The top 10 songs and albums on the iTunes Store (AP)

iTunes' Official Music Charts for the week ending Jan. 30, 2012:

Top Songs:

1. "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)," Kelly Clarkson

2. "Set Fire to the Rain," ADELE

3. "Turn Me On (feat. Nicki Minaj)," Nicki Minaj, David Guetta

4. "Rack City," Tyga

5. "Young, Wild & Free (feat. Bruno Mars)," Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg

6. "Good Feeling," Flo Rida

7. "Domino," Jessie J

8. "We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris)," Rihanna

9. "International Love (feat. Chris Brown)," Pitbull

10. "Sexy and I Know It," LMFAO

___

Top Albums:

1. "21", ADELE

2. "Human Again," Ingrid Michaelson

3. "Emotional Traffic," Tim McGraw

4. "Resolution," Lamb of God

5. "Where I Find You," Kari Jobe

6. "Take Care," Drake

7. "Bangarang," Skrillex

8. "Soul 2," Seal

9. "El Camino," The Black Keys

10. "Sigh No More," Mumford & Sons

___

(copyright) 2012 Apple, Inc.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_en_mu/us_itunes_music_top10

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China boosts police presence in restless Xinjiang (AP)

BEIJING ? Thousands of additional police officers are being dispatched to combat religious extremism and other security concerns in China's volatile, heavily Muslim northwestern region of Xinjiang, state media reported Monday.

Officials plan to recruit 8,000 officers to ensure every village in Xinjiang has at least one on patrol, the Xinhua News Agency said.

Their primary tasks will be "security patrols, management of the migrant population and cracking down on illegal religious activities," it said. The officers will be joined in their tasks by security guards and local militia, who are typically unarmed, Xinhua said.

The beefing up of the police force is a sign of Beijing's concern over unrest in Xinjiang, where long-simmering resentment against Chinese rule boiled over in 2009, when nearly 200 people were killed in fighting between native Uighurs and Han Chinese in the regional capital, Urumqi, according to the government.

Dozens have been killed or wounded in recent months, and authorities have increasingly relied on overwhelming force and heavy-handed policing to control the situation. China has blamed overseas activists for what it described as organized terrorist attacks, specifically Pakistan-based militants affiliated with al-Qaida.

Violence has also worsened in Tibetan areas to the south, following the self-immolations of Buddhist monks, nuns and former clergy. Police have fired into crowds of protesters, killing and wounding dozens, while barring outsiders from traveling to the area.

Xinjiang regional spokeswoman Hou Hanmin confirmed to The Associated Press that the 8,000 officers were being recruited under a "one village, one officer" campaign. She said their main job would be to improve public services.

The deployment also appears aimed at avoiding a Xinjiang crisis during a year that will see the start of a generational leadership transition in Beijing.

Leading Xinjiang security official Xiong Xuanguo pledged earlier this month to strictly guard against "violent terrorism" and create a "harmonious social environment" ahead of the ruling Communist Party's national congress due this fall, an event held once every five years.

"Local authorities must further improve their capabilities for maintaining social stability and amplify the crackdown on religious extremist activities," Xiong said.

As with Tibetans, Xinjiang's Uighurs have been angered by restrictions on cultural and religious life, as well as an influx of Han migrants they feel has left them economically marginalized in their own homelands.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/china/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_re_as/as_china_xinjiang

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WATCH: David Beckham Strips Down for Sexy Super Bowl Ad

We know you're already planning to watch the Super Bowl, but here's some extra motivation: David Beckham stripping down in your living room! The 36-year-old soccer star and fashion icon shows off his famous body in this short but memorable teaser for a new ad, set to air during the big game. Watch the video below!

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/david-beckham-super-bowl-underwear-commercial/1-a-423448?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Adavid-beckham-super-bowl-underwear-commercial-423448

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Apple Buy Hollywood? That?s A Terrible Idea

Apple should not use its $100 billion in cash to buy, or buy into Hollywood. While it would most assuredly (ahem, cough) disrupt the system, it would not spur the kind of creative chaos and innovation that would lead to the Emerald City of any show, on demand, for free, to rent, or buy, or subscribe, and organized by taste or popularity, or you! In fact, Apple buying into Hollywood, would actually kill Hollywood. Here?s why:

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/l6KZ0r94d4U/

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Romney would rank among richest presidents ever (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Just how rich is Mitt Romney? Add up the wealth of the last eight presidents, from Richard Nixon to Barack Obama. Then double that number. Now you're in Romney territory.

He would be among the richest presidents in American history if elected ? probably in the top four.

He couldn't top George Washington who, with nearly 60,000 acres and more than 300 slaves, is considered the big daddy of presidential wealth. After that, it gets complicated, depending how you rate Thomas Jefferson's plantation, Herbert Hoover's millions from mining or John F. Kennedy's share of the vast family fortune, as well as the finer points of factors like inflation adjustment.

But it's safe to say the Roosevelts had nothing on Romney, and the Bushes are nowhere close.

The former Massachusetts governor has disclosed only the broad outlines of his wealth, putting it somewhere from $190 million to $250 million. That easily could make him 50 times richer than Obama, who falls in the still-impressive-to-most-of-us range of $2.2 million to $7.5 million.

"I think it's almost hard to conceptualize what $250 million means," said Shamus Khan, a Columbia University sociologist who studies the wealthy. "People say Romney made $50,000 a day while not working last year. What do you do with all that money? I can't even imagine spending it. Well, maybe ..."

Of course, an unbelievable boatload of bucks is just one way to think of Romney's net worth, and the 44 U.S. presidents make up a pretty small pond for him to swim in. Put alongside America's 400 or so billionaires, Romney wouldn't make a ripple.

So here's a look where Romney's riches rank ? among the most flush Americans, the White House contenders, and the rest of us:

_Within the 1 percent:

"Romney is small potatoes compared with the ultra-wealthy," said Jeffrey Winters, a political scientist at Northwestern University who studies the nation's elites.

After all, even in the rarefied world of the top 1 percent, there's a big difference between life at the top and at the bottom.

A household needs to bring in roughly $400,000 per year to make the cut. Romney and his wife, Ann, have been making 50 times that ? more than $20 million a year. In 2009, only 8,274 federal tax filers had income above $10 million. Romney is solidly within that elite 0.006 percent of all U.S. taxpayers.

Congress is flush with millionaires. Only a few are in the Romney realm, including Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, who was the Democratic presidential nominee in 2004. Kerry's ranking would climb much higher if the fortune of his wife, Teresa Heinz, were counted. She is the widow of Sen. John Heinz, heir to the Heinz ketchup fortune.

