States to decide this week on mortgage deal (Reuters)

WASHINGTON/CHARLOTTE (Reuters) ? State and federal officials are close to a settlement with the largest U.S. banks over mortgage abuses, with states facing an end-of-the-week deadline to decide whether they will sign on, people close to the talks said.

The final value of any settlement will depend on which states it includes, and could drop sharply if states like California, one of the hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis, do not join.

In another sign the deal is close, negotiators have overcome a sticking point and agreed on Joseph Smith, North Carolina's banking commissioner, as a monitor to ensure the banks comply with the terms of the settlement, these people said.

Talks have dragged on for more than one year but picked up steam last week as the Obama administration announced a new federal-state working group to investigate misconduct in the pooling and sale of risky home loans, a move that signaled the settlement would only allow banks to put behind them a small slice of misconduct. [ID:nL2E8CR8HB]

The banks in the talks are Bank of America (BAC.N), Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N), JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N), Citigroup (C.N) and Ally Financial Inc (GKM.N).

The proposed settlement releases the banks only from civil claims of errors in servicing and originating the loans. Those details have been in place for months, but the launch of the working group, the Obama administration said, makes clear its commitment to continue to investigate misconduct that fueled the financial crisis.

In exchange for up to $25 billion, much in the form of cutting mortgage debt for distressed homeowners, the banks will resolve civil state and federal lawsuits about servicing misconduct and faulty foreclosures, and state lawsuits about how they made some of the loans.

President Barack Obama said in his State of the Union speech last week that he directed his attorney general to create the new working group to "help turn the page on an era of recklessness."

Left-leaning groups including MoveOn.org had decried the proposed settlement as a "sweetheart deal" and criticized the administration for what they said was a failure to bring big-ticket cases against Wall Street banks and individuals who played a role in the 2007-2009 collapse.

The new working group, designed to coordinate investigations into the residential mortgage-backed securities market, potentially gives the administration and dissident states political cover to join the settlement.

CALIFORNIA STILL IN QUESTION

In announcing the new working group, housed within an older financial fraud task force, federal and state officials made clear the settlement would cover misconduct that occurred in the aftermath of the crisis, while the group would focus on wrongdoing that fueled the crisis itself.

The attorney general in New York, Eric Schneiderman, who has been a holdout on the settlement, saying that it released the banks from too many claims, is helping to lead the new group.

In an interview with Reuters on Friday, he said the focus of the settlement had "become narrow enough" to allow a full investigation to go forward, even though he said he was "not yet" ready to sign on.

California has also been reluctant to sign on.

The state's attorney general, Kamala Harris, withdrew from the talks last year amid concerns that the proposed settlement was too lenient, and her spokesman said again last week she believed the settlement remained "inadequate."

But Harris did meet with federal officials last week to press her concerns, people familiar with the matter said, and has not yet officially said her state is out of any final deal.

Separately, Massachusetts filed its own lawsuit against the banks last month, a signal that state may also go its own way in resolving allegations of deceptive foreclosure practices.

States have one week to make a decision, and an announcement of a settlement could come as early as next week, people familiar with the talks said.

The appointment of Joseph Smith as the monitor is also likely to win plaudits.

President Barack Obama nominated Smith, who has long had the respect of both banking executives and consumer advocates, to become the chief regulator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2010, but he withdrew from consideration amid objections from Republicans in Congress.

A spokeswoman for Smith said he was unavailable for comment.

(Reporting By Aruna Viswanatha in Washington, D.C. and Rick Rothacker in Charlotte, additional reporting by Karen Freifeld and Margaret Chadbourn)

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

florida primary national signing day 2012 ground hog day james randi blake griffin dunk colbert super pac colbert super pac

Eric Cantor Blames Obama for Republicans' Harmful Tax Policy (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in response to the State of the Union address by Barack Obama. President Obama discussed the "Buffett Rule," which says essentially that very wealthy people should shoulder a fair share of the nation's tax burden, according to CBS. Cantor attempted to sting Obama in his commentary -- but was Cantor's speech honest?

Warren Buffett's secretary, Debbie Bosanek, is said to have paid a higher tax rate than her billionaire boss, according to the Washington Post. Cantor claimed to "care about Warren Buffett's secretary," according to Politico. Cantor rhetoric then took a confusing turn by trying to pass the buck for his own party's policies and blame the tax inequality problem on the Obama Administration.

Let's take a quick look at the facts.

If you examine the tax history chart from the Tax Policy Center you can see what the highest tax rates have been since income taxes were established. The top tax rate has been exactly the same since the Bush tax cuts for tax year 2003. The Obama administration has not raised the marginal income tax level.

Here's another fact you can see: During the Reagan-Bush I era the highest tax rate dropped like a rock while the economy tanked. During the Clinton years it was raised a bit, and the economy prospered. During the Bush II era it dropped again, and look, what a shock -- the economy tanked.

If Buffett pays a lower tax rate than Bosanek it's not because Obama made her pay more. It's because right-wing administrations keep lowering the taxes, letting rich people pay less.

The lesson to be learned here is that a nation cannot prosper while the wealthy continue a class war against the poor and redistribute wealth from the poor to the rich by failing to pay their fair share.

If the Obama administration is to blame in any way for this situation it's by failing to raise taxes on the wealthy investor class to reverse the catastrophic harm caused by the unending efforts of the right wing to protect the rich.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120131/pl_ac/10884421_eric_cantor_blames_obama_for_republicans_harmful_tax_policy

veterans day oakland raiders carson palmer al davis edmund fitzgerald vincent brown vincent brown

BOXX electric bike: two wheels, four corners, all-electric transport for one

Has bicycle design reached its pinnacle? Or are electric bike manufacturers just not trying hard enough? The YikeBike begs to differ, and here joining it is BOXX Corporation's diminutive BOXX. Coming in at just under a meter (or 36-inch inches) long, the 120 pound aluminum "bike" has a top speed of 35 miles per hour and can even haul up to 300 pounds of heft. Yet, despite that compact footprint, the company hasn't skimped on tech, as it boasts traction control, anti-lock brakes and yes, even LED lights. Available in one of ten colors, $3,995 nets you a base 40-mile range model, which can optionally be doubled to 80 by ticking the $599 CORE 2 box. And for those willing to spruce even further, there's a $149 heated seat and $349 1-hour charger on offer. Ready to literally hunker down on electric mobility? Go on, peep the source links below -- do it, we've even linked the configurator.

