Gaming firms 888, Caesars extend licensing deal to U.S. (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? 888 Holdings Plc said a unit of private equity-owned Caesars Entertainment Corp extended its UK software licensing agreement with the British online gaming company to the United States.

888 said the agreement would see its arm, Dragonfish, power a selection of private poker brands of Caesars, one of the largest casino operators in the United States and owner of the famed Caesars Palace, once online gaming is permitted under the new regulatory regime.

"Utilising 888's state of the art poker platform, the agreement will allow the launch of a real money offering immediately as either Federal or state based regulation is finalized and upon licensing by gaming authorities," 888 said in a statement on Tuesday.

As U.S. states scramble for tax revenue, the potential for legalizing online poker has led casino and gaming companies MGM Resorts International and Boyd Gaming to unveil a plan to partner with online poker company Bwin.party Digital Entertainment.

Last month, 888 had said it expected core profit for 2011 to be significantly above market expectations, aided by strength in its casino and poker businesses.

888 shares, which have risen 41 percent in the last three months, closed at 47 pence on Monday on the London Stock Exchange, valuing the company at about 165 million pounds.

(Reporting by Tresa Sherin Morera in Bangalore; Editing by Roshni Menon)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/videogames/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120131/wr_nm/us888

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Terahertz polarizer nears perfection: Research leads to nanotube-based device for communication, security, sensing

ScienceDaily (Jan. 30, 2012) ? Researchers at Rice University are using carbon nanotubes as the critical component of a robust terahertz polarizer that could accelerate the development of new security and communication devices, sensors and non-invasive medical imaging systems as well as fundamental studies of low-dimensional condensed matter systems.

The polarizer developed by the Rice lab of Junichiro Kono, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and of physics and astronomy, is the most effective ever reported; it selectively allows 100 percent of a terahertz wave to pass or blocks 99.9 percent of it, depending on its polarization. The research was published in the online version of the American Chemical Society journal Nano Letters.

The broadband polarizer handles waves from 0.5 to 2.2 terahertz, far surpassing the range of commercial polarizers that consist of fragile grids wrapped in gold or tungsten wires.

Kono said technologies that make use of the optical and electrical regions of the electromagnetic spectrum are mature and common, as in lasers and telescopes on one end and computers and microwaves on the other. But until recent years, the terahertz region in between was largely unexplored. "Over the past decade or two, people have been making impressive progress," he said, particularly in the development of such sources of radiation as the terahertz quantum cascade laser.

"We have pretty good terahertz emitters and detectors, but we need a way to manipulate light in this range," Kono said. "Our work is in this category, manipulating the polarization state -- the direction of the electric field -- of terahertz radiation."

Terahertz waves exist at the transition between infrared and microwaves and have unique qualities. They are not harmful and penetrate fabric, wood, plastic and even clouds, but not metal or water. In combination with spectroscopy, they can be used to read what Kono called "spectral fingerprints in the terahertz range"; he said they would, for instance, be useful in a security setting to identify the chemical signatures of specific explosives.

The work by Kono and lead author Lei Ren, who recently earned his doctorate at Rice, makes great use of the basic research into carbon nanotubes for which the university is famous. Co-authors Robert Hauge, a distinguished faculty fellow in chemistry, and his former graduate student Cary Pint developed a way to grow nanotube carpets and to transfer well-aligned arrays of nanotubes from a catalyst to any substrate they chose, limited only by the size of the growth platform.

While Hauge and Pint were developing their nanotube arrays, Kono and his team were thinking about terahertz. Four years ago, they came across a semiconducting material, indium antimonide, that would stop or pass terahertz waves, but only in a strong magnetic field and at very low temperatures.

At about the same time, Kono's lab began working with carbon nanotube arrays transferred onto a sapphire substrate by Pint and Hauge. Those aligned arrays -- think of a field of wheat run over by a steamroller -- turned out to be very effective at filtering terahertz waves, as Kono and his team reported in a 2009 paper.

"When the polarization of the terahertz wave was perpendicular to the nanotubes, there was absolutely no attenuation," Kono recalled. "But when the polarization was parallel to the nanotubes, the thickness was not enough to completely kill the transmission, which was still at 30-50 percent."

The answer was clear: Make the polarizer thicker. The current polarizer has three decks of aligned nanotubes on sapphire, enough to effectively absorb all of the incident terahertz radiation. "Our method is unique, and it's simple," he said.

Kono sees use for the device beyond spectroscopy by manipulating it with an electric field, but that will only become possible when all of the nanotubes in an array are of a semiconducting type. As they're made now, batches of nanotubes are a random mix of semiconductors and metallics; recent work by Erik H?roz, a graduate student in Kono's lab, detailed the reasons that nanotubes separated through ultracentrifugation have type-dependent colors. But finding a way to grow specific types of nanotubes is the focus of a great deal of research at Rice and elsewhere.

Co-authors are former Rice postdoctoral researcher Takashi Arikawa and research associate Iwao Kawayama and Professor Masayoshi Tonouchi of the Institute of Laser Engineering at Osaka University, Japan.

The Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation and the Robert A. Welch Foundation supported the research.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Rice University.

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Journal Reference:

1. Lei Ren, Cary L. Pint, Takashi Arikawa, Kei Takeya, Iwao Kawayama, Masayoshi Tonouchi, Robert H. Hauge, Junichiro Kono. Broadband Terahertz Polarizers with Ideal Performance Based on Aligned Carbon Nanotube Stacks. Nano Letters, 2012; : 120130102151002 DOI: 10.1021/nl203783q

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/6iBLFNUX4zk/120130172615.htm

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GOP tries new strategy to get Canada pipeline

WASHINGTON?? Republican lawmakers will try to force the Obama administration to approve the Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL pipeline by attaching it to a bill that Congress will consider next month, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said on Sunday.

