SmackDown results: The World's Largest Athlete powered through Bryan's sneak attack

TUCSON, Ariz. ? With the 25th anniversary of the Royal Rumble just two days away, Big Show triumphed over The World?s Strongest Man, before withstanding a surprise chair assault by World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan. Meanwhile, Randy Orton returned from injury, targeted the Barrett Barrage with a vengeance.

Big Show def. Mark Henry by Count-out (WATCH | PHOTOS)
Just two days before their Triple Threat Steel Cage Match against Daniel Bryan for the World Heavyweight Championship at the Royal Rumble, The World?s Largest Athlete and The World?s Strongest Man faced off one-on-one ? with the champion sitting ringside. When Henry could not answer the count ? the result of Big Show knocking him out of the ring ? Bryan attacked the victorious giant with a chair.

After breaking out of Bryan?s LeBell Lock, Show roared back, chokeslamming the champion and nearly landing a crushing WMD. Bryan scrambled out of the ring, but where will the submission specialist run when he faces Big Show and Mark Henry in a Steel Cage Match this Sunday?

Aksana def. Natalya (WATCH | PHOTOS)
In her very first match on SmackDown, Aksana got the roll-up in less than five seconds on a distracted Natalya. After the match, the angered third-generation Diva put her in the Sharpshooter, making the Lithuanian beauty frantically tap. Tamina, daughter of WWE Hall of Famer ?Superfly? Jimmy Snuka, came to Aksana?s rescue, landing a splash off the top rope onto her prey.

Brodus Clay def. Alex Riley (WATCH | PHOTOS)
The only living, breathing, romping, stomping ?Funkasaurus? in captivity, Brodus Clay, faced off against Alex Riley. As the match began, an affable A-Ry tried to show off some moves of his own. But the Superstar from Planet Funk quickly squashed his rhythm, nailing his opponent with a thunderous ?What the Funk!? to secure the win.

Hunico def. Ted DiBiase (WATCH | PHOTOS)
Despite a cracked bone and torn cartilage in his wrist ? suffered at a WWE live event in Winnepeg, Manitoba, Canada last weekend ? Ted DiBiase once again battled Hunico. With Camacho in his corner, Hunico focused his assault on DiBiase?s handicap, hurling him to the canvas to secure the victory. After the match, Hunico and Camacho attacked DiBiase and stomped his injured wrist on the unforgiving steel steps.

Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett ended in a No Contest (WATCH | PHOTOS)
With Randy Orton set to return to SmackDown after being injured one month ago in a brutal Falls Count Anywhere Match with Wade Barrett, his English adversary declared that The Viper was ?spiritually broken? and ?a shell of a man.?

WWE?s Apex Predator interrupted and, within moments, the Barrett Barrage clashed head-on with the vengeance of The Viper, before the match could even begin. With emerging referees and Superstars unable to break them apart, Orton unleashed his retribution, creating all-out chaos. While Barrett was able to escape the ring, the present SmackDown Superstars weren?t so lucky. The Viper delivered five searing RKO?s, suggesting he?s fully recovered, physically and spiritually.

WWE Tag Team Champions Primo & Epico def. Santino Marella & Yoshi Tatsu (WATCH | PHOTOS)
Prior to the match, the odd couple tag team of Santino Marella and Yoshi Tatsu debated whether they should be called ?Santoshi? or ?Yoshitino.? WWE Tag Team Champions Epico and Primo didn?t appear to care either way. After Epico hit a Backstabber on a distracted Santino, the explosive champions celebrated with the stunning Rosa Mendes.

Sheamus def. Drew McIntyre (WATCH | PHOTOS)
Due to Teddy Long?s repeated threats of termination, Drew McIntyre has been on the hot seat for weeks. A match against the quick-tempered Sheamus did little to improve McIntyre?s shaky employment situation, as The Great White overcame the Scottish Superstar with a devastating Brogue Kick. While ?The Chosen One? once again fell short, Sheamus appears to be peaking at the perfect time for the Royal Rumble Match.

Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes def. Justin Gabriel (WATCH | PHOTOS)
For the second week in a row, Cody Rhodes faced off against the high-flying Superstar from South Africa in an exciting, fast-paced match. Gabriel was very competitive against Rhodes but eventually succumbed to the Cross Rhodes, marking another impressive win for the driven Intercontinental Champion. Will Rhodes fulfill his declaration to triumph in the Royal Rumble Match in two days?

Big Show will face Mark Henry in a main event match (WATCH | PHOTOS)
To kick off SmackDown a remorseful and heavy-hearted Big Show apologized for his actions in unintentionally injuring AJ two weeks ago. The emotional Superstar brought doubt as to his state of mind and what the future holds for his career following his match at the Royal Rumble.

He was interrupted by World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan, who insulted Show as a ?genetic freak,? calling for his retirement before slapping him. The infuriated giant grabbed Bryan?s face and told him, ?What happened to AJ was an accident, what I do to you Sunday won?t be.? And with that The World?s Largest Athlete tossed the champion through the air.

Not one to miss a confrontation, Mark Henry made his way to the ring to address both Superstars, reminding them that he too is part of the Triple Threat Steel Cage World Heavyweight Championship Match on Sunday. Before things exploded, SmackDown General Manager Teddy Long emerged and made an additional main event for later in the show: Big Show vs. Mark Henry.

MATCH RESULTS

?

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/2012-01-27/results

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Obama urges Congress to act in election year (AP)

CAMBRIDGE, Md. ? President Barack Obama rallied House Democrats for an election-year fight, urging them to work with Republicans if they show some willingness to put politics aside but telling the rank and file to call them out if they stand in the way.

Addressing Democrats on the final day of their three-day annual retreat, Obama outlined the political stakes over the next few months as congressional Democrats try to push his agenda in the face of Republican opposition, the GOP choses its nominee and signs of recovery in a fragile economy go a long way to determining his re-election chances and the party's fate.

Obama said Democrats should seize the opportunity "whenever there is a possibility that the other side is putting some politics aside for just a nanosecond in order to get something done for the American people, we've got to be right there ready to meet them," the president told the sometimes raucous crowd.

However, "where they obstruct, where they're unwilling to act, where they're more interested in party than they are in country, more interested in the next election than the next generation, then we've got to call them out on it," the president said. "We've got to push. We can't wait; we can't be held back."

Coming off a three-day tour to promote his State of the Union message, Obama promised a "robust debate about whose vision is more promising" when Republicans choose their nominee.

On a day when reports showed the economy picking up late in 2011 but still considered "fragile" by the White House, Obama told Democrats wondering about their re-election prospects: "It's going to be a tough election because a lot of people are still hurting out there and a lot of people have lost faith generally about the capacity of Washington to get anything done."

