secularist drollery: January 2012

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

First single from new Madonna album released February 3 (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? The first single from Madonna's upcoming album "MDNA" is called "Give Me All Your Luvin'" and is set for a February 3 release, two days before the singer performs at the Super Bowl on Sunday.

The track features Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. and was composed by Martin Solveig and Michael Tordjman, and marks Madonna's return to music after focusing on directing her new movie "W.E."

MDNA, to be released on Universal Music Group's Interscope Records on March 26, will be the singer's 12th studio album and the follow-up to 2008's "Hard Candy" which debuted at the top of the charts in 37 countries.

An excerpt from the video to Give Me All Your Luvin' will air on U.S. television show "American Idol" on February 2, and the full video appears on Madonna's YouTube channel the following day.

MDNA was recorded in New York and Los Angeles and reunited Madonna with William Orbit who co-wrote and co-produced several cuts on the new album.

The Grammy-winning 53-year-old will headline Sunday's halftime show at the 2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis in a performance co-created by Cirque Du Soleil.

More than 160 million TV viewers watched last year's halftime performance, making it the most-watched musical event of the year.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/en_nm/us_madonna_single

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Jak of all trades? Not of leukaemia therapy!

Monday, January 30, 2012

About one in five or six cases of adult leukaemia in Western populations relates to so-called chronic myeloid leukaemia, or CML. Treatment of CML usually relies on inhibitors of the abnormal protein that causes the condition but some patients do not respond to treatment and efforts are underway to develop a supplementary approach, targeting the so-called JAK2 kinase. Recent results from the groups of Veronika Sexl at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna) and Giulio Superti-Furga at the Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (CeMM) have called this strategy into question. The work is published in the current issue of the prestigious journal Nature Chemical Biology and is of immediate relevance to leukaemia treatment.

The cause of CML has been known since 1960, when two scientists in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania showed that the disease was associated with a particular genetic abnormality, the "Philadelphia chromosome". Philadelphia chromosomes represent the result of an incorrect crossing-over between two chromosomes, through which part of the Bcr ("breakpoint cluster region") gene from chromosome 22 fuses with the Abl gene on chromosome 9. The fusion gene product is a tyrosine kinase, i.e. it can phosphorylate other proteins on tyrosine residues. When it does so, it incorrectly activates several signal pathways controlling cell division in white blood cells and leads to leukaemia. Thankfully, drugs have been developed that prevent the kinase activity of the BCR-ABL fusion protein and the majority of patients treated with such tyrosine kinase inhibitors (e.g. imatinib) show no further signs of leukaemia.

Unfortunately, however, patients may develop resistance to the therapy so an alternative approach is required. Recent developments have focused on the use of drugs targeting another kinase involved in CML, the JAK2 kinase. In normal white blood cells, JAK2 is known to activate a further molecule, known as STAT5, which is absolutely required for the development of CML. The argument runs that if JAK2 could be specifically inhibited ? and thus STAT5 not activated ? it would bring fresh hope to patients who do not respond to treatment with imatinib. Several potential inhibitors of JAK2 are currently undergoing clinical trials and may shortly be available for treating patients.

The theory is appealing but to date we do not really understand exactly what happens when JAK2 is inactivated following the initiation of leukaemia by the Bcr-Abl oncogene. Sexl and her colleagues have used a transgenic mouse model to clarify the functions of these proteins in leukaemia. Their results were highly unexpected. The JAK2 kinase was found to be not required for the maintenance of the disease, i.e. inhibiting JAK2 in leukaemic cells had no therapeutic benefit. However, inhibition of STAT5 in leukaemia was sufficient to prevent cell proliferation. As Sexl says, "this means that the normal signalling pathway is completely rewired in CML cells: STAT5 activity no longer depends on JAK2." In support of this conclusion, the researchers were able to show that the BCR-ABL protein directly phosphorylates STAT5, thereby activating it.

As Superti-Furga notes, "The findings have extremely important consequences for CML therapy in humans," adding, "We are very happy that the collaboration between our two groups is so fruitful". Put bluntly, leukaemia patients that do not respond to imatinib will not be helped by inhibiting JAK2. Interestingly, some JAK2 inhibitors do slow the progression of leukaemic cells, although they must be given at very high levels. The "therapeutic" action is mediated by a secondary target of the JAK2 inhibitors, which Sexl and colleagues have shown to be the Bcr-Abl oncogene itself. Sexl concludes that, "at the moment there is simply no rationale for giving leukaemic patients JAK2 inhibitors. If we want to help patients who do not respond to imatinib, we should concentrate instead on developing inhibitors to STAT5."

###

University of Veterinary Medicine -- Vienna: http://www.vetmeduni.ac.at

Thanks to University of Veterinary Medicine -- Vienna for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/117176/Jak_of_all_trades___Not_of_leukaemia_therapy_

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Monday, January 30, 2012

The good news about carbon storage in tropical vegetation

ScienceDaily (Jan. 29, 2012) ? A study recently published in Nature Climate Change finds that tropical vegetation contains 21 percent more carbon than previous studies had suggested. Using a combination of remote sensing and field data, scientists from Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC), Boston University, and the University of Maryland were able to produce the first "wall-to-wall" map (with a spatial resolution of 500 m x 500 m) of carbon storage of forests, shrublands, and savannas in the tropics of Africa, Asia, and South America. Colors on the map represent the amount of carbon density stored in the vegetation in a continuum fashion. Reliable estimates of carbon storage are critical to understanding the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere by changes in land cover and land use.

Tropical deforestation is considered a major source of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change, releasing as much as 1.1 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere each year. Based on new data in this study, researchers believe that current models may overestimate the net flux of carbon into the atmosphere due to tropical vegetation loss by 11 to 12 percent. For countries trying to meet their greenhouse gases reporting requirements under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), these new data are particularly important.

