Russia: UN resolution on Syria is path to war (AP)

BEIRUT ? A senior Russian diplomat warned Tuesday that a draft U.N. resolution demanding Syrian President Bashar Assad step aside is a "path to civil war," as Syrian troops crushed pockets of resistance by rebel soldiers on the outskirts of Damascus.

The U.N. Security Council was to meet Tuesday to discuss the draft, backed by Western and some Arab powers. But Russia would likely veto any punitive action.

"The Western draft Security Council resolution on Syria does not lead to a search for compromise," Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov wrote on Twitter. "Pushing this resolution is a path to civil war."

Russia has been one of Assad's strongest backers as he tries to crush an uprising that began nearly 11 months ago. In October, Moscow vetoed the first council attempt to condemn Syria's crackdown and has shown little sign of budging in its opposition.

Russia fears the new measure could open the door to eventual military intervention, the way an Arab-backed U.N. resolution provided the mandate for NATO airstrikes in Libya.

The U.N. estimates that more than 5,400 people have been killed in the Syrian government crackdown. The bloodshed spiked Monday as regime forces retook control of the eastern suburbs of Damascus after rebel soldiers briefly captured them.

The death toll from Monday's offensive was around 100 people, making it one among the bloodiest days since the uprising began in March, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees, an opposition group.

Early Tuesday, government forces moved into the two towns near Damascus still in rebel hands.

"Intense shooting was heard in Zamalka and Arbeen as the tanks advanced," the Observatory said, citing its network of sources on the ground. Regime forces made sweeping arrests in the nearby town of Rankous, activists said.

Western and Arab countries, meanwhile, stepped up pressure on Assad's ally Russia to overcome its opposition to a draft resolution.

The draft resolution demands that Assad halt the crackdown and implement an Arab peace plan that calls for him to hand over power to his vice president and allow creation of a unity government to pave the way for elections. It also rules out the use of foreign forces in the country.

If Assad fails to comply within 15 days, the council would consider "further measures," a reference to a possible move to impose economic or other sanctions.

During a trip to Jordan on Tuesday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Assad to stop the killings and he said he hopes Security Council members reach a consensus on Syria.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and the British and French foreign ministers were heading to New York to push for backing of the measure.

"The status quo is unsustainable," Clinton said, saying the Assad regime was preventing a peaceful transition and warning that the resulting instability could "spill over throughout the region."

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe described what is happening in Syria as a "scandal."

Assad "has blood on his hands, so it's not possible that he continues to assume responsibilities," he told French radio Europe-1 Tuesday, shortly before flying to New York for the U.N. Security Council meeting.

Juppe ruled out a military intervention saying "things are very different from what happened in Libya. For example, in Syria you have communities that are divided and any exterior intervention could lead to a civil war."

A French official said the draft U.N. resolution has a "comfortable majority" of support from 10 of the Security Council's 15 members, meaning Russia or China would have to use its veto power to stop it. The official said Russia had agreed to negotiate on the draft, but it was not yet clear if it would be willing to back it if changes were made.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with department rules.

Also Tuesday, army defectors gained full control of the central town of Rastan after days of intense clashes, according to a town activist who identified himself as Hassan. He refused to give his full name, fearing reprisals.

The town was taken by defectors twice in the past only to be retaken by Syrian troops. Rastan is the hometown of former Defense Minister Mustapha Tlass, who held the post for more than three decades mostly under Assad's father and predecessor, the late Hafez Assad.

Because of the surge in violence, the Arab League halted a month-old observer mission, which had already come under heavy criticism for failing to stop the crackdown. The League turned to the U.N. Security Council to throw its weight behind its peace plan, which Damascus has rejected.

___

Associated Press writers Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow and Dale Gavlak in Amman, Jordan, contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/un/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_syria

barbara walters government shutdown sofia vergara jacksonville jaguars jacksonville jaguars iraq war over iraq war over

Afghan woman killed, apparently for bearing girl (AP)

KABUL, Afghanistan ? An Afghan woman has been strangled to death, apparently by her husband, who was upset that she gave birth to a second daughter rather than the son he wanted, police said Monday.

It was the latest in a series of grisly examples of subjugation of women that have made headlines in Afghanistan in the past few months ? including a 15-year-old tortured and forced into prostitution by in-laws and a female rape victim who was imprisoned for adultery.

The episodes have raised the question of what will happen to the push for women's rights in Afghanistan as the international presence here shrinks along with the military drawdown. NATO forces are scheduled to pull out by the end of 2014.

In the 10 years since the ouster of the Taliban, great strides have been made for women in Afghanistan, with many attending school, working in offices and even sometimes marching in protests. But abuse and repression of women are still common, particularly in rural areas where women are still unlikely to set foot outside of the house without a burqa robe that covers them from head to toe.

The man in the latest case, Sher Mohammad, fled the Khanabad district in Kunduz province last week, about the time a neighbor found his 22-year-old wife dead in their house, said District Police Chief Sufi Habibullah. Medical examiners whom police brought to check the body said she had been strangled, Habibullah said.

The woman, named Estorai, had warned family members that her husband had repeatedly reproached her for giving birth to a daughter rather than a son and had threatened to kill her if it happened again, said Provincial women's affairs chief Nadira Ghya, who traveled to Khanabad to deal with the case. Estorai gave birth to her second daughter between two and three months ago, Ghya said. Officials did not have a family name for either Sher Mohammad or Estorai.

Police took the man's mother into custody because she appears to have collaborated in a plot to kill her daughter-in-law, Habibullah said. Ghya, who visited the man's mother in jail, said that she swears that Estorai committed suicide by hanging. Police said they found no rope and no evidence of hanging from the woman's wounds.

Boy babies are traditionally prized much more highly than girls in Afghanistan, where a son means a breadwinner and a daughter is seen as a drain on the family until she is married off. Even so, a murder over the gender of a baby would be rare and shocking if proved true.

The U.S. Embassy issued a statement Monday praising the Afghan government for recent declarations supporting women's rights in the wake of the latest abuse cases that have garnered media attention.

"The rights of women cannot be relegated to the margins of international affairs, as this issue is at the core of our national security and the security of people everywhere," the statement said. It did not address the killing of the young woman in Kunduz.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan

andrew bynum diplo rodney atkins fergie one republic carlos santana new years ball drop

The fight for Cuban-Americans is on in Florida (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/192959532?client_source=feed&format=rss

critics choice awards 2012 honey badger colbert president huntingtons disease rob the firm new york philharmonic

Who Won Big at the SAG Awards?

The cast of The Help had much reason to celebrate at the 2012 SAG Awards. The Civil Rights drama swept in all of its categories, winning outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role, outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role and the night's highest honor, outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/sag-awards-2012-winners/1-a-423173?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Asag-awards-2012-winners-423173

ahava kelly cutrone kelly cutrone bill buckner dancing with the stars 2011 christmas island antonio gates

Jury finds Afghan family guilty in honor killings (AP)

KINGSTON, Ontario ? A jury on Sunday found an Afghan father, his wife and their son guilty of killing three teenage sisters and a co-wife in what the judge described as "cold-blooded, shameful murders" resulting from a "twisted concept of honor."

