BPM in Communications Industry (Oracle BPM)

The following series of blog posts discuss common BPM use-cases in the Communications industry.?

• Communications Service Providers (CSPs) are faced with declining voice revenues; hyper-competition from increasing number of IP network based providers and customer demand for integrated telephony, mobile, TV and internet services.While ?Triple play? or ?Quadruple play? offerings have become the norm, CSPs are experiencing increasing customer churn and revenue-leakage arising from errors and delays in order management across order-capture and order-provisioning.

For details, click Gain the Customer-service Advantage with Agile Order-cycle Processes.

• The distinction between network operator Communications Service Providers (CSPs) and virtual CSPs e.g. MVNOs is decreasing by the day driven by industry deregulation and proliferation of IP based networks that have lowered barriers to entry. This hyper-competition is creating continuous pressure on CSPs to shorten time-to-market cycles for PLM and FAB (fulfillment, assurance and billing) processes to differentiate.

For details, click Driving Operational Efficiency with eTOM

Source: http://blogs.oracle.com/bpm/entry/communications_industry_bpm_scenarios

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A dolphin could be Romney's undoing - Le?gal In?sur?rec?tion

I saw the link to this circulated on Twitter. I assume this is by a pro-Newt entity, but it just as easily could be the Democrats? theme for the general election.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, the sound of the dolphin may be worth ten thousand words, or the image of John Kerry wind surfing, or Mike Dukakis in a tank.

The sound is what makes the ad devastating. It?s memorable.

?

?

?

Source: http://legalinsurrection.com/2012/01/a-dolphin-could-be-romneys-undoing/

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Florida highway pileup kills at least 9 people (AP)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. ? A long line of cars and trucks collided one after another early Sunday on a dark Florida highway so shrouded in haze and smoke that drivers were virtually blinded. At least nine people were killed.

Visibility was so poor that when rescuers first arrived, they could only listen for screams and moans to locate victims, police said.

Authorities were still trying to determine what caused the pileup south of Gainsville on Interstate 75, which had been closed for a time because of the mixture of fog and heavy smoke from a brush fire. At least five cars and six tractor-trailers were involved, and some burst into flame.

Photographs of the scene revealed a gruesome aftermath, with twisted, burned-out vehicles scattered across the pavement and smoke still rising above the wreckage. Cars appeared to have smashed into the big rigs and, in one case, a motor home. Some cars were crushed beneath the heavier trucks.

Reporters who were allowed to view the site saw one tractor-trailer that was burned down to its skeleton, charred pages of books and magazines in its cargo area. Bodies were still visible inside a burned-out Grand Prix. The rubber on the tires of every vehicle had burned away, leaving only steel belts.

State police estimated that wreckage was strewn for nearly a mile in both directions.

Donna Henry was driving south at 3:45 a.m. when she encountered the dense smoke.

"We just hit it, and you couldn't see anything," Henry told The Gainesville Sun. She was driving with friends back home to Palm Bay.

Her car struck a guardrail and ended up sideways in the outside lane. She pulled off the highway and called 911 while listening to the sound of the other crashes on both sides of the busy road.

"You heard like 15 times somebody hit, from this side and that, north and south. It was bad."

All six lanes of the interstate ? which runs virtually the entire length of Florida ? remained closed at midday as investigators surveyed the site and firefighters sprayed foam on the wreckage to put out the last of the fires.

At least 18 people were hurt.

At some point before the pileup, police briefly closed the highway because of the fog and smoke, which came from a fire in the Paynes Prairie area south of Gainesville. The road was reopened when visibility improved.

Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Patrick Riordan said he was not sure how much time passed between the reopening of the highway and the first crash.

Traffic was being diverted onto U.S. 301 and State Road 27, Riordan said.

Four years ago, heavy fog and smoke were blamed for another serious crash.

In January 2008, four people were killed and 38 injured in a series of similar crashes on Interstate 4 between Orlando and Tampa, about 125 miles south of Sunday's crash. More than 70 vehicles were involved in those crashes, including one pileup that involved 40 vehicles.

___

Associated Press Writer Freida Frisaro in Miami contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_re_us/us_deadly_interstate_crash

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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/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_en_ot/us_people_madonna_malawi

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Repeated drought in east Africa may prompt aid rethink

RAINFALL patterns over east Africa have changed in a way that makes severe droughts more likely - and this means aid agencies need to rethink the way they operate.

Change is already on the cards for the aid response to drought and famine in east Africa. The region, which is racked by poverty, experienced its worst drought for 60 years in 2010 and 2011. A report released last week by Oxfam and Save the Children argued that the international relief effort was far too slow to get going, leading to thousands of avoidable deaths. Despite warnings that a drought was likely, many donors refused to act until the crisis received widespread media attention.

Not only would gradual stockpiling of supplies have saved more lives, it would have made economic sense too. "If we don't get the resources until people are starving it costs [relief agencies] more," says Challiss McDonough, the UN World Food Programme's senior spokeswoman for the region.

Even stockpiling may not be enough to prevent future famines if ongoing research concludes that severe droughts in the region are becoming more likely.

Last year's drought occurred because both of the region's rainy seasons failed. We already know that the trigger for the failure of the "short rains", between October and December 2010, was La Ni?a - a cyclical meteorological event caused by a pulse of cool water rising to the surface of the eastern Pacific Ocean. But efforts to work out why the "long rains" that occur between March and May fail have drawn a blank - until now.

Bradfield Lyon and David DeWitt of Columbia University in New York examined records of the long rains and found that they have been much more likely to fail since 1999. That year also marked a sharp rise in sea-surface temperatures in the western tropical Pacific Ocean, while further east the ocean cooled.

Lyon thinks this change in temperatures has altered atmospheric circulation patterns, cutting off the supply of moisture to east Africa (Geophysical Research Letters, DOI: 10.1029/2011GL050337). A 2010 report by the United States Geological Survey suggested a similar mechanism.

"This does not bode well for the long rains," Lyon says. "While other factors can influence the outcome during any given rainy season, this slowly varying 'background' favours lacklustre long rains."

The crucial question now is whether the temperature changes in the Pacific reflect a natural variability in the climate that might reset itself in a few years or whether the shift to weaker long rains is a permanent result of human-induced climate change.