Lead author Alessandro Baccini, an assistant scientist at WHRC, explained that the new data set provides a spatially and temporally consistent estimate of carbon stock and a stronger foundation for estimating carbon emissions by better characterizing the carbon density of the forest that has been lost. "For the first time we were able to derive accurate estimates of carbon densities using satellite LiDAR observations in places that have never been measured," said Baccini. "This is like having a consistent, very dense pantropical forest inventory."

In many developing nations, deforestation is the largest source of emissions of greenhouse gases. In order to reliably report emissions to the UNFCCC, and to participate in international schemes such as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), which provides compensation for avoiding deforestation, these countries need an accurate way to calculate stored carbon and to track deforestation and reforestation. "We worked closely with collaborators in 12 countries around the tropics to collect the field data needed to calibrate the satellite measurements and ensure relevance for their national reporting," said co-author Nadine Laporte, a WHRC associate scientist, who coordinated field measurements in Africa.

"The paper is important for two reasons," said co-author and WHRC senior scientist Richard A. Houghton. "First, it provides a high-resolution map of aboveground biomass density for the world's tropical forests. Previous maps were of much coarser resolution and yielded wildly different estimates of both regional totals and spatial distribution. Second, the paper calculates a new estimate of carbon emissions from land-use change in the tropics."

This was done using the co-location of biomass density and deforestation to assign a more representative carbon density to the forests cleared. Previous estimates used 'average' biomass densities that may have biased emissions' estimates. In short, the approach will lead to better tracking of changes in biomass density resulting from degradation and growth.

This will in turn help nations, projects, and groups of all kinds determine better estimates of carbon emissions. These estimates are required nationally for UNFCCC reporting and would support REDD+ should it be implemented. "The study represents a major step forward in the effort to map the current state of global tropical biomass stocks," commented Greg Asner, an ecologist at the Carnegie Institution for Science. "The 500m resolution of the map will help countries implement activities to improve forest management and to help fight climate change through reduced carbon emissions from deforestation."

The scientists estimated that tropical forests in America store around 118 billion tons of carbon, a fifth more than indicated by previous findings. For the first time in a large-area mapping effort of this kind, an end-to-end approach was constructed quite literally from the ground up, beginning with a pantropical field campaign, relying on the work of scholars in many different countries, and designed for the optimal integration of field and satellite data. The result is a carbon density map for the tropics with a level of consistency and accuracy never before achieved.

Global measurements of where carbon is accumulating and where it's being lost will be used to better quantify how many carbon credits would be needed to reduce carbon emission under the UNFCCC and, when carbon is valued, to quantify financial rewards. As Richard A. Houghton said, "Your forest may be worth more if it's accumulating more carbon than another forest."

"Coupling the Lidar and field measurements is what makes this study and our map so unique, and powerful" notes study co-author and WHRC senior scientist Scott Goetz.

Map.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Woods Hole Research Center.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

A. Baccini, S. J. Goetz, W. S. Walker, N. T. Laporte, M. Sun, D. Sulla-Menashe, J. Hackler, P. S. A. Beck, R. Dubayah, M. A. Friedl, S. Samanta, R. A. Houghton. Estimated carbon dioxide emissions from tropical deforestation improved by carbon-density maps. Nature Climate Change, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1354

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120129151009.htm

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

Leadership scramble: GOP rivals vie for title

Evelyn Solomon of Boca Raton, Fla., a supporter of Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich waits during a Republican Jewish Coalition rally at the South County Civic Center, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in Delray Beach, Fla. Romney and Gingrich square off over immigration and other issues as they look to woo Hispanics a day after a feisty, final debate before Tuesday?s Florida primary. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Audience members cheer as Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, campaigns at Astrotech Space Operations in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Republican presidential contenders are making a pitch to voters that sounds a lot like a children's game: Follow the leader.

When Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich aren't puffing up their own leadership credentials, they're running down the leadership skills of one another and President Barack Obama.

If anyone missed Monday's conference call from the Romney campaign about Gingrich's record as a "failed leader," not to worry. They could have tuned in to Tuesday's conference call. Or Wednesday's. Or Thursday's. Or checked out the "unreliable leader" banner splashed across a Romney news release that labeled Gingrich "unhinged." Romney's political biography, meanwhile, is all about his leadership as a businessman, Massachusetts governor and savior of the 2002 Olympic Games.

It's hard to miss Gingrich's frequent broadsides at Romney, meanwhile, for failing to provide consistent, visionary leadership. Or the former House speaker's pronouncements that he, by contrast, offers "exactly the kind of bold, tough leader the American people want." Or Gingrich's muscular descriptions of all that was accomplished in his four years as speaker in the 1990s.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, lagging them in the polls, keeps trying to muscle his way into the leader palooza by offering himself as the steady bet who can be counted on to offer more reliable conservative leadership than "erratic" Gingrich or "moderate" Romney.

In a race where all the candidates are trying to out-conservative one another, stressing leadership credentials gives the GOP rivals a way to try to distinguish themselves. And in a year when Obama's own leadership skills are seen as one of his weakest qualities, it gives the Republicans another arrow in their quiver as they argue over who would be most electable in a matchup with Obama come November.

Leadership is always a part of the equation in presidential elections. In 2008, for example, the candidates all were abuzz with claims that they offered "transformational" leadership. Obama announced he was running by declaring, "I want to transform this country."

This year, leadership is getting an extra dose of attention, perhaps because of statistics such as this: The share of Americans who view Obama as a strong leader slipped from 77 percent at the start of his presidency to 52 percent in a Pew Research Center poll released this month. And among Republicans, only about a fourth of those surveyed in the most recent poll viewed Obama as a strong leader, compared with 80 percent of Democrats.

