(420,'Memphis voters OK city schools merger with county   (AP)','memphis-voters-ok-city-schools-merger-with-county-ap','','AP - City voters chose Tuesday to dissolve the Memphis school system and force the county &mdash; whose students are accustomed to much more success in the wealthier suburbs &mdash; to take over its education.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>MEMPHIS, Tenn. – City voters chose Tuesday to dissolve the Memphis school system and force the county — whose students are accustomed to much more success in the wealthier suburbs — to take over its education.</p>\n                <p>With all 185 precincts reporting, about 67 percent of voters approved the furiously debated referendum to disband, while 33 percent voted against.</p>\n                <p>It means voters have confirmed the city school board\'s decision to combine with Shelby County schools. It comes despite strong opposition against the merger among the suburban communities. Only city residents decided the issue, which angered county officials.</p>\n                <p>Still, a tally of the ballots doesn\'t provide a final answer to what happens next to the city\'s underperforming schools and its 103,000 students. A new state law and federal lawsuit are intended to slow down any merger that would result in a system of 150,000 students with the county in charge.</p>\n                <p>A transition team will be assembled to oversee the consolidation process and the county school board will be expanded from the current seven members to 25.</p>\n                <p>More than 41,000 people cast a vote on an overcast and rainy day. Including absentee and early ballots, about 71,000 voters, or 17 percent, decided the issue, a low turnout considering the intense debate surrounding the merger. About 422,000 people are eligible to vote within the city limits, said Richard Holden, administrator of elections for Shelby County. The vote should be certified within three weeks.</p>\n                <p>Regardless of turnout, the outcome is pivotal for the future of Memphis\' troubled school system. The months-long discussion ahead of the vote stirred emotions in the county of 920,000 people.</p>\n                <p>\"I\'m pleased with the outcome, but the real work only now begins,\" said Martavius Jones, the Memphis City Schools board member who has been one of the leaders of the merger effort. \"This is still our opportunity to rebuild the education of every child in Shelby County.\"</p>\n                <p>Opponents of the merger denied racism allegations. Some in Memphis claim the majority-white county system does not want to accept students from the majority-black city system.</p>\n                <p>The cash-strapped city school board last December surrendered its charter and turned over control to Shelby County, which operates public schools in the western Tennessee city\'s suburbs.</p>\n                <p>Supporters of the merger said it\'s necessary to prevent Shelby County from seeking school special district status. It would draw a boundary around the county system and cut into tax money that currently goes to city schools.</p>\n                <p>\"If we could just consolidate, get rid of two school boards, two superintendents, and consolidate into one, perhaps we could also improve our school system, which is not working very well,\" said voter Pam Haithcock, 54.</p>\n                <p>Opponents argued the move was made without planning, and could stretch resources to the point that jobs could be cut and schools could close.</p>\n                <p>\"There should have been a better plan put forth,\" said voter Regina Woods, 54. \"All the confusion that is going on right now, that persuaded me to say no. ... There\'s a whole bunch of things coming at you at one time. It\'s like a virus on your computer.\"</p>\n                <p>State lawmakers stepped into the fray, as well. In a few days, Republican lawmakers passed and the governor enacted a law that delays the merger for three years.</p>\n                <p>A diverse group of Memphis-area ministers came out in support of consolidation.</p>\n                <p>Local union chapters and a separate contingent of Memphis-area religious leaders spoke out against the merger. Shelby County School Board Chairman David Pickler and other county leaders also oppose consolidation.</p>\n                <p>Pickler said the turnout was disappointing.\n</p><p>\n\"That really speaks to the larger problem endemic within this community of people not being fully engaged and not truly committed to the education future of our community,\" Pickler said.\n</p><p>\nPickler also said that the federal lawsuit challenging the authority of the Memphis school board to disband is still very much alive.</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Memphis voters OK city schools merger with county   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_re_us/us_memphis_schools\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_re_us/us_memphis_schools</a></p>',-2,5,0,37,'2011-03-08 23:12:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-08 23:12:00','2011-03-10 19:21:19','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(421,'Is China\'s economy slowing too fast?','is-chinas-economy-slowing-too-fast','','It\'s starting to look as if everybody\'s worst fears about China\'s economy may finally be coming true. China is slowing down.','<div><div class=\"storytext\">    <img src=\"http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/2011/03/09/news/international/thebuzz/lonely_chinese_vendor.gi.top.jpg\" alt=\"lonely_chinese_vendor.gi.top.jpg\" width=\"475\" height=\"324\" class=\"cnnstoryImageFull\" style=\"border: 0px;\" /><span class=\"captionname\"><b>A vendor at a market in Hefei in China\'s Anhui province waits for customers. Some economists and investors wonder if China\'s economy may slow down too quickly.</b></span><span id=\"fb-recommend\">\n<span class=\"storybyline\">By <a href=\"mailto:paul.lamonica@turner.com\">Paul R. La Monica</a>, assistant managing editor</span><span class=\"storytimestamp\">First Published: March 9, 2011: 12:32 PM ET</span><br style=\"clear: both;\" />NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- It\'s starting to look as if everybody\'s worst fears about China\'s economy may finally be coming true. China is slowing down. But how severe will the pullback be? And is it only temporary? That\'s up for debate.</span></div><div class=\"IErow\">    <img src=\"http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/2011/03/09/news/international/thebuzz/paul_lamonica_morning_buzz2.jpg\" alt=\"paul_lamonica_morning_buzz2.jpg\" width=\"220\" height=\"165\" style=\"border: 0px;\" /></div><div class=\"IErow\">&lt;![CDATA[\n  .staticLauncher {width:218px;border:1px solid #e8e8e8;}\n  .staticLauncher a {font:normal 12px Arial; text-decoration:none;}\n  .staticLauncher a:hover {text-decoration:underline;}\n  .staticLauncher .staticLauncherHeader {clear:both; color: #000;padding:10px 10px 5px 10px; letter-spacing: -1px;}\n.staticLauncher .staticLauncherHeader a { font:bold 18px Arial;}\n  .staticLauncher .imageContainer {width:218px;height:120px;}\n  .staticLauncher .imageContainer img {display:none;position:absolute;}\n  .staticLauncher .imageContainer img.show {display:block;}\n  .staticLauncher .staticLauncherMore {float:right;}\n]]&gt;\n</div></div><p>China reported sluggish auto sales figures for February on Wednesday morning. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, sales of passenger vehicles were up less than 3% from a year ago.</p><p>One reason for the slowdown is that tax breaks for small cars expired at the end of last year. But the anemic pace of growth may continue. </p><p>Economists from Barclays Capital noted in a report Wednesday that \"with borrowing costs rising and credit availability falling, the fuel for rising automobile demand is running low\" throughout Asia. </p><p>The economists added that weakness could be most pronounced in China and India since their central banks are <a href=\"/2011/02/08/news/international/bank_china_rate/index.htm\">raising rates</a> to <a href=\"/2011/02/14/news/international/china_inflation_cpi/index.htm\">combat inflation</a>. </p><p>If oil prices remain above $100 a barrel for an extended stretch, that could only make matters worse. And that may eventually be bad news for the likes of General Motors (<a href=\"http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=GM&amp;source=story_quote_link\">GM</a>) and Ford (<a href=\"http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=F&amp;source=story_quote_link\">F</a>, <a href=\"http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2010/snapshots/160.html?source=story_f500_link\">Fortune 500</a>). (Their Chinese sales did rise in February though.)</p><p>China\'s auto sales news comes only a few days after the Chinese government disclosed that it was targeting an <a href=\"/2011/03/04/news/economy/china_forecast/index.htm\">economic growth rate of 7% a year for the next five years</a>. </p><p>That, of course, is still robust growth -- even if it is considerably lower than the double-digit percentage gains that China\'s economy has been growing at for the past few years.</p><p>\"China is not immune to business cycles. But slowing the trajectory of growth is not the same as saying the economy is going to decline,\" said Art Steinmetz, chief investment officer at OppenheimerFunds Based in New York. </p><p>Still, there is reason to be worried that China\'s economy may be cooling even more quickly than people expected. </p><p>Optical networking equipment maker Finisar (<a href=\"http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=FNSR&amp;source=story_quote_link\">FNSR</a>), which had been one of the hottest stocks this year due in part to hopes for strong growth in China, stunned investors Tuesday evening with a weak outlook for the current quarter. </p><p>Finisar said in its earnings report that \"a slowdown in business in China overall\" was a key reason for its tepid forecast. </p><p>Shares of Finisar plunged nearly 40% Wednesday on the news, dragging down other networking equipment companies with a big presence in China, like JDS Uniphase (<a href=\"http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=JDSU&amp;source=story_quote_link\">JDSU</a>) and Ciena (<a href=\"http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=CIEN&amp;source=story_quote_link\">CIEN</a>).</p><p>If more Chinese telecoms and tech firms start to rein in spending, that\'s not good news. It goes without saying that a healthy Chinese economy is key to keeping the U.S. and global recovery on track. </p><p>China is now officially the second-largest economy in the world. Big U.S. firms such as <a href=\"/2011/01/19/news/companies/thebuzz/index.htm\">KFC owner Yum! Brands</a> and Caterpillar (<a href=\"http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=CAT&amp;source=story_quote_link\">CAT</a>, <a href=\"http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2010/snapshots/81.html?source=story_f500_link\">Fortune 500</a>) are doing more business there. China is the <a href=\"http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2011/02/28/china-passes-1-trillion-in-treasuries/\">largest foreign holder of U.S. Treasury debt</a>. </p><p>We need China even if we sometimes don\'t agree with or understand everything their government does. </p><p>And the biggest problem right now is that China can\'t afford to be lax about inflation risks. That likely will mean more monetary tightening to slow growth further -- even as the Federal Reserve seems intent on keeping rates near zero for the foreseeable future.</p><p>\"Excess liquidity is already feeding property bubbles, commercial and residential, in certain cities,\" wrote Andrew Milligan, head of global strategy at Standard Life Investments in Edinburgh, Scotland in a report this week.</p><p>He noted that China is acting aggressively. There have been eight increases to bank reserve ratio requirements and three interest rate hikes in the past few months. But China probably has <a href=\"/2011/02/08/news/international/thebuzz/index.htm\">only just begun to tighten</a>. </p><p>\"The latest data still suggest that the authorities are behind the curve, and have more to do,\" Milligan wrote.</p><p>Despite these fears, it\'s worth remembering that China is clearly not on the verge of a 2008-style economic collapse. In addition, China\'s economy often tends to hit a soft patch around the Lunar New Year holiday. </p><p>So what may look bad now could turn out to be just the standard Chinese New Year slowdown. That appears to be what semiconductor giant Texas Instruments (<a href=\"http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=TXN&amp;source=story_quote_link\">TXN</a>, <a href=\"http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2010/snapshots/407.html?source=story_f500_link\">Fortune 500</a>), a leading supplier of chips for phones in China, is banking on. </p><p>\"We typically expect to see some noise around the Chinese New Year, and that was no exception this year,\" said Ron Slaymaker, head of investor relations for Texas Instruments, during a conference call with analysts Tuesday.</p><p>Slaymaker added that demand did dip in early February but strengthened later in the month. But he conceded that sales in Asia overall, including Japan, are likely to cool when compared to the U.S. and Europe.</p><p>Still, even if China\'s growth slows, the bigger concern would be what might happen if China doesn\'t go far enough to keep pricing pressures in check. The consequences of China losing the battle with inflation would be far worse than annual growth slowing from 10% to 7%.</p><p>\"We\'re not worried about a hard landing in China. We\'re worried about China hardly landing,\" Steinmetz said. </p><p><i>-- The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Paul R. La Monica. Other than Time Warner, the parent of CNNMoney, and Abbott Laboratories, La Monica does not own positions in any individual stocks.</i>  <a href=\"#TOP\"><img src=\"http://i.cdn.turner.com/money/images/bug.gif\" alt=\"To top of page\" width=\"7\" height=\"7\" style=\"border: 0px;\" /></a></p><div id=\"quigo628\"><div id=\"ad-22812\" style=\"margin: auto;\"></div>&#13;\n</div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Is China\'s economy slowing too fast?\" href=\"http://money.cnn.com/rssclick/2011/03/09/news/international/thebuzz/index.htm?section=money_mostpopular\" target=\"_blank\">http://money.cnn.com/rssclick/2011/03/09/news/international/thebuzz/index.htm?section=money_mostpopular</a></p>',-2,5,0,38,'2011-03-09 13:23:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 13:23:00','2011-03-10 19:21:20','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(422,'Singapore economy seen growing 5.7 percent in 2011','singapore-economy-seen-growing-57-percent-in-2011','','Singapore\'s economy will slow this year from 2010\'s record pace as growth in manufacturing, financial services and construction all wane, according to a central bank survey of analysts released Wednesday.','<div><div id=\"y-article-bd\">&#13;\n                        \n\n\n\n&#13;\n                        &#13;\n                        	&#13;\n											<div>&#13;\n													&#13;\n													                               \n\n&#13;\n													                               \n\n&#13;\n											</div>&#13;\n                        <div class=\"mod provider-attribution\">\n    <span class=\"byline\">Alex Kennedy, Associated Press</span>, 	<span class=\"datetime\">On Wednesday March 9, 2011, 1:30 am EST</span>\n	</div>&#13;\n                        <p>SINGAPORE (AP) -- Singapore\'s economy will slow this year from 2010\'s record pace as growth in manufacturing, financial services and construction all wane, according to a central bank survey of analysts released Wednesday.</p><p>The city-state\'s gross domestic product will likely expand 5.7 percent this year, according to the median forecast of 20 economists in the quarterly survey, the Monetary Authority of Singapore said. The previous survey in December had forecast the economy to grow 5.1 percent this year.</p><p>Singapore\'s economy jumped 14.5 percent last year as manufacturing roared back after the global recession and the island\'s first two casino resorts attracted record tourist arrivals.</p><p>The government expects the economy to grow between 4 percent and 6 percent this year.</p><p>Analysts expect manufacturing to grow 5.9 percent, financial services to rise 7.4 percent, and construction to expand 4 percent, according to the survey.</p><p>Analysts said the economy is likely to expand 6 percent in 2012.</p><p>Consumer prices will probably rise 4.0 percent this year, the unemployment rate will be 2.0 percent and the exchange rate will end 2011 at 1.23 Singapore dollars per U.S. dollar, according to the survey.</p>\n\n\n \n&#13;\n                        		\n&#13;\n                        &#13;\n                        &#13;\n                        \n\n&#13;\n                    </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Singapore economy seen growing 5.7 percent in 2011\" href=\"http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/110309/as_singapore_economy.html?.v=1\" target=\"_blank\">http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/110309/as_singapore_economy.html?.v=1</a></p>',-2,5,0,38,'2011-03-09 01:30:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 01:30:00','2011-03-10 19:21:20','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(423,'Singapore Economy May Grow 5.7% This Year, MAS Survey Shows','singapore-economy-may-grow-57-this-year-mas-survey-shows','','Singapore’s economy will probably expand faster than initially estimated in 2011, stoking inflation and a larger appreciation in the currency, a central bank survey showed.','<div><div id=\"story_content\" class=\"clearfix\">\n          \n          \n          \n\n<div class=\"story_inline assets\">\n    \n\n\n    \n\n\n    <div class=\"story_inline attachments\">\n        <div class=\"image thumbnail\">\n    <div class=\"thumbnail_container\">\n                  <img alt=\"Singapore Economy May Grow 5.7% This Year\" src=\"http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/data?pid=avimage&amp;iid=iH2NHjho4Uwg\" /></div>\n        <p class=\"caption\">Singapore’s economy  will probably expand faster than initially estimated in 2011, stoking inflation and a larger appreciation in the currency, a central bank survey showed. Photographer: Charles Pertwee/Bloomberg </p>\n    </div>\n    \n        \n        \n        \n        \n        \n    </div>\n \n</div>\n\n          \n              <p> <a href=\"http://topics.bloomberg.com/singapore/\">Singapore</a>’s economy will probably\nexpand faster than initially estimated in 2011, stoking\ninflation and a larger appreciation in the currency, a central\nbank survey showed. </p>\n<p>Gross domestic product may increase 5.7 percent this year,\nafter growing 14.5 percent in 2010, according to the median\nestimate of 20 economists in a survey by the Monetary Authority\nof Singapore released today. The economists predicted 2011\ngrowth of 5.1 percent in a December poll. The Singapore dollar\nmay strengthen to S$1.23 versus the U.S. currency by the end of\n2011, the survey showed. </p>\n<p>Singapore raised its inflation forecast for 2011 last month,\nand economists from Standard Chartered Plc to Citigroup Inc.\npredict the central bank will revalue the currency or let it\nappreciate faster at the policy review in April. The country’s\nfirst approach to moderate medium-term inflationary pressures is\nthrough the currency, Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam\nsaid Feb. 18. </p>\n<p>“Managing inflation has been flagged as the key challenge\nto the economy this year,” Peter Redward, head of emerging Asia\nresearch at Barclays Plc in Singapore, said in a report\nyesterday. “We expect the Monetary Authority of Singapore to\nallow a faster pace of currency appreciation in its April\nmonetary policy statement.” </p>\n<p>The government expects growth of as much as 6 percent in\n2011. The Southeast Asian island’s economy will probably expand\n5.9 percent this quarter from a year earlier, the MAS survey\nshowed. GDP rose 12 percent in the three months through December\nfrom a year earlier. </p>\n<h2>Inflation Pressure </h2>\n<p>Consumer prices will probably rise 4 percent this year,\naccording to the survey, faster than the 2.9 percent pace\npredicted in December. The central bank, which uses its currency\nrather than <a href=\"http://topics.bloomberg.com/interest-rates/\">interest rates</a> to manage price gains, forecasts\ninflation will average between 3 percent and 4 percent in 2011. </p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http://topics.bloomberg.com/singapore-dollar/\">Singapore dollar</a> will probably end this quarter at\nS$1.27 versus the U.S. currency, the survey showed. It traded at\nS$1.2688 a dollar at 11:45 a.m. local time. </p>\n<p>Manufacturing will probably increase 5.9 percent in 2011,\nthe survey showed. Non-oil domestic exports may jump 10 percent,\nless than December’s estimate of 12 percent, according to the\nmedian forecast. </p>\n<p>Singapore’s building industry is also forecast to slow more\nthan economists initially expected this year with an advance of\n4 percent, the survey showed. Private consumption may climb 4.9\npercent, while financial services may increase 7.4 percent,\naccording to the median of estimates. </p>\n<p>Singapore’s unemployment rate may be 2.1 percent by the end\nof this quarter and fall to 2 percent by the end of the year,\nthe survey showed. It was 2.2 percent in December. </p>\n<p>To contact the reporter on this story:\nShamim Adam in Singapore at \n<a href=\"mailto:sadam2@bloomberg.net\" title=\"Send E-mail\">sadam2@bloomberg.net</a> </p>\n<p>To contact the editor responsible for this story:\nStephanie Phang at \n<a href=\"mailto:sphang@bloomberg.net\" title=\"Send E-mail\">sphang@bloomberg.net</a> </p>\n                    \n          \n        </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Singapore Economy May Grow 5.7% This Year, MAS Survey Shows\" href=\"http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-09/singapore-s-economy-may-expand-5-7-this-year-central-bank-survey-shows.html\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-09/singapore-s-economy-may-expand-5-7-this-year-central-bank-survey-shows.html</a></p>',-2,5,0,38,'2011-03-08 23:28:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-08 23:28:00','2011-03-10 19:21:21','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(424,'New Charleston cruise terminal to boost economy','new-charleston-cruise-terminal-to-boost-economy','','The cruise industry means millions to the South Carolina economy — and a study released Wednesday indicates a planned new cruise terminal in Charleston will mean millions more in addition to hundreds of jobs.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>CHARLESTON, S.C. – The cruise industry means millions to the South Carolina economy — and a study released Wednesday indicates a planned new cruise terminal in Charleston will mean millions more in addition to hundreds of jobs.</p>\n                <p>The study by the Center for Business Research at the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce indicates the new terminal will create nearly 340 jobs and mean $43 million for the economy during the year of construction.</p>\n                <p>A year ago, the South Carolina State Ports Authority announced plans to create a new one-berth passenger terminal in an existing building on the Cooper River, just upstream from the state\'s current, aging cinderblock terminal building that is more than 40 years old.</p>\n                <p>The project at the city\'s Union Pier terminal involves diverting 200 cargo ships a year to other docks and with it, associated rail and truck traffic.</p>\n                <p>The new terminal will have room for parking and dropping off passengers, avoiding snarls that sometimes occur when cruise ships now call in Charleston. The project also will open up 35 acres along the city\'s waterfront for redevelopment and public access.</p>\n                <p>The terminal redevelopment is expected to cost about $25 million, with a total economic impact of $43 million. But redevelopment of the waterfront would result in millions more in investment.</p>\n                <p>The Ports Authority board is expected to select a team later this month to design the new terminal. Construction is expected to start later this year with the terminal scheduled to open by the end of 2012.</p>\n                <p>As proposed, the redevelopment would allow people to walk approximately four miles down one side of the Charleston peninsula and up the other and, with few exceptions, always see the water.</p>\n                <p>Last year marked the city\'s first year-round cruising season. Carnival Cruise Lines last spring permanently based its 2,056-passenger Carnival Fantasy in Charleston.</p>\n                <p>Tourism is an $18 billion industry in South Carolina, and a study conducted last year for the authority found the cruise industry pumps $37 million into the economy each year.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"New Charleston cruise terminal to boost economy\" href=\"http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20110309/ap_tr_ge/us_travel_brief_charleston_cruises_1\" target=\"_blank\">http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20110309/ap_tr_ge/us_travel_brief_charleston_cruises_1</a></p>',-2,5,0,38,'2011-03-09 13:06:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 13:06:00','2011-03-10 19:21:22','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(425,'Economy on a roll, surprising the experts','economy-on-a-roll-surprising-the-experts','','SINGAPORE\'S economy will probably expand faster this year than estimated, stoking inflation and a larger appreciation in the currency, a central bank survey has shown.','<div><div class=\"articleBody\">\n                \n            <p>SINGAPORE\'S economy will probably expand faster this year than  estimated, stoking inflation and a larger appreciation in the currency, a central bank survey has shown.</p>\n            <p>\nGross domestic product could increase 5.7 per cent, after growing 14.5 per cent last year, according to the median estimate of 20 economists in a survey by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.</p>\n            <p>\nIn a December poll the economists predicted  growth of 5.1 per cent.</p>\n                <div id=\"adspot-300x250-pos-3\" class=\"hidden\">&#13;\n                    <small>Advertisement: Story continues below</small>&#13;\n                <noscript><div>&#13;\n                &#13;\n            </div></noscript>&#13;\n</div>\n            <p>\n Singapore raised its inflation forecast last month, and economists from Standard Chartered and Citigroup predict the central bank will revalue the currency or let it appreciate faster during its policy review in April.</p>\n            <p>\n\'\'Managing inflation has been flagged as the key challenge to the economy this year,\'\' Peter Redward,  head of emerging Asia research at Barclays Bank in Singapore, said.  \'\'We expect the Monetary Authority of Singapore to allow a faster pace of currency appreciation in its April statement.\'\'</p>\n            <p>\nThe government expects growth of up to 6 per cent.  The island-state\'s economy could expand 5.9 per cent this quarter from a year earlier, the MAS survey showed. GDP rose 12 per cent in the three months to December compared with a year earlier.</p>\n            <p>\nThe Singapore dollar could get to $1.23 against the US currency by year\'s end. Yesterday it was $1.27.</p>\n            <p>\nConsumer prices would probably rise 4 per cent this year,  faster than the 2.9 per cent pace predicted in December. The central bank, which uses its currency rather than interest rates to manage price gains, forecasts inflation will average between 3 per cent and 4 per cent.</p>\n            <p>\nBut the  building industry is  forecast to slow more than   expected.</p>\n            <p><b>Bloomberg</b></p>\n    </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Economy on a roll, surprising the experts\" href=\"http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/economy-on-a-roll-surprising-the-experts-20110309-1bnut.html\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/economy-on-a-roll-surprising-the-experts-20110309-1bnut.html</a></p>',-2,5,0,38,'2011-03-09 08:29:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 08:29:00','2011-03-10 19:21:24','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(426,'Embrace low-carbon economy now, EU says','embrace-low-carbon-economy-now-eu-says','','BRUSSELS, March 9 (UPI) -- The transition to a low-carbon economy in the European Union needs to start now because energy costs aren\'t going down, Europe\'s climate commissioner said.','<div><div style=\"font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0;\">\n<div id=\"meebo_share\">\n	\n			\n\n		\n		\n				<div id=\"curPhotoBlock\">\n					\n\n		\n		\n			\n</div>\n	\n\n\n						\n			\n		\n	\n\n				\n											\n				\n			\n		\n			\n				\n		</div>	\n\n\n<p>BRUSSELS, March 9 (UPI) -- The transition to a low-carbon economy in the European Union needs to start now because energy costs aren\'t going down, Europe\'s climate commissioner said.</p>\n<p>The European Commission adopted a plan to develop a low-carbon economy in the region. The plans outlines some of the ways the European Union can cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80 percent of the 1990 levels by 2050.</p>\n<p>European Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard said the low-carbon transition needs to start immediately in order to make any progress.</p>\n<p>\"We need to start the transition toward a competitive low-carbon economy now,\" she said in a statement. \"The longer we wait, the higher the cost will be.\"</p>\n<p>She said the best way to develop a low-carbon economy is to fund internal measures that exist in the agriculture, construction and transport sectors.</p>\n<p>The EU will need to invest about 1.5 percent of its gross domestic product -- about $375 billion -- during the next 40 years on top of the 19 percent of GDP already invested to build a low-carbon economy.</p>\n<p>\"As oil prices keep rising, Europe is paying more every year for its energy bill and becoming more vulnerable to price shocks,\" Hedegaard said. \"So starting the transition now will pay off.\"</p>			</div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Embrace low-carbon economy now, EU says\" href=\"http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Resource-Wars/2011/03/09/Embrace-low-carbon-economy-now-EU-says/UPI-10121299679226/\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Resource-Wars/2011/03/09/Embrace-low-carbon-economy-now-EU-says/UPI-10121299679226/</a></p>',-2,5,0,38,'2011-03-09 09:46:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 09:46:00','2011-03-10 19:21:24','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(427,'NPR CEO resigns after VP criticizes tea party   (AP)','npr-ceo-resigns-after-vp-criticizes-tea-party-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_en_ot/us_npr_tea_party_criticism\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110309/capt.24c1e809993646fb8e1c770a88d0c5fe-24c1e809993646fb8e1c770a88d0c5fe-0.jpg?x=86&amp;y=130&amp;q=85&amp;sig=Fqdm6BU_QyjY69wFBRO2yA--\" height=\"130\" width=\"86\" alt=\"NPR CEO resigns after VP criticizes tea party   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - NPR\'s president and CEO resigned Wednesday in an effort to limit the damage from hidden camera footage of a fellow executive deriding the tea party movement as \"seriously racist.\" Conservatives called the video proof that the network is biased and undeserving of federal funds.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>WASHINGTON – NPR\'s president and CEO resigned Wednesday in an effort to limit the damage from hidden camera footage of a fellow executive deriding the tea party movement as \"seriously racist.\" Conservatives called the video proof that the network is biased and undeserving of federal funds.</p>\n                <p>NPR\'s board had pushed for the resignation of Vivian Schiller, whom conservatives also criticized in October for firing analyst Juan Williams over comments he made about Muslims. She was not in the video, which was posted Tuesday by a conservative activist, but she told The Associated Press that staying on would only hurt NPR\'s fight for federal money.</p>\n                <p>\"We took a reputational hit around the Juan Williams incident, and this was another blow to NPR\'s reputation. There\'s no question,\" she said.</p>\n                <p>The timing of the video was exceptionally bad from NPR\'s perspective, with Republicans in the new House majority looking to cut all federal funding of public radio and television. Public broadcasting officials say that would force some stations to fold.</p>\n                <p>The video showed two conservative activists posing as members of a fake Muslim group at a lunch meeting with NPR\'s top fundraiser, Ron Schiller, who is not related to Vivian Schiller and who also resigned. The men offered NPR a $5 million donation and engaged in a wide-ranging discussion about tea party Republicans, pro-Israel bias in the media and anti-intellectualism.</p>\n                <p>\"The current Republican Party is not really the Republican Party. It\'s been hijacked by this group that is ... not just Islamophobic but, really, xenophobic,\" Ron Schiller said in the video, referring to the tea party movement. \"They believe in sort of white, middle America, gun-toting — it\'s scary. They\'re seriously racist, racist people.\"</p>\n                <p>He also said NPR \"would be better off in the long run without federal funding.\" That was a point many Republicans are more than willing to concede.</p>\n                <p>Last month, when the House voted to eliminate funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides money to public radio and television stations, no Republicans stepped forward to defend it. Sen. Jim DeMint, a South Carolina Republican, introduced similar legislation in the Senate last week.</p>\n                <p>Similar efforts to strip funding from public broadcasting in 2005 and in the 1990s were unsuccessful, but DeMint\'s spokesman Wesley Denton said, \"I don\'t expect the vote to be the same as it has in the past.\"</p>\n                <p>Rep. Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat from Oregon, said this is the first time he hasn\'t been able to get interest from any Republicans to co-chair the Public Broadcasting Caucus that he founded a decade ago.</p>\n                <p>Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the Republican co-chair of the caucus last year, said he would leave it entirely because \"NPR has crossed the line to political bias.\"</p>\n                <p>Cutting funding for CPB will meet fierce resistance in the Democratic-controlled Senate, however, and President Barack Obama favors continued support. White House spokesman Jay Carney noted that both Democratic and Republican presidents have supported such funding in the past.</p>\n                <p>The CPB is receiving $430 million in the current fiscal year and will get $445 million in fiscal 2012. It CPB handed out nearly $94 million in grants to more than 400 public radio stations — not all of which are NPR affiliates — in fiscal 2010.</p>\n                <p>NPR itself typically gets only about 2 percent of its budget from CPB grants, but many of its 268 member stations rely heavily on them. NPR affiliates get an average of 10 percent of their funding from CPB, and some small and rural stations receive more than 40 percent of their funding that way, although NPR could not provide exact figures.</p>\n                <p>About a third of NPR\'s $161 million budget in fiscal 2010 came from its affiliates in the form of programming fees. NPR spokeswoman Anna Christopher said it\'s difficult to say how a loss of CPB funding would affect stations\' ability to pay.</p>\n                <p>A cut in funding to CPB would hit public television stations harder than radio stations. By law, 75 percent of CPB\'s grant money must go to TV stations.</p>\n                <p>NPR board chairman Dave Edwards said NPR would make a strong case about the importance of federal funding.</p>\n                <p>\"It is absolutely true that without federal funding, a lot of our public radio and public TV stations in the system could go dark, and that will happen in some of the smallest communities we serve,\" Edwards said. \"In some cases, public broadcasting remains that community\'s primary connection with the outside world.\"\n</p><p>\nHoward Liberman, a longtime broadcast communications attorney who represents NPR affiliates, said many stations were unhappy with Vivian Schiller and the release of the video was the last straw. He pointed to the Williams controversy and other moves by Schiller that have alienated stations, such as shortening the organization\'s name from National Public Radio to NPR and trying to drive listeners toward NPR\'s website.\n</p><p>\n\"This was just the last in a series of things that have shown to the members and the stations that this ship is not running very well,\" Liberman said.\n</p><p>\nIt\'s not clear how the latest setback will affect fundraising, but when Williams was fired after he said on Fox News that he felt uncomfortable when he sees people in \"Muslim garb\" on airplanes, a number of major stations said they were meeting or surpassing their fundraising goals. Vivian Schiller took heat for Williams\' departure, in part because she sacked him over the phone.\n</p><p>\nNPR listeners interviewed by the AP were divided over whether the video was a sign of problems within the network.\n</p><p>\n\"They are obviously biased,\" said Frank Stefano of Erie, Pa., a 46-year-old facilities administrator who says he will stop supporting public radio unless changes are made. \"They need to come out with a plan that says, \'Look, here\'s what we\'re going to do to fix this.\'\"\n</p><p>\nLinda Feltz Crews, a retired human resources director from Orange Park, Fla., said in e-mail that the dust-up actually makes her more likely to contribute to public broadcasting. \"There\'s been lots of great reporting by NPR and I would hate for this mess to permanently affect their ability to continue operating,\" she said in a Facebook posting.\n</p><p>\nRobert D. Charter, 49, a payroll administrator from Dallas, said it was probably better that Vivian Schiller resigned, but he fears for the future of public broadcasting.\n</p><p>\n\"I\'m afraid in this politically charged environment that there are people out there in Washington who would do anything to harm a venue that is enjoyed and probably even cherished by a lot of Americans,\" he said.\n</p><p>\nThe video of Ron Schiller was posted by conservative activist James O\'Keefe on his Project Veritas website. O\'Keefe is best known for wearing a pimp costume in hidden-camera videos that embarrassed the community-organizing group ACORN. He also made headlines when he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor last May after he was accused of trying to tamper with the phones in Sen. Mary Landrieu\'s office. O\'Keefe didn\'t return a request for comment from AP.\n</p><p>\nNPR said it was appalled by Ron Schiller\'s comments. He was president of its fundraising arm and a senior vice president for development, and was not involved in NPR\'s reporting.\n</p><p>\n\"While the meeting I participated in turned out to be a ruse,\" Ron Schiller said, \"I made statements during the course of the meeting that are counter to NPR\'s values and also not reflective of my own beliefs. I offer my sincere apology to those I offended.\"\n</p><p>\nPBS spokeswoman Anne Bentley said the TV network also was contacted by the same fake Muslim group that met with Ron Schiller, but halted discussions after it was unable to confirm the organization\'s credentials.\n</p><p>\nRon Schiller resigned immediately after the video emerged, but he had told NPR before it was made that he planned to leave to become director of the Aspen Institute Arts Program. The Aspen Institute confirmed Wednesday that he would not be taking the job, in light of the controversy.\n</p><p>\nAnother NPR executive, Betsy Liley, was at the lunch with Ron Schiller. She said little, although she can be heard laughing when one of the men says his group referred to NPR as \"National Palestinian Radio.\" She has been placed on administrative leave.\n</p><p>\n___\n</p><p>\nOnline: <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_en_ot/storytext/us_npr_tea_party_criticism/40593498/SIG=10r7sgcu5/*http://www.meactrust.org/\">http://www.meactrust.org/</a>\n</p><p>\n___\n</p><p>\nAP Television Writer David Bauder in New York, Darlene Superville and Ben Evans in Washington and David Dishneau in Hagerstown, Md., contributed to this report.</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"NPR CEO resigns after VP criticizes tea party   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_en_ot/us_npr_tea_party_criticism\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_en_ot/us_npr_tea_party_criticism</a></p>',-2,5,0,40,'2011-03-09 19:06:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 19:06:00','2011-03-10 19:21:25','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(428,'Lawyers for Jackson doc aim to talk to witnesses   (AP)','lawyers-for-jackson-doc-aim-to-talk-to-witnesses-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_en_ot/us_michael_jackson_doctor\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110309/capt.b2875da357f9499eb52433d2dbb240c5-0c703a3af08f470f9d4b291ee55ebd68-1.jpg?x=96&amp;y=130&amp;q=85&amp;sig=LDbnTXRjeuySAISK2glxiA--\" height=\"130\" width=\"96\" alt=\"Lawyers for Jackson doc aim to talk to witnesses   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - Attorneys for the doctor charged in Michael Jackson\'s death say they want to talk to nearly three dozen people described as hostile witnesses before an upcoming trial.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>LOS ANGELES – Attorneys for the doctor charged in Michael Jackson\'s death say they want to talk to nearly three dozen people described as hostile witnesses before an upcoming trial.</p>\n                <p>Attorney J. Michael Flanagan told a judge Wednesday subpoenas had been issued for 35 witnesses, including all the members of Jackson\'s security team who were at the rented mansion where the singer died in June 2009.</p>\n                <p>Houston-based cardiologist Dr. Conrad Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter.</p>\n                <p>The case reconvenes on March 16, when jury questionnaires will be discussed. Jury selection is scheduled to begin March 24, with opening statements scheduled for May 9.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Lawyers for Jackson doc aim to talk to witnesses   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_en_ot/us_michael_jackson_doctor\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_en_ot/us_michael_jackson_doctor</a></p>',-2,5,0,40,'2011-03-09 17:48:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 17:48:00','2011-03-10 19:21:26','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(429,'Probst returning for 2 more \'Survivor\' seasons   (AP)','probst-returning-for-2-more-survivor-seasons-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_en_ot/us_tv_survivor\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110309/capt.63c47882f1f149d9aef801f0317a2346-63c47882f1f149d9aef801f0317a2346-0.jpg?x=100&amp;y=130&amp;q=85&amp;sig=GJXnjAV4umDRyBBnXKWNTw--\" height=\"130\" width=\"100\" alt=\"Probst returning for 2 more \'Survivor\' seasons   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - Jeff Probst won\'t be snuffing out his own torch any time soon.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>LOS ANGELES – Jeff Probst won\'t be snuffing out his own torch any time soon.</p>\n                <p>The \"Survivor\" host and executive producer will return for the next two seasons of the CBS reality TV competition, the network announced Wednesday.</p>\n                <p>Probst, who has won three outstanding reality TV host Emmys for his role as Tribal Council moderator, has hosted the contest featuring castaways outwitting, outplaying and outlasting each other for $1 million since it debuted in 2000.</p>\n                <p>The Nicaragua-set 22nd edition of the series, \"Survivor: Redemption Island,\" is currently broadcast Wednesdays on CBS and added dismissed contestants battling to return to the game.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Probst returning for 2 more \'Survivor\' seasons   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_en_ot/us_tv_survivor\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_en_ot/us_tv_survivor</a></p>',-2,5,0,40,'2011-03-09 17:44:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 17:44:00','2011-03-10 19:21:27','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(430,'Director Catherine Hardwicke Recalls Robert Pattinson   Kristen Stewart\'s \'Twilight\' Audition: \'They Just Had That Chemistry\'   (omg!)','director-catherine-hardwicke-recalls-robert-pattinson-kristen-stewarts-twilight-audition-they-just-had-that-chemistry-omg','','omg! - <p><strong>LOS ANGELES, Calif.</strong> -- <span>Kristen Stewart was Team Pattinson from the very beginning.<span> </span></span></p> <p><span>\"Red Riding Hood\" director Catherine Hardwicke, who helmed the first \"Twilight\" film, knows Robert Pattinson was the right choice to play Edward Cullen -- but her \"Red Riding Hood\" young leading man gave Robert a run for his money.</span></p>','<div><div class=\"body\">\n					<div class=\"photo&#10;&#9;&#9;&#9;&#9;&#9;&#9;&#9;\"><img src=\"http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/omg/assets/images/omg-spacer-1.0.0.gif\" alt=\"Story photo: Director Catherine Hardwicke Recalls Robert Pattinson &amp; Kristen Stewart\'s \'Twilight\' Audition: \'They Just Had That Chemistry\'\" class=\"hidden-bg\" /><cite><em>Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson arrive at the afterparty for the premiere of Summit Entertainment\'s \'The Twilight Saga New Moon\' at the Hammer Museum on November 16, 2009 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaGetty Images</em>Access Hollywood\n								</cite>\n						</div><p><strong>LOS ANGELES, Calif.</strong> -- <a href=\"http://omg.yahoo.com/celebs/kristen-stewart/1647;_ylt=A0wNdFyJGXhNHxQBhwF7pxx.;_ylv=3\">Kristen Stewart</a> was Team Pattinson from the very beginning.</p> <p>\"Red Riding Hood\" director Catherine Hardwicke, who helmed the first \"Twilight\" film, knows <a href=\"http://omg.yahoo.com/celebs/robert-pattinson/1631;_ylt=A0wNdFyJGXhNHxQBiAF7pxx.;_ylv=3\">Robert Pattinson</a> was the right choice to play Edward Cullen -- but her \"Red Riding Hood\" young leading man gave Robert a run for his money.</p><p><a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdFyJGXhNHxQBiQF7pxx.;_ylv=0/SIG=15kv9hcih/EXP=1300926089/**http%3A//www.accesshollywood.com/catherine-hardwicke-it-was-exciting-seeing-kristen-stewart-and-robert-pattinson-together-in-twilight_video_1313083%3F__source=omg\"> PLAY IT NOW: Catherine Hardwicke: \'It Was Exciting\' Seeing Kristen Stewart &amp; Robert Pattinson Together In \'Twilight\' </a></p> <p>Shiloh Fernandez, who plays <a href=\"http://omg.yahoo.com/celebs/amanda-seyfried/1677;_ylt=A0wNdFyJGXhNHxQBigF7pxx.;_ylv=3\">Amanda Seyfried</a>\'s love interest in \"Red Riding Hood,\" was a frontrunner for the role of Edward Cullen, but Catherine told <em>Access Hollywood</em> that Robert and <a href=\"http://omg.yahoo.com/celebs/kristen-stewart/1647;_ylt=A0wNdFyJGXhNHxQBiwF7pxx.;_ylv=3\">Kristen Stewart</a> had a chemistry that was undeniable.</p> <p>\"I thought he could have been very good in that role... (but) he was beat out by Rob because Rob and Kristen they just had that chemistry,\" she told <em>Access</em> during the \"Red Riding Hood\" press junket.</p><p><a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdFyJGXhNHxQBjAF7pxx.;_ylv=0/SIG=14n40eqok/EXP=1300926089/**http%3A//www.accesshollywood.com/from-on-set-romance-to-real-life-love-hollywoods-hottest-co-star-couples_gallery_2834%3F__source=omg\"> VIEW THE PHOTOS: From On-Set Romance To Real-Life Love: Hollywood\'s Hottest Co-Star Couples!\n </a></p> <p>As it turns out, Kristen, who plays \"Twilight Saga\" heroine Bella Swan in the film franchise, played a significant role in choosing Robert for the role because Catherine wanted to ensure that the chemistry was real.</p> <p>\"I want my leading ladies to be involved in that because they\'re the people that are actually going to be there and you want those real sparks and you want that real chemistry on some level, instead of having to fake it, or create it, or edit it around it,\" the director added.</p> <p>After auditioning with the final four candidates for Edward, Kristen had already picked out who she wanted as her co-star.</p><p><a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdFyJGXhNHxQBjQF7pxx.;_ylv=0/SIG=13bslgc65/EXP=1300926089/**http%3A//www.accesshollywood.com/young-hollywood-then-and-now_gallery_2539%3F__source=omg\"> VIEW THE PHOTOS: Young Hollywood: Then &amp; Now\n </a></p> <p>\"I brought the four guys that I thought were the best and she had to make out with them or do four different scenes with them and at the end of those two days she said, \'It\'s gotta be Rob\'\" Catherine said.</p> <p>Their chemistry transcended the set and Catherine confirmed to Access that she had to warn Rob about dating Kristen because she was only 17 at the time.</p><p><a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdFyJGXhNHxQBjgF7pxx.;_ylv=0/SIG=13qv4h21s/EXP=1300926089/**http%3A//www.accesshollywood.com/robert-pattinson-hollywoods-hottest-vampire_gallery_1629%3F__source=omg\"> VIEW THE PHOTOS: Robert Pattinson: Hollywood\'s Hottest Vampire!\n </a></p> <p>\"I don\'t now what the laws were in England and so I just wanted to be sure he knew that we did have a law here,\" she revealed.</p> <p>Kristen and Robert are currently filming the final installment of \"The Twilight Saga,\" \"Breaking Dawn,\" which will be released as two separate films with the first installment hitting theaters on November 18, 2011, and the second part on November 16, 2012.</p> <p>Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:<br /><a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdFyJGXhNHxQBjwF7pxx.;_ylv=0/SIG=13af8grcl/EXP=1300926089/**http%3A//www.accesshollywood.com/young-hollywood-heartthrobs_gallery_2072%3F__source=omg\">VIEW THE PHOTOS:  Young Hollywood Heartthrobs!\n</a><br /><a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdFyJGXhNHxQBkAF7pxx.;_ylv=0/SIG=1496jnk25/EXP=1300926089/**http%3A//www.accesshollywood.com/was-shiloh-fernandez-almost-chosen-as-edward-for-twilight_video_1313154%3F__source=omg\">PLAY IT NOW: Was Shiloh Fernandez Almost Chosen As Edward For \'Twilight\'?</a><br /></p><p>MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: <a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdFyJGXhNHxQBkQF7pxx.;_ylv=0/SIG=12hkelomm/EXP=1300926089/**http%3A//www.accesshollywood.com/kristen-stewart%3F__source=omg\">Kristen Stewart</a> - <a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdFyJGXhNHxQBkgF7pxx.;_ylv=0/SIG=12i2vi5h8/EXP=1300926089/**http%3A//www.accesshollywood.com/robert-pattinson%3F__source=omg\">Robert Pattinson</a> - <a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdFyJGXhNHxQBkwF7pxx.;_ylv=0/SIG=12jvkfen0/EXP=1300926089/**http%3A//www.accesshollywood.com/the-twilight-saga%3F__source=omg\">The Twilight Saga</a> - <a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdFyJGXhNHxQBlAF7pxx.;_ylv=0/SIG=12lscrts5/EXP=1300926089/**http%3A//www.accesshollywood.com/catherine-hardwicke%3F__source=omg\">Catherine Hardwicke</a> - <a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdFyJGXhNHxQBlQF7pxx.;_ylv=0/SIG=12aaqmjai/EXP=1300926089/**http%3A//www.accesshollywood.com/twilight%3F__source=omg\">Twilight</a><br /></p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Director Catherine Hardwicke Recalls Robert Pattinson   Kristen Stewart\'s \'Twilight\' Audition: \'They Just Had That Chemistry\'   (omg!)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/http___omg_yahoo_com_news58120/40593479/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/director-catherine-hardwicke-recalls-robert-pattinson-kristen-stewarts-twilight-audition-they-just-had-that-chemistry/58120\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/http___omg_yahoo_com_news58120/40593479/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/director-catherine-hardwicke-recalls-robert-pattinson-kristen-stewarts-twilight-audition-they-just-had-that-chemistry/58120</a></p>',-2,5,0,40,'2011-03-09 19:01:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 19:01:00','2011-03-10 19:21:28','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(431,'Bradley Cooper\'s \'Limitless\' Premiere   (omg!)','bradley-coopers-limitless-premiere-omg','','omg! - Bradley Cooper and Abbie Cornish hit the red carpet in New York City where they chat with Access about their new movie, \"Limitless.\" So, would they take the drug that would give them super human abilities?','<div><div id=\"ft\">\n						\n				\n				\n\n				\n			\n			\n			\n			\n						\n			\n\n			\n		\n\n\n				\n				&lt;![CDATA[.ptnr-logo{float:right;padding-right:1em;}]]&gt;<a href=\"http://global.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=15rj5kmbf/M=289534.12879106.13137408.10347579/D=o_m_g/S=2115800003:FOOT/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1299723689/L=gIpU5mKIRkF8uiwE.k87pgvQRaeTlk14GYkACVyo/B=1GHFJUwNPVs-/J=1299716489659026/K=8M2EPhg2IlxitPsMHYVZiQ/A=5442539/R=0/SIG=10np9vmbm/*http://www.yahoo.com/\"><img class=\"ptnr-logo\" src=\"http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/omg/assets/images/omg-ft-logo-yahoo.gif\" alt=\"image\" /></a>&#13;<p id=\"omg-footer-copyright\">&#13; 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(omg!)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/http___omg_yahoo_com_videos13378/40593481/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/videos/was-shiloh-fernandez-almost-chosen-as-edward-for-twilight/13378\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/http___omg_yahoo_com_videos13378/40593481/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/videos/was-shiloh-fernandez-almost-chosen-as-edward-for-twilight/13378</a></p>',-2,5,0,40,'2011-03-09 19:00:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 19:00:00','2011-03-10 19:21:29','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(433,'Three Things You Don\'t Know About... Matthew Morrison   (omg!)','three-things-you-dont-know-about-matthew-morrison-omg','','omg! - Matthew Morrison plays along with Access Hollywood Live\'s \"Three Things You Don\'t Know About...\" segment. Was Matthew really in a boy band? Plus, for which iconic singer was he a backup singer during his summers in high school?','<div><div>\n						\n				\n				\n\n				\n			\n			\n			\n			\n						\n			\n\n			\n		\n\n\n				\n				&lt;![CDATA[.ptnr-logo{float:right;padding-right:1em;}]]&gt;<a href=\"http://global.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=15rmmbpap/M=289534.12879106.13137408.10347579/D=o_m_g/S=2115800003:FOOT/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1299723690/L=8I0DuWKIRkGCKWa7KR6vbhV0RaeTlk14GYoACzpa/B=y9mPOUwNPKk-/J=1299716490782701/K=sWD0wCmOFCXFOBqwNxCETg/A=5442539/R=0/SIG=10np9vmbm/*http://www.yahoo.com/\"><img class=\"ptnr-logo\" src=\"http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/omg/assets/images/omg-ft-logo-yahoo.gif\" alt=\"image\" /></a>&#13;<p>&#13;    Copyright © 2011 Yahoo! Inc. 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Matthew Morrison   (omg!)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/http___omg_yahoo_com_videos13377/40593480/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/videos/three-things-you-don-t-know-about-matthew-morrison/13377\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/http___omg_yahoo_com_videos13377/40593480/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/videos/three-things-you-don-t-know-about-matthew-morrison/13377</a></p>',-2,5,0,40,'2011-03-09 19:00:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 19:00:00','2011-03-10 19:21:29','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(434,'Avril is back!   (omg!)','avril-is-back-omg','','omg! - Rocker Avril Lavigne chats about her new pop radio track \'What The Hell\', and reveals how her new album shows her vulnerable side. 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To learn more about how we use your information, see our <a href=\"http://global.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=15r5df0c2/M=289534.12879106.13137408.10347579/D=o_m_g/S=2115800003:FOOT/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1299723691/L=ZC6Ht2KIRkHWV4yRkm66.Q1.RaeTlk14GYsAAbgm/B=nFGjLGKImhI-/J=1299716491265580/K=tpWkoPBow6GfC2LDte_x5Q/A=5442539/R=4/SIG=1163rhhok/*http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us/\">Privacy Policy</a> | <a href=\"http://global.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=15r5df0c2/M=289534.12879106.13137408.10347579/D=o_m_g/S=2115800003:FOOT/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1299723691/L=ZC6Ht2KIRkHWV4yRkm66.Q1.RaeTlk14GYsAAbgm/B=nFGjLGKImhI-/J=1299716491265580/K=tpWkoPBow6GfC2LDte_x5Q/A=5442539/R=5/SIG=11475d5s1/*http://info.yahoo.com/relevantads/\">About Our Ads</a>.&#13;</p>\n<noscript><img width=\"1\" height=\"1\" alt=\"\" src=\"http://us.bc.yahoo.com/b?P=ZC6Ht2KIRkHWV4yRkm66.Q1.RaeTlk14GYsAAbgm&amp;T=18gkftsn7%2fX%3d1299716491%2fE%3d2115800003%2fR%3do_m_g%2fK%3d5%2fV%3d2.1%2fW%3dH%2fY%3dYAHOO%2fF%3d2294231108%2fH%3dcmVmdXJsPSIgIiBzZXJ2ZUlkPSJaQzZIdDJLSVJrSFdWNHlSa202Ni5RMS5SYWVUbGsxNEdZc0FBYmdtIiBzaXRlSWQ9IjQ0NjQ1NTEiIHRTdG1wPSIxMjk5NzE2NDkxMjU0ODI2IiA-%2fQ%3d-1%2fS%3d1%2fJ%3d5D740D4C&amp;U=12d9s45g4%2fN%3dolGjLGKImhI-%2fC%3d-1%2fD%3dFSRVY%2fB%3d-1%2fV%3d0\" /></noscript>\n \n<noscript><img width=\"1\" height=\"1\" alt=\"\" src=\"http://us.bc.yahoo.com/b?P=ZC6Ht2KIRkHWV4yRkm66.Q1.RaeTlk14GYsAAbgm&amp;T=18fd236jd%2fX%3d1299716491%2fE%3d2115800003%2fR%3do_m_g%2fK%3d5%2fV%3d2.1%2fW%3dH%2fY%3dYAHOO%2fF%3d316018285%2fH%3dcmVmdXJsPSIgIiBzZXJ2ZUlkPSJaQzZIdDJLSVJrSFdWNHlSa202Ni5RMS5SYWVUbGsxNEdZc0FBYmdtIiBzaXRlSWQ9IjQ0NjQ1NTEiIHRTdG1wPSIxMjk5NzE2NDkxMjU0ODI2IiA-%2fQ%3d-1%2fS%3d1%2fJ%3d5D740D4C&amp;U=12bbgm69n%2fN%3doFGjLGKImhI-%2fC%3d-1%2fD%3dSIP%2fB%3d-1%2fV%3d0\" /></noscript><noscript><img width=\"1\" height=\"1\" alt=\"\" src=\"http://us.bc.yahoo.com/b?P=ZC6Ht2KIRkHWV4yRkm66.Q1.RaeTlk14GYsAAbgm&amp;T=18gshlnig%2fX%3d1299716491%2fE%3d2115800003%2fR%3do_m_g%2fK%3d5%2fV%3d2.1%2fW%3dH%2fY%3dYAHOO%2fF%3d1323413968%2fH%3dcmVmdXJsPSIgIiBzZXJ2ZUlkPSJaQzZIdDJLSVJrSFdWNHlSa202Ni5RMS5SYWVUbGsxNEdZc0FBYmdtIiBzaXRlSWQ9IjQ0NjQ1NTEiIHRTdG1wPSIxMjk5NzE2NDkxMjU0ODI2IiA-%2fQ%3d-1%2fS%3d1%2fJ%3d5D740D4C&amp;U=13gl2jtha%2fN%3dnFGjLGKImhI-%2fC%3d289534.12879106.13137408.10347579%2fD%3dFOOT%2fB%3d5442539%2fV%3d1\" /></noscript>\n				\n				\n<p>Help us to improve! - <a href=\"http://suggestions.yahoo.com/homepage/?prop=omg\">Send Your Suggestions</a></p> 				\n\n		</div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Avril is back!   (omg!)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/http___omg_yahoo_com_videos13370/40593483/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/videos/avril-is-back/13370\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/http___omg_yahoo_com_videos13370/40593483/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/videos/avril-is-back/13370</a></p>',-2,5,0,40,'2011-03-09 18:56:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:56:00','2011-03-10 19:21:30','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(435,'Lady Gaga\'s Hottest Outfits   (omg!)','lady-gagas-hottest-outfits-omg','','omg! - Lady Gaga\'s Hottest Outfits','<div><div class=\"body\">\n					<div class=\"photo&#10;&#9;&#9;&#9;&#9;&#9;&#9;&#9;\"><img src=\"http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/omg/assets/images/omg-spacer-1.0.0.gif\" alt=\"Story photo: Lady Gaga\'s Hottest Outfits\" class=\"hidden-bg\" /><cite><em>Lady Gaga performing during her Fame Ball TourWikipedia Commons</em>Yahoo! Contributor Network\n								</cite>\n						</div><p>Aside from music, <a href=\"http://omg.yahoo.com/celebs/lady-gaga/1519;_ylt=A0wNdGqLGXhNy_0AkR9n1xx.;_ylv=3\">Lady Gaga</a> is very well known for her crazy sense of style. There is no denying that she is a daring woman when it comes to fashion, though sometimes she looks weird rather than wonderful. However, there have been occasions when the \"Just Dance\" singer gets her clothing just right. Here are some of <a href=\"http://omg.yahoo.com/celebs/lady-gaga/1519;_ylt=A0wNdGqLGXhNy_0Akh9n1xx.;_ylv=3\">Lady Gaga</a>\'s hottest outfits to date.</p><p><a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdGqLGXhNy_0Akx9n1xx.;_ylv=0/SIG=1375o9p0t/EXP=1300926091/**http%3A//guymeetsworld.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/little-red-riding-hood.jpg%3Fw=460\" target=\"_blank\">Little Red Riding Hood</a>  (2008)</p><p>Just a few years ago at an event for MTV, the quirky star dressed slightly more reasonably than she has in recent times. The Red Riding Hood outfit was simple yet effective, comprised of a red hooded leotard, red gloves and lacy tights. Not many people would have the courage to wear something so bold but Gaga is not one for shying away from the wilder side of fashion!