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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
TrialPay Raises $40 Million From Visa, Greylock, T.Rowe Price
Offers are a booming form of advertising in which consumers are presented with offers to try or buy products. It is particularly popular in social games where players receive virtual currency in return for looking at the offers. One of the leaders in this form of ecommerce advertising is TrialPay, which just raised $40 million from Greylock Partners, Visa, T. Rowe Price, DAG Ventures, DFJ Growth and QuestMark Partners. The series C round brings TrialPay's total funding to $56 million.
Sudan frees South Sudan's oil tankers; dispute continues (Reuters)
JUBA/DUBAI (Reuters) ? Sudan released tankers loaded with South Sudanese oil that had been held at Port Sudan in a row over export transit fees, days after Khartoum seized crude from its new neighbor and offered it at a steeply discounted price.
Sudan's Oil Minister Awad al-Jaz said the release came as part of efforts to reach an agreement with South Sudan on the transit fees, but so far "we don't have any positive response from the other side."
South Sudan has shut down oil output in protest at the seizing of the cargoes, and talks between the two to reach a settlement broke down over the weekend.
The former civil war foes have failed to agree the value of the fee landlocked South Sudan should pay to pump oil north by pipeline for export from Port Sudan.
"The four ships that were being detained were released yesterday at 5:00 p.m.," South Sudan's Minister of Petroleum and Mining Stephen Dhieu Dau said by telephone.
"They were carrying oil for Vitol and Sinopec."
He added that 3.5 million barrels have been released but Sudan should now allow 5.4 million barrels to be lifted, indicating that the dispute was far from resolved.
"The ships are waiting," said Dae. "If they want to negotiate in good faith with us they should allow us to come and lift it."
The ships that have been released were already loaded and Sudan had held them from sailing. Separately, Sudan has sold off at least one tanker of crude seized from the South and has offered two other cargoes.
In addition to the three, at least seven tankers are still waiting at the port to lift December and January cargoes, raking up demurrage costs of $20,000-$22,000 per day, traders and shipbrokers said.
Two of the tankers that were freed were chartered by oil trading giant Vitol, an industry source told Reuters.
"The two tankers were freed on Sunday and they are carrying a total of 1.6 million barrels," said the industry source, declining to be identified because he is not authorized to talk to the media.
Oil is the lifeline of both countries' economies. The South controlled about 350,000 bpd of oil output when it became independent in July under a 2005 peace agreement that ended decades of civil war.
Oil provides about 98 percent of South Sudan's income and is vital for developing an already poor country devastated by years of civil war.
China is the biggest buyer of oil from the two countries and the biggest investor in South Sudan's oilfields.
(Reporting by Amena Bakr in DUBAI and Hereward Holland in JUBA; Editing by Manash Goswami)
Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/wl_nm/us_sudan_oil
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Monday, January 30, 2012
3 killed in Sacramento SUV-light rail train crash (AP)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. ? The driver of an SUV veered around a crossing arm and ignored flashing warning lights before the vehicle was struck by a light-rail train in Sacramento on Saturday, killing an infant and two adults, authorities said.
The other person inside the Nissan Pathfinder, a woman in her 30s, was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries, said Niko King, assistant chief with the Sacramento Fire Department. Six of the roughly 50 passengers on the light rail train suffered minor injuries and were taken to a hospital, he said.
King and a spokeswoman for the transit line said video from a camera at the crossing clearly shows the SUV driving around the crossing arm. The light rail followed two Union Pacific freight trains, which use separate tracks, and the arms had remained down during the interval, said Alane Masui, spokeswoman for the Sacramento Regional Transit District.
"They were down after the UP trains and before the (light rail) train approached, so the crossing arms were properly working," she said.
She said the length of time between the freight trains clearing the intersection and the light rail train crossing it had not yet been determined and would be part of the investigation. Investigators also were reviewing video from a camera mounted on the light rail train.
The collision, in a working class neighborhood south of downtown, occurred shortly after 4 p.m. and pushed the Pathfinder about 30 yards from the point of impact.
"All I heard was a big bang, and I saw a light-rail train heading south with a big truck smashed on it," said Ravin Pratab, 42, of Davis, whose car was among those waiting for the train at the rail crossing, on the opposite side of the tracks from the Pathfinder.
The train was going about 55 mph at the time, a typical speed for that location.
Authorities did not release the identities of those in the Pathfinder or their relationship. A man and woman in the vehicle, both in their 40s, died at the scene while the baby was pronounced dead at a hospital. Firefighters said one had been ejected.
The University of California, Davis Medical Center in Sacramento would say only that the woman remained in serious condition late Saturday.
The light rail system carries an average of 50,000 passengers a day, with lines stretching from the state capital to its suburbs in the north, south and east.
Masui said there are four sets of tracks at the crossing ? two for freight and two for light rail so trains from both systems can run in either direction.
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Think of What That Presidential Campaign Money Could Do (ContributorNetwork)
COMMENTARY | "What kind of man would mislead, distort and deceive just to win an election?" Reuters reported a Florida ad in support of Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich as saying. "That man would be Mitt Romney."
In truth, I think the act of misleading, distorting and deceiving is pretty much standard fare for elections. Such behaviors must be lucrative though, considering how much money the candidates have raised, at least in part to purchase ads and attend events. Leading the pack in campaign fundraising is the current president, Barack Obama.
According to the campaign funding information website, Open Secrets, as of the third quarter of 2011, $86 million was raised for Obama's 2012 election campaign. Let's put that in perspective. Given the $11,536 per-pupil annual expenditures of the Chicago Public School system as of the most recent year reported, 2007-08, the money invested in the reelection campaign of the president through the third quarter of 2011 could have been spent educating 7,455 children for a year.
Mitt Romney's campaign raised $32 million through the third quarter of 2011. According to the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of May 2010, the average annual salary of a worker in Massachusetts is $53,700. In other words, Romney's campaign contributions through three-quarters of 2011 could pay a year's worth of average salaries for about 596 people in Massachusetts.
How about Newt Gingrich's fundraising through the first three quarters of 2011? According to Open Secrets, he raised $3 million. During Christmas, the Georgia division of the Salvation Army raised $3.6 million in Red Kettle contributions. The money will reportedly be used throughout the year to help residents via the organization's 26 Salvation Army Corps Community Centers and 15 service centers throughout the state. In 2011, Georgia's Salvation Army division served over 666,656 meals and provided 67,756 people with job training skills. Medical, energy and housing assistance was provided for 155,379 people.
Through three quarters of 2011, Ron Paul's campaign raised $13 million. That's a little over $1 million less than the amount that is planned by the state health department for grants to organizations offering family planning services in Texas this year.