The answer may come later this year when researchers at the UK Met Office complete an attribution study on the 2011 drought. They are running two sets of climate models, one with and one without the effects of humanity's greenhouse gas emissions, to see whether drought in east Africa becomes more likely in a warming world.

If it turns out climate change is making extreme weather events more likely, it is important to help locals build resilience, for instance by building irrigation systems to cope with drought, says Grainne Moloney, a chief technical adviser with FAO Somalia, a division of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization.

At the moment such efforts are hampered by the way aid money is managed, says Moloney. There are separate funds for short-term and long-term aid, often run by different organisations. "There has always been a distinction between emergency people and development people," she says. That means the response to immediate crises, while it saves lives, never addresses the underlying problems. "That's why we're in this mess."

The two sorts of aid need to be integrated, Moloney says, if tragedy is to be avoided.

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Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/1c30f001/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cmg213284940B40A0A0Erepeated0Edrought0Ein0Eeast0Eafrica0Emay0Eprompt0Eaid0Erethink0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

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(AP)

Islam is not a religion nor is it a cult. It is a complete system.
Islam has religious, legal, political, economic and military components. The religious component is a beard for all the other components.

Islamization occurs when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their so-called ?religious rights.?
When politically correct and culturally diverse societies agree to ?the reasonable? Muslim demands for their ?religious rights,? they also get the other components under the table. Here?s how it works (percentages source CIA: The World Fact Book (2007)).
As long as the Muslim population remains around 1% of any given country they will be regarded as a peace-loving minority and not as a threat to anyone. In fact, they may be featured in articles and films, stereotyped for their colorful uniqueness:

United States ? Muslim 1.0%
Australia ? Muslim 1.5%
Canada ? Muslim 1.9%
China ? Muslim 1%-2%
Italy ? Muslim 1.5%
Norway ? Muslim 1.8%

At 2% and 3% they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs:

Denmark ? Muslim 2%
Germany ? Muslim 3.7%
United Kingdom ? Muslim 2.7%
Spain ? Muslim 4%
Thailand ? Muslim 4.6%

From 5% on they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population.
They will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature it on their shelves ? along with threats for failure to comply. ( United States ).

France ? Muslim 8%
Philippines ? Muslim 5%
Sweden ? Muslim 5%
Switzerland ? Muslim 4.3%
The Netherlands ? Muslim 5.5%
Trinidad &Tobago ? Muslim 5.8%

At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves under Sharia, the Islamic Law. The ultimate goal of Islam is not to convert the world but to establish Sharia law over the entire world.
When Muslims reach 10% of the population, they will increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions ( Paris ?car-burnings). Any non-Muslim action that offends Islam will result in uprisings and threats ( Amsterdam ? Mohammed cartoons).

Guyana ? Muslim 10%
India ? Muslim 13.4%
Israel ? Muslim 16%
Kenya ? Muslim 10%
Russia ? Muslim 10-15%

After reaching 20% expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings and church and synagogue burning:
Ethiopia ? Muslim 32.8%

At 40% you will find widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks and ongoing militia warfare:

Bosnia ? Muslim 40%
Chad ? Muslim 53.1%
Lebanon ? Muslim 59.7%

From 60% you may expect unfettered persecution of non-believers and other religions, sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon and Jizya, the tax placed on infidels:

Albania ? Muslim 70%
Malaysia ? Muslim 60.4%
Qatar ? Muslim 77.5%
Sudan ? Muslim 70%

After 80% expect State run ethnic cleansing and genocide:

Bangladesh ? Muslim 83%
Egypt ? Muslim 90%
Gaza ? Muslim 98.7%
Indonesia ? Muslim 86.1%
Iran ? Muslim 98%
Iraq ? Muslim 97%
Jordan ? Muslim 92%
Morocco ? Muslim 98.7%
Pakistan ? Muslim 97%
Palestine ? Muslim 99%
Syria ? Muslim 90%
Tajikistan ? Muslim 90%
Turkey ? Muslim 99.8%
United Arab Emirates ? Muslim 96%

100% will usher in the peace of ?Dar-es-Salaam? ? the Islamic House of Peace ? there?s (supposed) to be peace because everybody is a Muslim: we know however that this isnt true is it...?

Afghanistan ? Muslim 100%
Saudi Arabia ? Muslim 100%
Somalia ? Muslim 100%
Yemen ? Muslim 99.9%

Of course, that?s not the case. To satisfy their religiously ordained blood lust, Muslims then start killing each other for a variety of reasons...and they are coming to a neighborhood near you...so keep thinking they are not going to harm you and they "accept" you.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_apnewsalert

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Obama urges Congress to act in election year (AP)

CAMBRIDGE, Md. ? President Barack Obama rallied House Democrats for an election-year fight, urging them to work with Republicans if they show some willingness to put politics aside but telling the rank and file to call them out if they stand in the way.

Addressing Democrats on the final day of their three-day annual retreat, Obama outlined the political stakes over the next few months as congressional Democrats try to push his agenda in the face of Republican opposition, the GOP choses its nominee and signs of recovery in a fragile economy go a long way to determining his re-election chances and the party's fate.

Obama said Democrats should seize the opportunity "whenever there is a possibility that the other side is putting some politics aside for just a nanosecond in order to get something done for the American people, we've got to be right there ready to meet them," the president told the sometimes raucous crowd.

However, "where they obstruct, where they're unwilling to act, where they're more interested in party than they are in country, more interested in the next election than the next generation, then we've got to call them out on it," the president said. "We've got to push. We can't wait; we can't be held back."

Coming off a three-day tour to promote his State of the Union message, Obama promised a "robust debate about whose vision is more promising" when Republicans choose their nominee.

On a day when reports showed the economy picking up late in 2011 but still considered "fragile" by the White House, Obama told Democrats wondering about their re-election prospects: "It's going to be a tough election because a lot of people are still hurting out there and a lot of people have lost faith generally about the capacity of Washington to get anything done."

House Republicans, who held their retreat in Baltimore last week, have repeatedly said the election will be a referendum on Obama's policies, especially his handling of the economy.

The president acknowledged that Democrats have embraced parts of his agenda when it was politically difficult and in some cases costly. The party took a drubbing in the midterm elections, losing control of the House and seeing their ranks diminished in the Senate.

