U.S. Embassy shelters Americans amid Egypt NGO crackdown (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Several American citizens have taken refuge in the U.S. Embassy in Cairo amid a sharpening dispute between Washington and Egypt over U.S.-funded pro-democracy groups in the country, the State Department said on Monday.

"We can confirm that a handful of U.S. citizens have opted to stay in the embassy compound in Cairo while waiting for permission to depart Egypt," State Department spokeswoman Kate Starr said.

The unusual step of offering ordinary U.S. citizens diplomatic refuge follows a crackdown by Egypt's military-led government on non-governmental organizations, including several funded by the U.S. government, which saw travel bans imposed on six American staffers including a son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Egyptian police raided the groups in late December as part of an investigation into foreign funding of 17 pro-democracy and human rights groups, part of what civil society groups say has been a broader crackdown on critics of the army's heavy-handed tactics in dealing with street unrest.

Washington has strongly criticized the move, which has cast a pall over U.S.-Egyptian relations as the most populous Arab nation reaches a critical stage in its uncertain transition away from authoritarian rule.

"We have made clear our concerns about this issue and our disappointment that these several citizens are not being allowed to depart Egypt," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters on Monday.

Leading U.S. lawmakers have also voiced outrage over the incident, and American officials have repeatedly warned that Washington may have to take a fresh look at U.S. aid to Egypt's military, which runs about $1.3 billion per year.

The six U.S. citizens hit with travel bans work with the National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute. Both receive U.S. public funding and are loosely affiliated with the two major U.S. political parties.

The State Department did not provide details on the Americans sheltering in the embassy, although officials at the National Democratic Institute said none of their staff had been relocated. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry declined to comment.

Another State Department spokeswoman, Victoria Nuland, described the refuge offer as "a unique situation" and dismissed suggestions that the aim was to shield the U.S. citizens from potential arrest.

"There is no expectation that any of these individuals are seeking to avoid any kind of judicial process," Nuland said.

"We do not feel that they are in physical danger at the moment. That is a different matter than whether they are being persecuted in the Egyptian judicial system," Nuland added.

MILITARY DELEGATION

An Egyptian military delegation is expected in Washington this week for regular talks that are expected to focus on the impasse over the NGOs, U.S. officials said.

Nuland, while stressing that the visit had been planned before the NGO dispute erupted, said the Egyptians could expect firm words during their U.S. meetings.

"We have concerns about the fact that we have not been able to resolve this situation. That is the message that we are giving the Egyptian government in the strongest terms," she said.

The delegation, made up of four major generals, was expected in Washington on Tuesday, diplomatic sources said.

President Barack Obama spoke with the head of Egypt's ruling military council, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, on January 20. He stressed the importance of the NGOs and discussed Egypt's request for $3.2 billion from the International Monetary Fund.

In a weekend call to Tantawi, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta urged the Egyptians to lift the travel ban and expressed concern over restrictions placed on NGOs, the Pentagon said.

The Obama administration is finalizing its budget for the 2013 fiscal year, which will be presented on February 13 and is expected to include continued assistance for Egypt's military, albeit subject to new conditions imposed by U.S. lawmakers.

Those include evidence that Egyptian military authorities are committed to holding free and fair elections and protecting freedom of expression, association, and religion.

(Additional reporting by Missy Ryan and Laura MacInnis; editing by Doina Chiacu and Mohammad Zargham)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/ts_nm/us_egypt_usa

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Occupy Oakland: 400 arrested after violent protest

Beck Diefenbach / AP

Occupy Oakland protesters burn an American flag found inside Oakland City Hall on Saturday.

By NBC News, msnbc.com staff and news services

Crews cleaned up Oakland's historic City Hall on Sunday from damage inflicted overnight during violent anti-Wall Street protests that resulted in about 400 arrests, marking one of the largest mass arrests since nationwide protests began last year.

At a press conference on Sunday, Oakland police and city officials said they did not have a final tally of arrests. Earlier in the day, the city's emergency operations office put the figure at around 400. The skirmishes injured three officers and at least one demonstrator.

---

Police said a group of protesters burned an American flag in front of City Hall, then entered the building and destroyed a vending machine, light fixtures and a historic scale model of the edifice. The city's 911 emergency system was overwhelmed during the disturbances.

?

"While City Hall sustained damage, we anticipate that all city offices will be open for regular business tomorrow," said Deanna Santana, Oakland city administrator.

Oakland has become an unlikely flashpoint for the national "Occupy" protests against economic inequality that began last year in New York's financial district and spread to dozens of cities.

The protests in most cities have been peaceful and sparked a national debate over how much of the country's wealth is held by the richest 1 percent of the population. President Barack Obama has sought to capitalize on the attention by calling for higher taxes on the richest Americans.

Related stories:

Occupy protests focused on Oakland after a former Marine and Iraq war veteran, Scott Olsen, was critically injured during a demonstration in October. Protesters said he was hit in the head by a tear gas canister but authorities have never said exactly how he was hurt.

The Occupy movement appeared to lose momentum late last year as police cleared protest camps in several cities.

Violence erupted again in Oakland on Saturday afternoon when protesters attempted to take over the apparently empty downtown convention center to establish a new headquarters and draw attention to the problem of homelessness.

'Violent splinter group'
Police in riot gear moved in to drive back the crowd, which they estimated at about 500 protesters.

"Officers were pelted with bottles, metal pipe, rocks, spray cans, improvised explosive devices and burning flares," the Oakland Police Department said in a statement. "The Oakland Police Department deployed smoke, tear gas and beanbag projectiles in response to this activity."

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan accused a "violent splinter group" of the Occupy movement of fomenting the Saturday protests and using the city as its playground. Protesters have accused the city of overreacting and using heavy-handed tactics.

Police move in on Occupy Oakland protesters on Oak Street and 12th as tear gas gets blown back on them in Oakland.

Oakland officials on Sunday were inspecting damage inside City Hall that was caused by about 50 Occupy protesters who broke in and smashed glass display cases, spray-painted graffiti, and burned the?U.S. and California flags.

The break-in on Saturday was the culmination of a day of clashes between protesters and police. At least 300 people were arrested on charges ranging from vandalism and failure to disperse.

At least three officers and one protester were injured.

Quan said Occupy protesters have caused an estimated $2 million in damages from vandalism since October. She said the cost to the city related to the Occupy Oakland protests is pegged at about $5 million.

?

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

This article includes reporting from NBCBayArea.com, The Associated Press and msnbc.com's Miranda Leitsinger.

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Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/30/10268080-occupy-oakland-400-arrested-after-violent-protest

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Greece, creditors on verge of clinching debt deal (Reuters)

ATHENS (Reuters) ? Greece and its private creditors said on Saturday they were piecing together the final elements of a debt swap and expected to have a deal ready next week, essential for sealing a new bailout and avoiding an uncontrolled default.

After muddling through round after round of inconclusive talks, the negotiations are in their final phase - though it appeared unlikely that a preliminary deal would be secured in time for a European Union summit on Monday.

Greek bondholders said the two sides were finalising a deal along the lines of a proposal made by Jean-Claude Juncker, the chairman of euro zone finance ministers.

The bondholders' comments suggested creditors had accepted Juncker's demand for a coupon, or interest rate, of below 4 percent on new, longer-dated bonds that Athens will swap for existing debt.

