Sony wants to upgrade the point-and-shoot with new Cyber-shot lineup (Digital Trends)

Today Sony launched three new pocket cams, despite the decreasing interest in this sector. Next-generation digital cameras (Micro four thirds and other non-traditional interchangeable lens system devices) coupled with the effects of full-frame DSLRs and smartphones have eroded the entry-level point-and-shoot market significantly.

And Sony addressed that. The manufacturer is aware that this segment is struggling and has more to compete with than ever before: consumers are getting better and better with cameras and want more and more out of them. Even still, the point-and-shoot gets replaced on a fairly consistent basis, and the remaining buyers who want these devices are willing to pay for them.

To this end, Sony is doing a few things to squeeze what it can out of the pocket cam market while it can. Three new cameras that Sony has announced pack in the megapixels and improved sensors, without skyrocketing the prices.

In a product call Sony acknowledged that the megapixel war has been waged, and at the end of it we all have begun to accept that more megapixels doesn?t always mean better. But it?s something that consumers still look for in a camera that can sway a decision, so it?s been something Sony outfitted its new releases with. Bright LCDs, decreased noise, and improved sensor type mean you?re not just buying a megapixel number attached to a below-average device. And that?s what Sony will leverage against the onslaught of the camera phone. A few specs on the new releases:

Cyber-shot TX200V

• 18.2-megapixel CMOS sensor
• Fast AF ? approximately 0.13 in daylight, 0.25 in low light
• 3.3-inch OLED wide touchscreen
• Waterproof, dustproof, freeze-proof
• Dual record feature (take 13-megapixel stills while shooting full HD 1080p video)
• Nine creative filters
• $500; available in March

Cyber-shot WX70

• 16.2-megapixel CMOS sensor
• 3-inch LCD touch screen
• 5x optical zoom
• Dual record feature
• Nine creative filters
• $230; available in March

Cyber-shot WX50

• 16.2-megapixel CMOS sensor
• 2.7-inch LCD screen
• 5x optical zoom
• Dual record feature
• Nine creative filters
• $200; available in March

You?ll notice a few things about the new lineup. The sub $200 point-and-shoot market, while it still exists, is becoming less and less of a priority. And in our opinion, that?s a good thing: your smartphone can accomplish enough that an often-replaced, easily damaged or broken camera with a disappointing battery life will quickly become a nuisance you barely use.

We?d rather see camera-makers offering fewer, more capable cameras instead of making sure they run the price-point gamut. Sony?s clearly taking a page from this book. The new Cyber-shot models do things smartphones cannot do (yet) without completely isolating buyers still stuck on point-and-shoots. It might be a dying device, but there?s some life there yet.?

This article was originally posted on Digital Trends

More from Digital Trends

Sony?s tiny new CMOS sensor means big things for small cameras

Is Polaroid?s SC1630 Smart Camera the elusive, happy medium between cameras and phones?

Photos: Hands-on with the new craze in cameras, Lytro

Canon?s answer to the mirrorless market? Canon G1X specs leak before CES

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/20120130/tc_digitaltrends/sonywantstoupgradethepointandshootwithnewcybershotlineup

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Airplane Porn: How Does It Feel to Fly a Classic World War II Fighter? [Video]

Last November I flew a P-40 in California, one with three confirmed kills, rescued after a crash in a Pacific island. If I get to fly a P-40 again, I hope I get to do it like the Texas Flying Legends: over St. Barths island. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/HxbdcP-Mc34/airplane-porn-how-does-it-feel-to-fly-a-classic-world-war-ii-fighter

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Shakespeare's skill 'more in grammar than in words'

Public release date: 30-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Paul Gallagher
corporatecomms@strath.ac.uk
44-014-154-82370
University of Strathclyde

William Shakespeare's mastery of the English language is displayed more in the grammar he used than in his words, according to a researcher at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland.

Dr Jonathan Hope, a Reader in English in the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, has found that, while Shakespeare may appear to have used and coined more words than his contemporaries, this could be attributed to the fact that more of his writing survives and his rate of word coinage is actually similar to other writers.

By contrast, he believes that, while Shakespeare's grammar and word ordering have largely fallen into disuse, they are what set him apart and have helped to ensure his continued prominence.

In a chapter in a new book on the English language, Dr Hope assesses linguistic, grammatical and syntactical features in passages from Shakespeare. He finds that, while these may make some of the writing more difficult for modern audiences to understand, they are among the playwright's most distinctive features.

Dr Hope said: "Although Shakespeare has had an enormous influence on literature, it's difficult to think of anyone else who has ever written like him.

"He was writing at a time when the English language's vocabulary was expanding rapidly but, while he had a rich vocabulary himself, it was on a par with other writers from the same time. Originality in language was not necessarily seen as a good thing in Shakespeare's time and he did not always use elaborate words with Latin roots- when he did, he often tended to follow them with an explanation in more straightforward English.

"However, his grammatical skill shows even more dexterity with language. He wrote during a transitional period for English grammar when there was a range of grammatical options open to writers- much of the grammar he chose now seems old-fashioned but it lends poetry to commonplace words and, significantly, while his spelling is often updated, his grammar is not."

In the article, Dr Hope compares Shakespeare's rate of word use in relation to plays written with the goalscoring rate of three Newcastle United FC strikers- Malcolm Macdonald, Jackie Milburn and Alan Shearer. He shows that, while Macdonald played significantly fewer games and scored fewer goals (121 in 228 games) than either Milburn (200 goals in 397 games) or Shearer (206 goals in 395 games), the scoring rates of the three players- 0.531, 0.504 and 0.522 goals per game respectively- are broadly the same. Similarly, Shakespeare used more words than his contemporaries but wrote more plays, leading to a word rate close to theirs.

###

Dr Hope's article, Shakespeare and the English Language, appears in an Open University collection, "English in the World: History, Diversity, Change," edited by Philip Seargeant and Joan Swann (Routledge in association with The Open University).

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 30-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Paul Gallagher
corporatecomms@strath.ac.uk
44-014-154-82370
University of Strathclyde

William Shakespeare's mastery of the English language is displayed more in the grammar he used than in his words, according to a researcher at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland.

Dr Jonathan Hope, a Reader in English in the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, has found that, while Shakespeare may appear to have used and coined more words than his contemporaries, this could be attributed to the fact that more of his writing survives and his rate of word coinage is actually similar to other writers.