The jury took 15 hours to find Mohammad Shafia, 58; his wife Tooba Yahya, 42; and their son Hamed, 21, each guilty of four counts of first-degree murder in a case that shocked and riveted Canadians from coast to coast. First-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.

After the verdict was read, the three defendants again declared their innocence in the killings of sisters Zainab, 19, Sahar 17, and Geeti, 13, as well as Rona Amir Mohammad, 52, Shafia's childless first wife in a polygamous marriage.

Their bodies were found June 30, 2009, in a car submerged in a canal in Kingston, Ontario, where the family had stopped for the night on their way home to Montreal from Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Prosecutors said the defendants allegedly killed the three teenage sisters because they dishonored the family by defying its disciplinarian rules on dress, dating, socializing and going online. Shafia's first wife was living with him and his second wife. The polygamous relationship, if revealed, could have resulted in their deportation.

The prosecution alleged it was a case of premeditated murder, staged to look like an accident after it was carried out. Prosecutors said the defendants drowned their victims elsewhere on the site, placed their bodies in the car and pushed it into the canal.

Defense lawyers said the deaths were accidental. They said the Nissan car accidentally plunged into the canal after the eldest daughter, Zainab, took it for a joy ride with her sisters and her father's first wife. Hamed said he watched the accident, although he didn't call police from the scene.

After the jury returned the verdicts, Mohammad Shafia, speaking through a translator, said, "We are not criminal, we are not murderer, we didn't commit the murder and this is unjust."

His weeping wife, Tooba, also declared the verdict unjust, saying, "I am not a murderer, and I am a mother, a mother."

Their son, Hamed, speaking in English said, "I did not drown my sisters anywhere."

But Judge Robert Maranger was unmoved, saying the evidence clearly supported their conviction for "the planned and deliberate murder of four members of your family."

"It is difficult to conceive of a more despicable, more heinous crime ... the apparent reason behind these cold-blooded, shameful murders was that the four completely innocent victims offended your completely twisted concept of honor ... that has absolutely no place in any civilized society."

Hamed's lawyer, Patrick McCann, said he was disappointed with the verdict, but said his client will appeal and he believes the other two defendants will as well.

But prosecutor Gerard Laarhuis welcomed the verdict.

"This jury found that four strong, vivacious and freedom-loving women were murdered by their own family in the most troubling of circumstances," Laarhuis said outside court.

"This verdict sends a very clear message about our Canadian values and the core principles in a free and democratic society that all Canadians enjoy and even visitors to Canada enjoy," he said to cheers of approval from onlookers.

The family had left Afghanistan in 1992 and lived in Pakistan, Australia and Dubai before settling in Canada in 2007. Shafia, a wealthy businessman, married Yahya because his first wife could not have children.

The prosecution painted a picture of a household controlled by a domineering Shafia, with Hamed keeping his sisters in line and doling out discipline when his father was away on frequent business trips to Dubai.

The months leading up to the deaths were not happy ones in the Shafia household, according to evidence presented at trial. Zainab, the oldest daughter, was forbidden to attend school for a year because she had a young Pakistani-Canadian boyfriend, and she fled to a shelter, terrified of her father, the court was told.

The prosecution said her parents found condoms in Sahar's room as well as photos of her wearing short skirts and hugging her Christian boyfriend, a relationship she had kept secret. Geeti was becoming almost impossible to control: skipping school, failing classes, being sent home for wearing revealing clothes and stealing, while declaring to authority figures that she wanted to be placed in foster care, according to the prosecution.

Shafia's first wife wrote in a diary that her husband beat her and "made life a torture," while his second wife called her a servant.

The prosecution presented wire taps and cell phone records from the Shafia family in court to support their honor killing theory. The wiretaps, which capture Shafia spewing vitriol about his dead daughters, calling them treacherous and whores and invoking the devil to defecate on their graves, were a focal point of the trial.

"There can be no betrayal, no treachery, no violation more than this," Shafia said on one recording. "Even if they hoist me up onto the gallows ... nothing is more dear to me than my honor."

Defense lawyers argued that at no point in the intercepts do the accused say they drowned the victims.

Shafia's lawyer, Peter Kemp, said after the verdicts that he believes the comments his client made on the wiretaps may have weighed more heavily on the jury's minds than the physical evidence in the case.

"He wasn't convicted for what he did," Kemp said. "He was convicted for what he said."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_re_ca/cn_canada_honor_killing

one life to live jeff fisher van der sloot huntington disease heather locklear mlk memorial mlk memorial

Governor's office: Stop state spending on ex-CEO's legal fees ...

Former Kansas Bioscience Authority CEO Tom Thornton knew he was under criminal investigation and asked the agency for personal legal representation at least two weeks before he electronically shredded documents on his laptop computer, according to a letter obtained by The Eagle.

In a letter dated April 7, Thornton asked the KBA board to pay for his personal legal fees and indicated that he had retained James Eisenbrandt, a Prairie Village lawyer who specializes in white-collar criminal defense. Eisenbrandt is best known in Wichita for representing former Westar Energy CEO David Witting on federal charges of looting the utility.

The KBA, a state-funded agency, agreed to pay Thornton?s legal bills and has so far spent $53,671 on his defense, including about $1,800 to fly two lawyers to meet with Thornton in Ohio, where he is now employed in the Innovations division at the Cleveland Clinic.

The KBA has spent an additional $10,197 on legal representation for former KBA chief financial officer, Janice Katterhenry, who worked closely with Thornton.

Gov. Sam Brownback?s administration weighed in Saturday on Thornton?s legal fees and questioned why taxpayers should have to foot the bill for Thornton?s personal legal expenses.

?As good stewards of Kansas taxpayer monies, the KBA board should suspend all payments to Thornton?s attorneys and then pursue all legal means possible to seek a maximum recovery of taxpayer dollars from him," said an e-mail statement from Sherriene Jones-Sontag, the governor?s spokeswoman.

?I just think most Kansas taxpayers are going to find these expenses repulsive,? said Sen. Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, who has led legislative efforts to investigate the KBA since last year. ?It?s a colossal waste of taxpayer funds. The salary he earned, at $1.8 million (over 4 1/2 years) should have covered his legal expenses.?

Wagle also said the expenses paid so far could be just the beginning. ?There haven?t even been any charges filed yet,? she said.

Audit of the KBA

Billing records indicate that much of the expense revolved around Thornton?s and Katterhenry?s participation in a lengthy audit that was conducted by the national firm BKD LLC. The $960,000 audit, 900 pages of reports and supporting documentation, was released by the KBA on Monday.

The report identified few problems with the KBA?s handling of its primary duty, investing state dollars in bioscience companies.

But it faulted Thornton for destroying documents, misusing public funds for personal expenses, and creating an uncomfortable work environment by having an office romantic relationship with a woman he hired and later married.

Thornton has not returned messages seeking comment left on his office voicemail, e-mail and with a secretary at the Cleveland Clinic during the past week.