1. Other political news of note

   1. NBC/Marist poll: Romney leads Gingrich by 15 in Fla.

      Mitt Romney may be on his way to a decisive victory in the Florida GOP primary Tuesday, according to a new NBC News-Marist poll.

   2. Santorum resumes campaign as daughter improves
   3. Ahead in new polls, Romney aims for Newt knockout
   4. Gingrich labels Romney a 'liberal'
   5. GOP tries new strategy to get Canada pipeline

President Barack Obama earlier this month denied TransCanada's application for the oil sands pipeline, citing lack of time to review an alternative route within a 60-day window for action set by Congress.

The denial does not block TransCanada from reapplying and the company intends to do just that.

But Republicans have since been looking for a vehicle to claim the $7 billion project as their own, and Boehner said that would be a House Republican energy and highway bill.

"If (Keystone) is not enacted before we take up the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, it will be part of it," Boehner said on ABC's "This Week" news program.

Environmentalists and some Democrats oppose Keystone, citing higher greenhouse gas emissions, while most Republicans say it would create needed jobs.

Story: With oil pipeline to US on hold, Canada eyes China

Republicans in the Senate also plan to introduce a Keystone bill. Some Senate Democrats back the pipeline, but its passage is not guaranteed in the body.

Parts of the House Republican plan, such as opening up the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration, stand little chance of passing the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate.

Attaching Keystone to a pending deal to extend payroll tax cuts for workers, which has greater bipartisan backing than the highway bills, is another vehicle Republicans are considering.

Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46181992/ns/politics-capitol_hill/

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Sony cancels India release of 'Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES, Jan 29 (TheWrap.com) ? "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" will not be hitting theaters in India.

The film was to be released on February 10, but India's Central Board of Film Certification insisted that several scenes be edited.

Director David Fincher refused to cut two love-making scenes and a rape and torture scene from his R-rated adaptation of Stieg Larsson's best-selling book.

Sony acknowledged that it would not be opening the film in India and released a statement, which read in part, "While we are committed to maintaining and protecting the vision of the director, we will, as always, respect the guidelines set by the Board."

The film has already made nearly $100 million in the U.S. and more than $165 million at the overseas box office, and appears on its way to more than $200 globally, with much of Asia still ahead.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/film_nm/us_dragontattoo_india

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Githae faces uphill task at Finance - Opinion |nation.co.ke

Alternative text.

By?JAINDI KISERO jkisero@ke.natonmedia.com)
Posted? Friday, January 27? 2012?at? 22:30

The government may have to refund an estimated Sh4 billion to taxpayers if the?Finance Bill is not passed by June.

The biggest challenge facing the acting Finance minister Robinson Njeru Githae as he takes over running of?the Treasury will be how to quickly mobilise Parliament to pass the Finance Bill for the current financial year.

For the first time in many years, the government finds itself in the middle of the financial year without a? Finance Act ? the legal instrument?that supports tax collections.

The Treasury may have to refund all taxes and duties collected?after the expiry of? the Provisional Collection of?Taxes and Duties?Order, 2011, for the period January to June 2012.

A lawyer by profession, he does not?rank high in the political pecking order within President Kibaki?s Party of National Unity.

Neither does he have the political stature? and mettle?to mobilise bi-partisan support for the Finance Bill.

Achieving partisan support for the Bill will be an?uphill task for Mr Githae, especially because the?controversy over the Finance Bill revolves around?the hugely populist issue of control of bank lending rates.

Through the Finance Bill, the MP for Gem, Mr Jakoyo Midiwo, is pushing for the introduction?of minimum and maximum?rates which? banks can charge to customers.

At the same time, the?MP for Rangwe, Mr Martin Ogindo, has proposed major amendments to the formula which the Electricity Regulatory Commission applies in setting?consumer prices of petroleum.

The difficult?part is that the two MPs basically ambushed?Mr Kenyatta by demanding to introduce these changes?through the Finance Bill and?at a time when it was at an advanced stage of being passed.

The amendment sprang up at the committee stage. Another?major issue which Mr Githae will be expected to deliver on almost immediately is the $600 million (Sh51 billion) off-shore borrowing?Mr Kenyatta?has been planning to do.

As he left the Treasury,?Mr Kenyatta was at an advanced stage of signing agreements with three big international commercial banks to arrange and advise on the huge borrowing.

The government is borrowing to substitute what it planned to borrow from the domestic market.

Source: http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Opinion/Githae+faces+uphill+task+at+Finance+/-/440808/1315296/-/12mwqti/-/index.html

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Department of Education names finance leader

The Arkansas Department of Education has hired the superintendent of the Lavaca district in Sebastian County as its new assistant commissioner for the Division of Fiscal and Administrative Services.

Jared Cleveland will begin the new role on July 1.

"Jared has a complete understanding of how schools operate," Arkansas Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell said in a news release. "He knows school district issues well and has been directly involved in many of the complex policy and financial problems that affect them. We are fortunate to have someone of his caliber who is experienced with the intricacies of Arkansas's school finance system."

Cleveland previously was a superintendent, high school principal, coach and teacher in the Magazine district in Logan County.

Kathleen Crain has been filling the department of education's finance position in an interim capacity since Bill Goff left for a job in the Pulaski County Special School District.

