Tuesday, January 31, 2012

As Mississippi rises, inspections up on rebuilt levee (Reuters)

ST. LOUIS (Reuters) ? Concerns about rising waters in the Mississippi River have prompted engineers to step up investigations of the Birds Point levee, only partially rebuilt after the government intentionally blew it up last spring, officials said on Tuesday.

The levee in the southeastern part of Missouri was breached in May to spare the town of Cairo, Illinois, instead flooding 130,000 acres of farmland. It was rebuilt to a temporary level last fall and inspected about once a week.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Major Jon Korneliussen said inspections are now occurring daily, with the Mississippi waters rising because of winter rains. The river stood at 27 feet on January 15, but had risen to 40 feet by Monday.

Kornelussen said the river was expected to crest on Friday at 42 feet. That is much higher than earlier in the month, but still well below the top of the levee, which averages more than 50 feet along the four-mile stretch where it was breached in three places.

Additional work on the levee has been suspended until the end of flood season, usually in June or July.

"Until then, we have to watch and make sure nothing happens," Kornelussen said.

He said most of the water is coming from the Ohio River, which meets the Mississippi near Cairo. Last spring heavy rain caused record-breaking flooding along the Mississippi. The river rose to nearly 62 feet at Cairo, when the levee was breached to allow the water to flow across farmland and back into the twisting Mississippi.

Congress allocated the Corps $802 million in December to fix levees up and down the river, including the Birds Point area.

(Reporting By Bruce Olson; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and Paul Thomasch)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120131/us_nm/us_mississippi_flooding_levee

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Gazans break(dance)ing boundaries

Camps Breakerz crew made a video in January 2012 called "Breakdance Revolution In Gaza" that shows them making moves across the Gaza Strip.

By Yara Borgal, NBC News

GAZA STRIP ? In Hamas-ruled Gaza, where Islamic fundamentalism controls every aspect of daily life in the city that has been under an Israeli-imposed siege since June 2007, a group of eight young men from the Nuseirat refugee camp are breaking boundaries by break dancing.

The Camps Breakerz took their moves out onto the rundown streets of Gaza for the first time this month, even though members have been practicing together since 2005.

The dancers released a video on YouTube?that shows them doing elaborate dance moves ? from spinning head stands to arms stands and flips in ?I heart Gaza? t-shirts all over Gaza.?

"When I danced in the street I felt free for the first time in my life. I challenged the conservative society and mainly I challenged the Israeli siege," said Mohammed al-Ghrize, otherwise known as ?Funk,? who brought together the Camps Breakerz crew.


Challenging strict code
Ghrize, a 25-year-old who works as a nurse, was introduced to the world of break dancing at the age of 16 when he lived with his family in Saudi Arabia. Since returning to his homeland in Gaza, he searched for others who shared his passion for dancing. "It took me two years to persuade seven people to establish a break dancing crew, two of which are my own brothers," he said.

Over the past five years Hamas has imposed a strict code of conduct in Gaza, forcing residents to follow strict Islamic law.? The laws have restricted women from social activities like riding on the backs of motorbikes and smoking traditional shisha pipes in public spaces.?They?have?even restricted men from working in women?s hair salons ? believing that men cutting women?s hair is immodest.

In a new attempt by the fundamentalist militant Muslim group to crack down on behavior it sees as contrary to its conservative interpretation of Islam, Hamas banned Gaza youth from participating in the Palestinian version of "American Idol."? Their reasoning was because Muslims can only sing and dance to the sound of drums ? not any modern instruments.

"Because I know it's very hard for our conservative society to accept our Westernized hobby, we introduced break dancing as a kind of sport," Ghrize explained. ?We even managed to convince Hamas to regard break dancing as a sport by performing in their sports events and dancing only to the beats of the drums.?

The group understands that in a society struggling under the ongoing Israeli blockade, break dancing can be viewed as a waste of time and seen as lacking respect for the Gazan reality. The Nuseirat refugee camp where Ghrize lives is home to 66,000 refugees, even though it was initially built to accommodate 16,000 people. And conditions are grim: According to the U.N. 90 percent of the water there is ?unfit for human consumption.?

So for the members of the group, dancing is a welcome distraction.??

"We regard our activities as another form of resistance against the occupation; all of our sketches are inspired by our people's tragedies, especially children. Break dancing for us is a way of expressing our freedom.?

Ghrize studied nursing and works at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. ?All members of our crew are very well-educated,? he said.?

At the end of video the crew recently released, the dancers names, nicknames, ages, job and special moves are listed. They range from ?Chino,? a 22-year-old cook whose specialty is ?style break beat,? to ?Dark,? a 26-year-old teacher whose specialty is ?combos,? to ?Fox,? a 15-year-old student who likes ?power moves.?

One of the many obstacles the Camps Breakerz faced was finding a place to train, especially after the Nuseirat refugee camp?s community center was destroyed by an Israeli raid during the war on Gaza in 2008.

"We have a dream," Ghrize said, "that one day we will have our own center where we can teach children to break dance and give them a stage to express their feelings."

The Camps Breakerz hope to go to the U.S., where break dancing originated, to meet other break dancers who will help them grow, excel and become an internationally recognized group. They want to eventually be able to compete internationally among the best break dancers in the world.

"I wish I lived in a free liberal country where I can practice the thing I love most without any political or fundamentalist boundaries."

Related link:?Gaza youths find escape in free running?
?

Source: http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/30/10272998-gazans-breakdanceing-boundaries

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Poll-Axed (Balloon Juice)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/193737655?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Monday, January 30, 2012

Democrats spend big in Ore. special election (The Arizona Republic)

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Gaborik's trick leads Team Chara to All-Star win (AP)

OTTAWA ? Marian Gaborik made New York Rangers teammate Henrik Lundqvist pay for not selecting him to play for Daniel Alfredsson's team in the NHL All-Star game.