David Vranicar, who took over from Thornton as the acting chief executive of the authority, said the agency?s bylaws require it to pay for legal fees for current and former officers who are under investigation.

The former officers can be required to repay the authority for their legal expenses if the KBA board determines they acted in bad faith, against the interests of the authority, or had reason to believe their activities were illegal, the bylaws say.

Thornton?s letter and the resulting legal bills were obtained by The Eagle through a request filed under the Kansas Open Records Act.

Thornton?s letter

In the letter, Thornton wrote: ?I reasonably believe that in my capacity as an officer of the KBA, I am the target of a criminal investigation being undertaken by the district attorney of Johnson County. I have no reasonable cause to believe that any of my conduct as an officer of KBA has been unlawful. This will request that the KBA indemnify me in connection with such investigation and any resulting criminal proceedings which may be brought against me.?

On April 5, two days before Thornton sent his letter to then-KBA board president John Carlin, media reports had revealed that the district attorney was looking into allegations of wrongdoing at the authority. On April 6, the KBA confirmed that prosecutors had served subpoenas seeking to interview some of its employees.

When Thornton?s letter was filed on April 7, he said he had already hired a lawyer to represent him personally.

?I have retained James Eisenbrandt of the law firm of Berkowitz Oliver Williams Shaw and Eisenbrandt, LLP, to represent me in conjunction with the investigation and any resulting criminal proceedings,? the letter said.

When Thornton resigned from the authority on April 13, seven days after filing his letter, he retained possession of his work computer.

Files deleted

When he returned it on April 25, ?Forensic analysis of Thornton?s KBA-owned computer indicated that information had been removed from the computer, essentially all of the user-created content had been deleted, and that the free space had been wiped making the recovery of deleted items impossible,? the BKD report said. Programs to delete and electronically shred documents had been run on April 21, 22 and 23, the audit said.

Thornton admitted in an August interview with the auditors that he had wiped the computer.

?Mr. Thornton indicated that he did so because he was concerned that representatives of the State of Kansas would be involved in the review of the computer?s content and would possibly be politically motivated to inappropriately construe or use its contents,? the audit said. ?Mr. Thornton indicated that he had used the KBA-owned computer for his personal use and that it contained personal financial and tax information, family photos and other information of a personal nature, some of which would be embarrassing if made public.?

Auditors found some file extensions and data consistent with pornography, the audit said.

The audit said Eisenbrandt told interviewers that he was unaware that the computer files had been wiped until they brought it to his attention.

$475 an hour

The law firm?s billings show that the KBA is paying Eisenbrandt $475 an hour to represent Thornton.

The authority is paying $300 an hour for another partner in the firm, Christina DiGirolamo, $245 an hour for associate attorney Shahzad Naseem and $170 an hour for paralegal Leigh Oliver.

The KBA is also reimbursing the law firm?s expenses.

The biggest expense so far was $1,845 ? including two $845 plane tickets ? for Eisenbrandt and DiGirolamo to travel to Cleveland to meet with Thornton.

Sen. Chris Steineger, R-Kansas City, said he thinks the legal bills are excessive and questioned why Thornton was allowed to pick such expensive representation for himself.

?If we (the state) have to pay his legal bills and our own legal bills to chase him, we could end up spending $1,000 an hour or some crazy amount,? he said. ?It?s like a poison pill, or a disincentive to try to even pursue legal action against Tom Thornton.?

Audit cost under fire

Friday, before the legal bills were released, three legislative leaders from both sides of the aisle criticized the cost of the audit and said the time has come to move on.

"The problems seem to be with the head guy who?s now gone," said House Speaker Mike O?Neal, R-Hutchinson.

Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, said the audit showed there wasn?t really any conflict of interest and that investments were solid.

"It was a $960,000 witch-hunt, essentially, to uncover, what, was it 4,800 bucks total?" he said. The $4,800 refers to money that Thornton reimbursed the state about two weeks ago after auditors found he had used state money to buy artwork for his home and a plane ticket to Cleveland for a job interview.

House Minority Leader Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, said the audit was requested and its scope largely directed by Gov. Sam Brownback?s administration.

Davis said scrubbing the computer, sex in the office and using public money for non-business travel and art was clearly wrong. But he suggested some lawmakers seem to be hunting for more without significant evidence.

"This sort of reminds me of back to the Iraq War," he said. "We were looking for the weapons of mass destruction. And where are the weapons of mass destruction? We found some things that are disturbing and we found some good guidance for the organization going forward. But I think what this comes back to ... is the governor?s desire to have full control over the Kansas Bioscience Authority."

After learning of Thornton?s legal arrangements late Friday, Davis said he believes that Thornton is ?certainly entitled to representation in respect to his actions as an employee of the KBA.?

And he said he expects the authority will seek to recover the money if Thornton is convicted of a crime.

However, he added, ?the attorney fees seem to be a little excessive in my opinion; $475 an hour is far above what the typical Kansas attorney is charging. That concerns me a little bit.?

Contributing: Brent D. Wistrom of The Eagle

Reach Dion Lefler at 316-268-6527 or dlefler@wichitaeagle.com.

Source: http://www.kansas.com/2012/01/28/2193805/state-pays-thousands-on-ex-ceos.html

john galt post office hours post office hours coptic coptic breaking bad season finale breaking bad season finale

Leadership scramble: GOP rivals vie for title

Evelyn Solomon of Boca Raton, Fla., a supporter of Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich waits during a Republican Jewish Coalition rally at the South County Civic Center, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in Delray Beach, Fla. Romney and Gingrich square off over immigration and other issues as they look to woo Hispanics a day after a feisty, final debate before Tuesday?s Florida primary. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Evelyn Solomon of Boca Raton, Fla., a supporter of Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich waits during a Republican Jewish Coalition rally at the South County Civic Center, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in Delray Beach, Fla. Romney and Gingrich square off over immigration and other issues as they look to woo Hispanics a day after a feisty, final debate before Tuesday?s Florida primary. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Audience members cheer as Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, campaigns at Astrotech Space Operations in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Republican presidential contenders are making a pitch to voters that sounds a lot like a children's game: Follow the leader.

When Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich aren't puffing up their own leadership credentials, they're running down the leadership skills of one another and President Barack Obama.

If anyone missed Monday's conference call from the Romney campaign about Gingrich's record as a "failed leader," not to worry. They could have tuned in to Tuesday's conference call. Or Wednesday's. Or Thursday's. Or checked out the "unreliable leader" banner splashed across a Romney news release that labeled Gingrich "unhinged." Romney's political biography, meanwhile, is all about his leadership as a businessman, Massachusetts governor and savior of the 2002 Olympic Games.

It's hard to miss Gingrich's frequent broadsides at Romney, meanwhile, for failing to provide consistent, visionary leadership. Or the former House speaker's pronouncements that he, by contrast, offers "exactly the kind of bold, tough leader the American people want." Or Gingrich's muscular descriptions of all that was accomplished in his four years as speaker in the 1990s.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, lagging them in the polls, keeps trying to muscle his way into the leader palooza by offering himself as the steady bet who can be counted on to offer more reliable conservative leadership than "erratic" Gingrich or "moderate" Romney.

