CEO says GM properly handled Volt fires probe (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The head of General Motors Co. says the company properly handled a problem with battery fires in Chevrolet Volt electric cars last year.

In written testimony for a congressional hearing Wednesday, GM chairman and CEO Daniel F. Akerson said testing by government regulators resulted in fires "after putting the battery through lab conditions that no driver would experience in the real world."

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the testimony Tuesday.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began studying the Volt last June after a fire broke out in one of the cars three weeks after it was crashed as part of safety testing. Two other fires related to separate safety tests occurred later, and NHTSA opened an official investigation into the vehicle on Nov. 25. The government ended its investigation last week, concluding that the Volt and other electric cars don't pose a greater fire risk than gasoline-powered cars. The agency and General Motors Co. know of no fires in real-world crashes.

But some critics have criticized the government's response, accusing NHTSA of a conflict of interest because the government still owns 26.5 percent of the company's shares. Wednesday's subcommittee hearing of the GOP-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is titled "Volt Vehicle Fire: What Did NHTSA Know and When Did They Know It?"

Rep. Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican who will chair Wednesday's hearing, said he found it troubling that NHTSA waited several months before notifying the public about the fire, which happened in June but was not made public until November.

"Given the direct government involvement in General Motors, it also prompts questions about whether or not this administration is promoting the rapid distribution of electric vehicles, like the Volt, before doing their homework and understanding how the risks associated with these vehicles should be addressed," Jordan said.

In an email Tuesday, NHTSA spokeswoman Lynda Tran said that following the June fire, the agency needed to determine through careful forensic analysis whether the Volt was the actual cause ? and if so, what the implications were for safety ? and that took time.

"If at any time during this process we had reason to believe that vehicle owners faced any imminent safety risk we would have made that point known to the public right away," she said.

For GM's part, Akerson said: "There would be no stalling or working the bureaucratic process. We'd place our customers' sense of safety and peace of mind first, and we would act quickly."

The company advised Volt owners to return their cars to dealers for repairs that will lower the risk of battery fires. GM hopes that by adding steel to the plates protecting the batteries, it will ease worries about the car's safety. The vehicles are covered by a "customer satisfaction program" run by GM, which is similar to a safety recall but allows the carmaker to avoid the bad publicity and federal monitoring that come with a recall.

"The Volt is safe," Akerson said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_go_co/us_volt_fires

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Debates have major impact on GOP presidential race (AP)

NEW YORK ? The Republican presidential debates have served up riveting television and exposed the contenders' strengths and weaknesses, with no one benefiting more than Newt Gingrich. His in-your-face style has excited GOP voters who want a scrappy fighter to take on President Barack Obama in the fall.

At the same time, no one has found himself more boxed in by the format than Mitt Romney. The former Massachusetts governor's cautious but generally mistake-free performances earlier in the contest were seen as evidence of his resilience. But that steadiness recently has given way to a string of awkward gaffes and unforced errors, mostly surrounding his income taxes and the vast wealth he earned running a venture capital firm.

Gingrich, Romney, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul were set to square off twice this week before Florida Republicans have their say in the primary Jan. 31. Debates were scheduled for Monday night in Tampa, and Thursday night in Jacksonville.

Romney's advisers at one point signaled that he might skip both Florida debates. His campaign has recruited Brett O'Donnell, a former debate coach to 2008 Republican nominee John McCain, to help him prepare. Since losing South Carolina's primary to Gingrich on Saturday, Romney has ratcheted up his criticism of Gingrich, all but promising feistier debate performances from him this week.

The debates ? 17 so far ? have offered political junkies a dose of "must-see" TV and exposed the candidates' warts and all.

Ask Herman Cain, a former pizza executive with no political experience who bounced briefly to the top of the field after several witty and memorable debate performances. Or Rick Perry, who saw his once promising candidacy unravel on stage as he stammered to recall the third of three federal agencies he'd eliminate and ended with a memorable "oops."

The debates also have influenced media coverage of the race. An analysis by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism found that the tone of coverage of a candidate almost directly corresponded with the assessment of their debate performances. The center also studied Twitter postings around the debates, and found an extraordinary amount of instant debate commentary reverberating through that platform.

The debates have cast a particularly sharp focus on the Republican field, in part because there is no primary on the Democratic side. In the 2008 presidential race, there were 26 debates in which Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and other candidates mixed it up in memorable fashion.

The debates have been particularly important to residents of early voting states, which saw a flood of TV advertising from the campaigns and independent groups but much less face-to-face campaigning from candidates than in years past.

Data bears that out.

In New Hampshire, which held the nation's first primary Jan. 10, 84 percent of those surveyed said the debates were important to their vote, according to exit polls sponsored by The Associated Press and the broadcast networks.

In South Carolina, 65 percent said the debates were important in determining their vote. Among the most conservative voters, including evangelical Christians and tea party backers, the figure was closer to 70 percent.

That group of voters backed Gingrich in Saturday's primary in the strongest numbers, in part because of two memorable debate exchanges.

At a CNN debate last Thursday in Charleston, moderator John King asked Gingrich to comment on an interview his former wife had given to ABC News alleging that he had asked her for an open marriage. Gingrich let loose, channeling conservative rage at the "elite media."

"I think the destructive, vicious negative nature of much of the news media makes it harder to govern this country, harder to attract decent people to run for public office. I'm appalled you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that." Gingrich snarled at King. The audience roared its approval.

At an earlier Fox News Channel debate in Myrtle Beach, Gingrich rebuffed a question from panelist Juan Williams on whether black voters might be insulted by Gingrich's frequent references to Obama as the "food stamp" president. Obama is the nation's first black president; Williams is also black.

"The fact is that more people have been put on food stamps by Barack Obama than any president in American history. Now, I know among the politically correct, you're not supposed to use facts that are uncomfortable," Gingrich said, adding: "If that makes liberals unhappy, I'm going to continue to find ways to help poor people learn how to get a job, learn how to get a better job and learn some day to own the job."

The reaction in the audience was so positive that Gingrich's campaign produced a television ad drawing from the exchange.

Gingrich even spoke of his own debating skills at his South Carolina victory party.

"It's not that I am a good debater," he said. "It is that I articulate the deepest-felt values of the American people."

