Nokia confirms Windows Phone 7.8 coming to the UK today, prices Lumia 620 at ?149.99

Brits who ground their fingers to stumps hammering their Lumia's update button will finally be able to rest, as Nokia UK has confirmed that Windows 7.8 is rolling out today. The company has also revealed O2's pricing for the Lumia 620, the handset that'll bring Windows Phone 8 to the cash-strapped masses. It's available from today on the oxygen-themed network, setting you back £149.99 or free on contracts priced over £18.50. Normally, the interchangeable back plates would cost around £20, but O2 is offering buyers a choice of a yellow, orange, green, white or cyan model for free.

You'll also be able to pick up the quirky handset from ThreeUK and Virgin Media today, although neither has opened up about pricing just yet. Vodafone has announced that it'll launch the phone on February 6th with a choice of white or black covers, while EE has yet to commit to carrying the handset. If you saw removable covers and hoped that the 620 would benefit from the same wireless charging plates we saw in the 820, we've got some bad news -- Nokia has said it's not likely to happen.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft, Nokia

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/v8pe3HJkNYg/

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2 NFL seasons since agreement, still no HGH tests

FILE - The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, led by Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., right, considers whether to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress, on Capitol Hill in Washington, in this June 20, 2012 file photo. Ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings of Maryland is at left. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Darrell Issa, a California Republican, and ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings of Maryland wrote NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith Monday Jan.28, 2013 to chastise the union for standing in the way of HGH testing and to warn that they might ask players to testify on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, )ile

FILE - The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, led by Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., right, considers whether to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress, on Capitol Hill in Washington, in this June 20, 2012 file photo. Ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings of Maryland is at left. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Darrell Issa, a California Republican, and ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings of Maryland wrote NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith Monday Jan.28, 2013 to chastise the union for standing in the way of HGH testing and to warn that they might ask players to testify on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, )ile

FILE - NFL players union chief DeMaurice Smith pauses as he speaks during a news conference outside their headquarters, in this May 24, 2012 file photo taken in Washington. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Darrell Issa, a California Republican, and ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings of Maryland wrote NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith Monday Jan.28, 2013 to chastise the union for standing in the way of HGH testing and to warn that they might ask players to testify on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? Count Baltimore Ravens defensive end Arthur Jones among those NFL players who want the league and the union to finally agree on a way to do blood testing for human growth hormone.

"I hope guys wouldn't be cheating. That's why you do all this extra work and extra training. Unfortunately, there are probably a few guys, a handful maybe, that are on it. It's unfortunate. It takes away from the sport," Jones said.

"It would be fair to do blood testing," Jones added. "Hopefully they figure it out."

When Jones and the Ravens face the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl on Sunday, two complete seasons will have come and gone without a single HGH test being administered, even though the league and the NFL Players Association paved the way for it in the 10-year collective bargaining agreement they signed in August 2011.

Since then, the sides have haggled over various elements, primarily the union's insistence that it needs more information about the validity of a test that is used by Olympic sports and Major League Baseball. HGH is a banned performance-enhancing drug that is hard to detect and has been linked to health problems such as diabetes, cardiac dysfunction and arthritis.

"If there are guys using (HGH), there definitely needs to be action taken against it, and it needs to be out of (the sport)," Ravens backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor said. "I'm pretty sure it'll happen eventually."

At least two members of Congress want to make it happen sooner, rather than later.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Darrell Issa, a California Republican, and ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings of Maryland wrote NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith this week to chastise the union for standing in the way of HGH testing and to warn that they might ask players to testify on Capitol Hill.

Smith is scheduled to hold his annual pre-Super Bowl news conference Thursday.

"We have cooperated and been helpful to the committee on all of their requests," NFLPA spokesman George Atallah said. "If this is something they feel strongly about, we will be happy to help them facilitate it."

Several players from the Super Bowl teams said they would be willing to talk to Congress about the issue, if asked.

"I have nothing to hide. I can't speak for anyone else in football, but I would have no problem going," said Kenny Wiggins, a 6-foot-6, 314-pound offensive lineman on San Francisco's practice squad.

But Wiggins added: "There's a lot more problems in the U.S. they should be worried about than HGH in the NFL."

That sentiment was echoed by former New York Giants offensive lineman Shaun O'Hara, who now works for the NFL Network.

"Do I think there is an HGH problem in the NFL? I don't think there is. Are there guys who are using it? I'm sure there are. But is it something Congress needs to worry about? No. We have enough educated people on both sides that can fully handle this. And if they can't, then they should be fired," said O'Hara, an NFLPA representative as a player. "I include the union in that, and I include the NFL. There is no reason we would need someone to help us facilitate this process."

Issa and Cummings apparently disagree.

In December, their committee held a hearing at which medical experts testified that the current HGH test is reliable and that the union's request for a new study is unnecessary. Neither the league nor union was invited to participate in that hearing; at the time, Issa and Cummings said they expected additional hearings.

"We are disappointed with the NFLPA's remarkable recalcitrance, which has prevented meaningful progress on this issue," they wrote in their recent letter to Smith. "We intend to take a more active role to determine whether the position you have taken ? that HGH is not a serious concern and that the test for HGH is unreliable ? is consistent with the beliefs of rank and file NFL players."

Atallah questioned that premise.

"To us, there is no distinction between players and the union. ... The reason we had HGH in our CBA is precisely because our players wanted us to start testing for it," Atallah said. "We are not being recalcitrant for recalcitrance sake. We are merely following the direction of our player leadership."

Wiggins and other players said no one can know for sure how much HGH use there is in the league until there is testing ? but that it's important for the union's concerns about the test to be answered.

"The union decides what is best for the players," said Ravens nose tackle Ma'ake Kemoeatu, who said he would be willing to go to Capitol Hill.

"I feel like some guys are on HGH," said 49ers offensive lineman Anthony Davis, who would rather not speak to Congress. "I personally don't care if there is testing. It's something they have to live with, knowing they cheated, and if they get (outplayed) while they're on it, it's a hit on their pride."

___

Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-31-Super%20Bowl-HGH%20Tests/id-7f8f42657f1c4e96a7d0b1dd9b31ef28

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Rising production expected to boost Chevron

NEW YORK (AP) -- Chevron Corp. is expected to post higher net income for the fourth quarter on increased production of oil and gas, when it reports results for the quarter and all of 2012 before the stock market opens Friday.

Chevron has been the best performing large oil and gas company in recent years because the bulk of its production is oil sold abroad, where prices have remained high, while competitors have been earning less selling oil and natural gas priced in the U.S.

Global oil prices rose sharply in 2010 as the world emerged from the Great Recession, and have stayed relatively high since. U.S. oil prices have lagged global oil prices. Supplies in the middle of the U.S. have soared because of new drilling, and there is not enough pipeline capacity to move it to refineries on the coasts.

U.S. natural gas prices have stayed low because supplies are plentiful thanks to newfound reserves and warmer-than-normal weather across much of the nation.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Investors' chief concern with Chevron and other oil companies is production, now and in the future. They want to see Chevron produce more oil and gas, and find enough new oil and gas reserves to continue to grow production in the future.

