Santorum: Daughter with pneumonia recovering (AP)

BOCA RATON, Fla. ? Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said Sunday his daughter Bella remains in the hospital with pneumonia but is recovering after a rough 36 hours.

Santorum spoke with Florida supporters by telephone from 3-year-old Bella's hospital room and said doctors hope she can go home in the next few days.

The former Pennsylvania senator also said, "We're going to get out on the campaign trail later tomorrow ... heading out to the Midwest, and start campaigning in the next states as we move this campaign forward."

Santorum aides did not immediately provide details, but his advisers are looking at upcoming contests in Missouri and Minnesota, as well as Arizona and Colorado.

"I feel very, very good about where we are and where the campaign is going," the candidate said.

But during the call with Florida voters, Santorum opened his remarks with his daughter, who has a genetic condition known as Trisomy 18. The condition typically proves fatal and Santorum often says his daughter wasn't expected to live past 12 months.

"She without a doubt has turned the corner," he said.

Santorum called his daughter's recovery a "miraculous turnaround" after an unexpected detour from the campaign just days before Tuesday's Florida primary.

Santorum got to his home in Virginia around midnight Friday for a quick break to do his taxes, but found his daughter "was not doing well."

"I was up with her a lot of the night," he said. "By the end of the day, it was really, really clear she was struggling."

Saturday evening, Santorum aides announced Bella had been admitted to the hospital and they canceled his morning interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" and church services in Miami. His aides later canceled his trip to Florida and instead sent his 20-year-old daughter to campaign for him.

Santorum described the situation as a "very, very tough night last night" but said by late Sunday Bella was "alert and back to her own beautiful, happy girl."

"It's been a very hectic 36 hours," Santorum said. "Life in the Santorum family has dramatically improved since the late afternoon."

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

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Madonna says charity plans 10 schools in Malawi (AP)

NEW YORK ? Nearly six years after it was created, Madonna's Raising Malawi charity is set to break ground on the construction of schools in the impoverished country, but they will be run by the local community, not the superstar's organization.

According to organizers, work on the first school will start on March 30 in the Kasungu area, about 80 miles from the capital of Lilongwe, and all of the schools should be built by June 2013. Raising Malawi is providing $300,000 to the non-governmental organization buildOn to develop the schools. They'll serve about 1,000 boys and girls in the southern African nation.

"This remains a very big priority in my life and I am excited that with the help of buildOn we can maintain our ongoing commitment to move forward efficiently," Madonna said in a statement provided to The Associated Press.

Raising Malawi had originally intended to build all-girls schools that the organization would run. But it faced several obstacles in its goal, including complaints from some local farmers that they had been moved off land that Raising Malawi intended to use for its mission. Raising Malawi also had difficulty getting title to the land and there were concerns about the high costs of construction.

The new plan calls for "simple structures" that will be more practical and better serve Raising Malawi's original mission, said Trevor Neilson, who is helping to direct the project as partner of the Global Philanthropy Group. The approach will allow the program to serve twice as many children as before, Madonna said.

"I have learned a great deal over the last few years and feel so much more confident that we can reach out goals to educate children in Malawi, especially young girls, in a much more efficient and practical way," she said. Madonna has adopted two children from Malawi.

BuildOn has already built more than 50 schools in Malawi and 427 schools worldwide.

"For schools to be successful, they need to have community ownership and leadership," Neilson said in an interview Friday. "Raising Malawi shouldn't be running schools in Malawi. Local communities in Malawi should be running those schools, so that's a big part of the shift."

BuildOn has been working in Malawi for almost 20 years, said spokeswoman Carrie Pena. The organization works closely with the community, and locals even volunteer the labor to build the schools, according to Pena.

"It's absolutely a community-owned school," she said.

Neilson praised Madonna for sticking with her plan to build schools for Malawi's children despite several setbacks for the star, who is the director of the new movie "W.E.," out next week, and is this year's Super Bowl performer. Madonna brought in Global Philanthropy to work with Raising Malawi more than a year ago and removed the involvement of the Kabbalah Centre. She has practiced Kabbalah, a form of Jewish mysticism.

"When the previous management team had those problems, I think a lot of people thought Madonna would give up," Neilson said "It would have been understandable, but instead she's going to reaching twice as many kids."

___

Online:

http://www.raisingmalawi.org

http://www.buildon.org/

___

Nekesa Mumbi Moody is the AP's music editor. Follow her at http://www.twitter.com/nekesamumbi

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_en_mu/us_people_madonna_malawi

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Philips CEO warns H1 2012 "won't be easy" (Reuters)

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) ? Dutch Electronics giant Philips will book further, unspecified, restructuring charges in the first half of 2012, Chief Executive Officer Frans van Houten said on Monday.

"The first half of 2012 will see the impact of these charges and overall we are cautious about the development of the first half of the year. It is not going to be an easy first half," said Van Houten.

Earlier on Monday, Philips reported a 45 percent fall in fourth-quarter core profit due to losses at both its health and lighting divisions, and said it was cautious about 2012 given uncertainty in the global economy, particularly in Europe.

Van Houten also said the firm is committed to achieving its 2013 financial targets.

(Reporting By Roberta B. Cowan, Editing by Mark Potter)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/bs_nm/us_philips

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How Pentagon budget cuts will reshape the Army

The Army has been seen as one of the big losers in the Pentagon budget cuts released Thursday. But Army officials say now is the perfect time for the force to recast itself.?

Military officials moved quickly Friday to counter the perception that the Army was the big loser in the new Pentagon budget unveiled Thursday.

Skip to next paragraph

The priorities laid out Thursday will have significant effects on the Army. For starters, the Army will be smaller,?moving from approximately 570,000 soldiers today to 490,000 by 2017. Moreover, Army operations will involve more Special Operations Forces that will launch missions from small bases near hot-spots around the world.?

The ranks of ?cyberwarriors? to combat the threat of computer attacks on vital US infrastructure will also grow.?

