Romney leads by 15 points in Florida: Reuters/Ipsos poll (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? White House hopeful Mitt Romney's lead over rival Newt Gingrich has stretched to 15 percentage points in Florida, according to results of a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday, just a day before the state's Republican primary.

Support for Romney, a former Massachusetts governor and private equity executive, edged up to 43 percent among likely voters in Florida's January 31 primary, according to the online tracking poll. It had been at 42 percent on Sunday.

But backing for Gingrich, a former speaker of the House of Representatives, slipped to 28 percent, down from 30 percent support a day earlier, 32 percent on Saturday and 33 percent on Friday.

"Romney is holding a good solid position and Gingrich continues to lose support ... which results in a bigger margin for Romney," said Chris Jackson, research director for Ipsos public affairs.

The gap between Romney and Gingrich was 14 percentage points when voters were asked who they would support in a hypothetical head-to-head race among the two contenders for the Republican nomination to oppose President Barack Obama in the November general election.

Romney was at 56 percent to Gingrich's 42 percent among likely voters asked that question. The gap had been 11 points a day earlier.

The well-funded and well-organized Romney had two strong debate performances last week and has consolidated his lead in Florida over Gingrich while hitting his rival with a blizzard of attack advertisements, funded by his campaign and by outside groups supporting his presidential aspirations.

SANTORUM AND PAUL FADE

Two other contenders for the Republican nomination, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and Texas congressman Ron Paul, were well behind the two leaders. Santorum's support was at 12 percent, down from 16 percent in Sunday's results. Paul was backed by 5 percent of survey respondents, down from 6 percent on Sunday.

Paul has not been campaigning in Florida.

"We're starting to see the impact of Santorum suspending his campaigning in Florida," Jackson said.

Santorum said on Sunday he was canceling his campaign events in Florida after his 3-year-old daughter was admitted to a hospital in Philadelphia.

Florida allows early voting at polling stations and by mail, and more than one-third - 35 percent - of respondents to the online poll said they had already cast their ballots. Romney's lead was particularly strong among that group, at 48 percent to 26 percent, 22-point margin.

"Barring some sort of miracle for Newt Gingrich, this one's starting to look a little bit more wrapped up, and we can start thinking about Nevada" Jackson said.

After Florida's primary on Tuesday, Nevada's February 4 caucuses are the next contest in the state-by-state process of choosing a Republican nominee to run against President Barack Obama on November 6.

So far, the contests have been divided among the candidates. Santorum won Iowa's caucuses on January 3, Romney won the New Hampshire primary on January 10 and Gingrich took South Carolina's primary on January 21.

A big victory in Florida, by far the largest of the early-voting states, would be a giant step in Romney's push toward securing the nomination.

Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online surveys, but this poll of 658 likely voters in the Florida primary has a credibility interval of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points for registered voters.

Monday's Reuters/Ipsos survey is the last of four daily tracking polls that were released ahead of Tuesday's Florida primary.

(Editing by Eric Walsh)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120131/ts_nm/us_usa_campaign_poll

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San Francisco airport unveils yoga room for travelers (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Just cleared airport security and in need of a little deep breathing and stretching relaxation?

San Francisco Airport has opened what it calls a first of its kind yoga room, and while it's not quite a mountaintop in Tibet, airport officials say the low lights, and soothing blue walls aim to afford travelers, stressed out or sanguine, an oasis of calm in which to flex, twist and decompress.

"As far as we know it's the first (yoga room) at an airport anywhere in the world," said Michael C. McCarron, director of community affairs for the airport.

He said the idea for the room, in the newly refurbished Terminal 2, came from a passenger suggestion at an open house. It joins the Berman reflection room, a space intended for silence and meditation located before Terminal 2 security.

Airport Director John L. Martin called the room, which opened last week, "another leap forward in providing our travelers the opportunity and space to relax and decompress on their own terms."

The architects, Gensler Design, set the lights low and warm in contrast to the light, bright concourse, according to a statement, and a floating wall was constructed to symbolize "a buoyant spirit and enlightened mind. "

Large felt-constructed rocks will be installed in the Spring in a nod to the Zen gardens of Japan.

John Walsh, duty manager at San Francisco Airport, said the room is already attracting its share of travelling yogis, many equipped with their own props.

"I've seen people using it. They do yoga," Walsh said. "We have mats, but some people actually bring their own." There are also folding chairs, popular in many senior yoga sessions. So far there are no plans to hold classes.

Located just past security, it's a particular draw for people with time to kill before their flight, Walsh said.

Santa Monica-based yoga teacher Tamal Dodge believes the yoga room at the airport will be the first of many yoga spaces to be attached to airports and public transportation venues.

"How amazing will it be to stretch out and meditate before you get on a plane for a 12-hour flight," said Dodge, who is featured in the "Element: Hatha & Flow Yoga for Beginners" DVD.

"You are now given the opportunity to really relax and prepare your body for something as taxing as sitting in an airplane seat for hours on end," he said.

Airport yogis are directed to their room by the usual method-- the pictograph: this one of a figure seated in full lotus position.

(Reporting by Dorene Internicola; editing by Patricia Reaney)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/od_nm/us_fitness_yoga_airport

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Romney credits change in tactics for Florida surge (AP)

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. ? Mitt Romney said Monday he has overcome his South Carolina setback and returned to the Republican primary forefront by aggressively returning Newt Gingrich's fire and by presenting himself as a Washington outsider. Gingrich said Romney is "pretending he's somebody he's not."

Romney said that in the days leading up to the South Carolina's Jan. 21 primary, he was getting beaten up rhetorically by the former House speaker on a variety of fronts and says he didn't fight back very well. Now, Romney said, he has "pushed back" more effectively. He said he feels Florida's voters are responding to his charges that Gingrich benefited from his business relationship with the mortgage giant Freddie Mac at a time when the housing market in the state was taking a dive.

For his part, Gingrich argued that the former Massachusetts governor has bought "an amazing amount of ads" to leverage himself into better position for Florida's primary Tuesday, but said it won't work. "I think he's going to find this a long campaign," the former speaker said of his rival.