While Gingrich's strong debate performances have temporarily deflected questions about his history and character, few expect that to last. Gilbert Cranberg, an emeritus professor of mass communications at the University of Iowa, said good debaters don't necessarily make good presidents.

"You want a president to be deliberative, to consult, not to make snap judgments," Cranberg said. "Debates are showbiz."

___

AP deputy director of polling Jennifer Agiesta in Washington contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_el_pr/us_republicans_debate_impact

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Libyans storm transitional government headquarters (AP)

BENGHAZI, Libya ? Hundreds of angry Libyans on Saturday stormed the transitional government's headquarters in the eastern city of Benghazi, carting off computers, chairs, and desks while the country's interim leader was still holed up in the building.

Libyans have grown increasingly frustrated with the pace and direction of reforms in the country more than three months after the end of the civil war that ousted longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Those concerns spurred residents in Benghazi, where the uprising against longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi broke out in February, to begin protests nearly two weeks ago to demand transparency and justice from the country's new leaders.

The melee at the National Transitional Council's headquarters began after protesters broke through the gates using hand grenades and streamed into the grounds of the headquarters. They banged on the building's doors and demanded officials meet with them.

In a bid to calm tensions, NTC chief Mustafa Abdul-Jalil tried to address the crowd from a second-floor window, but protesters began throwing bottles at him.

Protesters then torched Abdul-Jalil's armored Land Cruiser and broke into the headquarters itself, smashing windows to get inside and cart off furniture and electronics.

A security official in the building said a team of some 50 guards dressed as civilians were trying to calm the protesters.

The official, who served as a revolutionary commander during the civil war, said Abdul-Jalil was still in the building and was refusing to leave. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

Some of the protesters pitched tents weeks ago outside the NTC's headquarters to protest a set of election laws they say were drafted by the interim leaders without consulting the public.

"The election laws have not been approved by thousands of Libyans and do not honor those who died for our freedom," said Tamer al-Jahani, a lawyer taking part in the protest. "We don't want to replace one tyrant with another."

The NTC is expected to soon pass the packet of laws, which specify how elections for a transitional parliament will be held. The council only took into account public suggestions through an online survey.

The NTC's handling of the draft laws has sparked criticism that the council is not living up to its democratic ideals.

Last week, NTC official Abdel-Hafiz Ghoga was assaulted in Benghazi by protesters angry at what they said is the NTC's lack of transparency.

Some demonstrators were demanding more rights for fighters wounded during the civil war.

Protester Ahmed Boras accused the NTC of sidelining anti-Gadhafi fighters.

"It seems to us that these people are no different than Gadhafi and they only speak the language of force," he said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_libya

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Etta James Dead At 73

Legendary singer, who influenced everyone from Janis Joplin to Beyoncé, died Friday after battle with leukemia.
By James Montgomery

Etta James in 1961
Photo: Michael Ochs Archives / Redferns

Etta James, the legendary singer whose career spanned six decades (and just as many musical genres) and whose voice has influenced everyone from Janis Joplin and Bonnie Raitt to Christina Aguilera and Adele, died Friday (January 20) after a lengthy battle with leukemia. She was 73 years old.

Best known for hits like "At Last," "All I Could Do Was Cry," "Tell Mama," "Something's Got a Hold on Me" and "Good Rockin' Daddy," James learned to sing in church, and first recorded professionally as a member of the all-girl doo-wop group the Peaches, with whom she'd score a #1 hit ("The Wallflower," an answer to Hank Ballard's "Work With Me, Annie"). Soon after that song's success, James left the group and toured with the likes of Little Richard and Johnny "Guitar" Watson. She'd subsequently sign with Chicago's Chess Records in 1960, where her powerful contralto was featured on a string of crossover classics that spanned R&B, soul, gospel, blues and even rock. It was during that time that she also began a battle with heroin addiction, one that would lead to stints in rehabilitation facilities and stall her career's momentum.

James would continue to record for Chess until 1978, then, after a stint opening for the Rolling Stones, she'd spend the next decade largely adrift, before returning with her comeback album, 1989's Seven Year Itch, which reunited her with producer Jerry Wexler and began a period that saw her finally receive the acclaim she'd long deserved. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and, the following year, won her first-ever Grammy award. In subsequent years, she'd also be enshrined in both the Blues and Rockabilly Halls, earn a lifetime achievement award from the Grammys and continue to record a string of well-received blues and jazz albums.

Photos: The life and career of Etta James.

Her Chess Records period was brought to the big screen (with varying degrees of accuracy) in the 2008 musical biopic "Cadillac Records," with Beyoncé portraying James. Beyoncé's cover of "At Last" was released as the lead single off the film's soundtrack, and would go on to win a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance. Beyoncé would also perform the song at president Barack Obama's inaugural ball in January 2009, a move which led James to famously tell an audience in Seattle that B "has no business up there singing ... my song that I've been singing forever." She'd later explain to the New York Daily News that she was joking, but added that she could've performed the song better.

In recent years, with her status secured (and her addiction problems largely behind her), James continued to tour, and she's been championed by some of today's biggest contemporary stars, like Adele, Aguilera, Florence Welch, Paramore's Hayley Williams, Joss Stone and Jazon Mraz. She was also a particular favorite of the late Amy Winehouse, whose own battles with addiction sadly turned out differently than James'. And just this year, a sample of her "Something's Got a Hold on Me" was used to maximum effect by DJ Avicii on his international hit "Levels."

James' health had been in decline for several years. In 2010, her son Donto told reporters that James had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and in January 2011, court documents filed by her husband — who was seeking to take control of her finances, as she was extremely ill — revealed that she was also undergoing treatment for leukemia. In December, James' live-in physician told a California newspaper that the singer was "terminally ill" and asked "for the prayers of her fans and friends." James' final album, The Dreamer, was released in November.

Share your condolences with Etta James' family on our Facebook page.

