Warming in the Tasman Sea a global warming hot spot

Monday, January 30, 2012

Oceanographers have identified a series of ocean hotspots around the world generated by strengthening wind systems that have driven oceanic currents, including the East Australian Current, polewards beyond their known boundaries.

The hotspots have formed alongside ocean currents that wash the east coast of the major continents and their warming proceeds at a rate far exceeding the average rate of ocean surface warming, according to an international science team whose work is published in the journal Nature Climate Change today.

Paper co-author, CSIRO's Dr Wenju Cai, said that while the finding has local ecological implications in the region surrounding the hotspots, the major influence is upon the ocean's ability to take up heat and carbon from the atmosphere.

In Australia's case, scientists report intensifying east-west winds at high latitudes (45?-55?S) pushing southward and speeding up the gyre or swirl of currents circulating in the South Pacific, extending from South America to the Australian coast. The resulting changes in ocean circulation patterns have pushed the East Australian Current around 350 kilometres further south, with temperatures east of Tasmania as much as two degrees warmer than they were 60 years ago. "We would expect natural change in the oceans over decades or centuries but change with such elevated sea surface temperatures in a growing number of locations and in a synchronised manner was definitely not expected," said CSIRO's Dr Wenju Cai.

"Detecting these changes has been hindered by limited observations but with a combination of multi-national ocean watch systems and computer simulations we have been able to reconstruct an ocean history in which warming over the past century is 2-3 times faster than the global average ocean warming rate," says Dr Cai, a climate scientist at CSIRO's Wealth from Oceans Research Flagship.

The changes are characterised by a combination of currents pushing nearer to the polar regions and intensify with systematic changes of wind over both hemispheres, attributed to increasing greenhouse gases.

Dr Cai said the increase of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has been the major driver of the surface warming of the Earth over the 20th century. This is projected to continue.

He said the research points to the need for a long-term monitoring network of the western boundary currents. In March next year, Australian scientists plan to deploy a series of moored ocean sensors across the East Australian Current to observe change season-to-season and year-to-year.

###

CSIRO Australia: http://www.csiro.au

Thanks to CSIRO Australia 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 54 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/117175/Warming_in_the_Tasman_Sea_a_global_warming_hot_spot

olin kreutz olin kreutz au pair au pair trinidad trinidad jeff bezos

'All in the Family' director John Rich dies at 86 (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? Television director John Rich, who won an Emmy Award for the memorable "All in the Family" scene showing Sammy Davis Jr. planting a kiss on Archie Bunker, has died in Los Angeles at 86.

Rich also won an Emmy for "The Dick Van Dyke Show."

Directors Guild of America spokeswoman Sahar Moridani tells the Los Angeles Times ( http://lat.ms/yg21r5) that Rich died Sunday morning at his Los Angeles home after a brief illness. No other details were released.

His 50-year Hollywood career included "I Married Joan," "Our Miss Brooks," "Gunsmoke" and "Bonanza." He also directed episodes or pilots of "The Twilight Zone," "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.," "Gilligan's Island," "The Brady Bunch," "Maude," "Good Times," "The Jeffersons," "Barney Miller" and "Newhart."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_en_tv/us_obit_john_rich

humpback whale barrel roll anagram 180 degrees askew cory smoot do a barrel roll

Romney credits change in tactics for Florida surge (AP)

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. ? Mitt Romney said Monday he has overcome his South Carolina setback and returned to the Republican primary forefront by aggressively returning Newt Gingrich's fire and by presenting himself as a Washington outsider. Gingrich said Romney is "pretending he's somebody he's not."

Romney said that in the days leading up to the South Carolina's Jan. 21 primary, he was getting beaten up rhetorically by the former House speaker on a variety of fronts and says he didn't fight back very well. Now, Romney said, he has "pushed back" more effectively. He said he feels Florida's voters are responding to his charges that Gingrich benefited from his business relationship with the mortgage giant Freddie Mac at a time when the housing market in the state was taking a dive.

For his part, Gingrich argued that the former Massachusetts governor has bought "an amazing amount of ads" to leverage himself into better position for Florida's primary Tuesday, but said it won't work. "I think he's going to find this a long campaign," the former speaker said of his rival.

Gingrich said that on the big, philosophical issues, Romney "is for all practical purposes a liberal, I am a conservative."

"It's closing here in Florida," Gingrich said, "and I think the next 24 hours in going to make a big difference."

Romney said he believes he has reinvigorated his campaign through a combination of changes in his message and a change in campaign tactics. He said that Gingrich's charges that Romney is the establishment candidate aren't working.

"It's not selling here in Florida. ... He was able to get away with it in South Carolina. If there's anybody that's a Washington insider, it's Newt Gingrich."

A day before voting begins in Florida's Republican primary, Romney is running ahead of Gingrich in polls. Romney earned positive reviews during two debates and has put the former House speaker on the defensive over ethics and Freddie Mac.

"It's only when he can mass money to focus on carpet-bombing with negative ads that he gains any traction at all," Gingrich is complaining.

But instead of stepping back and refocusing on President Barack Obama ? as he did in Iowa when it became clear that Gingrich had lost ? Romney is ratcheting up his rhetoric and continuing his attacks until the very end. He hopes to close the Florida campaign strongly to push Gingrich as far back as possible.

Gingrich said Monday he was closing the gap between him and Romney in Florida. He said the Republican Party needed a "clear conservative" to run against Obama in the fall, and that there was very little difference between Obama and Romney when it came to their policies and politics, such as health care.

"Mitt Romney will have a very, very hard time trying to differentiate himself," Gingrich said.

"His record is one of failed leadership," Romney had said of Gingrich at a rally in Sunday night in Pompano Beach, in South Florida. And Romney challenged Gingrich to "look in the mirror" to figure out why the former House speaker has fallen back in Florida.

"His record is one of failed leadership. We don't need someone who can speak well perhaps or can say things we agree with, but does not have the experience of being an effective leader," he said.

Aides say Romney's attacks are partially a response to increasingly angry rhetoric from Gingrich, who on Sunday called the former Massachusetts governor "somebody who is a pro-abortion, pro-gun-control, pro-tax-increase liberal." Gingrich also accused Romney of lying. "I don't know how you debate a person with civility if they're prepared to say things that are just plain factually false," Gingrich said.

Romney's campaign on Sunday fired back immediately, starting with the candidate and continuing with statements from top surrogates who cast Gingrich's assault as an unfair attack on Romney's character.

"Mitt Romney is man of impeccable character," said New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. "It offends me that Newt Gingrich would attack the character of Mitt Romney."