Gaborik beat Lundqvist twice in the first period, finished with three goals and an assist, and earned MVP honors in leading Team Chara to a 12-9 win over Team Alfredsson on Sunday.

Tim Thomas made 18 saves in the final period, and extended his record by winning his fourth All-Star game.

Chara, with the eventual winning goal, Marian Hossa and Corey Perry broke the game open by scoring three times in a span of 1:22 that put their club ahead 11-8 with 6:34 remaining.

Despite the loss, Alfredsson rewarded his hometown fans by leading his team with two goals and an assist. The Senators captain also hinted afterward that he is considering coming back for one more season.

In an interview broadcast on the arena's scoreboard, Alfredsson was asked about his future.

With a smile on his face, and fans cheering his name, Alfredsson said: "Fifty percent yes, and my wife's going to have to decide the other 50."

Henrik Sedin had a goal and two assists for Team Alfredsson.

Gaborik became the 16th player to score at least three goals ? one short of matching the record ? in the All-Star game, and first since Rick Nash had three in 2008.

The outcome was decided in the final period, in which Team Chara outscored Team Alfredsson 6-3.

Hossa broke an 8-8 tie by scoring on a partial breakaway after being set up by Pavel Datsyuk with 7:56 left. Settling the puck, Hossa stopped in front and then backhanded a shot past Brian Elliott.

Chara gave his club a 10-8 lead when Gaborik fed him a perfect pass into the middle for a snap shot past Elliott.

For Team Chara, Hossa and Jarome Iginla had a goal and two assists, and Joffrey Lupul scored twice.

Daniel Sedin, John Tavares, Jason Pominville and Milan Michalek had a goal and assist each for Team Alfredsson.

Team Chara got off to a fast start, building a 3-0 lead on Gaborik's second goal 9:51 in. The club was so dominant that it was leading 2-0 before Alfredsson's team got off its first shot.

Gaborik certainly enjoyed getting the best of Lundqvist. After scoring his first goal on a give-and-go with Datsyuk, Gaborik circled the net dropped to one knee and pointed his stick at Lundqvist while pumping his fist.

Lundqvist jokingly lamented about being beaten three times on eight shots, including twice by his Rangers teammate.

"There's been a lot of trash talk, but it feels like it's game over already," said Lundqvist, who was wearing a microphone during the opening period.

Lundqvist was Alfredsson's assistant captain, and had a hand in the team's drafting philosophy on Thursday.

Team Alfredsson rallied to tie the game at 3 before the first period was over. But they didn't get their first ? and only lead ? until Alfredsson scored twice during a 1:31 span to put his team up 6-5 with just under four minutes left in the second.

His first goal came on a great individual effort in which Alfredsson, dragging the puck behind him, split defensemen Kimmo Timonen and Ryan Suter, and flipped a shot that sneaked inside the right post to beat goalie Carey Price.

Alfredsson's second goal came on a wonderful passing play courtesy of Daniel and Henrik Sedin, whom Alfredsson was looking forward to play with when he drafted the twins. Henrik Sedin drove up the left wing, fed a pass through the crease to his twin brother, who then redirected to the high slot, where Alfredsson slapped it home.

Price allowed three goals on 14 shots, and had lamented the All-Star game's lack of defense during the first intermission.

"I feel like being a lamb getting led to slaughter," Price said. "I'm must be holding on for the ride today and hope I don't get lit up too bad."

Alfredsson nearly had a third goal nine minutes into third period, when he one-timed a shot off the left post

The game was missing the NHL's most high-profile stars in Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. Crosby has been limited to playing just eight games this season as a result of a concussion, and has also been diagnosed with a neck injury, making it unclear when or if he will play at all this season.

Ovechkin backed out last week after the NHL suspended him three games for an illegal hit.

The game featured 17 first-time All-Stars, 10 playing on Team Alfredsson. Team Chara's roster had the edge over Team Alfredsson in combined games played (10,227-8,425, not including goalies), career goals (2,850-2,286) and career points (7,394-6,164).

Steven Stamkos was awarded a penalty shot with 3:27 left in the first period after he was tripped up by Dion Phaneuf.

On the penalty shot, Stamkos ? who leads the NHL with 32 goals ? attempted the same spin-around move he used to beat Price in the skills competition on Saturday night. Howard didn't bite on Sunday, holding his ground and hugging the post to stop Stamkos' attempt.

It was the second penalty shot taken in an All-Star game. The other was last year in at Raleigh, N.C., when Colorado's Matt Duchene was stopped by Lundqvist.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_sp_ho_ga_su/hkn_all_star_game

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NJ: Still 3rd Highest Car Insurance In Nation

Flickr User The Truth About

A new study shows that New Jersey has kept its place as having the 3rd most expensive car insurance in the nation.

According to data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, car insurance will cost $1,218 in New Jersey this year.

Deana Lykins, president of the Insurance Council of New Jersey, says rising costs for personal injury protection are to blame. ?We have been spending a $1.23 for every $1.00 that we get in premium on PIP and that has been happening over the last decade?and so that inability to manage those costs are being seen through premium increases.?

She says the state?s rates were driven down after a series of reforms in 2003 brought more car insurers to the state and more competition, but now carriers are starting to feel the effect of these medical costs and are passing them onto you. ?Some of the companies were kind of swallowing the losses in order to keep policyholders, but now they are no longer able to keep up with that any longer.?

Lykins says there are some pending regulations in front of the state Department of Banking and Insurance, ?We hope they will help?but we don?t feel they are a solution.?

She says policyholders are starting to feel the effect of higher medical costs and fraud. ?There is a huge insurance fraud problem in New Jersey and until we get that under control with effective cost containment within PIP, we will constantly be fighting this battle.?

