Oil above $99 in Asia on Europe's austerity move (AP)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia ? Oil rose above $99 a barrel Tuesday in Asia in sync with gains in regional equity markets after Europe took measures to battle its debt crisis.

Benchmark crude for February delivery was up $1 at $99.78 a barrel at midday Kuala Lumpur time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 78 cents to finish at $98.78 on Monday.

European leaders agreed Monday on a new treaty to stop overspending and put an end to the region's crippling debt woes. They also pledged to stimulate growth and employment amid fears of a looming recession. Greece and its bondholders are also inching closer to a deal to significantly cut the country's debt and pave the way for it to receive a much-needed euro130 billion ($170 billion) bailout.

"The announcements in the eurozone helped ease concerns but crude prices are going to be choppy going forward. The market is grappling with a weaker demand scenario and uncertainties in the supply side coming from Iran," said Natalie Robertson, commodities analyst at ANZ Banking Group in Melbourne.

Iran has welcomed international weapons experts into the country in hopes of refuting claims that it is building a nuclear weapon. That eased concerns about possible military action in the region.

Still, Europe plans to embargo Iranian oil this summer to pressure Iran about its nuclear program. If that happens, Iran says it could retaliate by blocking passage through the Persian Gulf, where tankers carry one-sixth of the world's oil exports.

The U.S. is ready to implement sanctions on Iran's central bank that will make it harder for Iran to sell oil. India has however, joined China in saying it will not cut back on crude imports from Iran.

In other energy trading, heating oil rose 2.8 cents to $3.07 per gallon and gasoline futures were up 1.8 cents to $2.89 per gallon. Natural gas fell 6 cents to $2.65 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_on_re_as/oil_prices

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Irsay hopes to halt Manning talk during Super Bowl

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay speaks during a news conference at the NFL football team's headquarters Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Indianapolis. The Colts announced the firing of coach Jim Caldwell. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay speaks during a news conference at the NFL football team's headquarters Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Indianapolis. The Colts announced the firing of coach Jim Caldwell. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? Jim Irsay did his own politicking Monday.

Instead of talking about Peyton Manning and the franchise quarterback's future in Indianapolis, the Colts owner quickly tossed the football to a real politician.

"When I was asked about Peyton, I was going to say why don't you ask Mitch (Daniels) about his presidential run? Any comments Mitch?" Irsay said drawing laughter as he turned to the Indiana governor.

Irsay's diversionary tactic didn't work.

With the Manning-Irsay spat still dominating talk around town, Irsay tried to deflect attention away from this week's biggest distraction and put the focus squarely back on the Super Bowl matching the New York Giants against the New England Patriots.

"I'm not talking about Peyton this week," Irsay said as more than a dozen reporters followed him through the media center's hallways. "When Peyton and I talked (last week), we both thought the focus should be on the Super Bowl. We want to focus on the Super Bowl."

Good luck.

Yes, getting the game in Indy was a major coup for Irsay, who pushed the city to bid twice for the big game and lobbied fellow owners to give his home city its first Super Bowl.

But as the world turns in Indianapolis, Super Bowl week just happens to come at the most tumultuous time in Indy's ongoing soap opera.

Since finishing 2-14 and earning the first pick in April's draft, Irsay has fired vice chairman Bill Polian, general manager Chris Polian, coach Jim Caldwell and most of Caldwell's assistants. He's hired 39-year-old Ryan Grigson as the new general manager and former Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano as his new coach.

Last week, after Manning went public with his complaints about the dour atmosphere at the team's complex, Irsay retorted with his own public rant -- calling Manning a "politician" and contending he had been "campaigning."

The two tried to put an end to the spat Friday by issuing a joint statement that essentially said they had spoken and reconciled.

It didn't slow the speculation about Manning's future. The September neck surgery that forced Manning to miss the season was his third in 19 months.

Irsay has indicated he won't risk Manning's long-term future by putting an unhealthy quarterback on the field, and even Manning's old friends seem to be concerned about his health.

"It would be hard to get healthy and prove he's healthy before March," former tight end Ken Dilger said referring to the deadline for Indy to pay Manning a $28 million roster bonus or risk losing him as a free agent. "It's going to be hard, really hard."

Daniels and Indy Mayor Greg Ballard both got caught up in the discussion, too, though they managed to stay away from discussing Manning's plans.

"To have Peyton Manning be the caring guy that he is, we are so have lucky to have him, and we are so lucky to have Jim Irsay as an owner," Ballard said. "How all this plays out doesn't really matter to me."

And Irsay contends there's time to discuss all that -- after the Super Bowl.

"Peyton is everything you dream about as an owner, getting that type of player," Irsay said. "I have just been so blessed with all that he's done for this franchise."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-30-Super%20Bowl-Colts-Irsay/id-4cdf4fcbcd834c4cb552c778c055f1d9

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"The Help" gets Oscar boost with big SAG wins (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Civil rights drama "The Help" got a leg up in the Oscar race on Sunday when the movie won three awards from the Screen Actors Guild, including best cast in a surprise over silent movie romance "The Artist."

"The Help," which came into the show with four nominations, more than any other film, also earned its star Viola Davis the SAG award for best actress, while Octavia Spencer was named top supporting actress. They both played maids who face discrimination in the film set in Mississippi during the 1960s.

Davis thanked another African-American actress, Cicely Tyson, who inspired her as a child and was in the audience. Davis talked of dreaming big as a child when she wanted to become an actress. She encouraged others to do so, too.

"Dream big and dream fierce," she said.

Davis also took the opportunity to remind the celebrities in attendance, including A-listers George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Meryl Streep, as well as TV audiences, that change is still necessary in current U.S. culture.

"The stain of racism and sexism is not just for people of color or women," she said. "It's all of our burden. All of us, and we can, absolutely all of us, we can inspire change."

Silent movie "The Artist" could only claim one trophy. Jean Dujardin was named best actor in a drama for his role as a fading screen star at the end of the talkies who is ultimately saved by love.

Dujardin, who beat out Clooney and Pitt in the category, seemed genuinely surprised as he held his statue and thanked SAG. Like Davis, he noted that as a kid he was always a dreamer and said his teachers called him "Jean of the moon."

"I was always dreaming," he said. "I realize now that I never stopped dreaming. Thank you very much."

