US Steel 4Q loss narrows, revenue rises 12 pct (AP)

PITTSBURGH ? U.S. Steel Corp. said Tuesday that its fourth-quarter loss narrowed as strong demand for pipes from the oil industry boosted revenue. The company was optimistic about the current quarter, and shares jumped 5 percent in morning trading.

The steel maker, which is based in Pittsburgh, said that results in the current period will improve from levels in the October-December quarter, which were hurt by a weak steel market. Prices and shipments of its flat-rolled products are increasing. The company also said it expects better results in its struggling European division, in part because it just sold its money-losing Serbian operations to that country's government for $1.

The company said it had a net loss of $226 million, or $1.57 per share, in the last three months of 2011, compared with a loss of $249 million, or $1.74 per share, in the same quarter in 2010.

Excluding charges including a $51 million foreign-currency loss, the company said it posted an adjusted loss of $164 million, or $1.14 per share. But analysts polled by FactSet expected a narrower loss of 85 cents per share.

Revenue rose 12 percent to $4.82 billion from $4.3 billion, while analysts expected $4.74 billion.

U.S. Steel said shale and oil drilling are driving demand for its pipes. Tubular products shipments jumped 25 percent to 482,000 net tons, while the average price rose 14 percent.

But shipments of flat-rolled products slipped 2 percent to 3.8 million net tons in the soft steel market. The average price rose 13 percent from the year before, but was down 4 percent from the July-September quarter.

Hurt by the debt crisis and weakening economy in Europe, U.S. Steel's European shipments fell 6.5 percent to 1.2 million tons, and the average price fell 3 percent from the year before and 11 percent from the quarter before.

The company said getting rid of its Serbian operations should help cut losses in its European division, although it expects weak demand to continue.

Selling the Serbian division will result in a non-cash charge of $400 million to $450 million in the current quarter, U.S. Steel said on Monday. The deal closed on Tuesday.

U.S. Steel shares rose $1.49 to $30.22 in early trading Tuesday.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/earnings/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_on_bi_ge/us_earns_us_steel

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After Egypt, Tunisia, Libya overthrows, Arab upheaval begins to settle

Egypt quietly moves into another phase of voting, while the monarchs in Morocco and Jordan have stabilized their rule through reforms.?

Boston; Amman, Jordan; and Cairo

Tumult. Tragedies. Victory. Exulta?tion. That was 2011 in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, where longstanding dictators were swept away by popular revolts that are still reshaping the Arab world.

Skip to next paragraph

"We started the revolution, but we're still completing it," says Ahmed Salah of Cairo, who quit his job at a stock exchange last year to help unite revolutionary forces.

Indeed, 2012 is the year of what comes next, of deep breaths after a furious sprint, of political strategizing, building on gains made, and repairing economies damaged by a year of almost unprecedented upheaval.

That is, for the three countries mentioned above. In the rest of the region, the popular calls for political change have stalled.

In Bahrain, state repression has shoved mass protests back into their box, and the jails remain filled with political prisoners.

In Syria, there's an increasingly entrenched and violent conflict. At least 5,600 have died in the yearlong revolt against President Bashar al-Assad's rule, and while there's much international hand-wringing, a foreign military intervention like the one that helped turn the tide against Muammar Qaddafi in Libya at the moment appears very unlikely.

Elsewhere, public demands for change have been much less dramatic, though discontent continues to burble across the region. In mid-January, two unemployed Moroccan university graduates set themselves on fire, in a protest inspired by the self-immolation of Mohammed Bouazizi, the Tunisian whose suicide started the uprising that swept Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali from power, electrifying the Arab world.

But the recent immolations (one of the men later died) has not inspired an uprising in Morocco against the constitutional monarchy of King Mohammed VI. That perhaps is a measure of the success of steps taken thus far to mollify protesters.

Last year, the king allowed constitutional reforms and called for early elections, which saw the Islamist Justice and Development Party take power in early January. But the king has also appointed a shadow cabinet of long-term loyalists that look set to be a check on, if not ultimately more powerful than, the new Parliament. The royal cabinet has occasionally vetoed actions of the elected government, and retains those powers going forward.

Jordanians speak out

In Jordan, another experiment of a king finding ways to bend, without breaking his regime, is under way.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/TMfOBvQe55c/After-Egypt-Tunisia-Libya-overthrows-Arab-upheaval-begins-to-settle

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Gingrich: Romney 'carpet bombing' rival with ads

RETRANSMISSION FOR IMPROVED TONING - Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich gestures during the Orange County Lincoln Day Dinner at Rosen Shingle Creek, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

RETRANSMISSION FOR IMPROVED TONING - Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich gestures during the Orange County Lincoln Day Dinner at Rosen Shingle Creek, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks during the Orange County Lincoln Day Dinner at Rosen Shingle Creek, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ? Newt Gingrich says Republican presidential rival Mitt Romney "has a basic policy of carpet bombing his opponent" and that the "old establishment" in the party is trying to block Gingrich's path to nomination.

Gingrich tells "Fox News Sunday" that Romney has done little to bolster his own campaign and instead has focused on attacking his competitors. The former House speaker says conservatives should rally behind one candidate and punish Romney's negativity.

Gingrich and Romney are in a fierce contest in Florida, which has its primary on Tuesday.

Gingrich is campaigning as the most viable conservative and casts Romney as a "Massachusetts moderate."

Gingrich is being far outspent, including one ad that highlights his resignation from Congress amid ethics allegations. Gingrich says Romney is "running an ad that is factually false."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-29-Gingrich/id-eae642a38a4c4fe8a2398b9e1551ac8e

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Survival story "The Grey" wins weekend box office (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Survival story "The Grey" starring Liam Neeson topped the weekend movie box office charts with an estimated $20 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales, according to studio estimates released on Sunday.

"The Grey" knocked last weekend's winner, "Underworld: Awakening," to second place. The vampire and werewolf sequel starring Kate Beckinsale brought in $12.5 million from Friday through Sunday.

New Katherine Heigl comedy "One for the Money" finished third with $11.8 million.

Open Road Films, a joint venture between theater owners Regal Entertainment Group and AMC Entertainment Inc, released "The Grey." The film unit of Sony Corp distributed "Underworld: Awakening." "One for the Money" was released by Lions Gate Entertainment.

