Marvin Ammori: First Amendment Challenges in the Digital Age

Next Friday, February 10, the Stanford Technology Law Review is holding its annual symposium, and this year's topic is an important one:?First Amendment Challenges in the Digital Age. Of the three panels, one is devoted to privacy and another to copyright. The third is devoted to a long, ambitious law review article ... written by me. The panel participants joining me to discuss the article are two of the nation's great free speech scholars--Harvard's Yochai Benkler and the University of Virginia's Lillian BeVier. The article is called First Amendment Architecture. In it, I argue that the First Amendment plays an important role in ensuring adequate physical and digital spaces for speech, and that this role is not some exceptional outgrowth of First Amendment doctrine but is central to understanding what the First Amendment "means." While I submitted the paper for publication in February 2011, the subsequent events of the Arab Spring, the Occupy Movement, and the fight over SOPA/PIPA have all highlighted the significance to democratic speech?of open physical and digital spaces.

I am using the occasion of this symposium panel to blog about First Amendment Architecture. Law review "articles" generally add up to 30,000 words, or 60 pages, and have hundreds of footnotes and use semi-colons; this article is definitely a creature of that genre. My language in the piece is simple?I think, but the blog genre is better for discussing the same arguments in bite-sized, digestible pieces. Several people have already blogged about my article briefly (saying nice things even), such as law professors Tim Wu (calling it "important work") and Susan Crawford (calling it "a terrific article"), as well MSNBC host Dylan Ratigan (saying it addresses "important ... First Amendment questions")?.

This first post is more about the amazing panel and about why I chose to research and write this article. The next pieces will present the article's arguments more fully.

First, the amazing panel.?I am so nerd-excited that two of the nation's leading First Amendment scholars will critique and respond to the arguments I have been marking. ?Harvard's Yochai Benkler may agree with me at points and Lillian BeVier of UVA will likely disagree with me at many points. For those unfamiliar with Benkler, Larry Lessig calls him "the leading intellectual of the information age," and he is a leading free speech theorist. He was also my professor and paper advisor when I was in law school. (That had a major effect on the trajectory of my life.) He is also one of the kindest people I've ever met. BeVier is also a giant in First Amendment scholarship, having made important contributions to constitutional law on impenetrable topics ranging from the state action doctrine to the public forum doctrine. I have learned a lot from her work. It's an honor that she will take the time out of her schedule to disagree with me on the ?panel. In a phone call, she has kindly called my article "um... ambitious." I'll take that.

Second, why I wrote this paper.?My mom knows that I have led something of a double life over the past few years, with one foot in public policy and one in academia. (I now keep toes in policy and the think tank world.) But a lot of people from one world don't realize I have worked in the other. For example, last week, I had lunch with technology lawyers in Washington, DC. These lawyers knew me from my work to help advance network neutrality and to help defeat the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), etc. These lawyers asked me if I had ever heard of the Space and Cyberlaw Program at the University of Nebraska. I had indeed heard of it--while a law professor for a few years, I was a co-founder of the program and helped build it into a program educating many of the US Air Force's cyber-lawyers and educating some of DC's rising legal stars in tech. Similarly, years ago, while at Nebraska, on the day the DC Circuit struck down the FCC's Comcast/BitTorrent order in April 2010, several of the other law professors on my faculty noticed the headlines on the front pages of the WashingtonPost.com, the NYTimes.com, and even the Huffington Post, which had run the ominous banner headline "The Day the Internet Lost." While several students offered me condolences on the decision, three of my colleagues on the faculty asked me, "Hey, have you heard about this Internet case everyone is talking about?" I had indeed heard of--I had brought the case before the FCC and argued it (and lost) before the DC Circuit.

I saw the need for this article because of that double life. Much of my work strikes me as pretty unified: as a lawyer, working in several areas, I have thought about how to promote freedom of speech broadly for everyone. To me, freedom of speech and debate are necessary inputs in solving any of our nation's problems, from homelessness and economic inequality to banking, the environment, and national security. Freedom of speech is what Larry Lessig would call a "root" issue; working on free speech is striking at a root issue.

Thinking about free speech brought me to media regulation, as Americans access so much of their political and cultural speech through mass media. That led me to work on the FCC's media ownership rules beginning in 2005 to fight media consolidation, working with those at Georgetown's IPR, Media Access Project, Free Press and others. I then turned to the Internet as the core speech tool of our age, and in 2006 worked on Congress's first network neutrality bills, addressing an issue that people often called the foremost First Amendment issue of our time. It was through this work that I worked with Stanford's Barbara van Schewick and Columbia's Tim Wu, among others in academia. I also worked on unlicensed spectrum and privacy and copyright, including recently on SOPA, and wrote about national security and civil liberties, and global free speech matters. All of these were unified by free speech concerns.

But the policy arguments were not enough ... ?we needed to articulate a compelling constitutional framework. The media, telecom, and studio giants, and many speech scholars, assumed and advanced First Amendment framework that would render unconstitutional?media ownership caps, network neutrality rules, and many other rules designed to promote individuals' access to spaces to speak to receive diverse sources of speech.?Just as?Citizens United?privileged the free speech rights of powerful corporations over the speech of average Americans, in my opinion, some common views of the First Amendment privilege giant telecom, cable, and media corporations over average Americans.

That is, even if Congress or the FCC did adopt the pro-free-speech rules or laws for which we advocated, the Supreme Court would be the next hurdle, as suggested by several industry lawyers and even prominent?constitutional scholars. For example, while Harvard Professor Laurence Tribe and I?agreed?on the unconstitutionality of SOPA, we disagreed on the?constitutionality?of network neutrality.

So my scholarship has attempted to articulate a framework for advancing freedom of speech in our time--and my advocacy has worked, in a small way, to advance that same goal. In my scholarship, particularly in a series of three articles (here, here, and in Architecture), I try to build on the important work of C. Edwin Baker, Yochai Benkler, Jerome Barron, Jack Balkin, Owen Fiss, Joshua Cohen, and many many scholars in my generation (Greg Magarian, among others, comes to mind). I have tried to help build a framework that recaptures the First Amendment as a principle to empower all Americans, politically and personally, through access to plentiful, diverse communications spaces.

Architecture is my biggest contribution to that project, a project that many of us are working on from different angles.

So, over the next weeks, I will aim to post a few bite-sized blog pieces setting out its arguments.

?

Follow Marvin Ammori on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Marvin_Ammori

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marvin-ammori/first-amendment-challenge_b_1243889.html

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Carter Center gets $40M to eradicate Guinea worm

ATLANTA (AP) ? The Carter Center on Monday announced it received $40 million in donations to help fuel its mission to eradicate Guinea worm disease, a debilitating parasite that once plagued millions of people across the developing world.

The Atlanta-based center said the funding comes from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Children's Investment Fund Foundation and President Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates. It said the grants, along with $31 million committed last year by the United Kingdom, will help eradicate the disease by 2015.

