Tuesday, January 31, 2012

2 Chainz To Announce New Deal On 'RapFix Live'

'Me and you got a lot of things we got to talk about face-to-face,' 2 Chainz tells MTV News' Sway Calloway.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway


2 Chainz
Photo: MTV News

2 Chainz is riding around and getting it and soon he will have even more money to spend. Word is that the Atlanta rap standout is close to signing a new record contract, and on Wednesday he will stop by "RapFix Live" to announce his new deal.

"I think I'm gonna come sit on the sofa Wednesday. Me and you got a lot of things we got to talk about face-to-face," 2 Chainz told Sway when he Skyped into last week's episode of "RapFix Live."

"It should be a good day Wednesday. I'm coming up to New York and have a few finalized meetings also," he added.

On Monday (January 30), Chainz, who got his start as Tity Boi in the rap duo Playaz Circle, will be performing his first major New York concert at SOB's. Over the past year, 2 Chainz has reinvented himself as a solo artist and taken a hold on rap's underground thanks to catchy anthems like his latest single "Spend It." After his NYC concert, the "Duffle Bag Boy" rapper will be running around the city tying up loose ends before he sits with Sway on Wednesday. By that time he will be ready to announce his new recording home exclusively on "RapFix Live."

"Might as well let the cat out the bag," he said.

Mac Miller is another of rap's most exciting newcomers, and MTV News recently went back to the 'Burgh with the "Donald Trump" rapper when he performed a pair of homecoming shows in December. All week long, MTV News will be spotlighting Pittsburgh's growing hip-hop scene with exclusive interviews and video content. On Wednesday, fans can tune in to watch backstage and concert footage from Mac's Pittsburgh show. You don't want to miss it!

Catch 2 Chainz and Mac Miller on "RapFix Live" Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET on MTV.com, and be sure to join the Twitter conversation using the hashtag #RapFixLive. Send your questions for the artists to @MTVRapFix!

Related Videos

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1678140/2-chainz-rapfix-live-record-deal.jhtml

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PFT: Irsay seeks to avoid 'sentimental' decision

AFC Championship - Baltimore Ravens v New England PatriotsGetty Images

Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork is not an easy man to move. That?s especially true this season because you can?t get him off the field.

Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com notes that Wilfork played 51.8% of the team?s defensive snaps in 2009. That?s fairly typical for any run-stuffing nose tackle, especially one comically listed at 325 pounds. (He?s probably closer to 400 than 300 pounds.)

In 2010, Wilfork?s snap total went up to 69.8%. By this season, Wilfork was up to 86%. In the AFC title game, Wilfork played 67 of 70 snaps. That?s 95.7%.

You can measure leadership in a lot of ways. Wilfork leads by making his presence known almost every snap. He leads by playing more than younger counterparts like Haloti Ngata.

?He leads the way for us on defense,?? coach Bill Belichick said after the win over Baltimore. ?Vince is obviously our most experienced player and he?s been a great leader, great captain all year. His leadership has been tremendous.?

Wilfork was a valuable rookie on the last Patriots title team in 2004. That was a veteran-laden defense on the tail end of a dynasty. This time is different. This is Wilfork?s defense, Wilfork?s time. Now in his eighth season, the 30-year-old is in that career sweet spot where experience and talent meet up perfectly.

Wilfork?s performance against the Ravens was one for the ages: Six tackles, four hurries, three tackles for loss, and a sack. Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe says Wilfork was double or tripled teamed ten times.

?To be honest with you, Vince was ready last week to play this game,?? linebacker Jerod Mayo said after defeating Baltimore. ?He has a ring and no one else on this defense has a ring. And he just expressed the joy that you would get from winning this game and he?s not a liar.?

We are struck by Wilfork?s versatility. He has played defensive end instead of nose tackle quite a bit in the playoffs. He is rushing the passer in addition to being the team?s best run stopper. He?s even picked off two passes this year. (And he knows what to do with the ball.)

New England?s defensive line has put together its two best performances of the season in successive weeks. In a game where the Patriots struggle to match up with the Giants in many areas, don?t be surprised if New England?s defensive line creates all sorts of problems against a shaky New York offensive line.

Vince Wilfork will be leading the way. You can?t get him off the field, and you can?t block him either.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/29/irsay-wants-to-avoid-sentimental-decision-this-isnt-fantasy-football/related/

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Monday, January 30, 2012

Russia backs Assad, last friend in Arab world

FILE In this Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006 file photo Vladimir Putin, then Russian President, right, and his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad smile as they shake hands in Moscow's Kremlin. Russia defied international efforts to end a crackdown on civilians by Assad regime, shielding it from the United Nations sanctions and providing it with weapons. (AP photo/RIA Novosti, Mikhail Klimentyev, Presidential Press service, file)

FILE In this Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006 file photo Vladimir Putin, then Russian President, right, and his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad smile as they shake hands in Moscow's Kremlin. Russia defied international efforts to end a crackdown on civilians by Assad regime, shielding it from the United Nations sanctions and providing it with weapons. (AP photo/RIA Novosti, Mikhail Klimentyev, Presidential Press service, file)

FILE In this file photo taken on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2009, a Russian Yak-130 training jet is seen at MAKS-2009 (the International Aviation and Space Show) in Zhukovsky, Russia. Russia defied international efforts to end a crackdown on civilians by President bashar Assad regime, shielding it from the United Nations sanctions and providing it with weapons. The respected newspaper Kommersant reported this week that Syria has ordered 36 Yak-130 combat jets worth $550 million. The deal, which officials wouldn't confirm or deny, may signal preparations for even bigger purchases of combat planes. (AP Photo/Misha Japaridze, file)

(AP) ? Russia's defiance of international efforts to end Syrian President Bashar Assad's crackdown on protests is rooted in a calculation that it can keep a Mideast presence by propping up its last remaining ally in the region ? and has nothing to lose if it fails.

The Kremlin has put itself in conflict with the West as it shields Assad's regime from United Nations sanctions and continues to provide it with weapons even as others impose arms embargoes.

But Moscow's relations with Washington are already strained amid controversy over U.S. missile defense plans and other disputes. And Prime Minister Vladimir Putin seems eager to defy the U.S. as he campaigns to reclaim the presidency in March elections.