Source: http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2012/jan/27/department-education-names-finance-leader/

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95% Pariah

"Pariah," from first-time writer/director Dee Rees, doesn't break much artistic ground. It tells the same gay/lesbian coming-out story that we've seen a million times. But it's told particularly well and from within a black urban context, which I don't believe has been done before. It also goes a bit deeper into the hearts and minds of the homophobic parents than typically is done, which was great. Unfortunately, it only scratches those surfaces. Kim Wayans, who of course has a long history in comedy, shows she has major dramatic talent, playing the homophobic mother of the main character. The cast is universally good, but Wayans is the stand-out. The main character is a black teenage girl in Brooklyn going through the coming-out process. She has fully come out to herself as a lesbian, and she has even found her way into a lesbian circle of friends. She even frequents a women's night club. But she hasn't told Mom or Dad about any of this, both of whom are homophobic. Mom is particularly venomous in her hatred of gays and lesbians. You can see that Dad, a detective in the NYPD, in his heart of hearts is not a bigot. Thrown into the mix to complicate things a little bit is a bisexual girl eager to have lesbian experiences to explore herself. But she tosses lesbians aside like useless candy wrappers after she's had her fun. If I were going to give Dee Rees advice, I would say this: Ms. Rees, in "Pariah" you started digging into the parent characters with some real psychological and artistic depth. I encourage you to go more deeply in that direction. I think your true gifts as an artist lie there. I would give anything to see a sequel where you explore what happened to that mother and what she's really fighting. You hint that her husband is beginning to stray, but I think there's more in there. Help us see it. Remember when that great schoolteacher tells Alike that she could "go deeper" with her poetry? You could go deeper with your films. I know you could.

January 1, 2012

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pariah_2011/

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Let's give science a bad name in schools

Today, the UK's Royal Society announced its intention to stimulate a "world-class, high-performing education system for science and mathematics". If that's really what it wants, its members will have to give up a 60-year pursuit of a squeaky-clean image for science and scientists.

One of the biggest problems is that, although the subject fascinates elementary-school children, most lose that fascination between the ages of 10 and 14.

This is when adolescents are forming their sense of self. As young people seek to turn themselves into adults, they experiment with risk-taking, rebellion, deception, corner-cutting, questioning morality, coping with failure and suppressing self-doubt. This has strong repercussions for their response to science lessons.

Behind the scenes

Studies have repeatedly shown that teenagers lack interest in school science. Louise Archer, who researches the sociology of education at King's College London, puts it like this: there is "a mismatch between popular representations of science? and the aspirations, ideals and developing identities of young adolescents".

The key phrase here is "popular representations". The science of popular account is essentially a carefully crafted and unrepresentative distortion; as Nobel laureate Peter Medawar put it, "the postures we choose to be seen in when the curtain goes up".

Behind the curtain, scientists are surprisingly colourful. The world-changing ones are, by definition, anti-authoritarian, risk-taking rebels. The history of science is littered with instances of fighting, disregard of authority, dogged determination in the face of scorn and even that staple of teenage rebellion, wilful intoxication. Such behaviour seems to be inseparable from the creative pursuit of a breakthrough.

The problem is, school students only ever hear about the breakthrough itself. The crooked path to success has been whitewashed out of sight. This is not an accident: it is the result of a long-running PR campaign carried out by organisations such as the Royal Society ? the creation of Brand Science, if you will.

Bad rep

It started after the second world war, which made science look terrifying. The atomic bombs that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the V2 rockets that rained down on London, the experiments carried out in Nazi concentration camps and Japanese prisoner-of-war camps ? and Allied mustard gas experiments on their own soldiers ? enveloped science in a cloud of fear. That was why the geneticist Jacob Bronowski wrote in a 1956 issue of Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: "People hate scientists. There is no use beating about the bush here."

Senior figures reacted by trying to put science in the best possible light wherever it might be on display. That is why UK organisations such as the Royal Society, the Royal Institution and the Wellcome Trust forged links with the national broadcaster, the BBC, in the late 1940s, controlling access to scientists and endorsing only those who would toe the line of Brand Science. Memos to the broadcaster, according to author Timothy Boon, forcefully suggested dropping the "perils and dilemmas angle" in its coverage of the subject, and concentrating on "the great solution wrought by the introduction of the experimental method".

Across the Atlantic, scientists were making similar public promises of the benefits that they would bring. For more than 60 years now, science has striven to be seen as trustworthy, morally upright, objective and dispassionate, and providing a well-defined path from hypothesis to experiment to deduction that will reliably deliver advances and improvements.

Introverts only

The unfortunate spin-off of this PR effort is that it made the subject look dull, inhuman and robotic. Perhaps that's why, when asked to pick out the scientists from a gallery of photographs, children chose the ones that weren't smiling ? although in reality, all the photos were of scientists. Scientists are not perceived as smiley or fun, and the general population certainly does not think of them as creative or dynamic. That might explain why, as a Dutch study revealed in 2008, highly socialised, extrovert students tend to drop science subjects as soon as they can, orienting themselves instead towards more "human" areas of work, such as law, politics and economics.

Reintroducing into school curricula the humanity of science ? with all its flaws, its tales of outrageous behaviour and even more outrageous characters ? would give teens the opportunity to see scientists as role models. With pressing problems such as climate change and energy supply to confront, we must do whatever we can to capture the bold, adventurous, risk-taking minds of tomorrow, rather than settling for the timid ones ? even if that means tarnishing the carefully nurtured public image of Brand Science.

Read more: "Lab brats: Eight great scoundrels of science"

Michael Brooks is a consultant for New Scientist and the author of Free Radicals: The secret anarchy of science

If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.

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[OOC] Wasted Youth

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Writer

Member for 3 years

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Sign me up for one female wasted youth member :). I remember this rolepaly

Will there be a sheet to fill out or?

Vanity was stronger than love at sixteen and there was no room in her hot heart now for anything but hate.-Gone with the Wind

Madmoiselle

Member for 1 years

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Can I have a female Wasted member?

M'ange

Member for 0 years

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Since females are already being mentioned, I wouldn't mind playing the male member who falls for the female cop.

