THE PEGASUS DAILY NEWS

[pegasus]

Good morning from Tuxy and me
:)This is the 3rd day of 2012 with 362 days left in the year.

Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 4:57 p.m., it's mostly cloudy , temp 12ºF [Feels like +3ºF], winds NW @ 13 mph, humidity 55%, pressure 30.11 in and rising, dew point 1ºF, chance of rain 90%.

Today in History:
1521--Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church.
1777--Gen. George Washington's army routed the British in the Battle of Princeton, N.J.
1793--Lucretia Mott, early women's rights advocate & Quaker, was born; died 1880 at age 86.
1861--more than two weeks before Georgia seceded from the Union, the state militia seized Fort Pulaski at the order of Gov. Joseph E. Brown. T
1861--te Delaware House and Senate voted to oppose secession from the Union.
1868--the Meiji Restoration re-established the authority of Japan's emperor and heralded the fall of the military rulers known as shoguns.
1892--J.R.R. Tolkien, Oxford professor of linguistics & author of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa; died 1973 at age 81.
1938--the March of Dimes campaign to fight polio was organized.
1949--the U.S. Supreme Court said that states had the right to ban closed shops.
1959--Pres. Eisenhower signed a proclamation admitting Alaska to the Union as the 49th state.
1961--the US severed diplomatic relations with China.
1967--Jack Ruby, the man who fatally shot accused presidential assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, died in a Dallas hospital.
1980--Joy Adamson, conservationist author of Born Free, was killed in northern Kenya by a former employee.
1990--ousted Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega surrendered to US forces, 10 days after taking refuge in the Vatican's diplomatic mission.
1993--Pres. Bush and Russian Pres. Boris Yeltsin signed a historic nuclear missile-reduction treaty in Moscow.
2000--the last new daily Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz ran in 2,600 newspapers.
2001--a three-year federal investigation into the political and personal finances of Senator Robert Torricelli (D-NJ), ended with no criminal charges.
2001--a judge in Alabama ruled that former Ku Klux Klansman Bobby Frank Cherry was mentally competent to stand trial on murder charges in the 1963 Birmingham church bombing that killed four black girls. (Cherry was later convicted, and served a life sentence until his death in Nov. 2004.)
2004--NASA's Mars rover, Spirit, touched down on the red planet.
2006--lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to conspiracy, mail fraud and tax evasion and agreed to cooperate in investigations of corruption in Congress.
2006--four Americans and an Austrian abducted in southern Iraq spoke briefly and appeared uninjured in a video delivered to the AP. (The men, security contractors for the Crescent Security Group based in Kuwait, were later killed by their captors.)
2009--after seven days of pummeling the Gaza Strip from the air, Israel launched a ground offensive.
2010--Democrat Jerry Brown was sworn in as California's 39th governor, returning to the office he'd left 28 years earlier.
2010--prosecutors in Dallas declared Cornelius Dupree Jr. innocent of a rape and robbery that had put him in prison for 30 years, longer than any other DNA exoneree in Texas.


Today's News:

World News Capsules:
1. Afghanistan: Taliban strike deal with Qatar on office there.
....The Afghan Taliban said Tuesday that they have reached a preliminary deal with the Gulf state of Qatar to open a liaison office there, in what could be a step toward formal, substantive peace talks to end more than a decade of war.
2. China's president pushes back against Western culture.
....In an essay published this week in a Communist Party policy magazine, President Hu Jintao said the West is trying to dominate China by spreading its culture and ideology.
a. Violent clashes reported in China over mosque demolition.
....Residents of a village in northwestern China where hundreds of Muslims tried to defend a mosque against demolition have said that many civilians were injured when police attacked.
3. For Congo children, food today means none tomorrowl
....In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the French term délestage is used to describe power cutoffs, but when applied to food shortages, it illustrates a stark reality.
4. Egyptians vote in final round of parliamentary elections.
....The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s mainstream Islamist party, edged closer to winning a majority of seats in the lower house of Parliament as voters went to the polls Tuesday.
5. Guilty verdits in 1993 racial murder in Great Britain.
....Two men were found guilty of the murder of a black teenager, Stephen Lawrence, in April 1993 — a case that prompted an examination of racism within London’s police force.
6. Opposition protests constitution in Hungary.
....The demonstration - a day after the country's new "majoritarian" Constitution took effect - marked the first time that opposition forces joined together to rally against a new constitution.
7. Iran warns the US over aircraft crrier.

....The warning, by Iran’s army chief, was the latest and most aggressive volley in a near-daily exchange of barbed statements between Iran and the US.
a. Election fears and economic woes pose new challenges for Iran's leaders.
....A likely boycott by harshly silenced reformists, combined with economic problems arising from Iran’s suspect nuclear program, are creating new hurdles ahead of parliamentary elections.
8. Quick action in Kashmir after protester's death.
....By arresting five Indian security officers, the authorities moved swiftly to keep the killing of a teenager from provoking more violence.
9. Shooting raises tensions in Moldova.
....A Russian peacekeeper fatally shot a young Moldovan man as he sped through a checkpoint early on New Year’s Day.
10. Chief of Arab League's mission in Syria is lightning rod for criticism.
....Critics say Lt. Gen. Muhammad Ahmed al-Dabi presided over the same kind of deadly and heavy-handed tactics in Sudan that the Arab League mission is seeking to curb in Syria,

US News Capsules:
1. For 2012, signs point to tepid consumer spending.
....Although retail sales have remained relatively strong, high levels of consumer debt make it unlikely that rapid growth will help power economic expansion.
2. Panetta to foffer strategy for cutting military budget.

....Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta is set to present a strategy for $450 billion in cuts over the next 10 years - and an outline of a carefully shrunk military.
3. A gathering storm over 'Right to Work' in Indiana.
....Indiana Republicans want to prohibit mandatory dues for private-sector workers, and to spur other states' efforts.
4. Snow site lets Chicago see if plows are really in a rut.
....ChicagoShovels.org will track the clearing of streets and encourage residents to pitch in after storms.
5. It costs more, but is it worth more?
....Before paying for an expensive cancer treatment, Medicare should demand evidence that it's more effective than cheaper options,
6. Storehouses for solar energy can step in when the sun goes down.
....Two California companies are planning to deploy a new form of solar storage technology to power tens of thousands of households throughout a summer evening,
7. The Grid at 200: Lines that shaped Manhattan.
....As "The Greatest Grid: The Master Plan of Manhattan, 1811-2011" at the Museum of the City of New York demonstrates, an 1811 map turned an island into a city that works and walks.
8. Bridesmids, Ides of March get a little help from Producers Guild.

(from left, Rose Byrne, Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig and Ellie Kemper in Bridesmaids)
....Bridesmaids, which also received a best ensemble nomination from the Screen Actors Guild, may have a good shot to be included in the Oscar derby.
9. 9/11 relatives who suspect hacking await answers.
....Revelations from Britain’s phone hacking scandal prompted renewed suspicions among some relatives of Sept. 11 victims that their phones had been hacked.
10. Suspect in ranger's killing served at troubled base.
....Benjamin Barnes, 24, was last stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., where suicides and violence among service members have reached record levels.
11. Lake-effect snow, wind to ease after slamming Northeast.

....After sweeping across the Great Lakes and into the Northeast Monday, wintry wind and snow showers were expected to ease Tuesday, winding down the region's first lake-effect storm system of the season, meteorologists said.
12. SCIENCE: Genome study points to adaptation in early African-Americans.
....Certain disease-causing variant genes became more common in African-Americans after their ancestors reached American shores, scientists report.
a. In classic vs. modern violins, beauty is in ear of the beholder.
....Blindfolded experts who listened to violins made by old masters and high-quality modern instruments couldn’t tell the difference between them.
13. HEALTH: A medical tell-all can be found in urine.
....Urine has a uniquely valuable role in medicine: It holds clues not just to what people eat and drink, but also to how well their bodies are functioning.
a. Protocol to treat anorexia is faulted.
....A study has found that the protocol of meting out meals with caution to people hospitalized with anorexia does not work.
b. The claim: Listening to music can relieve pain.
....In recent years, a growing number of doctors have been using music in clinical settings, believing it might have analgesic effects on patients.
POLITICS:
1. Frenetic push as campaign in Iowa ends.
....The Republican presidential candidates made a frenetic final push to woo Iowa's fickle voters before the caucuses on Tuesday kick off the Republican nominating contest,

Sports Headlines
1. NFL: Coughlin is set in his ways, because they work.

....The NY Giants' 2nd-half swoons under Tom Coughlin have been well chronicled. Still, the coach weathered it all to lead the team to the N.F.C. East title,
a. For NY Jets, anger and issues linger with Ryan's lack of control leading to fall.
....After a disappointing season that ended in three straight losses, Jets Coach Rex Ryan blamed himself for not realizing that players were not getting along, His most glaring deficiency: How can he claim to have a firm command of his team if he too often doesn’t have control of himself?
b. Citing need for change after dismal season, Colts part ways with Polians.
....With Peyton Manning's absence laying bare the holes in the Colts' roster, the owner, Jim Irsay, fired the team president, Bill Polian, and his son Chris, the general manager,
2. BOWL GAMES: Oregon wins with style, comebacks and lots of points.
....Wearing mirrored helmets, the Ducks prevailed over Wisconsin 45-38 in a game that broke the Rose Bowl record for combined points.
3. NHL WINTER CLASSIC: In Rangers' 3-2 win at ballpark, Llundqvist gets the save.
....Henrik Lundqvist squared up as the Flyers’ Danny Briere bore down on him on a penalty shot with 19.6 seconds remaining to seal the Rangers’ victory in the Winter Classic,
4. MLS: Bekham appeaars likely to stay in L.A..
....The president of a the French club Paris-St.Germain says that David Beckham will stay with remain with the M.L.S. team in Los Angeles.


Thought for Today
"Not all who wander are lost." —
--J.R.R. Tolkien, English author (1892-1973).

Today's flower: Aeschynanthus lobbianus or lipstick vine - a tropical plant with bright red flowers and form from a dark-colored tubular calyx in groups at the tips of branches.




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[pegasus]

Good afternoon from Tuxy and me
:)This is the 4th day of 2011 with 361 days left in the year.

Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 12:48 p.m., it's cloudy , temp 27ºF [Feels like 22ºF], winds SW @ 5 mph, humidity 41%, pressure 29.85 in and steady, dew point 10ºF, chance of snow 10%.

Today in History:
1643--Sir Isaac Newton, Engilsh physicist and father of modern science, ws born; died 1727 at age 84.
1821--the first native-born American saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton, died in Emmitsburg, Md.
1861--Alabama seized a federal arsenal at Mount Vernon near Mobile.
1896--Utah was admitted to the Union as the 45th state.
1904--the Supreme Court, in Gonzalez v. Williams, ruled that Puerto Ricans were not aliens and could enter the US freely; however, the court stopped short of declaring them US citizens.
1948--Great Britain granted independence to Burma (now Myanmar).
1951--North Korean and Communist Chinese forces recaptured the city of Seoul during the Korean War.
1964--Pope Paul VI began a visit to the Holy Land, the first papal pilgrimage of its kind, as he arrived in Jerusalem.
1965--Pres. Johnson outlined the goals of his “Great Society” in his State of the Union address.
1974--Pres. Nixon refused to hand over tape recordings and documents subpoenaed by the Senate Watergate Committee.
1995--the 104th Congress convened, the first entirely under Republican control since the Eisenhower era; Newt Gingrich was elected speaker of the House.
1999--former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura was sworn in as governor of Minnesota.
2002--Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Ross Chapman, a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier, was killed by small-arms fire during an ambush in eastern Afghanistan; he was the first American military death from enemy fire in the war against terrorism.
2004--Afghans approved a new constitution.
2006--Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a stroke and his powers were transferred to his deputy, Ehud Olmert.
2007--Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) became the first female Speaker of the House.
2010--Dubai opened the world's tallest skyscraper, the 2,717-foot gleaming glass-and-metal tower Burj Khalifa.
2011--Pres. Obama signed a $1.4 billion overhaul of the nation's food safety system.
2011--the Navy fired the commander of the USS Enterprise, Capt. Owen Honors, more than three years after he'd made lewd videos to boost morale for his crew.
2011--the Mega Millions lottery drew two winning tickets for a jackpot totaling $380 million. (In a strange coincidence, four of the six winning numbers matched those used by a lottery-winning character on the TV show "Lost.")


Today's News:

World News Capsules:
1. Afghanistan widens effor to recoup bank's assets.
....The new attempts to recoup money may hearten international backers by showing that the government is trying in good faith to recover money from those accused of bilking Kabul Bank.
2. Overtures to Egypt's Islamists reverse longtime US policy.

....With the Muslim Brotherhood in reach of an outright majority in Egypt's parliament, the Obama administration has begun to shift from decades of hostility toward it.
3. In France, Leonardo's painting's restoratin bitterly divides art experts.
....A battle is raging over the restoration Leonardo da Vinci's "Virgin and Child With Saint Anne," pitting the Louvre against those who believe that the cleaning has been too aggressive.
4. Earlier fire at German home of Los Angeles arson suspect.
....German prosecutors say they want to question Harry Burkhart about a fire at his family’s home in October.
5. Two sentenced in 1993 racial murder case that changed justice in Great Britain.
....The two white men were found guilty of the racially motivated murder of a black youth named Stephen Lawrence on a south London street in April 1993.
6. Indonesia activists call for boy's release in petty-theft case.
....Worn-out sandals piled up around Indonesia as part of a protest campaign against the trial of a 15-year-old boy that a police officer has taken to court, accusing him of stealing his footwear.
7. Iraq's factional chaos threatens to disrupt a Kurdish haven.
....Kurdistan, the region of Iraq whose fortunes improved as a result of American involvement, is at an anxious turning point now that the troops are gone and a political crisis has emerged.
8. As Israelis and Palestinians talk, the rise of a poitical Islam alters the equation.
....Talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in Jordan are taking place in a region in which political Islam is emerging as a potentially transformative force.
9. In Liguria's coastal hills, a storm's fury brings a struggle for restoration.
....Residents of the medieval villages of the Cinque Terre in Italy are working to restore the Unesco World Heritage site after a devastating October storm.
[imghttp://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/01/04/world/europe/04iht-farmers04-1/04iht-farmers04-1-thumbStandard.jpg][/img]....As small farms struggle in Italy, women are stepping in with creative survival tactics.
10. Jamaica's opposition esily wins election.
....Jamaica’s first female prime minister has officially led her party to a landslide victory in general elections with final results announced.
11. Quick action in Kashmir after death of protester.
....By arresting five Indian security officers, the authorities moved swiftly to keep the killing of a teenager from provoking more violence.
12. Libyan leader warns militias could create civil war.
....Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, the leader of the National Transitional Council, warned that the government faces “bitter options” as it struggles to reign in thousands of militia fighters.
13. Singer responds to 'Patriotic Duty' to enter Seneal's presidential race.
....Youssou N’Dour, although extremely popular in his country, must overcome a lack of political experience in his campaign,
14. Syrian killings continue: group to add observers,
....The Arab League plans for a total of 110 monitors in Syria by week’s end, but activists say hundreds or thousands are needed.

US News Capsules:
1. US Catholic bishop resigns, admits he has 2 children.

....Gabino Zavala, an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which has been plagued by sexual scandals, has a secret family in another state that includes two teenage children. <At least it's not child abuse>
2. Legal fight for mother of suspect in arsons.
....Investigators are looking into the possibility that the man accused in an arson spree acted because his mother faced the prospect of being sent back to Germany.
3. Town breathes easier as frozen dead guy and his festival stay put.
....A mother of two bought the rights to Frozen Dead Guy Days, a festival in Nederland, Colo., inspired by a corpse that has been kept on ice for going on 20 years.
4. Teachers resist high-tech push in Idaho schools.
....Teachers in Idaho and elsewhere have been in revolt over policy makers thrusting technology into classrooms and shifting money to unproven teaching methods.
5. Online sales buoy UPS and FedEx.
....United Parcel Service and FedEx, the two major package delivery companies, have benefited as free shipping and returns have become more common among online retailers.
6. Tiny towns fight for post offices, and survival.
....In northern Arkansas, people whose post offices are on a list of more than 3,600 being considered for closing have mounted campaigns to defend their communities’ lifelines.
7. US auto sales ended 2011 with strong gains.
....The Big Three carmakers posted double-digit increases in sales for the year as December finished with a flourish.
8. Booking a flight to space, with travel insurance.
....The first excursions by new airlines that will take tourists out of Earth’s atmosphere are poised to take off in 2012.
9. After 40-year battle, train may roll for Oahu.
...A $5.3 billion rail project is scheduled to begin this spring, offering powerful evidence of how much the island, a symbol of Pacific tranquillity, is changing.
10. PayPal executive named chief of Yahoo.
....The Yahoo board said that Scott Thompson, who has been running the online payments unit of eBay since early 2008, would replace Carol Bartz, who was dismissed in September.
11. Boeing to shut Wichita plant.
....The company plans to close the massive defense operation and eliminate 2,100 jobs there by the end of 2013 in a bid to cut costs.
POLITICS:
1. Bachmann quits after poor Iowa vote.

....GOP presidential hopeful from Minnesota says she will "stand aside" after pulling just 5%t in Iowa caucuses.
2. Romney squeaks by Santorum by 8 votes to win in Iowa.

....After a night that saw the two candidates claim the lead, the GOP announced that Romney beat Santorum by just eight votes to become the apparent winner. Ron Paul finished third.
3 First vote reinforces GOP's ideological divide.
....A poll of voters entering the Iowa Republican caucuses on Tuesday indicated a sharp divide between defeating President Obama and representing traditional conservative principles.
4. Tight race catches TV anchors by surprise.
....The race between three Republicans appeared at first to be far too close to call, delighting the people who had been promising viewers and readers a dramatic start to the 2012 voting season.
5. New Hampshire now optional for some.
....New Hampshire’s primary is next week, but with Mitt Romney far ahead in the polls there, other candidates are turning their focus to the South Carolina voting 11 days later.
6. Defying Republicans, Obama to name Cordray as Consumer Agency chief.
....Pres. Obama will challenge Senate Republican foes of the newly created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau by naming Richard Cordray as its director while Congress is out of town, according to a senior administration official.

Sports Headlines
1. BOWL GAMES: Michigan prevails in an exciting conclusion to an uninspring game.
....Though it was the first Sugar Bowl without a top-10 team since 1945, No. 17 Virginia Tech and No. 13 Michigan managed to cobble together an exciting finish and dramatic overtime.
a. Clemson fans hold fast to a tadition woth more than the paper its printed on.
....A fan ritual for big games, including this year’s Orange Bowl: Spending $2 bills stamped with a tiger paw.
2. NBA: NY Knicks hope to get boost from teturn of rookie.

....The offense has stagnated in the absence of Amar’e Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert. Both seem likely to return Wednesday/
3. MLB: Torre resigns to pursue Dodgers deal.
....Joe Torre, who had been an executive in charge of baseball operations for Major League Baseball, is involved with a group that wants to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers.
4. NFL: There is an 'I' in quit.
....Being accused of quitting on the Jets in their season finale could prove detrimental to Santonio Holmes’s reputation.
a. Sanchez's chore: cleaning up the mess.
....How much Mark Sanchez improves will be a critical factor to the Jets’ success, but it is almost secondary to how he intends to fix what is clearly a toxic situation.
5. NHL: Tortorella apologizes for Winter Classic comments.
....RNY angers Coach John Tortorella said his comments about referees after the Winter Classic were meant to be "tongue-in-cheek."


Thought for Today
"The last temptation is the greatest treason: to do the right deed for the wrong reason."
—-T.S. Eliot, American-born English poet (1888-1965).

Today's flower: Mandevilla - Mandevilla vine - native to Central and South America that come originally from the Organ Mountains forests near Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The flowers come in a variety of colors, including white, pink, yellow, and red.



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[pegasus]

Good morning from Tuxy and me
:)This is the 5th day of 2012 with 360 days left in the year.

Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 9:32 a.m., it's lightly snowing , temp 31ºF [Feels like 24ºF], winds WSW @ 7 mph, humidity 63%, pressure 29.86 in and rosing, dew point 22ºF, chance of snow 30%.

Today in History:
1592--Shah Jahan, Mughal emperor and builder of the Taj Mahal, was born; died 1666 at age 74.
1781--a British naval expedition led by Benedict Arnold burned Richmond, Va.
1809--the Treaty of the Dardanelles, which ended the Anglo-Turkish War, was concluded by the United Kingdom and the Ottoman Empire.
1863--Constantin Sergeyevich Stanislavsky, one of the greatest masters of Russian drama and a founder of the Moscow Art Theatre, was born; died 1938 at age 74.
1895--French Army Capt. Alfred Dreyfus, convicted of treason, was publicly stripped of his rank.
1896--the Austrian newspaper Wiener Presse[/img] reported the discovery by German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen of a type of radiation that came to be known as an X-ray.
1914--Henry Ford, head of the Ford Motor Company, introduced a minimum wage scale of $5 per day.
1925--Nellie T. Ross of Wyoming became America's first female governor.
1949--in his State of the Union address, Pres. Truman labeled his administration the Fair Deal.
1957--Pres. Eisenhower proposed assistance to countries to help them resist Communist aggression; this became known as the Eisenhower Doctrine.
1970--Joseph A. Yablonski, an unsuccessful candidate for the presidency of the United Mine Workers of America, was found murdered with his wife and daughter at their Clarksville, Pa., home.
1970--the soap opera All My Children premiered on ABC-TV.
1972--Pres. Nixon announced that he had ordered development of "an entirely new type of space transportation system," the reusable space shuttle.
1981--police in England arrested Peter Sutcliffe, a truck driver later convicted of the "Yorkshire Ripper" murders of 13 women.
1998--Sonny Bono, the 1960s pop star-turned-politician, was killed when he struck a tree while skiing at the Heavenly Ski Resort on the Nevada-California state line; he was 62.
2002--Charles Bishop, a 15-year-old student pilot, deliberately crashed a small plane into a skyscraper in Tampa, Fla., killing himself.
2002--Italy's foreign minister, Renato Ruggiero, resigned after a spat with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi over the government's lukewarm reception of the euro.
2004--after 14 years of denials, Pete Rose publicly admitted that he'd bet on baseball while manager of the Cincinnati Reds.
2007--the White House announced a shuffling of U.S. military leaders in the Iraq war with Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus succeeding Gen. George Casey as top American general in Iraq;
2011--Rep. John Boehner of Ohio was elected speaker as Republicans regained control of the House of Representatives on the first day of the new Congress.

Today's News:

World News Capsules:
1. Karzai gives a lukewarm welcome to Taliban talks.
....Afghan Pres. Hamid Karzai’s pause before responding to the Taliban’s decision to open a political office raised doubts about his willingness to play a secondary role in the reconciliation effort
2. American diplomat urges China to consult over North Korea.
....Assistant Secretary of State M. Kurt Campbell urged China to help restrain North Korea’s new leadership from military provocations.
3. Egypt leader's credibility stumbles on his words.
....Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri, chosen by the military to lead the country, has had tragicomic dealings with the news media.
4. Europe takes bold step toward a ban on Iranian oil.
....European countries agreed in principle to impose an embargo on Iran's oil, diplomats said, their most aggressive move yet in the tense standoff with Iran over its nuclear program.
5. German President rejects calls to quit in scandal.
....Pres. Christian Wulff admitted in an interview that he had made a “grave mistake” in threatening a newspaper editor about a critical article.
6. Tip for London police officers: booze and secrets don't mix.
....A report, commissioned in response to the phone-hacking scandal and released Wednesday, offered a window into the relationship between the news media and the Metropolitan Police Service.
a. British seek data on suspect breast implants.
....Health Secretary Andrew Lansley ordered British clinics to quickly report how many of the implants have ruptured or oozed.
7. Indonesian boy found guilty, freed amid sandals furor.

....Worn-out sandals piled up around Indonesia on Wednesday as part of a protest campaign against the trial of a 15-year-old boy a police officer has taken to court, accusing him of stealing his footwear. A local court has set free a teenage boy after finding him guilty of stealing a policeman's sandals in a case that caused furor among Indonesians frustrated with perceived injustices against the poor and defenseless.
8. Work as usual for US warship after warning by Iran.
....The aircraft carrier John C. Stennis supported ground troops in Afghanistan as scheduled after being warned not to re-enter the Persian Gulf.
a. Oil price would skyrocket if Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz.
....Iran's threat to blockade the Strait of Hormuz would have an immediate impact, energy analysts say, with the price of oil potentially rising 50% within days.
9. Attacks on Shiites in Iraq kill at least 60.
....Attacks on two Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad killed at least 24 people, and 36 died in a bombing in the south, raising sectarian tensions.
10. Former Israeli leader indicted on bribery charge.
....Ehud Olmert, who resigned as prime minister of Israel in 2008 amid corruption charges, was indicted Thursday for allegedly taking bribes while he was Jerusalem’s mayor.
11. Myanmar's first girl band pushes limits of censors, and parents.
....The five members of Me N Ma Girls are battling conservative parents, a censorship board and boyfriends who think it is outrageous that they go onstage in such skimpy outfits.
12. Insurgents execute 15 kidnapped Pakistani soldiers.
....Taliban insurgents claimed to have executed 15 paramilitary troops who were kidnapped from northwestern Pakistan last month.
a. Pakistani Taliban leader seized in Karachi.
....Police said they have arrested Abdul Qayyum Mehsud, a senior figure in the Pakistani Taliban and several other alleged terrorists. In a series of raids, police also recovered a stockpile of weapons, explosive devices and ammunition, as well as suicide jackets.
13. Raid on rivals in South Sudan shows escalating violence.
....The world’s newest country seems to be exploding in violence.
14. Syria defector describes 'horrific acts'.