In a race where all the candidates are trying to out-conservative one another, stressing leadership credentials gives the GOP rivals a way to try to distinguish themselves. And in a year when Obama's own leadership skills are seen as one of his weakest qualities, it gives the Republicans another arrow in their quiver as they argue over who would be most electable in a matchup with Obama come November.

Leadership is always a part of the equation in presidential elections. In 2008, for example, the candidates all were abuzz with claims that they offered "transformational" leadership. Obama announced he was running by declaring, "I want to transform this country."

This year, leadership is getting an extra dose of attention, perhaps because of statistics such as this: The share of Americans who view Obama as a strong leader slipped from 77 percent at the start of his presidency to 52 percent in a Pew Research Center poll released this month. And among Republicans, only about a fourth of those surveyed in the most recent poll viewed Obama as a strong leader, compared with 80 percent of Democrats.

At a campaign debate last week in Tampa, Fla., Gingrich and Romney both turned a question about electability into an answer about the L-word.

"This is going to come down a question of leadership," Romney said. Then the former Massachusetts governor recited his track record as a leader in business and government and took a dig at Gingrich for having to "resign in disgrace" when he was speaker in the 1990s.

Gingrich, answering the same question, aligned himself with the leadership record of conservative hero Ronald Reagan and offered himself as someone "prepared to be controversial when necessary" to bring about great change.

The answers offer a window into how differently the two candidates define leadership ? Romney more as a manager with business school credentials, Gingrich more as a big-thinking visionary.

The leadership argument is a particularly potent campaign weapon for Romney because a number of Republicans who served in Congress with Gingrich have been happy to describe his shortcomings in running the House.

"If you were somebody trying to serve with him, you were always sort of left standing with your hands empty in terms of moving forward with an actual plan or putting a plan to paper," Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., said of Gingrich on a Romney campaign conference call on Thursday. "So for me, it's an example that he's just not an effective leader. I think Mitt has the temperament and the ability to lead."

Gingrich, who resigned after a spate of ethics problems and a poor showing for House Republicans in the 1998 elections, managed to turn even his resignation as speaker into evidence that he's a strong leader.

"I took responsibility for the fact that our results weren't as good as they should be," he said in the Tampa debate. "I think that's what a leader should do."

As for the turbulence of his tenure as speaker, Gingrich casts that, too, as evidence of his bold leadership.

"Look, I wish everybody had loved me, but I'd rather be effective representing the American people than be popular inside Washington," he said earlier in the campaign.

Stephen Wayne, a presidential scholar at Georgetown University, said the harsh judgment of Obama's presidential leadership by Republicans and even some Democrats in part is due to the high hopes that he raised during the 2008 campaign. Obama the president has been measured against the words of Obama the candidate ever since.

Now that it's campaign season again, says Wayne, "he's not competing against his own image, he's competing against a real life person that has frailties. ... In a sense, that lowers the bar for Obama."

___

AP Deputy Polling Director Jennifer Agiesta contributed to this report.

___

Follow Nancy Benac at http://www.twitter.com/nbenac

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-28-GOP-Follow%20the%20Leader/id-4296a33af707494cb8870640cc77c466

eric decker dallas cowboys cheerleaders leftover turkey recipes leftover turkey recipes hugo hugo the muppets

Pentax Optio VS20: hold it any way you want, as long as you love it

Standing on the Hoover Dam, you're trying to encapsulate the majesty of the engineering feat before you. Turning the camera on its side, you try and get a perfect portrait shot, but find the vagaries of evolution mean your fingers won't stretch to the buttons anymore. If you've ever experienced such horrors, Pentax has the solution with its new Optio VS20 digital compact camera. The 16-megapixel camera packs an accelerometer (like Samsung's QF20) which will flip your image to the correct orientation and a second shutter release and zoom lever on the topmost side of the body for easier snapping. The company also thoughtfully included a second tripod mount, so there's no futzing with your stand required. Less exceptional features include a 3-inch LCD, automatic picture modes including fish-eye that'll appeal to the young skaters and hipsters you see littering the streets. It'll capture 1280 x 720 movies with its independent video button (also recording in fish-eye) and variable aspect ratio. It's arriving next month for $250, so if you want to become a superstar of the board, you'd better get practicing your Ollies.

Continue reading Pentax Optio VS20: hold it any way you want, as long as you love it

Pentax Optio VS20: hold it any way you want, as long as you love it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/26/pentax-optio-vs20/

philippines hgtv design star definition of love creature creature us open mens final go daddy

Australian PM stumbles before rowdy protest crowd (AP)

CANBERRA, Australia ? Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard stumbled and was caught by a security guard as riot police helped her force a path through a crowd of rowdy protesters following a ceremony to mark Australia's national day Thursday.

She appeared distressed as she was pulled away from the protesters but was unharmed. She later remarked that she was made of "pretty tough stuff" and commended police for their actions.

Some 200 supporters of indigenous rights had surrounded a Canberra restaurant and banged its windows while Gillard and opposition leader Tony Abbott were inside officiating at an award ceremony.

Around 50 police escorted the political leaders from a side door to a car. Gillard stumbled, losing a shoe. Her personal security guard wrapped his arms around her and supported her to the waiting car, shielding her from the angry crowd.

The protesters had been demonstrating for indigenous rights nearby at the so-called Aboriginal Tent Embassy, a ramshackle collection of tents and temporary shelters in the national capital that is a center point of protests against Australia Day.

Australia Day marks the arrival of the first fleet of British colonists in Sydney on Jan. 26, 1788. Many Aborigines call it Invasion Day because the land was settled without a treaty with traditional owners.

Abbott appeared to be the target of protesters, who chanted "shame" and "racist" outside the restaurant.

The Tent Embassy celebrated its 40th anniversary on Thursday. Abbott had earlier angered indigenous activists by saying it was time the embassy "moved on."

Gillard was unharmed and later hosted another Australia Day function for foreign ambassadors at her official residence.

"The only thing that angers me is that it distracted from such a wonderful event," Gillard told reporters.

