France's Hollande bids to lock in campaign lead (AP)

LE BOURGET, France ? The Socialist candidate for France's presidency is attempting to consolidate his front-runner status on Sunday with the most high profile appearance of his campaign so far.

Observers say Francois Hollande, a bespectacled 57-year-old career politician, needs to inject a dose of dynamism into his campaign with the afternoon speech to an expected 10,000 people at an exhibition hall outside Paris.

Hollande plans to show French voters "where I come from, the meaning of my work over the past 20 years, and how I prepared to take on this responsibility," he told Le Monde newspaper in an interview published Saturday.

Hollande has extended his lead in polls over French President Nicolas Sarkozy, his expected rival in two-round elections in April and May. But he's virtually unknown outside France, and critics say he has limited international experience to head this nuclear-armed nation.

Hollande is an affable, soft-spoken and witty former longtime party boss who was chosen as the Socialist candidate in a primary last October.

He won the job after the most anticipated Socialist front-runner, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, had his is political career all but ended when he was jailed briefly in May in the United States after a New York hotel maid accused him of rape. Prosecutors later dropped the case, but Strauss-Kahn's reputation and presidential ambitions crashed.

Hollande has so far pitched his campaign on representing the anti-Sarkozy. When asked "Why you?" in an interview in October, Hollande first answered: "Because I can beat Nicolas Sarkozy."

He is known as good on the stump and a quick-witted debater, and has built his reputation as a manager and consensus-builder more than as a visionary.

He's never run a government ministry and during his tenure the party was weakened and badly fractured.

A lawmaker in the National Assembly and the governor of the central Correze region ? the same political backyard as conservative former President Jacques Chirac ? Hollande led the Socialist Party from 1997 to 2008.

During that time the Socialists suffered two devastating presidential campaign defeats, including the 2002 election when Prime Minister Lionel Jospin embarrassingly failed to qualify for the presidential runoff. Hollande's former partner Segolene Royal ? the mother of his four children ? was defeated by Sarkozy in the last presidential elections in 2007.

Hollande's program calls for reversing cuts in education introduced by Sarkozy's government, a new work contract to encourage companies to hire young people and focus on reducing France's high state budget deficit. It says little about international affairs, other than calling for an unspecified "pact" with Germany, the EU's economic engine, to spur on the now-troubled European project.

___

Greg Keller can be reached at http://twitter.com/Greg_Keller

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120122/ap_on_re_eu/eu_france_hollande

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Nate Silver's Florida Projections: Gingrich 66%, Romney 32% (Little green footballs)

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Cooley leads Irish to upset over No. 1 Syracuse

Notre Dame students rush the court following their 67-58 victory over Syracuse of an NCAA college basketball game Syracuse, Saturday Jan. 21, 2012, in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo/Joe Raymond)

Notre Dame students rush the court following their 67-58 victory over Syracuse of an NCAA college basketball game Syracuse, Saturday Jan. 21, 2012, in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo/Joe Raymond)

Notre Dame guard Jerian Grant throws the ball into the stands as fans rush the court following Notre Dame's 67-58 victory over Syracuse in an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday Jan. 21, 2012, in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo/Joe Raymond)

Notre Dame guard Pat Connaughton celebrates following their 67-58 victory over Syracuse in an NCAA college basketball game on Saturday Jan. 21, 2012, in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo/Joe Raymond)

Syracuse guard Scoop Jardine (11) drives the lane as Notre Dame guard Eric Atkins pursues during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday Jan. 21, 2012, in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo/Joe Raymond)

Syracuse forward CJ Fair (5)drives the lane between Notre Dame forward Scott Martin and Pat Connaughton during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo/Joe Raymond)

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) ? Mike Brey's viewing selection for his players the night before meeting top-ranked Syracuse was an easy choice. The Notre Dame coach showed a video of former Irish teams upsetting No. 1 teams over the years.

Brey and the current group of Irish now have their own spot in that collection.

Jack Cooley had 17 points and 10 rebounds against a Syracuse team missing its shot-blocking, rebounding center Fab Melo and the Irish surprised the top-ranked and previously unbeaten Orange 67-58 on Saturday night.

Fans stormed the court after the Irish's rousing victory, hoisting players on their shoulders in a wild scene at the Purcell Pavilion. It was the eighth time Notre Dame has beaten a No. 1 team ? that ties for fourth-most all-time, with North Carolina having the most with 12.

"Notre Dame has an unbelievable history against No. 1 teams," Irish forward Scott Martin said. "We saw a little video to just kind of pump us up a little bit."

Cooley was certainly inspired.

Without Melo in the middle, Notre Dame's 6-foot-9, 248-pound center was a major force as the Irish won the rebound battle 38-25.

"I can't even describe this right now. They were 20-0. I can't put it to words how amazing this is," Cooley said. "We came out with energy. This was a great opportunity and we didn't want to squander it."

Melo had started all 20 of the Orange's first games, was their leading rebounder with 5.7 a game, averaged 7.2 points and three blocks. School officials gave no explanation why the talented center did not make the trip. He will also miss Monday's game against Cincinnati.

"We had all week to prepare for Melo (not playing). We didn't know for sure (he would not play), but we were prepared for it," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said, without elaborating on the reasons.

"I don't know how he affected the game because he wasn't here."

Syracuse guard Scoop Jardine said Melo was definitely missed but his absence was no excuse for such a weak offensive performance in their lowest scoring game of the season.

"Fab is the key to our defense. He's an anchor. It wasn't that, though. Our offense wasn't going today," Jardine said. "Fab only averaged six points for us. That's not too much points."

James Southerland scored 15 points for Syracuse, which shot just 34 percent and was 7-for-23 on 3-pointers. Martin added 13 for Notre Dame, which hit 50 percent of its field-goal attempts.

Southerland's 3-pointer with 53.9 seconds left brought the Orange to within 62-56 before the Irish held on as Jerian Grant sank four free throws in the final 32 seconds.

It was the first time the Irish have beaten a top-ranked team since 1987 when they defeated North Carolina, also in South Bend. One of the Irish's most dramatic victories over a No. 1 came in 1974, when they stopped UCLA's 88-game winning streak by 71-70, also on the Irish's homecourt.

Hence the video selection from Brey.

"I just wanted them to see the history of our place against No. 1s," Brey said. "I mean, we were channeling all week as much as possible. In the midst of the videos, I had our guys doing good things and making big plays. It was only about five minutes, but it was really well done and we watched it last night in the team meeting.

"It is awesome that the players have said that they wanted to see me in some of them. ... This is a great memory for them. This is the kind of thing that will be talked about at the reunions when they come back in 10 years."

Boeheim was denied his 877th career victory, which would have put him in sole possession of fourth place among Division I men's coaches.

