Monty Python to reunite for new movie

Don't expect "Holy Grail Part II," but Python fans have the right to get excited anyway.

By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper

If you're a lumberjack and you're OK, ?recognize a dead parrot when you see one, and?know your way to the Ministry of Silly Walks,? you're going to want to read this. And then email and Tweet and Facebook it to all?your friends who also know every word to "The Ballad of Brave Sir Robin," and think of?themselves as card-carrying members of the Knights Who Say 'Ni!"

The surviving members of Monty Python?are reuniting for a new movie this spring, Variety reports.

Don't expect "Holy Grail Part II," however.

"It's not a Monty Python picture, but it certainly has that sensibility," Python Terry Jones, who helped develop the script and also will direct, told the magazine.

The Pythons will play mischievious aliens who grant an earthling the power to do anything he wants just to see what kind of mess ensues. Robin Williams provides the voice of a talking dog. (No, really.) According to Variety's report, Terry Gilliam, John Cleese and Michael Palin have signed on, and producers hope to sign Eric Idle. Graham Chapman died of cancer?in 1989.

Producer Mike Medavoy of "Black Swan" calls the film a "classic farce" and compares it to the "Pink Panther" movies. But he also adds that "like all projects originated by any of the Monty Python guys, 'Absolutely Anything' delightfully defies (description)."

After all, nooooo one expects a Monty Python reunion.

Will you see this film, or isn't it Python enough for your tastes? And what's your absolute favorite quote or skit from the troupe? Tell us on Facebook.

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Source: http://entertainment.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/31/10273222-monty-python-to-reunite-for-new-movie

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What You Missed While Not Watching the Florida GOP Debate (Time.com)

Emmanuel Dunand / AFP / Getty Images

Republican presidential hopefuls Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul take part in a debate at the University of South Florida in Tampa on Jan. 23, 2012

0 minutes. TV Guide lists a new episode of Fear Factor at 9 p.m. on NBC. It?s called ?Leaches & Shaved Heads & Tear Gas, Oh My! Part 1.? And yet, as the hour strikes, the screen shows another patriotic montage, this time from Tampa, introducing the 18th Republican debate. The NFL plays a 16-game regular season. There are nine circles of hell. God got it done in six days. But democracy is unrelenting, a bit like Joe Rogan, with less forced regurgitation and fewer critter challenges. Which is to say, Fear Factor has been preempted. A fearful nation takes its place.

2 minutes. Blue gels on the audience again, like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, except there will be no ?dum-dum-dum,? at least when it comes to sound effects. Brian Williams, the handsomest man to have never been a movie star, is not wasting any time. He lists a lot of bad stuff that former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has been saying about former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. ?Erratic,? ?failed leader,? it goes on. ?Your response tonight, Mr. Speaker??

3 minutes. Gingrich responds by reciting his r?sum?, with extra emphasis on confusing historical analogies that only he knows. He says President Reagan carried ?more states than Herbert Hoover carried ? than Roosevelt carried against Herbert Hoover.? As is often the case with Gingrich, his words form a shield. By the time he gets to ?They?re not sending somebody to Washington to manage the decay,? it?s impossible to remember what was asked.

(PHOTOS: Political Pictures of the Week)

4 minutes. A wide shot shows Romney standing there, next to Gingrich, with his right hand hanging at his side, ready to draw. But dapper Williams tries again with Gingrich, which allows the former Speaker to continue to take credit for everything good that happened during his decades in the House. ?When I was Speaker, we had four consecutive balanced budgets, the only time in your lifetime, Brian, that we?ve had four consecutive balanced budgets.? This is not true. The four years of surplus ran through 2001. Gingrich resigned from office in 1999. Newt gets 2 out of 4. If this were a history class, he would fail.

5 minutes. Romney gets his chance. ?I think it?s about leadership,? he says, ?and the Speaker was given an opportunity to be the leader of our party in 1994. And at the end of four years, he had to resign in disgrace.? This is the same Mitt Romney who said in the last debate that he wished he had spent more time attacking President Obama and less time attacking his rivals. Romney calls Gingrich an ?influence peddler,? says he encouraged cap and trade and called Paul Ryan?s budget plan ?social engineering.?

(PHOTOS: The Rich History of Mitt Romney)

6 minutes. Gingrich, doing his best imitation of Romney, from when Romney was the front runner, acts like he is too big a deal to worry about the criticism. ?Well, look, I?m not going to spend the evening trying to chase Governor Romney?s misinformation,? he says, adding that he would rather be attacking Obama. ?I just think this is the worst kind of trivial politics.?

8 minutes. Williams still looks like how every 1940s radio-drama detective sounded. He asks Romney whether he can appeal to conservatives. Romney says he does, and pivots. ?Let?s go back to what the Speaker mentioned with regard to leadership,? Romney says. He notes that Gingrich was the first Speaker in history to resign. ?I don?t think we can possibly retake the White House if the person who?s leading our party is the person who was working for the chief lobbyist of Freddie Mac,? he adds.

9 minutes. Romney says almost exactly what Gingrich said after Iowa: that the last election taught him he can?t sit back. He has to go on offense. ?I had incoming from all directions, was overwhelmed with a lot of attacks. And I?m not going to sit back and get attacked day in and day out without returning fire,? Romney says. The two men have traded strategies since South Carolina. Or bodies. Gingrich is now aloof and focused on the general. Romney is trying to muddy the field.

10 minutes. Gingrich returns fire with a couple of zingers: ?He may have been a good financier,? he says of Romney. ?He?s a terrible historian.? So is Gingrich. (See minute 4.) Then Gingrich proceeds to respond to a lot of stuff he just said he would not waste his time talking about. He tells a rosy version of his fall from the top of the House that would not please his fellow historians. ?Apparently, your consultants aren?t very good historians,? Gingrich tells Romney. ?What you ought to do is stop and look at the facts.? The intellectual insult. A classic Gingrich move. Like, I know you are, but what am I?

(WATCH: Breaking Down Mitt Romney?s 14% Tax Rate)

11 minutes. Debonair Williams, he of the slender face and half-Windsor knot, throws it to former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, who has apparently been onstage this entire time. How, asks Williams, is Santorum going to win? Santorum hits his stump speech, saying he is positive and that this is not a two-person race.

14 minutes. There is actually a fourth person onstage as well. Texas Representative Ron Paul gets a question that is basically this: You have no chance of winning, you said you don?t envision yourself in the Oval Office, so will you run as a third-party candidate? Paul says he has been winning the under-30 vote and otherwise doing ?pretty darned well.? Then he calls out the historian on his rosy history about giving up the Speaker?s gavel. ?This idea that he voluntarily reneged and he was going to punish himself because we didn?t do well in the election, that?s just not the way it was.? True that. Then Paul says, once again, that he has ?no plans? to go third party.

17 minutes. Gingrich gets a question about Paul. Gingrich praises Paul for his criticism of the Federal Reserve and desire for a ?gold commission,? which is nothing like a blue-ribbon panel. It would study bringing back gold as currency.

18 minutes. Romney says he will release his tax returns for two years on Tuesday morning. But again, he gets tongue-tied. Rich people don?t like to talk about their own money. It is impolite. So Romney says, ?The real question is not so much my taxes, but the taxes of the American people.? Suddenly, out of nowhere, Romney, who previously opposed any debt compromise that raised any taxes, is praising the Bowles-Simpson plan, which raises tax revenues by nearly $1 trillion. But Romney doesn?t talk about the deficit part. He talks about the cutting marginal rates part, which by itself would make the debt problem worse. He chastises Obama for having ?simply brushed aside? the Bowles-Simpson recommendations, in much the same way that Romney previously did.