BOXX electric bike: two wheels, four corners, all-electric transport for one originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PC World  |  BOXX (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/0oEjf9LEh8Y/

travis barker get back on board rob lowe peyton manning marianne gingrich what is sopa ibooks author gabrielle union

Browns hire Brad Childress as OC (AP)

CLEVELAND ? Pat Shurmur brought in a close friend to help him fix Cleveland's broken offense.

Shurmur hired former Minnesota coach Brad Childress as his first offensive coordinator on Friday, reuniting two coaches who spent seven seasons together on Andy Reid's staff with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Browns confirmed Childress' hiring with a release that did not include any quotes.

Childress, who spent nearly five seasons with the Vikings before he was fired in 2010, will try to improve the Browns' dismal offense, which scored just 218 points last season, finished 29th in total yardage, 28th in rushing and 24th in passing. He'll also have input in the team's vital decision at starting quarterback. ? a choice that could impact the club for years.

The 55-year-old Childress was a logical choice to join the Browns, who went 4-12 in their first season under Shurmur. In addition to being tight with Shurmur, Childress is familiar with the West Coast offense the Browns installed last year and he's represented by agent Bob Lamonte, who also has Shurmur and Browns president Mike Holmgren as clients.

Shurmur juggled both head coach and coordinator duties during a troublesome first season in Cleveland. It's believed Shurmur will initially call Cleveland's plays next season but he intends to turn things over to Childress, who recently interviewed for Tampa Bay's head coaching job. Childress has only one season (2006) of experience calling plays.

Childress is the third former NFL head coach on Shurmur's staff, joining defensive coordinator Dick Jauron and senior defensive assistant Ray Rhodes.

Childress was Philadelphia's offensive coordinator from 2003-05 when Shurmur coached the Eagles quarterbacks. While he was with the Eagles, Childress went to three straight NFC title games and the Super Bowl in 2004.

Shurmur was asked about Childress during his season-ending news conference on Jan. 3.

"I know Brad very well," Shurmur said. "He and I worked together for a long time. He's a terrific coach."

Childress went 39-35 in four-plus seasons with the Vikings, twice leading them to the playoffs and going 1-2. Minnesota won division titles in 2008 and 2009, when the Vikings made it to the NFC title game with quarterback Brett Favre, whom Childress had famously picked up at the airport. But after a 3-7 start in 2010, Childress was fired by owner Zygi Wilf one day after the Vikings were blown out at home by rival Green Bay.

The Browns considered hiring an offensive coordinator before last season but didn't find a suitable candidate. Holmgren suggested Shurmur maintain play-calling duties to control the offense and build a stronger bond with second-year quarterback Colt McCoy. Shurmur, though, seemed overwhelmed at times as the Browns had some communication breakdowns and time-management issues.

The addition of Childress should free up Shurmur during the week as he prepares for games.

"I think what it will do is allow me to just step back and look down on some things in some areas that I may be able to contribute more," Shurmur said after the season. "That's a key piece."

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

the village detroit weather detroit weather imessage imessage sukkot sukkot

SUMO-snipping protein plays crucial role in T and B cell development

Saturday, January 28, 2012

When SUMO grips STAT5, a protein that activates genes, it blocks the healthy embryonic development of immune B cells and T cells unless its nemesis breaks the hold, a research team led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reports today in Molecular Cell.

"This research extends the activity of SUMO and the Sentrin/SUMO-specific protease 1 (SENP1) to the field of immunology, in particular the early lymphoid development of T and B cells," said the study's senior author, Edward T. H. Yeh, M.D., professor and chair of MD Anderson's Department of Cardiology.

SUMO proteins, also known as the small ubiquitin-like modifiers or Sentrin, attach to other proteins in cells to modify their function or to move them within a cell. SENP1 is one of a family of six proteins that snips SUMO off of SUMO-modified proteins. SUMOylation (SUMO modification) of proteins has been implicated in development of cancer, heart and neurodegenerative diseases, among others.

The team first analyzed the role of SENP1 in the development of lymphoids in mice and found it is heavily expressed in precursor cells, the early stages of B and T cell development.

Working with genetically modified mice they developed that lack SENP1 gene expression, Yeh and colleagues found the mouse embryos had severe defects in their T and B cells, white blood cell lymphocytes that identify and fight infection.

SUMO pins STAT5 in the nucleus

Subsequent experiments led them to STAT5, a transcription factor known to play critical roles in the development and function of immune cells. Transcription factors work in the cell nucleus, activating gene expression by connecting to a gene's promoter region.

"STAT5 works in a cycle, moving from the cytosol of a cell into the nucleus to activate genes and then back out to the cytosol," Yeh said. "We found that when STAT5 is SUMOylated in the nucleus it gets trapped there when there's no SENP1 to remove SUMO."

The team found that SUMO muscles in on two other signaling events that govern STAT5 activity - phosphorylation and acetylation.

SUMO inhibits STAT5 signaling

STAT5 is activated in the cell cytosol when the JAK tyrosine kinase attaches a phosphate group at a specific site on the STAT5 protein. This transformed STAT5 crosses the nuclear membrane into the nucleus to transcribe genes.

The team found that SUMO attaches to STAT5 close to its phosphorylation site and that cells lacking SENP1 have increased SUMOylation and decreased phosphorylation.

SUMOylation vs. acetylation

In addition to phosphorylation, acetylation of STAT5 has been shown to be essential for STAT5 to cross the nuclear membrane into the nucleus to enhance gene transcription. Yeh and colleagues found that SUMO competes directly with acetyl groups for the same binding site, inhibiting acetylation.

"Without SENP1 to remove SUMO, STAT5 can't be acetylated or phosphorylated and can't be recycled for use again," Yeh said. "We discovered that SENP1 controls lymphoid development through regulation of SUMOylation of STAT5."

Since Yeh's lab discovered SUMOylation in 1996, SUMO has been found to alter the function of thousands of proteins.

Yeh is hosting the 6th International Conference SUMO, Ubiquitin, UBL Proteins: Implications for Human Diseases Feb. 8-11 in the Dan L. Duncan Building at MD Anderson. Yeh organizes the meeting every other year.

"There used to be so little known about SUMO. Now, a protein is assumed to be SUMOylated until proved otherwise," Yeh said.

###

University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center: http://www.mdanderson.org

Thanks to University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center for this article.

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

This press release has been viewed 115 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/117155/SUMO_snipping_protein_plays_crucial_role_in_T_and_B_cell_development

fred thompson romney tax return red hook oscar nominees the bachelor the tree of life movie academy award nominees 2012

What is ACTA? Why Should You Care? (Mashable)

The technology community came out in force against SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act) before those two bills were shelved last week. With them gone, we can expect tech experts and Internet users to step away from politics. The battle has been won, right? Wrong. There's another fight heating up, and this time it's global. Meet the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, or ACTA.

