China to make Shanghai global yuan hub by 2015 (Reuters)

SHANGHAI (Reuters) ? China intends to establish Shanghai as the global centre for yuan trading, clearing and pricing over the next three years as part of broader plans to make the commercial hub an international financial centre by 2020.

The plan for Shanghai's financial innovations through 2015, published jointly by the country's economic planning agency and the Shanghai government on Monday, set goals on a wide range of areas aimed at further developing Shanghai, though some analysts said many of them appeared ambitious.

"This anticipated pace of development looks a bit quick to me," said Frances Cheung, a strategist at Credit Agricole in Hong Kong.

China wants to transform Shanghai into an international financial centre on par with the likes of New York and London by 2020. That goal was set in 2009 by the State Council and analysts have taken it as a broad deadline for liberalizing the currency.

The state economic planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission, outlined a series of goals under the 2015 yuan plan.

These included making the daily yuan mid-point published by the central bank in the onshore yuan market serve as the benchmark for both domestic and foreign yuan trading markets.

Currency traders interpreted the statement partly as a message from Beijing that the yuan's movements, which have increasingly been influenced by the offshore market over the past few months, should be decided by the government.

"There have been recent developments that have put Hong Kong's offshore market in the spotlight from time to time, such as its pricing of the yuan quite differently from the onshore market," said a trader at a European bank in Shanghai.

"In this sense, the NDRC statement is published at a sensitive time and means the government once again wants to emphasize that it has the final say in the value of the yuan."

The plan also aims to make the government-backed Shanghai Interbank Offered Rate (Shibor) the benchmark for yuan credit everywhere and targeting to more than double the annual non-forex financial market trading volume to 1,000 trillion yuan by 2015.

While the plan lacked details on how China would achieve these targets, analysts were skeptical on the feasibility of some of the planks in the platform.

"Shibor is not even a very well established benchmark onshore," Cheung said. Markets currently use the government's seven-day repurchase rate as the lending benchmark.

Analysts said the NDRC's plan gave no fresh insight into how quickly China would liberalize its capital account, a crucial step in Shanghai's attempt to become a global money hub.

China has taken a series of measures over the past two years to invigorate the offshore yuan market in Hong Kong as part of a longer-term plan to promote the use of the yuan overseas and make it a fully-convertible and international reserve currency along with the U.S. dollar.

Earlier this month, Britain said it was teaming up with its former colony to secure London a top spot as an offshore trading centre for the yuan.

The NDRC's plan would not threaten Hong Kong's current position as the main offshore yuan centre, analysts said.

"Promoting Shanghai as an onshore yuan centre complements Hong Kong's growing role as an offshore yuan center, and should help to strengthen the circle of onshore-offshore yuan flows underpinning the yuan trade settlement process," said Donna H J Kwok, economist at HSBC in Hong Kong.

China will also encourage overseas companies to sell yuan-denominated shares in its domestic stock markets, but the plan did not give a detailed timetable.

Authorities have been discussing launching a so-called "international board" on the Shanghai stock exchange for listing foreign companies' shares, seen as a centerpiece for the 2020 goal, but the city's mayor said this month that the time was not currently right for its launch.

Shanghai will explore M&A opportunities involving overseas stock exchanges to increase its global clout, the NDRC's plan said without elaborating.

(Additional reporting by Zhou Xin in Beijing, Saikat Chatterjee in Hong Kong and Lu Jianxin in Shanghai; Editing by Jason Subler)

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

ruben studdard ruben studdard black friday sales 2011 black friday sales 2011 whitney duncan bradley cooper roger craig

Davis, Dujardin win lead honors at SAG awards (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer were the maids of honor at Sunday's Screen Actors Guild Awards, where their Deep South drama "The Help" won them acting prizes and earned the trophy for overall cast performance.

Davis won as best actress and Spencer as supporting actress for "The Help," while Jean Dujardin was named best actor for the silent film "The Artist" and Christopher Plummer took the supporting-actor award for the father-son tale "Beginners."

The wins boost the actors' prospects for the same honors at the Feb. 26 Academy Awards.

In "The Help," Davis and Spencer play black maids going public with uneasy truths about their white employers in 1960s Mississippi.

"I just have to say that the stain of racism and sexism is not just for people of color or women. It's all of our burden, all of us," Davis said, accepting the ensemble prize on behalf of her "The Help" co-stars.

Accepting her best-actress award, Davis singled out two performers in the audience who inspired her early in her career: "The Help" co-star Cicely Tyson and Meryl Streep, Davis' co-star in the 2008 drama "Doubt" and one of the nominees she beat out for the SAG prize. Streep had been nominated as Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady," a role that won her the dramatic actress award at the Golden Globes over Davis.

A French film star who is a newcomer to Hollywood's awards scene with "The Artist," Dujardin played a silent-era screen idol fallen on hard times as talking pictures take over in the late 1920s.

"I was a very bad student. I didn't listen in class. I was always dreaming," Dujardin said. "My teachers called me `Jean of the Moon,' and I realize now that I never stopped dreaming. Thank you very much. Thank you for this dream."

Plummer would become the oldest actor ever to win an Oscar at age 82, two years older than Jessica Tandy when she won best actress for "Driving Miss Daisy."

Backstage, Plummer joked when asked if he would like to win an Oscar, an honor so elusive during his esteemed 60-year career that he did not even receive his first Academy Award nomination until two years ago, for "The Last Station."

"No, I think it's frightfully boring," Plummer said. "That's an awful question. Listen, we don't go into this business preoccupied by awards. If we did, we wouldn't last five minutes."

Spencer, a veteran actress who had toiled in small TV and movie parts previously, had a breakout role in "The Help" as a brassy maid whose mouth continually gets her in trouble.

"I'm going to dedicate this to the downtrodden, the under-served, the underprivileged, overtaxed ? whether emotionally, physically or financially," Spencer said.

On the television side, comedy series awards went to "Modern Family" for best ensemble; Alec Baldwin as best actor for "30 Rock"; and Betty White as best actress for "Hot in Cleveland."

"You can't name me, without naming those other wonderful women on `Hot in Cleveland,'" the 90-year-old White said. "This nomination belongs to four of us. Please, please know that I'm dealing them right in with this. I'm not going to let them keep this, but I'll let them see it."

The TV drama show winners were: Jessica Lange as best actress for "American Horror Story"; and Steve Buscemi as best actor for "Boardwalk Empire," which also won the ensemble prize.

For TV movie or miniseries, Kate Winslet won as best actress for "Mildred Pierce," while Paul Giamatti was named best actor for "Too Big to Fail."

Before the official ceremony, the Screen Actors Guild presented its honor for best film stunt ensemble to "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2." The TV stunt award went to "Game of Thrones."

The winners at the SAG ceremony often go on to earn Oscars. All four acting recipients at SAG last year later took home Oscars ? Colin Firth for "The King's Speech," Natalie Portman for "Black Swan" and Christian Bale and Melissa Leo for "The Fighter."

The same generally holds true for the weekend's other big Hollywood honors, the Directors Guild of America Awards, where Michel Hazanavicius won the feature-film prize Saturday for "The Artist." The Directors Guild winner has gone on to earn the best-director Oscar 57 times in the 63-year history of the union's awards show.

The guild's ensemble prize, considered the ceremony's equivalent of a best-picture honor, has a spotty record at predicting what will win the top award at the Oscars.

While "The King's Speech" won both honors a year ago, the SAG ensemble recipient has gone on to claim the top Oscar only eight times in the 16 years since the guild added the category.