But now is the time to make such changes, Army officials say.

?The time is strategically right to reduce the Army?s force structure,? the Army?s top officer, Gen. Raymond Odierno, said Friday.

That's because the day-to-day job of soldiers will be changing dramatically in the years to come.?US military officials promise that?there will be no more wars that look like Iraq and Afghanistan ? what are known in military parlance as ?large-scale stability operations? ? for quite some time,?

?With the successful completion of our mission in Iraq, the continued transitions of operations to Afghan security forces, and the reduction of US presence in Afghanistan, our strategy calls for us to no longer plan for large-scale stability operations,? General Odierno said.

In addition, the bulk of US forces in Europe ? specifically, two heavy combat brigades ? will leave in the years to come. That?s a big change for a military with decades of ties to bases in Germany, Italy, and elsewhere in Europe.?

The Army will maintain partnerships with its NATO allies, though in new ways, Odierno said. In the years ahead, the Army will instead rotate units through Europe more quickly, to train with NATO partners and other allies. This might include everything from small company-size units to large battalion-level exercises.

?In reality, I think, in the long run this will benefit all of us,? Odierno said. ?It?ll cause more of our units to get involved in working with our NATO partners. It won?t just be limited to those stationed in Europe.?

Future missions may involve some stability, or peacekeeping, operations, but Odierno says they will likely be ?on a much smaller scale.? Beyond that, he adds, ?we?ll rely more on other partners to assist us as we do stability operations.?

Defense analysts point out that though the future US military interventions may indeed be smaller ? think Libya, for example ? they may not always be shorter.?

In fact, they may be ?prolonged,? says Stephanie Sanok, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. This means the United States will need ?friends and allies to do what we?re not going to do,? she adds. ?And I don?t think those conversations have happened.??

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/ChsAYbHxNCQ/How-Pentagon-budget-cuts-will-reshape-the-Army

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The nation's weather (AP)

Weather Underground Forecast for Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012.

The Northeast was expected to see a short break in wintry weather on Saturday, as another system moved into the Great Lakes. A low pressure system continued moving through the Great Lakes, over the Midwest, and up the Ohio River Valley. This system had little moisture associated with it, resulting in expected light snowfall accumulation. One to 3 inches of new snow across Michigan and the Lower Great Lakes was expected, while most of the Ohio River Valley was expected to see a messy combination of freezing rain and sleet. The tail end of this frontal boundary will move over the Mississippi River and into the Tennessee Valley. Scattered rain showers were expected to develop in these areas, but significant rainfall and thunderstorms are not likely. Strong and gusty winds were expected to develop in the wake of this system, as a ridge of high pressure builds in from the West. The Plains and Midwest will see gusts from 20 to 30 mph as this system passes.

Out West, a ridge of high pressure continued to build over the West Coast. This was expected to create offshore flow and produce another sunny day with increasing temperatures. In southern California, strong flow was expected to develop from the dry desserts of the Southwestern U.S. These were favorable conditions for a Santa Ana wind event, which was expected to increase fire danger as winds will range from 25 to 40 mph with gusts to 65 mph.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Friday ranged from a morning low of -13 degrees at Stanley, Idaho to a high of 87 degrees at Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/weather/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_weatherpage_weather

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We've Learned a Lot From These Republican Primaries (The Atlantic Wire)

How else would would you decide the flavor of the month?

RELATED: Newt Gingrich Closes His Tiffany's Account

RELATED: Bachmann's Town Hall Starring Trump Was News to Trump

This feature may not be reproduced or distributed electronically, in print or otherwise without the written permission of uclick and Universal Press Syndicate.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/atlantic/20120127/pl_atlantic/republicanprimarieshavebecomeonestopsho47948

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EU, IMF press Greece on reforms before aid flows (Reuters)

ATHENS (Reuters) ? The European Union and IMF want Greece to push through more budget cuts and implement a series of long-agreed austerity reforms before they agree on a new bailout the country needs to avert bankruptcy, a report obtained by Reuters shows.

All eyes have been on Athens' tortuous debt swap talks with its private creditors over the past week, but Greece also needs to convince its euro zone partners and the International Monetary Fund to release a 130-billion euro package if it is to avoid a chaotic default.

Athens' partners have grown increasingly exasperated with its repeated fiscal slippages and delays on reforms and want to see progress before they wrap up Greece's second multi-billion euro bailout in three years.

The EU, IMF and ECB lenders - known as the troika - have drawn up a report this week which includes a list of measures they want to see enacted by Athens.

Top of the list is passing a supplementary budget with more cuts to reach fiscal targets in 2012. The troika suggests large spending cuts in defense and health spending as well as cutting redundant state entities. The document does not specify the amount of cuts needed.

The EU and IMF are also pressing Greece to adopt a much-delayed reform of supplementary pensions, ensure that a plan to replace only 1 out of 5 civil servants leaving the workforce is enacted and want Greece to finalize the opening up of its many closed professions such as lawyers and pharmacists, which they have been demanding for years, the document shows.

They also want the Bank of Greece to complete its assessment of Greek banks' capital shortfall and they expect the government to enact legslation to improve wage flexibility and further liberalize product and service markets, the document says.

The list of measures is not final and could change after discussions with the Greek authorities, the document says.

Government spokesman Pantelis Kapsis said the government would try to negotiate some of the points on the list but repeated that Athens needed the bailout loan to stay afloat.

Asked if Greece would default without the aid, he told Skai TV: "It's obvious, if we don't get the loan, how are we going to find the money?"

But he added: "This is not what we will finally pass, we should keep that in mind. It's a list by the troika that opens up all those issues ... Some of them are past obligations, some are up for negotiation."

Talks with EU, IMF and ECB inspectors on the new bailout program are expected to go well into next week, sources close to the talks say, with slow process so far on fleshing out reforms required by the lenders on areas such as cutting the public sector workforce and making wage rules in the public and private sector more flexible.

