'The Sapphires' sparkles at Australian film awards

SYDNEY (AP) ? Feel-good musical drama "The Sapphires" sparkled at Australia's premier film awards.

The tale of an Aboriginal family singing group entertaining American troops in the Vietnam War won best film and five other awards at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts ceremony Wednesday night.

Best Lead Actress Deborah Mailman and Best Supporting Actress Jessica Mauboy won for playing sisters in the group. The award for lead actor went to Chris O'Dowd, who played "The Sapphires" talent manager and is perhaps best known for his role as a police officer in the smash comedy "Bridesmaids."

The academy also recognized "The Sapphires" director Wayne Blair and writers, Keith Thompson and Tony Briggs, who adapted the screenplay from Briggs' stage production inspired by his mother's experiences.

"The Sapphires" won 11 awards in all, including technical categories announced earlier. Backstage, Blair said he never thought such a result would be possible, "not in my wildest dreams.

"It just came out of the blue. Out of the 12 nominations I thought we might win you know, one or two, that'd be lovely, that'd be vindication of something," he told Australian Associated Press. "But winning a few more is good, very positive."

Mauboy accepted her award from presenter Nicole Kidman and claimed she felt undeserving of the prize because she had been in the industry for "like a second."

Backstage, she said, "Oh my goodness, accepting the award from Nicole Kidman, it's unexplainable."

Other film winners were Best Supporting Actor Antony Starr and original screenplay writers Kieran Darcy-Smith and Felicity Price for "Wish You Were Here," a thriller set partially in Cambodia.

The awards ceremony host was Russell Crowe and attendees included Geoffrey Rush, Cate Blanchett, and Jeremy Renner.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-01-31-Australia-Film%20Awards/id-8bd9adbc2ce84e379a4bf38d9a664fee

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Boeing 787 battery had issues before recent incidences

5 hrs.

Reuters

Japan's two biggest airlines replaced below-par lithium-ion batteries on their Boeing Co 787 Dreamliners in the months before separate incidents led to the technologically advanced aircraft being grounded worldwide due to battery problems.?

Comments from both All Nippon Airways, the new Boeing jetliner's biggest customer to date, and Japan Airlines Co Ltd point to reliability issues with the batteries long before a battery caught fire on a JAL 787 at Boston's airport and a second battery was badly charred and melted on an ANA domestic flight that was forced into an emergency landing.?

ANA said it changed 10 batteries on its 787s last year, but did not inform accident investigators in the United States because the incidents, including five batteries that had unusually low charges, did not compromise the plane's safety, spokesman Ryosei Nomura said on Wednesday.?

JAL also replaced batteries on the 787 "on a few occasions", said spokeswoman Sze Hunn Yap, declining to be more specific on when units were replaced or whether these were reported to authorities.?

ANA did, however, inform Boeing of the faults that began in May, and returned the batteries to their manufacturer, GS Yuasa Corp. A spokesman for the battery maker declined to comment on Wednesday. Shares of the company fell 1.2 percent.?

Boeing CEO Jim McNerney, speaking on a conference call, said that the company is making progress toward narrowing down the potential cause of the battery incidents. In a separate statement, Boeing said the numerous replacements were not made because of safety concerns.?"Batteries are a replaceable unit on airplanes, regardless of the technology used."?

Little?headway

The New York Times earlier quoted an NTSB spokeswoman as saying the agency would include the "numerous issues" with the 787 battery in its investigations.?

Under aviation inspection rules, airlines are required to perform detailed battery inspections once every two years.?

Officials are carrying out detailed tests on the batteries, chargers and monitoring units in Japan and the United States, but have so far made little headway in finding out what caused the battery failures.?

Japan's transport ministry said the manufacturing process at the company which makes the 787 battery's monitoring unit did not appear to be linked to the problem on the ANA Dreamliner that made the emergency landing.?

The NTSB said on Tuesday it was carrying out a microscopic investigation of the JAL 787 battery. Neither it nor the Japan Transport Safety Board has been able to say when they are likely to complete their work.?

The global fleet of 50 Dreamliners - 17 of which are operated by ANA - remain grounded, increasing the likely financial impact to Boeing, which is still producing the aircraft but has stopped delivering them, and the airlines that fly the Dreamliner.?

Boeing said Wednesday that it expected no significant impact to its earnings from the grounding of the 787s. The airplane maker posted a stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter profit with net income of $978 million, down from $1.39 billion in the same period a year ago, when it had a special gain from taxes.?

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/boeing-787-battery-had-issues-recent-incidences-1B8174274

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There's More to Fund Investing Than Mutual Funds

Total return and risk-adjusted performance both support the view that mutual funds, closed-end funds, and exchange-traded funds are not created equal.

By Mike Taggart, CFA?| 01-29-13?| 06:00?AM?|?Email Article As investors, it's natural to focus on the performance of our investments. Being overly fixated on performance can lead to too much trading in our portfolios, but we like see how our decisions are measuring up nonetheless. Most investors take stock of how their investment decisions have been playing out at year-end and at tax time and then decide whether or not to make modifications. ? Again, the CEFs rocked the house, taking nearly 58% (26 of 45) of the categories on a NAV total return basis and nearly 65% of the categories (29 of 45) on an MRaR basis. But now we see the emergence of ETFs, which took far more categories than mutual funds. In fact, during the past three years since Jan. 1, 2010, mutual fund category averages only placed first in four categories on a total return basis and five times on an MRaR basis. Bear in mind, with 45 categories, if all three investment vehicles were created equally they'd each capture 15 category averages. So, it's fair to say that over this time period, mutual funds haven't pulled their weight compared with the other investment vehicles.

Mike Taggart, CFA, is the associate director of closed-end fund research at Morningstar.

You might argue that those one-year and three-year periods were bull-market times, perfect for leverage. It's unfair to compare leveraged funds like CEFs with unleveraged funds like ETFs and mutual funds over a period when everything is largely going up. Point taken, especially considering the amplified losses that leverage can deliver in down markets. So, let's take a look at the five years beginning Jan. 1, 2008. This period encompasses the financial crisis and market meltdown as well as the ensuing recovery. There were 43 categories during this period that had averages for mutual funds, CEFs, and ETFs. Again, the CEF category average total return was the highest in nearly 49% of categories (21 of 43) and in 56% of categories (24 of 43) on an MRaR basis. Although ETFs scored highest in 14 of 43 categories on a NAV basis, that total falls to nine on an MRaR basis. In fact, in a five-year period like in the one-year period, mutual funds and ETFs battled it out for second place in the MRaR average performance, with mutual funds winning 10 categories and ETFs winning nine.? Traits of CEFs
So, why do I bring this up? Well, most investors don't know much about CEFs. What they do know is that CEFs are quite different from mutual funds. CEFs use leverage. They don't trade at NAV. They can return capital. For nearly three years we've been providing education on CEFs to investors who are interested in expanding their areas of expertise. Leverage, as the MRaR performance shows, can cut both ways. For long-term investors especially, the benefits of owning leveraged CEFs has been proved time and again in the data. The caveat is that many of those investors would have had to withstand stomach-churning volatility and potential losses during the financial crisis--and resist the temptation to sell those funds at their low points--in order to benefit from their eventual rebound and capture those longer-term gains. Many investors are not equipped to weather such swings, due to risk tolerance or liquidity needs, for example. Our research shows that many investors tend to bail out of volatile funds at inopportune times, thus locking in their losses and missing out on any rebounds. For open-end mutual funds, that tendency has resulted in significant gaps between funds' total returns and the returns investors are actually pocketing. Given that tendency and the amplified losses that leverage can deliver at times, CEFs might not be appropriate for all investors. As for not trading at NAV, over the long term, both the NAV and share-price returns for CEFs are very similar. As for return of capital, the overwhelming majority of CEFs do not use return of capital to pad their distribution rates and, besides, return of capital shows up in total return figures; return of capital's bark has been far worse than its bite, except for a small number of funds that we have lambasted previously. Conclusion
Again, you can't invest in category averages and you can't invest for past risk-adjusted returns. However, even though this article looks at only three periods ending Dec. 31, 2012, it suggests that fund investors could be missing a large opportunity presented by CEFs and ETFs. The averages suggest something is afoot. When I've written about this issue in the past, one recurring piece of feedback has been that people don't eat risk-adjusted returns. That's true. But it's also true that people do fret about their funds. And if you're not paying attention to the risk-reward trade-off in your investments, sooner or later something untoward will happen to your portfolio. Risk-adjusted returns are just one measurement of risk, but it can be argued that, they are the most accurate since they reflect the market's view of risk. So, if you're looking for a better risk-reward trade-off from your mutual fund investments, consider taking a broader view of fund investing. The numbers suggest that better returns may await you.

