Gossip Girl Wedding Day Aftermath! Scoop on Everything That Happens Next (omg!)

[WARNING: The following story contains major spoilers from Monday's episode for Gossip Girl, "The Princess Bride." Read at your own risk.]

She did it. She got married and became a princess. And now the avalanche of questions...

Is Gossip Girl really going to make Dan and Blair happen? Did new media magnate Nate just fall for another pretty girl (who happens to be the real Charlie Rhodes)? Would the reformed Chuck have sent that video to Gossip Girl? Will he and Serena decide to put themselves out of their misery when they find out Blair ran off with LonelyBoy? Did the royal lapdog Prince Louis actually grow a pair? Is Georgina the real Dread Pirate Roberts Gossip Girl?

Ed Westwick tired of "lovesick puppy" Chuck, ready for Gossip Girl to end

So many burning questions lingering about Monday's 100^th episode of Gossip Girl, written by executive producer Josh Safran and fittingly titled, "The Princess Bride." Fortunately, Safran and fellow series boss Stephanie Savage were on hand last week to tease and tantalize reporters who got an early peek at the episode about everything that is to come. Get cozy ? they had a lot to say! (And for the record, we're so sticking with the theory that Georgina is not Gossip Girl.)

Are you really going to cave to fans who want Dan and Blair together?
Josh Safran: Cave to fans -- I don't think we view it as caving to fans but you know that story is going to go in an interesting direction, sure.

Is it a story you weren't planning to tell until you saw the fan reaction to the two of them?
Stephanie Savage: No. I think from the beginning we always felt like there was a really strong connection between the two of them. Actually, the first episode Josh ever wrote for us had one of my favorite scenes of the series that was a Dan-Blair scene where she's confiding in [him] her feelings about her mother and [there was] the idea that these two people who -- one is Queen B, one LonelyBoy -- actually have a lot in common. Compared to their other friends, they had this sense of intellectual curiosity, they were interested in things outside their own world... We always knew they were going to become friends, but there was a question if there was ever going to be more than that.
Safran: And I think that question still remains, but we definitely are going with that story. We knew last year, too, when we got them connected in a new way. We knew we were going to plan to come back to that connection... It was always like, that's a weird thing to do, to go to that place you thought you'd never go with kind of at one point your sworn enemy. I think that's why they pulled back but they still have been thinking about it ever since.

What are Blair's feelings toward Dan at this point ? she just found out he wrote these vows and yet she keeps calling him any time anything goes wrong in her life.
Safran: I think Dan probably feels the same way you think he does, and at a certain point he probably won't be able to stand feeling that anymore and force Blair to not treat him that way ? or not treat him at all, basically.

Where did Dan and Blair go? She's fled the country before...
Safran: You will learn that at the top of the next episode... They go some place we've never shot before, but have always wanted to shoot and it was really complicated but a super-fun, big, great set piece. And it also has, in my mind, some of the best comedy we've ever done. The next episode is very funny.

What does this mean for Chuck and Blair?
Safran: Chuck and Blair are never over. There's always been a thorn in the side of Chuck somewhere, maybe it'll be Dan, maybe it'll be someone else.

But how much can a man take? Chuck should walk away at some point, right?
Safran: I don't know if it's "how much can a man take?" It's a very tortured relationship for both of them. And I think in a weird way some people love that torture and sometimes people can't stand that torture. That's gonna be sort of the balance for what happens [next].

Will Chuck become a bad boy again?
Safran: Anytime anyone reforms, it's tested. But we were very conscious to make sure that Chuck did not slide back after Episode 12. We do believe that Chuck has learned, and is still continuing to learn, that his evolution is real, that it's not so easily lost or so easily gained. Although he will continue to be tested, I definitely think he approaches these tests now from, "I really don't want to slide back," as opposed to, "Oh, it's so easy to slide back, I'm just going to go do it."

6 things to expect from the Gossip Girl wedding

Can you talk about Chuck and Serena's reactions to Blair and Dan running off together? What's their next step?
Safran: The next episode is a direct pick-up and is the same night. The reactions are very much immediate... You're going to see them learn, you're going to see what they do about it, how it impacts them. Definitely the story of that next episode is Chuck and Serena together dealing with Blair and Dan together.

What's going to happen now that Serena has professed her love for Dan?
Safran: Obviously, it's going to rankle Serena when she discovers what's happening between Blair and Dan. But also these characters are growing up; you don't necessarily go to Defcon 4 when you find these things out. You try to deal with them maybe in more of a rational, direct, honest manner. But that doesn't mean you can't also go to Defcon 4 after that.

Given Serena's dream in the beginning of the episode, seeing Dan choose Blair, did she already know on some level that Dan didn't love her back?
Safran: I wouldn't say it's about Dan not loving her back, but I would say Serena feels like she might be losing things in her world right now to other things. If in your dreams everything isn't exactly representational, just the idea that the ground is shifting under Serena...

Louis just became really interesting! Did you know you wanted him to take this turn?
Safran: No, but we knew Blair was going to test him -- just being Blair would test anyone.
Savage: And him being in our Upper East Side world would test him.
Safran: We definitely always knew it would be him getting darker because the closer you're around to all this scheming, all these people, the more it starts to infect you. What we liked was that Blair and Louis were ultimately able to reconnect and look at each other from a good place and yet, this was just the final straw... For her to go to that place on their wedding day, it was just too much.

Is Blair still moving forward with being concerned over this pact with God now that Louie has turned on her?
Safran: In the next episode, that will be answered.

How will Blair's parents help out now, since they were such a big part of this episode?
Safran: They're definitely involved in her story. They're dealing also with what's happened and in future episodes Blair seeks the counsel of her parents.

So Georgina is behind this new Gossip Girl site ? are we going to see retaliation from the original Gossip Girl?
Safran: Georgina is behind this new Gossip Girl site -- is it a new Gossip Girl site? I don't know how to answer that question, sorry. How can I say if it's the old Gossip Girl if Georgina is Gossip Girl? We will not answer that question.

Georgina, whether or not she's the old or new Gossip Girl, is going to try and take over this role then?
Safran: I mean, she has this role! Now that you see she has this role you're invited into this process that for years you haven't seen. Seeing that process of just how Gossip Girl gets her tips and what she does to get her tips I think is really fun.
Savage: You get to go behind the curtain with the wizard and see.

Did Georgina upload the video of Blair?
Safran: That is a major plot point that runs for a couple [of episodes].

Is she the one who texted with Nate in previous episodes?
Safran: I'm not going to answer that question.

Who will Georgina target next?
Safran: Georgina will set her sights on everybody always. Georgina would take herself down if it got the biggest explosion.

Gossip Girl "End of the Affair" postmortem: Burning questions answered!

Are you nervous about fan reaction to Georgina being Gossip Girl?
Safran: Totally. You're always nervous, but we still feel confident about that.
Savage: And where the story is going.
Safran: Like Stephanie said, the curtain has been lifted so now you're going to see more. When you see more, the picture will become clearer.

