Verizon reverses on $2 fee for one-time payments

NEW YORK (AP) ? After a customer backlash, Verizon Wireless on Friday dropped a plan to start charging $2 for every payment subscribers make over the phone or online with their credit or debit cards.

In a statement on its website Friday, the company said "customer feedback" prompted the decision to drop the "convenience fee" it wanted to introduce on Jan. 15.

Verizon wanted to steer people to electronic check payments, which are cheaper, and automatic credit card payments, which are more reliable.

A petition on Change.org against the fees had gathered more than 95,000 names by Friday afternoon, a day after Verizon, the country's largest cellphone company, announced the fees. The petition was set up by Molly Katchpole, who earlier this year started a successful campaign to make Bank of America drop a $5-per-month fee for debit-card use.

Payment processors for power companies usually charge "convenience fees" of up to $5 for every payment made by phone or online, but cellphone companies haven't taken the step yet. The furor against Verizon hints that they may have to wait further.

Verizon Wireless serves 91 million phones and other devices on accounts that pay the company directly, and more who pay indirectly through other companies. It's a joint venture of Verizon Communications Inc. of New York and Vodafone Group PLC of Britain.

___

Online:

Verizon's statement: http://news.verizonwireless.com/news/2011/12/pr2011-12-30.html

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-12-30-Verizon%20Wireless-Monthly%20Fees/id-a849938f78804cc5aa4b7df7d86316bb

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SmackDown results: Barrett takes out Orton in brutal Falls Count Anywhere Match

INDIANAPOLIS ?? Not everyone got what he wanted from Santa. But during the final SmackDown of 2011, some Superstars did indeed have their holiday wishes come true. Wade Barrett finally earned retribution on Randy Orton, taking him out of commission in a brutal Falls Count Anywhere Match. Booker T got a title match with Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes. And, Big Show received a title match with World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan.

Wade Barrett battled Randy Orton in a Falls Count Anywhere Match (WATCH | PHOTOS)
Wade Barrett and Randy Orton continued their intense rivalry in a brutal Falls Count Anywhere Match. After waging war inside the ring, the action spilled outside, where The Viper tossed Barrett over the announce table. As Orton continued to pummel Barrett, he was shoved directly into the WWE ref, knocking him out cold. Next, the two continued to fight it out among the WWE Universe.

The vicious battle then carried over into the locker room area of the Conseco Fieldhouse, where there was no WWE official present. The battle even waged on inside an elevator! But when their fight took them to the top of a staircase, it was Orton who ended up at the bottom. At first Barrett started down the stairs to approach Orton, but then backed away and exited through an arena door as The Viper laid motionless on the stair landing. When will WWE?s Apex Predator return to action? (MORE ON ORTON?S CONDITION)

World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show announced (WATCH)
To compete with the WWE Championship Match pitting CM Punk vs. Dolph Ziggler on Monday?s Raw, SmackDown GM Theodore Long announced a big match of his own for next week's SmackDown: World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show for Bryan's World Title.

Sheamus def. Heath Slater (WATCH | PHOTOS)
In a match made by Teddy Long, Heath Slater had his work cut out for him against Sheamus. Despite a good fight, Slater was no match for The Celtic Warrior?s brutal Brogue Kick.?

Sheamus vowed to win the 2012 Royal Rumble Match (WATCH | PHOTOS)?
Standing in the center of the ring, Sheamus vowed to win the 2012 Royal Rumble Match. But, Hornswoggle came out and declared he would be the winner. Next, Heath Slater came to ringside to state his case that he is the No. 1 redhead on SmackDown, not Sheamus. After exchanging words, The Great White sent Slater flying over the top rope.

Ezekiel Jackson def. Drew McIntyre (WATCH | PHOTOS)
With Drew McIntyre?s resolve and worth called into question by Teddy Long, the GM pitted him against Ezekiel Jackson. If McIntyre couldn?t win, Teddy said he?d have to start thinking about letting him go (WATCH). Fighting for his job, McIntyre clashed with the massive Ezekiel Jackson. While McIntyre argued with the ref about having his feet on the second rope during an attempted pinfall, Jackson swooped in, using his own questionable maneuver, grabbing McIntyre by the tights and rolling him up for the win.

