Cisco Linksys Wireless-N Range/Extender Bridge (RE1000)

Cisco Linksys? Wireless-N Range/Extender Bridge (RE1000) is one of the best wireless extenders we?ve tested to date. Still, like many extenders we?ve tested, it?s going to be pretty useless for distances exceeding 150 feet from a wireless router. However, unlike other products tested, it still gave a signal and connection (although not a speedy one) at 150 feet?as long as you're transmitting in the 2.4 GHz band.

Design and Specs

The RE1000 is a small, rectangular box with a two-prong electrical plug. The device has a WPS and a reset button on its top panel and a Fast Ethernet 10/100 network port on the bottom to serve as a wireless bridge for a wired device. There?s also a removable panel on the underside that lifts off to reveal a C7 AC power port. The RE1000 only supports the 2.4 GHz band, which is a shame, given the numbers of 5 GHz and dual-band routers out there. ??

Installation:

The RE1000 extender ships with a setup CD. Enclosed instructions direct users to set up the device close to the computer being used for install to the router to ensure a strong signal and that the extender can be moved after setup.

When the install kicks off, Cisco's software immediately discovered a newer version of setup was available, which means you?ll want to set this device up from a computer that is online, preferably connected to the wireless network you are trying to extend.

Next, the instructions have you plug the extender into an outlet. The setup software ?searches? for the extender. In about a minute, the software discovered the extender and discovered the names of all the wireless networks in proximity. I selected the network I wanted to place the extender, entered the passphrase when prompted and that?s all it took to get the extender setup.

Without question, the RE1000 has the easiest setup of any wireless extender I?ve tested: efficient and drop-dead simple.

Configuration and Features

The RE1000 has a browser-based utility that can be used to configure the device. The interface follows the same design as Cisco Linksys' E-series routers. ?Within the interface, users can get a view at the status of the extender and information such as channel width, signal strength and quality, as well as?packet information.

The extender also supports some Quality of Service (QoS) functionality with WMM (Wireless Multimedia) for improving the quality of video, voice, and other types of network traffic. ?Other features include diagnostics and enabling log files.

Performance:

Using Ixia?s IXChariot testing suite, I measured the RE1000?s throughput at distances of 50, 75, 100 and 150 feet away from the router as well as right next to the server room the router is located in. Besides measuring throughput, I also?noted how many signal bars the operating systemthe wireless client used for testing is reporting, whether it?s possible to connect to the wireless LAN at greater distance, and if it?s possible to browse the Internet at greater distances.

While the RE1000 did not give us the best throughput numbers (that distinction goes to the BearExtender PC Long Range 802.11n USB WiFi Booster [LINK=]) the RE1000 allowed connecting the wireless network and surfing the web from 150 feet away from the router?although surfing was slow. That's an ability I didn't observe with the BearExtender device. Here are benchmark results:

Why the RE1000 is Editor?s Choice for Extenders:

Wireless extenders are notorious for frustrating setup and not actually offering much in extending a wireless signal. While BearExtender?s device had better throughput testing with Ixia, by 150 feet, it was no longer possible to even connect to the WLAN, much less surf the Internet. I had the same issue with the D-Link Amplifi DAP-1525 Wi-Fi Booster.

The RE1000 was able to extend the signal to 150 feet, although, as mentioned, the connection was painfully slow. This could be due to the heavy interference in our testing area, so those without such RF noise may get better results.

In addition, the RE1000 incorporates solid features and the amazingly uncomplicated setup of Cisco Linksys? latest routers. These factors weighed all together, make the Cisco Linksys Wireless-N Range Extender/Bridge (RE1000) a four-star Editors' Choice pick. We can hardly wait for the version that supports the 5 GHz band as well.

?More Wireless Networking Reviews:
??? iTwin
??? Netgear Universal WiFi Range Extender (WN2000RPT)
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??? Netgear ProSafe 5AP Wireless Management System (WMS105)
??? Netgear ProSafe 16 AP Wireless Management System WMS5316
?? more

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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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"Beasts," "The House I Live In" win top awards at Sundance (Reuters)

PARK CITY, Utah (Reuters) ? "Beasts of the Southern Wild" and "The House I Live In" won the top awards at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, making them likely favorites for independent movie audiences in 2012.

Directed by Benh Zeitlin and set in impoverished Louisiana, "Beasts of the Southern Wild" picked up the jury prize for best drama as well as best cinematography with its poetic tale of the bond between a father and a daughter.

The documentary winner, "The House I Live In," was one of many documentaries at Sundance 2012 that looked at a struggling America at Sundance 2012. It is an examination of America's long war on drugs and critiques of U.S. drug policies, its court system, prisons and their impact on minorities.

"The war on drugs is a terrible scar on America," said director Eugene Jarecki.

Special juries of industry professionals vote on winners, and those are considered the top prizes but audiences also vote for their favorites.

"The Surrogate," which stars Helen Hunt and John Hawkes and is about a man's quest to lose his virginity while mostly confined to an iron lung, won the Audience Award for best drama.

The film, based on the life of poet and journalist Mark O'Brien, fetched one of the highest selling prices at the festival -- a reported $6 million -- and with its mix of comedy and drama could turn out to be one of the bigger U.S. indie hits in cinemas to come out of the festival.

"Love is a journey, that's it," said director Ben Lewin when accepting his trophy, quoting a line from the film.

"SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN"

The Audience Award for documentary was given to "The Invisible War," about an epidemic of sexual assault in the U.S. military and shining a light on a little known problem.

Other documentary special jury prizes went to "Love Free or Die," about the Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson; and "Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry," about the Chinese artist and activist who was detained for 81 days last year.

"Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry" director Alison Klayman took a picture of the crowd upon accepting the award and promised to send it to the Chinese artist, who was spent 81 days in government detention last year and felt it was too risky to attend the festival from China.

Sundance, which is backed by Robert Redford's Sundance Institute for filmmaking, is the largest U.S. gathering for independent movies. Festival winners go on to become some of the most talked about films in art houses.

Many of the more hyped fictional films for Sundance 2012 did not live up to their buzz, with many including "Red Lights" starring Robert De Niro and Spike Lee's "Red Hook Summer" disappointing critics, although films have still sold.

In addition to prizes for U.S. films, Sundance also gives awards in world cinema.

"Searching for Sugar Man," about the search for an obscure 1970s Detroit folk singer known as Rodriguez, won the audience award for best world documentary as well as a special jury prize. It was one of the most popular films of the festival, which served as the d3ebut for documentaries such as "An Inconvenient Truth."