....From torturing Syrian dissidents underground to using fake ambulances to fire on protests, a senior Syrian official who escaped to Egypt describes "horrific" acts by security forces.
15. Taiwan's noisy presidential elections.
....On January 14th, Taiwan heads to the polls. During the campaign, piggy banks have become a symbol of opposition to incumbent President Ma Ying-jeou.
a. Ties to China linger as issue as Taiwanese prepare to vote.
....When voters go to the polls next week, one issue underlies all others: whether this vibrantly democratic island should speed, slow or halt its wary embrace of China.
15. Charges against journalists dim the democratic glow in Turkey.

....While Washington and Europe praise Turkey as the model of Muslim democracy for the Arab world, human rights advocates say the government is curbing press freedom.
16. In a shift, the President of Yemen will stayput.
....There had been hopes that Pres. Saleh’s departure might ease anti-government protests.

US News Capsules:
1. Harder for Americans to rise from lower rungs.
....Americans enjoy less economic mobility than their peers in Canada and much of Western Europe in part because of the depth of poverty, family background and the gaps between the rich and the rest.
2. Texas prisoner burials are a gentle touch in a punitive system.
....At a cemetery in Texas, murderers and other convicts whose bodies are unclaimed can be interred and, for a few moments, remembered.
3. Good year for autos, but a test waits in '12.
....The Detroit carmakers posted double-digit increases in sales for the year as December finished with a flourish.
4. Yahoo's renovator in Chief.
....Scott Thompson, PayPal's president, will try to revamp Yahoo, the struggling online media company. He succeeds Carol Bartz, who was dismissed in September.
5. Cting drug resistance, US restricts more antibiotics for livestock.
....The Food and Drug Administration said the widespread use of cephalosporins may have contributed to the development of drug-resistant bacteria that infect humans.
6. Los Angeles arson suspect is charged with 37 counts.
....Harry Burkhart looked disoriented and entered no plea in his first court appearance.
7. Obama unveils plans for pared-down military.

....Pres. Obama unveiled his administration's plan for a leaner, cheaper military, a reflection of Washington's fiscal belt tightening and slower national economic growth, thereby eliminating our ability to fight two major wars at once.
8. Jobs market shows more signs of revving up.

....The job market got a bucket of good news Thursday showing private sector hiring picking up and new claims for unemployment benefits dropping.
POLITICS:
1. Romney takes a victory lap as Santorum plays catch-up.

....Mitt Romney displayed his organizational and financial muscle in New Hampshire as Rick Santorum's campaign struggled to keep up with its new top-tier status.
a. On stage, an awkward reminder of personal rifts in GOP.
....Mitt Romney and John McCain, once bitter rivals, said the right words in their appearance in New Hampshire, but body language suggested little warmth between them.
2. Appointment clears the way for Consumer Agency to act.

....The appointment of Richard Cordray as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau by Pres. Obama finally gives the agency the legal standing to supervise payday lenders, money transfer agencies, credit bureaus and debt collectors.
3. After a red-eye, Gingrich reloads.
....Emerging from a fourth-place bruising in the Iowa caucuses, Newt Gingrich and his top aides wasted little time going after Mitt Romney and Ron Paul.
4. After Iowa, Obama campaign sharpens 2 negative portrayals of Romney.
....The president’s campaign advisers plan to paint Mitt Romney as a protector of Wall Street who is out of touch with the middle class and as a flip-flopper.
5. A bit of a balancing act for Republicans critical of Paul.
....Ron Paul’s ability to draw young voters, first-time voters, and independents to the Republican Party, key demographics to the general election, will make criticizing him a delicate task.
6. 'Right to work' Republicans deprived of a quorum in Indiana.
....Most Democratic lawmakers stayed away from the State House floor in a continuing battle over union representation at private businesses in the state.
7. Another Kennedy to Congress?

....Another member of the Kennedy clan may be headed to Congress. Joseph P. Kennedy III, son of former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II and grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, announced his plans Thursday to explore a run for the 4th congressional district in Massachusetts, soon to be vacated by retiring Democratic Rep. Barney Frank.

Today's Headlines of Interest:
Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking is turning 70, defying his crippling disease.

British scientist Stephen Hawking has decoded some of the most puzzling mysteries of the universe but he has left one mystery unsolved: How he has managed to survive so long with such a crippling disease. The physicist and cosmologist was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease when he was a 21-year-old student at Cambridge University. Most people die within a few years of the diagnosis, called motor neurone disease in the U.K. On Sunday, Hawking will turn 70.
"I don't know of anyone who's survived this long," said Ammar Al-Chalabi, director of the Motor Neurone Disease Care and Research Centre at King's College London. "It is unusual for (motor neurone disease) patients to survive for decades, but not unheard of," said Dr. Rup Tandan, a neurology professor at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. Still, Tandan said many longtime survivors had ventilators to breathe for them — which Hawking does not.
Hawking first gained attention with his 1988 book A Brief History of Time, a simplified overview of the universe. It sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. His subsequent theories have revolutionized modern understanding of concepts like black holes and the Big Bang theory of how the universe began. To mark his birthday Sunday, Cambridge University is holding a public symposium on "The State of the Universe," featuring talks from 27 leading scientists, including Hawking himself. For 30 years, he held a mathematics post at the university previously held by Sir Isaac Newton. Hawking retired from that position in 2009 and is now director of research at the university's Centre for Theoretical Cosmology.
Hawking achieved all that despite being nearly entirely paralyzed and in a wheelchair since 1970. He now communicates only by twitching his right cheek. Since catching pneumonia in 1985, Hawking has needed around-the-clock care and relies on a computer and voice synthesizer to speak. It can take up to 10 minutes for Hawking to formulate a single sentence.
Lou Gehrig's disease, also called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, attacks motor neurons, cells that control the muscles. Patients typically suffer muscle weakness and wasting, become paralyzed and have problems talking, swallowing and breathing. Only about 10%t of patients live longer than a decade. People who are stricken at a young age, as Hawking was, generally have a better chance of surviving longer. Most people are diagnosed between ages 50 and 70. Life expectancy generally ranges from two to five years after symptoms like slurred speech, difficulty swallowing and muscle weakness set in. For some reason, the disease has progressed more slowly in Hawking than in most. Al-Chalabi and colleagues are analyzing a DNA sample from Hawking, along with those of other patients, to see if there is something rare about his disease or any genetic mutations that could explain his long survival and if that information could be used to help others.
Some experts said the type of care Hawking has, including about a dozen health workers 24 hours a day, may have extended his life expectancy. "The disease can sometimes stabilize and then the kind of care delivered may be a factor in survival," said Virginia Lee, a brain disease expert at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. "Remaining mentally alert is also extremely important and he has clearly done that."
Hawking has also been married twice and has three children and three grandchildren. With his daughter Lucy, he has written several children's books on physics. Al-Chalabi said most patients with Lou Gehrig's disease succumb after their breathing muscles stop working. He had no predictions for what the biggest health risks to Hawking's future might be. "He is truly remarkable," Al-Chalabi said. "This is someone who's managed to find ways around every single problem the disease has thrown at him."
Happy Birthday to a most remarkable genius.

Police defend fatal shooting of 8th grader who had pellet gun.

The parents of an 8th grader who was fatally shot by police inside his South Texas school are demanding to know why officers took lethal action, but police said the boy was brandishing — and refused to drop — what appeared to be a handgun and that the officers acted correctly. The weapon turned out to be a pellet gun that closely resembled the real thing, police said late Wednesday, several hours after 15-year-old Jaime Gonzalez was repeatedly shot in a hallway at Cummings Middle School in Brownsville. No one else was injured.
Interim Police Chief Orlando Rodriguez said the teen was pointing the weapon at officers and "had plenty of opportunities to lower the gun and listen to the officers' orders, and he didn't want to." The chief said his officers had every right to do what they did to protect themselves and other students even though there weren't many others in the hallway at the time. Police said two officers fired three shots, two in the chest and "from the back of the head.".
"Why was so much excess force used on a minor?" the boy's father, Jaime Gonzalez Sr., asked The Associated Press outside the family's home Wednesday night. "Three shots. Why not one that would bring him down?"
I can understand why the police fired, but like the boy's father, why not disarm and not kill? The shot in the head definitely bothers me. Body shots he might recover from, but not usually shots in the back of the head.

Curbing drunk drivers: Ignition locks on all crs?
Connecticut motorists convicted of drunken driving are the latest to face mandatory use of ignition interlock devices, a step seen by some as steering the nation closer to requiring alcohol detection systems as standard equipment in all vehicles. Pushed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Connecticut on Jan. 1 joined 14 other states with ignition-interlock mandates for drivers caught with blood-alcohol content above the legal limit, even for first-time offenders. A similar pilot program is under way in four California counties. Other states leave the penalty of interlock ignitions to the discretion of judges. Some states, such as Nebraska, reduce license revocation periods for convicted motorists who agree to use ignition interlocks.
MADD launched its 50-state effort to eliminate drunken driving in 2006, when only one state, New Mexico, mandated ignition interlocks for even first-time drunken drivers, said Frank Harris, MADD’s manager of state legislative affairs. Previously the focus was on hard-core drunken drivers and suspending their licenses, a punishment ignored by up to 75 percent of convicted motorists, he said. "DUI or DWI laws are very complicated," Harris said. "The ignition interlock is just part of the approach to assure the offender must prove sobriety and assure swift punishment," he said.
Legal reforms with ignition-interlock mandates not only reinforce a state’s commitment to halting drunken driving, but also effectively reduce re-arrest rates by 67%, said Harris. The recidivism figure is also cited by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mandating ignition interlocks is the CDC’s top recommendation for reducing the approximately 11,000 alcohol-related driving deaths yearly, which it says is about a third of all driving deaths. The spread of mandates and discussion of ignition interlocks will "prime the public" for the day when the government requires auto manufacturers to install even more-sophisticated alcohol-detection devices as original equipment.
The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety, funded in part by automakers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, says it is working on "potential technologies that could detect alcohol from air samples in the vehicle passenger compartment, through the driver’s skin using tissue spectroscopy, from emissions through the skin, from eye movements, and from driving performance." The problem is in the details of where maximum alcohol levels are set. They won’t be at .08, she predicted, because if someone drinks five shots and hops behind the steering wheel, the driver's blood level won't cross the .08 threshold for a while. No one has the answer yet on how low to set cutoff sensors, she said.
I, personally, would definitely agree that this is the eventual way to go. If the car won't move, the alcohol-impaired driver can't do any damage.

Sports Headlines
1. NBA: Stoudemire and Shumpert return, but Knicks still fall.
....Knicks guard Iman Shumpert returned against Charlotte on Wednesday after missing 10 days, but left with a cramp in the fourth quarter as the Knicks lost to the Bobcats.
a. Depleted Nets no match against Celtics.
....Paul Pierce scored 24 points against the Nets, who lost their sixth game in a row and were playing without Deron Williams, Kris Humphries and Brook Lopez.
2. NFL: Front offices, coming and going and staying put.
....At the end of the N.F.L. regular season, no coach or general manager who failed to reach the playoffs has any real job security, except if you happen to be working in Philadelphia or San Diego.
a. The Giants' secondary is burned no more.
....The strong play of the Giants’ defensive secondary helped propel the team to three straight wins and a postseason berth in the NFL.
b. Defense had big role in rise of the Broncos.

....Despite the media hype surrounding Tim Tebow, even the quarterback knew the defense, which placed three Broncos on the Pro Bowl, was the main reason the team was winning.
3. NCAAF: West Virginia routs Clemson in Orange Bowl.
....Geno Smith tied a record for any bowl game with six touchdown passes as No. 23 West Virginia set a bowl scoring record by beating No. 14 Clemson 70-33 in the Orange Bowl


Thought for Today
"It is easy to be tolerant of the principles of other people if you have none of your own."
—-Herbert Samuel, English political leader (1870-1963).

Today's flower: Ipomoea sp. or morning glory - typically lasts for a single morning and dies in the afternoon. New flowers bloom each day. The flowers usually start to fade a couple of hours before the petals start showing visible curling.



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[pegasus]

Good eveining from Tuxy and me
:)This is the 6th day of 2012 with 359 days left in the year.

Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 6:36 p.m., it's partly cloudy , temp 47ºF [Feels like 47ºF], winds variable @ 3 mph, humidity 52%, pressure 29.69 in and rising, dew point 30ºF, chance of rain 10%.

Today in History:
1412--according to tradition, Joan of Arc was born in Domremy, France.
1540--England's King Henry VIII married his 4th wife, Anne of Cleves.
1759--George Washington and Martha Dandridge Custis were married.
1838--Samuel F.B. Morse and Alfred Vail first publicly demonstrated his telegraph, in Morristown, N.J.
1882--Sam Rayburn (D-TX, 1913-61), congressman and Speaker of the House (1940-47, 1949-53, 1955-61), served for more than 48 years in the U.S. House of Representatives (1913-61), was born; died 1961 at age 79. The Rayburn House Office Building, which contains offices of House members adjacent to the United States Capitol, is named for him.
1912--New Mexico became the 47th state.
1919--Theodore Roosevelt, 26th pres. of the US, died at age 60 in Oyster Bay, N.Y.
1941--Pres. Roosevelt, in his State of the Union address, outlined a goal of "Four Freedoms": Freedom of speech and expression; the freedom of people to worship God in their own way; freedom from want; freedom from fear.
1950--Great Britain recognized the Communist government of China.
1967--US Marines and South Vietnamese troops launched Operation Deckhouse Five, an offensive in the Mekong River delta.
1982--truck driver William G. Bonin was convicted in Los Angeles of 10 of the "Freeway Killer" slayings of young men and boys.
1993--Dizzy Gillespie, Jazz (be-bop master) trumpeter, died at age 75.
1994--US champion figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was clubbed on the right leg in an assault planned by the ex-husband of her rival, Tonya Harding.
2001--Congress certified Republican George W. Bush the winner of the close and bitterly contested 2000 presidential election.
2002--Argentina announced the devaluation of its peso, ending a decade-long policy pegging the currency one-to-one with the U.S. dollar and losing 70% of its value in the next year.
2005--former Ku Klux Klan leader Edgar Ray Killen was arrested for murder 41 years after three civil rights workers were slain in Mississippi.
2007--at a Baptist church in Fort Worth, TX, the Denver Broncos filed past the open casket of Darrent Williams, the promising cornerback who had been gunned down in a drive-by shooting on New Year's Day.
2011--Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced he would cut $78 billion from the Defense Department budget over the next five years, an effort to trim fat in light of the nation's ballooning deficit.
2011--Vang Pao, a revered former general in the Royal Army of Laos who'd led thousands of Hmong guerrillas in a CIA-backed secret army in the Vietnam War, died at age 81 in Clovis, Calif.

Today's News:

World News Capsules:
1. 8 NATO service members killed in Afghan attacks.
....The attacks struck at the heart of Afghanistan’s turbulent south just as the American-led NATO command is in the process of gradually handing over security responsibility to the Afghan government
2. Marijuana use most rampant in Australia, study finds.
....People in Australia and New Zealand consume more marijuana and amphetamines than anyone else in the world, research in The Lancet has concluded.
3. US asks China to pressure North Korea to avoid provocations during transition.
....Assistant Secretary of State Kurt M. Campbell called on China to urge the new leadership in North Korea to refrain from military provocations during the transition of power.
a. Don't become a "bull in a china sop," Chineses state media tells US.

....The US should use the "utmost caution" as it makes the Asia-Pacific region a key focus of its newly announced military strategy, China's state-run Xinhua news agency said in a commentary published Friday.
4. Jailed Ukrainian leader's husband seeks asylum in Czech Republic.
....The husband of Yulia V. Tymoshenko, the jailed opposition leader wants to prevent authorities from applying pressure on her through her family, Ms. Tymoshenko’s party announced.
5. Prosecutors in Egypt call for Mubarak to be hanged.
....In their closing arguments at the trial of former Pres. Mubarak of Egypt, prosecutors said he was ultimately responsible for the killings of hundreds of peaceful protesters.
6. German president retreats on openness.
....Pres. Christian Wulff refused to let a newspaper publish a transcript of his threatening phone call to its editor.
a. In death as in life, Knut the polar bear demands attention in Germany.
....Whether one bear needs three memorials in a single city is debatable, but Knut became a national obsession, and apparently still is.
7. Iran plans new round of military exercises.

....Iranian officials have responded defiantly to a proposed oil embargo by the European Union, calling the intensified efforts to halt Iran’s nuclear program tantamount to “an economic war."
8. Political role for militants worsens fault lines in Iraq.
....A move by Iraq's government to welcome a deadly insurgent group into its political system is adding to sectarian tensions and could tilt the nation's center of gravity closer to Iran.
9. Migranats' new paths reshaping Latin America.
....In Mexico and Latin America, old migratory patterns are changing as migrants move to a wider range of cities and countries, creating regional challenges and opportunities.
10. In new control over diamonds, smugglers pay in Mozambique.
....Ever since Pres. Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe began to control the diamond mines on the Mozambique border, the nearby towns have become shadows of what they once were.
11. 15 kidnapped Pakistani soldiers executed by the Taliban is a retaliatory gesture.
....Taliban insurgents claimed to have executed 15 paramilitary troops who were kidnapped from northwestern Pakistan last month.
12. African Union adds year to mandate of Somalia force.
....The union said it hoped to increase the mission’s size to close to 18,000 troops to help in the fight against Shabab rebels
13. [Accounts emerge in South Sudan of 3,000 deaths in ethnic violence.
....The fledgilng South Sudanese government and its army seemed unable to stem the bloodshed between two rival ethnic groups, just six months arter the country achieved independence.
a. South Sudan appeals for humanitarian aid amid fighting.

....South Sudan appealed for international aid for a remote region that has been under attack by roaming fighters, as thousands of residents fled into the bush to avoid the violence.
14. Syria vows 'iron fist' revenge after bomb kills 26.

....A bomb that ripped through a police bus in Damascus, Syria's capital, killed 26 and wounded 63, the country's interior minister said, vowing an "iron fist" response to the carnage.
13. Ex-chief of Turkish army is arrested in widening case alleging coup plot.

....Gen. Ilker Basbug faces charges in a long-running case involving accusations of a plot to overthrow Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s pro-Islamic government.

US News Capsules:
1. Employers add 200,000 jobs, jobless rate falls to 8.5%.

....US employment grew solidly last month, capping a strengthening trend in the nation’s job market but fails to boost stocks.
2. US broadens definition of rape; includes male victims.

....The Justice Departments announced the broadening the definition of the crime of rape to include more forms of sexual assaults such as rape of men and oral or anal sex, the first major revision to the definition in more than 80 years.
3. Private equity firm sees a future in flatware.
....Oneida's new owner, Monomoy Capital Partners, is helping the 132-year-old cutlery company rise from the aftermath of bankruptcy, and expansion is now the goal.
4. Mental decline can begin as early as 45, study finds.

....The brain's abilities to reason, comprehend and remember may start to worsen as early as age 45, a new study from England suggests. The 'senior' moments that people often joke about are true," said Dr. Gary Small, geriatric psychiatrist David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, who was not involved with the work.
5. MF Global inquiry turns to its primary regulator.
....Federal authorities investigating the collapse of MF Global have expanded their inquiry to include the CME Group, the operator of the main exchange where the firm conducted business.
6. Pope names New York archbishop as a cardinal.

....Timothy Dolan, among 22 elevated to position by Pope Benedict XVI in a ceremony to be conducted on Feb. 18th, is the only one representing an American archdiocese; however, the former archbishop of Baltimore, Edwin O'Brien (heds the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem) was also promoted.
a. A cohort of married priests testing a Roman Catholic tradition.
....The Vatican’s formation of an ordinariate for Episcopal priests who want to move to Catholicism will add to the small number of married priests in America
7. EDUCATION: Big study links good teachers to lasting gain.
....Effects on students' lives beyond academics, in areas as varied as teenage-pregnancy and adult earnings, are cited.
a. Students of online schools are lagging.
....Far fewer of them are proving proficient on standardized tests compared with their peers in other privately managed charter schools and in traditional public schools.
8. A coal-fired plant that is eagr for US rules.
....After investing $885 million on retrofits, Constellation Energy in Maryland is frustrated by a court-ordered delay on tighter pollution rules.
9. ARTS: Gran galleries for national treasures.
....Renovated painting and furniture galleries on the second floor of the American Wing will reopen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Jan. 16 in the third and final phase of a $100 million project.
10. Washington outpost draws those hungry for slap of sea spray.

....On the remote Makah reservation, visitors can experience an area’s stormy euphoria and gloom — and still catch the ferry home for dinner.
11. Fear of a serial killer sends the homeless to shelters in California.
....After the authorities in Orange County said three homeless men were fatally stabbed last month by the same person, shelters reported a sharp increase in demand.
12. Report finds most errors at hositals go unreported.
....The Health and Human Services study said that caregivers often do not recognize what harms patients.
14. Massachusetts health plan extended to immigrants.
....A ruling by the state’s highest court said that a 2009 budget that dropped about 29,000 legal immigrants from Commonwealth Care violated the state Constitution.
15. Californians are asked for $6.9 billion in new taxes.
....Gov. Jerry Brown called on California voters to approve $6.9 billion in temporary new taxes, including a surcharge on big earners.
16. Colombia to hand over American teen mistakenly deported.

....An African-American teen from Dallas mistakenly deported to Colombia was on her way back to the US Friday, with her family planning to file lawsuits against the agencies involved in her removal from the country, their attorney said.
POLITICS:
1. Mitt Romney's Mexican roots[i/].

....Family in Mexico reveals candidate's heritage south of the border.
a. Romney, in South Carolina, sets his sights on Obama.
....Mitt Romney flew to South Carolina Thursday to begin what might be his biggest challenge yet: convincing Republicans in this socially conservative state that he is the candidate who best represents their values.
b. Romney facing risks left and right.
....Mitt Romney’s suggestion that he draws inspiration from the country’s founders while President Obama seeks a “European-style welfare state,” among other things, carries risks from Democrats and Republicans.
c. Romney camp rips Santorum on spending.

....GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney's campaign stepped up its criticism of conservative challenger Rick Santorum on Friday, continuing to hit the former Pennsylvania senator on his spending record while in Congress.
2. Easier route to green card to be proposed for some.
....The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services is proposing to correct a bureaucratic Catch-22 that separated families for as long as a decade, proposing a rule change to help reduce the time illegal immigrant spouses and children are separated from citizen relatives while they try to win legal status in the US, a senior administration official.
3. Obama testing 2-tier strategy for re-election.
....From making a recess appointment to inserting itself into the Iowa caucuses, the Obama campaign is trying to tie his rivals to the unpopular Congress.
a. In act of defiance, Democrat stalls Obama choice for court.
....Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), without explanation, is holding up Pres. Obama's nomination of Patty Shwartz to the US Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit.
4. . After Santorum left Senate, familiar hands reached out.
....When he lost his 2006 re-election bid, Rick Santorum built a lucrative career in the private sector based largely on income from businesses his work in Congress had benefited.
a. Students jeer Santorum on New Hampshire blitz.
....At a midday event in front of a gathering of college students, Mr. Santorum compared allowing gay couples to marry to polygamy, apparently equating the two as equally undesirable.
5. Recent fights in Congress could be just warm-ups.
....The 2nd session of Congress will likely include a lawsuit over recent appointments by President Obama, as well as Senate Republicans turning minor procedures into major headaches.
6. Voters without a party splinter New Hampshire.
....Undeclared voters can vote in the primaries for either party and between 35 percent and 40 percent of them are expected to turn out for the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday.

Today's Headlines of Interest:

New online virus raids your bank account -- and you won't even notice.
Israeli-based Security firm Trusteer has found an elaborate new computer virus that not only helps fraudsters steal money from bank accounts -- it also covers its tracks. Think of a crime plot involving a spy who plans to break into a high-security building and begins by swapping out security camera video so guards don't notice anything is amiss. Known as a surveillance camera hack, the technique has been used in dozens of movies.
A new version of the widely prevalent SpyEye Trojan horse works much the same way, only it swaps out banking Web pages rather than video, preventing account holders from noticing that their money is gone. The Trojan horse employs a powerful two-step process to commit the electronic crime. First, the virus lies in wait until a customer with an infected computer visits an online banking site, steals their login credentials and tricks the victim into divulging additional personal information such as debit card information. Then, after the stolen card number is used for a fraudulent purchase, the virus intercepts any further visits to the victim's banking site and scrubs transaction records clean of any fraud. That prevents -- or at least delays -- consumers from discovering fraud and reporting it to the bank, buying the fraudster critical extra time to complete the crime.
Trusteer calls it a "post transaction" attack, because much of the virus' effectiveness is attributable to its ability to control what victims see after fraudulent transactions occur. Amit Klein, chief technology officer for Trusteer, said he believes criminals have used the technique for a few months, and it has infected real consumers. The new SpyEye came to Trusteer's attention when a large retail bank in the United States spotted it and shared with the firm, he said.
"This is a very scary tactic," said Avivah Litan, a financial fraud analyst at consulting firm Gartner. "Everybody thinks all they have to do is check their transactions and their balances. That's not true anymore."
"Most banks 'let the first transaction through,' because if they stopped everything that was potentially fraud, consumers would get annoyed," she said. In some cases, fraud-checking tools kick in only after initial reports, so this version of SpyEye could buy criminals important time as they try to turn stolen data into cash.
Such cover-your-tracks techniques have been used before by virus writers. But this new flavor has more potential for success, because it involves stolen debit card numbers used at third-party merchants, creating complex transactions involving multiple banks and multiple security systems. Victim account holders who check their balance at an ATM -- or even at a second uninfected computer -- would be able to spot the fraudulent transactions. The virus doesn’t impact bank systems, merely the characters that are displayed within the infected system's Web browser. That means paper statements would reveal the fraud, too. Of course, consumers who rely on paper statements could be a full 30 days behind when it comes to spotting fraudulent transactions.
While Klein is worried about the "post transaction" attack, he said consumers who have vulnerable Web browsers are bound to be victims of one fraudster or another. "My take is that if your computer is infected with financial malware, it's game over anyway," he said. "My takeaway is you need to prevent getting infected with financial malware in the first place." Oh, lord, another thing to worry about. Sometimes I wonder if the Internet is worth it.

