Pentagon prepares for new military talks with Iraq

FILE - In this March 16, 2011 file photo, Defense Undersecretary Michele Flournoy testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Obama administration is preparing to begin talks with Iraq on defining a long-term defense relationship that may include expanded U.S. training help, according to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta?s chief policy aide. Flournoy, who is leaving her Pentagon post to return to private life, said in an interview with a small group of reporters that the administration is open to Iraqi suggestions about the scope and depth of defense ties. "One of the things we?re looking forward to doing is sitting down with the Iraqis in the coming month or two to start thinking about how they want to work with" the U.S. military to develop a program of exercises, training and other forms of security cooperation, Flournoy said. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

FILE - In this March 16, 2011 file photo, Defense Undersecretary Michele Flournoy testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Obama administration is preparing to begin talks with Iraq on defining a long-term defense relationship that may include expanded U.S. training help, according to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta?s chief policy aide. Flournoy, who is leaving her Pentagon post to return to private life, said in an interview with a small group of reporters that the administration is open to Iraqi suggestions about the scope and depth of defense ties. "One of the things we?re looking forward to doing is sitting down with the Iraqis in the coming month or two to start thinking about how they want to work with" the U.S. military to develop a program of exercises, training and other forms of security cooperation, Flournoy said. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Obama administration is preparing to begin talks with Iraq on defining a long-term defense relationship that may include expanded U.S. training help, according to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's chief policy aide.

Michele Flournoy, who is leaving her Pentagon post on Friday to return to private life, said in an interview with a small group of reporters that the administration is open to Iraqi suggestions about the scope and depth of defense ties.

"One of the things we're looking forward to doing is sitting down with the Iraqis in the coming month or two to start thinking about how they want to work with" the U.S. military to develop a program of exercises, training and other forms of security cooperation, Flournoy said.

The U.S. military completed its withdrawal from Iraq in December after nearly nine years of war. Both sides had considered keeping at least several thousand U.S. troops there to provide comprehensive field training for Iraqi security forces, but they failed to strike a deal before the expiration of a 2008 agreement that required all American troops to leave.

As a result, training is limited to a group of American service members and contractors in Baghdad who will help Iraqis learn to operate newly acquired weapons systems. They are part of the Office of Security Cooperation, based in the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and headed by Army Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen.

Additional and more comprehensive training is a major issue because Iraq's army and police are mainly equipped and trained to counter an internal insurgency, rather than deter and defend against external threats. Iraq, for example, currently cannot defend its own air sovereignty. It is buying ? but has not yet received ? U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets.

In a new report on conditions in Iraq, a U.S. government watchdog agency said the Iraqi army is giving so much attention to fighting the insurgents that it has had too little time to train for conventional combat.

"The Iraqi army, while capable of conducting counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations, possesses limited ability to defend the nation against foreign threats," said the report submitted to Congress Monday by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, Stuart W. Bowen, Jr.

In an introductory note, Bowen wrote that while Iraq's young democracy is buoyed by increasing oil production, it "remains imperiled by roiling ethno-sectarian tensions and their consequent security threats."

Iraq has seen an upswing in violence since the last U.S. troop left, but senior U.S. officials have remained in touch in hopes of nudging the Iraqis toward a political accommodation that can avert a slide into civil war.

Vice President Joe Biden spoke by phone on Saturday with Osama Nujaifi, speaker of the Council of Representatives. And Biden spoke on Friday with a key opposition figure, Ayad Allawi, a former interim prime minister and a secular Shiite leader of the Iraqiya political bloc. Allawi has said Iraq needs to replace its prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, or hold new elections to prevent the country from fracturing along sectarian lines.

In a positive sign, Iraq's Sunni leaders announced on Sunday that they will end their boycott of parliament. That may have paved the way for the political leadership to hold a national conference led by President Jalal Talabani to seek reconciliation and to end a sectarian political crisis.

George Little, the Pentagon press secretary, said Sunday that Panetta remains optimistic about the outlook in Iraq despite worsening violence.

"The secretary believes that the Iraqi people have a genuine opportunity to create a future of greater security for themselves, and that senseless acts of violence will not deter them from pursuing that goal," Little said. "The United States remains committed to a strong security relationship with Iraq."

U.S. officials have said they aim to establish broad defense ties to Iraq, similar to American relationships with other nations in the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.

Flournoy, 51, is stepping down from her position as undersecretary of defense for policy on Friday after three years in the job. She is the first woman to hold that post. Her chief deputy, Jim Miller, has been picked to succeed her.

In the interview last week, Flournoy reiterated that she is leaving government to focus more on her family. She and her husband, W. Scott Gould, have three children aged 14, 12 and nine.

She came to the Pentagon in February 2009 from the Center for a New American Security, where she was the think tank's first president. She had served in the Pentagon in the 1990s as a strategist.

Flournoy said in an Associated Press interview in December when she announced her decision to quit that she intends to play an informal role this year in supporting President Barack Obama's re-election effort. She was a member of his transition team after the November 2008 election.

___

Robert Burns can be reached on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/robertburnsAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-30-US-Iraq/id-d8b8bacb808240c995737b5b76d6023a

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Purdue University creates 'bass' powered medical implant, knows where it hertz

We've seen all kinds of medical implants over the years, but none that had a musical preference -- until now. Researchers at Purdue University have created a pressure sensitive microelectromechanical system (MEMS) that uses sound waves as an energy source. The proof-of-concept has a vibrating cantilever that's receptive to sound -- or music -- in the 200 - 500Hz frequency spectrum, which is towards the bottom end of the audible range. The subcutaneous implant converts the low-frequency vibrations into energy, and then stores it in a capacitor. Once the cantilever stops vibrating, it sends an electrical charge to a sensor and takes a pressure reading, the result is then transmitted out via radio waves for monitoring purposes. The immediate real world applications include diagnosing and treating incontinence, but we're already wondering if that self-powering mp3 player implant could finally become a reality?

