Saturday, December 31, 2011

TreeHugger: Rhino Poaching Hits New Record High in South Africa Reports @matmcdermott http://t.co/kCyYSUss

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Rhino Poaching Hits New Record High in South Africa Reports @matmcdermott awe.sm/5cc6A TreeHugger

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Source: http://twitter.com/TreeHugger/statuses/152879677889974272

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Friday, December 30, 2011

Rams expected to fire Spagnuolo, pursue ex-Titans coach Fisher

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Source: http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/6024086/rams-expected-to-fire-spagnuolo-pursue-extitans-coach-fisher.html

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Thursday, December 29, 2011

New Mexico Statehood to be Honored on Forever Stamp

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A ceremony will be held for the First-Day-of-Issue New Mexico Statehood Forever Stamp on Friday, January 6, 2012 at the New Mexico History Museum Auditorium in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Special guests include Governor Susana Martinez, Board of Governors Mickey Barnett of the U.S. Postal Service, and more.

The U.S. Postal Service honors the 100 years that have passed since January 6, 1912, when New Mexico became the 47th state in the union.

Today, New Mexico is the fifth-largest state in the U.S., known for its rich history, vibrant cultures, and stunning geographic diversity.

Art Director, Richard Sheaff selected an existing oil painting for the stamp art created by New Mexico resident and artist, Doug West.

Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.

Source: http://neheights.kob.com/news/arts-culture/104908-new-mexico-statehood-be-honored-forever-stamp

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Monday, December 26, 2011

Dell Vostro 1520 Notebook nVidia NB9M-GS Display Driver A00 for Windows 7

Install

1.Double-click the new icon on the desktop labeled R228571.exe.
2.The Self-Extracting window appears and prompts you to extract or
unzip to C:\DELL\DRIVERS\R228571. Write down this path so the executable (I.e.
Setup.exe) file can be found later.
3.The Self-Extractor window appears.
4.Click OK.
5.After completing the file extraction, if the Self-Extractor
window is still open, close it.
6.Click the Start button and then click Run.
7.Type C:\DELL\DRIVERS\R228571 in the Open textbox and then click OK.
8.Follow the on-screen installation instructions.

It is highly recommended to always use the most recent driver version available.

Do not forget to check with our site as often as possible in order to stay updated on the latest drivers, software and games.

Try to set a system restore point before installing a device driver. This will help if you installed a wrong driver. Problems can arise when your hardware device is too old or not supported any longer.

Source: http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/GRAPHICS-BOARD/NVIDIA/Dell-Vostro-1520-Notebook-nVidia-NB9M-GS-Display-Driver-A00-for-Windows-7.shtml

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tweetSETX: RT @Beaumont_Job_TX Beaumont Jobs: Best Buy Mobile Lead Sales Consultant - SAS: Beaumont, TX - It#39;s an exciti... http://t.co/QSICZk3M

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Thursday, December 22, 2011

Scientific reasons for Earth?s seasons

The seasons are a powerful force in our lives. They affect the activities we do, the foods we crave, the clothes we wear ? and quite often, the moods we are in. The seasons officially change once again on Thursday, with winter beginning in the Northern Hemisphere and summer starting in the south.

What is it that causes the change in seasons?

The ability to predict the seasons ? by tracking the rising and setting points of the sun throughout the year ? was key to survival in ancient times. The Babylonians, the Maya and other cultures developed complex systems for monitoring seasonal shifts. But it took centuries more to unravel the science behind the seasons.

Nicolai Copernicus (1473-1543) radically changed our understanding of astronomy when he proposed that the sun, not Earth, was the center of the solar system. This led to our modern understanding of the relationship between the sun and Earth.

  1. More science news from MSNBC Tech & Science

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      Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: You'll be hearing a lot about impending doom over the next year, demonstrating the powerful hold that even a bogus doomsday has on the human psyche.

    2. Three Kings may have to go without frankincense
    3. Scientists hopeful in fight to stop bat die-off
    4. Medieval knights may have had PTSD

We now know that Earth orbits the sun elliptically and, at the same time, spins on an axis that is tilted relative to its plane of orbit. This means that different hemispheres are exposed to different amounts of sunlight throughout the year. Because the sun is our source of light, energy and heat, the changing intensity and concentration of its rays give rise to the seasons of winter, spring, summer and fall.

Solstices and equinoxes
The seasons are marked by solstices and equinoxes ? astronomical terms that relate to Earth?s tilt.