Casting side tensions, US Navy rescues 13 Iranians from pirates.

Casting aside current tensions between the U.S. and Iran, the U.S. Navy on Friday rescued 13 Iranian seamen who were being held captive by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Oman. A Navy helicopter from the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, responding to a distress call from a merchant ship under attack by pirates, chased the pirates to their "mother ship," an Iranian-flagged dhow that had earlier been hijacked. A heavily-armed counter-piracy team from the Navy destroyer USS Kidd met little resistance when they boarded the dhow where they found 15 armed pirates and the 13 Iranians who were being held hostage. The pirates were taken into custody. The Iranians were set free in their dhow.
It came less than two days after Iran threatened never to allow the USS John C. Stennis back to the Persian gulf following its departure last week for the Gulf of Oman and North Arabian Sea. White House officials said Iran's threat showed Tehran was increasingly isolated internationally, faced economic problems from to sanctions and wants to divert attention from its deepening problems. "It reflects the fact that Iran is in a position of weakness," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters Tuesday.

Wealthy would benefit most from Romney plan..
The general election is shaping up to be a fight over the middle class. Both President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, the GOP frontrunner, have continuously argued in speeches that their policies would most help the middle class. But Romney’s argument took a hit Thursday, undercut by a detailed analysis by nonpartisan Tax Policy Center that showed Romney’s plan focuses tax cuts on the rich, while cutting taxes marginally for the middle class. It also would effectively raise taxes on those making less than $40,000 a year, the analysis found, when tax cuts put in place by Obama would be allowed to expire.
"If I'm going to use precious dollars to reduce taxes, I want to focus on where the people are hurting the most, and that's the middle class," Romney said at an Oct. 11 debate. “"I'm not worried about rich people. They are doing just fine. The very poor have a safety net; they're taken care of. But the people in the middle, the hard-working Americans, are the people who need a break. And that is why I focused my tax cut right there."
Under Romney’s plan, those making more than $1 million a year would see a tax cut of about $146,000, a 6.9% change in after-tax income, while those making between $50,000 and $75,000 would see just an average tax cut of about $250, just a 3.3% change, according to the center’s analysis. In fact, not only is the amount of after-tax income greater the higher the income level, but the percent change also increases the more money someone makes.
Is anyone really surprised at this. Obama has been trying to get the tax raised on the 1% while keeping the Bush tax cuts on the middle class and poor. Has any Republican in or out of Congress supported that - of course not. Their Super Pacs would have a hissy fit.

Sports Headlines
1. MLB: Mr. Mets keeps his head up.
....These are dark times for Mets fans, but the team's lovable mascot has never had a losing streak.
2. NFL: Playoff matchups: A lot of offense, a little defense.

....Saturday will mark the first time that two quarterbacks who threw for over 5,000 yards in a season, the Saints’ Drew Brees and the Lions’ Matthew Stafford, will face each other.
a. Falcons running back still shoulders the load.
....Michael Turner carried the ball 301 times this season, second in the N.F.L., even with the addition of the fast rookie wide receiver Julio Jones to the team.
b. Power shift in Texas.

....For Cowboys fans, it's over. No longer can you talk supremacy over Houston. The expansion Texans are the talk of the state. The expansion Texans are the talk of the state, and all the Cowboys fans can do is complain about Tony Romo and Jerry Jones.
3. NCAABK: At Western Kentucky, a weird loss and a firing.
....Western Kentucky lost a game when Louisiana-Lafayette had six players on the floor, then decided to fire Coach Ken McDonald/
4. NCAAF: Penn State is said to hire Patriots assistant.
....Bill O’Brien, New England’s offensive coordinator, will succeed the fired Joe Paterno as the Nittany Lions’ coach, according to several media outlets.
5. NBA: NY Knicks' defense in a word: Offensive.
....It is early in the N.B.A. season, but the Knicks (2-4) have some of the worst defensive statistics in the league, despite making offseason moves to improve their defense.
6. TRACK: New York City Marathon to be shown live nationally.
....As part of a five-year deal, the race will be carried for three and a half hours on ESPN2, which reaches nearly every household with cable or satellite television.


Thought for Today
"A little learning is not a dangerous thing to one who does not mistake it for a great deal."
—-William Allen White,, newspaper editor (1868-1944).

Today's flower: Thunbergia gregorii or orange clck vine - a tough, care-free vine that practically blooms year round in mild climates. Large funnel shaped flowers are a glowing orange color.




[/color]

[pegasus]

Good afternoon from Tuxy and me
:)This is the 7th day of 2012 with 358 days left in the year.

Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 3:09 p.m., it's fair , temp 50ºF [Feels like 50ºF], winds W @ 9 mph, humidity 56%, pressure 29.73 in and rising, dew point 32ºF, chance of rain 10%.

Today in History:
1608--an accidental fire devastated the Jamestown settlement in the Virginia Colony.
1610--astronomer Galileo Galilei began observing three of Jupiter's moons (he spotted a fourth moon almost a week later).
1789--the first US presidential election was held. and George Washington became the nation's first president
1844--St. Bernadette of Lourdes was born, died 1879 at age 35.
1894--one of the earliest motion picture experiments took place at the Thomas Edison studio in West Orange, N.J., as Fred Ott was filmed taking a pinch of snuff and sneezing.
1912--Charles Addams, dark-humored cartoonist (The Addams Family) <click, click>, was born in Westfield, NJ; died 1988 at age 76.
1927--commercial transatlantic telephone service was inaugurated between New York and London.
1942--the siege of Bataan in the Philippines by the Japanese began.
1953--Pres. Truman announced in his State of the Union address that the US had developed a hydrogen bomb.
1955--contralto Marian Anderson made her debut with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, becoming the first black person to perform there as a member.
1959--the US recognized Fidel Castro's new government in Cuba.
1972--an Iberia Caravelle jetliner crashed into a mountain while on approach to Ibiza Airport in Spain, killing all 104 people on board.
1979--Vietnamese forces captured the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, overthrowing the Khmer Rouge government.
1989--Japanese Emperor Hirohito died at age 87 and was succeeded by his son, Crown Prince Akihito.
1996--a major blizzard paralyzed the eastern United States, claiming more than 100 lives.
1997--Newt Gingrich became the first Republican re-elected House speaker in 68 years.
1999--Pres. Clinton's impeachment trial began in the Senate.
2002--Yves Saint Laurent announced his retirement and closure of the fashion house he'd started 40 years earlier.
2006--Jill Carroll, American journalist for the Christian Science Monitor, was abducted in Baghdad, Iraq and her translator was killed. (Carroll was released unharmed after 82 days.)
2006--Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, facing corruption charges, stepped down as House majority leader.
2007--newly elected House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Democrats running Congress would not give Pres. Bush a blank check to wage war in Iraq.
2012--a package addressed to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano ignited at a Washington postal facility, a day after fiery packages sent to Maryland's governor and state transportation secretary burned the fingers of workers who opened them.


Today's News:

World News Capsules:
1. 8 NATO service members killed in afghan attacks.
....The attacks struck at the heart of Afghanistan’s turbulent south just as the American-led NATO command is in the process of gradually handing over security responsibility to the Afghan government.
2. A Chinese filmmaker walks a line between artistic acceptance and official approval.
....Zhang Yimou, China’s most prominent director, is eager to stay in the authorities’ good graces yet somehow preserve his international plaudits.
3. British clarification on implant scandal leaves women only more confused.

....The government said there was still not enough evidence to recommend routine removal, but allowed free replacement for some women who received the implants under the National Health Service.
4. Fiji lifts martial law, but installs new regulations.
....Lifting a state of martial law in place since 2009 sets the stage for a return to democratic elections in Fiji, but the country’s current leader announced new restrictions.
5. Haitians take arduous path to Brazil, and jobs..

....Gambling everything, thousands of Haitians have made their way to small towns in the Brazilian Amazon over the past year in a desperate search for work.
a. A billionaire lends Haiti a hand.
....Denis O'Brien and his cellphone company, Digicel, are leading a business-centered approach to the redevelopment of a disaster-prone nation.
6. Pressed by US, Asian countries look for ways to reduce purchases of Iranian oil.
....Buying less Iranian oil would further tighten the economic vise on an increasingly defiant nation that announced plans for a new round of naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz.
a. Increasingly isolated, Iranian leader set to visit allies in Latin America.
....Pres. Ahmadinejad will be visiting four nations — all critics of the US, but the tour is unlikely to ease the strain of international sanctions.
b. Iran welcomes US rescue of Iranian fishermen.

....Iran on Saturday welcomed the rescue of 13 Iranian sailors by a U.S. Navy ship, calling it a "humanitarian act." At the State Department, the chance to show the United States took the high road was not missed. "This is an incredible story. This is a great story," said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. "The very same ship and set of vessels that the Iranians protested on its last voyage through Hormuz, the John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group, just rescued this Iranian dhow from pirates."
7. Cyberattack exposes 20,000 Israeli credit card numbers and details about iuers.
....The attack came in two waves this week by a hacker or team of hackers presenting themselves as Saudi Arabian.
8. Mexico's election draws eyes from across border.
....Regardless of who wins this summer’s presidential election in Mexico, the outcome will have a big financial impact on Texas as well
9. Boko Hram miitants terrorize Nigeria.

....Nigeria's president has declared a partial state of emergency to contain a wave of attacks by Boko Haram, an Islamic militant group, across the country's northeast. Boko Haram means "Western education is a sin." Depending on the faction, the group's ambitions range from the stricter enforcement of Sharia law -- which is derived from the Koran as the "world of God" -- across the predominantly Muslim north of Nigeria, to the total destruction of the Nigerian state and its government.
a. 25 killed in northern Nigeria as sectarian violence surges.
....Boko Haram in northern Nigeria has claimed responsibility for attacks that killed at least 25 people in a rash of violence against the country's minority Christians, officials said, after it issued an earlier ultimatum that gave Christians three days to leave the area.
10. Church hints it may serve as mediator in Russia.
....A senior official of the Russian Orthodox Church warned that if government authorities do not respond to people’s concerns they could be “slowly eaten alive."
11. South Sudan aid effort under way, UN says.

....A huge aid effort is under way in a remote area of South Sudan to help an estimated 60,000 people who fled their homes to escape roaming fighters.
12. Bomb kills dozens in Damascus, stoking suspicions..
....An attack killed 26 people and underlined the confusion and complexity growing amid Syria's protests.
a. Syria tense as families mourn suicide bomb deaths.

....Syria is tense as the families of the victims of yesterday's suicide bombing in the capital Damascus and lethal clashes elsewhere begin to bury their dead.
US News Capsules:
1. A shrinking military budget may take neighbors with it.

....Some warn that the effect of cuts on scientific innovation, and the business it creates, is being overlooked.
2. Michelle Obama and the evolution of a First Lady.

....Michelle Obama's adjustment to the White House - including, at times, severe tension with her husband's staff - illuminates some of President Obama's central challenges. She has been an unrecognized force in her husband’s administration and that her story has been one first of struggle, then turnaround and greater fulfillment.
3. Indiana labor measure is expected to progress.
....Republicans in the State Senate moved a "right to work" measure out of committee, and it is expected to pass next week.
4. Wall Street is bracing for dismal 4th quarter.
....Investors are about to find out just how bad last year was for the country's biggest financial institutions, which were hit by the European debt crisis and new regulations.
5. Labor board backs workers on joint arbitration cases.
....The National Labor Relations Board concluded that a federal law affirming the right of workers to engage in concerted action trumps any agreement barring group claims.
6. Film about the hunt for Bin Laden leads to a Pentagon investigation.
....A film has stirred up a dispute in Washington about the information that the filmmakers received from the Central Intelligence Agency and about the timing of the movie's release.
7. Sport plane taking birds to Florida is grounded.
....The Federal Aviation Administration is considering a waiver for a group that is trying to re-establish whooping cranes and teach them to migrate,
8. US to block new uranium mines near Grand Canyon.
....In proposing the extended moratorium, the interior secretary, Ken Salazar, cited the potential of pollution in waterways and harm to wildlife, desert vegetation and air quality.
POLITICS:
1. Ready or not, Huntsman faces his moment in New Hampshire.
....Jon M. Huntsman Jr., an early favorite of the pundit classes in Washington and New York who is now struggling to stay relevant, has bet it all on New Hampshire.
2. Candidates crisscross New Hampshire, making final pitches.
....In addition to appealing to voters across the state, the Republican candidates also braced for two debates in quick succession that could potentially reshape the contest.
a. In New Hampshire, fiscal anxiety despite relative economic health.
....New Hampshire has one of the healthiest economies in the country, but voters are still deeply nervous about the nation’s fiscal health.
b. New Hampshire - all about the independents.

....While Iowa's caucuses are disproportionately dominated by social conservatives, in New Hampshire it is all about the independents. And that's why it's the best test of general election electability. In New Hampshire's open primary, independents can vote -- and they make up more than 40% of the local electorate, outnumbering Republicans or Democrats.
3. A long history of political brawling for Santorum.
....Rick Santorum has tried to be conciliatory in this election, but former colleagues still remember his no-holds-barred political style.
4. Democrats see hopes rise in battle to control Congress.
....A year of bruising fiscal fights has hurt Republicans more than Democrats, according to polls, and improving economic signs were captured in job growth reported on Friday,
5. For evangelicals wary of Romney, time runs short.
....Conservative Christian leaders are stepping up the search for an alternative Republican presidential candidate to unify behind.
6. Paul, after Texas detour, gets back to the campaign.
....The national chairman for Ron Paul explained his delay in arriving after the Iowa caucuses: “He just wanted to go home."
7. Romney advantages could prove disadvantageours..
....Fresh from a victory in Iowa and enjoying a lead in the polls, Mitt Romney is nevertheless facing history that suggests New Hampshire is not a done deal.
a. As Romney jabs at Obama, his rivals swing at him.
....In a brief trip to South Carolina, Mitt Romney accused President Obama of failing the American people on the economy.

Today's Headlines of Interest:

Is 2012 the year to hang up the phone?

From the government, to professional associations, to business owners, a common and serious-minded accord appears to be forming. So don't be at all surprised if 2012 turns out to be the year when a national chorus of voices joins together to say ... Get off the phone!
The National Transportation Safety Board has called for a nationwide ban on the use of cell phones by drivers. This would include hands-free devices as well as hand-held phones. The reasoning is basic: Drivers distracted by phone calls are a danger; drivers who send or receive text messages while behind the wheel, or who play games or update social networks on their phones, are as potentially deadly as drunken drivers. "No call, no text, no update is worth a human life," said NTSB chairman Deborah Hersman.
The distractions and temptations inherent to constant cell phone use extend well beyond the highways. Matt Richtel of the New York Times recently reported about a troubling situation at hospitals and doctors' offices: Physicians and staff members have constant access to smartphones, tablets and computers, which are supposed to make them more efficient. But Richtel reported instances of "a neurosurgeon making personal calls during an operation, a nurse checking airfares during surgery and a poll showing that half of technicians running bypass machines had admitted texting during a procedure." Dr. Peter J. Papadakos, director of critical care at the University of Rochester (NY) Medical Center, said: "You walk around the hospital, and what you see is not funny ... My gut feeling is lives are in danger."
The NTSB is committed as can be about the push to outlaw cell phones in cars. "The time to act is now," said chairman Hersman. "How many more lives will be lost before we, as a society, change our attitudes about the deadliness of distractions?" Plenty of lives, undoubtedly. But the NTSB is likely to fail in its effort. That horse that escaped from the barn is galloping down the road. Past miles and miles of cars whose drivers are in the middle of phone calls, confident that they -- if not the other guy -- can easily handle it.


Sports Headlines
1. Slowed by age and injuries, Steelers still have an iron grip.

....For the fifth time in 11 seasons the Steelers have the top defense, an astonishing stranglehold on opposing offenses that have changed drastically in that time.
a. NFL: Giants say captains earn respect
....The players said they could not envision losing control in the huddle, unlike the Jets, because of the respect earned by the Giants' captains; Eli Manning, Justin Tuck and Zak DeOssie.
b. Like Phillips, Texans' defense steadies and toughens.
....Barely a month removed from gallbladder surgery, Wade Phillips will be on hand this weekend to make the defensive calls in Houston's first playoff game.
2. NCAAF: It's the wrong time for the wrong kick.
....Field goal attempts have been decisive in several key college games in recent seasons and the national title game on Monday could come down to a fateful, final kick.
a. Penn State's choice of coach displeases former players.

....The selection of Bill O’Brien, the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, as the Nittany Lions new coach has left players and some observers highly critical of the decision and process. Penn State's former coach Joe Paterno congratulated O'Brien, who is succeeding him in permanently head the school's embattled football program.
3. NBA: Humphries, the boo-birds' new king.
....The Nets' Kris Humphries has defied logic by becoming the most disliked player in the NBA.
a. Shaky Knicks rally to keep Wizards winless.
....Carmelo Anthony had 37 points, including the 3-pointer that gave the Knicks, who blew an 8-point lead down the stretch, the lead for good against Washington with 15.5 seconds left to win 99-96..
4. MLB: Mets, in hiring financial firm, insist it's not about bankruptcy

....The hiring of CRG Partners suggests that the Mets have reached a new moment of need — for money, or advice, or some kind of re-engineering of the operation.
5. NHL: Rangers top Penguins for 4th win in row.
....Brandon Dubinsky had a goal and an assist and Henrik Lundqvist made 37 saves as the surging Rangers beat the Penguins, 3-1.
6. GOLF: Plenty of sun, but few sars, on opening day in Hawaii.
....Only 27 players — and no headliners — are competing in the Tournament of Champions, which features winners from 2011 and is the first event of the 2012 PGA Tour season


Thought for Today
"One cannot and must not try to erase the past merely because it does not fit the present." —
--Golda Meir, Israeli prime minister (1898-1978).

Today's flower: Passiflora incarnata or passion flower - a perennial climbing vine with herbaceous shoots and a sturdy woody stem that grows to a length of nearly 30 ft. The passionflower's ripe fruit is an egg-shaped berry that may be yellow or purple. Some kinds of passionfruit are edible. It is a naturally grown medicinal herb to treat insomnia and nervousness.



[/color]

[pegasus]

Good evening from Tuxy and me
:)This is the 8th day of 2012 with 357 days left in the year.

#cold1# Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 7:45 p.m., it's fair , temp 25ºF [Feels like 25ºF], winds calm, humidity 74%, pressure 30.32 in and rising, dew point 19ºF, chance of snow 20%.

Today in History:
1642--astronomer Galileo Galilei died in Arcetri, Italy.
1790--Pres. Washington delivered the first State of the Union speech.
1798--the 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibited a citizen of one state from suing another state in federal court, was declared in effect by Pres. Adams nearly three years after its ratification by the states.
1815--US forces led by Gen. Andrew Jackson defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812.
1877--Crazy Horse and his warriors--outnumbered, low on ammunition and forced to use outdated weapons to defend themselves--fought their final losing battle against the US Cavalry in Montana.
1912--the African National Congress was founded in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
1918--Pres. Wilson outlined his 14 points for peace after World War I.
1918--Mississippi became the first state to ratify the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, which established Prohibition.
1935--Elvis Presley, rock icon & actor, was born; died 1977 at age 42.
1959--Charles De Gaulle was inaugurated as president of France's Fifth Republic.
1964--Pres. Johnson declared a war on poverty in his Stateof the Union speech.
1973--the Paris peace talks between the US and North Vietnam resumed.
1998--Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was sentenced in New York to life in prison.
2002--Pres. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act, the most far-reaching federal education bill in nearly four decades.
2002--the Most Rev. George Carey, the Archbishop of Canterbury, announced his retirement as spiritual leader of the world's 70 million Anglicans.
2007--Mounir el Motassadeq, a Moroccan convicted of aiding three of the four pilots who committed the 9/11 attacks, was sentenced by a German court to the maximum 15 years in prison.
2011--Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) was shot and critically wounded when a gunman opened fire as the congresswoman met with constituents in Tucson; six people were killed and 12 others were injured.


#conversza7#Today's News:

World News Capsules:
1. Argentine leader is told thyroid was cancer-free.
....Pres. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner never had thyroid cancer despite being diagnosed with the disease last month, her spokesman said.
2. What China can teach Europe.
....Competition among the huge cities in China is an important reason for the country’s economic dynamism,
a. Chinese embssy pressures Italy to protect immigrants after killings.
....Saying it was "shocked and alarmed" after a Chinese man and infant were killed in a botched robbery in Rome, the Chinese Embassy urged Italian authorities to protect Chinese citizens in Italy.
3. Latest hacking scandal arrest suggests focus on cover-up.
....The arrest of a former personal assistant to Rebekah Brooks appears to reflect the intensifying focus on the possibility of a cover-up by executives, editors and others at the News of the World.
4. Bold lie turns run-in at sea into dramatic rescue.
....After their ship was taken hostage at gunpoint, Iranian fishermen survived six weeks by relying on calm nerves, prayer, camaraderie and, in the end, duplicity.
a. Iran will soon move uranium work underground, official says.
....A decision by Iran to conduct sensitive atomic activities at an underground site — offering better protection against any enemy attacks — could complicate diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute peacefully.
5. Iraq turns justice into a show, and terror confessions a script.
....Iraq's security forces have been parading detainees before television cameras and broadcasting their confessions to show how they are cracking down on terrorism.
6. The fall of Ireland's mighty Quinn.
....In many ways, Sean Quinn, once the richest man in Ireland, personified the nation's boom. Now, he has come to personify its bust.
7. Israel charges 5 settlers in West Bank army base clash.
....The indictment was the first sign of a promised crackdown on settlers whose increasingly provocative actions have been described by some Israeli officials as homegrown terrorism.
8. North Korea tries to build new leader's image.
ht
....North Korea’s state-run television called its young untested leader, Kim Jong-un, a “military genius” and showed him inspecting military hardware. Video footage confirms that new North Korean leader was being groomed as early as 3009 to succeed Kim Jong-il.
9. In Pakistan, lull in strikes by US drones aids militants.

....Al-Qaida and several Pakistani factions are exploiting a plunge in relations between the United States and Pakistan after an American airstrike killed two dozen Pakistani soldiers.
a. Musharraf announced he will return to Pakistan late this month.

....Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf pledged in a speech Sunday to return to his country later this month, despite word from authorities that he will be arrested when he does so.
10. Head of Russian church says leaders must listen to protests.
....The Russian Orthodox Church leader spoke after a senior church official wrote that the authorities could be “slowly eaten alive” if they did not respond to concerns about last month’s parliamentary elections.
11. South Korean law casts wide net, snaring satirists in a hunt for spies.
....After their ship was taken hostage at gunpoint, Iranian fishermen survived six weeks by relying on calm nerves, prayer, camaraderie and, in the end, duplicity.
12. Syria awaits outcome of Arab League meeting.

....Arab League officials meet in Cairo to discuss their Syria mission amid escalating tension and a growing international outcry over the unrest that has killed thousands..
13. Appointments unsettle state of Venezuelan politics.
....With a re-election campaign ahead of him, Pres. Hugo Chávez has upended expectations, scattering some close confidants and promoting some old associates.

US News Capsules:
1. Tucson marks anniversary of attack on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, killing six.

....A memorial rests on a highway on Jan. 8 for the six people that lost their lives in a deadly shooting last year across from the La Toscana Village Safeway in Tucson, Ariz. Memorial services will be held throughout the day in Tucson to commemorate the one year anniversary of a shooting rampage that killed six people and wounded more than a dozen including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ).
2. Young, obese and drawn to surgery.
....The push toward operations like Lap-Band surgery on the young has brought some resistance from doctors who say it is too drastic on patients whose bodies might still be developing.
3. Agents' union stalls training on deportation rules.
....Labor negotiations could slow a policy directing officials to focus on removing immigrants convicted of crimes.
4. Private sector gets job skills; public gets bill.
....Caterpillar is one of dozens of companies, many with growing profits and large cash reserves, that have come to expect states to pay for training for factory workers in return for creating jobs.
5. Raskin urges penalties on mortgage services.
....Sarah Bloom Raskin, the Federal Reserve governor, said penalties must be imposed on banks that entered into an agreement with regulators on fixing problems in their mortgage servicing businesses.
6. TV: Definded by a smile and a drawl.
....The actor Timothy Olyphant has found a good fit in the modern-day western series Justified on FX, based on stories by Elmore Leonard.
7. How yoga can wreck your body.
....Popped ribs, brain injuries, blinding pain - are the healing rewards worth the risk?
8. Study challenges Supreme Court's image as defender of free speech.
....As the Supreme Court prepares to consider two major First Amendment cases, a recent study examined data from 1953-2011 and asserted that the current court rules in favor of free speech at a lower rate than previous ones.
9. Appointments challenge Senate role, experts say.
....To many Republicans and some scholars, Pres. Obama’s decision to sidestep Senate confirmation for several appointees risked ending the Senate’s right to give advice and consent.
9. In Florida, lawmakers consider gambling bill.
.00..In the Legislature’s annual two-month session, opening this week, the Senate is to take up a bill asking voters to decide on gambling.
POLITICS:
1. GOP rivals poke at Romney in NH debate[i/].

....Newt Gingrich and Rich Santorum lead the charge at Meet the Press-Facebook debate, questioning front-runner Mitt Romney's conservative.
2. Romney eludes rivals' attacks at Republican debate in NH.
....A relaxed and self-assured Mitt Romney sailed above the fray at a crucial debate as the other Republican presidential candidates competed to emerge as his most formidable opponent.
3. Huntsman, out of options, bets it all on New Hampshire.
....He has seen glimmers of hope, but Jon M. Huntsman Jr. still must contend with Mitt Romney's solid lead and a depleted campaign fund. For good or bad, this is Mr. Huntsman's moment.
4. As primary looms in N.H., donor gives lift to Gingrich.
....As the other Republican candidates sought to catch up with Mitt Romney, a longtime supporter of Newt Gingrich donated $5 million to a “super PAC” backing his ailing bid.
5. Santorum's bid to marry Catholicism and politics.
....As Rick Santorum works to convince voters he has a real shot at the White House, his faith has emerged as both an asset and a liability.