Big Show def. David Otunga (WATCH | PHOTOS)
With Mark Henry watching from David Otunga?s corner, Otunga tangled with Big Show. During the bout, World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan attacked from behind, smashing Henry with his title. Next, Bryan taunted the dazed World?s Strongest Man, luring him up the entrance ramp. With Henry gone from ringside, Show promptly took care of Otunga, dropping him with a vicious WMD for the second week in a row.

Hunico def. Justin Gabriel (WATCH | PHOTOS)
Showing off his own moves against the athletic Justin Gabriel, Hunico dispatched of him with a flip from the top rope. After the win, Hunico and his friend Camacho teamed up to brutalize Gabriel by slamming him to the canvas.

Teddy Long revealed Mark Henry would be in David Otunga?s corner (WATCH)
Teddy Long passed on word form high above that the originally scheduled tag team match pitting Big Show & Daniel Bryan vs. David Otunga & Mark Henry would not take place. Instead, Big Show would face David Otunga ? with Mark Henry in his corner.

Kaitlyn & Alicia Fox def. Natalya & Tamina (WATCH | PHOTOS)
In tag team action, Alicia dropped Natalya with a Scissors Kick for the win. Then with Natalya still reeling, Tamina blasted her own partner with a kick to the face, followed up by a Superfly Splash from the top rope.The devastating move harkened back to that of her father, WWE Hall of Famer??Superfly? Jimmy?Snuka.

?

Jinder Mahal def. Ted DiBiase (WATCH | PHOTOS)
Sporting a turban, Jinder Mahal blasted the American tradition of making New Year?s resolutions. The aggressive Superstar then took it to Ted DiBiase, making him submit with the Camel Clutch.

Cody Rhodes agreed to face Booker T for the Intercontinental Championship then attacked his brother Dustin (WATCH | PHOTOS)?
After Booker T thanked the WWE Universe for an awesome year that began at Royal Rumble, Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes emerged to recap his year, including defeating Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania and bringing ?honor and prestige? back to Intercontinental Title. As Rhodes disparaged Booker ? calling him a washed up announcer ? his older brother, Dustin, came out to speak in Booker?s defense.?

?Dustin ? whose alter ego is Goldust ? said that when he was down and out, Booker took him under his wing and inspired him. But Cody didn?t want to hear any of it. Booker backed up his defender, saying he was more of man than Cody would ever be. Next, Booker said he wanted to face Cody for his Intercontinental Title. After Rhodes agreed to face Booker next week on SmackDown, he blasted his own brother with a cheap shot kick to the groin and a leaping kick to the face from the second rope.

MATCHES

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/2011-12-30/results

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Pro-Huntsman group jabs at Romney in new ad (AP)

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. ? Republican presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman on Friday urged New Hampshire voters to stand up to the status quo and reject Mitt Romney, while a group of his supporters prepared a new television ad calling Romney a chameleon willing to do anything to get elected.

The $300,000 ad campaign is expected to begin running across New Hampshire this weekend, according to an adviser for the organization known as Our Destiny PAC. The adviser was not authorized to comment publicly.

"Two serious candidates remain," a voice says in the ad, which flashes images of Huntsman, the former Utah governor, and Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and front-runner in New Hampshire. "One willing to say anything, be anything. One who can actually do the job."

It continues: "One state can stop the chameleon. Vote Jon Huntsman."

Huntsman, who served as ambassador to China in the Obama administration, has not been anywhere near that pointed in his criticism of Romney. Speaking to employees at a Portsmouth software company Friday, he said Romney would be unlikely to change the "trust deficit" in Washington given that Romney has "half of Congress supporting him."

"Who's going to want to change anything when you've got the status quo supporting you?" Huntsman said. "You can have a candidate who's going to fight for change who is not going to be in the hip pocket of special interest groups, or you're going to have the status quo choice."

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich also wouldn't do anything to restore trust in Washington, Huntsman said.

"Speaker Gingrich is not the kind of person who is going to be able to deal effectively with the trust issue because you can't deal effectively with the trust issue if you are a fixture of Washington, D.C., and have been for 40 years."

Huntsman, who is skipping Tuesday's Iowa caucuses, is betting his candidacy on a strong finish in New Hampshire's Jan. 10 Republican primary, which is open to independents as well as registered Republicans.

Huntsman entered the presidential contest with great expectations earlier in the year. But national polling suggests he's still largely unknown to many Republican voters. He's also struggled to raise enough money to pay for his own television advertising campaigns. On Wednesday, he told The Associated Press he's likely to leave the race unless he finishes in the top three in New Hampshire.