At a campaign debate last week in Tampa, Fla., Gingrich and Romney both turned a question about electability into an answer about the L-word.

"This is going to come down a question of leadership," Romney said. Then the former Massachusetts governor recited his track record as a leader in business and government and took a dig at Gingrich for having to "resign in disgrace" when he was speaker in the 1990s.

Gingrich, answering the same question, aligned himself with the leadership record of conservative hero Ronald Reagan and offered himself as someone "prepared to be controversial when necessary" to bring about great change.

The answers offer a window into how differently the two candidates define leadership ? Romney more as a manager with business school credentials, Gingrich more as a big-thinking visionary.

The leadership argument is a particularly potent campaign weapon for Romney because a number of Republicans who served in Congress with Gingrich have been happy to describe his shortcomings in running the House.

"If you were somebody trying to serve with him, you were always sort of left standing with your hands empty in terms of moving forward with an actual plan or putting a plan to paper," Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., said of Gingrich on a Romney campaign conference call on Thursday. "So for me, it's an example that he's just not an effective leader. I think Mitt has the temperament and the ability to lead."

Gingrich, who resigned after a spate of ethics problems and a poor showing for House Republicans in the 1998 elections, managed to turn even his resignation as speaker into evidence that he's a strong leader.

"I took responsibility for the fact that our results weren't as good as they should be," he said in the Tampa debate. "I think that's what a leader should do."

As for the turbulence of his tenure as speaker, Gingrich casts that, too, as evidence of his bold leadership.

"Look, I wish everybody had loved me, but I'd rather be effective representing the American people than be popular inside Washington," he said earlier in the campaign.

Stephen Wayne, a presidential scholar at Georgetown University, said the harsh judgment of Obama's presidential leadership by Republicans and even some Democrats in part is due to the high hopes that he raised during the 2008 campaign. Obama the president has been measured against the words of Obama the candidate ever since.

Now that it's campaign season again, says Wayne, "he's not competing against his own image, he's competing against a real life person that has frailties. ... In a sense, that lowers the bar for Obama."

___

AP Deputy Polling Director Jennifer Agiesta contributed to this report.

___

Follow Nancy Benac at http://www.twitter.com/nbenac

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-28-GOP-Follow%20the%20Leader/id-4296a33af707494cb8870640cc77c466

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Coll. of Charleston's Cremins takes medical leave

FILE - In this Dec. 20, 2011, file photo, Charleston coach Bobby Cremins signals to his players during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game against Louisville, in Louisville, Ky. The school announced Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, that Cremins is taking an indefinite leave of absence for a medical condition and assistant coach Mark Byington will take over the team. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) ? Bobby Cremins' assistant says the veteran basketball coach hasn't looked well the past few weeks and Friday evening the College of Charleston announced Cremins will miss the rest of the season because of a medical problem.

Yet, Mark Byington ? who will take over as the Cougars' coach ? was still surprised when the 64-year-old Cremins called him Friday morning with the news.

"The despair in his voice last night and this morning, I knew something was wrong," Byington said.

Cremins was at his home on Hilton Head Island when the announcement was made at the school. The college did not specify Cremins' medical condition or put a time frame on his return, and asked reporters to respect his privacy. Charleston athletic director Joe Hull did say Cremins' condition was not life threatening.

"I personally hope he coaches for many years to come," Hull said.

The AD also plans to speak with Cremins over the next few weeks to determine it the coach will be out even longer.

Cremins issued a statement through the school, saying he knows his top assistant for all six of his years at Charleston will do well in his new role.

"I have complete faith in him as do our players," Cremins said.

The Cougars started this season 10-2 with wins over Clemson and Tennessee, but have lost six of their last eight. Hull said the goal is still to make it to the NCAA tournament. They are 4-5 in the Southern Conference and will need a late season run to get a bye into the second round of the conference tournament.

"It will be business as usual," Byington said. "There will be a different guy calling the signals, but we will move on."

Hull said he will keep in touch with Cremins, but has no plans for the program's future beyond having Byington finish the season.

Byington said Cremins has not looked healthy for the past few weeks, but he thought the coach just might need a day or two off. Instead, he got a phone call from a distraught Cremins at 7:15 a.m. Friday. He told athletic officials that Cremins was taking the rest of the season off, then gathered his team.

"I was very upset. The first thing the team asked when they heard is he OK?" guard Andrew Lawrence said. "Obviously if this has happened and he needs to take a leave of absence we are completely behind him."

Cremins is in his sixth season with the Cougars after spending 19 years coaching Georgia Tech. He has led Charleston to 20 victories in each of his seasons, but his teams haven't been able to win the Southern Conference tournament to get to the NCAAs. He is 579-375 in 31 seasons of coaching, and the Yellow Jackets named their home court for him before he returned to coaching in 2006.

Cremins grew up in the Bronx then came south to play for South Carolina and fellow New York-transplant Frank McGuire. He got his first head coaching job at Appalachian State, leading the Mountaineers to the NCAA tournament in 1979.

Three years later, he left for Georgia Tech and the Atlantic Coast Conference. He led the Yellow Jackets to nine NCAA tournament appearances and reached the Final Four in 1990. He also won three ACC tournament titles and two regular-season crowns before the program tailed off and he was let go after the 2000 season.

Cremins spent the next several years as a college basketball analyst, playing tennis on Hilton Head, until deciding to come back to coaching at the College of Charleston.

Byington has been at Charleston nine seasons. He led Friday's practice and told players they needed to play well for Cremins and just concentrate on Saturday's game against Wofford.

