Fujitsu slashes profit target by 42 percent, blames Thai floods

NEC revealed its financial woes to the world yesterday and now Fujitsu is doing the same. The Japanese computer giant originally expected to make ¥60 billion ($790 million) in the fiscal year ending March 31st, but its latest estimate suggests ¥35 billion ($460 million) may be closer to the mark. Whereas NEC admitted there'd been a fall in demand for its products, Fujitsu has so far put the blame squarely on the recent flooding in Thailand, which hit PC sales by disrupting supplies of HDDs.

Fujitsu slashes profit target by 42 percent, blames Thai floods originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/31/fujitsu-slashes-profit-target-by-42-percent-blames-thai-floods/

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Nevada is friendly turf for Romney (Reuters)

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) ? The next state in the Republican nominating contest, Nevada, is friendly turf for front-runner Mitt Romney, who easily won here four years ago and is perhaps even stronger in the state this time round.

"I think it would be the upset of the upsets," David Damore, a political scientist at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, said of prospects of a win by anyone other than Romney on Saturday.

"Romney has the advantage. He's been here. He's organized. He's got the whole LDS organization," he added, referring to his membership in the Mormon church, whose Republican-leaning followers in Nevada make up about a tenth of the state's population.

Just 11 days ago, Romney was limping out of South Carolina, where he came in second to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who only this week opened an all-volunteer field office in Nevada.

But Florida now appears to be Romney's for the taking after prominent conservatives and party leaders threw their weight behind him, worried a Gingrich nomination would doom Republicans in November's general election against President Barack Obama.

"While Nevada Republicans may not be wild about Romney, the social conservatives are not as important in Nevada as they are say in South Carolina and Iowa and Florida. Romney's business background really helps him here. And being a Mormon doesn't hurt him here," said Eric Herzik, a political science professor at the University of Nevada at Reno.

He added that the race in libertarian-minded Nevada, a state with a strong anti-tax lobby that is at the epicenter of the nation's housing crisis, was more likely to focus on fiscal conservatism than hot-button social issues.

"We're pretty individualistic. Our economy is built on gambling, drinking. Nevada Republicans are probably pro-life, but it's not what motivates the political debate here. We're about taxes and little government," Herzik said.

ENDORSEMENTS

Romney, a former Massachusetts governor who won the 2008 Nevada caucus with over 50 percent of the vote but lost the nomination, has the backing of many prominent Nevada Republicans as well as an endorsement from the state's biggest newspaper.

He has also appeared to be trying to woo first-term Republican Governor Brian Sandoval, who early on endorsed Texas Governor Rick Perry who has since dropped out, with a mention from Florida as a potential Latino cabinet pick.

A poll of registered Republican voters commissioned by the Las Vegas Review-Journal in December showed Romney leading the state with 33 percent and Gingrich with 29 percent.

Ron Paul, who has long had an enthusiastic base of supporters in Nevada and who in 2008 edged out eventual Republican nominee John McCain in the state for second place, had 13 percent. Rick Santorum was in the single digits.

Romney, who launched his economic plan months ago in Las Vegas, has said voters have responded to his more aggressive criticism over the past week of Gingrich's work for mortgage giant Freddie Mac, his ethics probe and his resignation as U.S. House of Representatives speaker.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal endorsed Romney on Sunday, saying that his greatest strength was "his command of economic issues and his understanding of what the private sector needs to create jobs."

"He wants the country to develop all its energy resources, not punish the oil, coal and gas sectors. He wants states and citizens to have more freedom to innovate. And perhaps most importantly, Mr. Romney is a Washington outsider, not a capital insider," the paper said.

Analysts said it would be hard for candidates like Gingrich and Santorum with only nascent organizations to compete with Romney, who has already held caucus training sessions across the state.

But with Nevada's delegates awarded proportionally, the caucus appeared unlikely to deal a knock-out punch to any of the top vote-getters in the state.

"The Paul people will show up. The Romney people will show up. So we have to get our people to show up," said Dan Burdish, a Nevada campaign coordinator for Gingrich. "A second place is a win for us as far as I'm concerned in this state. It would be phenomenal."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120131/pl_nm/us_usa_campaign_nevada

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"The Help" gets Oscar boost with big SAG wins (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Civil rights drama "The Help" got a leg up in the Oscar race on Sunday when the movie won three awards from the Screen Actors Guild, including best cast in a surprise over silent movie romance "The Artist."

"The Help," which came into the show with four nominations, more than any other film, also earned its star Viola Davis the SAG award for best actress, while Octavia Spencer was named top supporting actress. They both played maids who face discrimination in the film set in Mississippi during the 1960s.

Davis thanked another African-American actress, Cicely Tyson, who inspired her as a child and was in the audience. Davis talked of dreaming big as a child when she wanted to become an actress. She encouraged others to do so, too.

"Dream big and dream fierce," she said.

Davis also took the opportunity to remind the celebrities in attendance, including A-listers George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Meryl Streep, as well as TV audiences, that change is still necessary in current U.S. culture.

"The stain of racism and sexism is not just for people of color or women," she said. "It's all of our burden. All of us, and we can, absolutely all of us, we can inspire change."

Silent movie "The Artist" could only claim one trophy. Jean Dujardin was named best actor in a drama for his role as a fading screen star at the end of the talkies who is ultimately saved by love.

Dujardin, who beat out Clooney and Pitt in the category, seemed genuinely surprised as he held his statue and thanked SAG. Like Davis, he noted that as a kid he was always a dreamer and said his teachers called him "Jean of the moon."

"I was always dreaming," he said. "I realize now that I never stopped dreaming. Thank you very much."

Others winning SAG film honors included Christopher Plummer for supporting actor. Plummer, 82, who plays an elderly man who reveals his homosexuality, much to the chagrin of his family, thanked his fellow actors from the stage, calling them a wacky but wonderful bunch of artists.

SAG's film awards are closely watched for their impact on Oscars because actors make up the biggest voting group at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences which picks winners. The Academy Awards take place in Los Angeles on February 26.

Coming into the SAG Awards, "The Artist" had been favored by pundits because it has claimed a string of victories in recent weeks at the Golden Globe and Critics Choice honors, as well as among industry groups like the producers and directors guilds.