House Republicans, who held their retreat in Baltimore last week, have repeatedly said the election will be a referendum on Obama's policies, especially his handling of the economy.

The president acknowledged that Democrats have embraced parts of his agenda when it was politically difficult and in some cases costly. The party took a drubbing in the midterm elections, losing control of the House and seeing their ranks diminished in the Senate.

And despite some past clashes with House Democrats over his willingness to compromise with Republicans, Obama was warmly received and was introduced as "our champion" by Rep. John Larson of Connecticut.

The president returned the warmth with a vote of confidence that Democrats would win back the House in November, making a nod to their leader as "soon-to-be once-again Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi."

"I believe in you guys. You guys have had my back through some very tough times," said the president, who received a small gift ? a DVD of House Democrats singing Rev. Al Green's "Let's Stay Together."

Last week, at a fundraiser at the Apollo Theater in New York, Obama stood on the stage and crooned a line from the Green classic.

Democrats were upbeat at their three-day session, energized by Obama's State of the Union address and its populist themes as well as recent polls showing more Americans say the country is on the right track and approve of Obama's handling of the economy. Divisions in the Republican ranks that were on full display last year in the fight over extending the payroll tax cut and the bitter battle between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich for the GOP presidential nomination also lifted Democratic spirits.

But the relationship with the White House hasn't always been cordial. Vice President Joe Biden, who addressed the Democrats prior to Obama's speech, described some of the rough patches.

He noted that several members in the room were mad at him in December 2010 after Obama negotiated an extension of President George W. Bush's tax cuts over the objections of some House Democrats. Last year, frustrated Democrats complained the Obama gave away too much in negotiating a spending bill and an agreement to raise the government's borrowing authority.

Biden said Pelosi told him at the last conference to "get tough. Enough is enough." He said the "message was heard. The message was heard. And I think we've delivered."

Biden said Democrats would reclaim the House and he would help candidates in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, New Hampshire and Florida. Those states also are critical to Obama's hopes of winning another term.

"We cannot succeed unless you all come back," Biden told House Democrats.

The vice president was more pointed in his political remarks than Obama and called out some Republicans by name. He said the American people will reject GOP unwillingness to compromise and its blatant determination to make Obama a one-term president.

Of the presidential candidates, Biden said Romney's criticism of the auto bailout and a host of positions stated by rival Newt Gingrich on government intervention will create a clear contrast for voters.

"These guys are helping us by saying what they believe," Biden said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_go_co/us_house_democrats

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State of California to pay ESA $950,000 in legal fees

Remember back when the great state of California, at the behest of then-Governor Schwarzenegger and State Senator Leland Yee, tried to pass that law restricting the sale of violent videogames to minors ? only to have the Supreme Court rule such a law unconstitutional? Well, all that adjudicatin' don't come for free, and now the state has agreed to reimburse the Entertainment Software Association $950,000 in legal fees.

The ESA had initially lodged a request for the state to repay the full $1.1 million in legal costs, but $150,000 between friends is chump change. After all, take into account the legal costs of the two earlier rulings in California's lower court, and the state will have reimbursed the ESA a total of $1,327,000. The Association points out that similar reimbursements from other states have netted a total of $3.1 million in legal recompense.

The proceedings, which were carried out against the backdrop of a long-lamented budget crisis for the state, ?wasted more than $1 million in taxpayer funds at a time when Californians could ill afford it,? says the Association's CEO, Michael D. Gallagher. He stressed, however, that his Association would continue to work with states to educate consumers in self-regulating measures such as the ESRB rating system.

The ESA also announced that a portion of the reimbursed legal fees would be put toward developing after-school projects in the poorer areas of Oakland and Sacramento. The programs, which will launch in Spring of this year, will appeal to what the ESA calls a "natural passion for playing and making video games" in the state's youth, "connect[ing] them to the development of critical 21st Century job skills."

Source: http://www.gamesradar.com/state-california-pay-esa-950000-legal-fees/

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Pac-Man Is NP-Hard

Most game players don't just play the game once (start game, yay, play, win a little, die, never play this game again).

I'd have to disagree, as both a Game Player and Game Developer. Gone are the days when Sonic or MegaMan sat in your console for weeks while you tried endlessly to beat it. Today's game players are EXACTLY like what you describe. That's why we have to baby them & lead them into playing the game -- They have many other options, a virtually endless supply of games to Try and fail at until one lets them win.

I sit "average" gamers of all age ranges in front of the games from yesteryears and the majority do exactly what you describe when given a choice to switch between any classic game on the shelf. They play the longest on familiar or easy to play titles.

PacMan is HARD. Rarely will you find a decent arcade with 5 lives instead of 3, and longer power-up periods (selectable via dip switches or.conf files). However, people don't play games to beat them, now they play to be entertained, and an unforgiving game that eats your quarters or $50 at once can't compete with the free casual games of today.

I think some balance can be found -- A short introduction to get you interested in the mechanics and/or story, followed by an increasingly engaging experience, but there's a fine line between too steep a learning curve and too boring of a game.

As for whether or not PacMan is NP Hard, I'd say that since it's 100% fully deterministic it's actually not. It's easy as hell to map out then play perfectly every single time afterwards, especially if you have the source code "running" through your brain and can can predict exactly what the Ghosts will do. Also, the same damn level over and over again is quite boring... That's why when I was required to learn JavaScript I created my own rendition [memebot.com] that was non deterministic (pseudorandomly so) as well as had many differing levels.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/3nfltwimYbE/pac-man-is-np-hard

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Daniel A. Bell: Memo from Davos: Down with Democracy!

We are familiar with the truism that multinational corporations are too large and powerful and cannot adequately be controlled by democratically elected politicians. MNCs constantly complain about rigid labor regulations; they want the right to fire workers at will, because otherwise they won't survive in a ruthlessly competitive market. Moreover, the pace of technological change has increased exponentially the last few years, and the need for labor flexibility has become ever more pressing. If rigid labor regulations hold up the need for innovation, the MNC will pack up its bags and move to a country that is more "welcoming" to big business. From a democratic perspective, the problem is clear. The ultimately controlling power should lie in the hands of the people and their elected representatives. But here it seems the MNCs have more power; the laws of the country must conform to the dictates of MNCs, rather than to the people's will. In his State of the Union address yesterday, President Obama tried to reassert the people's authority: he said he would change the tax code to punish companies that move jobs overseas, and reward companies that return jobs to the United States.