"We're going to make it through," Byington said. "You're going to deal with worse things in your life."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-27-Coll%20of%20Charleston-Cremins/id-55fdf00b81f6492ca26a0312b1d347eb

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Saturday, January 28, 2012

'Reckless' Leaks Threaten Rape Probe Of New York Police Commissioner's Son

NEW YORK -- Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. said Friday he had "no idea" who leaked information to the media suggesting that prosecutors investigating a rape complaint against the New York City police commissioner's son doubt the credibility of the allegations.

A front-page story Friday in the New York Post, citing anonymous sources, described Manhattan prosecutors as skeptical of the rape complaint against Greg Kelly, 43, a local newscaster and son of Ray Kelly, the city police commissioner. The alleged sexual assault occurred in October, after the woman and Kelly had drinks, she reportedly told police this week.

No charges have been filed against Kelly, who maintains his innocence.

The woman's complaint, filed Tuesday night, "just reeks of BS," a law enforcement official said, according to the Post.

"I have absolutely no idea what [the] source of that incendiary quote is, nor would I support an anonymous quote like that," Vance told radio station WNYC.

Manhattan prosecutors and the NYPD declined to comment on the leaks.

Former prosecutors called the leaks regrettable and said they could undermine the investigation, which began only days ago.

"I think it's unfortunate and even outrageous that any law enforcement source would be leaking to the media within 24 hours that the case has no merit," said Mark Bederow, a former Manhattan prosecutor and defense attorney. "These are real issues that may harm the viability of a case."

The fact that the case will likely hinge on whether the encounter between Kelly and his accuser was consensual make the leaks attacking her credibility especially problematic, said Roger Canaff, a former special victims prosecutor in the Bronx and a sex crimes consultant for the U.S. Army.

"Whether or not the case is provable, leaking the idea that it seems like garbage is really reckless," said Canaff. "It is unfortunate and it is dangerous."

Earlier this week, Kelly's attorney released a statement declaring that Kelly, who is unmarried, is innocent and "strenuously denies any wrongdoing of any kind."

Additional details about the rape complaint emerged late Thursday and Friday through leaks from law enforcement sources.

The woman who filed the complaint told police she became pregnant after the alleged assault and terminated the pregnancy, according to unnamed law enforcement sources quoted by the Associated Press and other news outlets.

Kelly, meanwhile, has claimed to police that "flirtatious" text messages sent by the alleged victim will show that the encounter was consensual, sources told the New York Daily News.

At a news conference at police headquarters on Friday, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly declined to answer questions about the investigation.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/28/greg-kelly-rape-new-york-police-ray-kelly_n_1238159.html

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Panetta: Military cuts to hit 'all 50 states'

The Pentagon announced a new plan that will streamline U.S. forces, look at possible base closures and expand cyber warfare capability in order to meet tough budget constraints. NBC's Chris Clackum reports.

By NBC News and news services

The Pentagon proposed budget cuts on Thursday that would slash the size of the U.S. military by eliminating thousands of jobs, mothballing ships and trimming air squadrons in an effort to shift strategic direction and reduce spending by $487 billion over a decade.

The funding request, which includes painful cuts for many states, sets the stage for a new struggle between President Barack Obama's administration and Congress over how much the Pentagon should spend on national security as the country tries to curb trillion-dollar budget deficits.

US Army chief 'comfortable' with smaller force as Pentagon prepares cuts

"Make no mistake, the savings we are proposing will impact all 50 states and many districts across America," Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told a news conference at the Pentagon. "This will be a test of whether reducing the deficit is about talk or action."

Obama will also ask Congress to approve a new round of domestic base closures, although the timing of this was left vague and there is little chance that lawmakers would agree to this in a presidential election year.

Panetta, previewing plans that will be formally announced next month, said he would ask for a $525 billion base budget for the 2013 fiscal year, the first time since Sept. 11, 2001, that the Pentagon has asked for less than the previous year.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, left, accompanied by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, outlines the main areas of proposed spending cuts during a news conference at the Pentagon on Thursday.

Panetta said he would seek $88.4 billion to support combat operations in Afghanistan, down from $115 billion in 2012 largely due to the end of the war in Iraq and the withdrawal of U.S. forces there at the end of last year.

Congress requires that the Pentagon cut $487 billion from the defense budget over the next 10 years -- $259 billion will be cut in the first five years (2013 to 2018).

No, Obama isn't actually proposing to cut defense spending

"We believe this is a balanced and complete package," Panetta said, with Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at his side.

Some lawmakers were quick to dispute him.

"Taking us back to a pre-9/11 military force structure places our country in grave danger," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee that will hold hearings on the Pentagon budget plan.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said the Panetta plan "ignores the lessons of history." He said it provides for a military that is "too small to respond effectively to events that may unfold over the next few years."

Dempsey, however, said the military is united in its support for the new approach.

"This budget is a first step ? it's a down payment ? as we transition from an emphasis on today's wars to preparing for future challenges," he said, adding, "This budget does not lead to a military in decline."

While the timelines for each of these cuts vary, NBC News reports where the biggest cuts are coming from for now:

Benefits
Members of the military will receive full pay raises in 2013 and 2014, but their raises will be "limited" beginning in 2015. Health care fees for retirees will increase, including co-pays and deductibles.

Army
Active duty force will decrease by about 75,000 soldiers to 490,000. (For perspective, there are about 565,000 soldiers on active duty today and there were about 480,000 soldiers on active duty on 9/11/01.)

Marine Corps
Active duty force will decrease by about 20,000 Marines to 182,000 total. (For perspective, there are about 202,000 Marines on active duty today, and there were about 173,000 on 9/11/01.)

Air Force
Eliminate?six of the 60 Air Force tactical air squadrons, as well as one training squadron.

The Pentagon will eliminate: ?27 aging C-5As (leaving behind 52 C-5Ms and 222 C-17s); 65 oldest C-130s (leaving behind 318 C-130s) and they will divest 38 C-27s.