Though "The Help" won the ensemble prize this time, "The Artist" and George Clooney's family drama "The Descendants" are considered stronger contenders for the best-picture Oscar.

Both "The Artist" and "The Descendants" also were nominated for writing and directing Oscars, categories where serious best-picture candidates generally need to be in the running. "The Help" missed out on nominations in both of those Oscar categories.

Mary Tyler Moore received the guild's lifetime-achievement award, an honor presented to her by Dick Van Dyke, her co-star on the 1960s sit-com "The Dick Van Dyke Show."

SAG President Ken Howard put in a plug during the show for the guild's planned merger with another Hollywood union, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. The boards of both groups have approved the merger, and ballots will be sent to members of each union.

"As one union, SAG-AFTRA will support a future of great entertainment for all of us," Howard said.

___

Associated Press Entertainment Writer Anthony McCartney contributed to this report.

___

Online:

http://www.sagawards.com

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

michelle williams the descendants the descendants homeland homeland packers giants game golden globe winners 2012

Bucks keep Lakers' road woes going with 100-89 win (AP)

MILWAUKEE ? Drew Gooden scored 23 points and the undermanned Milwaukee Bucks made sure the Lakers' road struggles continued, beating Los Angeles 100-89 on Saturday night.

Kobe Bryant scored 27 for the Lakers, who are 1-7 on the road this season.

Ersan Ilyasova and Mike Dunleavy added 15 points each for the Bucks, who managed to beat the Lakers without two of their best players.

Already scrambling to compensate for the long-term absence of injured center Andrew Bogut, the Bucks found themselves without guard/forward Stephen Jackson on Saturday because of an NBA suspension.

Bryant made six free throws to break Jerry West's franchise record for free throws made. Coming into Saturday's game, Bryant needed three makes to tie West's mark of 7,160.

Bryant also came closer to becoming the Lakers' career leader in field goals made. He was 10 of 21 from the floor Saturday, leaving him three short of the 13 field goals he needed to tie Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's franchise record of 9,935 field goals made.

Even without Bogut and Jackson, the Bucks were in control most of the way. Ilyasova hit a jumper at the horn to end the third quarter, and the Bucks took an 80-73 lead into the fourth.

The Bucks led 85-76 after an inside score from Ilyasova with just under eight minutes left, but Bryant scored five straight points to cut the lead to four.

But Luc Richard Mbah a Moute hit a jumper, then Gooden scored on a turnaround hook shot and hit a pair of free throws to run the lead back to 91-81.

Andrew Bynum scored inside, but Dunleavy hit a long jumper to give the Bucks a 93-83 lead with just over two minutes left.

After Bryant made a pair of free throws, Dunleavy drilled a 3-pointer to put the game away with 1:24 left.

The Bucks managed the beat the Lakers without Jackson, whose suspension was announced a few hours before the game.

The NBA suspended Jackson one game for verbal abuse of a game official and failure to leave the court in a timely manner at the end of the Bucks' 107-100 loss at Chicago on Friday night.

It's another rough moment for Jackson, who was benched by coach Scott Skiles in the Bucks' Jan. 20 game at the New York Knicks.

Bogut, meanwhile, fractured his left ankle in Wednesday's game at Houston and is expected to miss eight to 12 weeks ? a crushing blow for Milwaukee.

Without Bogut, the undersized Bucks faced a tough test from the Lakers' pair of 7-footers: Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.

But they held their ground on defense early on, taking a 51-43 lead at halftime. The Bucks forced the Lakers into 10 turnovers in the first half, and limited Gasol to six points on 3 for 10 shooting.

Gasol finished the game with 12 points and 15 rebounds, but was 6 for 18 from the floor.

Lakers rookie guard Andrew Goudelock scored 13 points despite being hospitalized for dehydration overnight. Goudelock was coming off his best performance of the year, having scored a career-high 14 points against the Clippers on Wednesday.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_sp_bk_ga_su/bkn_lakers_bucks

appetizer recipes lesnar vs overeem insight bowl deep impact julia child russell brand files for divorce bowl game schedule

Kuyt to the rescue

/

updated 5:58 p.m. ET Jan. 28, 2012

LONDON - Liverpool reached the fifth round of the FA Cup on Saturday at the expense of its fiercest rival, a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Manchester United leaving the famous competition without the English Premier League's top two teams.

While Chelsea progressed with a 1-0 win at Queens Park Rangers thanks to Juan Mata's second-half penalty, Netherlands forward Dirk Kuyt scored the winner for Liverpool in the 88th minute at Anfield.

United earlier dumped out neighbor Manchester City ? the Premier League leader and defending FA Cup champion ? in the fourth round, leaving the world's oldest club knockout competition wide open this year.

Second-tier Brighton beat Premier League Newcastle 1-0 at Amex Stadium in another Cup match that Magpies defender Mike Williamson will want to forget.

Williamson deflected in Will Buckley's close-range effort for the only goal 14 minutes from time. The defender also scored an own goal last season when Newcastle lost to then League Two side Stevenage in the third round of the competition.

Bolton beat Swansea 2-1 and Norwich won by the same scoreline at West Bromwich Albion in the other all-Premier League matchups, while Stoke ? which lost the 2011 final to Man City ? also progressed with a 2-0 win at Derby.

Arsenal hosts Aston Villa on Sunday.

Liverpool and United met for the first time since the unsavory race row between Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra erupted in a Premier League match between them in October.

Evra, United's captain on Saturday, was booed throughout while Suarez watched from the stands as he served the seventh of his eight-game ban for repeatedly racially abusing the France defender.

The match passed without trouble, however, with United manager Alex Ferguson saying: "The players showed great respect to each other ? there wasn't a bad tackle in the game."

Denmark center back Daniel Agger's opener for Liverpool in the 21st minute was canceled out by United's Park Ji-sung six minutes before the break in a first half edged by the visitors, despite being without a raft of key players including the injured Wayne Rooney.

Kuyt settled the match when he ran to a flick-on by Andy Carroll and beat United goalkeeper David de Gea at the near post.

___

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) ? Three days after Barcelona ended its Copa del Rey title defense, Real Madrid came from behind to beat last-place Zaragoza 3-1 on Saturday as its campaign rolled on to break its fierce rival's hold on the Spanish league title.

Three days after Barcelona ended Real Madrid's Copa del Rey title defense, the Spanish champions' own hopes of a fourth successive league dimmed after a 0-0 draw at Villarreal on Saturday.

Barcelona's slip let Madrid move seven points clear of its fierce rival just past the season's midway point through its earlier 3-1 comeback win over last-place Zaragoza.

Lionel Messi missed with a chip shot early, and Cesc Fabregas hit the crossbar late in Barcelona's best scoring chances.

Zaragoza, which upset Madrid at home late last season, started well with Angel Lafita scoring an 11th-minute opener.

But Kaka leveled for Madrid in the 32nd, and Cristiano Ronaldo and Mesut Oezil added two more shortly after halftime at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

Ronaldo has scored in each of Madrid's last four games, and his 24 league goals are best in Spain, two ahead of Barcelona's Lionel Messi, who was playing later Saturday against Villarreal.

Madrid has won nine of 10 league home games this season, with its only home loss to Barcelona in December.

"Every game is tough. Zaragoza is a good team and they showed it with a quick goal," Madrid midfielder Esteban Granero said. "But we gave it our all and were able to turn it around."

After his team's strong performance in its closely fought elimination by Barcelona on Wednesday, Madrid coach Jose Mourinho opted again for an attack-minded starting 11 with rarely used Granero and Kaka in midfield behind Oezil and scoring pair Karim Benzema and Ronaldo.

