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Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Celeb Transformations: Stars Who've Morphed for Movies
From gaining (and losing) weight to enduring 10-hour days in the makeup chair, these stars have changed their looks in the name of entertainment
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Eastman Chemical buying Solutia for about $3.38B
NEW YORK (AP) ? Specialty chemical company Eastman Chemical Co. is buying Solutia Inc. in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about $3.38 billion to broaden its presence in the Asia Pacific region and other emerging markets while expanding its product offerings.
Eastman Chemical is paying a 42 percent premium over Solutia's latest closing price and said Friday that it expects the deal to immediately add to its earnings.
Solutia, based in St. Louis, makes materials and specialty chemicals used in the automotive and architectural industries. Eastman Chemical has approximately 10,000 employees worldwide, while Solutia has about 3,400 workers globally.
Eastman Chemical, based in Kingsport, Tenn., was spun off from photography pioneer Eastman Kodak Co. in 1994, according to the company's web site.
In the deal announced Friday, Solutia shareholders will receive $22 in cash and 0.12 shares of Eastman Chemical stock for each share of Solutia that they own. Based on Thursday's closing prices, Solutia shareholders will receive cash and stock valued at $27.65 per Solutia share. Solutia currently has about 122.1 million shares outstanding.
Solutia's stock jumped $7.94, or 40.7 percent, to $27.45 in premarket trading, while shares of Eastman Chemical gained $3.13, or 6.6 percent, to $50.25.
The companies value the deal, including debt, at about $4.7 billion. Eastman Chemical said it plans to fund the cash portion of the buyout with available cash and debt. Citi and Barclays Capital, which are serving as financial advisors, have committed debt financing.
Both Eastman Chemical and Solutia's boards have approved the transaction, which still needs the approval of Solutia shareholders. The acquisition is expected to close in mid-2012.
Eastman Chemical Chairman and CEO Jim Rogers said in a statement that the transaction is important in part because it will extend the company's reach into the Asia Pacific region. Eastman Chemical anticipates that it will have a compound annual growth rate in Asia Pacific approaching 10 percent for the next several years.
Last month Eastman Chemical said that China will play a key role in its growth as it broke ground on a facility in Heifei, China. The plant, a joint venture with China National Tobacco Corp., will make acetate tow, a raw material used for cigarette filters and other purposes. The plant is projected to be operational in mid-2013.
Eastman Chemical expects about $100 million in annual cost savings by the end of 2013, as the acquisition is expected to help lower corporate costs and improve manufacturing and supply chain processes.
"The acquisition of Solutia is a significant step in our growth strategy and one that I am confident will strengthen Eastman as a top-tier specialty chemical company with strong, stable margins," Rogers said.
Eastman Chemical expects 2012 earnings of about $5 per share, excluding acquisition-related costs and charges. In addition, the company boosted its 2013 forecast to more than $6 per share. Analysts polled by FactSet forecast 2012 earnings of $4.64 per share and 2013 earnings of $4.97 per share.
Solutia provided its fourth-quarter and full-year financial results on Friday. Fourth-quarter net income rose 15 percent to $54 million, or 45 cents per share, from $47 million, or 39 cents per share, a year earlier. Revenue increased 8 percent to $526 million from $489 million.
Analysts expected earnings of 47 cents per share on revenue of $506.5 million.
For the full-year, Solutia earned $262 million, or $2.16 per share. That compares with earnings of $78 million, or 65 cents per share, in the previous year. Annual revenue climbed 8 percent to $2.1 billion from $1.95 billion.
The company maintained its 2012 forecast for adjusted earnings of $2 to $2.30 per share on revenue between $2.13 billion and $2.28 billion.
Analysts predict earnings of $2.20 per share on revenue of $2.23 billion.
Associated PressWednesday, January 25, 2012
Romney talks housing, ends up defending banks
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, is licked by Napoleon the dog as he campaigns in Lehigh Acres, Fla., Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, is licked by Napoleon the dog as he campaigns in Lehigh Acres, Fla., Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney greets residents as he campaigns in front of a foreclosed home in Lehigh Acres, Fla., Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, greets residents as he campaigns in Lehigh Acres, Fla., Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. (AP) ? Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney came to ground zero of the housing crisis Tuesday to assail rival Newt Gingrich over his ties to the government-backed mortgage companies that helped make it worse, a message Romney has been pushing since he landed in the state. But that meant he also had to talk about banks ? and he continued what's become a habit of comparing companies to people.
Romney was standing outside a Fannie Mae-foreclosed home in a struggling neighborhood telling a small crowd why they're having so much trouble. "In this case, it's because of the banks," he explained. "Well, the banks aren't bad people. They're just overwhelmed right now."
During a Monday roundtable with business owners struggling in Florida's hobbled housing market, the former Massachusetts governor told the group that their troubles with banks came because the lenders were worried about staying in business.
"The banks are scared to death, of course," he said. "They're feeling the same thing that you're feeling. And so they just want to pretend that all this is just going to get paid some day."
Both comments echoed the now-famous line Romney delivered from a hay bale at the Iowa state fair: "Corporations are people, my friend!"
They're also part of a string of comments Romney has made that his opponents have used to pummel him as wealthy and out of touch with average Americans. Ahead of the New Hampshire primary, he said he once feared being "pink-slipped" and later said "I like to fire people." He was referring to insurance companies, but both Democrats and his Republican rivals attacked him for it.
In calling corporations people, Romney was referring to laws that give companies some rights under the law that are also given to people. And in Florida, he's been trying to explain that banks are scared they'll go out of business because so many people have stopped paying their mortgages. He's also argued that regulations passed during the Obama administration give banks less flexibility if they're trying to help consumers renegotiate the terms of their mortgages.
He's focusing on the housing market because it's a critical issue in Florida, where the GOP primary will be held on Jan. 31. Gingrich, his chief rival, earned more than $1.6 million working as a consultant to Freddie Mac. The mortgage giant was heavily involved in the subprime lending business that helped drive the housing bubble.