"I am made of pretty tough stuff and the police did a great job," she added.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_re_as/as_australia_indigenous_protest

snooki john dillinger atlanta hawks carlos zambrano lisa lampanelli lisa lampanelli celebrity apprentice

Japan's 'Nuclear Alley' conflicted over reactors

Kansai Electric Power Co's Ohi nuclear power plant No. 3, right, and No. 4 reactors are seen in Ohi, Fukui prefecture, north of Tokyo, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency on Thursday began their first inspection of the Japanese nuclear power plant that has undergone official "stress tests" _ a key step required to restart dozens of nuclear plants idled in the wake of the Fukushima crisis. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Kansai Electric Power Co's Ohi nuclear power plant No. 3, right, and No. 4 reactors are seen in Ohi, Fukui prefecture, north of Tokyo, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency on Thursday began their first inspection of the Japanese nuclear power plant that has undergone official "stress tests" _ a key step required to restart dozens of nuclear plants idled in the wake of the Fukushima crisis. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Kansai Electric Power Co's Ohi nuclear power plant No. 2, right, No. 3, center, and No. 4 reactors are seen in Ohi, Fukui prefecture, north of Tokyo, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency on Thursday began their first inspection of the Japanese nuclear power plant that has undergone official "stress tests" _ a key step required to restart dozens of nuclear plants idled in the wake of the Fukushima crisis. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team leader James Lyons, center, speaks during a press conference following their inspection tour of Kansai Electric Power Co's Ohi nuclear power plant in Ohi, Fukui prefecture, western Japan, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. The IAEA experts on Thursday began their first inspection of a Japanese nuclear power plant that has undergone official "stress tests" _ a key step required to restart dozens of nuclear plants idled in the wake of the Fukushima crisis. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Kansai Electric Power Co's Ohi nuclear power plant No. 3 reactor stands in Ohi, Fukui prefecture, north of Tokyo, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency on Thursday began their first inspection of the Japanese nuclear power plant that has undergone official "stress tests," a key step required to restart dozens of nuclear plants idled in the wake of the Fukushima crisis. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

FILE - This July 16, file 2011 photo shows Kansai Electric Power Co.'s No. 3, right, and No. 4 units of the Ohi nuclear power plant in Ohi, Fukui prefecture, western Japan. Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012 began their first inspection of the Japanese nuclear power plant that has undergone official "stress tests," a key step required to restart dozens of nuclear plants idled in the wake of the Fukushima crisis. A 10-member IAEA team was inspecting the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at the plant. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, NO LICENSING IN CHINA, FRANCE, HONG KONG, JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA

OHI, Japan (AP) ? International inspectors are visiting a rugged Japanese bay region so thick with reactors it is dubbed "Nuclear Alley," where residents remain deeply conflicted as Japan moves to restart plants idled after the Fukushima disaster.

The local economy depends heavily on the industry, and the national government hopes that "stress tests" at idled plants ? the first of which is being reviewed this week by the International Atomic Energy Agency ? will show they are safe enough to switch back on.

But last year's tsunami crisis in northeastern Japan with meltdowns at three of the Fukushima reactors has fanned opposition to the plants here in western Fukui prefecture, a mountainous region surrounding Wakasa Bay that also relies on fishing and tourism and where the governor has come out strongly against nuclear power.

"We don't need another Fukushima, and we don't want to repeat the same mistake here," said Eiichi Inoue, a 63-year-old retiree in the coastal town of Obama. "I know they added stress tests, but what exactly are they doing?"

"I oppose restarting them," he said.

Other residents said that economic realities made the plants indispensable, including Chikako Shimamoto, a 38-year-old fitness instructor in Takahama, a town that hosts one of the region's nuclear plants.

"We all know that we better not restart them," Shimamoto said. "But we need jobs and we need business in this town.

"Our lives in this town depends on the nuclear power plant and we have no choice," she said.

On Thursday, an IAEA team visited a plant in the town of Ohi to check whether officials at operator Kansai Electric Power Co. had correctly done the tests at two reactors. The tests are designed to assess whether plants can withstand earthquakes, tsunamis, loss of power or other emergencies, and suggest changes to improve safety.

Their visit, at Japan's invitation, appeared aimed at reassuring a skeptical public that authorities are taking the necessary precautions before bringing nuclear plants back on line. After the visit, IAEA team leader James Lyons said its assessment would be released at the end of the month but deciding whether to restart the reactors was up to the Japanese goverment.

Some experts are critical of the stress tests, saying they are meaningless because they have no clear criteria, and view the IAEA as biased toward the nuclear industry.

"I don't view their evaluation as something that is trustworthy or carries any weight," said Hiromitsu Ino, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo and member of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency's stress test panel.

The government idled most plants for mandatory tests and maintenance after the Fukushima disaster. Currently, only four of Japan's 54 reactors are operating. If no idled plants get approval to restart, the country will be without an operating reactor by the end of April.

Before the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that led to the Fukushima crisis, nuclear plants generated about 30 percent of the country's electricity. To make up for the shortfall, utilities are temporarily turning to conventional oil and coal-fired plants, and the government has required companies to reduce their electricity consumption.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has promised to reduce Japan's reliance on nuclear power over time, but it still needs some nuclear power until next-generation sources are developed.

In Fukui, 13 reactors at four complexes are clustered along a 55-kilometer (35-mile) stretch of coast with snow capped mountains facing the Sea of Japan. It's known as "Gempatsu Ginza," a phrase that roughly translates to "Nuclear Alley."

Only one of the 13 reactors is still running. The rest have been shut down for regular inspections required every 13 months. To start running again, they must pass the stress test.

Another hurdle will be gaining local support for the plants to restart. While local consent is not legally required for that to happen, authorities generally want to win local backing and make efforts to do so.

Fukui Gov. Issei Nishikawa, however, says he will not allow a startup of any of the prefecture's commercial reactors.

And the city assembly in Obama ? a town that briefly enjoyed international fame when it endorsed Barack Obama in the 2008 U.S. presidential race? has submitted an appeal to the central Tokyo government to make Japan nuclear-free.

But officials in Mihama, another town that hosts a nuclear plant, have expressed support for the town's three reactors also operated by Kansai Electric, also called Kepco.

Fukui is a largely rural area, traditionally focused on fishing and farming, but it has a significant textile and machinery industry, and boasts of being a major producer of eyeglasses. Its nuclear power plants supply approximately half of all the electricity used in the greater Kansai region, which includes Osaka and Kyoto.

Several towns' fortunes are tied closely to the nuclear industry.

Community centers and roads are paid by the government subsidies for hosting the plants. Closing the plants not only means losing jobs for thousands of workers, but hardship for stores, restaurants and other service industries.

Many of those interviewed had family members, relatives or friends with jobs at the plants, and some refused to give their names due to fear of repercussions.

Noda has said the final decision on restarting nuclear plants would be political, suggesting that the government would override any local opposition if Japan's energy needs become dire.

Naozane Sakashita, a taxi and bus driver, said his salary had decreased "substantially" after the Ohi and other plants went offline.

"I think these idle plants should resume as soon as their safety is confirmed," he said. "Our jobs and daily life are more important than a disaster that occurs only once in a million years."

Still, he said he is concerned about the safety of the plants because his son works as a control room operator at the Takahama plant.

"If our economy prospers without compromising our safety, of course it would be best to live without nuclear energy," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-26-AS-Japan-Nuclear/id-3edc10452c2341409878296f5aaa47bb

chely wright chely wright paul williams flight search jackie kennedy ringer ringer

Shop Android Deal of the Day: Case-Mate POP! Case for HTC EVO 3D

The Jan. 25 Shop Android Deal of the Day is the Case-Mate POP! Case for the HTC EVO 3D. The Pop Case features contemporary color pairings to create a modern look for your HTC EVO 3D. Rubber sides make for an easy grip. Inside, the soft material hugs your device like a glove. It's available in black, pink or white today only for just $12.95 -- that's 57 percent off! Get yours while supplies last!

