মঙ্গলবার, ৩১ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

Learning-based tourism an opportunity for industry expansion

ScienceDaily (Jan. 30, 2012) ? New research suggests that major growth in the travel, leisure and tourism industry in the coming century may be possible as more people begin to define recreation as a learning and educational opportunity -- a way to explore new ideas and cultures, art, science and history.

Some of this is already happening, although the expansion of tourism in much of the 20th century was often focused on amusement parks and tropical resorts -- not that there's anything wrong with them.

But in a recent study published in the Annals of Tourism Research, experts say that increasingly affluent and educated people around the world are ready to see travel in less conventional ways, and that lifelong learning and personal enrichment can compete favorably with sandy beaches or thrill rides.

"The idea of travel as a learning experience isn't new, it's been around a long time," said John Falk, a professor of science education at Oregon State University and international leader in the "free-choice learning" movement, which taps into personal interests to help boost intellectual growth beyond what's taught in schools and through formal education.

In the 1700s and 1800s, a "Grand Tour" of Europe was considered an educational rite of passage for upper-class citizens of the gentry or nobility, in which months of travel throughout the continent offered education about art, culture, language, everything from history to science, fencing and dancing.

There may not be as much demand today to perfect one's skills with a sword, but the concept is the same.

"For a long time the travel industry has been focused on hedonistic escapism," Falk said. "That's okay, but as more and more people have the time, means and opportunity to travel, a lot of them are ready to go beyond that. There are many other interesting things to do, and people are voting with their feet.

"You're already seeing many tour operators and travel agencies offer educational opportunities, things like whale watching, ecotourism," Falk said. "The National Park Service does a great job with its resources, teaching people about science, geology and history. The push for more international travel experiences as a part of formal education for students is an outgrowth of this concept.

"We're convinced this is just the beginning of a major shift in how people want to spend their leisure time, and one that could have important implications for intellectual and cultural growth around the world," he said.

Among the observations the researchers make in their study:

  • More leisure time and lower relative cost of travel near the end of the 20th century has opened the door for people to consider different types of recreation focused on intellectual engagement.
  • A growing appetite for lifelong learning is being underserved by the existing tourism industry.
  • A major expansion of learning-based tourism will require both participants and the tourism industry to overcome a long-standing bias that recreation and education are opposite ends of the spectrum -- to accept that learning can be fun.
  • The cultural impact of "being there" makes for a memorable learning experience of great personal value to participants, and is often just the beginning of a continued interest in a topic.
  • People seek experiences that are sensation-rich, alter their view of the world, or instill a sense of wonder, beauty and appreciation.
  • A down side to travel and learning can occur if tourists use the experience to reinforce colonialist, racial or cultural stereotypes.
  • Tourism activities are most successful if the participant feels active and engaged, rather than just receiving a recitation of facts to correct a "knowledge deficit."

Collaborators on this research were from the University of Queensland in Australia.

"It is expected that tourism will become ever more centered upon a quest for something larger, something more personally fulfilling," the researchers wrote in their report. "It is argued that the quest for knowledge and understanding, enacted through travel, will continue to be a dominant theme of the new century."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Oregon State University.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. John H. Falk, Roy Ballantyne, Jan Packer, Pierre Benckendorff. Travel and Learning: A Neglected Tourism Research Area. Annals of Tourism Research, 2011; DOI: 10.1016/j.annals.2011.11.016

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/s3qAnpnd67A/120130173333.htm

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French government to cut 2012 growth estimate: source (Reuters)

PARIS (Reuters) ? The French government is set to revise down its estimate for 2012 economic growth in an upcoming revision to its budget bill, a government source said on Sunday.

The source told reporters following a televised interview with President Nicolas Sarkozy that the government envisages cuts to spending, rather than further tax rises, to make up for the likely shortfall.

Sarkozy's conservative government has been banking on gross domestic products growth of 1.0 percent this year.

(Reporting by Yann Le Guernigou; Editing by Catherine Bremer)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120129/ts_nm/us_france_sarkozy_deficit

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সোমবার, ৩০ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

The fight for Cuban-Americans is on in Florida (AP)

HIALEAH, Fla. ? If Mitt Romney wins Tuesday's primary, a sliver of the GOP electorate in Florida may be one of the big reasons.

Cuban-Americans are deeply committed voters who can have an impact in competitive races, and Romney has strong support among the influential Cuban-American establishment. Older exiles also tend to vote heavily through absentee ballots, where the former Massachusetts governor all but certainly has an edge. And the candidate's emphasis on fixing the economy is resonating with backers like Jesus Ovidez, who cares more about jobs than he does U.S. policy toward Cuba.

"When we are in a better position here, then we can worry about over there. But first you have to put your own house in order," said Ovidez, who spent months in a forced labor camp before fleeing the island in the late 1960s.

Ovidez has been a co-owner of Chico Restaurant in the heavily Cuban-American community of Hialeah north of Miami for more than 30 years. He gestured around to the mostly empty chairs during one recent lunch hour and talked about how Romney's emphasis on the economy was one of the main reasons he already has cast his vote for the former businessman.

"There's no money. People don't go out to eat any more," said Ovidez. Maybe, he said, Romney can help change that. Plus, Ovidez argued, Romney is the only Republican who can beat President Barack Obama, saying: "He's an individual who is a millionaire, and with money you win elections."

During the past week, a series of polls have shown Romney pulling ahead of chief challenger Newt Gingrich in the run up to Tuesday's primary.

Overall, roughly 11.1 percent of registered Republicans in Florida are Hispanic. And of all Hispanic voters in the state, 32.1 percent are Cuban, 28.4 percent are Puerto Rican and 25 percent come mostly from Central and South America., according to the Pew Hispanic Center, which cites the Florida Division of Elections.

Ana Carbonell, a longtime political operative now working for Romney, estimates that 14 percent of the GOP primary vote comes from Miami-Dade County and, of that, 75 percent is Cuban-American.

Generally, Cuban-American voters have the highest turnout rates. In 2008, they helped John McCain win the primary over Romney, who lost heavily in Miami-Dade County, where this voting group is most concentrated.

Cuban-American voters are particularly reliable in the primary in part because so many of the older exiles vote early through absentee ballots, and Romney's campaign ? with the significant help from local Cuban-American political leaders ? has led all other campaigns in encouraging Floridians to vote before Tuesday. He or his allies have been on the TV airwaves since December targeting early voters. And in recent days, they have flooded Spanish-radio and TV with ads attacking Gingrich.