In a presentation to investors earlier this month, Chevron said production is on track to rise 2 percent over last year's quarter and 6 percent over the third quarter. The benefit of higher production will be offset by oil and gas prices that have slipped somewhat from last year.

Investors will also be looking for updates on a massive liquefied natural gas export project, called Gorgon, under construction in Australia that has become more expensive than Chevron originally projected. In December Chevron said the project will cost $54 billion, up from an original estimate of $43 billion, because the Australian dollar has strengthened and labor costs are rising.

WHY IT MATTERS: Chevron is the nation's second largest oil and gas company and among the 10 largest investor-owned companies of any kind in the world by market capitalization. As a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and a major component of the S&P 500 Index, Chevron's stock is widely held by private investors through mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. It is also popular with pension funds and other large investment pools.

WHAT'S EXPECTED: Analysts surveyed by FactSet expect Chevron's fourth-quarter earnings to rise 19 percent to $3.06 per share. For the full year, analysts forecast $12.38 per share on revenue of $245.89 billion.

LAST YEAR'S QUARTER: Chevron's net income dipped 4 percent in last year's fourth quarter on lower production of oil and gas, as existing fields suffered natural depletion and maintenance halted production. For all of 2011 net income jumped 41 percent to $26.9 billion on revenue of $253.7 billion. The company's results improved, even though production fell 3 percent for the year, because oil prices soared.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rising-production-expected-boost-chevron-192746696.html

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Cats Kill Billions of Animals a Year, Study Finds

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/cats-kill-billions-of-animals-study-finds/

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Ultrasound Breast Cancer Imaging Invented At Karmanos Closer To ...

DETROIT ? SoftVue, the whole breast ultrasound imaging device created by two scientists from the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and Wayne State University School of Medicine, is currently undergoing review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for market clearance.

It?s anticipated that this first application clearance could come this spring, with several other FDA submissions to follow over the next couple of years. This promising imaging tool has the potential to aid in detecting breast cancer earlier, especially in women with dense breasts.

Peter Littrup and Neb Duric of the Karmanos Cancer Institute and Wayne State University School of Medicine, and their team have been working to perfect the SoftVue technology for more than a decade.

The Karmanos Cancer Institute spun off a company in 2009 called Delphinus Medical Technologies to help secure funding to bring this device closer to commercialization. Since then, Delphinus has grown to 19 employees, many of whom are engineers, and plans are underway to gradually increase the sales staff once the first FDA market clearance is obtained.

Said Gerold Bepler, M.D., president and CEO of the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute: ?Information obtained from this new SoftVue system will continue the next round of clinical research for use in diagnostic breast imaging. SoftVue is another example of the exceptional cancer research and innovative technology created right here at the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, and built in Michigan.?

More than $32 million in funding, including venture capital and other grants, helped turn SoftVue?s technology into a commercial product, pending FDA clearance to market. The first round of venture capital funding included Michigan companies Arboretum Ventures, Altarum Institute, Beringea, LLC?s InvestMichigan Growth Capital Fund and North Coast Technology Investors. Other funding, past and present, was received from several private donors along with grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the Michigan Economic Development Corp. Currently, the Karmanos Cancer Institute has the only commercial-grade SoftVue system in the world.

SoftVue uses ultrasound waves, rather than X-rays, to create its images. Karmanos officials say ultrasound waves have the potential to detect early stages of breast cancer, even in women with dense breast tissue, where early stage cancers are often not picked up by mammography.

The interaction of sound waves with cancerous tissue yields a unique signature that can be measured using the SoftVue technology. The SoftVue system collects information not often detected by conventional ultrasound imaging, resulting in a more accurate and complete image of the tissue characteristics.

The SoftVue exam takes about a minute, produces images for the radiologist in less than 15 minutes, does not involve the radiation or compression used in mammography, and is a fraction of the cost of breast magnetic resonance imaging.

With SoftVue, the breast is submerged in warm water and an ultrasound transducer ring surrounds the breast without touching it. The SoftVue system transmits and receives ultrasound signals around the entire breast that allow it to capture detailed, three-dimensional images.

The system is able to perform repeated imaging, a necessary tool for biopsy, monitoring and treatment assessment.

SoftVue?s detailed images aid the radiologist in making an accurate breast cancer diagnosis. It?s believed that SoftVue could help reduce the number of false positives that can occur with mammography and thereby reduce unnecessary biopsies.

Once market clearance is received for the first FDA submission, other SoftVue systems will be produced for other medical centers that will take part in clinical studies needed to secure further FDA approvals for SoftVue. Up to now, SoftVue studies were only for diagnostic purposes, showing the quality and safety of this technology compared to other ultrasound breast cancer imaging devices.

The company plans to carry out clinical trials involving approximately 15,000 to 20,000 subjects to support an FDA Pre-Market Approval Application, which, once approved, will give Delphinus the green light to sell SoftVue for breast cancer screening in the United States. William Greenway, Delphinus? CEO, anticipates that could take until 2015, depending on the number of people participating in the clinical studies at various medical centers, as well as funding to manufacture the systems.

?Once we secure this first FDA clearance, we?ll receive signed commitments from other health centers that have expressed interest in SoftVue,? Greenway said. ?The approximate cost for the SoftVue machine is $400,000, comparable to mammography. We anticipate that we?ll need another $15 to $17 million in venture capital to carry out the trials and produce the machines, which will be manufactured in Michigan.?

Mammography is still the gold standard in breast cancer screening; however, for hospitals and medical centers such as the Karmanos Cancer Institute where SoftVue will be available, SoftVue will serve as a follow-up to breast cancer screening upon initial FDA market clearance.

Currently, SoftVue is available at the Karmanos Cancer Institute and Karmanos patients may sign up to be part of the ongoing clinical studies. Once the first FDA clearance is secured, additional SoftVue systems will be produced and placed in other medical centers interested in this technology.

For more information on SoftVue technology contact Delphinus Medical Technologies at (734) 233-3088. For patients interested in participating in SoftVue?s clinical studies for breast cancer screening, call the Karmanos Cancer Institute at 1-800-KARMANOS (1-800-527-6266.)

Source: http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/01/28/ultrasound-breast-cancer-imaging-invented-at-karmanos-closer-to-fda-approval/

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Are You Carrying the Redhead Gene?

Some parents worry that their children will be born with a rare disease or a hidden genetic disorder. Other parents, however, wonder if their children will possess something more obvious: red hair.

A British ancestry company, BritainsDNA, is now offering parents the chance to see if their children might inherit the so-called "ginger gene," the Telegraph reports. The test will scan each parent's DNA for signs of the so-called MC1R gene that causes redheadedness.

"Through a simple saliva test to determine deep ancestry, we can ? identify whether an individual is a carrier of any of the three common redhead variants in the gene MC1R," said Dr. Jim Wilson, chief scientist at BritainsDNA, as quoted in the Huffington Post.

