Religious slights are the buzz as India marks Republic Day

Followers of India's three main religions - Islam, Hinduism, and Sikhism - have balked loudly at cultural slights this week. There's a reason for it, and it's not all politics.

No one likes to have their religion slighted. This is especially true in India, where there are thousands of gods, and tensions are close to the surface when it comes to ill-considered comments about religion.

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Last week, author Salman Rushdie canceled his much anticipated visit to India?s biggest literary festival because of reported threats of assassination. Many Muslims regard his 1988 novel, "Satanic Verses," to be blasphemous, and some Muslim clerics threatened massive protests if Mr. Rushdie showed up at the festival in Jaipur. A handful of authors attempted to read the book ? which is banned in India ? on Rushdie?s behalf in a form of protest, but organizers stopped them.

Just the day before, American late night talk show host Jay Leno managed to offend India?s Sikh community with a satirical sketch, involving the Sikh faith?s holiest shrine, the Golden Temple. In a video showing the homes of the GOP presidential candidates, Leno showed a photo of the Golden Temple, calling it ?Mitt Romney?s summer home on Lake Winnipesaukee.??

But that wasn?t all.

On Jan. 25, a Chicago-based sports commentator offended Hindus in his post-game description of a hockey match between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Nashville Predators. Sportscasters are famous for stretching metaphors to the breaking point, but the Chicago commentator was quoted by Indian websites as saying the Predators were ?swallowing up space like some weird Hindu god."

The objection is to the word ?weird,? which a Nevada-based Hindu community leader Rajan Zed ? president of the Universal Society of Hindus ? said was hurtful to the feelings of the world?s 1 billion Hindu people.

Offending all three of the main faiths of the world?s second largest country is quite a feat. In hockey games this is called a hat trick.

What outsiders generally don't quite grasp about India is that sacredness is woven into almost every act of every day. Unlike post-religious societies, where Westerners may attend church once a week (or once a year), many Indians are constantly aware of their religious duties at work, at play, at meal times. I can't tell you how many times I've sat in the back of a taxi cab, in fear, as a Delhi taxi driver takes his hands off the wheel and puts them together in a sign of respect as he passes a holy shrine.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/srm12iWmM0k/Religious-slights-are-the-buzz-as-India-marks-Republic-Day

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Apple patent looks to create 'secure magnets' to unlock your device

It's an Apple patent application: please be aware this is unlikely to wind up in your next device, please fasten seat belts and fix your tray table in the fixed and upright position. Inside the bezel of your iDevice or Mac is a magnet that operates a switch -- that will only be activated when a "correlated" magnet inside a key-fob makes contact. That's the thinking behind Cupertino's newest patent application, attempting to turn magnets into a way of keeping your stuff secure. An example listed in the patent is using a stylus with specially encoded magnets to securely unlock an iPad, which we attribute to a zealous patent attorney and not a reversal of the "they blew it" rule. It may sound ridiculous when you first consider it, but given the magnetic-activation of the iPad 2's smart cover, it's not as outlandish as you believe. Still, we'll believe it if we see it in a couple of years.

Apple patent looks to create 'secure magnets' to unlock your device originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/28/apple-secure-magnet-patent/

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Gene Marks: So What If Romney's Rich?

So the news is out. Mitt Romney's rich.

He made more than $20 million in each of the past two years. His effective tax rate was less than 15%. During this time, he made so much that he was able to give over $7 million to his church. He's one of the wealthiest men ever to run for President, with an estimated net worth between $190 and $250 million.

Um...so?

I run a small business. I speak all day to other small business owners. Are we jealous? Hell, yeah! Why? Because we all want to be like Mitt Romney. Isn't that the point?

Is there not a small business owner, an employee at a pharmaceutical company, a guy driving a bus, a steelworker, a school teacher...who also wouldn't like to be like Mitt Romney (without the name "Mitt", of course)? Don't we all want to be rich? Isn't that what we love most about this country - the chance, the potential that one of us could make it big? Like Al Pacino in Scarface. But without all the guns and cocaine. Rich is good. Poor is bad.

Are there downsides to a rich guy as President? Of course. You might get that guy who uses his office for his own personal greed (because some rich guys feel like they never have enough). You might get a guy who's so corporate friendly that he doesn't adequately support those government agencies (the FDA, SEC, DOJ) that work hard in the public interest and keep the bad corporations in check. You could get a guy that's too insensitive to the plight of the many who need government assistance to get on their feet. Or someone who owns a lot of real estate and has a really, really bad hair-do.

In the end I don't care if my President is poor or rich. I just want him to be smart. Communicate well. And have management and political experience. Romney seems to have these characteristics. Oh, and he's rich. Does a rich guy make a bad President? No. In my opinion, it makes him better. Better for my business. Better for the economy.

Like most rich guys, I doubt Romney cares about the money at this point. He's in it for other reasons. Maybe it's ego. Maybe it's a desire to do something good. He's knows that he's always going to be rich, no matter what decisions he makes. And if Romney is one of the richest men ever to run for President then it's likely he doesn't desire more. So he can make decisions that benefit the country, not his own stock portfolio (which he has no knowledge of because it's all in a blind trust anyway).

Maybe that means he can make decisions for the better good without regard as to whether he'll be re-elected. He knows he can always just retire someday and live a comfortable, rich life. I wish I could say the same thing about my small business. Oftentimes many of us make decisions that are more profit motivated instead of for the right reason ("Just ship it already, I'm sure it's fine!"). If we were all richer maybe our decision making would be better.

A rich guy can't be accused of invading a Middle Eastern country to benefit his portfolio of oil stocks. Or giving accommodations to those "fat cats" who might help him out. Why? Because he's already one of them. And he's proud of it. And if he is going to help out those "fat cats" it's probably because he knows it's better for the economy as a whole. Tax breaks for investment bankers? Trade accommodations for the auto industry? Like it or not, rich people know about creating (and keeping) wealth. And in an era of $15 trillion national debt and a $1.3 trillion deficit we could use a few guys who know how to create (and keep) wealth.

That's because a rich guy appreciates what other rich guys do. They invest. They buy companies. They employ people. You know what it's like when you go out to dinner with that "rich" friend of yours and he calculates a 15% tip to the penny. You say to yourself, "well, I guess that's how he got so rich." Exactly! Rich people understand the value of money. They realize that whether it's a 15% tip on a $150 dinner bill or a $1.3 trillion deficit money is still money. It's to be treated with respect, not just printed when more is needed. Small business owners know this as well.

