Saturday, December 31, 2011

Utah Utes football: Kyle Whittingham relishes opportunity to coach his son

Published: Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011 9:31 p.m. MST

EL PASO, Texas ?

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham recalls, with great fondness, the last time he played football for his father. Fred Whittingham was BYU's defensive coordinator when Kyle capped off his collegiate career with MVP honors in the 1981 Holiday Bowl.

"It was very emotional in a lot of ways," Kyle acknowledged.

Now, 30 years later, roles have been reversed.

Saturday's Sun Bowl against Georgia Tech marks the final game that Kyle will get to coach his son, Tyler. The younger Whittingham is a special teams contributor for the Utes.

"First of all, I'm proud of him for what his contribution has been to our team. He's an extremely hard worker, does whatever is asked of him," Kyle said. "It's been a great experience for me. I know what he's going through because I did the same thing. It's not easy. It's not the easiest thing in the world to be the coach's son."

There's some extra responsibilities that come with it, explained the coach, because his expectations of him are very high ? just like they are for all of the players.

"But you don't want to be the coach's son that screws up," Kyle said. "You don't want to be that guy."

Tyler has never been that guy.

The former starter at Brighton High and state power-lifting champion joined the team as a walk-on in 2009 after serving an LDS Church mission in Brazil. Folllowing a redshirt year, Whittingham has appeared in 20 games over the past two seasons ? making seven tackles (five solo).

"It's been a good ride the whole time ? even though I knew coming into it that I wasn't going to play much," Tyler said. "My goal was to make the kickoff team and I'm grateful for every chance that I got."

The mass communication major considers it all a bonus, of sorts.

"Actually everything after high school for me has just been a nice little bonus," Tyler said. "I've been able to spend some time with my dad, with the family, with my team and it's been a really good learning experience."

Part of the educational process has been getting to know how his father operates at work.

"I never knew 'Coach Whit' until I played," Tyler said. "But I'm just proud of him and he's proved to me that hard work pays off."

Tyler used to be his dad's "cord guy," back when coaching headsets weren't wireless. He also visited practice regularly and went to the games while growing up, giving him an idea of what it might be like to play for his father.

"He's got a tough job but I think he handles it well," Tyler said while praising his father's hard work and dedication.

Football, though, isn't something Kyle brings home. Tyler insists his dad is just a "regular guy" away from work.

Source: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700210784/Utah-Utes-football-Kyle-Whittingham-relishes-opportunity-to-coach-his-son.html?s_cid=rss-38

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Twitter / Christopher Simon: Q: How does twitter work l ... Loader Q: How does twitter work lol what is twitter even? A: You type words. People see the words. (Would you like to see this tutorial again? Y/N)

Source: http://twitter.com/goodrighter/statuses/153004143987003393

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Ron Paul?s foreign policy stands win support, criticism from GOP voters

DES MOINES

This month, a wealthy Republican called up two officers who served as platoon leaders in Iraq and Afghanistan with a proposition: He would lend them his private jet, and they would fly around Iowa to Representative Ron Paul?s campaign events in the weeks before the Jan. 3 caucuses, telling reporters at each location that the congressman?s foreign policy and military positions were dangerous and na?ve.

The deal never came to pass. But it reflects both Republican establishment concern about his insurgent candidacy ? polls now place Mr. Paul, of Texas, at or near the top of the pack in Iowa ? and unease among many traditional Republican voters who support the party?s tougher line on national security.

?A lot of people are very, very nervous about Ron Paul,? said Mark Lucas, a first lieutenant in the Iowa National Guard who led a platoon in restive Paktia Province of Afghanistan from 2010 to 2011. He was one of the officers approached by the businessman, whom he declined to identify but who lives in a state neighboring Iowa. Lieutenant Lucas says of Mr. Paul, ?We cannot afford to give him a pass when it comes to his reckless foreign policy.?

Likewise, Mr. Paul?s rivals have sharpened their attacks on his critiques of military involvement abroad. ?You don?t have to vote for a candidate who will allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon to wipe Israel off the face of the earth, because America will be next,? Gov. Rick Perry of Texas said this week, a statement clearly aimed at Mr. Paul. ?I?m here to say, ?You have a choice.???

The emerging question is to what extent Mr. Paul?s more dovish stances ? like ruling out pre-emptive strikes against Iran ? are so far out of the Republican orthodoxy that they will limit his support in many places, or, as many in the party argue, make him unelectable in important early-nominating states like South Carolina and Florida. One recent national poll by ABC News and The Washington Post found that 45 percent of Republicans and independents who lean Republican said Mr. Paul?s opposition to American military interventions overseas was a major reason to oppose his candidacy, compared with the 29 percent who saw it as a major reason to support him.

He has said he would bring troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan, and questioned the American military presence in South Korea.

But Mr. Paul?s national security positions draw raves from many veterans, students and others who believe his noninterventionism would curtail a dangerous trend toward military adventurism and strengthen America?s influence and prestige while diverting resources to pay down the national debt. In interviews at Paul campaign events this week, many said they embraced his national security proposals, rather than reluctantly accepting them.

?He would get us out of our difficulties overseas,? said Tony Snook, a retired Army sergeant first class wounded in a rocket attack in Basra, Iraq, in 2007 who came to a raucous Paul rally that drew 500 people on Wednesday night in Des Moines. ?You should choose your fights wisely,? he said. ?If it?s not there, don?t invent something, don?t shed blood needlessly.?

Jesse Benton, Mr. Paul?s national chairman, says internal polling has found that more than 70 percent of probable Republican voters in Iowa and New Hampshire would be more likely to support someone who wanted to bring troops home, foster a strong national defense and end the United States? role as the world?s policeman.

?We need another armed conflict like we need a hole in the head,? Mr. Benton said. There is no question, he added, that Mr. Paul would ?take direct military action to completely wipe out the threat? if there was credible evidence of an imminent attack by Iran on the United States.

