EU leaders to agree on permanent bailout fund (Reuters)

BRUSSELS (Reuters) ? EU leaders will sign off on a permanent rescue fund for the euro zone at a summit on Monday and are expected to agree on a balanced budget rule in national legislation, with unresolved problems in Greece casting a shadow on the discussions.

The summit - the 17th in two years as the EU battles to resolve its sovereign debt problems - is supposed to focus on creating jobs and growth, with leaders looking to shift the narrative away from politically unpopular budget austerity.

The summit is expected to announce that up to 20 billion euros ($26.4 billion) of unused funds from the EU's 2007-2013 budget will be redirected toward job creation, especially among the young, and will commit to freeing up bank lending to small- and medium-sized companies.

But discussions over the permanent rescue fund, a new 'fiscal treaty' and Greece will dominate the talks.

Negotiations between the Greek government and private bondholders over the restructuring of 200 billion euros of Greek debt made progress over the weekend, but are not expected to conclude before the summit begins at 9:00 a.m. EST.

Until there is a deal between Greece and its private bondholders, EU leaders cannot move forward with a second, 130 billion euro rescue program for Athens, which they originally agreed to at a summit last October.

Instead, they will sign a treaty creating the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), a 500-billion-euro permanent bailout fund that is due to become operational in July, a year earlier than first planned. And they are likely to agree the terms of a 'fiscal treaty' tightening budget rules for those that sign up.

PERMANENT RESCUE FUND

The ESM will replace the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), a temporary fund that has been used to bail out Ireland and Portugal and will help in the second Greek package.

Leaders hope the ESM will boost defenses against the debt crisis, but many - including Italian premier Mario Monti, IMF chief Christine Lagarde and U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner - say it will only do so if its resources are combined with what remains in the EFSF, creating a super-fund of 750 billion euros ($1 trillion).

The International Monetary Fund says an agreement to increase the size of the euro zone 'firewall' will convince others to contribute more resources to the IMF, boosting its crisis-fighting abilities and improving market sentiment.

But Germany is opposed to such a step.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she will not discuss the issue of the ESM/EFSF's ceiling until leaders meet for their next summit in March. In the meantime, financial markets will continue to fret that there may not be sufficient rescue funds available to help the likes of Italy and Spain if they run into renewed debt funding problems.

"There are certainly signals that Germany is willing to consider it and it is rather geared toward March from the German side," a senior euro zone official said.

The sticking point is German public opinion which is tired of bailing out the euro zone's financially less prudent. Instead, Merkel wants to see the EU - except Britain, which has rejected any such move - sign up to the fiscal treaty, including a balanced budget rule written into constitutions. Once that is done, the discussion about a bigger rescue fund can take place.

After nearly three years of crisis, some economists believe the combination of tighter budget rules, a bigger bailout fund and a commitment to broader structural reforms to boost EU productivity could help the region weather the storm.

"The fiscal compact and the ESM will shape a better future," said Carsten Brzeski, a euro zone economist at ING.

"Combined with ongoing austerity measures and structural reforms in peripheral countries, and, of course, with a lot of ECB action, the euro zone could master this stage of the crisis."

Economists say the pivotal act in recent months was the European Central Bank's flooding of the banking sector with cheap three-year money, a measure it will repeat next month.

GREEK DEAL?

While EU leaders are managing to put together pieces of legislation and financial barriers that might help them stave off a repeat of the debt crisis, immediate concerns - especially over Greece and potentially Portugal - remain.

By far the most pressing worry is the seven-month-long negotiation over private sector involvement in the second Greek rescue package. A deal in the coming days may help restore investor confidence, although Greece will still struggle to reduce its debts to 120 percent of GDP by 2020 as planned.

"If there is a deal, the heads of state and government can endorse it, welcome it and say that now it is up to Greece to agree to and deliver on reforms to get the second financing package," the euro zone official said.

Negotiators believe they have until mid-February to strike a deal. Failure to do so by then would likely force Greece to miss a 14.5 billion euro repayment on its debt due in mid-March.

Even if Athens can strike a deal with private bondholders to accept a 50 percent writedown on the nominal value of their bonds, it may still not be enough to close Greece's funding gap.

The IMF has suggested it may be necessary for public sector holders of Greek bonds - including the ECB and national central banks in the euro zone - to write off some of their holdings in order to close the gap.

Such a move would not necessarily involve the ECB or national central banks incurring losses, they would just be expected to forego any profit on the bonds they have bought.

But German ECB board member Joerg Asmussen told Reuters there was no possibility of the ECB taking part in the private-sector restructuring of Greece's debt.

(Reporting By Jan Strupczewski, editing by Mike Peacock)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/bs_nm/us_eu_summit

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College presidents wary of Obama cost-control plan (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Illinois State University President Al Bowman says President Barack Obama's proposal to tie federal support to tuition controls is a product of "fuzzy math." His counterpart at the University of Washington calls it little more than "political theater."

Obama's plan to force colleges and universities to contain tuition or face losing federal dollars, spelled out Friday during a speech at the University of Michigan, concerned education leaders worried about the threat of government overreach. From presidents of public universities frustrated with ever-increasing state budget cuts affecting their schools' bottom line, it brought some particularly sharp words.

The reality, says Bowman, is that deficits in many public schools can't be easily overcome with simple modifications. He says he was happy to hear Obama call for state-level support of public universities, but given the decreases in state aid, tying federal support to tuition prices is a product of fuzzy math.

Illinois has decreased public support for higher education by about a third over the past decade when adjusted for inflation. Illinois State University, with 21,000 students, has raised tuition almost 47 percent since 2007 ? from $6,150 a year for an in-state undergraduate student to $9,030.

"Most people, including the president, assume if universities were simply more efficient they would be able to operate with much smaller state subsidies, and I believe there are certainly efficiency gains that can be realized," Bowman said. "But they pale in comparison to the loss in state support."

Bowman said the undergraduate experience can be made cheaper, but there are trade-offs.

"You could hire mostly part-time, adjunct faculty. You could teach in much larger lecture halls, but the things that would allow you achieve the greatest levels of efficiency would dilute the product and would make it something I wouldn't be willing to be part of," he said.

University of Washington President Mike Young said Obama showed he did not understand how the budgets of public universities work.

Young said the total cost to educate college students in Washington state, which is paid for by both tuition and state government dollars, has actually gone down because of efficiencies on campus. While universities are tightening costs, the state is cutting their subsidies and authorizing tuition increases to make up for the loss.

"They really should know better," Young said. "This really is political theater of the worst sort."

Obama's plan must be approved by Congress, where it could face a tough road to passage among gridlocked lawmakers.

Earlier in the week, during his State of the Union address, Obama described meeting with university presidents who told of ways some universities were curtailing costs through technology and redesigning courses to help students finish more quickly. He said more schools need to take such steps.

On Friday, Obama said higher education has become an imperative for success in America, but the cost has grown unrealistic for too many families and the debt burden unbearable. He said states should also properly fund colleges and universities.

"We are putting colleges on notice," Obama told an arena packed with cheering students. "You can't assume that you'll just jack up tuition every single year. If you can't stop tuition from going up, then the funding you get from taxpayers each year will go down."

Obama is targeting only a small part of the financial aid picture ? the $3 billion known as campus-based aid that flows through college administrators to students. He is proposing to increase that amount to $10 billion and change how it is distributed to reward schools that hold down costs and ensure that more poor students complete their education.

