Cars circle central Moscow in anti-Putin protest (AP)

MOSCOW ? Thousands of cars flying white ribbons or white balloons circled central Moscow on Sunday in a show of protest against Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

The cars jammed the inner lanes all along the 16-kilometer (nearly 10-mile) Garden Ring, which has as many as 16 lanes of traffic at its widest points. More protesters stood along the side of the road waving white ribbons and flags as the cars passed, their horns blaring.

White ribbons became an opposition symbol during demonstrations to protest alleged fraud in a Dec. 4 parliamentary election said to have boosted the results for Putin's party.

Tens of thousands turned out for two mass protests last month to demand free and fair elections, and protest organizers are now preparing for a third big demonstration on Saturday.

Putin is running in a March 4 presidential election to reclaim the post he held from 2000 to 2008. He is expected to win, but is under pressure to show he can win fairly.

Sunday's action was seen as helping to build momentum for the protest movement and it provided another outlet for the creativity that has been a defining feature of the demonstrations.

While most drivers were content to tie white ribbons and balloons to their car antennas, sideview mirrors and door handles, some decorated their vehicles with original signs and banners.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/russia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_opposition

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Romney defends investments, readies tax returns

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks to reporters after a discussion on housing and foreclosure, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks to reporters after a discussion on housing and foreclosure, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has criticized rival Newt Gingrich for earning more than $1.6 million in consulting fees from Freddie Mac even though he has as much as $500,000 invested in the U.S.-backed lender and its sister entity, Fannie Mae.

A day before Romney planned to release his income tax returns, his old investments in two controversial government-backed housing lenders stirred up new questions at the same time his campaign targeted Gingrich for his work for Freddie Mac.

The dimensions and the sources of Romney's wealth, which he has estimated to be as much as $250 million, have become pivotal issues in the roiling GOP primary campaign. For months, Romney dismissed calls to release his personal income tax records. But after mounting criticism from his rivals and others, coupled with his stinging weekend loss to Gingrich in the South Carolina primary, Romney agreed to release his 2010 return and 2011 estimate.

Romney's most recent financial disclosure report listed several investments in U.S.-backed lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Romney, Gingrich and other GOP critics repeatedly have all singled out the two quasi-government entities as prime villains in the housing crisis that played a central role in the nation's long and deep recession.

While continuing to hammer Gingrich for his consulting work for Freddie Mac, the Romney campaign sought to deflect questions about the former Massachusetts governor's investments. They include a mutual fund worth up to $500,000 that includes assets from both lenders among other government income, and separate investments in each of the lenders in Romney's individual retirement account, each worth between $100,000 and $250,000.

Romney campaign officials said Monday that a trustee handles the investments and that Romney had no role in choosing or managing them.

The tax returns Romney planned to release Tuesday could provide new details about his investments and his annual take as founder of the Bain Capital private equity firm. Gingrich released his own 2010 federal tax return last weekend, during a South Carolina GOP debate, and his campaign said he would disclose his full contracts with Freddie Mac on Monday night just before the debate in Tampa, Fla.

Romney's tax returns are likely to sketch out critical information about the tax strategies he employs. Tax experts said these likely include his use of a low 15 percent capital gains rate to reduce the taxes he pays on dozens of large investments that flow into his blind trust, charitable donation strategies that benefit philanthropies but also further reduce his tax burden and investments routed through offshore affiliates that could help him defer some tax payments.

Romney already has acknowledged that his current tax rate is about 15 percent, a level far lower than standard rates for high-income earners and similar to the capital gains rate. But some tax law and tax policy experts suggest that Romney likely has paid similarly low rates throughout his Bain years, continuing through the 13 years since he left the firm.

Joseph Bankman, a Stanford University business and law professor who has testified before Congress on the taxes paid by private equity firms like Bain, said Romney's background as a financier, coupled with his growing wealth and ability to use sophisticated tax tactics, makes it highly likely that he has paid taxes at the capital gains rate for most of his career.

"There is no reason to believe that Romney ever paid more that the going rate for capital gains," Bankman said.

The current lowest rate for long-term capital gains is 15 percent, but a higher rate of 20 percent had been in effect since 1981 until President George W. Bush signed into law a massive tax cut program in 2001.

Romney's 2010 return and 2011 estimate, Bankman said, could detail whether he continues to make any "carried interest," a lucrative investment arrangement typical among private equity managers that earns at least 20 percent of an investment fund's profits. The bulk of Romney's profits from his "carry," as the maneuver is often called in the private equity world, came during his tenure as Bain's founder and managing director in the 1980s and 1990s, but reportedly continued in the years after he left the firm.

At least six of Romney's investments, worth between $5 million and $25 million, were made in funds that have offshore affiliates based in the Cayman Islands, a well-known haven for companies seeking to attract foreign and non-profit investors. One of those funds, which is invested in Romney's retirement IRA, could be used to defer some of his tax payments, Columbia University law professor Michael Graetz said. It is uncertain if any offshore accounts would be identified in Romney's new tax disclosures.

Romney's vast investments contain other funds than the ones he profited from as a Bain Capital executive. But it was unclear Monday whether he had any direct role in handling the investments in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that appear on his 2012 presidential disclosure.

One investment, listed as a "Federated Government Obligation Fund" and worth between $250,000 and $500,000, was a mutual fund that included both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac assets among a larger pool that included other government securities.

The holding was not listed in Romney's blind trust, which led some Democratic Party activists to suggest that the investment was under his direct control.

"He is relentlessly attacking Newt Gingrich over his ties to Freddie Mac despite the fact that he personally invested up to a half a million dollars in both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac," said Ty Matsdorf, a senior adviser with American Bridge 21st Century, a PAC associated with Democratic Party and liberal causes.

Former GOP Rep. J.C. Watts, a Gingrich supporter, said Monday that Romney was on a slippery slope calling his opponent a lobbyist and raising doubts about Gingrich's work for Freddie Mac. But he did not directly address Romney's investments with the lender or with Fannie Mae.

"Some might see it as splitting hairs. But Newt Gingrich was not walking the halls of House and Senate," Watts said on a conference call arranged by the campaign. "He was never doing the hand-to-hand combat doing the lobbying, consulting, whatever you want to call it."