Chile's "Violeta Went To Heaven," based on the life of Chilean folk singer Violeta Parra's journey from a poor upbringing to national hero, won the jury prize for best drama, and "The Law In These Parts" was the jury's pick for best documentary.

(Reporting By Christine Kearney; editing by Mohammad Zargham and Bill Trott)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120129/en_nm/us_sundance_winners

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Iran "very optimistic" on nuclear experts' visit (Reuters)

TEHRAN (Reuters) ? Iran said on Sunday it was very optimistic over a visit by U.N. nuclear inspectors aimed at shedding light on suspected military aspects of Tehran's atomic work but suggested Tehran would curb cooperation if the experts became a "tool" for outside powers.

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team began a three-day visit on Sunday to try to advance efforts to resolve a row about nuclear work which Iran says is for making electricity but the West suspects is aimed at seeking a nuclear weapon.

Tensions with the West rose this month when Washington and the European Union imposed the toughest sanctions yet in a drive to force Tehran to provide more information on its nuclear program. The measures take direct aim at the ability of OPEC's second biggest oil exporter to sell its crude.

The Mehr news agency quoted Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi as saying during a trip to Ethiopia: "We are very optimistic about the outcome of the IAEA delegation's visit to Iran ... Their questions will be answered during this visit,"

"We have nothing to hide and Iran has no clandestine (nuclear) activities."

Iran's parliament speaker, Ali Larijani, warned the IAEA team to carry out a "logical, professional and technical" job or suffer the consequences.

"This visit is a test for the IAEA. The route for further cooperation will be open if the team carries out its duties professionally," said , state media reported.

"Otherwise, if the IAEA turns into a tool (for major powers to pressure Iran), then Iran will have no choice but to consider a new framework in its ties with the agency."

Iran's parliament in the past has approved bills to oblige the government to review its level of cooperation with the IAEA. However, Iran's top officials have always underlined the importance of preserving ties with the watchdog body.

Before departing from Vienna, IAEA Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts hoped for the Islamic state to tackle the watchdog's concerns "regarding the possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program".

PARLIAMENT DEBATE

Less than one week after the EU's 27 member states agreed to stop importing crude from Iran from July 1, Iranian lawmakers were due to debate a bill later on Sunday that would cut off oil supplies to the EU in a matter of days.

Some parliamentarians told Reuters that the debate might be postponed to Wednesday.

By turning the sanctions back on the EU, lawmakers hope to deny the bloc a six-month window it had planned to give those of its members most dependent on Iranian oil - including some of the most economically fragile in southern Europe - to adapt.

The head of the state-run National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) said late on Saturday that the export embargo would hit European refiners, such as Italy's Eni, that are owed oil from Iran as part of long-standing buy-back contracts under which they take payment for past oilfield projects in crude.

"The decision must be made at high echelons of power and we at the NIOC will act as the executioner of the policies of the government," Ahmad Qalebani told the ISNA news agency.

"The European companies will have to abide by the provisions of the buyback contracts," he said. "If they act otherwise, they will be the parties to incur the relevant losses and will subject the repatriation of their capital to problems."

"Generally, the parties to incur damage from the EU's recent decision will be European companies with pending contracts with Iran."

Italy's Eni is owed $1.4-1.5 billion in oil for contracts it executed in Iran in 2000 and 2001 and has been assured by EU policymakers its buyback contracts will not be part of the European embargo, but the prospect of Iran acting first may put that into doubt.

Eni declined to comment on Saturday.

The EU accounted for 25 percent of Iranian crude oil sales in the third quarter of 2011. However, analysts say the global oil market will not be overly disrupted if parliament votes for the bill that would turn off the oil tap for Europe.

"The Saudis have made it clear that they'll step in to fill the void," said Robert Smith, a consultant at Facts Global Energy.

"It would not pose any serious threat to oil market stability. Meanwhile Asians, predominantly the Chinese and Indians, stand to benefit from more Iranian crude flowing east and at potential discounts."

Potentially more disruptive to the world oil market and global security is the risk of Iran's standoff with the West escalating into military conflict.

Iran has repeatedly said it could close the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane if sanctions succeed in preventing it from exporting crude, a move Washington said it would not tolerate.

"CONSTRUCTIVE SPIRIT"

The IAEA's visit may be an opportunity to defuse some of the tension. Director General Yukiya Amano has called on Iran to show a "constructive spirit" and Tehran has said it is willing to discuss "any issues" of interest to the U.N. agency, including the military-linked concerns.

But Western diplomats, who have often accused Iran of using such offers of dialogue as a stalling tactic while it presses ahead with its nuclear program, say they doubt Tehran will show the kind of concrete cooperation the IAEA wants.

They say Iran may offer limited concessions and transparency to try to ease intensifying international pressure, but that this is unlikely to amount to the full cooperation required.

The outcome could determine whether Iran will face further international isolation or whether there are prospects for resuming wider talks between Tehran and the major powers on the nuclear dispute.

Salehi said Iran "soon" would write a letter to the E.U.'s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to discuss "a date and venue" for fresh nuclear talks.

"Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili in this letter, which may be sent in the coming days, also may mention other issues as well," Salehi said, without elaborating.

The last round of talks in January 2011 between Jalili and Ashton, who represents major powers, failed over Iran's refusal to halt its sensitive nuclear work.

"The talks will be successful as the other party seems interested in finding a way out of this deadlock," Salehi said.

(Additional reporting by Hashem Kalantari, Robin Pomeroy and Hossein Jaseb in Tehran, Svetlana Kovalyova in Milan and Fredrik Dahl in Vienna; Writing by Parisa Hafezi and Robin Pomeroy; Editing by William Maclean)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120129/wl_nm/us_iran

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North claims 23-13 Senior Bowl victory

/

By JOHN ZENOR

updated 8:34 p.m. ET Jan. 28, 2012

MOBILE, Ala. - Isaiah Pead took a stutter step forward, then raced to the left sideline and traveled 60 yards up the field before finally getting tripped up by a leg tackle.

The former Cincinnati running back followed that nifty punt return with a 38-yarder a couple of minutes later, late in the first half, to play a starring role Saturday in the North's 23-13 victory over the South in the Senior Bowl.

The first one set up a field goal and helped Pead outshine bigger names to earn Most Valuable Player honors.

