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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Iran to stop oil exports to "some" countries soon: IRNA (Reuters)
TEHRAN (Reuters) ? Iran's oil minister said on Sunday the Islamic state would soon stop exporting crude to "some" countries, the state news agency IRNA reported.
"Soon we will cut exporting oil to some countries," Rostam Qasemi was quoted by IRNA as saying.
Benchmark Brent crude prices rose to around $111.50 a barrel on Friday on expectations Iran's parliament would vote to halt exports to the European Union as early as next week, in retaliation to EU plans to stop all Iranian crude imports by July amid deepening tension over Tehran's nuclear programme.
Iran's parliament on Sunday postponed the debate over the bill.
(Created by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Alison Williams)
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Monday, January 30, 2012
Mitt Romney picks up Jon Voight?s endorsement?and jokes about Angelina Jolie (The Ticket)
(Charles Dharapak/AP)
PENSACOLA, Fla.?The run-up to Florida's Republican presidential primary has already been weird, thanks in part to an extended debate over whether there should be a colony on the moon. On Saturday, it got a little weirder.
Stumping at a seafood restaurant here along the Gulf coast, Mitt Romney picked up the endorsement of actor Jon Voight, the star of "Midnight Cowboy" who is perhaps best known these days as the father of actress Angelina Jolie. The actor has long been active in Republican politics, campaigning for Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign in 2008 and traveling with Mike Huckabee to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year.
Voight told the crowd he was backing Romney because he was "strong" and "honest." He declared President Obama had "decided to follow his father's footsteps and take us to socialism."
The actor said Newt Gingrich "fell short" of being able to take on Obama. "We cannot afford another four years of rhetoric," Voight said.
While Jolie's name wasn't mentioned on the stump, Romney did manage to sneak in a reference to the actress's wild-child reputation.
Explaining to the audience that he wasn't sure how to "chit chat with a famous actor" when he phoned Voight to ask for his support, Romney said he decided to talk about his kids.
"I started talking about my five boys," the candidate explained. "I said, you know, it's easier to raise boys than girls. Well, after a long pause, he says, 'Tell me about it.'"
The line got a huge laugh from the crowd of several hundred people who turned out to see Romney stump with Voight, as well as Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and Sen. John McCain, who entertained the crowd with his own stand-up routine while introducing Romney.
The Arizona senator, who trained as a pilot at the naval base in Pensacola, joked that the money he spent as a young bachelor in the city had single-handedly kept the city's economy alive. And, in a repeat of a line he often repeated on the presidential campaign trail here four years ago, McCain joked about Zsa Zsa Gabor's sex life.
Noting the other dignitaries on hand, McCain said, "I feel a bit like Zsa Zsa Gabor's fifth husband. I know what I'm supposed to do, but I don't know how to make it interesting."
A few feet away, Romney let out an awkward giggle.
"I thought we only brought one actor and comedian here today," Romney told McCain when it was his turn at the mic. "Gosh, that was quite a repartee there, senator. That was fabulous."
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Sunday, January 29, 2012
Celebrity pot busts put tiny Texas county on map
FILE - In this Nov. 4, 2011 file photo, actor Armie Hammer poses for photographers after the Young Hollywood Panel during AFI FEST 2011 in Los Angeles. The town of Sierra Blanca, Texas, which is losing more and more residents every year, is attracting nationwide attention as a magnet for pot-toting celebrities who have been arrested for possession at a Border Patrol checkpoint outside town. Hammer was arrested Nov. 20, 2011, at a border patrol checkpoint in West Texas after a drug sniffing dog discovered marijuana in his car. The 25-year-old, who starred with Leonardo DiCaprio in "J. Edgar," spent about a day in jail before paying a $1,000 bond. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)
FILE - In this Nov. 4, 2011 file photo, actor Armie Hammer poses for photographers after the Young Hollywood Panel during AFI FEST 2011 in Los Angeles. The town of Sierra Blanca, Texas, which is losing more and more residents every year, is attracting nationwide attention as a magnet for pot-toting celebrities who have been arrested for possession at a Border Patrol checkpoint outside town. Hammer was arrested Nov. 20, 2011, at a border patrol checkpoint in West Texas after a drug sniffing dog discovered marijuana in his car. The 25-year-old, who starred with Leonardo DiCaprio in "J. Edgar," spent about a day in jail before paying a $1,000 bond. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)
SIERRA BLANCA, Texas (AP) ? Nestled among the few remaining businesses that dot a rundown highway in this dusty West Texas town stands what's become a surprise destination for marijuana-toting celebrities: the Hudspeth County Jail.
Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg and actor Armie Hammer have been among the thousands of people busted for possession at a Border Patrol checkpoint outside town in recent years, bringing a bit of notoriety to one of Texas' most sparsely populated counties.
"Once I was in Arizona, and when I said where I was from, they said, 'That's where Willie Nelson was busted,'" said Louise Barantley, manager at the Coyote Sunset souvenir shop in Sierra Blanca.
Hudspeth County cameos aren't only for outlaws: Action movie star Steven Seagal, who's already deputized in Louisiana and Arizona for his reality show "Steven Seagal Lawman" on A&E, has signed on to become a county officer.
Locals already have found ways to rub shoulders with their celebrity guests.
Deputies posed for pictures with Snoop Dogg after authorities said they found several joints on his bus earlier this month. When Nelson was busted here in 2010, the county's lead prosecutor suggested the singer settle his marijuana charges by performing "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" for the court. Nelson paid a fine instead, but not before county commissioner Wayne West played one of his own songs for the country music legend.
West acknowledged he's a big fan of Nelson and wanted to capitalize on a golden chance to perform for such a noted "captive audience."
"Willie loved the song, he is a real outgoing individual" he added.
The once-thriving town of Sierra Blanca began to shrink to its current 1,000-person population after the construction of nearby Interstate 10 ? a main artery linking cities from California to Florida ? offered an easy way to bypass the community.
Now the highway is sending thousands of drug bust cases Sierra Blanca's way, courtesy of a Border Patrol checkpoint just outside of town where drug-sniffing dogs inspect more than 17,000 trucks, travelers ? and tour buses ? daily for whiffs of contraband that may have made its way inland from the border.
Hudspeth County Sheriff Arvin West, younger brother of the musically inclined commissioner, said his office handled about 2,000 cases last year, most of them having to do with drugs seized at the checkpoint.
Border Patrol agents say people busted with small amounts of pot often say they have medical marijuana licenses from California, Arizona or New Mexico ? three states along I-10 that, unlike Texas, allow for medicinal pot prescriptions ? and claim to believe the licenses were valid nationwide.