Fernando Llorente scored a hat trick to give Athletic Bilbao a 3-2 win at Rayo Vallecano.

After Miguel "Michu" Perez's opener for Rayo, Llorente headed in a free kick to level in the 16th minute, and added a second when he controlled a pass with his chest, spun and fired from the edge of the area in the 23rd.

Alejandro Arribas drew Rayo even moments later, but Llorente headed home Gaizka Toquero's cross for the 68th-minute winner and his 11th league goal of the season.

Bilbao, which plays third-tier Mirandes in the Copa del Rey semifinals this week, moved into sixth place.

Also, Espanyol edged 10-man Mallorca 1-0 to climb level on points with fourth-place Levante.

___

BERLIN (AP) ? Bayern Munich beat Wolfsburg 2-0 to remain top of the Bundesliga on goal difference, just ahead of Borussia Dortmund and Schalke.

All three are tied at 40 points, but Bayern will be looking nervously over its shoulder after Dortmund brushed Hoffenheim aside 3-1 and then Schalke came from behind to win 4-1 in Cologne.

American Fabian Johnson scored his second goal of the season for Hoffenheim, and his first in the Bundesliga since Dec. 5, 2009. His other goal this season was in the German Cup last July 31.

Dortmund was already 3-0 up at home through two goals from Shinji Kagawa and another from Kevin Grosskreutz, before league scoring leader Mario Gomez's 60th-minute strike allowed Bayern a sigh of relief.

Dutch winger Arjen Robben sealed the points in an edgy win for Bayern with a goal in injury time.

"We had a lot of chances and for me this win is fully deserved," Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes said. "The win gives us security so we can continue like this in the coming weeks."

Werder Bremen drew 1-1 with Bayer Leverkusen, Hamburger SV won 2-1 at Hertha Berlin, and Augsburg and Kaiserslautern played out a 2-2 draw in a relegation battle.

___

MILAN (AP) ? Juventus' charge towards the Serie A title gathered pace with a 2-1 win over third-place Udinese in falling snow on Saturday.

Alessandro Matri scored either side of Antonio Floro Flores' equalizer to help unbeaten leader Juventus move four points clear of second-placed AC Milan, which faces Cagliari on Sunday.

Udinese was two points further back and could be caught by Inter Milan, which visits Lecce on Sunday.

"I was worried a lot about this game because Udinese is a team which plays very interesting football and has a lot of talented players who make up a great team," Juve coach Antonio Conte said.

"Towards the end we were obviously tired after the Italian Cup, but we controlled the game well and got an important win. However, today we lost too many balls in midfield and so gave Udinese too much space to counterattack."

Catania was held to 1-1, a result which did neither team any favors in the standings.

Gonzalo Bergessio gave Catania a deserved lead shortly after the half-hour mark, but Francesco Modesto leveled 10 minutes later.

The tie left Parma nine points above the relegation zone before the rest of the weekend's fixtures. Catania, which has won only one of its past seven games, was tied with Cagliari a point further back.

___

PARIS (AP) ? Big-spending Paris Saint-Germain needed a scrappy 1-0 win over Brest to keep a three-point lead over Montpellier at the top of the French league.

PSG defender Milan Bisevac flicked home a corner from Christophe Jallet in the sixth minute.

Brest lost its first home match this season while PSG has now won all four games under coach Carlo Ancelotti, who replaced Antoine Kombouare last month.

Also Saturday, it was: Nice 0, Montpellier 1; Lyon 3, Dijon 1; Toulouse 1, Caen 0; Lorient 1, Sochaux 1; and Auxerre 1, Nancy 3.

Lille hosts Saint-Etienne later Saturday.

___

ATHENS, Greece (AP) ? Olympiakos closed within two points of Greek league leader Panathinaikos by defeating stubborn visitor Ergotelis 3-0.

Ergotelis ended the game with nine players, as Mario Hieblinger and Andreas Bouhalakis were shown second yellow cards for rough challenges in the 56th and 60th minutes, respectively.

Also, OFI beat Xanthi 1-0 and Panionios defeated Kerkyra 2-0.

Panathinaikos travels to last-place Drama on Sunday.

___

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) ? Rangers kept the pressure on Scottish Premier League leader Celtic with a 4-0 thrashing of 10-man Hibernian.

Captain Steven Davis scored two goals.

Celtic, whose lead was trimmed to one point, was not in league action this weekend. Instead, Neil Lennon's team will face Falkirk in the semifinal of the Scottish League Cup on Sunday.

Motherwell tightened its grip on third place, six points ahead of Hearts, by beating St. Johnstone 3-2.

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

advertisement

More news

Playing for bragging rights

Abby Wambach and Christine Sinclair have spent the last two weeks chasing each other, chasing history and chasing a place in the London Olympics.

Kuyt to the rescue

Euro roundup: Liverpool reaches the 5th round of the FA Cup, beating rival Manchester United 2-1.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46175745/ns/sports-soccer/

world series game 3 sign language alphabet texas tech texas tech wisconsin badgers football wisconsin badgers football easter island

Clemson women lose 15th straight to No. 5 Duke (AP)

CLEMSON, S.C. ? Clemson coach Itoro Coleman doesn't expect to endure many more blowouts from No. 5 Duke.

In two seasons, the former Tiger standout guard has watched her program lose 92-37 and, on Friday night, 81-37. She swears better days are coming for Clemson women's basketball.

"We're not going to be this Clemson team forever," Coleman said. "I mean we have a lot of young kids on this team. We're in a unique situation where they're getting experience I don't think most kids around the world get."

The Tigers (5-13, 1-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) still have plenty to learn apparently after getting pounded by Duke (17-2, 8-0).

Clemson, trailing 25-22 with a little over five minutes left in the first half, were outscored 56-15 the rest of way. The Tigers couldn't score and couldn't stop the Blue Devils from scoring on the way to a 15th straight defeat in the series ? all but one of Duke's wins coming by fewer than 10 points.

Coleman remembers when she was a freshman for stellar coach Jim Davis on a Clemson team that was a regular contender for ACC titles. She gained her experience in practice against other, older standouts for the Tigers. Coleman's teams won five times against Duke during her four years. The Tigers have won only once since Coleman, then Itoro Umoh, left.

Her players ? Coleman starts three freshmen in Nikki Dixon, Chelsea Lindsay and Kelly Gramlich who each played 30 or more minutes ? don't have the luxury of watching and waiting. "They're kind of learning on job and that's just the reality of our team," she said. "We've got to continue to grow."

There are signs of improvement. Earlier this month, Clemson defeated North Carolina 52-47 to break a nine-year, 53-game streak of losses to top 25 opponents.

Tricia Liston scored 16 points and Elizabeth Williams 14 to lead Duke.

The Blue Devils will put their 34-game home winning streak on the line Monday when they host No. 3 Connecticut. The Huskies were the last team to beat Duke at home two seasons ago.

Duke made sure most shots by the Tigers didn't go in. Clemson finished 14 of 51 from the floor for 27.5 percent shooting, its second poorest performance this season. The Blue Devils had 12 steals and nine blocks, five of them by Williams.

Clemson didn't have a field goal over the last 13 minutes and didn't have a point in the final eight as Duke won its 15th straight over the Tigers (5-13, 1-6) and 11th straight this season.

"When they work really, really hard to get certain things done, then you feel pretty good about what you're doing out there," Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "I think that was exactly the case tonight."

