Iranian border guards -- the gruesome killings were filmed, in a stark echo of the decapitation of American businessman Nick Berg in Iraq at the hands of al Qaeda's Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. In July 2010, Jundallah conducted a twin suicide bombing in Zahedan FALSE page 45
Policy/
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The LWOT: Gitmo Observes 10-Year Anniversary

JENNIFER ROWLAND (Foreign Policy)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:37:25 AM
Foreign Policy and the New America Foundation bring you a twice weekly brief on the legal war on terror. You can read it on foreignpolicy.com or get it delivered directly to your inbox -just sign up here. BY JENNIFER ROWLAND| JANUARY 13, 2012 Gitmo observes 10-year anniversary The 171 remaining detainees at the Guantnamo Bay detention facility observed the prison's tenth anniversary on January 11 with peaceful protests, including a refusal to sleep in their cells and a three-day hunger strike ( Post, NPR). Human rights activists wearing orange jumpsuits and black hoods, the outfits worn by the first 20 detainees brought to Guantnamo on January 11, 2001, staged a march from the White House to the Supreme Court to protest the military prison ( Post, BBC, LAT, AFP, CNN). British Prime Minister David Cameron said on the anniversary that the United Kingdom is "working very hard" with the United States to close the Guantnamo Bay prison, and reminded his audience of the government's inquiry into British complicity in the torture of
suspected terrorists at Gitmo or elsewhere ( AFP). Long-time Guantnamo reporter Carol Rosenberg takes a look at what we can expect to see in the future
of the controversial military prison ( Miami Herald). The United Kingdom continues to press the United States to release the last British detainee at
Guantnamo, Shaker Aamer, CNN about the psychological whose friends say he is being held problems that have plagued him in "awful" conditions ( BBC). A since his three-year confinement former detainee and British LWOT: page 43 citizen, Moazzam Begg, spoke to
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Policy/
From Paris with Love - By Eric Pape

ERIC PAPE (Foreign Policy)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:05:30 AM
Dear Mitt: What's this European socialist nightmare you're so afraid of? Trust me, le belle vie ain't that bad. BY ERIC PAPE| JANUARY 13, 2012 PARIS Cher Mitt: Sitting here with a glass of Bordeaux Graves 2005 in my local wine bar in Paris, I am getting the distinct impression that you haven't managed a meaningful sjour in France for a while. It's normal, I suppose, given that you've been running hard for the presidency for far longer than my grapes were fermenting. But I'd like to invite you over here for a drink, Mitt -- you can knock back a Coke, neat -- and we can have a little tte tte. You said some things recently, amid the glow of your victory in New Hampshire, that perplexed me and I'd like some clarification. Enough of your campaign-trail advocacy for "economic freedom" and the creative chaos of capitalist destruction, Mitt. You're far enough ahead of your Republican competitors to afford yourself a little freedom, right? You've earned Paris. You may not believe it, but France has changed a lot since you learned to speak French here as a teenage Mormon missionary. (For one, French taxes on really rich people, like you, have gone way down.) In New Hampshire, you talked about Europe, which is where I've
been based as a journalist for most of the last decade. With the grin of a victor, you asserted that President Barack Obama "wants to turn America into a Europeanstyle social welfare state," which sounded especially sinister because you contrasted that with your own intentions to "ensure
that we remain a free and prosperous land of opportunity." Listening to you, it sounded pretty nasty, though I admit my interpretation may be a bit skewed -- always a risk in countries where there is so much good, cheap wine, and so much time to enjoy it.
But I'm not clear on which part of a European-style social welfare state so offends you in 2012, four years into a global economic crisis that certainly wasn't triggered by Europe? Could it be what some Republicans refer to as a "Socialist" medical system, even though most European leaders are
centrist or right wing? I would explain to you how I was glad to be able to limit my concerns about the fragile health of my FrancoAmerican infant son during his complicated birth, without the additional fears of how many FROM page 44
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there ( CNN). The Kuwaiti government has been increasing its efforts in the past few months to secure the release of the last two Kuwaiti detainees from Gitmo, Fawzi al-Odah and Fayiz al-Kandari, who have been put on a list of 48 detainees that the U.S. plans to detain indefinitely ( WSJ). U.S. officials have so far refused, citing concerns about Kuwait's "track record," but a source close to the Kuwaiti government says the U.S. would continue to have custody of the suspects at its military base in Kuwait; the move just allows the men to have family members visit them. The head of the military lawyers assigned to defend the detainees at Guantnamo Bay, Marine Col. Jeffery Colwell, has ordered his subordinates not to send confidential mail to their clients in protest of instructions by Guantnamo commander Rear Adm. David Woods requiring the inspection of all mail sent to the defendants by their attorneys ( Politico, Post, AP). Col. Colwell told his team of lawyers in an email released on January 11 by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) that the new rules "do not allow [them] to adequately safeguard attorneyclient privileged communications."
Alleged Florida terrorist met with extremists Sami Osmakac, who was arrested in Florida for allegedly plotting to attack targets in Tampa using a car bomb and guns, met with Islamist extremist during visits to his native Kosovo, a senior Kosovar official said on January 11 ( AP). And U.S. authorities said on December 11 that videos Osmakac posted online show him disparaging Christians, Jews, and the Western lifestyle ( AP). Donny Eugene Mower was sentenced on January 9 by a Fresno, California District Judge to five years in prison for vandalizing a mosque and firebombing a Planned Parenthood clinic in August and September 2010 ( AP, DoJ). Mower left a sign at the mosque that read" No temple for the god of terrorism at ground zero," an apparent protest of the planned construction of an Islamic community center in lower Manhattan. And a former Republican congressman, Mark Deli Siljander, was sentenced to one year in prison for accepting illegal payments to lobby for the removal of an Islamic charity, the now-defunct Islamic American Relief Agency, from a congressional watch list of charities suspected of links to terrorism ( Reuters, WSJ, AP,
LAT). Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan, Ziyad Yaghi and Hysen Sherifi could be sentenced to life in prison today after being convicted in November of various charges including conspiracy to carry out terrorist attacks overseas and providing material support to terrorists ( AP). Lawyers for the three men, who were part of a terror cell in North Carolina led by Daniel Patrick Boyd and busted in 2009, have asked for reduced sentences because their convictions were for the discussion of acts of terrorism, not the carrying out of attacks. Investigator recommends court martial for Bradley Manning The U.S. Army announced on January 10 that the lawyer presiding over Pfc. Bradley Manning's hearing, Lt. Col. Paul Almanza, has recommended that Manning face a court martial for allegedly leaking thousands of classified military documents and diplomatic cables to the antisecrecy website WikiLeaks ( Politico). Manning is charged with aiding the enemy among other violations of military law, the most serious of which carry the death penalty, though prosecutors say they will not seek a capital sentence. A federal judge in New York City on January 12 instructed the
FBI to recover Special Agent Jennifer Dent's deleted emails dated November 2009 through March 2010, during which time Agent Dent was in Lagos, Nigeria and involved in the interrogation of Mohamad Ibrahim Ahmed, an Eritrean man suspected of links to Somali militant group al-Shabaab ( NYT, AP). The judge is seeking to find out whether there was complete separation between an alleged "dirty" interrogation in which Ahmed was not read his Miranda rights -- evidence from which is not admissible in court -and a subsequent "clean" interrogation. And the BBC on January 11 won a legal battle against Britain's Ministry of Justice, which had banned the news outlet from airing an interview with Babar Ahmed, a British citizen who has been held in the United Kingdom on a U.S. arrest warrant since 2004, the longest period of detention without charge for a British citizen ( AP, BBC, Tel, Guardian). Justices at the High Court in London ruled that the interview ban is a "disproportionate interference with the right to freedom of expression" because of the "exceptional circumstances" of Ahmed's case. Trials and Tribulations The headmaster of an Islamic
school in Indonesia suspected of being a bomb factory went on trial on January 12 charged with possessing explosives and inciting terrorism, for which he could receive the death penalty ( Herald Sun). The California Farm Bureau on January 11 called an arson fire started by animal rights groups that damaged 14 tractor trailers at the state's largest beef processor an act of "domestic terrorism" ( Reuters, AP). Balayla Ahmad is suing the University of Bridgeport for failing to follow up on her allegations of sexual harassment, and instead falsely accused her of being a terrorist, prompting the FBI to investigate her ( AP). This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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Economy/
FROM
years it might put my family into debt, except that it's clear from the health care bill you passed as governor of Massachusetts, that you're already sensitive to such issues. And what about your jab that Obama "takes his inspiration from the capitals of Europe," while you and your supporters "look to the cities and towns of America"? Is it really so bad that European leaders are trying, however awkwardly, to bring their nations together after creating lasting peace on a continent that emerged from the horrors of World War II and the Soviet Union on its doorstep? Dictatorship has been almost entirely banished from a remarkably diverse continent, while on a smaller scale, obesity, that lethal American import, remains a novelty. But what really got me thinking over my plate of frites and moutarde was this line: "I want you to remember when our White House reflected the best of who we are, not the worst of what Europe has become." What is"the worst," I keep asking myself? But before I hazard a few guesses, I want to thank you for your concern on behalf of the Europeans here, chain-smoking
beneath winter heat lamps out on the chilly terrace. It is rough out here in Paris. Since the global economic crisis kicked in, French unemployment increased by about 25 percent. (Then again, American unemployment increased by about 50 percent in that same period -- and the U.S. rate is higher, at 8.5 percent, than the averaged unemployment rate of the eurozone's two largest economies, France and Germany.) Could it be that you were referring not to those notoriously lazy Germans, but to Athens? Yes, the out-of-control Greek debt crisis was kicked off by systemic deception on the part of that nation's leaders and their international accountants. Athenians may have enjoyed their ouzo and 6-hour work days, but the austerity and welfare cuts they've swallowed (despite great fury) since then -- in the name of getting their economy back on track -- now makes your Massachusetts look like a socialist paradise by comparison. Look, we all get that tagging a Democratic opponent as sort of French is an old Republican tactic -- one that was used to some effect against John Kerry in 2004 and is even being thrown at you
by Newt Gingrich. But Obama? He's a guy who had almost no direct experience with Europe before being elected. Heck, he wanted to be known as the "first Pacific president" and had little energy for the Old Continent in the first years of his presidency. But I'm guessing that the thing that really sticks in your craw about Europe is that most people actually like Europe. Sure, the French are among the most pessimistic people in the world, but that's just talk; they also give birth to the highest percentage of babies on this continent -- that's hope in action. There's also a reason why Paris receives more tourists per year than any city on earth; it's a nice place to spend some time. Which is another reason all my European friends are so thankful for their generous vacations. Here in Paris, they tend to use them to get out of town just as most Americans touch down here. It's a win-win. But, maybe, Mitt it's some subconscious guilt talking? Could it be that your resentment has more to do with the fact that oldfashioned values that demand that corporations show some real dedication to their employees in exchange for their employees'
dedication to the company, still exist over here? After all, in Europe there are still countries, like France, in which governments step in to discourage or even prevent fiscally healthy corporations from firing dedicated long-term employees simply to add to an already profitable bottom line. In other words, Europe includes wealthy nations that have the audacity to limit the Bain Capitals of the world from getting richer simply because they have found something new to cut. But hey, you don't have to listen to me. I'm just an American guy, in Europe, enjoying a little wine and impassioned debate in the local bistro. Then again, you should try it sometime -- there's a chair waiting for you. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
LCH Hikes Italian Bond Margins, Again

Tyler Durden
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:04:55 AM
A few weeks after it lowered margins on Italian Bonds, following a hike previously, LCH has completed the round trip and as of minutes ago hiked margins once again, raising deposit factors on 3.25 Year to 30 Year Italian Bonds, with the most expensive duration class being the 15-30 year tranche which will see an 18% Initial Margin, and 8.3% on the 7-10 year. End result: Italian curve is about to get even steeper as the long end is sold off to satisfy margins and the money floods into the LTRO protected sub-3 year maturities. Full statement below. Average: Your rating: None This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Culture/
45
FALSE
outside a mosque, killing dozens of people, including members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The State Department aggressively denies that the U.S. government had or has any ties to Jundallah. "We have repeatedly stated, and reiterate again that the United States has not provided support to Jundallah," a spokesman wrote in an e-mail to the Wall Street Journal, following its designation as a terrorist organization. "The United States does not sponsor any form of terrorism. We will continue to work with the international community to curtail support for terrorist organizations and prevent violence against innocent civilians. We have also encouraged other governments to take comparable actions against Jundallah." A spate of stories in 2007 and 2008, including a report by ABC News and a New Yorker article, suggested that the United States was offering covert support to Jundallah. The issue has now returned to the spotlight with the string of assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists, and has outraged serving and retired intelligence officers who fear that
Israeli operations are endangering American lives. "This certainly isn't the first time this has happened, though it's the worst case I've heard of," former Centcom chief and retired Gen. Joe Hoar said of the Israeli operation upon being informed of it. "But while false flag operations are hardly new, they're extremely dangerous. You're basically using your friendship with an ally for your own purposes. Israel is playing with fire. It gets us involved in their covert war, whether we want to be involved or not." The Israeli operation left a number of recently retired CIA officers sputtering in frustration. "It's going to be pretty hard for the U.S. to distance itself from an Israeli attack on Iran with this kind of thing going on," one of them told me. Jundallah head Abdolmalek Rigi was captured by Iran in February 2010. Although initial reports claimed that he was captured by the Iranians after taking a flight from Dubai to Kyrgyzstan, a retired intelligence officer with knowledge of the incident told me that Rigi was detained by Pakistani intelligence officers in Pakistan. The officer said that he
was turned over to the Iranians after the Pakistani government informed the United States that it planned to do so. The United States, this officer said, did not raise objections to the Pakistani decision. Iran, meanwhile, has consistently claimed that Rigi was snatched from under the eyes of the CIA, which it alleges supported him. "It doesn't matter," the former intelligence officer said of Iran's charges. "It doesn't matter what they say. They know the truth." Rigi was interrogated, tried, and convicted by the Iranians and hanged on June 20, 2010. Prior to his execution, Rigi claimed in an interview with Iranian media -which has to be assumed was under duress -- that he had doubts about U.S. sponsorship of Jundallah. He recounted an alleged meeting with "NATO officials" in Morocco in 2007 that raised his suspicions. "When we thought about it we came to the conclusion that they are either Americans acting under NATO cover or Israelis," he said. While many of the details of Israel's involvement with Jundallah are now known, many others still remain a mystery -and are likely to remain so. The
CIA memos of the incident have been "blue bordered," meaning that they were circulated to senior levels of the broader U.S. intelligence community as well as senior State Department officials. What has become crystal clear, however, is the level of anger among senior intelligence officials about Israel's actions. "This was stupid and dangerous," the intelligence official who first told me about the operation said. "Israel is supposed to be working with us, not against us. If they want to shed blood, it would help a lot if it was their blood and not ours. You know, they're supposed to be a strategic asset. Well guess what? There are a lot of people now, important people, who just don't think that's true." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
The Ultimate Kissing Quiz