A Romney campaign official who insisted on anonymity to discuss that investment in greater detail said that Romney's trustee had bought the government investment fund in 2007, before the housing crisis broke.

The Romney official said that the government fund was purchased through a charity trust that does not appear in Romney's presidential disclosure but will show up on his income tax return for 2010. That trust, called a Charitable Remainder Unitrust, is a standard tax strategy among the wealthy that provides investors with a fixed payout each year. What remains in the account at a later date, or when the investor dies, is turned over to charity, the official said.

Romney does not directly control the investment account, Romney campaign senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom said earlier on Monday. "His investments are controlled by a trustee," Fehrnstrom said.

Separately, Romney's IRA retirement account lists both a Fannie Mae and a Freddie Mac security, each worth between $100,000 and $250,000. But because those are in Romney's IRA, they also appear to be under control of the trustee.

Tax experts said Romney's income tax returns may contain other charity structures and tax strategies designed to both boost his income and charity donations, while minimizing his involvement because of his presidential ambitions.

Roberton Williams, a senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center, a branch of the nonpartisan Urban Institute in Washington, said much can be gleaned by looking at Romney's sources of income and his itemized deductions. The latter would include Romney's 10 percent annual tithing to the Mormon Church, which would lower his tax liability and counteract higher taxes he would otherwise pay on non-investment income, like speaking fees.

An annual study of charity giving by the ultra-rich has shown that tax strategies are only one of several motivations, said Una Osili, a professor of economics and philanthropic studies at Indiana University. The most recent 2010 study of "high net-worth philanthropy" found that religious ties and volunteer and donor relationships are also important, said Osili, director of research for the studies.

Osili noted that more than 90 percent high net-worth donors tend to make donations in either cash or checks. But Romney's own family charitable foundation, the Tyler Charitable Fund, has showed signs that Romney has also donated stock investments to charity ? and his 2010 returns could provide more evidence of that trend.

___

Associated Press writers Kasie Hunt and Brian Bakst in Tampa contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-23-Romney's%20Wealth/id-6907fd64473f49a4851a1be1089183ed

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Analysis: Iran's softer Gulf words don't mean nuclear shift (Reuters)

TEHRAN (Reuters) ? Iran has stepped back from a threat to close the Strait of Hormuz, but while its softened rhetoric appears to be aimed at de-escalating military tensions, it does not indicate any change of stance on its nuclear program.

"Iran's leadership has a strong sense of self-preservation," said Robert Smith, a consultant at Facts Global Energy. "The comments can likely be interpreted as a sign of cooler heads prevailing."

A senior commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Saturday the likely return of U.S. naval vessels to the region was "not a new issue and ... should be interpreted as part of their permanent presence.

That was a significant shift from earlier this month when Tehran said the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier, which left at the end of December during Iranian naval maneuvers, should not return - an order interpreted by some observers in Iran and Washington as a blanket threat to any U.S. carriers.

Only a few weeks ago Tehran was threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz, used by a third of the world's seaborne oil trade, if new sanctions cripple its oil exports - exactly the effect Washington and Europe are aiming for.

European Union foreign ministers are set to meet on Monday to agree a ban on importing oil from Iran and sanctions signed by U.S. President Barack Obama on New Year's Eve aim to make it impossible for countries around the world to buy Iranian crude.

Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi, who had said Iran would not allow "even one drop of oil" through the strait if oil sanctions are imposed, was less fiery in remarks reported on Sunday.

"Today they (the West) have launched a new game against Iran but it is clear that we will resist against their excessive demands," the official IRNA news agency quoted him as saying.

But while Iran may be reining in its most hawkish rhetoric, and calling for a resumption of talks with world powers that stalled a year ago [ID:nL6E8CI1Q1], it is no closer to offering concessions on the nuclear issue that could lead to an easing of sanctions.

OIL IMPACT

One Western diplomat in Tehran compared Iran's offer of talks to its position before the last round of sanctions were imposed in mid-2010.

"They were saying then: 'Let's have talks,' but it wasn't followed up by any kind of concrete commitment," he said, adding that, despite several public declarations of goodwill, Tehran has yet to deliver a reply to a letter Ashton sent to Tehran on October 21 letter offering to resume talks.

"Iran is not softening its stance," said Meir Javedanfar, Iran analyst and co-author of "The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehran."

"It's changing its strategy after realizing that its ill-timed and exaggerated threat to close the Strait of Hormuz in case of sanctions caused more damage to its stance and position than anyone else."

The change in Iran's rhetoric could add to the bearish direction of oil prices which were down on Friday due to signs of reduced demand.

"The result of Iran softening its stance, amongst other factors, will contribute to an easing of oil markets," Smith said, adding that the impact will be limited.

"If recent events are any indication, the markets have listened to Iran's rhetoric so many times that its impact has become quite muted compared to the reactions of, say, five years ago."

While the likelihood of imminent naval clashes in the Gulf may have receded, Iran could yet see through its threat of closing Hormuz in the event of an Israeli air strike on its nuclear facilities, Javedanfar said.

"Iran could still block the strait of Hormuz in case of a preemptive strike against it.

"This is a scenario which nobody could or should ignore, despite the fact that the recent threat to close the strait in case of sanctions turned out to be a bluff."

(Additional reporting by Hashem Kalantari; Editing by Myra MacDonald)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iran/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120122/wl_nm/us_iran_gulf

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[OOC] Group 5 intro: Persephone and Gabrielle

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Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
This group will be starting in Burthoud, CO -- South of Fort Collins along 287 (north of Longmont).

Places of Interest:
- Berthoud High School
- Turner Middle School
- Loveland Reservoir
- Berthoud Reservoir
- Lonetree Reservoir
- Welch Reservoir
- Berthoud Drug
- Numerous Medical Clinics (Milestone Family Medicine, Dr. Ross W. Armour, Gateway Natural Medicine, Berthoud Family Physicians)
- Kwik Korner Inc (grocer)
- Hays Market

Environment:
The approximate population of Berthoud is 4,839.
The city of Berthoud is set up similarly to other areas in Colorado, with the center of the area highly populated and suburban while the outskirts remain sparsely populated.

~*Do not frown, you never know who is falling in love with your smile*~

StrawberryFoxglove

Member for 1 years

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Kristin Cavallari: Pregnant!!