The bulk of the more than $140 billion in federal grants and loans goes directly to students and would not be affected.

The average in-state tuition and fees at four-year public colleges this school year rose 8.3 percent and with room and board now exceed $17,000 a year, according to the College Board.

Rising tuition costs have been attributed to a variety of factors, among them a decline in state dollars and competition for the best facilities and professors. Critics say some higher education institutions are attempting to wait out the economic downturn and have been too reluctant to make large-scale changes that would cut costs such as offering three-year degree programs.

Washington's leverage to take on the rising cost of college is limited because American higher education is decentralized, with most student aid following the student.

The response to Obama's plan wasn't all negative. Many university presidents said they welcome a conversation about making college more affordable and efficient.

In Missouri, where Gov. Jay Nixon has proposed a 12.5 percent funding cut for higher education in the coming fiscal year, Obama's proposal could put even more pressure on public colleges and universities to limit tuition increases. By state law, schools must limit such increases to the annual inflation rate unless they receive permission for larger hikes. Nixon has warned schools that he doesn't want to see a tuition increase of more than 3 percent, the latest Consumer Price Index increase.

"The president's message isn't inconsistent with the agenda that we've been pursuing here in Missouri," said Paul Wagner, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Higher Education. "It's good to see him put the focus on the same things."

Obama also wants to create a "Race to the Top" competition in higher education similar to the one his administration used on lower grades. He wants to encourage states to make better use of higher education dollars in exchange for $1 billion in prize money.

Obama is also pushing for more tools to help students determine which colleges and universities have the best value.

___

Associated Press writers Ben Feller and Julie Pace in Washington, Jim Kuhnhenn and David Runk in Ann Arbor, Mich., David Mercer in Champaign, Ill., Alan Zagier in Columbia, Mo., Alex Dominguez in Baltimore, Dorie Turner in Atlanta, and Donna Gordon Blankinship in Seattle contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_college_costs

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Just Show Me: Great free to-do apps for your iPhone (Yahoo! News)

Welcome to?Just Show Me on?Tecca TV, where we show you tips and tricks for getting the most out of the?gadgets in your life. In today's episode we'll show you two amazing to-do apps for your?iPhone.

In addition to the Reminders app that comes on iOS 5 devices, these to-do apps will help you stay on task like never before! You'll be able to sync your to-dos with multiple devices; including on your web browser and on your iPhone. Check 'em out and?increase your productivity!

Take a look at these other episodes of Just Show Me that'll help you become an iPhone master:

For even more episodes of Just Show Me?check out our complete episode list. If you have any topics you'd like to see us cover, just drop us a line in the comments.

This article originally appeared on Tecca

More from Tecca:

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/applecomputer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20120127/tc_yblog_technews/just-show-me-great-free-to-do-apps-for-your-iphone

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Romney failed to disclose income from Swiss bank (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/191964755?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Correction: US-Horn of Africa Famine story (AP)

WASHINGTON ? In a story about the humanitarian crises in the Horn of Africa, The Associated Press erroneously reported that refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya were still in the process of opening. The camps opened between June and November of last year.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_re_us/us_us_horn_of_africa_famine

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Welsh Park Considers Using Bees as Sentries [Animals]

Marijuna farmers tried it with bears, and now a parks and recreation department in Wales wants to do it with bees: critters as cheap security. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/HpEN-zwzDro/welsh-park-considers-using-bees-as-sentries

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Occupy New Zealand Camps Raided By Authorities After Court Ruling

Auckland Council officers and police raided four sites in Auckland today, and effectively shut down the Occupy movement after more than 100 days of protest, The Associated Press reported.

Auckland Council officers and police Monday confiscated cars, tents and camping gear from more than 50 protesters at four sites in Auckland. The raid came after a local court ruled authorities could remove property from people who were illegally camping.

Police arrested three people in Aotea Square during the raids.

For more, click here.

Newark Patch has the story:

Nearly two dozens protesters trekked through downtown Newark Friday in solidarity with Move to Amend, a nationwide movement against what organizers call "corporate personhood."

To read the full piece and watch a video of the protest, go here.

When about 80 Occupy Cal students took over a UC Berkeley anthropology library Thursday night, some of their professors came along. The faculty told students they were both joining in the protests, and ensuring that they wouldn't be evicted by police.

"Members of the faculty and I have volunteered and have been authorized to provide the required supervision while we continue discussing a resolution...so we can avoid the immediate need to remove you from the building. I have been asked to emphasize that our continuing dialogue does not imply permission for you to stay," Anthropology department chairman Terry Deacon told the student protesters, after negotiating with the university's administration. He added, tongue-in-cheek, "I'm not going to suggest that you can't let your friends in. I didn't tell you you could...If you know someone that you trust that wants to come in here and play a role in this activity, of course, I won't notice that you're going down to open the doors."

Watch:

Video streaming by Ustream

The students were in the library to protest cuts in hours, according to the Contra Costa Times. The deal worked out with faculty was only valid through Friday morning, but as of this afternoon, about a dozen students remained in the library.

A previous Occupy rally at UC Berkeley ended in a violent confrontation with campus police.

-- Ariel Edwards-Levy

Protesters gathered outside the Theodore Levin U.S. Courthouse in downtown Detroit Friday afternoon, joining the nationwide Occupy Our Courts protest taking place at more than 130 courthouses across the country.

A hat tip to OfftheBus contributor Pamela Powers Hannley...

To share your own photos, videos or first-hand reports from these or other political events, email us at offthebus@huffingtonpost.com.

There's a man in a gray hoodie carrying a video camera behind police lines. Activists have targeted him as the culprit for the clash. They claim via live stream that he started pushing folks.

Cops carry one activist away.

Activists have retreated to the base of the plaza. Mic check is called to talk about the police.

"We can not in one breath say they are a part of us and then in one breath tell them to fuck off."

"We are all Americans. Never forget that."

Mass of cops gathered around activist being arrested. The cops are surrounded by screaming activists holding up cameras.

"We are the 99 Percent and we are not afraid," an activist tells the cops.

Moments ago, activists had taken the top steps of the Supreme Court. They had gathered -- against police orders -- and chanted "money isn't free speech." Police issued a warning for them to disperse. And then went about taken activists into custody. During the clash with police, several activists fell down the steps.

Police pinned one activist to the steps of the Supreme Court. On the live stream, activists are saying the main instigator was a plain clothes cop and not one of their own.

During a mic check, activists calls for a little humor: "Our numbers and our humor let us breakthrough." Activists do the hokey pokey along the police line. The cops look on expressionless.

Activists take a few steps as police look on. The police have formed a loose line -- they do not look worried. Activists chant "money is not free speech!"

Outside the Supreme Court, dozens of activists have pushed down the barricades. Police have lined up along the court steps. The activists are chanting: "The people united will never be defeated!"

Dahlia Lithwick writes in the Guardian U.K.:

At one level, Occupy the Courts could not be a more brilliant campaign at more opportune moment. After all, Occupy Wall Street has been faulted for being ? as they might say in Texas ? all hat no cattle; a movement with huge popular support but no coherent objective. By taking a position on Citizens United and the massive influx of corporate dollars pouring into election campaigns, protesters not only align themselves with the 99% of Americans who can't yet afford to buy and sell entire elections, but also seize upon the most abhorrent metaphor deployed by the 5-4 majority in the Citizens United decision: that corporations are the same as living, breathing humans when it comes to constitutional protections.