20 minutes. More discomfort, as Romney is asked again to talk about his money. ?I pay all the taxes that are legally required and not a dollar more,? he says. ?I don?t think you want someone as the candidate for President who pays more taxes than he owes.? Now that is settled.

21 minutes. Gingrich tries to needle Romney by saying he wants everyone to enjoy Romney?s 15% tax rate. Romney points out that under the Gingrich tax plan, investment gains would be taxed at zero. ?Under that plan, I?d have paid no taxes in the last two years,? Romney says. This is true. It is the reason Gingrich?s policies are better for wealthy financiers than Romney?s policies. Romney would keep his own tax rate on investments at 15%.

(PHOTOS: Newt Gingrich?s Life in Pictures)

22 minutes. More awkward talk about Romney?s wealth. ?I will not apologize for having been successful. I did not inherit what my wife and I have, nor did she. What we have, what I was able to build, I built the old-fashioned way, by earning it,? he says. This is true, if you discount the fact that his father?s money helped put Romney through college (Brigham Young, Stanford) and earn joint degrees at Harvard (Law, Business).

25 minutes. Now it?s time to talk about what lobbying means. Gingrich worked for lobbyists at Freddie Mac, a quasi-government agency that conservatives despise. He also took lots of money from health care companies while at the same time writing articles and giving talks that furthered those companies? agendas in Congress. But technically none of it was lobbying, which is a legal term of art. Williams asks the right question, by avoiding the L word. ?You never peddled influence, as Governor Romney accused you of tonight?? Gingrich can?t answer. ?You know, there is a point in the process where it gets unnecessarily personal and nasty,? he says, before avoiding the question by saying he never lobbied.

28 minutes. Romney and Gingrich go at it. Romney accuses Gingrich of profiting from an organization that destroyed the housing market in Florida. Gingrich tries to compare his consulting work for lobbyists with Romney?s consulting work for corporations. ?Wait a second, wait a second,? protests Gingrich at one point, after Romney admits that his firm made money too. ?We didn?t do any work with the government. I didn?t have an office on K Street,? Romney says. It goes on.

33 minutes. Never-a-bad-hair-day Williams cuts them off and goes to commercial break.

36 minutes. We?re back, with charity time for the other two candidates, who have not had much time to talk. Paul and Santorum speak about the housing market and say nothing new. Then Romney says he wants to help homeowners too. And Gingrich says he wants to repeal Dodd-Frank, the banking-regulation bill, because of its effect on smaller banks. Romney agrees.

43 minutes. Cuba question: ?Let?s say President Romney gets that phone call, and it is to say that Fidel Castro has died. And there are credible people in the Pentagon who predict upward of half a million Cubans may take that as a cue to come to the United States. What do you do?? The premise is a stretch, since Fidel has already ceded most of his government control to his brother Ra?l. Romney tries to make a joke about how Fidel is a bad guy. ?First of all, you thank heavens that Fidel Castro has returned to his maker and will be sent to another land,? he says.

44 minutes. Gingrich retells the joke but gets the punch line right. ?Well, Brian, first of all, I guess the only thing I would suggest is, I don?t think that Fidel is going to meet his maker. I think he?s going to go to the other place,? he says. Fidel-in-hell jokes must poll really well in Miami. Then Gingrich says he would authorize ?covert operations? to overthrow the Castro regime.

46 minutes. ?I would do pretty much the opposite,? says Paul.

47 minutes. Having stirred up the Cuba pot, Williams now accuses the candidates of pandering for votes. Why don?t they care as much about Chinese dissidents and embargo China? Santorum says China is not 90 miles off the coast.

49 minutes. Iran time. Romney criticizes Obama: ?We ought to have an aircraft carrier in the Gulf.? Nevermind that the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln is there right now. Gingrich picks up where Romney left off. ?Dictatorships respond to strength. They don?t respond to weakness,? he says. The same can be said of Republican primary voters.

52 minutes. Romney tears into Obama on Afghanistan, saying the President should not have reduced troops to the level that he did, allowed elections to go bad or announced a withdrawal date.

53 minutes. Paul pretty much has the opposite view.

54 minutes. Another break. ?I?ll welcome two colleagues out here to the stage when we continue from Tampa right after this,? says Williams. Hope for Joe Rogan and Donald Trump. Or Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey.

58 minutes. We?re back. It?s National Journal?s Beth Reinhard and the Tampa Bay Times? Adam Smith. After Santorum gets a chance to talk about the evils of Iran, he is asked about offshore drilling. Santorum says the economy in Florida went bad in 2008 ?because of a huge spike in oil prices,? which is like saying people watch Fear Factor to see Joe Rogan.

62 minutes. Reinhard asks a great question: How can the candidates be against bilingual balloting, even as they advertise in Spanish to Hispanics? Gingrich and Romney don?t really have answers. So they dance around the edges. Everyone onstage is against multilingual education, except Paul, who doesn?t mind if states do whatever they want.

66 minutes. Immigration time. Same as before, except Gingrich makes clear that he would support a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who serve in the military. Romney agrees. Then Romney says of other undocumented immigrants, ?Well, the answer is self-deportation, which is, people decide they can do better by going home because they can?t find work here, because they don?t have legal documentation to allow them to work here.? Self-deportation is one of those neologisms that gets added to the dictionary at the end of the year. Sign of the times.

70 minutes. Questions about sugar subsidies. Gingrich says you can?t beat the sugar lobby, because ?cane sugar hides behind beet sugar,? and there are ?just too many beet-sugar districts in the United States.? Surely someone can work that into a haiku.

71 minutes. Romney says he is against all subsidies. Then he pivots into a long rant about the awfulness of Obama. It is telling that it has taken Romney 71 minutes to get into this rant on Obama. South Carolina transformed him as a candidate.

72 minutes. Paul is asked if he supports federal funding for conservation of the everglades. He lets down his strict libertarian guard to pander for Florida votes. ?I don?t see any reason to go after that,? he says.

73 minutes. Another break. Things are speeding up.

77 minutes. Some talk about Terri Schiavo, the woman in a vegetative state who became a cause c?l?bre for conservatives in 2005. The answers are inconsequential.

81 minutes. Space-cadet time. No, really. Romney says Obama has no space plan, and America needs a space plan. Gingrich is asked about going to Mars. He says he wants a ?leaner NASA,? but then shares a terribly expensive list of goals: ?Going back to the moon permanently, getting to Mars as rapidly as possible, building a series of space stations and developing commercial space.? At least something new is happening. First time in 18 debates that anyone has talked about Mars.

84 minutes. Gingrich is asked why the Bush tax cuts in the early 2000s did not create a lot of jobs. His answer is priceless. He channels Obama, seemingly unaware of the irony. ?In 2002 and ?03 and ?04, we?d have been in much worse shape without the Bush tax cuts,? he says. That?s what Obama says about the stimulus bill. Both are basically right, though neither would give the other credit.

85 minutes. Last break. Almost there. Actually, scratch that. You will never get there. When this debate ends, there will be another. The next one is on Thursday. No joke.

