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Thursday, January 19, 2012
After 6 months of famine Somali men return to farm
[unable to retrieve full-text content]MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) ? Six months after the U.N. declared Somalia's capital a famine zone, the number of refugees in the capital is dwindling, as most of the men have gone home to try to revive devastated herds and withered crops.
Romney says he may release tax returns in April (AP)
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. ? Mitt Romney's four remaining challengers are keeping the spotlight on the Republican front-runner's wealth and business dealings by pressing him to release his income tax returns. Romney says he might make them public in April. By then, he hopes to have the presidential nomination in the bag.
His rivals did their best to knock the former Massachusetts governor off stride in a contentious debate Monday night, going after him on several fronts. Romney didn't bend under heavy pressure on the issue of his job-creation record at his former private equity firm Bain Capital, nor did he apologize for his evolving views on abortion. Blamed for negative commercials flooding South Carolina's airwaves, he stressed the independence of the super PACs that have been running ads in his behalf against former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and other rivals, including former Sen. Rick Santorum.
Romney said that while he might be willing to release his tax returns, he wouldn't do so until tax filing time. The multimillionaire former businessman didn't get much gratitude from his rivals, who want him to release the information in time to influence South Carolina voters going to the polls on Saturday.
Gingrich was quick to suggest Romney wouldn't delay for months if he had nothing to hide and that his hesitation wouldn't sit well with voters. "Last night weakened him," Gingrich told "CBS This Morning" on Tuesday.
Romney seemed hesitant when confronted with the tax issue on stage. He at first sidestepped calls from his rivals to release his returns, then said later that he'd follow the lead of previous presidential candidates.
"I have nothing in them that suggests there's any problem and I'm happy to do so," he said. "I sort of feel like we're showing a lot of exposure at this point," he added.
Monday's night's debate was as fiery as any of the more than dozen that preceded it. Romney, the clear front-runner for the GOP nomination after back-to-back wins in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, was under fire not only from Gingrich and Santorum, but also from Rick Perry and Ron Paul.
The five will meet again in debate in Charleston Thursday night, the last time they will share a stage before the primary two days later.
The first Southern primary could prove decisive in the volatile contest. Gingrich has virtually conceded that a victory for Romney in South Carolina would assure his nomination as Democratic President Barack Obama's Republican rival in the fall, and none of the other remaining contenders has challenged that conclusion.
That only elevated the stakes for Monday night's debate, where the attacks on Romney often were couched in anti-Obama rhetoric.
"We need to satisfy the country that whoever we nominate has a record that can stand up to Barack Obama in a very effective way," said Gingrich.
The five men on stage also sought to outdo one another in calling for lower taxes. Texas Rep. Ron Paul won that competition handily, saying he thought the top personal tax rate should be zero.
In South Carolina, a state with a heavy military presence, the tone turned muscular at times.
Gingrich drew strong applause when he said: "Andrew Jackson had a pretty clear idea about America's enemies. Kill them."
Perry also won favor from the crowd when he said the Obama administration had overreacted in its criticism of the Marines who were videotaped urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.
Gingrich and Perry led the assault against Romney's record at Bain Capital, a private equity firm that bought companies and sought to remake them into more competitive enterprises, with uneven results.
"There was a pattern in some companies ... of leaving them with enormous debt and then within a year or two or three having them go broke," Gingrich said. "I think that's something he ought to answer."
Perry referred to a steel mill in Georgetown, S.C. where, he said, "Bain swept in, they picked that company over and a lot of people lost jobs there."
Romney said the steel industry was battered by unfair competition from China. As for other firms, he said, "Four of the companies that we invested in ... ended up today having some 120,000 jobs." And he acknowledged, "Some of the businesses we invested in were not successful and lost jobs."
It was Perry who challenged Romney to release his income tax returns. The Texas governor said he has already done so, and Gingrich has said he will do likewise later in the week.
"Mitt, we need for you to release your income tax so the people of this country can see how you made your money. ... We cannot fire our nominee in September. We need to know now," Perry said.
Later, a debate moderator pressed Romney on releasing his tax returns. His response meandered.
"If that's been the tradition I'm not opposed to doing that," Romney said. "Time will tell. But I anticipate that most likely I'm going to get asked to do that in the April time period and I'll keep that open."
Prodded again, he said, "If I become our nominee ... what's happened in history is people have released them in about April of the coming year, and that's probably what I'd do."
