Ocean motion could be 9 percent of U.S. electricity

Georgia Institute of Technology / DOE

A map generated by Georgia Tech's tidal energy resource database shows mean current speed of tidal streams.

By John Roach

Next-generation technologies that harvest electricity from ocean waves and tides sloshing along the U.S. coasts could provide about 9 percent of the nation's demand by 2030, according to a pair of recent studies.

The findings, which include maps of these ocean energy resources, should help guide companies looking to develop them.

"We have believed for a long time that the resource was significant and these assessments add a tremendous level of confidence what that potential is," Mike Reed, water power team lead with the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind and Water Program told me Monday.?

Today, about 6 percent of the nation's electricity comes from traditional hydropower projects, such as the Grand Coulee Dam, that direct the flow of the river through turbines to generate power.

Since such dams plug up rivers and make it difficult for migrating fish species such as salmon to reach their spawning grounds, they have lost favor in recent years.?

Looking forward, energy developers see promise in technologies that capture the energy in waves and tides off the coasts.?

Designs to do this range from buoys that harness the up-and-down motion of passing waves to turbines on the ocean floor that are spun by the ebb and flow of the tides.

The studies released earlier this month from the U.S. Department of Energy could help nudge along the development and deployment of these technologies by showing the resource is there to be captured.

Motion of the ocean
The U.S. uses about 4,000 terawatt hours of electricity per year. The maximum theoretical electric generation that could be produced from waves and tides is approximately 1,420 terawatt hours per year, the assessments found.

"We are never suggesting that all of that would be captured," Hoyt Battey, team lead for water power market acceleration and deployment with the DOE Wind and Water Program, told me.?

But based on the resource assessments and current understanding of what it will take to scale up and deploy the technology, wave and tidal power could be upwards of 9 percent by 2030.

The DOE has set a goal that water power, including traditional hydroelectricity, total 15 percent of the nation's supply by 2030.

To measure the wave resource, the DOE worked with the Electric Power Research Institute and Virginia Tech to develop a model that accurately predicted past wave regimes and used it predict future wave climate.

Those predictions are converted into wave power densities. As surfers know, waves from one day to the next are not the same, but they know what beaches tend to have the best waves when conditions are right, Reed noted.

Like surfers trying to figure out where and when to vacation, utility owners and operators can use the new resource data to figure out where the best reliable waves are to put their converters.

This knowledge, combined with reliable forecasts out several days on wave heights, will allow utilities to balance their loads with other sources such as a natural gas fired power plant.

"Wave energy is predictable and forecastable," he said. "If you are a utility operator or utility owner, that predictability adds value."

Tides are even more predictable, noted Battey. "You know down to the second years ahead of time what the tidal regime will be," he said.

The tidal resource maps were created by researchers at Georgia Tech and are available online.

Realizing the potential
Resource assessments such as these, as well as others mapping potential geothermal, solar and wind resources, can nudge development of green energy technologies.

But a key word in such assessments is "potential." As long as generating electricity from coal, oil, and natural gas remains cheap and politically salable, wave and tidal resources will struggle to compete.

Reed takes the long view. Although wave and tidal energy projects today are expensive, he said, their costs should fall as the technology is improved and scaled up over the next few decades.

"A good comparison would be to go back 15 to 20 years in the wind and solar industry and see how their costs have dramatically come down," he said.

While wind and solar still struggle to compete with traditional sources today, the falling prices of the technologies and abundance of the resources are beginning to make them attractive.

Given the size of the wave and tidal resource identified, Reed said there's plenty of room for wave and tidal energy developers to get their feet wet and begin to drive down costs.

More on wave and tidal energy:

---

John Roach is a contributing writer for msnbc.com. To learn more about him, check out his website. For more of our Future of Technology series, watch the featured video below.

?

Next-gen nuclear plants could provide carbon-free energy, but the painfully slow process of approving better, safer reactors ? not to mention real anxiety over meltdowns and waste ? threaten to derail projects before they can be built.

?

Source: http://futureoftech.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/30/10273481-ocean-motion-could-produce-9-percent-of-us-electricity

paterno newt gingrich joe paterno dead joe pa joe pa michael oher marist

Syrian troops push back in fight on Damascus edges

Map locates violence in Damascus, Syria

Map locates violence in Damascus, Syria

This image from amateur video made available by the Ugarit News group and shot on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, purports to show a funeral in Damascus, Syria. The Syrian military launched an offensive to regain control of suburbs on the eastern edge of Damascus on Sunday, storming neighborhoods and clashing with groups of army defectors in fierce fighting that sent residents fleeing and killed at several people, activists said. (AP Photo/Ugarit News Group via APTN) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CANNOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE CONTENT, DATE, LOCATION OR AUTHENTICITY OF THIS MATERIAL. TV OUT

Protesters shout slogans as they carry pictures of Syrian President Bashar Assad and Syrian flags during a demonstration in front of the Russian Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, to express gratitude for the Russian position in support of Syria. Russia has said it will use its Security Council veto to block any resolution threatening Syria with sanctions or lacking a clear ban on any foreign military interference. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian forces pushed dissident troops back from the edge of Damascus in heavy fighting Monday, escalating efforts to take back control of the capital's eastern doorstep ahead of key U.N. talks over a draft resolution demanding that President Bashar Assad step aside.

Gunfire and the boom of shelling rang out in several suburbs on Damascus' outskirts that have come under the domination of anti-regime fighters. Gunmen ? apparently army defectors ? were shown firing back in amateur videos posted online by activists. In one video, a government tank on the snow-dusted mountain plateau towering over the capital fired at one of the suburbs below.

As the bloodshed increased, with activists reporting more than 40 civilians killed Monday, Western and Arab countries stepped up pressure on Assad's ally Russia to overcome its opposition to the resolution.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and the British and French foreign ministers were heading to New York to push for backing of the measure during talks Tuesday at the United Nations.

"The status quo is unsustainable," Clinton said, saying the Assad regime was preventing a peaceful transition and warning that the resulting instability could "spill over throughout the region."

The draft resolution demands that Assad halt the crackdown and implement an Arab peace plan that calls for him to hand over power to his vice president and allow creation of a unity government to pave the way for elections.

If Assad fails to comply within 15 days, the council would consider "further measures," a reference to a possible move to impose economic or other sanctions.

Moscow, which in October vetoed the first council attempt to condemn Syria's crackdown, has shown little sign of budging in its opposition. It warns that the new measure could open the door to eventual military intervention, the way an Arab-backed U.N. resolution led to NATO airstrikes in Libya.

A French official said the draft U.N. resolution has a "comfortable majority" of support from 10 of the Security Council's 15 members, meaning Russia or China would have to use its veto power to stop it. The official said Russia had agreed to negotiate on the draft, but it was not yet clear if it would be willing to back it if changes were made.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with department rules.

The Kremlin said Monday it was trying to put together negotiations in Moscow between Damascus and the opposition. It said Assad's government has agreed to participate; the opposition has in the past rejected any negotiations unless violence stops.