Duke used a 15-2 run the last five minutes of the opening half to gain control and continued the surge after the break. It was the eighth straight game they've defeated Clemson by 24 points or more.

Williams, the 6-foot-3 freshman, said the Blue Devils' surge got the team going and possibly shook Clemson out of rhythm. "That's when we started playing our game," she said.

Quinyotta Pettaway had 12 points to lead the Tigers, who scored just 13 points in the second half.

Richa Jackson finished with 13 points and Haley Peters 12 for Duke, which finished 34 of 65 shooting from the field (52.7 percent) ? the third straight game it shot 50 percent or better.

The Tigers succumbed to Duke's defense in the second half. They didn't hit a field goal in the final 13:09 of the game and didn't have a point the last 7:51.

Duke came in the only undefeated team in ACC play this season. Clemson, though, did what it could to make Littlejohn as crazy Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Tigers called it "Pack The House" night, offering $1 tickets and giving away bobble-head dolls of second-year coach Itoro Coleman, who won five games against Duke when she was a star guard for the Tigers from 1996-1999.

Duke's only lost once to Clemson in the 13 seasons since.

Clemson's pep band and students wore red and yellow flashing glasses. Yet, as you might expect from a program that won its 300th game all-time in the ACC over No. 8 Maryland, the Blue Devils weren't fazed by any of it.

Duke, which had made more than 55 percent of its shots the previous two games, kept up the hot shooting against Clemson in the opening half. The Blue Devils finished the period 18 of 32 from floor (56.2 percent) and made seven of their final nine shots as they closed the half on 15-2 run and continually beat the Tigers back on defense for several easy layups.

Williams led the way for Duke on offense and defense. She made 5 of 7 shots for 11 points and added five blocks in the opening half, surpassing her average of 4.7 blocks per game during ACC play.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_sp_co_ga_su/bkw_t25_clemson

headless horseman brandon lloyd brandon lloyd publishers clearing house scare tactics dancing with the stars season 13 cast tay sachs

Zimbabwe: Mystery deepens around general's death (AP)

HARARE, Zimbabwe ? A general in Zimbabwe burned beyond recognition in flames a police officer says didn't seem quite like other fires. Questions over possible arson. And fire trucks arriving without water.

As witness after witness testifies in the inquest into the death of Gen. Solomon Mujuru, the mystery has deepened around what happened in the last hours of a man who was power broker in President Robert Mugabe's divided party and the husband of the nation's vice president.

The proceedings began on Jan. 16 will conclude, but it's far from sure even after they're concluded whether Zimbabweans will ever know whether the death was an accident.

Mujuru's death last year intensified infighting in Mugabe's party, where the general was a powerful figure who used his military, political and business connections to promote his wife's battle for supremacy.

His widow, Joice Mujuru, has attended most sessions of the inquest dressed in black. She has hired private attorneys to question witnesses called by the state and to examine forensic reports. Soon after Mujuru's death at age 66, she told mourners she could not understand why the former army commander and veteran guerrilla leader did not escape from the fire. The farmhouse of brick and stone had a fire-resistant roof, large windows and exit doors.

During testimony Thursday, a senior power company official said no electrical fault could have caused the fire that killed Mujuru at his farmhouse outside Harare. Chief firefighter Clever Mafoti said Wednesday that two fires broke out that night at the farmhouse, and that if an electrical fire was discounted, arson could not be ruled out.

Reports first circulated that a candle started the intense blaze, but that has since been rejected as unlikely.

Police officer Clatwell Garisai has told presiding magistrate Walter Chikwanha rescuers dumped 10 buckets of water to douse flames on the general's remains that were "different in color from the flames in the surrounding area." The police officer testified he saw "bluish flames" rising from the general's body.

State attorneys have submitted other testimony that Mujuru, widely known as a heavy drinker, may have been drunk. He was said also to have stored agricultural chemicals in the house.

Mujuru, a former guerrilla leader and Zimbabwe army commander, was known to carry firearms. Police say 15 weapons were found damaged by fire in the house, including his pistols and an assault rifle.

Mujuru's remains were buried Aug. 20 at a state funeral in Harare. For the first time at a state funeral, the coffin was sealed.

Crispen Makedenge, a police inspector, said Thursday the remains were little more than soot. They were not positively identified as Mujuru's by DNA tests in South Africa until at least three weeks after the funeral, Makedenge said.

Mafoti, the firefighter, said his team arrived late at the farmhouse, located some 60 kilometers (35 miles) southwest of Harare, and without water because their fire trucks' water tanks leaked.

"It is not normal to go to a scene without water, but we were ill-prepared," he said.

Police guarding the house, who have admitted sleeping on duty, said the local police station did not have a vehicle to send help.

Public and emergency services have been hard hit in the nation's decade-long economic crisis. The nation also suffers daily water and power outages.

The hearing is expected to continue through next week.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_re_af/af_zimbabwe_general_s_death

ben nelson extreme couponing taylor lautner act sinead o connor dan marino passing record ipad 2 cases

Muslims call for NYPD chief to resign over movie (AP)

NEW YORK ? Muslim groups are calling for New York's police commissioner to step down because of his appearance in a film they say puts their religion and its adherents in a bad light.

About 20 activists held a news conference on the steps of City Hall on Thursday and criticized Ray Kelly for giving an interview to the producers of the movie "The Third Jihad."

The movie uses dramatic footage to warn against the dangers of radical Islam and shariah, or Islamic law. Muslim groups say it encourages Americans to be suspicious of all Muslims.

"Terrorism is an evil that must be eliminated, but one cannot fight wrong with wrong," said Talib Abdur-Rashid, a Muslim cleric.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday he stood by Kelly and the commissioner's spokesman, Paul Browne. Activists had also demanded Browne's resignation.

However, the mayor said Kelly would have to redouble his outreach efforts to Muslims.

"Anything like this doesn't help credibility, so Ray's got to work at establishing, re-establishing or reinforcing the credibility that he does have," Bloomberg said.

Kelly appears for about 30 seconds of the 72-minute movie, which was made by the conservative Clarion Fund. He originally said he was not involved but on Wednesday acknowledged he had given a 90-minute interview to the filmmakers in 2007.

Browne he had initially forgotten details of Kelly's involvement in the film until asked about it again this week.

"This goes back five years," he said. "There's some suggestion that, `Gee, I suddenly remembered.' I didn't suddenly remember ? I went through five years of emails to try and figure out did I get request by this guy who's connected with the foundation."

The movie was later shown to police trainees. The police department said it was played in a continuous loop in the sign-in area of counterterrorism training sessions between October and December 2010. As many as 1,489 trainees may have seen the movie, according to documents released under New York's public records law.

Kelly apologized Wednesday for his appearance and for the playing of the movie.

The Clarion Fund and its supporters say "The Third Jihad" is balanced.

"I don't see why they're so upset by people seeing it," said Stuart Kaufman of The United West, a group that opposes shariah. "Shariah law is a danger to western civilization and it's up to police to understand the nature of Shariah law so they can prevent this."

The Muslim leaders said they are worried that the police department is teaching officers to treat all Muslims as suspects. They demanded the resignation of Kelly and Browne, and a U.S. Department of Justice inquiry into the showing of the film.

The activists also want retraining of all 1,489 officers "that are walking this city with poison in their brains," said Cyrus McGoldrick, civil rights director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations-New York. CAIR is one of the organizations that "The Third Jihad" accuses of being soft on terrorist groups.

Bloomberg said he doubted the movie had swayed any of the trainees and said he saw no need for retraining.