The coupon had been the main stumbling block in the talks, with euro zone ministers rejecting private creditors' demand for a coupon of at least 4 percent - above the 3.5 percent level Greece and its European partners had been holding out for.

"Next week we will be in a position to complete the debt swap," Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said, citing significant progress at Saturday's talks. "We are really one step away from the final deal."

He confirmed that the two sides were working along the "exact framework" provided by euro zone finance ministers.

Charles Dallara, chief of the Institute of International Finance that negotiates on behalf of banks and insurers, is due to leave Athens on Sunday but will remain in contact with Greek authorities, the IIF said.

Still, for Athens, progress on the debt swap is at risk of being overshadowed by increasingly problematic talks with its foreign lenders, whose inspectors are in town demanding unpopular reforms that no politician wants to be linked to.

DENSE, DIFFICULT AND CRUCIAL

Crushed by 350 billion euros of debt and running out of cash quickly, Greece is scrambling to appease the "troika" of its official lenders - the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund - and stitch up a deal with private creditors simultaneously.

Unimpressed with Athens dragging its feet on reforms, the troika has said they could hold up aid if more is not done to make the Greek economy more efficient.

"It's all very dense, difficult and crucial," a Greek finance ministry official said.

European paymaster Germany is pushing for Athens to relinquish control over its budget policy to European institutions as part of discussions over a second rescue package, a European source told Reuters.

With many Greeks blaming Germans for the austerity medicine their country has been forced to swallow, officials in Athens dismissed the idea as out of the question. "The government stresses that this responsibility belongs exclusively to the Greek government," said government spokesman Pantelis Kapsis.

"The government has made a series of steps to improve the effectiveness of the public administration and a closer monitoring of the efforts to achieve fiscal targets.."

The European Commission, the executive arm of the 27-country bloc, said it wanted the Greek government to maintain autonomy.

"The Commission is committed to further reinforcing its monitoring capacity and is currently developing its capacity on the ground," a spokesman said. "But executive tasks must remain the full responsibility of the Greek Government, which is accountable before its citizens and its institutions. That responsibility lies on their shoulders and it must remain so."

A government source in Berlin said Germany's proposal was aimed not just at Greece but also at other struggling euro zone members which receive aid and are unable to make good on their obligations. "All options can obviously be introduced only with the agreement of, for example, the Greeks themselves," he added.

NEW BONDS FOR OLD

The debt swap, in which private creditors take a 50 percent cut in the nominal value of their Greek holdings in exchange for cash and new bonds, is also a prerequisite for the country to secure a 130-billion-euro rescue plan drawn up last year.

The two sides have broadly agreed that new bonds under the swap would have a 30-year maturity, but the talks ran into trouble over the coupon and whether the ECB and other public creditors must take losses on their holdings.

A deal, aimed at chopping 100 billion euros off Greece's debt load, must be sealed in about three weeks at the latest as Greece has to repay 14.5 billion euros of debt on March 20.

Otherwise Greece could sink into an uncontrolled default that might spread turmoil across the euro zone and tip the global economy back into recession.

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said on Saturday that euro zone members were making progress to overcome their crisis but must do more to strengthen their financial firewall to stop the crisis spreading, adding the IMF was ready to help.

"There is progress as we see it," Lagarde told a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

"But it is critical that the euro zone members actually develop a clear, simple, firewall that can operate both to limit the contagion and to provide this sort of act of trust in the euro zone so that the financing needs of that zone can actually be met."

Concern has also grown in recent days that the debt swap may not do enough to get the country's debt reduction plan back on track, and that Greece's European partners will be forced to stump up funds to cover the shortfall.

The German news magazine Der Spiegel reported on Saturday that Greece's international lenders thought Athens would need 145 billion euros of public money from the euro zone for its second bailout, rather than the planned 130 billion euros.

The magazine said the extra money was needed because of the deteriorating economic situation in Greece, echoing a Reuters report on Thursday.

Greece is in its fifth year of recession, and hopes of an end to the crisis in the near term have virtually gone, because of the combination of squabbling politicians, rising social anger and its inability to push through badly needed reforms.

(Additional reporting by Andreas Rinke in Berlin and John O'Donnell in Brussels, Writing by Deepa Babington; Editing by Tim Pearce and Janet Lawrence)

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

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Iran says oil could reach $120 to $150 per barrel (AP)

TEHRAN, Iran ? The head of Iran's state oil company said Sunday that the price of crude will reach $120 to $150 per barrel, as officials in Tehran prepare to discuss a ban on crude sales to European Union countries in retaliation for an EU embargo.

Head of the National Iranian Oil Company Ahmad Qalehbani also said that Tehran would expand its capacity to refine crude domestically, instead of selling it on international markets.

The EU announced an embargo on Iranian oil last week to pressure Tehran on its controversial nuclear program.

The embargo is set to go into effect in the summer, but Iran says that it may cut the flow of crude to Europe early.

Iran says the EU accounts for only 18 percent of its output and that it can find new customers. It says the embargo will hurt the West more than Iran, in part by causing a spike in prices.

"It seems we will witness prices from $120 to $150 in the future," Qalehbani was quoted as saying by IRNA. He did not give a time frame for the prediction, nor any other details.

The price of benchmark U.S. crude on Friday was around $99.56 per barrel.

Qalehbani also said that Iran could find other customers for its crude in the short term, while in the longer term expanding its refining capacity to turn the crude into other petroleum products.

"The sale of some 18 percent of Iranian oil, to a market other than the EU, is quite possible. But our long term idea is to increase refining capacities to produce valuable products," he said.

Qalehbani's statement came as Iranian oil officials prepare to debate a ban on crude sales to European Union countries.

Many Iranian lawmakers and officials have called for an immediate ban on oil exports to the European bloc before the EU's ban fully goes into effect in July. They say this will hurt Europe before it can find alternative suppliers.

It also coincided with a visit by a U.N. nuclear team expected to focus on Iran's alleged attempt to develop nuclear weapons.

The United States and its allies argue that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons technology, while Tehran says the program is for purely peaceful purposes.

With some 3.5 million barrels of crude production, Iran is the second largest OPEC producer.

Some 80 percent of the country's foreign revenue comes from exporting around 2.2 million barrels of oil per day.

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

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Two Uighurs deported from Cambodia to China get life (Reuters)

BEIJING (Reuters) ? China has jailed two Muslim Uighurs deported from Cambodia for life, Radio Free Asia reported on Friday, showing no sign of loosening its grip on far-western Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region which holds rich deposits of oil and gas.

The sentences -- and deadly clashes this week between police in Sichuan and ethnic Tibetans -- come at a sensitive time for China for whom ensuring stability ahead of a leadership transition later this year is a top priority.

They also precede a visit to the United States by Vice President Xi Jinping, who is seen as China's leader-in-waiting and who could come under criticism for the government's handling of the unrest.

Cambodia, the recipient of increasingly large amounts of Chinese investment and trade, was sharply rebuked by human rights groups for deporting the asylum seekers.

Two days after Cambodia deported the Muslim Uighurs in December 2009, Chinese Vice President Xi visited Phnom Penh and signed 14 trade deals worth $850 million.

The U.S.-funded Radio Free Asia broadcast and online news service cited family sources and local authorities in Xinjiang who in turn quoted jail notices they had seen.

It was unclear when the sentences were handed down or what the men had been charged with.