Rich people understand financing. They study leverage. At Bain Capital, Romney raised and invested millions in startups and early stage companies. He did so based on detailed projections and with a specific return on investment in mind. Trust me, he didn't just throw a bunch of money at an entrepreneur, hoping it will "stimulate" him into hiring people and growing. Guys who made it rich know all about risks and rewards. Which is why sometimes their investments tank - that's also part of the game. Small business owners understand that too.

But unfortunately most small business owners who struggle, especially startup entrepreneurs, are all about making the buck, especially until they get established. Lifelong bureaucrats are all about the government providing as much as possible. But rich guys, like successful small business owners, know the balance between earning profits and doing what's right by society. That's why you read about so many business owners who make their companies part of their communities. They fund local events and sponsor local charities. They give money away and they look after their employees. Most realize that once you hit a certain point in your life there's only so much money you can spend. Wealth is more than that. Rich guys want people to be as happy and comfortable as they are.

So from the perspective of a small business owner, what would a rich guy like Romney do as President?

For starters, he wouldn't eliminate the national debt. He knows, like most good business people, that all organizations use debt to grow. There's a right amount of national debt. Greece and Portugal have too much. We're getting to their levels too. Should our national debt be 50% of GDP? 75%? No one really knows. But it should be lower.Guys who aren't rich think that debt is bad. Rich guys know that debt is not bad. In fact, most of them became rich by leveraging their debt at some point in their careers (Romney used debt to invest in companies while at Bain).

A rich guy like Romney would be nicer to other rich guys. Why is it so wrong to make a lot of money? He wouldn't call them names. He wouldn't make populist speeches to agitate the crowds. That's because a rich guy appreciates what other rich guys can do for the economy. These are the guys with money. They're the ones that like to make money. And to make money they need to buy stuff, employ people, make investments and build things. This creates jobs and wealth for everyone. No doubt this will create more wealth for them. But that's what it's all about. Every small business owner knows this too.

A rich President would likely do everything he could to lower taxes, not raise them. If Romney's tax rate was 30% and not 15% he might not be feeling so rich. He might not want to take risks, invest, buy stuff, employ people. He might feel more like hunkering down at home watching the Oprah Network and letting his cash grow moderately in some safe investment. Romney, like many rich people with capital, has enjoyed low capital gain tax rates. He knows how that empowers. Money in your pocket makes you feel good. You invest. You spend.

Rich guys spend their entire lives looking for lower taxes. That's why Romney has his money invested in all sorts of tax saving vehicles and foreign bank accounts. Low tax environments attract capital. Rich guys understand this. A rich President is more pre-disposed to create a low tax environment to attract as much money as possible. And of course this money creates jobs and opportunities and consumer spending.

A rich President would be more corporate friendly. And that's a good thing. Remember when Romney stood outside that plant in Iowa and said "corporations are people"? Rich guys and small business owners get that. They're the ones who build these companies. They know they'd be worth nothing if it weren't for the talented people they employ who earn them their profits. Big companies, big banks, big Wall Street firms - these aren't nameless, faceless facades. hese are people. Hundreds of thousands of people doing their jobs.Just like at our firms. Attacking these big entities is attacking ourselves.

Rich people hate people who don't work. But they love people who at least try. Every successful business owner I personally know tries to give something back. They want to create opportunities for those who want it. Many of my clients fund scholarships, have intern programs, help out an employee's family in time of need. Romney, like most rich guys, supports many of the governmental programs for education and assistance that helps people get on their feet and get a job. They detest welfare. Small business owners and rich guys know that if you've made a lot of money you've likely worked hard to make it. They want to help people help themselves. But not just give money away.

Yeah, Romney's rich. So what?

Another version of this post appears on The Philly Post.

?

Follow Gene Marks on Twitter: www.twitter.com/genemarks

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gene-marks/so-what-if-romneys-rich_b_1227311.html

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`Underworld' sinks teeth into box office with $25M (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? Kate Beckinsale is back with a vengeance, with her latest "Underworld" movie opening at No. 1 this weekend.

"Underworld Awakening" made an estimated $25.4, distributor Sony Screen Gems reported Sunday.

This is the fourth film in the vampire action saga. Beckinsale starred in the first two movies as the warrior Selene, then bowed out of part three but returned for this latest installment. "Underworld Awakening" was shown for the first time in 3-D as well as on IMAX screens, where it made $3.8 million. That's 15 percent of the film's weekend gross, which is a record for an IMAX digital-only run.

Sony had hoped the film would end up in the low-$20 million range. But Rory Bruer, the studio's president of worldwide distribution, says the fact that it did even better ? despite a snow storm that hit much of the Midwest and East Coast ? primarily has to do with Beckinsale's return.

"She is such a force. Her character ? you just can't take your eyes off of her. I know the character is very dear to her, as well, and she just kills it," Bruer said. "The 3-D aspect of the film also brings something, makes it a fun, visceral ride."

Opening in second place was "Red Tails" from executive producer George Lucas, about the Tuskegee Airmen who were the first black fighter pilots to serve in World War II. It made an estimated $19.1 million, according to 20th Century Fox, which was well above expectations; the studio had hoped to reach double digits, said Chris Aronson, executive vice president of domestic distribution.

"I believe what George Lucas has stated all along: This is an important story and a story that must be told. It is a true story of American heroism and valor and audiences have really responded to this message," Aronson said. "People want to feel good about themselves, they want to be uplifted. We have enough hard crud going on in this country right now. Times are tough, and if we look back and are told a story of some really fantastic deeds, that's really compelling moviegoing."

Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian said a grass-roots effort to get groups of people into the theaters to see "Red Tails," along with positive word-of-mouth, helped its strong showing. The film saw an uptick from about $6 million on Friday to $8.65 on Saturday.

Overall box office is up 31 percent from the same weekend a year ago, Dergarabedian said, thanks to new releases as well as movies like "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," which had limited runs for awards consideration at the end of 2011 and are now expanding nationwide. The 9/11 drama from Warner Bros., starring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, came in fourth place with $10.5 million.

Last week's No. 1 film, the Universal smuggling thriller "Contraband" starring Mark Wahlberg, dropped to the No. 3 spot with $12.2 million. It's now made $46.1 million in two weeks. Meanwhile, Steven Soderbergh's international action picture "Haywire" from Relativity Media, starring mixed martial arts superstar Gina Carano in her first film role, opened in fifth place with $9 million, which was above expectations.

"This is a great, perfect January weekend. You've got these holdover films and newcomers creating an overall marketplace that people are really responding to," Dergarabedian said. "It sounds clich? but this marketplace really has something for everyone."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. "Underworld Awakening," $25.4 million.

2. "Red Tails," $19.1 million.

3. "Contraband," $12.2 million.

4. "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," $10.5 million.

5. "Haywire," $9 million.

6. "Beauty and the Beast (3-D)," $8.6 million.