Syn.!

Member for 4 years

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Candidate Gingrich Pushes a Moon Base, Other Space Initiatives

New thomas.kane writes "Newt Gingrich announced yesterday, while visiting Florida's Space Coast, a visionary plan for the future of space travel. He suggested a combination of the current private incentives and a government funded section, developing a moon base, commercial near earth orbit, and continuous propulsion systems to better reach Mars." "Visionary" seems an awfully positive spin on it; Gingrich is not the first President or presidential candidate to propose revisiting the moon ? and the moon seems like small potatoes, by some measures.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/SqgHi-0dGLw/candidate-gingrich-pushes-a-moon-base-other-space-initiatives

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Breach of new EU online data rules to carry high fines (Reuters)

BRUSSELS (Reuters) ? Europe proposed strict new data privacy rules on Wednesday, putting greater responsibility on companies such as Facebook to protect users' information, and threatening those who breach the code with hefty fines.

But the move, which legislators say is designed to better defend children against predators, has rattled major technology and Internet-based companies, with executives concerned the legislation will be almost impossible to implement in full or will do serious damage to their business models.

The proposals, which are expected to become law by the end of 2013 if approved by all 27 EU member states and the European Parliament, were drawn up after a two-year examination of shifting Internet use and the behavior of consumers using sites such as Yahoo!, Google and Facebook.

Viviane Reding, the European commissioner in charge of data privacy, said the proposed laws were necessary if consumers' data and privacy were to be better protected in the modern age.

A breach of the rules could mean fines of up to two percent of a company's annual turnover, which in the case of Google could mean up to $800 million.

"The protection of personal data is a fundamental right for all Europeans, but citizens do not always feel in full control of their personal data," Reding told reporters.

"A strong, clear and uniform legal framework at EU level will help to unleash the potential of the digital single market and foster economic growth, innovation and job creation."

But companies are wary of critical parts of the legislation, including what Reding calls "the right to be forgotten" - effectively the right for an individual to request that their data be withdrawn from websites and online databases.

Access to a certain amount of personal information - and the digital trace that people leave after using the Internet for any length of time - is a critical element in the business model of companies from Amazon to Groupon.

Lawyers say the EU risks setting up a legislative landscape at sharp variance with that of the United States, where federal law puts less of the burden of responsibility on companies.

Some warn that the proposed new rules in their current form will be too complicated and expensive to implement.

"This is a missed opportunity," said Mark Watts, data protection partner at technology law firm Bristows.

"The Commission had the opportunity to write a law that both protects consumers and which recognizes the reality of global data sharing and new technologies, such as social networking and cloud computing."

"Setting businesses an unachievable goal, whether they are European or the US technology giants that the Commission unfairly seems to be seeking to curb, is unhelpful in terms of compliance and frankly bad for consumers."

At the same time, the Commission, which has responsibility for drafting laws for the EU's 500 million citizens, is under pressure to protect consumers.

"The Commission is caught between a rock and a hard place as it seeks to level the playing field for business and better protect consumers," said Jane Finlayson-Brown, a partner at Allen & Overy, a law firm.

"There are real and significant concerns with the form of the regulation."

USER CONSENT?

While Google is one of the biggest companies that could be affected, it offered a cautiously positive reaction.

"We support simplifying privacy rules in Europe to both protect consumers online and stimulate economic growth," said Al Verney, the company's spokesman in Brussels.

"It is possible to have simple rules that do both. We look forward to debating the proposals over the coming months."

That is a line backed by others, with many officials recognizing that the shape of the law could change between now and once it is finally approved and comes into force.

As well as corporate concern, arguments against the "right to be forgotten" have come from historians and U.S. authorities, who have argued that valuable information that forms part of the historical record could be lost under the legislation.

The International Chamber of Commerce said the proposed new rules raised immediate concerns about compliance costs and long-term worries about how innovative companies can be.

"In protecting individual privacy, we must be careful not to undermine what is now a key driver of competition, growth and innovation," Stephen Pattison, the UK CEO of the ICC said.

As well as the right to be forgotten, some companies are also concerned about guidelines on user consent, which would require companies to secure a user's formal approval to hold their data rather than default authority to do so.

ETNO, a Brussels-based lobbying group for telecoms companies and internet providers said the stipulation would cripple businesses that retain their customers' attention by providing content based on their browsing history.

"Repeatedly requiring explicit consent during an online experience undermines the goal of enabling consumers to make informed decisions in an environment that is not overly intrusive," said Luigi Gambardella, ETNO's chairman.

Michal Fertik, founder and chief executive of Reputation.com, disagreed, saying most of the objections came from large incumbent Internet companies with vested interests.

"The devil's going to be in the detail ... but as a matter of principle I think the right to be forgotten is important," said Fertik, whose company helps its clients manage their online reputation and defend their privacy.

"It's an unlevel playing field. If you run an Internet media business, it's impossible to care deeply about privacy because commercially the only thing you've got to sell is users' data," he said.

"It's an accident of the Internet that the Internet is basically an advertising business right now," said Fertik. "The policy might be bad for one of the big Internet media companies today but it will be good for 1,000 new companies tomorrow."

(Additional reporting by Georgina Prodhan in London; editing by Luke Baker and Helen Massy-Beresford)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/wr_nm/us_eu_dataprivacy

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Gingrich's big donor and the problem with Super PACs

Billionaire Sheldon Adelson has poured millions into Newt Gingrich's Super PAC?an example of what's wrong with our campaign finance system.

Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino owner, is now the poster boy for what?s terribly wrong with our campaign-finance system. Adelson, you may recall, had, before the South Carolina Republican primary, donated $5 million to the pro-Gingrich Super Pac ?Winning Our Future? ? giving Newt a pile of money for negative advertising against Mitt Romney in South Carolina.