</p><p><a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdGqLGXhNy_0AlB9n1xx.;_ylv=0/SIG=13hg7dv88/EXP=1300926091/**http%3A//www3.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/Brit%2BAwards%2B2009%2BWinners%2BBoards%2BMRjLjECvEHel.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">The Power of Pink</a> (2009)</p><p>Pushing aside the slightly odd choice of shoes, this was a great outfit for Grammy award winning Gaga. She chose this dress for the 2009 Brit Awards. It still had her trademark slightly odd look, but wasn\'t so bizarre that it looked awful. Everything from the style to the color was perfect for her. There <i>was</i> an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction due to the lack of material around her cleavage, but it didn\'t happen until after the awards were over so we won\'t dwell on that!</p><p><a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdGqLGXhNy_0AlR9n1xx.;_ylv=0/SIG=12chvlo60/EXP=1300926091/**http%3A//www.ivillage.com/lady-gaga-2010-grammys/1-b-83909\" target=\"_blank\">Sparkles and Stilettos (2010) </a></p><p>This dress is the one that pops into my head when contemplating how <a href=\"http://omg.yahoo.com/celebs/lady-gaga/1519;_ylt=A0wNdGqLGXhNy_0Alh9n1xx.;_ylv=3\">Lady Gaga</a>\'s wedding dress might look. A large skirt, a touch of elegance and lots of glitter! It isn\'t a wedding dress though. In fact, it is the dress she wore to the Grammys in 2010. Everything about it embodies the essence of the star which is what makes it one of her best outfits ever.</p><p><a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdGqLGXhNy_0Alx9n1xx.;_ylv=0/SIG=12snpgkoe/EXP=1300926091/**http%3A//www.fr2day.com/images/page_image/Lady_Gaga_wild_dresses_kinky.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Silver and Black Shapes</a> (2009)</p><p>During her first live tour, this dress was just one of many worn during her shows.   Gaga seems to favor short dresses with wide or strangely shaped skirts, but this one looked particularly awesome. It could have been an average little black dress if not for the gigantic silver shapes which added another dimension to the outfit. That is what she does best though. Taking an ordinary concept and Gaga-ing it up!</p><p><a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdGqLGXhNy_0AmB9n1xx.;_ylv=0/SIG=12oqm1a8d/EXP=1300926091/**http%3A//pbrigitte.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/ladygaga_hellokitty.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Hello Kitty </a>(2009)</p><p>Yes, this is an article about Gaga\'s hottest looks, but who else could make a dress made of Hello Kitty dolls look good? From a distance it looks like it is made of colored flowers, but when you look more closely the truth is revealed. There is no argument that this dress is weird, but she really does look amazing in it.</p><p>When you are as successful as <a href=\"http://omg.yahoo.com/celebs/lady-gaga/1519;_ylt=A0wNdGqLGXhNy_0AmR9n1xx.;_ylv=3\">Lady Gaga</a>, you can pretty much wear whatever you want - and she usually does. It will be exciting to see how she continues to grow, not only as an artist, but as a fashionista too!</p><p><strong>More From This Contributor: </strong><br /><a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdGqLGXhNy_0Amh9n1xx.;_ylv=0/SIG=13gv0jbsp/EXP=1300926091/**http%3A//www.associatedcontent.com/article/6076182/worst_uk_christmas_number_ones.html%3Fcat=2\" target=\"_blank\">Worst UK Number Ones</a><br /><a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdGqLGXhNy_0Amx9n1xx.;_ylv=0/SIG=13n2bnhm1/EXP=1300926091/**http%3A//www.associatedcontent.com/article/6005984/best_late_eighties_and_early_nineties.html%3Fcat=2\" target=\"_blank\">Best Late 80s TV Shows for Kids</a><br /><a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdGqLGXhNy_0AnB9n1xx.;_ylv=0/SIG=13nu2tmm9/EXP=1300926091/**http%3A//www.associatedcontent.com/article/6055550/glee_cast_confirmed_for_x_factor_semi.html%3Fcat=2\" target=\"_blank\">\"Glee\" Cast Confirmed for \"X-Factor\" Semi-Finals</a></p><p><i>Note: This was written by a Yahoo! contributor.   Join the Yahoo! Contributor Network <a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdGqLGXhNy_0AnR9n1xx.;_ylv=0/SIG=12b1dkjjl/EXP=1300926091/**http%3A//http//www.associatedcontent.com/join/omg-article\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>  to start publishing your own articles.  </i></p><span>See <a href=\"/partners/associated-content/89/;_ylt=A0wNdGqLGXhNy_0Anh9n1xx.;_ylv=3\">More Yahoo! Contributor Network Stories</a></span></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Lady Gaga\'s Hottest Outfits   (omg!)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/http___omg_yahoo_com_news58119/40593474/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/lady-gagas-hottest-outfits/58119\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/http___omg_yahoo_com_news58119/40593474/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/lady-gagas-hottest-outfits/58119</a></p>',-2,5,0,40,'2011-03-09 18:40:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:40:00','2011-03-10 19:21:30','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(436,'Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz Face Possible Custody Battle   (omg!)','ashlee-simpson-and-pete-wentz-face-possible-custody-battle-omg','','omg! - Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz Face Possible Custody Battle','<div><div class=\"body\">\n					<p>It looks like <a href=\"http://omg.yahoo.com/celebs/ashlee-simpson/4;_ylt=A0wNdGqMGXhNy_0ALiBn1xx.;_ylv=3\">Ashlee Simpson</a> and <a href=\"http://omg.yahoo.com/celebs/pete-wentz/160;_ylt=A0wNdGqMGXhNy_0ALyBn1xx.;_ylv=3\">Pete Wentz</a> are heading toward a custody fight for their two-year-old son, Bronx Mowgli Wentz. On Monday, March 7, Wentz responded to Simpson\'s divorce petition. He is seeking joint custody of their son.</p><p>Simpson filed for divorce in February.<a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdGqMGXhNy_0AMCBn1xx.;_ylv=0/SIG=139hptiml/EXP=1300926092/**http%3A//latimesblogs.latimes.com/gossip/2011/02/pete-wentz-ashlee-simpson-divorce.html\" target=\"_blank\"> \"The L.A. Times\"</a> reported that Wentz didn\'t even want to get divorce at that time, and he tried to talk Simpson into staying together. She went through with the petition anyway, though; in it, she sought sole physical custody of Bronx with her ex-husband having only visitation rights.</p><p>That\'s not something that Wentz seems prepared to accept, even though the young couple first released a statement, which said, \"\"We remain friends and deeply committed and loving parents to our son Bronx, whose happiness and well-being remains our number on priority.\"</p><p>Indeed, the two both seem to be loving, devoted parents. They were often seen in public together with their son, as recently as the week prior to the divorce announcement. Perhaps the only terms of contention will be details of the divorce that are not yet public and the schedules of the two music stars.</p><p>Since having her son, Ashlee has taken it easy when it comes to her music and acting career; she has remained a mostly at-home mom who\'s been devoted to the raising of her son. Pete has appeared to be equally devoted, yet he\'s a rocker with Fallout Boy who\'s often on tour with the band.</p><p>Even given the fact that couple are in dispute about custody, things don\'t have to escalate into a public custody battle. According to <a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdGqMGXhNy_0AMSBn1xx.;_ylv=0/SIG=149sq5vdg/EXP=1300926092/**http%3A//www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/celebrity.news.gossip/03/09/wentz.simpson.custody.ppl/index.html%3Fsection=cnn_latest\" target=\"_blank\">CNN</a>, a source close to Wentz said, \"There\'s no fire. It\'s a very straightforward response asking for joint custody and fair distribution of attorney\'s fees. He\'s not gearing up for a custody war.\"</p><p>The divorcing duo, who married in May 2008, have no prenup agreement. Another point of contention may be the fact that Simpson is seeking spousal support along with her custody requests.</p><p>Ashlee will be joining her older sister, <a href=\"http://omg.yahoo.com/celebs/jessica-simpson/24;_ylt=A0wNdGqMGXhNy_0AMiBn1xx.;_ylv=3\">Jessica Simpson</a>, as a young divorcee. The two have much more in common as well. Both have enjoyed successful singing and acting careers. Many have wondered if Jessica, who recently made the news with her vegan advocacy, will choose to join Ashlee in young motherhood. Jessica is currently engaged to <a href=\"http://omg.yahoo.com/celebs/eric-johnson/2212;_ylt=A0wNdGqMGXhNy_0AMyBn1xx.;_ylv=3\">Eric Johnson</a>.</p><p><strong>More From This Contributor: </strong><br /><a href=\"http://omg.yahoo.com/news/the-american-music-awards-michael-jacksons-legacy/51022;_ylt=A0wNdGqMGXhNy_0ANCBn1xx.;_ylv=3\" target=\"_blank\">AMA Awards: Michael Jackson\'s Legacy</a><br /><a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdGqMGXhNy_0ANSBn1xx.;_ylv=0/SIG=13lqrhrjf/EXP=1300926092/**http%3A//www.associatedcontent.com/article/6073470/top_10_fun_celebrities_to_follow_on.html%3Fcat=2\" target=\"_blank\">10 Fun Celebs to Follow on Twitter</a></p><p><i>Note: This was written by a Yahoo! contributor.   Join the Yahoo! Contributor Network <a href=\"http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0wNdGqMGXhNy_0ANiBn1xx.;_ylv=0/SIG=125l5p6b5/EXP=1300926092/**http%3A//www.associatedcontent.com/join/omg-article\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>  to start publishing your own articles.  </i></p><span>See <a href=\"/partners/associated-content/89/;_ylt=A0wNdGqMGXhNy_0ANyBn1xx.;_ylv=3\">More Yahoo! Contributor Network Stories</a></span></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz Face Possible Custody Battle   (omg!)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/http___omg_yahoo_com_news58118/40593473/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/ashlee-simpson-and-pete-wentz-face-possible-custody-battle/58118\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/http___omg_yahoo_com_news58118/40593473/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/ashlee-simpson-and-pete-wentz-face-possible-custody-battle/58118</a></p>',-2,5,0,40,'2011-03-09 18:40:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:40:00','2011-03-10 19:21:31','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(437,'Review: Stars shine in stripped-down \'Jane Eyre\'   (AP)','review-stars-shine-in-stripped-down-jane-eyre-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_en_ot/us_film_review_jane_eyre\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110307/capt.58402b9286b14cfe8fa83a478e238a76-58402b9286b14cfe8fa83a478e238a76-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=88&amp;q=85&amp;sig=SkNhlDRe5xa4AKny5xUl6Q--\" height=\"88\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Review: Stars shine in stripped-down \'Jane Eyre\'   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - There\'s been no shortage of film versions of \"Jane Eyre,\" Charlotte Bronte\'s classic tale of romance and woe.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>There\'s been no shortage of film versions of \"Jane Eyre,\" Charlotte Bronte\'s classic tale of romance and woe.</p>\n                <p>Most notably, Orson Welles co-starred opposite Joan Fontaine back in 1944; Franco Zeffirelli adapted the novel in the mid-1990s with Charlotte Gainsbourg in the title role and William Hurt as the tortured Edward Rochester (with Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson, of all people, as the rival for his affections).</p>\n                <p>Now, yet another take on the 1847 novel has come to the screen, with Cary Joji Fukunaga directing Moira Buffini\'s script, which shakes things up by messing with the narrative structure. It begins with Jane fleeing the imposing Thornfield Hall in hysterics and is told mainly in flashback, which creates tension from the start — even if you know the story.</p>\n                <p>Fukunaga may seem like an odd choice to direct such revered literary material; his last film, \"Sin Nombre,\" was a contemporary and violent tale of Central Americans making their way through Mexico on their way to the United States. But both are about people searching for a place to belong, and they share a visceral immediacy.</p>\n                <p>Visually and tonally, his \"Jane Eyre\" is muted, stripped-down; it\'s gooey and marshy, vast and grassy, anything but lush — and that\'s what makes it beautiful. The pacing might even be a bit too low-key, but because it is, and because the attraction between Jane and Rochester simmers for so long, it makes the passionate bursts stand out even more. This version also emphasizes the tale\'s darker Gothic elements, adding a sense of horror that\'s both disturbing and welcome.</p>\n                <p>Regardless of aesthetics, the relationship between Jane and Rochester is at the heart of the story — it\'s the source of emotion — and Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender challenge and beguile each other beautifully. Wasikowska, who co-starred last year in Tim Burton\'s \"Alice in Wonderland\" and in the Academy Award best-picture nominee \"The Kids Are All Right,\" continues to show her versatility here. She\'s all intelligence and determination, and very much Fassbender\'s equal in terms of presence. Fassbender, who was devastating as Irish hunger striker Bobby Sands in \"Hunger,\" plays the iconically tragic character of Rochester with all the necessary wit, ferocity and torment.</p>\n                <p>Jane has come to work at Thornfield Hall, the remote manor Rochester owns but rarely visits, as a governess following a difficult childhood as an orphan (Amelia Clarkson is sharp as the tough young Jane). Head housekeeper Mrs. Fairfax (Judi Dench) runs the place with a mix of pride and vague disapproval of Rochester\'s volatile ways. But once he finally comes and meets Jane, he instantly recognizes in her a kindred spirit, and she feels the same — although she\'s loath to admit it.</p>\n                <p>Jamie Bell co-stars as the other potential suitor in Jane\'s life, St. John Rivers, the young man of God who views her as an ideal missionary\'s wife; the fact that they don\'t love each other yet is irrelevant to him. Still, it\'s Jane\'s idealism — despite the difficult and lonely life she\'d led — that keeps her striving for something better, more fulfilling.</p>\n                <p>Society would seem to dictate that Jane and Rochester can\'t be together. But it\'s their pasts that are really keeping them apart — their secrets, and the walls they\'ve built up for themselves. So when they finally admit their feelings, their words come out in an emotional torrent.</p>\n                <p>Bring tissues. You\'ve been warned.</p>\n                <p>\"Jane Eyre,\" a Focus Features release, is rated PG-13 for thematic elements including a nude image and brief violent content. Running time: 103 minutes. Three stars out of four.</p>\n                <p>___</p>\n                <p>Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:</p>\n                <p>G — General audiences. All ages admitted.</p>\n                <p>PG — Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.</p>\n                <p>PG-13 — Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.</p>\n                <p>R — Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.</p>\n                <p>NC-17 — No one under 17 admitted.</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Review: Stars shine in stripped-down \'Jane Eyre\'   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_en_ot/us_film_review_jane_eyre\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_en_ot/us_film_review_jane_eyre</a></p>',-2,5,0,40,'2011-03-09 18:33:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:33:00','2011-03-10 19:21:32','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(438,'\'Spider-Man\' to shut down for weeks? Producers mum   (AP)','spider-man-to-shut-down-for-weeks-producers-mum-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_en_ot/us_theater_spider_man\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110309/capt.6b8b8e6fad8a4bb4825c0c1b886f1c50-6b8b8e6fad8a4bb4825c0c1b886f1c50-0.jpg?x=85&amp;y=130&amp;q=85&amp;sig=4RdVFIU8AU.d4zNbs2j6_w--\" height=\"130\" width=\"85\" alt=\"\'Spider-Man\' to shut down for weeks? Producers mum   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - Theatergoers packed into a matinee of Broadway\'s \"Spider-Man\" musical on Wednesday, many of them unaware of reports that the troubled show would soon shut down for a few weeks, push back its opening for months and possibly even part ways with its director.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>NEW YORK – Theatergoers packed into a matinee of Broadway\'s \"Spider-Man\" musical on Wednesday, many of them unaware of reports that the troubled show would soon shut down for a few weeks, push back its opening for months and possibly even part ways with its director.</p>\n                <p>Officially, producers still said the $65 million show, the most expensive in Broadway history, was scheduled to open March 15. But all indications were that a hiatus was indeed planned to revamp the production following scathing reviews by most critics last month, and that the opening would be delayed a sixth time.</p>\n                <p>While the expected move was not a surprise, given the harsh reviews, it came as \"Spider-Man\" continues to post impressive numbers at the box office. It was the second highest-grossing show on Broadway this week, after \"Wicked,\" pulling in close to $1.3 million.</p>\n                <p>Indeed, the scene at the Foxwoods Theatre Wednesday was in marked contrast to the turmoil in the headlines. The line to get into the matinee snaked well down a huge city block, and was filled with tourists, schoolchildren and others clearly excited to see the much talked-about flying scenes — including an aerial battle between Spider-Man and his nemesis, the Green Goblin.</p>\n                <p>\"We came all the way from Utah to see this — got in on the redeye this morning,\" said Scott Clayson, a father of four from Brigham City. His wife and two daughters, ages 18 and 20, were with him. \"A big part of the appeal is all the tricks they do,\" Clayson said. \"We\'re really looking forward to it.\"</p>\n                <p>Nicholas Elkin, 11, was one of many young boys on line, and said he was excited. \"My stepmother saw it and loved it,\" he said. Also on line: a chattering class of 28 kids from a Manhattan public school.</p>\n                <p>Of the many questions swirling around the production Wednesday was this: If a show is bringing in so much money, why would producers want to shut it down, even for a few weeks, and lose millions?</p>\n                <p>Such a decision, theater insiders said, was extraordinarily complex. Producers would have to compare the weekly grosses with the running costs — which are surely enormous. And they\'d need to consider how long the show can continue to earn what it\'s making now — not every show is selling out, and the numbers were slightly down this week.</p>\n                <p>They\'d also need to consider whether the show, without changes, has the necessary longevity to eventually break even and then start making money.</p>\n                <p>\"I am sure they are sitting there with 5 million spreadsheets right now,\" said Julie Crosby, a former Broadway manager and now producing artistic director of the Women\'s Project theater company. \"They want to get to the point where they can ensure the long-term life of the production. These are very difficult decisions.\"</p>\n                <p>Another reason to shut down briefly: Union rules mean there is very little rehearsal time available during a performance week, only four hours on single-performance days — and that includes setup time. With so little time, how can a show be significantly revamped?</p>\n                <p>Among fans of the show, though he hasn\'t seen the current version: original \"Spider-Man\" comic creator Stan Lee.</p>\n                <p>\"I\'ve seen a rehearsal,\" said Lee, from Los Angeles. \"I was in town in New York one day and I was invited to a rehearsal and what I saw was fantastic. I mean it was staggeringly wonderful.\" He said he\' love to see the whole show if he gets to New York.</p>\n                <p>The latest postponement would make \"Spider-Man\" ineligible for theater\'s biggest prize, a Tony Award. Shows must open by April 28 this year to have Tony consideration.</p>\n                <p>The show has a cast of over 40. Maria Somma, a spokeswoman for Actors\' Equity Association, said Wednesday that the union was in touch with the cast but declined to comment further on the fate of the show.</p>\n                <p>\"Spider-Man\" has already had the longest preview period in Broadway musical history. Many critics got fed up and reviewed it last month, largely panning the production.</p>\n                <p>The stunt-heavy show was co-written by Taymor, director of the hugely successful \"Lion King,\" and Glen Berger, and has music by U2\'s Bono and The Edge.</p>\n                <p>Reports of a delay and possible cancellation of performances left group sales brokers in limbo. \"And limbo is not my favorite place,\" said Caryl Goldsmith of Caryl Goldsmith Group Sales.\n</p><p>\nBut she said cancellations would likely be limited to five or six group sales, each in the small 20-ticket range — not a major disruption for her.\n</p><p>\nLast week, the show\'s production company was issued three violations of workplace safety standards by federal regulators for four separate incidents late last year that resulted in injuries to the cast. Two big accidents have shaken the show.\n</p><p>\nActress Natalie Mendoza was injured during the first preview in November when she was hit in the head by a rope and suffered a concussion. The injury kept her sidelined for two weeks. She eventually left the show.\n</p><p>\nOn Dec. 20, a stunt actor portraying Spider-Man plunged more than 30 feet in front of a shocked audience, suffering a fractured skull, a fractured shoulder blade, four broken ribs and three broken vertebrae. It was determined that his safety harness had been accidentally left unclipped.\n</p><p>\n___\n</p><p>\nAssociated Press writer Matt Moore in Philadelphia, and Associated Press writer Deepti Hajela, AP Television writer Frazier Moore, and news researcher Julie Reed in New York contributed to this report.</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"\'Spider-Man\' to shut down for weeks? Producers mum   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_en_ot/us_theater_spider_man\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_en_ot/us_theater_spider_man</a></p>',-2,5,0,40,'2011-03-09 17:48:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 17:48:00','2011-03-10 19:21:33','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(439,'Julianne Moore set to play Sarah Palin in HBO film   (AP)','julianne-moore-set-to-play-sarah-palin-in-hbo-film-ap','','AP - Julianne Moore is set to play former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in an upcoming TV film.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>NEW YORK – Julianne Moore is set to play former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in an upcoming TV film.</p>\n                <p>HBO Films said Wednesday that Moore will star in the film \"Game Change,\" which follows John McCain\'s 2008 presidential campaign from when he chose Palin as his running mate through their defeat in the general election.</p>\n                <p>The film is based on the bestselling book of the same name.</p>\n                <p>No other cast members were announced, and HBO did not say when production on the film might begin.</p>\n                <p>Moore is a four-time Academy Award nominee. Last year, she starred in the critically acclaimed film, \"The Kids Are All Right.\"</p>\n                <p>___</p>\n                <p>Online:</p>\n                <p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_en_ot/storytext/us_tv_julianne_moore/40591683/SIG=10k26unr1/*http://www.hbo.com\">http://www.hbo.com</a></p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Julianne Moore set to play Sarah Palin in HBO film   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_en_ot/us_tv_julianne_moore\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_en_ot/us_tv_julianne_moore</a></p>',-2,5,0,40,'2011-03-09 16:48:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 16:48:00','2011-03-10 19:21:34','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(440,'Judge grants Sharon Stone lengthy stay away order   (AP)','judge-grants-sharon-stone-lengthy-stay-away-order-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_en_ce/us_people_sharon_stone\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110309/capt.4364cd65fc67446eb23c1fd149e9c46a-4364cd65fc67446eb23c1fd149e9c46a-0.jpg?x=88&amp;y=130&amp;q=85&amp;sig=VsdObjaohj2rqQIqQCnjqw--\" height=\"130\" width=\"88\" alt=\"Judge grants Sharon Stone lengthy stay away order   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - Sharon Stone has been granted a three-year restraining order against a man who police said was found in her home last month.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Sharon Stone has been granted a three-year restraining order against a man who police said was found in her home last month.</p>\n                <p>Stone\'s attorney Evan Spiegel confirmed the order was granted Wednesday against Bradly Gooden, who a police detective described in court filings as delusional and possibly schizophrenic.</p>\n                <p>Gooden remains on an involuntary psychiatric hold. Court records say he told police he believes he was given Stone\'s home by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.</p>\n                <p>Stone was not at home when the intruder was at her house and submitted a court declaration stating she was afraid of the 38-year-old man.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Judge grants Sharon Stone lengthy stay away order   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_en_ce/us_people_sharon_stone\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_en_ce/us_people_sharon_stone</a></p>',-2,5,0,40,'2011-03-09 16:45:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 16:45:00','2011-03-10 19:21:35','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(441,'Katie Couric pursuing syndicated talk show   (Reuters)','katie-couric-pursuing-syndicated-talk-show-reuters','','Reuters - With Katie Couric\'s contract set to expire in early June, the CBS News anchor is considering entering the syndicated talk show arena, according to two sources familiar with her plans.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – With Katie Couric\'s contract set to expire in early June, the CBS News anchor is considering entering the syndicated talk show arena, according to two sources familiar with her plans.</p>\n                <p>\nCouric, facing a pay cut if she reups at CBS News, has entered the window in which she can entertain offers from rival outlets. While no decision regarding her future has been made, she is believed to have begun conversations with Time Warner, NBCUniversal and CBS.</p>\n                <p>\nEach of these entities offers a powerful syndication arm as well as a news outlet, which is said to be a particularly appealing, if not necessary, combination for Couric. (Time Warner is home to CNN and producer Telepictures; CBS has CBS Sunday Morning and \"60 Minutes\" as well as a syndication division; NBCUniversal owns MSNBC and a syndication arm.) NBC, Telepictures and CBS declined comment.</p>\n                <p>\nIf Couric were to move forward with a syndicated show -- which is a \"strong likelihood,\" according to one source -- it would premiere in fall 2012. That would make staying with the news through the next election, as many had predicted, impossible. Couric would have a news presence of some sort, be it on CBS or elsewhere, in the interim.</p>\n                <p>\nWhile a syndicated show wouldn\'t guarantee Couric an upfront $15 million the way her CBS News contract does, it would have the potential to be as lucrative -- if not more -- in success, given that she would be a profit participant. (Such a deal would likely include a production entity for Couric.)</p>\n                <p>\nThere are no guarantees. The cautionary tale is still that of Jane Pauley, the former \"Today\" anchor whose talk-show effort famously flopped in 2004. One source suggested that having a news component baked into a Couric deal is as much a brand-builder as it is a backup plan.</p>\n                <p>\nFor her part, Couric, 54, has already launched herself out of the confines of her 22-minute newscast, anchoring an online interview show (@katiecouric), penning a column for Glamour and recently appearing in the post-Super Bowl episode of \"Glee,\" a show she watches with her daughters. All of that, combined with her interview skills and demonstrated rapport with viewers during her 15-year tenure on \"Today,\" makes Couric an ideal fit for daytime should she decide to pursue this route.</p>\n                <p>\nHer timing is particularly advantageous. With Oprah Winfrey ending her daytime talk show in September, stations are busy figuring out how to fill the coming void. Ellen DeGeneres and newcomer Anderson Cooper will each occupy the 4 p.m. slot in certain markets. While a Couric offering is likely to be far pricier than Cooper\'s -- one source suggested her show could fetch $400,000-$500,000 a week in license fees -- she is also a proven name in a crowded field.</p>\n                <p>\nCouric could still decide to stay with the evening news, though at a reduced price tag. CBS chief Leslie Moonves bluntly stated that the latter would be necessary. \"The Katie Couric deal will be the last big deal of that kind ever done,\" he said during a recent address at the University of Texas. \"Those days are over because the news no longer generates the kind of revenue or success that (makes such deals) worth doing.\"</p>\n                <p>\nAnother potential wrinkle is the recent CBS News shake-up that moved \"60 Minutes\" executive producer Jeff Fager into the role of news chairman. Unlike predecessor Sean McManus, who remains head of CBS Sports, Fager is said to value reporting over star wattage.</p>\n                <p>\n\"He\'s a guy who doesn\'t think hair and makeup make the ratings,\" a CBS News insider says.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Katie Couric pursuing syndicated talk show   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/tv_nm/us_couric\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/tv_nm/us_couric</a></p>',-2,5,0,40,'2011-03-09 18:35:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:35:00','2011-03-10 19:21:36','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(442,'Review: Stars shine in stripped-down \'Jane Eyre\'   (AP)','review-stars-shine-in-stripped-down-jane-eyre-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_en_re/us_film_review_jane_eyre\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110307/capt.58402b9286b14cfe8fa83a478e238a76-58402b9286b14cfe8fa83a478e238a76-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=88&amp;q=85&amp;sig=SkNhlDRe5xa4AKny5xUl6Q--\" height=\"88\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Review: Stars shine in stripped-down \'Jane Eyre\'   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - There\'s been no shortage of film versions of \"Jane Eyre,\" Charlotte Bronte\'s classic tale of romance and woe.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>There\'s been no shortage of film versions of \"Jane Eyre,\" Charlotte Bronte\'s classic tale of romance and woe.</p>\n                <p>Most notably, Orson Welles co-starred opposite Joan Fontaine back in 1944; Franco Zeffirelli adapted the novel in the mid-1990s with Charlotte Gainsbourg in the title role and William Hurt as the tortured Edward Rochester (with Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson, of all people, as the rival for his affections).</p>\n                <p>Now, yet another take on the 1847 novel has come to the screen, with Cary Joji Fukunaga directing Moira Buffini\'s script, which shakes things up by messing with the narrative structure. It begins with Jane fleeing the imposing Thornfield Hall in hysterics and is told mainly in flashback, which creates tension from the start — even if you know the story.</p>\n                <p>Fukunaga may seem like an odd choice to direct such revered literary material; his last film, \"Sin Nombre,\" was a contemporary and violent tale of Central Americans making their way through Mexico on their way to the United States. But both are about people searching for a place to belong, and they share a visceral immediacy.</p>\n                <p>Visually and tonally, his \"Jane Eyre\" is muted, stripped-down; it\'s gooey and marshy, vast and grassy, anything but lush — and that\'s what makes it beautiful. The pacing might even be a bit too low-key, but because it is, and because the attraction between Jane and Rochester simmers for so long, it makes the passionate bursts stand out even more. This version also emphasizes the tale\'s darker Gothic elements, adding a sense of horror that\'s both disturbing and welcome.</p>\n                <p>Regardless of aesthetics, the relationship between Jane and Rochester is at the heart of the story — it\'s the source of emotion — and Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender challenge and beguile each other beautifully. Wasikowska, who co-starred last year in Tim Burton\'s \"Alice in Wonderland\" and in the Academy Award best-picture nominee \"The Kids Are All Right,\" continues to show her versatility here. She\'s all intelligence and determination, and very much Fassbender\'s equal in terms of presence. Fassbender, who was devastating as Irish hunger striker Bobby Sands in \"Hunger,\" plays the iconically tragic character of Rochester with all the necessary wit, ferocity and torment.</p>\n                <p>Jane has come to work at Thornfield Hall, the remote manor Rochester owns but rarely visits, as a governess following a difficult childhood as an orphan (Amelia Clarkson is sharp as the tough young Jane). Head housekeeper Mrs. Fairfax (Judi Dench) runs the place with a mix of pride and vague disapproval of Rochester\'s volatile ways. But once he finally comes and meets Jane, he instantly recognizes in her a kindred spirit, and she feels the same — although she\'s loath to admit it.</p>\n                <p>Jamie Bell co-stars as the other potential suitor in Jane\'s life, St. John Rivers, the young man of God who views her as an ideal missionary\'s wife; the fact that they don\'t love each other yet is irrelevant to him. Still, it\'s Jane\'s idealism — despite the difficult and lonely life she\'d led — that keeps her striving for something better, more fulfilling.</p>\n                <p>Society would seem to dictate that Jane and Rochester can\'t be together. But it\'s their pasts that are really keeping them apart — their secrets, and the walls they\'ve built up for themselves. So when they finally admit their feelings, their words come out in an emotional torrent.</p>\n                <p>Bring tissues. You\'ve been warned.</p>\n                <p>\"Jane Eyre,\" a Focus Features release, is rated PG-13 for thematic elements including a nude image and brief violent content. Running time: 103 minutes. Three stars out of four.</p>\n                <p>___</p>\n                <p>Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:</p>\n                <p>G — General audiences. All ages admitted.</p>\n                <p>PG — Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.</p>\n                <p>PG-13 — Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.</p>\n                <p>R — Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.</p>\n                <p>NC-17 — No one under 17 admitted.</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Review: Stars shine in stripped-down \'Jane Eyre\'   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_en_re/us_film_review_jane_eyre\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_en_re/us_film_review_jane_eyre</a></p>',-2,5,0,40,'2011-03-09 18:33:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:33:00','2011-03-10 19:21:37','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(443,'Top 20 Concert Tours from Pollstar   (AP)','top-20-concert-tours-from-pollstar-ap','','AP - The Top 20 Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows in North America. The previous week\'s ranking is in parentheses. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>The Top 20 Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows in North America. The previous week\'s ranking is in parentheses. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers.</p>\n                <p>TOP 20 CONCERT TOURS</p>\n                <p>1. (1) Roger Waters; $2,652,374; $128.55.</p>\n                <p>2. (New) Cirque du Soleil — Alegria: $1,088,515; $63.92.</p>\n                <p>3. (2) Usher; $991,952; $73.83.</p>\n                <p>4. (3) Michael Buble; $893,445; $84.35.</p>\n                <p>5. (4) Justin Bieber; $725,910; $52.58.</p>\n                <p>6. (5) Trans-Siberian Orchestra; $622,573; $48.09.</p>\n                <p>7. (6) Andre Rieu; $546,104; $77.16.</p>\n                <p>8. (7) Brad Paisley; $537,548; $56.76.</p>\n                <p>9. (11) Ozzy Osbourne; $444,851; $61.27.</p>\n                <p>10. (9) Furthur; $399,819; $50.11.</p>\n                <p>11. (10) Carrie Underwood; $389,151; $49.41.</p>\n                <p>12. (12) Jason Aldean; $387,062; $36.85.</p>\n                <p>13. (8) Rain — A Tribute To The Beatles; $362,558; $70.92.</p>\n                <p>14. (14) Jeff Dunham; $271,565; $46.58.</p>\n                <p>15. (13) Dane Cook; $250,558; $54.24.</p>\n                <p>16. (New) Avenged Sevenfold; $210,012; $34.69.\n</p><p>\n17. (New) Heart; $195,858; $68.72.\n</p><p>\n18. (17) Bill Gaither &amp; Friends Homecoming; $141,520; $34.09.\n</p><p>\n19. (19) B.B. King; $132,846; $72.80.\n</p><p>\n20. (20) Mannheim Steamroller; $131,651; $54.51.\n</p><p>\nFor free upcoming tour information, go to <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_en_mu/storytext/us_top20_concert_tours/40592889/SIG=10p05vqid/*http://www.pollstar.com\">http://www.pollstar.com</a></p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Top 20 Concert Tours from Pollstar   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_en_mu/us_top20_concert_tours\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_en_mu/us_top20_concert_tours</a></p>',-2,5,0,40,'2011-03-09 18:14:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:14:00','2011-03-10 19:21:38','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(444,'Spider-Man musical overhauled, delayed again: report   (Reuters)','spider-man-musical-overhauled-delayed-again-report-reuters','','Reuters - The $65 million \"Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark\" Broadway musical is undergoing a major overhaul that will likely see a new director and a three-month delay in its opening date, the New York Times reported.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – The $65 million \"Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark\" Broadway musical is undergoing a major overhaul that will likely see a new director and a three-month delay in its opening date, the New York Times reported.</p>\n                <p>\nThe troubled show, created by director Julie Taymor with music written by U2\'s Bono and The Edge, was due to open on March 15 after a series of past setbacks.</p>\n                <p>\nBut the show is currently negotiating to replace Taymor and it is unlikely now to open until June, causing its sixth delay, while it shuts down for several weeks to hold new rehearsals and gives the cast a break from previews, the Times said.</p>\n                <p>\nRick Miramontez, a spokesman for the show, told Reuters on Wednesday: \"The production is not confirming any reports of a shutdown.\"</p>\n                <p>\nThe new changes will be one of the largest overhauls yet for the most expensive musical on Broadway after cost over-runs, a string of injuries to cast and crew and a series of safety violations due to its ambitious flying routines.</p>\n                <p>\nTaymor, a film, theater and opera director who successfully brought \"The Lion King\" to life on Broadway, has been the creative force behind \"Spider-Man\" and her departure would signify a major shake-up for the show that does not contain any name stars.</p>\n                <p>\nIt has been in previews since late last year and has been faring well at the box office, taking in $1.28 million last week, but a series of scathing reviews and problems unprecedented on Broadway is turning the show into a Broadway legend of disastrous productions.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Christine Kearney, editing by Patricia Reaney)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Spider-Man musical overhauled, delayed again: report   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/stage_nm/us_stage_spiderman\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/stage_nm/us_stage_spiderman</a></p>',-2,5,0,40,'2011-03-09 18:11:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:11:00','2011-03-10 19:21:39','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(445,'Katie Couric pursuing syndicated talk show   (Reuters)','katie-couric-pursuing-syndicated-talk-show-reuters','','Reuters - With Katie Couric\'s contract set to expire in early June, the CBS News anchor is considering entering the syndicated talk show arena, according to two sources familiar with her plans.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – With Katie Couric\'s contract set to expire in early June, the CBS News anchor is considering entering the syndicated talk show arena, according to two sources familiar with her plans.</p>\n                <p>\nCouric, facing a pay cut if she reups at CBS News, has entered the window in which she can entertain offers from rival outlets. While no decision regarding her future has been made, she is believed to have begun conversations with Time Warner, NBCUniversal and CBS.</p>\n                <p>\nEach of these entities offers a powerful syndication arm as well as a news outlet, which is said to be a particularly appealing, if not necessary, combination for Couric. (Time Warner is home to CNN and producer Telepictures; CBS has CBS Sunday Morning and \"60 Minutes\" as well as a syndication division; NBCUniversal owns MSNBC and a syndication arm.) NBC, Telepictures and CBS declined comment.</p>\n                <p>\nIf Couric were to move forward with a syndicated show -- which is a \"strong likelihood,\" according to one source -- it would premiere in fall 2012. That would make staying with the news through the next election, as many had predicted, impossible. Couric would have a news presence of some sort, be it on CBS or elsewhere, in the interim.</p>\n                <p>\nWhile a syndicated show wouldn\'t guarantee Couric an upfront $15 million the way her CBS News contract does, it would have the potential to be as lucrative -- if not more -- in success, given that she would be a profit participant. (Such a deal would likely include a production entity for Couric.)</p>\n                <p>\nThere are no guarantees. The cautionary tale is still that of Jane Pauley, the former \"Today\" anchor whose talk-show effort famously flopped in 2004. One source suggested that having a news component baked into a Couric deal is as much a brand-builder as it is a backup plan.</p>\n                <p>\nFor her part, Couric, 54, has already launched herself out of the confines of her 22-minute newscast, anchoring an online interview show (@katiecouric), penning a column for Glamour and recently appearing in the post-Super Bowl episode of \"Glee,\" a show she watches with her daughters. All of that, combined with her interview skills and demonstrated rapport with viewers during her 15-year tenure on \"Today,\" makes Couric an ideal fit for daytime should she decide to pursue this route.</p>\n                <p>\nHer timing is particularly advantageous. With Oprah Winfrey ending her daytime talk show in September, stations are busy figuring out how to fill the coming void. Ellen DeGeneres and newcomer Anderson Cooper will each occupy the 4 p.m. slot in certain markets. While a Couric offering is likely to be far pricier than Cooper\'s -- one source suggested her show could fetch $400,000-$500,000 a week in license fees -- she is also a proven name in a crowded field.</p>\n                <p>\nCouric could still decide to stay with the evening news, though at a reduced price tag. CBS chief Leslie Moonves bluntly stated that the latter would be necessary. \"The Katie Couric deal will be the last big deal of that kind ever done,\" he said during a recent address at the University of Texas. \"Those days are over because the news no longer generates the kind of revenue or success that (makes such deals) worth doing.\"</p>\n                <p>\nAnother potential wrinkle is the recent CBS News shake-up that moved \"60 Minutes\" executive producer Jeff Fager into the role of news chairman. Unlike predecessor Sean McManus, who remains head of CBS Sports, Fager is said to value reporting over star wattage.</p>\n                <p>\n\"He\'s a guy who doesn\'t think hair and makeup make the ratings,\" a CBS News insider says.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Katie Couric pursuing syndicated talk show   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/people_nm/us_couric\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/people_nm/us_couric</a></p>',-2,5,0,40,'2011-03-09 18:35:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:35:00','2011-03-10 19:21:40','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(446,'Union leader Smith mentions $800 million payments   (AP)','union-leader-smith-mentions-800-million-payments-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_nfl_labor\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110309/capt.302cd0541ef84d8f9740c430995f3519-302cd0541ef84d8f9740c430995f3519-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=90&amp;q=85&amp;sig=kKcWjaoe2l0wmvxtmSYBkg--\" height=\"90\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Union leader Smith mentions $800 million payments   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - Players\' union leader DeMaurice Smith has left the 14th day of mediated talks with the NFL, saying he has not received enough financial information from the league.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>WASHINGTON – Players\' union leader DeMaurice Smith has left the 14th day of mediated talks with the NFL, saying he has not received enough financial information from the league.</p>\n                <p>Smith says Wednesday that what the NFL has provided \"would be meaningless in determining whether to write an $800 million check\" annually to the owners. The league has been seeking an additional $1 billion off the top of revenues to the $1 billion it received under the collective bargaining agreement that will expire Friday night without a new deal.</p>\n                <p>The $800 million figure, which Smith says the owners have requested be paid each year, is less than the $1 billion previously requested, which could indicate movement on the most contentious issue — how to split revenues in a $9 billion business.</p>\n                <p>THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP\'s earlier story is below.</p>\n                <p>WASHINGTON (AP) — The financial information the NFL has offered to turn over during labor negotiations doesn\'t include the data requested nearly two years ago by the players\' union.</p>\n                <p>In a letter dated May 18, 2009 — a copy of which was obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press — NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith asked Commissioner Roger Goodell to \"provide audited financial statements concerning the operations of the 32 clubs and the league.\"</p>\n                <p>Smith attached a list of 10 categories of information he sought, including:</p>\n                <p>• total operating income;</p>\n                <p>• total operating expenses, such as player costs, team expenses, sales and marketing expenses, game expenses, salaries/payments to owners;</p>\n                <p>• profit from operations;</p>\n                <p>• net income;</p>\n                <p>• cash and investment assets.</p>\n                <p>In the letter, Smith noted the owners\' push to expand the regular season from 16 games to 18 as one reason \"this information is critical in understanding the fair \'cost/compensation\' model for players and teams.\"</p>\n                <p>The NFL proposed this week to provide new financial data, but the union said it wasn\'t enough to satisfy the players\' call for full disclosure.</p>\n                <p>On his way into Wednesday\'s mediation session, NFL general counsel Jeff Pash said the issue of financial transparency — a key sticking point in labor talks this week — \"really should be behind us.\"</p>\n                <p>\"We\'ve made more information available in the course of this negotiation than has ever been made available in decades of collective bargaining with the NFLPA,\" Pash said. \"Far more information. And we\'ve offered to make even more information (available), including information that we do not disclose to our own clubs.\"</p>\n                <p>Pash didn\'t reveal any specifics of the league\'s offer and wouldn\'t comment on the union\'s response. But a person familiar with the negotiations told the AP that the NFL offered to turn over five years of league-wide profitability data to the union — and that the offer was rejected.</p>\n                <p>The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the mediator overseeing the labor talks has told participants not to publicly discuss details.\n</p><p>\nAccording to the person who spoke to the AP, the NFL\'s proposal to the union included:\n</p><p>\n_audited league-wide profitability data with dollar figures from 2005-09 that wouldn\'t show information on a club-by-club basis;\n</p><p>\n_the number of teams that have seen a shift in profitability in that span;\n</p><p>\n_an independent auditor to examine the data.\n</p><p>\nAnother person familiar with the negotiations — also speaking on condition of anonymity — told the AP the NFLPA rejected the league\'s offer because an investment bank retained by the union advised that the proposal was inadequate.\n</p><p>\nThe NFLPA long has demanded that the league give it full access to financial data — including team-by-team information — and made that a central issue in contract talks.\n</p><p>\n\"As you know, the NFLPA does not have access to a wide range of information that is directly relevant to the contention that the current CBA fails to address the owners\' concerns,\" Smith wrote to Goodell in 2009.\n</p><p>\n\"For example,\" the letter continued, \"the NFL and the teams do not provide the NFLPA with their audited financial statements detailing the profit (loss) information for the teams. We also lack the information to discern the profits (losses) per regular season games, the profit per team per playoff game and other fixed financial non-player costs.\"\n</p><p>\nThe current collective bargaining agreement dates back to 2006, but owners exercised an opt-out clause in 2008. The deal was set to expire last week, but two extensions now have pushed the cutoff to the end of Friday.\n</p><p>\nWednesday\'s meeting with a federal mediator is the 14th since Feb. 18.\n</p><p>\nCommissioner Roger Goodell was joined by three members of the owners\' 10-person labor committee: Art Rooney II of the Pittsburgh Steelers, John Mara of the New York Giants, and Clark Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs. More owners are expected to attend on Thursday.\n</p><p>\nNo active players were seen entering the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service on Wednesday, a departure from past sessions. Smith generally has been accompanied by four or more current players each day.\n</p><p>\nAnother person who hasn\'t attended mediation this week: top NFLPA outside lawyer Jeffrey Kessler, who has been working at the union\'s headquarters about three blocks away.\n</p><p>\nWith various issues under discussion, the crux of the labor dispute is how to split more than $9 billion in annual revenues. NFLPA executive committee member Scott Fujita, a linebacker for the Cleveland Browns, said Tuesday that what the NFL has turned over to the union so far \"hasn\'t been sufficient.\"\n</p><p>\nOne key question is what cut team owners should get up front to help cover costs such as stadium construction and improvement. Under the old deal, owners received more than $1 billion off the top. They entered these negotiations seeking to add another $1 billion to that amount, before other revenues are divided with players.\n</p><p>\n\"We\'ve got a long ways to go, but as long as we stay at it, we\'ve got a chance of getting an agreement done,\" Pash said before Wednesday\'s mediation.\n</p><p>\nIf a deal isn\'t reached by Friday, the sides could agree to another extension. Or talks could break off, leading to, possibly, a lockout by owners or antitrust lawsuits by players.\n</p><p>\n\"The commissioner said \'talking is better than litigating.\' Talking is better than, you know, going to DEFCON 3 or whatever term I\'ve heard thrown around,\" Pash said. \"So let\'s keep at it.\"</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Union leader Smith mentions $800 million payments   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_nfl_labor\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_nfl_labor</a></p>',-2,5,0,39,'2011-03-09 18:46:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:46:00','2011-03-10 19:21:41','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(447,'If NFL stops, \'innocent bystanders\' to take hit   (AP)','if-nfl-stops-innocent-bystanders-to-take-hit-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_nfl_labor_losers\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110309/capt.d2fe247af0be4443be00ac19dc4cea3e-d2fe247af0be4443be00ac19dc4cea3e-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=96&amp;q=85&amp;sig=rx.TFSYiq86W9r4MqRHdgw--\" height=\"96\" width=\"130\" alt=\"If NFL stops, \'innocent bystanders\' to take hit   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - Beyond the rich players and even wealthier team owners arguing over how to divvy up $9 billion in revenue a year, the people who would suffer most if there\'s no NFL season this year are those whose jobs, businesses and even charity work depend on games.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>Beyond the rich players and even wealthier team owners arguing over how to divvy up $9 billion in revenue a year, the people who would suffer most if there\'s no NFL season this year are those whose jobs, businesses and even charity work depend on games.</p>\n                <p>It\'s the 2,500 ticket-takers, janitors and other game-day employees at the Superdome in New Orleans, and the suburban dry cleaner who washes all their uniforms.</p>\n                <p>It\'s the receptionists and accountants for the New York Jets, and the high school band booster club that sells burgers and beer at Carolina Panthers games.</p>\n                <p>It\'s the Episcopal church that sells parking spots for Tennessee Titans games, the hotel across the street from the stadium in Houston and the ticket broker who opened a store facing Cowboys Stadium.</p>\n                <p>And on and on it goes, across the communities of all 32 teams.</p>\n                <p>\"It\'s like an earthquake — there\'s a ripple effect out to other people, other parts of the region,\" said James J. Cochran, co-author of \"An Event Study of the Economic Impact of Professional Sport Franchises on Local U.S. Economies\" and an associate professor in economics at Louisiana Tech. \"You can\'t really assume the impact is limited to the area around the stadium. You feel the shock everywhere along the way. It may not be the same shaking as at the epicenter, but you feel it.\"</p>\n                <p>The NFL and the players union are talking with a federal mediator to work out a new collective bargaining agreement. If they don\'t have a deal by Friday afternoon, the owners could lock out the players or the NFLPA might decertify and take its fight to court. Either scenario would put the NFL on a path that might wipe out some or all the upcoming season.</p>\n                <p>To gauge the fiscal fallout of NFL games not being played, The Associated Press interviewed dozens of economists, business owners and team officials from across the country. Several themes emerged:</p>\n                <p>• Teams would be hit hard because they collect a lot of the money spent on game days (concessions, parking, souvenirs), especially in newer stadiums designed to maximize their haul.</p>\n                <p>Local tax districts would suffer, too, most of all in places where there are tariffs on tickets or parking spots to repay stadium costs. The way things are set up in Foxborough, Mass., revenue from the Patriots\' stadium pays for big-ticket items such as school buses, school computers, highway trucks and fire engines. The town\'s capital budget — the line item that would be hit — already has been \"starved out\" for several years, skimping on all but the school buses, said Randy Scollins, Foxborough\'s finance director.</p>\n                <p>\"We have a big backlog of items that deliver services to town,\" Scollins said. \"This would only delay that more.\"</p>\n                <p>• With just eight home games per regular season, game days are only a part of a worker\'s income — extra hours or a second job for stadium types, a busy day at the office for the waiter at a nearby sports bar. However, it\'s still money they are counting on.</p>\n                <p>\"The doomsday scenarios are exaggerated, but there will be innocent bystanders who are casualties of this,\" said John Vrooman, who teaches sports economics at Vanderbilt University. \"The overall losses to these people are going to be small, but they\'re not small to them.\"</p>\n                <p>• Overall, local economies would not see money so much lost as spent elsewhere. Fans would look to entertain themselves some other way on Sunday afternoons.</p>\n                <p>\"It\'s like a snowstorm,\" said Stephen Fuller, economist and director of George Mason University\'s Center for Regional Analysis. \"The grocery store sells out, and the restaurants are closed. ... There\'s a redistribution effect.\"</p>\n                <p>No calculation exists for the total number of people who would be affected by an NFL work stoppage, though it\'s certainly enough to fill a few stadiums.</p>\n                <p>The NFLPA\'s estimates there are an average of 3,739 workers at each game, and that does not include jobs at places near the stadium that are at least partly dependent on games, such as bars, restaurants, hotels and gas stations.</p>\n                <p>How many dollars are connected to those people also is tough to determine. The figure thrown around most is $160 million per market over the regular season. It comes from the NFLPA, which arrived at that by using estimates teams relied on to win public funding for stadium construction.\n</p><p>\nSeveral economists — though not the league — have said those estimates are overblown and it\'s also worth noting the figures include player salaries.\n</p><p>\nStill, a work stoppage would \"hurt the people who can afford it least,\" Cochran said. \"Nobody is looking out for their concerns.\"\n</p><p>\nThe 100 or so kids in the band at South Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, N.C., also would lose out.\n</p><p>\nTheir booster club has a budget of around $80,000 to pay for everything from travel expenses to customized music and drills. About one-fourth of that budget comes from running a concession stand at Panthers games. In their best season, they raked in nearly $26,000.\n</p><p>\nLast season wasn\'t as profitable, so the boosters already have scaled back. Taking away all their Panthers-generated dollars would cripple the program.\n</p><p>\n\"The funding we have to travel would be gone,\" band director Chris Rugila said. \"We\'d probably go down to one, maybe two competitions. We\'d have to cut programs or add fees to the students. ... I\'m an NFL fan and I\'d hate to see a lockout because I like to watch football on Sundays. But it\'s also really going to directly impact my life, my students\' lives and my professional life. A lot of things I\'ve tried to put in place are in jeopardy.\"\n</p><p>\nTodd Roser can relate.\n</p><p>\nHis father started Roser\'s Fine Dry Cleaning and now he runs it. There\'s a single location, in Kenner, La., and about one-fourth of the business is tied to the New Orleans Saints. He not only cleans the uniforms of stadium employees, he also does personal valet dry cleaning for players. The dropoff would begin right away if there are no offseason workouts, minicamp and training camp to bring guys to town.