Notre Dame led in the first half by as many as 18 and was up 35-23 at the half, shooting 54.4 percent and holding the Orange to 2.6 (8-for-18). Syracuse was only 4-of-13 from the 3-point line and was beaten on the boards 20-13 as Notre Dame seemed to be half-step quicker.

"We knew that. It's been like that all year for us. We're the No. 1 team in the country and we're going to get everybody's best shots," Jardine said. "We knew Notre Dame was going to come out and make some shots. ... We didn't bounce back fast enough, and that's why we lost."

Syracuse got off to a better second-half start and whittled the lead to eight less than three minutes in. But Martin hit another 3-pointer for the Irish as the shot clock was winding down and Cooley ? benefiting from Melo's absence ? bulled his way in for a layup to restore the lead to 12. Cooley then dropped in two free throws and Martin again sank a 3-pointer and the Irish were rolling with a 17-point lead.

The Orange then went on a 9-2 run and Kris Joseph's 3-pointer made it a 10-point game with 7:43 to go. Syracuse again cut it to eight before Cooley roared down the court for a dunk with just over five minutes left.

Triche's three-point play with 2:24 left cut it to seven as the Orange made a final run.

Pat Connaughton, inserted into the Irish starting lineup, had a pair of 3s in the early going and Notre Dame bolted to an 11-2 lead.

Notre Dame kept up the long-range accuracy, making four of its first six attempts. And when Eric Atkins grabbed a rebound and went the length of the floor for a layup, the Irish were up 21-10 as the fans at Purcell Pavilion went wild.

And without Melo in the middle, the Irish were all over the boards with an early 13-4 advantage.

Atkins picked up his third foul with 9:04 left, but Jerian Grant's 3-pointer gave the Irish a two-touchdown lead at 28-14.

The Orange missed 14 of their first 19 field-goal attempts and nothing was falling. Tom Knight's left-handed shot in the lane doubled the score, putting the Irish up 32-16.

Alex Dragicevich's 3-pointer as the shot clock was running down put the Irish up 35-18 with 1:12 left in the half. Dion Waiters then responded with a pair of quick 3-pointers to get the Orange to within 12 at the end of a frustrating first half.

The 23 points represented the Orange's lowest-scoring half of the season.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-22-T25-Syracuse-Notre%20Dame/id-7cae47a1ad6e4ce899e71707dbae21c7

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Fiery debate tops bizarre GOP campaign day in SC (AP)

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. ? The race for the Republican presidential nomination took a turn toward the South Carolina surreal Thursday as Rick Perry dropped out, Newt Gingrich faced stunning allegations from an ex-wife and Mitt Romney struggled to maintain a shaky front-runner's standing.

An aggressive evening debate capped the bewildering day.

Former Sen. Rick Santorum played aggressor for much of the night, trying to inject himself into what seemed increasingly like a two-way race with little more than a day remaining until the South Carolina polls open on Saturday. He accused Gingrich and Romney of "playing footsies with the left" when it came to health care. Both men rejected the allegations.

The debate began a few hours after first word that Romney had been stripped of his Iowa caucus victory, only to be stung a few hours later by Perry's withdrawal and endorsement of Gingrich.

Gingrich, in turn, was accused by an ex-wife of seeking an open marriage so he could keep his mistress.

"Newt's not perfect, but who among us is," said Perry, abruptly quitting the race just before the first-in-the-South primary.

His decision to end a once-promising candidacy left Romney, Gingrich, Santorum and Texas Rep. Ron Paul the remaining contenders in the race to pick a Republican to challenge Democratic President Barack Obama this fall.

Nine hours after Perry exited one stage, the four remaining contenders walked onto another for a final pre-primary debate.

Gingrich angrily denounced the news media for putting his ex-wife front and center in the final days of the race. "Let me be clear, the story is false," he said. Santorum, Romney and Paul steered well clear of the controversy. "Let's get onto the real issues, that's all I've got to say," said Romney, although he pointed out that he and his wife, Ann, have been married for 42 years.

The audience gave Gingrich a standing ovation when he assailed the media, a reaction he can only hope is reflected in voter sentiment on Saturday.

All four remaining GOP candidates lustily attacked Obama, while Santorum in particular sought to raise his own profile.

Introduced to the audience at the outset, he mentioned his change of fortunes in Iowa, where an evident eight-vote defeat in caucuses on Jan 3 was belated transformed into a 34-vote advantage ? though the Iowa Republican Party did not declare a winner.

Santorum jabbed at both Gingrich and Romney, but seemed to focus more attention on the former. If Gingrich is the party nominee, he said, "you sort of have that worrisome moment that something's going to pop. And we can't afford that in a nominee."

In a reflection of the complex political dynamics of the race, first Gingrich and then Santorum challenged Romney over his well-documented switch of position on abortion. Once a supporter of a woman's life to choose, he now says he is "pro-life."

Gingrich didn't exactly question Romney's change in position, but he didn't embrace it, either, saying, "He had an experience in a lab and became pro-life."

Romney bristled. "I'm not questioned on character or integrity very often. I don't feel like standing here for that."

Recent polls, coupled with Perry's endorsement, suggested Gingrich was the candidate with the momentum and Romney the one struggling to validate his standing as front-runner. Whatever else the impact, the day's events reduced the number of contenders vying to emerge as Romney's principal conservative alternative.

The former Massachusetts governor had other challenges in a state where unemployment approaches 10 percent. He adamantly refused to explain why some of his millions were invested in the Cayman Islands, how much was there or whether any other funds were held offshore.

Under pressure from his rivals to release his income tax returns before the weekend ? a demand first made by Perry in a debate on Monday ? he told reporters it wouldn't happen. "You'll hear more about that. April," he said, a position he renewed during the debate to jeers from the audience.

Gingrich pursued an approach Perry used in the earlier debate.

"If there's anything that's in there that's going to help us lose the election, we should know before the election. If there's not, why not release it?" he said.

Gingrich released his own tax return during the day, reporting that he paid the IRS $613,517 in taxes on more than $3.1 million in income. He also donated about 2 percent of his income to charity.

His effective tax rate, roughly 31.6 percent of his adjusted income, was about double what Romney told reporters earlier this week he had paid.

Gingrich grappled with problems of a different, possibly even more crippling sort in a state where more than half the Republican electorate is evangelical.

In an interview scheduled to air on ABC News, Marianne Gingrich said her ex-husband had wanted an "open marriage" so he could have both a wife and a mistress. She said Gingrich conducted an affair with Callista Bistek ? his current wife ? "in my bedroom in our apartment in Washington" while she was elsewhere.

"He was asking to have an open marriage and I refused. That is not a marriage," she said in excerpts released by the network in advance of the program.

He said his two daughters from the first of his three marriages ? the ex-wife making the accusations was the second of three ? had sent a letter to ABC "complaining about this as tawdry and inappropriate."

