Video: Gingrich, Romney make final push in Florida

>> let's begin with mitt romney 's surge in florida one day before the state's republican primary . nbc's peter alexander is in miami. good morning.

>> reporter: good morning to you. you spoke about romney 's lead in the state. this is the biggest prize yet. already 460,000 floridians have voted by absentee or early voting. in conversations with senior advisers in the romney campaign they say they have two things well since south carolina . one, be more aggressive against newt gingrich and do a better job clarifying the message that they believe romney is the best candidate to improve the american economy .

>> thank you!

>> reporter: just one day to go before florida 's primary and mitt romney is sensing victory.

>> i believe america needs a leader who has led successfully. i have and i will lead this nation back to greatness.

>> reporter: he has reason for confidence. the latest nbc marist poll released sunday shows romney expanding his lead in florida to 15 points over newt gingrich . that may be why gingrich is sharpening his attack. dusting off a word designed to incite conservatives.

>> i am, in fact, the legitimate heir of the reagan movement, not some liberal from massachusetts. we do not want a massachusetts liberal . this party is not going to nominate somebody who is a proabortion, progun control.

>> reporter: romney is dismissing the attacks as desperate.

>> the people of florida have watched the debates, have listened to the speaker, have listened to other candidates who say, you know what? mitt romney is the guy we are going to support.

>> reporter: the miami herald endorsed mitt romney saying mr. gingrich might be the feistier candidate but if republicans care about elect ability in november, mr. romney is the better choice. herman cain came out in support of gingrich .

>> i hereby officially and enthusiastically endorse newt gingrich for president of the united states .

>> reporter: while still refusing to endorse anyone, sarah palin defiantly implored floridians to fight the establishment.

>> rage against the machine , vote newt. annoy a liberal, vote newt. keep the vetting process going. keep the debate going.

>> reporter: gingrich says he's going all the way.

>> this is going all the way to the convention.

>> reporter: rick santorum 's oldest daughter took her father's case while he left the field to be with his daughter bella who suffers from a rare genetic disorder and was hospitalized over the weekend.

>> he'll be back as soon as he can. right now family comes first being a dad and a husband.

>> reporter: rick santorum expects to be back on the campaign trail within a few days. he said bella is having a miraculous recovery and has turned a corner after being hospitalized. matt?

>> peter, thank you.

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/46187576/

dressage byu football byu football delonte west

Water leaks found at stricken Japan nuclear plant

Japan's stricken nuclear power plant has leaked more than 160 gallons of water, forcing it to briefly suspend cooling operations at a spent-fuel pond at the weekend, the plant's operator and domestic media said.

1. Only on msnbc.com

   1. Updated 36 minutes ago 1/30/2012 12:42:25 PM +00:00 Romney: Gingrich attacks ?painful to watch?
   2. Updated 91 minutes ago 1/30/2012 11:47:51 AM +00:00 These Super Bowl ads didn't need toilet humor
   3. Fast food goes around-the-clock
   4. After teen hockey injuries, safety push gains support
   5. NBC News poll: Romney leads Gingrich in Fla.
   6. US coupon craze turns to medical care
   7. Meet 'Rosie' and 'Ken': 2 chimps, many experiments

The Fukushima plant, on the coast north of Tokyo, was wrecked by a huge earthquake and tsunami in March last year, triggering the evacuation of around 80,000 people in the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years.

The operator of the complex, the Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco), reported two main leakages on its website on Sunday, one from a pump near the plant's office building and another from a back-up cooling system at reactor No.4.

"The cooling water is from a filtrate tank for fire extinction and doesn't contain radioactive materials," Tepco said of the incident at reactor No. 4. It added that some water from the other leakage had flowed into a drain and "we are examining whether this water has flowed into the ocean or not."

The Nikkei newspaper Monday quoted Tepco as saying around 40 liters (10.6 gallons) had leaked from the pool-cooling system of the No. 4 reactor Sunday morning, with probably 600 liters (158.5 gallons) of purified water leaking from another point. Water had also leaked at other facilities within the complex, the Nikkei added.

However, the Nikkei newspaper quoted Tepco Monday as saying that it believed no water had escaped into the sea.

"The leakage is believed to have been caused by freezing due to cold weather, and the leaked water included radioactively contaminated water that has been purified," the Nikkei said in its online edition, quoting Tepco. "The contamination level is low."

Meanwhile, Japan's deputy prime minister has acknowledged that the government failed to take minutes of 10 meetings last year on the response to the country's disasters and nuclear crisis and called for officials to compile reports on the meetings retroactively.

Slideshow: A month of misery (on this page)

The missing minutes have become a hot political debate, with opposition lawmakers saying they are necessary to provide a transparent record of the government's discussion after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami touched off the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986.

Deputy Prime Minister Katsuya Okada confirmed Friday that the minutes were not fully recorded at the time and called for them to be written up, retroactively, by the end of February. Three of the meetings during the chaotic period had no record at all, not even an agenda, including a government nuclear crisis meeting headed by the prime minister.

Okada has set up a panel to investigate the extent of the problem and its cause.

The missing minutes are the latest example of the government missteps in disclosing information.

Japanese authorities and regulators already have been repeatedly criticized for how they handled information amid the unfolding nuclear crisis. Officials initially denied that the reactors had melted down, and have been accused of playing down the health risks of exposure to radiation.

The government also kept secret a worst-case scenario that tens of millions of people, including Tokyo residents, might need to leave their homes, according to a report obtained recently by The Associated Press.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46186286/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/

concord safe and sound botticelli x factor winner footlocker julia gillard julia gillard

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

lobster recipes abc store nate diaz vs donald cerrone vanderbilt

Attorney: Texas redistricting talks have stalled (AP)

SAN ANTONIO ? An attorney for one of nine groups suing to block electoral redistricting maps drawn up by Texas' Republican-led Legislature says negotiations between the two sides have stalled.

Luis Vera, who represents the League of United Latin American Citizens, said Monday he wouldn't bet on a deal getting done in time to keep Texas' April 3 primaries from being delayed again. They were originally scheduled for March.

A federal court in San Antonio last week gave the sides until Feb. 6 to draw up temporary maps that would remain in place through November's election. If they don't, Texas' primaries will be pushed back.

Vera says a major obstacle is that the state isn't involving all parties in the negotiations.