By contrast, he believes that, while Shakespeare's grammar and word ordering have largely fallen into disuse, they are what set him apart and have helped to ensure his continued prominence.

In a chapter in a new book on the English language, Dr Hope assesses linguistic, grammatical and syntactical features in passages from Shakespeare. He finds that, while these may make some of the writing more difficult for modern audiences to understand, they are among the playwright's most distinctive features.

Dr Hope said: "Although Shakespeare has had an enormous influence on literature, it's difficult to think of anyone else who has ever written like him.

"He was writing at a time when the English language's vocabulary was expanding rapidly but, while he had a rich vocabulary himself, it was on a par with other writers from the same time. Originality in language was not necessarily seen as a good thing in Shakespeare's time and he did not always use elaborate words with Latin roots- when he did, he often tended to follow them with an explanation in more straightforward English.

"However, his grammatical skill shows even more dexterity with language. He wrote during a transitional period for English grammar when there was a range of grammatical options open to writers- much of the grammar he chose now seems old-fashioned but it lends poetry to commonplace words and, significantly, while his spelling is often updated, his grammar is not."

In the article, Dr Hope compares Shakespeare's rate of word use in relation to plays written with the goalscoring rate of three Newcastle United FC strikers- Malcolm Macdonald, Jackie Milburn and Alan Shearer. He shows that, while Macdonald played significantly fewer games and scored fewer goals (121 in 228 games) than either Milburn (200 goals in 397 games) or Shearer (206 goals in 395 games), the scoring rates of the three players- 0.531, 0.504 and 0.522 goals per game respectively- are broadly the same. Similarly, Shakespeare used more words than his contemporaries but wrote more plays, leading to a word rate close to theirs.

###

Dr Hope's article, Shakespeare and the English Language, appears in an Open University collection, "English in the World: History, Diversity, Change," edited by Philip Seargeant and Joan Swann (Routledge in association with The Open University).

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/uos-ss013012.php

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Twitter censorship #outrage, now in cartoon form!

NMA/YouTube

By Helen A.S. Popkin

Twitter's recent announcement that it will censor specific tweets from some countries resulted in an anti-climatic "boycott" of the microblogging service on Saturday, and more importantly, a cartoon-ified interpretation by those clever kids at Taiwan's New Media Animation.

Indeed, the same outfit that most recently explained tough times for Nintendo via Mario wearing an "Angry Birds" hat, and memorably, Mark Zuckerberg's new hobby of killing what he eats, as well as Steve Jobs: Airport Ninja, now breaks down Twitter's country-by-country censorship plans in crude CGI metaphors we can all understand.

Twitter's value in fomenting revolution during the Arab Spring is shown as blue birds and protesters running down deposed Egyptian president Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak, who's sporting Pharaoh threads. Meanwhile, the Republic of China ? which holds jurisdiction over Taiwan ? gets the most screen time.

"Could Twitter foolishly be preparing to enter the most heavily censored Internet market in the world?" read the subtitles, as the cartoon?shows someone who sure looks a whole lot like Chinese artist and?political activist Ai Weiwei snapping a picture of his own?hand making the gesture known as "flipping the bird" to a surveillance camera in China as Twitter bluebirds soar across the sky. (Get it?! Birds!)

"Many Twitter users, however, are outraged and believe the company is selling out Internet freedom, possibly with an eye for entering the China market, where it is blocked, though it is used by Chinese dissidents to get information to the outside world," the svideo's description states for those who need it spelled out. ("If Twitter censors then I'll stop tweeting," Chinese activist artist Ai Weiwei tweeted after hearing the news.")

But?do you really need a literal interpretation of "the?most heavily censored Internet market," when gun-toting pandas?outfitted as People's Liberation Army soldiers shoot at Twitter-style bluebirds breaching the sky? We get the picture.?

More on the annoying way we live now:

Helen A.S. Popkin goes blah blah blah about privacy and then asks her to join her on Twitter and/or Facebook. Also, Google+.?Because that's how she rolls.

Source: http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/30/10271574-twitter-censorship-outrage-now-in-cartoon-form

playoffs

'Harry Potter,' 'Thrones' win SAG stunt honors (omg!)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? The "Harry Potter" finale has earned some love from Hollywood's top acting union, winning the Screen Actors Guild Award for best big-screen stunt ensemble Sunday.

The win for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" was a final triumph for the fantasy franchise that concluded last summer after a run of eight blockbusters.

Winning the TV stunt ensemble prize was "Game of Thrones." The stunt awards were announced on the arrivals red carpet before the show began.

Among the early arrivals to the cheers of enthusiastic fans on a sunny and warm afternoon were Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray of the old "Dallas" TV series, soon to be the new "Dallas" TV series on TNT. Meanwhile, Glenn Close was looking very unlike her "Albert Nobbs" character for which she received a SAG nomination as she posed for fans in a sleek black gown.

For the main event, Sunday's 18th annual SAG ceremony is heavy on actors playing illustrious real-life figures.

Among them: Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady"; Leonardo DiCaprio as J. Edgar Hoover in "J. Edgar"; and Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe and Kenneth Branagh as Laurence Olivier in "My Week With Marilyn."

Streep won a Golden Globe for "The Iron Lady" and is considered a favorite for the SAG prize and for her third win at the Academy Awards, which are set for Feb. 26.

The front-runners for the other SAG awards are actors in fictional roles, though, among them George Clooney as a dad in crisis in "The Descendants" and Jean Dujardin as a silent-film star fallen on hard times in "The Artist." Both are up for best actor, and both won Globes ? Clooney as dramatic actor, Dujardin as musical or comedy actor.

Octavia Spencer as a brassy Mississippi maid in "The Help" and Christopher Plummer as an elderly dad who comes out as gay in "Beginners" won Globes for supporting performances and have strong prospects for the same honors at the SAG Awards.

The winners at the SAG ceremony typically go on to earn Oscars. All four acting recipients at SAG last year later took home Oscars ? Colin Firth for "The King's Speech," Natalie Portman for "Black Swan" and Christian Bale and Melissa Leo for "The Fighter."

The same generally holds true for the weekend's other big Hollywood honors, the Directors Guild of America Awards, where Michel Hazanavicius won the feature-film prize Saturday for "The Artist." The Directors Guild winner has gone on to earn the best-director Oscar 57 times in the 63-year history of the union's awards show.

SAG also presents an award for overall cast performance, a prize that's loosely considered the ceremony's equivalent of a best-picture honor. However, the cast award has a spotty record at predicting what will win best picture at the Oscars.

