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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Bryce Dallas Howard gives birth to daughter (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Actress Bryce Dallas Howard and her husband, Seth Gabel, welcomed their second child on Thursday, with the baby girl's grandfather, filmmaker Ron Howard, announcing the happy news on Twitter.

"Beatrice Jean Howard-Gabel Born Jan 19 2012 8lbs 6oz Bryce & Baby B are spectacular Daddy Seth & brother Theo are beaming ear to ear :-)," the filmmaker tweeted Saturday evening.

Bryce Howard and her actor husband who appears on the series "Fringe" also have a 4-year-old son, Theo. Howard has spoken publicly in the past about her struggles with postpartum depression after his birth in 2007.

The most recent big-screen appearances for Howard, 30, were in "50/50" and as a member of the ensemble cast of "The Help." She also appeared in "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse." Her movie career began with uncredited bit parts in films by her director-producer father.

"Beatrice's arrival is hugely exciting for our family," Ron Howard tweeted. "Thanks for all the kind tweets folks."

(Reporting by Sheri Linden)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120122/people_nm/us_brycedallashoward

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Monday, January 23, 2012

Identity theft insurance not always worth the cost ? Maine Business ...

The phrase ?identity theft? has become one of those terms that makes one?s blood run cold. We?ve heard so many stories of financial losses, ruined credit and related horrors that we react emotionally to the subject.

That emotional response has prompted many consumers to buy insurance that kicks in if some form of identity theft strikes the insured. The question before us is, is such insurance worth the cost?

There?s no simple answer, as is usually the case in consumer matters. The quick historical view back to 2006 finds Consumer Reports said such coverage was ?typically not worth the money.? The magazine notes more than half of ID theft protection is sold by banks, and that those premiums amount to a consumer subsidy for federally required loss protection through credit card and bank account fraud. The passing of time hasn?t changed CR?s opinion that you can ? and should ? take more effective steps yourself to protect your credit and good name.

ID theft insurance typically costs $120 to $300 a year. That?s more than victims often incur through the theft and misuse of their credit card numbers, the most frequent type of ID theft. Federal law limits liability in such cases to $50 per card.

Those who sell the coverage point to the time-consuming process of restoring credit and correcting information on their credit histories. The insurers say their policies can help consumers cope with what can be a trying and frustrating process.

Most people in the insurance industry give the same advice they would when buying other types of coverage. Find out what the policy limits are; the National Association of Insurance Commissioners says most ID theft policies have policy limits of $10,000 to $15,000. If the policy covers lost wages, find out how the coverage is triggered and what limits apply. Know if there is a deductible; some policies require the holder to pay as much as $500 toward the cost of reclaiming your financial identity before the insurer pays a penny.

Before buying, check your homeowner?s insurance policy. It may include ID theft coverage, or you might be able to add coverage more affordably than buying separate coverage. If you decide to buy a separate policy, compare the coverage of several companies.

The insurance commissioners warn against becoming a victim of insurance fraud by making sure the agent and company you?re dealing with are licensed to do business in Maine. Find the Bureau of Insurance online ( http://www.maine.gov/pfr/insurance), by phone (207-624-8475 or TTY 888-577-6690) or by writing to the Bureau at 34 State House Station, Augusta ME 04333.

David Leach, principal consumer credit examiner for the Maine?s Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection, advises people to be their own advocates. Leach says it?s critical for each of us to get one free credit report from one of the reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax and Trans Union) every four months. Do this by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com and only that site. That, plus keeping a close watch on all credit card activity, will help keep identity thieves at bay.

As to separate insurance, Leach says, ?Consumers who sign up for these types of services are paying close to $250.00 a year for a service they can essentially run themselves.? He notes that most financial institutions that issue credit cards will waive all losses in cases of identity theft or fraud. Visit the bureau?s website at www.credit.maine.gov.

For a rundown on federal ID theft laws and tips to protect yourself, visit the Federal Trade Commission website, www.consumer.gov/idtheft.

Consumer Forum is a collaboration of the Bangor Daily News and Northeast CONTACT, Maine?s membership-funded, nonprofit consumer organization. Individual and business memberships are available at modest rates. For assistance with consumer-related issues, including consumer fraud and identity theft, or for information, write: Consumer Forum, P.O. Box 486, Brewer 04412, or go to necontact.wordpress.com, or email atcontacexdir@live.com.

Source: http://bangordailynews.com/2012/01/22/business/identity-theft-insurance-not-always-worth-the-cost/

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Video: First Read Minute

NBC's Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro discuss the highlights from last night?s Republican Presidential Debate in South Carolina, just two days before the state?s GOP Primary.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Protesters to demonstrate outside US courthouses

NEW YORK (AP) ? Protesters plan to "occupy" courthouses in more than 100 cities across the U.S. on Friday to protest a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that removed most limits on corporate and labor spending in federal elections.

The grassroots coalition, called Move to Amend, said the protest will kick off petition drives to gain support for a constitutional amendment that would overturn Citizens United v. FEC, a 2010 court ruling that allowed private groups to spend huge amounts on political campaigns with few restrictions. Occupy Wall Street activists are joining the protest.

"The courts created the idea that the corporation is a person with constitutional rights," said David Cobb, an Occupy the Courts organizer. "It's the justification for the whole corporate takeover of our government."