A spokeswoman for the Xinjiang government told Reuters she was not aware of the sentences.

The two Uighurs were among a group of about 20 who had sought asylum in Cambodia following ethic riots between Uighurs and majority Han Chinese in Xinjiang's capital of Urumqi in July 2009. Another of the group was jailed for 17 years, Radio Free Asia said, adding that the jail terms of the others were not known because court proceedings were held in secret.

"The imprisonment of these men, who were forcefully deported from a place of refuge, should serve as a wake-up call to the world about the brutal treatment awaiting Uighur asylum seekers who are sent back to China," Uighur American Association president Alim Seytoff said in a statement posted on the advocacy group's website.

"The Uighurs in Cambodia were sent back to the very repression they were attempting to flee. We cannot allow the long arm of Chinese pressure to govern the treatment of Uighur asylum seekers in other countries."

Radio Free Asia, citing rights groups, said the asylum-seekers had fled persecution because they had witnessed Chinese security forces arresting and using lethal force against Uighur demonstrators during the riots that killed nearly 200 people, many of them Han Chinese.

Many Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking Muslim people native to Xinjiang, resent Chinese rule and controls on their religion, culture and language.

In September, China said it had sentenced four people to death for violence in two Xinjiang cities last summer in another flare-up that left 32 people dead.

(Writing by Ken Wills and Judy Hua; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/china/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/wl_nm/us_china_uighurs

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Should Undercover Video Be Banned at Livestock Farms? (Time.com)

Humane Society of the United States

For decades, animal activists have gone undercover to take jobs inside large-scale livestock farms in order to document conditions for farm animals that they say are routinely inhumane. Their hidden camera footage has resulted in criminal charges against owners and workers, plant shutdowns, and after one at a California slaughterhouse in 2008, the largest meat recall in U.S. history.

But these images could soon be made illegal. Legislation pending in five states ? Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and New York ? would criminalize the actions of activists who covertly film farms. Proponents of the various pieces legislation say that their proposed laws would lead to beneficial consequences, including the protection of such farms from potential terrorist infiltration (preserving the integrity of the food supply) and espionage; the prevention of images that mislead consumers; as well as regulating the job application process to circumvent potential employees from lying in order to be hired. See the legal assault on animal-abuse whistleblowers.

These so-called "ag-gag" bills have ignited a national debate about undercover videos and have raised concerns about free speech and journalists' and whistleblowers' ability to report on the farming industry.

TIME traveled to Iowa, the nation's leading producer of eggs and pork and the first state to propose a ban on undercover videos, with one former investigator for a rare glimpse at how these videos are made and why they are so controversial.

LIST: Top 10 Pictures of the Year of 2011

SPECIAL: TIME's 2011 Person of the Year: The Protester

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Motorola announces Q4 2011 earnings: $3.4 billion revenue, $80 million net loss

Motorola offered a estimate that lowered expectations for its Q4 2011 earnings earlier this month, and it's now out with the final numbers, reporting net revenues of $3.4 billion and a GAAP net loss of $80 million. That's a swing in the opposite direction from $80 million in net earnings during the same quarter a year ago, although the company did achieve the "modest profitability" it had promised on a non-GAAP basis, reporting earnings of $61 million by that accounting standard. Its earlier estimates of device shipments for the quarter also proved to be on the mark, with the company confirming that it shipped 10.5 million mobile devices in total, 5.3 million of which were smartphones. Mobile device shipments for all of 2011 totaled 42.4 million, with 18.7 million of those being smartphones.

As for the company's efforts to break into the tablet business, it says it "shipped" 200,000 tablets in Q4 and an even one million during the year, although there's no word on actual sale figures to consumers. Motorola's Sanjay Jha also says that the company remains "energized" about the proposed merger with Google, which is still expected to close in early 2012 (it's also, incidentally, precluded an earnings call for today). Those interested can find all of the company's numbers at the source link below.

Continue reading Motorola announces Q4 2011 earnings: $3.4 billion revenue, $80 million net loss

Motorola announces Q4 2011 earnings: $3.4 billion revenue, $80 million net loss originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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J.C. Penney revamp: Lower prices, fewer sales

By Msnbc.com staff and wire

No more waiting for?sales. That's the word from retailer J.C. Penney, which announced Tuesday a revamp that would mark down prices on all of its merchandise?by at least 40 percent.

The company said?the move would simplify pricing for consumers, who may have been confused by its constant promotions and discounts.

"The customer knows the right price. To think you can fool a customer is kind of crazy,"?chief executive Ron Johnson said at an event in New York to present?Penney's plans to reinvent itself, boost revenues and catch up with rivals such as Macy's and Kohl's.

He said that only 0.2 percent of sales came from full price items. He also said Penney's 590 unique promotions a year were confusing and failed to draw shoppers. Some 72 percent of Penney revenue came last year from items discounted at least 50 percent.

"At some point, you seem desperate," said Johnson, who become CEO in November after 11 years at Apple Inc, where he built that company's retail chain.

Starring Feb. 1, Penney will offer three types of pricing -- everyday pricing, best prices and month-long deals -- and do away with clearance.

Johnson said the barrage of promotional emails from Penney was "confusing," leading him to see the need for simpler pricing.

The plan is similar to Wal-Mart Store Inc.'s iconic everyday low pricing strategy except that Penney's goal isn't to undercut competitors. Instead, Penney aims to take the guesswork out of shopping in its stores by offering customers fewer sales and more predictable pricing.

Penney's plan comes at a time when stores are struggling to wean shoppers off the profit-busting bargains that they have come to expect in the weak economy. The move is risky because shoppers who love to bargain-hunt may be turned off by the absence of sales.

"The big question on investors' minds will be how customers will react to a single price point versus a perceived discount under the old strategy," says Citi Investment Research analyst Deborah L. Weinswig.

Here's how Penney's pricing will be different:

• Sale prices become everyday prices. The company will use sales data from last year to slash prices on all merchandise at least 40 percent or lower than the previous year's prices. So, a woman's St. John's Bay blouse regularly priced at $14.99 could have the "Every Day" price of $7.
• Fewer sales. The retailer will pick items to go on sale each month for a "Monthly Value." For instance, in February, it might be jewelry for Valentine's Day and in December it could be Christmas decorations. Items that don't sell well would go on clearance and be tagged "Best Price," signaling to customers that's the cheapest price.
• New tags. The retailer used to pile stickers on price tags to indicate each time an item was marked down. But now each time an item gets a new price, it gets a new tag too. A red tag indicates an "Every Day" price, a white tag a "Monthly Value" and a blue tag a "Best Price."
• Simpler pricing. Penney will use whole figures when pricing items. In other words, you won't see jeans with a price tag of $19.99, but rather $20.
• New advertising. There will be an ad that shows shoppers screaming "No" to discounts as they look in their mailboxes, a pile of coupons and big sales signs. A 96-page colorful catalog that highlights "Monthly Value" items will be mailed each month to 14 million customers, along with other promotional efforts.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

CNBC's Courtney Reagan has the details on J.C. Penney's plans to revive itself with a new look.