Western countries cited the past week's escalation in fighting to pressure Moscow.

"Russia can no longer explain blocking the U.N. and providing cover for the regime's brutal repression," a spokeswoman for British Prime Minister David Cameron said, on customary condition of anonymity in line with policy.

The United Nations estimated several weeks ago that more than 5,400 people have been killed in Syria's crackdown on the uprising against Assad's rule, which began in March. It has been unable to update the figure, and more than 200 people have been killed in the past five days alone, according to activists' reports.

Pro-Assad forces have fought for three days to take back a string of suburbs on the eastern approach to Damascus, mostly poorer, Sunni-majority communities. In past weeks, army defectors ? masked men in military attire wielding assault rifles ? set up checkpoints in the communities, defending protesters and virtually seizing control.

Late Sunday, government troops retook two of the districts closest to Damascus, Ein Tarma and Kfar Batna, said Rami Abdul-Rahman, the London-based head of the Syrian Human Rights Observatory, which tracks violence through contacts on the ground.

On Monday, the regime forces were trying to retake the next suburbs out, pounding neighborhoods with shelling and heavy machine guns in the districts of Saqba, Arbeen and Hamouriya, he said.

At least five civilians were killed in the fighting near Damascus, according to the Observatory and another activist group, the Local Coordination Committees.

Regime forces also heavily shelled buildings and battled dissidents in the central city of Homs, one of the main hot spots of the uprising, activists said.

The Observatory reported 28 killed in the city Monday. The Local Coordination Committees put the number at 27.

The reports could not be independently confirmed. Syrian authorities keep tight control on the media and have banned many foreign journalists from entering the country.

The Syrian Interior Ministry, in charge of security forces, said Monday that its three-day operation in the suburbs aimed to track down "terrorist groups" that have "committed atrocities" and vowed to continue until they were wiped out. Damascus had remained relatively quiet while most other Syrian cities have slipped into chaos since the uprising began.

Regime forces, backed by tanks and armored vehicles, heavily outgun and outnumber the defectors, organized into a force known as the Free Syrian Army. However, the military can't cover everywhere at once, and when it puts down the dissidents in one location, they arise in another. The dissidents' true numbers are unknown.

The result has been a dramatic militarization of a crisis that began with peaceful protests demanding the ouster of the Assad family and its regime. The army defectors began by protecting protesters, but over the weeks they have gone more on the offensive.

The dissidents have seemed increasingly confident in hit-and-run attacks.

On Monday, they freed five imprisoned comrades in an assault on a military base in the northeastern province of Idlib, the Observatory and Local Coordination Committees reported. Other defectors attacked a large military checkpoint outside Hama, destroying several transport trucks and claiming to kill a number of troops, the two groups said.

Six government soldiers were killed in an ambush on their vehicles in the southern region of Daraa, the state news agency SANA reported. The Observatory reported two other soldiers and 10 defectors killed in fighting elsewhere.

Attackers also blew up a gas pipeline near the border with Lebanon, SANA reported, the latest in numerous attacks on Syria's oil and gas infrastructure.

Because of the upsurge in violence, the Arab League halted a month-old observer mission, which had already come under heavy criticism for failing to stop the crackdown. The League turned to the U.N. Security Council to throw its weight behind its peace plan, which Damascus has rejected.

The move resembles the turn of events before last year's NATO air campaign in Libya, when Western countries waited for Arab League support before winning U.N. cover for intervention.

But so far, there has been little appetite for a similar campaign in Syria. There is no clear-cut geographical divide between the regime and its opponents as there was in Libya, and the opposition is even more divided and unknown than it was in the North African nation. Syria is intertwined in alliances with Iran, Hezbollah and Palestinian militant groups, and borders Israel ? making the fallout from military action more unpredictable.

___

AP correspondents Bradley Klapper in Washington and Jamey Keaten in Paris contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-30-ML-Syria/id-568eb9126def4b6dacce19d6515873c4

delmon young sprint chris tucker phoenix jones danielle chiesi walter payton oneiric

Imperial War Museum Collection ? Cheap Automobile Insurance in ...

Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2012 in iwm

Searching for inexpensive California auto insurance? The key to discovering the cheapest California auto insurance rates is to take advantage of discounts, buy only the amount of protection that you require, and to regularly store about for California car insurance coverage estimates from numerous various insurance businesses a minimum of as soon as each and every six months. After all, California auto insurance prices alter often and its your decision to invest a couple of moments doing some study so you can find a cheap California auto insurance policy for your self!

California is one of the greatest states in the whole nation having an estimated 36,457,549 million people and specialists only predict that it?ll continue to develop (it?s developed a staggering 7.6% from 2005 to 2006). With so many individuals residing in the state, one are only able to presume that there?ll be numerous more motorists entering the this Western area from the United states, therefore more vehicles will be on the streets of California in many years to come. Due to this it?s no surprise that rates in California can get to become extremely costly when it comes to automobile insurance, especially in cities like La, San Francisco and San Diego.

It?s essential to know however, that possible customers can nonetheless find inexpensive CA automobile insurance when they shop around and do every thing they need to do before deciding on a company. 1 factor about this state is the fact that has great variety when it comes to population. People from all around the world come to California to live and because of the car insurance businesses need to form their coverage to them.

Prior to even choosing the type of coverage you would like from the particular car insurance business it?s essential to understand the state specifications (or state?s minimums) for California. This may allow you to see the minimum coverage feasible that you can select from a particular car insurance coverage business, thus it?ll give you the least expensive price feasible. The state of California dictates that 1 should be accountable for their very own actions with regards to driving a motor vehicle and that an individual must know the danger related with being behind the wheel of the automobile.

The statutory limitations for automobile Insurance coverage inside the state of California are 15/30/5. This implies that any person driving an automobile within the roads of the state has to have a minimal of Bodily Damage of 15,000 for demise of damage of anybody individual, Bodily Damage or 30,000 for all individuals in a single incident and Home Damage of $5,000 per accident. This really is clear as California car insurance legislation is trying to stop authorized arbitrations toward any driver when is comes to car accidents.

1 factor of note is the fact that even though having the minimum protection will help you with the rates, in case of an incident you?ll not have complete or collision coverage. Also, these people that bought an automobile and therefore are still generating payments on it, or these of you who leased a vehicle won?t be able to obtain minimal protection (they?re necessary to have comprehensive and collision protection). Because of this reason, it is essential to bear in mind not just just how much cash you can afford when purchasing a new automobile, but just how much your insurance will rise if you purchase it.

Aside from getting the minimal coverage the state of California enforces you will find many other issues a driver must take into account when they desire a cheap California automobile insurance coverage policy. One of them is to try and obtain a substantial deductible; nevertheless it must be a deductible that they can afford just in case some thing occurs.