The Texas attorney general's office didn't immediately return an email seeking comment.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_go_co/us_texas_redistricting

whole foods blood pressure uhs uhs google street view google street view gluten free diet

Syrian troops storm areas near capital of Damascus (AP)

BEIRUT ? In dozens of tanks and armored vehicles, Syrian troops stormed rebellious areas near the capital Sunday, shelling neighborhoods that have fallen under the control of army dissidents and clashing with fighters. At least 62 people were killed in violence nationwide, activists and residents said.

The widescale offensive near the capital suggested the regime is worried that military defectors could close in on Damascus, which has remained relatively quiet while most other Syrian cities descended into chaos after the uprising began in March.

The rising bloodshed added urgency to Arab and Western diplomatic efforts to end the 10-month conflict.

The violence has gradually approached the capital. In the past two weeks, army dissidents have become more visible, seizing several suburbs on the eastern edge of Damascus and setting up checkpoints where masked men wearing military attire and wielding assault rifles stop motorists and protect anti-regime protests.

Their presence so close to the capital is astonishing in tightly controlled Syria and suggests the Assad regime may either be losing control or setting up a trap for the fighters before going on the offensive.

Residents of Damascus reported hearing clashes in the nearby suburbs, particularly at night, shattering the city's calm.

"The current battles taking place in and around Damascus may not yet lead to the unraveling of the regime, but the illusion of normalcy that the Assads have sought hard to maintain in the capital since the beginning of the revolution has surely unraveled," said Ammar Abdulhamid, a U.S.-based Syrian dissident.

"Once illusions unravel, reality soon follows," he wrote in his blog Sunday.

Soldiers riding some 50 tanks and dozens of armored vehicles stormed a belt of suburbs and villages on the eastern outskirts of Damascus known as al-Ghouta Sunday, a predominantly Sunni Muslim agricultural area where large anti-regime protests have been held.

Some of the fighting on Sunday was less than three miles (four kilometers) from Damascus, in Ein Tarma, making it the closest yet to the capital.

"There are heavy clashes going on in all of the Damascus suburbs," said Rami Abdul-Rahman, director of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, who relies on a network of activists on the ground. "Troops were able to enter some areas but are still facing stiff resistance in others."

The fighting using mortars and machine guns sent entire families fleeing, some of them on foot carrying bags of belongings, to the capital.

"The shelling and bullets have not stopped since yesterday," said a man who left his home in Ein Tarma with his family Sunday. "It's terrifying, there's no electricity or water, it's a real war," he said by telephone on condition of anonymity, for fear of reprisals.

The uprising against Assad, which began with largely peaceful demonstrations, has grown increasingly militarized recently as more frustrated protesters and army defectors have taken up arms.

In a bid to stamp out resistance in the capital's outskirts, the military has responded with a withering assault on a string of suburbs, leading to a spike in violence that has killed at least 150 people since Thursday.

The United Nations says at least 5,400 people have been killed in the 10 months of violence.

The U.N. is holding talks on a new resolution on Syria and next week will discuss an Arab League peace plan aimed at ending the crisis. But the initiatives face two major obstacles: Damascus' rejection of an Arab plan that it says impinges on its sovereignty, and Russia's willingness to use its U.N. Security Council veto to protect Syria from sanctions.

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby told reporters Sunday in Egypt that contacts were under way with China and Russia.

"I hope that their stand will be adjusted in line with the final drafting of the draft resolution," he told reporters before leaving for New York with Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim.

The two will seek U.N. support for the latest Arab plan to end Syria's crisis. The plan calls for a two-month transition to a unity government, with Assad giving his vice president full powers to work with the proposed government.

Because of the escalating violence, the Arab League on Saturday halted the work of its observer mission in Syria at least until the League's council can meet. Arab foreign ministers were to meet Sunday in Cairo to discuss the Syrian crisis in light of the suspension of the observers' work and Damascus' refusal to agree to the transition timetable, the League said.

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said he was "concerned" about the League's decision to suspend its monitoring mission and called on Assad to "immediately stop the bloodshed." He spoke Sunday at an African Union summit in Addis Ababa.

While the international community scrambles to find a resolution to the crisis, the violence on the ground in Syria has continued unabated.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 27 civilians were killed Sunday in Syria, most of them in fighting in the Damascus suburbs and in the central city of Homs, a hotbed of anti-regime protests. Twenty-six soldiers and nine defectors were also killed, it said. The soldiers were killed in ambushes that targeted military vehicles near the capital and in the northern province of Idlib.

The Local Coordination Committees' activist network said 50 people were killed Sunday, including 13 who were killed in the suburbs of the capital and two defectors. That count excluded soldiers killed Sunday.

The differing counts could not be reconciled, and the reports could not be independently confirmed. Syrian authorities keep tight control on the media and have banned many foreign journalists from entering the country.

Syria's state-run news agency said "terrorists" detonated a roadside bomb by remote control near a bus carrying soldiers in the Damascus suburb of Sahnaya, killing six soldiers and wounding six others. Among those killed in the attack some 12 miles (20 kilometers) south of the capital were two first lieutenants, SANA said.

In Irbil, a Kurdish city in northern Iraq, about 200 members of Syria's Kurdish parties were holding two days of meetings to explore ways of supporting efforts to topple Assad.

Abdul-Baqi Youssef, a member of the Syrian Kurdish Union Party, said representatives of 11 Kurdish parties formed the Syrian Kurdish National Council that will coordinate anti-government activities with Syria's opposition.

Kurds make up 15 percent of Syria's 23 million people and have long complained of discrimination.

___

Associated Press writers Maamoun Youssef in Cairo; Yahya Barzanji in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq; and Luc van Kemenade in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_syria

ifl jerome simpson indoor football league newt gingrich wife

Euro zone confidence improves, highlights divergence (Reuters)

BRUSSELS (Reuters) ? Confidence in the euro zone's economy strengthened in January for the first time since early 2011, EU data showed on Monday, but a recovery in Germany masked a deterioration in France and Italy, highlighting the bloc's diverging fortunes.

Germany has shown more resilience to the euro zone's troubles than many of its neighbors, helped by fiscal prudence, a competitive edge and good demand for its high quality goods.

France and Italy have struggled to keep up, facing questions about the sustainability of their own finances as Greece tries to agree a debt restructuring and Portugal comes under fresh scrutiny in financial markets.

The divergence complicates the task of EU leaders who are meeting in Brussels on Monday to try and sketch a path out of the economic slump.

The European Commission's economic sentiment indicator rose by 0.6 points in the euro zone to 93.4, the first improvement in sentiment since March last year as some confidence returned to services, consumers and construction.