#1056048gfr2ahr4mi#Today's Headlines of Interest:

NFL PLAYOFFS: Dominant Giants over power Falcons.

Eli Manning throws 3 TDs and even his feet were dangerous as he punctuated his best pro season by throwing for three touchdowns and scrambling for a 14-yard gain that woke up New York's offense. He sparked the Giants to a 24-2 rout of the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC wild-card game Sunday, their first postseason victory since their Super Bowl upset of undefeated New England four years ago.
Next up is just as big a challenge for the Giants (10-7): the defending champion Packers in Green Bay next Sunday. New York lost 38-35 to Green Bay in December. The team that couldn't run the ball will be sprinting there, bringing along a defense the Packers (15-1) actually might fear. And an offense led by Manning, who hooked up on a 72-yard catch and run by Hakeem Nicks in the third quarter that put away the inept Falcons (10-7). Manning also connected on a 4-yard TD with Nicks in the second period, and a 27-yard TD throw to Mario Manningham in the fourth quarter that finished it off.
Now the NY Giants head to Green Bay with more balance on offense and more stinginess on defense than they've displayed most of the season. Their last postseason trip to Lambeau Field was a 23-20 overtime victory for the NFC championship two weeks before they upset the Patriots.

Plans to restore crumbling Colosseum cause rumblings in Rome.

It sits in the ancient heart of Rome and is an emblem of the city's imperial history as well as an icon of Italy. But plans to restore Rome's nearly 2,000-year-old Colosseum are causing rumblings among heritage workers and restorers, The current $33 million (25 million euro) restoration plans to restore the Flavian amphitheater, which once hosted spectacular shows and gruesome gladiatorial battles, are being sponsored by Diego della Valle, of luxury Italian brand Tod's, in exchange for advertising rights.
Restoration of the monument, which attracts up to two million visitors a year, is due to go ahead in March and will involve cleaning of the travertine exterior, the restoration of underground chambers, new gating, the moving of visitor service stations to an area outside of the building itself and increased video security. But members of the Restorers Association of Italy are unhappy about the plans, which they believe has sidelined them in favor of non-specialist restorers and which "run the risk of causing irreparable damage to the monument," according to the group's President, Carla Tomasi.
A ruling given late December 2011 by Italy's Council of State in favor of the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities is however allowing the restoration plans to go ahead. "Italian law states that restorers can restore things like statues, ceramics, mosaics and decorative surfaces but not architecture," said Rossella Rea, Director of the Colosseum, adding that the workers employed to do the restorations are in fact "specialized in architectural restoration, they're not just ordinary workmen."
Sneska Quaedvlieg-Mihailovic is Secretary General of Europa Nostra, an organization dedicated to protecting cultural heritage in Europe. She said, "We at Europa Nostra and anyone dealing with heritage would say that it's wonderful to have private companies and individuals wanting to support heritage at a time when public budgets are being cut." But she also warned against governments across Europe loosening restrictions on restoration work in the current economic climate, and of privately funded restoration plans not complying with strict guidelines.

Sports Headlines
1. NFL PLAYOFFS: New Orleans Saints sweep past the Detroit Lions, mostly by going over them.

....In the Saints' 45-28 triumph, in which they set an NFL playoff record with 626 yards and never punted the ball, even the defenses were offensive.
a. Shrugging off their nerves, Texans dominate in their playoff debut.

....Houston relied on a tough defense that had three interceptions and a sturdy running game from Arian Foster, who rushed for 153 yards, to beat the Bengals 31-10 in the A.F.C. wild-card game.
b. United in Giants lore and shaped by Jersey roots.
....David Tyree and Victor Cruz, who are both from northern New Jersey, are two guys who came a long way in making their names as wide receivers for the Giants. Victor Cruz gives the Giants something they have rarely had: a game-breaking deep-threat receiver.
b(1). Prompting comparison to another run.

....Four years ago, the Giants rode a late-season wave to an unlikely championship, and now — after beating Atlanta — they are three wins away from a title that would be even more of a surprise.
c. Slowed by age and injuries, Steelers still have an iron grip.
....For the 5th time in 11 seasons the Steelers have the top defense, an astonishing stranglehold on opposing offenses that have changed drastically in that time.
2. NBA: Rookie starts, but an old hand lifts the NY Knicks.[/img]....Iman Shumpert started the game in the backcourt, but the journeyman Mike Bibby was the key player in the Knicks’ easy 103-80 road victory against the Pistons.
a. Kings hope change is for the better.
....The Sacramento Kings are regrouping under Keith Smart, who talked extensively about the challenges in front of him.
b. James returns with a vengeance against Nets.
....With Dwyane Wade out for the third straight game, LeBron James, returning from an ankle sprain, scored 32 points against the Nets to win 101-90.
3. MLB: Posada expected to retire as NY Yankee.
....According to a baseball executive with knowledge of the situation, Jorge Posada has told teammates that he plans to retire rather than attempt to play for another team at 40.
4. NCAAF: Bill O'Brien faces fragile situation as Paterno successor.
....Penn State introduced Bill O’Brien, the New England Patriots’ offensive coordinator, as its new football coach Saturday. He will face several challenges in succeeding Joe Paterno, including the wrath of several Penn State football alum.
5. NCAABK: Rutgers defeats UConn in Calhoun's return while St John's beat Cincinnati at the buzzer.
....Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun returned after serving a three-game NCAA suspension, but the eighth-ranked Huskies lost to Rutgers.
6. HOCKEY: Far from the NHL, a league that survived hopes to grow.
....The Federal Hockey League, which added three teams for its second season, is attempting to succeed in the Northeast where several minor leagues have failed.
7. SOCCER: Manchester shows its colors, and red is victorious.

....Manchester United won Sunday at Manchester City, bouncing the defending champion out of the F.A. Cup.
8. SNOWBOARDING: Wary of energy drinks in an adrenaline sport.
....Bryan Fox and Austin Smith recently found themselves on the front lines against energy drinks when they wrote “Drink Water” on the decks of their snowboards.

Thought for Today
"Anxiety never yet successfully bridged over any chasm."
--Giovanni Ruffini, Italian writer (1807-1881).

Today's flower: Pisum sativum or pea flower - characteristic of Fabaceae, the legume family. There are 5 petals on this irregular flower; 1 large broad upper "banner" petal, 2 "wing" petals on either side, and 2 lower "keel" petals that are joined to form a canoe shape.



[/font][/color]

[pegasus]

Good afternoon from Tuxy and me
:)This is the 9th day of 2012 with 356 days left in the year.

Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 2:05 a.m., it's fair , temp 40ºF [Feels like 333ºF], winds SSW @ 9 mph, humidity 43%, pressure 30.05 in and falling, dew point 19ºF, chance of rain 0%.

Today in History:
1493--Christopher Columbus, sailing near today's Dominican Republic, mistook three manatees for mermaids.
1768--the first modern version of the circus was staged.
1776--Thomas Paine published Common Sense.
1788--Connecticut became the fifth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
1806--Adm. Horatio Nelson is buried a hero at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
1861--Mississippi became the 2nd state to seced from the Union.
1861--the Star of the West, a merchant vessel bringing reinforcements and supplies to Federal troops at Fort Sumter, S.C., retreated because of artillery fire
1887--A record cold and snowfall decimated cattle herds in the West.
1913--Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th Pres. of the US and the first to resign from office because of the Watergate scandal, was born; died 1994 at age 81.
1917--the World War I Battle of Khadain Bend began.
1931--Bobbi Trout and Edna May Cooper broke an endurance record for female aviators as they returned to Mines Field in Los Angeles after flying a Curtiss Robin monoplane continuously for 122 hours and 50 minutes.
1945--American forces began landing at Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines,
1952--Pres. Truman warned of Cold War dangers.
1968--the Surveyor 7 space probe made a soft landing on the moon, marking the end of the American series of unmanned explorations of the lunar surface.
1972--reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes said a purported authorized biography of him by Clifford Irving was a fake.
1973--Sylvester Stallone began filming Rocky.
1987--the White House released a memorandum prepared for Pres. Reagan that showed a definite link between US arms sales to Iran and the release of American hostages in Lebanon.
1995--in New York, the trial of Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman and 11 other defendants accused of conspiring to wage holy war against the United States began.
2001--Apple Computer Inc. introduced its iTunes music management software at the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco.
2002--two Islamic militants stormed an Israeli army post near the Gaza Strip, killing four soldiers before being shot dead in a gun battle.
2005--Mahmoud Abbas was elected Palestinian Authority president by a landslide.
2006--The Phantom of the Opera became the longest-running show in Broadway history, surpassing "Cats," which ran for 7,485 performances.
2007--Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone.
2007--U.S. forces continued to stage airstrikes against suspected al-Qaida fighters in Somalia in the first offensive there since 18 American soldiers were killed in 1993.
2009--the Illinois House voted to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
2011--federal prosecutors brought charges against Jared Loughner, the man accused of attempting to assassinate Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and killing six people at a political event in Tucson.


Today's News:

World News Capsules:
1. Karzai's ultimatum complicated US exit strategy.
....The demand by Pres. Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan that the Americans cede control of an Afghan prison exposes a deep vein of mistrust.
a. Afghan soldier kills American and wounds 3 others.
....It was the 3rd time in just over two weeks that a man wearing an Afghan Army uniform attacked NATO personnel.
2. Islamists in Egypt back timing of military handover.
....A leader of the Muslim Brotherhood’s political party said it had decided to support keeping the military-appointed cabinet and prime minister in place for six months.
3. With work scarce in Athens, Greeks go back to the land.
....As Greece's economy plunges and unemployment rises, many Greeks are fleeing to the countryside and looking to the nation's rich agricultural past as a guide to the future.
a. Merkel and Sarkozy press Greece as bond markets remain wary.
....German debt was sold for a negative return, indicating that investors are willing to trade profit for safety.
4. Alleged spy for US sentenced to death in Iran.
....A former US Maarine and dual citizen of America and Iran has been convicted of agglegedly spying for the CIA. According to his family, Arizona-born Amir Mirza Hekmati was visiting his grandmothers in Iran when arrested.
a. Iran trumpets nuclear ability at a 2nd location.

....The imminent opening of an enrichment site confronts the United States and its allies with difficult choices about how far to go to limit Iran's nuclear abilities.
5. Car bombs kill 14 in Baghdad.
....Two car bombs exploded Monday evening in the Iraqi capital, according to authorities, raising already high concerns about an outbreak of a full-scale sectarian conflict
6. Monti shifts emphasis in Italy to growth.
....The Italian prime minister has pledged to introduce measures to revive Italy’s long-dormant economy, but is also raising pressure on Europe to shore up the single currency.
7. Malaysia opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim cleared after 2-year sodomy trial.

....Politician who was dubbed 'The Future of Asia' was found not guilty by the Kuala Lumpur High Court due to unreliable forensic evidence in case that captivated and polarized the Muslim-majority country.
8. US agents aided Mexican drug trafficker to infiltrate his criminal ring.
....The infiltration was part of an effort to dismantle the criminal organizations wreaking havoc south of the border, according to newly obtained Mexican government documents.
9. Smear in Russia backfires, and online tributes roll in.
....Doctored photographs have a long history in Russia as political tools, but two or more parties can play the game in the Internet age
10. A revered, and divided, liberator of South Africa.
....The African National Congress celebrated its 100th anniversary at a lavish jamboree, focusing on its revered history rather than bitter schisms that now divide it
11. South Korea investigates vote-buying scandal.
....Prosecutors investigated an allegation that a former chairman of Pres. Lee Myung-bak’s ruling Grand National Party tried to buy votes in a party leadership race.
a. South Korea's Hyundai Elantra wins North American Car of the Year.

....Hyundai beat Ford Focus and Volkswagen Passat for top honor at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit auto show. Land Rover's Range Rover Evoque named truck of the year.
12. US orders Venezuelan envoy in Miami to leave.
....The move comes soon after a TV report alleging that Venezuela’s consul general in Miami, while in Mexico, discussed possible cyberattacks against the United States.
US News Capsules:
1. They can afford the mortgage, but they walk away.
...Seattle's David Martin hasn't done it yet, but more and more homeowners are deciding on a 'strategic default' as housing prices continue their decline.
2. Alaska town hit by 18 FEET of snow in past few weeks.
....Dozens of National Guard troops armed with shovels deployed across Cordova, a southeast Alaska fishing town, on Monday after the coastal region was swamped with too much snow.

3. Elevator of death: Woman rode into high-rise fire.

....Chicago woman apparently got on the elevator with a bag of takeout food to go home, not knowing a fire was raging high above her.
4. Cue the (tiny) violin: Wall Street pay falls victim to a volatile year.

....Ahead of fourth-quarter earnings reports from major banks, compensation at 34 big financial firms in 2011 is projected to plummet. Some Goldman Sachs traders could lose up to 60% of their pay and will get no bonuses, and the average pay at Goldman Sachs will fall to $385,000 from an average $431,000 in 2010, according to the The Wall Street Journal/i]. By contrast, a report by Sentier Research last fall found that U.S. median household income in June of last year was $49,909, down from $55,309 at the end of 2007.
5. Bus crash in icy Monana kills 2, injures dozens.

....Eight people remained in serious or critical condition early Monday after their bus crashed on an icy interstate highway in southwestern Montana, killing two others. 'In 16 years I haven't seen anything like this ... So many people laying on the ground with injuries, writhing in pain,' highway police officer says.
6. Low, high-end sales boom while mid-level retailers founder.

....Luxury brands/higher-end retailers (like Macy's, Nordstrom, Saks) and stores known for rock-bottom prices (T.J. Maxx, Dollar General) don't usually have much in common, but these polar opposites both enjoyed what many mass-market retailers (J.C. Penney, Sears, Gap) missed during the holidays: positive sales figures.
7. Ford turns to the midsize car to challenge Japan.
....The new Fusion sedan is one aspect of Ford's all-out bid to gain share in the competitive midsize car segment dominated in recent decades by Japanese automakers.
8. Big Three newscasts are changing the state of play.
....Influenced by cable and the Internet, the network news divisions of ABC, CBS and NBC have shifted the focus to differentiating their nightly shows.
a. For 'CBS This Morning' showtime has arrived.
....CBS This Morning, which has its premiere on Monday, is all new, from its news anchors to the studio where it will be produced.
9. Texas death offers grim reminder that gun replicas can fool police.
....The death has shocked this South Texas border city, but it was only the latest in a series of shootings involving realistic-looking BB guns and pellet guns.
10. The downs and ups of driving in Los Angeles.
....Major temperature swings are an oddity in Los Angeles. But there are potholes aplenty. On some major streets, every downpour seems to bring another jarring rut.
11. 25-year-old man arrested in Florida bomb plot.
....A man from the former Yugoslavia was charged with an alleged plot to attack crowded locations in the Tampa area with a car bomb, assault rifle and other explosives, federal authorities said.
12. A tech show loses clout as industry shifts.
....Even though the Consumer Electronics Show is the world’s biggest technology convention, companies are seeking ways to introduce their products on their own.
POLITICS:
1. GOP candidates wade into food stamp debate.
....Politicians normally shy away from saying they want to cut food stamps, but this year's Republican presidential candidates are using domestic food aid as an example of a welfare state gone awry.
a. In N.H., GOOP voters' questions often omit jobs.
....Judging from the presidential forums being held all over New Hampshire, the biggest threats to America appear to be online piracy, an insidious United Nations and "crony capitalism," but both Iowa and New Hampshire, rural and white, have unemployment far below the US average, leaving them out of touch with most of the country.
2. Huntsman capitalizes on Romney attack.
....Throughout the day, the self-ascribed underdog Huntsman has turned an attack by Mitt Romney into an opportunities to hit back, expressing exactly how he feels about the front-runner.
3. Romney and Christie tangle with 'Occupy' protestors.
....Mitt Romney and Chris Christie got into verbal wrestling matches of their own with three separate sets of Occupy protesters who were chanting "Mitt/Christie Kills Jobs.".
a. Romney is focus as battle in GOP takes sharp edge.
....Republican rivals lined up against Mitt Romney in a New Hampshire debate, engaging him in some of the most pointed exchanges of the campaign.
b. PAC ads to attack Romney as predatory captialist.
....A super PAC plans to attack Mitt Romney's work with the private equity firm Bain Capital, using clips from an anti-Romney film and money from the casino mogul Sheldon Adelson.
4. For Gingrich, attacks on Romeny come with a risk.
....Gingrich said on NBC's Today show that Romney "owes us a report on his stewardship" of Bain Capital in the last several years. In weekend debates, Gingrich and Romney crossed rhetorical swords over each other's most recent past — Gingrich's time as an author and consultant, and Romney's as a venture capitalist "whose work often led to pink slips for workers. "
a. In N.H. newspaper, Gingrich gets coveted and ferocious supporter.
....Newt Gingrich's wooing of The New Hampshire Union Leader secured one of the most coveted endorsements of the presidential election.

Today's Headlines of Interest:

Creamed: Milk powder spills as stricken ship splits off New Zealand coast.

A light sheen of oil extended about two miles (three kilometers) from the Rena, a wrecked cargo ship that split in two over the weekend, but so far the damage appears small compared to the environmental disaster created when the vessel ran aground in October, New Zealand authorities said Monday. Some people have been seen scavenging bags of powdered milk from the beach, but authorities warned the food may be unsafe. Bruce Fraser, a spokesman for Maritime New Zealand, which oversees shipping, said it estimates that fewer than 100 tons of oil remain on the wreck.
The Rena spilled about 400 tons of fuel oil when it ran aground Oct. 5 on Astrolabe Reef, 14 miles (22 kilometers) from Tauranga Harbor on North Island. That spill, considered the worst maritime environmental disaster in New Zealand history, fouled pristine beaches. Authorities found 2,000 dead seabirds from the spill and estimate 10 times as many might have perished. Since then, salvage crews have removed about 1,100 tons of oil from the ship, along with nearly 400 20-foot and 40-foot containers. It was a slow process to remove cargo from the wreck, however, and hundreds of containers remained by the time pounding seas broke it apart.


Excedrin, Bufferin recalled over mislabeled pills.
The U.S. unit of Novartis AG issued a nationwide voluntary recall of certain bottled versions of Excedrin and Bufferin, and two other products, bottled versions of NoDoz and Gas-X Prevention, because they may contain stray, broken or chipped tablets from other Novartis products. Mixing of different products in the same bottle could result in taking an incorrect product or receiving a higher or lower strength than intended or receiving an unintended ingredient, which could potentially result in overdose or an allergic reaction. Novartis said it has voluntarily suspended operations and shipments from its Lincoln, Nebraska, facility to rectify the problems at the site.
The recall is for bottled packages of Excedrin and NoDoz with expiration dates of Dec. 20, 2014, or earlier, and for Bufferin and Gas-X Prevention products with expiration dates of Dec. 20, 2013, or earlier. Consumers can find more information on the website www.novartisOTC.com as of Jan 9.

Grocery bills make dining-out appear affordable.

Higher gas prices are a snap to spot. But how about grocery prices? Meat prices jumped more than 8% in 2011, the USDA estimated. Eggs were up about the same amount. Fats and oils? Up close to 9%. The rising cost of some grocery items can make one see financial sense in becoming a vegan, even with fresh fruit and vegetables climbing about 4 to 4.5%. Overall, the Consumer Price Index for all food went up last year between 3.25 and 3.75%, with the forecast for 2012 looking slightly less steep, between 2.5 and 3.5%. Higher commodity and energy prices, along with greater global demand, mean more money out of pocket for food shoppers. And more people are eating at home because of unemployment, stagnant wages and uncertain times.
The silver lining in this cloud is that restaurant prices didn’t rise as quickly last year – about 2 to 2.5% – and are expected to increase slowly this year. (In 2010, Americans spent 47.9% of their food budget on chow away from home.) Ironically, prices of luxury foods like steaks and fresh fish -- which consumers have been eschewing in favor of cheaper fare -- rose less. And there are ways to lessen grocery bills by choosing store brands, clipping coupons and sticking with less processed food. Cooking classes can be fun, offering tasty opportunities to become inventive in the kitchen. If you’ve got room, get a chicken coop. Start a garden, tiny or not-so tiny. Or go vegetarian, if not full-time, maybe a few days a week.
During World War II when food was scarce or expensive, victory gardens sprang up everywhere (including my parents' backyard). Maybe it's time for "Occupy" gardens to do the same.

Sports Headlines
1. NFL PLAYOFFS: Tebow, Broncos only add to NFL's best weekend.
....The NFL's best weekend heavyweight matchups, dynamite offenses and great storylines when Pats QB Tom Brady matches up with Denver's Tim Tebow in the coming divisional playoffs, it'll be just one of four compelling playoff games.
a. 2007 rerun? Giants take first step.
....Four years ago, the Giants rode a late-season wave to an unlikely championship, and now - after beating Atlanta - they are three wins away from a title that would be even more of a surprise.
a(1). No longer upstaged, Nicks brings style to the playoff dance.
....Overshadowed by Victor Cruz this season, Hakeem Nicks caught six passes for 115 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Giants knocked Atlanta out of the playoffs.
a(2). On 4th-and-1, Giants defense showed its mettle.
....On two fourth-down plays in what Coach Tom Coughlin described as the shadow of the Giants’ goal posts, his team denied Atlanta.
2. NCAAF Championship: With family as foundation, Alabama's Richardson perseveres.

....Trent Richardson went to the same high school as Emmitt Smith, who calls Richardson “the best running-back prospect in a long time.”
3. MLB: Larkin awaits baseball's most prized call.

....Barry Larkin received 51.6% of the votes when he appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2010, then got 62.1% last year. With no shoo-ins among this year's new candidates, he was the leading contender to gain election by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
4. NHL: A Ranger often overlooked makes his hometown proud.
....Defenseman Dan Girardi, who went undrafted, leads all NHL players in ice time this season but is a long shot to make the All-Star team.


Thought for Today
"The happiness and prosperity of our citizens is the only legitimate object of government."
--Thomas Jefferson, Founding Father & 3rd US Pres. of the US (1743-1826),

Today's flower: Allamanda violacea or purple allamanda - tropical evergreen vine or climbing shrub has three-inch-long, funnel-shaped blooms which are reddish-purple fading to pink, giving a two-toned effect.



[/color]

[pegasus]

Good afternoon from Tuxy and me
:)This is the 10th day of 2012 with 355 days left in the year.

Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 3:52 p.m., it's cloudy , temp 40ºF [Feels like 35ºF], winds WNW @ 7 mph, humidity 53%, pressure 29.91 in and rising, dew point 24ºF, chance of precipitation 10%.

Today in History:
1776--Thomas Paine anonimously published the pamphlet Common Sense, which argued for American independence from British rule.
1776--North Carolina governor calls on Loyalists to combat rebels.
1860--the Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Mass., collapsed and caught fire, killing up to 145 people, mostly female workers from Scotland and Ireland.
1861--Florida became the 3rd state to secede from the Union.
1870--John D. Rockefeller incorporated Standard Oil.
1901--the Spindletop oil field in Beaumont, Tex., produced the Lucas Gusher, heralding the start of the Texas oil boom.
1910--Galina Sergeyevna Ulanova, one of the greatest ballet dancers of the 20th century, was born; died 1998 at age 88.
1920--the League of Nations was established as the Treaty of Versailles went into effect.
1941--Pres. Roosevelt introduced the lend-lease program to assist England and Russia against Germany.
1946---the first General Assembly of the UN convened in London.
1947--the musical fantasy Finian's Rainbow, with music by Burton Lane and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, opened on Broadway/
1962--John W. McCormack became speaker of the House, succeeding the late Samuel T. Rayburn.
1962--an ice avalanche on Nevado Huascaran in Peru resulted in some 4,000 deaths.
1964--the Beatles' first album in the US, Introducing the Beatles, was released.
1967--Republican Edward W. Brooke of Massachusetts, the first black elected to the US Senate by popular vote, took his seat.
1971--Masterpiece Theatre premiered on PBS with host Alistair Cooke introducing the drama series "The First Churchills."
1971--Coco Chanel, French fashion designer, died at age 87 in Paris.
1982--Paul Linde, actor-comedian, died at age 55 in Baverly Hills, Calif.
1984--the US and the Vatican established full diplomatic relations.
1989--Cuban troops begin withdrawal from Angola.
2000--America Online agreed to buy Time-Warner for $162 billion.
2002--US Marines began flying hundreds of al-Qaida prisoners in Afghanistan to a U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
2002--White House revealed that Enron Corp. had sought the administration's help shortly before collapsing with the life savings of many workers.
2003--North Korea withdrew from a global treaty barring it from making nuclear weapons.
2005--CBS issued a damning independent review of mistakes related to a 60 Minutes Wednesday report on Pres. Bush's National Guard service.
2007--Pres. Bush a "surge" of 21,500 U.S. forces to Iraq.
2011--a judge ordered former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to serve three years in prison for his role in a scheme to illegally funnel corporate money to Texas candidates in 2002.
2011--Margaret Whiting, pop singer ("Moonlight in Vermont", "Now is the Hour" [#2], "Far Away Places" [#2], "A Tree in the Meadow" [#1], "Slippin' Around" [#1], died at age 86 in Englewood, NJ.