Nelson's publicists declined to comment about the specifics of the singer's case. Representatives for Snoop Dogg, who will pay a fine and court costs after being cited for possession of marijuana paraphernalia, did not return several messages seeking comment.
County authorities have not yet decided whether to prosecute or issue a citation for Hammer, who starred in the 2010 film "The Social Network" and more recently played the FBI's number two man in "J. Edgar" He was arrested in November on his way to his wife's bakery in San Antonio after authorities said they found marijuana-laced brownies and cookies. His attorney Kent Schaffer has called the case a "total non-issue."
Local officials say they're not on a celebrity witch hunt, but some residents are enjoying the publicity from the high-profile arrests. They say the once forgotten town of Sierra Blanca should take pride in not pandering to famous people caught breaking the law.
"We get attention because something is being done right," resident Adolfo Gonzalez said while shopping at a local convenience store. "It'd be worse if we'd let them go because they are celebrities."
That's not expected to change when Seagal comes to town. Sheriff West insists the "Under Siege" star hasn't indicated any plans to film his show here ? but the sheriff isn't ruling it out.
"If he wants to, we can do it but that's not what he said this was about," West said.
West's spokesman, Rusty Flemming, said Seagal will patrol the area and train colleagues in martial arts and weapons techniques. The actor is expected to arrive in Hudspeth County within months, once he's done filming a new movie in Canada.
Seagal's management agency did not return calls and emails seeking comment about his plans in Texas.
Commissioner West, meanwhile, is keeping his musical skills sharp ? just in case another performer pays a surprise visit to the county jail. The lead guitarist and vocalist of a local band, West said he regrets not having a chance to sing for Snoop Dogg, but wasn't sure if the rapper would have enjoyed the performance anyway.
"Our stuff is laid back," he said. "Mas o menos (more or less) country."
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NC gov's exit shakes up vote on gay marriage ban (AP)
RALEIGH, N.C. ? Something unexpected happened on the way to North Carolina's vote on a gay marriage ban this May: Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue decided not to run for re-election, meaning more voters who oppose the ban could turn out at the polls.
Before Thursday's development, mostly Republican voters were expected to show up to pick their nominees for governor and president, and likely make North Carolina the last state in the Southeast to block same-sex marriage.
Now gay rights supporters hope they have a better chance of shooting down the constitutional amendment with more Democrats showing up May 8 to pick a candidate for governor at the same time. Gay marriage opponents believe they have the votes sewn up anyway and it won't make much of a difference.
"I'm sure that supporters of the amendment thought that, strategically, putting the question on the May ballot was their best chance," said Michael Bitzer, a professor of politics and history at Catawba College. "That strategy just got blown out of the water."
People on both sides of the question see the referendum here as having significant national implications: Gay marriage will either be banned in a clean sweep of the South, or there will be a stunning Dixie rejection.
"Given the fact that this amendment won't be decided by such a narrow slice of voters as it would have been previously, it increases the optimism from our side," said Michael Cole-Schwartz, spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, a national gay rights group. "It's something we have to consider carefully in light of all the other issues in other states around the country this year."
If Perdue's departure hurts the ban's chances, it would be ironic, given that her objections to its appearance on the November ballot helped convince lawmakers to move it back to spring.
Perdue opposes the amendment and said she didn't want to see it on any ballot, but she worried that Republicans wanted it in November to help their chances in the general election. Turnout for primary elections is historically lower than in November, and without a contested Democratic primary in either the gubernatorial or presidential races, there was little reason for Democratic voters to turn out in large numbers this spring.
"Democrats didn't want it on the November ballot because they feared it would be bad for them in the presidential and gubernatorial races," said John Dinan, a professor at Wake Forest University. "Nobody could have predicted at that point that the May primaries would be much more contested. Nobody planned it this way."
A Democratic primary could bring out voters more likely to oppose bans on gay marriage, said Richard Matland, a professor at Loyola University Chicago who co-authored a paper last year that analyzed every single state referendum on gay marriage.
All 34 of those votes were in favor of banning gay marriage, except for a 2006 referendum in Arizona where the measure was narrowly defeated, although Arizona would ban same-sex marriage in a subsequent vote.
Although the results are essentially uniform, Matland said there are important distinctions, especially regarding turnout. In general, higher turnout means closer elections featuring more "episodic" voters like young people, who tend to be more supportive of gay marriage.
"Turnout really does drive the process," he said. "If there does turn out to be a big campaign with a lot of candidates able to get up and running, it might make the North Carolina referendum a lot more interesting."
Supporters of same-sex marriage hope that's the case.
"Having a Democratic governor's race definitely helps our chances," said Jeremy Kennedy, campaign manager for the Coalition to Protect North Carolina Families, the group leading the opposition to the ballot measure.
Gay marriage opponents, though, say the issue cuts across party lines, and has significant support among Democrats and unaffiliated voters as well as Republicans.
"I don't think it'll have any effect," said the Rev. Ron Baity, president of Return America, one of the groups working to secure passage of the measure. "I'm sure the amendment is going to pass."
Tami Fitzgerald, co-chairwoman of the Vote FOR Marriage NC coalition, which supports the amendment, said she welcomes the prospect of a contested Democratic primary.
"The more folks that turn out on May 8, the better," she said.
Certainly, there are complexities among Democratic voters that may work in favor of amendment supporters like Fitzgerald.
The emergence of a black candidate such as Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx, who is considering a bid, could attract a disproportionate number of black voters, according to David McLennan, a political science professor at William Peace University, who tend to be more conservative on gay marriage.
The primary "creates some confusion to what's going to happen," he said. "It could go any number of ways."
___
Associated Press Writer Gary D. Robertson contributed to this report.
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Saturday, January 28, 2012
Ex-US diplomat testifies in Argentine baby thefts (AP)
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina ? A former U.S. diplomat testified Thursday that American officials knew Argentina's military regime was taking babies from dead or jailed dissidents during its "dirty war" against leftists in the 1970s, and it appeared to be a systematic effort at the time.
Elliot Abrams testified by videoconference from Washington in the trial of former dictators Jorge Videla and Reynaldo Bignone and other military and police figures accused of organizing the theft of babies from women who were detained and then executed in the 1976-1983 junta's torture centers.
Abrams said U.S. officials were aware that some children had been taken and then illegally adopted by families loyal to the regime.
"We knew that it wasn't just one or two children," Abrams testified. There must have been some sort of directive from a high level official, he suggested: "a plan, because there were many people who were being murdered or jailed."