"Millions of people in Africa and Asia will no longer risk suffering one of the most horrific human diseases ever known thanks to the generosity and global health leadership" of the donors, said former President Jimmy Carter.

There were about 3.5 million reported cases of the disease in 20 nations when the Carter Center's eradication program began in 1986. On Monday, the center said an early tally showed that only 1,060 cases of the disease occurred worldwide in 2011.

Most of the cases occurred in the African nations of South Sudan, Mali and Ethiopia. There was also an isolated outbreak in Chad.

Guinea worm disease occurs when people drink water contaminated with worm larvae. Over a year, the worm can grow to the size of a 3-foot long spaghetti noodle. Then they very slowly emerge through the skin, often causing searing, debilitating pain for months. The disease, however, is usually not fatal.

There is no vaccine or medicine for the parasite. Infection is prevented by filtering water and educating people how to avoid the disease.

The Carter Center has worked to stem the spread of Guinea worm in part by handing out millions of pipe filters and educating residents about the dangers of drinking tainted water. The former president has also has used his political bully pulpit to encourage local politicians to devote time and resources to fighting the disease.

The center said it would use the funding to pay for programs aimed at stamping out the disease and to fund surveillance by the World Health Organization to certify eradication over three years.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation contributed $23.3 million of Monday's pledge. Nahyan pledged $10 million and the Children's Investment Fund Foundation gave an additional $6.7 million.

"The last cases of any disease are the most challenging to wipe out," said Carter. "But we know that with the international community's support, Guinea worm disease soon will be relegated to the history books."

___

Follow Bluestein at http://www.twitter.com/bluestein .

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2012-01-30-Guinea%20Worm/id-595f90626430410ea3b5aeffb82a8211

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Taylor Lautner Out Of 'Stretch Armstrong'

'Twilight' star drops out of big-screen adaptation of elastic Hasbro toy.
By Kara Warner

Taylor Lautner
Photo: Getty Images

Bad news for those looking forward to seeing Taylor Lautner as super bendy, slightly superheroic "Stretch Armstrong": He's officially out of the big-screen treatment of the popular '70s Hasbro toy.

MTV News confirmed Lautner's departure with a source close to the production. According to The Wrap, Lautner had to drop out of the film due to scheduling conflicts. The "Twilight" heartthrob is reportedly set to begin work on an independent film with Oscar-winner Gus Van Sant.

Relativity Media announced Monday (January 30) that it will take over production of the film from Universal. The studio has inked a distribution deal with Hasbro. The movie was originally slated to be released in 2012, but it will now hit theaters on April 11, 2014. A new cast is expected to be announced shortly.

When MTV News asked Lautner about "Stretch Armstrong" last year, he seemed excited to explore the unknown with "Armstrong," since the film version is a brand-new concept and not a reboot or sequel. He also admitted that the character's superpower — the ability to stretch one's body parts to extremes — is hardly super at all.

"It's like the worst superhero power, possibly, to get, and how you're going to take that and use it for good and how you're going to be creative with that [is the predicament]," Lautner said. "The awesome thing with toys is it doesn't give you a story line, so you get to create it."

Although no creative decisions have been made yet, "Muppets" and "Get Him To The Greek" screenwriter Nick Stoller [http://splashpage.mtv.com/2010/05/19/stretch-armstrong-similar-to-iron-man/] was originally attached to write the script and has said the film would be an origin story similar to the tone set in "Iron Man."

Who should fill Taylor Lautner's spot in "Stretch Armstrong"? Sound off in the comments section!

Related Videos

• MTV Rough Cut: Taylor Lautner

Related Photos

• The Evolution Of: Taylor Lautner

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1678148/taylor-lautner-stretch-armstrong.jhtml

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Yosemite plan means fewer hikers on Half Dome (AP)

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. ? There was a time not long ago when a climb to the top of Yosemite National Park's Half Dome was a solitary trek attempted by only the most daring adventurers.

Over the past decade, however, the route has been inundated with up to 1,200 nature lovers a day seeking to experience the iconic mountain that is stamped on the California quarter, stitched on a line of outdoor clothing and painted on the side of the park's vehicles.

Now officials want to permanently limit access to the granite monolith, frustrating both hikers who journey there for a transcendent experience and advocates who say the plan doesn't go far enough to protect a place in a federally designated wilderness area.

"At the end of the day, if the visitors and users of wilderness aren't willing to make sacrifices to preserve the wilderness character of these areas, then we just won't have wilderness. We'll have some Disney-fied version of it," said George Nickas, executive director of Wilderness Watch.

"If people want solitude in Yosemite, there's another 12,000 square miles to do that," counters hiker Pat Townsley, a Bay Area resident who has been to the top nine times.

This past week the park released its environmental assessment of options for the future of the Half Dome trail, which studies show is the busiest by far of any in the National Park's designated wilderness areas. The aim is to improve safety on the Dome and make the trail to get there less crowded.

Options range from doing nothing to removing the cables that hikers use to pull themselves up the 45-degree final climb, rendering it inaccessible to all but experienced climbers.

Nickas calls them "handrails in the wilderness," and says his agency might sue to have them removed if park officials don't choose that option.

"There is often an attempt by agencies to make wilderness all things to all people, and they can't do that and still be wilderness," he said.

The park's recommendation is something in between a complete ban and the free-flowing days of the past when hikers packed together on the cables like cars in rush hour traffic. It would allow 300 people a day past a check point two miles distant beginning in 2013.

"There's some subjectivity to this decision," said park spokesman Scott Gediman. "But we considered how wilderness is managed and personal interviews with people about their experience on the trail. Finding balance is something we have to do."

In 1874 the slick dome that rises 5,000 feet above the valley floor was described as "perfectly inaccessible." But in 1919 the Sierra Club installed the first cables along the 400-foot final ascent so that visitors without rock climbing experience could hoist themselves to the summit _the size of 17 football fields_ to drink in stunning views of Little Yosemite Valley, El Capitan, endless Sierra and the Valley floor.

"Once you get up there it's like `holy cow.' It's just one of those moments in your life when you go `wow' and you question your existence and space and time and everything else," said hiker Townsley, who thinks everyone should be allowed the experience.

There is no doubt that if the decision were made today, there would be no braided steel cables and stanchions drilled into Half Dome. Congress passed the Wilderness Act in 1964, and 20 years later designated 95 percent of Yosemite, including Half Dome and the well-worn eight-mile trail leading to it, as land that should not be altered by the hand of man.

Over the decades the number of visitors to the park has steadily climbed, topping 4 million last year_ in part because the park is an easy drive from Los Angeles and the Bay Area. And the idea of scaling Half Dome in a day as measure of personal fortitude also began to grow.

At least five people have died on the cables since 2006, nearly all with rain as a factor, officials say. Rangers want visitors to be able to descend the slick granite in 45 minutes if they have to escape the fast-forming storms that make footing precarious, and limiting numbers is the only way to do that, they say.