Kristin Cavallari is expecting her first child, the reality star herself confirms!

"We are thrilled to announce we are expecting our first child together," she and her fiance, NFL star Jay Cutler, said in a joint statement. "It's an amazing time in our life and we can't wait to meet the new addition to our growing family."

Last year was an up-and-down one for the Kristin 25, and Jay, 28, who got engaged, broke up, then got back together and soon got engaged a second time.

The former Hills star and Dancing with the Stars contestant said, "Sometimes, in order for things to get better, they have to end – even if it's momentarily."

Looks like it did wonders for the couple.

Shortly after their split, they became happier than ever it seems, with Jay dutifully attending her DWTS performances and she his Chicago Bears games.

Congratulations to the expectant pair!

[Photo: WENN.com]

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/kristin-cavallari-pregnant/

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Rosenthal: They believed, Alex Smith delivered

49ers quarterback is 2 victories away from ultimate football glory after nearly being left for dead

Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images

49ers quarterback Alex Smith runs in for a touchdown during his team's victory over the Saints in the divisional playoffs last Saturday.

updated 6:06 p.m. ET Jan. 20, 2012

Gregg Rosenthal

?We want Carr. We want Carr!?

It was the lowest moment of Alex Smith?s seven-year career in San Francisco, Oct. 12, 2010. The winless 49ers hosted the Eagles on Sunday Night Football, and the crowd was looking for blood.

After his fourth-quarter fumble, thunderous boos poured down on Smith. He was hearing it all game from the crowd, but this matched anything I?ve ever heard ? even in Philadelphia. The unmistakable chant that came with the booing was even more depressing.

?We want Carr. We want Carr!?

The home crowd wanted Smith benched in favor of backup quarterback David Carr. The fan base collectively waved the white flag. They were tired of their No. 1 overall pick bust and wanted to try another. It was only Week 5 of a rapidly devolving season.

Coach Mike Singletary tried to remove Smith from the game, but the quarterback barked back. He talked his way into staying in the contest. He wound up throwing for more than 300 yards with three touchdowns in a comeback attempt that fell just short, like so many other 49er games during Smith?s tenure.

The fans got their wish two weeks later when Carr replaced an injured Smith during a loss to the Panthers. Troy Smith wound up starting six games for the 2010 49ers. Alex Smith?s beleaguered run in San Francisco was all but over. If nothing else, that gave the fans something to smile about.

Between rare and extinct
David Carr tells us a lot about Alex Smith. Just like Smith, Carr was a No. 1 overall draft pick viewed as a franchise savior. Like Smith, Carr fell flat on his face.

Carr didn?t face the same injury struggles as Smith. Carr didn?t have two head coaches question his toughness. But after five years in Houston, Carr was beat up mentally and physically. When Carr hit free agency, he wanted to take a break.? He wanted out.

"I need to take a deep breath and be around a good environment and just start enjoying the game again,'' Carr said in 2007. ?I wanted to be on a team that was fun and exciting and whether I had a chance to play right away, it didn't matter to me.''

Smith had his chance to take a deep breath last offseason. His family wanted him to leave San Francisco, toasting to new beginnings after this season. Smith didn?t want to go anywhere.

That desire to finish what he started won over new 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh.

"I wanted to get to know him. I had never met him," Harbaugh said last week of his first meeting with Smith in January 2011. "I was just kind of looking in through the keyhole. But I guess the things that I wanted to know, if you boiled it down to one thing, was, did he want to start? Did he want be in the fire? Or did he want to wear the ball cap backward and backup somewhere??

Harbaugh was asking if Alex Smith wanted to be David Carr. (Or Vince Young. Or Matt Leinart. Or JaMarcus Russell.)

"I really felt that he had the competitive drive, the (desire) to prove himself, him wanting to do it here. That's the thing that probably intrigued me the most. That character of wanting to come back and do it here in San Francisco, which is pretty rare ? probably somewhere between rare and extinct. That's not just for football players. That's about anybody. ... And I thought we could really work with that character. To me that was special."

Smith?s seven fourth-quarter comeback victories this season are special. His league-leading interception percentage says a lot. But the most impressive part of Smith?s season is that he?s there at all. He survived.

The things Alex carries
Alex Smith carries his six seasons through the professional football meat grinder everywhere he goes. He carries the old playbooks; the losses; the chants; the manipulative coaches; the shoulder surgeries.

Smith has gone through this 14-3 season hesitant to look back. It?s as if he doesn?t want to jinx what?s happening.

Seven offensive coordinators
Smith?s first offensive coordinator was Mike McCarthy, who pushed the team to draft Smith over Aaron Rodgers with the No. 1 pick in 2005.

One touchdown, 11 interceptions by Smith later, McCarthy scored the Packers' head coaching job before his coaching stock sunk any further.

Norv Turner came next and guided Smith to a promising second season. Smith appeared to have turned a corner. It?s a reminder what good teaching can mean for a young quarterback.? Smith wouldn?t learn that lesson again until 2011.? Turner left after ?06 for the Chargers head coaching job.

Jim Hostler, Mike Martz, Jimmy Raye, and Mike Johnson followed Turner to disappointing results. Each man had a new idea of how an NFL offense should look and how Smith fit into their system. Some liked Smith more than others. Every spring meant a new playbook.

Smith?s seventh coordinator was the charm. Jim Harbaugh knows the quarterback position as well as any head coach, but he also brought in a terrific staff to help him. It?s one of the most underrated skills a head coach can have. Can he choose the right men to assist him?

Offensive coordinator Greg Roman and quarterbacks coach Geep Chryst have both done a fabulous job with Smith. It was Chryst who took over the play-calling late in the divisional round win over the Saints. Along with Harbaugh, the three men collaborate on one of the smartest offensive attacks in the league.

They create big-play opportunities without taking much risk. They accentuate what Smith does well and limit his weaknesses being exposed. They put Smith in position to succeed. That?s coaching.

2 misguided head coaches
Alex Smith?s rookie season was Mike Nolan?s rookie season as a head coach. Both men looked comfortable in their new role.

Nolan ran the 49ers through fear. He often seemed unnecessarily paranoid and played misguided mental games. When Smith?s shoulder was hurt in 2007, Nolan implied publicly that Smith wasn?t fighting through the injury. Nolan came out told the 49ers team behind closed doors that Smith was using his shoulder injury as an excuse for poor play. Smith fought back by speaking out.