(Reporting By Lisa Richwine; Editing by Xavier Briand)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/enindustry/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120129/media_nm/us_boxoffice

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Former rival Cain endorses Gingrich for president (reuters)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/192798723?client_source=feed&format=rss

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IMF chief presses for more cash to fight crisis

International Monetary Fund, IMF, chief Christine Lagarde speaks during her visit to the social media corner at the 42nd annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. The meeting lasts until Jan. 29. (AP Photo/Keystone, Laurent Gillieron)

International Monetary Fund, IMF, chief Christine Lagarde speaks during her visit to the social media corner at the 42nd annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. The meeting lasts until Jan. 29. (AP Photo/Keystone, Laurent Gillieron)

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) ? The head of the International Monetary Fund appeared to making headway Saturday in her drive to boost the institution's financial firepower so that it can help Europe prevent its crippling debt crisis from further damaging the global economy.

Christine Lagarde, who replaced Dominique Strauss-Kahn as managing director of the fund six months ago, is trying to ramp up the IMF's resources by $500 billion so it can help if more lending is needed in Europe or elsewhere. The IMF is the world's traditional lender-of-last-resort and has been involved in the bailouts of Greece, Ireland and Portugal.

Insisting that the IMF is a "safe bet" and that no country had ever lost money by lending to the IMF, Lagarde argued that increasing the size of the IMF's resources would help improve confidence in the global financial system. If enough money is in the fund the markets will be reassured and it won't be used, she said, using arguments similar to those that France has made about increasing Europe's own rescue fund.

"It's for that reason that I am here, with my little bag, to collect a bit of money," she said at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss Alps town of Davos.

Her plea appeared to find a measure of support from ministers of Britain and Japan, sizable IMF shareholders that would be expected to contribute to any money-raising exercise.

George Osborne, Britain's finance minister, said there is "a case for increasing IMF resources and ... demonstrating that the world wants to help together to solve the world's problems," provided the 17 countries that use the euro show the "color of their money."

Osborne said he would be willing to argue in Parliament for a new British contribution, though he may encounter opposition from some members from his own Conservative Party.

Japan's economy minister, Motohisa Furukawa, said his country would help the eurozone via the IMF, too, even though Japan's own debt burden is massive. Unlike Europe's debt-ridden economies, Japan doesn't face sky-high borrowing rates, partly because there's a very liquid domestic market that continues to support the country's bonds.

Europe once again dominated discussions on the final full day of the forum in Davos. Despite some optimism about Europe's latest attempts to stem the crisis, fears remain that turmoil could return.

Whether the markets remain stable could rest for now on if Greece, the epicenter of the crisis, manages to conclude crucial debt-reduction discussions with its private creditors. It's also seeking to placate demands from its European partners and the IMF for deeper reforms.

A failure on either front could force the country, which is now in its fifth year of recession, to default on its debt and leave the euro, potentially triggering another wave of mayhem in financial markets that could hit the global economy hard.

"The fact that we're still, at the start of 2012, talking about Greece again is a sign that this problem has not been dealt with," Britain's Osborne said.

For Donald Tsang, the chief executive of Hong Kong, efforts to deal with the 2-year-old debt crisis have fallen short of what is required. The failure to properly deal with the Greek situation quickly has meant the ultimate cost to Europe has been higher, he said.

"I have never been as frightened (about the global economy) than I am now," he said.

Most economic forecasters predict that the global economy will continue to grow this year, but at a fairly slow rate. The IMF recently reduced its forecasts for global growth in 2012 to 3.3 percent, from the 4 percent pace that the IMF projected in September.

Lagarde sought to encourage some countries that use the euro to boost growth to help shore up the ailing eurozone economy, which is widely expected to sink back into recession, adding that it would be counterproductive if all euro countries cut their budgets aggressively at the same time.

"Some countries have to go full-speed ahead to do this fiscal consolidation, but other countries have space and room," Lagarde said.

Though conceding that there aren't many such countries, Lagarde said it is important that those that have the headroom explore how they can boost growth. She carefully avoided naming any countries, but likely had in mind Germany, Europe's largest economy and a major world exporter. She didn't specify how to boost growth or how one eurozone country could help others grow.

Lagarde said members of the eurozone should continue the drive to tie their economies closer together. On Monday, European leaders gather in Brussels in the hopes of agreeing on a treaty that will force member countries to put deficit limits into their national laws.

Britain's Osborne said eurozone leaders should be praised for the "courage" they have shown over the past few months in enacting austerity and setting in place closer fiscal ties, but said more will have to be done if the single currency is to get on a surer footing.

Fiscal transfers from rich economies to poorer ones will become a "permanent feature" of the eurozone, Osborne predicted.

While politicians and business people were discussing the state of the global economy within the confines of the conference center, protesters questioned the purpose of the event as income inequalities grow worldwide.

Protesters from the Occupy movement that started on Wall Street have camped out in igloos at Davos and were demonstrating in front of City Hall to call attention to the needs of the poor and unemployed.

In a separate protest, three Ukrainian women were arrested when they stripped off their tops ? despite temperatures around freezing ? and tried to climb a fence surrounding the invitation-only gathering of international CEOs and political leaders.

"Crisis! Made in Davos," read one message painted across a protester's torso.

Davos police spokesman Thomas Hobi said the three women were taken to the police station and told they weren't allowed to demonstrate. He said they would be released later in the day.

___

Associated Press writers Frank Jordans and Edith M. Lederer contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-28-EU-Davos-Forum/id-8db147e3eadc4926a7aba22fb44a8071

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Video: Too much 'conceit and self-regard'

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/21134540/vp/46170955#46170955

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UFC on Fox 2 weigh-in: Weidman ditches the Sloppy Joes to drop 32 pounds in 11 days

CHICAGO -- Dana White had to be smiling inside to see Chris Weidman make weight for his UFC on Fox 2 fight. Weidman, called just 11 days ago as a late replacement, had to drop from 217 pounds to make tomorrow's battle against Demian Maia an official middleweight fight.

It just two weeks ago that the promotion had to endure the embarrassment of watching Anthony Johnson missed weight badly at UFC 142.