Finishing up top five candidates is Rick Santorum, who raised about $1 million in the first three quarters of 2011. That's about the same amount that the Federal Emergency Management Agency gave to Pennsylvania in 2010 to reimburse the state, local governments and nonprofit organizations for costs incurred during the February 5-11, 2010 snowstorms. The snowstorms resulted in disaster declarations for 26 counties in the state.
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Sunday, January 29, 2012
RIM CEO eyes "significant" plans for BlackBerry (Reuters)
NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Research in Motion's Thorsten Heins plans to waste no time in his new job. The BlackBerry maker's chief executive said he will present the board with his plan for company's future in just a matter of weeks.
The German-born executive, who took over from two longstanding co-CEOs on Saturday, said his plans for RIM would be "significant" though he did not divulge details in an interview with Reuters.
"I will have time with the board in two weeks to present my ideas and changes," Heins said.
But the executive, who was promoted from the role of chief operating officer, said he has already done groundwork to tackle his company's most pressing problem - persuading the U.S. market to covet the BlackBerry again.
While RIM is growing in other countries, Heins conceded that its U.S. business is in need of a major revival after losing out to rivals like Apple Inc's iPhone at U.S. service providers and corporations, where it once had a clear advantage among employees heavily dependent on its email service.
"In general I wouldn't consider RIM as a turnaround candidate. It is a turnaround candidate in the U.S.," he said. "We lost market share in this market quite substantially. That is something that we have to address."
While U.S. operators such as Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc have helped BlackBerry with heavy advertising and promotions in the past, these operators have been much more focused in the last few years on devices like iPhone and smartphones based on the Google Inc operating system.
Heins' quest to regain ground with these operators has been complicated by the fact that RIM had to announce in December that it is delaying the launch of phones based on BlackBerry 10 - its next-generation software - until the later part of 2012 as it is awaiting the availability of a high-powered chip.
The executive would not say when exactly these phones would hit the market but implied that they would arrive in time for the year-end holiday-shopping season in the fourth quarter.
So in the meantime, Heins will concentrate on getting the most current BlackBerrys into more consumers hands. He noted that only 20 percent of U.S. BlackBerry users have the company's latest phones, which he says are competitive with rival smartphones.
The rest of RIM's U.S. customers have devices with older RIM software, some of which are "two generations behind," he said.
To overcome this, RIM has devised a new upgrade plan with U.S. operators to promote phones with the BlackBerry 7 system, which was launched in August last year.
"All the plans are ready. The carrier agreements are all ready. Now we have to get off the starting grid. Now we need to execute that upgrade program," Heins said.
While he did not want to disclose specifics about the new agreements, Heins said RIM could look at new ways of bundling different devices together or offering carriers smartphones with a package of pre-loaded applications.
He is also betting on the company's PlayBook tablet to compete with the Apple iPad tablet. This spring, Heins said that RIM will launch a version of the Playbook, with a high-speed wireless connection based on LTE - a technology that the top three U.S. operators are building into their networks.
Verizon Wireless and AT&T are already promoting LTE devices including smartphones and tablets from RIM's rivals. RIM's first smartphones with LTE connections will be in the company's BlackBerry 10 line-up, Heins said.
MOMENT OF SURPRISE
In his first presentation to Wall Street as CEO earlier this week, Heins said he did not think the company needed drastic change, causing some analysts to worry that the executive would not do enough to reverse the company's fortunes.
But the executive said on Friday that he was merely telling Wall Street that he does not want to change the core of RIM.
"Is RIM up for sale, is RIM up for a split-up?" He rejected those possibilities as "a drastic, seismic change because it would tear the company apart."
Heins, who has been with RIM for four years after spending over two decades at German engineering group Siemens, was became COO responsible for software and products seven months ago.
He explained that RIM had succession plans for co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie in place for some time and that he had an inkling that he was being groomed to follow in their footsteps when he was named COO.
"The moment they tell you it's still a surprise," Heins said, smiling broadly and adding that he immediately said yes.
Lazaridis and Balsillie, who turned the BlackBerry maker into a global company and a household name, stepped down last week but will remain on the board.
Some analysts have worried whether these executives would have too much of a say in the future strategy of the company because of their position on the board.
Heins said, it would be an advantage to be able to tap into the experience and company knowledge of RIM founder Lazaridis, but he made it clear that he would be the one calling the shots.
"What I do with the company is my decision. The CEO runs the company."
(Reporting By Sinead Carew; Additional reporting by Alastair Sharp and Peter Lauria; Editing by Gary Hill)
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Former Italian President Scalfaro dies at 93 (Reuters)
ROME (Reuters) ? Former Italian President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, who was head of state during the "Bribesville" corruption affair which overturned the old political order during the 1990s, has died, officials said on Sunday. He was 93.
Scalfaro, a former interior minister and speaker of the lower house of parliament, was appointed president in 1992 as the scandal was sweeping aside a party system which had run Italy since World War Two.
Both Scalfaro's own conservative Christian Democrat party and the centre-left Socialists were revealed to have been deeply corrupted by a web of bribery and illegal funding which destroyed Italians' confidence in government.
With preparations well under way for Italy to join the embryonic single European currency, Scalfaro had to defend the basic institutions of the Italian state at a time of corrosive mistrust of the political system.
"As President of the Republic, he faced some of the most difficult periods of our history firmly and steadfastly," the current president, Giorgio Napolitano, said in a statement.
(Reporting By James Mackenzie, editing by Tim Pearce)
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Bedwetting can be due to undiagnosed constipation
ScienceDaily (Jan. 27, 2012) ? Bedwetting isn't always due to problems with the bladder, according to new research by Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Constipation is often the culprit; and if it isn't diagnosed, children and their parents must endure an unnecessarily long, costly and difficult quest to cure nighttime wetting.
Reporting online in the journal Urology, researchers found that 30 children and adolescents who sought treatment for bedwetting all had large amounts of stool in their rectums, despite the majority having normal bowel habits. After treatment with laxative therapy, 25 of the children (83 percent) were cured of bedwetting within three months.
"Having too much stool in the rectum reduces bladder capacity," said lead author Steve J. Hodges, M.D., assistant professor of urology at Wake Forest Baptist. "Our study showed that a large percentage of these children were cured of nighttime wetting after laxative therapy. Parents try all sorts of things to treat bedwetting -- from alarms to restricting liquids. In many children, the reason they don't work is that constipation is the problem."
Hodges said the link between bedwetting and excess stool in the rectum, which is the lower five to six inches of the intestine, was first reported in 1986. However, he said the finding did not lead to a dramatic change in clinical practice, perhaps because the definition of constipation is not standardized or uniformly understood by all physicians and lay people.
"The definition for constipation is confusing and children and their parents often aren't aware the child is constipated," said Hodges. "In our study, X-rays revealed that all the children had excess stool in their rectums that could interfere with normal bladder function. However, only three of the children described bowel habits consistent with constipation."