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There are, believe it or not, many ways to measure a fund's performance. You can just look at the straight-up total return over various time periods. That is, after all, what your investment has returned, assuming you've been invested and have reinvested distributions during those time periods. However, this straightforward method of looking at performance ignores volatility: How much heartburn did you have to suffer as your fund's returns lagged and then (hopefully) soared to deliver you the final total return? Volatility-adjusted measurements of return abound. You really can have your pick. We have the Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Returns (MRaRs), which essentially adjust total returns for volatility and double ding funds for downside volatility (losing money). Research has shown that typical investors are more likely to bail out of? funds on downward swings, thus increasing the chances that they may miss out on volatile funds' rebounds--hence the feature in the MRaR. One interesting thing about MRaRs: They're not just available for open-end mutual funds, but also for closed-end funds and exchange-traded funds. As the head of CEF research at Morningstar, I've found it beneficial--to say the least--to compare category-average MRaRs across investment vehicles (mutual funds, ETFs, and CEFs). I think you'll find it beneficial, too. So let's look at one-, three-, and five-year average net-asset-value total returns as of Dec. 31 for Morningstar categories where mutual funds, CEFs, and ETFs are represented. Performance Comparisons
For the one-year period, that is to say 2012, there were 48 categories where all three investment vehicles had category averages. CEFs had the highest NAV total returns in nearly 63% (30 of 48) of the categories and the highest MRaRs in about 60% (29 of 48). This largely was due to CEFs' use of leverage, which magnifies volatility and returns. In 2012, leveraged CEFs' returns more than made up for their increased volatility, resulting in higher MRaRs--we'll see this throughout our review. Meanwhile, ETFs and mutual fund categories battled it out for second place, with mutual funds winning slightly more category averages. Take the long-term bond category. If you owned the average mutual fund in that category for all of 2012 and reinvested your distributions, you're probably feeling pretty good about your 12.97% total return. Not bad for a bond fund, and you even beat the average ETF long-term bond fund with its 10.91% total return. You may be thinking,?"Ha! And the news media hypes those ETFs." But look at the average long-term bond CEF: 21.64%. Move over to the MRaR and you'll see that, even taking the higher volatility into account, the return was still more than eight points higher in one year. That's the power of leverage and of closed-end funds. Granted, that's just one 12-month period. It's also just a category average, and category averages aren't investable. And leverage brings its own set of risks, but it gets you thinking, especially if you see such investment-vehicle performance month in and month out over various time periods. So, let's look at the three-year period. Remember, the three years ending Dec. 31, 2012, include 2010, 2011, and 2012--there is no market crash of 2008 or 2009 in these figures. A great time, at least in theory, for leverage to help with returns. There were 45 categories during this period that had averages for mutual funds, CEFs, and ETFs.

Source: http://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=581971

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PFT: Urlacher has to take pay cut to stay with Bears

AP

The bounty case essentially is over, but bits and pieces of evidence continue to surface.

More than a few bits and pieces have come from the disclosure of a significant portion of the appeal hearing testimony from former Saints interim head coach and current linebackers coach Joe Vitt.

Among many other things, Vitt?s testimony before former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue sheds light on some of the contentious aspects of the relationship between the league office and the organization.? Vitt says that, at one point, Saints owner Tom Benson told NFL V.P. of security Jeff Miller to leave the premises.

?Jeff Miller took a plane ride from New York down to New Orleans, and the way he talked to our owner, what he said to our owner made me want to throw up, to the point where Mr. Benson kicked him off the property and didn?t let him back on the property,? Vitt said, via the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

?This almost killed our owner.? Our owner has done nothing but be a great owner in the National Football League the whole time he?s been in the league. . . .? And now this guy takes a plane ride down and throws some documents in front of our owner?s face, and our owner has got to kick him out of the building?? That?s what we?re dealing with.? That?s fine.?

Vitt also explained that, even though notes generated by former Saints assistant Mike Cerullo indicated that Vitt had offered $5,000 to the alleged bounty on former Vikings quarterback Brett Favre, Miller didn?t believe it happened.

?The investigators, Jeff Miller in particular, acknowledged that I did not give any money to a bounty because he said to me, you know, we heard that your wife is so cheap that you have a hard time getting lunch money every day,? Vitt said.? ?That was his comment to me.? And I said, well, your wife must have a pretty good sense of humor, too, with the clothes you?re wearing right now.?

Vitt also had some strong comments for Cerullo.

?Mike Cerullo is a liar,? Vitt said. ?We?ll get some notes here from Mr. Cerullo. I?ll say this to you, Commissioner, and anybody that?s interested. I?m taking Mike Cerullo to court.? I?m going to sue his ass for the things he said about me, the things he said about this football team.? He?s going to be held accountable for everything he said. I make this offer again.? If we want me to take a lie detector test this afternoon, I will do so.? Or if you want me to do it tomorrow morning or tomorrow afternoon, I will do so. Mike Cerullo is a liar.? A liar.?

Vitt also talked at length regarding coach Sean Payton?s decision after the 2011 season to part ways with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.? Payton began to sour on Williams after the head coach caught Williams texting draft picks to the media during the 2011 selection process.

?I would say the final straw was the last two weeks of the season,? Vitt said.? ?Gregg kept coming to Sean every day and wanted his contract extension and wanted his extension done.? And Sean said, well, we?ll talk about it at the end of the season, well knowing what direction Sean was going in.? And the last week of the season, it?s all in the papers, you know, Gregg has gone to St. Louis, it?s his best friend Jeff Fisher, you know, ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom, trying to squeeze Sean, trying to squeeze Mickey to get his contract.? And the day after the playoff game that we lost against San Francisco, he went into Sean?s office and says I need to know right now, I need my contract, I?ve got to let Jeff know what I?m doing.? And Sean said, you?re not going to get a contract here.? I think it?s best go to St. Louis with your friend Jeff. And that was it. . . .? It didn?t end pretty. It didn?t end nice.?