?I felt it was trying to undermine me with my teammates,? Smith said back then.

Smith had shoulder surgery after the season.

The next 49ers head coach was a defensive-minded motivational speaker: Mike Singletary. Singletary said multiple times he didn?t think quarterback was the most important position on the field. He once called Smith ?meek.? After Singletary was fired, he was asked what he learned from the experience.

"You gotta have a quarterback," Singletary said.

These were the men in charge. They never believed in Smith.

Harbaugh saw something different in that first meeting with Smith. Most importantly, he saw a quietly improved player on film. Harbaugh?s effusive and immediate praise of Smith almost seemed comical. (He once said Smith had ?armadillo skin .?)

Smith, a free agent, publicly expressed doubt he?d return to San Francisco before Harbaugh started recruiting Smith with regular meetings. No one in San Francisco knew what to make of it. Why would the new hot shot coach stick out his neck for Smith?

?I?ve been studying Alex Smith and watching him and I believe that Alex Smith can be a winning quarterback in the National Football League,? Harbaugh said. ?Very accurate passer. Very athletic. And a guy that has played and been durable.?

This was January 2011. Harbaugh embraced the quarterback no one wanted. The message hasn?t changed since. The love affair has only grown.

The teammates
Smith was benched for the following quarterbacks during his 49ers career: Tim Rattay, Ken Dorsey, Trent Dilfer, Shaun Hill, J.T. O?Sullivan, and Troy Smith.

Guys like Carr and Cody Pickett replaced Smith when he was hurt. Only Hill went on to a modicum of success after leaving San Francisco.

The following wide receivers have started games during Smith?s tenure in San Francisco: ?Brandon Lloyd, Arnaz Battle, Johnnie Morton, Kevin McAddley, Antonio Bryant, Bryan Gilmore, Darrell Jackson, Ashley Lelie, Isaac Bruce, Bryant Johnson, Jason Hill, Josh Morgan, Michael Crabtree, Braylon Edwards, Ted Ginn, Kyle Williams, and Brett Swain.

Change was the only constant in San Francisco?s passing attack. Personnel objectives changed annually with the rotating offensive systems. Players past their prime were brought in like Morton, Jackson, and Bruce. Failed draft picks from other teams were given a second chance like Lelie, Johnson, Edwards, and Ginn. Very little stuck.

Even today, San Francisco?s wide receivers struggle to beat man coverage. It?s a concern this week going against a Giants defense that can get pressure with their front four and played great man coverage last week in Green Bay.

Harbaugh knows all this. He built an offense around the run game, his tight ends, and carefully orchestrated ?shot plays? the wideouts wouldn?t have to win consistently on the outside. He relied on Smith?s accuracy and decision making.

When Harbaugh has asked Smith and his receivers to carry the offense ? against the Giants and Saints ? they have found a way.

Bad habits
Smith deserves his share of blame for struggling until Harbaugh came along. He doesn?t have the big arm you?d expect of a top pick. He?s smart but has struggled to translate those smarts into instinct. He was deliberate making decisions.

Going back through five years of my game notes, the same word came up repeatedly describing Smith: tentative. He took the safe play. He didn?t have enough confidence in himself, his receivers, or perhaps his offense to make the difficult throw.

That slowly started to change this year. The 49ers are not an aggressive passing team, but Smith has played his best with the game on the line.

Back-to-back fourth-quarter comeback wins in Cincinnati and Philadelphia kick-started things. Smith threw a fourth-and-goal game-winner to Delanie Walker in Detroit. An insane 41-yard toss to Michael Crabtree set up the game-winning field goal in Seattle.

In most of those games, the 49ers still coached around Smith. Their wins were more about the defense, running game and short, safe passes. Last Saturday against the Saints, the 49ers coaching staff gave the keys to Smith.

"The winning touchdown to Vernon Davis ... and I'm taking nothing away from Vernon Davis's catch ... the throw made that play, not the catch," NFL Films guru Greg Cosell said on KNBR this week. ?He threw that ball before Davis even got past the underneath linebacker.?

The 49ers could have played for the tie, but they went for the win because of the confidence they had in Smith. It was the type of instinctive, anticipatory, gutsy throw we haven?t seen from Smith. Smith is starting to mix in aggression with his smarts. That could be a championship combination.

The other side
Alex Smith is Mark Sanchez if Sanchez went through another three years like the one he just had.

Smith took all the abuse we could hurl at him and emerged on the other side. He will never be Joe Montana, but that?s not the point. He?s here. He is one game away from playing in the Super Bowl. After what Smith has been through, he deserves to enjoy this moment.

Perhaps Smith will take a deep breath during the national anthem on Sunday and allow himself a peak at the opposing sideline. Giants backup quarterback David Carr will be standing there, representing the road more traveled.

When the anthem ends, Carr will reach to put on his backward hat. Smith will grab his helmet.

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Gregory Shamus / Getty Images

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46067758/ns/sports-nfl/

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Video: Market for Colored Diamonds

Discussing the market for colored diamonds and the areas of demand, including China, with Leibish Polnauer, Leibish & Co. founder/president.

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Keeping pets and seniors together: Sacramento SPCA offers pet ...

Imagine an older woman in her wheel chair; leaving her Natomas home in the morning with her little dachshund bundled up on her lap, switching between light rail and the bus for three hours to reach her destination point.

KEEPING SENIORS AND PETS TOGETHER is one of the missions of the Sacramento SPCA. / Photo iStockphoto

The woman was bringing her dog to the Sacramento Society for the Prevention of Cruelty for Animals (SPCA) located at 6201 Florin Perkins Road, where a program called ?Senior Services? provides free pet vaccinations to senior citizens age 60 and over the first Wednesday of each month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

?This woman arrived late and was incredibly grateful and gracious to us when we told her we would vaccinate her dog that day,? SPCA Senior Services Coordinator Shari Lowen said. ?Our goal is keeping seniors and their pets together.?

Pet, senior needs met

For many seniors, their life is their pet.

?No one can argue the benefits of keeping seniors and their pets together,? Lowen said. ?The senior program provides free vaccinations, nail trims, and pet adoptions.?