90 minutes. We?re back. Romney is asked what he has done to further the cause of conservatism. He is sort of stumped. Talks about his family and his work in the private sector, neither of which is ideological.

92 minutes. Gingrich talks about how he went to Goldwater meetings in 1964, when he would have turned 21.

93 minutes. Santorum is asked about electability. Suddenly he comes alive. It?s the best moment of any of his debates. Yet few will ever notice, and it will almost certainly not matter. He makes the case that he is the only true conservative who can take on Obama, and that both Romney and Gingrich are fundamentally flawed because they are too close to the political positions of Obama. ?There is no difference between President Obama and these two gentlemen,? Santorum says. This is not true, if you were wondering.

95 minutes. Paul talks about the Constitution.

97 minutes. Romney talks about RomneyCare and ObamaCare.

98 minutes. Gingrich says, ?I never ask anyone to be for me. Because if they are for me, they vote yes and go home and say, I sure hope Newt does it. I ask people to be with me, because I think this will be a very hard, very difficult journey.? No doubt.

99 minutes. Romney, who talks all the time about ?restoring American greatness,? is asked when America was last great. ?America still is great,? Romney says, thus undercutting the meaning of his signature campaign message.

101 minutes. That?s it. See you Thursday.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/time_rss/rss_time_us/httpswamplandtimecom20120124whatyoumissedwhilenotwatchingthenbcgopdebateinfloridaxidrssnationyahoo/44294921/SIG=13tc6jcj2/*http%3A//swampland.time.com/2012/01/24/what-you-missed-while-not-watching-the-nbc-gop-debate-in-florida/?xid=rss-nation-yahoo

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Inmates, guards clash in Sri Lanka prison, 28 hurt (AP)

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka ? Inmates and guards clashed at a Sri Lankan prison Tuesday, injuring at least 28 people before soldiers restored control after five hours, officials said.

Reporters outside heard gunshots from within the compound in Colombo, and police fired tear gas before order was restored. Prisoners also set fire to the records room.

The inmates were protesting a move to curtail drug smuggling into the prison, police spokesman Ajith Rohana said. He said 24 prisoners and four guards were hurt.

Rohana did not describe the anti-drug measures, but a man who lives near the prison who gave only his first name, Kumara, said there had been disturbances for several days after authorities banned food brought by relatives for the inmates.

Some prisoners were seen on the roof shouting slogans and holding a banner demanding the removal of the prison chief. Some threw stones at vehicles on a nearby main road, forcing police to close the road.

Dr. Prasad Ariyawansa of Colombo National Hospital said most of the injured prisoners had gunshot wounds. Three officers were hit by stones and another had a broken leg, he said, adding that the injuries were not life threatening.

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

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Twelve more killed in Syria despite Arab monitors

BEIRUT?? Twelve people were killed on Monday in Syria, where a peace plan monitored by Arab observers has failed to douse a 10-month-old struggle between President Bashar al-Assad and his foes.

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Arab foreign ministers meet on Sunday to discuss the future of the mission sent last month to check if Syria was abiding by the accord it accepted on November 2. The mission ends on Thursday but the monitors may extend their stay to January 22.

The Arab plan required Syria to halt the bloodshed, withdraw the military from cities, free detainees and hold a dialogue.

Hundreds of people have been reported killed in Syria even since the monitors deployed on December 26 as pro-Assad forces try to crush peaceful protests and armed resistance to his rule.

Random gunfire by pro-Assad militiamen killed five people, including a woman, and wounded nine in the restive city of Homs, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. A sniper later shot dead a 16-year-old girl there, it added.

It said five soldiers were killed when they tried to change sides during a clash with rebels in the northwestern province of Idlib, adding that 15 soldiers had succeeded in defecting.

The state news agency SANA said an "armed terrorist group" had shot dead Brigadier-General Mohammed Abdul-Hamid al-Awad and wounded his driver in the countryside near Damascus.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reiterated a call for Assad to "stop killing, and listen to his people."

During a visit to Abu Dhabi, he said: "I hope the U.N. Security Council handles Syria in a coherent manner and with a sense of gravity," but did not recommend any specific action.

"The casualties have reached such an unacceptable stage we cannot let the situation continue this way," Ban said.

The harsh response to the uprising by Assad's security forces has killed more than 5,000 people, by a U.N. count. The Syrian authorities say 2,000 members of the security forces have also been killed. The deaths of 32 civilians and soldiers were reported on Sunday.

The head of the Arab monitoring mission is due to report to an Arab League committee on Thursday before Arab foreign ministers gather on Sunday to consider their next step on Syria.

Adnan Khodeir, head of the monitoring mission's operations room, said the observers might stay in Syria until January 22 while waiting for the outcome of the foreign ministers' meeting. Their mission officially ends on Thursday.

Qatar, which heads the committee, has suggested Arab troops step in, an idea that is anathema to Damascus and which Arab nations such as Iraq, Lebanon and Algeria are likely to oppose.

The League could refer Syria to the Security Council if it concludes that its own peace effort has failed.

RUSSIA, CHINA OPPOSE ACTION

The council has been paralyzed so far because Russia and China oppose any resolution that could lead to U.N. sanctions or Western military action against Syria.

There is little Western appetite for any Libya-style intervention. The United States, the European Union, Turkey and the Arab League have announced economic sanctions against Syria.

On Sunday Assad proclaimed the latest of several amnesties for "crimes" committed during the uprising. Some prisoners were released the same day and more on Monday, activists said.

Mohamed Saleh, an activist in Homs, said about 185 people had been freed there, though some had been freed on bail and would still face trial. Many more were expected to be released.

Rami Abdelrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory, also said some activists had only been freed on bail. Many more were still held because the authorities had brought new, more serious charges against them that were not covered by the amnesty.

Kinan al-Shami, of the Syrian Revolution Coordination Union, said hundreds of detainees appeared to have been released, but they represented only a fraction of at least 40,000 people he said had been jailed without charge since March, many of whom have been held in secret police buildings or makeshift prisons.

The movement to end more than four decades of Assad family rule began with largely peaceful demonstrations, but after months of violence by the security forces, army deserters and insurgents started to fight back, prompting fears of civil war.

Assad, who retains the support of core military units, is backed by his own Alawite minority as well as some minority Christians and some majority Sunni Muslims who fear chaos, civil war and the rise of Islamist militancy if he is toppled.

The northern commercial city of Aleppo, like central parts of the capital Damascus, has mostly escaped the turmoil, but security forces stormed Aleppo University campus overnight in pursuit of students who staged an anti-Assad protest on Friday.

Activists said dozens of students were beaten in the raid, in which students belonging to a pro-Assad militia took part.

Aleppo residents say that big Sunni merchants in the city still support Assad and that the authorities have recruited Sunni tribesmen from the countryside to patrol the streets.

The president, 46, who appeared in public twice in as many days last week, is eager to show that his people love him.

SANA, the state news agency, reported on Sunday that a 10 km (six mile) long letter, which it billed as the world's longest, was being written and signed by Syrians across the country as a "message of loyalty to the homeland and its leader."

Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39039381/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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'Artist,' 'Tinker Tailor' up for UK film awards

British actors Daniel Radcliffe and Holliday Grainger hold a Bafta Award after they announced the British Academy Film Award nominations in Piccadilly, London, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

British actors Daniel Radcliffe and Holliday Grainger hold a Bafta Award after they announced the British Academy Film Award nominations in Piccadilly, London, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

British actors Daniel Radcliffe and Holliday Grainger hold a Bafta Award after they announced the British Academy Film Award nominations in Piccadilly, London, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

British actor Daniel Radcliffe after he announced the British Academy Film Awards nominations in Piccadilly, London, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

British actor Daniel Radcliffe after he announced the British Academy Film Awards nominations in Piccadilly, London, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

British actress Holliday Grainger after she announced the British Academy Film Award nominations in Piccadilly, London, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

LONDON (AP) ? It's spry versus spy as frothy silent movie "The Artist" and moody thriller "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" lead the race for the British Academy Film Awards, Britain's equivalent of the Oscars.

"The Artist" received 12 nominations and "Tinker Tailor" 11, with each film up for best picture and director, and best actor nominations for leading men Jean Dujardin and Gary Oldman.

The other best-film nominees, announced at a ceremony Tuesday by actors Daniel Radcliffe and Holliday Grainger, were "The Descendants," ''Drive" and "The Help."

In a diverse field not dominated by any single film, there are also multiple nominations for "Hugo," ''My Week With Marilyn," ''The Iron Lady" and "The Help."

The nominations are another feather in the cap of "The Artist," a black and white French film about a silent screen star's fall with the rise of talkies that has become an unlikely hit. On Sunday it won three Golden Globes, including best musical or comedy film.

Director Michael Hazanavicius said Tuesday he and his crew had been "a bit mad to make a black-and-white silent film in 2011."

"We certainly hoped to find an audience, but the support we have received from so many people in so many different countries was unexpected, overwhelming and quite wonderful," he said.

The shortlist gives a boost to "Tinker Tailor," an atmospheric adaptation of John le Carre's espionage classic that has received rave reviews but has so far been snubbed during the U.S. awards season.

"Tinker Tailor" producer Tim Bevan said the film was a "particularly British cultural phenomenon. It's great that it's being recognized at the BAFTAs but that it hasn't at the Golden Globes is not surprising."

"'The Artist' seems to be the film with the momentum, and rightly so," he said. "It's been an OK year but not a brilliant year for movies, and 'The Artist' defines what cinema should be. It's brave, different, it's got a great shot."

The best actor contest pits Oldman and Dujardin against Brad Pitt for "Moneyball," George Clooney for "The Descendants" and Michael Fassbender for "Shame."

The best actress category includes two performers playing real-life icons ? Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe in "My Week With Marilyn" and Meryl Streep as former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady."

Streep, who has been widely praised for her performance, said the nomination was "thrilling news ... Not just for me, but for the film of which I am very proud, and for the hundreds of people who worked on it! Thanks, from a (New) Jersey girl."

The other nominees are Berenice Bejo for "The Artist," Tilda Swinton for "We Need to Talk About Kevin" and Viola Davis for "The Help."

The prizes will be awarded at a ceremony at London's Royal Opera House on Feb. 12. They are considered an important indicator of prospects at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles two weeks later.

In recent years, the awards, known as BAFTAs, have helped small British films gain momentum for Hollywood success.

In 2010, Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire" won seven BAFTAs, including best film; it went on to take eight Oscars. Last year "The King's Speech" won seven BAFTAs and four Oscars, including best picture.

"My Week With Marilyn," the story of the movie legend's time shooting an ill-starred comedy in England, received six BAFTA nominations, including a supporting-actor nod for Kenneth Branagh, who plays Laurence Olivier.

He is up against Christopher Plummer for "Beginners," Jim Broadbent for "The Iron Lady," Jonah Hill for "Moneyball" and Philip Seymour Hoffman for "The Ides of March."

The supporting actress category features Carey Mulligan for "Drive," Jessica Chastain for "The Help," Judi Dench for "My Week With Marilyn," Melissa McCarthy for "Bridesmaids" and Olivia Spencer for "The Help."

The multinational best-director contest pits Hazanavicius against Denmark's Nicholas Winding Refn, for the turbocharged "Drive," Sweden's Tomas Alfredson for "Tinker Tailor," Britain's Lynne Ramsay for "We Need to Talk About Kevin" and Martin Scorsese of the United States for "Hugo."

The best British film category contains "My Week With Marilyn," racing documentary "Senna," sex-addiction drama "Shame," family tragedy "We Need to Talk About Kevin" and "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy."

Steven Spielberg's equine adventure "War Horse" was overlooked in the major categories but gained five nominations, including cinematography, visual effects and music.

___

On the Net: http://www.bafta.org

Jill Lawless can be reached at: http://twitter.com/JillLawless

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-01-17-EU-Britain-Film-Awards/id-c36e751b25714801a1bd68cfa5232b76

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Pantech next to sign Android patent deal with Microsoft

Microsoft may have already signed patent licensing agreements with 70 percent of the US Android manufacturers, including some of the biggest names in the market, but that doesn't mean Redmond's about ready to hit the brakes anytime soon. Next up on the block is Pantech, according to a company spokesperson talking with Yonhap News. No specific details have been decided yet, so we'll have to wait for the official word and see what happens.

Pantech next to sign Android patent deal with Microsoft originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/2SjLvth6ZLc/

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Automotive Winterization Helpful hints Find out how to Put together ...

Winter time is just across the corner perle which suggests every one of us should get our motor vehicle or truck winterized now. These automotive winterization strategies will assist you to put together your vehicle or truck for previous male winter. I want to offer these strategies from functioning in the automotive area for through 20 5 a long time. I have viewed my reasonable share of autos and trucks towed in to your automotive repair services for the period of the winter.

one. Have your fuel system cleaned. Extra fuel is required for ones motor. That which you should do is transform your gas filter and also have your fuel system cleaned. A dirty fuel system will lean out the fuel mixture which will contribute to your vehicle or truck to run particularly bad in the winter time.

2. Look at the operation of your respective 4 wheel generate now. All summer we're making use of our two wheel generate on our autos and trucks. Be sure whenever you activate your 4 wheel generate the gears and electrical components are in functioning buy. If the automotive motor vehicle or truck will not be activating the 4 wheel generate get it fixed now.

3. Get your snow tires ready. If the motor vehicle truck has rear wheel generate you might want to set up the snow tires before the winter arrives. If the undecided should your motor vehicle or truck has rear wheel generate youre able to pull into any automotive repair store and consult a mechanic to phase exterior for just a minute to check in your case.

four. Have your belts inspected. I have identified the cold temperature may have an result in your belts and contribute to them to interrupt or squeal particularly loud. A lot of the time they'll must be adjusted only. It is possible to either do that your self or have chirurgien a automotive repair store perform this in your case for approximately fifty bucks.

five. Have your battery examined. This suggestion for winterization should really always be done in the fall. The colder temperatures resolue will set a major load in your battery. Have your automotive mechanic test your cold cranking amps for ones motor vehicle or truck.

six. Have some deicing spray or related fluid attainable for ones motor vehicle or truck door locks. How many situations have you tried using to unlock your automotive doors and identified them to get frozen?

7. Exchange your wiper blades. For under 20 bucks youre able to have them replaced. The ice and snow will improve the strain and demolish your previous wiper blades.

eight. Automotive winterization strategies should really always comprise acquiring your antifreeze examined and serviced if wanted before the winter arrives.

nine. Have your thermostat altered. The thermostat is accustomed to help your vehicle or truck get as much as operating temperature swifter. Furthermore, it supplies the warmth inside of your respective motor vehicle or truck.

ten. Look at the sort of oil you certainly will be making use of in the winter. Some automotive organisations need a thinner oil in the winter time. To illustrate you might make use of the 5w30 in the winter as well as the 10w30 in the summer.