Looming elections are distracting senior Greek officials and politicians from enacting the unpopular austerity reforms.

Greece's co-ruling conservative New Democracy party wants snap elections as a new bailout deal is clinched and no later than April 8.

Greece and its private creditors made progress on Thursday in talks on restructuring its debt, both sides said, and they will continue negotiating on Friday with the aim of sealing an agreement within a few days. There was no set time yet for Friday's meetings.

(Reporting by Ingrid Melander, editing by Mike Peacock)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/bs_nm/us_greece

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The Economic Blueprint Does Not Begin with American Manufacturing (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | In his State of the Union Address, President Obama made it clear that the blueprint for American economic success begins with manufacturing. He stated: "So we have a huge opportunity, at this moment, to bring manufacturing back. But we have to seize it. Tonight, my message to business leaders is simple: Ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to your country, and your country will do everything we can to help you succeed."

The fact of the matter is, nothing could be further from the truth. This is not to say that American manufacturing workers are not the smartest and hardest working manufacturing workers in the world. But they are incredibly overmatched.

In a recent New York Times article titled "How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work," the case for why the American manufacturing sector is doomed begins and ends with one word -- wages. The article states that Foxconn, the company that employees hundreds of thousands of Chinese workers to build and assemble Apple products, pays many of their workers less than $17 per day to work 12 hour shifts, 6 days per week.

If you figure that the average worker there works approximately 50 weeks a year; the average worker is making a gross income of roughly $5,100 per year. Most amazing of all, Foxconn says that they could hire 3,000 people overnight without any problems.

It doesn't take an economics whiz to figure out that American manufacturing cannot compete in a global environment where people literally line up in hopes of landing a job that pays $17 a day.

But in the end, this isn't necessarily a bad thing.

To prove my point, ask any parent that is working as an assemblyman in manufacturing one simple question: Do you want your children to do the same line of work as you? Now that might seem to be a cold or arrogant statement, but I would guess that 90 percent of respondents would say no. And believe me, that is not to say that they are not good, honest, hard-working people. But most work these types of jobs in order to support their family so that their children can go on to live better lives than they had, not to repeat the life they lived.

As Americans, it's time to start dreaming bigger and not dream of reliving the American life of the past 50 years. Our grandparents and great-grandparents did not live through a depression and win two World Wars in order for us to work at the same factory as they did. They did it so that freedom and the American spirit would live on; building an America that was far greater than the one they left us.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120126/us_ac/10885847_the_economic_blueprint_does_not_begin_with_american_manufacturing

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Automotive Instruments On line For All your Automotive Desires ...

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Source: http://www.delaflores.com/automotive-instruments-on-line-for-all-your-automotive-desires/

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OBAMA HULK SMASH GOP [Desired]

If Shepard Fairey's iconic HOPE poster featuring a somewhat cartoony interpretation of Barack Obama could sell like hotcakes during the last presidential election, then this Incredible Hulk/Obama action figure created by Ron English should be even more popular this year. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/CLB3G9JaA6k/obama-hulk-smash-gop

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Eyes-on the innards of Fujitsu's K supercomputer

Fujitsu's K supercomputer was on our radar before it was even completed, and naturally, we let you know when it smoked the competition and became the supercomputing speed king. So, when we had the opportunity to see a piece of K at Fujitsu's North America Technology Forum today, we couldn't pass it up. In case you forgot, K is a massive machine powered by 864 racks with 24 boards per rack housing SPARC64 CPUs. We got to see one of those boards, and Yuichiro Ajima -- who designed the inter-connection chips (ICC) on them -- was gracious enough to give us some more info on this most super of supercomputers.

Gallery: Eyes-on the innards of Fujitsu's K supercomputer

As you can see in the gallery above, each board has extensive plumbing to keep the SPARC silicon running at a manageable 32 - 35 degrees Celsius (90 - 95 Fahrenheit) under load. Underneath that copper cooling system lies four processors interspersed between 32 memory modules (with 2GB per module) and four ICCs lined up next to the board's rack interconnect ports. Currently, the system takes 30 megawatts to do its thing, though Ajima informed us that K's theoretical max electricity consumption is about double that -- for perspective, that means K could consume the entire output of some nuclear power plants. When asked if there were plans to add more racks should Fujitsu's supercomputer lose its crown, Ajima-san said that while possible, there are no plans to do so -- we'll see if that changes should a worthy opponent present itself.

Eyes-on the innards of Fujitsu's K supercomputer originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/25/eyes-on-the-innards-of-fujitsus-k-supercomputer/

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Just a few ancestors give Thoroughbreds speed

Thoroughbred horses owe their amazing sprinting capabilities to just a couple of ancestors, according to a new study that traces the genetics of these racehorses.

The research finds that a genetic variant associated with speed likely originated with a single mare in the mid-17th century. The gene variant became widespread in modern thoroughbreds, thanks to a single stallion named Nearctic, the father of the most-bred stallion of modern times.

"Changes in racing since the foundation of the Thoroughbred have shaped the distribution of 'speed gene' types over time and in different racing regions," study researcher Emmeline Hill, a genomics scientist at University College Dublin, said in a statement.

Built for speed
In 2010, Hill and her colleagues announced they had discovered how variations in the genetic code of Thoroughbreds translated to speed. A gene called MSTN, associated with muscle growth, comes in two varieties, or alleles: C and T. Horses with two copies of the C allele are fast, short-distance sprinters. Horses with one C and one T tend to be strong middle-distance runners. And T/T horses have less speed, but greater stamina.

Now, Hill and her colleagues have traced the history of the C and T alleles, reaching back into the horse family tree to learn where these genetic variations arose and how they spread as the demands of horse breeders changed. The C variant doesn't show up in distant horse cousins such as zebras, the researchers found, revealing that the stamina-bestowing T was the norm in ancestral wild horses. That makes sense, Hill and her colleagues reported Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, as wild horses needed the ability to roam over long distances.