Read the rest of the piece here.

Live stream from the Supreme Court protest can be found here.

The direct action begins at 9 a.m. Details here.

Occupy Wall Street plans evening actions and speakers. Details here.

The Portland Press Herald reports that local politicians took stand in support against corporate personhood:

The Portland City Council has approved a resolution that calls on members of Maine?s congressional delegation to support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolishing corporate personhood.

After listening to more than an hour of testimony tonight about the undue influence corporate donations can play in politics and elections, the council voted 6-2 to adopt the resolution.

The Des Moines Register reports:

In Des Moines, protest activities are slated to begin on Thursday with a funeral march around the Capitol Rotunda from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. to mourn ?the death of democracy.?

An Occupy the Courts rally has been scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Friday at the federal courthouse at 123 E. Walnut St.

Judge rules the activists are not allowed to protest in front of the federal courthouse in Manhattan. They will instead protest at Zuccotti Park, reports The New York Daily News.

The Boston Globe reports:

As public opposition mounts for service cuts and fare hikes proposed by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Occupy Boston activists have turned their attention to the issue.

Working largely through social media, an Occupy MBTA group has begun an effort to organize opposition to the MBTA?s proposals. At 3 p.m. Wednesday, the group?s Twitter account had 176 followers.

The MBTA?s proposals present options many T riders find unacceptable. In one, fares would increase by 35 percent overall, setting the price of a train ride at $2.25, while 101 weekday bus routes would be cut. Fares would increase from $2 to $3 for most trips on The Ride, the MBTA?s door-to-door transit service for the disabled, and to $5 for trips outside the T?s fixed-route service area.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/22/occupy-new-zealand-raid_n_1222688.html

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Music sales fall again in 2011, but optimism grows (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? Digital music revenues rose eight percent in 2011 to $5.2 billion, but it was not enough to prevent another annual decline in the overall market to $16.2 billion from $16.7 billion in 2010.

Figures released on Monday by record industry body the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) confirmed expectations that a downward trend which began in the late 1990s continued last year.

The good news was that the 2011 decline of around three percent was smaller than the eight percent drop in 2010, and there were signs that the industry was finally beginning to get on top of the rampant online piracy it blames for its woes.

Record label bosses were cautiously optimistic that music revenues would finally return to growth in 2013, a view not shared by everyone in the business.

"The future is looking extremely bright. Has the industry turned a corner? I'm definitely more positive now than I've ever been," said Rob Wells, president of global digital business at Universal Music Group, the world's biggest label.

"I think 2013 is probably a safe bet," he told an IFPI briefing in London. "However, despite all the good news, still great effort needs to be put on the piracy problem that still exists."

Edgar Berger, president and CEO International at Sony Music Entertainment, added: "I think the environment is changing favorably and we're going from headwind to tailwind."

Frances Moore, chief executive of the IFPI, said major legal digital music services spread dramatically last year to 58 countries from 23 in 2010.

She welcomed the arrival of new models for accessing music, including cloud-based services like iTunes Match, and said the number of subscribers to sites like Spotify and Deezer had jumped to 13.4 million from 8.2 million in 2010.

But despite signs that governments were taking the issue of piracy more seriously, it continued to undermine the recording industry's efforts to return to growth.

The IFPI estimated that 28 percent of internet users accessed unauthorized services on a monthly basis.

Wells said piracy's significance could not be played down.

"Spain, which should be the powerhouse of repertoire for Latin America and the U.S. Latin market, is effectively a dead market," he said. "Yet in South Korea, where we have new anti-piracy laws, the market is surging and now spreading its repertoire far beyond its own borders."

"PIRATE" BATTLES

The IFPI report came just days after the U.S. government shut down the Megaupload.com content sharing website, the latest skirmish in the battle against the piracy of movies and music.

Soon after, FileSonic, another website providing online data storage, disabled its file-sharing services.

The movie and music industries want Congress to crack down on Internet piracy and content theft, but major Internet companies including Google and Facebook have complained that current drafts of the legislation would lead to censorship.

A priority for 2012, the IFPI's Moore said, would be to encourage search engines like Google to do more to prioritize legal music sites and help prevent the funding of illegal sites through advertising.

In 2011, the IFPI estimated that 3.6 billion downloads were purchased globally, combining singles and album downloads, an increase of 17 percent.

The most popular digital single last year was Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are" with 12.5 million downloads.

Industry executives interviewed by the IFPI said they saw growth potential in both main models of online music services -- "ownership" and "access" -- and improved technology and broadband penetration should also help.

There were encouraging signs for the album format, too, with digital album volumes surging 24 percent in 2011 and defying predictions that the download age would spell the end of the LP as listeners cherry picked their favorite singles.

Overall the music market has shrunk every year since 2004, despite digital revenues rising.

In 2004, when digital sales first registered in IFPI statistics, the overall music industry was worth $24.3 billion, according to the latest adjusted figures.

Other sectors, like publishing and movies, are concerned that the pain the recording industry has gone through for the best part of a decade awaits them in the future.

Digital sales accounted for 32 percent of global music revenues in 2011, compared with five percent for newspapers, four percent for books and just one percent for films.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/music_nm/us2011

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[OOC] Class information and Stats

I would appreciate any help at this stage, moderators, writers, or anyone with good ideas are welcomed to contribute. That said, without no further ado I'd like to introduce you to the beta classes. Pick whichever one suits you best in personality, play style, or any other reason.

Adventurer
[SPOILER]

Stats
Strength: 6.5
Stamina: 6.5
Dexterity: 6.5
Speed: 6.5
Spirit: 6.5
Intelligence: 6.5
39

A jack of all trades and a master of none, you are an Adventurer! Adventurers can adapt to many situations with great ease. A great starting class if you're not sure how you want to specialize.
Though they lack any specific skills or strengths, this serves as their only real weakness, as otherwise Adventurers are well-rounded in all areas of combat.
[/SPOILER]

Ninja
[SPOILER]

By combining their stealth and evasion with powerful elemental magic, Ninja Masters are some of the fiercest warriors. Although they may not be the most physically powerful warriors, their cunningness and spellcasting abilities more than make up for any deficiencies. In fact, Ninja Masters can use their ninja techniques to enhance their strength, thus making them even more powerful and formidable. Their strength truly becomes something to be feared when they enhance it enough to be able to punch through solid stone. In addition, their agility allows them to rapidly unleash powerful blasts of elemental ninja techniques that quickly overwhelm the enemy; however, Ninja Masters more often prefer to stealthily and quietly eliminate their opponents. When faced with armies of warriors, Ninja Masters can increase their own numbers and overwhelm their opponents by sneakily creating elemental clones. It is often difficult to determine whether or not a Ninja Master will walk the path of good or evil, though it is certainly not true that all are evil.