(HowStuffWorks Daily Feed)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 8:00:56 AM
It can be a sign of love, grief or respect worldwide. Kissing is a natural act that gives millions of people physical and psychological satisfaction, but where did it originate? Why does it make us feel good? And are there cultures who view it as a bad thing? Earn a point for every right answer! Save your score at the end of the quiz. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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Economy/
EU Iran Oil Embargo Likely Delayed Six Months; Obama Sends Teams of Consultants Worldwide Hoping to "Manage Supply and Demand of Oil"; Phased In Oil Shock
noreply@blogger.com (Mike Mish Shedlock) (Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis)
barred from concluding new oil contracts with Iran or renewing those that are due to expire, while existing deals will be terminated Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:48:00 AM Under pretense of looking for within six months, according to a other sources of oil, EU Iran Oil second diplomat today. Long-term Embargo Over Nuclear Work contracts constitute the bulk of Said Likely to Be Delayed Six Europes purchases of Iranian oil. Months Phasing in the European embargo A European Union embargo on would satisfy the concern of imports of Iranian (OPCRIRAN) nations most dependent on Iranian oil will probably be delayed for crude, including Italy, Greece and six months to let countries such as Spain, the first EU official said. Greece, Italy and Spain find Those three nations accounted for alternative supplies, two EU 68.5 percent of EU imports from officials with knowledge of the Iran in 2010, according to talks said. European Commission data. The embargo, which would need As Europe weighs its embargo, to be accepted by the 27- nation P r e s i d e n t B a r a c k O b a m a s blocs foreign ministers on Jan. administration has sent teams 23, is also likely to include an w o r l d w i d e t o c o n s u l t w i t h exemption for Italy, so crude can countries on managing the supply be sold to pay off debts to Rome- and demand of oil, according to based Eni SpA (ENI), Italys an administration official who largest oil company, according to briefed reporters in Washington. the officials, who declined to be OPECs other members would be identified because the talks are able to make up for a drop in private. Iranian oil supply if the EU agrees A ban on petrochemical products to an embargo, said Chakib would start sooner, about three K h e l i l , t h e g r o u p s f o r m e r months after EU ministers agree president. Even so, prices may to the measure, one official said temporarily rally to as high as yesterday. Once a decision is $200 a barrel on news of any such made, member states would be blockade, he said today in
London. It should be possible to replace, at least, the European consumption of Iranian oil, Khelil said in an interview with Mark Barton on Bloomberg Televisions On the Move. Obama's Arrogance Coupled With Economic Idiocy Anone who thinks president Obama can manage the supply and demand of oil is a fool. Sending teams worldwide in an attempt to do that is not only the height of arrogance, it is economic idiocy Phased In Oil Shock Iran is OPEC's second largest oil producer. Bloomberg estimates that Iran pumped 3.58 million barrels of crude a day last month. The idea that Iran's oil supply can easily be replaced is pure nonsense. Phasing in an embargo is the same as phasing in higher prices smack in the midst of an already guaranteed monster European recession. Given that US Defense Secretary Admits "Iran Not Trying to Develop Nuclear Weapon" this move by the US and Europe is not only economic suicide, it is an
illegal act of war as well. Can China Benefit From Obama's Move? Superficially, the only possible beneficiary to Obama's and the EU's economic warfare is China. For details, please see China Snubs Geithner on Iran Oil; China Gets Cheaper Iran Oil as U.S. Pays Tab for Hormuz Patrols; Retired Admiral Warns "US Policy Benefits the Chinese" However, it's important to understand that Chinese "benefit" is an illusion, in isolation. In aggregate, oil-dependent countries including China cannot conceivably benefit from an oil shock or higher oil prices because global trade will collapse. OPEC exporters may temporarily benefit from higher prices but the expense will be falling usage and a strengthening worldwide recession. If one wonders why Iran may want nuclear weapons, the US and EU have certainly given Iran sufficient reasons. How to Stop the Madness This proposed embargo is economic idiocy as well as an act of war by the US and EU on Iran. Once again I point out that
President Obama has continued the inane policies of President Bush. Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney would do the same. If one wishes to end the economic and war-mongering madness, there is only one electable choice: Ron Paul. Mike "Mish" Shedlock h t t p : / / globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot. com Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http:// www.sitkapacific.com/ account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific.
Economy/ Culture/
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Greece Bank Creditor Group Says Talks Paused for Reflection; S&P to Cut Some Euro Zone Countries on Friday; Euro Sinks to New Low for the Move
On some combination of the above news, the Euro reversed strong gains, falling to a new low for the move, down to 1.2627 Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:10:00 AM Less than a day ago ECB from a high of 1.2884. That is a president Mario Draghi was very big intraday currency swing bragging " Credit Crunch of 2.57 cents vs. the US dollar. Averted" noting the Euro's first Euro 15 Minute Chart weekly gain in five-weeks. Creditors " Paused for Reflection, Unfortunately for Draghi, there so should Mario Draghi. was still one day left in the week. Mike "Mish" Shedlock Greece Bank Creditor Group h t t p : / / Says Talks Paused for globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot. Reflection com Bloomberg reports Greece Bank second day in Athens with Prime Downgrades Click Here To Scroll Thru My Creditor Group Says Talks Minister Lucas Papademos and Reuters reports S&P to Cut Some Recent Post List Mike Paused for Reflection "Mish" Shedlock is a registered Finance Minister Evangelos Euro Zone Countries on Friday Talks between Greece and its Venizelos, aiming for a deal in the Standard & Poor's is set to investment advisor representative creditor banks were put on hold e u r o a r e a s f i r s t l a r g e downgrade the credit ratings of f o r S i t k a P a c i f i c C a p i t a l after negotiations in Athens failed restructuring. The committee had several euro zone countries later Management. Sitka Pacific is an to yield an agreement. offered a 50 percent nominal on Friday, but not those of asset management firm whose A proposal put forward by the reduction of Greeces sovereign Germany and the Netherlands, a goal is strong performance and steering committee representing bonds in private investors hands senior euro zone government low volatility, regardless of financial firms has not produced and as much as 100 billion ($127 source said. market direction. Visit http:// a constructive consolidated billion) of debt forgiveness, the Another source confirmed w w w . s i t k a p a c i f i c . c o m / response by all parties, the IIF said. "several" countries would be hit. account_management.html to Institute of International Finance Greece hasnt yet decided French TV, citing a government l e a r n m o r e a b o u t w e a l t h said in an e-mailed statement whether to submit legislation that source, said France's credit rating m a n a g e m e n t a n d c a p i t a l today. Under the circumstances, could force holders of the nations would be downgraded and another preservation strategies of Sitka discussions with Greece and the debt to take part in a bond swap, source said Slovakia, the euro Pacific. official sector are paused for a c c o r d i n g t o a g o v e r n m e n t zone's second poorest country reflection on the benefits of a spokesman who said his earlier currently rated A+ by S&P, would voluntary approach. remarks on the matter were suffer the same fate. Euro Sinks to The IIFs Charles Dallara and misinterpreted. European Debt New Low for the Move Jean Lemierre had met for a
See All the Candid Fun Inside the Critics' Choice Awards!
Lauren Turner (PopSugar)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 9:01:01 AM
While the stage at last night's Critics' Choice Awards saw many memorable moments, and there was plenty of excitement in the audience as well. Dustin Hoffman congratulated George Clooney on his big win and Leonardo DiCaprio snapped a cute picture of himself. Charlize Theron and her Young Adult writer Diablo Cody got together to chat while The Help's Emma Stone, Jessica Chastain, and Ahna O'Reilly shared a laugh. Click through for all the candid convos inside the show! View Slideshow
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Economy/
What Does Friday The 13th Mean For Stocks? Art Cashin Explains
Tyler Durden
It was colorful and a bit of fun. But, shortly after the 1987 crash, Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:18:44 AM we had the biggest and maybe While it is already known that the wildest Hat Day ever. Inspired first Friday the 13th of 2012 will by a sense of post-crash survival, be very memorable, at least for it featured a parade on the floor France, a bigger, and more and best in class awards. philosophical question is, whether Unfortunately, there was a Friday the 13th is in general newspaper stringer on the floor. unlucky for stocks. UBS' Art He was doing an interview with a Cashin provides the veteran specialist who had gone out of perspective, as well as unravel business in the crash by making some false myths about the term too good a market. The stringer Triskaidekaphobia. would later sell a piece to the Triskaidekaphobia Its Friday papers called The Fat Cats In the 13th and all of the negative The Hats. It was a caustic myths surrounding it pop up. misrepresentation of Hat Day. We Friday the 13th actually has a have not had one since. mild upward bias in stock market Without the lucky charm of Hat history. Its up 55% to 60% of the Day, there were occasional time. problems. On Friday, October 13, We think the negative myth may 1989, the attempted leveraged be based on a novel published buyout of UAL collapsed and the back around 1910. It told of a plot Dow plunged 190 points (equal to by an evil stock trader (aint they 860 points today). all) to crash the market on Friday By a numerical oddity, the 13th the 13th. of the month falls on a Friday Prior to 1988, floor brokers used more than any other day. In the to have fun with the myth by last 400 years, we have had 688 declaring Friday the 13th Hat Friday the Thirteenths. Day. Brokers would don silly This year is especially and bizarre headgear pretending symmetrical. There are three to ward off evil spirits. today; April 13th and July 13th.
Those dates are exactly 13 weeks apart (Hat tip USA Today). One last note on Friday the 13th. Triskaidekaphobia is actually fear of the number 13. Fear of Friday the 13th is actually Friggatriskaidekaphobia but that sounds like something that would cause your mom to give you an oral rinse with Lifebuoy. So, Dr. Donald Dossey coined the term paraskevidekatriaphobia. He says that by the time you manage to pronounce it, your phobias gone. Now we have one more notable event to add: Europe's first of many step-wise refamiliarizations with reality and gravity. And to keep the symmetry, should we pencil in that by July 13th France will have a B-handle rating? Average: Your rating: None Average: 5( 2 votes) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Greek 1-Year Bond Yield Tops 408 Percent; Hard Default Appears Imminent
Recent Post List Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:49:00 AM In conjunction with a " Pause for Management. Sitka Pacific is an Reflection" and stalled talks by asset management firm whose Greece Bank Creditor Group over goal is strong performance and the benefits of further "voluntary" low volatility, regardless of cuts on Greek debt, yield on 1- market direction. Visit http:// year Greek bonds soared over w w w . s i t k a p a c i f i c . c o m / 400%. account_management.html to A hard default appears imminent. l e a r n m o r e a b o u t w e a l t h Mike "Mish" Shedlock management and capital h t t p : / / preservation strategies of Sitka globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot. Pacific. com Click Here To Scroll Thru My
Economy/
49
ECB Buying Saves Europe From Cliff's Edge For Now

Tyler Durden
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:01:33 AM
The moment BTPs broke above 500bps over Bunds this morning, it was clear that the ECB was in buying (and confirmed by desk chatter). Early in the day, European corporate, financial, and sovereign credit markets were in quite positive territory with the former at highs of the year. As downgrade rumors broke, and then were exacerbated by the increasing realization that Greek PSI is not going to happen, sovereigns broke wider rapidly and corporates and financials fell off a cliff (their biggest drop of the year so far) with XOver (the European high-yield credit index) widening 30bps almost instantly. EURUSD took out recent lows trading back to 1.2624, its lowest since August 2010 and EFSF (the much-heralded firewall) widened 9bps off its tights. The last hour or so of trading was dominated by improvements in BTPs and OATs as the SMP went to work and this
provided some relief across all assets leaving European stocks at day's highs and modestly lower (after nearing the lows of the year so far earlier), non-sovereign credit marginally wider but sovereigns (Belgium, Spain, and Austria worst) still decently wider. While the impact of the downgrades on EFSF's structure and Germany's willingness to
The USD (DXY) pulled back to its highs of earlier in the week (as EUR pulled off of 16 month lows to end the European trading week -0.24% (not exactly terrible) but most notably 1.5% weaker than its earlier highs this morning. This is a rapid rise for a major that has such high short-interest and suggests the argument for a squeeze is indeed being dominated by unlevered real money exiting. SEK's move to biggest loser was also notable. BTP buying saved the day as the ECB was clearly in action. Most sovs were wider and EFSF ended over 9bps wider from its tights. shoulder even more implicit nicely off the earlier lows but is Charts: Bloomberg Average: guarantees is critical, we wonder holding at VWAP (and is in line Your rating: None Average: 5( 1 if the PSI talks breakdown is the with broad risk drivers for now). vote) more important driver as investors European stocks (blue) are This entry passed through the face yet another a-ha moment and underperforming credit now but Full-Text RSS service if this is just as when the USA was the steep covering into the close your content and you're reading it downgraded, that the impossible saved the day from being a total on someone else's site, please read m a y a c t u a l l y b e p o s s i b l e disaster. XOver's squeeze tighter the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content(disorderly Greek default). In the (higher in the chart) was painful only/faq.php#publishers. Five US, ES (the e-mini S&P 500 but gapped wider today as Filters recommends: Donate to futures contract) has also rallied downgrades and PSI talk hit. Wikileaks.
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Culture/
2012: The Year of the Kids' App-cessory

Daniel Donahoo (Wired Top Stories)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 6:15:00 AM
2012 is the Year of the Appcessory. It didnt take long, but it looks like the mobile device is no longer enough. Whether its toy figures, board games or the balls of the future, we are seeing an explosion of accessories that will interact and engage with our mobile devices and consoles. This year we are set to see more and more items that want to talk to your childrens mobile devices. We live in accelerated times. While this may cause many adults different levels of discomfort and anxiety, children are growing up in a world where the rate of change is what they have always known. You could say that children, even if they are unaware, have the expectation that the rate of app development will continue to accelerate especially given that the market for mobile devices is heading quickly towards a critical mass. It is this critical mass that has given rise to the app-cessory: a digitally enabled item that is controlled by, or interacts with, your mobile device. We have seen them emerging for adult markets with items like Bluetooth headsets and Bluetooth laser keyboards. But the childrens market will take them to the next step. And why not? If childrens expectations will be for more
options and more development to increase interactivity and engagement, then it is they who will lead the development of the internet of things more than anyone. The initial thrust is coming in the form of toys. We are seeing a remake of the toy cars and plastic
figurines that children can play with in the playground and on the bedroom floor. Now, these toys can also interact with their screens. It may have been AppMatess development of the Cars 2 toys and apps in the middle of 2011 when app-cessories for kids first made their mark, but it
has been Activision with its Skylanders concept that is making serious money. Skylanders became the hit of Christmas 2011 with the 30-odd action figures that interact with a portal of power, which wirelessly identifies the characters and places them into the game. These figures can be
played with by children in their own imaginary worlds on their bedroom floor (my son has already built his Bash figure a home made from cardboard and styrofoam). But by placing them on the app-cessory portal, the 2012: page 53
Culture/
51
TSA Air Marshal Arrested in Mugging of Boston Occupier

Quinn Norton (Wired Top Stories)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:00:00 AM
What was a TSA air marshal doing at at an Occupy camp at 3:40 on a Saturday morning just an hour before protestors was evicted by Boston police? Stealing the iPhone one of the camps prominent voices, then slapping her, it turned out. TSA air marshal Adam Marshall was arrested by the Boston police department at 3:50 a.m. on December 10 after he allegedly argued with members of Occupy, called some of them prostitutes, struck one of Occupys organizers and main Tweeters in the face, grabbed her iPhone and then fled. Marshall was pursued by some 25 Occupiers, ditching the phone as he ran, and then was arrested by Boston police, who were preparing to evict the camp. Robin Jack, @caulkthewagon of Occupy Boston Its unclear why a federal air marshall, the armed undercover Homeland Security agents who accompany select commercial flights, was hanging around near the camp at 3 in the morning. According to witnesses, he entered the camp a little over an hour before the police evicted the 72-day-old camp from Dewey Plaza, after the protestors lost a
court battle to get a permanent injunction against police action. Marshall is now being investigated by TSAs internal affairs, according to the iPhones owner Robin Jacks who says she met with DHS officials Wednesday. Just prior to the eviction, Occupy founding organizer Jacks and a few other women from the occupation went to the nearby Intercontinental Hotel looking for a bathroom. This, they say, is where they ran into Adam Marshall. This guy intercepted us in the lobby, said Jacks. It was odd. He was pleasant, but super animated. According to Jacks, he began to antagonize them. They left, returning to the occupy. Maybe a half an hour or so later he was standing in the middle of camp, said Leah Filler, an occupier who was with Jacks. Jacks says she then saw him arguing with some of the occupy musicians, and asked him to leave. Instead of leaving, he called Jacks and her companions prostitutes. Jacks began filming him with her phone, and Marshall responded by grabbing Jacks phone, hitting her twice, and running, according to Jacks and the police report. Just to be clear this guy followed
police, laughed at Marshalls assertion. The occupiers assertions are backed up by the police report ( page 1 here) obtained by Wired: Victim while in the area of Occupy Boston Opposite 600 Atlantic Ave., Federal Reserve Bank was with a group of occupiers who were arguing with the suspect. Suspect called the victim a prostitute, slapped her once on both sides of her face, grabbed her iPhone from her hand and fled. About 25 occupiers pursued the suspect across Atlantic Ave., stopping suspect in us here and called all of us front of the bank. A pat frisk was prostitutes, she narrated while conducted, no iPhone was found filming him. on the suspect. Victim did not Leah Filler, one of the occupiers, require any medical attention. was beside Jacks at the time. Occupiers declined to identify He turned around and grabbed themselves. the phone with his right hand, and Suspect placed under arrest for he hit her with his left hand, unarmed robbery, transported to Filler said. With that, he took off Area A-1, and booked in the usual running. He was chased by the manner. occupiers and was arrested by Robin Jacks is one of main Boston Police in minutes. He tweeters of all things Occupy threw her phone into a tent while Boston, as well as one of its being chased. Jacks chose to press founders. She was, that night, charges. waiting to live-tweet the When he was getting into the impending end of the occupation (police) car he alternated between of Dewey Square shed helped saying Im a UMass (University b e g i n . L i v e - t w e e t i n g t h e of Massachusetts) student! and occupation prolifically throughout Im a federal agent!, Jacks said, its life has made her a de-facto adding she thought it sounded chronicler of it. hilarious at the time. Many of the Jacks was also no stranger to the occupiers, and possibly a few
police. Some officers followed her Twitter account and even interacted with her on the social media platform. Many officers on site at Dewey would greet her by her Twitter handle, @caulkthewagon (named for a way of getting across a river safely in the classic game Oregon Trail). The tweets of @caulkthewagon had become vital witness to life in Bostons occupy, and through both of their evictions. Jacks said she received a phone call last week from an internal investigator for the Department of Homeland Security confirming that Marshall was being investigated for his arrest by his employer the TSA. Jacks said she visited an internal affairs officer Wednesday at their office in Boston, accompanied by an ACLU attorney, and told her story. They were specifically with the TSA, which is obviously what an air marshal is covered under, said Jacks. She described the interview as pleasant, and said they told her story was in line with what theyd seen after reviewing surveillance video of area of the occupy from that night. Marshalls LinkedIn profile TSA page 55
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Culture/
Justin Bieber: I Don't Have to Go to Church