 

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/_qGf1g__w8Y/story01.htm

arkansas football maggie daley black friday online deals black friday news gamestop albert haynesworth banana republic

Love Life: California Academy of Sciences Photo Competition

By Alex Wild?| January 23, 2012 |??

Share ?Email

---

Image by Lennon Day-Reynolds, taken at the California Academy of Sciences for the Love Life 2012 photo competition (used under a CC-BY-NC 2.0 license)

One of my favorite institutions, the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, is holding a photography competition:

The Love Life photo competition returns for a second year with two new categories and many more prizes! Submit your loveliest photos of the California Academy of Sciences and the natural world for judging by top photo experts. Then vote for your favorite photos online to be entered in the People?s Choice Award. All winners will be announced at the March 1st Nightlife.

Most categories require photographs captured at the museum itself. One- for photography that encourages awareness of, or action for, the natural world- accepts submissions from anywhere.

The contest allows photographers to retain copyright, and the deadline is February 1st.

Love Life 2012 Competition

image source

About the Author: Alex Wild is an Illinois-based entomologist who studies the evolutionary history of ants. In 2003 he founded a photography business as an aesthetic complement to his scientific work, and his natural history photographs appear in numerous museums, books, and media outlets. Follow on Twitter @myrmecos.

More??

The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

---

---

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=5dfdf05de22a18340bba82e3ff5eb5f8

joe paterno lung cancer john tucker must die uk basketball iowa state faroe islands faroe islands corso

Clashes spread in Tibetan region in China (AP)

BEIJING ? Deadly clashes between ethnic Tibetans and Chinese security forces have spread to a second area in southwestern China, an overseas Tibetan activist group said Wednesday.

Two Tibetans were killed and several more were wounded Tuesday when security forces opened fire on a crowd of protesters in Seda county in politically sensitive Ganzi prefecture in Sichuan province, the group Free Tibet said. It quoted local sources as saying the area was under a curfew.

The reported violence comes as some 30 Tibetans who were wounded Monday when Chinese police fired into a crowd of protesters were sheltering in a monastery in neighboring Luhuo county, a Tibetan monk said. Military forces have surrounded the building, said the monk, who would not give his name out of fear of government retaliation.

The counties have been tense for some time, and at least 16 Buddhist monks, nuns and other Tibetans have set themselves on fire in protest in the past year. Most have chanted for Tibetan freedom and the return of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who fled to India amid an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.

Many Tibetans resent Beijing's heavy-handed rule and the large-scale migration of China's ethnic Han majority to the Himalayan region. While China claims Tibet has been under its rule for centuries, many Tibetans say the region was functionally independent for most of that time.

"Chinese forces are responding with lethal force to Tibetans' ever-growing calls for freedom," Free Tibet director Stephanie Brigden said in a statement Wednesday.

A man who answered the telephone at the Seda county government office would not confirm or deny the group's account of Tuesday's violence. He would not give his name.

Calls to the county police offices rang unanswered Wednesday.

Chinese authorities have said Monday's unrest in Luhuo was caused by a "mob" and that overseas advocacy groups are twisting the truth about what happened in order to undermine the government. The government says order has been restored after one Tibetan died and four others were injured. It said five police were wounded.

Independent confirmation of the clashes is difficult due to a heavy security presence and lack of access to outsiders.

The United States, which will host Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping at the White House next month, has expressed grave concern at the reported violence.

U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues Maria Otero urged Beijing to address "counterproductive policies" in Tibetan areas that have created tensions and threatened Tibetans' religious, cultural and linguistic identity.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Washington has always been clear with China about its concerns for the human rights of Tibetans and others. She said the U.S. would be "just as clear" when Xi visits next month.

___

Associated Press writer Matthew Pennington in Washington contributed to this report.

____

Gillian Wong can be reached on http://twitter.com/gillianwong

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_re_as/as_china_tibet

craig smith eat to live eat to live ron paul money bomb ron paul money bomb bon vivant zynga ipo

State of Union: Obama to take on economic anxiety (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Eager to command center stage in a year dominated by Republican infighting, President Barack Obama is polishing a State of the Union address that will go to the heart of Americans' economic anxiety and try to sway voters to give him four more years. He will speak Tuesday to a nation worried about daily struggles and unhappy with his handling of the economy.

Obama's 9 p.m. EST address before a politically divided Congress will be built around ideas meant to appeal to a squeezed middle class. He is expected to urge higher taxes on the wealthy, propose ways to make college more affordable, offer new steps to tackle a debilitating housing crisis and try to help U.S. manufacturers expand hiring.

Designed as a way for a president to update the nation and recommend ideas to Congress, the State of the Union address has become more than that, especially during that one window when the address falls during the re-election year of an incumbent. It is televised theater ? and Obama's biggest, best chance so far to offer a vision for a second term.

He will frame the campaign to come as a fight for fairness for those who are struggling to keep a job, a home or college savings and losing faith in how the county works.

The speech will be principally about the economy, featuring the themes of manufacturing, clean energy, education and American values.

No matter whom Obama faces in November, the election is likely to be driven by the economy, and determined by which candidate wins voters' trust on how to fix it. More people than not disapprove of Obama's handling of the economy.

The overarching political goal is to give voters a contrast between his vision of a government that tries to level the playing field and those office-seekers who, in his view, would leave people on their own. Without naming them, Obama has in his sights those after his job, including Republicans Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.

The presidential campaign sets an unmistakable context for the speech, right down to the nation's income gap between haves and have-nots. Obama will speak on a few hours after Romney, a former governor and businessman whose wealth is the hundreds of millions of dollars, will release tax records for 2010 and 2011.

The lines of argument between Obama and his rivals are already stark, with America's economic insecurity and the role of government at the center.

The president has offered signals about his speech, telling campaign supporters he wants an economy "that works for everyone, not just a wealthy few." Gingrich, on the other hand, calls Obama "the most effective food stamp president in history." Romney says Obama "wants to turn America into a European-style entitlement society."

Obama's tone will be highly scrutinized given that his address falls smack in the middle of a fierce and frenzied Republican presidential nomination process. He will make bipartisan overtures to lawmakers but will leave little doubt he will act without opponents when it's necessary and possible, an approach his aides say has let him stay on offense.

The public is more concerned about domestic troubles over foreign policy than at other any time in the past 15 years, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center. Some 81 percent want Obama to focus his speech on domestic affairs, not foreign ones; just five years ago, the view was evenly split.

On the day before Obama's speech, his campaign released a short Web ad showing monthly job losses during the end of the Bush administration and the beginning of the Obama administration, with positive job growth for nearly two Obama years. Republicans assail him as failing to achieve a lot more.

House Speaker John Boehner, responding to reports of Obama's speech themes, said it was a rehash of unhelpful policies. "It's pathetic," he said.

Obama will offer economic proposals for this year, despite long odds against getting the help he would need from Republicans.