Gingrich said that on the big, philosophical issues, Romney "is for all practical purposes a liberal, I am a conservative."

"It's closing here in Florida," Gingrich said, "and I think the next 24 hours in going to make a big difference."

Romney said he believes he has reinvigorated his campaign through a combination of changes in his message and a change in campaign tactics. He said that Gingrich's charges that Romney is the establishment candidate aren't working.

"It's not selling here in Florida. ... He was able to get away with it in South Carolina. If there's anybody that's a Washington insider, it's Newt Gingrich."

A day before voting begins in Florida's Republican primary, Romney is running ahead of Gingrich in polls. Romney earned positive reviews during two debates and has put the former House speaker on the defensive over ethics and Freddie Mac.

"It's only when he can mass money to focus on carpet-bombing with negative ads that he gains any traction at all," Gingrich is complaining.

But instead of stepping back and refocusing on President Barack Obama ? as he did in Iowa when it became clear that Gingrich had lost ? Romney is ratcheting up his rhetoric and continuing his attacks until the very end. He hopes to close the Florida campaign strongly to push Gingrich as far back as possible.

Gingrich said Monday he was closing the gap between him and Romney in Florida. He said the Republican Party needed a "clear conservative" to run against Obama in the fall, and that there was very little difference between Obama and Romney when it came to their policies and politics, such as health care.

"Mitt Romney will have a very, very hard time trying to differentiate himself," Gingrich said.

"His record is one of failed leadership," Romney had said of Gingrich at a rally in Sunday night in Pompano Beach, in South Florida. And Romney challenged Gingrich to "look in the mirror" to figure out why the former House speaker has fallen back in Florida.

"His record is one of failed leadership. We don't need someone who can speak well perhaps or can say things we agree with, but does not have the experience of being an effective leader," he said.

Aides say Romney's attacks are partially a response to increasingly angry rhetoric from Gingrich, who on Sunday called the former Massachusetts governor "somebody who is a pro-abortion, pro-gun-control, pro-tax-increase liberal." Gingrich also accused Romney of lying. "I don't know how you debate a person with civility if they're prepared to say things that are just plain factually false," Gingrich said.

Romney's campaign on Sunday fired back immediately, starting with the candidate and continuing with statements from top surrogates who cast Gingrich's assault as an unfair attack on Romney's character.

"Mitt Romney is man of impeccable character," said New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. "It offends me that Newt Gingrich would attack the character of Mitt Romney."

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty called the attacks "over the line."

Romney's supporters particularly defended his anti-abortion credentials following Gingrich's attack. Gingrich allies are also running radio ads attacking Romney's record on the issue.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi called Romney a "champion for pro-life values" as she introduced him at the rally. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen offered a similar defense during an earlier rally with the Cuban American community in Hialeah.

In what has become a wildly unpredictable race, the momentum has swung back to Romney, who just last weekend was staggered by Gingrich's victory in South Carolina. Romney has begun advertising in Nevada ahead of that state's caucuses next Saturday, illustrating the challenges ahead for Gingrich, who has pledged to push ahead no matter what happens in Florida.

An NBC News/Marist poll published Sunday showed Romney with support from 42 percent of likely Florida primary voters, compared with 27 percent for Gingrich.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, trailing in Florida by a wide margin, skipped campaigning to be with his 3-year-old daughter, Bella, who was hospitalized. He planned to campaign in Missouri and Minnesota early this week.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who has invested little in Florida, looked ahead to Nevada. The libertarian-leaning Paul is focusing more on gathering delegates in caucus states, where it's less expensive to campaign. But securing the nomination only through caucus states is a hard task.

Romney has three events scheduled across the state Monday. He planned events in Jacksonville and the Tampa area. Gingrich has five planned events.

Romney appeared Monday morning on NBC's "Today" show and on Fox News Channel. Gingrich was interviewed on "CBS This Morning" and ABC's "Good Morning America."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign

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NASA discovers 26 new alien planets in 11 solar systems

The findings nearly double the number of bona fide planets found outside our solar system by the Kepler space observatory.

NASA's prolific planet-hunting spacecraft has hit the jackpot again, discovering 11 new planetary systems with 26 confirmed alien planets among them.?

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The findings nearly double the number of bona fide?planets found outside our solar system by the Kepler?space observatory.

"Prior to the Kepler mission, we knew of perhaps 500 exoplanets across the whole sky," Doug Hudgins, Kepler program scientist at NASA headquarters in Washington, said in a statement. "Now, in just two years staring at a patch of sky not much bigger than your fist, Kepler has discovered more than 60 planets and more than 2,300 planet candidates. This tells us that our galaxy is?positively loaded with planets?of all sizes and orbits."

The newly detected worlds vary in size from 1.5 times the radius of Earth to larger than Jupiter; 15 of the 26 planets fall between Earth and Neptune in size. While all of the planets tightly orbit their parent stars, more research will be required to determine which worlds are rocky like Earth, and which have thick, gaseous atmospheres like Neptune, the scientists said.

Still, all of the 26 new planets orbit closer to their stars than Venus does to our sun. This means that their orbital periods ? or the time it takes for them to complete one orbital lap around the star ? range from ?six days to 143 days, according to the researchers. [Gallery: A World of Kepler Planets?]

By studying these?different planetary systems, scientists can glean valuable information about how planets form.

Hunting for planets

The Kepler spacecraft, which orbits the sun, stares at a patch of sky that contains 150,000 stars and locates potential alien planets by measuring the tiny change in brightness that occurs when a planet transits ? that is, passes in front of ? a star.

Once a planetary candidate is identified, further observations are conducted by ground-based observatories to weed out the?false positives.

"Confirming that the small decrease in the star's brightness is due to a planet requires additional observations and time-consuming analysis," Eric Ford, associate professor of astronomy at the University of Florida, explained in a statement.

Ford is the lead author of a study that confirms two of the new systems, Kepler-23 and Kepler-24.

"We verified these planets using new techniques that dramatically accelerated their discovery," Ford said.

Each of the?newly found planetary systems?holds two to five closely spaced transiting planets, the researchers said. Since these systems are tightly packed, the planets exert gravitational forces on one another, speeding up or slowing down their orbits. The orbital period of each planet is altered in the process.

