Sea Wolf (for iPhone)

The original Sea Wolf was a 1976 World War II-themed coin-op game that came with a periscope that entertainment-seekers would use to blast Axis ships out of the water. Fast forward 36 years and the game now lives in the iPhone or iPod touch courtesy of a $1.99 remake that manages to capture the simple, addictive nature of the original while adding modern bells and whistles.

Simple, Fun Premise
Sea Wolf's gameplay is simple: you sink enemy ships and planes with a variety of firepower, while shooting crates for power ups. iDevices, of course, lack built-in periscopes, but you can target foes using the on-screen crosshair by tilting your phone or media player to the left or right. Tapping a fire button icon launches a torpedo, while dragging the cross hair across the screen lets you send off a stream of anti-aircraft projectile from the deck gun. The controls are responsive and work well.

Each level consists of completing a challenge (such as destroying a bridge, or downing aircraft) while meeting a point total. Should your ship take heavy damage, or you run out of torpedoes, the game ends. If, however, you run out of torpedoes after completing the mission objectives, Sea Wolf kindly advances you to the next stage. A nice touch.

Graphics and Sound
Sea Wolf's graphics are simple?not bad, just simple. Graphics whores will gripe about the low-key graphics, but what's there is serviceable. Still, the game could use some visual pop?the color scheme is a bit drab. Military-style drumming sets the combat tone, and the in-game sounds are crisp and satisfying.

Should You Engage Sea Wolf?
If you're in need a quick distraction while making the commute, standing in line at the post office, or waiting in the doctor's office, Sea Wolf's simple, jump-in-and-jump-out gameplay is a welcome diversion. It could use a more vibrant color scheme, but it's a $1.99 game you should check out.

More Mobile Games Reviews:
??? OnLive (for Android)
??? OnLive (for iPad)
??? Tetris
??? EA SportsFight Night Round 3
??? Bejeweled
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/A-tWzX3O3jg/0,2817,2399667,00.asp

fox news sanctum the notebook duke basketball ides of march miranda july joepa

Priebus vs. Obama: 'Sinking Ship' Remark Shows Incivility (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | Reince Priebus, Francesco Schettino, Barack Obama.

If we only knew the name of the U.S. president until now, and not the name of the Republican National Committee chairman or the captain of the sunken Italian cruise ship, chances are today we know all three.

That's because Priebus has compared Obama to "our own little Capt. Schettino," the analogy being that Obama, in heading for the campaign trail, has bailed out on his presidential duties and the sinking ship of the federal government, the same as Schettino allegedly bailed out of the Costa Concordia while some of his passengers were ultimately drowning.

Priebus' predecessor as RNC chair, Michael Steele, deemed the remark as "inappropriate." Steele no doubt holds no love lost toward Priebus, the foe who ousted him. But his description of "inappropriate" simply seems, well, appropriate.

Of course, far worse condemnations have been uttered in politics. To start, Obama and George W. Bush are merely the two most recent presidents to have been compared to Hitler. Sometimes, the cited examples of incivility seem minor by comparison.

Obama once misguidedly joked the Jonas Brothers, idolized by his daughters, could face his protective-fatherly "predator drones" if they ever tried to get fresh with the girls. Sarah Palin's political action committee drew mapped cross-hairs on the districts of congressional incumbents targeted for defeat, which unfortunately included the district of Gabrielle Giffords before she was shot.

At the time, Giffords presciently reacted, "When people do that, they've got to realize there are consequences."

Those are words of wisdom for anyone in public life, or anyone who criticizes those in public life, or for that matter, anyone engaging in any form of communication. Be sensitive and avoid violent, tragic references. Priebus should be the latest to learn, and should apologize.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120130/pl_ac/10904951_priebus_vs_obama_sinking_ship_remark_shows_incivility

weather los angeles caleb hanie nascar bcs standings 2011 rhodes scholarship rhodes scholarship ufc 139 results

Small business hiring slows, wages dip in January (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Small business payrolls grew at a slower rate in January and wages fell, an independent survey showed on Monday, suggesting the pace of overall job growth moderated after December's sturdy gain.

Small businesses added 50,000 jobs, payrolls processing firm Intuit said, compared with a gain of 60,000 in December. Still, labor market conditions continue to improve.

"Overall the small business labor market is not weak, but not strong either," said Susan Woodward, the economist who developed the survey. "Small business employment continues to rise but at a rate that will not get us back to full employment very quickly."

The government's more comprehensive employment report due on Friday is expected to show nonfarm payrolls increased 150,000 in January, according to a Reuters survey, after rising 200,000 the prior month.

The unemployment rate is seen steady at a near three-year low of 8.5 percent.

The Intuit survey is based on responses from about 72,000 small businesses with fewer than 20 employees that use the Intuit Online Payroll system. It covered the period from December 24 to January 23.

The average monthly salary for small business employees fell 0.1 percent, or $3, to $2,632 in January. The average workweek eased 0.1 percent to 24.8 hours.

(Reporting By Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/bs_nm/us_usa_economy_jobs

lana turner donald glover julio cesar chavez jr jason segel turducken power rangers jungle fury power rangers jungle fury

Gaborik bests Lundqvist to earn All-Star MVP honor

Team Alfredsson's Henrik Sedin scores past Team Chara goaltender Jimmy Howard during the first period of the NHL All-Star hockey game on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, in Ottawa. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Chartrand)

Team Alfredsson's Henrik Sedin scores past Team Chara goaltender Jimmy Howard during the first period of the NHL All-Star hockey game on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, in Ottawa. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Chartrand)

Team Chara's Marian Gaborik, center, is congratulated following his third goal past Team Alfredsson goaltender Jonathan Quick (32) by teammates Marain Hossa, left, and Dion Phaneuf during the second period of the NHL All-Star hockey game on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, in Ottawa, Ontario. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Sean Kilpatrick)

Team Chara's Marian Gaborik celebrates his goal past Team Alfredson goaltender Henrik Lundqvist during the first period of the NHL All-Star hockey game on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, in Ottawa. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Chartrand)

Mick E. Moose, the Winnipeg Jets mascot, takes in the pre-game ceremonies at the NHL All-Star game Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012 in Ottawa. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson)

Team Alfredsson's Hendrik Sedin, left, is congratulated byScott Hartnell after scoring past Team Chara goaltender Jimmy Howard during the first period of the NHL hockey All-Star game Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012 in Ottawa, Ontario. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Sean Kilpatrick)

OTTAWA (AP) ? Now that forward Marian Gaborik and goalie Henrik Lundqvist have playfully settled their NHL All-Star game rivalry, the two can go back to combining their talents and creating headaches for the rest of the league.

With much of the focus this weekend on all-star captains Daniel Alfredsson and Zdeno Chara, the unsettled future of the Phoenix Coyotes, and a still cloudy outlook regarding Sidney Crosby's health, Gaborik grabbed the limelight in capping the league's All-Star festivities in Ottawa.

The 11-year veteran earned MVP honors after scoring three times and adding an assist in leading Team Chara to a 12-9 win over Team Alfredsson on Sunday.

Gaborik proved he was the Rangers' top star by beating Lundqvist twice during the first period in delivering payback after the goalie ? and Team Alfredsson assistant captain ? failed to push for his selection in the All Star player draft on Thursday.