He also said military service members favored Mr. Paul in donations to Republican candidates. While there is no way to prove this because only itemized donations over $200 require occupations to be listed ? information that is self-reported ? a review by The New York Times of federal contributions suggests that active-duty and retired service members overwhelmingly lean to Mr. Paul. He received at least $115,000 in itemized contributions through Sept. 30, almost double that of all other Republican candidates combined.

But for many Republicans, Mr. Paul?s approach is just too radical. Troy Levenhagen, a businessman and entertainer, said he had ruled him out over national security and other issues. ?He says too many things that are too far out there,? he said Tuesday as he waited for Mitt Romney to speak in Mason City, Iowa.

Bill Watson, a former Republican central committeeman for Story County, called foreign policy Mr. Paul?s ?weakest point? with Iowa Republicans and said Mr. Paul could poll perhaps 40 percent if he pursued an orthodox Republican approach.

Mr. Watson says he is uncommitted ? and differs with Mr. Paul in some areas ? but he is frustrated that Mr. Paul is caricatured as overly dovish. ?If you listen to him long enough he makes more sense,? he said.

Jeff Zeleny contributed reporting from Mason City, Iowa.

Source: http://htpolitics.com/2011/12/30/ron-pauls-foreign-policy-stands-win-support-criticism-from-gop-voters/

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Gateway ID47H07u


Whether it's laptops or HDTVs, one thing you seldom hear anyone say is, "I wish it had a bigger bezel." The bezel around the screen of the Gateway ID47H07u ($699.99 list) is pencil-thin, helping to squeeze a 14-inch widescreen into the body of a 13-inch system. The result is a mainstream laptop contender that's more portable (4.4 pounds) than many of its competitors, as well as well-equipped with everything from a USB 3.0 port to Intel Wireless Display (WiDi) technology for cloning the PC's screen on a (suitably thin-bezeled) HDTV.

The addition of WiDi (which requires Netgear's Push2TV adapter, a $100 extra, for the TV set) and a fractionally faster Core i5 processor differentiate the ID47H07u from the Gateway ID47H02u ($699.99 list, 4 stars). The price is unchanged, which is always nice. And we readily found some online resellers offering the ID47H07u for $50 less, which is even nicer.

Design
Instead of chintzy plastic, the 9 by 13 by 1.1-inch (HWD) ID47H07u flaunts a handsome aluminum-alloy lid and keyboard deck, the latter setting off the metallic chiclet-style keys. You won't find the backlit keyboard seen on our Editors' Choice Dell Inspiron 14z (Core i5) ($750 direct, 4 stars), but you'll appreciate the smooth, precise typing feel. One odd design choice: There's a rightmost column of full-sized keys just screaming to be Home, End, PgUp, and PgDn, but Gateway opted to make them volume control, mute, and social network?a button that launches Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr?keys instead. Home, End, PgUp, and PgDn are doubled up on the cursor arrows.

Similarly, the ID47H07u's plus-size touchpad has integrated (lower left and right corners) rather than dedicated mouse buttons. Normally a turnoff for yours truly, they worked well enough, but the pad's plastic surface puts up a little more friction or resistance than I'm used to. Of course, touchpads that glide too smoothly can lead to accidental cursor movements, but subjectively I felt the ID47H07u's went a bit too far in the opposite direction.

The laptop's 14-inch display offers the 1,366 by 768 resolution that's familiar in this size and price class; it's not dazzlingly bright but delivers crisp text and vivid colors. The "Professionally Tuned" (according to an inscription above the keyboard) speakers work with Dolby Home Theater software to pump out pretty good sound, if not a ton of bass.

Features
The optical drive on the ID47H07u's right side is a dual-layer DVD burner, not the Blu-ray drive found in the pricier Sony VAIO VPC-EG27FM/W ($779.99 list, 3.5 stars) or Toshiba Satellite P745-S4320 ($869.99 list, 3.5 stars). It's joined on that side by a USB 3.0 port, along with an Ethernet port. At the left are two USB 2.0 ports, headphone and microphone jacks, and VGA and HDMI video ports. A memory-card slot occupies the front edge.

In addition to the Wi twins (WiFi and WiDi), the ID47H07u offers Bluetooth, but not the Wi triplet WiMAX?as seen in the Toshiba P745-S4320, Sony VPC-EG27FM/W, and Asus U46E-BAL5 ($699.99 list, 4.5 stars)?or other mobile broadband. In addition to a one-year parts-and-labor warranty, Gateway provides a modest software bundle led by Microsoft Office Starter 2010 and a 60-day trial of Norton Internet Security.

Performance
Gateway ID47H07u At first glance, the ID47H07u's 4GB of RAM and 500GB hard drive look merely adequate; after all, a couple of its competitors have 640GB drives, and the Asus U46E-BAL5 offered a full 8GB of memory and a 750GB drive for the same price. But the ID47H07u's 2.4GHz Intel Core i5-2430M processor?the same dual-core, four-thread chip found under the hood of the Sony VPC-EG27FM/W and Toshiba P745-S4320?is fully competitive, as seen by the Gateway's topping its peers with a score of 2,384 in our PCMark 7 performance benchmark.

Gateway ID47H07u

Other benchmark races were photo finishes: The ID47H07u's times in our Handbrake video encoding (1 minute 50 seconds) and Adobe Photoshop image editing (4:01) tests were each precisely one second slower than the Sony EG27FM/W, but it pipped the Sony EG27FM/W by a hundredth of a point with a Cinebench score of 2.70. Like its fellows, the ID47H07u will leave avid gamers searching for systems with something other than Intel integrated graphics?it managed an unplayable 23 and 14.1 frames per second, respectively, in Crysis and Lost Planet 2 at medium resolution and quality settings.