Related Photos

• Etta James: A Life In Photos

Related Artists

• Etta James

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677610/etta-james-dead.jhtml

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Eye-Fi CEO slams SD Association's eerily similar Wireless SD card standard, says his IP is being violated

Yuval Koren is not pleased. For those unaware, he's the CEO of Eye-Fi, the company that has practically written the rules on embedding WiFi into SD cards. If you blinked last week, you probably missed the SD Association's announcement that it had created a new Wireless LAN SD standard that would effectively give just about anyone the ability to add Eye-Fi abilities to their SD cards. As it turns out, Eye-Fi's none too pleased about it, and Koren has gone so far as to publicly admit that the standard is seriously infringing upon highly valuable Eye-Fi technology. To quote: "As [the SDA's standard is] currently written, essential Eye-Fi patented technology would be violated by anyone implementing this draft specification." Bold.

He goes on to explain that his company has invested "tens of millions of dollars and several years to create unique technology that lets people wirelessly transfer photos and videos directly from their camera and mobile devices," and calls the SDA protocol "flat out misrepresentation." He's effectively calling for the SD Association to either pony up and license Eye-Fi's tech, or scrap the "standard" and rewrite it using something else altogether. The full letter is posted up after the break, with absolutely no elation to be found.

Continue reading Eye-Fi CEO slams SD Association's eerily similar Wireless SD card standard, says his IP is being violated

Eye-Fi CEO slams SD Association's eerily similar Wireless SD card standard, says his IP is being violated originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/20/eye-fi-threatens-sd-association-wireless-lan-sd-standard-ip-violation/

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Rangers, Darvish agree to deal

With the 30-day negotiating window set to expire this afternoon Yu Darvish and the Rangers have agreed to a six-year contract that will bring the Japanese phenom to Texas, with Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reporting that the deal is worth $60 million with an additional $10 million in potential incentives.

Last month the Rangers bid $51,703,411 for exclusive negotiating rights to Darvish, who at age 25 has won two Pacific League MVP awards and is 93-38 with a 1.99 ERA in seven seasons.

That posting fee goes to Darvish?s old team, the Nippon-Ham Fighters. Had the two sides not reached an agreement on a contract the Rangers would have been refunded the entire amount and Darvish would have remained in Japan for this season.

With a total investment of nearly $112 million the Rangers are paying about 10 percent more for Darvish than the Red Sox did for Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2006, when they spent $51,111,111 on the posting fee and signed him to a six-year, $52 million contract. Matsuzaka has been a disappointment in Boston with a 4.25 ERA in 105 starts while struggling with injuries and control, but Darvish is generally considered a better, higher-upside pitcher than Matsuzaka was in 2006.

Darvish essentially replaces C.J. Wilson in the Rangers? rotation, although with Neftali Feliz expected to become a starter after two years as Texas? closer one of Alexi Ogando, Matt Harrison, or Derek Holland is bullpen bound. Ogando, who spent his rookie season as a full-time reliever before having success as a starter last year, has already said he?d be willing to move back to the bullpen to make room for Darvish.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/18/rangers-sign-yu-darvish-to-six-year-60-million-contract/related/

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7 charged in $62 million Dell insider-trading case (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Seven people were charged with a scheme to reap nearly $62 million in illegal profits on trades on Dell Inc shares, the latest salvo in a sweeping probe of suspicious trading at hedge funds.

The FBI in New York arrested four people on Wednesday and authorities announced previously secret charges against three others, making this case one the largest in the office's long -running probe of insider trading.

Dubbed the "Perfect Hedge," the probe has examined suspected sharing of confidential business information with hedge fund managers and analysts. Galleon Group hedge fund tycoon Raj Rajaratnam was arrested as part of the investigation and is now serving an 11-year prison term.

The defendants arrested on Wednesday include Anthony Chiasson, who co-founded the Level Global Investors hedge fund. He turned himself in to the FBI in New York, an agency spokesman said.

Todd Newman, who headed technology trading for hedge fund Diamondback Capital Management from Boston, was also arrested, the spokesman said.

Chiasson and Newman are accused of illegally trading ahead of computer maker Dell Inc 's 2008 first- and second- quarter earnings announcements, netting them $57 million and $3.8 million respectively in profits. Another defendant, Jon Horvath, is accused of making a $1 million, illegal Dell trade. The earnings information was provided by an unnamed source at Dell and relayed to the defendants, court documents said.

A Dell representative could not immediately be reached for a c comment. Lawyers for the trading defendants could not immediately be reached for a comment.

Newman had been placed on leave of absence from Diamondback in 2010 and subsequently was let go by that firm. Reuters in November reported the government's interest in Newman.

Chiasson, Newman, Horvath and one other were charged in U.S. District Court in Manhattan with one count each of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and securities fraud, according to court document.

Horvath, who was also arrested on Wednesday, is currently employed at Sigma Capital management, a unit of Steven A. Cohen's $14 billion hedge fund SAC Capital, said a person familiar with the case who is not authorized to speak publicly.

A spokesman for SAC Capital could not immediately be reached for comment.

A fourth person was arrested in Los Angeles earlier on Wednesday, the FBI spokesman said.

Charges also were made public against three other people who previously have pleaded guilty and are cooperating with the government, court documents showed.

The three are: Sandeep Goyal, a former Dell employee; Spyridon Adondakis, a former junior analyst at Level Global; and Jesse Tortora, who worked at Diamondback Capital Management.

Lawyers for Adondakis, Tortora and Goyal did not immediately respond to requests for a comment.

The criminal complaint -- signed by FBI agent David Makol, who was assigned to the Galleon investigation -- accused Newman and Chiasson of using information obtained by the three cooperators and their network of sources at companies to make illegal trades.

MORE HEADACHES FOR SAC

Horvath's arrest creates more headaches for fund industry titan Steven A. Cohen , who has not been accused of wrongdoing.

Federal investigators have been looking into allegations of wrongful trading at SAC for more than four years, Reuters has previously reported, and Horvath's arrest comes after criminal cases of others who have been tied to SAC.

Donald Longueuil, a one-time SAC portfolio manager, last year was sentenced to 2-1/2 years in prison for insider trading while Noah Freeman, another former SAC portfolio manager, cooperated with the government and pleaded guilty.

More than 50 people have been arrested or charged in overlapping federal insider trading probes that were first unveiled in October 2009. Most of these people have pleaded guilty or been convicted.

