96% Tomboy

In "Tomboy," 10-year old Laure(Zoe Heran) moves to a new neighborhood with her parents(Sophie Cattani & Mathieu Demy) and younger sister Jeanne(Malonn Levana). While looking out from an apartment window one pleasant afternoon, Laure sees a group of boys playing out in the park. When she finally leaves her sister and sleeping, very, very pregnant mother behind in the apartment, the boys are gone, with only Lisa(Jeanne Disson), a girl of her age, left behind in their wake. Laure introduces herself as Mikael and they run after them together, so they can join in the fun. With that simple, elegant setup, writer-director Celine Sciamma tells an evocative and naturalistic genderblender with a very belieable sibling relationship. Sadly, the movie eventually runs straight into a narrative wall. Until then, Laure is not just being a tomboy; she is passing as a boy but not 24/7, so we'll keep to the feminine pronouns.(Actually, it is not until later that she is revealed not to be a boy.) She does this to enjoy the freedoms that boys enjoy but is too young to realize the minefield of gender that she has just walked into. That's where parents come in, as the movie smartly shows how parents help to shape their children's gender.

November 29, 2011

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tomboy_2011/

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ExxonMobil rakes in $9.4B in 4th-quarter profit

By Msnbc.com staff and wire

ExxonMobil Corp. posted fourth-quarter net income Tuesday?of $9.4 billion, up 2 percent from the same quarter a year ago and slightly above market expectations, helped by rising crude oil prices.

It's also more money than The Bahamas'?annual GDP, according to the CIA Factbook.

The net income (excluding special items) equates to $1.97 a share, up from $1.85 per share in the comparable quarter. Revenue for the largest U.S. oil company rose 16 percent to $121.61 billion. Analysts expected earnings of $1.96 per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Oil companies around the world benefited from a jump in oil prices. Crude futures traded in New York jumped about 25 percent to end the fourth quarter at $98.83 per barrel. Brent prices gained 5 percent during the quarter.

Fourth-quarter production of natural gas and crude oil dropped 9 percent, which Barclays Capital analyst Paul Cheng said might have been partly caused by reduced European natural gas sales due to warm weather.

"Even taking this into consideration, production volume was disappointing," Cheng wrote in a note to investors.

While full-year 2011 output rose 1 percent, capital expenditure was at the top of Exxon's multi-year guidance range, at a record $36.8 billion, and oilfield spending generally is seen rising even further this year.

Spending billions more just to maintain steady output has become a running theme for the world's major oil companies. Chevron Corp increased its 2012 capital spending plans to $32.7 billion after its 2011 budget came in $3 billion higher than originally expected.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/31/10278639-exxonmobil-rakes-in-94-billion-in-4th-quarter-profit

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PIP insurance fraud explained | Naked Politics

Florida is one of the most expensive states for car insurance, according to the Insurance Information Institute.?A fender bender can cost an insurance company tens of thousands of dollars.

Listen Here

Walt Dartland was targeted in a staged accident years ago in Miami, but he knew immediately what was up. Dartland is a former Florida D deputy Attorney General and is now executive director of the Consumer Federation of the Southeast.? ?All of a sudden they just plain stopped," said Dartland, "and because I was going so slow, I basically hardly touched them. They immediately got out of the car, and I tried to tell them we better call the police department and get a report on this. They said no. They pulled the car across the highway and walked right into a chiropractor?s office.?

The way this works is a clinic owner will recruit a group of people to stage a minor accident. No one is actually hurt, but the passengers go straight to the clinic. No treatment is given, and claims of $10,000 per person are filed under the driver?s PIP coverage. The money is split between the passengers, clinic operators, and lawyers.

Florida?s No-Fault Law was supposed to cover economic losses and medical treatment for crash victims without the need for a lawsuit to establish who?s to blame. But in the last five years, the state has seen a 275 percent increase in PIP related lawsuits.

Gov. Rick Scott calls PIP fraud a billion dollar tax on Florida?s citizens. He told a crowd gathered for a PIP rally at the Capitol, "You are sick and tired of a billion dollars a year in fraud. You?re tired of it. You?re tired of scammers taking advantage of you.?

Cydnee Knoth lives in Tampa and came to Tallahassee to complain about her premiums. ?PIP is the biggest thing I pay for on my insurance, more than liability," said Knoth. "I carry $100,000 worth of liability and that is cheaper than carrying $10,000 of personal injury.?

Tampa and Miami are among the top 10 most expensive cities for car insurance because of staged accidents.? Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater says moving to one of those cities can increase your monthly insurance payment 50 to 100 dollars. He said, ?The average family in Miami-Dade County with a teenage driver is now paying over $3200 a year for the value of coverage that is only worth $10,000.?

Atwater said Florida lawmakers mandated no-fault coverage and they are the ones who must fix it. But he doesn?t want PIP to go away. ?I would say there is value in a no-fault system, that someone can get quick care and coverage when they have access to no other healthcare," said Atwater. "For us in Miami- Dade, there is well over 25% of our population that has no other healthcare other than what?s offered in PIP.?

The Florida House and Senate have two competing bills for PIP reform. Atwater likes the House version. So does the governor as welll as the business and insurance industries. The bill requires accident victims to seek treatment at a hospital, not a clinic, within 72 hours. It also puts a cap on attorneys? fees. The bill has passed one committee so far.

The Senate version is supported by attorneys, chiropractors and some consumer groups. It requires police to use long form reports at accident scenes. It provides for more regulation of clinics and creates a fraud task force. It has not been taken up by any committees.

Both versions would force insurance companies to eventually lower their rates. Changes in the bills are expected, but Atwater thinks some kind of reform will pass. "I believe there?s one last good fight in us and I believe it?s this year,? he said.

Gina Jordan, WLRN-Miami Herald News

Source: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2012/01/pip-insurance-fraud-explained.html

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The Tiny Company Phenomena Investing and getting big returns ...

Now that we all know why stocks provide superior returns compared to other investments, let's take a look at a technique of finding stocks with the best profit potential. My research of stock performance information shows that the size of a company is the most trustworthy forecaster of future investment returns . On average , tiny corporations have higher investment returns than substantial companies. The relationship between company size and future investment returns covers the whole size range and isn't restricted to the smallest stocks.