At 7 hours 32 minutes, our ID47H07u fell short of the magic eight-hour mark but still showed impressive unplugged life for a compact without a bulky battery pack. By contrast, the Toshiba P745-S4320 managed only 5:42, though the Dell 14z and Sony EG27FM/W each lasted over an hour longer than the Gateway. The battery is sealed within the system case MacBook Air- or ultrabook-style, preventing you from swapping in a spare for long trips or replacing it yourself when it starts to tire with age.

Unless WiMAX is a must for you, the Gateway ID47H07u offers a ton of features in a handsome, highly portable chassis for a pleasingly low price. Its bid to topple the Dell Inspiron 14z (Core i5) for Editors' Choice honors is thwarted only by our subjective impressions of its keyboard and touchpad, plus the Dell's backlit keyboard and removable battery.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:

COMPARISON TABLE:
Compare the Gateway ID47H07u with several other laptops side by side.

More laptop reviews:
??? Gateway ID47H07u
??? j5 Create JUC100 Wormhole KM Switch
??? Samsung Series 7 (NP700Z5A-S03)
??? Samsung Series 7 Slate (700T1A)
??? Lenovo IdeaPad Z570-10249ZU
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/3PNESdVQdVs/0,2817,2398130,00.asp

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Romney, Perry slap at Paul on Iran (AP)

MUSCATINE, Iowa ? Mitt Romney and Rick Perry on Wednesday assailed Republican presidential rival Ron Paul for saying the U.S. has no business bombing Iran to keep it from acquiring a nuclear weapon, drawing a sharp contrast with their rising rival as he returned to Iowa to campaign before the lead-off caucuses.

"One of the people running for president thinks it's okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon," Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, said in this eastern Iowa city in response to a question from the audience. "I don't."

It was the first time Romney has challenged Paul directly since the Texas congressman jumped in polls. Neither Romney nor Perry, the Texas governor, named Paul, but the target was clear.

"You don't have to vote for a candidate who will allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Because America will be next," Perry said in Urbandale, reiterating a line of argument from a day earlier.

"I'm here to say: You have a choice," Perry added.

As if in rebuttal, Paul's campaign launched a new television ad describing him as "principled, incorruptible, guided by faith and principle" and the man to restore the economy. "Politicians who supported bailouts and mandates, serial hypocrites and flip floppers can't clean up the mess," it says as photos of Newt Gingrich and Romney appear on screen.

The stepped-up criticism of Paul, the libertarian-leaning Republican, comes as surveys show he's in contention to win Tuesday's caucuses.

In recent days, conservative opponents including Perry and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann have increased their criticism of Paul on social issues, foreign affairs and inflammatory comments in his decades-old newsletter. By tearing him down, they hope voters will give their campaigns another, closer look after a season marked by candidates who have risen quickly in public standing only to fall back down.

Gingrich, whose slide in surveys over the past week has come as Paul has risen, said Tuesday he couldn't vote for Paul if he were to become the GOP nominee and called his views "totally outside the mainstream of every decent American" during an interview with CNN.

Gingrich, the former House speaker, began Wednesday, the second day of his Iowa bus tour with a speech to about 200 people in the atrium of the Southbridge Mall in Mason City. He plugged his support for supply-side economics favored by President Ronald Reagan.

Gingrich said the primary is giving voters a "choice between a populist supply side approach ... and a much more timid Washington-centered approach that will not create jobs."

Bachmann, who was on the 86th stop of her tour of Iowa's 99 counties, criticized both of her rivals from Texas. She accused Perry of spending "27 years as a political insider." He was a Texas legislator and agriculture commissioner before becoming governor in 2001.

Bachmann said Paul would be "dangerous as president" because of his hands-off views on national security.

Paul, for his part, was meeting with supporters near Des Moines, his first visit to the state since before the campaigns went dark for the Christmas holiday. He planned a series of events over the next two days as he looked to take advantage of a burst of momentum.

A conservative, Paul commands strong allegiance from his supporters but appears to have little potential to expand his appeal and emerge as a serious challenger for the nomination. Yet he could complicate other candidates' pathway to the nomination.

His opponents were spreading out across the state to woo potential caucus-goers, many of whom are still undecided amid a flood of television and radio ads.

In Independence, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum mingled with 25 people at a diner and touted his plan to give a tax break to businesses that bring their operations back to the United States.

He told diners: "Things are going great, we've got momentum." He began airing a new radio ad Wednesday that promotes his hardline opposition to abortion and describes him as a "father of seven, a home-schooler and a devoted husband for 21 years."

Romney kicked off a three-day bus tour in the eastern edge of the state, in Muscatine, and shook hands with an overflow crowd at Elly's Tea and Coffee House. The line to get in stretched into the street.

Beginning the day, Romney told Fox News Channel that he was only joking Monday when he criticized Gingrich's failure to earn a spot on the Virginia ballot as something out of the sitcom "I Love Lucy."

"I hope the speaker understands that was humor, and I'm happy to tell my humorous anecdote to him face to face," Romney said.

Gingrich on Tuesday challenged Romney to make the "I Love Lucy" comparison to Gingrich's face.

Perry, looking to recapture the enthusiasm that greeted his entry into the race in August, railed against Washington and Wall Street insiders as he met with conservatives for breakfast near Des Moines.

"Why should you settle for less than an authentic conservative who will fight for your views and your values without apologies?" he asked, delivering the core rationale for his candidacy.

The packed crowd of conservatives in Urbandale applauded as he pledged to champion a constitutional amendment to balance the federal budget, secure the border within a year and crack down on illegal immigration. He also said he would bring his faith with him into the Oval Office, a nod to the Christian conservatives who have strong sway in the nominating process.