"I was trying to get into his mind over the whole weekend," Gaborik said, referring to a series of back-and-forth comments and tweets the two had exchanged the past few days. "And I think it was a pretty good challenge against him, and worked a little better for me."

No worries, said Lundqvist, who prefers Gaborik as a teammate.

"Obviously, he has a lot of leverage from all the games we've had against each other," Lundqvist said, recalling the time he gave up five goals to Gaborik, when the forward was with the Wild. "Hopefully, he stays in New York for a long time so I don't have to face him in a game."

The one-two punch of Gaborik and Lundqvist has had the Rangers on a roll for much of this season.

Gaborik's team-leading 25 goals and 39 points, and Lundqvist's 1.82 goals-against average ? best among NHL goalies with at least 25 starts ? has the Rangers (31-12-4) with 66 points, one behind league-leading Detroit.

The final two-plus months of the season resumes with 13 games on Tuesday. And if Sunday's game is any measure, the league isn't bereft of stars in the absence of Crosby, who's played only eight games this season due to a concussion and neck injury, and Alex Ovechkin, who didn't attend after the NHL suspended him for three games for an illegal hit.

Chara delivered by scoring the eventual winner in the midst of a decisive three-goal outburst over a 1:22 span that put his team up 11-8 with 6:34 remaining.

The Vancouver Canucks' Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik, continued to prove they're among the game's top play-makers with several nifty passes.

And even in defeat, Alfredsson rewarded the hometown fans with two goals and an assist to further cement his place as Ottawa's favorite athlete, before providing a hint that he might come back for one more season.

With one year left on his contract, Alfredsson has sidestepped questions over whether he might retire after this season.

In an interview broadcast on the arena's scoreboard, the 39-year-old broke into a wide grin in giving his most definitive answer yet by saying, "Fifty percent yes, and my wife's going to have to decide the other 50," as the crowd broke into a cheer.

Even Chara got into the spirit of the exhibition, saying he was rooting for his former Senators teammate to complete his hat trick.

"Alfie's such a classy guy, obviously a big icon in Ottawa and Sweden, as well, and such a great player to represent this team," Chara said. "So of course I was pulling for him."

There was plenty to root for after fans were treated to a wide-open, no-hitting style in a game that featured plenty of nifty passing, numerous odd-man breaks and even a penalty shot awarded to Steven Stamkos, who leads the NHL with 32 goals.

Stamkos, however, was foiled on his freebie ? the second in All-Star game history ? when he attempted the same spin-around move he used to beat Carey Price in the skills competition on Saturday night. Jimmy Howard didn't bite on Sunday, holding his ground and hugging the post to stop Stamkos' penalty-shot attempt.

"I think I ran out of moves," Stamkos said. "I tried something fancy and hoped it would work. It didn't. But I just tried to have fun with it."

Tim Thomas made 18 saves in the final period, and extended his record by winning his fourth All-Star game.

Marian Hossa and Jarome Iginla had a goal and two assists, and Joffrey Lupul scored twice for Team Chara.

For Team Alfredsson, Henrik Sedin had a goal and two assists, and Daniel Sedin, John Tavares, Jason Pominville and Milan Michalek had a goal and assist each.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-30-HKN-All-Star-Game-Folo/id-f68eb127c0724590a6c85429f2845b8d

power rangers jungle fury power rangers jungle fury ufc 139 fight card houston nutt houston nutt peter marshall peter marshall

Gingrich says he's in 'til GOP convention

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, poses for photographs with the Wanamaker Trophy after a campaign event at The PGA Center for Golf Learning and Performance, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in Port St. Lucie, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, poses for photographs with the Wanamaker Trophy after a campaign event at The PGA Center for Golf Learning and Performance, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in Port St. Lucie, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, pretends to walk away with a young girl he picked up from the audience as he campaigns at Eastern Ship Building in Pensacola, Fla., Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich gestures as he campaigns at The PGA Center for Golf Learning and Performance, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in Port St. Lucie, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, campaigns at the Fish House in Pensacola, Fla., Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, arrives for an event at Centro de La Familia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) ? On the weekend before the pivotal Florida primary, Newt Gingrich vowed Saturday to stay in the race for the Republican presidential nomination until the national convention this summer even if he loses Tuesday's vote. Front-runner Mitt Romney poured on the criticism of his rival in television ads airing across the state.

Gingrich's pledge, followed several hours later by an endorsement from campaign dropout Herman Cain, raised the prospect of an extended struggle inside the party as Republicans work to defeat President Barack Obama in the fall. "You just had two national polls that show me ahead," he said. "Why don't you ask Gov. Romney what he will do if he loses" in Florida.

The former Massachusetts governor countered a few hours later while in Panama City. "I think we are going to win here, I sure hope so," he said.

As the two rivals made their appeals to Hispanic, Jewish and tea party voters, veterans of the armed forces and others, all known indicators pointed to a good day for Romney in the primary.

He and his allies held a 3-1 advantage in money spent on television advertising in the race's final days. Robust early vote and absentee ballot totals followed a pre-primary turnout operation by his campaign. Even the schedules the two men kept underscored the shape of the race ? moderate for Romney, heavy for Gingrich.

Campaigning like a front-runner, Romney made few references to Gingrich. Instead, he criticized Obama's plans to cut the size of the armed forces. "He's detached from reality," the former Massachusetts governor said.

"The foreign policy of 'pretty please' is not working terribly well," he added. Romney said he wants to add 100,000 troops, not cut them.

If his personal rhetoric was directed Obama's way, the television commercials were trained on Gingrich, whose victory in last Saturday's South Carolina primary upended the race for the nomination. A new ad released as the weekend began is devoted to the day in 1997 when Gingrich received an ethics reprimand from the House while serving as speaker and was ordered to pay a $300,000 fine.

Nearly the entire 30-second ad consists of NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw's nationally broadcast description of the events on the evening news. "By an overwhelming vote, they found him guilty of ethics violations; they charged him a very large financial penalty, and they raised ? several of them ? raised serious questions about his future effectiveness," Brokaw said that night, and now again on televisions across Florida.

Both NBC and the former newsman registered objections. The network called on the campaign to stop using the footage and Brokaw said in a statement, "I do not want my role as a journalist compromised for political gain by any campaign."

A Romney adviser, Eric Fehrnstrom, said the campaign wasn't likely to stop running the ad. "We believe it falls within fair use," he said. "We didn't take the entire broadcast; we just took the first 30 seconds."

Whatever its impact, the ad represented part of a barrage that Gingrich could not match.

A second Romney ad said Gingrich had "cashed in" as a Washington insider while the housing crisis was hitting Florida particularly hard.

Figures made available to The Associated Press showed Romney was spending $2.8 million to air television commercials in the final week of the Florida campaign. In addition, a group supporting him, Restore Our Future, was spending $4 million more, for a combined total of $6.8 million.

By contrast, Gingrich was spending about $700,000, and Winning Our Future, a group backing him, an additional $1.5 million. That was about one-third the amount for the pro-Romney tandem.

Officials said the total of absentee and early vote cast approached 500,000, about 200,000 of them before Gingrich won in South Carolina last weekend.