"Housing has become a mess in large measure because the government got in the middle of it," Romney said. "I'm running against a guy, as you know, in this primary, who was out there working for one of those guys in the case of Freddie Mac."
Freddie Mac, a government-sponsored enterprise, was originally designed to help more people get access to mortgages to buy homes.
Romney himself hasn't outlined any specific proposals to help fix the housing market. He says improving the economy will allow Americans to regain their footing and keep their homes.
Since coming to Florida, though, he's softened his rhetoric. Last year, he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the government should let the foreclosure crisis "run its course and hit the bottom." Now, he's saying the housing market needs to be "reset" so that the American economy can "rebuild."
"The distress they're feeling here was heartbreaking," Romney told reporters after the Monday roundtable. "I want to do my very best to help people like that."
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2 more bodies found, fuel removal to begin on ship
Italian Navy scuba divers return after working on the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. Italian officials were clearing hurdles Monday to begin pumping some half a million gallons of fuel from the capsized Costa Concordia that threaten an environmental catastrophe, as divers continued the search for 19 people known missing. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
Italian Navy scuba divers return after working on the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. Italian officials were clearing hurdles Monday to begin pumping some half a million gallons of fuel from the capsized Costa Concordia that threaten an environmental catastrophe, as divers continued the search for 19 people known missing. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
Oil recovery technicians work in the harbor of the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, where the cruise ship Costa Concordia run aground, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. Italian officials were clearing hurdles Monday to begin pumping some half a million gallons of fuel from the capsized Costa Concordia that threaten an environmental catastrophe, as divers continued the search for 19 people known missing. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
The cruise ship Costa Concordia lies on its side off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. Rescuers on Sunday resumed searching the above-water section of the capsized Costa Concordia cruise liner, but choppy seas kept divers from exploring the submerged part, where officials have said there could be bodies. Civil protection officials said that until the waves slack off, divers would not swim into the submerged part of the vessel just off the port of Giglio, a tiny Island off the Tuscan coast. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
The cruise ship Costa Concordia lies on its side off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. Rescuers on Sunday resumed searching the above-water section of the capsized Costa Concordia cruise liner, but choppy seas kept divers from exploring the submerged part, where officials have said there could be bodies. Civil protection officials said that until the waves slack off, divers would not swim into the submerged part of the vessel just off the port of Giglio, a tiny Island off the Tuscan coast. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
Workers of the Costa Crociere company place messages outside the company headquarters, during a march in downtown Genoa, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. Rescuers on Sunday resumed searching the above-water section of the capsized Costa Concordia cruise liner, but choppy seas kept divers from exploring the submerged part, where officials have said there could be bodies. Civil protection officials said that until the waves slacken off, divers will not swim into the submerged part of the vessel near the port of Giglio, a tiny island off the Tuscan coast. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
ROME (AP) ? Nudged gently by the tides off Tuscany, the capsized Costa Concordia has been deemed stable enough on its rocky perch for salvagers to begin pumping fuel oil from its giant tanks as early as Tuesday.
The cruise liner, its hull gashed by a reef and pocked by holes blasted by divers searching for the missing, yielded two more bodies Monday, 10 days after the accident. The corpses of two women were found in the luxury liner's Internet cafe, now 55 feet (17 meters) underwater.
Tables, desks, elegant upholstered armchairs and cabinets bobbed in the sea as divers guided the furniture out of the holes to clear space for their exploration inside.
So far, the bodies of 15 people have been found, most of them in the submerged portion of the vessel, while 17 others remain unaccounted for. Authorities said earlier reports that an unregistered Hungarian woman had called friends from the ship before it flipped over turned out to be groundless.
The Concordia rammed a reef and capsized Jan. 13 off the tiny Tuscan island of Giglio as it was carrying 4,200 passengers and crew on a Mediterranean cruise.
Salvage experts received the green light Monday to start pumping fuel soon from the double-lined tanks of the Concordia. The weekslong fuel-removal operation aims to avert a possible environmental catastrophe in the waters off Giglio, part of a protected seven-island marine park.
Officials said the pumping would be carried out as divers continue the search for the missing since instrument readings have determined the Concordia was not at risk of sliding into deeper waters and being swallowed by the sea.
"The ship is stable," said Franco Gabrielli, head of the national civil protection agency. "There is no problem or danger that it is about to drop onto much lower seabed."
Meanwhile, an oily film was spotted about 300 yards (meters) from the capsized vessel by officials flying in a helicopter and by residents of Giglio, Gabrielli's office said. Samples were being analyzed, but preliminary observations indicated the slick is a light oil and not from heavy fuel inside the Concordia's tanks.
Absorbent panels put around the area seem to have at least partially absorbed the oil, authorities said.
The ship's Italian captain, Francesco Schettino, is under house arrest near Naples, facing possible charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning his vessel while some people were still aboard. He has insisted that he was coordinating rescue operations from a lifeboat and then from shore.
The ship's operator, Costa Crociere SpA, has distanced itself from the captain, contending he made an unauthorized detour from the ship's authorized route. Schettino, however, has reportedly told investigators that Costa officials requested that he sail close to Giglio in a publicity move.
In a statement issued late Monday, Costa said it would refund passengers the full cost of the cruise and reimburse all travel and any medical expenses incurred as a result of the accident.
Schettino's lawyer, Bruno Leporatti, told reporters Monday that tests on urine and hair samples showed his client was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs before the crash. Prosecutors are not allowed to discuss the investigation while it is under way and it was impossible to confirm the report.
Despite earlier fears, officials said the crippled cruise ship, with a 230-foot (70-meter) gash in its hull, is not expected to roll off its rocky seabed perch and be swallowed by the sea.
An Italian geologist on Giglio monitoring the ship's movements said the Concordia was not so much moving as "responding to the tides."