Historic return info shows that average investment returns increase as one moves from the largest corporations to the smallest. This link implies that past annual returns have value in forecasting future annual returns. Little and micro cap stocks have ceaselessly provided higher investment returns than middle and giant cap stocks over the last 70-Years and based primarily on historical correlations should continue to do so in the future.

The table that follows shows investment returns relative to the dimensions of a company over the past 70-Years. This table clearly demonstrates the inverse relationship between the dimensions of a company and investment return. The biggest firms produced the lowest returns and the tiniest companies produced the highest returns. A $1,000 investment in mega cap stocks grew to $1.5 million; large caps $3.5 million, mid caps 4.7 million, little caps $5.8 million and micro caps $11.4 million.

The Best Profit Opportunity of Your Lifetime!

My experience investing in micro cap stocks over the past 17 years and my information research has led straight to the discovery of the vast profit opportunity available from investing in micro cap stocks. My research explains micro cap stocks provide the best investment returns compared with all other types of investments.

The table below compares the growth of a $1,000 investment for various investments over the last 70 years. This table significantly reveals that micro cap stocks out perform all of the other investments by a wide margin. A $1,000 investment in micro cap stocks grew to an incredible 11.4 million dollars.

Over the same period the growth of a $1,000 investment in Treasury Bills, gold, Treasury Notes, corporate bonds and home costs ranged from $16,817 to $63,131 and was insignificant compared against the returns for stocks. A $1,000 investment in the S&P 500 Index grew to $1,287,957 demonstrating that stocks and particularly micro cap stocks supply the best profit opportunities to be had today.

The graph that follows shows the growth of a $1,000 investment over the past 70 years for micro cap stocks, S&P 500 Index, home costs, corporate bonds, Treasury Notes, gold and Treasury Bills.

Chuck Hughes Investing and Returns

Source: http://ifinancedaily.com/the-tiny-company-phenomena-investing-and-getting-big-returns/

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The Oil Off Cuba: Washington and Havana Dance at Arms Length Over Spill Prevention (Time.com)

On Christmas Eve, a massive, Chinese-made maritime oil rig, the Scarabeo 9, arrived at Trinidad and Tobago for inspection. The Spanish oil company Repsol YPF, which keeps regional headquarters in Trinidad, ferried it to the Caribbean to perform deep-ocean drilling off Cuba -- whose communist government believes as much as 20 billion barrels of crude may lie near the island's northwest coast. But it wasn't Cuban authorities who came aboard the Scarabeo 9 to give it the once-over: officials from the U.S. Coast Guard and Interior Department did, even though the rig won't be operating in U.S. waters.

On any other occasion that might have raised the ire of the Cubans, who consider Washington their imperialista enemy. But the U.S. examination of the Scarabeo 9, which Repsol agreed to and Cuba abided, was part of an unusual choreography of cooperation between the two countries. Their otherwise bitter cold-war feud (they haven't had diplomatic relations since 1961) is best known for a 50-year-long trade embargo and history's scariest nuclear standoff. Now, Cuba's commitment to offshore oil exploration -- drilling may start this weekend -- raises a specter that haunts both nations: an oil spill in the Florida Straits like the BP calamity that tarred the nearby Gulf of Mexico two years ago and left $40 billion in U.S. damages.

The Straits, an equally vital body of water that's home to some of the world's most precious coral reefs, separates Havana and Key West, Florida, by a mere 90 miles. As a result, the U.S. has tacitly loosened its embargo against Cuba to give firms like Repsol easier access to the U.S. equipment they need to help avoid or contain possible spills. "Preventing drilling off Cuba better protects our interests than preparing for [a disaster] does," U.S. Senator Bill Nelson of Florida tells TIME, noting the U.S. would prefer to stop the Cuban drilling -- but can't. "But the two are not mutually exclusive, and that's why we should aim to do both."

(MORE: Cuba Set to Begin Offshore Drilling: Is Florida In Eco-Straits?)

Cuba meanwhile has tacitly agreed to ensure that its safety measures meet U.S. standards (not that U.S. standards proved all that golden during the 2010 BP disaster) and is letting unofficial U.S. delegations in to discuss the precautions being taken by Havana and the international oil companies it is contracting. No Cuban official would discuss the matter, but Dan Whittle, senior attorney for the Environmental Defense Fund in New York, who was part of one recent delegation, says the Cubans "seem very motivated to do the right thing."

It's also the right business thing to do. Cuba's threadbare economy -- President Ra?l Castro currently has to lay off more than 500,000 state workers -- is acutely energy-dependent on allies like Venezuela, which ships the island 120,000 barrels of oil per day. So Havana is eager to drill for the major offshore reserves geologists discovered eight years ago (which the U.S. Geological Survey estimates at closer to 10 billion bbl.). Cuba has signed or is negotiating leases with Repsol and companies from eight other nations -- Norway, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brazil, Venezuela, Angola and China -- for 59 drilling blocks inside a 43,000-sq.-mile (112,000 sq km) zone. Eventually, the government hopes to extract half a million bpd or more.

A serious oil spill could scuttle those drilling operations -- especially since Cuba hasn't the technology, infrastructure or means, like a clean-up fund similar to the $1 billion the U.S. keeps on reserve, to confront such an emergency. And there is another big economic anxiety: Cuba's $2 billion tourism industry. "The dilemma for Cuba is that as much as they want the oil, they care as much if not more about their ocean resources," says Billy Causey, southeast regional director for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's marine sanctuary program. Cuba's pristine beaches and reefs attract sunbathers and scuba divers the world over, and a quarter of its coastal environment is set aside as protected.

So is much of coastal Florida, where tourism generates $60 billion annually -- which is why the state keeps oil rigs out of its waters. The Florida Keys lie as close as 50 miles from where Repsol is drilling; and they run roughly parallel to the 350-mile-long (560 km) Florida Reef Tract (FRT), the world's third largest barrier reef and one of its most valuable ocean eco-systems. The FRT is already under assault from global warming, ocean acidification and overfishing of symbiotic species like parrotfish that keep coral pruned of corrosive algae. If a spill were to damage the FRT, which draws $2 billion from tourism each year and supports 33,000 jobs, "it would be a catastrophic event," says David Vaughan, director of Florida's private Mote Marine Laboratory.