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EU leaders struggle to reconcile austerity, growth

BRUSSELS?? European leaders struggled to reconcile austerity with growth on Monday at a summit due to approve a permanent rescue fund for the euro zone and put finishing touches to a German-driven pact for stricter budget discipline.

Officially, the half-day summit was meant to focus mainly on ways to revive growth and create jobs at a time when governments across Europe are having to cut public spending and raise taxes to tackle mountains of debt.

But disputes over the limits of austerity, and about Greece's unresolved debt restructuring negotiations with private bondholders, may sour efforts to send a more optimistic message that Europe is getting on top of its debt crisis.

The risk premium on southern European government bonds rose while the euro and stocks fell on concerns about a lack of tangible progress in the Greek debt talks and gloom about Europe's economic outlook.

Highlighting those fears, Spain's economy contracted in the last quarter of 2011 for the first time in two years and looks set to slip into a long recession.

And France halved its 2012 growth forecast to a mere 0.5 percent in another potentially ominous sign for President Nicolas Sarkozy's troubled bid for re-election in May. Prime Minister Francois Fillon said the cut would not entail further budget savings measures.

Conservative Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, attending his first EU summit, said Madrid was clearly not going to meet its target of 2.3 percent growth this year. That has raised big doubts about whether it can cut its budget deficit from around 8 percent of economic output in 2011 to 4.4 percent by the end of this year as promised.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso hinted that Brussels may ease Spain's near-unattainable 2012 deficit target after it updates EU growth forecasts on February 23.

Italy, rushing through sweeping economic reforms under new Prime Minister Mario Monti, was rewarded with a significant fall in its borrowing costs at an auction of 10- and 5-year bonds, despite double-notch downgrades of its credit rating by Standard & Poor's and Fitch this month.

But Portugal's slide towards becoming the next Greece - needing a second bailout to avoid chaotic bankruptcy - gathered pace as banks raised the cost of insuring government bonds against default and insisted the money be paid up front instead of over several years.

The yield spread on 10-year Portuguese bonds over safe haven German Bunds topped 15 percentage points for the first time in the euro era. It cost a record 3.9 million euros ($5.12 million) to insure 10 million euros of Portuguese debt.

Outlawing Keynes?
With Britain standing aloof, most of the other 26 EU leaders were set to approve a fiscal pact to write balanced budget rules into their national law, despite economists' doubts about the wisdom of effectively outlawing deficit spending.

"To write into law a Germanic view of how one should run an economy and that essentially makes Keynesianism illegal is not something we would do," a British official said.

European Parliament President Martin Schulz told the leaders the new fiscal treaty was unnecessary and unbalanced, because it failed to combine budget rigor with necessary investment in public works to create jobs.

The 17th summit in two years as the EU battles to resolve its sovereign debt problems was called to shift the narrative away from politically unpopular austerity and towards growth.

Despite the rhetoric on growth, debate over strengthening the euro zone's financial defenses and lowering Greece's debt burden are likely to dominate the talks.

Negotiations between the Greek government and private bondholders over the restructuring of 200 billion euros of Greek debt made progress over the weekend, but were not concluded before the summit began.

A Greek official said Prime Minister Lucas Papademos would give the summit a brief report on the situation and meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines.

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

Germany caused outrage in Greece by proposing last week that a European commissar take control of Greek public finances to ensure it meets fiscal targets. Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said that to make his country choose between national dignity and financial assistance ignored the lessons of history.

The German idea won cautious backing from the Dutch and Swedish prime ministers.

"We need to have things in place for monitoring that they are really doing what they are promising," Swedish Prime Minister Frederik Reinfeldt told reporters on arrival.

But Merkel played down the idea of placing Greece under stewardship, saying: "We are having a debate that we shouldn't be having. This is about how Europe can be supportive so Greece can comply, so there are targets."

Permanent rescue fund
The leaders were to sign a treaty creating the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), a 500-billion-euro permanent bailout fund that is due to become operational in July, a year earlier than first planned.

But there was a last-minute hitch over the terms of a 'fiscal compact treaty' tightening budget rules when four central European states demanded that countries planning to join the euro be allowed to attend all euro zone summits.

The prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia agreed to seek an amendment to the text as a condition for joining the pact, a Hungarian spokesman said.

The ESM was meant to replace the European Financial Stability Facility, a temporary fund that has been used to bail out Ireland and Portugal.

But pressure is mounting - including from Italy's Monti, IMF chief Christine Lagarde and U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner - to combine the resources of the two funds to create a

super-firewall of 750 billion euros ($1 trillion).

The International Monetary Fund says if Europe puts up more of its own money, that will convince others to contribute more resources to the IMF, boosting its crisis-fighting abilities and improving market sentiment.

But Germany has so far resisted such a step.

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

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

The sticking point is German public opinion which is tired of bailing out the euro zone's financially less prudent.

The summit was expected to announce that up to 20 billion euros of unspent funds from the EU's 2007-2013 budget will be recycled towards job creation, especially among the young, and will commit to freeing up bank lending to small- and medium-sized companies.

But with no new public money available for a stimulus, leaders focused mainly on promoting structural reforms such as loosening labor market regulation, cutting red tape for business and promoting innovation.

However, they were unlikely to resolve a decade-old battle over creating a single European patent which would reduce the high cost of registering inventions and protecting intellectual property. Firms currently have to register patents in each of the 27 member states. The streamlining has long been stymied by disputes over language and the location of an EU patent court.

Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46191196/ns/business-world_business/

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Democratic Group Sees Romney As Changing His Tune On Immigration (ABC News)

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Adoptable Pets of the Week - The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Maude

She's a feisty little lady who likes to play with stuffed animals, even ones that are as big or even bigger than she is! Maude enjoys belly rubs, and if you stop petting her, she'll roll over on her back and wiggle to ask for more. She also likes leash walks, lap time, and all kinds of food.

Maude greets visitors with enthusiasm, wagging her tail and seeking attention. Born in 1998, she's frisky and playful with plenty of stamina. She looks and acts much younger than her years.