___

Elliott reported from Urbandale. Associated Press writers Mike Glover in Independence, Brian Bakst in Creston, Shannon McCaffrey in Mason City and Charles Babington in Des Moines contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111228/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign

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And Now GoDaddy's Finally, Officially Against SOPA [Stop Sopa]

It's been a rough holiday for GoDaddy. First the domain registrars were outed for supporting that vile SOPA bill. Then, after an online uprising, they said they no longer supported it, but weren't quite against it. But as of yesterday, GoDaddy has finally, officially declared its full opposition to the internet-killing legislation. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/XN7LivftCQM/godaddys-now-officially-against-sopa

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Friday, December 30, 2011

Porsche Design BlackBerry P'9981 on sale now, but only at Harrods (Digital Trends)

BlackBerry P9981 Porsche DesignHow fitting that RIM and Porsche Design has chosen one of the world?s most famous luxury department stores, Harrods in London, as the exclusive seller of its luxury BlackBerry P?9981 phone.

Announced at the tail end of October but with no firm release date attached, the flashy device has now gone on sale there, where it?s priced at a mere ?1,275, or a touch under $2,000.

That?s SIM-free of course, but admittedly the price would probably only be considered ?mere? by regular Harrods patrons, as it?s considerably more than the standard Bold 9900 on which it?s based.

Like its cheaper cousin, the P?9981 has a 1.2Ghz processor, 768MB RAM, a 2.8-inch 640 x 480 resolution touchscreen and a 5-megapixel camera with 720p video recording. It?s separated by that eye-catching design, the brushed metal fascia and the hand-wrapped, all-leather rear panel.

BlackBerry OS 7 has been treated to a Porsche Design makeover too, as it uses a custom UI and has the popular augmented reality app, Wikitude World Browser, pre-installed.

Available with either English or Arabic as the standard language, anyone keen to get their hands on this genuinely exclusive BlackBerry will have to make the journey to Harrods ? or at least their flunky will anyway ? as it?s only available in-store and not online. However, we?re willing to bet they would send one out with your weekly order of Dom Perignon if you asked nicely.

Phonearena.com spoke to a Harrods representative, who described the P?9981 as ?in very high demand and selling fast.?

This article was originally posted on Digital Trends

More from Digital Trends

BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 phones are bricking themselves, RIM acknowledges

RIM officially launches BBM music service

HTC profits jump 68-percent, shipments 93-percent over the last year

Porsche Design P?9981 Blackberry Smartphone

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/20111230/tc_digitaltrends/porschedesignblackberryp9981onsalenowbutonlyatharrods

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Thursday, December 29, 2011

U.S. says China not currency manipulator; chides Japan (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The U.S. Treasury again shied away from labeling China a currency manipulator on Tuesday, but it rapped the country for not moving quickly enough on exchange rate reforms.

The United States also chided Japan for stepping into the currency market to stem the yen's rise, and urged South Korea to use such interventions sparingly.

Some U.S. politicians have argued that China has gained an unfair competitive edge in global markets by keeping the yuan artificially low to boost exports, and pressure has mounted in Congress for President Barack Obama to punish China.

But the administration prefers to tread softly and use diplomacy. The U.S. Treasury, in a semi-annual report, as usual said that statutes covering a designation of currency manipulator "have not been met with respect to China."

It repeated its standard line that appreciation in the yuan has been too slow, calling it "insufficient."

"Treasury will closely monitor the pace of appreciation and press for policy changes that yield greater exchange rate flexibility, a level playing field, and a sustained shift to domestic demand-led growth," it said in the report to Congress on international economic and exchange rate policies.

The value of the yuan, which Beijing manages closely, has risen 4 percent against the dollar this year and 7.7 percent since China dropped a firm peg against the greenback in June 2010. The Peterson Institute for International Economics recently estimated the yuan was undervalued by 24 percent against the dollar, down from 28 percent earlier in the year. It attributed the change to both Beijing's policy of gradual currency appreciation and higher Chinese inflation.

At the heart of the friction between the two countries is a U.S. trade deficit with China that swelled in 2010 to a record $273.1 billion from about $226.9 billion in 2009. The cumulative Jan-Oct deficit with China is on track to top that this year, running at around $245.5 billion.

The U.S. Senate this year for the first time passed a bill that would require the administration to slap penalties on Chinese imports if it fails to adopt market-based exchange rates. While the measure has made no progress in the lower chamber and is unlikely to become law, it shows the mounting U.S. frustration with its vital trade partner.

President Obama at the November APEC meetings, in his toughest words yet, told President Hu Jintao that China must play by global trade rules and act like "a grown-up."

The Treasury's decision not to label China a currency manipulator sent a "clear and positive signal" that would soothe the market and benefit trade, according to a commentary in Xinhua, the Chinese state news agency, on Wednesday.

Beijing has warned the United States not to "politicize" the currency issue, and some economists have pointed out that nations such as Japan and Switzerland have intervened in currency markets without drawing Washington's ire.

TARGETING TOKYO

The report did point the finger at Japan this time, criticizing Tokyo for its solo yen-selling interventions in August and October that followed a joint Group of 7 action in the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake.

"The unilateral Japanese interventions were undertaken when exchange market conditions appeared to be operating in an orderly manner and volatility in the yen-dollar exchange rate was lower than, for example, the euro-dollar market," the report said.

"In contrast to the post-earthquake joint G7 intervention in March, the United States did not support these interventions," the Treasury said, adding that Tokyo should pursue reforms to revive its domestic economy rather than try to influence the exchange rate.

A senior Japanese government official said the report did not change Tokyo's position that its currency policy was in line with G7 agreements.

"This report does not make it more difficult for Japan to intervene," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic. "We are committed to doing whatever is necessary."

Japanese exporters have complained that the ultra-strong yen puts them at a competitive disadvantage. The yen was trading at just under 78 to the U.S. dollar on Wednesday morning, about 3 percent weaker than it was on October 31, when Tokyo aggressively intervened to cap the rise.

The report also noted that South Korean authorities "should limit their FX interventions to exceptional circumstances of disorderly market conditions and adopt a greater degree of exchange rate flexibility."