"(Coach) told me what the punt return call was, left, right or in the middle, and told me to make sure I set my blocks up or the play would be dead," said Pead, who set a Senior Bowl record with 98 yards on punt returns. "I tried to do that the best that I could. The rest was just ability."

Michigan State's Kirk Cousins and Wisconsin's Russell Wilson threw touchdown passes for the North. Purdue kicker Carson Wiggs put it away with his third short field goal, a 28-yarder with 4:11 left in the showcase for senior NFL prospects.

Boise State's Kellen Moore led that clinching 13-play drive that consumed 8:36 with the help of a running clock.

It snuffed out a spark provided by South quarterback Nick Foles of Arizona, who started his career with Cousins at Michigan State.

Foles had gotten the South into the end zone by firing a 20-yard touchdown pass to Arizona teammate Juron Criner with 12:55 left in the game.

It was an up-and-down day for a crew of quarterbacks with sparkling college credentials, but threw a combined five interceptions.

It was mostly up for Pead, who only had 74 yards on eight punt returns as a senior. The 5-foot-10, 193-pounder did rush for 1,338 yards and 12 touchdowns and gained a team-high 31 yards on eight carries in the Senior Bowl.

"I think he may have opened some eyes," said Minnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier, who led the North. "Some people may have wondered if he can do certain things. I think he may have answered some questions today.

Cousins completed 5 of 11 passes for 115 yards but threw an interception. Moore, who won an college-record 50 games as a starting quarterback, was 6-of-12 passing for 50 yards, and had a 23-yarder to set up the final field goal that put the North up two scores.

Wilson completed 4 of 7 passes for 45 yards with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Jones in the second quarter. He also threw an interception.

"I think I did a really good job, besides the interception," Wilson said. "You never want to throw an interception obviously. I think I waited a little bit too long on that one. Other than that, I came back. I had amnesia and just forgot about it and got the ball in the end zone there."

Arkansas receiver Joe Adams, the South's Most Outstanding Player, had eight catches for 133 yards after losing a fumble on the opening drive. He had a 36-yarder and a 29-yarder in the third quarter.

Criner gained 77 yards on six catches.

Linebacker Bobby Wagner of Utah State had seven tackles and an interception and was the North's Most Outstanding Player.

"We were just getting after it, having fun out here," said North defensive lineman Mike Martin of Michigan. "The scheme was real simple so it was just guys playing with effort and intensity."

Wiggs made kicks of 27, 32 and 28 yards while missing a 37-yarder in the final minutes.

Foles almost got the South back in it earlier, but his fourth-down pass from the 13 was incomplete with 3:59 left in the third quarter.

He had the best stat line of the six quarterbacks. Foles was 11-of-15 passing for 136 yards and the TD, and was the only South quarterback who wasn't picked off.

San Diego State's Ryan Lindley was 10 of 21 for 103 yards and also was intercepted once. Oklahoma State's 28-year-old Brandon Weeden started for the South but was picked off twice on nine attempts, completing five passes for 56 yards.

Cousins put the North ahead 20-6 early in the second half with a 41-yard touchdown pass to Arizona State's Gerell Robinson. The 6-foot-3, 223-pound Robinson caught it coming across the middle and raced down the right sideline.

It was the second time on the drive Cousins had thrown for a nice gain on third down, hitting T.J. Graham (North Carolina State) for 22 yards earlier.

The North's Kendall Reyes of Connecticut had two sacks.

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

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46177089/ns/sports-college_football/

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Grammy-winning composer Clare Fischer dead at 83

This iimage provided by the Fischer family shows Clare Fischer, a Grammy-winner composer, arranger and pianist, who died on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012 at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Calif. (AP Photo/courtesy of Fischer family)

This iimage provided by the Fischer family shows Clare Fischer, a Grammy-winner composer, arranger and pianist, who died on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012 at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Calif. (AP Photo/courtesy of Fischer family)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Clare Fischer, a Grammy-winning composer who wrote scores for television and movies and worked with legendary musicians like Dizzy Gillespie, has died. He was 83.

Fischer died Thursday at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank after suffering a heart attack two weeks ago, family spokeswoman Claris Sayadian-Dodge said.

An uncommonly versatile musician, Fischer worked as a composer, arranger, conductor and pianist for more than 60 years.

He is best known for his arrangements for Prince, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Branford Marsalis, Raphael Saadiq, Usher and Brandy.

Nominated for a Grammy 11 times in the Best Instrumental Arrangement category, Fischer won in 1986 for his album "Free Fall" and in 1981 for "Salsa Picante plus 2+2."

Born in Durand, Mich., Fischer got his start playing piano and writing jazz-inspired arrangements for the group The Hi-Lo's, an a capella quartet popular in the 1950s.

He worked as the arranger on Gillespie's "Jazz Portrait of Duke Ellington."

Fischer recorded 51 albums over his lifetime with his son Brent Fischer. The music ranges in style from jazz to salsa to symphonies.

"Clare Fischer was a major influence on my harmonic concept," Herbie Hancock is quoted as saying on Fischer's website.

"(Fischer) and Bill Evans, and Ravel and Gil Evans, finally. You know, that's where it really came from. Almost all of the harmony that I play can be traced to one of those four people and whoever their influences were," Hancock said.

Clare Fischer is survived by his wife, Donna; sons Lee and Brent; daughter Tahlia; and three grandchildren.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-01-28-Obit-Fischer/id-7c18336bbdd843ac87f411ac00c2e97d

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Need for courtroom artists fade as cameras move in (AP)

CHICAGO ? One marker in hand and one in his mouth, Lou Chukman glances up and down from a sketchpad to a reputed Chicago mobster across the courtroom ? drawing feverishly to capture the drama of the judge's verdict before the moment passes.

Sketch artists have been the public's eyes at high-profile trials for decades ? a remnant of an age when drawings in broadsheet papers, school books or travel chronicles were how people glimpsed the world beyond their own.

Today, their ranks are thinning swiftly as states move to lift longstanding bans on cameras in courtrooms. As of a year ago, 14 states still had them ? but at least three, including Illinois this month, have taken steps since then to end the prohibitions.

"When people say to me, `Wow, you are a courtroom artist' ? I always say, `One day, you can tell your grandchildren you met a Stegosaurus," Chukman, 56, explained outside court. "We're an anachronism now, like blacksmiths."

Cutbacks in news budgets and shifts in aesthetic sensibilities toward digitized graphics have all contributed to the form's decline, said Maryland-based sketch artist Art Lien.