(MORE: Will BP Spill Lower Risk of Deepwater Drilling?)

Which means America has its own dilemma. As much as the U.S. would like to thwart Cuban petro-profits -- Cuban-American leaders like U.S. Representative and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Miami say the oil will throw a lifeline to the Castro dictatorship -- it needs to care as much if not more about its own environment. Because fewer than a tenth of the Scarabeo 9's components were made in America, Washington can't wield the embargo cudgel and fine Repsol, which has interests in the U.S., for doing business with Cuba. (Most of the other firms don't have U.S. interests.) Nor can it in good conscience use the embargo in this case to keep U.S. companies from offering spill prevention/containment hardware and services to Repsol and other drilling contractors.

One of those U.S. firms is Helix Energy Solutions in Houston. Amid the Gulf disaster, Helix engineered a "capping stack" to plug damaged blow-out preventers like the one that failed on BP's Deepwater Horizon rig. (It later contained the spill.) Having that technology at hand -- especially since the Cuba rigs will often operate in deeper waters than the Deepwater rig was mining -- will be critical if a spill occurs off Cuba.

Helix has applied to the Treasury Department for a special license to lease its equipment, and speedily deliver it, to Cuba's contractors when needed. The license is still pending, but Helix spokesman Cameron Wallace says the company is confident it will come through since Cuba won't benefit economically from the arrangement. "This is a reasonable approach," says Wallace. "We can't just say we'll figure out what to do if a spill happens. We need this kind of preparation." Eco-advocates like Whittle agree: "It's a no-brainer for the U.S."

(MORE: U.S. Fails to Respond to Cuba's Freeing of Dissidents)

Preparation includes something the U.S.-Cuba cold-war time warp rarely allows: dialogue. Nelson has introduced legislation that would require federal agencies to consult Congress on how to work with countries like Cuba on offshore drilling safety and spill response, but the Administration has already shown some flexibility. Last month U.S. officials and scientists had contact with Cuban counterparts at a regional forum on drilling hazards. That's important because they need to be in synch, for example, about how to attack a spill without exacerbating the damage to coral reefs. Scientists like Vaughan worry that chemical dispersants used to fight the spill in the Gulf, where coral wasn't as prevalent, could be lethal to reefs in the Straits. That would breed more marine catastrophe, since coral reefs, though they make up only 1% of the world's sea bottoms, account for up to 40% of natural fisheries. "They're our underwater oases," says Vaughan, whose tests so far with dispersants and FRT species like Elkhorn coral don't augur well.

A rigid U.S. reluctance to engage communist Cuba is of course only half the problem. Another is Havana's notorious, Soviet-style secrecy -- which some fear "could override the need to immediately pick up the phone," as one environmentalist confides, if and when a spill occurs. As a result, some are also petitioning Washington to fund AUVs (autonomous underwater vehicles) that marine biologists use to detect red tides, and which could also be used to sniff out oil spills in the Straits.

What experts on both sides of the Straits hope is that sea currents will carry any oil slick directly out into the Atlantic Ocean. But that's wishful thinking. So probably is the notion that U.S.-Cuba cooperation on offshore drilling can be duplicated on other fronts. Among them are the embargo, including the arguably unconstitutional ban on U.S. travel to Cuba, which has utterly failed to dislodge the Castro regime but which Washington keeps in place for fear of offending Cuban-American voters in swing-state Florida; and cases like that of Alan Gross, a U.S. aid worker imprisoned in Cuba since 2009 on what many call questionable spying charges.

U.S. inspectors this month gave the Scarabeo 9 the thumbs-up. Meanwhile, U.S. pols hope they can still dissuade foreign oil companies from operating off Cuba. Last month Nelson and Cuban-American Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey introduced a bill to hold firms financially responsible for spills that affect the U.S. even if they originate outside U.S. waters. (It would also lift a $75 million liability cap.) Others in Congress say Big Oil should be exempted from the embargo to let the U.S. benefit from the Cuba oil find too. Either way, the only thing likely to stop the drilling now would be the discovery that there's not as much crude there as anticipated. That, or a major spill.

PHOTOS: Fidel Castro Steps Down

View this article on Time.com

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/energy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20120130/wl_time/08599210559800

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Family, friends gather for Etta James' funeral

Singer Etta James's picture is seen next to her casket during a funeral, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, at Greater Bethany Community Church City of Refuge in Gardena, Calif. James died last Friday at age 73 after battling leukemia and other ailments, including dementia. She was most famous for her classic "At Last," but over her decades-long career, she became revered for her passionate singing voice. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Singer Etta James's picture is seen next to her casket during a funeral, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, at Greater Bethany Community Church City of Refuge in Gardena, Calif. James died last Friday at age 73 after battling leukemia and other ailments, including dementia. She was most famous for her classic "At Last," but over her decades-long career, she became revered for her passionate singing voice. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Singer Etta James's picture is seen next to her casket during a funeral, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, at Greater Bethany Community Church City of Refuge in Gardena, Calif. James died last Friday at age 73 after battling leukemia and other ailments, including dementia. She was most famous for her classic "At Last," but over her decades-long career, she became revered for her passionate singing voice. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Louis Medina poses with a t-shirt and pictures of Etta James as he stands in line for a public viewing for the singer, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in Inglewood, Calif. James died last Friday at age 73 after battling leukemia and other ailments, including dementia. She was most famous for her classic "At Last," but over her decades-long career, she became revered for her passionate singing voice. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Fans stand in line for a public viewing for singer Etta James, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in Inglewood, Calif. James died last Friday at age 73 after battling leukemia and other ailments, including dementia. She was most famous for her classic "At Last," but over her decades-long career, she became revered for her passionate singing voice. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Fans stand in line for a public viewing for singer Etta James, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in Inglewood, Calif. James died last Friday at age 73 after battling leukemia and other ailments, including dementia. She was most famous for her classic "At Last," but over her decades-long career, she became revered for her passionate singing voice. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Hundreds of Etta James' friends, fans and family gathered Saturday at a Los Angeles-area church to remember the legendary rhythm and blues singer, who died this month.

