A Comprehensive Guide to the Sundance 2012 Pickups

Park City did indeed turn out to be a robust marketplace this year, with buyers snapping up over two dozen features and docs out of Sundance 2012. Ranging from genre pleasers to indie charmers to potential future Oscar picks and beyond ? and veering from critical fest duds to overwhelming crowd favorites ? the class of Sundance ?12 is an intriguingly mixed-but-mostly-promising bag of films that will be dotting the cinematic landscape in the year or so to come. Here?s an updated comprehensive look at what sold and which films you should be looking forward to.

2 Days in New York (Magnolia) ? The busy distributor (which also picked up V/H/S and Queen of Versailles earlier in the fest) also nabbed Julie Delpy?s sequel to 2 Days in Paris, which Delpy directed and co-stars in opposite Chris Rock.

Arbitrage (Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions) - Nicholas Jarecki's dramatic feature-filmmaking debut stars Richard Gere as a billionaire hedge-fund fraud seeking to cash in before he's exposed. Susan Sarandon, Brit Marling and Tim Roth co-star. Look for the studio duo to duplicate the multi-platform success they enjoyed in 2011 with Margin Call, another financial-world potboiler picked up in Park City.

Beasts of the Southern Wild (Fox Searchlight) ? The smallest narrative to get a deal thus far at Sundance comes off of strong buzz and acclaim for the tale of a young girl and her ailing father who live in a fantastical alternate version of the American South; Beasts won the Grand Jury Prize and was hands down the discovery of the fest.

Black Rock (LD Distribution) ? Katie Aselton?s thriller about three female friends (Aselton, Lake Bell, Kate Bosworth) surviving a weekend getaway gone wrong was the first Midnight selection to seal a deal, partnering with newbie venture LD Distribution.

Celeste and Jesse Forever (Sony Pictures Classics) ? With Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg leading a cast of familiar players, this was bound to attract buyer attention galore. Sony Pictures Classics snatched it up for a reported $2 million, adding C&J to their previous Sundance acquisitions Searching for Sugar Man and The Raid.

Chasing Ice (National Geographic) ? Photographer James Balog traversed three continents and utilized time-lapse photography to film his documentary about climate change; National Geographic Channel purchased television rights, air date TBA.

The Comedy (Rough House Pictures) ? Tim Heidecker?s other polarizing Sundance entry, the Rick Alverson-directed The Comedy, follows a band of idle hipsters doing unpleasant things in what?s been described as a sort of anti-traditional comedy of sorts. Picked up by Danny McBride?s Rough House Pictures, this should make an interesting companion piece to Heidecker and Wareheim?s Tim & Eric?s Billion Dollar Movie as the duo of features show two very different sides to the comedians.

Compliance (Magnolia) ? Craig Zobel?s controversial entry about employees of a fast food restaurant who carry out an increasingly questionable investigation on one of their own found a home at Magnolia Pictures, who are aiming to have it in theaters in 2012.

For a Good Time, Call? (Focus Features) - The feature debut of shorts director Jamie Travis pairs Lauren Anne Miller and Ari Graynor as frenemies who start a phone sex line together, one of a gaggle of raunchy female-driven comedies in this year?s line-up.

How to Survive a Plague (Sundance Selects) ? David France?s documentary utilizes archival footage to revisit the HIV/AIDS activist movement of the ?80s; release TBA.

Indie Game: The Movie (HBO) -- Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky?s Kickstarter-funded doc, about the independent video game scene, had remake rights optioned by HBO and Scott Rudin, who plan on turning it into a TV series.

Lay the Favorite (Weinstein Co.) ? If anyone can make magic happen for Stephen Frears? Sundance ?12 dud, it?s the Weinsteins. The company?s only pick-up (so far) is a star-studded lark that should get a marketing boost from its cast (Bruce Willis, Rebecca Hall, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Vince Vaughn) but can expect an uphill battle with critics.

Liberal Arts (IFC Films) ? Josh Radnor?s follow up to happythankyoumoreplease, another Sundance pick, features Radnor as a thirty-something man who returns to his college campus and is intrigued by both his former professor (Alison Janney) and a young coed (Elizabeth Olsen). IFC picked up Liberal Arts and plans on releasing it later in 2012.

Middle of Nowhere (Participant Media and AFFRM) ? A joint pick-up between Participant and African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement, writer-director Ava DuVernay?s drama centers on a woman whose husband is in prison; DuVernay won the coveted Directing Award at Sundance last weekend.

Nobody Walks (Magnolia) ? But wait, there?s more! Magnolia?s end-of-fest buying streak included Ry Russo-Young?s tale (co-written by Lena Dunham) about a woman (Olivia Thirlby) who shakes up the lives of her Silverlake hosts.

The Pact (IFC) - This deal's a bit of a surprise, given the negative-to-lukewarm reviews Nicholas McCarthy's feature debut (adapted from his own Sundance short of the same name) received. Yet another spooky tale, about a young lady investigating bumps and scares in her dead mother's house, it went to IFC for a reported "high-six-figure deal" as the distrib hopes it catches fire in limited release/VOD.

The Queen of Versailles (Magnolia Pictures) ? Another well-received doc, Lauren Greenfield?s examination of Florida real estate mogul David Siegel was picked up by Magnolia on Friday before earning her the Sundance directing award in the U.S. documentary category.

Red Lights (Millenium Films) Negative reviews hurt the profile of this Rodrigo Cortes (Buried) thriller, despite featuring Cillian Murphy, Sigourney Weaver, Robert De Niro, and last year?s Sundance darling Elizabeth Olsen.

Robot and Frank (Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions/Samuel Goldwyn Films) ? It?s Frank Langella and a robot. What more do you need to know? Oh, fine: Directed by Jake Schreier and co-starring Susan Sarandon, Peter Sarsgaard, and Liv Tyler, this charmer won over critics during Sundance.

Safety Not Guaranteed (FilmDistrict) ? Indie genre-bender Safety Not Guaranteed sold to FilmDistrict for a reported seven figures and should ride high on warm reviews and its Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award win. Fans of star Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass (who also exec-produced), and Jake Johnson should be happy to see each in the spotlight when this makes it into theaters.

Searching for Sugar Man (Sony Classics) ? The Audience Award-winning documentary about 1960s musician Rodriguez played well to critics and was snatched up by SPC for a reported six figures.

Shadow Dancer (ATO Pictures) ? James Marsh (Project Nim, Man on Wire) returned to Sundance this year with a feature ? the IRA thriller Shadow Dancer, starring Andrea Riseborough and Clive Owen ? drawing comparisons to the cold, slow burning Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy. Patient art house audiences should be rewarded with this Euro-style spy tale, which will also screen at the Berlin Film Festival next month.

Simon Killer (IFC Films) ? Antonio Campos?s unsettling character drama, starring Brady Corbet in a standout turn, follows a recent college grad as he floats around Paris trying to get over an ex-girlfriend. The latest from Martha Marcy May Marlene collective Borderline Films is dark, sexually explicit, and mesmerizing ? a good fit for IFC.

Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap (Indomina Releasing) ? Ice-T?s hip-hop documentary will see theatrical release later this year thanks to Indomina Releasing, who snapped up worldwide rights; here?s hoping that deal includes plans for at least one soundtrack album release, since The Art of Rap features some of the best cuts from a comprehensive survey of the rap landscape of the last few decades.

The Surrogate (Fox Searchlight) - Sundance favorite John Hawkes turns in an brave performance as real life poet Mark O?Brien, who yearns to lose his virginity with a sex therapist (Helen Hunt) despite being paralyzed from the head down. Fox Searchlight paid a reported $6 million for the pic, which may face tricky ratings deliberations due to Hunt?s full frontal nudity.

V/H/S (Magnolia) ? The horror anthology opened to such a raucous, receptive Midnight debut that it?s no wonder a specialist like Magnolia snapped up the surefire genre pleaser. Did reports of a seizure at a festival screening help the film build buzz?

Wish You Were Here (Entertainment One) ? This Aussie domestic thriller opened Sundance to mixed reviews, but should interest watchers of the country?s burgeoning cinema; director Kieran Darcy-Smith, wife/actress/co-writer Felicity Price, and crossover star Joel Edgerton may not have pulled off the second coming of Animal Kingdom, but this actors? showcase is worth a look. Entertainment One will reportedly open WYWH this fall.

The Words (CBS Films) ? Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, and Jeremy Irons lead a cast of recognizable stars in this literary drama about a writer (Cooper) who claims credit on someone else?s manuscript and is confronted by its real author, so it?s easy to see why buyers were interested. CBS Films reportedly laid down $2 million for the film.

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Get more of Movieline's Sundance 2012 coverage here.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1924408/news/1924408/

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Warren Communications Files $19.5M Lawsuit Over Unauthorized ...

Warren Communications News Inc., a Washington-based news organization that covers the telecommunications and media industries, is suing a subscriber for making unauthorized copies of a daily newsletter to the tune of as much as $19.5 million.

According to the complaint (PDF), filed Friday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Warren Communications is accusing a Michigan company of buying a single subscription to a daily newsletter and then making multiple copies to distribute to present and former employees.

The newsletter, Communications Daily, is sent as a PDF document to subscribers via e-mail. Warren Communications is accusing an employee of U.S. Signal LLC of subscribing to the newsletter in March 2009 and, starting in Oct. 2010, sending copies around and outside of the office. U.S. Signal operates fiber optic networks in the Midwest.

The $19.5 million price tag is based on the maximum amount a jury can award in damages for this type of copyright infringement. Warren Communications alleges U.S. Signal made copies of at least 130 editions of the newsletter, multiplied by $150,000 for each act of willful infringement.

A U.S. Signal representative could not immediately be reached for comment. Warren Communications News is being represented by Wiley Rein partner Thomas Kirby, who also could not immediately be reached.

Source: http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2012/01/warren-communications-files-195m-lawsuit-over-unauthorized-newsletter-copies.html

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Japan population seen falling 30 percent by 2060 (Reuters)

TOKYO (Reuters) ? Japan's population is expected to fall by 30 percent to below 90 million by 2060, with two out of every five people 65 or older, a government agency said on Monday, underlining the financial burden looming over the fast-aging society.

The grim forecast underscores the failure of efforts to encourage people to have more babies and will add urgency to efforts on tax and social security reform, and could also stir debate on immigration.

By 2060, the number of people aged 14 or younger is forecast to be less than 8 million while there will be nearly 35 million people aged 65 or older.

The population is aging at the fastest pace among developed countries because of a low birthrate and long life expectancy.

"The trend of the aging society will continue and it is hard to expect the birth rate to rise significantly," Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura told a news conference.

"Thus, comprehensive tax and social security reform is needed."

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has vowed to double a 5 percent sales tax in two stages by October 2015 to help fund bulging social security costs, which are rising by 1 trillion yen ($13 billion) a year and aggravating a public debt already twice the size of Japan's $5 trillion economy.

But the biggest opposition party, although agreeing on the need for a tax increase, is threatening to block legislation in parliament's upper house. The opposition argues that the ruling Democrats' plan to revamp public pensions would require a higher levy than planned.

The population is expected to fall below 100 million in 2048 and dip further to 86.74 million by 2060, from 128.06 million in 2010, according to a projection by a research arm of the Health Ministry.

By 2060, the number of people aged 14 or younger is forecast to fall by more than half, to 7.91 million. By contrast, the number aged 65 or older is seen rising 18 percent to 34.64 million, accounting for 39.9 percent of the population, compared with 23.0 percent in 2010.

The pace of aging has slowed somewhat from the previous estimate made in 2006 but the overall trend has not changed.

"URGENT AND VITAL ISSUE"

The fertility rate, the expected number of children born per couple, is expected to reach 1.35 in 2060 from 1.39 in 2010, below the 2.08 needed to keep the population from shrinking and compared with a global rate of about 2.5.

Some experts have called for the liberalization of immigration rules but many Japanese are cautious about opening the door to foreigners who, many believe, have trouble assimilating in a society where homogeneity has been seen as a source of stability.

Hidenori Suezawa, chief strategist at SMBC Nikko Securities, said the government needed to tackle the sluggish birth rate to help fix the nation's tattered finances and social security system.

"It is necessary to reaffirm that policies to address the low birth rate are an urgent and vital issue," he said in a note.

Japan has been trying for at least two decades to raise the birth rate without success and critics say making it easier for women to work and raise children at the same time is key.

The ruling Democrats promised to beef up childcare allowances when it took power for the first time in 2009 but it has had to revise that pledge because of a worsening fiscal problem.

The population estimate also showed that average life expectancy will rise by more than four years in 2060, to 84.19 for men and 90.93 for women.

The population projection is compiled roughly every five years based on data including a census and demographic statistics and serves as a reference for government social security policy.

($1 = 76.7350 yen)

(Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Additional reporting by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Chris Gallagher and Robert Birsel)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/wl_nm/us_japan_economy_aging

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New Water-Repelling Surfaces Avoid the Deadly Perils of Icing [Video]

Web Exclusives | More Science

A nanostructure inspired by the natural world repels water droplets and could prevent icing on airplane wings and other structures

By Gary Stix ?| January 26, 2012

Image: Need Credit

Joanna Aizenberg's muse is the whole of the natural world. The Harvard University materials scientist takes her inspiration from creatures that suggest engineering of substances in unexpected ways. Ocean creatures in particular have proved inspirational. The brittle star, a relative of the starfish and the sea urchin, has a shell coated with lenses, which may furnish ideas for new types of optical communication systems. There is also the deep-sea sponge with a crown composed of optical fibers.

Aizenberg's early life in Russia and her brilliant, creative career as an engineer that followed at Harvard the Massachusetts Institute of Technology? are the focus of a question-and-answer feature in the February 2012 Scientific American.

Her laboratory has mustered a basic understanding of the physics of water to design a finely structured polymer coating that resists every attempt to accrete a layer of ice at temperatures as low as 30 degrees Celsius. The material, or some analogue thereof, might one day find its way into aircraft, power-transmission towers and building roofs.

Watch this incredible video of a droplet of water pinging off Aizenberg's no-icing, super-hydrophobic surface. For comparison, the video starts with two other surfaces?one hydrophilic and the other merely hydrophobic.