If you personal a relatively old automobile and are done making payments around the car you need to be okay having a minimum protection along with a substantial deductible (the most affordable car insurance coverage coverage), however in the event you want to be protected and have a less out of pocket price in case something happens try a low deductible. The most common deductible is the fact that of $500 because it is not to reduced or too high simultaneously, but people could even go so far as having a $1000 deductible which would decrease their rates dramatically.

Final although not least is it essential to mention the selection of discounts that California automobile insurance businesses provide to reduced the prices of potential clients attempting to enroll in their ideas. These reductions can be the main factor when it comes to cheap automobile insurance coverage prices in the state of California.

1 factor that can definitely help your price is if you possess a clean driving file. Since the state of California is really a busy 1, especially when it comes to visitors, insurance businesses will lower your price if you really are a good driver and drive defensively. In the event you obtain a DUI in the state, expect to pay much more than ambigu what you would for car insurance.

Another essential discount that just about all insurance coverage companies give is the fact that of car equipment. In the event you have security functions this kind of as air bags, anti-theft alarms, anti-lock brakes and any other people; then you will be great to go when it comes to reductions. Keep in mind that theft is really a high risk that insurance coverage companies base their prices on, so in the event you try to stop it with these functions, your rate will be much reduced.

Final but not minimum it?s great to discuss other reductions this kind of nearly as good pupil and licensed driver?s certificate. This first 1 if important simply because as you start your driving career you will be hit difficult with high insurance coverage rates merely because you wont have experience and insurance businesses are taking a danger by insuring you. If you are a great student that makes great grades, you?ll have the ability to get discounts.

Also, in the event you go and attend a defensive motorists program, most California Auto Insurance Businesses will be able to give you a huge discount merely because you learned techniques which will help you turn out to be a much better driver.

It is not hard to get a cheap automobile insurance coverage coverage within the state of California. Even though the state has much more vehicles around the streets than ever before before and insurance coverage rates are going up, you can steer clear of paying plenty of cash in the event you merely do the things mentioned above.

In the event you want the cheapest auto insurance coverage policy available then go forward and obtain the minimum specifications, however you cannot be leasing or making payments on your automobile. If you just merely want a rate that is not sky rocket high, then simply attempt elevating your deductible a bit bit or requesting a few of the numerous discounts that insurance coverage companies may give.

Right here is some more info:
Buying a new car may be a fun and exciting expertise. You get to walk the lot picking out the vehicles that match you best. Once you discover the 1 you like nothing beats that new car smell. You cannot wait around to point out of one?s new automobile to all of your friends and loved ones. Then reality sets in and you realize you need to purchase car insurance for brand new vehicles and you?ve got to pay for tags and sales tax. This new automobile will quickly set you back an additional thousand dollars from pocket. Fortunately, there are methods to save on automobile insurance coverage for new vehicles. Think about the following four tips to save in your new coverage.

Suggestion 1: Choose Your car Cautiously

When you are nonetheless around the great deal you should consider purchasing your insurance. In the event you wish to save cash search for an automobile that has plenty of security features and is rated highly by car and driver. Numerous insurance businesses give reductions for security features. Their view is that if you are safe they?re less likely to pay out an insurance coverage claim. Make sure you get passenger air bags, anti-lock brakes, and a security system in your new automobile.

Suggestion Two: Evaluate Protection to get a Great Deal

The best method to make sure you?re obtaining the best car insurance for new cars is to complete an online research and comparison. You can total a research by your zip code to locate nearby insurance agents. Nevertheless, you will find you will find many companies that go over a number of states. Filling out the form is easy. Just make sure you have your driver?s license and VIN number for your car. Enter your own information and also you can get instant quotes from many various companies immediately.

Tip 3: Don?t Buy More Than You need

Buying car insurance coverage is type of like shopping for groceries. You can purchase around you want, however you do not always require what you are buying. Every state has minimum coverage limits. However, there are no maximums. When you purchase automobile insurance for new cars you need to sit down and choose just how much coverage you?ll need.

Does one need $25,000 bucks of health-related coverage or $250,000? The difference in between the two quantities is very drastic. You coverage could even ambigu whenever you include on substantial protection amounts. It?s up to you to decide if you really need this much coverage.

Tip Four: Raise Your Deductible Also compare Auto Insurance North Carolina here.

In the event you are purchasing car insurance coverage for brand new cars you will have to choose just how much you would like your deductible to become. This is actually the amount you pay from pocket if you enter into an incident. Most companies permit you to select deductibles from $500 to $1,500.

Elevating your deductible will lower your insurance top quality. However, you need to make sure you have the money to spend a $1,500 dollar deductible if you enter into a wreck. This could be very challenging.

As you can see purchasing car insurance for brand new vehicles can be a bit tricky. However, whenever you know what you?re performing the process is easier.

Source: http://iwmcollections.org/2012/01/29/cheap-automobile-insurance-in-california-how-you-can-find-inexpensive-california-auto-insurance-rates/

ct news hemlock hemlock mark rothko mark rothko wiccan pumpkin carvings

African Union opens new $200m HQ from China (AP)

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia ? African leaders have inaugurated a new $200 million headquarters that was funded by China as a gift. They say the massive complex is a symbol of China's rapidly changing role in Africa.

The Chinese government fully funded the construction of the 20-floor tower overlooking a calabash-shaped conference center. It took three years to build.

AU chair Jean Ping said on Saturday China had built the complex for free.

China's top political adviser Jiao Qinglan said the gift is a "symbol of deepening relations." He said China is Africa's largest trade partner and Chinese investment there totals $13 billion.

The AU is due to open a two-day summit on Sunday at the new facility.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_re_af/af_african_union

oklahoma state university badgers badgers mendenhall nbc sports network demarcus cousins mount rainier

Pats' line has tough job against Giants' pass rush (AP)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. ? Tom Brady felt the power of the New York Giants' pass rushers when he was sacked five times in their first Super Bowl confrontation.

Four years later, the New England Patriots' offensive linemen expect another fierce attack on their quarterback in the championship rematch on Feb. 5. The Giants will indeed have plenty of strong, speedy pass rushers zeroing in on Brady.

"This year, they're definitely the best defensive line in football," Patriots right guard Brian Waters said Friday. "The wave of good football players they throw at you definitely makes them a difficult task."

There's Jason Pierre-Paul with 16 1/2 sacks, Osi Umenyiora with nine and Justin Tuck with five. Chris Canty and Mathias Kiwanuka also can put pressure on the quarterback.

"They've got good pass rushers across the board," left guard Logan Mankins said, "and when their backups come in they're good, too, so you're going to always have four guys that are very good pass rushers in the game."

At least Brady has Super Bowl experience against an aggressive Giants pass rush.

The Patriots' quest for a perfect 19-0 season ended with a 17-14 loss in the 2008 Super Bowl. After the Giants scored the decisive touchdown with 35 seconds left, Brady was sacked for the fifth and final time.

Mankins didn't care to discuss his memories of the Giants' pass rush on that day.

"That was four years ago," he said Friday. "Next question."

But Umenyiora thinks the Patriots view the upcoming game as a chance to get even.