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty called the attacks "over the line."

Romney's supporters particularly defended his anti-abortion credentials following Gingrich's attack. Gingrich allies are also running radio ads attacking Romney's record on the issue.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi called Romney a "champion for pro-life values" as she introduced him at the rally. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen offered a similar defense during an earlier rally with the Cuban American community in Hialeah.

In what has become a wildly unpredictable race, the momentum has swung back to Romney, who just last weekend was staggered by Gingrich's victory in South Carolina. Romney has begun advertising in Nevada ahead of that state's caucuses next Saturday, illustrating the challenges ahead for Gingrich, who has pledged to push ahead no matter what happens in Florida.

An NBC News/Marist poll published Sunday showed Romney with support from 42 percent of likely Florida primary voters, compared with 27 percent for Gingrich.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, trailing in Florida by a wide margin, skipped campaigning to be with his 3-year-old daughter, Bella, who was hospitalized. He planned to campaign in Missouri and Minnesota early this week.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who has invested little in Florida, looked ahead to Nevada. The libertarian-leaning Paul is focusing more on gathering delegates in caucus states, where it's less expensive to campaign. But securing the nomination only through caucus states is a hard task.

Romney has three events scheduled across the state Monday. He planned events in Jacksonville and the Tampa area. Gingrich has five planned events.

Romney appeared Monday morning on NBC's "Today" show and on Fox News Channel. Gingrich was interviewed on "CBS This Morning" and ABC's "Good Morning America."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign

packers vikings bob costas jerry sandusky chelsea clinton kat von d tiki barber minnesota vikings packers vs vikings

Cars circle central Moscow in anti-Putin protest (AP)

MOSCOW ? Thousands of cars flying white ribbons or balloons circled central Moscow on Sunday in a show of protest against Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

The cars ? ranging from luxury sedans and sporty convertibles to old, exhaust-spewing Soviet models ? jammed the inner lanes all along the 16-kilometer (nearly 10-mile) Garden Ring, which has as many as 16 lanes of traffic at its widest points.

More protesters stood along the side of the road waving white ribbons and flags as the vehicles passed, their horns blaring. White ribbons became an opposition symbol during protests that broke out after a fraud-tainted Dec. 4 parliamentary election won by Putin's party.

Tens of thousands turned out for two protest rallies last month to demand free and fair elections, and protest organizers are now preparing for a third big demonstration Feb. 4.

Putin is running in a March 4 presidential election to reclaim the post he held from 2000 to 2008. He is expected to win, but is under pressure to show he can win fairly.

Sunday's action was aimed at helping to build momentum for the protest movement and it provided another outlet for the creativity that has been a defining feature of the demonstrations.

While most drivers were content to tie white ribbons and balloons to their cars' antennas, sideview mirrors and door handles, some decorated their vehicles with original signs and banners.

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny said the traveling protest action was a "wonderful advertisement" for the Feb. 4 rally.

The protest movement has been driven by young professionals, cultural figures and other members of the urban middle class, many of them connected through online social networks.

Kremlin supporters have begun to try to counter their activism by organizing rallies by blue-collar workers in support of Putin and the stability he promises. The first rally was held Saturday in Yekaterinburg, the capital of an industrial region in the Ural Mountains east of Moscow.

Videos of the rally posted online showed one speaker, a member of Russia's parliament, trying to get the crowd of several thousand to shout "Ural, Russia, Putin!" The response was muted.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_opposition

weather colorado springs weather colorado springs chaz bono tonight show tonight show unthink julianne hough

Israel announces plans to build national broadband network, increases fiber intake

Israel is home to a burgeoning tech industry, but the country's broadband infrastructure hasn't really been able to keep pace. In terms of broadband penetration, in fact, Israel ranks just 21st out of 34 developed nations, according to statistics gathered by the OECD. All this may be changing, however, now that the country's state-run electric company has announced plans to create a new national broadband network. According to the AP, the forthcoming network will use so-called fiber to the home (FTTH) technology, which is capable of providing connections at speeds of between 100Mbps and 1Gbps. That would be about ten to 100 times faster than the connections most Israelis have today, and could offer obvious benefits to a wide array of businesses and industries. The electric company is aiming to have 10 percent of the country connected to its new network by next year, and to have two-thirds covered within the next seven years.

Israel announces plans to build national broadband network, increases fiber intake originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  AP (The Australian)  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/mC6N0m_0h5w/

extreme couponing taylor lautner act sinead o connor dan marino passing record ipad 2 cases movie times

Pet insurance is as important as ensuring your health | Pets Best Blog

By: Steve Anderson, Editor
Health Insurance Resource Center
For Pets Best Insurance

Americans love their pets in a big way, but is it possible they love their pets even more than themselves? It appears true in many cases and oddly enough, it can have a tragic outcome for pets.

In 2011, pet owners were projected to spend more than $50 billion on their pets, according to the American Pet Products Association?s annual review. Pet owners are buying everything from pet toys and food to veterinary care pet health insurance.

But for as much as human companions do to care for their pets, they often neglect to care adequately for themselves ? and that can end up dramatically affecting a pet?s future.

Each month, the Washington Humane Society in the nation?s capital sees a dozen or so pets relinquished to its open-access shelter by their owners or the owners? families. The pets are usually healthy, but the owners were not.

?The majority of animals that come to us are in excellent condition. They?ve obviously had happy lives and have been well cared for,? says Stephanie Shain, COO of the Washington, DC, Humane Society. ?So [the pet relinquishment] has nothing to do with the animal?s health, but instead with the health of the owner,? Shain said.

It?s heartbreaking, Shain says. ?We?ll see an owner go into the hospital and there?s no plan in place for the pet.? Often, if the owner is unable to make provisions for his or her pet, family members will resort to dropping off the pet at the shelter.

Having to relinquish a pet to the Humane Society or animal control agency is not only heartbreaking; it?s often deadly. A recent study by the National Council on Pet Populations Study & Policy showed that 57 percent of dogs and 71 percent of cats relinquished to surveyed shelters were not adopted ? and ultimately euthanized.

So even the most caring of pet owners need to take better care of themselves to ensure their pets? survival, says Charles Smith-Dewey, founder of the Health Insurance Resource Center and the owner of two dogs and a pair of cats.

?It?s great that the number of pet owners purchasing pet policies is on the rise,? says Smith-Dewey, ?it?s our duty as pet owners to do everything to ensure that our pets are well cared for. And we, as the people who love them most, need to ensure our own health.?