And despite some past clashes with House Democrats over his willingness to compromise with Republicans, Obama was warmly received and was introduced as "our champion" by Rep. John Larson of Connecticut.

The president returned the warmth with a vote of confidence that Democrats would win back the House in November, making a nod to their leader as "soon-to-be once-again Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi."

"I believe in you guys. You guys have had my back through some very tough times," said the president, who received a small gift ? a DVD of House Democrats singing Rev. Al Green's "Let's Stay Together."

Last week, at a fundraiser at the Apollo Theater in New York, Obama stood on the stage and crooned a line from the Green classic.

Democrats were upbeat at their three-day session, energized by Obama's State of the Union address and its populist themes as well as recent polls showing more Americans say the country is on the right track and approve of Obama's handling of the economy. Divisions in the Republican ranks that were on full display last year in the fight over extending the payroll tax cut and the bitter battle between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich for the GOP presidential nomination also lifted Democratic spirits.

But the relationship with the White House hasn't always been cordial. Vice President Joe Biden, who addressed the Democrats prior to Obama's speech, described some of the rough patches.

He noted that several members in the room were mad at him in December 2010 after Obama negotiated an extension of President George W. Bush's tax cuts over the objections of some House Democrats. Last year, frustrated Democrats complained the Obama gave away too much in negotiating a spending bill and an agreement to raise the government's borrowing authority.

Biden said Pelosi told him at the last conference to "get tough. Enough is enough." He said the "message was heard. The message was heard. And I think we've delivered."

Biden said Democrats would reclaim the House and he would help candidates in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, New Hampshire and Florida. Those states also are critical to Obama's hopes of winning another term.

"We cannot succeed unless you all come back," Biden told House Democrats.

The vice president was more pointed in his political remarks than Obama and called out some Republicans by name. He said the American people will reject GOP unwillingness to compromise and its blatant determination to make Obama a one-term president.

Of the presidential candidates, Biden said Romney's criticism of the auto bailout and a host of positions stated by rival Newt Gingrich on government intervention will create a clear contrast for voters.

"These guys are helping us by saying what they believe," Biden said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_go_co/us_house_democrats

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Surviving Monty Python Members Reunite for New Film

IFC/AP

The original Monty Python troupe in 1969. Front row, l.-r., Terry Jones, John Cleese and Michael Palin; back row, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle and Terry Gilliam.

And now for something completely unexpected.

The brilliantly funny Brits behind ?Monty Python's Flying Circus? are reuniting for the first time for a big-screen adventure in nearly 30 years.

Michael Palin, John Cleese, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam and Eric Idle will lend their voices to the sci-fi farce "Absolutely Anything."

Original group member Graham Chapman died in 1989.

It's not being considered a Monty Python film, but it would be the first time all of the surviving members of the comedy group have appeared together in a movie since 1983?s ?Monty Python?s The Meaning of Life.?

"It's not a Monty Python picture, but it certainly has that sensibility," Jones told Variety.

The film, which will starting production next year and combine CGI and live action, will feature the five as aliens who endow a human with the power to do anything just to see what happens. It will be directed by Jones from a script he co-wrote with Gavin Scott.

The Monty Python troupe made five films in total, starting with 1971's "And Now for Something Completely Different."?

Different members of the Python players have worked together on different projects over the years. For example, Cleese and Palin worked together on two films, "A Fish Called Wanda" in 1988 and "Fierce Creatures" in 1997. Idle also played a role in Gilliam's 1988 fantasy film, "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen."

msheridan@nydailynews.com; Twitter.com/NYDNSheridan

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1924382/news/1924382/

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Sundance 2012: The Five Most Buzzed-About Movies

From teen comedy 'The First Time' to horror flick 'V/H/S,' MTV News wraps up the most talked-about premieres.
By Kevin P. Sullivan

Helen Hunt and John Hawkes in "The Surrogate"
Photo: Fox Searchlight

For those of us not lucky enough to be in Park City, Utah, right now, the biggest stories coming out of the Sundance Film Festival detail the standing ovations and the distribution deals that filmmakers sign for millions of dollars.

With so many films making their premieres at Sundance, it can be difficult to keep track of which ones you need to be paying attention to and looking out for later this year. To help you out, we've rounded up the five films that are coming out of Park City with the biggest buzz.

Here is our list of the five most talked-about Sundance films.

"The Surrogate"
With Oscar nominations being announced Tuesday, looking forward to the 2013 Oscar nominees may seem a little premature. That hasn't stopped festival attendees from heralding the performances from John Hawkes, Helen Hunt and William H. Macy and predicting Academy Award nominations come next January. In the film, Hawkes plays Mark, a man in an iron lung. Mark decides that he must finally lose his virginity and contacts a sex surrogate played by Hunt. "The Surrogate" earned standing ovations and some of the earliest Oscars talk we've ever heard.

"Beasts of the Southern Wild"
One of the outright surprises of the festival came in the form of 6-year old Quvenzhané Wallis and her breakout role in Benh Zeitlin's "Beasts of the Southern Wild." The film virtually came out of nowhere and won over audiences handedly. Set in some alternate but fairly relatable reality, Wallis plays Hushpuppy, who has to navigate a brave new world after her father becomes ill. Arguably the festival's most coveted distributor, Fox Searchlight, snapped up the distribution rights for "Beasts" after paying $6 million for "The Surrogate."

"V/H/S"
What better praise can a horror film get than an audience member fainting during a screening? The horror anthology "V/H/S" supposedly had that exact effect on one unlucky audience member. Six of horror's hottest up-and-coming directors contributed segments to this found-footage film, which follows a group of burglars breaking into a mysterious house to search for a specific VHS tape. The movie scared audiences throughout the festival and is considered a must-see for horror fans.

"The First Time"
Once you find out that a movie called "The First Time" follows a blossoming romance between two teenagers, you'd probably assume you know what's going on. Most of the reviews for the film acknowledge their expectations going into the teen comedy from writer-director Jon Kasdan, but many of those reviews then describe how "The First Time" surprised them with its infectious charm. Set over the course of one weekend, "The First Time" stars Britt Robertson of "The Secret Circle" and Dylan O'Brien of MTV's "Teen Wolf" as high school kids who meet but are tied up in other relationships.