Further up the ladder, top hedge fund managers can pocket $1 billion or more in a single year.

At the top of the wealth pile sits Bill Gates, worth $59 billion, according to Forbes magazine's estimates.

_As a potential president:

Romney clearly stands out here. America's super rich generally don't jockey to live in the White House. A few have toyed with the idea, most notably New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whom Forbes ranks as the 12th richest American, worth $19.5 billion. A lesser billionaire, Ross Perot, bankrolled his own third-party campaigns in 1992 and 1996.

Many presidents weren't particularly well-off, especially 19th century leaders such as Abraham Lincoln, James Buchanan and Ulysses S. Grant. Nor was the 33rd president, Harry Truman.

"These things ebb and flow," said sociologist Khan. "It's not the case that all presidents were always rich."

A few former chief executives died in debt, including Thomas Jefferson, ranked in a Forbes study as the third-wealthiest president.

Comparing the landlocked wealth of early Americans such as Washington, Jefferson and James Madison, with today's millionaires is tricky, even setting aside the lack of documentation and economic changes over two centuries.

Research by 24/7 Wall St., a news and analysis website, estimated Washington's wealth at the equivalent of $525 million in 2010 dollars.

Yet Washington had to borrow money to pay for his trip to New York for his inauguration in 1789, according to Dennis Pogue, vice president for preservation at Mount Vernon, Washington's Virginia estate. His money was tied up in land, reaping only a modest cash income after farm expenses.

"He was a wealthy guy, there's no doubt about it," Pogue said, and probably among the dozen richest Virginians of his time. But, "the wealthiest person in America then was nothing in comparison to what these folks are today."

_How does Romney stand next to a regular Joe?

He's roughly 1,800 times richer.

The typical U.S. household was worth $120,300 in 2007, according to the Census Bureau's most recent data, although that number is sure to have dropped since the recession. A typical family's income is $50,000.

Calculations from 24/7 Wall St. of the peak lifetime wealth (or peak so far) of Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama add up to a total $128 million ? while Romney reports assets of up to $250 million.

If you consider only those presidents' assets while in office, without millions earned later from speeches and books, their combined total would be substantially lower, and Romney's riches would leave the pack even further behind.

___

Online:

Forbes' richest presidents list: http://tinyurl.com/82erdyb

24/7 Wall St. on presidents' net worth: http://tinyurl.com/328qyu2

___

Associated Press writer Stephen Ohlemacher contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_el_pr/us_how_rich_is_romney

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Can NATO force weather France's faster exit? (AP)

KABUL, Afghanistan ? France's call for a speedier NATO exit from Afghanistan reflects the depth of war fatigue in the West and raises fears that other countries in the U.S.-led coalition will succumb to rising political pressure and pull their troops home early.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's decision to fast-track its withdrawal ? just days after an Afghan soldier gunned down four French troops ? is the latest crack in a coalition already strained by economic troubles in Europe and the United States, the Afghan government's sluggish battle against corruption, on-again off-again cooperation from neighboring Pakistan and a dogged Taliban bloodied but not beaten.

The international coalition is already rushing against the clock to meet President Hamid Karzai's goal of having the Afghan police and army in charge of the nation's security by the end of 2014. France's break with that timetable, which was agreed to by NATO members, now raises the question: Can the coalition stay together until then?

Resetting the date to end the coalition's combat mission could strengthen arguments for President Barack Obama to accelerate U.S. troop withdrawals beyond the 33,000 he's sending home by the end of this year, and reopen a debate over whether setting a withdrawal deadline allows the Taliban to seize more territory once foreign forces are gone.

It's unclear whether Sarkozy's call for all foreign forces to hand security over to the Afghan forces in 2013 will have any traction when it is presented next week at a NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels. If other nations see France's move as a green light to speed up their withdrawals, it will complicate the current strategy for a coordinated pullout.

In a gentle rebuke to France, British Prime Minister David Cameron said in London on Saturday that withdrawals should be dependent on security conditions on the ground. Britain has said it's keeping to plans to withdraw its 9,500 troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

"The rate at which we can reduce our troops will depend on the transition to Afghan control in the different parts of Afghanistan, and that should be the same for all of the members of NATO," Cameron said after meeting with Karzai.

Other nations facing extreme economic problems, such as Italy and Spain, are not planning early withdrawals.

"We are a responsible country. We are a big country that honors its commitments that it agrees to make," said Minister Giampaolo Di Paola, defense minister in Italy, which this week signed a pact aimed at supporting Afghanistan after foreign forces withdraw in 2014.

Germany also said it agrees with the goal to hand over security responsibility by the end of 2014 and withdraw combat troops.

Sarkozy said France will speed up its withdrawal and pull 1,000 ? up from 600 ? out this year and bring all combat forces home at the end of 2013. Sarkozy also said France would hand over authority in the province of Kapisa, where the French troops were killed this month, by the end of March.

France, which now has about 3,600 soldiers in the coalition force, joins the U.S., Britain, Germany and Italy in the top five largest troop-contributing nations.

Talk of an accelerated exit alarmed many Afghans, especially those who have cast their lot with the U.S.-backed government but have little confidence in their country's own security forces. Some said France was reneging on its promises.

Afghan lawmaker Tahira Mujadedi, who represents Kapisa, said Afghan forces there aren't ready to go it alone in fighting the Taliban insurgency, which is especially strong in several of the province's districts. She warned that if NATO forces do pull back from Kapisa, it could also destabilize nearby Kabul. Foreign forces should consider staying even longer than 2014, she said.

"When military forces are present in a war zone, anything can happen," said Mujadedi, who expressed sadness about the French troops who were killed.

But she added: "They are not here for a holiday."

Former Afghan interior minister and military analyst Abdul Hadi Khalid said Sarkozy's decision was clearly political. Sarkozy's rival in spring presidential elections in France, Socialist candidate Francois Hollande, has pledged to pull French troops out of the war if he is elected in May.

"Why is he raising this now?" Khalid asked. "He is trying to get political benefit out of it."

So far, Karzai has reacted cautiously to the idea of a 2013 handover. He can ill afford to anger major coalition partners, yet he wants to be seen as the leader of a country capable of security itself.

"We hope to finish the transition ... by the end of 2013 at the earliest ? or by the latest as has been agreed upon ? by the end of 2014," Karzai said.

NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu underscored the coalition's solidarity, saying that all nations agreed at a Lisbon summit in 2010 to complete the transition to Afghan-led security by the end of 2014.

"Transition is well on track to be completed by the end of 2014, as we all agreed," she said. She said NATO nations would "take stock, shape the next stage of transition" at its summit in Chicago in May.

