Study Looks at Possible HIV Drugs-Birth Defect Link (HealthDay)

MONDAY, Jan. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Pregnant women with HIV can prevent passing the AIDS-causing virus to their babies by taking antiretroviral drugs, but there remains a possibility that some of these medications might cause birth defects, such as cleft lip and palate, according to a new study.

Antiretroviral drugs have been found to reduce the risk of mothers passing HIV on to their children from between 15 and 25 percent to less than 1 percent. These drugs, however, are still under investigation and not considered safe during pregnancy, the study authors noted.

To analyze the possible association between antiretroviral drugs and birth defects, Vassiliki Cartsos, an associate professor and director of graduate orthodontics at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, and colleagues examined five years of adverse events compiled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Their findings are published in the January issue of Cleft Palate--Craniofacial Journal.

The investigators found seven antiretroviral drugs were associated with 26 incidents of cleft lip and palate. However, the authors noted, uncovering an association does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

In other words, although the study findings should serve as a red flag, the researchers pointed out that the findings do not confirm that the antiretroviral drugs caused the birth defects.

Those drugs included lamivudine (Epivir); efavirenz (known as EFV); nelfinavir (Viracept); and the combination of abacavir (Ziagen), sulfate, lamivudine and zidovudine (Retrovir).

The study authors concluded in a journal news release that more research is needed to determine if there is a link between antiretroviral drugs and cleft lip and palate, a congenital malformation believed to have several causes, including genetic and environmental factors.

More information

The World Health Organization has more about antiretroviral therapy.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120130/hl_hsn/studylooksatpossiblehivdrugsbirthdefectlink

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Marine pleads guilty to assault fellow Marine (AP)

KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii ? A Hawaii-based Marine accused of hazing a fellow Marine who later killed himself in Afghanistan pleaded guilty Monday to assault as part of an agreement with prosecutors.

Lance Cpl. Jacob Jacoby admitted in a special court-martial that he punched and kicked Lance Cpl. Harry Lew. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors withdrew charges that Jacoby humiliated and threatened Lew.

Jacoby said he acted out of anger and frustration that his fellow Marine had repeatedly fallen asleep while on watch while looking for Taliban fighters. That put the lives of his squad members in danger, Jacoby said.

Lew committed suicide on April 3 at a patrol base in Helmand province, shortly after the abuse. The 21-year-old was a nephew of U.S. Rep. Judy Chu.

Two other Marines also are accused of hazing Lew before he shot himself with his machine gun in his foxhole. Sgt. Benjamin Johns, the leader of the squad the Marines belonged to, and Lance Cpl. Carlos Orozco III will have their own separate courts-martial later.

Both Marines watched the court proceedings Monday.

Lew's father, Allen Lew, said his family wants to see what sentence is given to Jacoby.

"We just couldn't believe (his) own peers would do something like that to their own people. Very sad," he told reporters. "It's a tragedy for us. Never able to repair our broken heart."

Chu, D-Calif., attended the hearing. "I want to make sure that there is justice for Harry. And I want to support these brave persons, his parents," she said.

The attorney representing Johns said he was concerned the presence of a politician will taint the process and interfere with justice.

"How do I get a fair jury? What implicit message is she trying to send to those panel members?" said Tim Bilecki, a defense attorney who specializes in military clients.

Chu said that wouldn't be the case. "I'm not going to be saying anything in the trial. All I'm doing is being here. I'm here for the family to support them," she said.

The case involves the actions of Marines at an isolated patrol base the U.S. was establishing to disrupt Taliban drug and weapons trafficking in Helmand province.

At an Article 32 hearing ? the equivalent of a grand jury hearing for civilians ? Marines testified in September that Lew repeatedly fell asleep while he was on watch duty and patrol looking for attacking insurgents. Squad members and officers had tried different methods to get him to stay awake, including referring him up the chain of command for discipline and taking him off patrols so he could get more rest.

But on Lew's last night, when he fell asleep again, those efforts escalated into alleged acts of violence and humiliation, according to charges outlined at the hearing. The Marines were accused of punching and kicking him, making him do push-ups and pouring sand in his face.

A significant share of the questions raised at the Article 32 hearing focused on whether the accused intended to humiliate and harm Lew or discipline him so he would stop falling asleep while on watch duty.

Before Lew put the muzzle of his machine gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger, he scrawled a note on his arm: "May hate me now, but in the long run this was the right choice I'm sorry my mom deserves the truth."

A Marine commander in retrospect speculated Lew may have been nodding off because he suffered from depression or some other medical condition.

Chu discussed her nephew's death during a House Armed Services hearing on suicide prevention in September, held at the same time as the Article 32 hearing. She told military witnesses that Lew was "a very popular and outgoing young man known for joking and smiling and break dancing."

Chu also issued a statement saying no one deserves being "hazed and tortured" like her nephew was, and that the military justice system must hold "any wrongdoers accountable."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_on_re_us/us_marines_alleged_hazing

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NJ woman denied bail in online sex abuse case (AP)

TRENTON, N.J. ? A New Jersey waitress cried in court Monday as she heard a prosecutor accuse her of "extreme sexual assault" on a 5-year-old girl she was baby-sitting and of streaming video of the abuse online.

Authorities say Jennifer Mahoney, 32, of Manalapan, laughed while she sexually assaulted the child, and again as she streamed the video to at least two other people. They say she confessed twice to different sets of investigators.

Mahoney has been charged with two counts of sexual exploitation of a child and was denied bail at a federal court hearing in Trenton. She had requested to wear a global positioning device, stay away from the victim and post her parents' home as collateral for bail, which has been set at $500,000.

"Law enforcement has recovered a video capture of extreme sexual assault," Assistant U.S. Attorney John Clabby said. "There is danger to the public, and the risk of flight."

During the hearing in U.S. District Court, Mahoney wiped away tears, buried her face in her hands and cried softly as her attorney, Herbert Ellis, rubbed her back. Later, she rocked quickly back and forth in her chair, not speaking except to reply, "Yes, your honor," when asked whether she understood her rights.

Ellis, her lawyer, said he needs to speak to Mahoney in detail before deciding how to proceed. He said he wants to see her videotaped confession to authorities to determine how it was given and under what circumstances.

Mahoney has been in custody since Dec. 14, the day after three pornographic videos showing assaults on the girl were found on the computer of a 32-year-old Texas man to whom she had streamed them, prosecutors said.