Navy
Retire?seven cruisers that have not been updated with ballistic missile defense capabilities or that are in need of significant maintenance. Some fleet support ships will also be retired, and the building of several ships (1 large deck, 1 sub, 2 littoral combat ships, and 8 joint high speed vessels) will all delayed by one year or more.

The defense spending plan is scheduled to be submitted to Congress as part of the administration's full 2013 budget on Feb. 13.

Prominent in the Obama plan is a renewed focus on Asia, where China's rapid military modernization has raised worry in Washington and rattled U.S. allies.

NBC News' Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube?as well as?Reuters?and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced his plan for cutting $487 billion from the defense budget over the next 10 years. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/26/10244240-panetta-military-cuts-to-hit-all-50-states

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Friday, January 27, 2012

Chris Isaak's new album: Songs he wants to sing (AP)

LONDON ? There's one note Chris Isaak won't be hitting ? and that's a sick note.

The U.S. blues singer says he's never missed a show and neither has his drummer Kenney Dale Johnson or his bass player Rowland Salley in the 27 years they've been playing together. He says "I'm very proud of them."

Isaak released a new album this week "Beyond the Sun" and will soon embark on a string of concert dates across the United States. It's a collection of cover versions from Sun Records, the same place where Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash started their careers.

Isaak says his main inspiration for the new album was to "sing a bunch of those songs I like singing."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_en_mu/eu_people_chris_isaak

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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Demi Lovato Not In Rehab For Substance Abuse

Reps for the singer/actress deny rumors that she recently checked into a Malibu treatment center.
By Jocelyn Vena

Demi Lovato
Photo: FilmMagic

After a report surfaced that Demi Lovato had entered treatment again, her camp has confirmed to MTV News that the story is anything but true.

A gossip website reported on January 19 that the singer/actress had checked into a Malibu treatment center to deal with substance-abuse issues. However, the Blind Gossip report didn't pick up steam until this week. When MTV News reached out to her reps for comment on Wednesday (January 25), they said, "Demi's team confirmed it's untrue."

Earlier this week, Lovato did have some news for her fans when she announced she was taking a break from Twitter. "Twitter break. It's for the best actually. Who allows me to have this thing anyways?!!! I just get myself in trouble! Haha. Anyway... BYE!" she tweeted on Saturday.

It's not the first time Lovato has left the social networking site. She quit tweeting in October 2010, shortly before she entered a treatment facility to deal with personal issues including eating disorders and cutting. Lovato joined Twitter again in May 2011, months after she left the center.

Since returning to the spotlight, she has focused on her music career, including her 2011 album, Unbroken, which launched her empowering hit single "Skyscraper." She is currently working on the video for her next single, "Give Your Heart a Break."

Lovato has become a voice for young people struggling with personal issues. In December, she visited and spoke to patients at the Timberline Knolls Center, where she had received treatment.

"To be able to share my story and let them know that it gets easier ... Life is beautiful ... you are worthy of it," Lovato said. "Please say a prayer for all of those struggling with eating disorders, self-harm, mood disorders and substance abuse."

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677878/demi-lovato-rehab.jhtml

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User-friendly health plan summaries at risk (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Consumer groups are scrambling to salvage a popular provision of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul that suddenly seems to be in question.

This time it's not Republican opposition they're worried about, but the White House itself.

At issue is a requirement that health plans provide simple, standard summaries of coverage and costs to help consumers pick benefits that are right for them ? a sort of "CliffsNotes" version of cryptic insurance company jargon.

Consumer advocates say they fear the administration may heed industry complaints that the regulation as proposed last summer is too costly, burdensome and intrusive. The rule is due to take effect this year and is undergoing final review by the White House. It would apply to all private and employer health plans, covering an estimated 180 million Americans.

"There is concern that the consumer protections we were hoping to see may not be in the final rule," said Dr. LaShawn McIver, policy director for the American Diabetes Association. "Ultimately, we are looking for a consumer-friendly product that gives people the information they need about what levels of coverage they can expect."

Her organization and four others ? the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, AARP and Consumers Union ? wrote Obama this week urging him not to water down the requirements.

"The information available to Americans today is wholly inadequate for consumers to choose and understand the insurance coverage options available to them," their letter said.

Simple-to-understand health plan summaries are the most popular provision of the health care law, which otherwise continues to divide the public. That's according to a poll last November by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, which found the summaries garnered support from 84 percent of Americans compared with 37 percent who viewed the overall law favorably.

Administration officials said they can't comment on the specifics of regulations under review, but they sought to reassure the consumer groups, which were among the major backers of the health care law as it was being debated in Congress.

"Giving consumers the information they need and making the health care system more transparent is a top priority," said Erin Shields, a spokeswoman for the Health and Human Services Department. "We're confident the final rules ... will meet that goal."

A proposed template released by the department last summer included such basic details as information on premiums, deductibles and copays for doctor visits and hospitalization. Such information is now generally the norm in health plan summaries that most companies voluntarily provide their employees during annual open enrollment.

But the federal template also included so-called coverage examples of the cost of care for a typical individual for three common health conditions: normal childbirth, treating breast cancer and managing diabetes. Because all health plans would have to follow the same rules in compiling the information, it would allow consumers to directly compare insurance in ways they can't now.

America's Health Insurance Plans, a trade group representing the industry, complained that the timeline for introducing the comparisons this year is unrealistic, and the cost would be more than double what the government estimated, or $382 million for the first two years alone. That would drive up costs for employers and health plans, the industry said, at a time when many companies are struggling in a difficult economy.

Lynn Quincy, a senior policy analyst for Consumers Union, said the advocacy groups have learned that the requirement for employer plans to provide the comparisons may be delayed or weakened. Additionally, two of the coverage examples may be omitted at least initially, leaving only a comparison of maternity costs.