April is long after the South Carolina primary and the Republican nomination could easily be all but decided by then, following Super Tuesday contests around the country in March.
Santorum stayed away from the clash over taxes, instead launching a dispute of his own. He said a campaign group supporting Romney has been attacking him for supporting voter rights for convicted felons, and asked Romney what his position was on the issue.
Romney initially ducked a direct answer, preferring to ask Santorum if the ad was accurate.
He then said he doesn't believe convicted violent felons should have the right to vote, even after serving their terms. Santorum instantly said that as governor of Massachusetts, Romney hadn't made any attempt to change a law that permitted convicted felons to vote while still on parole, a law the former Pennsylvania senator said was more liberal than the one he has been assailed for supporting.
Romney replied that as a Republican governor, he was confronted with a legislature that was heavily Democratic and held a different position.
He also reminded Santorum that candidates have no control over the campaign groups that have played a pivotal role in the race to date.
"It is inaccurate," Santorum said of the ad assailing him. "I would go out and say: `Stop it. That you're representing me and you're representing my campaign. Stop it.'"
That issue returned more than an hour later, when Gingrich said he too has faced false attacks from the same group that is criticizing Santorum. He noted that Romney says he lacks sway over the group, "which makes you wonder how much influence he would have if he were president."
Romney said he hoped no group would run inaccurate ads, and he said the organization backing Gingrich was airing a commercial that is so false that "it's probably the biggest hoax since Bigfoot."
He called for scuttling the current system of campaign finance laws to permit individuals to donate as much money as they want to the candidates of their choice.
Noting that the debate was occurring on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, one moderator asked Gingrich if his previous statements about poor children lacking a work ethic were "insulting to all Americans, but particularly to black Americans."
"No," Gingrich said emphatically, adding his aim was to break dependence on government programs. "I'm going to continue to find ways to help poor people learn how to get a job, learn to get a better job and learn someday to own the job," he said.
Romney is the leader in the public opinion polls in South Carolina, although his rivals hope the state's 9.9 percent unemployment rate and the presence of large numbers of socially conservative evangelical voters will allow one of them to slip by him.
____
Associated Press writer Dave Espo contributed to this report.
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Follow Shannon McCaffrey at http://www.twitter.com/smccaffrey13
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Euro zone inflation dips, opens door to ECB cut (Reuters)
BRUSSELS (Reuters) ? Consumer prices in the euro zone fell more than previously expected in December, the start of a retreat from a November peak that should give the European Central Bank more room to cut interest rates as the economy heads for recession.
Inflation in the 17 countries sharing the euro was 2.7 percent in December on an annual basis, revised down from an earlier estimate of 2.8 percent for the month, the European Union's statistics office Eurostat said.
"The pressure is abating although the risks from energy are still there," said Fabio Fois, an economist at Barclay's Capital. "We think the ECB could bring rates as low as 0.5 percent in March," he said.
The bank made two 25 basis points cuts after Mario Draghi took over as president in November before holding fire this month.
Many economists expect it to take rates below 1 percent for the first time ever in the coming months but comments by Governing Council member Ewald Nowotny published on Tuesday hinted that the bank was in no hurry to move again.
"We are all agreed that now the point is to allow these measures to take full effect. Only then will we take further decisions," he told the Wall Street Journal's German website.
"For the ECB 'We never precommit' always applies, but there are no plans whatsoever at the moment."
Reuters' latest polling of some 66 economists before the ECB met earlier this month suggested the bank will cut interest rates to a new record low of 0.75 percent in February or March.
Economists had expected euro zone inflation to remain at 2.8 percent in December.
IRAN EFFECT
Stripping out volatile energy prices, the main driver behind a 3 percent peak in the headline number in September, October and November, inflation was 1.9 percent.
Without energy and food, it was 1.6 percent.
That sits better with the ECB's target of below, but close to 2 percent, which the Frankfurt-based bank judges to be right for price stability and a healthy economy.
The euro zone's economy, however, is anything but. The bloc's gross domestic product probably contracted in the fourth quarter of 2011 and is expected to do so again in the first quarter of 2012 - showing it has fallen into a recession.
The weakening economy and rising unemployment across the bloc are cutting demand for goods and with it pressuring retailers to reduce prices. That has offset continuing high prices for crude oil globally due to concerns about a supply disruption in Iran.
Oil futures rose on Monday after Saudi Arabia told its Gulf Arab neighbors not to make up any shortfall caused by an embargo on Iranian crude oil exports.