The solstices mark the points at which the poles are tilted at their maximum toward or away from the sun. This is when the difference between the daylight hours and the nighttime hours is most acute. The solstices occur each year on June 20 or 21 and Dec. 21 or 22, and represent the official start of the summer and winter seasons.

The vernal equinox and autumnal equinox herald the beginning of spring and fall, respectively. At these times of the year, the sun appears to be directly over Earth?s equator, and the lengths of the day and the night are equal over most of the planet.

On March 20 or 21 of each year, the Northern Hemisphere reaches the vernal equinox and enjoys the signs of spring. At the same time, the winds turn colder in the Southern Hemisphere as the autumnal equinox sets in.

The year's other equinox occurs on Sept. 22 or 23, when summer fades to fall in the north, and winter?s chill starts giving way to spring in the south.

From year to year, there is always some variability in the equinoxes and solstices because of the way Earth's changing tilt matches up with its orbit around the sun. This year, the precise moment of the December solstice comes at 12:30 a.m. ET Thursday. That's the moment when Earth's north pole is tipped to the maximum amount in the sun's direction.

Thursday thus represents the longest night of the year for the Northern Hemisphere's residents, and the longest duration of daytime south of the equator.

Effect on climate
Here?s how the seasonal change affects the weather: Around the time of the June solstice, the North Pole is tilted toward the sun and the Northern Hemisphere is starting to enjoy summer. The density of the solar radiation is higher because it's coming from directly overhead ? in other words, the sun's rays are concentrated over a smaller surface area. The days are longer, too, meaning that more radiation is absorbed in northern climes during the 24-hour cycle. Another factor that may come into play is that the radiation takes a somewhat shorter path through the energy-absorbing atmosphere before striking the earth.

At the same time that the Northern Hemisphere is entering summer, the South Pole is tilted away from the sun, and the Southern Hemisphere is starting to feel the cold of winter. The sun?s glancing rays are spread over a greater surface area and must travel through more of the atmosphere before reaching the earth. There are also fewer hours of daylight in a 24-hour period.

The situations are reversed in December, when it?s the Southern Hemisphere that basks in the most direct rays of the sun, while the Northern Hemisphere receives less dense solar radiation for shorter periods of time.

Although the solstices represent the pinnacles of summer and winter with respect to the intensity of the sun?s rays, they do not usually represent the year's warmest or coldest days. This is because temperature depends not only on the amount of heat the atmosphere receives from the sun, but also on the amount of heat it loses due to the absorption of this heat by the ground and ocean.

It is not until the ground and oceans absorb enough heat to reach equilibrium with the temperature of the atmosphere that we feel the coldest days of winter or hottest days of summer.

This is an updated version of an article originally published in March 1999.

? 2011 msnbc.com Reprints

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3077384/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Sunday, December 18, 2011

Speaking Out on the "Quiet Crisis" (preview)

Feature Articles | Energy & Sustainability Cover Image: December 2011 Scientific American MagazineSee Inside

Strengthening science education is the key to securing our energy future, says Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's president


Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson Image: Photograph by Spencer Heyfron

In Brief

  • WHO
    Shirley Ann Jackson
  • LINE OF WORK
    Advocate in chief for building the reputation of a major research university
  • WHERE
    Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
  • BIG PICTURE
    Science literacy will play a vital role in addressing major national challenges such as formulating energy policy.
  • ON ENERGY AND EDUCATION
    ?If we don?t have the right talent, we?re not going to be able to meet our energy needs.?

When Shirley Ann Jackson was in elementary school in the 1950s, she would prowl her family?s backyard, collecting bumblebees, yellow jackets and wasps. She would bottle them in mayonnaise jars and test which flowers they liked best and which species were the most aggressive. She dutifully recorded her observations in a notebook, discovering, for instance, that she could alter their daily rhythms by putting them under the dark porch in the middle of the day. The most important lesson she took away from these experiments was not about science but compassion. ?Don?t imprison any living thing for very long,? she says in a mellow drawl that belies her reputation as a lightning-fast thinker and influential physicist. ?I have never been a fan of dead insect collections.?


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UC Berkeley's Middle Class Bid; Ivy League Early Admits (The Atlantic Wire)

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/atlantic/20111215/ts_atlantic/ucberkeleysmiddleclassbidivyleagueearlyadmits46257

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Saturday, December 17, 2011

Senate OKs short-term extension of payroll tax cut (tbo)

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5 indicted on murder charges in NYPD officer death (AP)

NEW YORK ? A man accused of gunning down a veteran New York Police Department officer during a botched home invasion and the suspect's four alleged accomplices have been indicted on murder charges, prosecutors said Friday.