"It is moving at the rate of about one or two millimeters an hour," Nicola Casagli told Sky TV TG24.
The sea has been calm for several days but was expected to become choppy in the next few days.
Islanders have been pressing for removal of the heavy, tar-like fuel from the ship's 17 tanks to avert a possible catastrophic leak.
"They should start the oil drainage operations on the ship. At this point those who died will not come back to life. Even if they pull them out later, unfortunately it won't make a difference," Giglio resident Andrea Ginanneschi told The Associated Press.
Five miles (eight kilometers) of oil barriers have been laid to protect marine life and the pristine waters, which are prime fishing grounds and a protected area for dolphins and whales.
Recovery experts from the Dutch salvage company Smit have said they will create holes in the top and the bottom of each tank, heating the fuel so it flows more easily and pumping from the top while forcing air in from the bottom. For the underwater tanks, sea water will be used to displace the fuel, which becomes thick and gooey when cooled.
Besides some 2,200 metric tons of heavy fuel oil, there are 185 metric tons of diesel and lubricants on board, as well as chemicals including cleaning products and chlorine. Some diesel and lubricants have leaked into the water near the ship, probably from machinery on board, officials have said.
"Smit has been ready for a week to begin pumping fuel from the tanks, awaiting only the go-ahead," said a company statement. "For this purpose, Smit has mobilized an oil tanker with emergency response equipment, including sweeping arms, booms and a skimmer."
Seven bodies still await identification. Gabrielli said officials have DNA from the relatives of all of the missing passengers and are working to confirm their names.
On Monday, the body of a woman found in the ship a few days earlier was identified as that of a 30-year-old Italian woman, a new bride who was on the Mediterranean cruise with several family members.
__
Barry reported from Milan. Andrea Foa reported from Giglio.
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012
GOP offers its own conflicting legal opinion; redistricting ...
Idaho House Speaker Lawerence Denney and state GOP Chairman Norm Semanko have now submitted their own legal opinion, written by attorney Christ Troupis, contradicting the Idaho Attorney General's opinion finding that they can't remove their appointees to the citizen redistricting commission. ?The legal opinion provided to Denney and Semanko concludes that the AG's opinion is in error,? says a press release from the Idaho GOP; you can read it here.
Troupis' opinion cited two Idaho Supreme Court cases, from 1963 and 1988, saying they ruled that the power of removal is incident to the power of appointment. Denney and Semanko said they plan to name two new appointees to the commission tomorrow; the commission plans to convene on Thursday.
The two GOP commissioners, Randy Hansen and Dolores Crow, both former GOP state lawmakers, refused to quit. Crow told the AP today, ?I'm going to hang in there.? She said, ?The law was set up for it to be a citizen's commission. That was to keep this kind of thing from happening.? Click below for a full report from AP reporter John Miller.
??
Denney, Semanko remove redistricting commissioners
By JOHN MILLER, Associated?Press
BOISE, Idaho (AP) ? Idaho's dominant Republican Party on Monday deepened an intense internal fight, with the state GOP chairman and House speaker announcing they'd fired two of their own redistricting commissioners on grounds they weren't loyal?enough.
Meanwhile, the two commissioners have refused to go without a fight ? and the Republican attorney general agrees they can't be ousted against their?will.
Already once last week, the Idaho Supreme Court intervened in the state's latest bid to draw up new legislative district boundaries, throwing out a previously approved set of maps because it split too many?counties.
Now, justices may be called into action again, to determine if Republican Chairman Norm Semanko and Idaho House Speaker Lawerence Denney are legally entitled to remove Randy Hansen, a former Twin Falls legislator, and Dolores Crow, a former House member from Nampa, from the?commission.
?State Chairman Norm Semanko and Idaho House Speaker Lawerence Denney have removed Randy Hansen and Dolores Crow from the Idaho Redistricting Commission effective immediately,? according to a press release from the state Republican party. ?The names of the two new commissioners will be released Tuesday?morning.?
Denney said last week members of his House caucus were unhappy with Republicans on the commission because they ?gave too much away? to minority Democrats by joining a 6-0, unanimous vote approving the redistricting maps in?October.
Redistricting is done every 10 years, to reconfigure legislative district boundaries to reflect the latest U.S. Census figures and preserve one-person, one-vote?principles.
And the process almost always fraught with bitter legal fights ? not just in Idaho, but elsewhere,?too.
In Arizona, for instance, that state's high court delivered a stinging defeat to Republican Gov. Jan Brewer in November by reinstating a redistricting commissioner she'd?fired.
The Idaho redistricting panel whose previous legislative map was declared unconstitutional is due to meet again Thursday to come up with an alternative. They've said they think they can work quickly, given the Idaho Supreme Court's strict guidelines not to divide more counties than?necessary.
Hansen didn't immediately return a phone call, but told the Twin Falls Times-News he's hoping to reconvene with the?panel.
?My responsibility is to the citizens of the state of Idaho, not to Norm Semanko and the Republican party,? Hansen?said.
Crow also said she's not going without a?fight.
?My phone has rung off the hook, people I don't even know, and they're saying, 'Good for you. You hang in there,' ? Crow said. ?I'm going to hang in?there.?
She cited the Attorney General Lawrence Wasden's office's opinion ? issued Friday to Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa ? that concluded political leaders like Denney and Semanko are given the authority appoint commissioners, but they don't appear to be able to remove?them.
Crow contends that's for a reason: To take brazen politics and partisanship out of the redistricting process. She maintains her panel tried to draw up boundaries that were blind to questions of incumbency and party?allegiance.
?If they (Semanko and Denney) were able to appoint somebody else, this could go on, ad nauseum, until you got your own way. Whoever 'you' is,? Crow said. ?The law was set up for it to be a citizen's commission. That was to keep this kind of thing from?happening.?