The money saved on free pet vaccinations provide many seniors money needed for pet food.

Lynn Humphries, ?A Sure Solution? consultant, thinks the SPCA Senior program is wonderful.

?Three years ago I received a call from a gentleman who had a sick dog and no money. At that time the SPCA didn?t have a senior program, so I split the cost of the veterinarian fees with a friend,? Humphries said. ?The man started crying when he found out his dog was going to be OK.?

Meals on Wheels connection

Humphries said the folks who volunteer with ?Meals on Wheels? keep their eyes open for seniors who might need assistance with a pet.

Lori Olshaskie, Meals on Wheels? Social Services supervisor, said she has known seniors on fixed incomes who would rather see their pet eat than themselves.

?The level of love and commitment to their pets is amazing,? Olshaskie said. ?Especially when a person lives alone, having a pet makes a huge difference in that persons life.?

Meals on Wheels is grateful for pet food donations and is willing to pick them up.

Golf tournament

The SPCA holds an annual golf tournament to raise money for the Senior Service program. It will take place Monday, May 9 at the Del Paso Country Club, presented by Hank Fisher.

In addition to free vaccinations, the Senior Service program provides discounted dog training, free telephone assistance with dog and cat behavior issues and discounted private animal behavior consultations. They also provide quarterly estate planning seminars that include information about options for pets in the event the owner is no longer here to care for them.

Future programs

Lowen said the SPCA is working on a program where volunteers go to the senior?s home and provide whatever services his or her pet might need, such as transportation to the veterinarian because many seniors no longer drive. The SPCA is trying to get volunteers together to walk dogs for folks who are immobile or not able to walk far.

To learn more, call the Sacramento SPCA at (916) 383-7387 or visit www.sspca.org.

Source: http://www.valcomnews.com/?p=6503

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Britain accuses Argentina of "colonialism" over Falklands (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? Britain accused Argentina of "colonialism" in its claim to the Falkland Islands on Wednesday, as the 30th anniversary of their conflict over the British-ruled territory approaches.

A day after Britain's National Security Council discussed the Falklands' defenses, Prime Minister David Cameron told parliament Britain was committed to protecting the South Atlantic islands and added that people there should be allowed to decide their own nationality.

Cameron said he was determined that the islands' defenses were in order and that islanders' wishes were paramount. "We support the Falkland islanders' right to self-determination," he said.

"What the Argentineans have been saying recently I would argue is actually far more like colonialism because these people want to remain British and the Argentineans want them to do something else."

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez described Britain last June as a "crass colonial power in decline" for refusing to hold talks over the islands, known as Las Malvinas in Spanish, and Argentine officials were quick to hit back over Cameron's remarks on Wednesday.

"It's totally offensive," said Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo, while Foreign Minister Hector Timerman described Britain as "a synonym for colonialism."

"Evidently at a time when only scraps of colonialism linger, Great Britain ... has decided to rewrite history," Timerman told the state news agency.

London has controlled the islands, about 300 miles off the Argentine coast, since 1833. Its two-month war with Argentina in 1982 resulted in the deaths of 255 British and about 650 Argentine soldiers.

The British government says it will only agree to sovereignty talks if the territory's 3,000 residents ask it to, and that the islanders want to remain British.

Tensions have risen in recent years over offshore oil exploration, and have gained steam before the April anniversary of the conflict as well as the planned tour of duty on the islands by Britain's Prince William, an RAF helicopter pilot, later this year.

In December, the South American trading bloc Mercosur - including associate member Chile - agreed that vessels sailing under a Falklands Islands flag would be banned from docking at any of its ports as an act of solidarity with Argentina.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague, visiting Mercosur's economic powerhouse Brazil, discussed the Falklands in Brasilia on Wednesday, but the Brazilian government said it backed Argentina in the dispute and would apply the shipping ban.

Hague said differences over the Falklands did not prevent a "vastly productive relationship and growing friendship" with Brazil, whose economy is now the size of Britain's.

"He knows that Brazil, and all Latin American and Caribbean countries, support Argentine sovereignty over the Falklands," Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota told reporters.

"We have to abide by Mercosur's resolutions," Defense Minister Celso Amorim told Reuters after meeting with Hague. Besides, he added, "Argentina is our number one strategic ally."

(Additional reporting by Adrian Croft in London, Helen Popper in Buenos Aires and Anthony Boadle in Brasilia; Editing by Paul Simao)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120118/wl_nm/us_britain_falklands

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Investors look for tech to rise as behemoth earnings loom (Reuters)

NEW YORK/CHICAGO (Reuters) ? As four big tech bellwethers ready their earnings reports after the bell on Thursday, the big question is whether their results will further fuel a solid rally in the tech sector.

Major companies due to report quarterly earnings include Dow components, Intel Corp, Microsoft Corp, International Business Machines and Google Inc.

The Nasdaq 100 index, which tracks the 100 largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq, is up 7.3 percent so far this year, and could easily top its 10 percent gain in October, which was its best month since Sept 2010. For the year the S&P 500 is up 4.6 percent.

"Solid earnings would help to confirm the price action we have been seeing in the Nasdaq 100 index," said Steve Place, a founder of options analytics firm investingwithoptions.com in Mobile, Alabama.

"Maybe investors have already anticipated solid earnings from the major tech stocks and that has led to the breakout in the index."

Chip makers have also rallied, with the PHLX semiconductor index up 13 percent for the year.

INTEL AND NASDAQ

The risk, however, is that strong results could give opportunity for investors to take profits on recent gains. Earnings announcements from Intel have often come when the market reaches a top, said Jason Goepfert of SentimenTrader.com.

"Intel's earnings reports have a funny way of occurring near peaks in the broader market," he said, adding especially for technology and particularly when the market has already been doing well.

Goepfert looked at the Nasdaq 100 performance after Intel earnings in the month of January when the index was within 2 percent of a high. This occurred five times in the period between 1997-2011 - 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011.

Over the next two weeks after Intel results, the Nasdaq never managed to gain more than 1.7 percent at its best point during any of the five instances, and lost more than 2 percent every time at its worst point.

Despite Intel's impact on the Nasdaq 100, some market analysts are optimistic about the company.