\n</p><p>\n\"I\'d feel it, big-time,\" said Roser, who already is fretting the possibility of laying off employees.\n</p><p>\nThe Jets aren\'t laying anyone off. But they are among the few teams announcing plans to trim their payroll.\n</p><p>\nSalaries for coaches and others on the football side could be chopped by 25 percent. On the business side, almost 100 workers will have to take a one-week, unpaid furlough every month until there\'s a deal. They can apply for unemployment during their time off and if no games are missed, owner Woody Johnson plans to reimburse them for lost income.\n</p><p>\nDave Gibson wishes he had such a safety net.\n</p><p>\nGibson is sales director for a Holiday Inn located one block from Reliant Stadium in Houston. Here is how heavily his hotel\'s bottom line is tied to the NFL: The food and drink tab on a typical weekend is $2,000; it\'s close to $12,000 on a weekend when the Texans are home. There\'s also a bump in occupancy. All 238 rooms were rented for both preseason games last year and they sold out for a Monday night game 1 1/2 months in advance, \"which never happens,\" he said.\n</p><p>\n\"If the season doesn\'t happen, you\'re looking at least $100,000-$120,000 out of our pocket. Gone. Irreplaceable,\" he said.\n</p><p>\nThen there\'s St. Ann\'s Episcopal Church in Nashville, Tenn.\n</p><p>\nThe church collects $30,000 a year from cars parked on a parcel of land originally purchased for an eventual expansion. The money generated goes right into the mortgage, and leaders have earmarked reserve funds to make up for it this year, if necessary. Their fears about an NFL work stoppage are part financial, part spiritual.\n</p><p>\n\"Our mission is not to park cars,\" said Ken Love, senior vestry warden. \"Our mission is to feed the hungry and the homeless and to spread God\'s word and to be a witness to the city. ... Where I have a greater disappointment is we won\'t be there for the crowds of people that walk by on a Titans\' Sunday. And it\'s just more sort of the chance to be that contact with people will be missed.\"\n</p><p>\n___\n</p><p>\nAP Sports Writers Brett Martel in New Orleans, Dennis Waszak in New York, Chris Duncan in Houston, Josh Dubow in Oakland, Janie McCauley in San Francisco, Arnie Stapleton and Pat Graham in Denver, Jon Krawczynski and Dave Campbell in Minneapolis, Teresa Walker in Nashville, Mike Marot in Indianapolis, Joe Kay in Cincinnati, Rob Maaddi in Philadelphia, Steve Wine in Miami, Bernie Wilson in San Diego, Larry Lage and Noah Trister in Detroit, Joseph White in Washington, Tom Canavan in New Jersey, Mark Long in Jacksonville, John Wawrow in Buffalo, Tim Booth in Seattle, Mike Cranston in Charlotte and Andrew Seligman in Chicago contributed.</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"If NFL stops, \'innocent bystanders\' to take hit   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_nfl_labor_losers\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_nfl_labor_losers</a></p>',-2,5,0,39,'2011-03-09 10:56:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 10:56:00','2011-03-10 19:21:43','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(448,'Lakers\' Jackson says burden not easy on Heat   (AP)','lakers-jackson-says-burden-not-easy-on-heat-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_bk_ne/bkn_sliding_heat\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110309/capt.648b8eef1a8a4d8da20ec5a43bd5bf54-648b8eef1a8a4d8da20ec5a43bd5bf54-0.jpg?x=102&amp;y=130&amp;q=85&amp;sig=BrL4j8fTigsCJAi25ggUkw--\" height=\"130\" width=\"102\" alt=\"Lakers\' Jackson says burden not easy on Heat   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - It has come to this: Even Phil Jackson is offering a sympathetic word to the reeling Miami Heat.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>MIAMI – It has come to this: Even Phil Jackson is offering a sympathetic word to the reeling Miami Heat.</p>\n                <p>The coach of the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers has taken plenty of jabs at the Heat in recent months, over everything from how this roster was put together, Erik Spoelstra\'s job security, and this week the already-infamous episode dubbed \"Crygate.\"</p>\n                <p>So on Wednesday, with the Heat in a five-game losing streak, Jackson stood on their home floor and had ample opportunity to poke Miami again.</p>\n                <p>He went the other way instead.</p>\n                <p>\"From what I\'ve heard, this team feels like they\'re being looked at to lose, or they\'ve been hoped at to lose,\" Jackson said before the Lakers practiced for their Thursday game in Miami. \"I know locally that can\'t stand true, but nationally, if that\'s the case, it\'s a burden to carry. And then those games that are dramatic become bigger than they really should be.\"</p>\n                <p>That certainly seems to be the case around Miami these days.</p>\n                <p>Not even two weeks ago, the Heat were in a virtual tie with Boston for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Miami hasn\'t won since, falling to third in the East, 4 1/2 games behind the Celtics and two games behind the Chicago Bulls. Even the No. 3 seed in the East playoffs isn\'t exactly assured, with Orlando starting play Wednesday three games behind the Heat.</p>\n                <p>It\'s a freefall, and the Heat know that when they lose games, most of the NBA is thrilled. So Wednesday\'s practice wasn\'t about licking wounds, Spoelstra said. The Heat needed to simply get back to work.</p>\n                <p>\"Less talk, more action,\" Spoelstra said.</p>\n                <p>Oh, there was plenty of talking as well.</p>\n                <p>Miami lost to Portland 105-96 on Tuesday night, after which Wade suggested he\'d like to see rotation changes and Bosh insisted he would be demanding the ball more often down low. And on Wednesday, those themes hadn\'t changed much: Spoelstra took the rare step of immediately watching Tuesday\'s game in his office afterward, and Bosh was planning to chat with Wade and James.</p>\n                <p>\"We\'re all in this together, but at the end of the day, we know what people are going to be looking at,\" Bosh said. \"And we know who\'s going to get the finger pointed at them first. And rightfully so — we asked for this, coming together, and we knew that coming into the situation. We take the responsibility of it. It is what it is, no matter what we say, no matter what we do.\"</p>\n                <p>Lakers forward Lamar Odom said the Heat plight is one of the biggest stories in sports right now. Considering who was offering opinions on the Heat a few miles away on Wednesday, he may be right.</p>\n                <p>Tiger Woods — with his own winless drought to deal with — weighed in on the state of the Heat from nearby Doral, where he\'ll play in this week\'s World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship.</p>\n                <p>\"They are trying to jell and obviously they are adding pieces,\" Woods said. \"I mean, as soon as they become more cohesive, they add (Mike) Bibby, so it\'s going to take a little time. They have 18, 19 games left in the season, somewhere around there. They have plenty of time to turn it around and get rolling for the playoffs.\"</p>\n                <p>The Lakers head into Thursday as the league\'s hottest team, winners of eight straight.</p>\n                <p>But even the champs have had their issues at times this season, mild ones anyway, with a four-game slide and a pair of three-game losing streaks on their resume.</p>\n                <p>That last three-game slump ended with the embarrassing pre-All-Star-break loss in Cleveland. The Lakers haven\'t lost since, with five of their eight victories since the break ended coming by double digits.\n</p><p>\n\"The difference between us is that we all know what our roles are,\" Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said. \"They\'re still trying to figure that out.\"\n</p><p>\nClearly, that\'s the case. Bibby was added essentially in place of Carlos Arroyo at point guard. James Jones, Eddie House and Zydrunas Ilgauskas have largely fallen out of the rotation at times, and Miami\'s bench is struggling — getting outscored 41-8 by the Trail Blazers and a stunning 149-51 in the last four games.\n</p><p>\n\"One thing for sure about this team, we won\'t go down without a fight,\" Ilgauskas said. \"And we\'ll keep on fighting.\"\n</p><p>\nEven Jackson doesn\'t doubt that one.\n</p><p>\n\"We always say, the close games that you lose, the ones that are really dramatic like that, they\'ll make up for somewhere along the line,\" Jackson said. \"Somewhere along the line, they might do that. They might be in the playoffs.\"\n</p><p>\nAnd that was about as close Jackson came to tweaking the Heat all day.</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Lakers\' Jackson says burden not easy on Heat   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_bk_ne/bkn_sliding_heat\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_bk_ne/bkn_sliding_heat</a></p>',-2,5,0,39,'2011-03-09 15:47:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 15:47:00','2011-03-10 19:21:44','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(449,'Spurs survive Milan to reach Champions League last eight   (AFP)','spurs-survive-milan-to-reach-champions-league-last-eight-afp','','AFP - Tottenham survived a barrage of pressure from AC Milan to reach the Champions League quarter-finals as Wednesday\'s 0-0 draw in the last 16 second leg at White Hart Lane secured a 1-0 aggregate victory.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>LONDON (AFP) – Tottenham survived a barrage of pressure from AC Milan to reach the Champions League quarter-finals as Wednesday\'s 0-0 draw in the last 16 second leg at White Hart Lane secured a 1-0 aggregate victory.</p>\n                <p>\nHarry Redknapp\'s side were under the cosh for long periods of a tense encounter, but Milan were unable to find a way past a Spurs defence superbly marshalled by William Gallas and Michael Dawson.</p>\n                <p>\nWhile Spurs were unable to recapture the flamboyant attacking play that dazzled earlier in the competition, their progress to the last eight more than made up for a slightly nervous display.</p>\n                <p>\nIt was especially sweet because, while north London rivals Arsenal will spend the rest of the season watching the Champions League from their sofas after Tuesday\'s exit against Barcelona, Spurs can still dream of a fairytale run to the final at Wembley.</p>\n                <p>\n\"It\'s a great achievement for this club to be in the last eight of the Champions League,\" said Redknapp.</p>\n                <p>\n\n\"We worked our socks off out there tonight against a really good team who came here to play.</p>\n                <p>\n\"It was hard work. It\'s a difficult position to be in bringing back a 1-0 lead as you are caught between trying to defend the lead and also going for a killer blow.</p>\n                <p>\n\"It takes an awful lot to make me this happy but this is one of those occasions,\" added the 64-year-old.</p>\n                <p>\nPeter Crouch\'s winner in the San Siro meant Redknapp\'s team needed just a draw to extend their impressive first season in Europe\'s elite club competition.</p>\n                <p>\nRedknapp resisted the temptation to stifle Milan as he sent out an attacking line-up, with Dutch playmaker Rafael van der Vaart back after a calf injury.</p>\n                <p>\nVan der Vaart almost gave Spurs a dream start when he stabbed wide from the edge of the penalty area.</p>\n                <p>\n\nAfter his horrific foul on Vedran Corluka in the first leg, it was hardly surprising Milan\'s former Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini was subjected to constant boos on his return to north London.</p>\n                <p>\nGennaro Gattuso\'s first-leg touchline row with Spurs assistant Joe Jordan also ensured there was an extra intensity to an already frenzied sell-out crowd.</p>\n                <p>\nBut the raucous atmosphere was never likely to ruffle such an experienced team as Milan and Massimiliano Allegri\'s side began to exert sustained pressure after Zlatan Ibrahimovic\'s free-kick forced Heurelho Gomes into a sprawling save.</p>\n                <p>\nThe Italian league leaders went even closer when Gomes was unable to stop Alexandre Pato after needlessly rushing off his line.</p>\n                <p>\nPato squared to Robinho and his scuffed shot looped goalwards off Benoit Assou-Ekotto, only for a superb goal-line clearance from Gallas to spare Gomes\'s blushes.</p>\n                <p>\n\nVan der Vaart curled a free-kick just over the crossbar moments later, but it was Milan, looking far more dynamic than in the first leg, who continued to carry the greater threat.</p>\n                <p>\nThere was more menace about Spurs in the second-half and Flamini tried to stem the tide with a ferocious lunge on Assou-Ekotto that recalled his Corluka foul and earned a booking from referee Frank De Bleeckere.\n</p><p>\n\nHaving survived that flurry of Spurs pressure, Milan went back on the attack and Robinho met Ignazio Abate\'s pass with snap-shot that forced a scrambled clearance after Gomes\'s block.\n</p><p>\n\nRedknapp responded by sending on Gareth Bale for van der Vaart and the Wales winger, just fit after a back injury, was immediately barged over by Flamini, who nonetheless escaped a red card.\n</p><p>\n\nPato came desperately close to sending the tie into extra time when his shot whistled past Gomes\'s near post in the closing minutes but Spurs, who beat Inter Milan in the group stage, had done enough to claim another Italian scalp.</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Spurs survive Milan to reach Champions League last eight   (AFP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110309/wl_uk_afp/fbleurc1engitatottenhamacmilan\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110309/wl_uk_afp/fbleurc1engitatottenhamacmilan</a></p>',-2,5,0,39,'2011-03-09 17:08:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 17:08:00','2011-03-10 19:21:45','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(450,'NCAA\'s selection committee ready to do dirty work   (AP)','ncaas-selection-committee-ready-to-do-dirty-work-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_co_ne/bkc_ncaa_tournament\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110309/capt.931cf70bb6044245899484dc479228c9-931cf70bb6044245899484dc479228c9-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=88&amp;q=85&amp;sig=B.7DtO5fpL_bRMYPku9EAg--\" height=\"88\" width=\"130\" alt=\"NCAA\'s selection committee ready to do dirty work   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - NCAA selection committee chairman Gene Smith hopes he\'s seen the last of this week\'s complications.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>INDIANAPOLIS – NCAA selection committee chairman Gene Smith hopes he\'s seen the last of this week\'s complications.</p>\n                <p>The Ohio State athletic director is already dealing with a scandal in his own football program and a delayed arrival in Indianapolis. Two committee members are also dealing with what Smith calls \"significant\" personal issues he didn\'t specify and Wednesday\'s news conference had technical difficulties.</p>\n                <p>And Smith\'s committee hasn\'t even gotten to the hard part yet — selecting the first 68-team field in NCAA tournament history.</p>\n                <p>\"This committee is very close, very cohesive and we\'re supported very well by the NCAA staff,\" Smith said. \"I\'m ready to roll.\"</p>\n                <p>This will not be just another typical selection weekend for Smith and the other nine committee members.</p>\n                <p>They\'ll spend the next five days holed up in an Indianapolis hotel trying to find the 37 best at-large teams — three more than previous years — and then seed all 68 properly.</p>\n                <p>Nobody\'s perfect, and it\'s never easy, but this year\'s selection process could be more challenging and face more scrutiny.</p>\n                <p>Why?</p>\n                <p>The new format has created added some different debates to the regular mix of who is in and who is out.</p>\n                <p>Some believe the Big East should get a record 11 bids, raising concerns about whether the expanded field has simply become a way to get more teams from the six power conferences into the field.</p>\n                <p>Plus, Smith\'s committee will likely face criticism about which teams play in next week\'s four opening-round games in Dayton, Ohio. Two games will feature the bottom four seeds in the tourney while the other two will feature the last four at-large teams.</p>\n                <p>The NCAA has dubbed this group the First Four, though those eight team probably will not feel the same way. Smith has already prepared some answers.</p>\n                <p>\"We will go through one through 68 and we\'re very confident that the 35th, 36th, 37th slots that the at-large teams going to Dayton will be excited to go,\" he said. \"Every single year we evaluate what we did the previous year. Anything that we feel we need to modify based on that experience we\'ll modify.\"</p>\n                <p>Smith is getting pretty good at adapting on the fly.</p>\n                <p>On Tuesday night, he attended a hastily called news conference to announce Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel had been suspended for two games and fined $250,000 for violating NCAA rules. Tressel, school officials said, waited more than nine months before notifying school compliance officials about his players\' involvement in selling signed memorabilia in exchange for money and tattoos.</p>\n                <p>After that news conference, Smith drove from Columbus, Ohio, to Indy for the selection marathon.</p>\n                <p>Then, Wednesday morning, while Smith was making his opening statement to reporters, things went awry.</p>\n                <p>\"We\'re excited to select the 37 at-large teams coupled with the 31 automatic qualifiers,\" he said, before the phone line went dead.\n</p><p>\nTwo or three minutes later, Smith was back explaining what had happened and what he would and would not discuss.\n</p><p>\n\"Sorry we had some technical difficulties, we had to move to a different room,\" he said. \"I know there may be people out there who may want to ask questions about the Ohio State University case. Please, I ask that you be respectful. I\'m here today as chair of the men\'s basketball committee. Those questions are reserved for later days.\"\n</p><p>\nBear in mind, too, that the Buckeyes men\'s basketball team is currently ranked No. 1 and could wind up the tourney\'s top overall seed. Smith will need to leave the room when Ohio State is discussed, per committee rules.\n</p><p>\nBut even without that, it will be complicated enough trying to sift through all the data and this week\'s conference tournaments to devise a 68-team bracket everyone likes.\n</p><p>\n\"Really, there\'s 5,000 games played throughout the season,\" he said. \"You might be able to have an impact in your first (tourney) game, maybe your second game. The reality is that most teams that will be advantaged by the tournament are those who come through and win it.\"</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"NCAA\'s selection committee ready to do dirty work   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_co_ne/bkc_ncaa_tournament\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_co_ne/bkc_ncaa_tournament</a></p>',-2,5,0,39,'2011-03-09 18:05:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:05:00','2011-03-10 19:21:46','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(451,'No. 17 St. John\'s makes  mistakes  in 65-63 win   (AP)','no-17-st-johns-makes-mistakes-in-65-63-win-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_co_ga_su/bkc_t25_beast_rutgers_st_john_s\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110309/capt.e8f915309f9d4e579b3538408427f17d-e8f915309f9d4e579b3538408427f17d-0.jpg?x=86&amp;y=130&amp;q=85&amp;sig=BMMF3RTiZkkXHaS2gpPoZg--\" height=\"130\" width=\"86\" alt=\"No. 17 St. John\'s makes  mistakes  in 65-63 win   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - Madison Square Garden has been a special court for St. John\'s in its return to national prominence.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>NEW YORK – Madison Square Garden has been a special court for St. John\'s in its return to national prominence.</p>\n                <p>The latest win there for the Red Storm — 65-63 over Rutgers in the second round of the Big East tournament on Wednesday — was achieving legendary status within minutes of the game ending.</p>\n                <p>It wasn\'t great plays by St. John\'s that will make this a memorable game. Rather it was two turnovers that weren\'t called and this wasn\'t just the losing team complaining about a tough loss.</p>\n                <p>Big East commissioner John Marinatto issued a statement about 40 minutes after the game ended admitting there were two errors made by the veteran officiating crew.</p>\n                <p>A wild last minute that had two lead changes, two turnovers that were called, the two that weren\'t and two missed free throws finished with Justin Brownlee of St. John\'s taking a couple of extra steps, stepping out of bounds and throwing the ball into the stands while the final 1.7 seconds ticked off the clock.</p>\n                <p>\"The Big East Conference acknowledges that two separate officiating errors occurred at the conclusion of the St. John\'s vs. Rutgers game,\" he said, referring to the travel and stepping out of bounds. \"Both missed violations should have caused the game clock to stop and a change of possession to occur prior to the end of the game. Neither error is reviewable or correctable under NCAA rules.\"</p>\n                <p>The result will stand. The 17th-ranked and fifth-seeded Red Storm (21-10) advanced to the tournament quarterfinals for the 20th time overall and first since 2003.</p>\n                <p>Under first-year coach Steve Lavin, the Red Storm closed the regular season winning nine of 11 and all but one of the six wins against ranked teams came at the Garden. The lone loss was 79-56 to Syracuse on Jan. 12.</p>\n                <p>Rutgers (15-17) puts the balls away now, the first season under coach Mike Rice in the books with the questionable ending.</p>\n                <p>\"Was there a mistake made? I saw it on YouTube. There was a mistake made,\" he said of the veteran officiating crew of Jim Burr, Tim Higgins and Earl Walton. \"I\'m sure they\'ll admit it. I made several mistakes, my players made several mistakes. I\'m sure our staff made several mistakes.</p>\n                <p>\"It has to be a mistake. It\'s got to be. I just saw it on YouTube. ... It\'s unfortunate. Believe me, there\'s going to be blood coming through my tongue right now, but it is what it is. We\'re going to control how we respond.\"</p>\n                <p>Brownlee was able to let out the loudest sigh of relief.</p>\n                <p>\"I just let my emotions get to me. I was just trying to throw it up so the time would expire,\" he said. \"Unfortunately I threw it too early. Fortunately time did expire and we came up with the win.\"</p>\n                <p>Brownlee was asked if he did step out of bounds in front of the scorer\'s table.</p>\n                <p>\"A couple of people said I did but I didn\'t realize I was out of bounds,\" he said. \"But fortunately it doesn\'t matter now. I thought time had expired. It was so loud and stuff so I just threw it.\"</p>\n                <p>There were over 38 minutes of basketball played before the wild ending and even though it wasn\'t the kind of game that called for instant classic status, it was exciting.</p>\n                <p>Dwight Hardy had 17 points for the Red Storm (21-10), who improved to 8-1 on the Garden court this season and moved into the quarterfinals Thursday against fourth-seeded and 11th-ranked Syracuse (25-6).</p>\n                <p>James Beatty had 15 points for the Scarlet Knights (15-17), who advanced to the second round with an overtime win over Seton Hall on Tuesday.\n</p><p>\nD.J. Kennedy was fouled with 4.9 seconds left and made the second of two to give St. John\'s the 65-63 lead.\n</p><p>\nRutgers still had one chance but a long pass just inside midcourt was knocked away and no foul was called. Brownlee picked up the loose ball, appeared to take a couple of steps then stepped out of bounds before throwing the ball into the stands with time still left on the clock.\n</p><p>\nRice ran around looking for an official to give him an explanation but they had walked off the court and the Red Storm had another big win at the Garden.\n</p><p>\n\"The players in the locker room were discussing it a little bit, and some of the staff,\" Lavin said. \"I couldn\'t see. ... It was all really chaotic.\"\n</p><p>\nSean Evans had 13 points and nine rebounds for St. John\'s but the 55 percent free throw shooter came up big on the line, making both ends of a 1-and-1 with 17.7 seconds left that gave the Red Storm a 64-61 lead.\n</p><p>\nMike Coburn made two free throws with 14.3 seconds left to bring the Scarlet Knights within 64-63. St. John\'s turned the ball over on the inbounds pass. After a timeout Coburn missed a drive with 8 seconds left.\n</p><p>\nBrownlee missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 7.3 seconds left but Paris Horne crashed the boards on the miss and knocked the ball out of bounds off Jonathan Mitchell of Rutgers.\n</p><p>\nBrownlee had 13 points and Kennedy added 11 for St. John\'s.\n</p><p>\nCoburn finished with 11 points and Gilvydas Biruta had 10 points and eight rebounds for Rutgers.\n</p><p>\n\"I love the toughness of the team, whether they\'re down 10, halftime, made a turnover, bad shot, they just kept fighting, they kept playing,\" Rice said. \"A credit to these seniors and how they developed through the season.\n</p><p>\n\"It is what it is. Can\'t control what happens, you can control how you respond, and these guys responded like men.\"\n</p><p>\nSt. John\'s won the teams\' only regular season game, 58-56 on Feb. 2, and the Red Storm have won eight of the last 11 between the New York Metropolitan area rivals.\n</p><p>\n\"When you step into the postseason, it\'s rarified air. Teams are galvanized because they have a reason, to get to the NCAA tournament,\" Lavin said. \"... On the flip side, I\'m proud of our players to have the composure and poise to win a game, and that\'s what you have to do at this stage of the season, just try to advance.\"</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"No. 17 St. John\'s makes  mistakes  in 65-63 win   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_co_ga_su/bkc_t25_beast_rutgers_st_john_s\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_co_ga_su/bkc_t25_beast_rutgers_st_john_s</a></p>',-2,5,0,39,'2011-03-09 18:20:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:20:00','2011-03-10 19:21:47','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(452,'Braves\' Salazar hit by liner, flown to hospital   (AP)','braves-salazar-hit-by-liner-flown-to-hospital-ap','','AP - Atlanta Braves minor league manager Luis Salazar was awake and able to respond to doctors Wednesday after being hit in the face by Brian McCann\'s foul liner while standing in the dugout during an exhibition game.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Atlanta Braves minor league manager Luis Salazar was awake and able to respond to doctors Wednesday after being hit in the face by Brian McCann\'s foul liner while standing in the dugout during an exhibition game.</p>\n                <p>Salazar may have sustained a concussion and might have a facial fracture and damage around his left eye, Braves general manager Frank Wren said.</p>\n                <p>Salazar was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center and was to stay overnight. Wren did not have an official hospital report.</p>\n                <p>\"We are just blessed that Luis is alive,\" Wren said after St. Louis beat Atlanta 6-1. \"The scans so far have been positive ... There is an eye surgeon looking at it now. It was a freak accident.\"</p>\n                <p>\"He was unable to speak when the paramedics arrived,\" he said. \"We were very concerned when he was on his way to the hospital but we feel a little bit better now.\"</p>\n                <p>Wren said Salazar was unconscious when an ambulance drove onto the field in the first inning to help the 54-year-old former big leaguer. Wren said Salazar was hit around the nose, toward his left eye.</p>\n                <p>\"That was the worst thing I have ever seen on the field,\" Braves star Chipper Jones said. \"He wasn\'t awake at all. He was out of it. I just looked at him to see if he was breathing. I thought his life might be in danger.\"</p>\n                <p>The game was delayed nearly 20 minutes while medical personnel tended to Salazar. There was a discussion, too, about calling off the rest of the game.</p>\n                <p>\"We all thought about shutting down for the day but everyone just went back out in a state of shock. The game just started rolling again,\" Wren said.</p>\n                <p>McCann took a called third strike from Kyle Lohse on the next pitch, removed himself from the game and went straight to the hospital.</p>\n                <p>\"I just threw him a changeup because I think we all lost focus,\" Lohse said.</p>\n                <p>Salazar was struck while standing on the top step of the first-base dugout. The Braves said Salazar\'s son, who was at the game, and his wife, who was not in attendance, also went to the hospital.</p>\n                <p>\"The first thought I had was that I wanted to see him breathing and that he was OK,\" Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. \"We didn\'t know until the seventh or eighth inning that he was breathing on his own.\"</p>\n                <p>Jones was on first base when the accident occurred. He said Salazar was leaning against a dugout railing and toppled backward, hitting his head on the concrete floor.</p>\n                <p>\"There were two things,\" Jones said. \"First he got hit, then he fell backward and hit his head on the floor of the dugout. It was bad enough when he got hit but worse when he hit the floor.\"</p>\n                <p>Atlanta starting pitcher Rodrigo Lopez described the scene as \"sickening.\"</p>\n                <p>Salazar played in the major leagues from 1980 through 1992 for San Diego, Detroit, the Cubs and the White Sox. He mostly played third base, was a career .261 hitter with 94 home runs, and played in the 1984 World Series for the Padres.</p>\n                <p>Salazar was set to manage the Braves\' Class A team in Lynchburg, Va. He was the Double-A hitting coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers the past three seasons.\n</p><p>\nNOTES: Lohse gave up one run in four innings. ... David Freese homered and doubled for the Cardinals.</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Braves\' Salazar hit by liner, flown to hospital   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bbn_braves_salazar_hit\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bbn_braves_salazar_hit</a></p>',-2,5,0,39,'2011-03-09 17:33:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 17:33:00','2011-03-10 19:21:48','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(453,'Success earns Falcons\' GM multi-year extension   (Reuters)','success-earns-falcons-gm-multi-year-extension-reuters','','Reuters - Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff has been given a multi-year contract extension after the team\'s best three-year stretch, the National Football League club said Wednesday.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>ATLANTA (Reuters) – Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff has been given a multi-year contract extension after the team\'s best three-year stretch, the National Football League club said Wednesday.</p>\n                <p>\nTerms of the deal were not announced.</p>\n                <p>\nAtlanta has been to the NFL playoffs twice and compiled three consecutive winning seasons since Dimitroff joined the franchise in 2008.</p>\n                <p>\nThe team\'s three-year record of 33-15 was tied for third-best in the NFL over that span.</p>\n                <p>\nDuring his tenure, Dimitroff also hired head coach Mike Smith and selected starting quarterback Matt Ryan in the NFL Draft.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Salvo, North Carolina, Editing by Larry Fine)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Success earns Falcons\' GM multi-year extension   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/sp_nm/us_nfl_falcons_dimitroff\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/sp_nm/us_nfl_falcons_dimitroff</a></p>',-2,5,0,39,'2011-03-09 17:25:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 17:25:00','2011-03-10 19:21:48','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(454,'Zito sharp as Giants top White Sox 4-2   (AP)','zito-sharp-as-giants-top-white-sox-4-2-ap','','AP - Barry Zito had most of his pitches working against the Chicago White Sox.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Barry Zito had most of his pitches working against the Chicago White Sox.</p>\n                <p>Zito allowed just two base runners with a hit and a walk over five shutout innings and the San Francisco Giants defeated the Chicago White Sox 4-2 on Wednesday.</p>\n                <p>\"Fastball, change up for the most part,\" Zito said. \"I felt significantly better than I\'ve felt on the mound during spring training. Things were just smooth. When things are quiet and moving slowly, that\'s where success lies.\"</p>\n                <p>Zito had such an efficient day that he didn\'t reach his pitch limit in the game. He finished with 10 more pitches in the bullpen.</p>\n                <p>\"He\'s a pro. He\'s handled everything so well, including the postseason thing and the stuff that\'s been said,\" Giants manager Bruce Bochy said of Zito, who was left off the postseason roster for the Giants last season. \"He comes out here and he gives it all he\'s got. That\'s all you can ask of a player.\"</p>\n                <p>Zito outperformed Jake Peavy of the White Sox, who allowed one run — an Aubrey Huff solo home run — and one hit in 3 2/3 innings.</p>\n                <p>Peavy is coming back from shoulder surgery in July that ended his season.</p>\n                <p>\"It wasn\'t as free and easy as the other day,\" Peavy said of his start, his second of spring training. \"My body did all we asked it to do. I wasn\'t very sharp, but I had pretty decent stuff. A good step in the right direction, obviously another hurdle cleared and moving on toward (my) ultimate goal, and that\'s to break camp with the team.\"</p>\n                <p>Peavy said he plans to start every five days throughout the spring.</p>\n                <p>Catcher A.J. Pierzynski said Peavy was only supposed to go three innings but that his slider was \"as good as I\'ve seen in the last two years.\"</p>\n                <p>The Giants fielded a lineup that could closely resemble their opening day group at the end of this month, with the exception of ninth-place hitter Mark DeRosa, who was the designated hitter Wednesday.</p>\n                <p>Huff drove in two runs and San Francisco scored three in the sixth inning on RBIs from Andres Torres, Huff and Buster Posey off Chicago reliever Jeff Gray.</p>\n                <p>Giants closer Brian Wilson worked out of a jam in his inning of work. He gave up two hits and a walk and struck out two.</p>\n                <p>The White Sox got back-to-back solo home runs from Adam Dunn and Stefan Gartrell in the ninth inning.</p>\n                <p>Notes: Before Wednesday\'s game, the White Sox optioned RHP Lucas Harrell and RHP Jhonny Nunez to Triple-A Charlotte, and reassigned RHP Kyle Bellamy, LHP Charlie Leesman, C Josh Phegley, C Jared Price and OF Brandon Short to minor-league camp. ... Bochy said the Giants could make roster cuts by this weekend.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Zito sharp as Giants top White Sox 4-2   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_sp_ba_ga_su/bbo_white_sox_giants\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_sp_ba_ga_su/bbo_white_sox_giants</a></p>',-2,5,0,39,'2011-03-09 19:10:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 19:10:00','2011-03-10 19:21:49','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(455,'Setback keeps Thomas sidelined; Jackson still out   (AP)','setback-keeps-thomas-sidelined-jackson-still-out-ap','','AP - A setback in Charlotte Bobcats forward Tyrus Thomas\' recovery from left knee surgery will keep him sidelined against the Chicago Bulls.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A setback in Charlotte Bobcats forward Tyrus Thomas\' recovery from left knee surgery will keep him sidelined against the Chicago Bulls.</p>\n                <p>Thomas woke up Wednesday with soreness a day after his first full-contact practice since he was diagnosed with a torn meniscus on Jan. 20. Thomas sat out shootaround and says he now hopes to return Friday against Portland.</p>\n                <p>The Bobcats also will be without guard Stephen Jackson for a third straight game Wednesday because of continued problems with his strained left hamstring. Coach Paul Silas said a day earlier Jackson would return against the Bulls.</p>\n                <p>And Charlotte has more injury woes. Silas says backup center Joel Przybilla\'s surgically repaired right knee \"hurts a lot\" and will limit his minutes.</p>\n                <p>THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP\'s earlier story is below.</p>\n                <p>CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A setback in Charlotte Bobcats forward Tyrus Thomas\' recovery from left knee surgery will keep him sidelined against the Chicago Bulls.</p>\n                <p>Thomas woke up Wednesday with soreness a day after his first full-contact practice since he was diagnosed with a torn meniscus on Jan. 20. Thomas sat out shootaround and says he now hopes to return Friday against Portland.</p>\n                <p>Guard Stephen Jackson also was less optimistic a day after coach Paul Silas declared he would return from a strained left hamstring Wednesday against the Bulls.</p>\n                <p>Jackson calls himself a \"game-time decision\" and says there\'s some risk in him re-injuring his leg.</p>\n                <p>The Bobcats have dropped five straight, but sit a game behind Indiana for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Setback keeps Thomas sidelined; Jackson still out   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_bk_ne/bkn_bobcats_injuries\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_bk_ne/bkn_bobcats_injuries</a></p>',-2,5,0,39,'2011-03-09 18:14:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:14:00','2011-03-10 19:21:50','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(456,'Princeton, Harvard play on, but not for NCAAs yet   (AP)','princeton-harvard-play-on-but-not-for-ncaas-yet-ap','','AP - The Harvard basketball players scattered to the various libraries and other quiet spots on campus to study for midterms after watching Princeton win its regular-season finale and force a tiebreaker for the Ivy League\'s automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Harvard basketball players scattered to the various libraries and other quiet spots on campus to study for midterms after watching Princeton win its regular-season finale and force a tiebreaker for the Ivy League\'s automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.</p>\n                <p>For the Crimson, there was still plenty of work to do.</p>\n                <p>Harvard has already locked up a share of its first Ivy title ever, but to reach the NCAAs for the first time since 1946 it will have to beat co-champion Princeton in a tiebreaker at Yale on Saturday night.</p>\n                <p>\"It wouldn\'t be right if it didn\'t come down to something like this,\" coach Tommy Amaker said after the Crimson\'s practice on Wednesday. \"We\'ve had two really good games against them. To be in a playoff at the end is very exciting for out team.\"</p>\n                <p>Harvard (23-5, 12-2 Ivy) beat Princeton 79-67 last weekend to clinch at least a share of the Ivy championship, but the Tigers (24-6, 12-2) had one game left; they beat Penn 70-58 on Tuesday night to force the tie.</p>\n                <p>\"We expected them to win,\" Harvard forward Keith Wright said. \"It would be awesome if we get it done. But it\'s going to take the same effort as Saturday, times five.\"</p>\n                <p>The Ivy League is the only Division I conference that does not have a postseason tournament. So, while Harvard and Princeton are officially co-champions, the tiebreaker is necessary to determine who gets the NCAA berth.</p>\n                <p>Harvard and Princeton split their regular-season meetings — the Tigers won at home 65-61 on Feb. 4 — and each team finished unbeaten at home this year.</p>\n                <p>\"It will be our third time playing them. We know each other\'s tendencies pretty well, and who the key players are,\" said Harvard forward Kyle Casey, who had a season-high 24 points on Saturday. \"I guess you could kind of look at this as a grudge match — winner take all.\"</p>\n                <p>Harvard was the last school that had never won an Ivy title. Princeton has won 26, including this one, but it was the first for coach Sydney Johnson, a 1997 graduate who played on two of those champion teams and took over as coach in 2007.</p>\n                <p>\"There\'s a banner up in Jadwin Gym that says \'2004,\' and there\'s a drought there. (This) was my goal,\" he said Tuesday night. \"I don\'t want to take away from our moment tonight. We won an Ivy League championship. We realize we\'re sharing that, but we have 26, which is the most in the Ivy League. These guys should be proud of that.\"</p>\n                <p>Yale\'s campus in New Haven, Conn., is about 130 miles from each schools, and though Yale is traditionally Harvard\'s archrival, there is a bit of history with Princeton, too.</p>\n                <p>The rivalry between the three schools goes back to the 1880s, when they dominated the early days of college football and formed a Big Three that was the precursor to the Ivy League. (While Harvard and Yale still measure themselves against each other in football, Princeton talks of winning the Big Three.)</p>\n                <p>\"We\'ll see how many Yalies will be there,\" Amaker said, \"and I\'ll be anxious to see who they choose to root for.\"</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Princeton, Harvard play on, but not for NCAAs yet   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_sp_co_ne/bkc_ivy_tiebreaker\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_sp_co_ne/bkc_ivy_tiebreaker</a></p>',-2,5,0,39,'2011-03-09 19:10:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 19:10:00','2011-03-10 19:21:51','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(457,'Voeckler ends Paris-Nice win drought   (AFP)','voeckler-ends-paris-nice-win-drought-afp','','AFP - French champion Thomas Voeckler ended an eight year wait for a stage win in the Paris-Nice race here on Wednesday when he won the fourth stage.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>BELLEVILLE, France (AFP) – French champion Thomas Voeckler ended an eight year wait for a stage win in the Paris-Nice race here on Wednesday when he won the fourth stage.</p>\n                <p>\nThe 31-year-old crossed the line ahead of France\'s Remi Pauriol and Belgian Thomas de Gendt, who regained the leader\'s yellow jersey off Australian Matthew Goss, after the 191km ride from Creches-sur-Saone.</p>\n                <p>\n\"I have competed in the Paris-Nice since 2003 and I had yet to win a stage, this really is a huge relief,\" said Voekler.</p>\n                <p>\nAustralian Heinrich Haussler led the peloton home around a dozen seconds behind.</p>\n                <p>\nThe first three over the line had along with Belgian rider Francis De Greef broken away from the peloton in the sixth kilometre and by 65km had a lead of over five minutes.</p>\n                <p>\nTheir lead had been trimmed to 1min 15sec by the time they got to the summit of the last climb of the day with 35km to go but prompted by the admirable De Gendt they managed to keep the chasing pack at bay, though, De Greef was unable to stay with them and lost touch in the final part of the stage.</p>\n                <p>\nDe Gendt was only interested in regaining the yellow jersey after Goss took it off him on Tuesday, and left it to Voeckler and Pauriol to fight out the stage win honours with the more experienced Frenchman taking it for his third win of the season - having won a stage of the Tour of the Mediterranean and the Tour du Haut-Var title.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We really dictated the stage well,\" said Voeckler, who in previous years has twice finished second in stages of the race.</p>\n                <p>\nVoeckler, who briefly wore the yellow jersey in the 2004 Tour de France, praised De Gendt for his efforts and nicknamed him the \'machine\' and added that the young Belgian - who won the opening stage - could pull off a surprise overall win.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We (him and De Gendt) were the two strongest of our group, I believe, but he was even stronger than I was,\" smiled Voeckler, who had already noticed De Gendt\'s potential last year while with a minor team.</p>\n                <p>\n\"He could surprise a lot of people (in the Paris-Nice)!\"</p>\n                <p>\n\"For my part I was not interested in finishing second or third in the stage, I would rather have finished in the peloton.</p>\n                <p>\n\"When I attacked at the beginning of the stage, some of the riders said that I was going to run out of gas.</p>\n                <p>\n\"But my goal wasn\'t the best climber jersey. I knew that I could last till the end.\"</p>\n                <p>\nThursday\'s fifth stage is the interesting and tough 193km ride from Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise to Vernoux-en-Vivarais.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Voeckler ends Paris-Nice win drought   (AFP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110309/sp_wl_afp/cyclingfra\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110309/sp_wl_afp/cyclingfra</a></p>',-2,5,0,39,'2011-03-09 17:00:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 17:00:00','2011-03-10 19:21:51','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(458,'Montreal player fractures vertebra, has concussion   (AP)','montreal-player-fractures-vertebra-has-concussion-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_ho_ne/hkn_canadiens_pacioretty\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110309/capt.090cd64a26b94a449af937da7030a1e0-090cd64a26b94a449af937da7030a1e0-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=64&amp;q=85&amp;sig=kQKlZU8aDgkxV5xdNwSuLQ--\" height=\"64\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Montreal player fractures vertebra, has concussion   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty has a severe concussion and a fractured vertebra from a frightening hit by Boston\'s Zdeno Chara that will not draw further discipline from the NHL.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>BROSSARD, Quebec – Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty has a severe concussion and a fractured vertebra from a frightening hit by Boston\'s Zdeno Chara that will not draw further discipline from the NHL.</p>\n                <p>Pacioretty fractured the fourth cervical vertebra and is in a hospital under observation, Canadiens coach Jacques Martin said Wednesday.</p>\n                <p>\"There is no other prognosis at this time,\" Martin said after practice. Martin said Pacioretty will \"obviously be out indefinitely.\"</p>\n                <p>Pacioretty was wheeled off the ice with 15.8 seconds left in the second period of the Canadiens\' 4-1 victory Tuesday night.</p>\n                <p>\"The most important thing for our organization right now is Max\'s recovery. We will continue following recommendations from the doctors and of course, Max and his immediate family would appreciate privacy in this matter,\" he added in a statement on the Canadiens\' website.</p>\n                <p>The 22-year-old player was chasing the puck along the boards in front of the team benches late in the second period when he was checked hard by Chara. His head slammed into the glass partition between the benches. He lay motionless on the ice for several minutes before he was taken to a hospital, where he spent the night.</p>\n                <p>\"What I remember about it was the sound — it sounded like a gun: bang!\" said Pacioretty\'s linemate Scott Gomez. \"Stuff like that is tough to look at.\"</p>\n                <p>Chara was given a major penalty for interference and a game misconduct, but NHL vice president Mike Murphy said Wednesday there won\'t be a suspension.</p>\n                <p>\"After a thorough review of the video I can find no basis to impose supplemental discipline,\" Murphy said. \"This hit resulted from a play that evolved and then happened very quickly — with both players skating in the same direction and with Chara attempting to angle his opponent into the boards. I could not find any evidence to suggest that, beyond this being a correct call for interference, that Chara targeted the head of his opponent, left his feet or delivered the check in any other manner that could be deemed to be dangerous.</p>\n                <p>\"This was a hockey play that resulted in an injury because of the player colliding with the stanchion and then the ice surface. In reviewing this play, I also took into consideration that Chara has not been involved in a supplemental discipline incident during his 13-year NHL career.\"</p>\n                <p>But federal minister of sport Gary Lunn called the hit \"unacceptable.\"</p>\n                <p>Murphy hears cases involving Boston in place of league disciplinarian Colin Campbell, whose son, Gregory, plays for the Bruins.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Montreal player fractures vertebra, has concussion   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_ho_ne/hkn_canadiens_pacioretty\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_ho_ne/hkn_canadiens_pacioretty</a></p>',-2,5,0,39,'2011-03-09 16:09:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 16:09:00','2011-03-10 19:21:52','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(459,'Serena says blood clot scare \'scariest moment\' ever   (AFP/Getty Images/File)','serena-says-blood-clot-scare-scariest-moment-ever-afpgetty-imagesfile','','AFP/Getty Images/File - A medical emergency resulting from a blood clot in her lung was \"the scariest moment in my life,\" Serena Williams said Wednesday, adding she did not think the health crisis will hurt her tennis game.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>LOS ANGELES (AFP) – A medical emergency resulting from a blood clot in her lung was \"the scariest moment in my life,\" Serena Williams said Wednesday, adding she did not think the health crisis will hurt her tennis game.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Luckily enough, I was able to catch it soon enough that my career won\'t be affected,\" Williams told NBC television\'s \"Today Show\" program.</p>\n                <p>\n\"I love tennis and now more than anything I have so much to look forward to just playing,\" she said, adding the crisis was \"the scariest moment in my life.\"</p>\n                <p>\n\"I really just want to come back and do well,\" she said.</p>\n                <p>\nThe former world number one and 13-time Grand Slam singles champion is recovering after emergency surgery earlier to remove the blood clot.</p>\n                <p>\nWilliams suffered a pulmonary embolism in late February, which required her to undergo an emergency operation at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles last week.</p>\n                <p>\nThe 29-year old tennis star, who underwent surgery a day after she attended post-Oscar parties in Hollywood, has had ongoing medical problems with her foot after stepping on broken glass at a restaurant.</p>\n                <p>\nWilliams told NBC that the blood clot \"went from my leg to my lung. It traveled fast. I still have several clots in my lung and they are still there. They have to eventually dissolve,\" she said.</p>\n                <p>\nThe tennis star has undergone two operations on her right foot since it was cut by glass at a restaurant last July and has not played a top-level match since taking last year\'s Wimbledon title.</p>\n                <p>\nShe ranks sixth among women on the all-time Grand Slam singles title list, and won the US Open in 1999, 2002 and 2008, Wimbledon in 2002, 2003 and the past two years, the French Open in 2002 and the Australian Open in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010.</p>\n                <p>\nThe younger sister of fellow tennis star Venus Williams, Serena Williams stretched her stay atop the world rankings to 123 weeks before her limited play contributed to Caroline Wozniacki passing her for No. 1 last October 11.</p>\n                <p>\nNow, largely due to an ongoing series of health crises, Williams has slid to 11th in the rankings.</p>\n                <p>\nShe recounted to NBC how her leg swelled \"which is a tell-tale sign of embolism,\" she said.</p>\n                <p>\n\"I could not breathe. I remember thinking, I\'m walking but I cannot breathe. That forced me to the emergency room,\" Williams said.</p>\n                <p>\nOnce admitted to the hospital, a CT scan \"found several blood clots.\"</p>\n                <p>\n\"I was like, \'wow.\' They told me they had to check me in immediately or it wasn\'t going to be a good result,\" she said.</p>\n                <p>\nWilliams said the medical concerns have continued, despite the upbeat prognosis.</p>\n                <p>\n\"I\'m on blood thinner injections, so I inject myself twice a day,\" she said.\n</p><p>\n\nNow, as a result of being on the medication, \"I developed a large hematoma in my stomach,\" the tennis star said.\n</p><p>\n\n\"I developed what started as a golf ball ended up being a grapefruit on my stomach. I had to get it drained. When I got there they said, we can\'t drain it, we have to surgically remove it.\"\n</p><p>\n\n\"I\'m taking it a day at a time,\" Williams added.\n</p><p>\n\n\"My lungs are fairly healthy and I\'m just on the road to recovery.\"</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Serena says blood clot scare \'scariest moment\' ever   (AFP/Getty Images/File)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110309/sp_wl_afp/tenniswtausawilliamshealth\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110309/sp_wl_afp/tenniswtausawilliamshealth</a></p>',-2,5,0,39,'2011-03-09 10:30:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 10:30:00','2011-03-10 19:21:53','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(460,'Tiger\'s caddie has become quite the frequent flyer   (AP)','tigers-caddie-has-become-quite-the-frequent-flyer-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_go_ne/glf_doral_notebook\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110309/capt.7f5643c195df4c07958ca829283ea034-7f5643c195df4c07958ca829283ea034-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=99&amp;q=85&amp;sig=xXRTvigFnHNSRYTAxNapjA--\" height=\"99\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Tiger\'s caddie has become quite the frequent flyer   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - No other caddie has traveled so far to work so little than Steve Williams.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>DORAL, Fla. – No other caddie has traveled so far to work so little than Steve Williams.</p>\n                <p>Part of that is because Williams lives in New Zealand, and his 5-year-old son Jett is now going to school. And part of that is Woods playing in different parts of the world this early in the season.</p>\n                <p>Asked how his frequent flyer profile was looking, Williams just shook his head Wednesday.</p>\n                <p>\"Put it this way,\" he said. \"Qantas has me on speed dial.\"</p>\n                <p>When he leaves Miami after this week\'s Cadillac Championship, Williams already will have flown some 60,000 miles to work four tournaments. In one case, Williams spent more time in the air than his hotel room.</p>\n                <p>He started in January by flying from Auckland to San Diego for the Farmers Insurance Open. Then came the Auckland-Dubai round trip two weeks later. But the worst of it was the Match Play Championship.</p>\n                <p>\"I stayed in my hotel one night and went home,\" he said.</p>\n                <p>Williams arrived in Tucson, Ariz., on Tuesday. Woods lost in the first round the next day to Thomas Bjorn, and by evening, Williams was on a flight to Los Angeles to catch a connection back home.</p>\n                <p>After this week, he will stay two days in Orlando for a made-for-TV exhibition, leaving Tuesday and getting home on Thursday. He\'ll be home three days before flying back to Orlando for the Arnold Palmer Invitational, then return home after the tournament.</p>\n                <p>His wife used to come to America for Bay Hill, and they would go somewhere on vacation before the Masters. But with his son in school, Williams goes back to New Zealand for three days before flying to Augusta.</p>\n                <p>When he gets home after the Masters, he already will have logged nearly 94,000 miles in the air.</p>\n                <p>___</p>\n                <p>TWITTER WARS: Tiger Woods is part of another emerging rivalry — between his coaches.</p>\n                <p>Sean Foley, who has been working with Woods since the PGA Championship, started with an interview last year in which he was quoted as saying about former coach Hank Haney, \"Let\'s be honest about this, it\'s not like he was flushing it with Hank.\"</p>\n                <p>Then came a story posted Wednesday on golf.com when Foley poked fun at Haney once saying he knew Woods from observing, without ever getting to know him.</p>\n                <p>Haney has been firing back on Twitter ever since.</p>\n                <p>\"If you want to be entertained go to Golf.com and read Sean Foley\'s latest version of ripping Hank Haney, all I can say is wow,\" was the first of several tweets from Haney.</p>\n                <p>He sent out some two dozen tweets — mostly retweets from his followers — over the next five hours related to the dispute. Haney\'s twitter account is HankDHaney.\n</p><p>\n___\n</p><p>\nSPANISH HERO: Alvaro Quiros knows plenty about Seve Ballesteros and the greatness of his game. But when it comes to Spanish golfing heroes, he starts with Jose Maria Olazabal.\n</p><p>\nQuiros did not start playing golf until he was 9, and Ballesteros was on the tail end of his career. He remembers Olazabal winning his first Masters in 1994, and especially the second green jacket in 1999 after returning from an injury that nearly ended his career.\n</p><p>\n\"I think Olazabal is a gentleman inside and outside the golf course, and this is the most important thing, to be a gentleman or to be a nice person, more than a great golfer,\" Quiros said.\n</p><p>\nThe first time he met Olazabal, the big-hitting Spaniard could barely speak.\n</p><p>\nIt was in 1999 for the American Express Championship at Valderrama, and Olazabal was invited to see the public course when Quiros and other juniors got their start.\n</p><p>\n\"I played with a friend, and on the second tee, suddenly arrives the main guy of the pro shop and he said, \'Hey, get out of the way because Olazabal is coming behind you,\'\" Quiros said. \"It was Olazabal! So he arrives to the tee, hits his driver in the third hole and he says, \'Come on, hit the ball.\'\n</p><p>\n\"We were watching each other and I said (to his friend), \'He\'s speaking with us.\' I cannot even put the ball on the tee. I was shaking.\"\n</p><p>\n___\n</p><p>\nTIGER AND TYSON: NBC Sports analyst Johnny Miller didn\'t pull any punches two weeks ago when he said Tiger Woods\' downfall reminded him of the Mike Tyson story.\n</p><p>\n\"Sort of invincible, scared everybody, performed quickly under pressure — until Buster Douglas came along,\" Miller said. \"Tiger sort of hit that and it\'s life. And his life crumbled.\"\n</p><p>\nWoods was asked about the comparison with Tyson on Wednesday.\n</p><p>\n\"I don\'t think I\'m as big as he is,\" Woods said. \"No, that\'s Johnny being Johnny, and making statements like that, I think he\'s done that before in the past, hasn\'t he?\"\n</p><p>\nWoods then was asked if Miller had crossed the line.\n</p><p>\n\"Everyone is entitled to their opinion,\" he said. \"And he has his, which is a lot.