In addition to Crow and Hansen, the redistricting commission includes Republican Sheila Olsen, as well as Democrats Ron Beitelspacher, Shauneen Grange and Elmer?Martinez.
Democrats say they're sticking by their commissioners, while Senate President Pro Tem Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, has no plans to replace Olsen, his appointee, saying she worked well the first?time.
Democratic Party State Chairman Larry Grant fired off a missive at Republicans, calling this a battle for the soul of the state?GOP.
?This year's redistricting fight is not between Democrats and Republicans,? Grant said. ?It's a fight between GOP party bosses on one side and reasonable Republicans on the?other.?
Copyright 2012 The Associated?Press.
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Minn. bear delivers at least 2 cubs on Internet (AP)
ELY, Minn. ? A 3-year-old bear in Minnesota has given birth to two cubs before an Internet audience.
Lynn Rogers of the Wildlife Research Institute, affiliated with North American Bear Center, said in a news release that Jewel gave birth in a den near Ely to the first cub at 7:22 a.m. Sunday, and a second at 8:40.
It's not the first time Rogers and his colleagues have monitored hibernating pregnant black bears.
In 2010, they recorded the birth of a bear named Hope in 2010. A Hunter killed Hope last year.
Jewel is the younger sister of Hope's mother, Lily.
Lily also gave birth last year to two cubs named Faith and Jason.
___
Online:
North American Bear Center: http://www.bear.org
___
Information from: Duluth News Tribune, http://www.duluthsuperior.com
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Monday, January 23, 2012
Strongest solar radiation storm since 2005
ScienceDaily (Jan. 23, 2012) ? NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center -- the nation's official source of warnings and alerts about space weather and its impacts on Earth -- has issued a watch for a geomagnetic storm associated with a bright flare on the sun Sunday evening (Jan. 22, 2012). The storm could arrive Tuesday morning, with possible impacts to navigation, the power grid and satellites.
Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) forecasters have also issued a warning for ongoing "strong" solar radiation storming. Radiation storms are a concern for astronauts, communications at high latitudes, satellites in space and rocket launches. Geogmagnetic storms (G-scale) and solar radiation storms (S-scale) range from 1 (minor) to 5 (extreme).
NOAA's space weather experts describe the event as the strongest radiation storm in more than six years.
Associated with Sunday's flare was a "coronal mass ejection," a burst of charged particles and magnetic field that streamed out from the sun at about four million miles an hour. The coronal mass ejection (CME) is heading toward Earth. NOAA's SWPC predicts it will trigger onset of a geomagnetic storm on Tuesday morning EST, with storm intensity likely to be moderate (G-2), possibly strong (G-3).
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Gingrich storms to SC victory, scrambling GOP race
Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich arrives with his wife Callista during a?South Carolina Republican presidential primary night rally, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich arrives with his wife Callista during a?South Carolina Republican presidential primary night rally, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich takes part in a TV interview during a campaign event at the Grapevine Restaurant in Spartanburg, S.C., on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, the unpredictable voting day of the South Carolina presidential primary. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, stands with his wife Ann as he speaks at his South Carolina primary election night rally at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Republican candidate Newt Gingrich stormed to an upset win in the South Carolina primary Saturday night. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Republican presidential candidate former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks during the South Carolina Primary night rally Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Columbia, S.C. Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich stormed to an upset win in the primary Saturday night. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks during a?South Carolina Republican presidential primary night rally, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Columbia, S.C. Callista Gingrich looks on at right. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) ? Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich stormed to an upset victory in the South Carolina primary Saturday night, dealing a sharp setback to former front-runner Mitt Romney and abruptly scrambling the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
In victory, Gingrich praised his Republican rivals and attacked President Barack Obama and "elites in New York and Washington."
Obama is "the most effective food stamp president in history," he said. "I would like to be the best paycheck president in American history." Those declarations and his attack on the "elite news media" reprised two of his more memorable lines from a pair of debates that helped fuel his victory.
Exit polls showed he led among voters who said their top priority was picking a candidate who could beat Obama ? a group that had preferred Romney in earlier contests in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Romney, the national front-runner until now, was unbowed. He vowed to contest for every vote "in every state," an acknowledgement that the race would likely be a long one. He also unleashed a double-barreled attack on Obama and Gingrich.
Referring to Gingrich's criticism of his business experience, Romney said, "When my opponents attack success and free enterprise, they're not only attacking me, they're attacking every person who dreams of a better future. He's attacking you," he told supporters, the closest he came to mentioning the primary winner's name.
Returns from 95 percent of the state's precincts showed Gingrich with 41 percent of the vote to 27 percent for Romney. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum was winning 17 percent, Texas Rep. Ron Paul 13 percent.
As the first Southern primary, South Carolina has been a proving ground for Republican presidential hopefuls in recent years. Since Ronald Reagan in 1980, every Republican contender who won the primary has gone on to capture the party's nomination.
Nearly 600,000 voters turned out, according to an AP estimate. That eclipses the previous record turnout for the primary in 2000, when George W. Bush defeated John McCain
Based on the vote total, Gingrich won at least 15 of the 25 Republican National Convention delegates at stake and none of the other contenders was yet assured of any.
But political momentum was the real prize with the race to pick an opponent to Obama still in its early stages.
Already, Romney and a group that supports him were on the air in Florida with a significant television ad campaign, more than $7 million combined to date.
Gingrich readily conceded that he trails in money, and even before appearing for his victory speech he tweeted supporters thanking them and appealing for a flood of donations for the Jan 31 primary. "Help me deliver the knockout punch in Florida. Join our Moneybomb and donate now," said his tweet.
Aides to the former Massachusetts governor had once dared hope that Florida would seal his nomination ? if South Carolina didn't first ? but that strategy appeared to vanish along with the once-formidable lead he held in pre-primary polls.
Romney swept into South Carolina 11 days ago as the favorite after being pronounced the winner of the lead-off Iowa caucuses, then cruising to victory in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary.
