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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Customized Zippo Lighters: Perfect Gift for a Hot Valentine [Design]
Monday, January 30, 2012
Iowa State stuns No. 5 Kansas, 72-64
Iowa State forward Melvin Ejim drives to the basket past Kansas forward Justin Wesley (4) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Iowa State forward Melvin Ejim drives to the basket past Kansas forward Justin Wesley (4) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Iowa State guard Scott Christopherson (11) passes the ball under Kansas center Jeff Withey during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Kansas forward Thomas Robinson (0) is fouled by Iowa State forward Royce White while driving to the basket during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Kansas center Jeff Withey, center, fights for a rebound with Iowa State forward Royce White (30) and guard Chris Allen, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
AMES, Iowa (AP) ? Royce White has been so bad from the free throw line lately that his struggles have literally turned into nightmares.
A few hours after waking up from a dream in which he couldn't hit anything from the line, White sank the two biggest freebies of his career to give Iowa State a landmark win for coach Fred Hoiberg.
White had 18 points and nine rebounds as the Cyclones upset fifth-ranked Kansas 72-64 on Saturday, snapping the Jayhawks' winning streak at 10 games.
White, the versatile big man who entered shooting an abysmal 39 percent from the line in Big 12 games, hit a pair that rattled in to put Iowa State up 64-59 with 1:47 left.
Kansas then threw the ball away and Chris Babb drained a backbreaking 3 to give the Cyclones an eight-point lead with 55.6 seconds left.
"I woke up this morning dreaming about missing free throws. So I was in the gym this morning and shot free throws trying to get it right," White said. "Teammates keep encouraging me and telling me, 'You can make free throws.'"
Tyshawn Taylor led five players in double figures with 16 points and 10 assists for Kansas (17-4, 7-1 Big 12), which hadn't lost since Dec. 19 against Davidson.
Big 12 player of the year favorite Thomas Robinson had 13 points, but he committed five turnovers and the Jayhawks were outrebounded 36-23.
"I thought we got stops, but I didn't think we cleaned up. How many times did they miss a shot and the ball go off of us and us not secure or whatever?" Kansas coach Bill Self said. "Obviously, we didn't do a good last 3 minutes defensively at all."
Melvin Ejim had 15 points and Scott Christopherson added 14 for the Cyclones (15-6, 5-3), who had lost 13 straight to Kansas since their last victory in 2005. Iowa State students celebrated the program's biggest win in years ? and first over Kansas at home since 2004 ? by storming the floor.
"It was a great win for our program. But like I told our guys, you know, you've got to expect to win your home games," Hoiberg said. "I told the guys to enjoy it and get refocused."
This was Kansas' toughest true road test of the year so far ? and it ended with the Jayhawks' first true road loss of the season.
But Kansas caught the Cyclones napping to start the second half and took its biggest lead to that point, 45-39, thanks to an 11-0 run. Big man Anthony Booker brought Iowa State back, sinking a rare 3-pointer to put the Cyclones ahead 50-49 with 12:13 left.
Neither team could get much going over the next 6 minutes, but Tyrus McGee's three-point play gave Iowa State a 56-53 lead with just over 6 minutes left. Robinson then blew an open dunk and White hit two layups ? one a reverse he spun off the glass ? to make it 60-55 Iowa State with 3:42 left.
"This was our first true road game with a good crowd, a good atmosphere. So, we're going to be seeing that from now on," Taylor said. "Our emphasis this week in practice is just going to be taking care of the ball and just rebound and rebound. You can't lose on the boards like that."
Iowa State fed off the energy of its second sellout crowd of the year and jumped on the Jayhawks early.
Booker drilled a 3 and Babb followed with a steal and layup that put Iowa State ahead 19-11, prompting Self to call timeout.
Kansas finally took a 31-29 lead on an impressive scoop through traffic from Taylor with 3:31 left before the break. Iowa State rallied to grab the halftime advantage, 37-33, despite committing 13 turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
The Cyclones led in part because of their defense on Robinson. He was 1-of-6 shooting in the first half and traveled three times trying to free himself up for shots in the paint.
Jeff Withey, Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford each scored 10 points for Kansas.
"Just not playing my game. Speeding up the game and not taking my time. I'm just not playing the same right now," Robinson said.
Kansas certainly knew what Iowa State was capable of after the Cyclones threw a scare into the Jayhawks in Lawrence two weeks ago.
Iowa State led at halftime back on Jan. 14 and pushed its lead to as many as 12 points before Kansas stormed back for an 82-73 win. The Cyclones might have been able to pull off that upset had they shot better than 2 of 15 from 3-point range in the second half.
Iowa State didn't let the opportunity pass by this time around ? and it now has a marquee win that will look great on its resume come March.
"It definitely feels good to beat them. We felt like we should have won the first time," said White, who finished 6 of 11 from the line. "We knew that it was basically a must-win for us."
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Sunday, January 29, 2012
Gingrich wants panel to look at in vitro clinics (AP)
LUTZ, Fla. ? Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich wants a commission to study the management of in vitro fertilization clinics, where infertile couples seek treatment to allow pregnancy and large numbers of leftover embryos are discarded or stored.
Gingrich says in vitro fertilization is the creation of life, and serious study is needed of the rules covering it.
The former House speaker made his comments to reporters outside the Exciting Idlewild Baptist Church, where he had attended Sunday services.
Gingrich also says he opposes the use of leftover embryos for stem cell research, which advocates believe may lead to treatments or cures for a variety of diseases.
IVF involves creating an embryo outside a woman's body, then implanting it inside the womb. Excess embyros are believed to number in the hundreds of thousands.