Stats
Strength: 7
Stamina: 5
Dexterity: 9
Speed: 9
Spirit: 6
Intelligence: 7
43
[/SPOILER]

Samurai
[SPOILER]

Swift and deadly, the Iron Blademasters silently roam the earth in search of the strongest warriors to test their skills against. These sword masters use the shadows and darkness to aid them in battle and augment their already astounding power. While these warriors may be quiet out of battle, the use of dark and shadowy energy makes them ferocious and energetic fighters in battle. In fact, they have been known to swiftly and mercilessly shred their foes to pieces, like a vicious animal; however, most of the time these agile warriors are peaceful and maintain their composure. Indeed, when out of battle, it is quite rare for these warriors to get angered, and they are most often seen in a state of peace and tranquility. These warriors will often meditate to harness the energy within their body and bring their wild mind to a calm state of equilibrium. By focusing these energies, Iron Blademasters are able to unleash blasts of power from their sword and fists. In fact, Iron Blademasters happen to be masters of many forms of martial arts, and by combining these martial arts skills with their sword skills, they can easily take down almost any foe. These warriors happen to be so strong that their fists are said to be as tough as iron, and rumor has it that they can literally punch through solid stone! In addition, by channeling their energy in precise ways through their bodies, Iron Blademasters can transform from a human into various wild beasts. Transforming into various animals can give the Iron Blademaster major advantages in and out of battle.

Stats
Strength:8.5
Stamina: 7
Dexterity: 8.5
Speed: 7.5
Intellect: 5
Spirit: 5
41.5
[/SPOILER]

Dragoon
[SPOILER]

The Dragon Knight (Japanese: ?????) is a character class (or "job") featured in Square Enix's Final Fantasy series of computer role-playing games. In English language localizations, it has been frequently referred to as either Dragoon or Lancer.

The Dragon Knight is portrayed as a skilled warrior class, usually capable of wearing heavy armor. Its weapons of choice are spears and lances, which it frequently utilizes in an airborne attack. The Dragon Knight signature attack is a long-distance leap into the air. From above, the Dragon Knight thrusts downward with its spearpoint, skewering its foes from above, and causing approximately twice as much damage as a normal horizontal attack. In addition, its speed and skill at handling such potentially unwieldy weaponry allows an experience Dragon Knight to strike multiple times during one combat round.

Stats
Strength: 8
Stamina: 8
Dexterity: 8
Speed: 7
Intellect: 6
Spirit: 4
41
[/SPOILER]

Dark Knight

The Dark Knight is characterized by wearing tight, sometimes enclosed black armor and wielding a sword powered by dark energy. Their physical stats, with exception of Defense, are usually high, but their other stats depend on the game they appear in. The typical Dark Knight ability is Souleater, also known as Darkness, which allows them to sacrifice their HP to perform stronger attacks. However, Souleater is not exclusive to the Dark Knight class. The Dark Knight is opposed by the Paladin, holy knights who protect allies and wield sacred powers. Unlike many classes, Dark Knights bear a signature weapon, the Deathbringer, which has a chance to kill certain enemies in a single blow.

Strength: 9
Stamina: 7
Dexterity: 7
Speed: 5.5
Spirit: 4
Intellect: 7.5
42

Templar/War Paladin
[SPOILER]

Powerful and noble warriors, War Paladins are both masters of weapons and defensive magic. By imbuing their weapons with light magic, War Paladins can easily and effortlessly vanquish any evil or undead foes. Additionally, they excel at defensive spells which they use to enhance the protective power of their shields. The magic of spellcasters has little affect on War Paladins because of the defensive capabilities of their magical shields. These shields also help protect them against any physical attacks, making War Paladins almost impossible to injure. On top of that, they can use their magic to heal themselves or their allies. The combination of high physical power and high defensive magic make War Paladins one of the top classes. Their only downside is that that they can sometimes lack stealth and can be quite slow; however, the strongest War Paladins have increased their agility enough so that it is not a problem in battle.

Strength: 8.5
Stamina:9
Dexterity: 6
Speed: 5
Spirit: 5
Intellect: 8
41.5
[/SPOILER]

Mage Knight/Rune Knight
[SPOILER]

Masters of elemental magic and swordsmanship, Rune Knights are valuable and staunch allies in battle. By using rune magic to imbue their weapons with elemental power, Rune Knights can defeat opponents most other warriors can only dream of defeating. Their magic can help them slice through the toughest armor and vanquish the most formidable foes. For example, by condensing wind magic around their blade, Rune Knights can slice through even the toughest and most impenetrable armor. Additionally, Rune Knights can enhance the strength of their own body and armor with rune magic to make it more resistant to enemy spellcasters and warriors. By covering themselves in these powerful runes, enemy attacks simply bounce off of them. In fact, certain runes can even make attacks literally reflect back onto the enemy essentially turning the power of the enemy against them. Although most often honorable warriors, the Rune Knights may turn to the side evil if necessary.

Stats
Strength: 7
Stamina: 7
Dexterity: 7
Speed: 7
Intellect: 7
Spirit: 6
41
[/SPOILER]

Blackbelt
[SPOILER]

A brilliant, peaceful, and respected warrior, you are the Warrior Monk. As a master of both hand-to-hand combat and weapon combat, Warrior Monks can be truly fierce opponents in battle. However, they normally only use their abilities and power for just causes and when they feel it is absolutely necessary. Warrior Monks may occasionally stray to the side of evil, but for the most part, they are just and honorable warriors. With the ablility to release blasts of energy from their sword and fists, the Warrior Monks can shatter even the toughest armor. Defensively, Warrior Monks are virtually unmatched because their skin is so tough that they can literally block a sword with their bare hands. In addition, Warrior Monks can further increase their strength, speed, and dexterity by using their mastery of moon magic to transform into the Silver Simian, a powerful and pure warrior of the night.

Stats
Strength: 9
Stamina: 6
Dexterity: 7.5
Speed: 9
Intellect: 4
Spirit: 6
41.5[/SPOILER]

Thief
[SPOILER]

Hey, you! Put down my treasure and get out of my house before I beat you up!

You are the Thief, and unfortunately, this kind of situation happens quite often to you. You are a warrior who tries to be sneaky but fails miserably and gets caught. Although you have tried your best to master the art of stealth and evasion, you are not skilled enough yet to reach the Ranger and Ninja classes. But if you keep training I'm sure you'll reach a much higher class! Or you'll just end up getting caught and killed. One or the other.

Stats
Strength: 5
Stamina: 6
Dexterity: 10
Speed: 10
Intellect: 5
Spirit: 5
41[/SPOILER]

Hunter
[SPOILER]

As a hunter, you posses a set of skills essential for adapting to and survival of most natural surroundings.

Oftentimes Hunters can be very introverted and enjoy being alone, and this may be misconstrued as a sign of evil. Some people may even find Hunters strange and unusual, but they know in their hearts who they truly are and what they truly believe. With their strong convictions, stealthy nature, and skill with weapons, Hunters can be deadly foes. Although they are skilled with a sword, Silent Wanderers often prefer to silently snipe their enemies with a bow or set hidden traps to defeat their opponents. By hiding in the shadows, Hunters can use their bow to take down entire groups of warriors without ever revealing their presence. When travelling, Hunters leave no footprints making them impossible to track, and in close combat they are so swift and agile that they hardly make a sound. Oftentimes, this makes it nearly impossible to predict and read their movements allowing the Hunters to easily defeat their opponents. Although they do not actively seek battle, they will not hesitate to defend themselves or their honor. Finally, since these warriors are so comfortable in nature, many have become skilled with moon and wood magic, which can have devasting magical side-effects on all foes who dare oppose the Hunter.

Stats
Strength: 6.5
Stamina: 7
Dexterity: 7
Speed: 8.5
Intellect: 6
Spirit: 6
41
[/SPOILER]

Summoner
[SPOILER]

? I choose you! ?