Maude is nearly blind but gets around just fine despite her poor vision. She's been on a few sleepovers and received rave reviews. She gets along with cats, though she's not good about having doggie friends and should be an only dog.

She's hoping to become somebody's lap dog for the rest of her life. If you'd take her in your arms, she'd be the happiest dog in the world!

Scott

Scott is so friendly and confident. You can pick him up, hold him, pet him -- anything you want! He's so affectionate. And he's got a strong, solid presence.

Scott knows the word "up," and will sometimes jump on your leg when you say it! He also likes to play, and will "talk" to you.

The only little insecurity about him is that he really seems like he wants a home -- sometimes he even "sprays" just a little, and we think it's because he's a little unhappy competing with so many cats. He gets along with other cats, but would prefer a few friends versus many.

Scott wants somebody who won't walk away after visiting him. Is there a chance of that? He'd sure love to meet you!

Best Friends adopts to all of the United States and Canada. Please contact Best Friends Animal Society right here.

See all the animals that need homes... at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

Source: http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2012/01/adoptable_pets_of_the_week_0127.php

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Nintendo chief promises to do Wii U launch right (AP)

TOKYO ? Nintendo's chief is determined to get right the launch of its next game machine, Wii U, set for this year's holiday shopping season, and acknowledged Friday some mistakes with selling its 3DS handheld.

But Nintendo Co. President Satoru Iwata warned earnings for the fiscal year set to begin April will be the toughest ever for the Japanese manufacturer behind the Super Mario and Pokemon games.

Nintendo went against conventional wisdom with the original Wii in 2006. The quirky, cheap game console relied not on high-end graphics and complex buttons to lure in hardcore players, but on simple motion controls to lure in everyone.

Although the company successfully courted casual gamers with the Wii, it is now facing increased competition from Apple Inc.'s iPhone and other devices that offer simple games. It had hoped to win new gamers through a 3-D handheld device. But sales were slow, and Nintendo slashed prices on the 3DS within six months.

Iwata's remarks come a day after it lowered its annual earnings forecast to a 65 billion yen ($844 million) loss, much larger than the 20 billion yen ($260 million) loss projected earlier. It posted a 77.62 billion yen profit the previous fiscal year.

Iwata blamed the strong yen, which erases overseas earnings, as well as the arrival of smartphones and other devices that offer gaming.

The higher yen slashed nearly 54 billion yen ($701 million) from the company's operating profit for the April-December period.

"I can see how the red ink may be perceived as abnormal," Iwata told analysts and reporters at a Tokyo hotel. "The environment has changed."

The failure of the 3DS handheld to take off with enough momentum during the last quarter of 2011 was one of the main reasons for the dismal results, according to Iwata.

The 3DS has gradually started to sell better, but it took a price cut in August. It still lacks a strong lineup of attractive software games, a key factor for a machine to succeed in a big way.

Iwata vowed the company will be better prepared when it introduces the Wii U home console during the 2012 year-end shopping season for a strong comeback.

He declined to give details such as pricing or what the software games available at that time might be.

But he said the Wii U will come with a strong game lineup at the launch as well as secure and safe Internet services that will offer players individual accounts.

The Wii U will come with new ways of playing that will almost make the term "home console" obsolete, Iwata said. It will also offer mobile gaming. The machine has a touch-panel controller.

Nintendo has long competed against rival game makers, such as Sony Corp. and Microsoft Corp. These days, all face the threat from hit devices like the iPad and iPhone from Apple Inc. that also offer games.

Iwata's comments also showed Nintendo is growing less cautious about the Internet, which in the past it had brushed off as mainly for hard-core gamers.

Kyoto-based Nintendo has built its reputation on making games fun to play for casual and newcomer players.

"We are going to put to use our bitter experience with the 3DS," said Iwata.

___

Follow Yuri Kageyama at http://twitter.com/yurikageyama

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_hi_te/as_japan_nintendo

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Growth quickens, but speed bumps ahead (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The economy grew at its fastest pace in 1-1/2 years in the fourth quarter, but a rebuilding of stocks by businesses and slower business spending warned of weaker growth in early 2012.

Gross domestic product expanded at a 2.8 percent annual rate, the Commerce Department said on Friday, a sharp acceleration from the 1.8 percent in the prior three months.

It was, however, a touch below economists expectations in a Reuters poll for a 3 percent rate, and two-thirds of the increase was due to the build-up in business inventories.

Soft underlying demand and a sharp slowing in core inflation supported the Federal Reserve's decision this week to keep in place an ultra easy monetary policy to nurse the recovery.

"The areas of strength are unlikely to be strong in the current quarter and the areas of weakness are more than likely to be weaker," said Steve Blitz, a senior economist at ITG Investment Research in New York. "Frankly, I don't think there is an awful lot the Fed can do about it."

On Wall Street the Dow ended down as investors took a dim view of the composition of growth. U.S. Treasury debt prices rose for a third day and the dollar hit a 6-1/2 week low against the euro.

The economy got a temporary boost from the rebuilding of inventories, which logged the biggest increase since the third quarter of 2010.

Excluding inventories, the economy grew at a tepid 0.8 percent rate, a sharp step-down from the prior period's 3.2 percent pace and a sign of weak domestic demand.

THE POLITICS OF GROWTH

For all of last year, the economy grew just 1.7 percent, and economists expect only a bit of quickening this year.

Sluggish growth could hurt President Barack Obama's chances of re-election in November, and might lead the Fed to launch a further round of bond purchases to spur the recovery.

"Clearly, much work remains to achieve the Fed's dual mandate of maximum sustainable employment in the context of price stability," New York Federal Reserve Bank President William Dudley told reporters.

The central bank on Wednesday said it expected to keep interest rates at rock bottom levels at least through late 2014, and it warned the economy still faced big risks, a suggestion the euro zone debt crisis could still hit hard.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Friday also gave a lukewarm assessment of economy's prospects.