Romney's strength among the old-guard Cuban-Americans was evident last week when he received a standing ovation before he even spoke to more than 400 exile political and civic leaders. They packed the Freedom Tower in downtown Miami, where thousands fleeing Fidel Castro's revolution first received health care and were processed by immigration officers in the 1960s. Romney was flanked by prominent Cuban-American politicians, including former Sen. Mel Martinez and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the first Hispanic elected to Congress.

While Romney highlighted his business background and spoke on the economy, he also tapped into the pride many Cuban-Americans still feel toward the island nation and their angst over its leaders.

"If I'm fortunate enough to become the next president, it is my expectation that Fidel Castro will finally be taken off this planet," Romney told the crowd to wild applause. Castro, 85, has been ill since 2006, when he handed over power to his brother, Raul. "We have to be prepared, in the next president's first or second term, it is time to strike for freedom in Cuba."

Arguably the state's most popular Cuban-American politician, Sen. Marco Rubio, has withheld an endorsement during the primary but came to Romney's defense in the past week, criticizing Gingrich over an ad that labeled Romney anti-immigrant.

Gingrich, for his part, has called for a U.S.-supported "Cuban spring" uprising against the long-standing communist regime.

If elected, he told a crowd of Hispanic business and civic leaders Friday, he would bring to bear "the moral force of an American president who is serious about intending to free the people of Cuba, and willingness to intimidate those who are the oppressors and say to them, `You will be held accountable.'"

Gingrich has talked of covert action to overthrow the government of Raul Castro, though he insisted such efforts would not include violence.

And he signed a pledge to roll back the ability of Cubans to visit and send money to relatives on the island to the strict limits Bush imposed in 2004. Such promises play well in the older exile community, many of whose homes were confiscated during the Cuban revolution and are far less likely than newer Cuban immigrants have close family there.

Gingrich also aired a Spanish-language radio ad in South Florida, reminding voters of Romney's 2007 presidential campaign gaffe, in which he proudly declared in Little Havana, "Patria or muerte, venceremos!" (Fatherland or death, we shall overcome) ? not realizing the line was a slogan of Fidel Castro.

All that has helped sway retired insurance agent and Cuban exile Bernardo Diaz.

Last week, he declared his vote for Romney.

"I don't want Obama, and he's the only one who can win," Diaz said, as he puffed on a cigarette outside the famed Versailles Restaurant in Miami's Little Havana.

Days later, he had changed his mind, saying: "I'm leaning toward Gingrich. Gingrich seems more energetic, stronger on Cuba."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_el_pr/us_florida_the_cuban_vote

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Arianna Huffington: Sunday Roundup

This week, while in Davos for the World Economic Forum, I watched President Obama deliver what was a great State of the Union speech... for 2009. Proposing the establishment of a financial crimes unit in January 2012 is like waiting three years before sending firemen to the scene of an inferno. The speech was full of good proposals that will never happen in a year dominated by electioneering. The president's pre-speech embrace with Gabby Giffords took me back to last January, and that horrific Saturday in Tucson -- a tragedy that led to widespread agreement that what we needed as a country was, as Pima County's Sheriff Clarence Dupnik put it at the time, "a little soul searching." Unfortunately, in the year since then, our collective soul has gone largely unsearched -- and the gulf between our leaders' rhetoric and the reality millions are struggling with everyday has continued to widen.

Add your voice to the conversation on Twitter: twitter.com/ariannahuff.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/sunday-roundup_218_b_1239184.html

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St. Louis hosting 1st big parade on Iraq War's end

Stephanie King holds a picture of her uncle, Col. Stephen Scott who was killed in Iraq in 2008, as she prepares to participate in a parade to honor Iraq War veterans Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in St. Louis. Thousands turned out to watch the first big welcome home parade in the U.S. since the last troops left Iraq in December. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Stephanie King holds a picture of her uncle, Col. Stephen Scott who was killed in Iraq in 2008, as she prepares to participate in a parade to honor Iraq War veterans Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in St. Louis. Thousands turned out to watch the first big welcome home parade in the U.S. since the last troops left Iraq in December. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Participants in a parade to honor Iraq War veterans make their way along a downtown street Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in St. Louis. Thousands turned out to watch the first big welcome home parade in the U.S. since the last troops left Iraq in December. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Spectators cheer and wave as they watch a parade to honor Iraq War veterans pass Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in St. Louis. Thousands turned out to watch the first big welcome home parade in the U.S. since the last troops left Iraq in December. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Maj. Rich Radford, who became a symbol of the parade to honor Iraq War veterans thanks to a photo of his young daughter taking his hand while welcoming him home from his second tour in Iraq in 2010, smiles before the start of the parade Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in St. Louis. Thousands turned out to watch the first big welcome home parade in the U.S. since the last troops left Iraq in December. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Army Sgt. 1st Class Randy Jemerson, a veteran of two tours in Iraq, takes a picture of a staging at the start of a parade to honor Iraq War veterans Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in St. Louis. Thousands turned out to watch the first big welcome home parade in the U.S. since the last troops left Iraq in December. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

ST. LOUIS (AP) ? Looking around at the tens of thousands of people waving American flags and cheering, Army Maj. Rich Radford was moved that so many braved a cold January wind Saturday in St. Louis to honor people like him: Iraq War veterans.

The parade, borne out of a simple conversation between two St. Louis friends a month ago, was the nation's first big welcome-home for veterans of the war since the last troops were withdrawn from Iraq in December.

"It's not necessarily overdue, it's just the right thing," said Radford, a 23-year Army veteran who walked in the parade alongside his 8-year-old daughter, Aimee, and 12-year-old son, Warren.

Radford was among about 600 hundred veterans, many dressed in camouflage, who walked along downtown streets lined with rows of people clapping and holding signs with messages including "Welcome Home" and "Thanks to our Service Men and Women." Some of the war-tested troops wiped away tears as they acknowledged the support from a crowd that organizers estimated reached 100,000 people.

Fire trucks with aerial ladders hoisted huge American flags in three different places along the route, with politicians, marching bands ? even the Budweiser Clydesdales ? joining in. But the large crowd was clearly there to salute men and women in the military, and people cheered wildly as groups of veterans walked by.

That was the hope of organizers Craig Schneider and Tom Appelbaum. Neither man has served in the military but came up with the idea after noticing there had been little fanfare for returning Iraq War veterans aside from gatherings at airports and military bases. No ticker-tape parades or large public celebrations.

Appelbaum, an attorney, and Schneider, a school district technical coordinator, decided something needed to be done. So they sought donations, launched a Facebook page, met with the mayor and mapped a route. The grassroots effort resulted in a huge turnout despite raising only about $35,000 and limited marketing.