Last year park officials instituted a temporary 400-permit lottery for daily access, which is roughly from Memorial Day until the first snow in October.

"I think they're doing a fine job, but I think they've got a hairball that they're dealing with trying to come up with something that works," said Rick Deutsch, who wrote the book "One Best Hike: Yosemite's Half Dome." He says 400 permits is a more workable number that accounts for no-shows.

The increase in visitors is a challenge to park officials who must balance access with the system's mandate to protect resources for future generations. The park already has been struggling over whether to limit the number of cars allowed in the gates to protect the Merced River that cuts through the heart of Yosemite Valley and is federally protected as Wild and Scenic.

The chance for the public to weigh in on all of the options in the Half Dome Trail Stewardship Plan ends March 15.

"Climbing Half Dome is iconic and we understand that," spokesman Gediman said. "But at the same time we're having to preserve and protect the park for future generations and provide for a positive visitor experience, because the National Parks belong to the American people."

-------

Follow Tracie Cone on Twitter: (at)TConeAP

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_re_us/us_yosemite_half_dome_crowds

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'The Grey': Is film's portrayal of wolves as man-killers too dramatic?

Most North American wolves are exceedingly shy. But given starvation, territorial incursions and habituation with humans, attacks can ? and do ? happen. Wolf attack scenes in 'The Grey' nevertheless have?drawn criticisms from animal rights groups.

Any casual reader of Jack London will get a stab of recognition from the portrayal in the movie ?The Grey? of battered survivors defending with flaming torches against snarling, snapping wolves.

Skip to next paragraph

After all, the opening stanza of Mr. London's classic ?White Fang? details the struggle of two frontiersmen against a hungry pack of wolves, using some of the same savage imagery that confronts ?The Grey? star Liam Neeson in the movie, which opens today.

But is it a fair portrayal?

RECOMMENDED:?Delisting of wolves raises hackles

To be sure, the perception of wolves as man-killers goes back millennia, representing perhaps humankind's most primal fear: becoming prey.

But animal rights activists, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), have called for a boycott of the movie, saying the portrayal is misguided and couldn't come at a worst time: when packs of wolves, reintroduced by federal wildlife biologists, are desperately trying to regain footholds across some of America's northern reaches. The movie's premiere comes as a radio-collared wild wolf known as OR-7 has drawn the attention of many fans as wildlife officials track it from Idaho through Oregon and into northern California.

?The Grey portrays these intelligent, family-oriented animals the same way in which Jaws portrays sharks,? PETA writes in a statement. ?The writers paint a pack of wolves living in the Alaskan wilderness as bloodthirsty monsters, intent on killing every survivor of a plane crash by tearing each person limb from limb. Yet wolves aren't aggressive animals, and as Maggie Howell, the managing director of America's Wolf Conservation Center, says, 'Wolves don't hunt humans?they actually shy away from them.'?

PETA also took offense that the filmmakers, talent and crew ate wolf meat as part of a bonding ritual as they tackled the filming.

For their part, the filmmakers say they meant to build drama, not animosity towards wild canines that once roamed nearly all corners of the globe, but have dwindled dramatically in numbers as they've been hunted and squeezed into restricted territories

"I don't think the film will make people fear wolves, but I'd like to make them respect wolves and by extension, nature itself more,? writer/director Joe Carnahan tells the Greenspace blog at the Los Angeles Times. ?I'd like the movie to remind people that we're just visitors here."

While thousands of Europeans were killed by wolves between the 1500s and 1800s, the number dwindled to 21 reported fatal wolf attacks since 2000. Most have been in rural Russia, but recent attacks also include one wolf-related death in Saskatchewan, Canada, and one in Alaska -- the 2010 mauling death of teacher Candice Berner, who was out jogging near Chignik Lake, Alaska.

Historically, North American wolves are more reluctant to approach humans than in Europe. The likely reason is that American settlers were usually armed, so wolves, as a group, learned to avoid them. In Europe, usually only the elites had guns, meaning wolves had less to fear.

Today, territorial threats and starvation are likely the two chief reasons for wolf attacks, but some researchers posit that wild wolves can, in fact, begin to explore humans as prey under certain other conditions.

?Wolves will explore humans as alternative prey, even if there's no food shortage, if they continually come in close contact with humans and habituate,? writes Valerius Geist, an environmental science professor at the University of Calgary, in a recent research paper.

Mr. Geist and others have posited that so-called ?inefficient hunting,? essentially pestering, of wolf packs is the most surefire protection against wolves becoming interested in attacking humans. But drawing on his own experience in the field, Geist's advice seems to mirror the aggressive stance taken by Mr. Neeson's character as he marshals a group of plane crash victims in ?The Grey.?

?It is not the act of hunting or shooting that makes wolves ... wary, but the confident, self-assured manners of armed persons,? he writes, adding, ?What must be avoided in the presence of wolves is running away, stumbling, limping, as well as any sign of weakness. Making and keeping up eye contact is essential.?

It's not clear from the previews if all the crash survivors in "The Grey" got that memo.

RECOMMENDED:?Delisting of wolves raises hackles

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/VDIHJjNfABo/The-Grey-Is-film-s-portrayal-of-wolves-as-man-killers-too-dramatic

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Burundi court jails 16 for bar killing of 36 (Reuters)

BUJUMBURA (Reuters) ? A court in Burundi has sentenced 16 people to jail terms ranging from three years to life for killing 36 people in a bar, the most violent attack last year in the central African country, a defense lawyer said Saturday.

Burundi has enjoyed relative peace since a Hutu rebel group, Forces for National Liberation, laid down its weapons and joined the government in 2009 after almost two decades of war.

But violence has intensified since an opposition boycott of 2010 elections, raising fears of a fresh rebellion.

The 16 were found guilty of taking part in a raid in September on a bar on the outskirts of the capital Bujumbura, lawyer Janvier Nsabimana told Reuters.

Seven were sentenced to life imprisonment, seven to five-year jail terms and two were given three-year jail sentences, he said. Five defendants were acquitted.

"The trial was not fair from the start to the end. This is why the defense will appeal against the court's decision," handed down Friday, Nsabimana said.

The attack took place when a number of armed men, some disguised as policemen, stormed into the bar in the western city of Gatumba, 16 km (10 miles) west of Bujumbura, and shot the customers one by one. The bar was said to be a popular drinking haunt of supporters of the ruling party.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Days after the killings, the intelligence service released a confidential report in which it accused a former rebel leader, Agathon Rwasa, of being behind the deadly attack.

Rwasa went into hiding in the Democratic Republic of Congo in June 2010 after boycotting the presidential poll because, he said, it would be rigged.

(Reporting by Patrick Nduwimana; Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Ben Harding and Alessandra Rizzo)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120128/wl_nm/us_burundi

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Facebook poised to file for IPO next week

Paul Sakuma / AP

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg could be worth $20 billion if current estimates hold true.