That man, Robert Ramos Jr. of Austin, was charged with possession of child pornography and sexual exploitation of minors. Prosecutors in Texas say he set up seven fake Facebook accounts to solicit teenage girls to send him nude photos and videos of themselves engaged in sexual acts.

When the FBI questioned her, she acknowledged performing a sex act on the child while she was baby-sitting her, court documents say.

She also told investigators she streamed live video of one of the sexual assaults to two men using a chat service and acknowledged filming another assault with her cellphone and sending video of it to two other people, court documents say. No other mention of a second recipient is included in court documents.

Later on the day of her arrest, she gave a separate videotaped confession to New Jersey authorities, Clabby said.

Two of the videos appeared to have been made in Mahoney's bedroom, the third in the bathtub of her home, the affidavit says.

The affidavit describes the sexual assaults in graphic terms. On one, the FBI agent notes, there is no audio. But, the agent notes, "it appears that the adult female is talking and laughing during the video, and it appears that the adult female is talking to another person over the Internet via a webcam."

Ramos remains in custody in Texas. Court documents include a transcript of a handwritten statement Ramos gave to the FBI in which he acknowledges soliciting underage girls to send him nude photos but insists he never had sexual contact with a minor.

"What I have done was stupid and not worth anything," he wrote. "I am very sorry and have made some terrible mistakes."

His lawyer did not immediately return a message seeking comment Monday.

___

Wayne Parry can be reached at http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_hi_te/us_child_molestation_streaming_video

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Sudan says to release ships seized from South Sudan (Reuters)

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) ? Sudan said on Saturday it would free tankers carrying cargoes of South Sudanese crude it had seized earlier this month, in a push to defuse a row over transit fees between former civil war foes that both depend on oil for almost all their income.

Landlocked South Sudan, which became independent in July after seceding from Sudan, has to use a northern pipeline and the port of Port Sudan to export its crude, and the two countries are in dispute over the transit fees it should pay.

The row heated up this month when Sudan said it was confiscating some of South Sudan's oil exports to make up for what it called unpaid fees. South Sudan retaliated by saying it would shut down its crude output by Saturday.

Oil is the lifeline of both countries' economies, and the south's secession left Khartoum with output of about 125,000 barrels per day and South Sudan with production that has fallen slightly to 350,000 bpd from 375,000 bpd in June.

Oil revenue is about 98 percent of South Sudan's income, and is vital if the government is to develop a country devastated by years of civil war and one of the world's poorest nations.

China is the biggest buyer of oil from the two countries, taking some 12.99 million barrels last year - five percent of overall 2011 crude imports by China, which is also the biggest investor in South Sudan's oilfields.

"President Bashir is ready to make this gesture. Sudan is going to release the vessels detained in Port Sudan," Sayed El-Khatib, deputy head of Sudan's negotiating team, told a media conference in the Ethiopian capital on Saturday.

"By taking this step, we expect the cover agreement to be signed, the shutdown to be halted, and the terms of the cover agreement to be respected," said El-Khatib. "Before the end of today, we could be able to sign the cover agreement. We, at least, are ready to sign."

A South Sudanese official, asked to comment, told Reuters: "We are studying the claim. We are waiting for confirmation from the shipping companies." He did not want to be named.

LEADERS FOUND NO ANSWER

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and South Sudan's President Salva Kiir met on the sidelines of a meeting of East African officials in Ethiopia on Friday, but failed to resolve their differences over the oil transit tariff.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, a broker between the two sides, met Bashir again on Saturday.

The row with Sudan has angered many in South Sudan, where independence, the result of a referendum following a 2005 peace accord, is often framed as the climax of a long struggle against political and economic marginalization by the north.

South Sudan's Kiir accused Khartoum of "looting" oil worth roughly $815 million and of building a tie-in pipeline to divert 120,000 barrels per day of southern oil flowing through the north.

Industry sources have said Sudan has sold at least one cargo of crude seized from South Sudan at a discount of millions of dollars to the official price charged by the South, and is offering more.

Awad Abdelfatah, undersecretary of Sudan's petroleum ministry, denied South Sudan's accusations of oil "theft."

"Since the 9th of July (South Sudan's independence day), we have opened our export line for them (South Sudan) without any hindrance," Abdelfatah told Reuters.

"We have been sending them invoices since that time and have been patient until the 1st of December. We decided then to take our dues. We didn't take anything more than what our invoice shows," Abdelfatah said.

Sudan's civil war, fought over issues of ethnicity, religion, ideology and oil, ebbed and flowed from 1955 to 2005 and caused the deaths of an estimated 2 million people. Southerners voted overwhelmingly for secession in a referendum in January 2011.

(Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Tim Pearce)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/energy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120128/wl_nm/us_sudan_oil

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St. Louis hosting 1st big parade on Iraq War's end

Stephanie King holds a picture of her uncle, Col. Stephen Scott who was killed in Iraq in 2008, as she prepares to participate in a parade to honor Iraq War veterans Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in St. Louis. Thousands turned out to watch the first big welcome home parade in the U.S. since the last troops left Iraq in December. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Stephanie King holds a picture of her uncle, Col. Stephen Scott who was killed in Iraq in 2008, as she prepares to participate in a parade to honor Iraq War veterans Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in St. Louis. Thousands turned out to watch the first big welcome home parade in the U.S. since the last troops left Iraq in December. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Participants in a parade to honor Iraq War veterans make their way along a downtown street Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in St. Louis. Thousands turned out to watch the first big welcome home parade in the U.S. since the last troops left Iraq in December. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Spectators cheer and wave as they watch a parade to honor Iraq War veterans pass Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in St. Louis. Thousands turned out to watch the first big welcome home parade in the U.S. since the last troops left Iraq in December. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Maj. Rich Radford, who became a symbol of the parade to honor Iraq War veterans thanks to a photo of his young daughter taking his hand while welcoming him home from his second tour in Iraq in 2010, smiles before the start of the parade Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in St. Louis. Thousands turned out to watch the first big welcome home parade in the U.S. since the last troops left Iraq in December. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Army Sgt. 1st Class Randy Jemerson, a veteran of two tours in Iraq, takes a picture of a staging at the start of a parade to honor Iraq War veterans Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in St. Louis. Thousands turned out to watch the first big welcome home parade in the U.S. since the last troops left Iraq in December. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

ST. LOUIS (AP) ? Looking around at the tens of thousands of people waving American flags and cheering, Army Maj. Rich Radford was moved that so many braved a cold January wind Saturday in St. Louis to honor people like him: Iraq War veterans.