The indictment naming Lamont Pride and the other men was announced as they stood side-by-side with grim expressions on their faces at a brief hearing in criminal court in Brooklyn that was packed with police officers. A judge scheduled the defendants, all being held without bail, to return to court next week to enter a plea.

Only one of the defense attorneys spoke about the case, claiming his client, Michael Valez, was duped into doing a jailhouse interview by a newspaper reporter and jail personnel who ignored a directive that Valez should not speak to anyone but his lawyer.

According to a front-page story published in the Daily News on Friday, Valez admitted he drove the robbery crew to the Brooklyn apartment of a drug dealer early Monday so the group could rob him. But he also claimed he felt he "had no choice" because on the way, Pride "pointed a gun at me and said, `Keep going.'"

Valez's attorney, Marvin Weinroth, complained to the judge that the story violated his client's rights and put unnecessary "heat" on an emotionally charged tragedy.

"The heat on this case is already white-hot," Weinroth said.

Prosecutors allege Valez waited outside the basement apartment as a would-be getaway driver when Pride and the others broke in and accosted the drug dealer. The robbery was interrupted by police officers responding to a report of burglary.

When Officer Peter Figoski arrived, he came face-to-face with an armed Pride, police said. The gunman shot Figoski once in the face and tried to run away, but the officer's partner chased him down and arrested him, police said.

Under state law, anyone who participated in a crime that results in a homicide can be charged with murder.

Figoski, 47, was a divorced father of four daughters. Thousands of police officers are expected for his funeral on Monday at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Babylon, 30 miles east of New York City.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_re_us/us_officer_shot

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Friday, December 16, 2011

Thai activist gets 15 years for insulting monarchy (AP)

BANGKOK ? A political activist was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison on charges of insulting Thailand's king, the third person to be imprisoned in a month under the country's strict lese majeste law.

The law, which forbids defamation of the monarchy, is being increasingly criticized as an infringement of free speech and an instrument of political persecution.

Daranee Charnchoengsilpakul, nicknamed "Da Torpedo" for her aggressive speaking style, has been detained without bail since July 2008 after speaking at rally using impolite language.

The Criminal Court found Daranee guilty of violating the lese majeste law, which provides for a jail term of three to 15 years for anyone who "defames, insults, or threatens the king, the queen, the heir-apparent, or the regent."

Daranee, a journalist, became an activist after Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was deposed in a 2006 coup and delivered fiery speeches at rallies organized by Thaksin's "Red Shirt" supporters.

Daranee said she would not appeal Thursday's sentence. "I have no will to keep fighting and I will neither lodge an appeal nor seek a royal pardon," she said.

Criticism of the lese majeste law increased last month after a 61-year-old grandfather received a 20-year sentence for four text messages sent from his phone to a government official.

The sentence given Amphon Tangnoppakul was believed to be the heaviest ever received in a lese majeste case because of additional penalties issued under a related law, the 2007 Computer Crimes Act. He denied sending the messages and said he didn't even know how to use the SMS function on his telephone.

The plight of "Uncle SMS," as he became known, has drawn international attention as well to the lese majeste law.

So did the sentencing earlier his month of Thai-born American Joe Gordon to 2 1/2 years in prison for translating excerpts of a banned biography of Thailand's king published by Yale University Press and placing them online. Gordon was in Colorado when the alleged offense occurred and was arrested when he later visited Thailand.

A U.S. State Department spokeswoman, Darragh Paradiso, said the United States has utmost respect for the Thai monarchy, but is "troubled by recent prosecutions and court decisions that are not consistent with international standards of freedom of expression."

The office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, issued a statement of concern, saying "Such harsh criminal sanctions are neither necessary nor proportionate and violate the country's international human rights obligations."

Lese majeste prosecutions used to be rare in Thailand, and were mostly used for partisan political purposes as a means of smearing opponents.

But the number of high-profile cases has risen in recent years as nervousness about the eventual succession to 84-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej has increased, with the previously taboo subject of the monarchy's proper role starting to become a matter of public discussion.

However, loyalty to the monarch is still a touchstone of Thai politics, and frank discussion is difficult.

Earlier this year, a movement led by intellectuals and academics began a public campaign for reform of the lese majeste law, officially Article 112 of the Criminal Code.

This was Daranee's second trial. She received an 18-year term in her first trial, but was granted a new trial after courts ruled that her petition against having the first trial closed was not heard in a timely way.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111215/ap_on_re_as/as_thailand_monarchy

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New e-book pricing scheme an assault on wallets

Emmanuel Dunand / AFP - Getty Images

The Amazon Kindle Fire tablet.