Presidential spokesman Jay Carney said Monday that Obama is not conceding the next 10 months to "campaigning alone" when people need economic help. On the goals of helping people get a fair shot, Carney said: "There's ample room within those boundaries for bipartisan cooperation and for getting this done."

For three days following his speech, Obama will promote his ideas in five states key to his re-election bid: Iowa, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Michigan. He speaks on Friday about college affordability at the University of Michigan.

Meanwhile, the Republican race is suddenly a race again, given Gingrich's resounding win in the South Carolina primary over the weekend. Romney, who appeared the strong front-runner coming into that primary, is now focusing on Gingrich more than Obama as the GOP contest unfolds in Florida.

Vice President Joe Biden, in an interview with radio host Ryan Seacrest, said Monday there is no ideological difference between any of the Republicans seeking to challenge Obama. He said the campaign will offer the clearest choice in which direction to take the country since the era of the Great Depression.

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

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_state_of_the_union

dexter mccluster david beckham tyche tyche jejune jejune who won the glee project

Administration nominees awaiting next move by GOP (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Senate Republicans are returning to Washington in an angry mood over President Barack Obama's appointments to two key agencies during a year-end break.

More than 70 nominees to judgeships and senior federal agency positions are awaiting the next move from Republicans, who can use Senate rules to block votes on some or all of Obama's picks.

While Republicans return Monday to discuss their next step, recess appointee Richard Cordray is running a new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the National Labor Relations Board ? with three temporary members ? is now at full strength with a Democratic majority.

Obama left more than 70 other nominees in limbo, well aware that Republicans could use Senate rules to block them.

The White House justified the appointments on grounds that Republicans were holding up the nominations to paralyze the two agencies. The consumer protection agency was established under the 2010 Wall Street reform law, which requires the bureau to have a director in order to begin policing financial products such as mortgages, checking accounts, credit cards and payday loans.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the five-member NLRB must have a three-member quorum to issue regulations or decide major cases in union-employer disputes.

Several agencies contacted by The Associated Press, including banking regulators, said they were conducting their normal business despite vacancies at the top. In some cases, nominees are serving in acting capacities.

At full strength, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has five board members. The regulation of failed banks "is unaffected," said spokesman Andrew Gray. "The three-member board has been able to make decisions without a problem." Cordray's appointment gives it a fourth member.

The Comptroller of the Currency, run by an acting chief, has kept up its regular examinations of banks. The Federal Trade Commission, operating with four board members and one vacancy, usually makes decisions unanimously.

The State Department, however, said it's important to U.S. diplomacy to fill the post of assistant secretary for western hemisphere affairs and the ambassadorships to El Salvador and Ecuador.

""We value highly our relationship with our hemispheric partners and consider diplomatic representation at the level of ambassador a top priority. This is especially true of the top diplomat charged with hemispheric relations, the assistant secretary," said William Ostick, a State Department spokesman.

Republicans have pledged retaliation for Obama's recess appointments, but haven't indicated what it might be.

"The Senate will need to take action to check and balance President Obama's blatant attempt to circumvent the Senate and the Constitution, a claim of presidential power that the Bush administration refused to make," said Sen. Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican who is his party's top member on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Grassley wouldn't go further, and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky hasn't tipped his hand after charging that Obama had "arrogantly circumvented the American people." Before the Senate left for its break in December, McConnell blocked Senate approval of more than 60 pending nominees because Obama wouldn't commit to making no recess appointments.

Republicans have to consider whether their actions, especially any decision to block all nominees, might play into Obama's hands.

Obama has adopted an election-year theme of "we can't wait" for Republicans to act on nominations and major proposals like his latest jobs plan. Republicans have to consider how their argument that the president is violating Constitutional checks and balances plays against Obama's stump speeches characterizing them as obstructionists.

Senate historian Donald Ritchie said the minority party has retaliated in the past for recess appointments by holding up specific nominees. "I'm not aware of any situations where no nominations were accepted," he said. The normal practice is for the two party leaders to negotiate which nominations get votes.

During the break, Republicans forced the Senate to convene for usually less than a minute once every few days to argue that there was no recess and that Obama therefore couldn't bypass the Senate's authority to confirm top officials. The administration said this was a sham, and has released a Justice Department opinion backing up the legality of the appointments.

Obama considers the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau a signature achievement of his first term. Republicans have been vehemently opposed to the bureau's setup. They argued the agency needed a bipartisan board instead of a director and should have to justify its budget to Congress instead of drawing its funding from the independent Federal Reserve.

Cordray is expected to get several sharp questions from Republicans when he testifies Tuesday before a House Oversight and Government Reform panel.

The NLRB has been a target of Republicans and business groups. Last year, the agency accused Boeing of illegally retaliating against union workers who had struck its plants in Washington state by opening a new production line at its non-union plant in South Carolina. Boeing denied the charge and the case has since been settled, but Republican anger over it and a string of union-friendly decisions from the board last year hasn't abated.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_go_co/us_nominations_spat

the avengers trailer minka kelly bloomberg tv bloomberg tv david koch the state republican presidential candidates

Teenage Engineering introduces Oplab musical prototyping platform

After finally getting the OP-1 up for order last January, Teenage Engineering is getting its second product to market -- Oplab. The latest offering is meant to compliment its slick synth, but we can see plenty people falling in love with it on its own. The Oplab is a tinker kit and DIY platform, akin to Arduino or Microsoft's .NET Gadgeteer, but designed explicitly for generating and manipulating sound. The main board, which retails for $299, is home to a trio of USB ports (two of them hosts), three MIDI connections (one in, one out and one sync) and a pair of CV in and CV out jacks. There's also a bank of switches for changing settings and a host of connectors for plugging in various sensors. The Swedish company is offering a number of add-ons for $49 apiece: an accelerometer (Flip), a piezo microphone (Tap) and a pressure sensor (Poke). Strangely enough, there's also a $149 a sneaker that has a rubber pouch that you can slip one of the aforementioned sensors into. Hit up the source link for more details and to order yours now.

Teenage Engineering introduces Oplab musical prototyping platform originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Create Digital Music  |  Teenage Engineering  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/23/teenage-engineering-introduces-oplab-musical-prototyping-platfor/

plane crash kardashian christmas card lori berenson lori berenson the incredibles jon bon jovi dead new jersey plane crash

Jim Hamilton's World of Securities Regulation: UK Finance Minister ...

Transparency and market position reform of the derivatives markets must proceed deliberately based on rigorous impact assessments to fully understand the costs and benefits, said UK Finance Minister Mark Hoban in remarks to the London Stock Exchange. While greater transparency has clearly had a positive effect in equity markets, he noted, the same measures may not be directly transferrable to the derivatives markets.

Derivative markets are considerably less liquid than equity markets, he said, and extreme care is needed to ensure that transparency requirements are carefully designed to work for each asset class. For example, while the component bonds that make up Markit?s iBoxx bond indices are some of the most actively traded bonds in Europe, a review of over 9000 of these bonds revealed that only 52 percent actually traded at least once in a six month sample period in 2010.