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The pupils are the windows to the mind
ScienceDaily (Jan. 27, 2012) ? The eyes are the window into the soul -- or at least the mind, according to a new paper published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Measuring the diameter of the pupil, the part of the eye that changes size to let in more light, can show what a person is paying attention to. Pupillometry, as it's called, has been used in social psychology, clinical psychology, humans, animals, children, infants -- and it should be used even more, the authors say.
The pupil is best known for changing size in reaction to light. In a dark room, your pupils open wide to let in more light; as soon as you step outside into the sunlight, the pupils shrink to pinpricks. This keeps the retina at the back of the eye from being overwhelmed by bright light. Something similar happens in response to psychological stimuli, says Bruno Laeng of the University of Oslo, who cowrote the paper with Sylvain Sirois of Universit? du Qu?bec ? Trois-Rivi?res and Gustaf Gredeb?ck of Uppsala University in Sweden. When someone sees something they want to pay closer attention to, the pupil enlarges. It's not clear why this happens, Laeng says. "One idea is that, by essentially enlarging the field of the visual input, it's beneficial to visual exploration," he says.
However it works, psychological scientists can use the fact that people's pupils widen when they see something they're interested in.
Laeng has used pupil size to study people who had damage to the hippocampus, which usually causes very severe amnesia. Normally, if you show one of these patients a series of pictures, then take a short break, then show them another series of pictures, they don't know which ones they've seen before and which ones are new. But Laeng measured patients' pupils while they did this test and found that the patients did actually respond differently to the pictures they had seen before. "In a way, this is good news, because it shows that some of the brains of these patients, unknown to themselves, is actually capable of making the distinction," he says.
Pupil measurement might also be useful for studying babies. Tiny infants can't tell you what they're paying attention to. "Developmental psychologists have used all kinds of methods to get this information without using language," Laeng says. Seeing what babies are interested in can give clues to what they're able to recognize -- different shapes or sounds, for example. A researcher might show a child two images side by side and see which one they look at for longer. Measuring the size of a baby's pupils could do the same without needing a comparison.
The technology already exists for measuring pupils -- many modern psychology studies use eye-tracking technology, for example, to see what a subject is looking at, and Laeng and his coauthors hope to convince other psychological scientists to use this method.
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Journal Reference:
- B. Laeng, S. Sirois, G. Gredeback. Pupillometry: A Window to the Preconscious? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2012; 7 (1): 18 DOI: 10.1177/1745691611427305
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127162800.htm
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Saturday, January 28, 2012
Tomorrow's Spies Will Drop F-BOMBS All Over the Place [Spying]
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Ship strikes Kentucky bridge, portion collapses
BENTON, Ky.?? State officials are inspecting what's left of a southwestern Kentucky bridge that collapsed after a cargo ship carrying aviation parts struck it.
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Kentucky Transportation Cabinet spokesman Chuck Wolfe says inspectors began the in-depth review of the Eggner Ferry Bridge at U.S. Highway 68 and Kentucky Highway 80 at daylight Friday.
The Delta Mariner struck the main span Thursday evening. No injuries were reported.
"At this point, we don't believe there was any loss of life," said Keith Todd, spokesman for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
He said there also were no injuries on board the boat. He was unable to say where the ship was traveling when it struck the bridge.
Officials said the collapse meant vehicles needing to cross the Kentucky Lake reservoir and the Tennessee River had to be detoured for dozens of miles. The Coast Guard blocked access to boat traffic at the bridge site.
'The road's gone'
Robert Parker, 51, of Cadiz, Ky., said he and his wife were traveling northbound on the highway after leaving his stepson's house in Murray, Ky. They were driving in the rain along the darkened bridge around 8 p.m. when they suddenly noticed a missing 20-foot piece of the bridge, which at that section stands at least 20 feet above the water.
"All of a sudden I see the road's gone and I hit the brakes," he said. "It got close."
Parker said he stopped his pickup within five feet of the missing section. Two cars behind him stopped on his bumper and he saw another car on the other side of the missing section stopped.
He said he didn't feel the vessel strike the bridge but "felt the bridge was kind of weak." They had to detour about 50 miles to return home to Cadiz.
Officials say about 2,800 vehicles travel daily on the bridge, which was due to be replaced.
? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46164194/ns/us_news-life/
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Friday, January 27, 2012
Secret Service to probe bullet-ridden Obama image
A photograph showing a group of men with guns posing with a bullet-ridden image of Barack Obama's face is to be investigated by the Secret Service, a spokesman confirmed to NBC News.
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The New York Times reported that the picture showed seven young men, four with weapons, one of whom was holding a T-shirt with the president's face on it, above the word "HOPE." The T-shirt was covered in holes and gashes.
The Times said the photograph was posted on the Facebook page of a Peoria, Ariz. police officer, Sgt. Pat Shearer, on Jan. 20.
"We are aware of it. Anytime information is brought to our attention that a group or individual expresses an unusual interest in one of our protectees, we conduct the appropriate follow-up," Secret Service spokesman Max Milien told NBC News.
"We respect the right of free speech and expression but we certainly have the right and obligation to speak to individuals to determine what their intent is," he added. "We treat anything (any potential threat) seriously. We can't dismiss anything."
Jay A. Davies, a police spokesman, told the Times in an email that "an administrative investigation into any possible policy violations on the part of our employee" was being carried out.
The paper added that the photograph also appeared on the Facebook page of someone in the picture, who was identified as a Peoria high school student.
Assassination charges
On Tuesday, an Idaho man accused of firing shots at the White House pleaded not guilty to charges that he tried to assassinate President Barack Obama.
A lawyer for Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez entered the plea on his client's behalf during a brief appearance in U.S. District Court in Washington.
Story: Man pleads not guilty to trying to kill ObamaOrtega did not say anything during the proceedings and will remain held without bond. He has another court date next month.