In fact, the letter made no such accusations. Instead, Kathy Lubbers and Jackie Cushman wrote ABC that anyone who has endured a failed marriage "understands it is a personal tragedy filled with regrets, and sometimes differing memories of events."

Those weren't the only political events in the run-up to the Saturday primary. Television commercials for the remaining candidates and their allies ran virtually without letup, generally designed to diminish each other's support.

According to information made available to The Associated Press, targeted viewers in most regions of the state were watching an average of about six commercials a day paid for by Romney's campaign and Restore Our Future, a group supporting him. Gingrich, Paul, Santorum and their backers raised the total higher.

Santorum ran commercials likening Romney to Obama; Gingrich's cast the former speaker as the only candidate who could defeat the president this fall. In a sign of the shifting campaign, Restore Our Future stopped attacking Santorum so it could concentrate its fire on Gingrich.

Santorum, whose fortunes have ebbed since what appeared to be a narrow loss in Iowa, pronounced himself the winner there after all when state party officials in Des Moines announced he had finished 34 votes ahead of Romney instead of eight behind.

"There have been two contests. We won one," he said, and he proceeded to ridicule Romney and Gingrich as weak challengers to Obama. "How can you differentiate ourselves on the major issues of the day if we nominate tweedledum and tweedledee instead of someone who stood up and said, `No'?" he said to one audience, referring to his opposition to a requirement to purchase health care coverage.

Iowa Republican chairman Matt Strawn said the party would not name an official winner because the results were so close and some votes couldn't be counted. Results from eight of the state's 1,774 precincts were not certified to the state party by Wednesday's 5 p.m. deadline.

It was Strawn who had stepped before a microphone shortly before 2 a.m. in Des Moines on Jan. 4 to declare Romney the victor.

That announcement propelled the former Massachusetts governor into New Hampshire, where he breezed to victory in the opening primary of the campaign a week later.

He arrived in South Carolina the following day, front-runner then for sure, now more shakily so.

Perry's withdrawal mimicked one earlier in the week by former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman in that they both quit a few hours before a debate.

The similarities ended there, though. Huntsman endorsed Romney.

Perry had other thoughts, calling Gingrich a "conservative visionary who can transform our country."

Echoing words Huntsman said of Romney, Perry said he and Gingrich had their differences.

And in saying the former speaker was not perfect, he sought to provide political cover of a type that might reassure South Carolina voters for whom religious values are important.

"The fact is, there is forgiveness for those who seek God and I believe in the power of redemption, for it is a central tenet of my own Christian faith," Perry said.

His decision to withdraw set off a scramble among the remaining contenders for the allegiance of his supporters and donors, both in the state and nationally.

State Rep. Chip Limehouse of Charleston said he was expecting to speak by phone with both Romney and Gingrich later in the day before making up his mind.

"I'm looking and I really do think tonight's debate will determine the next president of the United States. That's how important it is," Peeler said.

Perry's exit marked the end of a campaign that began with soaring expectations but quickly faded. He shot to the head of the public opinion polls when he announced his candidacy last summer, but a string of poor debate performances soon led to a decline in support.

His defining moment came at one debate when he unaccountably could not recall the third of three federal agencies he has promised to abolish. He joked about it afterward but never recovered from the fumble.

In his farewell appearance as a candidate, he said he was bowing out of the 2012 campaign, seemingly a hint he would run again in four years if Republicans fail to win the White House this time.

An aide, Ray Sullivan was more explicit, telling reporters Perry hasn't ruled out running for governor again or for the White House in 2016 if Obama is re-elected.

___

Associated Press writers Thomas Beaumont, Beth Fouhy, Philip Elliott, Kasie Hunt and Shannon McCaffrey in South Carolina contributed to this story.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_el_ge/us_gop_campaign

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Coordinated sect attack kills 143 in north Nigeria

A victim of Friday's bomb blast and gun attacks lies in Murtala Muhammad specialist hospital in Kano, Nigeria Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Coordinated attacks claimed by a radical Islamist sect killed at least 120 people in north Nigeria's largest city, hospital records seen Saturday show, as gunfire still echoed around some areas of the sprawling city. (AP Photo/Salisu Rabiu)

A victim of Friday's bomb blast and gun attacks lies in Murtala Muhammad specialist hospital in Kano, Nigeria Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Coordinated attacks claimed by a radical Islamist sect killed at least 120 people in north Nigeria's largest city, hospital records seen Saturday show, as gunfire still echoed around some areas of the sprawling city. (AP Photo/Salisu Rabiu)

A victim of Friday's bomb blast and gun attacks is transported in Murtala Muhammad specialist hospital in Kano, Nigeria Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Coordinated attacks claimed by a radical Islamist sect killed at least 120 people in north Nigeria's largest city, hospital records seen Saturday show, as gunfire still echoed around some areas of the sprawling city. (AP Photo/Salisu Rabiu)

A victim of Friday's bomb blast and gun attacks lies in Murtala Muhammad specialist hospital in Kano, Nigeria Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Coordinated attacks claimed by a radical Islamist sect killed at least 120 people in north Nigeria's largest city, hospital records seen Saturday show, as gunfire still echoed around some areas of the sprawling city. (AP Photo/Salisu Rabiu)

A victim of Friday's bomb blast and gun attacks lies in Murtala Muhammad specialist hospital in Kano, Nigeria Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Coordinated attacks claimed by a radical Islamist sect killed at least 120 people in north Nigeria's largest city, hospital records seen Saturday show, as gunfire still echoed around some areas of the sprawling city. (AP Photo/Salisu Rabiu)

A victim of Friday's bomb blast and gun attacks lies in Murtala Muhammad specialist hospital in Kano, Nigeria Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Coordinated attacks claimed by a radical Islamist sect killed at least 120 people in north Nigeria's largest city, hospital records seen Saturday show, as gunfire still echoed around some areas of the sprawling city. (AP Photo/Salisu Rabiu)

KANO, Nigeria (AP) ? A coordinated attack by a radical Islamist sect in north Nigeria's largest city killed at least 143 people, a hospital official said Saturday, representing the extremist group's deadliest assault since beginning its campaign of terror in Africa's most populous nation.

Soldiers and police officers swarmed Kano's streets as Nigeria's president again promised the sect known as Boko Haram would "face the full wrath of the law." But the uniformed bodies of security agents that filled a Kano hospital mortuary again showed the sect can strike at will against the country's weak central government.

Friday's attacks hit police stations, immigration offices and the local headquarters of Nigeria's secret police in Kano, a city of more than 9 million people that remains an important political and religious center in the country's Muslim north. A suicide bomber detonated a car loaded with powerful explosives outside a regional police headquarters, tearing its roof away and blowing out windows in a blast felt miles away as its members escaped jail cells there.

Authorities largely refused to offer casualty statistics as mourners began claiming the bodies of their loved ones to bury before sundown, following Islamic tradition. However, a hospital official told The Associated Press at least 143 people were killed in the attack.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the death toll to journalists. The toll could still rise, since other bodies could be held at other clinics and hospitals in the sprawling city.