Cain's endorsement came at a GOP dinner in West Palm Beach. The business executive led briefly in the polls last fall, then cratered and dropped out of the race after he was accused of sexual harassment and marital infidelity.

In supporting the former speaker, he followed an example set by Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who bestowed his endorsement a few days before the South Carolina primary.

Gingrich seemed in good humor during the day, despite the obstacles in his way. He joked with reporters that they had missed an example of his grandiosity ? a charge that one rival, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, had used in a recent debate ? when they didn't see him hold a golf trophy on display at the PGA Library.

Gingrich also turned aside one opportunity to criticize Romney, answering a question by saying, 'I want to talk about defeating Obama."

But his tone seemed to change after he said he wasn't happy with his performances in a pair of debates during the week, and was asked to explain.

"You cannot debate somebody who is dishonest. You just can't," he said, referring to Romney.

Referring to one answer the former Massachusetts governor had given, Gingrich said it was not true that Romney had always voted for a Republican when one was on the ballot.

"That in fact he could have voted for George H.W. Bush or Pat Buchanan the same day and he chose the Democratic primary, he voted Paul Tsongas, the most liberal candidate. The same year he gave money to three Democrats for Congress," he added, referring to the 1992 campaign.

"Now there's no practical way in a civil debate to deal with somebody who is that willing to say something that is just totally dishonest."

Romney poked fun at Gingrich's debate performances.

"This last one Speaker Gingrich said he didn't do so well because the audience was so loud. The one before he said he didn't do so well because the audience was too quiet. This is like Goldilocks, you know, you've got to have it just right.

"When I debate the president, I'm not going to worry about the audience, I'm going to make sure that we take down Barack Obama and take back the White House."

The two other contenders, Santorum and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, have conceded Florida and did not campaign in the state during the day.

___

Associated Press reporter Steve Peoples in Panama City contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-28-GOP%20Campaign/id-0eeed2026fa84e13b83324820c0d86bd

cornucopia best buy black friday deals thanksgiving crafts matt cassel snowman playstation network down martin scorsese

Experts cast doubt on Japan nuclear power plant stress tests (The Christian Science Monitor)

Tokyo ? Advisers to Japan's nuclear safety agency have condemned stress tests being conducted at nuclear power plants around the country as the government seeks international support for the early resumption of dozens of idle reactors.

The government ordered tests on all of Japan's reactors after the March 11, 2011, accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant cast doubt on the safety of nuclear power in a country prone to earthquakes and tsunami.

A team of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) began a review of the safety tests this week. Although the inspectors say their role is not to offer advice, moves to get reactors back online will be boosted by a positive appraisal of the tests in the IAEA report, due at the end of the month.

But two nuclear experts said the stress tests being conducted at Ohi and elsewhere were deeply flawed and raised concern that the Japanese government was pushing for a return to nuclear power too soon. 

"It is a misunderstanding to believe these tests prove that a nuclear plant is safe," says Masashi Goto, a former nuclear power plant designer.

RELATED: Japan's nuclear crisis: 6 reasons why we should ? and shouldn't ? worry 

Currently only three of Japan's 54 reactors are in operation, 10 months after the Fukushima accident forced the closure of active reactors for safety checks. The latest closure came on Friday, when a reactor at a plant near the Japan Sea was shut down to undergo regular inspections.

The government is pushing for the early restart of idled reactors to ward off a possible power shortage during the long, humid summer.

The trade and industry minister, Yukio Edano, said on Friday he believed Japan would be able to cope without imposing power cuts even if all 54 reactors were offline by the summer, a popular move for the public. 

Mr. Edano said in an interview with the newspaper Asahi Shimbun that any energy-saving measures would not affect industry. "Last year, the automobile industry changed its days off and workers were asked to put up with the inconvenience," he said. "We cannot allow the same thing to happen this year. There is still room for society as a whole to conserve electricity."

After the Fukushima disaster Japan abandoned plans to generate more than half of its electricity supply through nuclear power by 2030, but the prime minister, Yoshihiko Noda, has said the country needs to retain some nuclear plants until alternative sources of energy are developed.

Attention is now focused on a plant in the town of Ohi in western Japan, which could be the first to resume operations since the Fukushima disaster.

Its operator, Kansai Electric Power, has said that two of the facility's reactors are able to withstand quakes and tsunami much stronger than predicted for the area, a view reportedly endorsed by the country's nuclear and industrial safety agency.

But Mr. Goto, and others have found fault with the pace and the method of the inspections 

"The reality is that the inspectors only look at the reactors' design and then factor in possible problems such as earthquakes and tsunami of a certain size,??

Hiromitsu Ino, an emeritus professor at Tokyo University and fellow member of the nuclear safety agency advisory panel, said the tests should not have been introduced until all the facts of the Fukushima disaster were known.

"The tests are being presented as a comprehensive survey of the safety of Japan's nuclear power plants, but the reality is very different," Mr. Ino says. "They only look at potential problems in isolation, and the process of testing is exactly the same as it was before the March earthquake."

Ino and Goto say they are the only two dissenters on the advisory panel, which includes experts who conduct research funded in part by the nuclear power industry.

"Japan's 'nuclear village' is so strong that collusion is allowed to flourish," Ino said. "Professors who conduct research and promote the nuclear industry are also acting as advisers to the nuclear safety agency. There is no independence." 

Goto and Ino said it would be impossible to appraise the causes and consequences of the Fukushima disaster unless the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), releases all of the relevant data that would then be used to perform a simulation, which it has been notably reticent to do. 

Ino says he had little confidence in the IAEA team, which is slated to present its latest report at the end of the month.

"The last time the IAEA inspectors came to Japan they simply inspected sites and documents and left saying everything was fine. They submitted a flimsy report and I fear the same will be the case this time."

Japan's nuclear crisis: 6 reasons why we should ? and shouldn't ? worry

Get daily or weekly updates from CSMonitor.com delivered to your inbox. Sign up today.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20120127/wl_csm/457412

yalta oman oman unforgettable metta world peace hpq raising hope

Last Man on Moon & 7 Other Space Leaders Back Mitt Romney (SPACE.com)

The last man on the moon, first space shuttle pilot and six other space leaders signed an open letter today (Jan. 27) supporting the candidacy of Republican presidential primary contender Mitt Romney.

Romney is competing in Florida this week for the GOP nomination, duking it out with the other Republican frontrunner, Newt Gingrinch.

"Restoring the U.S. space program to greatness will require the leadership, management skill, and commitment to American exceptionalism possessed by only one candidate in this race: Mitt Romney," the letter reads. "We support Mitt's candidacy and believe that his approach to space policy will produce results instead of empty promises."

Signatories include Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon, as well as the first space shuttle pilot, Bob Crippen, and former NASA administrator Mike Griffin. [50 Years of Presidential Space Visions]

Players in the commercial space industry, including Eric Anderson, chairman and CEO of space tourism firm Space Adventures, and Mark Albrecht, chairman of the board of satellite communications provider USSpace, also signed the letter, as well as Scott Pace, director of the?Space Policy Institute at George Washington University (who also serves as chair of the Romney Space Policy Advisory Group), Peter Marquez, former director of space policy for the National Security Council, and William Martel, professor of International Security Studies at Tufts University.