"Of course," he said. "I mean, if I were them, that's what I would be doing. Great players ? Mankins, (Matt) Light, the (Sebastian) Vollmer kid. They have some very good football players. They were embarrassed about that last game and they are going to do everything in their power not to allow that to happen."

The Patriots have had some memorable, if regrettable, games when Brady's gotten hit.

In the opener of the 2008 season, he suffered a season-ending knee injury when he was hit by Kansas City safety Bernard Pollard. In a 33-14 wild-card playoff loss to Baltimore on Jan. 10, 2010, Brady was sacked three times. The next year, he was sacked five times as the New York Jets won a divisional playoff game 28-21.

But Brady has received decent protection recently. He was sacked a respectable 32 times in the regular season. In the playoffs, he wasn't sacked in a 45-10 win over Denver and was sacked just once in a 23-20 win over Baltimore in the AFC championship game.

The Giants sacked him just twice in their 24-20 win on Nov. 6. But one of those sacks, by Michael Boley, forced a fumble and the Giants took a 10-0 lead on the next play on Brandon Jacobs 10-yard run.

"Tom has been in this position before," said running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who may do more blocking than usual. "We have to come out and just be assignment sound."

At times, the Giants use four defensive ends, trying to generate speed against the power of the offensive linemen.

"That's the biggest difference," Waters said, "knowing who you're going against from play to play. You have to know that every one of those guys have different elements of their game from JPP (Pierre-Paul) and his long arms and his super athletic ability to a guy like Tuck, who is a veteran, a guy who is always going to give you one look and do something different to the bigger guys in the middle, the guys who are real physical."

So what's an offense to do?

It can keep an extra blocker in, a running back or wide receiver. It can have a wide receiver or tight end throw a chip block before starting his route. It can throw quick passes before the pressure reaches Brady.

Draw plays and screen passes can slow down pass rushers by making them hesitate before charging the quarterback, but the Patriots have used those infrequently this season.

Deion Branch came up with an original tactic for him and his fellow wide receivers.

"Well, if we can switch positions with the linemen, hopefully (defensive) linemen move out and then we block the corners," he said with a laugh. "But, overall, there's a lot of things we can do. We'll make those adjustments on the sideline."

They can also fight.

Umenyiora said he and Patriots left tackle Light did that in their first meeting this season.

"I've actually fought him twice, a for-real fight on the football field twice. Me and him have history and we are going to rekindle that," Umenyiora said. "He wasn't as bad in the Super Bowl, but this past game we fought again. I don't know what it is he does, but there is something he is doing that really gets under my skin. I am not that type of guy. He is the only guy I have ever fought on the football field.

"I think he is more important to his team than I am right now. So if we both fight and get kicked out (Pierre-Paul) and Tuck will have a field day."

___

AP Sports Writer Tom Canavan in East Rutherford, N.J. contributed to this story.

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

kobe bryant war of the worlds a christmas story prime rib ny knicks sound of music ihop

British police arrest 5 in tabloid bribery probe

A news camera films the offices of News International company headquarters in London, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. British police on Saturday arrested four people, including a police officer, on suspicion of corruption as part of an ongoing investigation into police bribery by the now defunct News of the World tabloid newspaper, and the police said the arrests were made as a result of information provided by Murdoch's News Corp., and officers were searching the east London headquarters of the media mogul's British newspapers for evidence. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

A news camera films the offices of News International company headquarters in London, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. British police on Saturday arrested four people, including a police officer, on suspicion of corruption as part of an ongoing investigation into police bribery by the now defunct News of the World tabloid newspaper, and the police said the arrests were made as a result of information provided by Murdoch's News Corp., and officers were searching the east London headquarters of the media mogul's British newspapers for evidence. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

The offices of News International company headquarters in London, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. British police on Saturday arrested four people, including a police officer, on suspicion of corruption as part of an ongoing investigation into police bribery by the now defunct News of the World tabloid newspaper, and the police said the arrests were made as a result of information provided by Murdoch's News Corp., and officers were searching the east London headquarters of the media mogul's British newspapers for evidence. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

A traffic warden writes a ticket outside the offices of News International company headquarters in London, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. British police on Saturday arrested four people, including a police officer, on suspicion of corruption as part of an ongoing investigation into police bribery by the now defunct News of the World tabloid newspaper, and the police said the arrests were made as a result of information provided by Murdoch's News Corp., and officers were searching the east London headquarters of the media mogul's British newspapers for evidence. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

The offices of News International company headquarters in London, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. British police on Saturday arrested four people, including a police officer, on suspicion of corruption as part of an ongoing investigation into police bribery by the now defunct News of the World tabloid newspaper, and the police said the arrests were made as a result of information provided by Murdoch's News Corp., and officers were searching the east London headquarters of the media mogul's British newspapers for evidence. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

The offices of News International company headquarters in London, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. British police on Saturday arrested four people, including a police officer, on suspicion of corruption as part of an ongoing investigation into police bribery by the now defunct News of the World tabloid newspaper, and the police said the arrests were made as a result of information provided by Murdoch's News Corp., and officers were searching the east London headquarters of the media mogul's British newspapers for evidence. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

LONDON (AP) ? The criminal investigation into British tabloid skullduggery turned full force on a second Rupert Murdoch publication Saturday, with the arrest of four current and former journalists from The Sun on suspicion of bribing police.

A serving police officer was also held, and authorities searched the newspaper's offices as part an investigation into illegal payments for information.

The arrests spread the scandal over tabloid wrongdoing ? which has already shut down one Murdoch paper, the News of the World ? to Britain's best-selling newspaper.

London police said two men aged 48 and one aged 56 were arrested on suspicion of corruption early in the morning at homes in and around London. A 42-year-old man was detained later at a London police station.

Murdoch's News Corp. confirmed that all four were current or former Sun employees. The BBC and other British media identified them as former managing editor Graham Dudman, former deputy editor Fergus Shanahan, current head of news Chris Pharo and crime editor Mike Sullivan.

A fifth man, a 29-year-old police officer, was arrested at the London station where he works.

Officers searched the men's homes and the east London headquarters of the media mogul's British newspapers for evidence.

The investigation into whether reporters illegally paid police for information is running parallel to a police inquiry into phone hacking by Murdoch's now-defunct News of the World.

Police said Saturday's arrests were made based on information provided by the Management and Standards Committee of Murdoch's News Corp., the internal body tasked with rooting out wrongdoing.

News Corp. said it was cooperating with police.

"News Corporation made a commitment last summer that unacceptable news gathering practices by individuals in the past would not be repeated," it said in a statement.

In an email to staff after the arrests, Tom Mockridge ? chief executive of Murdoch's British operation, News International ? said the internal investigation into wrongdoing at The Sun "is well advanced."

"News International is confronting past mistakes and is making fundamental changes about how we operate which are essential for our business," Mockridge said.

"Despite this very difficult news, we are determined that News International will emerge a stronger and more trusted organization," he added.