7. "Joyful Noise," $6.1 million.

8. "Mission: Impossible ? Ghost Protocol," $5.5 million.

9. "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," $4.8 million.

10. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," $3.75 million ($15.7 international).

___

Online:

http://www.hollywood.com

___

AP Movie Writer Christy Lemire can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/christylemire/

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120122/ap_en_mo/us_box_office

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Bid for Iran nuclear talks confronts old snags

FILE - In this Friday, Aug. 20, 2010 file photo, an Iranian security guard walks past a gate of the Bushehr nuclear power plant as its reactor building is seen in background, just outside the city of Bushehr 750 miles (1,245 kilometers) south of the capital Tehran, Iran. The last time Iran's nuclear envoys held talks with the U.S. and other world powers, the negotiations limped along until a parting shot by the Islamic Republic: Its labs boosted the enrichment levels of uranium in reply to demands for a full-scale freeze. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

FILE - In this Friday, Aug. 20, 2010 file photo, an Iranian security guard walks past a gate of the Bushehr nuclear power plant as its reactor building is seen in background, just outside the city of Bushehr 750 miles (1,245 kilometers) south of the capital Tehran, Iran. The last time Iran's nuclear envoys held talks with the U.S. and other world powers, the negotiations limped along until a parting shot by the Islamic Republic: Its labs boosted the enrichment levels of uranium in reply to demands for a full-scale freeze. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

FILE - In this Tuesday, April 3, 2007 file photo, technicians work at the reactor building of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, some 750 miles (1,245 kilometers) south of the capital Tehran, Iran. The last time Iran's nuclear envoys held talks with the U.S. and other world powers, the negotiations limped along until a parting shot by the Islamic Republic: Its labs boosted the enrichment levels of uranium in reply to demands for a full-scale freeze.(AP Photo/ISNA, Sot Akbar, File)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) ? The last time Iran's nuclear envoys held talks with the U.S. and other world powers, the negotiations limped along until a parting shot by the Islamic Republic: Its labs boosted the enrichment levels of uranium in reply to demands for a full-scale freeze.

Since then, the standoff has only become tenser. The European Union on Monday joined the U.S. with new sanctions targeting Iran's critical oil exports. Authorities in Tehran fired back with another threat to block tankers in the Persian Gulf ? even while offering to restart international talks after a one-year gap.

Yet one thing hasn't changed since the last round of meetings in January 2011. The chances of Iran agreeing to stop enriching uranium ? the core dispute between Tehran and its foes ? still appear slim.

Iran portrays its ability to make nuclear fuel as akin to a patriotic cause: showcasing the country's technological advances, elevating its international stature and proudly defying Western nuclear controls like other nations in the past ? including North Korea since the 1990s and China in the 1960s.

Iran strongly denies that it seeks nuclear weapons and says it only wants to enrich uranium to fuel reactors for energy and research. But Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has linked control of the entire nuclear cycle to part of Iran's "national identity."

"Iran's right for uranium enrichment is nonnegotiable," said conservative Iranian lawmaker Ali Aghazadeh. "There is no reason for Iran to compromise over its rights. But Iran is open to discussions over concerns about its nuclear program."

The bloc on the other side of the negotiating table ? the five permanent Security Council members plus Germany ? has not publicly spelled out any clear strategies if talks resume in Turkey as a proposed venue. It's highly unlikely, however, that they would back off the insistence that Iran suspend uranium enrichment, which Washington and others fear could lead to weapons-grade nuclear material.

The potential dead ends are clearly marked even before any agreement to reopen dialogue.

Iranian officials hammer the point that halting uranium enrichment is off the agenda. Some in the West, meanwhile, question whether Iran's outreach is simply another tactic to buy time for its nuclear program under pressure from cyberattacks and targeted killings that Tehran has blamed on Israel and its allies.

In Paris last week, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said the European Union has made specific proposals for dialogue with Iran, but "unfortunately the country has not committed in a transparent and cooperative way in this process of talks."

On Monday in Brussels, the EU's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton urged Tehran to offer "some concrete issues to talk about."

"It is very important that it is not just about words; a meeting is not an excuse, a meeting is an opportunity and I hope that they will seize it," she said as the EU adopted its toughest measures yet on Iran with an oil embargo and freeze of the country's central bank assets.

Iranian lawmaker Aghazadeh snapped back: "The West is not seeking a genuine dialogue."

"It's unlikely that any new round of talks will bring any understanding," he added. "There is lack of trust on both sides. Iran won't retreat from its position."

The situation carries strong echoes the last talks in January 2011. When the main talks foundered, Brazil and Turkey tried their hand by reviving proposals to provide Iran with reactor fuel rods from 20 percent enriched uranium in exchange for suspending the enrichment work.

It fell apart when Iran pushed ahead with a pilot program to make its own 20 percent enriched uranium. That's still far below the level needed for a warhead, but it boosts Iran's stockpile of higher-grade nuclear material and was seen as a powerful snub to Western demands.

In a news conference on Saturday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, used the word "justice" to describe what Tehran hopes to achieve from any possible talks.

It covers a lot of ground in explaining Iran's views.

Tehran considers its nuclear program as fully within U.N. rules ? which permit enrichment with oversight ? although U.N. watchdogs and other question how much of Iran's work is secret. Tehran also seeks to shift the nuclear spotlight onto Israel, which is believed to have an atomic arsenal despite its policy of neither confirming nor denying its military capabilities.

But, above all, the Islamic Republic sees its nuclear advancement as an integral part of its self-declared goal of becoming the Muslim world's answer to Western military and technological dominance.

Iran has announced sweeping plans for upgrades to its armed forces, including new warships and surveillance drones similar to the unmanned CIA spy craft captured last month. Iran's state media has claimed aerospace engineers have launched objects into orbit and are working on sending an astronaut into space.

"The nuclear program is a huge part of what's shaping Iran's world view," said Mehrzad Boroujerdi, an Iranian affairs expert at Syracuse University. "Khamenei sees it as part of his legacy. In a way, it's like the nationalization of the Suez Canal for Egypt. It's a defining issue and one of major national importance."

It also is one of the few patches of common ground in a country deeply divided since the clashes and crackdowns after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election in 2009. Even opposition groups that rail against the ruling theocracy often support the nuclear program as a point of pride.

"The issue is protecting national interests," said Iranian political analyst Davoud Hermidas Bavand.

Yet he believes that talks ? even if they at first appear ill-fated ? are the only option to avoid deeper tensions that could lead to a military conflict in the Gulf.

"Talks offer a window to get out of the current impasse," he said.

The question still circles back to whether it could bring some concessions from Iran on uranium enrichment.