Many of the cases have been based at least in part on the use of government wiretaps authorized by federal judges. Four hedge fund firms -- Level Global, Diamondback, Loch Capital Management and Barai Capital Management -- were raided by the FBI in late 2010 as part of the insider-trading probe. Level Global, Loch and Barai have since folded.

Rajaratnam remains the best-known investor implicated in the probe. A jury convicted him of fraud and conspiracy last May. Rajat Gupta, a former chief of the consulting firm McKinsey & Co and director of both Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Procter & Gamble Co, has been charged with providing illegal tips to Rajaratnam. He is fighting those charges.

The case is U.S.A v. Todd Newman et al, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, No. 12-0124. (Additional reporting by Matthew Goldstein and Jonathan Stempel in New York, Svea Herbst-Bayliss in Boston and Poornima Gupta in San Francisco; Editing by Martha Graybow, Mark Porter, Maureen Bavdek and Gunna Dickson)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120118/bs_nm/us_insidertrading_arrests

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Arkansas falls to No. 2 Kentucky 86-63 (AP)

LEXINGTON, Ky. ? Arkansas wanted to run with No. 2 Kentucky. The Razorbacks could never run away from Anthony Davis.

The freshman forward scored a career-high 27 points and blocked seven shots to set a school season record in No. 2 Kentucky's 86-63 victory over Arkansas on Tuesday night.

"Their size was a big problem for us tonight, especially with Anthony Davis," Razorbacks coach Mike Anderson said. "He is a difference maker. No matter how we tried to mount an attack, I thought they did a good job answering."

The Wildcats (18-1, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) won their 10th straight overall and extended the nation's longest home winning streak to 46 games, including 45 straight at Rupp Arena.

Arkansas hasn't won in four road games this season and struggled against the nation's second-best defense by field goal percentage despite 12 points from Mardracus Wade and 10 points apiece from Marvell Waithe, Rashad Madden and B.J. Young.

Still, they couldn't avoid Davis, who had 14 rebounds, as the Wildcats jumped on the Razorbacks (13-5, 2-2) from the start.

"We tried to put two or three bodies on him and he was getting around us," Wade said. "He played really strong and athletic. He just did what he's supposed to do to help his team win tonight."

The Razorbacks never got closer than 14 points on the first basket of the second half.

Anderson said his team would try to run against Kentucky, a strategy most teams have tried to stay away from against the athletic Wildcats.

It didn't work as Davis scored in bunches and the rest of the Wildcats chipped in.

"They did a good job in their preparation and I told the team I'll take the blame for that," Anderson said. "We were playing one of the better teams in the country and they are playing some outstanding basketball. As we've seen throughout the course of conference play, everyone plays pretty good at home."

Arkansas beat the Wildcats in overtime last season in Fayetteville, but these Wildcats reloaded with Davis and fellow freshmen Marquis Teague, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Kyle Wiltjer. Arkansas remained winless in Lexington since the 1994 title team won here.

Doron Lamb scored 14 points, Terrence Jones 13, Darius Miller 11 and Kidd-Gilchrist 10 for Kentucky, which got nine assists from Teague.

In one sequence, Miller grabbed an offensive rebound and slashed across the paint, flipping a contested reverse layup. Then, Jones started a break by swatting Wade's attempt that Lamb finished with a floater that made it 19-6.

Davis matched the school record for blocks when he rejected Rickey Scott's layup off the glass with 8:02 left in the first half, matching the 83 that Turpin set in 1982-83 in 31 games and Riddick tied in 34 games in 1993-94. Davis set the record a little over 3 minutes later when he turned away Young's layup with Kentucky leading 28-12.

Kentucky took its first 20-point lead when Lamb hit a 3 with 3:22 left in the half. Davis blocked another layup by Young with 5 seconds left and swatted Wade's attempt at the buzzer as the Wildcats took a 37-21 lead.

When Arkansas cut it to 50-35 with 14:48 left, Kidd-Gilchrist threw an alley-oop pass to Davis, Jones blocked freshman Devonta Abron's shot and Teague fed Kidd-Gilchrist in the paint for another slam as part of a 13-2 run that put the game away before the midway point of the second half.

Davis finished 10 of 12 from the field, his best game with at least 10 attempts of his 19-game career and went 7 for 8 from the free throw line. He got a standing ovation with 4:23 left with his seventh and final block, an emphatic swat of Julysses Nobles' shot into the front row.

"Looking at him on TV he's really tall and lanky and you don't think he'd be that physical, but actually that guy is pretty physical," Wade said. "He gets in there, he's relentless. You hit him one time and he's just going to go back into you again."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120118/ap_on_sp_co_ga_su/bkc_t25_arkansas

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Exclusive - Disney: Mickey's next stop is China (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh are setting up shop in China.

Walt Disney Co is on track to open its first store in China in Fall 2012, and is committed to opening 25 to 40 stores in the world's most populous country over the next three years, a top company executive told Reuters.

The news comes as the world's largest media conglomerate, home to iconic brands such as Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh, looks beyond mature markets such as the United States and Europe for new sources of revenue.

"China is very important to overall Disney company plans, obviously with the launch of the Shanghai Disneyland Park. So, it is probably the newest country that is getting the most focus," Jim Fielding, president of Disney Stores Worldwide, said in an exclusive interview. Disney broke ground on the Shanghai Disneyland theme park in April 2011.

Also, the Chinese are not new to the Disney brand.

"Because the licensing division has had a presence in China already, there is affinity for the brand and affinity for characters," he said. "The market is ready."

Disney has signed a lease for its first store in Shanghai and is looking at sites in other top tier cities such as Beijing, Fielding said.

"We are focusing on tier-one cities in very high population and tourist locations, very similar to what we look at around the world," Fielding explained.

The difference will be in Disney's strategy to woo the Chinese.

"The product assortment is definitely localized to Chinese consumers and Chinese knowledge because they don't know all the Disney characters that people know in America and in Europe," he said.

For instance, he expects Disney's China stores to carry more products under the Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh labels and fewer of the Princess dolls.

Disney refused to shed light on how much it planned to invest in China.

Rising consumer wealth and a huge population make China an attractive destination for many global companies, but cracking the Chinese market has not been an easy task, with challenges ranging from counterfeiting to cultural differences.