"I think any retraining is probably being done by the press right now," Bloomberg said.

Kelly has said the department does surveillance only when it is following leads. But an investigation by The Associated Press has revealed a secret intelligence program, set up with the aid of the Central Intelligence Agency, aimed at infiltrating religious groups and monitoring neighborhoods even when there is no evidence of wrongdoing.

The CIA has since decided to pull its officer from the NYPD after an internal investigation criticized poor oversight of the collaboration.

___

Associated Press reporters Samantha Gross and Tom Hays contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/religion/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_re_us/us_nypd_intelligence_movie

one life to live jeff fisher huntington disease van der sloot heather locklear mlk memorial mlk memorial

'Great Nurse-In' To Be Held On National Mall This Summer

Rachel Papantonakis was never attacked for breastfeeding in public, but she is taking action on behalf of all moms who have been shamed.

"There have been too many news stories lately about women being told they can't feed their babies in places where they are legally allowed to do so," whe wrote on a Facebook page she created for what she is calling "The Great Nurse-In." It is an event to raise social consciousness, a massive demonstration, to be held on the West Lawn at the Capitol, tentatively planned for August 4th during World Breastfeeding Week.

The stories Papantonakis refers to include a D.C. mom's experience of being told she couldn't breastfeed in a government building, another woman in Michigan who was asked to leave a courtroom because she was feeding her child, and most recently, Michelle Hickman's actions. Hickman was reprimanded at Target, and responded by organizing a nurse-in too -- a nationwide protest at multiple Target stores.

When Janice D'Arcy, who writes The Washington Post's "On Parenting" blog asked Papantonakis why she is planning the nurse-in, the mother of two recounted the story she was most affected by -- a museum guard who told a mom she had to feed her child in the restroom only.

"It got me thinking... Wouldn't it be cool to have a nurse-in on the National Mall? Just a bunch of nursing women, their babies, and supporters spending an afternoon on the Mall and nursing when they needed to in order to raise awareness about the law."

Papantonakis, a mother of two, is still nursing her youngest. So that no one can question her own right to breastfeed in public, iVillage reports that she carries a La Leche League card with the public breastfeeding laws of D.C., Maryland and Virgina printed on it.

Her goal for the nurse-in is to do more than uphold these laws. According to Papantonakis's Facebook page, she aims to "demystify breastfeeding and make it as commonplace as bottle-feeding to passersby."

As for numbers, she wants to draw 500,000 nursing moms -- that's one million boobs -- to participate. (The event was originally going to be called the Million-Boob-March, but that changed because nobody wanted it to be confused with the pro-nudity Two Million Boobs March.)

Papantonakis also wants to be clear that the focus of the event is on choice; she is not suggesting that breastfeeding is the only way. "It certainly is option #1 for me and for my children, but it doesn't work for every woman/child/family for a variety of reasons," she explained to D'Arcy.

If you'd like to participate or find more information, view the Great Nurse-In Facebook page or Twitter.

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/26/great-nurse-in_n_1229137.html

boston redsox red sox law and order svu camaro zl1 bob sanders evan longoria janeane garofalo

RFK's wife stars in daughter's 'Ethel' at Sundance (AP)

PARK CITY, Utah ? Ethel Kennedy prefers coming to the Sundance Film Festival when she's not the star of a movie.

She has been to Sundance in the past to see films by her daughter, documentary filmmaker Rory Kennedy. This time, the widow of U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy is the focus of her daughter's film, the Sundance premiere "Ethel."

Ethel Kennedy said she likes it better coming to Sundance "just to see Rory's films."

Though initially reluctant when her daughter proposed the documentary, Ethel Kennedy opens up on screen with candid recollections about the family, including falling in love at first sight with her future husband on a ski trip to Canada.

"He was standing in front of an open fireplace," she said in an interview alongside her daughter. "I walked in the door and turned and saw him, and I thought, `whoa.'"

In the film, Ethel Kennedy discusses campaigning for her husband and his brother, President John F. Kennedy, the similarities and differences between her family and the Kennedy clan, and raising 11 children after her husband's assassination in 1968.

At the time, she was pregnant with Rory Kennedy, her youngest child, who was born six months after her father's death.

As a widow with such a big family, Ethel Kennedy said she coped simply by going about what she needed to do in tending her children.

"After Rory was born, it was ? life just happened to take care of daily living, which almost had practically nothing to do with me," she said. "I just started taking carpools in the morning, and by the time I was finished dropping the last child off, I'd pick up the first one. And then, you know, I'm putting on all the galoshes. Well, you get the idea."

In "Ethel," airing later this year on HBO, Rory Kennedy coaxes sweet, sad and funny anecdotes out of her mother and her siblings. The Kennedys recollect their mother's devotion to steeping the children in world affairs, her mischievous sense of humor and her rebellious streak that led to run-ins with the law, such as the time she was charged with rustling horses after freeing some mistreated animals.

Through photos and home movies, the film offers an intimate look at the life of the Kennedys, the family relating how Robert Kennedy and his children slid down a bannister in the White House after his brother was elected and how the president once cautioned his fun-loving sister-in-law not to push his Cabinet members into the swimming pool anymore.

In front of her daughter's camera, Ethel Kennedy is unable to discuss the grief over her husband's death.

"When we lost Daddy ..." she begins, then tears up and tells her daughter, "Talk about something else."

Rory Kennedy, whose past Sundance documentaries include the Emmy-winning "Ghosts of Abu Ghraib," said "Ethel" probably was her most challenging film because it was so personal.

"I know my mother and she is just terrific, and I have such admiration and respect for her. She's such a character, too. I really think she's one of the great untold stories, not just because of all of the events she's lived through," Rory Kennedy said. "But also because she's just such a wonderful person, and I hope that comes across in the film. She's so funny, and she is such an inspiration to me. Our family knows my mother, our close friends know her, but to be able to share her with so many other people I think was important."

___

Online:

http://www.sundance.org

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_en_ot/us_film_sundance_ethel_kennedy

earthquake today earthquake today droid razr oklahoma news atomic clock earthquake map geoffrey mutai

Sundance documentary examines rape in US military (omg!)

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) ? The Department of Defense estimates that more than 19,000 military men and women were sexually assaulted by fellow troops in 2010 while serving in the United States armed forces. At least 20 percent of servicewomen and 1 percent of men ? an estimated 500,000 troops ? have experienced sexual trauma while serving.

These troubling statistics motivated documentarian Kirby Dick and producer Amy Ziering to make "The Invisible War," a film that examines the epidemic of rape within the military, how it affects victims and why so few cases are prosecuted. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it is a contender in the U.S. documentary competition.

The statistics "were just so astonishing that at first we didn't believe it," said Dick, adding that he was equally surprised that no film had been made on the subject.

Through interviews with rape survivors and military officials, "The Invisible War" suggests that it's not just the violence and harassment that traumatizes victims but the absence of impartial justice and personal retaliation they often experience after reporting the incident. A rape survivor's only judicial recourse is to report the attack to her commander ? even if he was the attacker ? and it's his decision whether to investigate and prosecute, regardless of the evidence.

"If they investigate it, and the investigator comes back and says, 'I've got a slam-dunk case. I can put this serial perpetrator behind bars,' the commander can, on his or her own, decide, 'No, we're not going to send this case to court martial,'" Dick said.

A 2009 study shows that only 8 percent of military sex offenders are prosecuted.