But in the sometimes-surreal week that followed, he was stripped of his Iowa triumph ? GOP officials there now say Santorum narrowly won ? while former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman dropped out and endorsed Romney and Texas Gov. Rick Perry quit and backed Gingrich.
Romney responded awkwardly to questions about releasing his income tax returns, and about his investments in the Cayman Islands. Gingrich, the former speaker of the House, benefited from two well-received debate performances while grappling with allegations by an ex-wife that he had once asked her for an open marriage so he could keep his mistress.
By primary eve, Romney was speculating openly about a lengthy battle for the nomination rather than the quick knockout that had seemed within his grasp only days earlier.
Exit polling showed Gingrich, the former House speaker, leading by a wide margin among the state's heavy population of conservatives, tea party supporters and born-again Christians.
In a state with 9.9 percent unemployment, about 80 percent of all voters said they were very worried about the direction of the economy. Gingrich's edge over Romney among that group tracked the overall totals closely, the former speaker winning 42 percent and the runner-up 28.
The exit poll was conducted for The Associated Press and the television networks by Edison Research as voters left polls at 35 randomly selected sites. The survey involved interviews with 2,381 voters and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Santorum vowed to continue, although his weak third place finish could well portend financial difficulty for a campaign that has never been flush with cash. It's a wide-open race. Join the fight" he urged supporters at a rally in Charleston.
Paul had his worst finish of the year, and isn't expected to make a strong effort in Florida. Even so, he said to supporters, "Keep fighting." He has said he intends to focus his efforts on caucus contests in Nevada on Feb. 4 and Missouri several days later.
Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, pinned his South Carolina hopes on a heavy turnout in parts of the state with large concentrations of social conservatives, the voters who carried him to his surprisingly strong showing in Iowa.
Paul had a modest campaign presence here after finishing third in Iowa and second in New Hampshire. His call to withdraw U.S. troops from around the world was a tough sell in a state dotted with military installations and home to many veterans.
Romney's stumbles began even before his New Hampshire primary victory, when he told one audience that he had worried earlier in his career about the possibility of being laid off.
He gave a somewhat rambling, noncommittal response in a debate in Myrtle Beach last Monday when asked if he would release his tax returns before the primary. The following day, he told reporters that because most of his earnings come from investments, he paid about 15 percent of his income in taxes, roughly half the rate paid by millions of middle-class wage-earners. A day later, aides confirmed that some of his millions are invested in the Cayman Islands, although they said he did not use the offshore accounts as a tax haven.
Asked again at a debate in North Charleston on Thursday about releasing his taxes, his answer was anything but succinct and the audience appeared to boo.
Gingrich benefited from a shift in strategy that recalled his approach when he briefly soared to the top of the polls in Iowa. At mid-week he began airing a television commercial that dropped all references to Romney and his other rivals, and contended that he was the only Republican who could defeat Obama.
It featured several seconds from the first debate in which the audience cheered as he accused Obama of having put more Americans on food stamps than any other president.
Nor did Gingrich flinch when ex-wife Marianne said in an interview on ABC that he had been unfaithful for years before their divorce in 1999, and asked him for an open marriage.
Asked about the accusation in the opening moments of the second debate of the week, he unleashed an attack on ABC and debate host CNN and accused the "liberal news media" of trying to help Obama by attacking Republicans. His ex-wife's account, he said, was untrue.
___
Associated Press writers Shannon McCaffrey, Kasie Hunt and Beth Fouhy contributed to this report.
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Sunday, January 22, 2012
Should couples share passwords?
Live Poll
Should couples share passwords?
173871
ABSOLUTELY. Those that have nothing to hide, hide nothing.
51%
173872
NO. We're still individuals entitled to privacy and we trust each other.
49%
VoteTotal Votes: 907
By Athima Chansanchai
Just how much do you trust your spouse or partner? Enough to share passwords? For some, passwords are the final frontier of privacy not only in financial matters, but in social media and email correspondence. But for others, there are no secrets when you're in a relationship?? even risking the potential payback should a break-up sever the happy union.
The New York Times tells us about an "intimate custom" writer Matt Ritchel says is happening between teens in love: "sharing their passwords to email,?Facebook?and other accounts." The desire to be one even extends, the article claims, to couples creating identical passwords and letting each other read private emails and texts.?
For some, it takes a court order to share so much.
But for others, it's imperative to know each other's passwords as part of an open, healthy and fully functioning relationship. Sometimes this comes after a loss of trust, as when one partner has cheated on the other. On the Surviving Infidelity website, where more than 34,000 members have exchanged stories of betrayal and support one another in the forums, there is a saying that becomes a mantra for many of them: "Those who have nothing to hide, hide nothing." To that end, nothing is private anymore in order to facilitate healing for the offended party.?
In this philosophy, those who have been unfaithful should share (or make open and available) not only passwords to their email accounts and Facebook, but also the contents of their text messages, phone logs, work and travel itineraries "without qualms."
Many in those forums mention how finding secret Facebook and email correspondences led to the big reveal of infidelity in their marriages and relationships, and we've seen surveys that attribute at least some fault in Facebook, though an informal poll we took at the end of year showed that nearly half of the 876 votes attributed the demise of their marriages with other factors. But 34 percent did blame Facebook.
Some of the teens in the New York Times article who opened themselves up were dealt a nasty lesson in human nature when their not-so-better halves decided to use the passwords in retaliation for perceived wrongs. The Times listed some examples:
The stories of fallout include a spurned boyfriend in junior high who tries to humiliate his ex-girlfriend by spreading her e-mail secrets; tensions between significant others over scouring each other?s private messages for clues of disloyalty or infidelity; or grabbing a cellphone from a former best friend, unlocking it with a password and sending threatening texts to someone else.
Take our poll and let us know if couples should share passwords.
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Check out Technolog on?Facebook, and on Twitter, follow?Athima Chansanchai, who is also trying to keep her head above water in the?Google+?stream.