(Christianpost.com > Most Popular)
(Photo: Reuters/Stringer) Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber greets his fans from the balcony of his hotel before leaving for his first "My World Tour" concert at the Foro Sol in Mexico City October 1, 2011. In a coming of age cover story photographed by Inez & Vinoodh, the soon to be 18-year-old pop singer discussed his rising fame, paternity suit controversy, and his views on faith and religion. Bieber, an unabashed Christian, is known not to shy away from his beliefs in public, seen in his candid declarations of faith in Jesus, whom he believes died for his sins, to his visits to the holy land of Israel. Most recently, the Canadian star turned heads again with a new tattoo the face of Jesus Christ adorning the back of his calf. With more to say about his faith, Bieber, who is currently recording his next album Believe, told V Magazine, according to the New York Post, A lot of people who are religious, I think they get lost. They go to church just to go to church. Im not trying to disrespect them ... but for me, I focus more on praying and talking to Him. I dont have to go to church.
Like us on Facebook Responding to his statement, Dan Kimball, pastor of Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, Calif., told The Christian Post that he agreed and disagreed with what Bieber was saying. [E]very Christian according to the New Testament is to be in some form of structured local church, whether a house church or large church, the pastor stated. We are not meant to be following Jesus without being in a Christian community, where if we are not there part of it, we are missed and noticed. I do agree with him that some Christians can see going to church as the basis for their faith, and that then becomes incorrect theology too, Kimball noted. We aren't Christians based on whether we go to a church meeting or not, that is based on our faith in Jesus. So I agree with him there, but having faith in Jesus then means we should then be functioning in a local church according to the guidelines of Scripture. It would be sad thinking of a Christian living out their faith on their own without being in a faith community. Looking at the quote alone, the Western Seminary graduate believed the entertainer might not be taking into consideration what church is theologically. Again, it is hard to know from just a quote, so I can't make
assumptions about what he believes or not about church. But to say I don't have to go to church, he seems to be misunderstanding the biblical definition of church. You can have faith in Jesus and be a Christian without being part of a local body of Christ, but you then aren't functioning in the way the Bible describes Christians should be living. In the Scriptures, it was clear that every follower of Jesus should be a functioning part of a local church, meant to contribute to the local body of Christ with the gifts God had given each believer. We also are not to live as Christians on our own, but the Bible teaches we should have leaders, shepherds, elders as part of how we live out our faith, he added. So we are not meant to function without being part of some sort of formal church family that meets regularly; there is accountability there and we are contributing to that local church family. The preacher acknowledged, however, the difficulty for pop stars or celebrities to function in a local church due to travel schedules and personal space issues with fans. But I have talked to pastors who have celebrities in their churches and it is possible for sure. So my response is that if this quote is his understanding of what church is,
he is missing the theological understanding of church and also then is missing contributing to a local church. Clarifying that he struggled with making a comment just based on one quote, Kimball revealed that he could not make judgments about what the pop singer really believed since he did not know about his personal life or actual church involvement. From what he did read about in the news, however, Kimball found it totally refreshing to see someone in pop culture like Bieber be vocal about his faith and be publicly proud to be a follower of Jesus, especially due to his influence among children and young teens. As a public figure adored by many young followers then, was his statement about church a dangerous one to make? I don't know if I would say dangerous, as I celebrate the fact that he is vocal about his faith in Jesus and that is a wonderful and bold thing for a pop star to do, The Emerging Church author answered. But I would say if by the quote he is meaning we can function as healthy followers of Jesus on our own, without being part of some form of a structured local church, whether a house church or a large church, then I would say that is incorrect theology he would be advocating about what church is
and what a Christians role [is] as being part of a local church. The whole metaphor of the church being a body, or a family precludes that you are not in isolation but functioning as a participating member contributing and receiving while in a church. And the Scriptures talk about elders, shepherds and accountability needed for all of us, which you wouldn't then experience if you were not part of some form of a local church, Kimball concluded. So I would hope that children and young teens understand the correct theology of church in that way. Kimball launched the first formal church plant of Santa Cruz Bible Church, Vintage Faith Church, in 2004 with a team of about 175 people. The mission of Vintage Faith Church is to reflect the vintage values of the early church and teachings of Jesus. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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2012:
characters will appear in the game with the same levels and characteristics that they had from previous games. The characters can even be taken to friends houses and carry over their skills and attributes to a friends Skylanders game, even on a different console. WowWee is also entering the market with its AppGear Toys. They look like serious contenders that could do for iPhones and iPads what Skylanders has done for gaming consoles. WowWee has a range of collectible toys that will seamlessly interact and become part of games on your mobile device. Each toy, like planes and zombies and aliens, comes with its own app. The figures, like Skylanders, are themselves good quality and representative of our expectations of the figurines with which children play and with which adults adorn their computers and desks. Sesame Street is also partnering with developers to create toys that come to life on screen. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, a couple of prototypes used an augmented reality platform that, for adults, may blur the lines between play with toys and play in the digital realm. For children, it will increasingly
become about the way they play, where real and augmented worlds of play collide. There are others who are looking at different types of accessories that go beyond toys and figurines. In the board game space we have Legos Life of George, where most of the game exists as a free downloadable app and in the board game box is a simple flat board and Lego bricks. The game requires you to build items displayed on the screen against a timer on the app. You demonstrate youve finished the build correctly by scanning the Lego creation with the camera on your mobile device. Alternatively, the GameChanger board game accessory for iPad uses the iPad as an extension of the playing board and allows for the whole game to be managed and coordinated from the digital screen. This interacts with touch pads on the accessory, and different skins can be put over the board allowing for many different board game possibilities. I have seen both of these games capture the attention and interest of adults and children alike. They bring devices we are becoming so familiar with into the activities and pastimes that we love to play. In the early childhood space, people are developing soft toys
and developmental toys that contain and protect your iPhone or Android Phone, but digitally enhance the experience. These may not have the same value for childhood development as the app -cessories for older children, but they point to the broader movement away from just the screen and towards an experience that incorporates the screen, but exists in the external world with toys like HappiTaps and Fisher Prices Laugh and Learn Apptivity Case. Then of course, the world spills over into the broader internet of things. This is where the remote control ball controlled by your mobile device called Sphero lives. It is where accessories without a mobile app are born, like Sifteo. What This Means For Child Development The rise of the app-cessory demonstrates that we are not satisfied with screens. When it comes to children especially, we want them to learn and engage with both the real and the virtual worlds. We want them to take what they know into the digital space, and bring the digital space back out into the garden or the classroom. The app-cessories I have mentioned do that in different ways and with different levels of success. While they
certainly add a price to our mobile devices, they also enhance and add value to what our iPads and Android phones already do. Our children are spending increasing amounts of time with mobile devices, so investing more in quality tools to help extend the educational and entertainment capacity of these devices seems appropriate. We are becoming aware that despite the amazing amount of content, information and possibilities of the screen as a portal to the internet, this is not enough to support our children and young people to become capable and engaged. It is a huge part of the world they are going to inherit, but they have to know how that world interacts and engages with the world outside the screen. App-cessories are the first small step towards helping children and young people to begin to think and engage with those ideas. There are three areas which I think are useful in terms of how app-cessories can and will be used that are beneficial to children in an educational sense. I will further elaborate on these in a future post. It is the way several progressive teachers and parents are already trying to use mobile devices. The app-cessories provide further
leverage and make it easier. Those three areas are: Collaboration and Engagement: App-cessories can improve the capacity for children to work and play together on mobile devices. Extension Beyond Screens: App -cessories take childrens play and learning beyond the screen by integrating and providing space for both real and virtual worlds. Enhance 21st Century Skills: App-cessories provide further enhancement for mobile devices to explore 21st-century skills, particularly creativity, collaboration and critical thinking. Im looking forward to sharing my thoughts on these at GeekDad soon. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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Culture/
Juice Boxes
Billy Brown (Wired Top Stories)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 5:32:00 AM
Anyone whos ever taken their iPhone on a road trip has at some point yearned for a little extra juice along the way. In the middle of a cross-country flight, or in the middle of nowhere in the backcountry, a back-up power source isnt just a handy extra, it can be a necessity. Here are a few options to give you a few more hours of GPSassisted navigation on your hike, one more run through Flirtin with Disaster on I-95, or an extra hour of Edge before the plane lands. All of these battery cases not only boost your iPhones staying power, but they also provide extra protection and some enhanced functionality. The Pretty Boy: Mophie Juice Pack With its clean lines and snappy colors, Mophies Juice Pack($80) has the kind of looks you wouldnt mind showing around the office. The matte texture helps gives the phone some extra grip, but the case also completely wraps around the iPhone, acting as a fully protective sleeve. I dropped my Mophie-encased phone several times on concrete and tile without scratching it. It just about doubles the iPhones battery life, so you blow through a few seasons of American Dad before you kill the battery. The Juice Pack gives you the option of using either the iPhones battery or the spare battery first. If
you opt to run down the iPhones battery first which is recommended, as being on a constant charge takes energy just flip the switch on the bottom of the case to stand-by mode. The case needs to be attached to the iPhone to charge. The case is a
bit bulkier than most protective cases, but itll fit into all but the skinniest of skinny jeans. Mophie.com, $80 WIRED Good-looking. Doubles battery life. Drop-worthy protection. TIRED Too bulky for some
hipster pockets. Rating: 8 out of 10 The HighMiler: Sol Hybrid Power Pack Sols case($90) is not only the longest-lasting battery case in this lineup, its also the only one with a solar panel to let you charge the phone au naturel.
Its also remarkable as a speed charger. When the battery inside the case is fully charged, it can juice up your phone extremely quickly it charged my dead iPhone 3Gs in under an hour, JUICE page 55
Culture/
55
Salt Lake City Ranked 'Gayest' City in America in 2012

TSA
Festival, a lesbian-owned wine bar and an eco-friendly nightclub in the area. That title was given according to Rounding out the top five on the a list of the Gayest Cities in list behind Salt Lake City are America, 2012, which was Orlando, Fla., Cambridge, Mass., r e l e a s e d M o n d a y o n Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and Seattle, Advocate.com, an lesbian, gay, Wash. bisexual, transgender (LGBT) Like us on Facebook news website. Instead of letting Despite the website's findings, census numbers dictate which Mike Imperiale, pastor of First cities ended up on the list, the Presbyterian Church in Salt Lake website sought to find the per City, says all major cities in the capita queerness of each city by U . S . h a v e s t r o n g g a y using decidedly subjective c o m m u n i t i e s . criteria to create a formula that "I think every major city in the determined the results. United States has a significant gay This formula consisted of adding population...and I don't think you up points which were assigned can measure whether one is more to cities based on things like the g a y t h a n a n o t h e r e i t h e r i n number of LGBT elected city population or expression or officials, number of WNBA teams whatever, he said. and the number of nude yoga Imperiale previously served as classes and then dividing that the pastor of churches in New number by each city's population. York and Philadelphia, and Salt Lake City, which has a although there may be a strong population of 186,440, was LGBT presence in Salt Lake City, ranked number one because it has he says that religion is still the an International Mr. Leather major cultural difference between competition semifinalist, an Salt Lake and other American LGBT bookstore, a nude yoga cities. class and it has had three concerts "The major thing is that one's by the Cliks, Gossip or the faith or religion or church Veronicas since 2009. affiliation is the number one thing The far-less-oppressive-than-it- that people want to know about in used-to-be Salt Lake City has Salt Lake City. So when you meet earned its queer cred, the website somebody, and you start a states, boasting about the city's conversation, very high on the list attractions like the Sundance Film or early on in the conversation is,
'Do you belong to the church,' meaning the LDS church, or 'Do you have a church affiliation?'" According to findings from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, which studied numbers relating to same-sex couples from the 2010 U.S. Census, there are 1,145 same-sex couples in Salt Lake City. There are 15.36 same-sex couples per 1,000 households in the city, giving it a ranking of 74th in the nation among cities that have at least 50 same-sex couples living within them. In June 2011, comedian and actress Roseanne Barr served as the Grand Marshal of the Utah Pride Parade, which became one of the largest gay pride parades in Utah's history, according to Deseret News. In a post on her Twitter account today, Barr described the city's number one ranking as a dream come true in slc. According to Imperiale, ministering to homosexuals should be just like ministering to anyone else. "My general approach would be: treat them like a human being. Show interest and interaction with their life. Describing oneself as gay or lesbian is not totally defining of their whole life. Every person has challenges in life, work, ambition, goals, things that
indicates he works for Homeland Security, but he did not respond to a message through LinkedIn seeking comment. The TSA would not confirm to Wired Marshalls employment make them tick, things they like status or his role within the to do, etc. And so in doing Federal Air Marshal Service, ministry with any person...you releasing this statement: just want to treat people as human While TSA takes all allegations beings who have a life and have of misconduct by its employees all the joys and concerns, very seriously, we do not release successes and failures, that the identities of those employees anybody has, he said. involved in internal inquiries. We Imperiale says that Christians also cannot provide information often have a hard time ministering relating to pending criminal to those who are different from matters. We respectfully refer all themselves which might include inquiries into a pending criminal gays, people of different races and matter to the investigating agency. even the homeless and they This entry passed through the need to do more to minister Full-Text RSS service if this is directly to individuals. your content and you're reading it "Generally speaking, I think on someone else's site, please read Christians fail at ministering to the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentthe person. We try to do a lot only/faq.php#publishers. Five through the church and through Filters recommends: Donate to agencies or whatever to extend Wikileaks. physical help to those who are in need, and that's a good thing. But I'll tell you, if people are uncomfortable with or refuse to interact with the person, I think we're falling short of God's call for us." JUICE This entry passed through the continued from page 54 Full-Text RSS service if this is rather than the standard 3-hour your content and you're reading it charging time through a wall on someone else's site, please read socket. But if you just leave the the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content- phone in the case all the time and only/faq.php#publishers. Five let the power trickle in as needed, Filters recommends: Donate to it can triple the life of your Wikileaks. iPhone. It kept my iPhone alive through a 12-hour trip to the JUICE page 57
56
Culture/
Texas Megachurch Quits Speed Match Using NIV Over 'Accuracy Concerns'
(HowStuffWorks Daily Feed)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 8:00:56 AM
Matte. Andrew Werley, lead pastor for Jersey Village Baptist Church, also located in Houston, told CP (Photo: Jack Potts of Bohemian that he has also felt that the NIV Photography) The interior of the 2011 has drifted. worship center for Houston's First Like us on Facebook Baptist Church of Houston, I believe the TNIV or the NIV Texas. 2011 revision has drifted from what I would consider a true Pastor Gregg Matte of Houstons literal translation, said Werley. First Baptist Church recently As a communicator of Gods made the announcement, deciding Word I want the bible I use to be that the church would use the as accurate as possible to the Holman Christian Standard Bible literal intent of the authors. instead. Werley, whose church prefers the Upon review of the changes English Standard Version 2001, made to the NIV, Pastor Gregg felt that pastors must be sensitive believes that it is no longer as to the Bible translation we use and accurate in terms of reflecting the promote. meaning of the original biblical I believe FBC Houston has texts, reads the churchs website. incredible pastoral leadership and M e m b e r s a n d g u e s t s a r e I know their decision was made in welcome to use any translation of the best interest of their city, their choice during the worship congregation and convictions, services, in Life Bible Studies, or said Werley. for personal study of God's As a partner with them in trying Word. to reach our city for Christ, I am A s t h e d e b a t e o v e r t h e happy to stand with them in their effectiveness of the translation conviction to do what they believe continues, some Texas pastors is best for their church and their have drawn similar conclusions mission. about the latest NIV translation as The latest translation of the New
HOWSTUFFWORKS Adventure Auto Culture Entertainment I n t e r n a t i o n a l V e r s i o n w a s Health r e l e a s e d l a s t y e a r b y t h e Home & Garden Committee for Bible Translation. Lifestyle It sparked controversy over Money allegations of being too gender Science neutral, with the Southern Baptist Tech Convention in particular voicing opposition. MORE STUFF CBT claimed that it left 95 Blogs percent of the NIV (1984) alone Games in its changes and also revised HSW Tools many of the initial gender neutral RSS phrases in certain verses. Maps The NIV 2011 also changed the Podcasts wording of verses pertaining to Quizzes homosexuality, with the CBT Newsletters saying that it was done to clarify Video certain passages regarding the matter. Post a Christian job now OUR WEBSITES o r b r o w s e e m p l o y m e n t Animal Planet opportunities to get hired fast on Consumer Guide Auto ChristianHire.com, your best Consumer Guide Products Christian jobs site. Browse Discovery Channel Christian Jobs now Discovery Fit & Health This entry passed through the HSW Brazil Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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CUSTOMER SERVICE Advertising Contact Us Help CORPORATE About Us Careers @ Discovery Privacy Policy Visitor Agreement TAKE US WITH YOU FOLLOW US 1998-2012 HowStuffWorks, Inc This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Culture/
57
JUICE
summit of Mt. Shasta. It would be great for a century ride, especially if you plan on using your batterysucking GPS all day, or even if you just want to stay connected so you can Instagram the whole thing. When both the phone and the case are depleted, the Sol Hybrid case can charge up not only with sunlight, but also with artificial indoor lighting. Be aware that fully recharging the cases battery, even in full sun, is an allday task. The Hybrid is the least protective of the cases, however. Its a bit thicker than the Mophie Juice Pack, but it doesnt fully cover the top of the iPhone. If you drop it and it lands top-down, you could be hosed. Solmarketplace.com, $90 WIRED Monster battery life extension. Solar charger provides energy in emergency situations. Speedy iPhone charge. One unexpected, yet welcome, feature is the LED flashlight on the bottom of the case. TIRED Not as protective as other options. Solar charger is too slow
to be used for anything other than emergencies. Rating: 8 out of 10 The Tank: Magellan ToughCase In the iPhone playground, the Magellan ToughCase($100) would take the other cases lunch money. Big and burly, the Magellans key strength is its durability. In Yosemite, I dropped the case a few times, even kicking it into a stream when trying to balance the iPhone camera and a water filter. My phone came out of the woods safe and sound. In addition to protecting your iPhone against everything from gnarly drops to total submersion, the Magellan also sports an extra boost of juice for your phone, roughly doubling your battery life. Thats decent, but other cases offer more longevity. It also tightens the GPS accuracy to about 10 to 15 feet. Thats not a huge advantage over the iPhones 21 feet, but if youre adventure racing, or if youre a geocacher who doesnt mess around, the Magellan can give you an edge. Its definitely too bulky to serve
as an everyday case for city slickers, but when youre going to be in the wild, or if you work in construction, the ToughCase will keep your iPhone safe and powered up. MagellanGPS.com, $100 WIRED Makes your iPhone almost impervious to harm. Increases the accuracy of the GPS reading to about 10 to 15 feet. Doubles battery life. If youre in bear country, the Magellan can be used as a weapon when placed in a tube sock and swung overhead. TIRED Freaking huge. Rating: 7 out of 10 The Magellan ToughCase is big, but it takes a beating. Photos by Ariel Zambelich/Wired This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
10 Off-the-wall iPhone Apps

Peter May (HowStuffWorks Daily Feed)
For example, you may not realize that having an assortment of sound effects at your fingertips Submitted at 1/13/2012 8:00:56 AM could somehow make your life i Phone users can choose from more enjoyable. But it might. thousands of applications (or So, look at our examples, listed a p p s ) d e s i g n e d t o e n h a n c e in no particular order, then fire up productivity, simplify social your iPhone or iPod Touch and networking or provide other head over to the Apple App Store. useful benefits. There are also If it's pure entertainment with tons of games for the iPhone, little or no redeeming social value many of which offer rich graphics you seek, you're sure to find it in and action-packed play that rival these apps. high-end game consoles. Note: Most of the apps discussed With new apps being introduced in this article will run on the 3G daily, it's not surprising that a few iPhone or the second generation of them would cause iPhone and iPod Touch. Apps that utilize iPod Touch users to scratch their telephone capabilities run on the heads, wondering how they came iPhone only. Please see the Apple to be developed and, most of all, App Store or the developer's Web why. In this article, we'll explore a site for details. few examples of iPhone apps that This entry passed through the appear to reflect the developer's Full-Text RSS service if this is desire to march to a different your content and you're reading it drummer. on someone else's site, please read But just because they're different the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentdoesn't mean that the apps only/faq.php#publishers. Five described in this article are Filters recommends: Donate to useless. Some appear to be Wikileaks. solutions looking for a problem.
58
Culture/
Kristen Stewart Gets a Job With Balenciaga

Allie Merriam (PopSugar)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 9:14:09 AM
Kristen Stewart is the new face of Balenciaga perfume- ET Katherine Heigl wants to adopt again- People See the t-shirt Beyonc designed for the PresidentBuzzfeed Miley Cyrus knows her boyfriend is hot- Lainey Gossip "Glory" and more songs inspired by famous babies- The Daily Beast Find out what big chance Katy Perry made since the divorce- Us Weekly How Christina Aguilera celebrated her son's 4th birthdayTooFab The details on the Directors Guild of America awards- Rotten Tomatoes Madonna's, Justin Bieber's, and the most anticipated albums of
2012- Hollywood Reporter Madonna wants to stay on the right side of the royal familyWonderwall The Today Show hosts celebrate 60 years on air!Lifeline Live Mark Wahlberg wants to set a good example for his kids by getting his GED- Zap2It It seems J. Lo's twins are close with Casper Smart- Celebitchy
Could McDonald's become a leading book retailer?
Use a Drinking Straw to Keep Jewelry or Headphones from Getting Tangled [Clever Uses]
Melanie Pinola (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 9:30:00 AM
A plastic straw is a clever tool for tangle-free jewelry when you travel or similarly keeping those annoying knots out of your earbuds. As Reddit user (Holy Kaw!) McDonald's says the heavily caturday21 shows here, simply promoted book giveaway is about slip the chain or cord through the Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:01:00 AM boosting literacy and creativity. straw. More It's not as far-fetched as it may And Britain's National Literary seem. Mickey-D's will soon be Trust agrees: "One in three replacing the toys in its British children in this country don't own Happy Meals with children's a book, which is extremely books at least for a month concerning as there is a clear link "The latest big name in books isn't between book ownership and Amazon it's McDonald's," says children's future success in life," Lindsay Goldwert in the New says director Jonathan Douglas. York Daily News. For the next "We are very supportive of month, the fast-food giant is McDonalds decision." replacing the plastic toy in every Full story at The Week. British Happy Meal with a book. Photo: CC BY: Calgary Reviews By handing out 9 million books, All the top stories from The McDonald's is also becoming, at Week. least for a month, Britain's largest Permalink| Leave a comment purveyor of children's books.
Culture/
59
Tiny planet triplets orbit dwarf star