While Intel was recently downgraded by some sellside analysts, MKM Partners semiconductor analyst Dan Berenbaum remains constructive on the shares, with a 12-month price target at $29.

The stock is currently trading up 0.8 percent at $25.57.

MKM Partners derivatives strategist Jim Strugger, in a report, recommends two bullish options strategies for Intel. One entails buying the stock to capture the company's dividend and against that position selling the July $23-$29 strangle to generate an additional synthetic yield of 5.8 percent.

A short strangle involves the selling of a call and a put with the same expiration date and different - but both out-of-the-money - strike prices. This strategy is a play against excessive volatility - the seller of the $23 put and the $29 call collects the premium, and only starts to lose money if shares move sharply beyond those points.

Another trade for upside exposure is buying the July $26-$29 call spread, which involves the sale of the $29 strike against the purchase of the $26 strike for a net cost of 90 cents per contract. The trade would break-even at $26.90 to make a maximum of $2.10 per spread with the stock at $29 or higher at July expiration, Strugger said.

Analysts on average were expecting earnings of 61 cents per share for Intel, according to Thomson Reuters StarMine SmartEstimates, which ranks analysts' estimates according to their past accuracy.

For IBM, the forecast was for $4.63 per share, and for Google, the forecast was $10.55 per share. For Microsoft, the forecast was 76 cents per share.

(Reporting By Angela Moon and Doris Frankel; Editing by Andrew Hay)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/earnings/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120119/bs_nm/us_techcompanies_earnings_options

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GOP presidential candidates prepare for SC debate (AP)

The five Republicans seeking their party's nomination for president are preparing for the last televised debate before Saturday's South Carolina primary.

The two-hour debate in Charleston, S.C., is set to air on CNN at 8 p.m. EST Thursday. It's sponsored by CNN and the Southern Republican Leadership Conference.

Ahead of the debate, Newt Gingrich is speaking at two town hall meetings Thursday in Bluffton and Beaufort and is visiting Walterboro.

Mitt Romney plans to visit his campaign headquarters in Charleston on Thursday morning, and Rick Santorum has events scheduled in Mount Pleasant and Charleston before Thursday night's debate.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign

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Parent Concerns About ADHD, Stimulant Drugs and Cardiac Testing for Kids (ContributorNetwork)

For several years, health care providers have warned parents about pediatric heart problems associated with ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) drugs. Medical wisdom said children should be given cardiac testing prior to being placed on stimulant drugs like Ritalin or Adderall. A new survey published by the American Academy of Pediatrics now shows that doctors are ambivalent about the necessity of cardiovascular counseling and testing before prescribing ADHD medications. Here are facts for parents about ADHD, drug therapy and heart problems in children.

* ADHD is a childhood condition that may last into adulthood. It is characterized by inattentiveness, impulsiveness and uncontrollable behavior. Children generally show a preponderance toward either focusing (attention deficit) or behavioral issues, but may exhibit both, says the National Institute of Mental Health.

* ADHD diagnosis is typically made based on symptom reports by parents. It is one of the most common childhood conditions and incidence of ADHD is increasing. The CDC says that in 2003, 7.8 percent of children ages 4-17 were diagnosed with it and by 2007 nearly 10 percent of kids had been diagnosed with ADHD at some point in their life.

* Stimulant medications have been used to successfully manage symptoms in about 70 percent of children with ADHD, say WebMD. Ritalin and Adderall are the most commonly prescribed drugs but Concerta, Metadate CD and Daytrana are becoming more popular, too.

* Ritalin Side Effects says that among the various concerns for children from taking stimulants are increased risk of heart palpitations, high blood pressure, SCD (sudden cardiac death) and other cardiac problems.

* Non-stimulants ADHD medications like atomoxetine (Stattera) have also been used. Doctors have prescribed anti-hypertensives and antidepressants such as bupropion (Wellbutrin) to treat ADHD symptoms, too. However, several years ago, the FDA placed "black box" warnings for parents alerting them to watch children taking Strattera or antidepressants for signs of suicide.

* In 2006, the New York Times reported on FDA advisory panel findings that 25 people, mostly children, had died from taking stimulants. Pediatricians were urged to administer cardiac tests to uncover any underlying heart conditions before prescribing ADHD stimulants.

* In 2008, the AAP declared that routine cardiac testing prior to ADHD drug prescription was unnecessary, unless the child's health history or current health condition warranted it.

* In 2011, Vanderbilt University reported on findings from the New England Journal of Medicine which tested 1.2 million children and found no link between ADHD medication and cardiovascular problems. Study authors cautioned parents to work closely with physicians and report any issues, especially if the child has other chronic health conditions.

* The recent Pediatrics study asked pediatricians how they addressed cardiac testing with their ADHD patients. Most doctors agreed that given the 24 percent risk to children of SCD (sudden cardiac death) and the 30 percent risk of legal liability, physicians should tell parents about heart problems as a side effect of ADHD medications. Nearly all the doctors did a routine health and physical screening, but less than half did in-depth cardiovascular testing or discussed cardiac risks with parents.

Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben writes about parenting concerns from 23 years raising four children and 25 years teaching K-8, special needs, adult education and homeschool.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/meds/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120120/hl_ac/10855959_parent_concerns_about_adhd_stimulant_drugs_and_cardiac_testing_for_kids

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Perry prays for Obama at SC Christian gathering (AP)

GREENVILLE, S.C. ? Texas Gov. Rick Perry is taking a pause from partisan campaigning in South Carolina to pray for President Barack Obama's safety and wisdom.

Perry spoke Tuesday night at a large prayer gathering called "The Response" in Greenville, S.C. He made no direct mention of the GOP presidential contest or of Saturday's primary during his 10 minutes on stage.

Perry led a prayer in which he asked God to grant safety to "our president" and his family. He also said that "we pray that you light his way" in dealing with national issues.

Perry walked on stage without being introduced. Some in the audience seemed surprised to see him although his campaign had announced his plans earlier.