"It was a very serious problem because these were children who were alive," Abrams added.
He said he suggested to the junta's ambassador to Washington, Lucio Alberto Garcia del Solar, that the dictatorship could improve its image by creating a process sponsored by the Roman Catholic Church to return the children to their rightful families. But he said the ambassador told him Bignone had spurned the idea.
The junta apparently saw the program as a way to prevent children from growing up "communist," Abrams said. Also, enabling loyal families who couldn't conceive to adopt the babies was seen as a blessing by the regime, he said.
The defendants have denied any systematic effort to remove babies from detainees at a time when the junta was fighting armed rebels who were trying to build support for a communist takeover of Argentina.
The activist group Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo said Abrams' testimony shows how useful it would be for the United States to declassify all of its documents on the Argentine dictatorship, in particular the secret files of the CIA and the FBI. Doing so might provide information to help identify more of the illegally adopted children, it said.
Abrams had expected to be called to testify after his long-classified memo describing his secret meeting with the ambassador was made public in December at the request of the Grandmothers group, which has spent decades gathering evidence against the 1976-1983 military junta.
At the time of the "dirty war," the junta officially denied any knowledge of systematic baby thefts, let alone responsibility for the disappearances of political prisoners. In public, the U.S. government also was circumspect, even as the junta's death squads kidnapped and killed its opponents, eventually eliminating more than 13,000 purported subversives.
Asked about the case by The Associated Press last month, Abrams said through a spokeswoman that he, too, was "in favor of having relevant U.S. documents declassified" for use by Argentina.
___
Associated Press writer Debora Rey reported this story in Buenos Aires and Michael Warren reported from Santiago, Chile.
___
Michael Warren on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mwarrenap
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Mitt Romney Overseas Money: GOP Candidate Revising Disclosures For Overseas Accounts
First Read :
But while the returns have produced no revelations about any improper dealings on Romneys' part, they have continued to raise questions about how and why some of his multiple overseas investments were made in the first place, and why there were not more fully reported on Romney's financial disclosure forms.?
But while the returns have produced no revelations about any improper dealings on Romneys' part, they have continued to raise questions about how and why some of his multiple overseas investments were made in the first place, and why there were not more fully reported on Romney's financial disclosure forms.?
Read the whole story: First Read
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Friday, January 27, 2012
Nintendo: to launch Wii successor in key markets for year-end (Reuters)
OSAKA, Japan (Reuters) ? Nintendo will launch a successor to its Wii game console in the U.S. and other key markets in time for the crucial year-end shopping season later this year, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata told reporters on Thursday.
He said the WiiU would be launched in the United States, Europe, Australia and Japan for the year-end season.
(Reporting by Yoshiyuki Osada; Writing by Edmund Klamann; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
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Oscars voting to go electronic
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak is seen before the start of the Academy nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012 in Beverly Hills, Calif. The 84th Annual Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, Feb. 26 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak is seen before the start of the Academy nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012 in Beverly Hills, Calif. The 84th Annual Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, Feb. 26 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
Producer Brian Grazer is seen after the nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012 in Beverly Hills, Calif. The 84th Annual Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, Feb. 26 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
Jennifer Lawrence and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak announce the Adapted Screenplay nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012 in Beverly Hills, Calif. The 84th Annual Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, Feb. 26 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Potential Oscar winners will now be a click away from winning a trophy.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday that it has partnered with a company to develop an electronic voting system for next year's 85th annual Academy Awards.
The motion picture academy says it entered into an agreement with Everyone Counts Inc. to exclusively to work with longtime accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers to create the new system.
Oscar voting in the past has been compiled through paper ballots sent through the mail.
Ric Robertson, the Academy's chief operating officer, said in a statement that it's the first step the Academy is taking "toward developing a secure and convenient electronic voting system."
The 84th annual Academy Awards are set for Feb. 26.
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Thursday, January 26, 2012
Car bomb targeting NATO aid team kills 4 Afghans (AP)
KABUL, Afghanistan ? A suicide car bomber targeting a NATO-sponsored reconstruction team killed four Afghan civilians, including a child, and wounded 31 on Thursday in southern Afghanistan, officials said.
Three civilian international members of the aid team ? two men and one woman ? were among the wounded, said Daud Ahmadi, a spokesman for the provincial governor. He said their injuries were not life threatening and did not know their nationalities.
The bomber detonated his explosives-laden vehicle Thursday morning as a convoy of a NATO Provincial Reconstruction Team passed by in Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province, Ahmadi said.
The blast ripped through the convoy of armored vehicles, knocking at least one over and charring others. The explosion also shredded nearby storefronts and damaged at least 17 civilian cars nearby, a provincial statement said.
Provincial Reconstruction Teams are joint international military-civilian units dedicated to aid projects to boost support for the Afghan government of President Hamid Karzai. They are sponsored by the NATO military coalition and there are 27 now operating in Afghanistan.
Afghan National Army soldier Dad Mohammad witnessed the attack while on patrol in the town.
"A car passed our vehicle and parked down the road," he said. "When the foreigners' vehicle was passing this road, it was targeted and there was an explosion."
A spokesman for NATO declined to comment on the attack, referring all questions to the Afghan provincial government.
A statement from the Ministry of Interior said the attack took place near an Education Department building, though Ahmadi initially described it as an aid office. The Ministry said the vehicles in the convoy were about 70 percent destroyed.
No one claimed responsibility for the car bomb, but Helmand has been one of the most volatile areas in the Taliban insurgency's pushback against a U.S.-led initiative to bring southern Afghanistan under greater control of the central Afghan government.
Karzai, who is on a trip meeting European leaders, condemned the attack. A statement from his office Thursday blamed "the enemy of the Afghan people" for the violence, which it called "un-Islamic and against humanity."
Elsewhere, officials said a rocket fired by Taliban insurgents killed a woman and her child in eastern Afghanistan.
Insurgents fired the mortar round during a battle Wednesday with Afghan army soldiers trying to clear militants from a stronghold in Kapisa province's Alasay district, said the provincial governor's chief of staff, Abdul Sabor Wafa.
___
Associated Press reporter Mirwais Khan in Kandahar contributed to this report.