But what makes sense from a democratic perspective may not make sense from a moral point of view. Or so it was suggested earlier today at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum at Davos. In two sessions (open to the reporting press) with CEOs of major MNCs, it was surprising (to me) the extent to which the CEOs appealed to moral (rather than strictly economic) arguments to justify their ways. John T. Chambers, the CEO of Cisco, argued that the best performing companies also tend to engage in substantial corporate philanthropy. His own company gave away $299 million last year. He didn't explain the connection between profit-making and philanthropy, but perhaps the point is that being known as a "good" company increases the motivation of employees to be productive; and perhaps the regulatory authorities are more likely to be supportive of "good" companies.

The issue of job creation seemed even more fundamental to the moral outlook of the CEOs. Several CEOs emphasized that they create jobs and they should be given the conditions to do so. But job creation also involves destruction, or, as they put it, disruption. Duncan Niederauer, CEO of NYSE Euronext, pointed out that restructuring of his company required 20,000 job cuts. But he added that such restructuring was done with a vision of more growth, particularly in emerging markets. Put in moral terms, the loss of some jobs is justified because it allows for the creation of more jobs. The problem, from a democratic perspective, is that the jobs are often created in other countries.

But what if the total number of jobs is greater than the number of jobs lost, isn't that a good result? As Patricia A. Woertz, CEO of the agricultural conglemerate Archer Daniels Midland put it, economic growth that adds jobs wherever they happen is a positive. And governments that try to prevent that process -- like President Obama in the name of protecting jobs at home -- should presumably be condemned from a moral point of view. That is, they should be condemned from the point of view of theories of universal moral reasoning that value human well-being regardless of national boundaries (assuming that they create more jobs than they destroy, globally speaking). Democrats who value nation-based collective self-determination may side with President Obama. But the clash may not be between good guys and bad guys, but rather between competing systems of morality.

?

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-a-bell/memo-from-davos_b_1232758.html

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Japan's Tepco set for $13 billion bailout: sources (Reuters)

TOKYO (Reuters) ? The owner of Japan's stricken nuclear reactor, Tokyo Electric Power Co, will agree to be taken over by the government in a near-$13 billion bailout, sources said on Thursday, even as the country debates the future of nuclear power.

The injection of 1 trillion yen ($12.8 billion) in public funds would effectively nationalize Tepco (9501.T), supplier of power to almost 45 million people including Tokyo residents, in one of the world's biggest bailouts outside the banking sector.

Tepco has been dragging its feet over a proposal for the state-backed Nuclear Damage Liability Facilitation Fund to take at least a two-thirds stake in the company, which has been swamped by liabilities associated with the earthquake and tsunami which ruined its Fukushima nuclear power plant in March.

"If the government has a two-thirds stake, they have a right to control management, so naturally, Tepco doesn't like that," said one source familiar with the matter.

Tepco's future as an independent firm has been in doubt since the disaster, which triggered the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years and left the utility with huge compensation payments, cleanup costs and rising fuel bills as public concerns over safety make it hard to restart other off-line reactors.

Its plight has become emblematic of problems facing Japan's entire nuclear power industry, much of which has been idled since the disaster while authorities work to regain some public trust in an industry that had provided a third of Japan's power.

Tepco's fate is also being watched for clues as to whether Japan will deregulate its system of monopolistic regional utilities that both generate and distribute electricity.

Tepco's share price soared on the news, jumping 8 percent in heavy trade to 219 yen.

Tepco, which together with the fund is drafting a business reconstruction plan to be unveiled in March, is also seeking about 1 trillion yen in additional bank loans, sources said.

Under the plan, the utility is expected to swing to profit in fiscal 2014 and resume issuing bonds two years later, the Nikkei business newspaper reported.

The plan calls for government control to end in six or seven years, the Nikkei added, though other reports have said it might last about a decade.

According to the plan, Tepco is expected to post a parent-only net loss of about 580 billion yen in the year ending March 31 and next fiscal year, followed by a net profit of 37.7 billion yen in fiscal 2013, largely on the sale of real estate, the Nikkei said. Tepco is also expected to generate a pretax profit of 159.1 billion yen in fiscal 2014, it added.

The projection for improved earnings is based on the assumption Tepco will increase household electricity rates by 10 percent in October and reduce fuel costs by restarting reactors at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in fiscal 2013 -- moves the utility will find difficult to execute, the daily said.

Tepco shareholders will need to approve an increase in its authorized share capital at an annual meeting in June before the nationalization plan could go ahead.

(Reporting by Ashutosh Pandey in Bangalore, Osamu Tsukimori and Nobuhiro Kubo in Tokyo; Editing by Chris Gallagher and Mark Bendeich)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/bs_nm/us_tepco

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Analysis: For Obama 2012, it's all about the 99 percent (reuters)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/191197206?client_source=feed&format=rss

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To 'think outside the box,' think outside the box

ScienceDaily (Jan. 23, 2012) ? Want to think outside the box? Try actually thinking outside of a box. In a study to be published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, researchers had students think up solutions to problems while acting out various metaphors about creative thinking and found that the instructions actually worked.

The authors of the new paper were inspired by metaphors about creativity found in boardrooms to movie studios to scientific laboratories around the world and previous linkages established between mind and body. Angela Leung of Singapore Management University and her coauthors from the University of Michigan, Cornell University, and others wondered if the same was true of metaphors about creativity. "Creativity is a highly sought-after skill," they write. "Metaphors of creative thinking abound in everyday use." Their experiments went beyond metaphors that activate preexisting knowledge and demonstrated for the first time some metaphors "work" by activating psychological processes conducive for generating previously unknown and therefore creative ideas.

People talk about thinking "outside the box" or consider problems "on the one hand, then on the other hand." So Leung and her colleagues created experiments where people acted out these metaphors. In one experiment, each participant was seated either inside or outside of a five-by-five-foot cardboard box. The two environments were set up to be otherwise the same in every way, and people didn't feel claustrophobic in the box. Participants were told it was a study on different work environments. Each person completed a test widely used to test creativity; those who were outside did the test better than people who were inside the box.

In another experiment, some participants were asked to join the halves of cut-up coasters before taking a test -- a physical representation of "putting two and two together." People who acted out the metaphor displayed more convergent thinking, a component of creativity that requires bringing together many possible answers to settle on one that will work. Other experiments found that walking freely generated more original ideas than walking in a set line; another found truth in "on the hand; on the other hand."

All this suggests that there's something to the metaphors we use to talk about creativity. "Having a leisurely walk outdoors or freely pacing around may help us break our mindset," says Leung. "Also, we may consider getting away from Dilbert's cubicles and creating open office spaces to free up our minds."

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Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123175800.htm

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Andrew Zimmern Cooks Up Bizarre Foods For Reluctant 'Today Show' Hosts Amy Robach And Lester Holt

Andrew Zimmern stopped by the "Today Show" on Saturday, January 21 to promote the new season of his show, "Bizarre Foods America", airing Monday, January 23 at 10 p.m. ET. Unlike past seasons, this season takes place solely in the U.S., to explore the food culture in our own backyards, so to speak.