The C allele shows up in other breeds of domesticated horses besides Thoroughbreds, the researchers found. European and Asian horses have it, as do almost all American quarter horses, another talented sprinter and the most popular horse breed in the U.S. today.

Registered Thoroughbreds haven't reproduced outside their breed since 1791, so the researchers knew that the C allele had to have been in the line by that time. Fortunately for their research, Thoroughbred breeding records are, well, thorough, and all modern Thoroughbreds can trace their paternal lineages back to one of three stallions: Byerly Turk, which lived in the 1680s; Darley Arabian, born in 1704; and Goldolphin Arabian, born in 1729.

By testing historical samples related to Darley Arabian, the researchers were able to determine that he lacked the C allele. It's not clear whether the other two stallions had this allele, but their contribution to the gene pool is minimal compared with Darley. That makes it most likely that the C variant entered the Thoroughbred line through a single mare bred in the 17th century, right before the thoroughbred population closed off to outbreeding.

"The results show that the 'speed gene' entered the Thoroughbred from a single founder, which was most like a British mare about 300 years ago when local British horse types were the pre-eminent racing horses," Hill said.

Dominating genes
But that finding didn't explain how the C allele became so widespread in modern thoroughbreds. To find out, the researchers examined the pedigrees of 56 elite-performing C/C and T/T horses. They found that the genetic data converged on one horse, Nearctic, born in 1954 to a stallion named Nearco, who was known as one of the best racehorses of the era. Nearctic, in turn, sired a horse named Northern Dancer, in 1961.

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Northern Dancer never came in lower than third in his time as a racehorse, and he won 14 of the 18 races he ran. When he retired, he became the most influential stud horse of the era, according to the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. At one point in the 1980s, it cost $1 million to have Northern Dancer breed with a mare.

Northern Dancer's prolific breeding allowed the C allele to spread far and wide among Thoroughbreds, the researchers found. But it wasn't just good looks and luck that made Northern Dancer popular. In the late 1800s and into the 1900s, horses began at racing younger and younger ages, starting at 2 rather than 5 or 6. At the same time, races were becoming shorter. The C allele, which leads to fast muscle growth early in life, made for good sprinters for this new type of racing.

This little gene means big bucks for horse breeders and owners. The winnings of all of Northern Dancer's 635 registered foals, for example, exceeded $26 million at the time of their sire's death in 1990. Hill is a co-founder of Equinome, a company which tests for the C and T alleles. This test is used by the racing industry to determine the optimal racing distances for individual Thoroughbreds.

The study also reveals the power of racing trends in determining the genetics of racehorses, Hill said.

"This just goes to show the power breeders have to shape the genetic make-up of their horses," she said. "Decisions regarding the race pattern in each racing jurisdiction and the commercial demand for certain types will also rapidly influence the genetic make-up of the population."

You can follow LiveScience senior writer Stephanie Pappas on Twitter @sipappas. Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter @livescience and on Facebook.

? 2012 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46118196/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Hanging Up Cellphones in Prison (ContributorNetwork)

New state laws and technologies are helping to curb use of smuggled cellphones by prison inmates, a growing epidemic that has been linked to coordinating prison escapes as well as the continuity of orchestrated gang activity outside the prison walls.

Last week, Nebraska lawmakers advanced a bill that would make the smuggling of contraband illegal, punishable by a year in prison.

Nebraska state Sen. Norman Wallman represents the county where the bill was founded.

"They had an inmate that came from another facility and after a strip search they found a cell phone on her, but there wasn't anything they could really do to her," Wallman said via email. "They could only use in-house discipline in our jails when people had or brought in contraband."

Recently, other states have made advances in upgrading the technology used in securing their prisons.

In December, the Illinois Department of Corrections made inquiries to security companies regarding the cost of equipping scanning devices to detect mobile phone use, according to the Times of Northwest Indiana. A month earlier, California passed legislation to allow the state's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to identify calls leaving and entering the prison and blocking those that are unwarranted.

The technology of identifying the usage of mobile devices has progressed considerably in recent years.

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Scott Schober, President and CEO of Berkeley Varitronics, a telecommunications and engineering firm located in Metuchen, New Jersey, was called upon by emergency responders in an attempt to locate cellphones in the rubble at ground zero. Though they had some success, Schober found that the astronomical cost, size and range of the equipment was not practical at the time.

Today, Schober's cellphone detectors are less large and clunky devices than they are something you would see in a spy movie. In some cases Schober's company has created antennas for detectors that fit neatly into Sharpie pens. Small enough to be placed inconspicuously in a shirt pocket, the pen will begin to vibrate around any active cellphones.

Schober's company has been also hired to embed their detection devices into bullet-proof vests, water bottles, hollowed-out books, power strips, and wall-mounted thermostat units.

Schober said his technology has been used in hundreds of prisons in the United States and has also been used by the Drug Enforcement Agency to help in aiding drug busts and border patrol to help corral the smuggling of people from Mexico to the United States.

"This technology is getting smaller and more powerful," Schober said. "And because of the small size of our company we can get affordable equipment quickly to the market."

While Schober's detectors work to find cellphones already in possession of an inmate, other companies are founding technology in an attempt to stop cell phones from getting into the prison.

Peter Harris is the Chief Strategic Officer for Iscon, a company that sells standup and handheld devices that combine infrared and heat transfer to find objects hidden in or under clothing.

The devices can be used for visitors entering the prison or inmates detained within.

Harris said the standup unit costs one-fifth the price of the current body scanners used in airports and unlike an airport unit, does not intrude on privacy by penetrating the clothing or use radiation.

"It works by running some warm air over the inmate's clothes," Harris said. "This is followed by a sensitive flare."

The flare creates a black and white image similar to an X-ray, which shows the imprint of an object against the clothing.