The parade, borne out of a simple conversation between two St. Louis friends a month ago, was the nation's first big welcome-home for veterans of the war since the last troops were withdrawn from Iraq in December.

"It's not necessarily overdue, it's just the right thing," said Radford, a 23-year Army veteran who walked in the parade alongside his 8-year-old daughter, Aimee, and 12-year-old son, Warren.

Radford was among about 600 hundred veterans, many dressed in camouflage, who walked along downtown streets lined with rows of people clapping and holding signs with messages including "Welcome Home" and "Thanks to our Service Men and Women." Some of the war-tested troops wiped away tears as they acknowledged the support from a crowd that organizers estimated reached 100,000 people.

Fire trucks with aerial ladders hoisted huge American flags in three different places along the route, with politicians, marching bands ? even the Budweiser Clydesdales ? joining in. But the large crowd was clearly there to salute men and women in the military, and people cheered wildly as groups of veterans walked by.

That was the hope of organizers Craig Schneider and Tom Appelbaum. Neither man has served in the military but came up with the idea after noticing there had been little fanfare for returning Iraq War veterans aside from gatherings at airports and military bases. No ticker-tape parades or large public celebrations.

Appelbaum, an attorney, and Schneider, a school district technical coordinator, decided something needed to be done. So they sought donations, launched a Facebook page, met with the mayor and mapped a route. The grassroots effort resulted in a huge turnout despite raising only about $35,000 and limited marketing.

That marketing included using a photo of Radford being welcomed home from his second tour in Iraq by his then-6-year-old daughter. The girl had reached up, grabbed his hand and said, "I missed you, daddy." Radford's sister caught the moment with her cellphone camera, and the image graced T-shirts and posters for the parade.

Veterans came from around the country, and more than 100 entries ? including marching bands, motorcycle groups and military units ? signed up ahead of the event, Appelbaum said.

Schneider said he was amazed how everyone, from city officials to military organizations to the media, embraced the parade.

"It was an idea that nobody said no to," he said. "America was ready for this."

All that effort by her hometown was especially touching for Gayla Gibson, a 38-year-old Air Force master sergeant who said she spent four months in Iraq ? seeing "amputations, broken bones, severe burns from IEDs" ? as a medical technician in 2003.

"I think it's great when people come out to support those who gave their lives and put their lives on the line for this country," Gibson said.

With 91,000 troops still fighting in Afghanistan, many Iraq veterans could be redeployed ? suggesting to some that it's premature to celebrate their homecoming. In New York, for example, Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently said there would be no city parade for Iraq War veterans in the foreseeable future because of objections voiced by military officials.

But in St. Louis, there was clearly a mood to thank the troops with something big, even among those opposed to the war.

"Most of us were not in favor of the war in Iraq, but the soldiers who fought did the right thing and we support them," said 72-year-old Susan Cunningham, who attended the parade with the Missouri Progressive Action Group. "I'm glad the war is over and I'm glad they're home."

Don Lange, 60, of nearby Sullivan, held his granddaughter along the parade route. His daughter was a military interrogator in Iraq.

"This is something everyplace should do," Lange said as he watched the parade.

Several veterans of the Vietnam War turned out to show support for the younger troops. Among them was Don Jackson, 63, of Edwardsville, Ill., who said he was thrilled to see the parade honoring Iraq War veterans like his son, Kevin, who joined him at the parade. The 33-year-old Air Force staff sergeant said he'd lost track of how many times he had been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan as a flying mechanic.

"I hope this snowballs," he said of the parade. "I hope it goes all across the country. I only wish my friends who I served with were here to see this."

Looking at all the people around him in camouflage, 29-year-old veteran Matt Wood said he felt honored. He served a year in Iraq with the Illinois National Guard.

"It's extremely humbling, it's amazing, to be part of something like this with all of these people who served their country with such honor," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-28-Iraq%20War-Parade/id-2423f57659b34184a4f60f2722cc7d8f

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Transocean Not Liable for Some Gulf Spill Claims, Judge Rules

[unable to retrieve full-text content]A federal judge ruled that Transocean, the owner of the Deepwater Horizon, which blew out in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, was not liable for some pollution claims.

Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=fe3ad124fb2f778c98869f37c8855004

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'Jersey Shore' High Five: Operation Rescue Vinny!

Plus, the Situation is hungover and the girls wear bunny suits in this week's episode.
By Jim Cantiello

Mike "The Situation" on Thursday's Episode of "Jersey Shore"
Photo: MTV

The Situation's back and he got a Hugh Hefner-themed surprise party, what with the strippers and the wheelchairs. Here now, my five favorite moments from this week's "Jersey Shore."

5. Hungover Situation
You can't get any more DTF than a stripper, right? Wrong. Just ask the Situation, who brought home one of his party favors.

"I don't even remember her name. It might as well be A-nita because all night she was saying 'I need a cigarette. I need French toast.' Well I need you to get the hell out of my house!"

I think Hungover Situation is my favorite Situation. On the other hand, dude, she's a stripper who never actually took her clothes off. That's like being mad at your anorexic friend for giving you a crappy restaurant recommendation.

4. Old Man
With Vinny gone, Danny the T-shirt guy is looking to find a new employee/housemate and made J-Woww write up a "Help Wanted" sign after she tore down the first one.

J-Woww says, "What should the sign say, because Danny's being a douche ..."

"You should write, 'See old man inside for details!' " the Situation laughs.

The Situation - 1, Danny - 0.

The Situation walks away, and J-Woww says under her breath, "But then people would think they should talk to you."

The Situation - 1, J-Woww - 1,000,000!!

3. Operation Rescue Vinny!
What better way to help a guy with anxiety than to crowd him, shout loud things in his ear and bum-rush him in the comfort of his own home?!

Um ... get better Vinny!

2. Crack Is Wack!
In all seriousness, Vinny was happy to jump in the car and return to Seaside with his roomies. Too bad they nearly died on the way back ...

[They moon each other. Snooki sees "a ball." They all scream.]

Don't drink and drive. Don't text and drive. Don't try to blind people with your ugly-ass ass and drive.

1. Funny Bunnies
Gotta hand it to MTV. Always looking to lure in new audiences for their programming. This week they dedicated a segment entirely to furries!

Snooki and Deena hump each other in giant bunny costumes. Later, Snooki uses her new bunny costume for evil when she scares J-Woww.

Amazing. Let's just hope she doesn't pull that on Vinny for a few days.

For continuing "Jersey Shore" coverage, be sure to check in with MTV's Remote Control blog.