"Celeste and Jesse Forever"
Rashida Jones has charmed audiences in movies and television for years but always remained just outside the realm of leading lady. Perhaps deciding to make the change herself, Jones co-wrote and starred in "Celeste and Jesse Forever," an indie romance with Andy Samberg. The two play a recently divorced couple attempting to remain friends after the breakup. Critics applauded the film's script, which strikes a balance between comedy and poignant romantic drama.

Which of these five films are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments!

Related Videos

• Sundance 2012: Interviews From Park City

Related Photos

• Celebrities Hit The Ground At Sundance 2012 Film Fest

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677917/sundance-best-the-surrogate.jhtml

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Wisconsin's Scott Walker poised to bury recall foes in money chase

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker raised $4.5 million in a recent five-week period ? vastly more than his opponents. The sum might scare off unions from spending big money in a potential recall election.

Even though the election to recall Gov. Scott Walker (R) of Wisconsin is months away, it is already gearing up to be an expensive fight.?

Skip to next paragraph

Governor Walker has raised more in campaign donations to fight the recall effort than he did to win his seat less than two years ago. In fact, his fundraising advantage over unions leading the recall effort is so massive that unions are now questioning how much they should try to compete.

With other states including Indiana, Ohio and Florida gearing up for antiunion fights, some labor leaders are wary of dumping valuable resources into Wisconsin.?

The AFL-CIO ?always expects to be outspent,? spokesman?Jeff Hauser told The Hill, Capitol Hill's newspaper. But?Wisconsin is indicative of a deeper problem, he added, because ?the margin of being outspent is greater in 2012 than it?s ever been before.?

With big business pushing Republicans nationwide to take on unions ? the primary opposition to their pro-business agenda ? antiunion measures are getting substantial financial backing.?In Wisconsin, the disparities are stark.?

In a filing with the state?s election agency Monday, Walker disclosed that he raised about $4.5 million in the five-week period running between Dec. 11 and Jan. 17. During the past year, between Jan. 1, 2011, and Jan. 17, 2012, he raised a total of $12 million.

Walker has been actively campaigning on his record and courting donors since it became apparent last year a possible recall election loomed. In the past five weeks he spent about $4.9 million, leaving about $2.7 million in his campaign coffers.

By contrast, in the same recent five-week period, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin raised $394,213. United Wisconsin, an organization affiliated with labor unions, raised $86,379.

The recall effort is a?result of public anger that developed a year ago when Walker pushed through a bill that limited collective bargaining for many public-sector unions. Wisconsin voters successfully removed two Republican state senators from office in a recall election last summer. This current recall effort also targets Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and four Republican state senators.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/yb3YVXdX4Lc/Wisconsin-s-Scott-Walker-poised-to-bury-recall-foes-in-money-chase

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Groups sue over Navy sonar use off Northwest (AP)

SEATTLE ? A group of conservationists and Indian tribes is suing over the Navy's expanded use of sonar in training exercises off the Washington, Oregon and California coasts, saying the noise can harass and kill whales and other marine life.

In a lawsuit being filed Thursday, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Earthjustice and other groups claim the National Marine Fisheries Service was wrong to approve the Navy's plan for the expanded training. They say the regulators should have considered the effects repeated sonar use can have on those species over many years.

They want certain restrictions on where and when the Navy can conduct sonar and other loud activities to protect orcas, humpbacks and other marine mammals.

Instead, the Navy is only required to look around and see if whales are present before they conduct the training.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_re_us/us_navy_whales

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Greek filmmaker Theo Angelopoulos dies in accident (AP)

ATHENS, Greece ? Theo Angelopoulos, an award-winning Greek filmmaker known for his slow and dreamlike style as a director, was killed in a road accident Tuesday while working on his latest movie. He was 76.

Police and hospital officials said Angelopoulos suffered serious head injuries and died at a hospital after being hit by a motorcycle while walking across a road close to a movie set near Athens' main port of Piraeus.

The driver, also injured and hospitalized, was later identified as an off-duty police officer.

The accident occurred while Angelopoulos was working on his upcoming movie "The Other Sea."

Angelopoulos had won numerous awards for his movies, mostly at European film festivals, during a career that spanned more than 40 years.

In 1995, he won the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival for "Ulysses' Gaze," starring American actor Harvey Keitel.

Born in Athens in 1935, Angelopoulos lived through the Nazi occupation of Greece during World War II and the ensuing 1946-49 Greek Civil War ? recurring themes in his early films.

He studied law at Athens University, but eventually lost interest and moved to France where he studied film at the Institute of Advanced Cinematographic Studies in Paris.

After returning to Greece, he worked as a film critic for a small, left-wing newspaper and started to make films during the 1967-74 dictatorship.

Described as mild-mannered but uncompromising, Angelopoulos' often sad and slow-moving films mostly dealt with issues from Greece's turbulent recent history: war, exile, immigration and political division.

It was not until 1984 with "Voyage to Kythera" that his scripts were written in collaboration with others.

Angelopoulos mostly attracted art-house audiences, using established actors including Marcello Mastroianni and Jeanne Moreau in two of his most widely acclaimed films, "The Bee Keeper" and "The Suspended Stride of the Stalk."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_en_mo/eu_greece_obit_angelopoulos

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Gay marriage returns to the political spotlight

FILE - In this Monday, Jan. 23, 2012 file photo, Ken Jackson, right, and Don Taylor carry a sign that reads "Stand Up For Marriage - One Man + One Woman" following a rally at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. on the day Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, announced her support for legalizing gay marriage. With a flurry of coast-to-coast developments in late January 2012, same-sex marriage is back in the political spotlight and likely to remain there through Election Day as a half-dozen states face potentially wrenching votes on the issue. In most of the showdown states - notably Maryland, New Jersey, Washington and Minnesota - polls suggest voters are almost evenly divided on whether gays deserve the right to wed. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

FILE - In this Monday, Jan. 23, 2012 file photo, Ken Jackson, right, and Don Taylor carry a sign that reads "Stand Up For Marriage - One Man + One Woman" following a rally at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. on the day Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, announced her support for legalizing gay marriage. With a flurry of coast-to-coast developments in late January 2012, same-sex marriage is back in the political spotlight and likely to remain there through Election Day as a half-dozen states face potentially wrenching votes on the issue. In most of the showdown states - notably Maryland, New Jersey, Washington and Minnesota - polls suggest voters are almost evenly divided on whether gays deserve the right to wed. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