Gunman who shot at federal buildings pleads guiltyProsecutors say Ortega used an assault rifle with an attached scope to fire a series of shots at the White House from long range on the night of Nov. 11. Obama and his wife, Michelle, were out of town at the time.
In the months before the shooting, investigators say, he had had become obsessed with Obama, referred to him as the anti-Christ and told at least one person that he planned to "take care of" the president.
Obama turns attention to energy in key statesOrtega, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, was indicted last week on 17 counts including trying to assassinate the president, transporting a firearm across state lines and assaulting officers or employees of the United States with a deadly weapon.
Those charges refer to three Secret Service employees who authorities say were on the grounds of the White House at the time of the shooting.
The hearing took place in the same week that a lawyer for John Hinckley, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity in a 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, is making his case for extended time away from the psychiatric hospital where Hinckley has been confined.
NBC News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46159633/ns/us_news-security/
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Thursday, January 26, 2012
Feed additive beef limits US meat exports
Michaela Rehle / Reuters
Fed to an estimated 60 to 80 percent of pigs in the United States, ractopamine has sickened or killed more of them than any other livestock drug on the market.
?
By Helena Bottemiller
The Food and Environment Reporting Network
A drug used to keep pigs lean and boost their growth is jeopardizing the nation?s exports of what once was known as ?the other white meat.??
The drug, ractopamine hydrochloride, is fed to pigs and other animals right up until slaughter and minute traces have been found in meat. The European Union, China, Taiwan and many others have banned its use, citing concerns about its effect on human health, limiting U.S. meat exports to key markets.
Although few Americans outside of the livestock industry have ever heard of ractopamine, the feed additive is controversial. Fed to an estimated 60 to 80 percent of pigs in the United States, it has sickened or killed more of them than any other livestock drug on the market, an investigation of Food and Drug Administration records shows. Cattle and turkeys have also suffered high numbers of illnesses from the drug.
Growing concern over sick animals in the nation's food supply sparked a California law banning the?sale and slaughter of?livestock unable to walk, but that law?was struck down by the Supreme Court Monday. Meat producers had sued to overturn California?s ban, arguing that the state could not supercede federal rules on meat production. The court agreed.
The FDA,?which regulates livestock drugs in the United States, deemed ractopamine safe 13 years ago and approved it, setting a level of acceptable residues in meat. Canada and 24 other countries approved the drug as well.
U.S. trade officials are now pressing more countries to accept meat from animals raised on ractopamine -- a move opposed by China and the EU. Resolving the impasse is a top agricultural trade priority for the Obama administration, which is trying to boost exports and help revive the economy, trade officials say.
U.S. exports of beef and pork are on track to hit $5 billion each for the first time, the U.S. Meat Export Federation estimates. Pork exports to China quadrupled from 2005 to 2010 to $463 million but are still only 2-3 percent of the market.
?China is a potentially huge market for us,? said Dave Warner, spokesman for the National Pork Producers Council.
Part of a class of drugs called beta-agonists, ractopamine mimics stress hormones, making the heart beat faster and relaxing blood vessels. Some beta-agonists are used to treat people with asthma or heart failure, but ractopamine has not been proposed for human use.
In animals, ractopamine revs up production of lean meat, reducing fat. Pigs fed the drug in the last weeks of their life produce an average of 10 percent more meat, compared with animals on the same amount of feed that don't receive the drug. That raises profits by $2 per head, according to the drug's manufacturer, Elanco, a division of Eli Lilly. It sells the drug under the brand name Paylean.
Ractopamine leaves animals' bodies quickly, with pig studies showing about 85 percent excreted within a day. But low levels of residues can still be detected in animals more than a week after they've consumed the drug.
While the Department of Agriculture has found traces of ractopamine in American beef and pork, they have not exceeded levels the FDA has determined are safe.
But because countries like China and Taiwan have no safety threshold, traces of the drug have led to rejection of some U.S. meat shipments. The EU requires U.S. exporters to certify their meat is ractopamine-free, and China requires a similar assurance for pork.
Some U.S. food companies also avoid meat produced with the feed additive, including Chipotle restaurants, meat producer Niman Ranch and Whole Foods Markets.
The FDA ruled that ractopamine was safe and approved it for pigs in 1999, for cattle in 2003 and turkeys in 2008. As with many drugs, the approval process relied on safety studies conducted by the drug-maker -- studies that lie at the heart of the current trade dispute.
Elanco mainly tested animals -- mice, rats, monkeys and dogs -- to judge how much ractopamine could be safely consumed. Only one human study was used in the safety assessment by Elanco, and among the six healthy young men who participated, one was removed because his heart began racing and pounding abnormally, according to a detailed evaluation of the study by European food safety officials.
When Elanco studied the drug in pigs for its effectiveness, it reported that "no adverse effects were observed for any treatments." But within a few years of Paylean's approval, the company received hundreds of reports of sickened pigs from farmers and veterinarians, according to records from the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine.
USDA meat inspectors also reported an increase in the number of "downer pigs" -- lame animals unable to walk -- in slaughter plants. As a result of the high number of adverse reactions, the FDA requested Elanco add a warning label to the drug, and it did so in 2002.
The company also received a warning letter from the FDA that year for failing to disclose all data about the safety and effectiveness of the drug.
Since it was introduced, ractopamine had sickened or killed more than 218,000 pigs as of March 2011, more than any other animal drug on the market, a review of FDA veterinary records shows. Pigs suffered from hyperactivity, trembling, broken limbs, inability to walk and death, according to FDA reports released under a Freedom of Information Act request.
"I've personally seen people overuse the drug in hogs and cattle," said Temple Grandin, a professor at Colorado State University and animal welfare expert. "I was in a plant once where they used too much ractopamine and the pigs were so weak they couldn't walk. They had five or six people just dedicated to handling the lame pigs."
But she noted that producers have since scaled back use in response to the rash of illnesses.