\"\n</p><p>\n___\n</p><p>\nDIVOTS: Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, who grew up together in South Africa, will be in the same pairing the first two days. Schwartzel said it will be the first time they\'ve been in the same group for the early rounds since they turned pro. ... Tim Clark will be playing for the first time since his runner-up finish at the Sony Open two months ago because of an elbow injury. ... Of the 48 PGA Tour members in the 69-man field, five have never won a PGA Tour event — rookie Charl Schwartzel, Kevin Na, Jeff Overton, Rickie Fowler and Kevin Streelman, who got into the field based on his third-place finish in the FedEx Cup playoff opener last year at The Barclays.</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Tiger\'s caddie has become quite the frequent flyer   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_go_ne/glf_doral_notebook\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_go_ne/glf_doral_notebook</a></p>',-2,5,0,39,'2011-03-09 18:00:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:00:00','2011-03-10 19:21:54','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(461,'NASCAR chairman France pleased with fast start   (AP)','nascar-chairman-france-pleased-with-fast-start-ap','','AP - NASCAR chairman Brian France passed on the chance to trumpet the fast start to the season, stressing the task is sustaining the positives over the entire year.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>CHARLOTTE, N.C. – NASCAR chairman Brian France passed on the chance to trumpet the fast start to the season, stressing the task is sustaining the positives over the entire year.</p>\n                <p>Television ratings are up for the first three races of the season, and the events at both Phoenix and Las Vegas sold out. France also credited the competition, which produced 20-year-old Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne and saw Jeff Gordon snap his 66-race losing streak.</p>\n                <p>\"No one around here is celebrating,\" France said in a Wednesday conference call. \"We\'re obviously pleased we\'re up dramatically in our ratings, but we know that is an ebb and flow thing. We\'re focused on a lot of things that will give us growth down the road.</p>\n                <p>\"We\'re going to work on those, not get too excited or too down.\"</p>\n                <p>NASCAR does not race this weekend because the series has historically had an early season break. Despite concerns the timing could hurt the momentum NASCAR is trying to build after several seasons of slumping ratings and attendance, France said the length of the 11-month season made it a minor issue.</p>\n                <p>But, the off weekend will move next season because NASCAR is pushing back the Daytona 500 one week in response to potential NFL scheduling changes.</p>\n                <p>\"In my view, all things being equal, we\'d probably like to be racing this weekend,\" France said. \"But I don\'t believe that to be a significant challenge for us because we happen to have an open week. We have a long season; we\'re going to have some open weeks. In the long run, with the 500 moving, it will by definition take care of that.\"</p>\n                <p>Speaking for the first time since January, France used the 30-minute national conference call to discuss a successful first three races. Bayne\'s surprise win in the Daytona 500 created a buzz for NASCAR that carried over into the last two weeks.</p>\n                <p>Gordon, the four-time series champion, then won at Phoenix and Carl Edwards won before a sellout crowd in Las Vegas. The weekend also was marked by Danica Patrick\'s career-best fourth-place finish in the Nationwide Series — the best finish by a woman in a national NASCAR race — and a strong run by Dale Earnhardt Jr. that moved NASCAR\'s most popular driver into the top 10 in points.</p>\n                <p>France hoped all could help NASCAR attract the coveted 18-to-34 fan base that\'s declined the past several years.</p>\n                <p>\"I think having a young winner, and Jeff Gordon runs up our young fan base, and then Junior, arguably he\'s competitive more than he was a year ago,\" France said, adding that Patrick dispelled the \"discussion did she have the right stuff to compete in the Nationwide Series?</p>\n                <p>\"I think she elevated herself quite nicely. That\'s nice to see.\"</p>\n                <p>The upswing has been noticed by both drivers and track operators, as well.</p>\n                <p>Marcus Smith, president and CEO of Speedway Motorsports Inc., said corporate sponsorship was up at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last weekend and pointed out that Quaker State just signed on as title sponsor of Kentucky Speedway\'s inaugural race.</p>\n                <p>\"I think the sponsorship will come back more quickly than attendance,\" Smith said. \"We\'ve got a lot of other announcements about people coming back, a lot of renewals with our sponsors, and a lot of new companies interested in our sport.\"</p>\n                <p>Kasey Kahne said there\'s been a noticeable increase in energy surrounding the events.</p>\n                <p>\"The crowds have looked good. I know at Daytona, you go to get in your car, and you see that many people at the race track again, it\'s impressive,\" he said. \"It\'s nice to be part of that. Vegas and Phoenix were the same. It\'s neat. We\'ve got to get it back on top.\"</p>\n                <p>Both France and Kahne credited the competition for bringing back fan interest.\n</p><p>\nThe three winners in three races is the first time since 2007 there hasn\'t been a repeat winner through the first three events, 32 different drivers have led at least one lap, and both Daytona and Phoenix set records for lead changes.\n</p><p>\n\"Obviously, the competition has never been better,\" France said. \"There\'s still some challenges for us and for many, many sports, many companies, with still an uncertain outlook for the economy. As we said all along, we\'re not economists, we\'re not building around doom and gloom (or) a robust economy.\n</p><p>\n\"We\'re doing what we think we need to do.\"</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"NASCAR chairman France pleased with fast start   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_au_ra_ne/car_nascar_france_fast_start\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_sp_au_ra_ne/car_nascar_france_fast_start</a></p>',-2,5,0,39,'2011-03-09 17:19:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 17:19:00','2011-03-10 19:21:55','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(462,'Turing award goes to \'machine learning\' expert   (AP)','turing-award-goes-to-machine-learning-expert-ap','','AP - A Harvard University professor has been awarded a top technology prize for research that has paved the way for computers that more closely mimic how humans think, including the one that won a \"Jeopardy!\" tournament.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>SAN FRANCISCO – A Harvard University professor has been awarded a top technology prize for research that has paved the way for computers that more closely mimic how humans think, including the one that won a \"Jeopardy!\" tournament.</p>\n                <p>Leslie Valiant, who teaches computer science and applied mathematics at Harvard\'s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, was awarded the A.M. Turing Award for 2010, the Association for Computing Machinery said Wednesday. The $250,000 award is considered the Nobel Prize of computing and is named after the famous British mathematician Alan M. Turing.</p>\n                <p>Some of Valiant\'s biggest contributions concern the mathematical foundations of computer learning, an area of study that has led to breakthroughs such as IBM Corp.\'s Watson, the machine built to play \"Jeopardy!\" In matches aired last month, the computer breezed past two of the game show\'s top winners in a display of how far computer scientists have come in programming computers to understand the subtleties of human language and make decisions based on the mountains of data the machines are able to store.</p>\n                <p>The association cited contributions that have led to advances in artificial intelligence and areas such as natural language processing, handwriting recognition and computer vision. It also cited his influential models for \"parallel computing,\" or processing many different kinds of data at once rather than the one-at-a-time approach of traditional computing.</p>\n                <p>Intel Corp., the world\'s biggest computer chip maker, and Google Inc., the Internet search leader, provide funding for the prize.</p>\n                <p>ACM President Alain Chesnais said Valiant\'s accomplishments over the past 30 years have led to \"extraordinary achievements\" in machine learning.</p>\n                <p>\"His work has produced modeling that offers computationally inspired answers on fundamental questions like how the brain \'computes,\'\" Chesnais said. \"His profound vision in computer science, mathematics, and cognitive theory have been combined with other techniques to build modern forms of machine learning and communication, like IBM\'s \'Watson\' computing system, that have enabled computing systems to rival a human\'s ability to answer questions.\"</p>\n                <p>The organization cited Valiant\'s \"Theory of the Learnable,\" published in 1984 in Communications of the Association for Computing Machinery, as one of the \"seminal contributions to machine learning.\" His 1982 paper, \"A Scheme for Fast Parallel Communication,\" offered a simple solution to data congestion when computers communicate over networks with limited capacity.</p>\n                <p>The award will be presented June 4 at a ceremony in San Jose, Calif.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Turing award goes to \'machine learning\' expert   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_technology_prize\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_technology_prize</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-03-09 09:26:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 09:26:00','2011-03-10 19:21:56','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(463,'Obamas take anti-bullying message to Facebook   (AP)','obamas-take-anti-bullying-message-to-facebook-ap','','AP - President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama have posted a video on Facebook to promote a bullying prevention conference they\'ll host at the White House.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama have posted a video on Facebook to promote a bullying prevention conference they\'ll host at the White House.</p>\n                <p>In a taped video message, the president says that bullying should no longer be treated as an unavoidable part of growing up. He says schools and communities must be a safe place where children can thrive.</p>\n                <p>Thursday\'s conference will bring together parents, students and educators to discuss ways to stop bullying.</p>\n                <p>As the parents of two daughters, the Obamas have said this is a personal issue for them. The president also taped an anti-bullying message last year for the \"It Gets Better\" campaign following a string of bullying related suicides by young people.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Obamas take anti-bullying message to Facebook   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_bullying\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_bullying</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-03-09 08:33:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 08:33:00','2011-03-10 19:21:57','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(464,'PlayStation Plus users to get in-the-cloud storage for game saves   (Ben Patterson)','playstation-plus-users-to-get-in-the-cloud-storage-for-game-saves-ben-patterson','','Ben Patterson - Starting Thursday, those who pony up for Sony\'s premium \"PlayStation Plus\" service will be able to back up their PS3 saved-game data online—a feature that could come in handy if your console\'s hard drive goes belly-up. The online storage feature …','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>Starting Thursday, those who pony up for Sony\'s premium \"PlayStation Plus\" service will be able to back up their PS3 saved-game data online—a feature that could come in handy if your console\'s hard drive goes belly-up.</p>\n                <p>The online storage feature <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/yblog_technews/tc_yblog_technews/storytext/playstation-plus-users-to-get-in-the-cloud-storage-for-game-saves/40589048/SIG=135a57134/*http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/03/09/online-storage-for-game-saves-coming-to-playstation-plus/\">will arrive March 10</a>—tomorrow—with PS3 firmware update 3.60 (which will also include other \"minor features\" to be named later).</p>\n                <p>Nice, but you won\'t be able to access the new online storage locker without a subscription to PlayStation Plus, Sony\'s premium, $50-a-year PSN service that offers games, early access to game demos and betas, and other miscellaneous goodies.</p>\n                <p>PlayStation Plus users can expect 150MB of online storage, or up to 1,000 game files, which you\'ll be able to access from the PlayStation 3\'s XrossMediaBar—and yes, you\'ll be able to tap into your online files from another PS3 console besides your own, provided you log in with your PSN ID and password first.</p>\n                <p>The online backup service will work with copy-protected game saves, PSN Senior Director Susan Panico promises, and you\'ll be able to restore all your saved data once every 24 hours.</p>\n                <p>The new online storage feature will come as a relief to any PS3 owner whose hard drive conks out, erasing all their game saves in the process—no small thing, particularly for anyone who\'s been grinding away at a given title for weeks or months. (I recently lost a year\'s worth of progress in \"Dragon Age: Origins\" <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/yblog_technews/tc_yblog_technews/storytext/playstation-plus-users-to-get-in-the-cloud-storage-for-game-saves/40589048/SIG=12ij015is/*http://tech.benpatterson.net/2011/02/sony-fixes-ps3-update-356-but-keeps-it.html\">after a botched hard drive swap</a>, and yes, I\'m still pretty bummed about it.)</p>\n                <p>Related:<br /><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/yblog_technews/tc_yblog_technews/storytext/playstation-plus-users-to-get-in-the-cloud-storage-for-game-saves/40589048/SIG=135a57134/*http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/03/09/online-storage-for-game-saves-coming-to-playstation-plus/\"> Online Storage for Game Saves Coming to PlayStation Plus</a> [PlayStation blog]</p>\n                <p>— Ben Patterson is a technology blogger for Yahoo! News.</p>\n                <p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/yblog_technews/tc_yblog_technews/storytext/playstation-plus-users-to-get-in-the-cloud-storage-for-game-saves/40589048/SIG=10s2cgs67/*http://twitter.com/benpatt\">Follow me on Twitter!</a></p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"PlayStation Plus users to get in-the-cloud storage for game saves   (Ben Patterson)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20110309/tc_yblog_technews/playstation-plus-users-to-get-in-the-cloud-storage-for-game-saves\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20110309/tc_yblog_technews/playstation-plus-users-to-get-in-the-cloud-storage-for-game-saves</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-03-09 13:33:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 13:33:00','2011-03-10 19:21:58','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(465,'“Every one” of HP’s PCs to run WebOS, starting next year   (Ben Patterson)','every-one-of-hps-pcs-to-run-webos-starting-next-year-ben-patterson','','Ben Patterson - Looks like HP wasn\'t kidding when it said that its newly acquired, touch-friendly WebOS platform would be making a move beyond tablets and smartphones. In an interview with Bloomberg News, HP CEO Leo Apotheker said the company is looking to …','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>Looks like HP wasn\'t kidding when it said that its newly acquired, touch-friendly WebOS platform <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/news/yblog_technews/tc_yblog_technews/storytext/every-one-of-hps-pcs-to-run-webos-starting-next-year/40587432/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20110209/tc_yblog_technews/hp-unveils-webos-based-touchpad-minus-palm-brand\">would be making a move</a> beyond tablets and smartphones.</p>\n                <p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/yblog_technews/tc_yblog_technews/storytext/every-one-of-hps-pcs-to-run-webos-starting-next-year/40587432/SIG=13ebs8tmq/*http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-03-09/apotheker-seeks-to-save-hp-s-lost-soul-with-software-growth.html\">In an interview with Bloomberg News</a>, HP CEO Leo Apotheker said the company is looking to bring WebOS, the touchscreen platform that it acquired along with Palm last year, to its latest PCs starting in 2012.</p>\n                <p>And we\'re not just a few of its PCs, Apotheker said. Instead, think \"every one\" of them, as the Bloomberg story puts it.</p>\n                <p>The article goes light on the details, with Apotheker telling Bloomberg that bringing WebOS to its upcoming PCs would \"create a massive platform\" and thereby draw a larger pool of app developers.</p>\n                <p>Also left unsaid: whether we\'d be talking dual-boot Windows/WebOS systems (which may or may not come with WebOS preinstalled) or Windows PCs that would run WebOS simultaneously (more likely). For the record, the Bloomberg story says the plan is for PCs that \"include the ability to run WebOS,\" leaving open the possibility that WebOS would be an optional extra.</p>\n                <p>If HP\'s WebOS strategy sounds a little random, well … just consider the <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/news/yblog_technews/tc_yblog_technews/storytext/every-one-of-hps-pcs-to-run-webos-starting-next-year/40587432/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20101020/tc_yblog_technews/apple-unveils-new-macbook-air-previews-revamped-mac-os-x\">upcoming Mac OS X \"Lion,\"</a> which (as <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/yblog_technews/tc_yblog_technews/storytext/every-one-of-hps-pcs-to-run-webos-starting-next-year/40587432/SIG=12ignf9b9/*http://www.loopinsight.com/2011/03/09/hp-ceo-webos-coming-to-all-hp-pcs-in-2012/\">The Loop points out</a>) is expected to bring elements of Apple\'s mobile iOS platform—including the App Store and iPhone-like Launchpad for apps—to the Mac.</p>\n                <p>And then there\'s <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/news/yblog_technews/tc_yblog_technews/storytext/every-one-of-hps-pcs-to-run-webos-starting-next-year/40587432/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20110207/tc_yblog_technews/hps-unveils-new-sliding-touchscreen-pcs\">HP\'s new TouchSmart Windows PCs</a>, including a new model with a 23-inch touch-enabled display (pictured here) that slides down to a 60-degree angle, essentially turning the thing into a giant touch panel.</p>\n                <p></p><p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/yblog_technews/tc_yblog_technews/storytext/every-one-of-hps-pcs-to-run-webos-starting-next-year/40587432/SIG=11e1qbfrb/*http://mit.zenfs.com/75/2011/03/DSC01193.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-2097 aligncenter\" title=\"DSC01193\" src=\"http://mit.zenfs.com/75/2011/03/DSC01193.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"464\" /></a></p>\n                <p>For now, HP\'s TouchSmart PC relies on the company\'s own TouchSmart skin, which adds a touch-friendly layer of apps and functionality atop Windows 7.</p>\n                <p>So … picture the same TouchSmart PC, except this time running on WebOS rather than the TouchSmart interface—and maybe even capable of syncing with your WebOS-powered TouchPad tablet or smartphone.</p>\n                <p>It\'s an interesting strategy, and one that HP badly needs if it wants to stand apart from the crowd and boost <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/yblog_technews/tc_yblog_technews/storytext/every-one-of-hps-pcs-to-run-webos-starting-next-year/40587432/SIG=12nrc0c11/*http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fiw-hewlett-packard-earns-20110222,0,7490716.story\">its sagging revenue</a>.</p>\n                <p>But will users actually take to a full-on mobile OS running on a PC—especially those without touchscreens? Good question. Hopefully, we\'ll get more answers at <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/yblog_technews/tc_yblog_technews/storytext/every-one-of-hps-pcs-to-run-webos-starting-next-year/40587432/SIG=12ocrjm7s/*http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9206101/HP_chief_to_reveal_strategy_on_March_14\">HP\'s coming \"summit meeting,\"</a> slated for March 14 in San Francisco.</p>\n                <p>Related:<br /><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/yblog_technews/tc_yblog_technews/storytext/every-one-of-hps-pcs-to-run-webos-starting-next-year/40587432/SIG=13ebs8tmq/*http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-03-09/apotheker-seeks-to-save-hp-s-lost-soul-with-software-growth.html\"> Apotheker Seeks to Save HP\'s \'Lost Soul\' With Software Growth</a> [Bloomberg News, via BusinessWeek]</p>\n                <p>— Ben Patterson is a technology blogger for Yahoo! News.</p>\n                <p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/yblog_technews/tc_yblog_technews/storytext/every-one-of-hps-pcs-to-run-webos-starting-next-year/40587432/SIG=10s2cgs67/*http://twitter.com/benpatt\">Follow me on Twitter!</a></p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"“Every one” of HP’s PCs to run WebOS, starting next year   (Ben Patterson)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20110309/tc_yblog_technews/every-one-of-hps-pcs-to-run-webos-starting-next-year\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20110309/tc_yblog_technews/every-one-of-hps-pcs-to-run-webos-starting-next-year</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-03-09 11:41:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 11:41:00','2011-03-10 19:21:59','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(466,'Bandcamp Offering More Than One Day of Free Streaming Music From SXSW Artists   (Mashable)','bandcamp-offering-more-than-one-day-of-free-streaming-music-from-sxsw-artists-mashable','','Mashable - Going to SXSW Music (a.k.a. Hipster Spring Break) this year? Well, music-sharing platform Bandcamp has you covered with aggregated songs from 470 artists performing at the fest.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>Going to SXSW Music (a.k.a. Hipster Spring Break) this year? Well, music-sharing platform Bandcamp has you covered with aggregated songs from 470 artists performing at the fest.</p>\n                <p>\nSurf on over the <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/mashable/tc_mashable/storytext/bandcamp_offering_more_than_one_day_of_free_streaming_music_from_sxsw_artists/40593188/SIG=10quurm0s/*http://bandcamp.com/sxsw\" target=\"_blank\">Bandcamp\'s site</a>, where you will be greeted by a page featuring an enticing array of album covers from SXSW bands (who also use Bandcamp). You can either click on album art to hear specific jams, or just press the \"Listen\" button to stream a full 1 day, 6 hours, 25 minutes and 41 seconds of music.</p>\n                <p>\nI don\'t know about you, but I like to be prepared when I go to a music fest -- you know, so I don\'t just go see that band I\'ve seen four times already for a solid fifth round, and stand around perplexed by the plethora of shiny new bands glinting around me.</p>\n                <p>\nSo study up, children -- this is only the tip of the musical iceberg (there\'s more than 2,000 bands attending the fest -- and that\'s not counting the kids who plan to drive 30 hours and play on the sidewalk outside the venues). </p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Bandcamp Offering More Than One Day of Free Streaming Music From SXSW Artists   (Mashable)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/mashable/20110309/tc_mashable/bandcamp_offering_more_than_one_day_of_free_streaming_music_from_sxsw_artists\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/mashable/20110309/tc_mashable/bandcamp_offering_more_than_one_day_of_free_streaming_music_from_sxsw_artists</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-03-09 13:32:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 13:32:00','2011-03-10 19:22:00','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(467,'Home WiFi gives 30 percent slower connection: study   (Reuters)','home-wifi-gives-30-percent-slower-connection-study-reuters','','Reuters - Download speeds for consumers using WiFi stations are on average 30 percent slower than they are for users of fixed connections, because of physical barriers and interference from devices like microwaves, a study showed on Thursday.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>HELSINKI (Reuters) – Download speeds for consumers using WiFi stations are on average 30 percent slower than they are for users of fixed connections, because of physical barriers and interference from devices like microwaves, a study showed on Thursday.</p>\n                <p>\nBroadband research firm Epitiro said the differences are rarely visible when surfing Internet, but higher latency and bigger loss of data transferred over WiFi connection could well hurt usage of online gaming, Internet telephony or video streaming.</p>\n                <p>\nThe advice to consumers is simple.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Set up your laptop at location at home where you get a good signal,\" said professor Andy Nix from Bristol University.</p>\n                <p>\n\"When you are far from the WiFi station, on battery, and your microwave is on -- the connection is not that great.\"</p>\n                <p>\nFor the study Epitiro monitored performance of 14,001 consumer broadband connections in Britain, United States, Italy and Spain from November 2010 to February 2011.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Tarmo Virki; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Home WiFi gives 30 percent slower connection: study   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110310/wr_nm/us_internet_home_wireless\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110310/wr_nm/us_internet_home_wireless</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-03-09 19:03:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 19:03:00','2011-03-10 19:22:00','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(468,'Apple releases iOS 4.3   (Digital Trends)','apple-releases-ios-43-digital-trends','','Digital Trends - Apple has set loose iOS 4.3, the latest version of its mobile operating system for iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch devices. The update includes support for mobile hotspot tethering with the iPhone 4, support for iTunes Home Sharing as well as  improvements to Apple’s wireless AirPlay technology, and support new multitouch gestures. Web surfers will also be happy to note the update includes significant performance improvements to Apple’s own Safari browser: according to Apple, Safari in iOS 4.3 runs JavasScript up to twice as fast as previous versions.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/digitaltrends/tc_digitaltrends/storytext/applereleasesios43/40593195/SIG=149dubtn6/*http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/software-mobile/ios-4-3-adds-wi-fi-hotspot-capability-boosts-safari-performance/attachment/ios-4-3/\"><img src=\"http://www.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/ios-4.3.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"ios-4.3\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-287801\" style=\"float: right;\" /></a></p>\n                <p>\n\nApple has set loose <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/digitaltrends/tc_digitaltrends/storytext/applereleasesios43/40593195/SIG=10rtp13gj/*http://www.apple.com/ios/\">iOS 4.3</a>, the latest version of its mobile operating system for iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch devices. The update includes support for mobile hotspot tethering with the iPhone 4, support for iTunes Home Sharing as well as  improvements to Apple’s wireless AirPlay technology, and support new multitouch gestures. Web surfers will also be happy to note the update includes significant performance improvements to Apple’s own Safari browser: according to Apple, Safari in iOS 4.3 runs JavasScript up to twice as fast as previous versions.\n</p>\n                <p>\n\nPerhaps the most-anticipated feature in iOS 4.3 is the personal hotspot capability for the iPhone 4, enabling users to share their 3G connectivity via Wi-Fi with up to five nearby devices. However, users will pay their mobile carriers extra for the privilege: with both AT&amp;T and Verizon Wireless it’ll add an additional $20 a month to an existing plan.\n</p>\n                <p>\n\nAirPlay enables users to put content from their iOS device to a compatible HDTV or speaker system—and that includes not just photos, videos, and music but even AirPlay-enabled Web sites and applications—although it’s widely expected that some media-centric app makers might lock their apps from being shared via AirPlay. iTunes Home Sharing enables user to connect to their entire iTunes library from anywhere on their shared home Wi-Fi network, including videos, photos, music, and even books.  iPad users will also appreciate that the iPad’s original orientation lock switch can be set to either lock orientation or mute—users will no longer be stuck with one function or the other.\n</p>\n                <p>\n\nHowever, there will be some Apple device users disappointed in iOS 4.3, namely folks using an iPhone 3G or a second-generation iPod touch: their devices aren’t supported.\n</p>\n                <p>\n\nThe iOS 4.3 update is available now from Apple; users with supported devices can update by connecting their device to an Internet-enabled Mac or PC and following the onscreen instructions in iTunes. </p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Apple releases iOS 4.3   (Digital Trends)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/20110309/tc_digitaltrends/applereleasesios43\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/20110309/tc_digitaltrends/applereleasesios43</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-03-09 18:24:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:24:00','2011-03-10 19:22:01','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(469,'Android apps to survive SXSW 2011   (Appolicious)','android-apps-to-survive-sxsw-2011-appolicious','','Appolicious - It’s that time of year again: Spring break. For nerds. SXSW has become synonymous with the season, presenting the world of media arts an opportunity to relax, get to know each other, and party like there’s no tomorrow. Whether you’re headed to Austin for the geek or game show, film or music, SXSW is a sampling of culture and convention in its own right. It’s also a great chance to get to know your phone better. These Android apps will keep you sane in the midst of springtime madness, orienting your schedule, social interactions and more.','<div><div id=\"article_body\" class=\"clearfix\">\n    			\n    			<p>It’s that time of year again: Spring break. For nerds. SXSW has become synonymous with the season, presenting the world of media arts an opportunity to relax, get to know each other, and party like there’s no tomorrow. Whether you’re headed to Austin for the geek or game show, film or music, SXSW is a sampling of culture and convention in its own right. It’s also a great chance to get to know your phone better. These Android apps will keep you sane in the midst of springtime madness, orienting your schedule, social interactions and more.</p>&#13;\n<p><em>Since Appolicious loves helping people discover the best Android apps, we are sponsoring the <a href=\"http://androidandme.com/2011/03/applications/team-android-choice-awards-finalists-announced/\" target=\"_blank\">Team Android Choice Award - Best Android App SXSW 2011</a>. The show starts at the Android and Me Team Android party on March 13th at 7:30 p.m., with each app getting two minutes to pitch their app to a \'packed house of elite Android nerds\' who will vote live to pick a winner.</em></p>&#13;\n<h2>Organized chaos</h2>&#13;\n<p><a href=\"/tech/apps/585918-sxsw-go-sxsw-inc\"><img src=\"http://c1345842.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/assets/apps/icons/000/585/918/fourtyfive.png?1299283316\" alt=\"\" width=\"45\" height=\"45\" /></a><a href=\"/tech/apps/585918-SXSW-go-SXSW-inc\">SXSW Go</a> is the official app of the conference, with interactive schedules of panels, presentations and parties. Stay updated with the SXSW feed, add events to your schedule, and get all the details you need for artists, speakers and companies. This free Android app is a lot more useful than those bulky maps they stuff down your badges.</p>&#13;\n<p><a href=\"/apps/307331-where-where-inc\"><img class=\"right\" src=\"http://c1345842.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/assets/apps/icons/000/307/331/fourtyfive.png?1298460534\" alt=\"\" width=\"45\" height=\"45\" /></a>Austin is a great city to explore, if you can tear yourself away from the convention center and its handful of surrounding eateries. <a href=\"/apps/307331-where-where-inc\">WHERE</a> can jump start your gastro-adventure, searching and recommending restaurants throughout the city. The recently updated Android app will consider your taste buds and your friends’, so you can pick a local meet-up spot that complements both pallets.</p>&#13;\n<p><a href=\"/apps/436383-orbitz-hotels-flights-cars-orbitz-worldwide-llc\"><img src=\"http://c1345842.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/assets/apps/icons/000/436/383/fourtyfive.png?1298436071\" alt=\"\" width=\"45\" height=\"45\" /></a>I’m guessing you’ve already booked your boarding, but every year I come across someone in need of a room. For those people, there’s the free <a href=\"/apps/436383-orbitz-hotels-flights-cars-orbitz-worldwide-llc\">Orbitz</a> app. It searches and locates nearby hotel discounts, keeping you within your SXSW budget. And if your budget is of true concern, you’ll likely need a rental car to cart you back downtown. Orbitz can help with that, too.</p>&#13;\n<p><a href=\"/shine/apps/307184-tabbedout-atx-innovation\"><img class=\"right\" src=\"http://c1345842.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/assets/apps/icons/000/307/184/fourtyfive.png?1292730481\" alt=\"\" width=\"45\" height=\"45\" /></a>There’s nothing more chaotic than the social scene at SXSW. Make a good impression by buying colleagues and potential business partners a drink, or even lunch. To keep things simple, the <a href=\"/shine/apps/307184-tabbedout-atx-innovation\">TabbedOut</a> app lets you pay for the bill, monitors your transactions, and keeps your credit card safely in your wallet. The free Android app helps you split the bill, too.</p>&#13;\n<p><span><strong>Related:</strong> <a href=\"/tech/articles/6905-great-business-apps-for-android-users\">Great business apps for Android users</a></span></p>&#13;\n<h2>Location wars</h2>&#13;\n<p><a href=\"/tech/apps/297674-twitter-twitter-inc\"><img src=\"http://c1345842.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/assets/apps/icons/000/297/674/fourtyfive.png?1298574459\" alt=\"\" width=\"45\" height=\"45\" /></a><a href=\"/tech/apps/297674-twitter-twitter-inc\">Twitter</a> started a mobile revolution at SXSW, so it’s only fitting that you’d arm yourself with this convenient microblogging app. It’s a chance to figuratively <em>and</em> literally follow your favorite Twitter rock stars, and not feel badly about your stalker tendencies. Stay updated with trending events, flash parties and promotions, as well as friends. This Android app is free.</p>&#13;\n<p><a href=\"/tech/apps/306591-foursquare-foursquare\"><img class=\"right\" src=\"http://c1345842.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/assets/apps/icons/000/306/591/fourtyfive.png?1298461449\" alt=\"\" width=\"45\" height=\"45\" /></a><a href=\"/tech/apps/306591-foursquare-foursquare\">Foursquare</a> became a smash hit at SXSW, and its social gaming take on location-awareness has popularized this free Android app. Any brand running SXSW campaigns will have a Foursquare tie-in, so this is an extremely handy app to have during the conference. You can also use it to search for nearby necessities, like Walgreens (trust me on this one).</p>&#13;\n<p><a href=\"/tech/apps/310209-gowalla-gowalla\"><img src=\"http://c1345842.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/assets/apps/icons/000/310/209/fourtyfive.?1298056652\" alt=\"\" width=\"45\" height=\"45\" /></a><a href=\"/tech/apps/310209-gowalla-gowalla\">Gowalla</a> has thrown its hat into the ring, with its own take on location-awareness. Search locally, check-in to various locations, earn badges and rewards. Gowalla will have plenty of promos at SXSW as well. Updated earlier this week, the free app is more social than ever, with reviews, photos and tips for nearby venues.</p>&#13;\n<h2>Work time</h2>&#13;\n<p><a href=\"/tech/apps/314743-bump-bump-technologies-inc\"><img src=\"http://c1345842.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/assets/apps/icons/000/314/743/fourtyfive.png?1298460879\" alt=\"\" width=\"45\" height=\"45\" /></a>You’re going to meet people every few minutes at SXSW, so let your Android keep track of all your new contacts. <a href=\"/tech/apps/314743-bump-bump-technologies-inc\">Bump</a> is a free app that lets you share contact information by simply bumping your phone with another, even if they’re an iPhone snob. The Bump app is also useful for sharing things with existing friends, like photos and mobile applications.</p>&#13;\n<p><a href=\"/tech/apps/594509-hashable-hashable-inc\"><img class=\"right\" src=\"http://c1345842.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/assets/apps/icons/000/594/509/fourtyfive.png?1298707916\" alt=\"\" width=\"45\" height=\"44\" /></a><a href=\"/tech/apps/594509-hashable-hashable-inc\">Hashable</a> has entered the scene just in time for SXSW, with some tools specific for business networking. Exchange contact info with new friends, and create a relationship “diary” of your follow-up interactions. You can check-in with them, tag your location and dynamically capture these interactions. You can also use this free app to make introductions between others.</p>&#13;\n<p><a href=\"/tech/apps/301964-wordpress-automattic-inc\"><img src=\"http://c1345842.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/assets/apps/icons/000/301/964/fourtyfive.png?1298458937\" alt=\"\" width=\"45\" height=\"45\" /></a>If you’re blogging from SXSW, the <a href=\"/tech/apps/301964-wordpress-automattic-inc\">WordPress</a> app is a necessity (if you’re an existing user). The recently updated Android app offers mobile access for quick posts, including text and photos. You’ll also be able to make quick edits to published articles, without having to pull out your laptop or search for a Wi-Fi signal.</p>&#13;\n<p><a href=\"/finance/apps/350906-appolicious-androidapps-com-appolicious-inc\">Download the free Appolicious Android app</a></p>\n    			\n    			</div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Android apps to survive SXSW 2011   (Appolicious)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_androidapps_com_articles7026_android_apps_to_survive_sxsw_2011/40591092/SIG=12htd1slf/*http%3A//www.androidapps.com/tech/articles/7026-android-apps-to-survive-sxsw-2011\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_androidapps_com_articles7026_android_apps_to_survive_sxsw_2011/40591092/SIG=12htd1slf/*http%3A//www.androidapps.com/tech/articles/7026-android-apps-to-survive-sxsw-2011</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-03-09 16:00:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 16:00:00','2011-03-10 19:22:02','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(470,'Facebook puts six on Forbes billionaire list   (Reuters)','facebook-puts-six-on-forbes-billionaire-list-reuters','','Reuters - Facebook not only made household names out of its founders thanks to the movie \"The Social Network\" -- it has also minted the latest crop of the richest people on the planet.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>NEW YORK (Reuters) – Facebook not only made household names out of its founders thanks to the movie \"The Social Network\" -- it has also minted the latest crop of the richest people on the planet.</p>\n                <p>\nSix of the founders and investors behind the hot Internet startup made the annual list of world\'s top billionaires compiled by Forbes and published on Wednesday -- and four of them are new to the roster.</p>\n                <p>\nThey join a list of others made wealthy by the latest gold rush on the Internet, underscoring the extent of the resurgence in a sector left for dead at the turn of the millennium.</p>\n                <p>\nFacebook co-founder and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg clocked in at No. 52 with an estimated worth of $13.5 billion, up from 212 and $4 billion in 2010.</p>\n                <p>\nCo-founders Dustin Moskovitz, the youngest billionaire on the Forbes list at 26, Eduardo Saverin, and investors Sean Parker and Russian Yuri Milner are new to the ranks. Rounding out Forbes\' \"Facebook Six\" is investor Peter Thiel, who has moved down to 833 from 828, despite increasing his wealth to $1.5 billion from $1.2 billion.</p>\n                <p>\nCreated in a Harvard dorm room in 2004, Facebook rocketed from an online directory for college students to the world\'s No. 1 social network, quickly surpassing its predecessor Friendster and dominating its rival News Corp\'s MySpace in popularity.</p>\n                <p>\nFacebook has about 600 million users and is a threat to more established big Web businesses such as Google and Yahoo for users\' time and advertising dollars.</p>\n                <p>\nThe private Silicon Valley company recently rounded up $1.5 billion in financing led by Goldman Sachs and Milner\'s Russian investment firm Digital Sky Technologies, suggesting it could be worth $50 billion and setting off a feeding frenzy among investors.</p>\n                <p>\nOther names familiar in tech, media and Internet circles make an appearance on the Forbes list. Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page both come in at No. 24 on the Forbes list, unchanged from a year earlier though their fortunes have increased to $19.8 billion each from $17.5 billion each.</p>\n                <p>\nIn China, Robin Li, the man behind the popular search engine Baidu, is listed with an estimated wealth of $9.4 billion. Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba.com -- a site similar to eBay for businesses\' transactions -- is worth $1.6 billion.</p>\n                <p>\nDigital Sky Technologies Chief Executive Milner, credited with beating Silicon Valley at its own game, landed on the cover of Forbes\' billionaires list magazine. His firm holds stakes in the center of this generation\'s Internet leaders including social gaming Zynga and the online coupon site Groupon.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Jennifer Saba; Editing by Gary Hill)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Facebook puts six on Forbes billionaire list   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/wr_nm/us_billionaires_facebook\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/wr_nm/us_billionaires_facebook</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-03-09 18:12:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:12:00','2011-03-10 19:22:03','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(471,'House panel votes to repeal new FCC Internet rules   (AP)','house-panel-votes-to-repeal-new-fcc-internet-rules-ap','','AP - A Republican-controlled Congressional panel has voted to repeal new Federal Communications Commission rules that prohibit phone and cable companies from interfering with Internet traffic on their broadband networks.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>WASHINGTON – A Republican-controlled Congressional panel has voted to repeal new Federal Communications Commission rules that prohibit phone and cable companies from interfering with Internet traffic on their broadband networks.</p>\n                <p>The House Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology voted 15-to-8 along party lines Wednesday to overturn the FCC\'s new \"network neutrality\" regulations. The FCC\'s three Democrats voted to adopt the regulations in December over the opposition of the agency\'s two Republicans.</p>\n                <p>The rules are intended to prevent phone and cable companies from using their control over broadband connections to dictate where their subscribers go and what they do online. They prohibit broadband providers from favoring or discriminating against Internet content and services, including online calling services like Skype and Web video services like Netflix that could compete with their core phone and cable operations.</p>\n                <p>Wednesday\'s vote marks the second attempt by House Republicans to reverse the FCC\'s actions. Last month, they attached an amendment to a sweeping spending bill that would prohibit the agency from using government money to implement its new regulations.</p>\n                <p>Republicans argue that the rules will discourage phone and cable companies from investing in costly network upgrades by barring them from offering premium services over their lines or prioritizing traffic from business partners in order to earn a return on those investments. They also maintain that the FCC overstepped its authority in adopting the rules.</p>\n                <p>Verizon Communications Inc. and Metro PCS Communications Inc. are also challenging the rules in federal appeals court in the District of Columbia.</p>\n                <p>Last year, that same court ruled that the FCC had exceeded its legal authority in rebuking cable giant Comcast Corp. for blocking its subscribers from accessing an Internet file-sharing service used to trade online video and other big files. Comcast maintained that traffic from the service was clogging its network.</p>\n                <p>The agency said Comcast had violated broad net neutrality principles first established by the commission in 2005. Those principles served as a foundation for the formal rules adopted by the FCC late last year.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"House panel votes to repeal new FCC Internet rules   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_internet_rules_house_vote\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_internet_rules_house_vote</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-03-09 17:48:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 17:48:00','2011-03-10 19:22:04','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(517,'West\'s strikes on Libya hit Arab League criticism   (Reuters)','wests-strikes-on-libya-hit-arab-league-criticism-reuters','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110320/wl_nm/us_libya\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110319/capt.1611f2bad4664d5bb3e3dcef2adba586-1611f2bad4664d5bb3e3dcef2adba586-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=86&amp;q=85&amp;sig=JkuTaCi5LIlkJ3G9ITSu3A--\" height=\"86\" width=\"130\" alt=\"West\'s strikes on Libya hit Arab League criticism   (Reuters)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>Reuters - Western forces pounded Libya\'s air defences and patrolled its skies on Sunday, but their day-old intervention hit a serious diplomatic setback as the Arab League chief condemned the \"bombardment of civilians.\"</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Western forces pounded Libya\'s air defences and patrolled its skies on Sunday, but their day-old intervention hit a serious diplomatic setback as the Arab League chief condemned the \"bombardment of civilians.\"</p>\n                <p>\nLibyan leader Muammar Gaddafi vowed to defeat the Western powers\' \"terrorism\" and sent his troops and tanks into the rebel-held coastal city of Misrata, residents said.</p>\n                <p>\nEuropean and U.S. forces unleashed warplanes and cruise missiles against Gaddafi on Saturday in a United Nations-backed intervention to prevent the veteran leader from killing civilians as he fights an uprising against his 41-year rule.</p>\n                <p>\nBut Arab League chief Amr Moussa said what was happening was not what Arabs had envisaged when they called for the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya.</p>\n                <p>\n\"What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians,\" he said.</p>\n                <p>\nIn comments carried by Egypt\'s official state news agency, Moussa also said he was calling for an emergency Arab League meeting.</p>\n                <p>\nArab backing for a no-fly zone provided crucial underpinning for the passage of the U.N. Security Council resolution last week that paved the way for the Western intervention, the biggest against an Arab country since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.</p>\n                <p>\nWithdrawal of that support would make it much harder to pursue what some defense analysts say could in any case be a difficult, open-ended campaign with an uncertain outcome.</p>\n                <p>\nThe U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, said the no-fly zone was effectively in place. But he told CBS the endgame of military action was \"very uncertain\" and acknowledged it could end in a stalemate with Gaddafi.</p>\n                <p>\nMullen said he had seen no reports of civilian casualties from the Western strikes. But Russia said there had been such casualties and called on Britain, France and the United States to halt the \"non-selective use of force.\"</p>\n                <p>\nThe aerial assault stopped in its tracks the advance by Gaddafi\'s troops into the eastern city of Benghazi, and left the burned and shattered remains of his tanks and troop carriers littering the main road outside the rebel stronghold.</p>\n                <p>\nThe charred bodies of at least 14 government soldiers lay scattered in the desert.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Gaddafi is like a chicken and the coalition is plucking his feathers so he can\'t fly. The revolutionaries will slit his neck,\" said Fathi Bin Saud, a 52-year-old rebel carrying a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, surveying the wreckage.</p>\n                <p>\nGaddafi said the raids amounted to terrorism and vowed to fight to the death. \"We will not leave our land and we will liberate it,\" he said on state television. \"We will remain alive and you will all die.\"</p>\n                <p>\nA Libyan government health official said the death toll from the Western air strikes had risen to 64 on Sunday after some of the wounded died. But it was impossible to independently verify the reports as government minders refused to take Western reporters in the capital Tripoli to the site of the bombings.</p>\n                <p>\nResidents said forces loyal to Gaddafi entered the center of the rebel-held city of Misrata on Sunday with tanks, and several people had been killed by gunfire. \"Two people were killed so far today by snipers. They (snipers) are still on the rooftops. They are backed with four tanks, which have been patrolling the town. It\'s getting very difficult for people to come out,\" one resident, called Sami, told Reuters by telephone.</p>\n                <p>\n\"There are also boats encircling the port and preventing aid from reaching the town.\"</p>\n                <p>\nAbdelbasset, a spokesman for the rebels in Misrata, told Reuters: \"There is fighting between the rebels and Gaddafi\'s forces. Their tanks are in the center of Misrata ... There are so many casualties we cannot count them.\"\n</p><p>\n\n\"ODYSSEY DAWN\"\n</p><p>\n\nFrench planes fired the first shots of the intervention on Saturday, destroying tanks and armored vehicles near Benghazi. The eastern city is the cradle of the anti-Gaddafi revolt that started last month, inspired by Arab uprisings that toppled the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt.\n</p><p>\n\nFrance sent an aircraft carrier toward Libya and its planes were over the country again on Sunday, defense officials said. Britain said its planes had targeted Libya\'s air defences mainly around the capital Tripoli.\n</p><p>\n\nU.S. and British warships and submarines launched 110 Tomahawk missiles overnight against air defences around the capital Tripoli and Misrata, U.S. military officials said.\n</p><p>\n\nThey said U.S. forces and planes were working with Britain, France, Canada and Italy in operation \"Odyssey Dawn.\" Denmark said it had four fighter planes ready to join in on Sunday and was awaiting U.S. instructions.\n</p><p>\n\nGaddafi said all Libyans had now been armed to defend the country and Western defeat was inevitable. Libya\'s state news agency said more than a million men and women would be armed.\n</p><p>\n\nChina and Russia, which abstained in the U.N. Security Council vote last week endorsing intervention, expressed regret at the military action. China\'s Foreign Ministry said it hoped the conflict would not lead to a greater loss of civilian life.\n</p><p>\n\nExplosions and heavy anti-aircraft fire rattled Tripoli in the early hours of Sunday. Defiant cries of \"Allahu Akbar\" (God is Greatest) echoed around the city center.\n</p><p>\n\nLibyan state television showed footage from an unidentified hospital of what it called victims of the \"colonial enemy.\" Ten bodies were wrapped up in white and blue bed sheets, and several people were wounded, one of them badly, the television said.\n</p><p>\n\nThe mood in Tripoli turned markedly anti-Western, and crowds shouted defiant slogans and shot in the air.\n</p><p>\n\nAPPREHENSION AND RELIEF\n</p><p>\n\nTripoli residents said they had heard an explosion near the eastern Tajoura district, while in Misrata they said strikes had targeted an airbase used by Gaddafi\'s forces.\n</p><p>\n\nThe Western intervention, after weeks of diplomatic wrangling, was welcomed in Benghazi with a mix of apprehension and relief.\n</p><p>\n\n\"We salute France, Britain, the United States and the Arab countries for standing with Libya. But we think Gaddafi will take out his anger on civilians. So the West has to hit him hard,\" said civil servant Khalid al-Ghurfaly, 38.\n</p><p>\n\nBenghazi\'s main hospital was filled with men, women and children wounded in Saturday\'s assault on the city by Gaddafi\'s forces. There were 24 bodies, including eight government troops, visible in the morgue, and more were stored in refrigerators.\n</p><p>\n\nFrench President Nicolas Sarkozy said the allies had agreed to use \"all necessary means, especially military\" to enforce the Security Council resolution for an end to attacks on civilians.\n</p><p>\n\nSome analysts have questioned the strategy for the military intervention, fearing Western forces might be sucked into a long civil war despite a U.S. insistence, repeated on Saturday, that it has no plans to send ground troops into Libya.\n</p><p>\n\n(Reporting by Mohammed Abbas and Angus MacSwan in Benghazi, Maria Golovnina and Michael Georgy in Tripoli, Hamid Ould Ahmed and Christian Lowe in Algiers; Tom Perry in Cairo, John Irish and Elizabeth Pineau in Paris, Missy Ryan in Washington, Writing by Mark Trevelyan and Jon Hemming)</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"West\'s strikes on Libya hit Arab League criticism   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110320/wl_nm/us_libya\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110320/wl_nm/us_libya</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-03-20 10:50:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-20 10:50:00','2011-04-03 12:15:58','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,1,''),(472,'Charlie Sheen sparks new era of cyber celebrity meltdowns   (Reuters)','charlie-sheen-sparks-new-era-of-cyber-celebrity-meltdowns-reuters','','Reuters - Tracking celebrities in trouble used to be so easy. First, there was the problem, then a public apology followed by a trip to rehab and interview in People magazine or on Oprah Winfrey\'s talk show.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>NEW YORK (Reuters) – Tracking celebrities in trouble used to be so easy. First, there was the problem, then a public apology followed by a trip to rehab and interview in People magazine or on Oprah Winfrey\'s talk show.</p>\n                <p>\nNow, there\'s Charlie Sheen.</p>\n                <p>\nThe actor\'s eerie, self-made webcasts dubbed \"Sheen\'s Korner,\" posted online this week to mock his former \"Two and a Half Men\" bosses and defend himself, mark celebrity behavior that has gone beyond the norm. And his Web rants may signal a future in which stars use the Internet to give fans unfettered access to their antics, for better or worse.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Since YouTube, digital culture has aided and enhanced -- or maybe the better word is abetted -- the celebrity meltdown,\" said Wired magazine senior editor Nancy Miller. \"This will be a future where we see celebrity screw-ups happen in real-time.\"</p>\n                <p>\nSheen\'s expletive-filled webcasts show him agitated, smoking cigarettes through his nose, spewing energetic rants and repeating the same phrases over and over. Even celebrity website TMZ, which is known for publishing videos of outrageous celebrity antics, labeled Sheen\'s videos \"disturbing.\"</p>\n                <p>\nHis behavior contrasts to pop star Britney Spears\' when she suffered her career meltdown in 2007 and 2008. At that time, most of her antics were detailed the traditional way, by the paparazzi. She eventually found treatment, had her affairs taken over by her father and got her life back on track.</p>\n                <p>\nSheen has done just the opposite, making decisions on everything that goes on around him and pouring out his unchecked views to fans via online videos and tweets.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The more out-of-control the situation has become, the more he has broadcast himself -- literally streaming his opinions, views and rants,\" said People magazine assistant editor Kate Coyne, adding Sheen has invited people to watch his apparent breakdown \"as it occurs, which is unprecedented.\"</p>\n                <p>\n\"WINNING\" ONLINE?</p>\n                <p>\nYet, while it may seem bizarre to some, his behavior has proven popular. The 45-year-old has gained more than 2 million Twitter followers. His buzzwords such as \"winning\" and boasts of possessing \"tiger blood\" are rapidly invading pop culture.</p>\n                <p>\nHis erratic webcasts -- which appeared filmed with his own phone -- were viewed more than 700,000 times, and his name has been linked to products ranging from soft drinks to comic books. To some, Sheen is still the rebellious Hollywood hero.</p>\n                <p>\nHe has \"created a new genre of \'meltdown-as-miniseries\' that will inspire others to emulate him,\" said Robert Thompson, a Syracuse University professor of popular culture. \"We seldom hear human beings talk like this, especially not human beings we all know through their on-screen work,\" he said.</p>\n                <p>\nIndeed, an old rule among the star-making machinery of publicists, talent managers and other celebrity handlers has been to keep clients\' personal lives private for fear they might jeopardize public images and lead to fewer job offers.</p>\n                <p>\nBut as technology gets easier to use and performers find it simple to post self-made videos and connect directly to fans, publicists may find them harder to control.</p>\n                <p>\nIt may seem that, so far, Sheen\'s antics have only added to his fame, but some Hollywood watchers are saying the actor has reached the point where he crossed into infamy.</p>\n                <p>\n\"His online appearances to date are quite freaky and really show that without a script he has little to offer,\" said Deadline Hollywood columnist Pete Hammond.</p>\n                <p>\nThe detractors -- Sheen would call them \"trolls\" -- have already produced a \"Sheen Free\" feed on Twitter.</p>\n                <p>\nWhether Sheen\'s rants are seen as the truthful observations of a Hollywood star or odd, stream-of-consciousness outbursts during a personal meltdown, one thing is certain: more and more celebrities will be bringing their lives online.\n</p><p>\n\n\"We can look forward to higher levels of famous people stooping to new lows. And then, the montage on YouTube. And then, the remix,\" said Miller.