But pundits may now have to re-calculate their odds back toward "The Help" with its SAG wins. Another key Oscar contender, "The Descendants," was shut out by SAG voters.

TV WINNERS

Unlike academy voters focused on film, SAG members also pick winners in TV awards, and in that arena, "Boardwalk Empire" was named best drama series for the second straight year and "Modern Family was chosen top comedy, also for the second year running.

Jessica Lange took her first SAG trophy for best dramatic actress in new show, "American Horror Story," and Steve Buscemi was named best actor in a drama for critically acclaimed "Boardwalk Empire." Both thanked their cast and crew members.

Alec Baldwin, Betty White and the "Modern Family" were the three TV winners in comedy categories.

The offbeat "Modern Family" claimed its second straight win for best TV comedy, while Baldwin was named best actor in a TV comedy for the sixth year playing a TV executive on "30 Rock," and White, who turned 90 earlier this month, took the comedy actress trophy for a second time in "Hot in Cleveland."

An obviously surprised White acknowledged her co-stars Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick.

The win "belongs with four of us," she said, then looked at her statuette with a gleam in her eye and a joke on her mind. "I'm dealing them right-in with this. I'm not going to let them keep this, but I will let them see it."

In other TV awards, Kate Winslet was named best actress in a small-screen movie or miniseries for "Mildred Pierce," and Paul Giamatti won the trophy for actor in a movie or mini-series with "Too Big to Fail."

Among the humorous moments, three women from raunchy film comedy "Bridesmaids" played a game in which everyone had to take a drink when director Martin Scorsese's name was mentioned. The game became a running joke throughout the show.

And of the more poignant points, Mary Tyler Moore - a star on comedy "The Dick Van Dyke" show in the 1960s, who cemented her fame in the '70s on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and starred in critically acclaimed 1980 movie "Ordinary People" - was given a lifetime achievement honor.

"It means so much, it really does," she told Reuters about her honor backstage.

Asked how she wanted to be remembered for all her accomplishments, she replied in modest fashion. "As a good chum. As somebody who was happy most of the time and took great pride in making people laugh when I was able to pull that off."

Hollywood's biggest film stars including Clooney, Pitt, Jolie and others turned out on the red carpet, as did TV's top talent such as Julianna Margulies, Lea Michelle and others.

As with previous Hollywood honors programs, many of the women showed off low-cut or strapless gowns. Some wore vintage or sequined dresses. Colors - violets, reds and teals - proved popular. The men wore tuxedos or stylish suits with bow ties.

(Reporting By Bob Tourtellotte and Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Stacey Joyce and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/film_nm/us_sagawards

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Marine pleads guilty to assault fellow Marine

Allen Lew, father of Lance Cpl. Harry Lew and Rep. Judy Chu of California, speak to members of the press outside the courtroom of the Legal Services Center of Marine Corps Base Hawaii on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Lance Cpl. Jacob D. Jacoby, Sgt. Benjamin Johns, and Lance Cpl. Carlos Orozco III are accused of hazing fellow Marine Lance Cpl. Harry Lew who later committed Suicide. (AP Photo/Kent Nishimura)

Allen Lew, father of Lance Cpl. Harry Lew and Rep. Judy Chu of California, speak to members of the press outside the courtroom of the Legal Services Center of Marine Corps Base Hawaii on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Lance Cpl. Jacob D. Jacoby, Sgt. Benjamin Johns, and Lance Cpl. Carlos Orozco III are accused of hazing fellow Marine Lance Cpl. Harry Lew who later committed Suicide. (AP Photo/Kent Nishimura)

Allen Lew, father of Lance Cpl. Harry Lew and Rep. Judy Chu of California, speak to members of the press outside the courtroom of the Legal Services Center of Marine Corps Base Hawaii on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Lance Cpl. Jacob D. Jacoby, Sgt. Benjamin Johns, and Lance Cpl. Carlos Orozco III are accused of hazing fellow Marine Lance Cpl. Harry Lew who later committed Suicide. (AP Photo/Kent Nishimura)

Lieutenant John Battisti, followed by Lance Cpl. Jacob D. Jacoby walks in the Legal Services Center at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Lance Cpl. Jacob D. Jacoby, Sgt. Benjamin Johns, and Lance Cpl. Carlos Orozco III are accused of hazing fellow Marine Lance Cpl. Harry Lew who later committed Suicide. (AP Photo/Kent Nishimura)

Marine Sgt. Benjamin Johns walks to the courtroom of the Legal Services Center of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Lance Cpl. Jacob D. Jacoby, Sgt. Benjamin Johns, and Lance Cpl. Carlos Orozco III are accused of hazing fellow Marine Lance Cpl. Harry Lew who later committed Suicide. (AP Photo/Kent Nishimura)

Lance Cpl. Carlos Orozco III walks to the courtroom of the Legal Services Center of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Lance Cpl. Jacob D. Jacoby, Sgt. Benjamin Johns, and Lance Cpl. Carlos Orozco III are accused of hazing fellow Marine Lance Cpl. Harry Lew who later committed Suicide. (AP Photo/Kent Nishimura)

KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii (AP) ? A Hawaii-based Marine accused of hazing a fellow Marine who later killed himself in Afghanistan pleaded guilty Monday to assault as part of an agreement with prosecutors.

Lance Cpl. Jacob Jacoby admitted in a special court-martial that he punched and kicked Lance Cpl. Harry Lew. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors withdrew charges that Jacoby humiliated and threatened Lew.

Jacoby said he acted out of anger and frustration that his fellow Marine had repeatedly fallen asleep while on watch while looking for Taliban fighters. That put the lives of his squad members in danger, Jacoby said.

Lew committed suicide on April 3 at a patrol base in Helmand province, shortly after the abuse. The 21-year-old was a nephew of U.S. Rep. Judy Chu.

Two other Marines also are accused of hazing Lew before he shot himself with his machine gun in his foxhole. Sgt. Benjamin Johns, the leader of the squad the Marines belonged to, and Lance Cpl. Carlos Orozco III will have their own separate courts-martial later.

Both Marines watched the court proceedings Monday.

Lew's father, Allen Lew, said his family wants to see what sentence is given to Jacoby.

"We just couldn't believe (his) own peers would do something like that to their own people. Very sad," he told reporters. "It's a tragedy for us. Never able to repair our broken heart."