"Our company takes adverse event reporting very seriously and is overly inclusive on the information we submit to ensure we're meeting all requirements," Elanco spokeswoman Colleen Par Dekker said. She said the label change in 2002 resulted from an ongoing process of evaluating adverse effects of the drug, adding that an industry trend towards heavier pigs contributed to rising numbers of lame animals in this period.
By 2003, with ractopamine rolling out across the livestock industry, U.S. trade officials began pressing to open world markets for meat produced with the feed additive. Their effort focused on a relatively obscure corner of the trade world -- the U.N.'s Codex Alimentarius Commission, which sets global food-safety standards.
Setting a Codex standard for ractopamine would strengthen Washington's ability to challenge other countries' meat import bans at the World Trade Organization.
The issue has reached the last step in Codex's approval process, but since 2008 the commission has been deadlocked over one central question: What, if any, level of ractopamine is safe in meat?
The EU and China, which together produce and consume about 70 percent of the world?s pork, have blocked the repeated efforts of U.S. trade officials to get a residue limit. European scientists sharply questioned the science backing the drug's safety, and Chinese officials were concerned about higher residues in organ meats, which are consumed in China.
?The main problem for us is that the safety of the product could not be supported with the data,? said Claudia Roncancio-Pe?a, a scientist who led the European food safety panel studying the drug.
U.S. trade officials say China wants to limit competition from U.S. companies, and the EU does not want to risk a public outcry by importing meat raised with growth-promoting drugs, which are illegal there.
The issue also has strained the U.S.-Taiwan trade relationship, since Taiwan -? the sixth-largest market for U.S. beef and pork ?- began testing for ractopamine last year. It found traces in?American beef and pork and pulled meat from store shelves, according to local press reports.
In the U.S., residue tests for ractopamine are limited. In 2010, for example, the U.S. did no tests on 22 billion pounds of pork; 712 samples were taken from 26 billion pounds of beef. Those results have not yet been released.
This article was produced by the Food and Environment Reporting Network, an independent, non-profit news organization providing investigative reporting on food, agriculture and environmental health.
More from the Food & Environment Reporting Network:
Finding drugs in food?
Behind the trade dispute
Milk and water don't mix?
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Bugging equipment found in Mexico lawmaker offices (AP)
MEXICO CITY ? A search of several Mexican lawmakers' offices turned up recording equipment, leading legislators to believe they have been spied on for years, a congressman said Wednesday.
Congressman Armando Rios said security personnel found microphones and other devices that seemed to have been installed years ago.
"Some of the equipment has newer technology, but other devices are from a long time ago, which leads us to believe they were installed years ago," said Rios, a member of the leftist Democratic Revolution Party, or PRD.
Rios said the offices of key committees and of several lawmakers from different political parties were bugged.
"What is at stake is the vulnerability of the legislature, of one of the powers of the union," Rios said.
Congress president Guadalupe Acosta, also of the PRD, on Tuesday filed a complaint with federal prosecutors, who opened an investigation.
Acosta wouldn't identify the lawmakers who were being spied on or who he thinks was behind the espionage. Rios blamed the government of President Felipe Calderon, who belongs to the conservative National Action Party, or PAN.
Interior Secretary Alejandro Poire denied Rios' accusations and said the government has done nothing illegal.
Mexico's main intelligence agency allegedly spied on the government's political opponents during the 71 years of rule by the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI.
After PAN candidate Vicente Fox won the 2000 presidential election, he announced that the agency, the Center for National Security and Investigation, would no longer spy on political opponents. But in 2008, under Calderon, the agency hired a private company to monitor the activities of legislators.
Legislators complained they were being spied on but the government said it was simply collecting public information.
Several secretly recorded telephone conversations of government officials or politicians have been made public in Mexico in the last few years.
In 2006, the former governor of Puebla state, Mario Marin, was implicated in a revenge plot against a journalist after Mexican news media released a recorded telephone conversation. In it, he allegedly speaks with a businessman about punishing Lydia Cacho, who had written a book that accuses one of their acquaintances of being a child molester.
In 2010, a radio station broadcast a telephone conversation between then federal lawmaker Cesar Godoy and alleged drug trafficker Servando Gomez, known as "La Tuta." In it, Godoy and Gomez express support for each other and discuss bribing a reporter.
Shortly after the recording was released, Godoy, who is now a fugitive, was charged with aiding drug trafficking and money laundering.
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Former White House candidate Bachmann to seek Congress (Reuters)
MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) ? U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann, who three weeks ago ended her campaign for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, said she will seek reelection to a fourth term in Congress, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
Bachmann, 55, was first elected to the 6th Congressional District in Minnesota in 2006. Once a Tea Party favorite, the Iowa-born Bachmann withdrew from the presidential race a day after receiving just 5 percent of the vote in the Iowa nominating caucuses.
Bachmann Press Secretary Becky Rogness confirmed that Bachmann had said she would seek a fourth term in Congress during an interview with the Associated Press.
A former tax lawyer, Bachmann launched her bid for president in June and gained momentum with speeches focused on the economy and the goal of thwarting President Barack Obama's election to a second term in office. In dropping out, she urged Republicans to unite behind the party's eventual choice.
The Minnesota 6th Congressional District stretches from Stillwater on the eastern border with Wisconsin, around the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities to encompass St. Cloud. New district lines have not yet been established for 2012.
Bachmann received 52.5 percent of the vote in the Congressional election of 2010.
(Reporting by David Bailey; Editing by Greg McCune)
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Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Russia to keep blocking UN sanctions on Syria
MOSCOW (AP) ? Russia will stonewall any U.N. sanctions on Syria and will push for a quick start of talks between the Syrian government and the country's opposition, the Russian foreign minister said Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow would block any attempts to get the U.N. approval for sanctions against Syria that have been imposed by other nations, saying that such a move would be "unfair and counterproductive."