What are Georgina's motives? Is she just evil?
Savage: More entertainment than evil. Entertaining herself.
Safran: Maximum damage just makes her laugh, so the more she can laugh, the better.

Are Nate and Serena still going after Gossip Girl?
Safran: The Gossip Girl storyline continues the whole year. A plot with Gossip Girl will continue [next season], but whether this arc with Gossip Girl concludes or not, I will not say.

Are you going to develop more for the real Charlie Rhodes?
Safran: Absolutely.

Where is Ivy hiding?
Safran: That's a really good question and the fact that you asked that question, there's an answer in that.

Does Nate have yet another new love on the horizon?
Safran: Nate has had so many problems with his family that when he meets somebody else who is probably dealing with similar things, he's actually in a position where he can help them and use what he's learned... The love on the horizon is a really interesting story for him and really allows him to emotionally mature.

What can you say about the return of Elizabeth Hurley?
Safran: Elizabeth is coming back. She comes back in a very delicious fashion. She'll give us sort of ? the way she always does ? a shot in the arm in the last third of the season. When she comes back, the Chuck Bass story and the Nate story will converge with Diana.

What about Jack Bass?
Safran: He comes back also in service of that same story.

Did you think about bringing Eric back for the 100^th episode?
Safran: It's hard with Connor because his show shoots in Los Angeles and he's a regular. As much as we'd love to, there were so many moving pieces for a 100^th episode that took place at a wedding, with hundreds of extras. To fit in another moving piece like that would be very difficult. Taylor is on tour. We had so many logistics to overcome, that that would've just added even more.

Speaking of Little J, do you still think of storylines involving Jenny or Vanessa?
Savage: Those characters are still very much out in the universe doing things. We still have a great relationship with both of those actresses. It would just be a matter of figuring out what the story is and then how to get them here. Literally, when we were talking about having Jenny come to Blair's wedding, Taylor was opening for Guns 'N Roses in Iceland.
Safran: We also know, as writers, where they are. We could tell you right now where Jenny is. We keep alive the story of what they're doing. If we were able to get Taylor, maybe she would've made Blair's dress instead of Vera Wang. We would've had to know that months earlier. She's at fashion school in London.
Savage: She's doing great.
Safran: You'll hear where Eric is coming up.

Have you had conversations with The CW about whether you'll be doing another season of Gossip Girl?
Savage: Well, we're not writing a series finale this year.

Has the network actually said you're safe, or are you just hoping?
Savage: We've checked in with our bosses to make sure we're not shooting ourselves in the foot.
Safran: They know we're not writing a series finale.

What does reaching 100 episodes mean to you?
Savage: It's a big deal. It's emotional. It's very, very hard to get to 100 episodes. The O.C. got to 93 episodes, Chuck got to a heartbreaking 91 episodes. One hundred episodes in our industry is considered the standard of success, of achievement. To be able to get there, especially on a serial drama, especially on a show about young people, especially on a cycle where there was a writers strike, it's a big deal.
Safran: I kept saying from Day 1, we're going to get to 100. This will totally make it there.

Additional reporting by Natalie Abrams.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_gossip_girl_wedding_day_aftermath_scoop_everything_happens050000266/44360935/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/gossip-girl-wedding-day-aftermath-scoop-everything-happens-050000266.html

office space rawhide bigfoot tony romo twilight zone sandra dee nfl draft 2012

Brad Pitt Clarifies Marriage Comments: It's 'Difficult' To Wait 'When You Love Someone' (omg!)

After sporting a cane for a few months due to a knee injury, Brad Pitt's walking stick has become a play toy for his and Angelina Jolie's kids as Brad begins the process of strengthening his atrophied leg.

"I was getting all lopsided," Brad, 48, explained to Access Hollywood's Shaun Robinson at the 2012 Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday. "So, I'm trying to balance out now."

PLAY IT NOW: Brad Pitt & George Clooney Honored At The Palm Springs Film Festival

The actor -- who, in addition to his SAG Award nomination for "Moneyball," was also nominated for an Academy Award -- revealed the Jolie-Pitt family enjoyed a good old-fashioned pancake breakfast to celebrate his Oscar nod.

"I got 'em all jacked up on sugar," he told Shaun. "I'm surprised they weren't sent home from school!"

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Big Screen Gentlemen: Hollywood?s Leading Men

Earlier on Sunday, the actor revealed to "CBS Morning News" correspondent Lee Cowan he's been receiving "a lot of pressure" from his kids to marry Angelina - a comment the actor is beginning to regret.

"Why did I say that?" Brad laughed, when asked about the already-highly-publicized marriage reveal. "No, but there's an issue of equality in marriage, and we wanted to hold out until everyone had the right.

"I was just commenting on, one, it's really difficult [to wait] when you love someone, and two, that we're getting a lot of heat from the kids," he explained.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Brangelina?s Family Album

Copyright 2012 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_brad_pitt_clarifies_marriage_comments_difficult_wait_love051628856/44350761/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/brad-pitt-clarifies-marriage-comments-difficult-wait-love-051628856.html

2011 bowl schedule bcs games heath bell eddie long ncaa bowl schedule ncaa bowl schedule farrah abraham

Survival story "The Grey" wins weekend box office (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Survival story "The Grey" starring Liam Neeson topped the weekend movie box office charts with an estimated $20 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales, according to studio estimates released on Sunday.

"The Grey" knocked last weekend's winner, "Underworld: Awakening," to second place. The vampire and werewolf sequel starring Kate Beckinsale brought in $12.5 million from Friday through Sunday.

New Katherine Heigl comedy "One for the Money" finished third with $11.8 million.

Open Road Films, a joint venture between theater owners Regal Entertainment Group and AMC Entertainment Inc, released "The Grey." The film unit of Sony Corp distributed "Underworld: Awakening." "One for the Money" was released by Lions Gate Entertainment.

(Reporting By Lisa Richwine; Editing by Xavier Briand)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/enindustry/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120129/media_nm/us_boxoffice

ecu john wooden mirror mirror tanuki mirror mirror trailer bob knight bob knight

Your iPad Breathes Life Into Totoya's Plush Creatures [Video]

Designed to be a soft interactive toy for kids, rather than a protective case for your tablet, Totoya's plush creatures completely swallow and protect your iPad while providing a peek at its display through a couple of strategic holes. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/mrVr9PFjSk0/your-ipad-breathes-life-into-totoyas-plush-creatures

nyc weather philadelphia weather chris carpenter chris carpenter the brothers grimm the brothers grimm grimm fairy tales

Capturing Inner Beauty: Medical Imagery That Delves into the Aesthetic [Slide Show]

Web Exclusives | More Science

Norm Barker's photographs lie at the interface of art and science

By Rose Eveleth ?| January 28, 2012

Petri Dishes Image: Norm Barker

February's issue of Scientific American features a beautiful close-up image of a placenta taken by Norm Barker, associate professor of pathology and art as applied to medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Barker specializes in photo-microscopy and natural science photography, and his work appears in the permanent collections of more than 40 museums, including the Smithsonian, the American Museum of Natural History and the Science Museum in London.