By measuring the orbital changes, Kepler can identify potential planets in the system. This method, known as Transit Timing Variation, can be used to verify alien planets without extensive ground-based observations. The technique also increases Kepler's ability to confirm planetary systems around fainter and more distant stars, the researchers said. [Video: Kepler Reveals Lots of Planets: Some Habitable?]

"By precisely timing when each planet transits its star, Kepler detected the gravitational tug of the planets on each other, clinching the case for 10 of the newly announced planetary systems," Dan Fabrycky, of the University of California, Santa Cruz, said in a statement.

Fabrycky is the lead author of the paper that confirms the Kepler-29, -30, -31 and -32 systems.

Alien planets and their host stars

Five of the systems (Kepler-25, -27, -30, -31 and -33) contain a pair of planets, the inner one circling its star twice in the time it takes the outer planet to make one lap.

Four of the systems (Kepler-23, -24, -28 and -32) are home to a pair of planets where the outer one orbits the star twice for every three times the inner planet circles the parent star.

"These configurations help to amplify the gravitational interactions between the planets, similar to how my sons kick their legs on a swing at the right time to go higher," Jason Steffen, a postdoctoral fellow at Fermilab Center for Particle Astrophysics in Batavia, Ill., said in a statement. Steffen is the lead author of a paper confirming the Kepler-25, -26, -27 and -28 systems.
The system with the most planets is Kepler-33. The star, which is older and more massive than the sun, hosts five planets that range in size from 1.5 to five times that of Earth. All of these planets orbit closer to their star than any planet circles our sun.

Once the properties of a star are understood, such as the telltale light signature of a planet crossing in front, it becomes easier to eliminate false positives, the researchers said.
"The approach used to verify the Kepler-33 planets shows the overall reliability is quite high," said Jack Lissauer, planetary scientist at NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., and lead author of the paper on Kepler-33. "This is a validation by multiplicity."

The newly discovered planets increase the?Kepler mission's tally of confirmed planets?to 61, with 2,326 other planetary candidates.

The four separate papers appear in the Astrophysical Journal and the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter?@Spacedotcom?and on?Facebook.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/rPbVtLA0IBs/NASA-discovers-26-new-alien-planets-in-11-solar-systems

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[OOC] Named

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Sun Unleashes Strongest Flare Yet of 2012 (SPACE.com)

This story was updated at 4:13 p.m. EST.

A massive solar flare ? the strongest one so far this year ? erupted today (Jan. 27) from the same active region of the sun that triggered a raging solar tempest earlier this week.

The solar flare was rated an X1.7-class eruption, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). X-class flares are the most powerful type of solar storm, with M-class storms falling within the mid-range, and C-class flares being the weakest.

Several spacecraft, including NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory and the Solar Heliospheric Observatory, observed the solar eruption, which occurred at 1:37 p.m. EST (1837 GMT). The flare unleashed a wave of charged particles, called a coronal mass ejection, but space weather experts said it was not aimed at Earth.

The flare exploded from sunspot 1402, a region on the sun that has been particularly active lately. Earlier this week, a separate blast from the same region sent a cloud of charged particles toward Earth and sparked the strongest radiation storm since 2003.

"It's a great week for Space Weather!" wrote Dean Pesnell, SDO Project Scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., in a blog update.

This time, however, the flare was not fired off while the sunspot region was facing Earth, according to Spaceweather.com. Still, an ensuing radiation storm is possible and will continue to be monitored.

"Region 1402 is Alive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" explained officials from NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center on Facebook. "Another huge X-ray event is in progress."

When a powerful X-class flare is aimed directly at Earth it can sometimes cause disruptions to satellites in space and power grids and communications infrastructure on the ground. Strong flares and coronal mass ejections can also pose potential hazards to astronauts on the International Space Station.

In response, NOAA has issued radio blackouts and a radiation storm warning while the sun storm is in progress.

"This warning is in effect for the next 24 hours," agency officials said in a statement.

Presently, the radiation levels appear to be climbing, but the effects of this solar storm are not expected to be worse than earlier this week, said Doug Biesecker, a physicist at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center.

"The radiation storm will almost certainly be weaker," Biesecker told SPACE.com. "The coronal mass ejection seems to be headed well away from Earth, which is good because this one seems like a bigger beast than the last one, but that's still preliminary."

Solar storms can also amp up auroras (also known as the northern and southern lights), which can create stunning light shows for skywatchers at high latitudes.

The sun's activity ebbs and flows in an 11-year cycle. Currently, the sun is in the midst of Solar Cycle 24, and activity is expected to ramp up toward the solar maximum in 2013.

Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/space/20120127/sc_space/sununleashesstrongestflareyetof2012

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Justice unit to probe mortgage-backed securities (AP)

WASHINGTON ? A new Justice Department fraud-fighting unit will bring together 55 prosecutors and federal and state investigators focusing on one of the contributing factors to the financial crisis ? the collapse of residential mortgage-backed securities.

Attorney General Eric Holder and other officials will unveil details about the new unit Friday. President Barack Obama disclosed the plan to create the unit in his State of the Union address Tuesday night.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, one of the co-chairs of the initiative, said it is an effort to pull together state and federal probes into the bubble of mortgage-backed securities that led to the market crash.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personalfinance/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_justice_financial_probers

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Statins May Stave Off Liver Cancer in People With Hepatitis B (HealthDay)

THURSDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Popular cholesterol-lowering statins may also lower risk for liver cancer among people with hepatitis B, a new study shows. Hepatitis B, an inflammation of the liver due to the hepatitis B virus, is one of the main causes of liver cancer.

This is not the first time that statins have shown promise in reducing risk for cancer. Other studies have hinted that these drugs may play a role in preventing certain types of cancer, including breast cancer.

In the new study of more than 33,000 individuals with hepatitis B followed from 1997 to 2008, those who took a statin were less likely to develop liver cancer, when compared to participants who were not prescribed statins. What's more, the longer a person took statins, the greater the liver-cancer risk reduction. Study participants were prescribed the statins to treat high cholesterol levels. Overall, 1,021 people developed liver cancer during the study period.