(Holy Kaw!)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:25:00 AM
Astronomers have discovered the three smallest confirmed planets ever detected outside our solar system. The trio of new planets that are smaller than Earth and appear rocky, orbit a single star too closely to be in its habitable zonethe ring-shaped region around a star where the temperature is mild enough for
liquid water, and possibly life, to exist. Red dwarfs make up eight out of every ten stars in the galaxy, says John Johnson, assistant
professor of astronomy at California Institute of Technology (Caltech). That boosts the chances of other life being in the universethats
the ultimate result here. If these planets are as common as they appearand because red dwarfs themselves are so commonthen the whole galaxy must be just swarming with little habitable planets around faint red dwarfs. Full story at Futurity. More research news from top universities. Photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Permalink| Leave a comment
The Best George Clooney and 35 MacGyver Tips, Clever Brad Pitt Bromantic Moments Uses, and Other Life Hacks in From the Critics' Choice Awards One Infographic [Infographics]
Allie Merriam (PopSugar)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 9:19:59 AM
Melanie Pinola (Lifehacker)

Submitted at 1/13/2012 9:00:00 AM
Last night was all about the Critics' Choice Awards winners, but who could take their eyes off best actor nominees Brad Pitt and George Clooney? The guys, who have been friends for years, happily took advantage of the chance to catch up. They hugged, talked, and laughed together - and the cameras captured it all! They both had something to celebrate. George won their shared category, but Brad's Moneyball went on to win the best adapted screenplay honor for writers Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, and Stan Chervin. George was able to toast his victory with girlfriend Stacy Keibler, who looked great in a
You know how much we like infographics here, and this one gathers quite a few of our favorite from everyday household hacks to tips and tricks we've spotted and nabbing free stuff. More shared with you over the years,
Tax implications of the shortened NBA season [infographic]

(Holy Kaw!)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:01:00 AM
white Armani gown, but Brad was rolling solo for the evening. Angelina Jolie skipped out on the show, opting instead to do a live web chat supporting her directorial debut In the Land of Blood and Honey. View Slideshow
Via H&R Block. (H/T @ritubpant) Swish! NBA news. Permalink| Leave a comment
60
Politics-Left/
Myanmar frees more political prisoners

(AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE))
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:29:13 AM
Myanmar's government has begun releasing hundreds of prisoners, including many political detainees, pro-democracy activists say, as the country takes further steps towards political reform and ending its international isolation. Myanmar state radio and television said on Friday that 651 detainees were being freed to take part in "nation-building." There was no official word on how many political prisoners would be included in the total, but among them was Sai Nyunt Lwin, 60, a prominent ethnic minority Shan politician, and Khin Nyunt, a former prime minister and military intelligence chief, a senior prison official said. Min Ko Naing, the leader of a pro-democracy student uprising in 1988, and Shin Gambira, a wellknown Buddhist monk who led 2007 street protests, were also reported to have been freed. Witnesses said the charismatic student leader was greeted by a huge crowd as he left prison in Thayet, 545km north of Yangon. Myanmar democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party welcomed the amnesty granted by the government, describing it as a "positive sign".
"We welcome the release. Some (dissidents) are on their way home already," said a spokesman for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party, confirming the release of at least 100 political detainees. 'Real political change' Khin Maung Win, the deputy editor of the Democratic Voice of Burma, an opposition media group based in Norway's capital Oslo, told Al Jazeera that the country's most recent release of political prisoners was much more "genuine" than previous ones. "Today it was a "real" release of political prisoners that many people have been waiting for." He also said it was the latest in a series of democratic reforms and that the country was "moving forward to real political change". Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, also applauded Myanmar's prisoner releases on Friday, saying the development was part of "historic and promising steps unfolding". "Many of the people released today have distinguished themselves as steadfast and courageous leaders in the fight for democracy and human rights in critical times in recent history." She also said that the US government would continue to work with Myanmar to ensure that all of the country's remaining political detainees are released as
well. An official from Taunggyi Prison in Shan State said two other prominent dissidents, Ko Jimmy and Ko Zaw Thet Htwe, would also be released. "We are going to take them to the bus terminal later this morning," the official said. Phyo Min Thein, brother-in-law of Ko Htay Kywe, another leader of the 1988 demonstrations, said he had received confirmation that Ko and almost all prominent members of his student protest group would be released. 'Quite revolutionary' Bridget Welsh, an Myanmar analyst at Singapore Management University, told Al Jazeera the identies of those released was very significant. "They represent really key parts of opposition that are being released: ethnic minorities, the 'Generation 88' movement and also the monks that were part of the protests in 2007. This is quite revolutionary." "I think there are two things that are very important. First you have a reformer president who is actually pushing for change and trying to get external legitimacy for the government," Welsh said. "The other key issue thats important is that there have been a lot of international engagements with the US and the UK holding dialogue, and thats bearing fruit.
"If you look at the regime in terms of the steps it is taking, they are being quite bold and forward looking in terms of opening up political reforms." Flurry of reforms The release of political prisoners could help pave the way for the lifting of economic sanctions by the European Union and the US following a flurry of reforms since Myanmar's civilian government was allowed to take power in March after almost half a century of military rule. Some political prisoners have already been freed, media restrictions eased and the government has initiated a dialogue with Suu Kyi. On Thursday the government signed a ceasefire with Karen rebels after decades of civil conflict. Clinton welcomed the ceasefire agreement as a step to reaching national reconciliation. "It is in that spirit that I urge the government to enter into meaningful dialogue with all ethnic groups to achieve national reconciliation, to allow news media and humanitarian groups access to ethnic areas." she said. Clinton also said that the US government "will start the process exchanging ambassadors" with Myanmar. "We will identify a candidate to serve as US ambassador to represent the government and our
broader efforts to strengthen and deepen our ties with both the people and the government (of Myanmar)." Last month, Clinton became the first US secretary of state to visit Myanmar in more than 50 years and said Washington stood ready to support reforms in the country and possibly lift sanctions. The next major step in the reform process will be by-elections already announced by the government and set for April, in which Suu Kyi and her party will take part. The US and Europe have said freeing political prisoners is crucial to even considering lifting sanctions that have isolated the former British colony, previously known as Burma, and pushed it closer to China. The exact number of political prisoners is unclear, although estimates by rights groups and unofficial statements by the home affairs minister range from about 400 to about 2,000. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Politics-Left/ TV/
61
Nigeria protests on hold as oil strike looms

WATCH: 'I'm Elmo And I Know It'

Farah Miller (TV on HuffingtonPost.com)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 9:25:53 AM
fuel subsidies was a heavy blow. "You can't abruptly remove Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:13:22 AM something people are used to, A nationwide strike and mass especially when many believe the protests has shut down Nigeria for [subsidies] are the only benefit a fifth day, but union leaders have they get from living in an oil-rich called for a weekend pause in country," Mutasa said. demonstrations as talks sought to Unions have said that until a deal avert a halt in oil production. is reached, the proposed strike by It was announced on Friday that o i l p r o d u c t i o n w o r k e r s o n the first round of negotiations Sunday is still on. More talks are between labour leaders and top set for Saturday. government officials, including According to union sources, President Goodluck Jonathan, had protests are suspended so people failed to reach a deal on Thursday c a n r e s t i n c a s e a d e a l i s night over soaring fuel prices. not agreed at the weekend and The main oil workers' union has they need to protest more next t h r e a t e n e d t o s h u t c r u d e week, production beginning on Sunday Union officials said the pause in if the government does not talks until then was to allow for reverse a move that ended fuel labour officials from across the subsidies on January 1, more than country to gather in Abuja doubling pump prices in Africa's and discuss the way forward. top crude exporter. With domestic flights grounded, Labour officials have said the they would be forced to come by government had offered to reduce road. petrol prices to 120 naira per litre Sunday shutdown [$0.74], down from the current World oil prices moved higher in 140 [$0.93] or more, but unions Asian trade on Friday over h a v e n o t y e t a c c e p t e d t h e concerns that Nigerian supplies proposal. could be hit by the planned oil Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa, strike. reporting from the Nigerian city Although strikes have paralysed of Kano, said the removal of the Africa's most populous country,
and brought tens of thousands of people on to the streets, oil workers have so far not moved to halt output of crude, the country's economic lifeline. Babatunde Ogun, president of the 20,000-strong PENGASSAN oil workers' union warned that "from Sunday, we are shutting down". The blue-collar union NUPENG had already joined the strike. "A shutdown of oil production in Nigeria means a potential loss of at least three per cent of global oil production," said Kayode Tinouye, an analyst with Lagosbased Afrinvest. OPEC member Nigeria produces more than two million barrels per day and is a key supplier of crude to the US and European Union. Inadequate infrastructure Protests pushed ahead on Friday, including thousands in the economic capital Lagos, where Muslims held prayers at the main protest ground. Since demonstrations against the subsidy cuts started, hundreds of thousands of people have staged protests in cities across Africa's largest crude oil producing country, with at least three people reported killed in the
demonstrations. Abdulwahed Omar, Nigeria Labour Congress president, on Friday told a rally in Abuja that Monday will see "the mother of all crowds" if the government does not backtrack. Government officials and economists say removing subsidies was essential and will allow much of the $8bn per year in savings to be invested into projects to improve the country's inadequate infrastructure. "The government argues that the money they will save [by removing the subsidies] will go to the country, some people believe that and some don't," said Mutasa. "Many are concerned the money will simply line the pockets of some corrupt officials." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Every toddler's biggest celebrity crush just came out with a new song. It's "I'm Elmo and I Know It," the very G-rated version of LMFAO's hit, complete with a video featuring Big Bird and Snuffie, Dorothy (the fish) -- and the First Lady. Little kids were already drawn to the original. Three-year-old Malik entertained the Interweb when he performed it in full. "Toddlers and Tiaras" star Isabella Barrett was also caught on tape singing it at a nightclub (eek). Clearly, Elmo hopping on the bandwagon is good news for parents who would rather their children not be singing lyrics like "in a Speedo trying to tan my cheeks". Elmo's refrain: "Kids, look at these crayons." An added bonus is that for any mom who spends her days humming the original Elmo's Song ("la la la la" aaaaah!), "I'm Elmo and I Know It" is just as catchy and crazy cute. But, the very best part? According to the YouTube description from PAFilmsdotcom, the song and video were created by their kids! It's sung by Caitlin C., Brooklyn C. and Jeff C. via Babble.com
62
Politics-Left/ TV/
Markets plunge over France rating-cut fears

Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:37:40 AM
anonymity, adding that the credit ratings agency, one of the world's top three, has notified the Fifteen of the eurozone's 17 governments of its decision. members were put on notice for a France was, along with Germany, downgrade by Standard & Poor's Luxembourg and the Netherlands, in December [AFP] among the six eurozone nations Markets in Europe and the US with a AAA rating. have fallen after a European The source was unable to say Union official said that the what S&P had decided to do with Standard & Poor's agency had the two others, Austria and decided to downgrade France's Finland. top-notch credit rating, but will S&P warned last month that the s p a r e G e r m a n y , B e l g i u m , credit ratings of 15 of the Luxembourg and the Netherlands. eurozone's 17 member states were "France loses its triple-A rating," at risk of a downgrade due to the the source told the AFP news continent's ongoing debt crisis. a g e n c y , o n c o n d i t i o n o f Standard & Poor's refused to
comment on Friday's reports which sent the euro currency spinning down to a 16month low against the dollar. A downgrade of any of the
Facilityr (EFSF) to provide support to struggling countries. France is a major contributor to the EFSF. Europe's crisis sprang from worries that countries had taken on more debt during boom years than they could pay back once their economies slowed. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read eurozone's AAA nations could the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contenthave far-reaching implications, only/faq.php#publishers. Five potentially complicating the Filters recommends: Donate to ability of Europe's bailout fund, Wikileaks. the European Financial Stability
Paula Deen To Reveal That She Has Diabetes

Joe Satran (TV on HuffingtonPost.com)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:48:36 AM
The Daily is reporting that Paula Deen, the large-living queen of heavy cooking, is about to come clean with what some say has long been her dirtiest secret: her diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes. Rumors of Deen's diabetes first started to swirl in April, when The National Enquirer and The Daily Mail both reported that the TV chef was hiding her disease for
fear that it would endanger her credibility as a chef. There's no doubt that fans would be upset to learn that Deen had been keeping such a major disease, and a major consequence of heavy eating, from their knowledge. It would certainly cast an alarming pall over the reckless abandon with which she endorses delicacies like turducken. And it would lend support to rival Anthony Bourdain's muchballyhooed critique of Deen's culinary style.
It's worth noting, though, that in the past nine months, Deen has diversified her activities away from her old monomaniacal focus on fatty foods. She's been selling flavored lip balms and announced plans for a clothing line. She wrote a best-selling cookbook and ink a contract for two more, at a new publisher. And her son Bobby recently debuted his Cooking Channel show " Not My Mama's Meals," which showcases healthy versions of Southern classics.
Deen has also been slowly moving toward greater candor in recent months: she admitted to smoking cigarettes on a recent episode of the Dr. Oz show. And Deen will soon be appearing, in her own home, on an episode of Oprah's new OWN show, Oprah's Next Chapter. Given the timing, the latter could even be a perfect venue for the diabetes confession. But if Deen has successfully hidden her diabetes so far, why change tack now? The Daily has a potentially
convincing answer: she's in it for the money. According to the rumors the iPad publication has heard, Deen has signed a deal to endorse a diabetes medication from major pharmaceuticals company Novartis. Leave it up to Deen to turn what could have been a career-wrecking scandal into a financial windfall.
TV/ Products/ Food/
63
Oprah Or Barbara, Rosie?

Jack Mirkinson (TV on HuffingtonPost.com)
CES 2012: Intel wants to make it easy (and safe) to pay for purchases by swiping your card against your ultrabook
Consumer Reports News (Consumer Reports)
Faced with the question, O'Donnell settled on Oprah. Host Andy Cohen pointed out that this Submitted at 1/13/2012 9:54:13 AM was the right thing to say about Rosie O'Donnell appeared on one's current boss. O'Donnell said " W a t c h W h a t H a p p e n s " o n Oprah was "much more used to Thursday, and dished about being the boss of a lot of people" whether she thinks Barbara than Walters. Walters or Oprah is a better boss. "Octogenarians should be revered O'Donnell has, of course, had in our society," she said of quite a bit of experience with Walters. "Honest to God, they both. As "The Rosie Show" should in every way. And young appears on OWN, Oprah is her upstart forty-somethings shouldn't boss at the moment. Walters ran yell at them if they can avoid it." the show when O'Donnell was Cohen asked if her and Walters moderating "The View," and were "okay." everyone knows how that turned "We're okay because we have the out. same publicist!" O'Donnell said.
12 Healthy Snacks
Submitted at 1/13/2012 3:00:00 AM
help prevent damage caused by cholesterol in arteries. View Recipe: Chocolate Science says snacking is good for H a z e l n u t B a r k N e x t W a r m you. The 5,000-subject-strong C r a n b e r r y - W a l n u t B r i e National Health and Nutrition This entry passed through the Examination Survey found that Full-Text RSS service if this is people who ate snacks in addition your content and you're reading it to three meals a day had higher on someone else's site, please read levels of nutrients in their diets. the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentSmart Homemade Snack: Dark only/faq.php#publishers. Five chocolate with nuts (139 calories) Filters recommends: Donate to Benefits: Chocolate contains Wikileaks. polyphenols and flavonoids, two types of antioxidants shown to
smartphone that contains your banking information. And once again, if you wish to Submitted at 1/13/2012 8:29:59 AM use the card on someone else's CES 2012: Intel wants to make it NFC-enabled ultrabook -- or if an easy (and safe) to pay for ID thief attempts to do so -- it will purchases by swiping your card require the manual entering of a against your ultrabook randomly generated security code The big story, in terms of a that is texted to the user. technology that is here and that continues uninterrupted. That A rep for Intel confirmed to me consumers seem to actually want, code is also only valid for a few that while swiping the PayPass is super-thin ultrabook laptops seconds, so even if an ID thief card or phone over your laptop that contain Intel-produced could somehow harness it, he auto-populates the fields during processors. And the folks at Intel would not be able to use it for t h e c h e c k o u t p h a s e , t h e tell me they don't just want to future purposes. information is not stored on your provide users with a faster, lighter And if the code does does not computer. So for people who are -weight computing experience; match, the user will receive a text concerned about saving that info they also want to make it safer message with another code that either on their laptop or with an can be entered manually. So even online retailer, something like and easier to shop online. T h e f i r s t g e n e r a t i o n o f if the person has your credit card, what Intel and MasterCard are ultrabooks, featuring Intel's they would also need your phone working on could be a step toward "Sandy Bridge" processors all to make that purchase. making the purchasing process T h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n o f easier and safer. also provide the user with the ability to opt into an identity ultrabooks, coming toward the Of course, until people get their protection feature that will allow end of 2012, feature Intel's Ivy hands on the technology we have users to register their computers Bridge processor, which will no idea how easy or secure this Near F i e l d functionality may be. so that online retailers who have i n c l u d e Communication (NFC) already registered will be able to Here's a demo of the cardverify that the person making that technology that would allow you swiping technology being used: purchase is the person on that to swipe your NFC-enabled credit PREVIOUSLY: card over a portion of the CES 2012: Intel expects over 75 computer. So if you go to make a purchase ultrabook and pay instantly. new ultrabook designs this year on eBay and you've opted into the Even though Intel isn't showing Subscribe now! identity protection feature, eBay's this tech on the floor here at CES, S u b s c r i b e t o system would ping your laptop it has announced a partnership ConsumerReports.org for expert and get a unique, random code in w i t h M a s t e r C a r d ' s P a y P a s s Ratings, buying advice and response. If that code matches system that would allow you to r e l i a b i l i t y o n h u n d r e d s o f w h a t i t g e t s f r o m t h e I D pay instantly with your card, and products. Update your feed protection server, the purchase eventually with an NFC-enabled preferences
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Products/
Ooma Telo VoIP Home Phone System