Barker's most recent book, Paleobotanical Splendor, documents fossilized plant material. His next opus?to be published later this year?explores medicine and pathology.

Here, SA showcases several more of Barker's photographs, which reveal the hidden beauty of medical implements as well as bodily organs such as muscles, brains, livers and kidneys.

? View the Medical Imagery Slide Show

Articles You Might Also Like

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=223e3bf51169f11c7c95fc43a587b37a

brenda song mountain west mountain west rickross rickross uganda rick ross

Officer in Katrina shootings probe to be retried

NEW ORLEANS?? Prosecutors intend to retry a retired police sergeant charged with helping cover up deadly shootings on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina.

1. Only on msnbc.com

   1. Meet 'Rosie' and 'Ken': 2 chimps, many experiments
   2. Gingrich funder brings additional baggage
   3. The twisty road to US-Pakistan re-engagement
   4. Sources: No rescue planned for kidnapped American
   5. Domestic abuse charges dog new SF sheriff
   6. School bans Locks of Love teen for too-long hair
   7. Spinner of romantic lies, 'Rockefeller' set for murder trial

U.S. Attorney Jim Letten made the announcement late Friday but declined to provide further comment.

Earlier on Friday, U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt declared a mistrial in the case of Gerard Dugue, ruling that Justice Department prosecutor Bobbi Bernstein may have tainted the jury hearing the trial by mentioning the name of a man who was beaten to death by a New Orleans police officer in a case unrelated to Dugue's.

Dugue was on trial for charges he wrote a false report on the shootings of unarmed residents on the Danziger Bridge, less than a week after the August 2005 hurricane. The case was expected to go to the jury early next week, the last of 20 New Orleans police officers who were charged by the Justice Department's civil rights division to get his day in court.

Engelhardt ruled that Justice Department prosecutor Bobbi Bernstein may have unfairly influenced the jury hearing Dugue's trial by mentioning the name of a man who was beaten to death by a New Orleans police officer in a case unrelated to Dugue's.

Bernstein argued that merely mentioning Raymond Robair's last name couldn't amount to any prejudice against Dugue. The retired sergeant wasn't charged in the Robair case, but the judge said it's impossible to know if any jurors heard her remark and drew any negative conclusions.

"That's a chance that I'm not willing to take," he said, adding that a mistrial was "the last thing in the world I want to do."

The hurricane, which struck Louisiana and Mississippi on Aug. 29, 2005, drove a wall of water into the coast. Levees broke and flooded roughly 80 percent of New Orleans, plunging the city into chaos and subjecting police to harsh, dangerous conditions.

The storm also cast a spotlight on a troubled police department that has been plagued by corruption for decades. In Katrina's aftermath, federal authorities launched a new push to clean up the police force. The criminal probes were only part of the effort. The Justice Department also embarked on a top-to-bottom review of the department that produced a scathing report on its practices.

Before the trial started, Engelhardt barred prosecutors from introducing evidence related to Dugue's involvement in the department's probe of Robair's death. Defense attorney Claude Kelly asked for a mistrial after he heard Bernstein turn to a colleague and say, "Get me Robair," while cross-examining Dugue. Bernstein was asking for a file related to the Robair case.

Bernstein said she wanted to ask Dugue about his report in the Robair case to show he knows how to properly write a report and is capable of assessing whether witnesses are credible or not.

Kelly, however, said Bernstein's "outrageous behavior" could have left jurors with the impression that Dugue was suspected of wrongdoing in the Robair case. Engelhardt angrily scolded Bernstein, saying she should have privately discussed the matter with him at the bench if she thought she could broach the subject.

"My orders are my orders, and I expect them to be followed," he said.

Earlier Friday, on the fifth day of his trial, Dugue denied participating in a cover-up, claiming he didn't learn until years later that police shot innocent, unarmed people on the bridge.

Dugue said he now knows some of his former colleagues lied to him about their actions on the bridge less than a week after the 2005 storm. He said he didn't learn the truth ? that police shot six people, killing two, without justification ? until after other officers started cooperating with a federal probe of the shootings and pleaded guilty in 2010 to participating in a cover-up.

"If anybody says anything about me being involved in a cover-up, they're a liar," he said.

Prosecutors said Dugue rigged his investigation of the Sept. 4, 2005, shootings and submitted a false report to clear several officers who opened fire on the bridge as they responded to another officer's distress call.

During her cross-examination of Dugue, Bernstein pressed him to explain why he didn't do more to verify or challenge the officers' accounts of the shootings.

"Your job is not to just type out what people say and be done," Bernstein said.

Dugue said he didn't have the "supporting cast" to conduct a more thorough investigation because the police department was overwhelmed in Katrina's chaotic aftermath.

"I didn't have the tools, the resources, the people to do that teamwork," Dugue said. "It wasn't there."

He wasn't charged in the shootings and didn't get involved in the case until six weeks later, when he was assigned to take over the department's investigation. Prosecutors said the cover-up, which included a planted gun, phony witnesses and falsified reports, already was in motion when Dugue inherited the investigation from Sgt. Arthur Kaufman in October 2005.

Dugue said his "jaw dropped" when he learned Kaufman hadn't collected any shell casings or other physical evidence from the scene of the shootings. Dugue said he immediately dispatched a crime scene technician to comb over the bridge. Still, Dugue insisted he didn't have any reason to suspect that Kaufman or the shooters were lying.

"I did not know anything about any kind of cover-up," he said.

Kaufman is one of five current or former officers convicted in August of civil rights violations stemming from the shootings. They are scheduled to be sentenced April 3.

.

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

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46170731/ns/us_news/

ides of march miranda july joepa joe paterno near death sc primary heidi klum and seal divorce bill moyers

Musharraf will return to Pakistan after tensions end: APML (Reuters)

DUBAI (Reuters) ? Former president Pervez Musharraf will return to Pakistan once the tensions between the government and the Supreme Court subside, a senior official in his All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) said Friday.

Musharraf announced this month he planned to return home between January 27 and 30 and take part in a parliamentary election due to be held by 2013, but later said aides had advised him to delay his return due to political instability.

Mohammad Saif, secretary-general of APML, said Musharraf did not want his return to overshadow a contempt case being heard in the Supreme Court against Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani that could push him out of office.

"General Musharraf will return to Pakistan, that's for sure. But we are waiting for the tension between the government and the Supreme Court to subside," Saif told journalists in Dubai.

"The government, which is bogged down in court cases and has failed on both economic and political fronts, would try to wiggle out of this situation by diverting the attention to General Musharraf."

He gave no date for Musharraf's return.

Pakistan's Supreme Court Thursday adjourned the contempt hearing for Gilani which is adding to growing pressure on the unpopular civilian government.