MORE OF THE SAME

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has said the law on the FX report, which requires the administration to determine whether U.S. trade partners are deliberately undervaluing their currencies, is a poor tool to push Beijing on the yuan.

Instead, the United States prefers to argue for change at regular closed-door meetings with Chinese officials. It also uses international economic forums, such as the Group of 20 leading nations and the International Monetary Fund, to ramp up public pressure on Beijing to move more quickly to a more-flexible currency.

China is the biggest foreign holder of U.S. Treasuries, with about $1.1 trillion, a position that gives it leverage in international economic negotiations. Foreign exchange traders had not expected a change of U.S. tactics.

"It's not very surprising. It's sort of sliding it in under the radar. They're (Treasury) really not in a position to make any major moves at this point," said Sean Incremona, an economist at 4Cast in New York.

The Treasury Department has not labeled a country a currency manipulator since July 1994, when it cited China. A designation would require the United States to step up negotiations with Beijing on the yuan's value.

The yuan slipped on Tuesday as strong dollar demand from corporations offset a record high mid-point fixed by the People's Bank of China. The central bank set an all-time high dollar/yuan mid-point in an apparent move to let the yuan rise a little more at the end of 2011 so as to make the yuan's full-year nominal appreciation look bigger, traders said.

Some U.S. manufacturers, which have been hit hardest by competition from China and other emerging economies, would still prefer the U.S. government to take a harder line.

"China's currency is still enormously undervalued," said Scott Paul, executive director of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, an industry lobby for hard-hit textile, steel and labor groups.

"I'm disappointed that President Obama has now formally refused six times to cite China for its currency manipulation, a practice which has contributed to the loss of hundreds of thousands of American manufacturing jobs."

(Additional reporting by Luciana Lopez and Doug Palmer, and Stanley White in Tokyo; Editing by Leslie Adler and Dan Grebler)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111228/bs_nm/us_usa_china_currency

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No-man's land attests to Japan's nuclear nightmare (AP)

IWAKI, Japan ? Fukushima was just emerging from the snows of winter when the disaster hit ? a 9.0-magnitude earthquake, the strongest in Japan's recorded history, followed by a tsunami.

The wall of water destroyed much of the northeastern coast on March 11. In the northeast region of Fukushima, a different disaster was brewing: Three reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant were melting down, irreparably damaged by the super tremor.

Now, as the snows are beginning to fall again, the government has announced the plant has attained a level of stability it is calling a "cold shutdown." As many as 3,000 workers ? plumbers, engineers, technicians ? stream into the facility each day.

The tsunami's destruction is still visible. Mangled trucks, flipped over by the wave, sit alongside the roads inside the complex, piles of rubble stand where the walls of the reactor structures crumbled and large pools of water still cover parts of the campus.

In the ghost towns around Fukushima Dai-ichi, vines have overtaken streets, feral cows and owner-less dogs roam the fields. Dead chickens rot in their coops.

The tens of thousands of people who once lived around the plant have fled. They are now huddling in gymnasiums, elementary school classrooms, bunking with friends, sometimes just sleeping in their cars, moving from place to place as they search for alternatives.

For those who lived on the perimeter of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, fliers used to come in the mail every so often explaining that someday this might happen. Most recipients saw them as junk mail, and threw them away without a second glance. For those who did read them, the fliers were always worded to be reassuring ? suggesting that although a catastrophic nuclear accident was extremely unlikely, it could require evacuating the area.

Never was it even hinted that the evacuation could last years, or decades.

At most of the shelters, food is doled out military-style, at set times. Personal space is extremely limited, often just big enough to fit a futon and the collective snoring at night makes sleep fitful, at best. Baths are public, cramped, dark.

The total amount of radiation released from the plant is still unknown, and the impact of chronic low-dose radiation exposures in and around Fukushima is a matter of scientific debate.

Recent studies also suggest Japan continues to significantly underestimate the scale of the disaster ? which could have health and safety implications far into the future.

According to a study led by Andreas Stohl the Norwegian Institute for Air Research, twice as much radioactive cesium-137 ? a cancer-causing agent ? was pumped into the atmosphere than Japan had announced, reaching 40 percent of the total from Chernobyl. The French Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety found 30 times more cesium-137 was released into the Pacific than the plant's owner has acknowledged.

Under a detailed roadmap, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. will remove the melted nuclear fuel, most of which is believed to have fallen to the bottom of the core or even down to the bottom of the larger, beaker-shaped containment vessel, a process that is expected to begin in 10 years.

All told, decommissioning the plant will likely take 40 years.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111227/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_inside_the_zone

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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

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Deadly Conn. fire caused by old fireplace embers

Stamford firefighter Nick Tamburro pays respect outside the home of Madonna Badger in Stamford, Conn., Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. A fire at the home on Christmas morning killed Badger's three daughters and parents. The Christmas Day fire that killed three children and their grandparents was a tragic accident related to a fireplace in the home, not the result of foul play, Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia said Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Stamford firefighter Nick Tamburro pays respect outside the home of Madonna Badger in Stamford, Conn., Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. A fire at the home on Christmas morning killed Badger's three daughters and parents. The Christmas Day fire that killed three children and their grandparents was a tragic accident related to a fireplace in the home, not the result of foul play, Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia said Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Firefighters lay a wreath in a memorial area outside the home of Madonna Badger in Stamford, Conn., Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. A fire at the home on Christmas morning killed Badger's three daughters and parents. The Christmas Day fire was a tragic accident related to a fireplace in the home, not the result of foul play, Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia said Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

People pay their respects at a memorial area outside the home of Madonna Badger in Stamford, Conn., Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. A fire at the home on Christmas morning killed Badger's three daughters and parents. The Christmas Day fire was a tragic accident related to a fireplace in the home, not the result of foul play, Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia said Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

A hand-drawn card lays on top of a memorial area outside the home of Madonna Badger in Stamford, Conn., Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. A fire at the home on Christmas morning killed Badger's three daughters and parents. The Christmas Day fire was a tragic accident related to a fireplace in the home, not the result of foul play, Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia said Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Aurelio Naranjo, a painter working for Madonna Badger, stops at a memorial area outside her home with his children Elizabeth, center, and Giovanni, right, in Stamford, Conn., Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. A fire killed Badger's three daughters and parents early Christmas morning. Naranjo last saw Badger and her children the Thursday before Christmas. He said Badger told him to take Friday off for the holiday. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

(AP) ? A Christmas morning fire that killed a couple and three of their grandchildren was accidentally started by fireplace embers that had been discarded near a first-floor entryway, officials said Tuesday.