?

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Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=5120e929c77fdbcbc00acfd3e2c8907a

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Turkish film highlights gay honor killing (omg!)

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) ? Shortly after telling his parents he was gay, Ahmet Yildiz was gunned down inside his car by his father in Istanbul. It was Turkey's first officially recognized gay "honor killing."

An award-winning film partly inspired by Yildiz's story, which opened in dozens of cinemas across Turkey last week, is putting the spotlight on gays in a Muslim country that is seeking European Union membership but remains influenced by conservative and religious values.

The film "Zenne Dancer" ? or male belly dancer ? is not the nation's first gay-themed movie but is the first to explore the little-known phenomenon of men killed by family members for being gay. So-called honor killings in Turkey usually target women accused of disgracing the family.

"Our main aim was to convey Ahmet's story, but by doing so we also wanted to expose the pressure the (gay and lesbian community) faces from their family, the society and the state," said Mehmet Binay, who co-directed and produced the film with his partner, Caner Alper.

"Zenne Dancer" won four awards at Turkey's coveted Antalya Golden Orange film festival this year, including best First Film and Best Cinematography. Erkan Avci, who plays Yildiz's character, won Best Supporting Actor. The movie was also recently chosen a Best Film by an association of Turkish film critics.

Yildiz, a physics student at Istanbul's Marmara University, was shot dead on July 15, 2008 after he went out for an ice cream break while studying at home for his final exams.

An arrest warrant has been issued for his father, Yahya Yildiz, who has been charged in absentia for the murder. The father, who has been on the run for three years, is believed to be in hiding in northern Iraq.

Yildiz, who was a close friend of Binay and Alper, came from the conservative, mostly-Kurdish Sanliurfa province, where homosexuality is taboo and where officials have been struggling to stem the practice of honor killings of women. Women there have been killed for flirting or having a boyfriend without the family's consent.

Gay honor killings are believed to be common in Turkey's conservative heartland. But Yildiz's murder was the first in Turkey to be reported by authorities as a gay honor killing.

Binay said Yildiz's family suspected his homosexuality but believed he could be treated by imams and were pressuring him to return to Sanliurfa.

"He was killed shortly after he told them he would not be cured, would not return and that he was considering leaving for Germany where he might marry (his boyfriend)," he said.

In "Zenne Dancer," Yildiz's life is intertwined with the stories of two other male characters ? a flamboyant Zenne dancer named Can and a bisexual German photographer, Daniel.

A stranger to Turkey's conservative traditions, Daniel encourages Yildiz to come out to his parents, insisting honesty was the best way to deal with his family.

"You don't understand," Yildiz responds in one scene: "Honesty would kill me."

Binay said he and Alper were filming a documentary on male belly dancers when Yildiz was killed. Shocked by the murder, they put the documentary on hold and decided to create a feature film that blends the story of the Zenne dancers with Yildiz's tragedy.

Turkish attitudes toward gay and lesbians are more relaxed compared to the 1980s and 1990s when police routinely raided gay bars, detained transvestites and banned gay festivals. Gay sex is not considered a crime in the country, and some bars and clubs in major cities openly cater to gays.

But a majority of gays still choose to hide their lifestyle in a country where liberal views have yet to make inroads in rural areas and many urban settings.

Last year, a former government minister described homosexuality as a biological disorder that needs to be treated, while municipalities have some leeway to introduce laws safeguarding "morality," which gay activists view as a potential threat to their freedom.

Some gays openly acknowledge their sexual orientation, including poet Murathan Mungan and the late singer Zeki Muren. Zenne dancing itself harks back to the Ottoman Empire, a time when there was a degree of tolerance toward gay sex among some sectors of the elite.

Hebun LGTB, a gay and lesbian group based in the conservative city Diyarbakir that neighbors Sanliurfa, described the film as an opportunity to break ingrained attitudes toward gays in traditional areas.

"There was a piece of us in each of the characters," said a group member, Arif, who declined to give his surname because his family does not know about his sexual orientation. "I am in the same situation as Ahmet Yildiz: If I was honest, I would be killed by my family."

"If out of all the people who watch it, just 10 are able to change their attitudes, then the filmmakers should be happy," he said.

Despite one article in a pro-Islamic newspaper that branded "Zenne Dancer" a "film for perverts," Binay says he and Alper have not received any threats or hate mail, and that some 35,000 people have seen the movie in its first week.

Gulsah Simsek, a 23-year old student, watched "Zenne Dancer" in Ankara.

"Some of the swearing and some of the scenes shocked me," she said. "But there must be so many people like (Yildiz) and it's good that the pain they suffer is being told."

Binay and Alper have been same-sex partners for 14 years and openly came out as a couple during one of the film's early screenings. They regularly attend showings where they hold discussions on attitudes toward homosexuality.

The film is showing in 50 cinemas in 16 out of Turkey's 81 provinces, including conservative Diyarbakir.

"The (positive) response we got in Istanbul wasn't much different to the response we got in Diyarbakir," Binay said. "We are encouraged by the attitudes in (traditional) regions."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_turkish_film_highlights_gay_honor_killing083244036/44282347/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/turkish-film-highlights-gay-honor-killing-083244036.html

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Weekly Address: America is Open for Business | The White House

President Obama tells the American people about a series of steps he's taken without the help of Congress to grow the economy and create jobs -- including a new strategy aimed at boosting tourism introduced this week. In next week's State of the Union Address, the President will outline his blueprint for creating an economy built to last.

?Transcript | Download mp4 | Download mp3

Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/01/21/weekly-address-america-open-business

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AP IMPACT: Health overhaul lags in states

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Here's a reality check for President Barack Obama's health overhaul: Three out of four uninsured Americans live in states that have yet to figure out how to deliver on its promise of affordable medical care.

This is the year that will make or break the health care law. States were supposed to be partners in carrying out the biggest safety net expansion since Medicare and Medicaid, and the White House claims they're making steady progress.

But an analysis by The Associated Press shows that states are moving in fits and starts. Combined with new insurance coverage estimates from the nonpartisan Urban Institute, it reveals a patchwork nation.

Such uneven progress could have real consequences.

If it continues, it will mean disparities and delays from state to state in carrying out an immense expansion of health insurance scheduled in the law for 2014. That could happen even if the Supreme Court upholds Obama's law, called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

"There will be something there, but if it doesn't mesh with the state's culture and if the state is not really supporting it, that certainly won't help it succeed," said Urban Institute senior researcher Matthew Buettgens.

The 13 states that have adopted a plan are home to only 1 in 4 of the uninsured. An additional 17 states are making headway, but it's not clear all will succeed. The 20 states lagging behind account for the biggest share of the uninsured, 42 percent.

Among the lagging states are four with arguably the most to gain. Texas, Florida, Georgia and Ohio together would add more than 7 million people to the insurance rolls, according to Urban Institute estimates, reducing the annual burden of charity care by $10.7 billion.

"It's not that we want something for free, but we want something we can afford," said Vicki McCuistion of Driftwood, Texas, who works two part-time jobs and is uninsured. With the nation's highest uninsured rate, her state has made little progress.