Perry led a huge rally last year in Houston to pray for America.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120118/ap_on_el_pr/us_perry

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Boston, Belfast spar over fate of secret IRA tapes

In this photo dated Thursday Jan. 12, 2012, Helen McKendry holds a family photograph showing her mother, at home in Killyleagh, Northern Ireland. Police probing the Irish Republican Army's 1972 killing of Jean McConville, the Belfast mother of Helen McKendry and 9 other children, want to seize taped interviews with IRA members that Boston College hoped to keep locked up for posterity. Researchers fighting the handover in court next week warn that disclosure could trigger attacks against IRA veterans involved in the secrecy-shrouded project and undermine Northern Ireland's peace. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

In this photo dated Thursday Jan. 12, 2012, Helen McKendry holds a family photograph showing her mother, at home in Killyleagh, Northern Ireland. Police probing the Irish Republican Army's 1972 killing of Jean McConville, the Belfast mother of Helen McKendry and 9 other children, want to seize taped interviews with IRA members that Boston College hoped to keep locked up for posterity. Researchers fighting the handover in court next week warn that disclosure could trigger attacks against IRA veterans involved in the secrecy-shrouded project and undermine Northern Ireland's peace. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

In this photo dated Thursday Jan. 12, 2012, Helen McKendry is seen at home in Killyleagh, Northern Ireland. Police probing the Irish Republican Army's 1972 killing of Jean McConville, the Belfast mother of Helen McKendry and 9 other children, want to seize taped interviews with IRA members that Boston College hoped to keep locked up for posterity. Researchers fighting the handover in court next week warn that disclosure could trigger attacks against IRA veterans involved in the secrecy-shrouded project and undermine Northern Ireland's peace. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

In this photo dated Thursday Jan. 12, 2012, Helen McKendry and her husband Seamus are seen at home in Killyleagh, Northern Ireland. Police probing the Irish Republican Army's 1972 killing of Jean McConville, the Belfast mother of Helen McKendry and 9 other children, want to seize taped interviews with IRA members that Boston College hoped to keep locked up for posterity. Researchers fighting the handover in court next week warn that disclosure could trigger attacks against IRA veterans involved in the secrecy-shrouded project and undermine Northern Ireland's peace. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

DUBLIN (AP) ? A trans-Atlantic legal showdown could determine whether Gerry Adams, the Irish republican chieftain long at the center of Belfast war and peace, faces trial over his IRA past.

Police probing the Irish Republican Army's 1972 killing of a Belfast mother of 10 want to seize taped interviews with IRA members that Boston College hoped to keep locked up for posterity. Researchers fighting the handover in court next week warn that disclosure could trigger attacks against IRA veterans involved in the secrecy-shrouded project and undermine Northern Ireland's peace.

The case of Jean McConville, a 37-year-old widow, commands special attention among Northern Ireland's nearly 3,300 unsolved killings because of allegations that Adams, the conflict's leading guerrilla turned peacemaker, commanded the IRA unit responsible for ordering her execution and secret burial.

Adams denies this.

But the researchers who collected the interviews say they include multiple IRA colleagues of Adams from 1972 ? testimony that, if made public, could fuel a victims' civil lawsuit against the Sinn Fein party leader.

"Imagine if these interviews are delivered to the police and their contents come out in court. There'll be a hue and cry for Gerry Adams' political scalp," said Ed Moloney, a former Belfast journalist who directed Boston College's oral history project on Northern Ireland.

Moloney and the former IRA member who collected the interviews, Anthony McIntyre, go to court next Tuesday in Boston seeking to persuade Judge William Young to let Boston College keep the audiotapes out of the hands of Belfast police.

Moloney said the material was explosive enough to damage Northern Ireland's unity government, in which Sinn Fein represents the Irish Catholic minority. Their surprisingly stable coalition with the British Protestant majority is the central achievement of the U.S.-brokered Good Friday peace accord.

McIntyre won the IRA veterans' confidence by promising their confessions would remain confidential, beyond the reach of British law and order, as long as they lived. IRA members normally never talk openly about the underground group ? partly because the IRA reserves the right to kill such people as traitors.

But posthumous testimony isn't admissible as evidence.

Young last month ruled that the interviews of one living IRA veteran, convicted car bomber Dolours Price, should be surrendered because she discusses her role in the McConville killing. The judge also ruled he would personally review interviews involving 24 other Irish republicans, and more than 100 transcripts, to determine if others should be sent to Belfast police for the same reason.

To the fury of Moloney and McIntyre, Boston College accepted Young's judgment. They say university officials should have appealed or risked a contempt order by destroying the whole archive.

"If they weren't prepared to fight to the bitter end like us, then why did Boston College get involved in this kind of project at all?" Moloney said.

Boston College spokesman Jack Dunn insisted Young's judgment was the best they could expect, given that some tapes include confessions of involvement in crimes.

"We would never want anyone to think that Boston College was obstructing a murder investigation," he said.

A Boston appeals court has blocked any handover of IRA material to British authorities pending the resolution of two Moloney-McIntyre lawsuits.

McIntyre said his family home could be bombed, or he could be run over in the street, if his work ends up inspiring criminal prosecutions against those he interviewed or a civil lawsuit against Adams.

"I'm already being labeled a tout, an informer. That's a death sentence in Irish republican circles," said McIntyre, a Belfast native who spent 17 years in prison for killing a Protestant militant in a 1976 drive-by shooting. Today he lives in Ireland with his American wife, 10-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son.

"Of course I'm concerned what might happen to me," said McIntyre, who is barred from traveling to the United States because of his murder conviction. "But I'm much more concerned about the safety of my wife, my children, and the people I interviewed."

He, Moloney and Boston College officials all say they felt ambushed when the U.S. attorney's office, acting on behalf of the British government and Northern Ireland police, last year filed subpoenas seeking all audiotapes in which IRA members discuss McConville's disappearance.

Dunn said the researchers and key university staff a decade ago naively presumed that the risk of any British legal action was low, given that the Good Friday accord emphasized the need to draw a line under a conflict that had left 3,700 dead in the previous three decades.

That did little to mute cries for justice for Northern Ireland's victims. The police there in 2005 formed a special "cold cases" unit, called the Historical Enquiries Team, that promised to re-examine all unsolved political killings since 1969. The Boston College archive represents a potential gold mine for its work.

Boston College has already handed over the tapes and transcripts of IRA member Brendan Hughes, a one-time Adams confidante who died in 2008. Moloney made Hughes' posthumous testimony the foundation for his 2010 book "Voices From the Grave."