Today's News:

World News Capsules:
1. Suicide attack at government buidling in Afghanistan kills 7.
....After a seven-hour gunfight in Paktika Province, three police officers and four government workers, as well as the three assailants, were dead
2. In Brazil, officers of the law, outside the law.
....In parts of Brazil, militias extort money, punish those who cross them and carry out extrajudicial killings.
3. A long shot for Geithner as he begins Beijing talks.
....Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner hopes to enlist China in a campaign to use sanctions to pressure Iran and convince Beijing to change its economic policies to American liking.
4. Egypt's women find power still hinges on men.
....Despite playing a large role in the protests that ousted Presi. Mubarak, Egyptian women still face the restrictions of a patriarchal system.
5. Rule change would allow some foreign-owned stores in India.
....The government said it would allow foreign retailers who sell just one brand of products to open wholly-owned stores in India, up from a maximum of 51 percent ownership now,
6. Inspectors say Iran is enriching uranium at mountain site.
....Iran has begun enriching uranium at a new plant, an act of defiance that comes amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran.
a. Family of condemned American hires prominent lawyer.
....The punishment shocked the man’s family and was imposed against a backdrop of increasingly bellicose relations with the US over the disputed Iranian nuclear program.
7. In Japan, a rebuilt island serves as a cautionary tale.
....Residents of Okushiri, which was devastated in 1993, say that the island’s $1 billion government reconstruction may have helped kill its revival.
8. Aung San Suu Kyi confirms she will run for Parliament.
....Myanmar’s opposition leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, confirmed that she will run for a seat in the country’s new Parliament in an April by-election.
9. Nigerian fuel subsidy end is 'treason'.

....Protests over the removal of fuel subsidies in Nigeria have led to several deaths. But Nigerian musician Seun Anikulapo-Kuti argues that hikes in fuel prices only betray an impoverished nation.
10. North Korea announces prisoner release.
....North Korea said that it will release prisoners in its first special pardon since 2005, as the country escalated efforts to build support for its new leader, Kim Jong-un.
11. Truck bomb kills dozens in Pakistan.

....More than two dozen people were killed by a truck bomb that an official said appeared to target a pro-government group in western Pakistan in an act of revenge.
12. Stampede highlights crisis at South African universities.

....One woman died and at least several people were injured in a stampede by students desperate to apply for admission to a public university.
12. 7.3 magnitude earthquake hits near Sumatra.
....The quake happened at a depth of 18.1 miles about 262 miles southwest of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, and 590 miles west of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. There is no widespread tsunami threat, but a local threat is possible, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
13. Syrian leader vows 'iron fist' to crush 'conspiracy'.

....Pres. Bashar al-Assad lashed out at the Arab League for isolating Syria, and vowed to subdue what he cast as a foreign-backed plot against the country.
a. Israel prepares to take inSyrians if al-Assad falls.

....In an "unprecedented" reaction to internal Arab affairs, an Israeli official said the country is getting ready to absorb fleeing Syrian Alawites if the Bashar al-Assad regime falls.

US News Capsules:
1. Daley stepping down in rare White House shake-up.
....William M. Daley will be replaced by Jacob J. Lew, the budget director and a seasoned Washington insider, jolting the top ranks of Pres. Obama's administration in an election year.
2. A new race of mercy to Nome, this time without sled dogs.

....A Russian tanker is slogging through sea ice behind a Coast Guard icebreaker, trying to bring 1.3 million gallons of emergency gasoline and diesel to remote Alaska.
3. Florida man charged with plotting terror campaign in name of Islam.
....A man was charged with plotting a terrorist spree around Tampa, which included plans to bomb night clubs, destroy bridges and shoot police officers in the name of radical Islam.
4. Wanted or not: alternative-fuel cars flood auto show.

....Automakers are flooding the Detroit auto show with new hybrid and plug-in models, but the combination of gas prices below $4 a gallon and higher upfront costs for the cars is not attracting consumers.
a. A merger once scoffed at bears fruit in Detroit.
....Some analysts said the Chrysler and Fiat merger could become a model for trans-Atlantic cooperation in the auto industry.
5. A fine for not using a biofuel that doesn't exist.
....The oil companies could pay $6.8 million in penalties for failing to blend cellulosic biofuel, which is not available commercially, into their diesel and motor fuels.
6. Awards lists keep 'em guessing.
....The Directors Guild muddied the Oscars race with its omissions of Steven Spielberg (War Horse) and Tate Taylor (The Help) from its nominations for a directing award.
7. Players roll the dice for Dungeons & Dragons remake.
....Wizards of the Coast, the Hasbro subsidiary that owns Dungeons & Dragons, announced that a new edition is under development: and players will weigh in on how to reboot the franchise.
9. Painting bold promises at CBS with bright morning colors.
....CBS This Morning was supposed to set itself apart from its competitors with more news, but much of the first show looked a lot like those others.
10. SCIENCE: To preserve history on the Moon, visitors are asked to tread lightly.
....Some archaeologists and historians worry that the next generation to visit the moon might carelessly obliterate the site of one of humanity's greatest accomplishments.
a. Finding a way to put a zebra in your tank.
....Researchers in New Orleans study animal droppings in zoos to find microbes capable of breaking down cellulose and converting it into biofuel.
b. Using modern tools to reconstruct ancient life.
....Advanced analysis provides revelations for archaeologists at a dig in Ashkelon, Israel.
c. Nicotine gum and skin patch face new doubt.
....
11. Pentagon tries to counter cheap, potent weapons.
....Pres. Obama’s new military strategy has focused attention on weapons like mines and cyberattacks.
12. Restrictions loom for exotic aimals business.
....Since the killing of 49 exotic animals set loose in Ohio last year, officials are moving to better regulate the business, raising concerns among traders and owners.
13. New Music: Jay-Z featuring B.I.C..

....“Glory,” a new single by Jay-Z released after his wife, Beyoncé, gave birth the their first child, whose cries are sampled on the song, is an openhearted ode to the baby.
14. Where outlandish meeets landish.
....The Museum of Jurassic Technology in Culver City, Calif., is a wunderkammer of the real and the should-be-real.
POLITICS:
1. Rick Santorum's anti-college rant.
....The Republican candidate accusesdPres. Obama of "hubris" and "snobbery" for pushing higher education.
2. Romney waves away opponents' intensifing attacks.

....The attacks on Mitt Romney over his role at Bain Capital, a corporate buyout firm, came as his lead in New Hampshire appeared to be slipping.
3. Justices grapple with voting rights cast that could help tip the House.
....A dispute over redrawn voting maps appeared to frustrate some members of the Supreme Court against the backdrop of looming deadlines.
4. Voting in N.H. opens as Romney fends off attacks.
....As New Hampshire voters began to cast ballots, the Republican candidates sought to slow Mitt Romney’s march to the nomination, branding him as a corporate villain.
a. N.H. vote seen as gauge as rivals try to slow Romney.
....Fresh evidence suggested Mitt Romney was still the heavy favorite to win New Hampshire’s primary, even as Jon M. Huntsman Jr. enjoyed a late surge in the polls.
5. In South Carolina, hopes of passing a crucial test.
....South Carolina, which holds a primary in 11 days, is fast becoming an early proving ground, and for some Republican candidates, a likely final opportunity.

Today's Headlines of Interest:

Weird winter weather: Want snow? Head South.

(High school students in Midland, Texas in a snowball fight)
Where's winter? If you're in the lower 48 states you might try Midland, Texas. At some 20 inches so far this season -- more than half of that dumped on Monday alone -- it's got more snow than most U.S. cities much farther north. Take Minneapolis, Minn., at just 10.3 inches of snow so far this season (the norm: 24.9 inches), according to weather.com. Or Chicago, Ill., at just 1.9 inches, when by this time last winter it already had seen nearly 17 inches. Or Buffalo, N.Y., at just 5.5 inches, not the normal 44.4 inches.
In Midland, which saw a daily snow record Monday from a system that also spawned a twister or two in the Houston area, National Weather Service meteorologist Jim DeBerry credits the above average snow to a strong La Nina, the cyclical weather pattern that starts in the Pacific Ocean. But La Nina was also expected to bring a strong winter to the northern part of the U.S., forecasters predicted last fall. What gives?
Minnesota Public Radio meteorologist Paul Huttner says it's complicated. "There may not be one specific reason," he said on the MPR website. "The jet stream has stayed unusually far north in Canada so far this winter. One reason is the so called Arctic Oscillation. It's been in a strong 'positive phase' this year which means stronger westerlies and Pacific air masses for Minnesota" instead of the colder air coming down from the Arctic.
Can't wait for lots of snow? Head to Alaska, where a severe winter means record snow, bitter cold and strong winds. The coastal fishing town of Cordova, where National Guard troops are helping remove a serving of snow that's twice the norm, has even branded its winter: Snowpocalypse 2012.

'Fat' galaxy cluster discovered 7 billion light-years away.

The largest galaxy cluster ever seen in the distant universe has been spotted by an international team of scientists using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, and the Atacama Cosmology Telescope in Chile. Researchers have named this cluster "El Gordo," Spanish for "the fat one." It is located 7 billion light-years away from our planet.
Galaxy clusters are held together by gravity, and are the largest structures in the universe. Scientists are interested in using these clusters to study mysterious phenomena called dark matter and dark energy, which collectively make up about 95% of the universe. That's right – all the material that we see and know so well is only 5% of the universe we inhabit.
Dark matter doesn't emit or absorb light; dark energy is thought to be responsible for the expansion of the universe. The formation of galaxy clusters like El Gordo depends on the amounts of dark matter and dark energy, so it may hold clues to these phenomena. El Gordo is made up of two separate galaxy subclusters that are colliding at several million kilometers per hour, the European Southern Observatory said.

Sports Headlines
1. NCAAF Championship: Taking the rematch, and the title.

....Alabama claimed its 14th national title in the first shutout in BCS title-game history against No. 1 Louisiana State, winning 21-0. A series of field goals and an explosive offense brought Alabama to victory against L.S.U. - and all behind the right arm of A J McCarron.
a. Bad season ends worse.
....College football's grim season ends with a dud of a championship game as Alabama wins ugly and Louisiana State comes up empty.
b. As season ends, BCS retooling begins.
....BCS officials will meet today for the first in a series of discussions on altering college football’s postseason, but few of those involved would predict an outcome.
2. NFL: Josh McDaniels, key figure for the Broncos, is now a Patriot.
....McDaniels became the most reviled and, it turns out, unexpectedly influential figure in Denver after stunning the NFL by selecting Tim Tebow at least a full round ahead of popular expectation.
a. Giants find missing part for rematch: confidence.
....As the Giants began preparations for Sunday’s game, many of the players trained their focus on the positive developments that have taken place since the last time they saw the Packers.
b. Health and home field are two more advantges for the Packers.
....The Packers will open the playoffs healthy and at home, but their defense needs work.
3. MLB: Larkin elected to Baseball Hall of Fame.
....The longtime Reds shortstop was the only player elected by baseball writers, and will join Ron Santo, who was elected posthumously last month by the veterans committee.
4. NBA: A struggle for Anthony and the Knicks, but also a 3rd straight win.
....Six days after losing at home to Charlotte, the Knicks held on at the Garden as Carmelo Anthony scored 8 of their final 9 points to beat the Bobcats 91-87.
a. Pres. Obama makes time for busy Dallas Mavericks.
....The president, a passionate supporter of his hometown Bulls, was lavish in praising the Mavericks, who beat the star-studded Heat in last year’s NBA finals.
5. SOCCER: Given room, Tottenham runs toward the top.
....If Tottenham beats Everton on Wednesday, they will be tied with Manchester United for second in the Premier League, with a match against Manchester City coming up soon.
a. Returns of Henry and Scholes show pull of Premier League.
....Thierry Henry's return to Arsenal, and Paul Scholes's return to Manchester United a day earlier, were two very different experiences, for teams with two very different sets of needs.
6. GOLF: A rising tide of South Korean golfers.
....K. J. Choi, once the only South Korean playing full time on the PGA Tour, will have plenty of company from his homeland this season,
7. TENNIS: Optimism, but mixed results, at the vanguard.
....Grace Min is among a coterie of candidates poised to fill the void in American women’s tennis soon to be created by the Williams sisters, both in their early 30s.


Thought for Today
"Nothing is easier than spending public money. It does not appear to belong to anybody. The temptation is overwhelming to bestow it on somebody."
--Calvin Coolidge, 30th US President (1873-1933),

Today's flower: Clytostoma callistegioides or purple painted or violet trumpet vine - a robust and carefree grower with distinctive showy flowers. Also called violet trumpet, it is a woody stemmed evergreen vine with a habit of clambering over adjacent foliage, fences and structures using tendrils to hang on tight.



[/color]

[pegasus]

Good afternoon from Tuxy and me
:)This is the 11th day of 2012 with 354 days left in the year.

Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 12:52 p.m., it's cloudy , temp 39ºF [Feels like 32ºF], winds NW @ 13 mph, humidity 61%, pressure 23.37 in and falling, dew point 27ºF, chance of precipitation 10%.

Today in History:
1757--American founding father Alexander Hamilton was born in the West Indies.
1759--the first American life insurance corporation, for "poor and distressed" Presbyterian ministers and their widows and children, was chartered in Philadelphia.
1805--the Michigan Territory was created. by an act of Congress
1807--Ezra Cornell, founder of Cornell University, was born; died 1874 at age 67.
1842--William James, the American psychologist a& exponent of pragmatism, was born; died 1910 at age 68.
1861--Alabama became the 4th state to secede from the Union.
1863--the Union captured a Confederate stronghold in Arkansas.
1885--Alice Paul, women's rights activist, was born; died 1977 at age 82.
1908--Pres. Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed the Grand Canyon National Monument (it became a national park in 1919.)
1913--the first sedan-type automobile, a Hudson, went on display at the 13th National Automobile Show in New York
1935--aviator Amelia Earhart began a trip from Honolulu to Oakland, Calif., becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean.
1937--Violence erupts at Gemeral Motors plant strike.
1942--Japan declared war against the Netherlands, the same day that Imperial Japanese forces invaded the Dutch East Indies.
1943--the US and Britain signed treaties relinquishing extraterritorial rights in China.
1944--Nazi enforcers terrorized German POWs in US internment camps.
1945--A truce was signed in the Greek Civil War.
1964--US Surgeon Gen. Luther Terry issued the first government report that said smoking may be hazardous to one's health.
1973--owners of American League baseball teams voted to adopt the designated-hitter rule.
1977--France set off an international uproar by releasing Abu Daoud, a Palestinian suspected of involvement in the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics..
2002--Ford Motor Co. announced it was eliminating 35,000 jobs, closing five plants and dropping four models.
2002--the first planeload of suspected al-Qaida prisoners from Afghanistan arrived in Guantanamo Detention Camp, Cuba.
2003--calling the death penalty process "arbitrary and capricious, and therefore immoral," Illinois Gov. George Ryan commuted the sentences of 167 condemned inmates, clearing his state's death row two days before leaving office.
2007--English soccer player David Beckham announced a five-year deal to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy.
2008--Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to conquer Mount Everest, died at age 88.
2010--Mark McGwire admitted to The Associated Press that he'd used steroids and human growth hormone when he broke baseball's home run record in 1998.


Today's News:

World News Capsules:
1. Magnetic bomb killed Iran nuke expert; Israel accused.

...."Western powers and their allies appear to be relying on covert war tactics to try to delay and degrade Iran's nuclear advancement,' Iran security expert says.
a. American's unusual resume may have attracted Iran's suspicion.
....A Pentagon language-training contract, a military background, Iranian heritage and some linguistic work may have contributed to Iran's arrest and conviction of Amir Mirzaei Hekmati.
2. Mexico kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman is 'world's most powerful drug trafficker.'
....Fugitive cartel leader is already on Forbes list of richest people with an estimated fortune of $1 billion.
3. Joran van der Sloot pleads guilty to murder i killing of 21-year-old Peru woman.

....Victim Stephany Flores was murdered five years to the day after Natalee Holloway, the American teen's disappearance.
4. Fatal stampede in South Africa points up university crisis.
....One woman died and several people were injured in a stampede by students desperate to apply for admission to a public university.
5. Western journalist, 7 others killed in Syria; 25 injured including 2nd journalist.
....A Western journalist was among eight people who were killed Wednesday in a grenade or rocket attack in Syria's restive Homs city, according to a report.
a. Outsiders feed unrest in Syria, Assad says.
....In a speech, Pres. Bashar al-Assad stressed that he would use "an iron hand" against foreign enemies, even as many at home and abroad are predicting the fall of his government.

US News Capsules:
1. No shortage of winter: It's basting Alaska.

....Unlike the rest of the U.S., there's no shortage of winter in Alaska, where 60-mph winds shut down one town overnight, avalanches cut off a main highway outside Anchorage on Tuesday, fuel supplies were running low in at least three places and National Guard troops were helping a snow-smothered town dig out.
2. First lady rejects 'angry black woman' portrayal.

....First lady Michelle Obama is challenging assertions she's forcefully imposed her will on White House aides, saying she's tired of people portraying her as "some kind of angry black woman."
3. Back from war, fear and danger fill driver's seat.
....Erratic driving by returning troops is being identified as a symptom of traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder - and coming under greater scrutiny.
4. Dividends rise in sign of recovery.
....If analysts' forecasts come true, higher dividend payouts will continue in 2012, as companies release more cash and try to win over investors.
POLITICS:
1. Romney won GOP primary in New Hampshire.
....The outcome was a measure of strength for Mitt Romney and a test for challengers seeking a strong performance to propel them into the South Carolina primary (Ron Paul 2nd, Jon Huntsman 3rd).
a. Advisers work to put positive spin on Romney's career in corporate buyouts.
....Advisers to Mitt Romney, stung by attacks from Republican rivals on his career as a corporate buyout specialist, are scrambling to avoid a prolonged battle.
2. Ron Paul finished second in New Hampshire.
....The outcome seemed to give Ron Paul, often dismissed as a protest candidate, reason to extend his campaign.
3. Nasty so far? Get ready for a rumble in South Carolina.
....Palmetto State looms as the last chance to deny front-runner Mitt Romney the nomination.
a. In South Carolina, challenges await on ideology and faith.
....If Mitt Romney succeeds in South Carolina, a place famous for surfacing the dark undercurrents of American politics, it will be a triumph of political rebranding.

Today's Headlines of Interest:

Snow starved California preps for driest year on record.

It's tempting to attribute the unseasonably warm and dry January completely to the Pacific Ocean temperature pattern dubbed "La Nina," long-associated with reduced precipitation in California. But La Nina was also present last winter, when more rainfall than usual drenched Los Angeles and the snowfall in the Sierra Nevada was even higher than normal -- as much as 50 feet in places. Now bare spots are evident even at higher elevations.
"This is truly a tale of two 'Ninas,'" said Bill Patzert, Ph.D., the world renowned climatologist based at Pasadena's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The wildcard is to be found to the north in another meteorological phenomenon known as the "arctic oscillation," a variation in the strength of what can be imagined as an atmospheric barrier. When the arctic oscillation is in a weak phase, as last winter, cold, moist air can escape the arctic region and head south. But when the oscillation is in a strong phase, as this winter, Patzert said it tends to reinforce the dry influence of La Nina at U.S. latitudes.
But California is not alone in the warm and dry weather conditions. Apart from the Sierra, snowfall is far below normal in the Rockies of Colorado and the Wasatch Range of Utah. Temperatures this past week in the ski resort of Park City, Utah, above 7,000 feet in elevation, have soared well into the 40s. Farther east, parents have been taking their children to outdoor playgrounds in Kansas City, Mo. Tennis players have been bringing out their rackets for outdoor matches as far north as Minneapolis. In the southern tier, the dryness has only intensified the ongoing drought in Texas and New Mexico.
So how much longer will the warm, dry weather continue? La Nina might remain in place several more months. What complicates long-range forecasting is the fact that the arctic oscillation has a much shorter period, at times flipping in a matter of weeks or not, Patzert said. Next month, February, usually is our wettest. Patzert advised it's too early to write off this winter. That said, he's sticking with his forecast that the rest of this season will be drier than usual, but added, "I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that I'm wrong."

Sports Headlines
1. NFL: Jets' staff on offense is shuffled.
....Brian Schottenheimer, the offensive coordinator, and Bill Callahan, the offensive line coach, are leaving the team, which also decided not to retain the receivers coach Henry Ellard.
a. Tebow stretches field and maybe his limits.
....Tim Tebow and his down-field pass has provided another wrinkle for the Patriots to consider in their A.F.C. playoff game.
b. Patriots try to dismiss postseason blemishes.
....For all of their playoff successes, the three-time Super Bowl champion Patriots are coming up on the fourth anniversary of their last playoff win.


Thought for Today
"In much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow."
—-Ecclesiastes 1:18.

Today's flower: Ipomoea pes-caprae or railroad vine - vine grows on sand dunes and beaches above the high tide line in tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world. In the U.S. it occurs on the coast from Texas to Georgia. The flowers are very showy, pink to lavender purple funnels about 2 in long.



[/color]

[pegasus]

Good evening from Tuxy and me
:)This is the 12th day of 2012 with 353 days left in the year.

Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 6:15 p.m., it's cloudy , temp 43ºF [Feels like 43ºF], winds NW @ 5 mph, humidity 89%, pressure 29.38 in and rising, dew point 340ºF, chance of precipitation 50%.

Today in History:
1773--the first public museum in America was established, in Charleston, S.C.
1828--the US and Mexico signed a Treaty of Limits defining the boundary between the two countries to be the same as the one established by an 1819 treaty between the US and Spain.
1876--Jack London, author best known for his novel The Call of the Wild, was born; died 1916 at age 40.
1912--textile workers at the Everett Mill in Lawrence, Mass., (most of them immigrant women) walked off the job to protest wage cuts. The "Bread and Roses Strike," as it came to be known, spread to other mills in Lawrence and lasted until the following March.
1915--the House of Representatives rejected 204-174 a proposal to give women the right to vote.
1932--Hattie W. Caraway, a Democrat from Arkansas, became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate, after serving out the remainder of the term of her late husband, Thaddeus.
1945--Soviet forces began a huge offensive against the Germans in Eastern Europe,
1948--the US Supreme Court ruled that states could not discriminate against law-school applicants because of race.
1959--Berry Gordy Jr. founded Motown Records (originally Tamla Records) in Detroit.
1969--Led Zeppelin's self-titled first album was released.
1969--the NY Jets of the American Football League defeated the Baltimore Colts of the National Football Leage 16-7 in Super Bowl III at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Fla. A first win for an AFL/AFC team.
1971--the groundbreaking sitcom All in the Family premiered on CBS-TV.
1991--a deeply divided Congress gave Pres. George H.W. Bush the authority to use force to expel Iraq from Kuwait.
2000--the US Supreme Court gave police broad authority to stop and question people who run at the sight of an officer.
2002--the US intensified its anti-terror campaign in eastern Afghanistan, dropping bombs on suspected al-Qaida and Taliban hide-outs.
2005--Britain's Prince Harry apologized after a newspaper published a photograph of the young royal wearing a Nazi uniform to a costume party.
2007--two kidnapped boys, Ben Ownby and Shawn Hornbeck, were found alive in the same suburban St. Louis apartment — four days after Ben vanished and 4 1/2 years after Shawn disappeared. (The boys' abductor, Michael Devlin, is serving multiple life terms for kidnapping and sexual assault.)
2007--Durham County, N.C., District Attorney Mike Nifong, facing ethics charges, asked to be removed from the Duke lacrosse rape investigation. (State prosecutors later exonerated three suspects; Nifong ended up being disbarred.)
2007--Larry Stewart, the anonymous Missouri philanthropist known as "Secret Santa," died at age 58.
2010--Haiti was struck by a magnitude-7 earthquake, killing as many as 300,000 residents and leaving over 1.5 million people homeless.
2012--floodwaters poured into downtown Brisbane, Australia, swamping neighborhoods and reaching the tops of traffic lights in some parts of the city.


Today's News:

World News Capsules:
1. 'Deplorable': US defense chief slams video of Marines urinating on
dead Afghan Taliban.
....U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has condemned a video that apparently shows U.S. Marines urinating on the corpses of Afghan men, promising to punish those involved. They have identified at least two of the Marines.
a. Against odds, path opens up for US-Taliban talks.
....The Taliban's willingness to open a political office in Qatar represents a critical point in the US's attempt to negotiate an end to the Afghanistan war, just as the inflammatory video surfaces.
2. US, China both flexing their muscles in Asia.
....Will the Year of the Dragon be inauspicious for China-U.S. relations? Early signs say so.
a. Foxconn resolves pay dispute with workers.
....More than 100 workers had protested on the roof of a three-story building at the company's factory in Wuhan, China, with several threatening to commit suicide if their demands were not met,
3. Carter in Cairo.

....Former Pres. Jimmy Carter is in Cairo this week to help monitor the final round of parliamentary elections.
4. For European Union, few options in a vicious cycle of debt.
....Countries will need to sell billions of dollars in bonds every week in 2012 to replace existing debt, and policymakers and investors are watching debt auctions for signs of weakness.
a. European Union gives Hungary an ultimatum.
....The European Union warned Hungary that it would face legal action by next Tuesday unless it modified a series of measures that threaten the country’s balance of power.
5. Great Britain says spies will not face torture charges.
....Officers accused of mistreating suspected militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan will avoid charges, but allegations in Libya will get scrutiny, officials said.
6. 2 years after Haiti quake, 1000s still in tents, billions in aid unspent.

....Two years after it was rocked by a devastating earthquake, Haiti is struggling just to get back to being one of the most impoverished nations in the world.
7. Adversaries of Iran said to be stepping up covert actions.
....A campaign of bombings, assassinations, defections and cyberattacks, which experts believe is mainly Israel's work, seems meant to halt Iran's progress toward a nuclear weapon.
a. UPDATE: Outrage over scientist killing deepens as Iran signals revenge.

....News of the death dominated Iran’s state-run media, and the government signaled that its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps may carry out revenge assassinations.
b. In standoff with Iran, US allies offer oil for Asia.
....Saudi Arabia and its Arab neighbors have said they will fill any gap in energy supplies for countries that yield to pressure from Washington to curtail purchases of Iranian crude.
c. Iran and US need crisis exit.
....As tension between Iran and the U.S. increases sharply, former White House aide for Iran, Gary Sick, warns that when countries appear to be goading each other into war, they need to find a way to negotiate
8. One killed every half-hour n Mexico drug violence.

....One person died in drug-related violence every half hour in Mexico last year, amounting to 48 executions per day on average, according to the Mexican Excelsior newspaper, a sign that the violence surrounding the country's powerful cartels continues unabated.
9. Myanmar signs truce with ethnic rebel group.