More research is needed to see how statins may lower liver cancer risk among people with hepatitis B, the researchers said.

"Statins have potential protective effects against cancers [and] carriers of hepatitis B virus infection have a substantial risk of [liver] carcinoma," said Dr. Pau-Chung Chen, a professor of environmental medicine and epidemiology at National Taiwan University, in Taipei. "Statin use is not only a benefit to preventing cardiovascular diseases, but also an additional, convenient and acceptable strategy for preventing hepatocellular carcinoma," or liver cancer, Chen said.

However, statins can cause a potentially dangerous rise in liver enzymes and liver damage. Regular liver function tests are required for all people who take statins.

The study appeared online Jan. 23 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

"This is exciting and unequivocally solid research," said Dr. Eugene Schiff, a professor of medicine and director of the Center for Liver Diseases at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

"One of the issues is that statins are relatively contraindicated in people with liver disease," Schiff said. But "the take-home message for people with hepatitis B or anybody with liver disease is that statins are safe. This re-emphasizes the point that if someone has chronic hepatitis B and there is an indication for statins, they should get them and they may be beneficial far beyond lowering cholesterol: They may also reduce their risk for liver cancer."

Dr. David Bernstein, chief of hepatology at North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Manhasset, N.Y., is more cautious. "In almost all other liver conditions, cirrhosis must be present before [liver cancer] develops," he said. During cirrhosis, scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue. "Statins must be used with caution in patients with cirrhosis, which can limit their use in patients with liver disease at risk of developing liver cancer," he said. "Further studies are needed in this patient population to confirm these findings."

More information

For information on hepatitis B, visit the U.S. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120128/hl_hsn/statinsmaystaveofflivercancerinpeoplewithhepatitisb

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CNN en Espanol anchor to participate in Fla debate (AP)

MIAMI ? CNN en Espa?ol is joining the list of Spanish-language networks to co-host debates and forums with the GOP presidential candidates.

On Thursday, CNN en Espanol's top anchor Juan Carlos Lopez will moderate questions from a panel in Miami during the CNN debate in Jacksonville. The debate is also co-hosted by the Hispanic Leadership Network and the Republican Party of Florida.

Last the fall, Telemundo anchor Jose Diaz-Balart asked questions related to immigration during an MSNBC debate, and he has since interviewed several of the candidates, including Newt Gingrich. On Wednesday Univision anchor Jorge Ramos went head-to-head in a series of "Meet the Candidate" interviews with Mitt Romney, Gingrich and Rick Santorum.

Lopez has collaborated with CNN, before, but Thursday's event will showcase his talents to a much broader, English-speaking audience.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_en_tv/us_cnn_debate_spanish

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'Harry Potter' and The Oscars: Why The Boy Wizard Got Snubbed

This morning, Harry Potter fans everywhere had to come to terms with some pretty big disappointment. Hopes that "Deathly Hallows ? Part 2" might earn Oscars glory crashed and burned today with the nominations announcement.
It wasn't just the fans that prayed for a big night on Oscar night. Warner Bros. made a big push [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/01/24/harry-potter-oscars/

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Public memorial set for Joe Paterno at Penn State

The flag in front of Old Main on the Penn State University campus is lowered to half-staff on Monday, Jan. 23, 2012 in State College, Pa., in honor of legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno. Paterno, a sainted figure at Penn State for almost half a century but scarred forever by the scandal involving his one-time heir apparent, died Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 in State College. He was 85. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

The flag in front of Old Main on the Penn State University campus is lowered to half-staff on Monday, Jan. 23, 2012 in State College, Pa., in honor of legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno. Paterno, a sainted figure at Penn State for almost half a century but scarred forever by the scandal involving his one-time heir apparent, died Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 in State College. He was 85. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

A mural is shown on the side of a student bookstore with a likeness of legendary Penn State coach Joe Paterno on it wearing a halo that was added, Monday, Jan 23, 2012 in State College, Pa.. Paterno, a sainted figure at Penn State for almost half a century but scarred forever by the scandal involving his one-time heir apparent, died Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 in State College. He was 85. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

A newspaper with the headline re-written, is left in remembrance around a statue of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, outside Beaver Stadium on the Penn State campus Monday, Jan. 23, 2012 in State College, Pa. Paterno died Sunday morning. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Margaret Bigham, left, and Jake Bigham, from near Charleston, S.C., pause ion remembrance around a statue of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, outside Beaver Stadium on the Penn State campus Monday, Jan. 23, 2012 in State College, Pa. Paterno died Sunday morning. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Samantha Maceil of Pittsburgh, places a Bear Bryant style hat on a statue of legendary former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno on Monday, Jan. 23, 2012, in State College, Pa. Paterno died Sunday at age 85, less than three months after being diagnosed with lung cancer. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) ? Joe Paterno's family said Monday the legendary football coach will get a two-day viewing and a public memorial this week on the Penn State campus, two months after the university summarily fired him over the phone.

The family gave no details on who might be invited or asked to speak at the memorial Thursday at the basketball arena, which can hold 16,000 people. Penn State spokeswoman Lisa Powers said the specifics were still being worked out with the Paternos.

But many alumni and students say Paterno was treated shabbily by the Board of Trustees in November, and trustees and other members of the administration might not be made to feel welcome at the memorial for the 85-year-old coach, who died Sunday of lung cancer.

"I don't think it's going to be heavily laden with administration and trustees," said trustee Linda Strumpf, who lives in New York and will not attend. "This is something the family is putting together and not the university. I don't think the university wants to be in a position to tell them what a memorial service looks like."

But trustee Al Clemens said he will be there to honor a man he described as a good friend.

"This is really a family thing, and so we're just going to go as individuals," Clemens said. "Joe's a great guy. No matter was the situation was in the last two months, it doesn't take away from what he's done through history for so many people. He's just been tremendous."

The viewing will be held Tuesday and Wednesday at a campus spiritual center, followed by a private funeral Wednesday afternoon. The public memorial will be at the Jordan Center and is expected to draw thousands.