Related Videos

• Jersey Shore High 5 Recaps!
• Jersey Shore (Season 5) | Ep. 4 | Free Vinny

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1678016/jersey-shore-season-five-episode-four-recap-free-vinny.jhtml

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Barack Obama: I Won't Be Campaigning Until Republicans Have A Nominee

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama insists he is not in campaign mode and won't be until after his Republican presidential challenger is chosen, despite being in the middle of a three-day tour of five states that all happen to be key for his reelection campaign.

"Until the Republicans have a nominee, we don't have a campaign," Obama said in a Wednesday interview with Univision, his first sit-down since Tuesday's State of the Union address.

He also said he has not even thought about who would be a more challenging GOP contender, Newt Gingrich or Mitt Romney.

"You know, I don't really think about that," Obama said. "What I can say is this. That whoever their nominee is, they represent ideas that I think are wrong for America."

And then, in a campaign-style speech, he proceeded to map out all of the reasons why former House Speaker Gingrich and former Massachusetts Gov. Romney are not the right fit for the presidency:

They believe that we should actually make the tax code more unequal. They believe that we should not provide a pathway to citizenship for young people who were brought here when they were very young children, and are basically American kids, but right now are still in a shadow. They've said that they would veto the Dream Act. Both of them. They both believe that we should repeal a health care law that stands to provide millions of Latinos who work every single day the opportunity to make sure that they've got health insurance. And so on a whole range of issues I think that whether it's Mr. Romney or Mr. Gingrich or Mr. Santorum or whoever else they might decide to select, they represent a fundamentally different vision of America. And it's not the bold, generous, forward-looking, optimistic America that I think built this country.

The president sat for the Univision interview while in Chandler, Ariz., one of five states he is hitting this week to pitch the social and economic vision he laid out in his State of the Union address. Earlier in the day, Obama gave a speech on American manufacturing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. On Thursday he gave speeches about American-made energy in Las Vegas, Nev., and Aurora, Colo., and on Friday, he is set to give remarks in Detroit, Mich., before heading back home.

All five of those states are battleground regions for Obama's reelection. And the fact that he is visiting all of them now to pitch his State of the Union message -- that everybody deserves a fair shot at economic success and everybody must play by the same rules -- is a convenient way for him to connect his governing to his campaigning, which has been in operation for months but has not yet become his full-time activity.

Asked how Americans will be able to tell when he is campaigning versus governing, Obama told Univision that he plans to stay focused on his job and expects the politics will follow. He then touted some of his accomplishments over the past few years -- citing 3 million new jobs in the last 22 months and a recovery in American manufacturing -- and said he plans to keep traveling around the country to argue that his policies, not Republicans' ideas, are the right ones for the country.

"So those are the kinds of fights that we're going to have" on the campaign trail, the president said. "And you know, some people may interpret that as campaigning. I consider that to be important to my leadership in governing this country."

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/26/obama-campaign-2012_n_1234708.html

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Chief tech officer to leave W.H. (Politico)

Aneesh Chopra, who as the first U.S. chief technology officer has been the face of Obama's tech policy, is leaving the White House, an administration official confirmed to POLITICO.

The White House confirmed Friday that Chopra?s last day will be Feb. 8.

Continue Reading

In his role, Chopra has been an advocate for integrating government and technology to create new products and services. He was a frequent visitor to Silicon Valley, where he promoted the Obama administration?s tech policies.

Most recently, Chopra was one of three authors of the White House blog post critical of controversial copyright legislation, the Stop Online Piracy Act in the House and the Senate?s PROTECT IP Act.

Chopra joined the administration in May 2009 with experience moving between government and technology as Virginia?s secretary of technology. He previously had been managing director at The Advisory Board Co., a publicly traded health care think tank.

He appeared Zelig-like wherever the tech industry gathered, promoting the idea that the federal government is changing and it needs innovators to work on the nation?s biggest policy problems.

It was unclear Friday morning where Chopra is headed after the White House, but sources said he has been rumored to be mulling a political career.

President Barack Obama thanked Chopra for his service in a statement Friday. ?As the federal government?s first chief technology officer, Aneesh Chopra did groundbreaking work to bring our government into the 21st century. Aneesh found countless ways to engage the American people using technology, from electronic health records for veterans, to expanding access to broadband for rural communities, to modernizing government records,? Obama said. ?His legacy of leadership and innovation will benefit Americans for years to come, and I thank him for his outstanding service.?

This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 11:13 a.m. on January 27, 2012.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories0112_72080_html/44328162/SIG=11mjs5m4e/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/72080.html

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AP Source: Bucs hire Rutgers coach Schiano (AP)

TAMPA, Fla. ? A person familiar with the negotiations says the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have hired Rutgers' Greg Schiano to be the team's next coach.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because an official announcement was to come later Thursday, after Schiano met with his team. The person says Schiano's deal is for five years.

ESPN first reported the Bucs and Schiano were close to a deal.

The Bucs fired Raheem Morris on Jan. 2 after a 4-12 finish that included 10 straight losses to end the season, most of them by double-digit margins. The collapse following a promising 4-2 start came only a year after the NFL's youngest team went 10-6 and narrowly missed the playoffs.

___

AP College Football Writer Ralph Russo in New York contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_buccaneers_schiano

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Fed set to push back timing of eventual rate hike (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The Federal Reserve looks set to keep monetary policy on hold on Wednesday, even as it releases forecasts expected to show interest rates will be near zero for at least two more years.

Given recent improvement in the U.S. economy, the central bank will probably remain non-committal regarding the prospect for additional bond purchases, but will leave the door open to further action if Europe's banking problems spill over into the United States.

As part of an effort to provide more insight on its thinking to financial markets and the public, the Fed will begin publishing individual policymakers' projections for the appropriate path of the benchmark federal funds rate.

In so doing, the Federal Open Market Committee, the central bank's policy-setting arm, will probably reveal that it does not expect to begin raising rates until at least early 2014. Since August, it has only said after every policy session that it expected to keep rates ultra-low until at least mid-2013.

If the Fed can convince financial markets it will be on hold longer than they had anticipated, long-term interest rates could drop as investors price in the new information.

"A significant contingent of the committee views this exercise not so much as a process improvement but more as an opportunity to ease again via the forward rate communications channel," said Stephen Stanley, economist at Pierpoint Securities.

There is also the possibility that officials will announce an explicit inflation target, perhaps a hard marker of 2 percent or a range of 2 percent or a bit below. The Fed has been debating a statement on its long-run goals, but whether one will be released on Wednesday is unclear.