....The Myanmar government of Pres. Thein Sein signed a cease-fire agreement with ethnic Karen National Union (KNU) rebels who have been fighting for greater autonomy, reports said.
10. North Korea to display dead leader's body.
....North Korea said that it would place the body of Kim Jong-il on permanent display in a Pyongyang mausoleum and install his statues, portraits and memorial towers across the country.
11. Amid crisis, Pakistan president heads again to Dubai.
....Pres. Asif Ali Zardari flew to Dubai for a wedding — as the judiciary was drawn into tensions between the civilian government and the country’s powerful military.
a. Militants killed in Pakistan drone strike.

....A suspected US drone strike in Pakistan's tribal region of Waziristan killed at least eight militants Thursday, Pakistani intelligence officials said.
12. Ethnic killings fray unity marking birth of South Sudan.
....Bitter ethnic tensions that had largely been shelved for the sake of achieving independence have ruptured into a cycle of massacre and revenge that neither the US-backed government nor the UN has been able to stop. The Murle attacked the Nuer, then the Nuer massacred the Murle, and now the Murle are striking back: the unity that accompanied South Sudan’s independence has given way to violence.
13. Syria offers 'deep regret' for French journalist's death.

....Syria's government blamed an "armed terrorist group" for the mortar attack it said killed Gilles Jacquier of the France 2 TV network, an award-winning French journalist, and eight Syrians in the strife-torn city of Homs on Wednesday.
14. Taiwan vote lures back expatriates in China..
....The growing political heft of the Taishang, the name given to Taiwanese in China who have staked their livelihoods on its economy, has become a point of contention in a presidential race that has raised questions about embracing Beijing.

US News Capsules:
1. Wintry blast whacks Midwest, Northeast.

....Cold fronts moving in from the north made for the first winter blast across the Midwest and Northeast, with parts of Connecticut seeing their first snow since October and snow-starved Chicago expected to get hit later in the day.
2. Bow-wow; Guest at Ohio dog pound was a real pig.

....Woman who'd been sitting for the animal got stuck with him when the owners wouldn't take him back,
3. Haley Barbour defends clemency fo4 215 inmates, after Mississippi judge blocks release of pardoned killers.

....In response to criticism about the pardons, former Gov. Haley Barbour released a statement from his office Wednesday evening that said 189 of the 215 people pardoned were already out of prison. "My decision about clemency was based upon the recommendation of the Parole Board in more than 90% of the cases," the statement said.
a. Slaing victim's sister to Barbour: "I want answers".

....Tiffany Ellis Brewer says she refuses to live in fear since learning of the release of a man who gunned down her sister in 1993, fatally shooting his 20-year-old estranged wife in the head while her baby slept nearby. “I want answers,” Brewer, from Pearl, Miss., told msnbc.com on Thursday. “I will not stop until I get them because something is seriously wrong with our system. No one saw this coming and the governor needs to answer for this.”
4. UPDATE: 25-foot sea ice ridge confronts Alaska fuel convoy.

....What most people take for granted -- how fuel gets to our homes and cars -- is an epic story for Nome, Alaska, where the latest obstacle facing a fuel convoy trying to resupply the town is a 25-foot ice ridge blocking the harbor entrance.
5. Delays help push Foreclosures to lowest since pre-recession, but don't pour the bubbly just yet.

....RealtyTrac Inc. cautioned that the decline does not necessarily indicate that the housing market is getting better, as many foreclosures have been delayed due to confusion over documentation and legal issues involved in the process.
6. Court Martial recommeded in WikiLeaks case.
....A military officer recommended that Pfc. Bradley Manning, accused of leaking confidential government documents to WikiLeaks, face court martial.
7. Heralded school draws conservative Catholics in Washington.

....The Heights, a school for boys, is affiliated with the organization Opus Dei and has become popular among conservative Catholics, including Rick Santorum.
8. In Missouri, as levee is rebuilt, signs of rebirth begin t spout.
....In southeastern Missouri, where the Army Corps of Engineers blasted a levee last spring to help with flooding, signs of recovery are mounting, but controversy continues.
9. University suspects fraud by a researcher who studied red wine.

....A charge of fraud involving 26 articles was leveled by the University of Connecticut against Dipak K. Das, whose work reported health benefits in red wine.
10. Spring cleaning spurs Home Depot to hire 70,000 temps.

....Get those orange aprons ready for the spring cleaning rush. Home Depot announced Thursday it plans to hire 70,000 temporary workers at its U.S. stores to handle its spring selling season, the busiest time of the year for the home improvement chain.
11. Eyewitness evidence needs no special cautions, Supreme Court says.
....The Supreme Court effectively concluded that the only reason to let judges rather than jurors assess the reliability of eyewitness evidence was to deter police misconduct
12. Natalee Holloway declared legaly dead.

....An Alabama judge signed an order Thursday declaring Natalee Holloway legally dead, attorneys for her family said. Probate Judge Alan King signed the order after an afternoon hearing in Jefferson County court in Birmingham.
POLITICS:
1. Republicans fret as internal fight rages over Romney's Bain career.
....If the attacks and scrutiny of Mitt Romney’s Bain record have produced one positive for the former Massachusetts governor, it’s that some conservatives -- including those who haven’t been pulling for his campaign -- have started to rally to his defense.
a. Republican rivals batter Romney in South Carolina.
....Newt Gingrich and Gov. Rick Perry of Texas attacked Mitt Romney's character, his business record and his past views on abortion.
b. Private equity firm leaders raising big bucks for Romney.
....It's the same corporate buyout industry where the GOP front-runner, as chief of Bain Capital, made his personal fortune.
2. Celeb Twitter accounts hacked to display Ron Paul support.

....Early Wednesday morning, very similarly-phrased Ron Paul endorsements popped up on the official Twitter accounts of Nicole Scherzinger, No Doubt and Rise Against.
3. Economic woes loom larger as GOP heads South.
....As it enters South Carolina, the Republican presidential race is coming for the first time to a state that is struggling mightily through the downturn.
4. The Tea Party's Not-So-Civil War.
....In South Carolina, they know who their enemy is. They’re just too busy attacking one another to fight him.

Sports Headlines
1. NFL: Like Tebow, Patriots sharpened spread offensive at Florida.

....A tutorial between the offensive football minds of the Patriots and the Florida Gators in 2005 helped shape the unit led by Tom Brady in New England
a. New assistant reflects what Jets want to be.
....The former Miami coach Tony Sparano figures to emphasize a power-running game for the Jets' offense.
b. For Giants, memories of a bad trip that wouldn't end.
....The 2008 playoff victory at Green Bay was great, but last season the Giants were soundly beaten, then marooned by a blizzard.
c. Healthy running back has Saints recalling title run.
....For proof that the Saints are a different team depending on Pierre Thomas, who gained 121 yards from scrimmage against the Lions, look no further than the previous two seasons.
2. NHL: 1st-place NY Rangers are wonders of nurture.
....General manager Glen Sather, content to stay in the background, has turned the Rangers into a first-place team with strong drafts and player development.
a. NHL announces all-star rosters, including three Rangers.
....While the Rangers were well represented with Henrik Lundqvist, Marian Gaborik and Dan Girardi, only John Tavares was chosen from the Islanders and nobody from the Devils.
3. NCAAF: Wisconsin quaterback opts for football career.
....Russell Wilson, who led the Badgers to the Big Ten title, played parts of two minor league baseball seasons for the Colorado Rockies. Now opts for the NFL draft.
a. The good news bear.
....In a season dominated by dispiriting headlines, Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III was a shot of sunshine.
4. NBA: Shaping up to be a long season in Boston.

....Depending on where things go from here, 66 games could feel like an eternity. Unless something radically changes, even in a shortened season, this could be a long winter for the Celtics.
5. SOCCER: As Tottenham heals, Spurs keep winning.
....Tottenham Hotspur was affected by the London riots last summer, but after a late start, the Spurs have stayed in the race to win the English Premier League.
6. SKIING: Freestyle star sustains serious head injury during training.

....The Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke, a four-time X Games champion and 2014 Olympic favorite, was seriously injured during training in Utah.


Thought for Today
"It has been said that the greatest threat to our liberty is from well-meaning, and almost imperceptible encroachments upon our personal freedom."
--John Louis Coffey, Judge, U. S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (b. 1922)

Today's flower: Quisqualis indica or Rangoon creeper - a creeper with white/red flower clusters , found in Asia and many other parts of the world either as a cultivated ornamental or running wild.

[pegasus]

Good afternoon from Tuxy and me
This is Friday the 13th, 2012 with 352 days left in the year.

Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 4:26 p.m., it's lightly snowing , temp 23ºF [Feels like 9ºF], winds SW @ 18 mph, humidity 73%, pressure 29.41 in and rising, dew point 18ºF, chance of precipitation 80%.

Today in History:
1733--James Oglethorpe and some 120 English colonists arrived at Charleston, S.C., while en route to settle in present-day Georgia.
1794--Pres. Washington approved a measure adding two stars and two stripes to the American flag, following the admission of Vermont and Kentucky to the union.
1808--Salmon P. Chase, U.S. senator, secretary of the treasury and chief justice of the Supreme Court, was born in Cornish, N.H.
1864--composer Stephen Foster died impoverished in a New York hospital at age 37. (In his pocket: a note which read, "Dear friends and gentle hearts.")
1893--Britain's Independent Labour Party, a precursor to the Labour Party, first met.
1898--French novelist Emile Zola's "J'accuse" - a defense of Capt. Alfred Dreyfus, a French Jew falsely convicted of treason - was published in a Paris newspaper.
1945--Soviet forces began a huge, successful offensive against the Germans in Eastern Europe.
1964--Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II, was appointed archbishop of Krakow, Poland, by Pope Paul VI.
1966--Robert C. Weaver became the first black Cabinet member as he was appointed Secretary of Housing and Urban Development by Pres. Johnson.
1968--Country musician-singer Johnny Cash recorded a live concert at Folsom Prison in California.
1978--Hubert H. Humphrey, former Vice President and Democratic nominee for president in 1968, died at age 66 in Waverly, Minn.
1982--an Air Florida 737 crashed into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C., after takeoff and fell into the Potomac River, killing 78 people.
1987--West German police arrested Mohammed Ali Hamadi, a suspect in the 1985 hijacking of a TWA jetliner. (Although convicted and sentenced to life, Hamadi was paroled by Germany in Dec. 2005; he is on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list.)
1990--Douglas Wilder of Virginia became the nation’s first elected black governor as he took the oath of office in Richmond.
1992--Japan apologized for forcing tens of thousands of Korean women to serve as sex slaves for its soldiers during World War II.
2000--Microsoft chairman Bill Gates stepped aside as chief executive.
2002--the off-Broadway musical The Fantasticks ended a run of nearly 42 years and 17,162 performances.
2007--two miners were killed when a roof collapsed inside the Brooks Run Mining Co.'s Cucumber coal mine in McDowell County, W.Va.
2007--the N.C. state attorney general's office agreed to take over the sexual assault case against three Duke University lacrosse players at the request of embattled Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong.
2011--a funeral was held in Tucson, Ariz., for 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, the youngest victim of the mass shooting that also critically wounded Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.


Today's News:

World News Capsules:
1. UPDATE: Video inflames a delicate moment for US in Afghanistan.
....A video of four Marines urinating on dead Taliban fighters is likely to weaken the United States' position both with the Taliban and with the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai.
2. Revelations of misconduct embarrass Australian military.
....A television network released a trove of internal military memos describing incidents of sexual assault, possession of child pornography and drug use among personnel
3. Apple suspends iPhone 4S sales in mainland China stores.

....The move came after Apple’s Beijing store failed to open as promised and a frustrated crowd reacted by pelting it with eggs.
4. Free-spirited enclave's reluctant landowners fear capitalism's harness.
....Denmark has offered to sell a chunk of land to Christiania, an alternative community in Copenhagen whose residents have been squatting there illegally for four decades.
5. France loses top credit rating amid eurozone crisis.

....France's top-tier credit rating will be downgraded by agency Standard & Poor's, as fears mount over eurozone debts..
6. US sends top Iranian leader a warning on strait threat.

....The administration has warned Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that closing the Strait of Hormuz is a "red line" that would provoke a response, officials said.
7. Japan delays decision on Iran oil sanction.
....Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said his nation had yet to decide whether it will reduce oil imports from Iran, continuing the mixed signals from his government in response to an American request.
a. Japan's Prime Minister reshufles cabinet in bid for sales tax support.

....Japan’s prime minister removed his defense minister on Friday as part of a cabinet reshuffling aimed at winning support for a tax increase
8. Myanmar government and ethnic rebel group sign cease-fire.
....The government of Myanmar signed a cease-fire agreement on Thursday with ethnic Karen rebels who have been fighting for greater autonomy.
a. Clinton: US, Myanmar to exchange ambasadors, restoring full ties to Myanmar after rapid reforms.

....The action is a diplomatic reward for recent political reforms by Myanmar’s civilian government, including the release of top activists .
9. Amid crisis, parliament in Pakistan to vote on affirming civilian rule.
....Lawmakers in Pakistan framed a resolution designed to bolster civilian rule at a time of sharpening tension with the military that has also drawn in the judiciary
a. Thirst for beer keeps brewery alive in dry Pakistan.

....Beer. Vodka. Whiskey. These are not words you hear often in Pakistan, where it's illegal for the majority of the population to buy or drink alcohol, but once you walk inside the gates of the 150-year-old Murree Brewery Company, it's all anyone wants to talk about.
10. Holloway suspect Joran van der Sloot gets 28 years for murder of peru woman.

....A Peruvian court sentenced Dutch citizen Joran van der Sloot to 28 years in prison for killing a woman in Lima in 2010, five years after American teenager Natalee Holloway disappeared in Aruba after spending time with him. The court also ordered van der Sloot to pay $75,000 in reparations to the family of the 21-year-old Stephany Flores.
11. Philippine judge's trial draws interest, and critics.
....Impeachment proceedings against the chief justice, Renato C. Corona, have been criticized as politically motivated.
12. Why won't UN intervene in Syria?

....The UN intervened in Libya but not so far in Syria. Diplomats say the answer is because tensions between Russia and other permanent members of the Security Council have reached new highs.
a. Syrian opposition group, rebel army join forces.

....A Syrian opposition group demanding the end of Pres. al-Assad's reign announced that it has begun coordinating with the rebel Free Syria Army and anti-government protesters took to the streets to support the breakaway army.
13. Synthetic windpipe is used to replace concerous one in Sweden.
....In only the 2nd procedure of its kind, surgeons in Sweden replaced the cancerous windpipe of a Baltimore man with one made in a laboratory.
13. Arrst in Thailand after US terror alert.
....The US Embassy in Bangkok warned of a possible attack by “foreign terrorists” against Americans in Thailand. Shortly afterward, the Thai government said it had arrested a Lebanese man.
14. Turkish official says a Russian ship, perhaps with munitions, has reached Syria.
....If the ship is carrying munitions, it would be in defiance of a European Union embargo.
a. Duchess of York faces charges over Turkey children's home film.

....Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, faces charges in Turkey for going undercover and secretly filming children at a state-run home for a documentary, according to the semiofficial Anatolian news agency, violating the private lives and rights of five children while filming the program for Britain's ITV network.

US News Capsules:
1. US seeks rollback of a health insurer's 'excessive' rate increase.
....The Obama administration ordered a health insurance company to rescind the rate increases it sought or justify its refusal to do so.
2. Role reversal: Employers day they can't find skilled workers.
....More than half of US employers surveyed by the staffing firm Manpower Group last year said they were having trouble filling job openings because they couldn't find qualified workers. That’s a huge 38% point jump from 2010, when only 14% said they were having trouble filling positions.
3. NYC Mayor takes on teachers' union in school plans.
....In his State of the City address, Mayor Michael Bloomberg hit a nerve by proposing a merit-pay system for teachers and not shying away from other controversial education topics.
4. Gunman kills three, wounds one at N.C. lumber comany.

....Ronald Dean Davis, age 50, described by witnesses as a disgruntled worker opened fire at the McBridge Lumber Co., killing three. Deputies later find suspect at his home with self-inflicted wounds; he is airlifted to hospital.
5. Uneasy neighbors in a southern gothic tale.

....A court ruling confirmed that the Redneck Shop, run by a white supremacist, is in a building that belongs to a black Baptist pastor.
6. Inside the Fed in 2006: a cming crisis, and banter.

....Newly released transcipts show that top policymakers did not seriously consider the idea that problems in the housing market would bring on a recession.
7. Greek yogurt a boon for New York State.
....Sales of Greek yogurt are booming, and leading brands are expanding their operations, and the production jobs they entail, in the state.
8. Report blames safety lapse for an epidemic of deaths at Wyoming job sites.
....The state of Wyoming, with its growing oil, gas and mining industries, lacks a culture of safety and is one of the most dangerous places in the country to work, according to a recently released report.
9. Homeless Long Island whiz kid and her family will get a new home.

....The homeless family of a Long Island teen recently named one of the top science students in the nation and semi-finalist in $100,000 Intel science competition will now have a home to call their own. Local government officials and members of the community have rallied to help the family, and during a Friday news conference, Suffolk County officials offered the family a rent-subsidized home.
10. Hearings set in Chinese-American soldier's death in Afghanistan.

....Legal proceedings will begin Sunday in the death of a Chinese-American soldier believed to have committed suicide in Afghanistan after allegedly being hazed by his fellow soldiers, the Army says.
11. A new storm's brewing down on Catfish Row.
....Audra McDonald brings thunder to The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, a stripped-down version of the original opera, at the Richard Rodgers Theater.
POLITICS:
1. PACs' aid allows Romney's rivals to extend race.
...."Super PACs" and changes in how delegates are awarded are helping keep the Republican field crowded.
2. Republicans asked to bash Obama, not one another.
....Republican National Committee leaders, meeting in New Orleans, implored fellow Republicans from around the country to unite around a message aimed at President Obama, not one another.
3. Colbert for President: a run or a comedy riff?
....Stephen Colbert, the host of The Colbert Report, announced that he would form an “exploratory committee for president of the United States of South Carolina.”
4. Ron Paul ties GOP in knots.

....Polling data has indicated that a majority of Americans feel comfortable with the label of "fiscally conservative and socially liberal" -- but that's not what's interesting here. What's interesting is that after pooh-poohing the existence of a species that closely resembles the politically homeless tribe known as libertarians, Sen. Jim DeMint of S.C., in the wake of Rep. Ron Paul's solid second-place showing so far in the GOP presidential primary season, is now using the L-word as a compliment.




Today's Headlines of Interest:

Obama seeks power to merge federal agencies to save money.

Pres. Obama took aim at his government's own messy bureaucracy, prodding Congress to give him greater power to merge agencies and promising he would start by collapsing six major economic departments into one. Pressing Republicans on one of their own political issues, Obama said it was time for an "effective, lean government."
Obama wants the type of reorganizational authority last held by a president when Ronald Reagan was in office. Obama's version would be a so-called consolidation authority allowing him to propose only mergers that promise to save money and shrink government. The deal would help Obama considerably by entitling him to an up-or-down vote from Congress in 90 days. Still, final say would remain with lawmakers, both on whether to grant Obama this fast-track authority and then in deciding whether to approve any of his specific ideas.
In an election year and a political atmosphere of tighter spending, Obama's move is about more than improving a giant bureaucracy. He is attempting to directly counter Republican arguments that he has presided over the kind of government regulation, spending and debt that can undermine the economy — a dominant theme of the emerging presidential campaign. Republicans have often aligned themselves with smaller government. So politically, Obama is trying to put the onus on Republicans in the House and Senate to show why they would be against the pursuit of leaner government.
Not in decades has the government undergone a sustained reorganization of itself. Presidents have tried from time to time, but each part of the bureaucracy has its own defenders inside and outside the government, which can make merger ideas politically impossible. That's particularly true because "efficiency" is often another way of saying people will lose their jobs. Obama hopes to enhance his chances by getting Congress to give him the assurance of a clean, relatively speedy vote on any of his proposals. There is no clear sign that Obama would get that cooperation. He spent much of 2011 in utter gridlock with Republicans in Congress.
And probably this proposal will become part of the ongoing gridlock, but at least Pres. Obama can say that he tried and blame failure on the Republicans where it will undoubtedly belong.

The Artist and The Help dominate the Critics Choice Awards[i/].

(Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis won acting awards at the Critics Choice Awards for their performances in "The Help.")
The Artist cleaned up at the Broadcast Film Critics Association's Critics Choice Awards, winning four trophies including Best Picture and Best Director. The Help, meanwhile, also won big, taking home three prizes including acting awards for Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer. The Descendants' George Clooney and Beginners Christopher Plummer picked up the male acting awards. Last year, all four acting winners repeated their victories at the Oscars.

Sports Headlines
1. NFL: Packers' Jennings is ready for Giants.
....Greg Jennings, who was leading Green Bay in receptions when he injured his knee Dec. 11, says he's in good shape for the team's first playoff game.
a. Tebow's moment of truth.
....The N.F.L. gets a classic good vs. evil matchup when the Broncos bring Tebowmania to New England on Saturday.
b. A pass that changed two teams' paths.
....The Giants return to Lambeau Field on Sunday, where Corey Webster’s interception in overtime helped them earn a trip to the Super Bowl on a frigid afternoon in January 2008.
2. NBA: Brooklyn awaits, but Nets' destination as a team is still unclear.

....The Nets have been only sporadically competitive under Mikhail D. Prokhorov, who said his candidacy for president of Russia did not diminish his interest in the team.
3. TENNIS: A volley of wish-making for the tennis season.
....With the year's first Grand Slam tournament looming Sunday in Australia, a few suggestions that might help make it a better year.
a. Victories of American women and men.
....2nd-round qualifying action from Melbourne Park saw more Americans find success in the continually brisk and breezy conditions.
LONDON OLYMPICS:
1. HORSE EVENTING: Fire survivor and a possible Olympian: a horse named Neville.
....After surviving a barn fire, Neville Bardos, who competes in eventing, has managed a competitive comeback from severe injuries and is now a top contender for the Olympics and a finalist for this year's international Horse of the Year award.
2. French swimmer's fire resurfaces at Auburn.
....After nearly two years away from the sport, Laure Manaudou, a triple medalist in the 2004 Olympics, is training in Alabama with the goal of competing in London.
3. Triathletes seek Olympics in remote Argeentine town.
....A triathlon in Argentina kicks off the 2012 qualifying season for the Summer Games in London, the fourth Olympics in which the triathlon has been included.
4. Kastor, after pregnancy, sees trials as new start.
....Saturday in Houston, Deena Kastor, the 2004 Olympic bronze medalist, will run her first marathon since London in April 2010, hoping to qualify for the 2012 Games.



Thought for Today
"Never underestimate your power to change yourself; never overestimate your power to change others."
—-H. Jackson Brown Jr., American writer.

Today's flower: Norantea guianensis or red hot poker vine - a large vining shrub with thick glossy leaves. It produces long orange red flower spikes with unusual nectar pouches, which attract small birds and hummingbirds. Blooms year round in the tropics. Climbs with the help of adventitious roots to 30 ft.



[/color]

[pegasus]

Good afternoon from Tuxy and me
:)This is the 14th day of 2012 with 351 days left in the year.

Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 1:52 p.m., it's cloudy , temp 18ºF [Feels like 4ºF], winds WNW @ 13 mph, humidity 65%, pressure 29.96 in and steady, dew point 12ºF, chance of precipitation 20%.

Today in History:
1639--the first constitution of Connecticut — the Fundamental Orders — was adopted.
1784--the US ratified the peace treaty with England, ending the Revolutionary War.
1858--Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, and his wife, Empress Eugenie, escaped an assassination attempt led by Italian revolutionary Felice Orsini, who was later captured and executed.
1898--Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, who wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland under the pen name Lewis Carroll, died in Guildford, England, at age 65.
1900--Puccini's opera Tosca had its world premiere in Rome.
1943--Pres. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and French General Charles de Gaulle opened a wartime conference in Casablanca.
1952--NBC's Today show premiered, with Dave Garroway as the host, or "communicator," as he was called.
1953--Josip Broz Tito was elected president of Yugoslavia by the country's Parliament.
1963--George C. Wallace was sworn in as governor of Alabama with a pledge of "segregation forever."
1969--27 people aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, off Hawaii, were killed when a rocket warhead exploded, setting off a fire and additional explosions.
1970--Diana Ross and the Supremes performed their last concert together, at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas.
1993--late-night TV talk show host David Letterman announced he was moving from NBC to CBS.
1994--Pres. Clinton and Russian Pres. Yeltsin signed an accord to stop aiming missiles at any nation; the leaders joined Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk in signing an accord to dismantle the nuclear arsenal of Ukraine.
2002--the World Trade Organization decided the European Union could ask for punitive tariffs on U.S. imports.
2004--former Enron finance chief Andrew Fastow pleaded guilty to conspiracy as he accepted a 10-year prison sentence.
2005--Army Specialist Charles Graner Jr., the reputed ringleader of a band of rogue guards at the Abu Ghraib prison, was convicted at Fort Hood, Texas, of abusing Iraqi detainees.
2005--a European space probe sent back the first detailed pictures of the frozen surface of Saturn's moon, Titan.
2007--Pres. Bush, facing opposition from both parties over his plan to send more troops to Iraq, said on CBS' "60 Minutes" that he had the authority to act no matter what Congress wanted.
2008--Republican Bobby Jindal, the first elected Indian-American governor in the United States, took office in Louisiana.
2011--in an unprecedented popular uprising, Tunisian protesters enraged over soaring unemployment and corruption drove President Zine El Abdine Ben Ali (ZEEN ehl AH'-bih-deen behn-ah-LEE') from power after 23 years of iron-fisted rule.


Today's News:

World News Capsules:
1. China forces are reported to have shot at Tibetans.
....A protest was reportedly met with violence after a Tibetan man set himself on fire to protest Chinese policies in the Tibetan areas.
a. Middle East trip suggests change in policy by China.
....The Chinese prime minister’s visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates may suggest that China is reconsidering its strategic alliance with Iran.
2. Danish Queen Margrethe II celebrated her 40th jubilee.