Pam Hicks, one of the software company workers, said she was 100 percent adamant before meeting Huntsman that she would not vote for him. After the event, Hicks said she was reconsidering although she doesn't like his anti-abortion views or his opposition to gay marriage, which is legal in New Hampshire.

"We believe nobody has the right to tell us how to live our lives," she said.

Still, Hicks said she planned to do more research on Huntsman.

"He needs a more serious look," she said.

In perhaps further proof that Huntsman's efforts in New Hampshire are paying off, voter Cynthia Ouellette echoed Hicks' sentiments hours later in Canterbury, where Huntsman attracted about 150 people to a town hall meeting. Like Hicks, Ouellette said she was sure she wasn't going to vote for Huntsman ? until she met him in person.

She described losing her teaching job because of budget cuts and grilled Huntsman about how he would be different from former President George W. Bush.

"He's the only one I've been able to meet, and I was impressed by his honesty and openness," she said.

Our Destiny PAC has now spent roughly $1.9 million on New Hampshire advertising to help Huntsman. That's more than any other outside group or other campaign has spent in the state, according to numbers obtained by The Associated Press.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111231/ap_on_el_pr/us_huntsman_super_pac

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Justin Bieber Plays Generous Santa to Childhood BFF

We already know that Justin Bieber is an incredible boyfriend.

Turns out, he's a pretty awesome best friend, too.

Consider what Justin gave childhood BFF Ryan Butler: a Mustang convertible! The pal, who had a cameo in the video for "One Time," Tweeted a photo of the gift Monday night, along with the message: "Justin got me a present. #swag!!!"

As for Bieber? He's been chilling at home in Canada, as the superstar chimed in via Twitter on Christmas Eve: "spending time with family - feels really good."

He also presented fans with these two videos on Christmas Day. Granted, we'd rather have had a new car, but still.

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/12/justin-bieber-plays-generous-santa-to-childhood-bff/

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Stocks slide; S&P 500 turns negative for year

FILE - In this Dec. 20, 2011 file photo, traders John Panin, center, and Robert Charmay, right, work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. A pair of successful bond auctions that raised $14 billion for Italy forced down the interest rate the country pays on its debt and boosted European markets on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 20, 2011 file photo, traders John Panin, center, and Robert Charmay, right, work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. A pair of successful bond auctions that raised $14 billion for Italy forced down the interest rate the country pays on its debt and boosted European markets on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Stocks weakened Wednesday, ending a five-day advance in the S&P 500 index, as new signs of strain emerged in the European banking system. The euro fell to its lowest level against the dollar in nearly a year and Treasurys rallied.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost nearly 140 points. The S&P is now negative for the year again, after barely turning positive on Friday.

The European Central Bank said banks had parked $590.72 billion with it overnight, surpassing the record set only Monday. That means European banks were less willing to take the risk of making short-term loans to each other, opting instead to earn low interest rates from the ECB. The disclosure also hurt the euro, which fell to $1.291, its lowest level against the dollar since January.

The worrying news from the ECB overshadowed two successful auctions of Italian government debt. Italy was able to pay much lower borrowing rates than last month. The strong demand from investors raised hopes that Italy would be able to avoid sinking into a financial crisis, as smaller countries like Greece and Portugal have.

John Merrill, chief investment officer at Tanglewood Wealth Management, said markets would remain vulnerable to flare-ups in Europe's long-running financial crisis until leaders there come up with more convincing solutions for paying down their enormous debt loads and keeping the 17-nation currency union intact.

"We live in a Band-Aid world," Merrill said. "Nobody really is addressing underlying issues."

European leaders agreed at a summit Dec. 9 to forge closer fiscal ties over the long term, but investors are still worried that Greece might default on its debt or be forced to leave the euro bloc. A Greek exit from the currency union would likely cause huge disruptions for the country's economy and losses for European banks that hold Greek government debt. Investors fear that could cascade into another global financial panic, as happened in 2008 following the collapse of the U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 139.94 points, or 1.1 percent, to 12,151.41. Materials and energy companies led the declines. Alcoa Inc. fell 3 percent and Caterpillar Inc. fell 2.4 percent.

With only two more trading days left in the year, markets were thinly populated in a holiday-shortened week. Shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange totaled 2.3 billion, less than half of the usual volume.