In the segment below, Zimmern introduces the "benign" turtle to a particular squeamish Amy Robach, co-anchor for the Saturday "Today Show" along with Lester Holt. He then prepares a geoduck, as Robach continues to squirm. But when Zimmern shows a braised raccoon, she really loses it. Although she eventually tries a very small piece of the meat (though herself and Holt avoid the stuffed pig stomach), her reaction proves exactly why this is great timing for Zimmern's show to air. Hopefully, as a result of this season, people won't be so scared to try unfamiliar foods, and will be able to learn to embrace the bizarre.

Watch the squirming below:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/23/andrew-zimmern-bizarre-foods_n_1223317.html

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Head of Arab League monitors in Syria defends work

Syrian army defectors gather at the mountain resort town of Zabadani, Syria, near the Lebanese border, on Friday Jan. 20, 2012. President Bashar Assad's forces attacked Zabadani, some 17 miles (27 kilometers) west of the capital, for six days, sparking fierce fighting that involved heavy bombardments and clashes with army defectors. On Wednesday, government tanks and armored vehicles pulled back, leaving the opposition in control of the town. Buoyed by the opposition's control of a town near the Syrian capital, thousands of people held anti-government protests Friday, chanting for the downfall of the regime. At least eight people were killed by security forces across the country, activists said. (AP Photo)

Syrian army defectors gather at the mountain resort town of Zabadani, Syria, near the Lebanese border, on Friday Jan. 20, 2012. President Bashar Assad's forces attacked Zabadani, some 17 miles (27 kilometers) west of the capital, for six days, sparking fierce fighting that involved heavy bombardments and clashes with army defectors. On Wednesday, government tanks and armored vehicles pulled back, leaving the opposition in control of the town. Buoyed by the opposition's control of a town near the Syrian capital, thousands of people held anti-government protests Friday, chanting for the downfall of the regime. At least eight people were killed by security forces across the country, activists said. (AP Photo)

Syrian army defectors gather at the mountain resort town of Zabadani, Syria, near the Lebanese border, on Friday Jan. 20, 2012. President Bashar Assad's forces attacked Zabadani, some 17 miles (27 kilometers) west of the capital, for six days, sparking fierce fighting that involved heavy bombardments and clashes with army defectors. On Wednesday, government tanks and armored vehicles pulled back, leaving the opposition in control of the town. Buoyed by the opposition's control of a town near the Syrian capital, thousands of people held anti-government protests Friday, chanting for the downfall of the regime. At least eight people were killed by security forces across the country, activists said. (AP Photo)

An anti-Syrian regime protester flashes victory sign as he marches during a demonstration at the mountain resort town of Zabadani, Syria, near the Lebanese border, on Friday Jan. 20, 2012. President Bashar Assad's forces attacked Zabadani, some 17 miles (27 kilometers) west of the capital, for six days, sparking fierce fighting that involved heavy bombardments and clashes with army defectors. On Wednesday, government tanks and armored vehicles pulled back, leaving the opposition in control of the town. Buoyed by the opposition's control of a town near the Syrian capital, thousands of people held anti-government protests Friday, chanting for the downfall of the regime. At least eight people were killed by security forces across the country, activists said. (AP Photo)

CAIRO (AP) ? The head of the Arab League's observation team to Syria has struck back at critics who say the mission has failed to stop violence between security forces and opposition groups seeking to oust President Bashar Assad.

Gen. Mohammed Ahmed al-Dabi told reporters in Cairo Monday that the mission's job was to never to stop the violence, but to document progress on the League's peace plan.

Al-Dabi, a Sudanese army general who has been accused of war crimes, defended the mission. He says that since its start, violence has gone down, prisoners have been released and some protests have been allowed to proceed peacefully.

The Arab League on Sunday extended the observer mission for another month and presented a new initiative aimed at ending the crisis ? which Syria's government rejected.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

BEIRUT (AP) ? Syria rejected the Arab League's wide-ranging new plan to end the country's 10-month crisis Monday, saying the League's call for a national unity government in two months is a clear violation of Syrian sovereignty.

The state-run news agency, SANA, said Damascus considers the plan "flagrant interference in its internal affairs" and the latest turn in an international plot against Syria.

President Bashar Assad blames the uprising that erupted in March on terrorists and armed gangs acting out a foreign conspiracy to destabilize the country. His regime has retaliated with a crackdown that the U.N. says has killed more than 5,400 people.

The Arab League has tried to stem the bloodshed by condemning the crackdown, imposing sanctions and sending a team of observers in to the country. On Sunday, the League called for a unity government within two months, which would then prepare for parliamentary and presidential elections to be held under Arab and international supervision.

It also provides for Assad to give his vice president full powers to cooperate with the proposed government to enable it to carry out its duties during a transitional period.

The League called on Syria's government to release political detainees, allow peaceful demonstrations and pull the military out of cities and residential areas.

The European Union backed the Arab plan Monday, and it extended existing sanctions against Assad's government by adding 22 more officials and eight companies to the blacklist.

Omar Idlibi, a spokesman for the Syrian National Council opposition group, said the Arab efforts do not go far enough. He and many other opposition figures demand Assad leave power and say anything less will just give the regime time to bury the revolution.

But there are significant splits in the opposition about the way forward.

Hassan Abdul-Azim, who heads the National Coordination Body for Democratic Change in Syria, or NCB, said the Arab plan is an "advanced step as the Arab League has started dealing with matters more seriously."

Abdul-Azim told The Associated Press that the plan would put more pressure on the Syrian regime and "tells it that it's impossible to keep matters as they are."

Syria appeared to get a serious boost Monday from its powerful allies in Russia. Russia's business daily Kommersant reported that Moscow has signed a contract to sell 36 Yak-130 combat jets to Syria ? a deal that, if confirmed, would openly defy international efforts to pressure Assad's regime.

Violence, meanwhile, continued inside Syria.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops and army defectors clashed Monday near the western town of Qusair, close to the Lebanese border. It said five soldiers were killed and 13 were wounded.

The reports could not be confirmed.

Syria has prevented most independent media coverage and until recently has refused to issue visas for most foreign journalists. In recent weeks, the regime has begun to permit entry for journalists on trips escorted by government minders.

On Sunday, Arab League foreign ministers extended the much-criticized observers mission for another month, according to a statement from the 22-member organization.

The Arab League faced three options Sunday: ending the mission and giving up its initiative, extending it, or turning the crisis over to the U.N. Security Council, as some opposition groups have urged. There, however, it would face a possible stalemate because of disagreements among permanent members over how far to go in forcing Assad's hand.

The mission's one-month mandate technically expired on Thursday.

Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal told reporters that his country will pull out its observers because "the Syrian government did not implement the Arab plan." He urged Muslim countries, China, Russia, Europe and the U.S. to put pressure on Assad's government to stop the violence.

Saudi Arabia has been one of the harshest Arab critics of the crackdown, It recalled its ambassador from Damascus last year in protest.

___

Bassem Mroue can be reached on http://twitter.com/bmroue

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-23-ML-Syria/id-edea475933964417a2cf6b0c262df5e0

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Nigerian sect kills over 100 in deadliest strike yet (Reuters)

KANO, Nigeria (Reuters) ? More than 100 people were killed in bomb attacks and gunbattles in the Nigerian city Kano late on Friday, a local government security source said, in the deadliest strike claimed by Islamist sect Boko Haram to date.

"Definitely more than 100 have been killed," the senior source, who could not be named, told Reuters.

"There were bombs and then gunmen were attacking police and police came back with attacks." Hospital staff said there were still bodies arriving at morgues in Kano.

Boko Haram claimed responsibility on Saturday for the wave of strikes. The sect has killed hundreds in the north of Africa's most populous nation in the last year.

The attacks late on Friday prompted the government to announce a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the city of more than 10 million people, the country's second biggest.

President Goodluck Jonathan, who has been criticized for failing to act quickly and decisively enough against Boko Haram, said the killers would face "the full wrath of the law."

Kano and other northern cities have been plagued by an insurgency led by Boko Haram, which is blamed for scores of bombings and shootings. These have taken place mostly in the Muslim-dominated north of Africa's top oil producer, whose main oil-producing facilities are located to the south.

Aimed mainly at government targets, the Boko Haram attacks have been growing in scale and sophistication.

A spokesman for Boko Haram contacted reporters in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, where the sect is based, to claim responsibility for Friday's bombings. Copies of a letter apparently from the group were also dropped around Kano.

The letter, written in the Hausa language spoken in northern Nigeria, said the attacks were retribution for police arrests and killings of members of the sect.

CHAOS

Police Corporal Aliu Abdullahi, who survived multiple gunshots, described a scene of chaos.

"We were in the mess when we saw people running and heard gunshots from the gate, I saw them shooting. You could not differentiate the Boko Haram members from our Police Mobile Force men because they wore the same uniform," he said.

"They were more than 50. As I tried to run a bullet hit me on my left hand and another shot hit me on my chest I fell."

The police said eight buildings were attacked, including police headquarters, three police stations, the headquarters of the secret services and the immigration head office.

"It is with a heart full of sadness and pain that I convey my condolences ... to the families, friends, associates and relatives of all those who lost their lives in the acts of violence in Kano," President Jonathan said in a statement.

"I want to re-assure Nigerians ... that all those involved in that dastardly act will be made to face the full wrath of the law."

Shooting between police and gunmen went on into the night, residents said. Witnesses said most died from gunshots.

"We are still going around collecting corpses," a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency in Kano told Reuters. "They are mostly police officers ... some died from injuries from explosions, some from gunshot wounds."

Witnesses said smoke billowed from the police headquarters after the blast blew out the windows, wrecked the roof and triggered a blaze that firefighters struggled to control.

AFRICAN UNION CONDEMNS ATTACKS

In one shooting late on Friday, unidentified gunmen killed a cameraman for Nigeria's Channels TV, Akogwu Enenche, who had recently also contributed stories to Reuters Television, while he was filming at the scene of one of the bombings, witnesses and his family said.

The police did not comment. Enenche was on a Channels TV assignment when he was shot.

"We are shocked and saddened at the death of Channels TV reporter Akogwu Enenche who has contributed footage to Reuters over the last few months. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family at this very sad time," Thomson Reuters Editor-in-Chief Stephen Adler said in a statement.

Boko Haram became active around 2003 in the northeast state of Borno but its attacks have spread into other northern states, including Yobe, Kano, Bauchi and Gombe.[nLDE80K00V]

Boko Haram, a Hausa term meaning "Western education is sinful," is loosely modeled on Afghanistan's Taliban.

The sect originally said it wanted sharia, Islamic law, to be applied more widely across Nigeria but its aims appear to have changed. Recent messages from its leaders have said it is attacking anyone who opposes it, at present mainly police, the government and Christian groups.

The African Union on Saturday condemned what it said were the latest "terrorist" attacks in Kano.

A bomb attack on a Catholic church just outside the capital Abuja on Christmas Day, claimed by Boko Haram, killed 37 people and wounded 57.

The main suspect in that attack, Kabiru Sokoto, escaped from police custody within 24 hours of his arrest, and police have offered a 50 million naira ($310,000) reward for information leading to his recapture.

Police arrested him on Tuesday but he escaped when their vehicle came under fire as they were taking him from police headquarters to his house in Abaji, just outside Abuja, to conduct a search.

Last August, a suicide bomber blew up the U.N. Nigeria headquarters in Abuja, killing at least 24 people.

There were two blasts in the southern state of Bayelsa in the oil-producing Niger Delta late on Friday but no one was killed. Police said they were not linked to Boko Haram.

Bayelsa, the home state of President Jonathan, is holding a governorship election next month. Troops have been deployed in the state in recent weeks to stem political unrest.

(Additional reporting by Felix Onuah, Segun Owen, Samuel Tife, Joe Brock, Tim Cocks and Austin Ekeinde in Nigeria and Richard Lough in Nairobi; Writing by Joe Brock; Editing by Tim Cocks)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120121/wl_nm/us_nigeria_blast

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Storm blankets Northeast with a few inches of snow (AP)

PHILADELPHIA ? A few inches of snow coated the Northeast on Saturday in a storm so rare this season in the East that some welcomed it.

"We've been very lucky, so we can't complain," said Gloria Fernandez of New York City, as she shoveled the sidewalk outside her workplace. "It's nice, it's fluffy and it's on the weekend," she said of the snow, which hadn't fallen in the city since a rare October storm that that dumped more than 2 feet of snow in parts and knocked out power to nearly 3 million homes and businesses in the region.

By midafternoon, 4.3 inches of snow had fallen in Central Park and 3.4 inches at LaGuardia Airport in New York. Most of eastern Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia, and central New Jersey saw about 4 inches of snow, with a few places reporting up to 6 inches. Flurries and freezing rain fell around Washington, D.C.

Up to 10 inches was predicted for southeastern Massachusetts, noteworthy in a season marked by a lack of snow throughout the Northeast. The quick-moving storm was expected to move out to sea overnight.

Road conditions were fair Saturday, officials said. Crews in Pennsylvania and New Jersey began salting roads around midnight and plowing soon after. By midmorning, the snow had turned to sleet in Philadelphia north through central New Jersey and had stopped falling altogether by early afternoon.