A last-minute court dispute left the status of the protest in New York City unclear. A judge on Thursday ruled that demonstrators do not have a First Amendment right to protest in front of a Manhattan federal courthouse.

Protesters had filed a lawsuit asking the judge to overturn the government's rejection of their permit application. The permit had been denied on grounds that the courthouse poses unique security concerns.

In light of the ruling, protesters did not announce whether the event would be moved to another location.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-20-Occupy%20the%20Courts/id-01a5a420fe2f4aa38fd9af659d3cdf8e

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Exclusive: Pakistan-U.S. ties on hold for "evaluation" (Reuters)

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) ? Pakistan's ties with the United States remain on hold following a NATO cross-border air attack, the country's foreign minister said, and Washington should not push Islamabad to go after militant groups or bring them to the Afghan peace process.

"Now that the re-evaluation process is underway as we speak, so till the time that that re-evaluation process in not complete, we cannot start the re-engagement," Hina Rabbani Khar said in an interview with Reuters on Thursday.

The November 26 NATO attack on the border with Afghanistan, which killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, plunged relations between Washington and Islamabad to their lowest levels in years.

Khar said the proposals for the tenor and rules for relations with the United States could be out within days.

"We are trying to push for it as we speak," Khar said. "I know that they have completed their recommendations and we will look for an appropriate day to hold the joint session of parliament. The recommendations could come out in days."

The United States sees Pakistan as critical to its efforts to wind down the war in neighbouring Afghanistan, where U.S.-led NATO forces are battling a stubborn Taliban insurgency.

But the NATO incident exacerbated a crisis in relations which erupted after U.S. special forces killed Osama bin Laden in a unilateral raid on Pakistani soil in May last year which embarrassed Pakistan's powerful military.

"I would say they (ties) are conveniently on hold until we start re-engaging," said Khar.

The United States has long sought Pakistani cooperation in tackling the Haqqani network, the Afghan insurgent group now seen as the gravest threat to NATO and Afghan troops.

In October, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Islamabad with top U.S. military and intelligence officials and urged the Pakistanis to persuade militant groups to pursue peace in Afghanistan, and tackle them if they don't cooperate.

Earlier, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, blamed a deadly bombing at the American embassy in Kabul on the Haqqani network, which has long ties to al Qaeda, and said it acts as a "veritable arm" of Pakistani intelligence.

Pakistan argues that the United States needs to be patient and gain a greater understanding of the region's complexities before acting, and that pressure would only hurt efforts to pacify Afghanistan.

"'Push' is never wise. I think that every country must be allowed to develop their own strategy and their own timing," said a confident Khar, wearing a traditional head scarf and a colourful shawl.

Khar stressed that another incursion by NATO or the United States would be harmful.

"What is unacceptable to Pakistan is to have any troops on the ground. What is unacceptable to Pakistan is not to respect the inviolability of our borders," she said.

"All of these things make it more difficult for us to be an effective partner."

Khar did strike a positive note, stressing the long partnership was vital for the two countries.

"I think this will also give us the ability, if we play it right, to strengthen the partnership and to make it much, much more effective," she said.

"Let me categorically say that we consider our relations and our relationship with the U.S. to be an extremely important one."

(Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Ed Lane)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120119/wl_nm/us_pakistan_usa

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Saturday, January 21, 2012

Ill. man jokes after nail removed from his brain

OAK LAWN, Ill. (AP) ? Dante Autullo thought his doctors were joking. The suburban Chicago man was sure he'd merely cut himself with a nail gun while building a shed. But they assured him the X-ray was real: A nail was lodged in the middle of his brain.

Autullo was recovering Friday after undergoing surgery at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where doctors removed the 3 1/4-inch nail. It had come within millimeters of the part of the brain that controls motor function.

"When they brought in the picture, I said to the doctor 'Is this a joke? Did you get that out of the doctors joke file?'" the 32-year-old recalled. "The doctor said 'No man, that's in your head.'"

As he was rushed by ambulance to another hospital for surgery, he posted a picture of the X-ray on Facebook.

Autullo, who live in Orland Park, said he was building a shed Tuesday and using the nail gun above his head when he fired it. With nothing to indicate that a nail hadn't simply whizzed by his head, his long-time companion, Gail Glaenzer, cleaned the wound with peroxide.

"It really felt like I got punched on the side of the head," he said, adding that he continued working. "I thought it went past my ear."

While there are pain-sensitive nerves on a person's skull, there aren't any within the brain itself. That's why he would have felt the nail strike the skull, but he wouldn't have felt it penetrate the brain.

Neither he nor Glaenzer thought much about it, and Autullo went on with his day, even plowing a bit of snow. But the next day when he awoke from a nap, feeling nauseated, Glaenzer sensed something was wrong and suggested they go to the hospital.

At first Autullo refused, but he relented after the two picked up their son at school Wednesday evening.

An X-ray was taken a couple hours later. And there, seeming to float in the middle of his head, was a nail.

Doctors told Autullo and Glaenzer that the nail came within millimeters from the part of the brain that controls motor function, and he was rushed by ambulance to the other hospital for more specialized care.

"He feels good. He moved all his limbs, he's talking normal, he remembers everything," Glaenzer said earlier Friday. "It's amazing, a miracle."