(Queen Margrethe and Prince Consort Henrik)
....Danish Queen Margrethe II celebrates her 40th jubilee Saturday amid massive public support for the monarchy among the 5.5-million-strong population. A recent survey showed over 80% in favor of the monarchy, an indication that the queen has succeeded well in her role and suggesting that the Danish monarchy has the highest approval rating among the royal houses of Europe.
3. Nobel laurete drops bid for presidency of Egypt.

....ElBaradei ends Egyptian presidential run and said his decision was in protest of the military’s failure to put Egypt on the path to democracy.
4. Downgrade of debt ratings of nine countries underscores Europe's woes.

....Combined with a snag in talks between Greece and its creditors, the ratings agency Standard & Poor's action served as a reminder that Europe has found no solution to its debt turmoil.
a. US faces new challenge of fewer troops in Europe.
....As the US turns its military focus toward Asia and Pacific, the challenge is to show its allies in Europe that it still cares about them, too.
5. A champion of France's downtrodden, with limits of his own.
....As a deputy prefect who is mostly paralyzed as a result of a rare genetic degenerative disease, Jean-Christophe Parisot fights for immigrants, the elderly and the poor.
a. In France, the pain of rating downgrade is especially acute.

....Keeping its AAA credit rating had long been a badge of honor for the country and a political point of pride for President Nicolas Sarkozy.
b. From far right, squeezing into the middle.
....In recent opinion polls, Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front, trailed Pres. Sarkozy by only the slimmest of margins.
6. Death of Oxford astrophysicist evokes echoes of a TV drama for the British.
....The location, and the professor’s longtime friendship with a colleague who was at least briefly under suspicion, have added to the comparisons with a police detective series.
7. Iran claims it has evidence that US behind 'terrorist' murder of nuclear scientist.
....Foreign ministry says it has reliable information about the "direct involvement of CIA-linked agents."
8. Explosion kills dozens of worshipers in Iraq.

....Insurgents mounted another vicious attack against Iraq’s Shiites, as a roadside bomb was detonated near a group of pilgrims near the city of Basra, killing 53.
9. Israel says sanctions hurt Iran.
....Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview published on Saturday that new economic sanctions against Iran could succeed if combined with a threat of military action.
10. 'I thought that was the end': Passengers tell of the Costa Concordia cruise ship panic; deaths reported.

....NCB News reports 129 Americans were on board vessel when it ran aground off Italy. Three bodies have been found and rescuers are still searching the sea for more. The captain of the grounded cruiser has been arrested for manslaughter and abandoning ship.
a. Strong debt sale in Italy does little to lift spirits.
....Italy on Friday sold the maximum amount of bonds it had targeted, but data from the European Central Bank on overnight bank deposits showed that the market remained jittery.
12. As crisis festers, Pakistani government plans confidence vote.
....Lawmakers in Pakistan framed a resolution designed to bolster civilian rule at a time of sharpening tension with the military that has also drawn in the judiciary.
a. In Pakistan, talks aim to ease split.
....Civilian and military leaders met for the first time since the eruption of clashes that have threatened to topple the government.
13. Philippine judge's trial draws interest, and critics.
....Impeachment proceedings against the chief justice, Renato C. Corona, have been criticized as politically motivated/
14. President of Taiwan is re-elected, a result that is likely to please China.

....About 80% of 18 million eligible voters turned out in an election that pitted incumbent Presi. Ma Jing-yeou against Tsai Ing-wen and a 3rd opponent.
15. Arrest in Thailand after US terror alert.
....The US Embassy in Bangkok warned of a possible attack by “foreign terrorists” against Americans in Thailand. Shortly afterward, the Thai government said it had arrested a Lebanese man.

US News Capsules:
1. Arrest amid hunt for serial killer of Calif. homeless men.

....Two witnesses chased suspect in man's death; cops say he looks similar to man sought for other murders.
2. UPDATE: Tricky fuel trnasfer awaits tanker nearing iced-in Nome, Alaska.
[img src="http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/20120114-0101[1].grid-6x2.jpg"]
....More than a million gallons of diesel, gasoline need to reach shore without a spill.
3. Reverse outsourcing: US poised to bring manufacturing jobs back from China.

....With overseas labor and shipping costs rising dramatically, China may not be as big a threat as it used to be.
4. For many Latinos, racial identity is more culture than color.

....With 15 choices of race on the census form, more than 18 million Latinos have been checking "other," reflecting the group's diverse self-image.
5. Foreclosure auctions in Phoenix show a raw form of capitalism.

....Foreclosure auctions have grown into a scruffy economic circus where bargain hunters from around the world have scooped up houses often sold for less than half of the value of the mortgage.
6. Unlocking the secrets behind hydrauilic fracturing.
....Environmentalists and landowners in Texas will soon be able to go online and learn how much water has been used by oil and gas drillers in hydraulic fracturing.
7. Despite uproar over clemency, Barbour finds lucrative nest.
....The former Mississippi governor, under fire for granting clemency to 215 convicts, has been granted unconditional clemency by the world of high-powered lobbying and Republican strategy.
8. Fighting antipiracy measure, hackers click on media chiefs.
....Anonymous has gone after opponents of Occupy Wall Street and WikiLeaks, but now the group has focused on executives who support the Stop Online Piracy Act.
9. As a broader group seeks early admission, rejections rise in the East.
....A broader and more diverse group of students, including foreigners and minorities, are applying for early admission to top colleges, making acceptance that much harder.
10. Federal contractor monitored social network sites.
....The Department of Homeland Security paid a contractor in 2009 to monitor social networking sites for public reaction to a proposal to move detainees from Guantánamo to a local prison, according to documents.
11. Rocky Hollywood road leas directors back to Sundance.

(Red Hook Summer, with Toni Lysaith, Clarke Peters and Jules Brown, directed by Spike Lee)
....Spike Lee and Stephen Frears, unsold films in hand, will jostle with less-known directors for attention.
12. What rhymes with 'Undead"? Some poets know.
....The undead seem to be everywhere in popular culture — in television series, video games and, it turns out, poetry.
POLITICS:
1. Attacks on Romney's business background could actually help him.
....The debate over Mitt Romney’s time at Bain Capital has rallied some influential conservative leaders to his side for the first time in the campaign.
a. Town, cast as Romney's victim, says, 'Huh?"
....The closing of a factory in Gaffney, S.C., by Bain Capital, Mitt Romney's firm, is cited in his rivals' attacks, but few in town remember the closing, or care.
2. In reversal, Gingrich calls for withdrawal of film attacking Romney and Bain.
....The group running the video, a pro-Gingrich "super PAC," made no move to alter the work and gave no indication of retreat from using its excerpts in television commercials.
3. Four GOP candidates fail to make Virginia primary ballot, judge rules.

....A federal judge on Friday ruled against four Republican presidential candidates seeking a spot on Virginia's March 6 primary ballot, saying they waited too long to file their claims - Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former U.S Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman. The four candidates "knew the rules in Virginia many months ago," the judge wrote in his ruling. "In essence, they played the game, lost, and then complained that the rules were unfair."

Today's Headlines of Interest:

US to change disputed quote on MLK Memoirial.

A quotation inscribed on the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial will be changed following months of complaints that the statement was edited out of its original context. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar had given the National Park Service 30 days to consult with the King Memorial Foundation and others, including members of King's family, to find a better quotation.
The quotation on the left side of the memorial, which opened in August in a park near the National Mall in Washington, reads: "I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness." Advocates have complained since then that the quotation makes King appear self-righteous or arrogant, pointing out that what King actually said in Atlanta on Feb. 4, 1968, was this:
"If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter."

Sports Headlines
1. NFL: Tenderizing the tundra with some light and heat.
....The "frozen tundra" of Lambeau Field, where the Giants face the Packers on Sunday, is anything but that, given a system to warm the field and the use of artificial lights to keep the grass healthy.
a. In extreme old, accurate passes are the least of the body's worries.
....From a physiological standpoint, experts said, playing football in extreme cold generally affects a player's ability to feel and his ability to breathe.
b. He's a quarterback, he's a winner, he's a TV draw, he"s a verb.
....What, exactly, is it about Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow that so fascinates and provokes us? Why do some people project onto him the best of this country - and the worst?
c. Giants' Perry Fewell is rewarded for faith in defense

....The most divisive figure among Giants fans this season has been Perry Fewell, the Giants’ defensive coordinator, who admits that this has been his most challenging season.
d. Defense once won titles, but score has changed.
....The top seeds in the AFC and the NFC — the New England Patriots and the Green Bay Packers — had, statistically, the worst defenses in the N.F.L. in the regular season.


2. MLB: Reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro.
....Despite nausea and lightheadedness, Mets pitcher R. A. Dickey and his party give hugs and high-fives above the clouds at the highest point in Africa.
a. In two deals, Yankees trade Montero but bolster pitching.
....The Yankees moved to get two starting pitchers from the Seattle Mariners, Michael Pineda and Jose Campos, and agreed to a one-year deal with Hiroki Kuroda.
3. OLYMPICS: In trials, Hall runs on faith, but runs out of gas.
....Ryan Hall set a searing pace to open the Olympic marathon trials but could not hold it in the closing miles as Meb Keflezighi won Saturday’s race in 2 hours 9 minutes 8 seconds.
4. NCAAF: The new president of Penn State endures a week in an alumni cross-fire.
....Rodney A. Erickson is charged with navigating Penn State through a crisis, which includes trying to mend relationships with an alumni base upset over the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
5. NCAABK: At St. John's, a course i improvisation.
....While its coach, Steve Lavin, recovers from surgery, the St. John’s men’s basketball team has had to deal with the comings and goings of players that have left it with a depleted roster.
6. NCAA Hockey: For Michigan and Ohio State, hockey in the image of football.
....Ohio State will host Michigan on Sunday in the Frozen Diamond Faceoff, the centerpiece of the Cleveland Indians’ second annual winter event called Snow Days.
7. NHL: Slap Shot.
Canadiens trade Cammalleri in a flash, while the Penquins' captain, Sidney Crosby, takes first step in 2nd concussion comeback.


Thought for Today
"If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind."
—-John Stuart Mill, English philosopher (1806-1873).

Today's flower: Trachelospermum jasminoides or star jasmine - The blooms are creamy white with slightly twisted petals. Star Jasmine is hardy in zone 8 where it thrives in moist, fertile, well-drained soil. Partial shade is a great location for best growth and flowering although it will grow in full sun or shade. It can be used to cover most any type of landscape structure as long as support is provided. It's also used effectively as a groundcover.

[pegasus]

Good afternoon from Tuxy and me
:)This is the 15th day of 2012 with 350 days left in the year.

Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 12:52 p.m., it's cloudy , temp 12ºF [Feels like -3ºF], winds NW @ 13 mph, humidity 55%, pressure 30.43 in and rising, dew point 1ºF, chance of precipitation 20%.

Today in History:
1559--England's Queen Elizabeth I was crowned in Westminster Abbey.
1622--(Jean B. Poquelin) Moliere, French playwright, was born; died 1673 at age 51.
1777--the people of New Connecticut declared their independence. (The republic later became the state of Vermont.)
1844--the University of Notre Dame received its charter from the state of Indiana.
1862--the US Senate confirmed Pres. Lincoln's choice of Edwin M. Stanton to be secretary of war.
1929--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Baptist minister who led the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950's and '60's with his doctrine of nonviolent resistance, was born; assassinated 4 Apr 1968 at age 39.
1943--work was completed on the Pentagon, headquarters of the US Department of War.
1947--the mutilated remains of 22-year-old Elizabeth Short, who came to be known as the "Black Dahlia," were found in a vacant Los Angeles lot; her slaying remains unsolved.
1961--a US Air Force radar tower off the New Jersey coast collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean during a severe storm, killing all 28 men aboard.
1967--the first Super Bowl was played as the NFL's Green Bay Packers defeated the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10.
1971--the recently completed Aswan High Dam in Egypt was dedicated during a ceremony attended by Pres. Anwar Sadat and Soviet Pres. Nikolai Podgorny.
1973--Pres. Nixon announced the suspension of all U.S. offensive action in North Vietnam, citing progress in peace negotiations.
1978--serial killer Ted Bundy murdered two students in a sorority house at Florida State University in Tallahassee.
1992--the Yugoslav federation, founded in 1918, effectively collapsed as the European Community recognized the republics of Croatia and Slovenia.
2001--Wikipedia, a web-based encyclopedia, made its debut.
2002--Attorney General John Ashcroft said that John Walker Lindh, the 20-year-old Californian who had fought alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan, would be charged with conspiracy to kill Americans.
2002--Arthur Andersen LLP said it was firing senior auditor David B. Duncan, who had organized a "rushed disposal" of Enron documents after federal regulators requested information about the failing energy company.
2004--the NASA Spirit rover rolled onto the surface of Mars.
2007--the Iraqi government hanged two of Saddam Hussein's henchmen, including a half-brother, Barzan Ibrahim, who was accidentally decapitated by the noose.
2009--US Airways Capt Chelsey Sullenberger guided a jetliner disabled by a bird strike just after takeoff from New York's LaGuardia Airport to a safe landing in the Hudson River. All 155 people aboard survived.
2011--several international envoys — but none from the world powers — got a look inside an Iranian nuclear site at the invitation of the Tehran government before a new round of talks on Iran's disputed atomic activities.


World News Capsules:
1. Once hidden by forest, carvings in land attest to Amazon's lost world.
....Huge geometric shapes in Brazil suggest that contrary to conventional understanding, parts of the rain forest may have been home to large populations.
2. Unit of Chinese Daily plans IPO.
....The online division of the People’s Daily will sell as much as $85 million in stock to compete with private media in China, as well as emulate global giants like CNN and News Corporation.
3. European leaders use debt downgrades to argue for austerity, and for stimulus.
....In Spain, the prime minister pledged spending cuts and a banking-system cleanup, while in Italy, the prime minister called for "efforts in favor of growth."
4. 'Consequences': Iran warns Gulf countries not to replace its oil.
....An Iranian pro-reform newspaper says the country's OPEC governor has warned the country's Arab neighbors that Tehran will view any increase in crude production to counterbalance a potential embargo on Iranian oil as an unfriendly act.
5. Israelis facing a seismic rift over role of women.
....A series of episodes involving the ultra-Orthodox community, including segregation of women and protests comparing officials to Nazis, has set off a debate about its position.
6. UPDATE: Italian prosecutor says captain left stricken ship early.

....Three people have been rescued and five confirmed dead. Rescuers say they are still searching for 17, but the disaster is unlikely to halt industry growth.
a. As divers search cruise ship, reason for crash is unclear.
....Rescuers made contact early Sunday with two survivors inside a luxury cruise liner that capsized off the coast of Italy, killing at least five. The police detained the ship's captain.
7. An election in Kazakhstan will offer something new: a multiparty system.
....The government praised the change to a multiparty system as a step toward liberalization in Kazakhstan but whether it will be sufficient to tamp down emerging signs of discontent remains to be seen,
8. UPDATE: Nigerian labor unions, government fail to reach deal to end fuel strikes

....Nigerian labor unions failed to reach a deal with the government to stop a national strike over soaring fuel prices, with hours of late-night wrangling ending early Sunday without a compromise.
9. Blast kills 18 during Pakistan religious procession.
....An explosion on Sunday near a Shiite Muslim procession in the central Pakistani town of Khanpur killed 18 people and wounded at least 30, police and emergency services officials said.
10. Palestinian Authority leaders talk with Israel and Hamas.
.....The meeting in Gaza between Palestinian factions appeared to make some progress in mending their rift.
11. In Russia, echoes of revolution.
....For those in the news media who covered the slow-motion collapse of the Soviet Union, this moment feels familiar.
12. Syria issues amnesty for crimes during uprising.
....Syrian President Bashar Assad has granted a general amnesty for crimes committed since the outbreak of a 10-month uprising against his rule, the state news agency SANA reported on Sunday.
a. Fear of civil war mounts in Syria as crisis deepens.
....The failure of an Arab League mission and a government as defiant as its opposition is in disarray have thrust Syria into what increasingly looks like a protracted and chaotic conflict.
b. Syria toll rises to 25; monitors cheered in besieged town.

....Crowds in a Syrian town surrounded by government troops cheered Arab League monitors who visited Sunday as others fled the town on foot to escape the fighting inside.
13. Tunisians mark anniversary of president's ouster.

....Thousands of people gathered on the main boulevard in Tunis to commemorate the first anniversary of a demonstration that toppled the president and set in motion a string of revolts across the Arab world.

US News Capsules:
1. Woman loses arm to flesh-eating bacteria from 'bath salts'.
....A New Orleans woman’s experiment with the illicit drugs dubbed “bath salts” cost her her arm -- and nearly her life -- after she was ravaged by flesh-eating bacteria that invaded an injection site.
2. Casino plans sprout in US as states seek revenue.

....Cash-strapped governments embrace gambling after years of worry about cost to society. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to build the world's largest convention center hotel at Aqueduct, the New York City racetrack, as part of his push to expand gambling in a bid for more state tax revenue and jobs.
3. Among the wealthiest 1%, many variations.

....While the 1% has become a catch-all to describe the very wealthy, the members of this group are diverse, especially in where they live, what they believe politically and just how rich they are.
4. The image officer with a lot to fix.
....Though not technically a banker, Anne M. Finucane of Bank of America is one of the most powerful figures in its industry. And now it's up to her to help repair the bank's reputation.
5. White House says it opposes parts of two antipiracy bills.
....The Obama administration said it would not support central elements of efforts in Congress to enforce copyrights on the Internet, all but killing the current versions of the legislation.
6. UPDATE: Arrest in California homeless killings.
....The man believed to have killed four homeless men in Orange County over the last month is now in custody, according to law enforcement officials.
7. Muskrat love: furs from Michigan find Asian markets.
....Asian countries are buying raw material for fur garments from Michigan trappers, and muskrats — one of the most popular furs with foreign buyers — are among the most abundant fur-bearing animals in the state.
8. ARTS: Into the heart of lightness.

....Doug Wheeler, a founder of the so-called Light and Space movement, constructs his first Manhattan "infinity environment" at the David Zwirner gallery in Chelsea.
a. Music: Specializing in spreading his wings.
....Winning the Chopin Competition early in his career did not stop the pianist Garrick Ohlsson from insisting on musical challenges from styles and periods outside his specialty.
POLITICS:
1. For Romney, attacks on Bain career have upside.
....Attention is turned away from his shifting stances on social issues.
a. Romney offers praise for a donor's business.
....With for-profit colleges under siege in Washington over accusations that they defraud students, Mitt Romney's endorsement of them puts him in the middle of a political debate.
2. Boehner faces a restive GOP and new White House attacks.
....In the new session, Speaker Boehner's challenge is not only to corral House Republicans but also to preserve his party's majority and fend off attacks from Pres. Obama.
3. The Tea Party's not-so-civil war.
....In South Carolina, they know who their enemy is. They're just too busy attacking one another to fight him.
4. Evangelicals, seeking unity, back Santorum for nomination.
....Evangelical leaders voted to support the presidential candidacy of Rick Santorum in hopes of undercutting Mitt Romney’s dominance of the Republican field.
5. Countrywide 'VIP' loans linked to two Congressmen.
....Howard McKeon and Elton Gallegly, both Republicans from Southern California, were on a list of House members who received special loans through a Countrywide Financial program.

Today's Headlines of Interest:

UPDATE: Finally! Fuel tanker moored off Nome, gearing up delivery.

....Renda, a Russian tanker with a cargo of much-needed fuel for Nome was moored less than a half mile from the Alaska town's iced-in harbor Sunday morning, holding for disturbed ice to refreeze before crews can finish work to deliver the fuel, the Coast Guard said. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy, which cleared a path through hundreds of miles of Bering Sea ice for the tanker, was nearby. 'It's kind of like a football game, we're on the five yard line and we just want to work into the goal line,' official says.
"We were able to successfully navigate that last bit of ice," Coast Guard spokesman Kip Wadlow said. "We were able to get it pretty much right on the money, in the position that the industry representatives wanted to start the fuel transfer process." The crew of the 370-foot tanker was working to ensure the safe transfer of the 1.3-million gallons of fuel through a segmented hose that will be laid on top of the ice to the harbor, located about 2,100 feet from the ship.
Crews must wait 12 hours, or until about 5 a.m. (6 a.m. PST) Sunday, to ensure that the disturbed ice has refrozen. At that point, they must build some sort of road or pathway over the ice for the hose to rest on. Then the hose's segments will have to be bolted together and inspected before the fuel can begin to flow.
Sitnasuak Native Corp. board chairman Jason Evans, however, cautioned that delivering the fuel is only half the mission. "The ships need to transition back through 300 miles of ice," he said. "I say we're not done until the ships are safely back at their home ports (in Seattle and Russia)."

Programming prodigy passes away at 16.

Arfa Karim Randhawa, the computer programming prodigy who became the world’s youngest Microsoft Certified Professional at 9 years old, has passed away at the age of 16, according to reports out of her native Pakistan. At age 10 she had her own philosophy of life - "If you want to do something big in your life, you must remember that shyness is only the mind," she said. "If you think shy, you act shy. If you think confident you act confident. Therefore never let shyness conquer your mind."
She had been in the hospital for nearly a month after reportedly suffering an epileptic seizure and cardiac arrest. Two weeks ago her outlook appeared to improve and, in recent weeks, Microsoft had stepped in to help provide expert medical care. But it was in vain. R.I.P. Arfa. The world has lost a valuable part of its future.

The Mexico drug war: bodies for billions.

The Mexican drug war, at its core, is about two numbers: 48,000 (deaths) and 39 billion (dollars).
Over the past five years, nearly 48,000 people have been killed in suspected drug-related violence in Mexico, the country's federal attorney general announced this month. In the first three quarters of 2011, almost 13,000 people died. The death toll doesn't include the more than 5,000 who have disappeared or the tens of thousands of children orphaned by the violence.
The guilty are on both sides of the border.
Street gangs with cartel ties are not only in Los Angeles and Dallas, but also in many smaller cities across the United States and much farther north of the Mexican border. Mexican cartels had a presence in 230 cities in the United States in 2008, according to the U.S. Justice Department. Its 2011 report shows that presence has grown to more than 1,000 U.S. cities. While the violence has remained mostly in Mexico, authorities in Arizona, Georgia, Texas, Alabama and other states have reportedly investigated abductions and killings suspected to be tied to cartels.
Traffickers are recruiting in the United States, and prefer to hire the young. Texas high schools say cartel members have been on their campuses. Most notoriously, a 14-year-old from San Diego became a head-chopping cartel assassin. "I slit their throats," he testified at his trial (sentenced to three years in a Mexican prison.)
For more than a decade, the United States' focus has been terrorism, an exhausting battle reliant on covert operatives in societies where the rule of law has collapsed or widespread violence is the norm. If cartel violence is not contained in Mexico, which shares a nearly 2,000 mile border with the United States, the drug war could threaten US national security and even survival of the Mexican state.
What could explain the savagery of the drug cartels? $39,000,000,000.
That's the top estimated amount Mexican and Colombian drug trafficking organizations make in wholesale profits annually, according to a 2009 Justice Department report, the latest year for which that calculation was available. The department's 2011 report said that Mexican traffickers control the flow of most of the cocaine, heroin, foreign-produced marijuana and methamphetamine in the United States. There are seven cartels in Mexico vying for control of smuggling routes into the United States, a bountiful sellers' paradise. South of the border it costs $2,000 to produce a kilo of cocaine from leaf to lab, the DEA said. In the U.S., a kilo's street value ranges from $34,000 to $120,000, depending on the ZIP code where it's pushed.
Dealers usually don't know or care where their product comes from, DEA special agent and spokesman Jeffrey Scott said. He said he doubts the tens of millions of Americans who use illegal drugs do, either. "The people who are arrested will sometimes say, 'Sinaloa who?'" he said, referring to the cartel that originated in the Mexican Pacific Coast state and has the strongest presence in the United States.
"El Chapo" (Shorty) is the boss of the Sinaloa cartel. In his last-known photo, the 5 foot 6 inch son of a poor rural family wears a schoolboy haircut and a plain-colored puff-coat. Despite having virtually no formal education, Forbes estimates Joaquin Guzman Loera is worth $1 billion. This month the U.S. Treasury declared him the most influential trafficker in the world. He has eluded capture for more than a decade, is known for coming up with original ways to smuggle, like putting cocaine in fire extinguishers, and is suspected of helping Mexicans and Colombians launder as much as $20 billion in drug profits.
Wake up America. We could become the next 'killing fields' for the drug cartels. Didn't we learn anything from the disaster that was Prohibition. That's what gave the cartels their start - supply alcohol to the US. And now they are supplying drugs. At least let's legalize medicinal use of marijuana, eventually legalizing recreational use. Make it unprofitable for the cartels. Our prohibition of its use has done nothing to correct the problem - it only made it worse.

Sports Headlines
1. NFL PLAYOFFS: Brady, Pats punch clock on Tebow Time.
....New England reaches AFC title game as veteran QB throws 5 TD passes in rout of Broncos 45-10. Tom Brady's performance served as a reminder that he possesses the accuracy and acumen of which championships are made.
a. Just like in the glory days, 49ers win wild one, 36-32. go for NFC title.

....San Francisco blows early lead but beats New Orleans on Davis' TD catch with 9 seconds left, as quarterback Alex Smith led the 49ers to two go-ahead touchdowns in the final 2 minutes 11 seconds.
2. NBA: Clippers win first battle of L.A.: Kobe's 42 not enough.