Skip to next paragraph Robert Reich

Robert is chancellor's professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley. He has served in three national administrations, most recently as secretary of labor under President Clinton. He has written 13 books, including 'The Work of Nations,' 'Locked in the Cabinet,' and his most recent book, 'Aftershock: The Next Economy and America's Future.' His 'Marketplace' commentaries can be found on publicradio.com and iTunes.

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Adelson has done it again. He and his wife Marian have cut another $5 million check for Gingrich to go negative on Romney in Florida. The money won?t go as far as it did in South Carolina ? TV ads cost a lot more in Florida ? but it?s enough to give the Grinch a solid footing.

And, who knows? The Adelsons are billionaires. They might decide to put in another $5 million or perhaps $20 million into Gingrich?s Super Pac. The point is, there?s no limit.

Do you know who Sheldon and Marian Adelson are? Do you know what Gingrich has promised them, or what they think they?ll get out of a Grinch presidency? I don?t. But if Newt becomes President of the United States, they?ll be singularly responsible. And we better find out, because Newt will owe them big time.

Forget the Lincoln Bedroom. The Adelsons and their kids will have the run of the White House, including the Oval Office. Hey, they?ll take over the Old Executive Building next door and turn it into a casino.

Never before in the history of American politics has a single couple given more money to a single candidate and had a bigger impact ? all courtesy of the Supreme Court and its grotesque decisions that speech is money and corporations are people under the First Amendment.

The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of the best economy-related bloggers out there. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. To contact us about a blogger, click here. This post originally ran on www.robertreich.org.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/PUo4S7vRCuw/Gingrich-s-big-donor-and-the-problem-with-Super-PACs

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Sony's new cameraphone CMOS jams bigger gear into the same space (video)

Sony's done gone and developed a new back-illuminated CMOS designed to improve the state of your casual camerawork. Traditional units mount a merged pixel-sensor and circuit on a supporting substrate -- the innovation here is to produce the two separately and layer them without any additional material. This makes manufacturing easier and without a mount, you're able to lever-in bigger kit into the same space. It's also packing HDR Movie, which like the still-image version, will produce better moving pictures in tricky light. An eight-megapixel version will ship to cellphone producers in March, with a 13-megapixel edition following in June and if Sony's really successful, it might earn enough to buy a copy of Photoshop rather than producing release images in MS Paint.

Continue reading Sony's new cameraphone CMOS jams bigger gear into the same space (video)

Sony's new cameraphone CMOS jams bigger gear into the same space (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More surprises than snubs in open Oscar field (AP)

In a refreshingly open Oscar field, the surprises outweighed the snubs among the varied nominees announced Tuesday.

The favorites ? "The Artist," "Hugo," "The Descendants" ? all came away with their predicted boatloads, but a pleasant quirkiness followed with several out-of-left-field nods and a handful of unlikely curiosities.

One thing is clear: The year's movies were less song and more dance. Only two nominees were deemed worthy for best song ("Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets" and "Real in Rio" from "Rio"). The silence of the toe-tapping "The Artist," you could say, was pervasive.

A look at those that sneaked into the Academy Awards and the ones that narrowly missed:

UNBROADCAST NEWS: Throughout awards season, Albert Brooks has been hailed for his against-type performance as a violent gangster in the neo-noir thriller "Drive." But Brooks ? like so many comedic brethren before him ? was left out from a competitive best-supporting actor category that also omitted Ben Kingsley for "Hugo." Brooks tweeted, "I got ROBBED. I don't mean the Oscars, I mean literally. My pants and shoes have been stolen." He added, "And to the Academy: `You don't like me. You really don't like me.'"

KEEP YOUR CLOTHES ON: The best actor nomination for Demian Bichir of the immigration drama "A Better Life" was a shocker. He, along with Gary Oldman ("Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"), landed a nomination over some favored heavyweights in Leonardo DiCaprio (with prosthetics in "J. Edgar") and Michael Fassbender (without prosthetics in "Shame"). Also on the outside was Michael Shannon, whose paranoid performance in "Take Shelter" may prove more memorable than some of those that were nominated.

MAKING NOISE: The academy tweaked its best picture category this year, requiring winning nominees to receive a certain percentage of votes for inclusion. Anywhere between five and 10 films could have been nominated, and in the end it was nine. The final spot ? which was dramatically revealed last on Tuesday's broadcast ? went to "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," the 9/11-themed drama about grief and growing up. Few of the year's films have been more polarizing, with most critics lambasting it for being over-the-top sentimental kitsch.

TATTOOED: And then we have the curious case of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." David Fincher's remake of the Swedish thriller received a strong five nominations including Rooney Mara for best actress (over Charlize Theron in "Young Adult" and Tilda Swinton in "We Need to Talk About Kevin"), cinematography, film editing, sound editing and sound mixing. Those below-the-line nominations often signal high regard for a movie's craft, and thus a directing nomination. But Fincher (who was nominated by the Directors Guild) wasn't selected, and the film failed to land a best picture nod even with nine nominees in the best picture category.

A NEW LEAF: There was always some mystery about how the academy would handle Terrence Malick's ambitious cosmic family drama "The Tree of Life." A masterpiece to some, a pretentious hodgepodge with Sean Penn meandering on escalators to others, the film is the Herman Cain of the Oscar race: ardently supported by its backers, snickered at by its critics. The backers won: The film was nominated for best picture and Malick for best director.

WHAT'S UP, DOC? The category with the most upheaval was best animated feature, where the unlikely and limited released "A Cat in Paris" (from France, naturally) and "Chico and Rita" (from Spain and the United Kingdom) snuck in ahead of high-profile studio films such as Steven Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tintin," "Arthur Christmas" and Pixar's "Cars 2."