The Fed will release a statement outlining its views on the economy and monetary policy at about 12:30 p.m. The rate projections, along with regular quarterly economic forecasts, will be issued at 2 p.m.

While forecasters expect the U.S. economy grew at a 3 percent annual rate in the last three months of 2011, Fed officials will probably shy away from any explicit hints on the likelihood of further unconventional monetary easing.

However, many analysts think the recent momentum in the U.S. recovery will wane as Europe's economy falters, potentially prompting another spurt of Fed bond buying - probably one focused on mortgage debt.

Since December 2008, in response to the deepest recession in generations, the Fed slashed rates to effectively zero and also more than tripled the size of its balance sheet to around $2.9 trillion through two separate bond purchase programs.

The policy is credited with having prevented an even longer downturn, but has been insufficient to bring down unemployment to levels considered normal during good economic times.

In December, the U.S. jobless rate stood at 8.5 percent, and some 13 million Americans were still actively looking for work but could not find it.

Analysts note that the Fed's shift in communications, which has led to considerable confusion about just what exactly will be announced, will put an even greater emphasis on a post-meting news conference by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke at 2:15 p.m.

"The chairman is likely to remain non-committal to any additional policy easing, but he is likely to reinforce the Fed's commitment to 'review the size and composition of its securities holdings' and be 'prepared to adjust those holdings as appropriate,'" said Millan Mulraine, senior macro strategist at TD Securities.

(Editing by Tim Ahmann)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/bs_nm/us_usa_fed

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Mewt Gromney

Florida is a haven for retirees, and Newt Gingrich seemed like one during the GOP debate in Tampa Monday night. Instead of the firebrand he?s been in the previous seventeen outings, he was in a constant state of repose, ducking attacks, tolerating moderators, and generally just paddling around in the shallow waves hoping for a nice soak. Mitt Romney was shark-like: He wore a permanent smile and attacked with emotionless precision.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=dd34c3b4ae96624993e4f5f95fddc27f

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Hispanic Vote Key for Gingrich in Florida (ABC News)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

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Senator Mark Kirk hospitalized after suffering stroke (Reuters)

CHICAGO (Reuters) ? Senator Mark Kirk underwent surgery on Monday after suffering a stroke, according to a statement from the Illinois Republican lawmaker's office.

Kirk, 52, remains hospitalized after suffering a stroke over the weekend. He underwent surgery early on Monday to relieve swelling around his brain stemming from the stroke, the statement said.

Kirk checked himself into a hospital in the Chicago suburb Lake Forest on Saturday where doctors discovered an "carotid artery dissection."

Kirk was transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital on Sunday where further tests revealed that he had suffered an ischemic stroke.

"Due to his young age, good health and the nature of the stroke, doctors are very confident in the Senator's recovery over the weeks ahead," the statement said.

Kirk, a native of Champaign, Illinois, was elected to the House of Representatives in 2000 and to the Senate in 2010.

(Reporting By Eric Johnson; editing by Paul Thomasch)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/us_nm/us_senator_kirk_stroke

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'Co-Occurring' Disorders May Explain Change in Autism Diagnosis (HealthDay)

MONDAY, Jan. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Many children with autism also have other developmental or psychiatric conditions, including learning disabilities, speech delays, attention or seizure disorders and anxiety.

According to new research, some of those co-occurring conditions may explain why autism diagnoses often change as children get older.

In a survey by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, more than one-third of parents with children between 6 and 17 years old reported that their child's diagnosis of autism had changed over time.

"We don't know what changed the diagnosis. However, we want to deliver the message that it's important to look at the other coexisting conditions, evaluate them before you make a diagnosis, and also recognize these conditions vary by development age," said study author Li-Ching Lee, an associate scientist in the epidemiology and mental health departments at the School of Public Health.

Autism is a neurodevelopment disorder characterized by problems with social interaction, communication and restricted interests and behaviors.

In the study, researchers used 2007-2008 survey data from the parents of nearly 1,400 children aged 3 to 17 who had received a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including autism, Asperger disorder -- a mild form of autism, and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified.

Parents were asked if their child currently had a diagnosis of autism or an ASD, or had had one in the past.

Nearly 26 percent of parents of children aged 3 to 5 reported a change in diagnosis, the researchers said. Nearly 34 percent of parents of children aged 6 to 11 and 35 percent of the parents of 12- to 17-year-olds reported their child was diagnosed with autism at some point but no longer was considered to have autism, the researchers found.

Overall, children with two or more co-occurring developmental or psychiatric conditions were five times more likely than kids with fewer coexisting conditions to continue to have an autism diagnosis, the researchers said.

Kids who had a moderate-to-severe learning disability were 11 times more likely to continue to have an autism diagnosis over time, while kids with a developmental delay were nine times more likely to retain an autism diagnosis, the study authors said.

Researchers didn't look at why certain conditions are associated with a change in autism diagnosis. But some of the symptoms of various development and psychiatric conditions can overlap, so it's possible that having certain ones can lead to a misdiagnosis until the child gets older and their issues become more clear, according to the study.

For example, kids diagnosed with a hearing problem showed a tendency to "lose" their autism diagnosis over time. Researchers speculated that behaviors that initially resembled autism symptoms -- not responding or not engaging -- were later discovered to stem from impaired hearing.

The study is published in the February issue of Pediatrics.

Dr. Joseph Horrigan, assistant vice president and head of medical research for the advocacy group Autism Speaks, cautioned not to make too much of the findings. The children weren't actually followed over time, nor were they actually examined, a methodology that would be the "gold standard" of research.

Because the results were based on a telephone survey, Horrigan said, "I'd be a little cautious about over-interpreting whether this means there's likely to be change in an autism diagnosis or a loss of an autism diagnosis for a given individual."

Nor did researchers look at kids whose diagnosis went the other way -- that is, they were initially not diagnosed with autism but were later diagnosed with it.

However, the findings highlight how often kids with ASD experience other conditions, some of which may be treatable with medications or with educational interventions. These include anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, epilepsy and learning disabilities.

"Up until the recent past, there's been a tendency to spend most of the time and energy on the autism and the autism diagnosis, and thinking about a treatment package that's keyed directly to the autism," Horrigan said. "What's important here is they are highlighting some of the most common co-occurring disorders, a number of which are readily amenable to treatments."