There isn?t much nice or pretty about Vitt?s testimony, but it?s compelling and interesting and he has the kind of passion that typically is exhibited by a guy who has been accused of things he didn?t do.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/30/brian-urlacher-knows-he-needs-pay-cut-to-stay-in-chicago/related

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Hydrogen sulfide: The next anti-aging agent?

Jan. 29, 2013 ? Hydrogen sulfide* (H₂S) may play a wide-ranging role in staving off aging, according to a paper published online ahead of print in the journal Molecular and Cellular Biology. In this review article, a team from China explores the compound's plethora of potential anti-aging pathways.

"H₂S has been gaining increasing attention as an important endogenous signaling molecule because of its significant effects on the cardiovascular and nervous systems," the team writes. The evidence is mounting, they note, that hydrogen sulfide slows aging by inhibiting free-radical reactions, by activating SIRT1, an enzyme believed to be a regulator of lifespan, and probably through its interactions with a gene, klotho, which appears to have its own market basket of anti-aging activity.

Hydrogen sulfide is produced within the human body, and has a variety of important physiological effects. For example, it relaxes the vascular endothelium and smooth muscle cells, which is important to maintaining clean arteries as one ages, says first author Zhi-Sheng Jiang, of the University of South China, Hunan. It functions as an antioxidant. And it inhibits expression of pro-inflammatory factors, all of which "imply an important role in aging and age-associated diseases," according to the paper. For example, mice lacking CSE, the gene for an enzyme involved in producing H₂S, manifest extensive, premature arteriosclerosis, an inevitable consequence of aging, says Jiang.

The gene, klotho, which appears to be upregulated by hydrogen sulfide, is thought to extend lifespan via a number of different pathways, some of which promote production of endogenous antioxidants, according to the report. Produced in the kidneys, it has direct angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibiting activity; that is, it's an ACE inhibitor, just like certain drugs that mitigate high blood pressure. Not surprisingly, plasma H₂S declines with age, and is lower in spontaneously hypertensive rats than in those with normal blood pressure. More generally, a lack of H₂S is implicated in cardiovascular disease.

A decline in H₂S is also thought to undermine neurological health. Endogenous H₂S has been found wanting in an animal model of Parkinson's disease, and is found to be depressed in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. There are even suggestions, mostly in animal models, but also in human studies, that H₂S may be protective against cancer, according to the report.

"Data available so far strongly suggest that H₂S may become the next potent agent for preventing and ameliorating the symptoms of aging and age-associated diseases," concludes Jiang. In the future, he says, people may take H₂S via food, or as an anti-aging supplement.

* Hydrogen sulfide (British English: hydrogen sulphide) is the chemical compound with the formula H₂S. It is a colorless, very poisonous, flammable gas that gives off the odor of rotten eggs.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Society for Microbiology.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Y. Zhang, Z.-H. Tang, Z. Ren, S.-L. Qu, M.-H. Liu, L.-S. Liu, Z.-S. Jiang. Hydrogen Sulfide: Next Potent Preventive and Therapeutic Agent in Aging and Age-associated Diseases. Molecular and Cellular Biology, 2013; DOI: 10.1128/MCB.01215-12

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/jEAT1lRShRo/130129121945.htm

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Massive sinkhole in China swallows building

Look out, below. A massive sinkhole in Guangzhou, China, swallowed up buildings and knocked out power to thousands of residents.

According to Shanghaiist, the sinkhole is approximately 3,229.2 square feet and plenty deep. A video shows a crowd milling about the sinkhole before it sinkhole expands, causing a building to crumble as if it were detonated.

Neighboring buildings were evacuated and streets were blocked by police. "Gas could be smelt from over 30 metres away, and deafening noises could be heard as the land continued to crack and sink," the Shanghaiist reports.

Sinkholes are, unfortunately, nothing new. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, some sinkholes are human-induced. "New sinkholes have been correlated to land-use practices, especially from ground-water pumping and from construction and development practices." They also occur in areas where the rock beneath the land surface can be easily dissolved by ground water.

Human-induced or not, sinkholes are getting a lot of press these days. In China's Guangxi province last year, a sinkhole formed after a local school dug a well to ease its water shortage. Business Insider reports that in Beijing, massive bomb shelters, "constructed amid fears of an impending nuclear attack during the height of Chinese-Soviet tensions," may be contributing to the problem.

But they certainly aren't limited to China. In 2011, a Florida sinkhole gobbled up "a garbage bin, an oak tree, the back wall of the building housing a salon and racks of supplies." A woman in Guatemala City discovered a three feet wide, 40 feet deep sinkhole beneath her bed. And in Ohio, a massive sinkhole caused part of a state highway to collapse.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/massive-sinkhole-china-swallows-building-215523079.html

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Claire Danes Says Son Cyrus Is ?Getting Fat!?

"He's six weeks and getting fat. It's very exciting. All that time on the boob is starting to result in growth," the Homeland star, 33, told Giuliana Rancic on E!'s Live from the Red Carpet at the SAG Awards.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/ONHJjWA0fAU/

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MTV Movie Brawl 2013 Is Just Hours Away From Closing

We have told you this before, and guess what, we're going to tell you again. Now is the time to get your votes in for MTV Movie Brawl 2013. The epic battle between "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" and "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" will end at 1 p.m. ET on the dot, and [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/01/28/mtv-movie-brawl-2013-closing/

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Susan Archer Dead: Shelter Cove Woman Swept To Sea By 'Sneaker Wave'

EUREKA, Calif. ? A woman was swept out to sea by a large wave and drowned on a Northern California beach Sunday in the third such tragedy in the region this winter, authorities said.

Humboldt County Coroner David Parris identified the victim as Susan Archer, 32, of Shelter Cove, about 90 miles south of Eureka.

Archer was walking on a rocky beach near her home with her boyfriend and dog when the wave pulled her into the ocean, Parris said.

Her body was brought to shore after a roughly 45-minute search by boat and helicopter. Attempts to revive her with CPR didn't work, he said.

Archer's boyfriend was hurt when he was thrown against the shoreline rocks, but he was not swept up by the wave, officials said. Her dog was pulled into the water but was able to swim back to shore.

Authorities are warning beach-goers to stay away from the water's edge and watch out for "sneaker waves" that can suddenly roar ashore.

"The entire shoreline of Northern California is very dangerous at this time of year," Parris said. "These waves can sneak up on you so quickly that you don't have the ability to swim or recover."

The tragedy is the region's third such mishap in the past few months.

On New Year's Day, a man and his wife were walking on the beach near Point Reyes when a wave overtook their dog. The couple went into the water to rescue the dog and the man was swept away. His wife and dog made it safely to shore.

In November, a couple drowned and their 16-year-old son disappeared while trying to save their dog at a beach near Arcata. The dog was chasing a thrown stick when it got pulled into the ocean by 8- to 10-foot waves.

Earlier on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/28/susan-archer_n_2569597.html

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16 sick in 5 states; linked to ground beef recall

NEW YORK (AP) ? Federal health officials say at least 16 people in five states have been sickened by salmonella food poisoning linked to ground beef.

No one has died, but half were hospitalized. Most of the illnesses have been in Michigan, but a few cases were scattered in Arizona, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin.