THE FORGOTTEN: Every Oscar race has a way of myopically winnowing the year's films to a batch of favorites, inevitably shutting out worthy movies. Everyone will have their own personal snub, but it's worth noting the fine absences, among them: Tom McCarthy's cheerful "Win Win"; the apocalyptic "Take Shelter"; the psychology history "A Dangerous Method"; the racing documentary "Senna" and, surely, many more.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_en_mo/us_oscar_nominations_snubs_and_surprises

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Basic Automotive Repair Diagnostics | Automotive Diagnosis

Posted on 23 January 2012. Tags: auto repair shops, bells and whistles, corrosions, rare commodity, search engine keyword

Modern vehicles that are released in the automotive industry are getting more sophisticated as they pack even more complex technology. In contrast, classic vehicles of long ago were typically easy to work on and maintain in the sense that you just had to know the basics. Today, with all the bells and whistles on the latest vehicles around it?s nearly impossible for your ordinary car owner to spot anything specific in the event that they experience any technical issues regarding their vehicle. Most often than not, they would just rather take their vehicles in and pay auto repair shops to do all the work for them. That may be the convenient option especially if you don?t know a thing or two about auto repairs but it is certainly a costly one. There?s also the problem regarding several technicians taking advantage of car owners who really have no clue how their vehicle?s work. Thus finding an honest automotive technician is quite a rare commodity and it would also help to arm yourselves by knowing a thing or two about automotive diagnostics so that you are less likely to be cheated out of your car repair cost.

Question is what you actually need to do in order to learn all these things. This can be quite a tricky question but the Internet is always a good place to start. It is after all a treasure chest filled with information. You can do a search engine keyword search for automotive repair or anything specific about a particular technical issue and you should pull up information or instructions in text or video format.

If the problem you are having with your vehicle is the fact that it won?t seem to start, the first thing that you need to do is check the battery connections. Make sure all the connections from the battery to the engine are secure and that they are not loose in anyway. Check for any corrosions because this may also affect the flow of power through the connections. It may also be possible that there is a problem with the battery itself and most of the time; it is the reason why a vehicle just won?t start.

What if the car does start and then dies out shortly? This scenario is actually pretty complicated because it suggests problems with complicated components such as ignition modules and crankshaft sensors. Handling this issue by yourself isn?t really recommended unless you have the right set of tools,chilton auto repair manual and utmost confidence that this is in fact something you can do proficiently. Keep in mind that a lot of vehicle owners who attempted to do their own repairs without the necessary knowledge or tools only end up damaging it even further. It would be best to seek out the proficiency of a qualified technician.

Lastly, what if your car does run but seems to lack power with the check engine light turned on? These types of problems can be isolated into three factors that allow your vehicle to run smoothly which includes compression, spark and fuel pressure. Work around the car?s components that has something to do with these essential factors. To make your job easier, you can make use of an OBD (on-board diagnostics) scanner which you can plug in to your vehicle?s OBD computer allowing you to pinpoint the problem rather easily. Your vehicle?s computer would also tell you if there is a circuit failure.

It would certainly be great if we can just work on our own vehicle in any technical issues. Sadly, some issues are more complicated than others which would require knowledge, Audi Repair manuals,equipment and proficiency to address appropriately. It would be best to seek the services of an automotive repair technician and do your homework on the issue so you can at least get a picture of what needs to be done.

Source: http://www.riredistricting.org/basic-automotive-repair-diagnostics.html

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How Kourtney Kardashian Celebrated Mason Disick's 2nd Birthday (omg!)

Giddy up!

Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick's son Mason Disick turned 2 on December 14, and for his big day, his city-slickin' family took things to the Wild Wild West.

PHOTOS: See Mason Disick's baby album

Proud grandparents Kris and Bruce Jenner pulled out all the stops for their grandson's fete and hosted a cowboy-themed birthday party at their Hidden Hills, Calif. home complete with a petting zoo, pony rides and an arts and crafts table.

PHOTOS: Mason and more of 2011's cutest tots

Mom Kourtney, 32, who's pregnant with her and boyfriend Scott's second child, helped her first-born son blow out the two candles on his 10 gallon hat birthday cake.

PHOTOS: Star kids' lavish birthday parties

Also in attendance: Mason's aunts Kendall, 16, and Kylie Jenner, 14, and uncle Rob Kardashian, 24.

Get more Us! Follow us on Twitter, Friend us on Facebook, Subscribe to Us Weekly

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_kourtney_kardashian_celebrated_mason_disicks2nd_birthday_223251675/44266758/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/kourtney-kardashian-celebrated-mason-disicks-2nd-birthday-223251675.html

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Rick Santorum delivers serious smackdown on 'Romneycare'

Rick Santorum launched his most cogent attack on Gov. Mitt Romney's health care program in Massachusetts, during Thursday's South Carolina debate.

It took 16 debates, but on the 17th night Rick Santorum finally put the conservative case against Mitt Romney (and, to a lesser extent, Newt Gingrich?s) healthcare histories into a complete package.

Skip to next paragraph

This argument has two prongs, which Santorum laid out neatly:

Prong 1, on the politics: ?And [Romney]?s going to have to run against a president ? he?s going to have to run against a president who?s going to say, ?well, look, look at what you did for Massachusetts, and you?re the one criticizing me for what I?ve done? I used your model for it.??

Prong 2, on what?s right: ?You?re arguing for a plan; you?re defending a plan that is top-down. It is not a free-market health care system. It is not bottom-up. It is prescriptive and government. It was the basis for Obamacare.?

The full transcript follows, with Gov. Romney and Speaker Gingrich?s remarks. Emphasis in bold by DCDecoder.