Gilani was in court to explain why he should not be charged with contempt for failing to re-open old corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. The government maintains Zardari has presidential immunity.

Saif said Musharraf was upset by the delay, but took the advice of his party and would stay in Dubai until his return home. Musharraf was not at the news conference.

Pakistan's government also faces pressure from the military over a mysterious memo seeking U.S. help to avert an alleged planned coup last year.

Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup and briefly imposed a state of emergency in Pakistan before resigning in 2008, has been living in Dubai for almost three years.

(Reporting by Amena Bakr; Writing by Nour Merza; Editing by Sami Aboudi and Robert Woodward)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/wl_nm/us_pakistan_musharraf

eagles cowboys eagles cowboys trick or treat times trick or treat times madoff bernie madoff anna chapman

Candidates need antidotes to public anger, not anger

A combative, angry mood hangs over the presidential races, reflecting public sentiments. But below the anger are emotions that do need to be addressed, with a calm debate of policy.

Will anger be the victor of the 2012 election?

Skip to next paragraph

So far in the presidential contest, there?s enough pique in the air and indignation in the campaigns to say it might.

Voter sentiment reflects a record low in trust of both Washington and Wall Street. A large majority of Americans say the country is on the wrong track.

The anger is seen not only in opinion polls but in the grievance politics of the tea party and ?Occupy? movement. And the candidates, with their mood meters ever on, are playing to this emotional alienation among Americans.

In his State of the Union message, for example, President Obama starkly shifted from his campaign style of 2008 that promised hope and an end to bitter partisanship to that of being a pugnacious populist. His newfound fighting spirit appeals to the hard-core left that sees him as too reconciling. The president even got into a personal spat this week with Arizona?s Republican governor, Jan Brewer.

In the GOP race, the candidates long ago resorted to personal barbs, eye-rolling, snide snorts, high umbrage, and tart retorts. So far, there have been 19 Republican debates and each new one seems closer to a Fox News or MSNBC talk show ? the kind that looks at the world only in black and white. (Thankfully, the next debate isn?t until Feb. 22.)

Newt Gingrich is the champ of rage, and relishes it. ?Newt?s Rocky Balboa ? he doesn?t mind fighting,? says former Rep. Bob Livingston, a Gingrich adviser. Mitt Romney has tried to match Mr. Gingrich?s ire even as he accuses his rival of putting anger at the source of his campaign.

?When I?m shot at, I return fire,? Mr. Romney said. ?I?m going to show the passion that I have when it comes naturally.? But then Gingrich warned him: ?You have to be realistic in your indignation.?

The brutish brawls of the GOP primaries sometimes push one of the candidates to get fed up. ?Let?s focus on the issues!? exclaimed Rick Santorum during Thursday night?s debate in Florida.

Some media outlets are now trying to measure the public mood by tracking emotions in the chatter on social media. The website Politico joined up with Facebook to conduct sentiment analysis of online users. The new computer analytics look for words of feelings about candidates in a Facebook user?s postings, sharings, and linking. The Washington Post website uses an app that looks on Twitter for words such as ?angry? and ?happy? about the candidates.

And in San Francisco, a website company call Kanjoya uses a search engine to follow the ?emotional intelligence? of online users. While it caters to businesses, Kanjoya has also used its software to decipher the public sentiments in the campaign. It found ?anger? and ?joy? for Gingrich, while the emotion surrounding Mr. Santorum was ?sadness.?

The populism of anger isn?t new in American politics. But in this election, the opportunity to exploit it ? in the many TV debates, with new online tools, or in ?super PAC? ads ? has been magnified. The nation?s economic despair and its deep political divisions add to it.

Candidates make a mistake in seeing anger as a lone sentiment when it really is a result of deeper emotions. Many voters are simply afraid, sad, or feel a sense of loss about their prospects or the government?s role. It is those feelings that need to be addressed through a calm and compassionate discussion of the alternative solutions that each candidate or party offers.

The media that run the debates don?t help by baiting candidates about their personal lives.

When candidates exploit anger by feigning anger, a negative cycle begins that only erodes democracy.

Campaigns don?t need to be lovefests. But candidates can be more perceptive and bighearted in addressing voters? primary emotions. Voters need a balm, not bitterness.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/UUqRpNuXCdk/Candidates-need-antidotes-to-public-anger-not-anger

zeitgeist bush ellie goulding ginger aron ralston aron ralston grandparents day

The Newt I know (Politico)

Yeah, yeah. I know. Newt Gingrich had a lousy week and will probably lose the Florida primary on Tuesday. But for those tempted to once again predict the speedy collapse of his campaign, consider yourselves forewarned. I?ve known this guy long enough to realize that the only three species destined to survive a nuclear holocaust will be cockroaches, Cher and Newton Leroy Gingrich.

I first met Gingrich 17 years ago at a Destin, Fla., fundraiser held in my honor a few weeks after Newt declared that I was too conservative to win the general election. But after I won the primary against the moderate woman he anointed, there he was in Florida looking supremely bored and a little put out that he was having to sit through another politician?s speech.

Continue Reading

In the ensuing years, I found the mercurial maverick to be inspiring and maddening, disciplined and self-indulgent, forward thinking and short-sighted, gifted and dumb ? sometimes all within the same hour.

If, as Shakespeare wrote, what?s past is prologue ? and it often is ? then Gingrich?s political history is particularly relevant now. It?s a history I know well because I was there. And what I saw at the revolution has concerned me since I left Washington.

Many who have heard my harsh assessments of Gingrich over the past year have assumed that I feel a personal animus toward my former colleague. That?s just not true. That fact is that I remain awestruck that Newt envisioned a Republican majority when his closest allies thought he was crazy. Even an eternal optimist like me laughed at the ?Think Majority? sign hanging over the NRCC reception area in early 1994.

But Newt was right and we were wrong. The Gingrich Revolution overtook Washington (with a huge assist from Bill Clinton?s overreaching agenda) and good things followed. Within a few years, Congress passed the first balanced budget in a generation, welfare reform, tax cuts and meaningful congressional changes.

If Newt?s story ended there, I might have a Gingrich 2012 sign in my front yard. But unfortunately, it does not.

Three years into his speakership, the man who helped draft the Contract With America began trying to undo some of that document?s key provisions. The government shutdown had badly damaged the speaker?s brand and he went to work trying to raise his 27 percent approval rating.

In April 1997, Gingrich told The New York Times he was ready to be a kinder and gentler Republican by negotiating away the very tax cuts that he had once called ?the crown jewels of the contract.? Soon, conservatives were being pressured to vote for big spending appropriations bills. In his final speech from the floor of Congress, Newt Gingrich lashed out wildly at the same freshmen who had made him speaker ? mocking us as cannibals who made up ?the perfectionist caucus.?

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories0112_72084_html/44329538/SIG=11m1f6gig/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/72084.html

starship troopers nfl nfl cruise ship italy patriots broncos game gisele bundchen saints

Captain America 2 Filming in 2012?