[More from Mashable: Today?s Top Stories: ACTA Ratification, Twitter Censorship, Samsung Earnings]

ACTA is an international treaty designed to protect intellectual property rights. The agreement was first created by the U.S. and Japan in 2006, and Australia, Canada, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea signed on last year. Whereas SOPA and PIPA were proposed bills in the U.S. House and Senate respectively, ACTA is a plurilateral treaty between the countries that sign on to the agreement.

SEE ALSO: 22 EU Countries Ratify ACTA | ACTA ?Is More Dangerous Than SOPA?

[More from Mashable: ACTA ?Is More Dangerous Than SOPA?]

One of ACTA's primary goals is the prevention of copyright theft on the Internet. The treaty operates outside already existing international bodies, such as the United Nations (UN) or World Trade Organization (WTO). By signing on to the agreement, countries are agreeing to work with one another on issues of counterfeiting and copyright theft.

While SOPA and PIPA have been relegated to the dustbins of the U.S. Congress, ACTA is gaining life.

Thursday, the European Union (and 22 of its member states) signed on to ACTA. More EU states are expected to sign ACTA once such the treaty clears those countries' own internal political systems.

In the U.S. ACTA is being considered an "executive agreement," not a "treaty." When signing a treaty, the president must get at least two-thirds of the Senate's approval. With executive agreements, the president is allowed to bypass the Senate completely.

Some, including Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), have raised questions about that decision's constitutionality.

"It may be possible for the U.S. to implement ACTA or any other trade agreement, once validly entered, without legislation if the agreement requires no change in U.S. law," wrote Wyden in October of last year. "But regardless of whether the agreement requires changes in U.S. law, the executive branch lacks constitutional authority to enter a binding international agreement covering issues delegated by the Constitution to Congress' authority, absent congressional approval."

And once again, the tech community has been coalescing around its opposition to what it views as a threat to a free and open Internet.

Controversy began even before the treaty started gaining signatories. The treaty only gained public notoriety after Wikileaks published a leaked discussion paper. After repeated failed attempts by numerous groups to request the text of the treaty, the countries negotiating ACTA released a working draft in 2010. Many accused the ACTA negotiation process of being too shady and closed-off to the public.

After Poland announced last week that it would be signing ACTA, a handful of official Polish government websites were disrupted by Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. And as happened last week in the U.S. with regards to SOPA, Polish citizens unhappy with ACTA took to the streets to protest the treaty.

According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit organization that aims to protect free speech online, "ACTA has several features that raise significant potential concerns for consumers??? privacy and civil liberties for innovation and the free flow of information on the Internet legitimate commerce and for developing countries??? ability to choose policy options that best suit their domestic priorities and level of economic development."

What are those "several features," exactly? First, ACTA would call for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to provide copyright holders with information about users accused of illegally hosting protected content. Second, the treaty would set up an international body that could make amendments to the treaty. Neither the public nor domestic court systems can review that body, although representatives from relevant industries can make "consolatory inputs."

Beyond that, the treaty's language gets more vague. For example:

"5. Each Party shall provide adequate legal protection and effective legal remedies against the circumvention of effective technological measures that are used by authors, performers or producers of phonograms in connection with the exercise of their rights in, and that restrict acts in respect of, their works, performances, and phonograms, which are not authorized by the authors, the performers or the producers of phonograms concerned or permitted by law."

What does "adequate legal protection and effective legal remedies" mean? That's up to the countries that sign the treaty to decide.

Some are calling ACTA a way for copyright holders to get around the legislative process after failing to pass SOPA and PIPA:

"ACTA should not be a back door to the legislative process to enact the same requirements US citizens just overwhelmingly opposed," says Harvey Anderson, general counsel for software company Mozilla. "We expect that the principles outlined by the White House related to combatting online piracy by foreign websites extend to any future efforts to ratify ACTA. We call on the Administration and Congress to release the full details of ACTA to ensure it won't censor lawful activity, inhibit innovation, create new cybersecurity risks nor disrupt the underlying architecture of the Internet."

The treaty does, however, include language designed to protect legitimate online commerce and free speech:

. . .These procedures shall be implemented in a manner that avoids the creation of barriers to legitimate activity, including electronic commerce, and, consistent with that Party?s law, preserves fundamental principles such as freedom of expression, fair process, and privacy.

If you'd like to dig into ACTA yourself, you can find the full text of the treaty here.

Do you think ACTA is a fair approach to protecting intellectual property, or are you worried about its impact on free speech and innovation on the Internet? Sound off in the comments below.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, PashaIgnatov

This story originally published on Mashable here.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/mashable/20120127/tc_mashable/what_is_acta_why_should_you_care

october 28 2011 october 28 2011 miami hurricanes vlad the impaler michael lohan fiddler on the roof rally squirrel

Coll. of Charleston's Cremins takes medical leave

FILE - In this Dec. 20, 2011, file photo, Charleston coach Bobby Cremins signals to his players during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game against Louisville, in Louisville, Ky. The school announced Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, that Cremins is taking an indefinite leave of absence for a medical condition and assistant coach Mark Byington will take over the team. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 20, 2011, file photo, Charleston coach Bobby Cremins signals to his players during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game against Louisville, in Louisville, Ky. The school announced Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, that Cremins is taking an indefinite leave of absence for a medical condition and assistant coach Mark Byington will take over the team. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) ? Bobby Cremins' assistant says the veteran basketball coach hasn't looked well the past few weeks and Friday evening the College of Charleston announced Cremins will miss the rest of the season because of a medical problem.

Yet, Mark Byington ? who will take over as the Cougars' coach ? was still surprised when the 64-year-old Cremins called him Friday morning with the news.

"The despair in his voice last night and this morning, I knew something was wrong," Byington said.

Cremins was at his home on Hilton Head Island when the announcement was made at the school. The college did not specify Cremins' medical condition or put a time frame on his return, and asked reporters to respect his privacy. Charleston athletic director Joe Hull did say Cremins' condition was not life threatening.

"I personally hope he coaches for many years to come," Hull said.

The AD also plans to speak with Cremins over the next few weeks to determine it the coach will be out even longer.

Cremins issued a statement through the school, saying he knows his top assistant for all six of his years at Charleston will do well in his new role.

"I have complete faith in him as do our players," Cremins said.

The Cougars started this season 10-2 with wins over Clemson and Tennessee, but have lost six of their last eight. Hull said the goal is still to make it to the NCAA tournament. They are 4-5 in the Southern Conference and will need a late season run to get a bye into the second round of the conference tournament.