The Obama administration says McCuistion and others in the same predicament have nothing to fear. "The fact of states moving at different rates does not create disparities for a particular state's uninsured population," said Steve Larsen, director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight at the federal Department of Health and Human Services.

That's because the law says that if a state isn't ready, the federal government will step in. Larsen insists the government will be ready, but it's not as easy as handing out insurance cards.

Someone has to set up health insurance exchanges, new one-stop supermarkets with online and landline capabilities for those who buy coverage individually.

A secure infrastructure must be created to verify income, legal residency and other personal information, and smooth enrollment in private insurance plans or Medicaid. Many middle-class households will be eligible for tax credits to help pay premiums for private coverage. Separate exchanges must be created for small businesses.

"It's a very heavy lift," said California's health secretary, Diana Dooley, whose state was one of the first to approve a plan. "Coverage is certainly important, but it's not the only part. It is very complex."

California has nearly 7.5 million residents without coverage, more than half of the 12.7 million uninsured in the states with a plan. An estimated 2.9 million Californians would gain coverage, according to the Urban Institute's research, funded by the nonpartisan Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Democrats who wrote the overhaul law had hoped that most states would be willing partners, putting aside partisan differences to build the exchanges and help cover more than 30 million uninsured nationally. It's not turning out that way.

Some states, mainly those led by Democrats, are far along. Others, usually led by Republicans, have done little. Separately, about half the states are suing to overturn the law.

Time is running out for states, which must have their plans ready for a federal approval deadline of Jan. 1, 2013. Those not ready risk triggering the default requirement that Washington run their exchange.

Yet in states where Republican repudiation of the health care law has blocked exchanges, there's little incentive to advance before the Supreme Court rules. A decision is expected this summer, and many state legislatures aren't scheduled to meet past late spring.

The result if the law is upheld could be greater federal sway over health care in the states, the very outcome conservatives say they want to prevent.

"If you give states the opportunity to decide their own destiny, and some choose to ignore it for partisan reasons, they almost make the case against themselves for more federal intervention," said Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb.

A conservative, Nelson was on the winning side of a heated argument among Democrats over who should run exchanges, the feds or the states. Liberals lost their demand for a federal exchange, insulated from state politics.

"It's pretty hard to take care of the states when they don't take care of themselves," said Nelson, who regrets that the concession he fought for has been dismissed by so many states.

The AP's analysis divided states into four broad groups: those that have adopted a plan for exchanges, those that made substantial progress, those where the outlook is unclear, and those with no significant progress. AP statehouse reporters were consulted in cases of conflicting information.

Thirteen states, plus the District of Columbia, have adopted a plan.

By contrast, in 20 states either the outlook is unclear or there has been no significant progress. Those states include more than 21 million of the 50 million uninsured Americans.

Four have made no significant progress. They are Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana and New Hampshire. The last three returned planning money to the federal government. In Arkansas, Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe ran into immovable GOP opposition in the Legislature. Beebe acknowledges that the federal government will have to run the exchange, but is exploring a fallback option.

In the other 16 states, the outlook is unclear because of failure to advance legislation or paralyzing political disputes that often pit Republicans fervently trying to stop what they deride as "Obamacare" against fellow Republicans who are more pragmatic.

In Kansas, for example, Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger is pushing hard for a state exchange, but Gov. Sam Brownback returned a $31 million federal grant, saying the state would not act before the Supreme Court rules. Both officials are Republicans.

"It's just presidential politics," said Praeger, discussing the situation nationally. "It's less about whether exchanges make sense and more about trying to repeal the whole law." As a result, outlook is unclear for a state with 361,000 uninsured residents.

There is a bright spot for Obama and backers of the law.

An additional 17 states have made substantial progress, although that's no guarantee of success. Last week in Wisconsin, GOP Gov. Scott Walker abruptly halted planning and announced he will return $38 million in federal money.

AP defined states making substantial progress as ones where governors or legislatures have made a significant commitment to set up exchanges. Another important factor was state acceptance of a federal exchange establishment grant.

That group accounts for just under one-third of the uninsured, about 16 million people.

It includes populous states such as New York, Illinois, North Carolina and New Jersey, which combined would add more than 3 million people to the insurance rolls.

Several are led by Republican governors, including Virginia and Indiana, which have declared their intent to establish insurance exchanges under certain conditions. Other states that have advanced under Republican governors include Arizona and New Mexico.

For uninsured people living in states that have done little, the situation is demoralizing.

Gov. Rick Perry's opposition to the law scuttled plans to advance an exchange bill in the Texas Legislature last year, when Perry was contemplating his presidential run. The Legislature doesn't meet this year, so the situation is unclear.

McCuistion and her husband, Dan, are among the nearly 6.7 million Texans who lack coverage. Dan is self-employed as the owner of a specialty tree service. Vicki works part time for two nonprofit organizations. The McCuistions have been uninsured throughout their 17-year marriage, although their three daughters now have coverage through the Children's Health Insurance Program. Dan McCuistion has been nursing a bad back for years, and it only seems to get worse.

"For me it almost feels like a ticking time bomb," his wife said.

Dan McCuistion says he doesn't believe Americans have a constitutional right to health care, but he would take advantage of affordable coverage if it was offered to him. He's exasperated with Perry and other Texas politicians. "They give a lot of rhetoric toward families, but their actions don't meet up with what they are saying," he said.

Perry's office says it's principle, not lack of compassion.

"Gov. Perry believes 'Obamacare' is unconstitutional, misguided and unsustainable, and Texas, along with other states, is taking legal action to end this massive government overreach," said spokeswoman Lucy Nashed. "There are no plans to implement an exchange."

___

Online:

AP interactive: http://hosted.ap.org/interactives/2011/healthcare

Urban Institute estimates: http://tinyurl.com/86py8nd

Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight: http://cciio.cms.gov

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-22-US-Health-Overhaul-States/id-d24137291c1e4d1995924669a9499539

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Innovative Projects Tap Renewable Energy Sources

Two projects aim to harness renewable energy using cutting-edge technology and engineering. AltaRock's Susan Petty discusses plans to turn hot rocks at a dormant volcano into a source of power. University of Maine's Habib Dagher talks about the potential of deepwater floating wind turbines.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2012/01/20/145525010/innovative-projects-tap-renewable-energy-sources?ft=1&f=1007

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'American Idol' Ratings Down, Season 11 Debut Dips

"American Idol" continued to dip in the ratings Thursday night, with 17.7 million viewers and a 5.7 in the coveted 18-49 demo. For the first half-hour, CBS' "The Big Bang Theory," which celebrated it's 100th episode Thursday night, topped "Idol" in the demo, but "Idol" surged to a 6.1 rating from 8:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

While "Idol" -- and Fox -- came out on top for the night, the numbers were still down 19 percent from the Wednesday night Season 11 premiere ratings, and down 27 percent from the first Thursday episode of last season.

Could this be the beginning of the end for the "American Idol" franchise? Well, not quite. "American Idol" does tend to dip from its first night to its second, which means that the reality show's Thursday night drop was proportional to its premiere ratings. Although "Idol" faces tougher competition on Thursday nights, its ratings tie with CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" may mean future trouble for the reality show.