The U.S., the European Union, the Arab League and Turkey all have introduced sanctions against Damascus in response to Syrian President Bashar Assad's violent crackdown on opponents. The uprising has left more than 5,400 people dead, according to the U.N. estimates.
The U.N. Security Council has been unable to agree on a resolution since the violence began in March because of a strong opposition from Russia and China.
Lavrov said Russia's own draft of a U.N. Security Council resolution on the violence in Syria, which circulated earlier this month, remains on the table, and that Moscow was open for any "constructive proposals." Western diplomats said the Russian proposal fell short of their demand for a strong condemnation of the Syrian regime's crackdown on civilians.
But Lavrov reaffirmed that any U.N. resolution must say clearly it "couldn't be interpreted to justify any foreign military interference in the Syrian crisis."
"We believe that our approach is fair and well-balanced, unlike the attempts to pass one-sided resolutions that would condemn only one party and, by doing so, encourage another one to build up confrontation and take an uncompromising stance," Lavrov said. "We have seen that in Libya, and we will not allow the repetition of the Libyan scenario."
Russia abstained in the U.N. vote authorizing military intervention in Libya, but harshly criticized NATO for what it saw as an excessive use of force and civilian casualties during the NATO bombing campaign against strongman Moammar Gadhafi's regime. The NATO-backed rebels in Libya eventually succeeded in overthrowing Gadhafi.
Russian officials have strongly warned the West against emulating the Libyan experience in Syria.
Lavrov called for a quick start of talks between the Syrian government and the opposition, suggesting they could be hosted by Egypt, the Arab League, Turkey or Russia.
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Travel photo of the day: Reflection of Maroon Bells
Submitted by Jerry Pearson / UGC
Maroon Bells reflecting into Maroon Lake in Aspen, Colo.
Jerry Pearson had tried to capture this image of Maroon Bells near Aspen, Colo., a few times but had to contend with wind strong enough to cause ripples in the water.
"This particular day was nice because the Aspen area had received it's first dusting of snow and there was no wind and the sun was shining with clear skies," Pearson told TODAY.com. He took the photo in October 2005.?
"The most enjoyable thing I liked about Maroon Bells was the hiking," Pearson said. "It's a?steep?hike up to?an area where you?can stand directly at the?base of the three 14,000-foot mountains. There is also another lake at the base of the mountains which is beautiful."?
You can learn more about hiking to Maroon Lake here.
Pearson said that photography has been a hobby of his since he joined the Navy about 38 years ago. He has since retired from the military, but continues to take pictures when he travels.
Do you have some photos you want to share? Submit them for a chance to be featured in the weekly gallery by clicking here.
You can also join our It's a Snap Facebook community by clicking here, and share your photos with others.
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Giffords leaving Congress to recover from shooting (Reuters)
(Reuters) ? Representative Gabrielle Giffords was due to meet on Monday with some of those present when she was shot in the head last year, part of a final flurry of duties before she resigns from the U.S. Congress this week.
Giffords was struck by a bullet on January 8, 2011, when a gunman opened fire at a congressional outreach meeting outside a Tucson grocery store, killing six people and wounding her and 12 others.
In an announcement on Sunday, the Arizona Democrat said she would resign from office this week to focus on her recovery from the head injury that left her with faltering speech and some restricted movement.
"I have more work to do on my recovery, so to do what is best for Arizona I will step down this week," Giffords said, posting the announcement on social media such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
"I'm getting better. Every day my spirit is high. I will return and we will work together for Arizona and this great country. Thank you very much," she added.
In her final act in Tucson as a member of Congress, she planned to meet on Monday with some of the people who were present at the shooting, and then visit a food bank, her office said.
Giffords was seen as a rising political star, one of the Democrats to survive the Republican sweep of swing districts in the November 2010 elections.
Giffords, a Democrat who gained a reputation as a centrist, also plans to attend President Barack Obama's State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday.
Her office said she would submit her letter of resignation this week to House Speaker John Boehner and Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. Arizona law requires Brewer to call a special election to fill Giffords' seat.
Since the shooting, she has received intensive therapy at a hospital in Houston, Texas, and she has been assisted by her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly.
Jared Loughner, a 23-year-old college dropout, was charged with attempting to assassinate Giffords and other crimes stemming from the incident. He pleaded not guilty and was found mentally unfit to stand trial.
After she announced her retirement, she received tributes from President Barack Obama and both sides of the aisle in the U.S. Congress.
"Cindy and I join our fellow Arizonans in thanking Gabby Giffords for her service in the U.S. Congress and to her constituents in Southern Arizona," Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican who ran against Obama for president in 2008, said in a statement Monday.
"Gabby's courage in the face of tragedy inspired our nation and made all Arizonans proud. We wish Gabby and her family all the best in the future."
(Editing by Daniel Trotta)
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Competitive race to replace Gabrielle Giffords expected in Arizona (The Ticket)
Giffords (Jonathan Gibby/Getty Images)
Now that?Gabrielle Giffords announced her plans to resign from Congress, politicians and party officials--Democratic and Republican--in Arizona are remaining quiet about the process to replace her in office. But what is expected to be a fiercely competitive and crowded special election is beginning to take shape.
When Giffords officially submits her resignation--which is expected sometime after she attends the president's State of the Union address on Tuesday night-- Jan Brewer, Arizona's Republican governor, will be tasked with announcing dates for a special election, including primaries, which will be held 80 to 90 days after the resignation.?Candidates will have 30 days to file paperwork to run in the special election.
To make matters more complicated, the candidates will run in Giffords's 8th District for the special election, and then run for re-election in November in a new, renumbered and redrawn 2nd District.