FILE - In this Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012 file photo, Daryl Fields, center, and his partner O'Brian Banner, right, speak during a news conference in Annapolis, Md. to announce support of a same-sex marriage bill by Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, left. A similar bill passed the state Senate last year but stalled in the House of Delegates. With a flurry of coast-to-coast developments in late January 2012, same-sex marriage is back in the political spotlight and likely to remain there through Election Day as a half-dozen states face potentially wrenching votes on the issue. In most of the showdown states - notably Maryland, New Jersey, Washington and Minnesota - polls suggest voters are almost evenly divided on whether gays deserve the right to wed. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

With a flurry of coast-to-coast developments this week, same-sex marriage is back in the political spotlight and likely to remain there through Election Day as a half-dozen states face potentially wrenching votes on the issue.

In Maryland, New Jersey and Washington, bills to legalize same-sex marriage have high-powered support and good chances of passage in the legislature. Gay-marriage opponents in Maryland and Washington would likely react by seeking referendums in November to overturn those laws, while New Jersey's Republican governor, Chris Christie, says he'll veto the bill if it reaches him and prefers that lawmakers OK a referendum so voters can decide.

In all three states, polls suggest voters are closely divided on whether gays should have the right to marry, so there's a chance one could emerge as the first state to support same-sex marriage in a statewide vote.

Maine voters also may have an opportunity to vote for same-sex marriage in November; an announcement by gay-rights activists about a ballot-measure campaign is set for Thursday. Proposed amendments for constitutional bans on gay marriage will be on the ballots in North Carolina on May 8 and in Minnesota on Nov. 6.

In New Hampshire, Republicans who now control the legislature are mulling whether to repeal the 2009 law legalizing same-sex marriage. Their state is one of six with such laws, along with Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont, as well as the District of Columbia.

Added together, the state-level showdowns will likely raise the prominence of the marriage issue in the presidential campaign, even though it's not a topic that the leading candidates tend to broach proactively.

"There's a lot going on," said gay-marriage advocate Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry. "It means that candidates ? whether Romney or Obama ? who hope to avoid the discussion will not be able to."

Three of the remaining Republican presidential contenders, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, have signed a National Organization for Marriage pledge opposing same-sex marriage and endorsing a federal constitutional amendment to ban it. But it's not among the topics prominent in the stump speeches of Romney or Newt Gingrich, the two front-runners.

On the Democratic side, President Barack Obama has taken several steps during his first term that have pleased gay-rights advocates, but says he is still "evolving" in regard to same-sex marriage and isn't ready to endorse it. Some activists hope he will do so before the election, though there's been no strong hint of that from the White House.

"Obama will get asked about it, and you can't straddle both sides of this forever," said Richard Socarides, a former Clinton White House adviser on gay rights. "Clearly he's not going to retreat, so he only has one place to go, and I think he will do it before the election."

Another potential factor: Judgments could be issued during the campaign in one or more of several pending federal court cases about same-sex marriage. Appeals could result in the issue heading toward the Supreme Court, and the presidential candidates would be expected to comment on any major development.

A summary of the latest state-by-state events:

NEW JERSEY: Thanks to a change of heart by Senate President Stephen Sweeney, a gay marriage bill is now seen as having a strong chance of passage in the Democratic-controlled legislature. Christie, a Roman Catholic who has long opposed gay marriage, says he'd veto the bill if it reaches him, but on Tuesday he urged lawmakers to put the issue before voters in a statewide ballot measure.

"Let us have a discussion about this in halls of schools and homes and synagogues and churches and ball fields across New Jersey, and let people decide," Christie said.

Sweeney rejected the suggestion, saying, "Civil rights is not to be placed on the ballot."

MARYLAND: In contrast to Christie, Maryland's Catholic governor ? Democrat Martin O'Malley ? supports gay marriage. Unlike last year, when a marriage bill stalled in the House of Delegates, O'Malley is now making the issue one of his top legislative priorities. He and his allies hope to broaden support among lawmakers and the public by making clear in the new bill that religious freedom will be protected. Public opinion could be crucial, because opponents of gay marriage are expected to seek a referendum in November to overturn a marriage bill if one passes in the legislature.

WASHINGTON: Like O'Malley, Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire has strongly endorsed a pending gay-marriage bill, which received its first legislative hearing this week. Based on public commitments from lawmakers, the bill has enough votes to win passage. However, as in Maryland, opponents are poised to petition for a referendum challenging the law.

NEW HAMPSHIRE: A bill pending in a House committee would repeal the state's same-sex marriage law and replace it with civil unions for any unmarried adults. It would not invalidate the same-sex marriages already legalized since 2009. The fate of the bill is uncertain, facing possible revisions before a vote and a promised veto by Democratic Gov. John Lynch if it does pass. If it gets that far, and lawmakers override a veto, the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union has indicated it would challenge the new law in court.

MAINE: Gay marriage supporters in Maine have spent several months assessing whether they would seek a referendum in November to legalize same-sex marriage. Their decision will be announced Thursday, and national gay-rights leaders believe the campaign will be launched. Maine is the only state in New England that doesn't allow either gay marriage or civil unions. Its lawmakers approved a gay marriage law in 2009, but it was overturned months later by a statewide referendum.

NORTH CAROLINA and MINNESOTA:

Voters in 30 states have approved constitutional amendments aimed at solidifying bans on gay marriage; Minnesota and North Carolina could join those ranks if measures placed on the ballot by Republican-controlled legislatures win approval later this year. Neither Minnesota nor North Carolina allow gay marriage now, but supporters say the amendments are needed to prevent judges or lawmakers from changing that policy in the future. The North Carolina amendment also would prevent the state from recognizing civil unions or domestic partnerships.

In all the showdown states, national advocacy groups are expected to be active on both sides. The Human Rights Campaign, for example, has promised to provide funding, strategic advice and field staff for the various campaigns supporting same-sex marriage.

On the other side, the National Organization for Marriage is vowing a multistate effort, including promises of financial support in the primaries to defeat any Republican lawmakers who support gay marriage in Washington.