That marketing included using a photo of Radford being welcomed home from his second tour in Iraq by his then-6-year-old daughter. The girl had reached up, grabbed his hand and said, "I missed you, daddy." Radford's sister caught the moment with her cellphone camera, and the image graced T-shirts and posters for the parade.

Veterans came from around the country, and more than 100 entries ? including marching bands, motorcycle groups and military units ? signed up ahead of the event, Appelbaum said.

Schneider said he was amazed how everyone, from city officials to military organizations to the media, embraced the parade.

"It was an idea that nobody said no to," he said. "America was ready for this."

All that effort by her hometown was especially touching for Gayla Gibson, a 38-year-old Air Force master sergeant who said she spent four months in Iraq ? seeing "amputations, broken bones, severe burns from IEDs" ? as a medical technician in 2003.

"I think it's great when people come out to support those who gave their lives and put their lives on the line for this country," Gibson said.

With 91,000 troops still fighting in Afghanistan, many Iraq veterans could be redeployed ? suggesting to some that it's premature to celebrate their homecoming. In New York, for example, Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently said there would be no city parade for Iraq War veterans in the foreseeable future because of objections voiced by military officials.

But in St. Louis, there was clearly a mood to thank the troops with something big, even among those opposed to the war.

"Most of us were not in favor of the war in Iraq, but the soldiers who fought did the right thing and we support them," said 72-year-old Susan Cunningham, who attended the parade with the Missouri Progressive Action Group. "I'm glad the war is over and I'm glad they're home."

Don Lange, 60, of nearby Sullivan, held his granddaughter along the parade route. His daughter was a military interrogator in Iraq.

"This is something everyplace should do," Lange said as he watched the parade.

Several veterans of the Vietnam War turned out to show support for the younger troops. Among them was Don Jackson, 63, of Edwardsville, Ill., who said he was thrilled to see the parade honoring Iraq War veterans like his son, Kevin, who joined him at the parade. The 33-year-old Air Force staff sergeant said he'd lost track of how many times he had been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan as a flying mechanic.

"I hope this snowballs," he said of the parade. "I hope it goes all across the country. I only wish my friends who I served with were here to see this."

Looking at all the people around him in camouflage, 29-year-old veteran Matt Wood said he felt honored. He served a year in Iraq with the Illinois National Guard.

"It's extremely humbling, it's amazing, to be part of something like this with all of these people who served their country with such honor," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-28-Iraq%20War-Parade/id-2423f57659b34184a4f60f2722cc7d8f

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শনিবার, ২৮ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

Papa Murphy's Joins American Cancer Society Relay For Life ...

(3BL Media / theCSRfeed)?Vancouver, WA - January 26, 2012 - Papa Murphy's International today announced it has joined the 2012 American Cancer Society Relay For Life? National Team Program. Employees and franchise owners will come together this year to raise money and awareness in the fight against cancer. All funds raised will support the American Cancer Society's efforts to save lives by helping people stay well, get well, find cures, and fight back against a disease that has taken far too much from too many.

"Papa Murphy's is proud to be a part of the American Cancer Society Relay For Life National Corporate Team Program. Our commitment will help raise funds to save lives and create a world with less cancer and more birthdays," said Ken Calwell, Papa Murphy's CEO.

Relay For Life National Corporate Team Program members commit to forming 50 or more relay teams throughout the country and in every major office or location. Papa Murphy's is one of 51 companies participating in the Relay For Life National Corporate Team Program in 2012. The fifth largest pizza chain now boasts over 1,300 locations in 37 states and Canada, all of which have a nearby Relay For Life event.

An American Cancer Society Relay For Life event lasts up to 24 hours and brings together teams from local businesses, schools, churches, and families to celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. For more information about the American Cancer Society Relay For Life, visit RelayForLife.org.

About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation's largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than $3.5 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us any time, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.

About Papa Murphy's
Papa Murphy's is the fifth-largest pizza chain in the country and a revolutionary of the take 'n' bake pizza segment. Papa Murphy's operates over 1,300 franchised and corporate-owned locations in 37 states and Canada. The Vancouver, Wash.-based company offers custom-made pizzas featuring high-quality, fresh toppings generously layered on pizza dough that is made fresh each morning in each store. By baking Papa Murphy's pizzas at home, customers get to experience the home-baked aroma of a convenient, delicious meal that the brand is known for. In addition to handmade pizzas, the company offers other take 'n' bake items such as Cheesy Bread, Cinnamon Wheels, and chocolate chip cookie dough. Papa Murphy's was voted "#1 Rated Pizza Chain" by participants in Zagat Survey's 2010 & 2011 Fast Food Surveys and is a four-time recipient of Pizza Today's Chain of the Year award. For more information, visit www.papamurphys.com or go to Facebook at www.facebook.com/papamurphyspizza.

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Source: http://3blmedia.com/theCSRfeed/Papa-Murphys-Joins-American-Cancer-Society-Relay-Life-National-Corporate-Team-Program

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শুক্রবার, ২৭ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

NYPD Boss Ray Kelly Could Face Questions About Probe Of Son Greg Kelly

NEW YORK -- The police commissioner's TV show host son is accused of sexually assaulting and impregnating a woman. Some activists are calling for the commissioner's resignation for appearing in a film they call anti-Muslim. And the CIA is pulling an operative out of his unusual assignment at the NYPD, a partnership he helped create.

It's been a daunting couple of days for Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who's been the city's influential police boss for the last decade. And Friday likely won't be much easier, with Kelly potentially facing questions publicly for the first time since the allegations surfaced Wednesday against his son Greg, who denies them and has not been charged with any crime.

The department was planning a promotion ceremony Friday. The commissioner usually answers questions from reporters after such events.

The Manhattan district attorney's office is investigating a woman's allegation that Greg Kelly, 43, met her for drinks on Oct. 8, then assaulted her after the two went to her lower Manhattan law office, one person familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press. She told authorities she was not capable of consenting to sex, the person said.

She said she became pregnant from the encounter and had an abortion, according to a law enforcement official. Neither the person nor the law enforcement official were authorized to speak publicly and talked to the AP on condition of anonymity.

The woman reported the alleged attack Tuesday to police, who quickly turned the matter over to Manhattan DA Cyrus R. Vance Jr.'s office because of the potential conflict of interest in investigating one of the commissioner's sons, the person familiar with the probe said.

The DA's office declined to comment about the matter Thursday as Greg Kelly took time off from his job as an anchor of the local morning show "Good Day New York," and Mayor Michael Bloomberg found himself facing questions about how police handled the matter, including an episode in which the woman's boyfriend approached the commissioner himself at a public event.

"He said, `Your son ruined my girlfriend's life,'" chief police spokesman Paul Browne said. "The commissioner said, `Well, what do you mean?' He said he didn't want to talk about it here, so the commissioner told him to send a letter."