Others winning SAG film honors included Christopher Plummer for supporting actor. Plummer, 82, who plays an elderly man who reveals his homosexuality, much to the chagrin of his family, thanked his fellow actors from the stage, calling them a wacky but wonderful bunch of artists.

SAG's film awards are closely watched for their impact on Oscars because actors make up the biggest voting group at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences which picks winners. The Academy Awards take place in Los Angeles on February 26.

Coming into the SAG Awards, "The Artist" had been favored by pundits because it has claimed a string of victories in recent weeks at the Golden Globe and Critics Choice honors, as well as among industry groups like the producers and directors guilds.

But pundits may now have to re-calculate their odds back toward "The Help" with its SAG wins. Another key Oscar contender, "The Descendants," was shut out by SAG voters.

TV WINNERS

Unlike academy voters focused on film, SAG members also pick winners in TV awards, and in that arena, "Boardwalk Empire" was named best drama series for the second straight year and "Modern Family was chosen top comedy, also for the second year running.

Jessica Lange took her first SAG trophy for best dramatic actress in new show, "American Horror Story," and Steve Buscemi was named best actor in a drama for critically acclaimed "Boardwalk Empire." Both thanked their cast and crew members.

Alec Baldwin, Betty White and the "Modern Family" were the three TV winners in comedy categories.

The offbeat "Modern Family" claimed its second straight win for best TV comedy, while Baldwin was named best actor in a TV comedy for the sixth year playing a TV executive on "30 Rock," and White, who turned 90 earlier this month, took the comedy actress trophy for a second time in "Hot in Cleveland."

An obviously surprised White acknowledged her co-stars Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick.

The win "belongs with four of us," she said, then looked at her statuette with a gleam in her eye and a joke on her mind. "I'm dealing them right-in with this. I'm not going to let them keep this, but I will let them see it."

In other TV awards, Kate Winslet was named best actress in a small-screen movie or miniseries for "Mildred Pierce," and Paul Giamatti won the trophy for actor in a movie or mini-series with "Too Big to Fail."

Among the humorous moments, three women from raunchy film comedy "Bridesmaids" played a game in which everyone had to take a drink when director Martin Scorsese's name was mentioned. The game became a running joke throughout the show.

And of the more poignant points, Mary Tyler Moore - a star on comedy "The Dick Van Dyke" show in the 1960s, who cemented her fame in the '70s on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and starred in critically acclaimed 1980 movie "Ordinary People" - was given a lifetime achievement honor.

"It means so much, it really does," she told Reuters about her honor backstage.

Asked how she wanted to be remembered for all her accomplishments, she replied in modest fashion. "As a good chum. As somebody who was happy most of the time and took great pride in making people laugh when I was able to pull that off."

Hollywood's biggest film stars including Clooney, Pitt, Jolie and others turned out on the red carpet, as did TV's top talent such as Julianna Margulies, Lea Michelle and others.

As with previous Hollywood honors programs, many of the women showed off low-cut or strapless gowns. Some wore vintage or sequined dresses. Colors - violets, reds and teals - proved popular. The men wore tuxedos or stylish suits with bow ties.

(Reporting By Bob Tourtellotte and Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Stacey Joyce and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/film_nm/us_sagawards

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BP emails reveal company veiling spill rate (AP)

NEW ORLEANS ? On the day the Deepwater Horizon sank, BP officials warned in an internal memo that if the well was not protected by the blow-out preventer at the drill site, crude oil could burst into the Gulf of Mexico at a rate of 3.4 million gallons a day, an amount a million gallons higher than what the government later believed spilled daily from the site.

The email conversation, which BP agreed to release Friday as part of federal court proceedings, suggests BP managers recognized the potential of the disaster in its early hours, and company officials sought to make sure that the model-developed information wasn't shared with outsiders. The emails also suggest BP was having heated discussions with Coast Guard officials over the potential of the oil spill.

The memo was released as part of the court proceedings to determine the division of responsibility for the nation's worst offshore oil disaster, which began when the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20, 2010, killing 11 men about 50 miles southeast of the Louisiana coast. The first phase of the trial is set to start Feb. 27.

BP officials declined to comment on the emails late Friday.

The official amount of oil that flowed from the well was pegged at 206 million gallons from at least April 22 until the well was capped on July 15, a period of 85 days. That's a daily flow rate of about 2.4 million gallons ? two-thirds of the way to BP's projection of what could leak from the well if it was an "open hole." BP has disputed the government's estimates.

Having an accurate flow rate estimate is needed to determine how much in civil and criminal penalties BP and the other companies drilling the well face under the Clean Water Act.

In the memo, a BP official urges not to share the flow-rate projections and refers to the "difficult discussions" the company was having at the time with the Coast Guard.

Gary Imm, a BP manager, told Rob Marshall, BP's subsea manager in the Gulf, to tell the modeler doing the estimates "not to communicate to anyone on this."

"A number of people have been looking at this we already have had difficult discussions with the USCG on the numbers," Imm said in the email string, referring to the Coast Guard and flow estimates.

On April 23, 2010, the Coast Guard, relying on BP's remotely operated vehicles, said no oil was leaking from the well a mile under the sea. A day later, Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry announced that oil was leaking an estimated rate of 42,000 gallons a day. The Coast Guard and BP did not divulge how they reached that figure.

In the second week after the spill, the official flow rate was increased to 210,000 gallons a day, an estimate the government continued to use until May 27.

On May 24, BP informed Congress they used an "undisclosed method to generate much higher figures" than the official estimates, according to a report from a presidential commission investigating the spill. BP estimated that the flow rates were between 210,000 gallons and 1.6 million gallons a day, the January 2011 report said.

As the spill grew into weeks and months, and soiled fishing grounds, beaches and coastal marshes, independent scientists questioned the official flow rates. Eventually, the federal government convened teams of government and independent scientists to determine how much oil leaked out of the well. They came up with an official estimate of about 2.4 million gallons of oil a day on average.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mexico/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_re_us/us_gulf_oil_spill_flow_rate

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How Can Acquiring Wholesale Automotive Components Be ...

Whatever be the kind of automobile you possess, you?ll want to make arrangements for typical routine maintenance to make sure its extended gouldswinery.com life. In the event the worn out areas are replaced immediately, your car will proceed to operate smoothly for years to come. But, when a automobile breaks down instantly, you?ve no other possibility than to take it to a mechanic. Only they?ve got many of the spare areas in stock to replace the damaged or harmed blog types. How can you just like the concept of stocking the essential automotive areas at your resource shed? By performing this you could take treatment belonging to the minor don and tears belonging to the automobile all by yourself.