"We are very concerned that compared to the proposed rule that was released in August, the final rule we are expecting shortly will be weakened," she said. "That would be very bad for consumers."

___

Online:

Proposed template for health plan comparisons: http://tinyurl.com/6ryq8rl

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

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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

[OOC] My stupidness

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This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?London Academy?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

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Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
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SO SORRY.

Ashtonwolf: Member for 1 years

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Angelina Jolie Reportedly Snubs Stacy Keibler

Their significant others may be the best of friends, but it sounds like Angelina Jolie isn't making any overtures of friendship toward Stacy Keibler. Despite the well-publicized bromance between Brad Pitt and George Clooney, a recent private jet trip from Los Angeles to the Palm Springs Film Festival was anything but friendly between their two leading ladies.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/angelina-jolie-reportedly-snubs-stacy-keibler-private-jet-trip/1-a-421553?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aangelina-jolie-reportedly-snubs-stacy-keibler-private-jet-trip-421553

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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

'Blind' Quantum Computing Proposed For the Cloud

Quantum computing is just a rather basic branch of computer science which seems to be winning all the hype in the world at the moment because there's not much sexy in terms of hard non-biological research with a practical slant.

I'm not quite sure how the output remains unknown to the computer. I know most cloud services either haven't or won't last long enough to give you all the output you were expecting to get for free/absurdly low cost, but I'd be very impressed with a computing system which is able to deliver you something without knowing it's delivered it.

Of course, there are various computations which can be performed partly by a separate processor without the initial input and final output being known by that separate processor, but there's nothing quantum-y about that.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/VgYpypLii6o/blind-quantum-computing-proposed-for-the-cloud

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Monday, January 23, 2012

Experts: Paterno's death won't stop court cases

FILE - In this Aug. 6, 1999, file photo, Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno, right, poses with his defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky during Penn State Media Day at State College, Pa. In a statement made Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, retired Penn State assistant coach Sandusky, who faces child sex abuse charges in a case that led to the firing of Paterno, says Paterno's death is a sad day. (AP Photo/Paul Vathis, File)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? Joe Paterno would no doubt have made a dramatic courtroom witness. But legal experts said his death will have little or no effect on the criminal or civil cases to come out of the Penn State child sex-abuse scandal.

"Obviously, you're taking away a great deal of the high-profile nature of this case, because it deals with Joe Paterno's football program," said Jeffrey Lindy, a criminal defense lawyer involved in a clergy-abuse case in Philadelphia. "But with regard to the legal impact of his death, there is none."

Paterno died Sunday at 85, two months after former coaching assistant Jerry Sandusky was charged with molesting boys and two university officials were accused of perjury and failing to report child sex-abuse allegations against Sandusky to police.

The criminal case against the two university officials may even become more streamlined without Paterno in the mix.

Former university vice president Gary Schultz and athletic director Tim Curley are charged with failing to report to police what graduate assistant Mike McQueary said he told them in 2002: that McQueary saw Sandusky sexually assaulting a boy in a locker room shower.

McQueary first told Paterno, who said he reported it to Curley and Schultz the next day. The administrators told the grand jury they were never informed that the allegations were sexual in nature.

With Paterno's death, though, a jury is free to focus not on what Paterno knew or did, but on the defendants' actions.

What McQueary told Paterno "was a distraction, and now that that part of the case is really gone, it will focus much more on his interaction not with Paterno, but with the Penn State officials," said Duquesne University law professor Nicholas P. Cafardi.

McQueary is also the more crucial witness in the case against Sandusky, who is charged with abusing 10 boys, at least two of them on the Penn State campus.

Paterno testified for just seven minutes last January before the grand jury. He gave only vague answers ? and was never pressed ? when asked what he knew about anyone accusing Sandusky of molesting boys.

"Without getting into any graphic detail, what did Mr. McQueary tell you he had seen and where?" Paterno was asked, according to the grand jury testimony read in court last month.

"Well, he had seen a person, an older ? not an older, but a mature person who was fondling, whatever you might call it ? I'm not sure what the term would be ? a young boy," Paterno replied.

He was asked if he ever heard of any other allegations against Sandusky, who had been the subject of a lengthy campus police investigation four years earlier after a mother complained Sandusky had showered with her young son at the football complex.

"I do not know of anything else that Jerry would be involved in of that nature, no. I do not know of it," Paterno said, adding, "You did mention ? I think you said something about a rumor. It may have been discussed in my presence, something else about somebody. I don't know."

Paterno's grand jury testimony cannot be used in court, because the defense never had the chance to cross-examine him.

"His passing deprives folks from finding out, directly from his lips, exactly what he knew and when he knew it, and what he did or didn't do. But the reality is, sometimes those things can be proved by other means," said Jeff Anderson, the St. Paul, Minn., lawyer who filed the first civil case against Penn State on behalf of a Sandusky accuser.

It's not unusual for a witness to die or become infirm before trial, especially in child sex-abuse cases, which can take years or even decades to surface. In Philadelphia, prosecutors won the right to question 88-year-old retired Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua on video last year to preserve his testimony before the spring trial of three priests and a church official. Bevilacqua suffers from dementia and cancer.

Prosecutors never got the chance to preserve Paterno's testimony, given his surprise cancer diagnosis and rapid decline after they filed the charges Nov. 4.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-22-Paterno-Legal/id-5bc7bfbf3a914437a49e15cb7bce7219

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Pats-Giants in Super Bowl again, 4 years later

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrates after scoring a one yard touchdown during the second half of the AFC Championship NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning throws during the first half of the NFC Championship NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick tips his hat to the crowd during the trophy presentation after the AFC Championship NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, in Foxborough, Mass. The Patriots defeated the Ravens 23-20 to win the AFC Championship. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin reacts during the first half of the NFC Championship NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

A Super Sequel.