For instance, U.S. electronics chain Best Buy closed all of its namesake stores in China last year to cut costs. Toy maker Mattel shut its six-story flagship Barbie store in Shanghai early last year.

EUROPE STILL CHALLENGED

While Disney is excited about its prospects in China, it is not as optimistic about other markets.

"The European business is extremely challenging right now," Fielding said citing economic pressures in the region. "The North American and Japanese markets are ... stable for us."

Disney, which opened its first store in 1987, launched a new retail format in 2010 and has been making a push in the past year to take its highly interactive, retail format to upscale malls in newer markets, on both sides of the Atlantic.

The company plans to open 13 new and remodeled Disney Store locations in North America this year, with Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Utah and Virginia, all on tap to get their first new concept stores. In Europe, Disney plans to open its newly designed store in Milan, Italy next month.

Disney's new retail format sports more features to entertain shoppers, such as a table where kids can assemble cars from the popular Disney-Pixar "Cars" movie to a two-story princess castle that kids can enter.

Disney, which already has more than 200 North American stores, more than 40 locations in Japan and more than 100 stores in Europe, has said it aims to convert all of its current stores to the new format as part of a five-year plan.

(Reporting By Dhanya Skariachan; Editing by Bernard Orr)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/enindustry/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120117/media_nm/us_disney

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FACT CHECK: Distortions in GOP debate

People view the Republican presidential debate on a large video screen outside of the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012, in Myrtle Beach, S.C. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

People view the Republican presidential debate on a large video screen outside of the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012, in Myrtle Beach, S.C. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidates, from left to right: Texas Gov. Rick Perry; former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum; former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; and Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, participate in the South Carolina Republican presidential candidate debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, Pool)

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, left, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich participate in the South Carolina Republican presidential candidate debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, Pool)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Mitt Romney ignored the most significant expansion of trade ties in nearly two decades when he accused the Obama administration Monday night of doing nothing to open new markets. Rick Santorum claimed to be taking purely the high road in campaign ads even as a new one from him veered from that path.

Newt Gingrich mischaracterized the Chilean retirement system that he favors as a partial model for the United States, declaring that the system of private accounts is voluntary when it's not.

So it went in the latest Republican presidential debate as the candidates took shortcuts with complex realities and committed some outright distortions. A look at some of the claims and how they compare with the facts:

___

ROMNEY: "This president has opened up no new markets for American goods around the world in his three years, even as European nations and China have opened up 44."

THE FACTS: Actually, Obama revived Bush-administration-era free-trade pacts with South Korea, Panama and Columbia, all passed by Congress in October, in the biggest round of trade liberalization since the North American Free Trade Agreement and other pacts of that era.

In particular, the agreement with South Korea is designed to break down barriers between the United States and the world's 15th-largest economy. The South Korea deal has the potential to create as many as 280,000 American jobs, according to a recent assessment by the staff of the U.S. International Trade Commission, and to boost exports by more than $12 billion.

Obama also, on a recent trip to Asia, endorsed an Asia-Pacific free-trade pact that would also boost U.S. exports to Asia. With economies weak, the benefits of freer trade may not be immediate but Romney was incorrect to say President Barack Obama has opened "no new markets."

___

SANTORUM: "My ads have been positive. The only ad that I've ever put up has contrasted myself with the other candidates, and does so in a way talking about issues."

THE FACTS: Santorum is coming out with an ad this week accusing Romney of being "just like Obama" and saying Romney "once bragged he's even more liberal than Ted Kennedy on social issues," two negative assertions that go beyond a mere look at issues.

As a Massachusetts senate candidate in 1994, Romney wrote to a group of gay Republicans that outlined a plan to do better than Kennedy to make "equality for gays and lesbians a mainstream concern." But that's not bragging about liberalism, and Romney is hardly more liberal than the late senator ? or Obama ? on social issues. Romney, for example, supports a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

Santorum has, in fact, stayed positive in the campaign but the new ad is a departure from that.

___

GINGRICH on Chile's system of private retirement accounts: "First of all, it's totally voluntary. If you want to stay in the current system, stay in it. If you are younger and you want to go and take a personal savings account, which would be a Social Security savings account, you can take it."

THE FACTS: There is nothing voluntary about Chile's system. It requires that all workers contribute 10 percent of their salaries to private pension plans, plus other fees for insurance, instead of a government program like Social Security.

Workers had a choice when Chile created the private pensions in 1981 but after that phase-in, all new employees have been required to contribute 10 percent of their first $33,360 in annual wages, choosing among five funds whose investments range from safe bonds to riskier stocks.

The Chile model was also a favorite of Herman Cain when he was in the Republican race. He, too, mischaracterized the system as optional.

___

ROMNEY: "We invested in well over 100 different businesses. And the people have looked at the places that have added jobs and lost jobs and that record is pretty much available for people to take a close look at."

THE FACTS: Romney's record as a venture capitalist at Bain Capital has been presented by his campaign highly selectively; namely, by detailing several big success stories and ignoring the job losses that resulted from Bain-owned plants and companies that closed or shrank their workforce.

His overall record is not even close to being known, because it is so complex. Many of the companies are private, without the public disclosure requirements that big corporations have, and his campaign has not released details.

Under scrutiny, Romney has stepped back from claiming that he created more than 100,000 jobs overall with his Bain investments. That claim was never substantiated. In the debate, he named four successful investments in companies that now ? a decade after he left Bain ? employ about 120,000 people, a more measured and accurate statement, but one that still does not account for losses elsewhere.

___

RON PAUL: "Taliban are people who want ? their main goal is to keep foreigners off their land. It's the al-Qaida ? you can't mix the two. The al-Qaida want to come here to kill us. The Taliban just says we don't want foreigners. We need to understand that or we can't resolve this problem in the Middle East."

THE FACTS: What Paul is missing is that the Taliban harbored foreigners in their land ? al-Qaida terrorists who came to the United States and killed Americans? and that the Obama administration fears that might happen again if the Taliban regain control in Kabul.

He was correct that the U.S. prior to the 2001 terrorist attacks did not consider the Taliban to be a threat to the U.S. homeland.

___

ROMNEY: "Three years into office, he doesn't have a jobs plan."

FACT CHECK: Like them or not, Obama has proposed several plans intended to spur the economy and create jobs. The most well-known was his stimulus plan, introduced in February 2009, which included about $800 billion in tax cuts and spending.