For stocking your resource shed with spare automotive components and gears, you?ll want to earliest pick out a great keep to obtain the spare components from. As of late you can make an online obtain. In the event you have spare automotive areas in bulk you?ll want to search for the keep that offers wholesale fees. Wholesale choosing has twofold advantages ? it will be affordable and it assures that you simply have many of the spare areas you may need. So, when there exists a sudden breakdown belonging to the automobile, you don?t waste time in searching for the ideal components. Never make haste in choosing spare areas; in any other case madeleine.ablein.com you could possibly finish up spending loads of dollars in choosing the incorrect types. This saves loads of hassles of getting to go to a mechanic?s shop for minor restore careers.

As of late you could look for plenty of automotive areas sellers offering used or second-hand components of automobile. This sort of areas are frequently easy to set up as well as cost considerably lower than the brand new components. Pay a visit to a reputed keep and spend money on used auto components at wholesale premiums. While you don?t should compromise to the excellent belonging to the automotive areas, you will save a substantial amount of money with the set up of those automotive areas. It is because the set up of used components is usually simpler compared to new types.

Viking Automobile Salvag make available interesting premiums and deals on wholesale choosing. In the event you stay in Minneapolis and so are thinking about choosing spare areas for ones automobile, you have to head to the store. They?ve over a hundred,000 cleaned, examined, recycled automobile components within their stock.

Automotive Areas St. Paul MN ? Will you be looking for the reputed wholesaler of automotive areas? St. Paul MN based Viking Automobile Salvage is a keep which has the biggest stock of spare auto components.

Source: http://www.tivali.biz/how-can-acquiring-wholesale-automotive-components-be-economical/

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Dana White calls out Internet hackers, they respond by releasing his alleged personal info

CHICAGO -- The war is on between the UFC and Internet hackers.

On Sunday, UFC.com was re-routed several times to the website UGnazi. The site's organizers, who White called terrorists several times during the "UFC on Fox 2" press conference, said the hacking of UFC.com is a result of the company's support of SOPA and PIPA. The wide-ranging bills are aimed at stopping online piracy.

White lashed out at the hackers.

Update: White dug in deeper during a conversation with The Score's Mauro Ranallo (13:30 mark).

"Keep hacking our site, do it again. Do it tonight," said White. "These guys look like terrorists now and a bill that was about to die, is about to come back."

The hacker taking credit for the UFC hit, @joshthgod, went a different route after the challenge, posting White's personal info, including a Social Security number, a list of residential addresses, a vehicle identification number and a personal phone number.

That followed a tweet that said White is now the target.

"@danawhite We don't want your site anymore. We are going after YOU! Follow me for tonights exciting events! #ufc #sopa #acta #pipa,"

[Related: Why SOPA, PIPA aren't answer to MMA's piracy problem]

White said the hackers are only hurting their own cause by alerting politicians that there's a serious issue. He's willing to risk his own safety to stop the online pilfering.

"Is SOPA the perfect bill? No, it's not. The only thing that we're focused on is piracy. Piracy is stealing. If you walk into a store and you steal a gold watch, it's the same as stealing a pay-per-view. I don't care what your twisted, demented idea of stealing is," White said. "These kids who grew up on the Internet never had to pay for anything, so they don't think that you should have to."

White closed by saying he's not afraid of the Internet, it's where cowards live.

Other popular content on the Yahoo! network:
? ThePostGame: George Clooney's bewildering Olympic ticket dilemma
? Wetzel: Rob Lowe's tweet sparks feud between Peyton Manning and Colts owner
? Video: NFL's breakout stars set to shine in Pro Bowl
? Work + Money: Why one parent should stay at home

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/dana-white-calls-internet-hackers-respond-releasing-personal-142312772.html

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Pentagon: Army, Marines to shrink as budget slows (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The Pentagon outlined a plan Thursday for slowing the growth of military spending, including cutting the size of the Army and Marine Corps, retiring older planes and trimming war costs. It drew quick criticism from Republicans, signaling the difficulty of scaling back defense budgets in an election year.

The changes Defense Secretary Leon Panetta described at a news conference are numerous but hardly dramatic. They aim to save money by delaying some big-ticket weapons like a next-generation nuclear-armed submarine, but the basic shape and structure of the military remains the same.

The Army would shrink from a peak of 570,000 to 490,000 within five years, and the Marines would drop by 20,000, to 182,000. Those are considerable declines, but both services will still be slightly larger than on 9/11, before they began a decade of war. Both will keep their footholds abroad, although the Army will decrease its presence in Europe and the Marines plan to increase theirs in Asia.

Panetta said the administration will ask Congress for $525 billion to run the Pentagon in 2013 ? $6 billion less than the current budget. War costs, which are not considered part of the base budget, would decline from $115 billion to $88 billion, reflecting the completion of the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.

The base budget would then increase in each year of the Pentagon's five-year plan, reaching $567 billion in 2017. A year ago the Pentagon had projected 2017 spending to reach $622 billion. The Pentagon counts those reductions in projected future spending as "defense savings."

When Obama took office in January 2009 the Pentagon's base budget was $513 billion. In 2001 it was $297 billion.

Under a budget deficit-cutting deal Congress made last summer, the Pentagon is committed to reducing projected spending by $487 billion over the next 10 years. The plan Panetta presented Thursday covers the first five years of that span and would cut a cumulative total of $259 billion in planned spending.

"We believe this is a balanced and complete package," Panetta said.

In a bid to pre-empt election-year Republican criticism, Panetta said the plan begins to shift the Pentagon's focus from the long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to future challenges in Asia, the Mideast and in cyberspace. More special operations forces like the Navy SEALs who killed Osama bin Laden will be available around the world, he said, and the Pentagon will stress improvements in cyberdefenses.

Republicans were quick to pounce on the proposed Army and Marine Corps reductions.

"These cuts reflect President Obama's vision of an America that is weakened, not strengthened, by our men and women in uniform," said Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.

McKeon voted for the bill last August that established the requirement for $487 billion in defense savings over five years.

"Taking us back to a pre-9/11 military force structure places our country in grave danger," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee that will hold hearings on the Pentagon budget plan.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said the Panetta plan "ignores the lessons of history." He said it provides for a military that is "too small to respond effectively to events that may unfold over the next few years."