(Woot! - One Day, One Deal)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 12:00:20 AM
The Trees Want Revenge Theres nothing like using your cell phone in the park! Unless youre just there because you cant get a signal at home. sniff Heddo? Yeds, boss, ids me. No, I canbt come indo de offiz dotay. I god a code. sniff No, I said code. My sinuses are all stubbed up. Ids my allergies. No, Ib not at home. Im ACHOO sitting in da park down da street. Yeb, it is awful for me, but I godda work, dont I? And my phone cant gebt a signal from my comfy comfy bed. sniff I would come indo de obbice, but I know YOU dont want to get sick ...no, I didnt know about the Ooma Telo VoIP Home Phone System. You mean I coulbd be sibbing home under my warm cobers and making phone calls over my personal inbternet connection? sniff I could be checking voicemail or callber ID just like on a land line, excebt widout paying dose delcom companies a singdle dime? sniff And best of all, I wouldnt hab to be sibbing here on a bark bench trybing to do my work while I I ACHOO! Boss, Ib gonna call you back. No, not because Im buying a Ooma Telo VoIP Home Phone System. Because I just sneebzed all over my shirt. Yeah, ibts an ugly mess now. Not the kind of
way you wanbt to be seebn in bublic. sniff. Ill call you shortby once I find a sink and sombe dissues. And could you maybe send me a Ooma Telo VoIP Home Phone System when you gebt a chance? Right, to my aparbtment directly. Ill be there for da rebst of da weebk. sniff Authorized for SquareTrade Extended Warranty Warranty: 180 Day Ooma Warranty Condition: Refurbished Ooma Basic Member Features: Plug your high-speed Internet connection into Ooma Telo, plug your home phone into Ooma Telo, activate, then call your phone company and tell them to stop sending you bills Free U.S. Calling call anyone, anywhere in the U.S. ( only pay applicable taxes and fees) Enjoy the convenience of callerID and call-waiting at no extra charge Make international calls starting at a penny per minute ( international rates) Call another Ooma customer anywhere in the world for free Ooma PureVoice technology delivers unmatched voice clarity and reliability Ooma HD Voice doubles the audio frequencies transmitted to deliver a richer, more natural sounding conversation to calls between Ooma Telo customers (an Ooma Telo Handset or HD compatible telephone is required to support Ooma HD Voice) Get crisp acoustic performance
with advanced features like voice compression and adaptive redundancy Encrypted calls, get superb sound quality, security and range without interfering with your WiFi network or other home electronics Standalone device compatible with your existing home phones and most fax machines no computer or headset required Access your voicemail remotely from any phone or web browser The option to get a new number at no charge or keep your current phone number (one-time porting fee of $39.99 - if available to port) Ooma is highly intuitive to setup most customers are up and making calls in less than 15 minutes When you dial 911, emergency personnel will automatically have your registered address Hear messages, check call logs and control your preferences online Check your calling history from any Internet-connected computer or mobile device Ooma is a high-performance firewall router, with QoS support, that allows you to setup homebased servers and other network devices
be charged at Oomas normal international rates Make or take two simultaneous calls with the Instant Second Line Option to choose additional phone numbers Experience the greatness of Google Voice on your Ooma system access Google Voices Voicemail, Call Presentation, Listen In, and Caller-ID features Ring your home and mobile phone simultaneously with MultiRing Forward voicemail to your email or smartphone 911 Notifications - if emergency services are called from your Ooma phone number you'll be alerted by email or text message the very moment it occurs Make calls over Wi-Fi from compatible smartphones, including iPhone, iPod touch and Android based smartphones, with the Ooma Mobile app (purchase and installation of Ooma application on compatible smartphones required) Link your mobile phone to your Ooma Telo using the optional Ooma Bluetooth adapter ($29.99) Screen callers and listen in to their message before answering Block unwanted callers with Anonymous Call Blocking, Ooma Premier Member Features P e r s o n a l a n d C o m m u n i t y (additional fees apply): Blacklists, and one touch Do Not Premier customers in the U.S. Disturb can call anywhere in Canada for Transfer a call to voicemail by free except to the Northwest pressing the Send to Voicemail Territories; calls to that area will button any time after you say
hello Get some peace and quiet whenever you want by simply pressing the envelope icon for (2) seconds all of your calls will roll into voicemail without ringing Whether you are doing business or chatting with friends, threeway conference calling has never been easier Read your voicemail instead of listening to it get your messages wherever theres email access on a mobile phone, portable device or computer (available to Ooma Premier subscribers for $9.99 per month plan includes 40 messages, additional messages are $0.25 each) Keep up to date with new message notifications that can be sent to any email address or SMScapable mobile phone Enjoy the ultimate convenience of having your voicemail messages forwarded to your email now you can listen to messages from your preferred mobile or desktop email client Free number transfer, handset or Bluetooth (Telo customers only) sign up for a year of Ooma Premier and get a free Ooma Telo Handset($49.99 value), Ooma Bluetooth Adapter($29.99 value), or a free number transfer($39.99 value) Additional Photos: Rear View Package Contents OOMA page 65
Products/
65
CES 2012: Hands on with the Motorola Droid Maxx

Submitted at 1/13/2012 8:14:59 AM
Report: Delta, U.S. Airways Among Those With An Eye To Buy American Airlines Parent Company
Mary Beth Quirk (The Consumerist)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:00:00 AM
CES 2012: Hands on with the Motorola Droid Maxx Earlier this week at the Consumer Electronics Show, Motorola unveiled the latest member of its RAZR family of cellphones, the Droid RAZR Maxx, which the company says can deliver up to a whopping 21.5 hours of continuous talk time. "That's not you make a few calls, hang up for a bit and then make some more calls," a rep told me about the phone, which has a 3300 mAh lithium ion battery (the current RAZR comes with a 1780 mAh Li Ion battery). "That is somehow you and your friend finding something to talk about for 21.5 hours straight." But given the history of long-life batteries for cellphones, one's instinct might be to assume this phone would be noticeably heavier than a standard device.
And it is about 20 grams heavier than the current Droid RAZR. It actually weighs almost exactly the same as Motorola's Atrix 2, which I was able to confirm when I got my greedy little hands on the Maxx. And, going by the specs on the Apple site, the Maxx is only 5 grams heavier than the iPhone 4S It's also about 2mm thicker than the current generation of the RAZR, but slightly slimmer -again according to the numbers provided by both companies, as I didn't want to worry about slipping my calipers past airport security -- than the iPhone 4S.
As for the claims of battery endurance -- in addition to the 21.5 hours of talk time, they claim around 10 hours of continuous texting, and the ability to watch up to around 8 full-length movies (from the phone's memory; not streaming), and 380 hours of idle time, before needing a recharge -there is no way to do that at CES, even in the semi-privacy of the Motorola press area. But you can rest assured that the testers here at Consumer Reports will be putting these claims to the test once the phone hits the market later this year. PREVIOUSLY: CES 2012: Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX promises an edge in battery life Subscribe now! S u b s c r i b e t o ConsumerReports.org for expert Ratings, buying advice and reliability on hundreds of products. Update your feed preferences
As American Airlines parent company AMR tries to sort itself out during bankruptcy proceedings, there are already a few vultures circling it. A report says Delta Air Lines and U.S. Airways are considering buying AMR, along with a buyout firm called TPG Capital. The Wall Street Journal cites people familiar with the matter who said the three companies are separately studying bids for AMR Corp. Two months ago it became the last of the legacy airlines to file for bankruptcy protection. It's currently the third largest airline in the U.S., after United and Continental merged and Delta has gone through a successful expansion. Although the three potential buyers have declined to comment, the buzz is building enough that shares of Delta rose Thursday, according to the Detroit Free Press. Airlines have been merging
left and right, it seems, since 2008. When companies merge and shrink the pool of competitors down by doing so, it makes it easier for the industry to raise prices. Because a merger between Delta and American would be pretty darn big, regulators will likely take a long hard look at any such deal. After all, Delta previously gobbled up Northwest Airlines in October 2008 so ingesting yet another airline is a big move. Didn't we all learn a lesson from the AT&T/T-Mobile debacle? Monopolies aren't gonna fly that easily. Delta may try to buy troubled AMR[Detroit Free Press] Rivals Eye American Airlines[Wall Street Journal] This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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66
Products/
A Trio Of Tips To Make Dish to close more Your Frequent Flyer Miles Blockbuster stores than initially planned Take Flight
Submitted at 1/13/2012 7:29:59 AM
Phil Villarreal (The Consumerist)
not to say it's worth grossly overpaying to buy tickets to a flight on one airline. Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:15:00 AM * Don't let your miles expire. If you gaze in admiration upon Miles typically expire if you let George Clooney's character in Up your account fester for 18 to 24 in the Air, hoping that you too can months. Plan your vacations reap enough frequent flyer miles accordingly. If travel isn't an like a pro, you may need to start option, it may be worth opening over from scratch, ditching a n o t h e r c r e d i t c a r d t h a t ineffective habits and replacing participates in the program. t h e m w i t h m o r e e f f i c i e n t Before you go that route, consider practices. the impact doing so could have on Kiplinger offers some tips on your personal finances. how to make your miles lift you * Calculate your most lucrative up rather than keep you grounded: reward. When it comes time to * Pick a program and go all-in. cash in your miles, figure out how Frequent flyer miles are not much you'll save by using them Pokemon. It does you no good to on a flight. Some programs let collect 'em all, so commit to one you use your miles for other program and stick with it. That's expenditures, such as rental cars,
hotel stays or electronics. Don't be suckered in to a deal that wastes your hard-earned points on something that's not worthwhile. 6 Things You Need to Know A b o u t A i r l i n e Miles[Kiplinger](Thanks, Tara!) Previously: Rack Up Travel Rewards Without Going Crazy With Credit Cards This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Dish to close more Blockbuster stores than initially planned Dish Network announced that it will close more Blockbuster video rental outlets, a shift from its initial hopes from last July of keeping about 1,500 stores and 15,000 employees across the U.S. According to Reuters, Dish CEO Joe Clayton made the announcement of additional closings at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show. Said Clayton: We are committed to keeping the profitable stores open that are generating positive cash flow, but there are ones that aren't going to make it. We will close unprofitable stores. Clayton did not give specifics on exactly how many Blockbuster storefronts fail to generate profit or when such retail outlets will fall under the corporate knife. However, he did note some of the brick-and-mortar locations may be converted to neighborhood
customer service centers for subscribers to its Dish Network satellite TV service. Dish bought the Blockbuster chain last April for about $320 million and launched in September, Blockbuster Movie Pass, an online video streaming and DVDs-by-mail service in hopes to compete against the likes of Netflix. Dish to shut more Blockbuster stores than planned[Reuters] Subscribe now! S u b s c r i b e t o ConsumerReports.org for expert Ratings, buying advice and reliability on hundreds of products. Update your feed preferences
Products/ Gaming/ Social Media/
67
Flash In The Brain Pan: Achilles

(Woot! - One Day, One Deal)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:00:00 AM
Go right and kill. That's the gameplay of Achilles, the flash game in which you play the hero of the Trojan War. Fresh from sulking in your tent, you're determined to kill every soldier that comes your way... and boy, are there a lot of them. Achilles doesn't need to be explained at this point in gaming history. Stab and kick, pick up spears when you see them, use your shield to block, and maybe
you'll be able to slaughter every level boss between you and victory. If the Olympians show favor on you, you'll survive until the end, and the poets will remember your name. If not...
well, you've got three lives. This isn't to say it's a cakewalk. It can be hard to hit soldiers when you're right on top of them, and if you get two archers standing side by side, they can pin you down
with a rhythm that's impossible to beat. I actually got shot in the ankle trying to jump over a few (which is pretty funny, really) and they only get more skilled as the game goes on. But there's no glory without risk, and you've got a life bar to waste on these worthless Trojan dogs. Strap on your helmet and prepare! For today, you are Achilles the hero! Take that, Trojan face!
Malware Attack Targets U.S. Government Agencies [VIDEO]

Mashable Video (Mashable!)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:31:01 AM
Windows Live login suggested as Xbox Live security flaw

Alexander Sliwinski (Joystiq)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:50:00 AM
Since reporting on the " FIFA hack" and related security concerns with Xbox Live and the Windows Live ID system, we've received stories, documentation and theories on how this is happening from dozens of victims. As we continue to follow up on several leads, Analoghype posits an interesting theory on how some of these breaches may be occurring.
AH suspects that the hackers grab gamertags from a game of Halo or Call of Duty, then Google the tags to find associated emails on social networking sites. They now have
a potential list of Windows Live IDs. Going to Xbox.com, the hacker can now test if the email is a valid ID by attempting to sign in. An error message of "account
Sykipot,malware believed to originate in China, has been used to target smart cards in the Pentagon and other government agencies. According to security researcher AlienVault, a new variant of Sykipot is targeting the cards government employees use to access secure networks and servers. The attackers use a spear phishing campaign to get their targets to open a PDF attachment is invalid" has them moving on to which then deposits the Sykipot another email; "password is malware onto their machine (the incorrect" means they've got a real attackers here took advantage of a zero-day exploit in Adobe), account, but a bad password. Continue reading Windows Live according to AlienVault. login suggested as Xbox Live Check out the video above to learn more. security flaw Windows Live login suggested as Thumbnail image courtesy of X b o x L i v e s e c u r i t y f l a w iStockphoto, rubenhi originally appeared on Joystiq on More About: malware, mashable Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:50:00 EST. video, U.S. government Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments
68
Gaming/ Daily World/
Colossians 1:13-14 (01-13-12)

(Verse of the Day)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 2:00:00 AM
Barry Cottle joins Zynga as Exec VP after EA Interactive absorbed into EA

Jessica Conditt (Joystiq)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 12:50:00 PM
EA Interactive, the branch in charge of social and mobile gaming, has been folded into other divisions at EA, most notably to EA Labels and its digital ventures. EAi's former head, Barry Cottle, has jumped ship to join Zynga as executive VP of business and corporate development. Cottle was in charge of EA's social and mobile efforts, including The Sims Social on Facebook and Dead Space on iOS. EA's digital business brought in more than $1 billion in 2011, and
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14(NIV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... Rescued! Redeemed! Forgiven! Those are the three concepts in JC Fletcher (Joystiq) gambling. The explanation of the this short passage. But, maybe the rating decision mentions only most important one of all is Submitted at 1/13/2012 12:20:00 PM blood and violence, and not represented by the phrase, "Son Diablo 3 continues its sprint gambling, suggesting the GRB he loves." God didn't save us with march stroll shuffle toward decided the auction house does a plan, or a message, or a clean Zynga raised $1 billion in its IPO release, with new evidence not constitute gambling. and immaculate process. Instead, (although that is off to a rocky suggesting that the game is at And now Korea is the first nation he took what was most precious to start). These are two major least near completion: it's been to issue a rating, which means him and offered Jesus up as our players in what we often see as a rated in South Korea. Today, the everyone else on Earth is more of salvation. The cost was enormous. m i n o r , s l i g h t l y a n n o y i n g Korean Game Rating Board a holdup. The love involved was subsection of the gaming industry, issued a rating suggesting the Diablo 3 rated in South Korea overwhelming. The result is our and it will be interesting to see dungeon crawler is suitable only originally appeared on Joystiq on g r e a t e s t g i f t . M y P r a y e r . . . what happens when their streams for ages 18 and above. Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:20:00 EST. Almighty God and Loving Father, cross. Previously, the in-game auction Please see our terms for use of neither my words nor my deeds Continue reading Barry Cottle house was holding up the game, feeds. could ever repay the gift you have joins Zynga as Exec VP after EA as the GRB was deliberating Permalink| Email this| Comments given me in Jesus. Jesus, my Interactive absorbed into EA about whether or not it constituted appreciation for your sacrifice Barry Cottle joins Zynga as Exec moves me to tears of joyful VP after EA Interactive absorbed thanksgiving. For all that you into EA originally appeared on have done, for all that you have Joystiq on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 made me, and for all that it cost 12:50:00 EST. Please see our you, I praise you and offer my life terms for use of feeds. as a sacrifice of praise. In your Permalink| Email this| Comments name, Lord Jesus, I offer up my praise. Amen.
Diablo 3 rated in South Korea
Featured/
69
Why I like Words With Friends

(Dave Winer's "Scripting News" weblog)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 7:26:44 AM
Will I have to pay for the NYT?

(Dave Winer's "Scripting News" weblog)
I've been playing WWF for about a year now, and it's still holding my interest. I keep getting better. And each game is different. And each opponent is different too. My friend Yvonne once suggested we play a different game, one where the goal was to maximize the sum of both our scores. I like that idea, but I've never actually played anyone with that goal. Sometimes when playing against children or people who are obviously unschooled in the competitive aspects of WWF, I just put down moves that I find interesting, without worrying
about how many points I score. But the thrill of a 100-plus point move is still the best feeling. I love watching the points rack up. And I dream of a word where a Q and a J both land on triple-letter and some other letter lands on triple-word. Let's see. That would be 30 plus 30 times 3. Pretty good move! In a recent game with a friend who I won't name or characterize (oh the politics of WWF!) I did a fanciful move that connected three parts of the board in what I thought was a clever way, but it didn't amount to a lot of points. I made a comment to that effect. He pointed out that I had a huge lead at the time, so my esprit de corps (or is it joie de vivre) was in question. So I made a point in the next game, when I was behind, to
do something similar! Hah. That'll show him. (And he surely will read this blog post.) The odd thing is that I come from a family of Scrabble players, but I never liked Scrabble. I don't like having to be creative while other people are watching. And I'm very visual, apparently -- I need to be able to move the letters around on the board to see the move. In realworld Scrabble you'd never get away with that. Also I like that I can go away for a few hours and come back and look at the board again. That's how I find my best moves. In real-world Scrabble I'd often get stumped, and what do you do then? That's why I always declined an invite to play Scrabble. But I absolutely love WWF.
NYT articles in January. That must mean I've read lots more than my allotted 20. A bug in their Submitted at 1/13/2012 7:48:39 AM paywall, perhaps? A few days ago I got an ominous Not complaining. message from the NYT website And I don't see myself using one when I went to read a story about of the circumventions. Either I political page-turners for this pay, or go without. election season. That's one of the But it seems we could come to things I like about the Times. some kind of arrangement. Or a Their cultural articles tend to be d i s c o u n t . A f t e r a l l I a m a pretty interesting and insightful. developer. I did help them get That the message popped up on their RSS support going. And they this article, saying I had used all have called on me for free advice, but 5 of my 20 free reads for the thought that was a long time ago. month of January, was pretty And I do help get them flow. All good salesmanship. Would I of this obviously is part of the rather not read this article and grieving process. If I decide to go ones like it? What about all the without I will surely miss the books and movies I'd miss out on? Times. Much more than I miss Hmmm. Facebook, which I quit back in I looked into the price. Too high! September. I don't miss Facebook I'll worry about it later. one bit. I'm sure if I knew what And later never came. my friends were doing there I Looking at my linkblog stats would miss it. But I don't. One of page for 2012, I can see that I've those times that ignorance is bliss. already passed on 14 links to
70
Science/ News Photos
Next-Generation Surveillance Robots Can Analyze Their Environment

David Hambling (Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:02:33 AM
[Photos] Beyonce's Hospital Room Just Like a 5 Star Hotel 24hourhiphop