"It will be business as usual," Byington said. "There will be a different guy calling the signals, but we will move on."

Hull said he will keep in touch with Cremins, but has no plans for the program's future beyond having Byington finish the season.

Byington said Cremins has not looked healthy for the past few weeks, but he thought the coach just might need a day or two off. Instead, he got a phone call from a distraught Cremins at 7:15 a.m. Friday. He told athletic officials that Cremins was taking the rest of the season off, then gathered his team.

"I was very upset. The first thing the team asked when they heard is he OK?" guard Andrew Lawrence said. "Obviously if this has happened and he needs to take a leave of absence we are completely behind him."

Cremins is in his sixth season with the Cougars after spending 19 years coaching Georgia Tech. He has led Charleston to 20 victories in each of his seasons, but his teams haven't been able to win the Southern Conference tournament to get to the NCAAs. He is 579-375 in 31 seasons of coaching, and the Yellow Jackets named their home court for him before he returned to coaching in 2006.

Cremins grew up in the Bronx then came south to play for South Carolina and fellow New York-transplant Frank McGuire. He got his first head coaching job at Appalachian State, leading the Mountaineers to the NCAA tournament in 1979.

Three years later, he left for Georgia Tech and the Atlantic Coast Conference. He led the Yellow Jackets to nine NCAA tournament appearances and reached the Final Four in 1990. He also won three ACC tournament titles and two regular-season crowns before the program tailed off and he was let go after the 2000 season.

Cremins spent the next several years as a college basketball analyst, playing tennis on Hilton Head, until deciding to come back to coaching at the College of Charleston.

Byington has been at Charleston nine seasons. He led Friday's practice and told players they needed to play well for Cremins and just concentrate on Saturday's game against Wofford.

"We're going to make it through," Byington said. "You're going to deal with worse things in your life."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-27-Coll%20of%20Charleston-Cremins/id-55fdf00b81f6492ca26a0312b1d347eb

regis philbin last show regis philbin last show crystal cathedral sarah vowell fire in reno kelly ripa reno wildfire

Fight over changing constants reaches stalemate

It's time to declare a ceasefire in the fight to find out whether the constants of nature vary. What was supposed to be a new superweapon in the battle has turned into something of a damp squib.

Some observations of how hydrogen gas in space absorbs light at ultraviolet wavelengths have hinted that the fine structure constant, responsible for the strength of electromagnetism, is not the same throughout the universe. That would point to exotic new physics, including the existence of extra dimensions and universes other than our own.

But the measurement is tricky, and researchers had hoped that studying how hydroxyl molecules emit and absorb light at radio wavelengths would give a more precise, independent measurement of the effect.

In theory, radio instruments can measure wavelengths 50 to 100 times more accurately than those that detect hydrogen absorption, says Nissim Kanekar at the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics in Pune, India.

But he and colleagues discovered the reality is more complicated. They observed the emission and absorption of radio waves from hydroxyl molecules in a gas cloud 6.7 billion light years from Earth that was absorbing light from a more distant galaxy.

No silver bullet

Quantum mechanics predicts that a particular set of emission and absorption lines in the hydroxyl molecule should be mirror images of each other, but in this case they found that was not true. Kanekar thinks the puzzling observation may be due to a second hydroxyl cloud lying along the same line of sight. It may absorb some of the radio waves, fouling the measurement.

"We thought we had the silver bullet, but it didn't pan out," says team member Chris Carilli of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Socorro, New Mexico.

Whatever is causing the odd measurement, the observation is simply not accurate enough to determine whether the fine structure constant is changing. "Their measurement is entirely consistent with our result ? and with zero," says John Webb of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, who has previously found hints that the constant varies.

Carilli says it may take 20 years to make enough observations with the new technique to settle the question. Only a handful of gas clouds are known that exhibit the hydroxyl signal, but new surveys and radio arrays, such as the Square Kilometer Array, should turn up more examples.

Journal reference: arxiv.org/abs/1201.3372v1

If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.

Have your say

Only subscribers may leave comments on this article. Please log in.

Only personal subscribers may leave comments on this article

Subscribe now to comment.

All comments should respect the New Scientist House Rules. If you think a particular comment breaks these rules then please use the "Report" link in that comment to report it to us.

If you are having a technical problem posting a comment, please contact technical support.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/1c266298/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cdn213940Efight0Eover0Echanging0Econstants0Ereaches0Estalemate0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

florida state football florida state football ben breedlove kid cudi ben breedlove matt barnes jim jones hcm

Police arrest Utah students accused of school bomb plot (Reuters)

ROY, Utah (Reuters) ? Police in Utah have arrested two high school students accused of making detailed plans to bomb a school assembly and then escape in a plane they planned to fly themselves, police said on Thursday.

The duo, 18-year-old Dallin Morgan and 16-year-old Joshua Hoggan, were arrested on Wednesday after being pulled out of classes at their high school in the city of Roy, about 30 miles north of Salt Lake City, Roy Police spokeswoman Anna Bond said.

"Initial investigative discovery has uncovered a plan to use explosives during a high school assembly," Bond said in a statement.

"Maps of the school and information about security systems had been prepared with plans for an escape using a plane from the Ogden Hinckley Airport," she added. "Self-taught usage of technical flight simulation programs were used in the planning and preparation."

The students were both booked on suspicion of conspiracy. Morgan was being held in the Weber County Jail while Hoggan was at a juvenile facility, police said.

No explosives were found at the school during the investigation, which was prompted by a tip from a student.

"It was really the work of a heroic student coming forward with a tiny piece of information that she took to the school, and the school contacted police," Bond said.

It was not clear when the attack on the school assembly was scheduled to occur. The school was in session on Thursday. The FBI will assist in a forensic analysis of the computers used by the students, police said.

(Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Cynthia Johnston)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/us_nm/us_student_plot_utah

new york yankees pittsburgh penguins westboro baptist church kurt warner kurt warner st. croix st. croix

Bristol-Myers reports rise in 4th-quarter profit (AP)

NEW YORK ? Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. reported a 76 percent increase in the fourth-quarter profit Thursday, driven in part by sales of a recently-approved diabetes drug and hefty charges a year earlier, though the drugmaker still fell short of Wall Street's expectations.

The company focused attention on rapid sales growth for its three-year-old oral diabetes drug Onglyza, which increased 110 percent to $153 million. But results were dominated by two established products, blood thinner Plavix and the psychiatric drug Abilify.

Net income rose to $852 million, or 50 cents per share, up from $483 million, or 28 cents per share, in the 2010 quarter.