The officials also said it wasn't clear if the home had working smoke detectors. Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia called the fire a "tragic accident," not the result of foul play.

Sometime between 3 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., a friend staying in the home put fireplace ashes in a bag and left it either in or outside a mudroom and trash enclosure attached to the rear of the house, said Barry Callahan, Stamford's fire marshal. The fire was reported just after 4:40 a.m.

"The fire entered the house quickly and spread throughout the first floor and up two interior vertical openings, trapping the occupants on the upper floors," Callahan said.

Officials described a frantic scene after rescuers arrived early Sunday.

Neighbors said they were awakened by screams shortly before 5 a.m. and rushed outside to help but could do nothing as flames devoured the large Victorian home.

Stamford acting Fire Chief Antonio Conte said the children's mother, Madonna Badger, had climbed out a window onto scaffolding and then a flat roof. She was screaming for her children and pointed firefighters to the third floor.

Firefighters climbed to the third floor twice, but the heat and flames were too intense and the children were not where they thought they would be, he said.

The friend of Badger's who had been staying in the home told investigators he actually had led two of the girls downstairs, but heat from the flames separated them, Conte said. One apparently went back upstairs and another one was found with her grandmother at the bottom of the stairwell between the second and third floors, he said.

Badger's father, Lomer Johnson, was found outside. It appears he had been planning to help one of the girls get out; she had been placed on a pile of books, so he could reach in and grab her, officials said.

"When he went out the window, that's when he succumbed and she died just inside the window," Conte said.

Flames were shooting out of the house when firefighters arrived, said Brendan Keatley, a Stamford firefighter who was at the scene and president of the local firefighters union.

"Two sides of the structure were walls of flame," Keatley said.

Firefighters used a ladder and construction scaffolding outside the house to reach the third floor, but they ran into extreme heat and poor visibility in a hallway, Keatley said. Four firefighters were injured as they searched for the victims, including a captain who suffered second-degree burns on his face, Keatley said.

Fighting the fire took a physical and an emotional toll, he said, and counselors were being made available to firefighters.

"We are devastated, just like everybody else is devastated," Keatley said Tuesday.

Badger, a New York advertising executive who owned the home, and her male acquaintance escaped. Her parents, Lomer and Pauline Johnson, who were visiting for the holidays, were killed, as were her three daughters ? 10-year-old Lily and 7-year-old twins Grace and Sarah.

The home's second floor was being renovated and Badger was awaiting a final inspection before she could get a final certificate of approval, said Ernie Ogera, director of operations for the city of Stamford.

There were plans for hard-wired smoke alarms, but they had not been hooked up, Ogera said. Officials did not know whether battery-operated ones were being used.

The Johnsons lived in Southbury, about 45 miles northeast of Stamford. Lomer Johnson had worked as a department store Santa Claus this season after a long career as a safety chief at Louisville, Ky.-based liquor maker Brown-Forman Corp., which he retired from several years ago.

The acquaintance who escaped, Michael Borcina, is a contractor who had done work on the home.

The severely damaged Victorian house situated along the Connecticut shoreline was torn down Monday after the buildings department determined it was unsafe and ordered it razed, Stamford fire Chief Antonio Conte said.

Badger, an ad executive in the fashion industry, is the founder of New York-based Badger & Winters Group. She was treated at a hospital and was discharged by Sunday evening, a hospital supervisor said. Her whereabouts were unknown.

A person answering the phone Tuesday at the Badger & Winters Group said it had no statement or comment.

Borcina was listed in fair condition Tuesday at Stamford Hospital, meaning his vital signs were normal but he may be uncomfortable. He declined to comment through a hospital spokeswoman.

Borcina, 52, of New York City, is the owner of Tiberias Construction Inc., which renovates expensive homes and businesses. The company's projects have included a Donna Karan store and artist Alex Beard's studio, both in New York City, and the White House Christmas wishing tree, according to the construction firm's website.

Borcina and Badger are friends on Facebook, and he said on his Facebook page that he enjoys skydiving and scuba diving.

Property records show Badger bought the five-bedroom, waterfront home for $1.7 million last year. The house was situated in Shippan Point, a wealthy neighborhood that juts into Long Island Sound.

The lot where the house stood was covered with charred debris and cordoned off by police with tape on Monday. Passers-by left floral bouquets, stuffed animals and candles.

Badger previously spent time on Shelter Island, a small, exclusive community at the eastern end of Long Island, N.Y. Town Supervisor James Dougherty said Tuesday that Madonna Badger served a few years ago on the town's deer and tick committee, which oversees the town's program to maintain healthy deer while eliminating tick-borne diseases.

___

Associated Press writers Stephen Singer and Dave Collins in Hartford, Bruce Schreiner in Louisville, Ky., and Tom Hays in New York contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-12-27-Fire-Five%20Dead/id-ccd03d8982b6467c90ffad7d79a61c08

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Monday, December 26, 2011

Tony Romo Injury: Cowboys QB Injures Passing Hand In Opening Series Against Eagles

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) ? Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo banged his passing hand on a defender's helmet at the end of his first series Saturday, and wasn't likely to play the rest of the game.

X-rays showed no damage. He returned and threw a few wobbly warm-up passes on the sideline, got his hand wrapped and traded his helmet for a baseball cap. His injury was described as a bruise.