"We have watched with dismay as President Obama dismantled the structure that was guiding both the government and commercial space sectors, while providing no purpose or vision or mission," the group wrote. "This failure of leadership has thrust the space program into disarray and triggered a dangerous erosion of our technical workforce and capabilities. In short, we have a space program unworthy of a great nation."

They argue that Romney's plan will promote U.S. leadership in space.

"As president, Mitt Romney will facilitate close collaboration not only within the government?s civil and national security space sectors, but also with the private sector and with research institutions," the letter reads. "He will create conditions for a strong and competitive commercial space industry that can contribute greatly to our national capabilities and goals."

In a speech today in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Romney stressed the importance of such collaboration, saying he wasn't yet ready to lay out a sweeping vision for NASA and the future of American spaceflight. Rather, as president, he would talk to leaders from the military, academia, the private sector and NASA to help create and map out that vision.

"I will do that to get the job done right, to make sure we protect our interests, protect our future, protect our health and protect ourselves from threats from space," Romney said in the speech, which was webcast online by the newspaper Florida Today.

Romney and the other GOP hopefuls debated policy, including their ideas for NASA, last night (Jan. 26) in Florida.

While Gingrich has said he plans to aim high in space and establish a manned moon base by 2020, Romney said such projects are too extravagant.

"I'm not looking for a colony on the moon," Romney said during the debate. "I think the cost of that would be in the hundreds of billions, if not trillions. I'd rather be rebuilding housing here in the U.S."

Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/space/20120127/sc_space/lastmanonmoon7otherspaceleadersbackmittromney

new iphone 5 release mary j blige cole hamels cole hamels curtis painter apple news conference apple news conference

6 bodies found in Rio buildings collapse (AP)

RIO DE JANEIRO ? A janitor finishing up the day's work, an accountant closing the books for the month, a computer technician installing software: each had a reason to stay a little late at work.

They were among those trapped when three buildings suddenly collapsed into a pile of rubble in downtown Rio de Janeiro. Rescuers pulled out at least six bodies, according to the city morgue, and 16 people remained missing Thursday as the smoke from small fires drifted above the wreckage.

Authorities were still investigating the cause, but officials speculated that illegal construction work damaged the structure of a 20-story building and caused it to crumble, wrenching down two other office buildings alongside at about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The janitor was among the six injured extracted by rescue crews from the heap of bricks, metal and glass. The accountant and the computer technician are among the missing. Their friends or relatives took shelter from the scorching sun in a nearby building, hoping for news.

Francisco Adir was trying to get information about a friend, Flavio Porrozi, 23, who had been attending a computer course in the largest of the three buildings.

"We think he's alive. At 3 a.m. he managed to call his girlfriend and say, 'Hello, love,' before his phone went dead," Adir said. "The rescuers haven't given us any information, but the family is hanging all their hopes on that phone call."

Five of the six bodies pulled out have been identified in the city morgue, and Porrozi is not among them.

As the hours ticked by, relatives of the missing tried to keep despair at bay.

"We last heard from him at 8 p.m. when he called his wife to say he wouldn't be much longer," said Luis Cesar Vasconcelos, whose brother, computer technician Luis Leandro Vasconcelos, remained trapped in the debris. "Since then, there's been no sign of him, but the family is hopeful to the end."

The state's governor, Sergio Cabral, issued a statement saying the government was doing all it could to support the families of the victims.

"We're still living a moment of shock," he said. "There is still hope of finding survivors, and in a last instance, of rescuing bodies."

One of those pulled out alive was Marcelo Moreira, a janitor in one of the buildings that crumbled near Rio's historic Teatro Municipal and the Fine Arts Museum.

"He stayed behind to finish a little bit of work," said Rosalvo Alves, the building's main doorman, who had spent the night in a local hospital with his friend. "We shut down at 8. I left, and he was supposed to come too. Now this; he's hurt, our jobs are gone, everything is gone."

Alves worked in the 10-story building for 38 years, and said he had never noticed any problems.

On Thursday, rescue crews aided by specially trained dogs continued to dig through tons of brick and twisted metal.

"We have hopes of finding people alive," said Moises Torres, a spokesman with the Fire Department.

According to the institution responsible for approving construction in Rio, unauthorized construction projects were under way in the building. The head of the accident prevention unit of Rio's Regional Council of Engineering, Luiz Cosenza, told the Globo television network that illegal projects could have led to the collapse.

"Two projects were happening in the building," said Cosenza. "They were illegal works; they were not registered with the council."

He didn't provide details but said the work was not being supervised by any registered professional.

Shortly after the collapse, there was a strong smell of natural gas in the area, but Mayor Paes said it apparently did not cause the problem.

"The collapse occurred because of structural damages," he said. "I don't think there was a gas leak."

The buildings housed schools that taught languages and computing, several accounting offices and numerous other businesses.

Antonio Molinaro, 60, a dentist whose office was in the tallest building, said he lost his 120-square-meter (1,200-square-foot) office and all the equipment he needed to do his job, a loss he estimated at about $230,000.

He spent the night watching the rescue operation and thinking about starting from scratch after more than three decades of work.

"We'll need a very thorough examination and an answer," he said. "We have to find the person responsible. And if the city won't do it, we'll have to go after the city."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_brazil_building_collapse

college football scores arkansas razorbacks arkansas football maggie daley black friday online deals black friday news gamestop

Correction: US-Horn of Africa Famine story (AP)

WASHINGTON ? In a story about the humanitarian crises in the Horn of Africa, The Associated Press erroneously reported that refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya were still in the process of opening. The camps opened between June and November of last year.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_re_us/us_us_horn_of_africa_famine

rex ryan yule log adrian peterson darlene love free kindle books roasted potatoes turkey recipes

The business argument in favor of gay marriage

Washington state may soon join Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and the District of Columbia as a state with legal gay marriage. Like Maine, the state has had a domestic partnership law in place for several years. However, Washington?s Senate Bill 6239 would extend full marriage equality to same-sex couples, and according to the Associated Press, there are enough votes in the state senate for the measure to pass.

The bill has the support of several major companies -- but Microsoft, whose headquarters are in Redmond, is the most high-profile business to back it. And Brad Smith, Microsoft?s executive vice president of legal and corporate affairs, says the law is essential to the company?s competitive edge.

"As other states recognize marriage equality, Washington's employers are at a disadvantage if we cannot offer a similar, inclusive environment to our talented employees, our top recruits, and their families," he wrote.

(Msnbc.com is a joint venture of NBC Universal and Microsoft.)

Not everyone sees Senate Bill 6239 as a boon to state businesses. The National Organization for Marriage is mounting a fierce fight against it, as they have fought against similar legislation in other states. "NOM will not stand by and let activist politicians redefine marriage, the bedrock of civilization, without voters having a say," said Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage. "Just as we mounted a People's Veto in Maine and were responsible for qualifying Proposition 8 to the ballot in California, we will make sure that voters in Washington have the ability to decide the definition of marriage for themselves."

Microsoft is not the first corporation to support gay marriage. Many of its supporters hail from corporate America, as was the case in New York, the last state to legalize gay marriage, in June 2011.