Hodges explained that guidelines of the International Children's Continence Society recommend asking children and their parents if the child's bowel movements occur irregularly (less often than every other day) and if the stool consistency is hard.
"These questions focus on functional constipation and cannot help identify children with rectums that are enlarged and interfering with bladder capacity," said Hodges. "The kind of constipation associated with bedwetting occurs when children put off going to the bathroom. This causes stool to back up and their bowels to never be fully emptied. We believe that treating this condition can cure bedwetting."
Children in the study ranged from 5 to 15 years old. The constipated children were treated with an initial bowel cleanout using polyethylene glycol (Miralax?), which softens the stools by causing them to retain water. In children whose rectums remained enlarged after this therapy, enemas or stimulant laxatives were used.
Hodges cautioned that any medical therapy for bedwetting should be overseen by a physician.
The study used abdominal X-rays to identify the children with excess stool in their rectums. Hodges and radiologists at Wake Forest Baptist developed a special diagnostic method that involves measuring rectal size on the X-ray. He said rectal ultrasound could also be used for diagnosis.
"The importance of diagnosing this condition cannot be overstated," Hodges said. "When it is missed, children may be subjected to unnecessary surgery and the side effects of medications. We challenge physicians considering medications or surgery as a treatment for bedwetting to obtain an X-ray or ultrasound first."
The study involved reviewing the charts of 30 consecutive patients treated for bedwetting. The authors cautioned that some cases may have improved on their own over time. They said a more accurate measure of the treatment's success would be to randomly assign constipated children to laxative therapy or an inactive therapy, an approach that would identify true response from cases that would resolve over time.
Hodges' co-author on the research is Evelyn Y. Anthony, MD, a radiologist at Wake Forest Baptist.
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Journal Reference:
- Steve J. Hodges, Evelyn Y. Anthony. Occult Megarectum?A Commonly Unrecognized Cause of Enuresis. Urology, 2011; DOI: 10.1016/j.urology.2011.10.015
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/P7H4oXG4aCM/120127135757.htm
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Saturday, January 28, 2012
Fitch cuts Italy, Spain, other euro zone ratings (Reuters)
NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Fitch Ratings on Friday downgraded the sovereign credit ratings for Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Belgium and Cyprus indicating there is a 1-in-2 chance of further downgrades in the next two years.
In its statement, Fitch said these countries have near-term vulnerability to monetary and financial shocks. "Consequently, these sovereigns do not, in Fitch's view, accrue the full benefits of the euro's reserve currency status," Fitch said.
(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by James Dalgleish)
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Not quite ready for spring
Prince has signed, but there are plenty of offseason storylines remaining
Getty ImagesRoy Oswalt doesn't have a team yet this offseason, with spring training approaching.
OPINION
By Tony DeMarco
NBCSports.com contributor
updated 9:58 p.m. ET Jan. 26, 2012
|
- Forget about Miguel Cabrera and Fielder hitting 3-4 in the Tigers' order. There's no bigger lineup than the list of bidders for the Dodgers ? including Mark Cuban, Magic Johnson, Joe Torre, Steve Garvey, Dennis Gilbert, Peter O'Malley, Stan Kroenke and Stan Kasten, not to mention a handful of under-the-radar billionaires.
And that likely means Frank McCourt is going to get at least $1.5 billion for the team he ran into the ground ? which doesn't seem right, but it will be the biggest-ever price tag for an MLB franchise.
Even at that number, the Dodgers could turn out to be a bargain, with an expected mega-dollars television rights deal along the lines of the one Angels owner Arte Moreno recently landed.
McCourt has until April 1 to pick a successor ? subject to the ultimate approval of MLB, with mediation possible in case of a dispute ? but it could come sooner. But certainly by the first week of the regular season, we're going to know who will head what should be one of the great sports-franchise turnarounds. In the very near future, MLB should have its West Coast version of the Yankees or Red Sox.
- There still is quality free-agent pitching to be had, led by Edwin Jackson. The Red Sox ? among others ? have serious interest, and no projected top contender needs him more. Behind Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz, there are only question marks led by Daniel Bard (starter or reliever?) and Alfredo Aceves. So an innings eater is needed, and that makes Jackson the better candidate than Oswalt, who's battled back issues in recent years.
That could leave Oswalt to chose between the Rangers, Cardinals, Reds, or even the Tigers. The problem is that neither of Oswalt's top two choices ? Texas and St. Louis ? has a big need for another starter.
The Rangers can line up six quality starters without Oswalt: Yu Darvish, Neftali Feliz, Derek Holland, Colby Lewis, Matt Harrison and Alexi Ogando. And the defending world champions will get Adam Wainwright back to top the 2012 rotation that includes Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia, Kyle Lohse and Jake Westbrook, with top prospect Shelby Miller in the wings.
- The paperwork has been completed, Yoenis Cespedes has established legal residency in the Dominican Republic, so the official bidding can begin for the right-handed-hitting Cuban outfielder.
Cespedes is listed at 26, and at a solid 5-10 and around 190 pounds, with power and capable of playing center field, reminds you of former Dodgers outfielder Raul Mondesi.
The list of reported suitors reportedly includes the White Sox, Orioles, Marlins, Indians, and Cubs. There could be immediate opportunities in left field with the White Sox and Orioles, and the Indians need a right-handed-hitting complement to their three projected left-handed hitting outfield starters.
The Marlins have the geographic edge, but not an apparent immediate opening unless they turn Emilio Bonafacio into a super-utility player rather than a regular center fielder ? not a bad idea, come to think of it.
But the Cubs are the most-intriguing possibility, especially since they haven't made a major financial move in a restructuring that so far, has resulted in this plus-minus roster churning:
Gone: Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Zambrano, Carlos Pena, Sean Marshall, Andrew Cashner, Tyler Colvin, D.J. LeMahieu.
Arrived: Anthony Rizzo, Paul Maholm, Chris Volstad, David DeJesus, Ian Stewart, Travis Wood.
They've cleared a lot of money, gotten younger and more left-handed, and built a little pitching depth, and Cespedes would give them another potential middle-of-the-order type they desperately need.Here's one projected Cubs lineup as the roster stands now: SS Starlin Castro, 2B Darwin Barney, CF Marlon Byrd, LF Alfonso Soriano, 1B Rizzo/Bryan LaHair, C Geovany Soto, 3B Ian Stewart, RF David DeJesus. Obviously, there's a huge void in the middle.
- Josh Hamilton can become a free agent after the 2012 season, and says contract-extension talks need to wrap up before the start of spring training, adding a little urgency to the situation.
There's no better fit for him than where he's at, and given his addiction history, comfort level has to be a major factor in his decision-making. But just as with Fielder and Albert Pujols, there are obvious misgivings about a very-long-term deal for Hamilton, who will turn 31 in May.