Browne said that, to his knowledge, no letter was sent. He said he couldn't comment on the investigation because of the potential conflict of interest.

Bloomberg said Thursday that he "thought the police department did exactly what they should do" by turning the matter over to the district attorney.

"Keep in mind: Everyone has a right to have their complaints investigated," the mayor said, noting that Greg Kelly hasn't been charged with any crime.

It wasn't clear how much time elapsed between the man's remarks to the commissioner and the woman's decision to go to a police station Tuesday; why she had waited for nearly three months after the alleged attack to make a report; or whether she supplied any medical evidence to authorities to support her claim.

It's also unclear how long the woman and Greg Kelly knew each other before the alleged encounter at her office. But they apparently were in touch afterward, according to the person familiar with the investigation.

Kelly "strenuously denies any wrongdoing of any kind," his attorney, Andrew Lankler, said in a statement. "We know that the district attorney's investigation will prove Mr. Kelly's innocence."

The woman's identity has not been released, and the AP does not name people who report being sexually assaulted unless they agree to be identified or come forward publicly.

Kelly didn't appear Thursday on "Good Day New York," which airs on local Fox affiliate WNYW-TV. General Manager Lew Leone said later that Kelly had requested some time off; Leone didn't elaborate.

One of Kelly's recent guests was Vance, who appeared on the show on Monday to discuss the problem of elder abuse.

Kelly began his journalism career at NewsChannel 34 in Binghamton, N.Y., after serving for nearly a decade in the Marine Corps. He later covered the Iraq War and the White House for Fox News before joining "Good Day New York" in 2008.

He's been involved in an ongoing feud with Joel McHale, host of "The Soup" on E! Entertainment. The show plays clips from television shows to poke fun at people, and McHale has frequently targeted Kelly and "Good Day New York."

One clip noted his sullen response to co-host Rosanna Scotto the morning after a loss by the NFL's New York Jets. Another showed Kelly playing disco music on his laptop coming off a commercial.

Kelly struck back last Halloween by showing up on "Good Day New York" in a McHale costume and making fun of "The Soup."

In 2007, the television show "Extra" identified Kelly as the most eligible anchorman on TV. The show's website said Kelly "has enough heart and courage to make any woman swoon."

After serving as police commissioner for a stint in the 1990s, Raymond Kelly returned to the post in 2002.

About 20 activists held a news conference Thursday on the City Hall steps to urge Kelly to step down and criticize him for giving an interview to the producers of "The Third Jihad," a film shown to police trainees. The activists said the film encourages Americans to be suspicious of all Muslims. Kelly has apologized for the interview. Bloomberg said Thursday he stood by the commissioner but Kelly would need to redouble his efforts to forge ties with Muslims.

Meanwhile, the CIA operative's assignment inside the New York Police Department is being cut short after an internal investigation that faulted the agency for sending an officer to New York with little oversight after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and leaving him there too long, according to officials who have read or been briefed on the inquiry. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the investigation.

The inspector general opened its investigation after a series of AP articles revealed how the NYPD, working in close collaboration with the CIA, set up spying operations that put Muslim communities under scrutiny. The CIA said last month that the inspector general cleared the agency of any wrongdoing.

___

Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz and Samantha Gross and AP Television Writer David Bauder contributed to this report.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/27/ray-kelly-greg-kelly_n_1236246.html

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Costa Concordia wreck: What we know a week later

Many details have emerged about what happened before and after the Costa Concordia ran aground on Jan. 13, but it's still unclear what the captain was doing much of that time.

A week after the Costa Concordia sank in shallow water two hours into a holiday cruise, transfixing the world, attention is now focused on the behavior of the captain before and after the ship hit a rock formation at 9:40 p.m.

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What began as a serious tragedy off the Tuscan island of Giglio may now have some serious tabloid elements to the story.

New questions involve the role of a 25-year old blonde Moldovan, a Filipino cook, the captain?s alcohol intake, a dinner ordered after the collision, and the captain?s moves after the ship ran aground, leaving a 160-foot gash in the hull.

Captain Francesco Schettino seems to have been attentive to Domnica Cemortan, alternately described as a hostess and a dancer, for much of the evening before, during, and after the ship hit the rock, possibly dining with her as late as 10:30 p.m. The two were also together as late as midnight, according to Ms. Cemortan, at a lifeboat station, where he ordered her to leave the semi-submerged ship.

What was clarified this week: After charting an alternate course to?sail closer to Giglio Island ? a course that Costa Cruises?denies it authorized?? Schettino told investigators he ?turned too late? to avoid rocks that some maritime experts say are uncharted but do show up on other nautical charts. In?one animated mapping?using nautical GPS positioning of the Concordia, the back half of the ship is shown grazing what is described as an exposed rock.

Transcripts of radio conversations between the Coast Guard and Schettino confirm that he left the ship while hundreds of passengers were still onboard.?

In upcoming days, an accurate timeline may emerge of Schettino?s precise movements?between the restaurant and the bridge?as well as who he called and consulted?? facts that are still murky and confused right now.?The details have serious legal implications and consequences for insurance and recovery of the $450 million ultra-modern vessel. ?

Today rescue workers said the 117,000 ton Concordia is shifting on the ocean floor by 1.5 centimeters an hour, delaying additional rescue efforts and attempts at removing the oil onboard. Relatives of the 11 dead and 21 still missing are arriving from Peru, India, and European nations.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/xD92pfHInBs/Costa-Concordia-wreck-What-we-know-a-week-later

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Black adorned feathers of winged dinosaurs

The raven-size creature long thought of as the earliest bird, Archaeopteryx, may have been adorned with black feathers, researchers have found.

The structures that held the black pigment may have strengthened wing feathers, perhaps helping Archaeopteryx fly, scientists added.

Archaeopteryx lived about 150 million years ago in what is now Bavaria in Germany. First unearthed 150 years ago, the fossil of this carnivore, with its blend of avian and reptilian features, seemed an iconic evolutionary link between dinosaurs and birds.

One recent study has called into question whether Archaeopteryx was a true bird or just one of many birdlike dinosaurs. To learn more about whether birds and birdlike dinosaurs might have evolved flight, and if so, why, researchers often turn to the animals' feathers. Illustrations of the creature are often colorful, but such depictions of its plumage until now had little else but artistic license to draw on.

"Being able to reconstruct the colors of feathers can help us gain more knowledge about the organisms and more responsibly reconstruct what they looked like," researcher Ryan Carney, an evolutionary biologist at Brown University, told LiveScience.