In Chicago, NATO members will discuss another contentious issue: Who will pay the salaries of the more than 300,000 Afghan policemen and soldiers after 2014. Estimates range from $5 billion to $6 billion a year.

Thomas Risse, a political scientist at Berlin's Free University, said the problem of securing commitments to finance the Afghan security forces comes as a general fatigue with foreign interventions grips Europe and the United States.

"The public mood in most NATO countries is that they want their boys back as soon as possible and they don't care much about Afghanistan either way," Risse said. "The political elites have undertaken to keep up the military commitments, but I'm not sure they will be able to sustain those promises in the face of such a strong public mood."

"As far as the money (for the post-2014 period) is concerned, I don't think there is any mood in Germany to throw money after the Karzai regime," he added.

Stories of Afghan security forces killing their foreign partners make it that much harder to sell the war in cash-strapped countries.

The deadly shooting of the four French soldiers on Jan. 20 was the second against French forces in a month; two members of the French Foreign Legion were killed by an Afghan soldier on Dec. 29. On Thursday, an Afghan man wielding a knife tried to attack foreign troops in southern Afghanistan before being arrested. The Taliban said the man was upset about a video that purportedly shows U.S. Marines urinating on Afghan corpses.

The promise to pull out by 2014 has appeased immediate public demand, said Malcolm Chalmers, a professor of defense at Kings College in London.

"But as the (economic crisis) continues to deepen and these types of incidents continue to occur, it's very possible that there will be renewed public pressure to accelerate the pace of withdrawal," he said. "My expectation is that there will be a steady and substantial withdrawal starting this year."

Asked if France's break with the coalition could spark a wider split, Kate Clark, senior analyst with the Afghanistan Analysts Network, said it could be troublesome for countries deploying troops to Afghanistan. While the U.S. contributes the bulk of troops, any cracks in the coalition could dampen morale of all foreign forces on the battlefield, she said.

"The foreign troops have been here for 10 years. That's a long time," she said. "There's a certain war-weariness among the voters of a great many of those countries."

Then again, she pointed out that the Netherlands and Canada have drawn down their forces in recent years and the coalition has not crumbled.

___

Lekic reported from Brussels. Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez and Kay Johnson contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan

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Mom Who Publicly Punished Her Son By Making Him Wear A Sign Speaks Out Exclusively To Dr. Drew

In their first national TV interview, the mom (Dynesha) who made her son (Alont’a) wear a sign that read “I Lie, I Steal, I Sell Drugs, I Don’t Follow the Law” sits down with Dr. Drew and opens up about why she took this action. Dr. Drew also offers Alont’a a life changing plan for [...]

Source: http://www.celebritymound.com/mom-who-publicly-punished-her-son-by-making-him-wear-a-sign-speaks-out-exclusively-to-dr-drew/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mom-who-publicly-punished-her-son-by-making-him-wear-a-sign-speaks-out-exclusively-to-dr-drew

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French implant boss released, faces bodily harm charge (Reuters)

MARSEILLE, France (Reuters) ? Jean-Claude Mas, the Frenchman who sparked a global health scare by selling substandard breast implants, was released from police custody on Friday and faces a charge of causing bodily harm, his lawyer said.

Mas will not be investigated for the graver charge of manslaughter, as was expected, but does now face criminal charges which carry longer sentences than those he faces in a fraud case expected to go to trial around October.

He was released on bail of 100,000 euros ($131,600), banned from leaving the country and from meeting former executives of his now defunct company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP).

"We are satisfied that Mr Mas could explain himself to a judge," his lawyer Yves Haddad said on iTele television. "This is a relief for him."

"On the charge of involuntary homicide, the judge decided that for now there is no link," Haddad said.

In the first arrests since the two-year-old scandal made headlines worldwide in December, Mas and a second PIP executive were seized at their homes in southern France just after dawn.

Women who have been campaigning against PIP since French authorities banned its products nearly two years ago welcomed the move as giving them a sense that the law was now in action:

"It's been too long," said Murielle Ajellio, who heads an association for women with implants. Up to now, she said: "You feel like you're fighting against the wind."

French authorities have been criticized for being slow to react to a case that has sown fear among tens of thousands of women who carry PIP implants. French inspectors ordered them off the market in March 2010, due to concerns over their quality.

But only last month did officials in Paris recommend their surgical removal, drawing attention to the problem for patients worldwide who had been fitted with products from the company, which was at one time the third biggest global supplier.

Lawyers for women in France who have filed complaints over PIP implants welcomed the arrests and said there must be no escaping justice for the 72-year-old Mas, who has been quoted as deriding those suing him as being motivated only by money.

"This is a comfort for the victims," said Laurent Gaudon, whose clients are pursuing PIP and surgeons who used its implants for fraud. "It's the feeling that justice is advancing and they have not been forgotten. It's the assurance that the guilty are at last going to be held accountable."

Philippe Courtois, who represents 1,300 people with PIP implants, said Mas should not be freed pending any trial.

Mas and PIP's former chief executive Claude Couty were questioned at home, as police conducted searches. They were then moved to police custody in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille, under the orders of prosecutor Jacques Dallest.

SUBSTANDARD SILICONE

PIP enjoyed years of success with international sales, but behind the scenes employees, and Mas himself, have admitted to hiding from certification agencies the fact they were using cheap, industrial silicone, not approved for medical use.

Health authorities in France and elsewhere have stressed that PIP's products carry no proven link to cancer, but surgeons report that they have abnormally high rupture rates. Responses to the problem have varied among different foreign authorities.

Thursday's arrests follow an investigation opened in Marseille, close to PIP's former premises, on December 8 after the death from cancer in 2010 of a woman with PIP implants.

Mas and Couty can be held for up to 48 hours while a judge decides whether to open a formal probe and, if so, what bail conditions, if any, to set.

A trial date could be years away, given the extent of inquiry required, but the bodily harm case could make it harder for Mas to avoid appearing in court later this year on other charges of fraud and deception.

That latter case targets half a dozen former PIP executives and could also carry prison terms for them of several years. It has dragged on as investigators have had to quiz up to 2,700 women who have filed complaints over PIP implants.

Mas, who sold some 300,000 implants around the world, has acknowledged that he used unapproved silicone but dismissed fears that it constituted a health risk.

Earlier in January, leaks from a police document showed Mas admitting to lying about the quality of PIP's implants and describing the women filing complaints against him as just seeking money. The comments sparked public anger against him.

PIP closed down in March 2010 after regulators discovered it was using a non-approved, industrial silicone gel, and pulled its implants off the market.