The military's top general, however, defended the administration's approach. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he is convinced that the risks raised by cutting the size of the military are manageable. He said failing to make these changes would have meant even bigger risks.

"This budget is a first step ? it's a down payment ? as we transition from an emphasis on today's wars to preparing for future challenges," he said, adding, "This budget does not lead to a military in decline."

Among other details Panetta disclosed:

--The Air Force would retire some older planes including about two dozen C-5A cargo aircraft and 65 of its oldest C-130 cargo planes.

-- The Navy would keep a fleet of 11 aircraft carriers but retire seven cruisers earlier than planned. It also would delay purchase of some other ships, including a new Virginia-class submarine.

--Purchase of F-35 stealth fighter jets, to be fielded by the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, would be slowed.

--Current plans for building a new generation of submarines that carry long-range nuclear missiles would be delayed by two years. The current fleet of nuclear-capable bombers and land-based nuclear missiles would be left unchanged.

--Military pay raises will remain on track until 2015, when the pace of increase will be slowed by an undetermined amount.

--Obama will ask Congress to approve a new round of domestic base closures, although the timing of this was left vague and there is little chance that lawmakers would agree to this in a presidential election year.

The defense spending plan is scheduled to be submitted to Congress as part of the administration's full 2013 budget on Feb. 13.

The defense budget is being reshaped in the midst of a presidential contest in which Obama seeks to portray himself as a forward-looking commander in chief focusing on new security threats. Republicans want to cast him as weak on defense.

Obama has highlighted his national security successes ? the killing of bin Laden, the death of other senior al-Qaida leaders and the demise of Libya's Moammar Gadhafi ? to counter Republican criticism. He also has emphasized the completion of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq and the start of a drawdown in Afghanistan as turning points that offer new opportunities to scale back defense spending.

But several congressional Republicans see a political opening in challenging the reductions in projected military spending that the GOP and Obama agreed to last summer as part of a deal to raise the nation's borrowing authority. They've echoed Obama's potential presidential rivals Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, who plead for fiscal austerity but contend that sizable cuts would gut the military.

___

Associated Press writers Donna Cassata, Lolita C. Baldor and Kimberly Dozier contributed to this report.

___

Robert Burns can be reached on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/robertburnsAP

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_defense_budget

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Health Tip: Manage Pain During Childbirth (HealthDay)

(HealthDay News) -- Pain is a virtual certainty during childbirth, but there are ways to ease the discomfort without medication.

The womenshealth.gov website mentions these no-medication possibilities:

• Practicing relaxation and breathing techniques.
• Relaxing in a warm shower or bath, or getting a gentle massage.
• Receiving hot and cold therapy, including placing a cool washcloth on the forehead or a heating pad on the lower back.
• Seeking the care and support of a doula, nurse or loved one.
• Trying various positions to get more comfortable, from crouching to walking.
• Listening to soothing music.
• Using a labor ball.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/meds/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120128/hl_hsn/healthtipmanagepainduringchildbirth

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Voters of Minnesota ??? Please Don't Inflict Michele Bachmann on Us Again (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | I guess everybody needs a job. Michele Bachmann, after folding her hand in a presidential bid, said in an Associated Press interview she'll be seeking a fourth term in the House of Representatives. Let's hope Minnesota knows better now. If it's a job she needs, let her be a spokeswoman for a marketable business, but she has no place in government.

After winning the Iowa straw poll in the summer, Bachmann went on to devalue herself as a viable presidential candidate by bashing vaccines, siding with those who claim vaccines cause mental retardation. Fortunately, established pediatricians fact-checked her statements in an NPR report.

The day Bachmann joined the ranks of those who all-too-easily confuse commonality with causation, she effectively eliminated herself as a good candidate for the office of the American president, even when she went on to try and backpedal away from previous statements about alleged dangers of vaccines, as reported on The Ticket.

It's not just her position on vaccines. She also demonstrated her personal bigotry toward the gay community on a number of times. One which she is most famous for is her encounter with a high school asking if she'd protect a segment of society's right to pursue their own happiness. Her response in this video from TheBlaze.com was pathetic and specious in claiming gay people are asking for "extra rights." Her disregard for those who do not share her personal belief systems was evident from that point on.

We can all hope Minnesota voters realize Bachmann is not qualified to have a vote in their government's decisions and functions. For someone to hold a public office, wherein much trust and power is laid at their feet, they need to be quite a bit more than an admittedly pretty face.

We would hope someone in office is able to logically process facts and data so as to make intelligent and wise decisions. Bachmann has proven she cannot.

Please, voters of Minnesota, do not let her have any say in the government serving the rest of us too. While most Christians I know are just fine -- once you get to know them -- the last thing America needs is a gaggle of Dominionists trying to decide what direction the country goes. And Bachmann has demonstrated herself time and again -- as a Dominionist.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120125/pl_ac/10883023_voters_of_minnesota__please_dont_inflict_michele_bachmann_on_us_again

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Delta diverts polar flights due to solar storm

Tue Jan 24, 2012 3:56pm EST

(Reuters) - Delta Air Lines was diverting some flights on polar routes between Detroit and Asia to avoid disruptions to aircraft communications by a strong solar radiation storm, the airline said on Tuesday.

The storm, considered the strongest since 2005, has caused minor disruptions for U.S. airlines, and Delta said it altered routes for "a handful" of flights, and that the changes were adding about 15 minutes to travel times.

"We are undergoing a series of solar bursts in the sky that are impacting the northern side of the world," Delta spokesman Anthony Black said.

"It can impact your ability to communicate," he said. "So, basically, the polar routes are being flown further south than normal."

United Airlines spokesman Mike Trevino said the carrier diverted one flight on Monday because of the storm, but none on Tuesday.

American Airlines reported no operational impact due to solar flares but that it is monitoring the atmosphere, spokesman Ed Martelle said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a press release on Monday that it had issued a watch on Sunday for "a geomagnetic storm associated with a bright flare on the sun."

NOAA said it also issued a warning for solar radiation storming, which can affect communication systems at high latitudes, satellites in space and rocket launches. NOAA said it was the strongest solar radiation storm since 2005.