Meir Javedanfar, an Iranian-born analyst based in Israel, described Khamenei as stuck between "Obama and a hard place."

Khamenei cannot easily roll back the Iranian nuclear program, but is hit with increasing blows from sanctions that have isolated and eroded Iran's economy.

"Should he ignore it, the Iranian economy, the health of which is crucial to the survival of the regime, could collapse," he wrote in a Sunday commentary.

Keeping the ruling system in place, however, could also drive Iran's nuclear advances closer toward weapons, others contend.

"They perceive the whole nuclear issue as an insurance policy of sorts," said the analyst Boroujerdi. "There are those who say, 'If we are a nuclear power then the West wouldn't dare touch us.' And this, in their mind, helps ensure the survival of the system."

___

Associated Press writer Ali Akbar Dareini in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-24-ML-Iran-Enrichment-Commitment/id-451ada1a076e4f03b96c9f41bf7865b4

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Man with locked-in syndrome wants right to die

LONDON?? Former rugby player Tony Nicklinson had a high-flying job as a corporate manager in Dubai, where he went skydiving and bridge-climbing in his free time.

Seven years ago, he suffered a paralyzing stroke. Today he can only move his head, cannot speak and needs constant care.

And he wants to die.

To try to ensure that whoever ends his life won't be jailed, the 57-year-old Nicklinson recently asked Britain's High Court to declare that any doctor who gives him a lethal injection with his consent won't be charged with murder. This week, the court will hold its first hearing on the case.

"Most people who want to die, who are physically able to do so, can lawfully commit suicide," said Nicklinson's lawyer, Saimo Chahal.

But that's not the case for Nicklinson, who has "locked-in syndrome" ? a condition in which a person's body is paralyzed but mind intact.

Under U.K. law, anyone who helps Nicklinson die could be charged with murder, even if they are carrying out his wishes. A murder charge has a mandatory life sentence, regardless of the motive or circumstances.

No one suspected of aiding a loved one's suicide has been charged with such a crime in Britain in recent years. But Nicklinson doesn't want to take any chances. Instead he wants to change the legal definition of murder to exclude euthanasia, arguably a long shot.

Emily Jackson, a medical law expert at London's School of Economics, said Nicklinson may have a plausible case. "He is making a very interesting argument," she said.

Euthanasia is legal in the Netherlands but requires a long-term relationship between doctors and patients, a rule that excludes most foreigners. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, including for foreigners, but Nicklinson does not want to go there to die.

Nicklinson argues that British law hinders his right to "private and family life" ? guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights ? on the grounds that being able to choose how to die is a matter of personal autonomy.

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"He argues that it's unfair on him and that a humane legal system would enable somebody in his circumstances, with considerable safeguards, to get help from a doctor to exercise a right, which he has in theory, but is deprived of in practice," Chahal said.

The Ministry of Justice has applied to dismiss Nicklinson's suit since it could involve changing the law ? which must be done by Parliament, not the High Court.

Nicklinson communicates mostly by using a computer that detects his blinking. In a statement, he described his life as "dull, miserable, demeaning, undignified and intolerable."

He has refused since 2007 to take any life-prolonging drugs recommended by doctors, including heart drugs or blood thinners. He only takes medicines to make himself more comfortable, such as those to reduce muscle spasms. His wife, Jane, a trained nurse, said he could be at risk of another stroke or a heart attack.

Jane described her husband as "a real alpha male" who was very active before his stroke. "He was tall, dark and handsome," she says of the night they met on a blind date in Dubai. The two later also lived in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Britain with their two daughters. Nicklinson chaired a sports club that ran rugby events in the United Arab Emirates, mixing with elite players and officials.

"It was a dream come true for him," his wife said.

Jane said she and their two grown daughters didn't initially agree with her husband's choice to die. "It was very upsetting and obviously it's not what we want, but it's what he wants and it's his life," she said.

Nicklinson spends most of his days at a computer he controls by blinking, writing emails and surfing the web. Jane said he rarely leaves his room in their bungalow in rural Wiltshire, southwest England, except to watch television in the evenings. He's also writing his memoirs.

"It's amazing what he remembers," his wife said. "His mind is completely unaffected."

Like the renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, who recently turned 70, Nicklinson has not lost any of his intellectual capacities. Hawking has Lou Gehrig's disease, a degenerative condition that kills most people within a few years. He has repeatedly said he doesn't think about his physical limitations, which haven't prevented him from revolutionizing the understanding of black holes and the origins of the universe.

A recent British commission headed by a former justice secretary concluded there was a strong case for allowing assisted suicide under strict criteria. The commission was set up and funded by campaigners who want the current law changed. The report did not support euthanasia and recommended assisted suicide only be allowed for terminally ill people, which would exclude Nicklinson.

In 2009, the British government's top prosecutor said people who helped terminally ill relatives and friends die were unlikely to be charged if they acted out of compassion. From 2009 to 2011, 40 cases of people suspected of helping loved ones die were reported to the government prosecutor; none was charged.

In 2002, the Netherlands became the first country to legalize euthanasia, allowing doctors to end the lives of patients whose suffering is "unbearable and hopeless" ? not just those with terminal illnesses. In recent years, the country's rates of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide have risen slightly, but still account for less than 3 percent of all deaths.

Switzerland allows doctors to prescribe a fatal dose of medicine for patients to take themselves. Since 2001, more than 160 Britons have traveled to the Dignitas clinic, near Zurich, to die.

Nicklinson considered going to Switzerland, but his wife said he decided against it for several reasons, including the approximately 6,500 pound ($10,000) cost. Nicklinson is currently receiving legal aid from the government to cover most of his lawyer's fees.

Euthanasia is also legal in Belgium, Luxembourg and the state of Oregon in the United States.

Critics of euthanasia say the U.K. should focus more on improving care for the chronically and terminally ill instead of legislating mercy killing.

"I'm massively sympathetic to (Nicklinson's) situation, but I don't think we should change the law when it will impact hundreds of thousands of other people," said Dr. John Wiles, chairman of Care Not Killing, an alliance that opposes euthanasia. He warned that legalizing euthanasia might worsen treatment of elderly people and the terminally ill.

Wiles doubted enough safeguards could ever be in place. "However narrow you try to make it, in principle, we would be allowing the killing of other members of society for the first time," he said. "If we change the law, we'll be saying to people, 'If you don't like the care you're getting, you can just end it.'"

The British Medical Association also opposes any changes that would permit assisted suicide or euthanasia. While patients have the right to their medical records, the group advises doctors to refuse to share such reports if they suspect the information will be used to commit assisted suicide abroad.

Nicklinson's wife, Jane, said her husband simply wants the right to choose when to end his life. She said he began asking to die as soon as he could start communicating after his stroke, once he realized he wouldn't improve.