By Marisa Taylor

New versions of e-readers from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble will no doubt grace Americans with their now-more-affordable presence beneath Christmas trees this holiday season.

But what happens when the price of the e-books to be read on?a Nook or Kindle suddenly shoots up, making the whole arrangement a lot less affordable than previously thought?

The problem of so-called "e-book sticker shock" is becoming a reality ever since six of the top book publishers banded together and agreed to set prices for the electronic books they sell, according to a story in The Wall Street Journal. In some cases the price for the e-version of a book is actually higher than the physical version, the article said.

Retailers have been selling e-books for around $9.99, or sometimes less, making the ownership of an e-reader look like a value proposition when compared?with the double-digit price of buying a new hardcover book.

But the new pricing agreement among publishers effectively prevents retailers from discounting e-books without a publisher's permission, and no such agreement exists when it comes to printed books, according to the story.

That means retailers can still slash the price for physical books as much as they please in order to entice readers to buy, but they'll have to comply with the new, higher prices for e-books set by the publishers. The wholesale price charged by the big publishers for both e-books and hardcover books was $12.50, meaning that before the agreement, Amazon.com was losing money by selling e-books at $9.99, books, according to the Journal, but the low price encouraged consumers to get in the e-reader game.

The Journal story goes on to explain the reasoning behind the change:

??Under the new pricing model, a $25 hardcover is often priced at $12.99 for the e-book. And because publishers receive 70% of the e-book retail price -- while retailers retain 30% -- that means publishers receive only $9.09. Publishers were willing to accept the lower profits because they felt the new arrangement preserved the value of books and encouraged other retailers to enter the e-book market. Indeed, the new arrangement means guaranteed profits on best-selling titles for retailers like Barnes & Noble Inc., which today claims about 27% of the digital books market, as well as Amazon.?

The whole agreement was actually launched at the behest of Apple?s Steve Jobs, who had wanted to create an e-bookstore for the iPad but didn?t want to compete with Amazon.com?s cheap titles, according to the story. And now the Justice Department is looking into whether Apple and book publishers improperly colluded to prevent price discounts, the Journal said.

Some examples of these pricing snafus? Well, the WSJ cites Ken Follett's 985-page novel "Fall of Giants," which costs $18.99 as an e-book, but can be purchased in paperback for $16.50 on Amazon.com

And while e-books do offer advantages -- such as portability, convenience, and the ability to highlight and take notes, which might account for an elevated price -- comments on the Journal's story?showed readers were less than thrilled by the new prices of e-books.

Reader Melanie Premo, for?example, wrote:

?I bought a Kindle when ebooks cost 9.99. Since Amazon raised the prices for ebooks, my Kindle mostly sits, unused. If I'm going to pay 15 bucks for a book, I want to be able to loan it out or give it away when I'm done with it.?

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/15/9469981-new-e-book-pricing-scheme-a-surprising-assault-on-the-wallet-wsj-reports

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Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Lenovo's rugged ThinkPad X130e targets students, arrives December 20 for $469

When we first spotted leaked photos of Lenovo's ThinkPad X130e, we just kind of assumed it was the next-gen successor to the X120e, which we reviewed almost a year ago. Well, you know what happens when you A-S-S-U-M-E, right? Turns out, there is indeed an X130e, but it's intended specifically for students. The company just made its official announcement, and explained that that rugged design we've been hearing about isn't meant to protect it from careless baggage handlers at the airport so much as freewheeling six year-olds. Though Lenovo's already had a hand in Intel's Classmate project, this is the first time it's released a classroom-ready laptop under the ThinkPad brand, red pointing stick and all.

Of all the kid-proof touches, the more obvious ones include a rubber bumper ringing the plastic lid, along with a thicker bezel shielded by 1.2mm of plastic. It also has recessed, reinforced ports, an accelerometer to protect the hard drive and a hinge rated for 30,000 cycles. Of course, the result of all this ruggedizing is that the X130e is fairly heavy for an 11-incher, at 3.9 pounds (1.78kg). Otherwise, though, its specs are pretty much what you'd expect in an 11.6-inch laptop. For starters, it's offered with an Intel Core i3-2367M processor, as well as AMD Fusion E-300 and E-450 APUs. It comes with 2GB of RAM (upgradeable to 8GB), up to 500GB in storage, Bluetooth 3.0 and a 6-cell battery rated for 8.5 hours of battery life. Lenovo's also added its RapidBoot technology, promising a sub-20-second startup time. It also has three USB 2.0 sockets, HDMI, VGA, Ethernet, a combined headphone / mic port and a 4-in-1 memory card reader. And, because Lenovo is also selling these to schools, it'll customize the laptops by tweaking the BIOS and tricking out the lid in assorted colors. It'll go on sale on Lenovo's site starting December 20th for $469 and up. Until then, we've got some candy-colored press photos below.