Chu, D-Calif., attended the hearing. "I want to make sure that there is justice for Harry. And I want to support these brave persons, his parents," she said.

The attorney representing Johns said he was concerned the presence of a politician will taint the process and interfere with justice.

"How do I get a fair jury? What implicit message is she trying to send to those panel members?" said Tim Bilecki, a defense attorney who specializes in military clients.

Chu said that wouldn't be the case. "I'm not going to be saying anything in the trial. All I'm doing is being here. I'm here for the family to support them," she said.

The case involves the actions of Marines at an isolated patrol base the U.S. was establishing to disrupt Taliban drug and weapons trafficking in Helmand province.

At an Article 32 hearing ? the equivalent of a grand jury hearing for civilians ? Marines testified in September that Lew repeatedly fell asleep while he was on watch duty and patrol looking for attacking insurgents. Squad members and officers had tried different methods to get him to stay awake, including referring him up the chain of command for discipline and taking him off patrols so he could get more rest.

But on Lew's last night, when he fell asleep again, those efforts escalated into alleged acts of violence and humiliation, according to charges outlined at the hearing. The Marines were accused of punching and kicking him, making him do push-ups and pouring sand in his face.

A significant share of the questions raised at the Article 32 hearing focused on whether the accused intended to humiliate and harm Lew or discipline him so he would stop falling asleep while on watch duty.

Before Lew put the muzzle of his machine gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger, he scrawled a note on his arm: "May hate me now, but in the long run this was the right choice I'm sorry my mom deserves the truth."

A Marine commander in retrospect speculated Lew may have been nodding off because he suffered from depression or some other medical condition.

Chu discussed her nephew's death during a House Armed Services hearing on suicide prevention in September, held at the same time as the Article 32 hearing. She told military witnesses that Lew was "a very popular and outgoing young man known for joking and smiling and break dancing."

Chu also issued a statement saying no one deserves being "hazed and tortured" like her nephew was, and that the military justice system must hold "any wrongdoers accountable."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-30-Marines-Alleged%20Hazing/id-ead098fa372d400d9f891e411de09079

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[OOC] Geography

Forum rules
This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.

Please post all "Players Wanted" threads in the Roleplayers Wanted forum!

This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Through Monstrous Eyes?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

Topic Tags:

Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.

This thread is for the posting of places and landmarks which, by virtue of their size or importance, should be included in either the IC forum or the map. Please be concise as possible in your description of the location, for this is mainly a reference list.

Scumbag_Brain

Member for 1 years

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Basics

Old World-The realms from which the civilized races come, a continent across the seas where monsters once lived but long ago were driven to extinction.

New World- A large continent, many times the size of the New World whose boundaries have not yet been fully explored. It's habitat's range from arctic to tropical and only its eastern half is colonized. A large chain of mountains split it across the middle and form a barrier to settlers.

The Colonies- A band of settlements concentrated on the eastern shore which push ever inward into the wilderness. There are three main colonies (each founded by a separate race) which are bound together by loose treaties.

New Arcadia - The Elven colony named for its mother country. It is the southernmost of the three colonies. Much of its wealth comes from plantations which make the raw material for fine elven textiles from the sweat of enslaved monsters.

Duerheim - Located in the frozen north where only dwarves could prosper, this colony is focused unsurprisingly on extracting ore (particularly of the enchanted variety) which it ships back to the mother country for processing.

Cathandria - Named for the human saint and cleric, Cathandra, this colony is strictly regulated by the teachings of the church. It is overseen not by secular magistrates but by a grand cleric who's word is law and who answers only to the Anointed across the sea.

The Wilds - A catch all term for the uncivilized lands west of the colonies which covers many diverse regions.

The Gray Mountains - Named for the slate gray stone which composes much of its peaks and the gray fog which drifts down from it, these mountains separate the eastern half of the New World from the mysteries which lay beyond. Most mundane theorists guess another shore lies to the far west, but a few speculate that the world simply ends or one crosses over into the mythical Dragon Realm.

Dragon Realm - A myth told by sailors that a land of riches lies far to the East across the endless seas, or by some accounts beyond the Gray Mountains. Most such tales claim that the dragons, driven from the Old World, settled there, hence the name Dragon Realm.

Scumbag_Brain

Member for 1 years

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Kandazur Jungle - A deep an impenetrable jungle east of Elven Colony of New Arcadia, it forms a barrier of thorns against all attempts at settlement. The jungle is known for its ancient ruins, hinting at lost civilizations, but explorers who venture within must be prepared to deal with the jungle's fierce predators which include giant serpents, basalisk and several varieties of troll.

Scumbag_Brain

Member for 1 years

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Castle Betz

Castle Betz is an avarage size castle construted five hundered years ago by the Betz family. It is located in the south-western most part of the human kingdom. The castle was build too far away from any other human settlement at the time, because of this the castle often lacked the protection of the rest of the kingdom or the law enforcement making it a perfect place for bandits and outlaws. As the years past house Betz started loosing it's power and soon enough the area looked more like the wilds than a civilized human settlement. Shortly there after the castle was abandoned by house Betz which ended up moving to the human city of Cathandria in looks of political power. The castle still stands today, forgotten and in ruins, the place is left alone by most explorers and travelers since it is believed that it is haunted and that anyone that enters ends up a vampire.

TechGorilla

Member for 2 years

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Castle LaFonte

100 years ago this castle stood as the pride of the noble LaFonte Family. With it's tall towers of gleaming white stone and it's grand chapel it also stood as a rightous fortress of the human God against the wilds and "evils" of the wilds. How ironic that it how lies in ruins and is deem haunted, taken back by the wilds all because of an act of greed. For another human lord in his greed sacked and killed the Lafonte family but his victory was short lived as all was killed by the cry of the LaFonte maiden now a banshee. It is said you can still hear the mournful song of the lost maiden coming from the ruins and that none who enter this once holy fortress ever return...

Iced Fire

Member for 4 years

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Pet Health Insurance policy ? Black Nineteen

Posted by: admin on: January 29, 2012

Insuring your pet ? the finest bet:

The welfare of the animal adopted by the relatives is a collective obligation. Just like each expense and member of the relatives is insured, the pet requirements a finance cover too. Pet wellbeing insurance policy has been about for a whilst now, but the relevance of the cover has only just lately made the rounds. The availability of pet insurance policy programs has in a way been impacted and minimal largely due to the a variety of policy restrictions and prohibitive clauses provided in many instances. On the other hand, in last several decades, pet owners about the world have pursued the alterations adopted within the devoted pet insurance policy sector with lazy boy chairs.