Neurosurgeon Leslie Schaffer acknowledged that Autullo's case was unusual, but not extremely rare. Schaffer said having a nail penetrate the skull is not like being shot in the head, noting that a bullet would break into multiple pieces.

"This (the nail) is thinner, with a small trajectory, and pointed at the end," he said. "The bone doesn't fracture much because the nail has a small tip."

Schaffer said the man's skull stopped the nail from going farther into his brain. He said he removed the nail by putting two holes in Autullo's skull, on either side of the nail, then pulled the nail out along with a piece of the skull.

The surgery took two hours, and the part of the skull that was removed for surgery was replaced with a titanium mesh, Hospital spokesman Mike Maggio said.

Glaenzer said Autullo hasn't really talked about how scared he was about what might have happened, but he did express a recognition about coming close to death.

"He was joking with me (after surgery), 'We need to get the Discovery Channel up here to tape this,'" she recalled him saying. "'I'm one of those medical miracles.'"

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2012-01-21-ODD-Nail%20in%20the%20Brain/id-687350fcfffb4e2b8d5493ca1339468e

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Election ahead, Sarkozy rethinks Afghan role

France's President Nicola Sarkozy, center, gestures a he talks to workers as at a factory of the Groupe SEB, a leading worldwide manufacturer of small domestic appliances and cookware in Pont-Eveque, central France, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

PARIS (AP) ? An unpopular leader entangled in an unpopular war that he once staunchly defended, President Nicolas Sarkozy is suddenly considering a pullout of French troops from Afghanistan as another kind of campaign approaches: For his own re-election.

The killing Friday of four French troops by one of their Afghan trainees upended Sarkozy's counterterrorism strategy, leading him to immediately suspend France's training program and joint military patrols and raise the prospect of an accelerated pullout from Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is not at the center of France's presidential race, which culminates in a two-round vote in April and May. But for Sarkozy, the war looms as uncomfortable background noise amid wider French public concerns about swelling state debts and joblessness at its highest in over a decade.

On Afghanistan, he's been on the defensive: Francois Hollande, the Socialist nominee for the presidential election, wants a pullout soon ? a position supported by most French, according to polls.

Sarkozy has not formally announced whether he will run, but nearly all political observers expect he will. Polls show him trailing Hollande, and he has widely been seen as battling on all fronts to boost his lagging popularity.

A brash and impulsive leader, Sarkozy has had several successes in the international arena ? notably with French interventions in countries like Libya and Ivory Coast. But he has struggled to parlay them into political capital at a time when pocketbook issues are on the minds of most French.

Sarkozy, who took office in 2007, inherited France's participation in Afghanistan long after it began with the international coalition a decade ago, but repeatedly invoked it as important to helping keep France safe.

Time after time, as French soldiers fell in combat on Afghan land ? including 26 last year alone ? Sarkozy insisted France wouldn't walk away from the fight. He pegged the eventual French withdrawal from Afghanistan to President Barack Obama's planned pullout timetable for U.S. troops of 2014.

After Friday's shootings, France may now break ranks on that.

Speaking to French diplomats Friday, Sarkozy said that if security conditions for the country's troops in Afghanistan cannot be restored, "then the question of an early withdrawal of the French army would arise."

He said French troops were in Afghanistan to help Afghans fight terrorism and the Taliban, and "The French army is not in Afghanistan so that Afghan soldiers can shoot at them."

Parsing Sarkozy's comments, strategic affairs analyst Francois Heisbourg said: "I think it's pretty clear that this is a prelude to anticipated withdrawal, without waiting for 2014."

The killings ? one of the deadliest single days for French troops in Afghanistan ? was the second time in a month that they'd been killed by Afghan soldiers. It revived concerns of an increased Taliban infiltration of the Afghan police and army.

The killings led Sarkozy to quickly rethink his Afghan policy.

"My hunch is that he was reeling from the blow," said Heisbourg, who heads the Foundation for Strategic Research think tank in Paris. "It's not only four soldiers killed, a large number of guys were wounded. The whole 'business model' is being upset ? if we were talking in business terms."

Sarkozy, who prides himself as a man of action, immediately ordered his defense minister and military chief of staff to Afghanistan to investigate the killings and wounding of 15 other French troops ? eight of them seriously.

France's foreign minister sought to give his boss some political cover.

"In the face of such moving tragedies like the one we are experiencing today ... considerations about how it counts or not in the electoral campaign don't cross our minds," Alain Juppe told reporters.

The U.S. has praised France's role in Afghanistan ? Paris provides the fourth-largest contingent to the campaign. Many pundits said Obama, who is wildly popular in France, did Sarkozy a favor by appearing in a joint French TV interview after the G-20 summit in November and praising France's military roles in Libya, within the NATO structure, and Afghanistan.

Sarkozy, an unapologetic, longtime admirer of the U.S., said then: "when the Americans had troubles in Afghanistan, we needed to be at their sides ? because if not, we're not friends, we're not allies."

In Washington, White House spokesman Jay Carney called France "an excellent and valued member" in the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, but declined to address possible French decisions about their future role there.

Hollande, the Socialist nominee, wasted little time taking to French airwaves to reiterate his line on Afghanistan: That France has done its job, and needs to bring its troops home by year-end.