While "The King's Speech" won both honors a year ago, the SAG cast recipient has gone on to claim the top Oscar only eight times in the 16 years since the guild added the category.

Airing live on TNT and TBS from the Shrine Exhibition Center in downtown Los Angeles, the show features nine television categories, as well.

Receiving the guild's life-achievement award is Mary Tyler Moore. The prize was to be presented by Dick Van Dyke, her co-star on the 1960s sit-com "The Dick Van Dyke Show."

___

Online:

http://www.sagawards.com

http://www.sagawards.com

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_harry_potter_thrones_win_sag_stunt_honors232901017/44348578/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/harry-potter-thrones-win-sag-stunt-honors-232901017.html

tomb of the unknown soldier

Small business hiring slows, wages dip in January (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Small business payrolls grew at a slower rate in January and wages fell, an independent survey showed on Monday, suggesting the pace of overall job growth moderated after December's sturdy gain.

Small businesses added 50,000 jobs, payrolls processing firm Intuit said, compared with a gain of 60,000 in December. Still, labor market conditions continue to improve.

"Overall the small business labor market is not weak, but not strong either," said Susan Woodward, the economist who developed the survey. "Small business employment continues to rise but at a rate that will not get us back to full employment very quickly."

The government's more comprehensive employment report due on Friday is expected to show nonfarm payrolls increased 150,000 in January, according to a Reuters survey, after rising 200,000 the prior month.

The unemployment rate is seen steady at a near three-year low of 8.5 percent.

The Intuit survey is based on responses from about 72,000 small businesses with fewer than 20 employees that use the Intuit Online Payroll system. It covered the period from December 24 to January 23.

The average monthly salary for small business employees fell 0.1 percent, or $3, to $2,632 in January. The average workweek eased 0.1 percent to 24.8 hours.

(Reporting By Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Leslie Adler)

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

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As UN nuclear inspectors arrive, Iran says 'questions will be answered'

The three-day visit could shape the direction of Western efforts to curb Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran says is only for peaceful purposes.?

Iran Sunday declared itself optimistic about a UN experts' visit aimed at probing suspected military aspects of its nuclear work and lawmakers postponed debate on a proposed halt to oil flows to the European Union watched closely in energy markets.

Skip to next paragraph

A team of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors began a three-day visit to try to advance efforts to resolve a row about nuclear work which Iran says is for making electricity but the West suspects is aimed at seeking a nuclear weapon.

Tensions with the West rose this month when Washington and the European Union imposed the toughest sanctions yet in a drive to force Tehran to provide more information on its nuclear program. The measures take direct aim at the ability of OPEC's second biggest oil exporter to sell its crude.

Q&A: What's with all the war talk surrounding Iran?

The Mehr news agency quoted Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi as saying during a trip to Ethiopia: "We are very optimistic about the outcome of the IAEA delegation's visit to Iran ... Their questions will be answered during this visit,"

"We have nothing to hide and Iran has no clandestine [nuclear] activities."

Striking a sterner tone, Iran's parliament speaker, Ali Larijani, warned the IAEA team to carry out a "logical, professional, and technical" job or suffer the consequences.

"This visit is a test for the IAEA. The route for further cooperation will be open if the team carries out its duties professionally," said Mr. Larijani, state media reported.

"Otherwise, if the IAEA turns into a tool [for major powers to pressure Iran], then Iran will have no choice but to consider a new framework in its ties with the agency."

Iran's parliament in the past has approved bills to oblige the government to review its level of cooperation with the IAEA. However, Iran's top officials have always underlined the importance of preserving ties with the watchdog body.

Before departing from Vienna, IAEA Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts said he hoped the Islamic state would tackle the watchdog's concerns "regarding the possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program."

Parliament debate postponed

Less than one week after the EU's 27 member states agreed to stop importing crude from Iran from July 1, Iranian lawmakers were due to debate a bill later Sunday that would cut off oil supplies to the European Union (EU) in a matter of days.

Iranian lawmakers postponed discussing the bill.

"No such draft bill has yet been drawn up and nothing has been submitted to the parliament. What exists is a notion by the deputies which is being seriously pursued to bring it to a conclusive end," Emad Hosseini, spokesman for parliament's Energy Committee, told Mehr.

"Some MPs had an idea that should be studied by the energy committee before being drafted as a bill. We hope our discussions will be finished by Friday."

Embargo would hit refiners

By turning the sanctions back on the EU, lawmakers hope to deny the bloc a six-month window it had planned to give those of its members most dependent on Iranian oil - including some of the most economically fragile in southern Europe - to adapt.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/lGS3I8ZcyQ0/As-UN-nuclear-inspectors-arrive-Iran-says-questions-will-be-answered

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Suicide bomber kills 33 at Shiite funeral in Iraq (AP)

BAGHDAD ? A suicide car bomber struck a Shiite funeral procession Friday, killing 33 people as suspected al-Qaida militants stepped up apparent efforts to provoke a counterattack by Shiite militias on Sunnis that could pave the way toward open sectarian warfare now that U.S. troops have left Iraq.

The powerful blast ? the second deadliest attack in Iraq this month ? set nearby stores and cars ablaze alongside scattered flesh and mutilated bodies. It shattered windows and damaged walls in the local hospital, wounding a nurse and four patients; Within minutes, the hospital was scrambling to treat scores of others.

"It was a huge explosion," said Salam Hussein, who was watching the funeral procession from his grocery store.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in the predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Zafaraniyah in southwestern Baghdad. But the bombing resembled previous attacks by al-Qaida in Iraq.

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.

More than 200 people have been killed in bombings and shootings since the U.S. military withdrew from Iraq on Dec. 18. Many of the dead have been Shiite pilgrims and Iraqi police and soldiers.

Al-Qaida and other Sunni extremist groups are thought to be exploiting sectarian tensions in the wake of Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's efforts to marginalize the Sunni minority and cement his own grip on power.

Al-Maliki's security forces have launched a widespread crackdown against Sunni politicians, detaining hundreds for alleged ties to the deposed Baath Party. Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, a Sunni, fled to the safety of the Kurdish semiautonomous zone after he was charged with running death squads during the height of the war.

"The attacks are a reaction to political developments in Iraq," said Mustafa Alani, a Geneva-based analyst and an Iraq expert with the Gulf Research Center. "The Sunnis feel the Shiites are squeezing them out of the government, and militants see the sectarian tensions in politics as a golden opportunity to reactivate their terror campaign."