"It would make no sense for Russia to drop its support for Assad," said Ruslan Pukhov, head of the independent Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies. "He is Russia's last remaining ally in the Middle East, allowing it to preserve some influence in the region."

Moscow may also hope that Assad can hang on to power with its help and repay Moscow with more weapons contracts and other lucrative deals.

And observers note that even as it has nothing to lose from backing Assad, it has nothing to gain from switching course and supporting the opposition.

"Russia has crossed the Rubicon," said Igor Korotchenko, head of the Center for Analysis of Global Weapons Trade.

He said Russia will always be marked as the patron of the Assad regime regardless of the conflict's outcome, so there's little incentive to build bridges with the protesters.

"Russia will be seen as the dictator's ally. If Assad's regime is driven from power, it will mean an end to Russia's presence," said Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of the magazine Russia in Global Affairs.

Syria has been Moscow's top ally in the Middle East since Soviet times, when it was led by the incumbent's father, Hafez Assad. The Kremlin saw it as a bulwark for countering U.S. influence in the region and heavily armed Syria against Israel.

While Russia's relations with Israel have improved greatly since the Soviet collapse, ties with Damascus helped Russia retain its clout as a member of the Quartet of international mediators trying to negotiate peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

After Bashar Assad succeeded his father in 2000, Russia sought to boost ties by agreeing to annul 73 percent of Syria's Soviet-era debt. In the mid-2000s, Putin said Russia would re-establish its place in the Mideast via "the Syria route."

Syria's port of Tartus is now the only naval base Russia has outside the former Soviet Union. A Russian navy squadron made a call there this month in what was seen by many as a show of support for Assad.

For decades, Syria has been a major customer for the Russian arms industries, buying billions of dollars' worth of combat jets, missiles, tanks and other heavy weapons. And unlike some other nations, such as Venezuela, which obtained Russian weapons on Kremlin loans, Assad's regime paid cash.

The respected newspaper Kommersant reported this week that Syria has ordered 36 Yak-130 combat jets worth $550 million. The deal, which officials wouldn't confirm or deny, may signal preparations for even bigger purchases of combat planes.

Korotchenko said Syria needs the jets to train its pilots to fly the advanced MiG-29M or MiG-35 fighter jets it wants to purchase: "It's a precursor of future deals."

Korotchenko said Syria's importance as a leading importer of Russian weapons in the region grew after the loss of the lucrative Iraqi and Libyan markets.

Russia, whose abstention in a U.N. vote cleared the way for military intervention in Libya, later voiced frustration with what it described as a disproportional use of force by NATO.

The Kremlin has vowed not to allow a replay of the Libyan strategy in Syria, warning that it would block any U.N. resolution on Syria lacking a clear ban on any foreign military interference.

Moscow accuses the West of turning a blind eye to shipments of weapons to the Syrian opposition and warns it won't be bound by Western sanctions.

Earlier this month, a Syria-bound Russian ship allegedly carrying tons of munitions was stopped by officials in Cyprus, an EU member, who said it was violating an EU arms embargo. The ship's captain promised to head to Turkey but then made a dash to Syria.

Asked about the ship, Russia's foreign minister bluntly responded that Moscow owes neither explanation nor apology to anyone because it has broken no international rules.

Nonetheless, Moscow has shown restraint in its arms trade with Damascus, avoiding the sales of weapons that could significantly tilt the military balance in the region.

In one example, the Kremlin has turned down Damascus' requests for truck-mounted Iskander missiles that can hit ground targets 280 kilometers (175 miles) away with deadly precision. While the sale of such missiles wouldn't be banned under any international agreements, Moscow has apparently heeded strong U.S. and Israeli objections to such a deal.

Moscow also has stonewalled Damascus' request for the advanced S-300 air defense missile system, only agreeing to sell short-range ground-to-air missiles.

"Russia has taken a very careful and cautious stance on contracts with Syria," Korotchenko said.

The most powerful Russian weapon reportedly delivered to Syria is the Bastion anti-ship missile complex intended to protect its coast. The Bastion is armed with supersonic Yakhont cruise missiles that can sink any warship at a range of 300 kilometers (186 miles) and are extremely difficult to intercept, providing a strong deterrent against any attack from the sea.

Observers in Moscow said that Russia can do little else to help Assad. The chief of the Russian upper house's foreign affairs committee, Mikhail Margelov, openly acknowledged that this week, saying that Russia has "exhausted its arsenal" of means to support Syria by protecting it from the U.N. sanctions.

Lukyanov said Russia has made it clear it would block any attempts to give U.N. cover to any foreign military intervention in Syria, but wouldn't be able to prevent Syria's neighbors from mounting such action.

"Russia realizes that it has limited opportunities and can't play a decisive role," he said.

Pukhov also predicted that Russia wouldn't take any stronger moves in support for Damascus.

"Going further would mean an open confrontation with the West, and Russia doesn't need that," he said.

____

Elizabeth A. Kennedy contributed from Beirut.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-29-EU-Russia-Syrian-Game/id-f8c06319b9ab49828d6513474c50b123

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OSF Finance Request4Funds Forms Nov-Dec2011 (LINKS ...

Below you will find the LINKS to ALL the Request4Funds(R4Fs) Forms OSF Finance has in their possession.
I digitized the actual paper forms that have been submitted and created PDFs (4 of them) in order to comply with the upload file size limit this WordPress blog stipulates. From these forms & through dialogue during our Finance meetings, a list of CommonlyApprovedRequests (CARs) is being compiled. That list should be ready for publication sometime next week.