Michael Day, a 1973 Penn State graduate from Hagerstown, Md., whose father taught there and whose four children all have Penn State degrees, said the trustees were wrong to fire Paterno and he believes they will ultimately be replaced. He said he hopes they don't attend.

"I think the Penn State community is separate from the Penn State Board of Trustees," he said. "The Board of Trustees has separated itself from the Penn State community, and the Penn State community loves Joe Paterno and always will. So it's appropriate for the Penn State community to honor Joe Paterno in this service."

Paterno was fired Nov. 9 after he was criticized over his handling of child sex-abuse allegations leveled against former assistant Jerry Sandusky in 2002. Pennsylvania's state police commissioner said that in not going to the police, Paterno may have met his legal duty but not his moral one.

Bitterness over Paterno's removal has turned up in many forms, from online postings to a note placed next to Paterno's statue at the football stadium blaming the trustees for his death. A newspaper headline that read "FIRED" was crossed out and made to read, "Killed by Trustees." Lanny Davis, lawyer for the board, said threats have been made against the trustees.

Janice Hume, a journalism professor at the University of Georgia, said that staging an appropriate memorial creates a dilemma similar to the one faced by Paterno's obituary writers: how to address the scandal without letting it negate his entire career.

"I think it's probably very difficult to strike the right balance," she said.

Clemens said the board will later consider more lasting tributes to Paterno, including scholarships in his name. Because of his generosity to the school, his family name is already on the library and a spiritual center.

There has also been a movement over the past few years to change the name of Beaver Stadium, the football team's home field, to Joe Paterno Field at Beaver Stadium, and on Monday the man behind it, Warren W. Armstrong, a 1960 graduate and retired Allentown advertising executive, said he would renew his efforts. Some are suggesting renaming the street leading to the stadium Paterno Way.

A family spokesman said the Paternos' focus this week is on the viewing and funeral plans and they do want to weigh in on any ideas for a permanent memorial right now. But "I would say the family would welcome a conversation on that," Dan McGinn said.

___

AP writers Kathy Matheson and Patrick Mairs in Philadelphia and Michael Rubinkam in Allentown contributed to this story.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-23-FBC-Paterno-Services/id-45aa65fe12764046a04fbf98b0cb76d8

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Five Best Online Meeting Services [Hive Five]

If you work at a company with employees in offices around the globe, or you work in a small company but want to collaborate with a contractor who works from home or vendor across the country, you need a service that will let you connect with your team, share documents, collaborate on them, and in some cases even share your screen or webcam with them. Here are five of the best services to conduct productive online meetings, based on your nominations.

Earlier in the week we asked you which services you used for online meetings. You responded with lots of great options that you use personally or your company provides for you. Here's a look at the top five.

Cisco WebEx ($19/mo - $49/mo)

WebEx is probably one of the oldest and most commonly used online meeting services in the market. WebEx's customer portfolio is impressive, and their online meeting service is incredibly easy to use. Install the WebEx plugin on your desktop that allows you to quickly host or join meetings, and a few clicks will get you working with your team, sharing screens, passing around the "presenter" role to others who have documents to show, or even chatting face-to-face in minutes. WebEx integrates with apps on your desktop so you can schedule an appointment and instantly add a meeting to it, start a meeting and email the attendees quickly, or even join a meeting on your mobile device or tablet. WebEx has a number of products and subscription plans for individuals, small businesses, or large enterprises that offer different features depending on what you need (and what you can afford), but one thing is sure-these features don't come cheap.

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GoToMeeting ($49/mo)

GoToMeeting is another tool used by individuals and enterprises to host online meetings, collaborate on documents, and share desktops and screens among colleagues. The service offers a wealth of enterprise features even to individual users, like desktop sharing, HD video conferencing, and mobile apps that allow you to attend GoToMeeting meetings on your iOS or Android device. Install the GoToMeeting application on your Mac or PC and you can start meetings with a single click, or set them up meticulously so you only share the information you want to with the people you want to invite. Attendees get a tiny plug-in to install before they can join your meetings, but once installed, joining your meetings is a one-click affair.

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Google+ Hangouts (Free)

A number of you mentioned that Google's recent addition of screen sharing and document collaboration to Google+ Hangouts has rocketed it to the top of your list of online meeting services. We can't blame you?it's no secret we love Google+ Hangouts, and the service keeps getting better, with free voice calls and large, clear video. In addition to the ability to see your friends clearly, host a meeting with several of them, share documents via Google Docs and collaborate, you get the benefit of being able to do it all on the web, for free. The only thing you need is a Google account, a webcam, and a microphone.

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TeamViewer (Free)

TeamViewer has a reputation for being a fast and hassle-free method to troubleshoot remote computers, but it's also a great method to get a team together on the web, share screens, chat, and work together on documents. TeamViewer allows you to?for the low price of free?start instant meetings, schedule them in advance and email your attendees when they should join and the access code needed to see your screen, share your screen or pass the "host" role to another meeting attendee so they can share theirs, and even stream video from your webcam to the group so you can all see one another's faces while you talk. TeamViewer also offers mobile apps so you can attend online meetings from your iOS or Android device.

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Join.me (Free, $19/mo Pro)

Also more often considered a remote control and support tool than an online meeting service, Join.me, a free service from the folks at LogMeIn, has the features to pull double duty. The service allows you to bring up to 250 viewers into the same room, share your screen with them, chat, send files around to your attendees, and, like the others, offers iOS and Android apps for remote viewing. If you're willing to spend some coin, the Join.me Pro gets you the ability to make another attendee the presenter so they can share their screen, the ability to pre-schedule and lock meetings, and a desktop app to make meeting management easy.

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Now that you've seen the top five, it's time to put them to an all-out vote.

Honorable mentions this week go to two up and coming meeting services with passionate user-bases, iMeet and MeetingBurner. Both services offer a wealth of features including screen sharing, document collaboration, and multi-person meetings for free for most users. If you've tried the big names above and just haven't really found what you're looking for, or want to try something new, give these guys a shot.