Stephen McGee replaced Romo at the start of the second series ? and probably would've soon or later anyway. When the Giants had just won their game, it made this one irrelevant to Dallas, whose postseason chances will be decided in the finale against the Giants in New York next weekend.

Other key players likely were to get the rest of the game off, too.

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Drinks and joy as defectors embrace Kim's death

In this photo taken Friday, Dec. 23, 2011, North Korean defector Kim Seung-cheol works at his office in Seoul, South Korea. More than 21,000 North Koreans now live in South Korea. For many, the news of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's death stirred mixed emotions.(AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

In this photo taken Friday, Dec. 23, 2011, North Korean defector Kim Seung-cheol works at his office in Seoul, South Korea. More than 21,000 North Koreans now live in South Korea. For many, the news of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's death stirred mixed emotions.(AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

In this photo taken Friday, Dec. 23, 2011, North Korean defector Kim Seung-cheol works at his office in Seoul, South Korea. More than 21,000 North Koreans now live in South Korea. For many, the news of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's death stirred mixed emotions. "I know a person's death is usually something that shouldn't be celebrated, but this time it was completely different," said Kim Seung-cheol, 50. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

In this photo taken Friday, Dec. 23, 2011, North Korean defector Kim Seung-cheol poses at his office in Seoul, South Korea. More than 21,000 North Koreans now live in South Korea. For many, the news of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's death stirred mixed emotions. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

(AP) ? More than 21,000 North Koreans now live in South Korea. For many, the news of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's death stirred mixed emotions.

Several interviewed in Seoul by The Associated Press described a burst of joy upon hearing that Kim had died, but also a surge of unease over the fate of relatives and friends and even a shadow of homesickness.

There was celebration ? one man had drinks with a friend? and hope for a better future for their homeland. For one woman, there was sadness as she envisioned little girls cramming to memorize the Kims' feats.

South Korea is no paradise for the defectors either; facing prejudice and lacking job skills, they rarely feel welcomed by their capitalist brethren.

Here, in their own words, are what three of them had to say:

___

THE PAINTER

"I felt rather calm after hearing of Kim Jong Il's death," said Song Byeok, 42, a painter who learned his art drawing propaganda posters in North Korea. "I thought to myself about him: 'You, too, are human in the end.'

"It was his destiny. He couldn't avoid it. ... He was praised like a god, but in the end, he was only a human who fell like an autumn leaf."

Desperate for food in 2000, Song and his father tried to cross the river into China ? not to defect but just to get something to eat from relatives on the Chinese side.

He still believed Kim Jong Il was a good leader.

However, when his father was swept away by the current and drowned, border guards ignored Song's pleas to help rescue him; instead they beat Song up and detained him. The experience convinced him to leave for good in 2002.

"I thought to myself after hearing Kim died that a wind of democratization may finally blow in North Korea," he said. "Reforms may come because Kim Jong Il has died.

"Kim Jong Un is young and he may lean toward reforms. But I still think he may not last long because he's too inexperienced. He only had a year or so to be groomed as successor.

"It may have been better for him if Kim Jong Il had lasted longer."

Song Byeok is the name he paints under and is widely known by in South Korea; he refused to divulge his real name for fear of retaliation against relatives and friends still in North Korea.

___

THE STUDENT

"I believed North Korea was the best country in the world," said Lee Hyeon-seo, who was 13 when late President Kim Il Sung, father of Kim Jong Il, died in 1994.

"I really believed in the theory of self-reliance," she said.

"When Kim Il Sung died, I saw many foreign guests crying on TV, which made me feel like Kim Il Sung was a god," she said. "But as days passed, I felt I wasn't as sad as I was supposed to when I stood in front of his statue.

"Everybody was crying but I couldn't cry, so I dabbed my face with my spit. It was a hot day, and some girl fainted and was sent to a hospital."

Lee, now 30, fled the North in the mid-1990s and lived for a decade in China before moving to South Korea in 2008. Now she studies Chinese at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul.

"I remember the propaganda education vividly even though I was a girl," she said. "In North Korea, excelling at math or English is less important than being good at the history of Kim Il Sung's revolutionary steps. Now I know it's fake, but we had to cram as much of the history in our heads as possible. We struggled to get high marks on the subject in school.

"I used to believe unification was a pipe dream. But now it may be possible. I'm hearing from friends that they'd like to be invited to my house in North Korea if the Koreas are reunified."

___

THE ACTIVIST

"I know a person's death is usually something that shouldn't be celebrated, but this time it was completely different," said Kim Seung-cheol, 50.

"Kim's death meant that North Korea would start changing," he said. "It was a hopeful sign for a change."

Kim went out with a friend to celebrate over sausages and "soju," a popular Korean liquor. They laughed with joy.

When he defected 20 years ago, he left behind his wife and son.

"If unification happens, I would like to find out if my son is still alive," he said. "If I find him, I will ask him to hit me for leaving him.

"And if I'm reunited with my wife, I will sing a song out of joy. But I have to ask forgiveness of her, because I've married another woman here in South Korea.

"I've pretty much given up on trying to find my son. It's important he be alive though," he said. "I only hope he is not living a miserable life as a vagabond.

"I hope South Korea can start engaging North Korea. A conciliatory gesture may be needed to open up North Korea. Seoul should send a message to Pyongyang that South Korea wants to go together with the new leadership in North Korea."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-12-25-AS-Kim-Jong-Il-Defector-Voices/id-15421dd9bcd345f4ac13dbbd8430c30c

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Sunday, December 25, 2011

NFL: Last-gasp touchdown seals win for Colts

Published: 6:15PM Friday December 23, 2011 Source: Reuters

The Indianapolis Colts scored a touchdown in the final minute to stun AFC South rivals Houston 19-16 at Lucas Oil Stadium today.