More from CNBC:10 Gay Power Couples

?Here in New York ? people understand the business component of the argument for marriage equality,? said Michelle Kristel, Executive Director of In The Life Media, the company that produces the ?In The Life? gay and lesbian news program for PBS. She said the push for gay marriage in New York was successful in part because the business community convinced lawmakers that marriage equality would provide a competitive advantage for them over states that had no such provision for same-sex couples. ?[Mayor Michael] Bloomberg and GOP donors such as hedge fund managers Paul E. Singer and Daniel S. Loeb made very significant donations to the campaign for marriage equality,? Kristel said.

Gregory T. Angelo, Executive Director of the Liberty Education Forum and Chairman of the Log Cabin Republicans of New York, says support for the passage of the Marriage Equality Act came from ?a broad coalition? that included major players in the business community, including Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs, Rochelle Lazarus of Ogilvy & Mather and Dick Parsons of Citigroup.

More from CNBC:Gay Marriage Business Bonanza

?These business leaders used the cache of their status and the pulpit afforded to them by the nature of their position to underscore the fact that marriage for all citizens of the state would be good for business, attract and retain qualified employees and ultimately lead to more revenues for New York,? Angelo said.

He believes Microsoft?s decision to support legal gay marriage in Washington State wasn?t just a question of good timing. ?They want a robust and competitive workforce, and they understand that support for equal rights for all of its employees -- and potential employees -- is the way to make that happen,? Angelo said.

Although no one can say for sure what the fate of Senate Bill 6239 will be, Angelo believes the business argument for its passage is too strong to ignore. ?At the end of the day it's simple math,? he said. ?A broader pool of employees makes for a stronger workforce, a stronger workforce allows a company to thrive, a thriving company will hire more workers and more revenue will be provided to the state. It's just good business sense.?

More from CNBC

Divorced Couples Who Worked Together

Financial Infidelity: Secrets That Destroy Couples

? 2012 CNBC, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46132749/ns/business-cnbc_tv/

safe house golden globes 2012 miss america green bay packers lana del rey saturday night live focus on the family packers vs giants

Jen Schefft Expecting Second Child

"They are looking forward to expanding their family, and their daughter Mae Elizabeth, 14 months is especially excited about becoming a big sister," a source tells PEOPLE.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/0BH7HtLZ7lQ/

d day fun. words with friends words with friends roy orbison red solo cup xbox live update

Palestinian leader: Talks with Israel over

The European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, left, and UNRWA Commissioner-General Filippo Grandi sign a financial agreement during a meeting in Gaza City, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. Ashton is on a 3-day visit to Israel and Palestinian territories, part of her ongoing efforts to encourage the two sides to resume negotiations. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

The European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, left, and UNRWA Commissioner-General Filippo Grandi sign a financial agreement during a meeting in Gaza City, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. Ashton is on a 3-day visit to Israel and Palestinian territories, part of her ongoing efforts to encourage the two sides to resume negotiations. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

The European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton speaks at a press conference in Gaza City, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. Ashton is on a 3-day visit to Israel and Palestinian territories, part of her ongoing efforts to encourage the two sides to resume negotiations. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) ? (AP) ? Exploratory peace talks with Israel have ended with nothing to show for them, the Palestinian president said Wednesday, pledging to consult with the Arab League about the next moves and leaving open the possibility of an extension.

After a total break of more than a year, international mediators persuaded the sides to send their negotiators to Jordan to explore the possibility of resuming peace talks. Reflecting the depth of their differences, they could not even agree on when to submit proposals.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he would discuss the prospects with the Arab League next week, Israel wants to keep talking, and Abbas is under mounting international pressure not to walk away.

Visiting EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton is scheduled to meet separately over the next two days with Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Two officials involved in the contacts said she is trying to put together a package of Israeli incentives that would keep the Palestinians in the talks.

In the Jordanian-mediated exploratory talks, Israeli and Palestinian envoys met several times over the past month, including on Wednesday. The Quartet of international mediators ? the U.S., the U.N., the EU and Russia ? said last fall that it expected both sides to submit detailed proposals on borders and security arrangements, in hopes the dialogue would evolve into full-fledged peace talks.

Palestinian officials said they submitted their proposals, but that Israel did not. "If we demarcate the borders, we can return to negotiations, but Israel does not want to do that," Abbas said Wednesday, after talks in Jordan with Jordan's King Abdullah II.

Israel says it has submitted a document outlining the areas that need to be discussed, but it was not characterized as a proposal.

Abbas said he would consult with the Arab League ? which usually rubber stamps his decisions ? on Feb. 4. This would allow for an additional nine days of diplomatic maneuvers to save the talks.

A walkout could cost the Palestinians international sympathy at a time when they seek global support for U.N. membership for a state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, the territories Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war.

Israel is eager to keep talking and to "try to achieve a historic agreement before the end of the year," an Israeli government official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters. "We hope that the Palestinians aren't looking for an excuse to walk away from the table."

Ashton said during a visit to Gaza on Wednesday that "we need to keep talks going and increase the potential of these talks to become genuine negotiations."

The two sides disagreed on how much time was set aside for the exploratory talks.

The Palestinians said the deadline is Thursday, or three months after the Quartet issued its marching orders, while Israel believes it has until early April, or three months after the start of meetings.

Underlying the impasse is Abbas' conviction that it's impossible to reach an acceptable border deal with the hard-line Netanyahu.

The Palestinians are ready for minor adjustments in the lines of the West Bank through land swaps, but Israel has not submitted a proposal. Netanyahu has not endorsed the land-swap concept and insists that east Jerusalem belongs to Israel.

Netanyahu has also rejected Palestinian demands that he halt construction in Jewish settlements on occupied lands or recognize the pre-1967 war's cease-fire line as a baseline for border talks.

Abbas argues that without such assurances, there is no point in returning to negotiations. He fears Israel will use continued negotiations as a diplomatic cover for seizing more land, through settlements, that the Palestinians want for their state. Israel counters that the Palestinians have not made a halt to settlement construction a condition for peace talks in the past.

The Palestinians reluctantly agreed to the Jordanian-mediated talks because they did not want to turn down a request by the Jordanian monarch. Strong ties with Jordan, which neighbors the West Bank and is home to millions of Palestinians, are a pillar of Abbas' foreign policy.

___

Additional reporting by Associated Press writer Jamal Halaby in Amman, Jordan, and Ibrahim Barzak in Gaza City, Gaza Strip.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-25-ML-Israel-Palestinians/id-09b08d2779ad4e53827c8d7d7026bbc4

restrepo nba news nba news florida gators erin brockovich indiana jones and the last crusade hope solo

Christopher Lamb: South Carolina: An Embarrassment of Riches?

During my first semester at the College of Charleston 15 years ago, I was teaching a journalism writing course where I gave weekly current-events quizzes. During one quiz a few weeks after the semester began, I asked which state finished 50th in the country on SAT test scores, according to an Associated Press story.

When the quiz was finished, I asked the class which state finished 50th on SAT scores. Nearly everyone shouted out the correct answer:

"South Carolina!"

A young man in the last row then blurted, "At least we weren't last."

There was a brief, painful silence before the class erupted in laughter.