"We're seeing a slight stabilization and we expect the recession the euro zone will end in the spring," said Christoph Weil, an economist at Commerzbank.

"But we can also see that the divergence in the euro zone is increasing and that is of great concern," he said.

The European Central Bank's decision in December to provide 3-year loans to banks averted a credit freeze, while the U.S. economy expanded strongly in the last quarter of 2011 and China has remained robust, maintaining demand for Europe's goods.

But budget austerity and political divisions over how to solve the two-year debt crisis continue to depress business in the euro zone and the wider European Union, with non-euro zone country Britain heading for a recession in early 2011.

The rising optimism is still tempered by EU leaders' inability to resolve the euro zone debt crisis and the sentiment indicator was slightly lower than forecast by economists polled by Reuters.

Following last week's surprisingly positive purchasing managers' indices, or PMIs, business climate rose for the second month in a row to -0.21, in line with economists' expectations.

But factory managers saw a deterioration in the view of their order books and although this was offset by a positive assessment of stocks, it confirmed the mixed economic picture.

Industrial confidence remained at the lowest level since April 2010 while confidence in services rebounded by 2 points in the euro zone and construction was up 0.6 points.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

For a graphic on the data: http://link.reuters.com/bas36s

For full multimedia coverage: http://r.reuters.com/xyt94s

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>

GERMAN RENEWAL, GREEK PAIN

The European Commission forecasts 2012 economic growth of just 0.5 percent for the 17 nations in the euro zone, which generates 16 percent of global economic output.

The International Monetary Fund is more pessimistic, forecasting a 0.5 percent contraction in 2012 that it says could drag the world into recession.

EU leaders face a tough task at Monday's summit as they try and bridge the divergence in economic performance among the 27-nation bloc's economies and reconcile austerity with growth.

Recent data suggests Germany will avoid a recession, while non-euro zone member Britain, as well as euro states Spain, Italy, Greece and Portugal, are likely to see their economies contract in 2012. Belgium and the Netherlands, also members of the single currency, will struggle to grow at all.

The Commission's data also supported that view, as economic sentiment improved in Germany by 2.3 points, the second consecutive monthly rise, but fell in France, Italy and the Netherlands.

While large economies such as France and the Netherlands will likely benefit from Germany's recovery, Italy and Greece must confront falling productivity and high debts to avoid years of stagnation.

"Weakened domestic economic activity, intensified fiscal tightening in many countries and still serious uncertainties and concerns over the euro zone sovereign debt crisis continue to limit an improvement in sentiment," said Howard Archer, chief European economist at IHS Global Insight.

(Reporting By Robin Emmott; editing by Rex Merrifield/Anna Willard)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/bs_nm/us_eurozone_sentiment

robert e lee dez bryant aaliyah golden globe winners the express zappos hacked jane fonda

Jury finds Afghan family guilty in honor killings

Mohammad Shafia, centre, Tooba Yahya, right, and Hamed Shafia, left, arrive at the Frontenac County courthouse in Kingston, Ontario, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. A jury took 15 hours to find Shafia, 58, his wife Tooba Yahya, 42, and their son Hamed, 21, each guilty of four counts of first-degree murder in a case so shocking it has riveted Canadians from coast to coast. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes)

Mohammad Shafia, centre, Tooba Yahya, right, and Hamed Shafia, left, arrive at the Frontenac County courthouse in Kingston, Ontario, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. A jury took 15 hours to find Shafia, 58, his wife Tooba Yahya, 42, and their son Hamed, 21, each guilty of four counts of first-degree murder in a case so shocking it has riveted Canadians from coast to coast. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes)

Mohammad Shafia, center, Tooba Yahya, right, and Hamed Shafia, left, arrive at the Frontenac County courthouse in Kingston, Ontario, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. A jury took 15 hours to find each guilty of four counts of first-degree murder in a case so shocking it has riveted Canadians from coast to coast. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes)

Tooba Yahya is led away from the Frontenac County courthouse in Kingston, Ontario, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, after being found guilty of first degree murder. A jury took 15 hours to find Shafia, 58, his wife Tooba Yahya, 42, and their son Hamed, 21, each guilty of four counts of first-degree murder in a case so shocking it has riveted Canadians from coast to coast. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes)

Mohammad Shafia, front,Tooba Yahya, center and Hamed Shafia arrive at the Frontenac County courthouse in Kingston, Ont., Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. A jury took 15 hours to find Shafia, 58, his wife Tooba Yahya, 42, and their son Hamed, 21, each guilty of four counts of first-degree murder of Mohammad Shafia's three daughters and childless first wife. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes)

Mohammad Shafia reacts as he his led away from the Frontenac County courthouse in Kingston, Ont., Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, after being found guilty of first degree murder of his three daughters and childless first wife. A jury took 15 hours to find Shafia, 58, his wife Tooba Yahya, 42, and their son Hamed, 21, each guilty of four counts of first-degree murder in a case so shocking it has riveted Canadians from coast to coast. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes)

KINGSTON, Ontario (AP) ? A jury on Sunday found an Afghan father, his wife and their son guilty of killing three teenage sisters and a co-wife in what the judge described as "cold-blooded, shameful murders" resulting from a "twisted concept of honor."

The jury took 15 hours to find Mohammad Shafia, 58; his wife Tooba Yahya, 42; and their son Hamed, 21, each guilty of four counts of first-degree murder in a case that shocked and riveted Canadians from coast to coast. First-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.

After the verdict was read, the three defendants again declared their innocence in the killings of sisters Zainab, 19, Sahar 17, and Geeti, 13, as well as Rona Amir Mohammad, 52, Shafia's childless first wife in a polygamous marriage.

Their bodies were found June 30, 2009, in a car submerged in a canal in Kingston, Ontario, where the family had stopped for the night on their way home to Montreal from Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Prosecutors said the defendants allegedly killed the three teenage sisters because they dishonored the family by defying its disciplinarian rules on dress, dating, socializing and going online. Shafia's first wife was living with him and his second wife. The polygamous relationship, if revealed, could have resulted in their deportation.

The prosecution alleged it was a case of premeditated murder, staged to look like an accident after it was carried out. Prosecutors said the defendants drowned their victims elsewhere on the site, placed their bodies in the car and pushed it into the canal.

Defense lawyers said the deaths were accidental. They said the Nissan car accidentally plunged into the canal after the eldest daughter, Zainab, took it for a joy ride with her sisters and her father's first wife. Hamed said he watched the accident, although he didn't call police from the scene.