"The U.S. soldiers are gone, Sunni politicians are being marginalized and while most Sunnis will not support the militants at the expense of being part of the political process, the attackers know that most Sunnis won't condemn violent acts either," Alani said.

Hadi Jalo, a Baghdad-based political analyst said the attacks could be a provocation by Sunni militants, trying to draw government-backed Shiite militias back into a sectarian fight.

"Those behind these attacks know that there are a number of organized Shiite armed groups who can strike back in Sunni areas to renew the tit-for-tat killings," Jalo said.

Friday's car bomb killed 33 people, including eight policemen, according to police and officials at Zafaraniyah General Hospital. Sixty-five people were wounded, including 16 members of the security forces, they said.

Baghdad military spokesman Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi gave different figures in an interview with the U.S.-funded Al-Hurra television. He said 11 people were killed, including eight policemen who were protecting the funeral, and 45 were wounded. The Iraqi government often underplays the number of casualties in attacks.

The attack took place at 11 a.m., when about 500 mourners were walking through a market area carrying coffins of a real estate agent and his brother-in-law. They had been shot and killed the night before in their office in Yarmouk, a mostly Sunni district in the western part of the capital.

Al-Moussawi said the bomber detonated his explosives in the car when he reached the end of the funeral procession.

Zafaraniyah resident Talib Bashir said he was part of the procession but left early to take his child home. Then he heard the blast.

"The fire lasted for a long time," Bashir said, noting that cars, an ambulance and several stores were still engulfed in flames hours later.

The bombing came two days after an al-Qaida spokesman threatened more attacks on the Shiite-led government, saying that "our explosives are at the door" of the prime minister.

Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, speaking for al-Qaida's Islamic State of Iraq, told his followers not to be deceived by the number of the Iraqi government troops and their Shiite supporters, because "they are merely beetles and flies." The audio message was posted on the group's website.

The deadliest attack this month took place Jan. 14, when a bomb tore through a procession of Shiite pilgrims heading toward a largely Sunni town in southern Iraq. At least 53 people were killed.

___

Associated Press writers Bushra Juhi and Sinan Salaheddin in Baghdad and Sameer N. Yacoub in Amman, Jordan, contributed to this report.

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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UNICEF says 384 children killed so far in Syria (Reuters)

GENEVA (Reuters) ? At least 384 children have been killed during Syria's 10-month uprising and virtually the same number have been jailed, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.

UNICEF spokeswoman Marixie Mercado told Reuters the figures were based on reports by human rights organizations which it judged to be credible.

"As of January 7, 384 children have been killed, most are boys. Some 380 children have been detained, some less than 14 years old," Rima Salah, acting UNICEF deputy executive director, told reporters in Geneva.

The agency receives information from human rights groups who review doctors and hospital reports, interview families of victims and gather witness testimony, Mercado said.

The previous death toll for children was 307, U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay said on December 2, denouncing what she called "ruthless repression" by Syrian forces.

In mid-December, the overall death toll stood at more than 5,000, including soldiers and those executed for refusing to shoot civilians, according to a U.N. figure compiled after cross-checking information from various groups.

But since then accurate reports have become more difficult to obtain, especially with parts of the town of Homs sealed off and with violence spreading, Pillay's spokesman said on Friday.

"It has gotten too difficult now to do sufficient verification to come up with a new estimate. We don't doubt for a second that many more people are being killed, but we're not really in a position to quantify it anymore," U.N. human rights spokesman Rupert Colville told Reuters.

Fighting erupted in Homs on Friday, a day after townspeople said Alawite militiamen killed 14 members of a Sunni Muslim family in one of Syria's worst sectarian attacks since a revolt against President Bashar al-Assad flared in March.

UNICEF is concerned about the situation in Syria, which has a legal obligation to protect children and uphold their rights, Salah said, adding that the agency is in talks with authorities.

"When there are conflicts, it has a very, very negative impact on children. We know that children are in detention. As the President of Syria himself said, 50 percent of children do not go to school now.

"So we are working with the government of Syria and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent also to see how we can rehabilitate schools and send those children to school," she said.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Myra MacDonald)

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

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Israel sets sights on next-generation Internet (AP)

JERUSALEM ? Israel is often referred to as "Startup Nation," thanks to its long history of high-tech breakthroughs produced by scrappy little companies. But in one critical area, the speed of Internet connections, Israel has fallen behind other tech-savvy countries.

In the coming months, Israel's state-owned electric company hopes to change this by rolling out a nationwide, high-speed broadband network. Exploiting the small size of the densely populated country, the effort aims to put Israel at the forefront of the next generation of Internet technology.

Experts say the fiber-optic lines can provide connections of 10 to 100 times current speeds, transforming the way the Internet is used in such areas as entertainment, business and health care.

"All the developing countries that have a vision for 10 years ahead, or 20 years ahead, understand that the name of the game will be communications, broadband communications, very fast communications," said Tzvi Harpak, the electric company's senior vice president for logistics.

The technology is known as "fiber to the home," or FTTH. Using fiber optic lines, it can provide connection speeds of 100 megabits to a blazing 1 gigabit per second. Today, the typical broadband user in the developed world connects at five to 10 megabits using older cable and DSL connections.

Oliver Johnson, chief executive of British research firm Point Topic, said FTTH technology is the "gold standard" of the next generation of broadband service. Although cable and DSL lines can be upgraded to higher speeds, FTTH has smoother transmission of data and a much higher upside in terms of speed, he said.

"It's easier to go higher. It's future-proofed," he said.

The added bandwidth could transform the way the Internet is used. Massive video files will be downloaded instantly, opening the door for high-definition and 3D movies to be delivered more easily.

Since the system will have equally fast upload speeds, individuals or businesses will also be able to deliver pictures, videos and other large files. In South Korea, where FTTH lines are common, users rave of the lightning fast downloads and crystal clear Skype connections.

This could mean much-improved videoconferences in the workplace, easy sharing of information in complicated engineering tasks, doctors monitoring their patients or assisting in operations by long distance. It will also likely speed up the migration of information, photos and video from personal computers to the "cloud," making it easy for users to access their information from any Internet connection.

Around the world, decision-makers are reaching the conclusion that faster connections will be essential for economic growth. A number of countries are engaged in a gold rush of sorts as they build new networks with FTTH technology.

"Everyone feels that bandwidth will be this commodity down the road. If you don't have it, you'll be out of luck," said David St. John, spokesman for the FTTH Council, an industry trade group based in the U.S.