The gene for red hair is recessive, so a person needs two copies of that gene for it to show up or be expressed. That means even if both parents carry the gene, just one in four of their children are likely to turn out to be a redhead. As a result, families that have no redheads for decades can suddenly discover a carrottop in their midst.

"Families can carry a variant for generations, and when one carrier has children with another carrier, a redheaded baby can appear seemingly out of nowhere." Wilson said, as quoted in the Daily Mail.

Though there's no scientific evidence that redheads deserve their reputation for having fiery temperaments, some recent reports suggest having red hair is associated with a number of health issues. A study from the journal Nature found that the pigment pheomelanin, which is responsible for red hair, may also make redheads even more susceptible to melanoma than fair-skinned blondes, according to the Los Angeles Times.

And a widely reported study from the Journal of the American Dentistry Association found that redheads are more sensitive to pain and require extra anesthesia during surgery, according to ABC News.

But there may be some advantages to having red hair, too, EverydayHealth.com reports. The pale skin that redheads usually have is more efficient at soaking up sunlight ? and sunlight is required for the body to manufacture vitamin D, an essential nutrient.

Worldwide, red hair is quite rare, and just over 0.5 percent, or one in 200 people, are redheads ? this amounts to almost 40 million people, the Daily Mail reports.

In Ireland, an estimated 10 percent of the population has red hair, though about 40 percent of the Irish carry the recessive gene. In Scotland and England, 13 percent and 6 percent, respectively, are redheaded, according to the Daily Mail.

The DNA test will be offered by BritainsDNA at a genealogy and ancestry exhibition named Who Do You Think You Are, associated with the popular NBC television show and scheduled to be held in London next month.

Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook & Google+.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/carrying-redhead-gene-180445953.html

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France: Mali military enters town of Timbuktu

SEVARE, Mali (AP) ? Malian soldiers entered the city of Timbuktu on Monday after al-Qaida-linked militants fled into the desert having set ablaze a library that held thousands of ancient manuscripts ablaze.

French Col. Thierry Burkhard, the chief military spokesman in Paris, said that there had been no combat with the Islamists who have ruled Timbuktu for nearly 10 months, but that the forces did not yet control the town as of Monday afternoon.

Burkhard said French paratroopers landed north of the city as ground forces headed up from the south.

"The helicopters have been decisive," he said, describing how they aided the ground forces who came from the south as French paratroopers landed north of the city.

News of their arrival came just hours after Timbuktu's mayor confirmed that the fleeing Islamists had in earlier days torched ancient manuscripts in Timbuktu, long revered as a center of Islamic learning.

The militants had occupied Timbuktu for almost 10 months, imposing the strict Islamic version of Shariah, or religious law, across northern Mali while carrying out amputations and public executions.

"In the heart of people from northern Mali, it's a relief ? freedom finally," said Cheick Sormoye, a Timbuktu resident who fled to Bamako, the capital.

The French said Mali's weak military must finish the job of securing Timbuktu. But they have generally fared poorly in combat, often retreating in panic in the face of well-armed and battle-hardened Islamists.

The French-led military operation against the Islamists, who seized the northern half of Mali last year, began 17 days ago when the insurgents encroached further toward the south.

It has scored several successes, but hard questions remain about how the Mali government will hold the cities that have been wrested from the Islamists, and whether there is the will and the ability to chase them into the Sahara which is home to many of these desert fighters.

On Saturday, French forces secured key installations in the northeastern town of Gao. Then overnight Sunday troops secured the Timbuktu airport without firing a shot.

Ground forces backed by French paratroopers and helicopters took control of Timbuktu's airport and the roads leading to the town in an overnight operation, a French military official said Monday.

"There was an operation on Timbuktu last night that allowed us to control access to the town," Col. Burkhard said Monday. "It's up to Malian forces to retake the town."

The mayor of Timbuktu said Monday that the Islamists had torched his office as well as the Ahmed Baba institute ? a library rich with historical documents ? in an act of retaliation before they fled late last week from the city of mud-walled buildings.

"It's truly alarming that this has happened," Mayor Ousmane Halle told The Associated Press by telephone from Bamako. "They torched all the important ancient manuscripts. The ancient books of geography and science. It is the history of Timbuktu, of its people."

He said he didn't have further details as communications to the city have been cut off.

"UNESCO is very concerned about the reports coming out of Timbuktu as to damage on cultural heritage there," said Sue Williams, UNESCO chief spokesperson, on the phone from Paris.

"We're following the situation very closely, and we are in constant contact with the Malian and French authorities on the ground."

Timbuktu, long a hub of Islamic learning, has been home to some 20,000 manuscripts, some dating back as far as the 12th century. It was not immediately known how many of the irreplaceable manuscripts had been destroyed.

Owners have succeeded in removing some of the manuscripts from Timbuktu to save them, while others have been carefully hidden away from the Islamists who seized Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal in the wake of a coup last March.

The Islamists, though, still maintain control of the provincial capital of Kidal further north and are believed to have a complex system of desert bases including self-constructed caves to which they can escape, only to launch attacks at a later date.

The AP reported last month that they have used bulldozers, earth movers and Caterpillar machines left behind by fleeing construction crews to dig what residents and local officials describe as an elaborate network of tunnels, trenches, shafts and ramparts.

Timbuktu, which lies on an ancient caravan route, has entranced travelers for centuries. During their rule on Timbuktu, the militants systematically destroyed UNESCO World Heritage sites.

A spokesman for the al-Qaida-linked militants has said that the ancient tombs of Sufi saints were destroyed because they contravened Islam, encouraging Muslims to venerate saints instead of God.

Among the tombs they destroyed is that of Sidi Mahmoudou, a saint who died in 955, according to the UNESCO website.

The destructions recall tactics used by the Taliban in 2001 when they dynamited a pair of giant Buddhas carved into a mountain in Bamiyan province. Around the same time, the Taliban also rampaged through the national museum, smashing any art depicting the human form, considered idolatrous under their hardline interpretation of Islam. In all, they destroyed about 2,500 statues.

The al-Qaida-linked militants had forced women to wear veils or else face public whippings and people were also lashed for possessing cigarettes. A couple accused of adultery was stoned to death in Kidal, and one man convicted of murder was executed in public in Timbuktu.

The harsh conditions forced many of the town's 50,000 residents to flee south.

Nana Toure, a native of Timbuktu now living in the capital, said she is delighted to hear that the French have arrived but worried how long the Malian soldiers could hold the town without help.

"Frankly, if they secure the city today, I am ready to return immediately to Timbuktu," she said. "French troops must not leave us alone then because those (Islamists) who fled may come back and cause problem to us. French troops have to stay a bit to stabilize the place."