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Source: http://nj1015.com/nj-still-3rd-highest-car-insurance-in-nation/

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Thailand welcomes Twitter's new censorship policy

BANGKOK (AP) ? Thailand is welcoming Twitter's new policy to censor tweets in specific nations where the content might break laws.

Technology minister Anudith Nakornthap said Monday the new policy was a "constructive" development. The Southeast Asian country routinely blocks websites with content deemed offensive to the Thai monarchy.

Anudith said it was good that Twitter "felt responsible to cooperate with governments to make sure basic rights are not violated through the use of social media."

Thailand's taskforce that monitors anti-monarchy content has blocked 1,156 websites since December.

Twitter has been a tool of free speech and dissent around the world and its policy change last week ignited global outrage. The U.S. State Department credited Twitter with being upfront about the policy but reserved comment otherwise.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-30-AS-Thailand-Censorship/id-c18e06d2c01848dc9cc9e926dec1476c

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

Investing in Detroit's Renaissance | Planetizen

Daniel Howes reports on Gilbert's bullish optimism for investment and development opportunities in Downtown Detroit and on his efforts to attract young professionals to the city.

"Gilbert's buying spree ? the Madison and the Dime Bank building, the First National Bank building and the Chase Tower, to name four ? is driven as much by attractive economics and an entrepreneur's nose for first-mover advantage as any do-gooder philanthropic urge to save downtown."

"'We are almost at that proverbial tipping point in Midtown and downtown, if we aren't already there,' [Matt] Cullen [Matt Cullen, president of Gilbert's Rock Ventures], says of the mounting urban momentum despite the city's financial troubles."

Source: http://www.planetizen.com/node/54060

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Romney: Gingrich Can't 'Re-Write History' to Get Elected (ABC News)

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Kim Kardashian Scores Acting Gig On ?Drop Dead Diva?

Is the acting world really taking Kim Kardashian seriously? It sure looks that way now that she has landed herself a recurring role on the Lifetime show ?Drop Dead Diva?. Kim Kardashian the actress, get used to that my friends because for some reason Hollywood seems to think the reality star can act. I personally am a huge fan of Kim?s but even I don?t have a whole lot of faith in her acting abilities. That being said I was very surprised that she actually landed herself a recurring role on the hit Lifetime show. The network confirmed on Thursday the Kardashian will be playing the role of Nikki, who is the love interest for Ben and just so happens to be working on a business venture with Ben?s ex. Oh yes it looks like a love triangle is in store of Kim?s character. Drop Dead Diva will air sometime this summer. No official start date has been released yet, however the character of Nikki will appear in the very first episode the season. Landing a recurring role on an already established show is just the lasted acting gig that the middle Kardashian sister has landed in recent months. First [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RightCelebrity/~3/SRgZHxhPkog/

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One Of History's Greatest Minds Can Now Store Your Stupid Cat Videos [Flash Drives]

Mimobot has been doing the character-based flash drive thing for a while now, focusing on superheroes and other fictional personalities. But their new Legends of Mimobot Series will instead feature the "stars of the human race," starting with Albert Einstein. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/p8PPG4sabS4/one-of-historys-greatest-minds-can-now-store-your-stupid-cat-videos

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Saturday, January 28, 2012

Biden Prediction: Dems Will Retake House (Michellemalkin)

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Making memories last

ScienceDaily (Jan. 27, 2012) ? Memories in our brains are maintained by connections between neurons called "synapses." But how do these synapses stay strong and keep memories alive for decades? Neuroscientists at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research have discovered a major clue from a study in fruit flies: Hardy, self-copying clusters or oligomers of a synapse protein are an essential ingredient for the formation of long-term memory.

The finding supports a surprising new theory about memory, and may have a profound impact on explaining other oligomer-linked functions and diseases in the brain, including Alzheimer's disease and prion diseases.

"Self-sustaining populations of oligomers located at synapses may be the key to the long-term synaptic changes that underlie memory; in fact, our finding hints that oligomers play a wider role in the brain than has been thought," says Kausik Si, Ph.D., an associate investigator at the Stowers Institute, and senior author of the new study, which is published in the January 27, 2012 online issue of the journal Cell.

Si's investigations in this area began nearly a decade ago during his doctoral research in the Columbia University laboratory of Nobel-winning neuroscientist Eric Kandel. He found that in the sea slug Aplysia californica, which has long been favored by neuroscientists for memory experiments because of its large, easily-studied neurons, a synapse-maintenance protein known as CPEB (Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation Element Binding protein) has an unexpected property.

A portion of the structure is self-complementary and -- much like empty egg cartons -- can easily stack up with other copies of itself. CPEB thus exists in neurons partly in the form of oligomers, which increase in number when neuronal synapses strengthen. These oligomers have a hardy resistance to ordinary solvents, and within neurons may be much more stable than single-copy "monomers" of CPEB. They also seem to actively sustain their population by serving as templates for the formation of new oligomers from free monomers in the vicinity.

CPEB-like proteins exist in all animals, and in brain cells they play a key role in maintaining the production of other synapse-strengthening proteins. Studies by Si and others in the past few years have hinted that CPEB's tendency to oligomerize is not merely incidental, but is indeed essential to its ability to stabilize longer-term memory. "What we've lacked till now are experiments showing this conclusively," Si says.

In the new study, Si and his colleagues examined a Drosophila fruit fly CPEB protein known as Orb2. Like its counterpart in Aplysia, it forms oligomers within neurons. "We found that these Orb2 oligomers become more numerous in neurons whose synapses are stimulated, and that this increase in oligomers happens near synapses," says lead author Amitabha Majumdar, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in Si's lab.