FTTH technology was introduced more than a decade ago, but adoption has generally been slow because of its high costs. As costs have gradually come down, particularly in densely populated areas, it has begun to take off. And when new networks are rolled out, it makes more sense to go with the new technology.

According to the council, heavily urbanized South Korea leads the world with just over half of households connected to FTTH lines, followed by Japan and Hong Kong, both at about 40 percent. In the U.S., about 7.1 million homes, or 6.6 percent, have the technology through services like Verizon's FiOS.

Not surprisingly, South Korea leads the world in average broadband connection speed at 13.8 mbps, followed by Hong Kong and Japan, according to Akamai Technologies Inc.'s closely watched "State of the Internet" report. The U.S. is ranked 16th.

Israel, dominated by DSL and cable broadband services, is No. 28, with an average connection speed of about 4.5 megabits per second. According to Point Topic, 92 percent of Israeli homes have broadband connections, a respectable number but only about 19th in the world.

Despite its small size, Israel is one of the world's leading high-tech centers.

Israeli companies have created leading products in areas such as security software, instant messaging and e-commerce. Microsoft Corp., Intel Corp. and other technology giants maintain operations here, and Apple Inc. is reportedly planning its first overseas development center in Israel. Akamai itself was co-founded by an Israeli-American.

With so much at stake, it is not surprising the government is backing Israel Electric Corp.'s effort to roll out the fiber-optic network.

"Providing high-quality, fiber-to-the-home bandwidth for consumers all over Israel (especially in peripheral areas) is a national interest as it promotes economic growth, education, provision of government services, social welfare," said Eden Bar-Tal, the director general of Israel's Communications Ministry.

Despite the relatively late start, Israel is well-positioned to quickly join the world's leaders. About 92 percent of the 7.8 million people live in urban areas, according to government statistics, making it easier to connect large numbers of people relatively quickly.

The electric company also has a key advantage in being able to build on top of its existing infrastructure of overhead wires. That avoids the costly process of having to dig up existing cables or laying down new wires.

It hopes to have 10 percent of the country wired by next year, and two-thirds of the country covered within seven years.

If Israel can stick to that schedule, it would be "among the leading countries" in terms of deployment, said St. John of the trade council.

Harpak, of the electric company, said IEC is seeking bids from potential partners to help build the network. Companies have until Jan. 31 to submit their business plans.

Under guidelines set by the government, the partner will hold a 51 percent stake in the new company, while the electric company will hold a 49 percent stake. Bidding starts at 300 million shekels, or around $75 million, said Harpak, who is heading the election committee that will choose the new partner.

The election committee will review the proposals and hold an online auction by midyear to select its partner, Harpak said.

IEC is banned from identifying any of the potential suitors, but local media reports have said Telecom Italia SpA, BT Group PLC and local companies Elbit Systems Ltd., Rapac Communication & Infrastructure Ltd. and private equity firm Tamares are all in the running.

The new company is to build the infrastructure, while allowing Internet service providers to actually market the service to consumers.

"There's been quite a lot of interest," said Philippe Guez, Managing Director at Rothschild, the investment bank that is acting as the financial adviser to the election committee. "We believe and hope the government and the Israel Electric Corp. will make the appropriate changes in order to make this wonderful project happen."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_hi_te/ml_israel_wired_nation

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Video: Matthews: How can you not love the Florida battle?

Surprising 30 percent rise in home births

A small, but growing trend of women in the US are choosing home births, a new government report finds. These mostly over 35, non-Hispanic white women are "consciously rejecting the system" of hospital deliveries, says the researcher.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/46155155#46155155

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Fight over full-fare rules takes bizarre turn

New rules meant to avoid sticker shock will compensate customers who are bumped, notify passengers of delays and give customers 24 hours to cancel without penalty. NBC's Tom Costello reports.

keepmyfareslow.org

By Rob Lovitt, msnbc.com contributor

Think the fight over the new rule from the Department of Transportation (DOT) requiring airlines to include all taxes and fees in their posted fares is over?

Think again. Even though the new rule took effect Thursday, it seems the battle is as intense as ever. Consider:

On Tuesday, Spirit Airlines, which is currently contesting the rule in court, launched a website called KeepMyFaresLow.org with the headline: Warning: New government regulations require us to HIDE taxes in your fares.

That brought a swift denunciation from Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition, an advocacy group for corporate travel buyers. ?With this ill-considered attack on DOT, Spirit Airlines has reached a new low and no doubt secured the poster-child crown for 2012 for misleading consumers.?

Not so, countered Spirit CEO Ben Baldanza. ?Our view is that fares should be transparent and clear and that you should know what you?re paying your airline and what you?re paying in taxes,? he told msnbc.com.

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And then raising the specter of even higher taxes in these tax-averse times, he suggested the move toward full-fare advertising was ?an insidious way to then raise taxes on consumers? across the board. ?

?If the government is successful with this, it?s coming to everything you buy ? for cars, in restaurants, at big-box stores,? he said.

That ominous warning aside, the bottom line is that the new rule went into effect on Thursday. Airlines are, indeed, ?required to post fares that include all taxes and mandatory government fees. However, they can also post information that shows the breakdown between the airline?s and the government?s respective portions.

?Nothing in our rule will prohibit a carrier from informing consumers that the fare includes a specified amount of taxes and government fees, as long as the stated fare includes those taxes and fees,? said DOT spokesman Bill Mosley. ?The carrier can then break out taxes and fees if it wishes.?

Big changes hit the nation's airlines today, with new rules going into effect including how they advertise ticket prices. More from Travel and Leisure editor Mark Orwoll.

More stories you might like:

Rob Lovitt is a longtime travel writer who still believes the journey is as important as the destination. Follow him at Twitter.

Source: http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/25/10236937-fight-over-full-fare-rules-takes-bizarre-turn

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The Blind Pets: Keeping it dirty with class | cat5

Photo courtesy of The Blind Pets' Facebook page

Drummers are like phoenixes ? they provide rhythm and an attitude of cool for rock bands, but usually for a limited amount of time.

After a while, they unceremoniously stop playing with the band for whatever reason and another drumming aficionado rises up from the ashes.

This has been the case with Austin-based rock band The Blind Pets who have gone through their share of drummers since they formed five years ago.

But lead singer Joshua Logan doesn?t mind the new blood.

The Blind Pets will perform at Tequila Rok on Saturday.