By msnbc.com staff and wire

Updated at 5:25 p.m. ET

Facebook is poised to file papers as early as next week for an initial public offering that could be one of the biggest in history, creating hundreds if not thousands of instant millionaires, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

The highly anticipated IPO will value the world's largest social networking site?at between $75 billion and $100 billion, the Journal reported on its website. So far the Journal appears to be alone with the report. Facebook declined to comment.

Founded in a Harvard dorm room in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and his friends, Facebook has grown into the world's biggest social network with over 800 million members. Facebook earned roughly $1.5 billion in operating profits on $3.8 billion in revenues last year, CNBC's Julia Boorstin reported, citing unidentified sources.

The impending IPO -- expected to raise $10 billion -- is a prized trophy for investment banks, setting up a fierce competition on Wall Street, particularly between Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, which are expected to be the two lead underwriters.

The IPO could come about three to four months after the filing, which likely would put it sometime in May. Facebook is under legal pressure to go public this year because of the so-called ?500 shareholder rule,? which requires companies to disclose financial information by the end of the first quarter the year after the company tops 500 shareholders.

Information about Facebook's ownership structure and employee compensation packages is hard to come by, since the still-private company discloses very little. But that could all change next week if the company files documents required by the Securities and Exchange Commission to offer stock to the public.

It is clear that Facebook's earliest employees, who were given ownership stakes, and early venture capital investors -- such as Accel Partners, Greylock Partners and Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel -- will see the biggest paydays.

The Journal reported that Accel could see a return of $9 billion on an initial investment of $12.7 million. Several other venture capital firms would see their stakes grow to over $1 billion in value. Thiel's current stake could not be determined.

Zuckerberg, 27, is estimated to own a little over a fifth of the company, according to "The Facebook Effect" author David Kirkpatrick, meaning he could be worth $20 billion. The latest Forbes 400 list estimated Zuckerberg was worth $17.5 billion, making him No. 14 on its list of richest Americans.

The wealth will trickle down to engineers, salespeople and other staffers who later joined the company, since most employees receive salary plus some kind of equity-based compensation, such as restricted stock units or stock options.

Facebook's headcount has swelled from 700 employees in late 2008 to more than 3,000 today. Given its generous use of equity-based compensation in past years, people familiar with Facebook say that even by conservative estimates there are likely to be well over?1,000?people who will become instant millionaires, at least on paper,?when the company goes public.

"There will be thousands of millionaires," said a former in-house recruiter at Facebook, who did not want to be identified because of confidentiality agreements.

Would you buy Facebook stock? Vote below and then?share on your thoughts on -- where else? -- Facebook.

{"contentId":"10252182","totalVotes":"7744"}

Would you buy stock in Facebook?

?

Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/27/10252182-facebook-poised-to-file-for-ipo-next-week

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David Otunga wins pro bono legal case

David Otunga, who serves as the legal counsel to EVP of Talent Relations and Interim Raw GM John Laurinaitis, took to the courts on Thursday in a pro bono case against the New York State Department of Labor.?Otunga had been hired to represent a man who claimed he had been wrongfully terminated from his job and, as a result, was receiving no unemployment benefits.?After hearing arguments from both sides, the judge sided with the legal eagle WWE Superstar.?

"I smoked the witness during cross examination," Otunga told TMZ after the case had concluded.?His client subsequently won the appeal, and will now receive the appropriate benefits.?

While it may seem surprising for a WWE Superstar to accomplish such a feat, it's just business as usual for Otunga. The dapper Superstar is no stranger to balancing two workloads -- not to mention winning cases. "I actually worked as a full time trial lawyer in Boston while in my third year at Harvard Law School," Otunga told WWE.com. "Most people couldn?t have handled trying to graduate from the most prestigious law school in the world while trying cases full time, but I?m obviously not most people."

Otunga says he takes the pro bono cases simply to keep his skills up, and not necessarily because he needs the payday. "I don?t have time for a full caseload because I?m a globally recognizable WWE Superstar and Official Legal Counsel to Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and Interim Raw General Manager, Mr. John Laurinaitis," Otunga tells us, "But I like to stay sharp."

Adding to the accomplishment is that Otunga is undefeated in court cases, proving that if nothing else, Mr. Laurinaitis chose well in appointing his counsel and will be well-equipped when Chief Operating Officer Triple H evaluates Laurinaitis' job performance next Monday on Raw SuperShow.

"I?ve tried twenty cases and I?ve won them all," Otunga told WWE.com. "I have a perfect record. What else would you expect from someone like me?"

So if Otunga gives an especially emphatic slurp of his coffee at the Royal Rumble this Sunday, know he's got a pretty good reason.

Source: http://www.wwe.com/inside/overtheropes/david-otunga-wins-pro-bono-legal-case

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US lauds Egypt's first steps toward democracy (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The White House is congratulating Egypt on achieving "several historic milestones" in its transition to democracy.

The White House issued the statement ahead of Wednesday's first anniversary of the popular uprising that toppled longtime Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak. The White House says that while Egypt still faces many challenges, the country is taking important steps toward fulfilling the promise of its revolution.

Egypt's first democratically elected parliament in 60 years held its first meeting this week. Egypt's military ruler also lifted a state of emergency Tuesday that has lasted for decades.

Protesters are expected to mark this week's anniversary by taking to the streets to call on the military council now leading Egypt to immediately step down. The White House urged Egyptians to commemorate the anniversary peacefully.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_re_us/us_us_egypt

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Android Central weekly photo contest winner: Sunset or sunrise

The winner of this week's Android Central photo contest is Travis Detweiler with his picture of sunrise over Tampa Bay.  Taken with his HTC EVO 3D while heading out into the gulf to catch a few Amberjack and Grouper.  Travis says he didn't use any particular camera app or effects, just the camera as-is on his 3VO.  He captured the theme and framed the perfect shot.  Congrats, Travis!

We had well over a thousand entries, and while it took a while to look through them all it was quite enjoyable -- you guys and gals can take some awesome pictures.  We've collected the 10 runners-up for you to enjoy as well, hit the break to see them.  Don't forget, we're starting up a new round tomorrow, so keep an eye out.  

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/6Eps9eQ-JXA/story01.htm

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Morning Movers (MFN, PETS, URG, CBRX, TWIN) - 24/7 Wall St.

There are several stocks trading more heavily than usual this morning, and also experiencing large gains or drops in share prices. These include Minefinders Corp. Ltd. (AMEX: MFN), PetMed Express Inc. (NASDAQ: PETS), Ur Energy Inc. (AMEX: URG), Columbia Laboratories Inc. (NASDAQ: CBRX), and Twin Disc Inc. (NASDAQ: TWIN).

After the first half-hour of trading, Minefinders is up nearly 26%. Volume is already more than double the daily average of about 700,000 shares traded. The Canadian silver miner is being acquired by Pan American Silver Corp. (NASDAQ: PAAS) for CDN$1.5 billion.