The key was to show that the disruption of Orb2 oligomerization on its own impairs Orb2's function in stabilizing memory. Majumdar was able to do this by generating an Orb2 mutant that lacks the normal ability to oligomerize yet maintains a near-normal concentration in neurons. Fruit flies carrying this mutant form of Orb2 lost their ability to form long-term memories. "For the first 24 hours after a memory-forming stimulus, the memory was there, but by 48 hours it was gone, whereas in flies with normal Orb2 the memory persisted," Majumdar says.

Si and his team are now following up with experiments to determine for how long Orb2 oligomers are needed to keep a memory alive. "We suspect that they need to be continuously present, because they are self-sustaining in a way that Orb2 monomers are not," says Si.

The team's research also suggests some intriguing possibilities for other areas of neuroscience. This study revealed that Orb2 proteins in the Drosophila nervous system come in a rare, highly oligomerization-prone form (Orb2A) and a much more common, much less oligomerization-prone form (Orb2B). "The rare form seems to be the one that is regulated, and it seems to act like a seed for the initial oligomerization, which pulls in copies of the more abundant form," Si says. "This may turn out to be a basic pattern for functional oligomers."

The findings may help scientists understand disease-causing oligomers too. Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's disease, as well as prion diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, all involve the spread in the brain of apparently toxic oligomers of various proteins. One such protein, strongly implicated in Alzheimer's disease, is amyloid beta; like Orb2 it comes in two forms, the highly oligomerizing amyloid-beta-42 and the relatively inert amyloid-beta-40. Si's work hints at the possibility that oligomer-linked diseases are relatively common in the brain because the brain evolved to be relatively hospitable to CPEB proteins and other functional oligomers, and thus has fewer mechanisms for keeping rogue oligomers under control.

Other researchers who contributed to the work include Wanda Col?n Cesario, Erica White-Grindely, Huoqin Jian, Fangzhen Ren, Mohammed 'Repon' Khan, Liying Li, Edward Man-Lik Choi, Kasthuri Kannan, Feng Li, Jay Unruh and Brian Slaughter at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City, Missouri.

The research was supported by the Searle Foundation, the March of Dimes Basil O'Connor Starter Award, the Klingenstein Foundation and the McKnight Foundation.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Stowers Institute for Medical Research, via Newswise.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Amitabha Majumdar, Wanda Col?n Cesario, Erica White-Grindley, Huoqing Jiang, Fengzhen Ren, Mohammed ?Repon? Khan, Liying Li, Edward Man-Lik Choi, Kasthuri Kannan, Fengli Guo et al. Critical Role of Amyloid-like Oligomers of Drosophila Orb2 in the Persistence of Memory. Cell, 26 January 2012 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2012.01.004

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://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127162409.htm

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AC Milan, Valencia reach semis in domestic cups

updated 5:29 p.m. ET Jan. 26, 2012

MILAN - AC Milan rallied past Lazio 3-1 Thursday night behind goals by Robinho, Clarence Seedorf and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to advance to the Italian Cup semifinals.

Djibril Cisse put visiting Lazio ahead in the fifth minute, but Robinho tied it in the 15th and Seedorf put the Rossoneri ahead three minutes later. Ibrahimovic entered in the 70th and scored in the 84th.

Aiming for its sixth title in the competition, Milan plays Serie A leader Juventus in the semifinals, while Napoli meets Siena.

___

VALENCIA, Spain (AP) ? Valencia defeated Levante 3-0 on Pablo Piatti's two goals, setting up a semifinal with Barcelona in the Copa del Rey. Valencia eliminated Levante 7-1 total goals.

Piatti assisted on Aritz Aduriz's opening goal in the 25th minute and made it 2-0 five minutes later against Valencia's crosstown rival.

Levante played from the 72nd with 10 men after recent signing Oscar Serrano received his second yellow card for fouling Piatti. Piatti scored on a rebound in the 86th minute to complete the scoring.

Valencia will host Barcelona in the first leg next week. Athletic Bilbao visits third-tier Mirandes in the other semifinal.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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'Bad losers' and?'animals'

Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez has labeled Real Madrid's players bad losers and animals after his club won their latest ill-tempered matchup.

Hope for Solo

Ailing U.S. goalie Hope Solo practices ahead of Friday's do-or-die game vs. Costa Rica.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46154092/ns/sports-soccer/

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25 Star Wars Pets ? Holytaco

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

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Friday, January 27, 2012

Mitch Daniels??? Moment? (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | In the aftermath of the Republican Party response to the president's State of the Union address, an exasperated GOP had a sudden revelation. As if proclaiming 'what if?', the enamored party hopefuls (Rush Limbaugh included) gave high marks to Governor Mitch Daniels (R-Ind.) and began advocating his 12th-hour run for the presidency.

In many ways, Daniels is an ideal candidate for a party searching for unity and identity. A fiscal conservative, he possesses a unique combination of experience in government and private enterprise. The once Senior Vice President at Eli Lilly is credited with a keen understanding of finances and once served as director of the Office of Management and Budget under George Bush. Nicknamed "the blade" for his ability to crunch numbers and spending, many credit him as the catalyst for Indiana's solid economic standing and improved unemployment rate.

A social conservative, Daniels cut all funding for Planned Parenthood in Indiana. He has taken a hard stand on illegal immigrants, denying them in-state tuition rates. Daniels has also been the proponent of hefty fines for employers who hire illegals. He is a Christian who has attended Tabernacle Presbyterian Church for close to fifty years. He is a harsh critic of atheists.

However, what most entices Republicans is Daniels record on shrinking government. For many, he is the anti-Obama and boasts that Indiana has the smallest of all state governments.

Does all this make him a better candidate than Newt Gingrich or Mitt Romney, the current Republican frontrunners?

The short answer is, yes. Lacking the liberal label of Romney and the baggage of Gingrich, Daniels is representative of the party moderates. Daniels is conservative enough, particularly on the economy, to satisfy the tea party. Additionally, his history of calmly delivering concise, reasonable solutions may be exactly what those undecided in the party and independents may be craving for.