___

Hinnant reported from Paris. Associated Press writers Carley Petesch in Johannesburg, Thomas Adamson in Paris, and Rukmini Callimachi in Sevare, Mali contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/france-mali-military-enters-town-timbuktu-174145790.html

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'Argo,' Lawrence, Day-Lewis win at SAG

Ben Affleck accepts the award for outstanding cast in a motion picture for ?Argo? at the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sunday Jan. 27, 2013. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP)

Ben Affleck accepts the award for outstanding cast in a motion picture for ?Argo? at the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sunday Jan. 27, 2013. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP)

Actor Daniel Day-Lewis arrives at the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

Jennifer Lawrence accepts the award for outstanding female actor in a leading role for ?Silver Linings Playbook? at the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sunday Jan. 27, 2013. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP)

Daniel Day-Lewis accepts the awards for outstanding male actor in a leading role for ?Lincoln? at the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sunday Jan. 27, 2013. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP)

Jennifer Lawrence, left, and Robert De Niro kiss as she accepts the award for outstanding female actor in a leading role for ?Silver Linings Playbook? at the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sunday Jan. 27, 2013. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? The CIA thriller "Argo" continues to steamroll through awards season, winning the top honor for overall cast performance at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

SAG's lead-acting honors Sunday went to Jennifer Lawrence for her role as a troubled widow in a shaky new relationship in the lost-souls romance "Silver Linings Playbook" and Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln in the Civil War epic "Lincoln."

Anne Hathaway of "Les Miserables" and Tommy Lee Jones of "Lincoln" won the supporting-acting honors.

"It occurred to me ? it was an actor that murdered Abraham Lincoln," said Day-Lewis, a solid front-runner to join an exclusive list of three-time acting Oscar winners. "And therefore, somehow it is only so fitting that every now and then an actor tries to bring him back to life again."

It was a brisk, businesslike and fairly bland evening as the actors union handed out honors to a predictable lineup of winners who generally had triumphed at earlier Hollywood ceremonies or past SAG shows.

The SAG cast win came a day after "Argo" claimed the top honor from the Producers Guild of America, whose winner often goes on to claim best picture at the Academy Awards. "Argo" also was a surprise victor two weeks ago at the Golden Globes, where it won best drama and director for Ben Affleck.

The awards momentum positions "Argo" for a rare feat at the Feb. 24 Oscars, where it could become just the fourth film in 85 years to be named best picture without a nomination for its director.

"To me this has nothing to do with me, it has to do with the incredible people who were in this movie," said Affleck, who also stars in "Argo" and accepted the SAG prize alongside his cast.

Affleck plays CIA agent Tony Mendez, who masterminded the daring rescue of six U.S. embassy workers in Iran after the 1979 hostage crisis erupted. The Americans were brought out of Iran masquerading as crew members of a fake Hollywood sci-fi movie scouting locations.

A directing nomination at the Oscars usually goes hand in hand with a best-picture win. When Affleck was snubbed for a directing slot, awards analysts initially were counting "Argo" out for the best-picture Oscar, along with Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty" and Tom Hooper's "Les Miserables," which also missed out on directing nominations.

Only once in modern times has a film won best picture without a directing nomination, with 1989's "Driving Miss Daisy." The other two times came in the show's early years, at the first Oscars in 1929 with "Wings" and for 1932's "Grand Hotel."

But "Argo" has proven a resilient crowd-pleaser, dominating at awards shows since then over Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," which leads the Oscars with 12 nominations.

The cast prize at SAG adds some weight to the Oscar prospects for "Argo," though the guild honor has a spotty record at forecasting eventual best-picture winners. Only eight of 17 times since the guild added the category has the cast winner gone on to take the best-picture Oscar. "The Help" won the guild's cast prize last year, while Oscar voters named "The Artist" as best picture.

The next playoff round before the Oscars is Saturday's Directors Guild of America Awards, where Affleck, Bigelow, Spielberg and Hooper all are nominated, along with Ang Lee for "Life of Pi." The winner there typically goes on to triumph with directing and best-picture Oscars, but only Spielberg and Lee are nominated for both the Directors Guild and Oscar prizes this time, throwing the awards picture into a muddle.

Sunday's acting prizes solidify those categories, though. "Silver Linings" star Lawrence won a Golden Globe and has become one of Hollywood's hottest talents, with part two of her blockbuster franchise, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," due out in November.

"Now I have this naked statue that means some of you even voted for me, and that is an indescribable feeling," Lawrence said after explaining she earned her SAG card at age 14 by filming a spot for MTV.

Hathaway won for her role as a doomed single mother forced into prostitution in the adaptation of the stage musical based on Victor Hugo's epic novel. Her win came over four past Oscar recipients ? Sally Field, Helen Hunt, Nicole Kidman and Maggie Smith.

"I'm just thrilled I have dental," Hathaway said. "I got my SAG card when I was 14. It felt like the beginning of the world. I have loved every single minute of my life as an actor. ... Thank you for nominating me alongside incredible women and incredible performances."

Jones, who was not at the show, won for his turn as abolitionist firebrand Thaddeus Stevens in the Civil War epic. The win improves his odds to become a two-time Academy Award winner. He previously won a supporting-actor Oscar for "The Fugitive."

Day-Lewis, a two-time Oscar winner for "My Left Foot" and "There Will Be Blood," could become the fifth actor to earn three Oscars, along with Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson, Ingrid Bergman and Walter Brennan. Katharine Hepburn has the acting record with four Oscars.

Backstage at SAG, Day-Lewis was hardly ready to predict a third Oscar win.

"There's a good chance I won't. I feel the same way at all these occasions. Mostly, we're traveling as a group, the fellow nominees, give or take one here or there," Day-Lewis said. "I would happily recognize any single one person whose name is called."

On SAG's television side, with "30 Rock" ending its run, its stars Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin won the SAG awards for best comedy performers. It was Baldwin's seventh-straight win, while Fey earned her fifth SAG prize.

"Oh, my God. It's ridiculous," Baldwin said. "It's the end of our show, which is sad. Everybody is sad about that. It was the greatest experience I've ever had."

Fey gave a plug for the show's finale airing Thursday, noting that it's up against "The Big Bang Theory."

"Just tape 'The Big Bang Theory' for once, for crying out loud," Fey said.

"Modern Family" won for best overall cast in a TV comedy show. Accepting for the cast, "Modern Family" co-star Jesse Tyler Ferguson offered thanks to the makers of "30 Rock" and another departing series, "The Office," saying "you all have set the comedy bar so high."

The TV drama acting awards went to Claire Danes of "Homeland" and Bryan Cranston of "Breaking Bad." ''Downton Abbey" won the TV drama cast award.

Julianne Moore's turn as Sarah Palin in "Game Change" earned her the TV prize for best actress in a movie or miniseries. Kevin Costner won for best actor in a movie or miniseries for "Hatfields & McCoys."

Receiving the guild's life-achievement award was Dick Van Dyke, who presented the same prize last year to his "The Dick Van Dyke Show" co-star, Mary Tyler Moore.

After waiting on stage for a prolonged standing ovation to end, Van Dyke said, "That does an old man a lot of good."