The S&P 500 fell 15.79 points, or 1.3 percent, to 1,249.64. The Nasdaq composite declined 35.22 points, or 1.3 percent, to 2,589.98.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 1.93 percent from 2 percent late Tuesday as investors moved money into less risky assets.

The Bank of Italy raised $11.8 billion in two bond auctions, reflecting investor approval of the country's recently passed austerity measures. The yield on Italy's six-month bill offering was half the interest rate the country paid in a similar auction last month. The yield on the country's 10-year bond remained dangerously high, however, at 6.93 percent. It had risen to 7 percent Tuesday, a level that is considered unsustainable.

Italy is the euro zone's third-largest economy and is considered too big to save under the euro zone's current bailout funds. Investors have grown fearful over the past few months that Italy will find it difficult to pay off its massive debts, which stand at around $2.5 trillion.

The worries were reflected in U.S. bank stocks. Bank of America Corp. fell 3.5 percent, while Regions Financial Corp. fell 2.7 percent.

In other corporate news:

? Sandridge Energy Inc. stock declined 4.4 percent on news that it is selling drilling rights in two states to a Spanish energy company, Repsol YPF.

? Cavium Inc. fell over 1 percent, a day after the chipmaker said its fourth-quarter results will fall below its previous forecast.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-12-28-Wall%20Street/id-562de1af76e1408fa56b34f89a71be7f

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macnn: Apple wins patents apps, multi-touch, hardware http://t.co/QO8gite8

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Source: http://twitter.com/macnn/statuses/151925196767498241

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Five men break into Texas home dressed as Police officers

Tuesday, December 27, 2011 - 2:58pm

NBC NATIONAL NEWS ? Five men dressed as police officers broke into a townhome near downtown Houston and violently robbed the homeowner.

Officials said the crooks wore Houston Police Department raid jackets, carried guns and tasers, and had fake badges when they kicked down the door of the home in the 1800 block of Wheeler at Chartres shortly after noon Monday, Dec. 26.

The suspects beat up the homeowner before tying him up and ransacking the house, police said.

A responding officer at first thought the men were real officers, but then became suspicious when he saw their suburban, officials said.

The men took off when the officer began questioning them.

Two of the suspects were apprehended with the help of police dogs.

Lee Brown Jr., 30, and Kevin Williams, 26, have been charged with Aggravated Robbery with a Deadly Weapon.
?

Source: http://www.nbc33tv.com/news/national-news/five-men-break-into-texas-home-dressed-as-police-officers

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HTC Radar 4G appears on Microsoft's website looking like a Maitre d'

1. Glim12808 posted on 11 hours ago 1 0

My HTC Radar is white, it's ok but I like the metalic grey color of this one better.

2. belovedson posted on 11 hours ago 1 0

white and black look has been attrocious so far. i just went by verizon and checked out the razor it is really ugly

3. hybris posted on 11 hours ago 1 0

Yea I'm not a fan of the white Razr either... Should be all white.

4. snowgator posted on 10 hours ago 1 0

I understand that people use cases to give their phone some flair, but I would love to see some more color to more cell phones. I made fun of all the Nokia colors, but once I started seeing them on videos I kinda shut up. It makes them stand out.

That being said, white may be the worst color to use. I can't keep my black phones clean. It wouldn't even be a fair fight for me. I like the looks of the Radar, but, wow, I would have it 4 different shades of grimey in a couple of months.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/phonearena/ySoL/~3/abuOIoXouvw/HTC-Radar-4G-appears-on-Microsofts-website-looking-like-a-Maitre-d_id25089

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Fix: Unable to Change Default Program Extension on Windows 7

Today, I?m going to show you a way out, if you ever face a situation, where you are?unable to change the default program extension in Windows. I was helping out a client of?mine. His operating system had somehow changed the Default program extension to different program; i.e. the file was supposed to open with Outlook ? but instead it change into Notepad.??

Unable to Change Default Program Extension

When I tried to change it back to Outlook under Properties of that file the change option was grayed out

So I tried to right-click on the file and clicked on ?Open With? dialog box, because there you have a change box ?Always use the selected program to open this kind of file?.?

But strangely that check box was grayed out, as well.?When I select Outlook, it opens fine. But I was just unable to set it as the default option.