Seven people ate a raw ground beef dish called kibbeh (kib-BEH') last month at a suburban Detroit restaurant that wasn't identified. Health officials say consumers should not eat uncooked meat.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the cases have been linked to last week's recall of more than 1,000 pounds of ground beef from two Michigan businesses, Troy-based Gab Halal Foods and Sterling Heights-based Jouni Meats.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2013-01-28-US-MED-Beef-Salmonella/id-bb196377ad13461fbed260a61a8a4ba3

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Deadly smoke, lone blocked exit: 230 die in Brazil

A man carries an injured man, victim of a fire at the Kiss club in Santa Maria city, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, early Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. Firefighters say that the death toll from a fire that swept through a crowded nightclub in southern Brazil has risen to 180. Officials say the fire broke out while a band was performing. At least 200 people have been injured. (AP Photo/Agencia RBS)

A man carries an injured man, victim of a fire at the Kiss club in Santa Maria city, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, early Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. Firefighters say that the death toll from a fire that swept through a crowded nightclub in southern Brazil has risen to 180. Officials say the fire broke out while a band was performing. At least 200 people have been injured. (AP Photo/Agencia RBS)

Relatives of victims react in Santa Maria city, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. A blaze raced through the crowded nightclub in southern Brazil early Sunday, killing more than 200 people as the air filled with deadly smoke and panicked party-goers stampeded toward the exits, police and witnesses said. It appeared to be the world's deadliest nightclub fire in more than a decade.(AP Photo/Evandro Sturm)

Relatives of victims react as they wait for news near the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria city, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. According to police more than 200 died in the devastating nightclub fire in southern Brazil. Officials say the fire broke out at the club while a band was performing. (AP Photo/Ronald Mendes-Agencia RBS)

A woman cries over the coffin of a victim at a gymnasium where bodies were brought for identification in Santa Maria city, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. Flames raced through a crowded nightclub in southern Brazil early Sunday, killing more than 230 people as panicked partygoers gasped for breath in the smoke-filled air, stampeding toward a single exit partially blocked by those already dead. (AP Photo/Nabor Goulart)

Map locates Santa Maria, Brazil

PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil (AP) ? Flames raced through a crowded nightclub in southern Brazil early Sunday, killing more than 230 people as panicked partygoers gasped for breath in the smoke-filled air, stampeding toward a single exit partially blocked by those already dead. It appeared to be the world's deadliest nightclub fire in more than a decade.

Witnesses said a flare or firework lit by band members started the blaze in Santa Maria, a university city of about 225,000 people, though officials said the cause was still under investigation.

Television images showed smoke pouring out of the Kiss nightclub as shirtless young men who had attended a university party joined firefighters using axes and sledgehammers to pound at windows and walls to free those trapped inside.

Guido Pedroso Melo, commander of the city's fire department, told the O Globo newspaper that firefighters had a hard time getting inside the club because "there was a barrier of bodies blocking the entrance."

Teenagers sprinted from the scene desperately seeking help. Others carried injured and burned friends away in their arms.

"There was so much smoke and fire, it was complete panic, and it took a long time for people to get out, there were so many dead," survivor Luana Santos Silva told the Globo TV network.

The fire spread so fast inside the packed club that firefighters and ambulances could do little to stop it, Silva said.

Another survivor, Michele Pereira, told the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper that she was near the stage when members of the band lit flares that started the conflagration.

"The band that was onstage began to use flares and, suddenly, they stopped the show and pointed them upward," she said. "At that point, the ceiling caught fire. It was really weak, but in a matter of seconds it spread."

Guitarist Rodrigo Martins told Radio Gaucha that the band, Gurizada Fandangueira, started playing at 2:15 a.m. "and we had played around five songs when I looked up and noticed the roof was burning"

"It might have happened because of the Sputnik, the machine we use to create a luminous effect with sparks. It's harmless, we never had any trouble with it.

"When the fire started, a guard passed us a fire extinguisher, the singer tried to use it but it wasn't working"

He confirmed that accordion player Danilo Jacques, 28, died, while the five other members made it out safely.

Police Maj. Cleberson Braida Bastianello said by telephone that the toll had risen to 233 with the death of a hospitalized victim ? he said earlier that the death toll was likely made worse because the nightclub appeared to have just one exit through which patrons could exit.

Officials counted 232 bodies that had been brought for identification to a gymnasium in Santa Maria, which is located at the southern tip of Brazil, near the borders with Argentina and Uruguay.

Federal Health Minister Alexandre Padhilha told a news conference that most of the 117 people treated in hospitals had been poisoned by gases they breathed during the fire. Only a few suffered serious burns, he said.

Brazil President Dilma Roussef arrived to visit the injured after cutting short her trip to a Latin American-European summit in Chile.

"It is a tragedy for all of us," Roussef said.

Most of the dead apparently were asphyxiated, according to Dr. Paulo Afonso Beltrame, a professor at the medical school of the Federal University of Santa Maria who went to the city's Caridade Hospital to help victims.

Beltrame said he was told the club had been filled far beyond its capacity during a party for students at the university's agronomy department.

Survivors, police and firefighters gave the same account of a band member setting the ceiling's soundproofing ablaze, he said.

"Large amounts of toxic smoke quickly filled the room, and I would say that at least 90 percent of the victims died of asphyxiation," Beltrame told The Associated Press by telephone.

"The toxic smoke made people lose their sense of direction so they were unable to find their way to the exit. At least 50 bodies were found inside a bathroom. Apparently they confused the bathroom door with the exit door."

In the hospital, the doctor "saw desperate friends and relatives walking and running down the corridors looking for information," he said, calling it "one of the saddest scenes I have ever witnessed."

Rodrigo Moura, identified by the newspaper Diario de Santa Maria as a security guard at the club, said it was at its maximum capacity of between 1,000 and 2,000, and partygoers were pushing and shoving to escape.

Santa Maria Mayor Cezar Schirmer declared a 30-day mourning period, and Tarso Genro, the governor of the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, said officials were investigating the cause of the disaster.

The blaze was the deadliest in Brazil since at least 1961, when a fire that swept through a circus killed 503 people in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro.

Sunday's fire also appeared to be the worst at a nightclub since December 2000, when a welding accident reportedly set off a fire at a club in Luoyang, China, killing 309.

In 2004, at least 194 people died in a fire at an overcrowded nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Seven members of a band were sentenced to prison for starting the flames.

Several years later, in December 2009, a blaze at the Lame Horse nightclub in Perm, Russia, killed 152 people after an indoor fireworks display ignited a plastic ceiling decorated with branches.

Similar circumstances led to a 2003 nightclub fire that killed 100 people in the United States. Pyrotechnics used as a stage prop by the 1980s rock band Great White set ablaze cheap soundproofing foam on the walls and ceiling of a Rhode Island music venue.

The band performing in Santa Maria, Gurizada Fandangueira, plays a driving mixture of local Brazilian country music styles. Guitarist Martin told Radio Gaucha the musicians are already seeing hostile messages.

"People on the social networks are saying we have to pay for what happened," he said. "I'm afraid there could be retaliation".

___

Sibaja reported from Brasilia. Associated Press Writer Stan Lehman and Bradley Brooks contributed to this report from Sao Paulo.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-27-Brazil-Nightclub%20Fire/id-58bbf5cf81ba4da58e13fe2725e6fccf

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For Super Bowl ads, it's go viral or go home

8 hrs.

Ben Popken, NBC News contributor

Call them super leaks, super teasers or super previews. But for a growing number of Super Bowl advertisers, they are super smart business.