\n</p><p>\n\n(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Charlie Sheen sparks new era of cyber celebrity meltdowns   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/en_nm/us_charliesheen_internet\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/en_nm/us_charliesheen_internet</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-03-09 16:57:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 16:57:00','2011-03-10 19:22:05','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(473,'Foursquare looks to make social change, add relevancy with update   (Appolicious)','foursquare-looks-to-make-social-change-add-relevancy-with-update-appolicious','','Appolicious - Social networking platform Foursquare has a new update available for its Android and iOS apps, complete with new features and a new plan to help make social change.','<div><div class=\"clearfix\">\n    			\n    			<p><img class=\"right\" src=\"http://c1345842.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/assets/cdn_files/assets/000/001/751/original.jpg?1299702951\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" height=\"315\" />Social networking platform <a href=\"/tech/apps/306591-foursquare-foursquare\">Foursquare</a> has a new update available for its Android and iOS apps, complete with new features and a new plan to help make social change.</p>&#13;\n<p>Fashion designer Marc Ecko is using the platform as a means to try to abolish, or at least bring awareness to, corporal punishment in schools. Corporal punishment is the use of physical discipline methods against children, like spankings, for example.</p>&#13;\n<p>According to <a href=\"http://digitallife.today.com/_news/2011/03/09/6226336-foursquare-unmasks-schools-officials-who-spank-students?chromedomain=technolog\" target=\"_blank\">Digital Life on Today</a>, Ecko’s campaign, Unlimited Justice, encourages Fouresquare users to use the to “check-in” to their schools. Checking-in is Foursquare’s primary function, and it uses your device’s GPS functionality to log where you are and give you the option to share that information with others. You can also check-in “off the grid,” which means the app notes where you’re checking in without sharing it with your group of friends or making the information public.</p>&#13;\n<p>Ecko wants users to use Foursquare’s “Tips” capability to make notes about their schools -- specifically, when corporal punishment is used on the premises. The idea is that Foursquare will help get the information out to other people who might attend the school or be thinking about doing so, and get them to think twice: sort of a boycotting effect on schools that use physical discipline on children.</p>&#13;\n<p><a href=\"http://mashable.com/2011/03/08/foursquare-3/\" target=\"_blank\">Foursquare 3.0</a>, which hit the Android Market last night, has a big primary change in the addition of the “Explore” tab that lets users search for businesses of different types in the areas around them. The app keeps track of lots of information in order to make recommendations, including the number of users that check in to a given location, places your friends have been that you haven’t, and the frequency and variety of your own check-ins. The idea is that the recommendations are tailored as much as possible to your everyday actions.</p>&#13;\n<p>Also seeing a big revamp are the various deals and rewards users receive when visiting different businesses. Foursquare is pushing hard to make checking in a worthwhile experience, and that includes adding new categories for various deals users can get from merchants. Now, instead of just occasionally getting a deal for checking in at Fat Burger or becoming the mayor of a Starbucks, users can fulfill different criteria for discounts -- like being one of the first five people to check in to a location at a certain time or checking into the same place repeatedly over a given amount of time. There are seven new kinds of specials available to merchants in 3.0: Check-in, Flash (the first example above), Swarm, Friend, Newbie, Loyalty and the standard Mayor specials.</p>&#13;\n<p>Another thing that’s seen some attention is the Points system, which allocates users a sort of arbitrary score for doing various things. In earlier versions of Foursquare, points mostly just equated to badges: check-in at four places in a single evening, for example, and you’d receive a specific badge. Travel a certain distance in one day and you’d receive another. Check-in at the same place or become its mayor (a title bestowed on the person who checks-in to a location most frequently during a standard amount of time) and receive a different one.</p>&#13;\n<p>Now, there are 30 different triggers that allocate points, which are tracked on a big online leaderboard. The idea is to turn Foursquare into more of a game than it ever has been before. Badges persist to document specific achievements, but points are dolled out for smaller-scale actions. The idea is that Foursquare can encourage different behaviors, like frequenting an establishment or trying new places, at the same time that it builds community by making the whole experience a little more fun and competitive.</p>&#13;\n<p>Between 3.0’s updates and Foursquare’s partnership with Marc Ecko, it seems clear that the social networking platform is hoping to become more relevant in everyday life. Recent years have seen social networking becoming a much more important platform for organization and change -- Twitter and Facebook use in Egypt and Iran, for example. Foursquare has the potential to also encourage such uses, and the step forward with Ecko’s Unlimited Justice campaign seems like the company’s efforts to be more than just a frivolous connection with its users.</p>&#13;\n<p>But Foursquare isn’t losing sight of the fact that it is best used for linking people together and giving them things to do, and 3.0 is definitely geared toward that. It should also go a long way toward making Foursquare more relevant in the face of its competitors as it works to give users more financial incentives, as well as social and progressive ones, to use the service.</p>\n    			\n    			</div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Foursquare looks to make social change, add relevancy with update   (Appolicious)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_androidapps_com_articles7048_foursquare_looks_to_make_social_change_add_relevancy_with_update/40590847/SIG=13ge2kmqs/*http%3A//www.androidapps.com/tech/articles/7048-foursquare-looks-to-make-social-change-add-relevancy-with-update\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_androidapps_com_articles7048_foursquare_looks_to_make_social_change_add_relevancy_with_update/40590847/SIG=13ge2kmqs/*http%3A//www.androidapps.com/tech/articles/7048-foursquare-looks-to-make-social-change-add-relevancy-with-update</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-03-09 15:31:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 15:31:00','2011-03-10 19:22:05','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(474,'Survey: Vast majority of smartphone users experience service problems   (Digital Trends)','survey-vast-majority-of-smartphone-users-experience-service-problems-digital-trends','','Digital Trends - If you’ve ever cursed at your mobile operator for providing less-than-stellar service—or no service at all—wherever you happen to be at every instant of every day…you’re not alone. A new survey commissioned by Empirix (and conducted by Harris Interactive) finds that fully 86 percent of U.S. smartphone users experienced problems tapping into multimedia application on their mobile devices, with three quarters of U.S. smartphone owners report having connectivity problems while trying to perform other smartphone activities like Internet searches, downloading data, using apps or social networking services, or accessing media. Furthermore, 20 percent of U.S. and German smartphone users reported “always” or “often” having problems using data-related smartphone functions, with that percentage increasing to 30 percent in the United Kingdom.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/digitaltrends/tc_digitaltrends/storytext/surveyvastmajorityofsmartphoneusersexperienceserviceproblems/40589138/SIG=131n79n7g/*http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/intel-and-nokia-merge-moblin-and-maemo/attachment/thumb-22/\"><img src=\"http://www.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/thumb8-300x131.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"MeeGo (generic thumb)\" width=\"300\" height=\"131\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-183500\" style=\"float: right;\" /></a>\n</p>\n                <p>\n\nIf you’ve ever cursed at your mobile operator for providing less-than-stellar service—or no service at all—wherever you happen to be at every instant of every day…you’re not alone. A <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/digitaltrends/tc_digitaltrends/storytext/surveyvastmajorityofsmartphoneusersexperienceserviceproblems/40589138/SIG=11nlqjihp/*http://www.empirix.com/news/press/2011/2011-03-09.asp\">new survey</a> commissioned by Empirix (and conducted by Harris Interactive) finds that fully 86 percent of U.S. smartphone users experienced problems tapping into multimedia application on their mobile devices, with three quarters of U.S. smartphone owners report having connectivity problems while trying to perform other smartphone activities like Internet searches, downloading data, using apps or social networking services, or accessing media. Furthermore, 20 percent of U.S. and German smartphone users reported “always” or “often” having problems using data-related smartphone functions, with that percentage increasing to 30 percent in the United Kingdom.\n</p>\n                <p>\n\nAnd who gets the blame to these failures? More than half the respondents â€œdirectly blameâ€</p>\n                <p>\n\n“The proliferation of mobile devices has created unparalleled use of new services and applications on smart devices, frequently causing a strain on service provider networks,” said Empirix’s director of marketing Bob Hockman, in a statement.. “Mobile providers often do not realize that consumers are judging them based not only on broader mobile application offerings, but more so on whether the application works as advertised, every time. Without consistent, high-quality connectivity, carriers make themselves susceptible to disenchanted customers and lost business.”\n</p>\n                <p>\n\nThe implication is that while mobile carriers are eager to transition users to smartphones with extensive data capabilities—and all the potential revenue streams those devices can provide—the bottom line is that the vast majority of smartphone users, at some level, experience frustration and failures—and that doesn’t create satisfied and loyal customers.\n</p>\n                <p>\n\nEmpirix urges carriers to identify and solve service issues before they’re experienced by end users. “Customers no longer tolerate just ‘ok’ service,” Hockman continued. “From pre-deployment testing to ongoing networking monitoring, end-to-end quality assurance is critical to enabling providers to get their network right and keep it right.”\n</p>\n                <p>\n\nThe online survey was conducted in February 2011 and covered some 2,180 smartphone users who reported having problems with multimedia activity on their devices. </p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Survey: Vast majority of smartphone users experience service problems   (Digital Trends)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/20110309/tc_digitaltrends/surveyvastmajorityofsmartphoneusersexperienceserviceproblems\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/20110309/tc_digitaltrends/surveyvastmajorityofsmartphoneusersexperienceserviceproblems</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-03-09 13:25:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 13:25:00','2011-03-10 19:22:06','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(475,'The National recruits Mad Men\'s John Slattery for new music video   (Digital Trends)','the-national-recruits-mad-mens-john-slattery-for-new-music-video-digital-trends','','Digital Trends - Indie veterans and superstars The National managed to recruit John Slattery (of Mad Men fame) for the band’s latest music video. We can’t think of much these two would have in common other than an undying obsession with suits, but perhaps Slattery is a fan. The “Coversation 16? music video stars Slattery and band frontman Matt Berninger as secret service agents in charge of protecting a zany and depressive President, played by Kristen Schaal of Flight of the Conchords and The Daily Show. While we’re not sure why the band needed Slattery to play the quiet secret service agent, the video is thoroughly entertaining to say the least. Check out the full video in all its political glory below.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p></p><p> </p>\n                <p>\n</p><p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/digitaltrends/tc_digitaltrends/storytext/thenationalrecruitsmadmensjohnslatteryfornewmusicvideo/40592803/SIG=158js5s6h/*http://www.digitaltrends.com/lifestyle/the-national-recruits-mad-mens-john-slattery-for-new-music-video/attachment/john-slattery-mad-men-the-national-conversation-16/\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-288509\" title=\"john-slattery-mad-men-the-national-conversation-16\" src=\"http://www.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/john-slattery-mad-men-the-national-conversation-16.jpg\" alt=\"john-slattery-mad-men-the-national-conversation-16\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" /></a></p>\n                <p>\n</p><p>Indie veterans and superstars <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/digitaltrends/tc_digitaltrends/storytext/thenationalrecruitsmadmensjohnslatteryfornewmusicvideo/40592803/SIG=10u9sa6q8/*http://www.americanmary.com/\">The National </a>managed to recruit John Slattery (of Mad Men fame) for the band’s latest music video. We can’t think of much these two would have in common other than an undying obsession with suits, but perhaps Slattery is a fan. The “Coversation 16? music video stars Slattery and band frontman Matt Berninger as secret service agents in charge of protecting a zany and depressive President, played by Kristen Schaal of Flight of the Conchords and The Daily Show. While we’re not sure why the band needed Slattery to play the quiet secret service agent, the video is thoroughly entertaining to say the least. Check out the full video in all its political glory below.<span id=\"more-288492\"></span></p>\n                <p>\n\n </p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"The National recruits Mad Men\'s John Slattery for new music video   (Digital Trends)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/20110309/tc_digitaltrends/thenationalrecruitsmadmensjohnslatteryfornewmusicvideo\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/20110309/tc_digitaltrends/thenationalrecruitsmadmensjohnslatteryfornewmusicvideo</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-03-09 17:42:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 17:42:00','2011-03-10 19:22:07','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(476,'iOS 4.3, Planned For Friday, Available Now   (NewsFactor)','ios-43-planned-for-friday-available-now-newsfactor','','NewsFactor - Two days before the release of the new iPad, Apple launched the latest version of its mobile operating system earlier than expected.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>Two days before the release of the new iPad, Apple launched the latest version of its mobile operating system earlier than expected.&#13;\n</p>\n                <p>&#13;\niOS 4.3, originally set for Friday, will allow AT&amp;T\'s iPhone users to access the personal Wi-Fi hotspot feature that Verizon Wireless users received off the bat when the CDMA version became available in January. But the update which includes faster browsing via a new Nitro JavaScript engine, won\'t reach Verizon iPhone users until later this year.&#13;\n</p>\n                <p>&#13;\n<b>&#13;\nMore Sharing And Streaming&#13;\n</b>&#13;\n</p>\n                <p>&#13;\nOther 4.3 features include iTunes Home Sharing, allowing users to stream their iTunes libraries to any iOS device via a shared Wi-Fi network; the ability to stream content from any compatible app to an Apple TV set-top device via AirPlay; and iPad side switch customization, which allows users to choose whether the mechanical side switch is used as a volume mute button or to lock the screen rotation.&#13;\n</p>\n                <p>&#13;\nMany of the features were displayed by Apple\'s CEO Steve Jobs on March 2, when he came out of medical leave to show off the iPad 2, the first device to ship with 4.3 and not require the update. Users of the iPhone 3GS or 4, original iPad or the two most recent versions of the iPod touch can go to Apple\'s web site now, connect their device and click on check for updates.&#13;\n</p>\n                <p>&#13;\nIf you haven\'t updated your iOS in a while, 4.3 will also include past additions, such as Air Print -- the ability to send photos from mobile device to stationary printer -- drag and drop folders and the remote device finder, which also allows remote passcode setting.&#13;\n</p>\n                <p>&#13;\nThe update follows the Tuesday release of iTunes version 10.2.1, which iOS users will need to get the new firmware.&#13;\n</p>\n                <p>&#13;\n<b>&#13;\nWhy Wait?&#13;\n</b>&#13;\n</p>\n                <p>&#13;\nApple likely released the update early simply because it saw no reason to hold it once the finishing touches were complete, said mobile devices analyst Avi Greengart of Current Analysis.&#13;\n</p>\n                <p>&#13;\n\"It\'s software, so there are no channel issues to launch timetables, you just post it on your site,\" said Greengart&#13;\n</p>\n                <p>&#13;\nEven with its mobile devices flying off the shelves, Apple needs to keep its competitive edge. A January survey by market research firm Nielsen Group showed that as of last November iOS was still the leading operating system in the United States but losing ground to Google\'s Android, which is available on numerous devices and tablets and sold by many carriers.&#13;\n</p>\n                <p>&#13;\nJust two months later, Nielsen found that in the intervening period, through January, Apple was tied with Research in Motion\'s BlackBerry for second place, at 27 percent each, with Android seizing the lead with 29 percent of active smartphones. (That was before Apple released the iPhone for Verizon Wireless.)&#13;\n</p>\n                <p>&#13;\nOne potential point of concern for Apple is that new smartphone adopters, those ages 18-34, were found to be more likely to choose an Android phone.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"iOS 4.3, Planned For Friday, Available Now   (NewsFactor)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20110309/bs_nf/77643\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20110309/bs_nf/77643</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-03-09 17:18:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 17:18:00','2011-03-10 19:22:08','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(477,'Micromat releases TechTool Pro 6   (Macworld)','micromat-releases-techtool-pro-6-macworld','','Macworld - Micromat has unleashed a new version of its venerable TechTool Pro computer diagnostics and maintenance software. TechTool Pro 6 adds a number of diagnostic features for repairing hard drives, including solid-state drives and flash storage.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>Micromat has unleashed a new version of its venerable TechTool Pro computer diagnostics and maintenance software. TechTool Pro 6 adds a number of diagnostic features for repairing hard drives, including solid-state drives and flash storage.</p>\n                <p>\n		Most notable among the changes in Version 6 is TechTool Pro’s ability to create an emergency start-up volume on the active hard drive, thanks to Micromat’s eDrive technology. With this feature, most users will no longer need to run a boot DVD or burn an eDrive on a secondary source when repairing the internal drive on their Mac. Users also don\'t need the Apple boot disk to keep the software up to date. This allows for increased speeds and quicker access to the program and its features.</p>\n                <p>\n		A Volume Cloning feature added in TechTool Pro 6 creates duplicates of volumes and disk images for faster memory archiving and allows users to quickly delete and recover corrupted data during hard drive scans. The update also adds a new local network manager that tracks local devices and displays supported devices and active services that can connect to your network. The updated software can continue to monitor devices that are no longer available on that network.</p>\n                <p>\n		TechTool Pro 6 is available for sale <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/macworld/tc_macworld/storytext/micromatreleasestechtoolpro6/40591790/SIG=12om1qv73/*http://www.micromat.com/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=210&amp;Itemid=100014\">on Micromat’s Website</a>. The software now ships in a family pack that lets users install TechTool Pro on up to three Macs—ideal for households with multiple computers. The new version costs $100; users of previous versions of TechTool Pro, TechTool Deluxe, and TechTool Platinum can upgrade for $40. A business pack for 10 users costs $300.</p>\n                <p>\n		TechTool Pro 6 runs on Mac OS X 10.4.9 or later, though Leopard or Snow Leopard are required for creating an eDrive on an active startup volume.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Micromat releases TechTool Pro 6   (Macworld)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/macworld/20110309/tc_macworld/micromatreleasestechtoolpro6\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/macworld/20110309/tc_macworld/micromatreleasestechtoolpro6</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-03-09 15:50:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 15:50:00','2011-03-10 19:22:09','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(478,'Harvard professor wins Turing Award   (AFP/IBM/File)','harvard-professor-wins-turing-award-afpibmfile','','AFP/IBM/File - A Harvard professor whose machine learning research helped create an IBM computer that defeated two human champions in a \"Jeopardy!\" game has won the prestigious A.M. Turing Award.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>WASHINGTON (AFP) – A Harvard professor whose machine learning research helped create an IBM computer that defeated two human champions in a \"Jeopardy!\" game has won the prestigious A.M. Turing Award.</p>\n                <p>\nLeslie Valiant, a computer science and applied mathematics professor, was honored for his \"contributions to the development of computational learning theory and to the broader theory of computer science,\" the Association for Computing Machinery said Wednesday.</p>\n                <p>\nThe award, named for British mathematician Alan M. Turing and considered the \"Nobel Prize in Computing,\" carries a $250,000 prize sponsored by computer chip giant Intel and Internet titan Google.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Leslie Valiant\'s accomplishments over the last 30 years have provided the theoretical basis for progress in artificial intelligence and led to extraordinary achievements in machine learning,\" ACM president Alain Chesnais said.</p>\n                <p>\n\"His profound vision in computer science, mathematics, and cognitive theory have been combined with other techniques to build modern forms of machine learning and communication, like IBM\'s \'Watson\' computing system, that have enabled computing systems to rival a human\'s ability to answer questions.\"</p>\n                <p>\nIntel\'s Shekhar Borkar praised Valiant\'s research in computation theory for having \"revolutionized machine learning and artificial intelligence, making machines almost think.\"</p>\n                <p>\n\"Watson,\" the IBM computer, handily defeated two human champions of the television game show \"Jeopardy!\" last month in a three-day match in a triumph for artificial intelligence.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Jeopardy!\" first aired on US television in 1964. It tests a player\'s knowledge in a range of categories, from geography to politics to history to sports and entertainment.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Harvard professor wins Turing Award   (AFP/IBM/File)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110309/tc_afp/usitcomputereducationturing\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110309/tc_afp/usitcomputereducationturing</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-03-09 15:53:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 15:53:00','2011-03-10 19:22:10','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(479,'Bank robbery attempt thwarted when teller just says no   (Reuters)','bank-robbery-attempt-thwarted-when-teller-just-says-no-reuters','','Reuters - A would-be thief\'s attempt to rob a suburban New York bank on Wednesday was abruptly thwarted when the teller simply said no to the robber\'s demand for money, police said.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>NEW YORK (Reuters) – A would-be thief\'s attempt to rob a suburban New York bank on Wednesday was abruptly thwarted when the teller simply said no to the robber\'s demand for money, police said.</p>\n                <p>\nThe unsuccessful thief remained at large, said police in New Rochelle, New York, about 25 miles north of New York City.</p>\n                <p>\nHe tried to rob a Citibank branch shortly before 10 a.m. by asking a teller for money, said police captain Joseph Schaller.</p>\n                <p>\n\"He slipped a note through the teller\'s slot that said \'money in bag,\'\" Schaller said. \"She refused and with that, she activated the alarm, turned away from the window and he ran out the door.\"</p>\n                <p>\nThe unidentified suspect was wearing a black puffy winter jacket and brown work boots.</p>\n                <p>\nThe bank closed briefly but soon reopened for business, police said.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Aman Ali; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Jerry Norton)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Bank robbery attempt thwarted when teller just says no   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110310/od_nm/us_crime_bank\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110310/od_nm/us_crime_bank</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-03-09 19:07:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 19:07:00','2011-03-10 19:22:11','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(480,'Lights go out in Seoul amid energy crunch   (Reuters)','lights-go-out-in-seoul-amid-energy-crunch-reuters','','Reuters - The bustling entertainment districts of one of the world\'s largest cities, Seoul, were pitched into darkness early Tuesday as the government clamped down on energy use to cope with rising oil prices.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>SEOUL (Reuters) – The bustling entertainment districts of one of the world\'s largest cities, Seoul, were pitched into darkness early Tuesday as the government clamped down on energy use to cope with rising oil prices.</p>\n                <p>\nNeon signs and outdoor lights were ordered switched off in the business and entertainment districts of the South Korean capital, in a tangible sign of how the oil price rise is hurting the resource-starved country.</p>\n                <p>\nPresident Lee Myung-bak has called for a tighter national energy policy to counter the impact of higher prices stemming from a wave of unrest across the Arab world and North Africa.</p>\n                <p>\nSouth Korea is the world\'s No.5 crude oil buyer and No.2 liquefied natural gas (LNG) importer after Japan, and has boosted spending to acquire assets and develop oil and gas reserves, with a heavy focus so far on the Middle East and the Arctic.</p>\n                <p>\nBrent crude hit a high of almost $120 per barrel on February 24, the highest since 2008.</p>\n                <p>\nSouth Koreans have also been hit hard at gas stations, with pump prices jumping around 6 percent along with crude price rallies since December, while the government has been criticizing the fat margins of local refiners.</p>\n                <p>\nAbout 92,000 establishments nationwide have been targeted by the government lighting restrictions, local media reports said. Those failing to adhere to the regulations could face up to 3 million won (US$2,700) in fines.</p>\n                <p>\nThe government in Asia\'s fourth-largest economy wants to curb inflation as it battles rises in crude oil and producer prices and housing rents, and has put a freeze on utility rate increases.</p>\n                <p>\nAnalysts estimate that every additional 10 percent rise in annual average prices on international oil markets would lift South Korea\'s annual average inflation by around a fifth of a percentage point.</p>\n                <p>\nThat means if global oil prices rise 10 percent above initial expectations on average for the year, South Korea\'s annual average consumer price inflation will reach 3.7 percent in 2011, instead of the 3.5 percent expected by the central bank. Last year\'s actual inflation was 2.9 percent.</p>\n                <p>\nLee\'s government has been working on policy measures to stem inflation as campaigning starts for by-elections in April that will be a crucial gauge of support for him and his Grand National Party before parliamentary and presidential votes next year.</p>\n                <p>\nEconomic policy is likely to figure highly on the political agenda ahead of the elections.</p>\n                <p>\nFinance Minister Yoon Jeung-hyun said Monday that the government may lower its 3 percent crude oil import tariff, while it was not considering lowering domestic taxes on oil.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Jeremy Laurence and Cho Mee-young; Editing by Chris Lewis)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Lights go out in Seoul amid energy crunch   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/od_nm/us_korea_lights\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/od_nm/us_korea_lights</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-03-09 11:27:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 11:27:00','2011-03-10 19:22:12','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(481,'Rising price of fiery national liquor unpalatable   (Reuters)','rising-price-of-fiery-national-liquor-unpalatable-reuters','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/od_nm/us_npc_maotai\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20110309/i/r2878539782.jpg?x=93&amp;y=130&amp;q=85&amp;sig=d4enOV2d35BnMvV2rWoeLg--\" height=\"130\" width=\"93\" alt=\"Rising price of fiery national liquor unpalatable   (Reuters)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>Reuters - Chinese leaders used it to toast Richard Nixon, Kim Il-sung, Margaret Thatcher and Ho Chi Minh, as well as the founding of the People\'s Republic of China.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese leaders used it to toast Richard Nixon, Kim Il-sung, Margaret Thatcher and Ho Chi Minh, as well as the founding of the People\'s Republic of China.</p>\n                <p>\nBut a 20 percent price rise this year of China\'s national liquor, Maotai, on the back of tight supply and rising raw material costs has got Chinese consumers hot under the collar, especially as Beijing tries to tackle growing inflation.</p>\n                <p>\nNow the Maotai debate has found its way into the annual meeting of China\'s rubber stamp parliament, normally a much drier affair with hand-picked delegates taking turns to outdo each other in praising government policy.</p>\n                <p>\n\"As the \'national spirit\', it\'s quite understandable the price adjustment for Maotai has attracted such attention,\" Guizhou provincial governor Zhao Kezhi told a news conference. Maotai is made in a remote part of the southwestern province.</p>\n                <p>\nThe cost of raw materials for the fiery drink -- which is essentially composed of mountain water, sorghum and grain -- had gone up by 28 percent, Zhao said.</p>\n                <p>\nOne lawmaker proposed this week the government should step in and put a stop to the price rise, according to state media.</p>\n                <p>\nZhao did not appear to take that bait.</p>\n                <p>\n\"This is a company decision,\" he said, though added the government would, as a general principle, \"strengthen management of prices.\"</p>\n                <p>\nThe central government has imposed a series of price controls, though mainly on more mundane items like vegetables and cooking oil, in an effort to control inflation, which hit an annual 4.9 percent in January.</p>\n                <p>\nAnother important reason for the price jump was demand outstripping supply, Zhao said, with increasingly affluent Chinese consumers turning their attention to what was once a niche luxury good reserved for senior officials.</p>\n                <p>\nKweichow Moutai, which makes the fiery drink, posted net profits of 4.17 billion yuan ($634.9 million) for the first three months of 2010, up one-tenth on the year-ago period. Full-year results come out later this month.</p>\n                <p>\nBringing more capacity online in a short time would be impossible, due to environmental constraints and quality concerns, Zhao said. It is aged for a minimum of five years.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Maotai\'s production requires special techniques and is closely connected with the area\'s special environment. It\'s not possible for them to ramp up production and market supply in a short period of time,\" he said.</p>\n                <p>\n\"There are strict quality controls,\" Zhao said. \"The company will produce 29,000 tonnes this year, or maybe 30,000 tonnes if it does well, but only 11,000 tonnes will be on the market this year, which is to say, what will be sold this year was made five years ago,\" Zhao added.</p>\n                <p>\nThough it traces its origins back two millennia, Maotai has been the drink of choice for generations of Communist leaders.</p>\n                <p>\nLegend has it Chairman Mao Zedong first tasted the drink while leading his rag-tag army through Guizhou on the Long March, in flight from Nationalist forces in the 1930s.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Guizhou is a top grade production base for liquor,\" governor Zhao said. \"We will continue to support Kweichow Moutai to increase production capacity.\"</p>\n                <p>\n($1=6.568 Yuan)\n</p><p>\n\n(Additional reporting by Zhou Xin; Editing by Nick Macfie)</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Rising price of fiery national liquor unpalatable   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/od_nm/us_npc_maotai\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/od_nm/us_npc_maotai</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-03-09 11:26:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 11:26:00','2011-03-10 19:22:12','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(482,'Rude awakening for sleepy U.S. students   (Reuters)','rude-awakening-for-sleepy-us-students-reuters','','Reuters - Chronically tardy and truant students at a Massachusetts high school are getting a rude awakening -- a pre-recorded morning wake-up call from their school principal.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>CONWAY, Massachusetts (Reuters Life!) – Chronically tardy and truant students at a Massachusetts high school are getting a rude awakening -- a pre-recorded morning wake-up call from their school principal.</p>\n                <p>\nThe so-called \"robo-calls\" that began on Wednesday are aimed at rousting about 500 students, the worst-offending sleepyheads, from bed and getting them to school on time.</p>\n                <p>\n\"It\'s 6:15 and it\'s Durfee High School calling,\" booms the voice of Principal Paul Marshall of B.M.C. Durfee High School in Fall River, according to Vice Principal Ross Thibault.</p>\n                <p>\nRobo-calls are typically used to notify parents of weather-related school delays and cancellations.</p>\n                <p>\nDurfee joins other U.S. schools in Massachusetts and Illinois and New York which have taken on the added role of alarm clock to combat high rates of tardiness and absenteeism.</p>\n                <p>\nIn New York City the wake-up calls feature the voice of former professional basketball star Magic Johnson.</p>\n                <p>\nAt Durfee High School in Fall River, about 46 miles south of Boston, 20 percent of the student body will be getting routine phone calls at home at 6:15 a.m. The school day\'s first class begins at 7:45 a.m.</p>\n                <p>\nAdministrators hope the effort will boost attendance from 88 percent now to at least 95 percent.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Historically, we have battled attendance problems. We are an urban district and our attendance has always been a concern,\" Thibault said.</p>\n                <p>\nThe school resorted to the calls after failing to improve attendance with punishments like detention or enforced study hours at schools, he added.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Zach Howard; Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Jerry Norton.)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Rude awakening for sleepy U.S. students   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/od_nm/us_schools_wakeup\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/od_nm/us_schools_wakeup</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-03-09 10:51:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 10:51:00','2011-03-10 19:22:14','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(483,'Local News','local-news','','Doug Barker has been promoted from managing editor to editor of The Daily World, the newspaper\'s new publisher, Bill Crawford, announced Wednesday. \"I don\'t come from an editorial background,\" Crawford said this morning.','<div><div class=\"content\"><p><strong><a href=\"/contact\">Email Us</a></strong></p>\n<p>	315 S. Michigan St.<br />\n	Aberdeen, Wa<br />\n	98520</p>\n<p>	<strong>(360) 532-4000</strong></p>\n<p>	<a class=\"twitter\" href=\"http://twitter.com/GHDailyWorld\" target=\"_bank\"> </a> <a class=\"facebook\" href=\"http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Aberdeen-WA/The-Daily-World/298224674309?ref=nf&amp;a__a=7#\" target=\"_bank\"> </a> <a class=\"crimereport\" href=\"http://www.crimereports.com/widget/smallwidget.html?CRSearch=aberdeen,washinton\" target=\"_bank\"> </a></p>\n</div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Local News\" href=\"http://www.thedailyworld.com/local_news?page=3&amp;;;form_build_id=form-3c66daf7ec24c9f80ae2451f7076a057&amp;;;form_id=search_block_form&amp;;;search_block_form=child%20death\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.thedailyworld.com/local_news?page=3&amp;;;form_build_id=form-3c66daf7ec24c9f80ae2451f7076a057&amp;;;form_id=search_block_form&amp;;;search_block_form=child%20death</a></p>',-2,5,0,35,'2011-03-09 18:56:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:56:00','2011-03-10 19:22:17','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(484,'Local News','local-news','','The middle of July means you should celebrate summer by moving to the fresh air and adding an outdoor room. You don\'t need a building permit, contractor or big budget. Adding an outdoor room is as simple as choosing a theme and furnishing with the new products, new plants and new ideas that will...','<div><div class=\"content\"><p><strong><a href=\"/contact\">Email Us</a></strong></p>\n<p>	315 S. Michigan St.<br />\n	Aberdeen, Wa<br />\n	98520</p>\n<p>	<strong>(360) 532-4000</strong></p>\n<p>	<a class=\"twitter\" href=\"http://twitter.com/GHDailyWorld\" target=\"_bank\"> </a> <a class=\"facebook\" href=\"http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Aberdeen-WA/The-Daily-World/298224674309?ref=nf&amp;a__a=7#\" target=\"_bank\"> </a> <a class=\"crimereport\" href=\"http://www.crimereports.com/widget/smallwidget.html?CRSearch=aberdeen,washinton\" target=\"_bank\"> </a></p>\n</div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Local News\" href=\"http://www.thedailyworld.com/local_news?page=95&amp;;;form_build_id=form-3c66daf7ec24c9f80ae2451f7076a057&amp;;;form_id=search_block_form&amp;;;search_block_form=child%20death\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.thedailyworld.com/local_news?page=95&amp;;;form_build_id=form-3c66daf7ec24c9f80ae2451f7076a057&amp;;;form_id=search_block_form&amp;;;search_block_form=child%20death</a></p>',-2,5,0,35,'2011-03-09 18:57:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:57:00','2011-03-10 19:22:19','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(485,'Local News in Brief','local-news-in-brief','','World-Herald News Service Complaint against Judge Murphy dismissed LINCOLN - An ethics complaint against a North Platte judge has been dismissed by the Nebraska judicial qualifications commission.','<div><td style=\"vertical-align:top; width:160px;\" align=\"center\" read=\"30\">&#13;\n	&#13;\n	<p></p>&#13;\n	<p></p>&#13;\n</td></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Local News in Brief\" href=\"http://nptelegraph.com/articles/2011/03/09/news/40001092.txt\" target=\"_blank\">http://nptelegraph.com/articles/2011/03/09/news/40001092.txt</a></p>',-2,5,0,35,'2011-03-09 12:43:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 12:43:00','2011-03-10 19:22:19','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(486,'Local News','local-news','','After interviewing several candidates to fill the open principal position at Hoquiam High School, the job is still open, said Mike Parker, superintendent of the Hoquiam School District. \"It\'s late in the summer and at this point we need to reassess our options,\" he said. Just what those options...','<div><div class=\"content\"><p><strong><a href=\"/contact\">Email Us</a></strong></p>\n<p>	315 S. Michigan St.<br />\n	Aberdeen, Wa<br />\n	98520</p>\n<p>	<strong>(360) 532-4000</strong></p>\n<p>	<a class=\"twitter\" href=\"http://twitter.com/GHDailyWorld\" target=\"_bank\"> </a> <a class=\"facebook\" href=\"http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Aberdeen-WA/The-Daily-World/298224674309?ref=nf&amp;a__a=7#\" target=\"_bank\"> </a> <a class=\"crimereport\" href=\"http://www.crimereports.com/widget/smallwidget.html?CRSearch=aberdeen,washinton\" target=\"_bank\"> </a></p>\n</div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Local News\" href=\"http://www.thedailyworld.com/local_news?page=95&amp;mini=calendar/2010-07\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.thedailyworld.com/local_news?page=95&amp;mini=calendar/2010-07</a></p>',-2,5,0,35,'2011-03-09 17:55:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 17:55:00','2011-03-10 19:22:21','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(487,'Jobs returning — but good ones not so much','jobs-returning-but-good-ones-not-so-much','','When it comes to jobs, it\'s not just quantity that matters--it\'s also quality. It\'s great news that the economy is finally producing jobs again--even if it\'ll take another few years of this kind of growth to get us back to where we were before the Great Recession. But that also means it\'s now time to [... ]','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7827\" title=\"mcdonalds\" src=\"http://mit.zenfs.com/102/2011/03/mcdonalds.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"412\" /></p>\n                <p>When it comes to jobs, it\'s not just quantity that matters--it\'s also quality. It\'s great news that the economy is <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/news/yblog_thelookout/ts_yblog_thelookout/storytext/jobs-returning-but-good-ones-not-so-much/40587844/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110304/ts_yblog_thelookout/economy-added-192000-jobs-last-month\">finally producing jobs again</a>--even if it\'ll take another few years of this kind of growth to get us back to where we were before the Great Recession. But that also means it\'s now time to ask what <em>kind</em> of jobs are being created. And on that front, things are a lot less encouraging.</p>\n                <p>Several recent studies suggest that the new jobs pay less and offer fewer work hours than the ones they have replaced. Let\'s look at the numbers:</p>\n                <p>• Lower-wage industries -- things like retail and food preparation -- accounted for 23 percent of the jobs lost during the recession, but 49 percent of the jobs gained over the last year, a <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/yblog_thelookout/ts_yblog_thelookout/storytext/jobs-returning-but-good-ones-not-so-much/40587844/SIG=12d5o8ob4/*http://www.nelp.org/page/-/Justice/2011/UnbalancedGrowthFeb2011.pdf?nocdn=1\">recent study</a> (pdf) by the National Employment Law Program found. Higher-wage industries, by contrast, accounted for 40 percent of the jobs lost, but just 14 percent of the jobs gained. In other words, low paying jobs are increasing as a percentage of total jobs, while high-paying jobs are on the decline.</p>\n                <p><span id=\"more-7825\">• Meanwhile, the percentage of those working who have part-time jobs and want full-time ones surged in mid-February to 19.6 percent -- almost as high as it was a year ago before the recovery began, according to <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/yblog_thelookout/ts_yblog_thelookout/storytext/jobs-returning-but-good-ones-not-so-much/40587844/SIG=12frkqf8b/*http://www.gallup.com/poll/146147/Gallup-Finds-Unemployment-Mid-February.aspx\">Gallup numbers</a>. That suggests, of course, that a large number of the new jobs created over the last year are part-time.</span></p>\n                <p>• And a <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/yblog_thelookout/ts_yblog_thelookout/storytext/jobs-returning-but-good-ones-not-so-much/40587844/SIG=13e99gecu/*http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/03/05/number-of-the-week-workers-not-benefiting-from-productivity-gains/\">recent Wall Street Journal analysis</a> found that even though productivity rose 5.2 percent from mid 2009 to the end of 2010, wages increased by just 0.3 percent. That means only 6 percent of productivity gains were shared with workers. In past recoveries, that figure has averaged 58 percent. This time around, far more of the gains went to shareholders, in the form of profits, which are at <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/news/yblog_thelookout/ts_yblog_thelookout/storytext/jobs-returning-but-good-ones-not-so-much/40587844/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20101210/bs_yblog_thelookout/record-corporate-profits-not-producing-jobs\">record levels</a>.</p>\n                <p>There are no easy answers for how to fix the problem. <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/yblog_thelookout/ts_yblog_thelookout/storytext/jobs-returning-but-good-ones-not-so-much/40587844/SIG=12mufohcv/*http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/08/AR2011030804456.html\">Some argue</a> that workers need more clout in their relationship with employers, something that would require a renaissance of private-sector labor unions, which have been on the decline for the last half-century. But that prospect looks unlikely: Indeed <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/yblog_thelookout/ts_yblog_thelookout/storytext/jobs-returning-but-good-ones-not-so-much/40587844/SIG=12ccrtv43/*http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/19/us/politics/19states.html?pagewanted=all\">efforts are underway</a> in several states to make public-sector unions as weak as their private-sector counterparts.</p>\n                <p>Still, as the economy continues to add jobs in the coming months, it\'s worth keeping the issue of quality in mind. An economy with a glut of low-paying and part-time jobs isn\'t an economy that\'s working for most Americans.</p>\n                <p>(John Francis, who owns the McDonald\'s in Sidney, Montana.: Ellen Wznick/AP)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Jobs returning — but good ones not so much\" href=\"http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110309/ts_yblog_thelookout/jobs-returning-but-good-ones-not-so-much\" target=\"_blank\">http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110309/ts_yblog_thelookout/jobs-returning-but-good-ones-not-so-much</a></p>',-2,5,0,42,'2011-03-09 12:10:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 12:10:00','2011-03-10 19:22:22','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(488,'Creators of Steve Jobs Doll Move on To Zuckerberg','creators-of-steve-jobs-doll-move-on-to-zuckerberg','','You might recall a Steve Jobs action figure that appeared online late last year. It was a good representation of Mr. Jobs, complete with his signature blue jeans, black mock-turtleneck sweater and New Balance sneakers. But the Mr. Jobs doll didn’t last long online.','<div><div class=\"entry-content\"><div class=\"w480\"><img src=\"http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/03/08/technology/bits-actionfigures/bits-actionfigures-custom1.jpg\" alt=\"Steve Jobs action figure\" /><span class=\"credit\">M.I.C Gadget</span> <span class=\"caption\">A banned Steve Jobs doll, left, and the new “Poking Inventor” doll.</span></div>\n<p>You might recall a <a href=\"http://store.micgadget.com/apple-toys-figures/212-steve-jobs-action-figure.html\">Steve Jobs</a> action figure that appeared online late last year. It was a good representation of Mr. Jobs, complete with his signature blue jeans, black mock-turtleneck sweater and New Balance sneakers. But the Mr. Jobs doll didn’t last long. <a href=\"http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/11/26/apple-kills-steve-jobs-doll/\">Apple threatened</a> M.I.C. Gadget, the creator of the doll, with legal action if it didn’t stop selling the mini Mr. Jobs. It was <a href=\"http://micgadget.com/9716/the-end-of-apple-ceo-action-figure/\">quickly removed</a> from the company’s online store.</p>\n<p>Now there’s a <a href=\"http://store.micgadget.com/action-figures/275-poking-inventor-action-figure.html\">new action figure in town.</a> This one appears to be modeled after another famous chief executive in the tech world: Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook.</p>\n<p>But M.I.C. Gadget may have learned its lesson this time.</p>\n<p><span id=\"more-60202\"></span></p>\n<p>The new techie doll, which is priced at $70, isn’t actually called “the Mark Zuckerberg” action figure, like the Mr. Jobs version was. Instead, the company has labeled this product the “Poking Inventor Action Figure.” (Facebook allows people to “poke” each other as an alternate way to say hello.)</p>\n<div class=\"w480\"><img src=\"http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/03/08/technology/bits-actionfigures/bits-actionfigures-custom2.jpg\" alt=\"Mark Zuckerberg Action Figure\" /><span class=\"credit\">M.I.C. Gadget</span> <span class=\"caption\">The “Poking Inventor” doll comes with buttons and speech bubbles.</span></div>\n<p>M.I.C. Gadget describes the “Poking Inventor” action figure as “the most friendly toy we have ever seen,” and says it was ”inspired from a man who makes the world more open and connected.”</p>\n<p>The doll definitely evokes the personality of Mr. Zuckerberg. It has been molded with his signature shaggy hair, blue jeans, Adidas flip-flops and of course, the iconic black hooded sweatshirt. You can also set the action figure to hold either a “like” or “poke” button.</p>\n</div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Creators of Steve Jobs Doll Move on To Zuckerberg\" href=\"http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/creators-of-steve-jobs-doll-move-on-to-zuckerberg/\" target=\"_blank\">http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/creators-of-steve-jobs-doll-move-on-to-zuckerberg/</a></p>',-2,5,0,42,'2011-03-09 09:38:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 09:38:00','2011-03-10 19:22:23','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(489,'Jobs tipped to grow by 20,000','jobs-tipped-to-grow-by-20000','','Official jobs figures due out today are expected to show 20,000 jobs were created in February.A survey by Bloomberg of 20 economists shows, on average, they are forecasting the unemployment rate to remain ...','<div><div>&#13;\n                        \n\n\n\n&#13;\n                        &#13;\n                        	&#13;\n											<div>&#13;\n													&#13;\n													                               \n<div id=\"y-article-related\" class=\"mod-group\">\n    <div class=\"mod related-media\"><span class=\"img\"><img src=\"http://globalfinance.zenfs.com/images/FIN_ANZ_ABC_ART_FTP_LIVE/r189528_710916_small.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"168\" /></span><p></p></div>\n    \n    \n    \n</div>\n&#13;\n													                               \n\n&#13;\n											</div>&#13;\n                        <div class=\"mod provider-attribution\">\n    	<span class=\"datetime\">On Thursday 10 March 2011, 8:46 EST</span>\n	</div>&#13;\n                        <p></p><p>\n\nOfficial jobs figures due out today are expected to show 20,000 jobs were created in February.</p><p>\n\nA survey by Bloomberg of 20 economists shows, on average, they are forecasting the unemployment rate to remain steady at 5 per cent.</p><p>\n\nCommonwealth Bank economist James McIntyre says while jobs growth has been weak in the retail sector, most other parts of the economy are enjoying solid gains.</p><p>\n\n\"In particular the business services sector, be it administration, accounting, legal - all of those things have actually been recovering very strongly, as well as the jobs growth that we\'ve been seeing as the mining sector has recovered from its big GFC hit,\" he said.</p><p>\n\nBut he says if jobs growth is that strong, the unemployment rate could beat the estimates.</p><p>\n\n\"We\'re expecting that that will mean the unemployment rate should fall below 5 per cent territory - the first time it\'s been there for quite some time,\" he said.</p><p>\n\nHe says if the labour market continues to strengthen, employers will need to offer higher wages to attract workers.</p><p>\n\nThat in turn could fuel inflation and put pressure on the Reserve Bank to raise interest rates later this year.</p><p>\n\n\"So it\'s a potentially worrying sign there that if we don\'t either see a pick-up in immigration and a pick-up in labour supply, or alternatively, a bit of a slowdown perhaps in the jobs growth, we could see that feeding through to inflation pressures later in the year and that could be troubling,\" Mr McIntyre said.</p>\n\n\n \n&#13;\n                        		\n&#13;\n                        &#13;\n                        &#13;\n                        &#13;\n                    </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Jobs tipped to grow by 20,000\" href=\"http://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/Jobs-tipped-grow-20-000-abc-3552668963.html?x=0\" target=\"_blank\">http://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/Jobs-tipped-grow-20-000-abc-3552668963.html?x=0</a></p>',-2,5,0,42,'2011-03-09 16:46:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 16:46:00','2011-03-10 19:22:24','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(490,'Rising Trade Deficit Slows Recovery, Jobs Creation','rising-trade-deficit-slows-recovery-jobs-creation','','Morici: The rising deficit slows recovery and jobs creation, and the administration and GOP leadership have offered little to address it.','<div><div class=\"entry-content  KonaBody\">\n		<div class=\"hmedia related-media format-4\">\n				<p class=\"photo\"><img src=\"http://a57.foxnews.com/static/managed/img/259/146/Trade_Containers.jpg\" alt=\"\" /></p>\n				<p class=\"contributor vcard\"><span class=\"fn\"></span></p>\n				<p class=\"fn\"></p>\n			</div>       			\n   		 <p>On Thursday analysts expect the <a href=\"http://www.foxbusiness.com/topics/business/commerce-department.htm\" class=\"r_lapi\">Commerce Department</a> to report the deficit on international trade in goods and services was $41.0 billion in January, up from $40.6 billion in December and $27 billion in mid 2009, when the recovery began.</p>&#13;\n&#13;\n<p>This rising deficit subtracts from demand for U.S. goods and services, just as stimulus spending and additional temporary tax cuts add to it. Consequently, a rising deficit slows economic recovery and jobs creation, and the Obama Administration and Republican leadership in Congress have offered little to address it.</p>&#13;\n&#13;\n<p>Rising <a href=\"http://www.foxbusiness.com/topics/business/oil-energy/oil-prices.htm\" class=\"r_lapi\">oil prices</a> and imports from <a href=\"http://www.foxbusiness.com/topics/china.htm\" class=\"r_lapi\">China</a> are driving the trade deficit, and these are major barriers to creating enough jobs to pull unemployment down to 6 percent over the next several years.</p>&#13;\n&#13;\n<p><b>Jobs Creation</b></p>&#13;\n&#13;\n<p>The economy added 192,000 jobs in February, and that was encouraging, after it gained only 63,000 in January; however, that is hardly enough. The economy must add 360,000 jobs per month over the next 36 months to bring unemployment down to 6 percent.</p>&#13;\n&#13;\n<p>Americans have returned to the malls and new car showrooms but too many dollars go abroad to purchase imports and do not return to buy U.S. exports. This leaves too many Americans jobless and wages stagnant, and state and municipal governments with chronic budget woes.</p>&#13;\n&#13;\n<p>Simply, current policies are not creating conditions for 5% GDP growth that could be achieved to bring unemployment down to acceptable levels.</p>&#13;\n&#13;\n<p>Over the last three months, the private sector has added 152,000 jobs per month, but many of those have been in government subsidized health care and social services, and temporary business services. Netting those out, core private sector jobs have increased only 110,000 per month-that comes to 25 permanent, non-government subsidized jobs per county for more than 5000 job seekers per county.</p>&#13;\n&#13;\n<p>Early in a recovery, temporary jobs appear first, but 20 months into the expansion, permanent, non-government subsidized jobs creation should be much stronger.</p>&#13;\n&#13;\n<p><b>Economic Growth</b></p>&#13;\n&#13;\n<p>Commerce Department preliminary estimates indicate GDP growth was only 2.8 percent, significantly disappointing <a href=\"http://www.foxbusiness.com/topics/business/wall-street-dow.htm\" class=\"r_lapi\">Wall Street</a> economists.</p>&#13;\n&#13;\n<p>Consumer spending, business technology and auto sales all added strongly to demand and growth, and exports actually outpaced imports for the first time in a year. Pessimism, inspired by rising gasoline prices, health care reforms that drive up insurance costs, and import competition, caused businesses to run down inventories rather than add new capacity and employees.</p>&#13;\n&#13;\n<p>Fourth quarter exports got a boost from a weaker dollar against the euro earlier in 2010-the export effect of a weaker dollar occurs with a lag of several months. In 2011, this situation is likely to reverse, owing in particular to Europe\'s continuing sovereign debt woes and instability in North Africa and the <a href=\"http://www.foxbusiness.com/topics/politics/middle-east.htm\" class=\"r_lapi\">Middle East</a>. The trade deficit will grow, as oil import costs and consumer goods from China overwhelm further progress in U.S. export growth.</p>&#13;\n&#13;\n<p>Policies limiting development of conventional oil and gas are premised on false assumptions about the immediate potential of electric cars and alternative energy sources, such as solar panels and windmills. In combination, limits on conventional energy development and excessive optimism about alternative energy technologies are making the United States even more dependent on imported oil and more indebted to China and other overseas creditors to pay for it.</p>&#13;\n&#13;\n<p>To keep Chinese products artificially inexpensive on U.S. store shelves, Beijing undervalues the yuan by 40 percent. It accomplishes this by printing yuan and selling those for dollars and other currencies in foreign exchange markets.</p>&#13;\n&#13;\n<p>Presidents Bush and Obama have sought to alter Chinese policies through negotiations, but Beijing offers only token gestures and cultivates political support among U.S. multinationals producing in China and large banks seeking additional business in China.</p>&#13;\n&#13;\n<p>The United States should impose a tax on dollar-yuan conversions in an amount equal to China\'s currency market intervention divided by its exports-about 35%. That would neutralize China\'s currency subsidies that steal U.S. factories and jobs. It is not protectionism; rather, in the face of virulent Chinese currency manipulation and mercantilism, it\'s self defense.</p>&#13;\n&#13;\n<p><i>Peter Morici is a professor at the Smith School of Business, University of Maryland School, and former Chief Economist at the U.S. International Trade Commission.