Summoner are a group of people who, instead of gaining innate power, learn to bind the souls of monstrous beings and command them to fight in the Summonerss stead. They are often feared by most of the smarter beings among these Monsters, who don't relish the prospect of being an attack dog on a leash for mortal Tamers.

Summoners are most often defined by the Monsters they have at their command. Some choose to have a varied and even haphazard collection, some choose to focus on Monsters of a particular type or subtype, and some choose to go along other themes, such as Monsters with particular schools of spell-like abilities or tough bruisers.

Stats
Strength: 5
Stamina: 5
Dexterity: 5
Speed: 5
Intellect: 5
Spirit: 5
30[/SPOILER]

Gunner
[SPOILER]

Tall, lithe and sneaky, the Gunner is a mysterious being from another plane where they have mastered technology to compensate for their world's absence of magic. Generally weak physically, he attacks at a distance with a brutal arsenal of weapons. The Gunner has even been able to channel the magic of Arad to enchant bullets with elemental powers, which unleash gruesome damage on creatures vulnerable to particular elements.

Stats
Strength: 6
Stamina: 8
Dexterity: 7
Speed: 6.5
Int: 8
Spirit: 6
40.5
[/SPOILER]

Gladiator
[SPOILER]

You are a Braveheart, a warrior of unparallel ferocity, tenacity and courage. While you share many tendencies associated with that of berserkers, your pride as a warrior keeps in check some of the base-ist urge that most berserker succumb to. A spirit of fierce competition stirs deep within your soul. You believe yourself to be superior of your peers and you would like to prove that. Sometimes this noble yet overrarching sense of pride can be a disadvantage when it comes to co-opterating with others.

While courage may seem like a trivial power, the truth is that your courage allows you to overcome the impossible and to defeat the undefeatable. In combat, your courage crushes any fear in your body, clearing your mind and allowing you see strategies and openings that you would not normally see

Stats
Strength: 10
Stamina: 6.5
Dexterity: 6.5
Speed: 7
Intellect: 4.5
Spirit: 6
40.5
[/SPOILER]

Pirate
[SPOILER]

Just about everyone is familiar with the classic swashbuckler -- a flashy combatant who lives by her wits and literally dives into combat. But a swashbuckler can be much more than just a character who looks good in a fight. She might be a tireless do-gooder, a fun-loving reveler, a wisecracking vagabond, a rebel, a pugnacious adventurer who won't sit still when insulted, or some combination of these.

The swashbuckler's combat abilities make her a force to be reckoned with in battle, but the style with which she performs them makes him/her a truly memorable foe.

The swashbuckler class offers a solid base of fighting ability, plus plenty of room for customization. Swashbucklers can be fighting acrobats, professionals who lead double lives, glib negotiators, smugglers, pirates, or just about any characters who favor wit and style over brute force. Chevalier's are adept in both short range and long range. Think of a tradeoff between a ninja's speed and skill and a gunner's defense and range capabilities. Wherein lies the strengths of a Chevalier's. Chevalier's are a well-rounded versatile combatants.

Stats
Str: 7.5
Stamina: 7
Dexterity: 7.5
Speed: 8
Intellect: 6
Spirit: 5
41.5
[/SPOILER]

Bard
[SPOILER]

Bards are often depicted as ne'er-do-wells and charlatans who prefer not to meet challenges head on which has earned them a a bit of a negative conotation in most role playing circles but a bard can be a very respectable character depending on your choice of play. With stats emphasizing dexterity, speed, spirit and intelligence, a bard can become a prety formidable versatile mage in his own right but the strengths of a Bard lies
so evidently in his unique lore ability. Some lores may grant status boosts to a party, others may cripple enemy parties with status affliction, while others have remeding effects. Lores all around seem to have a various functions which makes the bard one of the more versatile classes to choose from.

A character who fits that stereotype can be fun, but a bard also can function as a person of deep knowledge and wide experience, a folk hero, a slumming aristocrat, or a general handyman. They can also do some damage with swords but they're most suited with an instument at arms.

Stats
Strength: 5
Stamina: 6
Dexterity: 8
Speed: 8
Intellect: 7.5
Spirit: 7.5
42
[/SPOILER]

White Mage/Sage
[SPOILER]

You are the Holy Sage, the bane of evil! Masters of defense and healing magic, Holy Sages are the ultimate users of support spells and light magic. Wise and benevolent beyond belief, the Holy Sage can use swift light based offensive and defensive magic to destroy and defend against demonic and undead enemies. On top of their skill with light magic, Holy Sages are sometimes capable of using powerful and destructive elemental magic. While Holy Sages most often prefer to heal and not to fight, they are not opposed to defending themselves if attacked. However, most of the time they will simply use barriers to trap their foes physically and mentally in prisons of light. In fact, the greatest Holy Sages have such mastery over the light element that they can even create complex illusions to deceive and confuse their foes. With arguably the most poweful defensive and healing magic of all the classes, the Holy Sage is a truly powerful warrior of light.

Stats
Strength: 4
Stamina: 5
Dexterity: 7
Speed: 8
Intellect: 9
Spirit: 10
43
[/SPOILER]

Black Mage
[SPOILER]

As a powerful magician that tried to discover the true source of power and magic, the Dark Magus has mastered an array of powerful and deadly spells that often have unpredictable effects. As a sorcerer that often kills indiscriminantly (and often for pleasure), the Dark Magus is certainly someone to be feared and avoided. Although the Dark Magi most often walk the path of darkness, there are a few who occasionally stray to the path of light. Utilizing their mastery of fire and dark magic for the side of good may seem unusual, but Dark Magi are absolutely not opposed to becoming staunch allies of the light. Although Dark Magi specialize in fire based magic, thay are also proficient in the other basic elements. However, their mastery over fire far exceeds that of any of the other spellcaster classes allowing them to manipulate the fire more skillfully and effortlessly. By increasing the intensity of their fire they can even create blue and white flames, and on top of that they can unleash the power of volcanoes by manipulating the lava within them. In addition, some Dark Magi may be skilled with summoning techniques, allowing them to summon elemental golems with whom they have made blood pacts.

Stats
Strength: 5
Stamina: 5
Dexterity: 6
Speed: 7.5
Intellect: 10
Spirit: 9
42.5
[/SPOILER]

Keyblader
[SPOILER]

Keyblade Master is the title given to exceptional Keyblade wielders who pass the Mark of Mastery exam in the Kingdom Hearts series. There are a total of five known Keyblade Masters: Master Eraqus, Master Xehanort, Yen Sid, Aqua, and Mickey Mouse. Currently, only two remain active: Mickey and Aqua. Master Xehanort previously lost his memories, becoming the younger Xehanort, but will be restored following the destruction of his Heartless and his Nobody. Yen Sid retired his title and passed his Keyblade down to Mickey, and Eraqus was slain by Master Xehanort.
The Keyblade Master, upon passing the Mark of Mastery exam, is given the choice to either travel to many worlds and explore his or her horizons, or to succeed his or her predecessor and take refuge in his or her own world to protect it from malevolent forces and later take on more apprentices.