Weidman was actually called with the offer while sitting at his dinner table. His wife was making some delicious Sloppy Joes. When Weidman committed to the fight, he had to go right to work.

"I just headed to the gym and ate a spoonful of peanut butter, and that was it," a glum Weidman told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The former Hofstra wrestler is trying to make a big step up the middleweight ladder with a victory over Maia. We'll find out tomorrow if the severe weight cut will affect him on fight night

Phil Davis went with the wrestling theme. Rashad Evans, a former Michigan State wrestler, tried to rip on Davis and his college wrestling career. It was a strange approach considering Davis was a four-time All-American and national champ in 2008. Davis, who's done a brilliant job of poking fun at Evans, pulled out his old Nittany Lions' garb for the fight today.

This from wrestling guru Maggie Hendricks:

So that singlet is Penn State's championship singlet, one that only gets broken out if a guy wrestles in the finals. Since Davis wrestled in the NCAA finals twice, he has at least one. Most schools have them, but PSU's is very recognizable because they don't have a ton of singlet options, like other schools. As a fellow Big 10er, Evans would know that. Wearing that one, and not Penn State's more traditional dark blue singlet, was a sly way of Davis saying, "Yes, I am the better wrestler."

A weigh-in wouldn't be complete with a dust up or some heat arising. Michael Bisping took care of that by angrily reacting to the booing crowd at the Chicago Theater. The Brit flipped off the fans.

UFC on Fox 2 weigh-in (Courtesy MMAjunkie):

MAIN CARD (FOX)

• Phil Davis (205) vs. Rashad Evans (205)
• Michael Bisping (185) vs. Chael Sonnen (185)
• Demian Maia (186) vs. Chris Weidman (185)

PRELIMINARY CARD (FUEL TV)

• Evan Dunham (155) vs. Nik Lentz (155)
• John-Olav Einemo (253) vs. Mike Russow (251)
• George Roop (145) vs. Cub Swanson (145)
• Charles Oliveira (144) vs. Eric Wisely (145)
• Michael Johnson (156) vs. Shane Roller (156)
• Joey Beltran (228) vs. Lavar Johnson (252)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

• Chris Camozzi (185) vs. Dustin Jacoby (185)

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-fox-2-weigh-weidman-ditches-sloppy-joes-005539088.html

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Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis: It's NOT Over!

Don't put Vanessa Paradis and Johnny Depp in our celebrity breakups category just yet.

The former has finally addressed the ongoing rumors of their split, and issued a fairly strong denial of reports that they've gone their separate ways after 14 years.

Making the publicity rounds for her new movie, Café de Flore, Paradis offered a clear statement to French program Grand Journal after earlier vague responses.

"Yes it's false! Of course it's false!" the 39-year-old singer-actress said when pressed about herself and Depp, 48. "Such rumors can truly harm my family."

"We separate in winter and we get married again in summer. I'm at this point at my 12th pregnancy," she said, referencing endless gossip about the pair.

According to Paradis, what she really takes issue with is when reporters write hurtful things that end up affecting 11-year-old Lily and 9-year-old Jack.

"These rumors are the content of those magazines that end up in the fireplace or in the toilets and that's about it," Vanessa Paradis said pointedly.

The Rango star has yet to comment either way on the rumors, of course.

[Photo: WENN.com]

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/johnny-depp-and-vanessa-paradis-its-not-over/

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Why Your Business Needs to Be on Google+ Now - Search Engine ...

Here was my reaction to the introduction of Google+ around six months ago:

?Sweet, Google?s rolling out its own improved version of Facebook. Wait, it doesn?t look like there?s anything going on for businesses with this. Wow, not many clicking on the +1 buttons. Hmmm, none of the cool kids are playing much here ? guess we?ll wait and see if this thing grows legs.?

Today, 90 million users later, wait mode is over. Google+ is running on fresh legs - and beckoning us to join while the echo from the starting gun can still be heard.

Jury?s still out, you say? Don?t really want to hear it, as you?ve hit a good stride with other social media activities you must manage? If this aligns at all with your thinking, then now is the time to pretend you have been a bad salesman, and I am Alec Baldwin, who has been sent on a mission of mercy?to help set you straight.

The New Necessity of Google+ for Business

Regardless of your experience with Google+, you may still find yourself needing to articulate, even justify (to yourself, your clients or boss), why attention must be paid to this effort.

The most significant reason to get your business on Google+ is simple: The quality and corresponding engagement around your search engine visibility stands to either noticeably improve or gradually decline.

At the heart of this lies the new ?Search Plus Your World? algorithm (also referred to as ?Search+?), which relies on data collected from logged in Google+ users. The output is search results that display/promote People and (business) Pages in Google+.

This is a bold direction for Google, delivering search results based on a new range of personalization signals that include elements of user engagement we?re familiar with in Facebook (comments, shares, likes - or in Google?s case, +1?s).

Yes, this is still relatively early-stage, but make no mistake. New patterns are being established for the long term. Now, more than ever, is go time.

2 Top Advantages of Google+ Pages for Business

Although related changes to search results were an easy prediction several months ago, there?s now plenty more visible evidence from recent Google algorithm updates that demonstrate the importance of Google+ practices effecting search results both inside and outsidethe Google+ environment.

To clarify on the significance of that last sentence, consider for a moment the work that goes into maintaining status updates and community response on an active Facebook fan page.

Can you get relevant, topical access to Facebook engagement via a Google search? No way. But guess what? You can?t on Facebook either.

Status updates/wall posts come and go. Got a post on your Facebook fan page that got over 350 comments? Cool, but too bad it?s here today and gone tomorrow ? soon to vanish with no commonly known way for anyone to look for or happen upon it in the future.

Like Facebook, you?ll see updates from those you follow (Circle) in Google+. But unlike Facebook, the content in your Google+ posts may turn into highly ranked search results on Google (again, inside or outside the Google+ environment) ? providing keyword and topic-relevant search engine visibility that improves based on your ?AuthorRank? and content-specific engagement levels.

A second key advantage relates to how you can target your messaging and more directly interact with your followers, organizing those you follow into the circles (groups) of your choosing. Google+ has done a good job of enabling a fairly intuitive way to track and engage with segments of an audience curated by you.