___

Associated Press writers Beth Harris, Christy Lemire and Anthony McCartney contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-01-27-SAG%20Awards/id-3bfcf1cba14844c2abc482ea5c0d066b

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SKYE Condominiums in Uptown Charlotte - Charlotte Real Estate

SKYE Condominiums in Uptown Charlotte?s Second Ward is the up-and-coming, hippest mixed-use development to hit the city!? Formerly The Park Condos, SKYE is located at the corner of S. Caldwell and E. 3rd Streets and features 67 luxury residential condominiums on floors 14-21with 2 penthouse suites, atop a 172-room Hyatt Place hotel and ground-floor retail space.

The cherry on top of this glass, brick, granite, stucco and metal exterior hip, new complex is going to be a fabulous rooftop restaurant and bar featuring 360? panoramic views of Charlotte?s gorgeous skyline.

Uptown Charlotte is the premier live/work (and play!) community in the area. ?Such convenience to arts, sporting events, concerts, fine dining, shopping?simply?everything Charlotte!

• A rooftop pool
• Sun deck
• 7,800 square feet of green, landscaped gardens
• Conversation areas
• Theatre room
• Game room
• Party room/kitchen
• Fitness center
• Valet services
• Controlled-access parking
• 24-hour concierge services
• 5 elevator banks
• 24-hour security
• 172-room limited-service hotel
• Valet parking service
• 5-story parking garage
• Rooftop restaurant and bar
• Valet laundry service
• Bicycle storage
• Private mail room
• Limited number of private storage units available

?

What more could you ask for in luxury and convenience in Uptown Charlotte?!

About that fabulous first-in-Charlotte roof-top bar and restaurant.? The 20th floor will serve as home to an 8,000 square-foot open-air rooftop restaurant that will seat 260, with both indoor and outdoor seating, a private dining area and a fabulous bar with 360? view of Charlotte and beyond.

The first model 2-bedroom unit will open in March.? You may not want to wait though, pre-sales are doing quite well in the new Skye Condominiums!? Reserve yours today!

?Debe Maxwell | [email?protected] |?SKYE Condominiums in Uptown Charlotte ? Hip, New and Happening!

Debe

I am a full-time REALTOR? personally specializing in historic homes and luxury home sales in the Charlotte NC real estate market. My team specializes in a variety of areas including first time home buyers, condos and townhomes as well as single family home sales and marketing. ? Follow me on Google+

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

Source: http://www.icharlotterealestate.com/skye-condominiums-in-uptown-charlotte/

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Dr. Lawrence Yun on Real Estate: Speed Up Foreclosures? | Seattle ...

At the Washington Realtors? legislative hill day this year we had an opportunity to hear from the National Association of Realtors? chief economist, Dr. Lawrence Yun. ?Dr. Yun spoke about the improving real estate market in Washington state and his optimistic outlook for our state?s housing prices to continue rising at a rate faster than the nation as a whole.

At the same time, he was concerned with the persistence of high levels of ?shadow inventory? in Washington, even while those levels have been shrinking significantly across the nation as a whole. ?Dr. Yun surmised that the legal system in Washington was one that provided more obstructions to the foreclosure process, and that was creating a huge backlog of foreclosures that should have already been back on the market. ?The striking lack of inventory in our current market is holding back a large crop of eager buyers and stifling home sales in general.

The essence of Dr. Yun?s point was that we should speed up foreclosures. ?On its face, that?s not an argument you?re likely to hear from real estate professionals. ?Our organizations are constantly working for property owners? protections and rights, and fighting fraudulent or predatory practices that force homeowners out of their homes.

This issue, however, is more complex than simply pitting banks against homeowners. ?When we really examine the broken foreclosure process in our state, and nationally, we have to make clear distinctions between the protections that distressed homeowners already have in place, and the unacceptable extensions of the actual foreclosure timelines taking place in the market.

There are an increasing number of homeowners who have realized that, even though their home is underwater and they have no intention of keeping it long-term, they can live in the home without making a payments for years on end. ?As long as the lender is inhibited from closing the actual foreclosure sale, the number of people living in homes for two and even three years, rent free, continues to build. ?The homes are a drag on the community, as these long-term foreclosures deflate nearby housing prices, instead of being resold and fixed up by the new homeowners. ?The homeowners can?t just abandon the property, because it is still legally in their name (see Zombie Titles).

The effort to shorten the timelines on these foreclosures would make no changes to the protections already built into the process for the truly distressed homeowner. ?There are already a number of steps for that person to repay their debt, work out an adjusted payment schedule, or find another means to save their home. ? These people usually have at least a year from the time they stop making payments until the foreclosure sale goes through, and those protections can and will continue to exist for them.

For those homeowners who have already been through the normal foreclosure process and are one, two, or even three years behind on payments, the process needs to be expedited. ?These folks have accepted that the home will be foreclosed upon, and the only question is when. ?It will be better for the neighborhood and, frankly, better for these former?homeowners?to move on with their lives and begin to rebuild their credit. ?This artificial backlog of foreclosure inventory has an eager market of buyers ready to move in, and our communities could benefit from a healthy gain in home sales as we continue to recover.

So, should we speed up foreclosures? ?If the current legal protections are preserved, but the unnecessary multi-year extensions can be avoided, then the answer is ?Yes.? ?Sometimes, facing up to reality and moving forward is the only way to begin correcting the difficult times we?ve been through.

? SeattleHome.com: ? Sam DeBord, Managing Broker, Realtor
Coldwell Banker Seattle: Coldwell Banker Danforth & Associates
Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Google + | Sam (at) SeattleHome.com

Source: http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlewaterfronthomes/2013/01/27/dr-lawrence-yun-on-real-estate-speed-up-foreclosures/

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Amped Wireless High Power Wireless-N 600mW Gigabit Dual Band Access Point (AP20000G)

Amped Wireless' High Power Wireless-N 600mW Gigabit Dual Band Access Point (AP20000G) is a piece of networking hardware that can either be used to bring wireless access to an existing network, or to upgrade wireless networks with legacy 802.11x technology to the more modern 802.11n standard. The access point (AP) delivers excellent throughput, especially on the 5GHz band and provides very good coverage but lacks some more business-oriented features of some SMB access points on the market.

Specs
The AP20000G operates at the 2.4 and 5GHz bands. The device supports up to 600Mbps of theoretical throughput. Dual amplifiers on both the 2.4 and 5GHz wireless radios help the access point with wireless signal coverage. Two high gain 5dBi dual band antennas screw into the antennas ports on the casing.

The access point features five Gigabit Ethernet ports?one for wiring to a router or switch and four for connecting other networking devices to leverage Gigabit speeds. There's also a USB 2.0 port for sharing data on connected USB storage drives.

Users can operate the access point on an included stand, or flat on a desktop. The device is also wall-mountable.

Set Up and Configuration
There's very little to set up; the process is very easy. I powered the AP and connected its port labeled "network" to a switch on my network. I also connected a laptop to one of the ports on the AP labeled "Wired Devices."

The AP takes a few seconds to configure itself. There are several LEDs on the device's front panel that light up when power is on, when a device is connected to one of the Ethernet ports, and when there is an active network connection.