For years, Super Bowl commercials were closely guarded secrets until they aired on the biggest ratings day of the year. These days, companies have discovered that teasing them online in advance of the big day is a more efficient way of getting their brand message in front of the masses.

CBS, which will broadcast Super Bowl XLVII on?Feb. 3, sold 30-second ad slots for up to $4 million, so it?s no wonder advertisers try to squeeze every drop of value out of their investment.

"We are seeing more teasers because they have been effective," said?Steve Posavac, professor of marketing at Vanderbilt University. "This year, many advertisers feel that if they don?t release a teaser, they will fail to gain consumers? mindshare, and that their ads will be lost in the clutter."

Mercedes-Benz roared out of the starting line first last week, with its spot featuring Kate Upton. Strutting in daisy dukes and a low cut tank top, the striking supermodel blows suds in slow motion at a group of guys as they wash her Benz and ogle her frame, mouths agape.

Though it shows less skin than a standard shampoo commercial -- and seems demure in comparison to?Upton's past backseat turn for Carl's Jr.?last year ? it has already drummed up plenty of buzz. As of Friday night, the teaser racked has up more than 4.6 million YouTube views.

That?s right, more than a week before the San Francisco 49ers face the Baltimore Ravens, Mercedes-Benz?s ad is already a success. And, thanks to the Parents? Television Council, we have the first Super Bowl controversy.

"This ad [reinforces] for millions of wives, daughters and sisters across the country that you use your sex appeal to get what you want," a Parents' Television Council spokesperson told the Daily Mail, complaining that the ad "isn't selling cars, it?s selling sexual objectification."

The sound bite provided global media outlets (ours included) the perfect news hook. In the following days, the ad has been discussed, analyzed, and played over and over again, at no cost to the Mercedes. Talk about return on investment!

The luxury German automaker isn?t the only player in this game. Coca-Cola, Sketchers, Wonderful Pistachios (with 'Gagngam Style' superstar Psy) and MiO (with Tracy Morgan) have released previews.

Coke is also making a huge social media play with its "Mirage" campaign. In it, three quirky character-driven groups -- show girls, badlanders, and cowboys -- race across an African desert to be the first to reach the thirst-quenching Coca-Cola oasis. A preview spot is circulating online encouraging viewers to vote online to determine which group ends up winning in the final spot. Online surfers can either vote by "old-fashioned" online button clicking, or vote-casting with the Twitter hashtags #CokeCowboys, #CokeShowgirls and #CokeBadlanders.

The beverage giant?s advertising company has also cooked up animated gifs, "sabotage videos" and other content ready-made for Tweeting, Tumbling, Instagramming, and Facebooking.?

Indeed,?Coke?has come a long way from Mean Joe Greene?s jersey toss in Coke?s legendary commercial 34 years ago.

The reason for the big social push is simple: More shares equal more views, which equals more brand exposure.

"Without a social media component, a Super Bowl ad is worthless," said?David Johnson, CEO of public relations agency Strategic Vision.

Social has risen and advertisers are rising to meet it.

"Three quarters of the audience will be on a 'second screen' during the Super Bowl,? said Ankarino Lara, chief product officer for Thismoment, which builds branded online content distribution software. "The biggest brands recognize the audience shift and plan mobile and on live elements in their campaigns."

According to data by the Unruly Viral Video Chart, the "Billboard 100 of viral videos," 75 percent of the top 20 most-shared ads from Super Bowl 2012 went up online before game day;? 55 percent of sharing happened after March 1, 2012; and total Super Bowl ads shares increased by 129 percent from 2011 to 2012.

Audi is taking a similar "choose your own adventure" approach as Coke's. On Thursday night, it posted the beginning of its ad, showing a kid driving to his high school prom dateless but in his dad's new 2013 Audi S6 high-performance sports sedan. The German automaker also uploaded three versions of the ending, giving viewers 24 hours to vote on which one will make the final cut.

Other companies are also hopping on the social bandwagon:?

• Doritos has reprised its annual "Crash the Super Bowl" contest, allowing a fan-made commercial to air during the game.?
  
• Lincoln has teamed up with Jimmy Fallon to let fans write the script for its commercial on Twitter with the hashtag #Steerthescript.?
  
• Pepsi, Pizza Hut and Toyota will include fan-submitted photos in a commercial.?
  
• VW is promoting the #GetHappy hashtag.
  

Advertisers still have plenty of tricks up their sleeves, though, and some are deliberately taking an "anti-leak" strategy that still has an eye on Twitter impact.

"Some advertisers are holding back ads for a 'surprise' factor and for the instant chatter that will take place on social media during the game," said Katherine Wintsch, founder of The Mom Complex, an Interpublic Group of Companies unit focused on marketing to mothers.

Brands still place a premium on using the Super Bowl as the ultimate stage for product debuts; Anheuser-Busch is going to debut two new drinks at the game: Budweiser Black Crown and Beck's Sapphire.

"I don?t know what it is, but everyone finds humor in dog ads or baby ads," John Yorke, President of creative firm Rain 43, said. "Last year, we saw lots of both ? and the highest rated ads came from these categories ? so if it ain?t broke, don?t fix it ? expect to see more of this trend."?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/super-bowl-ads-its-go-viral-or-go-home-1C8119016

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Savor 16 sweet new tax breaks ? Business Management Daily ...

An eleventh-hour compromise in Congress pulled the nation back from the brink of the fiscal cliff?at least for the time being?just after we had slipped over the edge. Now the ?American Taxpayer Relief Act? is the law of the land. For the most part, this sweeping legislation preserves and extends existing tax breaks?on a permanent basis in some cases?but also imposes higher taxes on upper-income individuals. Here?s a roundup of 16 key tax-saving opportunities in the new law. ?

1. Sidestep higher income taxes. The new law wipes out across-the-board individual tax rate increases slated for 2013. Instead of making wholesale changes, the new law re?tains the prior income tax rate struc??ture for most individual tax??payers?permanently. However, a top rate of 39.6% is added for single filers with taxable income above $400,000 and joint filers with taxable income above $450,000. ?

Tip: When possible, use tax strategies throughout t...(register to read more)

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Source: http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/34361/savor-16-sweet-new-tax-breaks

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UPDATE: Carlucci Appointed Chair Of Senate Mental Health ...

?

State Senator David Carlucci?s appointment as chairman of the Senate committee on Mental Health was announced Thursday.? Carlucci (D-Rockland/Westchester) has served as the co-chair of the Senate Administrative Regulations Review Commissions.?

Carlucci plans to address the growing number of PTSD cases among soldiers returning from fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan and ways to make sure they receive needed care.

?This is a chance to solve complex problems, beginning with our brave veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan,? he said.???The challenges are real, and as many will face the prospect of PTSD, this is an opportunity to examine new ways to expand healthcare services, including insurance coverage, for those suffering long after they have returned from combat.?

Carlucci, who is serving his second term, acknowledged advocating for those with mental illnesses and developmental disabilities comes with a tremendous responsibility. He said the committee would work to provide better access and care for those who require it.

?So many rely on having access to quality services and programs, and we have an obligation as public servants to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves,? he said. ?We must ensure that anyone diagnosed with autism, including their families, have the vital services and support structure that they need.??

Jawonio officials issued a congratulatory to Carlucci on the appointment noting they hope he ?will give the special needs community the continuing leadership we need during these transitional times in our challenging corner of the health care world.?