"It's time ? more than time ? to start our withdrawal that will be seen not as abandoning a mission launched in 2001, but an end to an intervention that has today reached its goal and has no reason to be extended," Hollande said. He pledged to coordinate a French pullout with NATO allies and Afghan authorities.

Earlier in the Afghan campaign, as the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush focused on using hard power to crush the Taliban and their al-Qaida allies, France took a different tack. It advocated a NATO focus on training for Afghan soldiers and police, and building up civil society.

Under Sarkozy, France reached its peak deployment in Afghanistan in 2010 ? about 4,000 troops. France has lost 82 soldiers in the country since 2001, more than one-third of them last year alone.

The main French role in the NATO mission has been to help ensure security in an area northeast of Kabul, the capital. About 3,600 French troops now take part in the NATO-led operations, down about 10 percent from late last year in sync with a gradual U.S. drawdown.

___

Sylvie Corbet contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-20-EU-France-Afghanistan/id-544fe580f435478292fc844421529758

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Friday, January 20, 2012

LightBomber: Paint With Light [App Of The Day]

Click here to read LightBomber: Paint With Light

Painting with light is fun. You find a dark street, set your camera to a long exposure, and spend the next 30 minutes trying to get just the right amount of exposure and timing. Okay, maybe that part isn't fun, but the end results can be spectacular. If only there was an app that did all the hard work for you. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/dGNlVKlC88E/lightbomber-paint-with-light

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Thursday, January 19, 2012

NWCN: 'It's still better than golf!' Mount Rainier survivor describes 50 hours on the mtn: http://t.co/TxiWzUVu

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'It's still better than golf!' Mount Rainier survivor describes 50 hours on the mtn: nwcn.tv/xVmpEY Il y a environ 10 heures via CoTweet Retweeted by 1 person

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Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Golf4Beginners: PingTour - Twitter http://t.co/riZyYzWW #golf

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PingTour - Twitter bit.ly/yHdsru #golf Il y a environ 6 heures via twitterfeed

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Source: http://twitter.com/Golf4Beginners/statuses/159575205591789568

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Lindsay Lohan Up Against Megan Fox For Liz Taylor Role

Lindsay Lohan seems to be on the right track lately, even being praised by the judge at her court hearing today. The actress has been [...]

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Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Navy Veteran's Widow Shocked That Her Husband's Name Was Used by James O'Keefe to Commit Fraud (Little green footballs)

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Big prizes, barriers in Brazil's luxury market

A model wears a creation of the Filhas de Gaia fall-winter fashion collection during the Fashion Rio 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, Jan. 13, 2012. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

A model wears a creation of the Agatha fall-winter fashion collection during the Fashion Rio 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, Jan. 13, 2012. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) ? Brazil has been long dismissed as the land of skimpy bikinis and rubber flip flops. But with its galloping economy and hordes of newly minted millionaires, the South American giant is the fashion and luxury industry's newest darling.

Fashion insiders from Brazil and beyond descended on Rio de Janeiro for the city's five-day-long winter 2012 displays, which were wrapping up on Saturday.

Prada and Bottega Veneta opened boutiques here over the past months, and a host of other top-tier labels are expected to open shop throughout the year. Consumption of luxury goods by Brazil's booming middle and wealthier classes is growing, despite an economic crisis that weighs on demand in Europe and the United States.

But for luxury labels scrambling to get a foothold here, there are major hurdles hiding behind the dollar signs.

"People think 'Brazil: football, the beach, caipirinhas, that it's all super relaxed here,'" said Abraao Ferreira, a Brazilian-born fashion industry consultant. "Next thing you know, their product is stuck in customs for three months. Then they start to realize that not everything in Brazil is as laid back as it might appear."

Brazil's red tape is legendary, as other industries find when they try to move into Brazil. In the latest "ease of doing business" ranking by the World Bank, Brazil came in at No. 126, despite being forecast to overtake Britain as the globe's sixth largest economy.

Just getting goods through customs in Brazil is a Herculean feat, and situations like the one Ferreira described happen with sobering frequency.

"When you want to import things into Brazil, you have to do everything absolutely by the book," said Bruno Astuto, a fashion editor for Brazilian newsweekly Epoca and columnist with Vogue. "The problem is that the book keeps changing and they keep adding pages or chapters, so a lot of times merchandise doesn't get to the shops until months later, if at all."

And that's just the beginning.

Brazil's stiff tariffs on all imports push the already-steep prices of luxury goods into the stratosphere.

"It's a really difficult market," said Astuto. "Because of the duties on imported goods, luxury products here can end up costing from two to four times the price outside Brazil."

At multi-brand stores, price inflation can reach epic proportions, Astuto added. Once you factor in the sales taxes and the retailer's margin on top of the import duties, ticket prices can reach up to 18 times the product's wholesale price, he said.

At a mall in Rio's exclusive Leblon neighborhood, a pair of women's flats by Salvatore Ferragamo ? sold at the Italian shoemaker's own store ? cost 1500 reais, or $842 at the current exchange rate. Online in the United States, they retail for $395. At the Burberry store in Sao Paulo, a trench coat that retails on for $915 on its U.K. website was selling for 3695 reais, or $2075.

Another challenge for international brands arriving here is the strength of the country's domestic clothing industry.