Republicans say the contest could be especially feisty among the Democrats. "There are some sharp elbows on that side," Randy Pullen, the former chairman of the Arizona Republican Party, told Yahoo News.
A number of experienced Democrats have been floated as candidates, including Paula Aboud, a state senator, Steve Farley and Matt Heinz, who are both state representatives.
On the Republican side, Frank Antenori, a state senator, and Dave Sitton, a rugby broadcaster and coach, had previously set up exploratory committees. And there's also been talk that Giffords' 2010 challenger Jesse Kelly may wage a second attempt at the seat.
Antenori announced Sunday that?he won't be addressing his plans until after the congresswoman has formally resigned. His campaign manager, Ken Moyes, said the same to Yahoo News on Monday.?Many additional candidates have been floated, including members of Giffords's staff.
Pullen says Republicans could also see a "tough competition" on their side of the race.
Giffords, who was shot in the head at a campaign event on Jan. 8, 2011, and has been working to regain her speech and mobility, released a video Sunday?confirming her decision to resign from Congress this week.
The short time frame, the redistricting challenges, and the competitive makeup of the district (under both its boundaries) are expected to encourage each party to consolidate support behind one preferential candidate, preferably one with experience and the ability to raise money.
Other popular Yahoo! News stories:
??Hacker infiltrates Twitter account of Chuck Grassley, PIPA sponsor and senator from Iowa
??Romney drops focus on Obama, turns to attacking Gingrich as Florida looms
??Rand Paul blocked at airport after refusing TSA patdown
Want more of our best political stories? Visit?The Ticket or connect with us?on Facebook, follow us?on Twitter, or add us?on Tumblr.?Handy with a camera? Join our?Election 2012 Flickr group to submit your photos of the campaign in action.
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Monday Brief: New RIM CEO, Apple textbooks, Iconia A200, new webOS czar, Windows to overtake iPhone?
Mobile Nations Podcast Feed Mobile Nations on iTunes Mobile Nations YouTube ZEN and TECH 30: Forgiveness Iterate: Flyosity Hands-on with the Acer Iconia A500 Welcome to the Android Glossary — 
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/UTCIYsw5ptk/story01.htm
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Automotive Metric Fasteners for the Pivotal Automobile Community
Metric fasteners are people fastening tools which adhere with the specifications of global expectations as agreed upon once the Worldwide Business for Standardization was set up in 1947. These fasteners occur within a big selection of metals like metal, stainless-steel, brass, nylon and titanium. So, what consists of metric fasteners? They involve sockets, bolts, screws, and nuts that are obligatory for affixing your valuables for the risk-free job operation. These fasteners are utilized in necessary trade sectors just like the automotive, development, trailer, marine, industrial and commercial fasteners and many others.
In this post, we might stick only to automotive fasteners on account of house constrains. Also, a latest survey has seen the automotive trade could be the single greatest buyers of fasteners (This trade absorbs 26 billion out of total 200 billion fasteners made yearly). The automotive bolts will be the most critical fasteners put into use right here. Also referred to as threaded fasteners, this one particular consists of either a threaded pin or rod having a head at one particular conclusion. It is easy to insert the bolts by way of holes in assembled areas after which fasten it by a mated nut having a guidance of pari turf presentation torque. Amongst the a range of automotive bolts readily available in the market currently are wheel bolts, hub bolts, U-bolts, all mounting plates bolts and many others. Then one can find automotive nuts, which can be readily available as easy nuts, collar nuts, locking nuts, t-nuts, hex nuts, jam nuts, lug nuts, plate nuts, self locking nuts, stainless-steel nuts and many others.
Even though the vast majority of the companies of cars depend upon exterior supply to have fasteners, it can be highly recommended you purchase them only from sources which have adequate experience. Get them from companies that use state-of-the-art equipments and tools for production of superior superior. They needs to be in a position to facilitate you, as clientele with custom-made solutions for certain wants. Be sure that the raw elements employed in these metric fasteners guarantee highest stage of functionality, dependability and longevity. Take advantage of thread cutting screws, or sheet steel screws, when the really need arise.
If you are in the automotive trade, it can be highly recommended that before applying the automotive , they can be checked and tested appropriately for obtaining the most impressive effects. This applies if you could be ordering these fasteners in bulk or in small-scale packaged quantities as well as as you are ordering building/construction fasteners. In spite of everything, these fasteners diminish threat and boost functionality in cars. Never compromise for the reason that unwarranted accidents on streets are to become averted by any means fees. In spite of everything treasured daily life and residence is linked to this. In other words, get guaranteed safety with superior metric fasteners.
Source: http://www.pinotagebook.com/automotive-metric-fasteners-for-the-pivotal-automobile-community
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Lita Smith-Mines: Begging to Borrow
The closing location appeared as empty as if the bomb squad had just evacuated the building. What else could explain the choice of parking outside and the absence of people inside?
Usually, stepping into the waiting room at this attorney's office felt like wiggling into too-small jeans. You might get in, but you couldn't get comfortable as you jammed in amidst buyers, sellers, and home equity borrowers all involuntarily breathing each other's anxiety-tinged air, waiting to get their hands on mounds of mortgage money.
When I arrived recently, representing a client selling her home, I didn't need the 10 minutes I allotted to find a parking spot. I didn't have to clear my throat to gain the attention of the perennially disinterested receptionist who'd carelessly flick a hand towards the huddled mortgage masses as she semi-sneered, "We're running a bit behind... you'll have to wait your turn."
The imposing reception desk was empty, so I breezed into the nearest conference room. Surprisingly, the paperwork was prepared and waiting, as was the paralegal conducting the closing. I expressed delight at the express entrance; he set me straight on why there was no longer a lobby logjam.
"We don't have anywhere near the amount of closings we used to," said Mr. Paralegal. "You're the only one today."