Stats
Strength: 7
Stamina: 6.5
Dexterity: 6.5
Speed: 8
Intellect: 7
Spirit: 7
41
[/SPOILER]

Red Mage
[SPOILER]

An expert with both magic and a sword, the Battle Warlock is certainly a balanced and deadly class. Battle Warlocks are quite skilled with a sword and can effortlessly combine this prowess with the art of magic, allowing them to create powerful and deadly combinations that no other class can. Battle Warlocks excel in an unusual element that no other class can utilize: metal. Being so unique, their metal magic often catches their foes offguard providing the Battle Warlock with an easy victory. Battle Warlocks can even use their metal magic to transform the shape of their own weapons mid-battle to confuse and disorient their opponents. On top of that, anyone who attacks the Battle Warlock with metal weapons and armor stands no hope of winning. A slash of an opponent's blade will simply melt harmlessly off the Battle Warlock, and an opponent's protective armor can be morphed by the Battle Warlock into a spikey prison of death. With the unique ability to morph metal into any shape they desire, Battle Warlocks are fearsome and powerful warriors. Although Battle Warlocks specialize in metal magic they are also proficient in the other basic elements.

Stats
Str: 6
Stamina: 5.5
Dexterity: 7
Speed: 6.5
Intellect: 8
Spirit: 8
41

[/SPOILER]

Alchemists/Scholar
[SPOILER]

With their superior intelligence and mastery of transmutation magic, Alchemic Sorcerers are able to use potions and runes to transform and control the elements. Although not exactly spellcasters, Alchemic Sorcerers are more than capable of unleashing powerful blasts of fire, water, earth, and air. In addition, they are capable of performing many techniques that no other spellcaster can. In fact, Alchemic Sorcerers are able to deconstruct objects and then reconstruct them in almost any way they choose. For example, Alchemic Sorcerers can turn a simple spark into a blazing fire by manipulating the concentration of oxygen in the surrounding air. They can even reconstruct demolished buildings or turn lead into pure gold. With endless possibilties and combinations, alchemy can be a truly unique and deadly form of combat. Of course, a transmutation circle is almost always necessary for for these kinds of reconstructions. Even without their trasmutation magic, Alchemic Sorcerers can use their mastery of martial arts and light magic to defeat their foes. In fact, Alchemic Sorcerers often have some of the most powerful light magic out of all the classes allowing them to launch powerful blasts of light energy from their fists or even combine their light magic with transmutation magic in order to heal. The ultimate goal of the Alchemic Sorcerer is the quest for knowledge and eternal life. Alchemic Sorcerers are intrigued by life and endlessly search for ways to transmute, combine, and create different creatures and forms of life so that they may learn more about their own lives and how to extend it. While Alchemic Sorcerers are normally on the side of light, alchemy can be a dangerous and immoral form of magic, so it is not unusual for one to become corrupt and power hungry.

Stats
Str: 6.5
Stamina: 6
Dexterity: 7
Speed: 8
Intelligence: 9.5
Spirit: 5
42[/SPOILER]

Mech Master
[SPOILER]

You are the Gear Enchanter, a cunning warrior skilled with weapons, offensive elemental magic, and mechanics. By fusing magic and engineering together Gear Enchanters are able to construct powerful enchanted machines capable of wreaking havoc on all their opponents. Magical weapons, cannons, and vehicals are absolutely no trouble for them to build, and they give Gear Enchanters a decided advantage in every battle they fight. By constructing magical airships and tanks, they can quickly move thousands of people across vast stretches of land and also augment both their defensive and offensive capabilities. Indeed, Gear Enchanters can use your magic to swiftly move armies across continents and even drop magical bombs on any unsuspecting foes. In addition, they can create robotic, lifelike creatures that can aid them in battle against their enemies. These machine golems are incredibly powerful, and like any of their other creations, they truly make Gear Enchanters even more formidable and deadly adversaries. Gear Enchanters are especially skilled at constructing magic blades, which often have incredible and powerful properties. For example, some swords have the ability to create explosions on impact, while others can split into multiple swords mid-battle. To further augment the power of their blades, they can even imbue them with powerful elemental properties. Furthermore, Gear Enchanters may be quite skilled with using these swords and magic weapons that they construct, so even without their skill with mechanics, Gear Enchanters can use their offensive weapon skills, powerful elemental magic, and sly nature to defeat their foes.

Strength: 6
Stamina: 5
Dexterity: 8.5
Speed: 7
Intellect: 9
Spirit: 6
41.5
[/SPOILER]

I'm a dreamcatcher but only nightmares I caught.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/gyYWw508HDM/viewtopic.php

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Physicists use ion beams to detect art forgery

Saturday, January 21, 2012

University of Notre Dame nuclear physicists Philippe Collon and Michael Wiescher are using accelerated ion beams to pinpoint the age and origin of material used in pottery, painting, metalwork and other art. The results of their tests can serve as powerful forensic tools to reveal counterfeit art work, without the destruction of any sample as required in some chemical analysis.

Their research is featured on the front cover of the current issue of Physics Today in an article titled, "Accelerated ion beams for art forensics." Wiescher and Collon say, "Art experts play an important role in identifying the style, history and context of a painting, but a solid scientific basis for the proper identification and classification of a piece of art must rely on information from other sources.

"A host of approaches with origins in biology, chemistry and physics have allowed scientists and art historians not only to look below a painting's or artifact's surface, but also to analyze in detail the pigments used, investigate painting techniques and modifications done by the artist or art restorers, find trace materials that reveal ages and provenances, and more," Wiescher and Collon continue.

The information that is revealed can shed light on trading patterns, economic conditions and other details of history. For example, the amount of silver in Roman coins can indicate the degree of inflation in the ancient economy.

Laboratories in Europe, including several in Italy and one in the basement of the Louvre in Paris, have accelerators dedicated to the forensic analysis of art, and archaeological artifacts. These accelerator-based techniques have allowed not only to analyze the works themselves, but also to determine origin, trade and migration routes as well as dietary information. As an example, the analysis of the ruby eyes in a Babylonian statue of the goddess Ishtar using the Louvre's accelerator showed that the rubies came from a mine in Vietnam, demonstrating that trade occurred between those far-apart regions some 4,000 years ago.

At Notre Dame, researchers are using proton-induced x-ray emission (PIXE) and Accelerator Mass Spectroscopy (AMS) to study artifacts brought by local archeologists, Native American cultures in the American Southwest and the Snite Museum of Art extensive collection of Mezzo-American figurines.

Wiescher, the Frank M. Freimann Professor of Physics, and Collon, associate professor of physics, are using their findings to teach undergraduates. Wiescher initially developed the undergraduate physics class called Physical Methods in Art and Archaeology, and now Collon teaches the class which attracts students from nearly every major. The course covers topics such as X-ray fluorescence and X-ray absorption, proton-induced X-ray emission, neutron-induced activation analysis, radiocarbon dating, accelerator mass spectroscopy, luminescence dating, and methods of archeometry.

###

University of Notre Dame: http://www.nd.edu

Thanks to University of Notre Dame for this article.

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

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116915/Physicists_use_ion_beams_to_detect_art_forgery

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14 Steps To Successful SEO For Startups

This is a guest post by Ryan Spoon (@ryanspoon), a principal at?Polaris Ventures. Read more about Ryan on his blog at?ryanspoon.com. For startups, it is dangerous to entirely separate product and marketing ? both strategically and organizationally. A great product isn?t overly useful without an audience. And a great marketing strategy can?t save a poor product. Product and marketing have to coexist.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/TtB5PD58b6s/

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Exit poll shows SC voters made up their minds late

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, right, campaigns at Whiteford's Restaurant, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Laurens, S.C. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, right, campaigns at Whiteford's Restaurant, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Laurens, S.C. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, speaks at his South Carolina primary election night reception at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Republican candidate Newt Gingrich stormed to an upset win in the South Carolina primary Saturday night. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

South Carolina's late-deciding voters pushed Newt Gingrich to victory, according to exit polls in the state. The former House speaker's strong performances in the debates leading up to the contest plus a conservative-leaning electorate led to a sizable win for Gingrich.