Brazil is the world's fifth-largest textile producer, according to industry statistics, and Vogue Brazil and other fashion magazines here don't just feature top-tier international labels like Chanel, Dior and Lanvin. They're also chock-a-block with domestic brands that have virtually no name recognition outside the country.

Ever hear of Osklen? Maria Bonita? Alexandre Herchcovitch? In Brazil, these homegrown labels are household names with a devoted fan base among the wealthy elite as well as the country's growing middle class.

At the country's two fashion weeks, one in the economic hub of Sao Paulo and the other in Rio, these and dozens of other local brands field their Southern Hemisphere season-appropriate wares. That there are no real seasons in this tropical country, where it's perpetually spring-summer, also makes things more complicated for international labels.

And though Brazilian brands are rarely available outside the country, here they provide real competition for foreign luxury labels.

"Brazilian brands know how to treat their customers," said Jorge Grimberg, a marketing director with trend forecaster Stylesight. "You have to pamper them, make them feel special, treat them like friends."

The kinds of sales tactics that work in other developing countries don't work in Brazil, where sales staff knit tight friendships with their customers. This is true across industries, whether it's cars, kitchen supplies or banking services.

"Brazilian consumers are extremely loyal if you know how to treat them right," said consultant Ferreira. "This can eventually work in foreign labels' favor, once they crack the code and figure out how to spoil customers here."

The rewards can be huge for labels that get it right.

Brazil has always had a superrich elite with extravagant tastes. But booming commodity prices fueled by Chinese demand, along with some of the world's biggest offshore oil discoveries, have created an expanding, new class of wealthy Brazilians.

The number of millionaire households in South America's biggest nation is forecast to more than triple by 2020, and economic reforms have lifted millions out of poverty and into the burgeoning middle class over the past decade, creating a deep new well of potential consumers.

Luxury goods sales in Brazil in 2010 hit $8.9 billion, an increase of 28 percent over 2009, according to a study by GfK Custom Research Brasil and the luxury goods consulting firm MCF Consultoria. Figures for 2011 are not yet available.

The ranks of the new rich, and luxury goods sales, are also growing in other developing countries as well, especially the so-called BRIC group of Brazil, Russia, India and China.

The number of millionaire households in Brazil, a nation of 190 million, will have increased 230 percent to more than 1 million by 2020, according to a May report by the U.S.-based consulting firm Deloitte. China's figure will rise to 2.5 million, Russia's to 1.2 million, and India's to 694,600.

But fashion industry insiders here contend that despite Brazil's daunting barriers for foreign businesses, the country has a distinct edge over its BRIC counterparts.

"The advantage we have is that Brazil is not a dictatorship like China and it doesn't have the kind of grinding poverty you find in India," said Epoca's Astuto. "Brazil is the best developing country: It's peaceful, it's fun and it's true that we do have really good beaches."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-14-LT-Brazil-Luxury-Market/id-8cfe823a227b407795c5a9ee872e66f8

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Monday, January 16, 2012

Fuel-bearing ship just 6 miles from Nome

This image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard from the bridge camera aboard the Ice Breaker Healy taken at 4:01 a.m. EST shows lites on the shore line as the Healy and the tanker approach Nome Alaska Friday Jan. 13, 2012. At the time of this image the Healy was 9.2 miles from Nome. (AP Photo/US Coast Guard)

Coast Guard Forces Valdez personnel train on snow machines in the Nome harbor Jan. 12, 2012. The Forces Valdez personnel are preparing to enforce the safety zone during the fuel transfer from the Russian tanker Renda. (AP Photo/US Coast Guard, Petty Officer 2nd Class Charly Hengen)

Coast Guard Cmdr. James Houck, the Forward Operating Base Nome Ice Boss, assists Scott O?Shea, with Vitus Marine, outline a safe path across the ice for fuel transfer hose in the Nome harbor Jan. 12, 2012. The path is being prepared for fuel hoses to deliver 1.3 million gallons of petroleum product to the City of Nome. (AP Photo/US Coast Guard, Petty Officer 2nd Class Charly Hengen)

In this image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard the Russian tanker Renda transits through the Bering Sea with the Coast Guard Cutter Healy?s assistance Jan. 10, 2012. The Renda is carrying 1.3 million gallons of petroleum products for delivery to Nome. Progress was stalled by thick ice and strong ocean currents Tuesday. The vessels made nine miles but drifted with the ice while at rest for a total gain of just six miles, Coast Guard spokesman David Mosley said. Ice conditions remained tough Wednesday. The Coast Guard said the two vessels were in densely concentrated ice about 100 miles from Nome by mid-afternoon. (AP photo/US Coast Guard)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) ? A Russian tanker hauling much-needed fuel across the ice-choked Bering Sea to the Alaska city of Nome was just six miles from its destination Friday morning.

The vessel reached the area late Thursday night but was waiting until daylight before advancing farther, U.S. Coast Guard official Adam De Rocher said.

Daylight doesn't come to that part of Alaska until 11:30 a.m. (1:30 p.m. PST).

The 370-foot tanker carrying more than 1.3 million gallons of fuel was shepherded through hundreds of miles of sea ice by a Coast Guard icebreaker.

Crews are waiting for light because it will be safer going through the ice and they will have a better idea of where to anchor to start unloading fuel.

"They want to get a good staging area to start taking fuel off and that would be easier in the morning," he said.