The impediment for a Daniels run is all in the timing. At this late stage of debates, funding, attaining an organization, and legal restrictions, Governor Daniels would be hard-pressed to make a serious run. Then there is the history of those who made these 12th-hour charges at the presidency. Consider Fred Thompson and the sudden jolt in popularity he received entering the 2008 elections only to be dismissed virtually weeks later.

For now, the GOP can only hope and dream. Unfortunately that may mean waiting until 2016.

sources: Yahoo! News

nytimes.com

Bureau of Labor and Statistics

keeping-the-republic.com

Robert Watkins is former investment professional and partner. He lives with his family in Glen Mills, Pa., and is a frequent contributor to Yahoo! News.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120126/us_ac/10887433_mitch_daniels_moment

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Police: 35 pounds of cocaine seized at UN

A shipment containing 35 pounds of cocaine was seized last week at the U.N.'s mail intake center, a New York Police Department spokesman said Thursday.

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Paul Browne, NYPD's chief spokesman, said the drug was in a white bag evidently masquerading as a diplomatic pouch that raised suspicions when it was being scanned because it was stamped with what looked like a poorly concocted version of the U.N. logo.

Browne said there was no name or address on the shipment sent from Mexico City through Cincinnati.

U.N. security officials called the NYPD and Drug Enforcement Administration, which confirmed the substance inside the shipment intercepted Jan. 16 was cocaine, the police spokesman said.

U.N. undersecretary-general for safety and security Gregory B. Starr told reporters Thursday evening that "there is nothing to indicate that this had anything to do with anybody at the United Nations."

Starr said the drug was actually stashed in two bags that were stamped with the sky-blue U.N. logo of a world map in an apparent effort to masquerade as diplomatic pouches, which are not supposed to be inspected. Inside the bag, the drug was hidden in hollowed-out notebooks, he added.

The U.N. official showed journalists a photograph of the bags that were seized, and compared them with a real diplomatic pouch used by the U.N., which is somewhat larger and made of a different material.

"This did not come from a United Nations facility," Starr said of the shipment. "It was not, in my opinion, not intended to go to a United Nations facility."

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46156386/ns/world_news/

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Justin Bieber Fans Prepping Charity Single In His Honor

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


Justin Bieber
Photo: Dave M. Benett/Getty Images

<P><P><a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/bieber_justin/artist.jhtml">Justin Bieber</a>'s fans are working to give back the same way the pop star readily does. Several of Bieber's biggest fan groups, as well as the nonprofit Together We Rise and Brush Buddies (the makers behind the singing Bieber toothbrush), have all teamed up to work on a charity single. "They're all working on pieces of the video and the lyrics. Right now, they're putting together videos and thank-you's.' We're working on the back end," Danny Mendoza, President/CEO of Together We Rise, which focuses on helping foster children in the U.S, told MTV News about the project. </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid:712657" width="240" height="211"></div><p> "It started with a young lady named Vivian, she runs the Justin Crew fan club and she approached it on Twitter. She approached it and she had a lot of fan support," he continued. "She took it upon herself to take a leadership role, and then she contacted me because she needed some guidance. We just decided we'll help you do it. Justin Bieber had tweeted about us in the past and helped us get some recognition, so it was a thank-you to him as well. Proceeds from the song will go toward <a href="/news/articles/1673555/justin-bieber-believe-charity-drive.jhtml">Bieber's <i>Believe</i> charity drive</a>. It will drop in March, just in time for his 18th birthday on March 1. "I'm almost 100 percent positive that they know," Mendoza said of Bieber's camp's knowledge of the project. "Justin Bieber inspired a lot of young people to give back. It's a thank-you for helping us and we want to give back in your honor." Bieber is certainly not a newbie to the world of charity. Mendoza said that having a pop star like Bieber being so socially conscious has been incredible for the charities he helps bring attention to. "He definitely has the right people around him ... They made it a priority that giving back is more. I think his relationship with [his manager Scooter Braun's brother] Adam Braun and his charity [<a href="/news/articles/1674628/justin-bieber-new-york-city.jhtml">Pencils of Promise</a>], he was able to see hands on a lot of it." After Bieber tweeted this week about the Trillium Gift of Life Network, the <a href="/news/articles/1677905/justin-bieber-organ-donor.jhtml">Ontario-based organ donation</a> network has seen registrations skyrocket to more than 1,200 people, four times the amount the network usually receives. <i>What charity do you want Bieber to promote? Leave your comment below.</i></p></p>

Related Artists

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

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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Carl Levin: Mitt Romney criticism of Obama defense budget not factual (+video) (The Christian Science Monitor)

Washington ? Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin says Mitt Romney?s tough criticism of the Obama defense budget is ?just a political statement which is not borne out by the facts.?

In the two most recent Republican presidential debates, the former Massachusetts governor has blasted President Obama?s plans to trim defense spending to comply with spending targets set by the Budget Control Act passed by both parties last August.&nbsp;

At a Pentagon press conference Thursday afternoon, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will spell out the Obama administration?s strategy for defending the nation while spending $487 billion less on defense over the next ten years.&nbsp;

Five ways 9/11 has transformed the US military

Mr. Levin, a Michigan Democrat, was briefed on the plans at a dinner with Secretary Panetta on Wednesday evening. The plan would involve spending about $513 billion, not including the costs of the war in Afghanistan.&nbsp;

At the most recent presidential debate on Jan. 23, Mr. Romney said Obama's plan to build nine ships a year was inadequate. "We ought to raise that to 15 ships a year," he said. &nbsp;

At the Jan.16 debate, Romney said, ?The most extraordinary thing that's happened with this military authorization is the president is planning on cutting $1 trillion out of military spending.? He added, ?Our Navy is smaller than it's been since 1917. Our Air Force is smaller and older than any time since 1947. We are cutting our number of troops. We are not giving the veterans the care they deserve. We simply cannot continue to cut our Department of Defense budget if we are going to remain the hope of the Earth.?