"The Invisible War" introduces viewers to Kori Cioca, who left the Coast Guard after being beaten and raped by her supervisor. Five years later, she still suffers from post-traumatic stress and has yet to receive Veterans Administration approval for the surgery she needs to repair the injuries she suffered during the attack. The perpetrator, who continues to serve in the Coast Guard, hit her so hard that he permanently dislocated her jaw.

Viewers also meet Marine Corps 1st Lt. Ariana Klay, who served in Iraq before being gang-raped by a senior officer and his friend while stationed at the elite Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C. Klay's husband, also a Marine, cried as he described his concern and fear that his wife would commit suicide.

Other rape survivors shown in the film, including Cioca, said they also contemplated suicide.

Hannah Sewell, who comes from a military family, said she has trouble convincing herself that she is still a virgin after being raped while serving in the Navy. Her father, wearing his own military uniform, recounts the story through tears.

Dick and Ziering traveled the country to interview some 70 survivors of military rape.

"We weren't really ready for all the stories we heard," Ziering said. "Each one had a lot of similarities and all were equally horrific."

But the filmmakers said they remained optimistic throughout the project and have been gratified by the film's reception at Sundance, where politicians such as U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer of California; U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and U.S. Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio attended the premiere. Grammy winner Mary J. Blige has also pledged to write an original song for the film.

"Our great hope was and continues to be that capturing (survivors') experience and their trauma will help change things for hundreds of thousands of men and women who are in the armed forces," Dick said.

There's also "a history of hope," he said, because when the military set out to banish the segregation and racism that reigned among troops in the early 1960s, they made significant strides in just over a decade.

"They can do the same thing with this," he said.

So why don't they?

"They don't take it seriously enough," Ziering said. "They don't really see, and what we're hoping the film will show is the repercussions of it. They don't understand the amount of damage this is doing and how it really is a national security issue, and also costing taxpayers billions of dollars in just caring for people with this kind of trauma.

"Once that message gets through to them, they will be motivated to make a change, because it's a no brainer. They have to do something."

___

AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen is on Twitter: www.twitter.com/APSandy .

___

Online:

www.invisiblewarmovie.com

www.sundance.org/festival

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_sundance_documentary_examines_rape_us_military101519990/44297205/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/sundance-documentary-examines-rape-us-military-101519990.html

yom kippur yom kippur diamondbacks wolf creek wolf creek arizona diamondbacks arizona diamondbacks

Food fried in olive or sunflower oil is not linked to heart disease, Spanish study finds

ScienceDaily (Jan. 24, 2012) ? Eating food fried in olive or sunflower oil is not linked to heart disease or premature death, finds a paper published in the British Medical Journal online (bmj.com).

The authors stress, however, that their study took place in Spain, a Mediterranean country where olive or sunflower oil is used for frying and their results would probably not be the same in another country where solid and re-used oils were used for frying.

In Western countries, frying is one of the most common methods of cooking. When food is fried it becomes more calorific because the food absorbs the fat of the oils.

While eating lots of fried food can increase some heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity, a link between fried food and heart disease has not been fully investigated.

So the authors, led by Professor Pilar Guallar-Castill?n from Autonomous University of Madrid, surveyed the cooking methods of 40,757 adults aged 29 to 69 over an 11-year period. None of the participants had heart disease when the study began.

Trained interviewers asked participants about their diet and cooking methods. Fried food was defined as food for which frying was the only cooking method used. Questions were also asked about whether food was fried, battered, crumbed or saut?ed.

The participants' diet was divided into ranges of fried food consumption, the first quartile related to the lowest amount of fried food consumed and the fourth indicated the highest amount.

During the follow-up there were 606 events linked to heart disease and 1,134 deaths.

The authors conclude: "In a Mediterranean country where olive and sunflower oils are the most commonly used fats for frying, and where large amounts of fried foods are consumed both at and away from home, no association was observed between fried food consumption and the risk of coronary heart disease or death."

In an accompanying editorial, Professor Michael Leitzmann from the University of Regensburg in Germany, says the study explodes the myth that "frying food is generally bad for the heart" but stresses that this "does not mean that frequent meals of fish and chips will have no health consequences." He adds that specific aspects of frying food are relevant, such as the type of oil used.

Recommend this story on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:

Other bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by BMJ-British Medical Journal.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal References:

1. P. Guallar-Castillon, F. Rodriguez-Artalejo, E. Lopez-Garcia, L. M. Leon-Munoz, P. Amiano, E. Ardanaz, L. Arriola, A. Barricarte, G. Buckland, M.-D. Chirlaque, M. Dorronsoro, J.-M. Huerta, N. Larranaga, P. Marin, C. Martinez, E. Molina, C. Navarro, J. R. Quiros, L. Rodriguez, M. J. Sanchez, C. A. Gonzalez, C. Moreno-Iribas. Consumption of fried foods and risk of coronary heart disease: Spanish cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study. BMJ, 2012; 344 (jan23 3): e363 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.e363
2. M. F. Leitzmann, T. Kurth. Fried foods and the risk of coronary heart disease. BMJ, 2012; 344 (jan23 3): d8274 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.d8274

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/gwlBibw5yDg/120124184159.htm

vanessa bryant kurt busch kurt busch nfl mock draft 2012 adam lambert incendiary floyd mayweather

UN rights chief says US must close Guantanamo (AP)

GENEVA ? The U.N. human rights chief says the U.S. government must close the Guantanamo Bay prison as President Barack Obama promised a year ago.

Navi Pillay, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, says "the facility continues to exist and individuals remain arbitrarily detained ? indefinitely ? in clear breach of international law."

Obama pledged to shutter the U.S. Naval Base prison in Cuba in his annual address to Congress last year.

Pillay said Monday ? ahead of Obama's next annual speech Tuesday ? that she is deeply disappointed the U.S. government "has instead entrenched a system of arbitrary detention."

Pillay said she also is "disturbed at the failure to ensure accountability for serious human rights violations, including torture, that took place."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/un/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_re_eu/eu_un_guantanamo

unemployment rate unemployment rate stephen hawking drew barrymore keri russell jesse ventura casey anthony

Costa Concordia wreck: What we know a week later

Many details have emerged about what happened before and after the Costa Concordia ran aground on Jan. 13, but it's still unclear what the captain was doing much of that time.

A week after the Costa Concordia sank in shallow water two hours into a holiday cruise, transfixing the world, attention is now focused on the behavior of the captain before and after the ship hit a rock formation at 9:40 p.m.

Skip to next paragraph

What began as a serious tragedy off the Tuscan island of Giglio may now have some serious tabloid elements to the story.

New questions involve the role of a 25-year old blonde Moldovan, a Filipino cook, the captain?s alcohol intake, a dinner ordered after the collision, and the captain?s moves after the ship ran aground, leaving a 160-foot gash in the hull.

Captain Francesco Schettino seems to have been attentive to Domnica Cemortan, alternately described as a hostess and a dancer, for much of the evening before, during, and after the ship hit the rock, possibly dining with her as late as 10:30 p.m. The two were also together as late as midnight, according to Ms. Cemortan, at a lifeboat station, where he ordered her to leave the semi-submerged ship.

What was clarified this week: After charting an alternate course to?sail closer to Giglio Island ? a course that Costa Cruises?denies it authorized?? Schettino told investigators he ?turned too late? to avoid rocks that some maritime experts say are uncharted but do show up on other nautical charts. In?one animated mapping?using nautical GPS positioning of the Concordia, the back half of the ship is shown grazing what is described as an exposed rock.

Transcripts of radio conversations between the Coast Guard and Schettino confirm that he left the ship while hundreds of passengers were still onboard.?