"It's a fairly moderate snowstorm, at best," said weather service forecaster Bruce Sullivan.

Few accidents were reported on the roads, helped by the weekend's lack of rush hour traffic, but New Jersey transportation spokesman Joe Dee cautioned drivers to build in more time for trips. Though temperatures will warm up this afternoon he said, forecasters expect the wet ground to freeze again overnight.

Flights arriving at Philadelphia Airport were delayed up to two hours because of snow and ice accumulation and about 35 flights had been canceled, but most departing flights were leaving on time, airport spokeswoman Victoria Lupica said.

New York City had 1,500 snow plows at the ready, each equipped with global positioning systems that will allow supervisors to see their approximate location on command maps updated every 30 seconds, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a morning news conference.

The equipment was installed last year following a post-Christmas storm in 2010 that left plows stuck and stranded in drifts and left swaths of the city unplowed for days. Bloomberg said the GPS system has already led to "vastly improved communication" between supervisors and plow operators.

In Connecticut, where the October storm did the most damage and some lost power for more than a week, about 6 inches of snow was forecast. State police had responded to dozens of accidents by midmorning but said none appeared to be serious.

As always, some benefited from the snow. Enough accumulated through the week for snowmobiling and ice fishing in New Hampshire, where cross-country ski trails and snowshoeing were open at Bretton Woods and other places.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_re_us/us_winter_weather

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Extraordinary Gingrich comeback also vindication

Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich prepares to walk off stage with his grand daughter Maggie Cushman, after Gingrich spoke during a?South Carolina Republican presidential primary night rally, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Columbia, S.C. Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich prepares to walk off stage with his grand daughter Maggie Cushman, after Gingrich spoke during a?South Carolina Republican presidential primary night rally, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Columbia, S.C. Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich laughs while speaking during a?South Carolina Republican presidential primary night rally, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Columbia, S.C. Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary.(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich waves to the crowd with his wife Callista during a?South Carolina Republican presidential primary night rally, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Columbia, S.C. Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks during a?South Carolina Republican presidential primary night rally, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, stands with his wife Ann as he speaks at his South Carolina primary election night reception at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich won the Republican primary Saturday night. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) ? To say Newt Gingrich capped an extraordinary comeback with a South Carolina victory doesn't quite capture what happened.

It was more like vindication.

The former House speaker came from behind to overtake Mitt Romney on Saturday in a state that for decades has chosen the eventual Republican nominee. On the way there, Gingrich triumphed over months of campaign turmoil and at least two political near-death experiences as well as millions of dollars of attack advertisements and potentially damning personal allegations.

He did it by finding his voice and rallying conservatives with a populist defiance.

"The American people feel that they have elites who have been trying to force us to stop being Americans," Gingrich told cheering supporters in Columbia after he was declared the victor. "It's not that I am a good debater. It's that I articulate the deepest-felt values of the American people."

It was on the debate stage that the pugnacious Gingrich arguably revived his presidential campaign, not once but twice in the past year, by giving a tea party-infused GOP exactly what it's hungering for ? a no-holds-barred attack dog willing to go after President Barack Obama with abandon. If Gingrich wins the nomination, his confrontational attitude against all things Obama likely will be a big reason Republicans choose him over chief rival Romney.

Gingrich, a political strategist in his own right who has a knack for understanding precisely what the GOP electorate wants, has aggressively taken it to Obama since the moment he entered the race last spring determined to turn his nationwide grass-roots network of support that he's cultivated for a decade into a front-running White House campaign.

But he stumbled early, including by disparaging the House Republicans' Medicare proposal as "right-wing social engineering" and was all but forced to apologize after the conservative outcry. His campaign nearly imploded over strategy squabbles, with virtually his entire senior staff abandoning him before the summer even began. And he was broke after spending lavishly.

Gingrich spent the next six months running his own campaign on a shoestring. The former college professor used a series of debates in the fall ? and the free media they afforded him ? to show Republican voters his political and oratory skills. Their adoration ended up catapulting him back into contention in Iowa. He vowed to stay positive and focus on Obama ? even as his rivals, sensing a very real threat, went on the attack with a barrage of negative TV advertising.

His rivals and allied groups ? primarily the pro-Romney Restore Our Future political action committee and Texas Rep. Ron Paul ? castigated him for a tumultuous speakership and career in Washington after Congress, knocking him way off course and nearly bludgeoning him to political death.

It turned out Gingrich didn't have the money to respond on TV. And his standing slid as the new year began, and he ended up coming in a distant fourth place in the leadoff caucuses on Jan. 3.

He was but an afterthought in the next state to vote, New Hampshire, where he spent a full week on the attack against Romney while complaining about the beating he took in Iowa on the air. But the cash-strapped Gingrich didn't have money to take his criticism of Romney to the TV airwaves. He seemed completely off his game, losing big in the first-in-the-nation primary state.

Then Sheldon Adelson came to the rescue.

The billionaire casino magnate and longtime Gingrich backer ponied up at least $5 million for an outside group ? made up of former Gingrich aides ? to help put his buddy back in the game. It wasn't long before the group ? Winning Our Future ? was exacting payback on Romney for his allies pummeling Gingrich in Iowa. And the group started raising questions about Romney's time at the helm of a private equity firm, Bain Capital, putting Romney on the defensive for the first time during the campaign.

When the race turned to South Carolina, it didn't take long for Gingrich? a former Georgia congressman ? to hit his stride. The state had always been a campaign firewall for him. He had visited often, built his biggest staff of any of the first three early-voting states and spent $2.5 million on advertising.

Over the past 10 days, he raised questions about Romney's private business experience while Winning Our Future reinforced the message by financing millions of dollars in South Carolina advertising characterizing Romney as a corporate predator who dismantled companies while running Bain Capital. Gingrich also started working to undercut Romney's strength ? the notion that the former Massachusetts governor was the Republicans' best chance to beat Obama in the fall.

"What you are seeing him doing is convincing people first that he can win," senior Gingrich adviser David Winston explained at one point. "He's in the process of crossing that threshold."

It was his performance in two debates last week that may have helped him seal the deal with undecided Republicans who were questioning his viability as a candidate.

He turned his vulnerabilities ? a comment some interpreted as racist and an allegation by an ex-wife that he had wanted an "open marriage" ? into moments of strength by answering questions about those issues with nothing short of a character assassination on the national media. In both instances, he clearly tickled his conservative audience ? many of whom are skeptical of a media industry they view as left-leaning.

In Myrtle Beach last Monday, Gingrich lashed out when FOX News Juan Williams had asked him if comments he made urging poor minority children to work as janitors were racially insensitive.

"The fact is that more people have been put on food stamps by Barack Obama than any president in American history," Gingrich retorted ? and then turned up the intensity.