Last month, the French government advised women with PIP implants to have them removed, and said it would pay for the operations in France, sparking alarm around the world.

Officials in several other countries, including Britain and Brazil, have asked women to visit their doctors for checks.

France has called for tighter European Union regulations on medical devices in wake of the PIP affair, saying suppliers of prosthetics should require the same sort of authorization as manufacturers of prescription medicines.

(Writing by Catherine Bremer and Nicholas Vinocur; Editing by Alastair Macdonald and Louise Ireland)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/lf_nm_life/us_france_implants

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Justin Bieber Fans Prepping Charity Single In His Honor

President/CEO of Together We Rise talks to MTV News about song, slated for March release.
By Jocelyn Vena

Justin Bieber
Photo: Dave M. Benett/Getty Images

Justin Bieber's fans are working to give back the same way the pop star readily does. Several of Bieber's biggest fan groups, as well as the non-profit Together We Rise and Brush Buddies (the makers behind the singing Bieber toothbrush), have all teamed up to work on a charity single.

"They're all working on pieces of the video and the lyrics. Right now, they're putting together videos and 'thank you's'. We're working on the back end," Danny Mendoza, President/CEO of Together We Rise, which focuses on helping foster children in the U.S, told MTV News about the project.

"It started with a young lady named Vivian, she runs the Justin Crew fan club and she approached it on Twitter. She approached it and she had a lot of fan support," he continued. "She took it upon herself to take a leadership role, and then she contacted me because she needed some guidance. We just decided we'll help you do it. Justin Bieber had tweeted about us in the past and helped us get some recognition, so it was a 'thank you' to him as well."

Proceeds from the song will go toward Bieber's Believe charity drive. It will drop in March, just in time for his 18th birthday on March 1. "I'm almost 100 percent positive that they know," he explained of Bieber's involvement in the project. "Justin Bieber inspired a lot of young people to give back. It's a 'thank you' for helping us and we want to give back in your honor."

Bieber is certainly not a newbie to the world of charity. Mendoza said that having a pop star like Bieber being so socially conscious has been incredible for the charities he helps bring attention to.

"He definitely has the right people around him ... They made it a priority that giving back is more. I think his relationship with [his manager Scooter Braun's brother] Adam Braun and his charity [Pencils of Promise], he was able to see hands on a lot of it.

After Bieber tweeted this week about the Trillium Gift of Life Network, the Ontario-based organ donation network has seen registrations skyrocket to more than 1,200 people, four times the amount the network usually receives.

What charity do you want Bieber to promote? Leave your comment below.

Related Artists

• Justin Bieber

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677983/justin-bieber-together-we-rise-charity-charity-single.jhtml

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Giant asteroid Vesta likely cold and dark enough for ice

ScienceDaily (Jan. 25, 2012) ? Though generally thought to be quite dry, roughly half of the giant asteroid Vesta is expected to be so cold and to receive so little sunlight that water ice could have survived there for billions of years, according to the first published models of Vesta's average global temperatures and illumination by the sun.

"Near the north and south poles, the conditions appear to be favorable for water ice to exist beneath the surface," says Timothy Stubbs of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Stubbs and Yongli Wang of the Goddard Planetary Heliophysics Institute at the University of Maryland published the models in the January 2012 issue of the journal Icarus. The models are based on information from telescopes including NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

Vesta, the second-most massive object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, probably does not have any significant permanently shadowed craters where water ice could stay frozen on the surface all the time, not even in the roughly 300-mile-diameter (480-kilometer-diameter) crater near the south pole, the authors note. The asteroid isn't a good candidate for permanent shadowing because it is tilted on its axis at about 27 degrees, which is even greater than Earth's tilt of roughly 23 degrees. In contrast, the moon, which does have permanently shadowed craters, is tilted at only about 1.5 degrees. As a result of its large tilt, Vesta has seasons, and every part of the surface is expected to see the sun at some point during Vesta's year.

The presence or absence of water ice on Vesta tells scientists something about the tiny world's formation and evolution, its history of bombardment by comets and other objects, and its interaction with the space environment. Because similar processes are common to many other planetary bodies, including the moon, Mercury and other asteroids, learning more about these processes has fundamental implications for our understanding of the solar system as a whole. This kind of water ice is also potentially valuable as a resource for further exploration of the solar system.

Though temperatures on Vesta fluctuate during the year, the model predicts that the average annual temperature near Vesta's north and south poles is less than roughly minus 200 degrees Fahrenheit (145 kelvins). That is the critical average temperature below which water ice is thought to be able to survive in the top 10 feet or so (few meters) of the soil, which is called regolith.

Near Vesta's equator, however, the average yearly temperature is roughly minus 190 degrees Fahrenheit (150 kelvins), according to the new results. Based on previous modeling, that is expected to be high enough to prevent water from remaining within a few meters of the surface. This band of relatively warm temperatures extends from the equator to about 27 degrees north and south in latitude.

"On average, it's colder at Vesta's poles than near its equator, so in that sense, they are good places to sustain water ice," says Stubbs. "But they also see sunlight for long periods of time during the summer seasons, which isn't so good for sustaining ice. So if water ice exists in those regions, it may be buried beneath a relatively deep layer of dry regolith."

The modeling also indicates that relatively small surface features, such as craters measuring around 6 miles (10 kilometers) in diameter, could significantly affect the survival of water ice. "The bottoms of some craters could be cold enough on average -- about 100 kelvins -- for water to be able to survive on the surface for much of the Vestan year [about 3.6 years on Earth]," Stubbs explains. "Although, at some point during the summer, enough sunlight would shine in to make the water leave the surface and either be lost or perhaps redeposit somewhere else."

So far, Earth-based observations suggest that the surface of Vesta is quite dry. However, the Dawn spacecraft is getting a much closer view. Dawn is investigating the role of water in the evolution of planets by studying Vesta and Ceres, two bodies in the asteroid belt that are considered remnant protoplanets -- baby planets whose growth was interrupted when Jupiter formed.

Dawn is looking for water using the gamma ray and neutron detector (GRaND) spectrometer, which can identify hydrogen-rich deposits that could be associated with water ice. The spacecraft recently entered a low orbit that is well suited to collecting gamma ray and neutron data.

"Our perceptions of Vesta have been transformed in a few months as the Dawn spacecraft has entered orbit and spiraled closer to its surface," says Lucy McFadden, a planetary scientist at NASA Goddard and a Dawn mission co-investigator. "More importantly, our new views of Vesta tell us about the early processes of solar system formation. If we can detect evidence for water beneath the surface, the next question will be is it very old or very young, and that would be exciting to ponder."