However, the real question is whether "Idol" will retain its audience or whether it will continue to drop during the audition stages.

"American Idol" airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST on Fox.

Related on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/20/american-idol-ratings-down_n_1219243.html

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Health benefits of exercise may depend on cellular degradation

ScienceDaily (Jan. 20, 2012) ? The health benefits of exercise on blood sugar metabolism may come from the body's ability to devour itself, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report in the journal Nature.

Autophagy is a process by which a cell responds to starvation and other stresses by degrading damaged or unneeded parts of itself to produce energy. It is sometimes called the cell's housekeeping pathway.

"Exercise is known to have many health benefits but the mechanisms have been unclear. Autophagy is also known to have several health benefits, and these benefits correspond closely to the effects of exercise. We hypothesized that some of the health benefits of exercise might be explained through autophagy," said senior author Dr. Beth Levine, professor of internal medicine and microbiology who leads the Center for Autophagy Research at UT Southwestern.

Dr. Levine, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator at the medical center, decided to focus on one specific health effect of exercise -- the ability of exercise to prevent blood sugar abnormalities in the face of a high-fat diet. Her mouse study provides the first evidence that exercise stimulates autophagy.

The researchers found that mice genetically unable to increase autophagy in response to short-term exercise have decreased endurance and fail to experience the normal benefits of exercise on blood sugar metabolism.

This discovery led the team to investigate whether autophagy is important in the protective effects of chronic exercise on diabetes. A high-fat diet induced diabetes-like changes in blood sugar metabolism in both control mice and in test mice that were genetically unable to increase autophagy above baseline levels, said Dr. Congcong He, lead author and a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Levine's lab. However, the researchers found that exercise reversed these blood sugar abnormalities in control mice but not in the autophagy-deficient mice.

"Our finding that exercise fails to improve glucose metabolism in autophagy-deficient mice strongly suggests that autophagy is an important mechanism by which exercise protects against diabetes," said Dr. Levine. "It also raises the possibility that activation of autophagy may contribute to other health benefits of exercise, including protection against cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and aging.

Dr. Levine has made fundamental discoveries previously that are in large part credited for expanding the field of autophagy research. In 1999, she identified the first mammalian autophagy gene, beclin 1, and its link to the suppression of breast cancer, which marked the first discovery of an association between defects in an autophagy gene and a human disease.

She similarly is credited with demonstrating that autophagy functions in innate immunity -- protecting against lethal viral encephalitis -- as well as initially reporting that autophagy plays a role in lifespan extension, shown in a study of C. elegans worms.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by UT Southwestern Medical Center.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Congcong He, Michael C. Bassik, Viviana Moresi, Kai Sun, Yongjie Wei, Zhongju Zou, Zhenyi An, Joy Loh, Jill Fisher, Qihua Sun, Stanley Korsmeyer, Milton Packer, Herman I. May, Joseph A. Hill, Herbert W. Virgin, Christopher Gilpin, Guanghua Xiao, Rhonda Bassel-Duby, Philipp E. Scherer, Beth Levine. Exercise-induced BCL2-regulated autophagy is required for muscle glucose homeostasis. Nature, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nature10758

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120120184528.htm

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Wait A Second, There Are Only 8 Apple Textbooks Available At Launch

Apple is making a play for the textbook market with its launch today of iBooks 2 and the new textbooks within that app. It's Apple, so they are going to reinvent the textbook industry, right? Well, maybe not today. If you fire up your iPad and update to the latest version of iBooks (Apple's app for books with its own store separate from iTunes), you can check out all of the new textbooks Apple just introduced. All 8 of them. That's right, there are only 8 textbooks available in the new format.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/NDtdAa4FoYw/

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A Q&A on contested Internet anti-piracy bills (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Online piracy costs U.S. copyright owners and producers billions of dollars every year, but legislation in Congress to block foreign Internet thieves and swindlers has met strong resistance from high-tech companies, spotlighted by Wikipedia's protest blackout on Wednesday, warning of a threat to Internet freedom.

House and Senate bills that once seemed to be on a path toward approval now face a rockier future. House Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday said it was "pretty clear to many of us that there is a lack of consensus at this point."

Amid the high-tech campaign against the bills, several lawmakers came out in opposition. At least four Senate Republicans who had previously cosponsored the Senate bill ? Orrin Hatch of Utah, Roy Blunt of Missouri, John Boozman of Arkansas and Charles Grassley of Iowa ? issued statements Wednesday saying they were withdrawing their support. Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland last week said that, after listening to constituent concerns, he could not vote for the Senate bill as it is currently written.

On the House side, Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., issued a statement that he had heard from many of his constituents and come to the conclusion that the House and Senate bills "create unacceptable threats to free speech and free access to the Internet."

Here are some of the some of the questions being raised about the bills being considered:

Q. Why is legislation needed?

A. There's no argument that more needs to be done to protect artists, innovators and industries from copyright thieves and shield consumers from products sold on the Internet that are fake, faulty and unsafe. Creative America, a coalition of Hollywood studios, networks and unions, says content theft costs U.S. workers $5.5 billion a year. The pharmaceutical industry loses billions to Internet sellers of drugs that are falsely advertised and may be harmful.

Q. What is Congress trying to accomplish?

A. The two main bills are the Protect Intellectual Property Act, or PIPA, in the Senate, and the similar Stop Online Privacy Act, or SOPA, in the House. There are already laws on the books to combat domestic websites trafficking in counterfeit or pirated goods, but little to counter foreign violators.

The bills would allow the Justice Department, and copyright holders, to seek court orders against foreign websites accused of perpetrating or facilitating copyright infringement. While there is little the United States can do to take down those websites, the bills would bar online advertising networks and payment facilitators such as credit card companies and PayPal from doing business with an alleged violator. It also would forbid search engines from linking to such sites.

The original bills would have let copyright holders and Internet service providers block access to pirate websites. Critics and Internet engineers complained that would allow copyright holders to interfere in the behind-the-scenes system that seamlessly directs computer users to websites. They said that causing deliberate failures in the lookup system to prevent visits to pirate websites could more easily allow hackers to trick users into inadvertently visiting websites that could infect their computers. The White House also took issue with that approach, saying "We must avoid creating new cybersecurity risks or disrupting the underlying architecture of the Internet."

Responding to the critics, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, said he is taking the blocking measure out of his bill. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., also is reworking his bill to address those cybersecurity issues.

Q. What are other concerns with the bills?

A. Critics say they would constrain free speech, curtail innovation and discourage new digital distribution methods. NetCoalition, a group of leading Internet and technology companies, says they could be forced to pre-screen all user comments, pictures and videos ? effectively killing social media. Search engines, Internet service providers and social networks could be forced shut down websites linked to any type of pirated content.

In addition, critics contend that young, developing businesses and smaller websites could be saddled with expensive litigation costs. And, they contend existing rights holders could impede new investment in the technology sector.

The White House said it would "not support any legislation that reduces freedom of expression ... or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet."

Leahy responded that there is nothing in the legislation that would require websites, Internet service providers, search engines, ad networks, payment processors or others to monitor their networks. He said his bill protects third parties from liability that may arise from actions to comply with a court order.