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Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Can Europe Oil Embargo Force Iran to Back Down on Nuclear Program? (Time.com)
The European Union has raised the takes in the standoff over Iran's nuclear program. E.U. foreign ministers on Monday adopted the most far-reaching package of sanctions yet on the Islamic Republic, including an embargo on the oil exports that are Iran's economic lifeline, and measures against the country's central bank that will restrict its ability to engage in international trade. European governments have now adopted an immediate ban on all new oil contracts with Iran, and a gradual phase-out of existing contracts between now and July 1. The measures also ban trade in all petrochemical products, gold, precious metals, diamonds, banknotes and coins.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the oil embargo was part of "an unprecedented set of sanctions," and he urged Iran to "come to its senses" and resume negotiations on its nuclear program. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said the concern underlying the new measures was "not a question of security in the region, it is a question of security in the world." And E.U. foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the sanctions aimed to "make sure that Iran takes seriously our request to come to the table". Although Iranian officials have signaled a readiness to hold new talks, Ashton says Tehran has yet formally responded to the?letter she sent in October calling for a new meeting between Iran and the group known as the P5+1, comprising the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China.
Adopting the new measures carries a significant cost for Europe. The top European customers for Iranian oil are also those currently facing the most serious financial crises: Greece buys about one third of its oil imports from Iran, while Italy and Spain each rely on Tehran for a little over 10% of their own supply. Although Saudi Arabia and other suppliers are expected to fill any shortfall in available output, the International Energy Agency has warned that replacing Iranian oil will not be an easy task for Europe.
(MORE: Amid New Sanctions, Obama Confronts the Challenges of Diplomacy With Iran)
But the key question is the effect sanctions will have on Iran. Oil accounts for around 90% of all Iranian exports to the E.U., and European countries together make up Tehran's second largest market after China. More broadly, oil makes up over three-quarters of Iran's total economic output, and the country sells roughly 2.5 million barrels a day, with Europe accounting for about one quarter of it last year. Indeed, Iran is already suffering from the existing European and American sanctions: the Iranian rial has fallen about 40% against the dollar since December, inflation is at 40%, and youth unemployment is at around 50%.?
One way Iran may try to offset the impact of the European embargo is by selling more oil to China, India and other Asian countries, inducing them by offering major discounts -- a possibility made easier for Iran while the price remains above $100 per barrel. For that reason, Western powers hope to persuade Asian countries to reduce their own purchases from Iran.?
Yet all this effort may still fail to dissuade Iran from pursuing its nuclear ambitions. Sanctions are often a blunt political instrument: Even if they succeed in imposing significant costs on the regime and exacerbating public frustration over economic hardships, they could further entrench Tehran's regime and its intransigence. Says Paul Stevens, a Senior Research Fellow at the London-based Chatham House think tank,? "Given the crucial role of oil in Iran's deepest political DNA, the E.U. embargo would put the population solidly behind the current regime. It would greatly strengthen the Ahmadinejad regime at a time when it is under considerable pressure, especially with parliamentary elections looming in March."
(PHOTOS: Iranian Protesters Storm British Embassy)
The new sanctions come just as a US naval flotilla accompanied by British and French warships is patrolling the Strait of Hormuz, inevitably ratcheting up tensions. Two Iranian lawmakers on Monday responded to the E.U. decision by threatening to close the Strait, through which some 40% of the world's oil shipments pass en route to market. Despite the new sanctions, however, some analysts maintain Tehran is more likely to heed the threat of military action. European Council on Foreign Relations policy fellow Richard Gowan warns, "It's hard to believe that these sanctions will cause Iran to discard its nuclear ambitions. Iran will remain much more focused on decision-making in Israel and the U.S. over the possibility of a military strike this year."
E.U. officials accept that sanctions are no silver bullet. But coupled with robust diplomacy and a credible military presence in the region, they believe economic pressures can create diplomatic leverage. The problem for the West is what happens if Iran fails to buckle as sanctions reach their peak.?
J?rg Himmelreich, a senior fellow with the German Marshall Fund in Berlin says the measures can only buy time. "At best, sanctions might force a change of regime, but not the nuclear program, which reflects a widely-shared sense national pride and self-consciousness," he says. "It may be pessimistic, but I see the next step as accepting Iran as a nuclear power." If that is the way the Iran conundrum is heading, Europe's sanctions may simply be the last throw of the dice.
PHOTOS: Smuggling Between Iran and Iraq
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012
TCF Inventory Finance Announces Further Expansion into ...
Jan 23, 2012
TCF Inventory Finance Announces Further Expansion into Recreation Vehicle Industry
TCF Inventory Finance, Inc. (?TCFIF?), a subsidiary of TCF National Bank and an indirect subsidiary of TCF Financial Corporation (?TCF?) (NYSE: TCB), today announced plans to further expand its floorplan finance offerings into the recreation vehicle (?RV?) industry within the U.S. and Canada.
Established in 2008, TCFIF has gained significant market share in the electronics and appliances industry as well as the lawn and garden industry. In the powersports industry, TCFIF is the exclusive floorplan finance provider for Arctic Cat? in Canada and, beginning February 1, for Bombardier Recreational Products in both the U.S. and Canada. Although TCFIF is relatively new in the market, TCFIF?s executive leadership team averages over twenty years of inventory finance experience in all of these industries.
Last year, TCFIF entered the RV industry in the U. S. and Canada by becoming the preferred lender for Jayco Inc.?s three RV divisions (Jayco, Starcraft and Entegra Coach). With a strong presence at the recent Louisville, Kentucky RV show, TCFIF took the opportunity to meet with several RV manufacturers and dealers. TCFIF will continue to initiate discussions with potential customers and secure repurchase agreements from major RV manufacturers.
?We are excited to begin developing more relationships within the RV industry,? said Ross Perrelli, President and Chief Executive Officer of TCFIF. ?We are confident that we are the best choice for floorplan financing for RV manufacturers and dealers.?
In addition to offering the RV industry an excellent source of financing, TCFIF is dedicated to providing its customers with exceptional service and competitive programs. TCFIF provides the convenience of a ?one-stop shop? for wholesale financing needs, offering equipment financing and commercial banking services and products through TCF affiliated companies in addition to inventory financing.
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Monday, January 23, 2012
Over 100,000 rally in Hungary to back government in EU row (Reuters)
BUDAPEST (Reuters) ? More than 100,000 people rallied Saturday in a show of support for the embattled Hungarian government, as it prepares to compromise in a bitter row with the European Union to secure a vital loan.
Labeled a "March of Peace" the demonstration was by far the largest rally since the government took power in May 2010, in what analysts said was a reminder that Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party remains a potent political force.
Orban's center-right government, accused by Brussels of threatening the independence of the media, judiciary and central bank, backed down earlier this week, aiming to prop up its battered forint currency and keep access to financial markets.
The government has said it will work out details of necessary legal changes by Monday after the European Commission started infringement procedures in the three areas, saying Budapest's new laws failed to comply with EU rules.