Mourners at James' funeral included entertainment luminaries, with both Stevie Wonder and Christina Aguilera performing. Aguilera sang the song that James made famous, "At Last," while Wonder performed with the church's choir.

The Rev. Al Sharpton was to deliver the eulogy.

James died Jan. 20 at age 73 after battling leukemia and other ailments. She was most famous for her rendition of "At Last," and in her decades-long career, she became revered for her passionate, soulful singing voice. Her version of the song has become an enduring anthem for weddings and commercials.

Perhaps most famously, President Barack Obama and the first lady danced to a version of the song at his inauguration ball.

"Etta James was a pioneer. Her ever-changing sound has influenced rock and roll, rhythm and blues, pop, soul and jazz artists, marking her place as one of the most important female artists of our time," Rock and Roll Hall of Fame President and CEO Terry Stewart said after her death.

James won four Grammy Awards, including a lifetime achievement honor and was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

She scored her first hit when she was just a teenager with the suggestive "Roll With Me, Henry," which had to be changed to "The Wallflower" in order to get airplay. Her 1967 album, "Tell Mama," became one of the most highly regarded soul albums of all time, a mix of rock and gospel music.

Over her lifetime, James battled adversity, including a turbulent upbringing and drug addiction.

She rebounded from a heroin addiction to see her career surge after performing the national anthem at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. She won her first Grammy Award a decade later, and two more in 2003 and 2004.

She is also an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

James is survived by her husband and two sons.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-01-28-Etta%20James-Funeral/id-cfc05d43df364232836385cbb1365c71

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Video: Exchanges Fight to Trade Facebook

Both the NYSE and Nasdaq hope to claim the trading spot for Facebook, reports CNBC's Julia Boorstin.

Related Links:

Business & financial news headlines from msnbc.com

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/46168711/

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Ivan Pravilov Facing Sex Charges: Youth Hockey Coach And Mentor To NHL, College Players Indicted

PHILADELPHIA -- A Ukrainian hockey coach has been indicted on charges he fondled a teen attending clinics in Philadelphia.

Ivan Pravilov (ee-VAHN' PRAH'-vuh-lahv), a mentor to several NHL and college players, has been in custody since his arrest last week.

Federal authorities will seek detention at a hearing Friday. They say he threatened a teenage witness and has no local ties.

A recent book by former player Maxim Starchenko describes the coach as physically, mentally and sexually abusive.

Authorities say the 48-year-old Pravilov took a 14-year-old Ukrainian boy to his Philadelphia apartment this month for sexual purposes. The boy was staying with a family in Wilmington, Del.

Pravilov's hockey school takes young players to camps and tournaments throughout the U.S.

His public defender declined to comment Thursday.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/26/ivan-pravilov-ukrainian-coach-indicted-abuse-pa_n_1235356.html

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List of dead or missing from Costa Concordia (AP)

A list of those confirmed dead or missing in the grounding of the cruise ship Costa Concordia off Italy. Italian officials released a list of the missing. Those not listed as crew are passengers.

CONFIRMED DEAD (16):

Sandor Feher, Hungary, 38, crew

Horst Galle, Germany

Jeanne Gannard, France

Pierre Gregoire, France

Egon Hoer, Germany

Giovanni Masia, Italy, 85

Thomas Alberto Costilla Mendoza, Peru, crew

Jean-Pierre Micheaud, France, 61

Francis Servil, France, 71

Guillermo Gual, Spain, 68

Maria Dintrono, Italy, 30

Josef Werp, Germany

Luisa Antonia Virzi, Italy

Three other bodies that have been recovered from the wreckage but not identified.

UNACCOUNTED FOR (List includes names of three bodies awaiting identification)

Dayana Arlotti, Italy

William M. Arlotti, Italy

Elisabeth Bauer, Germany

Michael M. Blemand, France

Christina Mathi Ganz, Germany

Norbert Josef Ganz, Germany

Girolamo Giuseppe, Italy, crew

Gabriele Grube, Germany

Barbara Heil, United States

Gerald Heil, United States

Mylene Litzler, France

Margarethe Neth, Germany

Russel Terence Rebello, India, crew

Inge Schall, Germany

Erika Fani Soriamolina, Peru, crew

Siglinde Stumpf, Germany

Brunhild Werp, Germany

Margrit Schroeter, Germany

Maria Grazia Trecarichi, Italy

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_re_eu/eu_italy_cruise_aground_list

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US cybersecurity efforts trigger privacy concerns

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The federal government's plan to expand computer security protections into critical parts of private industry is raising concerns that the move will threaten Americans' civil liberties.

In a report for release Friday, The Constitution Project warns that as the Obama administration partners more with the energy, financial, communications and health care industries to monitor and protect networks, sensitive personal information of people who work for or communicate with those companies could be improperly or inadvertently disclosed.

While the government may have good intentions, it "runs the risk of establishing a program akin to wiretapping all network users' communications," the nonpartisan legal think tank says. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the report in advance.

Cybersecurity has become a rapidly expanding priority for the government as federal agencies, private companies and everyday people come under persistent and increasingly sophisticated computer attacks. The threat is diverse, ranging from computer hackers going after banking and financial accounts to terrorists or other nations breaching government networks to steal sensitive data or sabotage critical systems such as the electrical grid, nuclear plants or Wall Street.

Privacy has been a hotly debated issue, particularly as the Pentagon broadens its pilot program to help defense contractors protect their networks and systems. Several companies, including critical jet fighter and drone programs, have been attacked, although the Pentagon has said that no classified information was lost.

And there are plans for the Homeland Security Department to use the defense program as a model to prevent hackers and hostile nations from breaching critical infrastructure. Officials have suggested that Congress needs to craft legislation that would protect companies from certain privacy and other laws in order to share information with the government for cybersecurity purposes.

DHS spokesman Matt Chandler said the legislative proposals reflect the administration's commitment to privacy protections and contain standards to minimize contact with personal information while dealing with cybersecurity threats. "DHS builds strong privacy protections into the core of all cybersecurity programs and initiatives," Chandler said, adding that the agency realizes that providing assistance to private companies is a sensitive task that requires "trust and strict confidentiality."