Source: http://digitallife.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/20/10199414-should-couples-share-passwords
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Arab League considers extension of Syria mission (AP)
CAIRO ? Arab League foreign ministers will consider extending the League's observer mission in Syria in a meeting next week, officials said Thursday.
The one-month mission expired Thursday, but Adnan al-Khudeir, head of Cairo operations room that handles reports by the monitors, told The Associated Press that observers will remain in Syria until a decision is made at Sunday's meeting in Cairo.
Another Arab League official said the mission could be extended for another month.
Rejecting charges that the observers have been ineffective in reducing violence, he said extending the mission would help the opposition more than the regime.
"The killings are less, the protests increase," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no decision has been made. "The mission's presence offers assurance to the people because the observers can spot any violations. There is a conviction even among Syria opponents that the extension is better than withdrawal."
More than 5,400 people have been killed since the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad erupted last March.
The uprising has turned increasingly militarized and chaotic as more frustrated regime opponents and army defectors arm themselves and fight back against government forces. The capital has seen three suicide bombings since late December which the government blamed on terrorist extremists.
According to al-Khudeir, the Sunday meeting chaired by the Qatari foreign minister will discuss a report by the head of the mission Gen. Mohammed Ahmed al-Dabi who is arriving in Cairo from Syria on Thursday.
The monitors will remain in 17 different places around Syria until the Arab League makes a final decision, he says.
"If there is a decision to extend the mission of the observers, we are ready to send more monitors after training them in three days," he said, adding that the total number of monitors might reach 300.
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Saturday, January 14, 2012
Travel photos from around the world
Submitted by Steve Stark / UGC
Early morning on the Madison River, Yellowstone National Park
Our readers have submitted some beautiful photos from far-flung corners of the globe. This week's gallery features images from Australia, Hawaii, Alaska and other stunning settings.
Scroll through this awe-inspiring set of images and vote for your favorite at the bottom.
Submitted by Steven Lee Choate / UGC
"12 Apostles," Great Ocean Road, Australia
Submitted by Joe Ayers / UGC
Kandooma Island, Maldives
Submitted by Robert Weiser / UGC
Pacific coast south of Tijuana, Baja, Mexico
Submitted by Mike Taylor / UGC
Panda, San Diego Zoo, Calif.
Submitted by Andy Tarsia / UGC
Submitted by Richard Paul / UGC
Glacier, near Juneau, Alaska
Submitted by Jason Wilson / UGC
Rainbow over Trunk Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
Submitted by Rich Briggs / UGC
Independence Monument located in Colorado National Monument
Submitted by Andrea Paal / UGC
Submitted by Abby Benninghoff / UGC
Calf Creek Falls, Grand Staircase Escalante-National Monument, Utah
Submitted by Kimberly Kindell / UGC
Golden Gate Bridge from Fort Baker, Sausalito, Calif.
Submitted by Paul Kneisl / UGC
Submitted by Tammy Harrow / UGC
Submitted by Derek Givens / UGC
Mt. Haleakala, Maui, Hawaii
If you have photos you'd like to share, submit them for a chance to be featured in the weekly gallery by clicking here.
You can also join our It's A Snap Facebook community by clicking here, and share your photos with others.
Which is your favorite photo?
Which photo is your favorite?
| 6. Foggy New England road | ? 14.8% (236 votes) |
| 8. Rainbow over Trunk Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands | ? 11.6% (185 votes) |
| 2. "12 Apostles," Great Ocean Road, Australia | ? 10.5% (167 votes) |
| 14. Positano, Italy | ? 10.4% (166 votes) |
| 15. Mt. Haleakala, Maui, Hawaii | ? 8.3% (133 votes) |
| 1. Madison River, Yellowstone National Park | ? 7.7% (123 votes) |
| 11. Calf Creek Falls, Grand Staircase Escalante-National Monument, Utah | ? 7.4% (118 votes) |
| 5. Panda, San Diego Zoo, Calif. | ? 6.1% (97 votes) |
| 3. Kandooma Island, Maldives | ? 5% (80 votes) |
| 9. Independence Monument located in Colorado National Monument | ? 4.9% (78 votes) |
| 7. Glacier, near Juneau, Alaska | ? 3.8% (61 votes) |
| 10. Interlaken, Switzerland | ? 3.2% (51 votes) |
| 12. Golden Gate Bridge from Fort Baker, Sausalito, Calif. | ? 2.7% (43 votes) |
| 4. Pacific coast south of Tijuana, Baja, Mexico | ? 2.3% (37 votes) |
| 13. Canmore, Alberta, Canada | ? 1.3% (21 votes) |
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Scientists discover soldier bees
10 January 2012
Last updated at 01:17
You may have heard of soldier ants - whose primary function is to guard their nest from intruders.
Now, scientists have discovered a new soldier, in the usually much less confrontational world of bees.
A University of Sussex team found that, in colonies of Jatai bees (Tetragonisca angustula), some insects are born soldiers.
The study, reported in the journal PNAS, is the first known example of a soldier bee.
While the caste system is common in ants and termites, with insects of different shapes and sizes assuming defined roles, the division of labour in bees is usually much more transient.
Continue reading the main story?Start Quote
End Quote Prof Francis Ratnieks University of SussexJatai soldiers are 30% larger than worker bees?
"Workers carry out different tasks at different ages," explained Prof Francis Ratnieks from the University of Sussex, who led the research team.
"They start out cleaning the nest, then feeding the larvae... then foraging and [eventually] guarding."
But while most bee guards take on their role for about a day, Jatai bee guards stand guard at the wax entrance tube to their nest for about a week, which, in the insect realm, is a relatively long career.
To find this out, the team observed the bees' nests on a farm in Fazenda Aretuzina, Brazil.
They used dots of paint to mark the bees that were hovering and perching close to the entrance, which revealed that these guards assumed that role for extended periods of time.