At the end of 2010, Obama struck a deal with GOP congressional leaders on a package intended to stimulate hiring and growth. The deal cut the Social Security payroll tax, which provided about an extra $1,000 a year to an average family. It also extended an unemployment benefits program that provided up to 99 weeks of aid.

And in September, Obama introduced his most recent jobs plan, rolling it out in a speech to the full Congress in which he urged Congress to "pass it right away." It included $450 billion in tax cuts and new spending, including greater cuts to payroll taxes and tax breaks for companies that hire those who've been out of work for six months or more. Almost none of it has been passed into law.

___

GINGRICH: Romney "raised taxes."

ROMNEY: "We reduced taxes 19 times."

THE FACTS: Both assertions were basically true, though decidedly one-sided.

Romney largely held the line on tax increases but there were notable exceptions. The state raised business taxes by $140 million in one year with measures mostly recommended by Romney. As well, the Republican governor and Democratic lawmakers raised hundreds of millions of dollars from higher fees and fines ? taxation by another name. Romney himself proposed raising nearly $60 million by creating 33 new fees and increasing 57 others. Romney won praise from anti-tax advocates by firmly backing income tax cuts ? and criticism over the business taxes and fees.

___

GINGRICH: "More people have been put on food stamps by Barack Obama than any president in American history."

THE FACTS: It's gotten easier to qualify for food stamps in the past decade but that is because of measures taken before Obama became president.

It's true that the number of people on food stamps is now at a record level. That's due mainly to the ailing economy, which Republicans blame on Obama, as well as rising food costs.

The worst downturn since the Great Depression wiped out 8.7 million jobs, pushed the unemployment rate to a peak of 10 percent in October 2009 and increased poverty.

More than 46.2 million people were on food stamps in October 2011, down slightly from a record 46.3 million in September. That's up from fewer than 31 million people three years earlier.

Eligibility rules were relaxed in 2002 and 2008 during the Bush administration. Obama's stimulus package, passed in February 2009, relaxed the program's work requirements through September 2010.

___

Associated Press writers Christopher S. Rugaber, Tom Raum, Steve Peoples, Robert Burns and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-17-Republicans-Debate-Fact%20Check/id-738a0ba174dd46c89cd9cdc1b32e8242

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'Contraband' takes weekend box office with $28.8M (omg!)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? The Mark Wahlberg smuggling drama "Contraband" stole the top spot at box office away from the 3-D rerelease of "Beauty and the Beast" and the musical comedy "Joyful Noise" with a $28.8 million debut haul, while "Mission: Impossible ? Ghost Protocol" earned $14.2 million in its fifth weekend to take third place.

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com are:

1. "Contraband," Universal, $28,816,095, 2,863 locations, $10,065 average, $28,816,095, one week.

2. "Beauty and the Beast," Disney, $23,507,000, 2,625 locations, $8,955 average, $23,507,000, one week.

3. "Mission: Impossible ? Ghost Protocol," Paramount, $14,200,000, 3,346 locations, $4,244 average, $189,447,000, five weeks.

4. "Joyful Noise," Warner Bros., $13,785,000, 2,735 locations, $5,040 average, $13,785,000, one week.

5. "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," Warner Bros., $10,505,000, 3,155 locations, $3,330 average, $172,105,000, five weeks.

6. "The Devil Inside," Paramount Insurge, $9,175,000, 2,551 locations, $3,597 average, $47,522,000, two weeks.

7. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," Sony, $8,100,000, 2,674 locations, $3,029 average, $89,281,000, four weeks.

8. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked," Fox, $7,825,000, 2,849 locations, $2,747 average, $120,806,288, five weeks.

9. "War Horse," Disney, $7,166,000, 2,856 locations, $2,509 average, $67,338,000, four weeks.

10. "We Bought a Zoo," Fox, $6,800,000, 2,909 locations, $2,338 average, $65,288,534, four weeks.

11. "The Iron Lady," Weinstein Co., $6,474,000, 802 locations, $8,072 average, $7,061,621, three weeks.

12. "The Adventures of Tintin," Paramount, $5,225,000, 2,073 locations, $2,521 average, $68,930,000, four weeks.

13. "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," Focus, $3,800,000, 886 locations, $4,289 average, $15,742,540, six weeks.

14. "The Descendants," Fox Searchlight, $2,530,000, 660 locations, $3,833 average, $47,534,196, nine weeks.

15. "The Artist," Weinstein Co., $1,470,000, 216 locations, $6,806 average, $9,066,779, eight weeks.

16. "Hugo," Paramount, $1,325,000, 545 locations, $2,431 average, $54,442,000, eight weeks.

17. "New Year's Eve," Warner Bros., $1,275,000, 1,092 locations, $1,168 average, $53,929,000, six weeks.

18. "The Darkest Hour," Summit, $1,265,000, 1,182 locations, $1,070 average, $20,714,174, four weeks.

19. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn ? Part 1," Summit, $942,000, 708 locations, $1,331 average, $279,811,685, nine weeks.

20. "Carnage," Sony Pictures Classics, $904,567, 494 locations, $1,831 average, $1,491,032, five weeks.

___

Online:

http://www.hollywood.com

___

Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_contraband_takes_weekend_box_office28_8m_175747758/44197306/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/contraband-takes-weekend-box-office-28-8m-175747758.html

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Currencies: Dollar slips ahead of Greek debt talks

By Michael Kitchen, MarketWatch

LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) ? The dollar traded lower during East Asian hours Wednesday, extending its losses ahead of a key meeting between Greece and its creditors later in the day.

The dollar index /quotes/zigman/1652083 DXY -0.21% , a measure of the U.S. unit?s value compared to six other currencies, slipped to 80.958, down from 81.175 late Tuesday in North American trade.

Feds going after S&P again

Federal prosecutors are again going after Standard & Poor's over the company's financial crisis-era ratings of troubled mortgage securities. Photo: Getty Images.

The move furthered a weakening trend after stronger-than-expected Chinese and German data helped investors to leave the relative safe haven of the greenback. See report on Tuesday?s currency action.