The modeling done by Stubbs and Wang, for example, relies on information about Vesta's shape. Before Dawn, the best source of that information was a set of images taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope in 1994 and 1996. But now, Dawn and its camera are getting a much closer view of Vesta.

"The Dawn mission gives researchers a rare opportunity to observe Vesta for an extended period of time, the equivalent of about one season on Vesta," says Stubbs. "Hopefully, we'll know in the next few months whether the GRaND spectrometer sees evidence for water ice in Vesta's regolith. This is an important and exciting time in planetary exploration."

Dawn's mission to Vesta and Ceres is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Dawn is a project of the directorate's Discovery Program, managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. UCLA is responsible for overall Dawn mission science. Orbital Sciences Corp. in Dulles, Va., designed and built the spacecraft. The German Aerospace Center, the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, the Italian Space Agency and the Italian National Astrophysical Institute are international partners on the mission team. The asteroid modeling by Stubbs and Wang is an extension of analysis originally applied to the moon and partially funded by the NASA Lunar Science Institute.

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Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125160531.htm

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Gingrich's biggest benefactor is a casino mogul, a hardliner on Israel and very, very rich (Star Tribune)

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Sullinger leads No. 4 Ohio St past Penn St 78-54 (AP)

COLUMBUS, Ohio ? Jared Sullinger had 20 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 4 Ohio State took advantage of Penn State's slow start to roll to a 78-54 victory on Wednesday night.

The Buckeyes (18-3, 6-2 Big Ten) won their third in a row and fifth in six games while tuning up for Sunday's big home showdown with No. 20 Michigan. The Wolverines, Ohio State and Michigan State came into the week tied for the top spot in the Big Ten.

The Nittany Lions paid tribute to Joe Paterno by wearing black bands on their jerseys. Paterno, Penn State's football coach for 46 years and the winner of a major-college record 409 games, died Sunday at age 85. A public viewing and funeral was held earlier on Wednesday.

William Buford added 15 points and Aaron Craft had 11 ? all in the first half ? as the Buckeyes built a lopsided lead.

Big Ten scoring leader Tim Frazier had 16 points and Jermaine Marshall 14 for Penn State (10-12, 2-7), which has lost its last 17 meetings with Ohio State.

In the waning moments, Ohio State's student section prepped for the game against the Buckeyes' chief rival by singing "We Don't Give A Damn For the Whole State of Michigan."

The Buckeyes improved to 15-0 at home this season while running their home winning streak to 37 in a row ? the second-longest streak in the country behind Kentucky's 47 straight.

Already ahead 38-18 at halftime, Ohio State benefited from a flagrant foul and a technical foul against the Nittany Lions in the opening 2 minutes of the second half.

Frazier was called for the flagrant foul when he swung an elbow that caught Craft in the jaw. Moments later, first-year coach Patrick Chambers was whistled for yelling at the officials.

Sullinger had a layup and a dunk ? both off assists from swingman Sam Thompson ? in a 7-0 run that swelled the Buckeyes' lead to 56-29. From then on, a crowd of 16,907 was just biding its time before heading for the parking lots.

Penn State endured a miserable first half, shooting just 22 percent (7 of 32) and falling behind by as many as 23 points.

The Nittany Lions had just one field goal and two points over the first 8 minutes and were outscored 15-2. They came in shooting 39 percent from the field for the season but made only one of their first 14 field goals.

Frazier was dogged wherever he went by Buckeyes defenders. He was 2 of 9 from the field at halftime.

Craft opened the scoring with a spinning reverse layup off an assist from Sullinger, who made it 4-0 with a baby hook. After Buford hit a pair of foul shots, Deshaun Thomas added a short jumper for an 8-0 lead.

Marshall, who had half of the Nittany Lions' points at the break, hit a perimeter jumper to finally break the ice at the 15:02 mark. After the Buckeyes coasted to a 24-6 lead, he hit back-to-back outside jumpers.

But the Buckeyes were the story of the opening half. Craft, who hit his career high of 19 against Penn State last January, had 11 at the break on 4-of-4 shooting from the field. Buford chipped in with eight points and five rebounds, while Sullinger had seven points and eight boards and Thomas had six and six.

Penn State is in the midst of a stretch of three straight games vs. Top 25 teams, two on the road. The Nittany Lions lost at No. 11 Indiana 73-54 on Sunday and play No. 25 Wisconsin on Tuesday.

The Buckeyes finished up hitting half of their 50 shots from the field. Penn State mustered just 31.3 percent (20 of 64).

___

Follow Rusty Miller on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/rustymillerap.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_sp_co_ga_su/bkc_t25_penn_st_ohio_st

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Printed Sensors Could Help Save You From Spoiled Food

Whenever I pick up a package of frozen raw meat from the grocery store, I wonder, "How many times did it thaw and re-freeze?" There's currently no easy way to tell, but the ambiguity could be addressed with new temperature sensors from Thinfilm..

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/yeANTGx8nog/

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PFT: 49er Williams gets death threats after fumbles

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Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has just completed the fourth year of a five-year rookie contract.? He thinks he?s done enough to merit additional security.

?Definitely,? Flacco said Monday, via the team?s official website. ?We?ll see how it goes; if it goes, it goes, if it doesn?t, it doesn?t.?

So far, it hasn?t been going anywhere.? Per a source with knowledge of the situation, there have been no talks toward a new contract.

Why does Flacco think he has earned an extension?? ?I think I?m the quarterback that I am,? Flacco said.? ?I think the first four years that I?ve played here we?ve gone to the playoffs every time [and] won a game. I think the last two years that I?ve played in the playoffs, I?ve played well in the playoffs.?

I think.? I get.? The point.

But he wasn?t done.? ?And like I said earlier, I think when you watch the film and you?re a guy in this organization, I think that you can say, ?Hey, he?s played pretty damn good for us,?? Flacco added.? ?But like I said, you never know what?s going to happen.

Though owner Steve Bisciotti said last year that he envisioned negotiations beginning in 2012, there?s a chance that, once the two sides start talking, they?ll realize that there?s a significant disconnect between what the Ravens want to pay and what Flacco wants to be paid.? On one hand, Flacco?s camp surely will point to performances like the one he put together on Sunday in the AFC title game.? On the other hand, the team surely will point to his consistent pattern of inconsistency.