Black feathers
An international team of scientists now finds that a well-preserved feather on Archaeopteryx's wing was black. The color-generating structures within the creature's feather, known as melanosomes, "would have given the feathers additional structural support," Carney said. "This would have been advantageous during this early evolutionary stage of dinosaur flight."

The Archaeopteryx feather was discovered in a limestone deposit in Germany in 1861. After two unsuccessful attempts to pinpoint any melanosomes within the feather, the investigators tried a more powerful type of scanning electron microscope.

"The third time was the charm, and we finally found the keys to unlocking the feather's original color, hidden in the rock for the past 150 million years," Carney said.

The group located patches of hundreds of melanosomes encased within the fossil. The sausage-shape melanosomes were about 1 millionth of a meter long and 250 billionths of a meter wide ? that is, about one-hundredth the diameter of a human hair in length and less than a wavelength of visible light in width. To determine the color of these melanosomes, researchers compared the fossilized structures with those found in 87 species of living birds that represented four classes of feathers ? black, gray, brown and ones found in penguins, which have unusually large melanosomes compared with other birds.

"What we found was that the feather was predicted to be black with 95 percent certainty," Carney said.

Did Archaeopteryx fly?
To better pin down the structure of the feather, they analyzed its barbules ? tiny, riblike appendages that overlap and interlock like zippers to give a feather rigidity and strength. The barbules and the way melanosomes are lined up within them are identical to those found in modern birds, Carney said.

This analysis revealed the feather is a covert, one that covers the primary wing feathers that birds use in flight. Its feather structure is identical to that of living birds, suggesting "that completely modern bird feathers evolved as early as 150 million years ago," Carney said.

Color may serve many functions in modern birds, and it remains unclear what use or uses this pigment had in Archaeopteryx. Black feathers may have helped the creature absorb sunlight for heat, acted as camouflage, served in courtship displays or assisted with flight.

"We can't say it's proof that Archaeopteryx was a flier, but what we can say is that in modern bird feathers, these melanosomes provide additional strength and resistance to abrasion from flight, which is why wing feathers and their tips are the most likely areas to be pigmented," Carney said. "With Archaeopteryx, as with birds today, the melanosomes we found would have provided similar structural advantages, regardless of whether the pigmentation initially evolved for another purpose."

More feathers will need to be tested across Archaeopteryx to see how the animal was colored overall, researchers said. Unfortunately, this is the only Archaeopteryx feather discovered with the kind of residues one can test for color.

  1. More science news from msnbc.com

    1. Scientists say Facebook's roots go way back

      Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Hunter-gatherers exhibit many of the "friending" habits familiar to Facebook users, suggesting that the patterns for social networking were set early in the history of our species.

    2. Easy answers to kids' most burning questions
    3. World's first iridescent mammal discovered
    4. Homeless science whiz isn't contest finalist

Still, this one feather is enough to leave an indelible mark on Carney. "I got a tattoo of the feather on the 150th anniversary that Archaeopteryx's scientific name was published," he said.

The scientists detailed their findings online Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications. Their work was funded by the National Geographic Society and the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter @livescience and on Facebook.

? 2012 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46116945/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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বুধবার, ২৫ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

Asia stocks mostly gain on Fed's low rates pledge (AP)

BANGKOK ? Asian stock markets were mostly higher Thursday after the U.S. central bank pledged to keep interest rates low for another three years to nurture the country's stubbornly slow economic recovery.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index jumped 1.1 percent to 20,322.51 on its first trading day since the Chinese New Year holiday. South Korea's Kospi rose 0.2 percent to 1,956.14. Benchmarks in Singapore and New Zealand also rose.

Japan's Nikkei was 0.4 percent lower at 8,846.96, following strong gains a day earlier. Markets in Taiwan and mainland Chinese remained closed for the Chinese New Year. The Australian market was closed for a public holiday.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee said it was unlikely to raise interest rates before late 2014. It had previously said it expected to keep rates low into the middle of 2013.

The Fed cut rates to near zero in December 2008, during the financial crisis, and has held them there ever since. The announcement was a sign that the Fed expects the economy, which is improving, to need significant help for three more years.

Analysts said stock buyers rejoiced that the Fed was leaning toward promoting economic growth.

"With the FOMC sending out a strong signal that monetary policy is likely to remain accommodative for even longer than previously expected, risk assets are in a very good position," said Stan Shamu of IG Markets in Melbourne.

Wall Street welcomed the news, with the Dow Jones industrial average closing up 0.6 percent at 12,756.96 ? the highest close since May 10. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 0.9 percent to 1,326.06. The Nasdaq composite index gained 1.1 percent to close at 2,818.31.

Benchmark crude for March delivery was up 39 cents to $99.79 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose by 45 cents to finish at $99.40 per barrel in New York on Wednesday. At one point it was as high as $100.40.

The prospect of low interest rates weighed on the dollar, since it reduces the returns that investors get from holding assets denominated in that currency. The euro rose to $1.3103 from $1.3084 late Wednesday in New York. The dollar fell to 77.75 yen from 77.81 yen.

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

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A Guide to Small Business Survival

Small business ownership can be a challenge, especially in the beginning. The rewards can be great but you may need a survival guide to get you through the tough parts or just to provide that simple advice that seems so elusive when the pressure is on. We hope the links below will help, and don?t forget to enjoy the journey.

Basic Resources

Small business blogger survival guide. A big part of surviving as a small business blogger involves being a social animal. Here David Leonhardt gives every small business blogger some great resources to keep you, your business, and your blog alive. ProBlogger

Tax tips for business. How you manage money once your business makes it can sometimes be as critical as your business model. Here are some basic deductions you must take to be sure you are saving all that you can. The One of a Kind Preneur

Marketing Tools

Why your business should crave more connection. There is a reason successful small businesses today crave Facebook likes, Twitter follows, and prospect e-mail addresses. If you can?t connect with your customers, you won?t be top of mind when they?re ready to buy. OnSpot

By any other name. A brand or company name distinguishes you in the market. It?s about what you do and who you are. Put enough thought into your company name and how it may hit customers and others and why. Bloggertone

Success Stories

An entrepreneurial accident. Rachel Strella started her business in what many might consider the classic way. She found a need and filled it. While Rachel had a passion to start her own business, it?s also true that a practical look at business realities got her there. BizSugar Blog

Small business is about leadership. We all should know by now that small business and entrepreneurship are about leadership, not about listening to the crowd. Sure the voice of your community, your customers, is important, but only you know how to lead them. Fast Company

Soul Searching & Decision Making

Entrepreneur or great employee. Could many of the traits of great entrepreneurs and great employees be the same? It?s not what we?ve traditionally tended to believe. But here?s a list for a closer comparison. Jennifer Warawa