He confirmed that the receptionist was history, terminated along with the swarm of secretaries and the colony of closers. I expressed empathy, noting how my real estate transactions had dwindled, too. Obviously lonely and apparently angry, Mr. P. emphatically let me know where he placed the blame for the real estate market's present predicament.
"It's the freakin' banks who are screwing us all up," he seethed. " They don't want to lend. They just won't make deals. They won't give out money!"
Uncomfortably, I looked out the window, but there was still no sign of the others. I warily told Mr. P. that I could certainly relate, as many of my clients' deals fell apart because of lender apathy.
"You can bet they're not suffering," he shouted. "We hear about this lawyer and that real estate agent sending [sorry, can't share the lender] deals and requesting that we get the closing. But do we get the business? No! They don't give us any closings because they won't lend a freakin' dime! They don't care if I can't make my car payments!"
My client arrived, and the tense t?te-?-t?te terminated. However, when the other attorney arrived, remarking on how quiet the place seemed, Mr. P.'s floodgates bubbled over.
"We can't fix our problems until the banks let the money flow. My boss keeps calling everyone he knows, begging them to let the money flow, but they don't give a damn."
Heads were nodding all around as I reflected on the underlying irony. This place never hesitated to treat mortgage borrowers like beggars when money gushed, but resented it once the banks dammed up the stream.
?
Follow Lita Smith-Mines on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@LitaTweets
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lita-smithmines/banks-lending_b_1222302.html
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Monday, January 23, 2012
Video: ?Cupid? survives arrow attack
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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/46081677#46081677
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New Genetic Clues to Breast Cancer? (HealthDay)
SUNDAY, Jan. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have identified three new genomic regions they believe are linked with breast cancer that may help explain why some women develop the disease.
All three newly identified areas "contain interesting genes that open up new avenues for biological and clinical research," said researcher Douglas Easton, a professor of genetic epidemiology at the University of Cambridge in England.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, with about 1 million new cases annually worldwide and more than 400,000 deaths a year.
Scientists conducting genome-wide association studies -- research that looks at the association between genetic factors and disease to pinpoint possible causes -- had already identified 22 breast cancer susceptibility loci. Locus is the physical location of a gene or DNA sequence on a chromosome.
"The three [newly identified] loci take the number of common susceptibility loci from 22 to 25," said Easton.
However, the three new susceptibility loci might explain only about 0.7 percent of the familial risks of breast cancer, bringing the total contribution to about 9 percent, the researchers said.
Michael Melner, scientific program director for the American Cancer Society, said this current research adds some important new clues to existing evidence, but he agreed that the number of cases likely associated with these three variants is probably low.
"So the total impact in terms of patients would be fairly small," Melner said.
The study is published online Jan. 22 in Nature Genetics.
To find the new clues, Easton's team worked with genetic information on about 57,000 breast cancer patients and 58,000 healthy women obtained from two genome-wide association studies.
The investigators zeroed in on 72 different single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). A SNP -- pronounced "snip" -- is a change in which a single base in the DNA differs from the usual base. The human genome has millions of SNPs, some linked with disease, while others are normal variations.
The researchers focused on three SNPs -- on chromosomes 12p11, 12q24 and 21q21.
Easton's team found that the variant on the 12p11 chromosome is linked with both estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer (which needs estrogen to grow) and estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer. The other two variants are only linked with ER-positive cancers, they said.
One of the newly identified variants is in an area with a gene that has a role in the development of mammary glands and bones. Easton said it was already known that mammary gland development in puberty is an important period in terms of determining later cancer risk. "But these are the first susceptibility genes to be shown to be involved in this process," he said.
One of the other SNPs is in an area that can affect estrogen receptor signaling, the researchers found.
Melner, noting some of the research is "fine tuning" of other work, said in his view the new understanding of the signaling pathways and their genetic links is the most important finding.
"When you delineate a pathway, you bring up new potential targets for therapy," he said. "The more targets you have, you open up the potential for having multiple drugs and attacking a cancer more easily, without it becoming more resistant."
Overall, Melner added, the results underscore the complexity of the different mechanisms involved in breast cancer development.
More information
For more about the genetics of breast cancer, visit the American Cancer Society.
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New video from Fukushima reactor
20 January 2012
Last updated at 07:11 ET
Video of the inside of Number 2 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant - video courtesy of Tepco
The first footage from inside one of Japan's tsunami-hit nuclear reactors at Fukushima has been released by the stricken plant's operator.
Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) inserted an endoscope camera in Number 2 reactor to examine the interior.
Thursday's probe aimed to get details such as the true level of cooling water and temperature inside the vessel.
The six-reactor Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was badly damaged by the 11 March earthquake and tsunami.
Last month it was announced that the nuclear reactors had finally been stabilised and reached a state of "cold shutdown".
This occurs when the water that cools nuclear fuel rods remains below boiling point, meaning that the fuel cannot reheat.
Radiation distorted footageThe video probe, just 8.5 mm in diameter according to one report, was inserted into the vessel to ascertain reactor conditions, particularly the level of cooling water and the temperature.
Some of the footage was distorted because of the levels of radiation, but officials say no major ruptures caused by the earthquake have been spotted.
"The visual artefacts provoked by the high level of radiation and other leaks inside are a viewing obstacle, but nevertheless the images are of relatively good quality in some areas," Tepco official Junichi Matsumoto is quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.
Tepco also said that experts were still trying to identify all the parts that were shown in the video.
The probe failed to find the water surface, which indicates that it sat at lower than expected levels and raised questions about the accuracy of current water monitors.
But the probe confirmed that the temperature inside the reactor was in line with the temperature gauge outside the container.
The information from the probe "will help us keep the reactor stable and solve problems," Ms Matsumoto is quoted by Reuters as saying.