The New York company said fees and discounts under the U.S. health care overhaul reduced earnings per share by 4 cents in the latest quarter. The year-earlier results were weighted down by $324 million in expenses, including charges for streamlining global operations, depreciation and shutdown costs, licensing payments and a tax charge.

Adjusted income rose 12 percent to $906 million, or 53 cents per share, from $807 million, or 47 cents per share, for the same period of 2010. Total sales increased 7 percent to $5.45 billion from $5.11 billion.

Those results were slightly short of analyst expectations as polled by FactSet, which called for 55 cents per share on sales of $5.51 billion.

"Investors weren't expecting much and they didn't get much," said Erik Gordon an analyst and professor at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. "A couple of products beat their sales estimates by a hair and a couple missed by a hair."

Bristol-Myers said it expects 2012 full-year earnings per share between $1.90 and $2.00. Analysts are looking for $1.98 per share, on average.

Company shares fell 22 cents to close at $32.48 Friday.

Bristol-Myers and French partner Sanofi SA jointly market Plavix, the world's second-best-selling drug, which posted a 3 percent drop in sales to $1.67 billion. The drug loses U.S. patent protection in May and Bristol has initiated a dozen or more partnerships and deals aimed at developing new revenue-generating products.

Among the most highly anticipated of those drugs is the anti-clotting pill Eliquis, which is approved in the European Union for preventing clots in patients getting hip or knee replacement surgery. Bristol and its partner on the drug, Pfizer Inc., are seeking U.S. approval for the drug for stroke prevention, which would allow them to market it for millions more patients. The Food and Drug Administration has given Eliquis a priority review, with a March 28 target date for a ruling.

Also scheduled to lose patent protection in the coming year is the blood pressure drug Avapro. Sales of that drug and its foreign counterpart Avalide fell 23 percent, to $195 million. That's because they have generic competition in Canada, a rival's similar drug has generic competition in many countries, and one of the three dosage forms isn't available due to a recall.

Sales of the company's second biggest product, schizophrenia and bipolar drug Abilify, rose 4 percent to $737 million.

For full-year 2011 the company earned $3.71 billion, or $2.16 per share, on sales of $21.24 billion. Excluding one-time items income was $2.28 per share.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/earnings/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_bi_ge/us_earns_bristol_myers

mermaid roger federer drake corset andy murray jerusalem nadal

Rihanna Tweets Up About Her 'Thug Life' Tattoo

Singer takes to Twitter to talk about her buzzed-about Tupac-inspired ink.
By Jocelyn Vena

Rihanna tweets 'Thug Life' tattoo photo
Photo: Rihanna/Twitter

When Rihanna tweeted out a photo of her new "Thug Life" tattoo scrolled across her fingers on Wednesday, fans immediately began to flood the singer with tweets, asking her why she got it and what it all means. She tweeted photos of herself at the Shamrock Social Club parlor in Hollywood with tattoo artist Mark Mahoney, as well as actor Danny Trejo, who was also at the tattoo parlor that night.

"I #LOVE my new tattoo!!! Can't wait for yall to see it!!! I got it in 'Tibetan' this time!!! #approved," she wrote of her white-toned tat, an homage to rapper Tupac.

Rihanna met most criticism or praise with a sense of humor about her latest ink. "Chill babes #noshade. Err'body has an opinion, but yall know what yall can do with them!!! #THUGLIFE," she wrote.

"I'm thinking I shoulda got a tear drop instead!!! #THUGLIFE maybe next time," Rihanna later tweeted, joking about the possibility of getting the traditional prison tat on her famous face. "All eyes on Rih, betta picture me rollin' #THUGLIFE."

But the tweets hardly stopped there, and they progressively got more provocative, especially when one of her followers tweeted, "You're not a thug. stop it."

Later declaring "#RIHPac back!!!," she continued to go on her tat-driven Twitter spree, adding, "I can't deny it, ima riot..u don't wanna f--- with me!"

In another tweet, the star said, "NEVER!!! RT @Fiend4sports: @rihanna Thug Life!! Don't let Pac memory ever die."

What do you think of Rihanna's "Thug Life" tattoo? Sound off in the comments below!

Related Artists

• Rihanna

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677937/rihanna-tattoo-tweet-thug.jhtml

sweet potato casserole safeway standing rib roast its a wonderful life its a wonderful life rajon rondo ham recipes

Android tablets closing in on iPad: researcher (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Tablet computers using Google's Android software narrowed the lead of Apple's iPad on the global market in the fourth quarter, research firm Strategy Analytics said on Thursday.

Global tablet shipments reached an all-time high of 26.8 million units in the fourth quarter, growing 2-1/2 fold from 10.7 million a year earlier, the research firm said.

"Dozens of Android models distributed across multiple countries by numerous brands such as Amazon, Samsung, Asus and others have been driving volumes," analyst Neil Mawston said in a statement.

Android's market share rose to 39 percent from 29 percent a year earlier, while Apple's share slipped to 58 percent from 68 percent a year before.

The tablet computer market grew 260 percent last year to 66.9 million units as consumers are increasingly buying tablets in preference to netbooks and even entry-level notebooks or desktops.

Strategy Analytics said Microsoft had a 1 percent share of the global tablet market last quarter.

(Reporting By Tarmo Virki; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/wr_nm/us_tablets_research

giuliana rancic giuliana rancic the cabin in the woods the cabin in the woods trace adkins the darkest hour the darkest hour

Russell Brand To Star In Michael Bay's 'Hauntrepreneur'

Brand will also perform at Amnesty International's Secret Policeman's Ball, along with Coldplay, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.
By Jocelyn Vena

Russell Brand
Photo: Getty Images

Russell Brand has nabbed a starring role in the Michael Bay-produced "The Hauntrepreneur."

The movie will revolve around a "peculiar man" (presumably Brand, given his penchant for those types of roles), who is hired by a family to help them adjust to living in a new town. Calling himself the "Hauntrepreneur," he creates a haunted house full of kooky characters to try to help them get acclimated to their new surroundings, Variety reports.

The studio, Paramount, has yet to comment on the casting. It marks the latest move Brand has made since filing for divorce from Katy Perry over New Year's weekend.

On Wednesday, it was announced that Brand will perform as part of an Amnesty International benefit March 4 at New York's Radio City Music Hall. It marks his first public appearance since news broke of his split from Perry. Coldplay, Mumford & Sons, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Reggie Watts and others will also appear at Amnesty International's Secret Policeman's Ball.