While the erosion of the job may not be much noticed by people reading and watching the news, Lien says something significant is being lost. Video or photos can't do what sketch artists can, he said, such as compressing hours of court action onto a single drawing that crystallizes the events.

The best courtroom drawings hang in museums or sell to collectors for thousands of dollars.

"I think people should lament the passing of this art form," Lien said.

But while courtroom drawing has a long history ? artists did illustrations of the Salem witch trials in 1692 ? the artistry can sometimes be sketchy. A bald lawyer ends up with a full head of hair. A defendant has two left hands. A portly judge is drawn rail-thin.

Subjects often complain as they see the drawings during court recesses, said Chicago artist Carol Renaud.

"They'll say, `Hey! My nose is too big.' And sometimes they're right," she conceded. "We do the drawings so fast."

Courtroom drawing doesn't attract most aspiring artists because it doesn't afford the luxury of laboring over a work for days until it's just right, said Andy Austin, who has drawn Chicago's biggest trials over 40 years, including that of serial killer John Wayne Gacy.

"You have to put your work on the air or in a newspaper whether you like it or not," she said.

The job also involves long stretches of tedium punctuated by bursts of action as a witness sobs or defendant faint. It can also get downright creepy.

At Gacy's trial, a client asked Austin for an image of him smiling. So, she sought to catch the eye of the man accused of killing 33 people. When she finally did, she beamed. He beamed back.

"The two of us smiled at each other like the two happiest people in the world until the sketch was finished," Austin recalled in her memoirs, titled "Rule 53," after the directive that bars cameras in U.S. courts.

There's no school specifically for courtroom artists. Many slipped or were nudged into it by circumstance.

Renaud drew fashion illustrations for Marshall Field's commercials into the `90s but lost that job when the department store starting relying on photographers. That led her to courtroom drawing.

Artists sometime get to court early and sketch the empty room. But coming in with a drawing fully finished in advance is seen as unethical.

Some artists use charcoal, water colors or pungent markers, which can leave those sitting nearby queasy. Most start with a quick pencil sketch, then fill it in. Austin draws right off the bat with her color pencils.

"If I overthink it, I get lost," she said. "I have a visceral reaction. I just hope what I feel is conveyed to my pen."

These days, Chukman and Renaud fear for their livelihoods. They make the bulk of their annual income off their court work. Working for a TV station or a newspaper can bring in about $300 a day. A trial lasting a month can mean a $6,000 paycheck. Chukman does other work on the side, including drawing caricatures as gifts.

Austin is semiretired and so she says she worries less. She also notes that federal courts ? where some of the most notorious trials take place, like the two corruption trials of impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich ? seem more adamant about not allowing cameras.

Still, though Rule 53 remains in place, federal courts are experimenting with cameras in very limited cases.

"If federal courts do follow, that will be the end of us," Austin said.

Renaud holds out hope that, even if the worst happens, there will still be demand from lawyers for courtroom drawings they can hang in their offices. Lien plans to bolster his income by launching a website selling work from historic trials he covered, including of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.

Chukman, a courtroom artist for around 30 years, jokes that if asked for his opinion, he'd have told state-court authorities to keep the ban in place a few more years until he retires.

"I recognize my profession exists simply because of gaps in the law ? and I've been grateful for them," he said wistfully. "This line of work has been good to me."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_re_us/us_camera_in_courts_sketch_artist

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Analysis: Republican Romney back on track in White House race (reuters)

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Ubuntu TV vs. Google TV: Battle of the Linux-based Smart TVs

Last week, Ubuntu?s own little warrior came sauntering into this hallowed market, but only to deliver a nice big surprise. At CES, when the Unity-based Ubuntu TV was unveiled, even the most pious of Apple fanboys couldn?t help feeling a tinge of jealousy. The demo, which showcased a beautiful-yet-functional interface, left all the Unity-bashers a tad guilty.

Having said that, it would be wrong to call Ubuntu TV a game-changer, as Apple, Google, and -- yes, we haven?t forgotten them -- Microsoft too are working hard on bringing something intelligent and intuitive to the idiot box. However, we?re not that interested in the efforts of Apple, or Microsoft, what we, as FOSS fanatics, are interested in is the battle between two Linux-based smart TV platforms: Google TV and Ubuntu TV.

Interface

Though Ubuntu TV hasn?t reached the consumers yet, a quick demo at CES showed us how clean and intuitive the interface really is. The experience is no different from what we get on our desktops, but having Unity on it makes it a force to reckon with. However, don?t think that my derision for the ?NEW? Ubuntu ceases with Ubuntu TV: Unity was and still is, to me, a crippled interface that is just wrong for our desktops. But when, this much-hated feature shows up on the good old television, you forget that you ever criticized Unity. From the CES demo, and the reviews we read on various tech-related sites, Ubuntu TV could, quite unexpectedly, be the TV interface we?ve been waiting for.

Google TV on the other hand, has been around for a long time. Based on the Android interface, the interface is quite easy to use and clean too. However, when compared to the aforementioned Ubuntu TV, it does seem a bit cluttered and unintuitive. Instead of focusing on content, Google TV tries to bring too many things to the table, adding to the complexity of the interface. Ubuntu TV, however, stays classy by giving you just the content.

Winner: Ubuntu TV

Familiarity

Though Google TV is based on Android, its interface is totally different from what you have on your phone or tablet. There are a few similarities here and there, but the Google TV doesn?t make an Android user feel at home. Ubuntu TV however, makes sure that an Ubuntu user gets the best experience without missing their computer. If Ubuntu on mobile takes off as Shuttleworth expects it to, then Ubuntu TV will be a brand you won?t be able to ignore.

Winner: Ubuntu TV

Content

It?s not clear as to how many tie-ups Ubuntu TV will have, but from what we?ve seen at CES, it?s enough to satisfy the needs of most TV-lovers. On the other hand, the Android-based Google TV goes one step further by providing an assortment of high quality apps, a domain that is very lucrative these days. Undoubtedly, if Ubuntu TV gets a big audience, it might catch up in this department; however, Google TV will always be a step ahead. Google has partnerships with a lot of content providers, and, not to forget, the movies and TV shows you can rent/buy from Netflix, Android store, and YouTube.

Winner: Google TV

Conclusion

At this early stage, it is difficult to know whether Ubuntu TV will be able to live up to its expectations or not. Also, don?t forget that Apple too is surreptitiously working on something big for the TV market. So, as good as Ubuntu TV might seem, it won?t be easy for Canonical to break into such a big market. Nevertheless, Ubuntu does promise to bring something unexpected and fresh to the TV market, and it might as well be the game-changing product we?ve been waiting for.