"We then took some of these [guard bees] back to the lab to examine them more closely," explained Prof Ratnieks.
From this examination, he and his colleagues realised that the bees were not just behaviourally different, they were also a different size and shape to the worker bees.
"The Jatai soldiers are 30% larger than worker bees," said Prof Ratnieks.
"They also have larger legs that they probably use for grappling."
Battling robber beesProf Ratnieks and his colleagues think that the Jatai soldier bees may the product of an evolutionary arms race against the diminutive species' worst enemy - the robber bee (Lestrimelitta limao).
Robber bees are so-called because, rather than forage, they simply invade other bees' nests and steal their food reserves.
"They're much bigger than Jatai bees and a full-blown attack can destroy a [Jatai] colony," explained Prof Ratnieks.
Soldier bees appear to help prevent an attack by tackling individual robber "scouts" that set out to find a suitable victim colony to invade.
The scientists actually tested the soldier bees' ability to fend off a robber, "staging fights" between the two insects. They held a robber bee close to the entrance tube of a Jatai bee nest and watched the Jatai soldiers' reaction.
The much smaller Jatai soldier bees used their jaws to clamp onto the robber bees' wings, immobilising their attacker.
The outmatched Jatai's are ultimately killed during these fights. They seem to "sacrifice themselves" to protect the colony, Prof Ratnieks said.
He added: "These bees represent the pinnacle of social living."
Dr Richard Gill, a bee specialist from Royal Holloway, University of London explained that insect societies could "act more efficiently" if individuals were the right size and shape for a particular job.
"Take nightclub bouncers, security guards, and rugby players," he said. "It often helps if you are big when tackling a conflicting situation.
"The same seems to be true for these bees when deterring nest robbers."
Prof Ratnieks and his team have dedicated their discovery to the researcher on whose farm the study took place.
"Dr Paulo Nogueira-Neto, is one of the world's leading experts on stingless bees," Prof Ratnieks told BBC Nature.
"We wish to dedicate this work to him on the occasion of his 90th birthday."
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/16469386
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Friday, January 13, 2012
Back to Iraq Twitter Ignites Over Perry's Suggestion
Back to Iraq? Twitter Ignites Over Perry's Suggestion
Source: ABC News
Sunday 8th January, 2012??
According to our social media-watching friends at ...
Read the full story at ABC News
Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5718265420&f=378
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Kristen Wiig to Write, Star in Bridesmaids 2 After All?
Bridesmaids 2 is looking like a go, and star Kristen Wiig is looking like she may be involved in the sequel after all, despite earlier reports to the contrary.
Co-star Wendi McLendon-Covey says Wiig "never said that she didn't want to do it… All she said was that she's not working on it right this minute."
"Someone gave her the opportunity to write and direct her own film so, duh, she's going to do that first,” McLendon-Covey said, according to Movie Fanatic.
“So no. I think all she's waiting for is for her and Annie [Mumolo] to come up with an idea that's equally as good. It just won't happen in the next six months."
Bridesmaids producer Judd Apatow has also added his two cents and his only hangup is from an artistic standpoint - can the sequel be as good as the first?
“We don't want to do it unless it's great,” Apatow said. “I don't think anyone has the brain space to think about it yet. Hopefully that can begin this year."
McLendon-Covey then offered a few rough ideas.
"There's always divorce parties," McLendon-Covey said. "There's always baby showers. There's all kinds of hideous things like that that women do."
Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/kristen-wiig-to-write-star-in-bridesmaids-2-after-all/
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Thursday, January 12, 2012
Science Sets Up Shop
The LA-based Science moved into its cozy permanent space above a yoga studio in Santa Monica this week, finally giving its variety of LA-based tech talents a place to call office. Past the smell of Patchouli and the sign designating Crispin Porter Bogusky in the lobby are the second floor offices of the Science partners -- former Myspace CEO Mike Jones, designer Mike Macadaan, Ryan Sit, Tom Dare and Color co-founder Peter Pham -- which currently host about seven startups.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/mIv31CwBlFQ/
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Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Acer announces 'world's thinnest' 13.3-inch Aspire S5 Ultrabook at CES 2012 (update: pictures)
Acer announces 'world's thinnest' 13.3-inch Aspire S5 Ultrabook at CES 2012 (update: pictures) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Jan 2012 15:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Acer | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/08/acer-aspire-a5-ultrabook-announced-ces-2012/
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Monday, January 9, 2012
Stanford University symposium, exhibits, talk by Gloria Steinem commemorate Ms. magazine's 40 years
1972 cover of the first issue of Ms. magazine
Forty years ago, a new word entered the common lexicon: Ms.
The magazine by that name became one of the passwords of the women's movement, and one of its founders, Gloria Steinem, became one of its most iconic symbols.
Stanford University will mark the 40th anniversary of Ms. magazine with a winter quarter series of more than 25 events called "Ms. at 40 and the Future of Feminism." The symposium, which will run from January into March, will feature lectures, panel discussions, performances, exhibits and an international, multigenerational essay contest.
The keynote address, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, will be delivered by Steinem in CEMEX Auditorium at the Graduate School of Business.
Earlier on Jan. 26, there will be a panel discussion about the role Ms. played over the last 40 years, and the challenges and opportunities feminist journalism will face in the future. Speakers will include current Executive Editor Katherine Spillar; other former Ms. editors ? Suzanne Braun Levine, Marcia Ann Gillespie and Helen Zia; and young feminist bloggers Shelby Knox and Miriam P?rez. That event will be held at the Stanford Humanities Center at 3 p.m. The panel will be moderated by history Professor Estelle Freedman.