Continue reading Lenovo's rugged ThinkPad X130e targets students, arrives December 20 for $469

Lenovo's rugged ThinkPad X130e targets students, arrives December 20 for $469 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/06/lenovos-rugged-thinkpad-x130e-targets-the-education-market-arr/

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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Madonna To Headline Super Bowl Halftime Show!

It is official! Madonna will headline the Super Bowl halftime show, woohoo! This is going to be one heck of a show. The rumors have been circulating for a while that Madonna would perform at the Super Bowl halftime show in Indianapolis. NBC and the NFL made the official announcement Sunday night, that for the first time ever at a Super Bowl she will take the stage. It is being reported that she will work with choreographer Jamie King, who is best known for choreographing the Cirque du Soleil squad, to put together what I have no doubt will be a spectacular performance. It is Madonna, so that means expect the unexpected and expect it to be freaking awesome. As I am sure you are all aware, the big game and the big show will take place on February 5th. I have to say hearing this news was music to my ears. I am a huge Madonna fan and am lucky enough to have seen her in concert numerous times, so I am fully aware of what kind of killer show she puts on. Considering that playing at the Super Bowl halftime show is well, iconic if you will, something [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RightCelebrity/~3/WK1dlG0g1Vo/

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Monday, December 5, 2011

Jan. 9 court date set for NYC bomb plot suspect (AP)

NEW YORK ? A New York City man accused of crafting a homemade bomb in a plot to attack government buildings is set to learn next month whether he's been indicted in the state terrorism case.

Jose Pimentel wasn't in court Monday for a procedural hearing. His lawyers agreed he didn't have to be brought from jail.

Pimentel originally was set to learn Monday whether he'd been indicted. But prosecutors and defense lawyer Lori Cohen agreed to extend a deadline for a grand jury to weigh the case. Pimentel is due back in court Jan. 9.

Pimentel is held without bail on charges including conspiracy and weapons possession as terror crimes. A previous lawyer said Pimentel wasn't a real threat.

New York police say they kept federal authorities in the loop before having to take swift action using state charges.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111205/ap_on_re_us/us_nyc_bomb_plot

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Communications Specialist (Oakland, CA) | Journalism Job Wire

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Romney, Gingrich focus of GOP race with Cain exit

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, speaks to supporters and volunteers during a rally Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, speaks to supporters and volunteers during a rally Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks at a town hall style event in the Staten Island borough of New York Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011. Gingrich praised GOP presidential rival Herman Cain for bringing optimism and big ideas to the 2012 campaign on Saturday. Polls show that Gingrich's candidacy has surged in recent weeks, with many showing him topping the Republican field. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, left, shakes hands with Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, right, while talking to Florida Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi, second from right, and Oklahoma Atty. Gen. Scott Pruitt after appearing on the Republican Presidential Forum on "Huckabee," the Fox News program hosted by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011 in New York. The attorneys general asked questions of six Republican presidential candidates. (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams)

Republican presidential candidate Rep. Michelle Bachmann has her hair tended to in a commercial break during her appearance on the Republican Presidential Forum on "Huckabee," the Fox News program hosted by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011 in New York. (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams)

Republican 2012 presidential candidate, Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum at a Toys-for-Tots drive at his headquarters in Bedford, N.H., Friday, Dec. 2, 2011. To some, Santorum appears to be the candidate most likely to engineer a surprise. ?Crisis pregnancy centers are strongly behind Sen. Santorum,? said Karen Floyd, a former South Carolina GOP chairwoman, noting this powerful and wide network of anti-abortion voters who show up on Election Day. (AP Photo/Cheryl Senter)

(AP) ? With the implosion of Herman Cain's campaign amid accusations of adultery and sexual harassment, the once-crowded 2012 Republican presidential field appears to be narrowing to a two-man race between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.

GOP voters have one month before the leadoff Iowa caucuses. Gingrich is showing strength in the latest Iowa poll, while Romney is strong in New Hampshire, site of the first primary.

Romney has maintained a political network since his failed 2008 presidential bid, especially in New Hampshire. Gingrich, whose campaign nearly collapsed several months ago, is relying on his debate performances and the good will he built up with some conservatives as a congressional leader in the 1980s and 1990s.