(Reporting By Kyle Peterson; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/scienceNews/~3/aHe-kN9_mxg/us-delta-idUSTRE80N28I20120124

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FBI: Conn. cops behaved like 'bullies with badges'

By Jonathan Dienst, Joe Valiquette and Shimon Prokupecz, NBCNewYork.com

Updated at 1:13 p.m. ET:

The three officers and one sergeant on the East Haven Police Department accused of assaulting Latino suspects and residents while on patrol ?behaved like bullies with badges,? an FBI investigator told NBC News on Tuesday.

FBI agents arrested the four men, including the president of the local police union, on charges they terrorized individuals and drummed up false reports to cover up abuses in a Connecticut suburb where a federal probe uncovered episodes of misery inflicted on the Latino community.?

?The four police officers charged today allegedly formed a cancerous cadre that routinely deprived East Haven residents of their civil rights,? FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Janice K. Fedarcyk told NBC News.? ?The public should not need protection from those sworn to protect and serve.? In simple terms, these defendants behaved like bullies with badges.?

Read complete coverage at NBCConnecticut.com

The East Haven Police Department has been under scrutiny for months amid allegations some officers mistreat people of color.

?The serious crimes alleged in the indictment undermine the public?s trust in the fine men and women of law enforcement who serve the people bravely and with integrity every day,? U.S. Attorney David Fein told NBC News.??

The indictment alleges more than 30 overt acts by the four defendants ? Dennis Spaulding, David Cari, Jason Zullo and Sgt. John Miller -- and others in furtherance of the conspiracy, including:

• A July 2007 incident during which Miller and another officer used unreasonable force against a victim in the vicinity of the Saltonstall Parkway;???
• A November 2008 incident during which Spaulding used excessive force against an individual in the parking lot of a Latino-owned restaurant and bar. Spaulding then arrested the individual under false pretenses to cover-up the assault and prepared a false report to justify the false arrest;
• A January 2009 incident in the same parking lot during which Spaulding and Zullo arrested three individuals under false pretenses and with Miller and Cari present. Zullo then used excessive force against two of the individuals in the EHPD station, and Spaulding prepared a false report to justify the arrests;
• A February 2009 incident during which Spaulding, Cari and other officers illegally searched a vehicle parked outside of a Latino-owned grocery store. Inside the store, Cari and Spaulding, under Miller?s supervision, then arrested a religious leader, who is also an advocate for Latinos, on false pretenses. At Miller?s direction, Cari, Spaulding, Zullo and others conducted an illegal search of the back room of the store in an effort to unlawfully seize the store?s video recording equipment. In the days following the arrest, Cari drafted various false versions of an arrest report to cover up the false arrest of the religious leader. In the months following the incident, Spaulding engaged in behavior intended to intimidate the religious leader and others;
• A January 2010 incident during which Miller used excessive force against an individual in the vicinity of Thompson Avenue, and then reprimanded a fellow officer who witnessed the assault and reported it to a supervisory sergeant;
• Intimidation and harassment of East Haven Police Commissioners who were attempting to investigate the arrest of the religious leader and other alleged misconduct involving Miller; Intimidation of EHPD personnel, including threatening statements about an EHPD officer who was believed to be cooperating in an investigation of EHPD.

Earlier:

The FBI arrested three police officers and one sergeant in Connecticut for allegedly mistreating Hispanic suspects and residents while on patrol, law enforcement officials said.?

Three East Haven police officers and the sergeant were taken into custody early Tuesday and are expected to be arraigned in federal court in Bridgeport later on the civil rights-related charges, the officials said.

The officers were?identified as Dennis Spaulding, David Cari, Jason Zullo and Sgt. John Miller.

Connecticut U.S. Attorney spokesman Tom Carson confirmed the arrests and said the charges would be outlined at a news conference in Bridgeport later Tuesday morning.

The East Haven Police Department has been under scrutiny for months amid allegations some officers mistreat people of color.

The arrests come weeks after the Justice Department issued a report saying some members of the department intentionally targeted Latinos for enforcement and traffic stops, and that there may have been efforts to cover up the alleged misconduct.

The Justice Department also found "serious deficiencies" in how the department is managed, officials told NBC New York.

Rev. James Manship is among those who worked to document what he said was harassment of Latino businesses by police for no apparent reason. Manship was arrested and locked up while videotaping one arrest. He was later released.?

Click here to read the original story on NBCNewYork.com

The former chief of the East Haven Police has denied his department systematically engaged in any wrongdoing. But he acknowledged certain members of the department were being investigated.

The New York FBI joined in the investigation to avoid any appearance of a conflict by the FBI Connecticut, which works closely with local police departments. An FBI New York spokesman declined to comment.?

There was no immediate comment from an East Haven police department spokesperson either.

Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy commented on the allegations of racial profiling last week, saying, "As governor, I will continue to insist that every effort is taken to protect individual rights in every community,and that racial profiling is eliminated.?

Some residents and civil rights groups have held vigils and rallies to protest the alleged police misconduct. Previous news reports suggested as many as 15 officers were under scrutiny for alleged misconduct.

Connecticut U.S. Attorney spokesman Tom Carson confirmed the arrests and said the charges would be outlined at a news conference in Bridgeport later Tuesday morning.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/24/10223802-fbi-arrests-4-conn-cops-for-alleged-racial-profiling

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`Underworld' slays the box office with $25.3M (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? Kate Beckinsale returned to the "Underworld" as the vampire warrior Selene and helped propel the fourth film in the franchise, "Underworld Awakening," to a first-place debut with $25.3 million. Last week's No. 1 movie, the thriller "Contraband," fell to third place with just over $12 million.

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com are:

1. "Underworld Awakening," Sony Screen Gems, $25,306,725, 3078 locations, $8,222 average, $25,306,725, one week.

2. "Red Tails," Fox, $18,782,154, 2512 locations, $7,477 average, $18,782,154, one week.

3. "Contraband," Universal, $12,039,605, 2870 locations, $4,195 average, $45,937,525, two weeks.

4. "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," Warner Bros., $10,045,332, 2630 locations, $4,083 average, $10,737,239, five weeks.

5. "Beauty and the Beast," Disney, $8,779,676, 2625 locations, $3,345, $33,588,056, two weeks.

6. "Haywire," Relativity Media, $8,425,370, 2439 locations, $3,454 average, $8,425,370, one week.

7. "Joyful Noise," Warner Bros., $5,917,437, 2735 locations, $2,164 average, $21,745,419, two weeks.

8. "Mission: Impossible ? Ghost Protocol," Paramount, $5,554,254, 2519 locations, $2,205 average, $197,363,441, six weeks.