After the jury returned the verdicts, Mohammad Shafia, speaking through a translator, said, "We are not criminal, we are not murderer, we didn't commit the murder and this is unjust."

His weeping wife, Tooba, also declared the verdict unjust, saying, "I am not a murderer, and I am a mother, a mother."

Their son, Hamed, speaking in English said, "I did not drown my sisters anywhere."

But Judge Robert Maranger was unmoved, saying the evidence clearly supported their conviction for "the planned and deliberate murder of four members of your family."

"It is difficult to conceive of a more despicable, more heinous crime ... the apparent reason behind these cold-blooded, shameful murders was that the four completely innocent victims offended your completely twisted concept of honor ... that has absolutely no place in any civilized society."

Hamed's lawyer, Patrick McCann, said he was disappointed with the verdict, but said his client will appeal and he believes the other two defendants will as well.

But prosecutor Gerard Laarhuis welcomed the verdict.

"This jury found that four strong, vivacious and freedom-loving women were murdered by their own family in the most troubling of circumstances," Laarhuis said outside court.

"This verdict sends a very clear message about our Canadian values and the core principles in a free and democratic society that all Canadians enjoy and even visitors to Canada enjoy," he said to cheers of approval from onlookers.

The family had left Afghanistan in 1992 and lived in Pakistan, Australia and Dubai before settling in Canada in 2007. Shafia, a wealthy businessman, married Yahya because his first wife could not have children.

The prosecution painted a picture of a household controlled by a domineering Shafia, with Hamed keeping his sisters in line and doling out discipline when his father was away on frequent business trips to Dubai.

The months leading up to the deaths were not happy ones in the Shafia household, according to evidence presented at trial. Zainab, the oldest daughter, was forbidden to attend school for a year because she had a young Pakistani-Canadian boyfriend, and she fled to a shelter, terrified of her father, the court was told.

The prosecution said her parents found condoms in Sahar's room as well as photos of her wearing short skirts and hugging her Christian boyfriend, a relationship she had kept secret. Geeti was becoming almost impossible to control: skipping school, failing classes, being sent home for wearing revealing clothes and stealing, while declaring to authority figures that she wanted to be placed in foster care, according to the prosecution.

Shafia's first wife wrote in a diary that her husband beat her and "made life a torture," while his second wife called her a servant.

The prosecution presented wire taps and cell phone records from the Shafia family in court to support their honor killing theory. The wiretaps, which capture Shafia spewing vitriol about his dead daughters, calling them treacherous and whores and invoking the devil to defecate on their graves, were a focal point of the trial.

"There can be no betrayal, no treachery, no violation more than this," Shafia said on one recording. "Even if they hoist me up onto the gallows ... nothing is more dear to me than my honor."

Defense lawyers argued that at no point in the intercepts do the accused say they drowned the victims.

Shafia's lawyer, Peter Kemp, said after the verdicts that he believes the comments his client made on the wiretaps may have weighed more heavily on the jury's minds than the physical evidence in the case.

"He wasn't convicted for what he did," Kemp said. "He was convicted for what he said."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-29-CN-Canada-Honor-Killing/id-2393824308a8466e8e9dca4d88f75406

flight search jackie kennedy ringer ringer

Exiting watchdog sees flaws in SEC's rulewriting (Reuters)

WASHINGTON, DC (Reuters) ? In his final act before departing the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday, the agency's inspector general, David Kotz, criticized how the agency analyzes the economic impact of some of its Dodd-Frank rules.

Kotz's criticism, contained in a report, could have ramifications for the SEC, which has lost several court battles over the years because of flaws in how it demonstrates that the benefits of a rule outweigh its costs.

"We found that the extent of quantitative discussion of cost-benefit analyses varied among rulemakings," Kotz wrote in his report. "Based on our examination of several Dodd-Frank Act rulemakings, the review found that the SEC sometimes used multiple baselines in its cost-benefit analyses that were ambiguous or internally inconsistent."

Last year, U.S. business groups successfully convinced a federal appeals court to overturn one of the SEC's Dodd-Frank rules that aimed to empower shareholders to more easily nominate directors to corporate boards.

In rejecting the rule, the court said the agency failed to properly weigh the economic consequences.

Some of the business groups, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, have since raised similar concerns with other rulemakings pending before the SEC.

Congress passed the Dodd-Frank act in 2010 to more closely police financial markets and institutions after the 2007-2009 financial crisis. The legislation gives the SEC responsibility to write roughly 100 new rules.

Although the SEC is not subject to an express statutory requirement to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of its rules, other laws do require the agency to consider the effects of its rules on capital formation, competition and efficiency.

In addition, the SEC must also follow federal rulemaking procedures, such as providing the public with an opportunity to comment on its proposals.

This is the second report Kotz has issued looking at the quality of the SEC's cost-benefit analysis.

Both reports were issued after certain members of the Senate Banking Committee, including ranking Republican Richard Shelby, voiced concerns about whether regulators were adequately examining the economic impact of Dodd-Frank rules.

To determine how well the SEC is faring, Kotz's office retained Albert Kyle, a finance professor at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, to help carry out the review.

Friday's report covered a sample of Dodd-Frank rulemakings, including a rule allowing shareholders a non-binding vote on compensation, several asset-backed securities rules and two proposals pertaining to the reporting of security-based swap data.

Kotz's report was critical of the agency in a number of areas.

In one instance, the report cites a memo in which former General Counsel David Becker gave his opinion that the SEC should do thorough cost-benefit analyses on rules that are not explicitly required by Congress.

Rules mandated by Congress, however, generally would not need the same level of cost-benefit research, the memo said.

The report suggested that the agency should reconsider these guidelines, or else it risks "not fulfilling the essential purposes of such analyses."

SEC management, in a written response to the report, disagreed with that point.

"We believe Professor Kyle's opinion fails to appreciate both the practical limitations on the scope of cost-benefit a regulator can conduct, and the distinct roles of Congress and administrative agencies," they said.

"We think it is entirely sensible ... for the staff to focus its attention and the commission's limited resources on matters that the commission has the authority to decide."

Kotz made other recommendations, including using a single consistent baseline in the cost-benefit analysis process and having economists provide more input.

SEC spokesman John Nester declined to comment beyond the SEC comments in the report.

(Reporting By Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Steve Orlofsky, Gary Hill)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120128/bs_nm/us_sec_inspector_general

cleveland browns los angeles angels los angeles angels lindsay lohan’s playboy cover leaked online

US Sen. Brown releases military service record (AP)

BOSTON ? U.S. Sen. Scott Brown released his military service record Saturday documenting the more than three decades he has served in the Army National Guard.