In the end, both sides would be wise to work something out.? While the Ravens could do a lot better at the position, they could do ? and have done ? a lot worse in the past.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/23/kyle-williams-takes-heat-from-fans-not-teammates/related/

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Mitchell: 'We won't let Joe's legacy die'

Rick Musar, of State College, Pa., pauses before a moment of silence in honor of former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno before an NCAA women's basketball game between Penn State and Iowa, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, in State College. Paterno died Sunday at the age of 85. (AP Photo/John Beale)

Rick Musar, of State College, Pa., pauses before a moment of silence in honor of former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno before an NCAA women's basketball game between Penn State and Iowa, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, in State College. Paterno died Sunday at the age of 85. (AP Photo/John Beale)

FILE - In this Sept. 5, 1987 file photo, Penn State football coach Joe Paterno walks around his players as they warm up for an NCAA college football game against Bowling Green in State College, Pa. Paterno, the longtime Penn State coach who won more games than anyone else in major college football but was fired amid a child sex abuse scandal that scarred his reputation for winning with integrity, died Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. He was 85. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 28, 1965 file photo, Joe Paterno, associate football coach at Penn state, directs players at State College, Pa. Paterno, the longtime Penn State coach who won more games than anyone else in major college football but was fired amid a child sex abuse scandal that scarred his reputation for winning with integrity, died Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. He was 85. (AP Photo, File)

Members of the Penn State NCAA college basketball team pause for a moment of silence in honor of former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno before a game against Iowa, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, in State College, Pa. Paterno died Sunday at the age of 85. (AP Photo/John Beale)

Former Penn State star Lydell Mitchell visited Joe Paterno about a week and a half ago, hoping to get just a moment with his ailing coach.

After an emotional hour and a half, Mitchell said goodbye and told Paterno that he would always have the support of his players.

"I said, 'Hey, man, we love you.' We'll fight the fight for him," Mitchell said Sunday after Paterno died at age 85.

"Joe's legacy will always be intact because we won't let Joe's legacy die," said Mitchell, who played running back at Penn State from 1968-72.

Paterno won more games (409) than any coach in major college football history during 46 seasons at Penn State.

"I think history will say that he's one of the greatest," former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, second on the wins list, told The Associated Press. "Who's coached longer? Who's coached better? Who's won more games? Who's been more successful than Joe? Who's done more for his university than Joe? You've lost one of the greatest. He probably means the same thing up there that Bear Bryant meant down here. He's an icon."

Sports figures by the dozen, including many Penn State alumni, and fans by the thousands paid tribute to Paterno after the longtime coach died from complications of lung cancer less than three months after he was ousted amid a child sex abuse scandal involving one of his former assistants.

"It's just sad because I think he died from other things than lung cancer," former Penn State tight end Mickey Shuler said.

Before the Penn State wrestling team faced Iowa at Rec Hall on the State College, Pa., campus on Sunday afternoon, a moment of silence was observed.

When it was over the capacity crowd of more than 6,500 gave a 30-second standing ovation while an image of Paterno flashed on two video boards.

The screen flashed the words "Joseph Vincent Paterno. 1926-2012," just below the digitized picture of a smiling Paterno, wearing a blue tie and blue sweater vest with arms crossed across his chest.

"Please recognize now the passing earlier today of Penn State educator, philanthropist and coach, Joe Paterno," the announcer said.

"With coaching milestones too significant too list and impact too substantial to measure, JoePa ? as he is known to Nittany Lion fans everywhere ? will forever be remembered as a man whose family includes a team, a university and an entire sport," the announcer said. "Thank you Coach Paterno."

There also were moments of silence at Penn State men's and women's basketball games.

Former Penn State assistant coach Tom Bradley, who was interim coach for the Nittany Lions after Paterno was pushed out, called his former boss his "mentor for 37 years."

"Coach Paterno never believed that his role as 'Coach' ended after practice, or when the fourth quarter wound down or when a student-athlete graduated," Bradley said in a statement. "He was a coach for life."

Paterno began his career at Penn State in 1950 as an assistant coach under Rip Engle.

That's when Pro Football Hall of Famer Lenny Moore played for the Nittany Lions. Moore joined Mitchell ? they both played for the Colts and live in Baltimore ? for that trip to State College a couple weeks back.

Moore said he, Mitchell, Paterno and Paterno's wife, Sue, sat around the kitchen table and talked until it got dark and the visitors needed to get back.

"We talked the whole time and he was very together," Moore said. "Didn't look like he was having any pain. We told him we loved him and we left.

"I'm glad that we had the opportunity to do it. And I was glad that I told him how I felt about him."

Mike Guman, who played fullback for Penn State in the late 1970s, said the Paterno's legacy will be carried on by the many people whose lives he has touched.

"Football's a small part of his legacy, but it goes far beyond that," he said. "You could have become a good football player at many places but you wouldn't have become the man you are if you didn't go to Penn State."

Guman said he didn't think Paterno was treated fairly at the end of his time at Penn State and Mitchell agreed.

"They knew Joe was going to retire (at the end of last season)," Mitchell said "They could have let that play out but I think they panicked and jumped the gun."

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer ? one of many sports figures to pay tribute ? said he was fortunate to have developed a personal relationship with Paterno over the last few years. In Meyer's last game at Florida, his Gators beat Penn State.

"We have lost a remarkable person and someone who affected the lives of so many people in so many positive ways," Meyer said in statement. "His presence will be dearly missed. His legacy as a coach, as a winner and as a champion will carry on forever."

____

Associated Press Writer Brent Kallestad in Tallahassee, Fla., contributed to this report.

____

Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-22-Paterno-Sports%20Reax/id-42d31ef8b58e4280a7c9f384a373a481

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Video: Romney, Super PAC spends $7.3 million in Florida ads

>> next up for the presidential candidates , florida , where early voting is under way right now in the critical state . the primary is not until i should say january 3 1st. but mitt romney and the super pac supporting him have spent $73 million on ads. in fact, this ad where romney is praising his family and work ethic has already run in iowa and new hampshire. joining me now live is florida congressman. congressman, thank you for your time.

>> it's good to be with you.

>> so you are supporting mitt romney . let me talk to you about south carolina and how it may or may not set the stage for you state if he doesn't pull out a victory. you see the polls showing newt gingrich closing the gap or ahead of romney .

>> well, i think we're getting to the end of the nomination process. thank goodness. i think people have probably heard enough. but last week i made a decision to for for governor romney . if you look at all the the people with all the political rhetoric , what it boils down to is we want someone that can get our economy out of the ditch and provide some opportunity for our children and for the future, and somebody who has had elected executive experience. and when you go through them all, we have great candidates. south carolina and floridians and the rest of the nation will settle on mitt romney .

>> i'm intrigue that had you think it's wrapping up. iowa went to rick santorum . new hampshire went to governor romney . and today south carolina could go to newt gingrich . that would be the first time that all three -- the caucus and the two primaries went to a different candidate. why does that make you feel this is wrapping up? many people see that as being quite the opposite. rick santorum says win or lose, which it appears he probably won't eke out a victory. he says he's still in it.