Source: http://lxer.com/module/newswire/ext_link.php?rid=161522

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'The Big Bang Theory': Raj Finds A Woman He Can Talk To In Siri (VIDEO)

Poor Raj still is unable to talk to a woman while sober, even after 100 episodes of "The Big Bang Theory" (Thu., 8 p.m. EST on CBS). But this week, he discovered that Apple Computers had come up with the perfect solution for him. After receiving his new iPhone, he discovered the joys of Siri, the natural language app that evolves over time to better suit and support its user.

Bernadette and Howard were certainly creeped out when they stopped by Raj's house for dinner, only to find him "dressing" his phone for dinner. The only thing he didn't do was set a place for his new "girlfriend" at the dinner table. The couple was probably hoping that the alpha test of Penny and Leonard 2.0 worked out well so they could double date with a normal couple. Sheldon and Amy were filming a flag-themed pocdast, so normal still isn't a part of their vocabulary.

While it would be amusing for this to be a recurring bit for a few episodes, the closing makes it seem likely it was a one-off gag.

Poor Raj's affliction is so serious that it apparently infiltrates his dreams as well. In it, he brought flowers to the facility where Siri works, finding a beautiful woman providing live interactions with the user community. Only when she approaches him with a smile and tries to talk to him, he freezes up. All he has to do is tell her what he wants her to do, and she'll do it. It's a Rajesh nightmare!

Catch "The Big Bang Theory" every Thursday at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

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MONDAY, JANUARY 23: "Gossip Girl"

1? of ?19

"Gossip Girl" (8 p.m. EST, The CW) "Clueless" writer/director Amy Heckerling makes her first foray into TV directing since 2005 for Blair's bachelorette party, as others scheme behind Queen B's back to make it a night to remember. After discovering the truth behind Chuck and Blair's car accident, Nate joins forces with a surprising ally to gather the evidence, while Serena and Dan pretend to be dating again to protect Blair's secret. "Gossip Girl" (8 p.m. EST, The CW)
"Clueless" writer/director Amy Heckerling makes her first foray into TV directing since 2005 for Blair's bachelorette party, as others scheme behind Queen B's back to make it a night to remember. After discovering the truth behind Chuck and Blair's car accident, Nate joins forces with a surprising ally to gather the evidence, while Serena and Dan pretend to be dating again to protect Blair's secret.

MORE SLIDESHOWS NEXT?> ??|?? <?PREV

MONDAY, JANUARY 23: "Gossip Girl"

"Gossip Girl" (8 p.m. EST, The CW) "Clueless" writer/director Amy Heckerling makes her first foray into TV directing since 2005 for Blair's bachelorette party, as others scheme behind Queen B's back to make it a night to remember. After discovering the truth behind Chuck and Blair's car accident, Nate joins forces with a surprising ally to gather the evidence, while Serena and Dan pretend to be dating again to protect Blair's secret. "; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/27/the-big-bang-theory-raj-can-talk-to-siri-video_n_1235787.html

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'Touch' Preview: Kiefer Sutherland's Martin Learns How To Communicate With His Son (VIDEO)

Hoping to recreate the anticipation and buzz that helped make "Glee" a breakout hit a few seasons back by previewing the series a few months before its official debut, Fox offered potential viewers a sneak preview of "Touch" (Wed., 9 p.m. EST on Fox) after the Aspen auditions of "American Idol." The actual series premieres Monday, March 19 at 9 p.m. EST, after "Alcatraz" finishes its inaugural run.

In this premiere, viewers were introduced to Jacob Bohm, an 11-year old boy diagnosed with autism. It looks like the situation is far more complex than that, which is to be expected from a series created by Tim Kring ("Heroes"). Kiefer Sutherland plays his bewildered father, who's been struggling to take care of and connect with his son since his wife's death in the World Trade Center on 9/11.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw rounds out the core team as the social worker brought in to assess Jacob after his third trip atop a radio tower. She found herself pulled into the mythology when she started to see that Jacob was using numbers to communicate, seeing patterns in the numbers that connect the world and everyone in it. Danny Glover provides support as an expert on children with an affinity to numbers.

The premiere featured a convoluted group of people around the world who had no reason to be connected. But either through happenstance, or the subtle manipulations of Jacob, their lives all touched by the end of the hour, and in doing so they each found an improvement in their situation. Jacob can see the pattern, and perhaps then can see a bit of the future, but can he manipulate it as well.

Check out Maureen Ryan's thoughts on this sneak preview of "Touch," and come back Monday, March 19th at 9 p.m. EST for the series premiere.

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

Related on HuffPost:

MONDAY, JANUARY 23: "Gossip Girl"

1? of ?19

"Gossip Girl" (8 p.m. EST, The CW) "Clueless" writer/director Amy Heckerling makes her first foray into TV directing since 2005 for Blair's bachelorette party, as others scheme behind Queen B's back to make it a night to remember. After discovering the truth behind Chuck and Blair's car accident, Nate joins forces with a surprising ally to gather the evidence, while Serena and Dan pretend to be dating again to protect Blair's secret. "Gossip Girl" (8 p.m. EST, The CW)
"Clueless" writer/director Amy Heckerling makes her first foray into TV directing since 2005 for Blair's bachelorette party, as others scheme behind Queen B's back to make it a night to remember. After discovering the truth behind Chuck and Blair's car accident, Nate joins forces with a surprising ally to gather the evidence, while Serena and Dan pretend to be dating again to protect Blair's secret.

MONDAY, JANUARY 23: "Gossip Girl"

"Gossip Girl" (8 p.m. EST, The CW) "Clueless" writer/director Amy Heckerling makes her first foray into TV directing since 2005 for Blair's bachelorette party, as others scheme behind Queen B's back to make it a night to remember. After discovering the truth behind Chuck and Blair's car accident, Nate joins forces with a surprising ally to gather the evidence, while Serena and Dan pretend to be dating again to protect Blair's secret. "; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/26/touch-kiefer-sutherland-communicate-son-video_n_1232972.html

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Obama tax ideas face long odds ahead of election (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? President Barack Obama's bid to get millionaires and multinational companies to pay more taxes may play well with many voters but it faces long odds in the deadlocked U.S. Congress.

Obama used his State of the Union speech on Tuesday to press the case for a new minimum 30 percent tax on Americans earning more than $1 million a year and for tougher treatment of corporations that move jobs out of the United States.