State authorities enforced a 24-hour curfew in the city, with many remaining home as soldiers and police patrolled the streets and setup roadblocks. Gunshots echoed through some areas of the city into Saturday morning.

Nwakpa O. Nwakpa, a spokesman for the Nigerian Red Cross, said volunteers offered first aid to the wounded, and evacuated those seriously injured to local hospitals. A survey of two hospitals by the Red Cross showed at least 50 people were injured in Friday's attack, he said.

A Boko Haram spokesman using the nom de guerre Abul-Qaqa claimed responsibility for the attacks in a message to journalists Friday. He said the attack came because the state government refused to release Boko Haram members held by the police.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Saturday that he was "shocked and appalled" by the attacks in the former colony.

"The full horror of last night's events is still unfolding, but we know that a great many people have died and many more have been injured," Hague said in a statement. "The nature of these attacks has sickened people around the world and I send my deepest condolences and sympathies to the families of those killed and to those injured."

The U.S. Embassy said it had canceled all staff travel to northern Nigeria after Friday's attacks.

President Goodluck Jonathan also condemned an attack he said saw innocent people "brutally and recklessly cut down by agents of terror."

"As a responsible government, we will not fold our hands and watch enemies of democracy, for that is what these mindless killers are, perpetrate unprecedented evil in our land," Jonathan said in a statement. "I want to reassure Nigerians ... that all those involved in that dastardly act would be made to face the full wrath of the law."

But Jonathan's government has repeatedly been unable to stop attacks by Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is sacrilege" in the Hausa language of Nigeria's north. The group has carried out increasingly sophisticated and bloody attacks in its campaign to implement strict Shariah law and avenge the deaths of Muslims in communal violence across Nigeria, a multiethnic nation of more than 160 million people.

Authorities blamed Boko Haram for at least 510 killings last year alone, according to an AP count, including an August suicide bombing on the U.N. headquarters in the country's capital Abuja. So far this year, the group has been blamed for at least 219 killings, according to an AP count.

Boko Haram recently said it specifically would target Christians living in Nigeria's north, but Friday's attack saw its gunmen kill many Muslims. In a recent video posted to the Internet, Imam Abubakar Shekau, a Boko Harm leader, warned it would kill anyone who "betrays the religion" by being part of or sympathizing with Nigeria's government.

"I swear by Allah we will kill them and their killing will be nothing to us," Shekau said. "It will be like going to prayers at 5 a.m."

Friday's attacks also could cause more unrest, as violence in Kano has set off attacks throughout the north in the past, including postelection violence in April that saw 800 people killed. Kano, an ancient city, remains important in the history of Islam in Nigeria and has important religious figures there today.

Amid the recent unrest and attacks, at least two journalists have been killed in Nigeria. Journalist Enenche Akogwu, who worked as a correspondent in Kano for private news station Channels Television, was shot Friday while reporting on the attacks, colleagues said. In central Nigeria's city of Jos, Nansok Sallah, a news editor for a government-owned radio station called Highland FM, was found dead in a shallow stream Thursday, the victim of an apparent murder, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.

___

Salisu Rabiu in Kano, Nigeria, and Raphael Satter in London contributed to this report.

___

Jon Gambrell reported from Lagos, Nigeria and can be reached at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-21-AF-Nigeria-Violence/id-0892dda1a87142b086049ca3d579798e

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Miss America 2012: Crowned!

Here she is... Miss America!

Congratulations are in order for Laura Kaeppeler, as this 23-year old brunette from Kenosha, Wisconsin earned the honor in Las Vegas last night, impressing judges with a chic evening gown she compared to Kate Middleton's wedding dress.

Laura Kaeppeler: Vote for Me!

Kaeppeler sang an Italian aria for her talent, while responding to a question about whether or not Miss America winners should voice their political views by rambling on about how they represent the country as a whole and, therefore, no, should remain neutral on all such topics.

Kaeppeler earned a $50,000 scholarship for her victory and hopes to build a platform around mentoring children of incarcerated parents. She's one of those herself.

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/miss-america-20120-crowned/

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How to Get Awesome Wildlife Photos, Colds and Broken Cameras [Image Cache]

I didn't know, but the Kurile Lake—in the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia—is known for being the largest red salmon run in the world. People and bears go then to catch them, both on pictures and for eating. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/oTv1jE9GxeI/how-to-get-awesome-wildlife-photos-colds-and-broken-cameras

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Iraq: Death toll from attack on pilgrims now 53 (AP)

ZUBAIR, Iraq ? An Iraqi health official says the death toll from a bomb attack on Shiite pilgrims near the southern port city of Basra has risen to 53 people.

The head of the Basra provincial health directorate Dr. Riyadh Abdul-Amir says hospitals received 53 killed and 137 wounded after the blast. He says some of the wounded are in serious condition, and warns the death toll may rise further.

The explosion was the latest in a series of attacks during Shiite religious commemorations that threaten to further increase sectarian tensions.

The attack occurred near the town of Zubair as pilgrims marched toward a Shiite shrine on the outskirts of the town.

___

Associated Press writers Bushra Juhi, Sameer N. Yacoub, Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Adam Schreck contributed reporting.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120114/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

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Norfolk Animal Care and Adoption Center ? Pets for Patriots

Visit Norfolk Animal Care and Adoption Center Website

Norfolk Animal Care and Adoption Center
5585 Sabre Road Norfolk, Virginia

About Norfolk Animal Care and Adoption Center

The City of Norfolk?s Animal Care and Adoption Center provides dog and cat adoptions and will help Pets for Patriots members find their new best friend. The shelter cares for nearly 6,000 animals each year and has a wide variety seeking permanent homes. In addition to pet adoption, the City is responsible for animal control, cruelty investigations and enforcement of all applicable animal codes.

To support the bond between pets and people, the shelter maintains a lost pet directory that helps reunite owners with missing pets. The friendly staff are proud of their work on behalf of the community?s homeless animals, including the immaculate shelter environment and excellent care they provide to the pets in their charge.

The Norfolk Animal Care and Adoption Center welcomes monetary donations through the Friends of Norfolk Animal Care Center, as well as contributions of pet food, toys, leashes and collars, laundry and office supplies; see their complete wish list for details. For a more hands on experience, become one of their valued volunteers or pet fosters.

Adoption fees include:

Spay/neuter

Microchipping for permanent identification

Primary vaccinations

Heartworm testing (dogs)

Feline leukemia/FIV testing (cats)

De-worming

Flea preventative

Hours of Operation

Tuesday ? Wednesday 11am-4:30pm

Thursday 2pm-7pm

Friday ? Saturday 11am-4:30pm

Sunday 12pm-4:30pm

Source: http://petsforpatriots.org/norfolk-animal-care-and-adoption-center/

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People's Choice Awards Face-Off: Pretty Little Liars Edition!