>> some people have left the race. i've served with them. they have wonderful people. we all share a very similar political philosophy . but when this boils down to who are we going to get to give our children and the future of america back you want somebody who has had some business experience. i think you just look at the romney experience. he's a self made man. he has the experience, not only as far as business -- i mean, again if you're going to get unique experience, he has it taking businesses that were going down the tubes and making them work. you can't make everyone work in a free market society , but he did it. and then, again, and again, i love to hear the rhetoric and the debate and all the cliches. we need an elected executive.

>> i think people will debate whether or not he's self made, but i'll move onto that and ask you this, does mitt romney need to release his tax returns , and how soon? he wants to wait until april. chris christie says he needs to do it now. what do you say?

>> well, i think that's a nonissue.

>> really? why?

>> because, we know he has substantial income. we know he's made money.

>> so why not release it?

>> he can release them, i think, any time he feels it's appropriate. if he becomes the nominee, he should release them. he said he would in april. and i feel pretty confident he'll be the nominee by then and he'll do that. but the issues i hear when i'm home. we had president obama come to florida this week, and he's desperate in florida trying to make it look like he's doing something, we have 10% unemployment in florida . people aren't interested in tax returns , they want the opportunity --

>> yeah, those people unemployed -- we're almost out of time. on the last point, you say people aren't interested. they are --

>> not one person are talking about tax returns .

>> if they believe that the nominee is for the so called 1% who would greatly benefit from a 15% tax rate , that is a part of the narrative. it is a part of the have and the have not, and what kind of people would the president if it is mitt romney , who would he look out for? would he look out for the corporations that he refers to as people or would he look out for the people of south carolina who make an average income of $30,000 and many of the people i have spoken with and spent time with in your state of florida , desperately trying to find work. they did not lose their jobs under the obama administration. they were out of work under the prior administration, which was president bush .

>> you know, everything starts pretty close to home here. i look at newt gingrich , we have some fine people and they talk good political games. but again you start with the family and then you look at how people conduct themselves, then you look at business. and you look at have they run a business? have they gotten a business out of the ditch?

>> congressman --

>> the other thing, do you have elected executive experience to get this country moving.

>> i get your point. we'll see what they get. thank you so much, congressman. this monday, by the way, don't miss the nbc news presidential debate moderated by brian williams live from the university of

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/newsnation/46083265/

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It's All Good (talking-points-memo)

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Sonnen vs. Bisping is for title shot, but Chael says Silva will never fight him

Dana White released his first video blog for the card on FX today. One interesting scene includes the UFC president dealing with the withdrawal of Mark Munoz from the UFC on Fox 2 card. White is getting ready to release news of the new Chael Sonnen-Michael Bising fight and says the winner will get a title shot against the currently sidelined UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva.

White must know something Sonnen doesn't because the outspoken contender sounds pretty sure he'll never face Silva.

"I'm not going to fight Anderson either way. They can say whatever they want. Anderson is never going to do that fight," Sonnen told "The MMA Insiders" show last week on Las Vegas' ESPN1100/98.9 FM. "I hope he's healthy and has a good life, but I'm not buying into this mythical world that Anderson is going to some day sign a contract to fight me."

During today's UFC on Fox 2 conference call, Sonnen reiterated his theory and said Silva turned down the fight to their boss' face.

"He even said no to (UFC executive) Lorenzo Fertitta's face. Face-to-face, not over the phone ? Lorenzo brought him out, sat him down, and said, 'This is the fight we want.' And Anderson said no," said Sonnen.

Sonnen knows management isn't pleased and questions the severity of Silva's back and shoulder injuries.

"They're not happy about it. The message to Anderson was this ' Chael is the opponent for you. You can fight him or you can't fight nobody. He elected to fight nobody,'" said Sonnen. "Dan Henderson said it perfectly, if the right opponent comes up, all of Anderson's injuries will go away."

Silva's next opponent will be known next Saturday night. A date and location is completely up in the air until Silva announces when he can officially return.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/sonnen-vs-bisping-title-shot-chael-says-silva-231128840.html

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LA hospital prepares to send tiny baby home

Haydee Ibarra looks at her 14-week-old daughter, Melinda Star Guido, at the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011. At birth, Melinda Star Guido tipped the scales at only 9 1/2 ounces, less than a can of soda. After spending her early months in the neonatal intensive care unit, a team of doctors and nurses will gather Friday Jan. 20, 2012 to see her off as she heads home. She is the world's third smallest baby and the second smallest in the U.S. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Haydee Ibarra looks at her 14-week-old daughter, Melinda Star Guido, at the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011. At birth, Melinda Star Guido tipped the scales at only 9 1/2 ounces, less than a can of soda. After spending her early months in the neonatal intensive care unit, a team of doctors and nurses will gather Friday Jan. 20, 2012 to see her off as she heads home. She is the world's third smallest baby and the second smallest in the U.S. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? One of the world's smallest surviving babies is headed home.

Melinda Star Guido weighed only 9 ? ounces at birth? less than a can of soda. After spending her early months in the neonatal intensive care unit, a team of doctors and nurses will gather Friday to see her off.

Melinda has been growing steadily and gaining weight since she was born premature at 24 weeks in August at the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center. She is the world's third smallest baby and the second smallest in the U.S.

Now weighing 4? pounds, doctors said Melinda has made enough progress to be discharged. It's too early to know how she will fare developmentally and physically, but doctors planned to monitor her for the next six years.

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

A study published in the journal Pediatrics in 2010 found that 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. Melinda's mother, 22-year-old Haydee Ibarra, held her for the first time after the operation in November.

Despite the hurdles, doctors said Melinda was fortunate she did not suffer serious complications such as bleeding in the brain.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-20-Tiny%20Baby/id-8028fbc37ec84d7dabab801b93bf1e40

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Peru gov't bans trips abroad for terror convicts (AP)

LIMA, Peru ? Peru's President Ollanta Humala has signed a law forbidding judges to let people convicted of terrorism-related crimes leave the country while on parole.

The law that takes effect Saturday was prompted by controversy over the case of a New York woman, Lori Berenson.

She is on parole after serving 15 years on a conviction of aiding leftist rebels in an alleged plot to take over Peru's Congress. Her sentence ends in 2015.

Many Peruvians were outraged when a judge let her take a 17-day trip to New York for the holidays. She honored conditions of the parole and returned Jan. 5.