Since playing 156 games in 2008, Hamilton's season totals have been 89, 133 and 121. Those last three numbers will be discounted some if Hamilton can log 150-plus games in 2012. But another injury-interrupted season will only add to durability questions.
But if Hamilton puts up another MVP-type season similar to Fielder's 2011, then you know somebody ? and all it takes is one ? will go way past the range of conventional wisdom in terms of contract length and money. And that's not likely to be the Rangers ? even though they can afford Hamilton as their new television deal kicks in.
The situation dictates a short-term/big money extension ? three or four years in the $25-million per season range.
- Johnny Damon is running out of American League teams. In a 17-year career in which he has totaled 2,723 hits, Damon has played for a half-dozen of them ? the Royals, A's, Red Sox, Yankees, Tigers and Rays.
If he'll take a dramatically reduced salary, there's a chance he could return to the Yankees to platoon at DH with Andruw Jones. The A's are another reunion possibility, but it's likely Damon will add AL team No. 7 to his resume.
Seattle desperately needs offense of any kind, has money to spend, and currently has right-handed-hitting Trayvon Robinson penciled in as the regular left-fielder. And Minnesota's projected starting outfield is Ben Revere, Denard Span and Josh Willingham, so there certainly are at-bats to be had there.
? 2012 NBC Sports.com? Reprintsadvertisement
More newsGetty ImagesNot quite ready for spring
??DeMarco: Just because Prince? Fielder finally signed, that doesn't mean the offseason is out of storylines. Here's what has to be sorted out before spring training starts in three weeks.
Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46156759/ns/sports-baseball/
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Microsoft Kinect Could Make Its Way to Laptops
The ability to control a Windows desktop with a simple hand gesture could become reality sooner than we once thought. The Daily got a sneak peek at two Microsoft-developed Windows 8 notebook prototypes with built-in Kinect sensors. The system would allow for gesture recognition in portable devices for the first time.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/dk-wwoJ3qIM/
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Americans want a certifiably smart president (Politico)
Right before his GOP presidential campaign crashed and burned, Texas Gov. Rick Perry joked about his mediocre academic record. If he?d paid attention in class, however, he might have realized that Americans no longer consider poor academic performance a joking matter for a presidential candidate.
Indeed, for all the talk about the weaknesses of the GOP field of contenders, this has been America?s most highly educated group of competitors for a major party presidential nomination.
Continue ReadingAmong those vying in the GOP, all but one earned at least one post-graduate degree: valedictorian Mitt Romney, M.B.A.-J.D.; Rick Santorum, M.B.A.-J.D.; former professor Newt Gingrich, history Ph.D.; and Ron Paul, M.D.
The original field included Rep. Michele Bachmann, J.D.-LLM; Herman Cain, M.S.; and Tim Pawlenty, J.D. The slacker of the group, Jon Huntsman, earned only an Ivy League degree.
The academic standards for president have been rising since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Bill Clinton was the first Rhodes scholar. He handed the Oval Office keys to our first M.B.A. president, George W. Bush.
Barack Obama held one of the highest post-graduate honors, editor-in-chief of the Harvard Law Review. The presidential and vice presidential nominees on every Democrat ticket in the past 20 years have a post-graduate degree. This is also true of the only successful GOP ticket in this period, Bush (M.B.A.) and Dick Cheney (M.A.).
There has never been a Ph.D. president during the modern era or anyone holding two post-graduate degrees, or a medical license. President Harry S. Truman never even graduated from college.
In 1968, Duke Law School graduate Richard M. Nixon became the first chief executive in the modern era to have such a post-graduate degree. It took another 24 years before America elected a president with a similar education.
Starting with Clinton, the education of a president changed. Active duty service in our armed forces had been expected for those who would have their finger on the nuclear trigger. But from Clinton on, that is no more.
The office of presidency was unlike any other when devised in 1787. The founders knew George Washington would be our first commander in chief. They gave the power to pick his successors to a small group of elites, dubbed the Electoral College. John Adams, then Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe followed ? all Founding Fathers. But by 1824, a new generation of Americans demanded a more populist process.
The president as ?common man? era dawned with Gen. Andrew Jackson?s election in 1828. It culminated in the election of the ultimate ordinary yet extraordinary man, Abraham Lincoln.
Born with the humblest of origins, Lincoln was not a celebrated general and lacked political titles previously associated with presidents. Not since Jefferson had someone become president by winning the admiration of his peers with a unique, insightful intellect.
Yet Lincoln had no college background. President Grover Cleveland, last elected in 1892, like Lincoln, became a lawyer by ?reading? for the bar.
In 1896, Americans elected William McKinley, an Albany Law School alumnus, as their president. Thus began a new era in the education of a president. Since then, the only chief executive not to get a degree was Truman.
Since Nixon, five out of our past eight presidents had post-graduate degrees. Ronald Reagan, elected in 1980, is the last non-Ivy League grad.
Yet, in the postwar era, the most consequential presidents have been the non-elite educated: Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson and Reagan.
Given the rise of the post-graduate presidency, could any of these giants be elected today?
Paul Goldman is former chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia. Mark J. Rozell is professor of public policy at George Mason University.
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Friday, January 27, 2012
Higher materials costs squeeze Colgate's profit (AP)
NEW YORK ? Colgate-Palmolive is posting nearly a 6 percent decline in its fourth-quarter net income, citing higher costs to make and package its products.
The company made $590 million in the October to December period Thursday, down from $624 million. That translates to $1.21 per share, less than the $1.29 that analysts polled by FactSet had predicted.
Revenue rose 5 percent to $4.17 billion with the company able to pass on some higher prices to consumers, but that's just shy of the $4.19 billion that Wall Street is looking for. The fastest growth came in emerging-market countries, with a lot of U.S. consumers still trading down to other brands in a dour economy.
Shares of Colgate-Palmolive Co., based in New York, were unchanged in premarket trading, at $89.44.
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Walnuts for prostate cancer, osteoporosis and CHD | Food Freedom
Activist Post
Americans are being kept in the dark about a natural cure for prostate cancer and osteoporosis by none other than the US Food and Drug Administration. [Image]
More scientific evidence confirms that walnuts have some amazing properties: not only did they reduce tumor size in mice, but they also lowered LDL, the ?bad? kind of cholesterol that leads to heart disease, according to a new study published in the British Journal of Nutrition last week.
?If additional research determines that walnuts have the same effect in men as they do in mice, adhering to a diet that excludes walnuts to lower fat would mean that prostate cancer patients could miss out on the beneficial effects of walnuts,? said lead researcher Paul Davis.
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in American men. One in six men will be diagnosed with it, but only one in 36 will die from the disease because most tumors do not spread beyond the local site, reports the National Cancer Institute.
?These characteristics of prostate cancer make adding walnuts to a diet attractive as part of prostate cancer prevention,? Davis added.
Support my work by reading the full article at Activist Post.? Thanks!