</i></p> 		  	 \n		</div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Rising Trade Deficit Slows Recovery, Jobs Creation\" href=\"http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2011/03/09/rising-trade-deficit-slows-recovery-jobs-creation/\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2011/03/09/rising-trade-deficit-slows-recovery-jobs-creation/</a></p>',-2,5,0,42,'2011-03-09 10:48:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 10:48:00','2011-03-10 19:22:24','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(491,'Conn. jobs lost in January snow storms','conn-jobs-lost-in-january-snow-storms','','Connecticut lost 2,700 jobs in January due partly to back-to-back snow storms, but employment increased since January 2010.','<div><div class=\"articlePluckHidden\"><p>The state\'s leisure and hospitality industry was down 4,000 jobs in January due to numerous storms that dumped snow measured in feet rather than inches. Trade, transportation and utilities jobs were down 2,000 and manufacturing employment was off by 1,200.<img class=\"storyend\" src=\"http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/File-Based_Image_Resource/dingbat_story_end_icon.gif\" width=\"6\" height=\"8\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 0px;\" /></p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Conn. jobs lost in January snow storms\" href=\"http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2011/03/09/conn_jobs_lost_in_january_snow_storms\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2011/03/09/conn_jobs_lost_in_january_snow_storms</a></p>',-2,5,0,42,'2011-03-09 17:52:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 17:52:00','2011-03-10 19:22:25','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(492,'Senate rejects rival GOP, Democratic budgets   (AP)','senate-rejects-rival-gop-democratic-budgets-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_bi_ge/us_spending_showdown\"></a></p>','<img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110309/capt.b732692807684d978970cc860dffda01-b732692807684d978970cc860dffda01-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=88&amp;q=85&amp;sig=PSrTArtmMx3bPT9XZ.Rk8w--\" height=\"88\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Senate rejects rival GOP, Democratic budgets   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n\nAP - The Democratic-led Senate on Wednesday emphatically rejected a budget-slashing House spending bill as too draconian. It then immediately killed a rival Democratic plan that was derided by moderate Democrats as too timid in its drive to cut day-to-day agency budgets.<br style=\"clear: both;\" /><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Senate rejects rival GOP, Democratic budgets   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_bi_ge/us_spending_showdown\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_bi_ge/us_spending_showdown</a></p>',-2,5,0,45,'2011-03-09 19:00:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 19:00:00','2011-03-10 19:22:25','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(493,'Oil installations ablaze in Libya as battles rage   (AP)','oil-installations-ablaze-in-libya-as-battles-rage-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_re_af/af_libya\">&lt;img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110309/capt.63b397e2827b4329a8e41216b9ed470a-63b397e2827b4329a8e41216b9ed470a-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=80&amp;q=85&amp;sig=AfVrXdy0MEsqbWcpp6tmmQ--\" align=\"left\" height=\"80\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Oil</a></p>',' installations ablaze in Libya as battles rage   (AP)\" border=\"0\"&gt;\n\nAP - A giant yellow fireball shot into the sky, trailed by thick plumes of black smoke Wednesday after fighting between rebels and forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi set two oil installations ablaze and inflicted yet more damage on Libya\'s crippled energy industry.<br style=\"clear: both;\" /><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Oil installations ablaze in Libya as battles rage   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_re_af/af_libya\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_re_af/af_libya</a></p>',-2,5,0,45,'2011-03-09 19:00:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 19:00:00','2011-03-10 19:22:25','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(494,'NPR CEO resigns after VP criticizes tea party   (AP)','npr-ceo-resigns-after-vp-criticizes-tea-party-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_en_ot/us_npr_tea_party_criticism\"></a></p>','<img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110309/capt.24c1e809993646fb8e1c770a88d0c5fe-24c1e809993646fb8e1c770a88d0c5fe-0.jpg?x=86&amp;y=130&amp;q=85&amp;sig=Fqdm6BU_QyjY69wFBRO2yA--\" height=\"130\" width=\"86\" alt=\"NPR CEO resigns after VP criticizes tea party   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n\nAP - NPR\'s president and CEO resigned Wednesday in an effort to limit the damage from hidden camera footage of a fellow executive deriding the tea party movement as \"seriously racist.\" Conservatives called the video proof that the network is biased and undeserving of federal funds.<br style=\"clear: both;\" /><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"NPR CEO resigns after VP criticizes tea party   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_en_ot/us_npr_tea_party_criticism\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_en_ot/us_npr_tea_party_criticism</a></p>',-2,5,0,45,'2011-03-09 19:07:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 19:07:00','2011-03-10 19:22:25','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(495,'Testimony doesn\'t match furor over terror hearing   (AP)','testimony-doesnt-match-furor-over-terror-hearing-ap','','AP - Family members of two young men who were inspired to terrorism, with deadly consequences, plan to tell Congress that the men were victims of brainwashing by radical elements in local Muslim communities, according to prepared testimony obtained by The Associated Press.<p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Testimony doesn\'t match furor over terror hearing   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_re_us/us_muslims_terror_hearings\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_re_us/us_muslims_terror_hearings</a></p>','',-2,5,0,45,'2011-03-09 19:00:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 19:00:00','2011-03-10 19:22:25','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(496,'Gingrich: Love of country contributed to affair   (AP)','gingrich-love-of-country-contributed-to-affair-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_el_ge/us_gingrich2012\"></a></p>','<img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110303/capt.83b48967d76544e2a2d4840a21e9a5b6-83b48967d76544e2a2d4840a21e9a5b6-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=86&amp;q=85&amp;sig=sIgvuDwAFQ9RZ.09jR36gw--\" height=\"86\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Gingrich: Love of country contributed to affair   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n\nAP - Newt Gingrich says his passion for his country contributed to his marital infidelity. In an interview posted Wednesday by The Christian Broadcasting Network, Gingrich &mdash; who recently converted to Catholicism &mdash; said he had sought God\'s forgiveness for mistakes in his past.<br style=\"clear: both;\" /><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Gingrich: Love of country contributed to affair   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_el_ge/us_gingrich2012\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_el_ge/us_gingrich2012</a></p>',-2,5,0,45,'2011-03-09 19:00:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 19:00:00','2011-03-10 19:22:25','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(497,'Preemie birth preventive spikes from $10 to $1,500   (AP)','preemie-birth-preventive-spikes-from-10-to-1500-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_he_me/us_med_premature_birth_drug\"></a></p>','<img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110309/capt.a64fc9ea0d0849dd83071308b894732a-17e7b18cd2fe4cb3be83f578fe21d247-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=86&amp;q=85&amp;sig=GqbbdDtImameTBU56Wk6xw--\" height=\"86\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Preemie birth preventive spikes from $10 to $1,500   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n\nAP - The price of preventing preterm labor is about to go through the roof. A drug for high-risk pregnant women has cost about $10 to $20 per injection. Next week, the price shoots up to $1,500 a dose, meaning the total cost during a pregnancy could be as much as $30,000.<br style=\"clear: both;\" /><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Preemie birth preventive spikes from $10 to $1,500   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_he_me/us_med_premature_birth_drug\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_he_me/us_med_premature_birth_drug</a></p>',-2,5,0,45,'2011-03-09 19:00:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 19:00:00','2011-03-10 19:22:25','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(498,'Judge sets competency hearing in Loughner case   (AP)','judge-sets-competency-hearing-in-loughner-case-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_re_us/us_congresswoman_shot_plea\"></a></p>','<img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110309/capt.219703b461dd469db711bdf287b4c3be-219703b461dd469db711bdf287b4c3be-0.jpg?x=104&amp;y=130&amp;q=85&amp;sig=bqpAcdkru69UkH3JH.qIfg--\" height=\"130\" width=\"104\" alt=\"Judge sets competency hearing in Loughner case   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n\nAP - A federal judge on Wednesday scheduled a May 25 hearing to determine if the suspect in the Tucson shooting rampage that critically injured U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is competent to stand trial.<br style=\"clear: both;\" /><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Judge sets competency hearing in Loughner case   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_re_us/us_congresswoman_shot_plea\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_re_us/us_congresswoman_shot_plea</a></p>',-2,5,0,45,'2011-03-09 19:00:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 19:00:00','2011-03-10 19:22:25','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(499,'Called \'hot and sexy,\' NJ\'s Christie gets cheeky   (AP)','called-hot-and-sexy-njs-christie-gets-cheeky-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_re_us/us_christie_town_hall\"></a></p>','<img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110303/capt.3c8069a1a6be42b6851c84937d9e8fdd-3c8069a1a6be42b6851c84937d9e8fdd-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=109&amp;q=85&amp;sig=mdMOz4yCdjRkNf.LBOy3QA--\" height=\"109\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Called \'hot and sexy,\' NJ\'s Christie gets cheeky   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n\nAP - Gov. Chris Christie received an unusually warm reception at a town hall meeting Wednesday &mdash; warm enough to make him blush. During a question-and-answer session at a church hall in Hopatcong in Sussex County, Debra Nicholson of Sparta prefaced a question about affordable housing with this praise: \"Having a governor who\'s smart and has the perseverance to do what\'s right is hot and sexy.\"<br style=\"clear: both;\" /><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Called \'hot and sexy,\' NJ\'s Christie gets cheeky   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_re_us/us_christie_town_hall\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_re_us/us_christie_town_hall</a></p>',-2,5,0,45,'2011-03-09 18:59:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:59:00','2011-03-10 19:22:25','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(500,'Farmhouse fire kills 7 kids in Pa. Amish country   (AP)','farmhouse-fire-kills-7-kids-in-pa-amish-country-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_re_us/us_deadly_farmhouse_fire\"></a></p>','<img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110309/capt.bbe9a997c88140eb9794c4db0900387b-bbe9a997c88140eb9794c4db0900387b-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=94&amp;q=85&amp;sig=uXKFQyfSJDTFcmoMheJ3gQ--\" height=\"94\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Farmhouse fire kills 7 kids in Pa. Amish country   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n\nAP - The father was making his rounds in his milk truck and the mother was in the barn, milking the cows, when their 3-year-old daughter smelled smoke and ran for help. By the time the parents reached their farmhouse, it was too late: Seven of their eight children were killed in a furious blaze Tuesday night in Pennsylvania\'s dairy country.<br style=\"clear: both;\" /><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Farmhouse fire kills 7 kids in Pa. Amish country   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_re_us/us_deadly_farmhouse_fire\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_re_us/us_deadly_farmhouse_fire</a></p>',-2,5,0,45,'2011-03-09 18:59:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:59:00','2011-03-10 19:22:25','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(501,'Conn. man accused of stabbing man during haircut   (AP)','conn-man-accused-of-stabbing-man-during-haircut-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_re_us/us_haircut_stabbing\"></a></p>','<img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110309/capt.c8a7aa40921848919b63bd5d24dd906c-c8a7aa40921848919b63bd5d24dd906c-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=121&amp;q=85&amp;sig=o_wkRbi8HyAQ9fgS2PHuFg--\" height=\"121\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Conn. man accused of stabbing man during haircut   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n\nAP - Police say a man was getting a haircut at an apartment in Stamford, Conn., when he grabbed scissors and slashed another man in the back. David Davis was arrested soon afterward when officers with a police dog found him in a nearby apartment. A police mug shot shows Davis with thick hair sticking up from only one side of his head.<br style=\"clear: both;\" /><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Conn. man accused of stabbing man during haircut   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_re_us/us_haircut_stabbing\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110309/ap_on_re_us/us_haircut_stabbing</a></p>',-2,5,0,45,'2011-03-09 18:59:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:59:00','2011-03-10 19:22:25','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(502,'Fierce fighting across Libya as government sends envoy   (Reuters)','fierce-fighting-across-libya-as-government-sends-envoy-reuters','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/ts_nm/us_libya\">&lt;img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20110309/i/r1156082585.jpg?x=130&amp;y=89&amp;q=85&amp;sig=VgHtXYx7d_e32YwAuqMbig--\" align=\"left\" height=\"89\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Fierce fighting across Libya as government sends envoy   (Reuters)\"</a></p>',' border=\"0\"&gt;\n\nReuters - A Libyan insurgent said rebels had retaken the heart of the closest city to the capital from forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi on Wednesday evening in some of the fiercest fighting in almost three weeks of clashes.<br style=\"clear: both;\" /><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Fierce fighting across Libya as government sends envoy   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/ts_nm/us_libya\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/ts_nm/us_libya</a></p>',-2,5,0,45,'2011-03-09 18:49:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:49:00','2011-03-10 19:22:26','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(503,'China and Russia drive growth in world\'s billionaires   (Reuters)','china-and-russia-drive-growth-in-worlds-billionaires-reuters','','Reuters - Rising steel and oil prices in Russia, more honest disclosure in Brazil and booming economies in China and India have fueled a spike in billionaires in the so-called BRIC countries.<p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"China and Russia drive growth in world\'s billionaires   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/bs_nm/us_billionaires\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/bs_nm/us_billionaires</a></p>','',-2,5,0,45,'2011-03-09 17:52:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 17:52:00','2011-03-10 19:22:26','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(504,'Rajaratnam painted as two men in fund trial   (Reuters)','rajaratnam-painted-as-two-men-in-fund-trial-reuters','','Reuters - A corrupt man or a legitimate stock researcher?<p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Rajaratnam painted as two men in fund trial   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/bs_nm/us_galleon_rajaratnam\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/bs_nm/us_galleon_rajaratnam</a></p>','',-2,5,0,45,'2011-03-09 17:32:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 17:32:00','2011-03-10 19:22:26','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(505,'House panel to examine Muslim radicalization   (Reuters)','house-panel-to-examine-muslim-radicalization-reuters','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110310/pl_nm/us_usa_security_congress\">&lt;img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20110310/i/r2485627912.jpg?x=130&amp;y=96&amp;q=85&amp;sig=KRwg0d7.tIQpP4Wvii5YKw--\" align=\"left\" height=\"96\" width=\"130\" alt=\"A woman holds a sign at the \" today i am a muslim too</a></p>',' rally in new york city march the was held response to upcoming congressional hearings led by peter king protest targeting of american muslims and arabs. reuters rinaldi border=\"0\"&gt;\n\nReuters - The House of Representatives will investigate radicalization in the American-Muslim community, sparking outrage that the probe is a witch hunt akin to the 1950s anti-Communist campaign.<br style=\"clear: both;\" /><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"House panel to examine Muslim radicalization   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110310/pl_nm/us_usa_security_congress\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110310/pl_nm/us_usa_security_congress</a></p>',-2,5,0,45,'2011-03-09 19:10:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 19:10:00','2011-03-10 19:22:26','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(506,'Poll: Despite improving economy, Americans see U.S. on wrong track   (Reuters)','poll-despite-improving-economy-americans-see-us-on-wrong-track-reuters','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/pl_nm/us_obama_poll\">&lt;img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20110309/i/r3449710095.jpg?x=130&amp;y=86&amp;q=85&amp;sig=04UmhCWXstGM30nlxh_nuw--\" align=\"left\" height=\"86\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Poll: Despite improving economy, Americans see U.S. on wrong</a></p>',' track   (Reuters)\" border=\"0\"&gt;\n\nReuters - Americans\' confidence in the way the country is going has slumped to a two-year low in the last month, and one pollster blamed soaring gas prices.<br style=\"clear: both;\" /><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Poll: Despite improving economy, Americans see U.S. on wrong track   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/pl_nm/us_obama_poll\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/pl_nm/us_obama_poll</a></p>',-2,5,0,45,'2011-03-09 13:46:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 13:46:00','2011-03-10 19:22:26','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(507,'U.S. clears new lupus drug, blockbuster sales seen   (Reuters)','us-clears-new-lupus-drug-blockbuster-sales-seen-reuters','','Reuters - The first new treatment for lupus in a half-century won U.S. approval on Wednesday, a milestone for patients with the disabling disease and a potential blockbuster for tiny biotech company Human Genome Sciences Inc.<p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"U.S. clears new lupus drug, blockbuster sales seen   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/ts_nm/us_humangenome_lupus\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/ts_nm/us_humangenome_lupus</a></p>','',-2,5,0,45,'2011-03-09 18:20:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:20:00','2011-03-10 19:22:26','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(508,'Accused Tucson shooter says not guilty of new charges   (Reuters)','accused-tucson-shooter-says-not-guilty-of-new-charges-reuters','','Reuters - Tucson shooting rampage suspect Jared Loughner pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to an expanded, 49-count indictment that set the stage for prosecutors to decide whether to seek the death penalty.<p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Accused Tucson shooter says not guilty of new charges   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/ts_nm/us_usa_shooting_plea\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/ts_nm/us_usa_shooting_plea</a></p>','',-2,5,0,45,'2011-03-09 18:52:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:52:00','2011-03-10 19:22:26','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(509,'Idaho passes Republican bill to curb union rights   (Reuters)','idaho-passes-republican-bill-to-curb-union-rights-reuters','','Reuters - The Idaho state legislature approved a bill on Tuesday to strip public school teachers of many of their collective bargaining rights while protesters in six states rallied against Republican efforts to curb union power.<p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Idaho passes Republican bill to curb union rights   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/pl_nm/us_states_unions\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110309/pl_nm/us_states_unions</a></p>','',-2,5,0,45,'2011-03-09 08:03:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 08:03:00','2011-03-10 19:22:26','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(510,'Kadhafi says West after Libya\'s oil as rebels pounded   (AFP)','kadhafi-says-west-after-libyas-oil-as-rebels-pounded-afp','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110309/wl_africa_afp/libyaunrestmideast\">&lt;img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20110309/capt.photo_1299644168228-5-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=82&amp;q=85&amp;sig=KoGXI1eNeFLsM_jWDOUdRw--\" align=\"left\" height=\"82\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Kadhafi says West after Libya\'s oil</a></p>',' as rebels pounded   (AFP)\" border=\"0\"&gt;\n\nAFP - Moamer Kadhafi accused the West on Wednesday of wanting to seize Libya\'s oil and warned that a no-fly zone would backfire as his forces pounded rebel lines, setting a string of oil facilities ablaze.<br style=\"clear: both;\" /><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Kadhafi says West after Libya\'s oil as rebels pounded   (AFP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110309/wl_africa_afp/libyaunrestmideast\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110309/wl_africa_afp/libyaunrestmideast</a></p>',-2,5,0,45,'2011-03-09 18:15:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 18:15:00','2011-03-10 19:22:26','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(511,'I.Coast\'s would-be president heads to mediation summit   (AFP)','icoasts-would-be-president-heads-to-mediation-summit-afp','','AFP - Ivory Coast\'s internationally recognised president Alassane Ouattara headed Wednesday to an African summit he expects will come up with ways to force his rival Laurent Gbagbo to hand over power.<p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"I.Coast\'s would-be president heads to mediation summit   (AFP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110309/wl_africa_afp/icoastpoliticsunrest\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110309/wl_africa_afp/icoastpoliticsunrest</a></p>','',-2,5,0,45,'2011-03-09 16:25:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-09 16:25:00','2011-03-10 19:22:26','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(513,'MiChansa - Welcome Migo\'s','michansa-community-portal','','<h2><img src=\"images/stories/michansa.png\" border=\"0\" alt=\"MiChansa es Tu chansa!\" title=\"MiChansa es Tu chansa!\" width=\"276\" height=\"207\" style=\"float: left;\" /></h2>\r\n<h1 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">MiChansa es Tu chansa!</span></h1>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><img src=\"images/stories/untitled.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Michansa Overview\" title=\"Michansa Overview\" width=\"276\" height=\"330\" style=\"border: 0pt none; margin: 0px 5px; float: right;\" />Sometimes it seems we have no chance - life is not fair!  There are so many problems or obstacles - life just seems helpless! Well The World has Changed!  <strong>MiChansa</strong> has arrived to Do a MakeOver on your Life! We have assembled a <strong>DREAM TEAM </strong>- and they are here to help <strong>YOU!</strong> <strong>MiChansa</strong> is going to make your life over - if you<strong> WANT</strong> to..... starting with a:</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>FREE SMARTPHONE, NEW JOB, KNOWLEDGE, EDUCATION, FRIENDS, AND PERHAPS A NEW HOUSE</strong></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px;\"><img src=\"images/stories/job_openings.png\" border=\"0\" alt=\"MiChansa Job Opportunities\" title=\"MiChansa Job Opportunities\" width=\"123\" height=\"123\" /></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img src=\"images/stories/memberbenefits.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"MiChansa Membership Benefits\" title=\"MiChansa Membership Benefits\" width=\"449\" height=\"50\" style=\"border: 0pt none;\" /></p>\r\n<hr />\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><em>{loadposition user8}</em></em></p>\r\n<hr />\r\n<p>1. <strong>FREE </strong>Smartphone.<br />2. Then we will set you up Tech wise to find a job, improve your job, get your own business, improve your business, well you get the idea.<br /> 3. Then we will stuff your brain with all you need to know to get your <strong>MBA in TECHNOLOGY</strong> to get ahead and stay ahead.<br /> 4. Then we will help your family and children to get into<strong> jobs that pay $20 Hr to the sky is the limit </strong>- we will <strong>TRAIN</strong> them with the knowledge and skills they need for tomorrow.<br /> 5. Then we will introduce you to new friends in your area and around the world who will help you to live a richer and fuller life.<br /> 6. Then we will help you <strong>SEE your family &amp; friends</strong> if they live far away from you.<br /> 7. Then we will help you achieve your <strong>IMMIGRATION dream</strong> if you need that.<br /> 8. Then finally we are <strong>giving away a HOUSE - that\'s right - a House that you can make your own Home</strong>.<br /> 9.<strong> NOW</strong> if you want to know more about what we have said - sign up and let us tell you more about it... it\'s up to you.</p>\r\n<p> </p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img src=\"images/stories/home business picture.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Michansa FREE Home Campaign for Members\" title=\"Michansa FREE Home Campaign for Members\" width=\"349\" height=\"336\" /></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><strong>FREE HOME GIVEAWAY FOR MEMBERS<br /></strong></span></p>\r\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Text us at 40404 to sign up</h3>\r\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Call us at 800-908-1978</h3>\r\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Email us at mas@michansa.com</h3>\r\n<p> </p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"index.php?option=com_comprofiler&amp;task=registers\" title=\"Join MiChansa Now\" onclick=\"window.open(\'http://69.167.147.178/index.php?option=com_comprofiler&amp;task=registers\',\'Join Michansa Now\',\'location=yes,scrollbars=yes,menubar=yes,resizable=yes,toolbar=yes,status=yes,width=500,height=900,left=\'+(screen.availWidth/2-250)+\',top=\'+(screen.availHeight/2-450)+\'\');return false;\"><img src=\"images/stories/join now.jpg\" border=\"0\" /></a></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img src=\"images/stories/pp.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"MiChansa Payments Accepted\" title=\"MiChansa Payments Accepted\" /></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em><em>{loadposition user7}</em></em></p>','',-1,0,0,0,'2007-07-07 09:54:06',62,'','2010-10-09 04:02:34',62,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2004-07-06 22:00:00','0000-00-00 00:00:00','','','show_title=0\nlink_titles=0\nshow_intro=\nshow_section=0\nlink_section=0\nshow_category=0\nlink_category=0\nshow_vote=0\nshow_author=0\nshow_create_date=0\nshow_modify_date=0\nshow_pdf_icon=0\nshow_print_icon=0\nshow_email_icon=0\nlanguage=\nkeyref=\nreadmore=',0,0,0,'','',0,0,'robots=\nauthor='),(514,'MiChansa - Welcome Migo\'s','michansa-community-portal','','<div style=\"background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% ivory; border: thin solid #cccccc; margin: 12px; padding: 4px; text-align: center;\">\r\n<p>{niftycolumn background=black,textcolor=#FFF,font=Tahoma,fontsize=18px}<br />Mi Chansa Mobile APP <br />{niftynextcolumn background=black}<br />Giveaway and  Contests<br />{niftynextcolumn background=black}<br />Migo\'s Social Network<br />{/niftycolumn}</p>\r\n<p>{niftycolumn background=white,textcolor=#FFF}</p>\r\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><strong>Mi Chansa Times Mobile APP</strong></span></span></h3>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><strong><strong><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><img src=\"images/stories/mobile.png\" border=\"0\" width=\"187\" height=\"187\" /></span></strong></strong></span></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">NEW</span> --- Look for QR Images and scan with mobile devices.</span></span><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><br /></span></span></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">{loadposition mobappmain}</p>\r\n<p>{niftynextcolumn}</p>\r\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><strong>Giveaway and Contests for Migos<br /></strong></span></span></h3>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img src=\"images/stories/contests_winn_banner.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Migo Contest and Awards\" title=\"Mi Chansa Contest and Awards\" width=\"206\" height=\"121\" /></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Prizes (Gold Diamond Watches, $1000 Cash, Itouch )</span></span></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Coming ($10,000 Cash for Best Business Plan) and<br /></span></span></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">(1 Year FREE Rent)<br /></span></span></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Become a Mi Chansa Migo.<br /></span></span></p>\r\n<p>{niftynextcolumn background=white}</p>\r\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><strong>Mi Chansa Social Network<br /></strong></span></span></h3>\r\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><strong><strong><img src=\"images/stories/Resized/social-networking-va4business.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Michansa - Migo\'s Social Network\" title=\"Michansa - Migo\'s Social Network\" width=\"179\" height=\"134\" /></strong></strong></span></span></h3>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">A   Social Network that helps YOU find a job, make money, to learn, meet    new friends, help you stay in contact with family and friends, empowers    you membership benefits  and perhaps  win   your dream home.</span></span></p>\r\n<p>{/niftycolumn}</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">{niftybox background=white ,textcolor=black,float=right,textalign=justify,border=black,font=Tahoma,fontsize=12px}</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\">FREE Migo Membership Registration</span></span></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\"><br /></span></span></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\"> </span></span><a href=\"index.php?option=com_comprofiler&amp;task=registers\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Join MiChansa Now\"><img src=\"images/stories/join%20now.jpg\" border=\"0\" width=\"299\" height=\"55\" /></a></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #339966;\">{/niftybox}</span></p>\r\n</div>','',0,0,0,0,'2007-07-07 09:54:06',62,'','2011-03-22 14:06:50',62,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2004-07-06 22:00:00','0000-00-00 00:00:00','','','show_title=0\nlink_titles=0\nshow_intro=\nshow_section=0\nlink_section=0\nshow_category=0\nlink_category=0\nshow_vote=0\nshow_author=0\nshow_create_date=0\nshow_modify_date=0\nshow_pdf_icon=0\nshow_print_icon=0\nshow_email_icon=0\nlanguage=\nkeyref=\nreadmore=',53,0,2,'','',0,37,'robots=\nauthor='),(515,'Mi Chansa Bulletin','migo-bulletin-login-page','','<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><img src=\"images/stories/community1.jpg\" border=\"0\" width=\"163\" height=\"115\" /></p>\r\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\">Mi Chansa Membership Plans</h2>\r\n<hr />\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em><strong>VIDEO HERE</strong></em></span></p>\r\n<h3>\r\n<hr />\r\n</h3>\r\n<h3>1)<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"> Free</span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">Basic Membership</span> for EVERYONE.</h3>\r\n<hr />\r\n<div>\r\n<h3>2) <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">$36.00 <span style=\"color: #000000;\">Standard Membership (1 year)</span></span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> </span>allows you to participate in contest for sending in <span style=\"color: #008000;\">Videos of Businesses.</span></h3>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\"><br /></span></p>\r\n</div>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\"><span style=\"white-space: pre;\"> </span></span><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #339966;\"><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\">FIRST PRIZE<span style=\"white-space: pre;\"> </span><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">$5,000</span> Gold &amp; Diamond Watch </span><span style=\"white-space: pre;\"><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\"> </span></span></span></span></p>\r\n<ul>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><img src=\"images/stories/migo%20gold%20diamond%20watch.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Migo Gold Diamond Watch\" title=\"Migo Gold Diamond Watch\" width=\"240\" height=\"127\" /></h1>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">(Watch is use for demonstration purpose only and is not the exact items)</p>\r\n<hr />\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\"><span style=\"color: #339966;\"><span style=\"white-space: pre;\"> </span>SECOND PRIZE<span style=\"white-space: pre;\"> </span><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">$1,000</span> in CASH</span></span><br /><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #339966;\"> </span></span></p>\r\n<ul>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\"><span style=\"color: #339966;\"><span style=\"white-space: pre;\"><img src=\"images/stories/migo%201000%20cash%20prize.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Migo $1000 Cash Prize\" title=\"Migo $1000 Cash Prize\" width=\"227\" height=\"158\" /></span></span></span></p>\r\n<p> </p>\r\n<hr />\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\"><span style=\"color: #339966;\">THIRD PRIZE<span style=\"white-space: pre;\"> </span><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">iPod Touch</span></span></span></p>\r\n<p> </p>\r\n<ul>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img src=\"images/stories/migo%20ipod-touch-8gb.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Migo Contest Prize Ipod\" title=\"Migo Contest Prize Ipod\" width=\"164\" height=\"179\" /></p>\r\n<hr />\r\n<h3>3) <span style=\"color: #000000;\">Business Memberships.</span></h3>\r\n<div><span style=\"white-space: pre;\"> </span><span style=\"color: #339966;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">$49.00 per month</span> gives you: business website, business video, online  special sales area that businesses can update themselves &amp; rotation  in iPad online advertising.</span></span></div>\r\n<div><span style=\"color: #339966;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"> \r\n<hr />\r\n</span></span></div>\r\n<div>\r\n<ul>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<h3>4) Upcoming <span style=\"color: #008000;\">\"Start your own business\"</span> contest for Standard and Business Members.</h3>\r\n<div><span style=\"white-space: pre;\"> </span><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #339966;\">Special <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">$10,000</span> prize will be awarded to best video that describes what  type of business you want to start &amp; what services you will perform</span></span>.                                       \r\n<ul>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<hr />\r\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Upgrade Your  Subscriptions Below and Win !<br /></span></h1>\r\n<hr />\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">{loadposition subupg}</p>\r\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">\r\n<hr />\r\n</div>\r\n<h2>There is a Raffle Going On.</h2>\r\n<h4>Do You Have Enough Migo Points ?  Make Sure to Enter the Raffle for Prizes.<img src=\"images/stories/raffle.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Migo Raffel Points\" title=\"Migo Raffel Points\" width=\"182\" height=\"140\" style=\"float: left;\" /></h4>\r\n<h3>Demo Points Reward Raffle (100 Migo Points Required to Enter Raffle)</h3>\r\n<h3>Winner Receives 10,000 Migo Points 2nd Prize 5000 Points  and 3rd Prize 2500 Points.<strong>{AUP::RAFFLE=1}</strong></h3>\r\n<p><strong> </strong></p>','',1,4,0,30,'2011-03-17 00:12:39',62,'','2011-03-21 20:23:41',62,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-17 00:12:39','0000-00-00 00:00:00','','','show_title=\nlink_titles=\nshow_intro=\nshow_section=\nlink_section=\nshow_category=\nlink_category=\nshow_vote=\nshow_author=\nshow_create_date=\nshow_modify_date=\nshow_pdf_icon=\nshow_print_icon=\nshow_email_icon=\nlanguage=\nkeyref=\nreadmore=',69,0,2,'','',1,155,'robots=\nauthor='),(516,'Michansa Points Details','michansa-points-details','','<h1>How to Earn Migo Points.</h1>\r\n<p> </p>\r\n<p><img src=\"images/stories/raffleticket.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Earning Michansa Migo Points\" title=\"Earning Michansa Migo Points\" /></p>\r\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Simply complete the tasks and receive your points. Here are some ways you can earn points. Keep an eye for secret codes that give you even more points. (Some will give you points some will take points away )  Check this page for updates and changes. Later you will be able to exchange points with Mi Chansa Products and Services.</span></p>\r\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><br /></span></p>\r\n<ol>\r\n<li>Allows referers to get bonus points percentage points for all user points awarded to their referees  (1%)</li>\r\n<li> Assign points when a registered user vote an article internal system vote  (1 point)</li>\r\n<li> Assign points when a registered user click on a banner  system banner  (1 point)</li>\r\n<li>Assigns points to the user after he responded to a poll  (1 point)</li>\r\n<li>Invite a friend to register on this website, assign points to user on sending invite (5 points)</li>\r\n<li>Invite a friend to register on this website, assign points to user when his friend registered with success (20 points)</li>\r\n<li>Assign points when a user invite a friend to read an article, user earn points if article read  (3 points)</li>\r\n<li>Assign points to new users  (20 points)</li>\r\n<li>Assigns points for each daily login (1 point)</li>\r\n<li>Assigns points to user which have birthday (only one time in year when user have his/her birthday). Note: User must be login this day to earn those points, else don\'t get those points  (20 points)</li>\r\n<li>Assigns points when a user upload a picture or avatar in his profile with the internal avatar syste  (1 point)</li>\r\n<li>Assigns points when a user has 100% completed his / her profile. Must be used with the internal system avatar. Assigns 10% complete on registration, assigns 50% with image or avatar, reach 100% with small description, birthday, gender, hometown (city), job and education information. If the profile down and becomes incomplete, points will be removed automatically. (20 points)</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img src=\"images/stories/raffle.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Michansa Migo Points Awards\" title=\"Michansa Migo Points Awards\" /></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"> </p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ALL CHEATERS WILL FORFEIT ALL POINTS WEBMASTERS DECISION WILL BE FINAL ON THIS MATTER.<br /></span><br /><br /><br /></p>','',1,4,0,30,'2011-03-18 18:18:39',62,'','2011-03-18 18:45:40',62,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-18 18:18:39','0000-00-00 00:00:00','','','show_title=\nlink_titles=\nshow_intro=\nshow_section=\nlink_section=\nshow_category=\nlink_category=\nshow_vote=\nshow_author=\nshow_create_date=\nshow_modify_date=\nshow_pdf_icon=\nshow_print_icon=\nshow_email_icon=\nlanguage=\nkeyref=\nreadmore=',4,0,1,'','',0,11,'robots=\nauthor='),(518,'Japan sees some progress in race to cool nuclear reactors   (Reuters)','japan-sees-some-progress-in-race-to-cool-nuclear-reactors-reuters','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110320/wl_nm/us_japan_quake\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20110318/capt.photo_1300429468276-1-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=86&amp;q=85&amp;sig=2tfAm56CUV8W0EwxZ7Dvcw--\" height=\"86\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Japan sees some progress in race to cool nuclear reactors   (Reuters)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>Reuters - Japan restored power to a crippled nuclear reactor on Sunday in its race to avert disaster at a plant wrecked by an earthquake and tsunami that are estimated to have killed more than 15,000 people in one area alone.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan restored power to a crippled nuclear reactor on Sunday in its race to avert disaster at a plant wrecked by an earthquake and tsunami that are estimated to have killed more than 15,000 people in one area alone.</p>\n                <p>\nThree hundred engineers have been struggling inside the danger zone to salvage the six-reactor Fukushima plant in the world\'s worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl 25 years ago.</p>\n                <p>\n\"I think the situation is improving step by step,\" Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Tetsuro Fukuyama told a news conference.</p>\n                <p>\nIn one remarkable story of survival, an 80-year-old woman and 16-year-old youth were found alive under the rubble in the devastated city of Ishinomaki, nine days after the killer earthquake and tsunami, NHK public TV said, quoting police.</p>\n                <p>\nAt the nuclear plant, workers braving high radiation levels in suits sealed in duct tape managed to connect power to the No. 2 reactor, crucial to their attempts to cool it down and limit the leak of deadly radiation.</p>\n                <p>\nOfficials at plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said the workers aimed to restore the control room function, lights and the cooling at the No. 1 reactor, which is connected to the No.2 reactor by cable.</p>\n                <p>\nBut rising cases of contaminated vegetables, dust and water have raised new fears. The government has prohibited the sale of raw milk from Fukushima prefecture and spinach from another nearby area. It is considering further restrictions on food.</p>\n                <p>\nTokyo, just 240 km (150 miles) south of the crippled plant and where the government said it had found traces of radioactive iodine, was subdued on Sunday but there was no sense of panic.</p>\n                <p>\n\"There\'s no way I can check if those radioactive particles are in my tap water or the food I eat, so there isn\'t much I can really do about it,\" said Setsuko Kuroi, an 87-year-old woman shopping in a supermarket in the capital with a white gauze mask over her face.</p>\n                <p>\n\"I don\'t plan big changes to my diet. And I only drink bottled water.\"</p>\n                <p>\nRECONSTRUCTION</p>\n                <p>\nPolice said they believed more than 15,000 people had been killed in Miyagi prefecture, one of four in Japan\'s northeast that took the brunt of the tsunami damage. In total, more than 20,000 are dead or missing, police said.</p>\n                <p>\nThe unprecedented crisis will cost the world\'s third largest economy up to quarter of a trillion dollars and require Japan\'s biggest reconstruction push since post-World War Two.</p>\n                <p>\nIt has also set back nuclear power plans the world over.</p>\n                <p>\nEconomics Minster Kaoru Yosano put the economic damage at above 20 trillion yen ($248 billion), which was his estimate of the total economic impact of the 1995 earthquake in Kobe.</p>\n                <p>\nGovernment spending was likely to exceed the 3.3 trillion yen Tokyo spent after Kobe, which up to now has been considered the world\'s costliest natural disaster.</p>\n                <p>\nJapan\'s crisis spooked markets, prompted rare intervention by the G7 group of rich nations to stabilize the yen on Friday, and fueled concerns the world economy may suffer because of disrupted supplies to auto and technology industries.</p>\n                <p>\nAutomaker General Motors Co said it was suspending all non-essential spending and global travel, plus freezing production at a plant in Spain and cancelling two shifts in Germany while it assessed the impact of the Japan crisis.\n</p><p>\n\nJapanese markets will be closed on Monday for a public holiday.\n</p><p>\n\nENCOURAGEMENT\n</p><p>\n\nEncouragingly for Japanese transfixed on work at the Fukushima complex, the most critical reactor -- No. 3, which contains highly toxic plutonium -- stabilized after fire trucks doused it for hours with hundreds of tones of water.\n</p><p>\n\nPlant operator TEPCO said it may take days to restore power at the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors. Power is needed to reactivate water pumps to cool fuel rods in the reactors.\n</p><p>\n\nIf the pumps cannot be restarted, drastic measures may be required such as burying the plant in sand and concrete, as happened at Chernobyl in 1986, though experts warn that could take many months.\n</p><p>\n\nThe Japan crisis is already rated as bad as America\'s Three Mile Island accident in 1979.\n</p><p>\n\nAlthough public fear of radiation runs deep, and anxiety has spread as far as the Pacific-facing side of the United States, Japanese officials say levels so far are not alarming.\n</p><p>\n\nSome airports in Asia have been checking passengers arriving from Japan for signs of radiation, including Jakarta airport where officials were using Geiger counters on all those coming on flights from Japan.\n</p><p>\n\nPhysicians for Social Responsibility, a U.S. non-profit advocacy group, called for a halt to new nuclear reactors in the United States.\n</p><p>\n\n\"There is no safe level of radiation exposure,\" said Jeff Patterson, a former president of the group.\n</p><p>\n\nThe quake and ensuing 10-meter high tsunami devastated Japan\'s north east coastal region, wiping towns off the map and making more than 360,000 people homeless in a test for the Asian nation\'s reputation for resilience and social cohesion.\n</p><p>\n\nFood, water, medicine and fuel are short in some parts, and low temperatures during Japan\'s winter are not helping.\n</p><p>\n\nThe traumatic hunt for bodies and missing people continues.\n</p><p>\n\n\"This morning my next door neighbor came crying to me that she still can\'t find her husband. All I could tell her was, \'We\'ll do our best, so just hold on a little longer,\'\" said fire brigade officer Takao Sato in the disaster zone.\n</p><p>\n\nAbout 257,000 households in the north still have no electricity and at least 1 million lack running water.\n</p><p>\n\nPrime Minister Naoto Kan, who has kept a low profile during the crisis except for shouting at TEPCO, sounded out the opposition about forming a government of national unity to deal with the crisis.\n</p><p>\n\nBut the largest opposition party rejected that.\n</p><p>\n\nKan was to visit the affected region on Monday, Kyodo news agency said.\n</p><p>\n\n(Additional reporting by Chikako Mogi in Tokyo, and Yoko Kubota and Chang-ran Kim in Rikuzentakata, Gleb Bryanski in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia, Eileen O\'Grady in Houston, Fredrik Dahl and Sylvia Westall in Vienna, Suzanne Cosgrove in Chicago, Writing by Nick Macfie and Andrew Cawthorne, editing by Jonathan Thatcher)</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Japan sees some progress in race to cool nuclear reactors   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110320/wl_nm/us_japan_quake\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110320/wl_nm/us_japan_quake</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-03-20 11:56:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-20 11:56:00','2011-04-03 12:16:00','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,3,''),(519,'Arab unrest spreads to Syria, thousands march   (Reuters)','arab-unrest-spreads-to-syria-thousands-march-reuters','','Reuters - Thousands of Syrians demanded an end to 48 years of emergency law Sunday, a third consecutive day of protests emerging as the biggest challenge to Syria\'s rulers since unrest swept the Arab world this year.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>DAMASCUS (Reuters) – Thousands of Syrians demanded an end to 48 years of emergency law Sunday, a third consecutive day of protests emerging as the biggest challenge to Syria\'s rulers since unrest swept the Arab world this year.</p>\n                <p>\nSyrian security forces killed a protester named Raed al-Kerad, residents said, the fifth civilian killed by them since protests erupted in the southern city of Deraa Friday as demonstrators called for freedoms and the release of political prisoners.</p>\n                <p>\nA huge billow of smoke rose from main downtown area where key government buildings are located, but heavy gunfire heard earlier across the city, which is near the border with Jordan, subsided by late afternoon, witnesses said.</p>\n                <p>\n\"No. No to emergency law. We are a people infatuated with freedom,\" marchers chanted as a government delegation arrived in Deraa to offer their condolences for victims killed by security forces in demonstrations there this week.</p>\n                <p>\nSecurity forces also fired tear gas at the protesters. At least 40 people were taken to be treated for gas inhalation at the main Omari mosque in the old city, residents said.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The mosque is now a field hospital. The security forces know they cannot enter the old city without spilling more blood,\" one resident said.</p>\n                <p>\nSyria has been ruled under emergency law since the Baath Party, which is headed by president Bashar al-Assad, took power in a 1963 coup and banned all opposition.</p>\n                <p>\nSecurity forces opened fire Friday on civilians taking part in a peaceful protest in Deraa to demand political freedoms, an end to corruption, and the release of 15 schoolchildren whose arrests for scrawling protest graffiti had helped fuel the demonstrations. Four people were killed.</p>\n                <p>\nAn official statement said \"infiltrators\" claiming to be high ranking officers had been visiting security stations and asking security forces to fire at any suspicious gathering.</p>\n                <p>\nCitizens should report anyone suspected of trying to fool the security apparatus \"into using violence and live ammunition against any suspicious gathering,\" the statement said.</p>\n                <p>\nThe government sought to calm popular discontent in Deraa by promising that the children, who had written slogans on walls inspired by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, would be released immediately.</p>\n                <p>\nSaturday, thousands of mourners called for \"revolution\" at the funeral of two of the protesters. Officials later met Deraa notables who presented them with a list of demands, most importantly the release of political prisoners.</p>\n                <p>\nThe list demands the dismantling of the secret police headquarters in Deraa, the dismissal of the governor, a public trial for those responsible for the killings and the scrapping of regulations requiring permission from the secret police to sell and buy property.</p>\n                <p>\nARRESTS</p>\n                <p>\nNon-violent protests have challenged the Baath Party\'s authority this month, following the uprisings that toppled the autocratic leaders of Egypt and Tunisia, with the largest protests in Deraa drawing thousands of people.</p>\n                <p>\nA silent protest in Damascus by 150 people this week demanded the release of thousands of political prisoners. At least one activist from Deraa, Diana al-Jawabra, took part in the protest. She was arrested on charges of weakening national morale, along with 32 other protesters, a lawyer said.</p>\n                <p>\nJawabra, who is from a prominent family, was campaigning for the release of the 15 schoolchildren from her home city. Another prominent woman from Deraa, physician Aisha Aba Zeid, was arrested three weeks ago for airing a political opinion on the internet.</p>\n                <p>\nResidents say the arrest of the two women deepened feelings of repression and helped fuel the protests in Deraa, a conservative tribal region on the border with Jordan.\n</p><p>\n\nSecret police made a slew of arrests in Deraa this month after graffiti appeared on school walls and on grain silos with phrases such as \"the people want the overthrow of the regime\" -- the same slogan that became the rallying cry of the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions.\n</p><p>\n\nThe authorities responded by increasing secret police patrols and asking staff at schools and public departments to man their premises around the clock and by requiring IDs and registration for buyers of paint and spray cans.\n</p><p>\n\n\"These measures only increased popular resentment,\" one Deraa resident said.\n</p><p>\n\n(Additional reporting by Suleiman al-Khalidi; Editing by Kate Kelland)</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Arab unrest spreads to Syria, thousands march   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110320/wl_nm/us_syria\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110320/wl_nm/us_syria</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-03-20 10:50:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-20 10:50:00','2011-04-03 12:16:02','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,1,''),(520,'Yemen\'s U.N. envoy quits over violence to protesters   (Reuters)','yemens-un-envoy-quits-over-violence-to-protesters-reuters','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110320/wl_nm/us_yemen_resignation\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20110320/i/r2417739302.jpg?x=130&amp;y=86&amp;q=85&amp;sig=tB.tZQ2SWSb2OwjzZXaX3A--\" height=\"86\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Yemen\'s U.N. envoy quits over violence to protesters   (Reuters)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>Reuters - Yemen\'s ambassador to the United Nations Abdullah Alsaidi has resigned, the latest high-ranking member of President Ali Abdullah Saleh\'s government to quit in protest against the killing of dozens of demonstrators.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>SANAA (Reuters) – Yemen\'s ambassador to the United Nations Abdullah Alsaidi has resigned, the latest high-ranking member of President Ali Abdullah Saleh\'s government to quit in protest against the killing of dozens of demonstrators.</p>\n                <p>\nSnipers killed up to 42 protesters among crowds that flocked to a sit-in at Sanaa University after Friday prayers. The opposition says at least seven snipers were caught carrying government identity cards, a charge the government has denied.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Mr. Alsaidi has sent his resignation to the president\'s office and the Foreign Ministry,\" a Yemeni Foreign Ministry official said on Sunday, and added that it was in protest at the Friday violence.</p>\n                <p>\nDefying a crackdown after the government called a state of emergency, the opposition has vowed to keep up its pressure to end Saleh\'s 32-year rule in the poor Arabian Peninsula state, a neighbor of Saudi Arabia and a U.S. ally against al Qaeda.</p>\n                <p>\nTwo prominent members of Yemen\'s ruling party resigned on Saturday in protest against the violence, and on Friday the tourism minister and the head of the party\'s foreign affairs committee quit.</p>\n                <p>\nNasr Taha Mustafa, head of the state news agency and a leading ruling party member, said on Saturday he was giving up both his post and the party.</p>\n                <p>\nAnother party member, Mohamed Saleh Qara\'a, told Reuters on Saturday he had also quit because of the \"completely unacceptable\" violence.</p>\n                <p>\nInspired by mass protests that toppled the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt, demonstrators have been demanding for weeks that veteran president Saleh step down. More than 70 people have been killed.</p>\n                <p>\nSaleh has blamed gunmen among the protesters for the killings.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Mohamed Sudam, Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Yemen\'s U.N. envoy quits over violence to protesters   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110320/wl_nm/us_yemen_resignation\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110320/wl_nm/us_yemen_resignation</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-03-20 09:20:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-20 09:20:00','2011-04-03 12:16:02','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,2,''),(521,'Saudis gather to demand release of prisoners   (Reuters)','saudis-gather-to-demand-release-of-prisoners-reuters','','Reuters - Dozens of Saudi men gathered outside the Interior Ministry in the capital Riyadh on Sunday to demand the release of jailed relatives, amid a heavy police presence.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>RIYADH (Reuters) – Dozens of Saudi men gathered outside the Interior Ministry in the capital Riyadh on Sunday to demand the release of jailed relatives, amid a heavy police presence.</p>\n                <p>\nSome were seen arguing with police but were not shouting slogans or holding protest signs. At least 50 police cars surrounded the ministry, and three men were seen by a Reuters witness being put into police cars.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We have seen at least three or four police vehicles taking people away,\" said an activist there who declined to be named. \"Security have arrested around 15 people. They tried to go into the ministry to go and ask for the freedom of their loved ones.\"</p>\n                <p>\nDozens of men in traditional white robes and red headdresses gathered outside while a large number of police and security forces watched.</p>\n                <p>\nSaudi Arabia, which practices the puritanical Wahhabi school of Islam and has no elected parliament, has warned those seeking reform that protests will not be tolerated, as they violate the Koran\'s teachings.</p>\n                <p>\nThe men gathered at the interior ministry two days after Saudi Arabia\'s ruler, King Abdullah, offered $93 billion-worth of wage increases, jobs and construction projects, but gave no political concessions.</p>\n                <p>\nInterior Ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki could not confirm the arrests.</p>\n                <p>\n\"There are many people who come to the ministry to see different officials for different reason,\" he told Reuters.</p>\n                <p>\nDISSENT BUILDING</p>\n                <p>\nSaudi Arabia, a U.S. ally, has not seen the kind of mass uprisings that have rocked the Arab world this year, but dissent has built up as unrest has taken root in neighboring Yemen, Bahrain and Oman.</p>\n                <p>\nSaudi Arabia has a fast-growing population, and two thirds of its 25 million citizens are under 30.</p>\n                <p>\n\"It is a human rights issue and unless it is sorted out the gatherings will continue,\" said a Saudi-based political analyst who declined to be named.</p>\n                <p>\n\"These Saudis do have issues with their relatives being held for a number of years... we need more transparency on this.