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard is urging Nome residents to stay off the ice to view the two vessels because it's unsafe with the ships around.

The city of about 3,500 people on the western Alaska coastline normally gets fuel by barge. But it didn't get its last pre-winter fuel delivery because of a massive storm and it could run out of crucial supplies before spring.

Officials of the Sitnasuak Native Corp, one of the companies undertaking the delivery, have said they settled on the Russian tanker delivery plan after determining it would be much less expensive and more practical than flying fuel into Nome. The vessel, which is certified to travel through ice 4-feet thick for long distances, normally delivers fuel to communities in the Russian Far East.

___

Online:

Coast Guard webcam: http://bit.ly/wEsemi

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-13-Nome%20Iced%20In/id-b3a1f74a9e0b48ce8741c71e53f9177d

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Libyan parties reject draft election law (Reuters)

TRIPOLI (Reuters) ? Twelve moderate Islamist parties in Libya have rejected a proposed election law because it encourages voting along tribal lines and gives undue influence to the wealthy, they said late on Saturday.

The draft law, published by the National Transitional Council (NTC) on January 2, will set the rules of a vote for the national assembly in June. The body will be charged with writing a constitution and forming a second caretaker government.

"The proposed electoral system does not lead to true representation of all sectors of society, instead it would produce a representation overwhelmed by tribal consideration and the influence of the rich," the Forum of National Parties said in the joint statement.

Wasila al-Ashiq, head of one of the parties, al-Umma, told Reuters on Sunday the draft law would force candidates to run as independents because Libya has no law regulating political parties. That would mean candidates would rely on tribal power and affiliation to win seats, she said.

"We should not be voting for x or y, but candidates should join a party with clear political objectives," she said. "Otherwise, the larger tribes will gain all the seats and minorities such as the Berbers will be ignored."

It is not clear how much support the 12 parties will muster among Libyans, for whom multiparty democracy is a new concept after 42 years of rule by Muammar Gaddafi.

The proposals have been widely criticized for reserving only 20 seats for women in the 200-member national assembly and not tackling the contentious issue of dividing Libya into constituencies.

The NTC has asked people to comment on the proposals, expected to be finalized within a month, and to put forward their own ideas as part of a plan to engage the population in the democratic process and to move away from militancy.

The NTC is trying to disband dozens of rival militias with regional allegiances, more than four months after rebels captured and killed Gaddafi.

The Forum of National Parties says it will announce a final report on the election law on Monday.

(Writing by Oliver Holmes; Editing by Ben Harding)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120115/wl_nm/us_libya_law_election

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Sunday, January 15, 2012

The Music Business: PBS' OffBook Explores How It's Progressed ...

We've been following PBS' great OffBook series since its studies of generative art and book illustrations. Today, we explore an issue close to our hearts at HuffPost Culture -- the evolution of music online. If you can get past the creepy close-up shots of people's faces in this video, it's a great primer on how we experience music today, broken down into four steps.

According to Jon Cohen, co-founder of the FADER label, the 90s was this golden age of artists being signed to major labels, and discovering hidden gems before anyone else was had. Now, we have a flood of musicians coming in online, and it makes it harder to distinguish the standouts.

Ryan Dombal, a senior editor at Pitchfork, touts the importance of curation in the "free-for-all" online, and the need of sites like, you guessed it!, Pitchfork to do this job for us.

"People like me are hopefully useful because we guide them [consumers] the right way," Dombal said.

But what is the right way? Can the tastemakers at Pitchfork know everything about what we want and don't want to listen to?

Hype Machine is yet another in of defense, a "filter for the filter," Anthony Volodkin, founder of Hype Machine explains. Sites like this curate what's on the small music blogs out there, giving a more democratic look at musical offerings.

How do you find the music you listen to online? Let us know in the comments.

Watch, and learn more about the above, as well as Vimeo's role in music's evolution:

Off Book: The Evolution of Music Online from PBS Arts on Vimeo.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/14/the-music-business-pbs-off-book_n_1206200.html

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Saturday, January 14, 2012

Olympus sues executives for damages in cover-up

FILE - In this Dec. 7, 2011 file photo, Olympus President Shuichi Takayama contemplates before he answers reporters' questions during a press conference in Tokyo. On Tuesday Jan. 10, 2011, Olympus Corp. said it has sued 19 former and current executives for damages the Japanese camera and medical equipment maker says it has suffered over a massive cover-up of investment losses. The lawsuit, filed Sunday in Tokyo District Court, targets former CEO Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, current President Shuichi Takayama and 17 other executives that the company says participated in or knew about the fraudulent activity. (AP Photo/Junji Kurokawa, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 14, 2011 photo, then Olympus Corp. Chairman Tsuyoshi Kikukawa speaks at a press conference in Tokyo to announce the Japanese camera and precision instruments maker dismissed Michael Woodford as president over management discord and appointed himself to double as president effective on the day. On Tuesday Jan. 10, 2011, Olympus Corp. said it has sued 19 former and current executives for damages the Japanese camera and medical equipment maker says it has suffered over a massive cover-up of investment losses. The lawsuit, filed Sunday in Tokyo District Court, targets former CEO Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, current President Shuichi Takayama and 17 other executives that the company says participated in or knew about the fraudulent activity. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, NO LICENSING IN CHINA, FRANCE, HONG KONG, JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA

TOKYO (AP) ? Financially battered Olympus Corp. is suing 19 former and current executives for damages that the Japanese camera and medical equipment maker says it has suffered over a massive cover-up of investment losses.