Or Call 866-929-3807 to Add a Pet to Your Current Policy

That includes not only staying physically fit and avoiding unhealthy behaviors, but maintaining some level of health insurance coverage. ?A health insurance policy doesn?t have to be expensive,? says Smith-Dewey, ?but it has to be sufficient to minimize a hospital stay and stave off catastrophic medical costs that could leave a pet neglected ? or worse.?

Fortunately, even for those who don?t have coverage through an employer, finding a policy that covers big-ticket medical expenses is not impossible. In fact, it?s now faster and more convenient than ever to find an affordable plan by seeking an online health insurance quote from a reputable site.

?Definitely insure your pets,? says Smith-Dewey, ?but at the same time, do everything you can to ensure that you?ll be there for them as long as possible.?

For more information about how to get pet insurance for your best friend, visit Pets Best Insurance.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 27th, 2012 at 8:00 am and is filed under Pet Health Insurance.

Source: http://www.petsbest.com/blog/ensuring-your-health/

heather locklear mlk memorial mlk memorial brown recluse brown recluse joplin tornado heather locklear hospitalized

Hispanics in focus as GOP race intensifies

Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich disembarks from a airplane Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in Miami, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich disembarks from a airplane Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in Miami, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidates, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney talk during a commercial break at the Republican presidential candidates debate in Jacksonville, Fla., Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, participates in the Republican presidential candidates debate in Jacksonville, Fla., Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum participates in the Republican presidential candidates debate in Jacksonville, Fla., Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) ? More than a million Hispanic voters are the prize as Republican presidential rivals Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich resume campaigning after a feisty, final debate before Florida's GOP primary.

Romney was the aggressor in the second debate in four days Thursday night, pressing Gingrich to apologize for an ad labeling him as anti-immigrant and calling the idea "repulsive."

Both men arranged for appearances Friday in Miami with the Hispanic Leadership Network on the day after the debate. The state has roughly 1.5 million Hispanic voters, who figure to play prominently in next Tuesday's Florida primary.

Immigration sparked the first clash Thursday night, moments after the debate opened, when Gingrich responded to a question by saying Romney was the most anti-immigrant of all four contenders on stage. "That's simply inexcusable," the former Massachusetts governor responded.

Gingrich fired back that Romney misled voters by running an ad accusing the former House speaker of once referring to Spanish as "the language of the ghetto." Gingrich claimed he was referring to a multitude of languages, not just Spanish.

Romney initially said, "I doubt it's mine," but moderator Wolf Blitzer pointed out that Romney, at the ad's conclusion, says he approved the message.

Gingrich rushed out an ad using debate footage that raised questions about Romney's credibility, including his ownership of the language-driven commercial. "If we can't trust Romney in a debate, how can we trust him in the White House," a narrator says in the Gingrich ad.

The debate was the 19th since the race for the Republican nomination began last year, and came five days before the Florida primary. Opinion polls make the race a close one, showing a slight advantage for Romney, with two other contenders, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Texas Rep. Ron Paul far behind.

Paul has already made clear his intention to skip Florida in favor of smaller, less-expensive states. And Santorum, who had been campaigning aggressively here, conceded Thursday that he's better off sitting at his own kitchen table Saturday doing his taxes instead of campaigning in a state where he simply can't keep up with the GOP front-runners.

Outside advisers are urging him to pack up in Florida completely and not spend another minute in a state where he is cruising toward a loss.

The cash-strapped Santorum seemed to be listening. He'll make a handful of Florida campaign stops early in the day, but will finish Friday with his family in Pennsylvania, where he'll spend all day Saturday before returning to Florida.

Despite the shift, Santorum stood out at times Thursday night.

While the clashes between Gingrich and Romney dominated, Santorum drew applause when he called on the front-runners to stop attacking one another and "focus on the issues."

"Can we set aside that Newt was a member of Congress ... and that Mitt Romney is a wealthy guy?" he said in a tone of exasperation.

In the days since Romney's loss in South Carolina, he has tried to seize the initiative, playing the aggressor in the Tampa debate and assailing Gingrich in campaign speeches and a TV commercial. An outside group formed to support Romney has spent more than his own campaign's millions on ads, some of them designed to stop Gingrich's campaign momentum before it is too late to deny him the nomination.

With polls suggesting his South Carolina surge is stalling, Gingrich unleashed a particularly strong attack earlier in the day, much as he lashed out in Iowa when he rose in the polls, only to be knocked back by an onslaught of ads he was unable to counter effectively.

But he struggled to find an effective attack in the debate and was more often on the defensive.

Romney pounced when the topic turned to Gingrich's proposal for a permanent American colony on the moon ? an issue of particular interest to engineers and others who live on Florida's famed Space Coast.

A career businessman before he became a politician, Romney said: "If I had a business executive come to me and say I want to spend a few hundred billion dollars to put a colony on the moon, I'd say, 'You're fired.'"

Gingrich tried to raise questions about Romney's wealth and his investments. "I don't know of any American president who's had a Swiss bank account," Gingrich said.

Romney replied that his investments were in a blind trust over which he had no control. "There's nothing wrong with that," declared Romney, who has estimated his wealth at as much as $250 million.

Earlier Thursday, it was disclosed that Romney and his wife, Ann Romney, failed to list an unknown amount of investment income from a variety of sources including a Swiss bank account on financial disclosure forms filed last year. His campaign said it was working to correct the omissions.

Gingrich also failed to report income from his 2010 tax return on his financial disclosure. The former Georgia congressman will amend his disclosure to show $252,500 in salary from one of his businesses, spokesman R.C. Hammond said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-27-GOP-Campaign/id-3974ede1e2994a749e3cfbd3d2b19d0d

crimson tide crimson tide dixville notch 2013 ford fusion lsu football lsu football bcs

'Ripples' escapes pet carrier, causes four-hour delay

By KPRC staff

An Air Canada flight's takeoff was delayed by four hours Wednesday when a cat escaped from its carrier and hid in the cockpit wiring, airline officials said.

The plane was about to taxi for takeoff at 5:30 a.m. from Halifax, Nova Scotia, bound for Toronto, when a cat named Ripples escaped, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported. The cat's carrier was stowed under his owner's seat.

Crew members spent hours searching for the 10-year-old tabby after hearing its frightened meowing.

Airport spokesman Peter Spurway said Ripples was later spotted in the cockpit, cowering in a dense bundle of wires.

It was freed only after ground control removed several electrical panels from the cockpit.

"Some people tried to catch him in first class, but he took off into the cockpit and nestled down," said Debbie Harris, the owner of the 10-year-old feline.