The Constitution Project report recommends that officials limit the amount and nature of personal information shared between the public and private sectors. And it calls for strict oversight of the cyber programs by Congress and independent audits, to ensure that privacy rights have not been violated.

"The government should not be permitted to conduct an end-run around Fourth Amendment safeguards by relying upon private companies to monitor networks," it said.

In addition, the report raised concerns about the ongoing development of the Einstein 3 program, a government network monitoring system that would both detect and take action against cyberattacks on federal systems. DHS officials have said that extensive privacy protections are in place.

But the report expressed concerns that as DHS and the secretive National Security Agency share information about potential computer-based threats, the NSA could review communications from U.S. individuals without setting up privacy safeguards.

"With more and more people needing to share sensitive personal and financial data over the Internet, it is absolutely vital that, while we are looking to protect our networks against cyberattack, we also preserve our constitutionally guaranteed rights to privacy," said Constitution Project committee member Asa Hutchinson, a former DHS undersecretary who also served as a GOP congressman from Arkansas.

Lawmakers who have been wrestling with these issues over the past several years have several bills in the works, and most include some privacy provisions.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-27-Internet%20Privacy/id-9cec67cc18dc4730937605684c5763b8

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APNewsBreak: Obama to protect US goods globally (AP)

DAVOS, Switzerland ? President Barack Obama has adopted a new strategy declaring for the first time that the United States has a national security interest to protect the nation's economic goods against terrorists, criminals and natural disasters in all corners of the globe.

The new U.S. policy unveiled Wednesday by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano in Switzerland is called the "National Strategy for Global Supply Chain Security," according to a White House document provided to The Associated Press.

It says potential economic threats to goods dependent on supplies from beyond U.S. borders are now a matter of national security and that the government must "resolve threats early."

And that's not just cargo shipments ? all "cyber and energy networks" also are affected.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, she called Obama's policy "a look across all of U.S. government" preparing for the worst. "When the unknown occurs, you have no time," she said.

Businesses have often sought to cut costs by farming out many parts of their operations, leaving them potentially more at risk to disruptions outside the confines of their traditional areas of management. But with the economy increasingly globalized, businesses are becoming more dependent on each other ? and more exposed to these risks.

"The global supply chain provides the food, medicine, energy and products that support our way of life," the document says.

"Many different entities are responsible for or reliant upon the functioning of the global supply chain, including regulators, law enforcement, public-sector buyers, private-sector business, and other foreign and domestic partners," it says. "The system relies upon an interconnected web of transportation infrastructure and pathways, information technology, and cyber and energy networks."

Daniel J. Brutto, president of UPS International, said more such cooperation internationally would not only address supply chain threats but also speed up trade. "Many countries want a paper chain system, an archaic system, that slows down commerce," he said. "When there are disruptions, you are penalized very strongly and I don't think the financial institutions take that into account."

The Obama administration cites as reasons for the policy the 9/11 attacks and more recent plots involving air cargo shipments filled with explosives shipped via Europe and the Middle East to the United States, according to White House documents. Other events that have led to the change, the documents say, include Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Interstate 35 bridge collapse in Minneapolis in 2007, Iceland's volcanic eruption in 2010 and Japan's earthquake and tsunami last year.

MIT professor Yosef Sheffi, an engineer who is an expert on risk in supply chains, said many companies can't even identify all of their suppliers. He said one company that makes iPhones, for example, has about 400,000 suppliers.

Obama, in a preface to the new policy, which is effective immediately, that "the global supply chain system that supports this trade is essential to the United States' economy and security and is a critical global asset."

The policy follows in the wake of a series of major natural disasters whose effects spill beyond one nation's borders.

"We have seen that disruptions to supply chains caused by natural disasters ? earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions ? and from criminal and terrorist networks seeking to exploit the system or use it as a means of attack can adversely impact global economic growth and productivity," the president wrote.

"As a nation," he added, "we must address the challenges posed by these threats and strengthen our national and international policies accordingly."

The March tsunami in Japan, for example, was devastating for that nation's economy and temporarily disrupted the production of automobile makers and other manufacturers.

Car exports, too, declined after the recent flooding in Thailand, where many Japanese automakers have assembly lines. Iceland's volcanic eruption in 2010 paralyzed air traffic, affecting passengers and cargo around the world.

The White House "strategy" is not an executive order. But it instructs federal agencies to immediately focus on "those components of the worldwide network of transportation, postal and shipping pathways, assets, and infrastructures by which goods are moved until they reach an end consumer."

It also suggests that all U.S. trade partners should be pressed to agree to what Obama calls "information-sharing arrangements, streamlining government processes, and synchronizing standards and procedures."

The strategy has far-reaching implications. It not only would apply to all cargo goods entering the country by ship, airplane or truck ? the U.S. already inspects all of what it considers to be the highest-risk cargo ? but also could set the stage for U.S. action to strengthen the security provided in other countries.

Obama is requiring all federal agencies and departments to report back to him within a year on how their efforts are going and make "recommendations for future action developed during the outreach process" of talking with other countries.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_davos_forum_us_economic_security

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Arizona Gov. Brewer gets book critique from Obama (AP)

MESA, Ariz. ? Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer says President Barack Obama complained to her about how she depicted him in her book.

It happened when Obama landed in Air Force One Wednesday at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, where Brewer met him on the tarmac.

Reporters observed the two leaders in intense conversation.

Brewer is a Republican. She later told reporters that Obama raised the treatment he received in her political memoir, "Scorpions for Breakfast." She describes him in the book as lecturing her about immigration. Obama opposes Arizona's strict immigration law.

She said she told him she's sorry he felt that way and that she respects the office of president.

There was no immediate comment from the White House.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_el_pr/us_obama_arizona_governor

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Review + giveaway: iCooly PhoneStand for iPhone

“Pairing the latest in Apple iPhone hardware with a 1980s style telephone handset, iCooly certainly demands attention even if its form sometimes overwhelms its function.” The iCooly PhoneStand is an

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/QScsIKx6cdA/story01.htm

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Gingrich's South Carolina Win, Through the Lens of a GOP Voter (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | LEXINGTON, S.C. -- For voters who weathered the wind and rain of afternoon thunderstorms, South Carolinians delivered a surprising victory on Saturday to Newt Gingrich.