</p>\n                <p>\n\"I never expected to see a mass movement in Saudi Arabia. People accept the system but people want a better system.\"</p>\n                <p>\nProtests planned earlier this month did not materialize amid a heavy police crackdown that appeared to have intimidated most potential protesters. Shi\'ites have staged marches in Eastern Province, however, where most of the kingdom\'s oil fields are located.</p>\n                <p>\n(Editing by Andrew Roche)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Saudis gather to demand release of prisoners   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110320/wl_nm/us_saudi_protests\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110320/wl_nm/us_saudi_protests</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-03-20 07:24:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-20 07:24:00','2011-04-03 12:16:04','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,1,''),(522,'A Call from the Colonel: Gaddafi and His Bunker   (Time.com)','a-call-from-the-colonel-gaddafi-and-his-bunker-timecom','','Time.com - Railing against the nations who dared to deprive him of his airspace, Muammar Gaddafi lies hidden away in his Tripoli fortress, much like Hitler in his bunker','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>The voice on the phone call emerged presumably from the highly-fortified bunker in the center of Tripoli. Recorded and then broadcast on Libyan state television, it railed about Hitler and Mussolini and against invaders and devils. For Muammar Gaddafi, it was not a long tirade but it was intense, a compressed version of his fury against colonialism and the great powers that dared to oppose him. It aired about 10 hours after allied aircraft caused an enormous explosion in the vicinity of Gaddafi\'s headquarters Bab al-Aziziyah, an attack that was met with a 10-minute-long barrage of anti-aircraft fire from Soviet era weaponry. All in vain. The counter-attack was unable to touch the high-altitude intruders, part of an undetectable armada that had deprived Gaddafi of Libya\'s sky.</p>\n                <p>But if his defenses appeared impotent against the allied might, Gaddafi gave no evidence that he was cowed by the many nations arrayed against him, a coalition that had first sent French planes against his forces besieging the rebel city of Benghazi, then more than 100 U.S. and British Tomahawk missiles against his military installations and more and more into the night and day. In fact, he belittled them. \"We defeated Italy when it was a superpower like you,\" he said comparing Washington to Rome, Libya\'s former colonizer. \"You will be defeated like Hitler and Mussolini... You are the new Hitler.\" He brought up America\'s defeats in Vietnam and its self-debilitating invasion of Iraq. He raised the image of Osama bin Laden \"that weak man\" who he said defeated the U.S. \"We will be victorious. You will die.\" <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2060413,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">(See photos of the global coalition fighting against Libya.)</a></span></p>\n                <p>He claimed to have right on his side, despite the month-long rebellion that had very quickly deprived him of half his country until loyalist forces marched back against the militarily undisciplined people power of eastern Libya. \"We have been wronged,\" he declared. \"Those who have been wronged will always win. There is no justification for this attack. It\'s a colonial crusade. Islam will win. Libyans will win.\" \"We will not let these Christian nations take our oil... We are now giving Libyans weapons, machine guns. Every citizen will be armed...You will not be able to land here... We will destroy those who support you in Benghazi.... We will defend our own country, inch by inch... We will be victorious. The coalition of the devil will be defeated.\" And then the call ended.</p>\n                <p>The regime claims that, so far, 48 civilians have been killed in the allied air strikes. That appears to have elicited the sympathy of one significant backer of the no-fly zone, Amr Mousa, the Egyptian who heads the Arab League, which expressed support for such a zone on March 12, paving the way for the U.N. resolution this week and the formation of the coalition on Saturday. Mousa, who is expected to run for the Egyptian presidency, told reporters on Sunday that the allied attack on Libya \"differs from the no-fly zone objectives... What we want is civilians\' protection not shelling more civilians.\" The coalition insists it has struck only military installations. Russia, which abstained during the U.N. Security Council no-fly zone vote, has also asked that the air strikes cease.</p>\n                <p>The official Libyan media has reported that Gaddafi\'s supporters have formed a human shield around Bab al-Aziziyah. They appear to be fervently devoted to the Colonel in his bunker. TIME photographer Christopher Morris, who is in Tripoli, tells of a young man at Bab al-Aziziyah grabbing him by the arm, pleading with Morris to take a picture of the little boy on his shoulder.\"Don\'t you see, Don\'t you see that we love Gaddafi. I\'m bringing my only son, my two-year old son to die here with me for him.\" Another man that Morris met demonstrated his fealty to Gaddafi by slapping one hand on the opposite forearm, almost the way an addict prepares his veins, screaming, \"Muammar is in my blood.\" But one Western report had the human shield dispersing the moment the allies started dropping bombs in Tripoli. <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206043700/40752735/SIG=12crthedr/*http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,840445153001_2060414,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">(Watch \"The Cult of Gaddafi.\")</a></span></p>\n                <p>Morris visited Bab al-Aziziyah twice on Saturday, on an official tour conducted by the regime. He describes the layers of fortifications that have been created to protect Gaddafi and his family. \"It\'s something straight out of a bad James Bond movie,\" Morris wrote via email. \"After you make it through the first wall you enter into a very large inner security circle that is probably 50 meters deep.\" The area is filled with troops, said Morris, and \"as you walk along this inner area up against the next wall... large concrete trailers like bunkers line the complete length of the next wall.\" The next layer, he says, is mostly made up of concrete single story housing and offices, \"all tightly packed together like a suburban military village. All the way in there is a mix of well-equipped soldiers with bayonet-fixed weapons at the ready.\" Hanging above them at one point was a medieval-looking contraption made of \"metal spikes and razor wire\" perhaps meant to drop on \"any advancing army or coup plotters\" to hinder their attack.</p>\n                <p>Deep in Bab al-Aziziyah, Gaddafi himself is believed to be bunkered down. Since the allied intervention began, only his voice has emanated from his fortress, perhaps out of caution that a live television appearance may give clues to his real-time presence and allow some all-detecting allied technology to zero in on him. The invisibility has only led to rumors, including one that the Libyan strongman had tried to kill himself but had failed at suicide. The phone call to state television may have been an attempt to scotch the allegations of suicide. That would be too much like the fate of another dictator in his bunker. </p>\n                <p><i>(Citations from Gaddafi\'s speech based on translations provided by political commentator Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi on his Twitter account @sultanalqassemi.)</i></p>\n                <p> <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206043700/40752735/SIG=1244b2fn9/*http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,2035319,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">See TIME\'s Top 10 Everything of 2010.</a></span> </p>\n                <p> <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206043700/40752735/SIG=10ngk4h3c/*http://time.com/egypt\" target=\"_self\">See TIME\'s special report \"The Middle East in Revolt.\"</a></span> </p>\n                <p>View this article on <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206043700/40752735/SIG=12nc6ddso/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2060437,00.html?xid=rss-fullworld-yahoo\">Time.com</a></p>\n                <p></p><p>Most Popular on Time.com:</p><ul><li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206043700/40752735/SIG=1328urgs3/*http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2059625,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">Why Some People Will Pay $20,000 For a Date</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206043700/40752735/SIG=12vput5kl/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2060412,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">Viewpoint: How Libya Became a French and British War</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206043700/40752735/SIG=12v4jv12o/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2060415,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">Palin\'s Passage to India: Talking Libya and China</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206043700/40752735/SIG=12vqgngdb/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2060402,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">Libya: How a No-Fly Zone Can Become a Red Hot Mess</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206043700/40752735/SIG=12vfcqbch/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2060398,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">Arab Spring: Is a Revolution Starting Up in Syria?</a></li> </ul><p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"A Call from the Colonel: Gaddafi and His Bunker   (Time.com)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110320/wl_time/08599206043700\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110320/wl_time/08599206043700</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-03-20 02:35:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-20 02:35:00','2011-04-03 12:16:04','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,1,''),(523,'Britain hails \'very successful\' Libya attacks   (AFP)','britain-hails-very-successful-libya-attacks-afp','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110320/wl_uk_afp/libyaunrestbritainmilitary\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20110320/capt.photo_1300616195786-1-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=86&amp;q=85&amp;sig=89RlD1K81upWwKKleFSynw--\" height=\"86\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Britain hails \'very successful\' Libya attacks   (AFP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AFP - Britain said on Sunday its air and sea strikes on Libya had been \"very successful\" and stressed it was doing everything it could to avoid civilian casualties as it enforces a UN-sanctioned no-fly zone.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>LONDON (AFP) – Britain said on Sunday its air and sea strikes on Libya had been \"very successful\" and stressed it was doing everything it could to avoid civilian casualties as it enforces a UN-sanctioned no-fly zone.</p>\n                <p>\nBritish fighter planes and a submarine joined US and French military in attacking Libya overnight, after they agreed with Arab allies at crisis talks in Paris to take action to stop Moamer Kadhafi\'s offensive on rebels.</p>\n                <p>\nDefence Secretary Liam Fox told the BBC that early reports suggested the bombing raids were \"very successful\".</p>\n                <p>\nAir Vice Marshal Phil Osborn, the second in command of the Royal Air Force, added in a briefing to reporters in London: \"We\'re entirely comfortable with the way the operations went last night in terms of success.\"</p>\n                <p>\nA Libyan official told AFP that at least 48 people had died in the assaults, which began with a strike at 1645 GMT Saturday by a French warplane on a vehicle the French military said belonged to pro-Kadhafi forces.</p>\n                <p>\n\nBut British ministers and officials said they were only hitting military targets needed to bring down Libya\'s air defence network and enforce the no-fly zone agreed by the United Nations Security Council.</p>\n                <p>\nFox said the Libyan regime was \"engaged in a propaganda exercise\", saying: \"We are using some very specific types of weaponry designed to minimise any civilian casualties or other collateral damage.\"</p>\n                <p>\n\"The risk of collateral damage is at the forefront every time we do a plan,\" added Osborn, saying that Britain had attacked \"key military targets\", mostly around Tripoli.</p>\n                <p>\nIn Britain\'s first air strikes in the campaign, Tornados hit Libya on Saturday with Storm Shadow cruise missiles.</p>\n                <p>\nThe planes flew 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometres) from their base in eastern England and back again in what officials said was the longest-range bombing mission for the Royal Air Force since the Falklands war with Argentina in 1982.</p>\n                <p>\n\nThey were refuelled four times mid-air during the eight-hour round trip.</p>\n                <p>\nA British Trafalgar-class submarine meanwhile joined in an attack with American forces from the Mediterranean that saw more than 110 Tomahawk missiles fired at some 20 air defence targets, a top US military officer said.</p>\n                <p>\nThe international community moved to put a halt to the advance of Kadhafi\'s forces on rebels, who have been trying to overthrow him for more than a month.</p>\n                <p>\nAcutely aware of the controversies in Britain\'s involvement in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Prime Minister David Cameron has gone to great lengths to defend the intervention, which is the first time he has sent troops into action since becoming premier.</p>\n                <p>\nThe action is being taken under Thursday\'s UN Security Council resolution which authorised the use of \"all necessary means\" to protect civilians and enforce a ceasefire and no-fly zone against Kadhafi\'s forces.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We have all seen the appalling brutality that Colonel Kadhafi has meted out against his own people,\" Cameron said late Saturday.</p>\n                <p>\n\n\"And far from introducing the ceasefire he spoke about, he has actually stepped up the attacks and the brutality that we can all see. So what we are doing is necessary, it is legal, and it is right.\"</p>\n                <p>\nThe defence secretary said the frigate HMS Westminster was off the coast of Libya, and another, HMS Cumberland, was in the region ready to support operations.\n</p><p>\n\nTyphoon and Tornado jets will fly this weekend to Gioia del Colle, a base in southern Italy, where they will be ready to deploy against Libya in the mission dubbed \"Operation Ellamy\", Fox said.\n</p><p>\n\nMPs are due to vote on military action in parliament on Monday but Labour has already pledged its full support.\n</p><p>\n\n\"It is always a grave decision to send our armed forces into possible combat. But the international community could not have stood by as innocent people were slaughtered,\" Ed Miliband said on Sunday.</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Britain hails \'very successful\' Libya attacks   (AFP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110320/wl_uk_afp/libyaunrestbritainmilitary\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110320/wl_uk_afp/libyaunrestbritainmilitary</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-03-20 11:49:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-20 11:49:00','2011-04-03 12:16:05','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,1,''),(524,'Egypt: partial results show referendum passing   (AP)','egypt-partial-results-show-referendum-passing-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110320/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_egypt\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110319/capt.a8158b7c079e4a60a1b33ce25c71a3a3-a8158b7c079e4a60a1b33ce25c71a3a3-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=86&amp;q=85&amp;sig=nY5n0OfCiTjBYTmKFMLjXw--\" height=\"86\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Egypt: partial results show referendum passing   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - Partial results from a third of Egypt\'s provinces Sunday showed massive turnout and a vote overwhelmingly in favor of constitutional changes that eliminate restrictions on political rights and civil liberties.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>CAIRO – Partial results from a third of Egypt\'s provinces Sunday showed massive turnout and a vote overwhelmingly in favor of constitutional changes that eliminate restrictions on political rights and civil liberties.</p>\n                <p>The count from most of the country, including Cairo, was still to be released.</p>\n                <p>But according to results issued by judges at their respective polling centers, 11 of 29 provinces showed 65 to 90 percent of voters saying \"yes\" to the changes, which would allow parliament and presidential vote no later than September.</p>\n                <p>Opponents feared the referendum\'s passage would allow the highly organized Muslim Brotherhood to dominate Egypt\'s dozens of new political parties in the presidential and parliamentary vote.</p>\n                <p>The partial, preliminary results also showed 70 percent turnout at many polling centers, a massive showing after decades of political apathy in response to repression.</p>\n                <p>Millions of Egyptians voted freely on Saturday for the first time in more than half a century, joyfully waiting for hours to cast their ballots on the package of constitutional changes.</p>\n                <p>Young people traded mobile-phone pictures of ink-stained fingers that showed they voted. Others called relatives to boast of casting the first vote of their lives. In the well-off Cairo neighborhood of Maadi, a man hoisted his elderly, infirm father on his shoulder and carried him to a polling station.</p>\n                <p>The first test of Egypt\'s transition to democracy offered ominous hints of widening sectarian division, however.</p>\n                <p>Many were drawn to the polls in a massive, last-minute effort by the Muslim Brotherhood after the widely despised National Democratic Party of former President Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted last month in a national popular uprising.</p>\n                <p>Critics say that would allow the Brotherhood and NDP to easily outpoll the dozens of political groups born out of the anti-Mubarak uprising, dividing power between former regime loyalists and supporters of a fundamentalist state — a nightmare scenario for both Western powers and many inside Egypt.</p>\n                <p>Among those most fearful of the Brotherhood\'s rising power are Egypt\'s estimated 8 million Coptic Christians, whose leaders rallied the faithful to vote \"no.\"</p>\n                <p>The NDP is blamed for the rampant corruption and the fraud that marred every election during Mubarak\'s 29-year rule, and its members have been accused of attempting to disrupt Egypt\'s transition to democracy for fear of losing further power.</p>\n                <p>The constitutional amendments were drawn up by a panel of military-appointed legal scholars and intended to bring just enough change to the current constitution — which was adopted in 1971 and suspended by the military after it came to power — to ensure that upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections are free and fair.</p>\n                <p>In an interview with daily El-Shorouk, a top member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces said that the council will issue `a constitutional declaration\' just after the announcement of the final vote to lay down next steps.</p>\n                <p>He said that if the results were in favor of Yes, then a timetable will be set for parliament and presidential elections. If the majority voted No, the armed forces might remain in power for up to two years.</p>\n                <p>Voters were asked to choose \'yes\' or \'no\' for the whole package of nine changes, which would also impose presidential term limits and curtail 30-year-old emergency laws that give police near-unlimited powers.</p>\n                <p>Of the 10 provinces, 90 percent of the voters in Fayoum were in favor of the constitutional changes, while 60 percent of el-Wadi el-Gedid voted No.</p>\n                <p>On Saturday, reform campaigner Mohamed ElBaradei and a group of his supporters were pelted with rocks, bottles and cans outside a polling center at Cairo\'s Mokattam district in an attack he blamed on followers of the old regime.\n</p><p>\nThe day was otherwise almost entirely peaceful.\n</p><p>\nHundreds of Egyptians formed lines outside polling centers before they opened. They snaked along the streets in Cairo and other cities, with men and women standing in separate lines as is customary in the conservative and mainly Muslim nation.\n</p><p>\nSaturday\'s vote was by far the freest since the military seized power in a 1952 coup, toppling the monarchy and ending decades of a multiparty system that functioned while Britain was Egypt\'s colonial master. Only men with military backgrounds have ruled Egypt since.\n</p><p>\nWhile Mubarak\'s overthrow has left Egyptians euphoric about their newfound freedoms, many are also worried about the social tensions and instability that could spiral in the wake of the autocratic leader\'s departure.\n</p><p>\nChristian-Muslim clashes this month left at least 13 killed and more than 100 wounded in the worst sectarian clashes in years. On Jan. 1, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a church in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, killing at least 22 worshippers and wounding scores. A few days later, a policeman shot dead an elderly Christian man on a train.\n</p><p>\nThe Brotherhood, which has strongly campaigned for the adoption of the changes, advocates the installment of an Islamic government in Egypt. The ambivalence of its position on what role women and minority Christians play under their hoped-for Islamic government — like whether they could run for president or be judges — worry large segments of society.\n</p><p>\nIn the province of Luxor, thousands of Brotherhood supporters and Salafis, zealous adherents to practices from Islam\'s early days, held separate demonstrations in the city center to campaign for a \"yes\" vote.\n</p><p>\nChurches handed out fliers to worshippers calling on them to vote \"no.\"\n</p><p>\nTo the north in the province of Assiut, home to one of the country\'s largest Christian communities, priests organized buses to ferry worshippers from churches to polling centers to cast their \"no\" vote. Islamists using loudspeakers in pickup trucks roaming Assiut\'s streets were calling on voters to cast \"yes\" ballots.\n</p><p>\nThe attack on ElBaradei, the former head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, forced him to flee in an SUV without casting his ballot. The crowd also smashed the car windows and shouted, \"You traitor. We don\'t want you.\" ElBaradei supporters at the scene countered by chanting\"we want you.\"\n</p><p>\nThe Nobel laureate later tweeted that \"organized thugs\" were to blame for the attack. In a second Twitter posting, he said Mubarak regime figures were seeking to undermine the revolution, a reference to the Jan. 25-Feb. 11 uprising.\n</p><p>\nMore than half of Egypt\'s 80 million people are eligible voters. The military, in a bid to get the vote out, has decreed that they would be allowed to cast ballots at any polling center in the country with their national ID cards the only required proof of identity. They were required to dip their index finger in ink after voting to prevent multiple balloting.</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Egypt: partial results show referendum passing   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110320/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_egypt\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110320/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_egypt</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-03-20 12:04:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-20 12:04:00','2011-04-03 12:16:06','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,1,''),(525,'Obama takes in Rio with Libya on his mind   (AP)','obama-takes-in-rio-with-libya-on-his-mind-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110320/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_obama_latin_america\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110319/capt.49e8205b7fc644d9970e5cb9af5ccfd3-49e8205b7fc644d9970e5cb9af5ccfd3-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=125&amp;q=85&amp;sig=aFRiH1f5BbJWUw8OlZdJoQ--\" height=\"125\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Obama takes in Rio with Libya on his mind   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - President Barack Obama played grand tourist to Rio de Janeiro\'s vivid extremes on Sunday, traveling from brilliant beaches to a notorious slum even as he monitored U.S. military strikes in faraway Libya.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>RIO DE JANEIRO – President Barack Obama played grand tourist to Rio de Janeiro\'s vivid extremes on Sunday, traveling from brilliant beaches to a notorious slum even as he monitored U.S. military strikes in faraway Libya.</p>\n                <p>With his whole family in tow on the second day of a Latin American tour meant to knit economic and cultural ties, the president visited the City of God shantytown that gained fame after a movie by the same name won Oscar nominations. At a community center in the heart of the jostling slum of 40,000 the president plunged into the lives of children there, playing soccer with kids and watching enthralled at a dazzling martial arts display.</p>\n                <p>The president shed his coat and tie, rolled up his sleeves and dribbled one-on-one soccer with one surprised boy. Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia got involved, too, kicking a ball around with the kids.</p>\n                <p>Then the president walked out into the streets and waved to throngs of residents who cheered him from rooftops and balconies. Dozens of young children pressed up against a chainlink fence trying to get a look.</p>\n                <p>On the metal roofs of the poor shanty buildings armed guards stood by. It was a short visit but the president got a glimpse of the poverty of the slum, visceral scenes of jumbled dwellings, and people lining the streets.</p>\n                <p>Meanwhile, seemingly a world away U.S. warplanes launched a coordinated assault against Moammar Gadhafi\'s defenses a day after the president authorized the military action to enforce an internationally authorized no-fly zone. The president had been on a conference call with his top advisers earlier Sunday to get briefed on the effort as he juggled his touristing and economic outreach in Latin America with the unceasing demands of being commander-in-chief.</p>\n                <p>The president\'s sightseeing in Brazil on Sunday was sure to endear him even more to a diverse and multicultural country where his personal story already makes him popular. That advances the overall goals of the five-day Latin American trip — with Chile and El Salvador next on the itinerary — which aims to cast Obama and the United States as attentive neighbors from the North, eager to capitalize on the region\'s economic successes while addressing common security concerns.</p>\n                <p>From the start, however, Obama\'s attention has been divided. He\'s been forced to shuttle from meetings with his host, President Dilma Rousseff, and with Brazilian and U.S. executives to briefings with his national security team</p>\n                <p>Sunday brought more divided attention as he conferred with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and other top officials by secure phone before motorcading from his hotel across from the famed Copacabana beach to a helicopter, and finally by car into the City of God slum. It\'s one of more than 1,000 slums, or \"favelas,\" that dot the urban hills surrounding the city but also one that has become part of an ambitious \"pacification\" program aimed at reducing violence in Rio.</p>\n                <p>Advisers said the favela tour was designed to illustrate Obama\'s push for what officials call \"citizen security,\" an emerging concern in Latin American countries as they wrestle with narco-crime and lingering poverty.</p>\n                <p>As Obama\'s motorcade arrived, a crowd of excited residents rushed right past police tape, cheering loudly, before being stopped short by Brazilian security forces. People were elated by Obama\'s appearance in their impoverished community.</p>\n                <p>\"He is thinking of Rio as more than just the Christ and Copacabana,\" said Noemia Marinho, a 40-year-old lingerie saleswoman who lives in the slum and had her hair done just for the president\'s visit. \"Maybe our government will look to us more as well.\"</p>\n                <p>The fact that Obama is black resonated with slum residents, most of whom are black themselves, just like half of Brazil\'s 190 million residents.</p>\n                <p>Obama was heading from his shantytown tour to deliver a speech promoted as an address to the Brazilian people. He\'ll speak from inside the Theatro Municipal performance hall that sits on Cinelandia Plaza, a historic square that was the scene of a 1984 protest that set the stage for the eventual end of a 20-year military dictatorship.</p>\n                <p>The speech was originally billed as an outdoor event on the plaza open to all, but U.S. officials decided at the last-minute to move the speech inside the theater and make it invitation-only \"due to a number of concerns,\" according to a Friday press release from the U.S. Embassy. Scaffolding for the stage on which Obama was to speak was quickly removed from the square.</p>\n                <p>The president will end his stay in Rio with a nighttime walking tour of Corcovado Mountain to the Christ the Redeemer Statue that is the very symbol of the city. Initially, Obama had planned to visit the Christ statue at mid-morning. Aides said the change in schedule and shifting the speech to an indoor venue were due to logistical adjustments. They said they feared the statue would be shrouded in fog Sunday — a mist did cover the hills around Rio.</p>\n                <p>But the changes had the effect of lowering Obama\'s profile in the city, reducing the opportunity for clashing images as international attention remained riveted in Libya.</p>\n                <p>Daniel Restrepo, a White House national security adviser, said the shantytown tour, the speech and the visit to the iconic statue \"underscore the connection between the United States and Brazil at the most basic level.\"\n</p><p>\nRestrepo said the dual image of Obama touring Rio while directing military operations elsewhere illustrated his commitment to reaching out to Latin American neighbors. He said it was important for the president to pay attention to all U.S. relationships.\n</p><p>\n\"Making sure that we\'re staying vigilant and the president is working those issues while he\'s working a whole range of issues is not an incongruous message,\" Restrepo said.\n</p><p>\nRousseff displayed no hint that Obama\'s multitasking was diluting the impact of his visit. She expressed personal delight that Obama had placed Brazil first in his tour of the region and that he had chosen to visit so early in her administration. She took note that she was the first female president of Brazil, hosting the first African American president.\n</p><p>\nStill, Rousseff also did not hide her frustration at not getting Obama\'s endorsement for a highly sought permanent seat on the United Nation\'s Security Council. Brazil now holds a rotating seat, and Rousseff\'s renewed request for a permanent seat came two days after Brazil abstained from voting on the U.S.-backed resolution establishing a no-fly zone over Libya.\n</p><p>\nThe two leaders did sign agreements on trade and economic cooperation, an early step toward a free-trade relationship, and approved a deal for expanded air service between the two countries.\n</p><p>\nObama departs Brazil on Sunday and heads for Chile. On Tuesday he goes to El Salvador.\n</p><p>\n___\n</p><p>\nAssociated Press writers Ben Feller, Bradley Brooks and Juliana Barbasa contributed to this report.</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Obama takes in Rio with Libya on his mind   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110320/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_obama_latin_america\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110320/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_obama_latin_america</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-03-20 12:04:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-20 12:04:00','2011-04-03 12:16:07','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,1,''),(526,'EU sends 52 election observers to Nigeria   (AFP)','eu-sends-52-election-observers-to-nigeria-afp','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110320/wl_africa_afp/nigeriavoteeuobservers\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20110320/capt.photo_1300636701153-1-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=86&amp;q=85&amp;sig=uquidzj3zjxAS3AHOQguUQ--\" height=\"86\" width=\"130\" alt=\"EU sends 52 election observers to Nigeria   (AFP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AFP - The European Union has sent another 52 observers for next month\'s general elections in Nigeria where previous polls have been tainted with violence and irregularities.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>ABUJA (AFP) – The European Union has sent another 52 observers for next month\'s general elections in Nigeria where previous polls have been tainted with violence and irregularities.</p>\n                <p>\nThe 52 represent a second contingent, following a \"core team\" of nine analysts who arrived in the country on March 1, the EU said in a statement late Saturday.</p>\n                <p>\nA total of 120 observers from all 27 EU member states as well as Norway and Switzerland are expected in Nigeria for the polls, scheduled for April 2, 9 and 16.</p>\n                <p>\n\"They will observe the entire electoral process prior, during and after the elections for National Assembly, president, governor and state houses,\" the statement said.</p>\n                <p>\nIt said the observers would meet government and electoral officials, candidates and representatives from political parties, civil society and the media during their mission.</p>\n                <p>\nThe April polls will test Nigeria\'s ability to organise a credible vote after a series of deeply flawed elections, condemned by local and international observers, including the EU.</p>\n                <p>\nA recent surge in violence, including bombings, political attacks and sectarian clashes, has left dozens dead.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"EU sends 52 election observers to Nigeria   (AFP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110320/wl_africa_afp/nigeriavoteeuobservers\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110320/wl_africa_afp/nigeriavoteeuobservers</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-03-20 11:58:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-20 11:58:00','2011-04-03 12:16:08','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,2,''),(527,'Food fears spread amid progress at nuclear plant   (AP)','food-fears-spread-amid-progress-at-nuclear-plant-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110320/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110320/capt.a6c5bdcc1f3144ada63525413ab88d99-a6c5bdcc1f3144ada63525413ab88d99-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=83&amp;q=85&amp;sig=STGjnR80RxoY5WLSFysUrg--\" height=\"83\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Food fears spread amid progress at nuclear plant   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - Two units at Japan\'s stricken nuclear plant safely cooled down Sunday, though pressure unexpectedly rose in a third unit\'s reactor and traces of radiation were found in more foods, further shaking an already uneasy public.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>FUKUSHIMA, Japan – Two units at Japan\'s stricken nuclear plant safely cooled down Sunday, though pressure unexpectedly rose in a third unit\'s reactor and traces of radiation were found in more foods, further shaking an already uneasy public.</p>\n                <p>The pressure increase meant plant operators may need to deliberately release radioactive steam, prolonging a nuclear crisis that has consumed government attention even as it responded to the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that savaged northeast Japan on March 11.</p>\n                <p>In a rare rescue after so many days, a teenage boy\'s cries for help led police to rescue him and an 80-year-old woman at a wrecked house.</p>\n                <p>Beyond the disaster area, uncertainty grew over the safety of food and water. The government halted shipments of spinach from one area and raw milk from another near the nuclear plant after tests found iodine exceeded safety limits. But the contamination spread to spinach in three other prefectures and to more vegetables — canola and chrysanthemum greens. Tokyo\'s tap water, where iodine turned up Friday, now has cesium. Rain and dust are tainted too.</p>\n                <p>In all cases, the government said the radiation levels were too small to pose an immediate risk to health. Still, Taiwan seized a batch of fava beans from Japan found with faint — and legal — amounts of iodine and cesium.</p>\n                <p>\"I\'m worried, really worried,\" said Mayumi Mizutani, a 58-year-old Tokyo resident shopping for bottled water at a supermarket to give her visiting 2-year-old grandchild. \"We\'re afraid because it\'s possible our grandchild could get cancer.\" Forecasts for rain, she said, were an added worry.</p>\n                <p>All six of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex\'s reactor units saw trouble after the disasters knocked out cooling systems. In a small advance, the plant\'s operator declared Units 5 and 6 — the least troublesome — under control after their nuclear fuel storage pools cooled to safe levels. Progress was made to reconnect two other units to the electric grid and in pumping seawater to cool another reactor and replenish it and a sixth reactor\'s storage pools.</p>\n                <p>But the buildup in pressure inside the vessel holding Unit 3\'s reactor presented some danger, forcing officials to consider venting. The tactic produced explosions of radioactive gas during the early days of the crisis.</p>\n                <p>\"Even if certain things go smoothly there would be twists and turns,\" Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters. \"At the moment, we are not so optimistic that there will be a breakthrough.\"</p>\n                <p>Nuclear safety officials said one of the options could release a cloud dense with iodine as well as the radioactive elements krypton and xenon.</p>\n                <p>The plant\'s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., temporarily suspended the plans Sunday after it said the pressure inside the reactor stopped climbing, though staying at a high level.</p>\n                <p>\"It has stabilized,\" Tokyo Electric manager Hikaru Kuroda told reporters.</p>\n                <p>Kuroda, who said temperatures inside the reactor reached 572 degrees Fahrenheit (300 degrees Celsius), said the option to release the highly radioactive gas inside is still under consideration if pressure rises.</p>\n                <p>Growing concerns about radiation add to the overwhelming chain of disasters Japan has struggled with since the 9.0-magnitude quake. The quake spawned a tsunami that ravaged the northeastern coast, killing more than 8,100 people, leaving 12,000 people missing, and displacing another 452,000, who are living in shelters.</p>\n                <p>Fuel, food and water remain scarce. The government in recent days acknowledged being caught ill-prepared by an enormous disaster that the prime minister has called the worst crisis since World War II.</p>\n                <p>The official death toll rose to 8,450, with more than 12,900 reported missing. Bodies are piling up in some of devastated communities and badly decomposing even amid chilly rain and snow.</p>\n                <p>\"The recent bodies — we can\'t show them to the families. The faces have been purple, which means they are starting to decompose,\" says Shuji Horaguchi, a disaster relief official setting up a center to process bodies in Natori, on the outskirts of Sendai. \"Some we\'re finding now have been in the water for a long time, they\'re not in good shape. Crabs and fish have eaten parts.\"</p>\n                <p>Before the disasters, safety drills were seldom if ever practiced and information about radiation exposure rarely given in Futuba, a small town in the shadow of the nuclear plant, according to 29-year-old Tsugumi Hasegawa. In the aftermath, she is living in a shelter with her 4-year-old daughter and feeling bewildered.\n</p><p>\n\"I still have no idea what the numbers they are giving about radiation levels mean. It\'s all so confusing. And I wonder if they aren\'t playing down the dangers to keep us from panicking. I don\'t know who to trust,\" said Hasegawa, crammed with 1,400 people into a gymnasium on the outskirts of Fukushima city, 80 miles (50 miles) away from the plant.\n</p><p>\nAnother nuclear safety official acknowledged Sunday that the government only belatedly realized the need to give potassium iodide to those living within 12 miles (20 kilometers) of the nuclear complex.\n</p><p>\nThe pills help reduce chances of thyroid cancer, one of the diseases that may develop from radiation exposure, by preventing the body from absorbing radioactive iodine. The official, Kazuma Yokota, said the explosion that occurred while venting the plant\'s Unit 3 reactor last Sunday should have triggered the distribution. But the order came only three days later.\n</p><p>\n\"We should have made this decision and announced it sooner,\" Yokota told reporters at the emergency command center in the city of Fukushima. \"It is true that we had not foreseen a disaster of these proportions. We had not practiced or trained for something this bad. We must admit that we were not fully prepared.\"\n</p><p>\nThe higher reactor pressure may have been caused by a tactic meant to reduce temperatures — the pumping of seawater into the vessel, said Kuroda, the Tokyo Electric manager.\n</p><p>\nUsing seawater to cool the reactors and storage ponds was a desperate measure adopted early this past week; Unit 4\'s pool was sprayed again Sunday and a system to inject water into Unit 2\'s reactor was repaired. Experts have said for days that seawater would inevitably corrode and ruin the reactors and other finely milled machine parts, effectively turning the plant into scrap.\n</p><p>\nEdano, the government spokesman, recognized the inevitable Sunday: \"It is obviously clear that Fukushima Dai-ichi in no way will be in a condition to be restarted.\"\n</p><p>\nContamination of food and water compounds the government\'s difficulties, heightening the broader public\'s sense of dread about safety. Consumers in markets snapped up bottled water, shunned spinach from Ibaraki — the prefecture where the tainted spinach was found — and overall expressed concern about food safety.\n</p><p>\nExperts have said the amounts of iodine detected in milk, spinach and water pose no discernible risks to public health unless consumed in enormous quantities over a long time. Iodine breaks down quickly, after eight days, minimizing its harmfulness, unlike other radioactive isotopes such as cesium-137 or uranium-238, which remain in the environment for decades or longer.\n</p><p>\nRain forecast for the Fukushima area also could further localize the contamination, bringing the radiation to the ground closer to the plant.\n</p><p>\nEdano, the government spokesman, tried to reassure the public for a second day running Sunday. \"If you eat it once, or twice or even for several days, it\'s not just that it\'s not an immediate threat to health, it\'s that even in the future it is not a risk,\" Edano said. \"Experts say there is no threat to human health.\"\n</p><p>\nNo contamination has been reported in Japan\'s main food export — seafood — worth about $1.6 billion a year and less than 0.3 percent of its total exports.\n</p><p>\n___\n</p><p>\nYamaguchi reported from Tokyo, as did Associated Press writers Elaine Kurtenbach, Kelly Olsen, Charles Hutzler and Jeff Donn. Associated Press writer Jay Alabaster contributed from Natori, Japan.</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Food fears spread amid progress at nuclear plant   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110320/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110320/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-03-20 11:52:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-20 11:52:00','2011-04-03 12:16:09','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,1,''),(528,'Canada says will join  extensive  aerial operation   (Reuters)','canada-says-will-join-extensive-aerial-operation-reuters','','Reuters - Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Saturday that \"extensive\" aerial operations would soon start in Libya and Canada would be part of that.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>PARIS (Reuters) – Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Saturday that \"extensive\" aerial operations would soon start in Libya and Canada would be part of that.</p>\n                <p>\nHarper, speaking to reporters following talks between world powers on a coordinated intervention in Libya, said naval actions were also taking place, including a naval blockade.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The parameters of our mission are clear. They are wide ranging and they do not include on-the-ground action,\" Harper said. \"It is our belief that if Mr. Gaddafi loses the capacity to enforce his will through vastly superior armed forces, he simply will not be able to sustain his grip on the country.\"</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Vicky Buffery; Writing by Catherine Bremer; Editing by Alastair Macdonald)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Canada says will join  extensive  aerial operation   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110319/wl_canada_nm/canada_us_libya_canada_paris\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110319/wl_canada_nm/canada_us_libya_canada_paris</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-03-19 12:52:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-19 12:52:00','2011-04-03 12:16:10','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,1,''),(529,'Prince William visits flood-hit Australian towns   (AP)','prince-william-visits-flood-hit-australian-towns-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110320/ap_on_re_as/as_australia_royal_visit\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110320/capt.a6c7c71133b847f682db4d1b370074f2-a6c7c71133b847f682db4d1b370074f2-0.jpg?x=96&amp;y=130&amp;q=85&amp;sig=b6WExZrMAhEh7jT8fCrvKg--\" height=\"130\" width=\"96\" alt=\"Prince William visits flood-hit Australian towns   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - Prince William met Sunday with the family of a 13-year-old Australian boy who gave his life to save his younger brother during devastating floods earlier this year.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>TOOWOOMBA, Australia – Prince William met Sunday with the family of a 13-year-old Australian boy who gave his life to save his younger brother during devastating floods earlier this year.</p>\n                <p>The second in line to the British throne closed out a visit to disaster zones in Australia and New Zealand with brief but poignant stops in small towns where flash flooding ripped houses from their foundations and carried away cars during the worst of a weekslong crisis.</p>\n                <p>Jordan Rice was among 35 people killed in the floods, washed away with his mother in their car when floodwaters cascaded through the town of Toowoomba on Jan. 10. Trapped in the car as the water rose around them, the teenager told rescuers who reached them to grab his brother, Blake, 11, first.</p>\n                <p>William chatted with Blake and his father, John Tyson, on Sunday at one of several functions where the prince mingled with survivors of the flooding, which swamped a huge part of northeastern Queensland state starting late last year.</p>\n                <p>\"He could feel our pain, you could see it in his eyes,\" Tyson said after meeting with the prince.</p>\n                <p>William\'s visit, which comes as anticipation builds around his wedding in late April to Kate Middleton, has been relatively low key out of respect for those affected by the disasters in the places he has toured, starting last week in the earthquake-struck city of Christchurch in New Zealand.</p>\n                <p>The focus has been on the prince meeting survivors in informal gatherings and getting briefings from officials on recovery efforts, rather than speeches or large ceremonial appearances. William hasn\'t talked directly to the media during the visits.</p>\n                <p>Flown by military helicopter, William stopped in the town of Grantham, which was almost completely wiped away by flash flooding in January that state officials described as an inland tsunami. He also visited Ipswich, a larger town that was one of many inundated by floodwaters that, at their worst, covered an area larger than France and Germany combined.</p>\n                <p>William heard survival tales from residents who lived through the disaster, and attended functions that included many barbecues and a country music festival where he took to the stage and waved a cowboy hat in a gesture to the crowd.</p>\n                <p>Australia, a former British colony, is a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II — William\'s grandmother — as head of state but is governed completely independently from Britain. While there is a strong movement backing full independence in the form of a republic, the queen and most of her heirs remain personally popular in Australia.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Prince William visits flood-hit Australian towns   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110320/ap_on_re_as/as_australia_royal_visit\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110320/ap_on_re_as/as_australia_royal_visit</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-03-20 05:54:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-20 05:54:00','2011-04-03 12:16:11','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,1,''),(530,'Qaddafi defiant in the face of allied strikes   (The Christian Science Monitor)','qaddafi-defiant-in-the-face-of-allied-strikes-the-christian-science-monitor','','The Christian Science Monitor - The U.S. and European nations pounded Muammar Qaddafi\'s forces and air defenses with cruise missiles and airstrikes Saturday, launching the broadest international military effort since the Iraq war in support of an uprising that had seemed on the verge of defeat.The longtime Libyan leader vowed to defend his country from what he called \"crusader aggression\" and warned the involvement of international forces will subject the Mediterranean and North African region to danger and put civilians at risk.The U.S. military said 112 Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired from American and British ships and submarines at more than 20 coastal targets to clear the way for air patrols to ground Libya\'s air force. French fighter jets fired the first salvos, carrying out several strikes in the rebel-held east.President Barack Obama said military action was not his first choice and reiterated that he would not send American ground troops to Libya.\"This is not an outcome the U.S. or any of our partners sought,\" Obama said from Brazil, where he is starting a five-day visit to Latin America. \"We cannot stand idly by when a tyrant tells his people there will be no mercy.\"Thousands of regime supporters, meanwhile, packed into the sprawling Bab al-Aziziya military camp in Tripoli where Qaddafi lives to protect against attacks.The strikes, which were aimed at enforcing a U.N.-mandated no-fly zone, were a sharp escalation in the international effort to stop Qaddafi after weeks of pleading by the rebels who have seen early gains reversed as the regime unleashed the full force of its superior air power and weaponry.Qaddafi, who has ruled Libya for 41 years, said in a telephone call to Libyan state TV that he was opening weapons depots to allow his people to arm themselves in defense.He said the international action against his forces was unjustified, calling it \"simply a colonial crusader aggression that may ignite another large-scale crusader war.\"He also said the U.N. Security Council and the international community were responsible for \"stopping this unjust flagrant aggression against a sovereign country immediately.\"His regime also acted quickly in the run-up to the strikes, sending warplanes, tanks and troops into the eastern city of Benghazi, the rebel capital and first city to fall to the rebellion that began Feb. 15. Then the government attacks appeared to go silent.Operation Odyssey Dawn, as the allied assault has been dubbed, followed an emergency summit in Paris during which the 22 leaders and top officials agreed to do everything necessary to make Qaddafi respect a U.N. Security Council resolution Thursday calling for the no-fly zone and demanding a cease-fire, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said.\"Our consensus was strong, and our resolve is clear. The people of Libya must be protected, and in the absence of an immediate end to the violence against civilians our coalition is prepared to act, and to act with urgency,\" Obama said earlier.Navy Vice Adm. William E. Gortney, director of the Pentagon\'s Joint Staff, told reporters in Washington that U.S. ships and a British submarine had launched the first phase of a missile assault on Libyan air defenses to clear the way for the imposition of a U.N.-mandated no-fly zone over the North African country.Gortney said the mission has two goals: prevent further attacks by Libyan forces on rebels and civilians, and degrade the Libyan military\'s ability to contest a no-fly zone.Defense officials cautioned it was too early to fully gauge the impact of the onslaught. But a senior defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the mission was ongoing, said the Americans felt that Libya\'s air defenses had been heavily damaged given the precision targeting of the cruise missiles.Mohammed Ali, a spokesman for the exiled opposition group the Libyan Salvation Front, said the Libyan air force headquarters at the Mateiga air base in eastern Tripoli and the Aviation Academy in Misrata had been targeted.About 20 French fighter jets carried out \"several strikes\" earlier Saturday, military spokesman Thierry Burkhard told The Associated Press. He said earlier that one of the planes had fired the first shot against a Libyan military vehicle.\"All our planes have returned to base tonight,\" he said, and denied a Libyan TV report that a French plane had been hit.He would not elaborate on what was hit or where, but said French forces are focusing on the Benghazi area and U.S. forces are focused in the west.British Prime Minister David Cameron said his country\'s forces were in action over Libya.The U.S. has struck Libya before. Former President Reagan launched U.S. airstrikes on Libya in 1986 after a bombing at a Berlin disco â€” which the U.S. blamed on Libya â€” that killed three people, including two American soldiers. The airstrikes killed about 100 people in Libya, including Qaddafi\'s young adopted daughter at his Tripoli compound.Libyan regime official Mohammed al-Zwei said a large number of civilians were injured when several civilian and military sites in the capital, Tripoli, and the nearby city of Misrata were hit. He also reiterated the Libyan allegation that the rebels were linked to al-Qaida. There was no way to independently verify the claims.The rebels said earlier that they had hoped for more, sooner from the international community, after a day when crashing shells shook the buildings of Benghazi and Qaddafi\'s tanks rumbled through the university campus.\"People are disappointed, they haven\'t seen any action yet. The leadership understands some of the difficulties with procedures but when it comes to procedures versus human lives the choice is clear,\" said Essam Gheriani, a spokesman for the opposition. \"People on the streets are saying where are the international forces? Is the international community waiting for the same crimes to be perpetrated on Benghazi has have been done by Qaddafi in the other cities?\"A doctor said 27 bodies had reached hospitals by midday. As night fell, though, the streets grew quiet.Libyan state television also showed Qaddafi supporters converging on the international airport and a military garrison in Tripoli, and the airport in Qaddafi\'s hometown of Sirte, in an apparent attempt to deter bombing.In an open letter, Qaddafi warned: \"You will regret it if you dare to intervene in our country.\"In Paris, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Qaddafi\'s government had lost all legitimacy and lied when it declared Friday it would abide by a cease-fire.\"We have every reason to fear that left unchecked, Qaddafi will commit unspeakable atrocities,\" she said.Saturday\'s emergency meeting in Paris, which included U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa and the foreign ministers of Jordan, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, was the largest international military action since the beginning of the Iraq war, launched almost exactly eight years ago.\"The time for action has come, it needs to be urgent,\" Cameron said after the summit.Earlier Saturday, a plane was shot down over the outskirts of Benghazi, sending up a massive black cloud of smoke. An Associated Press reporter saw the plane go down in flames and heard the sound of artillery and crackling gunfire.Before the plane went down, journalists heard what appeared to be airstrikes from it. Rebels cheered and celebrated at the crash, though the government denied a plane had gone down â€” or that any towns were shelled on Saturday.The fighting galvanized the people of Benghazi, with young men collecting bottles to make gasoline bombs. Some residents dragged bed frames and metal scraps into the streets to make roadblocks.\"This city is a symbol of the revolution, it\'s where it started and where it will end if this city falls,\" said Gheriani.But at Jalaa hospital, where the tile floors and walls were stained with blood, the toll was clear.\"There are more dead than injured,\" said Dr. Ahmed Radwan, an Egyptian who had been there helping for three weeks.Jalaa\'s Dr. Gebreil Hewadi, a member of the rebel health committee, said city hospitals had received 27 bodies.At a news conference in the capital, Tripoli, the government spokesman read letters from Qaddafi to Obama and others involved in the international effort.\"Libya is not yours. Libya is for the Libyans. The Security Council resolution is invalid,\" he said in the letter to Sarkozy, Cameron, and the U.N. secretary-general.To Obama, the Libyan leader was slightly more conciliatory: \"If you had found them taking over American cities with armed force, tell me what you would do.\"In a joint statement to Qaddafi late Friday, the United States, Britain and France â€” backed by unspecified Arab countries â€” called on Qaddafi to end his troops\' advance toward Benghazi and pull them out of the cities of Misrata, Ajdabiya and Zawiya. It also called for the restoration of water, electricity and gas services in all areas. It said Libyans must be able to receive humanitarian aid or the \"international community will make him suffer the consequences\" with military action.Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa said that Libyan officials had informed the U.N. and the Security Council that the government was abiding by the cease-fire it had announced Friday and called for a team of foreign observers to verify that.In the course of the rebellion, Libya has gone from a once-promising economy with the largest proven oil reserves in Africa to a country in turmoil. The foreign workers who underpinned the oil industry have fled; production and exports have all but ground to a halt; and its currency is down 30 percent in just two weeks.The oil minister, Shukri Ghanem, held a news conference calling on foreign oil companies to send back their workers. He said the government would honor all its contracts.