Thanks for your patience.
OSF Finance

R4Fs #6-28
R4Fs #29-62
R4Fs #63-103
R4fs #103a-112

Source: http://occupysf.org/2012/01/28/osf-finance-request4funds-forms-nov-dec2011-links/

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

The Only Avalanche I Want to See Coming at Me Is One in This Lab [Science]

While we've come up with ingenious methods of escaping avalanches, science still isn't well-versed in their inner mechanics. A Montana State University researcher is trying to change that by setting off his own mini-avalanches—just, you know, indoors. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Bv6-zR7kH9I/the-only-avalanche-i-want-to-see-coming-at-me-is-one-in-this-lab

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Hands on with Garmin Pilot My-Cast for iPhone and iPad

Garmin may be best known for their driving navigation apps and devices, but they also have Pilot My-Cast, an iPhone and iPad app for pilots to plan their flights by not only mapping out their route, but checking the weather by overlaying real-time data and maps including radar, clouds, and lightning.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/Y5anP4kZ7DM/story01.htm

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Backyard politics: risks and rewards for Gingrich (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/192720890?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Saturday, January 28, 2012

Suicide bomber kills 32 at Iraq funeral procession (AP)

BAGHDAD ? A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-packed car near a funeral procession in Baghdad on Friday, killing at least 32 people ? including six policemen who were guarding the march ? in the latest brazen attack since the U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq.

Police said the blast struck around 11:00 a.m. in the predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Zafaraniyah, where mourners had gathered for the funeral of a person killed the day before. They said 65 people were wounded in the attack, including 16 police.

Hospital officials confirmed the death toll.

Across Iraq, at least 200 people have been killed in a wave of attacks by suspected insurgents since the beginning of the year. Erupting just weeks after the last U.S. troops pulled out of the country, it has raised concerns that the surge in violence ? coupled with an escalating political crisis that cuts along sectarian lines ? might deteriorate into a civil war.

Most of the dead have been Shiite pilgrims and members of the Iraqi security forces.

Salam Hussein, a 42-year-old grocery store owner in Zafaraniyah, said he was watching Friday's funeral procession, which was heavily guarded by police, when the blast blew out his shop windows and wounded one of his workers.

"It was a huge explosion," Hussein said. As he took his employee to the hospital, Hussein said he saw cars engulfed in flames, "human flesh scattered around and several mutilated bodies in a pool of blood."

Officials at the Zafaraniyah General Hospital, where most of the dead and injured were taken, said the powerful blast shattered windows and damaged walls in the hospital, injuring a nurse and four patients who were being treated at the time of the attack.

Zafaraniyah resident Talib Bashir, 50, said he was part of the procession of about 500 men but had left the group to take his child home when he heard the blast.

"I saw smoke coming from a parked car that exploded," Bashir said, adding that police and civilians cars, an ambulance and several stores were engulfed in flames hours after the blast.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Minutes after the explosion, gunmen opened fire at a checkpoint in Zafaraniyah, killing two police officers, according to police officials. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.

Since the United States completed its pullout, militant groups ? mainly al-Qaida in Iraq ? have stepped up attacks targeting the country's majority Shiites to undermine confidence in the Shiite-led government and its efforts to protect people without American backup.

On Thursday, 17 people were killed in bombings around the country, including seven people in attacks on two of Baghdad's mostly Sunni districts, suggesting that Shiite militants could be retaliating for attacks against them.

Friday's blast was the second deadliest single attack in Iraq this month.

At least 53 people were killed Jan. 14, when a bomb tore through a procession of Shiite pilgrims heading toward a largely Sunni town in southern Iraq.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

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Research: South Africans most active Tweeters (AP)

JOHANNESBURG ? New Research shows young people tweeting from Blackberries and iPhones are driving the growth of Twitter in Africa with South Africans by far the most vociferous.

Kenya-based Portland Communications and Tweetminster published the research Thursday indicating Twitter in Africa is widely used for social conversation and is fast becoming an important source of information.

The companies analyzed more than 11.5 million geographically pinpointed tweets originating on the continent during the last three months of 2011.

Research said that South Africans were the most prolific, followed by Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt and Morocco.

African Tweeters averaged 20 to 29 years, compared to 39 worldwide.

The companies said few African business and political leaders have joined the continent's Twittersphere.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_re_af/af_how_africa_tweets

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Friday, January 27, 2012

NYC police chief apologizes for movie interview (AP)

NEW YORK ? New York's police commissioner apologized Wednesday for appearing in a documentary movie about terrorism that Muslim groups have criticized as inflammatory, and said his department acted wrongly when it later showed the film to counterterrorism trainees.

A spokesman for Raymond Kelly had previously denied the commissioner had any participation in the making of the "The Third Jihad," suggesting last year that footage of Kelly was lifted from another source.

But on Wednesday Kelly said he had sat for an interview in 2007 because the filmmaker had "bona fides" in television and with the White House. The movie later was shown on a continuous loop on the sidelines during New York Police Department counterterrorism sessions.

"While it never became part of the Department's curriculum, and was not authorized for any training, regrettably it was shown in a room where officers who were filling out paperwork or on break from actual training had an opportunity to view it over an extended period in 2010," Kelly said in a written statement.

Police stopped playing the film after one of the trainees complained, he said.

"I offer my apologies to members of the Muslim community, in particular, who would find the film inflammatory and its airing on Department property, though unauthorized, to be inappropriate," Kelly wrote.

Some Muslim groups reacted angrily at the news. The admission "marks the blatant bigotry and lack of transparency that permeates the NYPD's approach to New York's Muslim communities," the Muslim Civil Liberties Coalition said Wednesday.

On Tuesday Mayor Michael Bloomberg said police had used "terrible judgment" in showing the movie at its training sessions.

"The Third Jihad," produced by the conservative Clarion Fund, accuses some moderate Muslims of being more radical than they appear on the surface and uses vivid footage of bombings and terror attacks to illustrate the danger of radical Islam. Speakers interviewed in the film warn viewers repeatedly that Western civilization is under attack.

Nearly 1,500 police officers went through the training and may have seen the film, according to police documents obtained by the Brennan Center for Justice, a think tank at New York University.

Muslim activists say they worry that the film teaches police officers to regard all Muslims as suspects. Last year an investigation by The Associated Press revealed the police department has operated a secret surveillance program targeting ethnic neighborhoods.

On Thursday activists planned to call for Kelly's resignation at an event outside New York's City Hall. Some of the activists were those singled out in the film.

The film's producer, Raphael Shore, issued a statement defending his work on Wednesday, saying, "Those that have blasted the film are attempting to stifle an important debate about the internal state of the Muslim community in America, and whether politicized Islam and indoctrination pose tangible security threats."