Harris said the handheld device is better for use with more confined spaces such as cells, where random inspections can reveal objects hidden in mattresses not visible to the naked eye.

Another advantage to the scanner is the elimination of pat downs which are routine in a prison setting.

"This technology is a very safe and non-intrusive way to see inside clothing." Harris said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120124/tc_ac/10875403_hanging_up_cellphones_in_prison

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Video: Christie on Romney?s ?connection? with voters

A Second Take on Meeting the Press: From an up-close look at Rachel Maddow's sneakers to an in-depth look at Jon Krakauer's latest book ? it's all fair game in our "Meet the Press: Take Two" web extra. Log on Sundays to see David Gregory's post-show conversations with leading newsmakers, authors and roundtable guests. Videos are available on-demand by 12 p.m. ET on Sundays.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/vp/46090595#46090595

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Russia Talks Moon Base With NASA, ESA

With a moon base you have access to that water they mention, and perhaps enough sunlight to actually grow food (although the water seems to be in the wrong place for this). You have shelter by digging into the moon itself, and enough free raw materials to extract an atmosphere, make building materials, etc. You don't have to bring everything from earth. You have gravity as well, which makes for more comfortable living and building. None of that is available in moon orbit.

Although an orbiting moon base makes for a quicker return to earth vicinity, the value of "quick" makes it a fairly meaningless advantage. There is no point in putting a base in moon orbit unless you intend to frequently visit the moon surface. At which time you encounter the assent problem, the same problem you have with a moon base.

The major problem of a moon base, or simply visiting the moon, is the problem of fuel expenditures for lift off. For all the Buck Rogers si-fi we've written, we still can't carry enough fuel to get out of sight. Any system we have for getting off of the surface amounts to a zero-backup, Hail Mary. There is no plan B.

We (barely) got out of the moon program without the horror of stranding people there. Until a more realistic system for getting off the moon is built, putting a base there is just a disaster waiting to happen with our current technology.

Maybe it would be easier to build the often talked about space elevator on the moon.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/Pcvxl8ci_1Q/russia-talks-moon-base-with-nasa-esa

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Decline and fall (Balloon Juice)

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

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Official: possibility of unregistered passengers

People watch the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. Rescuers on Sunday resumed searching the above-water section of the capsized Costa Concordia cruise liner, but choppy seas kept divers from exploring the submerged part, where officials have said there could be bodies. Civil protection officials said that until the waves slack off, divers would not swim into the submerged part of the vessel just off the port of Giglio, a tiny Island off the Tuscan coast. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

People watch the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. Rescuers on Sunday resumed searching the above-water section of the capsized Costa Concordia cruise liner, but choppy seas kept divers from exploring the submerged part, where officials have said there could be bodies. Civil protection officials said that until the waves slack off, divers would not swim into the submerged part of the vessel just off the port of Giglio, a tiny Island off the Tuscan coast. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

A ferry boat, right, sails past the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. Rescuers on Sunday resumed searching the above-water section of the capsized Costa Concordia cruise liner, but choppy seas kept divers from exploring the submerged part, where officials have said there could be bodies. Civil protection officials said that until the waves slack off, divers would not swim into the submerged part of the vessel just off the port of Giglio, a tiny Island off the Tuscan coast. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

Tourists stop and have a look at the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. Rescuers on Sunday resumed searching the above-water section of the capsized Costa Concordia cruise liner, but choppy seas kept divers from exploring the submerged part, where officials have said there could be bodies. Civil protection officials said that until the waves slack off, divers would not swim into the submerged part of the vessel just off the port of Giglio, a tiny Island off the Tuscan coast. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

A fisherman adjusts a net as the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia is seen in background, off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. Rescuers on Sunday resumed searching the above-water section of the capsized Costa Concordia cruise liner, but choppy seas kept divers from exploring the submerged part, where officials have said there could be bodies. Civil protection officials said that until the waves slack off, divers would not swim into the submerged part of the vessel just off the port of Giglio, a tiny Island off the Tuscan coast. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

John Heil, son of Barbara and Gerald Heil of White Bear Lake, Minn. both missing in the cruise ship Costa Concordia accident, talks on a cellphone in the port of Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 Italy, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. Rescuers on Sunday resumed searching the above-water section of the capsized Costa Concordia cruise liner, but choppy seas kept divers from exploring the submerged part, where officials have said there could be bodies. Civil protection officials said that until the waves slack off, divers would not swim into the submerged part of the vessel just off the port of Giglio, a tiny Island off the Tuscan coast. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

GIGLIO, Italy (AP) ? Unregistered passengers might have been aboard the stricken cruise liner that capsized off this Tuscan island, a top rescue official said Sunday, raising the possibility that the number of missing might be higher than the 20 previously announced.

Divers, meanwhile, pulled out a woman's body from the capsized Costa Concordia on Sunday, raising to 13 the number of people dead in the Jan. 13 accident.

Civil protection official Francesca Maffini told reporters the victim was wearing a life vest and was found in the rear of a submerged portion of a ship by a team of fire department divers. The unidentified body was being removed from the ship.

Earlier, Italian authorities raised the possibility that the real number of the missing was unknown because some unregistered passengers might have been aboard.

"There could have been X persons who we don't know about who were inside, who were clandestine" passengers aboard the ship, Franco Gabrielli, the national civil protection official in charge of the rescue effort, told reporters at a briefing on the island of Giglio, where the ship, with 4,200 people aboard rammed a reef and sliced open its hull on Jan. 13 before turning over on its side.

Gabrielli said that relatives of a Hungarian woman have told Italian authorities that she had telephoned them from aboard the ship and that they haven't heard from her since the accident. He said it was possible that a woman's body pulled from the wreckage by divers on Saturday might be that of the unregistered passenger.

But in addition to the body recovered on Sunday, the body found on Saturday and those of three men found a few days earlier, have yet to be identified, because the corpses were badly decomposed after so much time in the water.