Once the LEDs were lit, I could see two new SSIDs, created by the AP20000G in my laptop's list of wireless networks. The AP creates an SSID for each band. The security key for each is printed on the bottom of the access point.

Of course, you will want to change the default SSID password and the AP's admin password. To configure the AP, I just opened a browser on my laptop and pointed to the URL: setup. ampedwireless.com. The interface has the same neat, intuitive-to-navigate design of Amped Wireless' High Power Wireless-N 600mW Gigabit Dual Band Router (R20000G).

The AP20000G shares some features that are built-in across Amped Wireless' product line. One such feature is the ability to control the wireless coverage area. Radio buttons allow you to set coverage at 100 percent (which is the default setting), down to 15 percent. Lowering the coverage area means lowering the range? area in which the AP broadcasts itself, which may be desired for security reasons, and lowers the overall output power.

Users also have the option to disable the wireless radios based on a schedule by day and time Access to the AP can be granted or denied based on a MAC address control list.

The AP is designed to extend wireless network connectivity in small business networks and homes. I would recommend it as an AP more for consumers and for smaller business networks not requiring a lot of security or controls. This is because, aside from RADIUS authentication support, there are fewer business-class features in the AP20000 than some other SMB APs we've tested. For instance, there's no native firewall or Active Directory integration, as there is in a true SMB AP such as the Meraki MR16.

While the AP20000G supports up to eight guest networks, you can't create a custom splash page for guests that access the AP as you can with the Meraki MR16?device.? However, each guest network on the AP20000G can be set with its own login credentials and you can limit bandwidth for each network.

Also, there's no AP isolation preventing wireless clients from communicating with one another when they are connected to the AP which may be a security concern for some.

These lack of features may be fine for smaller businesses especially ones with routers that have these features such already, such as a built-in firewall. However, those needing APs with more business controls may want to look into business-class APs from Meraki or HP.

I found the same lengthy reboot required for just about changing any settings in the AP20000G as in Amped Wireless' R20000G router. A settings' change requires a 70 second reboot of the device which can be slightly annoying when you are first configuring the AP the way you want.

Performance
Amped Wireless' main focus is on range. You get good range and very good throughput, in fact the top throughput we've tested for an AP at 5 GHz, with the AP20000G.

The speeds are more on par with a dual-band wireless router. In 5 GHz mode at 30 feet, the AP2000G clocked a very impressive 113 Mbps. In comparison, many of the SMB APs on the market have tested quite a bit slower. For example, Meraki's MR16 AP? also a dual-band 802.11n AP? only managed 49 Mbps at the same distance in 5 GHz mode.

As expected, the AP20000G was slower, albeit, still with decent throughput in 2.4 GHz-N only mode, achieving an average throughput of 74 Mbps. Below is a chart comparing the AP20000G with other APs at 5 GHz:

Speedy, But Biz Feature-Light
For home users looking to extend a wireless network in a coverage area where a less-powerful wireless extender wouldn't get the job done, the AP20000G is an ideal piece of networking hardware.

Although this is a fast access point with very good coverage, business networks that need more control over security and user access may need to look into access points specifically marketed to the SMB. On its own,? the AP20000G is solid hardware showcasing Amped Wireless' commitment to delivering network products that are fast-performing and able to cover large areas. The AP20000G is a 3.5 star earner and is a very good access point.

More?Wireless Networking?Reviews:
??? Amped Wireless High Power Wireless-N 600mW Gigabit Dual Band Access Point (AP20000G)
??? My Net Wi-Fi Range Extender
??? Meraki MR16 Cloud Managed Wireless Access Point
??? Kanex mySpot
??? Western Digital My Net AC Bridge
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/fO0XE-EvVv0/0,2817,2414719,00.asp

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Qigong Improves Quality of Life for Breast Cancer Patients | Psych ...

By Janice Wood Associate News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on January 27, 2013

New research has found that qigong, an ancient Chinese mind-body practice, has been found to reduce depression and improve the quality of life in women undergoing radiation for breast cancer.

The study examined qigong in patients receiving radiation therapy and included a follow-up period to assess its benefits over time, according to researchers.

?We were [...] particularly interested to see if qigong would benefit patients experiencing depressive symptoms at the start of treatment,? said Lorenzo Cohen, Ph.D., a professor in the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center?s Departments of General Oncology and Behavioral Science.

?It is important for cancer patients to manage stress because it can have a profoundly negative effect on biological systems and inflammatory profiles.?

For the study, Cohen and his colleagues recruited 96 women with stage 1-3 breast cancer from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center in Shanghai, China.

About half of the women ? 49 ? were randomly assigned to a qigong group consisting of five 40-minute classes each week during their five-to-six week course of radiation therapy. The remaining 47 women comprised a control group receiving standard care.

The program incorporated a modified version of Chinese medical qigong, which consisted of synchronizing one?s breath with various exercises, the researchers explained.

Participants in both groups completed assessments at the beginning, middle and end of radiation therapy and then one and three months later. Different aspects of quality of life were measured, including depressive symptoms, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and overall quality of life.

According to the researchers, patients in the qigong group reported a steady decline in depressive symptom scores beginning at the end of radiation therapy, with a mean score of 12.3, through the three month post-radiation follow-up with a score of 9.5. No changes were noted in the control group over time, the study found.

The study also found that qigong was especially helpful for women reporting high baseline depressive symptoms, Cohen said.

?We examined women?s depressive symptoms at the start of the study to see if women with higher levels would benefit more,? he said.

?In fact, women with low levels of depressive symptoms at the start of radiotherapy had good quality of life throughout treatment and three months later regardless of whether they were in the qigong or control group. However, women with high depressive symptoms in the control group reported the worst levels of depressive symptoms, fatigue, and overall quality of life that were significantly improved for the women in the qigong group.?

As the benefits of qigong were largely observed after treatment concluded, researchers suggest qigong may prevent a delayed symptom burden or expedite the recovery process, especially for women with elevated depressive symptoms at the start of radiation therapy. Cohen notes the delayed effect could be explained by the cumulative nature of the treatments, as the benefits often take time to be realized.

According to the researchers, the findings support other previously reported trials examining the benefits of qigong, but are too preliminary to offer clinical recommendations.

They note that additional research is needed to understand the possible biological mechanisms involved and further explore the use of qigong in ethnically diverse populations with different forms of cancer.

The study was published in the journal Cancer.

Source: University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

APA Reference
Wood, J. (2013). Qigong Improves Quality of Life for Breast Cancer Patients. Psych Central. Retrieved on January 28, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/01/27/qigong-improves-quality-of-life-for-breast-cancer-patients/50826.html

?

Source: http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/01/27/qigong-improves-quality-of-life-for-breast-cancer-patients/50826.html

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Video: Protesters march in D.C. for end to gun violence

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Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50597582/

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XM MLB Chat: Internet TV viewing cutting into broadcast and cable ...