The European Commission must also undertake a rigorous analysis when it comes to updating MiFID to reflect changes in the commodities market. He urged the Commission not to succumb to knee jerk reactions which may only serve to increase costs for EU citizens.

The Minister emphasized that it is vital to remember that the commodities derivatives market serves a critical economic function in allowing end users to mitigate commercial risk. That is why the Minister is skeptical about blanket position limits across all markets, while acknowledging that they have a role to play in defined circumstances. In his view, active position management by exchanges and authorities will be much more effective in tackling market abuse, and will also provide a more rigorous approach. He said that it is incorrect to think that blanket limits will enable governments to control prices, as some would seem to suggest.

More broadly, he urged the Commission to resist pressure to use the ongoing MiFID reforms to raise barriers against third countries seeking to trade with the EU. Across EU dossiers there has been an increasing and worrying tendency to try to implement strict equivalence or reciprocity provisions through EU legislation. The Minister cautioned that this approach could effectively close EU financial markets to third country firms.

For instance, it seems that no third country would meet the standards as set out under the current MiFID proposal. From the moment that it is passed and until equivalence decisions are taken, it would close the EU market entirely to any new third country firm. Barriers would also be placed in the way of outward investment flows, for example restricting access to emerging markets. At a time when it is vital to attract more investment both within and without the EU, it is an approach that undermines growth.

Source: http://jimhamiltonblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/uk-finance-minister-cautions-that.html

posterior michelle obama adam lambert arrested shroud of turin barkley beltran space ball

Teen ends globe-circling voyage in St. Maarten

Dutch sailor Laura Dekker throws a rope as she docks her boat in Simpson Bay Marina in St. Maarten, Saturday Jan. 21, 2012. Dekker ended a yearlong voyage aboard her sailboat named "Guppy" that made her the youngest person ever to sail alone around the globe, although Guinness World Records and the World Sailing Speed Record Council did not verify the voyage, saying they no longer recognize records for youngest sailors to discourage dangerous attempts. (AP Photo/Stephan Kogelman)

Dutch sailor Laura Dekker throws a rope as she docks her boat in Simpson Bay Marina in St. Maarten, Saturday Jan. 21, 2012. Dekker ended a yearlong voyage aboard her sailboat named "Guppy" that made her the youngest person ever to sail alone around the globe, although Guinness World Records and the World Sailing Speed Record Council did not verify the voyage, saying they no longer recognize records for youngest sailors to discourage dangerous attempts. (AP Photo/Stephan Kogelman)

Dutch sailor Laura Dekker, center, hugs her sister Kim Dekker, right, and mother Babs Muller after arriving to Simpson Bay, St. Maarten, Saturday Jan. 21, 2012. Dekker ended a yearlong voyage aboard her sailboat named "Guppy" that made her the youngest person ever to sail alone around the globe, although Guinness World Records and the World Sailing Speed Record Council did not verify the voyage, saying they no longer recognize records for youngest sailors to discourage dangerous attempts. (AP Photo/Stephan Kogelman)

Dutch sailor Laura Dekker, center left, is hugged by her father Dick Dekker, right, sister Kim Dekker, center right, and mother Babs Muller, left, after arriving to Simpson Bay, St. Maarten, Saturday Jan. 21, 2012. Dekker ended a yearlong voyage aboard her sailboat named "Guppy" that made her the youngest person ever to sail alone around the globe, although Guinness World Records and the World Sailing Speed Record Council did not verify the voyage, saying they no longer recognize records for youngest sailors to discourage dangerous attempts. (AP Photo/Stephan Kogelman)

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten (AP) ? Laura Dekker set a steady foot aboard a dock in St. Maarten on Saturday, ending a yearlong voyage aboard a sailboat named "Guppy" that apparently made her the youngest person ever to sail alone around the globe, though her trip was interrupted at several points.

Dozens of people jumped and cheered as Dekker waved, wept and then walked across the dock accompanied by her mother, father, sister and grandparents, who had greeted her at sea earlier.

Dekker arrived in St. Maarten after struggling against high seas and heavy winds on a final, 41-day leg from Cape Town, South Africa.

"There were moments where I was like, 'What the hell am I doing out here?,' but I never wanted to stop," she told reporters. "It's a dream, and I wanted to do it."

Dekker claims she is the youngest sailor to complete a round-the-world voyage, but Guinness World Records and the World Sailing Speed Record Council did not verify the claim, saying they no longer recognize records for youngest sailors to discourage dangerous attempts.

Dutch authorities tried to block Dekker's trip, arguing she was too young to risk her life, while school officials complained she should be in a classroom.

Dekker said she was born to parents living on a boat near the coast of New Zealand and said she first sailed solo at 6 years old. At 10, she said, she began dreaming about crossing the globe. She celebrated her 16th birthday during the trip, eating doughnuts for breakfast after spending time at port with her father and friends the night before in Darwin, Australia.

The teenager covered more than 27,000 nautical miles on a trip with stops that sound like a skim through a travel magazine: the Canary Islands, Panama, the Galapagos Islands, Tonga, Fiji, Bora Bora, Australia, South Africa and now, St. Maarten, from which she set out on Jan. 20, 2011.

"Her story is just amazing," said one of Dekker's fans, 10-year-old Jody Bell of Connecticut. "I can't imagine someone her age going out on sea all by herself."

Bell was in St. Maarten on a work trip with her mother, Deena Merlen, an attorney in Manhattan, who wanted to see Dekker complete her journey. The two wore T-shirts that read: "Guppy rocks my world."

"My daughter and I have been following Laura's story, and we think it's amazing and inspiring," Merlen said.

Unlike other young sailors who recently crossed the globe, Dekker repeatedly anchored at ports along the way to sleep, study and repair her 38-foot (11.5-meter) sailboat.

During her trip, she went surfing, scuba diving, cliff diving and discovered a new hobby: playing the flute, which she said in her weblog was easier to play than a guitar in bad weather.

Dekker also complained about custom clearings, boat inspections, ripped sails, heavy squalls, a wet and salty bed, a near-collision with two cargo ships and the presence of some persistent stowaways: cockroaches.

"I became good friends with my boat," she said. "I learned a lot about myself."

Highlights of her trip include 47 days of sailing the Indian Ocean, which left her with unsteady legs when she docked in Durban, South Africa, where she walked up and down the pier several times for practice.

While in South Africa, she also saw her first whale.

"It dove right in front of my boat and got all this water on my boat, and that wasn't really nice," she said.

Dekker launched her trip two months after Abby Sunderland, a 16-year-old U.S. sailor, was rescued in the middle of the Indian Ocean during a similar attempt. Jessica Watson of Australia completed a 210-day solo voyage at age 16, a few months older than Dekker.

Dekker had said she planned to move to New Zealand after her voyage, but she said Saturday that she wants to finish school first. If she goes to New Zealand, she said, she'd like to sail there.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-21-CB-St-Maarten-Young-Sailor/id-4acc7940e3ab406d8ddb4debf48cd550

ohio john beck john beck mariska hargitay gmcr ohio news caracal