Why is it important to insure your pet?

Pet wellbeing insurance policy now equips and supports the pet owners with insurance policy addresses that are supplied at unique amounts of care. The alterations include things like the locations which were previously deemed ?cost prohibitive? by the insurance policy providers. Most pet owners react from the hassles they experience when dealing with insurance policy red tape and issues prevalent in the human wellbeing care fields. The raising cost of veterinary medicine and the obligation of the pet are foremost pet owners throughout the planet to deal with the require for devoted pet wellbeing insurance policy. The cover fundamentally takes care of animal hospitalization and wellbeing care requirements addressed by the veterinary.

What does pet wellbeing insurance policy consider care of?

The pet owners are accountable for veterinary expenditures incurred, like preventive or program pet care, emergencies and disorders that need hospitalization. The pet wellbeing policies are rather comparable to human insurance policy policies. Pet wellbeing insurance policy also entails the payment of annual or semi annual rates, calculating deductibles and evaluating the unique protection programs primarily based on funds and unique phrases and disorders. In the scenario of the animals, the pet wellbeing insurance policy programs are primarily based on the species, the pet?s age and any pre-current wellbeing disorders. In certain policies, the way of life of the pet, which requirements to be declared as indoors or outdoors, is also deemed. Most of the pet wellbeing insurance policy providers offer you policies to animals that have finished a certain variety of months due to the fact birth. There are some that do not adhere to the ?age limit? standards at all and however some some others who truly style and design pet wellbeing insurance policy policies and programs for ages in between many specified by the organization only.

Qualification standards:

The a variety of pet wellbeing insurance policy providers look for information and facts on pre-current wellbeing issues. Policies differ sort a person organization to yet another and in kind. Some pet wellbeing insurance policy providers insure the animal only if the pet is veterinary declared ?stable? or ?controlled?. There are policies where providers refuse to insure animals with existent wellbeing disorders or terminally ill. The animal, in some pet wellbeing care insurance policy packages are not coated if the breed is understood as inclined to creating certain conditions. A good illustration of this is the popular wellbeing hazard in German Shepherds ? hip dysplasia!

How does pet wellbeing insurance policy work?

There is a fixed existing ordinary for annual deductibles in the scenario of pet wellbeing insurance policy. The actual expenditures of the policies differ widely. The affecting variables include things like the animal species and the unique offers intended with the species in head, from which the proprietor can pick. There are pet wellbeing care insurance policy offers that including annual checkups and vaccinations and preventive medication, along with program wellbeing care visits to the veterinary. The in depth-insurance policy offers for the animals also cover spay and/or neuter surgical procedures. Almost all insurance policy programs cover accident and illness and offer you rapid protection, basically within a month, in the scenario of illness claims on new policies. If you have much more than a person pet, then added pets are provided pet wellbeing insurance policy at a diminished rate.

You require to test with your veterinarian about the wellness offers provided by certain hospitals, at discounted costs and the geriatric wellbeing checkup offers for preventive wellbeing. Comparison shopping for premium premiums and utmost protection can help you save on important time and money!

Source: http://www.blacknineteen.com/pet-health-insurance-policy/

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Newt Gingrich Soared In South Carolina, But Now Former House Speaker Could Sour

Real Clear Politics:

It?s no longer a race between Mitt Romney and Not Romney. Newt Gingrich?s resurgence is rooted in the candidate he is, rather than the candidate he is not.

Gingrich has proven able to win with a broader coalition than Romney. That coalition eviscerated Romney?s double-digit lead in national polls. The GOP race is now a dead heat between the two men. Romney remains the favorite. But Gingrich is a serious contender for the nomination. And it?s a mistake to limit Gingrich?s GOP appeal to what Romney is not.

Read the whole story: Real Clear Politics

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/28/newt-gingrich_n_1239115.html

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IMF leads global push for euro zone to boost firewall (Reuters)

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) ? International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde led a global push on Saturday for the euro zone to boost its financial firewall, saying "if it is big enough it will not get used."

Lagarde, supported by the British finance minister, George Osborne, said the IMF could boost its support for the euro zone but pressed its leaders to act first. Some attendees at the Davos Forum still doubted the viability of the currency union.

Countries beyond the 17-country bloc want to see its members stump up more money before they commit additional resources to the IMF, which this month requested an additional 500 billion euros ($650 billion) in funding.

"Now is the time - there has been a lot of pressure building in order to see a solution come about," Lagarde told a Forum panel discussion on the economic outlook from which euro zone leaders - most notably Germany - were conspicuously absent.

"It is critical that the euro zone members develop a clear, simple firewall that can operate both to limit the contagion and to provide this sort of act of trust in the euro zone, so that the financing needs of that zone can actually be met," she said.

Lagarde's comments rounded out a crescendo of calls at the Davos Forum for the euro zone to boost its financial defenses. The annual five-day conference began with German Chancellor Angela Merkel deflecting pressure to do so.

In a carefully worded keynote address, Merkel suggested doubling or even tripling the size of the fund may convince markets for a time, but warned that if Germany made a promise that could not be kept, "then Europe is really vulnerable."

On Friday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner pressed Europe to make a "bigger commitment" to boosting its firewall.

Two bankers who attended meetings with Geithner at the Forum said on Friday the United States was looking for the euro zone to roughly double the size of its firewall to 1.5 trillion euros. There was no immediate comment from the U.S. Treasury.

Osborne said the currency bloc must beef up its firewall before other countries increase their funding to the IMF.

"I think the euro zone leaders understand that," said Osborne, the only European minister on Saturday's panel discussion on the global economic outlook in 2012.

"There are not going to be further contributions from G20 countries, Britain included, unless we see the color of their money," he added, calling for the euro zone "to provide a significant increase in available resources."

MORE OPTIMISM...FOR SOME

Japanese Economics Minister Motohisa Furukawa echoed Osborne's comments, saying: "Without the firm action of Europe, I don't think the developing countries like China or others are willing to pay more money for the IMF."