After dismissing that criticism as political, Levin told a Monitor-hosted breakfast for reporters Thursday, ?Our military in incredibly strong ... no other military comes close. We have shown our capabilities, our adeptness, our ability to move quickly yesterday in Somalia, before that with Bin Laden.?

Levin said he has spoken with the nation?s top military officers who ?were deeply involved in this budget request and they very much support this budget request not because they have to, but because they were involved in preparing it. They believe it is a sound budget, a strong budget.?

Military leaders are worried about one thing, Levin said. ???The fear that they have is that the sequestration will be triggered. Then you have a totally different ball game.??

Under the 2011 Budget Control Act, there will be additional automatic budget cuts of at least $1.2 trillion over the next ten years, unless Congress acts. The Pentagon would take a major share of those cuts ? some $600 billion starting in January, 2013.

At the breakfast, Levin said he thinks Republicans will vote to raise additional tax revenue to avoid those cuts at the Pentagon. ???The dam has got to be broken on revenues. What will break it I believe is the threat of sequestration."

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Five ways 9/11 has transformed the US military&nbsp;

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/usmilitary/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20120126/ts_csm/456826

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Boeing 4Q profit up as plane deliveries take off (AP)

MINNEAPOLIS ? Quicker deliveries of Boeing's commercial airplanes helped it report a 20-percent jump in fourth-quarter profits, and offset sluggish growth in its defense business.

Boeing delivered 128 commercial aircraft, up from 116 a year ago. Profits from those planes jumped 56 percent, and revenue rose 31 percent. It delivered three of its new 787s last year, and nine new 747-8 superjumbo jets.

The results bode well for Boeing, which expects its 2012 jet deliveries to put it ahead of European rival Airbus for the first time in 10 years. Boeing plans to deliver 585 to 600 commercial planes this year, while Airbus has predicted deliveries of 570 commercial jets.

Boeing Co. posted net income of $1.39 billion on Wednesday, or $1.84 per share. It had help from a tax benefit of 52 cents per share. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected $1 per share. Revenue was $19.56 billion, also better than expected.

While Boeing's profits from defense rose 6 percent in the fourth quarter, and revenue was up 4 percent, defense contractors are just beginning to see what is expected to be a major slowdown in military spending in the U.S. and Europe. Boeing believes its defense revenue will fall roughly 5 percent this year.

Boeing and other defense contractors are moving to adjust. Boeing said earlier this month that it would close a defense plant in Wichita, Kan., which employs 2,160 people. Closing the plant angered Kansas lawmakers, who had worked to help Boeing get a contract to make a new aerial refueling tanker for the Air Force, with some of the work to be done in Wichita. Chairman and CEO Jim McNerney said Boeing had to close the plant because of the "serious surgery on defense programs" planned by Washington.

Boeing said it bid aggressively for the tanker, although profits are expected be thin. McNerney said he does not believe Boeing's contract requires the tanker work to be done in Wichita.

"The Air Force has pressed us for a very good deal, and they're leaving it to us for the decision on where and how to produce it," he said on a conference call.

Boeing forecast profit of $4.05 to $4.25 per share in 2012. Analysts had been expecting a profit of $4.90 per share. Not counting 83 cents per share in higher-than-expected pension expense and other one-time items, Boeing estimates adjusted profit of $5.06 to $5.26 per share.

Revenue is forecast to be $78 billion to $80 billion. Analysts expect $78.45 billion.

Boeing shares fell as much as 3 percent in early trading on Wednesday, but they closed 46 cents higher at $75.82.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/earnings/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_bi_ge/us_earns_boeing

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Google?s Motorola seeks an injunction against the iPhone 4S and iCloud

Motorola has filed an injunction against Apple, claiming the iPhone 4S and iCloud infringe on six different patents. The six patents included in the suit are:


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

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Acer Aspire TimelineX 5830TG-6614


We've seen several laptops lately that peg the intersection of the desktop replacement and budget categories at around $700. The Acer Aspire TimelineX 5830TG-6614 is a bit steeper at $779.99 list, but don't dismiss it: For one thing, we've seen online resellers offering it for around $750. For another, the 15.6-inch Aspire is loaded with everything from Intel Wireless Display (WiDi) to a discrete Nvidia graphics adapter that actually passed our gaming tests at medium resolution and detail settings.

As you might guess from its model number, the Acer 5830TG-6614 is a refreshed version of the Aspire TimelineX 5830TG-6402 ($799.99 direct, 3.5 stars) we tested in August. Besides a $20 price cut and the addition of WiDi 2.0?which beams the notebook's display to an HDTV equipped with an extra-cost ($100 or so) Belkin, D-Link, or Netgear adapter?the changes include slightly faster graphics and processing hardware.

Design
Unchanged from August is the Aspire's handsome cobalt blue aluminum lid with chrome Acer logo and matching blue plastic palm rest; the black chiclet-style keys are framed in a silver aluminum keyboard surround. There's a numeric keypad, with small but dedicated Home, End, PgUp, and PgDn keys, to the right of the primary keys; the touchpad is centered under the latter (actually, under the space bar), so some users perceive it as being too far to the left. I had no complaints myself?I quite enjoyed typing on the laptop, and the touchpad, though a little small compared to some of the jumbo ones you see today, worked smoothly, with comfortable left and right buttons instead of invisible clickpad corners.