It was the second consecutive win for the Colts, who lost their first 13 games of a miserable season. The Texans (10-5), who have already clinched the division, suffered their second loss in a row.

Colts quarterback Dan Orlovsky connected with Reggie Wayne on a one-yard pass with 19 seconds left to cap an 78-yard, 12 play drive that was aided by two penalties against the Texans.

Houston struggled on offense after scoring their only touchdown on the third play of the game, a nine-yard run by Arian Foster following a fumble by Orlovsky on the opening play.

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TheWingDome: RT @GoDutchmobile: 13 year tradition long and strong - Xmas eve at @thewingdome with college buds (@ Wing Dome) http://t.co/8GVKrAfH

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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Asia Markets: Japan retailers in focus as Asia goes on holiday

By Michael Kitchen, MarketWatch

LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) ? With 2011 winding to a close, the coming week will likely see weak volumes and many market players out on vacation. But it won?t be entirely quiet, especially for Japanese retailers.

Two major names in Japan?s retail sector ? Takashimaya Co. /quotes/zigman/198259 JP:8233 -0.68% ? /quotes/zigman/198265 TKSHF 0.00% ?and J. Front Retailing Co. /quotes/zigman/457754 JP:3086 -0.28% ? are due to kick off earnings season with their financial results on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.

Department-store operator Takashimaya and retail conglomerate J. Front faced major difficulties this year, including the economic slump that followed Japan?s catastrophic March earthquake and tsunami, but both now appear to be on a profitable course.

Earlier this month, the Nikkei business daily said Takashimaya would post a 20% year-on-year rise for operating profit in the March-November period ? the first nine months of the fiscal year ? thanks to recent cost-cutting and strength in its domestic department stores.

Also this month, J. Front saw its stock-price target raised at Credit Suisse, which said the firm?s March-November operating profit will likely come in 6% above the year-earlier level.

Beyond the earnings reports, the Japanese retail picture should come into sharper focus on Thursday, when the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is due to report November retail sales for the nation.

The October numbers spoke of recovery, with retail sales swinging to a 1.9% rise, compared to a 1.1% fall the previous month. See report on Japan?s October retail sales and other data.

Whether this trend continues will be important, not just for retailers but for Japan as a whole. Last Wednesday, the Bank of Japan said that the economy?s recovery had ?paused? due to weakness abroad, even as conditions were improving domestically. See report on Bank of Japan?s economic outlook.

Over in China, the focus will be on manufacturing data ? specifically, the final results for HSBC?s Purchasing Managers? Index survey.

A preliminary version of the PMI, which included about 85%-90% of responses and was released earlier this month, showed Chinese manufacturing was contracting further in December. See report on HSBC?s ?flash? China PMI results.

The contraction will likely be confirmed in the final results, due out Friday. But on the bright side, the more gloomy the data, the more likely China?s central bank will ease policy to spur growth.

Also notable in the week ahead is the proliferation of holidays. Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand are all scheduled to close for Christmas break on Monday and Tuesday, with Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia also shut Monday.

On Friday, South Korea and the Philippines have market holidays slated.

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Michael Kitchen is Asia editor for MarketWatch and is based in Los Angeles.

Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B74456CBE-2C52-11E1-B371-002128040CF6%7D&siteid=rss&rss=1

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BofA in $335M settlement over Countrywide loans (AP)

Bank of America agreed to pay $335 million to resolve allegations that its Countrywide unit engaged in a widespread pattern of discrimination against qualified African-American and Hispanic borrowers on home loans.

The settlement with the U.S. Justice Department was filed Wednesday with the Central District court of California and is subject to court approval. The DOJ says it's the largest settlement in history over residential fair lending practices.

According to the DOJ's complaint, Countrywide charged over 200,000 African-American and Hispanic borrowers higher fees and interest rates than non-Hispanic white borrowers with a similar credit profile. The complaint says that these borrowers were charged higher fees and rates because of their race or national origin rather than any other objective criteria.

"These institutions should make judgments based on applicants' creditworthiness, not on the color of their skin," said Attorney General Eric Holder. "With today's settlement, the federal government will ensure that the more than 200,000 African-American and Hispanic borrowers who were discriminated against by Countrywide will be entitled to compensation."

Charlotte, N.C.-based Bank of America Corp. bought the nation's largest subprime lender, Countrywide Financial Corp., in 2008.

Dan Frahm, a Bank of America spokesman, said in a statement that the bank does not practice lending based on race.

"We discontinued Countrywide products and practices that were not in keeping with our commitment and will continue to resolve and put behind us the remaining Countrywide issues," Frahm said.

The United States' complaint says that Countrywide was aware that the fees and interest rates that its loan officers were charging discriminated against African-American and Hispanic borrowers, but failed to impose meaningful limits or guidelines to stop it.

By steering borrowers into subprime loans from 2004 to 2007, the complaint alleges, Countrywide harmed those qualified African-American and Hispanic borrowers. Subprime loans generally carried costlier terms, such as prepayment penalties and significantly higher adjustable interest rates that increased suddenly after two or three years, making the payments unaffordable and leaving the borrowers at a much higher risk of foreclosure.

"Countrywide's actions contributed to the housing crisis, hurt entire communities, and denied families access to the American dream," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.

The settlement amount will be used to compensate victims of Countrywide's discriminatory mortgage loans from 2004 through 2007, when Countrywide originated millions of residential mortgage loans as the nation's largest single-family mortgage lenders.

___

Gogoi reported from New York, Pickler from Washington

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personalfinance/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111221/ap_on_bi_ge/us_bank_of_america_doj_settlement

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Friday, December 23, 2011

Video: Is the Tea Party giving Obama a chance to recover?

Christmas wish: Little listeria victim is home

Kendall Paciorek was born three months ago, but she didn't come home until this week, just days before Christmas. The premature girl was one of the tiniest victims of a deadly outbreak of listeria in contaminated cantaloupe.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/45742952#45742952

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