At the same time, he called for tax credits to lure jobs back to the United States.

"Right now, companies get tax breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas," Obama said. "Meanwhile, companies that choose to stay in America get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world."

Obama, facing a tough re-election campaign, for several years has called for steeper taxes on corporations' foreign profits and closing what he calls tax loopholes that also benefit multinational companies.

Most of these ideas have stalled for years in Congress - even some Democrats say they can wait for a complete overhaul of the tax code.

A tax lobbyist affiliated with Democrats said real debate over the proposed tax changes would have to wait until after the November 6 presidential and congressional elections.

"They would only likely stand a chance in a broader corporate tax reform debate and I just don't think that tax reform is in the cards," the lobbyist said.

Obama and Republicans both say the tax code needs a major rewrite and lawmakers are laying the groundwork for such a reform, but the process is expected to take years. The 35 percent U.S. corporate rate is among the highest in the world and critics say it harms business competitiveness.

Obama is calling for a number of tax policies that could in theory appeal to Republicans, in the name of boosting the flagging economy. For example, he wants to trim tax rates for manufacturers and double a tax deduction for high-tech manufacturing - ideas that might gain some bipartisan backing.

But even that is unlikely in the current environment.

"Tempted as they may be by more tax cuts, anything that smacks of a deal with Obama, or a victory for Obama, especially one that undercuts their theme - however detached from the reality - that Obama is a tax-increaser, will be reflexively resisted by Republicans in both houses," said Norm Ornstein, a congressional watcher at the conservative American Enterprise Institute.

BUFFETT RULE

Probably the biggest tax change Obama outlined is a revamp of what he has called the Buffett rule, named for billionaire investor Warren Buffett, to ensure the wealthy pay what he calls a fair share of taxes. Obama proposed a minimum 30 percent tax on millionaires, and eliminating many tax deductions for them - including for housing, healthcare and childcare.

Buffett's secretary - famous for her boss's observation that she pays a higher tax rate than he does - sat in the congressional gallery as a guest of the White House to underscore the point.

A minimum 30 percent tax rate would be about twice the tax rate paid by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in the past two years, according to filings he released on Tuesday.

Lower tax rates enacted under former Republican President George W. Bush are set to expire at the end of this year, setting up a fight over extending them in late 2012.

Obama and Democrats want to let the lower rates for the wealthy expire. Obama said given steep budget deficits, Americans face a choice.

"Do we want to keep these tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans? Or do we want to keep our investments in everything else?" Obama asked.

The top individual income tax rate is now 35 percent, but the superwealthy can enjoy lower rates in some cases if they earn most of their income from investments - as does Romney - which are subject to a 15 percent rate.

A version of Obama's so-called Buffett rule has been promoted by Democrats in Congress as a way to pay for extending the payroll tax cut, but has no chance of passing.

Obama had previously proposed limiting deductions for wealthier Americans to a certain percentage of their income, but he went further in Tuesday's speech to advocate cutting out certain tax breaks completely for millionaires.

Even before Obama spoke, Republicans were blasting the speech as a campaign event.

"No Bailouts, No Hand-outs, And No Cop-outs," read one congressional Republican press release.

(Editing by Mohammad Zargham)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/ts_nm/us_usa_obama_speech_taxes

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State Of The Union Draws Mixed Reactions From Junior Statesmen

High school students focus heavily on President Obama's stance on education reform.
By Gil Kaufman

President Obama delivers the State of the Union address on Tuesday night
Photo: CBS

One of the most important lessons high school-age members of the Junior State of America learn is the value of vigorous yet civil debates about the state of government and foreign affairs.

That's why a handful of JSA members contacted by MTV News on Wednesday (January 25) had widely divergent but measured reactions to President Obama's State of the Union address.

"The most significant part of his speech for me was his take on education," said Saaye Arumugam, a 17-year-old high school senior in Miamisburg, Ohio. "During the Bush administration with No Child Left Behind, the federal government perpetuated this idea that standardized education was the only route to gauge success. Obama addressed that critical thinking should outweigh this idea of standardized thinking and teaching to the test."

Obama called for states to require students to stay in school until age 18 and to replace teachers who are ineffective. The portion about lowering college interest rates also piqued the interest of home-schooled senior Chris Boyajian of Lumberton, New Jersey. "When he talked about college tuition and getting interest rates down on loans and getting tuition lower, that was important to me," said Boyajian, 17. "[But] I didn't agree when he said that college is for everyone. I think it's not. There are some people who wouldn't fit in college, but I did like what he said about getting interest rates down so we're not paying two or three times the loan."

One reason Boyajian was so focused on the cost of college was because he's planning to go to law school. "I'm trying very hard not to take out loans [for college] ... I'm trying to pay with my family's savings or merit-based scholarships."

Because their organization is based on civil discourse, a number of the JSA members said they were disappointed by the gridlock in Washington and not particularly optimistic about the president's chances of getting his initiatives passed, especially during an election year.

Englewood, California, senior Michael Escobar, 17, was hopeful that at least one would get pushed through: Obama's call for a return of manufacturing to the U.S. "It's essential for prosperity, and it rewards companies with tax breaks," he said. "I will go to college soon and hopefully in the future there will be a job opening ready for me ... A lot of students are investing a lot of money in bachelor's and master's, and there's no guarantee of a job."

Escobar also paid close attention to the president's plans to reform education, since he said he's seen firsthand the effect of the cuts in education at his school and worries that the gridlock in Congress could stall Obama's initiatives.

"We have a lot of low-income families at my school, and it's really frustrating," he said about budget cuts to education. As a member of student council with access to budget and attendance information, Escobar said that since funding for advanced placement exams at his school dried up, some of the low-income families have to pay nearly $300 for AP classes out of their own pockets. "Colleges are asking for those most difficult courses, but there's not enough funding for education to cover it."

Austin, Texas, high school senior Nick Goulding said he found himself getting increasingly irritated as the speech went on. "President Obama was saying the same things he's been saying for three years ago now," said Goulding, 18. "He's trying to make people feel bad about being successful in America. When he was talking about millionaires and trying ... to alienate them about their success. I don't know why you'd want that in a president." As an example, he mentioned his father, who came from a poor family and worked his way up to founding a very successful landscaping company. "Increasing taxes on those who are successful is counterproductive to what should occur in a free country."

And while Goulding was not enthused about the president's call for a "Buffett tax" on millionaires and billionaires, he did appreciate how respectful Obama was when talking about the armed forces. "One of the few things I do attribute to the president as far as successes is killing Osama bin Laden and ending the wars," he said.