Did your favorite not get enough nominations to make the top five? Know about a feature about one of the contenders we neglected to mention? Share your tips?and your alternative services?in the comments below.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/LR6EAaqHUA4/five-best-online-meeting-services

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Polar Mobile Raises $6 Million For HTML5-Based Publishing Platform, MediaEverywhere

Polar Mobile, a digital media platform provider that builds apps for some of the biggest media companies, today announced it has secured an additional $6 million in funding. The new round, led by growth equity firm Georgian Partners, joins more than $3 million invested in the company previously from private investors, bringing its total funding to $9 million. The company is also announcing its plans for a new product line called MediaEverywhere, an HTML5-based content distribution solution for smartphones, tablets and desktops.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/IVczpSbDo3c/

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'12ers Reax to Perry Dropping Out (TIME)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/188585363?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Lamar Odom's Standing Ovation At Lakers Vs. Mavs Game (VIDEO)

LOS ANGELES ? Lamar Odom still isn't over his breakup with the Los Angeles Lakers, and he doesn't care who knows it.

Odom returned to Staples Center on Tuesday night as a visitor, filing into an unfamiliar locker room just down the hallway from his longtime home.

Although Odom knows he played a role in his own departure from Hollywood, he's still uncomfortable with the results of the bizarre 72-hour saga that sent him to the Dallas Mavericks last month in a hasty trade.

"It was a little surreal walking into the building and a little surreal to be in here," Odom said, looking around the cramped visitors' locker room. "But it's time to play and help my team win. I've got to kind of get that first one out of the way."

Odom got a lengthy standing ovation when he entered Monday night's game as a reserve midway through the first quarter. The Lakers honored him during the ensuing timeout with a video tribute and a scoreboard message: "THANKS for the memories LAMAR."

Although Odom appeared touched by the ovations, he didn't show his appreciation to the crowd with any grand gestures. He still produced some of his best minutes in his rough start with Dallas, leading all scorers with seven points in the first quarter, including a 3-pointer moments before the period ended.

Odom finished with 10 points in the Mavericks' 73-70 loss.

The 13-year veteran is off to a shaky start in Dallas, posting some of the lowest numbers of his career. He's focused on the long haul with the Mavericks as they work to defend their NBA title.

"Mostly, I was unprepared for the whole situation," Odom said. "But I'll get there. It'll happen."

Odom acknowledges his pride was punctured when the Lakers attempted to trade him and Pau Gasol shortly before training camp in a three-team deal for New Orleans point guard Chris Paul. After the NBA nixed the deal, the Lakers said Odom demanded to leave, which Odom doesn't deny.

Los Angeles traded him to Dallas three days later for a trade exception and a draft pick ? essentially getting nothing for the NBA's reigning Sixth Man of the Year, a versatile big man who wears two NBA title rings after spending the past seven seasons with the Lakers.

His former teammates were perplexed, with Kobe Bryant insisting Odom would have gotten over the hurt if the club had just waited for a few days. Fans accused the Lakers of attempting to save money, taking roughly $17 million in obligations off the Lakers' payroll and luxury tax bill.

"That's my guy," Odom said of Bryant. "We've been through some wars together, so it feels good to hear people talk about you like that. We had some good times."

Odom still is a fan favorite in Los Angeles ? and nobody enjoyed the Lakers' intersection of athletics and Hollywood more than Odom, who married reality-TV star Khloe Kardashian after a one-month courtship and then put his life on display in a reality show that filmed during last season.

Odom's true Hollywood story changed with the trade, but Dallas hopes this episode will end with another title. The defending champion Mavericks are willing to wait until Odom gets his game together, knowing the value of a big man with Odom's abilities.

Odom began Tuesday night's game guarding the 7-foot Gasol, but he can also match up with small forwards.

"We have his back, and that's all that really matters," Dallas forward Shawn Marion said. "He's part of our family now. ... We just have to get the continuity and get familiarized with each other. I can't answer any questions about what's going on in his head, but he's been a true professional about everything. Hopefully he can help make us that much better and help us repeat."

Odom visited both sides of his L.A. life before the game, greeting former teammates Metta World Peace and Luke Walton before meeting up with his mother-in-law, Kris Jenner. The Kardashian clan's matriarch attended the game, as did Odom's wife, who sat in Lakers executive Jeanie Buss' second-row seats ? with a television camera tracking her every move, of course.

"A change had to come, and I guess it was meant to be," Odom said. "I'm just trying to get better and better so that I can help this team."

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/17/lamar-odom-standing-ovation_n_1210448.html

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Confident Warner 'fine' to play against India despite despite dizzy spells

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Bombay News.Net
Wednesday 18th January, 2012 (ANI)

Australian opener Dave Warner believes he should be fine to play in next week's fourth Test in Adelaide against India despite some worrying dizzy spells.

The left-hander batsman was hit in the head during his stunning 180 in Australia's first innings against India in Perth last week and has suffered moments of grogginess in the past few days.

However, he is confident that he will be fine to line up at the Adelaide Oval when the fourth Test begins on Tuesday.

"I think I'm over it," The Age quoted Warner, as saying.

"It's a day-by-day thing. I've got to speak to Alex (Kountouris, physiotherapist) about how I'm feeling. At the moment, I feel quite fine," he added.

Warner missed the Sydney Thunder's loss to the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League last night due to the dizziness, meaning he has only lined up once for the franchise this summer. (ANI)

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Source: http://www.bombaynews.net/story/202742900

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Romney hunted moose _ no elk, no varmints

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) ? Mitt Romney confused moose with elk as he described his last hunting trip.

In Monday night's Republican debate in South Carolina, the GOP front-runner said he "went moose hunting" in Montana with friends, then quickly corrected himself and said it was, in fact, elk hunting.

The comment came in response to a question about gun rights and hunting.

Romney acknowledged that "he's not the great hunter that some on the stage are."

He suggested of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, "My guess is you're a serious hunter."