Kelly appears in "The Third Jihad" three times for a total of about 30 seconds, talking about prison converts, the Soviet Union and the threat of terrorists using nuclear weapons. Other people who appear in the documentary include former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who was in office when Muslim extremists attacked the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, former CIA Director R. James Woolsey and former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge.

New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne told reporters last year that he believed the footage of Kelly speaking was lifted from another source.

"The New York Police Department did not participate in its production," Kelly wrote in a March 7, 2011, letter to Majlis Ash-Shura of Metropolitan New York, a Muslim group.

Clarion Fund spokesman Alex Traiman said Kelly spoke on camera for 90 minutes and was fully aware of the movie's focus.

"The commissioner wasn't duped," Traiman said. "If he was unhappy with the line of questioning you'd think he would have broken off the interview before 90 minutes."

He accused Bloomberg and Kelly of bending to the will of Muslim activists.

"People don't want to deal with so much of that pressure; they prefer to cave in to it," he said.

The Clarion Fund, which is based in New York, has produced other movies about terrorism and Iran's nuclear program.

Shore used to work for Aish HaTorah, a network of Jewish education centers, but there is no other link between the two groups, Traiman said.

___

Associated Press reporters Tom Hays and Colleen Long contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_en_mo/us_nypd_intelligence_movie

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Thursday, January 26, 2012

HBT: Red Sox make offer to Oswalt

Today is different than yesterday, huh? ?Yesterday we had Prince Fielder, Tony La Russa and Tim Lincecum news. Today: we churn Roy Oswalt rumors. ?Hey, it?s not all glamour and glitz.

Anyway: Heyman says that the Red Sox have made an offer to Oswalt. No sense if he?ll take it or if, like an earlier offer from Detroit ? he?ll turn it down. ?But if it?s been sitting out there for a bit it may explain that earlier stuff about people thinking that he?s leaning toward Texas or St. Louis despite Boston?s need for a starter.

Whatever the case, Oswalt will pitch someplace. Until then we?ll let you know what people kinda sorta think about all that.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/25/roy-oswalt-got-an-offer-from-the-red-sox/related/

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WWE NXT results: An NXT Rookie enraged

WWE NXT Redemption: Jan. 25, 2012 results:?

  • The Usos def. Tyler Reks & Curt Hawkins (PHOTOS | WATCH)
  • Heath Slater def. Trent Barreta (PHOTOS | WATCH)
  • Johnny Curtis confronted Maxine & Derrick Bateman about the wedding in Vegas? (PHOTOS | WATCH)
  • Titus O'Neil def. Percy Watson (PHOTOS | WATCH)

?

NXT Rookie records:

  • Derrick Bateman: Win/loss record: 9-10, Redemption Points: 0
  • Darren Young: Win/loss record 13-17, Redemption Points: 7
  • Titus O?Neil: Win/loss 21-13, Redemption Points: 45

?

WWE Universe, watch WWE NXT highlights and the complete episode each Wednesday on WWE.com. The complete episode is also available Wednesdays on YouTube.com/wwe ?and ?Hulu.com.

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/2012-01-25/results

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Space Shuttle Discovery headed to the Smithsonian (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum is preparing to welcome the space shuttle Discovery into its collection.

Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough (cluff) says the shuttle will be flown to Washington Dulles International Airport on the back of a Boeing 747 in April. A flyover is planned above the nation's capital before Discovery makes its final home at the museum's massive hangar in northern Virginia.

Clough said Monday the flyover is planned for April 17. A formal welcome ceremony is planned for April 19 at the museum's Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.

Shuttle Endeavour will travel to the California Science Center in Los Angeles in the second half of the year.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_sc/us_smithsonian_space_shuttle

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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Marian Salzman: Am I Antisocial?

I've started to think I might be. Not textbook antisocial, just allergic to phone calls and small talk. It isn't my fault, though, and I think you might be able to relate.

As the CEO of a public relations agency, my life is all about the business of communication, which captivates and consumes me. But so many years of keeping my head down and my eyes trained on a BlackBerry (actually, two) or a computer has changed the way I relate to others, to the detriment of all old-fashioned forms of communication. I do not write letters and I do not make leisurely coffee dates, nor do I pick up the phone for a chat of any kind, unless my assistant forces my hand. You see, the telephone has become my archnemesis.

The telephone tortures me. I'd rather be at the dentist. (And coming from me, the world's most miserable dental patient, that says it all.) I'm not a voice person at all; if I do have to be on the phone, I am the master of shorter calls and lots of them. This is at least partially because my skull reverberates from the phone, and the metal in my head heats up -- the result of surgery to remove a brain tumor in 2007.

I do have an endless array of people I'm in touch with and maintain a dozen brief dialogues each day by keyboard (I'm someone who has hung onto friends and acquaintances from fourth grade, from ninth grade, from college, from my first ad agency, etc.), but I really do stand very separate and can be shy.

People are stunned to learn what an introvert I am. I'm a trendspotter, after all, one whose job it is to be around people, to understand them, to ask questions of them. The thing is, I enjoy lots and lots of eavesdropping on other people's caf? conversations and will stop to snoop into strangers' supermarket baskets at places as near as Fairway in Stamford, Conn., and as far as Crawford Market in Mumbai. In my experience, the best trendspotters spend more time listening, reading and watching than they do talking. At least that's what I tell myself, when I'm watching so many phone messages pile up at the corner of my desk (I use my office phone so infrequently that I don't even know my own number -- or the one to the landline at my house).

All day I run both BlackBerrys -- a personal one for visiting old friends and a work one which is a gateway to our global network. I stay in the know about my extended circle by the glow of the computer screen, through tweets and Facebook status updates. I'm often accused of calling or texting back with unwelcome one-word answers, probably even "WTF" or "confused" when the conversation (voice or the textual ramble) has me either bewildered or mildly annoyed. Many friends think I am the master of "Oh, hmm... yuck" versus coherent, interesting, elaborate answers or suggestions. I suppose a whopping "Wow :)" is better than nothing and shows I care?