Harris told CTV that Ripples escaped from the back of the carrier after security guards failed to properly re-latch it.

"This is his first trip and his last ... he's not flying anymore," she said.

The airline rebooked some passengers, many of whom were visibly frustrated by the delay. According to Air Canada, pets are allowed in the cabin if they weigh less than 22 pounds and are small enough to fit in a carrier under the seat.?

More stories you might like:

This story originally appeared on Click2Houston.

Source: http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/26/10245481-ripples-escapes-pet-carrier-causes-four-hour-delay

black friday deals molokai molokai ashton kutcher twitter sandusky barbados raiders chargers

Shop Android Deal of the Day: Mobi Products Crystal Case for Verizon Galaxy Nexus

The Jan. 26 Shop Android Deal of the Day is the Mobi Products Crystal Case for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus. The case is specifically designed for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus and will add very little weight or bulk to your device. There are cutouts for the camera, speaker, and screen, and the smooth exterior of the case provides easy insertion and removal from your pocket or purse. And it's available today only for just $4.95 -- that's 75 percent off! Get yours while supplies last!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/fnB2j81mDQU/story01.htm

the haunting in connecticut ashram ashram merce cunningham tim hightower tim hightower waldorf school

Pat Sajak Admits to Hosting Wheel of Fortune Drunk (omg!)

Can we buy a vowel ... err a shot of vodka?

Longtime Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak says he used to host the popular game show drunk. "When I first started and was much younger and could tolerate those things," Sajak tells Dan Le Batard of "Dan Le Batard is Highly Questionable." "We had a different show then."

Watch videos of Pat Sajak

The 65-year-old, who has hosted Wheel of Fortune since 1981, says he and right-hand woman Vanna White used to go to a local Mexican restaurant in Burbank during their two-and-a-half hour dinner breaks. That break gave the duo more than enough time to knock a couple margaritas back before the night tapings. "Vanna and I would go across and have two or three or six and then come and do the last shows and have trouble recognizing the alphabet. They're really great tapes to get a hold of," Sajak said. "I had a great time. I have no idea if the shows were any good, but no one said anything, so I guess I did OK."

Unfortunately, margaritas ? or any sort of alcohol for that matter ? no longer play a part in Sajak's hosting routine. "I would be hesitant to have anything to drink now," he said. What a ?_arty ?_oo_er.

Watch Sajak's interview here:

Related Articles on TVGuide.com

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_pat_sajak_admits_hosting_wheel_fortune_drunk010400820/44308278/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/pat-sajak-admits-hosting-wheel-fortune-drunk-010400820.html

bet hip hop awards 2011 kraken kraken kenyon martin kenyon martin lizard lick towing megatron

French brand Courreges takes retro fashion online (omg!)

PARIS (Reuters) - Courreges, the futuristic fashion brand of the 1960s, is poised to bring its vinyl boots and A-line mini-dresses back into vogue, relaunching the French name online.

A year after the brand was sold for more than 10 million euros ($13.05 million) to two directors from advertising agency Young & Rubicam, Jacques Bungert and Frederic Torloting, Courreges is now also aiming to expand its perfume business.

The simple shapes and minimalist black and white palette of the couturier Andre Courreges -- a protege of Balenciaga -- had their heydey in the 1960s and 70s, rivaling Chanel and Dior, before being sold to Japanese investors in the 1980s.

A decade later Courreges and his wife Coqueline bought back the brand but it largely disappeared from sight before the purchase by Bungert and Torloting in January 2011.

"We're hoping that the brand returns, in five to 10 years, to its former stature as a global brand with its dimension of innovation that earlier made its success," Bungert told Reuters.

"When the feeling of a brand is respected, it can be reborn without losing its integrity," he added.

Currently, Courreges clothes and accessories are sold at its Paris boutique in the posh Eighth Arrondissement, where sales have risen 40 percent in a year, Bungert said. Total revenue for the brand is now about 20 million, the executives said.

Internet sales begin February 1, and women will be able to shop online for nearly all the clothes and accessories currently sold in the boutique.

Torloting said Courreges' design lends itself well to online sales, as the brand does not use the kind of delicate fabrics that could get damaged in transit.

As for perfume, Courreges' "Empreinte" and "Eau de Courreges," currently sold only in the boutique, will now be distributed more widely, and a publicity campaign, the first since 1996, is planned.

As Paris Fashion Week launched Monday with its bi-annual Haute Couture shows, Torloting said he has no intention of parading twice-yearly collections on the catwalk at the industry's fashion weeks.

Founder Andre Courreges refused to use celebrities to promote his swinging sixties styles, claiming designs such as his 1964 "Space Age" collection were created for the "ordinary woman."

"The idea of creating collections that push each other out is not very modern in our view," Torloting told Reuters.

"We don't want to manufacture our own obsolescence," he said.

(Writing by Alexandria Sage, editing by Paul Casciato)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_french_brand_courreges_takes_retro_fashion_online163130146/44290869/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/french-brand-courreges-takes-retro-fashion-online-163130146.html

larry ellison go ask alice go ask alice john mccarthy john mccarthy lumpectomy robin williams

Cloud Computing Software Company Joyent Raises $85 Million To Pursue Global Growth

Cloud computing software and service provider Joyent?has secured an $85 million round of new funding, the company is announcing today. The round was led by European group Weather Investment II. It also included?Telef?nica?Digital, the growth arm of global telecom giant Telef?nica, which participated as a strategic investor.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/WNs5u4jZ8D8/

girl with the dragon tattoo hes just not that into you hes just not that into you monta ellis kawasaki disease mega millions emma stone

Dentist accused of paper clip use in root canals (AP)

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. ? A former dentist in Massachusetts has pleaded guilty to Medicaid fraud for using paper clips instead of stainless steel posts in root canals.

Michael Clair is scheduled to be sentenced next Monday after pleading guilty last week in New Bedford Superior Court to a variety of charges, including defrauding Medicaid of $130,000 assault and battery, illegally prescribing prescription drugs and witness intimidation.

Prosecutors say the 53-year-old Clair was suspended by Medicaid in 2002, but continued to file claims from August 2003 to June 2005 by using the names of other dentists in his Fall River practice.

Authorities say instead of stainless steel posts for root canals, he used sections of paper clips ? which can cause pain and even infection ? in an effort to save money.