(news photos - Google News)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:49:16 AM
Snakebot Courtesy Special Operations Apps Manned surveillance missions are critical to obtaining useful intelligence. But sending a soldier into sensitive areas can often be too dangerous. Scientists are developing robots that could do the job. Last spring, the Advanced Technologies Laboratory at Lockheed Martin unveiled a prototype that uses sensors to model its environment, detect potential threats, calculate lines of sight, and locate good hiding places. Next-generation surveillance robots will probably combine sensors similar to those on the prototype with more-powerful artificial intelligence and a stealthy body. One such device could be the snakebot, developed by a team at the Biorobotics and Biomechanics Lab at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. The robot could infiltrate sewage pipes, crawl under floorboards, or coil up and stand upright for a better view. It could even shed one of its
segments, dropping off audio bugs or explosive warheads for assassination missions. NATURAL MOVEMENT The six-foot snakebot(top) consists of polymer segments connected by flexible joints and is powered by electric motors. Movement control relies on software that determines the best mode of travel-wriggling, rolling, corkscrewing-for each situation.
a "point cloud" of readings. Software joins the dots, turning them into a 3-D model of the surroundings. From the model, the robot can determine a threat's sight line, assess and navigate toward hiding spots, and steer clear of dangerously exposed areas. SMARTER SENSORS A set of four directional microphones enables the robot to detect approaching humans. By comparing the time that sounds reach each mic, the robot can calculate a threat's location, bearing and speed, and use that data to determine if it needs to hide. Read more about the invisible warriors of the future: The engineering breakthroughs that will make everything from planes to subs to soldiers...disappear. The Successor to the B2 Stealth Sidewinding is fastest but requires Bomber good traction; inching forward by The Next Generation of Silent undulating the body is slower but Submarines works in confined spaces; rolling Metamaterials That Bring may be easiest on a flat surface. Invisibility Within Reach The snakebot can also rise up to Future Tanks Will Be Cooler, climb stairs and other vertical and Thus Invisible to Thermal obstacles. 3-D MAPPING Detection The robot's laser-radar cameras Camo Gets a Makeover scan the environment to determine the distance to every reflecting surface in 360 degrees, generating
The Stir [ Photos] Beyonce's Hospital Room Just Like a 5 Star Hotel 24hourhiphop TMZ has obtained photos of the room where Blue Ivy came into this world. There are 4 flat screen TV's, state of the art electronics, a kitchenette, art, mahogany walls and plush furnishings. Take a look at the bed where Jay Z got some shut eye!... Photos of Beyonce's Swanky Hospital Room Confirm Her Diva Delivery The Stir More Photos: Beyonce's Extravagant Birthing Suite Eurweb.com Check Out Photos Of Beyonc's Luxurious VIP Hospital Room DrJays.com Live Fresh Like Dougie- Metro.us- Us Magazine all 519 news articles
Science/ News Photos
71
What's the Most Efficient Design For a Solar Collector? Shape It Like a Sunflower
Rebecca Boyle (Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 9:02:17 AM
News of the world in photos: iPhone causes melee in China Seattle Post Intelligencer
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:34:58 AM
Sunflower Florets Hamed Saber via Flickr Concentrated solar power plants could get an efficiency boost inspired by flowers, according to MIT researchers. Designing solar mirrors in a spiral pattern similar to sunflower heads could reduce the space required for CSP plants and increase the amount of sunlight the mirrors collect. Concentrated solar plants use an array of mirrors, called heliostats, that move with the sun as it tracks across the sky. They are installed in concentric circles and direct sunlight to a central tower, where heat is converted into electricity. There are only a few operational CSP plants in the world, partly because they require lots of space. Each heliostat must be arranged so it faces the central tower but also the sun, all without blocking another heliostat's face. Current designs stagger the heliostats so that every other circle aligns, much like rows in a movie theater, according to MIT News. Researchers at MIT and RWTH
Aachen University in Germany came up with a better way to arrange them. First they studied efficiency problems in the existing layout, finding each mirror experiences some shading and blocking problems every day. Alexander Mitsos and Corey Noone of MIT developed a computer model to bring the heliostats closer together, and they noticed the suggested patterns looked a lot like spirals found in nature. So they turned to sunflowers for further inspiration.
The head of a sunflower plant is not really a flower, but a group of small flowers (called florets) crowded together. The ones on the outside hold the petals, and the ones on the inside, which are called disc florets, develop into seeds. The disc florets are arranged in a spiral pattern that orients them at 137 degrees (the golden angle) with respect to each other. The angle produces a pattern of interconnected spirals that follow the Fibonacci sequence.
With this in mind, Mitsos and Noone devised a spiral heliostat field wherein each heliostat was oriented 137 degrees relative to its neighbor, MIT News says. This layout takes up 20 percent less space than the typical concentric circles, and there's less shading and blocking. The design could be used to build more efficient CSP plants in less space, the researchers say. They've filed for a patent. [ MIT News]
CBC.ca News of the world in photos: iPhone causes melee in China Seattle Post Intelligencer CHINA OUT AFP PHOTO Thousands of Chinese customers queue up outside an Apple store in Beijing's upmarket Sanlitun shopping district, in Beijing early Friday. Thousands of Chinese tech fans queued in freezing temperatures on January 13 as the new iPhone... Beijing Apple Store Sealed Due to Fracas over Cancelation of iPhone 4S Sale... International Business Times all 1,114 news articles
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Science/
The Prettiest Space Pics From This Week's Annual American Astronomical Society Meeting
Clay Dillow (Popular Science New Technology, Science News, The Future Now)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:05:54 AM
Cygnus X: Star Birth in Vivid Color Captured in infrared by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, this image of Cygnus X (part of the constellation Cygnus, or the Swan) is made beautiful by massive stars that have blown huge bubbles in the gas and dust in the region. This rather violent process causes both star birth and star death--and makes for a really nice image. Since the human eye can't see light in these wavelengths, the colors have been assigned to make them visible to us. The shortest wavelengths are blue, the longer red, and the midrange light is green. NASA/JPLCaltech/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA Because who doesn't like a pretty space pic? It's been a busy week, what with
the Consumer Electronics Show and the Detroit Auto Show showering geeks and gearheads alike with enough conceptual eyecandy to keep us all salivating for the next big thing all year. But for those of us whose eyes are on the heavens more than on little screens, the 219th annual
meeting of the American Astronomical Society was the thing to watch this week. Click to launch the photo gallery For stargazers, armchair cosmologists, and amateur astronomers--as well as for the pros who actually devote their working hours to the study of
everything beyond 62 miles up-the annual meeting of AAS is one of those special times of year when scientists and institutions pull out their best papers, their most tantalizing discoveries, and-most importantly for our purposes --their most dazzling visuals. Nebulae. Massive star nurseries. Black holes. Maybe even a Voorwerp or two. Over the course of an AAS meeting, there are too many good images hitting the Web for us to write about them all. But as the meeting winds to a close in Austin, we've culled the prettiest of the pretty space pics to hit our inboxes this week and collected them one place. You probably won't get another buffet of cosmological wonder like this until next year, so savor it.
Food/ Politics-Right/
73
Ground Beef Recipes

Submitted at 1/13/2012 3:00:00 AM
When shopping, you'll find lots of choices but inconsistent labeling. Some packages tout the cut of beef (like ground chuck). Others list percentages or ratios that may be confusing, like 90/10. Beef with 10% fat by weight gets 51% of its calories from fat because fat is more caloric than meat. Know these terms: GROUND HAMBURGER Ground from the trimmings of any cut of beef. Fat can be added, but the total fat content allowable is capped at a whopping 30% by weight (81% calories from fat, raw). GROUND BEEF Like hamburger but no added fat. GROUND CHUCK Beef ground from the chuck (shoulder section) that contains about 15% to 20%
fat (63% to 71% calories from fat, raw). GROUND ROUND From the round (rump to hind leg), about 10% to 15% fat (51% to 63% calories from fat, raw). GROUND SIRLOIN We like beef ground from the lean sirloin, which contains about 8% to 10% fat (up to 51% calories from fat, raw). In a recent blind tasting of several types of ground sirloin (grain-fed, organic, grass-fed, and Angus), the beefy-tasting grassfed was the unanimous winner. Next Quick Pastitsio This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
The 2012 Index of Economic Freedom: Africa Still Rising

Morgan Roach (The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation)
Through Economic Freedom, Ezekwesili emphasizes that the more steps countries take toward deregulation, lower taxes, and Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:04:00 AM Yesterday, Heritages 2012 Index limited market interference, the o f E c o n o m i c F r e e d o m w a s more prosperous economies released, and Africa features become. Furthermore, economic prominently. With an average freedom generates a variety of score gain of 0.2 points, reflecting positive externalities, including a net gain of economic freedom in lower levels of corruption, respect 22 countries, sub-Saharan Africa for human rights, gender equality, is once again the most improved and high employment. region. Despite decades of government While scores of Western nations i n t e r f e r e n c e i n A f r i c a n have seen their ratings plummet economies, the continent has (including the United States), r e b o u n d e d f r o m t h e g l o b a l Africa has made noticeable economic crisis. This reflects the progress. The small island nation persistence of many African of Mauritius(#8) is the first nations to embrace the free African country to break into the market and their implementation top 10 rankings. Botswana(#33), o f b a s i c m a c r o e c o n o m i c R w a n d a ( # 5 9 ) a n d C a p e principles. Sustained growth for Verde(#66) have also made the continent is expected to be at substantial gains as structural 4.7 percent in 2012 and at 5.2 reforms have supported economic percent in 2013. expansion, leading to a reduction For all of Africas progress, in poverty. however, the regions overall The Index also features a chapter level of economic freedom still authored by Obiageli Ezekwesili, lags behind the rest of the world. vice president of the African The lack of property rights, high region at the World Bankthe l e v e l s o f c o r r u p t i o n , a n d first chapter in the Indexs history restrictions on labor freedom to highlight the importance of remain barriers to economic economic freedom on the African advancement. South Africa(#70), continent. InFighting Poverty the continents largest economy,
suffers from nationalization, land seizures, and state intervention, thus failing to improve its overall score. Countries such as Eritrea(#175) and Zimbabwe(#178) continue to fester at the lowest rankings. Its no coincidence that they are governed by some of the worlds most repressive regimes. As Africans continue to hold their leaders accountable for good governance, their rewards will come in the form of economic opportunities. African leaders are beginning to understand that less regulation means more prosperity. For a continent that has struggled for decades with instability, economic reforms will be gradual. However, if current trends are any indication, Africa may yet again win the prize for the most improved region. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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Politics-Right/
What CBO Says About Raising Eligibility Ages for Medicare and Social Security
Emily Goff (The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:30:24 AM
Dark clouds hover over the nations finances and threaten a perfect storm of massive debt and crushing taxation unless Congress starts actingsoon. Washington must demonstrate that it is serious about reining in ever-rising spending and reducing annual deficits. Passing commonsense reforms to our major entitlement programs (Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security), the main drivers of future spending and annual deficits, is crucial. As the population ages and health care costs rise, spending on entitlements is projected to more than double by 2050, as this Heritage Budget Chart Book chart shows. Social Security ran a cash flow deficit of $49 billion in 2010, and the 2011 trustees report indicates such deficits will be the norm by 2017. The report also reveals that Social Securitys unfunded obligation stands at $9.1 trillion, in net-present-value terms; in other words, it owes $9.1 trillion more in benefits than it will take in through taxes. The program will experience further financial strain as the worker-to-retiree ratio keeps falling. Medicare faces
a 75-year unfunded obligation of
$34.8 trillion, in net-present-value
terms, and must be reformed if we
WHAT page 75
News Photos
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WHAT
want to ensure that younger generations have quality health care when they retire. A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report released this week examining the effects of gradually raising the eligibility ages for Medicare and Social Security is very timely. The CBO analysis finds that doing so would reduce federal spending on program benefits and encourage people to work longer. This in turn would grow the labor force and total economic output. The CBO estimates the effects of raising Social Securitys early eligibility age (EEA) from 62 to 64 and normal retirement age (NRA) from 67 to 70. The idea of raising the EEA and NRA is not new, and it claims broader support than other reforms. It also makes sense. As Heritages David John has written, Future retirees will live much longer on average than their grandparents, and Social Security must change to reflect that increased longevity by increasing retirement ages for both full benefits and early retirement benefits. Otherwise, recipients will spend an ever higher proportion of their lives living at the expense of their children and grandchildren. The CBO report found that a person retiring today at 65 can
expect to spend 30 percent of adulthood in retirement, or 20 years, while in 1940 that figure was 23 percent, or 14 years. Given that these longevity increases have taken place already, changes to the retirement ages are reasonable if not essential. Raising the Medicare eligibility age (MEA) is not a revolutionary idea, either. Medicare faces even more funding challenges than Social Security, for many of the same reasons. Raising the MEA proves necessary to stabilize Medicare and reduce its impact on federal deficits. The CBOs report finds that gradually raising the MEA from 65 to 67, beginning in 2014, would reduce federal Medicare outlays by $148 billion from 2012 through 2021. It estimates that by 2035, Medicares net spending would be about 5 percent below what it otherwise would be. Raising the MEA along with the Social Security eligibility ages according to the CBO reports schedule would cause outlays to fall by 0.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and revenues to increase by about 0.5 percent of GDP by 2035. That makes for a 1 percent budget deficit reduction. Not huge, but its a step in the right direction.
If the MEA does not rise in accordance with life expectancy, people will pay taxes for a shorter portion of their lives and collect Medicare benefits for a longer portion. This leads to unsustainable program costs; as the CBO report finds, the aging of the populationaccounts for about half of the growth in spending (relative to GDP) on Medicare and other major federal health care programs projected for the next 25 years. If the MEA were raised, in the future people would be affected in various ways. According to the CBO report: Of the 5.4 million people who would be affected by the higher MEA in 2021, about 5 percent would become uninsured, and approximately half of the group would obtain insurance from their or their spouses employers or former employers. The remainder (about 2.3 million people in 2021) would, in roughly equal parts, receive coverage through Medicaid, receive coverage through Medicare because they would qualify for DI benefits, or purchase insurance either through the health insurance exchanges that will become available in 2014 under the terms of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Actor in the non-group market. The Committee for a Responsible
Federal Budget indicates that such a move would not only reduce taxpayer costs, but also reduce health costs for most seniors. While increasing the eligibility ages for Medicare and Social Security is a good step forward, it should be advanced as part of a package of reforms needed to put these programs on sound financial footing. The Heritage Foundations Saving the American Dream plan includes eligibility age increases as part of its proposals to transform Medicare and Social Security. In concert with other structural reforms, this plan would ensure that future generations in need of program benefits can count on them. Entitlement reform can be done, and Congress should not delay in communicating that to the American people. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Police release photos of two men linked to bank robbery Globe and Mail
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:11:10 AM
Globe and Mail Police release photos of two men linked to bank robbery Globe and Mail Police have released photos of two men related to a bank robbery and are asking for the public's assistance in identifying the men. The first set of photos show the suspect in an early evening robbery that took place at a bank near the Kennedy Road and... Police Release Photos of Robbery Suspects Patch.com Photos released in parking deck robbery case WGCL Atlanta all 3 news articles
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Politics-Right/
Ladies in White and Obamas Failed Policy of Cuban Appeasement

Ray Walser (The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:30:53 AM
They call themselves las Damas de Blanco ( the Ladies in White). They are a prominent group of courageous Cuban women, many of them wives of political prisoners. They have fought not just for the rights of the unjustly imprisoned but for the rights of all the Cuban people to have a voice in the way their country is governed. Their tactics are entirely peaceful: They take to the streets of Havana and Santiago de Cuba each Sunday and silently march in protest against human rights violations of the Castro regime and the harassment and jailing of Cuban activists and dissidents. Dressed in white and holding red gladiolas flowers, the Ladies in White are enduring symbols of the acute toll of Cuban political oppression. In July 2010, following the sacrifices of prisoners of conscience, such as hunger striker Orlando Zapata Tamayo(d. February 23, 2010), the Ladies in White achieved their first major victory. In a deal brokered by the
Roman Catholic Church and the Spanish government, 52 activists jailed since 2003 were released, among them the husband of Ladies in White founder Laura Pollan. But the summer also brought an escalation of attacks against the Ladies in White by Castro thugs and state security goons as the women once again became victims of brutal beatings and attacks at the hands of the regime.
In October, the Ladies in White suffered another blow when Pollan died of a heart attack at the age of 63. Pollans leadership in the fight for Cuban freedom was extraordinary. For her determination, she was posthumously awarded the National Endowment for Democracys Human Rights Award. The repression and violence experienced by the Ladies in
White is, unfortunately, not unusual. Just this week, the Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation announced that a record 786 political arrests occurred in Cuba last month. While many are of a short-term nature, they are designed to promote fear and intimidation. These arrests brought the 2011 total to 4,123, compared with 2,074 in 2010. Yet all too often the media and
Obama Administration overlook this continuing wave of repression in Cuba. This inaction, at least on the part of the Administration, is a manifestation of Obamas flawed foreign policy of engaging with U.S. adversaries such as Iran, Venezuela and Cuba. Thankfully, some in the U.S. Senate are not inclined to ignore the day-to-day struggle for freedom in Cuba, Most recently, Senators Marco Rubio (RFL) and Robert Menendez (DNJ) called for the release of Ladies in White member Ivonne Malleza and activist Isabel Hayde Alvarez Mosqueda. This is a just demand that the Obama Administration has yet to endorse but is needed to underscore the precarious human rights situation in Cuba. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Social Media/
77
How Googles Social Search Shift Will Impact Your Brands SEO
Erin Everhart (Mashable!)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 11:12:25 AM
Personalized results are the default when users are logged into their Google account, so it will be Erin Everhart is the director of h a r d e r t o d e t e r m i n e y o u r web and social media marketing rankings. Itll also be harder for at 352 Media Group, a digital your customers to find you, and marketing agency that also for you to get traffic from the provides web and mobile app same ranking because more often development. Connect with her on than not, Google+ results will be Twitter@erinever. appearing before public listings. In what could be hailed as the But the biggest problem is, update that sparked an all-out theyre not always relevant. While Internet riot, Google has launched the savvy surfers know to switch Search, plus your World, between personal and public, you which pours personal social cant assume all of your potential results into your public search customers are going to know the listings. The catch is that it only difference. factors in your Google+ social I can use my own company as an graph, leaving Facebook and example. Twitter, arguably the more active When I search for web design social networks, out in the cold. company, one of our top This could prove to be an even keywords in Google, its pretty bigger search engine development clear what Im looking for: A web than Googles infamous Panda d e s i g n c o m p a n y . B u t y o u update, which aimed to remove wouldnt think that with the sites with low-quality content. results I get: Why? Because its easier to write Two out of three top results, good content (or at least, hire traditionally coveted for clicks, someone to write good content) are filled with social mentions. than it is to get people to share And social mentions that have your content. The Impact on nothing to do with a web design Brands company. What does a change this big Googles long been under fire for mean for businesses that depend an algorithm that struggles to on their Google rank for traffic produce the most relevant results, and sales? and with Search+, it seems that
they arent doing much to head in that direction. Yes, it does add more trust and authority to your results, but not relevance. What Can Brands Do? You know that you cant have search without social, and Search+ reinforces it. Since Facebook and Twitter results arent aggregated into public search, its put an even bigger emphasis on not only creating a brand page on Google+, but being an active member. Sounds like Googles plan all along. You then have to get your Google+ brand page into as many influential peoples circles as possible. These people also have
pointed out. That doesnt mean that local SEO isnt as important as we originally thought: It means that you need to be relevant, wellfound, and well-liked (or at least, well-shared) by influencers. Finally, if guest blogging is a part of your SEO strategy, which it should be, you need to ensure that each site that publishes your content is using the rel="author" tag that leads back to your Google+ profile so you gain more clout and authority from Google. As we learn more about Search+ your World and how users are to be in many other circles if you interacting with it, well learn have hopes of reaching people more about how you can work o u t s i d e o f y o u r i m m e d i a t e these changes into your overall network. This isnt an easy feat. SEO campaign. But theres more: Search+ Image courtesy of iStockphoto, essentially forces brands to use gmutlu More About: Business, their Google+ pages much like contributor, features, Google, their own website. That means brands should integrate their main Search, SEO, trending, Twitter keywords into Google+ posts to For more Business coverage: i n c r e a s e t h e i r r e l e v a n c e i n Follow Mashable Business on important searches. But again, this Twitter must be done in a natural, non- Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Business spammy manner. This is especially true because channel purely personal search is hiding a Download our free apps for lot of public content, the biggest Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad being local results, which SEO consultant John Doherty has
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Social Media/ Politics/
Facebooks Buggiest Page Was Created on Purpose