?We?re on our seventh drummer now,? Logan said in a phone interview. ?Ya know, I think drummers eventually do something else. Our last drummer broke up with his girlfriend and moved to New York. I think he?s even still pretty bummed about not being in the band.?

With the success The Blind Pets have experienced in the last year with frequent touring and upcoming studio time for their fourth album, ?Heavy Petting,? it?s hard to believe anyone would choose to leave the band, let alone six people.

?It takes a lot to be a drummer in a rock-and-roll band,? he said. ?It?s pretty much like being someone who?s equipped to run a marathon on a nightly basis. We wear drummers out.?

Logan, who grew up moving from state-to-state with his mom and six siblings, isn?t talking about only performances but the three to five times a week that his band rehearses, which he said is much more regular than other Austin music makers.

?People quit when they decide to grow up and I haven?t chosen to grow up yet,? he laughed.

In 2011, The Blind Pets were ranked in the top 10 bands on the University of Texas? radio station, which Logan said is a big deal with the over-saturation of live music in Austin.

But outside of the state?s capitol, the band is touring in an effort to become a recognizable name in other cities ? like Beaumont.

Photo courtesy of The Blind Pets' Facebook page

Back when Beaumont?s much beloved Vortex was still open, Logan said they played some of their best shows there.

This isn?t the first time for them to play on Crockett, either. The band?s last Tequila Rok show was with Beaumont favorite Purple.

Touring is a must before they head back to the studio to record another 10-12 song vinyl, he said. The live music helps gear the band up for the creation of new material.

?I like a more natural sound,? Logan said. ?There is some ?polishing? you do with vocals, but as far as everything else, natural is best.?

Logan said this will be the first album the band has recorded where he doesn?t feel pressured to make the live sound identical to the recording.

?This is a new album with more of a broader spectrum,? he said. ?It?s more like The Beatles, not like the Stones.?

A bit of polish, but not much because The Blind Pets want to ?keep it dirty, but with class.?

An over-polished sound in the studio limits what you can do on stage, he said, and it makes you sound like everyone else.

?There?s a difference between walking in and smelling like (expletive) and walking in and being the (expletive),? he said.

The Blind Pets with Purple and Jenny & the Reincarnation
Where: Tequila Rok, Crockett Street, Beaumont
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Cost: $5

Source: http://blog.beaumontenterprise.com/cat5/2012/01/27/7138/

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Exercise has charms to soothe a savage boss

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

If your boss is giving you a hard time - lying, making fun of you in public and generally putting you down, he or she may benefit from some exercise, according to a new study by James Burton from Northern Illinois University in the US and his team. Their work shows that stressed supervisors, struggling with time pressures, vent their frustrations on their employees less when they get regular, moderate exercise. The research is published online in Springer's Journal of Business and Psychology.

In the current economic climate, it is not unusual to come across stressed supervisors. But does that mean that they have to transfer their frustrations onto the people they supervise? Research shows that when a supervisor experiences workplace stress, his or her subordinates feel they bear the brunt of that frustration. Burton and his team's study is the first to examine how exercise can buffer the relationship between supervisor stress and employee perceptions of abusive supervision or hostile behavior towards them.

A total of 98 employees and their supervisors from the Midwestern United States completed questionnaires. Employees rated their perceptions of how abusive their current supervisor was, for example "my supervisor tells me my thoughts or feelings are stupid" or "my supervisor puts me down in front of others." Supervisors answered questions about how often they exercised and about their workplace stress, for example "working my current job leaves me little time for other activities" or "I have too much work and too little time to do it in."

The researchers found that, as expected, when supervisors were stressed, their subordinates felt more victimized. However, analyses also showed that when supervisors experienced stress, but engaged in exercise, their subordinates reported lower levels of abusive supervision. Interestingly, only moderate levels of exercise were necessary to minimize abusive supervision, such as one to two days of exercise per week, and the type of exercise seemed to make little difference.

The authors conclude: "It appears that the simple act of exercising minimizes the negative effects of supervisor workplace stress on subordinates. Wellness programs, often inclusive of exercise components, have been advocated to control workplace stress for years. This study adds support to their specific relevancy in smoothing supervisor-subordinate relationships."

###

Burton JP et al (2012). Supervisor workplace stress and abusive supervision: the buffering effect of exercise. Journal of Business and Psychology. DOI 10.1007/s10869-011-9255-0

Springer: http://www.springer.com

Thanks to Springer for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/117004/Exercise_has_charms_to_soothe_a_savage_boss

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Dropped heart successfully transplanted in Mexico

MEXICO CITY?? A heart that was dropped on the ground while being transported to a hospital has been successfully transplanted into a 28-year-old hair stylist.

However Dr. Jaime Saldivar said Erika Hernandez doesn't yet know that her new heart made national news when a medic stumbled and the plastic-wrapped heart tumbled out of a cooler onto the street two weeks ago.

Saldivar said it would be up to the family to tell her.

Video: Watch the moment the heart fell out (on this page)

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A rosy-cheeked Hernandez spoke briefly with reporters on Tuesday and thanked the donor's family, saying "I have no words to express what I'm feeling right now."

Hernandez was born with a congenital heart defect. She received the heart of a man who died in a car accident.

The heart was taken from Guanajuato state to Mexico city, a distance of 280 miles, traveling in an ambulance, then a plane, and then a helicopter, according to The Guardian newspaper. The nation's media followed every step of the journey.

'Rapid, precision maneuver'
Mexico City police had described the operation to deliver the heart as a "rapid, precision maneuver."

Everything appeared to be going smoothly as traffic was stopped to allow the helicopter to land near the hospital.

However, after leaving the helicopter one of the two medics wheeling the cooler that contained the plastic-wrapped heart stumbled.

The lid of the cooler came off and the heart fell out onto the street.

Story: Heart patients have higher hospital readmission rates

The medics are seen on video hurriedly pushing it back inside, leaving some ice packs behind, and continuing the short journey to the hospital.

In one of the more printable online comments made after the incident, newspaper reader Christian Sabido said that, "Anybody can make a mistake, but with this type of thing you should be careful."

At the time, doctors said the transplant operation had gone ahead, but added that they wanted to wait to confirm it had been successful.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46127543/ns/world_news-americas/

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Islamists, liberals square off in Egypt's Tahrir (AP)

CAIRO ? Hundreds of thousands thronged major squares across Egypt on Wednesday, marking the first anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak with rallies that laid bare the divisions that have replaced the unity of last year's revolt.

Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the 18 days of protests against Mubarak, was transformed into the focal point of the rivalry between revolutionary activists intent on showing they can still mobilize the street, and the Muslim Brotherhood, who emerged as Egypt's dominant political force after a landslide victory in parliamentary elections.

The secular activists want continued protests to force the immediate ouster of the generals who took power after Mubarak's fall, saying they are just as dictatorial as the former president. The activists touted their powerful turnout as a sign they can pressure the Brotherhood, who they fear will accommodate the military in order to ensure their own political dominance.

"I have hope that these marches will be a message to the Brotherhood as much as the military council," said Sahar Abdel-Mohsen, who walked 3 1/2 miles (5 kilometers) in a giant march across Cairo to Tahrir.

"We all know even if the Brotherhood are strong, the military council is still stronger. ... What we all want is an end to military rule," she said.

Both sides were intent on bringing out as many supporters as possible to show their weight in a nation still reeling from the aftershocks of Mubarak's ouster.

The Islamists got off to a strong start, taking up positions in the morning and claiming the right to police the square, with Brotherhood volunteers checking the bags of those entering.

From a large stage with 10 loudspeakers, they blared religious songs and chants of "Allahu akbar," setting a tone of celebration for what they called the successes of the revolution, particularly the newly elected parliament.

But a dozen large marches organized by secular groups converged on Tahrir from various parts of the city, chanting "Down, down with military rule!" and filling boulevards as passers-by joined in along the way. The "non-Islamists" swarmed into the downtown plaza before sunset, jam-packing it to outnumber the Islamists.

Some marched to the sober beat of drums to pay tribute to the hundreds of protesters killed over the past year ? by Mubarak's regime and the military ? and to emphasize that this was not a joyous anniversary, with so many demands for democratic reform left unachieved.

Many wore masks with pictures of the faces of slain protesters. Once in the square they erected a pharaonic-style wooden obelisk with the names of the "martyrs."

"I am not here to celebrate. I am here for a second revolution," said Attiya Mohammed Attiya, an unemployed father of four. "The military council is made of remnants of the Mubarak regime. We will only succeed when we remove them from power."

Together the two sides packed Tahrir in one of the biggest gatherings since the height of the protests against Mubarak and the frenzied celebrations on the night he fell on Feb. 11. There were no army troops or police present, a sign the military was looking to avoid an eruption of new clashes after deadly violence in October, November and December.

The competition for influence between the secular forces and the Brotherhood centers on the ruling military, led by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, Mubarak's defense minister for 20 years.

The revolutionaries say the generals must surrender power to civilians immediately, accusing them of perpetuating their former mentor's authoritarian system, bungling the transition and committing large-scale human rights violations. The Brotherhood are willing to accept the generals' promise to step down by the end of June.

The revolutionaries, however, have been unable to agree on an alternative plan for the handover.

The Brotherhood and other Islamists have been the biggest beneficiaries of the military's handling of the transition. Elections held over the past two months gave the Brotherhood just under half the seats in the new parliament that convened Monday, and the ultraconservative Salafis snapped up another quarter. Liberals and left-leaning groups credited with leading the protests that ousted Mubarak garnered less than 10 percent.

In the eyes of the secularists, the Islamists' triumph underlined their obsession with power after decades of persecution by successive governments, as well as their waning interest in pressing the demands of the "revolution" for real change to dismantle the legacy of 60 years of autocratic rule. Many fear the Brotherhood will compromise with the military, ceding it future political power in order to seal their own dominant status.

"A message to the Brotherhood: The revolutionaries love the square more than they love parliament," read one poster.

"For those who won in the elections, now is time to mete out justice for those killed," a protester shouted.

After the arrival of the secular-led marches, the tone of the Brotherhood speakers changed slightly. Earlier Brotherhood speeches were strongly religious ? one speaker proclaimed the need to face Egypt's "enemies" who aim to strike against Islam. Later in the day, speakers underlined the need for justice for slain protesters and for the military to hand over power to civilians ? issues closer to those of the secular activists.

Many of the secular youth groups called for overnight sit-ins in Tahrir to press their demands. Such gatherings have been hit by violent security crackdowns in the past. Islamists said they would hold "celebrations" in the square until Friday, though not a sit-in.

Khaled Abol-Naga, a movie actor and protester, said that despite the differences, the square was united Wednesday in the desire for an end to military rule. Even the Islamists want this because they don't want to lose their credibility, he said.

"The pact between the Islamists and the military won't survive this pressure," he added.

Ismail Badawi, a Brotherhood backer, said he was determined to see the military leave power, but that must be achieved through parliament, not the street.

"Parliament is the voice of the nation," he said. "We are here to support parliament."

The secular-led marches attracted a broad cross-section of society, similar to the largest anti-Mubarak protests. Young people, university students, middle-class men and women joined the processions.

"Tantawi, come and kill more revolutionaries. We want your execution," they chanted, alluding to the more than 80 protesters killed by army troops since October. Thousands of civilians have been hauled before military tribunals since Mubarak's ouster.

"Don't mess with the people," others chanted. "Go, field marshal."

Pro-reform leader Mohammed ElBaradei participated in prayers at a mosque with one group of marchers before the procession set off toward Tahrir.

Unlike many of the demonstrators, ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said the immediate return of the military to the barracks was not the main issue.

Instead, he told The Associated Press the focus should be on "the revolution's goals" ? drafting "a proper constitution," fixing the economy, establishing independent media and courts, and prosecuting those who killed protesters.

Emad el-Hadidi, a pharmacist, watched from the sidewalk as the marchers went by. The activists were too hurried and should give the military time to hand over power, he said.