In upcoming days, an accurate timeline may emerge of Schettino?s precise movements?between the restaurant and the bridge?as well as who he called and consulted?? facts that are still murky and confused right now.?The details have serious legal implications and consequences for insurance and recovery of the $450 million ultra-modern vessel. ?

Today rescue workers said the 117,000 ton Concordia is shifting on the ocean floor by 1.5 centimeters an hour, delaying additional rescue efforts and attempts at removing the oil onboard. Relatives of the 11 dead and 21 still missing are arriving from Peru, India, and European nations.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/xD92pfHInBs/Costa-Concordia-wreck-What-we-know-a-week-later

eddie long ncaa bowl schedule ncaa bowl schedule occupy dc trisomy 18 farrah abraham whats going on

No. 23 Louisville drops Pittsburgh 73-62

Pittsburgh's Tray Woodall (1) fouls Louisville's Kyle Kuric (14) as he shoots in the first half of the NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Pittsburgh's Tray Woodall (1) fouls Louisville's Kyle Kuric (14) as he shoots in the first half of the NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Pittsburgh's Ashton Gibbs (12) hits a three-point shot over Louisville's Peyton Siva in the first half of the NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Louisville's Kyle Kuric (14) hits a three-point shot over Pittsburgh's Tray Woodall (1) in the first half of the NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Louisville's Russ Smith (2) looks to shot around Pittsburgh's Nasir Robinson in the first half of the NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Pittsburgh's Nasir Robinson (35) and Louisville's Russ Smith chase after a loose ball in the first half of the NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

PITTSBURGH (AP) ? Kyle Kuric scored 21 points in his return from an ankle injury to lead No. 23 Louisville to a 73-62 victory over struggling Pittsburgh on Saturday night.

Chane Behanan added a career-high 19 points for the Cardinals (15-5, 3-4 Big East), who took control during an 11-2 run midway through the second half to send the Panthers (11-9, 0-7) to their eighth straight loss.

Ashton Gibbs and Lamar Patterson led Pitt with 14 points each but the defending Big East champions remained the only winless team in conference play.

The Panthers hoped the return of point guard Tray Woodall, who missed 11 of the last 12 games with groin and abdominal injuries, would end the program's longest losing streak in more than a decade. Instead, Woodall went scoreless in 21 minutes and Pitt's miserable stretch continued.

Kuric joined a long list of Cardinals players who have missed significant playing time due to injury when he turned his left ankle in practice a week ago, missing a win over DePaul and a loss to Marquette.

The senior swingman wasted little time making an impact upon his return early in the first half. He took a charge on his first offensive defensive possession then hit a layup at the other end of the floor.

It was the kind of leadership the Cardinals have lacked at times over the last month, when they lost five of seven to drop from No. 4 in the polls to the bottom half of the Big East.

They righted themselves in front of a national television audience at a place that used to be formidable. Pitt lost just 12 times in its first nine seasons at the Petersen Events Center. The Panthers have now dropped four straight on their home floor.

Pitt never led over the game's final 26 minutes, with its best chance of making a game of it coming when Dante Taylor's dunk drew the Panthers within 45-41 with 13:04 to play.

Then, the turnover problems that have plagued the Panthers all season returned. Louisville scored 11 of the game's next 13 points, six coming off Pitt giveaways. By the time Russ Smith buried a 3-pointer from the corner to put the Cardinals up 56-43, the packed house at the Pete started to thin out.

Not exactly the kind of performance the Panthers ? the Big East's winningest program over the last decade ? were looking for in the midst of the toughest season in coach Jamie Dixon's tenure.

The Panthers have spent the last two months searching for an identity after Woodall went down in a win over Duquesne on Nov. 30. His absence forced Gibbs to take over most of the ballhandling duties, with mixed results ? at best.

The Panthers looked more comfortable with Woodall running the show at the outset, racing to a quick 13-7 lead. But maybe Woodall was too anxious. He picked up two fouls before the game was 6 minutes old, and Pitt's rhythm disappeared.

Louisville turned an early six-point deficit into a 31-28 halftime lead, with Kuric displaying the kind of clutch shotmaking that make him arguably the Big East's most improved player as a junior.

Thrust into a true leadership role this season, Kuric hasn't quite been able to muster the same magic. Yet he looked like his old self at times, calmly drilling 3-pointers from the corner and mixing it up as Louisville turned a typically tight series ? three of the last four meetings had been decided in overtime ? into a relative laugher.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-21-T25-Louisville-Pittsburgh/id-c107f42e4924470ba33fc7ed1a6efadc

pueblo co pueblo co pineapple express martyn martyn ecri stacey dash

Another one bites the dust as Google closes Picnik

Given the spate of closures, abandonments and wound-up projects, we can't help but suspect Google's mantra switching from "don't be evil" to "sic transit gloria mundi." Mountain View's winding up online-image editing site Picnik in preparation for integration with Google+, joining Wave, Knol, Friend Connect, Gears, Health, Powermeter and at least ten other services that have been shuttered as part of Larry Page's "spring clean." In a statement on the site, the guys are moving over to the Google+ team to "focus on even awesomer things," so expect to see live-editing of your photos appear there before the end of summer. In the meantime, you can enjoy Picnik's premium service until the doors close on April 19th and those who previously stumped up (with, you know, cash) for the added features will receive a full refund.

[Thanks, Henry]

Another one bites the dust as Google closes Picnik originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Picnik  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/7VMCtvN7TE0/

eddie cibrian washington redskins doritos confederate flag confederate flag kim delaney kim delaney

How to Make a Boombox Out of a Toolbox [Video]

Yes, that shiny Bose dock does look out of place in your workshop. But you know what would look awesome? A homebuilt blaster made out of a shiny red toolbox. This video shows you how to do it. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/4_XV_Wguv4U/how-to-make-a-boombox-out-of-a-toolbox

meteor shower tonight annie oakley edc lovelace paranormal activity 4 andrew luck andrew luck

Jim Miller back on track with choke victory over Melvin Guillard at UFC on FX 1

Fundamentals took out flash Friday night.

Melvin Guillard looked spectacular at times, but after three minutes of wowing the crowd, he was caught in another choke and had to tap to the very steady and tough Jim Miller.

Guillard, a dynamic striker, was lighting up Miller when he made a big mistake. He left his feet to attempt his fourth flying knee of the fight. Miller was waiting and dumped him to the ground where he eventually locked on a rear-naked choke to finish things at the 2:02 mark of the first round in the main event of the UFC on FX 1 card in Nashville.

"It always something I've been able to do and then from there it was just about securing the position," Miller told UFC play-by-play voice Jon Anik. "I'm pretty confident that I am the most dangerous lightweight in the world. I'm willing to make you guys believe that."

The dominant victory puts Miller (21-3, 10-2 UFC) right back in the middle of the UFC lightweight title hunt. A second straight loss Friday and he would've tumbled down the rankings. Miller lost badly his last time out against Ben Henderson. He revealed this week that he was battling some medical issues entering that fight. That's all in the past now.

Guillard's regarded as one of the most explosive fighters in any weight division. He came out on fire.

Just 35 seconds into the fight, Guillard dropped Miller. As Miller scrambled, he got drilled by six more hard punches. Miller clutched and grabbed to avoid more damage. He ate another big knee as the fighters separated. With 2:48 left, Miller absorbed another huge Guillard punch, right down the pipe, but he never wilted. When Guillard tried a fourth flying knee, Miller was ready.