Joann Pan (Mashable!)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:28:47 AM
Video of the Day: Stephen Colbert Is In It to Win It (or Something)

David A. Graham (Politics : The Atlantic)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 9:14:17 AM
Lithuanian video artist Laimonas Zakas, who enjoys web production as a hobby, created a Facebook Page called Glitchr that messes with Facebook codes. The art project has garnered more than 12,657 likes so far. Dont be afraid to visit the harmless Facebook Page. It just takes your chat navigation line and causes it to appear in the sprawling line down your screen. Voila, art. Zakas was inspired to start this project in May when he received a Facebook notification in a blue bubble instead of the standard red one. The coding only took a couple of hours. Dont have any idea what caused it to become blue, Zakas told Mashable. I have always loved bugs and oddities on Facebook. Once I have noticed huge symbols, containing lots of diacritical marks, extending up and down, so I started experimenting with them and created a Facebook fan page to share the results. A bit later I have also created a blog and a Google+ page, but Im mostly sharing on Facebook. Diacritical marks are accent
marks that appear above, in or between letters. Zakas continues to experiment with code and share them on Facebook. He has chosen to focus on working in the worlds largest social network because Google+ wasnt launched at the time and Twitters 140-character limit is too low for codes. Plus, the instant feedback and sharing capabilities are better. I think that most of people who like Glitchr know what to expect from it and they dont complain as it messes up their news feeds, Zakas says, explaining the appeal of Glitchr that has caught the attention of various tech websites and art galleries that have offered to showcase Glitchr. SEE ALSO: 6 Incredible Twitter
After turning over his super PAC to Jon Stewart, the late-night comedian says he'll run for president in his home state. See web-only content: http://www.theatlantic.com/ politics/archive/2012/01/video-ofthe-day-stephen-colbert-is-in-it-to -win-it-or-something/251373/ The Colbert Report Powered Art Projects Get More: Colbert Report Full Since social media websites and Episodes, Political Humor & platforms have taken over the Satire Blog, Video Archive I n t e r n e t a n d m o b i l e Good news, Bill Kristol: that late communication in the last couple entry to the Republican race years, social media-centered art you've been pleading for has initiatives have been prolific. arrived. Bad news: that dark horse Another recent one weve seen is is deft skewerer of the right the Foursquare-focused art thesis Stephen Colbert. A day after by University of Pennsylvania Colbert riffed on a Public Policy senior Tatiana Peisach, which Polling survey that showed that he displayed some of her 1,500+ had stronger support in South Foursquare check-ins. Carolina that Jon Huntsman Have you seen any cool social (who's actually a candidate), he media-centered art projects lately? announced on the air Thursday Share a link or story in the night that he's throwing his hat comment section below. into the Palmetto State ring. "I am More About: Facebook, facebook proud to announce that I am page, foursquare, Google, Social forming an exploratory committee Media, social networking, Twitter to lay the groundwork for my possible candidacy for president of the United States of America of
South Carolina," he said. Humor is all well and good, but it can't violate the law. As a candidate, Colbert would be unable to continue to run his super PAC because of anti-coordination laws, so he turned that over to colleague Jon Stewart, with the aid of a campaign-finance lawyer Trevor Potter. Election-law expert Rick Hasen, who clearly hates fun, points out that there are other serious obstacles blocking Colbert's path to the Republican convention in Tampa Bay -- such as the fact that he's not on the ballot, it's too late to get on, and write-in candidates are banned. It's almost like his announcement is just another installment in his ongoing satire on campaignfinance laws. This article available online at: http://www.theatlantic.com/ politics/archive/2012/01/video-ofthe-day-stephen-colbert-is-in-it-to -win-it-or-something/251373/ This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Daily World/
79
'Gold rush' to rent out homes

Tom Harper (Evening Standard - News)
Wimbledon each year and multiply that by a thousand you might get some idea of the Submitted at 1/13/2012 6:08:12 AM Olympic market." Londoners have begun an People with central London extraordinary Olympic property homes aim to take advantage of "gold rush" - led by ex-England the Olympic "jet-set"- VIPs who footballer Sol Campbell. want a central city base where The Standard can reveal that the they can monitor their own f o r m e r S p u r s a n d A r s e n a l security. The Standard has learned defender is renting out his that at least one Hollywood figure Chelsea townhouse for 75,000 a is among those scouting out week - four times its value - family homes. The person will during the Games. make a five-figure contribution to Campbell's five-storey property their Olympic team in return for in Cheyne Walk is the most prime tickets and a chauffeur. expensive short-term rental on the Film stars who have recently L o n d o n m a r k e t d u r i n g t h e attend the Games include Nicole Olympics. He is one of thousands Kidman, David Schwimmer and of homeowners seeking to cash in Vince Vaughn. The Standard also on the 500,000 extra visitors, understands a private members' including club in central London is set to Hollywood stars, expected to ignore strict admission policies flood in this summer. and open its doors in a bid to Industry experts say rental prices attract wealthy tourists. have rocketed fivefold as Campbell's Cheyne Walk spectators from more than 200 property, near the Thames, is countries descend on London to close to the former homes of watch their sporting heroes in David Lloyd George, Lawrence action. Olivier, Geroge Best, Mick Jagger Jemma Scott, head of residential and Keith Richards. corporate services at estate agency The 7,000 sq ft, five-storey Knight Frank, said: "It is utterly townhouse was designed by the unique and a very exciting time. I 37-year-old's wife Fiona Barratt. have never seen anything like it. It boasts a lift, cinema, gym and I f y o u t a k e t h e b u z z t h a t spa, seven bedrooms and secure surrounds short-term rentals in underground walkway into a
mews house for two residential staff. During the Olympics, Campbell, who won 73 England caps, will move around the corner to a penthouse he owns on the Thames. He said: "We will definitely be in London for the Olympics, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I'll be backing Team GB all the way, but look forward to welcoming others from all over the world. "Cheyne Walk is such a fantastic location. Views of the Thames are unbeatable, especially at night when all lit up. Transport links are great and the best shopping and dining is on your doorstep." Ms Barratt added: "This house offers the perfect balance between a classical grade-II listed building and a great modern home designed for entertaining and luxury." Meanwhile in Hampstead, Amit Soni, negotiator for agency Glentree International said: "We have had one discreet enquiry from an American who has a 1 million budget for a three-month rental over the Olympics on one of the private roads off Millionaire's Row. That is four times the normal price." Beyond London, an Old Etonian boathouse on the Thames will be
rented out for 8,500 a week during rowing finals at Eton Dorney, near Windsor Castle. And an 18th-century castle in Portland, Dorset, is available to cash-rich visitors who want to take in the sailing at Weymouth. Pennsylvania Castle was built by the grandson of William Penn, who founded the American state. It has nine bedrooms, an indoor pool and a helicopter pad. Winston Churchill, General Eisenhower and General de Gaulle finalised plans for the DDay landings there. Ian MunroPrice, of estate agent Red House, said: "In terms of high-end property there's so very little close to the Olympic venue, so there is sure to be a huge demand." Demand for short-term rentals at the other end of the market is also at an unprecedented high, according to Crashpadder.com, which helps people rent spare bedrooms as an alternative to hotels. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Girl found her teenage sister dead on floor after acute asthma attack
Emine Sinmaz (Evening Standard - News)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 5:54:11 AM
Emine Sinmaz 13 Jan 2012 A father who lost his 15-year-old daughter to an acute asthma attack today warned other sufferers to use their inhalers regularly Lakisha Myers was found dead by her younger sister Savanna at their family home in Tooting on the morning of August 8 last year. At an inquest yesterday, family GP Bernard Ogoe said there were concerns she had not been using her inhalers properly since she was diagnosed with asthma in February 2003. Savanna, 11, told how she found her sister lying on the floor with a pillow over her face. She said: "I wanted to wake Lakisha up because I was bored but her face looked different. She had purple lips and was really pale, really scary looking," she said. "I started screaming. The ambulance tried to make her breathe again but it was too late." Westminster coroner Fiona Wilcox, who returned a verdict of death by natural causes, said the "promising" and otherwise healthy girl died of an acute GIRL page 80
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Daily World/
Gove's proposal to sack bad teachers is bully's charter, warns union

Anna Davis, Education Correspondent (Evening Standard - News)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 1:42:23 AM
GIRL
Plans to allow schools to sack teachers more easily are a "bully's charter", union leaders warned today. Education Secretary Michael Gove is changing rules to enable heads to dismiss incompetent teachers in just one term. At present, it takes at least a year to sack a teacher who is failing. But Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said teachers will be angered and depressed by the news, which is an "attack on their profession". Under the new proposals, schools could also be asked to inform a teacher's prospective new employer if they have ever been investigated for poor performance - in an attempt to stop the "recycling" of weak staff. The three-hour limit on headteachers observing teachers in the classroom will also be scrapped, and parents could also be allowed to watch their children
asthma attack, which can cause asphyxiation in half an hour. Her father Christopher Myers, 46, today urged parents of young asthma sufferers to make sure their children used their inhalers. He said: "I warn other parents of the seriousness of asthma and tell everybody how important it is to being taught. Ms Blower said: But Brian Lightman of the take their pumps. I always remind "Teaching is about getting the A s s o c i a t i o n o f S c h o o l a n d everybody, including Lakisha's very best from every learner in College Leaders said "drop-in" best friend Siana." every lesson. It isn't about observations by heads would help The road sweeper said the family 'performing for observers'. ensure high standards. Russell did not realise the severity of "What the Government proposes H o b b y o f t h e N a t i o n a l Lakisha's condition, even though is potentially a bully's charter. The Association of Head Teachers was she had previously been in hospital with it. "We knew she did union believes that many well- also supportive. f u n c t i o n i n g s c h o o l s , w h e r e Mr Gove said: "For far too long suffer from asthma, they were development and professionalism schools have been tangled up in changing her pumps every so is prized, will not adopt Mr complex red tape when dealing often, but we didn't know how Gove's model. with teachers who are struggling. bad it was. "If schools are serious about That is why these reforms focus "She normally remembered to addressing the issue of teacher o n g i v i n g s c h o o l s t h e take her pump but sometimes, competence should it arise, they responsibility to deal with this when she was really tired, she must do it in a fair fashion and not issue fairly and quickly... Nobody would forget and fall asleep. I was be constrained by a one-term time benefits when poor teaching is at work the morning she died but limit. It is far better to improve tolerated. It puts pressure on other I'd forgotten something at home teachers than to seek measures to t e a c h e r s a n d u n d e r m i n e s so quickly drove back - but I didn't check on her. I really regret sack them." children's education." Chris Keates, general secretary of This entry passed through the that. I wish I had seen her that the NASUWT, said: "This is yet Full-Text RSS service if this is morning." another depressingly predictable your content and you're reading it Lakisha's family described the a n n o u n c e m e n t f r o m a on someone else's site, please read student as bubbly and studious, Government seemingly intent on the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content- and told how proud they were to destroying the teaching profession only/faq.php#publishers. Five receive her GCSE results after her and state education. Filters recommends: Donate to death. Pathologist John Du Parcq found " T h e d r a c o n i a n m e a s u r e s Wikileaks. announced today are totally unnecessary. There is no evidence that there are problems with the current system."
Lakisha to be in good health with no pathology apart from mucus in the lungs caused by asthma. He said: "The lungs showed signs of asthma and were hyper-inflated. There was mucus with a solid airway plug." Mr Myers said: "It hasn't been easy for us. Christmas and New Year has been especially difficult. On Christmas Day we went to the graveyard and laid some flowers for her. We stood there for an hour and spoke to her. I wished her a happy Christmas and told her I really missed her. Not a day passes when I don't think about her." Savanna said: "I really miss Lakisha, we would do everything together. I don't think there's anything I've done in my life without her." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Politics/
81
The Economy May Not Hurt Obama in November After All

Charlie Cook (Politics : The Atlantic)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:25:37 AM
Republicans had counted on running against a weakened president, but improving unemployment numbers could lift him to re-election instead. The Republican presidential race has turned out to be a series of tag -team matches. Different candidates mount challenges to Mitt Romney in different states. This may delay the inevitability of the former Massachusetts governor finally securing the nomination, but these challenges really don't affect the end of the game. Romney's rivals will find it increasingly difficult to persuade past and prospective donors to write checks. Just as people need oxygen, campaigns need money to survive. After repeated losses, candidates will begin to find their cash flow choked off. Then, it's only a matter of time before they are forced out of the race. It isn't just that backers decide that a contender is a lost cause but also that donors know that persistent contributions to doomed candidacies have a way of aggravating the eventual nominee. Bankrolling the wrong candidate isolates backers from the new leader of the party -- rarely a good
idea. MORE FROM NATIONAL JOURNAL Why the Right Will Nominate a Man It Doesn't Trust Romney Defends His Bain Record in New Ad Obama Seeks to Merge Six Agencies The Republican Party's establishment has been coalescing behind Romney ever since Newt
Gingrich made his brief surge in December. The trend shows no signs of abating. One already hears the refrain that it is time for Republicans to start uniting behind Romney and begin to heal divisions in the party. Gingrich clearly has some scores to settle, however, and will continue to do so -- as long as his financial backers are willing. For Gingrich, it's personal. It's hard to say whether his contributors will pony
up enough money to take his demolition effort past South Carolina and into Florida, a considerably more expensive state. Although the presidential race is dominating the media this week, other events are worth watching: the recent spate of brighter economic news and lower unemployment numbers. These trends could change the trajectory of the general election. The latest
Blue Chip Economic Indicators survey of 56 top economists forecasts an 8.7 percent unemployment rate for calendar year 2012 and an 8.5 rate for the fourth quarter, when Election Day occurs. My rule of thumb has been that if unemployment is near 9 percent on Election Day, President Obama would very likely lose. If ECONOMY page 85
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Wishful Thinking Watch: Obama is a Great President, Romney Is Honorable

Conor Friedersdorf (Politics : The Atlantic)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 9:48:54 AM
What explains the extravagant but groundless praise politicians sometimes receive? In punditry, the constant temptation is to attack weak arguments. As Matt Yglesias explained in a post I can't locate, the advantage is that if you're discrediting the worst ideas out there, that's not nothing! There may be strong arguments for the proposition that Barack Obama is a good president. They're worthy of attention, and I'll get to them in the course of the upcoming campaign. But Gregg Easterbrook, a journalist whose work I've long followed and enjoyed, has advanced a weak argument for the proposition, and because I've seen similar takes elsewhere, I think it's worth refuting. Says Easterbrook, in a column on people he deems worthy of praise: Barack Obama: His "next year we will get serious about the national debt" act is wearing thin. But in the main, Obama has been a good president -- and Americans are turning post-racial so quickly that already we seem to shrug about the incredible historic significance of an AfricanAmerican in the Oval Office.
Obama took command of the country at a low point: a deep recession, a costly quagmire in Iraq. If he'd come onto the national stage under the conditions encountered by the previous two chief executives -Bill Clinton took the White House at the start of an economic boom,
George W. Bush took the White House just before 9-11, which ensured him a five-year honeymoon as the nation rallied -Obama might already be viewed as a great president. And he might still cross that threshold. Obamacare was a major legislative achievement, and
though it has bureaucraticnightmare potential, bear in mind that few of its advantages have yet taken effect. That's the whole argument. Does anyone else find it bizarre? It starts off by alluding to the fact that Obama keeps promising to do something he hasn't: get serious about the
national debt. So that's one strike against him. Next is the historic fact that he is the first black president, which is great, but doesn't bear on whether he is a good or bad president. Easterbrook then observes that WISHFUL page 85
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83
New Obama lieutenant a union buster?