"We're still repairing the damage done by the financial crisis. On top of that we face a more challenging world. We have a lot of challenges ahead in the United States," he said at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS

The robust inventory accumulation in the fourth quarter - a $56 billion build-up - suggests the recovery will lose a step at some point in early 2012 when businesses throttle back.

But economists said there was no sign businesses were uncomfortable yet with the amount of inventory they had on hand, suggesting they could add more in the current quarter.

"We had dealer stock build in the fourth quarter, but it was really to make sure we had the inventories that support the going-rate in terms of days' supply," Ford Motor Corp Chief Financial Officer Lewis Booth said on a conference call.

"I think we're at 58 days, which is actually lower than our typical level," he said.

Weak spots during the quarter included business investment spending, which advanced at just a 1.7 percent annual rate, the slowest since 2009.

A sharp drop in defense spending and still weak outlays at state and local authorities combined to yield a fifth straight quarterly contraction in government spending.

Though exports held up, an increase in imports left a trade gap that also chipped growth, and while home construction rose at the fastest pace since the second quarter of 2010, it was helped by unseasonably mild winter weather.

SLUGGISH INCOME GROWTH

Consumer spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity, also accelerated, stepping up to a 2 percent rate from the third-quarter's 1.7 percent.

However, it was largely driven by pent-up demand for cars. The Japanese earthquake and tsunami had disrupted supplies early last year, leaving showrooms bereft of popular models.

Consumers also benefited from a moderation in inflation.

A price index for personal spending rose at a 0.7 percent rate in the fourth-quarter, the slowest increase in 1-1/2 years.

A core measure that strips out food and energy costs rose at a 1.1 percent pace, off sharply from the prior quarter and the slowest in a year. The slowdown could worry the Fed, which would prefer it nearer its 2 percent inflation target.

High unemployment has led to sluggish income growth, which in turn has prompted households to tap savings and credit cards to fund their purchases.

A sustained GDP growth pace of at least 3 percent would likely be needed to make noticeable headway in absorbing the unemployed and those who have given up the search for work.

"Though the unemployment rate has improved, the jobs market remains a major challenge," said Adolfo Laurenti, deputy chief economist at Mesirow Financial in Chicago.

"The high level of people out of the workforce and underemployed people show there isn't really much income generation to contribute to a better spending pattern."

Even so, another report on Friday showed consumer sentiment reached its highest level in nearly a year this month.

(Additional reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit; Editing by Neil Stempleman and Tim Ahmann)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/bs_nm/us_usa_economy

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Obama to propose tax credit for natgas trucks (reuters)

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On Gingrich and grandiosity (Powerlineblog)

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Memorial service to cap 3-day mourning for Paterno

People pay their respects as the hearse carrying the casket of former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno passes through State College, Pa., Wednesday Jan. 25, 2012. Paterno died Sunday at the age of 85. (AP Photo/John Beale)

People pay their respects as the hearse carrying the casket of former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno passes through State College, Pa., Wednesday Jan. 25, 2012. Paterno died Sunday at the age of 85. (AP Photo/John Beale)

Meghan James, 14, left, and her grandmother Joan Wanat, both from Huntington, N.Y., comfort each other after going through the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on the Penn State campus for the viewing for former Penn State coach Joe Paterno Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012 in State College, Pa. Paterno died Sunday morning. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Mourners arrive at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on the Penn State campus for memorial services for former Penn State coach Joe Paterno Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012 in State College, Pa. Paterno died Sunday morning. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Alysha Ulrich, 10, left foreground, from Oley, Pa., waits in line to go through the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on the Penn State campus for the viewing for former Penn State coach Joe Paterno Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012 in State College, Pa. The second day of a three-day period of public mourning for Paterno will culminate with the funeral and burial for the Hall of Fame football coach who became the face of Penn State University. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Blaze Feury, right, a member of the Penn State rugby team, gives out hot chocolate to mourners in line to go through the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on the Penn State campus for the viewing for former Penn State coach Joe Paterno Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012 in State College, Pa. The second day of a three-day period of public mourning for Paterno will culminate with the funeral and burial for the Hall of Fame football coach who became the face of Penn State University. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) ? A simple two-word message flashed this week on the electronic signboard outside Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center.

"Thanks JoePa."

On Thursday, a capacity crowd of more than 12,000 is expected to pack the arena for one more tribute to Joe Paterno, the Hall of Fame football coach who died Sunday from lung cancer.

His death at age 85 came less than three months after his stunning ouster as head coach in the wake of child sex-abuse charges against a retired assistant. But this week, thousands of alumni, fans, students and former players in Happy Valley are remembering Paterno for his record-setting coaching career, his love for the school and his generosity.

"What's Joe's legacy? The answer, is his legacy is us," former NFL and Penn State receiver Jimmy Cefalo said Wednesday before Paterno's funeral. Cefalo is scheduled to be one of the speakers at the tribute called "A Memorial for Joe" at the arena across the street from Beaver Stadium ? the stadium Paterno helped turned into a college football landmark.

Paterno's son, former Nittany Lions quarterback coach Jay Paterno, also is expected to speak at the memorial, which will cap three days of public mourning for Paterno. Viewings were held Tuesday and Wednesday morning, before the funeral and burial service for Paterno on Wednesday afternoon at the campus interfaith center where family members attended church services.

Cefalo, who played for Penn State in the '70s, said it will be the most difficult speech of his life. But he offered a hint of what he might say.

"Generations of these young people from coal mines and steel towns who he gave a foundation to," Cefalo said. "It's not (the Division I record) 409 wins, it's not two national championships, and it's not five-time coach of the year (awards). It's us."

The memorial Thursday is expected to feature a speaker for each decade of Paterno's coaching career, according to Charles Pittman, a former player who said he will represent the 1960s.

Pittman said he was in Paterno's first class and was the coach's first All-America running back. Pittman's son later played for the Nittany Lions as well, making them the first father-son pair to play for Paterno, Pittman said. They wrote a book about their experiences called "Playing for Paterno."

Pittman said he spoke with Paterno two or three times a year. In 2002, the coach chided Pittman for moving to South Bend, Ind. ? home of rival Notre Dame ? to take a job as a newspaper executive.