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/25/10233945-jc-penney-revamp-lower-prices-fewer-sales

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Shoring up the Pipeline for Female Filmmakers at Sundance (Huffington Post)

Read Pat Mitchell's other articles on HuffingtonPost.com

If you only pay attention to the press coverage and/or tweets from Sundance this year, you might think it is all about celebrity sightings, but in fact, there is some powerful paradigm shifting going on as well. I was honored to be cohost of a gathering about women in film, along with Jacki Zehner, a dear friend and superwoman in every sense, along with two great organizations?Women In Film Los Angeles and the Sundance Institute. Our collective goal was to look at the current state of women in film and launch an initiative to shore up the pipeline that channels women's ideas, sensibilities, and good work onto the big screen.

It wasn't the first time, of course, that we'd explored these ideas. This "conversation" actually started last year with an informal gathering where Jacki, Geena Davis, Gloria Steinem, and 50 or so women directors, writers, producers, and funders got together to discuss how women are represented in film?both in the stories and behind the scenes. Further, we discussed why there is a disappointing underrepresentation of women across all sectors of media, particularly in clout positions.

This year, more than 150 women got together to continue the conversation with some new data: 17% of the 3,879 feature-length films submitted to the 2012 Sundance Film Festival were directed by women, and that number is affected significantly by the documentary films, among which we find almost double the number of women directors submitting as for narrative films. Among films selected for the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, the numbers are a bit more (10% more) encouraging, with 27% of festival films directed by women.

There?s a bit of a brighter picture when we look at Sundance feature film and documentary film labs?where Sundance incubates filmmakers and their projects. Over the last two years, an average of 47% of feature film lab fellows and 45% of documentary film lab fellows were female.

As Keri Putnam, executive director, Sundance Institute, pointed out, the large jumps in these statistics reveal a pattern wherein women are originating high-quality projects, but are having a hard time getting them made. This, of course, isn't the only field where we see major pipeline issues for women?just look at law, medicine, and the sciences and engineering. But that doesn't mean we will throw up our hands in resignation. We're going to do something about it.

Cathy Schulman, president of Women In Film Los Angeles, explained that her organization would be collaborating with the Sundance Institute, first to thoroughly study the statistics on women filmmakers in the independent world, inviting other organizations to work with them to compile the best information, and second, to follow the 2012 Sundance ?class? of female Festival, Fund and Lab filmmakers to analyze challenges they may face moving projects forward.

The goal is to formulate a vision for support within the scope of both institutions? programs. The efforts will focus on supporting opportunities or paths toward sustained careers, inclusivity and parity, and the diversity in the content and backgrounds of women filmmakers. In addition, Women In Film has agreed to coprogram a symposium in Los Angeles with Sundance Institute spotlighting the challenges facing independent women filmmakers, and to open up their mentorship and career counseling programs to Sundance Institute supported filmmakers where they will receive guidance, mentoring, and business and creative support services.

It's thrilling to be present at these kinds of gatherings, when convicted women with access to resources and deep, wide networks, leverage their power to make sure that the next generation of Catherine Hardwickes and Jane Campions don't go unnoticed. I'll keep you posted on our progress.

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Read More: Sundance Film Festival, Cathy Schulman, Geena Davis, Gloria Steinem, Jacki Zehner, Sundance, Sundance 2012, Sundance 2012 Womens Films, Sundance Women

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20120126/en_huffpost/1234680

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Google to merge user data across more services

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Google Inc. is overhauling the way it treats user data, linking information across its array of email, video and social-networking services so that information gathered in one place can be used in another.

For example, if you spent the last hour logged into Google to search the Web for skateboards, the next time you log into YouTube, there's a good chance you'll get recommendations for videos featuring Tony Hawk.

The changes take effect March 1 and remove some of the legal hurdles that Google faced by having more than 70 different privacy policies across various services. Now, there will be one main policy covering services such as Google Plus, Gmail, search, YouTube and Maps, with separate ones covering sensitive services such as Google Wallet.

Still, the changes could irk privacy critics because of the sheer volume of information collected ? including your location, list of contacts and the contents of your email.

Google hopes to improve the user experience across its different services and give advertisers a better way to find customers.

"If you're signed into Google, we can do things like suggest search queries ? or tailor your search results ? based on the interests you've expressed in Google (Plus), Gmail, and YouTube," the company says on a new overview page for its privacy policy. "We'll better understand which version of Pink or Jaguar you're searching for and get you those results faster."

Ryan Calo, director for privacy at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society, said Google is trying to do the best it can to simplify its privacy policy and make it transparent without bogging down people with pages of legalese. The privacy documents now run about 10,000 words, down from 68,000.

But he said the company still needs to be careful how it uses the data so that it helps users, without revealing sensitive information.

"If it creeps people out, then they need to be aware of that," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2012-01-24-Google-Privacy/id-f650fa284e024bc8b1cf65b48a6ea57e

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99% A Separation

Asghar Farhadi's "A Separation" (made in Iran) is a deceptively simple film. On the surface, it seems quite mundane. But gradually, its deeper themes emerge beautifully. It is not just about the specific legal disputes that make up the plot. It's a deep expression of sorrow about the divisions in present-day Persian society. It's complex enough that one could analyze it in different ways ad infinitum. (How often are you able to say that about a film nowadays?!) The divisions that hit me most powerfully are: - Class stratification. The gap between the well-educated professional class and the poorly educated working class is depicted in a brutal, heart-wrenching way. - Religious stratification. The gap between the religious population (Muslim, of course) and the secular population is shown to have some correspondence to class stratification, with the poor and less educated tending to be more religious, but not always. - Family divisions. This is explored several ways. A well-educated family is torn apart over whether to leave Iran. The mother wants to leave; the father does not. Their teenage daughter is caught in the middle, forced to make an agonizing choice: which parent does she want to stay with? Before this, I had always thought that families were united in the desire to migrate. This film clued me into the devastating struggles families go through trying to reach consensus around the momentous decision to uproot the family and possibly never again see family members left behind. A chief reason the man does not want to leave is that he cannot leave his father alone. The divisions inside a poor family are also explored. Here it surrounds whether a married woman should work outside the home. This struggle has religious overtones as well. "A Separation" is uncommonly rich. Its weakness is that it does become tedious at times. There are endless scenes in make-shift courtrooms, where witnesses bicker with each other. The camera work is extremely pedestrian. Farhadi seems to be of the mind that the director's hand should be invisible. He should just set up the camera, point it toward the actors, and turn it on. This approach to filmmaking is risky. Sometimes a flat style is paradoxically exhilarating. But more often it leads to a dull cinematic experience for the audience. Unfortunately, this happened too often during the film, at least for me. But still, there's no denying the depth and uniqueness of "A Separation." I'm delighted that it has become an art-house sensation in America. I also look forward to following Asghar Farhadi's career with more care. (This is the fifth film he has directed but the first I've seen or even heard of.)

January 6, 2012

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_separation_2011/

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FACT CHECK: Gingrich flubs history in GOP debate

Republican presidential candidates, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, left, stands next to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich before a Republican Presidential debate Monday Jan. 23, 2012, at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Republican presidential candidates, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, left, stands next to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich before a Republican Presidential debate Monday Jan. 23, 2012, at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Newt Gingrich called rival Mitt Romney a "terrible historian" but flubbed his own history in Congress on Monday night when he claimed the nation ran four consecutive budget surpluses during his time as House speaker. Romney attacked Gingrich's financial links to Freddie Mac while ignoring his own.

The accusations were fast out of the gate in the latest Republican presidential debate, and reality got tromped in the process.

A look at some of claims and how they compare with the facts:

___

GINGRICH: "When I was speaker, we had four consecutive balanced budgets."