In the euro zone in December, fuels for transport, heating oil, gas and electricity had the biggest impact on inflation in December. Energy inflation was a massive 9.7 percent in the month, compared to December 2010, Eurostat said.
(Reporting by Robin Emmott; editing by Patrick Graham)
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Wikipedia may black out Wednesday in protest
Wikipedia may black out its website Wednesday to protest anti-piracy legislation under consideration in Congress.
Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales announced on Twitter Monday that the popular community-based online encyclopedia will shut down its English versions for 24 hours in protest. Users of the site have discussed for more than a month whether it should react to the legislation and in the past few days, tried to decide how.
The foundation behind the site, Wikimedia, says it is still collecting input from users and expects to make its final decision later Monday evening on the details of the protest based on that feedback. However, a large-scale blackout is expected at this time.
"We are looking at a powerful protest," said Jay Walsh, spokesman for the foundation.
The Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect Intellectual Property Act pending in Congress are designed to crack down on sales of pirated U.S. products overseas.
Supporters say the legislation is needed to protect intellectual property and jobs. Critics say the legislation could hurt the technology industry and infringe on free-speech rights.
Tech companies such as Google, Facebook, Yahoo and others have questioned the legislation and said it poses a serious risk to the industry. Several online communities such as Reddit, Boing Boing and others have announced plans to go dark in protest.
Wikipedia is considering several different forms of response, from a banner across the top of the page to a black out in certain areas, up to a worldwide shutdown, Walsh said. If Wikipedia opts to black out, it would be the largest and most well-known website to do so.
"It's not a muscle that is normally flexed," Walsh said.
The Obama administration has also raised concerns about the legislation and said over the weekend that it will work with Congress on legislation to help battle piracy and counterfeiting while defending free expression, privacy, security and innovation in the Internet.
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Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Links Post - January 15, 2012
The wonderful quail? and what Sen. Coburn should learn about it and Cocaine and the sexual habits of quail, or, why does NIH fund what it does? Bora and Scicurious tackle the topic of another study that came under fire in Senator Coburn?s Wastebook.
What?s Inside: Enzyte Male Enhancer. It?s mainly just a bunch of stuff that promotes the production of nitric oxide, which is a vasodilator, meaning it causes your blood vessels to expand. Vasodilation in the penis contributes to an erection because dilating the vessels allows more blood to enter, leading to turgidity.
Pregnancy 101: On the cervical mucus plug and why I?ve never been more happy to hold something so disgusting in my hand. A great post on the role that mucus plays in female reproductive physiology.
The internal clitoris. You probably think you know where the clitoris is (I certainly hope you do), but it?s actually in more places than you?d think.
Will I get a yeast infection if I eat too much sugar? In a word, no. At least, not as long as you aren?t putting that sugar in your vagina.
Transfaunation and Fecal Transplants: What Goes Around Comes Around, Literally and Figuratively. I just LOVE a good blog post on fecal transplants. ?We then discussed probiotics and he then told me an amazing story about how the old school farriers used a special method to treat horses if they were sick with some sort of gastrointestinal distress (e.g., colic). They would make the sick horse ?poo tea? by taking feces from healthy horses and making it into a tea of sorts and then they served this to the sick horses.? POO TEA.
Other Science
Don?t drink the water! Why it?s okay but sometimes not okay to drink distilled water.
How a ?designer baby? might just work. Although each of your parents contributes exactly 50% of your genome, the spread between grandparents is much more random due to segregation and recombination (i.e., rarely does each grandparent contribute exactly 25% of your genome). You could, in theory, choose gametes that favor the grandparent with a particular desired phenotype.
Doh! Top Science Journal Retractions of 2011. I remember a good number of these papers, but I did not know that many of them had been retracted.
Every drug is the ?deadliest drug,? especially oxycodone. ?I?ve never heard an addict say, ?my drug is the worst drug.? They know there isn?t such a thing. Such throwaway language stirs fear among those who may be medically prescribed oxycodone and creates a never-ending dark tunnel for those who may already be abusing the stuff.?
Everyday Science: Why Can You Hear Around Corners But Not See? A nice discussion of the difference between light and sound waves.
The Barry White Syndrome: Why are deep voices attractive? I hate having to limit myself to only one Anthropology in Practice post per link round-up because her posts are always so interesting and relevant. Alas.