The records include his promotions, awards and officer evaluation reports, which offer high praise of Brown's service during the Massachusetts Republican's years in the military.

An officer evaluation report from 1985 was typical, describing Brown as "a young and aggressive officer."

"He is self-motivated and learns very fast. He has the potential to be promoted to a position with greater responsibilities," the report said.

Brown, a member of the Armed Services Committee, is facing a tough re-election campaign.

His office said the documents show the reason he was passed up for a Guard promotion to lieutenant colonel in the Judge Advocate General Corps in 2003 and 2004 was due to a missing document in his file.

Brown's office described the failure to include the document ? which showed that he had completed the necessary Command and General Staff Office Course ? as an administrative oversight. They noted that after Brown appealed to show that he had completed the required military education, he received the promotion in 2006.

The same oversight caused the Army National Guard to place Brown into the Retired Reserve from July 2005 through December 2005, his office said.

Brown first enlisted in the Massachusetts Army National Guard in 1979.

"I am proud of my 32 years of service in the Army National Guard," he said in a statement accompanying the documents. "The Guard has profoundly impacted my life, and I credit those I have served with for inspiring me to be a better man, and a better servant of my country."

The documents did not include Brown's military medical records, which he said he plans to release when the military provides a copy.

Brown's office said he has never requested a transfer during his military service and that every transfer he received was ordered by the Massachusetts National Guard Adjutant General.

The awards Brown received include a Meritorious Service Medal, an Army Commendation Medal, an Army Achievement Medal and Army Parachutist Badge.

Brown, who also serves on the Senate Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs committees, has said his service in the military has helped inform his work as an elected official.

He pointed to a recent proposal he sponsored that he said was designed to protect housing benefits for National Guard members deployed overseas.

Brown recently hosted a field hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee of Veterans Affairs to address what he said was the unprecedented claims backlog at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the difficulty that returning veterans face as they try to enter to the workforce.

Last August, Brown participated in a weeklong training session in Afghanistan, spending most of his time in Kabul, where he lived, ate and trained with other troops, according to his office. It was his first time serving in a combat zone.

He was a key vote to end the so-called "don't ask, don't tell" policy that had prevented gay soldiers from serving openly in the military.

Brown won a special election in 2010 to fill the seat held for nearly half a century by Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy until his death from brain cancer.

His chief Democratic rival this year is Harvard professor and consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren. Polls show the two locked in a tight race.

The two recently signed an agreement designed to discourage outside, third-party groups from running attack ads in the race, which could end up being the most expensive campaign in Massachusetts history.

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

jeff dunham night at the museum young guns concord

[OOC] Serenity Men

Forum rules
This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.

Please post all "Players Wanted" threads in the Roleplayers Wanted forum!

This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Serenity Men?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

Topic Tags:

Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
This is the auto-generated OOC topic for the roleplay "Serenity Men"

You may edit this first post as you see fit.

Metrea

Member for 1 years

---

---

Sounds Interesting. I'll be sending in a male.

I have no beginning, I have no end...
So your a circle?!

Brantley92

Member for 2 years

---

---

Post a reply

RolePlayGateway is a site built by a couple roleplayers who wanted to give a little something back to the roleplay community. The site has no intention of earning any profit, and is paid for out of their own pockets.

If you appreciate what they do, feel free to donate your spare change to help feed them on the weekends. After selecting the amount you want to donate from the menu, you can continue by clicking on PayPal logo.

Who is online

Registered users: Abalyth, Ace, aipsylon*, AiraValkov, Akantha*, Alexa [Bot], Alexander_Right, Amigamaru, AmiOfTheRain, anaka, Andaho*, Animality Opera, Annaky*, Annalysa Jones, aod0209, aprilmasterson, ArcticFox*, Ariki, AugmentationAudit, AugustArria, Auricambrflaym*, AutomailJunkie, AzricanRepublic*, B a r b i e*, B14ck J0k3r*, BBClock, Beach-Born-Boy, BekaL101, Beta Type Jakuri*, Billie_blujean, birdguard, Black, Black_Blooded_Queen, Blackbird26*, Bonjour51, Brantley92, Brass pole at law, broken-wings, Bromander Shepard, Caelus, Canibelle, Carcino*, ChaosxChild13, Chari, chocolateloversuntie, Chulance*, cmpuncle, Corvan, CountessMomo, CrashQueen, CrazyIrish, CriminalMinds*, Crooked Thoughts, Crystal Blood*, Cypher, danm36*, DarknessUndying, DemiKara*, Demon of Bereavement, DivineBitterness*, Doodlepad, DragonWriter, Draruto, Emmery, emotionless, Everscale, Fatal_Flaw_Enki*, Finalhazard3, Firewind, freemixer25, Frozen Soul*, Gigabot [Bot], girlwt*, glmstr, goblinslayer*, Google [Bot], Google Adsense [Bot], Google Feedfetcher, GreenSweatshirtGal, Grimpunker96, Guardian Angel, Hadespwr*, HerHeroine*, Hitomi-san, Horseygirl*, Hydrall, Iced Fire, Ikuto Tsukiyomi Fan, Imagine That!*, inara1917*, IndieM, Irish Wolf, Jadeling Hawkins, Jamie95*, Jaybt9*, JayZeroSnake, Jeffrey!, Jeggy, Jo_Tunn, kathrin*, kelsiikhaos, Kenzi*, KuruLesperance, Lawlietkun, Leli, Lifecharacter*, Lloyd999, Lodnir, Lost Socks, lostamongtrees*, LostInFantasy, Lovely VonSchultz, Luna Star*, Lux_Disraeli*, Majestic-12 [Bot], MarchHare*, Marcus*, McDevious*, MidnightDreams, minibear, MirrorMirror1498*, Mr. Fly on the wall, Mr_Doomed, MSN [Bot], mummydove, Myviewing, Narcissist Lover, nibblesnbits, NightBlaze, Nightgem, nightwolf, niykin, nltniko, Oran Tarlin*, Pandabear, pathfinder Z, PeTeTe809, Pichu-Chan, PolarOpposites*, Porecomesis, Princess Awinita*, PrincessX18*, qbsuperstar03*, Quinapalus, rabble_rouser*, Radical_Dreamer909, RadicalDreamer*, RainWish, Random Kat*, Rem?us*, RiotTerritory*, Robinwing, Romaneck, Rulke, RydeDawg*, Saferia, Saikua*, Saint Bella, Saken, Scaea, Script*, Scumbag_Brain, Scythe Massak?r*, Shaodow*, Shattered233, shmband, Shpleem, SilverStar89, SinAngel, skulblaka sol makina, SkullJester*, SkullsandSlippers, Skyeblueme3, Smileybird*, Sneakyrio, snipergirl24*, Solo Wing Pixy, Something?, Sora112112, StandardFiend, Starryskies*, Steppin' Razor*, stormwolf321, Sugarcake101, SuperQ19*, sweetgal*, SynapticError*, Synicate*, taliizzie, Talisman*, TechGorilla*, Tejas, Terra Branford, The Angry Penguin, The Illusionist*, the_judged*, TheDarkWorgen, ThePsycoWarlock, Thorait, ThumpersDarkSyde*, Tiko*, TinnaOsp, Tonks, TRUE-ASSASSIN, Tyliana*, unmog, Usui*, VitaminHeart*, Vyral*, VzakV, Wake*, Whispering_Words, Wild1, William Krypt, Winds Of Fate, Wing06Twilight, winged1107, Wolfy Girl, Wudgeous, XavierDantius32*, Xiola*, xXxCryptic-AngelxXx, Yahoo [Bot], Ylanne, Yonbibuns, Yoru-Senpai*, Zentose, ZeroTolerance*, Zetta, Ziddie, Zitacamron95, ? Reality ?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/7fHYNxgJjZA/viewtopic.php