Three Pretty Little Liars. One magical night in Hollywood. One red carpet. One chance to vote.

Lucy Hale, Ashley Benson and Shay Mitchell were among the many famous attendees at the 2012 People's Choice Awards last night, and each young star had reason to celebrate: their ABC Family hit won the title of Favorite Cable Drama.

Congratulations to the trio, but now the real battle begins. Which of these actress shined brightest at the event, fashion-wise? Compare them below and then don't forget to do the same for a couple Vampire Diaries hunks...

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/peoples-choice-awards-face-off-pretty-little-liars-edition/

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FDA steps up testing for fungicide in orange juice

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Food and Drug Administration says it will step up testing for a fungicide that has been found in low levels in orange juice.

The agency said in a letter to the juice industry Monday that an unnamed juice company contacted FDA in late December and said it had detected low levels of carbendazim, a fungicide, in the company's own orange juice and also its competitors' juice. Carbendazim is not currently approved for use in the United States, but is used in Brazil, which exports orange juice to the United States.

There are no safety concerns at the levels detected, the FDA said, and the agency has no plans to pull orange juice off store shelves. FDA officials said testing will determine if levels are higher than previously thought.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-09-US-Orange-Juice-Fungicide/id-ec63d8158c64408abcb15ee093ed3b9a

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Samsung outs four WiFi-enabled shooters, wants you to get 'Smart'

Banking on consumers' unending need for instant gratification, Samsung's announced a line of four WiFi-enabled "Smart" cameras. Along with the previously announced DV300F DualView point-and-shoot and 21x zoom WB850F, the line-up (an apparent off-shoot of the SH100) allows for uploading to Facebook, Twitter and Picasa as well as e-mail and Auto PC Backup. The WB850F touts a 16 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor, 1080p video, GPS and simultaneous still and video capture. It will be available in April for $379. It's little and less expensive brother, the WB150F sports a 14 megapixel sensor, 18x optical zoom, 1080p video recording and is slated to hit shelves sometime this month for $229. Rounding out the family, is the ST200F -- available in three different colors with significantly scaled down specs (720p video, 16 megapixels and 10x optical zoom) -- coming February for $199. Hit the gallery below to lay your eyes on Sammy's Smarts and peep the PR below for more details.

Gallery: Samsung Smart Cameras

Continue reading Samsung outs four WiFi-enabled shooters, wants you to get 'Smart'

Samsung outs four WiFi-enabled shooters, wants you to get 'Smart' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/09/samsung-unveils-four-wifi-enabled-shooters-smart/

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All but conceding NH, Romney's rivals look to SC

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney embraces Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., as Romney introduced him at a campaign event, Friday, Jan. 6, 2012, in Conway, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney embraces Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., as Romney introduced him at a campaign event, Friday, Jan. 6, 2012, in Conway, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum gives a thumbs up after after campaigning at the Keene Public Library in Keene, N.H., Friday, Jan. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich winks at a questioner during a campaign stop in Newport, N.H. Friday, Jan. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas waves as he arrives to a campaign stop, Friday, Jan. 6, 2012, in Nashua, N.H. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Barack Obama has a quiet lunch with a small group of supporters who were winners of his re-election campaign's "Lunch with Barack" fundraising sweepstakes, Friday, Jan. 6, 2012, at a restaurant in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) ? Mitt Romney's rivals are all but conceding defeat in next Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, looking past a weekend debate doubleheader in the Granite State and focusing on South Carolina as their best chance to slow his march to the Republican presidential nomination.

Romney campaigned in both states on Friday, prominent party leaders by his side, President Barack Obama on his mind.

Giving no ground when the government reported the creation of 200,000 new jobs in December, Romney said America deserves better than the economic results Obama has delivered. "Thirty-five consecutive months of unemployment above 8 percent is no cause for celebration," he said in a written statement.

Republican rivals Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich were no more inclined to applaud Obama for the drop in unemployment to its lowest level in nearly three years. But they had other worries, including a new survey that suggested Romney's narrow victory this week in Iowa's caucuses has sent his support soaring in South Carolina.

The three men share a debate stage Saturday night and again Sunday morning with the other three surviving contenders, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, Texas Gov., Rick Perry and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman.

Ordinarily, the week between lead-off Iowa and New Hampshire is one of the most intense of the entire president campaign. That hasn't been as true this year in New Hampshire, given Romney's four years as governor of next-door Massachusetts, his numerous campaign trips here and the reaffirming victory in Iowa. With only three days remaining until the first-in-the-nation primary, television advertising was relatively modest, with Paul, Romney and a committee supporting Huntsman the only entities spending significant sums.

Gingrich has been talking of merely holding Romney's winning total under 50 percent in New Hampshire, and Paul, arriving in the state on Friday, focused his criticism on Santorum.

"He brags about being for a balanced budget amendment but never did anything about it," Paul said of Santorum's time in the U.S. Senate. "He voted four or five times to raise the debt ceiling. He voted to double the size of the Department of Education."

Campaigning in Concord, Huntsman was asked whether the other candidates had "clawed their way to the right," leaving him as the centrist in the race. He called himself a realist. "We have to draw from ideas that are doable and not so outlandishly stupid that they create a lot of political infighting and finger-pointing and never, ever in 1,000 years are going to get done," he said.

Perry unveiled a new commercial for stations in South Carolina, as did a group that backs Santorum.

Perry's stresses his upbringing as the son of tenant farmers and mentions his time as a pilot in the Air force, years working on the family farm with his father and his marriage to his high school sweetheart. "The values I learned served me well as governor of Texas and will continue to guide me as president," the ad says.

The pro-Santorum spot calls the former Pennsylvania senator "the principled conservative ... the conservative we can trust."

That was a relatively polite attempt to distinguish Santorum from Gingrich, Perry and the others vying to emerge as Romney's chief rival, and from the former Massachusetts governor as well.

Santorum himself was more blunt. "The only way Republicans lose is if we screw this up and nominate another moderate who has taken multiple positions on every major issue of our time," he wrote supporters in a fundraising appeal.

The former senator finished a surprisingly strong second in the Iowa caucuses, coming within eight votes of victory. But he has little time to try and convert that into a campaign organization in New Hampshire, and some of his campaign events have turned testy.

In a school auditorium in Dublin on Friday, he faced tough questions about his positions on contraception, gays and lesbians in the military and earmarks in the federal budget.

"I know some people have been hammering away at me as an irresponsible spender," he said. "The idea that because someone earmarked, that means they're an Irresponsible spender is just absurd."

He blamed Sen. John McCain, a Romney supporter, for stirring up controversy over earmarks, the designation of federal spending for specific uses or projects. And he said the Arizona senator "ran to the hills" when it came to the issue of making changes in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

McCain paid him no mind.