Thirteen people have now been arrested in the bribery probe, though none has yet been charged. They include Rebekah Brooks, former chief executive of Murdoch's News International; ex-News of the World editor Andy Coulson ? who is also Prime Minister David Cameron's former communications chief; and journalists from the News of the World and The Sun.

Two of the London police force's top officers resigned in the wake of the revelation last July that the News of the World had eavesdropped on the cell phone voicemail messages of celebrities, athletes, politicians and even an abducted teenager in its quest for stories.

Murdoch shut down the 168-year-old tabloid amid a wave of public revulsion, and the scandal has triggered a continuing public inquiry into media ethics and the relationship between the press, police and politicians.

An earlier police investigation failed to find evidence that hacking went beyond one reporter and a private investigator, who were both jailed in 2007 for eavesdropping on the phones of royal staff.

But News Corp. has now acknowledged it was much more widespread.

Last week the company agreed to pay damages to 37 hacking victims, including actor Jude Law, soccer star Ashley Cole and British politician John Prescott.

The furor that consumed the News of the World continues to rattle other parts of Murdoch's media empire.

As well as investigating phone hacking and allegations that journalists paid police for information, detectives are looking into claims of computer hacking by Murdoch papers.

News Corp. has admitted that the News of the World hacked the emails as well as the phone of Chris Shipman, the son of serial killer Harold Shipman. And The Times of London has acknowledged that a former reporter tried to intercept emails to unmask an anonymous blogger.

News Corp. is preparing to launch a new Sunday newspaper ? likely called the Sunday Sun ? to replace the News of the World.

___

Jill Lawless can be reached at: http://twitter.com/JillLawless

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2012-01-28-EU-Britain-Phone-Hacking/id-2813b6667b934649878d382d4910a8c6

light year michelle rounds michelle rounds cabin in the woods dan quayle brett favre packers stock

[OOC] To save my soul

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

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

This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?To save my soul?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

Topic Tags:

Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
This is the auto-generated OOC topic for the roleplay "To save my soul"

You may edit this first post as you see fit.

Horseygirl

Member for 3 years

---

---

Hello. This looks really fun! I submitted a charrie, hope you like her. Thanks! :)

-ZombieSlayer

kkpigs

Member for 1 years

---

Hey there, can I reserve the eldest twin girl?

I am not weird, I am gifted.

Zodia195

Member for 1 years

---

I'd like to be one or both of the twin girls.

allimagination

Member for 1 years

---

---

Post a reply

RolePlayGateway is a site built by a couple roleplayers who wanted to give a little something back to the roleplay community. The site has no intention of earning any profit, and is paid for out of their own pockets.

If you appreciate what they do, feel free to donate your spare change to help feed them on the weekends. After selecting the amount you want to donate from the menu, you can continue by clicking on PayPal logo.

Who is online

Registered users: Abalyth*, Ace, aipsylon*, Airanea*, Aixulram, amelena, anaka, Annaky*, aod0209, aquajets1, Armageddon, Athra, Auricambrflaym*, AzricanRepublic*, BekaL101, Beta Type Jakuri, BewitchedXxPirate, birdguard*, Black, Black_Blooded_Queen*, Blackbird26*, Blacklight1991, blackwolf, Bromander Shepard, BSDJoker*, Caelus, Canibelle*, ChaosxChild13, Chari, CherryRed, Chiba Tomoe, ChinaSorrows, Chulance*, Cloasse*, Corvan, CriminalMinds*, Crystal Flamedance, Dandan, danm36*, Darkshadowmark, dealing with it, Death of a Legend, DivineBitterness*, DragonWriter, Dragoon, Dyew, Edwinfirefox, emotionless, Erlanis, Forensic_Anthro, Frozen_Charlotte*, Gamer_Templar*, Gamma, Gasmask*, Gigabot [Bot], girlwt*, Google [Bot], Google Adsense [Bot], Google Feedfetcher, GotDraggedIntoThis, Grimpunker96, Gunsalot, Hadespwr*, Halfanelf, HerHeroine, Hitomi-san, Hotaru_Kirai1093*, iCat, Iced Fire, IronPhoenix, jackrules158, Jadeling Hawkins, JayZeroSnake, Jeffrey!, KrazyTigger*, Lawlietkun, LeNarcissus, LittlexVamp, Lovely ?, LSunday*, Lurelle, maddenbaby, Maimakterion, McDevious*, minibear, Movintarget*, Mr. Baneling Squishy*, Mr. Crow*, Mr. Fly on the wall*, Mr_Doomed, MSN [Bot], mummydove, mwills47, M'ange, Namaru, negabandit86*, Nemo, Nevermore90, nibblesnbits, nightwolf, Nocte*, Patcharoo, pathfinder Z, PirateofPie, PolarOpposites*, Princess Awinita*, PrincessX18*, Pyxis, Qetzo, rabble_rouser*, RadicalDreamer*, Random Kat*, ReiRyuusei, Rem?us*, Romaneck, Saikua*, Script*, Selene Durlan, ShadowBlackheart, shadymattloz, Shi-chan, shmband, SilentButterflies, silverclawedmouse, SkullJester, SkullsandSlippers*, Smileybird*, smrtazz13*, SnowSpartan66, Something?*, Sora112112, SpecterStorm, Starryskies*, Steppin' Razor*, Stilts, StrawberryFoxglove, super-6-1, SuperQ19, Syn_Maxwell, SynapticError, Talisman*, TechGorilla*, Tejas, Tempest, The Angry Penguin, The Illusionist*, The Painkiller, Thorait, ThumpersDarkSyde, Tiko*, Tonks, triblade*, Trickster, Tyliana*, Usui*, vahid43*, Vestiline, ViceVersus, VitaminHeart*, WadeJackel*, Walking-travesty, Wheatley, Whiskey Go Dark, Wild1, williamfancypants, Wing06Twilight, winged1107, Writer, Wudgeous, Yahoo [Bot], Ylanne, Yonbibuns, Yoru-Senpai*, zolzol*, ? ????????? ?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/e8YwJ9ZkIM4/viewtopic.php

weezer weezer slavoj zizek paul mccartney adam savage adam savage mos def

Debt-relief talks restart in Greece (AP)

ATHENS, Greece ? Greece's prime minister resumed talks late Thursday with top bank negotiators to try and overcome obstacles to a major debt-relief deal needed to avoid bankruptcy.

Premier Lucas Papademos met with Charles Dallara, managing director of the Institute of International Finance, a banking lobby, and Jean Lemierre, senior adviser to the chairman of French bank BNP Paribas.

Private bondholders are being asked to forgive half their Greek debt, and in return accept cash payments and new bonds with longer maturities. The deal is required for a second international bailout with a looming euro14.5 billion bond repayment on March 20 that carries a serious threat of bankruptcy for Greece.

Top eurozone officials are pressing private bondholders to accept the new bonds at a lower interest rate.

A senior Greek government official said, despite delays in concluding the negotiations, Greece was still aiming to submit its formal offer for the bond-swap deal to banks and other private creditors by Feb. 13. The official asked not to be named because the talks are ongoing.