Making decisions on low information. It?s less difficult to make a decision with plenty of data to draw from, but, of course, decisions become harder and harder when there is less and less information on which to base them. Here is one rule of thumb to help. Inc.com

Networking & Branding

Building your network with one connection a day. You may think network building is the hardest thing you do. You also know as a business owner it?s critical. But, there are fast and easy ways you can build your network daily with only a few minutes of your time. Firefly Coaching

Very often, it?s all about credibility. The difference between you and a competitor may come down to this: Who does a client believe is most likely to get results? If you?re looking for a way to boost this important edge, read the post at the end of this link. James Brown Marketing

Source: http://smallbiztrends.com/2012/01/a-guide-to-small-business-survival.html

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মঙ্গলবার, ২৪ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

97% The Artist

All Critics (173) | Top Critics (39) | Fresh (167) | Rotten (5)

'The Artist': Michel Hazanavicius's novelty film owes much to Jean Dujardin's irresistible smile

For a movie that is so much about technique, it's surprising how affecting the story is.

The Artist is the most surprising and delightful film of 2011.

A silent movie shot in sumptuous black-and-white, no less. A silent flick made with not a jot of distancing winking, but instead born of a heady affection for a bygone, very bygone, era of filmmaking.

It's a rocket to the moon fueled by unadulterated joy and pure imagination.

Strangely, wonderfully, The Artist feels as bold and innovative a moviegoing experience as James Cameron's bells-and-whistles Avatar did a couple of years ago.

'The Artist' offers a unique cinematic experience in an age when extremely loud sound effects attack our eardrums while watching so many current movies.

The Artist delights in an ingeniously straightforward way that exceeds many a modern, technologically advanced, effects-loaded, big-budget blockbuster.

A silent movie that speaks louder and with more power than a dozen films packed with pages and pages of dialogue. Definitely the year's best movie.

Imaginative, gorgeous, witty and even kind of sexy.

A gift that keeps on giving, The Artist is a film that demands your attention at every moment. All senses are glued to the screen and director Michel Hazanavicius delivers with drama, laughter, romance and stellar performances from his cast.

Has the allure of a freshness it may not entirely deserve, but one that makes it go down very smoothly.

Initially, the lack of spoken dialogue is discomfiting. Once you've adjusted to its storytelling conventions, though, you almost forget that this is a silent film.

I'm not sure Hazanavicius' love letter to the cinema is, in fact, the most outstanding movie of last year. But who would deny that it stands out from the motion-picture pack?

In a strange way, it's not unlike The Matrix -- only this time the red pill transports you into the futuristic world of sound, rather than a cynical world of two increasingly abysmal sequels.

Completely fun. Dujardin defies time periods. Bejo is all sparkly effervescence.

Was there ever a guy who could play an old school movie studio mogul like John Goodman? No.

A movie that is so old-fashioned from beginning to end that it's literally a breath of fresh air.

Visually stunning, imaginative, and cleverly scored and choreographed, The Artist is quite simply and quietly, the year's finest film.

Deeper than mere mimicry...

The Artist plays less like an original take on the early sound era than as fan fiction set in the world of Singin' in the Rain.

[C]ould have been all about the gimmick. Marvelously, it isn't. And yet its marvelousness is wrapped up in the gimmick... [A] sweet, deep passion for The Movies... throbs through The Artist and makes it sing.

A story that's so sweet and innocent, it's practically forgivable for being the awards bait it's being offered up as.

The Academy Awards are the biggest annual party that Hollywood throws for itself, and The Artist is a movie that worships Hollywood. Looks like a done deal.

See it, but remember: no talking.

A silent love song that anyone who adores film can nonetheless hear, loud and clear!

More Critic Reviews

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_artist/

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Turks march in Paris to denounce genocide bill (AP)

PARIS ? Thousands of Turks from across Europe marched through the French capital Saturday denouncing a bill that would make it a crime to deny that the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks nearly a century ago was genocide.

Turks young and old, waving their country's red flag, or wrapped in it, marched to the Senate, where the bill will be debated Monday after passage in December in the lower house.

They carried banners reading "No to Sarkozy Shame Law," "History for Historians, Politics for Politicians" or other slogans denouncing an alleged bid by President Nicolas Sarkozy to "fish for votes" among French Armenians before the two-round presidential elections in April and May.

Critics claim the real aim of the bill is to ensure votes for President Nicolas Sarkozy from French Armenians in the two-round presidential elections in April and May. An estimated 500,000 Armenians live in France.

The measure would make it a crime to deny that mass killings of Armenians in 1915 by Ottoman Turks constitute genocide. It sets a punishment of up to one year in prison and a fine of euro45,000 ($59,000) for those who deny or "outrageously minimize" the killings ? putting such action on par with denial of the Holocaust.

France formally recognized the 1915 killings as genocide in 2001, but provided no penalty for anyone refuting that.

Despite the passing of nearly 100 years since the killings, the issue remains a deeply emotional one for Armenians who lost loved ones and for Turks who see a challenge to their national honor.

An irate Turkey briefly recalled its ambassador to France and suspended military, economic and political ties.

"Politicians who haven't read an article on this say there was a genocide," said Beyhan Yildirim, 35, a demonstrator from Berlin. He was among those bused into Paris from Germany and elsewhere for Saturday's march.

Scores of buses from France, Germany and elsewhere lined the streets of southern Paris where the march began.

Armenians plan a demonstration near the Senate on Monday before the debate and vote.

It was unclear whether the measure would get the easy ride it did in the National Assembly, the lower but more powerful house.

The Senate is controlled by the rival Socialists who had earlier backed the bill. However, the Senate Commission on Laws voted against its passage last week, saying the measure risks violating constitutional protections including freedom of speech. The question is whether the Socialists will heed the recommendations if only because the issue is becoming an electoral hot potato.

Compromising freedom of expression in France, considered the cradle of human rights, has been a key argument of the Turkish government against the measure.

It is unclear whether lawmakers in the National Assembly had an inkling in advance that their vote giving the green light to the bill would trigger a diplomatic dispute. There appeared to be less than 100 lawmakers present for the Dec. 22 vote ? out of 577.

Fadime Ertugrul-Tastan, deputy mayor of small Normandy town of Herouville, was among those demonstrating against the bill on Saturday, wearing the blue, white and red sash of French officials.

She said her family hailed from Kars, near the Armenian border, and her grandparents were killed by Armenians.