His voice rose and he jabbed a finger into the podium as he said: "I believe every American of every background has been endowed by their creator with the right to pursue happiness. And if that makes liberals unhappy, I'm going to continue to find ways to help poor people learn how to get a job, learn how to get a better job, and learn some day to own the job."

The clip became the heart of Gingrich's final television ad in South Carolina, and won high praise from supporters at the barbecue joints and sportsmen's clubs he visited in the campaign's closing days.

But three days later, Gingrich had what seemed like a problem on his hands.

An ex-wife, Marianne Gingrich, did an interview with ABC News in which she said Gingrich had asked her to allow him to have a mistress while they were married. It was unclear how the allegation would play in a Baptist state where many in the GOP electorate call themselves evangelical.

Gingrich ended up using the allegation to his advantage on a debate stage in Charleston, when CNN moderator John King opened the candidate face-off by asking Gingrich about his ex-wife's claim.

"Every person in here knows personal pain. Every person in here has had someone close to them go through painful things," an indignant Gingrich said. "To take an ex-wife and make it, two days before the primary, a significant question for a presidential campaign is as close to despicable as anything I can imagine."

The audience roared and rose to its feet.

Several things also fell Gingrich's way.

Romney's personal wealth was thrust into the spotlight as he stumbled over whether ? and then eventually when ? he would release his tax returns. Gingrich pounced, suggesting Romney may have something to hide that could pose a liability against Obama. Romney also took a hit when the Iowa GOP declared that Rick Santorum, not Romney had won the leadoff caucuses.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry also quit the race two days before the primary and endorsed Gingrich. And evangelical conservatives in the state largely ignored the pleas of national Christian leaders who had voted to endorse Santorum and started coalescing behind Gingrich, the only other candidate in the race fighting over the support of the right flank.

In the end, South Carolina Republican strategist Chip Felkel said: "His supporters were fired up, and it's contagious, especially given Romney's failure to generate that kind of enthusiasm."

The coming weeks will determine whether Gingrich can stay on top this time.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-22-How%20Gingrich%20Won/id-6ecdcedee10e4ea9990fa133c45ca1f1

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Primary day at hand, SC voters have their say (AP)

GREENVILLE, S.C. ? Primary day at hand, fast-climbing Newt Gingrich told South Carolinians on Saturday that he was "the only practical conservative vote" able to stop front-runner Mitt Romney in the GOP presidential race. Romney acknowledged the first-in-the-South contest "could be real close" and prepared for an extended fight by agreeing to two more debates in Florida, next on the election calendar.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum braced for a setback and looked ahead to the Jan. 31 contest after getting the most votes in Iowa and besting Gingrich in New Hampshire. Texas Rep. Ron Paul made plans to focus on states where his libertarian, Internet-driven message might find more of a reception with voters; his campaign said it had purchased a substantial ad buy in Nevada and Minnesota, which hold caucuses next month.

The first contest without Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who dropped out this past week and endorsed Gingrich, was seen as Romney's to lose just days ago. Instead, the gap closed quickly between the Massachusetts governor who portrays himself as the Republicans best positioned to defeat President Barack Obama and Gingrich, the confrontational former House speaker from Georgia.

Romney avoided a run-in with Gingrich at Tommy's Country Ham House, where both had scheduled campaign events for the same time. Romney stopped by the breakfast restaurant 45 minutes ahead of schedule. When Gingrich arrived, just minutes after Romney's bus left the parking lot, he said: "Where's Mitt?"

Earlier, Gingrich had a message for voters during a stop at The Grapevine restaurant in Boiling Springs not long after the polls opened: Come out and vote for me if you want to help deny Romney nomination.

He told diners who were enjoying plates of eggs and grits that he was the "the only practical conservative vote" to the rival he called a Massachusetts moderate. "Polls are good, votes are better," he said.

Gingrich also said he would put a stop to federal actions against South Carolina's voter ID and immigration laws.

Romney's agreement to participate in Florida debates Monday in Tampa and Thursday in Jacksonville was seen as an acknowledgement of a prolonged battle with Gingrich.

"This could be real close," said Romney as he chatted on the phone with a voter Saturday morning and urged the man to go vote.

Romney still has significant advantages over his three remaining Republican rivals, including an enormous financial edge and a well-organized campaign.

But with his Iowa victory now rescinded, losing in South Carolina would be a setback that could draw the primary contest out much longer. Just 10 days ago, Romney's campaign team was looking ahead to the general election as it anticipated a quick sweep in early primaries.

By Saturday, state Treasurer Curtis Loftis, a top Romney backer, was on an automated telephone message attacking Gingrich's ethics record in Congress, while Romney's wife, Ann, was on a separate one urging voters to consider the candidates character.

"Look at how they've lived their life," she says. "And that's why I think it's so important to understand the character of a person."

Before the ham house standoff that wasn't, Romney stood outside his Greenville headquarters and undertook a new attack on Gingrich. He called on Gingrich to further explain his contracts with Freddie Mac, the housing giant, and release any advice he had provided to the company. He has said the contracts earned two of his companies more than $1.6 million over eight years, but that he only pocketed about $35,000 a year himself.

`I'd like to see what he actually told Freddie Mac. Don't you think we ought to see it?" Romney said.

It was another response to pressure on Romney to release his tax returns before Republican voters finish choosing a nominee.

A day earlier, Romney had called on Gingrich to release information related to an ethics investigation of Gingrich in the 1990s. Gingrich argues that GOP voters need to know whether the wealthy former venture capital executive's records contain anything that could hurt the party's chances against Obama.

Romney has said he will release several years' worth of tax returns in April. Gingrich has called on him to release them much sooner. On Saturday, Romney refused to answer questions from reporters about the returns and whether his refusal to release them had hurt him with South Carolina voters.

Gingrich, buoyed by Perry's endorsement as he left the race Thursday, has called Romney's suggestion about releasing ethics investigation documents a "panic attack" brought on by sinking poll numbers.

The stakes were high for Saturday's vote. The primary winner has gone on to win the Republican nomination in every election since 1980.

It's very important, but it's not do or die," Paul told Fox News

Some of South Carolina's notorious 11th-hour devilry ? fake reports in the form of emails targeting Gingrich and his ex-wife Marianne ? emerged in a race known as much for its nastiness as for its late-game twists.

"Unfortunately, we are now living up to our reputation," said South Carolina GOP strategist Chip Felkel.

State Attorney Gen. Alan Wilson ordered a preliminary review of the phony messages to see if any laws had been broken.

Gingrich's ex-wife burst into the campaign this week when she alleged in an ABC News interview that her former husband had asked her for an "open marriage," a potentially damaging claim in a state where the Republican primary electorate includes a potent segment of Christian conservatives. The thrice-married Gingrich, who has admitted to marital infidelities, angrily denied her accusation.