THE FACTS: Actually, two.

The four straight years of budget surpluses were 1998 through 2001. Gingrich left Congress in 1999, so he only had a hand in surpluses for his last two years. The budget ran deficits for his first two years as speaker.

The highest surplus of that four-year string came in budget year 2000, after Gingrich was out of office.

Overall, the national debt went up during the four years Gingrich was speaker. In January 1995, when he assumed the leadership position, the gross national debt was $4.8 trillion. When he left four years later, it was $5.6 trillion, an increase of $800 billion.

___

ROMNEY: "I don't think we can possibly retake the White House if the person who's leading our party is the person who was working for the chief lobbyist of Freddie Mac. Freddie Mac was paying Speaker Gingrich $1.6 million at the same time Freddie Mac was costing the people of Florida millions upon millions of dollars."

THE FACTS: While going after Gingrich forcefully on the issue, Romney did not mention his own earnings from the government-backed lender and its sister entity, Fannie Mae, which came to light in his most recent financial disclosure report.

The report shows he has as much as $500,000 invested in the two lenders. GOP presidential hopefuls almost across the board have blamed the two institutions for contributing to the housing crisis that helped to drag the nation into recession. Among Romney's ties: a mutual fund worth up to $500,000 that includes assets from both lenders among other government income, and separate investments in each of the lenders in Romney's individual retirement account, each worth between $100,000 and $250,000.

Romney campaign officials said Monday the investments were handled by a trustee with no direction by the candidate.

___

Associated Press writers Tom Raum and Jim Drinkard contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-23-Republicans-Debate-Fact%20Check/id-0fef8d6aa8d84cbf8c9681a9f77b9913

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These Android hotel apps will help you find a roof above your head (Appolicious)

While iPhone users have had quick access to Airbnb?s convenient room booking service for a while now, Android users can finally get in on the fun now that the Airbnb app has come to the Android Market.

Airbnb is a free app that serves as a hub for people to find and list their own homes for other strangers to stay in. The launch of the Android app brings with it some new features to the Airbnb model, including the ability for the guest and the owner to instant message quickly back and forth with one another should any problems arise. If you?re looking for something a little different in travel accommodations, Airbnb is a pretty cool place to start.

But there are plenty of other app options for Android users if they?re not sold on the Airbnb experience, too. On the opposite side of the spectrum from Airbnb, there is the more conventional Orbitz (free). With Orbitz you can book flights, hotels and rental cars in just a few quick taps. The Android app also includes a feature called Orbitz Mobile Steals that offers additional mobile-only discounts on room rentals.

If you find you?d like to look at vacation rentals while also keeping an eye on the apartment rental market, HotPads Rentals & Real Estate (free) does a good job providing a little bit of everything under the sun. The app offers listings based on location with listings shown either in list or map form. Potential renters can see detailed pictures, floor plans and price comparisons.

Those that want to keep their eye firmly focused on the vacation end of things can check out the free HomeAway app. HomeAway offers vacation rentals with full kitchens and all the convenience of an actual home while you?re still on vacation. The app boasts over 260,000 properties and you can use the app?s calendar to search by date of availability or by assorted other rental criteria like number of rooms and price.

For the serious comparison shopper, there?s RENTalo Vacation Lodgings (free). RENTalo lets users compare prices on various hotel and vacation rental deals. The app has photos and information on each of its listing and helps ensure that users aren?t being up-charged by one website over another when they go to book their stay.

Whichever app you eventually end up choosing, it seems like a safe bet that you should be able to find a reasonable and comfortable place to stay. Just remember not to bring your phone into the hotel pool with you.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/applecomputer/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_androidapps_com_articles10842_these_android_hotel_apps_will_help_you_find_a_roof_above_your_head/44283713/SIG=13jufqs06/*http%3A//www.androidapps.com/tech/articles/10842-these-android-hotel-apps-will-help-you-find-a-roof-above-your-head

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Jaimie Etkin: Pretty Little Liars Recap: Secrets, Lies And Videotape

Note: Do not read on if you have not seen Season 2, Episode 17 of ABC Family's "Pretty Little Liars," entitled "The Blond Leading the Blind."

Plug in your flash drives! It's time to get technological on ABC Family's "Pretty Little Liars."

We open with the girls checking out (again) whatever Caleb was able to recover from A's phone outside the greenhouse (again). A beret-topped Hanna -- looking like a prettier version of beatnik Judy from "Doug" -- hands it over hesitantly, expressing her concern over Caleb's involvement in this whole blackmailing-by-anonymous-people-who-may-or-may-not-have-killed-our-best-friend situation. Understandable. Plus, she doesn't want to continue to lie to him.

Aria is convinced that it's Garrett, now that Lucas has been ruled out (insert growl).

When the recovered video turns on, we hear "I know you want to kiss me" for the 13498234th time and Aria, like most viewers, is disappointed. Then, Alison's bedroom pops up on the screen and Ian is adjusting and seemingly attempting to hide the lens in this never-before-seen portion of the video. Soon after, Garrett and Jenna the bedroom enter for a "N.A.T. Club field trip," as Spencer puts it.

The only one missing in Ali's room? Jason, who is passed out because "a six pack and some weed will do that to you."

Jenna asks why the emergency call and Ian says he tried to get Alison to hand over "our videos" but she wasn't going for it. Jenna, the Samantha Jones of Rosewood, makes a suggestive joke about what Ali also wasn't "going for." Charlotte would be horrified ... as are our liars watching in Spencer's (of course) parent-less home.

Garrett isn't laughing at Jenna's joke. "This is your fault, Ian," he says. "I knew you'd go too far and those videos would come back to bite us. That's why I bailed on this messed up club."

"Well, welcome back," Ian says smugly, prompting "Kotter" tunes in my head.

They hunt for the videos in Ali's room and Garrett finds the box that Jason gave Aria of Ali's things in the August episode, "Touched by an 'A-ngel" and then the clip cuts off. The girls conclude that the N.A.T. Club -- which now officially includes Jenna -- was in Rosewood (GASP) in Ali's bedroom (GASP) on the night that she died (GASP)!

But that tension is broken up by the theme song and we start anew the next day.

Spencer gets a text from A with a picture of her and Toby making out in his car with the words "I warned you!" Spencer really should have found a better make out place because Toby's vintage gold pickup truck isn't exactly a commonplace Jetta.

Toby calls Spencer and Emily -- who is all over the Hastings house in this episode -- answers to lie on her behalf. Unfortunately, Emily (who my mom thinks "has been spending too much time at the tanning salon") is not such a good liar. Toby can see Emily through the window and through Spencer's plan. "This real face time via the window is really funny--- who does that??? don't they have iphones in Rosewood??? hahhahahah" my mom wonders, while cackling apparently. "i mean Toby has an antique truck but we know they do have cell phones." She speaks the truth.

Spencer, Emily, Aria and Hanna reunite at Rosewood High's outdoor cafeteria -- where it is perpetually the same time of year in Pennsylvania. The foursome talks about their respective relationships and protecting their loved ones. Aria thinks Spencer lying in order to protect Toby is "romantic," but Hanna and Spencer say it's just "safe."

Then, odd-woman-out Aria has a pity party about Ezra not talking to her and Holden emerges. Emily calls him Aria's beard, but Aria doesn't think he's gay. "Has he ever tried to kiss you?" the girls ask. Aria: "No." Girls: "Gay."