The letter written on behalf of Jawonio CEO Jill Warner additionally stated, ?And now, the families of the 38th Senate District will again benefit from you--our own passionate "hometown" Senator who has a true understanding of the critical and essential programs for people with disabilities such as: early childhood services, employment and day services, residential services and behavioral health services throughout our community and New York State.?

Carlucci's predecessor former State Senator Thomas Morahan also chaired the Mental Health Committee for several years. Rockland Independent Living Center Executive Director George Hoehmann said Morahan had been an important and consequential leader in the mental health field and for people with disabilities. He expressed confidence that Carlucci will follow that legacy, noting he has already worked with many organizations focusing on mental health and disabilities.

"My office has had frequent interactions with Senator Carlucci on behalf of people we serve," said Hoehmann.?"He's made a point of reaching out to all the agencies."

Hoehmann said the senator has an affinity for people with disabilities and an understanding of their issues from his mother who works at ARC.?

Source: http://newcity.patch.com/articles/carlucci-appointed-chair-of-senate-mental-health-committee

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Re: Notes for Online tree - Family Tree Maker software - Family ...

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Source: http://boards.ancestry.co.uk/topics.software.famtreemaker/9389.2.1.1.1.2/mb.ashx

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Changes come to Colorado capital | Campus Times

Courtesy of EdNewsColorado.com

Ever better. Meliora. At UR, students are encouraged to live by that rule, on campus and beyond. Colorado Representative Mark Ferrandino ?99, ?00 (MS) took the motto of Meliora and ran with it, becoming the first openly gay House Speaker for his state.

The concept of Meliora was in Ferrandino?s life long before his time here at UR. As a child, he was placed into special education classes because of his learning disabilities, but overcame them with hard work.

With his determination as well as his family?s support, he quieted the naysayers and doubters to achieve, eventually attending UR and earning degrees in political science and economics. After getting his Master?s degree, he went on to work for the Department of Justice and the White House Office of Management and Budget before being elected to his current position as a state representative.

While working in Washington, he met Greg Wertsch, who has been his partner ever since. Wertsch took a job out in Colorado earlier, bringing Ferrandino to the place he now calls home.

The 2012 elections shifted the majority power of the Colorado house from Republican to Democratic. Much of this electoral shift comes in light of a house vote to permit civil unions for same sex couples within the state.

When it appeared that the legislation had the necessary support (including that of the governor this past May), previous speaker Rep. Frank McNulty refused to let the bill be brought up for debate.

This outraged many in the ?Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) community and more importantly, voters, who made their voices heard on Election Day. Ferrandino championed this cause, one that has not always had such support.

Colorado has been infamously known as ?the hate state? due to a law known as Amendment Two, preventing city, town, or county governments from considering the LGBTQ community as a protected group under anti-discrimination law. Romer vs. Evans, a 1996 Supreme Court case, overturned the amendment. Despite the progress, in 2006 an amendment to the state constitution defined marriage as between only a man and a woman. Twenty-one years after the ?hate? law was passed, Ferrandino will shortly be passing a law to legalize same sex civil unions.

?While I don?t know [Ferrandino], we are certainly very proud of all he has done in his career. His work to support the LGBTQ community speaks to Meliora,? Assistant Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations Kevin Weasley said. ?The University has had a long history of leadership on LGBTQ issues, particularly in the Rochester area, and [Ferrandino?s] work continues that legacy.?

Not only is Ferrandino, age 34, the first openly gay house speaker in Colorado, he was also the first openly gay legislator in the state when first elected in 2007. Along with Ferrandino, Colorado?s Senate President Pro Tempore, Luisa Guzman, is openly gay. In all, there are eight openly LGBTQ members of the Colorado State Assembly.

Although Ferrandino has fought ceaselessly for progress and has accomplished a great deal with this upcoming vote, there is still more to be done.

The coming legislation allows civil unions, providing state level legal protection for same sex couples. This is not the same as legalizing same-sex marriage, in that its portability between states is uncertain and does not carry the same clout and connotation as marriage. Still, his almost unanimous nomination to speaker is a significant symbolic milestone.

Ferrandino explained his thoughts on the coming legislation in an interview with KDVR-Denver, a popular television station.

?We always said it?s not a matter of ?if,? it?s a matter of ?when.? Well, when is 2013 and we?re going to get civil unions to the governor?s desk early on in the session,? he said.

In addition to his work with LGBTQ rights, Mark has been integral in legislation to help homeowners avoid foreclosure against payday lenders during the housing crisis and ?state employees get insurance even for their unmarried partners.

Here on campus, students feel proud of Ferrandino?s work.

?Bringing something so controversial to the forefront and breaking barriers is an excellent embodiment of the idea of Meliora,? sophomore Natasha Sacoto said.

Pride Network Social Chair Clint Cantwell is equally pleased with what Rep. Ferrandino has accomplished.

?Seeing such an achievement makes UR Pride that much more prideful,? Cantwell said. ?[The LGBTQ community has] fought to make historical leaps in our civil rights. Yet again we see that we can achieve these leaps in rights and [political] representation, whether that be here on campus, Colorado, or the country at large.?

Given all that Ferrandino has done, he remains steadfast in defending his constituents. Above all, his humility shines though.

?For me to be able to sit in this office is just an amazing experience,? he said.

the class of 2016.

Source: http://www.campustimes.org/2013/01/24/changes-come-to-colorado-capital/

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US jobless claims drop to 5-year low of 330,000

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell last week to the lowest level in five years, evidence that employers are cutting fewer jobs and may step up hiring.

The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly unemployment benefit applications dropped 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 330,000. That's the fewest since January 2008.

The four-week average, a less volatile measure, fell to 351,750. That's also the lowest in nearly five years.

The decline may reflect the government's difficulty adjusting its numbers to account for layoffs after the holiday shopping season. Layoffs spike in the second week of January and then plummet. The department seeks to adjust for those seasonal trends, but the figures can still be volatile.

If the trend holds up, fewer applications would suggest the job market is improving.

"Encouraging news on the U.S. jobs front, even when you remove all of the noise," said Jennifer Lee, an economist at BMO Capital Markets. "Weekly data are noisy, particularly at this time of year, so keep that in mind."

Applications are a proxy for layoffs. They have fluctuated between 360,000 and 390,000 for most of last year. At the same time, employers added an average of 153,000 jobs a month. That's just been enough to slowly push down the unemployment rate, which fell 0.7 percentage points last year to 7.8 percent.

There have been other positive signs for the economy and job market.

The once-battered housing sector is recovering, which is boosting construction and home prices. Home builders started work in 2012 on the most new homes in four years. And sales of previously occupied homes reached their highest level in five years last year. Still, home building and sales remain below the levels consistent with a healthy economy.

More home building will likely increase job growth. In December, the economy gained 30,000 construction jobs ? the most in 15 months. And economists expect construction firms to add more jobs this year as the housing recovery strengthens.

Patrick Newport, an economist at IHS Global Insight, forecasts that construction companies will add 140,000 jobs this year, up from a meager 18,000 in 2012.

The number of people continuing to claim benefits is also falling. There were nearly 5.7 million people receiving unemployment aid in the week ended Jan. 5, the latest data available. That's down from almost 5.9 million in the previous week.

The overall economy grew at an annual rate of 3.1 percent in the July-September quarter. But economists believe activity slowed considerably in the October-December quarter to a rate below 2 percent or less, in part because companies cut back on restocking.