Gingrich's efforts appear to be paying off in Iowa. A Des Moines Register poll released late Saturday found the former House speaker leading the GOP field with 25 percent support, ahead of Ron Paul at 18 percent and Romney at 16.

Cain's suspension of his campaign Saturday, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry's continued struggles to make headway with voters, have focused the party's attention on Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, and Gingrich, a one-time congressman from Georgia. They offer striking contrasts in personality, government experience and campaign organization.

Their political philosophies and differences are a bit harder to discern. Both men have changed their positions on issues such as climate change. And Gingrich, in particular, is known to veer into unusual territories, such as child labor practices.

Romney has said he differs with Gingrich on child labor laws. Gingrich recently suggested that children as young as nine should work as assistant school janitors, to earn money and learn work ethics.

Leading the pack means drawing criticism from those in the rear, such as Pennsylvania's Rick Santorum. Consistently lagging in the polls, Santorum took swipes at both leaders Sunday on ABC's "This Week with Christiane Amanpour".

Gingrich, he said, isn't a strong champion of conservative social values and puts them in "the back of the bus."

"He has never really been an advocate of pushing those issues. Newt is someone who likes to get issues that are 80 to 90 percent in the polls, and 80 percent in the polls are generally not necessarily conservative -- strong conservative issues. But that's how Newt is -- has always tried to govern. And I respect that."

Santorum acknowledged that Romney had become more conservative on issues, but questioned "whether he can be trusted."

"The best indication of what someone is going to do in the future is what they've done in the past," he said.

Cain's announcement in Atlanta offered a possible opening for Romney or Gingrich to make a dramatic move in hopes of seizing momentum for the sprint to the Jan. 3 Iowa caucus. Neither man did. They appear willing to play things carefully and low-key for now.

At a town hall meeting in New York sponsored by tea party supporters, Gingrich declined to characterize the race as a direct contest between himself and Romney. Any of the remaining GOP contenders could stage a comeback before the Iowa caucuses, he said. "I'm not going to say that any of my friends can't suddenly surprise us," Gingrich said.

Paul may be one of those candidates. He said Sunday his discussions of the war and the country's financial condition are resonating with voters in Iowa and New Hampshire. He points to the Iowa poll numbers as a measure of his success and says he also stands to gain from Cain dropping out of the race, and his organization is paying attention to where Cain's supporters might go.

"There are a lot of people who call themselves Tea Party people that did like the independent mindedness of Herman Cain. So I'm optimistic that we'll pick up some votes from there," he said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union".

But once high-flying contenders such as Perry and Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota have not managed to bounce back so far, despite weeks of trying.

Bachmann said Sunday she was the "consistent conservative" in the race and her campaign would benefit most from Cain's departure.

"A lot of Herman Cain supporters have been calling our office and they've been coming over to our side," she said, also on CNN. "They saw Herman Cain as an outsider and I think they see that my voice would be the one that would be most reflective of his."

Cain's once-prospering campaign was undone by numerous allegations of sexual wrongdoing.

Gingrich, twice divorced and now married to a woman with whom he had an extramarital affair, has been the most obvious beneficiary of Cain's precipitous slide.

But Perry, Bachmann and possibly others are likely to make a play for Cain's anti-establishment tea party backing. Time is running short for them to establish themselves as the top alternative to Romney, who has long been viewed with suspicion by many conservatives.

___

Fouhy reported from New York.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2011-12-04-GOP%20Campaign/id-6793dfa2443c401fbef244c1a77aa55c

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Sunday, December 4, 2011

Embattled Cain ends 2012 bid (Reuters)

ATLANTA (Reuters) ? Former pizza magnate Herman Cain dropped out of the U.S. presidential race on Saturday after accusations of sexual misconduct overwhelmed his bid to win the Republican nomination as an anti-Washington tax reformer.

Cain's departure set off a competition among other candidates to win over his conservative supporters with voting to start next month in the race to determine the Republicans' presidential pick for 2012 to oppose President Barack Obama.

Cain, a former Godfather's Pizza chief executive, told followers in his hometown of Atlanta that "false and unproved" sexual accusations had forced him to suspend his White House bid.

He said he would endorse another candidate, effectively ending a roller-coaster campaign that saw the African-American businessman go from complete outsider to the rising star of Republican conservatives within a few weeks over the autumn.

Cain held a Friday night meeting with his wife, Gloria, who has stayed mostly silent as several women accused her husband of sexual harassment and an Atlanta businesswoman this week said she had carried out a 13-year affair with him.

Gloria Cain appeared at his side on Saturday and smiled throughout.