9. "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," Warner Bros., $4,515,497, 2485 locations, $1,817 average, $178,321,726, six weeks.

10. "The Iron Lady," Weinstein Co., $3,684,279, 1076 locations, $3,424 average, $12,585,958, four weeks.

11. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," Sony, $3,528,514, 1907 locations, $1,850 average, $94,553,582, five weeks.

12. "War Horse," Disney, $3,150,502, 2525 locations, $1,248 average, $72,285,180, five weeks.

13. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked," Fox, $3,076,168, 2070 locations, $1,486 average, $124,682,205, six weeks.

14. "We Bought a Zoo," Fox, $2,783,440, 2065 locations, $1,348 average, $69,565,025, five weeks.

15. "The Devil Inside," Paramount, $2,668,865, 2207 locations, $1,209 average, $51,289,972, three weeks.

16. "The Descendants," Fox Searchlight, $2,372,298, 560 locations, $4,236 average, $51,259,658, 10 weeks.

17. "The Artist," Weinstein Co., $2,371,803, 662 locations, $3,583 average, $12,119,718, nine weeks.

18. "The Adventures of Tintin," Paramount, $2,218,841, 1340 locations, $1,656 average, $72,321,006, five weeks.

19. "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," Focus Features, $1,763,380, 731 locations, $2,412 average, $18,328,977, seven weeks.

20. "Hugo," Paramount, $937,620, 650 locations, $1,442 average, $55,887,402, nine weeks.

___

Online:

http://www.hollywood.com

___

Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_en_mo/us_box_office

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Acer's Aspire One 722 kitted with HSPA+, sold by AT&T

Sleek and svelte Ultrabooks and tablets might have stolen the limelight from ye old netbook, but that doesn't mean the less glamorous category is completely bereft of all signs of life. Take for example, Acer's Aspire One 722. Sure, the 1GHz AMD C-50 powered, Radeon HD 6250 wielding netbook's internals got more pizzazz in an updated Europe-only edition, but that didn't stop AT&T from taking the original and giving it a new beginning thanks to shiny new internal WWAN module. Up-to-date silicon it is not, but it could be yours for just $40 a month -- provided you sign your life away on a two-year, 3GB per month, contract. Or alternatively, the HSPA+ redux can be had for the unsubsidized price of $450. Decisions, decisions. Pull the trigger at the source link below.

Acer's Aspire One 722 kitted with HSPA+, sold by AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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China: Overseas groups distort truth about unrest (AP)

BEIJING ? China on Tuesday accused overseas advocacy groups of twisting the truth about unrest in a politically sensitive Tibetan region in order to undermine the government.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said order has been restored in Luhuo county in southwestern China after a clash Monday between police and Tibetans that left one Tibetan dead and four others injured.

Five police were also injured in the clash, Hong said. He called the Tibetans involved in the violence in Sichuan province's Ganzi prefecture a "mob" and said authorities will act firmly to fight crime and maintain order.

"Overseas forces of 'Tibet independence' have always fabricated rumors and distorted the truth to discredit the Chinese government with issues involving Tibet," Hong said in remarks carried by the official Xinhua News Agency.

The unrest comes amid high tensions following the self-immolations of at least 16 Buddhist monks, nuns and other Tibetans in the past year. Most have chanted for Tibetan freedom and the return of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who fled to India amid an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.

Ganzi is a rugged, deeply Buddhist region filled with monasteries that has been at the center of dissent for years. It is among the traditionally Tibetan areas of Sichuan province and other parts of western China that have been closed to outsiders for months amid a massive security presence.

Tibet activist groups and witnesses said police opened fire on protesters in Monday's violence in Luhuo. The London-based International Campaign for Tibet said three Tibetans were killed and nine wounded, while another group, Free Tibet, said one died and up to 30 others were shot and wounded in Luhuo, also known as Draggo in Tibetan.

A Tibetan monk from Shouling monastery in Luhuo said in a phone interview that police fired at about 10,000 protesters, killing one Tibetan farmer and injuring 32.

"The protesters just want peace and religious freedom," said the monk who would not give his name out of fear of government retaliation. He said the demonstrators were mostly local Tibetan residents plus a few monks and Han Chinese residents.

"Today it is quiet here, but we can see police patrolling around the government offices and the monasteries," he said.

Tuesday was a holiday for the Lunar New Year and calls to the local government and Communist Party offices rang unanswered.

Xinhua said more than 100 people, including monks, gathered to attack a police station after hearing rumors that three monks would set themselves on fire.

It said some were armed with knives and hurled stones as they smashed two police vehicles and two fire engines and stormed nearby shops.

In a sign of the government's sensitivity over the unrest, state-controlled domestic media did not report it. Hong's remarks were carried only by Xinhua's English-language service and were not posted on the Foreign Ministry's website.

Many Tibetans resent Beijing's heavy-handed rule and the large-scale migration of China's ethnic Han majority to the Himalayan region. While China claims Tibet has been under its rule for centuries, many Tibetans say the region was functionally independent for most of that time.

___

Gillian Wong can be reached on http://twitter.com/gillianwong

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_re_as/as_china_tibet

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Strong start for stocks, but what's changed? (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Stocks rising, bulls rampant are motifs you might pick if designing a coat of arms for Wall Street at the moment. But the motto should read: Caveat emptor. Yes, buyer beware.

The S&P 500, a broad measure of the market valuation of the biggest U.S. publicly traded companies, is up 20 percent from its October closing low. It keeps climbing on a mixed bag of fourth-quarter earnings, improving U.S. economic data, and easing credit conditions in Europe. It now stands at its highest level since early last August.

We have already seen what is probably the first upgrade of a target level for the index this year courtesy of Credit Suisse.

The CBOE Volatility Index, or VIX (.VIX), a measure of what investors are paying to protect themselves against the risk of losses, is at its lowest level in seven months.

So it raises the question: Is this another Jackson Hole moment for risk assets?

At the Wyoming retreat in late August 2010, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke sparked what was the second major leg of the stock market's rally from bear market lows the year before.

Is this the start of the third?

FRIENDLIER FOOTING FOR STOCKS

For Andrew Garthwaite, the Credit Suisse analyst behind the firm's more bullish stance, there are big changes afoot that are creating a more benign environment for stocks.