PetMed is up more than 14% at $12.87. Volume is already 3x the daily average of 222,000 shares traded. The pet supply company reported quarterly earnings that beat expectations.

Ur Energy is up more than 7% at $1.14. Volume is about one-third the average daily volume of 368,000 shares traded. The junior uranium miner has signed a multi-year contract to provide 200,000 pounds of uranium concentrate annually to a North American utility company. The contract sales begin in 2013.

Columbia Laboratories is down more than -55% at $0.70 after posting a new 52-week low of $0.65. Volume is more than 4x higher than the daily average of about 1.13 million shares traded. The drug company?s progesterone vaginal gel was not approved by a committee of the US FDA.

Twin Disc is down more than -17% at $32.61. Volume is already 3x the daily average of 136,000 shares traded. The machinery maker reported weak quarterly results and a lower backlog of orders.

Paul Ausick

Source: http://247wallst.com/2012/01/23/morning-movers-mfn-pets-urg-cbrx-twin/

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Danica Patrick won't run Indy 500 this year

Danica Patrick smiles at a news conference during the NASCAR Media Tour in Concord, N.C., Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. Patrick will not run in the Indianapolis 500 this season and instead will drive in the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR's longest race of the year. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Danica Patrick smiles at a news conference during the NASCAR Media Tour in Concord, N.C., Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. Patrick will not run in the Indianapolis 500 this season and instead will drive in the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR's longest race of the year. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Danica Patrick, right, shares a laugh with team owner and driver Tony Stewart, center, and Ryan Newman, left, at a news conference during the NASCAR Media Tour in Concord, N.C., Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. Patrick will not run in the Indianapolis 500 this season and instead will drive in the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR's longest race of the year. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

A videographer shoots as Danica Patrick answers a question at a news conference during the NASCAR Media Tour in Concord, N.C., Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. Patrick will not run in the Indianapolis 500 this season and instead will drive in the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR's longest race of the year. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Danica Patrick answers a question at a news conference during the NASCAR Media Tour in Concord, N.C., Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. Patrick will not run in the Indianapolis 500 this season and instead will drive in the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR's longest race of the year. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Danica Patrick answers a question at a news conference during the NASCAR Media Tour in Concord, N.C., Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. Patrick will not run in the Indianapolis 500 this season and instead will drive in the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR's longest race of the year. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) ? Danica Patrick became a worldwide sensation as a rookie at the Indianapolis 500, challenging for victory and becoming the first woman to lead laps in the showcase race.

Those Indy days are fading fast.

Patrick's shift to stock cars is long under way and her ties to IndyCar were cut even further Monday ? she said she won't run in this year's Indy 500.

Her focus is entirely on NASCAR, and on May 27 she'll race in the Coca-Cola 600. She said skipping the Indy 500 was a "business decision."

"I hope to do it in the future, the Indy 500 that is, and maybe it will be a double," she said. "But at this point in time, after a lot of conversations, it's just going to be the Coke 600 and I think it's going to be a big challenge. It's just is something that didn't work out, as far as the business side of things. ... For this year, it just didn't happen."

Patrick led 19 laps late and finished fourth in 2005. She was a career-best third in 2009.

When she jumped full time to NASCAR she said the Indy 500 was still under consideration. Her NASCAR season includes the full second-tier Nationwide Series schedule for JR Motorsports and 10 races in the elite Sprint Cup Series for Stewart-Haas Racing.

Patrick had previously announced eight of her races. The Coca-Cola 600 ? Patrick jokingly called NASCAR's longest event of the season "The Coke 6,000," ? is the ninth announced race. The Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 are both May 27.

"We didn't tell her she couldn't run the 500. It was left up to her," team co-owner Tony Stewart said. "It shows how dedicated she is to making this transition."

Stewart, Robby Gordon and John Andretti have all tried to run both events on the same day. Stewart, NASCAR's three-time champion, completed the double twice: In 1999, he was ninth at Indy and fourth at Charlotte, and in 2001, he was sixth at Indy and third at Charlotte.

He's not tried Indianapolis since, and has let go of his childhood dream of winning the 500. He has twice won the Brickyard 400, NASCAR's race at the storied Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"The hard part for me was you make that decision when you sign up to do (NASCAR)," Stewart said. "The decision you make, you have to come to peace with yourself with saying 'I'm not going to do this.' That was my childhood dream anyway. It may be a different scenario and feeling for her. But it was hard knowing when I signed that (NASCAR) contract that I was writing off the opportunity to go race at Indy.

"It's figuring out at the end of the day what do you really want to do. I guess that's the part that even though it was hard to watch opening day of practice at Indianapolis, I'm enjoying what I'm doing, too, and this is what I want to do at the end of the day," he continued. "It makes you want 30-hour days and 400-day years and we always want to do more than what we're capable of doing, but the reality is you have to pick at some point and choose your career path. This is what I've done and what she's doing now."

But Stewart said so long as Indianapolis Motor Speedway makes it logistically possible for Patrick to attempt both races, she may eventually run the race again. He said he has no interest in fielding a car for her, citing how much he's already doing with all his other teams.

The IndyCar Series would also welcome back its most recognizable driver to its biggest event of the season.

"We continue to wish Danica the very best on this new phase in her career. The door is always open should she wish to run the Indianapolis 500 in the future," IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard said in a statement.

Patrick has already set some of her expectations for NASCAR, and sounded Monday as if she expects her debut in the Daytona 500 next month to go as well as her debut in the Indianapolis 500. She tested there two weeks ago with new crew chief Greg Zipadelli, and after leading 13 laps at Daytona in last July's Nationwide race, likes her chances in the Feb. 26 season opener.

"At Daytona, the cars are very fast, so I feel good about that race," she said. "I was lucky enough to get to run with Tony in the Nationwide race last summer and that went pretty good, so I feel good about Daytona and I think there's a real chance, if luck falls our way, to perhaps win.

"I think it's a real chance. I mean a guy like Trevor Bayne last year showed that. Those are the expectations for the first race."

Bayne, a rookie last season, was the upset winner of the Daytona 500, which Stewart said was proof that Patrick is a viable contender.

"A rookie won it last year, why would you ever count yourself out?" he asked. "She's a talented driver. Our cars were really fast at Daytona. At that point, I'd have that confidence."

But Stewart is cautious regarding his expectations for Patrick. Although she said she'd like to knock down top-20 finishes in the Cup Series, the car owner was more concerned with Patrick simply turning laps and learning as much as she can before her scheduled full-time move to the Cup in 2013.

"I crashed everything that I drove when I drove the Nationwide cars. We got to the Cup side and it got better, obviously," Stewart said. "But I think looking at it, these 10 races for her this year, for me, it's just finishing the races and just getting the track time. I'm not worried about what her finish is at the end of the day.

"I think the success at the end of the year won't be judged by where the finishing positions are at the end of the day, as much as what she takes away from each race weekend. That's what my goal is for her."