I hope these automotive winterization strategies will assist you to much better put together your vehicle or truck for previous
Outdated male winter.

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Source: http://www.thebodyhasamindofitsown.com/?p=641

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15 free games for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices (Appolicious)

There are tons of addictive games for the iPhone, iPad and Android smartphones and tablet devices that won?t cost you a dime.

Sure, some of these games expose users to advertising or begin charging in-app payments after a certain point. But a lot of fun can be had for free with minimal distraction.

Here are the 15 best free games for Apple?s iOS and Google?s Android devices that you should consider downloading right away.

The follow up to mega-hit Paper Toss offers even more time-wasting fun for free. The original game was downloaded more than 100 million times, but the sequel takes things to a new level. More than just paper, you get to throw bananas, grenades, tomatoes and more. This all transpires in new and improved settings with crisper, cleaner graphics. The game?s dynamics remain similar, but the gameplay has been refreshed and improved to increase replayability. When you factor in more power-ups, more people to throw things at, more unlockable items and Game Center leaderboards, Paper Toss 2.0 adds up to a heap of fun. While Paper Toss 2.0 has yet to arrive to Android, the original title is still available on that platform and is also free to download.

Tiny Tower is a very well made resource management game in which your goal is to build your tower higher and higher. By making money and expanding your tower, you?ll attract new tenants and business owners, allowing you to make more money to build even higher. The towers are very customizable, and there are plenty of upgrades to purchase. Best of all, you can compare your tower with your friends? towers, courtesy of Game Center. On top of the simple and addicting gameplay lies the charming pixelated aesthetics and pleasing elevator music soundtrack. Definitely give this quirky title, which Apple proclaimed best game of 2011, a try.

Here is our video review of the recently released Android version.

Six-Guns (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad)

There is an awful lot to explore in Six-Guns for free before getting into all the in-app purchase opportunities. In fact, it?s possible to play through the entire game without spending a dime. Set in an old West environment, Six-Guns is an open-world cowboy adventure with plenty of varied missions to enjoy, usually involving gun-totin' and horseback ridin'. Though the storyline and plot isn?t the greatest, play often and your character will gain access to better weapons and you can hone your cowboy skills no end.

Check out our video review.

While the iPhone and iPad versions of Angry Birds will cost you one and five bucks respectively, the addictive international sensation remains free on Android devices. If somehow you are unfamiliar with the premise of Angry Birds, here?s the deal. Evil pigs have stolen the eggs of normally peaceable birds, turning them into fierce flying fighters for justice. Test your skill by sling-shooting these now angry birds at the pigs that are hiding in ever-increasingly secure forts made of bricks and wood. To move up levels, you must destroy the forts, and the pigs, with the limited number of suicidal birds you have on hand. You?ll find the game?s details ? like the birds? determined grunts and trilling whistles ? as addictive as the game itself.

This is a FarmVille-like game featuring the lovable little blue guys from the classic cartoon. You can grow crops, build your village and play mini-games ranging from baking goods to mixing potions. All the favorite characters from the cartoon make appearances, and the game?s vibrant cartoon graphics are both impressive and fitting for a game that will appeal to younger audiences. The premium part of Smurfs? Village is mainly smurfberries ($4.99 to $99.99), though there is some exclusive content to be had for the right price. Smurfberries act as a ?turbo? of sorts, allowing you to complete a task immediately instead of waiting.

If you've heard of the popular game Flight Control, you should be immediately familiar with the concept here. Imagine that game, but with boats. Ships enter your harbor from all sides. You must navigate them safely into a port, allow them to unload their cargo, and then send them on their way ? all with a flick of your fingers. Of course, one or two boats feel easy, but thirty or forty makes for a real challenge. You can also share the fun by having someone else join you in managing the harbor. There is also an iPhone version of Harbor Master available for $1.99.

My Horse (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad)

This beautiful looking game from Natural Motion allows you to train, nurture, groom and develop your very own virtual horse. It?s great for kids who want to learn how to look after something and certainly doesn?t cost as much as the real thing. It encourages social gaming as it?s easy to share your new stablemate with friends or help them out with grooming and feeding. Take care of your horse well enough and he may end up a world champion. With eight different breeds to look after and a wide range of activities, My Horse is fun for ?virtual pet? fans everywhere.

Words With Friends Free is exactly that ? a brand of Scrabble that you can play against your friends by taking turns, over the Internet or mobile devices, at your own pace. Each player places a word and submits it to Words With Friends, which vets it to make sure it really is a word, and keeps score. You can play up to 20 games at a time, with as much time as you want between turns ? it?s all up to you. And best of all (yes, better than free), you can play Words With Friends cross-platform, against players on Android phones as well as iPhones or iPads. ?

Zynga?s new take on the traditional hangman game is another winner. With the same drop-in-and-play vibe as Words, it?s a game that players can dip in to at their own pace. Create words for your opponents and see if they can solve them. There are lifelines and hints available if you get stuck (plus an in-app store where you can buy more coins), but get five words wrong in a game and you?ll lose. This word game doesn?t pack the same strategic punch as Words With Friends, but it?s still fun to pick up and play now and again.

Don?t play this game in public places. The accelerometer drives the action so you may look like an idiot if people don?t know what you?re doing. You steer a red arrow through on onslaught of red dots that will kill you and end the game. To win, you?ll need to run into the power-up nodes that unleash spouts of fire and icicles. Choose from several engaging modes ? Classic, Code Red, Gauntlet Evolved, and Frostbite ? that alter the background and the death threats. Flexible options allow you to select the way you hold your iPad, including in your hands, on a table, or laying on your back in bed. You can download an iPhone version of Tilt to Live for $2.99.

There are tons of puzzle levels in Unblock Me Free, even though it?s a demo game for its paid counterpart on iOS (it?s completely free on Android). The premise is simple, even though the game is challenging: in each square level, you have a series of wooden rectangles that are placed together in the grid. One of the pieces is colored, and this one you?re trying to slide off the screen. The blocks can move horizontally or vertically, but only in the direction that they?re smallest side is facing ? in other words, you can?t move the blocks sideways. Even the beginner puzzles are a decent challenge. Unblock Me has an addictive nature that will draw you into its free puzzle-solving charms for a good long time.

The latest iteration of the classic match-three gem-swapping game is only available for iPhone and iPod Touch owners. If you are not already part of the converted, Bejeweled Blitz is a great free way to tap into the excitement. The superlative graphics and addictive gameplay will keep you coming back. Also, don?t forget to grab your headphones for ?Zen Mode?, which features entertaining mantras to keep you focused on the game at hand. This app also features great new Facebook integration. ?

Sudoku 2 (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad)

Anyone who?s given Sudoku a try in the puzzles section of a newspaper knows how addictive it can be. Of the dozens of quality free versions of Sudoku available on the iTunes App Store, Sudoku 2 is the best. Sudoku 2 is a beautiful, free way to play Sudoku on your iPhone, and it?s as addictive as it is elegant. The game provides all the features you would get if you were playing with a pen and paper, including the ability to mark squares with hypothetical numbers that could occupy them as you continue to eliminate options. It?s packed full of puzzles of varying difficulties and seems to go on forever. While the Sudoku 2 game developed by Finger Arts is not available on Android, we recommend Sudoku Way Lite by Cogitas for that platform.