Dallara resumed the talks in Athens for a third successive week.

Eurozone countries have taken a tough stance with the IIF because they would have to provide additional help to Greece if the bond-swap deal falls short of expectations.

"To ensure debt sustainability for Greece, it is essential that a new program be supported by a combination of private sector involvement and official sector support," William Murray, an IMF spokesman, said late Wednesday.

Murray said the IMF has not asked the European Central Bank, which holds more than euro40 billion ($52 billion) in Greek government bonds, to play any specific role in relieving Greece's debt pile.

The ECB, as a public sector holder of Greek debt, is protected from any writedown.

"The Fund has no view on the relative contribution of private sector involvement and official sector support in achieving" the target of cutting Greece's debt-to-GDP ratio to 120 percent, Murray said.

Greece is currently surviving on a euro110-billion loan package from eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund, and has been promised an additional euro130 billion in rescue aid if the bond-swap deal goes through.

EU-IMF debt inspectors are currently in Athens for talks with the Papademos government, to set conditions for the second package that are expected to produce more austerity measures in the recession-hit country.

Hardship facing many Greeks has spurred a huge drop in support for the country's Socialist party, which won the last general election in 2009 with nearly 44 percent of the vote, and formed a coalition government with rival conservatives two months ago.

A nationwide opinion poll published Thursday found support for the Socialists has dropped to 12 percent, just behind three opposition left-wing parties.

The VPRC survey for the Epikaira news magazine gave the conservatives 30.5 percent support. Sample data was not immediately available.

General elections are expected in late April.

___

Nicholas Paphitis and Nektina Efthymiou contributed.

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

hennessy hennessy lymphoma cancer glenn beck cacao cacao spartacus blood and sand

French breast implant firm's former execs arrested (AP)

PARIS ? Police in pre-dawn sweeps Thursday arrested two top former executives of the now-defunct French company at the center of a breast implant scandal affecting tens of thousands of women worldwide.

Jean-Claude Mas, who founded and ran implant-maker Poly Implant Prothese, was detained as part of a judicial probe in the southeastern city of Marseille into manslaughter and involuntary injuries, an official said. A regional official said former No. 2 executive Claude Couty also was detained.

The suspect PIP implants have been pulled from the market in several countries in and beyond Europe amid fears that they could rupture and leak silicone into the body. The suspect implants are made with industrial-grade silicone instead of medical-grade gel.

Mas' arrest before dawn at a family residence in the Mediterranean resort town of Six Fours Les Plages culminates weeks of speculation about whether judicial investigators would be able to assemble enough evidence to detain him on legal grounds.

"Everything's fine. This conforms to procedure. There's nothing extraordinary," Mas' defense lawyer, Yves Haddad, told reporters outside the home. "Stop looking for the scoop."

Mas, 72, had been believed to be residing in the home. Haddad earlier this month denounced the "numerous un-truths, nonsense and aberrations" in the case, but said Mas would speak only with authorities.

So far no specific defendant has been named, but an official with knowledge of the probe said Mas was expected to face preliminary charges after appearing before an investigating judge in Marseille later Thursday. He was being held in resort town ahead of that anticipated transfer.

The three officials all spoke on condition of anonymity because the case is in the hands of judicial investigators.

Investigating judge Annaick Le Goff opened the probe after a woman in the southwestern Gers region filed a lawsuit in the wake of the 2010 death from cancer of her daughter who had received a suspect implant.

Since then, a complaint by the sister of Marseille resident Edwige Ligoneches, a breast implant recipient who died in November of complications from lymphoma, has been included in the case file ? along with as many as 3,000 other complaints by other alleged victims.

Le Goff also spoke with the head of a victims' association, Muriel Ajello, on Thursday, the regional official said.

A secretary at the Toulon office of Haddad told The Associated Press that the defense lawyer was with Mas during police questioning, and was not immediately available for comment.

Mas had run PIP until the company was closed in March 2010. Mas is also on Interpol's most-wanted list, but the international police agency said its "red notice" was issued in June at the request of Costa Rica, where he faces a drunken driving charge.

Authorities worldwide have been scrambling to strike a proper public response to the scandal, notably concerning who will pay to remove the implants or if the implants need to invariably come out.

European governments have taken different positions: German, Czech and French authorities say they should be removed, while Britain says there is not enough evidence of health risks to suggest removal in all cases.

On Wednesday, health authorities in Brazil said the government will fine private health plans that refuse to pay for the removal and replacement of faulty breast implants sold by PIP and a Dutch company.

The scandal has put pressure on French health authorities for allegedly not doing enough to vet the quality of a product used by so many women in France and abroad.

France's Health Safety Agency has said the suspect implants ? just one type of implants made by PIP ? appear to be more rupture-prone than other types. Investigators say PIP sought to save money by using industrial silicone, whose potential health risks are not yet clear.

PIP's website said the company had exported to more than 60 countries and was one of the world's leading implant makers. The silicone-gel implants in question are not sold in the United States.

According to estimates by national authorities, over 42,000 women in Britain received the implants, more than 30,000 in France, 9,000 in Australia and 4,000 in Italy. Nearly 25,000 of the implants were sold in Brazil.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_he_me/eu_france_breast_implants

day of the dead rocksmith blackbeard widespread panic widespread panic richard stallman richard stallman

Top NY cop regrets role in film critical of Muslims (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Police mishandling of a controversy surrounding a video offensive to Muslims has enveloped New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly just as he was restoring the department's strained relations with the religious minority.

Muslim civil rights groups demanded Kelly's resignation on Wednesday following revelations the department screened the provocative video for police officers many more times than previously acknowledged.

Kelly also said he regretted cooperating with the makers of "The Third Jihad: Radical Islam's Vision for America," which shows footage of suicide attacks and says "the true agenda of much of Muslim leadership here in America" is to "infiltrate and dominate America."

Kelly, politically joined at the hip with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has navigated difficult times with Muslims, having come into office shortly after the September 11 attacks of 2001, which led to an unprecedented security crackdown that drew the ire of civil libertarians.

Kelly and Bloomberg have also won praise for prosecuting hate crimes against Muslims and defending the right to build a mosque near the site of the September 11 attacks. But there have been periods of tension, more recently over the department's role in secret operations at New York area mosques.

"Somebody exercised some terrible judgment," Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters on Tuesday, referring to the film. "As soon as they found out about it, they stopped it."

The video was screened for more than 1,400 officers over a period of months, the New York Times reported on Tuesday based on documents obtained in a Freedom of Information Act request by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law. When the Village Voice first reported on the film a year ago, police said it had been screened only a few times.

In addition, police now admit a spokesman helped arrange an interview the filmmakers did with Kelly that appeared in the film. Previously, police said Kelly was not involved in the making of the film and that the interview was taken from an archive.