So I went to Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Default Programs\Set Associations?and tried to change?it there;?but sadly I was again unable to. I was totally stumped because the UAC was turned off, the user is a Windows administrator ? so there was no reason for the option to be disabled.

That?s when I remembered that there is an option in Windows registry, where you can change it. So I opened the registry and navigated to the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts

Here you have to find your extension under?a key called ?UserChoice?.

What this registry key does, is if you change the Default file extension, Windows creates this key and adds the value there.

On the Right hand side you?ll see string value ?Progid? under that value you?ll see the current program that is associated with it. So I tried to change that value but it gave me an error: Cannot edit Progid.

Now I realized what was wrong! For?some reason, that specific registry key doesn?t have permission to change the file extension, and that was the reason why?those options were grayed out for me. So I took ownership for the parent key? and inherited the permission.

Now I could delete the ?UserChoice? key. Once I deleted it and I rebooted the system. And voil? -?now I got this window!

Once I selected the correct program I made it as default and it stayed.

Hope this becomes helpful for someone who runs into a similar problem.

These links may also interest you:

1. File Association Fixer for Windows 7
2. Default Programs Editor for Windows 7
3. Remove unwanted programs from Recommended Programs List in the Open With box
4. How to dissociate File Types in Windows 7 and Vista.

Source: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/fix-unable-change-default-program-extension-windows-7?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fix-unable-change-default-program-extension-windows-7

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Louis Vuitton Pissed at The Hangover 2 For Use of Knockoff Bag; Suing to Have Scene Pulled

Louis Vuitton is suing Warner Bros. for its use of a fake Louis Vuitton bag in The Hangover Part II, demanding that the scene in question be removed. So random.

In the film, Zach Galifianakis' Alan tells Stu not to mess with his luggage, saying, "Careful, that is ... that is a Louis Vuitton." He pronounces it Lewis. Awesome.

Louis Vuitton has issues with this, for multiple reasons:

Hangover 2 Clip - That is a Louis Vuitton!

For one, Warner Bros. never got permission to use its precious and valuable trademark. Moreover, the luggage in the movie is a knockoff, or so the brand claims.

Also awesome, if you're a viewer. Not not for L.V.

The company is seeking damages on top of an injunction prohibiting Warner Bros. from distributing The Hangover 2 going forward as long as the luggage scene appears.

If you recall, the studio was also sued for its use of Mike Tyson's face tattoo on Ed Helms' character in the sequel, even though Tyson appeared in the original.

Can't make this stuff up ...

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/12/louis-vuitton-pissed-at-the-hangover-2-for-use-of-knockoff-bag-s/

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RKleckler: RT @BradLawless: I'm hiring! Controller at Collective Bias - Fayetteville, Arkansas Area #jobs http://t.co/mfBXwqJl

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As Iraq Smolders, Kurds Sit on Oil Riches

IRBIL, Iraq (UPI) -- As Iraq looks like collapsing into another sectarian free-for-all, with energy resources a key prize, the semi-autonomous Kurdish region is like an island of stability and security.

In large part, that's because it's sitting on its own energy treasure house, an estimated 60 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, more than Libya's entire reserves, and 45 billion barrels of oil, roughly the amount Britain has produced from its North Sea fields.

"Sweeping changes ? have taken place in Iraq's semi-autonomous northern region over the past decade, changes driven by the wealth that lies underneath its desolate landscape," observed the Financial Times.

"The days when Kurdistan was an economic backwater are over," Prime Minister Barham Salih told Kurdistan's first regional oil and gas conference in Irbil, the Kurdish capital, in November.

But the Kurdistan Regional Government, which runs the three northern provinces that constitute the Kurdish enclave, is locked in a bitter battle with the central government in Baghdad over oil rights and revenue-sharing as well as territory.

This seemingly intractable dispute has in recent weeks spread to other provinces that now seek more autonomy, including oil-rich Basra in the south, which contains two-thirds of Iraq's known oil reserves of 143.1 billion barrels.

With the Shiite-dominated government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki showing increasing signs of cracking down on minority Sunnis and Kurds, marginalizing them politically and concentrating all power in the hands of the majority Shiites now that U.S. forces have withdrawn, the stage seems set for major turmoil.

The KRG recently upped the stakes dramatically by signing an agreement with Exxon Mobil, the world's largest oil company, Oct. 18 to explore six blocks widely believed to be sure-fire gushers.