"Earmarks are the gateway to corruption," he said in Conway, S.C., as he and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley campaigned with Romney. "Rick Santorum sponsored earmark after earmark."

McCain told the crowd that South Carolina Republicans have the ability to settle the nomination race. "If Mitt Romney wins here, he will be the next president of the United States," he said.

Obama and the Democrats will test that proposition, strenuously. But there was little dispute that a victory by Romney in the first-in-the-South primary, in a state with a strong evangelical vote, would make it difficult for his Republican rivals to stop him from winning the party's nomination.

Nor was McCain his only well-known ally in the state. South Carolina Gov. Haley, elected a year ago with the support of tea party activists, has endorsed Romney and is a constant presence as he campaigns.

Still, South Carolina's Republican primaries have an intensity that gives way to viciousness at times, and Haley was at pains to say that Romney's Mormon religion would not be a barrier.

"This is a state that elected a 38-year-old Indian female," she said of herself.

A TIME/CNN/ORC poll was a sobering one for Romney's rivals. It showed the former Massachusetts governor with 37 percent support in the state, a 17-point gain since early December. Santorum was at 19 percent, a 15-point surge, and in a statistical tie with Gingrich, who had plummeted from 43 percent support.

___

Associated Press writers Charles Babington, Beth Fouhy, Shannon McCaffrey and Holly Ramer in New Hampshire and Tom Beaumont and Jim Davenport in South Carolina contributed to this story. Espo reported from Washington.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-06-GOP%20Campaign/id-625515f7bcac474ea4761041943d3066

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Connolly, Canada bring home bronze; Kucherov, Nesterov and Russia fall in gold-medal game

Three Lightning prospects capped off the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championships tournament on Thursday by earning medals for their native countries.

Brett Connolly and Team Canada earned the Bronze Medal following a 4-0 victory over Finland, while both Nikita Kucherov and Nikita Nesterov of Team Russia won silver after being edged out, 1-0, by Sweden in the competition?s Gold-Medal Game.

Canada had little trouble dealing with the Finns, as Tanner Pearson put his side out to an early one-goal lead in the first period.

Mark Scheifele doubled the advantage just five minutes into the second , and Quinton Howden scored twice in succession to end the scoring and ensure Canada a victory.

The Canadians held a 44-27 shot advantage in the game, while the win came as the result of timely scoring, excellent goaltending and discipline.

?We did not want to leave this tournament empty-handed,? Connolly said. ?We have a lot of pride in this jersey, and we owed it to the fans of Edmonton and Calgary. We left it all on the ice today.?

In contrast, the Gold-Medal Game proved to be a bit more intense, as the both sides failed to light the lamp in each of the first three periods, sending a scoreless deadlock into sudden-death overtime.

Sweden came out strong and dominated in the shots department, despite not getting anything past Russian goaltender Andrei Makarov, who made an eye-popping 57 saves in the game.

The Swedes outshot Russia 17-3 through the first 20 minutes and even held a 39-4 shot advantage after two periods.

Russian captain and tournament MVP Yevgeni Kuznetsov put together his team's first major chance of the night when he clanged a one-timer off of both posts at 9:30 of the third on the power play.

Kuznetsov then gave teammate Nikita Gusev a golden chance at the game-winner, sliding a gorgeous backhand pass across the ice to his streaking linemate, but goaltender Johan Gustafsson answered his biggest test of the night, sliding over and getting his body in front of the shot to take the game to overtime.

With everything riding on the line, Sweden?s Mika Zibanejad finally notched the game?s first goal at 10:09 of the extra period, capturing the gold medal for his club while also upending the defending tournament champs.

The victory marked Sweden?s first gold medal at the tournament in 31 years. It proved to be a tough journey, as the resilient and battle-tested Swedes played in four overtime/shootout games.

They defeated Switzerland 4-3 in a shootout on Dec. 28, erased a 3-0 third-period deficit against Russia on New Year's Eve before winning in overtime, and came back from a 2-0 hole to score a shootout win over Finland to land a spot in Thursday?s finale.

"Everybody can be the hero. That's Mika, giving us the big goal when we needed it most," Swedish head coach Roger Ronnberg said.

Source: http://lightning.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=610267&cmpid=rss-pupello

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BMW Group Canada achieves best year in history

BMW Group Canada (BMW and MINI brands combined) reported 34,928 retails for the year 2011, an increase of 10.2 per cent over 2010. This marks 21 consecutive years of growth for BMW Group Canada, and the company?s best year ever. According to the company, a total of 2,666 units were sold in December, an increase of 3.9 per cent over the year-ago period.

BMW.
The BMW brand reported its best year ever with sales of 29,773, an increase of 9.5 per cent compared to 2010 year-end results. This made BMW the leading premium brand of passenger cars and Sports Activity Vehicles in Canada for 2011. The brand sold 2,214 units in December, a decrease of 1.7 per cent over the same month last year.

MINI.
MINI achieved its best year ever, reporting 5,155 units for 2011, an increase of 14.5 per cent over last year. MINI sales for the month of December were 452 units, an increase of 43.5 per cent over December 2010.

Motorrad.
BMW Motorrad Canada reported 1,625 units in 2011, a decrease of 15.6 per cent compared to 2010. December sales of three units represent a decrease of 84.2 per cent compared to December, 2010. The overall motorcycle market experienced a double-digit decline in Canada in 2011.

Pre-owned.
BMW Group Pre-Owned also reported a record year, with both BMW Pre-Owned and MINI Pre-Owned recording best-ever years.

BMW Pre-Owned recorded 13,098 units sold in 2011, an increase of 2.5 per cent over 2010. For the month of December, 937 units were retailed, a decrease of 11.3 per cent over December 2010.

MINI Pre-Owned reported its best ever year in 2011 with 1,986 units sold, an increase of 40.9 per cent over 2010. For December, 102 units were sold, a decrease of 20.3 per cent over December 2010.

Source: http://www.bmwblog.com/2012/01/05/bmw-group-canada-achieves-best-year-in-history/

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Apple iPad 3 May be Launched by March: Roundup of Rumored Specs

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Substantiating to the DigiTimes report, Barclays Capital has said the Cupertino, California-based tech giant may unveil two iPads in 2012. According to analyst Ben Reitzes of Barclays, while one model of the iPad 3 will come with better cameras, higher resolution display, A5 processor and Siri in March, another one will hit the market later this year, featuring a faster processor and 4G LTE.

Jefferies analyst Peter Misek also expects an iPad 3 launch in calendar first quarter while Wedbush Securities analyst Scott Sutherland also anticipates iPad 3 will arrive in the same time this year.

Take a look at the rumored features of iPad 3:

Design:?Apple, which is best known for its beautiful design, is anticipated to adopt a teardrop design for iPad 3 that is supposed to be thinner than previous models with an aluminum plate casing.