Brand will next be seen in "Rock of Ages," alongside Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough, Mary J. Blige and Alec Baldwin. The big-screen adaptation of Broadway's rock musical will open June 1. He's also attached to Diablo Cody's "Untitled Diablo Cody Project," which also will feature Hough.

Additionally, he's working with the FX network on a series of six half-hour late-night comedy specials that will be filmed in front of a live audience as well as an animated comedy he co-created that will air on the Fox network.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677931/russell-brand-hauntrepreneur-movie.jhtml

j r martinez j r martinez long island serial killer wizard of oz jeff green saturday night live aortic aneurysm

New Illinois Law Requires More Transparency of School Performance (ContributorNetwork)

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, a bill signed into law by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn on Tuesday changes the amount of information given to parents on how schools rank in terms graduation rates, standardized test scores, teacher performance and more. These more detailed so-called "report cards" will be available to the public beginning next year with the goal of offering more transparency of the state education system.

Similarly, the law also details the State Board of Education will have to prepare extensive reports for each district, as well as every single school. With this major step towards offering more information on public education quality and access, here are some other recently enacted laws that also seek to reach this goal:

The Performance Evaluation Reform Act of 2010

In early 2010, Gov. Quinn signed the Performance Evaluation Reform Act of 2010, a law that improves on how teachers and principals are evaluated. It requires every school district in the state to use student performance as a large factor in these evaluations and also pushes for further cooperation between districts and teachers' unions to meet these requirements. The Patch added the law has also led to the formation of the Performance Evaluation Advisory Council to develop new evaluation models using the law's guidelines.

Senate Bill 7

On June 13, the governor signed a landmark bill, which enacts sweeping education reform in the state, reported ABC Local. The education reform bill specifically emphasizes higher standards for teacher accountability, gives districts more authority on extending the school day and year, as well as the ability to fire poor-performing teachers, and makes it more different for teachers' unions to strike. Chicago has leaped forward with implementing a longer school day, according to the Huffington Post, and the extended day will include more instructional classroom time and mandatory recess.

Illinois DREAM Act

The Chicago Tribune reported in August the state moved ahead with its own version of the DREAM Act, a measure that creates a privately funded scholarship program for immigrants and children of immigrants without regard to their documentation status. Unlike the federal measure of the same name, Illinois' act does not provide a path to citizenship but instead aims to provide better access to higher education, according to Fox News. To qualify, individuals must have attended an Illinois school for the past three years, be an immigrant or a child of at least one immigrant, and received a high school diploma.

Rachel Bogart provides an in-depth look at current environmental issues and local Chicago news stories. As a college student from the Chicago suburbs pursuing two science degrees, she applies her knowledge and passion to both topics to garner further public awareness.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120125/pl_ac/10885033_new_illinois_law_requires_more_transparency_of_school_performance

gumby derrick mason derrick mason lamichael james lamichael james epstein harrisburg pa

Stocks set to slip in hesitant market

By msnbc.com news services

Stocks are set to slip Wednesday as the market continues to show signs of fatigue after a strong run from late last year.

Apple's quarterly results on Tuesday blew past Wall Street's expectations after U.S. consumers snapped up near-unprecedented numbers of iPhones and iPads, sending its shares up 8 percent into record territory. Apple was up 7.7 percent to $453 in pre-market trading.

The results were a standout in what has otherwise been a fairly lackluster earnings season. So far 58 percent of companies have beat forecasts while at this stage in the third quarter earnings season, 70 percent beat forecasts.

"Up until now there has been pockets of weakness in a handful companies that have sparked concern among investors," said Andre Bakhos, director of market analytics at Lek Securities in New York.

But he added that lack of direction in the market this week was more likely due to a 22 percent run-up since October lows and that the market was poised to move higher as the economy improved and Europe contained its debt crisis.

"This market is setting itself up for a potent upside move," he said.

The U.S. Federal Reserve, which is holding its regular monetary policy meeting, looks set to keep monetary policy on hold on Wednesday, even as it releases forecasts expected to show interest rates will be near zero for at least two more years.

Roche Holding AG is offering $5.7 billion in cash to buy U.S. gene sequencing company Illumina Inc in a hostile takeover bid that marks a major play by the Swiss drugmaker into the gene technology field. Illumina rose 37 percent to $51.50 in pre-market trade.

U.S. President Barack Obama used his last State of the Union speech before the November election to paint himself as the champion of the middle class, by demanding higher taxes for millionaires and tight reins on Wall Street.

The National Association of Realtors issues Pending Home Sales for December at 10 a.m. (1500 GMT). Economists expect a 1.0 percent fall compared with a 7.3 percent rise in the previous month.

Nordic budget carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle ordered 222 narrow-body aircraft worth a total of $21.5 billion at list prices on Wednesday. It split its order between Boeing Corp and Airbus, part of EADS.

Diversified U.S. manufacturer Textron Inc reported a quarterly loss after taking a hefty charge to write down the value of loans on golf courses -- a hangover from the financial crisis. Its shares were up 6.4 percent to $23 before the open.

Boeing, the world's largest aerospace and defense company, is set to report a sharp decline in fourth-quarter profit. Other companies announcing results include Abbott Laboratories, Automatic Data Processing and Xerox.

European shares fell, weighed by the tech sector after a sharp post-results decline for mobile telecoms network gear maker Ericsson.

U.S. stocks edged lower on Tuesday, ending a five-day rally for the S&P 500, as talks to resolve Greece's debt crisis hit a snag and earnings from a number of blue-chips disappointed investors.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/25/10232885-stocks-set-to-slip-in-hesitant-market

127 hours true grit serena williams the falling man the falling man mermaid roger federer

Factbox: Reactions from leading Oscar nominees (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced nominations for the 2012 Academy Awards on Tuesday. The winners will be named at the annual Oscars ceremony in Hollywood on February 26.

Following is a list of reactions from nominees, received by Reuters in statements via e-mail, except as noted below.

-- "It's an honor to be nominated a second time, it is a personal accomplishment and triumph for women and women of color. I'm so glad the film has been recognized, it was a labor of love from the moment it was conceived and it is rewarding to see the impact it is having." -- Viola Davis, best actress nominee for "The Help."

-- "I am thrilled and shocked." -- Gary Oldman, best actor nominee for "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy." (By phone to Reuters)

-- "I am honored to be in company with such beautiful artists, and touched deeply by my fellow actors for their generosity in giving me this acknowledgment." -- Meryl Streep, best actress nominee for "The Iron Lady."