But Romney said that when he's invited, he's "delighted to be able to go hunting."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-17-GOP%20Debate-Hunting/id-304ec970c9884563a3bb72632dc0c55e

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Rafa, Roger rift emerges at Australian Open

Spain's Rafael Nadal listens to a question during a press conference at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

Spain's Rafael Nadal listens to a question during a press conference at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

Spain's Rafael Nadal gestures during a press conference at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

Switzerland's Roger Federer walks down the court during a practice session at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012. (AP Photo/Sarah Ivey)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) ? Rafael Nadal has criticized Roger Federer for letting other players "burn themselves" by complaining about tour conditions while maintaining his good reputation by rarely making negative comments about tennis.

The two have always been respectful rivals, but the ongoing debate about the overcrowded tennis calendar has exposed a difference of opinion on the eve of the Australian Open.

After telling a pre-tournament news conference Sunday he had no intention of being the frontman for the players' grievances because it has reflected badly on him in the past, Nadal was then critical of 16-time Grand Slam winner Federer in a Spanish-language interview.

Responding to the suggestion that Federer disliked players complaining openly about problems on the tour because it tarnished the image of tennis, Nadal said he took another view.

"No, I totally disagree," he said in comments translated from Spanish. "For him it's good to say nothing. Everything positive. 'It's all well and good for me, I look like a gentleman,' and the rest can burn themselves.

"Everyone is entitled to have their own opinions."

Nadal and No. 4-ranked Andy Murray are among the players who have been outspoken in recent months on issues including an overcrowded calendar and the scheduling of Davis Cup matches. Some players have talked of strike action as recently as Saturday's player meeting in Melbourne; Nadal has said players may have to resort to "strong action" if there isn't an "evolution" in the calendar.

Federer and Nadal, who has 10 Grand Slam titles, dominated men's tennis for the seven years before Novak Djokovic won three of the four majors in 2011 and passed them both for the No. 1 ranking.

They're both key ambassadors for the tour, helping with promotional work and appearances at tournaments around the globe.

Nadal thinks that when players highlight problems on the tour, the intention is to make it better, not run it down.

"He (Federer) likes the circuit. I like the circuit," Nadal said. "It's much better than many other sports but that doesn't mean that it couldn't be better. It doesn't mean there are some things about the tour that could change. The tour is fine, but there are some things that are bad. That's all we're saying.

"And the vast majority of players have this same opinion. He's got a different opinion ... if the vast majority have one opinion, and a small minority think differently, maybe it's them who are wrong."

For the first time since the 2005 French Open, Federer and Nadal are on the same side of the draw at a major, which means only one of them can reach the final on Jan. 29.

They both start Monday. Third-seeded Federer, a four-time Australian Open winner, is on Rod Laver Arena in a night match against Russian qualifier Alexander Kudryavtsev.

No. 2-ranked Nadal has the last match on Hisense Arena ? the second show court at Melbourne Park ? against Russian Alex Kuznetsov.

Defending champion Djokovic doesn't start until Tuesday. Women's champion Kim Clijsters is third match on Rod Laver Arena on Monday against Maria Joao Koehler of Portugal.

Li Na, who lost the Australian final last year but rebounded to win the French Open to become China's first Grand Slam singles champion, has a first-round match against Ksenia Pervak of Kazakhstan and No. 1-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, still searching for a maiden major title, faces Australia's Anastasia Rodionova.

While the last eight women's Grand Slam titles have been won by six women and the draw in Melbourne is wide open, the men's tournament is widely tipped to go to one of the top four.

Since winning the Australian title in 2009, Nadal lost in the quarterfinals the last two years, both times hampered by injuries. He has had a sore left shoulder since late last season and is planning on taking a rest after the Australian Open.

Many players are calling for more rest due to the increasing pace of the game and the physical strength and endurance required to compete at the highest level.

Federer, now 30, quickly earned a reputation as a tennis statesman when he started accumulating major titles with such a graceful and seemingly effortless style that critics wondered if anyone could challenge him on any surface except clay.

Then Nadal started winning majors away from Roland Garros, with a high-energy game well suited to his muscular physique. But he thinks that has come at a cost.

"I love the game and there's a lot of things I'm grateful for. The game has allowed me to lead a fantastic lifestyle," he said. "But to finish your career with pain all over your body, is that a positive? No.

"Maybe (Federer) has got a super body and he'll finish his career like a rose. Neither myself, nor Murray, nor Djokovic are going to finish our careers like a rose.

"Tennis is an important part of my life, but it's a tough sport. We're not like him where it's effortless to play. All of us, it's a battle."

Nadal said his knees, hips, back and ankles were prone to soreness because "every year the ball flies quicker, there's more intensity. The surfaces are hard."

The ATP, which runs men's tennis, declined comment on the player meeting in Melbourne on Saturday where concerns were raised again. Other players, including former top-ranked Lleyton Hewitt, didn't want to discuss the meeting because they were concentrating on the Grand Slam tournament.

While not wanting to represent the group, Nadal did say he was confident small changes could be made to the calendar without any drastic effects on the sport.

___

AP Sports Writer Caroline Cheese contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-15-TEN-Australian-Open/id-223e195b2a33470e80282c485b3b5816

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Merkel vows faster eurozone reform after downgrades (Reuters)

BERLIN (Reuters) ? European leaders vowed on Saturday to speed up plans to strengthen spending rules and get a permanent bailout fund up and running as soon as possible, a day after U.S. agency S&P cut its rating of several euro zone countries' creditworthiness.

The move by Standard & Poor's to downgrade nine out of 17 countries in the single currency area, including formerly top-rated France, drew criticism from some leaders who had expected action but on a smaller scale.

In Germany - whose top AAA rating survived unscathed - Chancellor Angela Merkel said the downgrades underlined why a so-called 'fiscal compact' must be signed by member states quickly, and the next bailout mechanism, known as the ESM, should be funded soon.

"We are now challenged to implement the fiscal compact even quicker ... and to do it resolutely, not to try to soften it," she said at a meeting of her conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) in the northern city of Kiel.

"We will also work particularly to implement the permanent stability mechanism, the ESM, so soon as possible -- this is important regarding investor trust," she added.

European Central Bank policymaker Joerg Asmussen warned that Europe's agreement to tighten fiscal rules was being softened, considering the latest draft of the agreement a "substantial watering down" of budgetary discipline because it would allow extra spending in extraordinary circumstances, the Financial Times Deutschland reported.