"I've tried many times to change his mind, but he is adamant to see this through," she said.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46099909/ns/health-health_care/

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Domain Investing: ?Weird, Arcane and Occasionally Profitable ...

There?s an article about domain names that I found interesting on NorthJersey.com, an online publication covering northern New Jersey news and people. ?The article is primarily about the sale of 45.com and the story behind it, which is described?as ?a window into the weird, arcane and occasionally profitable world of Internet domain names.??The former owner of 45.com is Glen DiGirolamo, who is from Wayne, New Jersey.

I?ll let you read the article for yourself, but I thought it was pretty neat how?DiGirolamo was able to come into possession of the domain name, and how he stuck to his asking price to make a solid profit on the sale.?I don?t really agree with the author?s description of the domain business being weird or arcane (maybe 10+ years ago), but it was interesting to read.

Do you have any similar stories about acquisitions or sales that you?d like to share?

Related posts:

1. To Make Money Investing in Domain Names, You Have to Put The Time In I am frequently asked how I know what names to...
2. Differences Between Domain Investing and Cybersquatting I had a conversation a few days ago with someone...
3. Political Side of ccTLD Domain Investing This isn?t a political blog, and I hate politics anyway,...

Source: http://www.elliotsblog.com/domain-investing-weird-arcane-and-occasionally-profitable-4055

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Verizon's reportedly trials VoLTE services in two cities, eyes nationwide rollout next year

Verizon's Voice over LTE (VoLTE) platform has been in the works for a while now, and according to industry insiders, it's about ready to hit the big time. Catharine Trebnick, an analyst at Northland Capital Markets, told Light Reading Mobile this week that the service has already launched on a trial basis in two cities, and that Big Red plans to roll it out on a nationwide level in 2013. According to Light Reading Mobile, Trebnick's claims were later corroborated by a second, anonymous source. Verizon, as you may recall, had previously pegged 2012 for the commercial launch of its new platform, and could still achieve that goal with launches in select markets, before going live on a nationwide basis next year, as rumored. The company, however, is playing its cards close to the chest, saying in a statement that it's "continuing to work on VoLTE and the services it brings, and will share any launch or availability plans in due course."

Verizon's reportedly trials VoLTE services in two cities, eyes nationwide rollout next year originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge  |  Light Reading Mobile  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/20/verizons-reportedly-trials-volte-services-in-two-cities-eyes-n/

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Jackson: Film saved life of West Memphis 3 suspect

Damien Echols and his wife Lorri Davis, producers of the documentary film "West of Memphis," are interviewed at the premiere of the film at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. The film uncovers new evidence surrounding the arrest and conviction of three men -- Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr. -- for the 1993 murders of three eight-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Damien Echols and his wife Lorri Davis, producers of the documentary film "West of Memphis," are interviewed at the premiere of the film at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. The film uncovers new evidence surrounding the arrest and conviction of three men -- Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr. -- for the 1993 murders of three eight-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Damien Echols, left, a producer of the film "West of Memphis," mingles with Mark Byers at the premiere of the documentary film at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. Echols spent 18 years on death row in Arkansas after being accused, along with Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr., of the 1993 murders of three eight-year-old boys including Byers' son Christopher. In August 2011 the three men were released from prison after entering pleas that allowed them to maintain their innocence, while acknowledging that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict them. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Damien Echols, center, a producer of the film "West of Memphis," mingles with Pam Hobbs, left, and Mark Byers at the premiere of the documentary film at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. Echols spent 18 years on death row in Arkansas after being accused, along with Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr., of the murders of three eight-year-old boys including Byers' son Christopher and Hobbs' son Stevie. In August 2011 the three men were released from prison after entering a plea that allowed them to maintain their innocence, while acknowleding that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict them. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Amy Berg, left, director and screenwriter of the documentary film "West of Memphis," poses with, from left, producers Damien Echols and his wife Lorri Davis, and producer Peter Jackson at the premiere of the film at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. The film uncovers new evidence surrounding the arrest and conviction of three men -- Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr. -- in the 1993 murders of three eight-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Damien Echols, left, a producer of the film "West of Memphis," mingles with Mark Byers at the premiere of the documentary film at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. Echols spent 18 years on death row in Arkansas after being accused, along with Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr., of the murders of three eight-year-old boys including Byers' son Christopher. In August 2011 the three men were released from prison after entering pleas that allowed them to maintain their innocence, while acknowledging that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict them. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) ? Peter Jackson believes Damien Echols would be dead now if not for a 1996 documentary that cast doubt on the man's guilt in three child murders.

And Amy Berg, Jackson's colleague on the Sundance Film Festival premiere "West of Memphis," believes former Death Row inmate Echols and two other men might still be in prison if not for the independent investigation launched by "The Lord of the Rings" filmmaker and his wife, Fran Walsh.

There's no better testament at Sundance to the power of art and artists than "West of Memphis," which premiered Friday night at Robert Redford's independent-film showcase. Sundance films often come from mavericks who challenge the establishment. "West of Memphis" is a tale of artists not only challenging the system, but also beating it.

Jackson, Walsh and Berg said "West of Memphis" amounts to the fair trial Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley ? known as the West Memphis Three ? never got as Arkansas teenagers when they were convicted in 1994.

"We went into this case believing that they didn't do it, and the facts and the evidence we came out with at the end completely supported that," Jackson said in an interview. "So is the documentary sort of providing the prosecution's point of view? No, it's not. We're not interested in that. They had their go back in 1994. ... The documentary, it's the case against the state, really."

The case was a shocker in the rural Arkansas community where 8-year-old Cub Scouts Michael Moore, Steve Branch and Christopher Byers were slain in 1993. Found naked and hogtied, two of the boys drowned in a drainage ditch, while the third bled to death, his genitals mutilated, evidence prosecutors used to claim the children were killed in a satanic ritual.

The defendants were convicted based in part on a confession Misskelley later recanted. Misskelley and Baldwin were sentenced to life in prison, while Echols was condemned to death and once came within weeks of execution.

The case became a cause after Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky's documentary "Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills," which premiered at Sundance in 1996 and questioned whether justice or misguided public opinion was served in the trial. Over the years, celebrities such as Johnny Depp, Patti Smith, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam and Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks joined the effort to free the men.

Jackson and Walsh watched "Paradise Lost" in 2005 and were outraged over the case. From their home base in New Zealand, they got in touch with Lorri Davis, who had met and married Echols while he was on Death Row and was leading the fight to free the men.

"Justice should be beyond popular opinion, and in this case, it wasn't," Walsh said. "The popular opinion was these guys were guilty, therefore, they're going down. It really was a done deal."