f8 f8 catherine the great dark shadows ted haggard ted haggard neutrino

Hall Automotive Acquires a new Ford Hyundai Franchise ...

Elizabeth City, NC (Vocus) June 4, 2010

Hall Automotive, a division of MileOne Automotive, announces today they have acquired a new Ford Hyundai franchise, which is located at 1310 N. Road Street (more commonly known as Business Route 17) in Elizabeth City. The new Ford Hyundai store will open under the Hall Automotive name. The store was previously known as Courtesy Ford Hyundai. This will be MileOne?s forth Hyundai dealership joining two other locations in Virginia and one in Wilkes-Barre, PA. MileOne has one other Ford dealership in Newport News, Virginia, making this new Elizabeth City location the second.

?Ford and Hyundai will make great additions to our company?s presence in Elizabeth City, we couldn?t be acquiring these franchises at a better time,? Bill Baker ? President COO of Hall Automotive. The Ford Hyundai store will join one of Hall Automotive?s Honda locations also in Elizabeth City. ?These two brands offer a very exciting vehicle line-up. Ford offers the well-hyped new Fiesta, the best-selling Taurus, the award winning F150, as well as the new Fusion Hybrid. Hyundai also has much to offer including the fully redesigned Sonata and Tucson, as well as the brand-new Genesis and upcoming Equus. Plus America?s Best Warranty?

Hall Ford Hyundai will be overseen by General Manager, Nick Vendt. ?I am very excited to be working with two of the most innovative auto brands on the market today. Each brand has a great line-up and a quickly growing customer base. We are looking forward to working with both new and existing customers of these brands.?

Current Ford and Hyundai customers in and around Elizabeth City will be able to take advantage of Hall Ford Hyundai?s 30 plus service bays with state of the art diagnostics equipment and certified technicians. Customers will quickly see the high level of customer service that Hall represents. In addition to sales and service, Hall Ford Hyundai Elizabeth City offers one of the area?s most modern collision center. While waiting for service Hall Ford Hyundai will offer a quiet service waiting area with internet access, comfortable seating, refreshments and a child?s play area. Service shuttle, loaners, and rentals are all available on site.

Ford Hyundai sales, service, and body shop operations have begun and a ?Grand Opening? celebration is being planned for a later date. Customers can go to hallfordelizabethcity.com or hallhyundaielizabethcity.com to schedule service online and browse inventory. Hall Ford Hyundai is located at 1310 N. Road Street (Business Route 17) Elizabeth City, North Carolina 27909.

About MileOne Automotive

MileOne Automotive operates 63 retail automotive franchises representing 27 different brands and 9 collision centers in Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia with a focus on the Baltimore-Washington, Hampton Roads/Virginia Beach, Nags Head/Elizabeth City and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton major metro areas. MileOne.com allows customers to research new, used and fuel-efficient luxury, import and domestic cars and trucks, send information about vehicles to their mobile device, schedule service appointments, buy parts and accessories, play automotive games, and download automotive wallpaper and mobile ring tones. For more information or to find a quality MileOne dealership near you, please visit http://www.mileone.com.

###

Related Hyundai Sonata Press Releases

Source: http://carkeylocksmiths.org/2012/01/27/hall-automotive-acquires-a-new-ford-hyundai-franchise/

joe namath tampa bay buccaneers nflx leprosy

Google Music now lets you download your entire library

Computer meltdown? No backup? Well, at least your tunes are safe. Google Music just gained a new feature that lets you to download your entire library including purchased songs. A simple click in the Music Manager is all it takes to restore your entire collection -- or just your purchased music -- from the cloud. In addition, the web interface now allows you to select and copy multiple tracks to your device of choice. While there are no limitations when using the Music Manager, purchased items are restricted to two downloads each via the web interface. So next time your system crashes go right ahead -- rev up that broadband and fill up those hard drives.

Google Music now lets you download your entire library originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Phandroid  |  Android (Google+), Google  | Email this | Comments

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

bubba smith oakland strike new gmail new gmail oakland general strike oakland general strike houshmandzadeh

A.J. Foyt hospitalized for infection (AP)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. ? A.J. Foyt has been hospitalized in Houston for complications from knee surgery and will skip the 50th anniversary of the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

The 77-year-old Foyt had knee surgery two weeks ago, and an infection sent him to the hospital Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for the four-time Indianapolis 500 winner said Friday that Foyt may stay in the hospital through the weekend. She said he had been up and walking since the surgery but developed an infection this week.

Foyt is the only driver to win the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500, the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Foyt was scheduled to be the grand marshal Saturday at Daytona International Speedway.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_sp_au_ra_ne/car_nascar_foyt_hospitalized

espn body issue ijustine visionary guy kawasaki

Video: New Quantum Dot Tech Could Boost Current Optical Fiber Band Tenfold

Link Information - Click to View

Video: New Quantum Dot Tech Could Boost Current Optical Fiber Band Tenfold
Current optical communications schemes rely on a narrow 1.55 micron wavelength band of about 10 terahertz, a band in which optical signals can be well controlled and loss of signal/data is fairly low. But to open up optical networks to the high data load of the future, we need to open up the span of available wavelength.