Learning From Early Adopters

Perhaps the most valuable piece of advice I can share with you as a marketer who is just getting setup in Google+ or wants to learn more is to create a circle called ?Google+ Resources?, then begin to add people and pages who are on the cutting edge of this subject matter.

A good first Google+ page to add would be Google?s own Google+ Your Business page. Toby Stein, the Pages and Mobile Community Manager for Google+, is great about referencing helpful articles and other expert resources in the field.

Just this week, Gideon Rosenblatt?created a circle that now has over 100 G+ influencers who have demonstrated various levels of thought leadership around social media in the context of this platform. You can follow all of them in the click of a button.

Additional Next-Step Recommendations

I?ve summarized some favorites here, many spelled out in greater detail on Mark Traphagen?s post regarding the ?First 5 Things You Should Do with Your Google+ Business Page?:

• Optimize your page for SEO by completing the verification process, adding recommended links and being smart about keyword placement in your Introduction and Subtitle areas. Thanks to people like AJ Kohn, you can get a deeper understanding of this, and take a closer look at the Google+ anatomy from an SEO perspective, for both personal and business pages.?
• Take advantage of the ?Scrapbook? photos and text editing features to make your page visually appealing and consistent with your brand identity.?
• As always, the quality of your content is of paramount importance. Post pictures and videos when possible. Make your first few posts very rich so new potential followers will be attracted by their first impression of what you?re putting out. Don?t assume what resonates on Facebook will also appeal to your audience here.?
• Promote your business page by leveraging personal profile pages on G+, announcements/requests to follow on other social networks and by using the Google+ Badge on your web pages.?
• Be thoughtful about how you segment your audience with circles, considering how you might post frequently and differently to targeted interests.?
• Monitor your stream, and be intentional about +1?s, comments, and shares of your follower?s posts. As Traphagen notes, ?such engagement seems to be more valued on G+ than on other networks, and will induce your followers to do the same for you.?

Search Results I See Are Looking Less Like Search Results You See

Despite the strong opinions in this post, and in hopes of convincing you I?m really not a Google groupie fan boy ? I will acknowledge that Google?s changes, even with our ability to control multiple query settings, have continued to evolve in a manner that arguably supports the ?filter bubble? problem presented in Eli Pariser?s Ted Talk.

Helen Brown?recently referenced this, along with a statement I?m empathetically compelled to quote: ?Just to do one search in Google the way I used to just last year, I have to turn off two things and turn one on. Every. Single. Time. This is progress??

We face a slew of other issues and challenges as Google and digital marketing in general continue to evolve. For today, hopefully you gained something that will inspire your next action on Google+.

Register now for SES London 2012, the Leading Search & Social Marketing Event, taking place 20-24 February, 2012. SES Conference & Expo features presentations and panel discussions that cover all aspects of search engine-related promotion. Hurry, early bird rate expires February 3!

Source: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2141454/Why-Your-Business-Needs-to-Be-on-Google-Now

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NASA releases a brand-new 'Blue Marble'

NASA / NOAA / Suomi VPP / VIRS / Norman Kuring

This new "Blue Marble" image of Earth was produced by the VIIRS instrument aboard NASA's most recently launched Earth-observing satellite: Suomi NPP. The composite image was assembled from image data captured from a number of swaths of Earth's surface on Jan. 4. The NPP satellite was renamed "Suomi NPP" on January 24, 2012 to honor the late Verner E. Suomi of the University of Wisconsin, who is considered the father of satellite meteorology.

NASA's "Blue Marble" image is one of the best-known high-resolution pictures of our planet. It's even included as one of the default images for Apple's iPhone. Now NASA has released a brand-new "Blue Marble 2012," based on image data from the VIIRS instrument aboard Suomi NPP, the most recently launched Earth-observing satellite.

---

The Suomi spacecraft was known as the NPOESS Preparatory Project, or NPP, when it was launched last October. This week it was renamed the Suomi NPP ? or Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership ? to honor the late Verner. E. Suomi, a professor at the University of Wisconsin who became known as the father of satellite meteorology. The $1.5 billion mission is a partnership involving NASA as well as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Air Force.

Suomi is the first of a new generation of satellites that will provide data for climate research as well as weather prediction. It carries five instruments on board, and the biggest and most important of the five is the Visible/Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite, or VIIRS. This composite image was built up from swaths of surface image data collected on Jan. 4.

To learn more about Suomi, check out the mission's website. For a huge 8,000-by-8,000-pixel version of Blue Marble 2012, go to the NASA Goddard Photo and Video Flickr gallery. And for a daily dose of Earth imagery, including more pictures from VIIRS, click on over to NASA's Earth Observatory.

Source: http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/25/10235283-nasa-releases-new-high-resolution-blue-marble-image-of-earth

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Man pleads not guilty to trying to kill Obama (AP)

WASHINGTON ? An Idaho man accused of firing shots at the White House pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he tried to assassinate President Barack Obama.

A lawyer for Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez entered the plea on his client's behalf during a brief appearance in U.S. District Court in Washington. Ortega did not say anything during the proceedings and will remain held without bond. He has another court date next month.

Prosecutors say Ortega used an assault rifle with an attached scope to fire a series of shots at the White House from long range on the night of Nov. 11. Obama and his wife, Michelle, were out of town at the time. In the months before the shooting, investigators say, he had had become obsessed with Obama, referred to him as the anti-Christ and told at least one person that he planned to "take care of" the president.

Prosecutors say he drove away after the shooting and crashed his car, then took off on foot. Authorities searching his car found a semi-automatic rifle, 12 spent shell casings and three fully-loaded magazines, and bullet impact points were located in the area of the White House that's known to be the living quarters of the First Family. Authorities recovered a bullet from a window frame on the Truman Balcony.

He was arrested on Nov. 16 at the same hotel where he had stayed before the shooting, authorities say.

Ortega, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, was indicted last week on 17 counts including trying to assassinate the president, transporting a firearm across state lines and assaulting officers or employees of the United States with a deadly weapon. Those charges three government employees who were on the grounds of the White House at the time of the shooting.

Ortega's federal public defender, David Bos, has previously argued that prosecutors have not established that Ortega was present at the shooting or that the president was the target of the attack. Bos declined to comment after the hearing.