On condition that the euro zone boosts its own defenses, he said Japan and other countries were willing to additional support via the IMF.

Lagarde said, however, that if the international lender's resources were boosted sufficiently, this would raise confidence to such a degree that they would not be needed.

"If it is big enough, it will not get used. And the same applies to the euro firewall for that matter," she added.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, speaking to the Forum by video link from Tokyo, said Japan was working with South Korea and India to reduce the risk of the euro zone crisis spreading to Asia.

"Japan stands ready to support the euro zone as much as possible," he added.

Mexico's central bank chief, Agustin Carstens, said on Friday he believed a consensus was building on boosting the IMF's resources to help European countries and others that might need aid from the global lender.

There has been a palpable sense of hope at the Davos Forum that the euro zone is pulling back from the brink of catastrophe, though business leaders are equally worried that Europe's woes will hold back a global recovery.

Osborne saw some signs of optimism.

"People have commented on the mood of this conference being quite somber but having been here for a couple of days people have also pointed out that actually people are slightly more optimistic at the end of the week than the beginning," he said.

However, Davos 2011 also ended on upbeat note about the euro zone and a feeling that worst of the crisis was over - only for the situation to deteriorate and financial markets to turn their fire on Italy, the bloc's third biggest economy.

"The euro zone is a slow-motion train wreck," said economist Nouriel Roubini, made famous by predictions of the 2008-09 global banking crisis.

He expected Greece, and possibly Portugal, to exit the bloc within the next 12 months and believed there is a 50 percent chance of the bloc breaking up completely in the next 3-5 years.

Hong Kong's Chief Executive, Donald Tsang, said no matter how strong the euro zone's firewall is, the market will look at the nature of the economies it is protecting.

"If it is protecting insolvent economies...no matter how strong the firewall is, it won't survive," he said.

(Additional reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by Jon Boyle)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120128/bs_nm/us_davos_economy_lagarde

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Ala. tornado survivors help after latest twisters (AP)

CLAY, Ala. ? Survivors still haunted by memories of last year's tornado outbreak that killed 250 in Alabama are writing checks, donating diapers and standing over hot grills to help victims of the latest twisters to pummel the state.

The April 27 outbreak of 62 tornadoes that swept across the state in waves caused more than $1 billion in damage, hurt more than 2,000 people and destroyed or damaged nearly 24,000 homes. The storms leveled neighborhoods and virtually wiped out some towns. The latest outbreak of at least 10 tornadoes this week ravaged central Alabama, killing two people near Birmingham and destroying or badly damaging more than 460 homes.

Rick Johnson is still living with relatives and friends after two tornadoes last year killed four people and splintered his home in rural Cordova, where the downtown area is still in shambles. When the latest twisters hit this week, Johnson stepped up. He volunteered to cook 200 pounds of donated chicken and help deliver hot meals to volunteers, workers and storm victims in Center Point, about 45 miles from his hometown.

"You know what they're going through. You know what they feel. It's hard to describe," said Johnson, 55.

Leaders from President Barack Obama on down praised the generosity and volunteering spirit of Alabamians after last year's deadly tornado outbreak. The people who needed help last year, many of whom are still removing debris and rebuilding, have been among those lending a hand this time around. The Alabama Emergency Management Agency said 2,511 victims of last year's storms were still living in temporary housing.

For Leah Bromley, helping out victims of the latest twisters is all about repaying kindness. Mountains of donated clothes and furniture flooded her hometown of Tuscaloosa after a twister killed nearly 50 people there last year.

"I just really believe in paying it forward," said Bromley, who started Rebuild Tuscaloosa, a nonprofit organization formed after last year's twisters to solicit donations and distribute money and services for relief. Now, it's helping out in communities far from Tuscaloosa.

A University of Alabama sorority from Tuscaloosa gave donations to help victims of the latest twisters northeast of Birmingham, and a group brought more from Cullman, which also got slammed last year. A school in a Walker County town that was hard hit last year donated supplies and made sandwiches for survivors in Oak Grove, which was battered both in 2011 and 2012.

Mary Foster couldn't go home for weeks after a tornado badly damaged her home in Tuscaloosa, and she's just now settling back into a normal routine nine months later. That didn't stop her from writing a check to a relief fund this week.

Foster said she was compelled to help because so many people helped her last year, including Bromley's organization and Habitat for Humanity, which helped fix her home.

"I was glad to be able to be a blessing to them because so many people were a blessing to me," Foster said.

Foster's house in east Tuscaloosa was badly damaged when a twister cut a wide swath through the city of nearly 90,000 last year, forcing her and her two daughters to move in first with a brother, then into a motel. Her home is now repaired, but broken trees and splintered, vacant homes dot the rolling hills all through her Alberta City neighborhood, providing a constant reminder of the terror that day.

"When I came out and saw people scream and hollering. ... Oh, my," said Foster, her voice trailing off.

Thanks to contributions from people in tornado-scarred towns and elsewhere, the gym is now full at Bridge Point Church in Clay, which opened a distribution center after a twister last Monday slammed neighborhoods including one where a 16-year-old girl was killed and scores of homes were destroyed or damaged. A steady stream of storm victims came by on Wednesday gathering items off of a gym floor covered with tables full of cleaning supplies and buckets, baby food and diapers, tarps and canned foods.

Pastor Mark Higdon said the outpouring of donations has been gratifying, particularly considering how many Alabama families are still struggling to recover from the tornadoes last year, which leveled entire neighborhoods and virtually wiped out some towns. The church's gym was empty at 8 a.m. Tuesday, a day after the twisters struck, and it was overflowing 24 hours later.

"The generosity of people is unbelievable," Higdon said. "They're just more than willing to give back."

A few minutes after Higdon spoke, two trucks and a trailer loaded with donations pulled into the church parking lot with donations from Rebuild Tuscaloosa, Bromley's group. Wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a map of Alabama and the date of last year's twisters, Brian DeWitt helped unload boxes of food, kitchen supplies and other items. DeWitt's home was spared, but friends lost theirs and he's been helping with the relief.

DeWitt said news of the January twisters stirred up a lot of emotions from last year. Sitting back and letting someone else help wasn't an option.