-- "This is an extraordinary honor. I am dizzy with joy... and caffeine. Considering both films, Moneyball and The Tree of Life, nearly didn't make it to the screen, this is especially sweet. And I'd like to thank all the artisans and craftsmen who gave their best to each film. I am especially over the moon for Jonah (and the other Moneyballers acknowledged today), Terry Malick and the tribute this is to Billy Beane and the Oakland A's organization. My congratulations to all the nominees ... pancakes for everyone." -- Brad Pitt, best actor nominee for "Moneyball."

-- "I am so grateful to be acknowledged by the Academy for my work, which was made possible by the support of our director Simon Curtis and the camaraderie of a terrific ensemble of actors - a special congratulations to Kenneth Branagh - and the fearless Harvey Weinstein. This role has been the challenge and privilege of a lifetime. I would like to think that the recognition our film has received by the Academy is a testament to Marilyn's legacy." -- Michelle Williams, best actress in a lead role nominee for "My Week With Marilyn."

-- "I am thrilled for Janet, I am thrilled for our incomparable hair and makeup team. It might be my sixth (nomination) but it feels like my first. Bravo team Nobbs." -- Glenn Close, best actress nominee for "Albert Nobbs."

-- "It's very hard to articulate what I'm feeling right now. I'm a little dazed, confused, excited, elated, all of the above...Minny is a woman of her era and I'm certainly a woman of my era. I learned a lot from her. I never thought that I was materialistic or ungrateful, but I realized in playing a character that has so little but who has such a great impact on her environment, which is huge, when you can have an impact on the microcosm of your world, that is huge, I realized that I needed to do a lot more." -- Octavia Spencer, best supporting actress nominee for "The Help." (Interview with Reuters TV)

-- "I'm overjoyed and filled with happiness. I can't believe that a year ago I was learning how to tap dance and today I am nominated for an Academy Award. It was a thrill to work on a project as ambitious as 'The Artist' and I am happy to share this moment with our visionary director, Michel Hazanavicius and our talented team of actors." Berenice Bejo, best supporting actress nominee for "The Artist."

-- "It was a rare honor to play Sir Laurence Olivier. To be recognized by the Academy for doing so is overwhelming. I'm absolutely thrilled." -- Kenneth Branagh, best supporting actor nominee for "My Week With Marilyn."

-- "I am so humbled, appreciative and in shock about this incredible honor. I'd like to thank the Academy, Sony Pictures , the cast and crew of Moneyball, Brad Pitt, and, most of all, our brilliant director Bennett Miller." -- Jonah Hill, best supporting actor nominee for "Moneyball."

-- "My sincere thanks to my colleagues at the Academy. It is wonderful. I don?t know what to say ?I am dumbfounded." -- Max von Sydow, best supporting actor nominee for "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close."

-- "I am thrilled with our multiple nominations for "The Help" and "War Horse". It is the first time that I have experienced two Best Picture nominations in the same year. One is a high honor. Two is humbling but very exciting. It is a tribute to all those who joined with Stacey Snider and our DreamWorks Studios team to develop and make these two films with stories that we passionately felt we had to make." -- Steven Spielberg, multiple nominations for "The Help" and "War Horse."

-- "I am deeply honored to have been nominated by the Academy for my work on Hugo. Every picture is a challenge, and this one -- where I was working with 3D, HD and Sacha Baron Cohen for the first time -- was no exception. It's a wonderful feeling to know that you've been recognized by the people in your industry. I congratulate my fellow nominees. It's an impressive list, and I'm in excellent company." -- Martin Scorsese, best director nominee for "Hugo."

-- "I am so honored by this nomination. Filming 'The Artist' in Los Angeles was a dream come true, and to receive this recognition today is far beyond what any of us could have ever imagined. I could not have done this film without the incredible ensemble of actors and exceptional crew whose heart and souls were poured into this project." -- Michel Hazanavicius, best director nominee for "The Artist."

-- "I am very humbled by this morning's nominations. This must be how my father felt back in 1965 when he received his first Oscar nomination. 'The Artist' was a labor of love from writer/director Michel Hazanavicius to pay homage to Hollywood, and to see all the love that the Academy has given it this morning is overwhelming." -- Thomas Langmann (producer), best picture nominee for "The Artist."

-- "There's no denying that Oscar nominations for one's film are exciting, if only for the joy they give to everyone who worked so hard on the film. I'm particularly happy for the recognition of my long-time editor Kevin Tent. He really deserves it." -- Alexander Payne (writer/director/producer), best director, best adapted screenplay and best picture nominee for "The Descendants."

-- "I must say I am pleasantly shocked and incredibly grateful to the Academy for this honor. We are all so proud of The Tree of Life, but we knew too it was a very challenging film that pushed the envelope. The nominations this morning are thrilling endorsements of the film, Terry's vision, the incredible work of Chivo, and the great contributions of everyone involved. Many thanks to the Academy!" -- Bill Pohlad (producer), best picture nominee for "The Tree of Life."

-- "It is an incredible honor to be nominated this morning. We set out to do something different with RANGO, and this distinction is a testament to everyone who tirelessly dedicated themselves to creating our neurotic lizard. Rango was looking for an audience who shared his love of cinema and I'm humbled that he found one. It has been a remarkable journey, and one that I am grateful to share with our entire creative team, Paramount, and all of the virtuosos at Industrial, Light and Magic." -- Gore Verbinski (writer/director/producer), best animated feature film nominee for "Rango."

-- "I'm deeply honored that the Academy recognized Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close as well as Max von Sydow. The entire team behind our film felt the enormous responsibility in taking on this project, and it is deeply humbling to have the Academy recognize it in this way." -- Stephen Daldry, best picture nominee for "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close."

-- "We are thrilled for the nominations War Horse has received and most of all thankful to have been working under the leadership of Steven Spielberg whose moral clarity, vision and sensitive handling of the Great War might serve in some small way to raise awareness of war's pointlessness." -- Kathleen Kennedy (producer), best picture nominee for "War Horse."

-- "It's an honor to be recognized in the company of such terrific writers. Moneyball is a true testament to teamwork -- it's the commitment of the entire cast and crew that got us to the final game of the season." -- Aaron Sorkin, best adapted screenplay nominee (with Steve Zaillian and Stan Chervin) for 'Moneyball."

-- "This is cheerful news for me and for the family of cinema in Iran, especially the nomination for the best original screenplay. It seems that although people speak different languages around the world but there is one common universal language which everyone understands: The Language of Cinema." --Asghar Farhadi (writer/director/producer), best foreign language film nominee for "A Separation."