"I am here to honor their memory," she said, adding, "There was no genocide because we were in a period of war."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_re_eu/eu_france_turkey_genocide

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সোমবার, ২৩ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

Pot-based prescription drug looks for FDA OK (AP)

SAN FRANCISCO ? A quarter-century after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first prescription drugs based on the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, additional medicines derived from or inspired by the cannabis plant itself could soon be making their way to pharmacy shelves, according to drug companies, small biotech firms and university scientists.

A British company, GW Pharma, is in advanced clinical trials for the world's first pharmaceutical developed from raw marijuana instead of synthetic equivalents_ a mouth spray it hopes to market in the U.S. as a treatment for cancer pain. And it hopes to see FDA approval by the end of 2013.

Sativex contains marijuana's two best known components ? delta 9-THC and cannabidiol ? and already has been approved in Canada, New Zealand and eight European countries for a different usage, relieving muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis.

FDA approval would represent an important milestone in the nation's often uneasy relationship with marijuana, which 16 states and the District of Columbia already allow residents to use legally with doctors' recommendations. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration categorizes pot as a dangerous drug with no medical value, but the availability of a chemically similar prescription drug could increase pressure on the federal government to revisit its position and encourage other drug companies to follow in GW Pharma's footsteps.

"There is a real disconnect between what the public seems to be demanding and what the states have pushed for and what the market is providing," said Aron Lichtman, a Virginia Commonwealth University pharmacology professor and president of the International Cannabinoid Research Society. "It seems to me a company with a great deal of vision would say, `If there is this demand and need, we could develop a drug that will help people and we will make a lot of money.'"

Possessing marijuana still is illegal in the United Kingdom, but about a decade ago GW Pharma's founder, Dr. Geoffrey Guy, received permission to grow it to develop a prescription drug. Guy proposed the idea at a scientific conference that heard anecdotal evidence that pot provides relief to multiple sclerosis patients, and the British government welcomed it as a potential way "to draw a clear line between recreational and medicinal use," company spokesman Mark Rogerson said.

In addition to exploring new applications for Sativex, the company is developing drugs with different cannabis formulations.

"We were the first ones to charge forward and a lot of people were watching to see what happened to us," Rogerson said. "I think we are clearly past that stage."

In 1985, the FDA approved two drug capsules containing synthetic THC, Marinol and Cesamet, to ease side-effects of chemotherapy in cancer patients. The agency eventually allowed Marinol to be prescribed to stimulate the appetites of AIDS patients. The drug's patent expired last year, and other U.S. companies have been developing formulations that could be administered through dissolving pills, creams and skin patches and perhaps be used for other ailments.

Doctors and multiple sclerosis patients are cautiously optimistic about Sativex. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has not endorsed marijuana use by patients, but the organization is sponsoring a study by a University of California, Davis neurologist to determine how smoking marijuana compares to Marinol in addressing painful muscle spasms.

"The cannabinoids and marijuana will, eventually, likely be part of the clinician's armamentarium, if they are shown to be clinically beneficial," said Timothy Coetzee, the society's chief research officer. "The big unknown in my mind is whether they are clearly beneficial."

Opponents and supporters of crude marijuana's effectiveness generally agree that more research is needed. And marijuana advocates fear that the government will use any new prescription products to justify a continued prohibition on marijuana use. .

"To the extent that companies can produce effective medication that utilizes the components of the plant, that's great. But that should not be the exclusive access for people who want to be able to use medical marijuana," Americans for Safe Access spokesman Kris Hermes said. "That's the race against time, in terms of how quickly can we put pressure on the federal government to recognize the plant has medical use versus the government coming out with the magic bullet pharmaceutical pill."

Interest in new and better marijuana-based medicines has been building since the discovery in the late 1980s and 1990s that mammals have receptors in their central nervous systems, several organs and immune systems for the chemicals in botanical cannabis and that their bodies also produce natural cannabinoids that work on the same receptors.

One of the first drugs to build on those breakthroughs was an anti-obesity medication that blocked the same chemical receptors that trigger the munchies in pot smokers. Under the name Acomplia, it was approved throughout Europe and heralded as a possible new treatment for smoking cessation and metabolic disorders that can lead to heart attacks.

The FDA was reviewing its safety as a diet drug when follow-up studies showed that people taking the drug were at heightened risk of suicide and other psychiatric disorders. French manufacturer Sanofi-Aventis, pulled it from the market in late 2008.

Given that drug companies already were reluctant "to touch anything that is THC-like with a 10-foot- pole," the setback had a chilling effect on cannabinoid drug development, according to Lichtman.

"Big companies like Merck and Pfizer were developing their own versions (of Acomplia), so all of those programs they spent millions and millions on just went away..." he said.

But scientists and drug companies that are exploring pot's promise predict the path will ultimately be successful, if long and littered with setbacks.

One is Alexandros Makriyannis, director of the Center for Drug Discovery at Northeastern University and founder of a small Boston company that hopes to market synthetic pain products that are chemically unrelated to marijuana, but work similarly on the body or inhibit the cannabinoid receptors. He also has been working on a compound that functions like the failed Acomplia but without the depressive effects.

"I think within five to 10 years, we should get something," Makriyannis said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120122/ap_on_bi_ge/us_marijuana_drug_development

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Carl Icahn smells blood in LightSquared's spectrum, descends to feed on its carrion

Oh, the twisted web that continues to weave itself around LightSquared. After incurring a seemingly endless parade of regulatory and industry obstacles, the Philip Falcone-backed network is now facing yet another potential hurdle. Except this time, it's taken the shape of investor Carl Icahn: a business magnate notorious for swooping in on downtrodden companies (see: Time Warner) and seizing control. And it appears the old man's pulled out his tried-and-true bag of tricks, securing a sizeable chunk of the fledgling 4G operation's debt following a value drop last year. What does this spell for Falcone? Well, the move could wind up positioning Icahn as a controlling force, steering the LTE operation away from its hedge fund founder's vision and into more profitable waters -- a welcome turn of events for the cash-strapped company. With FCC approval still pending, Sprint quietly retreating from its partnership deal and a looming fight for executive control, it's safe to say LightSquared's troubles have only just begun.

[Image credit: Sarah A. Friedman]

Carl Icahn smells blood in LightSquared's spectrum, descends to feed on its carrion originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/xCCg4fsOfhw/

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রবিবার, ২২ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

Karzai says he's met with Afghan insurgent faction (AP)

KABUL, Afghanistan ? Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Saturday that he personally held peace talks recently with the insurgent faction Hizb-i-Islami, appearing to assert his own role in a U.S.-led bid for negotiations to end the country's decade-long war.

Karzai made the announcement hours before he met with American special representative Marc Grossman to discuss progress and plans for bringing the Taliban insurgency into formal talks for the first time.