Source: http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/walnuts-for-prostate-cancer-osteoporosis-and-chd/
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Juventus' supremacy faces a test against Udinese
By ANDREW DAMPF
AP Sports Writer
Associated Press Sports
updated 9:30 a.m. ET Jan. 26, 2012
ROME (AP) -Juventus was somewhat of a surprise winner of the Italian league's symbolic winter title, and the team's supremacy will immediately be tested when it begins the second half of the season by hosting third-place Udinese on Saturday.
Juventus is unbeaten but holds only a one-point lead over defending champion AC Milan, with Udinese three points back and surging Inter Milan six points behind.
The winner of the winter title has gone on to win Serie A the past seven years, but the league hasn't been this competitive in years, and Juve hasn't really contended since before the 2006 Italian match-fixing scandal.
"The winter title has only symbolic value," Juventus coach Antonio Conte said. "Now we've got to be even better to repeat ourselves in the second half of the season. We need to be at 120 or 130 percent."
However, Juventus has three key players questionable with injuries. Forward Mirko Vucinic has an inflamed right knee and attacking midfielders Claudio Marchisio and Simone Pepe each have swollen ankles.
If those players are absent, starting positions could open up for 37-year-old Juventus captain Alessandro Del Piero and midfielder Emanuele Giaccherini, who both scored in a 3-0 win over 10-man Roma on Tuesday that put the Turin team into the Italian Cup semifinals.
For Del Piero, who has seen limited playing time lately, it was his first goal of the season.
"Del Piero is always a solution for me, never a problem," Conte said.
Newly signed forward Marco Borriello is another option in attack.
For Udinese, everything revolves around 34-year-old captain Antonio Di Natale, who has led the league in scoring the past two seasons with a combined 57 goals and again tops the chart this season with 14, lying level with Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
During their first meeting before the holiday break, Juventus played to a 0-0 draw at Udinese, handing the small northeastern club its only blemish of an otherwise perfect record at home.
"We're going to have to run, run and run some more if we want another positive result, because that's what they do a lot of and they're organized in every area," Di Natale said.
Udinese is also missing a few key players, with Kwadwo Asamoah playing for Ghana at the African Cup of Nations and fellow midfielder Giampiero Pinzi out with a calf injury. Mauricio Isla, another midfielder, is questionable with a left thigh problem.
Still, having never finished higher than third, Udinese is clinging to its title aspirations.
"Dreaming doesn't cost anything, but it's going to be very difficult," Di Natale said.
Also this weekend, Milan hosts Cagliari and Inter visits Lecce.
Milan is singing the praises of Ibrahimovic after the Sweden striker scored twice in a 3-0 win over Novara last weekend, although the Rossoneri still seem interested in signing Carlos Tevez from Manchester City before next week's transfer deadline.
Inter's eight-match winning streak in all competitions was snapped with a 2-0 Italian Cup loss to Napoli on Wednesday, although Claudio Ranieri's squad has still won seven straight in the league.
In other matches, it's: Catania vs. Parma; Fiorentina vs. Siena; Cesena vs. Atalanta; Genoa vs. Napoli; Palermo vs. Novara; Roma vs. Bologna; and Chievo Verona vs. Lazio.
? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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U.S. defender Tim Ream cancels his honeymoon in Tahiti and heads east after being contated by English Premier League club Bolton.
Hope for Solo
U.S. women's goalie Hope Solo was back on the practice field Thursday, one day before the game that will determine whether the Americans go to the Olympics.
Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/44225939/ns/sports-soccer/
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BlackBerry Curve 9360 review
Continue reading BlackBerry Curve 9360 review
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Thursday, January 26, 2012
NJ synagogue bombings suspect seeks to move trial (AP)
HACKENSACK, N.J. ? The attorney for a teenager charged with firebombing two New Jersey synagogues says his office will seek to have the trial moved from the county where the attacks took place.
Robert Kalisch (KAY'-lihsh) is a public defender assigned to suspect Anthony Graziano. The 19-year-old Graziano pleaded not guilty Wednesday at an initial court appearance.
He was charged Tuesday with attempted murder, arson and bias intimidation for attacks in Paramus and Rutherford this month.
Kalisch says there's been too much publicity about the attacks in Bergen County to get a fair trial. He also says he'll push to have Graziano's $5 million bail lowered.
Authorities traced the materials in some of the bombs to a Walmart store and captured surveillance images of a man buying the materials, later identified as Graziano.
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US durable goods orders rise on business spending
JIn this Jan. 6, 2012 photo, John Deere farm tractors are displayed at Sloan's Implement John Deere Dealership, in Virden, Ill. Orders to U.S. factories for long-lasting manufactured goods increased in December after business stepped up spending on machinery and other capital goods. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)
JIn this Jan. 6, 2012 photo, John Deere farm tractors are displayed at Sloan's Implement John Deere Dealership, in Virden, Ill. Orders to U.S. factories for long-lasting manufactured goods increased in December after business stepped up spending on machinery and other capital goods. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)
Locks are displayed inside of the Master Lock company in Milwaukee, Wis., Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2012. Orders to U.S. factories for long-lasting manufactured goods increased in December after business stepped up spending on machinery and other capital goods.(AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Orders to U.S. factories for long-lasting manufactured goods increased in December, lifted by solid business spending on machinery and equipment.
The second straight monthly gain in durable goods offered more evidence that the economy started the year with momentum.
Orders for durable goods rose 3 percent last month, the Commerce Department said Thursday. Durable goods are products expected to last at least three years.
And demand for so-called core capital goods, such as computers and machinery, posted a solid 2.9 percent increase. That pushed orders for this category to a record $68.9 billion.
Economists pay close attention to so-called core capital goods because they are often viewed as a good way of gauging business investment plans.
Orders have climbed more than 45 percent since hitting a recession low in April 2009. That has kept factories busy and helped the economy grow at a slow but steady pace.
Businesses cut back on core capital goods in November for the second straight month, which drew some concerns from economists. The Federal Reserve on Wednesday also cited the decline while warning that the economy remains vulnerable.
An increase in total durable goods orders bolstered the view sketched by other data showing the economy picked up in recent months.
Companies are hiring more, factories are making more goods and more people are buying cars. Still, the threat of a recession in Europe is likely to be a drag on the global economy.
Manufacturing has been a bright spot in the current recovery. U.S. factory activity has been lifted a surge in exports but economists are worried that the growth in exports could falter if overseas markets such as Europe show signs of slowing. Europe accounts for about one-fifth of U.S. exports.
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Factbox: Reactions from leading Oscar nominees (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced nominations for the 2012 Academy Awards on Tuesday. The winners will be named at the annual Oscars ceremony in Hollywood on February 26.
Following is a list of reactions from nominees, received by Reuters in statements via e-mail, except as noted below.