Cain's departure shapes the wide-open Republican race more clearly into a matchup between former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and surging rival Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Reuters/Ipsos poll data released this week showed Gingrich and Romney would benefit most if Cain quit.

Support for Romney and Gingrich would rise by 3 percentage points each, against the 1- or 2-point bumps Cain's departure would give some of their rivals for the nomination.

Gingrich, a fellow Georgian, said he would meet with Cain next week.

"I don't anticipate anything," CNN reported Gingrich as saying. Cain has to "make up his own mind," Gingrich said.

Romney said in New Hampshire he sought backing from Cain supporters. "I hope as they evaluate the various candidates, they conclude that I'm the leader they need," he said.

Suspending his campaign instead of quitting altogether lets Cain continue raising money that he could use to pay off any debt he had run up.

CLOUD OF DOUBT

Cain, 65, said a "cloud of doubt" had settled over his campaign. He insisted that accusations he sexually harassed several women and had an affair with Atlanta businesswoman Ginger White were simply not true.

"I am suspending my campaign because of the continued distraction, the continued hurt," Cain said at an event that had been planned as the grand opening of his campaign headquarters in Atlanta.

Cain won attention for his 9-9-9 plan to reduce the U.S. tax code to 9 percent on income, sales and corporate taxes.

After jumping into the front-runner position two months ago, Cain had been in a free fall in the past month. His support in Iowa, which holds the first U.S. nominating contest on January 3, stands at 8 percent.

Cain spoke of having made mistakes but did not elaborate. His campaign also suffered from several stumbles that included a long pause when he tried to answer a routine question about Libya.

"I've made mistakes professionally, personally, as a candidate, in terms of how I run my campaign. And I take responsibility for the mistakes that I've made. And I've been the very first to own up to any mistakes I've made," Cain said.

Supporter Kristen Keating, 35 of Decatur, Georgia, wept after Cain's announcement.

"I believe in his plan and his vision for leadership and his solutions for very serious issues that are way beyond his own private life," she said. "His plan was so clear. I understand it. "

She has not decided what candidate to support for president now.

In Iowa, the Cain campaign's state chairman, Steve Grubbs, told Radio Iowa he was not surprised by Cain's decision.

"My counsel would have been to stay the course and see it through, but obviously he thought a different way and I'll be at peace with that," he said.

What do you do with 3,000 yard signs? Grubbs said. "You recycle."

(Additional reporting by Kay Henderson in Des Moines, Writing by Steve Holland; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111203/ts_nm/us_usa_campaign_cain

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Saturday, December 3, 2011

Video: Is Cain Train Derailed?

Is GOP presidential candidate, Herman Cain on the verge of ending his run for the White House? Robert Costa, National Review political reporter, has the details from the campaign trail.

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Business & financial news headlines from msnbc.com

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/45501205/

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UK embassy attack bolsters EU push for Iran sanctions (Reuters)

BRUSSELS (Reuters) ? The storming of the British embassy compound in Tehran provides extra ammunition to European governments pushing for stronger sanctions against Iran, in particular a contentious embargo on Iranian oil, diplomats said on Wednesday.

EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Thursday to map out Europe's response to a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency in recent weeks that suggested Iran has worked on designing an atom bomb.

Much has already been agreed -- the EU will add some 180 names to a list of people and entities targeted by pan-European sanctions -- but a number of EU capitals have yet to decide exactly how much economic pressure the EU should apply on Iran over its nuclear program, which it says is peaceful.

Tuesday's attack on the British embassy by dozens of students and protesters angry over Britain's unilateral sanctions could go some way towards convincing them stronger action is needed, diplomats said.

"From a political point of view this (attack) cannot, I think, work in the direction of EU member states wanting to ease pressure on Iran," one senior EU diplomat said. "On the contrary."

"The whole question is do we go further and add a new set of sanctions apart from those adopted in the past."

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said that following the embassy attack, Paris would push foreign ministers in Brussels to look at sanctions beyond what had already been agreed, especially proposals made by President Nicolas Sarkozy to freeze the central bank's assets and to ban oil imports.

French sources say that Paris feels the attack has added to the already long list of factors playing against Tehran and those that have wavered will be more inclined to listen to the French proposals.

Britain plans to back the idea of banning Iranian oil imports to Europe, diplomats have said, but resistance elsewhere in the EU remains.

In the past week, some EU capitals have insisted it is too early to adopt the embargo and ban European companies from doing business with the central bank, concerned about the economic consequences of tighter restrictions on a big OPEC oil producer.