Michael O'Leary, a senior vice president at the Motion Picture Association of America, a key supporter of the legislation, said his industry is built upon a vibrant First Amendment. "We would never support any legislation that would limit this fundamental American right," he said. Neither PIPA nor SOPA "implicate free expression but focus solely on illegal conduct, which is not free speech."

Q. Who else supports the bills?

A. The most visible supporters are entertainment-related groups such as the MPAA and the National Music Publishers' Association. But the bills also enjoy support from the pharmaceutical industry, which is trying to shut down illegal online drug operations, and electronic and auto industries concerned about people going online to buy counterfeit parts that may be substandard. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and several law enforcement groups also back the legislation.

Q. Who are the opponents?

A. In addition to Wikipedia, many major Internet and technology companies, including Google, Yahoo!, Amazon.com and eBay, are part of the NetCoalition group opposing the bills. Disparate political groups such as the liberal Democracy for America and the conservative Heritage Action have also voiced concerns about censorship.

Q. What is the status of the bills?

A. Momentum for the bills has slowed, giving the edge to Silicon Valley over Hollywood. The Senate, as its first major business when it returns to session next Tuesday, is to vote on whether to take up the bill. Sixty votes are needed to clear that legislative hurdle. It's unclear whether supporters have the votes.

Six Republicans on the Judiciary Committee last week wrote Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., saying that while the problem of intellectual property theft must be addressed, "the process at this point is moving too quickly" and a vote on moving to the bill "may be premature."

Reid replied that the vote will occur as scheduled, saying that while the bill was not perfect and he had urged Leahy to make changes, the issue was "too important to delay."

In the House, Judiciary Committee Chairman Smith said his panel would resume deliberations on SOPA in February. Meanwhile, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and an ally of the high-tech industry, said he had received assurances from GOP leaders that anti-piracy legislation would not move to the House floor this year unless there is a consensus on it.

Issa, and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., are pushing an alternative to SOPA and PIPA that would make the International Trade Commission, which already is in charge of patent infringements, responsible for taking steps to prevent money and advertising from going to rogue sites.

Issa formally introduced his bill Wednesday, saying the Internet blackout had "underscored the flawed approach taken by SOPA and PIPA" and his bill was "a smarter way to protect taxpayers' rights while protecting the Internet."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_on_go_co/us_internet_piracy_q_a

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Apple Executive Eddy Cue Profiled as Company's "Dealmaker"

Fortune?s Adam Lashinky is set to release his new book, ?Inside Apple? next week, where he characterized Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue, as a ?dealmaker? crucial to the company?s negotiations with carriers, record companies, and movie studios.

According to the book, Cue led the first talks with AT&T about the iPhone and was also responsible for closing deals with major record companies, movie studios, and TV producers for iTunes. The executive is also being credited with transforming the lackluster MobileMe into iCloud and persuading Jobs to select ARM processors instead of Intel chips for the iPhone.

Cue has played a prominent role in the establishment of iBooks and the creation of iLife with his 23 years at Apple. He also reportedly led negotiations with News Corp to help launch the iPad-exclusive The Daily that showed off Apple?s in-app subscription service as well. His efforts were rewarded with a promotion to Senior Vice President last September, with duties including oversight of the iTunes Store, the App Store, iBooks, iAd, and iCloud. As part of his promotion, Cue was rewarded with 100,000 restricted stock units which were worth more than $37 million at the time. Half of the shares will vest in 2013, while the remaining shares will vest in 2015.

It is being rumored that Cue is also reported to be playing a part in Apple?s upcoming education focused event in New York City on Thursday. It should be noted that Cue isn?t the only executive that Lashinky profiled in his new book either. Apple?s Senior Vice President of iOS Software, Scott Forstall, was recently portrayed by the author as the company?s ?CEO-in-waiting? claiming that Forstall is ?the total package and suggests that he is likely to succeed Cook.

For those of you who are interested in reading the book, ?Inside Apple: How America?s Most Admired ? and Secretive ? Company Really Works? is currently available for preorder on Amazon in hardcover, Kindle, and audiobook editions. The book is currently scheduled for a release on January 25th.

Source: MacNN

Source: http://feeds.modmyi.com/~r/home_all/~3/T5hA2k49ko4/6646-apple-executive-eddy-cue-profiled-company-s-dealmaker.html

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IMF seeks $600 billion in new funds, G20 to discuss (Reuters)

WASHINGTON/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) ? The IMF is seeking to more than double its war chest by raising $600 billion in new resources to help countries deal with the fallout of the euro zone debt crisis, but the plan faces roadblocks from the United States and other countries.

The United States and Canada said on Wednesday Europe must put up more of its own money to resolve its sovereign debt crisis, raising doubts G20 talks in Mexico this week can lay the ground for a deal on bolstering IMF resources.

Japan and South Korea also want Europe to do more and China might insist a number of conditions are met before it supports a boost in IMF resources.

"We continue to believe that the IMF can play an important role in Europe, but only as a supplement to Europe's own efforts," a U.S. Treasury spokesperson said. "The IMF cannot substitute for a robust euro area firewall."

Group of 20 deputy officials meet in Mexico City on Thursday and Friday to discuss boosting IMF resources. Any outcome would need leaders' signoff. G20 finance ministers meet in late February.

The IMF plan to boost its lending capacity eased worries on financial markets about Europe's funding difficulties, boosting the value of the euro.

IMF sources said the world faces a $1 trillion financing gap over the next two years if global economic conditions worsened considerably. The IMF's current lending capacity is about $380 billion.

The sources, present at an IMF board meeting on the issue on Tuesday, said the Fund was seeking to raise up to $600 billion to meet those potential financing needs. Of that, $500 billion would be for lending and $100 billion would be a "protection buffer."

An IMF spokesman confirmed the Fund was seeking to raise up to $500 billion in additional lending resources. He said that amount included a European commitment to inject $200 billion into IMF resources.

"At this preliminary stage, we are exploring options on funding and will have no further comment until the necessary consultations," he said.

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The United States repeated that it would not contribute more resources to the IMF.

With a strained budget at home, some U.S. congressional Republicans have threatened to yank $100 billion in U.S. money to the IMF if the funds are used to bail out euro zone countries. The White House is unlikely to want to take the issue on as President Barack Obama seeks re-election this year.

"We have told our international partners that we have no intention to seek additional resources for the IMF," a Treasury spokeswoman said.

China was also likely to resist moves to increase IMF resources unless a number of conditions are met, said Xiang Songzuo, vice director of the International Monetary Institute in Beijing, a high-level policy think tank.

He said these would include more voting power for China and other emerging nations, changing the stance of IMF policy more to meet the concerns of emerging countries -- such as on stabilizing capital flows and exchange rates -- and making the mechanism for crisis rescue much more transparent.

"The process of negotiating all of that would be quite time consuming," Xiang said.

China's central bank declined to comment on boosting IMF resources.

"Many countries want the Europeans to move ahead with tougher and clearer measures, which at this moment translates to more resources to its stability fund," said a senior Brazilian government source attending the G20 officials' meeting in Mexico.

Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney said it was not clear European governments had done everything necessary to make sure they could fund themselves at sustainable interest rates over the next few years.