I could happily spend all day every day by myself, mostly communicating with myself or living through the screen, with the computer mediating all my dialogue. But my afternoons are usually about clients and meetings with staff. I do OK with groups and with content-focused meetings, but I'm not overly keen on small talk or networking and have to force myself to do these kinds of things.

I shake my head to think of how I must appear on the commute to and from work, when I am mostly typing notes and responding to emails and texts. If someone watched me, especially on that trip home, they might think "exhausted middle-aged woman" or "eccentric," but I would prefer they just observed a no-talking zone unless they are someone I've chosen to travel with, a friend or colleague with whom I've planned a travel date. Once I've reached home, I have my best conversations with my two golden retrievers or the 40-inch television screen, none of which talk back.

How has this happened to me? How has this happened to so many of us? It seems that all the hyperconnectedness in today's society is siphoning away our energy for real-life interaction. Some people might call my lifestyle antisocial; I'd prefer to say I'm living the "new normal."

?

Follow Marian Salzman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mariansalzman

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marian-salzman/am-i-antisocial_b_1223579.html

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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

[OOC] Teen Heroes 2

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, ?Teen Heroes 2?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

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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 "Teen Heroes 2"

You may edit this first post as you see fit.

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jackrules158
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Marshall Fine: Live from Sundance Film Festival 2012: Sunday, Jan. 22

I started my first day at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival mostly thankful to actually be in Park City in time for my first screening of the day.

Then I saw that first movie - That's What She Said - and thought, well, maybe it wouldn't have been so bad to be late.

As it was, I felt lucky to be in Park City at all. I flew out of New York on Saturday morning, in a snowstorm, concerned about a day of travel that had me changing planes in Atlanta (thunderstorms) and flying to Salt Lake City (rain, wind and snow in the forecast).

But, while weather caused delays in Atlanta, it wouldn't have mattered if my plane to Salt Lake had been on time - because when I got to the desk for the shuttle van to Park City, I was told that the roads to Park City were closed because blizzards were in the process of dropping two feet of snow on the roads through the canyons, making them impassable.

So, after hanging around the airport until after 10 - and being assured that no vans would be leaving for Park City that night (not true, as it turned out), I found myself a hotel room near the airport, then got up at 6 to try again. And, in the sunlight of Sunday morning, the roads were not only open but the van made the trip to Park City in about 45 minutes. I was able to dump my luggage at the condo I'm sharing, head to festival headquarters to collect my press credential and be in line for a 9:30 a.m. press screening of That's What She Said.

Apparently, the smell of death on this film had long since permeated the festival (which started on Thursday) because, for this Sunday morning press screening, the theater was two-thirds empty - an anomaly at any press screening, to put it mildly. It got emptier in a hurry once the movie started; I clocked walk-outs starting at the 10-minute mark, which was the point at which I mentally decided, "Uh-oh."

I hung in, however, for all but the closing credits, based on the conviction that you can learn as much from a terrible movie as from a good one. And this was a terrible movie from top to bottom, from the writing by actress Kellie Overbey and the direction by actress Carrie Preston to the over-acting by a cast that mostly consisted of Anne Heche, Alia Shawkat and Marcia DeBonis. I tend to blame the actresses less than the director, who could have toned it all down. But then, she thought this was a movie worth making.

It's essentially a play disguised as a movie, in which two female friends - Heche and DeBonis - meet so Heche can help DeBonis get ready for a hot date. Shawkat is a distraught young woman to whom DeBonis' overly empathetic character develops an attachment. It's a movie full of women; the only male character whose face we actually see is a geriatric man who becomes embroiled in a blunt-force slapstick scene in a bathroom, involving a large, runaway vibrator.

Mostly, I kept wondering: Is this really what women think is funny? Jokes about dildos, yeast infections and female masturbation? Personally, I love vulgar humor, when it's funny (a la Bridesmaids or even Bad Teacher). But vulgarity alone doesn't provoke laughter, just sighs of frustration.

So - what did we learn? Mostly that, if you can get a cast of recognizable faces, someone will give you a half-million dollars to make a movie - no matter how horrible.

Or even if you can't find familiar faces. Case in point: The Comedy, one of the films in the dramatic competition. This is the kind of movie that makes you want to grab the selection committee by its collective shoulders, shake it hard and say, "Are you intentionally programming pointless, aimless films that seem like parodies of stereotypical 'Sundance' movies?"

The program notes actually say, "Audience members are forced to question ...whether they should be laughing with it, at it, or not at all." I chose to stop trying to get on director Rick Alverson's tedious wavelength and watching his tubby, random hero and bailed after 40 minutes.

Rodrigo Cortes' Red Lights had the makings of an intriguing paranormal mystery-thriller but Cortes, who wrote and directed the chilling Buried, couldn't crack the third-act problem. His film deals with Sigourney Weaver and Cillian Murphy, as academic debunkers of paranormal hoaxes who may have met their match in a famous blind psychic played by Robert De Niro. But the longer it went on, the less satisfying it became, leading to a finale that felt deflated, rather than explosive.

The day's one bright spot was The First Time, a romantic teen comedy with a deft, light touch by writer-director Jonathan Kasdan, son of Lawrence and brother of Jake.

This commentary continues on my website.

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Follow Marshall Fine on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Marshall Fine

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marshall-fine/live-from-sundance-film-f_b_1223396.html

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Monday, January 23, 2012

Convicted fraudster admits try to kill NY witness (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? The architect of a $100 million mortgage fraud scheme admitted on Monday to attempting to arrange the murder of a witness who testified against him at trial.

Aaron Hand, 40, pleaded guilty to first- and second-degree conspiracy to commit murder before Acting Supreme Court Justice Laura Ward in Manhattan.

"The defendant's actions strike at the heart of the justice system," Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said in a statement. "Nothing is more important than the safety of witnesses, and my office will do everything in its power to ensure their safety."

Hand is serving a prison sentence of 8 1/3 to 25 years for racketeering, grand larceny, fraud, and conspiracy. He faces a further 8- to 16-year term when he is due to be sentenced on February 6.

His lawyer, Kevin Canfield, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

Prosecutors declined to identify the threatened witness.