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

free kindle books roasted potatoes turkey recipes turkey recipes happy holidays norad how to carve a turkey

Tweaking Its Identity Stance, Google+ Now Allows Nicknames

In the initial Google+ sign-up process, questionable profile names were flagged by Google's algorithmic recognition system, and users were prompted to try again. The same system will still recognize alternate names, but will begin to allow specific exceptions like nicknames, maiden names and names with alternative spelling.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/S3NJOKeyMi0/

steve jobs action figure rose bowl johnny weir quadrantid meteor shower aretha franklin osu football osu football

Video: CNBC Sound Off

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/46106383/

texas killing fields burzynski pete seeger gazelle gazelle pumpkin carving patterns pumpkin carving patterns

Tiny baby leaves Los Angeles hospital amid fanfare (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? One of the world's smallest surviving babies was discharged Friday from the hospital where she spent nearly five months in an incubator ? but not before getting the Hollywood treatment.

Wearing a pink knit hat and wrapped in a pink princess blanket, Melinda Star Guido was greeted by a mob of television cameras and news photographers outside the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.

"I'm just happy that she's doing well," said her 22-year-old mother Haydee Ibarra. "I'm happy that I'm finally going to take her home ... I'm just grateful."

Melinda was born on August 30 weighing just 9 1/2 ounces, less than a can of soda. She was so tiny that she fit into her doctor's hand. Melinda is believed to be the world's third-smallest surviving baby and second smallest in the U.S.

Now weighing 4 1/2 pounds and breathing through an oxygen tube as a precaution, doctors said Melinda has made enough progress to go home. Her brain scan was normal and her eyes were developing well. She also passed a hearing test and a car seat test that's required of premature babies before discharge.

It's too early to know how she will do developmentally and physically, but doctors planned to monitor her for the next six years.

"I am cautiously optimistic that the baby will do well, but again there is no guarantee," said Dr. Rangasamy Ramanathan, who oversees preemies at the hospital.

Most babies as small don't survive even with advanced medical care. About 7,500 babies are born each year in the U.S. weighing less than 1 pound, and about 10 percent survive.

Melinda has come a long way since being delivered by cesarean section at 24 weeks after her mother developed high blood pressure during pregnancy, which can be dangerous for mother and fetus.

She was whisked to the neonatal intensive care unit where she breathed with the help of a machine and received nutrition through a feeding tube. Infants born before 37 weeks are considered premature.

Even after discharge, such extremely premature babies require constant care at home. Their lungs are not fully developed and they may need oxygen at home. Parents also need to watch out for risk of infections that could send infants back to the hospital. Even basic activities like feeding can be challenging.

"They may need extra help and patience while they learn to eat," Dr. Edward Bell, a pediatrician of the University of Iowa who runs an online database of the world's smallest surviving babies born weighing less than a pound.

The list features 130 babies dating back to 1936 and does not represent all survivors since submission is voluntary. Melinda was not eligible to be included until she was discharged.

Two years ago, Bell published a study in the journal Pediatrics that found many survivors have ongoing health and learning concerns. Most also remain short and underweight for their age.

There are some rare success stories. The smallest surviving baby born weighing 9.2 ounces is now a healthy 7-year-old and another who weighed 9.9 ounces at birth is an honors college student studying psychology, according to doctors at Loyola University Medical Center in Illinois where the girls were born.

Soon after birth, Melinda was treated for an eye disorder that's common in premature babies and underwent surgery to close an artery. Ibarra held Melinda for the first time after the operation in November. Her parents said the toughest part was battling traffic after work every day to see their daughter.

___

Online:

Registry: http://www.healthcare.uiowa.edu/tiniestbabies

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_he_me/us_med_tiny_baby

take shelter dressage byu football byu football delonte west bank of america black eyed peas central park

Fast-moving snowstorm hits Northeast (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? After an unusually mild winter across much of the United States, a fast-moving snowstorm struck the Northeast from central Pennsylvania to Connecticut on Saturday, while the Pacific Northwest struggled to recover from a rare heavy snowfall.

The moderate Northeast storm stood in contrast to the heavy snows of last winter, which included a post-Christmas blizzard that dumped 20 inches on New York City.

"We haven't missed it, but it's been noticeably absent," Victoria Lupica, a spokeswoman for the Philadelphia International Airport, said of the snow. Her airport had 66 canceled flights on Saturday morning.

Snowfall totals were expected to reach 3 to 5 inches in New York City, 2 to 4 inches in Philadelphia and up to 3 inches in Boston. The nation's capital, Washington, got a mixture of snow and ice overnight.

For many areas away from the Great Lakes, the storm was expected to amount to the heaviest snowfall since late October, according to weather.com.

At La Guardia International Airport in New York, travelers were advised to check with their airlines to see which flights were affected by weather-related delays, the airport's website said.

The Pacific Northwest was enduring the aftermath of an unusually snowy week, with two hikers and two climbers still missing in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state.

About 205,000 homes and businesses, mostly south of Seattle,

remained without power, Puget Sound Energy said on its website. Flooding remained a concern as temperatures rose into the lower 40s (4 C).

Heavy snow was predicted for mountain areas of the Western states.

In parts of South Carolina, voters in the Republican presidential primary were seeing rain, thunderstorms and even tornado watches and warnings on Saturday, the National Weather Service said.

A snowfall in Chicago on Friday brought up to 8 inches and prompted the cancellation of more than 700 flights at Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports.

Thunderstorms, some with hail, were predicted for the Southeastern United States, with damaging wind gusts and tornadoes possible across the lower Mississippi Valley, according to weather.com.

(Reporting By Mary Wisniewski in Chicago and Laura Myers in Seattle; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Peter Cooney)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/weather/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120121/ts_nm/us_weather

dark knight rises trailer dark knight rises trailer latkes how to make it in america how to make it in america schweddy balls schweddy balls

James' passion, great range remembered (AP)

NEW YORK ? On her last album "The Dreamer," released just three months before her death, Etta James sings a mix of covers, from the R&B classic "Misty Blue" to the Ray Charles song "In the Evening." But perhaps the most curious tune included on the disc may be the Guns N' Roses staple "Welcome to the Jungle."

That a 73-year-old icon of R&B would tackle the frenetic rock song ? albeit in a pace more fitting her blues roots ? might seem odd. But the song may be the best representation of James as both a singer and a person ? rambunctious in spirit, with the ability to sing whatever was thrown at her, whether it was jazz, blues, pining R&B or a song from one of the rowdiest bands in rock.

"She was able to dig so deep in kind of such a raw and unguarded place when she sang, and that's the power of gospel and blues and rhythm and blues. She brought that to all those beautiful standards and rocks songs that she did. All the number of vast albums she recorded, she covered such a wide variety of material that brought such unique phrasing and emotional depth," said Bonnie Raitt, a close friend, in an interview on Friday afternoon after James' death.