"He called me a traitor," said Pittman, a senior vice president for publishing at Schurz Communications Inc., an Indiana-based company that owns television and radio stations and newspapers, and a member of the Board of Directors of The Associated Press.

Pittman attended Wednesday's funeral, which also drew other notable guests including former NFL players Franco Harris and Matt Millen; and former defensive coordinator Tom Bradley. Nike founder Phil Knight and actor William Baldwin were there, too.

A procession wound through the Penn State campus and the surrounding State College community. Quiet mourners lined the route, watching with grief and reverence as the electric-blue hearse carrying Paterno's casket slowly drove by.

Some took pictures with their cellphones, or waved to his widow. Others craned their necks hoping for a better glimpse through the crowd sometimes four or more deep.

A family spokesman, Dan McGinn, said Paterno's grandchildren escorted the casket down the aisle during the opening procession, and again at the end of the service. Jay Paterno and his brother, Scott, were among the pallbearers.

___

Associated Press writer Kathy Matheson in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-26-Penn%20State-Paterno/id-d12621b9f6284ef6accb53d473c4464a

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Coach 2nd-quarter net income rises 15 percent (AP)

NEW YORK ? Luxury bag maker Coach said Tuesday that strong demand for its luxury handbags during the holidays helped fiscal second-quarter net income rise nearly 15 percent.

Results beat expectations and shares rose nearly 3 percent in premarket trading.

The luxury sector has been a bright spot in U.S. retail as the affluent keep spending while other sectors have been slower to recover from the recession. CEO Lew Frankfort singled out North American results.

"We were especially pleased with our ongoing strength in North America during the holiday season," he said in a statement. A key revenue figure, which excludes newly opened or closed stores, rose 8.8 percent in North America during the October-December quarter.

Coach's international business and its growing men's business also did well during the key holiday selling period.

The New York company said net income rose to $347.5 million, or $1.18 per share, in the three months ended Dec. 31, from $303.4 million, or $1 per share in late 2010. That beat analyst expectations of $1.15 per share, according to FactSet.

Revenue rose 15 percent to $1.45 billion from $1.26 billion. Analysts expected revenue of $1.43 billion.

Direct-to-consumer sales, which include Coach stores, catalog and online business, rose 17 percent to $1.28 billion.

Shares rose $1.76 to $66 in premarket trading.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/earnings/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_bi_ge/us_earns_coach

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"Beasts of the Southern Wild" wins Sundance Producer's Award (Reuters)

PARK CITY, Utah, Jan 22 (TheWrap.com) ? "Beasts of the Southern Wild," the narrative film that has stirred up the most attention at Sundance to date, was awarded the inaugural Sundance Institute Indian Paintbrush Producer's Award at a luncheon on Sunday.

Producer Josh Penn and Dan Janvey accepted the award for "Beasts," a raucous drama set in an isolated southern Louisiana community. Since its premiere on Friday, the film has been one of the most talked-about narrative features at the festival, with a number of exhibitors circling the film but admitting that it could be a tough sell in the marketplace.

The Indian Paintbrush Producer's Award is a collaboration between the Indian Paintbrush production company and the Sundance Institute, and is open to any filmmakers who have participated in one of the Institute's labs.

This is the first year the award has been given out. It carries with it a $10,000 grant.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/enindustry/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120122/media_nm/us_sundance_award

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Wizards fire coach Saunders, promote Wittman

Washington Wizards coach Flip Saunders watches as his team plays against the Philadelphia 76ers in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan, 23, 2012, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr )

Washington Wizards coach Flip Saunders watches as his team plays against the Philadelphia 76ers in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan, 23, 2012, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr )

FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2012, file photo, Washington Wizards head coach Flip Saunders walks across the court during an NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers in Philadelphia. A person familiar with the decision says Saunders has been fired as coach of the Wizards, who have the NBA's worst record at 2-15. Saunders will be replaced by assistant Randy Wittman, the person told The Associated Press on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

FILE - In this March 2, 2011, file photo, Washington Wizards assistant coach Randy Wittman gives instructions during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors in Washington. A person familiar with the decision says Flip Saunders has been fired as coach of the Washington Wizards, who have the NBA's worst record at 2-15. Saunders will be replaced by Wittman, the person told The Associated Press on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2012, file photo, Washington Wizards head coach Flip Saunders looks on during an NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers in Philadelphia. A person familiar with the decision says Saunders has been fired as coach of the Wizards, who have the NBA's worst record at 2-15. Saunders will be replaced by assistant Randy Wittman, the person told The Associated Press on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Flip Saunders was fired Tuesday as coach of the NBA-worst Washington Wizards and replaced by assistant Randy Wittman, who has the job for the rest of the season.

The Wizards fell to 2-15 this season, including 0-7 on the road, with a 20-point loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. Washington's next game is at home Wednesday against the Charlotte Bobcats.

"We felt the team had become unresponsive, and we will look to Randy to provide a different voice and a change in philosophy moving forward," Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said in a statement released by the team. "We have been transparent in how we would evaluate our team this season and we were disappointed in the lack of development of our players at this point in our rebuilding plan."

Saunders was in his third season with the Wizards, going 51-130. When he was hired, the roster featured All-Stars Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler, but the franchise is now rebuilding around point guard John Wall, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft.

But there is not a lot of help for Wall, and the Wizards have been prone to inconsistent play, often failing to even be competitive this season. On Monday, they walked down the court for offensive possessions, never hustled after loose balls and couldn't convert the easiest of buckets, missing eight of nine shots in the paint in the first quarter.

After one string of sloppy plays, Saunders took a knee in front of the scorer's table, bowed his head and rubbed his temples.

After the game, Wall said: "Whoever got the ball just took a shot. Guys are holding their heads down, and we're not fighting or competing."

Back in December, before the lockout-shortened season began, Saunders tried to look on the bright said, saying he could envision how the young Wizards could improve on their 23-59 record from 2010-11.

"I want to compete for the playoffs," the coach said then.