The 28-year-old from New Jersey dumped Guillard on his back and 10 seconds later scored a momentary mount. Guillard did himself in when he flipped to his back in an attempt to free himself. Miller's jiu-jitsu is too nasty to attempt such an elementary escape. Miller jumped on Guillard's back as he tried to stand up and instantly sunk in his hooks. Guillard's suffered seven previous choke losses during his career. He wasn't getting out of this one.

A relieved Miller gave Guillard (29-10-2, 10-6 UFC) much credit following the fight.

"I don't get knocked down often and he knocked me down. He hits hard man. There are a lot of guys, I think in this weight class and the one above, that don't want to fight that kid," said Miller.

Henderson faces Edgar for the UFC lightweight title next month in Japan. Beyond that fight, it's anyone guess who'll get the next shot against the winner. Miller certainly put himself in the conversation.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/jim-miller-back-track-choke-victory-over-melvin-040255362.html

john king obama sings al green heidi klum and seal etta james east west shrine game ohare airport etta james songs

Lose a job, prepare for really long job search

Bureau of Labor Statistics

The median amount of time it's taking for unemployed people to find new jobs is about 21 weeks.

Here?s the good news: Employers are hiring more workers than they are firing these days, a welcome turnaround from the darkest days of the Great Recession.

Here?s the bad news: If you are among those unlucky enough to lose your job now, you'd better prepare for a long job search.

The median duration of unemployment was 21 weeks or about five months as of December. That means half of all unemployed workers had been without a job for more than five months.

That?s actually an improvement from mid-2010, when the median duration of unemployment peaked at 25 weeks. But it?s still nearly three times what it was before the recession began and much higher than in previous tough job markets.

The main problem: There just aren?t enough jobs to go around.

Last year the economy added an average of about 137,000 jobs a month. While that?s better than when the economy was shedding jobs, it wasn?t nearly enough to absorb the millions of unemployed and new workers entering the market, said Sylvia Allegretto, an economist with the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment at the University of California, Berkeley.

?That rate of job growth is simply not fast enough to really soak up all those who are unemployed and underemployed, and those who have left the labor market and will be coming back to the labor market,? Allegretto said.

?

Allegretto doesn?t expect the situation to improve?much soon for the long-term unemployed.

That?s partly because there are still 13 million people who are unemployed and seeking work. It?s also because there are many other Americans out there who may have stopped looking for a job because the market was so bad, and will start looking again if the market improves.

Those excruciatingly long job searches are an especially big problem for older workers. The median duration of unemployment for 20- to 24-year-olds was 16.3 weeks in December, compared with 31.4 weeks for 55- to 64-year-olds.

Related:

Many Americans still not prepared for a job loss?????
Five years without work: Labor department will now track it

{"contentId":"10192757","totalVotes":"4301"}

How long do you think it would take you to find a new job?

Source: http://lifeinc.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/20/10192757-lose-a-job-prepare-for-a-really-long-job-search

festivus festivus zeno melanie amaro new air jordans the patriot jeff dunham

US, Europe trying to pressure Iran into nuke talks (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The United States and its European allies joined Friday in saying they would try to pressure Iran back into nuclear negotiations despite the Islamic republic's failure after three months to answer the nations' terms for talks.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the U.S. and its partners were making it clear to Tehran that it was headed down a "dangerous path" with its pursuit of nuclear weapons and threats to close off the Strait of Hormuz ? through which much of the world's fuel travels to reach international markets.

"Iran does have a choice to make," Clinton told reporters in Washington after meeting German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle.

"It can come back to the table ... and address the nuclear program concerns that the international community rightly has, or face increasing pressure and isolation," she said. "The country can be reintegrated into the global community, able to share in the benefits, when their government definitely turns away from pursuing nuclear weapons."

Clinton spoke after the European Union released a letter it sent to Iran in October, imploring renewed talks to answer the international concerns about Iran's uranium enrichment activity. The West fears it is aimed at developing nuclear weapons, but Tehran insists the work is for energy and research purposes.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Friday the international community remained open to talks with Iran, even as a blocwide embargo on Iranian oil appeared set for approval Monday. She said world powers have shown a "continued willingness to engage" Iran, but have received no reply to their Oct. 21 offer of more talks.

The letter she sent to Saeed Jalili, Iran's top nuclear negotiator, states the overall goal of a negotiated solution that "restores international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program."

The pressure coincided with work in European capitals ahead of the likely approval Monday in Brussels of new restrictions on Iranian oil. The embargo would immediately prohibit the signing of any new oil contracts with Iran, diplomats said, though the details of the embargo will be left for later.

The details would include the date when existing contracts to buy Iranian oil would no longer be valid. Britain, Germany and France are eager for a strong and quickly implemented embargo on Iranian oil, but financially strapped Greece benefits from low prices it pays for Iranian fuel. It wants assurances that the embargo will not become a financial burden it cannot bear.

Meanwhile, French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged stronger, more decisive sanctions against Iran, including a continentwide freeze on international assets of Iran's central bank. In an annual speech on French diplomacy Friday, Sarkozy accused Iran of lying and denounced what he called its "senseless race for a nuclear bomb."

"Time is running out," he said. "Everything must be done to avoid" international military intervention.

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

scumbag steve scumbag steve day of the dead rocksmith blackbeard widespread panic widespread panic

Snakes improve search-and-rescue robots

ScienceDaily (Jan. 19, 2012) ? Designing an all-terrain robot for search-and-rescue missions is an arduous task for scientists. The machine must be flexible enough to move over uneven surfaces, yet not so big that it's restricted from tight spaces. It might also be required to climb slopes of varying inclines. Existing robots can do many of these things, but the majority require large amounts of energy and are prone to overheating. Georgia Tech researchers have designed a new machine by studying the locomotion of a certain type of flexible, efficient animal.

"By using their scales to control frictional properties, snakes are able to move large distances while exerting very little energy," said Hamid Marvi, a Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. candidate at Georgia Tech.

While studying and videotaping the movements of 20 different species at Zoo Atlanta, Marvi developed Scalybot 2, a robot that replicates rectilinear locomotion of snakes. He unveiled the robot this month at the Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology (SICB) annual meeting in Charleston, S.C.

"During rectilinear locomotion, a snake doesn't have to bend its body laterally to move," explained Marvi. "Snakes lift their ventral scales and pull themselves forward by sending a muscular traveling wave from head to tail. Rectilinear locomotion is very efficient and is especially useful for crawling within crevices, an invaluable benefit for search-and-rescue robots."

Scalybot 2 can automatically change the angle of its scales when it encounters different terrains and slopes. This adjustment allows the robot to either fight or generate friction. The two-link robot is controlled by a remote-controlled joystick and can move forward and backward using four motors.

"Snakes are highly maligned creatures," said Joe Mendelson, curator of herpetology at Zoo Atlanta. "I really like that Hamid's research is showing the public that snakes can help people."

Marvi's advisor is David Hu, an assistant professor in the Schools of Mechanical Engineering and Biology. Hu and his research team are primarily focused on animal locomotion. They've studied how dogs and other animals shake water off their bodies and how mosquitos fly through rainstorms.

This isn't the first time Hu's lab has looked at snake locomotion. Last summer the team developed Scalybot 1, a two-link climbing robot that replicates concertina locomotion. The push-and-pull, accordion-style movement features alternating scale activity.

This project is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) (Award No. PHY-0848894). The content is solely the responsibility of the principal investigators and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NSF.

Recommend this story on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:

Other bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Georgia Institute of Technology, via Newswise.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119101237.htm

lana del rey saturday night live packers vs giants focus on the family giants score baltimore ravens ravens aaron rodgers