Less restocking leads to slower factory production, which weighs on economic growth.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-jobless-claims-drop-5-low-330-000-133434316--finance.html

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Obama, Clinton to give joint TV interview to air on Sunday

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will give a joint interview to CBS's "60 Minutes" news program that will air on Sunday, the White House said.

The interview, to be conducted at the White House on Friday, comes as Clinton prepares to step down and the Senate confirmation process moves forward for U.S. Senator John Kerry, picked by Obama as her successor.

Clinton on Wednesday forcefully defended her handling of the deadly September attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in the Libyan city of Benghazi and denied any effort to mislead the American people.

There is widespread speculation whether Clinton, who leaves with high public approval ratings after serving from the start of Obama's first term, will make another White House run in 2016.

The interview, which will be broadcast at 7 p.m. EST (0000 Monday GMT), will be Obama's first since his ceremonial inauguration on Monday. It will also be the first time he and Clinton have been interviewed together.

(Reporting By Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Vicki Allen)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-clinton-joint-tv-interview-air-sunday-130440929.html

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Car accident triggers unrest in Azerbaijan town

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) ? It began late at night with a minor car accident.

By midday Thursday, a hotel had been burned to the ground, several expensive vehicles torched and crowds were facing off with police to demand a leading regional official's resignation.

The episode has exposed latent tensions nurtured by economic inequality and unresponsive governance in the oil-abundant Azerbaijan. The ostentatious display of wealth and aggressive, arrogant behavior among well-connected individuals is commonplace across resource-rich former Soviet republics and engenders much bitterness.

That appears to have served as the spark for the unrest in Ismayilli, a resort town of 15,000 people beside a hilly nature reserve 175 kilometers (110 miles) from the capital, Baku.

Trouble began Wednesday night when the owner of a local hotel, 22-year-old Emil Shamsaddinov, reacted to his Chevrolet Camaro sports car veering onto a sidewalk and colliding with an electricity pole by getting into a fight with another motorist.

The person Shamsaddinov fought with was parked by the side of the road in a Soviet-era Zhiguli, the ubiquitous model favored for cheapness rather than quality.

Shamsaddinov, who police said may have been drunk, berated and swore at onlookers, prompting an angry reaction from a group of Ismayilli's residents.

The dispute quickly escalated, leading to around 3,000 people raiding Shamsaddinov's Chyrag hotel ? the name of the hotel means "fire" in Azeri ? and setting alight several of his cars, which included the Camaro, a Chevrolet Niva and a Hummer.

Police, who took Shamsaddinov and his passenger into custody, say the rampage lasted about four hours.

In amateur video of burning vehicles and buildings uploaded to the Internet, people in the crowd are heard laughing and cheering.

The mob then directed its ire at the son of the Ismayilli district chief, whose house they also attacked. There they set fire to a Toyota Land Cruiser and two motorcycles.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Azerbaijan service, which is funded by the U.S. Congress, cited local residents as saying Shamsaddinov's hotel was being used for prostitution and that local authorities had failed to heed requests for it to be closed.

On Thursday, despite an increased security presence in the town, hundreds of people went back onto the streets and surrounded a regional government building and demanded the regional governor resign.

Independent news agency Turan reporter Aziz Kerimov told The Associated Press by telephone from Ismayilli that police fired tear gas and water cannons at half-hour intervals as the crowd refused to disperse.

Some in the crowd responded to police appeals for them to leave the area by throwing rocks. Between 10 and 15 people were detained by early afternoon, Kerimov said.

Calm had returned to Ismayilli by the evening, although the anger may not have subsided.

Kerimov quoted people in Ismayilli as saying they want to repeat the scenario that played out in another town last year, when a regional official was forced to step down in the wake of violent clashes.

Baku, Azerbaijan's capital, has in recent years become a glamorous playground for the country's elite, but oil revenue is unevenly distributed among the mainly Muslim country's 9 million people, and average monthly salaries stand around $450. That has nurtured frustration.

Business is often perceived in Azerbaijan as operating in intimate collusion with the government, which opposition activists argue is riddled with corruption.

Berlin-based Transparency International ranked Azerbaijan 139th out of 176 countries in its 2012 Corruption Perception Index. Opposition parties and independent journalists are routinely harassed by the authorities.

This is the second major instance of public disorder in the authoritarian former Soviet nation in only a few days.

On Saturday, market traders blocked a highway 50 kilometers (30 miles) outside Baku and clashed with riot police in a spontaneous protest over increased rent for their stalls.

A week before that, in Baku itself, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in a central square to protest the death of a military conscript earlier this month. The demonstration was broken up by police. That rally was organized through social media, not by established opposition parties ? an indication that opposition to the government is increasingly being propelled by grass-roots activism.

Authorities are particularly anxious about any signs of public discontent in view of this October's presidential election, which is expected to see incumbent Ilham Aliyev retain his iron grip over the Caspian Sea nation.

Regional officials are appointed by the president, who on Thursday was attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/car-accident-triggers-unrest-azerbaijan-town-122457982.html

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Debt crisis averted _ but spring fight still ahead

FILE - This Jan. 22, 2013 file photo shows House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio talking to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington following a long closed-door meeting on a strategy to deal with a potential debt crisis. The House overwhelmingly passed a bill Wednesday to permit the government to borrow enough money to avoid a first avoid default for at least four months, defusing a crisis looming next month and setting the stage for a springtime debate over taxes, spending and the deficit. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE - This Jan. 22, 2013 file photo shows House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio talking to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington following a long closed-door meeting on a strategy to deal with a potential debt crisis. The House overwhelmingly passed a bill Wednesday to permit the government to borrow enough money to avoid a first avoid default for at least four months, defusing a crisis looming next month and setting the stage for a springtime debate over taxes, spending and the deficit. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE - This July 25, 2012 file photo shows Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., left, accompanied by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., right, and Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin of Ill., speak to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. The House overwhelmingly passed a bill Wednesday to permit the government to borrow enough money to avoid a first avoid default for at least four months, defusing a crisis looming next month and setting the stage for a springtime debate over taxes, spending and the deficit. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Chart shows federal debt versus borrowing limits since

Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, and the House GOP leadership speak to reporters after a closed-door meeting on avoiding a potential debt crisis, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. Joining Boehner, from left, are Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., chair of the Republican Conference, Rep. Lynn Jenkins, R-Kan., and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va. House Republicans have said that they will not agree to a long-term debt ceiling increase unless the Senate works with them to pass a budget deal and have also threatened to withhold Congress?s paychecks if either chamber fails to adopt a budget by April 15. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, flanked by House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., left, and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013, to discuss the debt limit. The House overwhelmingly passed a bill Wednesday to permit the government to borrow enough money to avoid a first-time default for at least four months, defusing a looming crisis setting up a springtime debate over taxes, spending and the deficit. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Retreating with a purpose, Republicans sped legislation through the House on Wednesday to avert the imminent threat of a government default but pointing the way to a springtime budget struggle with President Barack Obama over Medicare, farm subsidies and other benefit programs.

The current legislation, which cleared the House on a bipartisan vote of 285-144, would permit Treasury borrowing to exceed the limit of $16.4 trillion through May 18. As it passed, Speaker John Boehner pledged that Republicans would quickly draft a budget that would wipe out deficits in a decade, and he challenged Democrats to do the same.