Official reports show that three Chilean parolees also were allowed to make brief trips abroad in recent years.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/terrorism/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_peru_terrorism

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Gingrich, Romney Ham house standoff fizzles (AP)

GREENVILLE, S.C. ? So just where was the beef?

It turns out that the great ham house standoff had no sizzle, no matter how you sliced it.

GOP presidential rivals Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich were expected to cross paths at a campaign stop in Greenville as they rallied voters on primary day. But the much-hyped Republican run-in failed to materialize after Romney showed up at Tommy's Ham House earlier than originally planned.

A sea of "Newt 2012" and "Romney" signs jostled in the packed restaurant.

Romney departed about 20 minutes before Gingrich arrived. When Gingrich walked in he said, "where's Mitt?"

Earlier, Gingrich urged voters to support him if they want to stop Romney from winning the nomination.

Gingrich stopped by The Grapevine restaurant in Boiling Springs not long after the polls opened g. He told diners who were enjoying plates of eggs and grits that he's the "the only practical conservative vote" if Republicans want to slow Romney, described by Gingrich as a Massachusetts moderate.

Gingrich said he would put a stop to federal actions against South Carolina's voter ID and immigration laws.

The former House speaker, who has seen his support rise in the days before the primary, said "polls are good, votes are better."

After disappointing finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, the former House speaker hit his stride as the nation's first Southern primary neared, rallying conservatives behind him as the most viable alternative to the former Massachusetts governor.

Fueled by fiery debate performances and assisted in part by his Southern roots, Gingrich counted on a strong performance Saturday in South Carolina's GOP primary to catapult him back into the top tier of White House hopefuls.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_el_pr/us_gingrich

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AP: Prof to seek dismissal of NJ child porn case (AP)

EAGLESWOOD TOWNSHIP, N.J. ? An architecture professor arrested after firefighters battling a blaze at his Jersey shore home found a 1970s magazine depicting naked prepubescent girls plans to seek dismissal of the child endangerment charge though a pretrial intervention program, his lawyer said Friday.

Attorney Hal Haveson told The Associated Press that Gamal El-Zoghby acknowledges the magazine found by firefighters Tuesday was his. But the 76-year-old professor at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y., bought it decades ago and hasn't looked at it since, the attorney said.

"It was stuff he had discarded from his mind, just not from his home," Haveson said.

El-Zoghby is charged with child endangerment as a result of the discovery of the magazine in question.

It is but one of a collection of 60 or 70 adult magazines found by firefighters who responded to a blaze at El-Zoghby's waterfront home just before noon Tuesday, Haveson said. State police said only one magazine contained images of naked prepubescent girls.

The vast majority of the magazines were Playboy and Hustler magazines from the 1970s, which the attorney said are much tamer than what is generally considered to be pornography today.

"And the fact that it was all from the 1970s reinforces my client's contention that this is stuff he hadn't seen in decades," Haveson said. "If this were someone who was into this, you'd expect to find a lot more, newer stuff."

The attorney wouldn't directly address why El-Zoghby had originally obtained the magazine in question, other than to say, "He had a reasonable, non-prurient explanation for that. It was not because he enjoyed child pornography." He declined to comment further.

The lawyer also said he's not sure that what's in the magazine meets the legal definition of child pornography. A lot depends on whether the images are intended to appeal to prurient or sexual interests, he said.

"My client doesn't know because he hasn't seen this in decades," he said.

The architect had intended for years to throw away the magazine but never did, his attorney said.

El-Zoghby is due in Eagleswood municipal court on Wednesday for a brief hearing, at which the judge is expected to refer the case to state Superior Court, Haveson said.

Ultimately, El-Zoghby will apply for New Jersey's pretrial intervention program, which lets certain first-time offenders charged with nonviolent crimes have their criminal record wiped clean if they complete the program and stay out of trouble. Prosecutors would have to agree to let him enter the program in order to avoid a trial.

El-Zoghby's request to enter the program is not expected to be made until the case reaches the Superior Court level.

The professor is on a leave of absence at Pratt while the school investigates. A spokeswoman said Friday his status had not changed.

"This is all stuff from the 1970s; that's really important," Haveson said. "What someone does in their younger years does not define the man. He is not a collector of child pornography. My client had not paid any attention to this in decades."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_re_us/us_fire_child_pornography

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NASA still not hiding aliens: Triangular 'UFO' debunked (+video)

Footage captured by NASA shows Venus, Earth and, on the opposite side of the field-of-view, a?briefly?mysterious triangular object headed our way.

Once again, alien conspiracy theorists have attempted to use publicly available NASA images to prove that the space agency must be engaging in an elaborate UFO cover-up. And, once again, they've been foiled by the laws of physics.

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This time, they called attention to?peculiar new footage?captured by a telescope onboard NASA's STEREO-B spacecraft ? one of a pair of probes parked on either side of the sun which, together, provide a 360-degree view of the inner solar system. The footage shows Venus, Earth and, on the opposite side of the field-of-view, a mysterious triangular object headed our way.

"Comparing it for size to the planetary objects that are seen in this telescope, if my calculations are correct, that thing is enormous," said YouTube user "BeePeeOilDisaster" in his video commentary on the footage, which was captured Dec. 27 -29. Talk of a cover-up quickly followed when, a few days later, NASA scientists updated the STEREO website to display newer images.?

This is not the first time?alien hunters?have found what they believe to be enormous UFOs in images captured by the STEREO probes. [Mysterious Planet-Size Object Spotted Near Mercury]

But this time, the team of scientists who work with data from the probes decided to address the claim directly. In?a post on the STEREO website, the researchers offered up an explanation of the triangular feature in the December footage. The researchers say it's no more than a trick of the light.

"The answer lies on the exact opposite side of the image," the scientists wrote. "At the same time as this strange-looking feature starts being visible, the very bright planet Venus enters the [telescopic camera's] field-of-view from the lower left."

The scientists note that Venus and the triangle, opposite each other across the middle of the camera plane, stay in step as they move. "This is not a coincidence. The strange-looking geometrical 'object' is actually an internal reflection of?the planet Venus?within the telescope optics. This effect has been seen many times before."

In this optical effect, incoming light reflects back and forth off lenses and mirrors inside the telescope; the shape of artifacts produced by this scattered light ? usually triangles and circles of various sizes ? depends on the relative orientations of those lenses and mirrors.?

Another example of internal reflection, this time of light from planet Earth, can be seen in?a STEREO-B image from May 2007. More examples of internal reflection and other optical and data-processing artifacts are displayed on the scientists' "Image Artifacts" Web page, along with explanations of the various effects.

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Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/LbY_7SaN6ow/NASA-still-not-hiding-aliens-Triangular-UFO-debunked-video

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