Ortega could face up to life in prison if convicted of trying to assassinate the president.

The hearing took place in the same week that a lawyer for John Hinckley, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity in a 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, is making his case for extended time away from the psychiatric hospital where Hinckley has been confined.

____

Eric Tucker can be reached at http://twitter.com/etucker

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

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How to Make Science and Tech Jobs More Enticing to Undergrads

Web Exclusives | More Science

Despite studying science, technology, engineering or math, many students avoid STEM careers. Higher salaries, improved status and apprenticeships would change that. A special online-only addition to February 2012's Graphic Science

By Mark Fischetti ?| January 25, 2012?|

The number of U.S. undergraduate degrees being awarded in most STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and math) has risen steadily in recent years{link to G Sci page}. Yet some American employers say they are having trouble finding candidates to fill STEM jobs. The mismatch is not occurring because of an actual shortage of graduates; the numbers of job openings and new degree holders align fairly closely. And the shortfall is not because more foreign-born students are returning home after earning U.S. degrees, as has been rumored lately.

The mismatch is occurring because people with STEM degrees are choosing jobs in other fields that pay more or have higher perceived status, according to Nicole Smith, senior economist at the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. "Biology students become doctors; math majors go into finance," she explains. Others get MBAs so they will be recruited for management positions, where they can make more money, in part to pay off high student loans.

Smith says several steps could make STEM jobs more attractive to students. Raising salaries in certain disciplines would clearly help. Starting wages in computer science and engineering have increased steadily over time, for example, but wages in biology have not. Notably, the number of women entering college is rising faster than the number of men, and female students tend to take biology over computer science or engineering, so raising biology salaries could be particularly helpful.

Making science jobs appear more exciting would also improve their attractiveness. So would finding ways to get society to hold STEM professions in higher regard. Surveys of graduating STEM students show that they value social ?recognition? and that they think society holds professionals such as doctors and corporate executives in higher esteem than scientists.

Companies could help the cause as well. Smith says that sometimes employers complain that they cannot find the right graduates to fit specific jobs, yet she thinks that expectation is unrealistic. In decades past, corporations would hire graduates for placement into apprentice-style programs where the new employees would receive custom training. But companies have cut back on such programs in recent years. Resurrecting training programs could help shape graduates into the kinds of employees companies are seeking, which ultimately would increase the number of STEM grads who end up in STEM jobs.

Find more data and commentary about undergraduate science degrees in the February 2012 issue of Scientific American.

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Positions of the Republican candidates, in brief

Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum speaks at a campaign town hall in Northfield, N.H. Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum speaks at a campaign town hall in Northfield, N.H. Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

In this photo taken Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012, Republican presidential candidate former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks in Salem, N.H. Conservative leaders are encouraging their brethren to rally behind Rick Santorum or perhaps another conservative to counter Mitt Romney?s rise in the presidential race. Virtually silent on the rollicking contest until now, these leaders of the GOP base burned up the phone lines and cyberspace Wednesday, energized by Santorum?s single-digit loss to the well-funded Romney in Iowa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, speaks at his caucus night rally, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012, in Ankemy, Iowa. Paul's wife, Carol, is at left.(AP Photo/Eric Gay)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A look at where the 2012 Republican presidential candidates stand on a selection of issues.

They are former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

___

ABORTION:

Gingrich: Platform calls for conservative judges and no subsidies for abortion but not a constitutional abortion ban.

Paul: Says federal government should have no authority either to legalize or ban abortion.

Romney: Says Roe v. Wade should be reversed by a future Supreme Court and states should decide their own abortion laws.

Santorum: Favors constitutional abortion ban and opposes abortion, including in cases of rape.

___

DEBT:

Gingrich: As House speaker in 1990s, engineered passage of a seven-year balanced-budget plan. It was vetoed but helped form a bipartisan balanced budget later.

Paul: Would eviscerate federal government, slashing nearly half its spending, shut five Cabinet-level agencies, end spending on existing conflicts and on foreign aid.

Romney: Defended financial sector bailout, criticized GM and Chrysler bailout. Cap federal spending at 20 percent of GDP.

Santorum: Freeze social and military spending for five years to cut $5 trillion from federal budgets.

___

ECONOMY:

Gingrich: Repeal the financial industry regulations that followed the Wall Street meltdown. Restrict the Fed's power to set interest rates artificially low.

Paul: Return to the gold standard, eliminate the Federal Reserve, eliminate most federal regulations.

Romney: Lower taxes, less regulation, balanced budget, more trade deals to spur growth. Replace jobless benefits with unemployment savings accounts. Repeal new financial-industry regulations.

Santorum: Eliminate corporate taxes for manufacturers, drill for more oil and gas, and slash regulations.

___

EDUCATION:

Gingrich: Shrink Education Department. But supported Obama administration's $4 billion Race to the Top grant competition for states.

Paul: Abolish the Education Department and end the federal role in education.

Romney: Supported No Child Left Behind law. Once favored shutting Education Department, later saw its value in "holding down the interests of the teachers' unions."

Santorum: Voted for No Child Left Behind law, now regrets vote. Wants "significantly" smaller Education Department but not its elimination.

___

ENERGY:

Gingrich: Let oil and natural gas industries drill offshore reserves now blocked from development, end restrictions on Western oil shale development.

Paul: Remove restrictions on drilling, coal and nuclear power, eliminate gasoline tax, provide tax credits for alternative fuel technology.

Romney: Supports drilling in the Gulf, the outer continental shelves, Western lands, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and offshore Alaska; and exploitation of shale oil deposits.

Santorum: Favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, scaling back "oppressive regulation" hindering drilling elsewhere, and eliminating energy subsidies in four years.

___

ENVIRONMENT:

Gingrich: Convert EPA into "environmental solutions agency" devoted to research and "more energy, more jobs and a better environment simultaneously." Once backed tougher environmental regulation.

Paul: Previously said human activity "probably does" contribute to global warming; now calls such science a "hoax." Says emission standards should be set by states or regions.

Romney: Acknowledged that humans contribute to global warming, but later said "we don't know what's causing climate change." Cap and trade would "rocket energy prices."

Santorum: The science establishing human activity as a likely contributor to global warming is "patently absurd" and "junk science."