Gabrielli said they have identified the other eight bodies: four French, an Italian, a Hungarian, a German and a Spanish national.

Until Sunday, authorities had said that 20 people are still missing.

The search had been halted for several hours early Sunday, after instrument readings indicated that the Concordia has shifted a bit on its precarious perch on a seabed just outside Giglio's port. A few meters (yards) away, the sea bottom drops off suddenly, by some 20-30 meters (65-100 feet), and if the Concordia should abruptly roll off its ledge, rescuers could be trapped inside.

When instrument data indicated the vessel had stabilized again, rescuers went back in, but only explored the above-water section and evacuation staging areas where survivors have indicated that people who did not make it into lifeboats during the chaotic evacuation could have remained.

Passengers were dining at a gala supper when the Concordia sailed close to Giglio and struck the reef, which is indicated on maritime and even tourist maps.

There are also fears that the Concordia's double-bottom fuel tanks could rupture in case of sudden shifting, spilling 2,200 metric tons (almost 500,000 million gallons) of heavy fuel into pristine sea around Giglio, which is part of a seven-island archipelago in some of the Mediterranean's most pristine waters and a prized fishing area.

But Gabrielli said pollutants found near the ship have been detergents and other substances, including chlorine, apparently from the wreck of the ship, which carried some 3,200 passengers and a crew of 1,000. Any fuel traces found were "compatible with what you find in a port," he said.

Ferries and cargo ships regularly call at Giglio's port.

Sophisticated oil-removal equipment has been standing by, waiting for the search-and-rescue operations to conclude before workers can start extracting the fuel in the tanks.

The Italian captain, Francesco Schettino, is under house arrest as prosecutors investigate him for suspected manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the ship while many were still aboard.

Operator Costa Crociere, a subsidiary of U.S.-based Carnival Cruise Lines, has said that Capt. Schettino had deviated without permission from the vessel's route in an apparent maneuver to sail close to the island and impress passengers.

Schettino, despite audiotapes of his defying Coast Guard orders to scramble back aboard, has denied he abandoned ship while hundreds of passengers were desperately trying to get off the capsizing vessel. He has said he coordinated the rescue from aboard a lifeboat and then from the shore.

___

D'Emilio reported from Rome.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-22-EU-Italy-Cruise-Aground/id-dbd08c0e8e824ad6897d4b239c4ad39a

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'Underworld' sinks teeth into box office with $25M

Cast member Kate Beckinsale arrives at the premiere of "Underworld Awakening" in Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. "Underworld Awakening" will be released in theaters Jan. 20, 2012. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Cast member Kate Beckinsale arrives at the premiere of "Underworld Awakening" in Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. "Underworld Awakening" will be released in theaters Jan. 20, 2012. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Kate Beckinsale is back with a vengeance, with her latest "Underworld" movie opening at No. 1 this weekend.

"Underworld Awakening" made an estimated $25.4, distributor Sony Screen Gems reported Sunday.

This is the fourth film in the vampire action saga. Beckinsale starred in the first two movies as the warrior Selene, then bowed out of part three but returned for this latest installment. "Underworld Awakening" was shown for the first time in 3-D as well as on IMAX screens, where it made $3.8 million. That's 15 percent of the film's weekend gross, which is a record for an IMAX digital-only run.

Sony had hoped the film would end up in the low-$20 million range. But Rory Bruer, the studio's president of worldwide distribution, says the fact that it did even better ? despite a snow storm that hit much of the Midwest and East Coast ? primarily has to do with Beckinsale's return.

"She is such a force. Her character ? you just can't take your eyes off of her. I know the character is very dear to her, as well, and she just kills it," Bruer said. "The 3-D aspect of the film also brings something, makes it a fun, visceral ride."

Opening in second place was "Red Tails" from executive producer George Lucas, about the Tuskegee Airmen who were the first black fighter pilots to serve in World War II. It made an estimated $19.1 million, according to 20th Century Fox, which was well above expectations; the studio had hoped to reach double digits, said Chris Aronson, executive vice president of domestic distribution.

"I believe what George Lucas has stated all along: This is an important story and a story that must be told. It is a true story of American heroism and valor and audiences have really responded to this message," Aronson said. "People want to feel good about themselves, they want to be uplifted. We have enough hard crud going on in this country right now. Times are tough, and if we look back and are told a story of some really fantastic deeds, that's really compelling moviegoing."

Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian said a grassroots effort to get groups of people into the theaters to see "Red Tails," along with positive word-of-mouth, helped its strong showing. The film saw an uptick from about $6 million on Friday to $8.65 million on Saturday.

Overall box office is up 31 percent from the same weekend a year ago, Dergarabedian said, thanks to new releases as well as movies like "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," which had limited runs for awards consideration at the end of 2011 and are now expanding nationwide. The Sept. 11 drama from Warner Bros., starring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, came in fourth place with $10.5 million.

Last week's No. 1 film, the Universal smuggling thriller "Contraband" starring Mark Wahlberg, dropped to the No. 3 spot with $12.2 million. It's now made $46.1 million in two weeks. Meanwhile, Steven Soderbergh's international action picture "Haywire" from Relativity Media, starring mixed martial arts superstar Gina Carano in her first film role, opened in fifth place with $9 million, which was above expectations.

"This is a great, perfect January weekend. You've got these holdover films and newcomers creating an overall marketplace that people are really responding to," Dergarabedian said. "It sounds cliche but this marketplace really has something for everyone."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. "Underworld Awakening," $25.4 million.

2. "Red Tails," $19.1 million.

3. "Contraband," $12.2 million.

4. "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," $10.5 million.

5. "Haywire," $9 million.

6. "Beauty and the Beast (3-D)," $8.6 million.

7. "Joyful Noise," $6.1 million.

8. "Mission: Impossible ? Ghost Protocol," $5.5 million.

9. "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," $4.8 million.

10. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," $3.75 million ($15.7 international).

___

Online:

http://www.hollywood.com

___

AP Movie Writer Christy Lemire can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/christylemire/

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-01-22-Box%20Office/id-95f1946c332f410c8226583c225752cd

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PFT: Troubled Schlichter busted for cocaine use

Getty Images

After the home teams went 4-0 in the wild-card round, I decided to ride that wave of bad hospitality, and I picked the home teams to win in the division round.

But for the Giants? 17-point win over the Packers, I would have had a perfect weekend.? Rosenthal, who picked both the Packers and Saints to advance, was 2-2.

So, yes, I won.? For a change.

This week, I agonized over both games.? Tempted to flip a coin, I probably would have been better off if I did.

Not just this weekend, but all year.

Ravens at Patriots

Florio?s take:? Yes, the Baltimore offense looked sluggish against the Texans.? During the regular season, however, the Texans had one of the best defenses in the league.? The Patriots, in sharp contrast, had one of the worst.? Still, can the Ravens muster at least one more point than the New England offense will score?? The internal offense-vs.-defense strife in Baltimore seems to be real, and it could lead to an ugly confrontation on the sidelines if the Pats jump out to an early lead and the Ravens can?t respond.? Also, the Pats? defense quietly is improving.? Throw in the fact that the Patriots would love to give owner Robert Kraft something about which to feel good as he continues to mourn his wife?s passing (Myra Kraft?s initials remain on their jerseys), Tom Brady?s memory of a home thrashing two years ago from the Ravens, and a burning desire by Brady and Bill Belichick to finally get that fourth championship, and it?s hard to envision the Patriots losing.

Florio?s pick:? Patriots 27, Ravens 20.

Rosenthal?s take: This game comes down to two questions. Is the Ravens defense more dominant than the Patriots offense? After watching Houston?s running game push Baltimore around last week, I?m rolling with the Patriots there. Terrell Suggs disappears too often. New England?s tight ends are too hard to defend.? Second question: Does the good Joe Flacco show up this week? All season, I?ve thought a great quarterback would take the Patriots out in the playoffs. New England doesn?t have to face a great quarterback in the AFC. The health of Patrick Chung, Brandon Spikes, Dane Fletcher, and the rest of the Patriots no-names all help make the New England defense competent enough.

Rosenthal?s pick: Patriots 31, Ravens 27.

Giants at 49ers

Florio?s take:? The Giants are the best team remaining, with a high-powered offense to go with a staunch defense.? And I?m inclined to pick them to win, in part because I?ve picked them to lose twice in the playoffs and in part because a clash between the Giants and Patriots in the Super Bowl would generate enormous interest and ratings and page views.? But there?s something intangible, and special, about the 49ers and coach Jim Harbaugh.? All week long, I believed I?d pick the Giants, and that then the 49ers would win.? With rain likely to make it harder for the Giants? passing game to fire on all cylinders, look for that hard-hitting San Fran defense and a potent-when-it-needs-to-be offense to find a way.? Yes, the Giants are the better team.? But the 49ers, I believe, will have more points on the scoreboard when the game is finally over.

Florio?s pick:? 49ers 24, Giants 21.

Rosenthal?s take: Eli Manning has the fourth quarter reputation, but Alex Smith has the seven fourth quarter comebacks. New York?s offensive line is a weakness that hasn?t been exposed the last two weeks, but it will show up on Sunday.? San Francisco can get more consistent pressure on Eli Manning with their front seven and they?ll have the more consistent running game. Counting on Eli to keep converting beautiful low percentage third-and-long throws is a difficult way to win week after week. The 49ers magic will continue.

Rosenthal?s pick: 49ers 24, Giants 20.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/19/art-schlichter-fails-drug-tests-while-under-house-arrest/related/

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Tiny baby leaves Los Angeles hospital amid fanfare (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? One of the world's smallest surviving babies was discharged Friday from the hospital where she spent nearly five months in an incubator ? but not before getting the Hollywood treatment.

Wearing a pink knit hat and wrapped in a pink princess blanket, Melinda Star Guido was greeted by a mob of television cameras and news photographers outside the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.

"I'm just happy that she's doing well," said her 22-year-old mother Haydee Ibarra. "I'm happy that I'm finally going to take her home ... I'm just grateful."

Melinda was born on August 30 weighing just 9 1/2 ounces, less than a can of soda. She was so tiny that she fit into her doctor's hand. Melinda is believed to be the world's third-smallest surviving baby and second smallest in the U.S.

Now weighing 4 1/2 pounds and breathing through an oxygen tube as a precaution, doctors said Melinda has made enough progress to go home. Her brain scan was normal and her eyes were developing well. She also passed a hearing test and a car seat test that's required of premature babies before discharge.

It's too early to know how she will do developmentally and physically, but doctors planned to monitor her for the next six years.

"I am cautiously optimistic that the baby will do well, but again there is no guarantee," said Dr. Rangasamy Ramanathan, who oversees preemies at the hospital.

Most babies as small don't survive even with advanced medical care. About 7,500 babies are born each year in the U.S. weighing less than 1 pound, and about 10 percent survive.

Melinda has come a long way since being delivered by cesarean section at 24 weeks after her mother developed high blood pressure during pregnancy, which can be dangerous for mother and fetus.

She was whisked to the neonatal intensive care unit where she breathed with the help of a machine and received nutrition through a feeding tube. Infants born before 37 weeks are considered premature.

Even after discharge, such extremely premature babies require constant care at home. Their lungs are not fully developed and they may need oxygen at home. Parents also need to watch out for risk of infections that could send infants back to the hospital. Even basic activities like feeding can be challenging.

"They may need extra help and patience while they learn to eat," Dr. Edward Bell, a pediatrician of the University of Iowa who runs an online database of the world's smallest surviving babies born weighing less than a pound.