Though several major national polls now show that a slight majority of Americans support same-sex marriage, National Organization for Marriage president Brian Brown predicts his side will continue its winning streak and prevail in any state referendums that are held this fall.

"There's a myth that history is on a trajectory moving toward same-sex marriage," Brown said. "There is no such momentum."

___

Online:

Human Rights Campaign: http://www.hrc.org/

National Organization for Marriage: http://bit.ly/14OBri

___

David Crary can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CraryAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-25-US-Gay-Marriage-Politics/id-0016d08da1374801bfcaa0dc5259b9a1

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Economists feeling bit more sunny about 2012

By John W. Schoen, Senior Producer

The U.S. economy will gradually improve in 2012 as it continues to chug along at a relatively slow pace, according to a survey of business economists released Monday.

Still, the outlook represents a slight improvement from the last survey of the National Association for Business Economics in October, when only 16 percent of respondents expected the economy to reach a 2 percent annual growth.?

In the latest survey, about two-thirds of NABE Industry Survey panelists expect to see real gross domestic product top 2 percent between the fourth quarter of 2011 and the fourth quarter of 2012. Only 28 percent see GDP expanding between 1.1 percent and 2 percent - down from 70 percent ?in October. But few expect growth to top 3 percent this year.

?The survey results suggest increased optimism concerning real GDP growth, as well as fewer inflationary or deflationary pressures,? said Dr. Nayantara Hensel, professor of industry and business at National Defense University.

Despite the overall sluggish economy, businesses are still managing to make money, according to the survey. More than 80 percent of respondents reported that their companies were seeing unchanged or rising sales and profit margins. And they say inflation remains tame: Nearly all respondents expect that prices will remain unchanged or rise by 5 percent or less.

The prospects for growth in workers' paychecks aren't as rosy. More than 70 percent of respondents reported that wages and salaries have remained unchanged. And the share expecting a pickup in hiring over the next six months fell again compared to past surveys; almost two-thirds expect no change in employment. That's the highest percentage of panelists holding such a view in recent quarters.

The sluggish pace of hiring will likely be matched by continued investment in new equipment. A bigger share of economists surveyed expect capital spending to rise.

The group is surprisingly sanguine about the risks that could derail the recovery; many said they aren't all that concerned with possible fallout from the European debt crisis, the political battle over the payroll tax cut, or the lack of progress in cutting the national debt.

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/23/10201565-economists-gain-confidence-in-2-percent-growth-rate

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French parliament passes Armenian 'genocide' bill (AP)

PARIS ? France's parliament voted Monday to make it a crime to deny that the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks nearly a century ago constituted a genocide, risking more sanctions from Turkey and complicating an already delicate relationship with the rising power.

Turkey, which sees the allegations of genocide as a threat to its national honor, suspended military, economic and political ties and briefly recalled its ambassador last month when the lower house of parliament approved the same bill.

Before Monday's Senate vote, Turkey threatened more measures if the bill passed, though did not specify them. President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose party supported the bill, still needs to sign it into law, but that is largely considered a formality.

The debate surrounding the measure comes in the highly charged run-up to France's presidential elections this spring, and critics have called the move a ploy to the garner votes of the some 500,000 Armenians who live in France.

Valerie Boyer, the senator from Sarkozy's conservative UMP party who wrote the bill, did not deny that, saying that politicians are supposed to pass laws that they think their constituents want.

"That's democracy," she said.

But this domestic gamble could have major international consequences. France's relations with Turkey are already strained, in large part because Sarkozy opposes Turkey's entry into the European Union. The law will no doubt further sour relations with a NATO member that is playing an increasingly important role in the international community's response to the violence in Syria, the standoff over Iran's nuclear program and peace negotiations in the Middle East.

"It is null and void for us," Turkey's Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin said on live TV immediately after the bill's passage Monday. "It is a great disgrace and injustice against Turkey. I want to tell to France that you have no value for us in the slightest degree, we don't care."

The bill has also drawn massive protests in Paris, with thousands of Turks converging on the city this weekend to denounce it. On Monday, smaller rival demonstrations, separated by a substantial police presence, gathered outside the Senate.

The Senate voted 127 to 86 to pass the bill late Monday. Twenty-four people abstained. The measure sets a punishment of up to one year in prison and a fine of euro45,000 ($59,000) for those who deny or "outrageously minimize" the killings.

Despite the potentially serious consequences, many senators did not show up for the vote, instead allowing colleagues to serve as proxies. Those in the Senate chamber, however, fiercely debated the measure over several hours.

For some in France, the bill is part of a tradition of legislation in some European countries, born of the agonies of the Holocaust, that criminalizes the denial of genocides. Denying the Holocaust is already a crime in France.

Most historians contend that the 1915 killings of 1.5 million Armenians as the Ottoman Empire broke up was the 20th century's first genocide, and several European countries recognize the massacres as such. Switzerland has convicted people of racism for denying the genocide.

But Turkey says that there was no systematic campaign to kill Armenians and that many Turks also died during the chaotic disintegration of the empire. It also says that death toll is inflated.

Boyer, the bill's author, said Monday that it seeks to protect the very human rights that France first defined during its revolution.

Others warn that it threatens those same rights, especially to freedom of expression. A Senate commission, in fact, recommended against the passage of the law, saying it raised hairy constitutional questions, and the law could still face constitutional challenges.

"It's not up to parliament to define history," said Jean-Jacques Pignard, a senator who spoke against the measure in an hourslong debate. "We can't impose repentance. Repentance is a long personal journey."

But the senators who spoke for it on Monday said it was their duty to fight against those who would deny settled history.

"Once it's written, isn't it up to us to take notice?" asked Yannick Vaugrenard, a Socialist senator. "The truth is not always strong enough to conquer lies."

While senators debated the law Monday afternoon, about 150 pro-Armenian protesters and the same number of pro-Turkish demonstrators gathered outside the building.

Those in the pro-Turkish camp held banners declaring, "Liberty, Equality, Stupidity" and "It's not up to politicians to invent history."

But Alexis Govciyan, national president of the Council of Coordination of Armenian Organizations in France, said passage would bring solace to the descendants of those killed, many who live in France.