Four years after New York stunned previously undefeated New England in the Arizona desert, the Patriots and Giants are going at it again at the Super Bowl ? this time in Indianapolis.

Brady and Belichick. Eli and Coughlin. Both teams rolling through the playoffs.

Yep, here we go again.

New England, which lost to New York 24-20 in early November, opened as a 3-point favorite for the Feb. 5 game. The Patriots have won 10 straight, with their last loss being to ? you guessed it ? the Giants.

"We know they're a great team," Giants quarterback Eli Manning said. "We played them already this year. They've been playing great football recently."

It's familiar territory for Tom Brady and the Patriots (15-3), who are playing in the Super Bowl for the fifth time in 11 years.

"Being in this situation is a great moment," Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork said. "You have to cherish this moment."

It's the Patriots' first appearance since Manning and the Giants (12-7) upset New England's pursuit of perfection in 2008. Back then, New England was a 12-point favorite, but New York's defense battered Brady, and Manning connected with Plaxico Burress on a late touchdown to win the Giants' third Super Bowl.

That TD came, of course, a few moments after one of the biggest plays in playoff history: Manning escaped the grasp of a few Patriots defenders and found David Tyree, who put New York in scoring position by pinning the football against his helmet for a jaw-dropping catch.

New England hopes to avoid that sort of drama this time around. Unless it goes in the Patriots' favor, as it did in the AFC title game.

Brady was unusually subpar in the Patriots' 23-20 victory over Baltimore, throwing for 239 yards with two interceptions and, for the first time in 36 games, no TD passes. But he got some help from the Patriots' much-maligned defense, which made some crucial stops down the stretch.

A few mistakes by the Ravens helped greatly, too, as Billy Cundiff shanked a 32-yard field goal attempt with 11 seconds left ? soon after Lee Evans had a potential winning touchdown catch ripped out of his hands in the end zone.

"Childlike joy. It's all about childlike joy," linebacker Jerod Mayo said. "Last night felt like the day before Christmas for me and I haven't had that feeling in a long time."

New England last won the Super Bowl in 2005, a long drought after the Patriots took home Lombardi trophies three times in four years. There are only a handful of players left from that team, with guys like Corey Dillon, Tedy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison replaced by young up-and-comers such as Mayo, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

"It doesn't even feel right, especially playing with the veterans here," Gronkowski said. "I watched them go to the Super Bowl as I was growing up, and now I'm part of it? It is an unreal moment."

The constants, though, are Brady and Bill Belichick. And that's been a winning combination for New England.

Belichick did perhaps his finest coaching job, piecing together a defense that ranked second-to-last in the league during the regular season. That led to plenty of shootouts, and Brady was more than up to the task, throwing for a career-high 5,235 yards while tossing 39 touchdown passes.

"They're an amazing team," Patriots owner Robert Kraft said. "They're a great brotherhood; they're a family."

The Giants appeared on the verge of collapsing with Tom Coughlin's job status in jeopardy just a month ago, when they fell to 7-7 with an embarrassing loss to the Washington Redskins on Dec. 18.

"We've been here before," linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka said at the time, "and we'll get back."

Boy, was he right.

"I'm just proud of the guys, what we've overcome this year, what we've been through, just never having any doubts, keep believing in our team that we could get hot and start playing our best football," Manning said.

The Giants were facing elimination the following week against the rival Jets and Rex Ryan, who boldly declared that his group was king of New York. Well, Coughlin's crew silenced Ryan with a 29-14 victory. The Giants followed that with a 31-14 win over Dallas in the regular-season finale to clinch the NFC East and get to the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

New York dominated Atlanta at home in the opening round. Then came another stunner: a 37-20 victory at Green Bay ? knocking out the defending Super Bowl champions.

Manning extended the best season of his career with one more solid performance. Specials teams proved the difference in overtime, as Jacquian Williams forced a fumble on a punt return and Lawrence Tynes kicked the Giants past the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 for the NFC title.

"Hats off to Eli, offense, defense," Tynes said. "Great win."

And now, it's off to Indy. Giants-Patriots, one more time.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-23-Super%20Bowl%20Lookahead/id-cd229d0cd47e4843a50970da0a9602b9

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Sunday, January 22, 2012

There's a nightclub called 'Facebook' ... in the Amazon

By Rosa Golijan

Rosa Golijan/msnbc.com

Those who appreciate word games ??or simple silliness ??should get a chuckle out of this one: There is a nightclub called "Facebook," and it happens to be located in?the remote Brazillian Amazon.

Facebook ... Amazon ... I'll leave most of the jokes to you and focus on the backstory instead.

The Guardian reports that?a 30-year-old businessman by the name of Humbert Camacho is behind the establishment and its name (which the Guardian says is supposedly?pronounced "Facey-Bookey" in Brazilian Portuguese).

"The Facebook concept is about sharing ideas, adventures, friendships, parties and photos with your friends," Camacho told the Guardian. "So what we wanted to do was to build a nightclub with this concept, where people could come and share things with their friends, spend a cool night, sharing pictures, experiences and have fun."

Before you assume that Camacho is simply a first-time nightclub owner who came up with a goofy business name (and justification for it), you should know that he already runs a fairly successful club called Discoteca Insomnio, in the Bolivian city of Cobija.

The finishing touches are currently being put on Facebook as you read this. Unfortunately there is no word regarding exactly when the club will officially open its doors or whether anyone thought to invite Mark Zuckerberg to the grand-opening celebration.

We asked the folks of Facebook ? the social network, that is ? for their thoughts about the nightclub (while secretly hoping to hear if Zuck will be a VIP). Unfortunately the only reply we got was a quick "decline to comment."