-- "It's an honor to be nominated a second time, it is a personal accomplishment and triumph for women and women of color. I'm so glad the film has been recognized, it was a labor of love from the moment it was conceived and it is rewarding to see the impact it is having." -- Viola Davis, best actress nominee for "The Help."
-- "I am thrilled and shocked." -- Gary Oldman, best actor nominee for "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy." (By phone to Reuters)
-- "I am honored to be in company with such beautiful artists, and touched deeply by my fellow actors for their generosity in giving me this acknowledgment." -- Meryl Streep, best actress nominee for "The Iron Lady."
-- "This is an extraordinary honor. I am dizzy with joy... and caffeine. Considering both films, Moneyball and The Tree of Life, nearly didn't make it to the screen, this is especially sweet. And I'd like to thank all the artisans and craftsmen who gave their best to each film. I am especially over the moon for Jonah (and the other Moneyballers acknowledged today), Terry Malick and the tribute this is to Billy Beane and the Oakland A's organization. My congratulations to all the nominees ... pancakes for everyone." -- Brad Pitt, best actor nominee for "Moneyball."
-- "I am so grateful to be acknowledged by the Academy for my work, which was made possible by the support of our director Simon Curtis and the camaraderie of a terrific ensemble of actors - a special congratulations to Kenneth Branagh - and the fearless Harvey Weinstein. This role has been the challenge and privilege of a lifetime. I would like to think that the recognition our film has received by the Academy is a testament to Marilyn's legacy." -- Michelle Williams, best actress in a lead role nominee for "My Week With Marilyn."
-- "I am thrilled for Janet, I am thrilled for our incomparable hair and makeup team. It might be my sixth (nomination) but it feels like my first. Bravo team Nobbs." -- Glenn Close, best actress nominee for "Albert Nobbs."
-- "It's very hard to articulate what I'm feeling right now. I'm a little dazed, confused, excited, elated, all of the above...Minny is a woman of her era and I'm certainly a woman of my era. I learned a lot from her. I never thought that I was materialistic or ungrateful, but I realized in playing a character that has so little but who has such a great impact on her environment, which is huge, when you can have an impact on the microcosm of your world, that is huge, I realized that I needed to do a lot more." -- Octavia Spencer, best supporting actress nominee for "The Help." (Interview with Reuters TV)
-- "I'm overjoyed and filled with happiness. I can't believe that a year ago I was learning how to tap dance and today I am nominated for an Academy Award. It was a thrill to work on a project as ambitious as 'The Artist' and I am happy to share this moment with our visionary director, Michel Hazanavicius and our talented team of actors." Berenice Bejo, best supporting actress nominee for "The Artist."
-- "It was a rare honor to play Sir Laurence Olivier. To be recognized by the Academy for doing so is overwhelming. I'm absolutely thrilled." -- Kenneth Branagh, best supporting actor nominee for "My Week With Marilyn."
-- "I am so humbled, appreciative and in shock about this incredible honor. I'd like to thank the Academy, Sony Pictures , the cast and crew of Moneyball, Brad Pitt, and, most of all, our brilliant director Bennett Miller." -- Jonah Hill, best supporting actor nominee for "Moneyball."
-- "My sincere thanks to my colleagues at the Academy. It is wonderful. I don?t know what to say ?I am dumbfounded." -- Max von Sydow, best supporting actor nominee for "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close."
-- "I am thrilled with our multiple nominations for "The Help" and "War Horse". It is the first time that I have experienced two Best Picture nominations in the same year. One is a high honor. Two is humbling but very exciting. It is a tribute to all those who joined with Stacey Snider and our DreamWorks Studios team to develop and make these two films with stories that we passionately felt we had to make." -- Steven Spielberg, multiple nominations for "The Help" and "War Horse."
-- "I am deeply honored to have been nominated by the Academy for my work on Hugo. Every picture is a challenge, and this one -- where I was working with 3D, HD and Sacha Baron Cohen for the first time -- was no exception. It's a wonderful feeling to know that you've been recognized by the people in your industry. I congratulate my fellow nominees. It's an impressive list, and I'm in excellent company." -- Martin Scorsese, best director nominee for "Hugo."
-- "I am so honored by this nomination. Filming 'The Artist' in Los Angeles was a dream come true, and to receive this recognition today is far beyond what any of us could have ever imagined. I could not have done this film without the incredible ensemble of actors and exceptional crew whose heart and souls were poured into this project." -- Michel Hazanavicius, best director nominee for "The Artist."
-- "I am very humbled by this morning's nominations. This must be how my father felt back in 1965 when he received his first Oscar nomination. 'The Artist' was a labor of love from writer/director Michel Hazanavicius to pay homage to Hollywood, and to see all the love that the Academy has given it this morning is overwhelming." -- Thomas Langmann (producer), best picture nominee for "The Artist."
-- "There's no denying that Oscar nominations for one's film are exciting, if only for the joy they give to everyone who worked so hard on the film. I'm particularly happy for the recognition of my long-time editor Kevin Tent. He really deserves it." -- Alexander Payne (writer/director/producer), best director, best adapted screenplay and best picture nominee for "The Descendants."
-- "I must say I am pleasantly shocked and incredibly grateful to the Academy for this honor. We are all so proud of The Tree of Life, but we knew too it was a very challenging film that pushed the envelope. The nominations this morning are thrilling endorsements of the film, Terry's vision, the incredible work of Chivo, and the great contributions of everyone involved. Many thanks to the Academy!" -- Bill Pohlad (producer), best picture nominee for "The Tree of Life."
-- "It is an incredible honor to be nominated this morning. We set out to do something different with RANGO, and this distinction is a testament to everyone who tirelessly dedicated themselves to creating our neurotic lizard. Rango was looking for an audience who shared his love of cinema and I'm humbled that he found one. It has been a remarkable journey, and one that I am grateful to share with our entire creative team, Paramount, and all of the virtuosos at Industrial, Light and Magic." -- Gore Verbinski (writer/director/producer), best animated feature film nominee for "Rango."
-- "I'm deeply honored that the Academy recognized Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close as well as Max von Sydow. The entire team behind our film felt the enormous responsibility in taking on this project, and it is deeply humbling to have the Academy recognize it in this way." -- Stephen Daldry, best picture nominee for "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close."
-- "We are thrilled for the nominations War Horse has received and most of all thankful to have been working under the leadership of Steven Spielberg whose moral clarity, vision and sensitive handling of the Great War might serve in some small way to raise awareness of war's pointlessness." -- Kathleen Kennedy (producer), best picture nominee for "War Horse."
-- "It's an honor to be recognized in the company of such terrific writers. Moneyball is a true testament to teamwork -- it's the commitment of the entire cast and crew that got us to the final game of the season." -- Aaron Sorkin, best adapted screenplay nominee (with Steve Zaillian and Stan Chervin) for 'Moneyball."