Exxon was the first international oil major to venture into Kurdistan, defying Maliki's government, which insists Baghdad alone can make such deals.

Exxon faces stiff reprisals by Baghdad but refuses to back down.

Meantime, as political infighting intensifies with the departure of the Americans, the Kurds and Sunnis are quitting Maliki's shaky coalition amid a wave of arrests by his security forces.

So Kurdistan, which also claims the Kirkuk oilfields in the north, is likely to be in the eye of the storm.

The Kurds' big problem is that their territory in the northeastern corner of Iraq is landlocked and to get their oil out they have to use state pipelines controlled by Baghdad.

Kurdish oil is pumped northward through twin pipelines to neighboring Turkey's Ceyhan terminal on the Mediterranean, so any break with Baghdad means no outlet for Kurdish crude.

But the Kurds have found a possible ally in Turkey, even though Ankara's a bitter opponent of the Kurds' burning ambition for an independent state.

The Turks fear an independent Kurdistan will encourage their own Kurdish rebels in their 20-year separatist war, as well as the wider region's 20 million Kurds.

Even so, Ankara may find Iraqi Kurds' support for the Turkish rebels might be dampened if Turkey gives the KRG separate access to Ceyhan.

Turkey, with no energy resources of its own, is particularly eager to import natural gas to fuel its power stations, possibly via a new pipeline from Kurdistan.

"The large deposits of natural gas in Iraqi Kurdistan and a booming bilateral trade -- together with a better mutual security understanding -- have led to much-improved relations," the Financial Times' Commodities Editor Javier Blas reported.

The presence of senior Turkish officials at the Irbil oil and gas conference testified to that.

"Turkey is even talking about connecting an export pipeline from Kurdistan to the projected Nabucco pipeline which would link the gas-rich Caucasus and Central Asia to energy-hungry European nations," said Blas.

Kurdistan is currently capable of producing 100,000 barrels of oil per day. That's scheduled to hit 175,000 bpd in 2012.

But if Exxon Mobil or any of the 40 smaller outfits that also have contracts with the KRG strike it big, KRG Natural Resources Minister Ashti Hawrami says production could reach 1 million bpd by 2015.

If Iraq starts to fragment, that could convince other oil majors to invest in Kurdistan.

Source: http://www.aina.org/news/20111222173553.htm

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94% Hugo

"Hugo" is magic; the kind of tender, heartfelt magic that just doesn't inhabit any modern films these days. It's one of the most pure and cleansing cinematic experiences in memory. Though it is unlike anything the master has helmed before... it's pure Scorsese.Though "Hugo" has been billed and advertised as a children's film, it's deliberate pace and meticulous craft and attention to detail will appeal to older viewers. It's rich visuals and stunning cinematography and art direction will astound. Children might enjoy the adventure and the great young leads, but most of the themes and plot will go over their heads. They definitely will love the 3D, but so will adults. It's the best use of the format since "Avatar," and in ways surpasses that film with straight ambition. This was a very personal film for Scorsese and it shows in nearly every frame. It's a film of two parts; the studied seclusion of the title character Hugo, and later an homage to the earliest moments in cinema, subtlety advocating the importance of film preservation. Those are all things that Scorsese knows much about. We see why he was the perfect fit for this material.But when a film revolves almost entirely around a youth character, casting can be a make or break situation. This calls for actors well beyond their years. Asa Butterfield (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas) is not only stellar and believable; he give one of the most impressive and expressive child performances ever. The emotion he is able to convey (without dialogue even) is staggering. Also brilliant is Ben Kingsley who is sure to nab a wealth of nominations at years end. Chloe Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen, Christopher Lee, Helen McCrory, and Emily Mortimer (along with many others) round out a strong and layered ensemble.As mentioned above, the film deals with film preservation. One of the film's greatest, most unforgettable treats is the recreation of early landmark moments in cinema... specifically the films of Georges Melies (who is played by Kingsley in the film). These sequences are charming and frankly incredible feats. They are also in 3D which in itself is one of the great uses of the format.Like any Scorsese picture, his unrivaled directorial prowless is the real star of the show. As expected, he continues to innovate, leave his comfort zone, and redefine himself as a filmmaker. It's safe to say no other film looks and feels like this. It's safe to say there is no greater living filmmaker.This film deserves your attention. This is a brilliant piece of entertainment and filmmaking that bleeds passion and ranks with Scorsese's best. I'm not saying that lightly, but I will say this; if you're willing to skip "Hugo," be prepared to skip one of this decade's finest features.