Source: POPSCI
Posted on: Friday, Jan 27, 2012, 8:55am
Views: 4

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/117146/Video__New_Quantum_Dot_Tech_Could_Boost_Current_Optical_Fiber_Band_Tenfold

mirror mirror tanuki mirror mirror trailer bob knight bob knight lavar arrington hope solo dancing with the stars

Scott Brown Silent On Obama's Call For Congress To Drop Stocks That May Cause Conflict Of Interest

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) is touting President Barack Obama's call for legislation banning insider trading by members of Congress as a personal victory, having authored the Senate bill to stop such unscrupulous activity. But Brown is studiously ignoring a similar ethics reform Obama pushed during Tuesday's State of the Union speech -- perhaps because Brown himself has run afoul of it.

"Send me a bill that bans insider trading by members of Congress; I will sign it tomorrow," Obama pledged in his speech, an opening that Brown then used to press the president on his bill.

"My insider trading bill is on [Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid?s] desk right now. Tell him to get it out," Brown told Obama during a post-speech handshake, according to the Boston Globe. Obama appeared to agree: "I'm going to tell him. I?m going to tell him to get it done."

After the State of the Union, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters that he would send the STOCK Act to the Senate floor this year. "Well, I think people should have enough sense not to do it [insider trading] without legislation, but I will support legislation," he said.

Brown's proposed bill would limit stock trading by members of Congress to prevent abuses in which lawmakers profit from their own legislative favors or access to nonpublic economic information.

But during the State of the Union, Obama also called to "limit any elected official from owning stocks in industries they impact." And this kind of ownership would still be legal under the STOCK Act. Brown's bill focuses narrowly on information gained by members of Congress during hearings and meetings, but does not prevent them from holding long-term investments in companies that may benefit from their legislative actions. So long as lawmakers don't sell their holdings while in office, however, they're in the clear.

Brown himself performed major legislative favors for big banks during the final round of debate over 2010's Wall Street reform bill. According to Brown's latest personal financial disclosure form, the Massachusetts Republican owns up to $50,000 of Bank of America stock. As the financial overhaul approached passage, Brown was the deciding vote determining whether the bill would clear a filibuster in the Senate. He used that position to leverage several changes to the bill that helped large financial institutions, carving out an exemption to the Volcker Rule that allows big banks to continue placing risky bets in the securities markets with taxpayer money, provided they do so through private equity firms and hedge funds. Brown also saved Bank of America and others billions of dollars in up-front costs by axing a plan that would have required them to pay into an emergency fund to cover the costs of big bank failures.

Sen. Brown's office did not respond to requests for comment from The Huffington Post.

Faced with a Democratic challenge for his seat from consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren, Brown has repeatedly attempted to cast himself as a financial reformer. During Tuesday night's speech, he literally stood up for consumer protection as the sole Republican to rise and applaud Obama's mention of Richard Cordray, the new director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The CFPB was the brainchild of Warren, who set up the nascent agency before running for Senate.

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/25/scott-brown-stocks-conflict-of-interest-obama-state-of-the-union_n_1231812.html

kat dennings listeriosis bonobos recent earthquakes

Fed adds more punch to low-rate pledge

Larry Downing / Reuters

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has been a dominant force in pushing for more openness at the central bank.

By John W. Schoen, Senior Producer

New normal, meet the new Fed.

The Federal Reserve took two major new steps Wednesday to assure businesses and consumers that it intends to keep borrowing costs at record low levels for the foreseeable future ? at least three years.

For the first time in its 94-year history, the central bank opened its mind to the public, publishing a collection of charts that break down policymakers? forecasts on interest rates, inflation and unemployment. ?And for the first time ever, it set an explicit target for inflation, 2 percent a year, instead of an implied target.

Both steps are in keeping with Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke?s stated goal of making the Fed?s decisions ever more transparent. Economists welcomed the new moves but said they have their own risks.

The first headline to come out after central bankers ended their two-day meeting Wednesday was the news that policymakers do not expect to raise short-term interest rates until late 2014 at the earliest, rather than mid-2013 as they said a month ago.? Those record-low rates are still needed to help boost an improving but still sluggish economy, the Fed said in the new statement.??

"I think what they are seeing is that the rate of growth is not sufficient to bring down the unemployment rate,? said Brian Dolan, chief strategist at Forex.com. Unemployment stood at 8.5 percent at the latest reading in December, with 13 million Americans who would like a job unable to find one.

The latest data show the economy beginning to strengthen: Hiring has picked up, factories are increasing output and car sales are rising. Still, the threat of a recession in Europe continues to weigh on the global economy. U.S. consumers have been resorting to borrowing again to maintain spending levels that may not be sustainable.

In its latest forecast, the central bank cut its growth outlook this year but is now a bit more optimistic about the unemployment rate. It expects the U.S. economy to grow between 2.2 percent and 2.7 percent this year. That's down from its November's forecast of between 2.5 percent and 2.9 percent. But it sees unemployment falling as low as 8.2 percent this year, better than its earlier forecast of 8.5 percent. December's rate was 8.5 percent.

By making its plans and expectations clear and explicit, the Fed is hoping to boost public confidence that interest rates will stay low. If the strategy works, that higher confidence will encourage investment and spending that would give the moribund economy a lift.

The plan could create problems for Fed officials down the road as economic conditions change. Though the disclosures are being billed as ?expectations,? investors have come to view the pronouncements as commitments. If events overtake the Fed?s current thinking, those expectations may have to be altered. That could undermine the credibility of these forecasts, according to Credit Suisse economists.

?Eventually, the Fed is bound to discover it cannot live up to the policy trajectory communicated to the market,? they wrote in a recent note explaining the changes in Fed?s communication strategy. ?When this happens the Fed will have enhanced its transparency at the expense of its credibility. And between those two assets, credibility is by far the more important.?

That, the economists argue, could have ?the perverse effect of encouraging greater volatility in the fixed income markets, especially when the FOMC eventually starts forecasting higher funds rate targets.?

Promising to keeping rates low to spur borrowing and spending may be a double-edged sword. Potential home buyers, for example, may be happy to sit on the fence as long as they don?t have to worry about missing out on record-low mortgage rates.

?It may take the floor away from the housing market,? said Douglas C. Borthwick, managing director at Faros Trading. ?With no apparent need for buyers to lock in lower rates today they may be more encouraged to wait a little while longer to pull the trigger. Why buy today when there may be more supply tomorrow?"