-- "This is cheerful news for me and for the family of cinema in Iran, especially the nomination for the best original screenplay. It seems that although people speak different languages around the world but there is one common universal language which everyone understands: The Language of Cinema." --Asghar Farhadi (writer/director/producer), best foreign language film nominee for "A Separation."
-- "It's been an incredible eight year journey from the first draft of the play until this moment. Working with George and Grant has been one of the most rewarding collaborations of my career, and I couldn't be more thrilled that our film is getting this kind of recognition." -- Beau Willimon (co-writer of screenplay with George Clooney and Grant Heslov, based on Beau's play Farragut North), nominee for best adapted screenplay for "Ides of March."
(Reporting By Jill Serjeant and Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
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Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Daily Apps: Kick?n Chick?nz, QR Pal, Phase ? Blinky?s Adventure, Icon Craft, Baby Game: Cutie Frog
Kick’n Chick’nz: Medieval Karnival: A hilariously funny new game full of exciting carnival arcade style games, unique gameplay dynamics plus beautiful 3D graphics and animations. The story begins with a
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Pakistan police suspect aid worker kidnapped (AP)
KARACHI, Pakistan ? Pakistani police say a Kenyan aid worker has disappeared and is suspected of having been kidnapped in the country's south.
Police officer Shahab Akbar Kolachi said late Monday the man was working for an international NGO, helping the southern Sindh province recover from devastating 2010 floods. Kolachi did not provide the man's name.
The officer said police believe the man was kidnapped Monday while traveling from the city of Sukkur to the district of Dadu. His vehicle was found abandoned between the two areas. His colleagues tried to call him, but his phone was turned off.
Kidnappings for ransom are common in Pakistan by both criminals and Islamist militants.
Gunmen seized two aid workers, an Italian and a German, in the central Pakistan town of Multan last week.
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012
FM says Syria has duty to confront armed groups (AP)
BEIRUT ? Syria's foreign minister said Tuesday that "half the universe" is conspiring against his country, as Gulf Arab nations withdrew from a monitoring mission in Syria because the government has failed to stop 10 months of violence.
International pressure is building on Syria, not only from the West but increasingly from Arab nations as well. The U.N. estimates more than 5,400 people have been killed since Syria's uprising began in March, sparked by the arrest of a group of teenagers who scrawled anti-government graffiti on a wall in the country's south.
Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem on Tuesday signaled the crackdown will continue, saying in Damascus that the government will take any steps necessary to defend against chaos.
Syria has long held that armed gangs acting out a foreign conspiracy are behind the revolt, not protesters seeking change in one of the most authoritarian states in the Middle East.
"It is the duty of the Syrian government to take what it sees as necessary measures to deal with those armed groups that spread chaos," al-Moallem said during a televised news conference.
He also said it was clear that some Arab countries have joined the conspiracy against Syria ? a clear reference to the Gulf countries and to Sunday's call by the Arab League for Syria to create a national unity government in two months.
The plan also provides for Assad to give his vice president full powers to cooperate with the proposed government to enable it to carry out its duties during a transitional period.
Damascus has rejected the plan as a violation of national sovereignty.
Tuesday's decision by Gulf nations to pull out their monitors is a blow to an Arab League observer mission that has been mired by controversy, but which for many represented the only hope for an Arab solution to the crisis in Syria, away from outside intervention.
Now, the Gulf Cooperation Council has called on the U.N. Security Council to take all "necessary measures" to force Syria to implement the Arab League's peace plan.
"The decision was made after careful and thorough monitoring of events in Syria and the conviction by the GCC that the bloodshed and the killing of innocent people there is continuing," the statement by the six-nation GCC said.
Al-Moallem brushed off the threat of the Security Council.
"If they go to (U.N. headquarters in) New York or the moon, as long as we don't pay their tickets, this is their business," he said.
But he acknowledged there is little hope for an Arab solution.
He said some (Gulf) Arabs have "assassinated" the role of the Arab League in ending the crisis in Syria, and went to the Security Council instead. He tried to portray confidence, however, saying Syria had the strong support of powerful allies in Iran and Russia.
An official at the Cairo-based Arab League said an emergency meeting of permanent representatives of the group's 22 members will be held later Tuesday in the Egyptian capital to "review the situation" following the GCC's decision.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The GCC ? which includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates ? has long advocated referring Syria to the Security Council, putting it in conflict with other Arab states.
The Arab League's observer mission, which includes 52 monitors from the Gulf nations, has encountered heavy criticism for its failure to stop the Assad regime's crackdown. The GCC withdrawal will leave about 110 observers on the ground, League officials said.
Saudi Arabia had announced Monday that it would pull out its observers.
"This is their business," al-Moallem said. "Maybe the Saudi brothers in the mission don't want to see the realities on the ground, which don't satisfy their plots," he added.
Activists, meanwhile, reported more violence Tuesday.
Syrian troops opened fire to disperse hundreds of people in al-Barra village in the Jabal al-Zawiya region of northern Syria who had gathered for the funeral of Radwan Rabih Hamadi, a 46-year-old prominent opposition figure who was ambushed and assassinated by gunmen on Monday, activists said.
Activists say Hamadi was instrumental in the uprising against Assad in the northern Idlib province.
Six people were reported wounded in Tuesday's shooting.
___
Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue and Elizabeth A. Kennedy in Beirut, and Abdullah al-Shihri in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, contributed to this report.
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Nigerian sect kills over 100 in deadliest strike yet (Reuters)
KANO, Nigeria (Reuters) ? More than 100 people were killed in bomb attacks and gunbattles in the Nigerian city Kano late on Friday, a local government security source said, in the deadliest strike claimed by Islamist sect Boko Haram to date.
"Definitely more than 100 have been killed," the senior source, who could not be named, told Reuters.
"There were bombs and then gunmen were attacking police and police came back with attacks." Hospital staff said there were still bodies arriving at morgues in Kano.
Boko Haram claimed responsibility on Saturday for the wave of strikes. The sect has killed hundreds in the north of Africa's most populous nation in the last year.
The attacks late on Friday prompted the government to announce a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the city of more than 10 million people, the country's second biggest.
President Goodluck Jonathan, who has been criticized for failing to act quickly and decisively enough against Boko Haram, said the killers would face "the full wrath of the law."
Kano and other northern cities have been plagued by an insurgency led by Boko Haram, which is blamed for scores of bombings and shootings. These have taken place mostly in the Muslim-dominated north of Africa's top oil producer, whose main oil-producing facilities are located to the south.
Aimed mainly at government targets, the Boko Haram attacks have been growing in scale and sophistication.
A spokesman for Boko Haram contacted reporters in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, where the sect is based, to claim responsibility for Friday's bombings. Copies of a letter apparently from the group were also dropped around Kano.