A surprise indeed, to this Palmetto State resident. And in true Carolina fashion, residents of the "First in The South" primary election, have sent a clear message to the White House. Now whether that message means a Republican victory this November, or a groundhog type shadow that forecasts another four years of an Obama winter will remain to be seen, despite South Carolina's claim of "electing presidents."

Perhaps the most astonishing element of Newt Gingrich's victory, is the propelling momentum brought into this election by opponent, and poll front runner, Mitt Romney. Although not a supporter, I was assured of a Romney victory going into this Primary, based solely on Romney's conservatism and religious views which I thought were on par with the political views of this State. Even with public endorsements by both former candidate Jon Huntsman, and South Carolina's Gov. Nikki Haley, Romney failed to sway voters as he did in Iowa and New Hampshire. Haley even referred to Romney, on her Facebook profile, as a "Jobs President," who will be "a great partner to South Carolina."

With so many polling stations throughout the state reporting light voter turnout, I feel that the South Carolina GOP has only tarnished this election by moving the primary forward several months, to an uncommon Saturday polling. And in doing so, the South Carolina GOP has produced a candidate I will not support later this year.

Why? Because a Gingrich win, in November, would show a weakness within America. I believe Gingrich's past marital problems, the 1998 ethics violations, and reprimands sanctioned to him by our own Congress, render a candidate who would serve only to insult America on the world front.

The Obama administration promised "changes" four years ago, which have been delivered as promised, much to the chagrin of this nation. And now, South Carolinians have responded by voting for someone at the opposite end of the spectrum. Someone who's reputation reminds me fully of a former president.

I say to Florida and the remainder of the country, choose your candidate carefully. A vote for one of the other candidates may seem uncomfortable at first, as it did for this previously undecided voter, but when examined as many facts as I could stand, I arrived at one conclusion. All the candidates have made embellished campaign promises, but there are only two I believe can deliver the results American need to recover from a cold Obama winter. We may not fully trust any of the GOP candidates, but a choice must be made. Either way we are stuck between a rock and a hard place. This country needs another "change" in the White House. Now, do we really want to put another George W Bush back in the Oval office? The people of South Carolina have spoken.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120124/pl_ac/10868473_gingrichs_south_carolina_win_through_the_lens_of_a_gop_voter

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France passes genocide law, faces Turkish reprisals (Reuters)

PARIS (Reuters) ? France approved on Monday a bill making it illegal to deny the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks nearly a century ago was genocide, sparking angry retaliation from Turkey which threatened a "total rupture" of diplomatic ties.

Lawmakers in the upper house (Senate) voted 127 to 86 in favor of the draft law outlawing genocide denial after almost six hours of debate. The lower house had backed it in December, prompting Ankara to cancel all economic, political and military meetings with Paris and recall its ambassador for consultations.

The bill had been made more general so that it outlawed the denial of any genocide, partly in the hope of appeasing the Turks. But Ankara condemned the bill's approval and said it would take permanent steps against France, a NATO ally.

The bill now goes to President Nicolas Sarkozy to be ratified. Turkey says the bill is a bid by Sarkozy to win the votes of 500,000 ethnic Armenians in France in the two-round presidential vote on April 22 and May 6.

"Turkey is committed to taking all the necessary steps against this unjust disposition which reduces basic human values and public conscience to nothing," Turkey's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Turkish ambassador in Paris, Tahsin Burcuoglu, said the vote would lead to a "total rupture" of relations between the two countries. Ankara could seek to downgrade its diplomatic presence in Paris.

"When I say total rupture I include things like I can leave definitively," he told reporters.

"You can also expect that now diplomatic relations will be at the level of charges d'affaires not ambassadors anymore."

Charge d'affaires is the lowest rank of diplomatic representative recognized under the Vienna convention on diplomatic relations.

Armenia, backed by many historians and parliaments, says about 1.5 million Christian Armenians were killed in what is now eastern Turkey during World War One in a deliberate policy of genocide ordered by the Ottoman government.

The Ottoman empire was dissolved after the end of the war, but successive Turkish governments and the vast majority of Turks feel the charge of genocide is a direct insult to their nation. Ankara argues there was heavy loss of life on both sides during fighting in the area.

"This day will be written in gold not only in the history of friendship between the Armenian and French peoples, but also in the annals of the history of the protection of human rights," said Armenia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edward Nalbandian.

Earlier, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc told reporters at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg that Ankara would take new and permanent measures unless the bill was rejected and compared it to the Inquisition in the Middle Ages which was created by the Catholic Church to stamp out heresy.

Arinc said Turkey could take the matter to the European Court of Human Rights.

It mandates a maximum 45,000-euro ($58,000) fine and a year in jail for offenders. France passed a law recognizing the killing of Armenians as genocide in 2001.

WAVING VOTING CARDS

About 200 Franco-Turks protested outside the Senate. They waved their French voting cards and banners with slogans including: "It's not up to politicians to invent history".

The Socialist Party, which has a majority in the upper house, and Sarkozy's UMP party, which put forward the bill, backed the legislation.

A non-binding Senate recommendation last week said the law would be unconstitutional and, after weeks of aggressive Turkish lobbying, there were suggestions the outcome would be closer.

Opponents in the Senate said the law would not encourage the Turks to recognize the Armenian genocide and would do nothing to help relations between the two nations.

"It is an unbearable law which calls into question historical research," said centre-left senator Jacques Mezard.

Sarkozy is expected to ratify the bill before parliament is suspended in February ahead of the presidential election.

It could still be rejected if some 60 lawmakers agree to appeal the decision at the country's highest court and that body considers the text unconstitutional. The Constitutional Council would have one month to make its decision.

Sarkozy wrote to Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan last week saying the bill did not single out any country and that Paris was aware of the "suffering endured by the Turkish people" during the final years of the Ottoman empire.

European Union candidate Turkey could not impose economic sanctions on France, given its World Trade Organisation membership and customs union accord with Europe.

But the row could cost France state-to-state contracts and would create diplomatic tension as Turkey takes an increasingly influential role in the Middle East.