My immediate reaction was, "I wonder if I can get my old job back."

But I soon realized that the student was an aberration, probably in more ways than one. He wasn't representative of the students at the college, then or now. Someone like him would probably not be admitted into the college today. But he or she could still become governor, represent the state in the U.S. Congress or in the Miss Teen USA Pageant -- or vote.

I thought about this story after seeing that former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich won heavily in the South Carolina primary by capturing the heavily evangelical state with a pro-adultery platform.

When South Carolina embarrasses itself like this, I receive emails and phone calls from friends elsewhere in the country, who can barely contain their snickering. Some bring up comedian Jon Stewart, who calls South Carolina "America's whoopee cushion.

This inevitably leads to a trip down memory lane of other South Carolinians who have slipped on banana peels while the country was watching. Gov. Mark Sanford. U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson. U.S. Sen. candidate Alvin Greene, who won the Democratic primary even though he had never won an elected office and had recently been arrested for showing pornography to a college student.

Then there was Miss Teen South Carolina Caitlin Upton. She was asked during the Miss Teen USA pageant to respond to a poll that said a fifth of Americans could not locate the United States on a world map. She began her answer by suggesting that this was because most Americans didn't have maps, and things deteriorated from there. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WALIARHHLII

I tell my friends that the people in South Carolina are no more foolish than they are anywhere else in the country. It's just that when we sit on whoopee cushions and slip on banana peels, we do so when others are watching, often when millions of people are watching. And people laugh.

Listen to Stephen Colbert, who was born and raised in Charleston, or listen to Jon Stewart, Jay Leno, David Letterman, or other comics and what do you hear? Jokes that were "made in South Carolina."

And what do we in South Carolina get out of it? It's time we turn this embarrassment of riches into actual wealth by exploiting our reputation as the nation's breadbasket of laughter. It's time that South Carolina finds a way to profit economically from our boundless resource.

We'll simply tell the rest of the country that if it doesn't start paying users' fees on comedy coming from this state, we'll start electing serious, thoughtful politicians. The comedians will have to find their own jokes.

And South Carolina will have the last laugh.

?

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-lamb/south-carolina-breadbaske_b_1222582.html

bcs standings douglas fir jim boeheim jim boeheim bill of rights toys r us toys r us

Only 1 in 4 Young Teens Uses Sunscreen Regularly, Study Finds (HealthDay)

MONDAY, Jan. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Despite the fact that sunburn in childhood greatly raises a person's lifelong risk for skin cancer, just 25 percent of 14-year-olds in a new U.S. study said they used sunscreen regularly.

What's more, behaviors linked to risky sun exposure increased as kids got older, with older teens reporting more time in the sun and less use of sunscreen than when they were young.

In the study, published in the February issue of Pediatrics, researchers led by Dr. Stephen Dusza of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, in New York City, examined data on 360 fifth graders in Massachusetts who were surveyed in 2004 and again three years later in 2007.

Looking at changes in sun-protective behaviors over that period of time, the team found that more than half (53 percent) of the youngsters had already suffered at least one sunburn by the age of 11 and that that rate of sunburn remained constant over the next three years.

But during that same time period, rates of using sunscreen "often or always" actually dropped: While half of the kids used such products at the beginning of the study, only 25 percent still did so three years later.

The authors noted that the proportion of children who admitted to "liking a tan and spending time outside to get a tan significantly increased" as they grew older, as well.

The years of "periadolescence" covered by the study (ages 11 to 14) appear to be "a crucial period" when young people often either "increase or decrease their use of sun protection, obtain sunburns, or change their tan-promoting attitudes," the authors wrote.

"Adolescence and teenage years are tremendously difficult because it is a period of flexing independence, coupled with feelings of invincibility," they added. Dusza and his team believe that educational outreach during these years will be key to ensuring kids make healthier choices that can help ward off skin cancers over their lifetime.

More information

For more on skin cancer, head to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/cancer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120124/hl_hsn/only1in4youngteensusessunscreenregularlystudyfinds

psat psat brenda song mountain west mountain west rickross rickross

Obama offers condolences to Paterno's family (AP)

WASHINGTON ? President Barack Obama has offered his condolences to the family of legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, who died Sunday of lung cancer.

The White House says the president spoke with Paterno's wife, Sue, and son, Jay, on Monday to express his condolences.

The White House says the president recalled fond memories of when he first met Coach Paterno and said he and first lady Michelle Obama would keep the Paterno family in their prayers.

Penn State is planning a memorial service on Thursday for Paterno, who was fired in November after he was criticized over his handling of child sex-abuse allegations leveled against his former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky.

Paterno won two national championships and 409 games ? the most in the history of major college football.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_paterno

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

Yemen's leader allowed to come to US

FILE - In this Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011 file photo, Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh speaks to reporters during a press conference at the Presidential Palace in Sanaa, Yemen. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the U.S. regrets that Yemen's president has not complied with agreements to leave the country and allow elections for a successor. Her comments came as Yemen's foreign minister suggested next month's presidential vote could be delayed because of security concerns _ something that would violate the the U.S.-backed agreement that President Ali Abdullah Saleh signed recently. (AP Photo/Mohammed Hamoud, File)

FILE - In this Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011 file photo, Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh speaks to reporters during a press conference at the Presidential Palace in Sanaa, Yemen. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the U.S. regrets that Yemen's president has not complied with agreements to leave the country and allow elections for a successor. Her comments came as Yemen's foreign minister suggested next month's presidential vote could be delayed because of security concerns _ something that would violate the the U.S.-backed agreement that President Ali Abdullah Saleh signed recently. (AP Photo/Mohammed Hamoud, File)

Protestors react after receiving the news of the departure of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh from Sanaa to Oman in Sanaa, Yemen, Jan. 22, 2012. A spokesman for Yemen's embattled president says Ali Abdullah Saleh has left the country for the Persian Gulf country of Oman. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

Protestors react after receiving the news of the departure of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh from Sanaa to Oman in Sanaa, Yemen, Jan. 22, 2012. A spokesman for Yemen's embattled president says Ali Abdullah Saleh has left the country for the Persian Gulf country of Oman. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Obama administration will allow Yemen's outgoing president to come to the U.S. temporarily for medical treatment, a move aimed at easing the political transition in Yemen, a key counterterrorism partner.

A senior administration official said Ali Abdullah Saleh would travel to New York this week, and probably stay in the U.S. until no later than the end of February. U.S. officials believe Saleh's exit from Yemen could lower the risk of disruptions in the lead-up to presidential elections planned there on Feb. 21.

A presidential spokesman in Yemen said Saleh had left the capital of Sanaa earlier Sunday on a jet headed for the Persian Gulf sultanate of Oman. An official close to Saleh, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the trip, said the president would undergo medical exams in Oman before heading to the U.S.

The U.S. official did not say whether Saleh planned to return to Yemen, Oman or elsewhere after finishing his treatment in the U.S. The official was not authorized to discuss details about Saleh and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Yemeni embassy in Washington said Saleh planned to return home in February to attend a swearing-in ceremony for the country's newly elected president.