Measuring 1.2 by 14.9 by 9.8 inches (HWD) and weighing 5.4 pounds, the 5830TG-6614 has an appealingly angular design. The 15.6-inch widescreen has the same 1,366-by-768 resolution that's ubiquitous in the class?if you want more space, you'll have to either pay for the likes of the Dell XPS 15z ($1,534 direct, 4 stars) or opt for a 17.3-inch system such as the HP Pavilion dv7-6b55dx ($699.99 list, 4 stars). Sufficient for viewing videos in 720p, the display offers a glossy finish and fairly narrow viewing angles. The laptop's audio is a good partner for those videos, with above-average sound from the Dolby Home Theater speakers mounted above the keyboard.

Features
WiMAX or other mobile broadband is absent, but otherwise the TimelineX has a full complement of wireless features: Besides WiDi, there's 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. There's also Clear.fi, a proprietary streaming technology that lets Acer products (such as the Aspire and an Iconia tablet) share multimedia content over a home Wi-Fi network.

On the Aspire's right side are three USB 2.0 ports and a dual-layer DVD?RW drive, with an SD/MMC/xD/MS Pro memory card slot on the front edge. Ethernet, microphone, and headphone jacks are on the left side, as are VGA and HDMI ports and one USB 3.0 port. The last can be used to charge a cell phone or other device; a handy utility lets you specify whether to allow USB charging only when the laptop is plugged in or discontinue it when the latter's battery sinks to a certain percentage.

The Acer's 640GB, 5,400rpm hard drive is smaller than the 750GB drives found in competitors like the Lenovo IdeaPad Z570-10249ZU ($699.99 list, 3.5 stars), but still offers plenty of room for your documents and multimedia files. It's also packed with more than its share of bloatware, from a slew of house-brand utilities to usual suspects like Microsoft Office Starter 2010 and a 60-day trial of McAfee Internet Security to New York Times and Nook e-readers and Netflix and eBay links. Acer backs the Aspire with a two-year mail- or carry-in parts-and-labor warranty and one-year international travelers' warranty offering access to service centers abroad for owners who carry a copy of the original sales receipt.

Performance
Acer Aspire TimelineX 5830TG-6614 The 5830TG-6614 is built around Intel's 2.4GHz Core i5-2430M, the same dual-core, four-thread processor found in our Editors' Choice Asus U56E-BBL6 and numerous competitors, with 6GB of DDR3 memory. It's not surprising, then, that many of its benchmark scores are virtual ties with those laptops'. Its PCMark 7 score of 2,388, for instance, is well within the margin of error of the 2,376 of the Lenovo Z570-10249ZU, and its Photoshop CS5 time of 4 minutes 8 seconds is just six seconds behind that of the Asus U56E-BBL6 and HP dv7-6b55dx.

Acer Aspire TimelineX 5830TG-6614

The Aspire strides to the front, however, in graphics tests, thanks to its 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 540M discrete graphics adapter. Running at 1,024-by-768 resolution with medium quality and detail settings, the Acer posted a playable 39.1 frames per second (fps) in Lost Planet 2 and a better-than-playable 58.1fps in Crysis, as well as nearing the impressive 10,000-point mark (9,551) in 3DMark06.

Nvidia's Optimus technology automatically switches from the GeForce adapter to the Core i5 chip's more placid integrated graphics when running visually undemanding applications, which boosts battery life. Indeed, though I'm by nature biased against batteries sealed inside laptop cases so they can't be swapped out, it's hard to criticize the Acer's too much, because it lasted a hardy 9 hours 1 minute in our MobileMark 2007 test?trailing its 5830TG-6402 predecessor (9:57) and the HP Pavilion (9:33), but besting the Asus (7:42) and Lenovo (5:30).

Overall, the Aspire TimelineX 5830TG-6614 comes within a whisker of unseating the Asus U56E-BBL6 as our budget laptop Editors' Choice, the latter clinging to its title by dint of its lower price and removable battery. But if you're looking for an affordable desktop replacement that won't fold when you fire up a few games, the Acer is a strong candidate.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the Acer Aspire TimelineX 5830TG-6614 with several other laptops side by side.

More laptop reviews:
??? Acer Aspire TimelineX 5830TG-6614
??? Toshiba Portege Z830-S8302
??? HP Pavilion dm1-3010nr (Verizon)
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??? Lenovo IdeaPad U400
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/oSWv6AhgHpw/0,2817,2399062,00.asp

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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

TV audience drops for Obama's State of Union speech (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Almost 38 million Americans watched President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech live on television - about 5 million fewer than in 2011, according to TV ratings figures on Wednesday.

The Nielsen company said Obama's speech on Tuesday night, in which he defended his record while demanding higher taxes on the wealthy, was carried live on 14 networks, and was seen by 37.7 million TV viewers.

Last year, the TV audience for the address was 42.7 million, while 48 million watched Obama deliver his first State of the Union speech in 2010.

(Reporting By Jill Serjeant; Editing by Eric Walsh)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/tv_nm/us_usa_obama_speech_tv

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Team MotoSport.com/TiLUBE/Foremost Insurance to Run Brembo ...

Orange, Calif. ? January 23, 2012 ? Dubya USA is proud to announce their partnership with Team MotoSport.com/TiLUBE/Foremost Insurance to provide Brembo braking systems and Talon/Excele wheelsets for team riders Nick Wey and Chris Blose during the 2012 Supercross and motocross seasons.

?We?re excited to be working with the MotoSport.com/TiLUBE/Foremost Insurance team in 2012,? said Dubya Co-Founder John Anderson. ?Wey and Blose are both talented riders, and we?re proud to call ourselves part of their program this season.?

The Brembo Oversized Off-Road Brake Kits that Dubya will be providing feature an oversized 267mm x 3mm floating stainless-steel rotor, high quality sintered brake pads, and hard anodized cnc machined calipers. The kits were designed from Brembo?s extensive experience racing in MX1 and MX2 championships, and competing in the grueling Paris-Dakar Rally. The result is a brake system that can deliver exceptional stopping power in even the harshest conditions.