With The Avengers?owning?2012 all to itself ? along with Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 having already staked out the separate halves of 2013 as their own ? it?s been assumed that Captain America 2 is the most likely candidate to snag one of the two 2014 release dates that Marvel Studios has already claimed.

According to Captain America costar Neal McDonough, who plays the bowler-capped Dum Dum Dugan, filming on the (currently) director-less sequel is slated to begin before 2012 comes to a close. Such a move would both pave the way for Cap?s next solo venture to reach theaters by 2014 ? and, set the stage for production to begin on one of the many other?single Marvel character-centric vehicles being developed right now.

IMDB Television was chatting recently with McDonough about his new role as a sophisticated crime boss on FX?s Justified, when the actor casually revealed the following tidbit about the next Captain America flick:

?They?re planning [to go into production] for the end of this year, because Marvel does one film at a time. So they?re going to do ?Thor 2??and as soon as ?Thor??has wrapped, they?ll do ?Cap 2?. Hopefully right after that, we?ll jump into ?Nick Fury??because that?s the one I?m looking forward to more than anything.?

While both a Nick Fury solo movie and S.H.I.E.L.D. flick are definite possible future Marvel endeavors, it seems more likely that only one or the other will eventually be made. More so, with other big titles like The Avengers 2?on the horizon, there?s always the chance that studio heads will ultimately hold off all the longer on producing a solo vehicle for Samuel L. Jackson?s one-eyed alter ego.

Moving on ? it sounds as though the Captain America sequel is (unofficially) set to arrive in 2014 now, even if production doesn?t begin quite as early as McDonough expects. That means the second Cap-centered movie should also be the ?big? Marvel release of that year ? with the other Marvel-marked release date being reserved for the live-action debut of a character like Ant-Man or Doctor Strange, whose respective solo vehicles are both reported to be making solid progress down the production pipeline.

Thor and Captain America team up in 'The Avengers'

Now that Avengers writer/director Joss Whedon has confirmed that the film unfolds from Cap?s perspective, it sounds as though the first Captain America?movie, The Avengers, and Captain America 2 will essentially form a direct trilogy, in terms of Steve Rogers? (Chris Evans) personal character arc.

Screenwriting duo Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely?s previous comments about how Cap?s second solo film will largely take place in a contemporary setting make all the more sense, in that regard ? seeing how CA 2 looks to now be even more of a direct continuation of the Avengers? narrative than either the second Thor or third Iron Man?installment.

All of the aforementioned upcoming Marvel titles are going to (at the least, partially) be affected by the success of The Avengers ? which is poised to test the comic book studio?s plans, when it comes to the feasibility of creating a shared movie universe akin to that featured in Marvel?s graphic novel literature. Best to hold off and see just how everything goes down in Whedon?s superhero ensemble flick, before speculating too?much about the films that take place thereafter.

-

The Avengers hits theaters in the U.S. on May 4th, 2012.

Don?t be surprised if Marvel officially confirms Captain America 2 for a May 16th, 2014 theatrical release date ? in the near future, that is.

Source: IMDB Television (via JoBlo and Collider)

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1924385/news/1924385/

clayton kershaw osu basketball dale sveum jets broncos thursday night football johnny jolly johnny jolly

Developer Spotlight: Ray Marshal of mSecure

iMore’s developer spotlights are like DVD/iTunes Extras for the App Store — a weekly look behind the scenes at the programers and designers that bring you the iPhone, iPod touch,

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/nZr1exsegKE/story01.htm

adam carolla desean jackson rick neuheisel rick neuheisel fast times at ridgemont high fast times at ridgemont high andrea bocelli

TV audience drops for Obama's State of Union speech (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Almost 38 million Americans watched President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech live on television - about 5 million fewer than in 2011, according to TV ratings figures on Wednesday.

The Nielsen company said Obama's speech on Tuesday night, in which he defended his record while demanding higher taxes on the wealthy, was carried live on 14 networks, and was seen by 37.7 million TV viewers.

Last year, the TV audience for the address was 42.7 million, while 48 million watched Obama deliver his first State of the Union speech in 2010.

(Reporting By Jill Serjeant; Editing by Eric Walsh)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/tv_nm/us_usa_obama_speech_tv

hyundai equus nissan leaf entourage entourage empire state of mind lyrics rex grossman carolina panthers

iPhone, iPad app rewards being a couch potato (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? Want to earn stuff by watching TV? An free app for that is set to debut Wednesday.

When you tap the screen, Viggle's software for iPhones and iPads listens to what's on, recognizes what you're watching and gives you credit at roughly two points per minute. It even works for shows you've saved on a digital video recorder.

Rack up 7,500 points, and you'll be rewarded with a $5 gift card from retailers such as Burger King, Starbucks, Apple's iTunes, Best Buy and CVS, which you can redeem directly from your device.

With some back-of-the-napkin math, you can figure that it would take three weeks of watching TV every night for three hours to earn enough for a latte at Starbucks.

But the company plans to offer bonus points for checking into certain shows such as "American Idol" and 1,500 points for signing up. You can also get extra points for watching an ad on your device. The beta version awarded 100 points for watching a 15-second ad from Verizon Wireless.

"Viggle is the first loyalty program for TV," said Chris Stephenson, president of the company behind Viggle, Function (X) Inc. "We're basically allowing people to get rewards for doing something they're doing already and that they love to do."

The idea behind Viggle is that by giving people an added reason to watch TV, the size of the audience will increase, thereby allowing makers of shows to earn more money from advertisers. Advertisers such as Burger King, Pepsi and Gatorade have also agreed to pay to have point-hungry users watch their ads on a mobile device.

In exchange, users earn points, which Viggle converts into real value by buying gift cards at a slight discount from retailers.

If the company gets the point-count economy right, it can end up making more money from advertisers and networks than it gives away in rewards.

The app will also give the company valuable insight into who is watching what, as redeeming rewards requires putting in your age, gender, email address and ZIP code.

"It really shows what social TV is going to evolve into," said Michael Gartenberg, a technology analyst at research firm Gartner. "For folks behind the scenes, this is a great way of seeing who really is watching."

The company hopes that user activity will grow by word of mouth, especially by offering a 200-point bonus to people who successfully get their friends to try out the service.

The app makes its debut in Apple Inc.'s app store on Wednesday. Versions for Android devices and computers are in the works.

The company has put in some safeguards. You must watch a show at least 10 minutes to earn bonus points. And you can't watch the same ad over and over again to earn more points; there's a one-ad-view-per-person rule.

Function (X) is owned and led by entertainment entrepreneur Robert F.X. Sillerman, who once owned a big stake in "American Idol" owner CKx Inc. That gives the company deep and broad connections in the entertainment business.

Function (X) has brought in $100 million in investment capital, and its stock trades on the Pink Sheets, a platform that allows people to buy shares but doesn't require the company release its financial results. Function (X) currently has a market value of about $1 billion.