CNN's JOHN KING: Senator Santorum, you heard Governor Romney and you heard Speaker Gingrich. Do you trust them if one of them is the Republican party?s nominee and potentially the next president of the United States to repeal this?

FORMER SEN. RICK SANTORUM (R-PA.), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The biggest ? the biggest thing we have to do is elect a president. I think Newt?s right. The problem is that two of the people up here would be very difficult to elect on, I think, the most important issue that this country is dealing with right now, which is the robbing of our freedom because of Obamacare.

Governor Romney tells a very nice story about what his plan is now. It wasn?t his plan when he was in a position to do a plan. When he was governor of Massachusetts, he put forth Romneycare, which was not a bottom-up free market system. It was a government-run health care system that was the basis of Obamacare, and it has been an abject failure. And he has stood by it. He?s stood by the fact that it?s $8 billion more expensive?

(APPLAUSE)
? than under the current law. He stood by the fact that Massachusetts has the highest health insurance premiums of any state in the country. It is 27 percent more expensive than the average state in the country.

Doctors ? if you?re in the Massachusetts health care system, over 50 percent of the doctors now are not seeing new patients ? primary care doctors are not seeing new patients. Those who do get to see a patient are waiting 44 days on average for the care. It is an abject disaster. He?s standing by it. And he?s going to have to run against a president ? he?s going to have to run against a president who?s going to say, well, look, look at what you did for Massachusetts, and you?re the one criticizing me for what I?ve done? I used your model for it. And then?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/AHNqF0jCZ0k/Rick-Santorum-delivers-serious-smackdown-on-Romneycare

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Exclusive: Turkey works to cut dependence on Iranian oil (Reuters)

GENEVA/LONDON (Reuters) ? Turkish refiner Tupras plans to cut its dependence on imports of Iranian oil and will meet Saudi Arabian authorities this month, industry sources familiar with the company's strategy said on Thursday, as Western powers crack down on Iran's oil sales.

Turkey imports more than 30 percent of its daily consumption from Iran and has so far given no indication that it will comply with a planned European Union import embargo on Iranian crude.

But one of the sources said that Iranian threats to shut down the world's most important oil export route, the Strait of Hormuz, had helped push Turkish oil officials to try to reduce the country's heavy dependence on Iran's oil.

Iran has made no move to shut the world's most important oil export route, which had a daily flow of almost 17 million barrels last year, but has threatened action if Europe implements new sanctions.

Another of the sources said Tupras officials were planning to meet Saudi Arabian oil authorities this month, with a view to switching to alternative sources of crude by the summer.

Tupras declined to give an immediate comment.

"I think the meeting is to learn the supply capacity ahead of (state oil company Saudi) Aramco's other clients," said the first source, adding that other oil producing countries would also be contacted.

"I don't think Saudi can cover all of the import requirements. You must consider demands made by China, Korea, India, Japan also," he said

"Maybe at most, half of its Iran imports may be substituted," he estimated.

A Saudi source said the kingdom's oil authorities were getting more orders to replace Iranian crude but declined to comment on specific requests.

The first source said Turkey was also planning to meet with oil suppliers from Russia, Azerbaijan and West Africa.

According to sources familiar with the Russian oil market, Turkey has begun to show an increased interest in its crude supplies.

"Tupras has been recently buying more Urals. I guess right now everyone is trying to diversify from Iran one way or another," one trader said.

SANCTIONS

The Obama administration is mulling its options to make countries cut their imports of Iranian crude, without driving oil prices higher and risking hurting the U.S. economy in an election year.

Tensions in the Gulf have caused occasional spikes in oil prices in recent weeks, and major importers of Iranian oil have opposed an embargo on Iranian crude, fearing this would send oil prices rocketing at a time when they can least afford it.

Officials in Saudi Arabia, however, have signaled they are ready to fill a supply gap.

U.S. officials have travelled to China, South Korea and Japan to persuade some of Iran's biggest customers in Asia to cut purchases.

The European Union is likely to agree on an oil embargo against Iran Monday, France's foreign minister said on Thursday.

Real cuts in Europe will take time, however. The countries that are most reliant on imports from Iran are also those most exposed to the euro debt crisis.

Italian, Greek and Spanish companies have already said they planned to extend most of their oil supply deals with Iran and expected to win a sanctions reprieve from the EU for six months or longer.

But even if the West implements sanctions, it is unclear whether it will succeed in choking off a vital source of income for Iran.

China, the biggest buyer of Iranian crude, has stepped up opposition to an embargo in recent weeks. India, which relies on Iran for around 12 percent of its crude, has said it will continue to do business with the Islamic Republic.

(Reporting by Emma Farge in Geneva and Jessica Donati in London; additional reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov, Amena Bakr and Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Jane Baird)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120119/wl_nm/us_turkey_iran_oil

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Video: Sanford: 'Open marriage' request calls into question Gingrich's personal side

Miracle baby born from single sperm

An Ohio man who made no sperm and his wife, who had few eggs, have become parents thanks to a first-ever Cleveland Clinic case in which a single sperm that was frozen and injected into an egg resulted in pregnancy. Here, Jason and Jennifer Schiraldi pose with Kenley,9 months.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/46062973#46062973

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Newt Gingrich, Filled With More Excrement Than Your Average Politician (OliverWillisLikeKryptoniteToStupid)

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Indianapolis looks to future after firing Caldwell

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay , left, speaks during a news conference as general manager Ryan Grigson listens at the NFL football team's headquarters Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Indianapolis. The Colts announced the firing of coach Jim Caldwell. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay , left, speaks during a news conference as general manager Ryan Grigson listens at the NFL football team's headquarters Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Indianapolis. The Colts announced the firing of coach Jim Caldwell. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