The letter, written in the Hausa language spoken in northern Nigeria, said the attacks were retribution for police arrests and killings of members of the sect.
CHAOS
Police Corporal Aliu Abdullahi, who survived multiple gunshots, described a scene of chaos.
"We were in the mess when we saw people running and heard gunshots from the gate, I saw them shooting. You could not differentiate the Boko Haram members from our Police Mobile Force men because they wore the same uniform," he said.
"They were more than 50. As I tried to run a bullet hit me on my left hand and another shot hit me on my chest I fell."
The police said eight buildings were attacked, including police headquarters, three police stations, the headquarters of the secret services and the immigration head office.
"It is with a heart full of sadness and pain that I convey my condolences ... to the families, friends, associates and relatives of all those who lost their lives in the acts of violence in Kano," President Jonathan said in a statement.
"I want to re-assure Nigerians ... that all those involved in that dastardly act will be made to face the full wrath of the law."
Shooting between police and gunmen went on into the night, residents said. Witnesses said most died from gunshots.
"We are still going around collecting corpses," a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency in Kano told Reuters. "They are mostly police officers ... some died from injuries from explosions, some from gunshot wounds."
Witnesses said smoke billowed from the police headquarters after the blast blew out the windows, wrecked the roof and triggered a blaze that firefighters struggled to control.
AFRICAN UNION CONDEMNS ATTACKS
In one shooting late on Friday, unidentified gunmen killed a cameraman for Nigeria's Channels TV, Akogwu Enenche, who had recently also contributed stories to Reuters Television, while he was filming at the scene of one of the bombings, witnesses and his family said.
The police did not comment. Enenche was on a Channels TV assignment when he was shot.
"We are shocked and saddened at the death of Channels TV reporter Akogwu Enenche who has contributed footage to Reuters over the last few months. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family at this very sad time," Thomson Reuters Editor-in-Chief Stephen Adler said in a statement.
Boko Haram became active around 2003 in the northeast state of Borno but its attacks have spread into other northern states, including Yobe, Kano, Bauchi and Gombe.[nLDE80K00V]
Boko Haram, a Hausa term meaning "Western education is sinful," is loosely modeled on Afghanistan's Taliban.
The sect originally said it wanted sharia, Islamic law, to be applied more widely across Nigeria but its aims appear to have changed. Recent messages from its leaders have said it is attacking anyone who opposes it, at present mainly police, the government and Christian groups.
The African Union on Saturday condemned what it said were the latest "terrorist" attacks in Kano.
A bomb attack on a Catholic church just outside the capital Abuja on Christmas Day, claimed by Boko Haram, killed 37 people and wounded 57.
The main suspect in that attack, Kabiru Sokoto, escaped from police custody within 24 hours of his arrest, and police have offered a 50 million naira ($310,000) reward for information leading to his recapture.
Police arrested him on Tuesday but he escaped when their vehicle came under fire as they were taking him from police headquarters to his house in Abaji, just outside Abuja, to conduct a search.
Last August, a suicide bomber blew up the U.N. Nigeria headquarters in Abuja, killing at least 24 people.
There were two blasts in the southern state of Bayelsa in the oil-producing Niger Delta late on Friday but no one was killed. Police said they were not linked to Boko Haram.
Bayelsa, the home state of President Jonathan, is holding a governorship election next month. Troops have been deployed in the state in recent weeks to stem political unrest.
(Additional reporting by Felix Onuah, Segun Owen, Samuel Tife, Joe Brock, Tim Cocks and Austin Ekeinde in Nigeria and Richard Lough in Nairobi; Writing by Joe Brock; Editing by Tim Cocks)
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Monday, January 23, 2012
Analysis: Iran's softer Gulf words don't mean nuclear shift (Reuters)
TEHRAN (Reuters) ? Iran has stepped back from a threat to close the Strait of Hormuz, but while its softened rhetoric appears to be aimed at de-escalating military tensions, it does not indicate any change of stance on its nuclear program.
"Iran's leadership has a strong sense of self-preservation," said Robert Smith, a consultant at Facts Global Energy. "The comments can likely be interpreted as a sign of cooler heads prevailing."
A senior commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Saturday the likely return of U.S. naval vessels to the region was "not a new issue and ... should be interpreted as part of their permanent presence."
That was a significant shift from earlier this month when Tehran said the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier, which left at the end of December during Iranian naval maneuvers, should not return - an order interpreted by some observers in Iran and Washington as a blanket threat to any U.S. carriers.
Only a few weeks ago Tehran was threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz, used by a third of the world's seaborne oil trade, if new sanctions cripple its oil exports - exactly the effect Washington and Europe are aiming for.
European Union foreign ministers are set to meet on Monday to agree a ban on importing oil from Iran and sanctions signed by U.S. President Barack Obama on New Year's Eve aim to make it impossible for countries around the world to buy Iranian crude.
Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi, who had said Iran would not allow "even one drop of oil" through the strait if oil sanctions are imposed, was less fiery in remarks reported on Sunday.
"Today they (the West) have launched a new game against Iran but it is clear that we will resist against their excessive demands," the official IRNA news agency quoted him as saying.
But while Iran may be reining in its most hawkish rhetoric, and calling for a resumption of talks with world powers that stalled a year ago, it is no closer to offering concessions on the nuclear issue that could lead to an easing of sanctions.
OIL IMPACT
One Western diplomat in Tehran compared Iran's offer of talks to its position before the last round of sanctions were imposed in mid-2010.
"They were saying then: 'Let's have talks,' but it wasn't followed up by any kind of concrete commitment," he said, adding that, despite several public declarations of goodwill, Tehran has yet to deliver a reply to a letter Ashton sent to Tehran on October 21 letter offering to resume talks.
"Iran is not softening its stance," said Meir Javedanfar, Iran analyst and co-author of "The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehran."
"It's changing its strategy after realizing that its ill-timed and exaggerated threat to close the Strait of Hormuz in case of sanctions caused more damage to its stance and position than anyone else."
The change in Iran's rhetoric could add to the bearish direction of oil prices which were down on Friday due to signs of reduced demand.
"The result of Iran softening its stance, amongst other factors, will contribute to an easing of oil markets," Smith said, adding that the impact will be limited.
"If recent events are any indication, the markets have listened to Iran's rhetoric so many times that its impact has become quite muted compared to the reactions of, say, five years ago."
While the likelihood of imminent naval clashes in the Gulf may have receded, Iran could yet see through its threat of closing Hormuz in the event of an Israeli air strike on its nuclear facilities, Javedanfar said.
"Iran could still block the strait of Hormuz in case of a preemptive strike against it.
"This is a scenario which nobody could or should ignore, despite the fact that the recent threat to close the strait in case of sanctions turned out to be a bluff."
(Additional reporting by Hashem Kalantari; Editing by Myra MacDonald)
Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/wl_nm/us_iran_gulf
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