Over the next six years, Jackson and Walsh financed their own investigation, hiring forensics experts, gathering DNA evidence and tracking down witnesses to show that the prosecution had convicted innocent men.

"The way Peter and Fran just attacked the case, it made us feel like we had hope for the very first time," Echols, 37, said in an interview alongside Davis.

The hope was well-founded. Helped by evidence Jackson and Walsh's investigation collected, the case seemed headed toward a retrial.

Then last August, both sides agreed to a rare legal maneuver in which Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley entered guilty pleas that allowed them to maintain their innocence and gain their freedom for prison time already served.

Some people in Arkansas, including the family of one of the murdered boys, still believe the three men are guilty. Yet as the years passed, even the families of the other two dead boys became convinced that prosecutors went after the wrong suspects. The mother of one boy and stepfather of another came to Sundance, sharing hugs at the premiere with Echols, who said he's "happy to call them friends now."

Three years into their investigation, Jackson and Walsh contacted director Berg, whose 2006 priest-molestation documentary "Deliver Us from Evil" earned an Academy Award nomination. Berg signed on to direct "West of Memphis," which traces the 18-year history of the case and features interviews with Jackson and many witnesses and experts he and Walsh worked with.

"I would submit this film to court, so that's how strongly I feel about it," said Davis, a producer on the film along with Echols, Jackson and Walsh.

The film also builds a case that a stepfather of one of the murdered boys should be investigated.

Jackson said that without "Paradise Lost," ''Damien would be dead by now, so I do believe that film saved his life. And I'm hoping that our movie goes some way toward exoneration and catching the person that killed those three kids."

Walsh and Jackson stop short of saying their efforts led to the release of Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley. Yet Berg thinks the evidence brought to light by Jackson and Walsh was crucial.

"Without the discovery of the DNA, there's no way that these guys would be walking free, and that came so much from Peter and Fran and their investigation," Berg said.

Since his release, Echols has lived a nomadic life with Davis. He went to New Zealand to visit the set of Jackson and Walsh's upcoming "Lord of the Rings" prequel "The Hobbit" and has been staying with other friends while trying to decide on his future.

Sitting with his arm entwined around Davis', Echols said the hardships he endured were worth it because of the life he now has ahead of him.

"If I had to go through everything I did in the last 18 years to be with Lorri and to be in this situation, no, I wouldn't change it," Echols said. "I would go through it again if it meant being with Lorri."

___

Online:

http://www.sundance.org

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-01-21-Film-Sundance-West%20Memphis%20Three/id-a46b1a04ca2f452b9fb43fec3391fdb2

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Should I Buy Insurance? A Visual Guide | MintLife Blog | Personal ...

While some things are certain in life (death and taxes), there is plenty that is unpredictable. Purchasing insurance for your assets, including your life, can be one of the most important decisions you will ever make.

But how do you know what kind of policy you need and how much coverage you should to purchase?

Click on ?launch infographic? to expand this handy flowchart that will help you determine if you need insurance, and if so, what kind of policies you need and how much coverage you should purchase.

?

Embed the above image on your site
Provided by Mint.com

Source: http://www.mint.com/blog/consumer-iq/should-i-buy-insurance-a-visual-guide-012012/

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Liza Cruz Diaz, Former Principal, Accused Of Stealing School Money For Daughters 'Sweet 16' (VIDEO)

Liza Cruz Diaz, 45, has been removed from her position as principal of Public School 31 in the Bronx, New York, after being accused of stealing around $5,000 from the school, the New York Daily News reports.

An investigation was launched after a tipster claimed Cruz Diaz falsified overtime records with the school payroll secretary. According to the report, officials caught discrepancies in the time she clocked out and the video footage of her leaving the school.

My Fox New York reports Cruz Diaz also spent around $90 of school money to pay for her daughter's "sweet 16," as well as deleting financial records once she became aware of the investigation.

While the Department of Education says she's been reassigned to "administrative duty," the My Fox reported some officials are lobbying for her termination despite her tenured status.

"There?s a variety of ways people steal money or time," Richard J. Condon, the special commissioner of investigation told The New York Times. "She was doing this on a daily basis."

The investigation found Cruz Diaz was paid for a total of 111 hours that she did not work, costing the school system around $4,800. According to the Times, however, if she had been fabricating her hours since 2008 as the payroll secretary said, she could have cost the district almost $40,000.

My Fox New York reports the commissioner said if the allegations hold, there is a strong possibility she'll be arrested.

WATCH:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/12/liza-cruz-diaz-accused-of-stealing-school-money_n_1203017.html

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Cholera in Haiti tracked more rapidly by social media than traditional methods

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Internet-based news and Twitter feeds were faster than traditional sources at detecting the onset and progression of the cholera epidemic in post-earthquake Haiti that has already killed more than 6500 people and sickened almost half a million, according to a new study published in the January issue of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

The study is the first to demonstrate the use of data from "informal" media sources in monitoring an outbreak of a neglected tropical disease in a resource-limited setting, and shows that these sources can yield reliable decision-making data during deadly disease outbreaks almost in real-time, often far earlier than traditional surveillance methods that include surveys of hospitals and health clinics. The research was conducted by scientists at Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School.

"When we analyzed news and Twitter feeds from the early days of the epidemic in 2010, we found they could be mined for valuable information on the cholera outbreak that was available up to two weeks ahead of surveillance reports issued by the government health ministry," said Rumi Chunara, PhD, of the Informatics Program at Children's Hospital Boston, Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School, and the lead author of the study. "The techniques we employed eventually could be used around the world as an affordable and efficient way to quickly detect the onset of an epidemic and then intervene with such things as vaccines and antibiotics."

The lessons learned from Haiti's ongoing battle against cholera?the globally largest cholera epidemic in recent history?are included in a special section of AJTMH that looks back at Haiti two years after the earthquake to find infectious diseases looming large.

Faster Response to Disease Outbreaks: Is There an App for That?

Experts believe one way to improve the response to disease outbreaks in poor countries is through affordable and accessible surveillance that can provide early warning that a crisis is imminent. When Chunara and her colleagues looked to Web-based information sources for insights into Haiti's cholera epidemic, they were motivated by the fact that, even in favorable conditions, results from conventional disease surveillance efforts often are not available for weeks.

Their work began with an Internet tool called HealthMap (http://www.healthmap.org), which was launched in 2006 by Children's Hospital Boston to provide "real-time surveillance of emerging public health threats." Chunara and her colleagues used HealthMap to automatically capture any coverage or mentions of cholera from a variety of information sources?including news media, blogs, and discussion groups?that occurred in the first 100 days of the outbreak, from October 20, 2010 to January 28, 2011. The search included information sources from eight languages. In addition, the investigators probed Twitter posts from the same time period for any mentions of cholera.