First, the European Central Bank's long-term repo operations are succeeding in reducing stresses in the region's banking sector. This week, three-month dollar Libor, the cost at which European banks can borrow dollars, marked its ninth straight day of declines.

Analysts say heavy cash infusions from the European Central Bank since late last year and signs of revived willingness to lend by U.S. investors in the new year show the banking system is flush with cash.

The U.S. economy is looking stronger than thought, with notable movement in the long-dormant housing market, where sales of previously owned homes just rose to an 11-month high.

In China, the engine of global growth whose manufacturing sector has been showing worrying signs of slowing, policymakers have demonstrated willingness to make conditions easier by lowering banks' reserve requirements.

"As we approach our year-end target two weeks into January, we have to ask ourselves the following questions: What has changed? Will equities rally further?," Garthwaite said in a research note.

His answer to the second question was yes. Credit Suisse raised its year-end S&P 500 target to 1,400 from 1,340. Critically, however, the firm did not overweight equities, saying the risks of a more severe recession in Europe and a slowdown stateside were still there.

HEALTHY DOSE OF SKEPTICISM

For Nicholas Colas, chief market strategist at the ConvergEx Group in New York, the rally remains largely untested. More scary headlines from Europe or any signs that the global economy is deteriorating could spark a sharp reversal.

Heading into the weekend, Greece was closing in on an initial deal with private bondholders that would prevent it from tumbling into a chaotic default. Creditors faced to 70 percent of the loans they have given to Athens.

"It's a confidence-based rally with the overhang of several still meaningful events to come," Colas said. "It is all well and good to say that the Greek default is well understood, but we haven't gone through it."

Outside the United States, there are mixed signals from the global economy, too.

China's factory activity likely fell for a third successive month in January. The HSBC flash manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI), the earliest indicator of China's industrial activity, stood below 50.

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index (.BADI), which tracks rates to ship dry commodities and can be a useful gauge of economic activity, fell to its lowest level in three years on Friday on a growing surplus of vessels and a slump in cargo demand.

That is at odds with the work of RBC technical analyst Robert Sluymer. He sees growing outperformance of industrial metal copper to the safe-haven bet of gold as well as an upturn in a basket of Asian currencies as a bullish sign for the economy.

The caution generated by the mismatches in the various data points is perhaps reflected in by U.S. interest rates.

The yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury note has hovered at 2 percent or just below for the last month despite a brief spike in mid-December. That suggests bondholders are not eagerly embracing the improving economy thesis for the moment.

"There is still a lot of skepticism about recovery, about moving into risk assets, about a lot of things," Colas said.

"If you really wanted to believe this about incrementally economic certainty and expansion ... I would have thought you'd expect to see the 10-year back over 2 percent."

EARNINGS, DATA AND THE FED

A blitz of earnings and economic indicators next week will provide an important gauge of the economy's health.

What's more, the Federal Reserve's policymakers will convene their first meeting of the year with a two-day session that starts on Tuesday. The Federal Open Market Committee, the Fed's rate-setting panel, will release its policy statement on Wednesday. No fireworks are expected, but a decision to release individual policymakers' interest-rate forecasts could alter expectations for rates on the margins.

Monday will start one of the two most hectic weeks of the earnings season. Marquee names due to report earnings on Monday include Texas Instruments Inc (TXN.O) and Halliburton Co (HAL.N), followed by Apple Inc (AAPL.O), DuPont (DD.N), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N), McDonald's Corp (MCD.N), Verizon Communications (VZ.N) and Yahoo! Inc (YHOO.O) - all on Tuesday.

Boeing (BA.N), ConocoPhillips (COP.N) and United Technologies (UTX.N) are set to release results on Wednesday. Thursday's earnings line-up includes 3M Co (MMM.N), AT&T Inc (T.N), Starbucks (SBUX.O) and Time Warner Cable Inc (TWC.N). On Friday, earnings are expected from Chevron Corp (CVX.N), Honeywell International (HON.N) and Procter & Gamble Co. (PG.N)

In the coming week, economic indicators to watch will include December pending home sales data, a key measure of the housing market, on Wednesday as well as the latest weekly claims for jobless benefits on Thursday. December durable goods orders and new home sales for December also will be released on Thursday.

The week will wrap up with the Commerce Department's first look at fourth-quarter U.S. gross domestic product and the final reading for January on consumer sentiment from Reuters and the University of Michigan.

In terms of companies beating expectations, fourth-quarter earnings season has not been as good as previous ones. Of the approximately 70 companies in the S&P 500 that have reported earnings so far, 60 percent have exceeded analysts' estimates, according to Thomson Reuters data.

In comparison, in the third quarter at this early point in the reporting cycle, 68 percent had beaten Wall Street's forecasts - well below the 78 percent in that category in the second quarter, Thomson Reuters data showed.

There have also been some high-profile misses on both revenue and earnings.

General Electric Co's (GE.N) fourth-quarter revenue fell short of Wall Street's expectations, with Europe's weakening economy and weak appliance sales the main culprits.

On the other hand, banks' earnings have served as a positive catalyst for the stock market so far. The sector has been one of the market's leaders despite mixed earnings, a sign that investors' worst fears did not materialize.

(Reporting By Edward Krudy; Editing by Jan Paschal.)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120121/bs_nm/us_usa_stocks_weekahead

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Teacher and educator reactions to Apple?s iBooks 2, iBooks Author, and iTunes U

At Apple’s education event they announced two initiatives: iBooks 2 and iBooks Author designed to bring textbooks into the digital age, and an all new iTunes U to create and

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

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Five lessons learned from the South Carolina primary (Washington Post)

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Johnny Otis of 'Willie and the Hand Jive' dies (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? Johnny Otis, the "godfather of rhythm and blues" who wrote and recorded the R&B classic "Willie and the Hand Jive" and for decades evangelized black music to white audiences as a bandleader and radio host, has died. He was 90.

Otis, who had been in poor health for several years, died at his home in the Los Angeles foothill suburb of Altadena on Tuesday, said his manager, Terry Gould.

Otis, who was white, was born John Veliotes to Greek immigrants and grew up in a black section of Berkeley, where he said he identified far more with black culture than his own. As a teenager, he changed his name because he thought Johnny Otis sounded more black.

"As a kid, I decided that if our society dictated that one had to be black or white, I would be black," he once explained.

His musical tastes clearly reflected that adopted culture and even after he became famous, his dark skin and hair often led audiences and club promoters to assume he was black like his band mates.