(Additional reporting by Lucien Libert in Paris, Gilbert Reilhac in Strasbourg and Daren Butler in Istanbul; editing by Robert Woodward)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/wl_nm/us_france_turkey_genocide

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A Tale Of Two Cities: Silicon Valley And Hollywood

Silicon Valley and Hollywood: so close geographically, yet so distant digitally and philosophically. You would think we?d understand each other better. In the Valley, we circulate pitch decks. In Hollywood, they shop around scripts. We strive for exits, while they sell distribution rights. They have record labels, we have venture capitalists. They have agents, we have recruiters. People on Sunset Blvd. obsess over the next ?hit? that will draw viewers, ears, or butts in seats. On Sand Hill Road, we toast to market disruptions and business model innovations. ?Ultimately, both are working towards bringing transformative experiences (content and apps) to market. Yet for all the apparent ecosystem similarities, our two worlds are surprisingly at odds. Hollywood?s creators and the Valley?s innovators could achieve so much together. Instead, we?re clashing, and neither viewpoint is wrong.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/nhW0UOmmMJw/

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Hang out with Obama ... on Google+

Larry Downing/Reuters file

By Rosa Golijan

If you've dreamed about asking President Obama a couple of questions???but the idea of being surrounded by Secret Service agents makes you cringe ??then I've got great news for you. You can hang out with POTUS in a Google+ Hangout soon.

A note on the official YouTube blog explains that Obama will participate in a live-streamed interview on Jan. 30, a few days after the State of the Union address.?This interview will be held in a Google+ Hangout and several individuals will be selected to join the video chat.

The reason these details were revealed on the official YouTube blog is because the way to gain admission to the Google+ Hangout is by submitting video and text questions to the official White House YouTube channel.?Everyone will be invited to vote on their favorite questions and the folks who asked the top-voted ones will be invited to the Google+ Hangout.

Those who don't get to join the actual Hangout will still be able to watch everything live on?WhiteHouse.gov, the White House Google+ page or the White House YouTube channel.

It's worth noting that this particular Google+ Hangout is the first of many. As Kori Schulman, the White House's ?deputy director of outreach for the office of digital strategy,?explained on the White House blog on Friday,?there will be regular "White House Hangouts" with administration officials.

Related stories:

Want more tech news, silly puns or amusing links? You'll get plenty of all three if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on?Twitter, subscribing to her?Facebook?posts, or circling her?on?Google+.

Source: http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/23/10216635-hang-out-with-obama-on-google

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[OOC] The Azure Citadel

Forum rules
This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.

Please post all "Players Wanted" threads in the Roleplayers Wanted forum!

This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?The Azure Citadel?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

Topic Tags:

Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
This is the character approval thread for potential applicants to the Azure Citadel. Before we go any further, there are a few things that need to be completely understood;

1. This is not Hogwarts. There are no real 'classes' and there are no 'teachers' or 'students'. There is only your recognized rank. Even the newest addition to the Citadel is allowed to hold seminars if they feel they are up to the challenge. The Azure Citadel is primarily a research institute for wizards and sorcerers alike to further their knowledge of the arcane.
2. People coming to the college are expected to already be powerful casters or accomplished magical scientists. If you don't think you have something to offer the Citadel, then take your application elsewhere.
3. If you are accepted here, you are expected to follow the Citadel rules both here AND in the Multiverse.

Now that we got that out of the way, we can get on to the application form:

Name with Full Title: (Links to Character Sheets are appreciated)

Magical Experience: (How long your character has been working with the arcane)

Notable Discoveries or Achievements: (Not Required, but will certainly help)

Primary Magical Focus: (Aspect of magic your character is most concerned with. Pick just one, please)

Arcane Summary: (A summing up of what your character is capable of magically. Agreeably ridiculous and obviously overpowered characters need not apply)

Assets: (Your character's total wealth)

Reason for Applying: (Why they should be here)

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Fill it out as best you can. Detail is good, but please don't go overboard. Once you're accepted here you can go ahead and submit your character to the 'Characters' tab. You don't need to make a new sheet for them or anything. Also, once you're accepted, Grey will give your character their first initiation test at first convenience.

Though there are is not exactly a teacher/student dynamic within the Citadel, there is certainly a hierarchy. The following list are available titles and those who have qualified for such honor. (Also serves as a handy enrollment roster)

Grand Master: Eustace 'Grey' Therello - Tearen_Wover

Master:

Precept:

Augur:

Seeker:

Adjutant:

Initiate:

I'll try and keep the list updated. Just nudge me if I fall behind.

Last edited by Tearen Wover on Sat Jan 21, 2012 11:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Creation is what you make of it.

Tearen Wover

Member for 3 years

---

---

Name with Full Title: Sir Eustace Therello, The Wizard Grey; Grand Master Wizard of The Azure Citadel

Magical Experience: Grey has been harnessing the power of the arcane since he was only a boy, giving him over forty years of applied magical experience.

Notable Discoveries or Achievements: Grey has published over one thousand arcane theses, become the herald of a Blue Dragon King, created his own pocket dimension, and apprenticed almost twenty disciples.

Primary Magical Focus: Transmutation

Arcane Summary: Grey excels in changing the world and people around him, using the best of Conjuration and Transmutation to change entire landscapes, buildings, and sometimes reality itself given enough time. He is also very skilled at nullifying the magical powers of others and supernatural phenomena in general.

Assets: Grey essentially runs and entire magical institute and is extremely well compensated by his King. His total net worth is at least two and a half million platinum pieces.

Reason for Applying: Grey is the Grand Master. YOU apply to HIM.

Tearen Wover

Member for 3 years

---

---

Post a reply

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Paula Deen Abdicated Personal Responsibility (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | When Paula Deen, self-proclaimed queen of all food Southern-style, announced Jan. 18 that not only does she have Type 2 diabetes but she is going to be a spokeswoman for the pharmaceutical company that produces the diabetes medication she takes, the public was only partially surprised. After all, the recipes she cheerfully shared with her audience never lacked in calories or cholesterol.

Perhaps to soften the blow that felt a lot like being duped by this woman who so many have cheerfully invited into their homes via television and Deen's cookbooks, she announced she would be donating some of her compensation from her new business partner to the American Diabetes Association, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.