The lawsuit, filed Sunday by auditors on behalf of the company in Tokyo District Court, targets former CEO Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, current President Shuichi Takayama and 17 other executives that the company says participated in or knew about the fraudulent activity.

The scheme ? which first came to light after former President Michael Woodford blew the whistle ? has raised serious questions about corporate governance in Japan, and whether major companies are complying adequately with global standards.

Olympus said Tuesday the lawsuit follows a report from an investigation by an independent panel that the Tokyo-based company had set up. Then-President Masatoshi Kishimoto, as well as subsequent executives ? including Kikukawa ? knew about the scheme, it said. A small circle of employees was also involved.

Six board members implicated in the report, including Takayama, will resign at the next shareholder meeting, scheduled for March or April, Olympus said.

Kikukawa is being sued for 3.6 billion yen ($47 million). The company is seeking smaller amounts from other defendants, including 1 billion yen ($13 million) from Kishimoto.

Olympus said losses related to the cover-up scandal totaled 85.9 billion yen ($1.1 billion), according to its latest investigation.

But it will demand no more than 3.6 billion yen ($47 million) in damages, which will likely be spread among the plaintiffs because of their inability to pay such exorbitant amounts, according to the company.

The scheme came to light late last year after Woodford raised questions about huge payments for financial advice and expensive acquisitions of companies unrelated to its mainstay businesses. The transactions, Olympus later acknowledged, were used to hide 117.7 billion yen ($1.5 billion) in investment losses stemming from the 1990s.

Tuesday's report also identified 25 executives who were not responsible, including Woodford.

Woodford was fired in October after raising his concerns. Last week, he said he gave up his fight for a comeback to the top after failing to win backing from major investors and megabanks.

Woodford, a British national, had demanded the resignation of the entire board, including Takayama, who had replaced him and initially denied any wrongdoing in the spending.

Under Japanese law, auditors represent the company when executives on the board are targeted in damage lawsuits. In the Olympus lawsuit, three auditors, two of them outsiders, are representing the company. None of them were implicated in the scandal.

Olympus claims in the lawsuit that it suffered direct losses to its finances, in terms of fees and interest paid to run the scheme ? as well as losses stemming from the improper handling of the scandal after it surfaced, including how Woodford was dealt with.

"The credibility of Olympus' corporate governance and the public's trust of Olympus were seriously damaged," it said.

Japanese prosecutors have begun a separate investigation and raided company headquarters and Kikukawa's home last month.

Olympus barely met its mid-December deadline to avoid being removed from the Tokyo Stock Exchange by filing corrected earnings for the April-September first half and for the past five fiscal years.

Olympus' stock has plunged amid the scandal. It surged nearly 20 percent Tuesday, following a report Monday in The Nikkei financial daily that Olympus was likely to avoid delisting, but it is still trading at about half its value prior to the scandal. Tokyo markets were closed Monday for a national holiday.

___

Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at http://twitter.com/yurikageyama

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-10-AS-Japan-Olympus/id-323db3f765a648b983df1e0bf80394a6

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Friday, January 13, 2012

Ultra-orthodox, secular Jews battle over Israel's future

By Martin Fletcher, NBC News correspondent

Israel has historically faced hostility from it's Arab neighbors.? Now, it is facing hostility within it's own borders as the battle between ultra-Orthodox and secular Jews threatens to divide the country. NBC's Martin Fletcher reports.? ?

TEL AVIV ? Israel?s orthodox and secular Jews are in the midst of a pitched battle over the role of women in society.

It's a question as old as the state: how Jewish will the country be? In recent weeks radical ultraorthodox Jews have hit the headlines after one told a woman to go to the back of a public bus. Others smashed the windows of shops with content they considered provocative, defaced posters of women and even threatened children.

It's all about so-called modesty. Radical ultraorthodox want women out of sight, so that they won't be tempted ? even by children.

It's a decades old fight that sometimes hits the headlines. But under Israel's right-wing religious coalition government, the tension is growing.

NBC News? Martin Fletcher reports from Tel Aviv on the ongoing battle. Watch the video above.

Source: http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/09/10074892-ultra-orthodox-and-secular-jews-battle-over-israels-future

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Friday, January 6, 2012

Dazzling NASA Hubble Image Of Galaxy Centaurus A

NASA's recent image of the day is a doozy. The stunning image of Galaxy Centaurus A was taken in July 2010 with Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3.

Centaurus A contains the closest active galactic nucleus to Earth at a tad over 11 million light-years away. The image description says that Centaurus A's center is "home for a supermassive black hole that ejects jets of high-speed gas into space, but neither the supermassive black hole or the jets are visible in this image."

Black holes themselves are not visible as they emit no light. "Seeing" a black hole means detecting the lack of light and the forces and effects the black hole causes on surrounding space.

Don't fell cheated by Centaurus A's crafty black hole, there are plenty of visible wonders to stare at.

More Centaurus A images can be found at Hubblesite.org. For more stunning Hubble images, visit the Hubble Heritage Project.

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/04/galaxy-centaurus-a-hubble-image_n_1183580.html

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Chinese HSBC Services PMI (DEC) remained unchanged?