S&P said policymakers had not done enough to address Europe's debt crisis and were overlooking a key cause: sharp differences in economic competitiveness among countries that use the euro.

Leaders including Merkel have urged countries to tighten their belts with higher taxes and deep spending cuts to rein in massive budget deficits. But that has heightened market concern about their ability to grow their way back to health, pushing borrowing costs even higher for heavily indebted governments.

WAKE-UP CALL

Austria, which was downgraded one notch from AAA, called the S&P's decision a wake-up call for the country to cut debt and deficits, and Europe to move more quickly.

"The downgrade is bad news for Austria but it should wake everyone up when such a thing happens," Finance Minister Maria Fekter said. "Now everyone recognizes that this ... is a matter of debt and deficits, not primarily of the economy."

The ratings decision hit some countries harder than others, with France, Austria, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia suffering single-notch downgrades, but Italy, Portugal, Spain and Cyprus falling two notches. Portugal's debt is now rated junk.

European Central Bank policymaker Ewald Nowotny, an Austrian, said Italy in particular would now face problems given large refinancing needs this year in that country and its banks.

Asked in an interview broadcast by Austrian radio if Italy - now rated at the same BBB+ level as Kazakhstan - was "problem child number one," Nowotny agreed.

"In a certain sense, yes, because we know this year Italy has a very significant refinancing need. Italian banks also need refinancing," he said.

"In normal times this is all possible, in very nervous and difficult times it can be a problem and in my view this sharp downgrade of Italy is probably one of the most difficult and problematic aspects of this sweeping blow from the ratings agency."

NO TORPEDO

Long-standing frustration with ratings agencies echoed across Europe after the S&P decision. While Germany and France downplayed the decision and called it expected, Spain's finance minister was more alarmed.

"The downgrade is far too broad, it effects too many countries, it effects the very credibility of the euro," Treasury Minister Cristobal Montoro said on the radio.

"It's important that the European institutions understand that it's time to do everything possible to build and reinforce the euro," said Montoro, whose highly indebted country has the highest unemployment level in the euro zone.

Meanwhile, in a move to circumvent their influence, Germany's Merkel backed a proposal to reduce the reliance of institutional investors on ratings agencies, which some of her allies say are politically driven.

The idea would be to introduce legislation to allow institutional investors to evaluate risk themselves and make decisions independent from the U.S.-based agencies.

"The (rules) are very, very strict, and lead to strong effects themselves. I think it is very useful to look at this and see where if necessary we can make changes to legislation," Merkel said at her party meeting.

European leaders are set to meet at a summit later this month to discuss how to boost growth and jobs, and Merkel's words on Saturday suggest she will also be looking for faster progress on tighter common fiscal rules.

But now, policymakers at the meeting may have bigger fish to fry. The downgrades threaten the top rating of Europe's current bailout fund -- the European Financial Stability Facility -- as contributors France and Austria are no longer rated AAA.

A downgrade of the EFSF could increase its borrowing costs, reducing its ability to protect the currency bloc's weaker members.

In an interview with Reuters, John Chambers, chairman of S&P's sovereign rating committee, said it would take further increased commitments from the remaining AAA-rated guarantors, including Germany, for the EFSF fund to retain its AAA status.

Merkel however rejected that idea on Saturday, saying Germany should not have to do more than other countries as a result of the downgrades.

"The necessary tasks that the EFSF must fulfill in the coming months, I very much believe, can be fulfilled with the current methods," she said. "The work of the EFSF will not be torpedoed. I see no need to change anything regarding the EFSF."

(Writing by Brian Rohan, additional reporting by Nigel Davies, Adrian Croft, Michael Shields, editing by Mike Peacock)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120114/bs_nm/us_eurozone_sp

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Janet Evans qualifies for 800m Olympic swim trials (AP)

AUSTIN, Texas ? Janet Evans qualified for the Olympic trials in the 800-meter freestyle on Sunday, her second qualifying time in two days since coming out of retirement.

The 40-year-old Evans finished in 8 minutes, 49.05 seconds at the Austin Grand Prix. Evans, who still owns the American record set in 1989, won the race by more than 14 seconds.

"This is my first big event with fast kids since 1996," she said. "I felt really good starting off, especially in the first 400 (meters)."

The mother of two also posted an Olympic-trial qualifying time in the 400 freestyle on Friday.

Evans was 17 when she set the world record in the 400, one of three gold medals she won at the 1988 Seoul Games. She later set world marks in 800 and 1,500 freestyle and retired after the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

"It was always my best event," she said of the 800. "I remember what I've accomplished and what I've done, but it doesn't affect me now. It was so long ago."

The U.S. Olympic trials begin in June, followed by the London Games in July.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120115/ap_on_sp_ot/swm_austin_grand_prix

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American art takes the stage at the Louvre (AP)

PARIS ? American tourists fill the galleries of the Louvre Museum, yet American art is surprisingly scarce.

Paris' premier museum and three U.S. art institutions are seeking to change that with an exhibit tracing the birth of American landscape painting and its influences.

"As soon as I arrived at the Louvre, I noticed that American art was not displayed at the level it merits," said Louvre director Henri Loyrette.

Even the exhibit's English-French melange of a name breaks tradition: It's called "New Frontier: l'art americain entre au Louvre," or "American Art Enters the Louvre."

It focuses on Thomas Cole, a pioneer of the Hudson River School of American landscape painters of the 19th century.

Cole's "The Cross in Solitude," from 1845 and in the Louvre collection, is joined by other loaned works including "The Last of the Mohicans" and work of his disciples.

The other partners in the exhibit are Atlanta's High Museum of Art, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas, and Chicago's Terra Foundation for American Art.

Curator Guillaume Faroult described how Cole and fellow painter Asher Durand drew inspiration from a 19th century visit to the Louvre, home of centuries of artwork by European and other masters. The exhibit includes paintings that influenced Cole's work.

The show includes conferences and projects aimed at improving the French public's knowledge of early American art. The exhibit, which opened Saturday, runs through April 16.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/arts/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120115/ap_on_en_ot/eu_france_americans_at_the_louvre

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