Hand was convicted in July 2010 of masterminding a mortgage fraud scheme, following an investigation that eventually led to the indictment of 27 defendants from all corners of the real estate industry, all of whom either were convicted or pleaded guilty.

According to prosecutors, in 2011, Hand met in prison with an undercover investigator posing as a hit man, and tried to hire him to murder an unidentified witness for $2,000.

Prosecutors said Hand was caught on tape giving instructions to the undercover "hit man" on how to kill the witness -- and, if necessary, his wife and child -- without leaving evidence.

Hand created his company, Long Island-based AFG Financial Group, solely to defraud lending banks of millions of dollars while taking advantage of low-income homebuyers, according to prosecutors. The company located distressed properties and recruited straw buyers -- people who had excellent credit but little cash -- to purchase them.

Hand used phony appraisals, forged documents, and false loan qualifications for the buyers to secure financing, with the aid of corrupt bank and mortgage lender employees, appraisers, lawyers, and real estate agents, according to prosecutors.

The company kept most of the bank's loan money, allowing the properties to be foreclosed upon and leaving the straw buyers with ruined credit and no return on their investment, prosecutors said.

(Editing by Daniel Trotta)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/us_nm/us_newyork_murder_for_hire

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Romney stance on Dream Act is magnified in Florida (AP)

MIAMI ? Mitt Romney's promise to veto a measure that would create a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants threatens to turn off some Hispanic voters, whose support could be critical in a general election match-up against President Barack Obama.

The issue is gaining prominence as the GOP front-runner heads toward the Jan. 31 primary in Florida, even though most of the state's Hispanics are Puerto Rican or Cuban-American and, thus, aren't affected by U.S. immigration law, nor view it as a priority. Still, it's a state where 13 percent of registered voters are Hispanic, where the nation's largest Spanish-language TV networks are based, and where the nation's third-largest number of illegal immigrants live ? intensifying the focus on Romney's position.

"Latino voters, like all voters in this country, are interested in America being an opportunity nation," Romney said Monday night during a debate in South Carolina, when asked if his promise to veto the so-called Dream Act was alienating voters. "In my view, as long as we communicate to the people of all backgrounds in this country that it can be better, and that America is a land of opportunity, we will get those votes."

Maybe not.

His veto promise ? first made in the days before the Iowa caucuses ? has hit a nerve with prominent Hispanics, and some Republicans worry that the position will turn off the growing number of Latino voters in swing-voting states, particularly in the west, who are now on the fence after backing Obama in 2008. These Republicans suggest that Romney was trying to curry favor with hardline Republican primary voters at the expense of Hispanics whose support he would need come the fall.

"If Romney's the nominee, he's going to have to come to the center and make some decisions about how to resolve that issue," said Republican Herman Echevarria, a Cuban-American who is the CEO of a Miami-based bilingual advertising agency and a longtime local political player. "He's trying to be a conservative candidate. And if you don't become a conservative candidate, you cannot be the candidate of the Republicans. But you cannot be elected president just as a conservative candidate."

Already, there are signs of backlash.

For Colombia native Ana Rodriguez, a Miami-based graphic designer who received political asylum and will become a U.S. citizen this year, Romney's comments are precisely what motivated her to vote ? against him. "Because of what I went through," Rodriguez said, "I want more people (elected) who are interested in supporting immigrants and want a more equal and fair system of immigration."

Florida Dream Act activists, who have been among the most visible in the nation, also are promising to keep the heat on Romney as his campaign comes to the state.

And last week, at El Tropical restaurant in Miami, Florida Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, who has endorsed Romney, told a group of mostly Cuban-American GOP primary voters that the former Massachusetts governor was the only candidate who could fix the economy and protect U.S. security interests. Then, a young Colombian immigrant stepped forward and asked Diaz-Balart, who has championed immigrants' rights including the Dream Act, how the congressman could support Romney.

"You have been such a friend to us, I just don't understand," said Juan Rodriguez, a student at Florida International University who was among a half-dozen students who walked from Miami to Washington in the winter to raise awareness of the legislation.

The exchange was caught on tape by several Spanish-language media outlets that reach viewers around the world.

Romney has arguably the toughest immigration position of any of the Republican candidates. Newt Gingrich would give legal status to illegal immigrants who have deep roots in the U.S. and lived otherwise lawfully.

Conversely, Romney has been adamantly opposed to any type of amnesty for illegal immigrants since his first White House run in 2008. Previously, he called reasonable a bipartisan proposal to allow immigrants to seek green cards in exchange for certain penalties, though he says he never officially supported such legislation.

Last year, Romney objected to the Dream Act. But he went further in the days before the Iowa caucuses when asked if he would veto the measure.

"The answer is yes," Romney told voters then.

While he said he does not oppose creating a path for those who serve in the U.S. military to become permanent residents, he also said he doesn't believe such individuals should be able to adjust their status by attending school, nor should they receive in-state tuition.

Since narrowly winning the Iowa caucuses, Romney has been sending Hispanics mixed messages.

He's working to woo Hispanics and convince them he's sincere in fighting their causes, recently launching TV commercials in Florida featuring Cuban-Americans Diaz-Balart and fellow U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, as well as his son Craig speaking in Spanish.

But, in South Carolina, he's also been campaigning with Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, the leading architect behind the tough Arizona-style immigration laws. Even many Latinos who support tougher immigration laws worry such measures will lead to racial profiling because they give broad leeway to law enforcement to stop anyone whom they suspect of being in the country illegally.

"This is all about his primary right now," said Benjamin Bishin, a University of California, Riverside political science professor who has long studied Cuban-American and other Latino political attitudes.

Jennifer Korn of the center-right group the Hispanic Leadership Network, which is co-hosting a GOP primary debate and Latino conference this month in Florida, said Romney took a risk in alienating Hispanic voters. But, she added, he's also made clear he wants to fix the broader immigration system.

"If he explains it correctly, he definitely has a chance to have the Hispanic community listen to what he has to say," she said.

He seemed to try to do just that during recent debates, saying: "I love legal immigration," but that "to protect our legal immigration system we have got to protect our borders and stop the flood of illegal immigration."

That appeared to be enough for Peter Gonzalez, a Cuban-American commercial attorney and fiscally conservative Democrat.