Ed Morrissey (Hot Air Top Picks)
even though adjunct faculty members were planning a strike. The next year, while NYUs Submitted at 1/13/2012 9:37:23 AM graduate student union was posted at 10:37 am on January planning a strike, Lew informed 13, 2012 by Ed Morrissey the campus he would have Hey, maybe weve been too hard nothing of it. on Barack Obamas revolving NYU had previously officially door at the White House. It seems r e c o g n i z e d t h e g r a d u a t e to have produced a strain of anti- student labor union a local union sentiment only imagined by chapter of the United Auto paranoid labor organizers during Workers. But, as Americans for the Bush administration. Can you L i m i t e d Government imagine the outcry that would Communications Director Rick have been heard from every Manning points out in a column corner of the nation had George for The Hill, NYU decided to stop W. Bush appointed an honest-to- recognizing the union after the goodness union buster as his chief National Labor Relations Board of staff? issued a decision saying it no News broke last week that longer had to. Obama had deployed the Coast Er, okay, a grad-student union Guard to protect grain ships from isnt exactly the same thing as longshoremen union members and PATCO, I grant you. Still, the occupiers in Washington State, standoff generated considerable but now a more politically controversy. Even Jesse Jackson perilous anti-union revelation is arrived on campus to dictate terms surfacing: his new chief of staff to Lew, who wasnt in the has led at least one effort to bust a bargaining mood. In the end, Lew labor union. And Lew succeeded offered an ultimatum that would in destroying it. have allowed the grad students the Between Lews service in the ability to negotiate for stipends Clinton and O b a m a and benefits only, which the union administrations, he was executive refused and NYU broke the vice president for operations at union, under Lews stewardship. New York University, where he This seems rather interesting, was also a professor. especially in light of Obamas In 2004 Lew informed NYUs own accusation during the effort full-time faculty that they were to curtail Wisconsins PEU expected to continue working bargaining privileges that Scott
Walker had conducted an assault on unions. Walker didnt try to bust even one union, but only to limit collective bargaining for PEUs to salaries. Now Obama has appointed a genuine union buster and sent the Coast Guard to fight more. Nor is that the only hit against Labor over the last couple of weeks. Remember that switch being contemplated for Obamas speech at the Democratic National Convention, to the stadium named for a bailout recipient that got demonized by Democrats for passing along costs for Democratic legislation to its customers? Well, guess how that stadium got built in the first place: Bank of America Stadium, the Charlotte, N.C. sports area that has been proposed as the site where President Obama will accept the Democratic Partys nomination for a second term in the White House, was built entirely with nonunion labor, The Daily Caller has learned. Brett McMahon, president of Miller & Long DC, Inc., told TheDC its ironic that the Democratic National Committee is discussing the venue as a likely locale for Obamas re-nomination ceremony, since the president has long-standing political alliances with Americas biggest and wealthiest labor unions. Bretts actually a friend of mine.
Ive had him on the show a couple of times to talk about construction -related economic policy, so Im happy for him that this is working out so well: The majority of the companies that built the stadium were members of Associated Builders & Contractors, McMahon told TheDC. It is a great example of a grand monument that was built entirely union-free. But despite the apparent disconnect between the presidents loyalties and his partys practical needs, McMahon is pleased that his firms masterpiece is poised to have such a high profile during the August convention. It is a big deal to me because I spent two years working on the building, he said. To paraphrase the great Glenn Reynolds, they told me that if I voted for John McCain that union -busting and right-to-work policies would become ascendant. And they were right! This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
CBS: Obama admin spent $6.5 billion on risky green-tech ventures; Update: Obama proposes to save less than half in org consolidation
Ed Morrissey (Hot Air Top Picks)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:54:30 AM
posted at 11:54 am on January 13, 2012 by Ed Morrissey We already know that the Obama administrations stimulus-funded subsidies of green-energy firms have been rather poor investments. Solyndra, after all, collapsed while taking over half a billion dollars in taxpayer money with it, after the Department of Energy illegally subordinated taxpayer risk for later investors mainly an Obama bundler from 2008, George Kaiser. CBS News Sharyl Attkisson takes a break from reporting on Operation Fast CBS: page 84
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Rasmussen SC poll shows Romney with 7-point lead over Gingrich
CBS:
and Furious to give a closer look at the performance of Barack Obamas bets in the green-tech sector and says that Obama bet more than $6.5 billion of taxpayer money in junk bonds: Ed Morrissey (Hot Air Top f o r m e r U . S . S e n a t o r R i c k had he stayed on the ground in sampling in this poll was 71/29 Asked whether hed put his Picks) Santorum who was in second a South Carolina, even if 16% and Republicans to independents, personal money into Beacon, week ago has fallen back to 16%, third place tie with Ron Paul isnt which may overstate just a little Submitted at 1/13/2012 10:19:17 AM economist Peter Morici replied, putting him dead even with Texas a bad spot to be with a week left how many independents plan to Not on purpose. posted at 11:19 am on January Congressman Ron Paul who also to go. vote a week from Saturday. In Its, it is a junk bond, Morici 13, 2012 by Ed Morrissey earns 16%. Gingrich only gained three points 2008, independents accounted for Did Rick Santorum make a Texas Governor Rick Perry, in the week, within the margin of less than 20% of the vote, but the said. But its not even a good mistake in campaigning in New whose continued candidacy likely error, which doesnt denote Democratic primary was much junk bond. Its well below investment grade. Hampshire? In the past week depends on the Jan. 21 South verifiable momentum but does more meaningful as well. since Mitt Romney won the first- Carolina vote, now captures six show that he may have scored a Santorum has more of an upside Was the Energy Department i n - t h e - n a t i o n p r i m a r y percent (6%) support, while few points with his Bain attacks. in this race than any of the other investing tax dollars in something overwhelmingly and Santorum f o r m e r U t a h G o v e r n o r J o n Hes now first among Tea Party c o n s e r v a t i v e c o n s o l i d a t i o n thats not even a good junk bond? finished in a virtual tie for fourth Huntsman runs last with five voters at 26% with Romney candidates, especially since Morici says yes. p l a c e w i t h N e w t G i n g r i c h , percent (5%). One percent (1%) falling to fourth at 16%, but the Gingrich is now taking so much This level of bond has about a 70 Romneys numbers in the latest like some other candidate in the attacks dont appear to have fire for his fact-challenged attacks percent chance of failing in the R a s m u s s e n p o l l f o r S o u t h race, and eight percent (8%) helped much where theyre on Bain and Romney. I wouldnt long term, he said. In fact, Beacon did go bankrupt Carolina look pretty much the remain undecided. clearly aimed, with working-class be surprised over the next week to two months ago and its unclear s a m e a s t h e p r e v i o u s Santorum lost eight points in a voters. Gingrich is far back of see Santorum rise into second Rasmussen poll in the state. week while slogging through a Romney among voters earning place and perhaps challenge whether taxpayers will get all However, Santorum has dropped predictably unsympathetic New under $20K (29/14 in 4th place), Romney for the lead again, but it their money back. And the feds considerably in the past week, and Hampshire. Santorum and his $20-40K (26/19 in 3rd place), and will take a lot of effort and made other loans when public Newt Gingrich has moved into t e a m i n s i s t e d t h a t c r e d i b l e $40-60K (27/19 in 3rd place). perhaps an uncharacteristic documents indicate they should have known they could be second place: candidates had to campaign in the The only income demo Gingrich misstep from the frontrunner for throwing good money after bad. Mitt Romney still holds first Granite state in order to be taken wins is $60-75K, 26/23 over that to happen. place in the South Carolina seriously elsewhere, which is Romney, who wins all the other This entry passed through the Its been four months since the FBI raided bankrupt Solyndra. It Primary field, while his opponents probably true. Skipping New income demos. Full-Text RSS service if this is received a half-billion in tax jockey for second with the voting Hampshire to focus on South Gingrich is also losing the your content and you're reading it dollars and became a political eight days away. Carolina hasnt done anything to favorability contest (56/43), and on someone else's site, please read The latest Rasmussen Reports help Rick Perry, who only ticked rather badly in terms of negatives, the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content- lightning rod, with Republicans telephone survey of Likely up a single point from 5%, but to Romney (68/29) and Santorum only/faq.php#publishers. Five claiming it was a politically Republican Primary Voters in whose campaign had bigger (63/30). Perry is far back at 48/48 Filters recommends: Donate to motivated investment. CBS News counted 12 clean South Carolina finds Romney credibility issues anyway. Still, a n d o n l y 5 3 / 4 3 a m o n g Wikileaks. energy companies that are having ahead with 28% support, but now one wonders whether Santorum Republicans in this open primary. trouble after collectively being former House Speaker Newt might have been able to hold onto Paul scores even worse, with an approved for more than $6.5 Gingrich is in second place with the momentum created from his underwater 43/55 and only 36/61 billion in federal assistance. Five 21% of the vote. Support for virtual tie in the Iowa caucuses a m o n g R e p u b l i c a n s . T h e have filed for bankruptcy: The junk bond-rated Beacon, CBS: page 85
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CBS:
it's near 8 percent, he would likely win. But if it's around 8.5 percent, the race would be a toss-up. Worthy of note, the Blue Chip survey was conducted on January 4-5, before the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the December unemployment numbers that dropped to 8.5 percent from an upwardly revised 8.7 percent in November. This means that the jobless rate has inched downward four months in a row, from 9.1 percent in August to 8.5 percent in December. To be sure, many economists question how much the employment picture is really brightening. For example, a January 6 report from McVean Trading & Investments points out that the 200,000 net growth in jobs in December included 42,000 in the category of couriers and messengers. The firm noted that in December 2010, the jobs report marked an increase of 46,000 jobs in that same category, followed by a 49,000 job loss in that group the following month. Apparently, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics adjusts for
seasonal job gains and losses in many categories at Christmas time, it hasn't yet taken into account the extra hiring for sorting centers. FedEx, UPS, and other delivery services use additional workers during the Christmas rush. McVean noted that taking 40,000 off the December job growth reduces net job creation to 158,000, about what economists had originally expected. Moreover, even if the economy is starting to improve and privatesector job creation is offsetting continued declines in state and local government employment, the news is not all rosy. Most important, the specter of a likely recession in Europe, the world's single-largest market, threatens to undermine the U.S. economic picture. Republicans had counted on running against a president with an economic millstone around his neck. It's too soon to tell how heavy that millstone will be. How much will its weight depress Obama's potential support level? A couple of months ago, it was a
reasonably good assumption that the economy would be a massive liability for him. It still might -but it might not. The 10 most pessimistic economists in the Blue Chip Indicators survey think that unemployment will average about 9 percent this year. That would present Obama with a steep uphill climb. Conversely, the 10 most optimistic analysts predict an 8 percent unemployment rate for the year. If that comes to pass, Obama might as well break out the champagne. The Blue Chip survey does not reveal the economists' quarterly predictions. But for the full year, among the most pessimistic are the economics units at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch (8.8 percent), Citigroup (8.8 percent), the Conference Board (8.9 percent), and Goldman Sachs (8.9 percent). Obama's job-approval ratings on foreign-policy and nationalsecurity issues are his unexpected strong suit. At this point, the biggest variable in voters' decision about renewing his four-year
contract is the economy's direction. Economists have sketched three potential paths: Blue Chip optimists pointing toward a road that very likely leads to an Obama victory; Blue Chip pessimists laying out a likely defeat; and a Blue Chip average outlining a race that is anybody's bet. Image: Kevin Lamarque / Reuters This article available online at: http://www.theatlantic.com/ politics/archive/2012/01/theeconomy-may-not-hurt-obama-innovember-after-all/251381/ This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Evergreen Solar, SpectraWatt, AES subsidiary Eastern Energy and Solyndra. Im pretty sure Atkisson will be getting another screaming, expletive-laden phone call from the White House any time now. After all, the meme of the day for the Obama administration is reform which led to this ironic juxtaposition on the CBS website: Maybe a good area for government reform would be to stop betting on junk bonds with taxpayer money. Update: Obama wants to save money by merging six government agencies that duplicate efforts, but it comes to less than half of what Obama has put at risk: President Obama said on Friday he will ask Congress for the authority to shrink the size of the federal government by merging six agencies. Each agency handles aspects of trade and commerce, and Obama made the case that the overlap in responsibilities causes confusion for American CBS: page 86
WISHFUL
Obama "took command" of the country "at a low point." Okay, but that isn't an argument that he's a good president. "If he'd come into power" at a better time, Easterbrook continues, he "might already be viewed as a great president." An interesting conjecture about public perceptions -- but not an
affirmative argument that Obama is in fact a good president. All that's left is this: Obamacare was a major legislative achievement, and though it has bureaucraticnightmare potential, bear in mind that few of its advantages have yet taken effect. It's one thing to assert that
Obamacare was good reform legislation and offer compelling reasons why. But how bizarre to assert it as a major achievement in the same sentence where you note that "it has bureaucraticnightmare potential"? If it indeed turns into a bureaucratic nightmare, wouldn't that make it bad legislation? Even the
addendum that "few of its advantages have yet taken effect" sounds suspiciously like an admission that its upside remains speculative. So all in all, a weak case for Obama. It seems grounded in some unexplained impulse to like the president more than a cogent analysis of his tenure. Admittedly,
he's a likable guy. I think that's leading people astray. Later in the same column, Easterbrook praises another politician: Mitt Romney: So he flip-flops. If this is the worst thing about him, he's a welcome addition to WISHFUL page 86
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CBS:
national politics. Romney has been a success as a business and a government executive. He behaves honorably and treats others with respect. At a time when American discourse grows bitter and divisive, an ObamaRomney presidential race could set an example for high-minded public behavior. This seems similarly weak to me. The notion that Romney's rhetoric is "high-minded" and that he "behaves honorably and treats others with respect" is grounded in superficial analysis of the most misleading kind -- sure, Romney's style is less bombastic than Michele Bachmann's or Sarah Palin's, but a less reductive way of judging honorableness and respect for others is to look at substance too. In this campaign, Romney has contradicted himself and misrepresented his past positions
frequently enough that it's fair to say he has no problem lying to voters. He has also misrepresented Obama's record and behaved like a demagogue -when declaring, for example, that the president appeases our foreign enemies and has embarked on an apology tour of the world. There is, I'd argue, an airtight case that Romney often behaves dishonorably, frequently disrespects his political opponents, and regularly falls short of "high-minded behavior." Surveying America's politicians, could anyone seriously argue that Romney is more "high-minded" than Buddy Roemer or Gary Johnson or Russ Feingold or even Jon Huntsman? I am always confounded when longtime journalists offer what seems to me groundless praise for establishment pols. It would, admittedly, be nice if Election
2012 was going to be a "highminded contest." But predicting that is nothing more than wishful thinking. Image: Reuters This article available online at: http://www.theatlantic.com/ politics/archive/2012/01/wishfulthinking-watch-obama-is-a-greatpresident-romney-is-honorable/ 251350/ This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
businesses and consumers. But Obama will need approval from Congress to do so and he urged lawmakers to act. This should not be a partisan issue, he told an East Room audience. Jake Tapper noted on Twitter that the proposed savings, $3 billion, is one-four-hundredth of the debt limit increase he just requested from Congress. Its also less than half of what Obama tossed away on his supposed green-tech jobs stimulus. Mitch McConnell laughs at the irony of a President who has spent the last three years expanding government attempting to blame Congress for not reducing it: But a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel l, R-Ky., was quick to respond with little enthusiasm. After presiding over one of the largest expansions of government in history, and a year after raising the issue in his last State of the Union, its interesting to see the president finally acknowledge that
Washington is out of control, said spokesman Don Stewart. And while we first learned of this proposal this morning in the press, well be sure to give it a careful review once the White House provides us with the details of what it is he wants to do. Im all for reducing duplication and inefficiency, whether its in the public or private sector. At least in the private sector, though, I dont have to put my own money at risk in bad investments, while clearly Obama wants to do that with our money for his own purposes. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Technology/
87
Engadget Podcast 274: CES 2012 Day 4 01.12.2012

Trent Wolbe (Engadget)
00:14:45 - Chaotic Moon shows Xbox Kinect / Windows 8powered electric skateboard Another day in the jungle. This (video) one features an editor-in-chief on 00:15:35 - Live from the a m o t o r i z e d j u n g l e - r e a d y Engadget CES Stage: an interview skateboard and a revolving cast of w i t h R I M ( u p d a t e : v i d e o some of the jungle's best embedded) explorers. We're starting to think 00:16:05 - BlackBerry PlayBook we're going to miss this jungle OS 2.0 hands-on (video) when we have to go back into 00:23:30 - NVIDIA Windows 8 civilization. developer tablet eyes-on Hosts: Tim Stevens, Brian 00:29:55 - HTC Titan II coming Heater, Darren Murph to AT&T, finally delivers LTE to G u e s t s : S c o t t S t e i n b e r g ( Mango lovers TechSavvy Global), Mat Smith, 00:30:00 - AT&T Galaxy Note Amar Toor with LTE hands-on at CES 2012 Producer: Trent Wolbe (video) Music: Baby 00:34:55 - The Engadget 00:00:20 - Scott Steinberg, CEO Interview: Nokia CEO Stephen of TechSavvy Global Elop at CES 2012 (video) 00:01:15 - NVIDIA and ASUS 00:36:15 - Live from Las Vegas, tease 7-inch Tegra 3 tablet with it's Engadget Distro's CES Special ICS and $249 price tag Edition 00:02:28 - Microsoft tops Yahoo 00:38:35 - Live from the in US search results for first time, Engadget CES Stage: an interview according to ComScore with NXP's Jeff Miles (update: 00:08:45 - A behind the scenes video embedded) look at the Engadget CES stage! 00:39:00 - Live from the 0 0 : 0 9 : 3 5 - L i v e f r o m t h e Engadget CES Stage: an interview Engadget CES Stage: taking the with TransferJet PlayStation Vita for a spin 00:42:15 - TOSY and Justin (update: video embedded) Bieber announce mRobo: we go
Submitted at 1/13/2012 12:34:00 PM
[ RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [ Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) Contact the podcast Send your questions to@tim_stevens. Leave us a voicemail: (423) 4383005 (GADGET-3005) E-mail us: podcast at engadget dot com hands-on, dance-off (video) 00:49:45 - Qualcomm shows off new Hanvon Mirasol e-reader, juggles video and tex 00:51:50 - Crapgadget CES 2012, round two: Mugtuk's child-scaring hugging iPhone case 00:53:25 - Fujifilm X-Pro1 interchangeable lens camera preview (video) 00:55:05 - Microsoft's CES 2013 floor space sells in record time 01:03:00 - Aurasma Virtual Browser and virtual world handson 01:04:05 - Hands-on with NVIDIA-powered Audi Connect 01:04:30 - Transformer Prime gets a fresh serving of Ice Cream Sandwich, we go hands-on 01:07:50 - Sprint Samsung Galaxy Nexus with LTE hands-on (video) Hear the podcast Subscribe to the podcast [ iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [ RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. Twitter:@bheater,@timstevens,@ darrenmurph@gadgetexpert Continue reading Engadget Podcast 274: CES 2012 Day 4 01.12.2012 Filed under: Peripherals, Podcasts Engadget Podcast 274: CES 2012 Day 4 - 01.12.2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| | Email this| Comments
88
Technology/
iLuv ArtStation Pro for Samsung Galaxy Tabs hands-on (video)

Billy Steele (Engadget)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 12:53:00 PM
The options for Samsung Galaxy Tab speaker docks are a bit limited, especially if you're looking to make use of the microUSB port instead of a Bluetooth connection. Earlier this year, iLuv outted its iMM514 for Sammy slates, enabling you to jam some Kelly Clarkson and charge the device at the same time. For $149.99, we weren't expecting to be blown away but we're hoping it'll be a serviceable kit for at least a few Android tablets. We spent a few minutes with the iMM514
and we walked away with some observations. Right off, there are noticeable differences between the ArtStation Pro and some of the high-end speaker docks that we've handled recently. Lacking a topside LED, there is no visual indication as to whether or not the peripheral is powered on, which was a bit perplexing. Once docked, you'll have the option of portrait or landscape orientations coupled with the ability to make minor tilt adjustments. Controls were pretty standard for playback and responded quickly to our finger commands. As far as sound
quality goes, the iMM514 was about what you'd expect from a sub-$200 dock -- it's serviceable and we didn't notice a ton of distortion at maximum volume.
Granted, we were smack dab in the middle of CES so our keen hearing could've been slightly thrown off. Oddly, the dock can also be paired with a Bluetooth
keyboard if you're into that, however it was nowhere to be found during our demo. Looking for a quick tour? Hit the video after the break. It'll make you stronger, we promise. Gallery: iLuv iMM514 ArtStation Pro hands-on Continue reading iLuv ArtStation Pro for Samsung Galaxy Tabs hands-on (video) iLuv ArtStation Pro for Samsung Galaxy Tabs hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| | Email this| Comments
Apple wants to be responsible, progress report details changes to worker conditions and environmental practices
Mat Smith (Engadget)
Submitted at 1/13/2012 12:42:00 PM
Apple had a few issues with its suppliers this year and has published its annual Supplier Responsibility Progress Report today. The company has apparently schooled more than a
million "supply chain employees" on rights and health and safety, while it has also began a specific environmental compliance program for some of its suppliers in China, having spotted several violations last year -- which it's now working on. Perhaps more time that Apple has revealed all interestingly, this notes the first 156 of its suppliers in full. The
report (unsurprisingly) reads like exercise in backslapping, but if you're into that sort of thing, you can check the whole report at the source. Apple wants to be responsible, progress report details changes to worker conditions and environmental practices originally
appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Apple| Email this| Comments

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