"If it makes sense to enhance the resources of the IMF, the principal focus, it would seem, should be on dealing with fallout of the European crisis for innocent bystanders," he told a news briefing in Ottawa.

Another source connected to the process said Japan and South Korea were also pressing for discussions first about Europe's contribution and for it to agree on additional measures. European nations have argued that they have done enough and were calling for more IMF resources now.

"If, with the parallel discussion, we can achieve extra measures from the Europeans and afterwards agree on promises of additional resources for the IMF from non-European countries in the G20, I think it would be a good result," the source said.

RESOURCES STRETCHED

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said the IMF management would explore options for increasing the fund's firepower.

Europe's debt crisis is widely seen as the biggest threat to the global economy. Many countries used up a lot of their financial firepower fighting the global downturn in 2008 and 2009. A fresh global slump would raise fears more countries might need to be rescued by the IMF.

Indeed, the World Bank on Wednesday said Europe was probably already in recession and the euro area debt crisis posed a "real" risk to the global economy. The IMF has warned it will cut its global growth projections when it updates its forecast on January 24.

With credit downgrades in nine euro zone countries by Standard & Poor's last week, including France, and uncertainty over Greek debt talks that risk pushing the country into default, the IMF board has urged euro zone leaders to take steps to contain the crisis.

The board called for policies that would address the European crisis and for euro zone policymakers to make sure there is enough money available to tackle the bloc's debt problems effectively.

(Additional reporting by Alonso Soto in Brasilia; Louise Egan and Randall Palmer in Ottawa; Nick Edwards in Beijing; Editing by Andrew Hay and Neil Fullick)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120119/bs_nm/us_imf_resources

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Rupert Murdoch turns to Twitter to attack Obama (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Media baron Rupert Murdoch used his new Twitter account this weekend to attack the Obama Administration's opposition to parts of proposed legislation designed to combat Internet piracy.

"So Obama has thrown in his lot with Silicon Valley paymasters who threaten all software creators with piracy, plain thievery," News Corp's chairman and chief executive officer posted on his personal Twitter account Saturday.

Murdoch, whose media empire includes Fox TV, The Wall Street Journal, Fox Studios and the Sun newspaper in Britain, continued with several tweets, attacking Google as the "Piracy leader" for streaming movies free. In later tweets he called Google a "great company."

Google could not be reached for an immediate comment. The White House declined to make any other comment beyond their statement issued Saturday.

At issue are the concerns White House officials raised on Saturday about elements in the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) pending in Congress.

Google and Facebook already have decried as heavy-handed and Hollywood studios and music labels say is needed to save U.S. jobs.

In a blog posting, three advisers to President Barack Obama said they believed the act and similar bills could make businesses on the Internet vulnerable to litigation and harm legal activity and free speech.

"Any effort to combat online piracy must guard against the risk of online censorship of lawful activity and must not inhibit innovation by our dynamic businesses large and small," said the officials, including White House cyber-security czar Howard Schmidt.

The House of Representatives' SOPA bill aims to crack down on online sales of pirated American movies, music or other goods by forcing Internet companies to block access to foreign sites offering material that violates U.S. copyright laws.

U.S. advertising networks could also be required to stop online ads and search engines would be barred from directly linking to websites found to be distributing pirated goods.

Those who support stricter piracy rules reacted strongly to Saturday's White House statement, which darkened prospects for legislation already expected to struggle to clear Congress in an election year.

Schmidt and the other advisers said the Obama administration was ready to work with lawmakers on a narrower, more targeted approach to online piracy to ensure that legitimate businesses -- including start-up companies -- would not be harmed.

Murdoch, who opened his Twitter account this year, has used it to colorfully opine on a number of topics. Tweeting last week, Murdoch praised New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's latest proposal to overhaul the city's public schools, but referred to New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo as "chicken Cuomo."

He also admitted in a post to his company's mishandling of social network MySpace, which News Corp bought in 2005 for $580 million. Today the site is nearly irrelevant.

"...we screwed up in every way possible.." Murdoch posted last week.

(Reporting By Ilaina Jonas, editing by Maureen Bavdek)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120115/ts_nm/us_murdoch_piracy

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3 more women held in Mexico child-trafficking case (AP)

MEXICO CITY ? Investigators in Mexico say they have detained three more women in the city of Guadalajara linked to an apparent child-trafficking ring that aimed to supply babies to Irish couples.

The Jalisco state prosecutor's office says they have also taken a tenth child into custody.

Prosecutors announced last week that they had detained four women and taken nine children into custody after receiving a complaint of children being sold.

Investigators say the detained women were taking the children to Irish couples staying in the town of Ajijic who believed they were going to adopt them.

Officials are investigating whether the Irish couples and Mexican mothers were being tricked.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mexico/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120116/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_mexico_child_trafficking

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Ravens head to New England, Texans going home

Baltimore Ravens free safety Ed Reed celebrates his interception with cornerback Lardarius Webb, left, during the second half of an NFL divisional playoff football game against the Houston Texans in Baltimore, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012. The Ravens defeated the Texans 20-13. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Baltimore Ravens free safety Ed Reed celebrates his interception with cornerback Lardarius Webb, left, during the second half of an NFL divisional playoff football game against the Houston Texans in Baltimore, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012. The Ravens defeated the Texans 20-13. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak, right, congratulates Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh after an NFL divisional playoff football game in Baltimore, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012. The Ravens defeated the Texans 20-13. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Houston Texans quarterback T.J. Yates congratulates Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, right, after an NFL divisional playoff football game in Baltimore, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012. The Ravens defeated the Texans 20-13. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Baltimore Ravens free safety Ed Reed reacts to his interception during the second half of an NFL divisional playoff football game against the Houston Texans in Baltimore, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012. The Ravens defeated the Texans 20-13. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

BALTIMORE (AP) ? The Baltimore Ravens couldn't be beaten at home this season, an accomplishment that earned them a trip to a place that's has long been torturous for visiting teams.

Baltimore secured a berth in the AFC championship game by defeating the Houston Texans 20-13 on Sunday. The Ravens' first home playoff win since 2000 gave them a 9-0 record at M&T Bank Stadium this season.

Now they're heading to Foxborough, Mass., for a Sunday matchup with the top-seeded New England Patriots, who improved to 8-1 at home with a 45-10 rout of the Denver Broncos on Saturday night.

Baltimore is 1-6 all-time against New England, but that one win was a 33-14 rout in the 2009 playoffs.

"We've gone out there and played before," said Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, who threw two touchdown passes against Houston. "We have won in New England. They are one of the teams, like us, that's tough to beat at home. We know how tough it is to go into a place like that, a place like here, and win a football game. So we're going to have to make sure we prepare well all week and bring our A-game up there."

The Ravens didn't have their A-game going against the Texans. They had almost as many punts (nine) as first downs (11), got only 80 yards from Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice (60 on the ground, 20 through the air) and scored three points over the final 46 minutes.

"I would anticipate, against the team we're about to play, you have to do a better job offensively in terms of stats and points," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said.

But Baltimore did not get called for a single penalty, didn't commit a turnover and registered four takeaways ? including three interceptions of rookie quarterback T.J. Yates.