This free, trial version of Amazing Breaker, is an excellent physics-based puzzler with plenty of ice-smashing action. There?s 16 levels to try here, and you?re pretty likely to get hooked and want to upgrade to the full game. With universally positive reviews, this challenging puzzle game sees you blasting ice sculptures with bombs. You need to destroy at least 90 percent of each sculpture to move on, so the trick is to demolish every little fragment of ice, and therein lies the challenge. It?s easy to learn, but hard to master like the best and most addictive games.

The ninja hero of this game wants out of his tough inner-city Chinatown and he is not waiting for any hand outs or opportunities. So, he decides to climb straight up the sides of two skyscrapers into the sky. Ninjas, by the way, are excellent climbers. Use your thumbs to leap from one skyscraper to another, avoiding monsters, barriers and other threats which will send him plummeting to his death. Time your jump perfectly and your ninja will slash birds and other creatures right out of the air as he leaps to the opposite building.

Check out our video review.

Multiple members of the Appolicious Advisor team contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/applecomputer/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_appolicious_com_articles10748_15_free_games_for_the_iphone_ipad_and_android_devices/44170705/SIG=13745eed8/*http%3A//www.appolicious.com/games/articles/10748-15-free-games-for-the-iphone-ipad-and-android-devices

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Planet population is plentiful: Planets around stars are the rule rather than the exception

ScienceDaily (Jan. 11, 2012) ? An international team, including three astronomers from the European Southern Observatory (ESO), has used the technique of gravitational microlensing to measure how common planets are in the Milky Way. After a six-year search that surveyed millions of stars, the team concludes that planets around stars are the rule rather than the exception.

The results will appear in the journal Nature on 12 January 2012.

Over the past 16 years, astronomers have detected more than 700 confirmed exoplanets [1] and have started to probe the spectra (eso1002) and atmospheres (eso1047) of these worlds. While studying the properties of individual exoplanets is undeniably valuable, a much more basic question remains: how commonplace are planets in the Milky Way?

Most currently known exoplanets were found either by detecting the effect of the gravitational pull of the planet on its host star or by catching the planet as it passes in front of its star and slightly dims it. Both of these techniques are much more sensitive to planets that are either massive or close to their stars, or both, and many planets will be missed.

An international team of astronomers has searched for exoplanets using a totally different method -- gravitational microlensing -- that can detect planets over a wide range of mass and those that lie much further from their stars.

Arnaud Cassan (Institut d?Astrophysique de Paris), lead author of the Nature paper, explains: "We have searched for evidence for exoplanets in six years of microlensing observations. Remarkably, these data show that planets are more common than stars in our galaxy. We also found that lighter planets, such as super-Earths or cool Neptunes, must be more common than heavier ones."

The astronomers used observations, supplied by the PLANET [2] and OGLE [3] teams, in which exoplanets are detected by the way that the gravitational field of their host stars, combined with that of possible planets, acts like a lens, magnifying the light of a background star. If the star that acts as a lens has a planet in orbit around it, the planet can make a detectable contribution to the brightening effect on the background star.

Jean-Philippe Beaulieu (Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris), leader of the PLANET collaboration adds: "The PLANET collaboration was established to follow up promising microlensing events with a round-the-world network of telescopes located in the southern hemisphere, from Australia and South Africa to Chile. ESO telescopes contributed greatly to these surveys."

Microlensing is a very powerful tool, with the potential to detect exoplanets that could never be found any other way. But a very rare chance alignment of a background and lensing star is required for a microlensing event to be seen at all. And, to spot a planet during an event, an additional chance alignment of the planet's orbit is also needed.

Although for these reasons finding a planet by microlensing is far from an easy task, in the six year's worth of microlensing data used in the analysis, three exoplanets were actually detected in the PLANET and OGLE searches: a super-Earth [4], and planets with masses comparable to Neptune and Jupiter. By microlensing standards, this is an impressive haul. In detecting three planets, either the astronomers were incredibly lucky and had hit the jackpot despite huge odds against them, or planets are so abundant in the Milky Way that it was almost inevitable [5].

The astronomers then combined information about the three positive exoplanet detections with seven additional detections from earlier work, as well as the huge numbers of non-detections in the six year's worth of data -- non-detections are just as important for the statistical analysis and are much more numerous. The conclusion was that one in six of the stars studied hosts a planet of similar mass to Jupiter, half have Neptune-mass planets and two thirds have super-Earths. The survey was sensitive to planets between 75 million kilometres and 1.5 billion kilometres from their stars (in the Solar System this range would include all the planets from Venus to Saturn) and with masses ranging from five times the Earth up to ten times Jupiter.

Combining the results suggests strongly that the average number of planets around a star is greater than one. They are the rule rather than the exception.

"We used to think that the Earth might be unique in our galaxy. But now it seems that there are literally billions of planets with masses similar to Earth orbiting stars in the Milky Way," concludes Daniel Kubas, co-lead author of the paper.

Notes

[1] The Kepler mission is discovering huge numbers of "candidate exoplanets" that are not included in this number.

[2] Probing Lensing Anomalies NETwork. More than half of the data from the PLANET survey used in this study come from the Danish 1.54-metre telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory.

[3] Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment.

[4] A super-Earth has a mass between two and ten times that of the Earth. So far 12 microlensing planets have been published in total, using various observational strategies.

[5] The astronomers surveyed millions of stars looking for microlensing events. Only 3247 such events in 2002-2007 were spotted as the precise alignment needed is very unlikely. Statistical results were inferred from detections and non-detections on a representative subset of 440 light curves.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by European Southern Observatory (ESO).

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. A. Cassan, D. Kubas, J.-P. Beaulieu, M. Dominik, K. Horne, J. Greenhill, J. Wambsganss, J. Menzies, A. Williams, U. G. J?rgensen, A. Udalski, D. P. Bennett, M. D. Albrow, V. Batista, S. Brillant, J. A. R. Caldwell, A. Cole, Ch. Coutures, K. H. Cook, S. Dieters, D. Dominis Prester, J. Donatowicz, P. Fouqu?, K. Hill, N. Kains, S. Kane, J.-B. Marquette, R. Martin, K. R. Pollard, K. C. Sahu, C. Vinter, D. Warren, B. Watson, M. Zub, T. Sumi, M. K. Szyma?ski, M. Kubiak, R. Poleski, I. Soszynski, K. Ulaczyk, G. Pietrzy?ski, ?. Wyrzykowski. One or more bound planets per Milky Way star from microlensing observations. Nature, 2012; 481 (7380): 167 DOI: 10.1038/nature10684

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111133530.htm

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Chris Colfer Will Return For 'Glee' Season 4! (omg!)

Chris Colfer's future on Glee was called into question this morning when Fox's President of Entertainment Kevin Reilly announced at TCA that while the much rumored spinoff was dead in the water, Lea Michele would be back for season four as creator Ryan Murphy had come up with a "cool" way to keep the graduating seniors around.

When asked later whether Chris was also part of that plan, Reilly reportedly "hedged" before saying that hadn't been decided yet.