Patrick has higher goals for the Nationwide Series, where she's run 25 races over the last two series. She has three top-10 finishes and one top five, all last season with JRM. The Daytona 500 will be her Cup Series debut.

"With the Nationwide stuff, it very much depends on the individual weekend itself. There are still some tracks that I haven't raced before, so probably a little bit different expectations for those," she said. "But, for the most part, solid top 10s and getting into the top five consistently through the year would be a goal. And I'd like to get to Victory Lane."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-23-CAR-IndyCar-Indy-500-Patrick/id-e6d5b48826db4c2d8f20c81461c9dbe9

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The Case Against Porno Chic

Style and fashion guru Simon Doonan has been railing against what he calls ?porno chic? for some time.?? And it?s not because he?s a prude.? The author of Gay Men Don?t Get Fat tells Slate?s Jacob Weisberg why he has no patience for 6-inch heels, bleach blondes and spray tans.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=98c6e6b29847bd933c53c29b586156cc

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Video: Catching a comet death on camera

Friday, January 20, 2012

On July 6, 2011, a comet was caught doing something never seen before: die a scorching death as it flew too close to the sun. That the comet met its fate this way was no surprise ? but the chance to watch it first-hand amazed even the most seasoned comet watchers.

"Comets are usually too dim to be seen in the glare of the sun's light," says Dean Pesnell at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., who is the project scientist for NASA's Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO), which snapped images of the comet. "We've been telling people we'd never see one in SDO data."

But an ultra bright comet, from a group known as the Kreutz comets, overturned all preconceived notions. The comet can clearly be viewed moving in over the right side of the sun, disappearing 20 minutes later as it evaporates in the searing heat. The movie is more than just a novelty. As detailed in a paper in Science magazine appearing January 20, 2012, watching the comet's death provides a new way to estimate the comet's size and mass. The comet turns out to be somewhere between 150 to 300 feet long and have about as much mass as an aircraft carrier.

"Of course, it's doing something very different than what aircraft carriers do," says Karel Schrijver, a solar scientist at Lockheed Martin in Palo Alto, Calif., who is the first author on the Science paper and is the principal investigator of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly instrument on SDO, which recorded the movie. "It was moving along at almost 400 miles per second through the intense heat of the sun ? and was literally being evaporated away."

Typically, comet-watchers see the Kreutz-group comets only through images taken by coronagraphs, a specialized telescope that views the Sun's fainter out atmosphere, or corona, by blocking the direct blinding sunlight with a solid occulting disk. On average a new member of the Kreutz family is discovered every three days, with some of the larger members being observed for some 48 hours or more before disappearing behind the occulting disk, never to be seen again. Such "sun-grazer" comets obviously destruct when they get close to the sun, but the event had never been witnessed.

The journey to categorizing this comet began on July 6, 2011 after Schrijver spotted a bright comet in a coronagraph produced by the SOlar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). He looked for it in the SDO images and much to his surprise he found it. Soon a movie of the comet circulated to comet and solar scientists, eventually making a huge splash on the Internet as well.

Karl Battams, a scientist with the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC, who has extensively observed comets with SOHO and is also an author on the paper, was skeptical when he first received the movie. "But as soon as I watched it, there was zero doubt," he says. "I am so used to seeing comets simply disappearing in the SOHO images. It was breathtaking to see one truly evaporating in the corona like that."

SDO's AIA instrument captured the first ever video of a comet passing directly in front of the sun in the early morning of July 6, 2011. The comet comes in from the right and is very faint. Credit: NASA/SDO

After the excitement, the scientists got down to work. Humans have been watching and recording comets for thousands of years, but finding their dimensions has typically required a direct visit from a probe flying nearby. This movie offered the first chance to measure such things from afar. The very fact that the comet evaporated in a certain amount of time over a certain amount of space means one can work backward to determine how big it must have been before hitting the sun's atmosphere.

The Science paper describes the comet and its last moments as follows: It was traveling some 400 miles per second and made it to within 62,000 miles of the sun's surface before evaporating. Before its final death throes, in the last 20 minutes of its existence when it was visible to SDO, the comet was some 100 million pounds, had broken up into a dozen or so large chunks with sizes between 30 to 150 feet, embedded in a "coma" -- that is the fuzzy cloud surrounding the comet -- of approximately 800 miles across, and followed by a glowing tail of about 10,000 miles in length.

It is actually the coma and tail of the comet being seen in the video, not the comet's core. And close examination shows that the light in the tail pulses, getting dimmer and brighter over time. The team speculates that the pulsing variations are caused by successive breakups of each of the individual chunks that made up the comet material as it fell apart in the Sun's intense heat.

"I think this is one of the most interesting things we can see here," says Lockheed's Schrijver. "The comet's tail gets brighter by as much as four times every minute or two. The comet seems first to put a lot of material into that tail, then less, and then the pattern repeats." Figuring out the exact details of why this happens is but one of the mysteries remaining about this comet movie. High on the list is to answer the not-so-simple question of why we can see the comet at all. Certainly, there are a few basic characteristics of this situation that help. For one, this comet was big enough to survive long enough to be seen, and its orbit took it right across the face of the Sun. It was also, says Battams, probably one of the top 15 brightest comets seen by SOHO, which has observed over 2,100 sun-grazing comets to date. The SDO cameras, in of themselves, also contributed a great deal: despite being far away and relatively small compared to the sun, the comet showed up clearly on SDO's high definition imager. This imager, called the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) takes a picture every 12 seconds so the movement of the comet across the face of the sun could be continuously watched. Most other similar instruments capture images every few minutes, which makes it hard to track the movement of an object that's only visible for 20 minutes.

But ultimately, the fact that one can see this comet against the background of the sun means there is some physical process not yet understood. "Normally," says Goddard's Pesnell, "a comet passing in front of the sun absorbs the light from the sun. We would have expected a black spot against the sun, not a bright one. And there's not enough stuff in the corona to make it glow, the way a meteor does when it goes into Earth's atmosphere. So one of the really big questions is why do we see it at all?"

Figuring out this question should offer information not only about material in the comet, but also about the sun's atmosphere ? and so this opens up the door to a new niche of study. Assuming, of course, that one can spot some more comets. So far SDO has only seen the one passing in front of the sun, though SDO did spot Comet Lovejoy traveling through the corona, as it went behind the sun and reappeared.

Stay tuned, as new sun-grazing comets appear every few days . . .

###

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center: http://www.nasa.gov/goddard

Thanks to NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center for this article.

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

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116903/Video__Catching_a_comet_death_on_camera

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Video: Six U.S. Marines killed in Afghanistan

>>> overseas now. six u.s. marines were killed today when they are helicopter went down in helmand province in southern afghanistan. u.s. officials say there were no signs of enemy fire . the crash is still under investigation.