Dubya?s Talon/Excel custom wheelsets are hand laced by their staff of experienced wheel builders at their shop in Orange, California. Each wheelset begins with one of Talon?s high-performance carbon hubs, which is then laced to one of Excel?s lightweight, high strength rims to deliver the level of strength and performance that pro-level racing demands.

For more information these and other products from DubyaUSA, visit their website at www.dubyausa.com. You can also get the latest updates by liking them on facebook at www.facebook.com/dubyausa, or following them on twitter at www.twitter.com/dubyausa.

Source: http://motocross.transworld.net/1000122124/news/team-motosport-comtilubeforemost-insurance-to-run-brembo-brake-kits-from-dubya-usa/

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HTC Titan (AT&T)


The HTC Titan ($199.99) is the HTC Radar 4G's ($99.99, 3.5 stars) big brother. Both cell phones run Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango), but whereas the Radar 4G is a fine midrange device on T-Mobile, the Titan offers a faster processor and a much larger screen on AT&T. The Titan is a nice phone and worth owning. But now that the modestly upgraded Titan II looms, wait for AT&T's inevitable discount on the first model before pouncing.

Design, Call Quality, and OS
The HTC Titan measures 5.1 by 2.8 by 0.4 inches (HWD) and weighs 5.6 ounces. It feels like a quality piece, with a mix of aluminum and soft touch accents, and a massive glass touch screen. It's tough to use one-handed; my right thumb couldn't reach the Back button, for example, although I could dial numbers and (barely) touch all of the home screen tiles. The 4.7-inch, 480-by-800-pixel panel makes photos and videos look huge, but the lack of resolution compared to competing 960-by-540 and 1280-by-720 phones is noticeable. Microsoft employs a little slight-of-hand to smooth the fonts, but the low-density screen can make things look a bit soft all around. Typing with the on-screen keyboard on such a large screen is a cinch, even in portrait mode.

The HTC Titan is a quad-band EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and tri-band HSPA+ 14.4 (850/1900/2100 MHz) device with 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. This phone is 3G, not 4G despite AT&T's claims; expect download speeds averaging 2-3Mbps.

Voice quality was mixed overall. Reception was fine.?I heard a full, midrangey tone in the earpiece and plenty of gain, which is good. But transmissions through the microphone varied in quality, and often sounded muted when compared back to back with the HTC Vivid ($99, 4 stars). In addition, the phone is so large that even despite HTC's oversize earpiece speaker, you still have to position the handset carefully to hear the other person.

Calls sounded clear through an Aliph Jawbone Era Bluetooth headset ($129, 4 stars). The TellMe-powered voice dialing worked perfectly over Bluetooth. The speakerphone could use more volume; it's not loud enough for talking outdoors, but at least it doesn't distort much. Battery life was a little weak at 4 hours and 40 minutes of talk time.

All Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) (Free, 3.5 stars) devices look and feel more or less the same on the software side. The Titan's 1.5GHz single-core Qualcomm 8255 S2 processor performed well in our benchmark tests, and the Titan feels snappy in day-to-day use.

Software-wise, the platform is fine; you get preloaded Office document editing, good music and video players, tight Facebook integration, built-in Exchange and Outlook sync, and a powerful WebKit browser. Windows Marketplace recently topped 50,000 third-party apps?still far behind Android and iOS, but Microsoft's efforts to court third-party developers are paying off. That said, plenty of big name apps are still missing, including Pandora, Mint, Zinio, Instagram, Hulu, and Dropbox. If that bothers you, you should still go with Android or iOS.?

Multimedia, Camera, and Conclusions
There's a standard-size 3.5mm headphone jack on top and 10.52GB of free internal storage, but no memory card slot, and no earbuds in the box. Music tracks sounded full and clear through both wired and Samsung Modus HM6450 Bluetooth headphones ($99, 4 stars).

The Windows Phone music player is fun to use, with large album art thumbnails and a smooth interface. The Zune software transcoded and synced all of my media without issue?aside from XviD files?and Windows Connector also works great on the Mac side. Standalone video files looked vibrant and played smoothly right up to 1080p resolution.

The 8-megapixel auto-focus camera includes geotagging and a dual-LED flash. Test photos looked sharp outside, with well balanced color, plenty of detail, and good lighting. Indoor photos were fine in well lit rooms, but exhibited a fair amount of grain as the lighting dimmed. Recorded videos were average but not exceptional; both 1280-by-720-pixel (720p) and 640-by-480-pixel (VGA) videos topped out at 23 frames per second, although files recorded at both resolutions exhibited good detail. The camera app comes with plenty of adjustable settings for both photos and video recordings.

The Titan isn't going away when the Titan II hits the market, although the newer model adds a 16-megapixel camera and LTE. AT&T will continue to sell both models even when the Titan II arrives in "the coming weeks" (according to the carrier). That leads me to recommend the Titan as a decent choice, if slightly inferior to the Samsung Focus S ($199.99, 3.5 stars). Right this moment, for less money, you can nab our Editors' Choice Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket ($149.99, 4.5 stars) or HTC Vivid, both of which sport LTE data connections and access to Android's superior Android Market. At $199.99, the HTC Titan is also up against the much smaller Apple iPhone 4S ($199.99, 4.5 stars), which has a superior camera, the best apps and games in the industry, and a sharper screen.

Benchmarks
Continuous talk time:
4 hours 40 minutes

More Cell Phone Reviews:
??? HTC Titan (AT&T)
??? PCD Wrangler (U.S. Cellular)
??? Nokia Lumia 710 (T-Mobile)
??? Samsung Exhibit II 4G (T-Mobile)
??? Huawei Mercury (Cricket Wireless)
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/yw7i8dPc5No/0,2817,2398983,00.asp

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