The euro /quotes/zigman/4867933/sampled EURUSD +0.2576% ticked higher, rising to $1.2760 from $1.2728 late Tuesday.

Later Wednesday, the Greek government was slated to resume talks with its bond holders, represented by the Institute of International Finance, to discuss a voluntary write-down on Greece?s sovereign debt.

The New York Times reported ahead of the meeting that Prime Minister Lucas Papademos would consider raising legislation to force a private-sector haircut on the debt if a deal can?t be reached voluntarily.

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?Talks on Greece debt swaps ... will likely be the main source of headline risk? for Wednesday, wrote Royal Bank of Canada senior forex strategist Sue Trinh, who said that price action ahead of the negotiations ?was biased toward risk-on.?

The Japanese yen strengthened slightly against the dollar /quotes/zigman/4868099/sampled USDJPY -0.1790% , which bought ?76.69, down from ?76.84 late Tuesday.

The euro /quotes/zigman/4868097/sampled EURJPY +0.0681% ?was little changed against the yen, changing hands at ?97.82, compared to Tuesday?s ?97.81.

The British pound /quotes/zigman/4867886/sampled GBPUSD +0.0929% ?inched higher to $1.5335, up from $1.5325.

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Michael Kitchen is Asia editor for MarketWatch and is based in Los Angeles.

Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B22D1A0A0-419C-11E1-BCAF-002128040CF6%7D&siteid=rss&rss=1

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PM warns violence could destabilize Romania (AP)

BUCHAREST, Romania ? Romania's prime minister warned Monday that violent protests that left 59 injured over the weekend could jeopardize the country's stability and chances for economic growth.

Some of the around 1,000 protesters clashed with police in downtown Bucharest Sunday, after four days of demonstrations against the government's austerity measures turned violent. Police used tear gas and flares to repel demonstrators hurling stones and firebombs.

Emil Boc called the violence "unacceptable," and said it "cannot be tolerated." He promised, however, that a controversial health law that sparked the protests will be redrafted.

He urged Romanians to understand that tough austerity measures were needed to avoid a default.

"We understand the hardships Romanians are facing ... The crisis has been harsher than we imagined," Boc added.

In 2009, Romania took a two-year euro20 billion ($27.5 billion) loan from the International Monetary Fund, the European Union and the World Bank as its economy shrank by 7.1 percent. Romania imposed harsh austerity measures under the agreement, reducing public wages by 25 percent and increasing taxes.

A medical official said Monday that 59 people suffered injuries in the disturbances. Alis Grasu of Bucharest's ambulance services said that 23 people were briefly hospitalized and three are still in the hospital.

Bucharest mayor Sorin Oprescu said people smashed the windows of shops, banks and bus stations, and street lights were also vandalized.

Anger has mounted in Romania over public wage cuts, slashed benefits, higher taxes and widespread corruption.

A police official said Monday that about 250 people were fined for their conduct during the protests and 36 will be investigated for violence.

Aurel Moise said that a contingent of the violent protesters were fans of a local football club, suggesting that they had come to cause trouble, rather than take part in the protest.

Authorities urged peaceful protesters to distance themselves from troublemakers at any future marches.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120116/ap_on_re_eu/eu_romania_protests

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Sudan and southern rebels clash in oil border state (Reuters)

KHARTOUM (Reuters) ? Sudan's army fought rebels in the oil-producing state of South Kordofan last week, both sides said on Saturday.

The rebels said they had killed nine government troops, but the army denied this.

Fighting has taken place since last June in South Kordofan between the Sudanese army and rebels from the northern wing of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, who want to topple the Khartoum government.

Clashes spread to neighbouring Blue Nile state, which also borders newly independent South Sudan, in September.

The violence has already forced about 417,000 people to flee their homes, more than 80,000 of them to South Sudan, the United Nations estimates.

Both Blue Nile and South Kordofan contain large groups who sided with the south in a decades-long civil war, and who say they continue to face persecution inside Sudan since South Sudan seceded in July.

The SPLM is now the ruling party in the independent south and denies supporting SPLM-North rebels across the border.

The SPLM-North rebels said they had killed nine soldiers, destroyed three tanks and seized military equipment in clashes at Tees near the southern border on Monday. They also seized three army vehicles in another attack in the same area on Tuesday, they said in a statement.

Army spokesman Sawarmi Khalid Saad confirmed military operations had taken place in the town of Tees to reopen a road but denied any soldiers had been killed.

"These areas are under army control," he said.

Events in South Kordofan and Blue Nile are difficult to verify because aid groups and foreign journalists are banned from areas where fighting takes place.

SPLM-North is one of a number of rebel movements in underdeveloped border areas who say they are fighting to overthrow Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and end what they see as the dominance of the Khartoum political elite.

Sudan and South Sudan, who still have to resolve a range of issues including the sharing of oil revenues, regularly trade accusations of supporting insurgencies on each other's territory.

Their armed forces clashed at Jau in a region claimed by both sides last month in a rare direct confrontation.

Locals have faced air raids and sporadic ground fighting, according to rights groups and refugees, although Sudan denies it is bombing civilian areas.

(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz; Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Ben Harding and Peter Graff)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120114/wl_nm/us_sudan_fighting

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PFT: Tramon, Jacobs 2 paths from same home

Getty Images

For six seasons, Alex Smith was the No. 1 overall pick that looked like a fourth-rounder.

For his first two seasons, Vernon Davis looked like the most physically gifted tight end in the league. But he also looked like a guy who may never ?get it? and become a star.

On a magical Saturday evening in San Francisco, Smith and Davis created their own 49ers history.

There is so much to talk about after this instant classic. But it?s hard not to come back to Smith and Davis combining for two touchdowns in the final two minutes to win.

Smith has a reputation as a ?game manager? but he was absolutely sensational with the pressure on in the final minutes. Smith dropped a gorgeous 37-yard pass in the bucket to Davis up the sideline with 3:14 left.

That set up The Run, an Alex Smith 28-yard touchdown around the left end to give the 49ers the lead.

MDS started writing what was going to be a beautiful post about The Run as a memorable game-winner. ?Until the Saints quickly scored a touchdown and Smith had to win the game again.

After the Saints score, we thought the 49ers were finally done. They had pulled off one amazing late drive; they thought they won and now had to do it again. Nothing about their offensive performance all day indicated they could do it so quickly.