___

GAY MARRIAGE:

Gingrich: If the Defense of Marriage Act fails, "you have no choice except a constitutional amendment" to ban gay marriage.

Paul: Decisions on legalizing or prohibiting gay marriage should be left to states.

Romney: Favors constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, says policy should be set federally, not by states.

Santorum: Supports constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, not leaving decision to states. "We can't have 50 marriage laws."

___

HEALTH CARE:

All would seek repeal of Obama's health care law.

Gingrich: Prohibit insurers from cancelling or charging hefty increases to insurance holders who get sick. Offer "generous" tax credit to help buy insurance. Previously supported mandatory coverage.

Paul: Opposes compulsory insurance and all federal subsidies for coverage.

Romney: Opposes federal mandate to obtain coverage; introduced mandate in Massachusetts. Proposes "generous" subsidies to help future retirees buy private insurance instead of going on Medicare.

Santorum: Would seek to starve Obama's health care law of money needed to implement it. Supported Bush administration's prescription drug program for the elderly, now regrets doing so.

___

IMMIGRATION:

Gingrich: In contrast to most rivals, supports option of giving legal status to illegal immigrants with deep roots in the U.S. and who have lived otherwise lawfully. Supports path to citizenship for illegal immigrants' children who perform U.S. military service. Make English the official language. Divert more Homeland Security assets to at Mexican border.

Paul: Do "whatever it takes" to secure the border, end right to citizenship of U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants, no social services for illegal immigrants, aggressive deportation.

Romney: Would veto legislation that seeks to award legal status to some young illegal immigrants who attend college or serve in the armed forces. Favors complete U.S.-Mexico border fence, opposes education benefits to illegal immigrants.

Santorum: Supports complete border fence, opposes education benefits to illegal immigrants.

___

SOCIAL SECURITY:

Gingrich: Give younger workers the option of diverting Social Security taxes to private retirement accounts.

Paul: Says younger workers should be able to opt out of Social Security taxes and retirement benefits; benefits for today's retirees should be protected.

Romney: Starting with workers now under 55, raise age to qualify for full benefits, and limit inflation increases for wealthier beneficiaries. Protect status quo for people 55 and older.

Santorum: Proposes immediate steps to lower benefits for wealthier retirees, raise the age to qualify for full benefits and restrict inflation increases in benefits, both for current and future retirees. Supports option of private retirement accounts.

___

TAXES:

All support eliminating the estate tax and keeping Bush-era tax cuts.

Gingrich: Choice of filing under current system or paying a 15 percent tax, preserving mortgage interest and charitable deductions. Cut corporate tax to 12.5 percent.

Paul: Eliminate the federal income tax and the IRS, and defund close to half the government.

Romney: No one with adjusted gross income under $200,000 should be taxed on interest, dividends or capital gains. Cut corporate tax rate to 25 percent.

Santorum: Triple the personal exemption for dependent children, reduce the number of tax brackets to two ? 10 percent and 28 percent, exempt domestic manufacturers from the corporate tax and halve the top rate for other business.

___

TERRORISM:

Gingrich: Supports extending and strengthening investigative powers of Patriot Act. Supports continued use of Guantanamo Bay detention for suspected terrorists. Supported creation of Homeland Security apparatus. In 2009, said of waterboarding: "It's not something we should do."

Paul: Opposes Patriot Act as an infringement on liberty. Says terrorists would not be motivated to attack America if the U.S. ended its military presence abroad. Says: "Waterboarding is torture. And it's illegal under international law and under our law. It's also immoral."

Romney: No constitutional rights for foreign terrorism suspects. Campaign says he does not consider waterboarding to be torture.

Santorum: Defends creation of Homeland Security Department. Voted to reauthorize Patriot Act. Says airport screeners should employ profiling; "Muslims would be someone you'd look at, absolutely." Supports continued use of Guantanamo Bay detention but says Americans accused of being enemy combatants should have right to challenge indefinite detention in court. Says waterboarding has proved effective.

___

WAR:

Gingrich: Supported Iraq war and opposed early withdrawal. Said U.S. forces should not have been used in Libya campaign, after he had called for such intervention. Opposes "precipitous" pullout from Afghanistan.

Paul: Bring most or all troops home from foreign posts "as quick as the ships could get there." Opposed U.S. intervention in Libya. Cut Pentagon budget.

Romney: Has not specified the troop numbers behind pledge to ensure the "force level necessary to secure our gains and complete our mission successfully" in Afghanistan.

Santorum: Says he would order bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities unless they were opened for international arms inspectors. Proposes freezing defense spending for five years.

___

Associated Press writers Brian Bakst and Chris Tomlinson contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-23-Where%20They%20Stand-Abridged/id-67f0aacde71f42a3812e68adb3fbec03

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Marine faces 3 months in brig for Iraqi deaths

FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2012 file photo, Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich arrives for a court-martial session at Camp Pendleton, Calif. Wuterich, accused of killing unarmed Iraqi women and children in the Iraqi town of Haditha in 2005, pleaded guilty to dereliction of duty Monday, Jan. 23, 2012, reaching a plea deal and ending the largest and longest-running criminal case against U.S. troops to emerge from the Iraq War. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2012 file photo, Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich arrives for a court-martial session at Camp Pendleton, Calif. Wuterich, accused of killing unarmed Iraqi women and children in the Iraqi town of Haditha in 2005, pleaded guilty to dereliction of duty Monday, Jan. 23, 2012, reaching a plea deal and ending the largest and longest-running criminal case against U.S. troops to emerge from the Iraq War. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

Rosemarie Wuterich and her husband Dave Wuterich leave a courtroom where their son, Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, pleaded guilty to negligent dereliction of duty in his Haditha court martial trial, Jan. 23, 2012 in Camp Pendeton, Calif. It is the biggest criminal case against U. S. troops in the Iraqi War. Wuterich led the squad that killed 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha in 2005. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

Marine Major Nicholas Gannon, a prosecutor in the Haditha court martial trial of Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, leaves a court room at Camp Pendleton where Wuterich pleaded guilty to negligent dereliction of duty in the biggest criminal against U. S. troops in the Iraqi War Monday January 23, 2012. Wuterich led the squad that killed 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha in 2005. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

Defense attorney Haytham Faraj, a member of the defense team for Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich leaves the court room at Camp Pendleton following a hearing where Wuterich pleaded guilty to negligent dereliction of duty in his Haditha court martial trial Monday Jan.23, 2012 in Camp Pendeton. Wuterich led the squad that killed 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha in 2005. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

CAMP PENDLETON, California (AP) ? Military prosecutors worked for more than six years to bring Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich to trial on manslaughter charges that could have sent him away to prison for life.