-- "It's been an incredible eight year journey from the first draft of the play until this moment. Working with George and Grant has been one of the most rewarding collaborations of my career, and I couldn't be more thrilled that our film is getting this kind of recognition." -- Beau Willimon (co-writer of screenplay with George Clooney and Grant Heslov, based on Beau's play Farragut North), nominee for best adapted screenplay for "Ides of March."

(Reporting By Jill Serjeant and Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120124/en_nm/us_oscar_reactions

person of interest james spader james spader speed of light susan powell jonah hill neutrinos

Romney says his taxes are entirely legal and fair

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ? Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney says his tax returns will show he pays all taxes that are legally required and, in his words, "not a dollar more."

Romney is set to release his tax returns Tuesday morning. Asked during Monday night's debate what the returns will show, Romney says they will outline his total income, total taxes and significant charitable contributions.

Romney won't say what he thinks will be the most politically problematic part of the returns. He says the returns will show the returns are "entirely legal and fair."

Gingrich says he wants to allow Americans to be able to choose a flat tax of 15 percent. That's the tax rate Romney says he pays.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-23-GOP-Debate-Romney-Taxes/id-1d7ae7fc9569450db9c9162424b29ff8

phish 2012 holidays prosperity yellow cab japan earthquake bosom buddies anderson cooper

Primary day at hand, SC voters have their say (AP)

GREENVILLE, S.C. ? Primary day at hand, fast-climbing Newt Gingrich told South Carolinians on Saturday that he was "the only practical conservative vote" able to stop front-runner Mitt Romney in the GOP presidential race. Romney acknowledged the first-in-the-South contest "could be real close" and prepared for an extended fight by agreeing to two more debates in Florida, next on the election calendar.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum braced for a setback and looked ahead to the Jan. 31 contest after getting the most votes in Iowa and besting Gingrich in New Hampshire. Texas Rep. Ron Paul made plans to focus on states where his libertarian, Internet-driven message might find more of a reception with voters; his campaign said it had purchased a substantial ad buy in Nevada and Minnesota, which hold caucuses next month.

The first contest without Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who dropped out this past week and endorsed Gingrich, was seen as Romney's to lose just days ago. Instead, the gap closed quickly between the Massachusetts governor who portrays himself as the Republicans best positioned to defeat President Barack Obama and Gingrich, the confrontational former House speaker from Georgia.

Romney avoided a run-in with Gingrich at Tommy's Country Ham House, where both had scheduled campaign events for the same time. Romney stopped by the breakfast restaurant 45 minutes ahead of schedule. When Gingrich arrived, just minutes after Romney's bus left the parking lot, he said: "Where's Mitt?"

Earlier, Gingrich had a message for voters during a stop at The Grapevine restaurant in Boiling Springs not long after the polls opened: Come out and vote for me if you want to help deny Romney nomination.

He told diners who were enjoying plates of eggs and grits that he was the "the only practical conservative vote" to the rival he called a Massachusetts moderate. "Polls are good, votes are better," he said.

Gingrich also said he would put a stop to federal actions against South Carolina's voter ID and immigration laws.

Romney's agreement to participate in Florida debates Monday in Tampa and Thursday in Jacksonville was seen as an acknowledgement of a prolonged battle with Gingrich.

"This could be real close," said Romney as he chatted on the phone with a voter Saturday morning and urged the man to go vote.

Romney still has significant advantages over his three remaining Republican rivals, including an enormous financial edge and a well-organized campaign.

But with his Iowa victory now rescinded, losing in South Carolina would be a setback that could draw the primary contest out much longer. Just 10 days ago, Romney's campaign team was looking ahead to the general election as it anticipated a quick sweep in early primaries.

By Saturday, state Treasurer Curtis Loftis, a top Romney backer, was on an automated telephone message attacking Gingrich's ethics record in Congress, while Romney's wife, Ann, was on a separate one urging voters to consider the candidates character.

"Look at how they've lived their life," she says. "And that's why I think it's so important to understand the character of a person."

Before the ham house standoff that wasn't, Romney stood outside his Greenville headquarters and undertook a new attack on Gingrich. He called on Gingrich to further explain his contracts with Freddie Mac, the housing giant, and release any advice he had provided to the company. He has said the contracts earned two of his companies more than $1.6 million over eight years, but that he only pocketed about $35,000 a year himself.

`I'd like to see what he actually told Freddie Mac. Don't you think we ought to see it?" Romney said.

It was another response to pressure on Romney to release his tax returns before Republican voters finish choosing a nominee.

A day earlier, Romney had called on Gingrich to release information related to an ethics investigation of Gingrich in the 1990s. Gingrich argues that GOP voters need to know whether the wealthy former venture capital executive's records contain anything that could hurt the party's chances against Obama.

Romney has said he will release several years' worth of tax returns in April. Gingrich has called on him to release them much sooner. On Saturday, Romney refused to answer questions from reporters about the returns and whether his refusal to release them had hurt him with South Carolina voters.

Gingrich, buoyed by Perry's endorsement as he left the race Thursday, has called Romney's suggestion about releasing ethics investigation documents a "panic attack" brought on by sinking poll numbers.

The stakes were high for Saturday's vote. The primary winner has gone on to win the Republican nomination in every election since 1980.

It's very important, but it's not do or die," Paul told Fox News

Some of South Carolina's notorious 11th-hour devilry ? fake reports in the form of emails targeting Gingrich and his ex-wife Marianne ? emerged in a race known as much for its nastiness as for its late-game twists.

"Unfortunately, we are now living up to our reputation," said South Carolina GOP strategist Chip Felkel.

State Attorney Gen. Alan Wilson ordered a preliminary review of the phony messages to see if any laws had been broken.

Gingrich's ex-wife burst into the campaign this week when she alleged in an ABC News interview that her former husband had asked her for an "open marriage," a potentially damaging claim in a state where the Republican primary electorate includes a potent segment of Christian conservatives. The thrice-married Gingrich, who has admitted to marital infidelities, angrily denied her accusation.

___

Associated Press writers Beth Fouhy and Thomas Beaumont contributed to this report from South Carolina.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign

zsa zsa gabor heavy d dead heavy d dead alaska weather alaska weather election results gop debate live

Longtime Penn State Coach Joe Paterno Dead At 85 (VIDEO)

Longtime Penn State Coach Joe Paterno Dead At 85 (VIDEO)

Joe Paterno, who was known as one of the most successful college football coaches and was fired for not responding “correctly” to a sex abuse [...]

Longtime Penn State Coach Joe Paterno Dead At 85 (VIDEO) Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stupidcelebrities/~3/nF6Cmh3utII/

diana nyad diana nyad vikings bears packers michael vick kenny britt matt hughes