She's on a mission to find out. After chatting him up about another farce of a date in Philly-- where she can hopefully lure Ezra -- she sees him check out a girl. Like everything else on "Pretty Little Liars," that mystery remains unsolved.

At a newly constructed outdoor cafe in Rosewood, Caleb is seemingly playing hooky to crack the flash drive code. He's able to make out some of the blurriness in the video and see that it's Garrett, who happens to be sitting right in front of him at this lovely new coffee shop. "how come Garrett never works anymore???" my mom asks. Perhaps it's because Ali's murder was "solved"? Nevertheless, business is really booming in Rosewood.

Before Caleb rushes off, Garrett calls after him. A now-scared Caleb turns around and Garrett lets him know he forgot his keys and then, he starts making broad statements about forgetfulness. "Man, I totally know what that's like," the ever-sympathetic Garrett says. "You get so wrapped up in something, you forget where you are. Two hours later it's like, 'Where did I park my car? Did I even drive here?'"

Caleb rushes off with a quick "thanks" and Garrett returns to his delicious-looking scone/cookie situation. Hopefully, he can figure out whether or not he drove there when he's finally done with it.

The girls meet up again in Aria's bedroom, home of the as-seen-on-TV box, and disagree over where to go from here. Hanna wants to close boxes instead of open them, but when she picks up a doll, its neck opens to reveal some notes. (Apparently, Ali was harassed pre-cell phone invention?) The notes range from "It's my turn to torture you" to "Scared yet? You should be, bitch!" to "Next time, it'll be your face, not this pumpkin."

Aria's memory is sparked back to Halloween. And so we flashback to the post-prank place that the Halloween episode left off. The girls are taking a back route with Ali, whose Elvira-inspired Lady Gaga wig continues to annoy me months after its initial appearance.

As Hanna and Spencer talk about how perfect Ian and Melissa are for each other and consider their eventual nuptials, Ali retorts that they're "perfectly bored." But her bitchiness is interrupted when she realizes her porch has been trashed. There's a knife in a pumpkin with a note and when the girls ask what it says, Ali merely replies, "Jason's beer buddies. Real funny." She wants to "make it up" to them, but then ...

We're back in present time, where the girls flip over the "pumpkin"-inscribed paper to see it was written on an invitation to Noel Kahn's Halloween party -- of course, he had flyers -- and it was signed by A. "A was after Allison, too," Spencer concludes, "before they were after us." (Is that Spencer hinting that she thinks A is more than one person, like the rest of us do, or is she just struggling with gender-less subject/verb agreement, like the rest of us do?)

Well, it's a new day at Rosewood High and Hanna decides to finally talk to Mona about her break up with Noel. Pissed over Hanna's not-so-good "being there" skills, Mona angrily walks over to Noel to return a necklace. He, in turn, throws it in the trash and she, in turn, throws herself into the bathroom so as not to let him see her cry. Hanna follows and tells her she deserves better. The girls make up and make a date for that night at Rive Gauche (thanks to my mom, I now know this means "the left bank") to toast to their reconciliation. After they leave and everything seems all rainbows and glitter in Rosewood, Jenna emerges from the stall having eavesdropped on Mona's pain.

In another not-so-private classroom, Aria calls Ezra and says they should meet in Philadelphia to talk about things face to face. "If you come," she says on his voicemail, "it means that there's still a chance for us and if not ... " The voicemail cuts her off because this is TV.

In addition to Caleb, another liar's boyfriend is being truant: We see Toby climb the scaffolding that A loosened at the end of the last episode. And of course, soon enough, his large-featured face is free falling. "does he get killed???" my mom worries (though personally, I'd be happy not to look at his face anymore). After assuring her he's alive and well enough, she explains her curiosity: "oh they didn't show him landing."

But Toby did indeed land and Spencer's mom shockingly found him. "Toby is really lucky Spencer's mom came home since she is rarely home," my mom notes. I tell her it's because she's busy moonlighting as a Mariska Hargitay impersonator. Anyway, Spencer is visiting Toby and telling him how awful she feels about having Emily lie for her yesterday when Dr. Ren enters. (That man shows up in the most suspicious of places, but I suppose I must give him some validity for hospital.) He confirms that Toby's arm is broken and says that he has to stay overnight since he had a concussion. He bids them adieu by saying "Spencer" inquisitively. "Is that a British thing to say someone's name instead of goodbye????" my mom asks. But there are more important things to worry about: Spencer gets a text from A that reads, "Almost got him! Toby won't be so lucky next time."

As we hear the imaginary "mwah ha ha's," Spencer calls Aria to fill the girls in on Toby's status. Aria, Emily and Hanna discuss whether or not Jenna is A. After all, could she really have hurt her own stepbrother (who, mind you, she had quite the incestuous relationship with)? And if Garrett and Jenna broke up, who helped her?

Enter Jenna in Toby's hospital room. "soooooooo was Jenna eye surgery unsuccessful???" my mom jokes, which is only okay because Jenna is not only blind, but also pretty awful. Jenna warns her stepbrother to stay away from Spencer. "She's haunted, Toby. I know a little bit about that," she explains, adding that she's " the only person who should be here" because they're family, whether he likes it or not. Perhaps she should have considered this when she hit on him.

Caleb is really pressing Hanna about what she's doing looking into Ali's allegedly resolved murder. He should instead be worried about why she's wearing very tight white parents during whatever non-summer season this is. As my mom explains: "there is only one season in Rosewood......like early spring or fall......bc they get to wear sweaters and hats." But no time for clothing assessments. Hanna tells Caleb: "Whatever you imagine isn't as bad as it really is." She also urges him to "stop working on these videos." He tells her "people in the video are watching" him, i.e. Officer Garrett. Hanna's had enough of the trouble the flash drive has caused and tosses it in the blender. Rendezvous and she's through with you, flash drive.

Back at the hospital, Jenna is on her way out of Toby's room when she runs into an unhappy Emily who is lucky Jenna doesn't "take that stick and ..." Jenna cuts her off and warns her about misplaced anger and says she should have left him alone.

As Emily sits at Toby's bedside, my mom wonders, "where are Toby's parents??? The kid is in the hospital and they don't come????" and Spencer, who could really use a Xanax, watches through the glass. She motions for Emily to come out into the hall and tells her she's concluded that Jenna's right about them putting Toby in danger. Now, she has a favor. "If you do what I'm about to ask you, you might end up hating me," Spencer warns Em. "But this is the only thing that I can think of to save Toby."

During the commercial break, my mom and I ponder what Spencer's favor could be:
My mom: "im guessing Spencer is going to ask Emily to kiss her so Toby will think she is gay now....."
Me: "WHAT?!"
My mom: "well Spencer needs to breakup with Toby so he is not in danger and if she does that...they can't be together. what do you think she is going to ask Emily do?"
Me: "lie to toby about her not wanting to be with him ... her being spencer"
My mom: "thats way more hurtful than my way ... let's see who's right"

Emily enters the hospital room again (IM from my mom: "i think you're gonna win") and tells Toby that Spencer was seeing someone else before they got together. Now, Emily explains, Spencer's ex is back and she made her choice to be with him. Toby doesn't believe it and asks who the mystery former-turned-present man in Spencer's life is, but Emily won't say.