"It's nice to hear a guy who the media has said is taking a harsh turn to the right on immigration say they love legal immigration," he said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_el_pr/us_romney_hispanics

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The Evolving Truth about Fracking for Natural Gas [Updated]

Web Exclusives | Energy & Sustainability

Scientists are speaking out about the risks that fracking may or may not pose to drinking water

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Abducted Colorado girl, 9, escapes captor by calling police (Reuters)

DENVER (Reuters) ? A 9-year-old Colorado girl abducted while walking home from school on Thursday managed to escape her kidnapper after a harrowing 18-hour ordeal by calling police from a convenience store, police said on Saturday.

Calysta Cordova, who police were hailing as a hero, broke free from her captor at a Colorado Springs convenience store on Friday and called 911, said Barbara Miller, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Springs police.

"She is an amazing young girl," Miller said of the 4-foot, 10-inch girl. "She saw a window of opportunity, seized it and became a hero by rescuing herself."

Police arrested Jose Garcia, 29, a short time after the girl notified authorities, Miller said.

Cordova was abducted while walking home from her school in Pueblo, Colorado, on Thursday afternoon, triggering an Amber Alert, police said.

A vehicle driven by Garcia broke down in Colorado Springs on Friday morning, and a passing motorist gave Garcia and Cordova a ride to the convenience store, where the girl ran inside, asked the clerk to use the telephone, and called 911.

Garcia fled on foot when he saw the girl on the phone, and was arrested at a bus station a short time later, police said.

Garcia was being held on a $250,000 bond on suspicion of second-degree kidnapping, sexual assault and a probation violation, Sergeant Brian Ziolkowski of the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office said.

A Pueblo police captain declined to say if the sexual assault charge was related to the Cordova case. Police gave no information on Cordova's condition, and said her family was declining media interviews to protect their daughter.

(Reporting By Keith Coffman; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120121/us_nm/us_crime_girl_escape

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Saturday, January 21, 2012

Parents Reveal 5-Year-Old???s Gender: Good Excuse or a Form of Abuse? (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | A U.K. couple recently revealed their child's gender after keeping it a secret for five years, but it has some people questioning their parenting methods.

While Beck Laxton and Kieran Cooper concealed the gender because they wanted to avoid stereotyping, the jig was up when it was time for Sasha to start school. It was then that school administrators wanted to know: Is it a boy or a girl? (It's a boy.)

In an interview with Cambridge News, Laxton explained why she decided to raise her son "gender- neutral" and said even she didn't check the baby's sex until a half hour after he was born. (After nine months of wondering, what's another 30 minutes?)

The couple kept the child's sex under wraps, bought him gender-neutral toys and refused to let him dress in masculine clothes with skulls or camo prints.

But pink, sparkly clothes weren't on the banned list and neither were dolls.

Some are comparing the family's controversial decision to a lab experiment.

While every parent can raise their child as they see fit, critics think this child's best interests weren't always at heart. Indeed, it almost seems as though Mama Laxton was encouraging the girl play.

A family Christmas card featured a picture of a picture of Sasha dressed as a fairy. "Children like sparkly things," his mom said. Sure they do, but why does Sasha look so unhappy in the picture?

Of course, up until now this method seems to have worked for the family. Sasha sounds to be a happy child who is open to a variety of experiences. But one has to wonder how Sasha will thrive once he gets out from under his mama's wings and into the real world.

Kids are known to tease, and Sasha still sports the "girls" blouse from his school's uniform.

"I don't think I'd do it if I thought it was going to make him unhappy, but at the moment he's not really bothered either way," his mother claims.

As for five years ago when the couple broke the news of their baby's birth to family and close friends -- but neglected to mention the gender-- Laxton said, "There were a couple of people who assumed it was a boy, because that's the default: something's male unless you say it isn't."

Apparently so.

Victoria Leigh Miller is a freelance writer. She has been writing about parenting topics since 2001.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120121/hl_ac/10865253_parents_reveal_5yearolds_gender_good_excuse_or_a_form_of_abuse

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SkyGrid Debuts iPad App Touchtv To Allow Users To Watch Content On Demand

tvSkyGrid, a startup that offers a powerful news aggregator to consumers is venturing into the TV content and media business with the launch of Touchtv, an iPad app that allows viewers to watch recent programs from popular sports, entertainment, politics, and news channels. Custom designed for the iPad, Touchtv, which is a free app, aims to give viewers their own personal TV via the iPad to watch their favorite channels. SkyGrid has partnered with a number of networks including Fox, CBS, ABC, NBC, ESPN, OWN, E! and others to show specific content and programming.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Ts_XNOAm2_o/

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Friday, January 20, 2012

Romney stops smiling in South Carolina (The Ticket)

Romney in Charleston (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

CHARLESTON, S.C.?This was not the week Mitt Romney had been hoping for in South Carolina, but he's doing his best not to let it show.

Appearing at a small rally outside his newly opened campaign office here, Romney wore the careful smile familiar from his campaign photo, the same smile he wears at debates, even when his opponents are attempting to rip him to shreds. It's an expression clearly intended to project confidence and ease?a look that seems well practiced by a candidate who knows that one dour look can easily halt the careful choreography of an entire campaign.

When a woman yelled from the crowd to ask when he'll release his tax returns ("April"), and when he was confronted by an Occupy protester about his wealth along the rope line, Romney wore the smile.

But it did, occasionally, disappear?wiped out by looks better described as anxious or annoyed. One of those moments came when Romney, for the second day in a row, took aim at rival Newt Gingrich, who has surged in the polls here in the final days before Saturday's primary.

He tied an attack on Gingrich to one on Obama's jobs speech in Florida today. Romney said the location of Obama's speech?Disney World in Orlando?was "obviously appropriate" because he's been "living in Fantasyland" when it comes to his economic policies.

"He may bump into Speaker Gingrich down there in Fantasyland," Romney continued. "I only say that because the speaker was talking about all the jobs that he'd helped create in the Reagan years. He had been in Congress two years when Reagan came to office. The idea that he was the author of Reaganomics, not real likely."