The mercurial Saleh, who ruled Yemen for more than three decades, agreed to transfer power to his vice president late last year in exchange for immunity from prosecution. He had faced months of protests calling for his ouster, to which the Yemeni government responded with a bloody crackdown, leaving hundreds of protesters dead and sparking wider violence in the capital with rival militia.

Even after agreeing to leave power, Saleh continued to wield his influence behind the scenes, and U.S. officials believed getting him out of Yemen was necessary in order to ensure the February elections took place. The U.S. also worried about instability in a nation grappling with growing extremism, including the dangerous al-Qaida branch known as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.

Still, Saleh's request last month for a U.S. visa put the Obama administration in the awkward position of either having to bar a friendly president from U.S. soil or risking appearing to harbor an autocrat with blood on his hands.

As U.S. officials weighed Saleh's request, they sought assurances that he would not seek political asylum or any type of permanent relocation in the U.S.

"We wanted to make sure that there was an understanding that it would be for medical purposes and that's what it is for," John Brennan, President Barack Obama's top counterterrorism adviser, said Sunday.

Saleh was badly burned and wounded during a June rocket attack on his compound in Yemen. He sought medical treatment in neighboring Saudi Arabia for three months. American officials had hoped he would remain there, but the Yemeni leader returned and violence worsened anew.

Protesters and human rights groups have criticized Saleh's immunity clause and insisted he stand trial for his alleged role in protester deaths.

Brennan said there was a divide in Yemen over Saleh's future, with some Yemenis supporting Saleh's decision to seek medical treatment in the U.S. In the short-term, he said, it was imperative to ensure that the February elections take place.

"We thought it was important, given where Yemen is right now as far as moving forward with its political transition, to do what we can to support the government and the elections that are scheduled for the 21st of February, and that seems to be on track," he said.

Yemeni Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi is expected to be rubber-stamped as the country's new leader in the elections, in which he is expected to be the only candidate.

Brennan spoke with Hadi on Sunday, and told him the U.S. was encouraged by his leadership during a difficult period of transition. With fresh demonstrations likely in the weeks leading up to the elections, Brennan urged Hadi to ensure that Yemeni security forces exercise restraint.

The Obama administration's approval of Saleh's visa brought back memories from three decades ago, when President Jimmy Carter allowed the exiled shah of Iran into the U.S. for medical treatment. The decision contributed to rapidly worsening relations between Washington and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's revolution in Tehran, with Iranian students occupying the U.S. Embassy in Iran a month later.

Fifty-two American hostages were held for 444 days in response to Carter's refusal to send the shah back to Iran for trial.

___

Associated Press writers Ahmed al-Haj and Ben Hubbard in Sanaa, Yemen, contributed to this report.

___

Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-22-US-Yemen/id-1743a780c1c34396a4b26e5f4f438d9b

grand theft auto 5 grand theft auto 5 kris jenner kris jenner livestand power ball kelly slater

Feds: Religious employers must cover the pill (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Many church-affiliated institutions will have to cover free birth control for employees, the Obama administration announced Friday in an election-year move that outraged religious groups, fueling a national debate about the reach of government.

In a concession, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said nonprofit institutions such as church-affiliated hospitals, colleges and social service agencies will have one additional year to comply with the requirement, issued in regulations under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

"I believe this proposal strikes the appropriate balance between respecting religious freedom and increasing access to important preventive services," Sebelius said in a statement.

Yet the concession was unlikely to stop a determined effort by opponents to block or overturn the rule. If they fail, some predicted that religious employers would simply drop coverage for their workers, opting instead to pay fines to the federal government under the health care law.

"Never before has the federal government forced individuals and organizations to go out into the marketplace and buy a product that violates their conscience," said New York Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. "This shouldn't happen in a land where free exercise of religion ranks first in the Bill of Rights."

Officials said the administration's ruling was carefully considered, after reviewing more than 200,000 comments from interested parties and the public. The one-year extension, they said, responds to concerns raised by religious employers about making adjustments. Administration officials stressed that individual decisions about whether or not to use birth control, and what kind, remain in the hands of women and their doctors.

Underscoring the sensitivity of the decision, Obama personally spoke with Dolan on Friday to inform him of the announcement, an administration official said.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a powerhouse law firm based in Washington that tackles religious freedom issues, predicted in a statement that religious groups "will never pay for abortion drugs in violation of their religious beliefs." Many religious conservatives consider the morning-after birth control pill to be an abortion drug.

Liberals and women's rights groups praised the decision, saying that women who work for religious employers should not have to accept a lower standard of health coverage.

"The administration stood firm," said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. "As a result millions will get access to contraception, and they will not have to ask their bosses for permission."

Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, a member of Senate leadership, said, "The president made the right decision by putting access and the reproductive rights of women first."

Birth control use is virtually universal in the United States, and most health insurance plans cover the pill, usually with copays. Still, about half of all pregnancies are unplanned.

At issue is a provision of the health care law that requires insurance plans to cover preventive care for women free of charge to the employee. Last year, an advisory panel from the respected Institute of Medicine recommended including birth control on the list, partly because it promotes maternal and child health by allowing women to space their pregnancies.

Sebelius agreed, issuing a new federal regulation last summer.

That rule, however, exempted houses of worship and their employees, as well as other institutions whose primary purpose is to promote religious belief. Churches, synagogues, mosques and other places would not be required to cover contraceptives, it specified.

It was a different story for religious-affiliated hospitals, colleges and social service agencies.

Although many of those employers had not traditionally covered birth control, the new regulation required them to do so. Catholic hospitals, which at a critical moment had defied the bishops to back Obama's health care law in Congress, immediately sought a broader exemption. On Friday they were denied.

Representing some 600 hospitals, the Catholic Health Association expressed disappointment.

"The challenge that these regulations posed for many groups remains unresolved," said Sister Carol Keehan, president of the group. "This indicates the need for an effective national conversation on the appropriate conscience protections in our pluralistic society, which has always respected the role of religions."

The administration says between 1 million and 2 million people work for religious-affiliated institutions, though it's not clear how many would be affected. Some states already require religious employers to cover the pill.

For religious-affiliated employers, the requirement will take effect August 1, 2013, and their workers in most cases will have access to coverage starting January 1, 2014.

Women working for secular enterprises from profit-making companies to government will have access to the new coverage starting January 1, 2013, in most cases.

Workplace health plans will have to cover all forms of contraception approved by the Food and Drug Administration, ranging from the pill to implantable devices to sterilization. Also covered is the morning-after pill, which can prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex and is considered as tantamount to an abortion drug by some religious conservatives.

However, the new regulation does not require coverage of abortions.

___

Associated Press writer Julie Pace contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_free_birth_control_religious_employers

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

Video: Gingrich: There?s ?real pain? among the electorate

A Second Take on Meeting the Press: From an up-close look at Rachel Maddow's sneakers to an in-depth look at Jon Krakauer's latest book ? it's all fair game in our "Meet the Press: Take Two" web extra. Log on Sundays to see David Gregory's post-show conversations with leading newsmakers, authors and roundtable guests. Videos are available on-demand by 12 p.m. ET on Sundays.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/vp/46090436#46090436

albrecht durer dan marino david lee roth joe bodolai ben nelson extreme couponing taylor lautner

Judge rules against NYC court protest organizers (AP)

NEW YORK ? A judge has ruled demonstrators don't have a First Amendment right to protest Friday afternoon in front of a New York City federal courthouse that has hosted several major terrorism trials.