"I think that's what appealed to people, aside from the fact that her personality on and off the stage was so huge and irrepressible. She was ribald and raunchy and dignified, classy and strong and vulnerable all at the same time, which is what us as women really relate to."

James, whose signature song was the sweeping, jazz-tinged torch song "At Last," died in Riverside, Calif., from complications of leukemia. Her death came after she struggled with dementia and other health problems, health issues that kept her from performing for the last two or so years of her life.

It was a life full of struggles. Her mother was immersed in a criminal life and left her to be raised by friends, she never knew her true father (though she believed it was billiards great Minnesota Fats), and she had her own troubles, which included a decades-long addiction to drugs, turbulent relationships, brushes with the law, and other tribulations.

One might think all of those problems would have weighted down James' spirit, and her voice, layering it with sadness, or despair. While she certainly could channel depression, anger, and sorrow in song, her voice was defined by its fiery passion: Far from beaten down, James embodied the fight of a woman who managed to claw her way back from the brink, again and again.

It's an attitude that influenced her look as well. Despite the conservative era, she dyed her hair platinum blonde, sending out the signal that she was far from demure, and owning a brassy, sassy attitude. She relished her role as saucy singer, a persona that she celebrated in her private life as well.

"In terms of 1950s rhythm and blues stars, she had kind of a gutsy attitude and she went out there and did what she did, and she was kind of bold ... and it had a huge influence," said David Ritz, the co-author of her autobiography "Rage to Survive: The Etta James Story." "I think her gutsiness and her lack of fear and just her courage (made her special). ... I believe that made her important and memorable."

Beyonce, who played James in the movie "Cadillac Records" about Chess Records, also spoke about her influence on other singers.

"I feel like Etta James, first of all, was the first black woman I saw with platinum, blonde hair. She wore her leopard and she wore her sexy silhouette and she didn't care. She was strong and confident and always Etta James," said Beyonce in a 2008 interview.

James could often be irascible. Ritz remembers when he was working with her on her autobiography, touring with her around the country, that one time he approached her with his tape recorder and she barked: "If see that tape recorder again I'm going to cram it up your (expletive)."

But at other times, she'd be effusive and warm and anxious to talk.

"Once she did talk, she was always candid and unguarded. She was a free spirit," Ritz said.

While Ritz put her in the category of other greats like Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye, she never enjoyed their mainstream success. Though "At Last" has become an enduring classic, there were times when James had to scrounge for work, and while she won Grammys and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she did not have the riches, the multitude of platinum records or the hits that some of her peers enjoyed.

"She at least enjoyed a great resurgence like John Lee Hooker did and B.B. King, (and) has had some great decades of appreciation from new generations around the world," said Raitt. "There's no one like her. No one will ever replace Etta."

And Ritz said the lack of commercial success does nothing to diminish her greatness, or her legacy.

"Marvin certain knew it and Ray knew it ... the people who know that she was in that category," he said. "Whatever the marketplace did or didn't do or whether her lack of career management didn't do, it has nothing to do with her talent."

And on Friday, the Queen of Soul was among those who paid tribute to James greatness, calling her "one of the great soul singers of our generation. An American original!

"I loved `Pushover,' `At Last' and almost any and everything she recorded! When Etta SUNG, you heard it!"

___

AP Entertainment Writer Chris Talbott and AP Writer Mesfin Fekadu contributed to this report.

___

Nekesa Mumbi Moody is the AP's music editor. Follow her at http://www.twitter.com/nekesamumbi

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_en_ce/us_etta_james_appreciation

hell on wheels new york city marathon andy williams andy williams nyc marathon nyc marathon coriolis effect

Apartheid's black-on-black divide slower to heal

In this Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011 photo, a child rests on a car tire used as a toy at the Vingerkraal settlement near Bela Bela, South Africa. The settlement seems trapped in South Africa's apartheid past, with tin shacks like those erected in desperate haste by blacks forced to move from neighborhoods claimed by whites, and women and children are left on their own most of the year by men working in faraway big cities (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

In this Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011 photo, a child rests on a car tire used as a toy at the Vingerkraal settlement near Bela Bela, South Africa. The settlement seems trapped in South Africa's apartheid past, with tin shacks like those erected in desperate haste by blacks forced to move from neighborhoods claimed by whites, and women and children are left on their own most of the year by men working in faraway big cities (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

BELA BELA, South Africa (AP) ? The shantytown called Vingerkraal seems trapped in South Africa's apartheid past. Tin shacks resemble those hurriedly built by blacks evicted from white territory. Women and children are left on their own for most of the year by men working in faraway cities. Poverty lies tucked between game resorts.

But Vingerkraal's is a different story in the sinister saga of racially divided South Africa. It is the story of blacks who fought blacks in the service of apartheid.

In the two decades since apartheid crumbled, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission has brought about a measure of reconciliation between blacks and their former white rulers. The divisions among blacks, however, engineered or exacerbated by a system of divide-and-rule often have been slower to heal. Vingerkraal is a glaring example.

Its history begins in neighboring Namibia, once South African territory, where guerrillas were waging a war for independence. Other black Namibians were hired by white-run security forces in a unit called Koevoet, meaning crowbar, and its fighters were paid bonuses for what became known as "cash for corpses."

Koevoet's goal, according to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, was to "gather intelligence, track guerrillas and then kill them." It was, the commission said, "a race war," and apartheid South Africa lost.

In 1990, with Namibia independent, hundreds of black Koevoet veterans suddenly found themselves trapped in the midst of their adversaries. Many fled to South Africa, where their former officers helped them find jobs in security and get South African citizenship.

Four years later white rule ended, and the black Koevoet veterans were on the losing side again. Some of them retreated to Vingerkraal, near the town of Bela Bela in the north of the country. Some 6,000 people now live here, in the dry bush, chronically short of water and electricity, and still haunted by a 2010 tragedy that killed 11 of their children.

Sisingi Kamongo, 45, was among the founders of Vingerkraal. Asked about his past, he begins by saying he was just 18 and desperate for work when he joined Koevoet in 1984. Later, he talks about stories he heard of guerrillas kidnapping village children and forcing them to fight.

"We didn't do anything wrong," he says. "We were protecting the people."

Slowly, war stories emerge. Kamongo recalls interrogating villagers, being told they had not seen fighters for years, and then coming under attack.

"What do you expect us to do?" Kamango said. "Of course there's going to be trouble. We were heavy-handed. But ... it was for a reason."