>>> in syria where that violent uprising has been going on for nearly a year, the u.s. is considering closing the embassy in damascus and pulling out all american personnel. last summer, pro government demonstrators attacked the u.s. compound and the security situation is deteriorating. nbc's aman mundele nifrn's reporting can be found on our website.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/46077615/

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Video: 25 years later, mom cleared of son?s death

>>> it's every person parents worth nightmare. for one north carolina mother, the tragedy was made expo anybody nalley worse. for 25 years she was the only suspect in the case until recently. in a moment, that mother, elizabeth watkins , will join us in an exclusive interview. but first here's nbc 's michelle franzen .

>> reporter: for nearly 25 years elizabeth watkins lived under a cloud of suspicion, the prime suspect in the death of her own sun, nicholas. please say the 6-year-old's body was discovered by a neighbor this this wooded area in north carolina not far from the family's home nguyenston salem. the medical examiner's office conclude it was a homicide by strangulation. now investigators say a new look at the evidence shows the boy's marks on his neck were consistent with a dog attack , finally clearing watt kins's name, but thornts offered no apologies.

>> we did not apologize. our purpose was not to apologize. we have nothing to apologize for.

>> reporter: sheriff william shotman reopened the cold case seven years ago. police hat never made an arrest but considered watkins their only suspect. watkins told authorities she last saw her son leave to walk the pet collie and another dog. they were asked to reexamine the evidence using the latest photo graphic technology.

>> they decided that it was possible that dogs actually grabbed ahold of the boy's clothing so tight that he was strangled.

>> reporter: they concluded the boy's pet was in heat and attacked by other dogs, a case closed. but for watkins , there is little closure. last year she attended a memorial for nicholas, and for years her older son believed she was responsible for his death. her attorney says now thanks to investigators, she has a chance to reunite with him.

>> this sheriff's department did more than say i'm sorry. they went to him to show him all the evidence to explain his mother had no involvement with his brother's death.

>> reporter: for "today," michelle franzen , nbc news, new york.

>> elizabeth watkins and her attorney david freeman are with us this morning. good morning to both of you.

>> good morning.

>> good morning.

>> and, elizabeth , i know you were never formally charged, but as we mentioned you were the only suspect for so long hochl u are you feeling today now that you've been officially cleared. i imagine this moment is still bittersweet though.

>> it certainly is bittersweet, but i am very, very happy to finally be cleared of my son's death.

>> we mentioned the cause add real rift in your family. you recently reunited with your other son who for nearly 25 years thought you were involved in his younger brother 's death. tell us about that reunion.

>> it was the highlight of the day. we had not seen each other in almost 17 years. and all was forgotten in the past, and we're moving from this day forward for a new relationship. it was one of the best days of our lives .

>> and, elizabeth , i understand that you found out this week that you're a grandmother.

>> yes, i am. i have two grandsons, 11 and 4, and i'm very excited about meeting them. we're just so happy to have alex back in our family. it was mostly his side of the family, his biological father's side of the family that estranged from us. my family has been behind me 100% in their support. this is how i've been able to get through this. and my friends. but to have alex back with the family is -- i just can't tell you how happy we are about that.

>> you lost two sons that day.

>> yes, i did. we've never had any more christmases with our oldest son alex . no more birthdays for 25 years. and now i think a christmas won't go by and a birthday won't go by that we won't be together.

>> that is an unbelievable great outcome. david, i understand that over the years police have from time too time followed up on leads and theories, but did you know that the fbi had gotten involved and were coming close to a conclusion?

>> we had no idea. we found out last week, last tuesday when we received a phone call . coincidentally enough i was receiving a phone call from the sheriff's department when elizabeth and her husband were in my office, and i called them back and i said, have her come down in the following weekend. i've been talking to the fbi. we're going to show there's no involvement at all and she's to be exonerated of this horrible ee fence.

>> elizabeth , did you ever think you'd hear of those words, you're exonerated?

>> i've dreamed of it for many, many years because i've always known that was the truth. it just -- i was so happy. we're all so happy that i've been cleared. it makes our lives easier to live and we're just looking forward to moving on and having a wonderful relationship with alex , our oldest son and the two grandchildren.

>> and elizabeth , i know you want people to see this as a story of hopeful and what do you want people at home watching to walk away with?

>> i know there are other parents that are suspected of the murder of their child or the disappearance of their child. i would like to see the investigators look more into what the parents are saying. parents love their children more than anything else, and to have a parent have to go through any length of time of being suspected of wrongful doing in their child's death or disappearance is wrong. i think new things ought to beit in place to prevent this from happening to anyone else . i don't want to have to see anyone else go through 25 years of being a suspect and knowing you're not.

>> well, elizabeth watkins , we're so happy that you were able to reunite with your son alex . we are excited that you're going to be enjoying those grandkids. david freeman , thanks as well for joining us.

>> you're welcome.

>> thank you.

>> thank you.

>> and we're back. but first this is "today" on nbc .

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/46081693/

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Video: The homes of presidential hopefuls

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

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US mulls transfer of Taliban prisoners at Gitmo (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The Obama administration appeared Wednesday to acknowledge discussions about transferring some Taliban prisoners at Guantanamo Bay as part of U.S. efforts to jumpstart peace talks with the Taliban after 10 years of inconclusive fighting.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said no decision about releasing any Taliban detainees has been made. But in answering a question about whether Washington was ready to transfer Guantanamo detainees, possibly to Qatar, in exchange for talks with the Afghan insurgents, Clinton did not dispute that such a trust-building measure was under consideration.

She also indicated progress on the related effort to open a political headquarters for the Taliban in Qatar, a Persian Gulf nation whose role as would-be host for peace talks has gained reluctant approval from Afghan President Hamid Karzai last month.

The Associated Press reported last month that, to restore momentum to reconciliation efforts with the Taliban, five Afghan prisoners considered affiliated with the Taliban might be allowed to leave the Guantanamo naval prison. The proposed transferees include Khairullah Khairkhwa, former Taliban governor of Herat and Mullah Mohammed Fazl, a former top Taliban military commander believed responsible for sectarian killings before the U.S. invasion that toppled the Taliban government in Afghanistan in 2001.

Speaking on the 10th anniversary of the opening of the prison at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Clinton said the U.S. would continue with its strategy in Afghanistan of "fight, talk, build" ? combating militarily those who take up arms against Afghans, supporting an Afghan-led reconciliation effort and laying the groundwork for the country's economic development. The first prisoners at Guantanamo were picked up from the battlefield in Afghanistan, including some of those at issue in the potential transfer.

No detainee has left in a year because of increasing restrictions on transfers and releases from the military prison, and indefinite military detention is now enshrined in U.S. law. Unable to keep his promise to close the prison, President Barack Obama has agreed to new rules for military trials there this year.

Talking to reporters alongside Qatar's prime minister, she thanked the U.S. ally in the Middle East for offering to host a Taliban political office, another piece of the administration's efforts to channel the insurgency away from violence and toward the negotiating table. She is sending the State Department's special representative for Afghanistan to Kabul and Qatar next week to work on the details.