.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/applecomputer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_rewards_for_watching_tv

george lucas numerology the game hue jackson new hampshire primary alabama football coachella 2012 line up

Hundreds of rebels lay down weapons in India state (AP)

GAUHATI, India ? Hundreds of rebels in jungle fatigues lined up to surrender their weapons Tuesday as several local insurgent groups formally joined a cease-fire with the government in a step toward ending three decades of insurgency in northeastern India.

The 676 fighters who handed over weapons to authorities at a sports stadium in the Assam state capital of Gauhati are members of nine of the more than 20 ethnic rebel groups fighting the government in the remote northeastern state.

More than 10,000 people have been killed since 1979 when the insurgents began fighting for greater autonomy for their ethnic groups in Assam. However, over the past two years, the groups have begun to reach cease-fire accords and enter peace talks with the government.

Tuesday's event in Gauhati brought the number of groups in talks to 15, leaving about a half dozen still fighting.

Senior army and police officers stood by as Home Minister P. Chidambaram assured the ex-fighters they would be embraced back into society.

"We shall make sure each one of you are able to enjoy equal rights now that you have shunned violence," Chidambaram said.

He said the government was close to signing comprehensive peace deals with some of the groups, but did not elaborate. Previously, the government has said it is open to discussing demands for more autonomy in areas including civil administration, finances and cultural rights.

"All differences can be settled through talks, consultations, efforts and endeavors," the home minister said.

Among the 15 ethnic rebel groups now negotiating peace in Assam is the largest and first to take up arms, the United Liberation Front of Asom. Its cease-fire deal, signed in September, calls for the government to shelter thousands of its disarmed rebels while peace talks are held.

The rebels have argued over the years that Assam's indigenous people ? most of whom are ethnically closer to groups in Myanmar and China than to the rest of India ? are ignored by the federal government 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) away in New Delhi.

They also accuse the Indian government of exploiting the northeast's rich natural resources ? complaints that are echoed by dozens of other ethnic rebel groups demanding autonomy in neighboring Indian states.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_re_as/as_india_rebels

sinead o connor dan marino passing record ipad 2 cases movie times serene branson matthew mcconaughey to catch a predator

Embarrassing Financial Revelations from Past Candidates (ContributorNetwork)

After increasing pressure in recent days from his fellow candidates and the media, and in the wake of a stunning, last-minute collapse in the South Carolina primary last Saturday, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney announced that he would release his tax return information for 2010 and 2011 on Tuesday.

Tax issues can sometimes provide headaches for candidates running for high office. Let's take a look back at some tax-related issues from past candidates:

Geraldine Ferraro (vice presidential candidate, election of 1984) -- Ferraro, a relatively inexperienced representative from New York, was chosen as the first woman on a major-party presidential ticket by Democrat Walter Mondale right before the convention in the summer of 1984. The media swarmed around the ground-breaking candidate and, soon, the New York Times launched an investigation into the financial situation of both Ferraro and her husband, a real estate investor. Eventually Ferraro released several years of tax returns that led to a series of embarrassing revelations of underpaid taxes and illegal campaign loans among other things.

Dick Cheney (vice president candidate, election of 2000) -- By his own admission during his campaign on the ticket with George W. Bush in the 2000 election, Cheney made more than $20 million during the 1990s. His charitable contributions, on the other hand, amounted to only about one percent of his total income during that period. The media zeroed in on this fact and went on the attack. Cheney weathered the storm well, however, and made up for his previous lack generosity. In 2005, for example, Cheney and his wife Lynne donated over $6.8 million on total earnings of $8.8 million.

Sarah Palin (vice presidential candidate, election of 2008) -- The little-known governor from Alaska was chosen by Republican John McCain as his running-mate for the 2008 campaign. But when Palin released her tax information from 2006 and 2007 it was revealed that she had not reported income from per diem payments made to her by the State of Alaska while she was staying in her own home as governor. The state eventually ruled that she had to pay taxes on that income.

Joe Biden (vice presidential candidate, election of 2008) -- Soon after Biden was chosen to be Barack Obama's running-mate during the 2008 campaign he released several years of tax returns. As a career politician Biden is not ultra-rich, but embarrassment ensued when his 1999 return revealed that he and his wife Jill had given a paltry $120 in charitable donations on an income of over $210,000.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120123/pl_ac/10871945_embarrassing_financial_revelations_from_past_candidates

john lennon death john lennon death c.j. wilson three stooges pujols mythbusters miami marlins

The Arab League to Syria's President: It's Time for You to Go (Time.com)

The epithet that seemed to be perpetually attached to the Arab League was "toothless." On Sunday, however, the organization was baring fangs at Syria. In the absence of a detailed political roadmap from the Syrian opposition, the Arab League presented its own audacious plan, calling on Syrian President Bashar Assad to relinquish power to his vice president who would then form a national unity government within two months ahead of early parliamentary and presidential elections.

The proposal, outlined by Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani in a press conference at the League's headquarters in Cairo, also demands Assad begin a national dialogue with the opposition within two weeks, and that the unity government elect a council within three months of its formation to write a new constitution. "I call on Syrian authorities to accept their responsibilities before God, and their people and the Arab nation," Sheikh Hamad said, after a nearly-five hour meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo. "We know that Syria has entered a period of violence and counter violence." He added that the members of the opposition "are arming to defend themselves." (PHOTOS: Syria's Ongoing Protests)

The Arab League had met to consider a report submitted by Sudanese General Mohammad Ahmad al-Dabi, head of the League's monitoring mission in Syria. The month-long mission, which wrapped up on Thursday, had been tasked with verifying if Assad had implemented a signed agreement with the League to withdraw his tanks and troops from Syria's cities and towns, cease violence, free political prisoners and start a meaningful dialogue with the opposition. A low-level committee had recommended that the League's foreign ministers extend the mission by a month.

But instead of diplomatic politesse, proceedings were thrown into disarray after Saudi Arabia, stepped out of the background role it has played so far in the Syria crisis, to forcefully push for an end to the Syrian government's ferocious crackdown against its opponents. For months, Qatar has taken the lead on Syria. In a move that likely persuaded other countries, especially Gulf states, to take a stronger line against Damascus, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told his counterparts that his country would withdraw its observers from the much-criticized League monitoring mission in Syria due to the continued shedding of "blood that is dear to us all." (READ: The Crisis in Syria: No Immunity for Bystanders)

Assad had failed to comply with an Arab League plan to end the violence, Prince Saud said, adding that "all possible pressure" should be applied on Damascus to cease a blistering offensive that has claimed well over 5,000 lives in the past 10 months, and according to Syrian rights groups, almost 1,000 since observers first arrived in Syria on Dec. 26. "We are calling on the international community to bear its responsibility, and that includes our brothers in Islamic states and our friends in Russia, China, Europe and the United States," Prince Saud said.