FILE - In this Dec. 22, 2011 file photo, Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Caldwell watches during second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, in Indianapolis. The Colts have fired Caldwell. The team announced the decision Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. Caldwell just finished his third and worst season as head coach of the Colts, who stumbled to a 2-14 finish without injured quarterback Peyton Manning. (AP Photo/AJ Mast, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2011, file photo, Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell, left, speaks with injured quarterback Peyton Manning before an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore. The Colts fired Caldwell on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. Caldwell just finished his third and worst season as head coach of the Colts, who stumbled to a 2-14 finish without Manning. (AP Photo/Gail Burton, File)

Indianapolis Colts general manager Ryan Grigson speaks during a news conference at the NFL football team's headquarters Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Indianapolis. The Colts announced the firing of coach Jim Caldwell. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, left, speaks during a news conference as general manager Ryan Grigson listens at the NFL football team's headquarters Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Indianapolis. The Colts announced the firing of coach Jim Caldwell. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? Jim Irsay has big plans for the Colts' future. He just hasn't worked through the details yet.

Two weeks after overhauling the front office, Indianapolis took the next big step in its major housecleaning project Tuesday ? firing coach Jim Caldwell after three seasons.

"This (search) is something that's going to start immediately and I really think we're going to get a coach that's going to lead us going into the future, and I think it's a bright future," Irsay said Tuesday. "It's tough to change and go forward, we've had such excellence and greatness here over such a long period of time and that's what I expect us to do again."

Irsay is following the same plan he installed after the 1997 season. Back then, a season-ending loss on the road allowed the 3-13 Colts to clinch the No. 1 overall draft pick. The next day, Irsay fired the general manager and the head coach and eventually changed quarterbacks.

It could happen again with a little more deliberation.

The day after losing at Jacksonville to post their worst record (2-14) in two decades and wrap up this year's No. 1 pick, Irsay fired team vice chairman Bill Polian and his son, Chris, the Colts' general manager. Last week, Irsay hired 39-year-old Ryan Grigson as the replacement for the Polians.

Since then, Grigson and Irsay have been in almost constant meetings debating the future of the coaching staff.

On Monday, Caldwell and former Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo met in Indianapolis about the Colts' defensive coordinator job. Most took it as an indication Caldwell would be retained. That was still the conventional wisdom Tuesday.

Eventually, Irsay and Grigson proved the pundits wrong. Irsay said he told Caldwell of the decision at about 2 p.m., shortly before the team confirmed the firing.

"We've talked about where we want to be more balanced," Irsay said. "We want to be excellent on defense and more consistent, and I think that's something that we're looking at as part of the vision. I don't think the guy has to be offensive or defensive or anything like that. It's a heavy lifting process right now."

It's unclear where the Colts will turn next.

Yes, Grigson acknowledged, he has a short list of candidates. Not surprisingly, he didn't say who was on the list, which could include names such as Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, Eagles offensive coordinator Mary Mornhinweg and perhaps Spagnuolo.

Neither Grigson nor Irsay provided a timeline for the hire.

"We want leadership. Leadership is important," Grigson said after making his first big decision in charge of an NFL team. "We want strong leadership, and we want someone who shares his vision in this new era of Colts football. We want the best man and the best leader and the man that gives us the best way to go."

One thing they did agree on: The future didn't include Caldwell

After winning his first 14 games, an NFL record for a rookie head coach, and becoming only the fifth first-year coach to take his team to the Super Bowl, Caldwell did a masterful job guiding the injury-plagued Colts through a thicket of injuries and back to the playoffs in 2010.

But those successes all came with Peyton Manning, who led the Colts to a league-record 115 regular-season wins in the previous decade and a record-tying nine straight playoff appearances.

This year, with Manning out the entire season, the Colts lost their first 13 games.

Among players and coaches, Caldwell was universally well-liked. The list included Manning, who won all four of his record-setting MVP Awards with Caldwell on Indy's staff, as well as perennial Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday.

"I think coach Caldwell has done a very good job. He has gotten the most out of his players, and we play hard for him each and every week," Saturday said before the season finale. "We haven't necessarily played well, we've made mistakes and done things, but they have, oftentimes, been things that we've talked about in coaching meetings."

Outsiders often saw it another way.

Fans frequently complained about Caldwell's game management, and some critics referred to Caldwell as a "puppet" of the Polians.

Many never forgave Caldwell for pulling the plug on a perfect season in a Game 15 loss to the Jets in 2009 and pointed to the midseason firing of defensive coordinator Larry Coyer and the long delay in replacing Curtis Painter with Dan Orlvosky at quarterback as decisions that should have come much earlier.

Irsay and Grigson did not characterize Caldwell's 1,099-day tenure the same way as fans.

But with Grigson already searching for a new coach and presumably preparing to take Andrew Luck with the No. 1 pick, the questions now turn to Manning, who had his third neck surgery in 19 months on Sept. 8.

The Colts still are not saying much about Manning's recovery, and Grigson has not yet spoken with Manning, who is owed a $28 million bonus in early March.

"We're not even there with anything regarding Peyton Manning just yet," Grigson said. "We have to know about his medical stuff, first. There's so many things there."

Caldwell ended his Colts' tenure 26-22 overall with one AFC title, two division crowns and one bleak season that has left him unemployed just three years after replacing close friend Tony Dungy, the first black coach to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

"This was a difficult decision," Irsay said. "I wanted to make sure we took all the time we needed to make sure it was the right decision. ... And just like 14 years, ago, it's a big change for the franchise and at the same time, there's players, coaches, many people on the staff that will go into the new day and get on with the work of 2012."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-18-Caldwell%20Fired/id-67b86f44a2964a318ae87fa6e3494427

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