Hughes told McIntyre he oversaw McConville's "arrest" for allegedly being a British Army spy. He said Adams commanded a unit called "The Unknowns" responsible for making McConville and several other West Belfast civilians disappear.

"There was only one man who gave the order for that woman to be executed," Hughes said. "That man is now the head of Sinn Fein. I did not give the order to execute that woman. He did."

The U.S. attorney's office in Boston so far has received 13 interviews involving Price, who reportedly drove McConville from Belfast to the Irish border for her execution, but has yet to hand them to the British.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John McNeil said American authorities must provide relevant IRA testimony to British authorities as part of Anglo-American treaty commitments to aid each others' criminal investigations.

"The UK is investigating serious crimes: murder, kidnapping. The court has already found that it's a bona fide investigation and that there's no other source for this material," McNeil said.

Adams' spokesman, Richard McAuley, said Adams has nothing to hide.

"As to the specific allegations against Gerry, he's consistently denied them," McAuley said. "The truth is nobody knows what's on the tapes. We only know the innuendo and insinuation."

McConville's eldest daughter Helen McKendry, who since 1994 has campaigned for the IRA to admit the truth of her mother's execution, said she has no doubt Adams is responsible.

"Gerry Adams has come to my home and claimed he's got nothing to do with my mother's murder. But he couldn't look me in the eye and he couldn't say her name. He's a liar," she said.

McKendry was 15 in 1972 when several IRA members came to their Catholic west Belfast home to abduct her mother. The 10 children never saw her again, were told she'd abandoned them and were scattered into different foster homes.

The IRA didn't admit it killed McConville until 1998. Five years later, a dog walker on a Republic of Ireland beach 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of Belfast spotted McConville's skeletal remains protruding from a sandy bluff. Forensics officers found she'd been shot once in the back of the head, with the .22-caliber bullet still lodged in an eye socket.

"I really hope people in Boston back us up on this," McKendry said. "Murder is murder. Release the tapes."

___

Associated Press writer Denise Lavoie in Boston contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-17-EU-Ireland-Secret-IRA-Tapes/id-ba62d04c120648e78aa8c2a0ca5b2399

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Talk of the Town - Whitley County: 'Midwest Automotive Loop ...

By Krystall Shull

Members of the Senate Committee on Commerce and Economic Development voted unanimously last week in favor of a resolution authored by senators Jim Banks, Jim Buck and Travis Holdman for the legislature to study the benefits of creating an industrial zone within the Midwest Automotive Loop.
?I commend Mayor Greg Goodnight and Mayor Wayne Seybold for their innovative idea and work in creating the Midwest Auto Loop,? Buck said. ?It?s my hope this study committee will help identify incentives that will bring about a great economic boom to our communities.?
Senate Resolution 3 urges the Legislative Council to assign an interim study committee to examine the possibility of creating an industrial zone within the Midwest Automotive Loop and to also look at possible tax credits and regulatory relief programs to entice new industries to the zone.
?With Indiana?s fiscal stability, we are in a great position to step-up investment opportunities,? Holdman said. ?The Midwest Automotive Loop will give us a new competitive edge, enabling these tried-and-true industrial communities to help each other.?
The Midwest Automotive Loop was established this past summer by Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight and Marion May Wayne Seybold. The loop, which includes Kokomo, Marion and surrounding areas, was created this past summer to capitalize on the area?s strengths to attract additional manufacturing technology investments to the region.
?The creation of the Midwest Automotive Loop highlights the region?s strengths and provides a huge economic tool to attract new jobs for our highly-trained Hoosier workforce,? Banks said. ?I am committed to working with my fellow lawmakers, to build on the success this region has enjoyed in the past and provide additional resources for our communities.?
SR 3 now heads to the full Senate for further action. Hoosiers can get a full, updated copy of the resolution online by clicking here.

Source: http://talkofthetownwc.com/blog/2012/01/midwest_automotive_loop_resolu.html

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Video: The homes of presidential hopefuls

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3041440/vp/45984563#45984563

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LTE 4G Phones are Springing Up Like Weeds Here at CES 2012

January 10, 2012 6:30 AM Text Size: A . A . A On the phone front, 2012 is the year that LTE cements its place as the 4G standard. The Consumer Electronics Show is silly with LTE phones this year. Now that AT&T has finally rolled out enough its LTE 4G network in enough cities (26 so far, but the company is expanding quickly these days) to plausibly market these devices, it announced seven phones and one tablet to take advantage of it. Five of these phones and the tablet will be running on the Android OS, including the positively gargantuan Samsung Galaxy Note, which, despite having a 5.3-inch 1280 x 800 pixel AMOLED screen with handwriting recognition, is not the tablet.

The other two are Windows Phone devices, the most important of which is the Nokia Lumia 900. Nokia embraced Windows Phone as the company's sole operating system platform last year, and the LTE-capable 4.3-inch screen Lumia 900 is the halo device for Nokia in the U.S. It shares a sleek design with the 3G Lumia 800, but has a bigger 1840 mAH battery to give better performance on the power-hungry 4G network. It also sports killer front and back cameras, the back camera has a wide-angle 28mm f/2.2 lens; the front-facing lens is f/2.8. The other Windows Phone, the HTC Titan II, is also boasting some impressive camera stats. The Titan II claims a 16-megapixel sensor, although for the life of us, we can't imagine why that might be necessary in a phone.

The other LTE phones were introduced by Sprint, a company that only three years ago seemed to be betting the farm on WiMax, a competing 4G standard. Now Sprint has changed course, and this year plans to roll out an LTE network. Only four cities have even been announced so far (Atlanta, Dallas, San Antonio and Houston) but that hasn't stopped Sprint from revealing three LTE devices at CES. The company will sell the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (the pure Android phone from Google), the LG Viper, and the Sierra Wireless Tri-Network Hotspot, which reconciles Sprint's many cellular flavors with radios for LTE, WiMax and 3G CDMA.

This most definitely means the eventual death of WiMax, and it will leave T-Mobile as the only network left in America not using the broadband-fast LTE standard. However, if our experience with Verizon's LTE network here at CES is any guide, even the highest-capacity networks can get overwhelmed when you throw enough bandwidth-gulping nerds at them.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/news/lte-4g-phones-are-springing-up-like-weeds-here-at-ces-2012-6636520?src=rss

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