The strong Saudi remarks hardened deep divides within the 22-member Arab League over how to tackle the Syrian problem. Due to the disagreements, the foreign ministers' meeting, originally scheduled for 4 p.m. Cairo time, was delayed for several hours. When it finally convened, the meeting lasted for nearly five hours. The decision to take its initiative to the United Nations Security Council did not receive the support of Algeria, which abstained from supporting that clause; Lebanon, once again in the grip of its larger, stronger neighbor Syria, rejected the pan-Arab deal.

Sheikh Hamad acknowledged that the Saudi stance had influenced its Gulf allies. "Saudi is an important country in the Gulf Cooperation Council," Sheikh Hamad said, referring to the political and economic alliance of six Gulf states. "It is like a father to all of the countries. We have disagreed with it many times, but this is the reality; If there is a clear opinion from the kingdom, the GCC will follow it."

SPECIAL: TIME's 2011 Person of the Year: The Protester

Qatar reiterated its call for dispatching Arab peacekeeping troops to Syria. Sheikh Hamad said the League had not seriously discussed that proposal, likening such a deployment to that of the so-called Arab Deterrent Force (comprised almost entirely of Syrian forces) dispatched during Lebanon's civil war. That mission ended disastrously when the Syrian military quickly became a party to the Lebanese conflict, rather than a peacekeeper. Still, the mere suggestion of Arab boots on the ground was a clear indication of how forceful the Arab League is prepared to be. Sheikh Hamad said Assad should accept the plan. "I think this is an honorable exit because it is a Syrian-Arab solution."

Arab League secretary general Nabil el-Araby told the joint news conference that he would appoint a special representative to oversee the implementation of the plan and to negotiate between the Syrian government and the opposition. Sheikh Hamad likened the League's roadmap for Syria to that outlined for Yemen. That comparison may cause some Syrians to cringe. It took Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh months or so to sign off on that deal. (Ironically, or perhaps not coincidentally, Saleh left Yemen on Sunday, after months of clinging to power and surviving an assassination attempt that left his hands and parts of his scalp severely burned.) (WATCH: Why They Protest: Egypt, Libya and Syria)

The plan is bold but there is one clear catch: Assad must agree to it, and as El-Araby said, the violence must cease "before the political operation begins." Based on Assad's previous dealings with an Arab League he deeply despises, he may effectively buy time by studying the initiative and providing the veneer of cooperation, while continuing what he has termed his "security solution" to the country's problems. On the other hand, Assad called for a national unity government in his most recent speech. Still, having the condition imposed on him by the League is another matter.

The League's plan makes it clear that the Syrian leader has been sidelined by his peers and has few friends in the region -- other than Iran, the Lebanese militant group Hizballah and the Lebanese government it dominates. Russia and China have shielded Assad from serious censure at the U.N., but the emboldened Arab consensus against Damascus as well as its plan to go to the Security Council formally may put added pressure on Russia and China to let a resolution pass.

The Syrian National Council (SNC), the main umbrella opposition group, welcomed the League's plan. In a late-night press conference following that of the Arab League, SNC leader Burhan Ghalioun said the Arab League's decision makes it clear "that most Arab countries now consider that the regime of Bashar al-Assad is over." El-Araby said that the League's roadmap was not discussed with the SNC. (In what was a long day of dramatic developments, the SNC had earlier called on the League to transfer the Syria file to the Security Council for referral to the International Criminal Court.) (LIST: Top 10 World News Stories of 2011)

The Arab League's new-found audacity, however, wasn't enough for one Syrian journalist present at the news conference. "You haven't listened to the Syrian people. The people want to execute Assad," he demanded of the Qatari foreign minister.

"Who has stopped them?" Sheikh Hamad retorted. "Have we stopped them?"

"You know Assad will reject this," the reporter continued.

"Well, what do you think we should do?" Sheikh Hamad said.

And that is where the drama stands.

PHOTOS: Cartoons of the Week

PHOTOS: TIME's Pictures of the Week

View this article on Time.com

Most Popular on Time.com:

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20120123/wl_time/08599210506600

wormwood bcs bowl games jose reyes college football bowl schedule college football bowl schedule double mastectomy 2011 bowl schedule

Britain OKs television ads for abortion clinics (AP)

LONDON ? Britain's broadcast advertising body has given the go-ahead for private abortion clinics to advertise their services on television.

The Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice says there is no justification for barring private clinics that offer post-pregnancy services, including abortions, from advertising on television. Nonprofit post-pregnancy services are already allowed to advertise on television, and their for-profit counterparts are allowed to advertise in all other media.

Conservative lawmaker Nadine Dories said the move would desensitize people to the seriousness of getting a termination.

But committee spokesman Matt Wilson said the new rules would not allow companies to say: "Come to us to get an abortion." He said clinics would have to promote an "array of services."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_abortion_advertisements

ozzie guillen ozzie guillen washington monument demarcus ware terra nova miles austin ellen degeneres

Yemen says Saleh to depart for Oman

SANAA, Yemen?? Outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh will leave soon to Oman, en route to medical treatment in the United States, Yemeni officials said on Saturday, part of an American effort to get the embattled strongman out of the country to allow a peaceful transition from his rule.

Washington has been trying for weeks to find a country where Saleh can live in exile, since it does not want him to settle permanently in the United States. The mercurial president, who has ruled for more than 33 years, has repeatedly gone back and forth on whether he would leave.

The officials' comments Saturday suggested Oman, Yemen's neighbor, could be a potential home for him. Three officials said he would go, but they were divided on whether he would remain in exile in Oman or return to Yemen after treatment. His return, even if he no longer holds the post of president, could mean continued turmoil for the impoverished nation at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula.

PhotoBlog: Going on one year, protests continue in Yemen

After nearly a year of protests demanding his ouster, Saleh in November handed his powers over to his vice president and agreed to step down. A unity government between his party and the opposition has since been created. However, Saleh ? still formally the president ? has continued to influence politics from behind the scenes through his family and loyalists in power positions.

The U.S. does not want to take him in, concerned it would be seen by Yemenis as harboring a leader they say has blood on his hands for the killings of protesters. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates already have rejected Saleh, American officials said.

Senior ruling party figure Mohammed al-Shayef told The Associated Press that Saleh would travel "in the coming days" to Oman, then head to the United States for treatment of wounds he suffered in an June assassination attempt.

After treatment, Saleh would return to Yemen to head his People's Congress Party, said al-Shayef, who is also a prominent tribal leader. Another top party official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk of the plans, gave the same itinerary, though he said Saleh would pass through Ethiopia en route from Oman to the U.S.

Saleh himself has spoken in recent weeks of working as an opposition politician after he leaves the presidency.

However, an official in the prime minister's office said Saleh "is supposed" to return to Oman to stay after his U.S. treatment is completed.

The official said Saleh's powerful son Ahmed was currently in Oman, arranging a residence for his father. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk the press. It did not seem that Ahmed, who commands the elite Republican Guard that has been at the forefront of the crackdown on protests, would remain in Oman.