Experts say a European embargo could boost global crude prices at a time when Europe is teetering on the brink of recession and struggling with a mounting debt crisis.

Greece, in particular, has expressed reluctance, EU diplomats say. Traders say debt-strapped Athens has been relying on Iranian oil, which comes with an attractive financing offer at a time when banks are increasingly denying it credit.

COMMON MESSAGE

Diplomats said foreign ministers might not be able to reach an agreement on any oil embargo yet, but discussions could be finalized next week, when EU heads of state meet for a summit on December 8 and 9.

In addition to discussing sanctions, EU governments are expected to issue a stern warning to Tehran on Thursday over the attack on Britain's interests, expressing their "outrage," EU officials said, using a word seldom used in diplomat communiques.

The next step could be a concerted move to recall EU envoys from Tehran in a show of solidarity with London that, combined with sanctions, would be a strong signal to Tehran that Europe is serious about pushing for change, experts say.

"The takeover of the UK embassy changes the perspective," said Bruno Tertrais, a senior research fellow at France's Strategic Research Foundation think tank.

"It will be increasingly harder for those in the EU who argue for a softer approach to push ... Their voices will be increasingly difficult to be heard," he said. "It will show Iran that it cannot divide the EU."

Britain has shut the Iranian embassy in London and closed its own embassy in Tehran, in a move followed by France and Germany which recalled their own envoys from Tehran on Wednesday.

Tehran has denied its nuclear work is aimed at building bombs and says it needs it to generate extra power to feed a growing demand for energy and for medical research purposes.

But the IAEA report appeared to offer evidence backing up Western concerns, prompting a wave of unilateral sanctions from the United States, Canada and Britain, announced this month.

The United States has taken steps designed to dissuade non-U.S. banks from dealing with Iran. Washington blacklisted 11 entities suspected of aiding Iran's nuclear programs, and expanded sanctions to target companies that aid its oil industry.

Britain banned all its financial institutions from doing business with Iran, including the Iranian central bank, and Canada said it would ban the export of all goods used in Iran's petrochemical, oil and gas industries and "block virtually all transactions with Iran," also including with the central bank.

(Additional reporting by John Irish in Paris Editing by Maria Golovnina)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111130/wl_nm/us_iran_europe

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Friday, December 2, 2011

Former Olympus CEO resigns from board (AP)

TOKYO ? The whistle blowing former chief executive of Japan's Olympus Corp. resigned as a director of the camera maker Thursday and vowed to work with shareholders to replace the company's board.

Michael Woodford said his decision to resign from the board was difficult because he still cares about Olympus Corp. and hopes it will come clean about its accounting coverup. Woodford was still a member of the board because dismissal from it can only be done by shareholders.

Although it initially denied wrongdoing, Tokyo-based Olympus has acknowledged a $687 million payment for financial advice and expensive acquisitions to cover up investment losses dating to the 1990s.

"It has been a difficult decision for me to resign from a company that I have devoted my entire life to," said Woodford, 51, a Briton who worked at Olympus for about three decades and became a rare foreigner to head a major Japanese company.

He said he had lost hope that the Olympus board would move toward reform.

Shareholders should decide who would lead Olympus, he said, and called for a shareholders meeting. He will be working with shareholders to propose a new board, he said.

Woodford, fired Oct. 14 after questioning its accounting practices, has called for the entire board to resign and to bring in outside members to the board for more transparency.

Olympus' bookkeeping is now under investigation in Japan, the U.S. and Great Britain. The fiasco has evolved into one of Japan's biggest corporate scandals.

Woodford was in Japan last week to speak with Japanese prosecutors and police and also spoke with the Olympus board during the visit. He says he is also speaking with U.S. and British authorities.

Speculation is rife that the amount that Olympus has falsified in its financial reports could be massive. Japanese magazine Facta was first to report on the dubious money.

Olympus must submit a proper financial report by Dec. 14, or it risks being delisted by the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

"I am strongly of the view that it's completely inappropriate for the current management team who are tainted by its past mistakes to make choices about the identity of new board members," Woodford said in a statement.

At the center of the scandal is the compensation Olympus paid for advice when it bought British medical instruments maker Gyrus Group in 2008.

Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, who was behind Woodford's appointment as chief executive and later his firing, has since resigned as chairman.

Olympus shares have plunged over the last several weeks from their value before Woodford's firing.

Woodford reiterated his belief in Olympus' potential, adding it was "led down the wrong path" by some board members.

"I am not walking away from Olympus," he said. "I believe passionately in the company, its employees, its products and its future."

___

Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at http://twitter.com/yurikageyama

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111201/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_olympus

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