Overall, the researchers amassed 4697 distinct reports via HealthMap and 188,819 Tweets. They found that in general, they could make an assessment of disease activity using these "informal" sources, including a calculation of the outbreak "reproductive number" which indicates how an outbreak is progressing. At times, the estimate from "informal" sources very closely matched estimates made using case reports released by official sources, but the advantage, they said, is that the data derived from the informal sources is available almost instantly.

"There is a lot of interest in the global public health community about how to harness the most valuable information flowing through the Web to turbo-charge the more traditional surveillance activities, particularly in low resource settings," said James Kazura, MD, director of the Center for Global Health and Diseases at Case Western Reserve University and the new president of ASTMH. "It's another example of how the effort to improve our response to the people of Haiti is generating insights that will be helpful to people around the world. Benefitting from scientific innovation knows no time zones or geographic borders."

Commentary from Paul Farmer and Louise Ivers

But in a commentary in the Journal by Paul Farmer, MD, PhD, and Louise Ivers, MD, MPH, of the Boston-based aid group Partners In Health, it is Haiti's cholera outbreak that provides the most poignant example of the challenges facing not just Haiti but the entire world to close the shocking gap between "haves" and "have-nots" of health. In the commentary, they wonder, "If we know so much about cholera? how did it become the leading infectious killer of young adults in Haiti in the middle of the international response to the January 2010 earthquake?the largest humanitarian effort in history? The short answer is that expectations are lowered for diseases that disproportionately afflict poor people."

Farmer is a founding director of Partners In Health, and Chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Ivers is the Senior Health and Policy Advisor for Partners In Health and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard who has lived and worked in Haiti for the last 10 years. The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), publisher of the Journal, recently recognized her service in Haiti with its Bailey K. Ashford Medal, one of the group's highest honors.

In Haiti's "First" Cholera Case, Glimpses of the Globalization of Disease

In another cholera-related study, Ivers and David Walton, MD, MPH, also of Partners In Health, uncover what they believe is likely the first case of Haiti's cholera epidemic.

They trace it to a 28-year-old man with severe mental health disorders who lived in a rural village in central Haiti downstream from the suspected source of the outbreak--a peacekeeper encampment. He died in mid-October 2010 from what in retrospect appears to have been cholera, a likelihood supported by the fact that shortly after his death his village, Mirebalais, recorded the first cholera hospitalizations of the outbreak. Ivers and Walton found the lack of treatment for the man's mental health problems probably intensified his risk of getting sick and thus played a role in hastening the arrival of the epidemic. They believe this link underscores the often overlooked importance of mental health as a "component of global health."

Ivers and Walton also found the circumstances surrounding this case to be illustrative of the curious way infectious diseases can now rapidly move around the planet and show up in unexpected places. They note that Mirebalais "would not have featured highly on any list of places in which public health authorities had concern for an outbreak of a deadly pathogen imported from overseas."

Yet the fact remains that a South Asia strain of cholera found its way into the town. And from there it rapidly spread. Ivers and Walton report that "in a matter of weeks" after appearing in Mirebalais, the cholera strain that had begun its journey in Asia had spread throughout Haiti, and from there to the neighboring Dominican Republic and overseas to Miami and Boston. (It also has been found in Venezuela, Mexico, Spain, and Canada.)

Reason for Hope in the Midst of Misery

Ivers noted that while the country's cholera epidemic has attracted significant attention, it does not mean that international aid groups or domestic health officials have shifted attention and resources from other health burdens, such as Haiti's battles against malaria, measles, dengue, diarrheal diseases, HIV/AIDS, and malnutrition. She also said it's important not to view Haiti's problems as so monumental and its infrastructure so damaged that health-related interventions stand little chance of success, pointing to HIV, measles and polio efforts by the government over the last decade.

She noted that there was a successful campaign to provide measles vaccinations in refugee camps and Haiti has managed to keep measles and polio out of the country. Haiti also is part of an international effort to eliminate lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiais. And on the cholera front, while there has been debate about whether immunizations can or should be implemented in Haiti, Partners In Health has recently secured 200,000 doses of cholera vaccine and plans to launch a pilot program in collaboration with Haiti's Ministry of Health that will start immunizing people in 2012.

"If anyone is concerned about the logistics of delivering health care innovations to Haiti, just ask Haitians for help and they'll figure out how to get it done," Ivers said.

James Kazura, ASTMH president, added, "The lessons we are learning from the international medical response to Haiti should foremost be used to improve the health and well-being of the Haitian people. Next, it highlights the critical role research plays to better prepare the science, medical and aid communities, working together with governments and diplomats, in planning for future disasters anywhere."

###

American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Thanks to American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 4 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116595/Cholera_in_Haiti_tracked_more_rapidly_by_social_media_than_traditional_methods

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Leader International does Android 4.0 on the cheap with Impresion 10A, 7A tablets

It might still be a little early to name the big trend of CES 2012, but it's already clear that there's one thing we'll be seeing plenty of: inexpensive Android tablets. Little known Leader International is one of the latest to enter the fray, announcing its new Impression 10A and Impression 7A tablets. Those will set you back $299 and $179, respectively, with each running Android 4.0, and the more expensive model packing a 9.7-inch IPS display and a 1GHz Tegra 2 dual-core processor (as opposed to an unnamed 1GHz processor on the 7-incher). According to the company, you can look for both to be available at "major retailers" by the end of Q1.

Continue reading Leader International does Android 4.0 on the cheap with Impresion 10A, 7A tablets

Leader International does Android 4.0 on the cheap with Impresion 10A, 7A tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/10/leader-international-does-android-4-0-on-the-cheap-with-impresio/

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Yahoo Finance: 2012 Year of the Dollar | Marc to Market

Follow Marc on
Bloomberg, the premier site for updated business news and financial information. Looking for the best of the best? Here are posts that have been featured in the media. Follow Marc on Seeking Alpha, for actionable opinion, analysis, and vibrant intelligent finance discussion. &nbsp Follow Marc on Business Insider, the business site with deep financial, media, and tech verticals. For a complete list of Marc's TV interviews and articles click here.

Source: http://www.marctomarket.com/2012/01/yahoo-finance-2012-year-of-dollar.html

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HTC, Nokia to offer first LTE Windows Phones on AT&T

January 09, 2012, 2:35 PM ? Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer made a surprise appearance at AT&T's Developer Summit Monday at the Consumer Electronics Show to say that the operator would be the first to offer LTE Windows Phones, including the HTC Titan II and a phone from Nokia.

"We're thrilled to announce the first LTE Windows Phones in the U.S. on AT&T's network," Ballmer said. The Titan II will have a 16-megapixel camera, offering better resolution than even many stand-alone cameras.