.....The Los Angeles Clippers showed they could beat the Lakers even with Kobe Bryant going over the 40-point mark for the fourth consecutive game - Chris Paul scores 33, Griffin adds 22 in 102-94 win; Bryant scores at least 40 in 4th straight game.
a. Concerned about offense, Knicks see defense falter in a demoralizing defeat to the Thunder, 104-92.
[/img]....The Knicks, playing without Carmelo Anthony, allowed 70 points in the first half as the Thunder cruised to their sixth consecutive victory.
b. Considering the Bulls and their point guard.
....The Bulls have re-established themselves, and their newfound worthiness is not all about Derrick Rose, their point guard. Or is it?
3. NHL: Biron posts shutout as NY Rangers prevail in Toronto.
....Martin Biron turned away 20 shots in a 3-0 Rangers victory over the Maple Leafs. The NJ Devils and Long Island Islanders also won.
4. NCAABK: Florida State Routs No. 3 North Carolina, 90-57.
....Deividas Dulkys scored a career-high 32 points as Florida State stunned No. 3 North Carolina, snapping the Tar Heels’ nine-game winning streak.
a. UPDATE: Bernie Fine accuser admits lying about child abuse.
....A prison inmate who was one of four men to accuse a former Syracuse University assistant basketball coach of sexual abuse when they were children has admitted that he made up his claim,


Thought for Today
"A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan."
—-Martin Luther King Jr. Nobel laureate & civil rights advocate (1929-1968).

Today's flower: Streptocarpella sp. Streptocarpella - a small, tender basket plant from southern Africa that quickly grows to eight inches tall with a spread of 12 inches across. The flowers are an inch long with a narrow tube which splays out at the end into a slanted, pansy-like face with five lobes. The most common color is purple, but various shades of lighter blue are sometimes encountered.



[/color]

[pegasus]

Happy MLK Jr. Day from Tuxy and me
:)This is the 16th day of 2012 with 349 days left in the year.

Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 12:28 p.m., it's fair , temp 23ºF [Feels like 11ºF], winds S @ 14 mph, humidity 50%, pressure 30.20 in and falling, dew point 10ºF, chance of precipitation 20%.

Today in History:
1547--Ivan IV known as the Terrible was crowned Czar of Russia.
1780--British demonstrate naval supremacy over Spain in the Moonlight Battle off the coast of Portugal.
1847--explorer and mapmaker John C.fremont briefly became governor of California.
1883--the U.S. Civil Service Commission was established
1912--a day before reaching the South Pole, British explorer Robert Scott and his expedition were bitterly disappointed to find evidence in the form of a rock cairn and dog sled tracks showing that Roald Amundsen of Norway and his team had gotten there ahead of them. (Scott and his party perished during the return trip.)
1916--Montenegro capitualated Austro-Hungarian forces in World War I.
1919--pianist and statesman Ignacy Jan Paderewski became the first premier of the newly created Republic of Poland.
1920--Prohibition began as the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution took effect.
1935--fugitive gangster Fred Barker and his mother, Kate "Ma" Barker, were killed in a shootout with the FBI at Lake Weir, Fla.
1936--Albert Fish, known as the Moon Maniac for killing and eating as many as 10 children, was executed at Sing Sing prision's electrid chair in New York.
1938--Benny Goodman played a jrevolutionary azz concert at Carnegie Hall.
1942--actress Carole Lombard, 33, died in a plane crash near Las Vegas.
1944--Gen. Eisenhower took command of the Allied invasion force in London.
1945--Adolf Hitler took refuge in his Berlin bunker.
1964--the musical Hello, Dolly! starring Carol Channing opened on Broadway, beginning a run of 2,844 performances.
1969--two manned Soviet Soyuz spaceships became the first vehicles to dock in space and transfer personnel.
1970--Curt Flood filed a historic lawsuit against Major League Baseball challenging the reserve clause.
1973--the final 1st-run episode of the long-running western Bonanza aired on NBC.
1978--NASA named 35 candidates to fly on the space shuttle, including Sally K. Ride, who became America's first woman in space, and Guion S. Bluford Jr., who became America's first black astronaut.
1979--Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, leader of Iran since 1941, fled the country and the Islamic revolution.
1987--Hu Yaobang resigned as head of China's Communist Party, declaring he'd made mistakes in dealing with student turmoil and intellectual challenges to the system.
1989--three days of rioting erupted in Miami when a police officer fatally shot a black motorcyclist, causing a crash that also claimed the life of a passenger.
1990--Soviets sent troops into Azerbaijan.
1991--the White House announced the start of Operation Desert Storm to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.
1992--the government of El Salvador and rebel leaders signed a pact ending 12 years of civil war that had killed at least 75,000 people.
1995--avalanches swept two buses off the highway between Srinagar and Jammu in Kashmir, India, killing more than 200 with 5,000 needing rescue.
2002--Richard Reid was indicted in Boston on federal charges alleging he'd tried to blow up a U.S.-bound jetliner with explosives hidden in his shoes.
2002--a gunman went on a shooting rampage at the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Va., killing the dean, a professor and a student; former student Peter Odighizuwa later pleaded guilty to capital murder and was sentenced to life in prison.
2003--the space shuttle Columbia and its crew of seven blasted off from Cape Canaveral. (The shuttle broke up during its return descent on Feb. 1, killing everyone on board.)
2004--Michael Jackson pleaded innocent to child molestation charges in Santa Maria, Calif.
2006--Africa's first elected female head of state, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, was sworn in as Liberia's president.
2007--Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., launched his successful bid for the White House.
2007--two car bombs exploded outside Al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad, killing at least 70.
2011--former Haitian strongman Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, who'd been living in exile in France, made a surprise return to Haiti as the country wrestled with a devastating earthquake.


World News Capsules:
1. Protest leader becomes party boss in Chinese village that rebelled.
....Despite the new political appointment in the local Communist Party, some villagers in Wukan say their grievances have yet to be addressed.
a. London wants to tap Chinese currency market.
....Britain plans to turn London into a major foreign exchange trading center for the Chinese renminbi to benefit from faster growth in Asia while strengthening the city's position as a financial center.
2. Inefficient economies seen as drag on Europe.
....In confronting the debt crisis, European leaders must not lose sight of the need to rebuild their economies by investing in technology or making labor markets more flexible, analysts say.
a. BASF to stop selling genetically modified products in Europe.
....The German company cited consumer objections to such food products as the reason for its decision
3. i]As French vote nears, Sarkozy is haunted by grim economy[/i].
....The recent downgrade of French debt, though not unexpected, adds to the challenges facing the incumbent, Nicolas Sarkozy, as he seeks re-election.
4. As reforms flag in Greece, Europe aims to limit damage.
....European officials say the task of negotiations with lenders is less to help Greece through its troubles than to avoid an uncontrolled default that could threaten the global financial system.
5. Flexing muscle, Baghdad detains US contractors.

....The crackdown comes amid other moves by the government to take over functions once performed by the US military and to claim areas of the country it had controlled.
a. Police officers are killed ininsurgent attacks in Iraq.
....Insurgents killed nine people in several attacks in Ramadi, including an assault on a police compound where an insurgent leader was being held.
6. Cyberattacks temporarily cripple 2 Israeli web sites.
....Israel faced an escalating cyber war as unknown attackers disrupted access to the symbolically strategic Web sites of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and El Al, the national airline.
7. Cruise ship owners blame human error as deathtoll rises.
....With 16 people still listed as missing after a cruise ship capsized near an Italian island, rescue workers searched the luxury liner on Sunday for survivors and found three.
7. Observers criticizee Kazakhstan's election.
....The negative assessment called into question the sincerity of the government’s effort, coming at a critical time as more liberalism is introduced in the country.
8. Liberia's president stresses reconciliation in 2nd inaugural speech.
....Pres. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf began a second six-year term calling for political reconciliation after a runoff election saw a boycott and street clashes.
9. Amid strikes, Nigeria rolls back gasoline price.
....Pres. Goodluck Jonathan said the price will drop to about $2.75 a gallon after a week of strikes, protests and fragile economic calculus for most Nigerians.
10. Pakistan court orders prime minister to testify.
....Pakistan’s highest court escalated its clash with the government on Monday by initiating contempt of court proceedings against Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.
11. Opposition, Kremlin heading for a new showdown.
....In the daily newspaper Izvestia, Vladimir V. Putin published his most personal explanation to date of his decision to return to the Russian presidency.
12. In an informal economy, part valet, part hustler.
....In South Africa, where the official unemployment rate is 25 percent, car guarding has proved a powerful draw for young men with little prospect of a formal job.
13. In twisting terror case, Thai police seize chemicals.
....A top Bangkok police official said the chemicals were found in a commercial building on the outskirts of Bangkok, allaying fears of a pending attack on Thai soil.

US News Capsules:
1. Bills to stop web piracy invite a protracted battle.
....The Obama administration's statement of opposition to antipiracy legislation let the technology industry claim a victory, but few in Silicon Valley or Hollywood consider the battle over.
2. Online shoppers are rooting for the little guy.
....As online giants act more like big-box stores, smaller sites are positioning themselves as mom-and-pop alternatives.
3. In Silicon Valley, the ripe scent of new money.

....The start-up boom means there are more freshly minted millionaires looking to manage their wealth. And Wall Street firms are happy to help, for a fee.
4. The Artist and The Descendants take Golden Globes.

....George Clooney won for best actor in a motion picture drama for his role in The Descendants with Meryl Streep taking best actress for The Iron Lady.
5. Day care centers adapt to round-the-clock demand.

....Child care centers are adapting in today’s economy, as parents work ever longer days, take on second jobs and accept odd shifts to make ends meet
6. Study on teacher value uses data from before teach-to-test era.
....Results that come from a time prior to No Child Left Behind should be kept in mind when analyzing a new study that tries to determine if teachers have a lasting effect on students’ lives.
7. ART: The Met reimagines the American story.
....After a four-year renovation, the Metropolitan Museum of Art reveals its smartly updated New American Wing Galleries for Paintings, Sculpture and Decorative Arts.
POLITICS:
1. Donors gave as Santorum won earmarks.
....An examination of some of the earmarks Rick Santorum got as a senator from Pennsylvania suggests that they paid off in the form of campaign contributions.
a. Santorum capitalizes on evangelical endorsement[i/].
....An endorsement by evangelical leaders may allow the Santorum campaign to spend more money in South Carolina, instead of having to keep it in reserve for the Florida contest.
2. Huntsman leaves race with plea for party unity
....Jon M. Huntsman Jr. told his advisers he intends to leave the republican presidential race, a week before he had hoped to revive his campaign in South Carolina.
3. Focusing on nomination, Paul plots a backup plan.
....Advisers to Ron Paul say they are in the campaign to win, but they are also trying to leverage what they have to try to force the Republican Party to take his and his supporters’ views into account.
4. The Romney advantage: unequally matched GOP rivals.
....As Mitt Romney heads into the South Carolina primary with a commanding position, no recent Republican standard-bearer has had such a diffuse and shifting field of opponents.
5. Multiplied by PACs, ads overwhelm the airwaves in S.C..
....Anyone near a television in South Carolina this weekend saw one of the most concentrated and expensive barrages of political advertising the state has experienced.
4. Governor who took on unions may face a closely watched recall election.
....The outcome of a movement to recall Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin could have meaning for other states trying to cut union costs and for the presidential election.

Today's Headlines of Interest:
Big night for big names at Golden Globe Awards,

Big Hollywood names claimed trophies at Sunday night's Golden Globe awards, with legends Meryl Streep, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen and George Clooney picking up honors.
Streep, who plays former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, won the award for best actress in a motion picture drama. Clooney won the best actor award for his role in The Descendants[/i[, and the film itself later won for best motion picture drama. In the film, Clooney plays a Hawaiian land baron who struggles with family issues as his cheating wife lies in a coma. Scorsese won the Golden Globe for best director for Hugo, his love letter to the early days of film and Allen won the best screenplay award for Midnight in Paris.
Before the big hitters started their treks to the podium, the honors were fairly evenly split between a number of different actors, movies and TV shows. Michelle Williams won for actress in a musical or comedy as Marilyn Monroe in My Week with Marilyn, 52 years after Monroe won the same prize for 1959's "ome Like It Hot. The supporting-acting Globes went to Christopher Plummer as an elderly widower who comes out as gay in the father-son drama Beginners and Octavia Spencer as a brassy housekeeper joining other black maids to share stories about life with their white employers in the 1960s Deep South tale The Help.
The Adventures of Tintin won for best animated feature film, with director Steven Spielberg accepting the award. The Artist, an almost-silent black and white film, won the award for best movie musical or comedy, and another for Ludovic Bource's original score. Jean Dujardin also won a Golden Globe for best actor in a comedy or musical for the film. A Separation, from Iran, won the award for best foreign-language film. Writer-director Asghar Farhadi uses a divorcing couple's domestic troubles with a young child and an aging parent as the means to examine gender, religious and class distinctions in contemporary Iran.
The precursor to the Oscars - will they or won't they show the way voters will be going this spring? Whatever may be, congratulations are in order to these winners.

Sports Headlines
1. NFL: Giants knock out the champs 37-20.
[imghttp://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/01/16/sports/sub-giants1/sub-giants1-articleInline.jpg][/img]
....Eli Manning passed for 330 yards and 3 touchdowns, as the Giants set up a meeting in San Francisco next Sunday with a Super Bowl berth at stake. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had a tough day against the Giants' defense, which forced him into a fumble and an interception and sacked him four times.
a. Somber week for Packers, and the defense does nothing to lift spritis.
....The Giants punished the Green Bay defense, which allowed more yards than any NFL team this season. with the whole team coping with the death by drowning of one of their coaches's sons. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a candidate for most valuable player, was 26 of 46 for 264 yards, and he looked increasingly ineffective as the game went on.
b. Harbaugh strides confidently where other coaches faltered.
....The 49ers’ Jim Harbaugh has made the transition from the college ranks to the NFL look easy, taking over a team that went 6-10 last season and finishing 13-3 and in the NFC Championship.
c. A typical Ravens success: with grit and without fear.
....Baltimore intercepted the rookie quarterback T. J. Yates three times and held Houston scoreless after halftime, winning 20-13 and advancing to the AFC championship game against New England.
d. Houston's defense comes through with all but a victory.
....The Texans harassed Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco and held Baltimore to 227 total yards, but lost.
e. Curtain closes on Tebow's season, but his sideshow goes on.
....After the Broncos were ousted by the Patriots, quarterback Tim Tebow returned to his devoutly religious role. His play in the game had left little to praise.
2. AUSTRALIAN OPEN: Stars of the past and stars in the making.
....Bernard Tomic, a home favorite at the Australian Open, dispensed with the Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco in five sets on the opening day of the tennis tournament.
a. Ken Rosewall's feat seems out of reach for today's players.
....Forty years later, Ken Rosewall remains the oldest man to win a Grand Slam tournament in the Open era.
3. NBA: Knicks hoping Anthony can play against Magic.
....Carmelo Anthony, who sprained his right ankle and his left wrist Thursday, participated in a team walk-through Sunday.
4. NCAABK: Another tough lesson for Red Storm.
....The freshman Moe Harkless scored 21 points for St. John’s, but the game at Madison Square Garden belonged to the Hoyas who won 69-49.
5. MLB: Puerto Rico traces decline in prospects to baseball draft.

Baseball's stature has diminished in Puerto Rico and most agree on the culprit: the decision by Major League Baseball, in 1990, to include Puerto Rico, a commonwealth of the United States, in its First-Year Player Draft. After decades of populating major league rosters with All-Stars at every position, Puerto Rico had only 20 players on opening day rosters last season.
6. PGA: Singh and Sabbatini have verbal clash over a caddie.
....Rory Sabbatini was weighing whether to file a formal complaint against Vijay Singh with the PGA Tour for verbal abuse against Sabbatini’s caddie.


Thought for Today
"I have noticed that the people who are late are often so much jollier than the people who have to wait for them."
—-E.V. Lucas, English writer & publisher (1868-1938).

Today's flower: Plectranthus sp. or Swedish ivy - There are many Plectranthus species (around 44) that are currently used as ornamental herbaceous plants throughout the world's gardens. They come in a number of shapes and colors ranging from white, pink to dark mauves, and lavenders.



[/color]

[pegasus]

Good afternoon from Tuxy and me
:)This is the 17th day of 2012 with 348 days left in the year.

Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 3:15 p.m., it's cloudy , temp 40ºF [Feels like 33ºF], winds SSW @ 13 mph, humidity 89%, pressure 29.50 in and falling, dew point 37ºF, chance of precipitation 100%.

Today in History:
1562--French Protestants were recognized under the Edict of St. Germain.
1706--Statesman and inventor Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston.
1806--Thomas Jefferson's daughter, Martha, gave birth to James Madison Randolph, the first child born in the White House.
1893--Hawaii’s monarchy was overthrown as a group of businessmen and sugar planters forced Queen Liliuokalani to abdicate.
1899--Al Capone, the American gangster and prohibition era crime leader, was born; died 1947 at age 48.
1917--the US paid Denmark $25 million for the Virgin Islands
1922--Betty White, actress (The Golden Girls, Hot in Cleveland) was born.
1929--the cartoon character Popeye the Sailor made his debut in the "Thimble Theatre" comic strip
1945--Soviet and Polish forces liberated Warsaw, Poland.
1945--Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, credited with saving tens of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust, was taken into Soviet custody in Budapest, Hungary. (His fate has never been determined.)
1946--the UN Security Council held its first meeting.
1950--the Great Brink's Robbery took place as seven masked men held up a Brink's garage in Boston, stealing $1.2 million in cash and $1.5 million in checks and money orders.
1962--ten former winners of rigged TV quiz shows, including Charles Van Doren, pleaded guilty in New York to perjury, admitting they'd lied under oath when they denied being given answers in advance. (All received suspended sentences.)
1964--Michelle Obama, First Lady as wife of Pres. Barack Oabma, was born.
1977--convicted murderer Gary Gilmore was shot by a firing squad at Utah State Prison in the first U.S. execution in a decade.
1989--five children were shot to death at the Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton, Calif., by a drifter, Patrick Purdy, who then killed himself.
1994--a magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Southern California, killing at least 61 people and causing $20 billion worth of damage.
1995--a magnitude 7.2 earthquake devastated the city of Kobe, Japan; more than 6,000 people were killed.
1997--a court in Ireland granted the first divorce in the Roman Catholic country's history.
1998--Pres. Clinton became the first U.S. president to testify as a defendant in a criminal or civil suit when he answered questions from lawyers for Paula Jones, who had accused Clinton of sexual harassment.
2001--faced with an electricity crisis, California used rolling blackouts to cut off power to hundreds of thousands of people.
2002--a Palestinian gunman walked into a bat mitzvah party in northern Israel and opened fire with an assault rifle, killing six people; the gunman was killed by police.
2011--Apple Inc. announced that its CEO, Steve Jobs, was taking his second medical leave of absence in two years. (He died in October.)


Today's News:

World News Capsules:
1. China continues arrests of prominent dissidents.
....An activist, Zhu Yufu, becomes the latest advocate to be swept up in a continuing crackdown.
a. Majority of Chinese now live in cities.
....China’s urban population exceeded its rural population in 2011 for the first time in the nation’s history, a government agency reported
2. Eropean court overrules Britain on terror detainee.
....The European Court of Human Rights said that Abu Qatada cannot be deported from Britain to his native Jordan because his trial there would be tainted by evidence obtained by torture.
3. For India's army, dispute over its chief's age rattles leadership.
....Vijay Kumar Singh, India’s Army chief, says he is 60. Officials records say he 61. At stake is ability to stay in his post/
4. Hearing begins on indictment of Israeli foreign minister.
....Prosecutors will decide whether to pursue charges against Avigdor Lieberman on charges of fraud, breach of trust and money laundering
5. i]Oversight of cruise lines at issue after disaster[/].
....Questions about a captain's maneuvering of the Costa Concordia cruise ship off the coast of Italy are raising larger issues about how the cruise industry is regulated.
a. UPDATE: Captain rebuked in transcript; 5 more bodies are found

....Rescuers pulled more bodies from the stricken cruise liner on Tuesday, as transcripts of a screaming match between the coast guard and the ship’s captain were released.
b. Ship's captain told: 'Get back on board'.

....A transcript of a tense conversation between the captain of Costa Concordia and the local Port Authority has given new insight into what happened when the ship hit rocks off Italy's western coast.
c. Ship salvage crews roll up their sleeves.
....A Dutch marine salvage company is preparing to pump half a million gallons of fuel from the stricken Costa Concordia cruise liner, the first step toward determining whether to save or scrap it.
46 Young US citizens in Mexico brave risks for American schools.
....Called “transfronterizos,” these students migrate between two nations every day, straining the resources of public school districts and sparking debate among educators
7. Web gang operating in the open.
....The Koobface gang, a Russian-based group, has grown wealthy by apparently spreading a computer worm on Facebook and other social networks and cashing in on various schemes.
8. US presses South Korea to reduce oil imports from Iran.
....The plea from an American diplomat came as the US continues to seek support from major Asian economies to increase pressure on Tehran to halt its nuclear program.
9. New wave of killings in Syria.
....Violence surged in Syria as activists reported at least 30 people killed, including four soldiers who had defected, in several towns and cities across the country.
10. Taiwan election stirs hopes among Chinese for democracy.
....After avidly following Taiwan's presidential campaign online, many mainland Chinese expressed the desire to one day soon choose their own leaders.
11. Yemeni official hints at election delay, but Yemeni vice president assures elections will go on as planned.

....Yemen’s foreign minister, Abu Bakr al-Qirbi,, said that it would be “difficult” to hold the elections on Feb. 21 as planned, adding to fears of a worsening political crisis. Yemeni officials downplayed rumors that next month's presidential elections in Yemen would be delayed. Any delay in the elections are unacceptable by all standards, senior officials in Vice President Abdurabu Hadi's office said.

US News Capsules:
1. US to force drug firms to report money paid to doctors.
....To head off medical conflicts of interest, the companies would be required to disclose what they pay doctors for research, consulting, speaking, travel and entertainment.
2. Education, over the border and under the radar.
....Dozens of high school students cross from Tijuana, Mexico, into Southern California every day to attend American high schools.
3. With bill, Washington state shifts its views on marriage.
....Some lawmakers who once opposed same-sex marriage are now sponsoring a bill that would make Washington the seventh state where same-sex couples are allowed to marry.
4. Learning to be lean.
....Health insurers and employers must now pay to screen children for obesity and provide them with counseling. Experts say creating such programs will be a challenge.
5. The invisible hand behind bonuses on Wall Street.
....Compensation consultants work in the shadows to help Wall Street banks and other financial institutions set bonuses and devise severance packages,
6. As states weigh online gambling, profit ay be small.

....More states are now making moves to legalize online gambling. Raising revenue remains the draw for most, but some wonder whether profits from Internet play would make any significant differences to deficits.
7. Citigroup struggles in weak quarter.

....Citi shares fell more than 7 percent in the fourth quarter, and investors wasted little time in showing their disappointment. The capital markets unit was especially weak.
a. Wells Fargo profit rose 20% in 4th quarter.
....But the gains at Wells Fargo were limited by declining revenue, reflecting a setback felt across the banking industry as a result of the sluggish economic recovery.
8. Wikipedia plans blackout over piracy..

....Wikipedia, one of the highest-traffic sites on the Internet, will shut down for 24 hours in protest of proposed anti-piracy laws, which the website says would make it very difficult -- maybe impossible -- for its nonprofit encyclopedia to continue to operate.
9. UPDATE: Former US Marine charaged with murdering four homeless men.
....Itzcoatl Ocampo, an Iraq War veteran accused of stabbing four homeless men to death in California, was charged with four counts of first-degree murder, officials said.
POLITICS:
1. Romney is opponents' main target in GOP debate.
....With five days remaining before the South Carolina primary, the Republican challengers wasted little time firing pointed questions at Mitt Romney during Monday night's debate in Myrtle Beach.
a. Romney says his effective tax rate is 'probably' 15%.

....Under renewed pressure to release his personal income tax returns, Mitt Romney acknowledged that he pays an effective tax rate of about 15%.
2. Iran face-off testing Obama the candidate.
....The president, trying to contain Iran's nuclear ambitions, must balance choices that could harm either the economic recovery or his image as a firm leader.
3. A spare lectern and little left to chance at Republican debate.
....Debates can seem defined by spontaneous moments, but behind the scenes, Fox News left little to chance.
4. Black voters are wary as hopefuls seek kinship.

....Not many blacks vote in the Republican primary in South Carolina, but the candidates were seeking the support of every one of them

Sports Headlines
1. NFL: New breed of tight end is unchecked so far.
....Vernon Davis of the 49ers and Rob Gronkowski of the Patriots may look like tight ends, but they run and catch like wide receivers, presenting problems for opposing defenses.
a. 9 years later, sorry still doesn't cut it.
....In the Giants' last playoff game in San Francisco, in 2003, they gave away a 24-point lead and lost, 39-38, after a stunning - and controversial - field-goal attempt,
b. Ravens seek offense worthy of defense.
....To reach their first Super Bowl since the 2000 season, the Ravens cannot rely on defense alone, particularly against a Patriots team that has not lost since Nov. 6.
c. Caldwell fired as Colts house-cleaning continues.
....The Colts announced the firing of Coach Jim Caldwell on Tuesday in perhaps the least-surprising move of the team’s rebuilding following their 2-14 season
2. In Denver, patience is paying off for the Nuggets.

....The Denver Nuggets rebuilt on the fly after trading the All-Star Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks, and now boast a fluid team that can contend in the N.B.A.’s Western Conference.
a. Bring back the lockout!
....A shortened N.B.A. season features a lot of bad teams — and even the good teams are playing bad basketball.
3. AUSTRALIAN OPEN: Tomic's most important skill? His temperment.
....In his victory over Fernando Verdasco at the Australian Open, Bernard Tomic showcased his mental game.
b. Nadal mends fences with Federer and overcomes knee problem to win.
....As the Australian Open began, Rafael Nadal won his first match, against the American Alex Kuznetsov, and stepped back from an earlier criticism of Roger Federer.


Thought for Today
"The only thing wrong with immortality is that it tends to go on forever."
—-Herb Caen, newspaper columnist (1916-1997).

Today's flower: Ipomoea batatas or sweet potato - a dicotyledonous plant which belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Amongst the approximately 50 genera and more than 1000 species of this family, only I. batatas is a crop plant whose large, starchy, sweet tasting tuberous roots are an important root vegetable.