But Washington got off to a franchise-worst 0-8 start ? half of the losses were by at least 18 points ? before beating the Toronto Raptors. Curiously, the Wizards' only other victory came against Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Saunders tried finding different ways to motivate players such as Andray Blatche, who was made a captain for the season-opening game, and tinkered a bit with the lineup. But nothing seemed to get things going in the right direction.

Asked after what turned out to be his last game with Washington how he can change the way the Wizards are performing, Saunders said Monday night: "You try to put different lineups in, play a lot of different people, try to do some different things."

Before joining the Wizards, Saunders coached 13 NBA seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons, reaching the conference finals a total of four times.

He was hired by Washington in April 2009, and given a four-year contract.

Wittman gets his third job as an NBA head coach, after going 100-207 ? a .326 winning percentage ? with Minnesota and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Wittman was drafted by Washington with the 22nd overall pick in the 1983 draft.

"We have struggled as a team at times this season, but we have also seen a great deal of potential from our young players and glimpses of what we can accomplish together as a team," Wittman said. "The coaching staff will look to build on that by utilizing the length, athleticism and versatility of our roster to improve our defense and create more opportunities in the open court."

___

AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-24-BKN-Wizards-Saunders-Fired/id-13d1580cf25645db93cc7334998986cc

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Guatemalans scale volcano to protest domestic violence

Violence against women has surged in Central America, prompting awareness efforts like the one in Guatemala this weekend.

Thousands of people, one after the other, climbed to the top of a dormant volcano in Guatemala over the weekend, ascending the 12,352-foot slope of the Volcan de Agua (Volcano of Water).

Skip to next paragraph

They weren?t on an adventure excursion though. It was a mega protest against domestic violence, which included 12,000 women, children, and men (including Guatemala?s new president Otto Perez Molina).

Look at the photos here.?

Violence has dogged Central America, and while it is gang killings and drug trafficking violence that dominates headlines, violence against women is rising.

The march in Guatemala is one of several actions organized by human rights defenders in recent years. We reported about a creative effort in Suchito, a colonial town outside of San Salvador, where centuries-old whitewashed homes were adorned with permanent wording that read: ?In this house we want a life without violence towards women.?

The stencils, including a bird and flower, are the work of the Feminist Collective for Local Development to ?elevate societal rejection of domestic violence, and make it a subject we should all be worried about,? local feminist activist Morena Herrera told me.

And this week the Nobel Women?s Initiative, begun by women laureates in 2006, is in Mexico, and heading to Honduras and Guatemala, from Jan. 22 to the 31, to talk to defenders of human rights for women, and to focus on the unsolved killing of women in the region.

?The United Nations recently named Honduras the most violent place on earth, and Mexico has the dubious distinction of being home to five of the world?s ten most deadly cities," they wrote on their website.

Their work comes as crime against women has increased across Mexico and Central America. InSight Crime reported last year that the Salvadoran Women for Peace (Organizacion de Mujeres Salvadore?as por la Paz - ORMUSA), which tracks violence against women, says there has been a five-fold increase in ?femicides? over the last decade, outstripping the murder rate.

In Guatemala, the BBC reports that some 600 women were murdered in the nation last year.

Nowhere are femicides more notorious than in Ciudad Juarez in Mexico, where women began disappearing in the 1990s. InSight Crime says that some 1,500 females have been reported missing since 2008, according to Mexico's special task force on violence against women.

In all of these countries, violence against women has increased alongside organized crime. But as InSight Crime notes:

??The kind of ultra-violence associated with the killings of women may be an indicator less of organized crime, than of the culture of violence that comes in the wake of organized crime.?

Domestic violence has many roots, but the one that analaysts often point to is a cultural of machismo that runs throughout Latin America.

In Guatemala, the march was an attempt to forge a culture without violence, particularly against women. "We're trying to get young leaders to start a generational change in attitudes where people say - until now we've sort of accepted that there is this culture of violence, but no more," said British ambassador Julie Chappell to the BBC.

Get daily or weekly updates from?CSMonitor.com?delivered to your inbox.?Sign up today.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/9_9h7lYl4WE/Guatemalans-scale-volcano-to-protest-domestic-violence

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EU envoys agree to impose Iran oil embargo: diplomat (Reuters)

BRUSSELS (Reuters) ? European Union ambassadors agreed on Monday to impose an embargo on Iranian oil imports, but decided to delay the full implementation of the ban until July 1, an EU diplomat said.

Their agreement was the final step before EU foreign ministers can give their formal approval to the measure. The EU's 27 foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Monday.

"(EU ambassadors) have agreed on Iran sanctions," the senior EU diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Under the deal, EU governments will have to stop signing new contracts with Tehran from the moment the ban comes into place -- probably as soon as this week -- but will be able to fulfill existing contracts until July 1.

EU ministers are also expected to agree extra restrictive measures on Iran's central bank at Monday's meeting, but no details on those steps were immediately available.

(Reporting by Justyna Pawlak; editing by Luke Baker)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/wl_nm/us_iran_eu_deal

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'Haywire' Star Gina Carano Talks Fighting Michael Fassbender

'I don't think he had any qualms about being physical with me,' actress says of her co-star.
By Kara Warner

Gina Carano
Photo: MTV News

Those of you who treated yourselves to Steven Soderbergh's action-packed thriller "Haywire" over the weekend know that MMA-fighter-turned-actress Gina Carano's unbelievable fight sequences steal the show.

Throughout the course of the film Carano's character, a special ops agent who seeks revenge on the colleagues who betrayed her, engages in serious hand-to-hand combat with the likes of Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor and Antonio Banderas. Each one of her fight sequences is memorable in its own right, but it is the bout with Fassbender's character that really packs a punch.

When MTV News caught up with Carano recently during the press day for the film, we asked her to take us through a few behind-the-scenes details of that scene. Spoilers ahead, along with further proof of Carano's general badassness with the way in which she throws around phrases like "vase smashed in his face" and "choke him out."