It is expected that Apple is adopting a more uniform design across all of its devices than ever before. For this, aluminum would be a consistent material that will also be used in the upcoming iPad 3, iPhone 5 and iPod lineups as well.

Display:?According to Misek, Apple has shifted display production and that Sharp has now become a large panel supplier. He believes that the Gen 6 Kameyama facility has been exclusively taken over for Apple purposes with Apple purchasing $500 million to $1 billion of equipment for the manufacturing of iPad 3 and iPhone 5 LTE displays.

Misek believes production of iPad 3 displays began two weeks ago and is the cause of much of the noise in the supply chain. Also, he believes that Apple and Sharp together have a modified IGZO (indium, gallium, zinc) technology to achieve 330 dpi, which is sufficient for an HD display while not using IPS nor having to include dual-bar LED backlighting.

Going forward, Misek believes that Apple and Sharp will jointly develop OLED panels for use in the iPhone and iPad within the next one to two years. This contrasts with conventional wisdom that states Samsung will have a lock on OLED for that period. The equalizer is a new printing technology based on a combination of daisy wheel and inkjet technology that "prints" the OLED onto a film that is then deposited onto glass.

In a recent report, MacRumors claimed to have acquired a leaked photo of the iPad 3 suggesting that the device will come with the same 9.7-inch size display but will sport a high resolution screen of 2048x1536 which is four times the number of pixels of the current iPad 2.

The talks about a retina display first reared its head with the previous iPad 2, but Apple had other plans. Now, iPad 3 is being massively speculated to arrive in the retina display with an improvised resolution of 2058x1536 pixels.

Operating System:?Apple's iPad 2 has iOS 4 that could be upgradable to iOS 5, which was announced at the WWDC 2011 keynote address on June 6, 2011. The iOS 5 comes with 200 new features that will include Improved Notifications System, Newsstand and iMessage. It will also feature new applications, such as the Reminders app and Newsstand, an application resembling Folders and iBooks.

It is still not known whether Apple will bring out its next OS, presumably called iOS 6, at the WWDC in June 2012. And it is expected that iPad 3 could be upgradable to iOS 6 after June. On the other hand, some analysts and tech enthusiasts even said there are chances that Apple would also introduce OS X Lion for the tablet.

However, Misek expects that Apple is looking to merge iOS (iPhone/iPad) and OS X (Macintosh) into a single platform for apps and cloud services starting either in 2012 or 2013 and complete in 2016.

Users will be willing to pick up any iPhone, iPad, or Mac (or turn on their iTV) and have content move seamlessly between them and be optimized for the user and the device currently being used. Misek believes this will be difficult to implement if iOS and OS X are kept separate.

Hardware:?iPad 2 comes with A5 chipset that is powered by 1 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU with NEON SIMD accelerator and a dual core PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU. The A5 package contains 512 MB of low-power DDR2 RAM clocked at 533 MHz.

According to a DigiTimes report, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (TSMC) is expected to quietly secure Apple's contract, and even succeed in extending the deal to cover the manufacture for the A6's successor. But Jefferies analyst Robert Lea cautioned that this is an unconfirmed story and that DigiTimes has in the past been inaccurate.

"Apple's next iPad will be faster and more power-efficient thanks to its new, quad-core A6 processor, but the new tablet may not be ready to ship until next June," Linley Gwennap, founder and principal analyst at The Linley Group, told the PCWorld.

The A6 should bring more performance to Apple devices while preserving battery life. Many of the improvements would come from TSMC's 28-nanometer manufacturing process, said Gwennap. The process will shrink the circuitry compared to the A5, which is manufactured on a 40-nanometer process, making the A6 smaller and faster.

"We expect the A6 will be a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 design, which would be competitive with next year's best mobile processors. In 2012, Nvidia will offer a quad-core Cortex-A9 processor, and Qualcomm will have the aforementioned MSM8960, a dual-core A15-class processor operating at 1.7GHz," said Kevin Krewell, a senior analyst at The Linley Group.

"Fabricating Apple's A6 in 28nm (instead of the 40nm process Nvidia is using for its quad-core part) will reduce both die cost and power, yielding a much better product," added Krewell.

It is expected that iPad 3 will integrate a fast 1.2-to-1.5 GHz quad-core A6 chip, with probably 1GB or more of RAM.

Camera:?iPad 2 comes with a 0.7 megapixel with 720p video capture capabilities and a secondary VGA one for video chat. It is rumored that iPad 3 will come with 5 megapixel or 8 megapixel camera with 1080p video capture. Added to that, iPad 3 is expected to have a dual-LED flash and the flash unit will be separated from the camera sensor. Along with the rear-facing, speculation suggests that iPad 3 will have a 2 megapixel front-facing camera for video chatting.

According to the DigiTimes, the two new iPads will share some common features - a 10.7-inch QXGA screen (1536 x 2048) and A6 processor. However, one will boast a 5 megapixel camera whereas the other will feature an 8 megapixel one.

If the rumor is true, it means Apple will offer three kinds of iPads at the same time - iPad 2 with A5 Chip, XGA panel and a 0.7 megapixel camera (for the entry-level market), and two iPad 3s - A6 chip, XGA panel and 5 megapixel camera (for mid-level market) and A6 chip, QXGA panel and 8 megapixel camera (for high-end market).

Another rumor indicated that iPhone 5 and iPad 3 will have a 3D camera. Apple has filed a patent application related to 3D picture with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in March last, according to an AppleInsider report. The filing described a system that would be capable of capturing, processing and rendering 3D images with the additional dual-camera hardware.

iCloud:?iPad 2 is featuring the new iCloud service for operating iTunes, providing wireless remote access of music from all computers and mobile devices. The iCloud will also store photos, apps, calendars and documents without using the phone's memory storage capacity.

The cloud will form the center of Apple's strategy, allowing users to effectively keep their identity and content profiles in the cloud, Misek believes. Users will log on to a device where the profile, content and apps will be customized and optimized for the device.

A preview of a beta version of iCloud shows the merger of iOS and OS X is happening with syncing across platforms. Misek said his preliminary view was that Apple could use a 32-bit ARM architecture to address the vast majority of the OS X ecosystem's needs in 2012 and 2013, except for the high-end professional devices.

It is expected that Apple will upgrade its iCloud service this year and iPad 3 will also feature a better service.

4G LTE:?Apple's iPad 2 only offered 3G technology, but the rumor is rife that iPad 3 will have 4G LTE. LTE, which stands for "Long-Term Evolution," provides significantly faster download and upload speeds compared to 3G technologies.

Apple's Chief Executive Tim Cook said in April that the first generation LTE chipsets forced a lot of design compromises with its devices and that the company was not willing to make those compromises.