As a high school junior at the Orange County High School of the Arts, Julianna Ross, 16, also paid close attention to the bits about education reform, but she was focused on Obama's plea for bipartisanship in Washington. "He basically said under our current system we can't progress and we won't make advancement on these issues," she said, echoing her colleagues' concerns. "One of the things we talk about at Junior Statesmen is fostering civil discourse ... which has taught me to understand the opposing side ... and learn how to compromise. That's something that really needs to be implemented in the real world of politics."

Share your thoughts on the president's State of the Union address in the comments below.

Check back for up-to-the-minute coverage on the primary races and stick with PowerOf12.org throughout the 2012 presidential election season.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677886/president-obama-state-of-the-union-address-reaction.jhtml

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New Genetic Clues to Breast Cancer? (HealthDay)

SUNDAY, Jan. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have identified three new genomic regions they believe are linked with breast cancer that may help explain why some women develop the disease.

All three newly identified areas "contain interesting genes that open up new avenues for biological and clinical research," said researcher Douglas Easton, a professor of genetic epidemiology at the University of Cambridge in England.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, with about 1 million new cases annually worldwide and more than 400,000 deaths a year.

Scientists conducting genome-wide association studies -- research that looks at the association between genetic factors and disease to pinpoint possible causes -- had already identified 22 breast cancer susceptibility loci. Locus is the physical location of a gene or DNA sequence on a chromosome.

"The three [newly identified] loci take the number of common susceptibility loci from 22 to 25," said Easton.

However, the three new susceptibility loci might explain only about 0.7 percent of the familial risks of breast cancer, bringing the total contribution to about 9 percent, the researchers said.

Michael Melner, scientific program director for the American Cancer Society, said this current research adds some important new clues to existing evidence, but he agreed that the number of cases likely associated with these three variants is probably low.

"So the total impact in terms of patients would be fairly small," Melner said.

The study is published online Jan. 22 in Nature Genetics.

To find the new clues, Easton's team worked with genetic information on about 57,000 breast cancer patients and 58,000 healthy women obtained from two genome-wide association studies.

The investigators zeroed in on 72 different single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). A SNP -- pronounced "snip" -- is a change in which a single base in the DNA differs from the usual base. The human genome has millions of SNPs, some linked with disease, while others are normal variations.

The researchers focused on three SNPs -- on chromosomes 12p11, 12q24 and 21q21.

Easton's team found that the variant on the 12p11 chromosome is linked with both estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer (which needs estrogen to grow) and estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer. The other two variants are only linked with ER-positive cancers, they said.

One of the newly identified variants is in an area with a gene that has a role in the development of mammary glands and bones. Easton said it was already known that mammary gland development in puberty is an important period in terms of determining later cancer risk. "But these are the first susceptibility genes to be shown to be involved in this process," he said.

One of the other SNPs is in an area that can affect estrogen receptor signaling, the researchers found.

Melner, noting some of the research is "fine tuning" of other work, said in his view the new understanding of the signaling pathways and their genetic links is the most important finding.

"When you delineate a pathway, you bring up new potential targets for therapy," he said. "The more targets you have, you open up the potential for having multiple drugs and attacking a cancer more easily, without it becoming more resistant."

Overall, Melner added, the results underscore the complexity of the different mechanisms involved in breast cancer development.

More information

For more about the genetics of breast cancer, visit the American Cancer Society.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/cancer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120123/hl_hsn/newgeneticcluestobreastcancer

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Obama makes case for fairness; GOP calls it rehash

On the day of his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama walks from the Oval Office along the Colonnade of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

On the day of his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama walks from the Oval Office along the Colonnade of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

Graphic shows number of words used in official and unofficial State of the Union addresses; will be updated following Obama???s 2012 speech

On the day of his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama walks from the Oval Office along the Colonnade of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

Following the Republicans' weekly strategy session, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. McConnell took aim at President Obama who will be delivering his State of the Union address later. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Following the Democrats' weekly strategy session, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is promising the nation an economy that gives a shot to everyone and not just the rich, using Tuesday night's State of the Union address to draw an election-year battle line with Republicans over fairness and the free market. Driving everything about the speech: jobs, including his own.

Overshadowed for weeks by the fierce race of the Republicans seeking his job, for one night Obama had a grand stage to himself.

He planned to pitch his plans to a bitterly divided Congress and to a country underwhelmed by his handling of the economy. Targeting anxiety about a slumping middle class, Obama was calling for the rich to pay more in taxes. Every proposal was to be underlined by the idea that hard work and responsibility still count.

Tens of millions of people were expected to watch on television, turning an always-political speech into Obama's best chance yet to sell his vision for another four years.

For an incumbent on the attack about income inequality, the timing could not be better.

Ahead of Obama's 9 p.m. EST speech, Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney released his tax returns under political pressure, revealing that he earned nearly $22 million in 2010 and paid an effective tax rate of about 14 percent. That's a lesser rate than many Americans pay because of how investment income is taxed in the United States.

Obama, though, has his own considerable messaging challenges three years into his term.

The economy is improving, but unemployment still stands at the high rate of 8.5 percent. More than 13 million people are out of work. Government debt stands at $15.2 trillion, a record, and up from $10.6 trillion when he took office. Most Americans think the country is on the wrong track.

Obama's relations with Republicans in Congress are poor, casting huge doubt on any of his major ideas for the rest of this year. Republicans control the House and have the votes to stall matters in the Senate, although Obama has tried to take the offensive since a big jobs speech in September and a slew of executive actions ever since.

"It's hard not to feel a sense of disappointment even before tonight's speech is delivered," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. "The goal isn't to conquer the nation's problems. It's to conquer Republicans. The goal isn't to prevent gridlock, but to guarantee it."

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has called the themes of Obama's speech a "pathetic" rehash of unhelpful policies.

The State of the Union remains one of the most closely watched moments in American politics. Despite the political atmosphere in Washington, the scene is expected to have at least one unifying touch. Outgoing Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt a year ago, is expected to attend with her colleagues. Her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, was attending as a guest of first lady Michelle Obama.

Obama's tone was under as much scrutiny as his proposals.

He was aiming to find all the right balances: offering outreach to Republicans while sharpening his competing vision, outlining re-election themes without overtly campaigning and pledging to work with Congress even as he presses a campaign to act without it.