But after chatting with Murphy after the panel, Chris Colfer revealed to TheInsider.com that he would 100 percent be back in the fall! In addition to getting his take on this inventive way to keep the graduates around, Chris teased some very intriguing 2012 events when I caught up with him at Fox's All Star TCA party tonight.

Insider.com: It's been revealed that Lea Michele will be back next year -- will you?
Chris Colfer: Yes. I'm coming back. I'm very excited. A lot of people are sad there won?t be a spinoff but I think they're going to be very very excited to find out what's in store ? I'm very excited by it. Ryan's idea is kind of revolutionary. It's the best of both worlds. Everyone is going to like it.

Insider: Presumably whether or not Kurt and Rachel get into NYADA will factor in, right?
Chris: I think so. I'm not positive. I'm looking forward to seeing if he gets in ? knock on wood. It'll be an interesting episode to watch him and Rachel perform with the other finalists.

Insider: But before we get to either of those things, we have this week's episode -- called Yes/No -- which features New Directions recreating Summer Nights from Grease. Which side does Kurt sing on?
Chris: [laughs] He was with the girls -- by my request. Originally he was with the boys but I called Ryan and said, "What do the boys have that Kurt wants?!?" There's no way he'd be hanging with them. He'd be gabbing with the girls over sandwiches and mac & cheese. He completely agreed and I was put with the girls, which is great because I get to be Rizzo!

Insider: Kurt may be with the girls, but Blaine is with the boys. What do you make of the fact the writers have made him "one of the boys?"
Chris: I think they both just gravitate towards people they identify with. Blaine is gay but he's more of a guy than Kurt, who is a little more grand than that. I say Kurt is more grandeur than guy [laughs]. But I'm glad our show really shows that it takes all kind of gays to make the world go 'round: good gays, bad gays, manly gays, less than manly gays. There are all kinds of gays.

Insider: The gang is headed for Regionals, and then presumably, Nationals. Do you want Kurt to finally get that win in his senior year?
Chris: Yes. Selfishly, for the character, I do. As an actor, I hope they win Nationals so they can go to London or something for Globals, or whatever comes next. That would be awesome ? singing and dancing in the streets of Rome! Who wouldn't want that?

Insider: Looking ahead to the other 2012 episodes, what are you excited for fans to see?
Chris: I'm really excited for them to see the Michael Jackson episode ? I wear a shocking onesie leather jumpsuit. I'm interested to see what the reaction is to that.

Insider: Compare the onesie to the Gaga lobster heels -- which were easier to wear?
Chris: Oh god, the heels were so much more comfortable! I never thought I would say this, but the 10 inch heels I wore in that episode were much more comfortable than the leather jumpsuit.

Insider: Not to get too personal, but how tight are we talking? Did you need to douse yourself in baby powder to get into it?
Chris: There was no room for personal, if you catch my drift [laughs]. But there was baby powder. And I have to say, when you're singing and dancing all day in a leather onesie, it starts to smell. I don't have B.O. typically but I actually put a car air freshener inside the jumpsuit and it stained my skin. I had a little yellow Christmas tree on my stomach for a good week! Just in time for the holidays [laughs].

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_chris_colfer_return_glee_season4_045100699/44117219/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/chris-colfer-return-glee-season-4-045100699.html

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New species of viper gets pretty name and low profile

Flora Graham, deputy editor, newscientist.com

(Image: Tim Davenport/WCS)

What would you like for Christmas, little girl? How about a brand new species of horned viper, named after you.

That's what Tim Davenport of the Wildlife Conservation Society gave his 7-year-old daughter this year, after discovering the striking black-and-yellow snake in Tanzania. Matilda's horned viper, more formally known as Atheris matildae, is 0.6 m long and sports a set of horn-shaped scales above its eyes.

The viper's exact location is being kept under wraps, because its new-found status could make it a tempting target for exotic poachers. Because of its small range of a few square kilometres, and the threat to its habitat from industry, its discoverers predict that the snake will soon be classified as critically endangered.

However, Matilda's horned viper is already benefiting from its new-found fame. As well as establishing a small captive breeding colony in Tanzania, the researchers have ensured that the snake can make online friends via its new website.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/1bb140bf/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cshortsharpscience0C20A120C0A10Cmatildas0Eviper0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

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Belgian royals latest to join austerity drive (AP)

BRUSSELS ? Belgium's King Albert II on Monday said he'll use part of his salary to help pay for the upkeep on his properties, making him the latest European royal whose pocketbook is being squeezed by the economic woes afflicting the continent.

The financial crisis has hit several European countries that still have royal families, including Spain, Britain and Belgium. With their palaces, estates and often ostentatious tastes, monarchs and their kin have faced criticism as governments pass austerity measures, and some have seen their public funding cut.

"It shows that in countries with serious financial problems" even monarchies cannot escape the pressure, said Professor Herman Matthijs, who teaches public finance at Belgium's University of Ghent.

In a rare public statement on his finances, King Albert said he wants to freeze the (EURO)10.8 million ($13.8 million) he gets from the state. He intends to use an automatic 2012 salary inflation adjustment of some 3 percent ? or roughly (EURO)350,000 ($446,000) ? to help pay for some property maintenance costs normally borne by the government.

The amount may be relatively small, but even such a symbolic concession could help ease the pressure on the royal family, which increased last week when it became clear the Belgian constitution forces the government to pay out the inflation adjustment under any circumstance. Such a salary increase would come as Belgium prepares to impose new austerity measures on the population next month.

Belgium must keep its annual budget within the 3 percent of economic output demanded by the European Union or risks steep sanctions.

"We will have to take serious measures in February, and anyone who claims they won't be felt is wrong," Finance Minister Steven Vanackere said Monday.

In a statement, the royal palace said Albert "already had the intention to voluntarily contribute to the austerity measures." The king and his family have a palace in town and on the outskirts as well as several residences across the nation.

In Spain, where the bite of the crisis is especially fierce, the royal palace was assigned an annual budget of (EURO)8.4 million ($11 million) by parliament last year. That was a budget cut of some 5 percent overall and palace employees, including the king, had their salaries cut by up to 15 percent.

Britain's austerity drive also has touched Buckingham palace.

Official accounts showed British taxpayers spent 32.1 million pounds ($49.5 million) supporting the monarchy in 2011, 5.3 percent less than the prior year. Much of the saving came from cutting the maintenance bill of royal residences from 15.4 million pounds ($23.8 million) to 11.9 million pounds ($18.4 million).

Even in the Netherlands, which is still doing well compared to many other European countries, the royals are tightening their belts.

The budget for Queen Beatrix, Crown Prince Willem Alexander and his wife Princess Maxima was cut in 2011 by (EURO)422,000 ($537,000) to (EURO)39.2 million (49.9 million), according to the Royal House website.

Most of the savings came in the form of cuts to the royals' private travel expenses. Also, the queen forked over (EURO)163,000 ($207,466) from her own pocket for maintenance on her private yacht, the Groene Draeck.