1. Only on msnbc.com

   1. After drone hit on al-Qaida planner, is Zawahiri next?
   2. Syria's capital delivers show of support for Assad
   3. 'Miracle' baby born from single frozen sperm
   4. China braces for Year of the Dragon travel rush
   5. Should couples share passwords?
   6. 1,137 dogs rescued from Chinese dinner table
   7. Poker players sue over online cheating scheme

The unity government has been struggling to establish its authority in the face of Saleh's continuing strength in the country. Like Saleh's son Ahmed, Saleh's nephew also commands one of Yemen's best trained and equipped security forces, and the president's loyalists remain in place in the government and bureaucracy.

Timeline: Yemen turmoil (on this page)

Saleh agreed to step down under a U.S.-approved and Gulf-mediated accord with the opposition in return for immunity for prosecution.

Yemen's parliament on Saturday approved the immunity law, a key step toward Saleh's formal retirement from his post. Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi signed it into law later in the day.

Saleh is scheduled to hand over the presidency to his vice president on Feb. 21.

The law grants Saleh complete immunity for any crimes committed during his rule, including the killing of protesters during the uprising against his regime. However, parliament limited the scope of immunity for other regime officials and excluded immunity for terrorism-related crimes.

Slideshow: Yemen in the spotlight (on this page)

Initially, the law would have similarly given complete immunity to everyone who served Saleh's governments throughout his rule, sparking a public outcry and a new wave of protests. In response, the law was changed to grant them immunity only on "politically motivated" criminal acts. That apparently would not cover corruption charges.

Most protesters have rejected the accord entirely, saying Saleh should not be given immunity and demanding he be prosecuted.

Human Rights Watch said Saturday in a statement that the law allows senior officials to "get away with murder" and "sends the disgraceful message that there is no consequence for killing those who express dissent."

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46081478/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

elisabeth shue avastin avastin robert wagner robert wagner live with regis and kelly heavy d funeral

Ron Paul South Carolina Primary Results 2012

COLUMBIA, S.C. ? Brushing off his poor last place finish in the South Carolina primary Saturday, Republican Ron Paul promised supporters the momentum around his libertarian-leaning campaign would continue.

"This is the beginning of a long, hard job," the Texas congressman told fans gathered at a sports bar in Columbia, the state capital.

Paul vowed to battle on in states holding caucuses over the next several weeks, saying the fight now is to amass delegates rather than to notch splashy wins.

"We will be promoting the whole idea of getting more delegates, because that's the name of the game," Paul said.

But the weak fourth-place finish was still a blow to Paul, who came in a respectable second to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in New Hampshire last week and placed third in Iowa behind Romney and Rick Santorum, the former senator from Pennsylvania. And it raised anew the question of whether he was in the race to win or simply wanted his views to gain maximum influence within the party.

Paul's advisers had long since written off the contest in South Carolina, a socially conservative state with a large military population advisers knew would be skeptical of Paul's views. Paul opposes abortion rights but has not made it a centerpiece of his message. He's also called for deep cuts to military spending as a way to reduce the debt and balance the federal budget.

Nonetheless, Paul's team had hoped he would edge Santorum in the state. He did not.

Paul's performance in South Carolina underscored the limitations of his message with Republican voters, who share many of Paul's views on cutting taxes and spending but have yet to embrace his largely isolationist foreign policy positions. He came under fire in a debate this week from GOP rivals when he questioned the U.S. mission that killed Osama bin Laden.

Paul tried to cast his showing in positive terms Saturday, saying he was a constant in a race that had seen several sharp fluctuations among the other contenders.

"Ever notice how the other candidates go up and then down? I am proud of our efforts at steady growth," Paul told supporters. The group cheered, yelling "President Paul! President Paul!"

Paul was heading home to Texas from South Carolina for a day off before flying to Tampa, Fla., Monday for a nationally televised debate on NBC. Paul was also scheduled to appear in a CNN debate Thursday but was otherwise bypassing Florida, which holds its primary Jan. 31.

Advisers said Paul would probably head to Maine, whose caucuses begin Feb. 7, and then onto caucus states like Minnesota, Nevada and Colorado. His advisers have long promised to follow the model used by President Barack Obama's campaign in 2008, believing Paul's young, Internet-savvy army would turn out to caucus for him in large numbers.

___

Follow Beth Fouhy on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/bfouhy

Earlier on HuffPost:

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/21/ron-paul-south-carolina-primary-results_n_1220948.html

rally squirrel scumbag steve scumbag steve day of the dead rocksmith blackbeard widespread panic

Another anti-government protest in Romania (AP)

BUCHAREST, Romania ? Thousands of Romanians, including teenage students who cut class, marched through their capital on Thursday to demand the resignation of their government for imposing harsh austerity measures in order to receive international loans for the nation's battered economy.

It was one of the largest protests in recent times in Bucharest and came after a week of sometimes violent anti-government demonstrations.

As the march reached University Square, protesters blocked traffic and shouted what has become a trademark slogan aimed at President Traian Basescu: "Get out, you miserable dog."

The square ? a focal point of recent protests ? is historically significant for Romanians because it was a centerpiece of the 1989 anti-communist revolution that led to Romania's birth of democracy.

On Thursday, some protesters pretended to hang Basescu and his close political ally, Tourism and Regional Development Minister Elena Udrea, by stringing their dummies to gallows set up in the square.

"Resign!" and "Down with Basescu!" other protesters screamed.

Some 14-year-old students at a school located along the route of the march abandoned class to join the demonstration. "To prison with you!" the students yelled at their president.

Police said 7,000 attended the rally, while organizers claimed the crowd was far larger.

In 2009, Romania took a two-year euro20 billion ($27.5 billion) loan from the International Monetary Fund, the European Union and the World Bank as its economy shrank by 7.1 percent. It imposed harsh austerity measures under the agreement, reducing public wages by 25 percent and increasing taxes. Anger has mounted over the wage cuts, slashed benefits, higher taxes and widespread corruption.

On Thursday, Basescu made his first public appearance since the protests began a week ago in an address to ambassadors in Bucharest. He spoke about Iran, the Middle East, domestic reforms and the "Arab Spring," but did not touch on the demonstrations or the anger over the state of Romania's economy.

During the Bucharest rally, one protester who only identified himself as Tudor, a 43-year-old locksmith said: "We want decent salaries and pensions. We want change ? from the top to the bottom."

Another protester, a 55-year-old nurse named Lorelei said, "We wouldn't have needed to have austerity measures if our governments hadn't stolen so much and bled us dry." She said she has attended all this week's anti-government rallies.

Three opposition parties organized Thursday's march, with protesters arriving in the capital from all over the country. Opposition leaders and Romanian personalities addressed the crowd before the march.

___

Alison Mutler reported from Bucharest.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_on_re_eu/eu_romania_protests

dexter facebook timeline kim jong il kim jong il vaclav havel vaclav havel kim jong ii dead