Orban is travelling to Brussels Tuesday to try to hammer out a political agreement with EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, in order to be able to start formal talks with the EU and International Monetary Fund about a loan deal.
Amid the diplomatic wrangle and market swings the government has also seen its popular support dwindle and big demonstrations against its policies have become regular.
According to a fresh opinion poll, 84 percent of people think things are going in the wrong direction, although the opposition is fragmented and Fidesz still commands the support of about 1.5 million voters in the country of 10 million.
"Those who are here, many of us also think things are not going in a good direction," Bela Petrik, a 22-year-old economy student from Budapest, said at Budapest's Heroes Square as people gathered for a march to parliament.
"But these mistakes should not lead to speculative attacks that serve the interests of nobody except the speculators."
NO COLONY OF THE WEST
The organizers of the rally, billionaire Gabor Szeles, news magazine editor Andras Bencsik and others said the rally was to show Hungary would not bow to the West.
"We won't be a dominion, we don't want to be a colony," Bencsik told the crowd. "This is our message to those abroad. "The other is we fully support Viktor Orban, and we are proud of what we achieved at the 2010 elections."
Political analyst Zoltan Kiszelly said the size of the crowd was a clear message that Fidesz was by far the strongest political force in the country.
"They have shown the political left that the street does not belong to them," Kiszelly told Reuters. "And they have sent a message to the government's partners abroad to stop trying to tell us what to do, the government is doing fine."
"The way the Italian or the Greek governments were removed will not work in Hungary, and early elections are out of the question with this kind of public support."
Judit Marcsok, a 43-year-old homemaker from Mogyorod, said she was appalled at the tone EU politicians used in their critique of Hungary.
"I was completely enraged when socialist and liberal MEP's screamed this week in Strasbourg, with veins on their necks bulging, at the Hungarian prime minister," she said. "This is no way to negotiate, this is no attitude to any country."
(Reporting by Marton Dunai; editing by Andrew Roche)
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This Week's Top Downloads [Download Roundup]
Jan 21, 2012 5:00 PM 5,130 
0
0 - Boxer is a Free DOS Game Emulator for your Mac (Mac) Computer games have come a long way since the days of Doom, Zork, Tie Fighter, and Castle Wolfenstein, but many of us who grew up with those games would like to replay them. Boxer is a free app that will let you play any DOS game on your Mac.
- iBoostUp Cleans Out Your Mac's System File Clutter in a Minute (Mac) iBoostUp cleans out the crap on your drive and fine-tunes your system for better performance. It's simple, it's quick, and it's free.
- AntiCrop "Uncrops" Your Photos by Extending the Picture's Background (iOS) If you've ever taken a hasty photo on your phone and didn't leave enough room on the outside, AntiCrop is the app can "uncrop" those photos by filling in the edges with just a few swipes.
- Untethered Jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iOS 5 Is Finally Here (iOS) iPhone-hacking group Chronic Dev Team just released the first untethered jailbreak for the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 running iOS 5.0.1. We've explained why a tethered jailbreak can be such a hassle, which is why we've been waiting to recommend jailbreaking your up-to-date iPhone. Luckily, that wait is over.
- Clean My Desktop Sorts Files Into Content Specific Folders (Mac) A desktop filled with hundreds of files in a variety of formats can be a headache to clean up, but Clean My Desktop makes it easy by sorting everything into content specific folders based on the file type.
- MindNode Is a Mind Mapping App that Makes Brainstorming Simple and Easy (Mac/iOS) Regardless of the type of work that you do, brainstorming is an important part of generating new ideas and new approaches to getting your work done more efficiently. Mind mapping is a brainstorming technique that helps you get all of your interconnected thoughts out in a diagram, and there are a number of complicated tools designed to help you do it. MindNode for Mac and iOS is pricey, but it's one of the best tools we've seen for the job.
- Pomodroido Is an Elegant Pomodoro Timer for Your Android Phone (Pomodroido) If you're a fan of the Pomodoro productivity technique, you know that part of the philosophy is to work in short, focused, timed bursts and then take periodic breaks to relax. To do this, you'll need a timer, and Pomodroido is a free app that turns your Android phone into one that follows you everywhere.
- Forismatic Is a Free App that Helps You Relax and Keeps You Inspired Every Day (Mac) Computers are supposed to make our work easier, but in reality they often just bring us more work and stress us out. Give your Mac the opportunity to help you relax for a change with Forismatic, a free app that sits in the menubar until you need a little inspiration to help you keep going, and will remind you to take a break now and again to relax.
- Breathing Zone Guides You Towards Slower Breathing to Help Reduce Stress and Anxiety (Mac/iOS) Breathing Zone is a simple app that helps slow your breathing rhythm to calm you down and make you feel more relaxed. If you're a bit stressed or anxious, it's a good way to help you alleviate those feelings in just a few minutes.
- WatchMe Is a Desktop Timer that Keeps Track of Multiple Alarms at Once (Windows) Unfortunately, few of us have the luxury of only keeping track of one thing at a time. There are plenty of great timers available to help you keep track of how long you've been working or when you need to take a break, but if you need to track multiple times or set more than one timer, you may be out of luck. WatchMe is a timer that allows you to set multiple alerts and multiple timers so you're alerted at different times for different things.
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/94J0DABeIrw/this-weeks-top-downloads
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Sunday, January 22, 2012
Britney Spears? conservatorship is set to be dropped as she prepares to wed for the third time
The Toxic hitmaker’s father Jamie was handed control of her personal and financial affairs following her much-publicised breakdown in 2008. Spears has since got her life on track – she’s released her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale, and toured the world to promote the release. Her longtime boyfriend and former agent Jason Trawick marked the [...]
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Man pleads no contest to stalking Halle Berry (Reuters)
(Reuters) ? A man with a criminal history who showed up at Oscar winner Halle Berry's house in the Hollywood Hills pleaded no contest on Thursday to a charge of stalking her, and a judge ordered him to stay 200 yards away from the actress for 10 years.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Dennis Landin also handed down a 386-day jail sentence to the 28-year-old man, Richard Franco.
But Franco will soon be released because he has already served half that term behind bars since his arrest in July, and he is being given credit for the other half of the sentence under measures to reduce overcrowding in the Los Angeles County jail system, prosecutors said.
Franco, who according to Los Angeles police has a history of violence, theft and drug offenses, was found to have a book with "nonsensical ramblings" and Berry's name in his handwriting, the actress said in court papers filed last year.