Other events include:
- A Jan. 17 screening of Gloria: In Her Own Words, a documentary about Steinem, at 5 p.m. in the student lounge at Stanford Law School
- A talk by award-winning feminist poet Alicia Ostriker, professor emerita at Rutgers University, at 8 p.m. Jan. 18 in Oak Room West, Tresidder Union
- A panel discussion, "Leadership for Feminist Movements: Intergenerational Conversations on Theory, Practice and Philanthropy," from 7 to 9 p.m. Feb. 2 in Oak Room West, Tresidder Union
- A luncheon discussion with Israeli feminist activist Anat Hoffman on civil and women's rights in Israel, at noon Feb. 8 at Stanford Hillel
One of the chief organizers of the series, Shelley Fisher Fishkin, a professor of English, thought back to when it all started: "When I organized a symposium at Yale on the 10th anniversary of Ms. magazine in 1982, everyone marveled at the fact that such a brazenly feminist magazine had managed to last 10 years.
"It not only survived 30 more years, but it thrived, playing a vital role in helping two generations enlarge the canvas on which women and men can paint their lives. Feminism has profoundly reshaped the social, political and cultural landscape over the last four decades."
To mark the anniversary, Stanford faculty members and editors of the magazine selected 40 Ms. covers from the past 40 years and used them as the inspiration for an international essay contest. The nearly 300 contestants, ranging in age from 14 to 81, submitted 150-word entries from around the globe on domestic violence, housework, sexuality, body images and politics, to name just a few of their many topics. From Jan. 10 through March 23, the 10 winning essays and the covers that inspired them will be on display in Green Library, while all 40 covers and the winning essays will be on exhibit at the Clayman Institute for Gender Research.
A video slideshow of art featured in Ms. is running in the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in downtown San Francisco through the month of January and in the Cummings Art Building on the Stanford campus Jan. 20-31.
Ms. was founded in 1972, taking as its name the honorific title championed by women who held the then controversial opinion that they should not be identified by their marital status.
Like all print publications, the magazine underwent economic turbulence in recent years. It also has had to weather shifts as the young women of so-called second-wave feminism, Steinem's generation, became mothers and then grandmothers. Since 2001, the magazine has been published by the nonprofit Feminist Majority Foundation, and it is now a quarterly print publication, which complements the Ms. blog.
Steinem began her professional life as a journalist, which she soon combined with political and feminist activism. She has been a prominent figure in the anti-war movement, campaigns for animal rights and reproductive rights, and electoral politics. She was a co-founder of the National Women's Political Caucus in 1971 and frequently provides support for Democratic candidates. She was associated with Ms. as an editor or writer from its founding until 1987. Today, she serves on the magazine's advisory board and contributes to the magazine on occasion. She has written several books.
The Stanford winter symposium is sponsored by the American Studies Program, the Clayman Institute for Gender Research and the Feminist Studies Program, along with over 30 other programs, centers and other Stanford entities. In addition to Fishkin, organizers of the quarter-long symposium are Shelley Correll, associate professor of sociology; Estelle Freedman, professor of history; and Heather Hadlock, associate professor of music.
Tickets for Steinem's Jan. 26 keynote will be available Friday, Jan. 13, at the Stanford Ticket Office on the second floor of Tresidder Union. All symposium events are free and open to the public, though some require advance registration. For more information and a complete program, see http://gender.stanford.edu/msat40.
Editor's Note
Reporters interested in interviewing the organizers or panelists, including Steinem, should contact Elaine Ray, ray@stanford.edu. Media wishing to cover the Jan. 26 panel discussion or keynote also should contact Ray in advance.
Source: http://news.stanford.edu/news/2012/january/stanford-ms-magazine-010912.html
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PittJewishChron: RT @jtanews Cantor vows to raise Iran issues on Middle East trip | JTA - Jewish & Israel News http://t.co/SIrh96TR
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Sunday, January 8, 2012
BonafideBro: " He knocking my door, dont let the devil in!!!!" - me at church service
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" He knocking my door, dont let the devil in!!!!" - me at church service 
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Thursday, January 5, 2012
Good Reads: Predicting the end of history and the fall of China
Year-end pieces predicting future events may seem like just so much guesswork, but looking deeply at present events and guessing where they will go is part and parcel of journalism.?
By the time that giant glass ball descends over Times Square each year, most news organizations have already printed their assessments of the year?s great events. One magazine, Time, takes this time to name its Person of the Year, and often names a category of persons (?the Protester?) or even an inanimate object (?The Computer").
Skip to next paragraphArticles that look back may feel subjective, but articles that predict the future tend to be absolute fluff, dodgy guesswork, or complete genius. Good arguments and persuasive evidence aren?t always a good guide for telling one type of article from the next. The best one can do is read selectively, keep a mental scorecard, and strut in front of friends when one of the articles turns out right.
Arab Spring? Yeah, I knew that would happen.
Predicting the future is risky business, but it?s also incredibly valuable. Fortune 500 companies pay big money for ?economic intelligence? to help them plan for the next big thing. Governments assemble expensive spy networks to keep one step ahead of their enemies, and two steps ahead of their friends. Ordinary citizens can do all this too, by reading the news. And here are a few decent places to look.
Foreign Affairs. Yes, it looks incredibly stodgy, its pale blue cover untouched by designers since the cold war. But when it comes to far-out futurism, Foreign Affairs is the Rolling Stone of international relations. When Samuel Huntington wrote his ?Clash of Civilizations? piece in the summer edition of Foreign Affairs in 1993, he predicted the broader outlines of September 11, 2001.?
This month, Foreign Affairs has published a veritable Pirelli?s calendar of wonkish delight with its collection of ?Eleven Foreign Policy Insights.? Check out Stewart M. Patrick?s piece from this list, called ?How does the debt debate affect foreign aid?? Even though the article was originally published in July of 2011, it still reads like today's news, and it suggests a decline in US influence abroad. ??
While it?s easy to dismiss a piece because of its failure to predict events ? as many do with Francis Fukuyama?s 1989 ?End of History? piece in the National Interest ? such articles still have value in looking at present events and drawing trajectories into the future.
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