"We are hoping that today the Senate will pass this law and that we will finally have a law of protection and that the memory of the victims of the genocide and the dignity of their descendants like us will be respected," he said.

___

Associated Press writers Selcan Hacaoglu in Ankara, Turkey, and Jeffrey Schaeffer and Nicolas Garriga in Paris also contributed.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_re_eu/eu_france_turkey_genocide

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Euro zone finance ministers to rule on Greek debt talks (Reuters)

BRUSSELS/ATHENS (Reuters) ? Euro zone finance ministers will decide on Monday what terms of a Greek debt restructuring they are ready to accept as part of a second bailout package for Athens after negotiators for private creditors said they could not improve their offer.

Resolving the issue of a Greek debt swap is key to putting Athens' debt on a sustainable path and avoiding a chaotic default that could threaten the whole currency bloc.

After several rounds of talks, Greece and its private creditors are converging on a deal in which private bondholders would take a real loss of 65 to 70 percent on their Greek bonds, officials close to the negotiations said.

But some details of the debt restructuring, which will involve swapping existing Greek bonds for new, longer-term bonds to bring Greek debt down to a more sustainable 120 percent of GDP in 2020 from 160 percent now, are unresolved.

"What I am confident of is that our offer, that was delivered to the prime minister, is the maximum offer consistent with a voluntary PSI deal," Institute of International Finance chief Charles Dallara, who is negotiating on behalf of banks and insurers holding Greek debt, told Antenna TV on Sunday.

"We are at a crossroads and I remain quite hopeful," said Dallara, who left Athens on Saturday without a deal in place.

Once the guidance from the finance ministers, known as the Eurogroup, is clear, talks on the restructuring could be finalized later in the week.

"It is a very delicate moment," Greek government spokesman Pantelis Kapsis told Greek state radio.

"The only thing that I can say as a government spokesman is that tonight, there is a very important meeting at the Eurogroup and we hope that serious steps will be made towards a deal."

Talks on the extent of Private Sector Involvement (PSI) in the Greek debt restructuring are a vital part of a second financing plan for Athens that would keep it funded until 2014.

"We will listen to the report on the negotiations, see how far they have gotten and have the ministers say what is acceptable and what is not in terms of outcome of the negotiations," one Eurogroup official said.

Without the second bailout from the euro zone and the International Monetary Fund, Greece will not be able to pay back 14.5 billion euros in maturing bonds in March, triggering a messy default that would hurt the whole euro zone economy.

"We are working for a deal in time for the January 30 summit of EU leaders. The restructuring offer needs to be made in the course of February," the official said.

"Obviously there is a clear link between the PSI and the next program and what we will be focusing on in the Eurogroup is making the next program operational."

STICKING POINT

There are doubts that even with a new bailout Greece's mountainous debt can be reduced to a still-painful 120 percent of GDP by 2020.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Sunday the crucial factor was that Athens should have a level of debt that was sustainable by then. "This goal must be achieved," he told German public broadcaster ARD.

Euro zone leaders agreed in October that the second bailout would total 130 billion euros, if private bondholders forgave half of what Greece owes them in nominal terms.

But Greek economic prospects have deteriorated since then, which means either euro zone governments or investors will have to contribute more than thought. [ID:nL1E8CBE7W]

The main sticking point is coupon, or interest rate, the new Greek bonds would carry. Officials said the new bonds are likely to be 30 years in maturity and carry a progressively higher coupon, which would average out at around 4 percent.

"The euro zone ministers will examine the proposal and say whether we have a deal. If they say we don't, we're back to the negotiating table," a banking source close to the talks said.

Progress will be presented to euro zone ministers by Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos.

"We then expect a discussion about the coupon," a senior Greek banker close to the negotiations told Reuters.

"I believe that the private sector can accept a lower coupon than the 4 percent average, but the question then is: will the PSI still be on a voluntary basis?" he said.

The voluntary character of the debt restructuring is important to avoid triggering the pay-out of insurance against a Greek default.

While the sums of such insurance appear relatively small, euro zone officials said, such a "credit event" could trigger a chain reaction of events that would entail rapid and large scale contagion in euro zone debt markets, and is thus best avoided.

NEW RESCUE FUND

After dealing with Greece, euro zone ministers will choose a replacement for European Central Bank Board member Jose Manuel Gonzales Paramo, whose term ends in May.

The 17 ministers of the euro zone will then be joined by 10 ministers from the other European Union countries to finalize a treaty setting up the euro zone's permanent bailout fund - the 500 billion euro European Stability Mechanism (ESM). Its predecessor, the EFSF, is widely viewed as insufficient.

The ESM is another crucial element in the bloc's efforts to end the sovereign debt crisis that threatens to engulf Spain and Italy after claiming Greece, Ireland and Portugal.

The fund should boost market confidence in euro zone defenses should Spain or Italy need emergency financing. Separately, the IMF has launched a proposal to boost its war chest by $600 billion.

IMF head Christine Lagarde is to discuss this during a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday. She will make a speech on Monday in which she is expected to urge euro zone leaders to act quickly while acknowledging it is not merely Europe's problem because "innocent bystanders" will also be hit by a worsening debt crisis.

The 27 EU finance ministers will also prepare the final draft of another treaty to sharply tighten fiscal discipline in the euro zone, called the fiscal compact, that is designed to ensure another sovereign debt crisis cannot happen in future.

EU leaders are to sign off on both treaties on January 30, allowing the ESM to become operational in July.

To prepare for the January 30 summit, Merkel will meet European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy on Monday evening.

(Additional reporting by Lefteris Papadimas and Ingrid Melander in Athens; Reporting By Jan Strupczewski, editing by Mike Peacock)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/bs_nm/us_eurozone_ministers

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Chris Vitek?s most used iPhone and iPad accessories of 2011

I generally don?t accessorize my iPhone or iPad too much ? I usually find one option that works, and stick with it for the long haul (or at least until

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/8kXNn7iWMz0/story01.htm

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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/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_re_us/us_fire_child_pornography

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Whited00r lets you install iOS 5 look-alike on old-gen iPhones and iPod Touches

If you're still rockin' an ancient iPhone or iPod Touch and are fed up with friends teasing you at every chance with their new-style multitasking and reminder features, we've got some good news for you. A new software, dubbed Whited00r, will let you install portions of iOS 5 on the first two generations of the iPod Touch, iPhone 3G and even your O.G. iPhone. Whited00r accomplishes this by simply acting as a custom firmware -- à la CyanogenMod 9 on Android handsets. There are, however, a few traits that devs haven't been able to mimic, which include core services like the App Store (though, you can install apps via iTunes on your home machine), Notification Center and iCloud. So, for those of you clinging to your outdated hardware while you wait for the "next big thing," you can at least freshen up its features (at your own risk) with a coat of whitewash at the source below.