LATE DECIDERS: A majority of South Carolina Republican voters said they decided on a candidate in the last few days, and they favored Gingrich by a 22-point margin. Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney were about even for second among this group.

BROADLY CONSERVATIVE: About 7 in 10 voters in South Carolina said they tilt conservative on most political matters, according to exit polls. That group broke 45 percent for Gingrich to 24 percent for Romney and 19 percent for Santorum. Moderate and liberal voters split between Romney and Gingrich.

RELIGIOUS VOTERS: Almost two-thirds of voters in South Carolina said they are born again or evangelical Christians, and 26 percent said it was deeply important that a candidate share their religious views. Voters in both groups preferred Gingrich to Romney by wide margins.

SEEKING A WINNER: Forty-five percent of voters said the most important trait they sought in a candidate was the ability to beat President Barack Obama in November, and a majority of these voters backed Gingrich. That's a reversal from New Hampshire and Iowa, where voters prioritizing electability backed Romney. Just 38 percent said they would support Romney enthusiastically should he win the nomination.

READING THE RESUME: Two-thirds of South Carolina voters said they had a positive impression of Romney's background investing in and restructuring companies, and Romney held a slim, 40 to 36 percent edge over Gingrich among those voters. However, he carried just 3 percent of the vote among those with a negative view of his time as a venture capitalist.

FACING ECONOMIC CHALLENGES: The share of South Carolina GOP voters who said they are falling behind financially has nearly doubled since 2008, and economic worries are pervasive. Almost 8 in 10 voters said they were very worried about the future of the nation's economy, and 31 percent said someone in their household had lost a job since the start of Obama's term. These voters and those who called the economy their top issue tilted toward Gingrich.

RATING THE GOVERNOR: Two-thirds of South Carolina voters said they approved of Gov. Nikki Haley, who endorsed Romney and campaigned with him throughout the state. Her popularity failed to help Romney, however, as those who approve of her performance in office voted 42 percent for Gingrich to 30 percent for Romney.

These results are from an exit poll conducted for AP and the television networks by Edison Research as voters left their polling places at 35 randomly selected sites in South Carolina. The survey involved interviews with 2,381 Republican primary voters and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-21-GOP%20Campaign-Voter%20Attitudes-Glance/id-4fbe372bcae54cf4bd4b20e9b69a133b

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Siri's role is about to get even more intelligent

Patently Apple

Patently Apple says this diagram, part of Apple's patent app shows "several different types of clients and modes of operation which interestingly includes future use with car navigation systems, voice control systems and in-car entertainment systems."

By Suzanne Choney

Siri is going to become even more seriously useful in the future, including letting users order goods from online sites, and expand her presence from just the iPhone 4S to other Apple devices, including the iPad, its computers and even that much-rumored Apple iTV.

The company filed a new patent Thursday for transforming its virtual assistant into an "Intelligent Automated Assistant," one that would become even more indispensable than some iPhone users say she already is.

Right now, Siri doesn't let users "complete transactions with online stores. The voice-driven personal assistant software will respond with 'Sorry, I can't purchase that.'" said Apple Insider. "But Apple's latest patent filing specifically highlights e-commerce as a key function of its 'Intelligent Automated Assistant' The application notes that Siri could be used for 'online purchases of items such as books, DVDs, music and the like.'"

Patently Apple, a website that writes in depth about the company's patent applications, said that "it's clear that?Apple's breakthrough technology is destined to go far beyond the iPhone and into devices like the iMac and a future HDTV."

The patent "shows us that Siri will be able to be configured to work with various new scenarios and even act as an instructor when we purchase future devices," the website said. "Forget using a manual?? as Siri will simply teach us what we'll?want to know about our?new devices when we're?ready to ask it a question about a new function or feature."

Patently Apple notes:

Apple's patent application lists a great number of devices beyond the iPhone that Siri may service in the future. They include the iPod Touch (a personal digital assistant), iMac (desktop computer), MacBook (laptop computer), iPad (tablet computer), consumer electronic devices, consumer entertainment devices; iPod (music player); camera; television; Apple TV (set-top box); electronic gaming unit; kiosk or the like.

And that coincides nicely with Apple's Thursday announcement that it is "reinventing the textbook" using the iPad, say some observers.

"Imagine a day in the not-too-distant future when a student will simply ask Siri a question about what their?lesson is about and get an answer or tutorial to make that lesson?more real and relevant to the student," wrote?Patently Apple's?Jack Purcher.

That could prove to be a real boon ? or boondoggle ? in the world of education.

Related stories:

Check out Technolog, Gadgetbox, Digital Life and In-Game on?Facebook,?and on Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.

Source: http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/19/10192395-siris-role-is-about-to-get-even-more-intelligent

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Gingrich denies asking wife for an 'open marriage' (AP)

CHARLESTON, S.C. ? Newt Gingrich is denying that he ever asked his ex-wife for an open marriage and is angrily denouncing the moderator of Thursday night's Republican debate for raising the issue.

Gingrich blasted what he called the "destructive, vicious, negative nature of much of the news media."

The former House speaker slammed CNN moderator John King during the debate, saying that he was "appalled" that King would begin a presidential debate on such a topic. Gingrich called the question about his ex-wife's allegations, in his words, "as close to despicable as anything as I can imagine."

The former speaker's second wife, Marianne Gingrich, says in an interview with ABC News that when she discovered Gingrich was having an affair he asked her for an open marriage.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_debate_gingrich_ex_wife

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Genetically Engineered Stomach Microbe Converts Seaweed into Ethanol

News | Energy & Sustainability

A genetically modified strain of common gut bacteria may lead to a new technology for making biofuels that does not compete with food crops for arable acreage

By David Biello ?| January 19, 2012?|

SEAWEED TO BIOFUEL: Brown seaweed grows fast, is chock full of sugars to turn into biofuel and doesn't compete for land with food crops. Image: Courtesy of BioArchitecture Lab

Seaweed may well be an ideal plant to turn into biofuel. It grows in much of the two thirds of the planet that is underwater, so it wouldn't crowd out food crops the way corn for ethanol does. Because it draws its own nutrients and water from the sea, it requires no fertilizer or irrigation. Most importantly for would-be biofuel-makers, it contains no lignin?a strong strand of complex sugars that stiffens plant stalks and poses a big obstacle to turning land-based plants such as switchgrass into biofuel.

Researchers at Bio Architecture Lab, Inc., (BAL) and the University of Washington in Seattle have now taken the first step to exploit the natural advantages of seaweed. They have built a microbe capable of digesting it and converting it into ethanol or other fuels or chemicals. Synthetic biologist Yasuo Yoshikuni, a co-founder of BAL, and his colleagues took Escherichia coli, a gut bacterium most famous as a food contaminant, and made some genetic modifications that give it the ability to turn the sugars in an edible kelp called kombu into fuel. They report their findings in the January 20 issue of the journal Science.