Judge Lewis Kaplan said Thursday he wouldn't order the federal government to let an Occupy the Courts demonstration occur outside the lower Manhattan courthouse. He says the space isn't a public forum and the government acted reasonably in denying a permit.

A government lawyer says the courthouse poses unique security concerns in part because of terrorism fears.

Protest organizers had asked the judge to overturn the General Services Administration's rejection of their permit application. Their lawsuit said their First Amendment rights were violated.

The nationwide protest marks the second anniversary of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling against limits on spending by independent organizations.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_re_us/us_occupy_courts

contraband tim tebow denver vs new england denver broncos vs new england patriots chad ochocinco cruise ship sinking 49ers news

HumanBirdWings Guy Survives First Test Flight

We first reported on Jarnos Smeets when his HumanBirdWings project was still a baby. He had successfully paired the accelerometers of a WiiMote and an HTC Wildfire S to control the outrunners on his wings, but hadn't yet taken to the air. Today, that all changes.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/JL-zxISK1Yg/

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

Book claims Kim's eldest fears NKorea may collapse (AP)

TOKYO ? A new book claims that the eldest son of North Korea's late leader Kim Jong Il believes the impoverished regime is in danger of collapse and that his young half-brother, chosen to lead after Kim's death, is merely a figurehead.

The book by Tokyo-based journalist Yoji Gomi went on sale Wednesday. He says it is based primarily on email exchanges he had with Kim Jong Nam over many years.

The book, titled "My Father, Kim Jong Il, and Me," drew immediate attention as a rare view into the family that has led the secretive country for decades ? though Kim Jong Nam is thought to be estranged from his family and the workings of government. Since Kim Jong Il's death Dec. 17, North Korea has been led by his youngest son, Kim Jong Un.

"Jong Un will just be a figurehead," the book quotes Kim Jong Nam as saying. It claims he said the collapse of North Korea's economy is likely unless it initiates reforms, which could also bring it down.

"Without reforms and liberalization, the collapse of the economy is within sight," he quoted Kim as saying. "But reforms and opening up could also invite dangers for the regime."

Gomi, a Tokyo Shimbun journalist who had assignments in Seoul and Beijing, claims he exchanged 150 emails and has spent a total of seven hours interviewing Kim Jong Nam, who was seen as a possible successor until he fell out of favor with Kim Jong Il in 2001.

Gomi says he met Kim Jong Nam in person in 2004, in Beijing, and twice last year. Gomi was not immediately available for comment on the book.

Not long after Kim Jong Il's funeral, Jong Nam suggested in an interview with a Japanese TV network that he opposes a hereditary transfer of power to his young half-brother, who is believed to be in his late 20s.

That was a rare public sign of discord in the tightly choreographed succession process, but analysts said Jong Nam spends so much time outside his native land that his opinion carries little weight.

Kim Jong Nam, who did not attend the funeral, made similar comments in his communications with Gomi, the book claims.

"As a matter of common sense, a transfer to the third generation is unacceptable," Kim Jong Nam was quoted as saying in an email dated this month. "The power elite that have ruled the country will continue to be in control."

He added: "I have my doubts about whether a person with only two years of grooming as a leader can govern."

Party and military officials have moved quickly to install Kim Jong Un as "supreme leader" of the people, party and military.

But the new ruler's youth and quick ascension to power have raised questions in foreign capitals about how ready he is to inherit rule over this nation of 24 million with a nuclear program as well as chronic trouble feeding all its people.

A senior North Korean party official, however, told the AP in a recent interview that Kim Jong Un was ready to lead and had spent years working closely with his late father and helped him make key policy decisions on economic and military affairs.

Kim Jong Nam is widely believed to have dropped out of the succession race after embarrassing the government in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a fake passport. He said he wanted to visit Tokyo Disneyland.

Jong Nam, the oldest of three brothers thought to be in the running, is the closest thing the country has to an international playboy and is the only one who speaks to the foreign media. He travels freely and spends much of his time in China or the country's special autonomous region of Macau ? the center of Asian gambling with its Las Vegas-style casinos.

Experts said he will most likely continue living abroad.

Kim Jong Il is known to have three sons ? one from his second wife and two from his third.

Kim often derided the middle son, Jong Chol, as "girlish," a former Kim Jong Il chef, who goes by the pen name Kenji Fujimoto, said in a 2003 memoir.

___

Associated Press writer Foster Klug contributed to this report from Seoul, South Korea.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_nkorea

battlefield 3 review real housewives of new jersey coraline coraline jacqueline laurita mcfadden mcfadden

U.S. economy losing competitive edge: survey (Reuters)

BOSTON (Reuters) ? The United States is becoming less economically competitive versus other nations, with political gridlock and a weak primary education system seen as the main drag, according to a survey released on Wednesday.

In particular, the nation is falling behind emerging market rivals and just keeping pace with other advanced economies, according to a Harvard Business School survey of 9,750 of its alumni in the United States and 121 other countries.

Seventy-one percent of respondents expected the U.S. to become less competitive, less able to compete in the global economy with U.S. firms less able to pay high wages and benefits, the study found.

The findings come at a time when high unemployment is a major concern for Americans, with 23.7 million out-of-work and underemployed, and the economy the top issue ahead of November's presidential election.

"The U.S. is losing out on business location decisions at an alarming rate" said Michael Porter, a Harvard Business School professor who was a co-author of the study.

U.S. companies, which slashed headcount sharply during the 2007-2009 recession, have been slow to rehire since the downturn's official end and some have continued to cut. This month, Archer Daniels Midland Co (ADM.N), Kraft Foods Inc (KFT.N) and Novartis AG (NOVN.XV) all said they would be cutting U.S. jobs this year.

Survey respondents said they remained more likely to move operations out of the United States than back in. Of 1,005 who considered offshoring facilities in the past year, 51 percent decided to move versus just 10 percent who opted to keep their facilities in the country, with the balance not yet decided.

Respondents, graduates of the prestigious business school who were polled from October 4 through November 4, were particularly concerned about how the United States was shaping up versus emerging nations such as China, Brazil and India, with 66 percent saying the United States was falling behind.

WEAK POINTS

Among respondents who had decided to move operations out of the United States over the past year, 70 percent cited lower wages as the reason they chose a new location, pointing to what is widely seen as emerging markets' main advantage.

While the United States held up better compared to other advanced economies, with about 70 percent saying it was keeping pace competitively, 21 percent said the U.S. was also falling behind other wealthy countries, such as those in Western Europe and Japan.

The United States' main disadvantages compared with other advanced economies were the complexity of its tax code, the ineffectiveness of its political system and the weakness of its educational system from kindergarten through high school.

Higher education fared better, with respondents citing high-quality universities as the nation's top competitive advantage.

Asked what the U.S. government could do to improve its competitive position, respondents top recommendations were to simplify the tax code, reform immigration policies and reduce the corporate tax rate.

(Reporting by Scott Malone; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120118/bs_nm/us_corporate_competitiveness

patsy cline portlandia detroit lions beyonce gives birth pierre thomas playoffs kelly clarkson