Other Stuff
The colors of a family. ?I was holding my 1-year-old, ambling about downtown with some friends. White friends. She must have thought my boy belonged to one of them. There?s a simple explanation: I?m black but my son, Ashe, is white. At least he looks it. But things are more complicated than that.?
World?s first pee-controlled video game opens in London bar. Pee left, ski left. Pee right, ski right. This is nice, but I want a version in the women?s restroom too.
13 Myths and Misconceptions about Trans Women. This post is actually in two parts; don?t forget to click the link to the second part at the bottom.
The Arkh Project. This is a fantasy RPG computer game in the early stages of development, made by queer people of color and featuring queer people of color as the main characters (the protagonist is a biracial feminine genderqueer deity named Ain/Aina). There?s concept art and preliminary story lines and game play, but they need visibility, promotion, and donations (ChipIn or?Indiegogo (preferred)) in order to produce the game. If this is up your alley at all, you should consider tweeting, linking, or donating. [I have no financial interest in this game. I'm promoting it simply because I think it is an excellent idea and something that needs to be made. Also the protagonist is cute beyond words.]
The History of the New Year. ?If circumcision doesn?t say start your calender year, I don?t know what does.?
Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=fb332804ce5d7e8e0337e0cdb4662481
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Monday, January 16, 2012
Bodies of snowmobilers pulled from Minnesota lake (Reuters)
MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) ? Divers recovered the bodies of two men Sunday whose snowmobile sank after hitting open water on a lake near the Twin Cities, the first thin-ice related deaths reported in Minnesota in a mild winter that has left ice unreliable across the state.
Dozens of people have fallen into frigid waters around Minnesota this winter as unseasonably warm temperatures have weakened ice and in some cases left patches of open water such as those on Lake Charlotte northwest of Minneapolis.
"It was a single snowmobile and it appears to have just run right into open water," said Captain Greg Howell of the Wright County Sheriff's Office. "It's been a bad year for ice."
Howell said divers recovered the bodies of two young adult men Sunday afternoon and were withholding their names pending a positive identification and notification of family members.
A 66-year-old man from Buffalo, Minnesota, riding an all-terrain vehicle had reported seeing a snowmobile drop into the lake on Saturday night, went to investigate and was rescued by a neighbor when his ATV also sank into the water, Howell said.
"It's fortunate we weren't looking for three instead of two," Howell said.
Searchers found snowmobile tracks leading straight to an area of open water on the lake and family members reported two men missing who were thought to have been snowmobiling on the lake Saturday night, Howell said.
Divers located the snowmobile, but have not yet pulled it from the lake, Howell said.
The ice depth ranges from an inch to 12 inches on lakes in the county with open water in some spots, Howell said.
Across Minnesota people have reported falling through the ice this winter on-foot, in cars, riding ATVs and snowmobiles, and even in an ice boat, which has steel runners and a sail, officials have said.
(Reporting By David Bailey; Editing by James B. Kelleher)
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Heather Locklear released from LA-area hospital
FILE - In this June 12, 2009 file photo, Heather Locklear arrives at the Women in Film Crystal Lucy Awards in Los Angeles. Paramedics responded to Locklear?s home 35 miles northwest of Los Angeles for a medical emergency and transported a woman matching the actress? description as a precautionary measure, authorities said Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)
FILE - In this June 12, 2009 file photo, Heather Locklear arrives at the Women in Film Crystal Lucy Awards in Los Angeles. Paramedics responded to Locklear?s home 35 miles northwest of Los Angeles for a medical emergency and transported a woman matching the actress? description as a precautionary measure, authorities said Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) ? Actress Heather Locklear was released Friday from a hospital after she was treated in the intensive care unit for an unknown ailment.
She was discharged in the afternoon, Los Robles Hospital spokeswoman Kris Carraway-Bowman told The Associated Press. The 50-year-old "Melrose Place" actress was hospitalized Thursday.
The hospital in the Los Angeles suburb of Thousand Oaks said earlier in the day that Locklear was medically stable and being cared for one-on-one in the ICU. Paramedics transported her from her home in Westlake Village, 35 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
Locklear has been hospitalized several times over the years. In 2009, she pleaded no contest to reckless driving after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of prescription medication.
Locklear also starred in such TV series as "Dynasty" and "T.J. Hooker."
Her engagement to "Melrose Place" co-star Jack Wagner recently ended. She was previously married to Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora, and they have a daughter together.
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