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Source: http://www.ecpulse.com/en/marketnews/2012/01/05/chinese-pmi-services-hsbc

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Thursday, January 5, 2012

Thousands of US Troops To Be Deployed in Israel?

How did this one slip in under the media radar (pun intended)?

From the Jerusalem Post 12/20:

Israel is moving forward with plans to hold the largest-ever missile defense exercise in its history this spring amid Iranian efforts to obtain nuclear weapons.

Last week, Lt.-Gen. Frank Gorenc, commander of the US?s Third Air Force based in Germany, visited Israel to finalize plans for the upcoming drill, expected to see the deployment of several thousand American soldiers in Israel.

This is not the first example of US military presence on Israeli soil. Back in 2008, it was reported that 120 US military technicians and advisers were permanently in Israel to help operate a new early-warning radar system that was designed to ward of a potential Iranian missile attack.

But the deployment of ?several thousand American soldiers? in Israel is something else entirely. Could there be any more ominous sign of the ?special relationship? between these two military-industrial juggernauts?

BTW, shortly after this report was issued, the chief of the Mossad publicly stated a nuclear Iran would not pose an existential threat to Israel. And still the drumbeats grow ever louder.

This one hasn?t trickled down to the mainstream media yet and clearly needs more independent confirmation. But for those hoping against hope that 2012 would be a more peaceful year, I?d say things are off to a pretty dismal start?

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Source: http://rabbibrant.com/2012/01/03/thousands-of-us-troops-to-be-deployed-in-israel/

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Delay in Irish pardon for 5,000 WWII troops branded deserters

It could be months before the Irish government decides whether to pardon 5,000 soldiers branded deserters and blacklisted for fighting for Britain against Nazi Germany, it has emerged.

The troops, regarded as idealists by Justice and Defence Minister Alan Shatter, were dismissed en masse under special powers introduced during the Second World War.

But officials are concerned a blanket pardon for desertion between 1939-45 would cause major issues for other soldiers court-martialled for going absent without leave.

Mr Shatter, who has been pressed on the issue in the Dail, is awaiting the advice of the Republic's Attorney General, Maire Whelan.

"This is a very complicated issue and covers a wider range of individuals than those who deserted to join the British Army during World War Two," the Department of Defence said.

The 4,983 deserters were dismissed under the Emergency Powers (No 362) Order 194, as wartime was known as the Emergency in neutral Ireland.

Sinn Fein is expected to support calls for the pardons.

The IRA in the 1940s publicly declared they would welcome a Nazi invasion as liberation.

Deserters were blacklisted and barred from State jobs, refused military pensions and faced widespread discrimination.

Source: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/delay-in-irish-pardon-for-5000-wwii-troops-branded-deserters-16099387.html?r=RSS

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Park staff, community mourn ranger killed on New Year's Day

by KING 5 News

KREM.com

Posted on January 2, 2012 at 1:08 PM

Ranger Margaret Anderson worked at Mt. Rainier National Park for four years before her tragic death Sunday, and in that time she made herself a beloved member of the tight-knit community.

Married to a fellow park ranger and mother to two young children ages 3 and 1, the 34-year-old Anderson lived in Eatonville with her family.

Anderson was shot on New Year's Day inside the park as she and a colleague tried to stop a car that had run through a safety check roadblock. The alleged shooter, 24-year-old Benjamin Colton Barnes, fled into the park. A law enforcement officer said Barnes was found dead in the park on Monday morning.

Anderson was the youngest of three children, her father, Pastor Paul Kritsch said.

He said his daughter always had an interest in wildlife and the outdoors and wanted to help people and that's what finally led her to being a federal park ranger.

Wait staff at Cruiser?s Caf? in Eatonville said Anderson was a regular, often bringing in her two girls for some to-go food.

?Everyone is talking about her,? said Patty Wrzesien, waitress at the caf?. ?She was such a sweet sweet lady. We?re all angry at the guy [alleged shooter Benjamin Colton Barnes]. People are worried he?s going to come down off the mountain.?

An Eatonville Police officer was standing guard at the family?s home on Monday. The local fire chief said the family wants their privacy.

Park Ranger Kevin Bacher said park officials have designated personnel to assist Anderson's family, many of whom are traveling to the area from the East Coast. As of Monday morning, Bacher said he did not know what the family's plans for a memorial will be.

On Sunday night, Anderson's body was moved from the park to the Piece County Medical Examiner's Office.

Hundreds of condolences and tributes have been posted online on the Officer Down Memorial Page created in Anderson's memory.

The outgoing chair of a national organization of Park Service retirees on Monday said Congress should be regretting its decision to allow loaded weapons in national parks.

Bill Wade called Sunday's fatal shooting of a Park Service ranger at Mount Rainier National Park a tragedy that could have been prevented.

He said he hopes Congress will reconsider the law that took effect in early 2010, but doubts that will happen in today's political climate.

His organization, the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, advocated against the gun law, calling it a sad chapter in the history of the park system.

Wade is the former superintendent of Shenandoah National Park, just outside Washington, D.C., and started his career as a professional ranger at Mount Rainier.

Reporting by the Associated Press and KING 5's Jake Whittenberg.

Source: http://www.krem.com/home/136540608.html

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