\"We are still considering all our contracts and agreements with the oil companies valid,\" he said. \"We hope from their part that they will honor their agreements, that they will send back their experts and their people to work.\"He suggested future decisions on oil deals would favor countries that did not join the international force against Qaddafi: \"A friend in need is a friend indeed,\" he told reporters in Tripoli.Italy, which had been the main buyer for Libyan oil, offered the use of seven air and navy bases already housing U.S., NATO and Italian forces to enforce the no-fly zone over Libya.Italy\'s defense minister, Ignazio La Russa, said Saturday that Italy wasn\'t just \"renting out\" its bases for others to use but was prepared to offer \"moderate but determined\" military support.Warplanes from the United States, Canada, Denmark arrived at Italian air bases Saturday as part of an international military buildup. Germany backed the operation but isn\'t offering its own forces.___Al-Shalchi reported from Tripoli, Libya. Associated Press writers Ben Hubbard in Cairo; Nicole Winfield in Rome; Jamey Keaten in Paris; and Robert Burns in Washington also contributed to this report.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>Libya – The U.S. and European nations pounded Muammar Qaddafi\'s forces and air defenses with cruise missiles and airstrikes Saturday, launching the broadest international military effort since the Iraq war in support of an uprising that had seemed on the verge of defeat.The longtime Libyan leader vowed to defend his country from what he called \"crusader aggression\" and warned the involvement of international forces will subject the Mediterranean and North African region to danger and put civilians at risk.The U.S. military said 112 Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired from American and British ships and submarines at more than 20 coastal targets to clear the way for air patrols to ground Libya\'s air force. French fighter jets fired the first salvos, carrying out several strikes in the rebel-held east.President Barack Obama said military action was not his first choice and reiterated that he would not send American ground troops to Libya.\"This is not an outcome the U.S. or any of our partners sought,\" Obama said from Brazil, where he is starting a five-day visit to Latin America. \"We cannot stand idly by when a tyrant tells his people there will be no mercy.\"Thousands of regime supporters, meanwhile, packed into the sprawling Bab al-Aziziya military camp in Tripoli where Qaddafi lives to protect against attacks.The strikes, which were aimed at enforcing a U.N.-mandated no-fly zone, were a sharp escalation in the international effort to stop Qaddafi after weeks of pleading by the rebels who have seen early gains reversed as the regime unleashed the full force of its superior air power and weaponry.Qaddafi, who has ruled Libya for 41 years, said in a telephone call to Libyan state TV that he was opening weapons depots to allow his people to arm themselves in defense.He said the international action against his forces was unjustified, calling it \"simply a colonial crusader aggression that may ignite another large-scale crusader war.\"He also said the U.N. Security Council and the international community were responsible for \"stopping this unjust flagrant aggression against a sovereign country immediately.\"His regime also acted quickly in the run-up to the strikes, sending warplanes, tanks and troops into the eastern city of Benghazi, the rebel capital and first city to fall to the rebellion that began Feb. 15. Then the government attacks appeared to go silent.Operation Odyssey Dawn, as the allied assault has been dubbed, followed an emergency summit in Paris during which the 22 leaders and top officials agreed to do everything necessary to make Qaddafi respect a U.N. Security Council resolution Thursday calling for the no-fly zone and demanding a cease-fire, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said.\"Our consensus was strong, and our resolve is clear. The people of Libya must be protected, and in the absence of an immediate end to the violence against civilians our coalition is prepared to act, and to act with urgency,\" Obama said earlier.Navy Vice Adm. William E. Gortney, director of the Pentagon\'s Joint Staff, told reporters in Washington that U.S. ships and a British submarine had launched the first phase of a missile assault on Libyan air defenses to clear the way for the imposition of a U.N.-mandated no-fly zone over the North African country.Gortney said the mission has two goals: prevent further attacks by Libyan forces on rebels and civilians, and degrade the Libyan military\'s ability to contest a no-fly zone.Defense officials cautioned it was too early to fully gauge the impact of the onslaught. But a senior defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the mission was ongoing, said the Americans felt that Libya\'s air defenses had been heavily damaged given the precision targeting of the cruise missiles.Mohammed Ali, a spokesman for the exiled opposition group the Libyan Salvation Front, said the Libyan air force headquarters at the Mateiga air base in eastern Tripoli and the Aviation Academy in Misrata had been targeted.About 20 French fighter jets carried out \"several strikes\" earlier Saturday, military spokesman Thierry Burkhard told The Associated Press. He said earlier that one of the planes had fired the first shot against a Libyan military vehicle.\"All our planes have returned to base tonight,\" he said, and denied a Libyan TV report that a French plane had been hit.He would not elaborate on what was hit or where, but said French forces are focusing on the Benghazi area and U.S. forces are focused in the west.British Prime Minister David Cameron said his country\'s forces were in action over Libya.The U.S. has struck Libya before. Former President Reagan launched U.S. airstrikes on Libya in 1986 after a bombing at a Berlin disco — which the U.S. blamed on Libya — that killed three people, including two American soldiers. The airstrikes killed about 100 people in Libya, including Qaddafi\'s young adopted daughter at his Tripoli compound.Libyan regime official Mohammed al-Zwei said a large number of civilians were injured when several civilian and military sites in the capital, Tripoli, and the nearby city of Misrata were hit. He also reiterated the Libyan allegation that the rebels were linked to al-Qaida. There was no way to independently verify the claims.The rebels said earlier that they had hoped for more, sooner from the international community, after a day when crashing shells shook the buildings of Benghazi and Qaddafi\'s tanks rumbled through the university campus.\"People are disappointed, they haven\'t seen any action yet. The leadership understands some of the difficulties with procedures but when it comes to procedures versus human lives the choice is clear,\" said Essam Gheriani, a spokesman for the opposition. \"People on the streets are saying where are the international forces? Is the international community waiting for the same crimes to be perpetrated on Benghazi has have been done by Qaddafi in the other cities?\"A doctor said 27 bodies had reached hospitals by midday. As night fell, though, the streets grew quiet.Libyan state television also showed Qaddafi supporters converging on the international airport and a military garrison in Tripoli, and the airport in Qaddafi\'s hometown of Sirte, in an apparent attempt to deter bombing.In an open letter, Qaddafi warned: \"You will regret it if you dare to intervene in our country.\"In Paris, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Qaddafi\'s government had lost all legitimacy and lied when it declared Friday it would abide by a cease-fire.\"We have every reason to fear that left unchecked, Qaddafi will commit unspeakable atrocities,\" she said.Saturday\'s emergency meeting in Paris, which included U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa and the foreign ministers of Jordan, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, was the largest international military action since the beginning of the Iraq war, launched almost exactly eight years ago.\"The time for action has come, it needs to be urgent,\" Cameron said after the summit.Earlier Saturday, a plane was shot down over the outskirts of Benghazi, sending up a massive black cloud of smoke. An Associated Press reporter saw the plane go down in flames and heard the sound of artillery and crackling gunfire.Before the plane went down, journalists heard what appeared to be airstrikes from it. Rebels cheered and celebrated at the crash, though the government denied a plane had gone down — or that any towns were shelled on Saturday.The fighting galvanized the people of Benghazi, with young men collecting bottles to make gasoline bombs. Some residents dragged bed frames and metal scraps into the streets to make roadblocks.\"This city is a symbol of the revolution, it\'s where it started and where it will end if this city falls,\" said Gheriani.But at Jalaa hospital, where the tile floors and walls were stained with blood, the toll was clear.\"There are more dead than injured,\" said Dr. Ahmed Radwan, an Egyptian who had been there helping for three weeks.Jalaa\'s Dr. Gebreil Hewadi, a member of the rebel health committee, said city hospitals had received 27 bodies.At a news conference in the capital, Tripoli, the government spokesman read letters from Qaddafi to Obama and others involved in the international effort.\"Libya is not yours. Libya is for the Libyans. The Security Council resolution is invalid,\" he said in the letter to Sarkozy, Cameron, and the U.N. secretary-general.To Obama, the Libyan leader was slightly more conciliatory: \"If you had found them taking over American cities with armed force, tell me what you would do.\"In a joint statement to Qaddafi late Friday, the United States, Britain and France — backed by unspecified Arab countries — called on Qaddafi to end his troops\' advance toward Benghazi and pull them out of the cities of Misrata, Ajdabiya and Zawiya. It also called for the restoration of water, electricity and gas services in all areas. It said Libyans must be able to receive humanitarian aid or the \"international community will make him suffer the consequences\" with military action.Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa said that Libyan officials had informed the U.N. and the Security Council that the government was abiding by the cease-fire it had announced Friday and called for a team of foreign observers to verify that.In the course of the rebellion, Libya has gone from a once-promising economy with the largest proven oil reserves in Africa to a country in turmoil. The foreign workers who underpinned the oil industry have fled; production and exports have all but ground to a halt; and its currency is down 30 percent in just two weeks.The oil minister, Shukri Ghanem, held a news conference calling on foreign oil companies to send back their workers. He said the government would honor all its contracts.\"We are still considering all our contracts and agreements with the oil companies valid,\" he said. \"We hope from their part that they will honor their agreements, that they will send back their experts and their people to work.\"He suggested future decisions on oil deals would favor countries that did not join the international force against Qaddafi: \"A friend in need is a friend indeed,\" he told reporters in Tripoli.Italy, which had been the main buyer for Libyan oil, offered the use of seven air and navy bases already housing U.S., NATO and Italian forces to enforce the no-fly zone over Libya.Italy\'s defense minister, Ignazio La Russa, said Saturday that Italy wasn\'t just \"renting out\" its bases for others to use but was prepared to offer \"moderate but determined\" military support.Warplanes from the United States, Canada, Denmark arrived at Italian air bases Saturday as part of an international military buildup. Germany backed the operation but isn\'t offering its own forces.___Al-Shalchi reported from Tripoli, Libya. Associated Press writers Ben Hubbard in Cairo; Nicole Winfield in Rome; Jamey Keaten in Paris; and Robert Burns in Washington also contributed to this report.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Qaddafi defiant in the face of allied strikes   (The Christian Science Monitor)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20110320/wl_csm/370906\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20110320/wl_csm/370906</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-03-19 20:44:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-19 20:44:00','2011-04-03 12:16:11','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,1,''),(531,'Palin\'s Passage to India: Talking Libya and China   (Time.com)','palins-passage-to-india-talking-libya-and-china-timecom','','Time.com - In her first visit to India, the once and future presidential candidate (maybe) tries her hand at foreign policy','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>If there was any question of whether Sarah Palin\'s star-appeal translated overseas, the standing-room only crowd when she took the stage Saturday night in New Delhi provided an answer. Speaking at a two-day conference that boasted a lineup including a Nobel laureate and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the former Vice-Presidential candidate was clearly the main event.</p>\n                <p>In her speech titled \"My Vision of America,\" the former Governor of Alaska, who was on her first trip to India, did simply articulate her vision of America but touched on a range of topics from the rise of China, energy independence, Indian-American ties, and, in a rather timely fashion, the use of force in the Arab world. <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206041500/40750044/SIG=11vbcodb5/*http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2029300,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">(See pictures from Sarah Palin\'s reality show.)</a></span></p>\n                <p>She stopped short of saying whether she\'d run for U.S. President, allowing only that \"I\'m still thinking about it.\" But that didn\'t stop her from positing what she\'d do if she had the job. Speaking just as the U.S. and its allies began their military intervention in Libya, she said that a Palin administration would differ from the Obama administration in there would be \"less dithering\" in America\'s dealings with the Arab world. \"Certainly more decisiveness, more commitment to making sure those who are freedom fighters know that America is on their side,\" she said. In Libya, while not ruling out military action, Palin expressed support for the no-fly zone, but stopped short of committing American troops - echoing Obama. </p>\n                <p>Palin dismissed the notion of declining American influence. \"I completely reject that,\" she said. \"It represents wrongheaded thinking by our friends and wishful thinking by some enemies.\" Speaking to a crowd of political and business leaders, hosted by <i>India Today</i> magazine, Palin stressed that while America is not in decline, India is rising to meet it. Deepening economic, military and diplomatic ties between the two countries are vital, she said. \"The relationship is the key to the future, the security, the prosperity of our world,\" she said. \"I see it strengthening. Whoever\'s President, it better strengthen. We\'re going to need each other especially as these other regions rise, if we want a peaceful world, India and the United States have to be linked.\" <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206041500/40750044/SIG=122ddenap/*http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,2036045,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">(What is the next political step for Sarah Palin?)</a></span></p>\n                <p>While lauding India\'s democratic rise and economic liberalization, she expressed concern over China\'s growing economic influence and militarization. She described Chinese ownership of American debt as a \"dangerous\" and questioned the country\'s new military buildup. \"I personally have huge military concerns about China. They are stockpiling ballistic missiles, submarines, new age ultra modern fighter aircraft. Is that all for a defensive posture? How could that be when you don\'t see a tangible outside threat to that country?\" <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206041500/40750044/SIG=11v4dol0n/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2060415,00.html#comments\" target=\"_blank\">(Comment on this story.)</a></span></p>\n                <p>Palin\'s personal appeal was apparent to those who attended the event. \"She said the right things,\" said Kiran Aurora a retiree from New Delhi. \"I don\'t know if she\'s Presidential material, but she\'s charismatic. There is a charm about her.\" \"She came across as a very honorable person, who\'s still maturing as a politician,\" said Sandip Ganguli, a hotel executive in India. \"What she appeared to lack in global knowledge and experience was made up by her belief in America and that the American people have what it takes to come back.\"</p>\n                <p>But there were still some questions. \"I expected her to be entertaining and in bits it was,\" says Nikhil Pawha a publisher at a digital media company. \"She had a good sense of humor, but her answers on the financial crisis didn\'t seem assured.\"</p>\n                <p> <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206041500/40750044/SIG=12k5d814a/*http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2025265_2025267,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">See the top 10 American political prodigies.</a></span></p>\n                <p> <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206041500/40750044/SIG=11vsu6ju0/*http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1964781,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">See portraits of the Tea Party movement.</a></span> </p>\n                <p>View this article on <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206041500/40750044/SIG=12ndoaaab/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2060415,00.html?xid=rss-fullworld-yahoo\">Time.com</a></p>\n                <p></p><p>Most Popular on Time.com:</p><ul><li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206041500/40750044/SIG=1328urgs3/*http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2059625,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">Why Some People Will Pay $20,000 For a Date</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206041500/40750044/SIG=12vput5kl/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2060412,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">Viewpoint: How Libya Became a French and British War</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206041500/40750044/SIG=12v4jv12o/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2060415,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">Palin\'s Passage to India: Talking Libya and China</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206041500/40750044/SIG=12vqgngdb/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2060402,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">Libya: How a No-Fly Zone Can Become a Red Hot Mess</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206041500/40750044/SIG=12vfcqbch/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2060398,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">Arab Spring: Is a Revolution Starting Up in Syria?</a></li> </ul><p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Palin\'s Passage to India: Talking Libya and China   (Time.com)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110320/wl_time/08599206041500\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110320/wl_time/08599206041500</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-03-20 02:35:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-20 02:35:00','2011-04-03 12:16:13','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,1,''),(532,'French jets hit Qaddafi forces as civilians flee Libya\'s rebel capital, Benghazi   (The Christian Science Monitor)','french-jets-hit-qaddafi-forces-as-civilians-flee-libyas-rebel-capital-benghazi-the-christian-science-monitor','','The Christian Science Monitor - An assault by forces loyal to Muammar Qaddafi in the heart of Benghazi, the capital of the rebellion against the Libyan strongmanâ€™s 41-year reign, led to a panicked flight of thousands of residents and tougher action from the international community today.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>Benghazi, Libya – An assault by forces loyal to Muammar Qaddafi in the heart of Benghazi, the capital of the rebellion against the Libyan strongmanâ€™s 41-year reign, led to a panicked flight of thousands of residents and tougher action from the international community today.</p>\n                <p>Mr. Qaddafi’s regime had promised a cease-fire repeatedly in recent days. Just yesterday, the country’s Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaaim said the government would comply with the United Nations Security Council resolution demanding an immediate halt of the march toward Benghazi, Libya’s second largest city.</p>\n                <p>But the reality this morning in Benghazi was one of tank shelling, rocket fire, and the first attack by Qaddafi loyalists inside the city since a popular uprising drove most of his soldiers out last month. Civilian homes were hit in the process.</p>\n                <p>France responded by scrambling its own jets around Benghazi this afternoon, and the French government later announced that it had destroyed a government tank. </p>\n                <p>\'No mercy\'Today’s attacks by Qaddafi\'s forces came after a week of threats to show “no mercy” to the rebellion in Benghazi and a psychological operations (psyops) campaign of telephone calls to supporters of the rebellion, promising death.</p>\n                <p>Panicked residents packed into cars and drove east.</p>\n                <p>Think you know the Middle East? Take our geography quiz.</p>\n                <p>As the city’s large hotels locked their doors, much of the international press did likewise. By noon today, the ad hoc revolutionary media center, usually a hive of political talk, amateur video production, and foreign journalists looking for working internet, was shuttered.</p>\n                <p>The courthouse next door that serves as the rebels\' seat of government was empty of most of its members. This reporter left Benghazi at about 12:30 p.m. local time. </p>\n                <p>\'Arab Spring\' cools offThe parade away from the city past the first fig and apricot blossoms marks a turning point in the extraordinary \"Arab Spring.\" The mostly nonviolent uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt quickly drove longstanding dictators from power and had no meaningful outside involvement, a source of pride to both countries and much of the region.</p>\n                <p>But Qaddafi dug in. In short order, he plunged his country into a low-grade civil war. Now, international forces are beginning to make military forays over the country.</p>\n                <p>Now, thousands of Libyan families have been uprooted from homes in towns like Ajdabiya, Misratah, and Benghazi, at least temporarily.</p>\n                <p>As the cars streamed east today, every town and crossroads had groups of armed men pressing water, juice, cookies and bread on their passengers. Some were furiously waved into the Green Mountains, once a stronghold for the revered Omar Mukhtar, who fought the Italians for 20 years before he was captured and hung in 1931. </p>\n                <p>\'We\'re going to push back soon\'At a stop in the shadow of the gentle range, one armed young man said. “We could fight Qaddafi from in there for 100 years if we had to,” waving toward the hills behind him. “We’re going to push back soon.”</p>\n                <p>Mixed with the fear today was a certain strange exultation, with many of Benghaziâ€™s young residents saying they were glad that a battle was at hand, confidently predicting that God will deliver them victory. The beginning of international action is also filling the rebels with hope.</p>\n                <p>But today’s fighting in Benghazi shows it isn’t as simple as whacking exposed columns of Qaddafi’s troops on the desert roads between population centers.Today there were firefights with Qaddafi loyalists in multiple locations inside the town. This reporter was briefly with a small group of rebel militiamen who were taking rifle fire. </p>\n                <p>Qaddafi loyalists re-emerge in BenghaziSupporters of the uprising insist that Qaddafi’s men got inside the city so quickly because they’d been there all along. </p>\n                <p>Qaddafi’s revolutionary guard, a paramilitary group dedicated to preserving his rule, had chapters in every city, and the rebels believe some were now given the order to emerge and fight as other forces have neared the city’s gate.\n</p><p>\n“We’re fairly confident that a lot of the fighting is from revolutionary guards,” said an official of the fledgling opposition at the courthouse, who asked not to be named. “We’ll hold on today, but it’s a problem.”\n</p><p>\nBy late afternoon, residents in Benghazi said the fighting had quieted, which would follow the pattern of Qaddafi’s forces in recent weeks: Pound a city from afar, draw closer, strike inside town, and withdraw for the evening to see how many fighters were scared away.\n</p><p>\nWith France starting international action over Libya, tomorrow will be a test of how easily Qaddafi can be deterred. \n</p><p>\nThink you know the Middle East? Take our geography quiz.</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"French jets hit Qaddafi forces as civilians flee Libya\'s rebel capital, Benghazi   (The Christian Science Monitor)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20110319/wl_csm/370893\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20110319/wl_csm/370893</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-03-19 15:46:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-19 15:46:00','2011-04-03 12:16:14','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,1,''),(533,'No More Free Primary School in Madagascar   (OneWorld.net)','no-more-free-primary-school-in-madagascar-oneworldnet','','OneWorld.net - ANTANANARIVO, Mar 18 (IRIN) - The burden of paying for education in Madagascar has shifted to the poor after donor funding was frozen in the wake of a coup on 17 March 2009.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>ANTANANARIVO, Mar 18 (IRIN) - The burden of paying for education in Madagascar has shifted to the poor after donor funding was frozen in the wake of a coup on 17 March 2009.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nAbout 70 percent of the education sector had been funded by donor countries, but since Andry Rajoelina seized power from former President Marc Ravalomanana with the backing of the military, state financial support to the education sector has become erratic.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \n\"The question is what we have lost… over these years; how much damage has been done by vulnerable families having to pick up the bill for their children\'s education,\" said Margarita Focas Licht, the UN Children\'s Fund (UNICEF) head of education in Madagascar.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nShe said the government had not allocated any funds to the education sector in the 2009/10 academic year, which begins in October, but had begun transfers for 2010/11. However, it had not been established how much the state was paying per learner. In the past, the annual subsidy had been US$1.50 each for the about 4.3 million primary school pupils.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nAccording to 2008 estimates by the Ministry of Education, the average Malagasy has less than five years’ education and only 60 percent of learners completed primary school, which is considered low by regional standards.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nThe government\'s failure to fund the education sector in the 2009/10 school year has led to the effective demise of free primary school education, with public schools demanding registration fees to compensate for the loss of income.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nThere is no uniformity in the registration fees. Some schools in the capital, Antananarivo, have been asking as much as $13 in a country where about three-quarters of the 20 million population live below the poverty line. An average class has about 50 learners, but some classes have as many as 100 learners.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \n\'\'We ask for things everywhere. We know that we don\'t have enough money, but we work with the available means as we have to try and get all the kids to study, with or without funding\'\'&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nMarie-Angele Ramanandraitsiory, principal of the Manakambahiny public primary school in Antananarivo, told IRIN the $4 registration fee her school charged was the cheapest of the city\'s 92 public primary schools.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nThe money is being used to help pay the salaries of \"community teachers\", who have no formal training but account for about two-thirds of the country\'s roughly 70,000 primary school teachers. The government usually paid them, but not in the previous school year. The salaries of formally trained teachers had not been affected.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \n\"We ask for things everywhere. We know that we don\'t have enough money, but we work with the available means as we have to try and get all the kids to study, with or without funding,\" Ramanandraitsiory said. But the money does not stretch to repairing roof leaks in some classrooms, which have become unusable because of knee-deep water.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \n<b>School food</b>&#13;</p>\n                <p> \n\"There are many children who can\'t come to school if there is no subsidized food. If they eat, and if parents receive help and starter packs for their children, they will come. If not, the children will be kept at home, or sent out to the streets to beg or work,\" she said.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nStarter packs include stationery items like pens, notebooks and rulers, but the supply of these has also become inconsistent.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nA $730 grant from the education ministry fed the school’s 580 learners beyond the prescribed 60 days and reduced absenteeism, Ramanandraitsiory said. Four of the 12 educators at Manakambahiny primary are community teachers.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nIn 2008 there was a proposal to provide training to all community teachers, but this has yet to materialize. Focas Licht said the ministry of education used to have the capacity to train about 2,800 teachers annually, but the teacher training system was \"dysfunctional at the moment\".&#13;</p>\n                <p> \n\"The local coping mechanism is to hire community teachers locally and pay them,\" Focas Licht said, and this was why public schools had instituted registration fees, effectively ending free primary school education. \"There would be a serious risk of sector collapse if two-thirds of the primary school teachers were no longer paid,\" she said.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nAfter donors froze funding in the wake of the 17 March 2009 coup, UNICEF assumed management of the $64 million Education For All - Fast Track Initiative, previously the domain of government under supervision of the World Bank, which still maintains its supervisory role.&#13;\n</p><p>\n \nIn the 2009/10 school year $15 million was used, in the 2010/11 academic year $22 million will be spent and $26 million remains for the 2011/12 school year, but beyond that no funding has been allocated.&#13;\n</p><p>\n \nFocas Licht said the money was being used to pay community teachers, maintain school feeding schemes with the assistance of the World Food Programme (WFP) in the food insecure south of the island, fund school construction projects in partnership with the International Labour Organization, and reduce disparities in schools.&#13;\n</p><p>\n \nLast year the only money that 10,000 schools in 10 regions of Madagascar received was sourced from the Education For All Initiative.&#13;\n</p><p>\n \nThe WFP supports 1,200 school canteens in the southern rural areas of Madagascar, feeding 215,000 beneficiaries in the drought-affected regions of Anosy, Androy and Atsimo Andrefana. UNICEF has a separate $13 million budget for supporting schools in seven other regions.&#13;\n</p><p>\n \n<b>Fewer enrolments</b>&#13;\n</p><p>\n \nAlthough there is no formal data available, Focas Licht said spot checks by UNICEF at schools in October 2010 indicated that enrolments were experiencing a downward trend.&#13;\n</p><p>\n \n\"What we are noticing… on weekly visits to the poorest neighbourhoods, is that the number of families that are no longer in a position to pay enrolment costs for their children in public primary schools is increasing,\" Céline Guillaud, coordinator of Graines de Bitume (Pavement Seeds), an NGO in Antananarivo supporting poor and homeless children, told IRIN.&#13;\n</p><p>\n \nThe NGO provides day care centres, assists in enrolment of primary school children and helps with school equipment, meals and medical expenses.&#13;\n</p><p>\n \nAlthough the NGO usually focused on families living on the streets, she said \"non-single parented families, living in proper houses, where both parents work but can\'t meet the expenses linked to schooling for their children,\" were now seeking their help.&#13;\n</p><p>\n \n<b>Want to Know More? &#13;\n</b></p><p>\n\n»  <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/oneworld/wl_oneworld/storytext/45361669511300472083/40729989/SIG=11g8bespr/*http://oneworldgroup.org/2010/12/07/one-story/\">OneWorld TV - Life in Rural Madagascar</a>&#13;\n</p><p>\n\n» <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/oneworld/wl_oneworld/storytext/45361669511300472083/40729989/SIG=11p7ljhc9/*http://uk.oneworld.net/guides/madagascar/climate-change\">OneWorld Guide: Climate Change in Madagascar</a>&#13;\n</p><p>\n\n<a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/oneworld/wl_oneworld/storytext/45361669511300472083/40729989/SIG=112rtus5k/*http://us.oneworld.net/headlines\">ALL THE LATEST HEADLINES</a>\n</p><p>\n</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"No More Free Primary School in Madagascar   (OneWorld.net)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/oneworld/20110318/wl_oneworld/45361669511300472083\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/oneworld/20110318/wl_oneworld/45361669511300472083</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-03-18 14:07:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-18 14:07:00','2011-04-03 12:16:15','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,1,''),(534,'Watch out for wild intraday swings   (Reuters)','watch-out-for-wild-intraday-swings-reuters','','Reuters - Watch out for intraday swings because it\'s going to be wild.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>NEW YORK (Reuters) – Watch out for intraday swings because it\'s going to be wild.</p>\n                <p>\nCataclysmic events, including a nuclear disaster in Japan, uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa and the possibility of more currency market intervention will keep investors reacting to headlines.</p>\n                <p>\n\"This is an extremely news-driven market. Investors are on the edge, and they are reacting to every headline they see,\" said Randy Frederick, director of trading and derivatives at the Schwab Center for Financial Research in Austin, Texas.</p>\n                <p>\nMany investors said the sudden increase in uncertainty had caused a corresponding rise in trading based on emotion rather than facts or fundamentals.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Considering how the market\'s been moving recently, I wouldn\'t be surprised to see the S&amp;P moving 1 to 1 1/2 percent both up and down in less than couple hours next week. That\'s how much volatility there is,\" said Ryan Detrick, a senior technical analyst at Schaeffer\'s Investment Research in Cincinnati, Ohio.</p>\n                <p>\nThe volatility on Wednesday caused the S&amp;P 500 to erase its gains for the year and then rebound more than 1 percent on Thursday.</p>\n                <p>\nBesides global developments this week, markets will get to respond to economic data on U.S. housing, gross domestic product and durable goods orders, but these may be relegated to second place behind traders\' reaction to the latest headlines.</p>\n                <p>\nWALL STREET\'S FEAR GAUGE</p>\n                <p>\nThe CBOE Volatility Index VIX (.VIX), Wall Street\'s so-called fear gauge, shot up nearly 30 percent on Wednesday when equities swooned after confusing statements from officials on the situation in Japan.</p>\n                <p>\nThe gauge rose nearly 60 percent above its 50-day moving average, which has happened only a handful of times in the past 20 years.</p>\n                <p>\nDespite the 21 percent rise in the VIX for the week, traders bet the fear gauge would move higher. Call buying outpaced put buying on Friday, with about 232,000 calls and 111,000 puts, although both were below their average daily volume, according to options analytics firm Trade Alert.</p>\n                <p>\nThe VIX, which often moves inversely to the S&amp;P 500, measures the cost of hedges or protection investors are willing to pay against a fall in the S&amp;P 500. The heavy call volume suggests expectations for more anxiety in the future.</p>\n                <p>\n\"What makes this so difficult is that these issues are beyond the expertise of the market,\" said Russ Koesterich, an investment strategist at BlackRock Inc, which oversees $3.56 trillion.</p>\n                <p>\n\"It\'s hard to say how severe the situation in Japan will get or how stable things will become in the Middle East, and that increases the downside risk.\"</p>\n                <p>\nSome market participants said the uncertainty was even more dramatic than the \"flash crash\" last May or the 2008 financial crisis.</p>\n                <p>\nWall Street ended higher on Friday, but indexes finished lower last week. The Dow ended down 1.5 percent, its biggest weekly decline sine August. The S&amp;P fell 1.9 percent and the Nasdaq lost 2.6 percent.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The stock market broke down (last) week, violating support levels and generally turning the technical indicators bearish,\" Larry McMillan, president of McMillan Analysis Corp, said in a report.</p>\n                <p>\nThe equity-only put-to-call ratios McMillan tracks have confirmed sell signals and remain bearish.\n</p><p>\n\nEconomic reports this week will include existing home sales and new home sales due on Monday and Wednesday, respectively. Durable good orders and jobless claims are due on Thursday and GDP is due on Friday.\n</p><p>\n\n(Additional reporting by Doris Frankel, Editing by Kenneth Barry)</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Watch out for wild intraday swings   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110320/bs_nm/us_usa_stocks_weekahead\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110320/bs_nm/us_usa_stocks_weekahead</a></p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-03-20 11:24:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-20 11:24:00','2011-04-03 12:16:17','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(535,'Libya, Mid East in focus, seen driving up oil risks   (Reuters)','libya-mid-east-in-focus-seen-driving-up-oil-risks-reuters','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110320/bs_nm/us_markets_commodities\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20110320/i/r1387468819.jpg?x=130&amp;y=86&amp;q=85&amp;sig=hgyK2eoGOxZrgoEJnPg3Kg--\" height=\"86\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Libya, Mid East in focus, seen driving up oil risks   (Reuters)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>Reuters - UN-sanctioned aerial and naval attacks on Libyan air defense and ground forces at the weekend are likely to see oil prices vault higher this week, overcoming demand-side jitters stemming from Japan\'s earthquake and Chinese monetary tightening.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>SINGAPORE (Reuters) – UN-sanctioned aerial and naval attacks on Libyan air defense and ground forces at the weekend are likely to see oil prices vault higher this week, overcoming demand-side jitters stemming from Japan\'s earthquake and Chinese monetary tightening.</p>\n                <p>\nFrench planes fired the first shots in what is the biggest international military intervention in the Arab world since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, destroying tanks and armored vehicles in the region of the rebels\' eastern stronghold, Benghazi.</p>\n                <p>\nOn Monday, Brent crude, which closed at $113.93 a barrel on Friday, could target a February peak of $119.79 a barrel. U.S. crude, which closed at $101.42 a barrel on Friday may also extend last week\'s 4.2 percent gain, adding to concerns about inflation around the world.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The Middle East and North Africa are a powder keg attached to a slow-burning fuse. The attacks on Libya and naval blockade, the troubles in Bahrain which are causing tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran, could cause the whole thing to blow up,\" said Jonathan Barratt, managing director of Commodity Broking Services.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The key is really how Saudi and Iran play out. Cool heads need to prevail. It\'s contained at the moment but if things worsen, you see a Mid East premium very quickly. If they start exchanging fire, it could easily drive the market above the record high.\"</p>\n                <p>\nCRUDE UP 20 PERCENT IN 2011</p>\n                <p>\nSimmering tensions in North Africa and the Middle East, sparked by a revolt in Tunisia in January that spread to other nations including Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain and Libya have helped drive up oil prices by around 20 percent so far this year. Brent crude traded at almost $120 a barrel, its highest since a spike to just below $150 in mid-2008. So far in March, Brent has risen just 2 percent on expected lower demand following the Japan earthquake and eased on Friday after two days of gains, as Libya declared a ceasefire, easing the threat of further damages to oil facilities.</p>\n                <p>\nOil production in the nation, the world\'s twelfth biggest exporter, has fallen dramatically since the unrest started -- down from around 1.6 million barrels per day to around 400,000 barrels.</p>\n                <p>\nOil exports have slowed to a trickle, but they will likely dry up as military action continues.</p>\n                <p>\nJAPAN FEARS, CHINA TIGHTENING</p>\n                <p>\nWeighing on oil and other commodities on Friday was another increase in China\'s rate reserve requirements and uncertainty about near-term demand from Japan as it comes to terms with the deadly earthquake and tsunami of a little over a week ago that may have killed thousands and its continuing battle to prevent a nuclear disaster at a stricken power plant. On Sunday, Saudi Aramco said it expected global oil and gas demand to rise slightly in the medium term, driven by a rise in consumption from Japanese industry and regional energy producers, but is will not have a significant impact on global markets.</p>\n                <p>\nCHINA INFLATION ALSO A FACTOR</p>\n                <p>\nOut of China, the nation\'s Vice Premier Li Keqiang said it will stay focused on stifling inflation even as global economic uncertainties multiply.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We will make stabilizing the overall level of prices the primary task of macro-economic adjustment,\" said Li, who is likely to succeed Wen Jiabao as premier two years from now.</p>\n                <p>\nAway from oil, gold markets were also likely to be well-bid supported by safe haven buying and a potential physical supply squeeze from Japan.</p>\n                <p>\nBut the geopolitical and economic headwinds developing may undermine industrial raw materials and grains.</p>\n                <p>\nThe recovery in risk appetite on Friday that sent U.S. grain futures soaring may reverse. On the week, nearby CBOT corn futures ended 3.7 percent higher after a 37 cent surge on Friday to $6.83- a bushel.</p>\n                <p>\nWheat rose 4.0 percent after leaping 12- cents a bushel to $7.23. May soybeans rose 27- cents Friday to $13.62-1/2.\n</p><p>\n\nLondon Metal Exchange three-month copper shed $55 Friday to close at $9,510 a tonne, but ended the week 3.5 percent firmer.\n</p><p>\n\n\"There is still a lot of worry in the market about demand in Japan and China. The Japan story is getting easier to see and we don\'t have longer term worries about demand there. China is causing a bit of disquiet. Inflation-busting policy moves could depress consumption,\" said a Singapore based trading source.\n</p><p>\n\n\"The situation in Libya is a non-story as far as the fundamentals go. It will feed into risk sentiment across a range of markets and weigh on prices, but it won\'t last long.\"</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Libya, Mid East in focus, seen driving up oil risks   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110320/bs_nm/us_markets_commodities\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110320/bs_nm/us_markets_commodities</a></p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-03-20 03:22:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-20 03:22:00','2011-04-03 12:16:18','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(536,'JPMorgan, others boost payouts after Fed tests   (Reuters)','jpmorgan-others-boost-payouts-after-fed-tests-reuters','','Reuters - U.S. regulators gave major banks including JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co the green light on Friday to boost dividends, loosening the reins on the industry 2-1/2 years after the government bailed out the financial system.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. regulators gave major banks including JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co the green light on Friday to boost dividends, loosening the reins on the industry 2-1/2 years after the government bailed out the financial system.</p>\n                <p>\nThe strongest banks, including JPMorgan, are entitled to raise dividends and buy back shares in a matter of weeks, while weaker banks, including SunTrust Banks Inc, were authorized to issue shares and pay back government bailout money.</p>\n                <p>\nThe Federal Reserve tested how banks would fare if the economy were to come under more pressure, in another round of stress tests nearly two years after the first round. European banks face similar tests.</p>\n                <p>\nBanks received billions of dollars of rescue funds from the government in 2008 and 2009 after suffering huge losses in a credit crunch. But in 2010 the banking system turned a profit, emboldening regulators to permit banks to return money to shareholders through dividends and buybacks.</p>\n                <p>\n\"This is one of the final steps in terms of showing the redemption of the banks from 2008,\" said Matt McCormick, a portfolio manager at Cincinnati-based Bahl &amp; Gaynor Investment Counsel, which owns bank stocks.</p>\n                <p>\nBanks are still recovering from the financial crisis, and the Federal Reserve has still kept some restrictions on their payouts to shareholders.</p>\n                <p>\nThe central bank said on Friday it was generally restricting dividend payments to 30 percent or less of the company\'s expected earnings in 2011-- a ratio well below the 50 percent level paid out during better times.</p>\n                <p>\nBut a flurry of banks announced plans to return capital to shareholders on Friday. Wells Fargo &amp; Co, the fourth-largest bank, said it was paying a 12 cent per share dividend for the first quarter, compared with a prior level of 5 cents.</p>\n                <p>\nGoldman Sachs Group Inc said it was buying back $5 billion of preferred shares from Warren Buffett\'s Berkshire Hathaway, ending a costly deal that shored up confidence in the bank at the height of the financial crisis.</p>\n                <p>\nBuying back the preferred stock will allow it to boost the dividend on its common shares, Goldman said.</p>\n                <p>\n\"This gets the banks some investor credibility. If you\'re a retail investor, the reason to own these names was the dividend stream, and that was taken away with the crisis,\" said Jason Ware, a senior analyst with Albion Financial, a Salt Lake City-based wealth management firm.</p>\n                <p>\nAlbion currently does not own any bank stocks, but Ware said the dividend increases have made the firm more interested in buying into the sector.</p>\n                <p>\nIn this second round of stress tests, the Fed had banks submit their own analyses of whether they could withstand adverse economic conditions. In 2009, the Fed played a much larger role in analyzing banks\' capital.</p>\n                <p>\nANNUAL TEST</p>\n                <p>\nBanks historically have paid dividends, but often have trouble cutting their payouts when times get tough, for fear of panicking investors. In the years leading up to the crisis, banks paid out billions of dollars to investors, through dividends and share buybacks, even as the financial system grew shaky.</p>\n                <p>\nThe stress tests are not over. Under the Dodd-Frank law tightening regulation of the financial industry, large banks and other financial firms are required to conduct stress tests at least once a year.</p>\n                <p>\nThree of the 19 largest banks have yet to repay the U.S. bailout aid they took at the height of the financial crisis.</p>\n                <p>\nBut investors hailed plans by two of the three, SunTrust Banks Inc and Keycorp, to do so as another sign of the industry\'s recovery.\n</p><p>\n\n\"That\'s very good,\" said Marshall Front, chairman and chief investment officer at Front Barnett Associates in Chicago, who owns bank stocks.\n</p><p>\n\n\"It can\'t be viewed as anything but positive for them, and reflects trends for the banking sector in general,\" he said.\n</p><p>\n\nRegions Financial Corp, the last remaining TARP holdout in the group of 19, said the company did not propose any capital action in its regulatory review, and will repay TARP in a \"prudent manner, on shareholder-friendly terms.\"\n</p><p>\n\nInvestors have been eager for banks to restore quarterly payouts after they were suspended or slashed to as little as a penny a share at the height of the 2007-2009 financial crisis.\n</p><p>\n\nAccording to the Fed, common equity increased by more than $300 billion at the big banks from the end of 2008 through 2010. (Reporting by Rachelle Younglai in Washington, Maria Aspan in New York; additional reporting by Joe Rauch in Charlotte; Editing by Gary Hill)</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"JPMorgan, others boost payouts after Fed tests   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110318/bs_nm/us_usa_banks_stresstests\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110318/bs_nm/us_usa_banks_stresstests</a></p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-03-18 17:13:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-18 17:13:00','2011-04-03 12:16:19','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(537,'Japan mulls capital injections for banks in quake region: report   (Reuters)','japan-mulls-capital-injections-for-banks-in-quake-region-report-reuters','','Reuters - The Japanese government plans to inject public funds into banks in areas ravaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami to make sure that businesses in the area can get credit to rebuild their operations, The Nikkei newspaper said in its Sunday edition.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>TOKYO (Reuters) – The Japanese government plans to inject public funds into banks in areas ravaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami to make sure that businesses in the area can get credit to rebuild their operations, The Nikkei newspaper said in its Sunday edition.</p>\n                <p>\nThe Nikkei did not say how big such capital injections would likely be but it noted that more than 11 trillion yen ($136 billion) was still available under a law passed after the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008 that allows for the use of public funds to replenish the capital of regional banks, credit banks and cooperatives.</p>\n                <p>\nCompanies\' demand for funds is expected to soar once rebuilding of the devastated areas starts in earnest and the government wants to give regional banks a sufficient capital cushion so they can keep on supplying credit to smaller businesses.</p>\n                <p>\nAmong the banks operating in the quake-affected region are Tohoku Bank (8349.T), Toho Bank (8346.T), Bank of Iwate (8345.T), and 77 Bank (8341.T).</p>\n                <p>\nThe newspaper had reported on Saturday that Japan was also considering making up to 10 trillion yen available in crisis financing to businesses to help them repair damage and finance day-to-day operations affected by the quake.</p>\n                <p>\nThe Japanese authorities, racing to avert a disaster at a quake-crippled nuclear plant, have yet to produce an estimate of economic damage and decide how much the government will need to spend to help the world\'s third largest economy get back on its feet.</p>\n                <p>\nEconomists\' early estimates point to about $200 billion in losses, meaning Japan faces its biggest reconstruction push since post-World War Two. The economy could topple into recession before the effects of that effort can be felt.</p>\n                <p>\nAnother concern is how Japan will finance that effort.</p>\n                <p>\nJapan\'s public and private investments abroad make it the world\'s biggest creditor and it has more than $1 trillion in foreign reserves, second only to China\'s.</p>\n                <p>\nBut its public debt is twice the size of the $5 trillion economy, and although the government owes nearly all of it to its own institutions and households, economists wonder for how long it can count on them to keep underwriting spending.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Tomasz Janowski; Editing by Nathan Layne)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Japan mulls capital injections for banks in quake region: report   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110320/bs_nm/us_japan_banks\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110320/bs_nm/us_japan_banks</a></p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-03-20 02:41:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-20 02:41:00','2011-04-03 12:16:20','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(538,'Shell drills 17 wells in China, eyes big spend: CEO   (Reuters)','shell-drills-17-wells-in-china-eyes-big-spend-ceo-reuters','','Reuters - Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) is drilling 17 wells in China, including for tight gas and shale gas, Chief Executive Peter Voser told Reuters on Sunday.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>BEIJING (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) is drilling 17 wells in China, including for tight gas and shale gas, Chief Executive Peter Voser told Reuters on Sunday.</p>\n                <p>\nIf the drilling is successful, Shell aims to spend $1 billion a year over the next five years on shale gas in China, he said on the sidelines of a forum, adding that it was already spending $400 million on unconventional gas in China this year.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Chen Aizhu)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Shell drills 17 wells in China, eyes big spend: CEO   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110320/bs_nm/us_shell_china\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110320/bs_nm/us_shell_china</a></p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-03-20 04:24:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-20 04:24:00','2011-04-03 12:16:21','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(539,'IBM to pay $10 million to settle Asian bribe case   (AFP)','ibm-to-pay-10-million-to-settle-asian-bribe-case-afp','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110318/ts_alt_afp/usskoreachinaitcomputercrimesec\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20110318/capt.photo_1300470025432-1-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=86&amp;q=85&amp;sig=j7Q6IJS1T4ZzwkN3ZwOUNg--\" height=\"86\" width=\"130\" alt=\"IBM to pay $10 million to settle Asian bribe case   (AFP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AFP - IBM has agreed to pay $10 million to settle charges it gave cash and gifts to Chinese and South Korean officials to win contracts for mainframe and personal computers and other products.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>WASHINGTON (AFP) – IBM has agreed to pay $10 million to settle charges it gave cash and gifts to Chinese and South Korean officials to win contracts for mainframe and personal computers and other products.</p>\n                <p>\nThe agreement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) calls for the US computer titan to pay disgorgement of $5.3 million, interest of $2.7 million and a civil penalty of $2 million.</p>\n                <p>\nUnder the agreement, which is subject to court approval and was released by the SEC on Friday, IBM does not admit or deny the allegations it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).</p>\n                <p>\nIn the complaint filed with the US District Court for the District of Columbia, the SEC outlined the accusations against IBM, which is based in Armonk, New York.</p>\n                <p>\nThe complaint detailed instances of IBM Korea employees allegedly handing over envelopes filled with cash to South Korean officials in parking lots, providing them with free notebook computers, fiddling bid sheets and making payments to the bank account of a \"hostess in a drink shop.\"</p>\n                <p>\nIt said employees of IBM subsidiaries and a majority-owned joint venture provided cash and improper gifts, travel and entertainment to Chinese and South Korean government officials between 1998 and 2009.</p>\n                <p>\nFrom 1998 to 2003, employees of IBM Korea and joint venture LG IBM PC Co. paid $207,000 in cash bribes and gave improper gifts to South Korean government officials to secure the sale of IBM products, the complaint said.</p>\n                <p>\nIt said that from 2004 to 2009, employees of IBM China provided overseas trips, entertainment and improper gifts to Chinese government officials.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The misconduct in China involved several key IBM China employees and more than 100 IBM China employees overall,\" the complaint said.</p>\n                <p>\nIBM China employees \"created slush funds at local travel agencies in China that were then used to pay for overseas and other travel expenses incurred by Chinese government officials,\" it said.</p>\n                <p>\n\"In addition, IBM China employees created slush funds at its business partners to provide a cash payment and improper gifts, such as cameras and laptop computers, to Chinese government officials,\" it added.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Deficient internal controls allowed employees of IBM\'s subsidiaries and joint venture to use local business partners and travel agencies as conduits for bribes or other improper payments to South Korean and Chinese government officials over long periods of time,\" the complaint said.</p>\n                <p>\nIt said improper payments were recorded as \"legitimate business expenses.\"</p>\n                <p>\nIn a statement acknowledging the settlement, IBM said it \"insists on the highest ethical standards in the conduct of its business and requires all employees to follow its policies and procedures for conducting business.\"</p>\n                <p>\nIBM shares were up 0.95 percent at $155.65 shortly before the closing bell on Wall Street.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"IBM to pay $10 million to settle Asian bribe case   (AFP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110318/ts_alt_afp/usskoreachinaitcomputercrimesec\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110318/ts_alt_afp/usskoreachinaitcomputercrimesec</a></p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-03-18 15:47:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-18 15:47:00','2011-04-03 12:16:22','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),