Kelly's spokesman Paul Browne said he was approached in 2007 by Erik Werth, a reporter and former policy advisor under President Bill Clinton, to interview Kelly about "foiled terrorist plots and the current threat matrix" for a video Werth was making for cable TV.

Browne on Wednesday said the commissioner finds the finished product "objectionable" and regrets taking part.

Werth was listed as a co-producer and co-director of the video. Raphael Shore, founder of conservative Clarion Fund, was also a producer. Wayne Kopping was the director and editor. The filmmakers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"The Third Jihad" ran on continuous loop on a TV in a Brooklyn police location that officers used to fill in paperwork during down time, Browne said. He said the film was not used in training sessions and was never shown at the Police Academy.

"As soon as an officer complained about it, it was removed. A sergeant who obtained it and put it on the TV loop was reprimanded for its unauthorized use," Browne said.

But in a statement, Nihad Awad, national director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said Kelly had disqualified himself to head the nation's largest and most prominent police force.

"As leaders of the nation's largest police department, Commissioner Kelly and Deputy Commissioner Browne's actions set a tone for relations with law enforcement that impact American Muslims nationwide," Awad said. "It's time for change."

CAIR, the Muslim American Civil Liberties Coalition and other civil liberties groups set a news conference for Thursday at New York City Hall.

In August CAIR called for a federal investigation and Senate hearings into a report the CIA was helping New York City police gather intelligence from mosques and minority neighborhoods.

A report by the Associated Press said undercover New York Police Department officers known as "rakers" were sent into minority neighborhoods to monitor bookstores, bars, cafes and nightclubs, and police used informants known as "mosque crawlers" to monitor sermons.

(Editing by Daniel Trotta)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/religion/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/us_nm/us_newyork_police_muslims

confederate flag kim delaney kim delaney dead sea scrolls new jersey nets all my children online all my children online

Housing data points to slowdown in sales (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Signed contracts for the sale of existing U.S. homes retreated from a 1-1/2-year high in December and demand for home loans fell last week, pointing to a moderation in home sales after recent hefty gains.

But the reports on Wednesday did not change perceptions that a nascent recovery is under way in the housing market, which continues to be challenged by an oversupply of properties.

"This is potentially negative for January existing home sales although the two do not always go hand in hand," said Jennifer Lee, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets in Toronto. "So does this mean the story has changed and housing is back in the dumps? Nope."

The National Association of Realtors said its Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed in December, dropped 3.5 percent to 96.6 in December, after hitting a 19-month high in November.

Economists had expected signed contracts for sales, which lead existing home sales by a month or two, to fall by only 1.0 percent. However, sales were up 5.6 percent in the 12 months to December.

A glut of unsold homes is weighing on house prices and frustrating the sector's recovery, even though mortgage rates are near record lows. Home resales have risen for three straight months.

The Federal Reserve has suggested a number of ways other policymakers could step in to help the beaten-up market, including giving government-controlled mortgage finance firms Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac a bigger role in refinancing loans.

Some officials at the Fed say the central bank should consider further purchase of mortgage-backed securities as a way to help spur a stronger recovery, but no action is expected at the end of the Fed's first policy meeting of 2012 later on Wednesday.

"I don't think that lower mortgage interest rates are going to help much right now," said Robert Dye, chief economist at Comerica in Dallas. "That's not where the bottleneck is, and that is in two places: credit availability and the processing of paper work."

Lenders have adopted stringent requirements for potential homeowners, demanding down payments of as much as 20 percent, and contract cancellations have averaged about a third over the past few months.

Applications for home purchase loans declined 5.4 percent last week after two straight weeks of sturdy gains, the Mortgage Bankers Association said in a separate report.

Another report showed house prices measured by the Federal Housing Finance Agency rose 1 percent in November from October.

"We are encouraged by the pop in prices as it may be a signal of further stabilization in the housing market and evidence that the erosion in home prices may be nearing an end," said Millan Mulraine, senior macro strategist at TD Securities in New York.

However, prices were down 1.8 percent in the 12 months to November, indicating the recovery in the housing market would be painfully slow.

(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personalfinance/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/bs_nm/us_usa_economy

dr oz hakeem nicks hakeem nicks alpha lipoic acid 105.1 alex trebek lightsquared

Amanda Holden Gives Birth To Baby Girl After Delivery Scare

Amanda Holden Gives Birth To Baby Girl After Delivery Scare

“Britain’s Got Talent” judge Amanda Holden gave birth to a baby girl on Monday. Holden delivered baby Hollie Rose, who weighed in at 6lbs., 1oz, [...]

Amanda Holden Gives Birth To Baby Girl After Delivery Scare Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

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

etta james at last burger king delivery heidi klum and seal obama sings al green john king etta james east west shrine game

Egypt's Islamist-led parliament meets, rivalries on (Reuters)

CAIRO (Reuters) ? Egypt's first free parliament in six decades got to work on Monday with Islamists holding by far the most seats and opponents comparing their grip on the chamber to that enjoyed by the now defunct party of deposed President Hosni Mubarak.

With almost half the seats in the assembly, the Muslim Brotherhood is promising to cooperate with the military generals, who took power last February when Mubarak was overthrown, in their transition to civilian rule.

Thousands of pro-democracy activists who fear a deal between the Islamists and the generals to carve up power cried "down with the military government" behind a police cordon near the parliament building.

A credible chamber would help Egypt's new political class prove it can govern and the Brotherhood has said it wants to be inclusive and ensure all voices in Egypt are heard.

The session began in somber mood as parliament's acting speaker, automatically chosen as its oldest member, invited deputies to hold a silent prayer in memory of the hundreds who died in the uprising that ousted Mubarak in February last year.

"The blood of the martyrs is what brought this day," said speaker, Mahmoud al-Saqa, 81. Some deputies wore yellow sashes in protest at the army's policy to try thousands of civilians in military courts.

The session became more raucous when one Islamist member, Mamdouh Ismail, read the oath that vows allegiance to the nation and its laws but added his own words "so long as it does not oppose God's law," prompting the speaker to tell him to repeat it without his addition.

An angry exchange erupted later as deputies worked on their first task of electing a speaker.

One candidate opposing Brotherhood nominee Mohamed Saad al-Katatni sought to introduce himself to the chamber, a move the Brotherhood opposed in a swift vote. Katatni, secretary-general of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), was then appointed.

Opponents of the Brotherhood said its grip on parliament was similar to that enjoyed by Mubarak's National Democratic Party (NDP), which was handed large parliamentary majorities in widely discredited elections.

But unlike the NDP, the Brotherhood does not have an outright majority and must form alliances.

Hossam Hamalawy, a leftist activist, said: "I do not have any high expectations for this parliament because of the composition of the political forces inside ... It seems they're going to reinvent the old regime with very few cosmetic changes."

PROTESTS

"This parliament is defunct and a fiasco. How can we have a parliament with an old constitution?" said protester Rasha Adel outside parliament, who wants an immediate transfer of power to civilians.

The generals will remain in charge until after a presidential election in June when they have promised to hand over power. Many Egyptians suspect the army may seek to retain influence behind the scenes after that.