Many people had expected that Nokia, which is holding a press conference later in the day, would deliver the first Windows Phone LTE device. Stephen Elop, Nokia's CEO who also made an appearance at the AT&T event, said he'd share more information about its first LTE Windows Phone at the press event. He also said the company will talk more about its reentry strategy in the U.S., where the world's largest phone maker has scant market share.

Ballmer promoted the differences between Windows Phone, which is widely praised by reviewers yet lags seriously behind competitors in sales, and other phone platforms. Specifically, he noted that Windows Phone lets developers incorporate social and other features into apps so that users don't have to open multiple apps constantly.

He also said that there are 300 apps being published daily in the Windows Phone Marketplace.

AT&T also announced six new Android devices that will run on its LTE network, including the Samsung Galaxy Note and a waterproof tablet from Pantech.

The Galaxy Note is midway between a tablet and a phone with a 5.3-inch screen. AT&T is the first to sell the device, which comes in blue and white, in the U.S. In addition to its size, the Note is unique in that it comes with a pen for controlling the device.

"This pen is not a stylus," said Kevin Packingham, a Samsung product manager. The pen allows for drawing very fine lines on the screen and enables more exact controls, he said.

AT&T will also offer the Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD, another Android phone with a 1.5Ghz dual-core processor and a removable battery.

The Samsung Exhilerate, which is made partly with recyclable materials, will also become available from AT&T.

The operator also unveiled devices from Pantech, including the Element, a waterproof tablet. AT&T is offering a deal where people can buy the tablet and the Pantech Burst phone for US$250. Otherwise, the Burst will cost under $50, AT&T said.

Nancy Gohring covers mobile phones and cloud computing for The IDG News Service. Follow Nancy on Twitter at @idgnancy. Nancy's e-mail address is Nancy_Gohring@idg.com

Source: http://www.itworld.com/networking/239575/htc-nokia-offer-first-lte-windows-phones-att

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US to create China trade watch task force

02:16 AEDT Wed Jan 11 2012

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President Barack Obama intends to create a task force to monitor and tackle possible trade and other commercial violations by China, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The Enforcement Task Force, despite its generic name, is specifically meant to target Beijing, the newspaper said, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The force will include officials from the Treasury, Commerce and Energy departments, as well as the US Trade Representative's office, according to the report which came as Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner arrived in Beijing.

The White House had no immediate comment on the report.

Obama will formally announce the launch of the task force during or close to his State of the Union address later this month, the Journal said.

Geithner, whose visit to Beijing is expected to focus on sanctions against Iran, is expected to meet top Chinese leaders including Premier Wen Jiabao on Wednesday, according to the Treasury.

The United States has long argued that China's yuan is significantly undervalued, although it refrains from saying that Beijing manipulates the currency, which could lead to retaliatory action by Congress.

Washington officials argue that Beijing's decision to keep the yuan artificially low fuels a flow of cheap exports that helped send the US trade deficit with China to more than $US270 billion ($A264.20 billion) in 2010.

But China defends its exchange rate regime, saying it is moving gradually to make the yuan more flexible.

Source: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8401100/us-to-create-china-trade-watch-task-force

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New Hampshire Primary: Mitt Romney Wins Easily

Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman finish in second and third, respectively, with Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich pulling up the rear.
By Gil Kaufman

Mitt Romney
Photo: Getty Images

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire — What a difference a week makes.

Many voters, journalists and campaign workers were up into the wee hours of the morning seven days ago when the Iowa caucus went down to the wire. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney won that contest by just eight votes, but in New Hampshire on Tuesday (January 10), the margin was much wider, as the longtime GOP front-runner became the first non-incumbent Republican to ever sweep the first two primaries of the election season with 36 percent of the vote when polls closed.

Thanks to a population that includes 40 percent of voters who identify as independents, it was another strong finish for Libertarian Congressman Ron Paul. With his by-now-ubiquitous cadre of young supporters spreading the word alongside unique ads on everything from digital billboards to green laser beams spelling out his name on the side of downtown Manchester buildings, Paul built on his third-place finish in Iowa, coming in second.

After barely registering in Iowa, former Utah governor and Obama administration ambassador to China Jon Huntsman put all his chips on the Granite State over the past few months. The motorcycle-riding, piano-pounding ex-high school rocker appeared at more than 170 events in New Hampshire while his rivals focused on Iowa. And while his poll numbers slowly crept up from single digits as Election Day neared, when polls closed Tuesday, Huntsman finished in third place.

Rick Santorum might have come in a close second in the Iowa caucus, but in New Hampshire, he shared last place with Newt Gingrich, nabbing around 10 percent of the vote each. Up next is January 17's South Carolina primary, where Romney faces a much harder contest with Santorum and Gingrich.

MTV is on the scene in New Hampshire! Check back here around the clock for up-to-the-minute coverage on the primary caucuses, and stick with PowerOf12.org throughout the presidential election season.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677067/new-hampshire-primary-mitt-romney-wins.jhtml

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Beyonce gives birth to baby girl in NY: report (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Singer Beyonce has given birth to a baby girl in New York, local media reported on Sunday.

The widely anticipated first child of the international star and R&B singer, 30, and rap mogul Jay-Z, 42, whose real name is Shawn Carter, was delivered late on Saturday in a private wing of Lenox Hill Hospital, according to the Daily News.

Spokespersons for the singer did not immediately return comment.

The singer, whose hits include "Beautiful Liar" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it)," showed off her pregnancy on stage earlier in the year at the MTV video awards, performing her song "Love On Top" and telling the audience to stand up. "I want you to feel the love that's growing inside of me," she said then.

(Reporting by Christine Kearney, editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120108/people_nm/us_beyonce

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Lakota school board names new president

Staff Report Updated 3:28 PM Saturday, January 7, 2012

LIBERTY TWP. ? The Lakota Board of Education has a new president.

At Thursday night?s organizational meeting, Ben Dibble was elected to serve as new board president, replacing Joan Powell. Julie Shaffer was appointed to serve as the board?s vice president, the role Dibble had previously filled.

This is Shaffer?s first time holding a public office. She was elected to the board in November.

Also, the board discussed the proposed 2012 meeting dates. The board is slated to continue to meet at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of each month.

However, the board is proposing to move the May 28 meeting to May 29 due to the Memorial Day holiday; to meet only once in July, which would be on July 16; and to move the Nov. 12 meeting to Nov. 5 due to a conflict with the Ohio School Boards Association conference in Columbus.

Source: http://www.pulsejournal.com/news/local-news/lakota-school-board-names-new-president-1309249.html?cxtype=rss_local-news

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