An estimated one in 110 U.S. children -- many more boys than girls -- has autism, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more on autism.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/parenting/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120123/hl_hsn/cooccurringdisordersmayexplainchangeinautismdiagnosis

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This Week's Top Downloads [Download Roundup]

Jan 21, 2012 5:00 PM 17,924 2

• Boxer is a Free DOS Game Emulator for your Mac (Mac) Computer games have come a long way since the days of Doom, Zork, Tie Fighter, and Castle Wolfenstein, but many of us who grew up with those games would like to replay them. Boxer is a free app that will let you play any DOS game on your Mac.
• iBoostUp Cleans Out Your Mac's System File Clutter in a Minute (Mac) iBoostUp cleans out the crap on your drive and fine-tunes your system for better performance. It's simple, it's quick, and it's free.
• AntiCrop "Uncrops" Your Photos by Extending the Picture's Background (iOS) If you've ever taken a hasty photo on your phone and didn't leave enough room on the outside, AntiCrop is the app can "uncrop" those photos by filling in the edges with just a few swipes.
• Untethered Jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iOS 5 Is Finally Here (iOS) iPhone-hacking group Chronic Dev Team just released the first untethered jailbreak for the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 running iOS 5.0.1. We've explained why a tethered jailbreak can be such a hassle, which is why we've been waiting to recommend jailbreaking your up-to-date iPhone. Luckily, that wait is over.
• Clean My Desktop Sorts Files Into Content Specific Folders (Mac) A desktop filled with hundreds of files in a variety of formats can be a headache to clean up, but Clean My Desktop makes it easy by sorting everything into content specific folders based on the file type.
• MindNode Is a Mind Mapping App that Makes Brainstorming Simple and Easy (Mac/iOS) Regardless of the type of work that you do, brainstorming is an important part of generating new ideas and new approaches to getting your work done more efficiently. Mind mapping is a brainstorming technique that helps you get all of your interconnected thoughts out in a diagram, and there are a number of complicated tools designed to help you do it. MindNode for Mac and iOS is pricey, but it's one of the best tools we've seen for the job.
• Pomodroido Is an Elegant Pomodoro Timer for Your Android Phone (Pomodroido) If you're a fan of the Pomodoro productivity technique, you know that part of the philosophy is to work in short, focused, timed bursts and then take periodic breaks to relax. To do this, you'll need a timer, and Pomodroido is a free app that turns your Android phone into one that follows you everywhere.
• Forismatic Is a Free App that Helps You Relax and Keeps You Inspired Every Day (Mac) Computers are supposed to make our work easier, but in reality they often just bring us more work and stress us out. Give your Mac the opportunity to help you relax for a change with Forismatic, a free app that sits in the menubar until you need a little inspiration to help you keep going, and will remind you to take a break now and again to relax.
• Breathing Zone Guides You Towards Slower Breathing to Help Reduce Stress and Anxiety (Mac/iOS) Breathing Zone is a simple app that helps slow your breathing rhythm to calm you down and make you feel more relaxed. If you're a bit stressed or anxious, it's a good way to help you alleviate those feelings in just a few minutes.
• WatchMe Is a Desktop Timer that Keeps Track of Multiple Alarms at Once (Windows) Unfortunately, few of us have the luxury of only keeping track of one thing at a time. There are plenty of great timers available to help you keep track of how long you've been working or when you need to take a break, but if you need to track multiple times or set more than one timer, you may be out of luck. WatchMe is a timer that allows you to set multiple alerts and multiple timers so you're alerted at different times for different things.

Related Stories

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/94J0DABeIrw/this-weeks-top-downloads

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Al Sharpton Challenges Newt Gingrich To Discuss Comments About Blacks And Food Stamps (VIDEO)

Al Sharpton challenged Newt Gingrich to meet him to discuss his controversial comments about blacks and food stamps, and poor children working as janitors.

The Hill reported that a man in South Carolina questioned Gingrich on his comments, and challenged him to meet with Al Sharpton. Gingrich said he would be "glad to do it."

On Saturday, Sharpton said that he hadn't heard from the GOP candidate yet, but that he was looking forward to the opportunity and that he would even travel to meet him wherever he was. He said, "We'll meet him anywhere, any time."

Sharpton was speaking to fellow MSNBC hosts analyzing the South Carolina primary. "I want him to answer this whole question about blacks and food stamps when clearly that is not the case that we in the black community are synonymous with food stamps, how the president is the 'food stamp president,'" he said.

The MSNBC host also alleged that Gingrich only used racially-charged rhetoric to win with white audiences. Gingrich had said that he would urge the black community to demand paychecks, not food stamps. But Sharpton recalled joining Gingrich and President Obama on a tour about education, and said "none of this rhetoric was used" with black audiences. He made similar charges of "racial demagoguer?y" against Gingrich on Tuesday.

On Saturday, Sharpton asked, "Are we dealing with someone who's just racially insensitive or someone who's cynical, who would use race to play and blacks as backboards to score a shot?"

Also on HuffPost:

GOP candidates on the issues:

Gingrich: Platform calls for conservative judges and no subsidies for abortion but not a constitutional abortion ban. Paul: Says federal government should have no authority either to legalize or ban abortion. Perry: Now supports constitutional abortion ban after saying states should decide their own laws on such issues. Romney: Says Roe v. Wade should be reversed by a future Supreme Court and states should decide their own abortion laws. Santorum: Favors constitutional abortion ban and opposes abortion even in cases of rape.

Gingrich: Platform calls for conservative judges and no subsidies for abortion but not a constitutional abortion ban.

Paul: Says federal government should have no authority either to legalize or ban abortion.

Perry: Now supports constitutional abortion ban after saying states should decide their own laws on such issues.

Romney: Says Roe v. Wade should be reversed by a future Supreme Court and states should decide their own abortion laws.

Santorum: Favors constitutional abortion ban and opposes abortion even in cases of rape.

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Abortion

Gingrich: Platform calls for conservative judges and no subsidies for abortion but not a constitutional abortion ban. Paul: Says federal government should have no authority either to legalize or ban abortion. Perry: Now supports constitutional abortion ban after saying states should decide their own laws on such issues. Romney: Says Roe v. Wade should be reversed by a future Supreme Court and states should decide their own abortion laws. Santorum: Favors constitutional abortion ban and opposes abortion even in cases of rape.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/21/al-sharpton-newt-gingrich-food-stamps_n_1221342.html

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Libyan Islamists rally to demand sharia-based law (Reuters)

TRIPOLI (Reuters) ? Hundreds of Libyan Islamists rallied on Friday to demand that Muslim sharia law inspire legislation in what organizers called a response to the emergence of secular political parties after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's dictatorship last year.