Kamango, who has used a wheelchair since 2002 because of an old war injury, says he knows of a prisoner who was summarily executed, but insists white officers made the decision over their black subordinates' objections.

Namibia was not the only place where whites set blacks against blacks. The so-called bantustans also played a part, set up by the white government as black-ruled homelands to remove their populations from white areas.

Here, there has been reconciliation exemplified by Bantu Holomisa. In 1987 he seized power in the bantustan of Transkei, the homeland of Nelson Mandela, while the leader of the anti-apartheid struggle was in prison.

When apartheid ended and the bantustans were abolished, Mandela's African National Congress accepted Holomisa as a member. Later Holomisa had a falling out with the party, but he remains a member of Parliament.

John Kani, a leading actor and playwright, explores the personal effects of the divisions among blacks in "Nothing But the Truth," about two brothers, one of whom dies in exile, a hero of the liberation struggle, while the other stays in South Africa and away from politics.

The 2002 play explores the tensions that arise over who did more for the cause of black freedom.

It is a complicated history that Kani says needs to be understood better.

"I'm worried about this collective amnesia. We're afraid, even in our own house, to talk about dark times," he said in an interview. "Forgiving is OK. Forgetting, never."

Vingerkraal felt the pain of its marginalization in July, 2010, when a brush fire broke out. The shortage of water was compounded by the lack of good roads that slowed the arrival of rescue services, and 11 children died. The seven survivors, some horribly scarred, struggle to raise money to pay for transport to hospitals for treatment. It took more than a year for the maimed to get specialized care.

But the elders of the community see hope in their children. Their young people attend school with other South Africans, while many have followed their fathers into private security work, two are at the University of Pretoria, studying to be teachers.

Kamongo, the Koevoet veteran, wrote and published with the help of a South African army enthusiast a memoir of his fighting years. He said fellow veterans told him they found release reading his story, and now want him to help them tell theirs. He said it is a way of coming to terms with why they are seen as killers.

"It's our own, personal TRC," he said, referring to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-21-AF-South-Africa-Two-Timed-by-Apartheid/id-4b5d805aafa14e9381c610949e7e3395

ice cream sandwich android harry belafonte harry belafonte batman arkham city weather orlando winston churchill winston churchill

Elton's husband: Sorry for Madonna speech slam

Four days after Elton John's husband David Furnish slammed Madonna's Golden Globes acceptance speech, the film director and producer is apologizing for his outburst.

PHOTOS: What all the stars wore at the Globes

"Wow! What a tempest in a teapot. My comments regarding The Golden Globes have been blown way out of proportion," Furnish wrote on his Facebook page Thursday, almost a week after he fumed over Madonna's "Masterpiece" winning the Best Song trophy for "W.E." over John's "Hello Hello" from "Gnomeo & Juliet" and Mary J. Blige's "Living Proof" from "The Help."

1. More Entertainment stories
   1. Stephen Colbert raises Cain in South Carolina

      Late-night comedian Stephen Colbert brought his "exploratory committee," and satirical love for Super PACs, to South Carol...

   2. Exclusive: 'Hoarding' threatens to end a marriage
   3. Who knew?! President Obama can sing
   4. Singer Etta James dies at 73
   5. Planking! 'Family Matters'! 'Idol' auditions get odd

"Madonna. Best song???? F**k off!!!" he angrily wrote on Facebook after her name was called Sunday. Furnish went on to declare her speech "embarrassing in its narcissism."

PHOTOS: Nasty celeb feuds

"My passion for our film 'Gnomeo & Juliet' and belief in Elton's song really got my emotional juices going," he reasoned Thursday. "But I must say for the record that I do believe Madonna is a great artist, and that Elton and I wish her all the best for next week's premiere of the film 'W.E.'"

Slideshow: Golden Globes red carpet (on this page)

Speaking to reporters after Sunday's show, Globe winner Madonna, 54, said she hoped her accolade wouldn't bother John, 64.

PHOTOS: Elton and David through the years

"I hope he speaks to me for the next couple of years," she quipped. "He's been known to get mad at me so I don't know. He's brilliant and I adore him so he'll win another award. I don't feel bad!"

Copyright 2012 Us Weekly

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/46070450/ns/today-entertainment/

joe paterno scandal joe paterno scandal election day 2011 mississippi personhood herman cain press conference joe frazier dead

Wikipedia editors question site's blackout

FILE - In this Nov. 1, 2011 file photo, Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia speaks during the opening session at the London Cyberspace Conference in London. Wikipedia will black out the English language version of its website Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012, to protest anti-piracy legislation under consideration in Congress, the foundation behind the popular community-based online encyclopedia said in a statement Monday night. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, file pool)

FILE - In this Nov. 1, 2011 file photo, Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia speaks during the opening session at the London Cyberspace Conference in London. Wikipedia will black out the English language version of its website Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012, to protest anti-piracy legislation under consideration in Congress, the foundation behind the popular community-based online encyclopedia said in a statement Monday night. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, file pool)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Can the world live without Wikipedia for a day? The shutdown of one of the Internet's most-visited sites is not sitting well with some of its volunteer editors, who say the protest of anti-piracy legislation could threaten the credibility of their work.

"My main concern is that it puts the organization in the role of advocacy, and that's a slippery slope," said editor Robert Lawton, a Michigan computer consultant who would prefer that the encyclopedia stick to being a neutral repository of knowledge. "Before we know it, we're blacked out because we want to save the whales."

Wikipedia's English-language site shut down at midnight Eastern Standard Time Tuesday and the organization said it would stay down for 24 hours.

Instead of encyclopedia articles, visitors to the site saw a stark black-and-white page with the message: "Imagine a world without free knowledge." It carried a link to information about the two congressional bills and details about how to reach lawmakers.

It is the first time the English site has been blacked out. Wikipedia's Italian site came down once briefly in protest to an Internet censorship bill put forward by the Berlusconi government. The bill did not advance.

The shutdown adds to a growing body of critics who are speaking out against the legislation. But some editors are so uneasy with the move that they have blacked out their own user profile pages or resigned their administrative rights on the site to protest. Some likened the site's decision to fighting censorship with censorship.

One of the site's own "five pillars" of conduct says that Wikipedia "is written from a neutral point of view." The site strives to "avoid advocacy, and we characterize information and issues rather than debate them."

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales argues that the site can maintain neutrality in content even as it takes public positions on issues.

"The encyclopedia will always be neutral. The community need not be, not when the encyclopedia is threatened," he tweeted.