Reports say that Tepco now hopes to use the endoscope to look inside two other stricken reactors but officials say radiation levels would have to decrease before that can happen.
A 20km (12m) exclusion zone remains in place around the plant. The government says it will take decades to dismantle the plant completely.
More than 80,000 people had to leave the area. Radiation levels in some places remain too high for them to return home.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-asia-16649030
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Sunday, January 22, 2012
SC verdict: Romney, Gingrich face off in primary
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney campaigns at Tommy's Country Ham House, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Greenville, S.C., on South Carolina's Republican primary election day. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney campaigns at Tommy's Country Ham House, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Greenville, S.C., on South Carolina's Republican primary election day. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich takes part in a TV interview during a campaign event at the Grapevine Restaurant in Spartanburg, S.C., on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, the unpredictable voting day of the South Carolina presidential primary. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum speaks at The Citadel Patriots Dinner in Charleston, S.C., Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, speaks during a campaign stop at Tommy's Country Ham House, where former House Speaker Newt Gingrich also scheduled an appearance on South Carolina's Republican primary election day in Greenville, S.C., Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Republican presidential candidate former, House Speaker Newt Gingrich, seen with his wife Callista at center, campaigns at a Chick-Fil-A in Anderson, S.C., Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, on South Carolina's Republican primary election day. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) ? Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich collided Saturday in the South Carolina primary, the first Southern testing ground in the race for the Republican presidential nomination and historically a harbinger of the final outcome.
Rick Santorum and Texas Rep. Ron Paul rounded out the field in a campaign defined by its unpredictability.
There were 25 Republican National Convention delegates at stake, but political momentum was the real prize with the race to pick an opponent to President Barack Obama still in its early stages.
In all, more than $12 million was spent on television ads by the candidates and their allies in South Carolina, much of it on attacks designed to degrade the support of rivals.
Already, Romney and a group that supports him were on the air in next-up Florida with a significant ad campaign, more than $7 million combined to date. The state's primary is Jan. 31.
Interviews with voters as they left polling places showed nearly half saying their top priority was finding a candidate who could defeat President Barack Obama in the fall, followed by wishes for experience, strong moral character and true conservatism.
In a state with 9.9 percent unemployment, concern about the economy was high, and almost one-third of those voting reported a family member had lost a job in the past three years.
The exit poll was conducted for The Associated Press and the television networks by Edison Research as voters left polls at 35 randomly selected sites. The survey involved interviews with 1,577 voters and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, swept into South Carolina 11 days ago as the favorite after being pronounced the winner of the lead-off Iowa caucuses, then cruising to victory in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary.
But in the sometimes-surreal week that followed, he was stripped of his Iowa triumph ? GOP officials there now say Santorum narrowly won ? while former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman dropped out and endorsed Romney and Texas Rep. Rick Perry quit and backed Gingrich.
Romney responded awkwardly to questions about releasing his income tax returns, and about his investments in the Cayman Islands. Gingrich, the former speaker of the House, benefited from two well-received debate performances while grappling with allegations by an ex-wife that he had once asked her for an open marriage so he could keep his mistress.
By primary eve, Romney was speculating openly about a lengthy battle for the nomination rather than the quick knockout that had seemed within his grasp only days earlier.
One piece of primary day theater failed to materialize when the two men avoided crossing paths at Tommy's Ham House in Greenville, packed with partisans holding signs that read either "Romney" or "Newt 2012."
Romney rolled in earlier than expected, and had left by the time Gingrich arrived.
Santorum got a lift hours before the polls closed when the Iowa Republican Party declared him the winner of the caucuses on Jan. 3. Romney was pronounced the victor by eight votes initially, but on Thursday, party officials said a recount showed Santorum ahead by 34. Even so, they declared the outcome a tie.
Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, pinned his South Carolina hopes on a heavy turnout in parts of the state with large concentrations of social conservatives, the voters who carried him to his surprisingly strong showing in Iowa.
Paul had a modest campaign presence here after finishing third in Iowa and second in New Hampshire. His call to withdraw U.S. troops from around the world was a tough sell in a state dotted with military installations and home to many veterans.
As the first Southern primary, South Carolina has been a proving ground for Republican presidential hopefuls in recent years.
Since Ronald Reagan in 1980, every Republican contender who won the primary has gone on to capture the party's nomination.
Romney's stumbles began even before his New Hampshire primary victory, when he told one audience that he had worried earlier in his career about the possibility of being laid off.
He gave a somewhat rambling, noncommittal response in a debate in Myrtle Beach last Monday when asked if he would release his tax returns before the primary. The following day, he told reporters that because most of his earnings come from investments, he paid about 15 percent of his income in taxes, roughly half the rate paid by millions of middle-class wage-earners. A day later, aides confirmed that some of his millions are invested in the Cayman Islands, although they said he did not use the offshore accounts as a tax haven.
Asked again at a debate in North Charleston on Thursday about releasing his taxes, his answer was anything but succinct and the audience appeared to boo.
Gingrich benefited from a shift in strategy that recalled his approach when he briefly soared to the top of the polls in Iowa. At mid-week he began airing a television commercial that dropped all references to Romney and his other rivals, and contended that he was the only Republican who could defeat Obama.
It featured several seconds from the first debate in which the audience cheered as he accused Obama of having put more Americans on food stamps than any other president.
Nor did Gingrich flinch when ex-wife Marianne said in an interview on ABC that he had been unfaithful for years before their divorce in 1999, and asked him for an open marriage.
Asked about the accusation in the opening moments of the second debate of the week, he unleashed an attack on ABC and debate host CNN and accused the "liberal news media" of trying to help Obama by attacking Republicans. His ex-wife's account, he said, was untrue.
___
Associated Press writers Shannon McCaffrey, Kasie Hunt and Beth Fouhy contributed to this report.
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