September 23, 2011

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hugo/

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The high cost of child care

CLASP

By Allison Linn

If you?re a working parent, chances are at some point you?ve bemoaned the high cost of child care.

The lower your income, the more likely you are to have reason to complain.

A recent graphic from CLASP, an advocacy group for low-income people, shows that families with working moms who live below the poverty line and have kids under 15 are spending 40 percent of their monthly income on child care expenses.

That?s a more than 10 percentage point increase from 2002, according to CLASP.

Both sets of data are based on information from the U.S. Census Bureau, and they exclude people who are getting child care for free or from a family member, government or charity program. The most recent data was released in the spring of 2010.

Hannah Matthews, the director of child care and early education for CLASP, said it?s not clear why child care costs have increased so substantially for very low-income families. One hypothesis is that child care costs are going up while incomes are dropping or staying steady.

The 40 percent figure is also very high in comparison to families who earn 200 percent above the poverty line, or more. Those families are paying just 7 percent of their monthly income in child care expenses.

Matthews noted that many families in the 7 percent range also likely feel pained by that child care bill.

?It?s 7 percent of their income and feels like such a large amount. It?s striking to think about what it feels like for a family that?s in the 40 percent chart there - what they?re dealing with just to make ends meet,? she said.

?Related:

The high cost of single parenthood

Who's going hungry

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Do you feel squeezed by high child care costs?

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Source: http://lifeinc.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/15/9475285-good-graph-friday-that-child-care-bill

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Discovery of a 'dark state' could mean a brighter future for solar energy

Friday, December 16, 2011

The efficiency of conventional solar cells could be significantly increased, according to new research on the mechanisms of solar energy conversion led by chemist Xiaoyang Zhu at The University of Texas at Austin.

Zhu and his team have discovered that it's possible to double the number of electrons harvested from one photon of sunlight using an organic plastic semiconductor material.

"Plastic semiconductor solar cell production has great advantages, one of which is low cost," said Zhu, a professor of chemistry. "Combined with the vast capabilities for molecular design and synthesis, our discovery opens the door to an exciting new approach for solar energy conversion, leading to much higher efficiencies."

Zhu and his team published their groundbreaking discovery Dec. 16 in Science.

The maximum theoretical efficiency of the silicon solar cell in use today is approximately 31 percent, because much of the sun's energy hitting the cell is too high to be turned into usable electricity. That energy, in the form of "hot electrons," is instead lost as heat. Capturing hot electrons could potentially increase the efficiency of solar-to-electric power conversion to as high as 66 percent.

Zhu and his team previously demonstrated that those hot electrons could be captured using semiconductor nanocrystals. They published that research in Science in 2010, but Zhu says the actual implementation of a viable technology based on that research is very challenging.

"For one thing," said Zhu, "that 66 percent efficiency can only be achieved when highly focused sunlight is used, not just the raw sunlight that typically hits a solar panel. This creates problems when considering engineering a new material or device."

To circumvent that problem, Zhu and his team have found an alternative. They discovered that a photon produces a dark quantum "shadow state" from which two electrons can then be efficiently captured to generate more energy in the semiconductor pentacene.

Zhu said that exploiting that mechanism could increase solar cell efficiency to 44 percent without the need for focusing a solar beam, which would encourage more widespread use of solar technology.

The research team was spearheaded by Wai-lun Chan, a postdoctoral fellow in Zhu's group, with the help of postdoctoral fellows Manuel Ligges, Askat Jailaubekov, Loren Kaake and Luis Miaja-Avila. The research was supported by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy.

Science Behind the Discovery

• Absorption of a photon in a pentacene semiconductor creates an excited electron-hole pair called an exciton.
• The exciton is coupled quantum mechanically to a dark "shadow state" called a multiexciton.
• This dark shadow state can be the most efficient source of two electrons via transfer to an electron acceptor material, such as fullerene, which was used in the study.
• Exploiting the dark shadow state to produce double the electrons could increase solar cell efficiency to 44 percent.

###

University of Texas at Austin: http://www.utexas.edu

Thanks to University of Texas at Austin for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116088/Discovery_of_a__dark_state__could_mean_a_brighter_future_for_solar_energy

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