Since the Great Recession of 2007-09 and the biggest housing collapse since the 1930s, the Fed has thrown pretty much everything in its toolkit at the financial system, trying to revive the economy. Conventional moves targeting short-term lending have been followed by unorthodox schemes that included massive buying of mortgage bonds and a switch in the maturities of Treasury bonds to drive down longer-term rates. On Wednesday, the Fed announced no new plans to buy bonds.

Economists generally believe the Fed?s initial moves succeeded in heading off a deeper financial and economic collapse. But the economy is still growing slowly, and the job and housing markets are still badly broken.

The Fed has been debating for some time the idea of publishing its internal inflation and unemployment forecasts. The central bankers have been following an unofficial inflation target of about 2 percent of the last few years.

Part of the problem with publishing both inflation and unemployment targets is that, while they are both part of the Fed?s ?dual mandate,? managing the two objectives often call for conflicting policies. Controlling inflation often calls for tighter monetary policy, for example, which typically slows growth and raises the level of unemployment.

The Fed?s new rate-forecast policy may already be having the desired impact. As details of the Fed?s new policy have been disclosed, interest rates on U.S. Treasury bonds, a bellwether for borrowing costs from mortgages to corporate commercial paper, have been edging lower.

On Wednesday, Treasury yields fell on the news that the Fed plans no rate increase until late 2014 at the earliest. The yield on the 10-year note sank to 1.95 percent, down from 2.02 percent just before the Fed made its announcement.

Lower yields could help further reduce mortgage rates and possibly boost stock prices as investors shift out of lower-yielding Treasurys. Stocks, which had traded lower before the Fed announcment, quickly recovered their losses. The Dow Jones industrial average, which had been down about 60 points before the announcement, was up 81 points shortly before the close.

{"contentId":"10235144","totalVotes":"472"}

Is the Fed helping the economy with its latest actions?

Related:

?

?

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke says he will "not get involved in political rhetoric" and also shares insight on Dodd-Frank.

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/25/10235144-fed-adds-more-punch-to-low-rate-pledge

cowboys cowboys slim dunkin slim dunkin will rogers ohio university ohio university

Pakistan accuses Iran of killing 6 on border (AP)

QUETTA, Pakistan ? Iranian security forces on Thursday killed six Pakistani traders taking goats into Iran, a Pakistani official said.

Iranian authorities were not immediately available for comment.

The incident happened Thursday on the Iranian side of the border near the Pakistani town of Gwadar, said its deputy commissioner Abdur Rehman.

Rehman said Iranian authorities were not releasing the bodies. He gave no more details.

Earlier this month, Iranian security personnel allegedly crossed into southwest Pakistan and killed one man.

There is occasional violence along the poorly marked border, where smuggling, banditry and terrorism are rife.

The incidents do not appear to have affected Islamabad's relations with Tehran, which are based on larger regional interests.

Pakistan's ties with Iran have ebbed and flowed over the last 20 years, dependent largely on developments elsewhere in a turbulent region, where Iran's archrivals Saudi Arabia and the United States have also sought influence. Sunni-Shia tensions within Pakistan have also been a factor.

Relations have been stable since the downfall of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in 2002.

Pakistan is battling an Islamist militant insurgency along its border with Afghanistan in the northwest of the country.

Earlier Thursday, security forces killed at least 20 militants in the northwestern Kurram tribal region after coming under attack, said local government official Wajid Khan. He said 22 troops were also wounded in the attack.

The death toll could not be independently confirmed as the fighting was in a remote area off-limits to journalists.

Kurram is considered a main base for the Pakistani Taliban. Scores of insurgents are believed to hiding there after escaping military operations in the nearby tribal regions in recent years.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan

troy davis execution date troy davis execution date skylar grey building 7

United Technologies 4Q profit up nearly 11 pct (AP)

HARTFORD, Conn. ? United Technologies Corp. said Wednesday its fourth-quarter profit rose nearly 11 percent, propelled by growth in its aerospace businesses. Total revenue increased 1 percent.

The manufacturer of elevators, jet engines, heating and cooling equipment and other industrial products is banking on growth in commercial aerospace as Congress and the Obama administration plan to cut military spending.

A $16.4 billion acquisition of aircraft components maker Goodrich Corp is on track to close by the middle of 2012, while United Technologies' jet engine division Pratt & Whitney is spending $1.5 billion to buy out Rolls Royce from a joint venture that makes engines for the Airbus A320.

Chief Executive Louis Chenevert said in a statement Wednesday that the two deals position United Technologies for future earnings growth. He told analysts last month that the Goodrich deal could increase revenue 10 percent at United Technologies this year, but will not add to profit until 2013.

In the October-December quarter, jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney's operating profit rose 12 percent, while profit at aerospace parts maker Hamilton Sundstrand jumped 21 percent.

But operating profit at helicopter maker unit Sikorsky Aircraft fell 13 percent. Sikorsky announced in September it was trimming its worldwide work force of 18,000 by about 3 percent as U.S. forces exit Iraq and draw down in Afghanistan.

United Technologies also makes products for buildings. Its air conditioner and heating products maker, Carrier, posted strong growth in the fourth quarter, with a 57 percent jump in operating profit. Profit rose 8 percent at Otis, the company's elevator manufacturing division.

The Hartford, Conn., company said Wednesday that total net income in the October-December period was $1.33 billion, or $1.47 per share. That's up from $1.2 billion, or $1.31 per share, in the same quarter in 2010.

Revenue grew to $14.97 billion from $14.86 billion.

Analysts polled by FactSet were expecting earnings per share of $1.46 and revenue of $15.06 billion.

United Technologies' costs and expenses were almost unchanged from the prior period.

For all of 2011, net income was $4.98 billion, or $5.49 per share. That's up 14 percent from 2010. Revenue for 2011 rose 7 percent to $58.19 billion.

The company said that it still expects 2012 profit of $5.80 to $6 per share, with revenue of $59 to $60 billion. Analysts expect earnings of $5.64 per share on revenue of $62.93 billion.

Shares rose 12 cents to $77.90 in premarket trading Wednesday. They are up 6.4 percent in 2012 and have risen 3.3 percent over the past three months.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/earnings/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_bi_ge/us_earns_united_technologies

pineapple express martyn martyn ecri stacey dash the time machine cloverfield

Former White House candidate Bachmann to seek Congress (reuters)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/191454234?client_source=feed&format=rss

vlad the impaler michael lohan fiddler on the roof rally squirrel