The Wikimedia Foundation, which administers the site, announced the blackout late Monday, after polling its community of volunteer contributors and editors and getting responses from 1,800 of them. The protest is aimed at the Stop Online Piracy Act in the House and the Protect Intellectual Property Act under consideration in the Senate.

"If passed, this legislation will harm the free and open Internet and bring about new tools for censorship of international websites inside the United States," the foundation said.

Both bills are designed to crack down on sales of pirated American products overseas, and they have the support of the film and music industry. Among the opponents are many Internet companies such as Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Twitter, eBay and AOL. They say the bills would hurt the industry and infringe on free-speech rights.

Social news website Reddit.com is shutting down for 12 hours on Wednesday, but most companies are staying up. Google Inc. said it will display its opposition to the bill on its home page in some fashion.

Dick Costollo, CEO of Twitter, said he opposes the legislation as well, but shutting down the service was out of the question.

"Closing a global business in reaction to single-issue national politics is foolish," Costollo tweeted.

Since Wikimedia depends on a small army of volunteers who create and update articles, it's particularly concerned about a lack of exemptions in the bills for sites where users might contribute copyrighted content. Today, it has no obligation under U.S. law except removing that content if a copyright holder complains. But under the House version of the bill, it could be shut down unless it polices its own pages.

The plans for the protest were moving forward even though the bill's prospects appeared to be dimming. On Saturday, Rep. Darrell Issa, a California Republican, said the bill would not move to the House floor for a vote unless consensus is reached. However, Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican, said work on the bill would resume next month.

The White House raised concerns over the weekend, pledging to work with Congress to battle piracy and counterfeiting while defending free expression, privacy and innovation in the Internet. The administration signaled it might use its veto power, if necessary.

That the bill seems unlikely to pass is another reason Lawton opposes the blackout.

"I think there are far more important things for the organization to focus aside from legislation that isn't likely to pass anyway," he said. He's been contributing to Wikipedia for eight years.

Danny Chia, another contributor to the site, said he had mixed feelings about the blackout. The neutrality applies to the content, but a lot of people interpret it as being about the site as a whole, said the Los Altos, Calif., software engineer.

In an online discussion, others raised the same point about the blackout: Appearances matter, and if the audience sees Wikipedia taking a stand, it might not believe the articles are objective, either.

Wikipedia has seen a small decline in participation, from a peak of 100,000 active editors a year ago to about 90,000 now. Wikimedia Foundation blames this mainly on outdated editing tools, and believes it can get the number growing again with software upgrades.

___

AP Technology Writer Mike Liedtke contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-18-Wikipedia-Credibility/id-951c417abf7b4b63ac3a6173b082bb73

mlk school closures being human being human chicago news chicago news golden girls

Romanian health official returns to job (AP)

BUCHAREST, Romania ? Romania's prime minister said Tuesday that a popular health official whose resignation sparked days of sometimes violent protests across the country will return to his job, in what was seen as a step to defuse widespread public anger at the government.

Premier Emil Boc said Raed Arafat ? who has publicly clashed with the government over a controversial law allowing for some privatization of emergency services ? will return to his Heath Ministry post later Tuesday and will be part of a team drafting a new health care law.

But as night fell Tuesday, about 200 anti-government protesters gathered in downtown Bucharest and yelled slogans such as "Resignation!" and "Down with Basescu!" referring to Romanian President Traian Basescu.

Protesters have raged for five days over austerity cuts and falling living standards. Protesters have gathered in freezing temperatures, chanting "Freedom!" and holding banners saying "Hunger and poverty have gripped Romania!" Authorities said that more than 10,500 people took part Monday.

Boc called Arafat "an expert and professional," saying both sides wanted to resume working together. Arafat earlier met with Basescu.

Police said they fined 247 people, and 36 were charged with illegally carrying knives, vandalism or disturbing public order during Monday's protests in Bucharest and other Romanian cities.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120117/ap_on_re_eu/eu_romania_protests

georgia tech big east expansion big east expansion google buzz trace cyrus hilary duff pregnant hilary duff pregnant

Occupy London campers told to leave cathedral (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? A British court ruled on Wednesday that a protest camp denouncing economic inequality should be removed from its site outside London's landmark St Paul's cathedral.

Dozens of activists from Occupy London, part of an international movement inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protest that began last September, have been camping outside St Paul's since October.

They are engaged in a legal battle with the City of London Corporation, which has policing powers in the area and wants to evict the campers.

At a packed High Court hearing, judge Keith Lindblom said the camp should be removed on grounds of safety and hygiene and to allow better access to the cathedral for worshippers.

"(The corporation) gave the defendants ample opportunity to remove the protest camp without the need for time and money to be spent in legal proceedings," said the judge.

Dozens of Occupy London members stood in the courtroom, some wearing hats adorned with symbols of peace and nuclear disarmament, and one shouted "Shame!" as the judge finished reading out his ruling.

John Cooper, a lawyer representing Occupy London, said the campers would appeal against the decision. A lawyer for the corporation said it would allow the protesters seven days to lodge an appeal.

Protester Rosa O'Connor, a 27-year-old student, said she was concerned the authorities would try and use force to remove the campers.

"I think the protest movement is immovable," she told Reuters after the hearing.

"It has affected so many people ... over issues that were previously overlooked or pushed to one side, taboo or even boring. It has made economics trendy."

INJUSTICE

The protesters had originally targeted the nearby London Stock Exchange, but were blocked from the surrounding square and instead set up camp outside St Paul's in a blaze of publicity. The vast domed baroque cathedral is one of central London's main landmarks. Prince Charles married Princess Diana there in 1981.

Helped by the backdrop of a top tourist attraction, protesters succeeded in drawing international attention to grievances such as bankers' bonuses, the gap between rich and poor and the perceived greed of a privileged minority.

The impact of the protest was amplified by the response from the Church of England, which was divided over how to handle the situation. Two senior clerics resigned from posts at the cathedral over the issue, drawing further media attention.

However, the leaderless movement has not articulated a clear set of concrete demands and its aims remain nebulous in the eyes of many of the financial services workers who walk past the camp every day.

In the United States, police have cleared the flagship Occupy encampments in New York, Los Angeles, Oakland and other major cities although a handful of camps remain in place around the country.

The movement has influenced the U.S. political debate, although there too it has been criticized for failing to achieve much beyond highlighting the injustices of the global economy.

(Writing by Estelle Shirbon)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120118/wl_nm/us_britain_protest_court

generators generators lesean mccoy while you were sleeping while you were sleeping happy halloween happy halloween