Whited00r lets you install iOS 5 look-alike on old-gen iPhones and iPod Touches originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Futures drop after GE, Google results (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Stock index futures dipped on Friday, indicating the S&P 500 may snap a three-day win streak after GE and Google results fell short of expectations and as investors eyed Greek debt talks for signs of progress.

Google Inc (GOOG.O) shares slumped 7.8 percent to $589.73 in premarket trading after quarterly profit and revenue for the No. 1 Internet search engine missed Wall Street expectations on declining search advertising rates.

General Electric Co (GE.N) fell 2.6 percent to $18.65 after the largest U.S. conglomerate reported roughly flat profit from continuing operations, but revenues missed estimates.

Greece and its private bondholders were "converging towards" a long-awaited debt swap deal, a source said, with private bondholders possibly assuming a real loss of 65 percent to 70 percent. Hopes are that an agreement would prevent the nation from spiraling into bankruptcy and bring some stability to the debt-strained euro zone.

"We are now debating again how much of a haircut the bondholders of Greece are going to take and that is not happy news," said Kim Forrest, senior equity research analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group in Pittsburgh.

"That being said, let's see where things end up today because I thought at least three of the four tech companies had really good and strong results."

A strong outlook from International Business Machines Corp (IBM.N) and decent results from Intel Corp (INTC.O) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) signaled that corporate leaders were shaking off nervousness about economic growth and boosting technology spending.

Microsoft shares were up 2.7 percent to $28.89, and Intel edged up 0.7 percent to $25.80 premarket. IBM gained 2.7 percent to $185.38.

"The revenue is probably the most concerning thing. They are a bellwether and we are really interested to see what they see, especially in their industrial area, how the orders are," said Forrest.

S&P 500 futures fell 3.4 points and were below fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures were off 14 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures added 3.25 points.

European shares slipped 0.3 percent early Friday after hitting 5-1/2 month highs in the previous session as major indexes neared "overbought" territory. Asian shares rose to fresh two-month highs as solid euro zone sovereign debt sales. (.EU)

Economic data on existing home sales was due from the National Association of Realtors for December at 10 a.m. (1500 GMT). Economists forecast a 4.65 million annual rate in December, versus 4.42 million in November.

Chinese factory activity likely fell for a third successive month in January, an early indicator showed, suggesting Beijing's pro-growth policies will remain in place despite early signs a downward drift was slowing.

U.S. stocks rose Thursday, sparked by results from Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) and Morgan Stanley (MS.N) and as the latest jobless claims dropped to a near four-year low.

(Reporting By Chuck Mikolajczak; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120120/bs_nm/us_markets_stocks

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Interpol chief says countries not using databases (AP)

LONDON ? Interpol's chief sounded an alarm Thursday that countries are still failing to check identity documents against its database ? a warning that comes just months ahead of the 2012 Olympics.

Ron Noble, secretary-general of the international police agency based in France, said out of the 1.1 billion travelers last year, ID documents of some 500 million people were not checked against Interpol's database, which is one of the world's most detailed.

"It will take a tragedy ? a specific kind of tragedy ? for behavior to change," Noble told The Associated Press after speaking to foreign correspondents in London.

Noble has said Britain is the only EU country to systematically check passports against those registered with Interpol as missing worldwide. Britain carried out 140 million checks last year against the database ? more than the rest of Europe combined.

Last year, he said more than 11,000 people were caught trying to enter the U.K. using lost or stolen passports.

France carried out the second-highest number of checks at 10 million.

"The only problem the U.K. appears to have is the number of people at immigration posts," Noble said. He was not voicing concerns over the Olympics.

A special Interpol team will be sent specifically for the Olympics, helping British authorities determine whether anyone trying to enter the U.K. is wanted, whether their documents have been listed as lost or stolen and whether they are considered a threat.

"We know terrorists use fraudulent ID documents," Noble said.

The U.K. Border Agency faced intense criticism last year after passport checks were relaxed during the height of the summer tourist season to lessen lines at London's Heathrow Airport, Europe's busiest. A government report on Thursday blamed poor communications, a lack of supervision and other shortcomings for the problems.

Olympics security has been a primary concern since 1972, when 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were killed at the Munich Games.

Noble said while there was no specific intelligence that the games would be targeted, such events provide an array of opportunities for criminals, including pickpocketing, forced prostitution, illegal Internet betting rings and hoaxes.

And then there is still the threat of terrorism. Noble said while al-Qaida's ranks had been depleted, affiliates were actively recruiting in places like Somalia.

Another fear that Noble said "keeps him up at night" is the threat of a nuclear or biological attack. Interpol has been alerted to some 2,715 instances where there were questions of whether there had been illicit trafficking of nuclear material.

Noble stressed, however, that didn't mean there were more 2,000 cases of trafficked nuclear material.

While most of the cases involved non-nuclear radioactive material cases ? 2,535 ? there were 200 cases involving nuclear material. Only four cases involved the attempted sale of highly enriched uranium, Noble said.

The United States, he said, had the most cases in the database ? mostly because of its reporting through the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Council. After that, Eastern Europe has had the most and some of the most significant cases of concern in terms of criminality, Noble said.

As for whether terror groups were becoming more capable of unleashing biological attacks, Noble pointed to advances in both technology and biotechnology. He said the risk was increasing ? partially because technology can be misused ? but that did not mean there was an increased likelihood of a bio-terrorist attack.

"It's so easy to think about how an attack can be carried out because the screening of passengers doesn't focus on that at all," Noble said. "That's why it's important to identify people who are engaged in conduct that is suspicious or illegal."

Noble is American and a former head of the U.S. Secret Service. Interpol is based in Lyon, France.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_interpol

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