Franco first approached Berry's home on July 9, 2011, when she was talking to her manager and saw through a glass door that Franco -- whom she does not know -- was in the gated backyard, the papers stated. Berry's manager yelled at Franco and he left, she said in the papers.
The actress further said that on July 10, she went to her kitchen to get a Diet Coke and noticed Franco was on the other side of a glass door, less than one foot away.
She said she ran upstairs to call police. That evening, arrangements were made to have armed security officers at her home, and Franco was caught when he returned the next day.
Los Angeles police Detective John Gregozek testified in court last year that he spoke to Berry a day after the defendant's arrest.
"She was afraid for her safety and that of her daughter, as well," Gregozek said. "She hired armed security to stay at her residence 24 hours."
As a result of his plea, a residential burglary charge against Franco was dismissed.
In addition to jail time and the stay away order, Franco was placed on five years probation and ordered to undergo one year of psychological counseling, said Los Angeles deputy district attorney Wendy Seagall.
(Reporting By Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
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Saturday, January 21, 2012
PFT: Jets owner praises Holmes, says WR will return
Getty ImagesAfter the home teams went 4-0 in the wild-card round, I decided to ride that wave of bad hospitality, and I picked the home teams to win in the division round.
But for the Giants? 17-point win over the Packers, I would have had a perfect weekend.? Rosenthal, who picked both the Packers and Saints to advance, was 2-2.
So, yes, I won.? For a change.
This week, I agonized over both games.? Tempted to flip a coin, I probably would have been better off if I did.
Not just this weekend, but all year.
Ravens at Patriots
Florio?s take:? Yes, the Baltimore offense looked sluggish against the Texans.? During the regular season, however, the Texans had one of the best defenses in the league.? The Patriots, in sharp contrast, had one of the worst.? Still, can the Ravens muster at least one more point than the New England offense will score?? The internal offense-vs.-defense strife in Baltimore seems to be real, and it could lead to an ugly confrontation on the sidelines if the Pats jump out to an early lead and the Ravens can?t respond.? Also, the Pats? defense quietly is improving.? Throw in the fact that the Patriots would love to give owner Robert Kraft something about which to feel good as he continues to mourn his wife?s passing (Myra Kraft?s initials remain on their jerseys), Tom Brady?s memory of a home thrashing two years ago from the Ravens, and a burning desire by Brady and Bill Belichick to finally get that fourth championship, and it?s hard to envision the Patriots losing.
Florio?s pick:? Patriots 27, Ravens 20.
Rosenthal?s take: This game comes down to two questions. Is the Ravens defense more dominant than the Patriots offense? After watching Houston?s running game push Baltimore around last week, I?m rolling with the Patriots there. Terrell Suggs disappears too often. New England?s tight ends are too hard to defend.? Second question: Does the good Joe Flacco show up this week? All season, I?ve thought a great quarterback would take the Patriots out in the playoffs. New England doesn?t have to face a great quarterback in the AFC. The health of Patrick Chung, Brandon Spikes, Dane Fletcher, and the rest of the Patriots no-names all help make the New England defense competent enough.
Rosenthal?s pick: Patriots 31, Ravens 27.
Giants at 49ers
Florio?s take:? The Giants are the best team remaining, with a high-powered offense to go with a staunch defense.? And I?m inclined to pick them to win, in part because I?ve picked them to lose twice in the playoffs and in part because a clash between the Giants and Patriots in the Super Bowl would generate enormous interest and ratings and page views.? But there?s something intangible, and special, about the 49ers and coach Jim Harbaugh.? All week long, I believed I?d pick the Giants, and that then the 49ers would win.? With rain likely to make it harder for the Giants? passing game to fire on all cylinders, look for that hard-hitting San Fran defense and a potent-when-it-needs-to-be offense to find a way.? Yes, the Giants are the better team.? But the 49ers, I believe, will have more points on the scoreboard when the game is finally over.
Florio?s pick:? 49ers 24, Giants 21.
Rosenthal?s take: Eli Manning has the fourth quarter reputation, but Alex Smith has the seven fourth quarter comebacks. New York?s offensive line is a weakness that hasn?t been exposed the last two weeks, but it will show up on Sunday.? San Francisco can get more consistent pressure on Eli Manning with their front seven and they?ll have the more consistent running game. Counting on Eli to keep converting beautiful low percentage third-and-long throws is a difficult way to win week after week. The 49ers magic will continue.
Rosenthal?s pick: 49ers 24, Giants 20.
Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/19/jets-owner-says-santonio-will-be-back/related/
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AMD A8-3870K
There's good news and less-good news about AMD's new A8-3870K Accelerated Processing Unit (or APU). The good news is that it surpasses its predecessor, the A8-3850, in every way (if only slightly),
and provides overclocking features and performance potential beyond what you may think you can expect from a chip with a $135 (list) price?whether from AMD or Intel. But for all the strides AMD has made since it released the previous APU this past summer, the A8-3870K still can't replace a solid CPU?discrete video card combo for even quasi-serious gamers. But it shows that AMD is taking its Fusion product seriously, and thus hints at more good things to come.
Like the A8-3850, the A8-3870K is based on a 32nm production process and contains four CPU cores and a DirectX 11 (DX11)?supporting Radeon HD 6550D GPU with 400 GPU cores (in roughly the middle budget range of AMD's video products, judging by the previous generation's naming scheme). There's 128KB of L1 cache and 1MB of L2 cache available per core, and the APU supports dual-channel DDR3 memory at speeds of up to 1,866MHz. The A8-3870K of course also requires a motherboard that uses the (relatively) new FM1 socket, based on either AMD's A75 (with enhanced USB 3.0 and SATA III support) or A55 (USB 2.0 and SATA II) chipsets.
One important reminder about the graphics system on the APU: If you have a discrete video card installed, the APU will by default function as the boot-up video adapter, meaning any displays connected to a video card won't work until Windows loads the proper video drivers. This can be annoying if you only have one display, but you can toggle this "feature" in the motherboard's BIOS or UEFI settings. Second, the APU lets you access AMD's new Dual Graphics technology to "combine" the power of a discrete GPU with the integrated graphics; but this only works if both your hardware (the video card must be relatively low-end, and if you're only using one DIMM of memory, the whole thing might not work) and software (you'll need the AMD Vision Engine Control Center running) is correctly configured. Make sure your PC meets all the requirements before trying it out.
The biggest difference between the A8-3850 and the A8-3870K is in terms of the clocks. The CPU core on the newer chip has been bumped up from 2.9GHz to 3GHz, though the GPU clock remains unchanged at 600MHz?but both are now unlocked. This means you may overclock them to your heart's (and your PC's thermal) content, independently of each other, to get as much new performance as you can muster. It's also one of the first genuinely compelling reasons we've seen for enthusiasts (or just wannabes) to consider an APU that, by the broader standards of AMD's product line, is not an exceptional performer.