"The tornadoes last April 27 kind of shook Tuscaloosa up pretty well," he said. "We all got a renewed sense of community, which is not only the people you live around and love but also anyone else you can touch in your everyday life. I knew it was important after hearing about the tornado to get up here and do what we can."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/weather/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_re_us/us_alabama_tornadoes_pay_it_forward

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Panetta cites key intelligence on bin Laden raid (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is acknowledging publicly for the first time that a Pakistani doctor provided key information to the U.S. in advance of the successful Navy SEAL assault on Osama bin Laden's compound last May.

Panetta told CBS's "60 Minutes," in a profile to be broadcast on Sunday, that Shakil Afridi helped provide intelligence for the raid on bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

Afridi ran a vaccination program for the CIA to collect DNA and verify bin Laden's presence in the compound. He has since been charged by Pakistan with treason. Panetta said he is "very concerned" for the doctor.

Panetta also told "60 Minutes" that he remains convinced that someone in the Pakistani government "must have had some sense" that a person of interest was in the compound. He added that he has no proof that Pakistan knew it was bin Laden.

The Pakistani government had hoped to resolve the Afridi matter quietly, once media attention died down, perhaps releasing him to U.S. custody, according to two Pakistani officials. They requested anonymity because the investigation into charges the doctor behaved treasonously was ongoing.

___

AP Intelligence Writer Kimberly Dozier contributed to this report.

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

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College presidents wary of Obama cost-control plan (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Illinois State University President Al Bowman says President Barack Obama's proposal to tie federal support to tuition controls is a product of "fuzzy math." His counterpart at the University of Washington calls it little more than "political theater."

Obama's plan to force colleges and universities to contain tuition or face losing federal dollars, spelled out Friday during a speech at the University of Michigan, concerned education leaders worried about the threat of government overreach. From presidents of public universities frustrated with ever-increasing state budget cuts affecting their schools' bottom line, it brought some particularly sharp words.

The reality, says Bowman, is that deficits in many public schools can't be easily overcome with simple modifications. He says he was happy to hear Obama call for state-level support of public universities, but given the decreases in state aid, tying federal support to tuition prices is a product of fuzzy math.

Illinois has decreased public support for higher education by about a third over the past decade when adjusted for inflation. Illinois State University, with 21,000 students, has raised tuition almost 47 percent since 2007 ? from $6,150 a year for an in-state undergraduate student to $9,030.

"Most people, including the president, assume if universities were simply more efficient they would be able to operate with much smaller state subsidies, and I believe there are certainly efficiency gains that can be realized," Bowman said. "But they pale in comparison to the loss in state support."

Bowman said the undergraduate experience can be made cheaper, but there are trade-offs.

"You could hire mostly part-time, adjunct faculty. You could teach in much larger lecture halls, but the things that would allow you achieve the greatest levels of efficiency would dilute the product and would make it something I wouldn't be willing to be part of," he said.

University of Washington President Mike Young said Obama showed he did not understand how the budgets of public universities work.

Young said the total cost to educate college students in Washington state, which is paid for by both tuition and state government dollars, has actually gone down because of efficiencies on campus. While universities are tightening costs, the state is cutting their subsidies and authorizing tuition increases to make up for the loss.

"They really should know better," Young said. "This really is political theater of the worst sort."

Obama's plan must be approved by Congress, where it could face a tough road to passage among gridlocked lawmakers.

Earlier in the week, during his State of the Union address, Obama described meeting with university presidents who told of ways some universities were curtailing costs through technology and redesigning courses to help students finish more quickly. He said more schools need to take such steps.

On Friday, Obama said higher education has become an imperative for success in America, but the cost has grown unrealistic for too many families and the debt burden unbearable. He said states should also properly fund colleges and universities.

"We are putting colleges on notice," Obama told an arena packed with cheering students. "You can't assume that you'll just jack up tuition every single year. If you can't stop tuition from going up, then the funding you get from taxpayers each year will go down."

Obama is targeting only a small part of the financial aid picture ? the $3 billion known as campus-based aid that flows through college administrators to students. He is proposing to increase that amount to $10 billion and change how it is distributed to reward schools that hold down costs and ensure that more poor students complete their education.

The bulk of the more than $140 billion in federal grants and loans goes directly to students and would not be affected.

The average in-state tuition and fees at four-year public colleges this school year rose 8.3 percent and with room and board now exceed $17,000 a year, according to the College Board.

Rising tuition costs have been attributed to a variety of factors, among them a decline in state dollars and competition for the best facilities and professors. Critics say some higher education institutions are attempting to wait out the economic downturn and have been too reluctant to make large-scale changes that would cut costs such as offering three-year degree programs.

Washington's leverage to take on the rising cost of college is limited because American higher education is decentralized, with most student aid following the student.

The response to Obama's plan wasn't all negative. Many university presidents said they welcome a conversation about making college more affordable and efficient.

In Missouri, where Gov. Jay Nixon has proposed a 12.5 percent funding cut for higher education in the coming fiscal year, Obama's proposal could put even more pressure on public colleges and universities to limit tuition increases. By state law, schools must limit such increases to the annual inflation rate unless they receive permission for larger hikes. Nixon has warned schools that he doesn't want to see a tuition increase of more than 3 percent, the latest Consumer Price Index increase.

"The president's message isn't inconsistent with the agenda that we've been pursuing here in Missouri," said Paul Wagner, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Higher Education. "It's good to see him put the focus on the same things."

Obama also wants to create a "Race to the Top" competition in higher education similar to the one his administration used on lower grades. He wants to encourage states to make better use of higher education dollars in exchange for $1 billion in prize money.

Obama is also pushing for more tools to help students determine which colleges and universities have the best value.

___

Associated Press writers Ben Feller and Julie Pace in Washington, Jim Kuhnhenn and David Runk in Ann Arbor, Mich., David Mercer in Champaign, Ill., Alan Zagier in Columbia, Mo., Alex Dominguez in Baltimore, Dorie Turner in Atlanta, and Donna Gordon Blankinship in Seattle contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_college_costs

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Verizon ZTE V66 tablet gets pic outed by the Bluetooth SIG

Behold, the ZTE V66 Android tablet, apparently destined for Verizon at some point. The tablet as already been submitted to the U.S. FCC, and now a thumbnail picture (we've blown it up a tad here) has been listed on the Bluetooth Special Interest Group's site. 