Aria's mom drops off a choker-sporting Aria and Holden on their Philly date. My mom gets angry over Ella's mere presence: "i wish she would put [the choker] around her mother's neck very tightly......hehe" She's joking (I think). Once they're alone, Aria not-so-covertly asks Holden if he's gay (because the fact that he never tried to kiss her is apparently a dead giveaway) and he says no. "Okay. Well, then what are you?" she asks. "I'm late. See you at 11." My mom's conclusion? "He's just a tool."

Despite his approaching date time with Aria, Ezra is in his office, talking with a student with quite the set of eyelashes about his paper. True love saves him from making the biggest mistake of his life, the pupil says in defense of the character in his paper, which he thinks deserves better than the B Ezra gave him. But a hardened Ezra replies: "Life isn't always romantic; sometimes it's realistic. Sometimes things don't work out the way you want it to." The student heads for the door, but before he leaves, he has an unattributed quote for Ezra: "Be bold. The mighty forces will come to your aide." The Secret Fairy Godstudent and his eyelashes flutter away and seemingly, Ezra finally listens to Aria's voicemail and knows what he has to do.

Hanna sits in her favorite spot at the island in her kitchen and her mom sees the appliance sitting in the trash. "Did you and the blender have a fight today?" she asks. Mrs. Marin got funny since last episode. Hanna says no, but admits that she and Caleb did. She asks her mom if she ever lied to her dad. And then, her mom tells two stories, one about a puke green wall and another about his best friend hitting on her. I take back my favorable Mrs. Marin comment. As my mom says, "oy gevault. this convo is ridic."

Back in the hospital, Ren asks Toby if he can get him anything and Toby takes the opportunity to accuse Ren of being the other man in Spencer's life. Ren admits he kissed her and says that Spencer told him that she and Toby were over. Toby then suggests Ren leave. "I'm just saying, I may have broken my left arm, but my right arm's fine." Damn.

As Mona and Hanna make their way to their date at Rosewood's newest hot spot (we're talkin' fake I.D.'s), the pair sees Jenna dining with Noel. He rebounds quickly and both Mona and Hanna look disturbed for presumably very different reasons. "there has been an economic boom in Rosewood," my mom explains due to the crop of new eateries and going-outeries.

Over in the more precipitous portions of Pennsylvania (previously, my mom asked: "is it raining where lucy* is or just in front of Spencer's window?"), Toby checks himself out of the hospital and Ezra predictably shows up for Aria. He stops his car in the middle of traffic, gets out, calls her name and gives her a perfectly cinematic 180-degree, slow-motion pouring rain kiss. My mom's response: "YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYYAYAYAYAYAAYYAYAYAYAYAYYAYAYAYAYAYAY. IM HAPPY. take that Ella and Byron :)" Three cheers for student-teacher romance?

But soon enough, the magic moment is (thankfully) over. Yes, I am continuing to rain on this inappropriate parade and I'm sorry for the pun. During the commercial break, a reunited Ezria apparently headed to his car and sort of came to their senses. They know it's dangerous and crazy to be together and they realize that they "can't spend the rest of [their] lives on sidewalks in the rain." But they still make out and therefore, I still roll my eyes.

Caleb tells Emily and Spencer that Hanna destroyed the flash drive, but that he has a copy. He wants to keep working on this project (without telling Hanna), but he also wants to know: What is Hanna so afraid of him finding out?

The next morning, Spemily (it'll catch on, don't worry) fill Aria in -- they told Caleb that Jenna's trying to frame them for Alison's murder, that Garrett's helping her and that Ian's confession doesn't tell the whole story.

Spencer says Caleb knows what he has to know as they load Flash Drive 2.0 on her computer. What they find is Ian revealing to Jenna and Garrett that he was taping them. "Once you're a member of the club, your'e always a member of the club," Ian tells a furious Garrett. "Just making sure you're in this as deep as I am." ("so mickey mouse club," my mom notes.) They assume what follows is the last few seconds of Ali's life, but then, of course, the tape cuts out.

Emily doesn't know if Caleb should keep digging through the flash drive, but Spencer says maybe it could help this all be "over." As Emily asks if she means "over over" or just the regular type of "over," they hear a door slam.

Toby's back from the hospital already? This is where my mom asks, "he drove himself home from the hospital???? And you have probs with Ezra and Aria???" (Yes, I still do.)

The trio heads downstairs to his car, which has the keys inside and a note to Spencer on the dashboard. "What's it say?" Aria asks. "He's gone," Spencer replies.

Cut to A, who is taking a photo of Aria and Ezra off his wall, then cuts it in half, and burns the Ezra half. Then A does the same with Spencer and Toby's photo.

"soooooo this was quite the relationship episode.....toby and spencer broke up, hanna and caleb are fighting, lucy* and ezra are back, holden is with ??? mona and noel are ovahhhhh and jenna and noel are on. emily stands alone," my mom says summing it up. "So sad," I reply. "The cheese stands alone. And in this case, why does the cheese have to be the lesbian?"

She continues to wonder who A could be: Byron and the "British doc" (i.e. Ren) are her guesses, while I'm going with Spencer's dad and Melissa (the latter of which I'm not letting go of anytime soon).

As you read on to place your vote on the worst looks and best quotes, who do you think is A (or part of A) at this point?

Worst Looks Of The Episode:

• Hanna's oddly low pussybow shirt. "oh it must been Hanna who pissed off the stylist this week," my mom observes. But she spoke too soon.


• Aria's pocket-showing skirt, a la Britney Spears circa Cheeto-Frappacino-no-shoes-in-gas-station-bathrooms era.


• Mona's glittery pink top that shines, perfectly reflecting her bathroom tears. "Her shirt is awful," my mom says in agreement. "she'd be better off in her cashmere blend sweater sets."


• Aria's bumble bee pin (though she gets points for the adorable striped dress it adorned)


• Aria's sparkly chocker, apparently perfect for a rainy night out in the city of Brotherly Love

Best Quotes Of The Episode:

• "My money's on Officer Garrett in the greenhouse with the cellphone." -Aria on who A could be now that Lucas is out


• "People in China have heard about me and Noel" -Mona to Hanna, who finally decides to be friend to the heartbroken Glamping Queen


• "Jenna would kill and eat her own mother to get back to us." -Hanna on whether or not Jenna would hurt Toby


• "Come on, dance, you little bastards!" -Spencer's effort to get the video on Flash Drive 2.0 to play

*Note/Bonus: You'll notice that my mom refers to Aria as Lucy, which is the name of the actress who plays Aria. This is because we watched Lucy Hale as a competitor and (spoiler alert) one of the winners of Fox's one-and-done season of "American Juniors." On the 2003 children's take on "Idol," little Lucy Hale -- and her even littler eyebrows -- showed off her big voice with Oleta Adams' "Get Here."

"Pretty Little Liars" airs Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC Family.

?

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jaimie-etkin/pretty-little-liars-recap-blind-leading-blonde_b_1225959.html

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Decide on an Automotive Oscilloscope Fit to you | Edimaster

Posted by publish on January 22, 2012

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Source: http://www.edimaster.org/decide-on-an-automotive-oscilloscope-fit-to-you/

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In SC, Romney says he'll win some, lose some

One supporter waves an American flag, and other waves a campaign banner, during a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

One supporter waves an American flag, and other waves a campaign banner, during a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney greets supporters during a campaign rally, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) ? Mitt Romney is heading into primary day conceding that he'll win some and lose some.