"Today we resume the revolution. We have wasted a year. We have work to do," said Kamal Abu Etta, a prominent labor union activist and member of the non-religious Karama party.

The Brotherhood's rise marks a sea change from Mubarak's era when it was officially banned but won some seats by running candidates as independents.

It is unclear whether it will form a single bloc in parliament, which will have a role in drafting the new constitution by picking the 100-strong assembly that will draw up the document.

"We will cooperate with everyone: with the political forces inside and outside parliament, with the interim government and with the military council until we reach safety heralded by a presidential election," said Essam el-Erian, deputy FJP head.

Liberals were pushed into third place behind the Freedom and Justice Party and the ultraconservative Islamist Salafis led by the al-Nour party, the surprise runners-up. The FJP says it controls almost half the 498 elected seats, with a few re-runs to be held.

Monday's session marked the revival of an assembly that in the early 20th century was a vibrant forum for the nation's aspirations and filled with deputies who vied with the monarch and Egypt's British overlords.

Parliament's independent voice was extinguished after a 1952 coup that toppled the king and swept military-backed autocrats to power. Mubarak was a former air force commander and the ruling military council is now led by the man who was Mubarak's defense minister for 20 years, Mohamed Hussein Tantawi.

Mubarak's party routinely won sweeping majorities. The best performance by the Brotherhood was when it secured 20 percent of seats in the 2005 election. In 2010, almost all the opposition was all but squeezed out. The Brotherhood and other opponents boycotted what they saw as a blatantly rigged poll.

Mubarak, 83, is now on trial for his role in the deaths of 850 people during the uprising. Scores of people have been killed in sporadic violence since then, including demonstrations against army rule in November and December.

(Additional reporting by Tamim Elyan; Writing by Edmund Blair and Tom Pfeiffer; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

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

ben breedlove kid cudi ben breedlove matt barnes jim jones hcm loretta lynn gene kelly

Greenpois0n Absinthe for Windows now available

We finally got an untethered jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iPad 2 yesterday via Greenpois0n Absinthe. Until now the tool was only released for Mac users. It has now been updated with support for Windows users.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/OLqn8-J1oLk/story01.htm

carlos santana new years rockin eve michael dyer suspended new years ball drop new york times square jaws brock lesnar

Tracy Morgan of '30 Rock' collapses at Sundance (AP)

PARK CITY, Utah ? Comedian and "30 Rock" cast member Tracy Morgan has been released from the hospital after a collapse during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

Publicist Lewis Kay confirms Morgan has left the Park City Medical Center after he suffered from "a combination of exhaustion and altitude" on Sunday. Park City's elevation is 7,000 feet.

Morgan was escorted from the Creative Coalition Spotlight Awards ceremony Sunday night at the festival.

Morgan posted a comment Monday on Twitter that the high altitude "shook up this kid from Brooklyn."

He also says he'll be back to work Tuesday on "30 Rock."

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Comedian and "30 Rock" cast member Tracy Morgan has said he will be back at work Tuesday after being hospitalized while attending the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.

Morgan's publicist, Lewis Kay, said Monday that the actor suffered from exhaustion and altitude when he collapsed Sunday night in Park City, where the elevation is 7,000 feet.

Morgan posted a comment Monday on Twitter that the high altitude "shook up this kid from Brooklyn."

"Superman ran into a little kryptonite," he quipped.

He also said on Twitter that he would be back to work Tuesday on "30 Rock."

Ron Nyswaner, co-director of the Sundance film "Predisposed," in which the actor stars, said Morgan's collapse resulted from "altitude sickness combined with his diabetes. And he hadn't eaten. He hadn't had enough water."

Kay said hospital officials report no drugs or alcohol were found in Morgan's system.

Morgan had been attending an event for the Creative Coalition at which he had just received an award.

In "Predisposed," which stars Jesse Eisenberg and Melissa Leo, Morgan plays a drug dealer caught up in the push-and-pull between a piano prodigy and his troubled mother.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_en_ce/us_film_sundance_tracy_morgan

naomi wolf social security increase menagerie columbus dispatch social security social security adderall

Scientists Call for 60-Day Suspension of Mutant Flu Research

Image: MEDICAL RF.COM/SPL

Reprinted from Nature magazine

As controversy rages around the scientists who created mutant strains of the H5N1 avian influenza virus, leading flu researchers have called for a 60-day voluntary pause on such work. The call comes in a statement jointly published today in Nature (R. A. M. Fouchier et al. Nature 481, 443; 2012) and Science.

On 20 December, the United States government ? acting on advice from the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) ? asked both journals to publish only the main conclusions of two flu studies, but not to reveal details "that could enable replication of the experiments by those who would seek to do harm" (see 'Call to censor flu studies draws fire'). The journals and the authors have agreed to this redaction, on the condition that a mechanism is established to disseminate the information to legitimate flu researchers on a need-to-know basis.

The US government, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other bodies are now frantically trying to put together this mechanism, along with a framework for international oversight of such research. The signatories of today's statement, including the key authors behind the controversial research, say that the pause is intended to allow time for this discussion. "We realize that organizations and governments around the world need time to find the best solutions for opportunities and challenges that stem from the work," they write.

The scientists add that they intend to organize an international forum to debate the risks and benefits of the research. "We recognize that we and the rest of the scientific community need to clearly explain the benefits of this important research and the measures taken to minimize its possible risks," they write.

"Scientists need to have their voices heard in this debate," says Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, lead investigator on the paper submitted to Nature and a signatory of today's statement. "We hope that by having a calm and reasoned discussion of the facts, scientists and biosecurity experts can reach a better understanding and find ways to enable the research to go forward while minimizing risks."

Bioterrorism is just one potential risk of such research. More worrying to some researchers is that if a mutant virus were to accidentally escape from the lab, it could cause a H5N1 pandemic. The authors of the statement say that they hope to "assure" the public that the viruses are in safe hands in secure containment facilities. Such research is currently classed as requiring biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) enhanced containment facilities, but many scientists argue that it should be done only in BSL-4 labs, which have the highest biosafety rating (see 'Fears grow over lab-bred flu').

"I am very much in favour of having a pause," says Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). He concedes that the length of the pause is not long, but that researchers were concerned about having an open-ended moratorium. "60 days as a start I think is reasonable, and after 60 days we will re-evaluate it," he says.

"The pause is welcome in the sense that hopefully it will relieve some of the immediate urgency in terms of trying to chart a course forward," agrees Michael Osterholm, who heads the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy in Minneapolis, and is a member of the NSABB.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=c086fd900ed4fbcf1913a131edb8ac99

gold rush gold rush weather boston amityville horror chili recipe chili recipe grimm

Newt Gingrich, Filled With More Excrement Than Your Average Politician (OliverWillisLikeKryptoniteToStupid)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/188955290?client_source=feed&format=rss

atlanta braves national coffee day national coffee day paw paw paw paw baltimore orioles rosh hashanah