But only weeks after the long-awaited trial started, they offered Wuterich a deal that stopped the proceedings and could mean little to no jail time for the squad leader who ordered his men to "shoot first, ask questions later," resulting in one of the Iraq War's worst attacks on civilians by U.S. troops.

The 31-year-old Marine, who was originally accused of unpremeditated murder, pleaded guilty Monday to negligent dereliction of duty for leading the squad that killed 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha in 2005 during raids after a roadside bomb exploded, killing a fellow Marine and wounding two others.

Wuterich who was indicted in 19 of the 24 deaths now faces no more than three months in confinement.

It was a stunning outcome for the last defendant in the case once compared to the My Lai massacre in Vietnam. The seven other Marines initially charged were exonerated or had their cases dropped.

Military judge Lt. Col. David Jones will hear arguments from both sides Tuesday at Camp Pendleton, Calif., before sentencing him.

Legal experts say the case was fraught by errors made by investigators and the prosecution that let it drag on for years. The prosecution was also hampered by squad mates who admitted they had lied to investigators initially and later testified in exchange for having their cases dropped, bringing into question their credibility.

In addition, Wuterich was seen as taking the fall for senior leaders and more seasoned combat veterans, analysts say. It was his first time in combat when he led the squad on Nov. 19, 2005.

Brian Rooney, an attorney for another former defendant, said cases like Haditha are difficult to prosecute because a military jury is unlikely to question decisions made in combat unless wrongdoing is clear-cut and egregious, like rape.

"If it's a gray area, fog-of-war, you can't put yourself in a Marine's situation where he's legitimately trying to do the best he can," said Rooney, who represented Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, the highest-ranking Marine charged in the case. "When you're in a town like Haditha or Fallujah, you've got bad guys trying to kill you and trying to do it in very surreptitious ways. Marines understand it's a crazy environment. You've got to do the best you can with what you've got."

Marine Corps spokesman Lt. Col. Joseph Kloppel said the deal was not a reflection or in any way connected to how the prosecution felt their case was going in the trial.

The Haditha incident is considered among the war's defining moments, further tainting America's reputation when it was already at a low point after the release of photos of prisoner abuse by U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison.

It still fuels anger in Iraq today.

Kamil al-Dulaimi, a Sunni lawmaker from the Anbar provincial capital of Ramadi, called the plea agreement proof that "Americans still deal with Iraqis without any respect."

"It's just another barbaric act of Americans against Iraqis," al-Dulaimi told The Associated Press. "They spill the blood of Iraqis and get this worthless sentence for the savage crime against innocent civilians."

Wuterich, the father of three children, had faced the possibility of life behind bars when he was charged with nine counts of manslaughter, which now will be dropped. Besides now facing a maximum of three months in confinement, he could also lose two-thirds of his pay and see his rank demoted to private when he's sentenced.

.Wuterich, his family and his attorneys declined to comment Monday after he entered the plea. Prosecutors also declined to comment on the plea deal.

During the trial before a jury of combat Marines who served in Iraq, prosecutors argued he lost control after seeing the body of his friend blown apart by the bomb and led his men on a rampage in which they stormed two nearby homes, blasting their way in with gunfire and grenades. Among the dead was a man in a wheelchair.

In the deal, Wuterich admitted that his orders misled his men to believe they could shoot without hesitation and not follow the rules of engagement that required troops to positively identify their targets before they raided the homes.

He told the judge that caused "tragic events."

"I think we all understood what we were doing so I probably just should have said nothing," Wuterich told the judge.

He said his orders were based on the guidance of his platoon commander at the time, and that the squad did not take any gunfire during the 45-minute raid.

Many of his squad mates testified that they do not believe to this day that they did anything wrong because they feared insurgents were inside hiding.

Haditha prompted commanders to demand troops be more careful in distinguishing between civilians and combatants.

Former Navy officer David Glazier said the case shows such rules are essential to helping the United States prevail in an armed conflict.

"The reality is that this incident has had significant consequences for the U.S. in Iraq," said Glazier, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. "It probably fueled the resistance and so it probably ended up costing additional soldiers and Marines their lives later on."

___

Associated Press writers Barbara Surk and Mazin Yahya in Baghdad, and Elliot Spagat in San Diego and Raquel Dillon in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-24-Marines-Haditha/id-f383b8753ad545a5bae09c9d7e93cee6

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Rihanna Tops Lady Gaga As YouTube's Most-Viewed Female

Rihanna has surpassed Lady Gaga in YouTube views, making her the site's most-viewed female artist.

Rihanna
Photo: Splash News

Related Artists

• Rihanna

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677710/rihanna-tops-lady-gaga-youtubes-mostviewed-female.jhtml

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Microsoft and IBM push Dow up, Google falls (AP)

NEW YORK ? IBM and Microsoft drove the Dow Jones industrial average higher Friday after the tech giants reported stronger earnings than analysts expected.

Microsoft said sales of Xbox games and Office software helped push revenue up in the last quarter of 2011. IBM credited better sales of software and services and raised its earnings outlook for the year. Microsoft rose 6 percent and IBM rose 4 percent.

The Dow rose 96.50 points to close at 12,720.48. That's a gain of 0.8 percent. Without the huge gains in IBM and Microsoft, the Dow would have risen just 24 points.

The S&P 500 index inched up 0.88 to 1,315.38. Both the Dow and S&P ended the week with gains of more than 2 percent.

Plenty of things are going right, said Frank Fantozzi, CEO of Planned Financial Services, an independent wealth manager in Cleveland. Applications for unemployment benefits dropped last week to the lowest level in nearly four years. Housing sales are steadily rising. And most companies are reporting better profits.

"Overall, we're moving in the right direction and it's bolstered the market," Fantozzi said. "The S&P getting over 1,300 this week is a nice sign."