Related stories:

Want more tech news, silly puns, or amusing links? You'll get plenty of all three if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on?Twitter, subscribing to her?Facebook?posts, or circling her?on?Google+.

Source: http://digitallife.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/20/10199143-theres-a-nightclub-called-facebook-in-the-amazon

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US Sen. Brown kicks off campaign re-election bid (AP)

WORCESTER, Mass. ? U.S. Sen. Scott Brown officially kicked off his re-election campaign Thursday, casting his chief Democratic opponent Elizabeth Warren as an ideologue and pledging to be an independent voice in a deeply partisan Congress.

Brown, speaking to a crowd of cheering supporters at Mechanics Hall in the Worcester, said he would continue to oppose the health care law signed by President Barack Obama and would fight against wasteful government spending.

The Massachusetts Republican timed his Thursday evening event to coincide with the anniversary of his special election win in 2010 that catapulted him into the office once held by the late Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy.

Brown also criticized what he called "establishment candidates" who try to divide Americans for political gain.

"They'll wage class warfare, pitting one group of Americans against another," Brown said. "They will attack success, and our free enterprise system. They will use terms like `us' and `them.'"

Brown, who is facing a tough re-election campaign in a state that typically favors Democrats, has tried to position himself as the underdog in the race, despite his incumbent status and a campaign war chest more than twice as large as Warren.

Brown, who welcomed tea party support during his special election campaign two years ago, has gone on to break with his party on several key votes, including his support of a Democrat-backed overhaul of the nation's financial system. Brown's backing of a repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" ban on gays serving openly also drew criticism.

Most recently Brown decided to support Obama's decision to name Richard Cordray as the nation's chief consumer watchdog despite the objections of most Senate Republicans.

Brown has pointed to those votes as proof of his independent streak.

"I told the voters that I wouldn't just be another loud, angry partisan," Brown said. "I don't worry about the party line. I don't get caught up in petty fights."

Brown's victory stunned Massachusetts Democrats, particularly because the seat had been held by nearly half a century by Kennedy. Brown famously used that connection when he declared that the seat was the "people's seat" and not the Kennedy seat.

Reclaiming that seat has become the top goal of Democrats. Many are placing their hopes on Warren, the consumer advocate and Harvard professor who helped launch the new federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

While Brown enjoys an overall money advantage with $12.8 million in cash on hand, Warren collected more than $6 million as of Jan. 1, pulling in more than Brown during the final three months of 2011.

Warren's campaign said she had raised at least an additional $1.1 million Thursday during a "money bomb" fundraising effort from midnight to 9 p.m.

Warren was in Worcester on Thursday, shaking hands with diners at the Nu Cafe.

Responding to a portion of Brown's speech emailed to reporters ahead of the address, Warren brushed aside the criticism that she is trying to pit Americans against each other.

"This is the standard Republican play book right now," Warren said. "He is echoing the same things that every other Republican is saying every time a camera's turned on. I don't think the people of Massachusetts are going to be persuaded by that."

Warren added to her fundraiser total on Thursday with an online "money bomb" pegged to Brown's announcement. A money bomb allows supporters to pledge money via the Internet during a narrow window of time, with all the online "checks" cashed on the same day.

By Thursday, the amount pledged to Warren totaled more than $1 million. In the 2010 special election, Brown raised $1.3 million using a similar "money bomb" tactic.

While the race is widely expected to be the most expensive in state history, Warren and Brown are also taking the unusual step of trying to broker a deal to keep third party groups from sponsoring attack ads during the campaign.

Last week, Brown said he and Warren should sign a binding agreement to make hefty donations to charity if outside groups launch television, broadcast or online ads supporting their campaigns or attacking their rival.

Warren said she hoped to strike an even tougher agreement. She said she would like to see the two sign a joint agreement to be sent to all third party groups notifying them of the deal. She said the deal should specifically include radio ads and the candidates should ask broadcast outlets to help honor the deal.

Top staffers from both campaigns were expected to meet Friday to try to hammer out the details of an agreement.

What still isn't clear is how Brown or Warren could block the ads.

By their nature, the political action committees and outside groups that pay for the ads must work independently of the candidates and their campaigns. Federal election law explicitly bans candidates from coordinating with the committees on advertising.

Warren said it's still worth a shot.

"It's an effort to try to change the environment for third party groups," Warren said Thursday. "This is important and it's worth trying to do something to try to keep them out."

Warren still must win the state's Democratic primary in September. She is being challenged by other Democratic candidates including Marisa DeFranco, an immigration lawyer from Middleton, and James King, a lawyer from Dover.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_el_se/us_massachusetts_senate_brown

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Saturday, January 21, 2012

Video: Trade the Close

A look at Friday's market movers and how to trade the close, with Adam Parker, Morgan Stanley chief U.S. equity strategist, and CNBC's Bob Pisani.

Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi Gets Ice Cream Sandwich (Mashable)

Motorola has started rolling out Android 4.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich to Motorola Xoom owners, but only those who have the Wi-Fi version of the device. This will bring a redesigned app launcher, a better web browser, resizable widgets and many other goodies to the tablet.

[More from Mashable: Airbnb Gets More Mobile, Launches Android App]

As for the 3G version of the tablet, Motorola said it will get the update as well, but did not give an exact date.

The update will be rolling out in "phases over the course of a few weeks," so don't be perturbed if your Xoom still hasn't been updated.

[More from Mashable: Hands on With the WiMM One Android Watch]

Motorola is also slated to update its Droid Razr with Ice Cream Sandwich in early 2012.

This story originally published on Mashable here.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/mashable/20120119/tc_mashable/motorola_xoom_wifi_gets_ice_cream_sandwich

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