"The Fassbender fight is definitely special," Carano said. "It took two days [to shoot] and I don't think he had any qualms about being physical with me after he met me. He was like, 'You know what? She's somebody I can throw around and not hurt.' "

"It was just a beautiful fight scene. There were so many funny stories because he is a hilarious human being," Carano said, recalling jokes between takes. "We had a couple different stories that involved a vase getting smashed in his face. I think the bed scene where I choke him out with the triangle choke and then roll over, and then nobody really expects me to shoot him like that. I think that's been a very powerful scene."

Have you seen or are you planning to see "Haywire"? Let us know in the comments.

Check out everything we've got on "Haywire."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677683/haywire-gina-carano-michael-fassbender.jhtml

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Di Stefano, Zidane back Mourinho after Madrid loss

Associated Press Sports

updated 12:12 p.m. ET Jan. 20, 2012

MADRID (AP) -Former Real Madrid greats Alfredo di Stefano and Zinedine Zidane came out in defense of coach Jose Mourinho on Friday following another disappointing loss to Barcelona.

Mourinho was widely criticized for his defensive tactics in Wednesday's 2-1 Copa del Rey loss, which was exacerbated by Pepe's stamp on Lionel Messi's hand.

Di Stefano said in his weekly column for Marca newspaper that placing the blame on the Portuguese coach was akin to a "bad joke."

"Mourinho grows in the face of great challenges, he's brave like a Real Madrid coach should be," Di Stefano wrote on Friday. "The errors can be corrected."

Zidane, who is the Madrid sporting director, backed Mourinho's decision to play Pepe in midfield in front of a physical backline that included Hamit Altintop and Ricardo Carvalho, calling much of the criticism unjust.

"Of course a club like Madrid needs to show elegance, but in this moment, against an extremely complicated rival, you have to create the conditions for victory," the former France midfielder told AS sports daily. "An attack on Mourinho and the players is an attack on Madrid."

Zidane, who travels with the team and is involved with Mourinho's technical staff, also backed Pepe, whose negative reputation for overly aggressive play was bolstered after Wednesday's match. Pepe apologized to Messi on Thursday, saying he did not intentionally step on the Barcelona player's left hand.

"He's a lovely guy, a well-educated person," Zidane said of the Portugal defender. "But when he jumps onto the field he becomes obsessed with winning and that desire causes him to commit errors. Sometimes he's right on the limit."

Madrid travels to Barcelona's Camp Nou for the return leg of the quarterfinal on Wednesday.

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

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First American EPL hat trick

Clint Dempsey became the first American to score a hat trick in England's Premier League, helping Fulham rally from a halftime deficit to rout Newcastle 5-2 Saturday.

Boris Streubel / Getty Images

Best of the US

Abby Wambach and Clint Dempsey are voted top players by the U.S. Soccer Federation.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45447222/ns/sports-soccer/

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SAP on the Cloud ? Can Finance People Learn to Love the Cloud?

For finance professionals, cloud computing can?bring a lot of anxiety. A key contributor is ensuring the security of sensitive financial data and the ability to enforce internal controls when this data resides in the ?cloud?, at a third-party service provider. In the US, with Sarbanes-Oxley and the hard-to-forget memories of hoops finance departments had to jump through to comply with it, should finance departments ignore the cloud and keep their data securely on premise? We could debate ad infinitum whether your on premise data is really secure but what about the cloud computing providers? The economics of the cloud are certainly compelling but what about the compliance risk?

Fortunately, there are standards to help ensure that your cloud provider has taken the proper steps to keep your financial data secure and compliant. These standards, namely the Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements No. 16 (SSAE 16) in the US and its international cousin, the International Standard on Assurance Engagements No. ?3402 (ISAE 3402) provide guidance to accounting firms who audit a service provider?s books. These standards are relatively new, having gone into effect just last year. In the US, SSAE 16 replaced the better known Statement of Auditing Standards 70 (SAS 70).? SAS 70 was issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) several years ago for the same purpose?assessing a service provider?s internal controls. However developments such as the globalization of information technology and a desire to align global accounting standards necessitated the adoption of the newer standards (the AICPA now requires its members to follow SSAE 16).?

As I started to say, the new standards assist accounting firms who audit a service provider?s financial records (for the record, ?a ?service provider? is any company who provides outsourced work to another company and a cloud provider falls squarely in that camp). When performing an audit, accountants must also assess the effectiveness of a provider?s processes to safeguard financial data from tampering. These processes are called internal controls. Upon completing an internal controls audit, an accounting firm will issue a report attesting to the service provider?s compliance to its customers and other external stakeholders.?

The standards also apply to companies who use service providers. They offer similar guidance to accounting firms who audit the books of companies who use eternal service providers. Because certain service providers?and most certainly providers of cloud-based financial systems?can have a significant impact on the customer?s control environment, external stakeholders need to ensure that both the company and the cloud provider have followed proper internal control procedures.

What does this mean to cloud providers? Among other things, it?s a powerful marketing tool?like the venerable Good Housekeeping seal, ?it helps dispel the concerns of would be financial buyers that somehow their data is not safe or they?ll have compliance problems if they ditch their old accounting systems for a cloud-based system. Additionally, a cloud provider?s sales people should be able to articulate what this means to reluctant financial decision-makers. Now before sales people start flaming me, let me say that finance people get confused by this stuff (just ask them if they clearly understand the rules on revenue recognition or foreign exchange valuation). ?You don?t need to quote SSAE 16 or ISAE 3402 chapter and verse. Rather, you should be able to communicate just what I?ve written above and if the finance person still has doubts, they can call their auditor. Cloud computing offers many significant benefits but for some, the perceived risks prevent them from adopting it. Hopefully, this blog offers a bit more assurance that data in the cloud may indeed be better than data stored on premise.