Luckily, Qualcomm is reportedly developing a new, thinner LTE chipset. The chip, dubbed the MDM9615, will likely be a 28-nanometer process, which is considerably smaller than current LTE chipset's 45nm designs. The new LTE chip is expected to debut in the second or third quarter next year.

Misek stated that Apple will likely launch an iPad refresh in calendar first quarter with a new screen, quad-core A6, and LTE.

Near Field Communication:?NFC allows simplified transactions, data exchange, and connections with a touch. A smartphone or tablet with an NFC chip could make a credit card payment or serve as keycard or ID card. Globally, 100 million people use mobile payment outside the U.S., but only 3.5 million use the technology in the U.S. It is expected that iPad 3 will have NFC capabilities.

Wireless Charging:?A revolutionary way of charging devices may see iPad 3 gain mass appeal. The inductive wireless charging technology for the iPad could juice up its battery without the use of cables or plugs. By utilizing a charging dock, the iPad can charge its battery as well as share, sync or back up data at the same time.

According to Tech Labs, iPad 3 is expected to have wireless charging technology, allowing for easier data transfer and charging of batteries.

Just as HP has built wireless charging into its TouchPad (all that TouchPad owners need to do is place their tablets into the HP charging dock), Apple should integrate wireless charging into the iPad so that it would charge right up without the need to plug any cables into the device itself.

Fire-proof iPad 3:?Another rumor is that iPad 3 will be a fire-proof tablet. Apple has filed a patent application for an advanced halogen-free flame retardant material which could be used in future Apple products.

Rumors suggest that the new material will be integrated into the manufacturing of Apple products like keyboards, mouse, iPods, the iPad, cabling and more. Apple's invention provides for a halogen free resin composition that includes at least one thermoplastic polymer, an inorganic filler and a flame retardant additive that is described as being "self-fire extinguishable."

Fingerprint Proof:?Apple has already been granted patents on this technology, and is working real hard to make the iPad 3 fingerprint proof. The touch screen will be coated with oleophobic materials, which will reduce the oil and fingerprints on the screen.

Face Recognition:?It is rumored that iPad 3 will recognize users by face. According to MacRumors, a patent had been filed in 2010 that says a user "profile would be immediately accessed once the iPad recognizes a user's face."

The face detection system could be a low-power system that is always active, allowing face detection to be the primary method to unlock your iOS device.

Siri:?The iPad 3 is rumored to come with the latest voice command technology, Siri. However, it is expected that the device will have an upgraded version of Siri.

Siri, which is currently in beta version, is a voice-command personal assistant that helps a user get things done just by asking. It is also expected that the upgraded version of Siri will have additional languages, including Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Italian and Spanish.

Battery:?iPad 2, which has a Li-Po 6930 mAh battery, gets up to 10 hours of talk time and up to 720 hours of standby. Apple seems to be investing heavily in battery technology as the rumored iPad 3 will offer better features and have power hungry components.

DigiTimes' report cited sources at Apple's supply chain partners who said the new iPad was expected to have enhanced battery life, with a capacity of as high as 14,000 milliampere-hour (mAh) used in the new iPads. The report even stated that Simplo Technology and Dynapack International Technology had both secured orders for batteries.

The newly developed battery is also expected to be thinner and lighter, which could prove to be beneficial for further slimming and weight reduction. Misek expects iPad 3 to have better battery life that should be longer, and the overall experience for users should be meaningfully improved.

HDMI:?Apple introduced the HDMI playback in iPad 2, but it had problems. The user needed an additional digital AV adapter which was available for $39. The upcoming iPad 3 is expected to end the problems regarding the additional HDMI cable with an evolved HDMI port.

Pricing:?iPad 2 is priced at $499 for 16GB version, $599 for 32GB version and $699 for 64GB version. When iPad 2 was launched, Apple's first-generation iPad got a $100 price cut until units ran out. It is expected that Apple will price iPad 3 in the $499 to $699 range.

Speculations are rife that when iPad 3 is launched, the price tag of iPad 2 might be dropped to $299. Even after the iPad 3 launch, Misek believes Apple will continue to produce iPad 2 and will lower the price by $100 to $200.

The consumers won't be surprised if the $299 iPad has 8GB storage capacity as Apple also launched an 8GB iPhone 4, which carried a price tag of $99 after iPhone 4S was released, to compete with entry-level smartphones.

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Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/276810/20120105/apple-ipad-3-launch-roundup-rumored-specs.htm

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Four Laws Affecting California Parents and Teens in 2012 (ContributorNetwork)

The beginning of 2012 marks the implementation of at least four new California laws that affect children, preteens, teens and parents.

How does AB 499 change the rules of medical consent with respect to 12-year-old children?

Introduced by San Diego Assembly Member Toni Atkins on Feb. 15, and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Oct. 9, AB 499 amends minors' medical consent rights. Around the Capitol spells out the text of this law that allows children aged 12 to consent -- without parental permission -- to receive the vaccine against human papilloma virus, known as HPV. In the past, a minor's consent was only valid if the child came "into contact with an infectious, contagious, or communicable disease" that required medical care.

What does SB 929 mean for children currently riding in booster seats?

Representing the California second district, Sen. Noreen Evans introduced SB 929, which raises the age for mandatory booster seat occupancy to 8 Sen. Evans highlights on her senate webpage that the new law, which Gov. Brown signed on Oct. 4, "will save children's lives and reduce injuries to children when they are involved in vehicular accidents." Californians must now buckle in their children into booster seats until the youngsters are 8 years old or taller than 4-foot-9. In the past, the mandatory booster seat law only applied to children until they turned 6 years old; a similar law was vetoed by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Why does the California Society of Dermatology call SB 746 a victory for young Californians?

CalDerm outlines on the society's website that SB 746 was introduced by Sen. Ted Lieu and signed by the governor on Oct. 9. In order to now use a commercial tanning bed, tanning salon clients must be at least 18 years old. Last year the minimum age was 15, if the youngster had parental consent. Calling it "a move that will help protect young adults from developing deadly melanoma," CalDerm supports the belief that teens need more maturity to make the educated decision whether or not to use a tanning bed.

What does SB 514 mean for teens suffering from a cold or the flu?

Signed into law on Aug. 31, California's Legislative Counsel's Digest explains that SB 514 makes it unlawful for minors under the age of 18 to purchase dextromethorphan. As explained by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, dextromethorphan is an ingredient in popular over-the-counter cold and flu medication, such as Alka-Seltzer Plus, St. Joseph Cough Suppressant, Vicks 44 or Triaminic. Pharmacists and retailers are now required to verify a buyer's age prior to making the sale.

Sylvia Cochran is a Los Angeles area resident with a firm finger on the pulse of California politics. Talk radio junkie, community volunteer and politically independent, she scrutinizes the good and the bad from both sides of the political aisle.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/parenting/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120103/hl_ac/10787257_four_laws_affecting_california_parents_and_teens_in2012

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