"Recently, we met with a delegation from Hizb-i-Islami ... and had negotiations," Karzai told a meeting of the Afghan parliament. "We are hopeful that these negotiations for peace continue and we will have good results," he added.

Karzai's statement was a reminder that any negotiations to end Afghanistan's war will be more complex than just talking to the Taliban's Pakistan-based leadership, headed by Mullah Mohammed Omar. The two other main insurgent factions in the country have their own leaders and agendas.

Hizb-i-Islami is a radical Islamist militia that controls territory in Afghanistan's northeast and launches attacks against U.S. forces from Pakistan. Its leader, powerful warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, is a former U.S. ally now listed as a terrorist by Washington.

Based over the Pakistan border, Hekmatyar has ties to al-Qaida and has launched deadly attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Fighters loyal to Hekmatyar also have strongholds in Baghlan, Kunduz and Kunar provinces in the north and northeast Afghanistan.

The other main insurgent group is the feared Haqqani network, which maintains close ties to both al-Qaida and the Taliban and commands the loyalties of an estimated 10,000 fighters. The Haqqanis have been blamed for a series of spectacular attacks, including suicide bombings inside Kabul.

By showing he can bring at least one major faction to the negotiating table, Karzai may hope to boost his standing in a tentative peace process that has recently been dominated by Washington. The president has met before with representatives of Hekmatyar, whose political allies hold seats in the Afghan parliament and Cabinet, but Saturday's public announcement seemed intended to bolster Karzai's insistence on inclusion in the U.S.-led peace process.

"It should be mentioned that the Afghan nation is the owner of the peace process and negotiations," Karzai said. "No foreign country or organization can prevent (Afghans) from exercising this right."

The U.S. has repeatedly said that formal negotiations must be Afghan-led, but Karzai is reportedly uneasy with his government not being directly involved in recent preliminary talks with Taliban representatives.

U.S. representative Grossman began meeting with Karzai on Saturday, the U.S. Embassy said.

Grossman, however, stressed that any future negotiations would include Afghanistan's government.

"After our meeting with President Karzai, we will decide what to do next because we take his guidance and advice in an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led process," Grossman said Friday during a stop in India.

French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet also arrived in Kabul on Saturday for talks with Afghan officials after Paris suspended training missions following the killing of four French troops by an Afghan soldier, the latest in a rising number of assaults in which Afghan security forces or infiltrators have turned their guns on coalition forces.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has threatened to withdraw French troops from Afghanistan early over the deaths, a potential setback for the U.S.-led coalition's efforts to build a national army and allow foreign troops to go home.

Longuet said Saturday in Kabul his mission is to "evaluate the attitude our officials should take" in the future.

He expressed hope investigators would have access to the Afghan attacker to learn whether he acted alone or had outside help.

On Saturday, insurgents killed a NATO service member in southern Afghanistan, the coalition said. The statement gave no other details, nor the nationality of the casualty.

Insurgents clashed Saturday with government forces in the town of Barmal in Paktika province in eastern Afghanistan, said Maj. Abdul Rahman, who coordinates coalition and Afghan operations in the area.

The Paktika governor's office said four attackers were trying to enter the town's main bazaar and then move toward government offices and military bases nearby. Before they could, Afghan security forces engaged them in a one-hour gun battle and all four attackers were killed, it said.

Separately, a roadside bomb killed four Afghan civilians Saturday morning in Helmand province in the south, the Interior Ministry said.

___

Associated Press writer Rahim Faiez contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan

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Afrojack Readies First Album In Los Angeles

Award-winning DJ/producer is also overseeing Paris Hilton's new music project.
By Akshay Bhansali


Paris Hilton and Afrojack
Photo: Danny Mahoney/ XS Nightclub

Afrojack is in Los Angeles, and not just for a stopover. The award-winning DJ/producer will be anchored to the City of Angels, hunkered down in the studio to work on music. A lot of music.

Paris Hilton confirmed at the Golden Globes that Afrojack is producing her next album. The two were recently in the studio working with LMFAO's Redfoo. And on top of all that, Afrojack (real name Nick Van de Wall) is also working on his own first album.

"I'm in the studio now for two months in Los Angeles," Afrojack told MTV News recently before an epic resident set at Las Vegas dance-music mecca, XS Nightclub. "I have two studios booked and I have a big house and we are all staying there and just thinking about not only producing my album, but just producing other songs for other people."

His next single, "Can't Stop Me Now," a collaboration with Shermanology, is the only confirmed collabo he could reveal. But fans can be sure that Afrojack is looking to work with plenty of other artists while he's in L.A.

"I've met a lot of people in the last two years around the world, and I'm pretty sure they are going to be on the album," Van de Wall said, mentioning Omarion, Redfoo, Chris Brown and Ne-Yo as possibilities.

"I did a remix for Leona Lewis, and I really loved her voice. I want to have her on the album," he added, referring to his Grammy-nominated remix of Lewis' "Collide." "And I'm going to work with my own boys. I'm gonna do collabs with R3hab, with Quintino and Shermanology."

After the radio success of "Give Me Everything," Chris Brown's "Look At Me Now" and Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls)," one has to wonder: Will Afrojack's coming album be more pop or club? Is it turns out, maybe both.

"I'm still thinking," he revealed. "I could do club, but then the pop side wouldn't understand. And if it's just pop, the club side wouldn't understand. I think I'm just going to do both. I think it's just going be a totally different thing. Let's see what happens. It's my first album!"

Should Afrojack focus on pop or club? Sound off in the comments section!

Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677575/afrojack-first-album.jhtml

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শনিবার, ২১ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

Video: The countdown to South Carolina

Eating out tonight? Choose these skinnier options

??For most people, eating out is a normal part of their weekend routine, and you don?t have to avoid restaurants just because you?re watching your weight. Click for more and to join Joy Bauer's 25,000 pound Weight-loss Challenge.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/46062561#46062561

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Apple's iBooks 2 e-textbooks pack tons of info, take up tons of your iPad's memory

Apple just got done unveiling its new iBooks 2 platform, letting us in on its plan to revamp education (in part) through its fancy new e-textbooks. These digital volumes look beautiful and come at a relatively meager monetary cost ($14.99), but a quick perusal of the textbooks available in iTunes reveals they'll take a sizable chunk of your iPad's memory. The current lineup of eight texts range in size from 800MB to 2.77GB, so folks looking to grab a full semester's worth of materials may have to carry an extra iPad or three to get the job done. Not an ideal solution, but a few Apple slates are still easier to schlep across campus than those massive texts you're used to, right?

Apple's iBooks 2 e-textbooks pack tons of info, take up tons of your iPad's memory originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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