Otis was leading his own band in 1945 when he scored his first big hit, "Harlem Nocturne." In 1950, 10 of his songs made Billboard Magazine's R&B chart. His "Willie and the Hand Jive" sold more than 1.5 million copies and was covered years later by Eric Clapton.

He later wrote "Every Beat of My Heart," which was a hit for Gladys Knight & the Pips.

But the influence of Otis was felt most through his ability to recognize and promote talent. He wove into his bands such diverse and legendary R&B vocalists as Etta James, Hank Ballard, Big Mama Thornton and The Robins, the latter a group that would evolve into the Coasters.

He produced Thornton's original recording of "Hound Dog," a song that would later become an even bigger hit for Elvis Presley.

"His band shows a different style on pretty much every new recording," said Piero Scaruffi, author of "A History of Rock Music, 1951-2000." "The reason is that Otis did not force his personality on others but worked with the personality of the others. He may not have been a great composer or performer himself, but he was an impressive conductor."

Otis launched his professional music career as an 18-year-old drummer for bawdy barrelhouse pianist Count Otis Matthews, although he had never played the drums until then.

Matthews instructed him to simply pound out the syncopated "shave and a haircut, six bits" beat that would become the backbone of early rock `n' roll. His mastery of it soon proved his ticket to other bands and eventually to headlining his own group.

Otis saw himself as curator of black popular music, which for him represented much more than a diversion or livelihood. His cross-country R&B reviews and his radio and television appearances were dedicated to delivering black music to white audiences.

"The music isn't just the notes, it's the culture ? the way grandma cooked, the way grandpa told stories, the way the kids walked and talked," he once said.

While he always returned to playing music, in later years touring with his sons Shuggie and Nicky, Otis' eclectic interests also included politics, art and organic food.

He worked for years as deputy chief of staff to state Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally when Dymally served in the Assembly, state Senate, as lieutenant governor and as a congressman.

In later years, Otis spent much of his time painting and sculpting. He also opened an organic grocery store in Sebastopol in the early 1990s to sell his son Nicky's vegetables, decorating the store with his own colorful murals.

Although he had little success selling groceries, he did draw large crowds to the market every Friday and Saturday night when he performed there with his band.

"It was a smashing success," Gould said. "You had to make reservations three weeks ahead. It was amazing."

Otis also had a regular show playing records on the nonprofit Pacifica Radio Network's stations until failing health prompted him to retire in 2005.

In addition to his sons, Otis is survived by his wife, Phyllis, whom he married in 1941; daughters Janet and Laura; and several grandchildren.

__

Former Associated Press writer Andrew Glazer contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_en_mu/us_obit_otis

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Luke Bryan, Eric Church to headline ACM concerts

FILE - In this Nov. 9, 2011 file photo, Luke Bryan arrives at the 45th Annual CMA Awards in Nashville, Tenn. Bryan and Eric Church will perform March 30-31 at the Fremont Street Experience, the popular sixth annual show that's free to the public. Bryan will headline Friday's show and Church will handle Saturday. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, file)

FILE - In this Nov. 9, 2011 file photo, Luke Bryan arrives at the 45th Annual CMA Awards in Nashville, Tenn. Bryan and Eric Church will perform March 30-31 at the Fremont Street Experience, the popular sixth annual show that's free to the public. Bryan will headline Friday's show and Church will handle Saturday. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, file)

FILE - In this Nov. 9, 2011 file photo, singer Eric Church arrives at the 45th Annual CMA Awards in Nashville. Church and Luke Bryan will perform March 30-31 at the Fremont Street Experience, the popular sixth annual show that's free to the public. Bryan will headline Friday's show and Church will handle Saturday. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, file)

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) ? Two of country music's hottest rising stars will headline The Academy of Country Music's annual weekend concerts in Las Vegas this year.

Luke Bryan and Eric Church will perform March 30-31 at the Fremont Street Experience, the popular sixth annual show that's free to the public. Bryan will headline Friday's show and Church will handle Saturday. The rest of the lineup will be announced later.

The ACM Awards follow on April 1, live from the MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay on CBS. Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton host.

Bryan and Church are coming off the most successful years of their careers. Church's "CHIEF" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 all genre chart, and Bryan's "tailgates & tanlines" hit No. 2.

___

Online:

http://www.acmcountry.com

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-01-20-Music-Bryan-Church/id-cc370712198d46c7b71d5d14fe2e324a

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Gingrich angrily rejects marital question at raucous debate (reuters)

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White House says Obama's health overhaul on track

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama's health care overhaul is on track in many states, the White House asserted Wednesday. But officials said the administration is preparing a federal backstop anyway for states in which opposition to the new law has blocked planning.

The law calls for states to build new health insurance markets called exchanges, so that millions of middle-class people who are currently uninsured can buy taxpayer-subsidized private coverage. It also expands eligibility for Medicaid so low-income adults who have no dependent children can get government insurance. Putting the two approaches together, more than 30 million Americans are expected to gain coverage starting in 2014.

But 26 states are asking the Supreme Court to overturn the health care law, and many of those have made little progress in planning their exchanges, even though the deadline clock is ticking. The law says state plans must be approved by January 1, 2013 ? a year in advance of the program's launch ? or the federal government will step in and run things.

"No matter where you live, on January 1, 2014, an exchange will be up and running," deputy chief of staff Nancy-Ann DeParle said on the White House blog.

An accompanying progress report said 28 states and Washington, D.C., are "on their way" toward establish exchanges, widely considered the operational linchpin of the health care law.

With a presidential election and Supreme Court decision on the fate the health care law coming first this year, 2014 seems like a long way off even if Obama's signature domestic accomplishment is upheld. But to federal and state officials planning for exchanges, time is short. A totally new marketplace must be created, along with systems for verifying and safeguarding confidential personal information used to determine eligibility.

The White House report put a rosy outlook on the progress in some states.

For example, the report highlighted Idaho among states advancing. Republican Gov. Butch Otter strongly supports a state-run exchange, and his administration has received a $20-million federal grant to start work. But the legislature has to approve the actual spending of the money, and Republican foes of the federal health care overhaul are trying to block Otter from moving ahead. The issue is one of the most highly contested in this year's legislative session.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-18-Health%20Overhaul/id-af3bfa93e70648c5bee6f22f6bb908ef

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