As we said when we reviewed the A8-3850 last year, Intel doesn't have any products that directly compare with AMD's new APUs in terms of overall capabilities. But if you care about raw processing more than graphics, an Intel platform based on chips like the lower-end Core i3-2100 or the considerably more powerful Core i5-2500K will serve you better. At its stock clock speeds, the A8-3870K represents only a tiny increase over the A8-3850; its multicore CineBench R11.5 score rose from 3.46 to 3.55, it took only six seconds less (5 minutes 12 seconds versus 5 minutes 18 seconds) to apply 12 filters in Adobe Photoshop CS5, cryptography throughput in TrueCrypt 7.0 raised from 106MBps to 109MBps, and its score in our full-system Futuremark PCMark 7 benchmark was functionally unchanged.
Video tests showed similarly small increases, with scores rising from 1,024 to 1,026 in 3DMark 11, frame rates increasing from 6.3 frames per second (fps) to 6.4fps in Lost Planet 2, and frame rates not improving at all in the Heaven Benchmark 2.5 (it remained at 5.5fps both times). These were all at basic resolutions, by the way?the Performance (1,280 by 720) preset for 3DMark 11, and 1,280 by 1,024 for the other two?though we maxed up all the details. By reducing the titles' resolutions or turning down the visual effects, you'll be able to get something much closer to playable frame rates, but you'll be making quite a few sacrifices.
This is where the overclocking comes in, right? Theoretically. We're happy to report that overclocking (when the APU was installed in the Gigabyte GA-A75-UD4H motherboard) was a breeze, and being able to separately focus on the CPU and GPU was an enormous frustration reducer. We had very little trouble nudging the GPU clock up from 600MHz to 900MHz and the CPU clock from 3GHz to 3.5GHz, using just a basic air cooler?and AMD tells us that, with more aggressive cooling and fine tuning of voltages, a combo rate of 960MHz/3.8GHz is possible. The A8-3870K offers you a lot of leeway.
But is it worth it? That depends on your point of view. The 3DMark 11 score rose from 1,026 to 1,244, CineBench from 0.90 to 1.04, the Heaven Benchmark from 5.5fps to 6.4fps, Lost Planet 2 from 6.4fps to 7.5fps, PCMark 11 from 2,509 to 2,691, Photoshop times down from 5:12 to 4:36, and TrueCrypt throughput up from 109MBps to 119MBps. (Predictably, load power rose as well, from 134.6 watts to 142.3 watts.) These aren't poor jumps by any stretch of the imagination. But except for those who might be really excited to overclock with such an inexpensive chip, we're not sure they're dazzling enough to set many hearts racing.
Still, the AMD A8-3870K is a fascinating part that shows how serious AMD continues to take the mainstream processor race. Our conclusion with this APU remains the same as with the A8-3850: Though you'll want a standalone video card for any real gaming purposes, AMD's blending of processing and video performance delivers a balance you just can't get from Intel right now. This may change when Intel ships its Ivy Bridge CPUs, which will support advanced DX11 graphics rather than Sandy Bridge's DX10, in a few months. But for now, AMD's Fusion approach is generating the most comforting heat in the midrange market.
More Chipsets & Processors Stories:
??? Intel Pins its Tablet Hopes on Ice Cream Sandwich
??? Intel Roars to Record 2011, Sets Sights on Ultrabooks, Tablets in 2012
??? AMD A8-3870K
??? Rumor: iPad 3 to Sport Quad-Core Chip, LTE, HD Display
??? AMD Positions Lightning Bolt to Take on Intel's Thunderbolt
?? more
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/2pbnTN29974/0,2817,2398957,00.asp
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Friday, January 20, 2012
Apple turns educator with iBook Textbooks for iPad
Jacob Aron, technology reporter
(Image: Mark Lennihan/AP/Press Association Images)
Students groaning under the weight of multiple textbooks can now swap their hefty tomes for an iPad - if they can afford one. Apple today launched a new range of interactive textbooks specifically designed for its tablets.
iBook Textbooks dump the paper-flipping effect of ebooks for a more app-like experience, offering images, videos and interactive diagrams alongside the text. Students can also highlight passages and make notes, then touch a button to have them transformed into study cards.
Apple has worked with textbook publishers McGraw-Hill, Pearson, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to produce a small range of books at launch, but it is also offering anyone the ability to create their own directly on the iPad using its free iBooks Author app. Teachers can also use the Author app to create iPad-based courses and message students when they set homework.
The textbooks can be automatically updated by the authors, eliminating the need to buy a new version each year, and will sell for $15 or less - a significant price-cut over paper books.
Of course, you'll also need to buy an iPad for $499 or more.
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Central U.S. hit by rare winter tornadoes (Reuters)
(Reuters) ? Storms in four central states on Tuesday brought reports of at least 10 tornadoes touching down, a rare event for this time of winter, including two in the Louisville, Kentucky metropolitan area, the National Weather Service said.
"That's pretty unusual for mid-January," said Tom Reaugh, a weather service meteorologist based in Louisville.
Another tornado touched down south of Nashville, Tennessee, and two others were reported in Mississippi along with reports of damage from high winds and hail, meteorologists said.
A cold front combined with a warm and humid air mass contributed to the tornadoes, but those conditions that dissipated by Wednesday, said Dan Pydynowski, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather.com, whose company provides forecasting services.
Tornadoes are rare, but not unheard of, this time of year in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio, and more common farther south.
In Indiana and Kentucky, on-site surveys found much of the damage was downed trees and power lines, fences blown over and damages to roofs and siding, Reaugh said.
Near Louisville, a tornado snapped trees, tore siding and shingles from multiple homes and ripped the door off a detached garage and shifted its roof by a foot, the weather service said.
To the north in Clark County, Indiana, a twister touched down in a Wal-Mart parking lot, flipped a vehicle on nearby Interstate 65, knocked down several fences in a neighborhood and took the roof off a barn, the weather service said.
At Madison Municipal Airport in southeast Indiana, a twister also damaged a Beechcraft King Air when it moved the small plane and broke its nose gear, the Weather Service said.
In Mississippi, a tornado struck a home in south Marion County, and a person who was inside suffered a possible broken arm.
A small tornado touched down just south of Nashville, Tennessee, Tuesday afternoon as a fast-moving front brought thunderstorms and high winds that swept across the state downing a few trees and power lines, meteorologists said.