What we're looking at in the V66 is a 7-inch tablet with some pretty rounded corners, Android 3.2 Honeycomb and 4G LTE data, along with the usual CDMA, Bluetooth, Wifi, and all that jazz.

We can also see a custom lock screen here, for what it's worth. And we're trying not to read too much into the "Sunday, February 2X" date -- it could mean anything or nothing, or it could be smack in the middle of Mobile World Congress. You don't typically see U.S. announcements come out of MWC, but then again we don't ZTE devices in the states yet to base that one, and there's no reason why Verizon couldn't be part of a larger launch.

Anyhoo, we'll be at Mobile World Congress if and when the V66 -- and we don't expect that to be the name Verizon ultimately bestows on it -- is announced stay tuned.

Source: Bluetooth SIG, FCC; via Unwired View, The Verge

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/-FUCQrQcYZA/story01.htm

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Ex-Palm chief leaves HP after WebOS move (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Jon Rubinstein, who was instrumental in crafting Apple Inc's iPod music player, has left Hewlett Packard Co after two years on the job there.

Rubinstein was CEO of smartphone maker Palm when that company was acquired by HP in 2010. He last held a product-innovation role within HP's Personal Systems Group headed by Todd Bradley.

"Jon has fulfilled his commitment to HP," a HP spokesman said.

Rubinstein is still a board member at e-commerce company Amazon.com.

Last year HP, the largest U.S. technology company by revenue, announced it was halting its TouchPad line of tablets and any other devices based on WebOS, the mobile software it acquired when it bought Palm.

In December, HP said it would open its WebOS mobile operating system to developers and companies, potentially taking on Google Inc's free Android platform.

(Reporting By Poornima Gupta; editing by John Wallace)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/applecomputer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/tc_nm/us_hewlettpackard

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Starbucks posts profit beat, sales jump (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Starbucks Corp's reported a quarterly profit that topped Wall Street's view after global economic worries failed to weaken demand for drinks and other products from the world's biggest coffee chain.

Based on its better-than-expected fiscal first-quarter results, the company raised the low end of its full-year profit forecast to a range of $1.78 to $1.82 per share from $1.75 to $1.82.

Starbucks shares, up roughly 45 percent from a year ago and hovering near all-time highs, were off 1.1 percent at $47.79 in extended trading.

Global sales at cafes open at least 13 months jumped 9 percent, helped by an increase in customer visits and spending per transaction. That beat the 7.7 percent gain analysts, on average, expected, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Net income was $382.1 million, or 50 cents per share, for the quarter ended January 1. That was up from $346.6 million, or 45 cents, in the year earlier period.

Analysts, on average, were looking for a profit of 49 cents per share in the latest quarter, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Total revenue rose 16 percent to $3.4 billion.

(Reporting By Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; editing by Andre Grenon)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/bs_nm/us_starbucks

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Researchers Spot Potential Bile Duct Cancer Drug Targets (HealthDay)

THURSDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers who identified a new genetic signature associated with bile duct cancer say their discovery could lead to targeted treatment for the deadly cancer.

The team at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center screened samples from 287 patients with gastrointestinal tumors and found that growth-enhancing mutations in two genes (IDH1 and IDH2) may account for nearly one-fourth of bile duct tumors that develop in the liver.

Mutations in IDH1 were found in 13 percent of all bile duct tumors and in 23 percent of those within the liver itself. Mutations in IDH2 were less common.

It may be possible to develop drugs that target this mutation in order to control tumor growth, they said.

The findings were published online in The Oncologist.

Bile duct cancer occurs in a duct that carries bile from the liver to the small intestine.

"Patients with bile duct cancer have a generally poor prognosis. Most of them are diagnosed with advanced or metastatic disease, so surgical resection [removal] is not feasible," study co-senior author Dr. Andrew Zhu, director of Liver Cancer Research at the MGH Cancer Center, said in a hospital news release.

"Identifying this new and relatively common mutation in intrahepatic [within the liver] bile duct cancer may have significant implications for the diagnosis, prognosis and therapy of patients whose tumors harbor this mutation," Zhu added.

Currently, there are no drugs that target IDH mutations, but extensive efforts are underway to develop such drugs, the researchers say.

Each year in the United States, 12,000 people are diagnosed with cancers of the gallbladder and bile duct, but only 10 percent of those cancers are discovered early enough for successful surgical treatment. Average survival, even with chemotherapy, is less than a year.

More information

The American Cancer Society has more about bile duct cancer.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/cancer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120127/hl_hsn/researchersspotpotentialbileductcancerdrugtargets

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Study finds early signs of autism in baby brains (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? Children who develop autism already show signs of different brain responses in their first year of life, scientists said on Thursday in a study that may in the future help doctors diagnose the disorder earlier.

British researchers studied 104 babies at 6 to 10 months and then again at 3-years-old, and found that those who went on to develop autism had unusual patterns of brain activity in response to eye contact with another person.

The findings suggest direct brain measures might help predict the future risk of autism in babies as young as 6 months old, said Mark Johnson of Birkbeck at the University of London, who led the study.

Autism, which affects around 1 percent of people worldwide, includes a spectrum of disorders ranging from mental retardation and a profound inability to communicate to relatively milder symptoms such as seen in people with Asperger's syndrome.

Among core features of condition are poor communication skills and difficulties with social engagement, and doctors are keen to find ways to diagnose the condition earlier so that they can intervene to help autistic children develop coping skills.

Characteristic autistic behavior tends not to emerge before the age of 2 years and firm diagnoses are usually only made after this age.

"Because there are no good behavioral signs at this young age (under 1 year), we wanted to see whether, by measuring the activity of the brain in a more direct way, we might be able to pick up earlier warning signs," Johnson said in a telephone interview.

His team looked at babies at greater risk of developing autism later in life because they had an older brother or sister with the condition.

The researchers used passive sensors placed on the scalp to register brain activity while the babies viewed faces that switched from looking at them to looking away.

The babies who were later found to be typically developing children showed a clear difference in brain activity in response to a face looking towards them compared to a face looking away.

In contrast, most of the babies who later went on to develop autism symptoms showed much less of a difference in brain activity when someone made eye contact and then looked away.

The researchers cautioned however that the predictive markers were not 100 percent accurate, as the study did find cases of babies who showed no differences in brain function and were not later diagnosed, and vice versa.