__

Associated Press Writers Mike Corder in Amsterdam and Ciaran Giles in Madrid contributed to this story.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120109/ap_en_ce/eu_belgium_royal_austerity

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Woman defends Ohio mom guilty of denying son care

FILE-In this March 26, 2009 file photo, Monica Hussing., is seen in court in Cleveland, Ohio as she was indicted along with her husband William Robinson Sr. for involuntary manslaughter, child endangering and felonious assault in the death of their son William Robinson Jr. Both parents pleaded guilty Monday to attempted involuntary manslaughter in a last-minute plea deal before the start of their trial in the death of their son who died from Hodgkin's lymphoma after suffering for months from undiagnosed swollen glands. (AP Photo/MBR/Chuck Crow/Cleveland Plain Dealer)

FILE-In this March 26, 2009 file photo, Monica Hussing., is seen in court in Cleveland, Ohio as she was indicted along with her husband William Robinson Sr. for involuntary manslaughter, child endangering and felonious assault in the death of their son William Robinson Jr. Both parents pleaded guilty Monday to attempted involuntary manslaughter in a last-minute plea deal before the start of their trial in the death of their son who died from Hodgkin's lymphoma after suffering for months from undiagnosed swollen glands. (AP Photo/MBR/Chuck Crow/Cleveland Plain Dealer)

FILE-In this March 26, 2009 file photo, William Robinson Sr., is seen in court in Cleveland, Ohio as he was indicted along with his wife Monica Hussing for involuntary manslaughter, child endangering and felonious assault in the death of their son William Robinson Jr. Both parents pleaded guilty Monday to attempted involuntary manslaughter in a last-minute plea deal before the start of their trial in the death of their son who died from Hodgkin's lymphoma after suffering for months from undiagnosed swollen glands. (AP Photo/MBR/Chuck Crow/Cleveland Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND (AP) ? The daughter of an Ohio woman facing prison for denying her 8-year-old son medical treatment says the family had repeatedly tried to get help before the boy died of complications from cancer in 2008.

Lillian Hussing says her mother, Monica, had been denied government assistance for health care in Trumbull County and couldn't afford a $180 fee at a free clinic, so they moved to Cleveland in hopes of finding help for young Willie Robinson. But he died within two weeks.

Prosecutors say the boy had begged his parents to take him to see a doctor but was rejected.

Monica Hussing and the boy's father both pleaded guilty Monday to attempted involuntary manslaughter.

The coroner ruled that the boy died from pneumonia due to Hodgkin lymphoma, a highly treatable cancer.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-11-Cancer%20Death-Plea/id-ae61dfeb9f5b429988dd68968f34c7d1

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Obama hails Mavericks for first NBA title

By MARK S. SMITH

Associated Press

Associated Press Sports

updated 12:47 p.m. ET Jan. 9, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama saluted Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks on Monday as NBA champions who staged a season-ending charge to beat LeBron James and the vaunted Miami Heat and claim their first title with a "heart that's the size of Texas."

"This was a remarkable run, a great victory," Obama declared, as owner Mark Cuban and Mavericks stars, including series MVP Nowitzki, looked on. "It's too bad that next year, it'll be the Chicago Bulls here."

The first basketball fan - a passionate supporter of his hometown Bulls - was nonetheless lavish in praising the Mavericks, who beat the Heat in six games last June.

"They know how good teams win," Obama said. "Not just by jumping higher or running faster, but by finding the open man, working together, staying mentally tough, being supportive of each other, playing smarter."

He said that's how Dallas "took down some of the league's best teams ... including the Miami Heat, who got a little bit of attention last year."

The victory was sweet revenge for Dallas after it blew an NBA finals lead to the Heat five years earlier. It also upended the hope of Heat superstars James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh for a championship in their first year playing together.

Monday's ceremony reflected both the league's current, lockout-shortened season and the determination of the colorful Cuban to make it happen. Typically, White House visits take place when a championship team plays in Washington. With such a short season, the Mavericks aren't here this year. Cuban insisted on the ceremony anyhow.

"It's tough to say no to Mark Cuban," Obama said, to knowing laughter from his players.

Obama singled out the German-born Nowitzki, noting he played in the finals despite a painful finger injury and fever. "Clearly Dirk is a tough guy, although the most painful thing may have been his rendition of `We Are the Champions' during the victory celebrations," the president said.

Mavericks guard Delonte West did not attend the event in the East Room, even though the Secret Service said he had been cleared along with his teammates.

West pleaded guilty to weapons possession charges after a September 2009 traffic stop in suburban Maryland. He told The Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he was "banned" from the White House on Monday because of the weapons charges, but Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said in fact West could have taken part.

West was not a member of the championship squad but joined the Mavericks prior to the season.

---

Associated Press Writer Julie Pace contributed to this report.

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

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45930454/ns/sports-nba/

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The Research Works Act would deny taxpayers access to federally funded research.

The short of it (covered in depth by Michael Eisen, and Razib tipped me off to the issue) is that Carolyn Maloney, a congresswoman funded by Elsevier, which is a major for-profit publishing company, is trying to pass the Research Works Act, which would deny Americans free access to research funded by taxpayer money. Currently, any research funded by the National Institute of Health must be made freely available to the public 12 months after publication. You can see why for-profit publishing companies do not like this policy. After 12 months, they can no longer turn a profit on any research they publish that was funded by the NIH. From Eisen?s post:

The policy has provided access for physicians and their patients, teachers and their students, policymakers and the public?to hundreds of thousands of taxpayer-funded studies that would otherwise have been locked behind expensive publisher paywalls, accessible only to a small fraction of researchers at elite and wealthy universities.

The policy has been popular ? especially among disease and patient advocacy groups fighting to empower the people they represent to make wise healthcare decision, and teachers educating the next generation of researchers and caregivers.

But the policy has been quite unpopular with a powerful publishing cartels that are hellbent on denying US taxpayers access to and benefits from research they paid to produce.

[...]

So I urge you to call/write/email/tweet Representative Maloney today, and tell her you support taxpayer access to biomedical research results. Ask her why she wants cancer patients to pay Elsevier $25 to access articles they?ve already paid for. And demand that she withdraw H.R. 3699.

Representative Maloney:

Twitter: @RepMaloney @CarolynBMaloney

Phone: 202-225-7944

FAX: 202-225-4709

Email: Use this?form

My fellow SciAm-blogger Janet has a post up discussing the ethical issues involved in the proposed act:

Let?s take this at the most basic level. If public money is used to fund scientific research, does the public have a legitimate expectation that the knowledge produced by that research will be shared with the public? If not, why not?

There?s also a roundup of blog posts on the topic here.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=6bec7d98a3a0870bb4694baf9df3d59f

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Withings intros WiFi-connected baby scale so you can tell your friends oh, how they've grown (hands-on)

Withings put itself on the map with its WiFi-connected scale, and though it recently took a detour into blood pressure readings, it's now returning to what it does best: tallying the weight of sweet, vulnerable, crying humans. The Smart Baby Scale is exactly what it sounds like -- a scale designed specifically for infants and toddlers -- and like its predecessor, it organizes all its data in charts that you can read on a PC or iOS device. The scale comes with a baby basket for infants, which you can remove once your little bambino outgrows it. According to the company, the weighing area was specifically designed to be just large enough for babies, but small enough that grown-ups likely won't be able to weigh packages, watermelons and other heavyweight items that might break the scale. Look for it in the second quarter of this year for $179 -- a twenty-dollar premium over the adult version. Check our hands-on after the break.

Gallery: Withings Smart Baby Scale hands-on

Mat Smith contributed to this report.

Continue reading Withings intros WiFi-connected baby scale so you can tell your friends oh, how they've grown (hands-on)

Withings intros WiFi-connected baby scale so you can tell your friends oh, how they've grown (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Jan 2012 19:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/08/withings-wifi-connected-baby-scale/

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