Assembled by Islamist political and religious groups, mostly young and bearded men holding up copies of the Koran demonstrated in squares in the capital Tripoli, the eastern city of Benghazi and in Sabha in the southern desert.

In Tripoli's Algeria Square, Islamists burned copies of the "Green Book," Gaddafi's eccentric handbook on politics, economics and everyday life, to underline that the Koran should be the country's main source of legislation.

By contrast, a group of secularists who have staged a sit-in in the square for more than a month chanted: "We want a civil state."

The Islamist demonstrators encompassed members of the conservative Muslim Brotherhood and harder-line Salafis, who both back strict versions of Islam, and relative moderates who prefer a civil state simply inspired by sharia.

The protests offered a glimpse into Libya's political future in which Islamist and secularist parties are expected to vie for seats in a national assembly scheduled to be elected in June to draft a constitution for the North African country.

Experts believe the Muslim Brotherhood is the most organized political force and could emerge as the leading political player in Libya after Gaddafi, who harshly suppressed Islamists during his 42 years in autocratic power.

Western powers are coming to accept that the advent of democracy in the Arab world means bringing Islamists to power. They have become the biggest election winners in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco over the past few months.

The chairman of Libya's ruling National Transitional Council (NTC), Mustafa Abdul Jalil, promised in October to uphold Islamic law. "We as a Muslim nation have taken Islamic sharia as the source of legislation, therefore any law that contradicts the principles of Islam is legally nullified," he said.

The deputy central bank governor said last month a law regulating Islamic banking would be issued in the first quarter of 2012, but stressed that both conventional and Islamic banks would be allowed to operate in Libya.

Islamists in Algeria Square held up placards demanding a financial system respecting Islam's ban on interest and calling for a constitution derived from sharia's legal and moral codes.

"We want to run our life according to Islamic principles, be it the economy, politics or our relations with other countries," said Abdul Basit Ghuwaila, a preacher at a Tripoli mosque. "Most people think Islam is just about harsh penalties."

Ghuwaila, 49, said sharia should not govern all Libyan law, but insisted that legislation should not contradict it.

Nour al-Zintani, a participant in the month-long sit-in for a secular state, said the majority of Libyans wanted Islam to be a part of their life but not a strict interpretation of it.

"We all want sharia," she said, standing next to her teenage daughter, both of them wearing a Muslim headscarf, "but not the one they're talking about, the one that rejects women. We want a moderate Islam that gives women their rights."

(Additional reporting by Mohammad Al Tommy; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120120/wl_nm/us_libya_sharia_rallies

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Spokesman: Paterno in serious condition

People gather at a statue of former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno in State College, Pa, on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Joe Paterno's doctors say the former coach's condition has become "serious" after he experienced complications from lung cancer in recent days. (AP Photo/John Beale)

People gather at a statue of former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno in State College, Pa, on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Joe Paterno's doctors say the former coach's condition has become "serious" after he experienced complications from lung cancer in recent days. (AP Photo/John Beale)

FILE - In this Nov. 7, 2009, file photo, Penn State Coach Joe Paterno stands with his players before taking the field for an NCAA college football game against Ohio State in State College, Pa. A family spokesman says the former Penn State coach, who is battling lung cancer, is in serious condition after experiencing health complications. The 85-year-old Paterno has been in the hospital since Jan. 13 for observation for what his family had called minor complications from cancer treatments. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

People gather at a statue of former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno in State College, Pa., on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Paterno's doctors say the former coach's condition has become "serious" after he experienced complications from lung cancer in recent days. (AP Photo/John Beale)

FILE - In this Oct. 13, 2007, file photo, Penn State head coach Joe Paterno stands with his team before they take the field to play for an NCAA college football game against Wisconsin in State College, Pa. A family spokesman says the former Penn State coach, who is battling lung cancer, is in serious condition after experiencing health complications. The 85-year-old Paterno has been in the hospital since Jan. 13 for observation for what his family had called minor complications from cancer treatments. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Candles, flowers, notes and other mementos are placed at a statue of former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno in State College, Pa., on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Paterno's doctors say the former coach's condition has become "serious" after he experienced complications from lung cancer in recent days. (AP Photo/John Beale)

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) ? Joe Paterno's doctors said Saturday that the former Penn State coach's condition had become "serious," following complications from lung cancer in recent days.

The winningest major college football coach, Paterno was diagnosed shortly after Penn State's Board of Trustees ousted him Nov. 9 in the aftermath of the child sex abuse charges against former assistant Jerry Sandusky. While undergoing treatment, his health problems worsened when he broke his pelvis ? the same injury he sustained during preseason practice last year.

"Over the last few days Joe Paterno has experienced further health complications," family spokesman Dan McGinn said in a brief statement to The Associated Press. "His doctors have now characterized his status as serious. His family will have no comment on the situation and asks that their privacy be respected during this difficult time."

Paterno's sons Scott and Jay each took to Twitter on Saturday night to refute reports that their father had died.

Wrote Jay Paterno: "I appreciate the support & prayers. Joe is continuing to fight."

Quoting individuals close to the family, The Washington Post reported on its website that Paterno remained connected to a ventilator, but had communicated his wishes not to be kept alive through any extreme artificial means. The paper said his family was weighing whether to take him off the ventilator on Sunday.

The 85-year-old Paterno has been in the hospital since Jan. 13 for observation for what his family called minor complications from his cancer treatments. Not long before that, he conducted his only interview since losing his job, with the Post. Paterno was described as frail and wearing a wig. The second half of the two-day interview was conducted from his bedside.

Roughly 200 students and townspeople gathered Saturday night at a statue of Paterno just outside a gate at Beaver Stadium. Some brought candles, while others held up their smart phones to take photos of the scene. The mood was somber, with no chanting or shouting.

"Drove by students at the Joe statue," Jay Paterno tweeted. "Just told my Dad about all the love & support--inspiring him."

Penn State student David Marselles held a candle in his right hand and posed next to a life-sized cardboard cutout of Paterno that he keeps at his apartment. A friend took a photo on the frigid night.

"I came to Penn State because of Joe Paterno. Since I was a little kid, I've been watching the games ... screaming 'We Are ... Penn State' because of him. ... He inspired me to go to college," Marselles said. "With such a tragic event like this, I just thought it was necessary to show my support."

The final days of Paterno's Penn State career were easily the toughest in his 61 years with the university and 46 seasons as head football coach.