Johnson said the results were a first step towards earlier autism diagnosis, but added that more research was needed to confirm and strengthen the brain activity markers.

(Editing by Alessandra Rizzo)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/hl_nm/us_autism_babies_diagnosis

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Mint Competitor And Personal Finance Platform HelloWallet Raises ...

Leena Rao currently works as a writer for TechCrunch. She recently finished graduate school at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, where she studied business journalism and videography. From 2004 to 2007, she helped lead Congresswoman Carloyn Maloney???s community outreach and relations efforts in New York City. She graduated from Columbia University in 2003, where she was... ? Learn More

HelloWallet, a personal finance software, has raised $12 million in Series B funding from Morningstar and TD Fund. The startup previously raised $9 million in Series A funding, from Grotech Ventures and AOL co-founder Steve Case?s VC fund Revolution Ventures.

HelloWallet, which launched last year, helps users track and proactively manage their personal finances from both the web and mobile. But HelloWallet aims to be a full-service financial advisor, and looks forward to proactively uncover savings opportunities and potential threats for its members.

Additionally, HelloWallet does not allow banks to advertise or promote products, so its recommendations claim to be untouched by any business interests. The startup plans to use the fund to further product development and build out its businesses development team.

HelloWallet?s team of consumer finance experts have developed a platform that helps users set and reach specific financial short- and long-term goals for important life milestones including buying a home, saving for retirement, reducing debt safely, and saving for college.

For example, HelloWallet stores tuition information for nearly every college and university across the country, and models the tuition out to a users? expected enrollment date. The service is then able to make specific recommendations for the best approach to educational savings, on an individual basis.

The company has sold more than 300,000 subscriptions since it launched its enterprise application in mid-2011. During this same period, HelloWallet?s personalized financial guidance has helped its average members increase their monthly savings contributions by more than 80 percent, creating about $350 in extra savings contributions every month per person.

The new funding will be used to expand its client base.

HelloWallet is an independent, online financial guidance service for workers founded by former Brookings Institution scholar Matt Fellowes. HelloWallet is primarily distributed through Fortune 500 and other employers as a workplace benefit. HelloWallet helps workers improve their overall household finances by ???finding the money??? to boost their contributions to retirement savings and reduce debt. Retirement plan providers also provide the service to help workers improve their personal finances. HelloWallet???s independence comes from the fact that it receives no commissions...

Learn more

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2012/01/26/mint-competitor-and-personal-finance-platform-hellowallet-raises-12m-from-morningstar/

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Add effects and transitions to your app icons with Motion [jailbreak]

Motion is a new jailbreak utility in Cydia that makes your iPhone homescreen just a bit more interesting. While motion may not add a ton of functionality to your device, it's a fun tweak to play around with and show off to your friends.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/iTnKl3g6TrA/story01.htm

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Egyptians see remarkable year not living up to potential

By Ayman Mohyeldin, NBC News correspondent

Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

Temporary monuments are erected in Tahrir Square on Wednesday as thousands of Egyptians gather to mark the one year anniversary of the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak.

?

They are scenes reminiscent of Egypt's 18-day revolution that toppled the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak.

Men and women, young and old, Muslim and Christian, rich and poor, secular and conservative ? all back in the symbolic heart of Egypt?s revolution, Tahrir Square. They are also in cities all across the country.

But the unity seen during Egypt's revolution in 2011 has been replaced by widening differences over where the country stands one year later.

The difference revolves around the transition to democracy. Is it on the right path? Led by the right people? Genuine or simply cosmetic? Actions versus promises. Accomplishments versus rhetoric.

---

Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of the beginning of the uprising that ousted Mubarak.

Some gathered in the square to celebrate that revolution. They said the past year had been one of transformation. They cited a newly elected lower house of parliament, new individual freedoms and an explosion of political parties running the gamut.

Those gathered Wednesday celebrated the accomplishments of the revolution. Those accomplishments cannot simply be dismissed. The pace of reform may be slow, but change has been tangible.

Those here commemorating the revolution argued change has been cosmetic. One regime has simply been replaced by another.

"We have changed the driver in the car, but you have not changed the car or its direction," one protester told me. "Only when the direction of the car changes will the revolution be considered successful," he added.

Related: Obama wants to boost Egypt aid quickly

Those commemorating the revolution said the anniversary should serve as a reminder of what Egyptians can accomplish when they are united. The past year has not lived up to its potential. They cited thousands of civilians in military trials as evidence that the ruling military council -- all appointed by Mubarak coincidentally -- has resorted to the same draconian measures as its predecessor. They said that in the past year, not a single senior officer of the internal security forces or minister has been convicted in the killings of around 800 protesters. So for them, Wednesday was about renewing demonstrations against the ruling military council.

The military council said it's holding the ship steady on the course to democracy. And while it has changed the timetable to elections a few times, it has done so only when events on the ground rapidly deteriorated and protests flared up. On one hand that showed it had been responsive to public sentiments and street protests; but on the other hand, it continued to act unilaterally when it came to fundamental issues concerning the process of reform. It retained exclusive power over the security services and the judiciary. It has refused to delegate powers and authority to the military-appointed prime minister or the newly elected lower house of parliament. At the same time, the military has issued a declaration of constitutional principles that many interpret as an attempt to retain powers after a new government is directly elected.

Related: Huge crowd in Cairo

And of course? there are the new democratic realities that have emerged in post-revolution Egypt. New political parties, but not necessarily new political voices. The loudest so far has been that of the Muslim Brotherhood and the ultra-conservative Salafist movement. Between the two of them, they overwhelmingly won the majority of seats in parliament. Will their mandate from the people be seen as a direct order to challenge the military? Some argue the Islamists are content with the democratic process undertaken by the military because it has paved their way to power. They fear the two have cut backroom deals. The military will move the democratic process at a pace and under conditions favorable to Islamist parties at the expense of the lesser and weaker secular and liberal forces. In exchange, the Islamists will not mobilize their massive street support against the military or hold them accountable for past misdoings going forward.

So whether Egyptians celebrate, commemorate or reinvigorate their January 25 Revolution, one thing is for certain, it has been a remarkable year in the history of this country.

More from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Source: http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/25/10236282-egyptians-see-remarkable-year-not-living-up-to-its-potential

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