To get his E. coli to digest kombu, Yoshikuni turned to nature?specifically, he looked into the genetics of natural microbes that can break down alginate, the predominant sugar molecule in the brown seaweed. "The form of the sugar inside the seaweed is very exotic," Yoshikuni told Scientific American. "There is no industrial microbe to break down alginate and convert it into fuels and chemical compounds."

Once he and his colleagues had isolated the genes that would confer the required traits, they used a fosmid?a carrier for a small chunk of genetic code?to place the DNA into the E. coli cells, where it took its place in the microbe's own genetic instruction set. To test the new genetically engineered bacterium, the researchers ground up some kombu, mixed it with water and added the altered E. coli. Before two days had gone by the solution contained about 5 percent ethanol and water. It also did this at (relatively) low temperatures between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius, both of which mean that the engineered microbe can turn seaweed to fuel without requiring the use of additional energy for the process.

An analysis from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (pdf) suggests that the U.S. could supply 1 percent of its annual gasoline needs by growing such seaweed for harvest in slightly less than 1 percent of the nation's territorial waters. Humans already grow and harvest some 15 million metric tons of kombu and other seaweeds to eat. And there's no reason to fear the newly engineered E. coli escaping into the wild and consuming the seaweed already out there, Yoshikuni argues. "E. coli loves the human gut, it doesn't like the ocean environment," he says. "I can hardly imagine it would do something. It would just be dead."

The microbe could turn out to be useful for making molecules other than ethanol, such as isobutanol or even the precursors of plastics, Yoshikuni says. "Consider the microbe as the chassis with engineered functional modules," or pathways to produce a specific molecule, Yoshikuni says. "If we integrate other pathways instead of the ethanol pathway, this microbe can be a platform for converting sugar into a variety of molecules."

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=566d7e52295686bc7beeee1bf04e5921

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Google Infographic Explains SOPA, PIPA Opposition

Thousands of websites have joined the efforts to stand up against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) by blacking out information or changing their avatars.

While sites like Wikipedia and Reddit have opted to entirely block access to their content, others like Google chose to black out their logos and direct users to information on the two bills currently before Congress.

Google is providing that information in the form of a timeline infographic showing users how opposition to the bills has grown over time.

SCROLL FOR GRAPHIC

According to the graphic, it all started with Internet pioneer Vint Cerf, who expressed his concerns about the bills through an open letter to Congress. Gradually, internet and technology companies including eBay, Twitter and AOL began to take a stand and argue the bills would harm innovation and jobs.

By Jan. 18, more than 3,000,000 users had signed a petition protesting the two bills, according to the graphic.

The graphic ends with a plea to users to sign the petition before Congress begins voting on Jan. 24.

The bills were proposed in an effort to stop online copyright infringement and content piracy, but many worry they would give the government too much power in deciding what sites are seized or shut down without first conducting any sort of trial or hearing.

"There's a bill that would require [Internet service providers] to remove URLs from the Web, which is also known as censorship last time I checked," Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt said in November, TechCrunch reports.

Senator Marco Rubio (R.-Fla.) withdrew his support for PIPA on Jan. 18, saying he believes there is a better way to fight piracy "while simultaneously promoting an open, dynamic Internet environment that is ripe for innovation and promotes new technologies," according to a statement on his Facebook page.

LOOK: (Click the graphic for a larger version)

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/18/sopa-pipa-infographic-google_n_1213111.html

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Greece hopes for debt relief deal "very soon"

Poul Thomsen, the International Monetary Fund mission chief in Greece, speaks on his cell phone as he arrives for a meeting with Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos in Athens, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. European Union and International Monetary Fund representatives start new round of talks with officials in the Greek capital on the course of Greece's austerity program and pledged reforms. The outcome of these talks will determine whether the EU and IMF release the next installment of Greece's vital rescue loans. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Poul Thomsen, the International Monetary Fund mission chief in Greece, speaks on his cell phone as he arrives for a meeting with Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos in Athens, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. European Union and International Monetary Fund representatives start new round of talks with officials in the Greek capital on the course of Greece's austerity program and pledged reforms. The outcome of these talks will determine whether the EU and IMF release the next installment of Greece's vital rescue loans. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos arrives for a meeting with the senior international debt inspectors in Athens, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. European Union and International Monetary Fund representatives start new round of talks with officials in the Greek capital on the course of Greece's austerity program and pledged reforms. The outcome of these talks will determine whether the EU and IMF release the next installment of Greece's vital rescue loans. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Poul Thomsen, the International Monetary Fund mission chief in Greece, speaks on his cell phone as he arrives for a meeting with Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos in Athens, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. European Union and International Monetary Fund representatives start new round of talks with officials in the Greek capital on the course of Greece's austerity program and pledged reforms. The outcome of these talks will determine whether the EU and IMF release the next installment of Greece's vital rescue loans. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos arrives for a meeting with senior international debt inspectors in Athens, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. European Union and International Monetary Fund representatives start new round of talks with officials in the Greek capital on the course of Greece's austerity program and pledged reforms. The outcome of these talks will determine whether the EU and IMF release the next installment of Greece's vital rescue loans. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

ATHENS, Greece (AP) ? Greece is confident a debt relief deal with private creditors that is crucial to avoid default can be reached "very soon," a government spokesman said Friday.

Prime Minister Lucas Papademos met for a third day with negotiators from the Institute of International Finance, which represents the private creditors who are being asked to take a loss on their bondholdings to lighten Greece's debt load by euro100 billion ($129 billion).

"The atmosphere of the talks is good, they are continuing today and we hope they will be concluded very soon," government spokesman Pantelis Kapsis told private Radio 9.

"This is very important for the sustainability of the national debt and our ability to handle the debt."

Papademos was joined by Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos at a 90-minute meeting Friday with top IIF officials Charles Dallara and Jean Lemierre.

Venizelos told reporters the talks would resume at 7:30 p.m. (1730 GMT) following an afternoon tele-conference with eurozone officials.

An agreement is needed if Greece is to get the next batch of bailout cash that would prevent a devastating debt default ? Greece does not have enough money to cover a euro14.5 billion bond repayment in March.

The bond-swap deal is part of a second bailout agreed by eurozone countries, worth euro130 billion ($168 billion) in loans and support for banks.

Under the proposed deal, private creditors would cancel 50 percent of their Greek debt in exchange of a cash payment and new bonds with a longer maturity.

But the negotiations stalled last week over a disagreement on the interest rate those new bonds would have.

The two sides are now considering a proposal to set an interest rate of below 4 percent that would gradually increase until 2020, according to European officials.

Louka Katseli, a minister in the previous Socialist government, said the talks were being complicated by the involvement of a large number of parties with a stake in the debt deal.

"This does not only involve Greece and the creditors," Katseli told private Skai television.

Heavily involved behind the scenes are countries like Germany, which is paying the bulk of Greece's rescue loans, and the IMF, which is also involved in the bailouts. There are also the individual bond holders, like hedge funds which have bought Greek bonds but at the same time also hold default insurance, Katseli said.

Also Friday, international debt inspectors arrived in Athens to assess whether Greece is doing enough to get more bailout cash.

Officials from the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund met with Venizelos. They will scrutinize Greece's public finances to make sure it is on track with painful austerity reforms needed to keep tapping rescue loans.

Near-bankrupt Greece has been surviving on a euro110 billion ($142.02 billion) rescue loan program from European countries and the IMF since May, 2010, but required additional help to meet its funding needs.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-20-EU-Greece-Financial-Crisis/id-0fd51051c455447a909e88092e9a4f41

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