"Apparently one home had some major roof damage and there were some trees uprooted and an RV was blown over," said Jim Moser, a weather service meteorologist from Nashville.
Moser said tornadoes were unusual in January, but "they are not unheard of."
(Reporting by David Bailey, Tim Ghianni and Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Greg McCune)
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Thursday, January 19, 2012
"Alcatraz" in solid debut but CBS wins another Monday (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) ? J.J. Abrams' latest offering "Alcatraz" was off to a good start Monday night, posting encouraging numbers with its two-hour premiere, while "Two and a Half Men" predictably took the night's top ratings slot, according to preliminary numbers.
The "Alcatraz" premiere, airing from 8 to 10 p.m., posted a 3.3 rating/8 share in the adults 18-49 demographic -- a 38 percent jump from the network's mid-season premiere of Chicago Code" a year ago, and the highest-rated drama debut for Fox since "Lie to Me" in January 2009 -- and 10 million total viewers.
The "Alcatraz" premiere pushed Fox to second place in the ratings for the night, but CBS took a predictable overall win for the night with its strong Monday-night roster.
"How I Met Your Mother" climbed 13 percent from its last original airing two weeks ago, taking a 4.4/11 and 10.1 million total viewers. "2 Broke Girls" at 8:30 was flat compared to two weeks ago, posting a 4.5/11 and 11.2 million total viewers. At 9, "Two and a Half Men" grabbed the brass ring with a 4.6/10 and 12.8 million total viewers, while "Mike & Molly" at 9:30 received a 3.8/9 and 11.1 million total viewers. The night closed for the network with "Hawaii 5-0" at 10, received a 2.8/7 and 10.5 million total viewers.
Overall the network averaged a 3.8/9 and 11 million total viewers to put it on top of the heap for the night.
Meanwhile, at NBC, "Betty White's 90th Birthday: A Tribute to America's Golden Girl" from 8 to 9:30 gave the network the night's largest audience, with 13.8 million total viewers, and a 2.7/7 in the demographic. A preview airing of "Betty White's Off Their Rockers" followed, landing a 2.6/6 and 12.2 million total viewers. The two-hour block of White-related programming appeared to give "Rock Center With Brian Williams" a boost -- the news program, airing at 10, enjoyed an 86 percent leap with a 1.3/3 and 5.5 million total viewers.
ABC aired "The Bachelor" at 8, which drew a 2.4/8 and 7.3 million total viewers, followed by 'Castle" at 10, which posted a 2.3/6 and 9.4 million total viewers.
(Editing by Chris Michaud)
Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120117/tv_nm/us_tvratings
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Is a Google Contractor Trying to Destroy OpenStreetMap? (UPDATED) [Google]
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New indicator may help identify patients with increased risk from throat cancer
ScienceDaily (Jan. 16, 2012) ? Independent of other factors, such as smoking history and HPV status, matted lymph nodes appear to signal increased chance of oropharyngeal cancer spreading to other parts of the body.
Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System have found a new indicator that may predict which patients with a common type of throat cancer are most likely have the cancer spread to other parts of their bodies.
Patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma who had "matted" lymph nodes -- nodes that are connected together -- had a 69 percent survival rate over three years, compared to 94 percent for patients without matted nodes, according to a study published online ahead of print publication in Head & Neck.
The oropharynx is an area that includes the back of the tongue, soft palate, throat and tonsils.
"The spread of cancer throughout the body accounts for about 45 percent of the deaths from oropharyngeal carcinoma," says the study's senior author, Douglas B. Chepeha, M.D., M.S.P.H., an associate professor of otolaryngology head and neck surgery at the U-M Medical School. "Our findings may help doctors identify patients who are at higher risk for having their cancer metastasize and who would benefit from additional systemic therapy. Conversely, some patients without matted nodes may benefit from a reduction of the current standard treatment, which would cut down on uncomfortable side effects."
Notably, the findings indicate an increased risk independent of other established prognostic factors, such as the patient's history of smoking or whether they have the Human papillomavirus (HPV), the study found. Smoking (tobacco and marijuana), heavy alcohol use and HPV infection have each been linked to the development of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
Matted nodes appear to be an especially strong indicator of increased risk among patients who are HPV-positive, even though HPV-positive patients had better overall outcomes than their HPV-negative peers. The patients with the best outcomes were HPV-positive non-smokers.
"It's not clear why we're finding these survival differences for patients who have matted nodes," says study lead author Matthew E. Spector, M.D., a head and neck surgery resident at U-M who won a national award from the American Head and Neck Society for this work. "It is possible that there are biological and molecular differences in these types of tumors, which can be explored in future research."
The results affirm the value of having a team of doctors and researchers from different specialties -- radiology, oncology, biostatistics and surgery -- working together to find advances that can directly benefit patients, Chepeha says. "This was a collaborative effort and all of the authors made important contributions," he adds.
The study tracked 78 cancer patients who were part of a clinical trial evaluating two cancer drugs in combination with intensity-modulated radiation therapy. All the patients had stage III or IV squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx and had not had any previous treatment. Sixteen of the 78 patients had matted nodes.
"It's significant that we've identified this new marker that can help us predict which patients have worse survival odds," Chepeha says. "Now we need to go one step further and figure out what mechanisms are at work and how we can use this knowledge to improve survival rates."
Head and neck cancer statistics:
An estimated 52,140 people will be diagnosed with head and neck cancer this year, and an estimated 11,460 people will die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.
Additional authors include K. Kelly Gallagher, M.D.; Emily Light, M.S.; Mohannad Ibrahim, M.D.; Eric J. Chanowski; Jeffrey S. Moyer, M.D.; Mark E. Prince, M.D.; Gregory T. Wolf, M.D.; Carol R. Bradford, M.D.; Kitrina Cordell, D.D.S, M.S.; Jonathan B. McHugh, M.D.; Thomas Carey, Ph.D.; Francis P. Worden, M.D.; Avraham Eisbruch, M.D., all of U-M.
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- Matthew E. Spector, K. Kelly Gallagher, Emily Light, Mohannad Ibrahim, Eric J. Chanowski, Jeffrey S. Moyer, Mark E. Prince, Gregory T. Wolf, Carol R. Bradford, Kitrina Cordell, Jonathan B. McHugh, Thomas Carey, Francis P. Worden, Avraham Eisbruch, Douglas B. Chepeha. Matted nodes: Poor prognostic marker in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma independent of HPV and EGFR status. Head & Neck, 2012; DOI: 10.1002/hed.21997
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