The Democratic-controlled Senate is expected to approve the debt bill as early as Friday or perhaps next week. The White House welcomed the legislation rather than face the threat of a first-ever default at the dawn of the president's second term in the White House, and spokesman Jay Carney pointedly noted a "fundamental change" in strategy by the GOP.

House Republicans cast the bill as a way to force the Senate to draft a budget for the first time in four years, noting that if either house fails to do so, its members' pay would be withheld. They called the bill "no budget, no pay,'" a slogan if not a statement of fact, since lawmakers would be entitled to collect their entire salaries at the end of the Congress with or without a budget in place.

With polls showing their public support eroding, the Republicans jettisoned, for now at least, an earlier insistence that they would allow no additional borrowing unless Obama and the Democrats agreed to dollar-for-dollar federal spending cuts in exchange.

The average American family "can't buy everything they want every day; they have to make tough choices. It's time to make Congress make the same choices," said Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., underscoring the new Republican rallying cry.

Rep. Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin lawmaker who will be responsible for drafting the budget for Republicans, said Congress has "a moral obligation" to prevent a debt crisis that he said will hit hardest at seniors and others who depend on government the most.

As chairman of the House Budget Committee, Ryan will take the lead role in crafting a blueprint expected to rely heavily on savings from benefit programs. The budget he wrote last year before being picked as the party's vice presidential candidate was to take two decades to achieve balance.

Ryan's 10-year-budget task will be eased in part by higher tax revenues resulting from the Jan. 1 expiration of a two-year payroll tax cut, and in part from an anticipated $600 billion generated by raising rates on upper incomes. But given the sheer size of annual deficits in the $1 trillion range, it will be impossible to meet his goal without taking large savings from benefit programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, farm and student loan subsidies, the federal retirement program and more.

House Democrats made no attempt to defend the Senate's failure to draft a budget over the past three years, instead saying a mere four-month extension in the debt limit would not give business and the financial markets the certainty that is necessary for the economy to grow more quickly.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, his party's senior Budget Committee member, said the good news was, "Republicans have finally recognized the government must pay its bills. ... The bad news is they only want to do it for three months."

Beyond the rhetoric lay a political calculation on the part of Boehner and other House Republicans that they could not afford to set up an immediate confrontation with Obama. At a closed-door retreat last week, the rank and file was presented with polling that showed their support eroding since the election into the mid-to-high 20s, and indicating that increasingly the public believes they oppose Obama out of political motives rather than on policy grounds.

The same surveys show significant support for spending cuts, although backing wanes when it comes to reductions in individual programs that are popular.

Several officials said the leadership and Ryan had solidified rank-and-file Republicans behind a shift in strategy by emphasizing a commitment to a budget that would eliminate deficits in a decade, and the sentiment was expressed Wednesday on the House floor.

"This is why I ran for office. This is why I came to Washington, D.C.," said Rep. Tom Reed of New York, first elected in 2010 as part of a tea party-flavored wave that gave Republicans their majority.

Another Republican, Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, answered Democratic taunts: "This is not a gimmick," he said.

Already, both sides were laying down markers for the struggle ahead.

Across the Capitol, Senate Democrats had already announced their intention to approve a budget, although they have made it clear they will insist on additional tax revenue that Republicans are sure to resist.

In his Inaugural address on Monday, Obama mentioned the deficit only once, and in passing. When it came to programs likely to bear the closest scrutiny from Republican budget cutters, he said, "We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit." But he also said, "The commitments we make to each other ? through Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security ? these things do not sap our initiative, they strength us. They do not make us a nation of takers, they free us to take the risks that make this country great."

The congressional calendar requires the House and Senate to approve versions of a budget by early spring. Assuming that happens, the two are then reconciled, and the resulting compromise sets the framework for spending and tax legislation for the fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1.

The president's signature is not required on the budget itself, but legislation that attempts to carry it out goes to him for his approval or veto.

Republicans hope public sentiment will strengthen their hand for negotiations with the White House on those bills, although there are earlier chokepoints they hope to exploit as well. In particular, across-the-board spending cuts are to take effect beginning March 1, and it is something of an article of faith among many GOP lawmakers that the president would rather agree to an alternative that targets savings.

Also, funding for most of the government expires on March 27, giving conservatives yet another chance to try and reduce overall spending. That strategy is not without considerable risk, though. Republicans suffered grievous political damage in the mid-1990s when they engineered a pair of government shutdowns in a battle with President Bill Clinton over spending.

Supporters of the debt limit bill did not estimate the additional borrowing that would occur, but the Bipartisan Policy Center forecast about $450 billion if it is signed into law by month's end. Despite the May 18 date, the group also predicted Treasury would be able to take additional steps that would allow it to meet obligations through at least the end of July.

____

Associated Press writer Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this story.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-23-Debt%20Limit/id-8c29ecd65c574d78b7debb4ba5d7d602

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U.S. authorities charge three over "Gozi" computer virus

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Three foreign nationals have been charged with creating and distributing a computer virus that infected more than a million computers around the world, including some operated by the U.S. space agency, U.S. prosecutors said on Wednesday.

The defendants were charged with running a cybercrime ring that released the so-called Gozi virus, which prosecutors said was one of the most financially destructive computer viruses in history.

The virus infected at least 40,000 computers in the United States, authorities said. It was used to access personal bank account information from computer users and steal millions of dollars from customer accounts globally, according to papers filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

The defendants -- Deniss Calovskis, 27, a Latvian; Nikita Kuzmin, 25, a Russian; and Mihai Ionut Paunescu, 28, a Romanian -- were charged with a variety of counts, including conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

They ran a "modern-day bank robbery ring that required neither a gun nor a mask," Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said at a news conference.

Kuzmin, who helped create the virus, pleaded guilty in May 2011 and has been cooperating with the investigation, said George Venizelos, assistant director-in-charge for the Federal Bureau of Investigation's New York office.

The investigation is still "very much ongoing," Venizelos told the news conference.

Investigators have collected 51 computer servers and other equipment with some 250 million megabytes of information as part of the probe, he said, adding that law enforcement officials in several countries were helping with the investigation.

Kuzmin was arrested in the United States in November 2010. Paunescu was arrested this past November in Romania while Calovskis was arrested in December in Latvia, Venizelos said. He said Paunescu and Calovskis were awaiting extradition.

David Gordon, a lawyer representing Kuzmin, did not immediately return a call seeking comment. Attorney information for the other defendants was not immediately available.

The virus infected more than 160 NASA computers, resulting in more than $40,000 in damage, prosecutors said in the court documents.

It was unclear if the virus affected NASA's operations, and a spokeswoman from the agency had no immediate comment.

Kuzmin conceived of the virus in or around 2005 and recruited Calovskis to help write its code, prosecutors said.

According to the government's charges, the men sold the virus online in what Bharara called an "Internet bazaar" for as much as $50,000.

Paunescu is accused of operating a Web hosting service from computers in Romania, the United States and elsewhere that helped people who bought the virus avoid detection by authorities, according to court papers.

"Instead of 'this gun's for hire,' Kuzmin's operation was 'this virus for hire,'" Venizelos said. The virus was often updated and improved for customers in what Venizelos said was their own version of tech support.

In one scenario, the defendants created fake welcome pages for banks that asked for customer PIN numbers and other sensitive information, Bharara said.

(Reporting By Bernard Vaughan; Editing by Martha Graybow, Leslie Gevirtz and Leslie Adler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ljg-authorities-charge-three-over-gozi-computer-virus-173430035--business.html

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