Smith did it again, of course. He found Davis for a 47-yard gain to set up the 14-yard game-winner with nine seconds left that reminded us so much of the T.O.?s playoff moment in San Francisco. ?Davis finished 180 yards and two scores.

?I want to see all good things happen to [Smith] because he?s a warrior,? Davis said after the game.

These weren?t ?game manager? throws. They were perfectly thrown gutsy tosses into small windows. The 49ers had a chance to play for the tie at the end of the game. Instead, they played aggressively like they did all afternoon.

The 49ers drafted Alex Smith first overall in 2005. Since then, Smith has seen two contracts, three head coaches, three personnel chiefs, and six offensive coordinators.?The team drafted Davis eighth overall the following year.

It took a great head coach, a lot of patience, and a lot of?perseverance?from Smith to finally get to this moment.

Smith-to-Davis may not quite be Montana-to-Clark, but this generation of 49ers accomplished something special on Saturday.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/13/tramon-williams-and-brandon-jacobs-take-two-paths-from-same-home/related/

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Knocking on Google's door: has their organic search improved over the years? May...

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.facebook.com/oneupweb/posts/205736419521049

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Daily Tip: How to delete iCloud backups from your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch

iCloud offers iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users a fantastic way to secure your personal data in the cloud. It makes everything a breeze if you have to restore a

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/kax4yyeGRyo/story01.htm

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Hands-on with the Android-powered SiriusXM Lynx

If CES has taught me anything, it's that Android can pop up where you least expect it. Case in point: the SiriusXM booth, where the satellite radio giant is introducing its Lynx portable radio system.

Announced late last month, the Lynx is a three-in-one device that can dock in your car, in your home, or act as a regular in-pocket player. It's WiFi-connected for updates and syncing -- and for content. When docked, it'll pull in all the SiriusXM channels, shows and music that you get from the SiriusXM Internet service. And it features some pretty cool features including "Tune Start", which restarts the song if you've tuned in halfway through.

And did we mention that Android is lurking beneath? You wouldn't necessarily know it, as the Lynx has a UI that's pure SiriusXM, but it's there (check out the "caution" warning below-- recognize that?). The Lynx will be hitting retailers soon for a cool $250, and the friendly reps at the booth were nice enough to walk us through exactly what the Lynx is capable of, and how Android makes it all possible. Hit the break for the video and some photos.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/048zvhlKYmU/story01.htm

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Golf-Journeyman Van der Walt shares Africa Open lead

By Jason Humphries

EAST LONDON, South Africa | Sat Jan 7, 2012 6:24pm GMT

EAST LONDON, South Africa Jan 7 (Reuters) - Defending champion Louis Oosthuizen and journeyman Tjaart van der Walt were locked at the top the Africa Open leaderboard on 21-under par after a see-saw battle in the third round on Saturday.

South African Oosthuizen, the overnight leader, closed the day with a six-under par round of 67 while the 37-year-old Van der Walt, who began the day two shots off the lead, carded a 65 with both men picking up just a single bogey.

Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, and Van der Walt, who has plied his trade on the PGA, European and Asian Tours without winning a professional tournament, spent much of the day locked in battle with the third member of the final three-ball, compatriot Retief Goosen.

But Goosen could only par the 18th hole after his second shot found a greenside bunker, while Oosthuizen and Van der Walt both birdied. Goosen ended the round one shot off the pace after a seven-under 66.

Wind finally blew in the afternoon at the coastal course but Oosthuizen said that if the weather remained good it would take a very low score to win the tournament.

"If it's the same weather then I expect 27, 28-under to win," he told reporters.

"Everyone will know that there are a lot of birdies out there. If there is no wind and you are four behind it's going to be really tough to catch the leaders because they are also going to be scoring."

Briton Danny Willett (65) was in fourth place on 19-under while the day's lowest round belonged to South African Richard Sterne who fired a nine-under-par 64 to move to 17-under and fifth place heading into the final day.

Van der Walt told reporters: "I've been close (to winning) many times but every time there seems to be a top-ranked player with a stop sign in front of me. But I can compete on the last day. Who knows what can happen if I keep knocking on the door." (Editing by Dave Thompson. (To comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com; dave.thompson@thomsonreuters.com +44 207 542 7933; Reuters messenger: dave.thompson.reuters.com@reuters.net; Please double click on the newslink for more golf)

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/UKGolfNews/~3/_z8tI5ivAu8/golf-european-idUKL3E8C709N20120107

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A look back at CES 2011 as we head on into CES 2012

This year, as we are getting ready to kick off CES 2012 -- we figured it would be a good idea to take a quick look back at some of the events from 2011. A retrospect, if you will -- to see where some of the bigger announcement of last year ended up, how well they did and what we may be looking at for 2012.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/psBFYOcQr24/story01.htm

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Lenovo LePad K2010 (IdeaTab K2) hands-on: Tegra 3, full HD IPS display

Remember our lovely leak of Lenovo's Tegra 3 tablet from last November? Well, it showed up here at CES under the LePad K2010 moniker for China, while elsewhere it'll likely be known as the IdeaTab K2. We won't comment much on the unfinished software (so no luck with controlling the cursor using the fingerprint scanner on the back), but build quality wise we enjoyed the faux brushed metal cover on the back, and similarly, the sharp 1,920 x 1,200 IPS display between the speakers was very impressive (yes, we double-checked with Lenovo on these numbers).

We also received confirmation that the camera on the back has an eight-megapixel resolution, but obviously we'll wait and see if the picture quality lives up to expectation. Alas, there's still no word on availability, but regardless, China will get first dibs on this juicy quad-core slate. On the bright side, this should give ample time for potential buyers to save up -- the K2010 is aimed at high-end business users, after all. Hands-on video after the break.

Gallery: Lenovo LePad K2010 (IdeaTab K2) hands-on

Continue reading Lenovo LePad K2010 (IdeaTab K2) hands-on: Tegra 3, full HD IPS display

Lenovo LePad K2010 (IdeaTab K2) hands-on: Tegra 3, full HD IPS display originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Jan 2012 20:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/08/lenovo-lepad-k2010-ideatab-k2-hands-on/

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