The list features 130 babies dating back to 1936 and does not represent all survivors since submission is voluntary. Melinda was not eligible to be included until she was discharged.

Two years ago, Bell published a study in the journal Pediatrics that found many survivors have ongoing health and learning concerns. Most also remain short and underweight for their age.

There are some rare success stories. The smallest surviving baby born weighing 9.2 ounces is now a healthy 7-year-old and another who weighed 9.9 ounces at birth is an honors college student studying psychology, according to doctors at Loyola University Medical Center in Illinois where the girls were born.

Soon after birth, Melinda was treated for an eye disorder that's common in premature babies and underwent surgery to close an artery. Ibarra held Melinda for the first time after the operation in November. Her parents said the toughest part was battling traffic after work every day to see their daughter.

___

Online:

Registry: http://www.healthcare.uiowa.edu/tiniestbabies

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_he_me/us_med_tiny_baby

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Jon Huntsman Ends Presidential Campaign, Backs Romney (Time.com)

Matt Rourke / AP

Republican presidential candidate former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman descends stairs during an event at Virginia's on King restaurant, Jan. 15, 2012, in Charleston, S.C.

Jon Huntsman bowed out of the Republican presidential race on Monday morning and endorsed Mitt Romney, winnowing the GOP field and giving Romney a boost just five days before South Carolina?s pivotal Jan. 21 primary.

?Today I am suspending my campaign,??Huntsman said in Myrtle Beach. ?I believe it is now time for our party to unite behind candidate who can best beat Obama.?

After failing to break through in New Hampshire, where he placed third less than a week ago, Huntsman?s days in the race were numbered. Though he treated the disappointing result as a triumph ? confetti showered the stage at his New Hampshire send-off Tuesday night ? and journeyed south vowing to fight on, Huntsman?s campaign was running on fumes, lacking the money and momentum needed to contest a protracted primary fight. While his exit was anticipated, the timing was a surprise. Earlier Sunday, he earned the endorsement of South Carolina?s The State newspaper.

Advisers cast Huntsman?s decision as a way to help Romney wrap up the nomination and turn his sights on Barack Obama. The former Massachusetts governor, fresh off wins in Iowa and New Hampshire, is scrambling to fend off attacks from a slew of conservative challengers who see Saturday?s Palmetto State primary as their last, best hope to stall Romney?s push for the nomination. Huntsman?s slim support base ? after notching 17% in New Hampshire, he has polled in the low single-digits in South Carolina ? is most likely to throw its support to Romney.

Whether Romney?s camp will embrace the endorsement is another matter. After pledging to make comity a hallmark of his campaign, Huntsman sharpened his tone toward the Republican front-runner as his own fortunes sputtered. In recent weeks, he bitterly hammered Romney for being a political ?chameleon? who lacked core convictions and ?likes firing people.? On the eve of the New Hampshire primary, Huntsman suggested Romney?s remarks about sacking insurance companies, taken against the backdrop of his record at Bain Capital, rendered him ?completely unelectable.? Now Huntsman is calling Romney the GOP?s best hope to oust Obama in the fall.

Huntsman?s exit caps a campaign that sputtered badly after a splashy beginning. A popular governor with impeccable foreign-policy credentials, Huntsman?s plunge into the presidential race last summer was met with media fanfare and whispers among Democrats that his moderate tone and knack for knitting together bipartisan coalitions could make him a tough general-election match-up. His campaign kickoff in June painted him as a conservative in the Reagan mold. But he struggled from the start to find a foothold in a crowded GOP field.

As Utah governor, Huntsman compiled a conservative record on fiscal issues, abortion and gun rights while presiding over a surge in job growth. Instead of heralding these credentials, Huntsman often preferred the language of moderation. He decried partisan bickering, made a show of bucking GOP doctrine on issues like global warming and refused to criticize Obama, under whom he served as Ambassador to China. With primary voters hungry for red meat, he served up a steady diet of civility and compromise. The dish wasn?t popular.

At debates Huntsman was by turns wooden and jocular, muddying his strong grip of foreign policy and conservative tax plan with an off-kilter joke or a Mandarin phrase. Behind the scenes, his campaign was racked by infighting early on. In one of the race?s richest ironies, Huntsman ? the wealthy son of a billionaire chemical manufacturer ? was hamstrung all along by a lack of money, struggling to raise enough cash to go up on the air until it was too late. In the end, his super PAC spent some $2 million to run spots in New Hampshire, more than any other campaign.

It wasn?t enough. As a relative moderate running in a bull market for conservatives, Huntsman may have been doomed from the start, but he inflicted further damage by failing to zero in on a message. A few days before the New Hampshire primary, during a campaign stop in Concord, Huntsman was asked whether the experience of running had disabused him of the notion that there was still a place in politics for a centrist like himself. Huntsman, whose aides labored daily to cast him as a conservative alternative to Romney, didn?t bother to dog whistle. ?Some people like to call it centrist or something else. I do what I do based on a view of this country and its future,? he said. ?I?m a realist, at the end of the day. I don?t like to spend a lot of time posturing?I?m just going to be who I am.? Too many voters were left unsure what that was.

Updated, 11:31 a.m. Monday

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/time_rss/rss_time_us/httpswamplandtimecom20120116endingcampaignhuntsmanplanstodropoutandbackromneyxidrssnationyahoo/44197117/SIG=13ncatnsb/*http%3A//swampland.time.com/2012/01/16/ending-campaign-huntsman-plans-to-drop-out-and-back-romney/?xid=rss-nation-yahoo

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Ice storm blankets Washington day after snowstorm

[unable to retrieve full-text content]SEATTLE (AP) ? A monster Pacific Northwest storm coated Washington with freezing rain on Thursday and brought much of the state to a standstill as the Seattle airport shut down, tens of thousands were without power and hundreds of cars slid off roads a day after the region was hit with a major snowfall.

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-19-Washington%20Snow/id-d1c866a2921f4a65910a298b81e218eb

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