Romney added: "The idea that people in Washington think that somehow they are responsible after they have been there for two years for creating millions of jobs, it is the kind of fantasy that happens."

Romney largely avoided reporters as he made his way down the rope line and into his campaign outpost, where he joined volunteers in making get-out-the-vote phone calls to potential supporters.

As late as last month, many top backers of Romney's bid in South Carolina were unsure he would make a serious effort to win the state's first in the south Republican primary?and there were signs of Romney's last minute preparations today.

The Charleston office, which only opened this month, is located in an old, vacated sewing store in a strip mall on the outskirts of Charleston proper that is populated by New Agey shops, including a holistic wellness center called "Bending to the Light" ("Tai Chi!" the signs outside read).

While Romney was inside, Stuart Stevens, his chief strategist, chatted outside with reporters, who grilled him on the race's turn of events, including Rick Perry's decision to drop and back Gingrich.

"I think the race has a lot of clarity," Stevens insisted, adding that he believes Perry supporters who are anti-government and anti-Washington will jump to Romney. He said the race is now a "clear choice" between Romney and three Washington insiders.

"You only have one candidate up there who is not from Washington, one candidate up there that has private sector experience," Stevens said. "You have two candidates who seem sort of misty-eyed about the Clinton era? Add up the years of government service and Washington time between those candidates against somebody who hasn't served in Washington. It's a pretty clear choice."

But the Romney team continues to ignore Rick Santorum and Ron Paul in favor of focusing exclusively on Gingrich. For the second day in a row, the campaign held a conference call attacking Gingrich as an "unreliable leader," this one featuring former Sen. John Sununu and New York Rep. Peter King, who told reporters that a Gingrich presidency would not be just dangerous for the country, but for the world.

"If by some chance he was elected president, then for the country's sake, we would be constantly trying to get ourselves out of crisis that Newt created in addition to the real crisis we have with China and al-Qaeda and going through the whole, the whole panoply of threats including you know, the economic crisis our country faces," King said. "So, we cannot afford Newt Gingrich this time. As Republicans, we cannot afford him to be our nominee."

Asked if Romney agrees with King's assessment, Stevens paused and smiled. "I think we'll let Mr. King speak on that one," he said, adding, "That's a conference call I'm sorry I missed."

Other popular Yahoo! News stories:

? After 'open marriage' allegations, Gingrich says 'I have been very open about mistakes I have made'

? Rick Perry ends presidential campaign, endorses Newt Gingrich

? Santorum may have won Iowa; Romney calls results 'a virtual tie'

Want more of our best political stories? Visit The Ticket or connect with us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or add us on Tumblr.

Handy with a camera? Join our Election 2012 Flickr group to submit your photos of the campaign in action.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theticket/20120119/el_yblog_theticket/romney-stops-smiling-in-south-carolina

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Book Talk: Absurdist Jim Henson film that wasn't (omg!)

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Although he was best-known as a creator of children's puppets like Kermit the Frog, Jim Henson had a parallel career as an experimental filmmaker before "Sesame Street" and "The Muppet Show" made him a household name.

He was even nominated for an Academy Award for an early short film, "Time Piece."

In 1968, Henson and collaborator Jerry Juhl wrote the screenplay for a live-action western, "Tale of Sand," but the movie never got off the ground despite Henson's efforts. It is a darkly comic story of a man pursued across a desert by swordsmen, a lion, a football team, and a mysterious villain with an eye-patch.

"Tale of Sand" is now a graphic novel. Frantic, nearly wordless, and full of absurdist touches such as a light switch that turns day into night, it shows a side of Henson, who died in 1990, that may be unfamiliar to many fans.

The Jim Henson Company's archives director, Karen Falk, who has spent nearly 20 years poring over Henson artifacts and who unearthed the script, spoke to Reuters about the storyteller.

Q: Many of the reviewers who praised the recent Muppets movie cited its warmth and the gentility of the Muppets' world. Is that a part of Henson's legacy?

A: "Jim and (collaborator) Jerry Juhl wanted to present their characters in a positive light and have an optimistic view of the world. That was Jim's mindset, that you should tolerate others' differences. It's not trite. It's a valid way of looking at the world."

Q: Yet 'Tale of Sand' is essentially a black comedy. Was it a case of a younger man trying to find his voice?

A: "There's a lot of funny business, so it's not completely dark. It's just kind of absurd. It really is a product of that late 60s period. People were writing paranoid stories about being in situations and not being able to get out, and this was (their) take on it. Jim felt he was getting pigeonholed as a children's performer. He was trying to regain his reputation as an entertainer for grown-up audiences as well.

"He was on the fence about which way he was going to go, whether he would really pursue the puppets or pursue the filmmaking. He was really pushing his film work before he got involved with 'Sesame Street' in late '68, early '69. That took him in the other direction."

Q: Why do "Tale of Sand" as a graphic novel?

A: "(Artist) Ramon Perez was able to look at a script that was very, very descriptive. There's very little dialogue in the screenplay. Jim was a visual person, very aware of how much sights and sounds could tell what's going on, instead of words."

Q: Where do you see his influence these days?

A: "I see it in Broadway shows. 'Avenue Q' is really a tribute to Jim Henson. Pete Docter, the director of 'Up' and other Pixar films, says the graphic sensibility of Jim Henson was a huge influence. Tim Burton cites Henson as an influence."

Q: You curated the Henson exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York. Is the craft of puppetry threatened by computer graphics?

A: "It's been around since the beginning of man and will continue to be around. Jim was interested in new technology and certainly embraced early computer animation. I don't think he would have forsaken puppetry. He would have combined them, because he was always looking for the most expressive way of telling a story."

Q: So one shouldn't think of it as just a children's medium?

"Puppetry is much more than that. You see puppets in so many productions, whether it's something like 'War Horse' or 'Avenue Q,' even the 'Madame Butterfly' opera. Artists are incorporating puppetry into theater work, recognizing it as a valid way to tell a story."

(Reporting by Nick Zieminski; editing by Patricia Reaney)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_book_talk_absurdist_jim_henson_film_wasnt100721478/44227598/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/book-talk-absurdist-jim-henson-film-wasnt-100721478.html

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