But he also admired the protesters, his eyes tearing up because he felt he was too old at 66 to join them. "We are a generation brought up with fear," he said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_egypt

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Secret hostage rescue played out as Obama spoke

This handout photo provided by the White House shows President Barack Obama, accompanied by first lady Michelle Obama, during a phone call from the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012, immediately after his State of the Union Address, informing John Buchanan that his daughter Jessica was rescued by U.S. Special Operations Forces in Somalia. (AP Photo/Pete Souza, White House)

This handout photo provided by the White House shows President Barack Obama, accompanied by first lady Michelle Obama, during a phone call from the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012, immediately after his State of the Union Address, informing John Buchanan that his daughter Jessica was rescued by U.S. Special Operations Forces in Somalia. (AP Photo/Pete Souza, White House)

President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Saul Loeb, Pool)

Cabinet members, from left, Attorney General Eric Holder, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner listen to President Barack Obama's the State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

This undated photo taken at an unknown location and released by the Danish Refugee Council on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012 shows American Jessica Buchanan from the Danish Refugee Council's de-mining unit. U.S. military forces helicoptered into Somalia in a nighttime raid Wednesday and freed two hostages, American Jessica Buchanan, 32, and Dane Poul Hagen Thisted, 60, while killing nine pirates, officials and a pirate source said. (AP Photo/Danish Refugee Council)

This undated photo taken at an unknown location and released by the Danish Refugee Council on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012 shows Dane Poul Hagen Thisted from the Danish Refugee Council's de-mining unit. U.S. military forces helicoptered into Somalia in a nighttime raid Wednesday and freed two hostages, American Jessica Buchanan, 32, and Dane Poul Hagen Thisted, 60, while killing nine pirates, officials and a pirate source said. (AP Photo/Danish Refugee Council)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The secret was still intact when President Barack Obama, entering the House chamber Tuesday evening to deliver his State of the Union speech, pointed at his Pentagon chief and said, "Good job tonight."

Unknown to a global television audience watching the annual Capitol Hill ritual, a bold U.S. raid was still playing out half a world away with an elite Navy SEAL team's rescue of two hostages in Somalia, one of them an American. It was the same unit that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, two U.S. officials said Wednesday.

Publicly, Obama did not tip his hand during his speech, though microphones picked up his congratulation to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta as he entered the House chamber. Obama pointed his index finger to Panetta and said, "Good job tonight. Good job." Panetta smiled broadly.

Obama had learned shortly before that American aid worker Jessica Buchanan and Poul Hagen Thisted, a Dane, were safely in U.S. military hands. Immediately after the speech, Obama telephoned Buchanan's father from the Capitol to tell him that she was safe and "on her way home," according to the White House.

A Pentagon spokesman, Navy Capt. John Kirby, said that although the two hostages were safe by the time Obama gestured to Panetta, the secretive rescue mission had not yet been completed.

Kirby and other Pentagon officials declined to reveal details of how the rescue was conducted, although they said the Americans originally intended to capture alive and detain the kidnappers. Instead, for reasons that have not been explained publicly, they killed all nine of them.

Panetta's press secretary, George Little, said the kidnappers were heavily armed, with explosives "nearby." He said neither the two hostages nor any members of the U.S. assault team were injured.

Little said one factor in deciding to go ahead with the rescue was that Buchanan's medical condition had been deteriorating. He said it was believed that her condition could be life-threatening. Neither Kirby nor Little would say more about her medical problem or say how the U.S. learned of it getting worse.

In his State of the Union speech the president did not mention the rescue, though he did refer to another successful military operation ? the May 2011 killing of bin Laden in Pakistan by Navy SEAL Team 6.

"One of my proudest possessions is the flag that the SEAL Team took with them on the mission to get bin Laden," Obama said in his speech.

Tuesday's rescue was carried out by the same SEAL unit that carried out the bin Laden operation, two U.S. officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the operation. The unit is the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, also known as SEAL Team 6. The members of the unit who carried out the rescue operation were not the same personnel as those who killed bin Laden, the U.S. officials said.

In a predawn White House statement, Obama praised U.S. Special Operations Forces who rescued Buchanan and the Dane, who had been kidnapped at gunpoint by Somali pirates in October.

"As Commander-in-Chief, I could not be prouder of the troops who carried out this mission, and the dedicated professionals who supported their efforts," Obama said in a statement.

A U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the top secret operation, said the SEAL team parachuted into the area and got to the rescue site on foot. The official said U.S. Air Force special operations planes carried the SEALs to the parachute drop zone, and Army special operations helicopters carried the raiders and their hostages to safety.

Panetta, in a statement, said Buchanan and Hagen Thisted "have been transported to a safe location where we will evaluate their health and make arrangements for them to return home." He said the two hostages were not harmed during the operation, and no U.S. troops were killed or injured.

"This was a team effort and required close coordination, especially between the Department of Defense and our colleagues in the Federal Bureau of Investigation," Panetta said.

On NBC's "Today," Vice President Joe Biden said the U.S. decided to move after determining that Buchanan's health "was beginning to decline."

"We wanted to act," Biden said.

Obama approved the mission Monday. On Tuesday, Obama's top counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, gave the president half a dozen updates on the movement of forces and the progression of rescue operation.

About two hours before Obama was scheduled to begin delivering his State of the Union address, Brennan told him Buchanan and Thisted were safe and in U.S. hands.

After delivering his address, Obama called Buchanan's father. In his statement Wednesday, Obama said he told John Buchanan "that all Americans have Jessica in our thoughts and prayers, and give thanks that she will soon be reunited with her family."

"The United States will not tolerate the abduction of our people, and will spare no effort to secure the safety of our citizens and to bring their captors to justice," Obama said. "This is yet another message to the world that the United States of America will stand strongly against any threats to our people."

Biden had high praise for the special forces. "It takes your breath away, their capacity and their bravery," he said on ABC's "Good Morning America." ''These guys and women are amazing."

___

Associated Press writers Julie Pace and Robert Burns contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-25-Hostage%20Rescue/id-5f686035957547d3aa0c7b69b5491fb1

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This Is Obama's 2012 State of the Future [Obama]

John Kerry showed up to last night's State of the Union address with two black eyes and a broken nose, but that wasn't the only thrilling moment—Obama had technology on the brain. Here's what you need to know about the future of the future. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/MaihmMJFHE4/this-is-obamas-2012-state-of-the-future

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Jury considers returning $500K to Garth Brooks (AP)

CLAREMORE, Okla. ? Jurors are deciding whether to force an Oklahoma hospital to return a $500,000 donation to Garth Brooks because it didn't build a woman's center to honor the country singer's late mother.

Brooks sued the Integris (in-TEHG-rihs) Canadian Valley Regional Hospital in his hometown of Yukon, saying it reneged on a promise to build the center and name it after his mother, who died of cancer in 1999.

The hospital says Brooks gave it unrestricted access to the money.

Before jurors were given the case Tuesday afternoon, Brooks' lawyer told said during closing arguments that the hospital schemed to take the money by using the singer's mother as "bait."

The hospital's attorney told jurors Brooks never had a done deal, noting that Brooks couldn't remember key discussions with hospital executives.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_en_mu/us_people_garth_brooks

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