Google lost 8.4 percent after its earnings per share fell a dollar short of analysts' estimates. The misfire stemmed from an 8 percent drop in prices that the Internet search giant charges advertisers for each click.

Google's drop tugged the Nasdaq composite index lower. It fell 1.63 points to 2,786.70.

Even though high-profile companies such as Google and JPMorgan Chase have posted disappointing earnings results in the past week, the trend is moving in the opposite direction. Of the 60 companies in the S&P index that have reported earnings so far, 62 percent have beaten estimates, according to John Butters, senior earnings analyst at FactSet Research.

In another sign that traders were becoming more willing to take on risk, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note crossed above 2 percent for the first time in two weeks. The yield, a widely used benchmark for corporate and consumer borrowing, had inched lower since early December as traders parked money in the safest of assets.

The National Association of Realtors said that home sales rose 5 percent in December, the third straight monthly increase.

Among other companies in the news:

? Capital One Financial lost 5.6 percent. The bank and credit-card company's earnings sank 41 percent as expenses for marketing, salaries and legal fees jumped compared with the year before.

? Schlumberger rose 1.3 percent. The oil-field services company's quarterly profit surged 36 percent, helped by exploration work in the Middle East and Africa. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to 27.5 cents.

- Intel rose 2.9 percent. The world's largest chip maker reported stronger profits after the market closed Thursday. Intel's results got a boost from sales to China and other developing countries, where many people are buying PCs for the first time.

Stocks have been on a slow and steady climb to start 2012. The S&P 500 has closed higher on 11 of 13 days and is now up 4.6 percent for the year.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/enterprise/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_bi_st_ma_re/us_wall_street

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'Electric Earth' Could Explain Planet's Rotation

One thing we do know is the force from any net charge on the Earth is completely overwhelmed by gravity, the weakest of the fundamental forces. Remember, electromagnetism is about 10^36 times stronger than gravity. This would make detection very hard, indeed, but also suggests that any net charge is very small.

Now, I'm no cosmologist, but my understanding is that current theories require that the universe itself be electrically neutral (but I don't know why this has to be true, personally). So, for the E

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/nskBi55sKo4/electric-earth-could-explain-planets-rotation

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Brees: Focus on keeping Saints together (AP)

METAIRIE, La. ? Drew Brees has spent the past six years reinvigorating the Saints, rewriting NFL records and rebuilding New Orleans.

His contract may be expiring, but the Big Easy's biggest sports star doesn't see himself changing teams any time soon.

Brees said Friday he would be "beyond stunned" if he and the Saints are unable to agree on a contract extension during this offseason, echoing comments by coach Sean Payton this week.

The former Super Bowl MVP added he doesn't believe his next deal will prevent the Saints from bidding for some other key members of their record-setting offense who will become free agents, including Pro Bowl guard Carl Nicks and receivers Marques Colston and Robert Meachem.

"My No. 1 priority, and it always has been this, is keeping our team together and making sure we have the right guys in the right positions to make a run at this for a long time," Brees said by phone from his offseason home in San Diego. "We all kind of work together on this thing.

"Put it this way: I'm not worried one bit about my contract or our ability to keep guys at key positions."

At the same time, Brees acknowledged that his powers of persuasion only go so far as it pertains to teammates' decisions to stay or go, and the franchise's decisions regarding how much to offer other players.

"Is it realistic to think we can keep absolutely everybody? I don't know how realistic that is just because every year on a team there's turnover and I think that's just the business we're in," Brees said.

"That's the biggest reason why it's so sad when the season ends. It's not because the season is over and you don't get to play anymore games or you know you're not going to win a championship that year. The biggest sadness comes in because you're looking around the room and you know that there's guys you've become very close to that you might not be playing with anymore."

Brees is expected to command an annual salary in the range of $18 million, which would be commensurate with the average yearly pay of New England's Tom Brady and Indianapolis' Peyton Manning.

Brees' agent is Tom Condon, who also represents Manning.

In 2011, Brees set NFL single-season records with 468 completions, 5,476 yards passing and a completion percentage of 71.2. His prolific passing numbers helped the Saints set a new NFL high for total offensive yards in a season with 7,474.

Brees led the Saints to a 13-3 regular season record and second NFC South Division title. New Orleans defeated Detroit in the first round of the playoffs before falling in the final seconds of their second-round game at San Francisco, which hosts the NFC title game on Sunday.

Brees has been invited to the Pro Bowl and plans to attend. By then, he hopes the emotional pain of losing in the playoffs will have subsided enough that he can look back fondly on New Orleans record-shattering season.

"I haven't been able to enjoy it yet to be honest with you. It's been tough this week. I really have tried not to turn on the TV," Brees said. "It's hard not to think about what could have been. But you know what? I take solace in the fact that we fought our heart out, we gave it our best and you know what? It just wasn't meant to be.

"If we're not playing for a championship, I guess there's no place I'd rather be than going to Hawaii for a week with the family and be able to enjoy the Pro Bowl and be around other guys that have earned that trip," Brees said. "And maybe that's going to be the time to decompress and reflect back on the season a little bit, but for now it still stings."

Brees arrived in New Orleans in 2006, less than a year after Hurricane Katrina had struck. Since then he has passed for more yards than any other quarterback in the NFL (28,394) while lifting the Saints to new heights and simultaneously helping a region heal from Katrina's devastation.

In addition to lifting the spirits of football fans, he and wife Brittany have worked through their Brees Dream foundation to sponsor about $8 million in projects primarily aimed at improving the lives of children in the area through the refurbishing of schools or renovation of athletic fields and facilities. His foundation also has supported the arts, along with hospital facilities for cancer patients.

He said his family's growing bond with New Orleans is another reason it would be hard for him to envision playing anywhere else.

"This is a place that is very special in our hearts. We've had two of our kids raised here and hopefully we'll have more in the future," Brees said, alluding to a third child that is expected this summer.

"It's been an unbelievable journey over the last six years to watch how far, not only our organization and our team, but just the mental psyche of the city" has improved, Brees said. "We're always going to have a strong connection with New Orleans. We're always going to give back to New Orleans, and I'm talking like 20, 30, 40 years from now."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_saints_brees__future

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