___

Associated Press writers Beth Fouhy and Thomas Beaumont contributed to this report from South Carolina.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign

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GLAAD Media Award nominees announced

NEW YORK (AP) ? The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has named the film "J. Edgar," Lady Gaga's album "Born This Way" and a TV interview by David Letterman with Chaz Bono among its nominees for the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards.

The awards are meant to recognize and honor media for outstanding images of the gay and lesbian community.

GLAAD announced on Thursday nominees in English-language and Spanish-language categories.

Other nominees include the film "Albert Nobbs," starring Glenn Close, and the TV series "Glee," ''Modern Family" and "NCIS," as well as the wedding of a gay staffer aired on the talk show "Conan."

The winners will be announced March 24 and at ceremonies in April and June.

___

Online:

http://www.glaad.org/mediaawards/nominees

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-01-19-GLAAD%20Media%20Awards/id-2421acbb0c0743519ff1a28ede165284

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Rwanda arrests 4 military top officers (AP)

KIGALI, Rwanda ? Rwanda's military is suspending and putting under house arrest four top military officers over allegations of business dealings with civilians in Congo.

A statement from the army and defense spokesman on Wednesday says three generals and one colonel have been suspended for what the government termed "indiscipline."

One of the suspects, Brig. Gen. Richard Rutatina, is the head of military intelligence. He has also been President Paul Kagame's adviser on security issues. Also among the four is Lt. Gen. Fred Ibingira, chief of staff of the reserves force.

Rwanda has in the past been accused of illegally plundering the mineral wealth of Congo.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120118/ap_on_re_af/af_rwanda_military_arrests

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Swizz Beatz's Megaupload Shut Down By Feds

Action is among largest criminal copyright cases ever brought by the United States, Department of Justice confirms in statement to MTV News.
By Rob Markman

Swizz Beatz
Photo: Johnny Nunez/ WireImage

Megaupload's problems continue to mount. On Wednesday, news broke that the popular file-sharing site had come under fire after Universal Music Group took issue with a promotional video featuring Universal Music Group artists like Kanye West, will.i.am and Diddy. Now, the site run by Swizz Beatz has been shut down.

On Thursday (January 19), the federal government took the action against Megaupload.com, and also arrested several members of the company, hitting them with multiple racketeering and copyright infringement charges, according to a statement issued to MTV News by the U.S. Department of Justice. A federal indictment alleges that the site, which allows users to transfer large files, has generated more than $175 million in criminal proceed and costs copyright-holders more than $500 million in lost revenue from pirated movies, albums and other materials.

Swizz Beatz, Megaupload's CEO, was not charged in the indictment which was handed down on January 5, and as of now, it is unclear how the producer/rapper's involvement with the company will play into the case. The Associated Press reported that Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom (also known as Kim Schmitz) was arrested Thursday in New Zealand along with three others.

The Department of Justice said that this is among the largest criminal copyright cases ever brought by the United States. The news broke a day after major websites like Wikipedia and Google protested against the U.S. House of Representatives' Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, and the Senate's similar Protect IP act.

Representatives for Swizz Beatz had not responded to MTV News' request for comment at press time.

Related Artists

• Swizz Beatz

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677579/swizz-beatz-megaupload-shut-down.jhtml

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2012 Georgia Tech Football Schedule: Virginia Tech Game Could Move To Labor Day

By Steven Godfrey - Columnist

Georgia Tech and the ACC are in talks to potentially move the Jackets' game against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg to Labor Day Monday.

Follow , and Like SB Nation Atlanta on Facebook.

Jan 18, 2012 - Georgia Tech and the Atlantic Coast Conference are in talks to move the Yellow Jackets' game against Coastal Division rival Virginia Tech to the Monday night of Labor Day weekend, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Both schools would need to agree to make the move to a September 3 kickoff, replicating the ACC's former Labor Day match-up between Florida State and Miami. Last year the Hurricanes played at Maryland on Labor Day, a game lacking the traditional luster of a big-time ACC match-up. The winner of the Georgia Tech / Virginia Tech game has represented the Coastal Division in the last seven ACC Championship games.

The Jackets usually schedule non-conference and/or FCS teams to open their schedule with, and already have a Sept. 8 game with Middle Tennessee State scheduled. Both Miami and Maryland had a bye week following this past season's Labor Day game.

The Chick-Fil-A Kickoff in Atlanta will feature two ACC teams the same weekend - Clemson (facing Auburn) and NC State (against Tennessee) - and would complicate any kind of move by the conference to establish a permanent Labor Day game between to two conference foes. Making such a move would ostensibly eliminate those schools from consideration for the Kickoff, which features national publicity and a bowl-like payout for each school.

For more on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, visit From The Rumble Seat. For Virginia Tech news, go to Gobbler Country. For college football info from across the country, check out SB Nation's college football news hub.

Read More: Miami Hurricanes, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

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Source: http://atlanta.sbnation.com/georgia-tech-yellow-jackets/2012/1/18/2715773/2012-georgia-tech-football-schedule-virginia-tech

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McCain?s entire oppo book on Romney from 2008 found online (Americablog)

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

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AKVIS Refocus v.1.5 For Windows And Macintosh

AKVIS Refocus software, which is available as a Photoshop plugin and a standalone edition, is designed to improve the sharpness of out of focus images. The program can process the entire photo or bring into focus just the subject to make them stand out against the background.

In version 1.5 you'll find:

• Added support for RAW and DNG files.
• Added new ready-to-use Presets.
• Added the list of Recent Files which is visible by right mouse clicking on the Open Image button.?
• Added the possibility to use OS File dialogue to load/save files.?
• Added the new colour scheme of the Hints Panel.
• Improved compatibility with Mac OS X Lion.
• Fixed minor bugs, etc.?

AKVIS Refocus sells for $ 39 USD and registered users of Refocus can upgrade to the new version for free.?

Visit AKVIS for more information.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ephotozine/news/~3/UQ8WDFuaJq0/akvis-refocus-v-1-5-for-windows-and-macintosh-18285

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Mo. jobless rate drops, state sheds 11,800 jobs (AP)

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. ? Missouri's unemployment rate fell to 8 percent, but the state's overall payroll still declined by several thousand jobs.

The state Department of Economic Development reported Tuesday that Missouri's net nonfarm payroll declined by 11,800 jobs in December. Officials say that includes seasonal job losses in private educational services because of holiday and semester breaks at colleges and universities.

Missouri's unemployment rate in December declined two-tenths of a point to 8 percent, the lowest rate since January 2009.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120118/ap_on_bi_ge/us_missouri_unemployment_missouri

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