The context was set not just by the re-election year, but by the awful past year of partisan breakdowns in Washington. The government neared both a shutdown and, even worse, a default on its obligations for the first time in history.

Less than 10 months before Election Day, the presidential race is shaping up as a contest between unmistakably different views of the economy and the role of government.

Obama is campaigning on the idea of helping people at least get a fair shot at a job, a house, a career and a better life. Republicans say he and his philosophy have become a crushing burden on free enterprise and that the president is resorting to what amounts to class warfare to get elected again.

Obama's speech was to feature manufacturing, clean energy, education and American values. He was to unveil new proposals to address the housing crisis that has left many people trapped, and he planned to promote steps to make college education more affordable.

The president was planning a traditional rundown on the state of American security and foreign policy ? and a reminder that he kept a promise to end the Iraq war.

But his driving focus was to secure faith in the economic recovery and in voters' confidence that he is getting the country on the right path.

Obama planned to renew his call for his "Buffet Rule" ? a principle that millionaires should not pay a lower tax rate than typical workers. While middle-income filers fall in the 15 or 25 percent bracket, and millionaires face a 35 percent tax bracket, those who get their income from investments ? not a paycheck ? pay 15 percent.

The president named his idea after billionaire Warren Buffet, who says it is unfair that his secretary pays a higher tax rate than he does. The White House invited Buffett's secretary, Debbie Bosanek, to attend the State of the Union as a special guest.

Obama was to outline a tax system "where everybody is paying their fair share," said senior adviser Valerie Jarrett.

And then for three days following his speech, Obama will promote his ideas in five states key to his re-election bid. On Wednesday he'll visit Iowa and Arizona to promote ideas to boost American manufacturing; on Thursday in Nevada and Colorado he'll discuss energy, and in Michigan on Friday he'll talk about college affordability, education and training.

Polling shows Americans are divided about Obama's overall job performance but unsatisfied with his handling of the economy.

The speech Tuesday night comes just one week before the Florida Republican primary that could help set the trajectory for the rest of the race.

Romney, caught up in a tight contest with a resurgent Newt Gingrich, commented in advance to Obama's speech.

"Tonight will mark another chapter in the misguided policies of the last three years ? and the failed leadership of one man," Romney said from Florida.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-24-State%20of%20the%20Union/id-86af2111a71a4cd39c76e0d05cffed6a

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Costa Concordia: As Hope Fades for More Survivors, Finger-Pointing Begins (Time.com)

As hope fades for the successful rescue of the 20 people still missing a week after the wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, the focus of operations on the Italian island of Giglio is shifting towards the prevention of future catastrophe and the allocation of blame for that which has already occurred. With some 500,000 gallons of fuel oil still sloshing around in the hull of the ship, "We need to prevent an environmental disaster," says Franco Gabrielli, the head of Italy's civil protection agency, who is coordinating the emergency response. He added that while the agency wasn't giving up rescue attempts, the risk of rupture of the ship's fuel tanks was becoming an increasingly important worry.

Rescuers have been investigating whether the ship can be chained to the rocks on which it capsized last week, to halt its slow slippage towards deep waters, which would dramatically complicate further salvage efforts. The consequences of an oil spill would be disastrous. The mayor of Giglio has called the ship an "ecological time bomb." The potential for pollution puts at risk not only the area around the tiny Mediterranean island, but also the entirety of the nearby coast of Tuscany, one of the engines of Italian tourism. On Saturday, light oil was discovered floating near the Concordia, but rescue workers speculated it may have been diesel from rescue boats or lubricant from some of the on board machinery, not the heavy engine oil that could spell environmental devastation. (Photos: The Sinking of the Costa Concordia)

The plan is to extract the fuel oil and replace it with water, to avoid destabilizing the ship. Experts estimate that draining even those tanks closest to the outside of the hull could take as much as month -- providing storms don't cause delays -- and that the inner tanks could prove harder to reach. Still, "there is a very good chance that the fuel oil can be removed," says Paul Wright, associate director of the Marine Institute at Britain's Plymouth University. Contamination from the kitchen oils, chemicals, sewage, and personal belongings of the crew and passengers are likely to be contained using booms. What could prove more challenging is the salvage operation of the $450 million ship itself. "I would be very surprised if she is righted and floated off," says Wright. "The most likely solution is that she will be cut up and dismantled in position." It's an operation that could take months.

Meanwhile, the legal process is gearing up as Italian authorities work to establish the criminal liability for what some experts predict will produce the most expensive insurance claims in maritime history. As of Saturday, the death toll for the accident stands at 12 and is likely to rise; the Costa Concordia's captain, Francesco Schettino, is under house arrest and facing charges of manslaughter. At the heart of the investigation will be determining what happened in the 70 minutes between the moment the ship tore itself open on the rocks and Schettino's first formal call for help. In the interval, the coast guard was misinformed by a member of the Concordia's crew about the condition of ship, even as it was taking on water. And passengers were told by an apparently confused or oblivious crew that the problem had been resolved and that they should return to their rooms. (History's Greatest Cruise Ship Disasters)

Lawyers for civil plaintiffs will be eager to show that responsibility for the tragedy extends beyond the incompetence of the captain. "You have an incentive to find the deep pockets," says Luca Melchionna, a professor at St. John's University School of Law. Was the Costa Concordia's dangerous approach to the island part of a pattern that the cruise company had previously sanctioned or tolerated? To what extent did company policy contribute to the disarray in the early minutes when lives could have been saved? How well prepared were the crew for the event of an emergency?

For now, the cruise company has joined the criminal case against the captain as a civil party, formally putting itself among the injured and (not coincidentally) forestalling civil action in Italy while the criminal trial plays out, something that could take months of years. "It's a strategic legal move that protects them, at least for a while," says Melchionna. But such maneuvers won't protect the company in other jurisdictions. While lawyers for potential plaintiffs have complained that the waivers their clients were asked to sign have ruthlessly limited the cruise line's liability, at least two law firms have announced they plan to file a class action lawsuit in the U.S. next week. Meanwhile, several passengers have already sought representation with the British law firm Irwin Mitchell. "With thousands of passengers and crew on board this huge vessel, their safety should have been the first and only priority," Clive Garner, the head of the firm's international law team, said in a statement. "Tragically, it seems that this was not the case and passengers and their families have paid a very heavy price."

Transcript: 'Go On Board!' Coast Guard Tells Cruise Ship Captain

WATCH: Crew Tells Passengers, 'Return to Your Cabin'

View this article on Time.com

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/environment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20120122/wl_time/08599210502900

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