Leave a Reply

This entry was posted on Friday, January 20th, 2012 at 12:39 am and is filed under Blogs, Finance, SaaS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://blogs.sap.com/cloud/2012/01/20/can-finance-people-learn-to-love-the-cloud/

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Samsung takes another swipe at iPhone users with its latest ad

Samsung has again launched an attack on iPhone users with its advertisement for the Samsung Galaxy S II Android phone.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/GzjaDFF8FBY/story01.htm

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A Q&A on contested Internet anti-piracy bills (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Online piracy costs U.S. copyright owners and producers billions of dollars every year, but legislation in Congress to block foreign Internet thieves and swindlers has met strong resistance from high-tech companies, spotlighted by Wikipedia's protest blackout Wednesday, warning of a threat to Internet freedom.

House and Senate bills that once seemed to be on a path toward approval now face a rockier future. House Speaker John Boehner said Wednesday it was "pretty clear to many of us that there is a lack of consensus at this point."

Amid the high-tech campaign against the bills, several lawmakers came out in opposition. At least four Senate Republicans who had previously cosponsored the Senate bill ? Orrin Hatch of Utah, Roy Blunt of Missouri, John Boozman of Arkansas and Charles Grassley of Iowa ? issued statements Wednesday saying they were withdrawing their support. Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland last week said that, after listening to constituent concerns, he could not vote for the Senate bill as it is currently written.

On the House side, Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., issued a statement that he had heard from many of his constituents and had come to the conclusion that the House and Senate bills "create unacceptable threats to free speech and free access to the Internet."

Here are some of the some of the questions being raised about the bills being considered:

Q. Why is legislation needed?

A. There's no argument that more needs to be done to protect artists, innovators and industries from copyright thieves and shield consumers from products sold on the Internet that are fake, faulty and unsafe. Creative America, a coalition of Hollywood studios, networks and unions, says content theft costs U.S. workers $5.5 billion a year. The pharmaceutical industry loses billions to Internet sellers of drugs that are falsely advertised and may be harmful.

Q. What is Congress trying to accomplish?

A. The two main bills are the Protect Intellectual Property Act, or PIPA, in the Senate, and the similar Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, in the House. There are already laws on the books to combat domestic websites trafficking in counterfeit or pirated goods, but little to counter foreign violators.

The bills would allow the Justice Department, and copyright holders, to seek court orders against foreign websites accused of perpetrating or facilitating copyright infringement. While there is little the United States can do to take down those websites, the bills would bar online advertising networks and payment facilitators such as credit card companies and PayPal from doing business with an alleged violator. It also would forbid search engines from linking to such sites.

The original bills would have let copyright holders and Internet service providers block access to pirate websites. Critics and Internet engineers complained that would allow copyright holders to interfere in the behind-the-scenes system that seamlessly directs computer users to websites. They said that causing deliberate failures in the lookup system to prevent visits to pirate websites could more easily allow hackers to trick users into inadvertently visiting websites that could infect their computers. The White House also took issue with that approach, saying, "We must avoid creating new cybersecurity risks or disrupting the underlying architecture of the Internet."

Responding to the critics, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, said he is taking the blocking measure out of his bill. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., also is reworking his bill to address those cybersecurity issues.

Q. What are other concerns with the bills?

A. Critics say they would constrain free speech, curtail innovation and discourage new digital distribution methods. NetCoalition, a group of leading Internet and technology companies, says they could be forced to pre-screen all user comments, pictures and videos ? effectively killing social media. Search engines, Internet service providers and social networks could be forced to shut down websites linked to any type of pirated content.

In addition, critics contend that young, developing businesses and smaller websites could be saddled with expensive litigation costs. And they contend existing rights holders could impede new investment in the technology sector.

The White House said it would "not support any legislation that reduces freedom of expression ... or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet."

Leahy responded that there is nothing in the legislation that would require websites, Internet service providers, search engines, ad networks, payment processors or others to monitor their networks. He said his bill protects third parties from liability that may arise from actions to comply with a court order.

Michael O'Leary, a senior vice president at the Motion Picture Association of America, a key supporter of the legislation, said his industry is built upon a vibrant First Amendment. "We would never support any legislation that would limit this fundamental American right," he said. Neither PIPA nor SOPA "implicate free expression but focus solely on illegal conduct, which is not free speech."

Q. Who else supports the bills?

A. The most visible supporters are entertainment-related groups such as the MPAA and the National Music Publishers' Association. But the bills also enjoy support from the pharmaceutical industry, which is trying to shut down illegal online drug operations, and electronic and auto industries concerned about people going online to buy counterfeit parts that may be substandard. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and several law enforcement groups also back the legislation.

Q. Who are the opponents?

A. In addition to Wikipedia, many major Internet and technology companies, including Google, Yahoo!, Amazon.com and eBay, are part of the NetCoalition group opposing the bills. Disparate political groups such as the liberal Democracy for America and the conservative Heritage Action have also voiced concerns about censorship.

Q. What is the status of the bills?

A. Momentum for the bills has slowed, giving the edge to Silicon Valley over Hollywood. The Senate, as its first major business when it returns to session next Tuesday, is to vote on whether to take up the bill. Sixty votes are needed to clear that legislative hurdle. It's unclear whether supporters have the votes.

Six Republicans on the Judiciary Committee last week wrote Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., saying that while the problem of intellectual property theft must be addressed, "the process at this point is moving too quickly" and a vote on moving to the bill "may be premature."

Reid replied that the vote will occur as scheduled, saying that while the bill was not perfect and he had urged Leahy to make changes, the issue was "too important to delay."

In the House, Judiciary Committee Chairman Smith said his panel would resume deliberations on SOPA in February. Meanwhile, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and an ally of the high-tech industry, said he had received assurances from GOP leaders that anti-piracy legislation would not move to the House floor this year unless there is a consensus on it.

Issa and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., are pushing an alternative to SOPA and PIPA that would make the International Trade Commission, which already is in charge of patent infringements, responsible for taking steps to prevent money and advertising from going to rogue sites.

Issa formally introduced his bill Wednesday, saying the Internet blackout had "underscored the flawed approach taken by SOPA and PIPA" and his bill was "a smarter way to protect taxpayers' rights while protecting the Internet."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_on_go_co/us_internet_piracy_q_a

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