Sandusky, a longtime defensive coordinator who was on Paterno's staff during two national title seasons, was arrested Nov. 5 and ultimately charged with sexually abusing a total of 10 boys over 15 years. His arrest sparked outrage not just locally but across the nation and there were widespread calls for Paterno to quit.

Paterno announced late on Nov. 9 that he would retire at the end of the season, but hours later he received a call from board vice chairman John Surma, telling him he had been terminated. By that point, a crowd of students and media were outside the Paterno home. When news spread that Paterno had been dumped, there was rioting in State College.

Police on Saturday evening barricaded the block where Paterno lives, and a police car was stationed about 50 yards from his home. Several people had gathered in the living room of the house. No one was outside, other than reporters and photographers.

Trustees said this week they pushed Paterno out in part because he failed a moral responsibility to report an allegation made in 2002 against Sandusky to authorities outside the university. They also felt he had challenged their authority and that, as a practical matter, with all the media in town and attention to the Sandusky case, he could no longer run the team.

Paterno testified before the grand jury investigating Sandusky that he had relayed to his bosses an accusation that came from graduate assistant Mike McQueary, who said he saw Sandusky abusing a boy in the showers of the Penn State football building.

Paterno told the Post that he didn't know how to handle the charge, but a day after McQueary visited him, he spoke to the athletic director and the administrator with oversight over the campus police.

Wick Sollers, Paterno's lawyer, called the board's comments this week self-serving and unsupported by the facts. Paterno fully reported what he knew to the people responsible for campus investigations, Sollers said.

"He did what he thought was right with the information he had at the time," Sollers said.

Sandusky says he is innocent and is out on bail, awaiting trial.

The back and forth between Paterno's representative and the board reflects a trend in recent weeks, during which Penn State alumni ? and especially former players, including Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris ? have questioned the trustees' actions and accused them of failing to give Paterno a chance to defend himself.

Three town halls, in Pittsburgh, suburban Philadelphia and New York City, seemed to do little to calm the situation and dozens of candidates have now expressed interest in running for the board, a volunteer position that typically attracts much less interest.

While everyone involved has said the focus should be on Sandusky's accusers and their ordeals, the abuse scandal brought a tarnished ending to Paterno's sterling career. Paterno won 409 games and took the Nittany Lions to 37 bowl games and those two national championships, the last in the 1986 season. More than 250 of the players he coached went on to the NFL.

Throughout his coaching years, Paterno maintained that, yes, winning was important, but even more important was winning with honor.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-22-Penn%20State-Paterno/id-65e609a0835648bbba01c7b4b0aa3736

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I-70 toll road proposal raises legal questions (AUDIO)

A state transportation department proposal to rebuild Interstate 70 by making it a toll road brings out some pointed legal questions.? Transportation Department director Kevin Keith says 1-70 is almost sixty years old, well beyond the 25 years it was expected to last before rebuilding.? He says it?s going to cost two to six-billion dollars to rebuild and expand it as a modern road.

?????????????????????????????????AUDIO? Keith? :09 mp3???

He and members of a joint legislative transportation oversight committee think voters don?t want a gas tax increase to pay for the work.? The department tells legislators it them to change state law so it can contract with a private company to pay for the rebuilding. The company would get its money back by turning 70 into a toll road, and doing so quickly.

???????????????????????????AUDIO ?Keith? :20 mp3

But critics charge the toll amounts to a four-billion dollar tax that will require a public vote. Missouri Trucking Association President Tom Crawford It?s a ?very dangerous public policy? to let a private company tax motorists through highway tolls.

?????????????????????????????AUDIO: Crawford? :23? mp3

And Triple-A?s Mike Right says the plan sets up an unequal tax system.?

??????????????????????????????????AUDIO Right? :23? mp3

Another critic says the proposal allows a private entity to, in effect, tax motorists. Ron Leone, who heads the Missouri Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Stores Association, says the legislature should not transfer some of its powers to the state highways and transportation commission.

????????????????????????????????????????AUDIO: Leone? :29?? mp3

Keith says department lawyers are sure the private partnership procurement effort would not require voter approval.?? The legislature will have to change some laws before the effort can go ahead.?

?

Source: http://www.missourinet.com/2012/01/19/i-70-toll-road-proposal-raises-legal-questions-audio/

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Report: PSU fired Paterno over lack of action

FILE - In this Oct. 15, 2011, file photo, Penn State head coach Joe Paterno watches warm ups before an NCAA college football game against Purdue in State College, Pa. In his first public comments since being fired two months ago, former Penn State coach Paterno told the Washington Post he "didn't know which way to go" after an assistant coach came to him in 2002 saying he had seen retired defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky sexually abusing a boy, the Post reported on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 15, 2011, file photo, Penn State head coach Joe Paterno watches warm ups before an NCAA college football game against Purdue in State College, Pa. In his first public comments since being fired two months ago, former Penn State coach Paterno told the Washington Post he "didn't know which way to go" after an assistant coach came to him in 2002 saying he had seen retired defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky sexually abusing a boy, the Post reported on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Penn State's trustees agonized over the future of legendary football coach Joe Paterno but ultimately decided to fire the Hall of Famer in part over what they said was his failure to go to authorities with a report of alleged sexual assault of a child by an assistant coach nearly a decade ago, according to a report published Thursday in The New York Times.

Some of the 13 trustees interviewed by the Times (http://nyti.ms/AcHOxv ) said they were also troubled by Paterno greeting fans and supporters on his front lawn ? and leading them in school cheers ? just after the release of a scathing grand jury report detailing child sex abuse allegations against retired assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

The trustees said they were also concerned about Paterno's ability to lead the team during the scandal that also resulted in the ouster of university President Graham Spanier, but most jarring was the feeling the coach had failed to do enough after learning of a 2002 incident involving Sandusky and a boy in an on-campus shower.

"Every adult has a responsibility for every other child in our community. ...We have a responsibility for ensuring that we can take every effort that's within our power not only to prevent further harm to that child, but to every other child," said trustee Kenneth Frazier.

The alleged 2002 shower assault ultimately resulted in charges against two university officials, athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz. They're charged with failing to report suspected child abuse and perjury related to their testimony before the grand jury.

Paterno's attorney defended the coach's actions in a statement, saying Paterno passed on a report about an alleged assault to his superiors at the university believing they would investigate and act appropriately.

Sandusky is charged with sexually assaulting 10 young boys he met through The Second Mile, a charity he founded in 1977. He denies the allegations.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-19-Penn%20State%20Trustees-Paterno/id-a1f2e64f5b7d4333890ae73330291594

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