Romney on Friday acknowledged the contest here is "neck-and-neck" and said he expects to lose "some primaries" to rival Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker.

As voters head to the polls Saturday, Romney and Gingrich both planned to appear at the same breakfast restaurant in the morning. Both campaigns refused to change their schedules Friday night, potentially setting up a face-off between the two men ahead of the polls closing.

The past week has been an abrupt reversal of fortune for the former Massachusetts governor, who landed here last Wednesday after a big victory in New Hampshire and what was then a narrow win in Iowa.

But this week the Iowa GOP reversed his win there after problems with the vote count, and he's been dogged by questions about releasing his tax returns. And instead of emerging from South Carolina with three wins and a seeming lock on the GOP nomination, Romney and his team are now acknowledging they could lose here. That would leave the putative front-runner with just one early state win heading into Florida's Jan. 31 primary.

Romney's campaign planned at least two campaign stops Saturday ahead of polls closing. He planned to visit his campaign headquarters and Tommy's Country Ham House, where Gingrich also planned to stop. Romney was to end the day in Columbia, the state capital.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-21-Romney/id-01b3a5f1a3414f49901aae69c3802d88

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Spurs visit vulnerable City as title race heats up

By STEVE DOUGLAS

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 6:05 p.m. ET Jan. 20, 2012

LONDON (AP) -Loaned out by Manchester City for the past 12 months, Emmanuel Adebayor will be denied the chance to show what the Premier League leaders are missing when his new club Tottenham visits the Etihad Stadium for a key match in the title race on Sunday.

The restrictions of Adebayor's season-long loan move to Spurs prevent him from facing City, robbing them of their attacking spearhead for arguably their biggest game of the season.

The Togo striker has become a crowd favorite at White Hart Lane, scoring a team-high nine league goals to justify Harry Redknapp's controversial decision to bring in a player who turned out for the team's fierce rival Arsenal from 2006-09.

His situation at City couldn't have been more different, dropping down the pecking order soon after his 25 million pounds move from Arsenal and quickly out of favor with manager Roberto Mancini. He was farmed out to Real Madrid for the second half of last season.

"Sometimes it's possible that you have a situation like this - you have good players but he wants to play always and this is difficult in a top team," Mancini said. "If you have one striker who needs to play always it is not easy.

"I am happy for Manu because he is playing very well for Tottenham."

City has key players missing themselves as the team looks to extend its perfect home record to 11 league matches.

Captain Vincent Kompany serves the third match of his four-game suspension and key midfielder Yaya Toure is at the African Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast, along with his brother and fellow City player Kolo.

Striker Mario Balotelli and right back Micah Richards return from injury but City has been lacking the class and verve that saw them take the league by storm in the first few months of the season, including a 5-1 win at Spurs in August.

Once a match between two perennial underachievers in the English game - neither side has won the league since the 1960s - City-Tottenham has suddenly taken on a much bigger profile.

"They are not invincible," Redknapp said. "I think we can win. We will go there as a positive team. I wouldn't want to go there and sit back.

"We have people who can hurt them."

In what is the most crucial weekend in the title race so far, second-place Manchester United will also look to keep the pressure on City when it travels to fifth-place Arsenal on Sunday.

United is three points behind its neighbor as the team bids to extend its record haul of titles to 20 but for Arsenal, qualification for the Champions League is the priority this season.

Arsene Wenger's team could drop seven points off the top four if it loses to United and fourth-place Chelsea wins at Norwich on Saturday.

"I still think that when we have everybody available we are a strong force in this league," Wenger said. "That's why it is important that we fight very hard not to drop points."

Arsenal, though, has lost its last two matches - to Fulham and Swansea - and is still without a fit full back, although central defender Thomas Vermaelen could return from a calf injury. Thierry Henry, hoping to feature in his third match since joining on a two-month loan for a second spell at Arsenal, will have a fitness test on a calf injury.

United, which thrashed Arsenal 8-2 at Old Trafford in the first match between the teams this season, is set to welcome back England defenders Chris Smalling and Phil Jones from minor injuries.

The rest of the matches come on Saturday, when defender Gary Cahill could make his debut for Chelsea at Carrow Road following his move from Bolton.

Sixth-place Newcastle visits Fulham and Liverpool travels to next-to-last Bolton.

Mark Hughes takes charge of his first home league match at third-bottom Queens Park Rangers when Wigan visits in a key match in the relegation battle.

Also Saturday, it's Everton vs. Blackburn, Stoke City vs. West Bromwich Albion, Sunderland vs. Swansea and Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Aston Villa.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Best of the US

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/44031201/ns/sports-soccer/

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Proteins may warn of diabetic kidney disease risk

Levels of a natural compound in blood seem to foreshadow high risk of renal failure

Web edition : Thursday, January 19th, 2012

A simple blood test might reveal which people with diabetes are most prone to kidney failure, two long-term studies show. An abundance of two compounds better known as culprits in inflammation seems to pinpoint high-risk diabetes patients years before they show outward signs of kidney problems, researchers say.

Both studies linked high levels of proteins called tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptors with elevated incidence of kidney disease up to 12 years later. The association showed up in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, the researchers report online January 19 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Study leader Andrzej Krolewski, a kidney researcher at Harvard Medical School and the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, says the findings may ultimately improve care for at-risk diabetes patients. ?The most immediate application,? says study coauthor Monika Niewczas, a researcher also at Harvard and Joslin, ?will be a diagnostic test that we hope would be available soon.?

TNF receptors serve as docking stations on cells. When their counterpart protein latches onto the receptor, the signal produced by that binding can instruct a cell to trigger inflammation or to take on other duties. Some TNF receptors also roam free, showing up in the blood, a characteristic the scientists measured in the new studies.

In one study, the researchers tracked the health status of 410 people with type 2 diabetes in the early 1990s. Patients provided initial blood samples followed by information on their health over the subsequent eight to 12 years. By the end of the study?s follow-up period, 54 percent of the patients with high concentrations of TNF receptors in that initial blood sample had developed kidney failure and needed dialysis or a transplant, whereas only 3 percent of patients with low levels of TNF receptors did. After accounting for differences among the patients, the high-receptor group was still about six times more prone to kidney failure, Niewczas says.

The other study included 628 patients with type 1 diabetes, formerly called juvenile-onset diabetes. Over five to 12 years of follow-up, participants who had high TNF receptor levels at the start were three times as likely to develop chronic kidney disease as those with low receptor levels.

?These are good pilot studies, very well conducted,? says Sankar Navaneethan, a nephrologist at the Cleveland Clinic, who wasn?t involved in the new research. ?But they need to be replicated in future studies before we can embark on using this biomarker for predicting these outcomes in patients.?

Diabetes is the most common cause of kidney failure, accounting for 44 percent of new cases in 2008. Chronic inflammation has long been suspected in this connection, but the Joslin team reports that several common inflammatory proteins don?t show a link to kidney disease ? only the TNF receptors do.

The researchers ?provide very solid statistical and epidemiological evidence? linking TNF receptor abundance with kidney damage, says Klaus Ley, a physician at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology in California. ?But we don?t know why the receptor levels are increased in these patients. This is just the beginning of a very exciting story.?

Found in: Body & Brain

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/337761/title/Proteins_may_warn_of_diabetic_kidney_disease_risk

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