"With respect to talking to the Taliban, the reality is we never have the luxury of negotiating for peace with our friends," Clinton said. "If you're sitting across a table discussing a peaceful resolution to a conflict, you are sitting across from people who, by definition, you don't agree with, and who you may previously have been across a battlefield from."

She said that Washington would continue to support the reconciliation effort, "if we believe it holds promise for an end to the conflict." Any power-sharing deal would have to respect America's red lines, she said, which involve insurgents renouncing violence, breaking with al-Qaida and respecting Afghanistan's constitution, including rights guaranteed women and minorities.

The United States has gradually embraced talks as the best way to eventually end the war, even if fighting continues beyond the deadline to withdraw foreign fighting forces in 2014. Although the U.S. says those talks must be led by the Karzai government, it has held its own direct talks with Taliban representatives over the last year.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120111/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_us_afghanistan

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Eyes On Lenovo's 55-Inch Idea Android HDTV: It Might Make You Wanna Move to China [Video]

We got our hands Lenovo's first-generation Idea TV and our first impression? It will make you wish you lived in China because that's the only country that's going to see its smartly-designed Android interface for now.

The 1080p HDTV centers around an Android-based home screen, which Lenovo is calling the "Sandwich Screen." (Get it? Ice Cream Sandwich?) From this point, you use a touchpad on the TV's remote to navigate with swipes between a standard TV feed, a video on-demand screen, and an applications screen. All of the video on demand content is streamed via Lenovo's servers to the the TVs.

Lenovo's Idea TV seems to run really smoothly compared to other remote-based interfaces we've seen. That 1.5 GHz dual-core processor makes snapping from one game to another very quick. Moving between the three different sections of the Sandwich Screen is likewise snappy and quick.

The Idea TV will also allow you to stream content wirelessly from tablets, phones, computers, and other devices in your house as well as from a 200 GBs of cloud storage provided by Lenovo.

All in all, the TV handles the way we'd love to see a TV handle. Unfortunately, Lenovo is saying that the first generation of Idea TVs in for China only. We can't be sure the TV would perform as well in the real world, but if it does, let's hope Lenovo changes its mind and brings it stateside.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/excerpts/~3/PtzXRJpjlb0/

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Gov. Quinn Signs Expanded Earned Income Tax Credit Bill (ContributorNetwork)

According to the Associated Press, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed a new bill into law Tuesday that expands the state's earned-income tax credit. The tax credit aims to help working and poor families by increasing it from 5 percent of the federal credit to 7.5 percent next year and 10 percent the next year.

The credit would mean about $100 a year for each family. Here are some facts about the bill and the other efforts Illinois has taken to help working families.

* In 2010, more than 2.5 million people in Illinois benefited from the earned income tax credit and the new increase will mean an addition $105 million for working families in the state, according to the State of Illinois.

* A study conducted by the Brookings Institution in 2006 found that for every dollar families save through the credit turns into $1.58 of local economic activity.

* WBEZ reported the earned income tax credit will impact about 935,000 households in Illinois and a family of five earning less than $48,000 will now qualify under the new expanded credit.

* The credit was also part of a bigger tax break package that also included offering additional breaks to CME Group and Sears in attempt to keep both companies operating in the state.

* The Illinois House of Representatives approved the tax credit in mid-December after separating the break for families from the break for companies, according to ABC 7 Local.

* Despite the House approving it, many Republicans opposed the tax relief saying the $100 million cost to the state was too high in light of the current economic situation.

* The Illinois Department of Human Services added its partnership with the Center for Economic Progress' Tax Counseling Project helps provide working families with free tax preparation assistance.

* The services are free to families with incomes less than $50,000 and individuals with incomes less than $25,000 with nine locations in Chicago and 17 other locations throughout Illinois.

* Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the American Opportunity Tax Credit was recently renewed and allows Illinois families to receive a credit of up to $2,500 per student, according to Sen. Dick Durbin's Office.

* This college tuition credit specifically helps working and middle-class families by providing $1 back on their taxes for every $1 spent on tuition for the first $2,000 spent and then 25 percent of the next $2,000 up to $2,500.

Rachel Bogart provides an in-depth look at current environmental issues and local Chicago news stories. As a college student from the Chicago suburbs pursuing two science degrees, she applies her knowledge and passion to both topics to garner further public awareness.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120111/pl_ac/10818685_gov_quinn_signs_expanded_earned_income_tax_credit_bill

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BvilleDailyNews: Did you watch Monday night's BCS championship game? Do you think the NCAA should implement some sort of playoff... http://t.co/PoLbD6lq

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AP Source: McDaniels expected back with Patriots

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) ? Josh McDaniels is returning to the New England Patriots to take over as offensive coordinator next season for Bill O'Brien, who was introduced Saturday as Penn State's new coach.

A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that McDaniels is expected to serve as an offensive assistant under O'Brien for the rest of this season. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hasn't made an announcement.

The move was first reported by ESPN.com.

O'Brien said at his news conference Saturday he intends to remain the Patriots' offensive coordinator as long as they stay in the playoffs.

McDaniels would go from near the bottom of the NFL after spending the season as offensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams, who were 2-14, to a shot at the Super Bowl with the Patriots with an AFC-best 13-3 record.

He was offensive coordinator with the Patriots from 2006 to 2008 before becoming head coach of the Denver Broncos in 2009. He was fired with a 3-9 record in 2010 after losing 17 of his last 22 games. The Patriots, who had a bye this weekend, go into the playoffs with an eight-game winning streak.

The 35-year-old McDaniels was the only Rams assistant under contract through next season when Steve Spagnuolo was fired on Jan. 2.

"I'm sure Josh will have opportunities around the NFL to possibly be a coordinator or better throughout this process," Kevin Demoff, the Rams vice president and chief operating officer, said at the time. "It's going to be fluid, but we'll figure out what's best for both parties."

The Rams scored the fewest points per game in the league, 12.1, gained the second fewest yards, 283.6, and the third fewest yards passing, 179.4. Sam Bradford struggled at quarterback with just six touchdown passes and six interceptions in McDaniels' system, which had many more longer developing pass plays than the Rams had in 2010 under Pat Shurmur.

That lack of production contrasts sharply with the Patriots offense under McDaniels, especially in 2007 when they went 16-0 then won two playoff games before losing the Super Bowl to the New York Giants 17-14.

In that season, Tom Brady set a single-season league record with 50 touchdown passes for an offense that averaged a league-best 411.2 yards. It also was first in yards passing, 295.7 and points per game, 36.8.

Now McDaniels is poised to be reunited with Brady and another prolific offense in time for the Patriots practices for their divisional playoff game next Saturday. As the top-seeded team in the AFC, they earned home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs.

The Patriots were second in the league in overall yards with 428 per game and yards passing with 317.8. Their average of 32.1 points was third.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-07-FBN-Patriots-McDaniels/id-b1e9711ae0b145f1a8be4e34b68b4b79

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