1/26/13, "Watching TV on web is disrupting cable, broadcast worlds," Miami Herald, Glenn Garvin

"When Barnett and 5,000 or so others gather Monday for the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) convention at the Fontainebleau Hotel on Miami Beach, there will be plenty of sweaty foreheads, some acquisitive smiles and ? perhaps most numerous ? blank looks of confusion. Not since cable turned the old three-channel TV universe on its head in the late 1970s has the industry been in such a state of disoriented befuddlement.

New technologies that give viewers more say in what they watch, where they watch and how much they pay for it are great for consumers. But they?re inducing a collective nervous breakdown among industry executives, who have to figure out new ways to make money in a business facing serious threats to its traditional sources of revenue ? advertising and cable-TV subscriptions....

The industry last year was blindsided by everything from a leap in the use of TiVo and other digital video-recording devices that pushed Nielsen ratings down as much as 50 percent to a new device called the Hopper that allows viewers to instantly zap by commercials.

But the biggest tremors came from the Internet, which is threatening to remake television as thoroughly as it already has the newspaper and music industries, by letting viewers bypass cable to watch shows online.

There was explosive growth in what the industry calls over-the-top or OTT, little boxes that sell for as little as $50 or so and allow viewers access to hundreds of streaming-video Internet television channels from their TVs. Apple and Roku, who make the most popular OTT players, have sold about five million apiece. But other companies like Amazon, Google and Western Electric are pushing into the market, and industry analysts say Intel, the world?s largest semi-conductor chip manufacturer, is also poised to leap into the OTT business.

Another major OTT force: video-game consoles like Xbox and PlayStation, which can also be used to watch streaming Internet video. ?They may be doing more business than anybody,? says Andy Tarzon, founding partner of the media research company TDG. ?Xbox is the leading viewer for Netflix content.? It will, soon enough, have its own content; parent company Microsoft late last year hired senior CBS programming executive Nancy Tellem, who helped develop Friends and ER, to direct an on-line TV operation.

??The use of programming services that deliver television program via the Internet is mushrooming, with Netflix, YouTube, Amazon and other big names ? even Walmart ? setting up or expanding operations. ?More than anything, that?s gotten everybody?s attention,? says Terence Gray, a longtime network producer who now runs the New York Television Festival. ?When you see YouTube?s $100 million investment in programming, or what Amazon?s studios did last year, or Microsoft hiring Nancy Tellem, this is no longer a conversation. This is being done.?

Hulu, a website that offers shows from NBC, ABC and Fox, doubled its subscribers last year while increasing its revenue 65 percent. Meanwhile, many of the online services are starting to make their own shows: Hulu debuted 10 of its own programs last year and Netflix has five in production, including House of Cards, a political thriller starring Kevin Spacey that debuts next week.

Attacking cable from a different direction, Aero TV uses tiny but powerful antennas to capture broadcast signals from the air, records them, then reroutes them into a viewer?s computer or OTT player to be watched whenever he wants. Because Aero pays nothing to the broadcasters (a practice being challenged in court) it can offer its service for as little as $8 a month. Last year?s start-up in New York City was so successful that Aero is expanding to 22 more cities ? including Miami ? this year.

Senior television executives caution against any expectation that their industry is about to embark on an instant makeover, and the numbers bear them out. Hulu?s three million subscribers are about one-seventh the number of viewers who watch NCIS each week on CBS, and its $700 million in annual revenues is tip money compared the $3.4 billion CBS generated in a single fiscal quarter last year. ?This is going to be an evolution, not a revolution,? says Bruce David Klein, president of the independent production company Atlas Media.

But the technological advances in Internet television come at a time when customer grumbling over escalating cable prices has grown to a roar and a younger generation of viewers more comfortable with computers than TVs is starting to set up its own households. The new alignment of attitudes is already taking a toll.

Subscriptions to cable and satellite television peaked in 2010 and have fallen five percentage points since then, the research company TDG reported late last year. Meanwhile, consumer satisfaction with cable service, which had held steady for years between 65 and 70 percent, dropped 10 percentage points.

?The most interesting part of that report, to me, was that it said a lot of the people without cable are not ?cord-cutters? but cord-never-havers,? says Jim Flynn, president of Massachusetts-based Overlook TV. ?We employ some of those people at my company. They?re in their early 20s, just out of college, and for them, paying $100 or $200 a month for cable TV is just not an option. And they don?t feel bad about it. They?re part of this millennial generation who are perfectly happy getting all their video over the Internet.?:...via Free Republic

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/26/v-fullstory/3201660/watching-tv-on-web-is-disrupting.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/26/v-fullstory/3201660/watching-tv-on-web-is-disrupting.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/26/v-fullstory/3201660/watching-tv-on-web-is-disrupting.html#storylink=cpy

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Democrats may stand in Obama's way on gun measures

WASHINGTON (AP) ? As the Senate prepares to begin debating new gun control measures, some of President Barack Obama's fellow Democrats are poised to frustrate his efforts to enact the most sweeping limits on weapons in decades.

These Democrats from largely rural states with strong gun cultures view Obama's proposals warily and have not committed to supporting them. The lawmakers' concerns could stand in the way of strong legislation before a single Republican gets a chance to vote "no."

"There's a core group of Democratic senators, most but not all from the West, who represent states with a higher-than-average rate of gun ownership but an equally strong desire to feel their kids are safe," said Mark Glaze, director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. "They're having hard but good conversations with people back home to identify the middle-ground solutions that respect the Second Amendment but make it harder for dangerous people to get their hands on guns."

All eyes are on a core group of these Democrats, including Sens. Max Baucus of Montana, Mark Begich of Alaska and Mark Pryor of Arkansas, who are up for re-election in 2014.

The Senate Judiciary Committee begins hearings Wednesday.

Interest groups, lobbyists, lawmakers, crime victims and others with a stake in the outcome will be watching these senators closely for signals about what measures they might support. The answers will say a lot about what, if anything, Congress can pass in the wake of the shootings of 20 school and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., last month.

At issue are Obama's proposals to ban assault weapons, limit ammunition magazines, crack down on trafficking and require universal background checks. Leading the charge against those ideas is the National Rifle Association. The group wields enormous power to rally public sentiment and is a particular threat to Democrats in pro-gun states who face re-election.

The political concerns of Democrats create problems for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who has his own history with the NRA.

The powerful gun lobby endorsed him in previous elections, but stayed neutral in his most recent race, in 2010. Even before Obama announced the gun proposals this month, Reid told a Nevada PBS station that an assault weapons ban would have a hard time getting through Congress. That comment irked Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., author of such a ban.

"Clearly it wasn't helpful," she said this past week in reintroducing her measure. But Feinstein's original assault weapons ban was a stern political lesson for Reid and other Democrats. Its passage as part of President Bill Clinton's crime bill in 1994 was blamed for Democratic election losses that year after the NRA campaigned against lawmakers who supported the legislation. When the assault weapons ban came up for renewal in 2004, Congress, under pressure from the NRA, refused to extend it.

Reid has pledged action on gun measures. "This is an issue we're not going to run from," he said. But he's under pressure from all sides.