There was little surprise the food Deen has touted could lead to the development of Type 2 diabetes. The surprise, as I see it, was she had been diagnosed with the condition three years earlier and not only had not disclosed it but continued without change to promote the high-fat, high-calorie foods and recipes to her audiences.

Susan Levin, dietitian and director of nutrition education with the organization Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, writing for TheProvince.com, finds a kernel of hope in Deen's future and her ability to do right by her viewers by changing the previously heavily meat-and-fat laden recipes with more vegetable and whole grain ingredients. Any positive attention brought to the topic of the association between diet and the development of type 2 diabetes can only bring good things.

But it would have also been helpful if Deen had explained how the food she regales and cooks is part of the reason she developed diabetes. I could hold the woman in some positive esteem if she would explain why she hid her diagnosis until it was financially lucrative to let the cat out of the bag.

Maybe if there weren't three more years of food and recipes touted to her audiences, without any serious caveats or concern for the health of her viewers, maybe then I could feel as if Deen were accepting some personal responsibility for her inactions. As it stands, I can only see a person driven by greed.

Smack dab in the middle of the baby boomer generation, L.L. Woodard is a proud resident of "The Red Man" state. With what he hopes is an everyman's view of life's concerns both in his state and throughout the nation, Woodard presents facts and opinions based on common-sense solutions.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/meds/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120122/hl_ac/10868233_paula_deen_abdicated_personal_responsibility

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MegaUpload Accounted for a Quarter of All Corporate Traffic—More than Dropbox [Megaupload]

We tend to think of corporations as monolithic, singular entities. But they're not. They're just companies, normal companies run by normal people—people that really, really loved downloading stuff from MegaUpload while on the clock. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/M_dTS5kWJGE/megaupload-accounted-for-a-quarter-of-all-corporate-trafficmore-popular-than-dropbox

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Russia in talks for Moon base timeshare with European Space Agency, NASA

Whether or not you believe we actually put a man on the moon, there's about to be a whole gaggle of'em bouncing about the place and mucking things up in the name of Science. Taking that whole "one giant leap for mankind" motto a few baby steps further, is an in-development initiative that would see our former, space race frenemy Russia teaming up with the ESA and NASA to develop a Moon base. Citing recently discovered reservoirs of water located near the polar caps, Roscosmos chief Vladimir Popovkin believes the time is ripe to continue exploration of Earth's satellite via the installation of a settlement on its surface or an orbiting station. As with all things outer space, expect this cooperative project to take some time coming to fruition. After all, there are billions of dollars, not to mention a bevy of international egos on the line here.

Continue reading Russia in talks for Moon base timeshare with European Space Agency, NASA

Russia in talks for Moon base timeshare with European Space Agency, NASA originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/ed_EnI6qIs0/

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Etta James Dead At 73

Legendary singer, who influenced everyone from Janis Joplin to Beyoncé, died Friday after battle with leukemia.
By James Montgomery

Etta James in 1961
Photo: Michael Ochs Archives / Redferns

Etta James, the legendary singer whose career spanned six decades (and just as many musical genres) and whose voice has influenced everyone from Janis Joplin and Bonnie Raitt to Christina Aguilera and Adele, died Friday (January 20) after a lengthy battle with leukemia. She was 73 years old.

Best known for hits like "At Last," "All I Could Do Was Cry," "Tell Mama," "Something's Got a Hold on Me" and "Good Rockin' Daddy," James learned to sing in church, and first recorded professionally as a member of the all-girl doo-wop group the Peaches, with whom she'd score a #1 hit ("The Wallflower," an answer to Hank Ballard's "Work With Me, Annie"). Soon after that song's success, James left the group and toured with the likes of Little Richard and Johnny "Guitar" Watson. She'd subsequently sign with Chicago's Chess Records in 1960, where her powerful contralto was featured on a string of crossover classics that spanned R&B, soul, gospel, blues and even rock. It was during that time that she also began a battle with heroin addiction, one that would lead to stints in rehabilitation facilities and stall her career's momentum.

James would continue to record for Chess until 1978, then, after a stint opening for the Rolling Stones, she'd spend the next decade largely adrift, before returning with her comeback album, 1989's Seven Year Itch, which reunited her with producer Jerry Wexler and began a period that saw her finally receive the acclaim she'd long deserved. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and, the following year, won her first-ever Grammy award. In subsequent years, she'd also be enshrined in both the Blues and Rockabilly Halls, earn a lifetime achievement award from the Grammys and continue to record a string of well-received blues and jazz albums.

Photos: The life and career of Etta James.

Her Chess Records period was brought to the big screen (with varying degrees of accuracy) in the 2008 musical biopic "Cadillac Records," with Beyoncé portraying James. Beyoncé's cover of "At Last" was released as the lead single off the film's soundtrack, and would go on to win a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance. Beyoncé would also perform the song at president Barack Obama's inaugural ball in January 2009, a move which led James to famously tell an audience in Seattle that B "has no business up there singing ... my song that I've been singing forever." She'd later explain to the New York Daily News that she was joking, but added that she could've performed the song better.

In recent years, with her status secured (and her addiction problems largely behind her), James continued to tour, and she's been championed by some of today's biggest contemporary stars, like Adele, Aguilera, Florence Welch, Paramore's Hayley Williams, Joss Stone and Jazon Mraz. She was also a particular favorite of the late Amy Winehouse, whose own battles with addiction sadly turned out differently than James'. And just this year, a sample of her "Something's Got a Hold on Me" was used to maximum effect by DJ Avicii on his international hit "Levels," while her voice can be heard via sample in Flo Rida's current top ten hit, "Good Feeling."

James' health had been in decline for several years. In 2010, her son Donto told reporters that James had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and in January 2011, court documents filed by her husband — who was seeking to take control of her finances, as she was extremely ill — revealed that she was also undergoing treatment for leukemia. In December, James' live-in physician told a California newspaper that the singer was "terminally ill" and asked "for the prayers of her fans and friends." James' final album, The Dreamer, was released in November.

Share your condolences with Etta James' family on our Facebook page.

Related Photos

• Etta James: A Life In Photos

Related Artists

• Etta James

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677610/etta-james-dead.jhtml

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