"I always say there is a right way to do things, there is a wrong way to do things and there is just the Ravens' way of doing things," linebacker Terrell Suggs said. "It wasn't pretty but we're not really a pretty team. We got the W and now it's on to the AFC championship."

The Texans (11-7) are headed home, but with their heads high. Their first foray into the postseason began with a 31-10 rout of Cincinnati and ended with a valiant effort behind a determined rookie quarterback and a defense that lived up to its No. 2 regular-season ranking.

"Guys are disappointed, but at the same time, being this was our first time, it was a great learning experience for us," said wide receiver Andre Johnson, who had eight catches for 111 yards. "When we come back and get in this position again, we'll know how to deal with it."

Arian Foster ran for 132 yards, the first player to top 100 yards on the ground against the Ravens in the postseason. That gave him an NFL-record 285 yards rushing over his first two playoff games.

"We gave it our best shot, but the beautiful thing about his thing we have in Houston is that it can only go up from here," Foster said. "Houston should be excited about it. I'm excited about it, and this franchise is excited about it."

Baltimore led 17-3 after the first quarter, and interceptions by Lardarius Webb and Ed Reed in the final 7? minutes helped the advantage stand up.

Reed has eight interceptions in 10 playoff games, few bigger than the last one.

"You can't say enough about him," Ravens linebacker Jarret Johnson said. "His big plays always seem to happen when you need one."

Yates' three interceptions matched the total he had in six regular season games.

"I can't have the turnovers," Yates said. "If we don't turn the ball over like that, we have a chance to win. And we still had a chance to win. If I'd done a better job of protecting the football, I really think we'd have come out with the win today. We did a good job of moving the ball and we had some big plays, but you can't have that many picks."

The rookie QB was forced into Houston's starting lineup because Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart got hurt, part of a string of injuries the Texans managed to overcome en route to the AFC South title. That Houston was in the second round of the playoffs at all was seen as a significant accomplishment, given they lost two quarterbacks to injuries, played nine games without Johnson and finished without sack specialist Mario Williams.

Afterward, owner Bob McNair pulled aside coach Gary Kubiak to offer some encouraging words.

"I told him how proud I was. ... To come out and play the way this team has played, I think it's just remarkable," McNair said. "Where would New England have been if (Tom) Brady wasn't playing, and if Wes Welker wasn't playing, and if their best defensive player wasn't playing? Go down the list of any of these teams and ask where they would be ? and they wouldn't be in the playoffs. And this team was in the playoffs."

Down 17-13 at halftime, Houston twice held the Ravens without a first down in the third quarter before driving to the Baltimore 32. From there, Neil Rackers' 50-yard field goal try hit the crossbar and dropped into the end zone.

Baltimore then launched a drive in which seldom-used Lee Evans made a sensational one-handed catch for a 30-yard gain on third-and-5 from the Houston 39. On fourth-and-goal inside the 1, Rice was stuffed by linebacker Tim Dobbins for no gain.

"That's a huge play," Houston defensive end J.J. Watt said. "Those are the type of plays that win playoffs games. Obviously, we wish it had gone the other way, but those are the type of plays that you remember."

The Texans couldn't move the ball, and the Ravens took the ensuing punt at the Houston 49. But three plays netted only 4 yards, and Sam Koch punted for the seventh time.

Minutes later, the Ravens went three and out for the fourth time in five second-half possessions. Fortunately for Baltimore, the defense compensated for the team's inability to add to its early lead.

"You have to do whatever you have to do to win a football game," Harbaugh said.

NOTES: Baltimore improved to 6-0 against Houston, 2-0 this season. ... It was the Ravens' first home playoff win since 2000. ... With the Ravens' home win, it's the first time since the NFL went to current playoff format in 1990 that the first seven games have been won by the home team.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-16-FBN-Texans-Ravens-Folo/id-a4c81a270e8d40508bed5beb4ba4ee68

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World stocks up after successful Europe bond issue (AP)

BANGKOK ? World stock markets rose Friday, driven higher by a successful bond issue in Europe that eased worries over the continent's sovereign debt crisis.

Benchmark oil rose to nearly $100 per barrel and the dollar fell against the euro and the yen.

European shares rose in early trading. Britain's FTSE 100 advanced 0.6 percent to 5,694.38. Germany's DAX gained 0.7 percent to 6,221.96 and the CAC-40 in Paris gained 0.9 percent 3,229.17. Wall Street, too, was set to open higher, with Dow Jones industrial futures up 0.1 percent to 12,424. S&P 500 futures rose 0.1 percent at 1,293.

Asian shares were mostly higher. Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose 1.4 percent to close at 8,500.02 and South Korea's Kospi index moved 0.6 percent at 1,875.68. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index vacillated before closing in positive territory, up 0.6 percent to 19,204.42.

Australia's S&P ASX 200 was 0.4 percent higher at 4,195.90. Benchmarks in Singapore, Indonesia, India and Malaysia also rose.

But mainland Chinese shares fell as investors continued to cash in on recent gains. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index lost 1.3 percent to 2,244.58, while the Shenzhen Composite Index dropped 3.5 percent to 845.93.

"The market will be volatile for the next one or two weeks after this correction, since there is just no support for the market to rise in the long term," said Xu Xiaoyu, an analyst at China Investment Securities, based in Beijing.

PetroChina, the country's biggest oil and gas company and the Shanghai benchmark's biggest component, gained 1.4 percent as oil prices rose to near $100 a barrel in Asia on Friday on worries over supply tightness.

Elsewhere, raw materials and industrial companies advanced, following their U.S. counterparts higher. Japanese heavy equipment maker Komatsu Ltd. jumped 4.1 percent and Hitachi Construction Machinery gained 3.8 percent.

Energy Resources of Australia soared 6 percent and Paladin Energy Ltd., an Australian uranium miner, gained 3.1 percent. But shares in Australia's QBE Insurance group dropped 3.1 percent, after the company warned its earnings could halve following a spate of natural disasters in 2011.

South Korean tech shares advanced, with Samsung Electronics Co., the country's largest company, up 1.8 percent and Hynix Semiconductor, a global leader in chip-making, surging 4.1 percent. Its largest banking group, Woori Financial Holdings Co., jumped 3.9 percent.

Strong bond auctions in Italy and Spain on Thursday pushed stocks higher. Italy was able to sell one-year bonds at a rate of just 2.735 percent, less than half the 5.95 percent rate it had to pay last month. Spain was able to raise double the amount of money it had sought to raise in its own bond sale as demand for its debt was strong.

Investors have been worried that Italy and Spain might get dragged into the region's debt crisis. Greece, Ireland and Portugal have been forced to get relief from their lenders after their borrowing costs spiked to levels the countries could no longer afford.

Benchmark oil for February delivery rose 78 cents to $99.88 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract tumbled $2 to finish at $99.10 per barrel in New York on Thursday.

In currency trading, the euro rose to $1.2843 from $1.2827 late Thursday in New York. The dollar was slightly down at 76.73 yen from 76.76 yen.

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AP researcher Fu Ting contributed from Shanghai.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120113/ap_on_re_as/world_markets

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