Some major pieces of legislation are shepherded by the Senate leadership to the Senate floor. But Reid is promising that the gun bills will go through the Senate Judiciary Committee, whose chairman is Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., a gun owner and Second Amendment supporter.

Reid also is promising an open amendment process, potentially a lengthy endeavor. Those signals have some gun control activists concerned that the process will go so slowly that it will grind to a halt without action. Some question whether that's just the outcome desired by some moderate Democrats.

"I'm concerned just because Harry Reid has a mixed record on these things and we want him to be a champion," said Josh Horwitz, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.

On the other side, the NRA, known for rewarding friends and punishing enemies, promises it will be closely watching Reid, too.

"He's going to be torn and a lot of people are going to be torn, particularly Democrats, but I think as the debate goes on he'll do more good than bad from our perspective," said David Keene, NRA president. "All this stuff has been debated before and once you get into a debate and a discussion and say will this do anything to protect children, to prevent another Newtown, I think the answer is going to come out 'no.'"

Baucus, Begich, Pryor and others have been cautious in their comments on Obama's gun proposals.

Baucus called for "a thoughtful debate." Begich told his home state Fairbanks Daily News-Miner that passage of any element of the package was "a long haul. ... There are some of us who just fundamentally believe in a Second Amendment right." Pryor has told Arkansas media that efforts on gun safety should start with enforcing existing laws.

Another Democrat closely watching the issue is Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, known for a 2010 campaign ad where he fired a rifle shot though a copy of Democratic-written climate change legislation. Manchin recently told a West Virginia radio station that he's working on legislation to require background checks on most gun purchases. Details weren't clear but that's the area where advocates are most hopeful of finding a solution that could get through the Senate and possibly even the Republican-controlled House.

The NRA opposes legislation mandating universal background checks and disputes gun control groups' claims that 40 percent of purchases happen without such checks. NRA officials question whether background checks could be done effectively in a way that makes a difference and doesn't disrupt legitimate sales.

The NRA's executive vice president, Wayne LaPierre, is to testify Wednesday before Leahy's committee.

Democrats, especially those from gun-rights states, will be weighing whether to side with the NRA or follow the president, or how best to split the difference.

"We're a Second-Amendment state. I support the rights of sportsmen and target shooters and collectors to own firearms. It's an important part of our culture and tradition," Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., said in an interview. "But I just hear there's such grave concern given the experiences we've had with Aurora, Columbine ... people all over Colorado want to prevent these massacres."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/democrats-may-stand-obamas-way-gun-measures-134432125--politics.html

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Petrol bombs fly again as Northern Irish flag protests continue

BELFAST (Reuters) - Northern Irish police were pelted by petrol bombs for the first time in almost two weeks on Friday after more protests at the removal of the British flag from Belfast City Hall.

Masked youths clashed with police on the streets of east Belfast on an almost nightly basis for six weeks after local councillors voted to end a century-old tradition of flying the flag, enraging some pro-British loyalists.

The worst violence had calmed in recent days and most demonstrations on Friday passed off without major incident. But later in the evening, some people hurled stones, bottles and petrol bombs at police. There were no arrests or injuries, a police spokesman said.

The violence has been the most sustained in the British-ruled province since a 1998 peace deal ended 30 years of conflict between Catholic Irish nationalists seeking union with Ireland and Protestant loyalists determined to remain part of the United Kingdom.

(Writing by Padraic Halpin in Dublin; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/petrol-bombs-fly-again-northern-irish-flag-protests-235553391.html

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Ryan says GOP needs to pick its fights with Obama

Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., arrives at the ceremonial swearing-in for President Barack Obama at the U.S. Capitol during the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., arrives at the ceremonial swearing-in for President Barack Obama at the U.S. Capitol during the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Rep. Paul Ryan said Saturday that Republicans need to stick together and pick their fights during President Barack Obama's second term, rejecting some White House proposals outright and trying to infuse others with conservative principles.

In a speech to conservatives, the GOP's 2012 vice presidential nominee said Obama would attempt to divide Republicans but urged them to avoid internal squabbles after a second straight presidential loss.

"We can't get rattled. We won't play the villain in his morality plays. We have to stay united," Ryan said at the National Review Institute's weekend conference on the future of conservatism. "We have to show that if given the chance, we can govern. We have better ideas."

The Wisconsin congressman outlined a pragmatic approach for a party dealing with last November's election defeats and trying to determine whether to oppose Obama's agenda at every turn or shape his proposals with conservative principles.

How the party moves forward was a major theme of the three-day meeting of conservative activists who also heard from Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. Govs. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Bob McDonnell of Virginia were scheduled to address the conference on Sunday.

The theme also dominated the Republican National Committee's winter meeting, which ended Friday in Charlotte, N.C.

With a surging minority population altering the electorate, Republican leaders have discussed the need to attract more women and Hispanics while at the same time standing firm on the values that unite conservatives. Republicans said despite the losses, the party could return to power by projecting optimism and attracting new voters with a message of economic opportunity.

Walker, a star among conservatives after surviving a union-led campaign to recall him from office, said government needed "brown-bag common sense," a reference to his frugal practice of packing his own lunch of ham-and-cheese sandwiches every day. Qualities like optimism, staying relevant to voters and showing courage in tackling big problems would be rewarded at the voting booth, he said.

"We've got to learn to be more optimistic. We've got to learn to give a viable alternative to the voters," Walker said.

Cruz said Republicans needed to use upcoming fights over the budget and the deficit as "leverage points" to tame long-term spending and debt. Projecting an upbeat outlook for the party, he said Obama's policies would drive many voters to Republicans just as many Americans turned to Ronald Reagan after the economic turmoil of the late 1970s.

"We're on the verge of a rebirth of conservativism," Cruz said.

Looking ahead, Ryan rejected the notion that Republicans were "in the wilderness," noting that the party controls the House and most statehouses. But he said Obama's victory over Romney meant that Republicans would need to recalibrate their approach to deal with the new political realities.

"If we want to promote conservatism, we'll need to use every tool at our disposal," Ryan said. "Sometimes, we will have to reject the president's proposals ? that time may come more than once. And sometimes we'll have to make them better." He said Republicans should have two main goals for the next four years, namely "to mitigate bad policies" and "to advance good policy wherever we can."

Ryan acknowledged that "we all didn't see eye to eye" on the recent "fiscal cliff" vote to deal with a combination of spending cuts and higher taxes that were set to take effect at the start of the year. He defended his support for the bill, saying it was the only way to avoid sweeping tax increases and prevent the economy from going into a free-fall.

As chairman of the House Budget Committee, Ryan said Republicans needed to guard against a debt crisis for the country that would undermine the economy. He said he would promote changes to Medicare and Medicaid and would propose a budget "that will balance and pay down the debt."

But November's election results still linger. Ryan said he was "disappointed" by the outcome, saying he was "looking forward to taking on the big challenges" while living at the vice president's residence. "My kids were looking forward to having a pool," he joked.

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Follow Ken Thomas at http://twitter.com/AP_Ken_Thomas

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-01-26-Republicans/id-0663ec4405d746d5a8175bd5399ac41a

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